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Autodesk
3ds Max 2011
®

®

Help

Autodesk® 3ds® Max 2011
©

2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose.
Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder.
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FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS.

Contents

Chapter 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3ds Max Documentation Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
About MAXScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 2

Getting Started with 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Project Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up Your Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modeling Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Placing Lights and Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animating Your Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Your Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The 3ds Max Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Managing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing, Merging, Replacing, and Externally Referencing
Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Asset Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Startup Files and Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Initialization File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Backing Up and Archiving Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Crash Recovery System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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iii

Chapter 3

Viewing and Navigating 3D Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
General Viewport Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Home Grid: Views Based on the World Coordinate Axes . . . . . . . . . 50
Understanding Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Setting Viewport Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Controlling Viewport Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Controlling Display Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Using Standard View Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Zooming, Panning, and Rotating Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
ViewCube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
ViewCube Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Change the View of the Scene with the ViewCube . . . . . . . . . 70
Change the Current View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Set the View Projection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Define the Home View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
SteeringWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Wheel Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Navigation Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
View Object Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Tour Building Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Full Navigation Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Navigation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Center Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Forward Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Look Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Orbit Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Pan Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Rewind Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Up/Down Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Walk Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Zoom Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Using Walkthrough Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Navigating Camera and Light Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Adaptive Degradation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
View-Handling Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Undo View Change / Redo View Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Save Active View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Restore Active View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Viewport Background Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Select Background Image Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Update Background Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Reset Background Transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Show Transform Gizmo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Show Ghosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Show Key Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Shade Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

iv | Contents

Show Dependencies . . . . . . .
Create Camera From View . . . .
Add Default Lights to Scene . . .
Redraw All Views . . . . . . . . .
Show Materials in Viewport As .
Update During Spinner Drag . .
Diagnose Video Hardware . . . .
Expert Mode . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Object Display . . . . . .
Display Color Rollout . . . . . .
Hide By Category Rollout . . . .
Hide Rollout . . . . . . . . . . .
Freeze Rollout . . . . . . . . . .
Display Properties Rollout . . . .
Link Display Rollout . . . . . . .

Chapter 4

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. 128
. 129
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. 135
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. 136
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. 142
. 143
. 148

Selecting Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Introducing Object Selection . . . . . . . .
Basics of Selecting Objects . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Select By Name . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Named Selection Sets . . . . . . . . .
Using Selection Filters . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting with Track View . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting with Schematic View . . . . . . .
Freezing and Unfreezing Objects . . . . . .
Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection .
Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Category .
Isolate Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction to Sub-Object Selection . . . .
Selection Commands . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select From Scene . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Floater . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Region Flyout . . . . . . . .
Rectangular Selection Region . .
Circular Selection Region . . . .
Fence Selection Region . . . . .
Lasso Selection Region . . . . .
Paint Selection Region . . . . .
Window/Crossing Selection Toggle . .
Selection Filter List . . . . . . . . . . .
Filter Combinations Dialog . . . . . .
Named Selection Sets . . . . . . . . .
Named Selection Sets Dialog . .
Edit Named Selections Dialog . .

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. 150
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. 211

Contents | v

Select All . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select None . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Invert . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Similar . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select By . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select By Color . . . . . . . .
Select By Name (Edit Menu) .
Select By Layer . . . . . . . .
Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Undo/Redo . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hold/Fetch . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 5

Object

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. 214
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. 220

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. 221
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. 282
. 285

Creating Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects . . . .
Using the Create Panel . . . . . . . . . . .
Identifying the Basic Building Blocks . . .
Creating an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assigning Colors to Objects . . . . . . . .
Object Color Dialog . . . . . . . . .
Color Selector Dialog . . . . . . . .
Color Clipboard Utility . . . . . . .
Adjusting Normals and Smoothing . . . .
Viewing and Changing Normals . .
Viewing and Changing Smoothing .
Geometric Primitives . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Primitives from the Keyboard . .
Standard Primitives . . . . . . . . . . . .
Box Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cone Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . .

vi | Contents

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Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Object Properties Dialog Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) . . . . . . .
Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog) .
mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog) . . . . .
User Defined Panel (Object Properties Dialog) . . . .
Rename Objects Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Custom Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parameter Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parameter Collector Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector) . . . . . . . . . .
Expression Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trigonometric Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 6

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. 292
. 293
. 296
. 300
. 300
. 304
. 310
. 312
. 313
. 315
. 318
. 318
. 321
. 322
. 325

Sphere Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
GeoSphere Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Cylinder Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Tube Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Torus Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Pyramid Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Teapot Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Plane Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Extended Primitives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Hedra Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Torus Knot Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
ChamferBox Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
ChamferCyl Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
OilTank Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
Capsule Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Spindle Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
L-Ext Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Gengon Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
C-Ext Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
RingWave Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Prism Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Hose Extended Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Architectural Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
AEC Extended Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Working with AEC Design Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Foliage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Railing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Wa l l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 5
Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
L-Type Stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Spiral Stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Straight Stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
U-Type Stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Pivot Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
Sliding Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
BiFold Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Awning Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
Casement Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
Fixed Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Pivoted Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Projected Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Sliding Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
mental ray Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
mr Proxy Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Contents | vii

Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Splines and Extended Splines . . . . . . . .
Line Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rectangle Spline . . . . . . . . . . . .
Circle Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ellipse Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arc Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Donut Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NGon Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Star Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Helix Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Section Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Extended Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WRectangle Spline . . . . . . . . . . .
Channel Spline . . . . . . . . . . . .
Angle Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tee Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wide Flange Spline . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Spline (Object) . . . . . . . .
Editable Spline (Vertex) . . . . . . . .
Editable Spline (Segment) . . . . . . .
Editable Spline (Spline) . . . . . . . .
Shape Check Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compound Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Morph Compound Object . . . . . . . . . .
Scatter Compound Object . . . . . . . . . .
Conform Compound Object . . . . . . . . .
Connect Compound Object . . . . . . . . .
BlobMesh Compound Object . . . . . . . .
ShapeMerge Compound Object . . . . . . .
Boolean Compound Object . . . . . . . . .
Material Attach Options Dialog . . . .
Terrain Compound Object . . . . . . . . . .
Loft Compound Object . . . . . . . . . . .
Creation Method Rollout . . . . . . .
Surface Parameters Rollout . . . . . .
Path Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . .
Skin Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . .
Deformations . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Path Commands . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shape Commands . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesher Compound Object . . . . . . . . . .
ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects .
ProBoolean Compound Object . . . .

viii | Contents

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. 506
. 511
. 518
. 522
. 524
. 525
. 526
. 530
. 531
. 533
. 535
. 539
. 541
. 545
. 545
. 547
. 549
. 551
. 553
. 554
. 565
. 568
. 580
. 589
. 598
. 600
. 600
. 608
. 621
. 628
. 634
. 642
. 646
. 661
. 663
. 674
. 677
. 678
. 683
. 686
. 703
. 725
. 725
. 729
. 734
. 736

ProCutter Compound Object . .
Quad Meshing and Smoothing .
Dynamics Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Damper Dynamics Object . . . . . . .
Spring Dynamics Object . . . . . . . .
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bones System . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Objects as Bones . . . . .
Bone Tools . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ring Array System . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 7

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. 758
. 766
. 776
. 777
. 784
. 792
. 793
. 805
. 806
. 815

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821
Using Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Transform Gizmos . . . . . . . . . .
Transform Type-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animating Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specifying a Reference Coordinate System .
Choosing a Transform Center . . . . . . . .
Using the Axis Constraints . . . . . . . . .
Reset XForm Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select and Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select and Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select and Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select and Uniform Scale . . . . . . . . . .
Select and Non-Uniform Scale . . . . . . .
Select and Squash . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform Coordinates and Coordinate Center . .
Reference Coordinate System . . . . . . . .
Use Center Flyout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Use Pivot Point Center . . . . . . . . . . .
Use Selection Center . . . . . . . . . . . .
Use Transform Coordinate Center . . . . .
Transform Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mirror Selected Objects . . . . . . . . . . .
Array Flyout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spacing Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clone and Align Tool . . . . . . . . . . . .
Align Flyout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quick Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Normal Align . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 822
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. 850
. 851
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. 854
. 855
. 856
. 858
. 859
. 860
. 867
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. 870
. 871
. 872
. 873
. 877
. 881
. 882
. 888
. 892
. 900
. 905
. 906
. 911
. 912

Contents | ix

Place Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 915
Align Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 917
Align to View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 918

Chapter 8

Creating Copies and Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 921
Overview of Copies, Instances, and References . .
Techniques for Cloning Objects . . . . . . . . . .
Clone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clone Options Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Shift+Clone . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cloning with Shift+Move . . . . . . . . . .
Cloning with Shift+Rotate . . . . . . . . . .
Cloning with Shift+Scale . . . . . . . . . .
Animating Shift+Rotate and Shift+Scale . . .
Cloning Objects Over Time with Snapshot .
Arraying Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Array Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Linear Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays . . . . .
Mirroring Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Spacing Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 9

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. 922
. 925
. 932
. 932
. 936
. 937
. 939
. 942
. 944
. 946
. 948
. 951
. 955
. 960
. 963
. 965

Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 969
Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971
Using Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 978
Using the Modify Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 979
Using the Modifier Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983
Editing the Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 987
Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990
Modifying at the Sub-Object Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991
Using the Stack at the Sub-Object Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994
Modifying Multiple Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 996
How Instanced Modifiers Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1000
World-Space Modifiers (WSMs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
Camera Map Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
Displace Mesh Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
Displace NURBS Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1008
Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1010
Selection Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1019
Tools Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021
Styling Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1033
Quad Menu for Hair Styling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047
General Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . 1049
Material Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . 1056
mr Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . . . . 1063

x | Contents

Frizz Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . .
Kink Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . .
Multi Strand Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur) . .
Dynamics Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . .
Display Rollout (Hair And Fur) . . . . . . . . . . .
LS Colors Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . .
MapScaler Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . .
PatchDeform Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . .
PathDeform Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . .
Point Cache Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . .
Subdivide Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Mapper Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . .
SurfDeform Modifier (World Space) . . . . . . . . . . .
Object-Space Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Affect Region Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Attribute Holder Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bend Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bevel Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bevel Profile Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camera Map Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . . . . . .
Cap Holes Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers . . . . . . . . . .
Cloth and Garment Overview . . . . . . . . . . .
Cloth Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Garment Maker Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrossSection Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Mesh Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Patch Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Spline Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disp Approx Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Displace Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Mesh Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Normals Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Patch Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Poly Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) . . . . . . .
Edit Poly (Object) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Poly (Vertex) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Poly (Edge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Poly (Border) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) .
Align Geometry Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Detach Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Spline Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Extrude Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 1064
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. 1098
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. 1098
. 1102
. 1104
. 1108
. 1115
. 1119
. 1124
. 1126
. 1128
. 1142
. 1206
. 1240
. 1246
. 1248
. 1249
. 1251
. 1255
. 1263
. 1264
. 1271
. 1274
. 1287
. 1299
. 1301
. 1310
. 1331
. 1338
. 1352
. 1366
. 1367
. 1368
. 1369

Contents | xi

Face Extrude Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers . . . . . . . . . .
FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Select Modifier . . . . . . .
Fillet/Chamfer Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flex Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spring Option Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HSDS Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptive Subdivision Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lathe Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lattice Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Linked XForm Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LS Mesh Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MapScaler Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MaterialByElement Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Melt Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh Select Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MeshSmooth Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mirror Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Morpher Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MultiRes Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Noise Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Normal Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Normalize Spline Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NSurf Sel Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimize Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Patch Select Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PatchDeform Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . . . . . . .
PathDeform Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Point Cache Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Poly Select Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preserve Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Projection Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier) . . . . . . .
Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection Modifier) .
Cage Rollout (Projection Modifier) . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Check Rollout (Projection Modifier) . . . .
Projection Rollout (Projection Modifier) . . . . . . .
Project Mapping Rollout (Projection Modifier) . . .
Projection Holder Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ProOptimizer Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimization Level Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimization Options Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Symmetry Options Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Options Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xii | Contents

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. 1372
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. 1389
. 1406
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. 1416
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. 1423
. 1428
. 1431
. 1432
. 1435
. 1437
. 1441
. 1445
. 1450
. 1462
. 1464
. 1482
. 1490
. 1497
. 1500
. 1502
. 1504
. 1509
. 1514
. 1516
. 1521
. 1529
. 1537
. 1543
. 1545
. 1548
. 1550
. 1554
. 1555
. 1557
. 1561
. 1561
. 1564
. 1567
. 1586
. 1587

Push Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quadify Mesh Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Relax Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Renderable Spline Modifier . . . . . . . . . . .
Ripple Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select By Channel Modifier . . . . . . . . . .
Shell Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Skew Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Skin Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Load Envelopes Dialog (Skin Modifier) .
Weight Tool Dialog (Skin Modifier) . . .
Weight Table (Skin Modifier) . . . . . . .
Skin Morph Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Skin Wrap Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Skin Wrap Patch Modifier . . . . . . . . . . .
Slice Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Smooth Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spherify Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spline IK Control Modifier . . . . . . . . . . .
Spline Select Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Squeeze Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STL Check Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stretch Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Subdivide Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . . .
Substitute Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SurfDeform Modifier (Object Space) . . . . . .
Sweep Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pick Shape Dialog (Sweep Modifier) . . .
Extract Shape Dialog (Sweep Modifier) .
Merge File (Sweep Modifier) . . . . . . .
Symmetry Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Taper Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tessellate Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trim/Extend Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TurboSmooth Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn To Mesh Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn To Patch Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn To Poly Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Twist Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UVW Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unwrap UVW Modifier . . . . . . . . . .
UVW Map Modifier . . . . . . . . . . .
UVW Mapping Add Modifier . . . . . .
UVW Mapping Clear Modifier . . . . . .
UVW Mapping Paste Modifier . . . . . .

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. 1588
. 1589
. 1591
. 1595
. 1598
. 1601
. 1603
. 1610
. 1614
. 1641
. 1645
. 1652
. 1654
. 1665
. 1675
. 1676
. 1682
. 1685
. 1687
. 1690
. 1693
. 1695
. 1699
. 1705
. 1707
. 1711
. 1723
. 1725
. 1745
. 1747
. 1749
. 1752
. 1757
. 1761
. 1764
. 1767
. 1774
. 1776
. 1779
. 1783
. 1787
. 1787
. 1883
. 1905
. 1905
. 1906

Contents | xiii

UVW XForm Modifier . . . . . . . . . . .
Vertex Weld Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VertexPaint Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VertexPaint Paintbox . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjust Color Dialog (VertexPaint Modifier)
Color Palette (VertexPaint Modifier) . . .
Painter Options Dialog . . . . . . . . . .
Volume Select Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wave Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Welder Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
XForm Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 10

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. 1906
. 1908
. 1910
. 1920
. 1933
. 1935
. 1940
. 1944
. 1951
. 1955
. 1961

Surface Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1965
Subdivision Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . .
Soft Selection Rollout . . . . . . . . . . .
Collapse Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Graphite Modeling Tools . . . . . . . . .
The Ribbon Interface . . . . . . . .
Using the Ribbon . . . . . . .
Modeling Ribbon Controls . .
Graphite Modeling Tools Tab . . . .
Polygon Modeling Panel . . .
Modify Selection Panel . . . .
Edit Panel . . . . . . . . . . .
Geometry (All) Panel . . . . .
[Sub-object] Panel . . . . . .
Loops Panel . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Panels . . . . . . .
Freeform Tab . . . . . . . . . . . .
PolyDraw Panel . . . . . . . .
Paint Deform Panel . . . . . .
Selection Tab . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Selection Panels . . .
Select By Panels . . . . . . . .
Object Paint Tab . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Objects Panel . . . . . .
Brush Settings Panel . . . . .
Customizing the Ribbon . . . . . .
Advanced Usage . . . . . . .
Conditions Dialog . . . . . .
Editable Mesh Surface . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Mesh Sub-Objects . .
Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh) .
Editable Mesh (Object) . . . . . . .
Editable Mesh (Vertex) . . . . . . .
Editable Mesh (Edge) . . . . . . . .

xiv | Contents

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. 1965
. 1966
. 1974
. 1978
. 1979
. 1980
. 1985
. 1995
. 1995
. 2013
. 2025
. 2039
. 2050
. 2082
. 2099
. 2107
. 2108
. 2117
. 2132
. 2132
. 2137
. 2144
. 2145
. 2159
. 2163
. 2184
. 2185
. 2190
. 2194
. 2195
. 2198
. 2201
. 2207

Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/Element) . . . . . . .
Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Attach Options Dialog (Editable Mesh) . . . . . . .
Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Poly Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Rollout (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Poly (Object) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Poly (Vertex) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Poly (Edge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Poly (Border) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) . .
Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh) . . . . . . .
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh) . . .
Paint Deformation Rollout (Polymesh) . . . . . . .
Editable Poly Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bevel Polygons (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . .
Bridge Borders/Polygons (Polymesh) . . . . . .
Bridge Edges (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chamfer Vertices/Edges/Borders (Polymesh) .
Connect Edges (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . .
Extrude Polygons Along Spline (Polymesh) . .
Extrude Polygons (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . .
Extrude Vertices/Edges (Polymesh) . . . . . . .
Hinge From Edge (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . .
Inset Polygons (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . .
MeshSmooth Selection (Polymesh) . . . . . .
Preserve Map Channels Dialog (Polymesh) . .
Relax (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tessellate (Polymesh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Weld Vertices/Edges (Polymesh) . . . . . . . .
Patch Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Patch Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Rollout (Editable Patch) . . . . . . .
Editable Patch (Object) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Patch (Vertex) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Patch (Handle) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Patch (Edge) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Patch (Patch) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editable Patch (Element) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Geometry Rollout (Patch) . . . . . . . . . . .
Patch Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quad Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tri Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects . . . . . .

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. 2214
. 2218
. 2232
. 2234
. 2240
. 2245
. 2256
. 2258
. 2269
. 2290
. 2297
. 2312
. 2327
. 2332
. 2334
. 2338
. 2342
. 2344
. 2348
. 2351
. 2353
. 2356
. 2358
. 2360
. 2362
. 2363
. 2365
. 2367
. 2369
. 2371
. 2372
. 2374
. 2374
. 2380
. 2384
. 2387
. 2396
. 2398
. 2401
. 2407
. 2410
. 2424
. 2426
. 2430
. 2433
. 2434

Contents | xv

Creating NURBS Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with NURBS Models . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Surface Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modifying NURBS Models and Creating Sub-Objects .
Quad Menu for NURBS Objects . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects . . .
NURBS Sub-Object Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CV Sub-Objects and Point Sub-Objects . . . . . . . .
Dependent Sub-Objects (NURBS) . . . . . . . . . . .
Rigid NURBS Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS and Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS and Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Tips and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Point Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CV Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Point Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CV Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects . . . . . . . . .
Creating Independent Surfaces from NURBS Curve
Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating NURBS Curves from Splines . . . . . . . . .
Creating NURBS Surfaces from Geometric Primitives .
Nonrelational NURBS Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display Controls for NURBS Models . . . . . . . . . .
Display Line Parameters for NURBS Surfaces . . . . .
Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . .
Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects . . . . . .
Common Sub-Object Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Point Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Curve Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Surface Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soft Selection Rollout (NURBS) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material Properties Rollout (NURBS) . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Curve Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Surface Sub-Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects . . . . . . . .
NURBS Editing Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Curve Approximation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NURBS Surface Approximation . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Surface Approximation Dialog (NURBS) . .

xvi | Contents

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. 2435
. 2436
. 2437
. 2439
. 2441
. 2443
. 2445
. 2446
. 2450
. 2453
. 2453
. 2456
. 2457
. 2461
. 2471
. 2473
. 2477
. 2481
. 2483
. 2490
. 2498

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. 2498
. 2499
. 2500
. 2502
. 2504
. 2507
. 2508
. 2509
. 2512
. 2514
. 2522
. 2528
. 2538
. 2550
. 2561
. 2564
. 2569
. 2625
. 2717
. 2732
. 2760
. 2761
. 2762
. 2771

Surface Approximation Utility (NURBS) .
Tools for Low-Polygon Modeling . . . . . . . . . . .
Show Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Level of Detail Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimization Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . .
Batch ProOptimizer Utility . . . . . . . . . . .
Batch ProOptimizer Rollout . . . . . . .
Batch Optimization Dialog . . . . . . . .

Chapter 11

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. 2773
. 2785
. 2785
. 2787
. 2792
. 2793
. 2795
. 2797

Precision and Drawing Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2807
Tools for Precision . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Home Grid . . . . . . . .
Using Grid Objects . . . . . . . . .
Viewing Grid Objects . . . . . . . .
AutoGrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Grid Commands . . . . . . . . . .
Show Home Grid . . . . . . .
Activate Home Grid . . . . .
Activate Grid Object . . . . .
Align Grid to View . . . . . .
Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aligning Objects . . . . . . . . . .
Aligning Normals . . . . . . . . . .
Using Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snap Commands . . . . . . . . . .
2D Snap, 2.5D Snap, 3D Snap
Angle Snap Toggle . . . . . .
Percent Snap Toggle . . . . .
Spinner Snap Toggle . . . . .
Ortho Snapping Mode . . . .
Polar Snapping Mode . . . .
Setting Snap Options . . . . . . . .
Grid and Snap Settings . . . . . . .
Snap Settings . . . . . . . . .
Snap Override . . . . . . . . .
Snap Options . . . . . . . . .
Home Grid Settings . . . . . .
User Grid Settings . . . . . .
Helpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select And Manipulate . . . . . . .
Standard Helper Objects . . . . . .
Dummy Helper . . . . . . . .
Expose Transform Helper . . .
Grid Helper . . . . . . . . . .

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. 2808
. 2810
. 2811
. 2813
. 2815
. 2817
. 2819
. 2822
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. 2823
. 2823
. 2824
. 2825
. 2825
. 2829
. 2830
. 2833
. 2833
. 2840
. 2842
. 2842
. 2843
. 2845
. 2847
. 2850
. 2850
. 2856
. 2859
. 2863
. 2867
. 2868
. 2868
. 2870
. 2871
. 2872
. 2878

Contents | xvii

Point Helper . . . . . . .
Tape Helper . . . . . . . .
Protractor Helper . . . . .
Compass Helper . . . . .
Manipulator Helper Objects . .
Cone Angle Manipulator .
Plane Angle Manipulator .
Slider Manipulator . . . .
Drawing Assistants . . . . . . . . . .
xView . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Measuring Distances . . . . . .
Measure Distance Tool . . . . .
Measure Utility . . . . . . . . .
Rescale World Units Utility . . .

Chapter 12

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. 2884
. 2886
. 2889
. 2891
. 2892
. 2893
. 2896
. 2900
. 2905
. 2905
. 2910
. 2913
. 2914
. 2916

Space Warps and Particle Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2919
Space Warp Objects . . . . . . . . .
Bind to Space Warp . . . . . .
Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Push Space Warp . . . . .
Motor Space Warp . . . .
Vortex Space Warp . . . .
Drag Space Warp . . . . .
PBomb Space Warp . . . .
Path Follow Space Warp .
Gravity Space Warp . . . .
Wind Space Warp . . . . .
Displace Space Warp . . .
Deflectors . . . . . . . . . . . .
POmniFlect Space Warp .
PDynaFlect Space Warp .
SOmniFlect Space Warp .
SDynaFlect Space Warp . .
UOmniFlect Space Warp .
UDynaFlect Space Warp .
SDeflector Space Warp . .
UDeflector Space Warp . .
Deflector Space Warp . . .
Geometric/Deformable . . . . .
FFD(Box) Space Warp . . .
FFD(Cyl) Space Warp . . .
Wave Space Warp . . . . .
Ripple Space Warp . . . .
Conform Space Warp . . .
Bomb Space Warp . . . .
Modifier-Based Space Warps . .

xviii | Contents

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. 2920
. 2925
. 2926
. 2926
. 2931
. 2936
. 2941
. 2947
. 2953
. 2958
. 2960
. 2964
. 2969
. 2969
. 2975
. 2980
. 2982
. 2983
. 2985
. 2988
. 2991
. 2994
. 2997
. 2997
. 3004
. 3013
. 3018
. 3022
. 3027
. 3030

Particle Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Particle Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How Particle Flow Works . . . .
Particle Flow User Interface . .
Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems .
Particle System Usage . . . . . .
Spray Particle System . . . . . .
Snow Particle System . . . . . .
Super Spray Particle System . .
Blizzard Particle System . . . .
PCloud Particle System . . . . .
PArray Particle System . . . . .

Chapter 13

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. 3032
. 3033
. 3034
. 3048
. 3081
. 3323
. 3326
. 3337
. 3341
. 3346
. 3350
. 3355
. 3362

Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3397
Animation Concepts and Methods . . . . . . . . .
Animation Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Auto Key Mode . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Set Key Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spinner Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing and Copying Transform Keys . . . .
Controlling Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Time Segments . . . . . . . . . . . .
Moving Through Time . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing a Frame Rate and Playback Speed .
Working with Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Understanding Controllers . . . . . . . . . .
Changing Controller Properties . . . . . . .
Assigning Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specifying Default Controllers . . . . . . . .
General-Purpose Controllers . . . . . . . . .
Special-Purpose Controllers . . . . . . . . .
Explicit Axis Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Float Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Position . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Morph Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Panel Commands . . . . . . . . . .
Trajectories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRS Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . . .
Key Info (Basic) Rollout/Dialog . . . .
Tangent Types . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog . .
Animation Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 3398
. 3398
. 3403
. 3406
. 3411
. 3412
. 3415
. 3417
. 3418
. 3420
. 3421
. 3422
. 3425
. 3427
. 3429
. 3431
. 3433
. 3434
. 3435
. 3436
. 3437
. 3437
. 3438
. 3440
. 3440
. 3440
. 3446
. 3447
. 3449
. 3451
. 3454

Contents | xix

Audio Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3455
Audio Controller Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3456
Barycentric Morph Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3459
Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info Dialog . . . . . . 3461
Bezier Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3462
Block Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3466
Attach Controls Dialog (Block Controller) . . . . . . . . . 3471
Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) . . . . . . . . 3473
Master Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) . . . . 3474
Slave Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) . . . . . . . . 3475
Track View Pick Dialog (Block Controller) . . . . . . . . . 3477
Boolean Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3478
Color RGB Controller (Point3 XYZ Controller) . . . . . . . . . 3480
Euler XYZ Rotation Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3482
Expression Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3486
Expression Controller Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3492
Layer Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3494
Animation Layers (Layer Controller) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3496
Layer Properties Dialog (Layer Controller) . . . . . . . . 3512
Create New Animation Layer Dialog (Layer Controller)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3513
Limit Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3514
Linear Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3526
List Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3528
Local Euler XYZ Rotation Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3532
Look At Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3533
Master Point Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3535
Master Track Key Info Dialog (Master Point
Controller) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3537
Motion Capture Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3539
Noise Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3550
On/Off Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3553
Position XYZ Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3555
PRS Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3557
Reaction Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3559
Reaction Manager Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3565
Using Manipulators with Reaction Controllers . . . . . . 3580
Scale XYZ Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3582
Script Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3584
Smooth Rotation Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3590
Spring Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3591
TCB Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3595
Waveform Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3598
XRef Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3602
Animation Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3607
Attachment Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3608

xx | Contents

Link Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3614
LookAt Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3619
Orientation Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3625
Path Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3629
Position Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3636
Surface Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3642
Wire Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3645
Parameter Wiring Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3647
Hierarchies and Kinematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3653
Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3653
Linking Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3658
Linking and Unlinking Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3665
Adjusting Pivots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3668
Viewing and Selecting Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3673
Animating with Forward Kinematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3677
Using Dummy Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3686
Animating Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3688
Adjusting Object Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3691
Locking Object Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3693
Animating Attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3693
Changing Link Inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3694
Link Inheritance (Selected) Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3695
Inverse Kinematics (IK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3696
IK Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3700
Inverse Kinematics Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3702
Joint Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3787
Hierarchy Panel Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3795
Pivot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3796
IK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3807
Link Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3824
Track View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3827
Working with Track View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3831
Track View Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3832
Curve Editor Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3841
Dope Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3842
Time Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3846
Track View Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3847
Track View Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3853
Track View Hierarchy Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3859
Hierarchy Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3861
Properties (Track View Hierarchy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3866
Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3868
Track View Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3882
Modes Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3883
Controller Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3883
Tracks Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3887

Contents | xxi

Keys Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curves Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
Track View Quad Menus . . . . . . .
Track View Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curve Editor Toolbars . . . . . . . .
Dope Sheet Toolbars . . . . . . . . .
Name Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controllers Toolbar . . . . . . . . . .
Tools Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ranges Toolbar (Dope Sheet) . . . . .
Extras Toolbar (Dope Sheet) . . . . .
Filtering Track View Display . . . . . . . .
Filters Dialog (Track View) . . . . . .
Managing Controllers . . . . . . . . . . .
Copy Controller . . . . . . . . . . .
Paste Controller . . . . . . . . . . .
Assign Controller . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Controller . . . . . . . . . .
Ignore Animation Range . . . . . . .
Respect Animation Range . . . . . .
Make Controller Unique . . . . . . .
Note Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Note Track . . . . . . . . . . .
Remove Note Track . . . . . . . . .
Editing Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snap Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lock Selection . . . . . . . . . . . .
Align to Cursor . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Visibility Track . . . . . . . . .
Move Keys (Dope Sheet) . . . . . . .
Slide Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale Keys - Time . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Keys (Dope Sheet) . . . . . . . .
Properties (Track View Key Window)
Track View Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . .
Randomize Keys Utility . . . . . . .
Create Out of Range Keys Utility . . .
Select Keys By Time Utility . . . . . .
Euler Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soft Selection Settings . . . . . . . .

xxii | Contents

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. 3887
. 3889
. 3889
. 3890
. 3896
. 3900
. 3901
. 3904
. 3907
. 3907
. 3913
. 3917
. 3917
. 3918
. 3920
. 3920
. 3921
. 3922
. 3927
. 3927
. 3928
. 3930
. 3932
. 3933
. 3934
. 3935
. 3936
. 3936
. 3939
. 3940
. 3940
. 3941
. 3942
. 3943
. 3944
. 3947
. 3948
. 3949
. 3951
. 3952
. 3953
. 3955
. 3957
. 3959
. 3960
. 3961

Current Value Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cut Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Copy Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paste Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reverse Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Insert Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exclude Left End Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exclude Right End Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reduce Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Position Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recouple Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Tracks: Copying, Pasting, and Handling Instances and
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Copying and Pasting Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Copying and Pasting Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Making Instance and Reference Controllers and Objects
Unique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curve Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Move Keys (Curve Edit r) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Keys (Curve Editor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Draw Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Show Tangents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lock Tangents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types . . . . . . . . . .
Apply Ease Curve / Apply Multiplier Curve . . . . . . .
Remove Ease/Multiplier Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On/Off (Curves) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types . . . . . . . . . .
Freeze Non-Selected Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Status Bar and View Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Track Selection Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key Stats Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Navigation Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Managing Track View Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Track View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Track View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saved Track Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Customizing the Track View Window . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. 3962
. 3963
. 3965
. 3966
. 3967
. 3967
. 3968
. 3970
. 3971
. 3972
. 3973
. 3974
. 3976
. 3978
. 3979
. 3980
. 3981
. 3981
. 3983
. 3985
. 3986
. 3988
. 3989
. 3990
. 3991
. 3993
. 3994
. 3996
. 3996
. 3999
. 4001
. 4001
. 4002
. 4004
. 4006
. 4007
. 4007
. 4017
. 4020
. 4025
. 4025
. 4026
. 4027
. 4028

Contents | xxiii

Track View Toolbar Right-Click Menu . . . . .
Motion Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Motion Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding Tracks to the Mixer . . . . . . . . . .
Importing Clips to the Mixer . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Clips in the Mixer . . . . . . . .
Filtering Mixer Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting Clip Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Transitions . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting Track Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding Time Warps . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer . . . . .
Exporting Animation to the Biped . . . . . . .
Using the Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Mixer Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Mixer Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Mixer Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Mixer Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Biped Object) . . . .
Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Non-Biped Object) .
Motion Mixer Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mixer Preferences Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
Mixer Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving and Loading Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Load Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Map Animation Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Mapping Parameters Rollout . . . . .
Map Track to Track Rollout . . . . . . . . . . .
Retargeting Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Save Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Merge Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Follow/Bank Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Capture Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MACUtilities Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camera Tracker Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Requirements for Camera Tracking . . . . . .
Camera Tracker: Movie Rollout . . . . . . . .
Camera Tracker: Movie Window . . . . . . . .
Camera Tracker: Motion Trackers Rollout . . .
Camera Tracker: Movie Stepper Rollout . . . .
Camera Tracker: Error Thresholds Rollout . . .
Camera Tracker: Batch Track Rollout . . . . . .
Camera Tracker: Position Data Rollout . . . . .
Camera Tracker: Match Move Rollout . . . . .

xxiv | Contents

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. 4035
. 4036
. 4038
. 4043
. 4048
. 4052
. 4054
. 4060
. 4063
. 4069
. 4071
. 4075
. 4080
. 4084
. 4088
. 4089
. 4098
. 4119
. 4124
. 4126
. 4128
. 4132
. 4137
. 4140
. 4141
. 4144
. 4147
. 4149
. 4152
. 4154
. 4159
. 4163
. 4171
. 4171
. 4174
. 4193
. 4195
. 4200
. 4200
. 4202
. 4205
. 4210
. 4212
. 4213
. 4215
. 4216

Camera Tracker: Move Smoothing Rollout .
Camera Tracker: Object Pinning Rollout . . .
Camera Tracker: Troubleshooting . . . . . .
Dynamics Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Object Dialog (Dynamics Utility) . . . .
Edit Object List Dialog (Dynamics Utility) . .
Skin Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 14

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. 4219
. 4221
. 4224
. 4226
. 4241
. 4247
. 4249

reactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4255
Introducing Dynamics Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4263
Special Features in reactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4270
reactor Helpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4281
Rigid Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4282
Rigid Body Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4283
Rigid Body Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4284
Compound Rigid Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4294
Rigid Body Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4296
Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4299
Constraint Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4300
Simple Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4303
Cooperative Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4317
reactor Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4375
Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4375
Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4377
Toy Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4380
Fracture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4387
Fracture Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4394
Storing and Accessing Collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4396
Deformable Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4401
Cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4402
Cloth Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4403
Cloth Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4411
Soft Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4413
Soft Body Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4415
FFD Soft Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4419
Soft Body Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4423
Rope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4425
Rope Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4426
Rope Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4431
Deforming Meshes (Skin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4433
Deforming Mesh Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4435
Constraining Deformable Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4437
Fixing Vertices in World Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4440
Keyframing Vertices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4441
Attaching Vertices to a Rigid Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4443
Attaching Vertices to Deforming Meshes (Skin) . . . . . . 4445

Contents | xxv

Soft Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Water Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Water Space Warp . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The reactor Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preview & Animation Rollout . . . . . . .
Havok 1 World / Havok 3 World Rollout .
Collisions Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
reactor Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Properties Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Real-Time Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scripts and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . .
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 15

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. 4447
. 4450
. 4451
. 4454
. 4456
. 4460
. 4462
. 4464
. 4468
. 4470
. 4472
. 4475
. 4476
. 4481
. 4487
. 4492

Character Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4503
CAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4504
Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4505
Creating a CATRig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4505
Customizing the Geometry on CATBones . . . . . . . . . 4515
Removing Parts of the CATRig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4517
Using CAT's Naming System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4518
Copying and Pasting Rig Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4520
Applying Manipulation Gizmos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4521
Hierarchy Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4527
Editing a Rig Interactively in the Viewport . . . . . . . . 4541
Editing Bone Pivot Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4543
CATParent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4543
Hubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4558
Spines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4565
Limbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4576
Limb IK Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4583
Collarbones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4584
Palms, Ankles, and Digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4585
Tails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4590
Extra Bones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4593
Animating with CAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4597
Introduction to Keyframe Animation . . . . . . . . . . . 4598
Starting a New Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4599
Editing Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4602
CAT's IK System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4606
Animating with Stretchy Bones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4618
Animation Layering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4622
Manipulating the Rig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4652

xxvi | Contents

Animation Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4669
Retargeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4690
Editing Keyframes in Track View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4693
Working with Poses and Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4694
Saving and loading Poses and Animation using Right-Click
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4696
Clip/Pose Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4703
Pose Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4711
CATMotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4715
CATMotion Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4716
CATMotion Presets/Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4719
Globals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4723
LimbPhases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4727
CATMotion Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4729
Understanding CATUnits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4755
Working With Motion-Capture Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4756
Importing HTR/BVH Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4757
Importing BIP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4759
Capture Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4760
Retargeting Motion-Capture Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4768
Working With Muscles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4769
CATMuscle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4772
Muscle Strand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4780
Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4788
Rig Resizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4788
Apply Max IK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4790
Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4793
Customizing IK Using Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4793
Mapping Motion from Motion-Capture Point
Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4797
character studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4801
What Is character studio? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4803
What You Should Know to Use character studio . . . . . . . . 4804
Understanding Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4805
Understanding Physique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4807
Understanding Track Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4810
Understanding the Workbench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4811
Understanding Motion Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4812
Understanding Crowds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4814
Understanding character studio Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . 4816
Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4822
Creating a Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4825
Understanding Biped Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4826
Changing Initial Biped Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4828
Naming the Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4828
Posing the Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4830

Contents | xxvii

Scaling Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rubber-Banding Arms and Legs . . . . . . . . . . . .
Biped Display Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deleting a Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Linking Character Body Parts to the Biped . . . . . .
Saving and Loading FIG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Footstep Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Freeform Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Biped Animation . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading, Saving, and Displaying Biped Motion . . . .
Biped User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with the Workbench . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Motion Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Motion-Capture Data . . . . . . . . . .
Physique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Physique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Physique User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Crowd Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a Crowd System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Crowd Helpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting Delegate Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assigning Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Directing Delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Obstacle Avoidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Changing Delegate Orientation and Speed . . . . . .
Solving the Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Linking Objects to Delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cognitive Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Motion Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Crowd Animation User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . .
character studio File Formats and Index of character studio
Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
character studio File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index of character studio Procedures . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 16

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. 4841
. 4843
. 4846
. 4847
. 4847
. 4851
. 4853
. 4910
. 4971
. 4976
. 5002
. 5162
. 5194
. 5264
. 5294
. 5296
. 5363
. 5456
. 5457
. 5462
. 5467
. 5467
. 5472
. 5475
. 5481
. 5481
. 5483
. 5486
. 5489
. 5505

. . 5658
. . 5658
. . 5659

Lights and Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5671
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name and Color Rollout (Lights) . . . . . . . . .
Using Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Lights . . . . . . . . . . . .
Properties of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lighting in 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . .
Guidelines for Lighting . . . . . . . . . . .
Positioning Light Objects . . . . . . . . .
Previewing Shadows and Other Lighting in
Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xxviii | Contents

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. 5672
. 5675
. 5676
. 5677
. 5680
. 5686
. 5688
. 5691

. . . . . . . . 5692

Animating Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Light Include/Exclude Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Light Lister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Photometric Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Target Light (Photometric) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Free Light (Photometric) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rollouts for Photometric Lights . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Target Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Free Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Target Directional Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Free Directional Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Omni Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Skylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mr Area Omni Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mr Area Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rollouts for Standard Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . .
Exclude/Include Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shadow Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Atmospheres and Effects for Lights . . . . . . . . . .
Add Atmosphere or Effect Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Effects Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Indirect Illumination Rollout (for Lights) .
mental ray Light Shader Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shadow Types and Shadow Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout . . . . . . .
Area Shadows Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimizations Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Shadow Map Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . .
Shadow Map Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sunlight and Daylight Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Daylight System Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IES Sun and Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Sun & Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Free Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Target Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Characteristics of Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exposure Control in Real-World Cameras . . . . . . .
Common Camera Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Transforms to Aim a Camera . . . . . . . . . .
Using Clipping Planes to Exclude Geometry . . . . .
Using the Horizon to Match Perspective . . . . . . . .

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. 5697
. 5699
. 5701
. 5707
. 5709
. 5712
. 5714
. 5757
. 5758
. 5761
. 5764
. 5767
. 5769
. 5771
. 5777
. 5780
. 5783
. 5805
. 5805
. 5808
. 5813
. 5815
. 5817
. 5821
. 5824
. 5825
. 5828
. 5832
. 5839
. 5842
. 5844
. 5846
. 5852
. 5860
. 5865
. 5874
. 5905
. 5915
. 5917
. 5919
. 5919
. 5922
. 5931
. 5942
. 5943
. 5944

Contents | xxix

Animating Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multi-Pass Rendering Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer) . . .
Multi-Pass Depth of Field Parameters for Cameras .
Multi-Pass Motion Blur Parameters for Cameras . . .
Walkthrough Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camera Correction Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camera Match Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CamPoint Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 17

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. 5946
. 5948
. 5950
. 5951
. 5955
. 5960
. 5968
. 5970
. 5976

Material Editor, Materials, and Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5981
Designing Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing a Material Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lights and Shading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying a Material to an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Maps to Enhance a Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mapping Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Showing Maps in Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animating Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating and Playing Animated Material Previews . .
Synchronizing an Animated Bitmap with the Scene .
Saving a Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material XML Exporter Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compact Material Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sample Slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compact Material Editor Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Slate Material Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material and Map Nodes in the Active View . . . . . .
Controller Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Parameter Editor: Changing Material and Map
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Navigating the Active View . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Searching the Active View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating and Managing Named Views . . . . . . . . .
Slate Material Editor Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Slate Material Editor Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Moving Materials, Maps, and Colors About the Scene . . .
Copying and Pasting Materials, Maps, Bitmaps, and
Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials . . . . .
Drag and Drop Sub-Object Material Assignment . . .
Material/Map Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material/Map Browser Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material/Map Browser Options Menu . . . . . . . . .
Materials, Maps, Controllers Group Options . . . . .

xxx | Contents

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. 5982
. 5987
. 5988
. 5989
. 5990
. 6005
. 6006
. 6012
. 6013
. 6014
. 6015
. 6016
. 6019
. 6020
. 6025
. 6034
. 6083
. 6086
. 6128

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. 6135
. 6137
. 6141
. 6142
. 6144
. 6154
. 6158

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. 6158
. 6161
. 6165
. 6167
. 6175
. 6176
. 6179

Scene Materials Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Custom Library Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Custom Group Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Autodesk Material Library Options . . . . . . . . .
Sample Slots Group Options . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options for Individual Materials, Maps, and
Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Material Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) . . . . . . . . . .
Menu Bar (Material Explorer Scene Panel) . . . . . .
Toolbar (Material Explorer Scene Panel) . . . . . . .
Display Buttons (Material Explorer Scene Panel) . .
Columns (Material Explorer Scene Panel) . . . . . .
Material (Lower) Panel (Material Explorer) . . . . . . . . .
Menu Bar (Material Explorer Material Panel) . . . .
Columns (Material Explorer Material Panel) . . . . .
Types of Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SuperSampling Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Connection Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DirectX Manager Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Autodesk Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arch & Design Material (mental ray) . . . . . . . . .
Special-Purpose mental ray Materials . . . . . . . .
MetaSL Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Map to Material Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard Material and Related Materials (Not
Photometric) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shading Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Raytrace Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matte/Shadow Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compound Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ink 'n Paint Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) . . . . . . . . .
Architectural Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Lighting Override Material . . . . . . . .
Materials to Support Hardware Shading and Rendering to
Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shell Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DirectX Shader Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
XRef Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maps and Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Real-World Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Output Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Missing Map Coordinates Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 6180
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. 6184
. 6185

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. 6185
. 6186
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. 6198
. 6199
. 6204
. 6206
. 6207
. 6210
. 6211
. 6215
. 6222
. 6224
. 6224
. 6269
. 6342
. 6378
. 6378

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. 6380
. 6380
. 6382
. 6486
. 6522
. 6529
. 6554
. 6570
. 6570
. 6588

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. 6596
. 6596
. 6597
. 6605
. 6607
. 6610
. 6613
. 6618

Contents | xxxi

UVW Remove Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6621
2D Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6621
Coordinates Rollout (2D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6622
Noise Rollout (2D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6632
Autodesk Bitmap for Autodesk Materials . . . . . . . . . 6635
Bitmap 2D Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6636
Checker Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6650
Combustion Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6652
Gradient Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6673
Gradient Ramp Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6678
Swirl Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6686
Tiles Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6689
3D Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6698
Coordinates Rollout (3D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6698
Cellular Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6699
Dent Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6706
Falloff Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6714
Marble Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6720
Noise Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6723
Particle Age Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6726
Particle MBlur Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6728
Perlin Marble Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6730
Smoke Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6733
Speckle Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6735
Splat Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6736
Stucco Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6738
Waves Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6740
Wood Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6742
Compositor Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6751
Composite Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6751
Mask Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6758
Mix Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6759
RGB Multiply Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6763
Color Modifier Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6765
Color Correction Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6766
Output Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6771
RGB Tint Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6774
Vertex Color Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6775
Reflection and Refraction Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6778
Flat Mirror Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6778
Raytrace Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6784
Reflect/Refract Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6796
Thin Wall Refraction Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6803
mental ray Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6806
mental images Shader Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6809
Shaders in the LumeTools Collection . . . . . . . . . . . 6811

xxxii | Contents

3ds Max Custom Shaders . . . . . . . .
Production Shaders . . . . . . . . . . .
MetaSL Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Component Falloff Shader . . . . . . .
Component Reflection Shader . . . . .
Conversion Color to Float Shader . . .
Conversion Float to Color Shader . . .
Illumination Phong Shader . . . . . .
Math Color Add Shader . . . . . . . .
Math Color Mix Shader . . . . . . . .
Math Color Multiply Shader . . . . . .
Normals Bumpmap Shader . . . . . . .
Normals Make Normal Shader . . . . .
Texture Lookup 2d Shader . . . . . . .
Normal Bump Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camera Map Per Pixel Map . . . . . . . . . .
Material, Mapping, and Vertex Color Utilities . . .
Viewport Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Viewport Canvas Rollouts .
Assign Material Dialog . . . . . . . . .
Create Texture Dialog . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Canvas Brush Images Dialog .
2D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Canvas Layers . . . . . . . .
Render Surface Map . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bitmap Select Dialog . . . . . . . . . .
Assign Vertex Colors Utility . . . . . . . . .
Channel Info Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clean MultiMaterial Utility . . . . . . . . .
Instance Duplicate Maps Utility . . . . . . .

Chapter 18

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. 6813
. 6842
. 6858
. 6859
. 6860
. 6860
. 6861
. 6862
. 6864
. 6866
. 6867
. 6868
. 6870
. 6871
. 6872
. 6874
. 6877
. 6877
. 6893
. 6900
. 6901
. 6903
. 6904
. 6907
. 6916
. 6925
. 6927
. 6936
. 6942
. 6947

Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6955
Render Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendered Frame Window . . . . . . . .
mental ray Rendering Options . . .
Render Output File Dialog . . . . . . . .
View Image File . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Commands . . . . . . . . . .
Render Setup . . . . . . . . . . . .
Area to Render . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Flyout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Production . . . . . . . . .
Render Iterative . . . . . . . . . .
ActiveShade . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering with ActiveShade .
ActiveShade Floater . . . . . .

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. 6956
. 6963
. 6974
. 6979
. 6985
. 6988
. 6989
. 6992
. 6998
. 6999
. 7000
. 7000
. 7001
. 7008

Contents | xxxiii

ActiveShade Viewport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ActiveShade Commands (Quad Menu) . . . . . . .
Preset Rendering Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Size Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common Panel (Render Setup Dialog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) . . .
Configure Preset Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email Notifications Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scripts Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) . . . . . . . . . . .
Assign Renderer Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choose Renderer Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Renderers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Renderer Panel (Render Setup Dialog) . . . . . . . . . . .
Default Scanline Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Default Scanline Renderer Rollout . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Lighting Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Raytracer Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Multi-Pass Rendering Effects . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering with the mental ray Renderer . . . . . .
Getting Good Results with mental ray Rendering . .
3ds Max Materials in mental ray Renderings . . . .
Enhancements to Standard Features . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Messages Window . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Renderer Interface . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quicksilver Hardware Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VUE File Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Elements Separately . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Elements Panel and Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Elements Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Element Output File Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Individual Render Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blend Element Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . . . .
Diffuse Texture Element Rollout . . . . . . . . . . .
Hair And Fur Render Element . . . . . . . . . . . .
Illuminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout .
Lighting Texture Element Rollout . . . . . . . . . .
Luminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout .
Matte Texture Element Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . .
mr A&D Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mr Labeled Element Parameters Rollout . . . . . . .
mr Shader Element Parameters Rollout . . . . . . .
Object ID Element Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Velocity Element Parameters Rollout . . . . . . . .

xxxiv | Contents

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. 7009
. 7010
. 7013
. 7016
. 7016
. 7020
. 7020
. 7029
. 7030
. 7032
. 7034
. 7035
. 7037
. 7037
. 7041
. 7042
. 7054
. 7120
. 7126
. 7129
. 7132
. 7134
. 7137
. 7140
. 7143
. 7144
. 7184
. 7258
. 7267
. 7269
. 7269
. 7280
. 7282
. 7286
. 7286
. 7287
. 7288
. 7288
. 7290
. 7291
. 7292
. 7293
. 7298
. 7300
. 7303
. 7304

Z Depth Element Parameters Rollout . . . . . . .
Render to Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Baked Texture Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Target Map Slot Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating and Using Normal Bump Maps . . . . . . . . .
Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps . . . . . . . . . .
Render to Texture Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render to Texture: General Settings Rollout . . . .
Render to Texture: Objects to Bake Rollout . . . .
Render to Texture: Output Rollout . . . . . . . . .
Render to Texture: Baked Material Rollout . . . . .
Render to Texture: Automatic Mapping Rollout . .
Render to Texture: Add Texture Elements Dialog .
Render to Texture: Projection Options Dialog . . .
Rendering Previews and Grabbing Viewports . . . . . . . . .
Create Still Image File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Animated Sequence File . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View Animated Sequence File . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rename Animated Sequence File . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Panorama Exporter Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Panorama Exporter Render Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . .
Panorama Exporter Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How Network Rendering Works . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Basic Procedures for Network Rendering . . . . . . . . .
Starting Network Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Troubleshooting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up for Network Rendering . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up TCP/IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configuring TCP/IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a Special User Account . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up Rendering Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sharing a Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mounting a Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Configure User Paths . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network Job Assignment Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Job Dependencies Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notifications Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strips Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Settings Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manager and Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Initial Setup for Manager and Server Programs . .
Installing Network Services . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 7306
. 7307
. 7312
. 7319
. 7320
. 7322
. 7333
. 7334
. 7336
. 7341
. 7345
. 7347
. 7349
. 7351
. 7356
. 7356
. 7358
. 7361
. 7361
. 7362
. 7363
. 7366
. 7368
. 7370
. 7372
. 7385
. 7390
. 7395
. 7395
. 7397
. 7398
. 7400
. 7407
. 7409
. 7409
. 7411
. 7412
. 7414
. 7415
. 7424
. 7426
. 7428
. 7431
. 7435
. 7435
. 7437

Contents | xxxv

Logging Properties Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The backburner.xml File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network Rendering Manager . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network Rendering Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Queue Monitor Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Module Info Report Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Queue Monitor: Job Settings Dialog . . . . . . . . .
Viewing Jobs and Servers with the Queue Monitor .
Job Report Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Job Archives Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activating and Deactivating Jobs in the Queue . . .
Activating and Deactivating Servers in the Queue . .
Managing Jobs in the Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Week Schedule Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Batch Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quick Start Batch Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Backburner for Batch Rendering . . . . . . . . . .
Batch Rendering: Batch Render Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
Batch Render Tool: Batch Render Warning Dialog . . . . .
Command-Line Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Command-Line Rendering Switches . . . . . . . . . . . .
Backburner Command Line Control . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 19

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. 7439
. 7442
. 7443
. 7449
. 7455
. 7466
. 7468
. 7473
. 7474
. 7475
. 7477
. 7477
. 7478
. 7479
. 7481
. 7482
. 7483
. 7485
. 7493
. 7495
. 7499
. 7511

Effects and Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7513
Environment and Effects Dialog . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Effects Command . . . . . . . .
Effects Panel and Rollout . . . . . . . . . .
Merging Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hair And Fur Render Effect . . . . . . . . .
Lens Effects Rendering Effects . . . . . . .
Glow Lens Effect . . . . . . . . . . .
Ring Lens Effect . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ray Lens Effect . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auto Secondary Lens Effect . . . . .
Manual Secondary Lens Effect . . . .
Star Lens Effect . . . . . . . . . . . .
Streak Lens Effect . . . . . . . . . . .
Lens Effects Dialogs . . . . . . . . . .
Blur Rendering Effect . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brightness and Contrast Rendering Effect .
Color Balance Rendering Effect . . . . . .
File Output Rendering Effect . . . . . . . .
Film Grain Rendering Effect . . . . . . . .
Motion Blur Rendering Effect . . . . . . .
Depth of Field Rendering Effect . . . . . .

xxxvi | Contents

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. 7514
. 7515
. 7516
. 7517
. 7519
. 7520
. 7526
. 7531
. 7538
. 7548
. 7555
. 7563
. 7570
. 7577
. 7584
. 7598
. 7607
. 7609
. 7610
. 7613
. 7615
. 7617

Environment and Atmosphere Effects . . . . . .
Environment Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fire Environment Effect . . . . . . . . . .
Fog Environment Effect . . . . . . . . . .
Volume Fog Environment Effect . . . . . .
Volume Light Environment Effect . . . . .
Exposure Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic Exposure Control . . . . .
Linear Exposure Control . . . . . . .
Logarithmic Exposure Control . . . .
mr Photographic Exposure Control .
Pseudo Color Exposure Control . . .
Lighting Data Exporter Utility . . . .
Atmospheric Apparatuses . . . . . . . . . .
Add Atmosphere Dialog . . . . . . .
BoxGizmo Helper . . . . . . . . . . .
CylGizmo Helper . . . . . . . . . . .
SphereGizmo Helper . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 20

Video

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. 7620
. 7621
. 7629
. 7640
. 7646
. 7654
. 7665
. 7668
. 7670
. 7673
. 7677
. 7686
. 7692
. 7694
. 7694
. 7695
. 7699
. 7702

Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7707

Video Post Queue . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video Post Status Bar / View Controls .
Troubleshooting Video Post . . . . . .
Useful Video Post Procedures . . . . . .
Video Post Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . .
New Sequence . . . . . . . . . .
Open Sequence . . . . . . . . . .
Save Sequence . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Current Event . . . . . . . .
Delete Current Event . . . . . .
Swap Events . . . . . . . . . . .
Execute Sequence . . . . . . . .
Configure Presets . . . . . . . . .
Edit Range Bar . . . . . . . . . .
Align Selected Left . . . . . . . .
Align Selected Right . . . . . . .
Make Selected Same Size . . . . .
Abut Selected . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Scene Event . . . . . . . . .
Add Image Input Event . . . . .
Image Input Options . . . .
Add Image Filter Event . . . . . .
Add Image Layer Event . . . . .
Add Image Output Event . . . .
Add External Event . . . . . . .
Add Loop Event . . . . . . . . .

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. 7708
. 7710
. 7712
. 7715
. 7731
. 7731
. 7732
. 7733
. 7734
. 7735
. 7735
. 7736
. 7739
. 7739
. 7741
. 7741
. 7742
. 7742
. 7743
. 7748
. 7752
. 7755
. 7758
. 7762
. 7765
. 7768

Contents | xxxvii

Filter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contrast Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fade Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Image Alpha Filter . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lens Effects Filters . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animating Lens Effects Properties .
Lens Effects Flare Filter . . . . . . .
Lens Effects Focus Filter . . . . . .
Lens Effects Glow Filter . . . . . . .
Lens Effects Highlight Filter . . . .
Lens Effects Gradients . . . . . . .
Negative Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pseudo Alpha Filter . . . . . . . . . . . .
Simple Wipe Filter . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starfield Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layer Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alpha Compositor . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cross Fade Compositor . . . . . . . . . .
Pseudo Alpha Compositor . . . . . . . .
Simple Additive Compositor . . . . . . .
Simple Wipe Compositor . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 21

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. 7771
. 7771
. 7772
. 7773
. 7774
. 7775
. 7777
. 7801
. 7804
. 7815
. 7829
. 7837
. 7839
. 7839
. 7841
. 7844
. 7845
. 7845
. 7846
. 7847
. 7848

Managing Scenes and Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7851
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7855
Container Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7857
Working With Containers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7875
Container Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7885
Locking and Unlocking Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7897
Container Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7905
Groups and Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7909
Using Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7909
Using Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7912
Character Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7920
Group Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7924
Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7924
Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7926
Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7926
Ungroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7927
Explode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7928
Detach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7928
Attach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7929
Assembly Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7929
Assemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7929
Open Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7933
Close Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7934
Disassemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7934

xxxviii | Contents

Explode Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7935
Detach Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7935
Attach Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7936
Assembly Head Helper Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7936
Assembly Head Helper Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7936
Luminaire Helper Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7937
Character Assembly Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7939
Create Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7940
Destroy Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7944
Lock/Unlock Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7944
Insert Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7945
Save Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7945
Skin Pose Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7946
File-Handling Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7947
New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7947
Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7949
Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7950
Open from Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7953
Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7955
Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7956
Save As Previous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7958
Save Copy As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7963
Save Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7965
Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7967
Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7968
External References (XRefs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7969
XRef Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7971
XRef Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7999
Missing XRef Paths Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8013
File Link Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8014
File Link Manager Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8016
File Link Settings: FBX Files Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8024
File Link Settings: DWG Files Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . 8028
New Settings Preset Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8097
Rename Settings Preset Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8099
Preset Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8100
Merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8101
Merge File Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8105
Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8106
Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8109
Export Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8111
Set Project Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8112
Asset Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8114
Asset Tracking Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8115
Global Settings and Defaults for Bitmap Proxies
Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8130

Contents | xxxix

Prompts Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asset Tracking Dialog Icons . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Missing External Files and Missing Map Files Dialogs .
File-Handling Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asset Browser Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences Dialog (Asset Browser) . . . . . . . .
Internet Download Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Favorite Location Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bitmap/Photometric Path Editor Utility . . . . . . . .
Bitmap / Photometric Path Editor Dialog . . . .
Resource Information Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
MAX File Finder Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Resource Collector Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fix Ambient Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bitmap Pager Statistics Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
i-drop Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Geometry File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with MAX Files from Autodesk VIZ . . . . .
VIZ Render (DRF) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with DRF Files in 3ds Max . . . . . . .
3D Studio Mesh (3DS, PRJ) Files . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing 3DS Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing PRJ Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting to 3DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing SHP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adobe Illustrator Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing Adobe Illustrator 88 Files . . . . . . .
Exporting to Adobe Illustrator . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting to ASCII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AutoCAD (DWG) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing AutoCAD Drawing Files . . . . . . .
DWG/DXF Import: Geometry Panel . . . . . . .
DWG/DXF Import: Layers Panel . . . . . . . . .
DWG/DXF Import: Spline Rendering Panel . . .
Legacy AutoCAD Import . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting AutoCAD DWG Files . . . . . . . . .
AutoCAD Interchange (DXF) Files . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting to DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing Autodesk Inventor Files . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting 3D DWF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xl | Contents

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. 8133
. 8135
. 8137
. 8138
. 8141
. 8141
. 8143
. 8143
. 8154
. 8155
. 8157
. 8158
. 8159
. 8161
. 8162
. 8165
. 8167
. 8170
. 8171
. 8172
. 8173
. 8173
. 8174
. 8178
. 8181
. 8183
. 8183
. 8185
. 8187
. 8188
. 8189
. 8190
. 8190
. 8191
. 8194
. 8194
. 8199
. 8209
. 8211
. 8214
. 8219
. 8222
. 8222
. 8223
. 8224
. 8229

FBX Files: Data Sharing with Maya, MotionBuilder, Revit,
Softimage, and Toxik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OpenFlight (FLT) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing OpenFlight (FLT) Files . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting OpenFlight (FLT) Files . . . . . . . . . . .
Flight Studio Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IGES Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of IGES in 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . .
IGES Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing IGES Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IGES to 3ds Max Import Table . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting IGES Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3ds Max to IGES Export Table . . . . . . . . . . . .
JSR-184 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JSR-184 Object Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JSR-184 Texture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JSR-184 Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JSR-184 Standalone Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LandXML (XML, DEM) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing LandXML/DEM Models . . . . . . . . . .
LandXML/DEM Model Import Dialog . . . . . . . .
Lightscape Files (LP, LS, and Other Formats) . . . . . . . .
Lightscape Materials Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Analysis Files (HTR/HTR2, TRC) . . . . . . . . . .
Importing HTR/HTR2 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing TRC Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting HTR/HTR2 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting to Shockwave 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shockwave 3D Scene Export Options Dialog . . . .
Shockwave 3D Export Preview . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shockwave 3D File Analysis Window . . . . . . . .
SAT Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Body Objects Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Body Object Rollouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Combining Body Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Import/Export/Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SketchUp Importer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stereolithography (STL) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing STL Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting to STL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wavefront (OBJ) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting Wavefront Object (OBJ) Files . . . . . . .
Importing Wavefront Object (OBJ) Files . . . . . . .
Map-Export Dialog (OBJ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VRML Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing VRML Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 8235
. 8236
. 8241
. 8243
. 8246
. 8257
. 8257
. 8259
. 8260
. 8262
. 8264
. 8266
. 8267
. 8271
. 8276
. 8277
. 8279
. 8282
. 8282
. 8283
. 8286
. 8289
. 8291
. 8292
. 8294
. 8296
. 8299
. 8300
. 8307
. 8309
. 8311
. 8315
. 8316
. 8347
. 8352
. 8357
. 8361
. 8361
. 8364
. 8365
. 8366
. 8369
. 8376
. 8378
. 8378

Contents | xli

Exporting to VRML97 . . . . . . . .
Image File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AVI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BMP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CIN (Kodak Cineon) Files . . . . . . . . .
CWS (Combustion Workspace) Files . . . .
DDS Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EPS and PS (Encapsulated PostScript) Files .
GIF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IFL Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Image File List Control Dialog . . . .
IFL Manager Utility . . . . . . . . . .
IMSQ Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JPEG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MOV (QuickTime Movie) Files . . . . . . .
MPEG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OpenEXR Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving OpenEXR Files . . . . . . . .
Opening OpenEXR Files . . . . . . .
PIC Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PNG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PSD Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Radiance Image Files . . . . . . . . . . . .
RLA Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RPF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SGI Image Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TGA (Targa) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TIFF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
YUV Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RAM Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RAM Player Configuration Dialog . . . . .
Scene Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Scene Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scene Explorer Columns . . . . . . . . . .
Scene Explorer Menus . . . . . . . . . . .
Scene Explorer Toolbars . . . . . . . . . .
Manage Scene Explorer . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Search Dialog . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Filter Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
Scene States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manage Scene States Dialog . . . . . . . .
Schematic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Schematic View . . . . . . . . . . .
Schematic View Menus . . . . . . . . . . .
Schematic View List Views . . . . . . . . .
Schematic View Preferences Dialog . . . .

xlii | Contents

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. 8380
. 8411
. 8412
. 8414
. 8414
. 8415
. 8416
. 8418
. 8420
. 8420
. 8423
. 8424
. 8426
. 8427
. 8428
. 8429
. 8429
. 8431
. 8439
. 8442
. 8443
. 8444
. 8448
. 8453
. 8455
. 8458
. 8459
. 8461
. 8463
. 8463
. 8467
. 8469
. 8471
. 8476
. 8481
. 8485
. 8488
. 8490
. 8492
. 8495
. 8498
. 8503
. 8507
. 8511
. 8515
. 8517

Schematic View Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . .
Schematic View Display Floater . . . . . . .
Schematic View Selection Right-Click Menu .
Schematic View Commands . . . . . . . . .
New Schematic View . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Schematic View . . . . . . . . .
Saved Schematic Views . . . . . . . . .
Using Layers to Organize a Scene . . . . . . . . .
Manage Layers Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layer Properties Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
Layer List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create New Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Selection to Current Layer . . . . . . .
Select Objects in Current Layer . . . . . . .
Set Current Layer to Selection's Layer . . . .

Chapter 22

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. 8523
. 8527
. 8529
. 8533
. 8533
. 8533
. 8533
. 8534
. 8537
. 8548
. 8555
. 8557
. 8558
. 8558
. 8558

Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8559
List of Available Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8559

Chapter 23

User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8563
The 3ds Max Window . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Keyboard Commands . . . . . .
Toggling Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting 3ds Max from the Command Line .
Caption Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Application Menu . . . . . . . . . . .
Quick Access Toolbar . . . . . . . . . .
InfoCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tools Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Containers Submenu . . . . . . .
Align Submenu . . . . . . . . . .
Grids and Snaps Submenu . . . .
Group Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Views Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modifiers Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
Graph Editors Menu . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
Customize Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAXScript Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 8564
. 8567
. 8572
. 8574
. 8575
. 8578
. 8579
. 8585
. 8587
. 8588
. 8589
. 8591
. 8593
. 8593
. 8594
. 8595
. 8596
. 8598
. 8606
. 8612
. 8616
. 8617
. 8618
. 8620
. 8621

Contents | xliii

Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Main Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Axis Constraints Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layers Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
reactor Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Extras Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render Shortcuts Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snaps Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation Layers Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . .
Container Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brush Presets Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brush Preset Manager . . . . . . . . . . . .
Right-Click Menu for Scripted Toolbar Buttons .
Quad Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Quad Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation Quad Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snaps Shortcut Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tools 1 Quadrant for Light Objects . . . . . . .
Status Bar Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prompt Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAXScript Mini Listener . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Status Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time Slider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Track Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection Lock Toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Coordinate Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptive Degradation Button . . . . . . . . . .
Grid Setting Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Time Tag Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Time Tag Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation and Time Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auto Key Animation Mode . . . . . . . . . . .
Set Key Animation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Default In/Out Tangents For New Keys . . . . .
Go To Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Previous Frame/Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Play/Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Next Frame/Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Go To End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Current Frame (Go To Frame) . . . . . . . . . .
Key Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Label Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Viewport Label Menu . . . . . . .

xliv | Contents

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. 8623
. 8623
. 8627
. 8628
. 8630
. 8630
. 8631
. 8632
. 8632
. 8633
. 8633
. 8636
. 8640
. 8640
. 8645
. 8646
. 8650
. 8651
. 8652
. 8653
. 8653
. 8655
. 8656
. 8659
. 8667
. 8669
. 8671
. 8671
. 8672
. 8673
. 8674
. 8677
. 8679
. 8682
. 8687
. 8690
. 8690
. 8691
. 8693
. 8694
. 8694
. 8694
. 8696
. 8703
. 8707
. 8707

Point-Of-View (POV) Viewport Label Menu . . . .
Shading Viewport Label Menu . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controls Available in All Viewports . . . . . . . .
Walkthrough Controls for Perspective and Camera
Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Perspective and Orthographic Viewport Controls .
Camera Viewport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Light Viewport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Command Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Object Name and Wireframe Color . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modify Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modifier Stack Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modifier Stack Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . .
Make Unique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modifier Sets Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configure Modifier Sets Dialog . . . . . . . . . .
Hierarchy Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Motion Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assign Controller Rollout . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display Floater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configure Button Sets Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
MAXScript Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Open Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Run Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAXScript Listener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Macro Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Visual MAXScript Utility (See MAXScript Help) . . . . .
MAXScript Debugger Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Running Scripts from the Command Line . . . . . . . .

Chapter 24

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. 8712
. 8719
. 8723
. 8726

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. 8728
. 8729
. 8742
. 8753
. 8770
. 8771
. 8771
. 8773
. 8776
. 8789
. 8794
. 8797
. 8798
. 8801
. 8802
. 8803
. 8805
. 8805
. 8810
. 8812
. 8813
. 8816
. 8816
. 8817
. 8817
. 8817
. 8819
. 8820
. 8820
. 8820

Customizing the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8823
Useful Customization Techniques . . .
Customize Display Right-Click Menu .
Show UI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lock UI Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plug-In Manager . . . . . . . . . . . .
Custom UI and Defaults Switcher . . .
Market-Specific Defaults . . . . .
COM/DCOM Server Control Utility . .
Customize User Interface Dialog . . . .

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. 8823
. 8827
. 8829
. 8830
. 8830
. 8832
. 8834
. 8836
. 8837

Contents | xlv

Keyboard Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Toolbars Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Button Appearance Dialog . . . . .
Quads Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advanced Quad Menu Options . . . . .
Menus Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Colors Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving and Loading Custom User Interfaces . . . . .
Load Custom UI Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . .
Save Custom UI Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . .
Revert to Startup Layout . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configure Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configure User Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File I/O Path Configuration . . . . . . .
External Path Configuration . . . . . . .
XRefs Path Configuration . . . . . . . .
Configure System Paths . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3rd Party Plug-Ins Path Configuration . .
Network Plug-In Configuration . . . . . . . .
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Graphics Driver Setup Dialog . . . . . .
Gamma and LUT Preferences . . . . . . . . . .
Gamma Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MIDI Time Slider Control Setup Dialog .
Inverse Kinematics Preferences . . . . . . . . .
Gizmos Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAXScript Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Radiosity Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mental ray Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Containers Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Units Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Unit Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . . . .
File Load: Units Mismatch Dialog . . . . . . .
Viewport Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rendering Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewport Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Safe Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptive Degradation Options . . . . . . . . .
Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xlvi | Contents

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. 8837
. 8840
. 8846
. 8847
. 8852
. 8857
. 8860
. 8864
. 8867
. 8868
. 8871
. 8871
. 8872
. 8875
. 8877
. 8880
. 8881
. 8882
. 8884
. 8885
. 8886
. 8887
. 8892
. 8896
. 8901
. 8917
. 8927
. 8929
. 8933
. 8937
. 8939
. 8941
. 8945
. 8948
. 8950
. 8953
. 8955
. 8959
. 8961
. 8963
. 8963
. 8968
. 8969
. 8972
. 8976
. 8978

Lighting and Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8980
ViewCube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8988
SteeringWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8990
Strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8993
Defining Strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8996
Reviewing and Editing Strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9000
Stroke Preferences Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9002
Strokes Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9005

Chapter 25

Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9007
Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9008

Chapter 26

Find the Information You Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9009
Search For and Receive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of Searching for and Receiving Information .
Search for Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Receive Product Updates and Announcements . . . . .
Overview of Communication Center . . . . . . .
Receive New Information Notifications . . . . . .
Save and Access Favorite Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specify InfoCenter Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Learn the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Access Subscription Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of Subscription Center . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manage Files with Autodesk Vault . . . . . . . . . . . .
Join the Customer Involvement Program . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 27

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. 9009
. 9009
. 9013
. 9015
. 9015
. 9016
. 9017
. 9018
. 9023
. 9025
. 9025
. 9026
. 9027

Using the 3ds Max Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9029
Finding Information Fast . . . . . . . . .
Using the HTML Help Viewer . . . . . .
Searching for Help Topics . . . . . . . . .
Browsing Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . .
Favorites Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HTML Help Viewer Toolbar . . . . . . . .
HTML Help Viewer Right-Click Menus . .
Keyboard Shortcuts in the Help Viewer .

Chapter 28

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. 9030
. 9031
. 9034
. 9038
. 9039
. 9040
. 9041
. 9042

Troubleshooting 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9045
Handling File Corruptions . . . . . . . . . .
Fixing Boolean Problems . . . . . . . . . . .
Performance Issues While Running 3ds Max
Problems Caused by Unit Settings . . . . . .
User Interface Problems and Recovery . . . .
Video Driver and Display Problems . . . . .

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. 9045
. 9049
. 9059
. 9063
. 9064
. 9072

Contents | xlvii

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9079
2-Sided (Double Sided) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2D Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3D DWF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3D Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3DS and PRJ Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Active Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Active Time Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Active/Inactive Footsteps . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ActiveShade Initialize and Update . . . . . . . .
Adapt Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptive Degradation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additive Opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjust Talent Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Affine Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Airborne Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aliasing/Antialiasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alpha Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ambient Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ambient Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animated Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation Controllers / Transform Controllers .
Animation Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applied IK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Area Lights (mental ray Renderer) . . . . . . . .
Area Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aspect Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Attachments (IK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Autodesk Material Library for mental ray . . . .
AutoGrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Avoid Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Avoidance Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Axonometric View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B-Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Balance Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Balance Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ballistic Gait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ballistic Tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Barycentric Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bend Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xlviii | Contents

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. 9079
. 9080
. 9080
. 9080
. 9080
. 9081
. 9081
. 9082
. 9082
. 9083
. 9083
. 9084
. 9084
. 9085
. 9086
. 9086
. 9087
. 9087
. 9088
. 9089
. 9089
. 9090
. 9090
. 9091
. 9092
. 9092
. 9092
. 9095
. 9096
. 9098
. 9098
. 9098
. 9099
. 9100
. 9100
. 9100
. 9100
. 9101
. 9101
. 9102
. 9102
. 9102
. 9102
. 9103
. 9103

Bezier Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9104
BioVision Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9105
BIP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9105
Biped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9106
Biped Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9106
Birth Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9106
Bitmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9108
Blend Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9109
Block Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9109
Block/Style Parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9110
Blur / Blur Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9110
Body Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9111
Boolean Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9111
Bound Vertex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9113
Bounding Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9113
Bulge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9114
Bulge Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9114
BVH Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9114
By Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9114
Center of Mass (COM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9115
CGFX File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9115
Chamfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9115
character studio Marker Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9116
CIBSE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9116
Clip Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9117
Clipping Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9117
Codec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9118
Cognitive Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9118
Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9118
Compound Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9119
Constrained Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9120
Contact Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9120
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9121
Containers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9122
Continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9122
Continuity Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9122
Control Lattice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9123
Control Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9124
Control Vertex (CV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9124
Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9125
Convex Hull Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9125
Cool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9126
Coordinate Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9126
CPY Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9127
Creation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9127
Cross Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9127

Contents | xlix

Crowd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9127
Crowd System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9128
CSM Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9128
Curve View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9128
CV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9128
CV Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9129
CV Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9130
Deformable Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9131
Deformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9132
Deformation Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9132
Degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9134
Delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9134
Dependent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9134
Dependent (NURBS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9134
Depot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9135
Description Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9135
Diagonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9136
Diffuse Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9137
Dithering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9138
Dock and Float . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9139
Double Support Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9139
Dummy Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9139
DWG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9140
DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9140
Dynaflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9141
Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9141
Dynamics Blend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9141
Ease Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9142
Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9143
Editable Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9143
Editable Poly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9143
Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9143
Emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9144
End Effector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9144
Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9145
Environment Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9145
Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9148
Event Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9150
Event Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9151
Extents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9151
Face/Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9151
Faceted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9152
FFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9153
FGM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9153
Field of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9153
Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9154

l | Contents

Figure Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9156
Fillet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9156
Filter Color / Filter Opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9157
Filtering (Antialiasing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9158
Filtering (Character Animation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9159
Final Gathering (mental ray Renderer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9160
First Vertex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9162
Flat Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9163
Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9165
Fluorescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9165
Flyout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9166
Follow Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9167
Foot States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9167
Footstep Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9168
Footsteps Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9168
Forward Kinematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9169
Forward Kinematics (Bipeds) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9169
Frame/Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9169
Freeform Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9170
Freeform Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9170
Freeze/Unfreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9171
Function Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9172
Fusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9172
FX File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9172
G-Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9173
Gait Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9174
Gait Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9175
Gamma Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9175
Geometric Primitives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9177
Gizmo/Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9177
Global Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9178
Global Motion Clip Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9180
Glossiness and Specular Level Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9180
GravAccel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9181
Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9181
Grid Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9181
Head Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9182
Helper Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9183
Hide/Unhide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9183
Hierarchical Linkage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9183
Home Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9184
Horizon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9185
Hot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9186
Hotspot/Falloff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9187
IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9188
IK Blend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9189

Contents | li

IK Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9189
IK Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9190
Illuminance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9190
Image Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9190
In Place Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9192
Independent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9193
Influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9193
Initial Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9193
Initialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9193
Inputs: Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9194
Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9195
Instance (Motion Mixer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9195
Interactive Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9196
Interpolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9196
Inverse Kinematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9196
Inverse Kinematics (Biped) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9197
Iso Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9197
Isometric View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9198
Keyframe Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9199
Keyframes/Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9200
Kinematic Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9200
Knot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9201
Launch Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9201
Layer Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9201
Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9201
Layout Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9202
Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9202
Light Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9202
Linked Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9204
Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9204
Listener Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9204
Local Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9204
Local Coordinate System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9205
Local Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9207
Lofting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9207
Log File (mental ray Renderer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9208
Look At Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9208
LTLI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9209
Luminance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9209
Luminous Flux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9209
Luminous Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9209
LZF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9209
LZG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9210
LZH Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9210
LZO Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9210
LZV Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9210

lii | Contents

Map Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9210
Mapped Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9212
Mapping Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9212
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9215
Marker Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9215
Marker Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9216
Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9216
Master Motion Clip Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9216
Match Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9216
Material ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9217
Material/Map Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9218
Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9219
Matte Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9220
MAX Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9222
MAXScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9222
Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9222
Metaballs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9222
MFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9223
MI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9223
Mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9223
Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9223
MIX Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9223
Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9224
MNM Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9224
Modal/Modeless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9224
Modifier Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9225
Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9226
Morphing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9227
Motion Blending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9228
Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9228
Motion Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9230
Motion Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9230
Motion Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9230
Motion Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9231
Motion Flow Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9231
Motion Flow Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9231
Motion Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9231
Motion Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9232
MSP (MAXScript Package) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9233
Multiplicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9233
Multiplier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9233
Multiplier Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9235
N Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9235
Network Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9235
Network Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9236
Network Rendering Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9237

Contents | liii

Newton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9237
Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9237
Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9237
NTSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9238
NURBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9239
NURBS Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9239
NURBS Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9239
NURBS Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9240
NURMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9240
Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9240
Object Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9241
Object Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9242
Object Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9243
Object Space (Biped) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9244
Obstacle-Avoidance Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9244
Object-Space Modifiers (OSM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9244
Omnidirectional Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9245
Omniflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9246
Opacity Falloff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9246
Operand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9248
Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9248
Operator Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9248
Optical Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9249
Orientation Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9250
Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9250
Orthographic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9251
Out-of-Range Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9253
Outputs: Source / Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9254
Overshoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9255
PAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9257
Parameter Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9257
Parameters Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9257
Parameter/Parametric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9258
Parent Particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9259
Particle Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9260
Particle Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9261
Particle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9261
Particle System (Particle Flow) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9261
PASS File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9261
Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9262
Patch-Based Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9262
Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9262
Path Follow Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9264
Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9264
Perspective View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9264
Phases of Leg Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9266

liv | Contents

Photometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9266
Photon Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9267
PHY Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9268
Physique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9268
Pivot Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9269
Pixel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9270
Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9270
Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9270
PMAP File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9270
Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9270
Point Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9271
Point Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9272
Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9272
Positional Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9272
Posture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9273
Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9273
Premultiplied Alpha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9273
Procedural Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9274
Projector Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9276
Prop Bone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9277
Quadtree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9277
Queue Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9278
Radiosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9278
Radiosity Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9278
Ray-Trace Acceleration (mental ray Renderer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9278
Ray-Traced Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9279
RAYHOSTS File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9279
Real Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9280
Recognize Scene-Loading Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9280
Red, Green, Blue / Hue, Saturation, Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9280
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9282
Reference Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9282
Refine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9282
Reinitialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9283
Repel Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9283
Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9283
Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9283
Reveal Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9284
Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9284
Rotoscoping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9284
Rubber-Band Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9285
RVT Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9285
Safe Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9285
Sample Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9287
Sampling (mental ray Renderer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9288
Scale Stride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9292

Contents | lv

Scanline Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9292
Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9292
Scene Extents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9293
Scene Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9293
Scene Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9295
Schematic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9297
Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9297
Script Editor Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9298
Scripted Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9298
Scripted Utility Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9298
Scripts (Motion Flow) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9298
Scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9298
Seed Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9299
Seek Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9299
Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9299
Self-Illumination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9300
Shaders (mental ray Renderer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9302
Shaders (Standard Materials) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9302
Shadow Bias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9304
Shadow Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9305
Shapes and Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9306
SHP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9309
Skylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9309
Sliding Footstep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9310
Smoothing Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9310
SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9311
Source Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9311
Space Warp Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9312
Space Warps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9312
Spawn Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9313
Specular Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9313
Speed Vary Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9314
Splice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9314
Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9315
Spline Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9315
Startup Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9316
SteeringWheels Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9317
Sub-Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9317
Sub-Object Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9319
Subtractive Opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9320
Sunlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9321
Super Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9322
Supersampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9322
Support Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9322
Surface Arrive Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9323
Surface Follow Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9323

lvi | Contents

Synthesis, Synthesize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9323
Talent Figure Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9323
Tangents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9323
TCB (Biped) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9324
TCB (Tension, Continuity, Bias) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9324
Tendons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9325
Tension, Continuity, Bias (Biped) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9325
Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9326
Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9327
Texel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9327
Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9327
Ticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9328
Tile/Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9328
Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9329
Topology-Dependent Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9330
Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9330
Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9330
Track View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9332
Trackgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9332
Trajectory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9332
Trajectory (Biped) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9334
Transform Gizmo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9334
Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9336
Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9336
Transition Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9337
Translucency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9337
Truecolor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9338
Twist Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9338
Unique Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9338
Universal Naming Convention (UNC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9339
UVW Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9340
Vector Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9341
Vector Field Space Warp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9341
Vectors and Vector Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9341
Velocity Interpolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9343
Vertex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9343
ViewCube Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9343
Viewport (Interactive) Renderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9343
VIZBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9344
VPX Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9344
VUE File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9344
Walking Gait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9347
Walkthrough Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9347
Wall Repel Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9348
Wall Seek Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9348
Wander Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9348

Contents | lvii

Weight Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wireframe Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wireframe Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workbench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
World Coordinate System . . . . . . . . .
World Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
World Space (Biped) . . . . . . . . . . . .
World-Space Modifiers (WSM) . . . . . . .
xref (AutoCAD External Reference) . . . .
XRef (3ds Max externally referenced file) .
XMSL File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ZT File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. 9350
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. 9356

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9357

lviii | Contents

Introduction

1

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 is a 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution for design
visualization, games, film, and television.

Old Metal Train
Vincent Dany
Copyright © 2008
dany20cent@skynet.be
http://ermite.net/

1

Home Remodeling Series: Plumbing
Tim Wilbers, University of Dayton
Copyright © 2008

2 | Chapter 1 Introduction

Big Diamonds
Jeff Patton
Copyright © 2008
www.jeffpatton.net

What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011
Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 offers compelling new techniques for creating and
texturing models, animating characters, and producing high-quality images.
Incorporating tools that accelerate everyday workflows, Autodesk 3ds Max
2011 software helps significantly increase productivity for both individuals
and collaborating teams working on games, visual effects, and television
productions. Artists can focus on creativity, and have the freedom to iteratively

What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 | 3

refine their work to maximize the quality of their final output in the least
amount of time.
NOTE This topic lists all significant new features, but does not include every change
in 3ds Max. As you proceed through the documentation, keep an eye out for the
icon, which indicates a new feature.
You can also use the index in this help to find topics that contain information
about new features. For topics that describe new program features, check the
index entry "new feature." For changes in existing features, check the index entry
"changed feature."
Following are lists (high-level, then detailed) of major new features with brief
descriptions and links to the relevant reference topic:
■

New Quicksilver hardware rendering on page 10

■

New local edits to containers on page 7

■

New Viewport Canvas features on page 10

■

New 3ds Max Composite on page 6

■

New Slate Material Editor on page 9

■

Enhanced viewport material display on page 9

■

Simplified material/map browsing on page 9

■

New CAT character-animation toolset on page 10

■

New FBX File Link for Revit files on page 8

■

Better Inventor importing on page 8

■

SAT Import/Export and solid-model support on page 8

■

New Caddy interface on page 7

■

New ribbon customization on page 7

■

New Autodesk Materials library and workflow on page 9

■

New Save to 3ds Max 2010 on page 8

■

New mental ray 2011 on page 11

■

SketchUp file support on page 8

4 | Chapter 1 Introduction

■

Improved OpenEXR support on page 8

■

Enhanced SGI file support on page 9

■

New and changed online resources on page 5

■

Improved interactive selection on page 7

■

Better snapping on page 7

■

Bitmap pager changes on page 10

■

Animation-preview changes on page 10

■

Windows 7 Support on page 6

Online Resources
The following Web-based resources have changed or are new:
■

All tutorials and associated files are available online only, here:
http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-tutorials-v2011

■

An HTML version of the help is available here:
http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-help-v2011

■

Access the Student Community at Help menu ➤ 3ds Max on the Web
➤ Student Community

■

Access the new Vegetation Library, a downloadable collection of free
vegetation scene files, at Help menu ➤ 3ds Max on the Web ➤ Download
Vegetation Library. This launches the Autodesk Seek page in your default
Web browser.
TIP To get a plant model and all associated files, including variations and maps,
click the ZIP icon for the plant and then download the 3ds Max version of the
Zip file.

What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 | 5

General Improvements
3ds Max Composite
You can install the 32- or 64-bit version of 3ds Max Composite to use with
Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 from the Tools and Utilities section of the installer.
3ds Max Composite includes:
■

Raster and Vector Paint

■

Image Processing

■

Color Correction

■

Keying and Rotoscoping

■

Stereoscopic Production Support

■

Motion Blur

■

Advanced 2D Tracking

■

Camera Mapping

■

Depth of Field

■

Node and Layer-based Compositing Options

■

Spline-Based Warping

■

Enhanced Render Passes

■

Data Managing and Collaborating

Refer to the Installation Guide for complete details on specifications for this
release (Click Documentation in the bottom-left corner of the Installer).

Windows 7 Support
®

Windows 7 is a supported OS for Autodesk 3ds Max 2011. Refer to the
Installation Guide for complete details on specifications for this release (Click
Documentation in the bottom-left corner of the Installer).

6 | Chapter 1 Introduction

Modeling
Modeling Ribbon
The modeling ribbon boasts a new Object Paint on page 2144 toolset, a significant
new customization utility on page 2163, and a number of refinements that
streamline modeling workflow. These include:
■

A command to switch the ribbon between horizontal and vertical
orientation is available from the ribbon right-click menu.

■

You can now minimize the ribbon to panel buttons, each of which includes
a descriptive icon.

■

A number of ribbon tooltips include new ToolClips: short videos that show
how to use the tool.

Caddy Settings Controls
Most editable poly settings now use the caddy on page 2338, a new “in-canvas”
interface that comprises a label and a set of buttons superimposed on the
viewport. The caddy replaces the old settings dialogs, leaving a greater portion
of the model visible and accessible.

Control-key Behavior
In versions of 3ds Max prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, holding down the
Ctrl toggled an object’s selection state. That is no longer the case. To add an
object to a selection, use Ctrl. To remove an object from a selection, use Alt.
See Basics of Selecting Objects on page 155.

Snap Improvements for the Move Tool
A new snap handle located at the axis center gives you more accurate control
over snapping when you move an object, with better visual feedback. See Snap
Handle When Moving an Object on page 2834 for details.

Scene and Project Management
Container Expansion
The Container feature has been significantly expanded with new rules and
locking tools, proxy containers, and more. For details, see What’s New in
Containers on page 7857.

What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 | 7

File Link for Revit FBX Files
With the File Link Manager on page 8014, you can now link FBX files exported
from Revit 2009 and Revit 2010. File Link lets you create high-quality
renderings in 3ds Max while maintaining a single design database in another
application such as Revit, AutoCAD, or AutoCAD Architecture.
For details about how to link Revit FBX files, see File Link Settings: FBX Files
Dialog on page 8024.

Save As Previous Feature
The Save As Previous on page 7958 feature allows you to save Autodesk 3ds Max
2011 scenes as 3ds Max 2010 scenes. You can also save Container (MAXC)
files in 3ds Max 2010 format.
Not all features supported in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 are supported in 3ds
Max 2010. See Save As Previous on page 7958 for details.

Improved Inventor File Support
You can now import Autodesk Inventor files (IAM and IPT) without needing
to have Inventor installed, and you can keep the data in ACIS-solids format
by importing as Body Objects. See Importing Autodesk Inventor Files on page
8224.

SAT File Import and Export
Import and export solid models in the SAT format supported by Autodesk
Inventor and Revit as well as applications from other vendors. Imported
geometry takes the form of Body Objects, which you can modify and render
just like standard objects; you can even combine Body Objects with 3D Boolean
operations. You can also convert standard objects to Body Objects and export
them as ACIS solids. See SAT Files on page 8311.

SketchUp File Import
You can now import 3D data in the Google SketchUp format (SKP), including
cameras and materials. Imported objects take the form of editable polys. See
SketchUp Importer on page 8357.

Improved OpenEXR Support
The OpenEXR plug-in on page 8429 from previous releases has been replaced
by a plug-in that offers improved performance and feature support.

8 | Chapter 1 Introduction

The improvements include:
■

Better performance

■

Unlimited number of layers in one EXR file

■

Ability to save Render Elements

■

Ability to save G-buffer data

■

Available to MAXScript applications

Improved Support for SGI Image Files
The SGI Image File plug-in on page 8458 has been updated to support all formats.
It now includes an option to turn off Compression when you save an SGI
Image File. The new plug-in is compatible with SGI Image files used by
OpenFlight (FLT) files, and the option to use a special RGB file loader has been
removed from the Flight Studio utility on page 8246.

Materials and Mapping
Slate Material Editor
The Slate Material Editor on page 6083 is an alternative Material Editor that
provides a visual, node-based interface for creating and editing materials with
complex networks of maps and shaders. It includes aids for managing the
large numbers of materials required by today’s productions.

MetaSL Shaders
Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 provides a number of MetaSL shaders on page 6858 you
can use in the Slate Material Editor to create shader trees. In addition, with
the Map To Material Conversion material node on page 6378 MetaSL shader
trees can be visible in viewports and renderings.

Material/Map Browser
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 has been redesigned to feature a simpler
and more accessible interface that is also an integral part of the Slate Material
Editor.

Autodesk Materials and the Autodesk Material Library
Autodesk Materials on page 6224 replace ProMaterials, using a new interface
that allows you to share materials with models from AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit,

What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 | 9

and Autodesk Inventor. (Scenes from earrlier 3ds Max versions that use
ProMaterials continue to render in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011.)
In addition, the Autodesk Materials form the basis for the Autodesk Material
Library, which provides 700 ready-made materials you can use in your scenes.

Viewport Canvas Expansion
Viewport Canvas on page 6877 has been significantly enhanced and improved
to the point that it is, in effect, an entirely new feature. For example, you can
now paint directly onto any 3D object with any map in any material. And
new painting tools include Blur, Sharpen, Dodge, and Burn. But perhaps most
important, you can now paint in multiple layers that can interact with one
another the same way as in Adobe Photoshop.

Rendering
Quicksilver Hardware Renderer
The Quicksilver Hardware renderer on page 7258 is an extremely fast renderer
that uses your system’s graphics hardware (GPU) to produce high-quality
images.

Bitmap Pager Changes
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, you can disable or enable bitmap paging from the
Asset Tracking dialog on page 8115 ➤ Bitmap Performance And Memory menu,
or the Global Settings And Defaults For Bitmap Proxies dialog on page 8130.

Preview Animations
“Preview” has been renamed “Animated Sequence File,” and the commands
for preview animations are now grouped with Create Still Image File on page
7356 in the Grab Viewport Group on the Tools menu on page 8591. See Create
Animated Sequence File on page 7358.

Character-Animation Improvements
CAT
CAT provides a complete toolset ideally suited for rigging and animating
multi-legged characters as well as humanoids. It includes numerous built-in
rigs such as a dragon with four legs and two wings, a spider, and a centipede
with 18 legs. These can easily be animated along paths with no foot sliding
using the graph-based CATMotion editor. CAT’s easy-to-use layering system
supports color-coding of layers so you can see which layer is contributing to

10 | Chapter 1 Introduction

the motion at any given moment. See CAT on page 4504, and for a comparison
of CAT and character studio, see Character Animation on page 4503.

mental ray Improvements
mental ray 2011
mental ray 2011 is supported with 3ds Max. For further information about
mental ray 2011, view the help file from Help > Additional Help.

3ds Max Documentation Set
®

The documentation set for 3ds Max comprises online material only. Most
documents are available from the Start menu > Programs > Autodesk >
[program folder] > Help folder, as well as from the Help menu within 3ds Max
or the Additional Help dialog.
■

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011 Installation
Guide: Contains complete installation, configuration, and troubleshooting
instructions, including system requirements. Also includes information
on uninstalling and maintaining 3ds Max, as well as descriptions of the
full install documentation set. Also find information about network
deployment in this guide. View the Installation Guide in the Installation
Wizard.
NOTE The complete installation documentation set is found on your install
DVD in the \en-US\Docs folder at the root of the DVD.

■

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 Readme (3ds_Max_Readme.htm): Contains the
latest information about 3ds Max. This file is displayed when you finish
installing 3ds Max.

■

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 Help: This document covers fundamental concepts
and strategies for using the product, as well as details about the features
of 3ds Max.
Access the reference by choosing Help > Autodesk 3ds Max Help.

■

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 Tutorials: Contains tutorial information and
detailed procedures to walk you through increasingly complex operations.
This is the best source for learning 3ds Max.
Access the tutorials by choosing Help > Tutorials.

3ds Max Documentation Set | 11

NOTE Note that these tutorials reside on the web so an internet connection
is required. To access the tutorial scene files, go to
http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-tutorials-scene-files-v2011.
■

MAXScript Help: Describes the MAXScript scripting language on page 14.
Check out the “Learning MAXScript” chapter there if you're new to
MAXScript.
Access the MAXScript Help by choosing Help > MAXScript Help.

■

Additional mental ray® Help Files: Documentation from mental images®
is available from Help menu > Additional Help. There, you'll find the mental
ray Reference, comprising the mental ray Manual, mental ray Shader Reference,
and LumeTools Collection. You’ll also find PDF files documentating various
mental ray shader libraries.
NOTE The Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 Help documents most mental ray
components available in the 3ds Max user interface. This includes
documentation for lights for mental ray and specific shadow types, controls
for adding mental ray shaders to lights and cameras, mental ray materials,
custom shaders for 3ds Max, and the mental ray renderer controls.

■

Additional Backburner Files: Procedures for using Backburner from inside
3ds Max are documented in this Autodesk 3ds Max Help File. For further
information on using and configuring Backburner, refer to the additional
Backburner documentation available from Additional Help as well as from
the Start menu location described in the introduction of this topic. The
two documents related to Autodesk Backburner are called:
■

Backburner Installation Guide

■

Backburner User’s Guide

NOTE For information on installing Autodesk Backburner, see the Autodesk
3ds Max 2010 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 Installation Guide.
■

FBX Plug-in Help: Access the FBX Plug-in Help from the Additional Help
menu. You can also click the ? (Help) button on the FBX Importer/Exporter
dialog.
The FBX plug-in changes often, with the result that Autodesk updates it
more frequently than it does this program. Be sure to check regularly for
updated versions by clicking the Web Updates button on the dialog.

12 | Chapter 1 Introduction

How to Print from the Online Help
If your computer is connected to a printer, you can print single help topics
or entire chapters.
To print a topic or chapter, highlight the topic or chapter title and click the
Print button at the top of the help display. A dialog opens.

Choose to print only the selected topic, or to print all topics in that chapter.
After you make your selection, another dialog appears where you can choose
your printer and other options.

3ds Max Documentation Set | 13

The tabs available at the top of the dialog depend on the selected printer.
Choose options for the print job, and click OK to begin printing.

How to Contact Us
We are also interested in hearing your views about 3ds Max. We’d like to hear
ways you think we can improve our program, features you’re interested in, as
well as your views on the documentation set.
Please send us email about the documentation set at:
me.documentation@autodesk.com

About MAXScript
MAXScript is the built-in scripting language for 3ds Max.

14 | Chapter 1 Introduction

With MAXScript, you have the ability to:
■

Script all aspects of 3ds Max use, such as modeling, animation, materials,
rendering, and so on.

■

Control 3ds Max interactively through a command-line shell window.

■

Package scripts within custom utility panel rollouts or modeless windows,
giving them a standard 3ds Max user interface.

■

Build custom import/export tools using the built-in file I/O.

■

Write procedural controllers that can access the entire state of the scene.
Build batch-processing tools, such as batch-rendering scripts.

■

Set up live interfaces to external system using OLE Automation.

The MAXScript language is specifically designed to complement 3ds Max. It
is object-oriented, and has several special features and constructs that mirror
high-level concepts in the 3ds Max user interface. These include
coordinate-system contexts, an animation mode with automatic keyframing,
and access to scene objects using hierarchical path names that match the 3ds
Max object hierarchy.
The syntax is simple enough for non-programmers to use, with minimal
punctuation and formatting rules.

Visual MAXScript
Visual MAXScript is a powerful addition to MAXScript, making the MAXScript
feature easier to learn and use. With Visual MAXScript, you can quickly create
UI elements and layouts for scripting.
For detailed information about Visual MAXScript, open the MAXScript Help,
available from Help menu > MAXScript Help.
See also:
■

MAXScript Menu on page 8620

Procedures
To access MAXScript, do one of the following:
1 On the menu bar, choose MAXScript. The MAXScript menu appears.
2 Choose Utilities panel > MAXScript.

About MAXScript | 15

From here, you can either write new scripts, edit or run existing scripts,
open the MAXScript Listener, or use the Macro Recorder.
To access the MAXScript Listener, you can also right-click in the Mini
Listener and choose Open Listener Window from the right-click menu.
For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript
Help, available from Help menu > MAXScript Help.

16 | Chapter 1 Introduction

Getting Started with 3ds
Max

2

You use 3ds Max to quickly create professional-quality 3D models, photorealistic still images,
and film-quality animation on your PC.

Image by Michael McCarthy

Before using this reference material, we highly recommend you get to know 3ds Max firsthand
by following the included tutorials. You can access the tutorials using the Help menu ➤
Tutorials command.

17

See also:
■

Working with AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit Files on page 8062

■

Quad Menu on page 8640

■

Customize Display Right-Click Menu on page 8827

Project Workflow
Once you've installed 3ds Max (see the Installation Guide included with your
software package), you open it from the Start menu, or use any other Windows
method. The figure below shows the application window with a scene file
loaded.

Main program window

NOTE If you open 3ds Max from a Command Prompt window or batch file, you
can add command-line switches. See Starting 3ds Max from the Command Line
on page 8575.

18 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

NOTE 3ds Max is a single-document application, meaning you can work on only
one scene at a time. You can run 3ds Max several times and open a different scene
in each instance, but doing so requires a lot of RAM. For best performance, open
only one instance and work on one scene at a time.

Modeling Objects
You model and animate objects in the viewports, whose layout is configurable.
You can start with a variety of 3D geometric primitives. You can also use 2D
shapes as the basis for lofted or extruded objects. You can convert objects to
a variety of editable surface types, which you can then model further by pulling
vertices and using other tools.

Another modeling tool is to apply modifiers to objects. Modifiers can change
object geometry. Bend and Twist are examples of modifiers.
Modeling, editing, and animation tools are available in the command panels
and toolbar. See Modeling Objects on page 25.

Material Design
You design materials using the Material Editor, which appears in its own
window. You use the Material Editor to create realistic materials by defining

Project Workflow | 19

hierarchies of surface characteristics. The surface characteristics can represent
static materials, or be animated. See Material Editor on page 6019.

Lights and Cameras
You create lights with various properties to illuminate your scene. The lights
can cast shadows, project images, and create volumetric effects for atmospheric
lighting. Physically-based lights let you use real-world lighting data in your
scenes and Radiosity on page 7068 provides incredibly accurate light simulation
in renderings. See Lights on page 5672.

20 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

The cameras you create have real-world controls for lens length, field of view,
and motion control such as truck, dolly, and pan. See Cameras on page 5905.

Animation
You can begin animating your scene at any time by turning on the Auto Key
button. Turn the button off to return to modeling. You can also perform
animated modeling effects by animating the parameters of objects in your
scene. You can learn more about animating in Animating Your Scene topic
on page 32.

Project Workflow | 21

When the Auto Key button is on, 3ds Max automatically records the
movement, rotation, and scale changes you make, not as changes to a static
scene, but as keys on certain frames that represent time. You can also animate
many parameters to make lights and cameras change over time, and preview
your animation directly in the 3ds Max viewports.
You use Track View on page 3827 to control animation. Track View is a floating
window where you edit animation keys, set up animation controllers, or edit
motion curves for your animated effects.

Rendering
Rendering adds color and shading to your scene. The renderers available with
3ds Max include features such as selective ray tracing, analytical antialiasing,
motion blur, volumetric lighting, and environmental effects. See Rendering
Your Scene on page 32.

22 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

When you use the default scanline renderer, a radiosity solution on page 7068
can provide accurate light simulation in renderings, including the ambient
lighting that results from reflected light. When you use the mental ray renderer,
a comparable effect is provided by global illumination on page 7160.
If your workstation is part of a network, network rendering can distribute
rendering jobs over multiple workstations. See Network Rendering on page
7368.
With Video Post on page 7707, you can also composite the scene with animations
stored on disk.

A Typical Project Workflow
These topics explain the basic procedures for creating scenes:
Setting Up Your Scene on page 24
Modeling Objects on page 25
Using Materials on page 26
Placing Lights and Cameras on page 28
Animating Your Scene on page 32

Project Workflow | 23

Rendering Your Scene on page 32

Setting Up Your Scene
You start with a new unnamed scene when you open 3ds Max. You can also
start a new scene at any time by choosing New or Reset from the Application
menu on page 8579.

Choosing a Unit Display
You choose a system of unit display on the Units Setup dialog on page 8955.
Choose from Metric, Standard US, and Generic methods, or design a custom
measuring system. You can switch between different systems of unit display
at any time.
NOTE For best results, use consistent units when you are going to:
■

Merge scenes and objects on page 8101.

■

Use XRef objects on page 7971 or XRef scenes on page 7999.

Setting the System Unit
The System Unit setting, in the Units Setup dialog on page 8955, determines
how 3ds Max relates to distance information you input to your scene. The
setting also determines the range for round-off error. Consider changing the
system unit value only when you model very large or very small scenes.

Setting Grid Spacing
Set spacing for the visible grid in the Grid And Snap Settings dialog ➤ Home
Grid panel on page 2863. You can change grid spacing at any time.
See Precision and Drawing Aids on page 2807 for information about the system
unit, unit display, and grid spacing.

24 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

Setting the Viewport Display

Viewport layout options

The default four viewports in 3ds Max represent an efficient and popular
screen layout. Set options in the Viewport Configuration dialog on page 8963
to change viewport layout and display properties.
See Viewing and Navigating 3D Space on page 47 for more information.

Saving Scenes
Save your scene frequently to protect yourself from mistakes and loss of work.
See Backing Up and Archiving Scenes on page 43.

Modeling Objects
You model objects in your scene by creating standard objects, such as 3D
geometry and 2D shapes, and then applying modifiers to those objects. 3ds
Max includes a wide range of standard objects and modifiers.

1. Modify panel
2. Create panel
3. Object categories

Creating Objects
You create objects by clicking an object category and type on the Create panel
and then clicking or dragging in a viewport to define the object's creation
parameters. 3ds Max organizes the Create panel into these basic categories:

Modeling Objects | 25

Geometry, Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps, and Systems. Each
category contains multiple subcategories from which you can choose.
You can also create objects from the Create menu by choosing an object
category and type and then clicking or dragging in a viewport to define the
object's creation parameters. 3ds Max organizes the Create menu into these
basic categories: Standard Primitives, Extended Primitives, AEC Objects,
Compound, Particles, Patch Grids, NURBS, Dynamics, Shapes, Lights, Cameras,
Helpers, Space Warps, and Systems.
See Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects on page 290.

Selecting and Positioning Objects
You select objects by clicking or dragging a region around them. You can also
select objects by name or other properties such as color or object category.
After selecting objects, you position them in your scene using the transform
tools Move, Rotate, and Scale. Use alignment tools to precisely position objects.
See Selecting Objects on page 149, Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects on
page 821, and Precision and Drawing Aids on page 2807.

Modifying Objects
You sculpt and edit objects into their final form by applying modifiers from
the Modify panel. The modifiers you apply to an object are stored in a stack.
You can go back at any time and change the effect of the modifier, or remove
it from the object.
See Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects on page 290.

Using Materials
You use the Material Editor to design materials and maps to control the
appearance of object surfaces. Maps can also be used to control the appearance
of environmental effects such as lighting, fog, and the background.

26 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

A variety of materials in the Material Editor's sample slots

Room on left uses the a neutral, gray material.
Room on right uses a realistic materials, including transparent glass and a snowfall..

Basic Material Properties
You set basic material properties to control such surface characteristics as
default color, shininess, and level of opacity. You can create realistic,
single-color materials using just the basic properties.

Using Materials | 27

Using Maps
You extend the realism of materials by applying maps to control surface
properties such as texture, bumpiness, opacity, and reflection. Most of the
basic properties can be enhanced with a map. Any image file, such as one you
might create in a paint program, can be used as a map, or you can choose
procedural maps that create patterns based on parameters you set.
3ds Max also includes a raytrace material and map for creating accurate
reflections and refraction.

Viewing Materials in the Scene
You can view the effect of materials on objects in a shaded viewport, but the
display is just an approximation of the final effect. Render your scene to view
materials accurately.
See Designing Materials on page 5982.

Placing Lights and Cameras
You place lights and cameras to complete your scene in much the same way
lights and cameras are placed on a movie set prior to filming.

28 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

Lights and cameras placed to compose a scene

Placing Lights and Cameras | 29

The resulting scene

Default Lighting
Default lighting evenly illuminates the entire scene. Such lighting is useful
while modeling, but it is not especially artistic or realistic.

Placing Lights
You create and place lights from the Lights category of the Create panel or
menu when you are ready to get more specific about the lighting in your
scene.
3ds Max includes the following standard light types: omni, spot, and
directional lights. You can set a light to any color and even animate the color
to simulate dimming or color-shifting lights. All of these lights can cast
shadows, project maps, and use volumetric effects.
See Guidelines for Lighting on page 5688.

Photometric Lights
Photometric lights on page 5707 provide you with the ability to work more
accurately and intuitively using real-world lighting units (lumens and candelas).

30 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

Photometric lights also support industry-standard photometric file formats
(IES on page 5735, CIBSE on page 9116, LTLI on page 9209) so that you can model
the characteristics of real-world manufactured luminaires, or even drag
ready-to-use luminaires from the Web. Used in conjunction with the 3ds Max
radiosity solution on page 7068, photometric lights let you evaluate more
accurately (both physically and quantitatively) the lighting performance of
your scene.
Photometric lights are available from the Create panel ➤ Lights drop-down
list.

Daylight System
The Daylight system on page 5852 combines sunlight on page 9321 and skylight
on page 9309 to create a unified system that follows the geographically correct
angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a given location. You can
choose location, date, time, and compass orientation. You can also animate
the date and time. This system is suitable for shadow studies of proposed and
existing structures.

Viewing Lighting Effects in the Scene
When you place lights in a scene, the default lighting turns off and the scene
is illuminated only by the lights you create. The illumination you see in a
viewport is just an approximation of the true lighting. Render your scene to
view lighting accurately.
TIP If the Daylight system appears to wash out the scene, try using the Logarithmic
exposure control on page 7673.

Placing Cameras
You create and place cameras from the Cameras category of the Create panel.
Cameras define viewpoints for rendering, and you can animate cameras to
produce cinematic effects such as dollies and truck shots.
You can also create a camera automatically from a Perspective viewport by
using the Create Camera from View command on page 129 found on the Views
menu. Just adjust your Perspective viewport until you like it, and then choose
Views ➤ Create Camera From View. 3ds Max creates a camera and replaces
the Perspective viewport with a Camera viewport showing the same perspective.
See Common Camera Parameters on page 5931.

Placing Lights and Cameras | 31

Animating Your Scene
You can animate almost anything in your scene. Click the Auto Key button
to enable automatic animation creation, drag the time slider, and make changes
in your scene to create animated effects.

Controlling Time
3ds Max starts each new scene with 100 frames for animation. Frames are a
way of measuring time, and you move through time by dragging the time
slider on page 8656. You can also open the Time Configuration dialog on page
8696 to set the number of frames used by your scene and the speed at which
the frames are displayed.

Animating Transforms and Parameters
While the Auto Key button is on, 3ds Max creates an animation key on page
9200 whenever you transform an object or change a parameter. To animate a
parameter over a range of frames, specify the values at the first and last frames
of the range. 3ds Max calculates the values for all of the frames in between.
See Animation Concepts and Methods on page 3398.

Editing Animation
You edit your animation by opening the Track View window or by changing
options on the Motion panel. Track View is like a spreadsheet that displays
animation keys along a time line. You edit the animation by changing the
keys.
Track View has two modes. You can display the animation as a series of
function curves that graphically show how a value changes over time in the
Curve Editor mode. Alternatively, you can display your animation as a
sequence of keys or ranges on a grid in the Dope Sheet mode.
See Track View on page 3827.

Rendering Your Scene
Use the rendering features to define an environment and to produce the final
output from your scene.

32 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

Rendering "fills in" geometry with color, shadow, lighting effects, and so on.

Defining Environments and Backgrounds
Rarely do you want to render your scene against the default background color.
Open the Environment And Effects dialog ➤ Environment panel on page
7621 to define a background for your scene, or to set up effects such as fog.

Setting Rendering Options
To set the size and quality of your final output, you can choose from many
options on the Render Setup dialog on page 6956. You have full control over
professional grade film and video properties as well as effects such as reflection,
antialiasing, shadow properties, and motion blur.

Rendering Images and Animation
You render a single image by setting the renderer to render one frame of your
animation. You specify what type of image file to produce and where 3ds Max
stores the file.
Rendering an animation is the same as rendering a single image except that
you set the renderer to render a sequence of frames. You can choose to render

Rendering Your Scene | 33

an animation to multiple single frame files or to popular animation formats
such as AVI or MOV.
See Render Setup Dialog on page 6956.

The 3ds Max Interface
The 3ds Max window is the entry point to most of the features of this
application.

3ds Max window, showing viewports, controls, and a rendered frame

See The 3ds Max Window on page 8564 for an introduction to the components
of this interface. See Special Controls on page 8567 for descriptions of some of
the special controls that 3ds Max uses. Becoming familiar with these controls
is especially useful if you are new to using 3ds Max.

34 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

Managing Files
3ds Max supports many types of files for working with plug-ins, image maps,
models from other programs, rendering images and animations, and of course
saving and opening your scene files.

File-management dialogs

File dialogs (such as Open, Save, Save As) uniformly remember the previous
path you used, and default to that location.
See also:
■

Managing Scenes and Projects on page 7851

Configuring File Paths
The locations that 3ds Max searches to locate all file types are specified on
the Customize menu ➤ Configure Paths dialogs on page 8871.

Managing Files | 35

You can choose to open and save files in any path location. The Configure
Paths dialog contains four panels for the general categories of support files.

Setting General File Paths
The File I/O panel on page 8875 contains paths for most of the standard support
files. You can specify one path for each of file types 3ds Max uses.

Setting Plug-In File Paths
Many features of 3ds Max are implemented as plug-ins. This means you can
change and extend 3ds Max functionality by adding new plug-ins from
Autodesk Media and Entertainment or from third-party developers.
You tell 3ds Max where to find additional plug-in files by adding path entries
on the 3rd Party Plug-Ins panel on page 8884. If you place all of your plug-ins
in a single directory, plug-in file management can become messy. That's why
3ds Max supports multiple entries on the 3rd Party Plug-Ins panel.

Setting Bitmap, FX, and Download File Paths
The External Files panel on page 8877 contains multiple path entries that 3ds
Max searches for image files on page 8411, downloaded files (via i-drop on page

36 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

8172), and FX files on page 9172. Image files are used for many purposes, such as
material and map definition, light projections, and environment effects.

Setting XRefs File Paths
The XRefs panel on page 8880 contains multiple path entries that 3ds Max uses
to search for externally referenced files. These are used for sharing files in a
workgroup situation.

Importing, Merging, Replacing, and Externally
Referencing Scenes
You can realize great productivity gains when you reuse work by combining
geometry from scenes or other programs. 3ds Max supports this technique
with the Import, Merge, and Replace commands. You can also share scenes
and objects with others working on the same project using XRef functionality.

Gear model imported to become part of another scene

Importing, Merging, Replacing, and Externally Referencing Scenes | 37

Importing Geometry from Other Programs
Use Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import on page 7968 to bring objects from
other programs into a scene. The types of files that you can import are listed
in the Files Of Type list in the Select File To Import dialog.
Depending on the file type you choose, you might have options available for
that import plug-in.

Merging Scenes Together
Use Merge on page 8101 to combine multiple scenes into a single large scene.
When you merge a file, you can select which objects to merge. If objects being
merged have the same name as objects in your scene, you have the option to
rename or skip over the merged objects.

38 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

Pipe and ashtray models merged into one scene

Merging Animation into Scenes
Use Merge Animation on page 4163 to merge the animation from one scene
into another with the same (or similar) geometry.

Replacing Scene Objects
Use Replace on page 8106 to replace objects in your scene with objects in another
scene that have duplicate names. Replace is useful when you want to set up
and animate your scene with simplified objects, and then replace the simple
objects with detailed objects before rendering.
The Replace dialog looks and functions the same as Merge, except that it lists
only objects that have the same name as objects in your current scene.

Using External References
Use XRef Objects on page 7971 and XRef Scenes on page 7999 to use objects and
scene setups in your scene that are actually referenced from external MAX
files. These functions allow sharing files with others in your workgroup, with
options for updating and protecting external files.

Importing, Merging, Replacing, and Externally Referencing Scenes | 39

Using the Asset Browser
The Asset Browser provides access from your desktop to design content on
the World Wide Web. From within 3ds Max you can browse the Internet for
texture samples and product models. This includes bitmap textures (BMP,
JPG, GIF, TIF, and TGA) and geometry files (MAX, 3DS, and so on).

Left: Dragging geometry into the scene
Right: Dragging a bitmap onto the geometry

You can drag these samples and models into your scene for immediate
visualization and presentation. You can snap geometry into predefined
locations, or drag and drop them interactively in your scene.
You can also use the Asset Browser to browse thumbnail displays of bitmap
textures and geometry files on your hard disk or shared network drives. Then
you can either view them or drag and drop them into your scene or into valid
map buttons or slots.
NOTE The thumbnail display of a geometry file is a bitmap representation of a
view of the geometry. Since the thumbnail display is not a vector-based
representation, you can't rotate it or perform zooms on it.

40 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

You can drag and drop most graphic images that are embedded in a Web page
into your scene. The exception is images or regions of a Web page that are
tagged as hyperlinks or other HTML controls (such as when a bitmap is tagged
as a button).
IMPORTANT Downloaded content might be subject to use restrictions or the
license of the site owner. You are responsible for obtaining all content license
rights.
For complete details, see Asset Browser on page 8143.

Startup Files and Defaults
When you start 3ds Max, several auxiliary files load, setting things like program
defaults and UI layout. You can even create a scene, named maxstart.max, that
automatically loads when you start or reset 3ds Max. In some cases, 3ds Max
updates files when you change settings and when you quit 3ds Max.
NOTE 3ds Max comes with several different market-specific defaults on page 8834.
These set different program defaults on startup, based on the type of files you
expect to work on most often. You can load the preset defaults that come with
3ds Max, or you can create your own.
In general, you don't need to work directly with the auxiliary files, but it's
good to know about them. Among the auxiliary files 3ds Max uses are:
■

3dsmax.ini on page 42 : This file gets updated when you start and exit 3ds
Max, as well as when you change most Preferences settings. It contains
values relating to program defaults, including the graphics driver, directories
used to access external files such as sounds and images, preset render sizes,
dialog positions, snap settings, and other preferences and default settings.
If you edit this file, be sure to make a copy first, so you can return to the
original if anything goes wrong.
NOTE Many program defaults are set in currentdefaults.ini, found within the
\defaults directory. For more information on this file, see Market-Specific
Defaults on page 8834.

■

maxstart.max: At startup and when you reset 3ds Max, 3ds Max looks for
this file in the MaxStart folder specified in Configure User Paths ➤ File
I/O panel on page 8875, and if found, loads it. This allows you to specify the
default state of the workspace whenever you start or reset 3ds Max. For

Startup Files and Defaults | 41

example, if you always use a ground plane, you can make it the default
setup by creating one, and then saving it as maxstart.max.
If you save a different file over maxstart.max, you can return to program
defaults by deleting the maxstart.max file, and then resetting 3ds Max.
■

maxstart.cui: This is the default custom user interface file. You can load
and save CUI files, and set 3ds Max to use a different default CUI file. See
Customize Menu on page 8618.

■

plugin.ini: This file contains directory paths for plug-ins. Most other paths
are kept in 3ds Max INI file, but plugin.ini is maintained as a separate file
because third-party plug-ins often add entries to the list at installation.
NOTE It is possible to use multiple plug-in configuration files by nesting
additional paths in your plugin.ini file. This can be very useful for allowing an
entire network of users to share one plugin.ini file, making the system easier to
maintain for the network administrator. For more information, see Network
Plug-In Configuration on page 8885.

■

startup.ms: A MAXScript file that automatically executes at startup time.
For more information, see Startup Script on page 9316.

The Initialization File
The file 3ds Max uses to store settings between sessions is named 3dsmax.ini.
In most cases, you don’t need to access this file directly. To find it, if necessary,
use the Windows Search function.
You can make changes to 3ds Max startup conditions by editing the 3dsmax.ini
file in a text editor such as Notepad. If you do edit the file, be sure to maintain
the structure and syntax of the original file.
TIP If you encounter unusual and unexplained user-interface problems using 3ds
Max, try deleting the 3dsmax.ini file and restarting. 3ds Max writes a new INI file
to replace the deleted one. Often this fixes problems related to the state of the
user interface.
NOTE Startup scene conditions are defined by the maxstart.max file. To save a
particular startup condition, such as a Plane object representing the ground, create
a scene file with the condition present and then save it as maxstart.max. 3ds Max
automatically opens this file when you start 3ds Max.
The 3dsmax.ini file includes the following categories of settings:

42 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

[Directories] Defines the default paths for various file operations.
[Performance] Controls that speed up viewport performance.
[PlugInKeys] Turns on or off the keyboard shortcuts for plug-ins.
[Renderer] Controls for rendering alpha and filter backgrounds.
[RenderPresets] Defines the paths for Rendering Preset files.
[BitmapDirs] Defines the default map paths for bitmaps used by materials.
[Modstack] Controls modifier stack button sets and icon display.
[WindowState] Settings for software display, OpenGL, or Direct3D drivers.
[CustomMenus] Defines path for the .mnu file.
[CustomColors] Defines the path for the .clr file.
[KeyboardFile] Defines the path for the .kbd file.
[Material Editor] Material Editor settings.
[ObjectSnapSettings] Settings associated with snaps.
[CommandPanel] Sets number of columns, and controls rollout display in
multiple columns.

Backing Up and Archiving Scenes
You should regularly back up and archive your work. One convenient method
is to save incremental copies of your scenes. This method creates a history of
your work process.

Saving Incremental Files
If you turn on the Increment On Save option on the Files panel on page 8892
of the Preferences dialog, the current scene is renamed by appending a
two-digit number to the end of the file and incrementing the number each
time you save. For example, if you open a file named myfile.max and then save
it, the saved file is named myfile01.max. Each time you save the file its name
is incremented, producing the files myfile02.max, myfile03.max, and so on.
You can also use Save As on page 7956 to increment the file name manually
with a two-digit number by clicking the increment button (+) on the Save As
dialog.

Backing Up and Archiving Scenes | 43

Using Auto Backup
You can automatically save backup files at regular intervals by setting the Auto
Backup options on page 8895 on the Preferences dialog (see File Preferences on
page 8892). The backup files are named AutoBackupN.max, where N is a number
from 1 to 99, and stored, by default, in the \autoback folder. You can load a
backup file like any other scene file.

Archiving a Scene
3ds Max scenes can make use of many different files. When you want to
exchange scenes with other users or store scenes for archival purposes, you
often need to save more than just the scene file.
Use the Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Archive command on page 7967 to
pass the scene file and any bitmap files used in the scene to an archiving
program compatible with PKZIP: software.

Crash Recovery System
If 3ds Max encounters an unexpected crash, it attempts to recover and save
the file currently in memory. This is fairly reliable, but it does not always work:
the recovered scene could be damaged during the crash. The recovered file is
stored in the configured Auto Backup path. It is saved as
"_recover.max" in this path. It is also placed in the INI file as the
most recently used file in the Application menu on page 8579. This makes it
easy to return to the file, if you choose to do so.
The crash recovery system identifies when something in an object's modifier
stack is corrupt. In these cases, the corrupt object is replaced with a red dummy
object to maintain the object's position and any linked object hierarchy.

44 | Chapter 2 Getting Started with 3ds Max

NOTE We recommend that you not rely on this file-recovery mechanism as an
alternative to good data backup practices:
■

Save your work frequently.

■

Take advantage of automatic incremental file naming: Go to Customize
menu ➤ Preferences ➤ Files panel on page 8892 ➤ File Handling group,
and turn on Increment On Save.

■

Use Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Save ➤ Save As, and click the
Increment button (+) to save incremental copies of work in progress.

■

If you are forgetful about saving, use the Auto Backup feature. Go to
Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ Files tab ➤ Auto Backup group, and
turn on Enable.

Crash Recovery System | 45

46

Viewing and Navigating 3D
Space

3

Everything in 3ds Max is located in a three-dimensional world. You have a variety of options
for viewing this enormous stage-like space, from the tiniest details to the full extent of your
scene.

Different viewports can display different angles; on the right, the largest viewport
shows a camera view.

Using the view options discussed in this section you move from one view to another, as your
work and imagination require. You can fill your screen with a single, large viewport, or set

47

multiple viewports to track various aspects of your scene. For exact positioning, flat drawing
views are available, as are 3D perspective on page 9264 and axonometric views on page 9100.
You navigate 3D space by adjusting the position, rotation and magnification of your views.
You have full control over how objects are rendered and displayed on the screen.
You can also use the Grab Viewport command on page 7356 to create snapshots of your work
as you go.
This section presents brief topics designed to help you quickly start learning how to organize
viewports and navigate through 3D space. For details about viewport commands, see Viewport
Controls on page 8703.

General Viewport Concepts
Viewports are openings into the three-dimensional space of your scene, like
windows looking into an enclosed garden or atrium. But viewports are more
than passive observation points. While creating a scene, you can use them as
dynamic and flexible tools to understand the 3D relationships among objects.

48 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

The 3ds Max main window, with a docked toolbar and viewport layout displaying
multiple views.

At times you might want to look at your scene through a large, undivided
viewport, giving you a "picture-window" view of the world you’re creating.
Often you use multiple viewports, each set to a different orientation.
If you want to move an object horizontally in the world space, you might do
this in a top viewport, looking directly down on the object as you move it. At
the same time, you could be watching a shaded perspective viewport to see
when the object you’re moving slides behind another. Using the two windows
together, you can get exactly the position and alignment you want.
You also have pan and zoom features available in either view, as well as grid
alignment. With a few mouse clicks or keystrokes, you can reach any level of
detail you need for the next step in your work.
Another way to use viewports is to place a camera in your scene and set a
viewport to look through its lens. When you move the camera, the viewport
tracks the change. You can do the same thing with spotlights.

General Viewport Concepts | 49

In addition to geometry, viewports can display other views such as Track View
and Schematic View, which display the structure of the scene and the
animation. Viewports can be extended to display other tools such as the
MAXScript Listener and the Asset Browser. For interactive rendering, the
viewport can display the ActiveShade window.

Active Viewport
One viewport, marked with a highlighted border, is always active. The active
viewport is where commands and other actions take effect. Only one viewport
can be in the active state at a time. If other viewports are visible, they are set
for observation only; unless disabled, they simultaneously track actions taken
in the active viewport.

Saving the Active Viewport
You can save the view in any active viewport and later restore it with the
Views menu's Save Active View on page 107 and Restore Active View on page
108 commands. One view can be saved for each of the following view types:
Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Front, Back, Orthographic, Perspective.
For example, while in the Front view, you choose Save Active Front View, and
then zoom and pan that view. You then activate the Top viewport, choose
Save Active Top View, and then click Zoom Extents. You return to the Front
view, and choose Restore Active Front View to return to its original zoom and
pan. At any time, you can activate the Top viewport, and then choose Restore
Active Top View to restore its saved view.

Home Grid: Views Based on the World Coordinate
Axes
The grid you see in each viewport represents one of three planes that intersect
at right angles to one another at a common point called the origin. Intersection
occurs along three lines (the world coordinate axes: X, Y, and Z) familiar from
geometry as the basis of the Cartesian coordinate system.

50 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Home Grid

Using the home grid to position houses

The three planes based on the world coordinate axes are called the home grid;
this is the basic reference system of the 3D world.
To simplify the positioning of objects, only one plane of the home grid is
visible in each viewport. The figure shows all three planes as they would appear
if you could see them in a single perspective viewport.

Home Grid: Views Based on the World Coordinate Axes | 51

Axes, Planes, and Views

Home grid axes and planes

Two axes define each plane of the home grid. In the default Perspective
viewport, you are looking across the XY plane (ground plane), with the X axis
running left-to-right, and the Y axis running front-to-back. The third axis, Z,
runs vertically through this plane at the origin.

52 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Home Grid and Grid Objects

Above: Inactive grid object in a scene
Below: Activated grid object

The home grid is aligned with the world coordinate axes. You can turn it on
and off for any viewport, but you can’t change its orientation.
For flexibility, the home grid is supplemented by grid objects: independent
grids you can place anywhere, at any angle, aligned with any object or surface.
They function as "construction planes" you can use once and discard or save
for reuse. See Precision and Drawing Aids on page 2807.

Home Grid: Views Based on the World Coordinate Axes | 53

AutoGrid
The AutoGrid feature lets you create and activate temporary grid objects on
the fly. This lets you create geometry off the face of any object by first creating
the temporary grid, then the object. You also have the option to make the
temporary grids permanent. See AutoGrid on page 2819.

Understanding Views
Each viewport can be set to display either of two types of views: axonometric
or perspective.
■

Axonometric views on page 9100 show the scene without perspective. All
lines in the model are parallel to one another. The Top, Front, Left, and
Orthographic viewports are axonometric views.

Axonometric view of a scene

54 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

■

Perspective views on page 9264 show the scene with lines that converge at
the horizon. The Perspective and Camera viewports are examples of
perspective views.

Perspective view of the same model

Perspective views most closely resemble human vision, where objects appear
to recede into the distance, creating a sense of depth and space. Axonometric
views provide an undistorted view of the scene for accurate scaling and
placement. A common workflow is to use axonometric views to create the
scene, then use a perspective view to render the final output.

Axonometric Views
There are two types of axonometric views you can use in viewports: head-on
and rotated.
An orthographic view on page 9251 is often a head-on view of the scene, such
as the view shown in the Top, Front, and Left viewports. You can set a viewport
to a specific orthographic view using the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label
menu on page 8712, keyboard shortcuts on page 9007, or the ViewCube on page
68. For example, to set an active viewport to Left view, press L.

Understanding Views | 55

You can also rotate an orthographic view to see the scene from an angle while
retaining parallel projection. However, when viewing the scene from an angle,
it’s often more helpful to use a perspective view.

Perspective Views
A perspective viewport, labeled Perspective, is one of the startup viewports in
3ds Max. You can change any active viewport to this "eye-like" point of view
by pressing P.

Camera View
Once you create a camera object in your scene, you can change the active
viewport to a camera view by pressing C and then selecting from a list of
cameras in your scene. You can also create a camera view directly from a
perspective viewport, using the Create Camera from View on page 129
command.
A camera viewport tracks the view through the lens of the selected camera.
As you move the camera (or target) in another viewport, you see the scene
move accordingly. This is the advantage of the Camera view over the
Perspective view, which can't be animated over time.
If you turn on Orthographic Projection on a camera’s Parameters rollout, that
camera produces an axonometric view on page 9100. See Cameras on page 5905.

56 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

The viewport on the right is seen through a camera in the scene.

Two and Three-Point Perspective and the Camera Correction Modifier
By default, camera views use three-point perspective, in which vertical lines
appear to converge with height (in traditional photography this is known as
keystoning). The Camera Correction modifier on page 5968 applies two-point
perspective to a camera view. In two-point perspective, vertical lines remain
vertical. A similar effect can be attained by putting a Skew modifier on a
camera.

Light View
Light view works much like a targeted camera view. You first create a spotlight
or directional light and then set the active viewport to that spotlight. The
easiest way is to press the keyboard shortcut $. See Lights on page 5672.

Understanding Views | 57

The viewport on the right looks through the lens of a spotlight in the scene.

Setting Viewport Layout
3ds Max defaults to a 2 x 2 arrangement of viewports. Thirteen other layouts
are available, but the maximum number of viewports on the screen remains
four.
Using the Layout panel on page 8968 of the Viewport Configuration dialog, you
can pick from the different layouts and customize the viewports in each. The
viewport configuration is saved with your work.

58 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Resizing the Viewport
After choosing a layout you can resize the viewports so they have different
proportions by moving the splitter bars that separate the viewports. This is
available only when multiple viewports are displayed.

Resized viewport

Setting Viewport Layout | 59

Changing the View Type
As you work, you can change the view in any viewport quickly. For example,
you can switch from front view to back view. You can use either of two
methods: menu or keyboard shortcut.
■

Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label of the viewport
you want to change. Then from the POV viewport label menu on page 8712,
click the view type that you want.

■

Click the viewport you want to change, and then press one of the keyboard
shortcuts in the following table.
Key

View type

T

Top view

B

Bottom view

F

Front view

L

Left view

C

Camera view. If your scene has only one
camera, or you select a camera before using
this keyboard shortcut, that camera supplies
the view. If your scene has more than one
camera, and none are selected, a list of
cameras appears.

P

Perspective view. Retains viewing angle of
previous view.

U

Orthographic User view. Retains viewing
angle of previous view. Allows use of Zoom
Region on page 8738.

none

Right view. Use the POV viewport label
menu on page 8712.

none

Shape view. Use the POV viewport label
menu on page 8712. Automatically aligns view
to the extents of a selected shape and its
local XY axes.

60 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

See also:
■

Viewport Layout on page 8968

■

Camera Viewport Controls on page 8742

■

Spotlight Parameters on page 5799

■

Precision and Drawing Aids on page 2807

■

Track View on page 3827

Controlling Viewport Rendering
You can choose from multiple options to display your scene. You can display
objects as simple boxes, or render them with smooth shading and texture
mapping. If you want, you can choose a different display method for each
viewport.

Box display, wireframe display, and smooth shading

Controlling Viewport Rendering | 61

TIP If you want to display and render an individual object as wireframe, you can
use a Standard or Raytrace material and set its shader to Wire on page 6391. Or, to
display an individual object to display as a box, select the object and choose Display
as Box on page 145 on the Display properties rollout on the display panel.

Using Viewport Rendering Controls
Viewport rendering options are found on the Shading viewport label menu
on page 8719 and on the Rendering Method panel on page 8963 of the Viewport
Configuration dialog. Using these controls you can set a rendering level and
any options associated with that level. The viewport label menu settings apply
to the active viewport only, but the Rendering Method panel lets you apply
settings to the active viewport, all viewports, or to all but the active viewport.
The rendering level you choose is determined by your need for realistic display,
accuracy, and speed. For example, Bounding Box display level can be much
faster than Smooth + Highlights, depending on scene complexity. The more
realistic the rendering level, the slower the display speed.
After choosing a rendering level, you can set rendering options. Different
options are available for different rendering levels.
You can also use ActiveShade on page 7009 in a viewport. This feature helps you
quickly preview changes you make to lighting and materials.
Viewport rendering has no effect on final renderings produced by clicking
Render Scene.

Rendering Methods and Display Speed
The rendering methods not only affect the quality of your view display, they
can also have a profound effect on display performance. Using higher quality
rendering levels and realistic options slows display performance.
After setting a rendering method, you can choose additional options that
adjust display performance. One of these controls, Adaptive Degradation,
speeds up display performance when you use realistic rendering levels.
See Rendering Method on page 8963.

Controlling Display Performance
3ds Max contains controls to help you adjust display performance: the balance
between quality and time in displaying objects.

62 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Depending on your needs, you might give up some display speed to work at
higher levels of rendering quality, or you might choose to maximize display
speed by using Wireframe or Bounding Box display. Which method you choose
depends on your preferences and the requirements of your work.

Display Performance Controls
You use display performance controls to determine how objects are rendered
and displayed.

Viewport Preferences
The Customize ➤ Preferences dialog's Viewports panel contains options for
fine-tuning the performance of the viewport display software. See Viewport
Preferences on page 8896.

How Objects Are Displayed
To see and modify an object's display properties, right-click the object, select
Properties, and go to the Display Properties group box; see Object Properties
on page 221. These options affect display performance much the same way as
viewport rendering options. For example, turning on Vertex Ticks for an object
with a lot of vertices will slow performance.
NOTE Display Properties are only available when the By Object/By Layer toggle
is set to By Object.
To see and modify how objects are displayed, you can use layers on page 8534.
You can then quickly control the visibility and editability of similar objects
from the quad menu.

Which Objects Are Displayed
One way to increase display speed is not to display something. You can use
the Hide and Freeze functions on the Display panel, quad menu, Manage
Layers Dialog on page 8537, and Scene Explorer on page 8469 to change the display
state of objects in your scene. The Hide and Freeze features also affect final
Rendering and Video Post output. See Hide Rollout on page 140 and Freeze
Rollout on page 142.

Setting Adaptive Degradation
Adaptive Degradation dynamically adjusts viewport rendering levels to
maintain a desired level of display speed. You have direct control over how
much "degradation" occurs and when it occurs.

Controlling Display Performance | 63

The active levels determine which rendering levels 3ds Max falls back to when
it cannot maintain the desired display speed. You can choose as many levels
as you want but you are advised to choose only one or two levels for each
type of degradation.
See Adaptive Degradation on page 9084.

Using Standard View Navigation
To navigate through your scene, use the view navigation buttons located at
the lower-right corner of the 3ds Max window. All view types, except Camera
and Light views, use a standard set of view navigation buttons.

The standard navigation
controls

Button Operation
Clicking standard view navigation buttons produces one of two results:
■

Executes the command and returns to your previous action.

■

Activates a view navigation mode.

You can tell that you are in a navigation mode because the button remains
highlighted (orange background). This mode remains active until you
right-click or choose another command.
While in a navigation mode, you can activate other viewports of the same
type, without exiting the mode, by clicking in any viewport. See Viewport
Controls on page 8703.

Undoing Standard View Navigation Commands
Use the Undo View Change and Redo View Change commands on page 106
on the Views menu to reset standard view navigation commands without
affecting other viewports or the geometry in your scene. Undo View Change
also appears on the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712. Or
you can use the keyboard shortcuts: Shift+Z for Undo View Change and Shift+Y
for Redo View Change.

64 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Views menu ➤ Undo View Change and Views menu ➤ Redo View Change
are different from Undo and Redo commands on the Edit menu and main
toolbar. 3ds Max maintains separate Undo/Redo buffers for scene editing and
for each viewport.
The View Change Undo/Redo buffer stores your last 20 view navigation
commands for each viewport. You can step back through the Undo View/Redo
View buffer until you have undone all of the stored view-navigation
commands.

Zooming, Panning, and Rotating Views
When you click one of the view navigation buttons, you can change these
basic view properties: zooming, panning, and rotating.
NOTE You can also navigate the viewport with the ViewCube on page 68 and
SteeringWheels on page 75 toolsets.

Zoom Controls zooming in and out.
Pan View Controls panning in any direction.

Orbit Controls rotating in any direction

Before and after zooming a viewport

Zooming, Panning, and Rotating Views | 65

Before and after rotating a viewport

Zooming a View

Click Zoom on page 8730 or Zoom All on page 8732 and drag in a
viewport to change the view magnification. Zoom changes only the active
view, while Zoom All simultaneously changes all non-camera views.

If a perspective view is active, you can also click Field of View (FOV) on
page 8735. The effect of changing FOV is similar to changing the lens on a
camera. As FOV gets larger you see more of your scene and perspective becomes
distorted, similar to using a wide-angle lens. As FOV gets smaller you see less
of your scene and the perspective flattens, similar to using a telephoto lens.
WARNING Be cautious using extreme Field of View settings. These can produce
unexpected results.

Zooming a Region
Click Zoom Region on page 8738 to drag a rectangular region within the
active viewport and magnify that region to fill the viewport. Zoom Region is
available for all standard views.

In a perspective viewport, Zoom Region mode is available from the Field
of View flyout on page 8735.

66 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Zooming to Extents
Click the Zoom Extents or Zoom Extents All flyout buttons to
change the magnification and position of your view to display the extents of
objects in your scene. Your view is centered on the objects and the
magnification changed so the objects fill the viewport.

■

The Zoom Extents, Zoom Extents Selected buttons on page 8726 zoom
the active viewport to the extents of all visible or selected objects in the
scene.

■

The Zoom Extents All, Zoom Extents All Selected buttons on page
8726 zoom all viewports to the extents of all objects or the current selection.

Panning a View
Click Pan View on page 8739 and drag in a viewport to move your view parallel
to the viewport plane. You can also pan a viewport by dragging with the
middle mouse button held down while any tool is active.

Rotating a View
Click Orbit, Orbit Selection, or Orbit Sub-Object on page 8740 to rotate
your view around the view center, the selection, or the current sub-object
selection respectively. When you rotate a head-on viewport, such as a Top
view, it is converted to an Orthographic view, as reflected by the viewport
label.
With Orbit, objects near the edges of the viewport can rotate out of view.

With Orbit Selected, selected objects remain at the same position in the
viewport while the view rotates around them. If no objects are selected, the
function reverts to the standard Orbit function.

With Orbit Sub-Object, selected sub-objects or objects remain at the
same position in the viewport while the view rotates around them.

Zooming, Panning, and Rotating Views | 67

NOTE You can rotate a view by holding down the Alt key while you drag in a
viewport using middle-button. This uses the current Orbit mode, whether or not
the Orbit button is active. You can also activate Orbit by pressing Ctrl+R.

ViewCube
®

The ViewCube 3D navigation control provides visual feedback of the current
orientation of a viewport, lets you adjust the view orientation, and also switch
between standard and isometric views.
Once the ViewCube is displayed, it appears by default in the upper-right corner
of the active viewport, superimposed over the scene in an inactive state. It
does not appear in camera, light, or shape viewports, or in other types of views
such as ActiveShade or Schematic. While the ViewCube is inactive, its primary
function is to show the orientation of the scene based on the North direction
of the model.
When you position the cursor over the ViewCube, it becomes active. Using
the left mouse button, you can switch to one of the available preset views,
rotate the current view, or change to the Home view of the model.
Right-clicking opens a context menu with additional options.

NOTE If you are using the software display driver on page 8905, the ViewCube
doesn’t appear.

Control the Appearance of the ViewCube
The ViewCube is displayed in one of two states: inactive and active. When
the ViewCube is inactive, it appears transparent over the viewport by default
so as not to completely obscure the view of the model. When the ViewCube
is active, it is opaque and might obscure the view of objects in the scene.
You can control the opacity level of the ViewCube when it is inactive as well
as its size, the viewports it appears in, and the display of the compass. These
settings are located on the ViewCube panel on page 8988 of the Viewport
Configuration dialog.

68 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Using the Compass
The ViewCube compass indicates the North direction for the scene. You can
toggle the compass display below the ViewCube and specify its orientation
with the Compass settings on page 8990.

Procedures
To display or hide the ViewCube:
➤

Do one of the following:
■

Press the default keyboard shortcut: Alt+Ctrl+V.

■

Open the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel on
page 8988 and toggle the Show The ViewCube check box.

■

Click or right-click the General (+) viewport label menu on page 8707
and choose ViewCube ➤ Show The ViewCube.

To control the size and inactive opacity of the ViewCube:
1 Open the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel on page
8988.
2 In the Display Options group, click the ViewCube Size drop-down list
and choose a size. The choices are Large, Normal, Small, and Tiny.
3 Also in the Display Options group, click the Inactive Opacity drop-down
list and choose an opacity value. The choices range from 0% (invisible
when inactive) to 100% (always fully opaque).
4 Click OK.
To display the compass for the ViewCube
1 Open the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel on page
8988.
2 In the Compass group, turn on Show Compass Below The ViewCube.
The compass is displayed below the ViewCube and indicates the North
direction in the scene.
3 Click OK.

ViewCube | 69

ViewCube Menu
Right-click the ViewCube.
The ViewCube menu provides options to define the orientation of the
ViewCube, switch between orthographic and perspective projection, define
the Home and Front views for the model, and control the appearance of the
ViewCube.
The following options can be found on the shortcut menu of the ViewCube:
■

HomeRestores the Home view saved with the model.

■

OrthographicSwitches the current view to orthographic projection.

■

Perspective Switches the current view to perspective projection.

■

Set Current View as Home Defines the Home view of the model based on
the current view.

■

Set Current View as FrontDefines the Front view of the model based on
the current view.

■

Reset FrontResets the Front view of the scene to its default orientation.

■

ConfigureOpens the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel
on page 8988, where you can adjust the appearance and behavior of the
ViewCube.

■

Help Launches the online Help system and displays the topic on the
ViewCube.

Procedure
To display the ViewCube menu:
■

Right-click the compass, Home icon, or the main area of the ViewCube.

Change the View of the Scene with the ViewCube
You can change the view of a model by choosing a preset view or dragging
the ViewCube, roll the current view 90 degrees, switch to an adjacent face
view, define and restore the Front and Home views, and switch between
projection modes.

70 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Change the Current View
You can change the current view of a model by clicking predefined areas on
the ViewCube or dragging the ViewCube.
The ViewCube provides 26 defined areas you can click to change the current
view of a model. The defined areas are categorized into three groups: corner,
edge, and face. Of the 26 defined areas, six represent standard orthographic
views of a model: top, bottom, front, back, left, and right. You set an
orthographic view by clicking one of the faces on the ViewCube.
You access angled views of the scene with the other 20 defined areas. Clicking
one of the corners of the ViewCube changes the current view of the model to
a three-fourths view, based on a viewpoint defined by three sides of the model.
Clicking one of the edges changes the view of the model to a three-fourths
view based on two sides of the model.

In addition, you can click and drag the ViewCube to change the view of the
scene to a custom angled viewpoint other than one of the predefined
viewpoints.

Roll a Face View
When you view a model from one of the face views such as Front, two
additional icons, called roll arrows, are displayed near the ViewCube. To roll
or rotate the current view 90 degrees in the positive or negative directions
around the center of the view, click one of the roll arrows.

Change the View of the Scene with the ViewCube | 71

Switch to an Adjacent Face
While viewing a model from one of the face views, you can use the ViewCube
to switch to one of the adjacent face views without first changing the view of
the model, in order to see the adjacent view. When the ViewCube is active
and a face view is current, four triangles are displayed, one on each side of
the ViewCube. To rotate the current view to display the face view indicated
by one of the triangles, click the triangle.

Front View
You can define the Front view of a model. The Front view is used to define
the direction of the face views on the ViewCube. Along with the Front view,
the Up direction of a model is also used to define the direction of the face
views on the ViewCube.

Procedures
To change the current view to a preset view:
1 Activate the ViewCube.
2 Click one of the faces, edges or corners on the ViewCube.
To view an adjacent face:
1 Activate the ViewCube.
NOTE Make sure a face view is current.
2 Click one of the triangles displayed near the edges of the ViewCube.
To roll a face view:
1 Activate the ViewCube.
NOTE Make sure a face view is current.
2 Click one of the roll arrows displayed above and to the right of the
ViewCube.

72 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Click the left roll arrow to rotate the view 90 degrees in a counterclockwise
direction or click the right roll arrow to rotate the view 90 degrees in a
clockwise direction.
To change the view interactively:
■

Click the ViewCube, hold down the button on your pointing device and
drag to orbit the model.
Drag in the direction that you want to orbit the model.

To define the Front view:
■

Right-click on the ViewCube and click Set Current View as Front.

NOTE You first need to orient the view using a view tool so that you are looking
at what you consider to be the Front of the model with its Top facing upward and
then choose Set Current View as Front.
To restore the default Front view:
■

Right-click the ViewCube and click Reset Front.

Set the View Projection Mode
View projection produces realistic visual effects of a model.
The ViewCube supports two different view projections:
■

PerspectivePerspective projected views involve foreshortening (closer
objects appear larger than more distant ones) and are calculated based on
the distance between a theoretical camera and target point. The shorter
the distance between the camera and the target point, the more severe the
perspective effect appears; greater distances produce less severe affects on
the model.

■

OrthographicOrthographic projected views display all the points of a model
being projected parallel to the screen.

The following illustration shows the same model viewed from the same viewing
direction, but with different view projections.

Change the View of the Scene with the ViewCube | 73

When you change the view for a scene, the view is updated using the current
projection mode.

Procedure
To change the view projection mode:
➤

Right-click the ViewCube and click one of the following options:
■

Orthographic

■

Perspective

Define the Home View
You can define a Home view for a model so you can restore a familiar view
when using the navigation tools.
The Home view is a special view of the model. The default Home position is
the same as that of the Perspective viewport. You can also define a view of
the scene as the Home view so you can easily return to the familiar view by
clicking the Home icon or by choosing Home from the shortcut menu.

Procedure
To define the Home view, do one of the following:
■

Right-click the ViewCube and click Set Current View as Home.

■

Click or right-click the General (+) viewport label menu on page 8707 and
choose ViewCube ➤ Set Current View As Home.

74 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

To restore the Home view:
Use one of the following methods to restore the Home view:

■

Click

(the Home icon) located near the active ViewCube.

■

Right-click the ViewCube and then choose Home.

SteeringWheels
®

The SteeringWheels 3D navigation controls are tracking menus that allow
you to access different 2D and 3D navigation tools from a single tool.
SteeringWheels are divided into different sections known as wedges. Each
wedge on a wheel represents a single navigation tool. You can pan, zoom, or
manipulate the current view of a scene in different ways.
SteeringWheels, also known as wheels, can save you time by combining many
of the common navigation tools into a single interface. Wheels are specific
to the context that a scene is being viewed in.

The Full Navigation wheel

NOTE If you are using the software display driver on page 8905, SteeringWheels
don’t appear.

First Contact Balloon
By default, the wheel is “pinned” at startup to the lower-left corner of the
Perspective viewport. It does not follow the cursor and, when you position
the cursor over the wheel, the First Contact balloon for the SteeringWheels
opens. The First Contact balloon serves as an introduction to the purpose of
the wheels and how you can use them.

SteeringWheels | 75

Display and Use Wheels
To toggle display of a wheel, use the Views menu ➤ SteeringWheels ➤
Toggle SteeringWheels command or the keyboard shortcut (Shift+W, by
default). When a wheel is displayed, you can activate its navigation tools
either by clicking one of the wedges on the wheel or clicking and holding
down the button on the pointing device. While the button is held down,
dragging over the viewport causes the current view to change. Releasing the
button returns you to the wheel, and right-clicking at any time closes the
wheel.
Not all navigation tools on a wheel support click actions. The following
navigation tools support click actions:
■

Zoom - Adjusts the magnification of the view.

■

Center - Centers the view based on the position of the cursor over the
wheel.

■

Rewind - Restores the previous view.

■

Forward - Increases the magnification of the view.

Control the Appearance of Wheels
You can control the appearance of the wheels by changing the current mode,
or by adjusting the size and opacity. Wheels are available in two different
modes: big and mini. To use a different wheel, choose it from the Wheel menu

76 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

on a full-size wheel (click the lower-right button on the wheel) or from the
Views menu ➤ SteeringWheels submenu.
In addition to changing the current mode, you can adjust the opacity and
size for the wheels. The size of a wheel controls how large or small the wedges
and labels appear on the wheel; the opacity level controls the visibility of the
objects in the viewport behind the wheel. The settings used to control the
appearance of the wheels are on the SteeringWheels panel on page 8990 of the
Viewport Configuration dialog.

Control Tooltips for Wheels and Messages for Tools
Tooltips are displayed for each wedge and button on a wheel as the cursor
hovers over them. The tooltips appear below the wheel and identify the action
that is performed if the wedge or button is clicked. You can toggle the display
of tooltips on the SteeringWheels panel on page 8990 of the Viewport
Configuration dialog.
Similar to tooltips, tool messages are displayed when you use one of the
navigation tools from a wheel. Tool messages are displayed over the viewport
and provide instructions for using the active navigation tool. Like tooltips,
you can turn tool messages on or off on the SteeringWheels panel on page
8990 of the Viewport Configuration dialog. Disabling tool messages affects only
messages that are displayed when using the Full Navigation wheel.

Procedures
To close a wheel:
Use one of the following methods to close a wheel:
■

Press the Esc key.

■

Press Shift+W (this toggles the wheel).

■

Click the Close button (the small x in the upper right-hand corner of
the wheel).

■

Right-click the wheel.

To change the size of the wheels:
1 Display a wheel, if necessary (press Shift+W).
2 Open the SteeringWheels panel on page 8990 of the Viewport Configuration
dialog.

SteeringWheels | 77

3 In the Display Options group, under Big Wheels or Mini Wheels, drag
the Wheel Size slider left or right.
Dragging the slider to the left decreases the size of the wheel, while sliding
the slider to the right increases the size of the wheel.
4 Click OK.
To change the opacity of the wheels:
1 Display a wheel, if necessary (press Shift+W).
2 Open the SteeringWheels panel on page 8990 of the Viewport Configuration
dialog.
3 In the Display Options group, under Big Wheels or Mini Wheels, drag
the Wheel Opacity slider left or right.
Dragging the slider to the left increases the transparency of the wheel,
while sliding the slider to the right decreases the transparency of the
wheel.
4 Click OK.
To control the startup display of the wheels:
1 Open the SteeringWheels panel on page 8990 of the Viewport Configuration
dialog.
2 In the Display Options group, toggle the Always Show Pinned Wheel On
Start check box.
When on, the wheel appears at the cursor position (pinned) whenever
you start 3ds Max. When off, you must invoke the wheel explicitly (press
Shift+W).
3 Click OK.

Wheel Menu
From the Wheel menu, you can switch among different wheels and change
the behavior of some of the navigation tools on the current wheel.
Use the Wheel menu, which is available from the down arrow in the
lower-right corner of the wheel, to switch among the big and mini wheels
that are available, go to the Home view, change the wheels configuration, and

78 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

control the behavior of the walk navigation tool. The availability of some
items on the Wheel menu depends on the current wheel.
The Wheel menu has the following options:
■

Mini View Object Wheel Displays the mini version of the View Object
wheel.

■

Mini Tour Building Wheel Displays the mini version of the Tour Building
wheel.

■

Mini Full Navigation Wheel Displays the mini version of the Full Navigation
wheel.

■

Full Navigation Wheel Displays the big version of the Full Navigation
wheel.

■

Basic Wheels Displays the big version of the View Object or Tour Building
wheel.

■

Go Home Restores the Home view saved with the scene.

■

Restore Original Center Pans the view to the world center (0,0,0).

■

Increase Walk Speed Doubles the walk speed used for the Walk tool.

■

Decrease Walk Speed Halves the walk speed used for the Walk tool.

■

Help Launches the online Help system and displays the topic about the
wheels.

■

Configure Displays the dialog box where you can adjust the preferences
for the wheels.

Procedure
To display the wheel menu
■

Click the down arrow in the lower-right corner of the wheel.

Navigation Wheels
You can choose from several different wheels. Each has its own drafting theme,
and is designed for a different type of 3D navigation.

Navigation Wheels | 79

Wheels are available in two sizes: big and mini. The big wheel is larger than
the cursor. A label is on each wedge in the wheel. The mini wheel is about
the same size as the cursor. Labels are not displayed on the wheel wedges.
You can choose from the following wheels:
■

View Object

■

Tour Building

■

Full Navigation

View Object Wheels
The View Object wheel is for general 3D navigation; it includes the orbit 3D
navigation tool. Use the View Object wheel to examine 3D objects from the
outside.

The big View Object wheel is divided into the following wedges:
■

Center on page 84 Specifies a point on a model to adjust the center of the
current view or change the target point used for some of the navigation
tools.

■

Zoom on page 94 Adjusts the magnification of the current view.

■

Rewind on page 90 Restores the most recent view. You can move backward
or forward through previous views.

■

Orbit on page 87 Rotates the current view around a fixed pivot point.

The mini View Object wheel is divided into the following wedges:
■

Zoom (Top wedge) on page 94 Adjusts the magnification of the current
view.

■

Rewind (Right wedge) on page 90 Restores the most recent view. You can
move backward or forward through previous views.

■

Pan (Bottom wedge) on page 89 Repositions the current view by panning.

80 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

■

Orbit (Left wedge) on page 87 Rotates the current view around a fixed
pivot point.

Procedures
To switch to the big View Objects wheel:
Use one of the following methods:
■

From the Views menu, choose SteeringWheels ➤ View Object Wheel.

■

Click the wheel menu button at the lower-right corner of a big wheel and
choose Basic Wheels ➤ View Object Wheel.

To switch to the mini View Objects wheel:
Use one of the following methods:
■

Click the wheel menu button at the lower-right corner of a big wheel and
choose Mini View Object Wheel.

■

From the Views menu, choose SteeringWheels ➤ Mini View Object Wheel.

Tour Building Wheels
The Tour Building wheels are designed for 3D navigation within the interior
of a model.

The big Tour Building wheel is divided into the following wedges:
■

Forward on page 85 Adjusts the distance between the current point of
view and the defined pivot point of the model.

■

Look on page 86 Swivels the current view.

■

Rewind on page 90 Restores the most recent view. You can move backward
or forward through previous views.

■

Up/Down on page 92 Moves the view on the vertical axis of the screen.

Navigation Wheels | 81

The mini Tour Building wheel is divided into the following wedges:
■

Walk (Top wedge) on page 93 Simulates walking through a model.

■

Rewind (Right wedge) on page 90 Restores the most recent view. You can
move backward or forward through previous views.

■

Up/Down (Bottom wedge) on page 92Moves the view on the vertical axis
of the screen.

■

Look (Left wedge) on page 86 Swivels the view.

Procedures
To switch to the big Tour Building wheel:
■

From the Views menu, choose SteeringWheels ➤ Tour Building Wheel.

■

Click the wheel menu button at the lower-right corner of a big wheel and
choose Basic Wheels ➤ Tour Building Wheel.

To switch to the mini Tour Building wheel:
■

Click the wheel menu button at the lower-right corner of a big wheel and
choose Mini Tour Building Wheel.

■

From the Views menu, choose SteeringWheels ➤ Mini Tour Building
Wheel.

Full Navigation Wheels
The Full Navigation wheel combines navigation tools found on the View
Object and Tour Building wheels.

The big Full Navigation wheel is divided into the following wedges:
■

Zoom on page 94. Adjusts the magnification of the current view.

82 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

■

Rewind on page 90. Restores the most recent view. You can move backward
or forward through previous views.

■

Pan on page 89. Repositions the current view by panning.

■

Orbit on page 87. Rotates the current view around a fixed pivot point.

■

Center on page 84. Specifies a point on a model to adjust the center of
the current view or change the target point used for some of the navigation
tools.

■

Walk on page 93 Simulates walking through the scene.

■

Look on page 86 Swivels the view.

■

Up/Down on page 92 Moves the view on the vertical axis of the screen.

The mini Full Navigation wheel is divided into the following wedges:
■

Zoom (Top wedge) on page 94 Adjusts the magnification of the view.

■

Walk (Upper-right wedge) on page 93 Simulates walking through a model.

■

Rewind (Right wedge) on page 90 Restores the most recent view. You can
move backward or forward through previous views.

■

Up/Down (Lower-right wedge) on page 92 Moves the view on the vertical
axis of the screen.

■

Pan (Bottom wedge) on page 89 Repositions the current view by panning.

■

Look (Lower-left wedge) on page 86 Swivels the current view.

■

Orbit (Left wedge) on page 87 Rotates the current view around a fixed
pivot point.

■

Center (Upper-left wedge) on page 84 Specifies a point on a model to
adjust the center of the current view or change the target point used for
some of the navigation tools.

Procedures
To switch to the big Full Navigation wheel:
Use one of the following methods:
■

From the Views menu, choose SteeringWheels ➤ Full Navigation Wheel.

Navigation Wheels | 83

■

Click the wheel menu button at the lower-right corner of a big wheel and
choose Full Navigation Wheel.

To switch to the mini Full Navigation wheel:
Use one of the following methods:
■

Click the wheel menu button at the lower-right corner of a big wheel and
choose Mini Full Navigation Wheel.

■

From the Views menu, choose SteeringWheels ➤ Mini Full Navigation
Wheel.

Navigation Tools
The navigation tools change the current view of the scene.
The availability of a navigation tool depends on the current wheel mode.

Center Tool
The Center tool specifies a point on an object as the center of the current
view. It also changes the target point used for some of the navigation tools.
When using the Center tool, you adjust the location of the center of the
current view by clicking and dragging. As you do so, the cursor changes to a
sphere, indicating where the new center of the view will be established when
you release the button on the pointing device. Releasing the button pans the
model until the sphere is centered in the view and you are returned to the
wheel.

The center point defined by the Center tool is used to constrain the Zoom
tool and define the pivot point for the Orbit tool. The Zoom tool is only
constrained to the center point when used from the View Object wheel unless

84 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

the Ctrl key is held down when using the Zoom tool on the Full Navigation
wheel.

Procedure
To specify a point on an object as the center of a view:
1 Display a wheel that has the Center tool.
2 Click the Center wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device
and drag the cursor to the object.
3 When the cursor changes to an arrow with a sphere at the tip, release the
button on your pointing device.
The viewport is panned until the sphere is centered.
NOTE This also sets the pivot point for the Orbit tool on page 87. Also, in
the context of the View Object wheel on page 80, it sets the pivot point for
the Zoom tool on page 94.
4 To exit the wheel, right-click.

Forward Tool
The Forward tool adjusts the distance between the current point of view and
the defined pivot point of the model.
With the Forward tool, you can change the magnification of the model by
increasing or decreasing the distance between the current point of view and
the pivot point. The distance that you can move forward or backward is limited
by the position of the pivot point.

To adjust the distance between the current point of view and the pivot point,
you drag the cursor up or down after the pivot point is defined. As you drag
the cursor, the current distance from the pivot point is displayed on a graphical

Navigation Tools | 85

element called the Drag Distance indicator. The Drag Distance indicator has
two marks on it that show the start and ending distances from the current
point of view. While changing the distance with the Drag Distance indicator,
the current distance is shown by the bright orange indicator.
To change a view by moving towards or away from the model
1 Display a wheel that has the Forward tool.
2 Click the Forward wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
3 When the Drag Distance indicator is displayed, drag the cursor up or
down to change the distance from which you view the model.
4 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
5 To exit the wheel, right-click.

Look Tool
The Look tool rotates the view horizontally and vertically from a fixed point.
With the Look tool, you can rotate the current view vertically and horizontally.
When rotating the view, the Look tool rotates your line of sight about the
current eye position, like turning your head. Look is comparable to standing
in a fixed location while looking up, down, left, and right.
When using the Look tool, you adjust the view of the model by dragging the
cursor. As you drag the cursor, the cursor icon changes to the Look cursor and
the model rotates around the location of the current view.

Walking through a Model
When using the Look tool, you can walk through a model by using the arrow
keys on the keyboard. You can adjust the walk speed with the Walk tool
settings on page 8992.

86 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Invert Vertical Axis
By default, when you drag the cursor upward, the target point of the view
raises; dragging the cursor downward lowers the target point of the view. If
you prefer, you can reverse this behavior by turning on the Invert Vertical
Axis on page 8992 option.

Procedures
To look around the scene:
1 Display a wheel that has the Look tool.
2 Click the Look wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
3 When the Look cursor is displayed, drag the cursor up, down, left, and
right to change the direction in which you are looking.
4 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
5 To exit the wheel, right-click.
To look around the view and walk through the model
1 Display the Full Navigation wheel.
2 Click the Look wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
3 When the Look cursor is displayed, drag the cursor up, down, left, and
right to change the direction in which you are looking.
4 While holding down the button on your pointing device, press the arrow
keys to walk in the model.
5 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
6 To exit the wheel, right-click.

Orbit Tool
The Orbit tool rotates the current view around a model based on a fixed pivot
point.
You use the Orbit tool to change the orientation of a model. The cursor changes
to the Orbit cursor. As you drag the cursor, the model rotates around a pivot
point while the view remains fixed.

Navigation Tools | 87

Specify the Pivot Point
The pivot point is the base point used when rotating the model with the Orbit
tool. You can specify the pivot point in the following ways:
■

Default pivot point When you first open a model, the target point of the
current view is used as the pivot point for orbiting the model.

■

Select objects With Selection Sensitivity on page 8992 enabled, you can select
objects before using the Orbit tool to calculate the pivot point. The pivot
point is calculated based on the center of the extents of the selected objects.

■

Center tool. You can specify a point on the model to use as the pivot point
for orbiting with the Center tool on page 84.

Maintain Up Direction
You can control how the model orbits around the pivot point by choosing to
maintain the Up direction of the model. When the Up direction is maintained,
orbiting is constrained to the XY plane and along the Z axis. If you drag the
cursor horizontally, the camera moves parallel to the XY plane. If you drag
the cursor vertically, the camera moves along the Z axis. To control if the Up
direction is maintained for the Orbit tool, use the Keep the Scene Upright on
page 8992 option.

Procedures
To orbit around the center of the view:
1 Display a wheel that has the Orbit tool.
2 Click the Orbit wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
3 When the cursor changes to the Orbit cursor, drag the cursor to rotate
the model.
NOTE If you need to change the part of the model that is displayed in the
center of the view, use the Center tool.

88 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

4 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
5 To exit the wheel, right-click.
To orbit around a selection set:
1 Press Esc to make sure no commands are active.
2 Make sure Selection Sensitivity on page 8992 is on.
3 Select the objects in the scene that are to define the pivot point location.
4 Display a wheel that has the Orbit tool.
5 Click the Orbit wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
6 When the cursor changes to the Orbit cursor, drag the cursor to rotate
the model.
7 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
8 To exit the wheel, right-click.
To maintain the up direction for the Orbit tool:
1 Display a wheel that has the Orbit tool.
2 On the SteeringWheels panel on page 8990 of the Viewport Configuration
dialog, make sure the Orbit Tool ➤ Keep the Scene Upright on page
8992check box is on.
Orbiting the model is constrained to the XY plane and Z axis.
3 Click OK.

Pan Tool
The Pan tool adjusts the viewpoint of the model by moving it within the
screen plane.
When the pan tool is active, the cursor changes to a four-sided arrow. As you
drag the cursor, the direction you drag moves the scene in the same direction.
For example, dragging upward moves the scene up while dragging the cursor
downward moves the scene down.

Navigation Tools | 89

TIP If the cursor reaches the edge of the screen, you can continue panning by
dragging the cursor further to force it to wrap around the screen.

Procedure
To pan the view with the wheel Pan tool:
1 Display a wheel that has the Pan tool.
2 Click the Pan wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device and
drag to reposition the model.
3 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
4 To exit the wheel, right-click.

Rewind Tool
The Rewind tool restores the most recent view. You can also move backward
and forward through a series of saved views.
As you pan, zoom, orbit, and use the other navigation tools (including the
ViewCube) to change the view of a scene, each previous view is saved
automatically to the navigation history. The navigation history holds the
previous views along with a thumbnail image for each. A separate navigation
history is maintained for each viewport; the histories are not saved with the
scene.
With the Rewind tool, you can retrieve the navigation history of a model.
You can restore the previous view or you can scroll through any of the views
saved to the navigation history.
When you hold down the button on the pointing device over the Rewind
tool on the wheel, the Rewind interface is displayed as a horizontal strip of
thumbnails showing each stored view. You can scroll through the navigation
history. To restore one of the previous views in the navigation history, drag

90 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

the bracket horizontally in the Rewind interface. Dragging to the left goes to
previous views, and if you’ve rewound but haven’t changed the view, you can
restore later stored views by “unwinding” to the right.
If you rewind to a previous view and then use a navigation tool, 3ds Max
deletes the history after the current frame. However, it still remembers all
saved views prior to the current frame.

Procedures
To restore the previous view:
1 Display a wheel.
2 Click the Rewind wedge.
3 Click Close to exit the wheel.
To restore a previous view with the Rewind interface:
1 Display a wheel.
2 Click the Rewind wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
The Rewind interface is displayed.
3 While holding down the button on your pointing device, drag to the left
or to the right to restore a previous view.
Dragging to the left restores an older previous view. Dragging to the right
restores one of the more-recent previous views.The current position in
the navigation history is indicated by the orange box that is dragged
along the Rewind UI.
4 To exit the wheel, click Close.

Navigation Tools | 91

Up/Down Tool
The Up/Down tool slides the current view of a model along the vertical screen
axis.
Unlike the Pan tool, the Up/Down tool does not significantly displace the
model being viewed because the view is sliding along the vertical axis of the
screen. You can think of the Up/Down tool as similar to looking in a fixed
direction while riding in a glass elevator.

To adjust the vertical elevation of the current view, drag the cursor up or
down. As you drag, the current elevation and the allowed range of motion
are shown on a graphical element called the Vertical Distance indicator. This
indicator has two marks that show the highest (Top) and lowest (Bottom)
elevation the view can have. While changing the elevation with the Vertical
Distance indicator, the current elevation is shown by the bright orange
indicator while the previous elevation is shown by the dim orange indicator.

Procedure
To change the elevation of a view:
1 Display a wheel that has the Up/Down tool.
2 Click the Up/Down wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing
device.
3 When the Vertical Distance indicator is displayed, drag the cursor up or
down to change the elevation of the view.
4 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
5 To exit the wheel, click Close.

92 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Walk Tool
The Walk tool simulates walking through a model.
With the Walk tool, you can navigate through a model as if you were walking
through it. Once you start the Walk tool, the Center Circle icon is displayed
near the center of the view and the cursor changes to display a series of arrows.
To walk through the model, you drag the cursor in the direction that you
want to move in.

Constrain the Walk Angle
When walking through a model, you can constrain the movement angle to
the ground plane. If the Constrain Walk Movement Angle to Ground Plane
on page 8992 option is on (the default setting), you can look around freely while
the current view moves parallel to the ground plane. If the walk angle is not
constrained, you “fly” in the direction you are looking.

Movement Speed
As you walk or “fly” through a model, you can control the movement speed.
You control the walk speed by the distance you move the cursor from the
Center Circle icon. To set the base movement speed, you use the Speed Factor
on page 8992 setting or the Increase Walk Speed and Decrease Walk Speed
options on the Wheel menu.

Change the Elevation of the View
As you use the Walk tool, you can adjust the elevation of the view by holding
down the Shift key. You switch temporarily to the Up/Down tool on page 92.
To change the current elevation of the view for the model, you drag up and
down.

Navigation Tools | 93

Procedure
To use the Walk tool to move through the model:
1 Display a wheel that has the Walk tool.
2 Click the Walk wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device.
3 When the Center Circle icon is displayed, drag the cursor in the direction
that you want to walk.
4 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
5 Click Close to exit the wheel.

Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool adjusts the magnification of the current view of a model.
With the Zoom tool, you can change the zoom magnification of a model in
the following ways:
■

Click If you click the Zoom tool on a wheel, the current view is zoomed in
by a factor of 25 percent. If you are using the Full Navigation wheel,
Incremental Zoom-in on page 8992 must be enabled on the SteeringWheels
panel of the Viewport Configuration dialog.

■

Shift + click If you hold down the Shift key before you click the Zoom tool
on a wheel, the current view is zoomed out by a factor of 25 percent.

■

Ctrl+click If you hold down the Ctrl key before you click the Zoom tool on
a wheel, the current view is zoomed in by a factor of 25 percent.

■

Click and drag If you click the Zoom tool and hold down the button on
your pointing device, you can adjust the magnification of the model by
dragging up and down.

■

Ctrl+click and drag When using the Full Navigation wheel, you can control
the target point used by the Zoom tool. By holding down Ctrl, the Zoom
tool uses the center point defined by the Center tool.

NOTE When you invoke the Zoom tool from the Full Navigation Wheel, Ctrl+click
causes zooming to occur about the current pivot point rather than the current
cursor position. Click and Shift+click perform incremental zooming only if
Incremental Zoom-in on page 8992 is enabled on the SteeringWheels panel of the
Viewport Configuration dialog.

94 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Zoom Constraints
When changing the magnification of a model with the Zoom tool, you cannot
zoom in any further than the focus point or out past the extents of the model.
The direction you can zoom in and out is controlled by the center point set
by the Center tool.
NOTE Unlike the Zoom tool on the View Object wheels, the Zoom tool on the
Full Navigation wheels is not constrained.

Procedures
To zoom the view with a single click:
To use this function with the Full Navigation wheel, you must enable the
Incremental Zoom-in option on page 8992.
1 Display a wheel that has the Zoom tool.
2 Click the Zoom wedge.
The magnification of the model is increased and you are zoomed in closer
to the model. If you hold down the Shift key while clicking the Zoom
wedge, the model is zoomed out or you can hold down the Ctrl key to
zoom in.
3 Click Close to exit the wheel.
To zoom a view in and out by dragging:
1 Display a wheel that has the Zoom tool.
2 Click the Zoom wedge. Hold down the button on your pointing device
and drag vertically to zoom in and out.
3 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel.
4 To exit the wheel, right-click.

Navigation Tools | 95

Using Walkthrough Navigation
Walkthrough navigation lets you move through a viewport by pressing a set
of shortcut keys, including the arrow keys, much as you can navigate a 3D
world in many video games.
When you enter the walkthrough navigation mode, the cursor changes to a
hollow circle that shows a directional arrow while you are pressing one of the
directional keys (forward, back, left, or right).
This feature is available for perspective and camera viewports. It is not available
for orthographic views or for spotlight viewports.

Animating a Walkthrough
When you use walkthrough navigation in a Camera viewport, you can animate
the camera walkthrough using either Auto Key on page 8679 or Set Key on page
3406. In either case, to get an animated camera you have to change the frame
number manually (the easiest way is to use the Time Slider on page 8656), and
in the case of Set Key, you have to change the frame number and click Set
Keys.
TIP Select the camera before you animate it. If the camera isn't selected, its keys
won't appear in the Track Bar on page 8659.

Procedures
To begin using walkthrough navigation, do one of the following:
1 Press the Up Arrow key.
2

Click the Walk Through button on page 8729 to turn it on.
This button is found on the Pan/Truck And Walkthrough flyout on page
8728.

To stop using walkthrough navigation, do one of the following:
1 Right-click.
2 Activate a different viewport.
3 Change the active viewport to a different type.
4 Turn on a different viewport navigation tool (such as Zoom or Pan).
5 Turn on Select Object or one of the transform tools.

96 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

NOTE You do not exit walkthrough mode when you select an object or change
the viewport shading type (between shaded and wireframe, for example).

Interface
The Walk Through button is the only graphical element of the interface to
walkthrough navigation. The other features are provided by mouse actions or
by keyboard shortcuts. The following table shows the keyboard actions:
Command

Shortcut

Accelerate Toggle

Q

Back

S, Down Arrow

Decelerate Toggle

Z

Decrease Rotation Sensitivity
Decrease Step Size

[

Down

C, Shift+Down Arrow

Forward

W, Up Arrow

Increase Rotation Sensitivity
Increase Step Size

]

Invert Vertical Rotation Toggle
Left

A, Left Arrow

Level

Shift+Spacebar

Lock Horizontal Rotation
Lock Vertical Rotation

Spacebar

Reset Step Size

Alt+[

Right

D, Right Arrow

Up

E, Shift+Up Arrow

Using Walkthrough Navigation | 97

If nothing appears in the Shortcut column, no default key is assigned to this
command. You can set custom keystrokes using the Keyboard panel on page
8837 of the Customize User Interface dialog.

Forward, Backward, and Sideways Movement
For movement, you can use either the arrow keys, or letters at the left of the
keyboard pad.
TIP When you are in a Perspective viewport, you can use Undo View Change and
Redo View Change (Shift+Z, Shift+Y) to undo or redo your navigation. However,
when you are in a Camera viewport, walkthrough animation transforms the camera
object, so you must use Edit ➤ Undo and Edit ➤ Redo (Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y).
Holding down any of these keys causes the motion to be continuous.
Forward W or the Up Arrow. Moves the camera or the viewpoint forward.
NOTE If you are not already in walkthrough navigation mode, pressing Up Arrow
enters it.
Back S or Down Arrow. Moves the camera or the viewpoint backward.
When you are in a camera viewport, Forward and Back are equivalent to
dollying in or out.
Left A or Left Arrow. Moves the camera or the viewpoint to the left.
Right D or Right Arrow. Moves the camera or the viewpoint to the right.
When you are in a camera viewport, Left and Right are equivalent to trucking
left or right.
Up E or Shift+Up Arrow. Moves the camera or the viewpoint up.
Down C or Shift+Down Arrow. Moves the camera or the viewpoint down.

Acceleration and Deceleration
Accelerate Toggle and Decelerate Toggle Pressing Accelerate (Q) causes
motion to be quicker. Pressing Decelerate (Z) causes movement to be slower.
These controls are toggles: pressing the key a second time restores the default
motion rate (and pressing the alternate key turns off the first). They are
especially useful when you are navigating by holding down keys.
The acceleration and deceleration toggles are independent of the step size.

98 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Adjusting Step Size
Increase Step Size and Decrease Step Size Pressing Increase Step Size (])
increases the motion increments when you move the camera or viewpoint.
Pressing Decrease Step Size ([) reduces them. You can press either of these
shortcuts repeatedly, to increase the effect. Changing the step size is apparent
when you navigate either by single clicks, or by holding down keys. Step size
changes are useful for adjusting movement to the scale of the scene. They are
saved with the MAX file.
Reset Step Size Pressing Reset Step Size (Alt+[) restores the step size to its
default value.
The step size is independent of acceleration or deceleration.

Rotation (Tilting)
Tilt View Click+drag to tilt the camera or viewpoint.
When you are in a camera viewport, Tilt View is equivalent to panning the
camera.
Increase Rotation Sensitivity and Decrease Rotation Sensitivity Pressing
Increase Rotation Sensitivity (no default key) increases the motion increments
when you use Tilt View. Pressing Decrease Rotation Sensitivity (no default
key) decreases them. You can press either of these shortcuts repeatedly, to
increase the effect. They are useful for adjusting movement to the scale of the
scene. They are saved with the MAX file.
Lock Horizontal Rotation Pressing Lock Horizontal Rotation (no default key)
locks the horizontal axis, so the camera or viewpoint tilts only vertically.
Lock Vertical Rotation Pressing Lock Vertical Rotation (Spacebar) locks the
vertical axis, so the camera or viewpoint tilts only horizontally.
Invert Vertical Rotation Toggle Pressing Invert Vertical Rotation (no default
key) inverts the tilt direction when you drag the mouse. When this toggle is
off, dragging up causes scene objects to descend in the view, and dragging
down causes them to rise (this is like tilting a physical camera). When this
toggle is on, objects in the view move in the same direction you are dragging
the mouse.
Level Pressing Level (Shift+Spacebar) removes any tilt or roll the camera or
viewpoint might have, making the view both level and vertical.

Using Walkthrough Navigation | 99

Navigating Camera and Light Views
The Camera and Light view navigation buttons are the same with a few
exceptions. The buttons are visible when a viewport with a Camera or Light
view is active. The Camera and Light view navigation buttons do more than
adjust your view. They transform and change the parameters of the associated
camera or light object.

The camera navigation
buttons

Light views treat the light (spotlight or directional light) as if it were a camera.
The light falloff is treated the same as the camera field of view.
Keep in mind the following:
■

Using the Camera and Light viewport navigation buttons is the same as
moving or rotating the camera or Light, or changing their base parameters.

■

Changes made with Camera or Light view navigation buttons can be
animated the same as other object changes.

100 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Zooming a Camera or Light View

Zooming a camera

You zoom a camera view by clicking FOV on page 8735 and then dragging
in the Camera viewport.
The field of view defines the width of your view as an angle with its apex at
eye level and the ends at the sides of the view. The effect of changing FOV is
exactly like changing the lens on a camera. As the FOV gets larger you see
more of your scene and the perspective becomes distorted, similar to using a
wide-angle lens. As the FOV gets smaller you see less of your scene and the
perspective flattens, similar to using a telephoto lens. See Cameras on page
5905.

Click Light Hotspot on page 8758 for a light viewport to achieve the same
effect as zooming.
The hotspot is the inner of the two circles or rectangles visible in a light
viewport. Objects inside the hotspot are illuminated with the full intensity of
the light. Objects between the hotspot and falloff are illuminated with

Navigating Camera and Light Views | 101

decreasing intensity as objects approach the falloff boundary. See Using Lights
on page 5676.

Moving a Camera or Light View
You move a camera or light view by clicking one of the following buttons and
dragging in the camera or light viewport.

■

(Dolly on page 8744) moves the camera or light along its line of sight.

■

(Truck on page 8749) moves the camera or light and its target parallel
to the view plane.

■

(Pan on page 8750) moves the target in a circle around the camera
or light. This button is a flyout that shares the same location with Orbit.

■

(Orbit on page 8750) moves the camera or light in a circle around
the target. The effect is similar to Orbit for non-camera viewports.

102 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Rolling a Camera or Light View

Rolling a camera

Click Roll on page 8747, and drag in a camera or a light viewport to
rotate the camera or light about its line of sight. The line of sight is defined
as the line drawn from the camera or light to its target. The line of sight is
also the same as the camera’s or the light's local Z axis.

Navigating Camera and Light Views | 103

Changing Camera Perspective

Changing perspective

Click Perspective on page 8746, and drag in a camera viewport to change
the Field of View (FOV) and dolly the camera simultaneously. The effect is to
change the amount of perspective flare while maintaining the composition
of the view.

Adaptive Degradation
Status bar ➤

(Adaptive Degradation)

Views menu ➤ Adaptive Degradation
Keyboard ➤ O (the letter O)
Adaptive degradation can improve viewport performance when you transform
geometry, change the view, or play back an animation. It does so by decreasing

104 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

the visual fidelity of certain objects temporarily; for example, by drawing
larger objects or those closer to the camera as bounding boxes instead of
wireframes.
Without adaptive degradation, the geometry is displayed as usual, even if that
slows down viewport display and animation playback. Animation playback
might drop frames if the graphics card cannot display the animation in real
time.
Turn on adaptive degradation if you have large models you need to navigate
around and if you are finding performance sluggish.
The Adaptive Degradation button on the status bar has three states:

■

■

■

Off: No degradation occurs.

On: Degradation can occur under the specified conditions. This is
the default setting.

Active: Degradation is being applied currently.

You can change the display options and set other adaptive degradation
parameters, on the Viewport Configuration dialog (Customize menu ➤
Viewport Configuration ➤ Adaptive Degradation panel on page 8972). Also,
you can toggle adaptive degradation for individual objects with the Object
Properties ➤ Never Degrade setting on page 228.

Procedures
To toggle adaptive degradation, do one of the following:
■

Choose Views menu ➤ Adaptive Degradation.

■

Press O (the letter O).

To change the level of adaptive degradation in the viewports:
1 Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”). On the General
viewport label menu on page 8707, choose Configure.
3ds Max opens the Viewport Configuration dialog.

Adaptive Degradation | 105

TIP You can also open this dialog by choosing Main menu ➤ Customize
➤ Viewport Configuration.
2 On the Viewport Configuration dialog, open the Adaptive Degradation
panel and adjust the settings.

View-Handling Commands
Most viewport-handling commands are found on the Views menu on page
8596 and on the viewport label menus on page 8707.
See also:
■

Viewing and Navigating 3D Space on page 47

■

Quad Menu on page 8640

Undo View Change / Redo View Change
Views menu ➤ Undo View Change or Redo View Change
Keyboard ➤ Shift+Z (Undo) or Shift+Y (Redo)
Undo View Change cancels the last change made to the current viewport.
Redo View Change cancels the last Undo in the current viewport.
These commands act like Undo and Redo on the main toolbar and Edit menu,
but operate on a different list of events. They affect changes made to the
viewport, rather than changes made to objects in the viewport.
Use Undo View Change and Redo View Change when you have inadvertently
made a view unusable by zooming in too close, or rotating the wrong way.
You can keep stepping back until a useful view appears. The keyboard shortcuts
are handy for multiple commands.
You can also access Undo View Change by right-clicking the Point-Of-View
viewport label and choosing Undo View Change from the POV viewport label
menu on page 8712. This menu choice shows the last change you made in that
viewport: for example, “Undo View Zoom.” Each viewport has its own
independent undo/redo stack.

106 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Camera and Spotlight viewports use object-based Undo and Redo, because
the viewport change is actually a change to the camera or spotlight object. In
these viewports, use Edit ➤ Undo (Ctrl+Z) or Edit ➤ Redo (Ctrl+Y).

Interface
Undo View Change Cancels viewport changes. The name of the change you're
undoing is displayed in the View menu beside the command.
Undo is useful when you are working with a background image in the viewport.
You can zoom into the geometry to adjust it, then use Undo Viewport Zoom
to restore the original alignment of the geometry with the background.
Redo View Change Cancels the previous Undo View Change. The name of
the change you're redoing appears in the View menu beside the command.

Save Active View
Views menu ➤ Save Active View (the name of the active viewport is part of
the command)
Save Active View stores the active view to an internal buffer. If you have framed
a shot in any view other than a camera, use Save Active View to preserve the
viewport’s appearance. The saved active view is saved with the scene file. Once
saved, you can retrieve it using Restore Active View on page 108.
The viewport that will be restored is displayed in the menu item (for example,
"Save Active Perspective View"). You can save and restore up to eight different
views (Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Front, Back, Orthographic, Perspective).
Viewport changes that are saved include viewport shading type and point of
view (POV): perspective or orthographic, zoom and rotations, and field-of-view
(FOV).
Show Safe Frames and Viewport Clipping settings are not saved. If these settings
are important to the view, make a note of what they are so you can reset them
after restoring the view.

Procedures
To save an active view:
1 Activate the viewport with the view you want to save.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Save Active View. The view is now saved and
can be recalled using Restore Active View.

Save Active View | 107

Restore Active View
Views menu ➤ Restore Active View (the name of the active viewport is part
of the command.)
Restore Active View displays the view previously stored with Save Active View
on page 107.
The viewport to be restored is displayed in the menu item (for example,
"Restore Active Perspective View").
The active view is restored if the same viewport and layout are active.
If an active view won’t restore with this command, check the following:
■

Be sure the viewport is active.

■

Make sure the layout is the same as before. Use Viewport Configuration
(right-click any viewport label and choose Configure) and choose Layout.

■

If the layout and active viewport are the same, be sure Viewport Clipping
on the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712is set the same
as it was when the viewport was saved.

Procedures
To restore a saved view:
1 Activate the viewport where you saved the view.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Restore Active View. This option is available
only in a viewport with a saved view.
3 The viewport returns to the saved view.
If you're not sure whether a viewport has a saved view, check the Views
menu. Restore Active View is unavailable unless a view is saved in the
active viewport.

Viewport Background Dialog
Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport
Background dialog

108 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Click or right-click the Shading viewport label. ➤ Shading viewport label
menu on page 8719 ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background ➤
Viewport Background dialog
Keyboard ➤ Alt+B
The Viewport Background dialog controls display of an image or animation
as the background for one or all viewports. You can use this for modeling, for
example, by placing front, top or side view sketches in the corresponding
viewports. Or use Viewport background to match 3D elements with digitized
camera footage, or for rotoscoping on page 9284.
You select the image or animation to display in the active viewport, set the
frame synchronization between the animated image file and the current scene,
and turn the assigned image on and off. These changes do not affect the
rendered scene.
To place an image in the background of the rendered scene, use the
Environment And Effects dialog ➤ Environment panel on page 7620, accessed
from the Rendering menu.
NOTE When safe frames are displayed in a viewport, and the Aspect Ratio options
are set to either Match Viewport or Match Rendering Output, the assigned viewport
background image is confined to the Live area of the safe frames and will correctly
match the rendered background bitmap.
TIP If you are using a viewport driver with hardware acceleration (OpenGL or
Direct3D), the viewport background might not appear. If this happens, choose
Customize ➤ Preferences. In the Viewports preferences on page 8896, click
Configure Driver. Then in the Configure OpenGL dialog on page 8906 or the
Configure Direct3D dialog on page 8912, go to the Background Texture Size group
and turn on Match Bitmap Size As Closely As Possible (do not change the numeric
setting). Click OK in both dialogs to accept your change.
See also:
■

Select Background Image Dialog on page 117

■

Update Background Image on page 122

■

Reset Background Transform on page 123

Viewport Background Dialog | 109

Procedures
To assign an image to one or all viewports:
1 Activate the viewport that is to display the background image.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background
or press Alt+B.
This opens the Viewport Background dialog.
3 In the Background Source group, click the Files button.
This opens the Select Background Image dialog.
4 Use the dialog to open the image or animation to use.
5 To display the image in all viewports, choose All Views in the Apply
Source And Display To group.

6 Click OK.
The image is displayed in a single viewport or all viewports.
To update the image or map in the viewport:
Because of the time it takes to render the image or map in the viewport, the
map is not automatically updated when you alter the bitmap or assign a new
bitmap.
■

Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Update Background
Image.
The revised image or map is displayed in the viewport.

To display the environment map in a viewport:
1 In the Environment dialog, assign an environment map. (See the
procedure “To choose an environment map.” on page 7621)
2 In the Environment dialog ➤ Background group, be sure Use Map is
turned on (the default).
3 Activate the viewport where you want the map displayed.

110 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

4 Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background.
5 In the Viewport Background dialog ➤ Background Source group, turn
on Use Environment Background.
6 Click OK.
The map is displayed in the viewport.
To display an animated background:
1 Assign an animation file (AVI, MOV, or IFL file) as the viewport
background.
2 Turn on Animate Background.
3 Choose Customize ➤ Preferences. On the Viewports panel, turn on
Update Background While Playing.
Now the background plays when you click Play, or when you drag the
time slider.
TIP If you follow these steps and the background still doesn't appear to
animate, open the Time Configuration dialog on page 8696 and in the Playback
group, turn off Real Time.

To use the environment map with animation controls:
This procedure is useful if you’ve assigned an animated environment map
and want access to the animation controls on the Viewport Background dialog.
1 In the Viewport Background dialog ➤ Background Source group, turn
off Use Environment Background.
2 In the same group, click File.
3 Choose the same map you’re using as the environment map.
4 Set parameters in the Animation Synchronization group.
5 Click OK.
The environment map appears in the viewport. The image is renderable.
To match the viewport background with the rendered background:
1 Activate the viewport to render.

Viewport Background Dialog | 111

2 Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”). On the General
viewport label menu on page 8707. choose Show Safe Frame.
This turns on Safe Frames on page 8969 in the viewport.
NOTE You can also use Views menu ➤ Configure ➤ Safe Frame tab. In
the Application group, turn on Show Safe Frames In Active View.
3 In the Material Editor, create a material that contains the bitmap for your
rendered background.
4 At the bitmap level of the Material Editor, on the Coordinates rollout,
choose Environ.
The Mapping control is automatically set to Screen. This is the only
mapping type that works for this purpose.
5 On the main menu, choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
6 Drag the map from the Material Editor ➤ Maps rollout to the
Environment Map button on the Environment dialog. Click OK on the
Instance (Copy) Map dialog.
7 In the Viewport Background dialog ➤ Background Source group, click
Files to assign the same bitmap.
8 In the Aspect Ratio group, turn on either Match Viewport or Match
Rendering Output. Click OK.
9 Render the viewport.
The background displayed in the rendered scene should exactly match
the background displayed in the Live area of the safe frames.
NOTE When you use the Match Bitmap option, the bitmap reverts to its
original aspect ratio and does not match the rendered scene, unless you're
rendering to the same aspect ratio.

To remove a background image:
1 Activate the viewport in which the background image is visible.
2 On the Views menu, choose Viewport Background ➤ Viewport
Background.
Notice that the name and path of the background file is displayed in the
Current field in the Background Source group

112 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

3 In the Background Source group, click Devices.
4 On the Select Image Input Device dialog, choose No I/O Handlers from
the drop-down list, then click OK.
5 On the Bitmap Manager Error dialog, click OK.
The current field no longer displays the background file name. Instead
No I/O Handler is listed in the Current field.
6 Click OK to close the Viewport Background dialog.
Next time you open up the Viewport Background dialog, no file name
will be displayed in the Current field.
TIP This technique will work only on systems that don't have any other Image
Input Devices installed.

Viewport Background Dialog | 113

Interface

Background Source group
Options let you select the background image, either from a bitmap image file
on page 9108, a video file, or from a device such as a video recorder.
Files Displays the Select Background Image dialog on page 117, which lets you
select a file or sequence of files for your background.

114 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Devices Displays the Select Image Input Device dialog. This lets you use a
background from a digital device. (No device is supported by the default 3ds
Max installation.)
Use Environment Background Lets you display in the viewports the map
you've assigned as your environment background. If no environment map
has been assigned in the Environment dialog, or Use Map in that dialog is off,
then the Use Environment Background check box is not available.

Animation Synchronization group
Controls how sequences of images (for example, from IFL on page 8420, AVI on
page 8412, or MOV on page 8428 files) are synchronized to the viewport for
rotoscoping on page 9284.
Use Frame The first field sets the first frame of the incoming sequence that
you want to use, and the second field sets the last one.
Step Sets the interval between the frames you want to use. For example, if
this spinner is set to 7, 3ds Max uses every seventh frame.
Start At Specifies the frame number at which you want the first input frame
to appear. What happens in the viewport before the start frame depends on
the option you choose for "Start Processing," below.
Sync Start To Frame Determines which frame from your incoming sequence
is displayed at the Start At frame. For example, you could have a 30-frame IFL
sequence that starts in your scene at frame 10, but you could use the 5th frame
from the IFL on frame 10 by setting Sync Start to 5.

Start Processing group
Determines what happens in the viewport background before the start frame.
Blank Before Start Makes the viewport background blank before the start
frame.
Hold Before Start Specifies that the viewport background will contain the
start frame.

End Processing group
Determines what happens in the viewport background after the last input
frame.
Blank After End Makes the viewport background blank after the last input
frame.

Viewport Background Dialog | 115

Hold After End Specifies that the viewport background will contain the last
input frame until the last frame in the animation.
Loop After End Specifies that the viewport background will loop from the
end frame back to the start frame, ad infinitum.

Aspect Ratio group
Controls the proportions of the viewport background by matching it to the
bitmap, rendering output, or to the viewport itself.
Match Viewport Changes the aspect ratio on page 9096 of the image to match
the aspect ratio of the viewport.
Match Bitmap Locks the aspect ratio of the image to the native aspect ratio
of the bitmap.
Match Rendering Output Changes the aspect ratio of the image to match
the aspect ratio of the currently chosen rendering output device.
NOTE When the Match Bitmap or Match Rendering Output option is chosen, 3ds
Max centers the image and clears the edges of the viewport to the background
color.

Display Background
Turns on display of the background image or animation in the viewport.

Lock Zoom/Pan
Locks the background to the geometry during zoom and pan operations in
orthographic or user viewports. When you Zoom or Pan the viewport, the
background zooms and pans along with it. When Lock Zoom/Pan is turned
off, the background stays where it is, and the geometry moves independently
of it. Use Match Bitmap or Match Rendering Output to enable Lock Zoom/Pan.
This control is disabled if you choose Match Viewport.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+B
WARNING If you zoom in too far, you can exceed the limit of virtual memory,
and crash 3ds Max. When you perform a zoom that requires more than 16
megabytes of virtual memory, an alert asks if you want to display the background
during the zoom. Choose No to perform the zoom and turn off the background.
Choose Yes to zoom with the background image. Your machine might run out of
memory as a result.

116 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Animate Background
Turns on animation of the background. Shows the appropriate frame of the
background video in the scene.

Apply Source And Display To group
All Views Assigns the background image to all viewports.
Active Only Assigns the background image to only the active viewport.

Viewport
The name of the currently active viewport appears in a list to the left of the
OK and Cancel buttons. This reminds you which viewport you're working
with and lets you change the active viewport by selecting its name from the
list.
NOTE When you use different images for different viewports, the settings for each
viewport are stored separately. Each time you display the Viewport Background
dialog, the settings of the currently active viewport are displayed. If you switch
the viewport using the list, the settings remain the same. This is useful for copying
settings from one viewport to another.

Select Background Image Dialog
Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport
Background dialog ➤ Background Source group ➤ Files ➤ Select Background
Image dialog
The Select Background Image dialog allows you to choose a file or sequence
of files for a viewport background.

Select Background Image Dialog | 117

Cityscape model with a sky image used as the viewport background

You can also convert a set of sequentially numbered files to an Image File List
(IFL) on page 8420. This is the same process used by the IFL Manager Utility on
page 8424.

Procedures
To select a background image for a viewport:
1 Activate the viewport where you want the image.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background.
3 Under Background Source in the dialog that displays, click Files.
4 In the Look In field, navigate to the directory containing the file you
want to use for the background.
NOTE The Select Background Image File dialog uses the last location where
a bitmap was chosen, rather than the default bitmap path defined on the
Configure User Paths dialog on page 8872.
5 Highlight the file name in the file list window.
6 Click Open to select the image and close the dialog.

118 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

7 Click OK to close the Viewport Background dialog and display the
background image.
To select a set of still images as a viewport background:
1 Activate the viewport where you want the image.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Viewport Background.
3 Under Background Source, click Files.
4 In the Look In field, navigate to the directory containing the sequence
of files.
The files must be sequentially numbered (for example, image01.bmp,
image02.bmp, image03.bmp).
TIP If necessary, change Files Of Type to match the file extension of the
sequence, or choose All Formats.
5 Turn on Sequence, and choose the name of the first sequential file (for
example, image01.bmp).
TIP Click the Setup button to display the Image File List Control dialog on
page 8423.
6 In the Image File List Control dialog, use the Browse button to set the
Target Path to a directory on your hard disk. Do not set this path to a
CD-ROM drive, because you cannot save the file there.
7 Choose the options you want, and then click OK.
The Image File List (IFL) file is saved to the target directory.

Select Background Image Dialog | 119

Interface

History Displays a list of the directories most recently searched.
Look In Opens a navigation window to move to other directories or drives.

Go to Last Folder Visited Click to return to the folder you previously
browsed to.

Up One Level Move up a level in the directory structure.

Create New Folder Lets you create a new folder while in this dialog.

View Menu Lets you choose the level of detail to display in the file
list.

120 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

List Window When Details is on, the contents of the directory are displayed
with Name, Size, Type, Date Modified, and Attributes. You can sort the files
by clicking the label of each parameter.
File Name Displays the name of the file selected in the list.
Files of Type Displays all the file types that can be displayed. This serves as
a filter for the list.
Open Selects the highlighted file and closes the dialog.
Cancel Cancels the selection and closes the dialog.
Devices Lets you select a background image from a digital device. (No device
is supported by the default 3ds Max installation.)
Setup Displays the Image File List Control dialog on page 8423 to create an IFL
file. Available only when Sequence is on and there are sequentially numbered
files in the displayed directory.
Info Displays expanded information about the file, such as frame rate,
compression quality, file size, and resolution. The information here is
dependent on the type of information that is saved with the file type.
View Displays the file at its actual resolution. If the file is a movie, the Media
Player is opened to play the file.

Gamma group
Selects the type of gamma to be used for the selected file. Available only when
Enable Gamma Selection is turned on in the Gamma panel on page 8917.
Use Image’s Own Gamma Uses the gamma of the incoming bitmap.
Use System Default Gamma Ignores the image’s own gamma and uses the
system default gamma instead, as set in the Gamma panel on page 8917.
Override Defines a new gamma for the bitmap that is neither the image’s
own, nor the system default.

_____
Sequence Creates an "Image File List" to your specifications. Each selected
image is checked to see if a valid IFL sequence can be created. If the selected
image doesn’t yield a list, this option is still available, but doesn’t do anything.
Preview Displays the image as a thumbnail in the Image Window.
Image Window Displays a thumbnail of the selected file if Preview is on.

Select Background Image Dialog | 121

_____
Statistics Displays the resolution, color depth, file type and number of frames
of the selected file.
Location Displays the full path for the file. With this information at the
bottom of the dialog, you always know exactly where you are.

Update Background Image
Views menu ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Update Background Image (available
only when a viewport background is displayed)
This command updates the background image displayed in the active viewport.
If the active viewport is not displaying a background image, this command
is unavailable.
Use this command to update the background for changes that are not updated
automatically, such as the following:
■

Reassigning the map, or changing any parameters affecting the map in
the Materials Editor, the Environment dialog, or the Viewport Background
dialog.

■

Changing the rendering resolution and aspect ratio.
The following changes update the viewport background image
automatically:

■

Changing the camera view.

■

Undo (for views).

■

Undo (for objects).

■

Assigning a different view type.

■

Toggling Safe Frames display on or off.

■

Changing the rendering parameters.

■

Moving the time slider when the viewport contains an animated
background image.

NOTE Viewports can use the current Environment Map (set on the Environment
panel on page 7621 of the Environment and Effects dialog) as the background image.

122 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Procedures
To update the background image displayed in a viewport:
1 Activate a viewport that contains a background image.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Update Background Image.

Reset Background Transform
Views menu ➤ Reset Background Transform (available only when a viewport
background image is displayed and Lock Zoom/Pan is turned on)
Reset Background Transform rescales and recenters the current background
to fit an orthographic or user viewport. Use this command when you want to
reset the background to the new position of your geometry. See Procedure for
detailed requirements.

Procedures
To reset the background to fit the viewport:
1 Activate an orthographic or user viewport that has a background image.
2 Press Alt+B.
3 Turn on either Match Bitmap or Match Rendering Output, and then turn
on Lock Zoom/Pan.
4 Click OK.
5 Choose Views menu ➤ Reset Background Transform.
The background image readjusts in the viewport.

Show Transform Gizmo
Views menu ➤ Show Transform Gizmo
Keyboard ➤ X
Show Transform Gizmo toggles the display of the Transform gizmo axis tripod
on page 841 for all viewports when objects are selected and a transform is active.
Additional controls for the Transform gizmo are found on the Gizmo
Preferences settings on page 8941.

Reset Background Transform | 123

When the Transform gizmo is turned off, Show Transform Gizmo controls
the display of the axis tripod on selected objects.
The state of Transform gizmo is saved in 3dsmax.ini, so it's maintained between
scenes and sessions.
The related entries in the 3dsmax.ini file are:
■

INI: Transformgizmo=1 (for Transform Gizmo visibility, controlled by
Preferences)

■

INI: ShowAxisIcon=1 (for Axis Icon visibility, controlled in Views menu)

The visibility of the Axis tripod overrides the visibility of the Transform Gizmo.
If you turn off the Transform Gizmo in Preferences, the Axis tripod remains
on the selected object. If you then turn off the Show Transform Gizmo in the
Views menu, it actually turns off the Axis tripod. When the Axis tripod is
disabled, the Transform Gizmo is also hidden.
TIP The converse is not true. If the transform gizmo is turned off, turning on the
axis tripod visibility does not display the transform gizmo.

Procedures
To scale the transform gizmo, do one of the following:
1 Press – (hyphen) to shrink the Transform gizmo.
2 Press = (equal sign) to enlarge the Transform gizmo.

Show Ghosting
Views menu ➤ Show Ghosting
Ghosting is a method of displaying wireframe "ghost copies" of an animated
object at a number of frames before or after the current frame. Use it to analyze
and adjust your animation. Ghosts that overlap indicate slower motion; ghosts
that are spread further apart show faster motion.
When this command is active, ghosting is displayed for selected objects in
the scene. Only currently selected objects display the ghosting.

124 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Ghosting helps to visualize animation.

To change Ghosting parameters choose Customize ➤ Preferences. On the
Viewport panel of the Preferences dialog you can determine the number of
ghosting frames, whether to ghost before or after the current frame, or both,
and you can also show frame numbers with the ghosts.

Procedures
To show wireframe ghost copies of an animated object:
■

Choose Views menu ➤ Show Ghosting.

Show Key Times
Select an object with animation. ➤ Views menu ➤ Show Key Times
Key Times shows the frame numbers along a displayed animation trajectory
on page 3440. Key times correspond to the settings in Time Configuration on
page 8696 for Frames or SMPTE on page 9311. By default, key times are shown as
frame numbers.

Show Key Times | 125

Procedures
To display trajectory time values in the viewport:
1 Select an object with animation.

2 On the
Trajectory.

Display panel ➤ Display Properties rollout, turn on

TIP If the rollout controls are unavailable, right-click the object in the active
viewport, choose Object Properties, and in the Display Properties group, click
By Layer to change to By Object. This will make the Trajectory option become
available.
3 Choose Views menu ➤ Show Key Times.
The time values are displayed as white numbers along the trajectory.
They remain displayed in red when the animated object is deselected.

Keyframes with frame number shown on a trajectory.

126 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Shade Selected
Select an object to be shaded. ➤ Views menu ➤ Shade Selected
Shade Selected shades only the selected objects in the scene when the viewport
is set to Wireframe or Other. When Smooth + Highlights is on, all objects are
shaded whether they are selected or not.
Shade Selected lets you work with a wireframe scene and shade only the
selected objects when you want to visualize them more clearly. All other
objects in the scene will appear in wireframe.

Selected objects shaded in a wireframe viewport.

Procedures
To shade only selected objects in a scene:
1 Choose Views menu ➤ Shade Selected.
2 Click or right-click the Shading viewport label and choose Wireframe
from the Shading viewport label menu on page 8719.
3 Select the object.

Shade Selected | 127

Only the selected object is shaded.

Show Dependencies
Views menu ➤ Show Dependencies
While you are using the Modify panel, this command toggles viewport
highlighting of objects dependent on the currently selected object.
When Show Dependencies is on and the Modify panel is active, any object
that is dependent upon the currently selected object in any way appears
magenta. This includes instances on page 9195, references on page 9282, and
shared modifiers on page 9226. Default=off.
You can also see similar dependencies in Schematic View on page 8503.

Procedures
To show dependencies between objects:
1 Select an object with an instanced modifier on page 1000.

128 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

2 On the
stack.

Modify panel, choose the instanced modifier in the modifier

3 Choose Views menu ➤ Show Dependencies
Other objects with instances of the same modifier appear in a different
color.
Example: To use Show Dependencies when animating with Linked XForm:
1 Select the sub-object geometry you want to animate, and apply a Linked
XForm modifier on page 1428.
2 On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Control Object.
3 Click an object to be the control object. Choose a dummy object if you
want to keep the control hidden in final rendering.
4 The chosen object is now linked as parent to the sub-object selection and
its name is listed on the Parameters rollout.
5 Choose Views menu ➤ Show Dependencies to make the link visible
when the control object is selected.
6 Use any of the transforms to animate the control object.
The selection is animated in parallel with the control object.

Create Camera From View
Activate a Perspective viewport. ➤ Views menu ➤ Create Camera From View
Activate a Perspective viewport. ➤ Create menu ➤ Cameras ➤ Create
Camera From View
Activate a Perspective viewport. ➤ Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+C
Create Camera From View creates a Target camera on page 5917 whose field of
view matches an active Perspective viewport. At the same time, it changes the
viewport to a Camera viewport on page 8742 for the new camera object, and
makes the new camera the current selection.

Create Camera From View | 129

Alternatively, if the scene already contains a camera and the camera is selected,
then Create Camera From View does not create a new camera from the view.
Instead, it simply matches the selected camera to the active, Perspective
viewport. This functionality was adopted from the Match Camera to View
command, which is now available only as an assignable main user interface
shortcut (see Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007).
NOTE Create Camera From View is available only when a Perspective viewport is
active.
To create a camera from a view, assuming any existing cameras are unselected:
1 Activate a Perspective viewport.
2 If necessary, adjust the viewport using Pan, Zoom, and Orbit, or the
ViewCube, until you have a view you like.
3 Leaving the viewport active, on the Views menu choose Create Camera
From View or press Ctrl+C.
3ds Max creates a new camera, matching its view to that of the Perspective
viewport, and then switches the Perspective viewport to a Camera
viewport, showing the view from the new camera.

130 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Add Default Lights to Scene
Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”). ➤ General viewport
label menu on page 8707 ➤ Configure ➤ Viewport Configuration dialog ➤
Lighting And Shadows panel ➤ Illuminate Scene With group ➤ Choose
Default Lighting and then choose 2 Lights (to activate the Add Default Lights
To Scene menu item) ➤ Click OK. ➤ Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard
Lights ➤ Add Default Lights To Scene
This command opens the Add Default Lights To Scene dialog, which provides
options that let you convert the default scene lighting into actual light objects
on page 5672.
The default lighting for viewports consists of a key light, positioned in front
and to the left of the scene, which behaves as an omni light on page 5769..
This command is unavailable unless you use the Viewport Configuration
dialog on page 8963 to configure the active viewport to use two lights. When
viewports use two lights, and you invoke this command, the lights are added
to the scene as omni lights. You can add either the key light, the fill light, or
both.

Two default lights are placed opposite to each other.

Add Default Lights to Scene | 131

A, the key light is in front of the object, on the upper left side, while B, the fill light is
behind on the lower right side.

You can add either the key light, the fill light, or both. The omni light objects
have the names DefaultKeyLight and DefaultFillLight.
If you have already added one or both default lights, a warning prompts you
to rename or delete the previous default light object before you add another.

Procedures
To add the default lights as objects:
1 Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”).
3ds Max opens the General viewport label menu on page 8707.
2 Choose Configure.
3 On the Viewport Configuration dialog ➤ Rendering Method tab, in the
Rendering Options group, turn on Default Lighting and choose 2 Lights.
Click OK to close the dialog.
4 Choose Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Add Default Lights
To Scene.
5 On the Add Default Lights To Scene dialog, toggle Add Default Key Light,
Add Default Fill Light, or both. Click OK.

6 Activate the Top viewport, and on the status bar, click
Extents).
The lights are now visible in the viewport.

132 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

(Zoom

Interface

Add Default Key Light When on, adds the default key light to the scene. The
key light is in front of the scene and to the left. The key light becomes an
omni light on page 5769 with the name, DefaultKeyLight. Default=on.
Add Default Fill Light When on, adds the default fill light to the scene. The
fill light is behind the scene and to the right. The fill light becomes an omni
light on page 5769 with the name, DefaultFillLight. Default=on.
Distance Scaling Affects how far the lights are placed from the origin (0,0,0).
The default value leaves the scene's lighting unchanged. Larger values move
the lights farther away, dimming the scene, and smaller values move them
closer, brightening the scene. Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 1000.0.

Redraw All Views
Views menu ➤ Redraw All Views
Keyboard ➤ ` (accent grave)
Redraw All Views refreshes the display in all viewports. When you move,
rotate, scale, or otherwise manipulate geometry, the viewports may display
the scene with some irregularities, or with objects or parts of objects missing.
Use Redraw All Views to redisplay your scene with all lines and shading
restored.

Redraw All Views | 133

Show Materials in Viewport As
Views menu ➤ Show Materials in Viewport As ➤ Standard Display / Standard
Display with Maps / Hardware Display / Hardware Display with Maps
Compact Material Editor ➤ Material menu ➤ Show Materials in Viewport
As ➤ Standard Display / Standard Display with Maps / Hardware Display /
Hardware Display with Maps
Slate Material Editor toolbar ➤ Show Map in Viewport on page 6155 flyout
These commands turn on and off display of all maps in the viewports, using
software or hardware rendering. Software rendering applies to all maps and
materials, but tends to be less accurate. Hardware rendering is highly accurate,
showing highlights very close to the way they render, but applies primarily
to the Arch & Design material on page 6269, although it also supports the
Standard material on page 6382.
NOTE Hardware viewport rendering is not available on computers with older
graphics systems. Also, hardware viewport rendering is supported only by the
Direct3D display driver on page 8912.
NOTE These commands do not apply to XRef materials on page 6605, including
materials from XRef objects on page 7971 and XRef scenes on page 7999.
See also:
■

Showing Maps in Viewports on page 6006

Interface
Standard Display Uses the legacy software shader, which works on a per-face
basis, and turns off viewport display of all maps at the material level. This
applies only to materials used in the scene.
Standard Display with Maps Uses the legacy software shader, which works
on a per-face basis, and turns on viewport display of all maps.
Hardware Display Uses the hardware viewport shader, which works on a
per-pixel basis, and turns off viewport display of all maps at the material level.
The hardware shader applies only to the Standard on page 6382 and Arch &
Design on page 6269 materials; when it’s active, 3ds Max still uses the software
shader to display all other materials.

134 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Hardware Display with Maps Uses the hardware viewport shader, which
works on a per-pixel basis, and turns on viewport display of all maps at the
material level.
This switch applies only to the Standard on page 6382 and Arch & Design on
page 6269 materials; when it’s active, 3ds Max still uses the software shader to
display all other materials. Also, it doesn’t affect viewport display of maps for
materials other than those two.

Update During Spinner Drag
Views menu ➤ Update During Spinner Drag
When Update During Spinner Drag is on, dragging a spinner (such as a Radius
spinner for a sphere) updates the effects in real time in the viewports.
Default=on.
When Update During Spinner Drag is off, the effect is updated after the drag,
when you release the mouse. Use this option when you're adjusting
processor-intensive controls.

Diagnose Video Hardware
Help menu ➤ Diagnose Video Hardware
This command runs a MAXScript script that displays information about your
system’s graphic display configuration. This can be useful for telling you
whether some interactive viewport features such as shadows on page 5692 are
supported.

Update During Spinner Drag | 135

Expert Mode
Views menu ➤ Expert Mode
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+X
When Expert mode is on, the title bar, toolbar, command panel, status bar,
and all of the viewport navigation buttons are removed from the display,
leaving only the menu bar, time slider, and viewports. Use Expert mode when
you need to view your composition alone without the rest of the interface.
With the ability to customize the user interface in 3ds Max, you can create
your own versions of Expert mode by hiding whatever you want item-by-item.
Expert mode is only a quick way to hide everything that can be hidden at
once.
You can assign keyboard shortcuts to hide and unhide the command panel,
toolbars, and so on and then use these while in Expert mode. You can also
use the quad menu to access tools quickly in Expert mode as well.

Procedures
To turn on Expert mode, do one of the following:
■

Choose Views menu ➤ Expert Mode.

■

Press Ctrl+X.

To turn off Expert mode and return to full display, do one of the following:
■

Click the Cancel Expert Mode button to the right of the time slider.

■

Press Ctrl+X.

■

Choose Views menu ➤ Expert Mode.

Controlling Object Display
You use the Display panel, layers on page 8534, and Scene Explorer on page 8469
to control how objects are displayed in viewports, and to hide or freeze objects.
This section covers usage of the Display panel controls.
TIP You can also use the Isolate Selection command on page 176 to hide everything
except your selection set.

136 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

See also:
■

Object Display Properties on page 225

Display Color Rollout
Display panel ➤ Display Color rollout
The Display Color rollout specifies whether 3ds Max displays objects using
their wireframe colors (also known as object colors) or their diffuse material
colors on page 9137, when the objects have their display properties on page 221
set to By Object. If the display properties of an object is set to By Layer, the
layer color is used for viewport display. You can choose one method for
wireframe display and a different one for shaded display. In each shading
mode you can specify whether the material or the object color is used.
By default, all new objects have their display properties set to By Object. You
can change this default by turning on Default to By Layer for New Nodes on
page 8891. When this switch is off (the default), all new objects created in 3ds
Max display in the viewports using the settings on the Display Color rollout.
A toggle for switching individual objects between By Object and By Layer is
available in the Object Properties dialog ➤ Display Properties group on page
225.
If the object color box displays black and white rectangles, this indicates that
the object has its display properties set to By Layer.

Interface

Wireframe Controls the color of objects when the viewport is in wireframe
display mode.
■

Object ColorDisplays the wireframes in object color.

Display Color Rollout | 137

■

Material ColorDisplays the wireframes using the material color.

Shaded Controls the color of the object when the viewport is in any shaded
display mode.
■

Object ColorDisplays the shaded objects using the object color.

■

Material ColorDisplays the shaded objects using the material color.

Hide By Category Rollout
Display panel ➤ Hide By Category rollout
The Hide By Category rollout toggles the display of objects by category (objects,
cameras, lights, and so on).
By default, 3ds Max displays all objects in the scene. Objects hidden by category
aren’t evaluated in the scene, so hiding objects by category improves
performance.
You can use any of the default display filters provided, or add new display
filters for fast selection of objects to hide.

138 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Interface

Turn on the check boxes to hide objects of that category. You can use the All,
None, and Invert buttons to quickly change the settings of the check boxes.
The Display Filter box gives you finer control in creating categories to hide.
Click the Add button to display a list of display filters. Hold down the Ctrl key
and click the filter name to select whatever category you'd like to hide.
Geometry Hides all geometry in the scene.
Shapes Hides all shapes in the scene.
Lights Hides all lights in the scene.
Cameras Hides all cameras in the scene.
Helpers Hides all helpers in the scene.
Space Warps Hides all space warps in the scene.
Particle Systems Hides all particle systems in the scene.
Bone Objects Hides all bones in the scene.
Bones Hides all bones in the scene.

Hide By Category Rollout | 139

IK Chain Hides all IK chains in the scene.
Point Hides all points in the scene.
All Hides everything in the scene.
None Unhides everything in the scene
Invert Hides everything that is visible and unhides everything currently
hidden.
Add Adds a display filter category to the list.
Remove Removes a display filter category.
None Deselects all highlighted display filters in the list.

Hide Rollout
Display panel ➤ Hide rollout
The Hide rollout provides controls that let you hide and unhide individual
objects by selecting them, regardless of their category.
You can also hide and unhide objects using the Display Floater on page 8805.
See also:
■

Hide By Category Rollout on page 138

140 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Interface

Hide Selected Hides the selected objects.
Hide Unselected Hides all visible objects except the selected ones. Use this
to hide all objects except the one you're working on. Objects hidden by
category aren’t affected.
Hide by Name Displays a dialog you use to hide objects you choose from a
list. SeeSelect From Scene on page 184, which describes nearly identical controls.
Hide by Hit Hides any object you click in the viewport. If you hold the Ctrl
key while selecting an object, that object and all of its children are hidden.
To exit Hide by Hit mode, right-click, press Esc, or select a different function.
This mode is automatically turned off if you hide all objects in the scene.
Unhide All Unhides all hidden objects. The unhide buttons are available only
when you have specifically hidden one or more objects. They won't unhide
objects hidden by category.
NOTE If you click Unhide All in a scene with hidden layers, a dialog will pop up
prompting you to unhide all layers. You cannot unhide an object on a hidden
layer.
Unhide by Name Displays a dialog you use to unhide objects you choose
from a list. See Select From Scene on page 184, which describes nearly identical
controls.
NOTE If you select an object on a hidden layer, a dialog will pop up prompting
you to unhide the object's layer. You cannot unhide an object on a hidden layer.

Hide Rollout | 141

Hide Frozen Objects Hides any frozen objects. Turn it off to display hidden
frozen objects.

Freeze Rollout
Display panel ➤ Freeze rollout
The Freeze rollout provides controls that let you freeze or unfreeze on page
9171 individual objects by selecting them, regardless of their category.
Frozen objects remain on the screen, but you can't select, transform, or modify
them. By default, frozen objects turn dark gray. Frozen lights and cameras,
and their associated viewports, continue to work as they normally do.
You can choose to have frozen objects retain their usual color or texture in
viewports. Use the Show Frozen In Gray toggle in the Object Properties dialog
on page 221.

Interface

Freeze Selected Freezes the selected object(s).
Freeze Unselected Freezes all visible objects except the selected ones. Use this
to quickly freeze all the objects except the one you're working on.
Freeze by Name Displays a dialog that lets you choose objects to freeze from
a list. See Select From Scene on page 184, which describes nearly identical
controls.

142 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Freeze by Hit Freezes any object you click in a viewport. If you press Ctrl while
selecting an object, that object and all of its children are frozen. To exit Freeze
by Hit mode, right-click, press Esc, or select a different function. This mode
is automatically turned off if you freeze all objects in the scene.
Unfreeze All Unfreezes all frozen objects.
NOTE If you click Unfreeze All in a scene with frozen layers, a dialog opens
prompting you to unfreeze all layers. You cannot unfreeze an object on a frozen
layer.
Unfreeze by Name Displays a dialog that lets you choose objects to unfreeze
from a list. See Select From Scene on page 184, which describes nearly identical
controls.
NOTE If you unfreeze by name an object on a frozen layer, a dialog opens
prompting you to unfreeze the object's layer. You cannot unfreeze an object on
a frozen layer.
Unfreeze by Hit Unfreezes any object you click in the viewport. If you press
Ctrl while selecting an object, that object and all of its children are unfrozen.
If you select an object on a frozen layer, a dialog will pop up prompting you
to unfreeze the object's layer. You cannot unfreeze an object on a frozen layer.

Display Properties Rollout
Display panel ➤ Display Properties rollout
The Display Properties rollout provides controls for altering the display of
selected objects.
See also:
■

Link Display Rollout on page 148

Procedures
To display trajectories using the Display panel:
1 Select one or more animated objects.
2 Right-click the selection, and choose Properties.

Display Properties Rollout | 143

3 In the Display properties group, click By Layer to change it to By Object,
and then click OK.
4 Expand the Display Properties rollout in the Display panel.
5 Turn on Trajectory.
By default, object trajectories appear with the following properties:
■

The trajectory curve is drawn in red.

■

Frame increments display as white dots on the curve.

■

Position keys display as red boxes surrounding the appropriate frame
dot on the curve. The boxes are white when the object is selected.

■

If Views ➤ Show Key Times is turned on, the keyframe numbers are
displayed along side the keys on the trajectory.
Trajectories can also be displayed through Object Properties. Right-click
any object and choose Properties, then in the Display properties group
change By Layer to By Object. Turn on Trajectories when it becomes
available in the Display Properties group.

You can change the colors for these items on the Colors panel on page
8860 of the Customize User Interface dialog.
You can also use object properties to display trajectories: right-click any object
and choose Properties, then turn on Trajectory.

Interface

144 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

The first three options reduce the displayed geometric complexity of selected
objects in a scene, resulting in faster response time because the computer has
less to calculate. These options are also available in the Display Properties
group of the Object Properties dialog ➤ General panel on page 221 and the
Display floater on page 8805.
Display as Box Toggles the display of selected objects, including 3D objects
and 2D shapes, as bounding boxes on page 9113. Produces minimum geometric
complexity.
Particle systems appear as bounding boxes when adaptive degradation takes
effect. Because particle systems exist in world space, their bounding box is
always oriented parallel to the world planes.

Backface Cull Toggles the display of faces, edges, and vertices with normals
on page 9237 pointing away from the point of view. When off, all entities are
visible. Default=off.

Edges Only Toggles the display of hidden edges and polygon diagonals on
page 9136. When on, only outside edges appear. When off, all mesh geometry
appears. Applies to Wireframe viewport display mode, as well as other modes
with Edged Faces turned on.

Display Properties Rollout | 145

Vertex Ticks Displays the vertices in the selected geometry as tick marks.
If the current selection has no displayed tick marks, the check box is clear. If
some of the vertices in the current selection display tick marks, the check box
contains a gray X. If all vertices in the current selection display tick marks,
the check box contains a black X.

Trajectory Toggles trajectory on page 9332 display for the selected object so its
trajectory is visible in viewports.

146 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

See-Through Makes the object or selection translucent in viewports. This
setting has no effect on rendering: it simply lets you see what’s behind or
inside an object in a crowded scene, and is especially useful in adjusting the
position of objects behind or inside the See-Through object. This is very handy
when you have objects within other objects in your scene.
This option is also available from Object Properties dialog on page 221 and the
Tools ➤ Display Floater on page 8805.
You can customize the color of see-through objects by using the Colors panel
on page 8860 of the Customize ➤ Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.
Keyboard shortcut (default): Alt+X

Ignore Extents When turned on, the object is ignored when you use the
display control Zoom Extents. Use this on distant lights.
Show Frozen in Gray When on, the object turns gray in viewports when you
freeze it. When off, viewports display the object with its usual color or texture
even when it is frozen. Default=on.
Never Degrade When on, the object is not subject to adaptive degradation
on page 9084.
Vertex Colors Displays the effect of assigned vertex colors. You assign vertex
colors using the Assign Vertex Color utility, or the VertexPaint modifier. Once
vertex colors have been assigned they can also be edited in the Vertex
Properties rollout in the editable mesh or editable poly in vertex or face
sub-object level.
The Shaded button determines whether the object with the assigned vertex
colors appears shaded in the viewport. When this button is off, the colors are
unshaded and appear in their pure RGB values, looking a little like
self-illuminated materials. When the Shaded button is on, the colors appear
like any other assigned color in the viewports.

Display Properties Rollout | 147

Link Display Rollout
Display panel ➤ Link Display rollout
The Link Display rollout provides controls that alter the display of hierarchical
linkages on page 9183.

Interface

Display Links Displays a wireframe representation of any hierarchical links
affecting the selected object.
NOTE Display Links must be turned on in order to see Joint Limits on a inverse
kinematics chain.
Link Replaces Object Replaces the selected object with the wireframe
representation of the hierarchical link. This option offers another way to
reduce the geometric complexity of selected objects in a scene. See also Display
Properties rollout on page 143.
The Draw Links As Lines option on the Viewports panel on page 8896 of the
Preference Settings dialog further reduces the display of links to a single line.

148 | Chapter 3 Viewing and Navigating 3D Space

Selecting Objects

4

In most cases, before you can perform an action on an object or objects in your scene, you
must first select them. Thus, the act of selection is an essential part of the modeling and
animation process.

A battlefield scene
Below: Different selections in a wireframe viewport

149

3ds Max provides you with a variety of selection tools, which are covered in this chapter.
Besides the basic techniques of selecting single and multiple objects using mouse and
keyboard, the topics here discuss the use of named selection sets and other features that
help you manage object selection, such as hiding and freezing objects and layers. Also
included is an introduction to sub-object selection, essential to working with an object’s
underlying geometry.
Lastly, a technique for grouping objects is presented. Grouping lets you create more
permanent selections that have many of the characteristics of independent objects.

Introducing Object Selection
3ds Max is an object-oriented program. This means that each object in the
3D scene carries instructions that tell 3ds Max what you can do with it. These
instructions vary with the type of object. Because each object can respond to
a different set of commands, you apply commands by first selecting the object
and then selecting the command. This is known as a noun-verb interface,
because you first select the object (the noun) and then select the command
(the verb).

Identifying the Selection Interface
In the user interface, selection commands or functions appear in the following
areas:
■

Main toolbar

■

Edit menu

■

Quad menu (while objects are selected)

■

Tools menu

■

Track View

■

Display panel

■

Modify panel

■

Modeling ribbon

■

Schematic View

■

Scene Explorer

150 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

The buttons on the main toolbar provide a direct means of selection. The
Select From Scene dialog on page 184 is easy to use, while the Edit menu
provides more general selection commands, plus methods of selecting objects
by property. Perhaps the most powerful selection tool is Scene Explorer on
page 8469, which lets you select objects by various methods, and also edit object
hierarchies and properties. Track View and Schematic View let you select
objects from a hierarchical list.

Selecting From the Quad Menu
The quickest way to select an object is from the Transform quadrant of the
quad menu, where you can easily switch among the Move, Rotate, Scale, and
Select modes. Choose any of these and click the object you want to select in
the viewport.

Selecting by Name
Another quick way to select an object is to use the keyboard shortcut for the
Select By Name command. Press H on the keyboard to open the Select From
Scene dialog on page 184 and then select the object by name from the list. This
is a foolproof way to ensure you select the correct object when the scene
contains many overlapping objects.

Selection Buttons
Another way to select an object is to click one of these buttons, and then click
the object.

Select Object

Select by Name

Select And Move

Select And Rotate

Select And Scale

Introducing Object Selection | 151

Select And Manipulate
The main toolbar has several selection-mode buttons. When any of the
selection buttons is active, 3ds Max is in a state where you can select objects
by clicking them.
Of the selection buttons, you use Select Object when you want selection only.
The remaining buttons let you both select and transform or manipulate your
selection. Use transforms to move, rotate, and scale your selection. See Moving,
Rotating, and Scaling Objects on page 821 and Select and Manipulate on page
2868.

Crossing Versus Window Selection

One way to select multiple objects simultaneously is to drag a region,
such as a rectangle, around them. The main toolbar ➤ Window/Crossing
toggle switches between Window and Crossing modes when you select by
region. In Window mode, you select only the objects within the selection. In
Crossing mode, you select all objects within the region, plus any objects
crossing the boundaries of the region.

152 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Above: Window selection selects the trash can and bench, but not the streetlight.
Below: Crossing selection selects all three: trash can, bench, and streetlight.

Introducing Object Selection | 153

Edit Menu Commands
The Edit menu contains selection commands that operate globally on your
objects.
Edit menu selection commands include:
Select All on page 214
Select None on page 214
Select Invert on page 215
Select Similar on page 215
Select By > Color on page 216
Select By > Name on page 216 (also a toolbar button)
Select By > Layer on page 216
Selection Region > Rectangular Region on page 192
Selection Region > Circular Region on page 193
Selection Region > Fence Region on page 194
Selection Region > Lasso Region on page 195
Selection Region > Paint Selection Region on page 195
Selection Region > Window on page 199 (also a toolbar button)
Selection Region > Crossing on page 197 (also a toolbar button)
Edit Named Selection Sets on page 206

Tools Menu Commands
The Tools menu provides the Scene Explorer commands as well as access to
modeless on page 9224 selection dialogs or "floaters." You can place them
anywhere on the screen, or minimize them by right-clicking the title bar and
choosing Minimize:
■

New Scene Explorer (and related commands)See Scene Explorer on page
155.

■

Display FloaterProvides options for hiding and freezing selections as well
as some display options. See Display Floater on page 8805.

■

Layer ManagerThis modeless dialog lets you select objects individually and
by layer, and change display properties such as Hide and Freeze. See Manage
Layers Dialog on page 8537.

154 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Scene Explorer
Scene Explorer on page 8469 gives you a modeless dialog for selecting and linking
objects as well as changing object properties such as the name and display
characteristics. You can manipulate hierarchical relationships via drag-and-drop
techniques, and use various search methods including a powerful Boolean
editor to fine-tune your selection. You can also edit properties for multiple
objects at once simply by selecting them and then changing one of them.

Track/Schematic View Selection
Track View on page 3827 is primarily designed as an animation tool, but you
can also use its Hierarchy List window as an alternative method of selecting
objects by name and hierarchy. This works in both the Curve Editor and Dope
Sheet modes of Track View.
Schematic View on page 8503 is specifically designed to let you navigate your
scene efficiently, presenting a hierarchical view and letting you select objects
and their properties by name.

Display Panel Selection

The Display panel provides options for hiding and freezing objects. These
techniques exclude objects from other selection methods, and are useful in
simplifying complex scenes. Frozen objects are still visible, but hidden objects
are not.

Basics of Selecting Objects
The most basic selection techniques use either the mouse, or the mouse in
conjunction with a keystroke.

Basics of Selecting Objects | 155

Bed selected in wireframe

Bed selected in smooth and shaded view

156 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Procedures
To select an object in the viewport:

1 Click one of the selection buttons on the toolbar:

(Select And Move),

And Scale), or

(Select And Rotate),

(Select Object),

(Select

(Select And Manipulate).

Alternatively, right-click in a viewport to open the quad menu, and from
the Transform menu choose Move, Rotate, Scale, or Select.
2 In any viewport, move the cursor over the object you want to select.
The cursor changes to a small cross when it’s positioned over an object
that can be selected.
The valid selection zones of an object depend on the type of object and
the display mode in the viewport. In shaded mode, any visible surface
of an object is valid. In wireframe mode, any edge or segment of an object
is valid, including hidden lines.
3 While the cursor displays the selection cross, click to select the object
(and to deselect any previously selected object).
A selected wireframe object turns white. A selected shaded object displays
white brackets at the corners of its bounding box.
NOTE When you use the mouse to select overlapping objects or sub-objects, the
first click selects the object under the mouse curosr closest to your point of view;
the second click selects the next-closest object, and so on. If you move the mouse
more than five pixels at any point in the sequence, the next click begins again
with the closest object. And with the farthest object selected, clicking selects the
closest object again.
To select all objects do one of the following:
■

Choose Edit menu ➤ Select All.
This selects all objects in your scene.

■

On the keyboard press Ctrl+A.

Basics of Selecting Objects | 157

To invert the current selection do one of the following:
■

Choose Edit menu ➤ Select Invert.
This reverses the current selection pattern. For example, assume you begin
with five objects in your scene, and two of them are selected. After choosing
Invert, the two are deselected, and the remaining objects are selected.

■

On the keyboard press Ctrl+I.

To extend a selection:
■

Hold down Ctrl while you click to make selections.
This adds the objects you click to the current selection. For example, if
you have two objects selected and Ctrl+click to select a third, the third
object is added to the selection.
Holding down Ctrl also works with Selecting by Region on page 159.

NOTE
In versions of 3ds Max prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011,
holding down the Ctrl toggled an object’s selection state. That is no longer
the case. To add an object to a selection, use Ctrl. To remove an object from
a selection, use Alt.

To reduce a selection:
■

Hold down Alt while you click objects.
This removes the objects you click from the current selection. For example,
if you have three objects selected and Alt+click one of them, the third
object is removed from the selection.
Holding down Alt also works with Selecting by Region on page 159.

To lock a selection:
1 Select an object.

2 Click
(Selection Lock Toggle on page 8667) on the status bar to turn
on locked selection mode.
While your selection is locked, you can drag the mouse anywhere on the
screen without losing the selection. The cursor displays the current

158 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

selection icon. When you want to deselect or alter your selection, click
the Lock button again to turn off locked selection mode. The keyboard
toggle for locked selection mode is Spacebar.
To deselect an object, do one of the following:
■

Hold down the Alt key, and either click an object, or drag a region around
the object to deselect it.

■

To deselect all objects in the scene, choose Edit menu ➤ Select None, or
click an empty area of a viewport anywhere outside the current selection.

Selecting by Region
The region-selection tools let you use the mouse to select one or more objects
by defining an outline or area.

Selecting by Region | 159

Top Left: Selecting face sub-objects with a rectangular region
Top Right: Selecting vertex sub-objects with a circular region
Center: Selecting face sub-objects with a painted region
Bottom Left: Selecting edge sub-objects with a fence region
Bottom Right: Selecting edge sub-objects with a lasso region

Region Selection
By default, when you drag the mouse a rectangular region is created. When
you release the mouse all objects within and touched by the region are selected.
The remainder of this topic describes how you can change each of these
settings.
NOTE If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are
added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying
a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.

160 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Setting Region Type

The type of region you define when you drag the mouse is set by the Region
flyout button to the right of the Select By Name button. You can use any of
five types of region selection:
■

Rectangular RegionDragging the mouse selects a rectangular region. See
Rectangular Selection Region on page 192.

■

Circular RegionDragging the mouse selects a circular region. See Circular
Selection Region on page 193.

■

Fence RegionDraw an irregular selection-region outline by alternating
between moving the mouse and clicking (begin with a drag). See Fence
Selection Region on page 194.

■

Lasso RegionDragging the mouse outlines an irregular selection region.
See Lasso Selection Region on page 195.

■

Paint RegionDrag the mouse over objects or sub-objects to be included in
the selection. See Paint Selection Region on page 195

Setting Region Inclusion
This option lets you specify whether to include objects touched by the region
border. It applies to all region methods.
Choose Edit menu ➤ Region to display a submenu of the following two
items. Only one can be active at a time. The Window/Crossing toggle on page
197 on the main toolbar also switches between these two modes.
■

Crossing (The default.) Selects all objects that are within the region and
crossing the boundaries of the region. See Crossing Selection on page 197.

Selecting by Region | 161

■

WindowSelects only objects that are completely within the region. See
Window Selection on page 199.

You can set up a preference to switch automatically between Window and
crossing based on the direction of your cursor movement. See Auto
Window/Crossing by Direction on page 8891 in General Preferences.

Procedure
To make a region selection using defaults:

1 Click

(Select Object on page 183).

2 Drag the mouse to define a region.
A rubber-band rectangle appears.
3 Release the mouse button to select all objects within or touching the
region.
The selected objects turn white.
You can also use the Select And Transform buttons on the main toolbar to
select by region. You must start defining the region over an unselectable area
of the viewport. Otherwise, you’ll transform the object beneath your mouse
when you begin to drag.

Using Select By Name
The Select By Name command opens the Select From Scene dialog, which lets
you select objects by their assigned names without having to click in the
viewports.

Procedures
To select objects by name:
1 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

■

Choose Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤ Name.

162 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

(Select By Name).

■

Press H.
The Select From Scene dialog opens. By default, this dialog lists all
objects in the scene. Any selected objects are highlighted in the list.

2 Use the mouse to highlight one or more objects in the list. To select
multiple objects, drag vertically in the list or use Ctrl to add to the
selection.
3 Click OK to make the selection.
The dialog closes and the objects are selected.
4 Alternatively, to select a single object and close the dialog at the same
time, double-click the object name.
For more information, see Select From Scene on page 184.

Using Named Selection Sets
You can assign a name to the current selection, and then later reselect those
objects by choosing their selection name from a list.

Named Selection Sets

You can also edit the contents of named sets from the Named
Selection Sets dialog on page 206.

Editing Named Selections
As you model and create a scene, you’re likely to rearrange the objects making
up your named selection sets. If you do, you’ll need to edit the contents of
those sets.

Using Named Selection Sets | 163

Procedures
To assign a name to a selection set:
1 Select one or more objects or sub-objects using any combination of
selection methods.
2 Click in the Named Selection field on the main toolbar.
3 Enter a name for your set. The name can contain any standard ASCII
characters, including letters, numerals, symbols, punctuation, and spaces.
NOTE Names are case-sensitive.
4 Press Enter to complete the selection set.
You can now select another combination of objects or sub-objects and repeat
the process to create another named selection set.
To retrieve a named selection set:
1 In the Named Selection field, click the arrow.
NOTE If you're working with a sub-object selection set, you must be at the
same level at which you created the selection set (for example, editable mesh
➤ vertex) for it to appear on the list.
2 On the list, click a name.
To edit named selection sets:

■

On the main toolbar, click Edit Named Selection Sets to open the
Named Selection Sets dialog.

Using Selection Filters
You can use the Selection Filter list on the main toolbar to deactivate selection
for all but a specific category of object. By default, all categories can be selected,
but you can set the Selection Filter so that only one category, such as lights,
can be selected. You can also create combinations of filters to add to the list.

164 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

For greater ease of use while working with animations, you can choose filters
that let you select only Bones, objects in IK chains, or Points.

Using Combos
The Combos feature allows you to combine two or more categories into a
single filter category.

Procedures
To use the selection filter:
■

Click the Selection Filter arrow and click a category from the Selection
Filter list.
Selection is now limited to objects defined in this category. The category
remains in effect until you change it.
The following categories are available:
All
All categories can be selected. This is the default setting.
Geometry
Only geometric objects can be selected. This includes meshes, patches,
and other kinds of objects not specifically included in this list.
Shapes
Only shapes can be selected.
Lights
Only lights (and their targets) can be selected.

Using Selection Filters | 165

Cameras
Only cameras (and their targets) can be selected.
Helpers
Only helper objects can be selected.
Warps
Only space warps can be selected.
Combos
Displays a Filter Combinations dialog on page 201 that lets you create
custom filters.
Bone
Only bones objects can be selected.
IK Chain
Only objects in IK chains can be selected.
Point
Only point objects can be selected.
To create a combination category:
1 From the drop-down list, choose Combos to display the Filter
Combinations dialog on page 201.
All single categories are listed.
2 Select the categories you want to combine.
3 Click Add.
The combination appears in a list to the right, abbreviated by the first
letter of each category. Click OK.
For example, if you selected Geometry, Lights, and Cameras, the Combo
would be named GLC. This name appears below Combo on the drop-down
list. For more information, see Selection Filters List on page 200.

Selecting with Track View
Track View provides sophisticated methods to edit your animation tracks. In
addition, its Hierarchy list displays all objects in the scene by name and
hierarchy. Using Track View, you can select any object in the scene by clicking
its object icon in the Hierarchy list.

166 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Procedures
You can use Track View selection functionality in both the Curve Editor
Introduction on page 3841 and the Dope Sheet on page 3842. This procedure
illustrates usage of the Curve Editor; the same methods work in the Dope
Sheet.
To open Track View and display and select objects:

1

On the main toolbar, click Curve Editor (Open).

2 Click any cube icon in the list to select the named object.

Selecting with Track View | 167

You can make the following kinds of selections:
■

Select several adjacent objects in the list. Click the first object, hold down
Shift, and click another object elsewhere in the list.

■

Modify the selection by pressing Ctrl while clicking. Ctrl lets you toggle
individual items on and off without deselecting others in the list.

■

Select an object and all its descendants. Press and hold Alt, right-click the
object's cube icon (keep the right mouse button held down), and choose
Select Children from the menu.

You can open a Track View window for the sole purpose of selecting objects
by name. Shrink the window until only a portion of the Hierarchy appears,
and then move the window to a convenient area on your screen.

Selecting with Schematic View
Schematic view is a window that displays the objects in your scene in a
hierarchical view. It gives you an alternate way to select and choose the objects
in your scene and navigate to them.
When the Modify panel is open, double-clicking an object modifier in
Schematic view navigates the modifier stack to that modifier for quick access
to its parameters.

Procedures
To open Schematic View and display and select objects:

1 On the main toolbar, click

(Open Schematic View).

2 Click the rectangle containing the name of your object.
You can select any number of objects in Schematic View using standard
methods, including dragging a region. For more information, see Using
Schematic View on page 8507.

Freezing and Unfreezing Objects
You can freeze any selection of objects in your scene. By default, frozen objects,
whether wireframe or rendered, turn a dark gray. They remain visible, but

168 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

can’t be selected, and therefore can’t be directly transformed or modified.
Freezing lets you protect objects from accidental editing and speeds up redraws.

Above: No layers frozen
Below: Trash can and streetlight are frozen, and displayed in gray

You can choose to have frozen objects retain their usual color or texture in
viewports. Use the Object Properties dialog ➤ General panel ➤ Display
Properties ➤ Show Frozen In Gray toggle on page 228.
Frozen objects are similar to hidden objects. Linked, instanced, and referenced
objects behave when frozen just as they would if unfrozen. Frozen lights and
cameras and any associated viewports continue to work as they normally do.
For more information, see Freeze Rollout on page 142.

Freezing Objects
You can freeze one or more selected objects. This is the usual method to put
objects "on hold."

Freezing and Unfreezing Objects | 169

You can also freeze all objects that are not selected. This method lets you keep
only the selected object active, useful in a cluttered scene, for example, where
you want to be sure no other objects are affected.
IMPORTANT Objects on a frozen layer cannot be unfrozen. If you try to unfreeze
an object on a frozen layer (with Unfreeze All or Unfreeze By Name), you are
prompted (by default on page 8892) to unfreeze the object's layer.

Procedures
To access Freeze options, select one or more objects and then do one of the
following:
■

Open a scene explorer on page 8469 and use the check boxes in the Frozen
column to freeze and unfreeze objects.

■

Open the Display panel and then expand the Freeze rollout.

■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Display Floater. This modeless dialog has the same
options as the Freeze rollout. It also contains Hide options.

■

Access the Object Properties dialog on page 221 from either the right-click
(quad) menu or the Edit menu. Turn on Hide and/or Freeze.

■

In the Layer Manager, click in the Freeze column to freeze/unfreeze each
layer in the list.

■

Right-click in the active viewport and choose a Freeze or Unfreeze command
from the quad menu ➤ Display quadrant.

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection
You can hide any selection of individual objects in your scene. They disappear
from view, making it easier to select remaining objects. Hiding objects also
speeds up redraws. You can then unhide all objects at once or by individual
object name. You can also filter the list contents by category, so only hidden
objects of a certain type are listed.
NOTE Hiding a light source doesn't alter its effect; it still illuminates the scene.

170 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Original scene

Scene with bed hidden

Hiding objects is similar to freezing objects. Linked, instanced, and referenced
objects behave when hidden just as they would if unhidden. Hidden lights
and cameras and any associated viewports continue to work normally.
For more information, see Hide Rollout on page 140.

Hiding Objects
Hiding objects is similar to freezing objects. See Freezing and Unfreezing
Objects on page 168. You can hide one or more selected objects. You can also
hide all objects that are not selected.
Another option is to hide objects by category. See Hiding and Unhiding Objects
by Category on page 173.

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection | 171

Unhiding Objects
You can unhide objects in either of two ways:
■

Use Unhide All to unhide all objects at the same time.

■

Use All On to display all objects at the same time.

■

Use Unhide By Name to unhide object selectively. When you click Unhide
By Name, the same dialog is displayed as for hiding, now called Unhide
Objects.

The Unhide buttons are unavailable when no object in the scene is hidden.
Objects that were first hidden by selection and then hidden by category do
not reappear. Although they are unhidden at the selection level, they are still
hidden at the category level. For details, see Hiding and Unhiding Objects by
Category on page 173.
IMPORTANT Objects on a hidden layer cannot be unhidden. If you try to unhide
an object on a hidden layer (with Unhide All or Unhide By Name), you are
prompted (by default on page 8892) to unhide the object's layer.

Procedures
To access Hide options, do one of the following:
■

Open a scene explorer on page 8469 and use the check boxes in the Hidden
column to hide and unhide objects.

■

Open the Layer Manager on page 8537.
In the Layer Manager, you can easily hide groups of objects or layers.

■

Open the Display panel. Click Hide, if necessary, to expand the
rollout.

■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Display Floater. This modeless dialog has the same
options as the Hide rollout. It also contains Freeze options.

■

Access the Object Properties dialog on page 221 from either the right-click
(quad) menu or the Edit menu. Turn on Hide, Freeze, or both. If the button
is unavailable because By Layer is turned on, click By Layer to change it
to By Object.

■

Right-click in the active viewport and choose a Hide or Unhide command
from the quad menu ➤ Display quadrant.

172 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Category
You can hide objects by category, the basic types of objects. For example, you
can hide all lights in your scene at one time, or all shapes, or any combination
of categories. By hiding all categories, your scene appears empty. Hidden
objects, while not displayed, continue to exist as part of the geometry of your
scene but cannot be selected.

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Category | 173

Above: All objects displayed
Below: Lights and shapes are hidden

174 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Hiding Geometry and Particle Systems
Geometry and particle systems have separate categories, even though particle
systems are also geometry.
■

Selecting Geometry hides all geometry in the scene, including particle
systems. The option for particle systems becomes unavailable.

■

Selecting Particle Systems hides only these objects, leaving the other
geometry unaffected.

Effects of Hiding by Category
■

If you create an object in a category that is hidden, 3ds Max turns off
hiding for that category and unhides the objects within the category.

■

Unhiding by category has no effect on objects hidden with the controls
on the Hide rollout (see Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection on page
170). These objects remain hidden. You need to use the controls on that
rollout to unhide them.

■

Unhiding by category has no effect on objects that are on a layer that is
turned off. These objects remain invisible. You need to turn on their layer
to display them.

■

Unhiding by selection does not return a hidden object to the scene if the
category of the object is hidden. The Unhide All and Unhide By Name
controls continue to work, but the effect is not seen until the category is
cleared.

■

Lights hidden by category continue to shine. Views through cameras and
targeted lights are still active.

■

Linked, instanced, and referenced objects behave when hidden just as they
would if visible.

Procedures
To hide a category of objects:

1

Open the Display panel.

2 Click Hide by Category, if necessary, to expand the rollout. By default,
all categories are off (unhidden) on this rollout.

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Category | 175

3 Choose the category you want to hide. All objects of that category
disappear from your scene as soon as you make the choice.
The same Hide By Category options appear on the Object Level panel of the
Display Floater (Tools menu ➤ Display Floater).
To unhide a category of objects:
■

Deselect the category.
All objects in the category reappear, unless some have been hidden by
selection. See Effects of Hiding by Category on page 175.

Isolate Selection
Tools menu ➤ Isolate Selection
Right-click to open the quad menu. ➤ Display (upper-right) quadrant ➤
Isolate Selection
Keyboard ➤ Alt + Q
The Isolate Selection tool lets you edit a single object or selection set of objects
while hiding the rest of the scene on a temporary basis. This guards against
selecting other objects while working on a single selection. It allows you to
focus on the objects you need to see, without the visual distraction of the
surroundings. It also reduces the performance overhead that can come from
displaying other objects in the viewports.
When you turn on Isolate Selection, the active viewport (Perspective and
axonometric on page 9100 only) performs the Zoom Extents on page 8726 action
on the isolated objects. When you exit Isolate Selection mode, Perspective
viewports return to the previous zoom level, but axonometric viewports do
not.
When an isolated selection includes multiple objects, you can select a subset
of these, and choose Isolate Selection once again. This isolates the subset.
However, clicking Exit Isolation unhides the entire scene. You can’t “step
back” through individual levels of isolation.
NOTE Isolate Selection works only at the object level. You can’t choose it while
at the sub-object level. If you go to a sub-object level while working with an isolated
object, you can click Exit Isolation, but you can’t isolate sub-objects.

176 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Interface
While the Isolate tool is active, a dialog labeled Warning: Isolated Selection
appears.

Exit Isolation Mode Click to end isolation, close the dialog, and unhide the
rest of the scene.
The views are restored to what they showed before you chose Isolate Selection.

Introduction to Sub-Object Selection
This is a general introduction to sub-object selection. For specific information,
see Editable Mesh on page 2190, Editable Patch on page 2374, Editable Poly on
page 2240, and Editable Spline on page 554; for a discussion of NURBS sub-object
selection, see Sub-Object Selection on page 2445.
When you model an object, often you edit a portion of its underlying
geometry, such as a set of its faces or vertices. Or when you are working with
a model, you may want to apply mapping coordinates to a portion of its
underlying geometry. Use the methods described in this topic to make
sub-object selections.

Introduction to Sub-Object Selection | 177

Left: A selection of face sub-objects
Middle: A selection of edge sub-objects
Right: A selection of vertex sub-objects

You can access sub-object geometry through a variety of methods. The most
common technique is to convert an object into "editable" geometry such as
a mesh, spline, patch, NURBS, or poly object. These object types let you select
and edit geometry at the sub-object level.
If you have a primitive object and want to retain control of its creation
parameters, you can apply a modifier such as Edit Mesh on page 1263, Edit Poly
on page 1274, Edit Spline on page 1368, Edit Patch on page 1271, or Mesh Select on
page 1445.
The Line Spline on page 518 and NURBS curves and surfaces are the exception:
you can edit their sub-objects as soon as you create these kinds of objects.
You choose a sub-object level in the stack display. Click the plus sign that
appears next to the name of an object that has sub-objects. This expands the
hierarchy, showing the available sub-object levels. Click a level to choose it.
The name of the sub-object level highlights in yellow, and the icon for that

178 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

sub-object level appears to the right of both its name and the name of the
top-level object.

Stack display shows the sub-object
hierarchy, letting you choose a sub-object
level.

Editing at the Sub-Object Level
When you edit an object at the sub-object level, you can select only
components at that level: vertices, edges, polygons, and so on. You can’t
deselect the current object, nor can you select other objects. To leave sub-object
editing and return to object-level editing, click the top-level name of the object
in the modifier stack, or click the highlighted sub-object level.

Introduction to Sub-Object Selection | 179

Click the top-level object name to exit
sub-object editing.

TIP You can also access sub-object levels from the buttons at the top of the
Selection rollout on the Modify panel.

Procedures
To make a sub-object selection:
These methods assume the object has sub-object levels. If the object has no
sub-object levels (for example, a primitive such as a sphere), the + icon is not
present. In that case, you need to collapse the object or apply an Edit modifier
before you can edit its sub-object geometry.
TIP When working with an editable poly or Edit Poly object, we highly recommend
that you use the Graphite Modeling tools on page 1978 instead of the Modify panel.
1 Select the object you want to edit.
2 If the object doesn’t already have sub-object levels, apply an Edit ...
modifier such as Edit Mesh.

3 Open the

Modify panel.

4 In the modifier stack, click
hierarchy.

(the + icon) to expand the object's

5 On the stack display, click a sub-object level such as Vertex, Edge, or Face.

180 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

TIP For a detailed selection, you might want to zoom in on the object.
6 Click one of the toolbar selection buttons, and then use the same selection
methods you’d use on objects to select the sub-object components. Or
from the quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant, choose one of the selection
methods and select the sub-object components.
There are two alternative ways to go to a sub-object level:

■

Select the object and go to the Modify panel. Then right-click the
object, and use the quad menu ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant ➤
Sub-objects submenu.

■

Choose the selection level using buttons on the Modify panel's
Selection rollout, if one is present for the type of object you're editing.

TIP Once you're at a sub-object level, the Insert key cycles through the levels of
other kinds of sub-objects.
To exit a sub-object level, do one of the following:
■

In the stack display, click the highlighted sub-object name or the top-level
name of the object.

■

If the object has a Selection rollout, click the button of the active sub-object
level to turn it off.

■

Right-click the object, and then in the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the
quad menu, choose Top-level.

■

Access a different command panel. This turns off sub-object editing.

If you think you’ve turned off sub-object editing but top-level object selection
is still not restored, it might be due to the following reasons:

■

Your selection is locked. Click the Lock Selection Set button on
the prompt line to turn it off.

Introduction to Sub-Object Selection | 181

■

You’ve set the Selection Filter on page 164 on the main toolbar to a specific
category of object, so you can’t select any of the other categories. To fix
this, select All in the Selection Filter list.

Selection Commands
Selection commands appear on the quad menu, on the main toolbar, on the
Edit menu, and on the status bar.
Main toolbar By default, important selection commands appear on the main
toolbar.
Edit menu The Edit menu contains selection commands that operate globally
on your objects.
Status bar The Selection Lock Toggle on page 8667 is located on the status bar.
Locking a selection is useful when you are doing a lot of editing on a selection,
and don't want to select something else by mistake.
The simplest method of selection is to turn on Select Object mode on page
183, and then click an object in a viewport (or drag to surround the object).
While the method is simple, it is not effective for selecting multiple objects,
especially in a crowded scene. Other tools let you select objects by name, filter
out the kinds of objects you want to select, and to create named selection sets
you can select repeatedly.
See also:
■

Transform Commands on page 850

■

Select And Manipulate on page 2868

■

Introducing Object Selection on page 150

■

Basics of Selecting Objects on page 155

■

Isolate Selection on page 176

■

Scene Explorer on page 8469

182 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Select Object
Main toolbar ➤

(Select Object)

Right-click to open quad menu. ➤ Transform quadrant ➤ Select
Select Object lets you select an objects and sub-objects for manipulation.
Object selection is affected by several other controls:
■

The active Selection Region type: Rectangular on page 192, Circular on page
193, Fence on page 194, Lasso on page 195, or Paint on page 195.

■

The active selection filter on page 200 (All, Geometry, Shapes, Lights, and
so forth).

■

The state of the crossing selection tool (which determines whether
completely surrounded objects or surrounded and crossing objects are
selected).

You can also select objects by name with the Select From Scene dialogSelect
From Scene on page 184 list; press the H key to access the dialog.
A number of objects selected together is called a selection set on page 163. You
can name selection sets in the Named Selection Sets field on the main toolbar
and then recall them for later use.
NOTE The Smart Select command activates the Select Object function and, with
repeated invocations, cycles through the available Selection Region methods. By
default, Smart Select is assigned to the Q key; you can use Customize User Interface
on page 8837 to assign it to a different keyboard shortcut, a menu, etc.

Procedures

NOTE
In versions of 3ds Max prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, holding
down the Ctrl toggled an object’s selection state. That is no longer the case. To
add an object to a selection, use Ctrl. To remove an object from a selection, use
Alt.

Select Object | 183

To add objects to a selection set:
➤

Hold down the Ctrl key and select the objects to add.
NOTE Adding objects doesn't change a named selection set.

To remove individual objects from a selection set:
➤

Hold down the Alt key and select the objects to remove.
NOTE Removing objects doesn't change a named selection set.

To select objects and move, rotate, or scale them:

■

Use Select And Move, Select And Rotate, or Select
And Scale, available from the main toolbar and the quad menu ➤
Transform quadrant.
When you rotate a selection set, the pivot of rotation depends on which
option is selected on the Use Center flyout on page 867 on the toolbar.
These tools are restricted to a specific axis or plane, which you can choose
from the Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627 or specify with the transform
gizmo on page 825.

Select From Scene
Main toolbar ➤

(Select By Name)

Keyboard ➤ H
Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤ Name
This dialog, named Select From Scene or Select Objects in most contexts, lets
you select or designate objects by choosing them from a list of all objects
currently in the scene. Select From Scene is a modal on page 9224, read-only
version of Scene Explorer on page 8469; you can’t use it to change object

184 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

properties such as name and color. Other differences between Select From
Scene and Scene Explorer include:
■

No hierarchy manipulation; you can’t link or unlink objects.

■

Hidden and frozen objects don’t appear in the list.

■

Because the dialog is modal, you must close it before continuing.

■

To select an object and close the dialog, double-click the object’s list entry.

■

All toggle settings such as Select Dependents, Display ➤ Children, and
the Display buttons persist. That means they survive Reset operations and
even quitting and restarting 3ds Max. This also applies to the position and
size of the dialog. To return all dialog settings to their defaults, delete this
file: [program folder]\plugcfg\DefaultModalSceneExplorer.ini.

Select From Scene | 185

NOTE The Select From Scene dialog name and functionality are context dependent.
When a transform such as Select And Move is active, the dialog lets you choose
from all objects in the scene. But when certain modes are active, the choices in
the dialog are more limited. For example, when Select and Link on page 3666 is
active, the dialog is entitled Select Parent, and shows linkable objects but not the
child object already selected. Similarly, if Group ➤ Attach is active, the dialog is
named Attach To Group and lists groups but not solitary objects.
TIP If you prefer to use the legacy Select Objects dialog instead of Select From
Scene, it’s available as an option. Open the CurrentDefaults.ini file (see
Market-Specific Defaults on page 8834), find the [Scene Explorer] section, and change
SelectByNameUsesSceneExplorer setting. If set to 1, then Select By Name and
related commands use the Select From Scene dialog. If set to 0, thenSelect By
Name and related commands use the legacy Select Objects dialog. The latter’s
functionality is essentially the same as the Selection Floater on page 187, except
that it’s modal, not modeless.
See also:
■

Selection Floater on page 187

Procedures
To select objects by name:
1 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Select By Name).

■

Choose Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤ Name.

■

Press H.
The Select From Scene dialog opens. By default, it lists all objects in
the scene, displaying any hierarchies as collapsible branches. Currently
selected objects are highlighted in the list.

2 Choose one or more objects in the list by doing one of the following:
■

To select a single object and close the dialog, double-click the object
name.

■

Drag, or click and then Shift+click to select a contiguous range of
objects and Ctrl+click to select noncontiguous objects.

186 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

■

In the field above the list, type a search phrase. As you type, all
matches for the current phrase are highlighted in the list. To highlight
only objects whose case matches the search phrase exactly, turn on
Find Case Sensitive (from the Select menu) .

NOTE In some cases, such as when linking objects, you can select only one
object.
3 Click Select.
The selection is made as the dialog closes.
To highlight a single item from among multiple highlighted items:
Clicking one list item among several highlighted items does not unhlighlight
the rest. When several items are highlighted, but you want to highlight only
one of them, do either of the following:
■

If any items are not highlighted, click one of them to remove highlighting
from the rest, and then highlight the one you want.

■

If all items are highlighted, the preceding method isn’t practical.
In that case, on the upper toolbar click Select None, and then highlight
the one you want.

Selection Floater
[Available only as a CUI action]
This modeless dialog lets you select objects in the scene. You can keep the
dialog open while you work in your scene, making it easier to select objects.
IMPORTANT The Selection Floater command is available only as a Customize
User Interface on page 8837 action; to use it you must first add it explicitly to the
user interface.
See also:
■

Scene Explorer on page 8469

Selection Floater | 187

Interface

[select objects field] Enter a name to highlight objects in the list whose names
begin with the text you specify.
Find Case Sensitive When on, the select objects field above the list is
case-sensitive. For example, if the list contains objects named apple and Apple
and Find Case Sensitive is on, typing “a” will highlight only the apple entry.
Also, sorts the list so uppercase names come before lowercase.
[objects list] Lists objects according to the current Sort and List Types choices.
Does not display hidden and frozen objects.

188 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

To highlight an object name in the list, click with the mouse. To highlight
multiple object names, drag, or click and then Ctrl+click or Shift+click, or use
the search field above the list. To select highlighted objects, click the Select
button.
Alternatively, you can highlight and select a single object in the list by
double-clicking its name.
After selecting objects, the dialog remains open until you close it explicitly.
All/None/Invert These buttons alter the pattern of selection in the list
window.
Influences When you highlight an object in the list window and then click
the Influences button, the selected object's influences on page 9193 are
highlighted as well.
Display Subtree Displays each item in the list so that its hierarchical branch
on page 9183 is included (for example, Thigh/Shin/Foot). Hierarchical branches
are indented.
Display Influences When this is on and you select an item in the list window,
all of its influences are shown in blue. If you want to highlight these influences,
click Influences.
Select Subtree When this is on and you select an item in the list window, all
of its hierarchical children are selected as well.
Select Dependents When this is on and you select an item in the list window,
all of its dependent on page 9134 objects are selected as well.Dependents include
instances, references, and objects sharing a common modifier (the same objects
that appear green when Show Dependencies is on in the View menu).
When both Select Subtree and Select Dependents are on, the subtree of any
newly selected node is first selected, and then the dependents are selected. In
other words, dependents of the subtree are selected, but not the subtrees of
all dependents.

Sort group
Lets you choose the sort order of the items displayed in the list. This option
is unavailable when Display Subtree is on; in that case, sorting is always
alphabetical.
Alphabetical Sorts from numeric characters at the top, then A to Z at the
bottom. When Find Case Sensitive is on, all upper-case names come before
lower-case names.

Selection Floater | 189

By Type Sorts by category, using the same order as the check boxes in the List
Types group.
By Color Sorts by object wireframe color. The sorting order is arbitrary; the
value of this option is that objects of the same color are grouped together.
By Size Sorts based on the number of faces in each object. The object with
the least number of faces is listed first, followed by objects with successively
greater number of faces.

List Types group
Determines the types of objects to display in the list.
All/None/Invert These buttons alter the pattern of activation of the List Types
options.

Selection Sets group
Lists any named selection sets on page 204 that you have defined in the scene.
When you choose a selection set from the drop-down list, 3ds Max highlights
its component objects in the main list.

Selection Region Flyout
Main toolbar ➤ Selection Region flyout
Edit menu ➤ Selection Region
The Selection Region flyout gives you five different ways to select objects
within a particular area or volume. Clicking and holding on the Selection
Region button opens a flyout containing the Rectangle on page 192, Circular
on page 193, Fence on page 194, Lasso on page 195, and Paint on page 195
Selection Region buttons, from top to bottom.

190 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Selection
Region
flyout

For the first four methods, you can select either objects that are completely
within the selection region (window method), or objects that are within or
touched by the selection shape (crossing method). Toggle between the window
and crossing selection methods by using the Window/Crossing toggle on page
197 on the main toolbar.
NOTE If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are
added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying
a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.
NOTE The Smart Select command activates the Select Object on page 183 function
and, with repeated invocations, cycles through the available Selection Region
methods. By default, Smart Select is assigned to the Q key; you can use Customize
User Interface on page 8837 to assign it to a different keyboard shortcut, a menu,
etc.

Procedures
To select using a region (general method):
1 Choose a Selection Region method from the flyout.
2 Drag in a viewport, then release the mouse. The first location you click
is one corner of the rectangle, and where you release the mouse is the
opposite corner.

Selection Region Flyout | 191

IMPORTANT If you're using Select Object on page 183, you can start dragging
anywhere to select a region: on an object or off. However, if you're using one
of the transform tools, such as Select and Move on page 851, start the drag
operation away from an object; that is, in an empty part of the viewport.
Otherwise, if you start dragging on an object, most likely 3ds Max will assume
you intend to select where you click and will begin the transform operation
immediately.
To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.

Rectangular Selection Region

Main toolbar ➤
Region flyout

(Rectangular Selection Region), on the Selection

Edit menu ➤ Selection Region ➤ Rectangular Region
Selects objects within a rectangular area.
You can use Rectangular to select either objects that are completely within
the selection region (window method), or objects that are either within or
touched by the selection shape (crossing method). Toggle between the window
and crossing selection methods by using the Window/Crossing toggle on page
197 on the main toolbar.
NOTE If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are
added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying
a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.

Procedures
To select using a rectangle:

1 Click

(Rectangular Selection Region).

192 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

2 Drag in a viewport, then release the mouse. The first location you click
is one corner of the rectangle, and where you release the mouse is the
opposite corner.
To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.

Circular Selection Region
Main toolbar ➤
flyout

(Circular Selection Region), on the Selection Region

Edit menu ➤ Selection Region ➤ Circular Region
Selects objects within a circular area.
You can use Circular to select either objects that are completely within the
selection region (window method), or objects that are either within or touched
by the selection shape (crossing method). Toggle between the window and
crossing selection methods by using the Window/Crossing toggle on page 197
on the main toolbar.
NOTE If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are
added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying
a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.

Procedures
To select using a circle:

1 Click

(Circular Selection Region).

2 Drag in a viewport, then release the mouse. The first location you click
is the center of the circle, where you release the mouse defines the circle's
radius.
To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.

Selection Region Flyout | 193

Fence Selection Region
Main toolbar ➤
flyout

(Fence Selection Region), on the Selection Region

Edit menu ➤ Selection Region ➤ Fence Region
Selects objects within an irregular “fence” shape.
You can use Fence to select either objects that are completely within the
selection region (window method), or objects that are either within or touched
by the selection shape (crossing method). Toggle between the window and
crossing selection methods by using the Window/Crossing toggle on page 197
on the main toolbar.
NOTE If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are
added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying
a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.

Procedures
To select using a fence:

1 Click

(Fence Selection Region).

2 Drag to draw the first segment of a polygon, then release the mouse
button.
A "rubber-band line" is now attached to the cursor, anchored at the point
of release.
3 Move the mouse and click to define the next segment of the fence. You
can make as many steps as you want.
4 To complete the fence, either click the first point, or double-click.
A pair of cross hairs appears when you're near enough to click the first
point. This creates a closed fence.
Double-clicking creates an open fence, which can select objects only by
the crossing method.
To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.

194 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Lasso Selection Region
Main toolbar ➤
flyout

(Lasso Selection Region), on the Selection Region

Edit menu ➤ Selection Region ➤ Lasso Region
Selects objects within a complex or irregular region with a single mouse action.
You can use Lasso to select either objects that are completely within the
selection region (window method), or objects that are either within or touched
by the selection shape (crossing method). Toggle between the window and
crossing selection methods by using the Window/Crossing toggle on page 197
on the main toolbar.
NOTE If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are
added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying
a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.

Procedures
To select using a lasso:

1 Click

(Lasso Selection Region).

2 Drag to draw a shape around the objects that should be selected, then
release the mouse button.
NOTE To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.

Paint Selection Region
Main toolbar ➤
flyout

(Paint Selection Region), on the Selection Region

Selection Region Flyout | 195

Edit menu ➤ Selection Region ➤ Paint Region
Lets you select objects by dragging the mouse over them.
To change the brush size, right-click the Paint Selection Region button, and
then, on the Preference Settings dialog ➤ General tab ➤ Scene Selection
group, change the Paint Selection Brush Size value on page 8891.
If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are added
to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying a
region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.
TIP You can also create custom tools for changing the brush size; choose Customize
menu ➤ Customize User Interface and set keyboard shortcuts or other user
interface items for the actions Paint Selection Size Up and Paint Selection Size
Down.
NOTE Paint Selection Region respects the Window/Crossing toggle on page 197.
If the toggle is set to Window on page 199 and the brush is smaller than an object
or sub-object to be selected, you won't be able to select the item. To resolve this,
enlarge the brush or choose Crossing on page 197.
NOTE With editable poly on page 2240 and Edit Poly on page 1274 objects, you can
also paint soft selections on page 1973 and deformation on page 2245.

Procedures
To select by painting a region:

1 Choose

(Paint Selection Region) from the flyout.

2 Drag over the objects to select, then release the mouse button. As you
drag, a circle showing the brush radius appears attached to the mouse.
NOTE To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.
3 To change the brush size, right-click the Paint Selection Region button,
and then, on the Preference Settings dialog ➤ General tab ➤ Scene
Selection group, change the Paint Selection Brush Size value on page 8891.
You can also set keyboard shortcuts for changing the brush size. To do
so, use the Paint Selection Size Up and Paint Selection Size Down action
items. See Keyboard Panel on page 8837.

196 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Window/Crossing Selection Toggle
Main toolbar ➤
Crossing selection or
(Window/Crossing toggle)

Window selection

Edit menu ➤ Region ➤ Window or Crossing
The Window/Crossing Selection toggle switches between window and crossing
modes when you select by region.
■

In Crossing mode, you select all objects or sub-objects within the region,
plus any objects or sub-objects crossing the boundaries of the region.

■

In Window mode, you select only the objects or sub-objectswithin the
selection.

TIP If you're making sub-object selections of faces and you select more faces than
you want, make sure you're in Window mode.
The Selection Region flyout on page 190 on the toolbar allows you to create
different-shaped selection boundaries.
3ds Max automatically saves the Window/Crossing setting in the 3dsmax.ini
on page 42 file.
NOTE You can automatically switch between Window and Crossing Region
Selection based on cursor movement direction. To set this up, choose Customize
➤ Preferences and on the General tab in the Scene Selection group turn on Auto
Window/Crossing Selection by Direction.

Crossing Selection
The default Crossing option selects objects within the selection region or
crossed by the border of the region.

Window/Crossing Selection Toggle | 197

Select Region Crossing selects objects within the window and also objects it crosses:
the trash can, bench, and streetlight.

To select objects within and crossed by a selection region:
1 Do one of the following:
■

Choose Edit ➤ Selection Region ➤ Crossing.

■

Click the Window/Crossing selection toggle to display the
Crossing icon.

2 On the main toolbar, click the Selection Region flyout on page 190 and

choose a method:

(Fence), or

198 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

(Rectangular),

(Lasso).

(Circular),

NOTE This setting also applies to
(Paint Selection Region), but in
this case the boundary is that of the brush, not the region. In other words,
when painting a region in Crossing mode, the brush selects every object or
sub-object it touches or encompasses.
3 Drag to specify the region and select the objects.

Window Selection
The Window option selects objects entirely within the selection region.

Select Region Window selects only those objects completely inside the window: the
trash can and bench.

Window/Crossing Selection Toggle | 199

To select objects within a selection region:
1 Do one of the following:
■

Choose Edit ➤ Selection Region ➤ Window.

■

Click the Window/Crossing selection toggle to display the
Window icon.

2 On the main toolbar, click the Selection Region flyout on page 190 and

choose a method:

(Fence), or

(Rectangular),

(Circular),

(Lasso).

NOTE This setting also applies to
(Paint Selection Region), but in
this case the boundary is that of the brush, not the region. In other words,
when painting a selection region, the brush must completely encompass an
object or sub-object to select it.
3 Drag to specify the region and select the objects.

Selection Filter List
Main toolbar ➤ Selection Filter
The Selection Filter list lets you restrict to specific types and combinations of
objects that can be selected by the selection tools. For example, if you choose
Cameras, you can select only cameras with the selection tools. Other objects
do not respond. When you need to select objects of a certain type, this is
useful as a quick method of freezing all other objects.

200 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Use the drop-down list to select a single filter. Choose Combos from the
drop-down list to use multiple filters from the Filter Combinations dialog on
page 201.

Filter Combinations Dialog
Main toolbar ➤ Selection Filter list ➤ Combos ➤ Filter Combinations
dialog
Use the Filter Combinations dialog to create your own custom combinations
of categories to add to the Selection Filters list on page 200.
You can also add specific types of objects, or Class IDs, to the list. For example,
you can set a filter that lets you select only Sphere primitives.

Procedures
To create a combination filter:
1 Open the Selection Filter list and choose Combos.
The Filter Combinations dialog appears.
2 Turn on one or more of the check boxes in the Create Combination
group.
3 Click the Add button.
The specified combination appears in the Current Combinations list to
the right as a combination of the first letters of each selected category.

Filter Combinations Dialog | 201

4 Click OK.
The new combo item appears at the bottom of the Select Filter list.
Combos are stored in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file, so they remain in
effect for all scenes through all sessions.
To delete a combination filter:
1 Open the Selection Filter list and choose Combos.
The Filter Combinations dialog appears.
2 Choose one or more of the combos in the Current Combinations list.
3 Click the Delete button.
4 Click OK.

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Interface

Filter Combinations Dialog | 203

Create Combination group
Geometry, Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps Choose the
category or categories you want included in the combination.
Add After choosing the categories to include in a combination, click this
button to place the categories, labeled with the categories' initials, in the
Current Combinations list, as well as at the bottom of the Selection Filter list.

Current Combinations group
Current Combinations list Lists current combinations. To delete one or more
combinations, choose them, and then click Delete.
Delete After choosing one or more combinations in the Current Combinations
list, click this button to delete them.

All Class ID group
Class ID list Lists all the available categories that can be added to custom
filters for display and selection. Highlight a category to add, then click Add.
Add After choosing a class to include in the filter list, click this button to place
the class in the Current Class ID Filter list, as well as at the bottom of the
Selection Filter list.

Current Class ID Filter group
Class ID list Lists current classes to filter. To delete a class, choose it, and then
click Delete.
Delete After choosing a class in the Current Class ID Filter list, click this button
to delete the class.

Named Selection Sets
Main toolbar ➤
(Edit Named Selection Sets) and the Named Selection
Sets text field and drop-down list
The Named Selection Sets list allows you to name a selection set and recall
the selection for later use. It supports selection sets both at the object level
and at sub-object levels. You edit named object-level selection sets with the

204 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Named Selections Sets dialog on page 206 and sub-object level sets with the
Edit Named Selections dialog on page 211.

A named selection set is removed from the list if all of its objects have been
deleted from the scene, or if all of its objects have been removed from the
named set in the Named Selections Sets dialog.
Selection set names are case sensitive at both the object level and at sub-object
levels.
You can transfer sub-object named selections from one level in the stack to
another. The Copy and Paste buttons let you copy named selections from one
modifier to another.
While at a specific sub-object level, such as Vertex, you can make selections
and name those selections in the Named Selection Sets field of the toolbar.
The named sets are specific to both the selection level and the level on the
stack.
Keep in mind the following restrictions:
■

You can transfer named selections only between the same type of sub-object
level. In other words, you can transfer named selections from vertex
sub-object to another vertex sub-object, but you can't transfer it to face or
edge sub-object level.

■

You must transfer the selection between modifiers that handle like
geometry. You can copy and paste between an editable mesh and a mesh
select modifier, but you can't copy and paste between a mesh select modifier
and an editable spline.

■

You can copy and paste between two modifiers in two different objects,
as long as you're at the same level and both modifiers handle the same
type of geometry.

■

If you change the topology of a mesh after creating a named selection
(such as deleting some vertices), the named selections will probably no
longer select the same geometry.

Procedures
To create a named selection set:
1 Select the objects you want to be in a set.

Named Selection Sets | 205

2 Type the name of the set in the Named Selection Sets field, and then
press Enter.
3 Whenever you want to access the selection, choose its name from the
Named Selection Sets drop-down list.
To select a named selection set, do one of the following:
1 To select a single item, click it in the list.
2 To select more than one item in the list, select one, and then select others
while holding down the Ctrl key.
3 To deselect single items after you've selected multiple items, hold down
the Alt key.

Named Selection Sets Dialog
Edit menu ➤ Manage Selection Sets

Main toolbar ➤

(Edit Named Selection Sets)

The Named Selection Sets dialog, available from the Edit menu and the toolbar,
is a modeless dialog on page 9224 that lets you create named selection sets or
select objects to add to (or remove from) a selection set, directly from the
viewport. The dialog also lets you organize your current named selection sets,
browse their members, delete or create new sets, or identify which named
selection sets a particular object belongs to.
NOTE This dialog applies to objects only. For editing sub-object named selection
sets, see Edit Named Selections Dialog on page 211.
See also:
■

Named Selection Sets on page 204

■

Using Named Selection Sets on page 163

■

Edit Named Selections Dialog on page 211

206 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Procedures
To create a named selection:
1 In the viewport, select the objects you want to gather as a selection set.

2 On the main toolbar, click
(Edit Named Selection Sets), or from
the main menu, choose Edit ➤ Manage Selection Sets.

3 On the Named Selection Sets dialog, click

(Create New Set).

4 Enter a name for the new selection set.
To add objects to a named selection set:

1 On the main toolbar, click
(Edit Named Selection Sets), or on the
main menu, choose Edit ➤ Manage Selection Sets.
2 Choose the named selection set in the dialog.
3 Select one or more objects in the viewport.

4 In the dialog, click

(Add Selected Objects).

To remove objects from a named selection set:

1 On the main toolbar, click
(Edit Named Selection Sets), or on the
main menu, choose Edit ➤ Manage Selection Sets.
2 Choose the named selection set in the dialog.
3 In the viewport, select the objects you want to remove.

4 In the dialog, click

(Subtract Selected Objects).

Named Selection Sets | 207

NOTE You can also remove objects by selecting them in the Named Selection
Sets dialog, then clicking

(Remove or pressing Delete.

To move an object from one set to another:

1 On the main toolbar, click
(Edit Named Selection Sets), or on the
main menu, choose Edit ➤ Manage Selection Sets.
2 In the Named Selection Sets dialog, expand the selection sets.
3 Drag an object from one set to another.
The object is moved into the second set. If you use Ctrl+drag, the object
will be copied into the second set.
TIP You can also copy the contents of an entire set into another, by dragging
them into the desired selection set.

To select objects in a set:
1 Highlight the set in the Named Selection Sets dialog.

2 Click
(Select Objects In Set) to select all of the objects in the
highlighted set.

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Interface

In the Named Selection Sets dialog, all of the current named selection sets are
displayed. By clicking the plus (+) or minus (-) icon, you can expand or collapse
(respectively) the object list for each set.
The buttons along the top of the dialog let you create or delete sets, add or
remove objects from a set, select objects (independently or as a selection set),
and see which named selection set(s) a particular object belongs to.

Create New Set Creates a new selection set, including any currently
selected objects as members.
NOTE If no objects are selected, an empty set is created.

Named Selection Sets | 209

Remove Removes the selected object or selection set.
NOTE Deleting an object or its selection set does not delete the object; it only
destroys the named set.

Add Selected Objects Adds the currently selected objects to the selected
named selection set.

Subtract Selected Objects Removes currently selected objects from the
selected named selection set.

Select Objects in Set Selects all members of the current named selection.

Select Objects by Name Opens the Select From Scene dialog on page
184, where you can select a group of objects. The selected objects can then be
added to or removed from any named selection set.

Highlight Selected Objects Highlights all of the named selection sets
that contain the current scene selection.
Status Bar Displays the current named selection
set, as well as what’s currently selected in the scene. If more than one object
is selected, the number of selected objects is displayed.

Right-click menu
Additional commands are available when you right-click in the Named
Selection Sets dialog.
Rename Lets you rename the selected set or object.
TIP You can rename objects or sets by pressing F2.
Cut Removes the selected object or set and stores it in a buffer for reuse with
the Paste command, similar to the Cut command in Windows.
TIP You can cut an object or set by pressing Ctrl+X.

210 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Copy Copies the selected object or set and stores it in a buffer for reuse with
the Paste command, similar to the Copy command in Windows.
TIP You can copy an object or set by pressing Ctrl+C.
Paste Adds a Cut or Copied object or set into another set.
TIP You can paste an object or set by pressing Ctrl+V.
Collapse All Collapses all expanded selection sets.
Expand All Expands all collapsed selection sets.
Create New Set Creates a new selection set, including any currently selected
objects as members.
Remove Removes the selected object or selection set.
Add Selected Objects Adds currently selected objects to the selected named
selection set.
Subtract Selected Objects Removes currently selected objects from the selected
named selection set.
Select Objects in Set Selects all members of the current named selection.
Select Objects by Name Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184, and adds
all objects selected there to the current named selection set.
Highlight Selected Objects Highlights all of the named selection sets that
contain the current scene selection.
Find Next Toggles through selection sets containing the selected object, when
used in collaboration with the Highlight Selected Objects command.
TIP You can use Ctrl+G to toggle through the sets.

Edit Named Selections Dialog
Make a sub-object selection. ➤ Edit menu ➤ Manage Selection Sets

Make a sub-object selection. ➤ Main toolbar ➤
Selection Sets)

(Edit Named

Named Selection Sets | 211

Edit Named Selections displays the Edit Named Selections dialog, letting you
manage named selection sets of sub-objects on page 177. Unlike the Named
Selection Sets dialog on page 206, which applies to objects only, it is a modal
dialog, which means that you must close it in order to work in other areas of
3ds Max. Also, you can work only with existing named sub-object selections;
you cannot use the dialog to create new selections.

Procedures
To edit named sub-object selections:
1 At a sub-object level, create one or more named selection sets on page
204.

2 On the main toolbar, click
(Edit Named Selection Sets), or on the
main menu, choose Edit ➤ Manage Selection Sets.
The Edit Named Selections dialog opens, listing all named selection sets
for the current sub-object level.
3 Use the dialog controls to edit the named selection sets.

212 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Interface

The dialog window lists all named selections at the current sub-object level.
The buttons beneath the windows let you delete, merge, and edit the listed
items. Use standard mouse-plus-keyboard methods (using Ctrl or Shift) to
highlight list items and designate them for subsequent operations.

Named Selection Sets | 213

To rename a set, click it in the list, and then edit its name in the one-line
window immediately below the list.
Combine Merges all objects from the highlighted selection sets into a single,
new selection set. Select two or more selection sets, and then click Combine
and enter a new name for the selection set. Use Delete to delete the original
sets.
Delete Deletes all highlighted items from the Named Selections window. This
affects only selection sets, not the sub-objects they refer to.
Subtract (A-B) Removes the sub-objects contained in one selection set from
another. Select one item in the Named Selections window, and then select
the other. The top highlighted item in the window is operand A, and the
bottom is operand B (regardless of the order of their selection). Click Subtract
(A-B) to subtract the sub-objects in the bottom item from those in the top
item. There must be some overlap between the two selection sets for this
command to have any effect.
Subtract (B-A) Subtracts the sub-objects in the top selected item from those
in the bottom item.
Intersection Creates a selection set that consists only of sub-objects that all
highlighted selection sets have in common. Highlight two or more items in
the Named Selections window, and then click Intersection. In the dialog that
appears, enter a new set name and click OK.

Select All
Edit menu ➤ Select All
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+A
This command selects all objects in the scene matching the current selection
filter type on page 200 on the main toolbar.

Select None
Edit menu ➤ Select None
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+D
This command deselects all objects in the scene conforming to the current
selection filter type on page 200 on the main toolbar.

214 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Select Invert
Edit menu ➤ Select Invert
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+I
This command inverts the current selection set. All objects not currently
selected are selected, and all objects currently selected are deselected, respecting
the current selection filter type on page 200 on the main toolbar.

Select Similar
Select one or more objects. ➤ Edit menu ➤ Select Similar
Select one or more objects. ➤ Right-click ➤ quad menu ➤ Transform
quadrant ➤ Select Similar
Select one or more objects. ➤ Ctrl+Q
Select Similar automatically selects all items that are “similar” to the current
selection. In general, this means that the objects must be on the same layer,
and have the same material (or no material) applied. The specific functionality
depends on the objects’ source:
■

Selects all items imported in the DWG format in the selected object's or
objects' layer that have the same style(s) on page 8094 or categories as defined
in AutoCAD Architecture (formerly known as ADT, or Architectural
Desktop), or the same families and types as defined in Revit. For example,
if you've imported or linked to a DWG file that contains walls in several
different styles, such as CMU-8, Concrete-8, and Stud-4, you could select
all CMU-8 wall segments in the same layer by selecting one and then
invoking Select Similar.
If you start by selecting multiple objects with different styles, Select Similar
will select all objects with those styles.

■

This command also applies to objects native to 3ds Max. It selects all objects
of the same type. This includes primitives and editable object types. For
example, if you add some boxes and cylinders, select one of the cylinders,
and then invoke Select Similar, all of the cylinders will be selected, but not
the boxes. If you then convert all of the objects to Editable Poly format
and repeat the test, all of the objects will be selected. If you then apply a
material to one of the objects or move it to a different layer, it’s no longer
“similar” to the rest and won’t be selected by Select Similar.

Select Invert | 215

Select By
Edit menu ➤ Select By
The Select By submenu on the Edit menu provides commands for selecting
objects in the scene by color, name, and other characteristics. It also gives
quick access to the various Region selection options.
See also:
■

Selection Tab on page 2132

Select By Color
Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤ Color
Select By Color lets you select all objects having the same color as the selected
object. Selection is made by wireframe color (see Object Color Dialog on page
300), rather than by any materials associated with the objects.
After you choose this command, click any object in the scene to determine
the color for the selection set.
TIP To select objects by material, use Schematic View on page 8507.

Select By Name (Edit Menu)
Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤ Name
Keyboard ➤ H
Select By Name lets you select objects by choosing them from a list of all
objects in the scene.
For a full description of the Select By Name function, see Select From Scene
on page 184.
TIP To select objects by material, use Select By Material on page 6064.

Select By Layer
Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤ Select By Layer

216 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Select By Layer lets you select all objects in one or more layers by picking them
from a list of all layers in the scene. Choosing this command opens the Select
By Layer dialog; use standard methods to highlight one or more layers, and
then click OK. The dialog closes, and all objects in the highlighted layer or
layers are selected.

Edit Commands
These commands on the Edit menu on page 8589 are for basic edit manipulations
of selections.
Undo and Redo work as in standard Windows applications. These commands
are available on the default main toolbar as well. 3ds Max also provides a
history of commands. Right-clicking the Undo or Redo buttons displays a list
of commands you can undo or redo. Not all operations are reversible using
Undo.
NOTE Viewport changes such as panning and zooming have a separate Undo
and Redo. See View-Handling Commands on page 106.
The Hold and Fetch command pair serves as an alternative to Undo and Redo.
Hold saves the current state of the scene. After using Hold, you can restore
that state at a later point by using Fetch. Sometimes, when you are about to
perform a risky operation, an alert prompts you to first use Hold.
3ds Max does not have the Cut or Paste functions found in many Windows
applications. The Delete command simply removes the selection from the
scene.

Undo/Redo
Quick Access toolbar on page 8585 ➤

(Undo) or

(Redo)

Edit menu ➤ Undo or Redo
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+Z (Undo) or Ctrl+Y (Redo)
The Undo command reverses the last operation, including selection actions
and those performed on selected objects. Redo reverses the last Undo operation.
Some actions cannot be undone: for example, applying the Collapse utility
or Reset Transform utility, or saving a file, which overwrites the previous

Edit Commands | 217

version. When you know an action cannot be undone, use Hold on page 219
first. Then if you want to undo it, use Fetch. Hold and Fetch are also commands
on the Edit menu on page 8589.
Afer you perform an action that is undoable, the Undo command on the Edit
menu shows the name of the function to be undone. After you undo an action,
the Redo command Edit menu shows the name of the function you can redo.
Undo and Redo are also available as buttons on the Quick Access toolbar. You
can click the Undo or Redo down-arrow to display a drop-down list that shows
the last operations performed. You can highlight and reverse any number of
these operations in sequence with the respective Undo or Redo command. By
default, there are 20 levels of Undo. You can change the number of levels with
the Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ General tab on page 8887 ➤ Scene Undo
group.

Undo/Redo and Object Creation
When you create an object, the Create operation is recorded by 3ds Max and
displayed next to the activated Undo command in the Edit menu. If you undo
the Create operation, the Create operation appears next to the activated Redo
command in the Edit menu. The Undo and Redo commands in the Edit menu
are unavailable when no valid operation was performed or recorded.

Procedures
To undo the most recent action:
Do one of the following:

■

Click

(Undo)..

■

Choose Edit menu ➤ Undo.

■

Press Ctrl+Z.

To undo several actions:

1 Click the

(Undo) drop-down arrow.

2 From the list, select the level where you want to return. You must choose
a continuous selection; you can’t skip over items in the list.
3 Click the Undo button.

218 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

To exit the list without performing an action, click the Cancel button,
or click somewhere outside of the list.
To redo an action, do one of the following:

1 Click

(Redo).

2 Edit menu ➤ Redo.
3 Press Ctrl+Y.
To redo several actions:

1 Click the

(Redo) drop-down arrow.

2 From the list, click the action to return to.
Your selection must be continuous: you can't skip over any items in the
list.
3 Click the Redo button.
To exit the list without performing an action, click the Cancel button or
click somewhere outside of the list.

Hold/Fetch
Edit menu ➤ Hold or Fetch
Hold saves the scene and its settings to a disk-based buffer. Fetch restores the
contents of the buffer stored by the previous Hold command. The information
stored includes geometry, lights, cameras, the viewport configuration, and
selection sets.
Use Hold before you perform an operation that might not work as expected,
that is new or unfamiliar to you, or that cannot be undone. If the results aren't
as expected, you can use Fetch to return to the point where you chose Hold.
TIP Also use Save or Save As before you perform an operation that cannot be
undone: for example, applying the Reset Transform utility.

Hold/Fetch | 219

If you experience an unexpected end of operation or crash after you perform
Hold, you can retrieve your scene from the buffer with the Fetch command
after you restart 3ds Max.

Additional Details
■

The Hold buffer is a temporary file (maxhold.mx) in the directory specified
by the AutoBackup path on the Configure User Paths dialog ➤ File I/O
panel on page 8875.

■

Fetch also deletes all operations recorded in the Undo and Redo History
lists.

Delete
Make a selection. ➤ Edit menu ➤ Delete
Make a selection. ➤ Keyboard ➤ Delete
The Delete command deletes the current selection from the model.
The Undo command on page 217 can restore the deleted selection to the model.
(Undo is also available as a button on the Quick Access toolbar on page 8585.)
NOTE Actively file-linked objects on page 8014 cannot be deleted.

220 | Chapter 4 Selecting Objects

Object Properties

5

The Object Properties dialog, available from the Edit and right-click menus, lets you view and
edit parameters for how selected objects behave in viewports and renderings. Note that you
cannot necessarily edit all properties; parameters that apply to renderable geometry are
unavailable for non-renderable objects. However, parameters that apply to any object, such
as Hide/Unhide, Freeze/Unfreeze, Trajectory, and so on, remain available for these
non-renderable objects.
With the Object Properties dialog you can specify settings per object or by layer on page 9114.
Object settings affect only the object or objects selected. When an object is set to By Layer,
it inherits its properties from the layer settings, which you set with the Layer Properties dialog
on page 8548.
The Object Properties dialog panels are:
■

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) on page 221

■

Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog) on page 232

■

mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog) on page 236

■

User Defined Panel (Object Properties Dialog) on page 240

Object Properties Dialog Panels
The Object Properties dialog has four panels for managing properties.

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog)
Edit menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤ General panel

221

Select object or objects. ➤ Right-click. ➤ Transform (lower-right) quadrant
of the quad menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤ General
panel
Layer manager ➤ Click the icon next to an object's name. ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ General panel
This panel of the Object Properties dialog displays general object information,
as well as controls for rendering the object and displaying it in viewports.

222 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Interface

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 223

Object Information group
This group displays information about the selected object, including the
following:
Name Shows the name of the object. When a single object is selected, you
can edit this field to give the object a new name. When multiple objects are
selected, this field shows "Multiple Selected," and cannot be edited.
Color The color swatch shows the object's color. You can click it to display
the Object Color dialog on page 300 and select a different color.
Dimensions Displays the X, Y, and Z dimensions of the object's extents on
page 9151.
Vertices and Faces Display the number of vertices and faces in the object.
For shapes on page 506, these values are the values used if you have made the
shape renderable. Faces for renderable shapes are generated only at rendering
time.
Shape Vertices and Shape Curves Appear only for shape objects. Shape
Vertices is the number of vertices in the shape, and Shape Curves is the number
of polygons. (Shape Curves is the value that appeared as "Polygons" in previous
releases.)
These values can change over time: they are valid only for the current frame
and the current view.
Parent Displays the name of the object's parent in a hierarchy. Shows "Scene
Root" if the object has no hierarchical parent.
Material Name Displays the name of the material assigned to the object.
Displays "None" if no material is assigned.
Num. Children Displays the number of children hierarchically linked to the
object.
In Group/Assembly Displays the name of the group or assembly to which
the object belongs. Displays "None" if the object is not part of a group.
Layer Displays the name of the layer which the object is assigned to.

Interactivity Group
Hide Hides the selected object or objects.
Hidden objects exist in the scene, but do not appear in the viewports or
rendered images. To unhide hidden objects, use the Display panel on page
8805 or choose Tools ➤ Display Floater on page 8805.

224 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

NOTE Objects residing on a hidden layer are automatically hidden, regardless of
this setting.
TIP The Layer Manager on page 8537 is the easiest way to hide groups of objects
or layers.
Freeze Freezes the selected object or objects.
Frozen objects appear in the viewports, but cannot be manipulated. To unfreeze
frozen objects, use the Display panel on page 8805 or choose Tools ➤ Display
Floater on page 8805.
NOTE Objects residing on a frozen layer are automatically frozen, regardless of
this setting.
TIP The Layer Manager on page 8537 is the easiest way to freeze groups of objects
or layers.

Display Properties group
NOTE Most of these options are also available on the Display panel on page 8805
and by choosing Tools ➤ Display Floater on page 8805.
By Object/By Layer Toggles between setting display properties on a per-object
basis and at the layer level. When set to By Layer, the object display properties
are unavailable; set the layer properties on the Layer Properties dialog on page
8548.
NOTE If multiple objects are selected and have different values for this setting,
this button reads “Mixed.”
See-Through Makes the object or selection translucent in viewports. This
setting has no effect on rendering: it simply lets you see what is behind an
object in a crowded scene, and especially to adjust the position of objects
behind the see-through object. Default=off.
You can customize the color of see-through objects by using the Colors panel
on page 8860 of the Customize ➤ Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.
Keyboard shortcut (default): Alt+X

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 225

Display as Box Toggles the display of selected objects, both 3D objects and
2D shapes, as bounding boxes on page 9113. Produces minimum geometric
complexity for rapid display in viewports. Default=off.

Backface Cull Toggles the display of faces with normals on page 9237 that point
away from the view. When on, you see through the wireframe to the backfaces.
Applies only to wireframe viewports. Default=off.

Edges Only Toggles the display of hidden edges and polygon diagonals on
page 9136. When on, only outside edges appear. When off, all mesh geometry

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appears. Applies to Wireframe viewport display mode, as well as other modes
with Edged Faces turned on.
NOTE This option is also available in the Display panel on page 8805 and by choosing
Tools ➤ D isplay Floater on page 8805.

Vertex Ticks Displays the object's vertices as tick marks. Default=off.

Trajectory Displays the object's trajectory on page 9332. Default=off.

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 227

Ignore Extents When on, this object is ignored when you use the display
controls Zoom Extents on page 8733 and Zoom Extents All on page 8726.
Keyboard shortcut: No default, but you can customize it using the Keyboard
panel on page 8837 of the Customize ➤ Customize User Interface dialog on
page 8837.
Show Frozen in Gray When on, the object turns gray in viewports when you
freeze it. When off, viewports display the object with its usual color or texture
even when it is frozen. Default=on.
Never Degrade When on, the object is not subject to adaptive degradation
on page 9084.
Vertex Channel Display For editable mesh on page 2190, editable poly on page
2240, and editable patch on page 2374 objects, displays the assigned vertex colors
in viewports. The drop-down list lets you choose to display Vertex Color,
Vertex Illumination, Vertex Alpha, Map Channel Color, or Soft Selection
Color. Default=off.
You can assign vertex colors at all sub-object levels except Edge.
Map Channel Sets the map channel for the vertex color. Available only when
the Map Channel Color option is active.

Shaded When on, shaded viewports add shading to the vertex coloring. When
off, colors are unshaded. Default=off.

Rendering Control group
By Object/By Layer Toggles between setting rendering controls on a per-object
basis and at the layer level. When set to By Layer, the object rendering control
settings are unavailable; set the layer properties on the Layer Properties dialog
on page 8548.
NOTE If multiple objects are selected and have different values for this setting,
this button reads “Mixed.”

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Visibility Controls the rendered visibility of the object. At 1.0, the object is
fully visible. At 0.0, the object is completely invisible when rendered.
Default=1.0.
You can animate this parameter. Animating Visibility assigns a visibility
controller to the object. By default this is a Bezier float controller on page 3462.
Renderable Makes an object or selected objects appear or disappear from
rendered output. Nonrenderable objects don't cast shadows or affect the visual
component of the rendered scene. Like dummy objects, nonrenderable objects
can manipulate other objects in the scene.
For lights, this is the only available control in the Rendering Controls group.
Making a light non-renderable effectively turns it off.
Shape on page 506 objects have the Renderable option turned on by default.
In addition, each shape has an Enable In Renderer parameter. When both
check boxes are on, the shape appears in rendered output. If the Renderable
object properties setting is off, the shape is not renderable, regardless of the
state of its local Enable In Renderer check box.
If you apply a modifier that converts the shape into a mesh object, such as a
Lathe modifier on page 1418 or Extrude modifier on page 1369, the shape
automatically becomes renderable regardless of the state of its local Enable In
Renderer setting.
Inherit Visibility Causes the object to inherit a percentage of the visibility
of its parent (as determined by the parent's Visibility track in Track View).
When a group parent is assigned a visibility track, Inherit Visibility is
automatically turned on for all children in the group. The children will have
the maximum visibility of the parent. Transparent materials and hidden objects
have no effect on this function.
Visible to Camera When on, the object is visible to cameras in the scene.
When off, cameras do not view this object; however, its shadows and
reflections are rendered. Default=on.
Visible to Reflection/Refraction When on, the object has “secondary”
visibility: it appears in rendered reflections and refractions. When off, the
object does not appear in rendered reflections or refractions. Default=on.
NOTE An object can have Visible To Camera on but Visible To Reflection/Refraction
off, in which case the object renders in the scene but does not appear in reflections
or refractions.
Receive Shadows When on, the object can receive shadows. Default=on.
Cast Shadows When on, the object can cast shadows. Default=on.

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 229

Apply Atmospherics When on, atmospheric effects are applied to the object.
When off, atmospheric effects do not change the rendered appearance of this
object. Default=on.
Render Occluded Objects Allows special effects to affect objects in the scene
that are occluded by this object. The special effects, typically applied by
plug-ins on page 9270 such as Glow on page 7531, use G-buffer on page 9173 layers
to access occluded objects. Turning on this control makes the object
transparent for the purposes of special effects. This makes no difference when
you render to most image files. When you render to either the RLA on page
8453 or RPF on page 8455 file format, however, occluded objects appear with the
effect applied on their designated G-buffer layer. Default=off.

G-Buffer group
Allows you to tag an object as a target for a render effect on page 7515 based on
the G-buffer on page 9173 channel. Assigning the object a nonzero ID creates a
G-buffer channel that can be associated with a render effect.
The Object ID property is also used with the Multi/Sub-Map shader on page
6834, and can be displayed in the Rendered Frame Window when rendering to
RLA on page 8453 and RPF on page 8455 formats.
WARNING The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not recognize Z-depth with
G-buffers. G-buffer data is saved on a single layer. Also, the mental ray renderer
does not support the following effects:
■

Glow lens effect on page 7531 (rendering effect)

■

Ring lens effect on page 7538 (rendering effect)

■

Lens effects Focus filter on page 7801 (Video Post)

Object ID Setting Object ID to a nonzero value means that the object will
receive the rendering effects associated with that channel in Render Effects
and the post-processing effects associated with that channel in Video Post.
To save the channel data with the rendering, render to either the RLA on page
8453 or RPF on page 8455 file format.

Motion Blur group
By Object/By Layer Toggles between setting motion blur properties on a
per-object basis and at the layer level. When set to By Layer, the motion blur
settings are unavailable; set the layer properties on the Layer Properties dialog
on page 8548.

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NOTE If multiple objects are selected and have different values for this setting,
this button reads “Mixed.”
Multiplier Affects the length of the motion-blur streak.
If you choose either form of motion blur here in the Object Properties dialog,
you must also choose to apply that type of blur in the Render Setup dialog on
page 6956.
The rendering speed of object motion blur depends on the complexity of the
geometry to which it's assigned. The rendering speed of image motion blur
depends on the amount of rendered screen space taken up by the blurring
object. In most cases image motion blur renders more quickly. Object motion
blur renders more quickly when applied to very simple objects, and image
motion blur renders more slowly when the object takes up a lot of screen
space, and moves all the way across the screen in a single frame.

Changing the Object Blur Multiplier value.

Enabled When on, enables motion blur for this object. When off, motion
blur is disabled regardless of the other blur settings. Default=on.
You can animate the Enabled check box. The main use of animating Enable
is to apply motion blur over only a limited range of frames. This can save a
tremendous amount of time when you are rendering an animation.
You can enable motion blur for lights and cameras. With the mental ray
renderer, moving lights and cameras can generate motion blur. However, they
do not generate motion blur with the default scanline renderer.
■

NoneTurns off the state of motion blur for the object.

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 231

■

ObjectObject motion blur on page 9242 provides a time-slice blur effect.

■

ImageImage motion blur on page 9190 blurs the object's image based on the
velocity of each pixel.

Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog)
Select object or objects. ➤ Edit menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ Advanced Lighting panel
Select object or objects. ➤ Right-click. ➤ Transform (lower-right) quadrant
of the quad menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤
Advanced Lighting panel
Layer manager ➤ Click the icon next to an object's name. ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ Advanced Lighting panel
This panel of the Object Properties dialog lets you customize how objects
behave under advanced lighting (the Light Tracer on page 7055 or radiosity on
page 7068).

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Interface

Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 233

Selection Information rollout
Num. Geometric Objects The number of geometric objects present in the
current selection.
Num. Light Objects The number of lights present in the current selection.

Geometric Object Radiosity Properties rollout
Exclude from Adv. Lighting Calculations When on, the current selection
is excluded from advanced lighting (radiosity or light tracing). Objects excluded
from advanced lighting will not contribute to indirect illumination.
By Object/By Layer Toggles between object settings and object layer settings.
Object settings affect only the object or objects selected. Object layer settings
affect all objects on the same layer as the selected object. Most settings on this
rollout are available only when this toggle is set to By Object. Default=By
Object.
NOTE If multiple objects with different settings are selected, this button will read
“Mixed.”

Adv. Lighting General Properties group
Cast Shadows Determines whether objects will cast shadows in the radiosity
solution.
NOTE When disabling Cast Shadows, you should also turn off Diffuse (reflective &
translucent) and Specular (transparent) in the Radiosity-only Properties group. If
these switches are left turned on, objects will still generate light that can produce
artifacts in the solution.
Receive Illumination Determines whether objects will receive indirect
illumination.
Num. Regathering Rays Multiplier Lets you adjust the number of rays cast
by this object, per pixel. If an object looks “blotchy” after rendering, Increasing
this value can improve its appearance. Default=1.0.
TIP Increasing this setting is most useful for objects with large, smooth surfaces.
More complex geometry tends not to show advanced lighting artifacts as much
as smooth surfaces do.

Radiosity-only Properties group
Diffuse (reflective & translucent) When on, the radiosity solution will process
diffuse reflection and translucency on page 9337 of the selected objects.

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Specular (transparent) When on, radiosity will process transparency of the
selected objects.
Exclude from Regathering When on, objects are excluded from the
regathering process when rendering.
For more information on the Radiosity-only Properties group, see Radiosity
Control Panel on page 7087.

Object Subdivision Properties group
Use Global Subdivision Settings When on, the object's meshing settings
correspond to the global subdivision settings on the Radiosity Control Panel.
When off, you can change the meshing settings for each object. Default=on.
■

SubdivideWhen on, a radiosity mesh is created for the objects regardless
of the global meshing state. The subdivision that is performed is determined
by the Use Adaptive Subdivision switch. When off, the settings in the Mesh
Settings group are unavailable. Default=on.

■

Use Adaptive SubdivisionToggles adaptive subdivision. Default=on.
TIP Adaptive meshing is computed for an object only if Shoot Direct Lights is
turned on in the Radiosity Meshing Parameters rollout on page 7099.
NOTE The Mesh Settings group parameters Contrast Threshold, Min Mesh
Size, and Initial Mesh Size are available only when Use Adaptive Subdivision is
turned on.

Mesh Settings group
Max Mesh Size The size of the largest faces after adaptive subdivision.
Default=36” for imperial units and 100cm for metric units.
When Use Adaptive Subdivision is off, Max Mesh Size sets the size of the
radiosity mesh in world units.
Min Mesh Size Faces are not divided smaller than the minimum mesh size.
Default=3 inches for Imperial units and 10cm for metric units.
Contrast Threshold Faces that have vertex illuminations that differ by more
than the Contrast Threshold setting are subdivided. Default=75.0.
Initial Mesh Size When improving the face shape, faces that are smaller than
the Initial Mesh Size are not subdivided. The threshold for deciding whether
a face is poorly shaped also gets larger as the face size is closer to the Initial
Mesh Size. Default=12 inches for Imperial units and 30cm for metric units.

Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 235

_____
Radiosity Refine Iterations The number of refine iterations in the radiosity
process for the current selection.
Iterations Done The number of refine iterations performed on the current
selection.

Light Object Radiosity Properties rollout
These options are available only for light objects.
Exclude from Radiosity Processing When on, the current selection is excluded
from the radiosity solution. When lights are excluded from radiosity, their
direct contribution is only used for rendering. This option is available only
when By Object is selected.
By Object/By Layer Toggles between object settings or object layer settings.
Object settings affect only the object or objects selected. Object layer settings
affect all objects on the same layer as the selected object.
NOTE If multiple objects are selected and have different settings, this button reads
“Mixed.”
Store Direct Illumination in Mesh When on, the light’s direct illumination
is added to the radiosity mesh, even if the global rendering mode is Render
Direct Illumination. This is comparable to the Re-Use Direct Illumination
option when rendering radiosity, but only for this particular light.
When off, the light's direct illumination is used only when you render the
scene. This is comparable to the Render Direct Illumination option.
for more information about the Re-Use Direct Illumination and Render Direct
Illumination options, see Rendering Parameters Rollout (Radiosity) on page
7107. In general, re-using direct illumination stored in the radiosity mesh
improves render time, but shadows appear coarse and inaccurate unless the
mesh is very fine. Rendering direct illumination and shadows (using the
radiosity mesh to provide only indirect light) takes more time but gives you
a more finished and accurate image.

mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog)
Edit menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤ mental ray
panel

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Select object or objects. ➤ Right-click. ➤ Transform (lower-right) quadrant
of the quad menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤ mental
ray panel
Layer manager ➤ Click the icon next to an object's name. ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ mental ray panel
This panel of the Object Properties dialog supports mental ray rendering;
specifically, the indirect illumination features caustics on page 7154 and global
illumination on page 7160. They control whether objects generate or receive
caustics or global illumination.
These settings are ignored where they aren't appropriate. For example, lights
can be set to generate caustics, but for a light, the Receive Caustics setting has
no effect, as lights aren't renderable. Similarly, these settings have no meaning
for cameras.
Also available on this panel are controls for setting displacement parameters
on a per-object basis.
TIP Most of these settings, as well as additional rendering-related settings, are
also available on the quad menu that opens when you Alt+Ctrl+right-click a selected
object.

mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 237

Interface

The mental ray panel contains object properties for the mental ray renderer.

Final Gather group
These settings let you specify how an object interacts with the final gather
process.
When Object is Hit by a Final Gather Ray
■

Return Object Color (Physically Correct)Returns the object’s material color
at the point that the final gather ray intersects it, and contributes to final
gather illumination. This is the default mode.

■

Return BlackBlocks final gather rays, returning no color, thus not shading
the object at all.

238 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

■

Pass through (Invisible to FG)Prevents the final gather process from seeing
the object during ray casting. This is useful for ignoring the light
contribution from small, complex objects like blades of grass. The final
gather rays pass through and strike the underlying object, such as a ground
plane that is easier to shade.

Receive Illumination from Final Gather When on, the object is subject to
illumination from final gather rays. When off, the object is not illuminated
by final gather rays. Default=on.

Caustics and Illumination group
These settings determine whether and how the object participates in the
simulation of caustics and global illumination (photons). To use these
capabilities, the respective check boxes must also be enabled on the Render
Setup dialog's Caustics And Global Illumination rollout on page 7224.
Exclude from Caustics When on, the object does not participate in the
caustics solution. When off, the additional caustics-related object properties
are available. Default=off.
Generate Caustics When on, the object can generate caustics. When off, the
object does not generate caustics. Default=off.
Receive Caustics When on, the object can receive caustics. That is, caustic
effects are cast onto this object. When off, the object does not receive caustics.
Default=on.
Exclude from GI When on, the object does not participate in the
global-illumination solution. When off, the additional
global-illumination-related object properties are available. Default=off.
Generate Global Illumination When on, the object can generate global
illumination. When off, the object does not generate global illumination.
Default=off.
Receive Global Illumination When on, the object can receive global
illumination. That is, reflected light is cast onto this object. When off, the
object does not receive global illumination. Default=on.

Displacement group
These settings let you apply displacement parameters on a per-object basis.
Use Global Settings When on, applies to all objects the Displacement settings
on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Shadows and Displacement
rollout on page 7209. Turn off to make settings on a per-object basis. Default=on.

mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 239

View-Dependent Defines the space for displacement. When View-Dependent
is on, the Edge Length setting specifies the length in pixels. When off, Edge
Length is specified in world-space units. Default=on.
Smoothing Turn off to have the mental ray renderer correctly render height
maps. Height maps can be generated by normal mapping; see Creating and
Using Normal Bump Maps on page 7320.
When on, mental ray simply smoothes the geometry using the interpolated
normals, making the geometry look better. This result, however, cannot be
used for height map displacement because smoothing affects geometry in a
way that is incompatible with height mapping.
Edge Length Defines the smallest allowable edge length. The mental ray
renderer will stop subdividing an edge once it reaches this size. Default=2.0
pixels.
Max. Displace Controls the maximum offset, in world units, that can be
given to a vertex when displacing it. This value can affect the bounding box
of an object. Default=20.0.
TIP If displaced geometry appears to be “clipped,” try increasing the value of
Maximum Displace.
NOTE When using placeholders (see the Translator Options rollout on page 7240),
if this value is larger than it needs to be, it can reduce performance. If you
experience slow times while displaced objects when Use Placeholder Objects is
on, try lowering the Max. Displace value.
Max. Level Controls how many times a triangle can be subdivided. Default=6.

User Defined Panel (Object Properties Dialog)
Edit menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤ User Defined
panel
Select object or objects. ➤ Right-click. ➤ Transform (lower-right) quadrant
of the quad menu ➤ Object Properties ➤ Object Properties dialog ➤ User
Defined panel
Layer manager ➤ Click the icon next to an object's name. ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ User Defined panel
This panel of the Object Properties dialog lets you enter properties or comments
that you define yourself.

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Interface

User Defined Panel (Object Properties Dialog) | 241

User Defined Properties In this text box, you can enter properties for the
object, or comments about it, that you define yourself. 3ds Max doesn't use
these properties, but it saves them with the scene, and they reappear whenever
you view the Object Properties dialog for the object.

Rename Objects Tool
Tools menu ➤ Rename Objects
The Rename Objects tool helps you rename several objects at once.

Interface

Selected When chosen, renaming affects currently selected objects.

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Pick Click to open the Pick Objects To Rename dialog, which lets you choose
the objects to rename. This dialog has the same controls as Select From Scene
on page 184.
Base Name Enter a base name for all objects. The toggle enables or disables
this name.
Prefix When on, lets you enter a string that will be a prefix to the name of
all renamed objects.
Remove First N Digits When on, the first N characters in the base name are
removed from object names. The spinner sets the value of N.
Suffix When on, lets you enter a string that will be a suffix to the name of all
renamed objects.
Remove Last N Digits When on, the last N characters in the base name are
removed from object names. The spinner sets the value of N.
Numbered When on, lets you number object names incrementally.
■

Base NumberThe base number appended to the name of the first renamed
object.

■

StepThe step by which the base number is incremented in succeeding
renamed objects.

Rename Click to rename the affected objects and have your changes take
effect.

Custom Attributes
Animation menu ➤ Parameter Editor
Keyboard ➤ Alt+1
Use the Parameter Editor to assign custom attributes to objects, modifiers,
materials, and animation tracks. A custom attribute is an additional, abstract
parameter; abstract in the sense that it does not directly extend the
functionality of the object by default. It affects an object only after wire
parameters on page 3645, reaction controllers on page 3559, or expression
controllers on page 3486 are set up to connect the custom attribute to another
parameter in the scene. You can also use custom attributes to store job-specific
notes and data.

Custom Attributes | 243

Custom attributes behave like other object parameters in several ways:
■

They are saved and loaded in the scene file along with the object.

■

They can be animated and keyframed.

■

They are displayed in Track View along with the base parameters.

Each custom attribute parameter can be one of a number of different data
types, including integers, floating numbers, Booleans, arrays, nodes, colors,
and texture maps. Parameters added to an object or modifier appear on a
Custom Attributes rollout on the Modify panel. For each custom attribute
parameter you create, you can specify the name, layout, value range, default
value, and UI type: spinner or slider for floats and integers, check box for
Booleans, etc.
As you customize an attribute, the result is displayed on the Testing Attribute
rollout at the bottom of the dialog.
NOTE If an object with custom attributes is placed in a container on page 7855,
those attributes are retained in the inherited container. The inheritor of the
container can unlock attribute values and edit them locally, but any locally added
attributes to the same definition will be lost upon updating on page 7888 the
container.
See also:
■

Parameter Collector on page 260

■

Attribute Holder Modifier on page 1102

Custom Attributes Special Features
The Custom Attributes feature offers an array of workflow-enhancing
functionality, including:
■

the ability to add custom attributes to specific animation tracks.

■

the ability to edit existing custom attributes.

■

13 available data types.

■

a variety of available UI options, such as ComboBox and ListBox for the
Array data type.

■

the ability to position UI elements precisely with X and Y Offset controls.

244 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

■

the ability to preserve custom attributes on page 8793 when collapsing the
stack.

■

A special Attribute Holder modifier on page 1102 that lets you collect
attributes from different entities and access them in one place on the
Modify panel.

Procedures
To add a parameter to an object:
1 Select the object.
2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Parameter Editor.
The Parameter Editor opens.
3 Change settings as desired.
4 Click Add.
The parameter is added to the level specified in the Add To Type list. If
an object has no custom attributes, Parameter Editor first adds a Custom
Attributes entry to the current Add To Type level, and then adds the
parameter to the Custom Attributes entry. If an object has more than
one Custom Attributes entry as a result of collapsing its stack, the
parameter is added to the first Custom Attributes entry.
If a custom attribute parameter is assigned to an object or modifier, you
can see and edit its value on the Modify panel after adding it by activating
the entity to which the attribute is assigned. If the custom attribute is
assigned to a material, it's available for that material in the Material Editor,
on the Custom Attributes rollout. To access a parameter that's assigned
to an animation track, open Track View, highlight the track's Custom
Attributes entry, and then right-click and choose View Attribute Dialog.
To edit a parameter or custom attribute:
1 Select the object.
2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Parameter Editor.
The Parameter Editor opens.

Custom Attributes | 245

3 From the Add To Type drop-down list, choose the type of parameter to
edit, and then click Edit/Delete.
The Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog opens.

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NOTE If you chose Add To Type ➤ Picked Track, the Track View Pick dialog
might open first to prompt you to choose the animation track whose attribute
to edit.
4 In the Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog, highlight the parameter to edit.
Its settings appear in the Parameter Editor.
5 Change the settings in the Parameter editor, and then click Accept
Parameter changes.
6 With multiple parameters or custom attributes, to change the ordering,
click the entity to move, and then use the up and down arrow buttons
to move the entity in the list. Moving a Custom Attributes entry also
moves its parameters.
NOTE You cannot rename a Custom Attributes entry.

Custom Attributes | 247

7 When finished editing, click Apply Changes, and then exit the dialog by
clicking the Close or Cancel button.
To delete a custom attribute or parameter:
1 Select the object.
2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Parameter Editor.
The Parameter Editor opens.
3 From the Add To Type drop-down list, choose the type of parameter to
delete, and then click Edit/Delete.
The Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog opens.
NOTE If you chose Add To Type ➤ Picked Track, the Track View Pick dialog
might open first to prompt you to choose the animation track from which
to delete the attribute.
4 In the Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog, highlight the parameter to delete,
and then click Delete Parameter. Alternatively, to delete all parameters
under the same Custom Attributes heading as the highlighted parameter,
click Delete All Parameters.
To delete one or more custom attributes instead, click a Custom Attributes
heading, and then click Delete Attribute or Delete All Attributes. Multiple
attributes can result from collapsing an object's stack with Preserve Custom
Attributes on. For example, one set of custom attributes might be applied
to an object and a second set of attributes assigned to one of its modifiers.
Collapsing such an object results in two sets of custom attributes.
5 Click Apply Changes, and then close the dialog by clicking its Close box
or the Cancel button.

Interface
The Parameter Editor takes the form of a dialog with several rollouts: The first
rollout sets general options for the attribute; the central rollout sets options
for the current parameter type; and the third lets you preview the attribute
user interface (UI).

248 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Attribute rollout

Add to Type group
Add to Type list Choose whether the custom attribute is assigned to the
selected object, its active modifier (as highlighted in the modifier stack), its
material, or a picked track. Also use this drop-down list to choose the attribute
type to delete or edit.

Custom Attributes | 249

If the text “Pick Explicit Track” appears in the box below the drop-down list
before you choose Picked Track , the Track View Pick dialog appears showing
the Track View hierarchy. Expand the hierarchy as necessary, click the track
to add the attribute to, and then click OK.
NOTE If you choose Selected Object's Current Modifier and multiple modifiers
are highlighted in the stack when you click Add, Parameter Editor applies the
custom attribute to the first modifier you highlighted and removes the highlighting
from the other modifiers.

Pick Explicit Track Click this button to open a Track View hierarchy
window from which to choose an animation track. Navigate the hierarchy to
find the desired track, highlight the track, and then click OK. The controller
information for the track then appears in the text box to the right of the
button, and the Parameter Editor will then use this track for adding or editing
custom attributes and parameters.

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Add/Edit/Delete group
Add Applies the custom attribute parameter to the current object, modifier,
material, or track, depending on the current choice in the Add To Type list.
If a custom attribute parameter is assigned to an object or modifier, you can
see and edit its value on the Modify panel after adding it by activating the
entity to which the attribute is assigned. If the custom attribute is assigned to
a material, it's available for that material in the Material Editor. To access a
parameter that's assigned to an animation track, open Track View, highlight
the track's Custom Attributes entry, and then right-click and choose View
Attribute Dialog.
Edit/Delete Opens the Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog.
This dialog displays a list of all of the custom attribute parameters assigned
to the currently object at the current level. Dialog behavior is described in
these two procedures: To edit a parameter or custom attribute: on page 245
and To delete a custom attribute or parameter: on page 248.

Parameter Type group
Parameter Type Use the drop-down list to choose the data type for the current
parameter. The following list includes links to the sections describing the UI
settings for each parameter's data type:
■

Angle: Spinner on page 252 or Slider on page 253

■

Array on page 255

■

Boolean: CheckBox on page 254 or CheckButton on page 254

■

Color on page 257

■

Float: Spinner on page 252 or Slider on page 253

■

fRGBA on page 257

■

Integer: Spinner on page 252 or Slider on page 253

■

Material on page 258

■

Node on page 257

■

Percent: Spinner on page 252 or Slider on page 253

■

String on page 259

■

TextureMap on page 258

■

WorldUnits: Spinner on page 252 or Slider on page 253

Custom Attributes | 251

UI Type group
UI Type Selects the type of UI element that controls the parameter.
The UI types available depend on which parameter type you specify. For
example, float and integer values are controlled by spinners or sliders, and
Boolean values by check boxes or check buttons. Array values are always
controlled by drop-down lists, node values by pick buttons, color values by
color pickers, and texture map values by map buttons.
Full descriptions of each UI Options rollout follow, and the list of parameter
types, above, includes links to the respective UI Options rollout descriptions.
Name The name of the parameter. Parameter Editor gives the parameter the
default name Param#, with # being a number. Change the name by editing
this field.

Angle/Float/Integer/Percent/WorldUnits UI Options rollout: Spinner
This is a numeric value that the user can set with a standard 3ds Max spinner.

Size group
Width Sets the width of the spinner.

Range group
From Sets the minimum value of the spinner.
To Sets the maximum value of the spinner.

252 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Default Sets the default value of the spinner.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the spinner in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the spinner on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

Angle/Float/Integer/Percent/WorldUnits UI Options rollout: Slider
This is a numeric value that the user can set with a standard 3ds Max slider.

Size group
Width Sets the width of the slider.

Range group
From Sets the minimum value of the slider.
To Sets the maximum value of the slider.
Default Sets the default value of the slider.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the slider in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the slider on the horizontal and vertical
axes.

Custom Attributes | 253

Orientation And Ticks group
Vertical When on, the slider will be displayed vertically. When off, the slider
is displayed horizontally.
Ticks Sets the number of ticks along the slider. The ticks are distributed evenly
along the length of the slider.

Boolean UI Options rollout: Check Box
This is a standard 3ds Max check box that the user can turn on and off by
clicking it with the mouse.

Size group
Width Sets the width of the check box.
Height Sets the height of the check box.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the check box in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the check box on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

Boolean UI Options rollout: Check Button
This is a standard 3ds Max check button that the user can turn on and off by
clicking it with the mouse.

254 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Size group
Width Sets the width of the check button.
Height Sets the height of the check button.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the check button in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the check button on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

Check Button Options group
Highlight Color Sets the color of the button when it is pressed.

Array UI Options rollout: Drop-Down List/ComboBox/ListBox
This lets the user of the custom attribute choose a named option from a list.
The options for the three Array UI types are the same; they differ in how they
appear on the Custom Attributes rollout. The types are:
■

Drop-Down List: Only the current choice is visible by default. The user
clicks the field to open the list and then clicks to choose a different item.

■

ComboBox: Displays an editable field above a list box. The user clicks to
choose from the list, or edits the field.

■

ListBox: Displays a list. The user clicks the desired item; the highlighting
indicates the current choice.

Custom Attributes | 255

Size group
Width Sets the width of the list.
Height Sets the height of the list.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the drop-down list in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the array list on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

Array group
Item name Lets you enter a name into the list.
Click Add Item to add the name to the array list. To remove an item, highlight
its name and click Delete Item. Click Clear Array to remove all items from the
list.
[array list] Displays the contents of the list.
The item at the top of the array list is the default selection.

256 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Node UI Options rollout: Pick Button
A node is any object in the 3ds Max scene. The Node UI element creates a
button that, when clicked, lets the user pick a scene node other than the one
to which the attribute is attached. After selecting the node, its name appears
on the button.

Size group
Width Sets the width of the pick button.
Height Sets the height of the pick button.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the pick button in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the pick button on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

Color UI Options rollout: Color Picker
This creates a color swatch that displays the current color and lets the user
click it to choose a new color with the Color Selector dialog.

Custom Attributes | 257

Size group
Width Sets the width of the color picker.
Height Sets the height of the color picker.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of color picker in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the color picker on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

ColorPicker Default Color group
Default Color Sets the default color of the color picker.

Material/TextureMap Options rollout: MaterialButton/MapButton
The options for the Material UI type (MaterialButton) and TextureMap UI
type (MapButton) are the same. The difference is that, when the user clicks
the resulting button to open the Material/Map Browser, the former displays
only materials and the latter displays only maps.

258 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Size group
Width Sets the width of the material/map button.
Height Sets the height of the material/map button.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the material/map button in the
rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the material/map button on the
horizontal and vertical axes.

String Options rollout: EditText
The String parameter type creates a text box that the user can edit with the
keyboard, with optional default text.

Size group
Width Sets the width of the material/map button.
Height Sets the height of the material/map button.

Alignment group
Left/Right/Center Sets the alignment of the text box in the rollout.
Offsets X/Y Fine-tune the position of the text box on the horizontal and
vertical axes.

Label group
Label above text box When off, the label (parameter name) appears to the
left of the text box. When on, the label appears above the text box.

EditText Default Text group
Default Text Enter any default text that should appear in the box before the
user edits it.

Testing Attribute rollout

Custom Attributes | 259

This rollout displays the UI layout for the custom attribute that you are working
on. It updates continuously so that you can see how different settings in the
various rollouts affect the UI display of the attribute.
The UI element is operational in this rollout in the sense that it can be moved,
clicked, toggled, and so on.

Parameter Collector
Animation menu ➤ Parameter Collector
Keyboard ➤ Alt+2
Parameter Collector lets you sort and present animatable parameters so that
you can access and key selected parameter sets with a click or two. It takes the
form of a resizable dialog that regenerates dynamically as parameters change.
The dialog supports drag-and-drop rollout reordering. Collections are saved
with their scenes and can be merged into other scenes.
One of Parameter Collector's most powerful features is the ability to change
all parameters in a collection simultaneously, in an absolute or relative mode.
For example, if you're animating a character's hand, you can use Parameter
Collector to easily make all the fingers curl up together to form a fist.
NOTE Parameter Collector does not support parameters of externally referenced
objects on page 7971 or objects in externally referenced scenes on page 7999.
See also:
■

Custom Attributes on page 243

■

Attribute Holder Modifier on page 1102

Procedures
Example: To use Parameter Collector:
This exercise demonstrates some basic Parameter Collector functions.
In general, start with a scene containing one or more objects whose parameters
you'll collect. Ideally, they should be animated, but it's not absolutely
necessary.
1 For this example, reset 3ds Max and then add a sphere.
2 Open Parameter Collector from the Animation menu, or press Alt+2.

260 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

3 On the Parameter Collector toolbar, click

(Add To New Rollout).

The Track View Pick dialog opens. This lets you specify parameters to
collect.
4 On the Track View Pick dialog, expand Objects ➤ Sphere01 ➤
Transform: Position/Rotation/Scale ➤ Position: Position XYZ.
5 Click X Position: Bezier Float.
The parameter highlights.
6 Click OK to close the dialog.
A new rollout named Parameters 1 appears, containing the X Position
parameter.
NOTE A parameter in Parameter Collector can contain only a single value
(for example: float, integer, color), so 3ds Max doesn't let you add parameters
such as Position: Position XYZ, which contains three distinct values.

7 Click
(Add To Selected Rollout), and then use the same method to
add the Y Position and Z Position parameters: Highlight both parameters
on the Track View Pick dialog and then click Add To Selected Rollout to
add both at once to the Parameters 1 rollout.
8 Drag each spinner in turn to move the sphere on the respective axis.
As you change each parameter value, the sphere moves in real time in
the viewports.
9 Set all three parameters to 0.0.
10 Click the check button next to each parameter to select all three.

11 On the toolbar, turn on

(Multiple Edits).

Parameter Collector | 261

12 Drag one of the spinners.
All three change by the same amount, so that the sphere moves diagonally
in the scene.
13 Use the keyboard to change the Y Position value to 30.0.
Again, the other two change.

14 Click

(Absolute/Relative) to turn on Relative mode.

All the values display 0.0, as with Offset mode on the status bar coordinate
display.
15 Use the spinner to set Y Position to 0.65.
The three change in unison, and then reset back to 0.0 when you release
the mouse button. This has added the value you set to each of the three
positions, as you'll see in the next step.
16 Click the Absolute/Relative button to return to Absolute mode.
The values are all set to 30.65, reflecting the relative change that you
made.
Next, you'll try a few Edit commands.
17 Click the Y Position check button to deselect the parameter.
18 From the Edit menu, choose Select Invert.
The Y Position parameter is now selected, and the other two are
deselected.

19 Click

(Move Parameters Up).

The Y Position parameter now sits above the X Position parameter.

20 Click

(Move Parameters Down).

The Y Position returns to its position below the X Position parameter.
21 Choose Edit ➤ Edit Notes.
The Notes dialog opens. Here you can change the parameter name, set a
URL or file location with further information about the parameter, and
enter comments.
22 In the box below Parameter Name, type Sphere Y Loc., and then press
Enter.

262 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

The new name replaces the old one on the rollout. You can see the
original name by hovering the mouse cursor over the parameter name;
it appears on a tooltip.
To conclude this exercise, you'll use Parameter Collector to set and edit
animation keyframes.
23 On the Collection menu, turn on Show Keys In Track Bar if necessary.

24 On the 3ds Max status bar, turn on

(Auto Key).

25 Change the Sphere Y Loc. (the old Y Position) parameter value to 20.0.
Because you're at frame 0, no key is set. This is the same way Auto Key
works normally.
26 Go to frame 20 and then set Sphere Y Loc. to 30.0.
This sets animation keys at frames 0 and 20.
27 Right-click the key at frame 20.
The menu shows that a key exists at frame 20 only for Y Position.
Normally, 3ds Max would create keys for all three axes, even if you moved
the sphere only on one axis.
Parameter Collector can set keys for unselected objects as well.
28 Click in an empty area of the active viewport to deselect the sphere, and
then go to frame 30 and change the Sphere Y Loc. value to 40.0.
This sets another key for Y Position at frame 30.
29 In Parameter Collector, select the X Position and Z Position parameters,
and then click

(Key Selected).

This button is available only when Auto Key is on.
30 Check the track bar key again. Now there are keys for all three parameters,
as demonstrated by the red brackets on the spinners in Parameter
Collector.
31 Click

(Properties), to the right of the Sphere Y Loc. parameter.

This opens a Key Info dialog on page 3447 for the parameter, with the ability
to edit the key time and value as well as interpolation with other keys.
The dialog is also available from the track bar right-click menu, but it's
much easier to access the data for a specific key from Parameter Collector.

Parameter Collector | 263

Interface

Parameter Collector takes the form of a dialog with a menu bar, a toolbar, and
rollouts that you create and modify using the dialog tools. You can resize the
dialog horizontally and vertically; expanding it lets you see all rollouts
simultaneously.

264 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Menu Bar
The menu bar provides a range of functions for using Parameter Collector.
See Parameter Collector Menu Bar on page 268 for details. Also, you can open
the Spinner Right-Click menu on page 3411 by right-clicking a numeric field in
Parameter Collector.

Toolbar

The Parameter Collector toolbar provides button access to the most commonly
used functions.
[collection name] If empty, enter a name for the current collection, or choose
a different collection from the drop-down list. If a name appears and you edit
it, pressing Enter duplicates the current collection with the new name.

New Collection Creates a new, empty collection, clearing the current
collection name and the rollout area. You can restore any existing collection
by choosing it from the drop-down list.
This button is unavailable if you have not entered a name for the collection.

Duplicate Collection Creates a new, unnamed collection containing
the same data as the current collection. Enter a name for the duplicate selection
in the editable field.
This button is unavailable if you have not entered a name for the collection.
TIP You can also duplicate a collection and name it at the same time by editing
the name of an existing collection and then pressing Enter.

Delete Collection Removes the current collection from memory.
This button is unavailable if you have not entered a name for the collection.

Multiple Edits Enables multiple editing, in which changing the value
of any selected parameter simultaneously changes all selected parameters of

Parameter Collector | 265

the same type by the same amount. This applies to both Absolute and Relative
modes (see following).

Absolute/Relative Works the same way as the Absolute/Offset mode
toggle on the Coordinate Display on page 8669. When Absolute is chosen,
modifying a value changes it to the exact amount you specify. When Relative
is chosen, the displayed value is 0, and modifying the parameter adds the
specified change to the original value. The actual value appears only in
Absolute mode.
This applies to numeric values only; any changes to other values, such as
color, are always absolute.
NOTE With multiple parameters selected, and Multiple Edits on, changing the
value of a selected parameter changes the other selected parameter values by the
same amount, not to the same amount. This happens in both Absolute and Relative
modes.

Key Selected Sets keys on page 9200 for selected parameters only at the
current frame. Available only when Auto Key on page 8679 is on.

Reset Selected Sets all selected numeric parameters to 0. Has no effect
on other parameter types.

Move Parameters Down Moves each selected parameter down one
position within its rollout, if possible.

Move Parameters Up Moves each selected parameter up one position
within its rollout, if possible.

Add to Selected Rollout Lets you add new parameters to the selected
rollout. Click this button to open the Track View Pick dialog, and then choose
the parameters from the dialog.
NOTE You can add several parameters at once by highlighting them in the dialog
before clicking OK.

266 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Add to New Rollout Lets you add new parameters to a new rollout.
Click this button to open the Track View Pick dialog, and then choose the
parameter from the dialog. Parameter Collector creates a new rollout to hold
the parameters.
NOTE You can add several parameters at once by highlighting them in the dialog
before clicking OK.

Delete Selected Deletes all selected parameters.

Delete All Deletes all parameters and rollouts.

Rollouts
Rollouts work the same way in Parameter Collector as they do on the command
panel on page 8569. You can expand and collapse a rollout by clicking its title
bar, and move it to another location by dragging the title bar. You can resize
the dialog to be able to see all rollouts at once.
Only one rollout can be selected at a time. You select a rollout by clicking the
horizontal bar beneath the title; when selected, this bar is orange-yellow in
color, and angle brackets surround the rollout title (for example, “> Hand
Parameters <”).
The interface for each parameter on a rollout is as follows:
[Select Parameter] A small check button on the left side of the rollout. Click
it to toggle the parameter's selection status. When selected, the button appears
pressed in and is colored yellow-orange.
[parameter name] By default, the parameter has the same name as is shown
in Track View, but you can change it with the Edit menu ➤ Edit Notes
command. You can see the default name for a parameter as well as the object
it controls, if any, by hovering the mouse over the parameter name; the
information appears on a tooltip.
[parameter value] Shows the current value of the parameter. The parameter
type determines how this appears: numeric field/spinner, color swatch, etc.
You can edit the value the same way as on the command panel or a dialog.
If a key exists for the value at the current frame, the spinner or swatch appears
with red brackets at the corners.

Parameter Collector | 267

[Properties] Opens a Key Info dialog on page 3447 for the parameter.
Available only if the parameter has an animation controller.
Use the Key Info dialog to edit an animation key's value, time, and
interpolation methods.

Parameter Collector Menu Bar
Animation menu ➤ Parameter Collector ➤ Parameter Collector menu bar
Keyboard ➤ Alt+2 ➤ Parameter Collector menu bar
The Parameter Collector dialog menu bar provides access to a number of
important commands. Some of these commands are replicated on the dialog
toolbar; others, such as the Select tools, are available only from the menus.
Also, you can open the Spinner Right-Click menu on page 3411 by right-clicking
a numeric field in Parameter Collector.

Interface
Collection menu
The first three items in this menu are unavailable until you enter a name for
the current collection in the editable field (drop-down list) just below the
menu bar.
New Collection Creates a new, empty collection, clearing the current
collection name and the rollout area. You can restore any existing collection
by choosing it from the drop-down list.
Duplicate Collection Creates a new, unnamed collection containing the same
data as the current collection. Enter a name for the duplicate selection in the
editable field.
Delete Collection Removes the current collection from memory.
Show Keys in Track Bar Displays in the track bar on page 8659 animation keys
for all objects with parameters in the current collection, whether or not the
objects are selected in the scene.
Isolate Keys in Track Bar The track bar displays only keys for parameters in
the Parameter Collector.
Show Selected Keys in Track Bar Displays in the track bar on page 8659
animation keys for all objects with selected parameters in the current
collection, whether or not the objects are selected in the scene.

268 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Isolate Selected Keys in Track Bar The track bar displays only keys for selected
parameters in the Parameter Collector.
Put to Object Stores the current collection as part of an object in the scene.
Opens the Put To Object dialog; highlight an object in the list, and then click
Pick.
Although parameter collections are stored with the scene in which they're
created, you can use this function to transfer a collection to a different scene.
After putting the collection to an object, save the scene. Open or create another
scene, merge the object from the saved scene to the new one, and then use
Get from Object.
You can also back up, organize and streamline parameter collections by putting
and getting different collections to and from various objects in your scene.
Just remember that if you add, reorder, or remove parameters or rollouts to a
collection that has been put to an object, you must then put it to the object
again so the changes are saved to the collection.
Link to Object Stores the current collection using a live link as part of an object
in the scene. Any change to the collection instantly updates the version of
the collection stored in the object. Opens the Link To Object dialog; highlight
an object in the list, and then click Pick.
Link to Object has basically the same function as Put To Object (see previous
entry), except that it guarantees an up-to-date stored version of the collection,
especially when merging the object into another scene that is a common
production workflow.
NOTE Only one “linked-to” object can be active in a scene, but you can use Put
To Object on any number of objects at a time.
Get from Object Retrieves a collection that you stored with Put To Object or
Link To Object.
Remove from Object Deletes a collection that you stored with Put To Object
or Link To Object.

Edit menu
Parameter Collector lets you select parameters in any combination, but you
can select no more than one rollout at a time. To select or deselect a parameter,
click the small button on its left side. To select or deselect a rollout, click the
wide horizontal button just below the rollout title. Selecting a rollout deselects
any other selected rollout.
Select All Selects all parameters and rollouts.

Parameter Collector Menu Bar | 269

Select All Rollout Selects all parameters on the current rollout. Unavailable
if no rollout is selected.
Select None Deselects all parameters.
Select Invert Inverts the current selection of parameters.
Delete Selected Deletes all selected parameters.
Delete All Deletes all parameters and rollouts.
Multiple Edits Enables multiple editing, in which changing any parameter
simultaneously changes all selected parameters of the same or similar type.
NOTE The changed parameter need not be selected.
Absolute/Relative This works the same as the Absolute/Offset mode toggle
on the Coordinate Display on page 8669. When Absolute is chosen, modifying
a value changes it to the exact amount you specify. When Relative is chosen,
the displayed value shows 0, and modifying the parameter adds the specified
change to the original value. This applies to numeric values only; changes to
any other value types such as color are always absolute.
Edit Notes Opens a single Notes dialog on page 271 for all selected parameters.
You can open the Notes dialog for a single parameter by right-clicking its
Select Parameter button.

Parameters menu
Add to Selected Lets you add new parameters to the selected rollout.
Add to New Rollout Lets you add new parameters to a new rollout.
Move Up Moves selected parameters up one position within their rollout, if
possible.
Move Down Moves selected parameters down one position within their
rollout, if possible.
Move Up By Rollout Moves selected parameters to the rollout above, if
possible. If the same parameter already exists in the rollout above, the selected
parameter is simply deleted.
Move Down By Rollout Moves selected parameters to the next rollout, if
possible. If the same parameter already exists in the next rollout, the selected
parameter is simply deleted.
Key All Sets keys on page 9200 for all parameters at the current frame. Available
only when Auto Key on page 8679 is on.

270 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Key Selected Sets keys on page 9200 for selected parameters only at the current
frame. Available only when Auto Key on page 8679 is on.
Reset All Sets all numeric parameters to 0. Has no effect on other parameter
types.
Reset Selected Sets all selected numeric parameters to 0. Has no effect on
other parameter types.

Rollout menu
NOTE While there are no menu commands for moving rollouts, you can do so
simply by dragging the rollout title bar to a new location.
New Rollout Creates a new, empty rollout.
New Rollout Selected Parameters Creates a new rollout and populates it with
copies of any selected parameters.
Rename Rollout Opens a small dialog that lets you rename the selected rollout.
Delete Rollout Deletes the selected rollout.
Delete Rollout Move Up Deletes the selected rollout and moves its parameters
to the rollout above.
Delete Rollout Move Down Deletes the selected rollout and moves its
parameters to the rollout below.

Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector)
Parameter Collector ➤ Select one or more parameters. ➤ Parameter Collector
menu bar ➤ Edit menu ➤ Notes
Parameter Collector ➤ Right-click a Parameter Select button.
The Notes dialog lets you enter a name, URL, and comments for one or more
selected parameters in Parameter Collector.
Choosing Notes from the Edit menu with multiple parameters selected opens
a single dialog common to all selected parameters. Right-clicking a Parameter
Select button opens a dialog for that parameter only.
When you open Notes from the Edit menu with multiple parameters selected,
if the text contents for a box in all selected parameters are the same (or null),
its check box is on, indicating that changes to the text will apply to all selected
parameters. If a text box has different contents for different selected parameters,

Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector) | 271

the check box is off, and the corresponding text box is empty and unavailable,
preventing any changes. If you turn on a check box, you can edit the text,
and changes will be applied to all selected parameters.

Interface

The Notes dialog interface comprises three text boxes, each with its respective
check box, and a button. By default, the text boxes are empty; you can enter
any text into each box, although each has a specific purpose, as described
below.
Parameter Name Lets you change the parameter name shown in Parameter
Collector.
By default, the parameter name displayed in Parameter Collector is the same
as the name that appeared in the Track View Pick dialog when you added it
to Parameter Collector. If you enter a different name in the Notes dialog,
Parameter Collector then displays that name. The changed name is used only
in Parameter Collector; elsewhere, such as the Modify panel, it remains the
same as before.

272 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

You can see the original parameter name, as well as the object to which it's
attached, by hovering the mouse over the parameter name in Parameter
Collector; the information appears in a tooltip.
URL Lets you enter a URL, such as www.discreet.com.
This could be a link to a Web or intranet page, or even a network location or
file pertaining to the selected parameter. To access the link, click the Go button.
Go If the URL text box contains a valid URL, clicking Go opens the URL in a
separate browser window.
Notes Contains any comments on the parameters. This field is strictly for
informational purposes.

Expression Techniques
In 3ds Max, you can use mathematical expressions (rather than constant
numbers) to express parameter values. For example, you could use the
expression 24*6 to represent the number 144.
You can use mathematical expressions to control the following object
properties:
■

Object parameters, such as length, width, and height

■

Transform and modifier values, such as an object's position coordinates

Parameter wiring on page 3645, the expression controller on page 3486, and the
numerical expression evaluator on page 8570 all use expressions, which are
described in this topic.
An expression is a mathematical function that returns a value. You can use
expressions to control the following scene elements:
Scene element

Calculatable property

Creation parameters

Any numeric creation parameter

Transforms

Position [X, Y, Z]
X Rotation
Y Rotation
Z Rotation
Scale [X%, Y%, Z%]

Expression Techniques | 273

Scene element

Calculatable property

Modifiers

Any numeric modifier parameter
(including creation parameters)

Materials

Colors [R, G, B]
Any numeric material parameter

NOTE Expressions work only with the individual XYZ components of Euler rotation.
You can't assign an expression to TCB rotation or other kinds of rotation controllers.
The following links jump to sections within this topic:
■

Expression Return Types on page 274

■

Operators on page 275

■

Variables on page 277

■

Functions on page 279

See also:
■

Trigonometric Functions on page 282

■

Vectors on page 285

■

Expression Controller Techniques on page 3492

Expression Return Types
The type of value returned by an expression depends on the kind of controller:
■

Float expressions return a floating-point scalar value (For example, 5.617).
Scalars are used in the animation controllers of numeric parameters.
If the parameter has an integer value, the expression rounds the float value
to the nearest integer.

■

Position, Scale, and Point3 expressions return a three-component vector.
For example, [5, 18, 24]. The vector can represent an object's X,Y,Z location,
percent scaling in X, Y, and Z, or a color (RGB values) in a material.

274 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Operators
In the following tables, p and q are any scalar value or expression, V and W
are any vector value or expression. (The character "x" is used as the vector
cross-product operator.)

Scalar Operators
These are the arithmetic operators for scalar values:
Operator

Use

Meaning

+

p+q

Addition

-

p-q

Subtraction

-

-p

Additive inverse

*

p*q

Multiplication

/

p/q

Division

^

p^q

power (p to the power of q)

**

p**q

^ and ** are the same operation

You can also use logical (Boolean) operators with scalar values. These operators
all return 1 if true, 0 otherwise:
Operator

Use

Meaning

=

p=q

equal to

<

p

p>q

Greater than

<=

p<=q

less than or equal to

>=

p>=q

Greater than or equal to

|

p|q

Logical OR, returns 1 if either p or q is
nonzero; otherwise, returns 0

Expression Techniques | 275

Operator

Use

Meaning

&

p&q

Logical AND, returns 1 if p and q are both
nonzero; otherwise, returns 0

TIP Logical operators are useful with the "if" function.

Vector Operators
For vectors that have a variable name, you can use a special component
operator (.) to refer to the three scalar components of the vector:
Use

Meaning

V.x

first component (X)

V.y

second component (Y)

V.z

third component (Z)

These are the operators for vector arithmetic:
Operator

Use

Meaning

+

V+W

Addition

-

V-W

subtraction

*

p*V

scalar multiplication

*

V*p

scalar multiplication

*

V*W

dot product

X

VxW

cross product

/

V/p

scalar division

276 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Operator Precedence
Expressions have eight levels of precedence. The higher the operator is on the
list, the earlier it is evaluated.
Operator

Level of Precedence

-+

as unary operators, as in -8, +25

.

the component operator, as in V.x

** ^
X

cross product

*/
+= < > <=
>=
|&

Parentheses are a special case. They are a grouping or subexpression operator
that is provided so you can override the precedence order of the other
operators.

Variables
In expressions you write for expression controllers on page 3486, variables are
represented by symbolic names. You create them to contain constant or
variable values in your expressions. Several predefined variables are also
provided. Some of these have a constant value, others can vary.
In expressions used for parameter wiring on page 3645 and the numerical
expression evaluator on page 8570, you can use predefined variables with
constant values.

Expression Techniques | 277

Predefined Variables with Constant Values
These are the predefined variables that have a constant value (variable names
are case-sensitive):
Variable
Name

Constant
Value

Use

pi

3.14159

Ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

e

2.71828

Base of natural logarithms.

TPS

4800

Ticks per second. The tick
is the basic time unit of
3ds Max animation.

Predefined Variables with Variable Values
These are the predefined variables that have a variable, time-based value
(variable names are case-sensitive).
Variable
Name

Meaning

F

Frame number. For each frame, F equals
the current frame number, counting
from zero. The range of frames can vary
depending on the number of frames in
the active time segment.

NT

Normalized time. By definition, normalized time (NT) ranges from 0 to 1 over
the active time segment, regardless of
how many frames are in the segment.
If you base an expression on NT, its effect happens exactly once over the
range. You can also multiply NT by a
factor for the expression's effect to occur
a certain number of times (for example,
2*NT causes the expression's effect to
occur twice). Expressions based on NT
speed up or slow down if you change
the length of the time segment.

278 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Variable
Name

Meaning

S

Seconds (elapsed time in seconds).
Elapsed time is measured from the first
frame to the current frame. The range
of seconds can vary depending on the
total time of the active time segment.

T

Ticks (elapsed time in ticks). There are
4800 ticks per second. Elapsed time is
measured from the first frame to the
current frame. The range of ticks can
vary depending on the total time of the
active time segment.

Rules for Variable Names
■

Variable names can contain as many alphanumeric characters as you like.
Their length is not limited.

■

Variable names cannot contain spaces.

■

The variable name must begin with a letter. Numbers are valid within a
variable name (as in "Pos1" or "M23").

■

Variable names are case-sensitive. For example, "pos", "Pos", and "POS"
designate three different variables.

■

You can't create a variable with a name that duplicates another name,
including the variable names that are predefined.

Functions
Following is a list of the functions provided for expressions. In this list, p, q,
and r represent scalar values or scalar expressions. V and W represent vector
values or vector expressions.
To use a function in an expression, enter the name of the function and
appropriate arguments to it.

Expression Techniques | 279

Trigonometric Functions
The sine, cosine, and tangent functions take an angle in degrees and return
a floating-point value. The arc functions take a floating-point value and return
a value in degrees.
Function

Meaning

sin(p)

sine

cos(p)

cosine

tan(p)

tangent

asin(p)

arc sine

acos(p)

arc cosine

atan(p)

arc tangent

Hyperbolic Functions
Hyperbolic functions take a floating-point value and return a floating-point
value.
Function

Meaning

sinh(p)

hyperbolic sine

cosh(p)

hyperbolic cosine

tanh(p)

hyperbolic tangent

Conversion Between Radians and Degrees
Function

Meaning

radToDeg(p)

takes p in radians and returns the same
angle in degrees

degToRad(p)

takes p in degrees and returns the same
angle in radians

280 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Rounding Functions
Function

Meaning

ceil(p)

smallest integer greater than or equal to p

floor(p)

largest integer less than or equal to p

Standard Calculations
Function

Meaning

ln(p)

natural (base e) logarithm

log(p)

common (base 10) logarithm

exp(p)

exponential function exp(p)=e^p

pow(p,q)

p to the power of q (p^q)

sqrt(p)

square root

abs(p)

absolute value

min(p,q)

minimum returns p or q, depending on
which is smaller

max(p,q)

maximum returns p or q, depending on
which is greater

mod(p,q)

remainder of p divided by q

Conditional Functions
Function

Meaning

if(p then q else if r then s)

uses the standard “if/then/else if” structure.
For example:
if (X_Position<0) then 0 else if (X_Position>=0 and X_Position<=10) then X_Position*3 else 100
This returns 0 if the X position is less than
0, or the X position times 3 if the X posi-

Expression Techniques | 281

Function

Meaning
tion is between 0 and 10 inclusive, or 100
if the X position is greater than 10.
The “else if” part is optional, and can be
repeated to specify several different conditions if necessary.

vif(c,V1,V2)

"Vector If" (Value is V1 if c is true, else V2.)

Vector Handling Functions
Function

Meaning

length(V)

length of V

comp(V,i)

i'th component (I=0,1,2):
comp([5,6,7],1)=6

unit(V)

returns a unit vector in the same direction
as V

NOTE The comp function is an alternative to the notation V.x, V.y, V.z.

Special Animation Function
Function

Meaning

noise(p,q,r)

3D noise: returns a randomly generated
position

The arbitrary values p, q and r, are used as a random-generation seed. You can
reuse these values to ensure that noise() returns the same value.

Trigonometric Functions
This topic is a quick review for readers who need a reminder about this area
of mathematics. If you’re familiar with trigonometry, you can skip this topic.
If you find this topic difficult to follow, you might consult a more basic
reference on mathematics.
Trigonometric functions are principally used to model or describe:
■

The relation between angles in a triangle (hence the name).

282 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

■

Rotations about a circle, including locations given in polar coordinates.

■

Cyclical or periodic values, such as sound waves.

The three basic trigonometric functions are derived from an angle rotating
about a unit circle.

Trigonometric functions based on the unit circle

The tangent function is undefined for x=0. Another way to define the tangent
is:

Because XYR defines a right-angled triangle, the relation between the sine and
cosine is:

The graphs of the basic trigonometric functions illustrate their cyclical nature.

Trigonometric Functions | 283

Graphs of basic trigonometric functions

The sine and cosine functions yield the same values, but the phase differs
along the X axis by /2: in other words, 90 degrees.
The inverse functions for the trigonometric functions are the arc functions;
the inverse only applies to values of x restricted by –/2 X /2. The graphs for
these functions appear like the basic trigonometric function graphs, but turned
on their sides.

Graphs of basic arc functions

The hyperbolic functions are based on the exponential constant e instead of
on circular measurement. However, they behave similarly to the trigonometric
functions and are named for them. The basic hyperbolic functions are:

284 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Graphs of basic hyperbolic functions

Vectors
This topic is a quick review for readers who need a reminder about vector
arithmetic. If you’re familiar with vectors and vector calculations, you can
skip this topic. If this topic is difficult to follow, you might consult a more
basic reference on mathematics.
A vector expresses a length and a direction in a particular space. The vector
is expressed as a point; for example, [5, 5, 7]. The length is the distance from
the origin to that point, and the direction is similarly from the origin to (and
through) the point.
In 3ds Max, vectors have three values and describe positions in
three-dimensional space. They can also represent percent scaling in X, Y, and
Z; and (more abstractly) describe locations in RGB color space.

Vectors | 285

Unit Vectors and Basic Vectors
A unit vector has a length of one. Unit vectors are often used to express
direction only. The three basic vectors are unit vectors that describe the three
axes (X, Y, and Z) of 3D space.

Basic vectors and the XYZ axes

Adding and Subtracting Vectors
Adding two vectors creates a new vector that combines the length and direction
of the original two. Vector addition is commutative: V+W=W+V.

Adding two vectors

286 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Subtracting two vectors gives the vector between the two points.

Subtracting two vectors

Scalar Multiplication and Division
Multiplying a vector by a scalar changes the vector’s length, as does dividing
the vector by a scalar.

Vector Length and Direction
The length of a vector is obtained from the Pythagorean theorem.

In 3ds Max expressions, the length() function returns this value.
The direction of the vector is the vector divided by its length; this gives you
a unit vector with the same direction.

Vectors | 287

The distance between two points is the length of the vector between them.

Subtracting vectors to
obtain a distance

288 | Chapter 5 Object Properties

Creating Geometry

6

The solid 3D objects in the scene, and the objects used to create them, are known as geometry.
Usually, geometry comprises the subject of your scene and the objects that you render.

Villa with a swimming pool was created using a variety of geometry.

This section describes the types of geometry you can create using the Create panel on page
8771.
See also:
■

Surface Modeling on page 1965

289

■

Space Warps and Particle Systems on page 2919

■

SAT Files on page 8311

Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects
This section provides an introduction to techniques for creating and modeling
objects.
The Create panel on page 8771 contains controls for creating new objects, the
first step in building a scene. Despite the variety of object types, the creation
process is consistent for most objects.
The Modify panel on page 8773 provides controls to complete the modeling
process. You can rework any object, from its creation parameters to its internal
geometry. Both object-space and world-space modifiers let you apply a wide
range of effects to objects in your scene. The modifier stack allows editing of
the modifier sequence.
In 3ds Max, you model basic parametric on page 9258 objects into more complex
ones by:
■

Changing parameters on page 9258

■

Applying modifiers

■

Directly manipulating sub-object geometry

Varying the Parameters
Unlike physical objects, with a fixed shape and size, you can change the
creation parameters of objects and shapes to dramatically alter topology. Here
are some examples of changes you can make:
■

Turn a cone into a four-sided pyramid by reducing the number of sides
and turning the Smooth option off.

■

Slice any circular object as if it were a pie.

■

Animate almost all creation parameters, and interactively change their
settings during animation playback.

■

Render splines directly at any assigned width.

■

Break, detach, and divide wall segments.

290 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Change the number of risers without affecting the overall rise of the stairs.

Collapsing Primitives to Base Geometry
You can collapse a geometric primitive or shape to one of a variety of base
geometric types once you no longer need access to its creation parameters.
For example, you can convert any standard primitive to an editable mesh on
page 2190, editable poly on page 2240, editable patch on page 2374, or NURBS on
page 2457 object, and you can convert a spline shape to an editable mesh,
editable spline on page 554, or NURBS object. The easiest way to collapse an
object is to select it, right-click it, and choose a "Convert to" option from the
quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant. This lets you use explicit editing methods
with the object, such as transforming vertices. You can also use the Modify
panel to collapse a primitive.

Mapping Coordinates
Most Geometry objects have an option for generating mapping coordinates.
Objects need these mapping coordinates if you plan to apply a mapped material
to them. Mapped materials include a wide range of rendered effects, from 2D
bitmaps to reflections and refractions. See Mapping Coordinates on page 6005
and Using Maps to Enhance a Material on page 5990. If mapping coordinates
have already been applied to an object, the check box for this feature is turned
on.
See also:
■

Using the Modify Panel on page 979

■

Using the Modifier Stack on page 983

■

Editing the Stack on page 987

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Using the Stack at the Sub-Object Level on page 994

■

Modifying Multiple Objects on page 996

■

How Instanced Modifiers Work on page 1000

■

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow on page 971

Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects | 291

Using the Create Panel
The Create panel provides the controls for creating objects and adjusting their
parameters.
To access the Create panel:

1 Click

(Create tab) on the command panels on page 8770.

By default, this panel is open when you start 3ds Max. If the command
panel isn't visible, choose it from the Customize Display right-click menu
on page 8827.
2 Click an object type to display its Parameters rollout.

The Creation Process
The actual creation of objects is accomplished with a single click of the mouse,
a drag, or some combination, depending on the object type. This is the general
sequence:
■

Choose an object type.

■

Click or drag in a viewport to create an object of approximate size and
location.

■

Adjust the object’s parameters and position, either immediately or later.

See Creating an Object on page 296.

Create Panel Interface
Controls in the Create panel vary depending on the kind of object you are
creating. However, certain controls are always present, and others are shared
by nearly all object types.
Category Buttons at the top of the panel access the seven main categories of
objects. Geometry is the default category.
Subcategory A list lets you select subcategories. For example, subcategories
under Geometry include Standard Primitives, Extended Primitives, Compound
Objects, Particle Systems, Patch Grids, NURBS Surfaces, and Dynamics Objects.
Object Type A rollout contains labeled buttons for creating objects in a
particular subcategory, plus the AutoGrid on page 2819 check box.

292 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Name and Color The Name shows the automatically assigned name of the
object. You can edit this name or replace it with another. (Different objects
can have the same name, though this is not recommended.) Clicking the
square color swatch brings up an Object Color dialog on page 300 to change
the color of the object as it appears in viewports (the wireframe color).
Creation Method This rollout provides a choice of how you use the mouse
to create an object. For example, you can use either the center (radius) or edge
(diameter) to define the size of a Circle shape.
A default creation method is always selected when you access the tool. If you
want to use an alternate method, choose the option before you create the
object. The creation method has no effect on a finished object; the options
are for your convenience during creation.
Keyboard Entry This rollout lets you enter creation parameters from the
keyboard for geometric primitive and shape objects.
Parameters This rollout shows creation parameters: the defining values for
an object. Some parameters can be preset, while others are only for adjustment
after an object has been created.
Other rollouts Additional rollouts can appear on the Create panel, depending
on what kind of object you create.

Identifying the Basic Building Blocks
On the Create panel, the categories for Geometry and Shapes supply the
"building blocks" to combine and modify into more sophisticated objects.
These parametric on page 9258 objects are ready to use. By adjusting values and
turning some buttons on or off, you can create dozens of "new" building blocks
from the ones listed here.
You can choose these types from the sub-categories list on the Create panel.

Geometry Types
Standard Primitives Relatively simple 3D objects such as Box, Sphere, and
Cylinder, as well as Torus, Plane, Cone, GeoSphere, Tube, Teapot, and Pyramid.
Extended Primitives More complex 3D objects such as Capsule, OilTank,
Spindle, Hedra, Torus Knot, and Prism.
Compound Objects Compound objects include Scatter, Connect, ShapeMerge,
Booleans, Morph, BlobMesh, Terrain, and Loft. Booleans combine the geometry
of two objects using union, intersection, and difference operations. Morphs
are animated objects that change one geometric shape into other shapes over

Identifying the Basic Building Blocks | 293

time. ShapeMerge lets you embed a spline shape into a geometric mesh. Loft
on page 674 uses shapes as cross sections along a path to produce a 3D object.
Particle Systems Animated objects that simulate spray, snow, blizzard, and
similar collections of small objects.
Patch Grids Simple 2D surfaces ready for modeling or repairing existing
meshes.
NURBS Surfaces Analytically generated surfaces especially suited for modeling
surfaces with complicated curves.
AEC Extended Elements useful for AEC design, including Terrain, Foliage
(plants and trees), Railing, for creating custom railings, and Wall, for the
production of Wall objects.
Stairs Four types of stairs: Spiral, L-Type, Straight, and U-Type.
Doors Parametric door styles include Pivot, BiFold, and Sliding.
Windows Parametric window styles include Awning, Fixed, Projected,
Casement, Pivoted, and Sliding.
NOTE Default materials are automatically applied to Foliage, as well as to the
following object types: Railing, Stairs, Doors, and Windows.
Dynamics Objects Objects designed for use in dynamics simulations.

Shape Types
Splines Common 2D shapes such as a Line, Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse, Arc,
Donut, NGon, and Star. Text shapes support TrueType fonts. Section creates
a spline from the cross-section of an object. Helix is a 3D shape.
NURBS Curves A Point Curve and CV Curve provide the starting points for
complex surfaces. See Introduction to NURBS Modeling on page 2433.
Extended Splines More complex 2D shapes including Walled Rectangle,
Channel Spline, Angle Spline, Tee Spline, and Wide Flange Spline. Extended
splines can be used in architectural and similar applications.

294 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Varying the Parameters
Unlike physical building blocks, with fixed shape and size, you can change
the parameters of objects and shapes to dramatically alter topology. Here are
some examples of changes you can make:
■

Turn a cone into a four-sided pyramid by reducing the number of sides
and turning the Smooth option off.

■

Slice any circular object as if it were a pie.

■

Animate almost all creation parameters, and interactively change their
settings during animation playback.

■

Render splines directly at any assigned width.

■

Break, detach, and divide wall segments.

■

Change the number of risers without affecting the overall rise of the stairs.

Collapsing Primitives to Base Geometry
You can collapse a building-block object to one of a variety of base geometric
types once you no longer need access to its creation parameters. For example,
you can convert any standard primitive to an editable mesh on page 2190,
editable poly on page 2240, editable patch on page 2374, or NURBS on page 2457
object, and you can convert a spline shape to an editable mesh, editable spline
on page 554, or NURBS object. The easiest way to collapse an object is to select
it, right-click it, and choose a "Convert to" option from the quad menu ➤
Transform quadrant. This lets you use explicit editing methods with the object,
such as transforming vertices. You can also use the Modify panel to collapse
a primitive.

Mapping Coordinates
Most Geometry objects have an option for generating mapping coordinates.
Objects need these mapping coordinates if you plan to apply a mapped material
to them. Mapped materials include a wide range of rendered effects, from 2D
bitmaps to reflections and refractions. See Mapping Coordinates on page 6005
and Using Maps to Enhance a Material on page 5990. If mapping coordinates
have already been applied to an object, the check box for this feature is turned
on.

Identifying the Basic Building Blocks | 295

Creating an Object
With some variations, the steps shown in the following images apply to
creating any type of object on the Create panel. For specific examples, see the
Procedures section in any object's topic.

1. Radius defined
2. Height defined

296 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

3. Sides increased
4. Height Segments increased

To choose an object category:

1 Click

(Create tab) to view the Create panel.

2 Click one of the buttons at the top of the Create panel. For example,

(Geometry).
3 Choose the subcategory Standard Primitives from the list.
A number of buttons appear on the Object Type rollout.
To choose an object type:
■

Click the button for the type of object you want to create.
The button highlights, showing that it is active. Four rollouts appear: Name
and Color, Creation Method, Keyboard Entry, and Parameters.

Creating an Object | 297

To choose a creation method (optional):
You can accept the default method and skip this step.
■

Choose a method in the Creation Method rollout.

To preset the creation parameters (optional):
You can adjust all creation parameters after you create an object. Skip this step
if you prefer.
■

In the Parameters rollout, you can set parameters before you create an
object. However, the values of parameters you set by dragging the mouse
(for example, the Radius and Height of a cylinder) have no effect until
after you create the object.

To create the object:
1 Put the cursor at a point in any viewport where you want to place the
object, and hold the mouse button down (do not release the button).
2 Drag the mouse to define the first parameter of the object; for example,
the circular base of a cylinder.
3 Release the mouse button. The first parameter is set with this release.
In some cases, such as Sphere, Teapot, and Plane, this completes the
object. You can skip the remaining steps.
4 Move up or down without touching the mouse button. This sets the next
parameter; for example, the height of a cylinder.
If you want to cancel: Until you complete the next step, you can cancel the
creation process with a right-click.
5 Click when the second parameter has the value you want, and so on.
The number of times you press or release the mouse button depends on
how many spatial dimensions are required to define the object. (For some
kinds of objects, such as Line and Bones, the number is open-ended.)
When the object is complete, it is in a selected state and ready for adjustments.
To name the object (optional):
3ds Max gives each new object a default name based on the primitive type
and the order of creation. For example: Box001, Sphere030. You can change
the name to anything you like using the method described following.

298 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Also, to change the number of digits appended to the default object name,
edit the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file as follows: add (if necessary) a section
named [Preferences] and in that section add the setting NameSuffixLength=#,
where # is the number of digits. For example, to use default names like
Box00123, add this:
[Preferences]
NameSuffixLength=5
■

To rename an object, highlight the object name in the Name And Color
rollout, and then enter a name. This option is available only when a single
object is selected.
Naming objects is a good practice for organizing your scenes. To name a
set of selected objects, see Named Selection Sets on page 163.

To change the object’s display color (optional):
■

The color swatch next to the object name field displays the selected object's
color and lets you select a new one. The color is the one used to display
the object in viewports. Click the color swatch to display the Object Color
dialog on page 300.
You can also change object colors with Layers on page 8537.

To adjust the object's parameters:
■

You can change the creation parameters immediately after you complete
an object, while it’s still selected. Or, you can select the object later and
adjust its creation parameters on the Modify panel.

While making adjustments, you can use viewport navigation controls like
Zoom, Pan, and Orbit to change your view of the selected object. You can also
adjust the time slider.
To end the creation process:
While the object type button remains active, you can continue creating objects
of the same type until you do one of the following:
1 Select an object other than the one you created most recently.
2 Transform an object.
3 Change to another command panel.
4 Use commands other than viewport navigation or the time slider.

Creating an Object | 299

After you end the creation process, changing parameters on the Create panel
will have no effect on the object; you must go to the Modify panel to adjust
the object’s parameters. See Using the Modify Panel on page 979.

Assigning Colors to Objects
3ds Max is a truecolor on page 9338 program. When you pick a color in 3ds
Max, you are specifying 24 bits of color data, which provide a range of over
16 million colors.
Object wireframe colors are used primarily as an organizational tool. Object
naming strategies, named selection sets, and object wireframe color strategies
provide a rich set of tools for organizing even the most complex scenes.
You can use two dialogs to specify colors:
■

The Object Color dialog on page 300 contains two preset palettes of colors
that you use to set an object’s wireframe color. This is also the surface color
you see in a rendered viewport. The two color palettes are Default palette
and AutoCAD ACI palette.

■

The Color Selector on page 304 is a generic dialog that you use to define
any color in the 24-bit color range. For the purpose of defining colors to
assign to objects, it is available only through the Default palette.

The Layers functionality lets you organize your scene and can also be used for
assigning object colors. For more information, see Manage Layers Dialog on
page 8537.

Object Color Dialog
Click the color swatch by the object's name in any command panel.
The Object Color dialog contains two preset palettes of colors that you use to
set an object’s wireframe color. This is also the surface color you see in a shaded
viewport.

Using Random Color Assignment
By default, 3ds Max assigns colors randomly as objects are created. The colors
are chosen from the current palette in the Object Color dialog. If you turn on
Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ General panel on page 8887 ➤ Default to By
Layer for New Nodes, new objects are assigned the color set by the layer.

300 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

For individual objects, you can click the By Layer/By Object button on the
Object Color dialog to change the method used to set the object color.

Defining Custom Colors
When using the 3ds Max palette, the Object Color dialog contains a palette
of 16 custom color swatches. You can define any color for each of the 16 color
swatches by selecting a swatch from the Custom Colors group, then clicking
Add Custom Colors.

Switching Between Palettes
You can alternate between two versions of the Object Color dialog at any time
by clicking the appropriate Basic Colors toggle:
■

3ds Max palette: Contains a fixed palette of 64 colors, plus a custom palette
of 16 user-defined custom colors.
Use this version when you want to work with a smaller palette of colors
or when you want to define custom object wireframe colors.

■

AutoCAD-compatible version: Contains a fixed palette of 256 colors
matching the colors in the AutoCAD Color Index (ACI).
Use this version when you want to assign object colors that match the
AutoCAD Color Index. Using ACI colors is useful if you plan to export
objects to AutoCAD and want to organize them by object color, or when
you want a wide selection of colors to choose from.

Procedures
To set object color:
This is the general procedure for selecting object color.
1 Select one or more objects.
2 On any command panel, click the color swatch to the right of the Object
Name field to display the Object Color dialog.
3 On the Object Color dialog, click the By Layer / By Object toggle to set
it to By Object.
4 Click a color swatch from the palette, and then click OK to apply the
color to the selection.

Assigning Colors to Objects | 301

To create objects of the same color:
■

Choose the color you want to use and turn off Assign Random Colors.
Newly created objects appear in this color until you change the setting.

To define a custom color:
1 With the 3ds Max palette option active, click one of the 16 custom color
swatches.
2 Click Add Custom Colors to display the Color Selector on page 304.
3 Define a custom color and click Add Color.
The custom color is stored in the selected color swatch of the Object
Color dialog and is set as the current color.
To copy a custom color from an object in your scene to one of your custom
color swatches:
■

Drag the Active Color swatch up to one of the custom color swatches.
The Active Color swatch is in the Object Color dialog, to the left of the
OK button.

To select objects by color:

■

Click
(Select By Color). This displays the Select Objects dialog on
page 184. All objects that have the same color as the current object are
highlighted in the list. Click Select.

302 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface

Palette Choose one of these:
■

3ds Max paletteWhen chosen, the dialog displays Basic Colors and Custom
Colors groups, and you have the option to add custom colors.

■

AutoCAD ACI paletteWhen chosen, the AutoCAD ACI palette is shown.
When you click a color, its ACI# is displayed at the bottom of the dialog.

Basic Colors A set of 64 default colors, available only when 3ds Max Palette
is active.
Custom Colors Displays 16 custom colors when 3ds Max Palette is active. To
choose a custom color, click its swatch. To define or change a custom color,
click its swatch and then click Add Custom Colors.
Add Custom Colors Available only when 3ds Max Palette is active. Clicking
this option displays the Color Selector on page 304, which allows you to modify
the currently selected custom color. If you click Add Custom Colors with a
basic color chosen, the dialog switches to the first custom color before opening
the Color Selector.
By Layer/By Object Sets the object's color by layer or by object. If color is set
by object, choosing a new color on the Object Color dialog changes the object's
wireframe color in viewports.

Assigning Colors to Objects | 303

ACI# Displays the ACI number for the selected color. Available only when
AutoCAD ACI palette is active.

Select by Color Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184 listing all
objects that use the current color as their wireframe color.
NOTE This button is available only if at least one object in the scene has the
Current Color as its wireframe color.
Assign Random Colors When on, 3ds Max will assign a random color to each
object created. When off, 3ds Max will assign the same color to every object
created until the color swatch is changed. This setting affects wireframe colors
only when By Object is turned on as the color method.
Active/Current Color Displays the active color (if no object is selected) or
current color. When you click the color swatch, the Color Selector dialog on
page 304 opens, where you can mix a custom color.

Color Selector Dialog
Any command panel ➤ Name and Color fields ➤ Click color swatch. ➤
Object Color dialog ➤ Add Custom Colors button or Current Color swatch.

Material Editor ➤ Click any color swatch.

Select or add a light object. ➤
Modify panel ➤
Intensity/Color/(Distribution/Attenuation) rollout ➤ Click color or Filter
Color swatch.
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Click color swatch for Background, Tint, and Ambient components of Global
Lighting, and various components of atmospheric effects such as Fire, Fog,
and so on..
The Color Selector dialog lets you specify a custom color parameter in 3ds
Max. You can work simultaneously with three different color models to help
you zero in on the exact color you want.
You can use the Color Selector to specify many color parameters, such as light
colors, material colors, background colors, and custom object colors. (Another

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way to choose an object's viewport color is to use the predefined colors in the
Object Color dialog on page 300.)
In most contexts, the Color Selector is modeless on page 9224; that is, it remains
on the screen until you dismiss it, and you can use other controls or work in
a viewport while the dialog is still visible. In other contexts, the Color Selector
is modal, and you must close the dialog before proceeding.
The dialog is divided into three different color selection models. You can use
the controls for any model to define a color. The three color models are:
■

Hue/Blackness/Whiteness (HBW)
The most prominently displayed and intuitive color model is the HBW
model. This model represents a natural, pigment-based way of mixing
color by starting with a pure color (hue) and then making it darker by
adding black, or lighter by adding white.
The main feature of the HBW model is a large square box displaying the
color spectrum. Across the top of this box you have the spectrum of pure
colors, or hue. Down the side of the box you see increasing levels of
blackness, making the color dark as you approach the bottom.
To the right of the color spectrum box is the Whiteness box, which controls
the amount of white in the color. Use higher positions to decrease the
whiteness, or lower positions to increase the whiteness.

■

Red/Blue/Green (RGB)
The RGB model adjusts the mix of Red, Green, and Blue to define a color.
This model represents the way colored light can be mixed. This is additive
color mixing, as opposed to the subtractive color mixing for paint and
other pigments. You can adjust values using the color sliders, the numeric
fields to their right (via the keyboard), or the spinners to the right of the
numeric fields.

■

Hue/Saturation/Value (HSV)
The HSV color model adjusts Hue, Saturation, and Value. Hue sets the
color; Saturation (labeled "Sat") sets the color's purity; and Value sets the
color's brightness, or intensity. You can adjust values using the color sliders,
the numeric fields to their right (via the keyboard), or the spinners to the
right of the numeric fields.

As you adjust the controls of one color model, the controls of the other two
models change to match. The color defined by the color model is displayed
in the right half of the Color Output box. The original color, before you began
making changes, is displayed in the left half.

Assigning Colors to Objects | 305

Procedures
To display the Color Selector:
1 Click the color swatch of a color parameter such as the color of a light
or of a material component.
NOTE The object color displayed next to an object's name on command
panels uses the Object Color dialog on page 300. On the Object Color dialog,
clicking the Active (or Current) Color swatch or the Add Custom Colors button
displays a Color Selector.
2 Make a color selection and click OK or Cancel, or the Close button (X).
If using the Add Color version of the Color Selector, be sure to click Add
Color first.
3 To revert to the original color, click Reset.
To choose the hue of a color, do one of the following:
1 Click anywhere in the Hue rainbow (the large, multicolored square).
2 Drag the Hue slider at the top of the rainbow.
3 Drag the Red, Green, and Blue sliders.
4 Drag the Hue slider.
5 Use the Red, Green, Blue, or Hue spinners.
To make a color lighter, do one of the following:
1 Drag the vertical Whiteness slider (at the right of the Hue rainbow)
downward.
2 Drag the vertical Blackness slider (at the left of the Hue rainbow) upward.
3 Drag the Saturation (Sat.) slider to the left.
4 Use the Saturation spinner to decrease saturation.
5 Drag the Value slider to the right.
6 Use the Value spinner to increase the value.

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To make a color darker, do one of the following:
1 Drag the vertical Whiteness slider (at the right of the Hue rainbow)
upward.
2 Drag the vertical Blackness slider (at the left of the Hue rainbow)
downward.
3 Drag the Saturation (Sat.) slider to the right.
4 Use the Saturation spinner to increase saturation.
5 Drag the Value slider to the left.
6 Use the Value spinner to decrease the value.
To return to the original color:
■

Click Reset.
The new color is replaced by the original color, and all parameter values
are reset.

To dismiss the Color Selector, do one of the following:
1 Click Close.
2 Click OK or Cancel.
3 Click the dialog's Close (X) button.

Interface

Assigning Colors to Objects | 307

Hue Define a pure color by dragging the hue pointer across the top of the
box.
Blackness Drag the blackness pointer down the side to darken the pure color
by adding black. You can also click or drag inside the box to change hue and
blackness at the same time.
Whiteness The vertical bar to the right controls the amount of whiteness.
The color set by the hue and blackness pointers is displayed at the top of the
bar and pure white at the bottom. Drag the whiteness pointer down to lighten
the color by adding white.
Red, Green, and Blue When a red, green, or blue slider is all the way to the
left, its numeric field contains 0; none of the color controlled by that slider
is used. If the slider is all the way to the right, the field reads 255; the maximum
amount of that color is being used.
The spinners to the right of each slider are another way of setting the red,
blue, or green component.
The colors in the sliders change to show an approximation of what the color
result will be if you move the slider to that location, without adjusting any
other color parameter.
Hue Sets the pure color. Locating the slider all the way to the left gives you
pure red. As you drag the slider to the right you move through the spectrum
of Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Magenta, and back to Red again. Hue is
more accurately represented as a color wheel rather than a linear slider. That
is why the Hue slider is red at both ends. Think of the hue range from 0 to
255 as being points on a circle where the numbers 0 and 255 are right next
to each other.
Saturation ("Sat") Sets the purity or strength of the color. A weak color, with
a saturation near 0, is dull and gray. A strong color, with a saturation near 255
is very bright and pure.
Value Sets the lightness or darkness of a color. Low values darken the color
toward black. High values lighten the color toward white. A value in the
middle, at a setting of 127, gives you the color defined only by hue and
saturation.
Color Output This pair of color swatches, below the Value slider, lets you
compare the new color, shown on the right, to the original color, shown on
the left.

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Sample Screen Color Lets you pick a new color from anywhere on the
screen. After clicking this button, the mouse cursor changes to the eyedropper
icon shown on the button. While this cursor appears, use any of these methods:
■

Click anywhere on the screen to replace the current color with the color
of the pixel under the lower-right corner of the cursor.

■

Drag to continually update the current color with the color of the pixel
under the lower-right corner of the cursor. This makes it easier to make
sure you get the right color if the desired color area is small (say, a
one-pixel-thick line).

■

At any time, press and hold Shift to average the current color with colors
the cursor moves over.
Instead of replacing the current color with the new sampled color,
smoothed sampling gradually mixes the sampled color with the current
color, giving a smoothed color transition during sampling. This is useful
for sampling noisy areas, where the variations in colors are accumulated
to provide a representative general color.
Unlike the other methods, releasing the left mouse button only does not
exit the sampler mode; you can move the mouse elsewhere (without
sampling) and then start dragging again to continue smoothed sampling
in other areas. Releasing Shift only returns to regular sampling. Releasing
both Shift and the left mouse button exits the sampler mode, returning
the mouse cursor and behavior to normal.

Sampling can occur under any conditions anywhere within any windows that
belong to the current instance of 3ds Max. To sample anywhere outside of
3ds Max (for example, the desktop), drag the mouse from within one of these
3ds Max windows.
The color sampler tool compensates for any gamma applied to the color
selector using the Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ Gamma And LUT on page
8917 ➤ Affect Color Selectors option. This means that the color-corrected,
displayed sampled visual color in the color selector always matches the
on-screen visual color of the sampled location. If the gamma of the color
selector does not match the gamma of the sampled location, the true color
values (RGB/HSV) of the sampled color will differ from the true color values
of the sampled location. This behavior applies to both regular gamma and
Autodesk LUT gamma correction modes.
Reset Click to restore color settings to the original color.
OK Accepts any changes and closes the dialog.

Assigning Colors to Objects | 309

NOTE If you opened the dialog by clicking Add Custom Colors on the Object
Color dialog, the button label reads “Add Color.”
Cancel Restores the original color and closes the dialog.

Color Selector for mental ray Materials and Shaders
When you click a color swatch in the interface for a mental ray material on
page 6224 or mental ray shader on page 6806, or a DirectX material on page 6597,
you see a variant of the Color Selector.

This dialog differs from the standard Color Selector in two ways:
■

The RGB and HSV values appear as normalized values between 0.0 and
1.0, rather than as 8-bit integers (0–255).

■

An additional Alpha slider and spinner let you explicitly set the alpha
value for this color. This value is also normalized, where 0.0 represents
fully transparent, and 1.0 represents fully opaque.

This version of the Color Selector also appears when you use the DirectX
Shader material on page 6597 and the mental ray renderer's Sampling Quality
rollout on page 7189.

Color Clipboard Utility
Tools menu ➤ Color Clipboard

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Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Color Clipboard button
The Color Clipboard utility stores color swatches for copying from one map
or material to another.
For example, if in the Material Editor, you want to copy a color from a swatch
in one level of a material to a swatch in another level (or from another
material), there would be no way to do it with drag and drop. This is because
you can't have two materials/maps visible at the same time. However, you
can drag the color from one material to the color clipboard, switch to the
other material, and then drag the color from the clipboard to the swatch in
the new material.
You can save and load color clipboard files. The saved file, which is given a
.ccb (color clip board) extension, is an ASCII file that contains a palette
description. The first 12 lines of the file consist of three RGB numbers, so you
can easily edit or create your own clipboard files. This file format is also used
by the VertexPaint modifier on page 1910.

Procedures
To copy a color from a swatch to the color clipboard:
1 On the Utilities panel, click Color Clipboard.
2 Open the Material Editor.
3 Select a color from any swatch in a material.
4 Drag the color to a swatch in the color clipboard.
5 A dialog appears asking if you want to copy or swap the material. Choose
copy to replace the swatch in the color clipboard with the swatch from
the material you selected. Choose swap to swap colors on the Color
Clipboard swatch and material swatch.

Assigning Colors to Objects | 311

Interface

Color swatches Click a color swatch to edit its value with the Color Selector.
NOTE The Color Selector invoked by this utility uses decimal numbers in the range
0.0 to 1.0, instead of integers in the range 0 to 255 as with other color-selection
dialogs in 3ds Max.
New Floater Displays a floating clipboard with 12 slots, plus buttons for
opening and saving color clipboard files. You can open up as many of these
floaters as you want and you can minimize them. If you exit the Utilities panel
or select the Close button to exit the Color Clipboard utility, any visible floaters
remain open. When you close a floater, any changed values are lost.

Close Exits the Clipboard utility.

Adjusting Normals and Smoothing
In general, you adjust normals and smoothing to prepare objects for rendering.
A normal on page 9237 is a unit vector that defines which way a face or vertex

312 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

is pointing. Smoothing groups define whether a surface is rendered with sharp
edges or smooth surfaces.
The direction in which a normal points represents the front, or outer surface
of a face or vertex, which is the side of the surface that is normally displayed
and rendered. You can manually flip or unify face normals to fix surface errors
caused by modeling operations or by importing meshes from other programs.
Smoothing groups are numbers assigned to the faces of an object. Each face
can carry any number of smoothing groups, up to the maximum of 32. If two
faces share an edge and share the same smoothing group, they render as a
smooth surface. If they don’t share the same smoothing group, the edge
between them renders as a corner. You can change and animate smoothing
group assignments manually. Changing smoothing groups does not alter
geometry in any way: it simply changes the way faces and edges are shaded.

Viewing and Changing Normals
When you create an object, normals on page 9237 are generated automatically.
Usually objects render correctly using these default normals. Sometimes,
however, you need to adjust the normals.

Left: The normals shown as spikes indicate the orientation of faces on the pyramid.

Adjusting Normals and Smoothing | 313

Right: Flipping normals can make faces invisible (or visible) in shaded viewports and
renderings.

Undesired normals can appear in these objects:
■

Meshes imported from other applications.

■

Geometry generated by complex operations such as Boolean objects, lathe
objects, or lofts.

Normals are used to define which side of a face or vertex is considered the
"out" side. The out side of a face or vertex is the side that gets rendered unless
you are using two-sided materials, or turn on the Force 2-Sided option in the
Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout on
page 7020.
Do one of the following to view or change face normals:
■

Apply a Normal modifier on page 1497. If a Face sub-object selection is active,
Normal applies to the selected faces. If no faces are selected, Normal applies
to the entire object.

■

Apply an Edit Mesh modifier on page 1263, enable Face, Polygon or Element
sub-object mode, and then use the features on the Surface Properties rollout
to change the directions in which normals point.

■

Convert the object to an editable mesh on page 2190, enable Face, Polygon
or Element sub-object mode, and use the features on the Surface Properties
rollout

Viewing Normals
The easiest way to view normals is to look at an object in a shaded viewport.
In this case, you are not viewing the normal arrows themselves, but rather
their effects on the shaded surface. If the object looks as if it is inside-out, or
has holes, then some of the normals might be pointing in the wrong direction.
You can display the normal vectors for selected faces or vertices by enabling
Show Normals on the Selection rollout of an editable mesh object or the Edit
Mesh modifier.

Unifying Normals
Use Unify Normals to make normals point in a consistent direction. If an
object has normals that are inconsistent (some point outward and others
inward) the object will appear to have holes in its surface.

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Unify Normals is found on the Surface Properties rollout and on the Normal
modifier.
If you are animating the creation of a complex object such as a nested Boolean
or a loft, and you think the operation might result in inconsistent faces, apply
a Normal modifier on page 1497 to the result, and turn on Unify Normals.

Flipping Normals
Use Flip Normals to reverse the direction of all selected faces. Flipping the
normals of an object turns it inside-out.
Flip Normals is found on the Surface Properties rollout and on the Normal
modifier.
The Lathe modifier on page 1418 sometimes creates an object with normals
pointing inward. Use the Flip Normals check box on the Lathe modifier's
Parameters rollout to adjust the normals. You can also use the Normal modifier
with both Unify and Flip turned on to fix inside-out lathed objects.

Viewing and Changing Smoothing
Smoothing blends the shading at the edges between faces to produce the
appearance of a smooth, curved surface. You can control how smoothing is
applied to a surface so your objects can have both smooth surfaces and sharp,
faceted edges where appropriate.

Adjusting Normals and Smoothing | 315

The face labeled “1-2” shares smoothing groups with adjacent faces, so the edges
between them are smoothed over in renderings.
The face labeled “3” does not share a smoothing group, so its edge is visible in
renderings.

Smoothing does not affect geometry. It affects only the way geometry is colored
when rendered.
Smoothing is controlled by smoothing groups, which are numbered groups
ranging from 1 to 32. You can assign each face to one or more smoothing
groups. When a scene is rendered, the renderer checks each adjacent pair of
faces to see if they share a smoothing group, and renders the object as follows:
■

If faces have no smoothing groups in common, the faces are rendered with
a sharp edge between them.

■

If faces have at least one smoothing group in common, the edge between
the faces is “smoothed”, meaning it is shaded in such a way that the area
where the faces meet appears smooth.

Because each face has three edges, only three smoothing groups can be in
effect for any face. Extra smoothing groups assigned to a face are ignored.

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Do one of the following to view or change smoothing group assignments:
■

Turn on the Smooth check box on the Parameters rollout of a parametric
object to set default smoothing for the object.

■

Turn on the Auto Smooth check box on the Rendering rollout of a spline
shape to turn on smoothing.

■

Apply a Smooth modifier on page 1682. If a Face sub-object selection is active,
Smooth applies to the selected faces. If no faces are selected, Smooth applies
to the entire object.

■

Convert the object to editable poly on page 2240 format or apply the Edit
Poly modifier on page 1274, access the Polygon or Element sub-object level,
then use the features on the Polygon: Smoothing Groups rollout.

■

Convert the object to editable mesh on page 2190 format or apply the Edit
Mesh modifier on page 1263, access the Face (or Polygon or Element)
sub-object level, then use the features on the Surface Properties rollout.

Viewing Smoothing Groups
The easiest way to view smoothing is to look at an object in a shaded viewport.
In this case, you are not viewing the smoothing groups themselves but rather
their effects on the shaded surface.
You can see the smoothing group numbers for selected faces of an editable
mesh object or the Edit Mesh modifier by looking at the Smoothing Group
buttons on the Surface Properties rollout, or of an editable poly object on the
Polygon Properties rollout.
Smoothing Group buttons appear as follows:
■

Group numbers not used by any face in the selection, appear normal.

■

Group numbers used by all faces in the selection, appear selected.

■

Group numbers used by some, but not all, faces in the selection, appear
blank.

Automatically Smoothing an Object
Click Auto Smooth to assign smoothing automatically. You set a Threshold
angle to determine whether to smooth adjacent faces.
■

If the angle between face normals is less than or equal to the threshold,
the faces are assigned to a common smoothing group.

Adjusting Normals and Smoothing | 317

■

If the angle between face normals is greater than the threshold, the faces
are assigned to separate groups.

Auto Smooth is found on the Surface Properties rollout and on the Smooth
modifier.

Manually Applying Smoothing Groups
You manually assign smoothing groups to a selection of faces by clicking
Smoothing Group buttons on the Surface Properties rollout or the Smooth
modifier. The smoothing group of each button you click is assigned to the
selection.

Selecting Faces by Smoothing Group
You can also select faces according to the assigned smoothing groups. Click
Select By SG on the Surface Properties rollout (editable mesh) or Polygon
Properties rollout (editable poly) and then click the smoothing group of the
faces to select.
This is a convenient way to examine smoothing groups on an object someone
else created.

Geometric Primitives
Geometric primitives are basic shapes that 3ds Max provides as parametric
objects on page 9258. Primitives are divided into two categories: standard
primitives and extended primitives.
See also:
■

Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects on page 290

■

Creating an Object on page 296

Creating Primitives from the Keyboard
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard or Extended
Primitives ➤ Keyboard Entry rollout

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You can create most geometric primitives from your keyboard using the
Keyboard Entry rollout. In a single operation, you define both the initial size
of an object and its three-dimensional position. 3ds Max automatically assigns
the object's name and color. See Object Name and Wireframe Color on page
8771.
This method is generally the same for all primitives; differences occur in the
type and number of parameters. The Hedra primitive, a complex and highly
visual family of objects, is unsuited to this method and has no keyboard entry.

Procedures
To open the Keyboard Entry rollout:
1 On the Create panel for Standard or Extended Primitives, click any of the
primitive Object Type rollout buttons, except Hedra, RingWave, or Hose.
2 Click the Keyboard Entry rollout to open it. This rollout is closed by
default.
NOTE The buttons on the Creation Method rollout have no effect on
keyboard entry.

To create a primitive from the keyboard:
1 On the Keyboard Entry rollout, select a numeric field with the mouse
and then enter a number.
2 Press Tab to move to the next field. You do not have to press Enter after
entering a value. Press Shift+Tab to reverse direction.
3 When you have all fields set, click Create.
4 The object appears in the active viewport.
Once created, a new primitive is unaffected by the numeric fields in the
Keyboard Entry rollout. You can adjust parameter values on the Parameters
rollout, either immediately after creation or on the Modify panel.

Creating Primitives from the Keyboard | 319

Interface

The Keyboard Entry rollout contains a common set of position fields, labeled
X, Y, and Z. The numbers you enter are offsets along the axes of the active
construction plane; either the home grid or a grid object. Plus and minus
values correspond to positive and negative directions for these axes.
Defaults=0,0,0; the center of the active grid.
The location set by X,Y is equivalent to the first mouse-down position in the
standard method of creating objects.
Each standard primitive has the following parameters on its Keyboard Entry
rollout.
Primitive

Parameters

XYZ point

Box

Length, Width, Height

Center of base

Cone

Radius 1, Radius 2, Height

Center of base

Sphere

Radius

Center

GeoSphere

Radius

Center

Cylinder

Radius, Height

Center of base

Tube

Radius 1, Radius 2, Height

Center of base

Torus

Radius 1, Radius 2

Center

Pyramid

Width, Depth, Height

Center of base

Teapot

Radius

Center of base

320 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Primitive

Parameters

XYZ point

Plane

Length, Width

Center

Standard Primitives
Geometric primitives are familiar as objects in the real world such as beach
balls, pipes, boxes, doughnuts, and ice cream cones. In 3ds Max, you can
model many such objects using a single primitive. You can also combine
primitives into more complex objects, and further refine them with modifiers.

A collection of standard primitive objects

Standard Primitives | 321

3ds Max includes a set of 10 basic primitives. You can easily create the
primitives with the mouse in the viewport, and most can be generated from
the keyboard as well. These primitives are listed in the Object Type rollout
and on the Create menu on page 8598.
Also available from the Object Type rollout is the AutoGrid option on page
2819.
You can convert standard primitive objects to editable mesh objects on page
2190, editable poly objects on page 2240, and NURBS surfaces. on page 2500 You
can also convert primitives to patch objects; see the path annotation at Editable
Patch on page 2374 (the information at the start of the topic that tells you how
to create this type of object).
All primitives have name and color controls, and allow you to enter initial
values from the keyboard. See these topics:
Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771
Creating Primitives from the Keyboard on page 318
The remaining rollouts are covered in the topic for each primitive.

Box Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Box button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Box
Box produces one of the simplest of the primitives. Cube is the only variation
of Box. However, you can vary the scale and proportion to make many different

322 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

kinds of rectangular objects, from large, flat panels and slabs to tall columns
and small blocks.

Examples of boxes

Procedures
To create a box:
1 On the Object Type rollout, click Box.
2 In any viewport, drag to define a rectangular base, then release to set
length and width.
3 Move the mouse up or down to define the height.
4 Click to set the finished height and create the box.
To create a box with a square base:
■

Hold down Ctrl as you drag the base of the box. This keeps length and
width the same. Holding the Ctrl key has no effect on height.

Standard Primitives | 323

To create a cube:
1 On the Creation Method rollout, choose Cube.
2 In any viewport, drag to define the size of the cube.
3 As you drag, a cube emerges with the pivot point at the center of its base.
4 Release to set the dimensions of all sides.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Cube Forces length, width, and height to be equal. Creating a cube is a one-step
operation. Starting at the center of the cube, drag in a viewport to set all three
dimensions simultaneously. You can change a cube's individual dimensions
in the Parameters rollout.
Box Creates a standard box primitive from one corner to the diagonally
opposite corner, with different settings for length, width, and height.

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a box with one segment on each side.
Length, Width, Height Sets the length, width, and height of the Box object.
These fields also act as readouts while you drag the sides of the box.
Default=0,0,0.

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Length, Width, Height Segments Sets the number of divisions along each
axis of the object. Can be set before or after creation. By default, each side of
the box is a single segment. When you reset these values, the new values
become the default during a session. Default=1,1,1.
TIP Increase the Segments settings to give objects extra resolution for being
affected by modifiers. For example, if you're going to bend on page 1104 a box on
the Z axis, you might want to set its Height Segments parameter to 4 or more.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the box. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Cone Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Cone button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Cone
The Cone button on the Creation command panel lets you produce round
cones, either upright or inverted.

Standard Primitives | 325

Examples of cones

Procedures
To create a cone:
1 On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives ➤ Cone.
2 In any viewport, drag to define a radius for the base of the cone, then
release to set it.
3 Move to up or down to define a height, either positive or negative, then
click to set it.
4 Move to define a radius for the other end of the cone. Decrease this radius
to 0 for a pointed cone.
5 Click to set the second radius and create the cone.

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Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws a cone from edge to edge. You can change the center location by
moving the mouse.
Center Draws a cone from the center out.

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a smooth, round cone of 24 sides with five height
segments, one cap segment, and the pivot point at the center of the base. For
improved rendering of smoothly shaded cones, particularly those with pointed
tips, increase the number of height segments.
Radius 1, Radius 2 Set the first and second radii for the cone. The minimum
value for both is 0.0. If you enter a negative value, 3ds Max converts it to 0.0.
You can combine these settings to create pointed and flat-topped cones,
upright or inverted. The following combinations assume a positive height:
Radius Combinations

Effect

Radius 2 is 0

Creates a pointed cone

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Radius Combinations

Effect

Radius 1 is 0

Creates an inverted pointed cone

Radius 1 is larger than Radius 2

Creates a flat-topped cone

Radius 2 is larger than Radius 1

Creates an inverted flat-topped cone

If Radius 1 and 2 are the same, a cylinder is created. If the two radius settings
are close in size, the effect is similar to applying a Taper modifier to a cylinder.

Effect of Radius settings

Height Sets dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the cone
below the construction plane.
Height Segments Sets the number of divisions along the cone's major axis.
Cap Segments Sets the number of concentric divisions around the center of
the cone's top and bottom.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the cone. Higher numbers shade and
render as true circles with Smooth selected. Lower numbers create regular
polygonal objects with Smooth off.
Smooth Blends the faces of the cone, creating a smooth appearance in rendered
views.
Slice On Enables the Slice function. Default=off.
When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete cone
reappears. You can use this check box to switch between the two topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole cone reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the cone. Default=on.

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Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Sphere Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Sphere button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Sphere
Sphere produces a full sphere, or a hemisphere or other portion of a sphere.
You can also "slice" a sphere about its vertical axis.

Examples of spheres

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Procedures
To create a sphere:
1 On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives ➤ Sphere.
2 In any viewport, drag to define a radius.
As you drag, a sphere emerges with its center at the pivot point.
3 Release the mouse to set the radius and create the sphere.
To create a hemisphere:
You can reverse the order of the following steps, if you like.
1 Create a sphere of desired radius.
2 Type 0.5 in the Hemisphere field.
The sphere is reduced to exactly the upper half, a hemisphere. If you use
the spinner, the sphere changes in size.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws a sphere from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws a sphere from the center out.

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Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a smooth sphere of 32 segments with the pivot point at
its center.
Radius Specifies the radius of the sphere.
Segments Sets the number of polygonal divisions for the sphere.
Smooth Blends the faces of the sphere, creating a smooth appearance in
rendered views.
Hemisphere Increasing values progressively will "cut off" the sphere, starting
at the base, to create a partial sphere. Values range from 0.0 to 1.0. The default
is 0.0, producing a full sphere. A setting of 0.5 produces a hemisphere, and
1.0 reduces the sphere to nothing. Default=0.0.
Chop and Squash toggle creation options for Hemisphere.
Chop Reduces the number of vertices and faces in the sphere by "chopping"
them out as the hemisphere is cut off. Default=on.
Squash Maintains the number of vertices and faces in the original sphere,
"squashing" the geometry into a smaller and smaller volume toward the top
of the sphere.

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Effects of Chop and Squash during hemisphere creation

Slice On Uses the From and To angles to create a partial sphere. The effect is
similar to lathing a semicircular shape fewer than 360 degrees.
Slice From Sets the start angle.
Slice To Sets the stop angle.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole sphere reappears.
Smoothing groups are assigned to sliced spheres as follows: The surface of the
sphere is always assigned group 1; the bottom, when Smooth is on, gets group
2. Facing the pie-slice surfaces, the cut on the left gets group 3, and the cut
on the right gets group 4.
Material IDs are assigned to sliced spheres as follows: The bottom is 1 (when
Hemisphere is greater than 0.0), the surface is 2, and the slice surfaces are 3
and 4.
Base To Pivot Moves a sphere upward along its local Z axis so the pivot point
is at its base. When off, the pivot point is on the construction plane at the
center of the sphere. Default=off.
Turning on Base To Pivot lets you place spheres so they rest on the construction
plane, like pool balls on a table. It also lets you animate a hemisphere so it
appears to grow out of the construction plane or sink into it.

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Effect of using Base To Pivot setting

Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the sphere. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

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GeoSphere Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ GeoSphere button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ GeoSphere
Use GeoSphere to make spheres and hemispheres based on three classes of
regular polyhedrons.

Examples of geospheres

Geospheres produce a more regular surface than standard spheres. They also
render with a slightly smoother profile than a standard sphere given the same
number of faces. Unlike a standard sphere, a geosphere has no poles, which
can be an advantage when you apply certain modifiers such as Free-Form
Deformation (FFD) modifiers on page 1380.

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Procedures
To create a geosphere:
1 On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives ➤ Geosphere.
2 In any viewport, drag to set the center and radius of the geosphere.
3 Set parameters such as Geodesic Base Type and Segments.
To create a geo-hemisphere:
1 Create a geosphere.
2 In the Parameters rollout, turn on the Hemisphere check box. The
geosphere is converted to a hemisphere.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Diameter Draws a geosphere from edge to edge. You can change the center
location by moving the mouse.
Center Draws a geosphere from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the size of the geosphere.

Standard Primitives | 335

Segments Sets the total number of faces in the geosphere. The number of
faces in a geosphere is equal to the sides of the base polyhedron times the
segments squared.
Lower segment values work best. Using the maximum segment value of 200
can generate up to 800,000 faces, impairing performance.

Geodesic Base Type group
Lets you choose one of three types of regular polyhedrons for the geosphere's
basic geometry.
■

TetraBased on a four-sided tetrahedron. The triangular facets can vary in
shape and size. The sphere can be divided into four equal segments.

■

OctaBased on an eight-sided octahedron. The triangular facets can vary in
shape and size. The sphere can be divided into eight equal segments.

■

IcosaBased on a 20-sided icosahedron. The facets are all equally sized
equilateral triangles. The sphere can be divided into any number of equal
segments, based on multiples and divisions of 20 faces.

Smooth Applies smoothing groups to the surface of the sphere.
Hemisphere Creates a half-sphere.
Base To Pivot Sets the pivot point location. When on, the pivot is at the
bottom of the sphere. When off, the pivot is at the center of the sphere. This
option has no effect when Hemisphere is on.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the geosphere. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Cylinder Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Cylinder button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Cylinder

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Cylinder produces a cylinder, which you can "slice" around its major axis.

Examples of cylinders

Procedures
To create a cylinder:
1 On the Create panel, choose Standard Primitives ➤ Cylinder.
2 In any viewport, drag to define the radius of the base, then release to set
the radius.
3 Move up or down to define a height, either positive or negative.
4 Click to set the height and create the cylinder.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws a cylinder from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws a cylinder from the center out.

Standard Primitives | 337

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a smooth cylinder of 18 sides with the pivot point at
the center of the base. There are five height segments and one cap segment.
If you don't plan to modify the cylinder's shape, such as with a Bend modifier,
set Height Segments to 1 to reduce scene complexity. If you plan to modify
the ends of the cylinder, consider increasing the Cap Segments setting.
Radius Sets the radius of the cylinder.
Height Sets the dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the
cylinder below the construction plane.
Height Segments Sets the number of divisions along the cylinder's major
axis.
Cap Segments Sets the number of concentric divisions around the center of
the cylinder's top and bottom.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the cylinder. With Smooth on, higher
numbers shade and render as true circles. With Smooth off, lower numbers
create regular polygonal objects.
Smooth The faces of the cylinder are blended together, creating a smooth
appearance in rendered views.
Slice On Enables the Slice function. Default=off.

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When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete cylinder
reappears. You can use this check box to switch between the two topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole cylinder reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the cylinder. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Tube Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Tube button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Tube
Tube produces both round and prismatic tubes. The tube is similar to the
cylinder with a hole in it.

Standard Primitives | 339

Examples of tubes

Procedures
To create a tube:
1 On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives ➤ Tube.
2 In any viewport, drag to define the first radius, which can be either the
inner or outer radius of the tube. Release to set the first radius.
3 Move to define the second radius, then click to set it.
4 Move up or down to define a height, either positive or negative.
5 Click to set the height and create the tube.
To create a prismatic tube:
1 Set the number of sides for the kind of prism you want.
2 Turn Smooth off.
3 Create a tube.

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Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws a tube from edge to edge. You can change the center location by
moving the mouse.
Center Draws a tube from the center out.

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a smooth, round tube of 18 sides with the pivot point
at the center of the base. There are five height segments and one cap segment.
If you don't plan to modify the cylinder's shape, such as with a Bend modifier,
set Height Segments to 1 to reduce scene complexity. If you plan to modify
the ends of the cylinder, consider increasing the Cap Segments setting.
Radius 1, Radius 2 The larger setting specifies the outside radius of the tube,
while the smaller specifies the inside radius.
Height Sets the dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the
tube below the construction plane.
Height Segments Sets the number of divisions along the tube's major axis.

Standard Primitives | 341

Cap Segments Sets the number of concentric divisions around the center of
the tube's top and bottom.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the tube. Higher numbers shade and
render as true circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular polygonal
objects with Smooth off.
Smooth When on (the default), faces of the tube are blended together, creating
a smooth appearance in rendered views.
Slice On Enables the Slice feature, which removes part of the tube's
circumference. Default=off.
When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete tube
reappears. You can therefore use this check box to switch between the two
topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole tube reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the tube. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Torus Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Torus button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Torus
Torus produces a torus, or a ring with a circular cross section, sometimes
referred to as a doughnut. You can combine three smoothing options with
rotation and twist settings to create complex variations.

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Examples of tori

Procedures
To create a torus:
1 From the Create menu, choose Standard Primitives ➤ Torus.
2 In any viewport, drag to define a torus.
3 As you drag, a torus emerges with its center at the pivot point.
4 Release to set the radius of the torus ring.
5 Move to define the radius of the cross-sectional circle, then click to create
the torus.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws a torus from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws a torus from the center out.

Standard Primitives | 343

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a smooth torus with 12 sides and 24 segments. The pivot
point is at the center of the torus on the plane, cutting through the center of
the torus. Higher settings for sides and segments produce a more dense
geometry that might be required for some modeling or rendering situations.
Radius 1 Sets the distance from the center of the torus to the center of the
cross-sectional circle. This is the radius of the torus ring.
Radius 2 Sets the radius of the cross-sectional circle. This value is replaced
each time you create a torus. Default = 10.

Radius 1 and Radius 2

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Rotation Sets the degree of rotation. Vertices are uniformly rotated about the
circle running through the center of the torus ring. Positive and negative
values for this setting "roll" the vertices in either direction over the surface of
the torus.

Rotation and Twist

Twist Sets the degree of twist. Cross sections are progressively rotated about
the circle running through the center of the torus. Beginning with twist, each
successive cross section is rotated until the last one has the number of degrees
specified.
Twisting a closed (unsliced) torus creates a constriction in the first segment.
You can avoid this by either twisting in increments of 360 degrees, or by
turning Slice on and setting both Slice From and Slice To to 0 to maintain a
complete torus.
Segments Sets the number of radial divisions around the torus. By reducing
this number, you can create polygonal rings instead of circular ones.
Sides Sets the number of sides on the cross-sectional circle of the torus. By
reducing this number, you can create prism-like cross sections instead of
circular ones.

Smooth group
Choose one of four levels of smoothing:
■

All(default) Produces complete smoothing on all surfaces of the torus.

■

SidesSmoothes the edges between adjacent segments, producing smooth
bands running around the torus.

■

NoneTurns off smoothing entirely, producing prism-like facets on the
torus.

■

SegmentsSmoothes each segment individually, producing ring-like segments
along the torus.

Slice On Creates a portion of a sliced torus rather than the entire 360 degrees.

Standard Primitives | 345

Slice From When Slice On is on, specifies the angle where the torus slice
begins.
Slice To When Slice On is on, specifies the angle where the torus slice ends.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the torus. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Pyramid Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Pyramid button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Pyramid
The Pyramid primitive has a square or rectangular base and triangular sides.

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Examples of pyramids

Procedures
To create a Pyramid:
1 On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives ➤ Pyramid.
2 Choose a creation method, either Base/Apex or Center.
NOTE Hold the Ctrl key while using either creation method to constrain the
base to a square.
3 In any viewport, drag to define the base of the pyramid. If you're using
Base/Apex, define the opposite corners of the base, moving the mouse
horizontally or vertically to define the width and depth of the base. If
you're using Center, drag from the center of the base.
4 Click, and then move the mouse to define the Height.
5 Click to complete the pyramid.

Standard Primitives | 347

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Base/Apex Creates the pyramid base from one corner to the diagonally
opposite corner.
Center Creates the pyramid base from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Width, Depth and Height Sets the dimension of the corresponding side of
the pyramid.
Width, Depth and Height Segs Sets the number of segments to the
corresponding sides of the pyramid.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the pyramid. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

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Teapot Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Teapot button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Teapot
Teapot produces a teapot. You can choose to make the whole teapot at once
(the default), or any of its parts. Since the Teapot is a parametric object, you
can choose which parts of the teapot to display after creation.

Examples of teapots

History of the Teapot
This teapot derives from the original data developed by Martin Newell in 1975.
Beginning with a graph-paper sketch of a teapot that he kept on his desk,
Newell calculated cubic Bezier splines on page 9104 to create a wireframe model.
James Blinn, also at the University of Utah during this period, produced early
renderings of exceptional quality using this model.

Standard Primitives | 349

The teapot has since become a classic in computer graphics. Its complexly
curved and intersecting surfaces are well suited to testing different kinds of
material mappings and rendering settings on a real-world object.

Procedures
To create a teapot:
1 On the Create menu, choose Standard Primitives ➤ Teapot.
2 In any viewport, drag to define a radius.
As you drag, a teapot emerges with the pivot point at the center of its
base.
3 Release the mouse to set the radius and create the teapot.
To create a teapot part:
1 In Parameters rollout ➤ Teapot Parts group, turn off all parts except the
one you want to create.
2 Create a teapot.
The part you left on appears. The pivot point remains at the center of
the teapot's base.
3 In Parameters rollout ➤ Teapot Parts group, turn off all parts except the
one you want.
The teapot has four separate parts: body, handle, spout, and lid. Controls are
located in the Teapot Parts group of the Parameters rollout. You can check
any combination of parts to create at the same time. The body alone is a
ready-made bowl, or a pot with optional lid.
To turn a part into a teapot:
1 Select a teapot part in the viewport.
2 On the Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout, turn on all parts. (This is
the default.)
The whole teapot appears.
You can apply modifiers to any separate part. If you later turn on another
part, the modifier affects the additional geometry as well.

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Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws a teapot from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws a teapot from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the radius of the teapot
Segments Sets the number of divisions for the teapot or its individual parts.
Smooth Blends faces of the teapot, creating a smooth appearance in rendered
views.

Teapot Parts group
Turn check boxes on or off for teapot parts. By default, all are on, producing
a complete teapot.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the teapot. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by

Standard Primitives | 351

the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Plane Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Standard Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Plane button
Create menu ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Plane
The Plane object is a special type of flat polygon mesh that can be enlarged
by any amount at render time. You can specify factors to magnify the size or
number of segments, or both. Use the Plane object for creating a large-scale
ground plane that doesn't get in the way when working in a viewport. You
can apply any type of modifier to the plane object, such as Displace on page
1255 to simulate a hilly terrain.

Example of plane

352 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create a plane:
1 On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives ➤ Plane.
2 In any viewport, drag to create the Plane.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Rectangle Creates the plane primitive from one corner to the diagonally
opposite corner, interactively setting different values for length and width.
Square Creates a square plane where length and width are equal. You can
change dimensions in the Parameters rollout subsequent to creation.

Parameters rollout

Length, Width Sets the length and width of the plane object. These fields act
also as readouts while you drag the sides of the box. You can revise these
values. Defaults= 0.0, 0.0.
Length Segs, Width Segs Sets the number of divisions along each axis of the
object. Can be set before or after creation. By default, each side of the plane

Standard Primitives | 353

has four segments. When you reset these values, the new values become the
default during a session.

Render Multipliers group
Render Scale Specifies the factor by which both length and width are
multiplied at render time. Scaling is performed from the center outward.
Render Segs Specifies the factor by which the number of segments in both
length and width are multiplied at render time.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the plane. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Extended Primitives
Extended Primitives are a collection of complex primitives for 3ds Max. The
topics that follow describe each type of extended primitive and its creation
parameters.

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A collection of extended primitive objects

These primitives are available from the Object Type rollout on the Create
panel and from the Create menu on page 8598 ➤ Extended Primitives.

All primitives offer AutoGrid. They all have name and color controls, and
allow you to enter initial values from the keyboard. See these topics:
AutoGrid on page 2819

Extended Primitives | 355

Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771
Creating Primitives from the Keyboard on page 318 (not applicable to Hedra,
RingWave, or Hose)
The remaining rollouts are covered in the topic for each primitive.

Hedra Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Hedra button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Hedra
Use Hedra to produce objects from several families of polyhedra.

Examples of hedra

356 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create a polyhedron:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Hedra.
2 In any viewport, drag to define a radius, then release to create the
polyhedron.
As you drag, a polyhedron emerges from the pivot point.
3 Adjust the Family Parameter and Axis Scaling spinners to vary the Hedra's
appearance.

Extended Primitives | 357

Interface

Family group
Use this group to select the type of polyhedron to create.
Tetra Creates a tetrahedron.
Cube/Octa Creates a cubic or octahedral polyhedron (depending on parameter
settings).

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Dodec/Icos Creates a dodecahedron or icosahedron (depending on parameter
settings).
Star1/Star2 Creates two different star-like polyhedra.
TIP You can animate between Hedra types. Turn on the Auto Key button, go to
any frame, and change the Family check box. There is no interpolation between
types; the model simply jumps from a star to a cube or tetrahedron, and so on.

Family parameters group
P, Q Interrelated parameters that provide a two-way translation between the
vertices and facets of a polyhedron. They share the following:
■

Range of possible values is 0.0 through 1.0.

■

The combined total of the P and Q values can be equal to or less than 1.0.

■

Extremes occur if either P or Q is set to 1.0; the other is automatically set
to 0.0.

■

Midpoint occurs when both P and Q are 0.

In the simplest terms, P and Q change the geometry back and forth between
vertices and facets. At the extreme settings for P and Q, one parameter
represents all vertices, the other represents all facets. Intermediate settings are
transition points, with the midpoint an even balance between the two
parameters.

Axis Scaling group
Polyhedra can have as many as three kinds of polygonal facets, such as triangle,
square, or pentagon. These facets can be regular or irregular. If a polyhedron
has only one or two types of facet, only one or two of the axis scaling
parameters are active. Inactive parameters have no effect.
P, Q, R Controls the axis of reflection for one of the facets of a polyhedron.
In practice, these fields have the effect of pushing their corresponding facets
in and out. Defaults=100.
Reset Returns axes to their default setting.

Vertices group
Parameters in the Vertices group determine the internal geometry of each
facet of a polyhedron. Center and Center & Sides increase the number of
vertices in the object and therefore the number of faces. These parameters
cannot be animated.

Extended Primitives | 359

Basic Facets are not subdivided beyond the minimum.
Center Each facet is subdivided by placing an additional vertex at its center,
with edges from each center point to the facet corners.
Center & Sides Each facet is subdivided by placing an additional vertex at its
center, with edges from each center point to the facet corners, as well as to
the center of each edge. Compared to Center, Center & Sides doubles the
number of faces in the polyhedron.
NOTE If you scale the axis of the object, the Center option is used automatically,
unless Center & Sides is already set.
To see the internal edges shown in the figure, turn off Edges Only on the
Display command panel.
Radius Sets the radius of any polyhedron in current units.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the polyhedron. Default=on.

Torus Knot Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Torus Knot button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Torus Knot
Use Torus Knot to create a complex or knotted torus by drawing 2D curves in
the normal planes around a 3D curve. The 3D curve (called the Base Curve)
can be either a circle or a torus knot.
You can convert a torus knot object to a NURBS surface on page 2500.

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Example of torus knot

Procedures
To create a Torus Knot:
1 On the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Torus Knot.
2 Drag the mouse to define the size of the torus knot.
3 Click, then move the mouse vertically to define the radius.
4 Click again to finish the torus.
5 Adjust the parameters on the Modify panel.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Diameter Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center
location by moving the mouse.
Radius Draws the object from the center out.

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Parameters rollout > Base Curve group

Provides parameters that affect the base curve.
Knot/Circle With Knot, the torus interweaves itself, based on various other
parameters. With Circle, the base curve is a circle, resulting in a standard torus
if parameters such as Warp and Eccentricity are left at their defaults.
Radius Sets the radius of the base curve.
Segments Sets the number of segments around the perimeter of the torus.
P and Q Describes up-and-down (P) and around-the-center (Q) winding
numbers. (Active only when Knot is chosen.)
Warp Count Sets the number of "points" in a star shape around the curve.
(Active only when Circle is chosen.)
Warp Height Sets the height of the "points" given as a percentage of the base
curve radius.

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Parameters rollout > Cross Section group

Provides parameters that affect the cross section of the torus knot.
Radius Sets the radius of the cross section.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the cross section.
Eccentricity Sets the ratio of the major to minor axes of the cross section. A
value of 1 provides a circular cross section, while other values create elliptical
cross sections.
Twist Sets the number of times the cross section twists around the base curve.
Lumps Sets the number of bulges in the torus knot. Note that the Lump Height
spinner value must be greater than 0 to see any effect.
Lump Height Sets the height of the lumps, as a percentage of the radius of
the cross section. Note that the Lumps spinner must be greater than 0 to see
any effect.
Lump Offset Sets the offset of the start of the lumps, measured in degrees.
The purpose of this value is to animate the lumps around the torus.

Parameters rollout > Smooth group

Provides options to alter the smoothing displayed or rendered of the torus
knot. This smoothing does not displace or tesselate the geometry, it only adds
the smoothing group information.
All Smoothes the entire torus knot.

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Sides Smoothes only the adjacent sides of the torus knot.
None The torus knot is faceted.

Parameters rollout > Mapping Coordinates group

Provides methods of assigning and adjusting mapping coordinates.
Generate Mapping Coords Assigns mapping coordinates based on the
geometry of the torus knot. Default=on.
Offset U/V Offset the mapping coordinates along U and V.
Tiling U/V Tile the mapping coordinates along U and V.

ChamferBox Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ ChamferBox button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Chamfer Box
Use ChamferBox to create a box with beveled or rounded edges.

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Examples of chamfered boxes

Procedures
To create a standard chamfered box:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Chamfer Box.
2 Drag the mouse to define the diagonal corners of the base of the
chamfered box. (Press Ctrl to constrain the base to a square.)
3 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define
the height of the box. Click to set the height
4 Move the mouse diagonally to define the width of the fillet, or chamfer
(toward the upper left increases the width; toward the lower right
decreases it).
5 Click again to finish the chamfered box.
To create a cubic chamfered box:
1 On the Creation Method rollout, click Cube.

Extended Primitives | 365

2 Beginning at the center of the cube, drag in a viewport to set all three
dimensions simultaneously.
3 Release the button, and move the mouse to set the fillet or chamfer.
4 Click to create the object.
You can change a cube's individual dimensions in the Parameters rollout.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Cube Forces length, width, and height to be equal. You can change a cube's
individual dimensions in the Parameters rollout.
Box Creates a standard chamfered box primitive from one corner to the
diagonally opposite corner, with individual settings for length, width, and
height.

Parameters rollout

Length, Width, Height Sets the corresponding dimensions of the chamfered
box.

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Fillet Slices off the edges of the chamfered box. Higher values result in a more
refined fillet on the edges of the chamfered box.
Length, Width, Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the
corresponding axis.
Fillet Segs Sets the number of segments in the filleted edges of the box. Adding
fillet segments increases the edge roundness.
Smooth Blends the display of the faces of the chamfered box, creating a
smooth appearance in rendered views.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the chamfered box. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

ChamferCyl Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ ChamferCyl button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Chamfer Cylinder
Use ChamferCyl to create a cylinder with beveled or rounded cap edges.

Extended Primitives | 367

Examples of chamfered cylinders

Procedures
To create a chamfered cylinder:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Chamfer Cylinder.
2 Drag the mouse to define the radius of the base of the chamfered cylinder.
3 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define
the height of the cylinder. Click to set the height.
4 Move the mouse diagonally to define the width of the fillet, or chamfer
(toward the upper left increases the width; toward the lower right
decreases it).
5 Click to finish the cylinder.

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Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the radius of the chamfered cylinder.
Height Sets the dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the
chamfered cylinder below the construction plane.
Fillet Chamfers the top and bottom cap edges of the chamfered cylinder.
Higher numbers result in a more refined fillet along the cap edge.
Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the corresponding axis.
Fillet Segs Sets the number of segments in the filleted edges of the cylinder.
Adding fillet segments curves the edges, producing a filleted cylinder.

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Sides Sets the number of sides around the chamfered cylinder. Higher numbers
shade and render as true circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular
polygonal objects with Smooth off.
Cap Segs Sets the number of concentric divisions along the center of the
chamfered cylinder's top and bottom
Smooth Blends the faces of the chamfered cylinder, creating a smooth
appearance in rendered views.
Slice On Enables the Slice function. Default=off.
When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete chamfered
cylinder reappears. You can use this check box to switch between the two
topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole chamfered cylinder reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the chamfered cylinder. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

OilTank Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ OilTank button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Oil Tank
Use OilTank to create a cylinder with convex caps.

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Examples of oil tanks

Procedures
To create an oil tank:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Oil Tank.
2 Drag the mouse to define the radius of the base of the oil tank.
3 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define
the height of the oil tank. Click to set the height.
4 Move the mouse diagonally to define the height of the convex caps
(toward the upper left to increase the height; toward the lower right to
decrease it).
5 Click again to finish the oil tank.

Extended Primitives | 371

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the radius of the oil tank.
Height Sets the dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the
oil tank below the construction plane.
Cap Height Sets the height of the convex caps. The minimum value is 2.5
percent of the Radius setting. The maximum value is 99 percent the Radius
setting, unless the absolute value of the Height setting is less than twice the
Radius setting, in which case cap height cannot exceed 49.5 percent of the
absolute value of the Height setting.

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Overall/Centers Determines what the Height value specifies. Overall is the
overall height of the object. Centers is the height of the midsection of the
cylinder, not including its convex caps.
Blend When greater than 0, creates a bevel at the edge of the caps.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the oil tank. To create a smoothly
rounded object, use a higher number of sides and turn Smooth on. To create
an oil tank with flat sides, use a lower number of sides and turn Smooth off.
Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the oil tank's major axis.
Smooth Blends the faces of the oil tank, creating a smooth appearance in
rendered views.
Slice On Turns on the Slice function. Default=off.
When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete oil tank
reappears. You can therefore use this check box to switch between the two
topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole oil tank reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the oil tank. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Capsule Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Capsule button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Capsule
Use Capsule to create a cylinder with hemispherical caps.

Extended Primitives | 373

Examples of capsules

Procedures
To create a capsule:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Capsule.
2 Drag the mouse to define the radius of the capsule.
3 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define
the height of the capsule.
4 Click to set the height and finish the capsule.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

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Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the radius of the capsule.
Height Sets the height along the central axis. Negative values create the capsule
below the construction plane.
Overall/Centers Determines what the Height value specifies. Overall specifies
the overall height of the object. Centers specifies the height of the midsection
of the cylinder, not including its domed caps.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the capsule. Higher numbers shade and
render as true circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular polygonal
objects with Smooth off.
Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the capsule's major axis.
Smooth Blends the faces of the capsule, creating a smooth appearance in
rendered views.
Slice On Turns on the Slice function. Default=off.
When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete capsule
reappears. You can use this check box to switch between the two topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.

Extended Primitives | 375

For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole capsule reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Generates coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the capsule. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Spindle Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Spindle button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Spindle
Use the Spindle primitive to create a cylinder with conical caps.

Examples of spindles

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Procedures
To create a spindle:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Spindle.
2 Drag the mouse to define the radius of the base of the spindle.
3 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define
the height of the spindle. Click to set the height.
4 Move the mouse diagonally to define the height of the conical caps
(toward the upper left to increase the height; toward the lower right to
decrease it).
5 Click again to finish the spindle.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

Extended Primitives | 377

Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the radius of the spindle.
Height Sets the dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the
spindle below the construction plane.
Cap Height Sets the height of the conical caps. The minimum value is 0.1;
the maximum value is ½ the absolute value of the Height setting.
Overall/Centers Determines what the Height value specifies. Overall specifies
the overall height of the object. Centers specifies the height of the midsection
of the cylinder, not including its conical caps.
Blend When greater than 0, creates a fillet where the caps meet the body of
the spindle.
Sides Sets the number of sides around the spindle. Higher numbers shade and
render as true circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular polygonal
objects with Smooth off.

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Cap Segs Sets the number of concentric divisions along the center of the
spindle's top and bottom.
Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the spindle's major axis.
Smooth Blends the faces of the spindle, creating a smooth appearance in
rendered views.
Slice On Turns on the Slice function. Default=off.
When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete spindle
reappears. You can therefore use this check box to switch between the two
topologies.
Slice From, Slice To Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from
a zero point at the local X axis.
For both settings, positive values move the end of the slice counterclockwise;
negative values move it clockwise. Either setting can be made first. When the
ends meet, the whole spindle reappears.
Generate Mapping Coords Sets up the required coordinates for applying
mapped materials to the spindle. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

L-Ext Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ L-Ext button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ L-Extrustion
Use L-Ext to create an extruded L-shaped object.

Extended Primitives | 379

Example of L-Ext

Procedures
To create an L-Ext object:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ L-Ext.
2 Drag the mouse to define the base. (Press Ctrl to constrain the base to a
square.)
3 Release the mouse and move it vertically to define the height of the
L-extrusion.
4 Click, and then move the mouse vertically to define the thickness or
width of the walls of the L-extrusion.
5 Click to finish the L-extrusion.

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Interface
Creation Method rollout
Corners Draws the object from corner to corner. You can change the center
location by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Side/Front Length Specify the lengths of each "leg" of the L.
Side/Front Width Specify the widths of each "leg" of the L.
Height Specifies the height of the object.
Side/Front Segs Specify the number of segments for a specific "leg" of the
object.
Width/Height Segs Specify the number of segments for the overall width
and height.

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NOTE The object's dimensions (Back, Side, Front) are labeled as though it were
created in the Top or Perspective viewports, and seen from the front in world
space.
Generate Mapping Coords Sets up the required coordinates for applying
mapped materials to the object. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Gengon Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Gengon button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Gengon
Use Gengon to create an extruded, regular-sided polygon with optionally
filleted side edges.

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Examples of gengons

Procedures
To create a gengon:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ Gengon.
2 Set the Sides spinner to specify the number of side wedges in the gengon.
3 Drag the mouse to create the radius of the gengon.
4 Release the mouse button, then move the mouse vertically to define the
height of the gengon. Click to set the height.
5 Move the mouse diagonally to specify the size of the chamfer along the
side angles (toward the upper left to increase the size; toward the lower
right to decrease it).
6 Click to finish the gengon.
TIP In the Parameters rollout, increase the Fillet Segs spinner to round the
chamfered corners into fillets.

Extended Primitives | 383

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Edge Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location
by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Sides Sets the number of sides around the gengon. Higher numbers shade and
render as true circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular polygonal
objects with Smooth off.
Radius Sets the radius of the gengon.
Fillet Sets the width of the chamfered corners.
Height Sets the dimension along the central axis. Negative values create the
gengon below the construction plane.
Side Segs Sets the number of divisions around the gengon.
Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the gengon's major axis.
Fillet Segs Sets the number of divisions for the edge filleting. Increasing this
setting will produce round, filleted corners instead of chamfers.

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Smooth Blends the faces of the gengon, creating a smooth appearance in
rendered views.
Generate Mapping Coords Sets up the required coordinates for applying
mapped materials to the gengon. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

C-Ext Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ C-Ext button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ C-Extrusion
Use C-Ext to create an extruded C-shaped object.

Example of C-Ext

Procedures
To create a C-Ext object:
1 From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives ➤ C-Extrusion.
2 Drag the mouse to define the base. (Press Ctrl to constrain the base to a
square.)
3 Release the mouse and move it vertically to define the height of the
C-extrusion.

Extended Primitives | 385

4 Click, and then move the mouse vertically to define the thickness or
width of the walls of the C-extrusion.
5 Click to finish the C-extrusion.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Corners Draws the object from corner to corner. You can change the center
location by moving the mouse.
Center Draws the object from the center out.

Parameters rollout

Back/Side/Front Length Specify the length of each of the three sides.
Back/Side/Front Width Specify the width of each of the three sides.

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Height Specifies the overall height of the object.
Back/Side/Front Segs Specify the number of segments for a specific side of
the object.
NOTE The object's dimensions (Back, Side, Front) are labeled as though it were
created in the Top or Perspective viewports, and seen from the front in world
space.
Width/Height Segs Set these to specify the number of segments for the overall
width and height of the object.
Generate Mapping Coords Sets up the required coordinates for applying
mapped materials to the object. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

RingWave Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ RingWave button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ RingWave
Use the RingWave object to create a ring, optionally with irregular inner and
outer edges whose shapes can be animated. You can also animate the growth
of the ringwave object, and you can use keyframing to animate all numeric
settings. Use RingWave for various types of special-effects animation, for
example, to depict the shock wave emanating from the explosion of a star or
planet.

Extended Primitives | 387

Example of ringwave

Procedures
To create a basic animated ringwave:
1 On the menu bar choose Create ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ RingWave.
2 Drag in a viewport to set the outer radius of the ringwave.
3 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse back toward the
center of the ring to set the inner radius.
4 Click to create the ringwave object.
5 Drag the time slider to see the basic animation. This is determined by
the Inner Edge Breakup group ➤ Crawl Time settings.
6 To animate the ring's growth, choose RingWave Timing group ➤ Grow
And Stay or Cyclic Growth.

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Interface
Parameters rollout

Extended Primitives | 389

RingWave Size group
Use these settings to change the ringwave's basic parameters.
Radius Sets the outside radius of the ringwave.
Radial Segs Sets the segment count between the inner and outer surfaces in
the direction of the radius.
Ring Width Sets the mean ring width as measured inward from the outer
radius.
Sides Sets the number of segments in the circumferential direction for both
the inner, outer, and end (cap) surfaces.
Height Sets the height of the ringwave along its major axis.
TIP If you leave the Height at 0 for an effect like a shock wave, you will want to
apply a two-sided material so that the ring can be seen from both sides.
Height Segs Sets the number of segments in the direction of the height.

RingWave Timing group
Use these settings for ringwave animation where the ringwave grows from
nothing to its full size.
No Growth Sets a static ringwave, which appears at Start Time and disappears
after End Time.
Grow and Stay Animates a single growth cycle. The ringwave begins growing
at the Start Time and reaches its full size at Start Time plus Grow Time.
Cyclic Growth The ringwave grows repeatedly from the Start Time to Start
Time plus Grow Time.
For example, if you set Start Time to 0 and Grow Time to 25, leaving End Time
at the default value of 100, and choose Cyclic Growth, the ringwave grows
from nothing to its full size four times over the course of the animation.
Start Time The frame number where the ringwave appears, and begins to
grow if you choose Grow and Stay or Cyclic Growth.
Grow Time The number of frames after Start Time the ringwave takes to reach
full size. Grow Time is available only if Grow and Stay or Cyclic Growth is
chosen.
End Time The frame number after which the ringwave disappears.

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Outer Edge Breakup group
Use these settings to change the shape of the ringwave's outer edge.
TIP For effects like shock waves, the ringwave typically has little or no breakup on
the outer edge but relatively massive breakup on the inner edge.
On Turns on breakup of the outer edge. The remaining parameters in this
group are active only when this is on. Default=off.
Major Cycles Sets the number of major waves around the outer edge.
Width Flux Sets the size of the major waves, expressed as a percentage of the
unmodulated width.
Crawl Time Sets the number of frames each major wave takes to move around
the outer circumference of the RingWave.
Minor Cycles Sets the number of random-sized smaller waves in each major
cycle.
Width Flux Sets the average size of the smaller waves, expressed as a percentage
of the unmodulated width.
Crawl Time Sets the number of frames each minor wave takes to move across
its respective major wave.

Inner Edge Breakup group
Use these settings to change the shape of the ringwave's inner edge.
On Turns on the breakup of the inner edge. The remaining parameters in this
group are active only when this is on. Default=on.
Major Cycles Sets the number of major waves around the inner edge.
Width Flux Sets the size of the major waves, expressed as a percentage of the
unmodulated width.
Crawl Time Sets the number of frames each major wave takes to move around
the inner circumference of the RingWave.
Minor Cycles Sets the number of random-sized smaller waves in each major
cycle.
Width Flux Sets the average size of the smaller waves, expressed as a percentage
of the unmodulated width.
Crawl Time Sets the number of frames each minor wave takes to move across
its respective major wave.

Extended Primitives | 391

NOTE Negative values in the Crawl Time parameters change the direction of the
wave. To produce interference patterns, use Crawl Time settings of opposite sign
for major and minor waves, but similar Width Flux and Cycles settings.
TIP To produce the best "random" results, use prime numbers for major and minor
cycles that differ by a multiple of two to four. For example, a major wave of 11 or
17 cycles using a width flux of 50 combined with a minor wave of 23 or 31 cycles
with a width flux of 10 to 20 makes a nice random-appearing edge.

_____
Texture Coordinates Sets up the required coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the object. Default=on.
Smooth Applies smoothing to the object by setting all polygons to smoothing
group 1. Default=on.

Prism Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Prism button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Prism
Use Prism to create a three-sided prism with independently segmented sides.

Example of a prism

392 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create a prism with an isosceles triangle as its base:
1 Choose Isosceles on the Creation Method rollout.
2 Drag horizontally in the viewport to define the length of Side 1 (along
the X axis). Drag vertically to define the length of Sides 2 and 3 (along
the Y axis).
(To constrain the base to an equilateral triangle, press Ctrl before
performing this step.)
3 Release the mouse, and move it vertically to define the height of the
prism.
4 Click to complete the prism.
5 On the Parameters rollout, alter the length of the sides as needed.
To create a prism with a scalene or obtuse triangle at its base:
1 Choose Base/Apex in the Creation Method rollout.
2 Drag horizontally in the viewport to define the length of Side 1 (along
the X axis). Drag vertically to define the length of Sides 2 and 3 (along
the Y axis).
3 Click, and then move the mouse to specify the placement of the apex of
the triangle. This alters the length of sides 2 and 3, and the angles of the
corners of the triangle.
4 Click, and then move the mouse vertically to define the height of the
prism.
5 Click to complete the prism.

Interface
Creation Method rollout
Isosceles Draws a prism with an isosceles triangle at its base.
Base/Apex Draws a prism with a scalene or obtuse triangle at its base.

Extended Primitives | 393

Parameters rollout

Side (n) Length Sets the length of triangle's corresponding side (and thus the
triangle's corner angles).
Height Sets the dimension of the prism's central axis.
Side (n) Segs Specifies the number of segments for each side of the prism.
Height Segs Sets the number of divisions along the prism's central axis.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Sets up the required coordinates for applying
mapped materials to the prism. Default=off.

Hose Extended Primitive
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Hose button
Create menu ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Hose
The Hose object is a flexible object that you can connect between two objects,
whereupon it reacts to their movement. It's similar to Spring on page 784, but
does not have dynamics properties. You can specify the overall diameter and

394 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

length of the hose, the number of turns, and the diameter and shape of its
"wire."

Hose models a workable spring on a motorcycle

Procedures
To create a hose:
1 From the menu bar, choose Create ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Hose.
2 Drag the mouse to define the radius of the hose.
3 Release the mouse, and then move it to define the length of the hose.
4 Click to finish the hose.
Example: To bind a hose to two objects:
1 Add a hose and two other objects. Select the hose.

2 In the
Modify panel ➤ Hose Parameters rollout ➤ End Point
Method group, choose Bound To Object Pivots.
3 In the Binding Objects group, click Pick Top Object, and then select one
of the two objects.
4 In the Binding Objects group, click Pick Bottom Object, and then select
the second of the two objects.
The two ends of the hose attach themselves to the two objects.

Extended Primitives | 395

5 Move one of the objects.
The hose adjusts itself to remain attached to both objects.

Interface
Hose Parameters rollout > End Point Method group

Free Hose Choose this when using the hose as a simple object that’s not bound
to other objects.
Bound to Object Pivots Choose this when binding the hose to two objects,
using the buttons in the Binding Objects group.

Hose Parameters rollout > Binding Objects group

Available only when Bound To Object Pivots is chosen. Use the controls to
pick the objects to which the hose is bound and to set the tension between
them. "Top" and "Bottom" are arbitrary descriptors; the two bound objects can
have any positional relationship to each other.
Each end point of the hose is defined by the center of the overall diameter.
This end point is placed at the pivot point of the object to which it is bound.
You can adjust the relative position of the binding object to the hose by

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transforming the binding object while the Affect Object Only button is turned
on in the Hierarchy panel ➤ Adjust Pivot rollout.
Top (label) Displays the name of the "top" binding object.
Pick Top Object Click this button and then select the "top" object.
Tension Determines the tension of the hose curve near the Top object as it
reaches for the Bottom object. Lower the tension to have the bend occur closer
to the Top object, raise the tension to have the bend occur further away from
the Top object. Default=100.
Bottom (label) Displays the name of the "bottom" binding object.
Pick Bottom Object Click this button and then select the "bottom" object.
Tension Determines the tension of the hose curve near the Bottom object as
it reaches for the Top object. Lower the tension to have the bend occur closer
to the Bottom object, raise the tension to have the bend occur further away
from the Bottom object. Default=100.

Hose Parameters rollout > Free Hose Parameters group

Height Use this field to set the straight-line height or length of the hose when
it is not bound. This is not necessarily the actual length of the hose. Available
only when Free Hose is chosen.

Extended Primitives | 397

Hose Parameters rollout > Common Hose Parameters group

Segments The total number of segments in the hose's length. Increase this
setting for a smooth profile when the hose is curved. Default=45.
Flex Section Enable When on, lets you set the following four parameters for
the central, flexible section of the hose. When off, the hose's diameter is
uniform throughout its length.
Starts The percentage of the hose length from the starting extremity of the
hose at which the flex section begins. By default, the starting end of the hose
is the end at which the object pivot appears. Default=10%.
Ends The percentage of the hose length from the end extremity of the hose
at which the flex section ends. By default, the end extremity of the hose is
opposite the end at which the object pivot appears. Default=90%.
Cycles The number of corrugations in the flex section. The number of visible
cycles is limited by the number of segments; if Segments isn't high enough
to support the number of cycles, then not all cycles will appear. Default=5.
TIP To set the appropriate number of segments, first set Cycles, and then increase
Segments until the number of visible cycles stops changing.
Diameter The relative width of the "outside" parts of the cycles. At negative
settings, these are smaller than the overall hose diameter. At positive settings,

398 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

these are larger than the overall hose diameter. Default=-20%. Range=-50%
to 500%.
Smoothing Defines the geometry that gets smoothed. Default=All:
■

AllThe entire hose is smoothed.

■

SidesSmoothing is applied along the length of the hose but not around its
circumference.

■

NoneNo smoothing is applied.

■

SegmentsSmoothing is applied only on the inner section of the hose.

Renderable When on, the hose is rendered using the specified settings. When
off, the hose is not rendered. Default=on.
Generate Mapping Coords Sets up required coordinates for applying mapped
materials to the hose. Default=on.

Extended Primitives | 399

Hose Parameters rollout > Hose Shape group

Sets the shape of the hose cross section. Default=Round Hose.
Round Hose Sets a circular cross section.
Diameter The maximum width of the hose at the ends.
Sides The number of sides of the hose. A Sides setting of 3 gives a triangular
cross section; 4 gives a square cross section; and 5 gives a pentagonal cross
section. Increase Sides for a circular cross section. Default=8.
Rectangular Hose Lets you specify different settings for width and depth.
Width The width of the hose.
Depth The height of the hose.

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Fillet The amount by which the cross-section corners are rounded. For this
to be visible, Fillet Segs must be set to 1 or higher. Default=0.
Fillet Segs The number of segments across each filleted corner. A Fillet Segs
setting of 1 cuts the corner straight across; use higher settings for rounded
corners. Default=0.
Rotation The orientation of the hose along its long axis. Default=0.
D-Section Hose Similar to Rectangular Hose, but rounds one side for a
D-shaped cross-section.
Width The width of the hose.
Depth The height of the hose.
Round Sides The number of segments on the rounded side. Increase for a
smoother profile. Default=4.
Fillet The amount by which the two cross-section corners opposite the rounded
side are rounded. For this to be visible, Fillet Segs must be set to 1 or higher.
Default=0.
Fillet Segs The number of segments across each filleted corner. A Fillet Segs
setting of 1 cuts the corner straight across; use higher settings for rounded
corners. Default=0.
Rotation The orientation of the hose along its long axis. Default=0.

Architectural Objects
3ds Max provides an array of architectural objects, useful as building blocks
for models of homes, businesses, and similar projects. These include: AEC
Extended objects (Foliage, Railing, and Wall), Stairs, Doors, and Windows.

AEC Extended Objects
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ AEC Extended

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects

Architectural Objects | 401

AEC Extended objects are designed for use in the architectural, engineering,
and construction fields. Use Foliage to create plants, Railing to create railings
and fences, and Wall to create walls.

The Object Name and Wireframe Color rollout on page 8771 in each AEC
Extended object's creation panel functions identically. The remaining rollouts
are covered in each object's topic.

Working with AEC Design Elements
3ds Max includes such features as Foliage, Doors, Windows, Stairs, Railing,
and Wall to make exploring three-dimensional design ideas much easier.
This section provides general information about these features. For detailed
explanations and procedures, see the topics listed below:
Doors on page 459
Windows on page 475
Stairs on page 440
Railing on page 416
Wall on page 425
Foliage on page 408

Doors and Windows
3ds Max supplies a number of parametric window and door objects that you
can place into wall openings to add realism to an architectural model. These
objects let you control details like trim and panel fill in your model.
TIP Use Snaps on page 2859 for added precision when adding doors and windows.
When you create a new door or window, you must select four points in the
scene that define the size and orientation of the rectangle that will be the
door or window. You may find it easier to select these points in a given
sequence, depending on your scene and views of the scene.

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If you already have a rectangular hole you want to fill, you can still create a
door or window to your specifications by using the following procedure.
To create a door or window:
1 Set up an angled User view so that you can see the bottom and one vertical
edge of the opening and its full height.
2 Set the appropriate object snaps, such as Vertex or Endpoint. This helps
make the model more precise.
3 After clicking Window or Door, choose one of two Creation Methods:
Width/Depth/Height or Width/Height/Depth.
4 Make parameter adjustments to define details.
The width and orientation of the door/window is always defined by the first
mouse click and subsequent mouse drag. Depending on the creation method
you use, either the height or depth of the object is defined next.
If you have no object snaps set and are working in a Perspective or User
Viewport, using the Width/Depth/Height Creation Method creates an upright
Door or Window. The Width/Height/Depth Creation Method creates the
object as if it were lying on its side.

Allowing Non-vertical Jambs
The Allow Non-vertical Jambs toggle is useful for creating doors or windows
that do not fit in a vertical plane, such as a skylight window in a sloping roof.
By default, this toggle is off, making the third point in the creation sequence
either directly above (Width/Height/Depth) or on the same horizontal plane
(Width/Depth/Height) with the second point.
When you turn on Allow Non-vertical Jambs, the third point in the creation
sequence falls wherever you choose and the fourth point is added by 3ds Max.
Its offset from the plane is determined by the first three points.
Using the Width/Height/Depth Creation Method in Perspective and User
viewports with Allow Non-vertical Jambs off can be an efficient way to create
doors and windows with Object Snaps. However, it can also be confusing at
first. Keep in mind that the third point you define, the Height, is interpreted
as a point on the home grid until you indicate a point higher or lower than
the grid. If you are using an Object Snap setting, 3ds Max might not know
you mean a point off the grid unless you bring the cursor in proximity to a
nonplanar point to which it can snap.

AEC Extended Objects | 403

Additional Parameters
There are additional parameters specific to each door and window type that
control overall dimension parameters, as well as detailed parameters for
sub-object components such as mullions, trim, and panels within leaves. See
Doors on page 459 and Windows on page 475 for more information on these
parameters.

Animating Doors and Windows
Certain door and window creation parameters, including the Open parameter,
can be animated. See Doors on page 459 and Windows on page 475 for more
information.

Creating Stairs and Railings
3ds Max contains four types of stair objects: spiral stairs on page 449, U-type
stairs on page 456 with an intermediate landing, L-type stairs on page 446 with
a landing at the bend in the stair, and straight stairs on page 453 with no
intermediate landing. A complementary Railing object can be used to create
any number of handrail designs that follow along a spline path.
For more information, see Stairs on page 440.

The Railing Object
Use the Railing button on the Create panel in the to produce railing objects.
Railing components include rails, AEC Extended category on page 401posts,
and fencing. Fencing includes pickets (balusters) or solid-filled material (such
as glass or wood strips).
You can create a railing in two ways: specify the orientation and height of the
railing, or pick a spline path and apply the railing to that path. The spline
path with a railing is called a rail path. Later, if you edit the rail path, the
Railing object automatically updates to follow the changes you make. Rail
paths can occupy three-dimensional space.
When you create the lower rails, posts, and fencing components of a Railing
object, you use a special version of the Spacing Tool to specify the spacing of
those components. 3ds Max displays the Spacing Tool dialog for each railing
component: Lower Rail, Post Spacing, or Picket Spacing. For more information
on the Spacing Tool, see Spacing Tool on page 892.
For details on Railing parameters and information on creating a Railing object,
see Railing on page 416.

404 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Creating Walls
Use the Wall button on page 425 on the Create panel, in the AEC Extended
category, to produce straight-wall objects. A wall object is made up of
sub-object segments that you can edit with the Modify panel.
You can:
■

Break or insert wall segments to create separate wall objects.

■

Delete wall segments.

■

Connect two wall objects.

When you create two wall segments that meet at a corner, 3ds Max removes
any duplicate geometry. This “cleaning up” of the corners might involve
trimming. 3ds Max cleans up only the first two wall segments of a corner, not
other wall segments that might share the corner. 3ds Max does not clean up
intersections.
You can edit the segments of a wall using sub-object selection mode on the
Modify panel. For example, you can define a wall’s height profile. 3ds Max
moves the active grid to the plane of the wall you’re editing. This allows you
to snap to the profile vertices in the plane of the wall.
If you move, scale, or rotate the wall object, the linked door and window
moves, scales, or rotates along with the wall. If you move the linked door or
window along the wall, using the door or window's Local coordinate system
and activating Restrict to XY Plane in the Axis Constraints toolbar on page
847, the opening will follow. Also, if you change a door or window's overall
width and height in the Modify panel, the hole will reflect those changes.

Usage Tips
The following are a few tips for working with wall objects:
■

Use the Top viewport when creating wall objects.

■

Single walls with many windows and doors can slow down snap
calculations and movement of the wall object. To speed up insertion and
editing, use multiple walls instead of a single wall.

■

You can speed up performance in a scene with many walls, windows, and
doors by collapsing them. First save an uncollapsed version for any future
parametric changes you might want to make. Then right-click the wall
and pick Select Children from the right-click menu. Next use Collapse in
the Utility rollout to collapse them all.

AEC Extended Objects | 405

For complete information, see Wall on page 425.
To create a wall:

1 On the

Create panel, in the AEC Extended category, click Wall.

2 Use Customize ➤ Units Setup to establish precision, and then set the
parameters for the Width, Height, and Justification of the wall.
3 In any viewport, click, release the mouse, drag the wall segment to the
length you want and click again.
This creates a wall segment. You can end the wall or you can continue
to create another wall segment.
4 To complete the wall, right-click, or to add another wall segment, drag
the next wall segment to the length you want and click again.
If you create a room by ending a segment at the end of another segment
of the same wall object, 3ds Max displays the Weld Point dialog. This
dialog lets you convert the two end vertices into a single vertex, or keep
the two end vertices separate.
5 If you want the wall segments to be welded at a corner (when you move
one wall, the other wall stays at the corner), click Yes. Otherwise, click
No.
6 Right-click to complete the wall, or continue to add another wall segment.
To attach separate walls:
1 Select a wall object.
2 On the Modify panel, click Attach, and then pick another wall object.
The two wall objects become part of the same wall object, but are not
physically connected.
Attach stays active, and you can continue clicking wall segments to attach.
To stop attaching, click the Attach button or right-click in the active
viewport.
To attach multiple wall objects simultaneously to the selected wall object,
click Attach Multiple on the Modify panel to open the Attach Multiple
dialog. This works the same as the Select From Scene dialog on page 184,
except that it shows only wall objects; choose multiple walls to attach,
and then click the Attach button.

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To connect vertices in a wall:
This method lets you connect two separate wall sections with a new segment.
TIP It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.
1 Select a wall object that has more than one section. Typically you would
use Attach to create such an object.
2 In the modifier stack on page 8776, go to the Vertex sub-object level.
3 Click Connect and point the mouse over an end vertex until the cursor
changes to a cross.
4 Click once over the end vertex.
5 Move the cursor to another end vertex, and then click to connect the
two segments.
To insert a vertex in a wall:
It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.
1 Select a wall segment.
2 In the modifier stack on page 8776, go to the Vertex sub-object level.
3 Click Insert.
A highlighted line appears along the bottom of the wall, showing where
you can insert vertices.
4 Click anywhere on the highlighted line to insert a vertex.
The new vertex is attached to the mouse cursor.
5 Move the mouse to position the vertex, and then click to place it.
Now the mouse is attached to one of the new segments.
6 Move the mouse along the segment and click to add vertices.
7 Right-click to finish working on this segment. You can now insert vertices
in other segments, or right-click again to exit Insert mode.

AEC Extended Objects | 407

Foliage
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ AEC Extended ➤ Foliage

button
Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Foliage
Foliage produces various types of plant objects such tree species. 3ds Max
generates mesh representations to create fast, efficient, and good-looking
plants.

You control height, density, pruning, seed, canopy display, and level of detail.
The seed on page 414 option controls creation of different representations of
the same species. You can create millions of variations of the same species, so
each object can be unique. With the viewport canopy mode on page 415 option,
you can control the amount of plant detail, reducing the number of vertices
and faces 3ds Max uses to display the plant.

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Some of the plants that can be created from the standard library

Tips
■

Use the Spacing tool on page 892 to place plants along a path.

■

Use vertex or face snapping (see Snaps Settings on page 2850) to position
plants on a surface.

Using the Spacing tool to distribute trees along paths

Procedures
To add plants to a scene:
1 Click the Favorite Plants rollout ➤ Plant Library button to display the
Configure Palette dialog.
2 Double-click the row for each plant you want to add or remove from the
Palette and click OK.
3 On the Favorite Plants rollout, select a plant and drag it to a location in
a viewport. Alternatively, select a plant in the rollout and then click in
the viewport to place the plant.
4 On the Parameters rollout, click the New button to display different seed
variations of the plant.

AEC Extended Objects | 409

5 Adjust the remaining parameters to show elements of the plants, such
as leaves, fruit, branches, and if you want, to view the plant in canopy
mode.

Interface
Object Name and Wireframe Color rollout
This rollout lets you set the foliage object's name, color, and default material.
For detailed information, see Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771.
When Favorite Plants rollout ➤ Automatic Materials is on, each plant is
assigned its own default material. For more information, see Favorite Plants
rollout, following.

Keyboard Entry rollout
See Creating Primitives from the Keyboard on page 318.

410 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Favorite Plants rollout

The palette displays the plants currently loaded from the Plant Library on
page 412. There are three ways to add a plant to the scene:
■

Use keyboard entry.

■

Click the icon in the Favorite Plants list and then click a location in a
viewport. Double-click the icon to place the plant at the world origin.

■

Drag the plant from the palette and drop it into a viewport.

Automatic Materials Assigns default materials for the plant. To modify these
material assignments, use the Material Editor on page 6019. Select the plant in
the viewport, and click Main toolbar ➤ Material Editor. Click the Get Material
button on page 6068 to display the Material/Map Browser. Under Browse From,
choose Selected. Then, from the list pane, double-click the material list item

AEC Extended Objects | 411

for the plant to display the materials in the Basic Parameters rollout of the
Material Editor.
If you turn off Automatic Materials, 3ds Max assigns no materials to the object,
unless the Name And Color rollout ➤ Default Material check box is on and
a default material is assigned. This way you can specify a particular default
material for all foliage objects. For more information, see Object Name and
Wireframe Color on page 8771.
When on, Automatic Materials overrides the Default Material settings.
NOTE Even if Automatic Materials is off, 3ds Max still assigns material IDs to the
foliage objects, so that the object is ready for a multi/sub-object material.
Plant Library Displays the Configure Palette dialog. Using this window, you
can view information on the available plants including their names, whether
they’re in the palette, their scientific names, types, descriptions, and the
approximate number of faces per object. You can also add and remove plants
from the palette, and clear the palette, which removes all plants from the
palette.
TIP To quickly add or remove a plant from the palette, double-click its row in the
Configure Palette dialog. The Fav. (Favorite Plants) column entry switches between
"no" and "yes." Click OK to accept the changes and exit the window.

412 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Parameters rollout

Height Controls the approximate height of the plant. 3ds Max applies a
random noise factor to the height of all of the plants. Therefore, the actual
height of a plant, as measured in the viewports, won't necessarily match the
setting given in the Height parameter.
Density Controls the amount of leaves and flowers on the plant. A value of
1 displays a plant with all its leaves and flowers, .5 displays a plant with half
its leaves and flowers, and 0 displays a plant with no leaves or flowers.

AEC Extended Objects | 413

Two trees with varying foliage densities

Pruning Applies only to plants with branches. Removes branches that lie
below an invisible plane parallel to the construction plane. A value of 0 prunes
nothing, a value of 0.5 prunes the plant at a plane halfway up its height from
the construction plane, and a value of 1 prunes everything possible from the
plant. What 3ds Max prunes from the plant depends on the type of plant.
The trunk is never pruned.

Three pairs of trees, showing different values of pruning

New Displays a random variation of the current plant. 3ds Max displays the
seed value in the numeric field next to the button.
TIP Click the New button repeatedly until you find the variation you want. This
is often easier than trying to adjust the tree using modifiers.
Seed A value between 0 and 16,777,215 representing the possible variations
of branch and leaf placement and shape and angle of the trunk of the current
plant.
Generate Mapping Coords Applies default mapping coordinates on page 9212
to the plant. Default=on.

414 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Show group

Controls the display of leaves, fruit, flowers, trunk, branches, and roots of
plants. Available options depend on the type of plant you select. For example,
if a plant doesn’t have fruit, 3ds Max disables that option. Turning off options
reduces the number of vertices and faces displayed.

Viewport Canopy Mode group

In 3ds Max, the canopy of a plant is a shell covering the outermost parts of
the plant, such as the leaves or the tips of the branches and trunk. The term
derives from "forest canopy." Use reasonable parameters when you create many
plants and want to optimize display performance.
Because this setting applies only to the plant's representation in the viewports,
it has no effect on how 3ds Max renders the plant. For information on how
3ds Max renders the plant, see Level-of-Detail on page 415.
When Not Selected Displays the plant in canopy mode when it’s not selected.
Always Always displays the plant in canopy mode.
Never Never displays the plant in canopy mode. 3ds Max displays all the
features of the plant.

Level-of-Detail group

AEC Extended Objects | 415

Controls how 3ds Max renders the plant. For information on how 3ds Max
displays the plant in the viewports, see Viewport Canopy Mode on page 415.
Low Renders the plant canopy, providing the lowest level of detail.
Medium Renders a reduced-face-count version of the plant. How 3ds Max
reduces the face count varies from plant to plant, but it usually involves
removing smaller elements of the plant or reducing the number of faces in
the branches and trunk.
High Renders all the faces of the plant, providing the highest level of detail.
TIP Set the parameters before creating multiple plants. This can avoid slowing
down the display, and might reduce editing you have to do on the plants.

Railing
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ AEC Extended ➤ Railing

button
Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Railing
Components of the railing object include rails, posts, and fencing. Fencing
includes either pickets (balusters) or solid-filled material, such as glass or wood
strip.

Railings used to create fences in a field.

You can create a railing object either by specifying the orientation and height
of the railing, or by picking a spline path and applying the railing to that path.
When 3ds Max applies railing to a spline path, the latter is called a rail path.
Later, if you edit the rail path, the railing object automatically updates to
follow the changes you made. You can use three-dimensional splines as rail
paths.

416 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

When you create the lower rails, posts, and fencing components of a railing,
you use the Spacing tool on page 892 to specify the spacing of those
components. 3ds Max names the Spacing tool dialog for each railing
component: Lower Rail Spacing, Post Spacing, or Picket Spacing.
TIP Use Railing to create complete railings for stairs. See Stairs on page 440 for
more information.

Railings and Materials
By default, 3ds Max assigns five different material IDs to railings. The
aectemplates.mat material library includes Rail-Template, a multi/sub-object
material on page 6542 designed to be used with railings. Each component of
the railing/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.
Material ID Railing/Material Component
1

Lower rails

2

Posts of the railing

3

Solid fill of the railing

4

Top of the railing

5

Pickets of the railing

NOTE 3ds Max does not automatically assign a material to the railing object. To
use the included material, open the library and then assign the material to your
object.

Procedures
The following procedures describe how to create railings combining each of
the components: upper rail, lower rails, posts, picket fencing, and solid filled
fencing.
You can create a railing object in any viewport, but for best results, use a
Perspective, Camera, or Top viewport.
To create a railing:
1 Click and drag the railing to the desired length.

AEC Extended Objects | 417

2 Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to set the
height. Click to finish.
By default, 3ds Max creates the top rail along with two posts, a lower rail
at half the railing height, and two evenly spaced pickets.
3 If you need to, change any of the parameters to adjust the segments,
length, profile, depth, width, and height of the rail.
To adjust lower rails:
1 To modify the lower rail, or add more, choose an option from the Lower
Rail(s) group ➤ Profile list.
2 Specify the depth and width for the lower rails and then click Lower
Rail(s) ➤

(Spacing).

3 Specify the number of lower rails you want using the Count option. Click
Close to apply your changes. For more information on spacing options
in this dialog, see Spacing Tool on page 892.
To create posts:
1 If you want to modify the posts, or add more, choose an option from the
Profile list under the Posts rollout.
2 Specify the depth and width of the posts and how much they should
extend above the top rail. Then click Posts rollout ➤

(Spacing).

3 Specify the number of posts you want using the Count option. Click
Close to apply your changes. For more information on spacing options
in this dialog, see Spacing Tool on page 892.
To create picket fencing:
1 Choose Fencing rollout ➤ Type list ➤ Pickets. The Solid Fill options
will be unavailable.
2 Choose an option from the Profile list, specify the depth and width of
the pickets, and then click Picket rollout ➤

418 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

(Spacing).

3 Specify the number of pickets you want using the Count option. Click
Close to apply your changes. For more information on spacing options
in this dialog, Spacing Tool on page 892.
To create solid-fill fencing:
1 Choose Fencing rollout ➤ Type list ➤ Solid Fill. (The options under
Picket are unavailable).
2 Under Solid Fill, adjust the options for Thickness and offsets.
To create railings along a spline path:
Before you can create railings along a spline path, you need to create a spline,
or use an existing spline from your scene.

1 Click
Railing.

Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ AEC Extended ➤

2 Click Pick Railing Path, then select a spline in your scene.
Since the number of segments is 1 by default, the upper rail extends for
one segment between the start and end of the spline.
3 Change the amount of segments using the Modify panel ➤ Segment
setting.
The higher the segment value, the more closely the railing approximates
the spline shape.
4 If you want the railing to contain corners where the spline does, turn on
Respect Corners.
5 Complete the remainder of the railing options as described in the
preceding procedures.
Thereafter, the spline is associated with the railing; any changes you make
to the spline shape are reflected in the railing.

Interface
Name and Color rollout
This rollout lets you set the selected railing's name and color. For detailed
information, see Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771.

AEC Extended Objects | 419

Railing rollout

Pick Railing Path Click this, and then click a spline in the viewport to use
as the railing path. 3ds Max uses the spline as the path along which to apply
the railing object.
If you edit the spline you’ve used as a railing path, the railing adjusts to the
changes you make. 3ds Max doesn’t immediately recognize 2D Shapes from
a linked AutoCAD drawing. To recognize Shapes from a linked AutoCAD
drawing, edit the Shape with Edit Spline on page 1368 in the Modify panel.
TIP When you create a railing using a closed spline for the rail path, open the Post
Spacing dialog on page 892, turn off Start Offset and End Offset, and lock End
Offset. This will ensure that 3ds Max properly creates the railing with any fill,
pickets, and posts you specify.

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NOTE Railing objects that use Pick Path do not stay on the path when substituted
using the Substitute modifier. Substituted externally referenced railings do not
undo when railings are associated with a path.
Segments Sets the number of segments of the railing object. Available only
when you’re using a railing path.
For a close approximation to a railing path, increase the number of segments.
Be aware that a high number of segments increases file size and slows down
the rendering speed. You might use fewer segments when the spline path has
a low curvature (or none) and fewer segments provide an adequate
approximation.
Respect Corners Puts corners in the railing to match the corners of the railing
path.
Length Sets the length of the Railing object. When you drag the mouse, the
length displays in the edit box.

Top Rail group
The defaults produce a top rail component, consisting of one segment by the
length you specify, a square profile, four units deep, three units wide, and the
height you specify.

1. Width
2. Depth
3. Height
4. Profile for the square top rail
5. Profile for the round top rail

Profile Sets the cross-section shape of the top rail.
Depth Sets the depth of the top rail.
Width Sets the width of the top rail.

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Height Sets the height of the top rail. During creation, you can drag the top
rail to the height you want using the mouse in the viewport. Or you can enter
the height amount from the keyboard or use the spinners.

Lower Rail(s) group
Controls the profile, depth, width, and spacing between the lower rails. You
specify how many lower rails you want using the Lower Rail Spacing button.

A railing with the rails defined by their profile, depth, and width as planks.

Profile Sets the cross-section shape of the lower rails.
Depth Sets the depth of the lower rails.
Width Sets the width of the lower rails.

Lower Rail Spacing Sets the spacing of the lower rails. When you click
this button, the Lower Rail Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of
lower rails you want using the Count option. For more information on spacing
options in this dialog, see Spacing Tool on page 892.
Generate Mapping Coords Assigns mapping coordinates on page 9212 to the
railing object.
NOTE If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-box display,
Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which you apply a material
containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If all viewports are set to
wireframe or bounding box, 3ds Max turns on Generate Mapping Coordinates
for primitives containing mapped materials at render time.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

422 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Posts rollout

Controls the profile, depth, width, extension, and spacing between the posts.
You specify how many posts you want using the Post Spacing button.
Profile Sets the cross-section shape of the posts: none, Square, or Round.
Depth Sets the depth of the posts.
Width Sets the width of the posts.
Extension Sets the amount the posts extend above the bottom of the top
railing.

Post Spacing Sets the spacing of the posts. When you click this button,
the Post Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of posts you want using
the Count option. For more information on spacing options in this dialog,
see Spacing Tool on page 892.
TIP Setting Profile to (none) makes an "invisible" post. You might want to do this
to create a railing with gaps between solid fill fencing. Or you could use it to make
a railing with openings between groups of pickets. This is different from setting
the post count to 0 in the Post Spacing dialog.

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Fencing rollout

Type Sets the type of fencing between the posts: none, Pickets, or Solid Fill.

Picket group
Controls the profile, depth, width, and spacing between the pickets. Specify
how many pickets you want using the Picket Spacing button. Available only
when you set Type to Pickets.

1. A railing with pickets using a square profile
2. A railing with pickets using a round profile

Profile Sets the cross-section shape of the pickets.

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Depth Sets the depth of the pickets.
Width Sets the width of the pickets.
Extension Sets the amount the pickets extend above the bottom of the top
railing.
Bottom Offset Sets the amount the pickets are offset from the bottom of the
railing object.

Picket Spacing Sets the spacing of the pickets. When you click this
button, the Picket Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of pickets you
want using the Count option. For more information on spacing options in
this dialog, see Spacing Tool on page 892.

Solid Fill group
Controls the thickness and offsets of the solid fill between the posts. Available
only when you set Type to Solid.
Thickness Sets the thickness of the solid fill.
Top Offset Sets the offset of the solid fill from the bottom of the top rail.
Bottom Offset Sets the offset of the solid fill from the bottom of the railing
object.
Left Offset Sets the offset between the solid fill and the adjacent left post.
Right Offset Sets the offset between the solid fill and the adjacent right post.

Wall
Create panel ➤
Type rollout ➤ Wall button

(Geometry) ➤ AEC Extended ➤ Object

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Wall
The Wall object is made up of three sub-object types that you can edit in the
Modify panel. Similarly to the way you edit splines, you can edit the wall
object on page 435, its vertices on page 436, its segments on page 437, and its
profile on page 438.

AEC Extended Objects | 425

When you create two wall segments that meet at a corner, 3ds Max removes
any duplicate geometry. This "cleaning up" of the corners might involve
trimming. 3ds Max cleans up only the first two wall segments of a corner, not
any other wall segments that might share the corner. 3ds Max does not clean
up intersections.

Inserting Doors and Windows in a Wall
3ds Max can automatically make openings for doors and windows in a wall.
At the same time, it links the door or window to the wall as its child. The most
effective way of doing both is to create the doors and windows directly on a
wall segment by snapping to the faces, vertices, or edges of the wall object.
If you move, scale, or rotate the wall object, the linked door or window moves,
scales, or rotates along with the wall. If you move the linked door or window
along the wall, using the door or window's local coordinate system and
constraining motion to the XY plane on page 8627, the opening will follow.
Also, if you change a door or window's overall width and height on the Modify
panel, the hole will reflect those changes.
For further information, see the procedure To create and place a window or
door in a wall on page 431.

Walls and Materials
By default, 3ds Max assigns five different material IDs to walls. The
aectemplates.mat material library includes Wall-Template, a multi/sub-object
material on page 6542 designed to be used with walls. Each component of the
wall/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.
Material ID Wall/Material Component
1

Vertical ends of the wall

2

Outside of the wall

3

Inside of the wall

4

Top of the wall, including any edges
cut out of the wall

5

Bottom of the wall

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NOTE 3ds Max does not automatically assign a material to the wall object. To
use the included material, open the library and then assign the material to your
object.
NOTE The definitions of slots 2 and 3 are interchangeable; inside and outside
simply depend on your point of view, and how you created the wall.
See also:
■

Editing Wall Objects on page 434

Tips
■

To make a passageway through a wall you can perform a Boolean operation
on page 646 with the wall as Operand A, and another object, such as a box
or an extruded archway shape, as Operand B. The wall will still be accessible
at the Boolean sub-object level. Then, you can add a window or door in
the passageway, and link on page 3665 it as a child of the wall.

■

Single walls with many windows and doors can become slow to use because
of the amount of boolean calculations used. To speed up movement and
editing, you might consider using multiple walls instead of a single wall.

■

You can speed up performance in a scene with many walls, windows and
doors by collapsing them. First save an uncollapsed version for any future
parametric changes you might want to make. Then double-click the wall
to select it and its children. Next use Convert To from the right-click menu
to convert them to an editable mesh, and so on.

Procedures
To create a wall:
You can create a wall in any viewport, but for vertical walls, use a Perspective,
Camera, or Top viewport.
1 Set parameters for the Width, Height, and Justification of the wall.
2 In a viewport, click and release, move the mouse to set the desired length
for the wall segment, and click again.
This creates a wall segment. You can end the wall by right-clicking or
you can continue to create another wall segment.
3 To add another wall segment, move the mouse to set the length of the
next wall segment and click again.

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If you create a room by ending a segment at the end of another segment
of the same wall object, 3ds Max displays the Weld Point dialog. This
dialog lets you convert the two end vertices into a single vertex, or to
keep the two end vertices distinct.
4 If you want the wall segments to be welded at that corner so that when
you move one wall, the other wall stays correct at the corner, click Yes.
Otherwise, click No.
5 Right-click to end the wall, or continue to add other wall segments.
To attach separate walls:
1 Select a wall object.

2 On the
object.

Modify panel, click Attach, and then pick another wall

The two wall objects become part of the same wall object, but are not
physically connected.
Attach stays active, and you can continue clicking wall segments to attach.
To stop attaching, click the Attach button or right-click in the active
viewport.
To attach multiple wall objects simultaneously to the selected wall object,
click Attach Multiple on the Modify panel to open the Attach Multiple
dialog. This works the same as the Select From Scene dialog on page 184,
except that it shows only wall objects; choose multiple walls to attach,
and then click the Attach button.
To connect vertices in a wall:
This method lets you connect two separate wall sections with a new segment.
TIP It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.
1 Select a wall object that has more than one section. Typically you would
use Attach to create such an object.
2 In the modifier stack on page 8776, go to the Vertex sub-object level.
3 Click Connect and point the mouse over an end vertex until the cursor
changes to a cross.
4 Click once over the end vertex.

428 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

5 Move the cursor to another end vertex, and then click to connect the
two segments.
To insert a vertex in a wall:
It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.
1 Select a wall segment.
2 In the modifier stack on page 8776, go to the Vertex sub-object level.
3 Click Insert.
A highlighted line appears along the bottom of the wall, showing where
you can insert vertices.
4 Click anywhere on the highlighted line to insert a vertex.
The new vertex is attached to the mouse cursor.
5 Move the mouse to position the vertex, and then click to place it.
Now the mouse is attached to one of the new segments.
6 Move the mouse along the segment and click to add vertices.
7 Right-click to finish working on this segment. You can now insert vertices
in other segments, or right-click again to exit Insert mode.
To detach and reorient a copy of a wall segment:
TIP It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.
1 Select a wall.
2 In the modifier stack on page 8776, go to the Segment sub-object level.
3 Select a wall segment.
4 Turn on both Reorient and Copy, and then click Detach.
5 Enter a name for the new wall object in the Detach dialog or click OK to
accept the default name.
3ds Max copies the original wall’s Local coordinate system on page 9205
when it makes the copy of the detached segment. It places the new object
so that its Local coordinate system is coincident with the World space
origin on page 9353.

AEC Extended Objects | 429

To add a gable point to a wall profile or adjust for uneven terrain:
TIP It is easier to work with wall vertices in wireframe view mode.

1

Select a wall.

2 In the modifier stack on page 8776, go to the Profile sub-object level.
3 Select a wall profile by clicking a wall segment.
A grid appears.
4 To add a gable point procedurally, set the height and click Create Gable.
If you prefer to add the profile point manually, click Insert, click a point
on the highlighted top profile, drag the new point into place and then
release where you want to place the new gable point. You can move
profile points you create with Insert only within the plane of the wall
segment, and you cannot move them below the original top edge.
If you want to adjust the profile for uneven terrain below a wall, click
Insert, pick the highlighted bottom profile and add points as necessary.
If you want to extend multiple segments uniformly downward below
floor level, do the following: At the Segment sub-object level, select the
segments and, on the Edit Segment rollout, enter a negative Bottom Offset
value to move the segments downward. Add the absolute value of the
Bottom Offset setting back to the Height value to bring the top of the
wall height back up and make it flush with the other wall segments.
To apply a texture to a wall:
Walls are created with five different material IDs on page 9217 for their various
parts.
The aectemplates.mat material library includes Wall-Template, a Multi/Sub-Object
material designed for use with walls. You can copy or copy and modify this
template, or create your own material as follows:
1 Create a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542 using five textures for the
following Material IDs:
■

Slot #1 is the material for the vertical ends on the wall

■

Slot #2 is the material for the outside of the wall

■

Slot #3 is the material for the inside of the wall

430 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Slot #4 is the material for the top of the wall, as well as any inside
edges cut out of the wall

■

Slot #5 is the material for the bottom of the wall
NOTE The definitions of slots 2 and 3 are interchangeable; inside and
outside simply depend on your point of view, and how you created the
wall.

2 If the top and bottom surfaces of the wall aren't visible in the rendered
scene, you can use a three-sided material instead. The inside and outside
of the wall are relative to the direction in which the wall was created. To
swap a texture between slots in the Material Editor, drag one of the
textures over the other slot in the Basic Parameters rollout of the
Multi/Sub-Object material, and then choose Swap.
3 For greater control in tiling across the wall surface, apply a Map Scaler
world-space modifier on page 1086 to the wall. Then adjust the scale of the
map in the Map Scaler's Parameters rollout.
To create and place a window or door in a wall:
For best results, perform this procedure in a wireframe viewport.
1 Create a window on page 475 or door on page 459 (hereafter referred to as
"window" for brevity) directly on an existing wall. You can define the
window's exact dimensions after insertion. Use edge snap on page 2850 for
the first snaps to place and align the window on the wall and to establish
its exact depth. Snap to and then click the near top edge of the wall to
start creation. Drag to another edge snap point on the near top edge of
the wall and release to align the window with the wall segment and to
set its width. Snap to the rear top edge of the wall to set the proper depth
and click. Move the cursor downward and click to define the window
height. This final click doesn't require a snap, as it simply defines a rough
height.
2 The window should now be cut out of the wall. On the Modify panel for
windows or doors, set the correct width and height. Change the depth
if it's different from the snap depth you set above.
3 Use vertex snap to move the window or door from a reference point to
a known point on the wall segment. Then
Next, use relative offset values from this new position to accurately locate
the window or door. As an example, following the next two steps, you

AEC Extended Objects | 431

could move a window from its top left corner to the top left corner of
the wall segment so that you can then move it 3 feet to the right and 2
feet down.
4 With the window or door selected, set the coordinate system to Local.
5 On the Coordinate Display on page 8669, activate Offset mode and then
enter the offset distances on the X axis for horizontal and the Y axis for
vertical.
NOTE For best results, do not position an inserted window or door at the bottom
of a wall.

Interface
Keyboard Entry rollout

X Sets the coordinate position along the X axis for the start point of a wall
segment in the active construction plane.
Y Sets the coordinate position along the Y axis for the start point of a wall
segment in the active construction plane.
Z Sets the coordinate position along the Z axis for the start point of a wall
segment in the active construction plane.
Add Point Adds the point from the X, Y, and Z coordinate values you enter.
Close Ends creation of the wall object and creates a segment between the end
point of the last segment and the start point of the first segment, to make a
closed wall.

432 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Finish Ends creation of the wall object, leaving it open ended.
Pick Spline Lets you use a spline as the wall path. Click this, and then click
a spline in the viewport to use as the wall path. 3ds Max uses the spline as the
path along which to apply the wall object. 3ds Max doesn’t immediately
recognize 2D Shapes from a linked AutoCAD drawing. To recognize Shapes
from a linked AutoCAD drawing, edit the Shape with Edit Spline on page 1368
from the Modify panel.
NOTE If you designate a curved spline as the path, 3ds Max creates straight wall
segments that approximate the spline as closely as possible, with one wall segment
per spline segment.

Parameters rollout

The defaults produce a wall object 5 units wide, 96 units high, and justified
at the center of the wall.
Width Sets the thickness of the wall. Range=0.01 unit to 100,000 units.
Default=5.
Height Sets the height of the wall. Range=0.01 unit to 100,000 units.
Default=96.

AEC Extended Objects | 433

Justification group
Left Justifies the wall at the left edge of its baseline (the line between the wall's
front and back sides, which is equal to the wall thickness). If you turn Grid
Snap on, the left edge of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line.
Center Justifies the wall at the center of its baseline. If you turn Grid Snap
on, the center of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line. This is the default.
Right Justifies the wall at the right edge of its baseline. If you turn Grid Snap
on, the right edge of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line.
Generate Mapping Coords Assigns mapping coordinates on page 9212 to the
wall. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Editing Wall Objects
Select a wall object. ➤

Modify panel

This topic describes the Wall options on the Modify panel.
TIP It's generally easiest to edit wall objects in wireframe mode.
See also:
■

Wall on page 425

434 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Edit Object rollout

This rollout appears when you select a wall object at the object level; other
rollouts, discussed below appear at the different sub-object levels.
Attach Attaches another wall in a viewport to the selected wall by a single
pick. The object you attach must also be a wall. 3ds Max applies the material
of the selected wall to the wall being attached.
Attach Multiple Attaches other walls in a viewport to the selected wall. Click
this button to open the Attach Multiple dialog, which lists all the other wall
objects in the scene. Select the walls you want to attach from the list and click
the Attach button. 3ds Max applies the material of the selected wall to the
walls being attached.

Justification group
See Justification on page 434.
Generate Mapping Coords. Assigns mapping coordinates on page 9212 to the
wall. Default=on.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

AEC Extended Objects | 435

Edit Vertex rollout
Appears at the Vertex sub-object level. Each wall segment has two vertices;
one in each bottom corner. In wireframe views, wall vertices appear as +
symbols. Connected segments in the same wall object each share a vertex.
Moving a wall vertex has the effect of scaling attached segments as well as
rotating them about their other vertices. You cannot rotate or scale wall
vertices.

Connect Lets you connect any two vertices, creating a new linear segment
between the vertices.
Click this button, click a vertex, and then click a second vertex on a different
segment. When you move the cursor over a valid second vertex, the mouse
icon changes to a Connect icon.
Break Lets you disconnect segments at a shared vertex.
TIP Select a vertex shared between wall segments, and then click the Break button.
The segments become disconnected, and each has its own end vertex at the
position of the previously shared vertex.
Refine Adds a vertex to the position along a wall segment that you click.
When you move the cursor over a valid Refine point, the mouse icon changes
to a Refine icon.
Insert Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. When you
move the cursor over the a valid Insert point, the mouse icon changes to an
Insert icon. Right-click to stop inserting new vertices and segments.
Delete Deletes the currently selected vertex or vertices, including any segments
in between.
Deleting vertices shared by two or more segments doesn't create a gap, but
rather results in a single segment connecting vertices adjacent to those being
deleted.

436 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Edit Segment rollout
This rollout appears when you select a wall object and then access Segment
sub-object level.
Each wall segment is defined by, and effectively connects, two wall vertices.
Moving a segment is the same as moving its two vertices in tandem. It has
the effect of scaling adjacent wall segments as well as rotating them about
their other vertices. You can scale a wall segment horizontally only (any Scale
function does this). You cannot rotate a segment.

Break Specifies a break point in a wall segment.
You needn't select a segment first. When you move the cursor over the object,
the mouse icon changes to a Break icon. The position you select on the segment
becomes two coincident vertices, and 3ds Max breaks the segment in two.
Detach Detaches wall segments you select and creates a new wall object out
of them.
Same Shape Detaches the wall segment keeping it part of the same wall object.
If you also turn on Copy, 3ds Max places a detached copy of the segment in
the same location.

AEC Extended Objects | 437

Reorient Detaches the wall segment, copies the object’s Local coordinate
system on page 9205, and places the segment so that its object Local coordinate
system is coincident with the World space origin on page 9353. If you also turn
on Copy, 3ds Max detaches a copy of the segment and leaves the original
segments in place.
Copy Copies the detached wall segment rather than moving it.
Divide Subdivides each segment by the number of vertices specified in the
Divisions spinner. Select one or more segments, set the Divisions spinner, and
then click Divide.
Divisions Sets the number by which to divide the segment.
Insert Provides the same function as the Insert button on page 436 in Vertex
sub-object selection. Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments.
When you move the cursor over the a valid Insert point, the mouse icon
changes to an Insert icon. Right click to stop inserting new vertices and
segments.
Delete Deletes any selected wall segments in the current wall object.
Refine Provides the same function as the Refine button on page 436 at the
Vertex sub-object level. Adds a vertex to the position along a wall segment
you select. When you move the cursor over a valid Refine point, the mouse
icon changes to a Refine icon.

Parameters group
Width Changes the width of a selected segment or segments.
Height Changes the height of a selected segment or segments.
Bottom Offset Sets the distance of the bottom of the selected segment or
segments from the floor.

Edit Profile rollout
This rollout appears when you select a wall object and then access Profile
sub-object level.
The term "profile" refers to the outline of a wall segment's top and bottom
edges. When in Profile sub-object mode, the selected wall object's inner
horizontal edges appear dark orange. Click any of these edges to select the
corresponding segment, highlight it in red, and place a temporary active grid
in the plane of the segment. At that point, you can insert and delete vertices
along the horizontal edges, move an inserted vertex along the grid to change
the profile, create gables, and change the grid properties.

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Insert Inserts a vertex so that you can adjust the profile of the selected wall
segment.
Use this option to adjust the profile of walls under gables or to align walls to
a slope. When you move the cursor over the selected segment, the mouse icon
changes to an Insert icon. Click to insert a new profile point, then drag and
release to position and place it. You can add new profile points to both the
top and the bottom of the wall, but you cannot position profile points below
the original top edge or above the original bottom edge.
Delete Deletes the selected vertices on the profile of the selected wall segment.
Create Gable Creates a gable by moving the center point of the top profile
of the selected wall segment to a height you specify.
Select the segment, set the height, and then click Create Gable.
Height Specifies the height of a gable.

Grid Properties group
The grid constricts profile point insertion and movement to the plane of the
wall and allows you to snap to grid points on the plane of the wall.
Width Sets the width of the active grid.
Length Sets the length of the active grid.
Spacing Sets the size of the smallest square in the active grid.

AEC Extended Objects | 439

Stairs
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Stairs

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects
You can create four different types of stairs in 3ds Max: Spiral Stair on page
449, Straight Stair on page 453, L-Type Stair on page 446’ , or U-Type Stair on
page 456.

Railings and Materials
By default, 3ds Max assigns seven different material IDs to stairs. The
aectemplates.mat material library includes Stair-Template, a multi/sub-object
material on page 6542 designed to be used with stairs. Each component of the
stair/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.
Material ID Railing/Material Component
1

Treads of the stairs

2

Front riser of the stairs

3

Bottom, back, and sides of the risers
of the stairs

4

Center pole of the stairs

5

Handrails of the stairs

6

Carriage of the stairs

7

Stringers of the stairs

NOTE 3ds Max does not automatically assign a material to the stairs object. To
use the included material, open the library and then assign the material to your
object.

Procedures
To create railings on stairs:
1 Create the stairs. See individual stair-type topics for more information.

440 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

2 In the Generate Geometry group, turn on Rail Path ➤ Left and Right.
3ds Max places left and right rail paths above the stairs.
3 In the Railings rollout, set Height to 0.0.

4 Click
Create panel ➤ AEC Extended ➤ Railing on page 416 to
create the first railing.
5 Click Railing rollout ➤ Pick Railing Path and select one of the rail paths
on the stairs.
6 Adjust the railing parameters.
3ds Max remembers the parameters you set. When you create the next
railing, it will have the same parameters as you set for the first railing.
7 Right-click to end the creation of the first railing.
8 Click Railing again to create the second railing.
9 Click Pick Railing Path and select the other rail path on the stairs.

Interface
Object Type rollout

Stair Selection Buttons Click one of these to specify the type of stairs you
want to create.

Name and Color rollout
This rollout lets you set the stairs object's name and color. For detailed
information, see Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771.

Stairs | 441

Parameters rollout > Type group

Open Creates an open riser stair, as shown on the left in the illustration above.
Closed Creates a closed riser stair, as shown in the center in the illustration
above.
Box Creates a stair with closed risers and closed stringers on both sides, as
shown on the right in the illustration above.

Rise group

3ds Max keeps one Rise option locked while you adjust the other two. To lock
an option, you click a push pin. To unlock an option you click a raised push
pin. 3ds Max locks the spinner value of the parameter with the depressed push
pin and allows the spinner values of the parameter with the raised push pins
to change.
Overall Controls the height of the flight of stairs.
Riser Ht Controls the height of the risers.
Riser Ct Controls the number of risers. There will always be one more riser
than steps. This implied riser is between the top step of the stair and the upper
floor.

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Linear stair with five risers
1 through 4. Risers
5. The implied riser
6. The upper floor you snap to
7. The lower floor you snap to
8. The steps

Stringers rollout
These controls are available only when you turn on Stringers on the Parameters
rollout ➤ Generate Geometry group.

Depth Controls how far down the stringers reach toward the floor.
Width Controls the width of the stringers.
Offset Controls the vertical distance of the stringers from the floor.
Spring from Floor Controls whether the stringer starts at the floor, flush with
the start of the first riser, or if the stringer extends below the floor. You control
the amount the stringer extends below the floor with the Offset option.

Stairs | 443

Left: The stringer extending below the floor. (Spring From Floor off.)
Right: The stringer springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor on.)

Carriage rollout
These controls are available only when you turn on Carriage on the Parameters
rollout ➤ Generate Geometry group.

Depth Controls how far down the carriage reaches toward the floor.
Width Controls the width of the carriage.

Carriage Spacing Sets the spacing of the carriage. When you click
this button, the Carriage Spacing dialog displays. Specify the number of
carriages you want using the Count option. For more information on spacing
options in this dialog, see Spacing Tool on page 892.
Spring from Floor Controls whether the carriage starts at the floor, flush with
the start of the first riser, or if the carriage extends below the floor. You control
the amount the carriage extends below the floor with the Offset option.

444 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Left: The carriage springing from the floor. (Spring From Floor on.)
Right: The carriage extending below the floor. (Spring from Floor off.)

Railings rollout
These controls are available only when you turn on one or more of the
Handrail or Rail Path options on the Parameters rollout ➤ Generate Geometry
group. Also, Segments and Radius aren't available if neither of the Handrail
options is on.

Height Controls the height of the railings from the steps.
Offset Controls the offset of the railings from the ends of the steps.
Segments Controls the number of segments in the railings. Higher values
display smoother railings.
Radius Controls the thickness of the railings.

Stairs | 445

L-Type Stair
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Stairs ➤ L-Type Stair button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ L-Type Stair
The L-Type Stair object lets you create a staircase with two flights at right
angles to each other.

Types of L-type stair: open, closed, and boxed
L-type stairs have two flights at right angles, and a landing.

Procedures
To create L-Type stairs:
1 In any viewport, drag to set the length for the first flight. Release the
mouse button, then move the cursor and click to set the length, width,
and direction for the second flight.
2 Move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs, then click to
end.
3 Adjust the stairs by using the options in the Parameters rollout.

446 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Generate Geometry group

Stringers Creates stringers along the ends of the treads of the stairs. To modify
the stringers’ depth, width, offset and spring from the floor, see Stringers
rollout on page 443.
Carriage Creates an inclined, notched beam under the treads which supports
the steps or adds support between the stringers of the stairs. You might also
know this as a carriage piece, a horse, or a rough string. See Carriage rollout on
page 444 to modify the parameters.
Handrail Creates left and right handrails. See Railings rollout on page 445 to
modify the handrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius.
Rail Path Creates left and right paths you can use to install railings on the
stairs. See Stairs on page 440 for the instructions on how to do this.

Layout group

Length 1 Controls the length of the first flight of stairs.
Length 2 Controls the length of the second flight of stairs.

Stairs | 447

Width Controls the width of the stairs, including the steps and the landing.
Angle Controls the angle of the second flight from the landing. Range=-90
to 90 degrees.
Offset Controls the distance of the second flight from the landing. The length
of the landing adjusts accordingly.

Steps group

Thickness Controls the thickness of the steps.

Step thickness variance between two stairs

Depth Controls the depth of the steps.

Step depth variance between two stairs

Generate Mapping Coords Applies default mapping coordinates on page 9212
to the stairs.

448 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

NOTE If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-box display,
Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which you apply a material
containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If all viewports are set to
wireframe or bounding box, 3ds Max turns on Generate Mapping Coordinates
for primitives containing mapped materials at render time.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Spiral Stair
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Stairs ➤ Spiral Stair button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Spiral Stair
The Spiral Stair object lets you specify the radius and number of revolutions,
add stringers and a center pole, and more.

Types of spiral stair: open, closed, and boxed
Spiral stairs wind around a center

Procedures
To create spiral stairs:
1 In any viewport, click for the start point of the stairs, and drag to the
specify the radius you want.
2 Release the mouse button, move the cursor up or down to specify the
overall rise, and click to end.

Stairs | 449

3 Adjust the stairs with options in the Parameters rollout.

Interface
Generate Geometry group

Stringers Creates stringers along the ends of the treads of the stairs. To modify
the stringers’ depth, width, offset and spring from the floor, see Stringers
rollout on page 443.
Carriage Creates an inclined, notched beam under the treads which supports
the steps or adds support between the stringers of the stairs. You might also
know this as a carriage piece, a horse, or a rough string. See Carriage rollout on
page 444 to modify the parameters.
Center Pole Creates a pole at the center of the spiral. See Center Pole rollout
on page 452 to modify the parameters of the pole.
Handrail Creates inside and outside handrails. See Railings rollout on page
445 to modify the handrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius.
Rail Path Creates inside and outside paths which you can use to install railings
on the stairs. See Stairs on page 440 for the instructions on how to do this.

450 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Layout group

CCW Orients the spiral stairs to be a right-hand flight of stairs.
CW Orients the spiral stairs to be a left-hand flight of stairs.

Left: CCW (counterclockwise) right-hand spiral stairs. The arrow indicates “Up.”
Right: CW (clockwise) left-hand spiral stairs. The arrow indicates “Up.”

Radius Controls the size of the radius of the spiral.
Revs Controls the number of revolutions in the spiral.
Width Controls the width of the spiral stairs.

Steps group

Thickness Controls the thickness of the steps.

Stairs | 451

Step thickness variance between two stairs

Depth Controls the depth of the steps.

Step depth variance between two stairs

Segs Controls the number of segments 3ds Max uses to construct the steps.
Generate Mapping Coords Applies default mapping coordinates on page 9212
to the stairs.
NOTE If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-box display,
Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which you apply a material
containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If all viewports are set to
wireframe or bounding box, 3ds Max turns on Generate Mapping Coordinates
for primitives containing mapped materials at render time.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Center Pole rollout
These controls are available only when you turn on Center Pole on the
Parameters rollout ➤ Generate Geometry group.

452 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Radius Controls the radius size of the center pole.
Segments Controls the number of segments in the center pole. Higher values
display a smoother pole.
Height The spinner controls the height of the center pole. Turning on Height
lets you adjust the height of the pole independently of the stairs. Turning off
Height makes the spinner unavailable and locks the top of the pole to the top
of the implied last riser. Typically, this riser would attach to the fascia of a
landing.

Left: The center pole locked to the top of the implied last riser. (Height turned off.)
Right: The center pole adjusted to the height you specify. (Height turned on.)

Straight Stair
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Stairs ➤ Straight Stair button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Straight Stair
The Straight Stair object lets you create a simple staircase, with optional
stringers, carriage, and handrail.

Stairs | 453

Types of straight stair: open, closed, and boxed
Straight stairs have a single flight.

Procedures
To create straight stairs:
1 In any viewport, drag to set the length. Release the mouse button, then
move the cursor and click to set the width you want.
2 Move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs, and click to
end.
3 Adjust the stairs with the options in the Parameters rollout.

Interface
Generate Geometry group

Stringers Creates stringers along the ends of the treads of the stairs. To modify
the stringers’ depth, width, offset and spring from the floor, see Stringers
rollout on page 443.

454 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Carriage Creates an inclined, notched beam under the treads which supports
the steps or adds support between the stringers of the stairs. You might also
know this as a carriage piece, a horse, or a rough string. See Carriage rollout on
page 444 to modify the parameters.
Handrail Creates left and right handrails. See Railings rollout on page 445 to
modify the handrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius.
Rail Path Creates left and right paths you can use to install railings on the
stairs. See Stairs on page 440 for the instructions on how to do this.

Layout group

Length Controls the length of the stairs.
Width Controls the width of the stairs.

Steps group

Thickness Controls the thickness of the steps.

Step thickness variance between two stairs

Depth Controls the depth of the steps.

Stairs | 455

Step depth variance between two stairs

Generate Mapping Coords Applies default mapping coordinates on page 9212
to the stairs.
NOTE If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-box display,
Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which you apply a material
containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If all viewports are set to
wireframe or bounding box, 3ds Max turns on Generate Mapping Coordinates
for primitives containing mapped materials at render time.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

U-Type Stair
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Stairs ➤ U-Type Stair button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ U-Type Stair
The U-Type Stair object lets you create a two-flight staircase, with the two
flights parallel to each other and a landing between them.

456 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Types of U-type stair: open, closed, and boxed
U-type stairs have two flights in opposite directions, and a landing.

Procedures
To create U-Type stairs:
1 In any viewport, drag to set the length for the first flight. Release the
mouse button, then move the cursor and click to set the width of the
landing, or the distance separating the two flights.
2 Click and move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs,
then click to end.
3 Adjust the stairs by using the options in the Parameters rollout.

Interface
Generate Geometry group

Stringers Creates stringers along the ends of the treads of the stairs. To modify
the stringers’ depth, width, offset and spring from the floor, see Stringers
rollout on page 443.

Stairs | 457

Carriage Creates an inclined, notched beam under the treads which supports
the steps or adds support between the stringers of the stairs. You might also
know this as a carriage piece, a horse, or a roughstring. See Carriage rollout
on page 444 to modify the parameters.
Handrail Creates left and right handrails. See Railings rollout on page 445 to
modify the handrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius.
Rail Path Creates left and right paths you can use to install railings on the
stairs. See Stairs on page 440 for the instructions on how to do this.

Layout group

Left/Right Controls the position of the two flights (Length 1 and Length 2)
relative to each other. If you select left, then the second flight is on the left
from the landing. If you select right, then the second flight is the right from
the landing.
Length 1 Controls the length of the first flight of stairs.
Length 2 Controls the length of the second flight of stairs.
Width Controls the width of the stairs, including the steps and the landing.
Offset Controls the distance separating the two flights and thus the length
of the landing.

Steps group

Thickness Controls the thickness of the steps.

458 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Step thickness variance between two stairs

Depth Controls the depth of the steps.

Step depth variance between two stairs

Generate Mapping Coords Applies default mapping coordinates on page 9212
to the stairs.
NOTE If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe or non-bounding-box display,
Generate Mapping Coordinates is on for all primitives to which you apply a material
containing a map with Show Map In Viewport on. If all viewports are set to
wireframe or bounding box, 3ds Max turns on Generate Mapping Coordinates
for primitives containing mapped materials at render time.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Doors
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Doors

Doors | 459

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects
The door models provided let you control details of a door's appearance. You
can also set the door to be open, partially open, or closed, and you can animate
the opening.

Different door types in a model of a house

There are three kinds of doors. The Pivot door on page 469 is the familiar door
that is hinged on one side only. The Bifold door on page 473 is hinged in the
middle as well as the side, like many closet doors. You can also make these
kinds of doors a set of double doors. The Sliding door on page 471 has a fixed
half and a sliding half.
The topic for each kind of door describes its unique controls and behavior.
Most door parameters are common to all kinds of doors, and are described
here.

Doors and Materials
By default, 3ds Max assigns five different material IDs to doors. The
aectemplates.mat material library includes Door-Template, a multi/sub-object
material designed to be used with doors. Each component of the door/material
is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

460 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Material IDs for a door or window

Material ID

Door/Material Component

1

Front

2

Back

3

Inner Bevel (used for glazing when
Panels set to Glass or Beveled).

4

Frame

5

Inner Door

Doors | 461

NOTE 3ds Max does not automatically assign a material to the door object. To
use the included material, open the library and then assign the material to your
object.

Making an Opening for a Door
To make an opening in a wall, you can perform a Boolean operation on page
646 with the wall as Operand A, and another object, such as a box, as Operand
B. Then, you can create and add a door in the opening, and link on page 3665
it, if you choose, as a child of the wall.
NOTE Using snaps, you can insert a door in a wall object, automatically linking
the two and creating a cutout for the door. See the procedure To create and place
a window or door in a wall: on page 431.

Procedures
To create a door:
1 On the Object Type rollout, click the button for the type of door you
want to create.
2 Choose options as needed, such as changing the default creation method.
Turn off Create Frame to eliminate the door frame. Turn on Allow
Non-vertical Jambs if you want an inclined door.
3 Drag the mouse in the viewport to create the first two points, defining
the width and angle of the base of the door.
4 Release the mouse and move to adjust the depth of the door (default
creation method), and then click to set.
By default, the depth is perpendicular to the line between the first two
points and parallel to the active grid.
5 Move the mouse to adjust the height, and then click to finish.
The height is perpendicular to the plane defined by the first three points
and perpendicular to the active grid.
You can adjust the Height, Width, and Depth values on the Parameters
rollout.
On the Creation Method rollout, you can change the creation order to
width-height-depth instead of width-depth-height.

462 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

To create a door material:
1 Create a door or select an existing door.
2 Open the Material Editor, and select a slot for the material.
3 Click the Type button below the Material Editor toolbar.
The Material/Map Browser dialog opens.
4 In the Material list, double-click the Multi/Sub-Object item, and then on
the Replace Material dialog that appears, choose either option and click
OK.
5 On the Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout, click Set Number and
change Number Of Materials to 5. Click OK.
6 Optionally, change the sub-material names to those specified in the above
table on page 461.
7 Edit the material as you would any Multi/Sub-Object material.
To animate a door:
You can animate a door opening and closing by keyframing the Open setting.
1 Create a door or select an existing door.
If using an existing door, also access the Modify panel.
2 Set the Parameters rollout ➤ Open parameter to the amount you want
the door to be open at the start of the animation. If you want it to be
closed, set it to 0.
3 Click the Auto Key button and advance to the first keyframe.
4 Change the Open setting.
5 Continue moving to any additional keyframes and changing the Open
setting as necessary.
6 Play the animation.

Interface
The topic for each kind of door describes its unique controls and behavior.
Most door parameters are common to all kinds of doors, and are described
here.

Doors | 463

Object Type rollout

There are three kinds of doors in 3ds Max:
Pivot The familiar door type that is hinged on one side only. See Pivot Door
on page 469.
Sliding Has a fixed half and a sliding half. See Sliding Door on page 471.
BiFold Hinged in the middle as well as the side, like many closet doors. You
can also use this type of door to make a set of double doors. See BiFold Door
on page 473.

Name and Color rollout
See Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771.

Creation Method rollout

You define each type of door with four points: Drag the first two, followed by
two move-click sequences. The Creation Method setting determines the order
in which these actions define the door's dimensions.
Width/Depth/Height The first two points define the width and angle of the
base of the door. You set these points by dragging in a viewport, as the first
step in creating a door. The first point, where you click and hold before
dragging, defines a point on the jamb at the hinge for single-pivot and bifold
doors (both jambs have hinges on double doors, and sliding doors have no
hinge). The second point, where you release the button after dragging, specifies
the width of the door, as well as the direction from one jamb to the other.
This lets you align the door with a wall or opening when you place it. The

464 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

third point, where you click after moving the mouse, specifies the depth of
the door, and the fourth click, where you click after moving the mouse again,
specifies the height.
Width/Height/Depth Works like the Width/Depth/Height option, except
that the last two points create first the height and then the depth.
NOTE With this method, the depth is perpendicular to the plane set by the first
three points. Thus, if you draw the door in the Top or Perspective viewport, the
door lies flat on the active grid.
Allow Non-vertical Jambs Lets you create tilted doors. Set snaps on page 2833
to define points off the construction plane. Default=off.

Doors | 465

Parameters rollout

Height Sets the overall height of the door unit.
Width Sets the overall width of the door unit.
Depth Sets the depth of the door unit.
Open With Pivot doors, specifies in degrees the extent to which the door is
open. With Sliding and BiFold doors, Open specifies the percent that the door
is open.

466 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Frame group
This rollout has controls for the door-jamb frame. Though part of the door
object, the frame behaves as if it were part of the wall. It doesn't move when
you open or close the door.
Create Frame This is turned on as a default to display the frame. Turn this
off to disable display of the frame.
Width Sets the width of the frame parallel to the wall. Available only when
Create Frame is on.
Depth Sets the depth of the frame as it projects from the wall. Available only
when Create Frame is on.
Door Offset Sets the location of the door relative to the frame. At 0.0, the
door is flush with one edge of the trim. Note that this can be a positive or
negative value. Available only when Create Frame is on.
Generate Mapping Coords Assigns mapping coordinates to the door.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Doors | 467

Leaf Parameters rollout

Provides controls that affect the door itself (as opposed to the door unit, which
includes the frame). You can adjust the dimensions of the door, add panels,
and adjust the dimensions and placement of those panels. The total number
of panels for each door element is the number of horizontal divisions times
the number of vertical divisions. Pivot doors have a single door element unless
they are double doors. BiFold doors have two door elements, or four if they
are double doors. Sliding doors have two door elements.
Thickness Sets the thickness of the door.
Stiles/Top Rail Sets the width of the panel framing on the top and sides. This
setting is apparent only if the door is paneled.
Bottom Rail Sets the width of the panel framing at the base of the door. This
setting is apparent only if the door is paneled.

468 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

# Panels Horiz. Sets the number of panel divisions along the horizontal axis.
# Panels Vert. Sets the number of panel divisions along the vertical axis.
Muntin Sets the width of the separations between the panels.

Panels group
Determines how panels are created in the door.
None The door has no paneling.
Glass Creates glass panels with no beveling.
Thickness Sets the thickness of the glass panels.
Beveled Choose this to have beveled panels.
The remaining spinners affect the beveling of the panels.
Bevel Angle Specifies the angle of the bevel between the outer surface of the
door and the surface of the panel.
Thickness 1 Sets the outer thickness of the panel.
Thickness 2 Sets the thickness where the bevel begins.
Middle Thick. Sets the thickness of the inner part of the panel.
Width 1 Sets the width where the bevel begins.
Width 2 Sets the width of the inner part of the panel.

Pivot Door
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Doors ➤ Pivot button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Pivot Door
The Pivot door is hinged on one side only. You can also make the door a
double door, with two door elements, each hinged on its outer edge.

Doors | 469

Single and double pivot doors

This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the Pivot door. Most
door parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors on page 459.

470 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

The Parameters rollout contains three check boxes specific to Pivot doors.
Double Doors Makes a double door.
Flip Swing Changes the direction the door swings.
Flip Hinge Places the door hinges on the opposite side of the door. This option
is unavailable for double doors.

Sliding Door
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Doors ➤ Sliding button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Sliding Door
The Sliding door slides as if on a track or railing. It has two door elements:
one remains stationary while the other moves.

Doors | 471

Sliding doors with different numbers of panels

This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the Sliding door.
Most door parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors on page
459.

472 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

Flip Front Back Changes which element is in front, compared to the default.
Flip Side Changes the current sliding element to the stationary element, and
vice versa.

BiFold Door
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Doors ➤ BiFold button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ BiFold Door
The BiFold door is hinged in the middle as well as on the side. It has two door
elements. You can also make the door a double door, with four door elements.

Doors | 473

Single and double bifold doors

This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the BiFold door.
Most door parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors on page
459.

474 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

The Parameters rollout contains three check boxes specific to BiFold doors.
Double Doors Makes the door a double door, with four door elements, meeting
in the center.
Flip Swing Makes the door swing in the opposite direction from the default.
Flip Hinge Makes the door hinged on the opposite side from the default. Flip
Hinge is unavailable when Double Doors is on.

Windows
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects

Windows | 475

The window object lets you control details of a window's appearance. You can
also set the window to be open, partially open, or closed, and you can animate
the opening over time.

Different types of windows in a model of a house

3ds Max offers six kinds of windows:
■

The Casement window on page 486 has one or two door-like sashes that
swing inward or outward.

■

The Pivoted window on page 490 pivots at the center of its sash, either
vertically or horizontally.

■

The Projected window on page 492 has three sashes, two of which open
like awnings in opposite directions.

■

The Sliding window on page 494 has two sashes, one of which slides either
vertically or horizontally.

■

The Fixed window on page 488 doesn't open.

■

The Awning window on page 483 has a sash that is hinged at the top.

476 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Windows and Materials
By default, 3ds Max assigns five different material IDs to windows. The
aectemplates.mat material library includes Window-Template, a multi/sub-object
material designed to be used with windows. Each component of the
window/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.

Material IDs for a door or window

Material ID Window/Material Component
1

Front Rails

2

Back Rails

3

Panels (glazing), with 50% opacity

4

Front Frame

Windows | 477

Material ID Window/Material Component
5

Back Frame

NOTE 3ds Max does not automatically assign a material to the window object.
To use the included material, open the library and then assign the material to your
object.

Making an Opening for a Window
To make an opening in a wall, you can perform a Boolean operation on page
646 with the wall as Operand A, and another object, such as a box, as Operand
B. Then, you can create and add a window in the opening, and link on page
3665 it, if you choose, as a child of the wall.
NOTE Using snaps, you can insert a window in a wall object, automatically linking
the two and creating a cutout for the window. See the procedure To create and
place a window or door in a wall: on page 431.

Procedures
To create a window:
1 On the Object Type rollout, click the button for the type of window you
want to create.
2 Choose options as needed, such as changing the default creation method.
Turn on Allow Non-vertical Jambs if you want an inclined window.
3 Drag the mouse in the viewport to create the first two points, defining
the width and angle of the base of the window.
4 Release the mouse and move to adjust the depth of the window (default
creation method), and then click to set.
By default, the depth is perpendicular to the line between the first two
points and parallel to the active grid.
5 Move the mouse to adjust the height, and then click to finish.
The height is perpendicular to the plane defined by the first three points
and perpendicular to the active grid.
You can adjust the height, width, and depth values on the Parameters
rollout.

478 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

In the Creation Method rollout, you can change the creation order to
width-height-depth instead of width-depth-height.
To create a window material:
1 Create a window or select an existing window.
2 Open the Material Editor, and select a slot for the material.
3 Click the Type button below the Material Editor toolbar.
The Material/Map Browser dialog opens.
4 In the Material list, double-click the Multi/Sub-Object item, and then on
the Replace Material dialog that appears, choose either option and click
OK.
5 On the Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout, click Set Number and
change Number Of Materials to 5. Click OK.
6 Optionally, change the sub-material names to those specified in the above
table on page 477.
7 Edit the material as you would any Multi/Sub-Object material.
To animate a window:
You can animate a window opening and closing by keyframing the Open
setting.
1 Create a window or select an existing window.
2 If using an existing window, also access the Modify panel.
3 Set the Parameters rollout ➤ Open parameter to the amount you want
the window to be open at the start of the animation. If you want it to be
closed, set it to 0.
4 Click the Auto Key button on page 8679 to turn it on, and advance to the
first keyframe.
5 Change the Open setting.
6 Continue moving to any additional keyframes and changing the Open
setting as necessary.
7 Play the animation.

Windows | 479

Interface
Most window parameters are common to all kinds of windows, and are
described here. The topic for each window type describes its unique controls
and behavior.

Object Type rollout

Six types of window are available in 3ds Max:
Awning Has a sash that is hinged at the top. See Awning on page 483.
Casement Has one or two door-like sashes that swing inward or outward. See
Casement on page 486.
Fixed Doesn't open. See Fixed on page 488.
Pivoted Pivots at the center of its sash, either vertically or horizontally. See
Pivoted on page 490.
Projected Has three sashes, two of which open like awnings in opposite
directions. See Projected on page 492.
Sliding Has two sashes, one of which slides vertically or horizontally. See
Sliding on page 494.

Name and Color rollout
See Object Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771.

480 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Creation Method rollout

You define each type of window with four points: Drag the first two, followed
by two move-click sequences. The Creation Method setting determines the
order in which these actions define the window's dimensions.
Width/Depth/Height The first two points define the width and angle of the
base of the window. You set these points by dragging in a viewport, as the
first step in creating a window. This lets you align the window with a wall or
opening when you place it. The third point, where you click after moving the
mouse, specifies the depth of the window, and the fourth click, where you
click after moving the mouse again, specifies the height.
Width/Height/Depth Works like the Width/Depth/Height option, except
that the last two points create first the height and then the depth.
NOTE With this method, the depth is perpendicular to the plane set by the first
three points. Thus, if you draw the window in the Top or Perspective viewport,
the door lies flat on the active grid.
Allow Non-vertical Jambs Select to create tilted windows. Set snaps on page
2833 to define points off the construction plane. Default=off.

Windows | 481

Parameters rollout

Height/Width/Depth Specifies the overall dimensions of the window.

Frame group
Horiz. Width Sets the width of the horizontal part of the window frame (at
the top and bottom). This setting also affects the glazed portion of the
window's width.

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Vert. Width Sets the width of the vertical part of the window frame (at the
sides). This setting also affects the glazed portion of the window's height.
Thickness Sets the thickness of the frame. This also controls the thickness of
casements or railings on the window's sashes.

Glazing group
Thickness Specifies the thickness of the glass.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Creates the object with the appropriate
mapping coordinates on page 9212 already applied.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Awning Window
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows ➤ Awning button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Awning Window
The Awning window has one or more sashes that are hinged at the top.

Windows | 483

Awning window

484 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.
Some window parameters are common to all kinds of windows; see Windows
on page 475.

Rails and Panels group
Width Sets the width (depth) of the rails in the sashes.
Panel Count Sets the number of sashes in the window. If you use more than
one sash, each is hinged at its top edge. Range=1 to 10.

Open Window group
Open Specifies the percent the window is open. This control is animatable.

Windows | 485

Casement Window
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows ➤ Casement

button
Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Casement Window
The Casement window has one or two sashes that are hinged on the side, like
a door.

Casement window

486 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.
Some window parameters are common to all kinds of windows; see Windows
on page 475.

Casements group
Panel Width Changes the size of the glazed panel within each sash.
One/Two Specifies the number of window panels: one or two. Using two
panels creates a window like a double door; each panel is hinged on its outside
side edge.

Open Window group
Open Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control is animatable.

Windows | 487

Flip Swing Turn this on to have the sashes open in the opposite direction.

Fixed Window
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows ➤ Fixed button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Fixed Window
Fixed windows do not open, thus have no Open Window control. In addition
to the standard window object parameters, the Fixed window provides the
Rails And Panels group of settings for subdividing the window.

Fixed windows

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Interface

Parameters rollout
The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.
Some window parameters are common to all kinds of windows; see Windows
on page 475.

Rails and Panels group
Width Sets the width (depth) of the rails in the sashes.
# Panels Horiz Sets the number of horizontal divisions in the window.
# Panels Vert Sets the number of vertical divisions in the window.
Chamfered Profile Chamfers the rails between the glazed panels, as in a
conventional wooden window. When Chamfered Profile is off, the rails have
a rectangular profile.

Windows | 489

Pivoted Window
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows ➤ Pivoted button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Pivoted Window
A pivoted window has one sash only, hinged midway through the side of the
sash. It can swing open either vertically or horizontally.

Pivoted windows

490 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

The topic for each kind of Window describes its unique controls and behavior.
Most Window parameters are common to all kinds of Windows; see Windows
on page 475.

Rails group
Width Sets the width of the rails in the sash.

Pivots group
Vertical Rotation Switches the pivot axis from horizontal to vertical.

Windows | 491

Open Window group
Open Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control is animatable.

Projected Window
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows ➤ Projected

button
Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Projected Window
Projected windows have three sashes: The top sash doesn't move, while the
bottom two sashes swing open like awning windows, but in opposite directions.

Projected window

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Interface
Parameters rollout

The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.
Some window parameters are common to all kinds of windows; see Windows
on page 475.

Rails and Panels group
Width Sets the width (depth) of the rails in the sashes.
Middle Height Sets the height of the middle sash, relative to the window's
frame.
Bottom Height Sets the height of the bottom sash, relative to the window's
frame.

Windows | 493

Open Window group
Open Specifies the percent that the two movable sashes are open. This control
is animatable.

Sliding Window
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Windows ➤ Sliding button

Create menu ➤ AEC Objects ➤ Sliding Window
Sliding windows have two sashes: one fixed, one movable. The sliding part
can move either vertically or horizontally.

Sliding windows

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Interface
Parameters rollout

The topic for each kind of Window describes its unique controls and behavior.
Most Window parameters are common to all kinds of Windows; see Windows
on page 475.

Rails and Panels group
Rail Width Sets the width of the rails in the sash.
# Panels Horiz Sets the number of horizontal divisions in each sash.
# Panels Vert Sets the number of vertical divisions in each sash.

Windows | 495

Chamfered Profile Chamfers the rails between the glazed panels, as in a
conventional wooden window. When Chamfered Profile is off, the rails have
a rectangular profile.

Open Window group
Hung When on, the window slides vertically. When off, the window slides
horizontally.
Open Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control is
animatable.

mental ray Object
The mental ray object category contains one object type: the mr Proxy object.
Use this object to lighten the rendering load with geometry-heavy scenes.

mr Proxy Object
Set mental ray as the current renderer. ➤
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ mental ray ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ mr Proxy button
The mr Proxy object is intended for use in large scenes to be rendered with
mental ray.
This object type is useful when scenes contain many instances of an object,
such as an auditorium with hundreds or thousands of instances of a seat
model. It is also particularly useful for objects with extremely high polygon
counts, in that it obviates both the conversion to mental ray format and the
presence of the source object at render time, thus saving time and freeing up
a great deal of memory for rendering. The only drawbacks are the reduced
fidelity of the proxy object in the viewports and the inability to edit proxies
directly.
The basic usage of the mr Proxy object is that you create and optionally
animate the “source” object, apply a material, and then save a copy to disk
for possible future modification. Next, you convert the object to mr Proxy
format and write the proxy to a disk file or series of files, after which it appears
in the viewports as a point cloud (a set of vertices showing the object size and
approximate shape). Finally, you delete the source object, as its presence in
the scene is no longer necessary. You can then use the mr Proxy object like

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any object in the scene, instancing it, transforming it, and so on. When you
render, mental ray loads the disk files and uses the geometry defined therein.
However, if you need to modify it (such as changing a modifier parameter, or
editing a sub-object), you need to load the source object, modify it, reconnect
it to the proxy object, and rewrite the files.
NOTE Using Select Similar on page 215 with an mr Proxy object selects all mr Proxy
objects, even if they use different source objects.

Procedures
To use the mr Proxy object:
1 Make sure mental ray is the active renderer.
2 Create or load the object that is to serve as the source object. Apply any
necessary modifiers and material. Be sure to save a copy for future
reference.
3 Add an mr Proxy object.
Until you define the source object, the mr Proxy object appears in the
scene as a wireframe cube.
4 Go to the Modify panel.
The mr Proxy object requires that you specify the source object from the
Modify panel.
5 Click the source object button, which currently reads “None,” and then
select the source object.
The name of the source object appears on the button.
TIP If you plan to modify the source object, do so before converting it to mr
Proxy format. Because the mr Proxy geometry is loaded by mental ray at
render time, the renderer ignores any modifiers that change the geometry.
The one exception is the Skew modifier on page 1610, which affects the object’s
transformation matrix rather than its sub-object geometry, and thus can
modify a proxy.
6 Click the Write Object To File button, enter a file name, and click Save.
This opens the mr Proxy Creation dialog, which lets you set parameters
for the proxy object file, including animation frames and preview settings.
Change settings as necessary and then click OK to continue.

mr Proxy Object | 497

The file is saved in the MIB format and its path and file name are placed
in the Proxy File field. After you save the file, the Display group shows
the proxy geometry and the viewport shows the object, by default, as a
point cloud: a group of vertices that roughly defines the object’s shape.
You can change the number of points in the cloud and use a bounding
box to represent the object, with or without the point cloud. (When the
point cloud is on, you can toggle the bounding box, but when you turn
off the point cloud, the bounding box always displays.)

mr Proxy object represented as a point cloud

If you like, you can now delete the original object.
TIP To select an mr Proxy object when represented as a point cloud, click
one of the vertices.
7 If the object is difficult to visualize in the viewports, increase the Display
group ➤ Viewport Verts value.
You can now use this object as any other object in 3ds Max, applying
materials, copying it, animating with it, and so on.

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To use materials with the mr Proxy object:
When you convert an object to mr Proxy format, the proxy does not inherit
the object’s material. An efficient way to handle this is with the XRef material.
1 Create or load the object that is to serve as the source object. Apply any
necessary modifiers and material, and then save a copy.
2 Create the mr Proxy object and then convert the source object, as
described in the preceding procedure. Delete the source object.
3 Apply an XRef material on page 6605 to the proxy object.
4 Set the material to use the material from the source object file you saved
in step 1.
Then, to modify the material on the proxy, load the source object, edit
its material, and save the file. Because the material on the proxy object
is externally referenced, it updates automatically.
Example: To use an animated source object:
The mr Proxy object supports vertex-level animation as well as topological
changes in the source object. For example, you could create a fluid simulation
with a particle system to which BlobMesh on page 634 is applied, and then
bake it out to a series of mr Proxy files. This procedure gives an example of
how to use this feature.
1 Create a source object and add vertex-level animation. For example, you
could apply the Bend modifier and then set keys for different values of
the Angle parameter.
2 Add an mr Proxy object.
3 Go to the Modify panel, click the source object (“None”) button and then
select the object from step 1.
4 Click the Write Object To File button, enter a file name, and click Save.
On the mr Proxy Creation dialog, choose either animation option (Active
Time Segment or Custom Range) and, if you like, toggle the Preview
Generation switches. Click OK to continue.
3ds Max writes a pair of files (geometry and thumbnail) for each
animation frame.
5 You control animation playback in the Proxy object with the Animation
Support group settings. When you save or load an animated Proxy, 3ds
Max automatically enables the On check box in this group and sets Frames

mr Proxy Object | 499

to the number of frames in the animation. You can change the value to
the number of frames you want to use from the animation. Also, you can
adjust the rate at which the animation appears in the proxy object by
adjusting the Replay Speed value, and change the frame at which the
playback begins with the Frame Offset parameter. Last, to have the
animation play back and forth, turn on Ping-Pong Replay.

Interface
NOTE Before using the mr Proxy object, make sure mental ray is the active
renderer.

500 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Parameters rollout

Source Object group
[source object button] Shows the name of the source object, or, if you haven’t
assigned one, the text “None.” To assign an object, click the button and then
select the source object. The name of the source object then appears on the

mr Proxy Object | 501

button, unless you delete the source object subsequently. In that case, the
button label returns to “None,” although the mr Proxy object still functions
normally, assuming you’ve saved the object to an MIB file.

Clear source object slot Restores the source object button label to
“None,” but doesn’t otherwise affect the proxy object.
Write Object to File Lets you save the object as an MIB file, which you can
then load into another mr Proxy object using the Proxy File controls.
Clicking the button opens a File Name dialog, where you can navigate to the
desired folder and enter a file name. Then, when you click Save, 3ds Max
opens the mr Proxy Creation dialog on page 504. Set parameters as desired and
then click OK.
This saves a file named [file name].mib, containing the geometry data, and
another named [file name].mib.bmp, which contains the thumbnail image that
appears on the Parameters rollout.
NOTE The MIB file contains only geometry, not materials. You can apply different
materials to each instance or copy of an mr Proxy object.
If Animation Support is on, 3ds Max writes a sequence of both types of file,
with a four-digit frame number appended to the base file name for each file.
For example, if you use the file name Test and set Animation Support group
➤ Frames to 10, then the first pair of files are named Test0000.mib and
Test0000.mib.bmp, the second pair are named Test0001.mib and
Test0001.mib.bmp, and so on.

Proxy File group
Proxy File This editable field shows the location and name of the base MIB
file stored with the Write Object To File command. To use a different file you
can edit the field manually or click the [...] button and use the File Name
dialog to choose a new file.
... [browse] Click this button to choose an MIB file to load into the proxy
object. You can use this button to load an existing MIB file into a new proxy
object, allowing you to easily transfer objects between different scenes.

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NOTE If you load an MIB file that’s part of an animated sequence, you’re given
the opportunity to load the entire sequence. Confirming automatically turns on
animation support and sets the animation parameters to appropriate values. For
details, see Animation Support group on page 503.

Scale Adjusts the size of the proxy object. Alternatively, you can use the Scale
tool to resize the object.

Display group
Viewport Verts The number of vertices displayed in the point cloud for the
proxy object. For best performance, display only enough vertices to make the
object recognizable.
Show Point Cloud When on, the proxy object appears as a point cloud (group
of vertices) in the viewports. When on, you can combine this with Show
Bounding Box (see following).
NOTE When the object is selected, the point cloud always displays.
Show Bounding Box When on, the proxy object appears as a bounding box
in the viewports. Available only when Show Point Cloud is on. When Show
Point Cloud is off, the bounding box always displays.
[preview window] Shows the thumbnail image stored for the current frame
of the MIB file. The thumbnail is generated when you click Write Object To
File. The image includes the current scene background. Also, if you turn off
Exclude Other Objects on the Preview Generation Options rollout, it includes
other objects in the scene.

Animation Support group
These settings control animation playback; animation recording is controlled
by the mr Proxy Creation settings (see following) when you save the Proxy
object.

mr Proxy Object | 503

On When enabled, plays animation in the proxy object if the current MIB
file is part of an animation sequence. When off, the proxy object remains in
the state of the last animation frame.
Saving or loading an animated Proxy object automatically enables animation
playback.
The remaining Animation Support settings are available only when animation
is enabled.
Frames The number of frames to use from the animation, starting at the first
frame of the animation + the Frame Offset value.
After the last frame plays, the animation repeats, either from the first frame
forward again, or, if Ping-Pong Replay is on, back and forth.
Saving or loading an animated Proxy object automatically sets Frames to the
correct value.
Replay Speed Lets you adjust the playback speed as a multiplier. For example,
if you load a 100-frame animation and then set Replay Speed to 0.5 (half
speed), 3ds Max plays back each frame twice, so the animation takes 200
frames to play back fully. Default=1.0 (full speed).
Frame Offset Lets you start the animation playback at a frame other than the
first. Add this value to the start frame (see Geometry to Write on page 505) to
determine at which frame the animation starts playing back.
Ping-Pong Replay When on, the animation plays forward, then in reverse,
then forward again and so on. When off, it plays forward only.

mr Proxy Creation dialog
This dialog opens when you click Write Object To File on page 502 and then
enter a file name and click Save. They determine whether and how animation
is saved to the proxy file, and how to display the preview.

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Geometry to Write Choose the option that specifies how to save deformation
animation, such as that produced by modifiers, in the proxy file. Transform
animation, such as rotation of the entire object, is not saved.
■

Current FrameSaves no animation; only the state of the object in the
current frame.

■

Active Time SegmentSaves all animation in the active time segment on
page 9082.

■

Custom RangeSaves animation only in the frame range you specify with
the Start and End values.

Preview Generation group
These settings determine how to display the object preview on page 503, and
are saved with the proxy file.
Include only Source Object in Preview When on, the preview image contains
only the geometry in the proxy object. When off, the preview shows any
additional geometry in the scene within the extent of the image zoom (see
Automatic Zoom Extents, following). Default=on.
Automatic Zoom Extents When on, zooms the preview image to the bounding
box of the proxy object before rendering the image. Default=on.

mr Proxy Object | 505

Shapes
Create panel ➤

Shapes

Create menu ➤ Shapes
A shape is an object made from one or more curved or straight lines. 3ds Max
includes the following shape types: Splines and Extended Splines on page 511
and NURBS Curves on page 2481

Using Shapes
Shapes are 2D and 3D lines and groups of lines that you typically use as
components of other objects. Most of the default shapes are made from splines.
You use these spline shapes to do the following:
■

Generate planar and thin 3D surfaces

■

Define loft components such as paths, shapes, and fit curves

■

Generate surfaces of revolution

■

Generate extrusions

■

Define motion paths

3ds Max supplies 11 basic spline shape objects, two types of NURBS curves,
and five extended splines. You can quickly create these shapes using mouse
or keyboard entry and combine them to form compound shapes. For
information about the methods and parameters used to create these shapes,
see Splines and Extended Splines on page 511 .

Creating Shapes

To access the shape-creation tools, go to the

Create panel and click

(Shapes). You'll find the standard shapes under Splines in the category
list, Point Curve and CV Curve under NURBS curves, and WRectangle,
Channel, Angle, Tee, and Wide Flange under Extended Splines.
As you add plug-ins, other shape categories might appear in this list.

506 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The Object Type rollout contains the spline creation buttons. You can combine
one or more of these spline types into a single shape.

Create Shape from Edges
You can create shapes from edge selections in mesh objects. In Edit/Editable
Mesh objects, at the Edge selection level, in the Edit Geometry rollout, is a
button called Create Shape from Edges that creates a spline shape based on
selected edges. See Editable Mesh (Edge) on page 2207. Similarly, with Editable
Poly objects, you can use the Create Shape button at the Edge selection level.
See Editable Poly (Edge) editable polyedgeshapescreating from edges on page
2269

Editable Splines
You can convert a basic spline to an editable spline object on page 554. The
editable spline has a variety of controls that let you directly manipulate it and
its sub-objects. For example, at the Vertex sub-object level you can move
vertices or adjust their Bezier handles. Editable splines let you create shapes
that are less regular, more free-form than the basic spline options.
When you convert a spline to an editable spline, you lose the ability to adjust
or animate its creation parameters.

Renderable Shapes
When you use a shape to create a 3D object by lofting, extruding, or other
means, the shape becomes a renderable 3D object. However, you can make a
shape render without making it into a 3D object. There are three basic steps
to rendering a shape:
1 On the Rendering rollout of the shape's creation parameters, turn on
Enable In Renderer.
2 Specify the thickness for the spline using the Thickness spinner in the
Rendering rollout.

Shapes | 507

3 If you plan to assign a mapped material to the spline, turn on Generate
Mapping Coords.
When Enable In Renderer is on, the shape is rendered using a circle as a cross
section. Mapping coordinates are generated with U mapped once around the
perimeter, and V mapped once along the length.
3ds Max provides control over renderable shapes; viewports, including
wireframe viewports, can display the geometry of renderable shapes. The
rendering parameters for shapes appear in their own rollout.
The Steps settings affect the number of cross sections in the renderable shape.
Please observe the following:
■

When you apply a modifier that converts a shape into a mesh (such as
Extrude on page 1369 or Lathe on page 1418), the object automatically becomes
renderable, regardless of the state of the Enable in Renderer check box.

508 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

You need to turn on the Enable in Renderer check box only when you
want to render an unmodified spline shape in the scene.
■

As with all objects, a shape's layer must be on for the shape to render. See
Layer Properties on page 8537.

■

The Object Properties dialog on page 221 also has a Renderable check box,
which is turned on by default. Both this check box and the General rollout
➤ Renderable check box must be turned on in order to render a shape.

Shapes as Planar Objects
A straightforward usage for shapes is 2D cutouts or planar objects. Examples
include ground planes, text for signs, and cutout billboards. You create a
planar object by applying an Edit Mesh modifier on page 1263 to a closed shape,
or by converting it to an editable mesh object on page 2190.

2D objects

You can also apply an Edit Mesh modifier to a 3D shape (for example, a shape
whose vertices have been moved vertically away from the construction plane
by different amounts) to create a curved surface. The resulting 3D surface often
requires manual editing of faces and edges to smooth surface ridges.

Extruded and Lathed Shapes
You can apply modifiers to a shape to create a 3D object. Two of these
modifiers are Extrude and Lathe. Extrude on page 1369 creates a 3D object by
adding height to a shape. Lathe on page 1418 creates a 3D object by rotating a
shape about an axis.

Shapes | 509

Initial text shape with extruded shape below

Lathed object with initial shape on right

Lofting Shapes
You create Lofts on page 674 by combining two or more splines in special ways.
Shapes form the lofting path, loft cross-sections, and loft fit curves.

Shapes as Animation Paths
You can use shapes to define the position of an animated object. You create
a shape and use it to define a path that some other object follows.
Some possible ways for a shape to control animated position are:
■

You can use a Path constraint on page 3629 to use a shape to control object
motion.

■

You can convert a shape into position keys using the Motion panel ➤
Trajectories ➤ Convert From function (see Trajectories on page 3440).

510 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

See also:
■

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

Splines and Extended Splines
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines

Create menu ➤ Shapes

Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Extended Splines

Splines include the following object types: Line on page 518, Rectangle on page
522, Circle on page 524, Ellipse on page 525, Arc on page 526, Donut on page 530.
NGon on page 531, Star on page 533, Text on page 535, Helix on page 539, and
Section on page 541. Extended Splines include the following object types:
WRectangle on page 545. Channel on page 547. Angle on page 549. Tee on page
551, and Wide on page 553 This topic covers aspects of spline and extended
spline creation that are common to all spline object types, including the
parameters available in the General rollout.
For parameters unique to a particular spline or extended spline type, see its
section.

Procedures
To control starting a new shape manually:

1 On the
Create panel, turn off the check box next to the Start
New Shape button.
2 Click the Start New Shape button.
3 Begin creating splines.

Splines and Extended Splines | 511

Each spline is added to the compound shape. You can tell you are creating
a compound shape because all the splines remain selected.
4 Click Start New Shape to complete the current shape and prepare to start
another.
Issues to remember about creating shapes:
■

You can go back and change the parameters of a shape containing a single
spline after the shape is created.

■

You can create a compound shape by adding splines to a shape: Select the
shape, turn off Start New Shape, and then create more splines.

■

You cannot change the parameters of a compound shape. For example,
create a compound shape by creating a circle and then adding an arc. Once
you create the arc, you cannot change the circle parameters.

To create a spline using keyboard entry:
1 Click a spline creation button.
2 Expand the Keyboard Entry rollout.
3 Enter X, Y, and Z values for the first point.
4 Enter values in any remaining parameter fields.
5 Click Create.

512 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Object Type rollout (Splines and Extended Splines)

AutoGrid Lets you automatically create objects on the surface of other objects
by generating and activating a temporary construction plane based on normals
of the face that you click.
For more information, see AutoGrid on page 2819.
Start New Shape A shape can contain a single spline or it can be a compound
shape containing multiple splines. You control how many splines are in a
shape using the Start New Shape button and check box on the Object Type
rollout. The check box next to the Start New Shape button determines when
new shapes are created. When the box is on, 3ds Max creates a new shape
object for every spline you create. When the box is off, splines are added to
the current shape until you click the Start New Shape button.
Shape Selection buttons Lets you specify the type of shape to create.

Name and Color rollout
Lets you name an object and assign it a viewport color. For details, see Object
Name and Wireframe Color on page 8771.

Splines and Extended Splines | 513

Rendering rollout

Lets you turn on and off the renderability of a spline or NURBS curve, specify
its thickness in the rendered scene, and apply mapping coordinates.
You can animate render parameters, such as the number of sides, but you
cannot animate the Viewport settings.
You can convert the displayed mesh into a mesh object by applying an Edit
Mesh or Edit Poly modifier or converting to an editable mesh or editable poly
object. If Enable In Viewport is off when converting, closed shapes will be
“filled in” and open shapes will contain only vertices; no edges or faces. If
Enable In Viewport is on when converting, the system will use the Viewport
settings for this mesh conversion. This gives maximum flexibility, and will
always give the conversion of the mesh displayed in the viewports.
Enable In Renderer When on, the shape is rendered as a 3D mesh using the
Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.

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Enable In Viewport When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D
mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Use Viewport settings Lets you set different rendering parameters, and displays
the mesh generated by the Viewport settings. Available only when Enable in
Viewport is turned on.
Generate Mapping Coords Turn this on to apply mapping coordinates.
Default=off.
3ds Max generates the mapping coordinates in the U and V dimensions. The
U coordinate wraps once around the spline; the V coordinate is mapped once
along its length. Tiling is achieved using the Tiling parameters in the applied
material. For more information, see Mapping Coordinates on page 6005.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.
Viewport Choose this to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display in the viewports when Enable In Viewport is on.
Renderer Choose this to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display when rendered or when viewed in the viewport when
Enable In Viewport is turned on.
Radial Displays the 3D mesh as a cylindrical object.
Thickness Specifies the diameter of the viewport or rendered spline mesh.
Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 100,000,000.0.

Splines rendered at thickness of 1.0 and 5.0, respectively

Sides Sets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport
or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross section.

Splines and Extended Splines | 515

Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if the spline mesh has a square cross section you can
use Angle to position a "flat" side down.
Rectangular Displays the spline's mesh shape as a rectangle.
Length Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis.
Width Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.
Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use Angle
to position a "flat" side down.
Aspect Sets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check box
lets you lock the aspect ratio. When Lock is turned on, Width is locked to
Length that results in a constant ratio of Width to Length.
Auto Smooth If Auto Smooth is turned on, the spline is auto-smoothed using
the threshold specified by the Threshold setting below it. Auto Smooth sets
the smoothing based on the angle between spline segments. Any two adjacent
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.
NOTE Turning Auto Smooth on for every situation does not always give you the
best smoothing quality. Altering the Threshold angle may be necessary or turning
Auto Smooth off may produce the best results.
Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.

Interpolation rollout

These settings control how a spline is generated. All spline curves are divided
into small straight lines that approximate the true curve. The number of
divisions between each vertex on the spline are called steps. The more steps
used, the smoother the curve appears.

516 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Steps Spline steps can be either adaptive (that is, set automatically by turning
on Adaptive) or specified manually.
When Adaptive is off, use the Steps field/spinner to set the number of divisions
between each vertex. Splines with tight curves require many steps to look
smooth while gentle curves require fewer steps. Range=0 to 100.
Optimize When on, removes unneeded steps from straight segments in the
spline. Optimize is not available when Adaptive is on. Default=on.
Adaptive When off, enables manual interpolation control using Optimize
and Steps. Default=off.
When on, Adaptive sets the number of steps for each spline to produce a
smooth curve. Straight segments always receive 0 steps.

Optimized spline left and adaptive spline right. Resulting wireframe view of each,
respectively, on the right.

The main use for manual interpolation of splines is in morphing or other
operations where you must have exact control over the number of vertices
created.

Creation Method rollout

Many spline tools use the Creation Methods rollout. On this rollout you choose
to define splines by either their center point or their diagonal.
Edge Your first click defines a point on the side or at a corner of the shape
and you drag a diameter or the diagonal corner.

Splines and Extended Splines | 517

Center Your first click defines the center of the shape and you drag a radius
or corner point.
Text on page 535 and Star on page 533 do not have a Creation Methods rollout.
Line on page 518 and Arc on page 526 have unique Creation Methods rollouts
that are discussed in their respective topics.

Keyboard Entry rollout

You can create most splines using keyboard entry. The process is generally
the same for all splines and the parameters are found under the Keyboard
Entry rollout. Keyboard entry varies primarily in the number of optional
parameters. The image above shows a sample Keyboard Entry rollout for the
Circle shape.
The Keyboard Entry rollout contains three fields for the X, Y, and Z coordinates
of the initial creation point, plus a variable number of parameters to complete
the spline. Enter values in each field and click the Create button to create the
spline.

Line Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout

➤ Line
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Line
Use Line to create a free-form spline made of multiple segments.

518 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Example of line

Procedures
To create a line:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 On the Object Type rollout, click the Line button.
3 Choose a creation method.
4 Click or drag the start point.
Clicking creates a corner vertex; dragging creates a Bezier vertex.
5 Click or drag additional points.
Clicking creates a corner vertex; dragging creates a Bezier vertex.
6 Do one of the following:
■

Right-click to create an open spline.

■

Click the first vertex and click Yes in the "Close spline?" dialog to
create a closed spline.

To create a line using rectilinear and angle-snap options:
These two options aid in creating regular shapes:
■

While creating a spline with the mouse, press and hold Shift to constrain
new points to 90-degree-angle increments from previous points. Use the

Splines and Extended Splines | 519

default Initial type setting of Corner and click all subsequent points to
create fully rectilinear shapes.
■

While creating a spline with the mouse, press and hold Ctrl to constrain
new points to angle increments determined by the current Angle Snap
setting on page 2847. To set this angle, go to Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps
➤ Grid And Snap Settings, click the Options tab on page 2859 in the Grid
And Snap Settings dialog, and change the value in the Angle (deg) field.

The angle for each new segment relates to the previous segment, so the angle
snap works only after you've placed the first two spline vertices (that is, the
first segment). Angle Snap need not be enabled for this feature to work.
To create a line from the keyboard:
1 Enter values in the X, Y, and Z fields to specify a vertex coordinate.
2 Click Add Point to add a vertex to the current line at the specified
coordinate.
3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each additional vertex.
4 Do one of the following:
■

Click Finish to create an open spline.

■

Click Close to connect the current vertex to the first vertex and create
a closed spline.

Interface
Automatic Conversion to an Editable Spline
Because the Line object has no dimension parameters to be carried over to
the Modify panel, it converts to an editable spline on page 554 when you move
from the Create panel to the Modify panel. While you are creating the line,
the Create panel displays the original controls, such as Interpolation,
Rendering, Creation Method, and Keyboard Entry. After creating the line,
when you go to the Modify panel you have immediate access to the Selection
and Geometry rollouts to edit the vertices or any part of the shape.

Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for an
explanation of these parameters.

520 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Creation Method rollout

Creation method options for lines are different from other spline tools. You
choose options to control the type of vertex created when you click or drag
vertices.
You can preset the default types of spline vertices during line creation with
these settings:

Initial Type group
Sets the type of vertex you create when you click a vertex location.
Corner Produces a sharp point. The spline is linear to either side of the vertex.
Smooth Produces a smooth, nonadjustable curve through the vertex. The
amount of curvature is set by the spacing of the vertices.

Drag Type group
Sets the type of vertex you create when you drag a vertex location. The vertex
is located at the cursor position where you first press the mouse button. The
direction and distance that you drag are used only when creating Bezier
vertices.
Corner Produces a sharp point. The spline is linear to either side of the vertex.
Smooth Produces a smooth, nonadjustable curve through the vertex. The
amount of curvature are set by the spacing of the vertices.
Bezier Produces a smooth, adjustable curve through the vertex. The amount
of curvature and direction of the curve are set by dragging the mouse at each
vertex.

Splines and Extended Splines | 521

Keyboard Entry rollout

Keyboard entry for lines is different from keyboard entry for other splines.
Entering keyboard values continues to add vertices to the existing line until
you click Close or Finish.
Add Point Adds a new point to the line at the current X/Y/Z coordinates.
Close Closes the shape, adding a final spline segment between the most recent
vertex and the first.
Finish Finishes the spline without closing it.

Rectangle Spline
Create panel ➤
Rectangle

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Rectangle
Use Rectangle to create square and rectangular splines.

Examples of rectangles

522 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create a rectangle:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Rectangle.
3 Choose a creation method.
4 Drag in a viewport to create a rectangle.
Optionally, press Ctrl while dragging to constrain the spline to a square.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for an
explanation of these parameters.

Creation Method rollout
The Rectangle shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge.
Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See
Splines on page 511 for an explanation of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created a rectangle, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Length Specifies the size of the rectangle along the local Y axis.
Width Specifies the size of the rectangle along the local X axis.
Corner Radius Creates rounded corners. When set to 0, the rectangle contains
90-degree corners.

Splines and Extended Splines | 523

Circle Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Circle
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Circle
Use Circle to create closed circular splines made of four vertices.

Example of circle

Procedures
To create a circle:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Circle.
3 Choose a creation method.
4 Drag in a viewport to draw the circle.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for
explanations of these parameters.

524 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Creation Method rollout
The Circle shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines
on page 511 for an explanation of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created a circle, you can make changes using the following
parameter:
Radius Specifies the radius of the circle.

Ellipse Spline
Create panel ➤
Ellipse

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Ellipse
Use Ellipse to create elliptical and circular splines.

Examples of ellipses

Procedures
To create an ellipse:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Ellipse.

Splines and Extended Splines | 525

3 Choose a creation method.
4 Drag in a viewport to draw the ellipse.
Optionally, press Ctrl while dragging to constrain the spline to a circle.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for
explanations of these parameters.

Creation Method rollout
The Ellipse shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines
on page 511 for an explanation of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created an Ellipse, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Length Specifies the size of the Ellipse along the local Y axis.
Width Specifies the size of the Ellipse local X axis.

Arc Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Arc
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Arc
Use Arc to create open and closed circular arcs made of four vertices.

526 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create an arc using the end-end-middle method:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Arc.
3 Choose the End-End-Middle creation method.
4 Drag in a viewport to set the two ends of the arc.
5 Release the mouse button, then move the mouse and click to specify a
third point on an arc between the two endpoints.

Creating an arc using the End-End-Middle creation method

To create an arc using the center-end-end method:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Arc.
3 Choose the Center-End-End creation method.
4 Press the mouse button to define the center of the arc.
5 Drag and release the mouse button to specify the start point of the arc.

Splines and Extended Splines | 527

6 Move the mouse and click to specify the other end of the arc.

Creating an arc using the Center-End-End creation method

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for an
explanation of these parameters.

Creation Method rollout

These options determine the sequence of mouse clicks involved in the creation
of the arc.
End-End-Middle Drag and release to set the two endpoints of the arc, and
then click to specify the third point between the two endpoints.
Center-End-End Press the mouse button to specify the center point of the
arc, drag and release to specify one endpoint of the arc, and click to specify
the other endpoint of the arc.

528 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Parameters rollout

Once you have created an arc, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Radius Specifies the arc radius.
From Specifies the location of the start point as an angle measured from the
local positive X axis.
To Specifies the location of the end point as an angle measured from the local
positive X axis.
Pie Slice When on, creates a closed spline in the form of a pie. The start point
and end point are connected to the center with straight segments.

Closed pie slice arcs

Reverse When on, the direction of the arc spline is reversed, and the first
vertex is placed at the opposite end of an open arc. As long as the shape
remains an original shape (and not an editable spline), you can switch its
direction by toggling Reverse. Once the arc is converted to an editable spline,
you can use Reverse at the Spline sub-object level to reverse direction.

Splines and Extended Splines | 529

Donut Spline
Create panel ➤
Donut

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Donut
Use Donut to create closed shapes from two concentric circles. Each circle is
made of four vertices.

Example of donut

Procedures
To create a donut:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Donut.
3 Choose a creation method.
4 Drag and release the mouse button to define the first donut circle.
5 Move the mouse and then click to define the radius of the second
concentric donut circle.
The second circle can be larger or smaller than the first.

530 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for
explanations of these parameters.

Creation Method rollout
The Donut shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines
on page 511 for an explanation of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created a donut, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Radius 1 Sets the radius of the first circle.
Radius 2 Sets the radius of the second circle.

NGon Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

NGon
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ NGon
Use NGon to create closed flat-sided or circular splines with any number (N)
of sides or vertices.

Splines and Extended Splines | 531

Examples of NGons

Procedures
To create an NGon:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click NGon.
3 Choose a creation method.
4 Drag and release the mouse button in a viewport to draw the NGon.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for an
explanation of these parameters.

Creation Method rollout
The NGon shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines
on page 511 for an explanation of these parameters.

532 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Parameters rollout

Once you have created an NGon, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Radius Specifies the NGon radius. You can use either of two methods to specify
the radius:
■

InscribedThe radius from the center to the corners of the NGon

■

CircumscribedThe radius from the center to the sides of the NGon.

Sides Specifies the number of sides and vertices used by the NGon. Range=3
to 100.
Corner Radius Specifies the degree of rounding to apply to the corners of the
NGon. A setting of 0 specifies a standard unrounded corner.
Circular When on, specifies a circular NGon.

Star Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Star
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Star
Use Star to create closed star-shaped splines with any number of points. Star
splines use two radiuses to set the distance between the outer points and inner
valleys.

Splines and Extended Splines | 533

Examples of stars

Procedures
To create a star:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Star.
3 Drag and release the mouse button to define the first star radius.
4 Move the mouse and then click to define the second star radius.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for
explanations of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created a star, you can make changes using the following
parameters:

534 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Radius 1 Specifies the radius of the inner vertices (the valley) of the star.
Radius 2 Specifies the radius of the outer vertices (the points) of the star.
Points Specifies the number of points on the star. Range=3 to 100.
A star has twice as many vertices as the specified number of points. Half the
vertices lie on one radius, forming points, and the remaining vertices lie on
the other radius, forming valleys.
Distortion Rotates the outer vertices (the points) about the center of the star.
This produces a sawtooth affect.
Fillet Radius 1 Rounds the inner vertices (the valleys) of the star.
Fillet Radius 2 Rounds the outer vertices (the points) of the star.

Text Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Text
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Text
Use Text to create splines in the shape of text.
The text can use any Windows font installed on your system, or a Type 1
PostScript font installed in the directory pointed to by the Fonts path on the
Configure System Paths dialog on page 8881. Because fonts are loaded only at
first use, changing the font path later has no immediate effect: once you have
used the font manager, you must restart 3ds Max before you can use a new
font path.

Examples of text

Splines and Extended Splines | 535

You can edit the text in the Create panel, or later in the Modify panel.

Using Text Shapes
Text shapes maintain the text as an editable parameter. You can change the
text at any time. If the font used by your text is deleted from the system, 3ds
Max still properly displays the text shape. However, to edit the text string in
the edit box you must choose an available font.
The text in your scene is just a shape where each letter and, in some cases,
pieces of each letter are individual splines. You can apply modifiers like Edit
Spline on page 1368, Bend on page 1104, and Extrude on page 1369 to edit Text
shapes just like any other shape.

Procedures
To create text:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Text.
3 Enter text in the Text box.
4 Do either of the following to define an insertion point:
■

Click in a viewport to place the text in the scene.

■

Drag the text into position and release the mouse button.

To enter a special Windows character:
1 Hold down the Alt key.
2 Enter the character's numeric value on the numeric keypad.
You must use the numeric keypad, not the row of numbers above the
alphabetic keys.
For some characters, you must enter a leading zero. For example, 0233
to enter an e with an acute accent.
3 Release the Alt key.

536 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Settings available for text include kerning, leading, justification, multiple lines,
and a manual update option.

Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for an
explanation of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created text, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Font list Choose from a list of all available fonts. Available fonts include:
■

Fonts installed in Windows.

■

Type 1 PostScript fonts located in the directory pointed to by the Fonts
path on the Configure System Paths dialog on page 8881.

Splines and Extended Splines | 537

Italic style button Toggles italicized text.

Underline style button Toggles underlined text.

Align Left Aligns text to the left side of its bounding box.

Center Aligns text to the center of its bounding box.

Align Right Aligns text to the right side of its bounding box.

Justify Spaces all lines of text to fill the extents of the bounding box.
NOTE The four text-alignment buttons require multiple lines of text for effect
because they act on the text in relation to its bounding box. If there's only one
line of text, it's the same size as its bounding box.
Size Sets the text height where the height measuring method is defined by
the active font. The first time you enter text, the default size is 100 units.
Kerning Adjusts the kerning (the distance between letters).
Leading Adjusts the leading (the distance between lines). This has an effect
only when multiple lines of text are included in the shape.
Text edit box Allows for multiple lines of text. Press Enter after each line of
text to start the next line.
■

The initial session default is "VIZ Text."

■

The initial session default is "MAX Text."

■

The edit box does not support word wrap.

■

You can cut and paste single- and multi-line text from the Clipboard.

538 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Update group
These options let you select a manual update option for situations where the
complexity of the text shape is too high for automatic updates.
Update Updates the text in the viewport to match the current settings in the
edit box. This button is available only when Manual Update is on.
Manual Update When on, the text that you type into the edit box is not
shown in the viewport until you click the Update button.

Helix Spline
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Helix
Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Helix
Use Helix to create open flat or 3D helices or spirals.

Examples of helixes

Procedures
To create a helix:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Helix.
3 Choose a creation method.
4 Press the mouse button to define the first point of the Helix start circle.

Splines and Extended Splines | 539

5 Drag and release the mouse button to define the second point of the
Helix start circle.
6 Move the mouse and then click to define the height of the Helix.
7 Move the mouse and then click to define the radius of the Helix end.

Interface
Rendering rollout
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for
explanations of these parameters.

Interpolation
The helix differs from other spline-based shapes in that it always uses adaptive
interpolation: the number of vertices in a helix is determined by the number
of turns.

Creation Method rollout
The Helix shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines
on page 511 for an explanation of these parameters.

Parameters rollout

Once you have created a helix, you can make changes using the following
parameters:
Radius 1 Specifies the radius for the Helix start.
Radius 2 Specifies the radius for the Helix end.

540 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Height Specifies the height of the Helix.
Turns Specifies the number of turns the Helix makes between its start and
end points.
Bias Forces the turns to accumulate at one end of the helix. Bias has no visible
affect when the height is 0.0.

Helical spline varied only by bias settings
■

A bias of –1.0 forces the turns toward the start of the helix.

■

A bias of 0.0 evenly distributes the turns between the ends.

■

A bias of 1.0 forces the turns toward the end of the helix.

CW/CCW The direction buttons set whether the Helix turns clockwise (CW)
or counterclockwise (CCW).

Section Spline
Create panel ➤
Section

(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Section
Section is a special type of spline that generates shapes based on a
cross-sectional slice through mesh objects.
The Section object appears as a bisected rectangle. You simply move and rotate
it to slice through one or more mesh objects, and then click the Create Shape
button to generate a shape based on the 2D intersection.

Splines and Extended Splines | 541

Red line shows the section shape based on the structure.

Procedures
To create and use a section shape:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Click Section.
3 Drag a rectangle in the viewport in which you want to orient the plane.
(For example, create it in the Top viewport to place the Section object
parallel with the XY home grid.)
The Section object appears as a simple rectangle with crossed lines
indicating its center. With the default settings, the rectangle is for display
purposes only, because the effect of the Section object extends along its
plane to the full extents of the scene.
4 Move and rotate the section so that its plane intersects mesh objects in
the scene.
Yellow lines are displayed where the sectional plane intersects objects.

542 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

5 On the
Create panel, turn on
resulting dialog, and click OK.

(Shapes), enter a name in the

An editable spline on page 554 is created, based on the displayed cross
sections.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines on page 511 for an
explanation of these parameters.

Section Parameters rollout

Create Shape Creates a shape based on the currently displayed intersection
lines. A dialog is displayed in which you can name the new object. The
resulting shape is an editable spline consisting of curve segments and corner
vertices, based on all intersected meshes in the scene.

Splines and Extended Splines | 543

Update group
Provides options for specifying when the intersection line is updated.
When Section Moves Updates the intersection line when you move or resize
the Section shape.
When Section Selected Updates the intersection line when you select the
section shape, but not while you move it. Click the Update Section button to
update the intersection.
Manually Updates the intersection line only when you click the Update
Section button.
Update Section Updates the intersection to match the current placement of
the Section object when using When Section Selected or Manually option.
NOTE When using When Section Selected or Manually, you can offset the
generated cross section from the position of the intersected geometry. As you
move the section object, the yellow cross-section lines move with it, leaving the
geometry behind. When you click Create Shape, the new shape is generated at
the displayed cross-section lines in the offset position.

Section Extents group
Choose one of these options to specify the extents of the cross-section
generated by the section object.
Infinite The section plane is infinite in all directions, resulting in a cross
section at any mesh geometry in its plane.
Section Boundary The cross-section is generated only in objects that are
within or touched by the boundary of the section shape.
Off No cross section is displayed or generated. The Create Shape button is
disabled.

Color swatch Click this to set the display color of the intersection.

Section Size rollout

544 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Provides spinners that let you adjust the length and width of the displayed
section rectangle.
Length/Width Adjust the length and width of the displayed section rectangle.
NOTE If you convert the section grid to an editable spline, it's converted to a
shape based on the current cross section.

Extended Splines
Extended splines are enhancements to the original spline set.

WRectangle Spline
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ WRectangle

(Shapes) ➤ Extended Splines ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ WRectangle
Use WRectangle to create closed shapes from two concentric rectangles. Each
rectangle is made of four vertices. The WRectangle is similar to the Donut tool
except it uses rectangles instead of circles.
WRectangle stands for “walled rectangle”.

Example of WRectangle

Procedures
To create a wrectangle:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Open the Shapes List and choose Extended Splines.

Extended Splines | 545

3 Click WRectangle.
4 Drag and release the mouse button to define the outer rectangle.
5 Move the mouse and then click to define the inner rectangle.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. For explanations, see Splines
and Extended Splines on page 511.

Creation Method rollout
The WRectangle shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge.
Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. For
explanations, see Splines and Extended Splines on page 511.

Parameters rollout

Length Controls the height of the wrectangle section.
Width Controls the width of the wrectangle section.
Thickness Controls the thickness of the walls of the wrectangle.
Sync Corner Fillets When turned on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of
both the interior and exterior corners of the wrectangle. It also maintains the
thickness of the section. Default=on.
Corner Radius 1 Controls the radius of all four interior and exterior corners
of the section.

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If Sync Corner Fillets is turned off, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of the
four exterior corners of the wrectangle.
Corner Radius 2 Controls the radius of the four interior corners of the
wrectangle.
Corner Radius 2 is only available when Sync Corner Fillets is turned off.
NOTE Take care when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set an inside radius (Corner
Radius 2) that is greater than the length and width of the sides.

Channel Spline
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Channel

(Shapes) ➤ Extended Splines ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Channel
Use Channel to create a closed “C” shaped spline. You have the option to
specify the interior and exterior corners between the vertical web and
horizontal legs of the section.

Example of Channel

Procedures
To create a channel:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Open the Shapes List and select Extended Splines.
3 Click Channel.

Extended Splines | 547

4 Drag and release the mouse button to define the outer perimeter of the
channel.
5 Move the mouse and then click to define the thickness of the walls of
the channel.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. For explanations, see Splines
and Extended Splines on page 511.

Creation Method rollout
The Channel shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge.
Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. For
explanations, see Splines and Extended Splines on page 511.

Parameters rollout

Length Controls the height of the vertical web of the channel.
Width Controls the width of the top and bottom horizontal legs of the
channel.
Thickness Controls the thickness of both legs of the angle.
Sync Corner Fillets When turned on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of
both the interior and exterior corners between the vertical web and horizontal
legs. It also maintains the thickness of the channel. Default=on.

548 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Corner Radius 1 Controls the exterior radius between the vertical web and
horizontal legs of the channel.
Corner Radius 2 Controls the interior radius between the vertical web and
horizontal legs of the channel.
NOTE Take care when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set an inside radius (Corner
Radius 2) that is greater than the length of the web or width of the legs.

Angle Spline
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Angle

(Shapes) ➤ Extended Splines ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Angle
Use Angle to create a closed “L” shaped spline. You have the option to specify
the radii of the corners between the vertical and horizontal legs of the section.

Example of Angle

Procedures
To create an Angle spline:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Open the Shapes List and select Extended Splines.
3 Click Angle.
4 Drag and release the mouse button to define the initial size of the angle.

Extended Splines | 549

5 Move the mouse and then click to define the thickness of the walls of
the angle.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. For explanations, see Splines
and Extended Splines on page 511.

Creation Method rollout
The Angle shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. For
explanations, see Splines and Extended Splines on page 511.

Parameters rollout

Length Controls the height of the vertical leg of the angle.
Width Controls the width of the horizontal leg of the angle.
Thickness Controls the thickness of both legs of the angle.
Sync Corner Fillets When turned on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of
both the interior and exterior corners between the vertical and horizontal
legs. It also maintains the thickness of the section. Default=on.
Corner Radius 1 Controls the exterior radius between the vertical and
horizontal legs of the angle.

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Corner Radius 2 Controls the interior radius between the vertical and
horizontal legs of the angle.
Edge Radii Controls the interior radius at the outermost edges of the vertical
and horizontal legs.
NOTE Take care when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set an inside radius (Corner
Radius 2) that is greater than the length or width of the legs of the angle.

Tee Spline
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Tee

(Shapes) ➤ Extended Splines ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Tee
Use Tee to create a closed T-shaped spline. You can specify the radius of the
two interior corners between the vertical web and horizontal flange of the
section.

Example of Tee

Procedures
To create a Tee spline:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Open the Shapes List and select Extended Splines.
3 Click Tee.
4 Drag and release the mouse button to define the initial size of the tee.

Extended Splines | 551

5 Move the mouse and then click to define the thickness of the walls of
the tee.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. For explanations, see Splines
and Extended Splines on page 511.

Creation Method rollout
The Tee shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most
spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. For
explanations, see Splines and Extended Splines on page 511.

Parameters rollout

Length Controls the height of the vertical web of the tee.
Width Controls the width of the flange crossing the tee.
Thickness Controls the thickness of the web and flange.
Corner Radius Controls the radius of the two interior corners between the
vertical web and horizontal flange of the section.
NOTE Take care when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set a radius (Corner Radius)
that is greater than the length of the web or width of the flange.

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Wide Flange Spline
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Wide Flange

(Shapes) ➤ Extended Splines ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Wide Flange
Use Wide Flange to create a closed spline shaped like a capital letter I. You
can specify the interior corners between the vertical web and horizontal flanges
of the section.

Example of Wide Flange

Procedures
To create a Wide Flange spline:

1 Go to the

Create panel and turn on

(Shapes).

2 Open the Shapes List and select Extended Splines.
3 Click Wide Flange.
4 Drag and release the mouse button to define the initial size of the wide
flange.
5 Move the mouse and then click to define the thickness of the walls of
the wide flange.

Interface
Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
All spline-based shapes share these parameters. For explanations, see Splines
and Extended Splines on page 511.

Extended Splines | 553

Creation Method rollout
The Wide Flange shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge.
Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. For
explanations, see Splines and Extended Splines on page 511.

Parameters rollout

Length Controls the height of the vertical web of the wide flange.
Width Controls the width of the horizontal flanges crossing the wide flange.
Thickness Controls the thickness of the web and flanges.
Corner Radius Controls the radius of the four interior corners between the
vertical web and horizontal flanges.
NOTE Take care when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set a radius (Corner Radius)
that is greater than the length of the web or width of the flanges.

Editable Spline
Create or select a spline ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click spline entry
in the stack display ➤ Convert To: Editable Spline
Create a line ➤ Modify panel
Create or select a spline ➤ Right-click the spline ➤ Transform (lower-right)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Convert To: ➤ Convert to Editable Spline
Editable Spline provides controls for manipulating an object as a spline object
and at three sub-object levels: vertex, segment, and spline.

554 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The functions in Editable Spline are the same as those in the Edit Spline
modifier on page 1368. The exception is that when you convert an existing
spline shape to an editable spline, the creation parameters are no longer
accessible or animatable. However, the spline's interpolation settings (step
settings) remain available in the editable spline.
When a spline-editing operation (typically, moving a segment or vertex) causes
end vertices to overlap, you can use the Weld on page 574command to weld
the overlapping vertices together or the Fuse on page 575 command if you
want the two overlapping vertices to occupy the same point in space but
remain separate vertices.
NOTE Welding coincident vertices is controlled by the End Point Auto-Welding
feature on page ?.

Show End Result
If you have several modifiers higher in the modifier stack, and want to
see the results of edits in an Edit Spline modifier or Editable Spline object,
then turn on Show End Result on the Modify panel. As you edit the spline
network, you’ll be able to see the result of modifiers above the Editable Spline
object. This is useful for Surface Tools work where you add a Surface modifier
above an Editable Spline object in the modifier stack.
See also:
■

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

Procedures
To produce an editable spline object, first select the shape, and then do one
of the following:
1 Right-click the shape entry in the stack display and choose Convert To:
Editable Spline.
2 In a viewport, right-click the object and choose Convert To: ➤ Convert
to Editable Spline from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant of the quad
menu.

Editable Spline | 555

3 Create a shape with two or more splines by first turning off Start New
Shape (on the Create panel). Any shape made up of two or more splines
is automatically an editable spline.
4 Apply an Edit Spline modifier to a shape, and then collapse the stack. If
you use the Collapse utility on page 1974 to collapse the stack, be sure to
choose Output Type ➤ Modifier Stack Result.
5 Import a .shp file.
6 Merge a shape from a 3ds Max file.
To select shape sub-objects:
1 Expand the object's hierarchy in the stack display and choose a sub-object
level, or click one of the sub-object buttons at the top of the Selection
rollout.
You can also right-click the object in the viewports and choose a
sub-object level from the quad menu: Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant ➤
Sub-objects ➤ Choose the sub-object level.
2 Click a selection or transform tool, and then select sub-objects using
standard click or region-selection techniques.
Because sub-object selections can be complex, you might consider using
one of the following techniques to prevent clearing the sub-object
selection by accident:
■

Use Lock Selection on page 8667.

■

Name the sub-object selection (see Named Selection Sets List on page
163).

To clone sub-object selections:
■

Hold down the Shift key while transforming the sub-objects.
You can clone segment and spline sub-objects, but not vertices.

To draw a spline cage:
1 Select a segment sub-object on a spline.
2 On the Geometry rollout in the Connect Copy group, turn on Connect.
3 Hold down the Shift key and transform the selected segment. You can
move, rotate or scale using the transform gizmo to control the direction.

556 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Notice that with Connect Copy on, new splines are drawn between the
locations of the segment and its clone.
TIP Use Area Selection or Fuse before selecting and moving these vertices.
They will not move together as they do with the Cross-Section modifier. Or
use Fuse to keep the vertices together.

Interface
The following controls are available at the object (top) level and at all
sub-object levels.

Rendering and Interpolation rollouts
These creation parameters appear in these rollouts for editable splines. For
splines to which the Edit Spline modifier has been applied, creation parameters
are available by selecting the object type entry (for example, Circle or NGon)
at the bottom of the modifier stack on page 8776.

Editable Spline | 557

Rendering rollout

Controls here let you turn on and off the renderability of the shape, specify
its thickness in the rendered scene, and apply mapping coordinates. The spline
mesh can be viewed in the viewports. You can animate the render parameters,
such as the number of sides. Viewport settings cannot be animated.
You can also convert the displayed mesh into a mesh object by applying an
Edit Mesh modifier or converting to an Editable Mesh. The system will use
the Viewport settings for this mesh conversion if Use Viewport Settings is
turned on; otherwise it will use the Renderer settings. This gives maximum
flexibility, and will always give the conversion of the mesh displayed in the
viewports.
Enable In Renderer When on, the shape is rendered as a 3D mesh using the
Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Enable In Viewport When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D
mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.

558 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Use Viewport settings Lets you set different rendering parameters, and displays
the mesh generated by the Viewport settings. Available only when Enable in
Viewport is turned on.
Generate Mapping Coords Turn this on to apply mapping coordinates.
Default=off.
The U coordinate wraps once around the thickness of the spline; the V
coordinate is mapped once along the length of the spline. Tiling is achieved
using the Tiling parameters in the material itself.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.
Viewport Choose this to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display in the viewport when Enable In Viewport is turned on.
Renderer Choose this to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display when rendered or when viewed in the viewport when
Enable In Viewport is turned on.
Radial Displays the 3D mesh as a cylindrical object.
■

ThicknessSpecifies the diameter of the viewport or rendered spline mesh.
Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 100,000,000.0.

Splines rendered at thickness of 1.0 and 5.0, respectively

■

SidesSets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport
or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross section.

Editable Spline | 559

■

AngleAdjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport
or renderer. For example, if the spline mesh has a square cross section you
can use Angle to position a "flat" side down.

Rectangular Displays the spline's mesh shape as rectangular.
■

AspectSets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check
box lets you lock the aspect ratio. When Lock is turned on, Width is locked
to Depth that results in a constant ratio of Width to Depth.

■

LengthSpecifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis.

■

WidthSpecifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.

■

AngleAdjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport
or renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use
Angle to position a "flat" side down.

■

AspectThe ratio of length to width. This control is linked to the Length
setting; when Aspect is unlocked, changing Length changes Aspect and
vice-versa. When Aspect is locked, the control is unavailable, and changing
Length or Width automatically changes the Width or Length (respectively)
to maintain the current aspect ratio.

Auto Smooth When on, the spline is auto-smoothed using the threshold
specified by the Threshold setting. Auto Smooth sets the smoothing based on
the angle between spline segments. Any two adjacent segments are put in the
same smoothing group if the angle between them is less than the threshold
angle.
Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.

Interpolation rollout

The Interpolation controls set how 3ds Max generates a spline. All spline
curves are divided into small straight lines that approximate the true curve.

560 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The number of divisions between each vertex on the spline is called steps. The
more steps used, the smoother the curve appears.

Splines used in above lathed objects contained two steps (left) and 20 steps (right)

Steps Use the Steps field to set the number of divisions, or steps, 3ds Max uses
between each vertex. Splines with tight curves require many steps to look
smooth while gentle curves require fewer steps. Range=0 to 100.
Spline steps can be either adaptive or manually specified. The method used
is set by the state of the Adaptive check box. The main use for manual
interpolation is to create splines for morphing or other operations where you
must have exact control over the number of vertices created.
Optimize When on, removes unneeded steps from straight segments in the
spline. Default=on.
NOTE Optimize is not available when Adaptive is on.

Optimize was used to create spline in this lathed object.

Editable Spline | 561

Adaptive When on, automatically sets the number of steps for each spline to
produce a smooth curve. Straight segments always receive 0 steps. When off,
enables manual interpolation control using Optimize and Steps. Default=off.

Selection rollout

Provides controls for turning different sub-object modes on and off, working
with named selections and handles, display settings, and information about
selected entities.
When you first access the Modify panel with an editable spline selected, you're
at the Object level, with access to several functions available as described in
Editable Spline (Object) on page 565. You can toggle the sub-object modes and
access relevant functions by clicking sub-object buttons at the top of the
Selection rollout.
You can work with parts of shapes and splines using shape sub-object selection
of the Editable Spline object. Clicking a button here is the same as selecting
a sub-object type in the Modifier List. Click the button again to turn it off and
return to object selection level.

Vertices Define points and curve tangents.

562 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Segments Connect vertices.

Splines Are a combination of one or more connected segments.

Named Selections group
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
Lock Handles Normally you can transform the tangent handles of only one
vertex at a time, even when multiple vertices are selected. Use the Lock Handles
controls to transform multiple Bezier and Bezier Corner handles
simultaneously.
Alike As you drag the handle of an incoming vector, all incoming vectors of
the selected vertices move simultaneously. Likewise, moving the outgoing
tangent handle on one vertex moves the outgoing tangent handle for all
selected vertices.
All Any handle you move affects all handles in the selection, regardless of
whether they're broken. This option is also useful when working with a single
Bezier Corner vertex when you want to move both handles.
Shift+click a handle to "break" the tangent and move each handle
independently. The Alike option must be chosen to break the tangent.
Area Selection Lets you select automatically all vertices within a specific radius
of the vertex you click. At the Vertex sub-object level, turn on Area Selection,
and then set the radius with the spinner to the right of the Area Selection
check box. This is useful when moving vertices that have been created using
Connect Copy or Cross Section button.
Segment End Select a vertex by clicking a segment. In Vertex sub-object, turn
on and select a segment close to the vertex that you want selected. Use this
when there are a number of coincident vertices and you want to select a vertex
on a specific segment. The cursor changes to a cross when it is over a segment.
By holding down the Ctrl key you can add to the selection.
Select By Selects vertices on the selected spline or segment. First select a spline
or segment in sub-object spline or segment, then turn on vertex sub-object
and click Select By and choose Spline or Segment. All the vertices on the
selected spline or segment are selected. You can then edit the vertices.

Editable Spline | 563

Display group
Show Vertex Numbers When on, 3ds Max displays vertex numbers next to
the selected spline's vertices at any sub-object level.
Selected Only When on, the vertex number or numbers appear only next to
selected vertices.

Soft Selection
For information on the Soft Selection rollout settings, see Soft Selection Rollout
on page 1966.

Selection Info
At the bottom of the Selection rollout is a text display giving information
about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object is selected, the
text gives the number selected.
At the Vertex and Segment sub-object levels, if one sub-object is selected, the
text gives the identification numbers of the current spline (with respect to the
current object) and of the current selected sub-object. Each spline object
contains a spline number 1; if it contains more than one spline, the subsequent
splines are numbered consecutively higher.
When a single spline is selected at the Spline sub-object level, the first line
displays the identification number of the selected spline and whether it's open
or closed, and the second line displays the number of vertices it contains.
When more than one spline is selected, the number of splines selected is
displayed on the first line, and the total number of vertices they contain is
displayed on the second line.

Geometry rollout
The Geometry rollout provides functions for editing a spline object and
sub-objects. The functions available at the spline object level (when no
sub-object level is active; see Editable Spline (Object) on page 565) are also
available at all sub-object levels, and work exactly the same at each level. Other
functions are also available, depending on which sub-object level is active.
Those that apply to other sub-object levels are unavailable.

564 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Editable Spline (Object)
Select an editable spline ➤
Modify panel ➤ Editable spline (not a
sub-object level) selected in the modifier stack
Select an editable spline ➤ Right-click the spline ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Top-level
The functions available at the editable spline object level (that is, when no
sub-object level is active) are also available at all sub-object levels, and work
exactly the same at each level.

Interface
Rendering, Interpolation, and Selection rollouts
See the Editable Spline topic for information on the Rendering and
Interpolation rollouts on page 557, and Selection rollout on page 562 settings.

Geometry rollout

Editable Spline | 565

New Vertex Type group The radio buttons in this group let you determine
the tangency of the new vertices created when you Shift+Clone segments or
splines. If you later use Connect Copy, vertices on the splines that connect
the original segment or spline to the new one will have the type specified in
this group.
This setting has no effect on the tangency of vertices created using tools such
as the Create Line button, Refine, and so on.
■

LinearNew vertices will have linear tangency.

■

SmoothNew vertices will have smooth tangency.
When this option is chosen, new vertices that overlap are automatically
welded.

■

BezierNew vertices will have bezier tangency.

■

Bezier CornerNew vertices will have bezier corner tangency.

Create Line Adds more splines to the selected spline. These lines are separate
spline sub-objects; create them in the same way as the line spline on page 518.
To exit line creation, right-click or click to turn off Create Line.
Break Splits a spline at the selected vertex or vertices. Select one or more
vertices and then click Break to create the split. There are now two
superimposed non-connected vertices for every previous one, allowing the
once-joined segment ends to be moved away from each other.
Attach Lets you attach another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click
the object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object
you're attaching to must also be a spline.

Unattached splines (left) and attached splines (right)

566 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in
the following way:
■

If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits
the material of the object it is being attached to.

■

Likewise if the object you're attaching to doesn't have a material, it inherits
the material of the object being attached.

■

If both objects have materials, the resulting new material is a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 that encompasses the input materials.
A dialog appears offering three methods of combining the objects' materials
and material IDs. For more information, see Attach Options Dialog on
page 2232.
Attached shapes lose their identity as individual shapes, with the following
results:

■

The attached shape loses all access to its creation parameters. For example,
once you attach a circle to a square you cannot go back and change the
radius parameter of the circle.

■

The modifier stack of the attached shape is collapsed.
Any edits, modifiers, and animation applied to the attached shape are
frozen at the current frame.

Reorient When on, rotates the attached spline so that its creation local
coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system of the
selected spline.
Attach Mult. Click this button to display the Attach Multiple dialog, which
contains a list of all other shapes in the scene. Select the shapes you want to
attach to the current editable spline, then click OK.
Cross Section Creates a spline cage out of cross-sectional shapes. Click Cross
Section, select one shape then a second shape, splines are created joining the
first shape with the second. Continue clicking shapes to add them to the cage.
This functionality is similar to the Cross Section modifier, but here you can
determine the order of the cross sections. Spline cage tangency can be defined
by choosing Linear, Bezier, Bezier Corner or Smooth in New Vertex Type
group.
End Point Auto-Welding group
■

Automatic WeldingWhen Automatic Welding is turned on, an end point
vertex that is placed or moved within the threshold distance of another
end point of the same spline is automatically welded. This feature is
available at the object and all sub-object levels.

Editable Spline | 567

■

ThresholdA proximity setting that controls how close vertices can be to
one another before they are automatically welded. Default=6.0.

Insert Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. Click
anywhere in a segment to insert a vertex and attach the vertex to the mouse.
Optionally move the mouse and then click to place the new vertex. Continue
moving the mouse and clicking to add vertices. A single click inserts a corner
vertex, while a drag creates a Bezier (smooth) vertex.
Right-click to complete the operation and release the mouse. At this point,
you're still in Insert mode, and can begin inserting vertices in a different
segment. Otherwise, right-click again or click Insert to exit Insert mode.

Editable Spline (Vertex)
Select an editable spline ➤
Modify panel ➤ Expand the editable
spline in the stack display ➤ Vertex sub-object level
Select an editable spline ➤ Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤ Vertex
button
Select an editable spline ➤ Right-click the spline ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Vertex
While at the Editable Spline (Vertex) level, you can select single and multiple
vertices and move them using standard methods.
If the vertex is of the Bezier or Bezier Corner type, you can also move and
rotate handles, thus affecting the shapes of any segments joined at the vertex.
You can copy and paste the handles between vertices using tangent copy/paste.
You can reset them or switch between types using the quad menu. The tangent
types are always available on the quad menu when a vertex is selected; your
cursor doesn't have to be directly over them in the viewport.

Procedures
To set a vertex type:
1 Right-click any vertex in a selection.

568 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

2 Choose a type from the shortcut menu. Each vertex in a shape can be
one of four types:
■

Smooth: Nonadjustable vertices that create smooth continuous curves.
The curvature at a smooth vertex is determined by the spacing of
adjacent vertices.

■

Corner: Nonadjustable vertices that create sharp corners.

■

Bezier: Adjustable vertex with locked continuous tangent handles
that create a smooth curve. The curvature at the vertex is set by the
direction and magnitude of the tangent handles.

■

Bezier Corner: Adjustable vertex with discontinuous tangent handles
that create a sharp corner. The curvature of the segment as it leaves
the corner is set by the direction and magnitude of the tangent
handles.

Smooth vertex (left) and Corner vertex (right)

Editable Spline | 569

To copy and paste vertex tangent handles:

1 Turn on
copy from.

(Vertex), then

select the vertex you want to

2 On the Geometry rollout scroll down to the Tangent group and click
Copy.
3 Move your cursor over the vertices in the viewport. The cursor changes
to a copy cursor. Click the handle you wish to copy.
4 On the Geometry rollout scroll down to the Tangent group and click
Paste.
5 Move your cursor over the vertices in the viewport. The cursor changes
to a paste cursor. Click the handle you wish to paste to.
The vertex tangency changes in the viewport.
To reset vertex handle tangency:
It is easy to make the handles very small and coincident with the vertex, which
makes them hard to select and edit. Reset the vertex handle tangency to redraw
your handles
1 Select the vertex that is problematic.
2 Right-click and choose Reset Tangents.
Any vertex handle editing you have done is discarded and the handles
are reset.

Interface
Soft Selection rollout
For information on the Soft Selection rollout settings, see Soft Selection Rollout
on page 1966.

570 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Geometry rollout
New Vertex Type group

The radio buttons in this group let you determine the tangency of the new
vertices created when you Shift+Clone segments or splines. If you later use
Connect Copy, vertices on the splines that connect the original segment or
spline to the new one will have the type specified in this group.
This setting has no effect on the tangency of vertices created using tools such
as the Create Line button, Refine, and so on.
■

LinearNew vertices will have linear tangency.

■

SmoothNew vertices will have smooth tangency.
When this option is chosen, new vertices that overlap are automatically
welded.

■

BezierNew vertices will have bezier tangency.

■

Bezier CornerNew vertices will have bezier corner tangency.

_____

Create Line Adds more splines to the selected object. These lines are separate
spline sub-objects; create them in the same way as the line spline on page 518.
To exit line creation, right-click or click to turn off Create Line.
Break Splits a spline at the selected vertex or vertices. Select one or more
vertices and then click Break to create the split. There are now two
superimposed non-connected vertices for every previous one, allowing the
once-joined segment ends to be moved away from each other.

Editable Spline | 571

Attach Attaches another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click the
object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object
you're attaching must also be a spline.
For further details, see Attach on page 566.
Attach Mult. Click this button to display the Attach Multiple dialog, which
contains a list of all other shapes in the scene. Select the shapes you want to
attach to the current editable spline, then click OK.
■

ReorientWhen on, reorients attached splines so that each spline's creation
local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system
of the selected spline.

Cross Section Creates a spline cage out of cross-sectional shapes. Click Cross
Section, select one shape then a second shape, splines are created joining the
first shape with the second. Continue clicking shapes to add them to the cage.
This functionality is similar to the Cross Section modifier, but here you can
determine the order of the cross sections. Spline cage tangency can be defined
by choosing Linear, Bezier, Bezier Corner or Smooth in New Vertex Type
group.
TIP When you edit the spline cage, use Area Selection before selecting your
vertices. This will keep their positions together as you transform them.

Refine group

The Refine group includes a number of functions useful for building spline
networks for use with the Surface modifier on page 1711.
Refine Lets you add vertices without altering the curvature values of the spline.
Click Refine, and then select any number of spline segments to add a vertex
each time you click (the mouse cursor changes to a "connect" symbol when
over an eligible segment). To finish adding vertices, click Refine again, or
right-click in the viewport.
You can also click existing vertices during a refine operation, in which case
3ds Max displays a dialog asking if you want to Refine or Connect Only to the
vertex. If you choose Connect Only, 3ds Max will not create a vertex: it simply
connects to the existing vertex.

572 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The Refine operation creates a different type of vertex depending on the types
of vertices on the endpoints of the segment being refined.
■

If the bordering vertices are both Smooth types, the Refine operation creates
a Smooth type vertex.

■

If the bordering vertices are both Corner types, the Refine operation creates
a Corner type vertex.

■

If either of the bordering vertices is a Corner or Bezier Corner, the Refine
operation creates a Bezier Corner type.

■

Otherwise, the operation creates a Bezier type vertex.

Connect When on, creates a new spline sub-object by connecting the new
vertices. When you finish adding vertices with Refine, Connect makes a
separate copy of each new vertex and then connects all of the copies with a
new spline.
NOTE For Connect to work, you must turn it on before you click Refine.
After turning on Connect and before beginning the refinement process, turn
on any combination of these options:
■

LinearWhen on, makes all segments in the new spline straight lines by
using Corner vertices. When Linear is off, the vertices used to create the
new spline are of the Smooth type.

■

Bind FirstCauses the first vertex created in a refinement operation to be
bound to the center of the selected segment. See Bound Vertex on page
9113.

■

ClosedWhen on, connects the first and last vertices in the new spline to
create a closed spline. When Closed is off, Connect always creates an open
spline.

■

Bind LastCauses the last vertex created in a refinement operation to be
bound to the center of the selected segment. See Bound Vertex on page
9113.

End Point Auto-Welding group

Editable Spline | 573

Automatic Welding When Automatic Welding is turned on, an end point
vertex that is placed or moved within the threshold distance of another end
point of the same spline is automatically welded. This feature is available at
the object and all sub-object levels.
Threshold The threshold distance spinner is a proximity setting that controls
how close vertices can be to one another before they are automatically welded.
Default=6.0.

_____

Weld Converts two end vertices, or two adjacent vertices within the same
spline, into a single vertex. Move either two end vertices or two adjacent
vertices near each other, select both vertices, and then click Weld. If the vertices
are within the unit distance set by the Weld Threshold spinner (to the right
of the button), they're converted into a single vertex. You can weld a selection
set of vertices, as long as each pair of vertices is within the threshold.
Connect Connects any two end vertices, resulting in a linear segment,
regardless of the tangent values of the end vertices. Click the Connect button,
point the mouse over an end vertex until the cursor changes to a cross, and
then drag from one end vertex to another end vertex.
Insert Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. Click
anywhere in a segment to insert a vertex and attach the mouse to the spline.
Then optionally move the mouse and click to place the new vertex. Continue
moving the mouse and clicking to add vertices. A single click inserts a corner
vertex, while a drag creates a Bezier (smooth) vertex.
Right-click to complete the operation and release the mouse. At this point,
you're still in Insert mode, and can begin inserting vertices in a different
segment. Otherwise, right-click again or click Insert to exit Insert mode.

574 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Make First Specifies which vertex in the selected shape is the first vertex. The
first vertex of a spline is indicated as a vertex with a small box around it. Select
one vertex on each spline within the currently edited shape that you want to
change and click the Make First button.
On open splines, the first vertex must be the endpoint that is not already the
first vertex. On closed splines, it can be any point that isn't already the first
vertex. Click the Make First button, and the first vertices will be set.
The first vertex on a spline has special significance. The following table defines
how the first vertex is used.
Shape Use

First Vertex Meaning

Loft Path

Start of the path. Level 0.

Loft Shape

Initial skin alignment.

Path Con-

Start of the motion path. 0% location

straint

on the path.

Trajectory

First position key.

Fuse Moves all selected vertices to their averaged center.
Fuse is useful for making vertices coincide when building a spline network for
use with the Surface modifier on page 1711.
NOTE Fuse doesn't join the vertices; it simply moves them to the same location.

Editable Spline | 575

Three selected vertices (left); fused vertices (right)

Cycle Selects successive coincident vertices. Select one of two or more vertices
that share the exact same location in 3D space, and then click Cycle repeatedly
until the vertex you want is selected.
Cycle is useful for selecting a specific vertex from a group of coincident vertices
at a spline intersection when building a spline network for use with the Surface
modifier on page 1711.
TIP Watch the info display at the bottom of the Selection rollout to see which
vertex is selected.
CrossInsert Adds vertices at the intersection of two splines belonging to the
same spline object. Click CrossInsert, and then click the point of intersection
between the two splines. If the distance between the splines is within the unit
distance set by the CrossInsert Threshold spinner (to the right of the button),
the vertices are added to both splines.
You can continue using CrossInsert by clicking different spline intersections.
To finish, right-click in the active viewport or click the CrossInsert button
again.
CrossInsert is useful for creating vertices at spline intersections when building
a spline network for use with the Surface modifier on page 1711.
NOTE CrossInsert doesn't join the two splines, but simply adds vertices where
they cross.

576 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Fillet Lets you round corners where segments meet, adding new control
vertices. You can apply this effect interactively (by dragging vertices) or
numerically (using the Fillet spinner). Click the Fillet button, and then drag
vertices in the active object. The Fillet spinner updates to indicate the fillet
amount as you drag.

Original rectangle (left), after applying Fillet (top right), and after applying Chamfer
(bottom right)

If you drag one or more selected vertices, all selected vertices are filleted
identically. If you drag an unselected vertex, any selected vertices are first
deselected.
You can continue using Fillet by dragging on different vertices. To finish,
right-click in an active viewport or click the Fillet button again.
A fillet creates a new segment connecting new points on both segments leading
to the original vertex. These new points are exactly  distance

Editable Spline | 577

from the original vertex along both segments. New fillet segments are created
with the material ID of one of the neighboring segments (picked at random).
For example, if you fillet one corner of a rectangle, the single corner vertex is
replaced by two vertices moving along the two segments that lead to the
corner, and a new rounded segment is created at the corner.
NOTE Unlike the Fillet/Chamfer modifier, you can apply the Fillet function to any
type of vertex, not just Corner and Bezier Corner vertices. Similarly, adjoining
segments need not be linear.
■

Fillet AmountAdjust this spinner (to the right of the Fillet button) to apply
a fillet effect to selected vertices.

Chamfer Lets you bevel shape corners using a chamfer function. You can
apply this effect interactively (by dragging vertices) or numerically (using the
Chamfer spinner). Click the Chamfer button, and then drag vertices in the
active object. The Chamfer spinner updates to indicate the chamfer amount
as you drag.
If you drag one or more selected vertices, all selected vertices are chamfered
identically. If you drag an unselected vertex, any selected vertices are first
deselected.
You can continue using Chamfer by dragging on different vertices. To finish,
right-click in an active viewport or click the Chamfer button again.
A chamfer "chops off" the selected vertices, creating a new segment connecting
new points on both segments leading to the original vertex. These new points
are exactly  distance from the original vertex along both
segments. New chamfer segments are created with the material ID of one of
the neighboring segments (picked at random).
For example, if you chamfer one corner of a rectangle, the single corner vertex
is replaced by two vertices moving along the two segments that lead to the
corner, and a new segment is created at the corner.
NOTE Unlike the Fillet/Chamfer modifier, you can apply the Chamfer function to
any type of vertex, not just Corner and Bezier Corner vertices. Similarly, adjoining
segments need not be linear.
■

Chamfer AmountAdjust this spinner (to the right of the Chamfer button)
to apply a chamfer effect to selected vertices.

578 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Tangent group

Tools in this group let you copy and paste vertex handles from one vertex to
another.
Copy Turn this on, then choose a handle. This action copies the selected
handle tangent into a buffer.
Paste Turn this on, then click a handle. This pastes the handle tangent onto
the selected vertex.
Paste Length When this is on, the handle length is also copied. When this
is off, only the handle angle is considered, the handle length is unchanged.

Hide and Bind group

Hide Hides selected vertices and any connected segments. Select one or more
vertices, and then click Hide.
Unhide All Displays any hidden sub-objects.
Bind Lets you create bound vertices on page 9113. Click Bind, and then drag
from any end vertex in the current selection to any segment in the current
selection except the one connected to the vertex. Before dragging, when the
cursor is over an eligible vertex, it changes to a + cursor. While dragging, a
dashed line connects the vertex and the current mouse position, and when
the mouse cursor is over an eligible segment, it changes to a "connect" symbol.
When you release over an eligible segment, the vertex jumps to the center of
the segment and is bound to it.
Bind is useful for connecting splines when building a spline network for use
with the Surface modifier on page 1711.
Unbind Lets you disconnect bound vertices on page 9113 from the segments
to which they're attached. Select one or more bound vertices, and the click
the Unbind button.

Editable Spline | 579

Delete Deletes the selected vertex or vertices, along with one attached segment
per deleted vertex.

Display group

Show selected segs When on, any selected segments are highlighted in red
at the Vertex sub-object level. When off (the default), selected segments are
highlighted only at the Segment sub-object level.
This feature is useful for comparing complex curves against each other.

Editable Spline (Segment)
Select an editable spline ➤
Modify panel ➤ Expand the editable
spline in the stack display ➤ Segment sub-object level
Select an editable spline ➤ Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤ Segment
button
Select an editable spline ➤ Right-click the spline ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Segment
A segment is the portion of a spline curve between two of its vertices. While
at the Editable Spline (Segment) level, you can select single and multiple
segments and move, rotate, scale or clone them using standard methods.

Procedures
To change segment properties:
1 Select an editable spline segment, and then right-click.
2 On the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu, choose Line or
Curve.

580 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The effect of changing segment properties varies according to the type
of vertices at the segment end.
■

Corner vertices always result in line segments regardless of the segment
property.

■

Smooth vertices can support both line or curve segment properties.

■

Bezier and Bezier Corner vertices apply their tangent handles only to
curve segments. Tangent handles are ignored by line segments.

■

A tangent handle associated with a line segment displays an X at the
end of the handle. You can still transform the handle, but it has no
effect until the segment is converted to a curve segment.
TIP If you have problems transforming the handles, display the axis
constraints toolbar and change the transform axis there.

Interface
Rendering, Interpolation, and Selection rollouts
For information on the Rendering, Interpolation on page 557 and Selection
rollout on page 562 settings, see Editable Spline on page 554.

Soft Selection rollout
For information on the Soft Selection rollout settings, see Soft Selection Rollout
on page 1966.

Geometry rollout
New Vertex Type group

The radio buttons in this group let you determine the tangency of the new
vertices created when you Shift+Clone segments or splines. If you later use
Connect Copy, vertices on the splines that connect the original segment or
spline to the new one will have the type specified in this group.

Editable Spline | 581

This setting has no effect on the tangency of vertices created using tools such
as the Create Line button, Refine, and so on.
■

LinearNew vertices will have linear tangency.

■

SmoothNew vertices will have smooth tangency.
When this option is chosen, new vertices that overlap are automatically
welded.

■

BezierNew vertices will have bezier tangency.

■

Bezier CornerNew vertices will have bezier corner tangency.

_____

Create Line Adds more splines to the selected spline. These lines are separate
spline sub-objects; create them in the same way as the line spline on page 518.
To exit line creation, right-click or click to turn off Create Line.
Break Lets you specify a break point at any segment in the shape (you do not
have to first select a segment). When on, the mouse icon changes to a Break
icon. You can now click any spot on a segment. The clicked spot becomes two
coincident vertices, and the segment is split into two parts.
Attach Attaches another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click the
object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object
you're attaching to must also be a spline.
For further details, see Attach on page 566.
Reorient Reorients the attached spline so that its creation local coordinate
system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system of the selected
spline.
Attach Mult. Click this button to display the Attach Multiple dialog, which
contains a list of all other shapes in the scene. Select the shapes you want to
attach to the current editable spline, then click OK.
Cross Section Creates a spline cage out of cross–sectional shapes. Click Cross
Section, select one segment then another sub-object segment, splines are

582 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

created joining the first shape with the second. Continue clicking segments
to add them to the cage. All segments must be part of the same object to build
cross sections. This functionality is similar to the Cross Section modifier, but
here you can determine the order of the cross sections. Spline cage tangency
can be defined by choosing Linear, Bezier, Bezier Corner or Smooth in New
Vertex Type group.
TIP When you want to move these vertices, turn on Area Selection before you
select them. When you transform them, the vertices will stay together.

Refine group

The Refine group includes a number of functions useful for building spline
networks for use with the Surface modifier on page 1711.
Refine Lets you add vertices without altering the curvature values of the spline.
Click Refine, and then select any number of spline segments to add a vertex
each time you click (the mouse cursor changes to a "connect" symbol when
over an eligible segment). To finish adding vertices, click Refine again, or
right-click in the viewport.
You can also click existing vertices during a refine operation, in which case
3ds Max displays a dialog asking if you want to Refine or Connect to the
vertex. If you choose Connect, 3ds Max will not create a vertex: it simply
connects to the existing vertex.
The Refine operation creates a different type of vertex depending on the types
of vertices on the endpoints of the segment being refined.
■

If the bordering vertices are both Smooth types, the Refine operation creates
a Smooth type vertex.

■

If the bordering vertices are both Corner types, the Refine operation creates
a Corner type vertex.

■

If either of the bordering vertices is a Corner or Bezier Corner, the Refine
operation creates a Bezier Corner type.

■

Otherwise, the operation creates a Bezier type vertex.

Editable Spline | 583

Connect When on, creates a new spline sub-object by connecting the new
vertices. When you finish adding vertices with Refine, Connect makes a
separate copy of each new vertex and then connects all of the copies with a
new spline.
NOTE For Connect to work, you must turn it on before you click Refine.
After turning on Connect and before beginning the refinement process, turn
on any combination of these options:
■

LinearWhen on, makes all segments in the new spline linear by using
Corner vertices. When Linear is off, the vertices used to create the new
spline are of the Smooth type.

■

Bind FirstCauses the first vertex created in a refinement operation to be
bound to the center of the selected segment.
For more information, see Bound Vertex on page 9113.

■

ClosedWhen on, connects the first and last vertices in the new spline to
create a closed spline. When Closed is off, Connect always creates an open
spline.

■

Bind LastCauses the last vertex created in a refinement operation to be
bound to the center of the selected segment.
For more information, see Bound Vertex on page 9113.

Connect Copy group

Connect Copy When on, Shift+cloning a segment creates a new spline
sub-object with additional splines that connect the new segment's vertices to
the vertices of the original segment. It is analogous to Shift+cloning edges in
Editable Mesh and Editable Poly objects.
NOTE For Connect Copy to work, you must turn it on before you Shift+Clone.
Threshold Determines the distance soft selection will use when Connect
Copy is on. A higher threshold results in more splines being created; a lower
threshold results in fewer splines.

584 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

End Point Auto-Welding group

Automatic Welding When Automatic Welding is turned on, an end point
vertex that is placed or moved within the threshold distance of another end
point of the same spline is automatically welded. This feature is available at
the object and all sub-object levels.
Threshold The threshold distance spinner is a proximity setting that controls
how close vertices can be to one another before they are automatically welded.
Default=6.0.

_____

Insert Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. Click
anywhere in a segment to insert a vertex and attach the mouse to the spline.
Then optionally move the mouse and click to place the new vertex. Continue
moving the mouse and clicking to add vertices. A single click inserts a corner
vertex, while a drag creates a Bezier (smooth) vertex.
Right-click to complete the operation and release the mouse. At this point,
you're still in Insert mode, and can begin inserting vertices in a different
segment. Otherwise, right-click again or click Insert to exit Insert mode.

_____

Hide Hides selected segments. Select one or more segments, and then click
Hide.

Editable Spline | 585

Unhide All Displays any hidden sub-objects.
Delete Deletes any selected segments in the current shape.

Selected and deleted segment

Divide Subdivides the selected segment or segments by adding the number
of vertices specified by the spinner. Select one or more segments, set the
Divisions spinner (to the button's right), and then click Divide. Each selected
segment is divided by the number of vertices specified in the Divisions spinner.
The distance between the vertices depends on the segment's relative curvature,
with areas of greater curvature receiving more vertices.

Selected and divided segment

586 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Detach Lets you select several segments in various splines and then detach
them (or copy them) to form a new shape. Three options are available:
■

Same Shp(Same Shape) When on, Reorient is disabled, and a Detach
operation keeps the detached segment as part of the shape (rather than
producing a new shape). If Copy is also on, you end up with a detached
copy of the segment in the same location.

■

ReorientThe detached segment copies the position and orientation of the
source object's creation Local coordinate system. The new detached object
is moved and rotated so that its Local coordinate system is positioned and
aligned with the origin of the current active grid.

■

CopyCopies the detached segment rather than moving it.

Original and detached splines

Display group

Show selected segs When on, any selected segments are highlighted in red
at the Vertex sub-object level. When off (the default), selected segments are
highlighted only at the Segment sub-object level.
This feature is useful for comparing complex curves against each other.

Editable Spline | 587

Surface Properties rollout

Material group
You can apply different material IDs to spline segments (see Material ID on
page 9217). You can then assign a multi/sub-object material on page 6542 to such
splines, which appears when the spline is renderable, or when used for lathing
or extrusion. Be sure to turn on Generate Material IDs and Use Shape IDs when
lofting, lathing or extruding.
Set ID Lets you assign a particular material ID number to selected segments
for use with multi/sub-object materials and other applications. Use the spinner
or enter the number from the keyboard. The total number of available IDs is
65,535.
Select ID Selects the segments or splines corresponding to the Material ID
specified in the adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID,
then click the Select ID button.
Select By Name This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an
object has a Multi/Sub-object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow and
select a material from the list. The segments or splines that are assigned that
material are selected. If a shape does not have a Multi/Sub-Object material
assigned to it, the name list will be unavailable. Likewise, if multiple shapes
are selected that have an Edit Spline modifier applied to them, the name list
is inactive.
Clear Selection When turned on, selecting a new ID or material name forces
a deselection of any previously selected segments or splines. When turned off,
selections are cumulative so new ID or material name selections add to a
previous selection set of segments or splines. Default=on.

588 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Editable Spline (Spline)
Select an editable spline ➤
Modify panel ➤ Expand the editable
spline in the stack display ➤ Spline sub-object level
Select an editable spline ➤ Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤ Spline
button
Select an editable spline ➤ Right-click the spline ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Spline
While at the Editable Spline (Spline) level, you can select single and multiple
splines within a single spline object and move, rotate, and scale them using
standard methods.

Procedures
To change spline properties:
■

You change the properties of a spline from Line to Curve by right-clicking
and choosing Line or Curve from the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the
quad menu.
Changing the spline property also changes the property of all vertices in
the spline:
■

Choosing Line converts vertices to Corners.

■

Choosing Curve converts vertices to Beziers.

Interface
Rendering, Interpolation and Selection rollouts
For information on the Rendering, Interpolation on page 557 and Selection
rollout on page 562 settings, see Editable Spline on page 554.

Soft Selection rollout
See Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966 for information on the Soft Selection
rollout settings.

Editable Spline | 589

Geometry rollout

590 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

New Vertex Type group
The radio buttons in this group let you determine the tangency of the new
vertices created when you Shift+Clone segments or splines. If you later use
Connect Copy, vertices on the splines that connect the original segment or
spline to the new one will have the type specified in this group.
This setting has no effect on the tangency of vertices created using tools such
as the Create Line button, Refine, and so on.
■

LinearNew vertices will have linear tangency.

■

SmoothNew vertices will have smooth tangency.
When this option is chosen, new vertices that overlap are automatically
welded.

■

BezierNew vertices will have bezier tangency.

■

Bezier CornerNew vertices will have bezier corner tangency.

_____
Create Line Adds more splines to the selected spline. These lines are separate
spline sub-objects; create them in the same way as the line spline on page 518.
To exit line creation, right-click or click to turn off Create Line.
Attach Attaches another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click the
object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object
you're attaching to must also be a spline.
For further details, see Attach on page 566.
Reorient Reorients the attached spline so that its creation local coordinate
system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system of the selected
spline.
Attach Mult. Click this button to display the Attach Multiple dialog, which
contains a list of all other shapes in the scene. Select the shapes you want to
attach to the current editable spline, then click OK.
Cross Section Creates a spline cage out of cross–sectional shapes. Click Cross
Section, select one shape then a second shape, splines are created joining the
first shape with the second. Continue clicking shapes to add them to the cage.
This functionality is similar to the Cross Section modifier, but here you can
determine the order of the cross sections. Spline cage tangency can be defined
in the New Vertex Type group.

Editable Spline | 591

TIP When you edit the spline cage, use Area Selection before selecting your
vertices. This will keep their positions together as you transform them.

Connect Copy group
Connect Copy When on, Shift+Cloning a spline creates a new spline sub-object
with additional splines that connect the new spline's vertices to the vertices
of the original segment. It is analogous to Shift+Cloning edges in Editable
Mesh and Editable Poly objects.
NOTE For Connect Copy to work, you must turn it on before you Shift+Clone.
Threshold Determines the distance soft selection uses when Connect Copy
is on. A higher value results in more splines being created, a lower value results
in fewer splines.

End Point Auto-Welding group
Automatic Welding When Automatic Welding is turned on, an endpoint
vertex that is placed or moved within the threshold distance of another
endpoint of the same spline is automatically welded. This feature is available
at the object and all sub-object levels.
Threshold A proximity setting that controls how close vertices can be to one
another before they are automatically welded. Default=6.0.

_____
Insert Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. Click
anywhere in a segment to insert a vertex and attach the mouse to the spline.
Then optionally move the mouse and click to place the new vertex. Continue
moving the mouse and clicking to add vertices. A single click inserts a corner
vertex, while a drag creates a Bezier (smooth) vertex.
Right-click to complete the operation and release the mouse. At this point,
you're still in Insert mode, and can begin inserting vertices in a different
segment. Otherwise, right-click again or click Insert to exit Insert mode.
Reverse Reverses the direction of the selected spline. If the spline is open, the
first vertex will be switched to the opposite end of the spline. Reversing the
direction of a spline is usually done in order to reverse the effect of using the
Insert tool at vertex selection level.

592 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Original and reversed splines

Outline Makes a copy of the spline, offset on all sides to the distance specified
by the Outline Width spinner (to the right of the Outline button). Select one
or more splines and then adjust the outline position dynamically with the
spinner, or click Outline and then drag a spline. If the spline is open, the
resulting spline and its outline will make a single closed spline.

Original and outlined splines

NOTE Normally, if using the spinner, you must first select a spline before using
Outline. If, however, the spline object contains only one spline, it is automatically
selected for the outlining process.

Editable Spline | 593

Center When off (default), the original spline remains stationary and the
outline is offset on one side only to the distance specified by Outline Width.
When Center is on, the original spline and the outline move away from an
invisible center line to the distance specified by Outline Width.

_____

Boolean Combines two closed polygons by performing a 2D Boolean operation
that alters the first spline you select, and deletes the second one. Select the
first spline, then click the Boolean button and the desired operation, and then
select the second spline.
NOTE 2D Booleans only work on 2D splines that are in the same plane.

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There are three Boolean operations:

■

UnionCombines two overlapping splines into a single spline, in
which the overlapping portion is removed, leaving non-overlapping
portions of the two splines as a single spline.

■

SubtractionSubtracts the overlapping portion of the second spline
from the first spline, and deletes the remainder of the second spline.

■

IntersectionLeaves only the overlapping portions of the two splines,
deleting the non-overlapping portion of both.

Original splines (left), Boolean Union, Boolean Subtraction, and Boolean Intersection,
respectively

Mirror Mirrors splines along their
length,
width, or
diagonally. Click the direction you want to mirror first so it is active, then
click Mirror.
■

CopyWhen selected, copies rather than moves the spline as it is mirrored.

Editable Spline | 595

■

About PivotWhen on, mirrors the spline about the spline object's pivot
point (see Pivot on page 3796). When off, mirrors the spline about its
geometric center.

Mirrored splines

Trim Use Trim to clean up overlapping segments in a shape so that ends meet
at a single point.
To trim, you need intersecting splines. Click the portion of the spline you
want to remove. The spline is searched in both directions along its length
until it hits an intersecting spline, and deleted up to the intersection. If the
section intersects at two points, the entire section is deleted up to the two
intersections. If the section is open on one end and intersects at the other,
the entire section is deleted up to the intersection and the open end. If the
section is not intersected, or if the spline is closed and only one intersection
is found, nothing happens.
Extend Use Extend to clean up open segments in a shape so that ends meet
at a single point.
To extend, you need an open spline. The end of the spline nearest the picked
point is extended until it reaches an intersecting spline. If there is no
intersecting spline, nothing happens. Curved splines extend in a direction
tangent to the end of the spline. If the end of a spline lies directly on a
boundary (an intersecting spline), then it looks for an intersection further
along.

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Infinite Bounds For the purposes of calculating intersections, turn this on to
treat open splines as infinite in length. For example, this lets you trim one
linear spline against the extended length of another line that it doesn't actually
intersect.

_____
Hide Hides selected splines. Select one or more splines, and then click Hide.
Unhide All Displays any hidden sub-objects.
Delete Deletes the selected spline.
Close Closes the selected spline by joining its end vertices with a new segment.
Detach Copies selected splines to a new spline object, and deletes them from
the currently selected spline if Copy is clear.
■

ReorientThe spline being detached is moved and rotated so that its creation
local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system
of the selected spline.

■

CopyWhen selected, copies rather than moves the spline as it is detached.

Explode Breaks up any selected splines by converting each segment to a
separate spline or object. This is a time-saving equivalent of using Detach on
each segment in the spline in succession.
You can choose to explode to splines or objects. If you choose Object, you're
prompted for a name; each successive new spline object uses that name
appended with an incremented two-digit number.

Surface Properties rollout

Editable Spline | 597

Material group
You can apply different material IDs (see material ID on page 9217) to splines
in shapes containing multiple splines. You can then assign a multi/sub-object
material on page 6542 to such shapes, which appears when the spline is
renderable, or when used for lathing or extrusion.
Set ID Lets you assign a particular material ID number to selected segments
for use with multi/sub-object materials and other applications. Use the spinner
or enter the number from the keyboard. The total number of available IDs is
65,535.
Select ID Selects the segments or splines corresponding to the Material ID
specified in the adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID,
then click the Select ID button.
Select By Name This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an
object has a Multi/Sub-object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow and
select a material from the list. The segments or splines that are assigned that
material are selected. If a shape does not have a Multi/Sub-Object material
assigned to it, the name list will be unavailable. Likewise, if multiple shapes
are selected that have an Edit Spline modifier applied to them, the name list
is inactive.
Clear Selection When turned on, selecting a new ID or material name, forces
a deselection of any previously selected segments or splines. If turned off,
selections are cumulative so new ID or material name selections add to a
previous selection set of segments or splines. Default=on.

Shape Check Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Shape Check
The Shape Check utility tests spline and NURBS-based shapes and curves for
self-intersection and graphically displays any instances of intersecting
segments. Self-intersecting shapes used to produce lathed, extruded, lofted,
or other 3D objects can result in rendering errors.
The utility is "sticky" in that once you've picked a shape object for it to check,
you can pan/zoom viewports and it will continually display the locations of
intersecting curves in the shape you pick.

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If a shape is animated, moving the time slider will recheck the shape on each
frame of the animation, allowing for easy checking of these changing shapes.

Intersection points highlighted by Shape Check

Interface

Pick Object Click this button, and then click the shape for the utility to check.
You can pick only spline- and NURBS-based shapes and curves. Points of
intersection discovered by the utility are highlighted with red boxes. The text
below the button indicates whether any points of intersection occur.
Close Closes the utility.

Shape Check Utility | 599

Compound Objects
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Compound Objects

Create menu ➤ Compound
Compound objects typically combine two or more existing objects into a
single object.

Morph Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Morph

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

Select an object. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Morph
Morphing is an animation technique similar to tweening in 2D animation. A
Morph object combines two or more objects by interpolating the vertices of
the first object to match the vertex positions of another object. When this
interpolation occurs over time, a morphing animation results.

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Seed or base object, and the target objects at specific frames

Morph Compound Object | 601

The resulting animation

The original object is known as the seed or base object. The object into which
the seed object morphs is known as the target object.
You can morph one seed into multiple targets; the seed object's form changes
successively to match the forms of the target objects as the animation plays.
Before you can create a morph, the seed and target objects must meet these
conditions:
■

Both objects must be mesh, patch, or poly objects.

■

Both objects must have an equal number of vertices.

If these conditions don't apply, the Morph button is unavailable.
You can use any kind of object as a morph target, including an animated
object or another morph object, as long as the target is a mesh that has the
same number of vertices as the seed object.
Creating a morph involves the following steps:
■

Model the base object and target objects.

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■

Select the base object.

■

Click

■

Add the target objects.

■

Animate.

Create panel ➤ Geometry ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Morph.

Setting Up the Morph Geometry
Make sure that the objects you want to use as the seed and targets have the
same number of vertices.
TIP When you create Loft objects that you want to use as morph seeds and targets,
make sure that Morph Capping is on and Adaptive Path Steps and Optimize are
turned off. All shapes in the Loft object must have the same number of vertices.
You should also turn off Adaptive and Optimize for other shape-based objects that
you want to use with Morph, such as those with Extrude or Lathe modifiers.
WARNING The selected object is permanently converted to a morph object as
soon as you click Morph, whether or not you proceed to select a target object.
The only way to restore the original object is to undo the Morph click.

Morph Object and Morpher Modifier
There are two ways to set up morphing animations: the Morph compound
object and the Morpher modifier.
The Morpher modifier on page 1464 is more flexible because you can add it
multiple times at any place in an object's modifier stack display. This flexibility
lets you animate the base object or the morph targets before reaching the
Morpher modifier, for example with a noise modifier. The Morpher modifier
works hand in hand with the Morpher material. The Morpher modifier is the
ideal way to morph characters.
The Barycentric Morph controller can be simpler to use in Track View. The
Track View display for Compound Morph has only one animation track
regardless of the number of targets. Each key on the track represents a morph
result based on a percentage of all the targets. For basic morphing needs,
Compound Morph may be preferable to the Morpher modifier.
Lastly, you can add the Morpher modifier to the stack of a Compound Morph
object.

Morph Compound Object | 603

Procedures
Example: To create a basic morph:

1 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, turn on Patch
Grids. On the Object Type rollout, click Quad Patch.
2 In the Top viewport, click and drag to create a patch on the left side of
the viewport.
3 Right-click the modifier stack display in the Modify panel and select
Convert To Editable Patch from the pop-up menu.
4 Right-click the patch, and then click Move in the Transform quadrant of
the quad menu.
5 In the Top viewport, hold Shift and drag with the patch to create a copy
on the right side of the viewport.
6 On the Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout, go to the Vertex sub-object
level.
7 In the Front viewport, select and move vertices on the selected patch to
alter its shape.
8 On the Modify panel, in the stack display, click Editable Patch again to
return to the top level.
9 Select the original patch in the viewports.

10 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
click Morph.
11 On the Pick Targets rollout, click Pick Target.
12 In the viewports, click the second patch object.
Both patch objects are listed in the Morph Targets list.
13 Click Modify panel.
Morph displays above the Editable Patch in the modifier stack.
14 Move the time slider to frame 10.
15 In the Morph Targets list, click M_QuadPatch01.

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16 On the Current Targets rollout, click Create Morph Key.
On the track bar, a key is displayed at frame 10.
17 On the track bar, right-click the key at frame 10 and click
QuadPatch01:Morph in the menu.
A Key Info dialog displays.
18 On the Key Info dialog, select M_QuadPatch01 from the list.
19 On the Key Info dialog, drag the percentage spinner.
The base object changes shape.
20 Close the Key Info dialog and drag the time slider back and forth. The
patch morphs its shape.
To select the targets for a morph:
1 Select the seed object.

2 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
click Morph.
The name of the seed object is displayed at the top of the Morph Targets
list on the Current Targets rollout.
3 On the Pick Targets rollout, choose the method for creating targets:
Reference, Move, Copy, or Instance.
4 Click Pick Target.
5 Select one or more target objects in the viewports.
As you select each target, its name is added to the Morph Targets list. If
an object can't be a target (for example, if it has a different number of
vertices than the morph seed), you can't select it.
If you select a target object while you are not at frame 0, creating the
target also creates a morph key. You can create additional morph keys
from targets you've already selected, as described in the following
procedure.

Morph Compound Object | 605

To create morph keys from existing targets:
1 Drag the time slider to the frame where you want to place the morph
key.
NOTE The Auto Key button does not need to be on to set morph keys.
2 Highlight the name of a target object on the Morph Targets list.
The Create Morph Key button is available only when a target object name
is selected.
3 Click Create Morph Key.
3ds Max places a morph key at the active frame.
4 To preview the effect of the morph, drag the time slider back and forth.
You can view and edit the morph keys in Track View, which also lets you
view the morph's target object parameters.

Interface
Pick Targets rollout

When you pick target objects, you designate each target as a Reference, Move
(the object itself), Copy, or Instance. Base your selection on how you want to
use the scene geometry after you create the morph.
Pick Target Use this button to designate the target object or objects.
Reference/Copy/Move/Instance Lets you specify how the target is transferred
to the compound object. It can be transferred either as a reference on page
9282, a copy, an instance on page 9195, or it can be moved, in which case the
original shape is not left behind.
■

Use Copy when you want to reuse the target geometry for other purposes
in the scene.

606 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Use Instance to synchronize morphing with animated changes to the
original target object.

■

Use Move if you've created the target geometry to be only a morph target,
and have no other use for it.

You can use an animated object or another morph as the target of a morph.

Current Targets rollout

Morph Targets Displays a list of the current morph targets.
Morph Target Name Use this field to change the name of the selected morph
target in the Morph Targets list.
Create Morph Key Adds a morph key for the selected target at the current
frame.
Delete Morph Target Deletes the currently highlighted morph target. If morph
keys reference the deleted target, then those keys are deleted as well.

Morph Compound Object | 607

Scatter Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Scatter

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

Select an object. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Scatter
Scatter is a form of compound object that randomly scatters the selected source
object either as an array, or over the surface of a distribution object.

The plane of the hill is used to scatter the trees and two different sets of rocks.

Procedures
To create a Scatter object:
1 Create an object to be used as a source object.
2 Optionally, create an object to be used as a distribution object.

608 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

3

Select the source object, and then on the Object Type rollout,
click Scatter.
NOTE The source object must be either a mesh object or an object that can
be converted to a mesh object. If the currently selected object is invalid, the
Scatter button is unavailable.

Results of scattering source object with distribution object visible (above) and
hidden (below)

You now have two choices. You can either scatter the source object as
an array without using a distribution object, or use a distribution object
to scatter the object. See the following procedures.
To scatter the source object without a distribution object:
1 Choose Use Transforms Only in the Scatter Objects rollout ➤ Distribution
group.

Scatter Compound Object | 609

2 Set the Duplicates spinner to specify the desired total number of duplicates
of the source object.
3 Adjust the spinners on the Transforms rollout to set random
transformation offsets of the source object.
To scatter the source object using a distribution object:
1 Make sure the source object is selected.
2 Choose the method by which you want to clone the distribution object
(Reference, Copy, Move, or Instance.)
3 Click Pick Distribution Object, and then select the object you want to
use as a distribution object.
4 Make sure that Use Distribution Object on the Scatter Object rollout is
chosen.
5 Use the Duplicates spinner to specify the number of duplicates. (This is
not necessary if you're using the All Vertices, All Edge Midpoints or All
Face Centers distribution methods.)
6 Choose a distribution method in the Scatter Object rollout ➤ Distribute
Object Parameters group under Distribute Using.
7 Optionally, adjust the Transform spinners to randomly transform the
duplicates.
8 If the display is too slow, or the meshes too complicated, consider
choosing Proxy on the Display rollout or decreasing the percentage of
displayed duplicates by reducing the Display percentage.
Most of the spinner values are animatable, so you can animate things like the
number of duplicates, their transformations, and so on.

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Scatter objects (the grass) with a high number of duplicates

Interface
Pick Distribution Object rollout

Contains the options for selecting a distribution object.
Object Displays the name of the distribution object selected with the Pick
button.
Pick Distribution Object Click this button, then click an object in the scene
to specify it as a distribution object.

Scatter Compound Object | 611

Reference/Copy/Move/Instance Lets you specify how the distribution object
is transferred to the scatter object. It can be transferred either as a reference
on page 9282, a copy, an instance on page 9195, or moved, in which case the
original shape is not left behind.

Scatter Objects rollout

The options on this rollout let you specify how the source object is scattered,
and let you access the objects that make up the compound Scatter object.

Distribution group
These two options let you choose the basic method of scattering the source
object.
Use Distribution Object Scatters the source object based on the geometry of
the distribution object.
Use Transforms Only This options doesn't need a distribution object. Instead,
duplicates of the source object are positioned using the offset values on the
Transforms rollout. If all of the Transform offsets remain at 0, you won't see
the array because the duplicates occupy the same space.

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Objects group
Contains a list window showing the objects that make up the Scatter object.
List Window Click to select an object in the window so that you can access
it in the Stack. For example, if your distribution object is a sphere, you can
click Distribution: D_Sphere01, open the Stack list, and select Sphere to access
the sphere's parameters.
Source Name Lets you rename the source object within the compound Scatter
object.
Distribution Name Lets you rename the distribution object.
Extract Operand Extract a copy or an instance of the selected operand. Choose
an operand in the list window to enable this button.
NOTE This button is available only on the Modify panel. You can't extract an
operand while the Create panel is active.
Instance/Copy This option lets you specify how the operand is extracted: as
either an instance on page 9195 or a copy.

Source Object Parameters group

These options affect the source object locally.
Duplicates Specifies the number of scattered duplicates of the source object.
This number is set to 1 by default, but you can set it to 0 if you want to animate
the number of duplicates, beginning with none. Note that the Duplicates
number is ignored if you're distributing the duplicates using either Face Centers
or Vertices. In these cases, one duplicate is placed at each vertex or face center,
depending on your choice.
Base Scale Alters the scale of the source object, affecting each duplicate
identically. This scale occurs before any other transforms.

Scatter Compound Object | 613

Vertex Chaos Applies a random perturbation to the vertices of the source
object.
Animation Offset Lets you specify the number of frames by which each source
object duplicate's animation is offset from the previous duplicate. You can
use this feature to produce wave-type animation. At the default setting of 0,
all duplicates move identically.

Distribution Object Parameters group

These options affect how the duplicates of the source object are arranged,
relative to the distribution object. These options have an effect only when a
distribution object is used.
Perpendicular When on, orients each duplicate object perpendicular to its
associate face, vertex, or edge in the distribution object. When off, the
duplicates maintain the same orientation as the original source object.
Use Selected Faces Only When on, limits distribution to the selected faces
passed up the Stack. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to use the Instance
option when picking the distribution object. You can then apply a Mesh Select
modifier to the original object and select only those faces you want to use for
the distribution of the duplicates.

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Distribute Using
The following options let you specify how the geometry of the distribution
object determines the distribution of the source object. These options are
ignored if you're not using a distribution object.
Area Distributes duplicate objects evenly over the total surface area of the
distribution object.

Objects distributed over a spherical surface with Area turned on

Even Divides the number of faces in the distribution object by the number
of duplicates, and skips the appropriate number of faces in the distribution
object when placing duplicates.
Skip N Skips N number of faces when placing duplicates. The editable field
specifies how many faces to skip before placing the next duplicate. When set
to 0, no faces are skipped. When set to 1, every other face is skipped, and so
on.
Random Faces Applies duplicates randomly over the surface of the distribution
object.
Along Edges Assigns duplicates randomly to the edges of the distribution
object.

Scatter Compound Object | 615

All Vertices Places a duplicate object at each vertex in the distribution object.
The Duplicates value is ignored.
All Edge Midpoints Places a duplicate at the midpoint of each segment edge.
All Face Centers Places a duplicate object at the center of each triangular face
on the distribution object. The Duplicates value is ignored.
Volume Scatters objects throughout the distribution object's volume. All other
options restrict distribution to the surface. Consider turning on Display rollout
➤ Hide Distribution Object with this option.

Objects fill a spherical volume with Volume turned on

Display group

Result/Operands Choose whether to display the results of the scatter operation
or the operands before the scattering.

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Transforms rollout

The settings in the Transforms rollout let you apply random transform offsets
to each duplicate object. The values in the transform fields specify a maximum
offset value that's applied randomly with a positive or negative value to each
duplicate. Thus, if you set a rotation angle of 15 degrees, duplicates are rotated
randomly from -15 to +15 degrees. For example, one duplicate might be rotated
8 degrees, another -13, another 5, and so on. You can use the Transform

Scatter Compound Object | 617

settings with or without a distribution object. When there is no distribution
object, you must adjust the Transform settings in order to see the duplicates.

Rotation group
Specifies random rotation offsets.
X, Y, Z deg Enter the maximum random rotational offset you want about the
local X, Y, or Z axis of each duplicate.
Use Maximum Range When on, forces all three settings to match the
maximum value. The other two settings become disabled, and the setting
containing the maximum value remains enabled.

Local Translation group
Specifies translation of the duplicates along their local axes.
X, Y, Z Enter the maximum random movement you want along the X, Y, or
Z axis of each duplicate.
Use Maximum Range When on, forces all three settings to match the
maximum value. The other two settings become disabled, and the setting
containing the maximum value remains enabled.

Translation on Face group
Lets you specify the translation of duplicates along barycentric on page 9102
face coordinates of the associate face in the distribution object. These settings
have no effect if you're not using a distribution object.
A, B, N The first two settings specify the barycentric coordinates on the surface
of the face, while the N setting sets the offset along the normal of the face.
Use Maximum Range When on, forces all three settings to match the
maximum value. The other two settings become disabled, and the setting
containing the maximum value remains enabled.

Scaling group
Lets you specify the scaling of duplicates along their local axes.
X, Y, Z % Specifies the percent of random scaling along the X, Y, or Z axis of
each duplicate.
Use Maximum Range When on, forces all three settings to match the
maximum value. The other two settings become disabled, and the one
containing the maximum value remains enabled.

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Lock Aspect Ratio When on, maintains the original aspect ratio of the source
object. Typically, this provides uniform scaling of duplicates. When Lock
Aspect Ratio is off, and any of the X, Y, and Z settings contain values greater
than 0, the result is non-uniform scaling of duplicates because the values
represent random scaling offsets in both positive and negative directions.

Display rollout

Provides options that affect the display of the Scatter object.

Display Options group
These options affect the display of the source and destination objects.
Proxy Displays the source duplicates as simple wedges and speeds up viewport
redraws when manipulating a complex Scatter object. This has no effect on
the rendered image, which always displays the mesh duplicates.
Mesh Displays the full geometry of the duplicates.
Display % Specifies the percentage of the total duplicate objects that appear
in the viewports. This has no effect on the rendered scene.
Hide Distribution Object Hides the distribution object. The hidden object
does not appear in the viewport or in the rendered scene.

Uniqueness group
Lets you set a seed number upon which the random values are based. Thus,
altering this value changes the overall effect of the scattering.
New Generates a new, random seed number.
Seed Use this spinner to set the seed number.

Scatter Compound Object | 619

Load/Save Presets rollout

Lets you store preset values to use in other Scatter objects. For example, after
setting all of your parameters for a specific Scatter object and saving the settings
under a specific name, you can then select another Scatter object and load
the preset values into the new object.
Preset Name Lets you define a name for your settings. Click the Save button
to save the current settings under the preset name.

Saved Presets group
A list window containing saved preset names.
LOAD Loads the preset currently highlighted in the Saved Presets list.
SAVE Saves the current name in the Preset Name field and places it in the
Saved Presets window.
DELETE Deletes the selected items in the Save Presets window.
NOTE Animated parameter values subsequent to frame 0 are not stored.

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Conform Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Conform

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

Select an object. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Conform
Conform is a compound object created by projecting the vertices of one object,
called the Wrapper, onto the surface of another object, called the Wrap-To.
There is also a space-warp version of this function; see Conform space warp
on page 3022.

Conform fits the road to the surface of the hills.

Because the space-warp version is somewhat easier to use, it's a good idea to
read that topic first, try the example, and then return here. This topic provides
additional methods of projecting the wrapper vertices.
NOTE This tool gives you the ability to morph between any two objects, regardless
of the number of vertices in each object. See Vertex Projection Direction group
on page 625 for more information.

Conform Compound Object | 621

Procedures
Example: To create a Conform object:
1 Position two objects, one of which will be the Wrapper, and the other
the Wrap-To. (For this example, create a box as the Wrap-To object, and
then create a larger sphere that completely surrounds it. The sphere will
be the Wrapper.)

2 Select the Wrapper object (the sphere), and on the

Create panel,

with
(Geometry) active, choose Compound Objects from the
drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout, turn on Conform.
NOTE Both objects used in Conform must be either mesh objects or objects
that can be converted to mesh objects. If the selected Wrapper object is
invalid, the Conform button is unavailable.
3 Specify the method of vertex projection in the Vertex Projection Direction
group. (Use Along Vertex Normals for this example.)
NOTE If you were to choose Use Active Viewport, you would next activate
whichever viewport looks in the direction that you want to project the vertices.
For example, if the Wrapper hovered over a Wrap-To terrain on the home
plane, you'd activate the Top viewport.
4 Choose Reference, Copy, Move, or Instance to specify the type of cloning
to perform on the Wrap-To object. (Choose Instance for this example.)
5 Click Pick Wrap-To Object, and then click the object onto which to
project the vertices. (You can press the H key and use the Pick Object
dialog on page 184 to select the box.)
The list windows display the two objects, and the compound object is
created with the Wrapper object conforming to the Wrap-To object. (In
the example, the sphere is wrapped into the shape of the box.)
6 Use the various parameters and settings to alter the vertex projection
direction, or adjust the vertices that are being projected.
To project a road onto terrain:
1 Create the road and terrain objects.

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TIP You can quickly make a terrain by creating a patch grid on page 2424 and
applying the Noise modifier on page 1490 to it. For the road, you can use a
Loft compound object on page 674 by lofting a rectangle along a curved line.
Both objects must have a sufficient level of detail to conform smoothly.
2 Orient both the road and the terrain so you are looking straight down at
them in the Top viewport. Position the road so it's completely above the
terrain (higher on the world Z axis).
NOTE For the conform projection to work correctly, the road should not
extend beyond the boundaries of the terrain when viewed in the Top
viewport.
3 Select the road object.
4 Click Conform.
5 In the Pick Wrap-To Object rollout, make sure the Instance option is
selected.
6 Click Pick Wrap-To Object, and click the terrain.
An instance of the terrain object is created, with the same object color
as the road.
7 Activate the Top viewport. In the Parameters rollout ➤ Vertex Projection
Direction group, choose Use Active Viewport, and click Recalculate
Projection.
8 In the Update group, turn on Hide Wrap-To Object.
This hides the instance of the terrain so you can clearly see the road
projected onto it.
The Parameters rollout ➤ Wrapper Parameters group ➤ Standoff
Distance value sets the number of units by which the road sits above the
terrain along the world Z axis.
9 If necessary, adjust the Standoff Distance to raise or lower the road.

Conform Compound Object | 623

Interface
Pick Wrap-To Object rollout

Object Displays the name of the selected Wrap-To object.
Pick Wrap-To Object Click this button, and then select the object to which
you want the current object to wrap.
Reference/Copy/Move/Instance This option lets you specify how the Wrap-To
object is transferred to the Conform object. It can be transferred either as a
reference on page 9282, a copy, an instance on page 9195, or it can be moved, in
which case the original is not left behind.

Parameters rollout
Contains all parameters for the Conform object.

Objects group

Provides a list window and two edit fields that let you navigate the compound
object and rename its components.
List Window Lists the Wrapper and the Wrap-To objects. Click to select an
object in the window so that you can access it in the Modifier stack.

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Wrapper Name Lets you rename the wrapper object within the compound
Conform object.
Wrap-To Object Name Lets you rename the Wrap-To object.

Vertex Projection Direction group

Choose one of these seven options to determine the projection of the vertices.
Use Active Viewport The vertices are projected away (inward) from the active
viewport.
Recalculate Projection Recalculates the projection direction for the currently
active viewport. Because the direction is initially assigned when you pick the
Wrap-To object, if you want to change viewports after assignment, click this
button to recalculate the direction based on the new active viewport.
Use Any Object's Z Axis Lets you use the local Z axis of any object in the
scene as a direction. Once an object is assigned, you can alter the direction of
vertex projection by rotating the direction object.
Pick Z-Axis Object Click this button, and then click the object you want to
use to indicate the direction of the projection source.
Object Displays the name of the direction object.
■

Along Vertex NormalsProjects the vertices of the Wrapper object inward
along the reverse direction of its vertex normals. A vertex normal is a vector
produced by averaging the normals of all faces attached to that vertex. If

Conform Compound Object | 625

the Wrapper object encloses the Wrap-To object, the Wrapper takes on
the form of the Wrap-To object.
■

Towards Wrapper CenterProjects the vertices toward the bounding center
of the Wrapper object.

■

Towards Wrapper PivotProjects the vertices toward the original pivot center
of the Wrapper object.

■

Towards Wrap-To CenterProjects the vertices toward the bounding center
of the Wrap-To object.

■

Towards the Wrap-To PivotProjects the vertices toward the pivot center
of the Wrap-To object.

NOTE Towards Wrapper Pivot and Towards the Wrap-To Pivot operate on the
position of the original pivot point of the object before the Conform object is
created. Once you create the Conform object, it's a new compound object with
a single pivot point.
TIP You can animate the conforming effect by morphing between the compound
object and a previously made copy of the original wrapper object. To do this,
however, you must turn on Hide Wrap-To Object in the Update group so that the
original object and the compound object have the same number of vertices. Using
this technique, you can effectively morph between two objects with a different
number of vertices.

Wrapper Parameters group

Provides controls that determine how far the vertices are projected.
Default Projection Distance The distance a vertex in the Wrapper object will
move from its original location if it does not intersect the Wrap-To object.

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Standoff Distance The distance maintained between the vertex of the Wrapper
object and the surface of the Wrap-To object. For example, if you set Standoff
Distance to 5, the vertices can be pushed no closer than 5 units from the
surface of the Wrap-To object.
Use Selected Vertices When turned on, only the selected vertex sub-objects
of the Wrapper object are pushed. When turned off, all vertices in the object
are pushed, regardless of the Modifier stack selection. To access the Modifier
stack of the Wrapper object, select the Wrapper object in the list window,
open the Modifier stack, and select the base object name. At this point you
can apply a Mesh Select modifier, for example, and select the vertices you
want to affect.

Update group

The items in this group determine when the projection for the compound
object is recalculated. Because complex compound objects can slow
performance, you can use these options to avoid constant calculation.
■

AlwaysThe object is updated constantly.

■

When RenderingThe object is recalculated only when the scene is rendered.

■

ManuallyActivates the Update button for manual recalculation.

Update Recalculates the projection.
Hide Wrap-To Object When on, hides the Wrap-To object.

Display group
Determines whether the shape operands are displayed.

Conform Compound Object | 627

■

ResultDisplays the result of the operation.

■

OperandsDisplays the operands.

Connect Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Connect

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

Select an object. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Connect
The Connect compound object lets you connect two or more objects between
"holes" in their surfaces. To do this, you delete faces in each object to create
one or more holes in their surfaces, position them so that the holes face one
another, and then apply Connect.

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Left: Before connect
Right: After connect

NOTE Connect is not suited to NURBS objects, because they convert into many
separate meshes instead of one big mesh. The workaround is simple: apply a Weld
modifier to the NURBS object (thus converting it to a mesh and zipping up its
seams) before using it as part of a connect.
Connect generates the best mapping coordinates it can for the bridges between
the various holes in the meshes. While some ideal cases, such as a cylinder
above another cylinder, can generate good UVW map interpolations, most
cases cannot. You'll need to apply mapping to the bridge faces with a UVW
Map modifier on page 1883.
Vertex colors, on the other hand, interpolate smoothly.
Notes:
■

You can use Connect on objects that have multiple sets of holes. Connect
will do its best to match up the holes between the two objects.

■

The mapping coordinates assigned to the original two objects are
maintained to the extent possible. You might find irregularities in the

Connect Compound Object | 629

bridged area, depending on the complexity and difference between the
two original sets of mapping coordinates and the types of geometry.

Procedures
To create a Connect object:
1 Create two mesh objects.
2 Delete faces on each to create holes where you want to bridge the objects.
Position the objects so that the normals of the deleted faces of one object
point toward the normals of the deleted faces of the other object
(assuming that deleted faces could have normals).

3 Select one of the objects. On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose Compound Objects from the drop-down list.
On the Object Type rollout, turn on Connect.
4 Click the Pick Operand button, and then select the other object.
5 Faces are generated connecting the holes in the two objects.
6 Adjust the connection with the various options.
Example: To connect two cylinders:
1 Create a cylinder with a radius of 15 and a height of 30. Use the default
settings for the remaining parameters.
2 Create a second cylinder centered on the first with a radius of 30, a height
of 30, and 13 sides. (The fewer sides are to demonstrate the mesh
interpolation in the connection.)
3 Move the first, narrower cylinder straight up along Z so its bottom cap
is about 15 units above the top cap of the larger cylinder.
4 Convert both cylinders to editable meshes.
5 Delete the lower cap of the upper cylinder, and the upper cap of the
bottom cylinder. (Hint: Go to Editable Mesh (Polygon) mode, select each
end in turn, and then press the Delete key.)
6 Exit sub-object mode, select the lower cylinder, and click Connect.
7 Click the Pick Operand button, and then click the upper cylinder.

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New faces are created that span the openings in the two cylinders.
Example continued: To try out some options and create animation:

1 Go to the
more.

Modify panel and increase the Segments value to 5 or

As the number of segments increases, the connection becomes curved.
2 Set the Tension value to 0. This straightens the connecting surface.
Increase the value of Tension to 1, and then return it to 0.5.
3 Try different combinations of the Bridge and Ends options.

4 Select the upper cylinder, turn on
various transforms at different frames.

5

(Auto Key), and apply

Play the animation.

Interface
Pick Operand rollout

Pick Operand Click this button to connect an additional operand to the
original object.
For example, you might begin with a single object with two holes, and arrange
two additional objects, each with one hole, outside of those holes. Click the
Pick Operand button and select one of the objects, which is connected, and
then click Pick Operand again and select the other object, which is connected.
Both connected objects are added to the Operands list.

Connect Compound Object | 631

Reference/Copy/Move/Instance Lets you specify how the operand is
transferred to the compound object. It can be transferred either as a reference
on page 9282, a copy, an instance on page 9195, or moved, in which case the
original is not left behind.
NOTE Connect works only with objects that are capable of being converted into
editable surfaces, such as editable meshes on page 2190.

Parameters rollout

Operands group
Operands list Displays the current operands. Select an operand to rename,
delete or extract by clicking it in this list.
Name Renames a selected operand. Type in a new name, and then press Tab
or Enter.
Delete Operand Deletes a selected operand from the list.
Extract Operand Extracts a copy or an instance of the selected operand.
Choose an operand in the list to enable this button.

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NOTE This button is available only in the Modify panel. You can't extract an
operand while in the Create panel.
Instance/Copy Lets you specify how the operand is extracted: as either an
instance on page 9195 or a copy.

Interpolation group
Segments Sets the number of segments in the connecting bridge.
Tension Controls the curvature in the connecting bridge. A value of 0 provides
no curvature, while higher values create curves that attempt to more smoothly
match the surface normals on either end of the connecting bridge. This spinner
has no apparent effect when Segments is set to 0.

Smoothing group
Bridge Applies smoothing between the faces in the connecting bridge.
Ends Applies smoothing between the faces that border the old and new surfaces
of the connecting bridge and the original objects. When turned off, 3ds Max
assigns a new material ID number to the bridge. The new number is one higher
than the highest ID number assigned to either of the original objects. When
on, the ID number is taken from one of the original objects.
NOTE If both Bridge and Ends are on, but the original objects contain no
smoothing groups, then smoothing is assigned to the bridge and to the faces
bordering the bridge.

Display/Update rollout

Connect Compound Object | 633

Display group
Determines whether the shape operands are displayed.
■

ResultDisplays the result of the operation.

■

OperandsDisplays the operands.

Update group
These options determine when the projection for the compound object is
recalculated. Because complex compound objects can slow performance, you
can use these options to avoid constant calculation.
■

AlwaysThe object is updated constantly.

■

When RenderingThe object is recalculated only when the scene is rendered.

■

ManuallyActivates the Update button for manual recalculation.

Update Recalculates the projection.

BlobMesh Compound Object
Create panel ➤
Type rollout ➤ BlobMesh

(Geometry) ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Object

Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ BlobMesh
The BlobMesh compound object creates a set of spheres from geometry or
particles, and connects the spheres together as if they were made of a soft,
liquid substance. When the spheres move within a certain distance of one
another, they connect together. When they move apart, they take on a
spherical form again.

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In the 3D industry, the general term for spheres that operate in this way is
metaballs on page 9222. The BlobMesh compound object generates metaballs
based on specified objects in the scene, and the metaballs, in turn, form a
mesh result called a blobmesh. A blobmesh is ideal for simulating thick liquids
and soft substances that move and flow when animated.
When you associate an object or particle system with the BlobMesh compound
object, the metaballs are placed and sized differently depending on the object
used to generate them:
■

For geometry and shapes, a metaball is placed at each vertex, and the size
of each metaball is determined by the size of the original BlobMesh object.
Soft selection can be used to vary the sizes of the metaballs.

■

For particles, a metaball is placed at each particle, and the size of each
metaball is determined by the size of the particle on which it’s based.

BlobMesh Compound Object | 635

■

For helpers, a metaball is placed at the pivot point, and the size of the
metaball is determined by the original BlobMesh object.

NOTE You can apply motion blur on page 9228 to a BlobMesh object to enhance
the effects of motion in renderings. For particle systems other than Particle Flow,
use Image motion blur. For Particle Flow particle systems and all other types of
objects including geometry, shapes, and helpers, use Object motion blur.

Procedures
To create a blobmesh from geometry or helpers:
1 Create one or more geometry or helper objects. If the scene requires
animation, animate the objects as desired.
2 Click BlobMesh, and click anywhere on the screen to create the initial
metaball.
3 Go to the Modify panel.
4 In the Blob Objects group, click Add. Select the objects you wish to use
to create metaballs. A metaball appears at each vertex of each selected
object, or at the centers of helper objects.
5 In the Parameters rollout, set the Size parameter as necessary to cause the
metaballs to connect.
To create a blobmesh with soft selection on geometry:
1 Create a geometry object, and convert it to an Editable Mesh or Editable
Poly.
2 Apply a Mesh Select modifier to the object, and select some of the vertices
on the object.
3 In the Soft Selection rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection. Set the Falloff
value as desired.
4 Apply a Turn to Mesh or Turn to Poly modifier to the object.
This will retain the soft selection and pass it up the stack regardless of
whether you exit the sub-object mode.

5 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,

636 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

turn on BlobMesh. Click anywhere in a viewport to create the initial
metaball.

6 Go to the

Modify panel.

7 In the Blob Objects group, click Add. Select the Editable Mesh or Editable
Poly object.
A metaball appears at each vertex of the selected object.
8 In the Parameters rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection.
Metaballs are limited to those vertices that are affected by the soft
selection.
9 Set the Size and Min. Size parameters to set the sizes of the metaballs.
To create a blobmesh with soft selection on a spline:
1 Create the spline, and convert it to an Editable Spline.
2 In the Rendering rollout, turn on both Enable In Renderer and Enable
In Viewport.
3 Apply a Mesh Select modifier, and select the appropriate vertices for soft
selection.
4 In the Soft Selection rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection. Set the Falloff
value as desired.
5 Apply a Turn to Mesh or Turn to Poly modifier to the object.
This will retain the soft selection and pass it up the stack regardless of
whether you exit the sub-object mode.

6 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on BlobMesh. Click anywhere in a viewport to create the initial
metaball.

7 Go to the

Modify panel.

8 In the Blob Objects group, click Add. Select the Editable Spline.

BlobMesh Compound Object | 637

A metaball appears at each vertex of the selected object.
9 In the Parameters rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection.
Metaballs are limited to those vertices that are affected by the soft
selection.
10 Set the Size and Min. Size parameters to set the sizes of the metaballs.
To create a blobmesh from a particle system:
When you use BlobMesh with a particle system, a metaball is created at each
particle's location. The size of the metaball is determined by the size of the
particle.
1 Create a particle system on page 3032, and set up its parameters to animate
the particles.

2 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on BlobMesh. Click anywhere in a viewport to create the initial
metaball.

3 Go to the

Modify panel.

4 In the Blob Objects group, click Add. Select the particle system. A metaball
appears at each particle in the system.
5 If you have added a Particle Flow system on page 3033 to the blobmesh
and you want to create metaballs only for particles in specific events,
click Add on the Particle Flow Parameters rollout to choose the events
from a list.
TIP If you need to prevent the particles from rendering, do not hide them
as this can prevent the blobmesh from generating correctly. Instead, turn off
the particle system's Renderable option on the Object Properties dialog on
page 221.

638 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface
Parameters rollout

Size The radius of each metaball for objects other than particles. For particles,
the size of each metaball is determined by the size of the particle, which is set
by parameters in the particle system. Default=20.

BlobMesh Compound Object | 639

NOTE The apparent size of the metaballs is affected by the Tension value. When
Tension is set to its lowest possible value, the radius of each metaball accurately
reflects the Size setting. Higher Tension values will tighten the surface, and make
the metaballs smaller.
Tension Determines how relaxed or tight the surface will be. A smaller value
makes a looser surface. This value can range from 0.01 to 1.0. Default=1.0.
Evaluation Coarseness Sets the coarseness, or density, of the resulting
blobmesh. When Relative Coarseness (see following) is off, the Render and
Viewport values set the absolute height and width of blobmesh faces, and
lower values create a smoother, denser mesh. When Relative Coarseness is on,
the height and width of blobmesh faces is determined by the ratio of metaball
size to this value. In this case, higher values create a denser mesh. Range
(both)=0.001 to 1000.0. Render default=3.0, Viewport default =6.0.
The lower end of the range for both Coarseness settings is 0.001, which allows
for high-resolution metaball geometry when Relative Coarseness is off. Using
such low values can also cause lengthy calculation delays; if this happens and
you wish to halt calculation, press Esc.
Relative Coarseness Determines how the coarseness values will be used. If
this option is turned off, the Render Coarseness and View Coarseness values
are absolute, where the height and width of each face on the blobmesh is
always equal to the coarseness value. This means the faces on the blobmesh
will retain a fixed size even if the metaballs change size. If this option is turned
on, the size of each blobmesh face is based on the ratio of the metaball size
to the coarseness, which will cause the blobmesh face size to change as the
metaballs become larger or smaller. Default=Off.
Large Data Optimization This option provides an alternate method for
calculating and displaying the blobmesh. This method is more efficient than
the default method only when a large number of metaballs are present, such
as 2,000 or more. Turn on this option only when using a particle system or
other object that produces a large number of metaballs. Default=Off.
Off in Viewport Turns off the display of the blobmesh in viewports. The
blobmesh will still appearing in renderings. Default=Off.
Use Soft Selection If soft selection has been used on geometry you add to the
blobmesh, turning on this option causes the soft selection to be used for the
size and placement of metaballs. Metaballs are placed at selected vertices with
the size set by the Size parameter. For vertices that lie within the falloff set on
the geometry’s Soft Selection rollout, smaller metaballs are placed. For vertices
outside the falloff, no metaballs are placed. This option has an effect only if
the Vertex sub-object level for the geometry is still enabled, and Use Soft

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Selection on the geometry’s Soft Selection rollout is turned on. If Use Soft
Selection is turned off either for the blobmesh for the geometry, metaballs are
placed at all vertices on the geometry. Default=Off.
Min Size Sets the minimum size for metaballs within the falloff when Use
Soft Selection is turned on. Default=10.0.
Pick Allows you to pick objects or particle systems from the screen to add to
the blobmesh.
Add Displays a selection dialog where you can select objects or particle systems
to add to the blobmesh.
Remove Removes objects or particles from the blobmesh.

Particle Flow Parameters rollout

Use this rollout if you have added a Particle Flow system to the blobmesh,
and want particles to generate metaballs only during specific events. Before
you can specify events on this rollout, you must add the Particle Flow system
to the blobmesh on the Parameters rollout.
All Particle Flow Events When turned on, all Particle Flow Events will generate
metaballs. When turned off, only Particle Flow Events specified in the PFlow
Events list will generate metaballs.

BlobMesh Compound Object | 641

Add Displays a list of PFlow events in the scene so you can pick events to add
to the PFlow Events list.
Remove Removes the selected event from the PFlow Events list.

ShapeMerge Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Compound
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ ShapeMerge
Select an object. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ ShapeMerge
ShapeMerge creates a compound object consisting of a mesh object and one
or more shapes. The shapes are either embedded in the mesh, altering the
edge and face patterns, or subtracted from the mesh.

ShapeMerge combines the lettering, a text shape, with the mesh that models the tire.

642 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create a ShapeMerge object:
1 Create a mesh object and one or more shapes
2 Align the shapes in the viewport so they can be projected toward the
surface of the mesh object.

3

Select the mesh object, then click the ShapeMerge button.

4 Click Pick Shape, and then click the shape.
The geometry of the surface of the mesh object is altered to embed a pattern
matching that of the selected shape.

Interface
Pick Operand rollout

Pick Shape Click this button, and then click the shape you want to embed
in the mesh object. The shape is projected onto the mesh object in the
direction of the shape's local negative Z axis. For example, if you create a box,
and then create a shape in the Top viewport, the shape is projected onto the
top of the box. You can repeat this process to add shapes, and the shapes can
be projected in different directions. Simply click Pick Shape again, and then
pick another shape.
Reference/Copy/Move/Instance Lets you specify how the shape is transferred
to the compound object. It can be transferred either as a reference on page
9282, a copy, an instance on page 9195, or moved, in which case the original shape
is not left behind.

ShapeMerge Compound Object | 643

Parameters rollout

Operands group
Operands list Lists all operands in the compound object. The first operand
is the mesh object, and any number of shape-based operands can follow.
Delete Shape Remove selected shapes from the compound object.
Extract Operand Extracts a copy or an instance of the selected operand.
Choose an operand in the list window to enable this button.
Instance/Copy Lets you specify how the operand is extracted. It can be
extracted either as an instance on page 9195 or a copy.

Operation group
These options determine how the shape is applied to the mesh.
Cookie Cutter Cuts the shape out of the mesh object's surface.

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Merge Merges the shape with the surface of the mesh object.
Invert Reverses the effect of Cookie Cutter or Merge. With the Cookie Cutter
option, the effect is obvious. When Invert is off, the shape is a hole in the
mesh object. When Invert is on, the shape is solid and the mesh is missing.
When you're using Merge, Invert reverses the sub-object mesh selection. As
an example, if you merge a circle shape and apply a Face Extrude, the circular
area is extruded when Invert is off, and all but the circular area is extruded
when Invert is on.

Output Sub-Mesh Selection group
Provides options that let you specify what selection level is passed up the
Stack. The ShapeMerge object stores all selection levels; that is, it stores the
vertices, faces, and edges of the merged shape with the object. (If you apply
a Mesh Select modifier and go to the various sub-object levels, you'll see that
the merged shape is selected.) Thus, if you follow the ShapeMerge with a
modifier that acts on a specific level, such as Face Extrude, that modifier will
work properly.
If you apply a modifier that can work on any selection level, such as Volume
Select or XForm, the options will specify which selection level is passed to
that modifier. Although you can use a Mesh Select modifier on page 1445 to
specify a selection level, the Mesh Select modifier considers the selection only
at frame 0. If you've animated the shape operand, that animation will be
passed up the Stack for all frames only by using the Output Sub-Mesh Selection
options.
■

NoneOutputs the full object.

■

FaceOutputs the faces within the merged shape.

■

EdgeOutputs the edge of the merged shape.

■

VertexOutputs the vertices defined by the spline of the shape.

ShapeMerge Compound Object | 645

Display/Update rollout

Display group
Determines whether the shape operands are displayed.
■

ResultDisplays the result of the operation.

■

OperandsDisplays the operands.

Update group
These options specify when the display is updated. Typically, you use them
when you've animated the merged shape operands and the viewport display
is slow.
■

AlwaysUpdates the display at all times.

■

When RenderingUpdates the display only when the scene is rendered.

■

ManuallyUpdates the display only when you click the Update button.

Update Updates the display when any option except Always is chosen.

Boolean Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Boolean

646 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

Select an object. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Boolean
A Boolean object combines two other objects by performing a Boolean
operation on them.
TIP ProBoolean on page 734 is an improved, up-to-date, and more-complete
implementation of the Boolean compound object. In general, it is recommended
that you use ProBoolean rather than Boolean for combining 3D objects.

Operand A (left); Operand B (right)

These are the Boolean operations for geometry:
Union The Boolean object contains the volumes of both original objects. The
intersecting or overlapping portion of the geometry is removed.
Intersection The Boolean object contains only the volume common to both
original objects (in other words, where they overlapped).
Subtraction (or difference) The Boolean object contains the volume of one
original object with the intersecting volume removed.
The two original objects are designated operands A and B.

Boolean Compound Object | 647

You can layer Booleans in the stack display, so that a single object can
incorporate many Booleans. By navigating through the stack display, it's
possible to revisit the components of each Boolean and make changes to them.

Subtraction: A-B (above); B-A (below)

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Union (above); Intersection (below)

Booleans with Objects That Have Materials Assigned to Them
Most primitives use several material IDs on page 9217 on their surfaces. For
example, a box uses material IDs 1–6 on its sides. If you assign a
Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542 with six sub-materials, 3ds Max
automatically assigns one to each side. If you assign a Multi/Sub-Object
material with two sub-materials, 3ds Max assigns the first material to sides 1,
3, and 5, and the second to sides 2, 4, and 6.
When you create a Boolean from objects that have materials assigned to them,
3ds Max combines the materials in the following way:
■

If operand A doesn't have a material, it inherits operand B's material.

■

If operand B doesn't have a material, it inherits operand A's material.

■

If both operands have materials, the resulting material is a Multi/Sub-Object
material that combines the materials from both operands.

For more information, see Material Attach Options Dialog on page 661.

Solutions When Working with Booleans
The Boolean algorithm caused unpredictable behavior in earlier releases. The
solutions are discussed here.

Boolean Compound Object | 649

Surface Topology
Boolean requires that operands' surface topology be intact: This means no
missing or overlapping faces and no unwelded vertices. The surface should
be one continuous closed surface.
The Boolean corrects operands that fail to meet this requirement. However,
the automatic correction may not be exactly what you want, so in some cases
it might be safer to correct the surfaces manually.
To check for holes in the geometry, use the STL-Check modifier on page 1695
or the Measure utility on page 2914.
To fill holes, use the Cap Holes modifier on page 1124.

Face Normals
Booleans require that the face normals of the surface be consistent. Flipped
normals can produce unexpected results. Surfaces where some faces are facing
one way and adjacent faces are flipped are also problematic, and are commonly
found in geometry imported from CAD programs. The Boolean fixes these
faces as best it can. Again, it might make more sense to correct these manually.
Use shaded viewports to look for normal problems, watching for objects that
appear inside-out or look otherwise incorrect. You can also turn on Show in
the Editable Mesh (Face) on page 2214 ➤ Surface Properties rollout ➤ Normals
group. Fix normals here, or with a Normal modifier on page 1497.

Overlapping Elements
Because Boolean operations depend on a clear understanding of what is inside
and what is outside a mesh, meshes that overlap themselves can produce
invalid results. For instance, if you use the Collapse utility on page 1974 with
two overlapping objects without turning on the Boolean feature, the resulting
object will not make a good Boolean operand. This is also a problem for the
Teapot primitive on page 349 (with all parts turned on), which overlaps itself.
If you need to use such an object as a Boolean operand, you might reconstruct
it as a single non-overlapping mesh by separating the components and
combining them with Boolean.

Working with Inverted Meshes
Boolean doesn't always produce the ideal result on "inverted meshes" (meshes
that have been turned inside-out by having their normals flipped). The problem
is that the area inside the flipped mesh is correctly seen as "outside," but the
area outside it may also be seen as “outside.” To remedy this, instead of

650 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

inverting the mesh, make a very large box or other primitive centered on (but
not touching) the mesh and subtract the mesh from it using Boolean. Then
convert it to an editable mesh, and delete the box faces. This produces a
correctly inverted mesh that works correctly with Boolean.

Alignment
If two Boolean operands are perfectly aligned without actually intersecting,
the Boolean operation might produce the wrong result. Although this is rare,
if it does occur, you can eliminate it by making the operands overlap slightly.

Relative Complexity Between Operands
Boolean works best when the two operands are of similar complexity. If you
wish to subtract text (a complex object made of many faces and vertices) from
a box without any segments, the result is many long, skinny faces that are
prone to rendering errors. Increasing the number of box segments produces
better results. Try to maintain a similar complexity between operands.

Coplanar Faces/Colinear Edges
Previously, Boolean required that objects overlap. If two objects did not overlap
but merely touched an edge to an edge, or a face to a face, the Boolean would
fail.
Boolean allows for non-overlapping objects. Coincident faces/edges and vertices
are no longer a problem. You can use objects completely encased within
another object, where no edges intersect, to create Booleans.
See also Collapse Utility on page 1974 to create Booleans with multiple objects.
See also:
Fixing Boolean Problems on page 9049

■

Procedures
To create a Boolean object:

1

Select an object. This object becomes operand A.

2 Click Boolean. The name of operand A appears in the Operands list on
the Parameters rollout.

Boolean Compound Object | 651

3 On the Pick Boolean rollout, choose the copy method for operand B:
Reference, Move, Copy, or Instance. (These methods are described in the
Pick Boolean rollout section, later in this topic.)
4 On the Parameters rollout, choose the Boolean operation to perform:
Union, Intersection, Subtraction (A-B), or Subtraction (B-A). You can also
choose one of the Cut operations, described later in the Operation group
section.
5 On the Pick Boolean rollout, click Pick Operand B.
6 Click in a viewport to select operand B. 3ds Max performs the Boolean
operation.
The operand objects remain as sub-objects of the Boolean object. By
modifying the creation parameters of the Boolean's operand sub-objects,
you can later change operand geometry in order to change or animate
the Boolean result.
Example: To create and modify a single object that contains multiple Booleans:
Suppose you want to create a box with two holes in it. One hole is to be cut
by a sphere, and the second by a cylinder. If you want to make changes to the
sphere or the cylinder later, you can do so by following these steps:
1 Create a Boolean following the steps in the previous sections. The original
object (the box) is converted to a Boolean, and is designated operand A.
The second object (the sphere) is converted to operand B.
2 Deselect the Boolean object. Build the cylinder if it does not already exist.

3

Select the Boolean object; and under Compound Objects, click
Boolean again.

4 Click Pick Operand B and click the cylinder in the viewport. It is converted
to operand B.

5 On the
Modify panel, choose Operand B from the Parameters
rollout ➤ Operands list. If you want to see operand B, choose
Display/Update rollout ➤ Display group ➤ Operands or Result + Hidden
Ops.

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If you want to animate the Cylinder or the Cylinder’s parameters you
can now access them in the modifier stack display.
6 If you want to modify the sphere’s parameters, choose the box in the
Operands list.
7 Now there are two entries labeled Boolean in the stack display. Choose
the lower entry. The Sphere is displayed in the Operands list.
8 Choose the Sphere from the Operands list. The sphere’s parameters are
available by clicking the sphere's name in the modifier stack display.
9 Use this technique to change parameters or animate any of the operands
within the multiple Boolean.
You can also navigate multiple Booleans through Track View. Clicking the
operand in Track View gives you direct access to its entry in the modifier stack
display. In complex objects with many Booleans, this is an easier method than
the one outlined above.

Interface
Pick Boolean rollout

When you select operand B, you designate it as a Reference, Move (the object
itself), Copy, or Instance, according to your choice in the Pick Boolean rollout
for Boolean objects. Base your selection on how you want to use the scene
geometry after you create the Boolean.
Because you usually create Boolean objects from overlapping objects, if the B
object isn't removed (if you don't use the default Move option), it often
obstructs your view of the completed Boolean. You can move the Boolean or
the B object to better see the result.
Pick Operand B Use this button to select the second object to use to complete
the Boolean operation.

Boolean Compound Object | 653

Reference/Copy/Move/Instance Lets you specify how operand B is transferred
to the Boolean object. It can be transferred either as a reference on page 9282,
a copy, an instance on page 9195, or moved.
■

Use Reference to synchronize modifier-induced changes to the original
object with operand B, but not vice-versa.

■

Use Copy when you want to reuse the operand B geometry for other
purposes in the scene.

■

Use Instance to synchronize animation of the Boolean object with animated
changes to the original B object, and vice-versa.

■

Use Move (the default) if you've created the operand B geometry only to
create a Boolean, and have no other use for it.
Object B geometry becomes part of the Boolean object regardless of which
copy method you use.

Parameters rollout

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Operands group
Operands list field Displays the current operands.
Name Edit this field to change the name of the operands. Choose an operand
in the Operands list and it will also appear in the Name box.
Extract Operand Extracts a copy or an instance of the selected operand.
Choose one of the operands in the list window to enable this button.
NOTE This button is available only in the Modify panel. You can't extract an
operand while the Create panel is active.
Instance/Copy Lets you specify how the operand is extracted: as either an
instance on page 9195 or a copy.

Operation group
Union The Boolean object contains the volume of both original objects. The
intersecting or overlapping portion of the geometry is removed.
Intersection The Boolean object contains only the volume that was common
to both original objects (in other words, where they overlapped).
Subtraction (A-B) Subtracts the intersection volume of operand B from
operand A. The Boolean object contains the volume of operand A with the
intersection volume subtracted from it.
Subtraction (B-A) Subtracts the intersection volume of operand A from
operand B. The Boolean object contains the volume of operand B with the
intersection volume subtracted from it.
Cut Cuts operand A with operand B, but doesn't add anything to the mesh
from operand B. This works like the Slice modifier on page 1676, but instead of
using a planar gizmo, Cut uses the shape of operand B as the cutting plane.
Cut treats the geometry of the Boolean object as volumes rather than closed
solids. Cut does not add geometry from operand B to operand A. Operand B
intersections define cut areas for altering geometry in operand A.
There are four types of Cut:
■

RefineAdds new vertices and edges to operand A where operand B intersects
the faces of operand A. 3ds Max refines the resulting geometry of operand
A with additional faces inside the intersected area of operand B. Faces cut
by the intersection are subdivided into new faces. You might use this option

Boolean Compound Object | 655

to refine a box with text so that you can assign a separate material ID to
the object.
■

SplitWorks like Refine but also adds a second or double set of vertices and
edges along the boundary where operand B cuts operand A. Split produces
two elements belonging to the same mesh. Use Split to break an object
into two parts along the bounds of another object.

■

Remove InsideDeletes all operand A faces inside operand B. This option
modifies and deletes faces of operand A inside the area intersected by
operand B. It works like the subtraction options, except that 3ds Max adds
no faces from operand B. Use Remove Inside to delete specific areas from
your geometry.

■

Remove OutsideDeletes all operand A faces outside operand B. This option
modifies and deletes faces of operand A outside the area intersected by
operand B. It works like the Intersection option, except that 3ds Max adds
no faces from operand B. Use Remove to delete specific areas from your
geometry.

Display/Update rollout

Display group
Visualizing the result of a Boolean can be tricky, especially if you want to
modify or animate it. The Display options on the Boolean Parameters rollout
help you visualize how the Boolean is constructed.

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The display controls have no effect until you've created the Boolean.
■

ResultDisplays the result of the Boolean operation; that is, the Boolean
object itself.

■

OperandsDisplays the operands instead of the Boolean result.
TIP When operands are difficult to see in a viewport, you can use the Operand
list to select one or the other. Click the name of the A or B operand to select
it.

■

Results + Hidden OpsDisplays the "hidden" operands as wireframe.
Operand geometry remains part of the compound Boolean object, although
it isn't visible or renderable. The operand geometry is displayed as
wireframes in all viewports.

Displaying the operands

Boolean Compound Object | 657

Displaying the result (A-B)

658 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Displaying the hidden operand after A-B

Boolean Compound Object | 659

Displaying the hidden operand after B-A

Update group
By default, Booleans are updated whenever you change the operands. A scene
that contains one or more complicated, animated Booleans can impede
performance. The update options provide alternate methods to improve
performance.
■

AlwaysUpdates Booleans immediately when you change an operand,
including the original object of an instanced or referenced B operand. This
is the default behavior.

■

When RenderingUpdates Booleans only when you render the scene or
click Update. With this option, viewports don't always show current
geometry, but you can force an update when necessary.

■

ManuallyUpdates Booleans only when you click Update. With this option,
the viewports and the render output don’t always show current geometry,
but you can force an update when necessary.

Update Updates the Boolean. The Update button is not available when Always
is selected.

660 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Material Attach Options Dialog
Use objects with different materials assigned to them. ➤

Create panel

➤
(Geometry) ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
Boolean ➤ Pick Boolean rollout ➤ Pick Operand B button ➤ Select object
in the viewport that is operand B.
When you use Boolean operations with objects that have been assigned
different materials, 3ds Max displays the Material Attach Options dialog. This
dialog offers five methods for handling the materials and the material IDs on
page 9217 in the resultant Boolean object.
NOTE If operand A has no material, and operand B has a material assigned, the
Boolean dialog lets you choose to inherit the material from operand B.

If operand A has a material assigned and operand B has no material assigned,
the Boolean object automatically inherits materials from operand A.

Procedures
To create a Boolean from objects that match material IDs to material:
1 Create a Boolean on page 651 using at least one object that has a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 assigned to it.
2 On the Pick Boolean rollout, click Pick Operand B.

3 Click in a viewport and
select the B operand. 3ds Max displays
the Match Attach Options dialog.

Boolean Compound Object | 661

4 Choose Match Material IDs to Material to complete the Boolean operation.

Interface

Match Material IDs to Material 3ds Max modifies the number of material
IDs in the combined object to be no greater than the number of sub-materials
assigned to the operands. For example, if you combine two boxes that have
standard materials and each box is assigned six material IDs (the default), the
resulting combined object has two operands with one material ID each, rather
than the 12 that would result from using the Match Material to Material ID
option. After you complete the operation, 3ds Max creates a new
multi/sub-object material with two slots. 3ds Max assigns the sub-materials
to the operands as they appeared before the operation. The number of resulting
material IDs matches the number of materials between the original objects.
You might use this option to reduce the number of material IDs.
Match Material to Material IDs Maintains the original material ID assignment
in the operands by adjusting the number of sub-materials in the resultant
Multi/Sub-Object material. For example, if you combine two boxes, both
assigned single materials, but with their default assignment of six material
IDs, the result would be a Multi/Sub-Object material with 12 slots (six
containing instances of one box's material, and six containing instances of
the other box's material). Use this option when it's important to maintain the
original material ID assignments in your geometry. Also use this option when
material IDs have been assigned, but materials have not been assigned.
NOTE To make the instanced sub-materials unique, select them in Track View,
and click the Make Unique button on the Track View toolbar. You can also make
them unique one at a time with the Make Unique button on page 6072 in the
Material Editor.
Do Not Modify Mat IDs or Material If the number of material IDs in an
object is greater than the number of sub-materials in its multi/sub-object

662 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

material, then the resultant face-material assignment might be different after
the Boolean operation.
Discard New Operand Material Discards the material assignment of operand
B. 3ds Max assigns operand A's material to the Boolean object.
Discard Original Material Discards the material assignment of operand A.
3ds Max assigns operand B's material to the Boolean object.
NOTE A UVW Map modifier on page 1883 must be used with compound objects
to apply mapping coordinates.

Terrain Compound Object
Select spline contours. ➤
Create panel ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Terrain

(Geometry) ➤

Select spline contours. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Terrain
The Terrain button lets you produce terrain objects. 3ds Max generates these
objects from contour line data.
To create Terrain, you select editable splines representing elevation contours
and create a mesh surface over the contours. You can also create a "terraced"
representation of the terrain object so that each level of contour data is a step,
resembling traditional study models of land forms.

Terrain Compound Object | 663

Using contours to build a terrain
Upper left: The contours
Upper right: The terrain object
Lower left: Terrain object used as the basis of a landscape

If you import an AutoCAD drawing file to use as contour data, 3ds Max names
each object based on the AutoCAD object's layer, color, or object type. A
number is appended to each name. For example, an AutoCAD object on the
layer BASE becomes an object named BASE.01. See Importing DWG Files on
page 8194 for more information.
After you import or create the contour data, select the objects, and click the
Terrain button, 3ds Max creates a new triangulated mesh object based on the
contour data. The name of the first selected spline becomes the name of the
terrain object. Other splines in the selection are treated according to the
previously set Reference, Move, Copy, or Instance selection in the Pick Operand
rollout, described below.
Keep in mind that the Terrain object can use any spline objects as operands,
whether they are horizontal splines or not. Though the most common scenario
is when sets of elevational contours are used to create terrain forms, it is
possible to append or refine Terrain objects by using non-horizontal splines.

664 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

NOTE To ensure that 3ds Max imports polylines as splines, when you import an
AutoCAD drawing file, turn off Import AutoCAD DWG File dialog ➤ Geometry
Options group ➤ Cap Closed Entities.
Following are examples of uses of the Terrain feature:
■

Visualizing the effects of grading plans in 3D.

■

Maximizing views or sunlight by studying topographical undulation of
land forms.

■

Analyzing elevation changes by using color on the data.

■

Adding buildings, landscaping, and roads to a terrain model to create
virtual cities or communities.

■

Viewing corridors and completing ridge analyses from particular locations
on a site by adding cameras to the scene.

Procedures
To analyze elevation changes:
1 Import or create contour data.

2

Select the contour data, then click the Terrain button.

3 On the Color By Elevation rollout, enter elevation zone values between
the maximum and minimum elevations in the Base Elev box. Click Add
Zone after entering the value.
3ds Max displays the zones in the list under the Create Defaults button.
4 Click the Base Color swatch to change the color of each elevation zone.
For example, you could use a deep blue for low elevations, a light blue
for intermediate elevations, and perhaps greens for higher elevations.
5 Click Solid To Top of Zone to see the elevation changes in a striped effect.
6 Click Blend To Color Above to see the elevation changes blended.

Terrain Compound Object | 665

Interface
Name and Color rollout
Displays the name of the terrain object. 3ds Max uses the name of one of the
selected objects to name the terrain object.

Pick Operand rollout

Pick Operand Adds splines to the terrain object. You might do this if you
didn't select all the objects before generating the terrain object, or if some
objects in the imported data weren't included in the terrain object. You can
also use this option to add existing splines in the current scene to the terrain
object.
Reference/Copy/Move/Instance When you click Pick Operand, the copy
method you designate determines how the operands are used. When Move is
the method, the original contour data is moved from the scene and into the
operands of the new terrain object. Copy, Reference, and Instance retain the
original contour data in the scene and create copies, references or instances
of the contour data as operands in the terrain object. This is similar to the
copy method for Boolean on page 646.
Override Allows you to select closed curves that override any other operand
data within their interior. Within the area an Override operand encloses (as
seen in plan), other curves and points of the mesh are disregarded and the
elevation of the Override operand supersedes them. An Override operand is
indicated in the operands list by a # after its name. Override is only effective
on closed curves. If multiple override operands overlap, later overrides (higher
operand numbers) take preference.

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Parameters rollout

Operands group
Operand list Displays the current operands. Each operand is listed as "Op"
followed by a number and the name of the object that is being used as the
operand. The operand name comprises layer, color, or object type name plus
a numeric suffix.
Delete Operand Deletes a selected operand from the Operands list.

Terrain Compound Object | 667

Form group
■

Graded SurfaceCreates a graded surface of the mesh over the contours.

Terrain created as a graded surface

■

Graded SolidCreates a graded surface with skirts around the sides and a
bottom surface. This represents a solid that is visible from every direction.

■

Layered SolidCreates a "wedding cake" or laminated solid similar to
cardboard architectural models.

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Terrain created as a "layered solid" surface, with levels

Stitch Border When on, suppresses the creation of new triangles around the
edges of terrain objects when edge conditions are defined by splines that are
not closed. Most terrain forms display more reasonably when this is turned
off.
Retriangulate The basic Terrain algorithm tends to flatten or notch contours
when they turn sharply upon themselves. A typical situation in which this
may happen is when a narrow creek bed is described with contours; the
resulting form may look more like a series of cascades at each elevational
contour, rather than a smoothly descending ravine. When Retriangulate is
checked, a somewhat slower algorithm is used that follows contour lines more
closely. This may be particularly evident in the Layered Solid display mode.
For additional precision, try using Retriangulate in conjunction with horizontal
interpolation.

Display group
■

TerrainDisplays only the triangulated mesh over the contour line data.

■

ContoursDisplays only the contour line data of the terrain object.

Terrain Compound Object | 669

■

BothDisplays both the triangulated mesh and the contour line data of the
terrain object. You can select the terrain object by clicking its surface, but
not by clicking a contour line. When Both is selected, contour lines may
not be apparent in Wireframe display modes or when Edged Faces are
displayed.

Update group
The items in this group box determine when 3ds Max recalculates the
projection for the terrain object. Because complex terrain objects can slow
performance, you can use these options to avoid constant calculation.
■

AlwaysUpdates the terrain object immediately when you change an
operand, including the original object of an instanced or referenced
operand.

■

When RenderingUpdates the terrain object when you render the scene or
when you click Update. With this option, viewports won't show current
geometry unless you click Update.

■

ManuallyUpdates the terrain object when you click Update.

Update Updates the terrain object. This button is not enabled only when
Always is the active option.

Simplification rollout

670 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Horizontal group
■

No SimplificationUses all the operands' vertices to create a complex mesh.
This results in greater detail and a larger file size than the two fractional
options.

■

Use 1/2 of PointsUses half the set of vertices in the operands to create a
less complex mesh. This results in less detail and a smaller file size than
using No Simplification.

■

Use 1/4 of PointsUses a quarter of the of vertices in the operands to create
a less complex mesh. This results in the least detail and smallest file size
of these options.

■

Interpolate Points * 2Doubles the set of vertices in the operands to create
a more refined but more complex mesh. This is most effective in terrain
forms that use constructive curves such as circles and ellipses. This results
in more detail and a larger file size than using No Simplification.

■

Interpolate Points * 4Quadruples the set of vertices in the operands to
create a more refined but more complex mesh. This is most effective in
terrain forms that use constructive curves such as circles and ellipses. This
results in more detail and a larger file size than using No Simplification.

Vertical group
■

No SimplificationUses all the spline operandsvertices of the terrain object
to create a complex mesh. This results in greater detail and a larger file size
than the other two options.

■

Use 1/2 of LinesUses half the set of spline operands of the terrain object
to create a less complex mesh. This results in less detail and a smaller file
size than using No Simplification.

■

Use 1/4 of LinesUses a quarter of the of spline operands of the terrain
object to create a less complex mesh. This results in the least detail and
smallest file size of the three options.

Terrain Compound Object | 671

Color by Elevation rollout

Maximum Elev. Displays the maximum elevation in the Z axis of the terrain
object. 3ds Max derives this data from the contour data.
Minimum Elev. Displays the minimum elevation in the Z axis of the terrain
object. 3ds Max derives this data from the contour data.
Reference Elev. This is the reference elevation, or datum, that 3ds Max uses
as a guide for assigning colors to zones of elevation. After entering a reference
elevation, click the Create Defaults button. 3ds Max treats elevations above
the reference elevation as solid land and those below the reference elevation
as water.

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If you enter a value no greater than the minimum elevation in the object, 3ds
Max divides the range between the reference and minimum elevations into
five color zones: dark green, light green, yellow, purple, and light gray.
If you enter a value between the minimum and maximum elevations, 3ds
Max creates six color zones. Two zones (dark blue and light blue) are used for
elevations below the reference elevation. These are considered to be under
water. One zone (dark yellow) is used for a narrow range around the reference
elevation. Three zones (dark green, light green, light yellow) are used for
elevations above the reference elevation.
If you enter a value at or above the maximum elevation, 3ds Max divides the
range between the minimum and reference elevations into three zones (dark
blue, medium blue, light blue).

Zones by Base Elevation group
Create Defaults Creates elevation zones. 3ds Max lists the elevation at the
bottom of each zone, referenced to the datum (the reference elevation). 3ds
Max applies the color of the zone at the base elevation. Whether the colors
blend between zones depends on your choice of the Blend to Color Above or
Solid to Top of Zone option.

Color Zone group
The items in this group box assign colors to elevation zones. For example, you
might want to change levels of blue to indicate the depth for water. Your
changes in the Color Zone area don't affect the terrain object until you click
the Modify Zone or Add Zone button.
Base Elev This is the base elevation of a zone to which you assign color. After
entering a value, click Add Zone to display the elevation in the list under
Create Defaults.
Base Color Click the color swatch to change the color of the zone.
■

Blend to Color AboveBlends the color of the current zone to the color of
the zone above it.

■

Solid to Top of ZoneMakes a solid color at the top of the zone without
blending to the color of the zone above it.

Modify Zone Modifies selected options of a zone.
Add Zone Adds values and selected options for a new zone.
Delete Zone Deletes a selected zone.

Terrain Compound Object | 673

Loft Compound Object
Select a path or shape. ➤
Create panel ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Loft

(Geometry) ➤

Select a path or shape. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Loft
Loft objects are two-dimensional shapes extruded along a third axis. You create
loft objects from two or more existing spline objects. One of these splines
serves the path. The remaining splines serve as cross-sections, or shapes, of
the loft object. As you arrange shapes along the path, 3ds Max generates a
surface between the shapes.

Roadway created as a lofted shape

You create shape objects to serve as a path for any number of cross-section
shapes. The path becomes the framework that holds the cross sections forming
your object. If you designate only one shape on the path, 3ds Max assumes
an identical shape is located at each end of the path. The surface is then
generated between the shapes.

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3ds Max places few restrictions on how you create a loft object. You can create
curved, three-dimensional paths and even three-dimensional cross sections.
When using Get Shape, as you move the cursor over an invalid shape, the
reason the shape is invalid is displayed in the prompt line.
Unlike other compound objects, which are created from the selected object
as soon as you click the compound-object button, a Loft object is not created
until you click Get Shape or Get Path, and then select a shape or path.
Loft is enabled when the scene has one or more shapes. To create a loft object,
first create one or more shapes and then click Loft. Click either Get Shape or
Get Path and select a shape in the viewports.
Once you create a loft object, you can add and replace cross-section shapes
or replace the path. You can also change or animate the parameters of the
path and shapes. Another method is to use the Modify panel's Deformations
rollout to add complexity. See Deformations on page 703 for further
information.
Once you've created a loft object, you can also use the Modify panel's
Deformations rollout to add complexity. See Deformations on page 703 for
further information.
You can't animate the path location of a shape.
You can convert loft objects to NURBS surfaces on page 2500.

Procedures
To create a loft object:
Creating loft objects is detailed and offers many choices, but the basic process
is quite simple.
1 Create a shape to be the loft path.
2 Create one or more shapes to be loft cross sections.
3 Do one of the following:

■

Select the path shape and use Get Shape to add the cross
sections to the loft.

Loft Compound Object | 675

■

Select a shape and use Get Path to assign a path to the loft.
Use Get Shape to add additional shapes.

You can use the loft display settings to view the skin generated by your loft
in both wireframe and shaded views.
NOTE 3ds Max builds the loft at the location of the first object you select: if you
select a path and use Get Shape, it appears at the location of the path, and if you
select a shape and use Get Path, it appears at the location of the shape.
To create a loft with Get Path:
1 Select a shape as the first cross-section shape.

2 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on Loft.
3 On the Creation Method rollout, click Get Path.
4 Choose Move, Copy, or Instance.
5 Click a shape for the path.
The cursor changes to the Get Path cursor as you move it over valid path
shapes. If the cursor does not change over a shape, that shape is not a
valid path shape and cannot be selected. The first vertex of the selected
path is placed at the first shape's pivot and the path tangent is aligned
with the shape's local Z axis.
When you click the path, 3ds Max builds the loft at the location of the
shape. The location of the path doesn’t matter.
To create a loft with Get Shape:
1 Select a valid path shape as the path.
2 If the selected shape is not a valid path, the Get Shape button is
unavailable.

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3 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on Loft.
4 On the Creation Method rollout, click Get Shape.
5 Choose Move, Copy, or Instance.
6 Click a shape.
The cursor changes to the Get Shape cursor as you move it over potential
shapes. The selected shape is placed at the first vertex of the path.
When you click the shape, 3ds Max builds the loft at the location of the
path. The location of the shape doesn’t matter.
TIP You can flip the shape along the path by holding down Ctrl when using
Get Shape. For example, if you select the lowercase letter "b" with a Ctrl+click,
the loft will look like the letter "d".

Creation Method Rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Loft ➤ Creation Method
rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compounds ➤ Loft ➤ Creation
Method rollout
You can choose between a shape or a path for creating the loft object using
the Creation Method rollout, as well as the type of action for the loft object.

Interface

Loft Compound Object | 677

On the Creation Method rollout, you determine whether to use a shape or
path for creating the loft object, and the type of action you want for the
resulting loft object.
NOTE 3ds Max builds the loft at the location of the first object you select: if you
select a path and use Get Shape, it appears at the location of the path, and if you
select a shape and use Get Path, it appears at the location of the shape.
Get Path Assigns a path to the selected shape or changes the current assigned
path.
Get Shape Assigns a shape to the selected path or changes the current assigned
shape.
TIP Hold down Ctrl while getting the shape to flip the direction of the shape's Z
axis.
Move/Copy/Instance Lets you specify how the path or shape is transferred
to the loft object. It can be moved, in which case no copy is left behind, or
transferred as a copy or an instance on page 9195.
TIP Use the Instance option if you expect to edit or modify the path after the loft
is created.

Surface Parameters Rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Loft ➤ Surface Parameters
rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compounds ➤ Loft ➤ Surface
Parameters rollout
On the Surface Parameters rollout, you control smoothing of the surface of
the loft as well as designate if texture mapping is applied along the loft object.

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Interface

Loft Compound Object | 679

Smoothing group

Left: Smoothing the length
Right: Smoothing the width
Rear: Smoothing both length and width

Smooth Length Provides a smooth surface along the length of the path. This
type of smoothing is useful when your path curves or when shapes on the
path change size. Default=on.
Smooth Width Provides a smooth surface around the perimeter of the
cross-section shapes. This type of smoothing is useful when your shapes change
the number of vertices or change form. Default=on.

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Mapping group

Bitmap used to create the lines on the road

Mapped roadway showing U and V dimensions for the loft

Apply Mapping Turns lofted mapping coordinates on and off. Apply Mapping
must be on in order to access the remaining items.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=off.

Loft Compound Object | 681

Length Repeat Sets the number of times a map repeats along the length of
the path. The bottom of the map is placed at the first vertex of the path.
Width Repeat Sets the number of times a map repeats around the perimeter
of cross-section shapes. The left edge of a map is aligned with the first vertex
of each shape.
Normalize Determines how path vertex spacing affects a map along both the
path length and shape width. When on, vertices are ignored. Map coordinates
and Repeat values are applied evenly along the length of the path and around
the shapes. When off, major path divisions and shape vertex spacing affects
map coordinate spacing. Map coordinates and Repeat values are applied
proportionally according to the path division spacing or shape vertex spacing.

Before and after applying Normalize to loft

Materials group
Generate Material IDs Creates Material IDs during the loft process.
Use Shape IDs Offers the choice of using the spline material IDs to define the
material IDs.
NOTE Prior to version 3 of 3ds Max, splines could not hold material IDs.

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NOTE Shape IDs are inherited from shape cross sections, not from the path spline.

Shape material IDs used to give the roadway two materials: concrete for supports and
railings, asphalt with white lines for the traffic lanes

Output Group
Patch The lofting process produces a patch object.
Mesh The lofting process produces a mesh object. This is the default, and was
the only output type available with Loft in versions prior to version 3 of 3ds
Max.
You can also create NURBS objects from lofting by choosing Convert To:
NURBS from the modifier stack right-click menu on page 8789.

Path Parameters Rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Loft ➤ Path Parameters rollout

Loft Compound Object | 683

Select a path or shape. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compounds ➤ Loft ➤ Path
Parameters rollout
The Path Parameters rollout lets you control the position of shapes at various
intervals along the path of the loft object.

Interface

On the Path Parameters rollout, you control the position of multiple shapes
at different intervals along the path of the loft object.
Path Lets you set a path level by entering a value or dragging the spinner. If
Snap is on, the value will jump to the previous snap increment. The Path value
depends on the selected measuring method. Changing the measuring method
causes the Path value to change.

Inserting different shapes at different positions on the path

Snap Lets you set a consistent distance between shapes along the path. The
Snap value depends on the selected measuring method. Changing the
measuring method also changes the Snap value to keep snap spacing constant.
On When On is turned on, Snap is active. Default=off.
Percentage Expresses the path level as a percentage of the total path length.
Distance Expresses the path level as an absolute distance from the first vertex
of the path.

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Path Steps Places shapes on path steps and vertices, rather than as a percentage
or a distance along the path.
When Path Steps is on, the following take place:
■

The Path spinner specifies the step along the path. The first step, at 0, is
the first vertex.

■

The total number of steps, including vertices, appears in parentheses beside
the Path spinner.

■

The current path level is indicated by the standard yellow X when it's a
step, and by a small boxed X when it's a vertex.

■

Get Shape places a selected shape on the specified step or a vertex of the
path.

■

Adaptive Path Steps on the Skin Parameters rollout is unavailable. (If it
were available, the path steps and shapes would change positions along
the path, depending on the result of the adaptive algorithm.)

Please note the following when using the Path Steps option:
■

When you switch to Path Steps with a loft object that already contains
one or more shapes, an alert message tells you that this action may relocate
shapes. This is because there are a limited number of path steps, and only
one shape can be on a single step or vertex. The Percentage and Distance
options, on the other hand, provide an almost unlimited number of levels
on which to place shapes. Thus, if you change from Percentage or Distance
to Path Steps, the shapes must be moved to existing steps. If there are more
shapes than can be moved to nearby steps, you could end up with more
than one shape on a step. Switching from Path Steps to either Percentage
or Distance, however, can always be done without loss of data.

■

If you alter the Path Steps spinner while in Path Steps mode, the location
of your shapes might change. An alert message warns you of this.

■

If you animate the topology of the path while in Path Steps mode (such
as animating the number of sides of an NGon), your shapes might jump
around trying to find a legitimate position, and you could end up with
more than one shape on the same path level.

Pick Shape Sets the current level at any shape on the path. When you pick a
shape on the path, Snap is turned off and Path is set to the level of the picked
shape, where a yellow X appears. Pick Shape is available only from the Modify
panel.

Loft Compound Object | 685

Previous Shape Jumps the path level from its current location to the previous
shape along the path. A yellow X appears at the current level. Clicking this
button turns Snap off.
Next Shape Jumps the path level from its current location to the next shape
along the path. A yellow X appears at the current level. Clicking this button
turns Snap off.

Skin Parameters Rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Loft ➤ Skin Parameters rollout
Select a path or shape. ➤ Create menu ➤ Compounds ➤ Loft ➤ Skin
Parameters rollout
On the Skin Parameters rollout, you adjust the complexity of the mesh of the
loft object. You can also optimize the mesh by controlling the face count.

Procedures
Example: To use a constant cross-section:

1

Maximize the Front viewport, and then draw a Rectangle object
on page 522 with Ctrl held down, to create a square about 20 x 20 units.

2 Create another rectangle beside it about 200 x 100 units.
3 Apply a Skew modifier to the large rectangle, but don't alter the Skew
parameters.
4 Create a loft object in which the larger rectangle is the path and the
square is the shape.

5 On the
Modify panel, open the Skin Parameters rollout, and
make sure Skin is on in the Display group.
You can now see the wireframe structure of the lofted rectangle, with
cross-sectional sides parallel to its corners.

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Make sure the color assigned the loft object is easily visible. Change it if
necessary.
6 Turn off Constant Cross-Section, and observe the corners.
When Constant Cross-Section is off, the corners become pinched.
7 Turn on Constant Cross-Section to restore the corners.
Acute angles can cause problems when the cross sections formed by the
path steps intersect at the corners. You can mitigate this by avoiding
acute angles or by reducing the path steps.
8 Press H on the keyboard to open the Select From Scene dialog on page
184, and select Rectangle02 (the second larger rectangle).

9 On the
Modify panel, change the Skew Axis to Y, and then set
the Amount spinner to 95.

10 Use
(Zoom Region) to zoom in on the upper-right corner of the
rectangle so you can see the mesh in detail.
At a skew of less than 100, the acute angle still works because the path
cross-sections haven't intersected.
11 Set the Skew Amount to 300, and examine the same corner.
At this angle, the path cross sections intersect, causing problems in the
mesh.

12

Select the loft object, and set Path Steps to 1.
The cross sections no longer intersect, and the corner is clean.
When creating straight-edge molding for architectural modeling, you
can avoid mangled corners simply by reducing the path steps to 0.

Loft Compound Object | 687

Interface

Capping group
Cap Start When on, the end of a loft at the first vertex of the path is covered,
or capped. When off, the end is open, or uncapped. Default=on.
Cap End When on, the end of a loft at the last vertex of the path is covered,
or capped. When off, the end is open, or uncapped. Default=on.
Morph Arranges cap faces in a predictable, repeatable pattern necessary for
creating morph targets. Morph capping can generate long, thin faces that do
not render or deform as well as those created with grid capping.
Grid Arranges cap faces in a rectangular grid trimmed at the shape boundaries.
This method produces a surface of evenly sized faces that can be deformed
easily by other modifiers.

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Roadway lofted with capping turned off

Loft Compound Object | 689

Roadway lofted with capping turned on

Options group
Shape Steps Sets the number of steps between each vertex of the cross-section
shapes. This value affects the number of sides around the perimeter of the
loft.

690 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Left: Shape Steps=0.
Right: Shape Steps=4.

Path Steps Sets the number of steps between each main division of the path.
This value affects the number of segments along the length of the loft.

Loft Compound Object | 691

Frame lofted with Path Steps=1

692 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Frame lofted with Path Steps=5

Optimize Shapes When on, the Shape Steps setting is ignored for straight
segments of cross-section shapes. If multiple shapes are on the path, only
straight segments that have a match on all shapes are optimized. Default=off.

Loft Compound Object | 693

Left: Optimize Shapes turned on
Right: Optimize Shapes turned off

Optimize Path When on, the Path Steps setting is ignored for straight segments
of the path. Curved sections respect the Path steps setting. Available only with
Path Steps mode. Default=off.

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When Optimize Path is off, the lofted roadway uses more steps.

Loft Compound Object | 695

When Optimize Path is on, straight sections of the lofted roadway don't require
additional steps.

Adaptive Path Steps When on, analyzes the loft and adapts the number of
path divisions to generate the best skin. Main divisions along the path occur
at path vertices, shape locations, and deformation curve vertices. When off,
main divisions along the path occur only at path vertices. Default=on.
Contour When on, each shape follows the curvature of the path. The positive
Z axis of each shape is aligned with the tangent to the path at the shape's
level. When off, shapes remain parallel and have the same orientation as a
shape placed at level 0. Default=on.

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Lofting the roadway with Contour off causes it to twist.

Loft Compound Object | 697

Roadway lofted with Contour turned on

Banking When on, shapes rotate about the path whenever the path bends
and changes height in the path's local Z axis. The bank amount is controlled
by 3ds Max. Banking is ignored if the path is 2D. When off, shapes do not
rotate about their Z axis as they traverse a 3D path. Default=on.

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Roadway lofted with Banking turned on

Constant Cross Section When on, the cross sections are scaled at angles in
the path to maintain uniform path width. When off, the cross sections
maintain their original local dimensions, causing pinching at path angles.

Loft Compound Object | 699

Frame lofted with Constant Cross Section turned off

700 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Frame lofted with Constant Cross Section turned on

Linear Interpolation When on, generates a loft skin with straight edges
between each shape. When off, generates a loft skin with smooth curves
between each shape. Default=off.

Loft Compound Object | 701

Left: Object lofted with Linear Interpolation turned off
Right: Object lofted with Linear Interpolation turned on

Flip Normals When on, reverses the normals 180 degrees. Use this option to
correct objects that are inside-out. Default=off.
Quad sides When on, and when two sections of a loft object have the same
number of sides, the faces that stitch the sections together are displayed as
quads. Sides between sections with different numbers of sides are not affected,
and are still connected with triangles. Default=off.
Transform Degrade Causes the loft skin to disappear during sub-object
shape/path transformations. For example, moving a vertex on the path causes
the loft to disappear. When off, you can see the skin during these Sub-Object
transformations. Default=off.

Display group
Skin When on, displays a loft's skin in all views using any shading level and
ignores the Skin In Shaded setting. When off, displays only the loft sub-objects.
Default=on.

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Skin in Shaded When on, displays a loft's skin in shaded views regardless of
the Skin setting. When off, skin display is controlled by the Skin setting.
Default=on.
The loft object now retains the Skin and Skin In Shaded settings from one loft
object to the next one created.

Deformations
Select a Loft object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout

Deformation controls let you scale, twist, teeter, bevel or fit shapes along the
path. The interface for all deformations is a graph. Lines with control points
on the graph represent the deformations along the path. Control points on
the graphs can be moved or animated for modeling purposes or for various
special effects.
Manually creating and placing shapes along the path to produce these models
would be a difficult task. Lofts solve this problem through the use of
deformation curves. The deformation curves define changes in scale, twisting,
teetering, and beveling along the path.
You gain access to loft deformation curves through the Modify panel's
Deformations rollout. Deformations are not available in the Create panel. You
must open the Modify panel after you’ve lofted to access the Deformations
rollout, which offers the following features:
■

Each deformation button displays its own deformation dialog.

■

You can display any or all of the deformation dialogs simultaneously.

■

The button to the right of each deformation button is a toggle to enable
or disable the deformation's effect.

See also:
■

Deformation Dialog on page 716

Loft Compound Object | 703

Procedures
To apply deformations to a loft:

1

Select a loft object.

2 Go to the
Modify panel and choose Loft from the modifier stack
display if it's not already displayed.
3 Expand the Deformations rollout.
4 Click the deformation that you want to use.
The window for the selected deformation appears.
To toggle the deformation effect:
■

Click Enable/Disable to the right of the deformation buttons.

Interface

Deform Scale on page 705
Deform Twist on page 706
Deform Teeter on page 708
Deform Bevel on page 711
Deform Fit on page 713

704 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Deform Scale
Select a Loft object. ➤
Scale

Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout ➤

You can loft objects such as columns and bugles from a single shape that
changes only its scale as it travels along a path. Use Scale deformation when
you want to make these types of objects.
TIP By animating scale, a loft object can appear to travel along a path. Using this
technique, you can create animations in which letters or lines write themselves
onto the screen.
These are the properties of Scale deformation curves:
■

The two curves are red for X-axis scaling and green for Y-axis scaling.

■

Default curve values are at 100%.

■

Values greater than 100% make the shape larger.

■

Values between 100% and 0% make the shape smaller.

■

Negative values scale and mirror the shape.

See Deformation Dialog on page 716 for specific information on the dialog
controls.

Loft Compound Object | 705

Scale deformation curve dialog

Procedures
To use Scale deformation:

1

Select a loft object.

2 Click Loft in the modifier stack display.
3 Click Scale on the Deformations rollout.
4 Edit the deformation curves for the X axis and Y axis.

Deform Twist
Select a Loft object. ➤
Twist

Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout ➤

Twist deformation lets you create objects that spiral or twist along their length.
Twist specifies the amount of rotation about the path.

706 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Twist deformation curve dialog

Using twist to deform the lofted roadway

These are the properties of Twist deformation curves:
■

A single red curve determines shape rotation about the path.

■

The default curve value is 0 degrees of rotation.

■

Positive values produce counterclockwise rotation, when viewed from the
start of the path.

■

Negative values produce clockwise rotation.

Loft Compound Object | 707

Both twist deformation and banking produce rotation about the path.
Twist rotation is added to a shape after the banking angle is applied. You
can use Twist deformation to exaggerate or reduce the amount of banking.

■

See Deformation Dialog on page 716 for specific information on the dialog
controls.

Procedures
To use Twist deformation:

1

Select a loft object.

2 Click Loft in the modifier stack display.
3 Click Twist on the Deformations rollout.
4 Edit the single deformation curve to specify rotation about the path.

Deform Teeter
Select a Loft object. ➤
Teeter

Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout ➤

Teeter deformation rotates shapes about their local X axis and Y axis. Teetering
is what 3ds Max does automatically when you select Contour on the Skin
Parameters rollout. Use Teeter deformation when you want to manually control
contour effects.

708 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Teeter deformation curve dialog

Roadway lofted with no teeter

Loft Compound Object | 709

Roadway lofted with teeter turned on. Teeter affects the X and Y axis orientation of
the shape in relation to the path.

These are the properties of Teeter deformation curves:
■

The two curves are red for X-axis rotation and green for Y-axis rotation.

■

Default curve values are at 0 degrees rotation.

■

Positive values rotate the shape counterclockwise about the shape's positive
axis.

■

Negative values rotate the shape clockwise about the shape's positive axis.

See Deformation Dialog on page 716 for specific information on the dialog
controls.

710 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To use Teeter deformation:

1

Select a loft object.

2 Click Loft in the modifier stack display.
3 Click Teeter on the Deformations rollout.
4 Edit the deformation curves for X axis and Y axis rotation.

Deform Bevel
Select a Loft object. ➤
Bevel

Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout ➤

Nearly every object that you encounter in the real world is beveled. Because
it is difficult and expensive to manufacture a perfectly sharp edge, most objects
are created with chamfered, filleted, or eased edges. Use Bevel deformation to
simulate these effects.

Loft Compound Object | 711

Roadway with beveled edges

NOTE Bevel is not available when loft output is set to Patch.
These are the properties of Bevel deformation curves:
■

The single red curve is for bevel amount.

■

Bevel values are specified in current units.

■

The default curve value is 0 units.

■

Positive values reduce the shape, bringing it closer to the path.

■

Negative values add to the shape, moving it away from the path.

When shapes are nested, the bevel direction is reversed for interior shapes.
See Deformation Dialog on page 716 for specific information on the dialog
controls.

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Normal and Adaptive Beveling
The Bevel Deformation dialog provides three types of beveling: Normal,
Adaptive Linear, and Adaptive Cubic. These are available from a flyout at the
right end of the dialog toolbar.
With normal beveling, the beveled shape remains parallel to the original,
regardless of the crotch angle of the shape. Steep crotch angles combined with
excessive bevel amounts result in overshooting at the crotch.
Adaptive beveling alters the length of the bevel shape based on the crotch
angle. Adaptive Linear alters the length-to-angle in a linear fashion. Adaptive
Cubic alters it more on steep angles than on shallow angles, producing a subtly
different effect. Both forms of adaptive beveling result in nonparallel beveled
edges, and both are less likely to produce invalid bevels due to overshoots at
the crotch.
To see the differences in the three types of beveling, loft a star shape along a
straight path and apply a bevel. When you switch among the three types of
beveling, you'll see the difference in the bevel outline. Alter one radius of the
star to examine the beveling with shallow and with sharp crotch angles.

Procedures
To use Bevel deformation:

1

Select a loft object.

2 Click Loft in the modifier stack display.
3 Click Bevel on the Deformations rollout.
4 Adjust the deformation curve.

Deform Fit
Select a Loft object. ➤
Fit

Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout ➤

Loft Compound Object | 713

Fit deformation lets you use two Fit curves to define the top and side profiles
of your object. Use Fit deformation when you want to generate loft objects
by drawing their profiles.

Fit curves define a lofted shape.

Fit shapes are really scale boundaries. As your cross-section shape travels along
the path, its X axis is scaled to fit the boundaries of the X-axis fit shape and
its Y axis is scaled to fit the boundaries of the Y-axis fit shape.
NOTE Fit is not available when loft output is set to Patch.

Procedures
To use Fit deformation:

1

Select a loft object.

2 Click Loft in the modifier stack display.
3 Click Fit on the Deformations rollout.

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4 In the viewport, click the shapes to use as fit curves.

Interface
Fit Deformation dialog

The Fit Deformation dialog contains different buttons than the other
deformations. For descriptions of the first eight buttons on the toolbar, see
Deformation Dialog on page 716. The following descriptions apply to the tools
specific to Fit deformation, and are listed from left to right in the order they
appear on the toolbar.

Fit Deformation toolbar

Mirror Horizontally Mirrors the shape across the horizontal axis.

Mirror Vertically Mirrors the shape across the vertical axis.

Rotate 90 CCW Rotates the shape 90 degrees counterclockwise.

Loft Compound Object | 715

Rotate 90 CW Rotates the shape 90 degrees clockwise.

Delete Control Point Deletes the selected control point.

Reset Curve Replaces the displayed Fit curve with a rectangle 100
units wide and centered on the path. If Make Symmetrical is on, both Fit
curves are reset even though only one might be displayed.

Delete Curve Deletes the displayed Fit curve. If Make Symmetrical
is on, both Fit curves are deleted even though only one might be displayed.

Get Shape Lets you select the shape to use for Fit deformation. Click
Get Shape, and then click the shape to use in a viewport.

Generate Path Replaces the original path with a new straight-line
path.

Deformation Dialog
Select a Loft object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Deformations rollout ➤
Scale, Twist, Teeter, Bevel, or Fit
The Deformation dialogs for Scale, Twist, Teeter, Bevel, and Fit use the same
basic layout.
The buttons in the window's toolbar and prompt area perform the following
functions:
■

Change deformation curve display.

716 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Edit control points (these can be animated).

■

Navigate the Deformation dialog.

Editing Deformation Curves
A deformation curve starts as a straight line using a constant value. To produce
more elaborate curves, you insert control points and change their properties.
Use the buttons in the center of the Deformation dialog toolbar to insert and
change deformation curve control points (see Interface, later in this topic).

Control Point Types
Control points on a deformation curve can produce curves or sharp corners,
depending on the control point type. To change a control point type,
right-click the control point and choose one of these from the shortcut menu:
■

CornerNon-adjustable linear control point producing a sharp corner.

■

Bezier CornerAdjustable Bezier control point with discontinuous tangent
handles set to produce a sharp corner. This type produces a curve that
looks like the corner type but has control handles like the Bezier Smooth
type.

■

Bezier SmoothAdjustable Bezier control point with locked continuous
tangent handles set to produce a smooth curve.

Selecting Control Points
Use the Move Control Point and Scale Control Point buttons with standard
selection techniques to select control points.

Procedures
To drag Bezier tangent handles:

1

Select one or more Bezier Smooth or Bezier Corner control points
to display their tangent handles.

2 Click one of the Move Control Point buttons.

Loft Compound Object | 717

3 Drag any tangent handle.
■

Only the tangent handle you drag is affected. Tangent handles on
other selected control points do not change.

■

If the tangent handle you drag is part of a Bezier Smooth control
point, both handles move to maintain the Bezier Smooth type.

■

If the tangent handle you drag is part of a Bezier Corner control point,
only that handle moves.

To move a control point using the Position and Amount fields:

1

Select a single control point.

2 Do one of the following:
■

Move the control point horizontally by entering a value in the Position
field.

■

Move the control point vertically by entering a value in the Amount
field.

To change the control point type:
You can change control point types at any time by right-clicking a selection
of one or more control points.

1

Select one or more control points.

2 Right-click any selected control point.
3 Choose a control point type from the shortcut menu.
The following conditions apply to changing control point types:
■

The first and last control points must use the Corner or Bezier Corner
type.

■

Converting a Bezier Smooth point to a Bezier Corner point unlocks
the tangent handles but does not change their position. The curve
appears smooth until you drag one of the tangent handles.

718 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Converting a Bezier Corner point or inserted Bezier point to Bezier
Smooth locks the tangent handles and changes their position and
magnitude. The handles are rotated to the average between their two
angles. The handle magnitudes are averaged and set equal.

Interface

Toolbar
Buttons for working with a second curve are disabled for the Twist and Bevel
deformations, which use only one curve. The disabled buttons are Make
Symmetrical, Display X Axis, Display Y Axis, Display XY Axes, and Swap
Deform Curves.

Make Symmetrical You can apply the same deformation to both axes
of a shape using Make Symmetrical, which is both an action button and a
curve editing mode. Turning on Make Symmetrical has the following effect:
■

When a single curve is displayed, it copies the displayed deformation curve
to the curve for the hidden axis.

■

When both axes are displayed, the Apply Symmetry dialog is also displayed.
Click the button for the curve you want to apply to both axes.

■

Changes you make to the selected curve are duplicated on the other curve.

When Make Symmetrical is not active, curve editing is applied only to the
selected curve.

Loft Compound Object | 719

Display X Axis / Y Axis / XY Axes You can display one or both deformation
curves using the curve display buttons near the upper-left corner of the
Deformation dialog.
Turn on the following buttons to display deformation curves:

■

Display X AxisDisplays only the X axis deformation curve in red.

■

Display Y AxisDisplays only the Y axis deformation curve in green.

■

Display XY AxesDisplays X axis and Y axis deformation curves
together, each using its own color.

Swap Deform Curves Copies curves between the X axis and Y axis.
This button is disabled when Make Symmetrical is on.
Click Swap Deform Curves to copy the X axis curve to the Y axis, and the Y
axis curve to the X axis. It doesn't matter which curve is currently displayed
or selected.
Move Control Points This flyout contains three buttons for moving control
points and Bezier handles:

■

Move Control PointChanges the amount of deformation (vertical
movement) and the location of the deformation (horizontal movement).

■

Move VerticalChanges the amount of deformation without
changing the location.

■

Move HorizontalChanges the location of the deformation without
changing the amount.

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If one control point is selected, you can move it by entering values in the
control point Position and Amount fields at the bottom of the Deformation
dialog.
You cannot move end points horizontally. Intermediate control points are
constrained horizontally to stay between the points on either side. The amount
of horizontal constraint is determined by the control point type.
■

You can move corner control points very close together, until one is directly
above the other.

■

You can move Bezier control points no closer than the length of their
tangent handles.

Moving Bezier Tangent Handles You can use the Move Control Point buttons
to drag a tangent handle's angle and magnitude on Bezier Smooth and Bezier
Corner vertices.
Dragging a tangent handle has the following constraints:
■

You cannot move tangent angles beyond vertical. This prevents
deformation curves from doubling back on themselves.

■

You cannot move tangent magnitudes beyond the preceding or next control
point on the path.

Pressing Shift while moving a Bezier Smooth tangent handle converts the
control point to a Bezier Corner type.

Scale Control Point Scales the value of one or more selected control
points with respect to 0. Use this function when you want to change only the
deformation amounts of selected control points while maintaining their
relative ratio of values.
■

Drag downward to reduce values.

■

Drag upward to increase values.

Insert Control Point This flyout contains buttons for inserting two control
point types.

Insert Corner Point Click anywhere on a deformation curve to insert
a corner control point at that location.

Loft Compound Object | 721

Insert Bezier Point Click anywhere on a deformation curve to insert
a modified Bezier control point at that location. The tangent handles of the
Bezier control point are set to maintain the shape of the curve before the point
was inserted.
If you are not sure which type of control point you need, or if you change
your mind, you can convert the point to another type by right-clicking the
point and selecting the type from the shortcut menu.
Both Insert Control Point buttons put you in insertion mode. Right-click or
choose another button to exit the mode.

Delete Control Point Deletes selected control points. You can also
delete selected points by pressing the Delete key.

Reset Curve Deletes all but the end control points and sets the curves
back to their default values.
Bevel Type This flyout, available only in the Bevel Deformation dialog, lets
you choose Normal, Adaptive Linear or Adaptive Cubic as the bevel type. For
more information, see Deform Bevel on page 711.

Deformation grid
The area in the Deformation dialog that displays the deformation curves is
called the deformation grid. This grid charts the value of the deformation
along the length of the path.
These are the main grid components:
Active area The light-colored area of the grid defines the first and last vertex
boundaries of the path. The ends of the deformation curve lie on each
boundary and cannot be moved off the boundary.
Horizontal lines Mark deformation values on the vertical scale. The following
table lists each deformation curve type and the meaning of the deformation
values.
Deformation Type

Deformation Value

Scale

Percentage

Twist

Rotation Angle

722 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Deformation Type

Deformation Value

Teeter

Rotation Angle

Bevel

Current Units

The thick horizontal line at 0 represents the deformation value at the loft
path.
Vertical lines Mark levels of the path. The levels displayed vary with the
Adaptive Path Steps setting on the Skin Parameters rollout on page 686.
If Adaptive Path Steps is on, levels are displayed at all path vertices and shape
locations.
If Adaptive Path Steps is off, levels are displayed only at path vertices.
Path ruler Measures the length of the path. The values on the ruler measure
percentage along the path. You can drag the path ruler vertically in the
Deformation dialog.
Deformation curves You can see one or two curves in the Deformation dialog,
based on the deformation type and the curve display setting. The curves are
color-coded by axis.
A red curve displays deformation along the shape's local X axis. A green curve
displays deformation along the shape's local Y axis.
Control Point fields At the bottom of the Deformation dialog are two edit
fields. When a single control point is selected these fields display the path
location and deformation amount of the control point.
Control Point Position The left field displays the location of the control point
on the loft path as a percentage of the total path length.
Control Point Amount The right field displays the deformation value of the
control point.

Deformation Dialog status bar
The Deformation dialogs have their own view navigation buttons in the
lower-right corner. These give you controls for zooming and panning the view
of the deformation grid as you edit the curve values. The status bar also displays
information about the current tool and the selected control point.
Numeric fields These two fields are accessible only if a single control point
is selected. The first gives the point's horizontal position, and the second gives
its vertical position, or value. You can edit these fields with the keyboard.

Loft Compound Object | 723

Lock Aspect This button is present only in the Fit Deformation dialog.
When active, it restricts zooming to vertical and horizontal at the same time.

Zoom Extents Changes the view magnification so the entire
deformation curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontal Extents Changes the view magnification along the
path length so the entire path area is visible in the dialog.

Zoom Vertical Extents Changes the view magnification along the
deformation values so the entire deformation curve is displayed in the dialog.

Zoom Horizontally Changes magnification along the path length.
■

Drag to the right to increase magnification.

■

Drag to the left to decrease magnification.

Zoom Vertically Changes magnification along the deformation value.
■

Drag upward to increase magnification.

■

Drag downward to decrease magnification.

Zoom Changes magnification along both the path length and the
deformation value, preserving the curve aspect ratio.
■

Drag upward to increase magnification.

■

Drag downward to decrease magnification.

Zoom Region Drag a region on the deformation grid. The region is
then magnified to fill the deformation dialog.

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Pan Drag in the view to move in any direction.
Scroll bars Drag the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to pan the view in a
single direction.

Path Commands
Select a Loft object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display ➤
Sub-object level ➤ Path ➤ Path Commands
The Path Commands rollout appears only when you are modifying an existing
loft object and have selected Path from the Sub-Object list. The Put command
allows you to make a copy or instance of the loft path.

Interface

Put group
Put Places the path into the scene as a separate object (as a Copy or Instance).

Shape Commands
Select a Loft object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display ➤
Sub-object level ➤ Shape ➤ Shape Commands rollout
Shape Commands let you align and compare shapes along the loft path.

Loft Compound Object | 725

Interface

Path Level Adjusts the shape's position on the path.
Compare Displays the Compare dialog on page 727 in which you can compare
any number of cross-section shapes.
Reset Undoes rotation and scale of the shape performed with the Select and
Rotate or Select and Scale.
Delete Deletes the shape from the loft object.

Align group
The six buttons in this group let you align the selected shape in relation to
the path. Looking down at a shape from the viewport in which it's created,
the orientation is left to right along the X axis, and top to bottom along the
Y axis.
You can use a combination of these buttons for placements such as corner
alignment. The operations are additive. In other words, you can use both
Bottom and Left to place the shape in the lower-left quadrant.
Center Centers the shape on the path, based on the bounding box of the
shape.
Default Returns the shape to its position when first placed on the loft path.
When you use Get Shape, the shape is placed so that the path goes through
its pivot point. This is not always the same as the center of the shape.
Therefore, clicking Center is different than clicking Default.

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Left Aligns the left edge of the shape to the path.
Right Aligns the right edge of the shape to the path.
Top Aligns the top edge of the shape to the path.
Bottom Aligns the bottom edge of the shape to the path.

Put group
Put Puts the shape into the scene as a separate object.

Compare Dialog
Select a Loft object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display ➤
Sub-object level ➤ Shape ➤ Shape Commands rollout ➤ Compare button
The Compare dialog lets you compare any number of cross-section shapes in
a loft object for purposes of making sure their first vertices are properly aligned.
If shapes' first vertices aren't aligned, unexpected lofting results can occur.

Loft Compound Object | 727

Interface

Pick Shape Lets you select shapes to display from the selected loft
object. Click the Pick Shape button in the upper-left corner of the dialog.
Then, in the viewport, select the shapes to display. Select a shape a second
time to remove it from the display.
When you position the mouse cursor over a shape in the loft object, the cursor
image changes to show whether the shape appears in the dialog window: a +
sign appears if the shape isn't selected (indicating that if you select the shape,
it will be added to the dialog window), and a - sign appears if the shape is
already selected.

728 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

With each shape, the Compare dialog displays the first vertex as a small square.
For correct lofting, the first vertices of all shapes on the path need to be in
the same position.

Reset Removes all shapes from the display.

Dialog controls
You can scroll the Compare dialog with the scroll bars at the bottom and right
sides. You can also use the buttons in the lower-right corner to perform View
Extents, Pan, Zoom, and Zoom Region functions.

Align group
While the Compare dialog is open, you can affect the shapes' positions in the
dialog window with the Shape Commands rollout ➤ Align group buttons.
Turn off Pick Shape, select a shape in the viewport, and then click the Align
group buttons. See Shape Commands on page 725 for further information.

Mesher Compound Object
Create panel ➤
Type rollout ➤ Mesher

(Geometry) ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Object

Create menu ➤ Compound ➤ Mesher
The Mesher compound object converts procedural objects to mesh objects on
a per-frame basis so that you can apply modifiers such as Bend or UVW Map.
It can be used with any type of object, but is designed primarily to work with
particle systems on page 3323. Mesher is also useful for low-overhead instancing
of objects with complex modifier stacks.

Procedures
To use a Mesher object:
1 Add and set up a particle system.

Mesher Compound Object | 729

2 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on Mesher.
3 Drag in a viewport to add the Mesher object. The size doesn't matter, but
the orientation should be the same as that of the particle system.

4 Go to the
Modify panel, click the Pick Object button, and then
select the particle system.
The Mesher object becomes a clone of the particle system, and shows the
particles as mesh objects in the viewports no matter what the particle
system's Viewport Display setting is.
5 Apply a modifier to the Mesher object, and set its parameters. For example,
you might apply a Bend modifier and set its Angle parameter to 180.

6

Play the animation.
Depending on the original particle system and its settings, as well as any
modifiers applied to the Mesher object, you might be getting unexpected
results. This typically occurs because the bounding box for the modifier,
as applied to the particle system, is recalculated at each frame. For
example, with a bent Super Spray particle system set to spread out over
time, as the particles stream away and separate, the bounding box becomes
longer and thicker, potentially causing unexpected results. To resolve
this, you can use another object to specify a static bounding box.

7 To use another object's bounding box to limit the modified Mesher object,
first add and set up the object. Its position, orientation, and size are all
used in calculating the bounding box.

8

Select the Mesher object, and go to the Mesher stack level.

9 On the Parameters rollout, turn on Custom Bounding Box, click the Pick
Bounding box button, and then select the bounding box object.
The particle stream uses the new, static bounding box.

730 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

TIP You can use any object as a bounding box, so it is often fastest to use
the particle system itself. Move to the frame where the particle system is the
size you want and pick it.
In the following illustration, you can see a Super Spray particle system
(left) and a Mesher object derived from the Super Spray (right). A Bend
modifier is applied to the Mesher. In the center is a box object being used
as a custom bounding box. The bounding box applied to the Bend
modifier is visible as an orange wireframe when the modifier is highlighted
in the stack.

Using a custom bounding box with a bent particle system

To modify the particles aspect of the Mesher, edit the original particle
system.
To modify the custom bounding box, move, rotate, or scale the bounding
box object, and then reapply it using the Mesher object.
At this point, both particle systems will render. The original particle
system must exist in order to be able to be used by the Mesher object, so
if you want only the Mesher replica to render, hide the original system
before rendering.

Mesher Compound Object | 731

Interface
Parameters rollout

Pick Object Click this button and then select the object to be instanced by
the Mesher object. After doing so, the name of the instanced object appears
on the button.

732 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Time Offset The number of frames ahead of or behind the original particle
system that the Mesher's particle system will run. Default=0.
Build Only At Render Time When on, the Mesher results do not appear in
the viewports, but only when you render the scene. Default=off.
Use this option to reduce the amount of computation required for the viewport
display.
Update After editing the original particle system settings or changing the
Mesher Time Offset setting, click this button to see the changes in the Mesher
system.
Custom Bounding Box When on, Mesher replaces the dynamic bounding
box derived from the particle system and modifier with a static bounding box
of the user's choice.
Pick Bounding Box To specify a custom bounding box object, click this
button and then select the object.
The custom bounding box appears as an orange wireframe when the modifier
is highlighted in the stack.
TIP You can use any object as a bounding box, so it is often fastest to use the
particle system itself. Move to the frame where the particle system is the size you
want and pick it.
(coordinate values) Displays the coordinates of the opposite corners of the
custom bounding box.
Use All PFlow Events When on, and you've applied Mesher to a Particle Flow
on page 3033 system, Mesher automatically creates mesh objects for every event
on page 9148 in the system.
To use only certain events, turn this off and specify the events to use with the
PFlow Events group controls (see following).

PFlow Events group
When the Mesher object is applied to a Particle Flow system, use these controls
to create meshes for specific events in the system. Mesher does not create
meshes for the remaining events.
[list box] Displays all Particle Flow events currently affected by Mesher.
Add Lets you specify Particle Flow events to be affected by Mesher.
If the Mesher object is applied to a Particle Flow system, when you click Add,
an Add PF Events dialog opens listing all events in the system. Highlight the
events to add, and then click OK. The events now appear in the list.

Mesher Compound Object | 733

Remove Deletes highlighted events from the list.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects
The ProBoolean and ProCutter compound objects provide you with modeling
tools for combining 2D and 3D shapes in ways that would be difficult or
impossible otherwise.
The ProBoolean compound object on page 736 takes a 3ds Max mesh and adds
extra intelligence to it prior to performing Boolean operations. First it combines
the topologies, then it determines coplanar triangles and removes incident
edges. The Booleans are then performed not on triangles but N-sided polygons.
Once the Boolean operations are completed, the result is retriangulated and
sent back into 3ds Max with coplanar edges hidden. The result of this extra
work is twofold: The reliability of the Boolean object is extremely high, and
the resulting output is much cleaner in terms of having fewer small edges and
triangles.

734 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Objects combined by using ProBoolean

Advantages of ProBoolean over the legacy 3ds Max Boolean compound object
include:
■

Better quality mesh: fewer small edges, fewer narrow triangles.

■

Smaller mesh: fewer vertices and faces.

■

Easier and faster to use: unlimited objects per Boolean operation.

■

Cleaner-looking mesh: coplanar edges remain hidden.

■

Integrated decimation and quad meshing

In addition, ProCutter on page 758 is an excellent tool for exploding, breaking
apart, assembling, sectioning, or fitting together objects such as a 3D puzzle.
See the following illustration for an example of a goblet shattering.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 735

Shattering a glass by use of the ProCutter object

ProBoolean Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ ProBoolean

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

A Boolean object combines two or more other objects by performing a Boolean
operation or operations on them. ProBoolean adds a range of functionality
to the traditional 3ds Max Boolean object, such as the ability to combine
multiple objects at once, each using a different Boolean operation.
ProBoolean can also automatically subdivide the Boolean result into
quadrilateral faces, which lends itself well to smoothing edges with
MeshSmooth on page 1450 and TurboSmooth on page 1767.

Materials, Textures, Vertex Colors
ProBoolean and ProCutter transfer texture coordinates, vertex colors, optionally
materials, and maps from the operands to the final results. You can choose
to apply the operand material to the resulting faces, or you can retain the
original material. If one of the original operands had material maps or vertex
colors, the resulting faces derived from that operand maintain those graphical
attributes. However, when texture coordinates or vertex colors are present, it
is impossible to remove coplanar faces, so the resulting mesh quality will be
lower. We suggest that you apply textures after the ProBoolean operations.

736 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

ProBoolean provides two options for applying materials, available in the Apply
Material group on the Parameters rollout (see above illustration). The default
method is Apply Operand Material, which applies the operand material to the
resulting faces. The alternative, Retain Original Material, causes the resulting
faces to use the material of the first selected object in the Boolean operation.
The following illustration shows the difference between the two methods.
The Boolean operation starts with a red box and a blue sphere, on the left.
The box is used as the base object and the sphere is the subtracted operand.
Using the default Apply Operand Material option gives the result shown in
the center of the illustration. Choosing Retain Original Material yields the
result shown on the right side of the illustration.

Left: Original operands
Middle: Apply Operand Material active
Right: Retain Original material active

Supported Boolean Operations
ProBoolean supports Union, Intersection, Subtraction, Merge, Attach, and
Insert. The first three operations work similarly to their counterparts in the
standard Boolean compound object. The Merge operation intersects and

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 737

combines two meshes without removing any of the original polygons. This
can be useful for cases in which you need to selectively remove parts of the
mesh.
The Attach operation combines multiple objects into one without affecting
their topology; they remain essentially separate elements on page 9143 of the
compound object. And the Insert operation subtracts the bounding shape of
operand A from operand B, and then replaces the cut-out part with operand
A.
Also supported are two variants of the Boolean operations: Imprint and Cookie
Cutter. The Imprint option inserts (imprints) the intersection edges between
the operands and the original mesh without removing or adding faces. Imprint
only splits faces and adds new edges to the mesh of the base object (original
selected object). Cookie Cutter performs the specified Boolean operation but
does not add the faces from the operands into the original mesh. It can be
used to cut a hole in a mesh or to get the portion of a mesh inside of another
object.

Editing the Boolean Object
When you access a ProBoolean or ProCutter object from the Modify panel,
you can add operands to the existing set. You can also remove and transform
(move, rotate, etc.) operands.

Polygon Reduction
ProBoolean and ProCutter have a built-in decimation function. Typically,
decimation is of better quality if it is integrated with the Boolean operations.
The reason for this is that the Boolean object contains meta-information about
which edges are intersection edges. The decimation function takes this
information into account and uses it to properly maintain intersection edges.

Text, Lofts and NURBS
When performing Boolean operations with text objects on page 535, make sure
characters don't intersect each other and that each letter is closed. Also, it's
easy to inadvertently create loft objects on page 674 and NURBS objects on
page 2433 in such a way as to have self-intersections. With loft objects, check
the ends and points where the loft curve bends.
See also:
■

ProCutter Compound Object on page 758

738 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Procedures
To create a ProBoolean compound object:
1 Set up objects for the Boolean operation. For example, to subtract spherical
shapes from a box, create the box and spheres and arrange the spheres
so that their volumes intersect the box where the subtractions should
take place.
2 Select the base object. In the example in step 1, you would select the box.

3 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on ProBoolean.
4 On the Parameters rollout, choose the type of Boolean operation you
want to use: Union, Intersection, Subtraction, etc. Also choose how 3ds
Max will transfer the next operand you pick into the Boolean object:
Reference, Copy, Move, or Instance. You can also choose to retain the
original material, or keep the default Apply Material choice: Apply
Operand Material.
5 Click the Start Picking button.
6 Pick one or more objects to participate in the Boolean operation.
7 As you pick objects, you can also change, for each newly picked object,
the Boolean operation (Merge, etc.) and options (Cookie or Imprint), as
well as how the next operand is transferred to the Boolean (Reference,
Copy, etc.) and the Apply Material choice. You can continue picking
operands as long as the Start Picking button stays pressed in. Each of the
objects you pick is added to the Boolean operation.
When the Modify panel is active, you can add objects to a selected
ProBoolean object by clicking the Start Picking button and then picking
the objects to add.
Example: To change an existing Boolean with sub-object operations:
ProBoolean offers a great deal of flexibility in combining various Boolean
operations simultaneously, plus the ability to change the way operands
combine both as you build the Boolean object and after the fact.
1 Start by adding a box, a sphere, a smaller box, and a cylinder, as shown
in the following illustration.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 739

Top: Front viewport
Bottom: Perspective viewport

740 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

2

Select the box.

3 On the
Create panel, with
(Geometry) active, choose
Compound Objects from the drop-down list. On the Object Type rollout,
turn on ProBoolean.
4 On the Parameters rollout, in the Operation group, choose Intersection.

5 On the Pick Boolean rollout, click Start Picking, and then click the sphere.
The result is the intersection of the sphere and the box; that is, a single
object that represents the common volume both objects occupy. In this
case, it's the overlap of the sphere and the box. Although neither has a
material at this point, the result uses the default color originally assigned
by 3ds Max, at random, to the box when it was created.

Note that Start Picking stays active (yellow). This means you can continue
picking objects to incorporate into the Boolean object, optionally
changing the operation as you go.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 741

6 Set Operation to Union, and then click the small box.
The result is the union (adding) of the small box with the intersection
of the sphere and larger box. Again, the original object's color is assigned
to the result.

7 Set Operation to Subtraction, and then click the cylinder.
The cylinder's intersecting volume is subtracted from the previous Boolean
result.

742 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Note that the entire history of operands and operations used to build the
Boolean object is listed in the hierarchy view list at the bottom of the
Parameters rollout. Box01 starts the Boolean with Union, Sphere01 is
then incorporated with Intersection, Box02 is incorporated with Union,
and finally Cylinder01 is incorporated with Subtraction.
NOTE The operation for the first object in the list has no effect on the Boolean
object, but if you move it to another position in the list it does. You'll see an
example of this at the end of this exercise.
You can use the list and the other controls in the Sub-object Operations
group to change the results.
8 In the list, highlight the Subtr - Cylinder01 entry, and then set Operation
to Union.
9 In the Sub-object Operations group, click the Change Operation button.
As a result of the change of operation, the cylinder appears in the Boolean
object as an additive volume instead of a subtractive one. Also, its entry
in the list changes to “Union - Cylinder01”, showing that the Boolean
operation for the cylinder is now Union.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 743

You can also change the order of the operations, which can affect the
results.
10 In the list, click the Union - Cylinder01 entry to remove the highlighting,
and then highlight the entry 1: Inter - Sphere01.
Note that its position in the list, 1, appears in the editable field next to
the Reorder Ops button.

11 Change the value in the field from 1 to 3, and then click the Reorder Ops
button.
The Inter - Sphere01 item jumps to the end of the list.

744 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The Boolean object changes significantly. The new order in the list tells
you how this shape was achieved: The two boxes and the cylinder were
all combined with Union, adding their volumes together, and then the
sphere was incorporated into that result with Intersection, leaving only
the volume shared by all four objects.

Interface
Modifier stack
With an unmodified ProBoolean object selected, the modifier stack shows a
single, expandable entry: ProBoolean.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 745

Expanding this entry (by clicking the + icon) reveals a single subsidiary branch:
Operands.

To transform operands in the ProBoolean object independent of the entire
object, click the Operands branch to highlight it.

You can then select one or more operands, either by using standard selection
methods in the viewport, or by highlighting their names in the hierarchy
view on page 755 list at the bottom of the Parameters rollout.

746 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

When one, and only one, operand is selected, the object type (not its name)
appears as a separate stack entry below the ProBoolean entry. Clicking this
entry provides direct access to the operand's parameters on the Modify panel.

If Parameters rollout ➤ Display is set to Result, selecting an operand displays
the operand's axis tripod or transform gizmo in the viewport, although the
operand itself is not visible by default.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 747

To view the operand, set Parameters rollout ➤ Display to Operands.

Whether or not the operands are visible, you can transform and animate them
at the Operands sub-object level, as with any other object in 3ds Max.

Changing a ProBoolean object by animating the position of the subtracted operand

748 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

You can also transform and animate the base object; that is, the first object
in the hierarchy view list.

Pick Boolean rollout

Start Picking Click this and then click each operand to transfer to the Boolean
object in turn. Before picking each operand, you can change the
Reference/Copy/Move/Instance choice, the Operation options, and the Apply
Material choice.
TIP When you're adding many operands to a Boolean object using the default
settings, calculating the result each time you pick an object can slow down the
process. To maintain optimum feedback, set Parameters rollout ➤ Display to
Operands. Then, when you're finished, set it back to Result. Alternatively, on the
Advanced Options rollout set Update to Manually, and then click the Update
button to view the results after performing the Boolean operations.
Choose a radio button to specify how the next operand you pick is transferred
to the Boolean object:
■

ReferenceThe Boolean operation uses a reference on page 9282 to the picked
operand, so the object remains after being incorporated into the Boolean
object. Future modifications to the originally picked object will also modify
the Boolean operation. Use Reference to synchronize modifier-induced
changes to the original operand with the new operand, but not vice-versa.

■

CopyThe Boolean operation uses a copy of the picked operand. The selected
object is unaffected by the Boolean operation, but a copy of it participates
in the Boolean operation.

■

MoveThe picked operand becomes part of the Boolean operation and is
no longer available as a separate object in the scene. This is the default
choice.

■

InstanceThe Boolean operation makes an instance on page 9195 of the
selected object. Future modifications of the selected object will also modify
the instanced object participating in the Boolean operation and vice-versa.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 749

Parameters rollout

Operation group
These settings determine how the Boolean operands interact physically.
Union Combines two or more separate entities into a single Boolean object.
Intersection Creates a "new" object from the physical intersection between
the original objects; the non-intersecting volumes are removed.
Subtraction Removes the volume of a selected object from the original object.

750 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Merge Combines objects into a single object without removing any geometry.
New edges are created where the objects intersect.
NOTE In the following illustration, the display property Backface Cull was turned
off so that all edges are visible.

Left: Original object (box) and operand (small box)
Center: Union operation; part of the smaller box is removed.
Right: Merge operation, showing new edges at intersection

Attach Combines two or more separate entities into a single Boolean object
without changing their topology. In essence, the operands remain separate
elements within the whole.

Box and sphere primitives combined with Attach (left) and Union (right)

Insert First subtracts the second operand’s bounding volume from the first,
and then groups the two objects.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 751

In effect, Insert treats the first operand as a liquid volume, so that if there’s a
hole in the inserted operand or some other way for the “liquid” to enter its
volume, it does. The following illustration shows examples of this effect, with
shaded geometry on the left and wireframe equivalents on the right.

A bowl inserted in liquid; if the bowl has a hole in it or is tilted, the liquid enters its
cavity.

NOTE Insert does not simulate the displacement of liquid; the overall dimensions
of the first operand remain constant.
Cookie Cuts the faces of the original mesh shape, affecting only those faces.
The faces of the selected operand are not added to the Boolean result.

752 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

1. Original object (box) and operand (sphere)
2. Standard Subtraction operation
3. Subtraction with Cookie on
4. Standard Intersection operation
5. Intersection with Cookie on

Imprint Prints the outline of the shape (or intersection edges) onto the original
mesh object.

Left: Original object (box) and operand (text)
Center: Standard Subtraction operation
Right: Subtraction with Imprint

NOTE The result of the Imprint operation is always the same; the main Operation
choice has no effect on it.

_____
Display Choose one of the following display modes:
■

ResultDisplays only the result of the Boolean operations, not the individual
operands.
Choosing Result also activates the ProBoolean level in the modifier stack
on page 745.

■

OperandsDisplays the operands that define the Boolean result. Use this
mode to edit the operands and modify the result.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 753

Choosing Operands also activates the Operands level in the modifier stack
on page 745.
Also, when picking many operands, use this mode to avoid having to
recalculate the result each time, and then set Display back to Result at the
end.
Apply Material Choose one of the following material application modes:
■

Apply Operand MaterialNew faces created by the Boolean operation acquire
the material of the operand.

■

Retain Original MaterialNew faces created by the Boolean operation retain
the material of the original object.

Sub-object Operations group
These functions operate on operands highlighted in the hierarchy view list
(see following).
NOTE For these operations, you need not be at the Operands sub-object level in
the modifier stack.
Extract Selected Based on the chosen radio button (Remove, Copy, or Inst;
see following), Extract Selected applies the operation to the highlighted
operand in the hierarchy view list. Three modes of extraction are available:
■

RemoveRemoves the operand or operands highlighted in the hierarchy
view list from the Boolean result. It essentially undoes the addition of the
highlighted operand(s) to the Boolean object. Each extracted operand
becomes a top-level object again.

■

CopyExtracts a copy of the operand or operands highlighted in the
hierarchy view list. The original operand remains part of the Boolean result.

■

InstExtracts an instance of the operand or operands highlighted in the
hierarchy view list. Subsequent modifications to this extracted operand
also modify the original operand, thus affecting the Boolean object.

Reorder Ops Changes the ordering of the highlighted operand in the hierarchy
view list. The reordered operand is moved to the position listed in the text
field next to the Reorder Ops button.
Change Operation Changes the type of operation (see Operation group on
page 750) for the highlighted operand. To change the operation type, highlight
the operand in the hierarchy view, then choose the operation type radio
option, and then click Change Operation.

754 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Hierarchy View

The hierarchy view, found at the bottom of the Parameters rollout, displays
a list of all of the Boolean operations that define the selected mesh. Each time
you perform a new Boolean operation, 3ds Max adds an entry to the list.
You can highlight operands for modification by clicking them in the hierarchy
view list. To highlight multiple contiguous items in the list, click the first,
and then Shift+click the last. To highlight multiple non-contiguous entries,
use Ctrl+click. To remove highlighting from a list entry, Alt+click the
highlighted item.
At the ProBoolean level in the modifier stack, you can perform only sub-object
operations on page 754 on highlighted items. At the Operands sub-object level,
you can transform highlighted operands as well as perform sub-object
operations; see Modifier stack on page 745 for details.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 755

Advanced Options rollout

Update group
These options determine when updates are performed on the Boolean object
after you make changes. Choose one of the following:
■

AlwaysUpdates occur as soon as you make changes to the Boolean object.

■

ManuallyUpdates occur only when you click the Update button.

■

When SelectedUpdates occur whenever the Boolean object is selected.

■

When RenderingUpdates are applied to the Boolean object only at render
time, or when you click Update.

Update Applies changes to the Boolean object. Available with all options
except Always.
NOTE When you first create a ProBoolean object with Manually or When Rendering
active, no operands, including the base object, are visible until you update at least
once. Thereafter, the base object is visible, but no subsequently picked operands
are until you update again.

756 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

_____
Decimation % The percentage of edges to remove from the polygons in the
Boolean object, thus reducing the number of polygons. For example, a
Decimation % setting of 20.0 removes 20 percent of the polygon edges.

1. Decimation %=0.0
2. Decimation %=30.0
3. Decimation %=60.0
4. Decimation %=80.0

Quadrilateral Tessellation group
These options enable quadrilateral tessellation of the Boolean object. This
makes the object suitable for editing subdivision surfaces on page 1965 and for
smoothing meshes. It also makes the object suitable for conversion to Editable
Poly format.
For further discussion of this option, see the topic Quad Meshing and
Smoothing on page 766.
Make Quadrilaterals When on, changes the tessellation of the Boolean object
from triangles to quadrilaterals.
NOTE When Make Quadrilaterals is on, the Decimation setting has no effect.
Quad Size % Determines the size of the quadrilaterals as a percentage of the
overall Boolean object length.

Planar Edge Removal group
This option determines how the polygons on planar faces are handled. Choose
one of the following:
■

Remove AllRemoves all extra coplanar edges on a face such that the face
itself will define the polygon.

■

Remove Only InvisibleRemoves invisible edges on each face.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 757

■

No Edge RemovalNo edges are removed.

ProCutter Compound Object
Select an object. ➤
Create panel ➤
Objects ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ ProCutter

(Geometry) ➤ Compound

The ProCutter Compound object lets you perform specialized Boolean
operations, primarily for the purpose of breaking apart or subdividing volumes.
The results of ProCutter operations are particularly suitable for use in dynamics
simulations where an object explodes or is shattered by impact with a force
or another object.

ProCutter used as a cookie cutter

Following is a list of ProCutter features:
■

Break apart a stock object into elements of an editable mesh or into separate
objects using cutters that are either solids or surfaces.

758 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Use one or more cutters on one or more stock objects at the same time.

■

Perform a volume decomposition of a set of cutter objects.

■

Use a single cutter many times without maintaining the history.

See also:
ProBoolean Compound Object on page 736

■

Procedures
To use ProCutter:

1

Select an object to use as a cutter.

2 Activate the ProCutter compound object.
3 On the Cutter Picking Parameters rollout, click Pick Cutter Objects, and
then select additional cutters.
4 On the Cutter Picking Parameters rollout, click Pick Stock Objects, and
then select objects to be cut by the cutter objects.
5 In the Cutter Parameters rollout ➤ Cutter Options group, choose the
parts of the originals you wish to keep: Stock Outside Cutters, Stock Inside
Cutters, Cutters Outside Stock.
6 To get separate objects to manipulate or animate, collapse the result to
an Editable Mesh on page 2190 object and use the Explode tool set to 180.0.
Alternatively, use Auto Extract Mesh and Explode By Elements, described
below.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 759

Interface
Cutter Picking Parameters rollout

Pick Cutter Objects When on, objects you select are designated as cutters,
used to subdivide stock objects.
Pick Stock Objects When on, objects you select are designated as stock objects;
that is, objects that are subdivided by cutters.
Choose a radio button to specify how the next object you pick is transferred
to the ProCutter object:
■

ReferenceThe Boolean operation uses a reference on page 9282 to the picked
operand, so the object remains after being incorporated into the Boolean
object. Future modifications to the originally picked object will also modify
the Boolean operation. Use Reference to synchronize modifier-induced
changes to the original operand with the new operand, but not vice-versa.

■

CopyThe Boolean operation uses a copy of the picked operand. The selected
object is unaffected by the Boolean operation, but a copy of it participates
in the Boolean operation.

■

MoveThe picked operand becomes part of the Boolean operation and is
no longer available as a separate object in the scene. This is the default
choice.

■

InstanceThe Boolean operation makes an instance on page 9195 of the
selected object. Future modifications of the selected object will also modify
the instanced object participating in the Boolean operation and vice-versa.

760 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Cutter Tool Mode group
These options let you use the cutter as a sculpting tool, cutting the same object
repeatedly in different places. You can also get separate objects without having
to go through Editable Mesh conversion.
Auto Extract Mesh Automatically extracts the result when you select a stock
object. It does not maintain the stock as a sub-object, but edits it and replaces
the object with the result of the cut. This lets you quickly cut, move the cutter,
and cut again.
Explode By Elements When Auto Extract is on, detaches each element into
a separate object automatically. Has no effect when Auto Extract is off.
This convenient option makes it unnecessary to convert the ProCutter object
to Editable Mesh format and then use Explode, as mentioned in this procedure
on page 759. This is useful when cutting up an object. For example, you could
use it to slice a loaf of bread. You use the cutter to cut a piece off, move the
cutter, and then cut again.

Parameters rollout
You can choose any combination of the three cutting options to get the desired
result. If you have non-closed meshes, the orientation of the mesh might
determine which part of the stock is considered to be inside or outside the
cutter.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 761

Stock Outside Cutter The result contains the parts of the stock outside of all
of the cutters. This option gives you a similar result to a Boolean subtraction
of the cutters from the stock objects. The gold part of the object in the
following illustration results from this option.
Stock Inside Cutter The result contains the parts of the stock inside one or
more cutters. This option gives you similar results to a Boolean intersection
of the cutters and the stock objects. There is some difference because each
cutter is treated individually. The green, blue and red parts of the object on
the left side of the following illustration are the results of this option.
Cutter Outside Stock The result contains the parts of the cutters that are not
inside the stock objects. Note that the cutters will cut each other if they
intersect also.

762 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

The right side of the following illustration (exploded for visibility) shows, as
the result of this option, the parts that are not present on the left side.

Cylinder and sphere as cutters and box as stock
Left: Keeping stock inside and outside cutters
Right: Keeping stock inside/outside cutters and cutters outside stock

_____
Display Choose one of the following display modes:
■

Show ResultDisplays the result of the Boolean operations.

■

Show OpsDisplays the operands that define the Boolean result. Use this
mode to edit the operands and modify the result.

Apply Material Choose one of the following material application modes:
■

Apply Operand MaterialNew faces created by the Boolean operation acquire
the material of the operand.

■

Retain Original MaterialNew faces created by the Boolean operation retain
the material of the original object.

Sub-object Operations group
These functions operate on operands highlighted in the hierarchy view list
(see following).

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 763

Extract Selected Based on the chosen radio button (Remove, Copy, or Inst;
see following), Extract Selected applies the operation to the highlighted
operand in the hierarchy view list. Three modes of extraction are available:
■

RemoveRemoves the operand or operands highlighted in the hierarchy
view list from the Boolean result. It essentially undoes the addition of the
highlighted operand(s) to the Boolean object. Each extracted operand
becomes a top-level object again.

■

CopyExtracts a copy of the operand highlighted in the hierarchy view list.
The original operand remains part of the Boolean.

■

InstExtracts an instance of the operand highlighted in the hierarchy view
list. Subsequent modifications to this extracted operand also modify the
original operand, thus the Boolean object.

Hierarchy View
The hierarchy view displays a list of all operands: cutters and stock objects.
You can select and edit objects using the hierarchy view, as with ProBoolean.

Advanced Options rollout

764 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Update group
These options determine when updates are performed on the Boolean object
after you make changes. Choose one of the following:
■

AlwaysUpdates occur as soon as you make changes to the Boolean object.

■

ManuallyUpdates occur only when you click the Update button.

■

When SelectedUpdates occur whenever the Boolean object is selected.

■

When RenderingUpdates are applied to the Boolean object only at render
time, or when you click Update.

Update Applies changes to the Boolean object. Available with all options
except Always.
NOTE When you first create a ProCutter object with Manually or When Rendering
active, no operands, including the base object, are visible until you update at least
once. Thereafter, the base object is visible, but no subsequently picked operands
are until you update again.

_____
Decimation % The percentage of edges to remove from the polygons in the
Boolean object, thus reducing the number of polygons. For example, a
Decimation % setting of 20.0 removes 20 percent of the polygon edges.

Quadrilateral Tessellation group
Make Quadrilaterals When on, changes the tessellation of the Boolean object
from triangles to quadrilaterals. This makes the object suitable for editing
subdivision surfaces on page 1965 and for smoothing meshes. It also makes the
object suitable for conversion to Editable Poly format.
Quad Size % Determines the size of the quadrilaterals as a percentage of the
overall Boolean object length.

Planar Edge Removal group
This option determines how the polygons on planar faces are handled. Choose
one of the following:
■

Remove AllRemoves all extra coplanar edges on a face such that the face
itself will define the polygon.

■

Remove Only InvisibleRemoves invisible edges on each face.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 765

■

No Edge RemovalNo edges are removed.

Quad Meshing and Smoothing
ProBoolean, ProCutter, and the Quadify Mesh modifier on page 1589 can re-mesh
planar surfaces using a quadrilateral meshing algorithm. This capability, in
combination with the subdivision surface tools in MeshSmooth, TurboSmooth,
and Editable Poly, can produce dramatic results.
It does require some level of expertise to understand what is possible and how
to achieve the best results using the quadrilateral tessellation. This topic shows
the basics of how to use quad meshing and also contains tips and tricks about
what works and how it works.
TIP To apply quadrilateral tessellation to a mesh object without performing a
Boolean operation on it, simply apply the Quadify Mesh modifier on page 1589.

Quad Meshing Basics

ProBoolean of an object containing several primitives

766 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

To make a quadrilateral mesh, apply the Quadify Mesh modifier, or select a
ProBoolean or ProCutter object, go to the Modify panel, and expand the
Advanced Options panel as shown following.

To get a result similar to the following illustration, turn on Make Quadrilaterals
check box:

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 767

Result of a quad mesh with Quad Size %=3.0

To change the size of the individual quadrilaterals, adjust the Quad Size %
parameter. Typically a value between 1 and 4 percent achieves the desired
results. The smaller the quad size, the smaller the resulting fillets or blends
between the surfaces when the mesh is smoothed. The default Quad Size value
is 3.0 percent. A Quad Size value of 2.0 percent produces the following result:

768 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Quad meshing with Quad Size %=2.0

If you know that you have the desired result and don't plan to go back and
change the quad size or the original primitives, you can convert the object to
Editable Poly format and apply smoothing with the Subdivision Surface
settings. If this is not the case, however, and you plan to make further
adjustments, use the MeshSmooth on page 1450 or TurboSmooth on page 1767
modifier to retain the history of the ProBoolean object. The following
illustration shows the result of a MeshSmooth modifier with Subdivision
Amount ➤ Iterations=1 applied to a ProBoolean object with Quad Size % set
to 3.0.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 769

MeshSmooth modifier with NURMS and Iterations=1

770 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Rendered image after MeshSmooth modifier applied

Quad Meshing Tips and Tricks
Sometimes the results of quad meshing can produce undesirable results in the
smoothed model.
Problem #1: Stripes along cylinders or bumpiness on other surface
Solution: Increase the number of subdivisions around cylinders or along other
surfaces.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 771

Stripes and bumps with Quad Size %=2.0

To fix the problem depicted above, the number of sides on the two cylinders
was changed from 18 to 30 and the number of segments on the torus was
changed from 24 to 36. The following illustration shows the improved result:

Increasing the primitives' resolution fixes the problem.

Problem #2: Triangles along boundaries caused by conflicts with visible edges
from original mesh

772 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Solution: Make sure Advanced Options rollout ➤ Planar Edge Removal is set
to Remove All or create the original primitives without subdivisions on
coplanar faces.

Coplanar edges not removed from original box

When rendered, misshapen geometry results from the presence of coplanar edges.

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 773

Quad mesh with all coplanar edges removed

Problem #3: Poor alignment of original primitive meshes causes undesirable
results.
Solution: Rotate or move original primitives into position to maximize mesh
quality.
The following illustration shows the result of subtracting three spheres of the
same size from a box. The left-hand sphere is aligned properly so that there
are good quads along both boundaries. This should produce a good result
when smoothed. The middle sphere was lifted so that there is a strip of very
thin quads near the boundary. This produces very little smoothing along that
edge, as you can see in the rendered image. The right-hand sphere was rotated,
producing poor alignment and many triangles on the sphere as well as small
quads on the plane of the box. You can see the undesirable results in the
rendered image.

774 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Quads produced by three spheres with different rotations and translations

ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects | 775

Rendered image of smoothed three-sphere example

Dynamics Objects
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Dynamics Objects

Create menu ➤ Dynamics
Dynamics objects are similar to other mesh objects, except that they can be
made to react to the motion of objects to which they are bound, or they can
provide dynamic forces when included in a dynamics simulation on page 4226.

776 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Damper Dynamics Object
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Dynamics Objects ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ Damper button
Create menu ➤ Dynamics ➤ Damper
The Damper object provides a dynamic object that can behave as either a
shock-absorber or an actuator. It consists of a base, a main housing, and a
piston, with an optional boot. The piston slides within the main housing,
providing different heights. The overall height can be affected by binding
objects, in the same way as the Spring dynamic object.
NOTE Damper is similar to Spring in many respects. See Spring object on page
784 for more detailed descriptions of similar parameters and procedures.

Procedures
To create a damper:
1 Drag and release to specify the diameter.
2 Move the mouse and click to specify the overall height of the damper.
To use a damper in a dynamics simulation:
The following must be in place to use the damper forces in a dynamics
simulation:
1 Bind two objects to the ends of the damper, and choose Bound to Object
Pivots in the End Point Method group box at the top of the command
panel.
2 In the dynamics simulation, add the damper to the Object List. (The
damper itself is not adjusted in the dynamics simulation, so all of the
dynamics parameters will be disabled for the damper object.)
3 Include at least one of the bound objects or a parent of one of the bound
objects in the simulation. For example, you can bind two dummy objects
to the ends of a damper, and one of the dummies can be the child of an
object that’s included in the simulation. In this case, the dummy itself
does not need to be in the simulation.

Damper Dynamics Object | 777

NOTE Damper is an "ideal" object with no mass. While it can be used in
dynamics simulations, it cannot participate directly in collisions or effects. As
a result, when you assign a damper object to a dynamics simulation, and
then view it in the Edit Object dialog, all of the parameter settings are
disabled.

Interface

End Point Method group
Free Damper/Actuator Choose this when using the damper as a simple object
that’s not bound to others or used in a dynamics simulation.
Bound to Object Pivots Choose this option when binding the damper to two
objects, using the buttons described next.

778 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Binding Objects group
Use these controls to pick the objects to which the damper is bound. To
complete the binding, you must select two binding objects, and then click
Bound to Object Pivots.
Piston (label) Displays the name of the object bound to the piston of the
damper.
Pick Piston Object Click this button and then select the object to be bound
to the piston of the damper.
Base (label) Displays the name of the object bound to the base of the damper.
Pick Base Object Click this button and then select the object to be bound to
the base of the damper.

Free Damper Parameters group
Pin-to-Pin Height Use this field/spinner to specify the distance between the
bottom center of the base and the top center of the piston when the damper
is not bound.

Common Damper Parameters group
Renderable When on, the object appears in the rendering; when off, the
object does not appear.
Material IDs are assigned to the damper object as follows:
1: Base
2: Main housing
3: Piston
4: Boot Stop (appears only if you enable Boot Parameters)
5: Boot (appears only if you enable Boot Parameters)
Generate Mapping Coords Sets up the required coordinates for applying
mapped materials to the object. Default=on.

Damper Dynamics Object | 779

Cylinder Parameters group

Provides parameters for the base and main cylinder of the damper.
Base Dia The diameter of the base, or "mount" of the damper.
Height The height of the base.
Main Dia The diameter of the main housing of the damper.
Height The height of the main housing.
Sides The number of sides of both the base and the main housing.
Fillet 1 The size of the fillet on the lower edge of the main housing.
Fillet Segs The number of segments for Fillet 1. The higher this setting, the
rounder the fillet profile appears.
Fillet 2 The size of the fillet on the upper edge of the main housing.
Fillet Segs The number of segments for Fillet 2. The higher this setting, the
rounder the fillet profile appears.
Inside Dia Specifies the inside diameter of the main housing, which is actually
a tube rather than a cylinder.

780 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Smooth Cylinder When on, smoothing is applied to both the base and the
main housing.

Piston Parameters group

Provides parameters for the piston of the damper.
Diameter The diameter of the piston.
Height The height of the piston.
Sides The number of sides in the piston.
Smooth Piston When on, smoothing is applied to the piston.

Damper Dynamics Object | 781

Boot Parameters group

The boot is an optional component of the damper that’s similar to the rubber
"accordion" boot found on various types of dampers, such as shock absorbers.
The boot acts like a bound dynamic object, in that one of its ends is bound
to the main housing, while the other is bound to the piston. Thus, as the
piston moves within the housing, the boot expands and contracts to follow.
Enable Turn this on to add the boot to the damper.
Min Dia The minimum diameter of the boot. This and the next parameter
affect the depth of the accordion folds in the boot.
Max Dia The maximum diameter of the boot.
Sides The number of sides making up the boot.
Folds The number of accordion folds (bulges) along the height of the boot.
Resolution The number of segments in each fold.
Stop Dia The diameter of the stop, which is the ring at the top of the boot.
Stop Thick The thickness (height) of the stop ring.
Setback The distance of the stop ring from the top of the piston.

782 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Stop Fillet The size of the fillet on the upper edge of the stop ring.
Fillet Segs The number of segments the stop fillet. The higher this setting,
the round the fillet profile appears.
Smooth Boot When on, smoothing is applied to the boot.

Dynamics Parameters group

Unlike the Spring object, the damper can also be used as an actuator. Basically,
a damper absorbs force (like a shock absorber) while an actuator applies force.
The parameters in this group box, available only when End Point Method is
set to Bound to Object Pivots, specify how forces are applied by the damper
object in a dynamics simulation.
Damper Parameters Provides parameters for a damper type of object.
Specifically, this simulates a viscous linear damper, which provides linear
resistance to motion (between the two binding objects) proportional to the

Damper Dynamics Object | 783

rate at which the damper experiences displacement. The faster it gets hit, the
harder it fights back. Push it slowly, and there’s almost no resistance.
■

Object is DamperSelect this option to use the damper object as a damper
rather than an actuator.

Drag Specifies the force per unit linear speed, measured in one of the methods
specified below.
■

Drag is measured inLets you specify the measurement of drag to use: Pounds
per in(ch)/sec or Newtons per m(eter)/sec.

■

Damper works inProvides directional options for the damper.

Compression Only The damper reacts only to compression forces.
Extension Only The damper reacts only to expansion forces.
Both The damper reacts to both compression and expansion forces.
Actuator Parameters Provides parameters for an actuator. When used as an
actuator, the damper object exerts force between the two binding objects. A
real-world example might be the thrusting piston in a log splitter. When used
in a simulation, the force is applied by adjusting the value in the Force spinner.
You can see the result only after solving the dynamics simulation.
■

Object is ActuatorChoose this when using the damper object as an Actuator.

Force Specifies the amount of force exerted between the two bound objects.
Positive values push the objects apart, while negative values pull them together.
■

Force is measured in Lets you specify the measurement of force to use:
Pounds per inch or Newtons per meter.

Spring Dynamics Object
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Dynamics Objects ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ Spring button
Create menu ➤ Dynamics ➤ Spring
The Spring object is a dynamics object in the shape of a coiled spring that lets
you simulate a flexible spring in dynamics simulations. You can specify the
overall diameter and length of the spring, the number of turns, and the

784 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

diameter and shape of its “wire.” When used in a dynamics simulation, the
compression and extension pressure of the spring are calculated as well.

Procedures
To create a spring:
1 Drag and release to specify the outside diameter.
2 Move the mouse and click to specify the overall length of the spring.
To use a spring in a dynamics simulation:
The following must be in place to use the spring forces in a dynamics
simulation:
1 Bind two objects to the ends of the spring, and choose Bound to Object
Pivots in the End Point Method group box at the top of the command
panel.
2 In the dynamics simulation, add the spring to the Object List. (The spring
itself is not adjustable in the dynamics Edit Object dialog, so all of the
dynamics parameters will be disabled for the spring object.)
3 Include at least one of the bound objects or a parent of one of the bound
objects in the simulation. For example, you can bind the ends of a spring
to two dummy objects, and one of the dummies can be the child of an
object that’s included in the simulation. The dummy without a parent
will be stationary and the spring will pass its force through the other
dummy to its parent.
NOTE Spring is an "ideal" object with no mass. While it can be used in
dynamics simulations, it cannot participate directly in collisions or effects. A
spring can only exert force on other objects in simulations. As a result, when
you assign a spring object to a dynamics simulation, and then view it in the
Edit Object dialog, all of the parameter settings are disabled.

Spring Dynamics Object | 785

Interface
Spring Parameters rollout

End Point Method group
Free Spring Choose this when using the spring as a simple object that’s not
bound to other objects or used in a dynamics simulation.
Bound to Object Pivots Choose this when binding the spring to two objects,
using the buttons described next.

Binding Objects group
Use these controls to pick the objects to which the spring is bound. "Top" and
"Bottom" are arbitrary descriptors; the two bound objects can have any
positional relationship to each other. To complete the binding, select two
binding objects, and then click Bound to Object Pivots.
Each end point of the spring is defined by the center of the overall diameter
and the center of the wire. This end point is placed at the pivot point of the
object to which it is bound. You can adjust the relative position of the binding
object to the spring by transforming the binding object while the Affect Object
Only button is turned on in the Hierarchy ➤ Pivot panel.
Top (label) Displays the name of the "top" binding object.

786 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Pick Top Object Click this button and then select the "top" object.
Bottom (label) Displays the name of the "bottom" binding object.
Pick Bottom Object Click this button and then select the "bottom" object.

Free Spring Parameters group
Height Use this field/spinner to set the straight-line height or length of the
spring when it is not bound. This is not the actual length of the spring's wire.

Common Spring Parameters group

Diameter The overall diameter of the spring, as measured at the center of the
wire. (The diameter of the wire itself has no effect on this setting.)
Turns The number of full 360-degree turns in the spring.
CCW/CW Specifies whether the coils of the spring are counterclockwise (CCW)
or clockwise (CW).
Automatic Segments Choose this option to force each turn of the spring to
contains the same number of segments, as specified in the Segs/Turn spinner.
Thus, if you increase the number of turns, the number of segments also
increases.

Spring Dynamics Object | 787

Segs/Turn This spinner lets you specify the number of segments in each
360-degree turn of the spring.
Manual Segments When this option is chosen, the length of the spring
contains a fixed number of segments, no matter how many turns in the spring.
Thus, as you increase the number of turns, you must manually increase the
number of segments to maintain a smooth curve.
Segments This spinner lets you specify the total number of manual segments
in the spring.
Smoothing Provides various methods of smoothing the object. The options
here work the same as those in the Torus primitive on page 342.
■

AllAll surfaces are smoothed.

■

SidesSmoothing runs along the length of the wire, but not around its
perimeter.

■

SegmentsSmoothing runs around the perimeter of the wire, but not along
its length.

■

NoneNo smoothing is applied.

Renderable When on, the object appears in the rendering; when off, the
object does not appear.
Generate Mapping Coords Assigns mapping coordinates to the object.
Default=on.

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Wire Shape group

Provides three different types of wire cross-sections for the spring: round,
rectangular, or D-shaped. Each type has its own set of parameters.
Round Wire Specifies a round wire for the spring.
■

DiameterThe diameter of the wire.

■

SidesThe number of sides that make up the cross section.

Rectangular Wire Specifies a rectangular wire.
■

WidthDetermines the width of the cross section.

■

DepthDetermines the depth of the cross section.

■

FilletWhen combined with Fillet Segs (below), this lets you fillet (round)
the corners of the cross section.

Spring Dynamics Object | 789

■

Fillet SegsSpecifies the number of segments in the fillet.

■

RotationRotates the angle of the cross section along the entire length of
the spring.

D-Section Wire Specifies a D-shaped wire.
■

WidthDetermines the width of the cross section.

■

DepthDetermines the depth of the cross section.

■

Round SidesSpecifies the number of segments that make up the rounded
side of the D-shape.

■

FilletWhen combined with Fillet Segs (below), this lets you fillet (round)
the corners of the cross section.

■

Fillet SegsSpecifies the number of segments in the fillet.

■

RotationRotates the angle of the cross section along the entire length of
the spring.

Dynamics Parameters group

These parameters specify the forces that the spring contributes to a dynamic
simulation.

790 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Relaxed Hgt Specifies the height (or length) at which the spring is "relaxed"
and therefore contributes no force--either compression or extension. For
example, if the placement of the binding objects stretches the spring to a
length of 50 units but the Relaxed Len is set to 30, then an extension force is
in effect because the spring is stretched further than its relaxed length.
Constant k The amount of force exerted per unit change in length with respect
to the Relaxed Hgt value. This could also be described as the measure of
force-per-units-change in length as compared to the Relaxed Length. For
example, if your spring is set to a Spring Constant of k=10 lb per in, and you
stretch it to be ten inches longer than the Relaxed Hgt value, it will try to
close with a force of 100 pounds. If you compress it two inches shorter than
the Relaxed Hgt value, it will push back with 20 pounds of force.
Spring constant is in Lets you specify the measurement of force to use: Pounds
per inch or Newtons per meter.
Spring works in Lets you specify the type of force you want the spring to
exert. While most springs actually provide both compression and extension
force, if your simulation requires only one, you can save calculation time by
using one instead of both.
■

Compression OnlyThis type of spring provides only expansive force when
its length is shorter than the specified Free Length.

■

Extension OnlyProvides contractive force when its length is greater than
the specified Free Length.

■

BothProvides both expansive and contractive force, depending on the
variation from Relaxed Hgt.

Enable Nonlinearity When on, the compression and extension of the spring
are non-linear, based on the assumption that a spring has physical limits to
the amount it can stretch or contract. Thus, the further the spring gets from
the Relaxed Hgt setting, the less linear the feedback. The non-linear
compression is calculated using the relationship between the coil dimensions,
wire diameter, and length. Extension compares the relationship between the
wire diameter and overall spring diameter.

Spring Dynamics Object | 791

Systems
Create panel ➤

(Systems)

A system combines objects, linkages, and controllers to produce an object set
that has behavior as well as geometry. Systems help you create animations
that would be much more difficult or time-consuming to produce using
features independently. Systems can range from simple object generators to
full-scale subsystem programs.

Systems are primarily intended for plug-in on page 9270 component software.
Additional systems might be available if your configuration includes plug-in
systems.
You can externally reference system objects in your scene. For more
information, see XRef Objects on page 7971.

Procedures
To create a system:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Systems).

Now the Object Type rollout displays different types of systems.
2 On the Object Type rollout, choose a system to create.
3 Drag in a viewport to create the system.
See also:
■

Sunlight on page 5852

792 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

■

Daylight on page 5852

■

Biped on page 4822

Bones System
Create panel ➤

(Systems) ➤ Bones button

Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools ➤ Create Bones
A Bones system is a jointed, hierarchical linkage of bone objects that can be
used to animate other objects or hierarchies.
Bones are especially useful for animating character models that have a
continuous skin mesh. You can animate bones with forward or inverse
kinematics. For inverse kinematics, bones can use any of the available IK
solvers on page 3704, or through Interactive on page 3781 or applied IK on page
3784.

Dinosaur character modeled using bones

Bones System | 793

Bones are renderable objects. They have several parameters, such as taper and
fins, that can be used to define the shape the bone represents. The fins make
it easier to see how the bone is rotating.
For animation, it is very important that you understand the structure of a
bone object. The bone's geometry is distinct from its link. Each link has a
pivot point at its base. The bone can rotate about this pivot point. When you
move a child bone, you are really rotating its parent bone.
It might be useful to think of bones as joints, because it is their pivot
placements that matter, more than the actual bone geometry. Think of the
geometry as a visual aid that is drawn lengthwise from the pivot point to the
bone's child object. The child object is usually another bone.

Bones system seen alone and inside a wireframe model

Any hierarchy can display itself as a bone structure (see Using Objects as Bones
on page 805), by simply turning on Bone On in the Bone Editing Tools rollout
on page 807.
See also:
■

Bone Tools on page 806

Creating Bones
You start creating bones by clicking the Create Bones button on the Bone
Editing Tools rollout on page 807, or by clicking the Bones button in the Systems
category on the Create panel.
To create bones, do the following.

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1 Your first click in a viewport defines the start joint of the first bone.
2 The second click in a viewport defines the start joint of the next bone.
Visually only one bone is drawn at this point because bones are visual
aids drawn between two pivot points. It is the actual pivot point’s
placement that is important.
3 Each subsequent click defines a new bone as a child of the previous bone.
The result of multiple clicks is a single chain of bones.
4 Right-click to exit bone creation.
This creates a small “nub” bone at the end of the hierarchy, which is used
when assigning an IK chain. If you are not going to assign an IK chain
to the hierarchy, you can delete the small nub bone.

Creating a simple chain of three bones

3ds Max lets you create a branching hierarchy of bones. To create a branching
hierarchy, such as legs branching from a pelvis, do the following:
1 Create a chain of bones, and then right-click to exit bone creation.
2 Click Bones (or Create Bones) again, and then click the bone where you
want to begin branching. The new chain of bones branches from the
bone you click.
WARNING The behavior of a branching bone hierarchy is not always intuitive.

Bones System | 795

NOTE You can also use Select And Link on page 3666 to connect one bone hierarchy
to its branches. However, except for this one special case, using Select And Link
with bones is not recommended. To edit an existing bone structure, whether
branching or not, use the Bone Tools on page 806 instead.

Assigning IK Controllers to Bones
By default, bones are not assigned inverse kinematics (IK). Assigning an IK
solver can be done in one of two ways. Typically, you create a bone hierarchy,
then manually assign an IK solver. This allows for very precise control over
where IK chains are defined.
The other way to assign an IK solver is more automatic. When you create
bones, choose IK solver from the list in the IK Chain Assignment rollout, and
then turn on Assign To Children. When you exit bone creation, the chosen
IK solver is automatically applied to the hierarchy. The solver extends from
the first bone in the hierarchy to the last.
For more information about IK, see Introduction to Inverse Kinematics on
page 3696.

Setting the Initial Position of Bones
When you first create a bones system, the position of the bones is the initial
state. Before you assign an IK solver or method, you can change the initial
state of the bones by moving, rotating, or stretching the bones individually.

Bone Color
By default, bones are assigned the color specified for Bones in the Colors panel
on page 8860 of the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837. Choose Object
as the Element and then choose Bones in the list. You can change the color
of individual bones by selecting the bone, clicking the active color swatch
next to the bone’s name in the Create panel or Modify panel, and then
selecting a color in the Object Color dialog on page 300.
You can also use the Bone Tools on page 806 to assign bone colors, or to assign
a color gradient to a bone hierarchy.

Bone Fins
Fins are visual aids that help you clearly see a bone’s orientation. Fins can also
be used to approximate a character's shape. Bones have three sets of fins: side,
front, and back. By default, fins are turned off.

796 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Bones can have fins.

Bones System | 797

Bones with various fin configurations

Renderable Bones
Bones can be renderable, though by default, they are not. To make a bone
renderable, turn on the Renderable check box in the bone’s Object Properties
dialog on page 221.

798 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Bones can be renderable.

Object Properties for Bones
In addition to visual properties, bones have behavioral properties. The controls
for these are located on the Bone Tools floater on page 806.
You can use these controls to turn other kinds of objects into bones.

Using Constraints with Bones
You can apply constraints on page 3607 to bones as long as an IK solver or
method is not controlling the bones. If the bones have an assigned IK
controller, you can constrain only the root of the hierarchy or chain. However,
applying position controllers or constraints to a linked bone can cause
undesirable effects, such as breaking of the bone chain.

Bones System | 799

The “nub” bone at the end of the chain has a Spring controller applied to it. The Spring
controller is connected to an animated sphere.
Right: The sphere's movement breaks the bone chain.

To avoid this problem, don't apply position controllers directly to child bones.
Instead, create an IK chain and apply the controller to the IK chain's end
effector.

800 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

A IK chain has been applied, connecting the end nub to its parent bone. The IK chain's
end effector is connected to the ball by a Spring controller.
Right: Now when the sphere moves, the IK chain prevents the bones from breaking.

Constraints and controllers that affect orientation only, such as Orientation
or Look At, do not present this problem when applied to child bones.

Procedures
To create a bones system:

1 On the
Create panel, click
rollout, turn on Bones.

(Systems). On the Object Type

You can also access Create Bones through the Bone Tools rollout.
2 Click in a viewport.
This creates a joint that is the base of the bone's hierarchy.
3 Drag to define the length of the second bone.
4 Click to set the length of the second bone, and then drag to create the
third bone. Drag and click to continue creating new bones.
5 Right-click to end creation.

Bones System | 801

3ds Max creates a small “nub” bone at the end of the hierarchy. This
bone is used when assigning an IK chain.
The first bone you create is at the top of the hierarchy. The last bone you
create is at the bottom. For more about linked objects, see the Hierarchy
Panel on page 8801.
To create a bones hierarchy with an IK solver automatically applied:

1 On the
Create panel, click
rollout, turn on Bones.

(Systems). On the Object Type

2 In the IK Chain Assignment rollout, select an IK solver from the list.
3 Turn on Assign To Children.
4 In a viewport, click and drag to create the bones. Right-click to end bone
creation.
After the bones are created, the chosen IK solver is applied to them.
To edit the appearance of a bone:
1 Select a bone.

2 Go to the

Modify panel.

3 Change settings in the Bone Parameters rollout.
To change the length of bones after they’ve been created:
IMPORTANT Repositioning a bone affects its length visually. More important, it
affects the bone’s pivot position. The length of the bone is only a visual aid drawn
between each bone’s pivot point. A bone has only one pivot. The bone you see
visually is connecting its pivot point to the next bone’s pivot point.
1 Choose Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools.
2 On the Bone Tools dialog, click Bone Edit Mode.
3 Move the child of the bone you want to change. The length of its
immediate parent changes to reach the child bone.
4 Turn off Bone Edit Mode when you are finished editing the bones.

802 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

To add fins to bones:

1

Select the bone.

2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools.
3 Select the bones to which you want to add fins.
4 In the Fin Adjustment Tools rollout, turn on Side Fins, Front Fin or Back
Fin.
5 Adjust the size and appearance of the fins with the appropriate spinners.
NOTE You can also add fins to an individual bone on the Modify panel.

Interface
IK Chain Assignment rollout (creation time only)

Provides the tools to quickly create a bone chain with an IK solver
automatically applied. Also allows for bone creation with no IK solver.
IK Solver drop-down list Specifies the type of IK solver to be automatically
applied if Assign To Children is turned on.
Assign To Children When on, assigns the IK solver named in the IK solver
list to all the newly created bones except the first (root) bone. When off,
assigns a standard PRS Transform controller on page 3557 to the bones.
Default=off.
NOTE Choosing the SplineIKSolver and turning on Assign To Children causes the
Spline IK Solver dialog on page 3774 to appear after bones have been created.

Bones System | 803

Assign To Root When on, assigns an IK solver to all the newly created bones
including the first (root) bone.
Turning on Assign To Children also automatically turns on Assign To Root.

Bone Parameters rollout (creation and modification time)

These controls change the appearance of the bones.

Bone Object group
Width Sets the width of the bone to be made.
Height Sets the height of the bone to be made.

804 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Taper Adjusts the taper of the bone shape. A Taper of 0 produces a box-shaped
bone.

Bone Fins group
Side Fins Lets you add a set of fins to the sides of the bones you create.
■

SizeControls the size of the fin.

■

Start TaperControls the start taper of the fin.

■

End TaperControls the end taper of the fin.

Front Fin Lets you add a fin to the front of the bone you create.
■

SizeControls the size of the fin.

■

Start TaperControls the start taper of the fin.

■

End TaperControls the end taper of the fin.

Back Fin Lets you add a fin to the back of the bone you create.
■

SizeControls the size of the fin.

■

Start TaperControls the start taper of the fin.

■

End TaperControls the end taper of the fin.

Generate Mapping Coords Creates mapping coordinates on the bones. Since
the bones are renderable, they can also have materials applied, which can use
these mapping coordinates.

Using Objects as Bones
Select a linked object or multiple objects linked to each other. ➤ Animation
menu ➤ Bone Tools ➤ Object Properties rollout ➤ Bone On toggle
You can use arbitrary objects such as cylinders or boxes as bones, controlling
their animation as if they were bones in a bones system on page 793. You can
apply an IK solver on page 3704 to the boned objects.
To use objects as bones, select them and then turn on the Bone On toggle on
the Object Properties rollout of the Bone Tools dialog on page 806.
WARNING Turning on Freeze Length has no visible effect unless you transform
the child of the object to which Freeze Length is applied.

Bones System | 805

Once you've set objects to function as bones, applying an IK solution behaves
as it does for standard bone objects. The geometry of the boned objects can
stretch or squash during animation.

Procedures
To use objects as bones:

1

2

Link the objects you want to display as bones.

Select all of these objects.
NOTE You can set a single object to work as a bone, but this doesn't have
much use.

3 Choose Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools.
The floating Bone Tools dialog is displayed.
4 On the Object Properties rollout, turn on Bone On.
3ds Max now treats the selected objects as bones.

5

Select the object to use as the start of the IK chain.

6 Choose Animation ➤ IK Solvers ➤ HI Solver.
You can choose a different IK solver, but the HI Solver is the preferred
choice.
7 Click to select the end of the IK chain.
Now when you transform the boned objects, their movement is governed
by the IK solver.

Bone Tools
Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools

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This command opens the Bone Tools floater, which provides functions for
working with bones. The floater contains three rollouts, described in the
following topics.

Bone Editing Tools Rollout
Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools ➤ Bone Tools floater ➤ Bone Editing Tools
rollout
Controls on the Bone Editing Tools rollout let you create and modify bone
geometry and structure, and set bone color for one or more bones.
See also:
■

Bones System on page 793

Interface

Bones System | 807

Bone Pivot Position group
Bone Edit Mode Lets you change the lengths of bones and their positions
relative to one another.
When this button is on, you can change the length of a bone by moving its
child bone. In effect, you can scale or stretch a bone by moving its child bone
while in this mode. You can use this tool both before and after assigning an
IK chain to the bone structure.
When Bone Edit Mode is on, you cannot animate, and when Auto Key or Set
Key is on, Bone Edit Mode is unavailable. Turn off Auto/Set Key to edit bones.
NOTE Moving a bone in Bone Edit mode affects the length of both the child and
its parent. If the bones aren't spatially aligned in the usual way (for example, if you
are using other objects as bones), this might have unexpected results.

Bone Tools group
Create Bones Begins the bone-creation process. Clicking this button is the
same as clicking Create panel ➤ Systems ➤ Bones on page 793.
Create End Creates a nub bone at the end of the currently selected bone. If
the selected bone is not at the end of a chain, the nub is linked in sequence
between the currently selected bone and the next bone in the chain.
Remove Bone Removes the currently selected bone. The bone’s parent bone
is stretched to reach the removed bone’s pivot point, and any children of the
removed bone are linked to its parent. Any IK chains that included the removed
bone will remain intact.
Connect Bones Creates a connecting bone between the currently selected
bone and another bone. When you click this button, a dotted line appears in
the active viewport from the first selected bone. Move the cursor to another
bone to create a new connecting bone. The first selected bone will become a
parent to the connecting bone, which is in turn a parent to the second selected
bone.
Delete Bone Deletes the currently selected bone, removing all its parent/child
associations. A nub is placed at the end of the deleted bone’s parent. Any IK
chains that included this bone become invalid.
Reassign Root Makes the currently selected bone the root (parent) of the bone
structure.
If the current bone is the root, clicking this has no effect. If the current bone
is the end of the chain, the chain is completely reversed. If the current bone
is in the middle of the chain, the chain becomes a branching hierarchy.

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Refine Splits a bone in two. Click Refine, and then click a bone where you
want it to split.
Mirror Opens the Bone Mirror dialog (see following), which lets you create
mirror copies of selected bones without changing the sign of the bones' scale.
Instead, Mirror flips one of the bone axes: Y or Z. You can specify the mirroring
axis and the flip axis with the dialog controls.

Bone Mirror Dialog

Opens when you click the Mirror button. Use it to specify the mirroring axis,
the flip axis, and an offset value.
While the dialog is open, you can see a preview of the mirrored bone(s) in the
viewports. Click OK to create the bones, or Cancel to prevent creation.
Mirror Axis Choose an axis or plane about which the bones will be mirrored:
X/Y/Z or XY/YZ/ZX.
Bone Axis to Flip To avoid creating a negative scale, choose the bone axis to
flip: Y or Z.
Offset The distance between the original bones and the mirrored bones. Use
this to move the mirrored bones to the other side of the character.

Bone Coloring group
Selected Bone Color Sets the color for selected bones.
Apply Gradient Applies a gradient color across several bones based on the
Start Color and End Color values. This option is available only when two or
more bones are selected. The Start Color is applied to the highest parent bone
in the selected chain, while the End Color is applied to the last child object

Bones System | 809

in the selected chain. Intermediate colors in the gradient are applied to bones
in between.
Start Color Sets the starting color for the gradient.
End Color Sets the ending color for the gradient.

Fin Adjustment Tools Rollout
Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools ➤ Bone Tools floater ➤ Fin Adjustment
Tools rollout
Controls on the Fin Adjustment Tools rollout are for adjusting some aspects
of bone geometry, including fins.

810 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface

Absolute Sets the fin parameters as absolute values. Use this option to set the
same fin values for all selected bones.
Relative Sets the fin parameters relative to their current values. Use this option
to retain size relationships between bones with different-sized fins.
Copy Copies the bone and fin settings for the currently selected bone, in
preparation for pasting to another bone.

Bones System | 811

Paste Pastes the copied bone and fin settings to the currently selected bone.

Bone Objects group
Width Sets the width of the bone.
Height Sets the height of the bone.
Taper Adjusts the taper of the bone shape. A Taper with a 0 value produces
a box-shaped bone. Higher values pinch the bone where it joins its child bone,
while lower values expand that end of the bone.

Fins group
Side Fins Adds side fins to selected bones.
■

SizeControls the size of the fin.

■

Start TaperControls the start taper of the fin.

■

End TaperControls the end taper of the fin.

Front Fin Adds front fins to selected bones.
■

SizeControls the size of the fin.

■

Start TaperControls the start taper of the fin.

■

End TaperControls the end taper of the fin.

Back Fin Adds fins to the backs of selected bones.
■

SizeControls the size of the fin.

■

Start TaperControls the start taper of the fin.

■

End TaperControls the end taper of the fin.

Object Properties Rollout (Bone Tools)
Animation menu ➤ Bone Tools ➤ Bone Tools floater ➤ Object Properties
rollout
Controls on the Object Properties rollout for bones let you turn other objects
into bones. They also control bone rigidity and alignment.
NOTE You can reset the scale of bones with the Reset Scale option.

812 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface

Bone On/Off When turned on, the selected bone or object behaves as a bone.
Turning this option off causes the object to stop behaving like a bone: there
is no auto alignment or stretching. Default=on for bone objects, off for other
kinds of objects.
NOTE Turning this option on doesn't immediately cause objects to align or stretch.
However, future transforms of children can cause rotation and stretching.
Freeze Length When turned on, the bone maintains its length. When turned
off, the bone's length is based on the translation of its child bone. This option
is available only if Bone On is on. Default=on.
WARNING When you turn on Freeze Length, this has no visible effect unless you
transform the child of the object to which Freeze Length is applied.
Auto-Align When turned off, the bone's pivot point doesn't align to its child
object. The translation of a child bone will not be converted into rotation of
the parent. Instead, the child is allowed to move away from the parent's X
axis. This option is available only if Bone On is on. Default=on.
NOTE Changing the Auto-Align state does not have an immediate visual effect
on the skeleton. It affects future behavior when bones are moved.

Bones System | 813

Correct Negative Stretch When turned on, any stretching of the bone that
results in a negative scale factor will be corrected to a positive number. This
option is available only if Bone On is on. Default=on.
Realign Causes the bone's X axis to realign and point at the child bone (or
the average pivot of multiple children). Normally this alignment is maintained,
and there is no need to use this option. However, it is possible for the bones
to come out of alignment by turning off Auto-Align and moving a child bone.
Use Realign to align the bone back to its child. This option is available only
if Bone On is on.
Reset Stretch Stretches the bone to reach its child object if the child has been
moved away from the bone. This option is available only if Bone On is on.
Reset Scale Resets a stretched bone's internally calculated scale to 100% on
each axis. Using this option avoids unexpected behavior due to objects which
are both linked and scaled. This option has no visual effect on the bone. This
option is available only if Bone On is on.

Stretch Factor Information
Under the Correct Negative Stretch options is a text display giving information
about the number of bones selected and the respective stretch factor for all
three axes. If more than one bone is selected, the Stretch Factor text displays
undefined.
NOTE The Stretch Factor text only updates when you are in Bone Edit Mode on
page 807.

Stretch and Axis Options
Stretch Determines what kind of stretch takes place when the child bone is
transformed and Freeze Length is off. Default=Scale.
■

NoneNo stretch takes place.

■

ScaleLets the bone scale. The stretch happens along one axis.

■

SquashLets the bone squash. The bone gets fatter as it gets shorter, and
thinner as it gets longer.

Axis Determines the axis used for the stretch.
■

X/Y/ZChoose the axis for scaling or squashing.

■

FlipFlips the stretch along the selected axis.

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Ring Array System
Create panel ➤

(Systems) ➤ Ring Array button

The Ring Array object consists of a dummy object on page 2871 surrounded by
a ring of boxes. You can arrange the boxes in the ring along a sine curve, vary
their number, and animate the ring array's parameters. You can also replace
the boxes with other objects using Track View, as described in the Procedures
section, below.

Example of ring array

Procedures
To create the ring array system:

1 On the
Create panel, click
rollout, turn on Ring Array.

(Systems). On the Object Type

2 Drag in a viewport to set the center and radius of the array.
A dummy object appears at the center. By default, four boxes are evenly
spaced in a circle around it.
To animate the ring array:

1 Turn on

(Auto Key).

2 Move to a nonzero frame.
3 Adjust the ring array parameters.
You can't animate the number of boxes in the ring.
4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for additional keyframes.

Ring Array System | 815

NOTE To animate the ring array after creation, use the Motion panel, not
the Modify panel.

To put other kinds of objects in the ring:
You can use either version of Track View: Curve Editor or Dope Sheet.
1 In the Track View Controller window, click the name of object container
of the object to put in the ring.
The name highlights.

2 Still in the Controller window, right-click and choose Copy from the
menu.
3 Highlight the object container of one of the ring array boxes.

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4 Right-click and choose Paste.
5 In the Paste dialog, choose Copy or Instance. Optionally, to replace all
the boxes with the copied object, turn on Replace All Instances. Click
OK.
The box or boxes are replaced with the copied object.
TIP To see the replacement objects, you might need to refresh the viewports.

Ring Array System | 817

Top: Object substituted for boxes in array
Bottom: The result

818 | Chapter 6 Creating Geometry

Interface

These parameters control ring arrays. To adjust and animate the ring array
after creation, select one of the array objects (not the dummy), and then go
to the Motion panel, not the Modify panel.
Radius Sets the radius of the ring. You set the initial Radius value when you
drag to create the ring array.
Amplitude Sets the amplitude of the ring's sine curve, in active units.
Amplitude is a height offset from the local origin of the center dummy object.
Cycles Sets the number of cycles in the ring's sine curve. When Cycles is 0.0,
the ring is flat. When Cycles is 1.0, the ring is tilted. Greater values increase
the number of peaks in the curve.
Phase Offsets the phase of the wave. That is, it has the effect of moving the
wave along the circumference of the ring. Whole values have no effect; only
fractional values do.
Number Sets the number of boxes in the ring.

Ring Array System | 819

820

Moving, Rotating, and
Scaling Objects

7

To change an object’s position, orientation, or scale, click one of the three transform buttons
on the main toolbar or choose a transform from a shortcut menu. Apply the transform to a
selected object using the mouse, the status bar Coordinate Display fields, a type-in dialog, or
any combination of the above.

The column can be moved, rotated, and scaled.

821

Scaling and Dimensions
If you scale an object and later check its base parameters in the Modify panel, you see the
dimensions of the object before it was scaled. The base object exists independently of the
scaled object that is visible in your scene.
You can use the Measure utility on page 2914 to measure the current dimensions of an object
that has been scaled or changed by a modifier.
See also:
■

Creating Copies and Arrays on page 921

■

Using Shift+Clone on page 936

Using Transforms
A transform is an adjustment of an object’s position, orientation, or scale,
relative to the 3D world (or world space) in which you’re working.

Changing a model by changing its position, rotation, or scale

You can apply three types of transform to an object:

■

Position on page 851

■

Rotation on page 852

822 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

■

Scale on page 854

This section presents these brief topics designed to help you quickly start
learning how to transform objects, and how to animate your transforms:
Using Transform Gizmos on page 825
Animating Transforms on page 838
Transform Managers on page 840
Specifying a Reference Coordinate System on page 842
Choosing a Transform Center on page 843
Using the Axis Constraints on page 847

Failure to Move or Rotate
In some cases, an object might fail to move or rotate, even when the proper
button is on and the object is selected. This could be due to one of the
following reasons:
■

The object is frozen on page 168.

■

A transform controller has been assigned to the object. See Animation
Controllers on page 3454.

■

Inverse Kinematics mode is on and the preference called Always Transform
Children of the World is off. See Introduction to Inverse Kinematics (IK)
on page 3696.

Procedures
To transform an object using the main toolbar:

1 On the main toolbar, click one of the three transform buttons:
(Select And Move) on page 851,

(Select And Rotate) on page 852, or

(Select And Uniform Scale) on page 854. These buttons are usually
referred to as Move, Rotate, and Scale.

Using Transforms | 823

2 Position the mouse over the object you want to transform.
■

If the object is already selected, the cursor changes to indicate the
transform.

■

If the object is not selected, the cursor changes to a crosshairs to show
that the object can be selected.

3 Drag the mouse to apply the transform.
If you drag the mouse over an unselected object, it becomes selected and
is also transformed.
You can restrict transforms to one or two axes easily with the transform
gizmo on page 825.
To cancel a transform:
■

Right-click while you’re dragging the mouse.

To transform an object from the quad menu:
1 Right-click a selected object. The quad menu on page 8640 lists the three
transforms.
2 Choose one of the transforms. The equivalent transform button is selected
on the main toolbar.
3 Drag the object to apply the transform.
To use transform type-in:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Transform Type-In to display the dialog.
2 Apply a transform to a selected object.
3 You can do any of the following, switching from one to the other as
required.
■

Type a value in an axis field and press Enter to apply the transform
change to the selection.

■

Drag a spinner in an axis field to update the selection.

■

Drag the object to apply the transform and read the resulting change
in the dialog.

824 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

For example, if Move is active, the dialog fields read out both the absolute
and offset positions of the selected object in world space. If no object is
selected, the fields turn gray.
To use transform type-in on the status bar:
1 Select an object or a group of objects.
2 On the main toolbar, choose a transform (Move, Rotate, or Scale) to
perform on the objects.
3 On the status bar, you can do any of the following, switching from one
to another as required:
■

Type a value in an axis field and press Enter to apply the transform
change to the selection. The
Absolute/Offset toggle, to the right
of the X, Y, and Z fields, lets you switch between entering values that
are absolute (in world space) or offset (relative to the selection's present
position, orientation, and dimensions).

■

Drag a spinner in an axis field to update the selection.

■

Drag the object to apply the transform and read the resulting change
in the X, Y, and Z fields.
TIP To see the Z field, drag the transform type-in portion of the toolbar
while a pan hand is visible.

Using Transform Gizmos
Select an object. ➤ main toolbar ➤ Click any transform button to display
the objects Transform Gizmo icon.
The Transform gizmos are viewport icons that let you quickly choose one or
two axes when transforming a selection with the mouse.
You choose an axis by placing the mouse over any axis of the icon, and then
drag the mouse to transform the selection along that axis. In addition, when
moving or scaling an object, you can use other areas of the gizmo to perform
transforms along any two axes simultaneously. Using a gizmo avoids the need
to first specify a transform axis or axes on the Axis Constraints toolbar on
page 8627, and also lets you switch quickly and easily between different transform
axes and planes.

Using Transform Gizmos | 825

Move gizmo

Rotate gizmo

826 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Scale gizmo

A Transform gizmo appears when one or more objects are selected and one
of the transform buttons (Select And Move on page 851, Select And Rotate on
page 852, or Select And Scale on page 854) is active on the main toolbar. Each
transform type uses a different gizmo. By default, each axis is assigned one of
three colors: X is red, Y is green, and Z is blue. The corners of the Move gizmo
are assigned the two colors of the related axes; for example, the corner for the
XZ plane is red and blue.
When you position the mouse over any axis, it turns yellow to indicate that
it’s active. Similarly, position the mouse over one of the plane handles, and
both associated axes turn yellow. You can now drag the selection along the
indicated axis or axes. Doing so changes the Axis Constraints toolbar "Restrict
to ..." setting on page 847.

Using Transform Gizmos | 827

NOTE When no transform tool is active and you select one or more objects, axis
tripods appear in the viewport.

The axis tripod appears when the transform gizmo is inactive.

Each axis tripod consists of three lines, labeled X, Y, and Z, and shows you three
things:
■

The orientation of the tripod reveals the orientation of the current reference
coordinate system.

■

The location of the junction of the three axis lines shows where the current
transform center is.

■

The highlighted red axis lines show the current axis constraints on page
847.

Move Gizmo
The Move gizmo includes plane handles, and the option to use a center box
handle.

828 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

You can select any of the axis handles to constrain movement to that axis. In
addition, the plane handles allow you to constrain movement to the XY, YZ,
or XZ planes. The selection hotspot is within the square formed by the plane
handles. You can change the size and offset of the handles and other settings
on the Gizmos panel on page 8941 of the Preferences dialog on page 8886.

The Move gizmo with the YZ axes selected.

You can constrain translation to the viewport plane by dragging the center
box. To use this optional control, turn on Move In Screen Space on page 8943.

Rotate Gizmo
The Rotate gizmo is built around the concept of a virtual trackball. You can
rotate an object freely, about the X, Y, or Z axis, or about an axis perpendicular
to the viewport.

Using Transform Gizmos | 829

The axis handles are circles around the trackball. Drag anywhere on one of
them to rotate the object about that axis. As you rotate about the X, Y, or Z
axis a transparent slice provides a visual representation of the direction and
amount of rotation. If you rotate more than 360°, the slice overlaps and the
shading becomes increasingly opaque. 3ds Max also displays numerical data
to indicate a precise rotational measurement.

830 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

In addition to XYZ rotation, you can also use free rotation or the viewport
handle to rotate objects.
Drag inside the Rotate gizmo (or the outer edge of the gizmo) to perform free
rotation. Rotation should behave as if you were actually spinning the trackball.
The outermost circle around the Rotate gizmo is the Screen handle, which
lets you rotate the object on a plane parallel to the viewport.
You can adjust settings for the Rotate gizmo on the Gizmos panel on page 8941
of the Preferences dialog on page 8886

Scale Gizmo
The Scale gizmo includes plane handles and scaling feedback through the
stretching of the gizmo itself.
The plane handles let you perform uniform and non-uniform scaling without
changing your selection on the main toolbar:
■

To perform Uniform scaling, drag in the center of the gizmo.

Using Transform Gizmos | 831

The Transform gizmo with Uniform scaling selected.

■

To perform non-uniform scaling, drag on a single axis or a plane handle.

832 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Top: The Scale gizmo with the YZ plane handle selected
Bottom: Non-uniform scaling on the YZ plane

NOTE To perform a Squash operation, you must choose Select and Squash on
page 858 on the main toolbar.
The Scale gizmo provides feedback by changing its size and shape; in the case
of a uniform scale operation, it will grow or shrink as the mouse moves, and
during non-uniform scaling, the gizmo will stretch and deform while dragging.
However, once the mouse button is released, the gizmo returns to its original
size and shape.
You can adjust settings for the Scale gizmo on the Gizmos panel on page 8941
of the Preferences dialog on page 8886

Notes
Using a Transform gizmo sets the default axis constraint to the last axis or
plane you used.

Using Transform Gizmos | 833

If Lock Selection Set is on, you can drag anywhere in the viewport to transform
the object. Dragging an axis, however, still applies the constraint along that
axis.
See also:
■

Gizmos Preferences on page 8941

Procedures
Example: To explore use of the transform gizmo:

1 Reset 3ds Max, then create a sphere, and then click
Move).

(Select And

The Transform Gizmo Appears At The Center Of The Sphere. Because
The Default Axis Constraint On The Axis Constraints Toolbar Is Xy Plane,
The X And Y Shafts Of The Transform Gizmo Are Yellow (Active), While
The Z Shaft Is Blue.

2 Use
(Orbit) on page 8740 to adjust the Perspective view for a better
view of the Transform gizmo. When you’re done, right-click to return to
Select And Move .
3 Point to any part of the sphere away from the Transform gizmo, and drag
to confirm that the sphere is locked to the XY plane.
4 Point to the Z-axis shaft, and drag.
The Z shaft turns yellow, the X and Y shafts turn red and green,
respectively, and the sphere moves along the Z axis.
5 Point to the Y shaft, and drag.
The Y shaft turns yellow, and the sphere moves along only the Y axis.
6 Point to the red-and-green corner mark opposite the ends of the X and
Y axes, and drag.
The sphere moves along the XY plane.
7 Press the Spacebar to turn on Selection Lock on page 8667.
8 Drag the mouse anywhere in a viewport away from the selection.
The sphere moves along the XY plane.

834 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

9 Point to the X shaft, and drag.
The sphere moves along only the X axis.
Experiment with other transformations, such as rotation and scale. Try different
reference coordinate systems. Experiment with sub-object transformations.

Interface
Change default colors Customize menu ➤ Customize User Interface dialog
➤ Colors panel on page 8860 ➤ Gizmos Element ➤ Active Transform Gizmo
and Transform Gizmo X/Y/Z.
Enable/disable Transform Gizmo Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤
Gizmos panel on page 8941 ➤ On check box.
NOTE When you turn off the Transform gizmo in Preferences, the standard axis
tripod appears instead. To toggle display of either the gizmo or the tripod, press
the X key or use Views menu ➤ Show Transform Gizmo.
There are additional controls for each Gizmo in the Gizmos panel on page
8941 of the Preferences dialog.

Transform Type-In
Status bar ➤ Transform Type-In
Edit menu ➤ Transform Type-In
F12

Main toolbar ➤ Right-click

Rotate), or one of the

(Select and Move),

(Select and

(Select and Scale) buttons.

Transform Type-In is a dialog that lets you enter precise values for move,
rotate, and scale transforms on page 9336. You can use Transform Type-In with
anything that can display an axis tripod or Transform gizmo.
You can also use the Transform Type-In boxes on the status bar on page 8652.
To use the Transform Type-In boxes on the status bar, simply enter the
appropriate values in the boxes and press Enter to apply the transformation.

Transform Type-In | 835

You can alternate between entering absolute transform values or offset values
by clicking the Relative/Absolute Transform Type-In button to the left of the
transform boxes.
If you choose Transform Type-In from the Edit menu, press F12, or right-click
one of the transform toolbar buttons, Transform Type-In pops up as a dialog.
The title of the dialog reflects the active transform. If Rotate is active, the
dialog's title is Rotate Transform Type-In and its controls affect rotation. If
Scale is active, its title is Scale Transform Type-In, and so on. You can enter
either absolute transform values or offset values.
In most cases, both absolute and offset transforms use the active reference
coordinate system on page 860. The exceptions are View, which uses the World
coordinate system, and Screen, which uses World for absolute moves and
rotations. Also, absolute scaling always uses the Local coordinate system. The
dialog labels change to show the reference coordinate system being used.
When you use the Transform Type-In at a sub-object level, you transform the
transform gizmo of the sub-object selection. So, for example, the absolute
position values represent the absolute world position of the transform gizmo.
If you've selected a single vertex, it's the absolute world position of the vertex.
If multiple vertices are selected, the Transform gizmo is placed at the center
of the selection, so the position you specify in the Transform Type-In sets the
absolute position of the center of the selected vertices.
When multiple vertices are selected in Local transform mode, you end up with
multiple transform gizmos. In this case, only the Offset control is available.
Because the axis tripods are not scaled, the Absolute Scale control is not
available at the sub-object level. Only Offset is available.
When you use the Transform Type-In for Absolute rotation, the state of the
Center flyout is respected. You can perform absolute rotations about the pivot
point of the object, the selection center, or transform coordinate center. See
Choosing a Transform Center on page 843.

Using Type-In with Sub-Object Selection
You can use Transform Type-In with any sub-object selection or gizmo. The
transform affects the axis tripod for the selection.
Absolute and offset world coordinates are those of the object's or selection's
coordinate system, whose origin is indicated by the axis tripod. If multiple
vertices are selected, the tripod is at the center of the selection and its location
is given in world coordinates.

836 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Because axis tripods cannot be scaled, Absolute Scale fields are unavailable
when you are at a sub-object level.
See Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects on page 290 for information on
sub-object selection and gizmos.

Procedures
To use transform type-in:
1 Select an object or a group of objects.
2 Choose a transform to perform on the objects (Move, Rotate, or Scale).
3 You can do any of the following, switching from one to another as
required:
■

Type a value in an axis field and press Enter to apply the transform
change to the object in the viewport.

■

Drag a spinner in an axis field to update the object in the viewport.

■

Drag the object to apply the transform and read the resulting change
in the axis fields.
For example, if Move is active, the fields read out both the absolute
positions of the selected object in world space. If no object is selected,
the fields turn gray.

Interface
Status bar

Absolute/Offset Mode Transform Type-In When this is off, 3ds
Max treats values you enter into the X, Y, and Z fields as absolutes. When this
is on, 3ds Max applies transform values you enter as relative to current values;
that is, as an offset. Default=off.
X, Y, and Z Display and accept entry for values of position, rotation, and scale
along each axis.

Transform Type-In | 837

Absolute group (Dialog)

X, Y, and Z Display and accept entry for absolute values of position, rotation,
and scale along each axis. Position and rotation are always displayed, as world
scale is always local.

Offset group (Dialog)
X, Y, and Z Display and accept entry for offsets of the position, rotation, and
scale values along each axis.
Displayed offset values revert to 0.0 after each operation. For example, if you
enter 45 degrees in a Rotate Offset field, when you press Enter, 3ds Max rotates
the object 45 degrees from its previous position, increases the Absolute field
value by 45 degrees, and resets the Offset field to 0.0.
Offset labels reflect the active reference coordinate system. The Offset can be
Offset: Local, Offset: Parent, and so on. If you use Pick to select the reference
coordinate system of a particular object, the Offset will be named with that
object.

Animating Transforms
You can animate changes in position, rotation, and scale (transforms) by
turning on the Auto Key button and then performing the transform at any
frame other than frame 0. This creates a key for that transform at the current
frame.
Example: To animate an object moving among three points:

1 Turn on

(Auto Key) on page 3403.

The Auto Key button, the highlight border around the active viewport,
and the time slider background all turn red.

2 Drag the time slider to frame 25.

838 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

3

Move the object from its current position (point A) to another
location (point B).
3ds Max creates Move keys at frames 0 and 25. These appear on the track
bar on page 8659. The establishing key at frame 0 describes the object’s
original position, at point A. The key at frame 25 describes the object’s
position at point B.

4 Drag the time slider to frame 50.

5

Move the object from point B to a third location (point C).
3ds Max creates a Move key at frame 50 that describes the object’s position
at point C.

6 Click

7 Click

(Auto Key) to stop recording animation.

(Play) on page 8691.

The object moves from point A to point B over frames 0 to 25, and then
proceeds to point C over frames 26 to 50.

8 The Play button has turned into a Stop button; click
stop playback.

(Stop) to

You can combine different transforms in a single animation sequence, so that
an object appears to move as it rotates and changes in size.
See Animation Concepts and Methods on page 3398 for more information on
animation techniques.

Animating Transforms | 839

An object animated among three points

Transform Managers
3ds Max provides three controls, collectively referred to as the transform
managers, for modifying the action of the transform tools.
The transform manager controls are as follows:
■

The Reference Coordinate System drop-down list on page 860, which
controls the orientation of the transform axes, is found to the right of the
Move, Rotate, and Scale transform buttons on the main toolbar.

■

The Transform Center flyout on page 867, which controls the center about
which 3ds Max applies the transform, is found to the right of the Reference
Coordinate System drop-down list.

■

The Axis Constraint setting on page 847 lets you restrict the transform to
a single axis or two axes (that is, a plane). The axis constraint tools appear
on the Axis Constraints toolbar, which is off by default. You can open the
toolbar by right-clicking an empty spot on the main toolbar and choosing
Axis Constraints from the menu.

840 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

TIP You can also restrict transforms with the transform gizmos on page 825.

Definitions
Certain terms are used in the description of transforms and the transform
managers.
■

An axis is a straight line along which an object is moved or scaled, or about
which an object is rotated. When you work in 3D, you use three axes,
labeled X, Y, and Z, which are oriented 90 degrees from each other.

■

A coordinate system specifies the orientation of the X, Y, and Z axes used
by a transform.
For example, in the World coordinate system, as seen from the Front view,
the X axis runs horizontally from left to right, the Y axis runs from back
to front, and the Z axis runs vertically, from bottom to top.
On the other hand, each object carries its own Local coordinate system.
If the object has been rotated, its Local coordinate system might be different
from the world coordinate system.

■

The transform center, or pivot point, is the spot about which a rotation takes
place, or to and from which scaling occurs.

Using the transform managers, you can specify any combination of axes,
transform coordinate systems, and transform centers.

Axis Tripod Icon
An axis tripod appears in the viewports when you select one or more objects,
to assist you visually in your transforms. This tripod consists of three lines,
labeled X, Y, and Z, and shows you three things:
■

The orientation of the tripod reveals the orientation of your coordinate
system.

■

The location of the junction of the three axis lines shows you where your
transform center is.

■

The highlighted red axis lines show you the axis or axes to which the
transform is constrained. For example, if only the X axis line is red, you
can move objects only along the X axis.

Transform Managers | 841

NOTE The Transform gizmo supplants the axis tripod for selections when a
transform mode is active. Besides providing all of the above functions, it lets
you specify the transform axis or axes without explicitly setting constraints;
see Using the Axis Constraints on page 847. For more on the Transform gizmo,
see Using Transform Gizmos on page 825.

You can toggle the display of the axis tripod in all viewports by choosing
Views menu ➤ Show Transform Gizmo, or by pressing the X key.

Transform Manager Settings
The state of the three transform managers (coordinate system, center, and
axis constraints) is stored with each type of transform. When you switch from
Move to Rotate to Scale, the transform managers change to whatever
combination they were in when you last used that transform.
For example, if you click Rotate and set the transform managers to Local,
Selection Center, and Y constraint, when you click Move, the controls might
shift to View, Pivot Point, and XY constraint (whichever combination was set
the last time you used Move). When you go back to Rotate, the controls revert
to Local, Selection Center, and Y constraint.
TIP To avoid surprises, always click the transform button first, and then set the
transform managers. If, instead, you first set the transform managers, their settings
are likely to change as soon as you choose a new transform button. One way to
remember this is always to set the transform and managers by working from left
to right on the toolbar. Alternatively, you can turn on Customize menu ➤
Preferences ➤ General tab ➤ Reference Coordinate System group ➤ Constant,
which keeps the transform manager settings the same for all transforms.

Specifying a Reference Coordinate System
The reference coordinate system determines the orientation of the X, Y, and
Z axes used by the transform. The type of transform system you use affects all
transform operations.
You specify the transform coordinate system using the Reference Coordinate
System list on page 860.

Creating a Local Axis
While modeling, it’s often helpful to have a temporary, movable local axis so
you can rotate or scale about an arbitrary center.

842 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

NOTE This technique does not work for animation. See Choosing a Transform
Center on page 843 for animation tips.
TIP As an alternative to this method, you can use the Working Pivot on page 3800.
To create an adjustable local axis:
1 Create a Point helper object on page 2884.
2 From the Transform Coordinate System list, choose Pick, and then click
the point object.
The name of the point object appears in the list as the active coordinate
system.
Now you can use the point object’s coordinate system as an adjustable axis.
To use the adjustable axis:
1 Place the point object where you want the rotate or scale transform to
be centered.

2

Select the object you want to transform.

3 Choose the point object’s name in the Transform Coordinate System
drop-down list.
4 From the Use Center flyout on page 867 choose Use Transform Coordinate
Center. For more information, see Choosing a Transform Center on page
843.
5 Proceed with the transform.

Choosing a Transform Center
The transform center affects scale and rotation transforms, but has no effect
on position transforms.
3ds Max lets you choose from three types of transform center using the Use
Center flyout on page 867 on the main toolbar. When you change the transform
center, the junction of the axis tripod icon moves to the location you specify.
By default, 3ds Max sets the transform center to Use Pivot Point center for
single objects. When you select multiple objects, the default transform center

Choosing a Transform Center | 843

changes to Use Selection Center, because selection sets have no pivot point.
You can change the transform center in either case, and 3ds Max remembers
and restores the transform center setting separately for selections of single
and multiple objects (during the current session).
TIP You can transform an object’s pivot with the Hierarchy panel ➤ Adjust Pivot
controls on page 3797. Alternatively, you can transform objects using the working
pivot on page 3800.
For example, you might select a single object and choose Use Transform
Coordinate Center, and then select multiple objects and choose Use Pivot
Point Center. When you next select a single object, 3ds Max switches back to
Use Transform Coordinate Center. Then, when you select multiple objects,
the center switches back to Pivot Point.

844 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

1. User selects single object.
2. User clicks Use Transform Coordinate Center from Use Center flyout on the main
toolbar.
3. User adds second object to selection.
4. Transform center changes to Use Selection Center when selection set contains more
than one object.

Choosing a Transform Center | 845

5. User clicks Use Pivot Point Center while multiple objects still selected.
6. User selects single object.
7. Transform center returns to Use Transform Coordinate Center (see step 2).
8. User selects multiple objects.
9. Transform center returns to Use Pivot Point Center (see step 5).

Transforming About Snapped Points
While the transform center choices are often useful at the object level, they
are not usually convenient when transforming sub-object selections. You can
override the active transform center and perform the current transform about
a temporary point by using snaps. When Snaps is active, and your selection
is locked, the point you snap to will set the point about which the transform
is performed. Using this technique, you can:
■

Move relative to two snap points.

■

Rotate about a snapped point.

■

Scale about a snapped point.

For more details, see Snap Settings on page 2850.

Animation and the Transform Center
Because of the nature of keyframing, you can animate rotation and scale
transforms properly only by using an object’s local pivot point. For example,
while modeling, you can rotate an object that’s offset from the world origin
around the world center coordinate system. The object sweeps around the
origin in a large arc. However, if you attempt to animate this, the object rotates
about its local axis and moves in a straight line from one end of the arc to the
other.
To avoid this discrepancy, when Auto Key on page 8679 is on and either the
Rotate or Scale button is active, the Use Center flyout is unavailable and set
to Use Pivot Point. When Auto Key button is off, all transforms use the center
settings previously described.
You can override this behavior by turning off Local Center During Animate
on page 8936 in the Animation Preferences settings.
Keep in mind that this affects only the center of the transform. The orientation
of the selected transform coordinate system is still in effect.

846 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Animating "Off-Center"
You can animate a rotation or scale about an off-center point by linking your
object as the child of a dummy helper object, and then rotating or scaling the
dummy.
Another technique is to offset the pivot point of your object using the
Hierarchy panel.
For information about linking, dummy objects, and the Hierarchy panel, see
Hierarchies on page 3653.

Using the Axis Constraints
Axis Constraints toolbar ➤ Restrict to

(Z), or

(X),

(Y),

a plane

Keyboard ➤
F5 restricts to X
F6 restricts to Y
F7 restricts to Z
F8 cycles through the three plane restrictions
The Restrict to ... buttons, also called the Axis Constraint buttons, are located
on the Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627, which is off by default.
You can turn on the Axis Constraints toolbar by right-clicking an empty spot
on the main toolbar and choosing Axis Constraints from the pop-up menu.
These buttons let you specify one or two axes about or along which the
transform takes place. They help you avoid transforming an object in a
direction you didn't intend.
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, while the Axis Constraints toolbar is
displayed, its controls update interactively to correspond to the portion of
the transform gizmo on page 825 that you are using currently.
NOTE It's generally easier to use the Transform gizmos than these buttons; see
Using Transform Gizmos on page 825. However, it is helpful to understand the
concepts explained below.

Using the Axis Constraints | 847

Axis Constraint buttons

Only one axis constraint can be active at a time. When a button is turned on,
transforms are constrained to the specified axis (or plane). For example, if you
turn on the Restrict To X button, you can rotate an object only about the X
axis of the current transform coordinate system.
The axis or axes to which you’re constrained are highlighted in red on the
axis tripod icon in viewports, or in yellow on the Transform gizmo.
NOTE By default, axis constraints don't apply when using Snap. You can override
this by turning on Snaps Use Axis Constraint Toggle on the Axis Constraints toolbar
on page 8627, or by turning on Use Axis Constraints in Snap Options on page 2859.
NOTE Constraints are set on a transform-by-transform basis, so select the transform
before you select the axis constraint. If you do not want the constraints to change,
turn on Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ General tab ➤ Reference Coordinate
System group ➤ Constant.
The axis constraints are stored separately at object and sub-object levels. If
you set these three controls one way while in sub-object mode and another
way while in object selection level, when you return to sub-object mode,
they're restored to the way they were previously set. For example, if you're
using XY constraints at object level, then switch to sub-object level and use
Z constraint, when you return to object level, XY will be restored.

848 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Restrict to Plane Flyout

The Restrict To Plane flyout, available from the Axis Constraints toolbar, lets
you limit all transformations (move, rotate, scale) to the XY, YZ, or ZX planes
(by default, parallel with the Top view).
You can also select planar constraint by using the Move Transform Gizmo on
page 825. Instead of dragging one of the axis indicators, drag one of the plane
indicators near the center of the gizmo.
When you move an object along a plane that is head-on to your view, the
object moves along the single available axis shown in the view.

Reset XForm Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Reset XForm button
Use the Reset XForm (Transform) utility to push object rotation and scaling
values onto the modifier stack and align object pivot points and bounding
boxes with the World coordinate system. Reset XForm removes all Rotation
and Scale values from selected objects and places those transforms in an XForm
modifier.
To reset the transform of a group, use the Transform button in the Reset group
box of the Hierarchy ➤ Pivot command panel.

Procedures
To reset an object's transform:

1

Select an object.

Reset XForm Utility | 849

2 On the

Utilities panel, click Reset XForm.

3 On the Reset Transform rollout, click Reset Selected.
Object rotation and scaling are now carried by an XForm modifier placed
at the top of the modifier stack.
When you apply the Reset Transform utility, an XForm modifier on page
1961 that carries the rotation and scale values is placed at the top of the
Modifier Stack display. You can apply other modifiers above and below
the XForm modifier. You can select the XForm modifier and add other
Move, Rotate, and Scale transforms. You can delete the XForm modifier
to completely remove the transforms from the object. You can collapse
the object to absorb the rotation and scale values into the object mesh.

Interface

Reset Selected Removes all Rotation and Scale values from selected objects
and places those transforms in an XForm modifier.
NOTE Reset Selected is not available if the object is contained in a Group on page
7909.

Transform Commands
The basic transform commands are the most straightforward way to change
an object's position, rotation, or scale. These commands appear on the default
main toolbar on page 8623. They are also available from the default quad menu
on page 8640.

850 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

See also:
■

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects on page 821

■

Using Shift+Clone on page 936

■

Transform Type-In on page 835

Select and Move
Main toolbar ➤

(Select and Move)

Right-click an object. ➤ quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant ➤ Move
Edit menu ➤ Select and Move
Use the Select And Move button or the Move command on the Edit or quad
menu to select and move objects.
To move a single object, you do not need to select it first. When this button
is active, clicking an object selects it and dragging the mouse moves it.
The direction of the movement is determined both by your mouse and by the
current reference coordinate system. To restrict object movement to the X, Y,
or Z axis, or to any two axes, click the appropriate button on the Axis
Constraints toolbar on page 8627, use the Transform gizmo on page 825, or
right-click the object, and select the constraint from the Transform submenu.

Select and Move | 851

Moving an object

See also:
■

Move Gizmo on page 828

Select and Rotate
Main toolbar ➤

(Select and Rotate)

Right-click an object. ➤ quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant ➤ Rotate
Edit menu ➤ Select and Rotate
Use the Select and Rotate button or the Rotate command on the Edit or quad
menu to select and rotate objects.
To rotate a single object, you don't need to select it first. When this button is
active, clicking an object selects it and dragging the mouse rotates it.

852 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

When you are rotating an object about a single axis (as is usually the case),
don't rotate the mouse, expecting the object to follow the mouse movement.
Just move the mouse straight up and straight down. Up rotates the object one
way, down rotates it the opposite way.
The center of rotation is determined by the Transform Center setting on page
859.
To restrict rotation about the X, Y, or Z axis, or to any two axes, click the
appropriate button on the Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627, use the
Transform gizmo on page 825, or right-click the object, and select the constraint
from the Transform submenu.

Rotating an object

See also:
■

Rotate Gizmo on page 829

Procedures
This procedure illustrates the intuitive usage of the default Euler XYZ rotation
controller on page 3482.

Select and Rotate | 853

To animate object rotation interactively:
1 Create an object.
2 Drag the time slider on page 8656 to a frame other than 0.

3 Turn on

4 Turn on

(Auto Key) on page 8679.

(Select And Rotate).

5 Rotate the object on any axis by any amount.
6 Drag the time slider to a later frame.

7

8

Rotate the object on the same axis.

Play the animation.
The rotation plays back exactly as you recorded it.
NOTE If you plan to rotate an object by more than 180 degrees, use the TCB
rotation controller on page 3595 instead of Euler XYZ.

Select and Scale
Main toolbar ➤ Select and Scale flyout
Right-click an object. ➤ quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant ➤ Scale
Edit menu ➤ Select and Scale
The Select And Scale flyout on the main toolbar provides access to three tools
you can use to change object size.

854 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

From top to bottom, these are:
Select and Uniform Scale on page 855
Select and Non-Uniform Scale on page 856
Select and Squash on page 858
In addition, the Scale command is available on the Edit menu and the
Transform quadrant of the quad (right-click) menu; this activates whichever
scale tool is currently chosen in the flyout.
NOTE The Smart Scale command activates the Select And Scale function and,
with repeated invocations, cycles through the available scaling methods. By default,
Smart Scale is assigned to the R key; you can use Customize User Interface on
page 8837 to assign it to a different keyboard shortcut, a menu, etc.

Select and Uniform Scale
Main toolbar ➤

(Select and Uniform Scale), on Select And Scale flyout

Right-click an object. ➤ Scale (selects current toolbar Scale mode)
The Select And Uniform Scale button, available from the Select And Scale
flyout on page 854, lets you scale objects by the same amount along all three
axes, maintaining the object's original proportions.

Select and Uniform Scale | 855

Uniform scale does not change an object's proportions.

To scale a single object, you don't need to select it first. When this tool is
active, clicking an object selects it and dragging the mouse scales it.
See also:
■

Scale Gizmo on page 831

Select and Non-Uniform Scale
Main toolbar ➤
flyout

(Select and Non-Uniform Scale), on Select And Scale

Right-click an object. ➤ Scale (selects current toolbar Scale mode)
The Select And Non-Uniform Scale button, available from the Select And Scale
flyout on page 854, lets you scale objects in a non-uniform manner according
to the active axis constraint.

856 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Non-uniform scale can change proportions with different values for different axes.

You can restrict the objects' scaling about the X, Y, or Z axis, or to any two
axes, by first clicking the appropriate button on the Axis Constraints toolbar
on page 8627, or with the Transform gizmo on page 825.
To scale a single object, you don't need to select it first. When this tool is
active, clicking an object selects it and dragging the mouse scales it.
IMPORTANT Avoid applying non-uniform scale at the object level. Non-uniform
scaling is applied as a transform and changes the axes of the object, so it affects
other object properties. It also alters the properties passed hierarchically from
parent to child. When you perform other operations on the object, such as rotation,
inverse kinematic calculations, and other positioning operations, you might not
get the results you expect. To recover from these problems, use the Hierarchy
panel's Reset Scale button or the Utilities panel's Reset XForm utility. Either of these
options will reset the axes to use the non-uniform scale as the fundamental scale
for the object.
As an alternative to non-uniform scaling, consider using the XForm modifier on
page 1961.

Select and Non-Uniform Scale | 857

See also:
■

Scale Gizmo on page 831

Select and Squash
Main toolbar ➤

(Select and Squash), on Select And Scale flyout

Right-click an object. ➤ Scale (selects current toolbar Scale mode)
The Select And Squash tool is useful for creating different phases of the “squash
and stretch”-style animation often found in cartoons. The Select And Squash
tool, available from the Select And Scale flyout on page 854, lets you scale
objects according to the active axis constraint. Squashing an object always
involves scaling down on one axis while simultaneously scaling up uniformly
on the other two (or vice-versa).

Squash scales two axes in opposite directions, maintaining the object's original volume.

858 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

You can restrict object scaling to the X, Y, or Z axis, or to any two axes, by
first clicking the appropriate button on the Axis Constraints toolbar on page
8627.
When the Select And Squash tool is active, clicking an object selects it and
dragging the mouse scales it.
IMPORTANT Avoid using Select And Squash at the object level. The non-uniform
scaling that it effects is applied as a transform and changes the axes of the object,
so it affects other object properties. It also alters the properties passed hierarchically
from parent to child. When you perform other operations on the object, such as
rotation, inverse kinematics calculations, and other positioning operations, you
may not get the results you expect. To recover from these problems, use the
Hierarchy panel's Reset Scale button or the Utilities panel's Reset XForm utility.
Either of these options will reset the axes to use the non-uniform scale as the
fundamental scale for the object.
As an alternative to non-uniform scaling with Select And Squash, consider using
the XForm modifier on page 1961.
See also:
■

Scale Gizmo on page 831

Transform Coordinates and Coordinate Center
Controls for setting the coordinate system and the active center for transforms
to use are on the default main toolbar on page 8623.

See also:
■

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects on page 821

Transform Coordinates and Coordinate Center | 859

Reference Coordinate System
Main toolbar ➤ Reference Coordinate System drop-down menu
The Reference Coordinate System list lets you specify the coordinate system
used for a transformation (Move, Rotate, and Scale). Options include View,
Screen, World on page 9353, Parent, Local on page 9205, Gimbal, Grid, Working
on page 3800, and Pick.
In the Screen coordinate system, all views (including perspective views) use
the viewport screen coordinates.
View is a hybrid of World and Screen coordinate systems. Using View, all
orthographic views use the Screen coordinate system, while perspective views
use the World coordinate system.
TIP The coordinate system is set on a transform-by-transform basis, so choose the
transform before you specify the coordinate system. If you do not want the
coordinate system to change, turn on Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ General
panel ➤ Ref. Coord. System group ➤ Constant.

Interface

View In the default View coordinate system, X, Y, and Z axes are the same in
all orthographic viewports. When you move an object using this coordinate
system, you are moving it relative to the space of the viewport.
■

X always points right.

■

Y always points up.

■

Z always points straight out of the screen toward you.

860 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Different orientations of the View coordinate system:
1. Top viewport.
2. Front viewport.
3. Left viewport.
4. Perspective viewport.

Screen Uses the active viewport screen as the coordinate system.
■

X is horizontal, running in a positive direction toward the right.

■

Y is vertical, running in a positive direction upward.

■

Z is depth, running in a positive direction toward you.
Because the Screen mode depends on the active viewport for its orientation,
the X, Y, and Z labels on an axis tripod on page 841 in an inactive viewport
show the orientation of the currently active viewport. The labels on that
tripod change when you activate the viewport it is in.

Reference Coordinate System | 861

The coordinate system in Screen mode is always relative to the point of view.

World Uses the world coordinate system. Seen from the front:
■

X runs in a positive direction to the right.

■

Z runs in a positive direction upward.

■

Y runs in a positive direction away from you.

862 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

The World coordinate system is always fixed.

NOTE The world axis shows the current orientation of the viewport with respect
to world coordinate system. You can find it in the lower-left corner of each
viewport. The world axis colors are red for X, green for Y, and blue for Z. You can
toggle the display of the world axis in all viewports by turning off Display World
Axis on page 8899 on the Viewports panel of the Preference Settings dialog.

The world axis shows the current viewport orientation.

Reference Coordinate System | 863

Parent Uses the coordinate system of the parent of the selected object. If the
object is not linked to a specific object, it's a child of the world, and the parent
coordinate system is the same as the world coordinate system.

Example of a Parent object coordinate system

Local Uses the coordinate system of the selected object. An object's local
coordinate system is carried by its pivot point on page 9269. You can adjust the
position and orientation of the local coordinate system, relative to its object,
using the options on the Hierarchy command panel.
When Local is active, the Use Transform Center button is inactive and all
transforms use the local axis as the center of transformation. In a selection
set of several objects, each uses its own center for the transform.

864 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Local uses an individual coordinate system specific to each object.

Gimbal The Gimbal coordinate system is meant to be used with the Euler
XYZ Rotation controller on page 3482. It is similar to Local, but its three rotation
axes are not necessarily perpendicular to each other.
When you rotate about a single axis with the Local and Parent coordinate
systems, this can change two or three of the Euler XYZ tracks. The Gimbal
coordinate system avoids this problem: Euler XYZ rotation about one axis
changes only that axis's track. This makes function curve editing easier. Also,
absolute transform type-in with Gimbal coordinates uses the same Euler angle
values as the animation tracks (as opposed to Euler angles relative to the World
or Parent coordinate system, as those coordinate systems require).
For move and scale transforms, Gimbal coordinates are the same as Parent
coordinates. When the object does not have an Euler XYZ Rotation controller
assigned, Gimbal rotation is the same as Parent rotation.
The Euler XYZ controller can be the active controller in a List controller, too.
Grid Uses the coordinate system of the active grid.

Reference Coordinate System | 865

Using an active grid coordinate system.

Working Uses the coordinate system of the working pivot on page 3800. You
can use this coordinate system at any time, whether or not the working pivot
is active. When Use Working Pivot on page 3803 is on, this is the default
coordinate system.
Pick Uses the coordinate system of another object in the scene.
After you choose Pick, click to select the single object whose coordinate system
the transforms will use. The object's name appears in the Transform Coordinate
System list.
Because 3ds Max saves an object's name in the list, you can pick an object's
coordinate system, change the active coordinate system, and then use the
object's coordinate system again at a later time. The list saves the four most
recently picked object names.
When using Pick to specify an object as a reference coordinate system, you
can press H to open the Pick Object dialog, which works like Select From Scene
on page 184, and pick the object from there.
NOTE You can pick objects within an XRef scene as coordinate reference system.

866 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Using another object as the coordinate system

Use Center Flyout
Main toolbar ➤ Use Center flyout
The Use Center flyout provides access to three methods you can use to
determine the geometric center for scale and rotate operations.

From top to bottom, they are:
Use Pivot Point Center on page 868
Use Selection Center on page 870

Use Center Flyout | 867

Use Transform Coordinate Center on page 871
See also:
■

Choosing a Transform Center on page 843

Use Pivot Point Center
Main toolbar ➤

(Use Pivot Point Center), on Use Center flyout

The Use Pivot Point Center option, available from the Use Center flyout on
page 867, lets you enable rotation or scaling of one or more objects around
their respective pivot points on page 9269. When Auto Key on page 8679 is active,
Use Pivot Point Center is automatically chosen and no other option is available.
The axis tripods on page 841 show the centers that are currently being used.
NOTE The transformation center mode is set on a transform-by-transform basis,
so select the transform before you select the center mode. If you do not want the
center setting to change, turn on Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ General
tab ➤ Reference Coordinate System group ➤ Constant.

868 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Applying a rotation with the Pivot Point rotates each object around its own local axis.

Rotating Multiple Linked Objects
When rotating a chain of linked on page 3665 objects (that is, a hierarchy) with
Use Pivot Point Center active, the rotation is applied equally to each object

Use Pivot Point Center | 869

in the chain. This results in a accumulated rotations, which makes it easy to
animate such effects as fingers curling.

Hierarchy before rotation (parent at
bottom)

Hierarchy rotated

Use Selection Center
Main toolbar ➤

(Use Selection Center), on Use Center flyout

The Use Selection Center button, available from the Use Center flyout on page
867, lets you enable rotation or scaling of one or more objects around their
collective geometric center. If you transform multiple objects, 3ds Max

870 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

calculates the average geometric center of all the objects and uses that for the
transform center.
The axis tripod on page 841 shows the center that is currently being used.
NOTE The transformation center mode is set on a transform-by-transform basis,
so select the transform before you select the center mode. If you do not want the
center setting to change, turn on Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ General
tab ➤ Reference Coordinate System group ➤ Constant.

With the Selection Center option, an averaged coordinate system is used to rotate the
objects.

Use Transform Coordinate Center
Main toolbar ➤
flyout

(Use Transform Coordinate Center), on Use Center

Use Transform Coordinate Center | 871

The Use Transform Coordinate Center button, available from the Use Center
flyout on page 867, lets you enable rotation or scaling of an object or objects
around the center of the current coordinate system. When you designate
another object as the coordinate system with the Pick function (see Specifying
a Reference Coordinate System on page 842), the coordinate center is the
location of that object's pivot.
The axis tripod on page 841 shows the center that is currently being used.
NOTE The transformation center mode is set on a transform-by-transform basis,
so select the transform before you select the center mode. If you do not want the
center setting to change, turn on Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ General
tab ➤ Reference Coordinate System group ➤ Constant.

An example of the World coordinate center

Transform Tools
The transform tools can transform objects according to certain conditions.
Some of them, such as Array, can also create copies of objects.

872 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

These tools (except for Array, Snapshot, Spacing Tool, and Clone And Align)
are available on the default main toolbar on page 8623; the remainder are on
the Extras toolbar on page 8630. Also, they all appear on the default Tools menu
on page 8591.
See also:
■

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects on page 821

■

Using Shift+Clone on page 936

■

Creating Copies and Arrays on page 921

Transform Toolbox
Edit menu ➤ Transform Toolbox
The Transform Toolbox contains functions for easy object rotation, scaling,
and positioning as well as for moving object pivots.

Transform Toolbox | 873

Interface

Quick Navigation
Rotate group on page 874
Size group on page 875
Align Pivot group on page 876
Object group on page 877

Rotate group
Rotates the current selection (including sub-objects) clockwise and
counter-clockwise based on the view direction; clockwise always rotates
clockwise in the current view. Align the view roughly to any axis and click an
arrow button to rotate the object by the amount specified by the Degrees
value. If the Reference Coordinate System on page 860 is set to Local, you can

874 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

rotate the object on its local axis by first aligning the view roughly to the
object’s local axis. If the coordinate system is set to Screen, the object will be
rotated accordingly.
The drop-down list on the left side is for quickly selecting a predefined rotation
amount.
NOTE You can assign CUI shortcuts on page 8837 (PolyTools category) for both
Rotate commands. When assigned as shortcuts, the Rotate functions work as
follows:
■

Normal (no key)Rotates 90 degrees.

■

ShiftRotates 30 degrees.

[presets list] Opens a list of rotation-amount presets; click one to place
it in the Degrees field.

Rotate Counter-clockwise Click to rotate the selection
counter-clockwise (roughly) about the view direction by the Degrees amount.

Rotate Clockwise Click to rotate the selection clockwise (roughly)
about the view direction by the Degrees amount.
Degrees The amount of rotation applied by either of the Rotate buttons. To
change the value, use the drop-down list, keyboard, or spinner controls.

Size group
Sets the size in 3ds Max units for the selected object on a single axis or all axes
simultaneously.
TIP You can use this feature to set an object’s size on any axis or all three axes to
its previous size on one axis. First choose the axis and click Put Size, then choose
a different axis or All and click Set Size.
Set Size Applies the Size value to the object on the current axis or axes, thus
resizing it.
R Resets the object’s transform. Applies a Reset Xform on page 849 and converts
it to the base geometry type, such as editable poly.

Transform Toolbox | 875

Size The size that is applied when you click Set Size. Edit this value with the
keyboard or mouse (spinner), or retrieve the object’s current size with the Put
Size button (see following).
X/Y/Z/All Choose the axis or axes on which to resize when you click Set Size.
Also determines which axis size to retrieve with Put Size (see following).
Get Opens a small, non-modal dialog that shows the dimensions of the selected
object’s bounding box on all three axes. If you change the size, the displayed
values update automatically.

Put Size Places the dimension value specified by the current axis choice
in the Size field. If All is chosen, has no effect.

Align Pivot group
These tools align the pivot on page 9269 of the selected object. Choose the
location to move the pivot to and then click X, Y, or Z.
[align location] Choose the location to which the pivot moves when you
click an axis button:
■

MinMoves the pivot to the minimum value of the object’s bounding box
on the specified axis.

■

MaxMoves the pivot to the maximum value of the object’s bounding box
on the specified axis.

■

CenterMoves the pivot to the center of the object on the specified axis.

■

OriginMoves the pivot to the center of the world on the specified axis.

X/Y/Z Specifies the axis to work on and also applies the operation.
Center Moves the pivot to the center of the object on all three axes.

876 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Origin Moves the pivot to the center of the world on all three axes.

Object group
Center Moves the object to the center of the world (origin).
QClone (Quick Clone) Makes a copy of the selected object and moves it to
the side by the same amount as the object’s width. Align the view roughly to
any axis and apply.
Like the Rotate tool (see preceding), QClone works based on the direction the
object is viewed in the viewport. In general it moves the clone to the right,
except when the model is viewed from above or below, in which case it moves
the clone toward the point of view.
Uses the following keyboard modifiers:
■

Normal (no key)Makes a copy of the selected object.

■

ShiftMakes an instanced copy of the selected object.

■

AltMakes two copies or instances of the selected object. (Does not apply
to use as a shortcut.)

TIP If the distance the clone moves is too little or too much, reset the object’s
transform first. Use the R button on page 875 in the Size group, or use Reset Xform
on page 849.

Mirror Selected Objects
Main toolbar ➤

(Mirror)

Tools menu ➤ Mirror
Clicking Mirror displays the Mirror dialog, which enables you to move one
or more objects while mirroring their orientation.
The Mirror dialog also allows you to mirror the current selection about the
center of the current coordinate system. You can create a clone with the mirror
dialog at the same time. If you mirror a hierarchical linkage, you have the
option to mirror the IK limits.

Mirror Selected Objects | 877

Mirroring an object

The Mirror dialog uses the current reference coordinate system on page 860,
as reflected in its name. For example, if Reference Coordinate System is set to
Local, the dialog is named Mirror: Local Coordinates. There is one exception:
If Reference Coordinate System is set to View, Mirror uses Screen coordinates.
As you adjust the various settings in the Mirror dialog, you see the results in
the viewports.
For more information on using Mirror, see Mirroring Objects on page 963.

Procedures
To mirror an object:

1

Make any object selection.

878 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar,

click (Mirror).

■

On the Tools menu, choose Mirror.

3ds Max opens the Mirror dialog.
3 Set the mirror parameters in the dialog and click OK.
The active viewport changes to show the effect of each parameter as you
set it. When you click OK, 3ds Max creates the choice of mirror that you
see previewed.
To make a clone using mirror:

1

Make any object selection

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar,

click (Mirror).

■

On the Tools menu, choose Mirror.

3ds Max opens the Mirror dialog.
3 In the Clone Selection group, choose Copy, Instance, or Reference.
4 Make any additional settings as desired and then click OK.

Mirror Selected Objects | 879

Interface

Mirror Axis group
The mirror axis choices are X, Y, Z, XY, XZ, and YZ. Choose one to specify
the direction of mirroring. These are equivalent to the option buttons on the
Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627.
Offset Specifies the distance of the mirrored object's pivot point on page 9269
from the original object's pivot point.

Clone Selection group
Determines the type of copy made by the Mirror function. Default is No Clone.
No Clone Mirrors the selected object without making a copy.
Copy Mirrors a copy of the selected object to the specified position.

880 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Instance Mirrors an instance on page 9195 of the selected object to the specified
position.
Reference Mirrors a reference on page 9282 of the selected object to the specified
position.
If you animate on page 3398 the mirror operation, mirroring generates a Scale
key. If you set Offset to a value other than 0.0, mirroring also generates Position
keys.

_____
Mirror IK Limits Causes the IK constraints to be mirrored (along with the
geometry) when you mirror the geometry about a single axis. Turn this off if
you don't want the IK constraints to be affected by the mirror command.
The end effectors used by the IK are not affected by the Mirror command. To
successfully mirror an IK hierarchy, first delete the end effectors: Go to the
Motion panel ➤ IK Controller Parameters rollout ➤ End Effectors group
and, under Position, click the Delete button. After the mirror operation, create
the new end effector using the tools on the same panel.

Array Flyout
Extras toolbar ➤ Array flyout
The Array flyout, available from the Extras toolbar on page 8630, provides access
to various tools for creating arrays of objects.

From top to bottom, these are:
Array on page 882
Snapshot on page 888
Spacing Tool on page 892
Clone and Align Tool on page 900

Array Flyout | 881

Array
Extras toolbar ➤

(Array), on Array flyout

Tools menu ➤ Array
The Array command displays the Array dialog, which enables you to create
an array of objects based on the current selection.

A one-dimensional array

The items in the Array Dimensions group let you create one-, two-, and
three-dimensional arrays. For example, a row of five objects is a
single-dimension array, even though it takes up three-dimensional space in
the scene. An array of objects that's five rows by three columns is a
two-dimensional array, and an array of objects that's five rows by three
columns by two levels is a three-dimensional array.

882 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

TIP You can preview the array by turning on the Preview button. With Preview
on, changing the array settings updates the viewports in real time.
For more information on using Array, see Arraying Objects on page 948.

Procedures
To create an array:

1

Select the objects to array.

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the Extras toolbar, click

■

On the Tools menu, choose Array.

(Array).

3ds Max opens the Array dialog.
3 On the Array dialog, select the type of object to output: Copy, Instance,
on page 9195 or Reference on page 9282).
4 In the Preview group, click the Preview button to turn it on.
This lets you see the results of the array operation in the viewports, with
changes appearing in real time.
5 In the Array Transformation group, click the arrows to set Incremental
or Totals array parameters for Move, Rotate, and Scale.
6 Enter coordinates for the Array Transformation parameters.
7 Indicate whether you want a 1D, 2D, or 3D array.
8 Set Count to the number of copies on each axis.
9 Enter the appropriate values in the numeric fields for Incremental Row
Offsets.
10 Click OK.
The current selection is duplicated the specified number of times, with
each object transformed as indicated.

Array | 883

To replace an array:
1 Undo the array to replace, using Edit ➤ Undo Create Array, or press
Ctrl+Z.
2 Change the coordinate system and transform center, if needed.
3 Do one of the following:

■

On the Extras toolbar, click

■

On the Tools menu, choose Array.

(Array).

3ds Max opens the Array dialog.
4 Adjust any parameters on the Array dialog that is displayed.
5 Click OK to create a new array, which replaces the previous version.
Repeat these steps to fine-tune the array.
Example: To create an array of objects that numbers 5 x 4 x 3:
1 Create a teapot with a radius of 10 units.
2 Choose Tools ➤ Array to display the Array dialog.
3 In the Incremental set of parameters, set Move X (the upper-left field) to
50. This causes each object in the array to be positioned 50 units apart
on the X axis.
4 In the Array Dimensions group, choose the 3D button to enable all the
spinners in that group.
5 Set the 1D Count spinner to 5, the 2D Count spinner to 4, and the 3D
Count spinner to 3.
This creates a row of 5 objects that are 50 units apart, and then 4 rows
of those five objects, and then 3 rows of the 5 x 4 matrix of objects,
resulting in a box array.
6 In the 2D row, set the Y spinner to 80.
7 In the 3D row, set the Z spinner to 100.
8 Click OK.
A box array of teapots appears. The first dimensional array is five teapots
created along the X world axis, 50 units apart (as specified in the Array

884 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Transform group). The second dimensional array is four layers created
along the Y world axis, 80 units apart (as specified in the Array
Dimensions group). The third dimensional array is three layers created
along the Z world axis, 100 units apart. The total number of objects in
the array is 60.
Example: To create a 360-degree array:
1 Reset 3ds Max.
2 Near the top of the Front viewport (away from its center), create a long,
thin box at the twelve-o'clock position (as if the viewport were a clock
face).

3 From the User Center flyout on the main toolbar, choose
Transform Coordinate Center).

(Use

4 Choose Tools ➤ Array.
5 Click the arrow button to the right of the Rotate label to enable the three
Rotate fields in the Totals section.
6 Set the Z parameter to 360.0.
7 In the Array Dimensions group, choose 1D and set Count to 12.
8 Click OK.
3ds Max creates an array of 12 boxes in a full circle.

Array | 885

Interface

Array Transformation group
Specifies which combination of the three transforms to use to create the array.
You also specify the extent, along the three axes, for each transform. You can
specify the extent of the transform in increments between each object, or in
totals for all objects. In either case, the distances are measured between the
pivot points of the objects. The arrays occur using the current transform
settings, so the group title changes depending on the transform settings.
Click the left or right arrow button for Move, Rotate, or Scale to indicate
whether you want to set Incremental or Total array parameters.

Incremental
Move Specifies the distance between each arrayed object along the X, Y, and
Z axes, in units.
Rotate Specifies the degree of rotation about any of the three axes for each
object in the array, in degrees.
Scale Specifies the percentage of scale along any of the three axes for each
object in the array, in percentages.

Totals
Move Specifies the overall distance, along each of the three axes, between the
pivot points of the two outer objects in the resulting array. For example, if
you're arraying 6 objects and set Move X total to 100, the six objects will be

886 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

arrayed in a row that's 100 units between the pivot points of the two outer
objects in the row.
Rotate Specifies the total degrees of rotation applied to the objects along each
of the three axes. You can use this, for example, to create an array that totals
360 degrees.
Re-Orient Rotates the generated objects about their local axes while rotating
them about the world coordinates. When clear, the objects maintain their
original orientation.
Scale Specifies the total scale of the objects along each of the three axes.
Uniform Disables the Y and Z spinners and applies the X value to all axes,
resulting in a uniform scale.

Type of Object group
Determine the type of copies made by the Array function. The default is Copy.
Copy Arrays copies of the selected object to the specified position.
Instance Arrays instances of the selected object to the specified position.
Reference Arrays references of the selected object to the specified position.

Array Dimensions group
Lets you add to the Array Transformation dimension. The additional
dimensions are positional only. Rotation and scale are not used.
1D Creates a one-dimensional array, based on the settings in the Array
Transformation group.
Count Specifies the total number of objects along this dimension of the array.
For 1D arrays, this is the total number of objects in the array.
2D Creates a two-dimensional array.
Count Specifies the total number of objects along this second dimension of
the array.
X/Y/Z Specifies the incremental offset distance along each axis of the second
dimension of the array.
3D Creates a three-dimensional array.
Count Specifies the total number of objects along this third dimension of the
array.

Array | 887

X/Y/Z Specifies the incremental offset distance along each axis of the third
dimension of the array.

_____
Total in Array Displays the total number of entities that the array operation
will create, including the current selection. If you're arraying a selection set,
the total number of objects will be the result of multiplying this value times
the number of objects in the selection set.
Preview Toggles a viewport preview of the current array settings. Changing
a setting updates the viewports immediately. If the update slows down feedback
with large arrays of complex objects, turn on Display As Box.
Display as Box Displays the array-preview objects as bounding boxes instead
of geometry.
Reset All Parameters Resets all the parameters to their default settings.

Snapshot
Extras toolbar ➤

(Snapshot), on Array flyout

Tools menu ➤ Snapshot
Choosing Tools ➤ Snapshot opens the Snapshot dialog. This enables you to
clone an animated object over time.

888 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Using an ice-cream cone animated along a path, Snapshot creates a stack of cones.

Snapshot spaces the clones equally in time. Adjustments in Track View let
you space the clones equally along the path instead (see the second procedure,
below).
Like other clone techniques, Snapshot creates copies, instances, or references.
You can also choose a mesh option for use with particle systems.

Particle Snapshots
You can clone particle systems as static mesh objects. You can also produce
clones of the particles themselves as meshes, when using the Snapshot dialog
➤ Clone Method ➤ Mesh option. This works with all configurations of
particle systems, including those using MetaParticles. Usage is the same as
with other types of objects.

Snapshot | 889

Procedures
To clone an object over time:

1

Select an object with an animation path.
Snapshot also shows the effect of any other transform animations, such
as rotate or scale as well as parametric modifier animation.

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the Extras toolbar, click
flyout.

(Snapshot), which is on the Array

■

On the Tools menu, choose Snapshot.

3ds Max opens the Snapshot dialog.
3 Set parameters in the dialog, and click OK.
To space clones evenly by distance:

1

Select an object with an animated position.

2 Open Track View and find the Position track for the original object.

3 Click
Assign Controller and check that the track is using a Bezier
Position controller. Do one of the following:
■

If the track is already using a Bezier Position controller, proceed to
step 4.

■

If the track is not using a Bezier Position controller, change the
controller on page 3930, then proceed to step 4.

4 Select all the transform keys and right-click one of the selected keys to
display the Key Info dialog on page 3447.
5 Click Advanced to expand the dialog.

890 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

6 Click Normalize Time.
7 Set Constant Velocity on.
8 Choose Tools menu ➤ Snapshot.
3ds Max opens the Snapshot dialog.
9 Set parameters in the dialog, and click OK.

Interface

Snapshot group
Single Makes a clone of the geometry of the object at the current frame.
Range Makes clones of the geometry of the object along the trajectory over
a range of frames. Specify the range with the From/To settings and the number
of clones with the Copies setting.
From/To Specifies the range of frames to place the cloned object along the
trajectory.

Snapshot | 891

Copies Specifies the number of clones to place along the trajectory. They are
evenly distributed over the time period, but not necessarily over the spatial
distance along the path.

Clone Method group
With the Copy, Instance, and Reference methods, the clone retains any
animation within the object, so all the clones will be animated in the same
way.
Copy Clones copies of the selected object.
Instance Clones instances on page 9195 of the selected object. Not available
with particle systems.
Reference Clones references on page 9282 of the selected object. Not available
with particle systems.
Mesh Use this to create mesh geometry out of particle system. Works with all
kinds of particles.

Spacing Tool
Extras toolbar ➤

(Spacing Tool), on Array flyout

Tools menu ➤ Spacing Tool
The Spacing tool lets you distribute objects based on the current selection
along a path defined by a spline or a pair of points.
The distributed objects can be copies, instances on page 9195, or references on
page 9282 of the current selected object. You define a path by picking a spline
or two points and by setting a number of parameters. You can also specify
how the spacing between objects is determined and whether the pivot points
of the objects align to the tangent of the spline.

892 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

The Spacing tool distributes the vases along the sides of the curved street. The vases
are all the same distance from each other; fewer appear on the shorter side.

TIP You can use compound shapes containing multiple splines as the spline path
for distributing objects. Before creating shapes, turn off Start New Shape on the
Create panel. Then create your shapes. 3ds Max adds each spline to the current
shape until you turn Start New Shape back on. When you select the compound
shape so that the Spacing tool can use it as a path, objects are distributed along
all of the splines of the compound shape. For example, you might find this
technique useful in spacing light standards along a path defined by separated
splines.
You can pick splines within an XRef scene as path reference.
For more information, see Using the Spacing Tool on page 965.

Spacing Tool | 893

Procedures
To distribute objects along a path:

1

Select the objects to distribute.

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the Extras toolbar, click
Array flyout.

(Spacing Tool), which is on the

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Spacing Tool.

3ds Max opens the Spacing Tool dialog.
NOTE The Spacing tool is also available on rollouts for various components
of the Railing object on page 416.
3 On the Spacing Tool dialog, click Pick Path or Pick Points to specify a
path.
If you click Pick Path, select a spline from your scene to use as the path.
If you click Pick Points, pick a start and an end to define a spline as the
path. When you're finished with the Spacing tool, 3ds Max deletes this
spline.
4 Choose a spacing option from the Parameters list.
The parameters available for Count, Spacing, Start Offset, and End Offset
are dependent on the spacing option you choose.
5 Specify the number of objects to distribute by setting the value of Count.
6 Depending on the spacing option you choose, adjust the spacing and
offsets.
7 Under Context, choose Edge to specify that spacing be determined from
the facing edges of each object's bounding box, or choose Centers to
specify that spacing be determined from the center of each object's
bounding box.
8 Turn on Follow if you want to align the pivot points of the distributed
objects to the tangent of the spline.

894 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

9 Under Type of Object, select the type of object to output (copy, instance
on page 9195, or reference on page 9282).
10 Click Apply.

Interface

The Spacing tool gives you a choice of two basic methods for setting spacing:
using a path, or specifying endpoints explicitly.
Pick Path Click this, and then click a spline in the viewport to use as the path.
3ds Max uses the spline as the path along which to distribute objects.
Pick Points Click this, and then click a start and an end to define a path on
the construction grid. You can also use object snap to specify points in space.
3ds Max uses these points to create a spline as the path along which to
distribute objects. When you're finished with the Spacing tool, 3ds Max deletes
the spline.

Parameters group
Count The number of objects to distribute.

Spacing Tool | 895

Spacing Specifies the space in units between the objects. 3ds Max determines
this spacing based on whether you chose Edges on page 899 or Centers on page
899.
Start Offset The number of units specifying an offset from the start of the
path. Clicking the lock icon locks the start offset value to the spacing value
and maintains the count.
End Offset The number of units specifying an offset from the end of the path.
Clicking the lock icon locks the end offset value to the spacing value and
maintains the count.
Distribution drop-down list This list contains a number of options for how
to distribute the objects along the path, as follows:
■

Free CenterDistributes equally spaced objects along a straight line toward
the end point of the path, beginning at the start of the path. A spline or
a pair of points defines the path. You specify the number of objects and
the spacing.

■

Divide Evenly, Objects at EndsDistributes objects along a spline. The group
of objects is centered at the middle of the spline. The Spacing tool evenly
fills the spline with the number of objects you specify and determines the
amount of space between objects. When you specify more than one object,
there are always objects at the ends of the spline.

■

Centered, Specify SpacingDistributes objects along a path. The group of
objects is centered at the middle of the path. The Spacing tool attempts
to evenly fill the path with as many objects as it can fit along the length
of the path using the amount of space you specify. Whether there are
objects at the ends of the path depends on the length of the path and the
spacing you provide.

■

End OffsetDistributes the number of objects you specify along a straight
line. The objects begin at an offset distance that you specify. This distance
is from the end of the spline to its start point, or from the second pair of
points to the first point. You also specify the spacing between objects.

■

End Offset, Divide EvenlyDistributes the number of objects you specify
between the start of a spline or a pair of points and an end offset that you
specify. 3ds Max always places an object at the end or its offset. When you
specify more than one object, there is always an object placed at the start.
The Spacing tool attempts to evenly fill the space with the objects between
the end offset and the start.

■

End Offset, Specify SpacingDistributes objects toward the start of a spline
or a pair of points, starting at the end or its offset. 3ds Max always places

896 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

an object at the end or its offset. You specify the spacing between objects
and the offset from the end. The Spacing tool attempts to evenly fill the
space with as many objects as it can fit between the end or its offset and
the start. There might not always be an object placed at the start.
■

Start OffsetDistributes the number of objects you specify along a straight
line. The objects start at an offset distance that you specify. This distance
is from the start of the spline to its end point, or from the first of a pair of
points to the second. You also specify the spacing between objects.

■

Start Offset, Divide EvenlyDistributes the number of objects you specify
between the end of a spline or a pair of points, starting at an offset that
you specify from the start. 3ds Max always places an object at the start or
its offset. When you specify more than one object, there is always an object
placed at the end. The Spacing tool attempts to evenly fill the space with
the objects between the start or its offset and the end.

■

Start Offset, Specify SpacingDistributes objects toward the end of a spline
or a pair of points, starting at the start. 3ds Max always places an object
at the start or its offset. You specify the spacing between objects and the
offset from the start. The Spacing tool attempts to evenly fill the space
with as many objects as it can fit between the start or its offset and the
end. There might not always be an object placed at the end.

■

Specify Offsets and SpacingDistributes as many equally spaced objects as
possible along a spline or between a pair of points. You specify the spacing
between objects. When you specify offsets from the start and end, 3ds Max
distributes equally spaced objects between the offsets. There might not
always be an object placed at the start and ends.

■

Specify Offsets, Divide EvenlyDistributes the number of objects you specify
along a spline or between a pair of points. If you specify one object, 3ds
Max places it at the center of the path. If you specify more than one object,
3ds Max always places an object at the start offset and the end offset. If
you specify more than two objects, 3ds Max evenly distributes the objects
between the offsets.

■

Space from End, UnboundedDistributes the number of objects you specify
along a straight line from the end toward the start of a spline or a pair of
points. You specify the spacing between objects. 3ds Max locks the end
offset so that it's the same as the spacing.

■

Space from End, Specify NumberDistributes the number of objects you
specify toward the start of a spline or a pair of points, starting at the end.
The Spacing tool determines the amount of space between objects based
on the number of objects and the length of the spline or the distance

Spacing Tool | 897

between the pair of points. 3ds Max locks the end offset so that it's the
same as the spacing.
■

Space from End, Specify SpacingDistributes as many equally spaced objects
as possible toward the start of a spline or a pair of points, starting at the
end. You specify the spacing between objects. 3ds Max locks the end offset
so that it's the same as the spacing.

■

Space from Start, UnboundedDistributes the number of objects you specify
along a straight line toward the end of a spline or a pair of points, starting
at the start. You specify the spacing between objects. 3ds Max locks the
start offset so that it's the same as the spacing.

■

Space from Start, Specify NumberDistributes the number of objects you
specify toward the end of a spline or a pair of points, starting at the start.
The Spacing tool determines the amount of space between objects based
on the number of objects and the length of the spline or the distance
between the pair of points. 3ds Max locks the start offset so that it's the
same as the spacing.

■

Space from Start, Specify SpacingDistributes as many evenly spaced objects
as possible toward the end of a spline or a pair of points, starting at the
start. You specify the spacing between objects. 3ds Max locks the start
offset so that it's the same as the spacing.

■

Specify Spacing, Matching OffsetsDistributes as many evenly spaced objects
as possible along a spline or between a pair of points (and their offsets).
You specify the spacing. 3ds Max locks the start and end offsets so that
they're the same as the spacing.

■

Divide Evenly, No Objects at EndsDistributes the number of objects you
specify along a spline or between a pair of points (and their offsets). The
Spacing tool determines the amount of space between objects. 3ds Max
locks the start and end offsets so that they're the same as the spacing.

898 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Context group

1. Edge-to-edge spacing
2. Center-to-center spacing

Edges Use this to specify that spacing is determined from the facing edges of
each object's bounding box.
Centers Use this to specify that spacing be determined from the center of
each object's bounding box.
Follow Use this to align the pivot points of the distributed objects to the
tangent of the spline.

Type of Object group
Determines the type of copies made by the Spacing tool. The default is Copy.
You can copy, instance on page 9195, or reference on page 9282 objects.
Copy Distributes copies of the selected object to the specified position.
Instance Distributes instances of the selected object to the specified position.
Reference Distributes references of the selected object to the specified position.

Spacing Tool | 899

TIP You can use compound shapes containing multiple splines as the spline path
for distributing objects. Before creating shapes, turn off Start New Shape under
Shapes on the Create panel. Then create your shapes. 3ds Max adds each spline
to the current shape until you click the Start New Shape button so that it's checked.
When you select the compound shape so that the Spacing tool can use it as a
path, objects are distributed along all of the splines of the compound shape. For
example, you might find this technique useful in spacing light standards along a
path defined by separated splines.

Clone and Align Tool
Extras toolbar ➤

(Clone and Align Tool), on Array flyout

Tools menu ➤ Clone and Align
The Clone And Align tool lets you distribute source objects based on the
current selection to a second selection of destination objects. For example,
you can populate several rooms simultaneously with the same furniture
arrangement. Similarly, if you import a CAD file that contains 2D symbols
that represent chairs in a conference room, you can use Clone And Align to
replace the symbols with 3D chair objects en masse.
The distributed objects can be copies, instances on page 9195, or references on
page 9282 of the current selected object. You determine the number of clones
or clone sets by specifying any number of destination objects. You can also
specify position and orientation alignment of the clones on one, two, or three
axes, with optional offsets.
You can use any number of source objects and destination objects.
You can pick objects within an XRef scene as destination objects.
With multiple source objects, Clone And Align maintains the positional
relationships among the members of each cloned group, aligning the selection
center with the destination's pivot.

900 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Procedures
To use the Clone And Align tool:
1 Create or load an object or objects to be cloned, as well as one or more
destination objects.

2

Select the object or objects to be cloned.

3 Do one of the following:

■

On the Extras toolbar, click
the Array flyout.

(Clone And Align), which is on

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Clone And Align.

3ds Max opens the Clone And Align dialog.
NOTE You can open the Clone And Align dialog before you select the objects
to clone.
4 Do one of the following:
■

Click Pick once and then click each destination object in turn. Next,
click Pick again to turn it off.

■

Click Pick List and then use the Pick Destination Objects dialog to
pick all destination objects simultaneously.

5 On the Clone Parameters rollout, choose the type of clone, and, if
appropriate, how to copy the controller. For details, see Clone Options
Dialog on page 932.
6 Use the Align Parameters rollout settings to specify position, orientation,
and scale options.
7 At any time, when Pick is off, you can change the source selection in a
viewport. This causes the dialog to lose focus; click it again to regain focus
and refresh the viewport preview of the clone operation.
8 To make the clones permanent, click Apply, and then click Cancel or the
close button (X, in upper-right corner) to close the dialog.

Clone and Align Tool | 901

Interface

The Clone and Align tool takes the form of a non-modal dialog; it remains
open while you work in the viewports. While the dialog is active, the results
of the current settings appear as a preview in the viewports. Because of the

902 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

dialog's non-modal nature, you can change the selection of source and
destination objects on the fly and see the results immediately in the viewports.
When the dialog focus is lost by activating another dialog or clicking in a
viewport (that is, its title bar is gray rather than blue), the preview no longer
appears in the viewports. To make the cloned objects permanent, click Apply
when the dialog is active.

Source and Destination Parameters rollout
Designate source objects by selecting them in a viewport. If you do this with
the Clone And Align dialog open, the dialog loses focus; click the dialog to
regain focus and update the settings.
Destination Objects [label] This read-only field shows the number of
destination objects. To change this value, use Pick, Pick List, and Clear.
Pick When on, each object you click in the viewports is added to the list of
destination objects. Click again to turn off after picking all destination objects.
To qualify as a valid destination object, an object must:
■

not have been designated as a source or destination object.

■

be selectable (frozen objects can't be selected).

■

not be a temporary cloned object.

Pick List Opens the Pick Destination Objects dialog, which lets you pick all
destination objects simultaneously, by name. In the dialog, highlight the
destination objects, and then click Pick.
Clear All Removes all destination objects from the list. Available only when
at least one destination object is designated.
Source Objects [label] This read-only field shows the number of source objects.
To change this value, keep the dialog open, make sure Pick is off, and then
select source objects in the viewports. When you click the dialog, the field
updates.
Link to Destination Links each clone as a child of its destination object.

Clone Parameters rollout
These settings let you determine the type of clone to create, and, if appropriate,
how to copy the controller. For details, see Clone Options Dialog on page 932.

Clone and Align Tool | 903

Align Parameters rollout
The Align Position and Align Orientation group names are followed by the
current reference coordinate system on page 860, in parentheses, which they
use as the coordinate system for positioning and aligning the clones. When
the View coordinate system is active, alignment uses the World coordinate
system.
The Offset parameters always use each destination object's Local coordinate
system.

Align Position group
X/Y/Z Position Specifies the axis or axes on which to align the clones' position.
Turning on all three options positions each set of clones at the respective
destination object's location.
X/Y/Z Offset The distance between the destination object's pivot and the
source object's pivot (or source objects' coordinate center). For an Offset value
to take effect, the respective Position check box must be on.

Align Orientation group
X/Y/Z Orientation Specifies the axis or axes about which to align orientation.
Turning on all three options aligns each set of clones' orientation fully with
that of the respective destination object.
X/Y/Z Offset The angle by which the source objects are rotated away from
the destination object's orientation about each axis. For an Offset value to
take effect, the respective Orientation check box must be on.

___
Match Scale Use the X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis options to match the scale
axis values between the source and destination.
This matches only the scale values you'd see in the coordinate display on page
8669. It does not necessarily cause two objects to be the same size. Matching
scale causes no change in size if none of the objects has previously been scaled.

_____
Reset All Parameters Returns all settings in the Align Parameters rollout to
their default values.

904 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

_____
Apply Generates the clones as permanent objects. After clicking Apply, you
can use Clone And Align to generate additional clones, using the results of
previous clonings as source or destination objects if you like.
Cancel Aborts the current cloning operation and closes the dialog.

Align Flyout
Main toolbar ➤ Align flyout
The Align flyout, available from the main toolbar on page 8623, provides access
to six different tools for aligning objects.

From top to bottom, these are:
Align on page 906
Quick Align on page 911
Normal Align on page 912
Place Highlight on page 915
Align Camera on page 917
Align to View on page 918

Align Flyout | 905

Align

Main toolbar ➤

(Align), on Align flyout

Keyboard ➤ Alt+A
Interface on page 910
Align lets you align the current selection to a target selection. After selecting
an object to align, you click Align, available on the Align flyout on page 905,
and then select another object to align the first object to. This opens the Align
dialog with the name of the target object on its title bar. When performing
sub-object alignment, the title bar of the Align dialog reads "Align Sub-Object
Selection."

Aligning objects along an axis

906 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Left: X position, center
Upper right: Y position, minimum
Lower right: Y position, maximum

You can align the position and orientation of the bounding box on page 9113
of the source object to the bounding box of a target object.
You can use the Align tool with any selection that can be transformed. If an
axis tripod is displayed, you can align the tripod (and the geometry it
represents) to any other object in the scene. You can use this to align an
object’s pivot point.
You can use objects within an XRef scene as references with all alignment
tools on the Align flyout, except Align to View.
When performing sub-object alignment, the Current Object options and the
Match Scale boxes are disabled. If you plan to align orientation for sub-objects,
first switch to Local transform mode on the main toolbar so that the axis
tripod is properly aligned with your sub-object selection.
Other alignment tools on the Align flyout are Quick Align on page 911, Normal
Align on page 912, Place Highlight on page 915, Align to Camera on page 917,
and Align to View on page 918.

Procedures
To align an object with a point object:
1 Create a point helper object and position it at a target location in your
scene. Rotate it as necessary to adjust final orientation.

2

Select a source object.

3 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Align).

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Align.

3ds Max displays the Align cursor. It is attached to a pair of cross hairs.
4 Move the cursor over the point object and click.

Align Flyout | 907

3ds Max opens the Align Selection dialog. If necessary, move the dialog
out of the way so you can see the active viewport.
5 In the Align Position group, turn on X Position.
The selected source object shifts to align with the X axis of the point
object.
6 Turn on Y Position and Z Position.
The source object moves so its center is at the point object.
7 Turn on X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis in the Align Orientation group to
reorient the object to match the coordinates of the point.
To align objects by position and orientation:

1

Select a source object (the object to move into alignment with
the target object).

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Align).

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Align.

3ds Max displays the Align cursor. When it is over an eligible target object,
the cursor also shows crosshairs.
3 Position the cursor over the target object and click.
The Align Selection dialog appears. By default, all options in the dialog
are turned off.
4 In the Current Object and Target Object groups, choose Minimum, Center,
Pivot Point, or Maximum.
These settings establish the points on each object that become the
alignment centers.
5 Begin alignment by turning on any combination of X Position, Y Position,
and Z Position.
The source object moves in relation to the target object, along the axes
of the reference coordinate system. Setting all three moves the objects as
close as possible, given the Current Object and Target Object settings.

908 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

6 In the Align Orientation group, turn on any combination of X Axis, Y
Axis, or Z Axis.
The source object realigns accordingly. If the objects already share an
orientation, turning on that axis has no effect. Once two axes are aligned
in orientation, the third is automatic.
To align a gizmo to another object:
1 Display the gizmo level of the Sub-Object selection.
2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Align).

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Align.

3 Click to select a target object in the viewport. (You can select the same
object containing the gizmo to align the gizmo to a part of its own object.)
4 Use the available settings in the Align dialog to adjust the transformation
of the gizmo.
To align a sub-object selection of geometry to another object:
1 Do one of the following:
■

Convert the object to an editable mesh, and then make the sub-object
selection at any level.

■

Apply a Mesh Select or Poly Select modifier, make a sub-object
selection, apply an XForm modifier (The Mesh/Poly Select modifier
by itself doesn't allow transforms.), and then activate the Gizmo
sub-object level of the XForm modifier.

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Align).

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Align.

3 In a viewport, click a target object.
4 Use the Align dialog controls to perform the alignment.

Align Flyout | 909

Interface

Align Position group
X/Y/Z Position Specifies the axis or axes on which to perform the alignment.
Turning on all three options moves the selection to the target object's location.

Current Object/Target Object groups
Specify the points on the objects' bounding boxes to use for the alignment.
You can choose different points for the current object and the target object.
For example, you can align the current object's pivot point on page 9269 with
the center of the target object.
Minimum Aligns the point on the object's bounding box with the lowest X,
Y, and Z values with the chosen point on the other object.
Center Aligns the center of the object's bounding box with the chosen point
on the other object.

910 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Pivot Point Aligns the object's pivot point with the chosen point on the other
object.
Maximum Aligns the point on the object's bounding box with the highest
X, Y, and Z values with the chosen point on the other object.

Align Orientation (Local) group
These settings let you match the orientation of the local coordinate systems
between the two objects on any combination of axes.
This option is independent of the position alignment settings. You can leave
the Position settings alone and use the Orientation check boxes to rotate the
current object to match the orientation of the target object.
Position alignment uses world coordinates on page 9353, while orientation
alignment uses local coordinates. on page 9205

Match Scale group
Use the X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis options to match the scale axis values
between the two selected objects. This matches only the scale values you'd
see in the Transform Type-In on page 835. It does not necessarily cause two
objects to be the same size. There will be no change in size if neither of the
objects has previously been scaled.

Quick Align

Main toolbar ➤

(Quick Align), on Align flyout

Tools menu ➤ Quick Align
Keyboard ➤ Shift+A
Quick Align lets you instantly align the position of the current selection to
that of a target object. If the current selection is a single object, Quick Align
uses the two objects' pivots on page 9269. If the current selection comprises
multiple objects or sub-objects, Quick Align aligns the source's selection center
on page 870 with the pivot of the target object.

Align Flyout | 911

Procedures
To use Quick Align:

1

Select one or more objects or sub-objects to align.

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click
Align flyout.

(Quick Align), which is on the

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Quick Align.

■

Press Shift+A.

The mouse cursor turns into a “lightning-bolt” symbol. When positioned
over an acceptable alignment target, a crosshairs symbol also appears.
3 Click an object to which to align the selection from step 1.
The alignment is performed.

Normal Align

Main toolbar ➤

(Normal Align), on Align flyout

Tools menu ➤ Normal Align
Keyboard ➤ Alt+N
Normal Align uses the Normal Align dialog to align two objects based on the
direction of the normal on page 9237 of a face or selection on each object. To
open the Normal Align dialog, select the object to be aligned, click a face on
the object, and then click a face on a second object. Upon releasing the mouse,
the Normal Align dialog appears.

912 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

If you use Normal Align while a sub-object selection is active, only that
selection is aligned. This is useful when aligning sub-object selections of faces,
since otherwise there's no valid face normal for the source object.
Normal Align respects smoothing groups and uses the interpolated normal,
based on face smoothing. As a result, you can orient the source object face to
any part of the target surface, rather than having it snap to face normals.
For an object with no faces (such as helper objects, space warps, particle
systems, and atmospheric gizmos), Normal Align uses the Z axis and origin
of the object as a normal. Thus, you can use a Point object on page 2884 with
Normal Align.
Other alignment tools on the Align flyout are Align on page 906, Quick Align
on page 911,Place Highlight on page 915, Align to Camera on page 917, and
Align to View on page 918.

Procedures
To align normals:
1 Select a source object. This is the object that moves during alignment.
2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click
Align flyout.

(Normal Align), which is on the

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Normal Align.

3 Drag across the surface of the source object.
The Normal Align cursor appears, attached to a pair of cross hairs. A blue
arrow at the cursor indicates the current normal.
4 Move the cursor and blue arrow until you locate the normal you want
to use, then release.
The blue arrow remains as reference to the source normal.
5 Drag across the surface of the target object.
A green arrow at the cursor indicates the current normal.
6 Move the cross hairs and green arrow until you locate the normal you
want to use as a target, then release.

Align Flyout | 913

The source object moves into alignment with the target normal, and the
Normal Align dialog appears.
7 Do one of the following:
■

Click OK to accept the alignment.

■

Using the dialog, make modifications to the alignment before clicking
OK.

■

Click Cancel Align to cancel the alignment procedure.

Interface

The Normal Align dialog lets you adjust or cancel the current alignment, and
contains the following controls:

Position Offset group
Lets you translate the source object perpendicular to the normal on the X, Y
or Z axes.
X/Y/Z These three fields let you affect how much of an offset will be given
to the selected faces.

Rotation Offset group
Lets you rotate the source object about the normal's axis. You see the rotation
in real time.

914 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Angle This field lets you define the angle for the rotational offset.
Flip Normal Determines whether the source normal matches the target
normal's direction. This defaults to off, since you usually want the two normals
to have opposing directions. When you turn this on or off, the source object
flips 180 degrees.
OK/Cancel Align The Cancel button is labeled Cancel Align to make it clear
that you're not only canceling the settings in the dialog, but canceling the
original transform on page 9336 of the source object.

Place Highlight

Main toolbar ➤

(Place Highlight), on Align flyout

Tools menu ➤ Place Highlight
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+H
Place Highlight, available from the Align flyout on page 905, enables you to
align a light or object to another object so that its highlight or reflection can
be precisely positioned.
In Place Highlight mode, you can click and drag the mouse around in any
viewport. Place Highlight is a viewport-dependent function, so use the viewport
that you're going to be rendering. As you drag the mouse in the scene, a ray
is shot from the mouse cursor into the scene. If it hits a surface, you see the
surface normal on page 9237 at that point on the surface.
When you designate a surface, any selected objects are positioned along a line
that represents the ray reflected off the surface about the surface normal. The
objects are positioned along this line based on their original distance from
the surface point. For example, if the object is 100 units from the surface point
before being moved, it will be positioned 100 units from the surface point
along the reflected ray.
If the object is a light, the position of the highlight on the surface of the object
will be the surface point that you've chosen.

Align Flyout | 915

TIP Place Highlight works with any kind of selected object. It can be used to move
objects based on a combination of face normals and initial distance from the face.
You can also use Place Highlight with a selection set that contains more than one
object. All objects maintain their initial distance from the face. In this case it has
nothing to do with highlights, but is simply being used to position objects.
NOTE Highlight rendering depends on the material's specular properties and the
type of rendering you use.

Place Highlight aligns a camera and a spotlight to the same face.

Other alignment tools on the Align flyout are Align on page 906, Quick Align
on page 911, Normal Align on page 912, Align to Camera on page 917, and Align
to View on page 918.

916 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Procedures
To position a light to highlight a face:
1 Make sure the viewport you plan to render is active, and that the object
you want to highlight is visible in it.
The result of Place Highlight depends on what is visible in the viewport.

2

Select a light object.

3 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click
the Align flyout.

(Place Highlight), which is on

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Place Highlight.

4 Drag over the object to place the highlight.
When you place an omni, free spot, or directional light, 3ds Max displays
a face normal for the face the mouse indicates.
When you place a target spotlight, 3ds Max displays the light's target and
the base of its cone.
5 Release the mouse when the normal or target display indicates the face
you want to highlight.
The light now has a new position and orientation. You can see the
highlight illumination in shaded viewports that show the face you chose,
and when you render those views.

Align Camera

Main toolbar ➤

(Align Camera), on Align flyout

Tools menu ➤ Align Camera

Align Flyout | 917

Align Camera, available from the Align flyout on page 905, lets you align a
camera to a selected face normal.
Align Camera works similarly to Place Highlight on page 915, except that it
operates on face normals instead of the angle of incidence, and occurs when
you release the mouse button instead of dynamically acting during the mouse
drag. Its purpose is to let you align a Camera viewport to a specified face
normal.
Other alignment tools on the Align flyout are Align on page 906, Quick Align
on page 911, Normal Align on page 912, Place Highlight on page 915, and Align
to View on page 918.

Procedures
To use Align Camera:
1 Select the camera used for the viewport you want to align.
2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click
Align flyout.

(Align Camera), which is on the

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Align Camera.

3 In any viewport, drag the mouse over an object surface to choose a face.
The chosen face normal appears as a blue arrow beneath the cursor.
4 Release the mouse to perform the alignment.
3ds Max moves the camera so it faces and centers the selected normal in
the camera viewport.

Align to View

Main toolbar ➤

(Align to View), on Align flyout

Tools menu ➤ Align to View

918 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Align to View, available from the Align flyout on page 905, displays the Align
To View dialog, which lets you align the local axis of an object or sub-object
selection with the current viewport.
You can use Align to View with any selection that can be transformed.
Other alignment tools on the Align flyout are Align on page 906, Quick Align
on page 911, Normal Align on page 912, Place Highlight on page 915, and Align
to Camera on page 917.

Procedures
To align the local axis of a selection with the current viewport:

1

Select the objects or sub-objects to align.

2 Do one of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click
Align flyout.

(Align To View), which is on the

■

On the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Align To View.

3ds Max opens the Align To Viewdialog.
3 Specify the local axis of the selected object to align with the current
viewport's Z axis.
4 Select the Flip check box when you switch the direction of the alignment.
The alignment takes place while the dialog is displayed.
5 Click OK to complete the process.

Align Flyout | 919

Interface

The Align to View dialog contains the following options:
Align X, Align Y, Align Z Specifies which local axis of the selected object will
be aligned with the current viewport's Z axis.
Flip Switches the direction of the alignment.

920 | Chapter 7 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects

Creating Copies and Arrays

8

With 3ds Max, you can quickly create multiple versions of one or more selected objects during
a transform operation. You do this by holding down the Shift key as you move, rotate, or scale
the selection.

Portico created from arrays of columns

The general term for duplicating objects is cloning. This section presents all the methods and
choices available for cloning objects. In addition to the transform method, the tools include
the following:
■

Array lets you set all three transforms, in all three dimensions, at the same time. The results
are precise linear and circular arrays in 2D or 3D space.

921

■

Mirror produces a "reflected" clone about one or more axes. If you mirror an object without
cloning, the result is a "flip" of the geometry, optionally to a new location.

■

Snapshot lets you create clones equally spaced over time or distance, based on an
animation path.

■

Spacing Tool distributes objects based on the current selection along a path defined by a
spline or pair of points.

You can animate any of the cloning techniques.

Overview of Copies, Instances, and References
To duplicate an object, you use one of three methods. For all three methods,
the original and clone (or clones) are identical at the geometry level. Where
the methods vary is in the way they handle modifiers (for example, Bend or
Twist).

An object can be a copy of another.

922 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Copy method: Creates a completely separate clone from the original. Modifying
one has no effect on the other.
Instance method: Creates a completely interchangeable clone of the original.
Modifying an instanced object is the same as modifying the original.
Reference method: Creates a clone dependent on the original up to the point
when the object is cloned. Changing parameters for modifiers that were applied
to the object before the object was referenced, will change both objects.
However, a new modifier can be applied to one of the reference objects, and
it will affect only the object to which it is applied.
Depending on the method used to create them, cloned objects are called copies,
instances, or references.
The following discussion focuses on how you might use these methods.

Copies
Copies are the most familiar kind of clone object. When you copy an object,
you create a new, independent master object and data flow resulting in a new,
named object. The copy duplicates all of the data of the original object at the
time it is copied. The copy has no connection to the original object.

Example of Using Copied Objects
If you modeled a basic building shape and wanted to create a group of varied
buildings, you could make copies of the basic shape and then model different
features on each building to distinguish them from each other.

Copying Actively Linked Objects
When you copy objects that are actively linked through the File Link Manager
on page 8014, 3ds Max automatically converts the copies to editable mesh
objects. If your selection contains several objects that instance another object,
the resulting copies also instance the same object.

Instances
Instances are alike not only in geometry, but also in every other way as well.
Instancing an object results in multiple named objects based on a single master
object. Each named object instance has its own set of transforms, space warp
bindings, and object properties, but it shares the object modifiers and master
object with the other instances. The data flow for an instance branches just
after evaluating object modifiers.

Overview of Copies, Instances, and References | 923

When you change one instance by applying or adjusting a modifier, for
example, all the other instances change with it.
Within 3ds Max, instances derive from the same master object. What you’re
doing "behind the scenes" is applying a single modifier to a single master
object. In the viewport, what you see as multiple objects are multiple instances
of the same definition.

Example of Using Instanced Objects
If you wanted to create a school of swimming fish, you might begin by making
many instanced copies of a single fish. You could then animate the swimming
motion by applying a Ripple modifier to any fish in the school. The whole
school would swim with exactly the same motions.

Instances of Actively Linked Objects
Creating instances of actively linked objects is not recommended. Reliability
issues can arise if the instanced object is deleted in the linked file.

References
References are based on the original object, as are instances, but can also have
their own unique modifiers. Like instances, references share, at minimum,
the same master object and possibly some object modifiers.
The data flow for a reference branches just after the object modifiers but then
evaluates a second set of object modifiers unique to each reference. When you
create references, 3ds Max displays a gray line, called the derived-object line, at
the top of the modifier stack for all clones. Any modification made below the
line is passed on to other references, and to the original object. New modifiers
added above the line are not passed on to other references. Changes to the
original object, such as in its creation parameters, are passed on to its
references.
This effect is useful for maintaining an original that will affect all its references,
while the references themselves can take on individual characteristics.
All shared modifiers reside below the derived-object line and are displayed in
bold. All modifiers unique to the selected reference reside above the
derived-object line and are not bold. The original object does not have a
derived object line: its creation parameters and modifiers are all shared, and
all changes to this object affect all references.

924 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

The results of changing or applying a modifier to a named object reference
depends on where in the modifier stack it is applied:
■

Applying a modifier to the top of the modifier stack affects only the selected
named object.

■

Applying a modifier below the gray line affects all references branching
above that line.

■

Applying a modifier at the bottom of the modifier stack affects all references
derived from the master object.

References of Actively Linked Objects
Creating references of actively linked objects is not recommended. Reliability
issues can arise if the referenced object is deleted in the linked file.

Example of Using Referenced Objects
In the example of modeling heads, you might want to keep a family
resemblance in your characters. You could model basic features on the original,
then model specifics on each reference.
At some point, if you wanted to see what your characters would look like as
"cone-heads," you could apply a Taper modifier to the original head, and have
all the other characters take on the same feature. You could give the original
character a very pointed head, then apply a separate Taper to some referenced
characters to reduce the point toward normal.
For swimming fish, you might choose to make all members of the school as
referenced objects based on a single, original fish. You could still control the
swimming motion from the original fish, and also add modifiers to individual
fish in the school to vary their behavior.

Techniques for Cloning Objects
3ds Max provides several techniques for copying or duplicating objects; cloning
is the general term for this process. These techniques can be used to clone any
selection set.
■

Clone

■

Shift+Clone

■

Snapshot

Techniques for Cloning Objects | 925

■

Array

■

Mirror

■

Spacing Tool

■

Clone and Align Tool

Shared Features
While each technique has distinct uses and advantages in cloning objects, in
most cases the cloning techniques share some similarities in how they work:
■

You can apply a transform when you clone. New objects are moved, rotated,
or scaled as they are created.

■

The transform is relative to the current coordinate system, axis constraint,
and transform center.

■

When cloning creates new objects, you have the choice of making them
copies, instances, or references.

Each of the following items is discussed later in this chapter.

Clone
Using the Clone command on the Edit menu is the easiest method for copying
an object in place; no transformation is involved. See Clone on page 932.

926 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Shift+Clone

Shift+Clone clones an object when you transform it.

You can clone an object as you transform it interactively in the viewport. The
process is referred to as Using Shift+Clone on page 936: the technique of holding
down the Shift key while transforming a selected object with the mouse.
Quick and versatile, this technique is probably the one you’ll use most often
to duplicate objects. Snap settings give you precise results.
How you set the center and axes for the transforms determines the arrangement
of the cloned objects. Depending on the settings, you can create both linear
and radial arrays.
You need a working knowledge of transform features to take full advantage
of Shift+Clone. See Using Transforms on page 822.

Techniques for Cloning Objects | 927

Snapshot

Using an ice-cream cone animated along a path, Snapshot creates a stack of cones.

Snapshot on page 888 clones an animated object over time. You can create a
single clone on any frame, or space multiple clones along the animation path.
The spacing is a uniform time interval; it can also be a uniform distance.

928 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Array

A one-dimensional array

Array on page 948 creates repeating design elements: for example, the gondolas
of a Ferris wheel, the treads of a spiral stair, or the battlements along a castle
wall.
Array gives you precise control over all three transforms and in all three
dimensions, including the ability to scale along one or more axes. It is the
combination of transforms and dimensions, coupled with different centers,
that gives you so many options with a single tool. A spiral stair, for example,
would be a combination of Move and Rotate around a common center. Another
array using Move and Rotate might produce the interlocked links of a chain.

Techniques for Cloning Objects | 929

Mirror

Mirroring an object

Mirror on page 963 produces a symmetrical copy around any combination of
axes. There is also a "No Clone" option that performs the mirror operation
without copying. The effect is a flip or move of the object to a new orientation.
Mirror has an interactive dialog. As you change settings, you see the effect in
the active viewport; in other words, a preview of what the mirror will look
like.
There is also a Mirror modifier that gives you parametric control of the mirror
effect.

930 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Spacing Tool

The Spacing Tool distributes the vases along the sides of the curved street.

The Spacing tool on page 892 distributes along a path defined by a spline or
pair of points. You define a path by picking a spline or two points and by
setting a number of parameters. You can also specify how the spacing between
objects is determined and whether the insertion points of the objects align to
the tangent of the spline.

Clone and Align Tool
The Clone And Align tool on page 900 lets you distribute source objects based
on the current selection to a second selection of destination objects. For
example, you can use Clone And Align to populate several rooms
simultaneously with the same furniture arrangement. Similarly, if you import
a CAD file that contains 2D symbols that represent chairs in a conference
room, you can use Clone And Align to replace the symbols with 3D chair
objects en masse.

Techniques for Cloning Objects | 931

Clone
Make a selection. ➤ Edit menu ➤ Clone
Make a selection. ➤ Hold down Shift key. ➤ Move, rotate, or scale the
selection with the mouse.
With the Clone command you can create copies, instances, or references of
a selected object or a set of objects.

Clone creates a copy, instance, or reference of an object.

The Clone command on the Edit menu creates a single copy of your selection.
Alternatively, you can clone multiple copies by holding down the Shift key as
you move on page 851, rotate on page 852, or scale on page 854 your selection.
Either method displays the Clone Options dialog on page 932.

Clone Options Dialog
Make a selection. ➤ Edit menu ➤ Clone

932 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Make a selection. ➤ Hold down Shift key. ➤ Move, rotate, or scale the
selection with the mouse.
Scene Explorer on page 8469 ➤ Paste a copied node.
Clone creates a copy, instance on page 9195, or reference on page 9282 of a selected
object or set of objects. The Clone command on the Edit menu creates a single
copy. You can clone multiple copies by holding down the Shift key as you
transform the selection.

Procedures
To clone an object without transforming it:
1 Select an object, or set of objects.
2 From the Edit menu, choose the Clone command.
The Clone Options dialog opens.
NOTE All options are present except Number Of Copies.
3 Change the settings or accept the defaults, and then click OK.
Each new, cloned object occupies the same space as the original. Select
a clone by name to move or modify it.
To clone an object with Scene Explorer on page 8469:
NOTE Cloning objects with Scene Explorer requires that the new copies be
hierarchical children of an existing object.
1 In Scene Explorer, highlight one or more objects.
2 Do either of the following:
■

Right-click one of the highlighted items and choose Copy Nodes.

■

From the Edit menu, choose Copy Nodes.

3 Do either of the following:
■

Right-click an item and choose Paste Nodes.

■

Highlight an object and from the Edit menu, choose Paste Nodes.

The Clone Options dialog opens.
4 Change the settings or accept the defaults, and then click OK.

Clone Options Dialog | 933

The copied objects are cloned as children of the highlighted object.
Each new, cloned object occupies the same space as the original. Select
a clone by name to move or modify it.
To clone and transform an object:

1 On the main toolbar, click

(Move),

(Rotate), or

(Scale).

2 Select an object, multiple objects, group, or sub-object.
3 Hold down the Shift key and drag the selection.
As you drag your selection, the clone is created, selected, and transformed.
The original object is deselected and unaffected by the transform.
When you release the mouse button, the Clone Options dialog opens.
4 Change the settings or accept the defaults, and then click OK.

Interface

934 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Object group
Copy Places a copy of the selected object at the specified position.
Instance Places an instance of the selected object at the specified position.
Reference Places a reference of the selected object at the specified position.

Controller group
Lets you choose to copy or instance the transform controllers on page 9091 of
the original object’s child objects. This option is available only when the
selection you are cloning includes two or more hierarchically linked objects
on page 9183.
When cloning non-linked objects, transform controllers are simply copied.
Also, when cloning linked objects, the highest-level cloned object's transform
controller is simply copied. This option applies only to the transform
controllers of objects at levels below the top of the cloned hierarchy.
Copy Copies the cloned objects' transform controllers.
Instance Instances the cloned objects' transform controllers below the top
level of the cloned hierarchy. With instanced transform controllers, you can
change the transform animation of one set of linked children, and
automatically have the change affect any cloned sets.
This allows you to animate all clones identically with a single animation setup.
For example, consider a scene containing three objects named Torso, Thigh,
and Calf. The objects are linked hierarchically so that Torso is the parent of
Thigh and Thigh is the parent of Calf. Say you select all three objects and then
clone them, and choose Clone Options ➤ Controller ➤ Instance. Thereafter,
if you transform either Thigh or Calf object, the corresponding object in the
other hierarchy is transformed identically, along with any child objects.
However, if you transform either Torso object, the other hierarchy is not
affected.

_____
Number of Copies Specifies the number of copies of the object you want to
create. Available only when you Shift+Clone an object.
Using Shift+Clone to generate multiple copies applies the transform successively
to each additional copy. If you Shift+Move an object and specify two copies,
the second copy is offset from the first copy by the same distance that the
first copy is offset from the original. For Rotate, two copies of the rotated
object are created, with the second copy rotated twice as far as the first. For
Scale, two copies of the scaled object are created, with the second copy scaled

Clone Options Dialog | 935

from the first copy by the same percentage that the first copy was scaled from
the original.
Name Displays the name of the cloned object.
You can use this field to change the name; additional copies use the same
name followed by a two-digit number, starting at 01 and incrementing by
one for each copy. So, for instance, if you Shift+Move an object and then
specify the name building and two copies, the first copy will be named building
and the second will be named building01.

Using Shift+Clone
Shift+Clone is the primary way to duplicate objects in 3ds Max. You hold
down the Shift key and drag during any of the standard transform operations:
Move, Rotate, or Scale.
To Shift+Clone an object:

1 On the main toolbar, click

(Move),

(Rotate), or

(Scale).

2 Select a transform coordinate system and constraints. Each transform
carries its own settings. To avoid surprises, always click the transform
button first, and then set your transform coordinate system and
constraints.
NOTE You can also use the Transform Gizmo to set axis constraints.
3 Select the object or set of objects you want to clone. The selection can
be a single object, multiple objects, a group, or a sub-object selection.
4 Hold down the Shift key and drag the selection to apply the transform.
As you drag, a clone is created and selected; it is now the object being
transformed. The original object is no longer selected and is unaffected
by the transform.
When you release the mouse button, the Clone Options dialog appears. Change
settings in this dialog or accept the defaults, and then click OK.
Shift+Clone uses the Clone Options dialog on page 932 for any transform you
choose.

936 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

See also:
■

Cloning with Shift+Move on page 937

■

Cloning with Shift+Rotate on page 939

■

Cloning with Shift+Scale on page 942

Animating Shift+Clone
You can animate any Shift+Clone operation. See Animating Shift+Rotate and
Shift+Scale on page 944.

Cloning Without Transforming
Cloning objects with Shift+Clone requires transforming them at the same
time, by moving, rotating, or scaling them. In some cases, you might want to
clone an object without transforming it in any way. The Edit menu Clone
command gives you this option, which lets you create only one clone at a
time.
To clone objects without transforming:

1

Select the object or objects to clone.

2 Choose Edit menu ➤ Clone. The Clone Options dialog appears. This is
the same dialog used with Shift+Clone except that there's no Number Of
Copies setting. The Clone command lets you create only one copy.
3 Change settings in this dialog or accept the defaults, and click OK.
NOTE The cloned object occupies the exact same space as the original, and
is selected when cloning is complete. Use Select By Name on page 184 to
select the original or reselect the clone.

Cloning with Shift+Move
Cloning objects while moving them is quick and easy. It produces a linear
array of two or more objects.

Cloning with Shift+Move | 937

Shift+Move creates a clone in a different location.

To clone with Shift+Move:

1 On the main toolbar, click

(Move) .

2 Choose a coordinate system and axis constraint.
3 Make the selection you want to clone.
4 Hold down Shift and drag to move a clone of the selection away from the
original.
5 Choose the number of copies you want to make on the Clone Options
dialog, and whether you want them to be copies, instances, or references.

938 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

About Arrays Created with Shift+Move
Multiple clones produced by Shift+Move form an equally spaced linear array
with these characteristics:
■

The line of the array runs from the center of the original through the
centers of the clones.

■

The distance between each neighboring pair of copies is the same the
distance between the original and the first clone.

By using snaps as you move the selection, you can make precise arrays.
An example of the Shift+Move array is a picket fence. From a single picket,
you can generate long runs of fencing. You can array the fence along a major
axis of the home grid, then group the pickets, rotate them to a particular angle,
and move them into position.
You can also make three-dimensional arrays with Shift+Move. The main choice
is the combination of axes to allow movement off the construction plane. For
example, to build a stairway, you can create a box that forms the top step,
then use Shift+Move to copy it diagonally downward, using an array to create
a downward flight.

Cloning with Shift+Rotate
Cloning objects while rotating them produces a variety of effects, depending
on how you set up the transformation.

Cloning with Shift+Rotate | 939

Shift+Rotate creates a clone with a different orientation.

To clone with Shift+Rotate:

1 Click

(Rotate) on the main toolbar.

2 Choose a coordinate system, transformation center, and axis constraint.
3 Make the selection you want to clone.
4 Hold down the Shift key and drag to rotate the selection.
5 Choose the number of copies you want to make on the Clone Options
dialog, and whether you want them to be copies, instances, or references.

Effects of Transform Settings
Where you locate the transform center determines how 3ds Max positions
clones when using Shift+Rotate.
■

For all settings, the direction of rotation is constrained by the active axis
or axes of the viewport’s coordinate system.

940 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

■

Each clone is rotated from the previous one by the same amount as the
first clone from the original.

Local Pivot at Center
An object’s default pivot point is often located at its center or its base. When
you use Shift+Rotate around an object’s default pivot point, the clones overlap
evenly as each one is rotated the same amount. This is true for multiple objects
with a local-pivot setting, since each object uses its own local center.
Clones of a circular object, like a sphere or cylinder, can be overlaid exactly
on the original. You might need to move them away from the original to see
them.
With angle snap on page 2847 set to divide a circle evenly, you can produce
complex symmetrical objects from simple ones. For example, you can clone
a tetrahedron around one axis, then clone the new set about another axis to
produce a faceted star.

Local Pivot at a Distance
When you separate the local pivot from the original, clones create a wheel-like
arrangement. Long shapes like petals or blades, cloned with the center near
one end, can create flowers or propellers. See Adjust Pivot Rollout on page 3797.
You can move the local pivot any distance from the object, creating large
circular arrays. Since direct animation is limited to the local pivot, this is a
key technique in animating circular arrays. See Animating Shift+Rotate and
Shift+Scale on page 944.

Selection Center
For either single or multiple objects, the selection center is the geometric
center of the bounding box on page 9113 enclosing the entire selection. Clones
are arrayed around this center, forming wheel-like arrays.
For a single object, this center is usually different from its local center, but
the effects are similar to those based on a local pivot.

Coordinate Center
Using the coordinate center, Shift+Rotate can produce circular arrays of any
size.
The rotation takes place around the center of the home grid, the screen, or
whichever coordinate system you choose. While clones can be created this

Cloning with Shift+Rotate | 941

way, the process cannot be directly animated. For details on overcoming this
limitation, see Animating Shift+Rotate and Shift+Scale on page 944.

Cloning with Shift+Scale
Cloning objects while scaling them can produce a variety of nested objects
and arrays, depending on the center you choose.

Shift+Scale creates a clone of a different size.

To clone with Shift+Scale:

1 Click a

Scale button on the main toolbar.

2 Choose a coordinate system, axis constraint, and transform center.
3 Make the selection you want to clone.
4 Hold down Shift and drag to scale the selection.

942 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

5 Use the Clone Options dialog to choose the number of clones you want
to make and whether you want them to be copies, instances, or references.

Effects of Transform Settings
Transform settings determine how 3ds Max distributes clones of a selection
during Shift+Scale. In all scaling operations, the transform center acts as the
center of scaling:
■

When clone objects decrease in size, they shrink toward the transform
center.

■

When clone objects increase in size, they expand away from the transform
center.

The distance between cloned objects is scaled like the clones themselves, based
on the initial distance from the original to the first clone. The spacing increases
or decreases proportionately with respect to the transform center.

Nested Copies
When the selection center is used as the transform center for a single object,
scaling occurs symmetrically around that center, producing nested copies.
■

As you scale in toward the center, smaller and smaller copies are created.

■

In the other direction, the original object is enclosed by increasingly larger
copies.

Variations are possible, depending on the type of scale and axis limitations.
For example, you can scale a flat box into a progressively stepped pyramid by
using Squash on page 858 and cloning inward on the Z axis.

Offset Centers
For Shift+Scale, any center other than the local pivot has the effect of creating
an array of progressively scaled objects. Again, objects scale down in size
toward the center, while increasing in size further away. However, this effect
is limited by the particular scale option and the axis constraints, as discussed
next.

Cloning with Shift+Scale | 943

Axis Constraints
Uniform Scale is unaffected by axis constraints, which you can set with the
Transform Gizmo. Copies are always arrayed in or out from the center of the
current coordinate system.
For Non-Uniform Scale and Squash, scaling occurs only along the axis or axes
set with the restricted axes.
NOTE The Restrict To ... buttons (also called the Axis Constraints buttons) are
available on the Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627, which is off by default. You
can toggle display of this toolbar by right-clicking an empty area of a toolbar and
choosing Axis Constraints from the Customize Display right-click menu on page
8827.

Animating Shift+Rotate and Shift+Scale
You can use the Auto Key button on page 8679 to animate Shift-clone. However,
there are some restrictions.
When the Auto Key button is on, the transform center defaults to local pivot,
and the Use Center flyout on page 867 on the toolbar is unavailable. If you
choose one of the other centers and activate Auto Key, the center returns to
the local pivot. This means you can’t directly animate about a non-local pivot
center with Shift+Rotate and Shift+Scale. For example, you can't use this method
to create clones in an arc or circular array around a common center.

Using Non-Local Centers
To use a center separate from the object you’re cloning, you can do any of
the following:
■

Use a dummy object.

■

Offset the local pivot.

■

Change the default animation center.

Using a Dummy Object as Center
In this procedure, you use the axis tripod of the dummy object as the center
for rotation or scale.
To use a dummy object as center:
1 Create a dummy object on page 2871 at the center of rotation or scaling.

944 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

2

Link the object or objects you want to clone to the dummy object,
which becomes the parent.

3 Select both the dummy and the objects, then transform them with
Shift+Rotate or Shift+Scale.
■

For Shift+Rotate, the dummy’s center becomes the pivot.

■

For Shift+Scale, the dummy and selected objects scale together toward
the center of the dummy.

For details of dummy object use in hierarchies, see Using Dummy Objects on
page 3686.

Offsetting the Local Pivot
In this procedure, you move the object’s pivot to the center of rotation or
scale. This works much like using a dummy object.
To offset the local pivot:
1 Select the object whose pivot you wish to move.

2 On the
Hierarchy command panel, choose Pivot and then turn on
Affect Pivot Only.
3 Move the local pivot of the original object to another location in your
scene.
4 On the Hierarchy panel, click Affect Pivot Only again to turn it off.
Shift+Rotate or Shift+Scale now animates around the offset center. This
works with the default setting for local center.
NOTE Moving the local pivot can adversely affect linking and inverse kinematics.
If this is a possibility, consider changing the default axis instead of moving the
local pivot.

Animating Shift+Rotate and Shift+Scale | 945

To change the default axis while animating:
In this procedure, you set 3ds Max to allow animation of transforms about
any center on the Use Center flyout.
1 Choose Customize menu ➤ Preferences and click the Animation tab of
the Preference dialog.
2 In the Animate group, turn off Local Center During Animate.
This changes the default and makes all the transform center options
available when animating. You can now animate around either the
selection or transform coordinate center, as well as local pivot.
NOTE Changing the default setting animates the rotation you see in viewports
as a rotation plus translation, which might not be the effect you wanted.

Cloning Objects Over Time with Snapshot
The Snapshot tool on page 888 lets you clone an object along its animation
path. You can make a single clone at any frame, or multiple clones spaced
over a selected number of frames.

946 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Using car models animated along paths, Snapshot creates an image of a collision.

Snapshot can also clone a particle system's particles.
Snapshot spaces the clones equally in time. Adjustments in Track View let
you space the clones equally along the path instead.
Like other clone techniques, Snapshot creates copies, instances, or references.
You can also choose a mesh option.
To clone an object with Snapshot, the object must already be animated. You
can use Snapshot from any frame on the path. The Auto Key button has no
effect on Snapshot, since Snapshot creates static clones, not animation. This
is the general procedure:
To clone an object with Snapshot:
1 Select an object with an animation path, or a particle system. The
animation can result from applying transforms, controllers, or any
combination of effects.

Cloning Objects Over Time with Snapshot | 947

2 On the Extras toolbar ➤ Array flyout on page 881 click
(Snapshot), or on the Tools menu, choose Snapshot.
3ds Max opensthe Snapshot dialog.
NOTE The Array flyout is on the Extras toolbar, which is off by default. You
can toggle display of this toolbar by right-clicking an empty spot on the main
toolbar and choosing Axis Constraints from the Customize Display right-click
menu on page 8827.
3 Set parameters in the dialog, and click OK.

Arraying Objects
Array is a dedicated tool for cloning and precisely transforming and positioning
groups of objects in one or more spatial dimensions. For each of the three
transforms (move, rotate, and scale), you can specify parameters for individual
objects in the array, or for the array as a whole. Many results you can get with
Array would be laborious or impossible using Shift+Clone techniques.

948 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

A one-dimensional array

Creating an Array
This is the general procedure. For more details, see the topics that follow.
To create an array:
1 Select one or more objects to be in the array.
2 Choose a coordinate system and transform center.

3 On the Extras toolbar, click
choose Array on page 882.

(Array), or on the Tools menu,

The Array dialog appears.
NOTE The Array flyout is on the Extras toolbar, which is off by default. You
can toggle display of this toolbar by right-clicking an empty spot on the main
toolbar and choosing Axis Constraints from the Customize Display right-click
menu on page 8827.

Arraying Objects | 949

4 Set array parameters on this dialog, then click OK.

Reuse of Array Settings
Generally you should approach Array creation as an iterative process. The
dialog settings are not interactive, so you get feedback only after creating the
array. By revising the current settings and repeating the array, you develop a
solution that meets your needs.
After creating an array and checking its result, you can undo the array using
Edit menu ➤ Undo Create Array or Ctrl+Z. This leaves the original selection
set in place.

Repeating an Array
When you create an array, object selection moves to the last copy or set of
copies in the array. By simply repeating current settings, you create a seamless
continuation of the original array.
During a session, 3ds Max maintains all the dialog settings for your current
array.
Array settings are saved only during the current session, not with the file. Be
sure you’ve finished an array before you quit 3ds Max.

General Considerations
When you create an array, keep these points in mind:
■

Array is relative to the current viewport settings for coordinate system and
transform center.

■

Axis constraints do not apply, because Array allows you to specify
transforms along all axes.

■

You can animate array creation. By changing the default Animate
preferences setting, you can activate all the transform center buttons,
allowing direct animation around either the selection or coordinate center,
as well as local pivot. For information about changing the default setting,
see the procedure, To change the default axis while animating on page 945.

■

To make an array of a hierarchically linked object, select all the objects in
the hierarchy before you click Array.

950 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Using the Array Dialog
The Array dialog provides two main control areas where you set the important
parameters: Array Transformation and Array Dimensions.
You can set parameters in any order, but in practice it’s useful to start with
Array Transformation. This creates the basic building block for the larger array,
as defined by Array Dimensions.
These topics discuss specific strategies for using these controls:
Creating Linear Arrays on page 955
Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays on page 960

See also:
■

Array on page 882

Array Transformation
This area lists the active coordinate system and transform center. It’s where
you set the transforms that define the first row of the array. You decide here
on the distance, rotation, or scale of individual elements, and along what
axes. You then repeat this row in other dimensions to produce the finished
array.

Using the Array Dialog | 951

Move, Rotate, and Scale Transforms
You set Move, Rotate, and Scale parameters along any of the three axes of the
current coordinate system.
■

Move is set in current units. Use a negative value to create the array in the
negative direction of the axis.

■

Rotate is set in degrees. Use a negative value to create the array in a
clockwise direction around the axis.

■

Scale is set as a percentage. 100 percent is full size. Settings below 100
decrease the size, and above 100 increase it.

Incremental and Totals
For each transform, you have the choice of whether to apply the transforms
successively to each newly created element in the array or to the overall array.
For example, if you set Incremental ➤ X ➤ Move to 120.0 and Array
Dimensions ➤ 1D ➤ Count to 3, the result is an array of three objects, each
of whose transform centers is 120.0 units apart. However, if you set Totals ➤
X ➤ Move to 120.0 instead, the three elements are spaced 40.0 units apart
for a total array length of 120.0 units.
■

Click arrows on either side of the transform labels to choose between
Incremental or Totals.

Incremental and Totals settings are toggles for each transform. When you set
a value on one side, the other side is unavailable. However, the unavailable
value updates to show the equivalent setting.
Incremental: Parameters set on this side apply to individual objects in the
array. Here are examples:
■

An Incremental Move X setting of 25 specifies a spacing of 25 units on the
X axis between centers of arrayed objects.

■

An Incremental Rotate Z setting of 30 specifies a progressive rotation of
30 degrees on the Z axis for each object in the array. In the finished array,
each object is rotated 30 degrees farther than the one before it.

Totals: Parameters set on this side apply to the overall distance, number or
degrees, or percentage scale in the array. Here are examples:
■

A Totals Move X setting of 25 specifies a total distance of 25 units on the
X axis between the centers of the first and last arrayed objects.

952 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

■

A Totals Rotate Z setting of 30 specifies a combined rotation of 30 degrees
on the Z axis divided equally among every object in the array.

Type of Object
Copy Creates new array members as copies of the originals.
Instance Creates new array members as instances of the originals.
Reference Creates new array members as references of the originals.
For further information, see Overview of Copies, Instances, and References
on page 922.

Array Dimensions
The Array Dimensions controls determine the number of dimensions used in
the array and the spacing between the dimensions.
Count: The number of objects, rows, or layers in each dimension.
1D: One-dimensional arrays form a single line of objects in 3D space, like a
line of columns. 1D Count is the number of objects in a row. Spacing for these
objects is defined in the Array Transformation area.

A one-dimensional array, with 1D Count=6

Using the Array Dialog | 953

2D: Two-dimensional arrays form a layer of objects along two dimensions,
like the rows of squares on a chess board. 2D Count is the number of rows in
the array.

A two-dimensional array, with 1D Count=7 and 2D Count=4

3D: Three-dimensional arrays form multiple layers of objects in 3D space, like
neatly stacked boxes. 3D Count is the number of layers in the array.

954 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

A three-dimensional array, with 1D Count=10, 2D Count=6, 3D Count=3

Incremental Row Offsets
These parameters become available when you choose a 2D or 3D array. These
are distances along any of the three axes of the current coordinate system.
■

If you set a Count value for 2D or 3D, but no row offsets, the array is created
with overlapping objects. You need to specify at least one offset distance
to prevent this.

■

If some objects appear to be missing from the array, it is possible that some
objects have been created exactly on top of other objects in the array. To
determine whether this has occurred, use Select By Name on page 184 to
see the full listing of objects in your scene. If objects are on top of one
another and you don't want this effect, click Ctrl+Z to undo the array, and
try again.

Creating Linear Arrays
A linear array is a series of clones along one or more axes. A linear array can
be anything from a line of trees or cars to a stairway, a picket fence, or a length

Creating Linear Arrays | 955

of chain. Any scene requiring repeated objects or shapes is a candidate for a
linear array.

Examples of linear arrays

For an explanation of interface terms used here, see Using the Array Dialog
on page 951. For the basic steps in making an array, see Arraying Objects on
page 948.

Creating Simple Linear Arrays
The simplest 2D linear array is based on moving a single object along a single
axis. These are the basic choices to make on the Array dialog.
Make these choices in the Array Transformation group:
■

Use Incremental Move settings where you know the spacing you want
between objects.

■

Use Totals Move settings when you know the overall space or volume you
want the array to occupy.

■

For either of these two types of arrays, enter a value for one axis. Leave the
other transforms at their default values.

956 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Make these choices in the Array Dimensions group:
■

Choose 1D.

■

Enter a Count value for the number of objects in the array. The Total In
Array field updates to show you the current total of objects in the array
you are designing.

■

Click OK to create a linear array along the chosen axis, with the number
of objects specified by Count.

2D and 3D Linear Arrays
Arrays in 2D and 3D have the same Array Transformation group setup as 1D,
with the addition of Incremental Row Offsets settings for moving the additional
dimensions apart.
■

Set 2D or 3D and enter a Count value.
If you set 3D, the 2D values also become available. Both Count values are
1 by default, which has the same effect as 1D. Set the 2D and 3D Count
values greater than 1 to produce a more complex array.

■

Set a nonzero value for at least one Incremental Row Offsets setting for 2D
and 3D. Otherwise, there will be no separation between the 1D row and
the new clones.

A wide variety of linear arrays are possible. Experiment with moving along all
three axes and varying the row offsets in 2D and 3D.

Creating Linear Arrays | 957

Using Rotation in Linear Arrays

Linear array with elements rotated about their Y axis

You can rotate elements in a linear array by applying a Rotate value for a
specified axis. When you add rotation to a linear array, the choice of transform
center becomes important.

958 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Using Scale in Linear Arrays

Linear array with progressive scaling

When you apply a Scale factor, 3ds Max scales each copy from the previous
copy. Objects in the array become progressively smaller or larger, as in the
illustration.

Scale and Movement in Nested Arrays
Using only Scale settings and the local pivot of an object produces nested
arrays, like Russian dolls, just as it does when you Shift+Scale from the local

Creating Linear Arrays | 959

pivot. However, with the Array tool, you can add movement as well. This
means you can create increasingly larger or smaller copies and array them at
the same time.

Using Uniform Scaling
By default, all axes are available for scaling.
If you turn on Uniform, only the Scale X field is active; the Y and Z fields are
unavailable. The X value is applied as uniform scaling on all axes of the arrayed
objects.

Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays
Creating circular and spiral arrays typically involves some combination of
moving, scaling, and rotating copies along one or two axes and around a
common center. The effects can vary from the uniform radial arrangement
of bolts on a wheel hub to the complex geometry of a spiral staircase. You can
model many circular patterns with these techniques.
See Using the Array Dialog on page 951 for an explanation of interface terms
used here. See Arraying Objects on page 948 for the basic steps in making an
array.

Using a Common Center
Both circular and spiral arrays require a common center for the arrayed objects.
This can be the world center, the center of a custom grid object, or the center
of the object group itself. You can also move the pivot point of an individual
object and use that as the common center.

960 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Circular Arrays

A circular array

Circular arrays are similar to linear arrays, but based on rotation around a
common center rather than movement along an axis. The following procedure
makes a circle of objects on the XY plane of the home grid with the Z axis as
the center.
To create a circular array:
1 On the main toolbar, choose a transform center to become the center of
the array. In this case, choose Use Transform Coordinate Center so the
center of the grid becomes the array center.
2 Select an object and position it at some distance from the center of the
grid.
This distance is the radius of the finished circle.

3 On the Extras toolbar, choose
on the Tools menu, choose Array.

(Array) from the Array flyout, or

Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays | 961

3ds Max opens the Array dialog.
NOTE The Array flyout is on the Extras toolbar, which is off by default. You
can toggle display of this toolbar by right-clicking the main toolbar and
choosing Axis Constraints from the Customize Display right-click menu on
page 8827.
4 On the Array dialog, enter 360 in the Totals Rotate Z field.
This is the total rotation for the array, a complete circle. To create a partial
circle, enter a smaller value.
5 Choose 1D and enter a Count value (this can be any number) and click
OK.
3ds Max arrays that number of clones within the total rotational angle
you specify.

Spiral Arrays

A spiral array

962 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

The simplest spiral arrays are rotated circular arrays with a movement along
the central axis. The same circle is formed, but now the circle rises upward.
If Z is the central axis, enter a value for Incremental Move Z. Each clone is
then moved upward this amount as the circle is formed.

Rotation in Spiral Arrays
In spiral arrays, the direction of rotation determines the direction of the spiral:
which way it winds up or down.
Enter a positive rotation for a counterclockwise spiral.
Enter a negative rotation for a clockwise spiral.

Reorienting an Array
By default, each object, when copied into the array, rotates around its own
center to follow the main rotation around the common center. This is
controlled by the Re-Orient option.
To cause objects to maintain their original orientation while being rotated,
turn off Re-Orient. In effect, objects remain "facing the same direction" as the
original object.

Mirroring Objects
The Mirror tool uses a dialog that either creates a mirrored clone of a selected
object, or mirrors the orientation of the object without creating a clone. You
can preview the effects of settings before committing to the operation.

Mirroring Objects | 963

Mirroring an object

This is the general procedure for mirroring an object. Begin by selecting the
object.

■

On the main toolbar, click
(Mirror), or on the Tools menu, choose
Mirror.
3ds Max opens the Mirror dialog. The title bar of the dialog shows the
coordinate system currently in use.

For information on the Mirror dialog options, see Mirror Selected Objects on
page 877.

Mirrored Arrays
You can combine the Mirror and Array tools by using them in succession. An
entire array can be mirrored, or you can set up mirrored objects before creating
an array.

964 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

Animating Mirror
When you use Mirror with Auto Key turned on, you see the transition occur
as the mirrored object moves into place. For example, a cylinder mirrored to
the other side of an axis appears to flatten and reshape itself. The object is, in
fact, scaled from 100% to 0% to –100%. This effect is not visible unless the
mirror operation is animated.

Mirror Modifier
The Mirror modifier on page 1462 provides a parametric method of mirroring
an object or sub-object selection within the modifier stack. You can apply the
Mirror modifier to any type of geometry. You can animate the mirror effect
by animating the modifier’s gizmo.

Using the Spacing Tool
The Spacing Tool distributes objects based on the current selection along a
path defined by a spline or pair of points. The distributed objects can be copies,
instances, or references of the current selected object. You define a path by
picking a spline or two points and by setting a number of parameters. You
can also specify how the spacing between objects is determined and whether
the insertion points of the objects align to the tangent of the spline.

Using the Spacing Tool | 965

The Spacing Tool distributes the vases along the sides of the curved street. The vases
are all at the same distance from each other; fewer of them appear on the shorter
side.

For details on the Spacing Tool parameters, see Spacing Tool on page 892.
To distribute objects along a path:
1 Select one or more objects to distribute.

2 On the Extras menu, choose
(Spacing Tool) from the Array
flyout, or on the Tools menu, choose Align ➤ Spacing Tool.
NOTE The Array flyout is on the Extras toolbar, which is off by default. You
can toggle display of this toolbar by right-clicking an empty area on the main
toolbar and choosing Axis Constraints from the Customize Display right-click
menu on page 8827.
3 On the Spacing Tool dialog, click Pick Path or Pick Points to specify a
path.

966 | Chapter 8 Creating Copies and Arrays

If you click Pick Path, select a spline from your scene to use as the path.
If you click Pick Points, click a start point and an end point to define a
spline as the path. When you’re finished with the Spacing Tool, 3ds Max
deletes this spline.
4 From the drop-down list at the bottom of the Parameters group, choose
a spacing option.
The parameters available for Count, Spacing, Start Offset, and End Offset
depend on the spacing option you choose.
5 Specify the number of objects to distribute by entering a Count value, or
by using the spinner.
6 Depending on the spacing option you choose, adjust the spacing and
offsets.
7 In the Context group, choose one of the following:
■

Edges specifies that spacing be determined from the facing edges of
each object’s bounding box.

■

Centers specifies that spacing be determined from the center of each
object’s bounding box.

8 To align the insertion points of the distributed objects to the tangent of
the spline, turn on Follow.
9 In the Type Of Object group, choose the type of object to output (copy,
instance, or reference) and click Apply.

Using the Spacing Tool | 967

968

Modifiers

9

Modifiers provide a way for you to sculpt and edit objects. They can change the geometry of
an object, and its properties.

Example: effects of the Twist modifier on an object

The modifiers you apply to an object are stored in a stack on page 9225. By navigating up and
down the stack, you can change the effect of the modifier, or remove it from the object. Or
you can choose to “collapse” the stack and make your changes permanent.
There are other general things to know about using modifiers:
■

You can apply an unlimited number of modifiers to an object or part of an object.

969

■

When you delete a modifier, all its changes to the object disappear.

■

You can move and copy modifiers to other objects using controls in the modifier stack
display on page 8776.

■

The order or sequence in which you add modifiers is important. Each modifier affects
those that come after it. For instance, adding a Bend modifier on page 1104 before a Taper
on page 1757 can give you distinctly different results than if you first added the Taper
followed by the Bend.

See also:
■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

How Modifiers Differ from Transforms
Modifiers and transforms differ in how they affect an object and the order in which they
are applied to an object.

Transforms
The transform is the most basic of 3D manipulations. Unlike most modifiers, transforms
are independent of an object’s internal structure, and they always act in world space on
page 9354. An object can carry any number of modifiers, but it always has only a single set of
transforms.
The transforms of an object are expressed as a matrix of values that contain the following
information:
■

Position of the object center in world space

■

Rotation of the object in world space

■

Scale of the object along its local axes

The matrix is called the transformation matrix, and its information relates directly to the
transforms Move, Rotate, and Scale. Applying one of these transforms alters the values in
the transformation matrix.
Transforms have the following properties. They are:
■

Applied to the entire object.

■

Independent of their order of application. No matter how many times you transform
an object, the results are stored as one set of values in the matrix.

■

Applied after all object-space modifiers have been evaluated, but before the world-space
modifiers. See Using the Modifier Stack on page 983.

970 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Most transforms produce equal displacement along one or more axes of an object, or part
of an object. For Move on page 851, Rotate on page 852, and Uniform Scale on page 855
transforms, the displacement is equal along all three axes. When you rotate a box, all sides
remain parallel. In general, all vertices keep the same relative position to one another. The
exceptions are Squash on page 858 and Non-Uniform Scale on page 856, which displace axes
by different amounts.
TIP Use the XForm modifier on page 1961 if you want to transform an object at a specific location
in the stack (that is, after some object-space modifiers but before others), or if you want to
transform a sub-object selection. See Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991.

Modifiers
Most modifiers allow you to perform operations on the internal structure of an object in
object space on page 9243. For example, when you apply a modifier such as Twist on page 1783
to a mesh object, the position of each vertex of the object is changed in object space to
produce the twisting effect.
Modifiers can operate at the sub-object level, and are dependent on the internal structure
of the object when the modifier is applied.
Modifiers have the following properties. They are:
■

Applied to all of an object or part of an object (using a sub-object selection).

■

Dependent on the order of application. Applying a Bend followed by a Twist produces
a result different from applying a Twist followed by a Bend.

■

Displayed as individual entries in the modifier stack, where you can turn them on or
off, and change the order in which they're applied.

Some modifiers operate in world space. These use world-space coordinates, and are applied
to the object after all object-space modifiers and transforms have been applied. Otherwise,
they have the same overall properties as object-space modifiers.

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow
Once you have defined an object, 3ds Max evaluates changes affecting the
base object and displays the result in the scene. What these changes are, and
the order in which they are evaluated, is called the object data flow.

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow | 971

Diagram of data flow

Master Object
Master object refers to an object defined by a set of creation parameters and
the original position and orientation of its pivot point. You never see the
master object. What you see in the viewport is always the result of at least the
following data flow:
Master Object
-> Object Transforms
-> Object Properties

972 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Object creation parameters in the Modify panel and Track View

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow | 973

An example of master objects with different creation parameters.

Object-Space Modifiers
The object-space modifiers on page 1098 are the next group evaluated in the
data flow. Each modifier is evaluated in the order it was placed on the modifier
stack. The modifications all occur in the object’s object space and the result
is called the modified object.

974 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Object modifiers in the Modify panel and Track View

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow | 975

The effect of modifiers on a master object.

Object Transforms
Once the modified object has been evaluated, it is transformed within the
world coordinate system. Transforms cover the position, rotation, and scale
changes applied from the transform buttons on the toolbar.
The method of evaluating all modifiers first and then evaluating the combined
transforms has ramifications for the way you work with 3ds Max. The effect
of transforms is independent of the order in which they are applied. The order
in which you apply modifiers, on the other hand, does affect the resulting
geometry. If you want to apply a transform that is evaluated in a specific order
in the modifier stack, use the XForm modifier on page 1961.

976 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Transforming a modified object

Space Warps
Space warps on page 2920 are evaluated after transforms. They distort objects
bound to the space warp based on the position of the object in world space.
For example, a Wave space warp on page 3013 causes the surface of an object
to undulate in the form of a wave. As the object or the space warp moves
through world space, the waves move across the object’s surface.
Like space warps, world-space modifiers on page 1004 are evaluated after
transforms. A world-space modifier is like a space warp bound to a single
object.

Object Properties
Object properties are the last to be evaluated before the object is displayed.
These are values specific to an object such as its name or settings you specify
on the Object Properties dialog on page 221, such as shadow-casting properties;
and materials you have applied to the object.
This is the end of the data flow, and the result is the named object you see in
your scene.

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow | 977

Right-click an object and choose Properties to display its Object Properties
dialog.

Object Properties affect the look of an object's rendered output.

Using Modifiers
This section contains a number of topics intended to help you learn how to
use modifiers and the Modify panel.

978 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Bend modifier applied to a streetlight model

Using the Modify Panel
After adding objects to your scene from the Create panel, you often move to
the Modify panel to change an object’s original creation parameters and to
apply modifiers. Modifiers are the basic tools for reshaping and adjusting
primitive geometry.
NOTE You can float on page 9139 or dismiss the command panel using the
Customize Display right-click menu on page 8827. The default setting is to display
the command panel docked at the right of your screen. If it is not displayed or
you want to change its location and docking or floating status, right-click in a
blank area on any toolbar, and choose from the shortcut menu.
The Modify panel stays in view until you click another command panel tab.
The panel updates to show the options and controls that are available for the
currently selected object or modifier.

Using the Modify Panel | 979

Using Modifiers
Once you’ve applied modifiers to an object, you can use the Modifier Stack
on page 8776 to find a particular modifier, change its parameters, edit its
sequence in the modifier stack, copy its settings to another object, or delete
it entirely.
You can find alphabetical lists of modifiers in Object-Space Modifiers on page
1098 and World-Space Modifiers (WSMs) on page 1004.

General Guidelines
You can generally do the following with the Modify panel:
■

Modify anything you can select. This includes any object or set of objects,
or any part of an object down to the sub-object level. For example, you
can use the Mesh Select modifier to select a single face, then apply a Taper
modifier to it.

■

Apply an unlimited number of modifiers to an object or part of an object.
The order or sequence in which you make modifications is important.
Each modification affects those that come after it. See Using the Modifier
Stack on page 983.
NOTE Some modifiers can be applied only to certain types of objects.

Modifier Sub-Object Levels
In addition to its own set of parameters, a modifier typically has one or more
sub-object levels that you access through the modifier stack on page 983. The
most common of these are a gizmo and a center.
Gizmo Displays in viewports as a wireframe that initially surrounds the selected
object. A gizmo acts like a mechanical apparatus that transfers its modification
to the object it’s attached to. To alter the effect of the modifier on the object,
you can move, scale, and rotate the gizmo as you would any object.
Center The center is the modifier's pivot point on page 9269. You can move a
modifier’s center, which alters the effect of the modifier on the object.

Parametric Deformations and Other Modifier Types
One set of object-space modifiers is known as parametric deformations
(“parametric deforms” on the Modifiers menu). Twist on page 1783 and Bend
on page 1104 are examples. Parametric deformations alter the selection passed
to them without explicitly depending on topology.

980 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Many other types of modifiers, however, perform operations on the explicit
topology of sub-object selections. The Edit modifiers and Select modifiers are
examples. When a topology-dependent modifier is present on the stack, you
can adversely affect its results if you visit previous stack operations and change
the number or order of sub-objects (such as faces or vertices) in the selection.
If you try to do this, a warning alerts you to the situation.

You can safely edit the stack beneath the topology-dependent modifier, as
long as you do not add or remove sub-objects from the selection on which it
operates.

Procedures
To use the Modify panel:

1

Select an object in your scene.

2 Click

(the Modify tab) to display the Modify panel.

The name of the selected object appears at the top of the Modify panel,
and fields change to match this object.
The object’s creation parameters appear in rollouts on the Modify panel,
below the modifier stack display. You can use these rollouts to change
the creation parameters for an object. As you change them, the object
updates in the viewports.
3 Apply a modifier to an object (described in the next procedure).

Using the Modify Panel | 981

After you apply a modifier, it becomes active, and rollouts below the
modifier stack display settings specific to the active modifier.
To apply a modifier to an object:

1

Select the object.

2 Do one of the following:
■

Choose a modifier from the Modifier List. This is a drop-down list at
the top of the

Modify panel.

TIP You can use the mouse or keyboard to choose a modifier from the
Modifier List. To use the keyboard, first open the list with the mouse, and
then type the first letter in the modifier's name. From there you can use
the arrow keys or the method described in the following paragraph to
highlight the desired modifier, and then press Enter to assign the modifier.
In many cases, several modifier names start with the same letter. You
can go directly to a particular modifier if you type the first few letters
(enough for a unique combination) in the desired modifier's name
quickly. For example, say you want to assign the Mirror modifier to
an object. Typing M goes to Mesh Select, which isn't anywhere near
Mirror in the Modifier list, but typing MI goes directly to Mirror.
■

Choose a modifier from the Modifiers menu. This menu is organized
into sets by functionality.
Not all modifiers appear on the Modifiers menu.

■

If the modifier buttons are visible on the Modify panel and the
modifier you want is one of them, click the button.
If the buttons are not visible but you want to use them, click
(Configure Modifier Sets) on page 8798, below the modifier stack display,
and choose Show Buttons. A set of buttons with the names of modifiers
appears between the modifier list and the stack display. Click
Configure Modifier Sets again, choose the set of modifiers you want
to use (for example, Free-Form Deformations), and then click the
button for the modifier you want to apply.

982 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Rollouts are now displayed below the modifier stack display, showing
settings for the modifier. As you change these settings, the object
updates in viewports.
To drag a modifier to an object:

1

Select an object that already has a modifier you would like to
use on another object.

2 To copy the modifier without instancing it, drag the modifier's name
from the stack display to the object in a viewport that you want to use
the same modifier. To move the modifier, use Shift+drag; this removes it
from the original object and applying it to the new one. To instance the
modifier, use Ctrl+drag; this creates an instanced modifier applied to both
the original object and the new one.
NOTE Instancing a modifier causes its name to be displayed in italics in the
modifier stack. This indicates that the modifier is instanced, meaning that a
change to the modifier parameters of one object will affect the other.

Using the Modifier Stack
The modifier stack and its editing dialog are the keys to managing all aspects
of modification. You use these tools to:
■

Find a particular modifier and adjust its parameters.

■

View and manipulate the sequence of modifiers.

■

Copy, cut, and paste modifiers between objects, or sets of objects.

■

Deactivate the effect of a modifier in the stack, the viewport display, or
both.

■

Select a modifier’s components, such as gizmo or center.

■

Delete modifiers.

See also:
■

Editing the Stack on page 987

Using the Modifier Stack | 983

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

■

Modifier Stack Right-Click Menu on page 8789

Examining the Modifier Stack
The modifier stack (or "stack" for short) is a list on the Modify panel. It contains
the accumulated history of a selected object and any modifiers you have
applied to it.
Internally, 3ds Max "evaluates" an object beginning at the bottom of the stack
and applies changes to the object by moving sequentially to the top of the
stack. You should therefore "read" the stack from bottom up to follow the
sequence used by 3ds Max in displaying or rendering the final object.
Here is an example of stack entries for a capsule object (an extended primitive):

■

At the bottom of the stack, the first entry always lists the object type (in
this case, Capsule). You click this entry to display the original object
creation parameters so you can adjust them. If you haven’t applied any
modifiers yet, this is the only entry in the stack.

■

Object-space modifiers appear above the object type. You click a modifier
entry to display the modifier’s parameters so you can adjust them, or to
delete the modifier.
Modifiers are preceded by a plus or minus icon if they have sub-object
(or sub-modifier) levels. See Using the Stack at Sub-Object Level on page
994.

984 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

At the top of the stack are world-space modifiers and space warps bound
to the object. (In the illustration, Displace Mesh is a world-space modifier.)
These always appear at the top, and are described as "bindings."

Basics of Using the Stack
With the stack feature, no modification has to be permanent. By clicking an
entry in the stack, you can go back to the point where you made that
modification. You can then rework your decisions, temporarily turn off the
modifier, or discard the modifier entirely by deleting it. You can also insert a
new modifier in the stack at that point. The changes you make ripple upward
through the stack, changing the current state of the object.

Adding Multiple Modifiers
You can apply any number of modifiers to an object, including repeated
applications of the same modifier. As you start applying object modifiers to
an object, the modifiers "stack up" in the order they’re applied. The first
modifier appears just above the object type at the bottom of the stack.
■

3ds Max inserts a new modifier in the stack just above the current selection,
but always in the proper location. If you try to insert a world-space modifier
between two object-space modifiers, 3ds Max automatically places it at
the top of the stack.

■

If you select the object type on the stack and apply a new object-space
modifier, it appears just above the object type and becomes the first
modifier evaluated.

Effect of Stack Sequence
3ds Max applies modifiers in their stack order (beginning at the bottom and
carrying the cumulative change upward), so a modifier's location in the stack
can be critical.
The following figure shows the difference between the objects based entirely
on a reversal in the stack order of two modifiers. On the left-hand tube, a
Taper modifier is applied before a Bend modifier, and on the right-hand tube,
the Bend is applied first.

Using the Modifier Stack | 985

Results of reversing stack order of two modifiers

Using the Buttons
These buttons, found just below the modifier stack, help you manage the
stack:
Pin Stack Locks the stack and all Modify panel controls to the selected
object’s stack. You can continue to edit the object even if you select a different
object in the viewports.

Show End Result When on, shows the effect of the entire stack on the
selected object. When off, shows the effect of the stack only up to the currently
highlighted modifier.

Make Unique Makes an instanced object unique, or an instanced
modifier unique to a selected object. See details in Editing the Stack on page
987. This option is also available from the Modifier Stack right-click menu on
page 8789.

Remove Modifier Deletes the current modifier from the stack,
eliminating all changes caused by that modifier.

Configure Modifier Sets Click to display a pop-up menu that lets you
configure how to display and choose modifiers on the Modify panel.

986 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Editing the Stack
You can copy, cut, and paste modifiers within an object’s stack, or into the
stacks of other objects. Among other features, you can give modifiers explicit
names to help you remember the intended effect.
To edit the stack:
1 Choose an item in the stack.
2 Right-click.
This displays the Modifier Stack right-click menu on page 8789, which is
briefly introduced in this topic.

Rearranging and Sharing Modifiers
To rearrange modifiers:
The easiest way to move a modifier to a different location in the stack is simply
to drag it there. Alternatively, you can use the following cut/copy and paste
procedure.
1 Choose one or more modifiers, right-click, and choose Copy or Cut.
2 Choose a new location in the list, right-click, and choose Paste. The paste
occurs immediately above the new location.
To share modifiers with other objects:
1 Choose one or more modifiers, right-click, and choose Copy.
2 Select a different object or group of objects.
3 Choose a location in the new stack, right-click, and choose Paste.
You can also drag from the modifier stack display to an object in a
viewport.
TIP Select world-space and object-space modifiers separately. Cut, Copy,
and Paste are disabled if both types are selected. If you try to paste a
world-space modifier into the section for object-space types, the paste occurs
at the top of the world-space section. The reverse is also true.

Editing the Stack | 987

Unique and Instanced Modifiers
By default, pasted modifiers are unique: they lose all connection with the
modifier from which they were copied. Compare with an instanced modifier,
which is shared between two or more objects. Changing a parameter on an
instanced modifier automatically changes the same parameter on the other
instanced objects.
To create an instance of a modifier:
■

After copying or cutting the modifier, right-click and choose Paste
Instanced.
In the stack, the name of an instanced modifier appears in italics.

Any instance of a modifier controls all other instances. Use this feature when
you want a number of objects to take on the same feature.
For example, copying an instanced Bend modifier on page 1104 to a number of
trees would make them all bend identically. Changing Bend parameters on
any one tree would change the bend on all the others.
To remove the instancing from a modifier:

■

Select the instanced modifier and click
the modifier from instanced to unique.

(Make Unique). This converts

Using Make Unique with Multiple Items
Assume you have a group of trees all sharing the same instanced Bend modifier.
If you select two of them and click Make Unique on page 8794, a message asks,
"Do you want to make the selected objects unique with respect to each other?"
■

If you click Yes, the two trees become independent of one another. Each
has a unique copy of the modifier and can be bent separately.

■

If you click No, the two trees continue to share the same instanced modifier,
but separately from the instance in the original group. The two trees can
be bent together.

See How Instanced Modifiers Work on page 1000.

Collapsing the Stack
You can use Collapse All or Collapse To to collapse all or part, respectively,
of an object's stack to an editable object that preserves the cumulative effect

988 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

of the collapsed modifiers on the base object. You might choose to do this in
these cases:
■

You’ve finished modifying an object and want to keep it as is.

■

You want to discard an object's animation tracks. Alternatively, you can
Alt+right-click a selected object and choose Delete Selected Animation.

■

You want to simplify a scene and save some memory.

NOTE In most cases, collapsing all or part of the stack will save memory. However,
collapsing some modifiers, such as Bevel, increases file size and memory use.
After you collapse an object’s stack, you can no longer parametrically adjust
either its creation parameters or the individual modifiers affected by the
collapse. Animation tracks that were assigned to such parameters also
disappear.
Collapsing the stack does not affect the object’s transforms; it affects
world-space bindings only if you use Collapse To. Collapsing the stack does
not save memory if the stack contains no modifiers.
TIP Before you use either Collapse option, use Application menu on page 8579 ➤
Save ➤ Save Selected to preserve a copy of the original parametric object.
To collapse the stack:
1 Right-click the modifier stack display.
2 If modifiers have been applied to the object, choose Collapse To or
Collapse All.
Collapse To Collapses the stack, up to and including the chosen modifier,
into an editable object. Modifiers on the stack above the chosen modifier are
not affected, and you can still adjust them individually.
The resultant object type depends on the uppermost modifier that outputs a
specific geometry type, if any. If the stack contains no such modifier, the result
is an editable mesh on page 2190. If the collapsed portion of the stack contains
a modifier that outputs a specific geometry type, and no other such modifier
is above it, the result is that type of object. For example, if the topmost such
collapsed modifier is Edit Poly, the resultant object is Editable Poly.
Collapse All Collapses the entire stack into an editable object, other than
world-space bindings. Any world-space bindings on the stack are left intact.

Editing the Stack | 989

The resulting stack list shows a single entry: Editable Mesh, unless any
modifiers on the stack output a different type of geometry. For example, if
the topmost such modifier is Edit Poly, the resultant object is Editable Poly.
If no modifiers are applied to the object, choose one of the Convert To options:
■

Editable Mesh

■

Editable Spline

■

Editable Patch

■

Editable Poly

■

NURBS

NOTE Depending on the object type, not all Convert To options might be
available.

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects
To achieve highly detailed modeling effects, you can directly transform,
modify, and align the geometry of objects at a sub-object level on page 9319,
using the Modify panel on page 8773. The following table shows the different
object types and their respective sub-objects.
Object Type Sub-Object Geometry
Mesh

Vertex, Edge, Face, Polygon, Element

Poly

Vertex, Edge, Border, Polygon, Element

Spline

Vertex, Segment, Spline

Patch Surface

Vertex, Edge, Patch, Element, Handle

NURBS Curve

Curve CV or Point, Curve

NURBS Surface

Surface CV or Point, Surface

With the exception of NURBS, to gain access to an object's sub-objects, in
most cases you must first either convert the object into an editable object, or
apply any of various modifiers to the object, such as Edit Mesh/Spline/Patch

990 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

or Mesh/Spline Select. The Select modifiers simply let you specify sub-objects
for modification by subsequently applied modifiers. The distinctions between
transforming an object into an editable object and applying an Edit modifier
to it are as follows:
Method

Advantage

Disadvantage

Editable object

More efficient
Can animate
sub-objects

Lose creation
parameters

Edit/Select modifier

Keep creation
parameters

Less efficient
Cannot animate sub-objects

To convert a parametric object to an editable object, see any of the following
topics:
Editable Mesh Surface on page 2190
Editable Poly Surfaceeditable poly on page 2240
Editable Spline on page 554
Editable Patch Surface on page 2374
To apply an Edit modifier, see any of the following topics:
Edit Mesh Modifier on page 1263
Edit Spline Modifier on page 1368
Edit Patch Modifier on page 1271
To apply a Select modifier, see the following topics:
Mesh Select Modifier on page 1445
Poly Select Modifier on page 1529
Spline Select Modifier on page 1690
Volume Select Modifier on page 1944
Patch Select Modifier on page 1509

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level
To achieve highly detailed modeling effects, you can directly transform,
modify, and align the geometry of objects at the sub-object level on page 9319.

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level | 991

Sub-objects are the pieces that make up objects, such as vertices and faces.
You can also access and transform the sub-object components of modifiers.
The particular geometry available at sub-object level depends on the object
type. See Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990 for details on each
object type.

In a row of column sub-objects, a single column has been modified at the sub-object
level.

992 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Making a Sub-Object Selection
These are the general steps in setting up an object for sub-object selection. See
Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990 for more information.
1 Convert the object into an editable object such as an editable mesh,
editable spline, editable poly, and so on. (Some modifiers you can apply
to the object, such as Edit Mesh, Mesh Select or Spline Select, also have
sub-object levels.)
TIP Work in a wireframe viewport so you can see the geometry.

2 On the modifier stack display, click
(the plus-sign icon to the left of
the name of the modifier or editable object). This expands the object's
hierarchy, showing the names of the sub-object levels at which you can
work.
3 On the stack display, choose the kind of sub-object geometry you want
to work with: for example, Vertex, Face, or Edge. Each sub-object selection
level has rollouts with their own sets of options.
The sub-object level highlight is yellow by default.
4 Use standard selection techniques to select sub-object geometry, from a
single sub-object to the entire object. By default, the sub-object selection
highlights in red.
Once you make a sub-object selection of geometry, you can do any of the
following:
■

Apply any options supplied for the kind of object and the selection level.

■

Apply standard transforms: Move, Rotate, Scale. For more information, see
Transforming a Sub-Object Selection, following.

■

Apply object-space modifiers (Bend, Taper, and Twist, for example) to
perform useful modeling operations.

■

Apply object-space modifiers (UVW Map or Smooth, for example) to
perform useful surfacing operations.

■

Bind a space warp on page 2920 to the selection. The rest of the object is
unaffected by the warping.

■

Use the toolbar commands Align on page 906, Normal Align on page 912,
and Align To View on page 918 with face selections.

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level | 993

Transforming a Sub-Object Selection
Using an editable mesh, poly, patch, or spline, you can directly transform any
sub-object selection. However, “Select” modifiers like Mesh Select on page 1445
and Spline Select on page 1690 enable only selection.
To transform a sub-object selection made with a Select modifier:
1 Add an XForm modifier on page 1961 to the stack, following (or somewhere
above) the Select modifier.
2 In the stack, open the Select modifier and make a sub-object selection.
3 Choose XForm in the stack. You then transform the XForm gizmo, which
applies the transform to the selection.

Selecting and Transforming Modifier Components
Most modifiers have sub-object components, such as a gizmo and center. Like
sub-object geometry, these components can be accessed and transformed at
sub-object level, directly modifying the object’s shape.
Other modifiers, like those for free-form deformation, have control points
and lattices at a sub-object level. Moving these components creates the
modeling effects of the modifier.

Using the Stack at the Sub-Object Level
With editable objects such as meshes and splines, or modifiers with sub-object
levels such as Mesh Select and Spline Select, you can continue to model a
single sub-object selection by applying any number of other modifiers. When
you go back and change the original selection, the new selection is "passed
up the stack" to the modifiers that follow.
Editable meshes and splines have "built-in" sub-object selection at their base
level. But the selections you make with Mesh Select and Spline Select work
exactly the same way on the stack.
This topic uses meshes for its examples. You can apply the same concepts to
editable splines, patches, and poly objects.

Working at Two Levels
When you select an object and apply modifiers (for example, Bend and Taper),
you’re working with the object as a single unit, or "whole object", at the object
level.

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When you make a sub-object selection, the stack display changes to show you
are no longer working with the whole object. Consider the effect of a Mesh
Select applied between Bend and Taper modifiers (Bend is below Taper). To
the right of the Mesh Select and Taper modifiers, a sub-object icon (similar to
the sub-object button in the Selection rollout) appears to show that sub-object
selection is now in effect.
The vertex sub-object selection made at the Mesh Select level is passed up the
stack to the Taper modifier. This means the Taper modifier is applied only to
the vertices selected at the Mesh Select level.

Sub-object icon (in this case, for Vertex) to the right of modifier names in the stack
display

Sub-object selection carries upward through the stack. If you add more
modifiers, each shows the sub-object icon to indicate this state.
By learning to "read the stack," you can move back and forth between the
object and sub-object levels while you work on an object.

Returning to Whole-Object Level
When you finish modeling a certain sub-object selection, you can return to
work on the whole object.
To return the stack to object level:
1 At any point in the stack, apply another Mesh Select modifier.
2 Leave this Mesh Select modifier at the top level (the object level, which
highlights in gray). Any modifiers already on the stack above this modifier
no longer show the sub-object icon. Any modifiers you add above the
second Mesh Select now apply to the whole object.
3 To continue sending the sub-object selection up the stack, delete the
second Mesh Select.

Naming Sub-Object Selections
Sub-object selections are often quite complex, involving a great many small
elements that would be difficult to select a second time. For this reason, it’s

Using the Stack at the Sub-Object Level | 995

a good idea to name important selection sets using the Named Selection Sets
list on page 163 on the main toolbar.
Named sub-object selections only appear at the type of level where they were
first named. For example, if you select a set of vertices, you can name the
selection at that vertex sub-object level. Then, when you later go to retrieve
the named selection, you can access it only from the same modifier's vertex
sub-object level.

Copying Sub-Object Selections
Once you name a sub-object selection set, you can copy it between modifiers
in the same stack, or to the stack of another object of the same type. Editable
meshes and Mesh Select (and their spline , patch, and poly counterparts) have
buttons for Copy and Paste at each level of geometry, in the Modify panel ➤
Selection rollout.
To copy/paste named sub-object selections:
1 Make a sub-object selection.
2 In the Selection rollout, click Copy. From the dialog, choose any available
named selection set for that level of geometry.
3 Go to another Select modifier or to an editable mesh or poly, at the same
level of geometry. Click Paste to complete the copy.

Modifying Multiple Objects
You can apply modifiers to multiple objects. In general, the process is parallel
to modifying a single object. You make a selection set and apply an available
modifier. The modifier then appears on a special stack that refers only to the
commonality of that selection set.

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Top: Original objects
Bottom: Single modifier applied to objects

The Principle of Commonality
When you select multiple objects, 3ds Max determines what the particular
selected set of geometry has in common, if anything. Given any "commonality"
among objects, 3ds Max presents the options as available modifiers.
Unavailable modifiers represent areas where commonality does not hold.
You can apply modifiers to different categories of objects, depending on the
modifier. For example, you might apply Bend to both a 3D object and a 2D

Modifying Multiple Objects | 997

shape. You can apply Mesh Select to a spline primitive and convert it to a
mesh, but the reverse is not true: Spline Select is restricted to objects of the
spline category.
To modify multiple objects:

1

Select two or more objects.
For selection sets, the name at the top of the Modify panel changes to
read "Multiple Selected." If the objects are grouped, the group name
appears.

2 Choose the kind of pivot point you want to use. See Using Pivot Points,
(below).
3 Apply a modifier and adjust its parameters.
If you apply a Mesh Select modifier, you can select geometry on one or
more of the objects to use as a sub-object selection set.

Using Pivot Points
The first item in the Modifier List is a toggle called Use Pivot Points. This
toggle is available only when multiple objects are selected.
■

When on, 3ds Max uses the pivot point of each object as the center of a
modifier’s operation. For example, if you bend a line of trees around the
Z axis, each bends along its own trunk.

■

When off, 3ds Max calculates a central pivot point for the entire selection
set, and modifies the selection as a whole. For a Z-axis bend, trees at the
end of a line would deform more than those at the center where the pivot
is located.
IMPORTANT Choose the pivot setting before you apply the modifier. You
can’t change the pivot point afterward, although you can delete the modifier
and start over without deselecting the selection set.

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Original objects

Single modifier applied to all objects

Modifying Multiple Objects | 999

Single modifier applied with Use Pivot Points activated

Instanced Modifiers
When you apply a modifier to multiple objects, each object receives an
identical version of the modifier. These are called instanced modifiers. They
are interchangeable. A change to any one of the instances affects all the other
instances. How Instanced Modifiers Work on page 1000 covers instanced
modifiers in detail.
TIP Sometimes you might apply modifiers to a selection set, perform some other
operations, and select the set again, only to find its modifier stack is empty. This
happens if you applied another modifier to an individual object in the original
selection set. When you select the set again, the modifier stack is empty because
all members of the set no longer have all modifiers in common. You can still access
the instanced modifiers by selecting a single object in the set. The individual
object’s stacks still contain the modifiers you applied to the set as a whole.

How Instanced Modifiers Work
When you apply a modifier to a selection set, the same modifier is carried on
the stack for each individual object. These are instanced modifiers: they are all
exactly the same, and a change to the instance for any one object will change
all the others.

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In the stack, the name of an instanced modifier appears in italic.

Objects sharing a single instanced modifier

Identifying Instanced Modifiers
You can quickly lose track of which objects share the same modifier. An option
on the Views menu highlights those objects.
To identify objects sharing instanced modifiers:

1

Select an object with an instanced modifier. Choose the
instanced modifier in its stack.

2 Choose Views menu ➤ Show Dependencies. Other objects with instances
of the same modifier appear in a distinctive color (purple by default).

Adjusting Instanced Modifiers
You can make changes to an entire set of objects from a single instance. This
is a major advantage of instanced modifiers.

How Instanced Modifiers Work | 1001

To adjust instanced modifiers:

1

Select any object in a set of objects with instances of the same
modifier.

2 Choose the instanced modifier in its stack.
The single object highlights and the appropriate gizmos appear for the
entire selection set. Adjustments to this modifier now affect the entire
set.

Changing the parameter of an instanced modifier for one object affects all the
objects sharing the modifier.

Making Instanced Modifiers Unique
At some point in your work, you might want to turn a modifier instance into
a local copy that affects only a single object. To do so, click Make Unique on
page 8794 on the Modify panel. This button appears beneath the modifier stack
display. (Make Unique is also available as a pop-up menu choice when you
right-click the instanced modifier's name in the stack display.)

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To make an instanced modifier unique:
1 Select an object with an instanced modifier.
2 Choose the instanced modifier in its stack.

3 Below the modifier stack display, click
(Make Unique). The modifier
is no longer listed in italic text, and if Show Dependencies is set, the
highlight disappears from the other objects.
The modifier is now separate from the set of instanced modifiers.
Adjustments you make to this modifier no longer affect other objects. Its
parameters and gizmo remain unchanged from their original, instanced
settings until you adjust them.
To make multiple modifier instances unique:

1

Select two or more objects with the same instanced modifier.
The stack now shows what the objects have in common.

2 Choose the instanced modifier in the stack.
There can be more than one instanced modifier in this stack. Click the
one you want to make unique for each of the selected objects.

3 Click

(Make Unique).

4 Right-click and choose Make Unique from the menu. The modifier is no
longer listed in italic text and if Show Dependencies is set, the highlight
disappears from the other objects.
5 Click Yes to make the two objects become independent of one another.
Click No for the two objects to continue to share the same instanced
modifier, but separate from the instance in the original group.
The parameters for this modifier disappear, because the objects no longer
share the modifier. For each object, the modifier is now separate from
the set of instanced modifiers.
As with a single object, the parameters and gizmo are unchanged in the now
unique modifiers.
■

To access the unique modifiers, select the objects individually.

How Instanced Modifiers Work | 1003

NOTE If both the object and the modifier are instances, you can choose either
in the stack before you click Make Unique.

World-Space Modifiers (WSMs)
World-space modifiers act as object-specific space warps. They are carried with
the object, but like space warps use world space on page 9354 rather than object
space for their effects. World-space modifiers eliminate the need for binding
to a separate space-warp gizmo, making them convenient for modifying a
single object or selection set.
You apply world-space modifier like you apply standard object-space modifier.
You can access world-space modifiers from the Modifiers menu, the Modifier
List in the Modify panel, and applicable modifier sets on page 8797. A
world-space modifier is indicated by either an asterisk or the text “(WSM)”
next to its name. (The asterisk or “(WSM)” distinguishes the world-space
version from the object-space version of the same modifier, if one exists.)
When you assign a world-space modifier to an object, it appears at the top of
the modifier stack, listed as a binding, in the same area as the space warp
bindings.

Camera Map Modifier (World Space)
Modify panel ➤ Select an object. ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ Camera Map (WSM)
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ UV Coordinates ➤ Camera Map
(WSM)
The Camera Map world-space modifier is similar to the Camera Map modifier
on page 1119, in that it applies UVW mapping coordinates to the object based
on a specified camera. As a result, if you assign the same map as a Screen
environment to the background as you apply to the object, the object is
invisible in the rendered scene.
The main difference between the world-space version of Camera Map and the
object-space version is that, when you move the camera or the object using
the object-space version, the object becomes visible, because the UVW
coordinates are fixed to the object's local coordinates. When you move the

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camera or object using the world-space version, the object remains invisible
because world coordinates are used instead.

Interface

Current Camera Object group
Label Names the current camera used for mapping. If there is no current
camera, reads "None."
Pick Camera Click this button, and then select the camera you want used for
mapping.

Channel group
Map Channel Specifies use of a map channel on page 9210. Map channels are
specified in the Material Editor on page 6019.
Vertex Color Channel Specifies use of the Vertex Color Channel (see UVW
Map Modifier on page 1883).

Displace Mesh Modifier (World Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ Displace Mesh (WSM)
The Displace Mesh world-space modifier (World Space) lets you see the effect
of displacement mapping on page 6482 on editable mesh objects on page 2190
and objects with a Disp Approx modifier on page 1251 applied to them. If a

Displace Mesh Modifier (World Space) | 1005

displacement map is applied to the object, the mesh shows the effect of the
displacement map. Displace Mesh replaces the mesh with its displaced version.
There are two main reasons for using Displace Mesh:
■

As a visualization aid to see the effect of a displacement map in viewports,
and to compare the placement of displaced objects with other objects in
the scene.
For example, if you use an animated displacement map to create waves on
a water surface, you might temporarily apply Displace Mesh to see where
the ripples meet the waterline of a boat.
When you use Displace Mesh in this way, usually you delete it once you've
obtained the effect you want.

■

To obtain an editable mesh created from a displacement map
To use the Displace Mesh this way, you apply it to the object that has a
displacement map, then apply the Snapshot command on page 888 from
the Tools menu, and choose Mesh as the clone method.
Snapshot creates a permanently displaced mesh. As it does for other kinds
of objects, Snapshot also leaves the original, displacement-mapped object
in the scene. After applying Snapshot, you can delete the original object,
or you can keep it in your scene to use for other purposes.
TIP Use Disp Approx to displace editable meshes. Use Displace Mesh for
previewing, as in the first item, but avoid using Snapshot. The mesh created
by using Displace Mesh and Snapshot can have a high polygon count. This
makes it slow to use interactively, and can cause smoothing problems, where
the underlying mesh edges are visible.

Interface
The rollout for Displace Mesh lets you choose which surface approximation
settings are used to produce the mesh.

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Update Mesh Updates the mesh if you have changed the displacement
mapping and want to see the results of the change. The mesh isn't updated
automatically because that can become extremely time consuming.
Custom Settings When turned off, Displace Mesh uses default settings to
subdivide the mesh for the purposes of displacement mapping. When turned
on, the subdivision controls in this rollout are enabled. Default=off.
Subdivision Displacement Subdivides mesh faces to accurately displace the
map, using the method and settings you specify in the Subdivision Presets
and Subdivision Method group boxes. When turned off, the modifier applies
the map by moving vertices in the mesh, the way the Displace modifier on
page 1255 does. Default=on.
Split Mesh Affects the seams of displaced mesh objects; also affects texture
mapping. When on, 3ds Max splits the mesh into individual faces before
displacing them; this helps preserve texture mapping. When off, 3ds Max uses
an internal method to assign texture mapping. Default=on.

Displace Mesh Modifier (World Space) | 1007

TIP This parameter is required because of an architectural limitation in the way
displacement mapping works. Turning Split Mesh on is usually the better technique,
but it can cause problems for objects with clearly distinct faces, such as boxes, or
even spheres. A box's sides might separate as they displace outward, leaving gaps.
And a sphere might split along its longitudinal edge (found in the rear for spheres
created in the Top view) unless you turn off Split Mesh. However, texture mapping
works unpredictably when Split Mesh is off, so you might need to add a Displace
Mesh modifier and make a snapshot on page 888 of the mesh. You would then
apply a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 and then reassign mapping coordinates
to the displaced snapshot mesh.

Subdivision Presets group and Subdivision Method group
The controls in these two group boxes specify how the modifier applies the
displacement map when Custom Settings and Subdivision Displacement are
both turned on. They are identical to the surface approximation controls on
page 2762 for NURBS surfaces.

Displace NURBS Modifier (World Space)
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
World-Space Modifiers ➤ Displace NURBS (WSM)
The Displace NURBS world-space modifier (World Space) converts a NURBS
on page 2433 object into a mesh. If a displacement map is applied to the object,
the mesh shows the effect of the displacement map in viewports. There are
two main reasons for using Displace NURBS:
■

As a visualization aid to see the effect of a displacement map in viewports
When you use Displace NURBS this way, you usually delete the modifier
once you've obtained the effect you want.

■

To obtain an editable mesh created from a displacement map on a NURBS
object
To use Displace NURBS this way, you apply it to the object that has a
displacement map, then use the Snapshot command on page 888 from the
Tools menu, and choose Mesh as the Clone Method.
Snapshot creates a permanently displaced mesh. As it does for other kinds
of objects, Snapshot also leaves the original, displacement-mapped object
in the scene. After applying Snapshot, you can delete the original object,
or you can keep it in your scene to use for other purposes.

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Interface
The rollout for Displace NURBS lets you choose which surface approximation
settings are used to produce the mesh.

Animated Displacement Map If you use an animated displacement map on
the mesh, turn on this toggle to have the NURBS Modifier correctly update
the mesh as the displacement map animates.

Displace NURBS Modifier (World Space) | 1009

You can apply a displacement map on page 6482 using the Material Editor on
page 9210.
Update Mesh Click to update the mesh if you have changed the displacement
mapping and want to see the results of the change. The mesh isn't updated
automatically because that could become extremely time consuming.
Viewport Uses the tessellation that the NURBS object currently uses in
viewports.
Renderer Uses the tessellation that the NURBS object currently uses for the
renderer.
Custom Set the tessellation directly in the Tessellation Method group box.
Base Surface, Surface Edge, Displaced Surface, and Lock These controls are
the same as in the surface approximation controls on page 2762 for NURBS
objects.

Tessellation Method group
The controls in this group are the same as the surface approximation controls
for NURBS objects.

_____
Ignore Surface Settings When turned off, Displace NURBS uses the surface
approximation settings for surface sub-objects. When turned on, Displace
NURBS uses the settings in the Tessellation Method group and overrides
settings for surface sub-objects. Default=off.
Auto Weld All vertices closer than the Threshold value are automatically welded
together. This can simplify the mesh geometry. It is useful to turn this on
when you have increased the Merge value in order to eliminate gaps between
surface edges in the approximation of the NURBS object.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space)
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ Hair And Fur (WSM)
The Hair And Fur modifier is the heart of the Hair And Fur feature. You apply
it to any object that you want to grow hair from: either a mesh object or a
spline object. If object is a mesh, the hair grows from the entire surface unless

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you make a sub-object selection. If the object is a spline, hair grows between
the splines.
When you select an object modified by Hair And Fur, hair is displayed in
viewports. The hair itself as displayed in the viewports is not selectable, though
hair guides are selectable when you work at the Guides sub-object level or style
hair (see below).
NOTE Hair And Fur renders only in Perspective and Camera views. If you attempt
to render an orthographic view, 3ds Max displays a warning that says the hair will
not appear.
Hair And Fur renders by “tiles,” which are 2D projections of the 3D space that
the hair or fur occupies. In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, each tile is displayed in
the rendered frame window as soon as it is generated. Also in Autodesk 3ds
Max 2011, you can set the maximum memory that a tile uses at render time:
see Hair And Fur Render Effect on page 7520.
Hair And Fur can take advantage of multiple processors, improving rendering
time on multiprocessor systems.

Components of the Hair And Fur Feature
Hair And Fur in 3ds Max has a few different components in the interface:
■

The Hair And Fur modifier is the main component. This is where you style
the hair guides, and set parameters for size and coloration, kinkiness,
frizziness, and so on.

■

The Hair And Fur render effect on page 7520 more directly controls how hair
is rendered. Typically you don't need to change the render effect
parameters, unless you have special rendering requirements.
A Hair And Fur render effect is automatically added to your scene when
you apply the Hair And Fur modifier.

■

A Hair Light Attributes rollout on page 5803 appears for all supported lights
when a Hair And Fur render effect is active using the scanline renderer,
and the render effect's Use All Lights At Render Time toggle is turned on.
Controls on this rollout let you fine-tune how hair shadows appear under
specific lights.
The following light types are not supported when rendering hair with the
“buffer” method (see “Lighting Considerations,” below): Skylight, mr Area
Omni, mr Area Spot, IES Sun, IES Sky, mr Sky and mr Sun. However, mr
Area Omni, mr Area Spot, mr Sky, and mr Sun are supported for hair when
you use the “mr prim” method and the mental ray renderer.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1011

NOTE For the purposes of rendering shadows in hair, Direct lights are treated
as point (omni) lights.
■

There is also a Hair And Fur render element on page 7288, which you can
use when you are doing your own compositing.

Growth Objects
You can grow Hair either from a surface or from splines.
To grow hair from a surface, select the object and then apply the Hair And
Fur modifier. You can use either geometric primitives or an editable surface
type such as Polymesh.
To grow hair from splines, you can draw several splines and combine them
into a single object (or turn off Start New Shape during creation), and then
apply the Hair And Fur modifier. You will see some preview interpolated hairs
appear in viewports. The order of the spline sub-objects is important because
Hair uses this order to interpolate hair in between the splines. If the
interpolation seems incoherent, you might need to physically rearrange the
splines.

Using a spline emitter, Hair interpolates hair growth between pairs of splines in logical,
numerical order.
Left: Splines in sequential order result in predictable hair growth.
Right: Splines in nonsequential order can produce undesirable results.

TIP To check the numerical order of splines, go to the Editable Spline level of the
modifier stack and access the Spline sub-object level. Then click each spline in turn
and check its ID number at the bottom of the Selection rollout. It also can help
to make sure that each spline's first vertex is where the hair roots should be.

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Guide Hairs
Storing and manipulating millions of dynamic, simulated hairs is demanding
on today’s technology. Therefore, just as standard 3D graphics technology
uses boundaries such as surfaces to describe solid objects, Hair uses hair
“guides” to describe basic hair shape and behavior.

Guides (yellow) occur at each polygon corner.
Hairs (red) are interpolated between guides.

When the growth object is a surface, Hair And Fur generates guide hairs at
the corners of polygons. When the growth object is a spline, the spline
sub-objects are themselves the guides.
For surface-grown hair, you can manipulate the guides with styling tools on
page 1033 to form a “control volume” that gets populated by interpolated hairs.
The hairs can then be further manipulated with distorting controls such as
Kink on page 1069 and Frizz on page 1064, which can be driven by maps or solid
textures.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1013

Frizz settings affect the hairs but not the guides.

By default, a percentage of hairs are displayed in the viewports, but
surface-grown guides do not appear except when you are working at the Guides
sub-object level. You can adjust the viewport display of guides and hairs with
settings on the Display rollout on page 1082.
Guides are also used to calculate dynamics. After this calculation, hair
interpolation takes place when you render. This is when parameters such as
Frizz, as well as displacement and coloration, are calculated. You don't have
control of every single hair, but this two-phase process makes the creation of
realistic hair computationally feasible on a typical computer.

Styling Hair
The Hair And Fur modifier's growth settings have a great effect on the hair’s
appearance and behavior, but you can also manipulate the guides directly (or
in other words, style the hair).
For surface-grown hair, use the tools on the Styling rollout on page 1033. First,
select the surface whose hair you want to edit, and then on the Modify panel,
either click the Style Hair button on the Styling rollout or choose the Guides

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sub-object level from the Selection rollout on page 1019 or the modifier stack
display.

After guides have been styled, hair is interpolated between neighboring guide pairs.

Mesh-based hair guides before and after styling.

With spline growth, you style the hair by editing the growth splines in the
viewports.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1015

Style spline-based hair by manipulating the splines.

Copying and Pasting Hair
You can copy and paste a Hair And Fur modifier from one stack to another,
but you need to line up the objects as closely as possible, because Hair uses
proximity to determine how to position copied guides. If the objects have
significantly different geometry, the transfer of guides can be inaccurate.
Copying and pasting the Hair And Fur modifier automatically adjusts the hair
scaling. Copying from a large object to a small object, for instance, results in
a smaller default size in the copied modifier.
If you copy an object that has Hair And Fur in its modifier stack, Hair will also
copy the modifier’s data to a new modifier that will track the new object.

Textures, Vertex Maps, and Shaders
You can control many Hair And Fur modifier parameters with maps. If you
apply a map to a parameter that is not a color, such as Density, Hair uses the
texture as a grayscale map that is multiplied by the parameter value (0.0 to
100.0) .
You apply a map by clicking the square button to the right of the parameter.
After applying a map, the letter “M” appears on the button. To place this map
in the first slot in the Material Editor, Shift+click the button. To disable the
map temporarily, Ctrl+click the button. A disabled map is indicated by a
lower-case “m”.

Lighting Considerations
When you render using the default “buffer” method, Hair And Fur provides
its own default lighting (a single omni light), unless you have one or more
supported lights in the scene.

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Supported lights for the scanline renderer and “buffer” method include
spotlights, omni lights, direct lights (which are treated as omni lights for hair
purposes), and photometric lights except for IES Sun and IES Sky. Supported
lights for the mental ray renderer and “mr prim” method include the lights
supported by the scanline renderer, and these mental ray light types: mr Area
Omni Light, mr Area Spotlight, mr Sky, and mr Sun.
If supported lights exist in the scene, by default they are used to light the hair,
and the internal default omni light is not used. This is because in the Hair
And Fur render effect on page 7520, the Use All Lights At Render Time option
is on by default. Also, any supported lights set to cast shadow-mapped shadows
will cast shadows from rendered hair.
For Hair’s “buffer” render to consider only certain lights, select the lights you’d
like Hair to use, go to the Hair And Fur render effect, turn off Use All Lights
At Render Time, and then click Add Hair Properties. This causes only the
designated lights to illuminate the hair. It also adds a Hair Light Attr rollout
on page 5803 to each of the designated lights. This lets you fine-tune the light's
shadow settings for Hair.
With the “buffer” method, you can also raytrace your scene.
NOTE The other rendering methods provided are “geometry” and “mr prim.”
The “geometry” method creates actual geometry for the rendered hair at render
time. The “mr prim” method uses a mental ray shader to generate hair, and is for
use only with the mental ray renderer. Use the Hair And Fur render effect to choose
the rendering method.

Loading and Saving
Hair And Fur data in your scene is automatically saved when you save your
MAX scene file. The state data for the hair can consume quite a bit of space,
so your scene file will probably be significantly larger than it was before you
applied hair.

Animating Hair
You cannot keyframe hair styling. You can keyframe Modify panel parameters
to create special effects such as hair growing. But to animate hair motion, you
can use the Frizz Animation parameters or use dynamics.
To animate frizz, use the Frizz Anim. on page 1069, Anim. Speed, and Frizz Anim.
Dir. parameters. It's not necessary to keyframe these to create animation; just
set them to values other than the defaults.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1017

To animate with dynamics, use the Dynamics rollout on page 1074. See To
generate a precomputed dynamics simulation with Hair on page 1075. A gravity
force is built in to Hair And Fur. You can add space warps to act as external
forces (for example, Wind).
See also:
■

Hair And Fur Render Effect on page 7520

■

Hair And Fur Render Element on page 7288

■

Hair Light Attr(ibutes) Rollout on page 5803

Procedures
To use the Hair And Fur modifier:
This procedure lists the essential steps for growing hair on an object. For more
information, see other Hair And Fur topics in this help, and the tutorials in
the Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials, available from Help menu ➤ Tutorials.
1 Apply the Hair And Fur modifier to a mesh or spline object.
The hairs appear in the viewports as brown lines.
2 Set the modifier parameters according to the desired results (see Topics
in this Section, following). Available settings include the number of hairs,
length, thickness, and coloring.
3 Activate a Perspective or Camera viewport, and then render the scene.
Hair cannot render in an orthographic viewport.
To apply hair to a limited area of a high-resolution object:
An efficient working method for applying hair to part of a high-poly-count
object is to use a low-poly proxy object.
1 Create the object to which you wish to apply hair.
2 Make a copy of the object in the same location as the original, remove
any geometry where hair shouldn't grow, and reduce the polygon count.
For example, you could use the MultiRes modifier on page 1482.
3 If the original object is to move, make the low-resolution proxy object a
child of the original object.

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4 Apply the Hair And Fur modifier to the low-resolution proxy object and
adjust as necessary.
5 Make the low-resolution proxy object non-renderable (see General Panel
(Object Properties Dialog) on page 221). The hair will still render.

Selection Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Selection rollout

Modify

The Selection rollout provides tools for accessing different sub-object levels
and display settings and for creating and modifying selections, and displays
information about selected entities.
When you first apply the Hair And Fur modifier to an object, the entire object
is affected by the modifier. You can specify that the only part of an object
should grow hair by accessing a sub-object level and making a selection.
Clicking a button here is the same as choosing a sub-object level in the modifier
stack display. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the Object
selection level.

Interface
NOTE Controls on this rollout are available only when the growth object is a mesh.
If the growth object is a spline, the Selection controls have no effect, and sub-object
levels for the Hair And Fur modifier are not visible in the modifier stack.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1019

Guides Accesses the Guides sub-object level, which lets you edit the
styling guides using tools on the Styling rollout on page 1033. When you click
Guides, the Style Hair button on the Styling rollout is automatically turned
on, and vice versa.

Face Accesses the Face sub-object level, which lets you select a
triangular face beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple triangular
faces within the region.

Polygon Accesses the Polygon sub-object level, which lets you select
polygons beneath the cursor. Region selection selects multiple polygons within
the region.

Element Accesses the Element sub-object level, which lets you select
all contiguous polygons in an object by clicking once. Region selection lets
you select multiple elements.
By Vertex When on, you can select a sub-object only by selecting a vertex
that it uses. When you click a vertex, all sub-objects that use the selected
vertex are selected.
Ignore Backfacing When on, using the mouse to select sub-objects affects
only those facing you. When off (the default), you can select any sub-objects

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under the mouse cursor, regardless of their visibility or facing. If there are
more than one sub-object under the cursor, repeated clicking cycles through
them. Likewise, with Ignore Backfacing off, region selection includes all
sub-objects, regardless of the direction they face.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull setting on the Display panel does not affect
sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is off, you can still select sub-objects,
even if you can't see them.

Named Selection Set group
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
TIP You can use this to grow hair from an existing selection lower on the stack.
However, because the Hair And Fur modifier outputs an editable mesh, the copied
sub-object selection should be from a mesh-based modifier. For example, if your
base object is an editable poly, you can use tools such as Ring, Loop, and Grow
to make a procedural edge selection, and then Ctrl+click the Polygon button on
the Selection rollout to convert the selection to polygons. Next, apply a Mesh
Select modifier (not Poly Select), and go to the Polygon sub-object level; the Mesh
Select modifier inherits the Editable Poly selection. Use the Named Selection Sets
field on the main toolbar to name the selection, and then use the Mesh Select
modifier's Copy function on the named selection. Finally, apply the Hair And Fur
modifier, go to the Poly sub-object level, and paste the selection.

_____
Update Selection Recalculates the area from which hair is grown, based on
the current sub-object selection, and refreshes the display.
When you access a sub-object level within the Hair modifier and make a
selection, the area of hair growth doesn't automatically update. Click Update
Selection to view the results of a change in sub-object selection.

Tools Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Tools rollout

Modify

This rollout provides tools for accomplishing a variety of tasks with Hair,
including creating a hairstyle from an existing spline object, resetting the hair,

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1021

and loading and saving general presets for the modifier as well as specific
hairdos. Here you can also specify an object from the current scene to be used
as hair, such as a flower or group of flowers for creating a garden.

Using Instanced Hair
Besides the built-in hair strands, which are created at render time, you can
assign any source object as hair strands, using the Instance Node controls on
the Tools rollout. For example, in the following illustration, the original
orientation of the source object affects its orientation when it is used as hair
strands.

Rotating the source object affects the hair orientation.

The next illustration shows how increasing the Frizz Root value creates greater
amounts of distortion in the resulting instanced hairs. This image also shows
how a raised pivot in the source object causes the root of the hair to go below
the surface of the growth object (the red square). Compare this with the
previous illustration, in which the pivot rests at the base of the source object.

1022 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Frizz causes the instanced hairs to change shape.

The next illustration shows the effect of the Merge Material check box. On
the left side, Merge Material was left on, with the result that the flower model
retained its original material and coloring when used as hair. On the right,
Merge material was turned off, so the flower-hairs took on the material of the
flower pot growth object.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1023

Left: Merge Material on
Right: Merge Material off

In the next illustration, the Root Thick setting, from left to right, is 2.0, 10.0,
20.0, and 30.0. With instanced geometry, the Root Thick value affects the
thickness of the resulting object uniformly along its height, while the Tip
Thick value has no effect. (The Root Thick and Tip Thick settings are on the
General Parameters rollout on page 1049.)

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Increasing Root Thick affects the overall thickness of the hair geometry.
From left to right: Root Thick = 2.0, 10.0, 20.0, and 30.0

The final illustration, below, shows how the instanced hair aligns itself
faithfully to the guides, no matter how they're styled. The styled hair was
brushed from the center, and the instances align perfectly in all directions,
face up, without twisting or other distortion. This makes it easy to style
instances as scales, for example.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1025

Top left: The original styled hair
Top right: The instanced hair (arrows) conforms to the styling.
Bottom: Close-up view of instanced hair

1026 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Recomb From Splines Lets you use a spline object to style the hair. Click this
button and then select an object that is made up of spline curves. Hair will
turn the curves into guides and populate each guide of the selected growth
mesh with a replica of the closest curve.
This tool is particularly useful for creating a specific style and length, such as
short hair with a part on the side, without having to manually groom the hair
in the Style dialog. For optimal control, position the splines fairly closely
together and use as many as possible.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1027

Hair and guides are recombed by the spline object (white).

Spline Deform group
Spline deformation lets you style or animate hair by having it conform to the
shape of a spline on page 511.
Pick Click to choose the spline you will use to deform the hair, then click the
spline in a viewport, or press H and use the Pick Object dialog to select the
spline.
When no spline is picked, the label of this button shows “None.” When a
spline is in active use, the label shows the name of the spline you picked.
The deformation applies to all hair guides, and is a one-time operation: while
splines are active, the guides are “locked” to the spline, and moving a point
on a spline deforms the closest guides. However, the base of the spline (for
example, where it’s attached to the head) does not move. If you deform the
spline near the base of the guide, you will move the spline away from the
base, because the base is fixed and will not follow the deformation.

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TIP Clicking Recomb From Splines readjusts the hair (but not the guides) to align
to the spline deformation better. However, you can’t animate Recomb From
Splines.

Left: The spline picked to deform hair
Right: Hair deformed by the spline

Animating the spline (for example, by animating the position of its vertices)
animates the deformed hair, but not if you later alter the hair position by
styling. This includes animating a modifier applied to the spline.
The spline can be a spline cage: in other words, an Editable Spline object that
consists of multiple splines.

Left and right: Spline cage formed of two spiral spline sub-objects
Middle: Hair deformed by the spline cage

3ds Max interpolates between the spline shapes in the spline cage, and the
shape of a hair depends on its proximity to one or another spline sub-object
in the cage.
TIP One way to create a spline cage is to style hair, then click Tools rollout ➤
Convert group ➤ Guides -> Splines.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1029

X To stop using spline deformation, click the Clear Spline button (labeled
“X”).

_____
Reset Rest Performs an averaging of hair guides using the growth mesh’s
connectivity.
This function is particularly useful after using Recomb From Splines. It's also
advantageous when you change the size ratios of polygons in the growth
object. For example, if you stretch part of the mesh by moving some vertices,
by default the larger polygons will contain fewer hairs per unit area. Use Reset
Rest to redistribute the number of hairs on the surface for more even coverage.

Left: Even hair distribution before resizing polygons
Center: Uneven hair distribution after moving edges, altering polygon size ratios
Right: After using Reset Rest, distribution is again evened out.

Regrow Hair Discards any styling information, resetting the hair to its default
state, retaining all current Modify panel settings.

Presets group
Lets you load and save hair presets. Each preset contains all current Modify
panel settings (except Display settings), but not any styling information.
Load Opens the Hair Presets dialog, which contains a list of presets in the
form of named swatches. To load a preset, double-click its swatch. Several
sample presets are included with 3ds Max.

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Hair And Fur Presets dialog

Save Creates a new preset. You're prompted for a preset name; after entering
one, Hair renders the swatch, as shown by a message on the status bar. You
can abort the creation of the preset by clicking the Cancel button on the status
bar during rendering. If you enter an existing preset name, Hair asks you to
confirm overwriting the preset.

Hairdo group
Lets you copy and paste hairdos. Each hairdo contains all the current Modify
panel settings (except Display settings) and styling information. This lets you
apply all hair settings from one object to another.
Copy Copies all hair settings and styling information into a paste buffer.
Paste Pastes all hair settings and styling information to the current
Hair-modified object.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1031

Instance Node group
Lets you specify an object to use as custom hair geometry. The hair geometry
is not instanced from the original object, but all hairs created from it are
instances of each other, to save memory.
NOTE Hair does not use animation from instance objects. If an object is animated,
Hair uses its state at the first animation frame.
Pick To specify a hair object, click the Pick button and then pick an object to
use. Thereafter, the button shows the name of the object you picked. To use
a different instance object, or to use a modified version of the original object,
click this button and then pick the new object.
TIP In order for the instances to be properly scaled and fit to the hair, place the
model's pivot at the “root” of the object. Hair will then scale your model
appropriately so that the height of each instance matches the length of the hair
it has been applied to. Any part of your model that extends below the pivot will
intersect the surface. This can be useful; if the hair grows at an oblique angle to
the growth surface, you can raise the pivot in the original model to make sure the
instanced hairs will extend all the way to the growth surface.
Also, bear in mind that the instancing engine will be deforming your model
as it fits it to the hairs. Make sure that your model has enough divisions along
the Z (vertical) axis for the deformation to look as smooth as it needs to; the
number of subdivisions should be approximately equal to the Hair Segments
value. Hair doesn't perform automatic subdivision on the geometry.
X To stop using the instance node, click the Clear Instance button (labeled
“X”).
Merge Material When on, combines the material applied to the growth object
and the material applied to the hair object into a single Multi/Sub-Object
material and applies it to the growth object. When off, the growth object's
material is applied to the instanced hair. Default=on.
NOTE The merged material is instanced from the instance node, so that changing
the original material affects the resulting material applied to the hair.

Convert group
Use these controls to convert guides or hair generated by the Hair And Fur
modifier to 3ds Max objects that you can operate on directly.
Guides -> Splines Copies all guides to a new, single spline object. The original
guides are left intact.

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Hair -> Splines Copies all hairs to a new, single spline object. The original
hairs are left intact.
Hair -> Mesh Copies all hair to a new, single mesh object. The original hairs
are left intact.

_____
Render Settings Opens the Effects panel and rollout on page 7517 and adds a
Hair And Fur render effect on page 7520 to the scene, if one doesn't already exist.
NOTE The Hair And Fur render effect settings are global, so even if you click Render
Settings to open the effect settings from different Hair And Fur modifiers, you'll
get the same render-effect settings.

Styling Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Styling rollout

Modify

The Guides sub-object level of the Hair And Fur modifier on page 1010 lets you
style hair interactively in viewports. Interactive styling controls are on the
Styling rollout, which has a Style Hair button that you can also click to begin
styling.

Styling with Hair Guides
Styling tools aren't available until you click Style Hair to turn it on, or choose
the Guides sub-object level in either the Selection rollout or the modifier stack.
Each guide hair has 15 segments and 14 vertices (there's an additional,
non-selectable vertex at the root); for a tool to affect a guide, at least one of
its vertices must be selected. To select vertices, click Select (in the Styling
group) to turn it on, then use standard 3ds Max selection tools to select a
portion of the guides. For example, you might drag a selection rectangle to
select vertices on adjacent hair guides. By default, selected guides are displayed
as orange, and unselected guides are displayed as yellow.
Selections you make this way are constrained by the buttons at the top of the
Selection group: Select Hair By Ends, Select Whole Guide (the default), Select
Guide Vertices, or Select Guide By Root. As these names imply, the constraints
affect how the Hair Brush modifies hair guides. The best way to get a feel for
the difference between selection constraints is to practice using the various

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1033

selection constraints with tools such as Translate. The Hair Brush uses a
combination of these constraints and IK to alter guide geometry.

Left: Hair guide before styling
Center: Translating while Select Whole Guide is active
Right: Translating while Select Hair By Ends is active

Once you've made a selection, typicall you will click Hair Brush (also in the
Styling group, to the left of Select), and then use the brush in conjunction
with one of the tools at the bottom of the Styling group: Translate, Stand,
Puff Roots, Clump, Rotate, or Scale.
While you style, only selected guides are affected, and in addition, only guides
that fall within the brush area are affected at any given time. You can change
the brush size using the slider in the Styling group, or by holding down
Ctrl+Shift and dragging the mouse.
The Hair Cut tool on the Styling rollout (between Hair Brush and Select) cuts
hair guides by scaling them based on the brush location.

Interface
NOTE Controls on this rollout are available only when the growth object is a mesh.
If the growth object is a spline, the Styling controls have no effect. Instead, you
can style the hair by editing the underlying spline object.

1034 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1035

Style Hair / Finish Styling Click Style Hair to begin styling. Click Finish
Styling to turn off styling mode. When you turn this button on, a brush is
immediately available and by default the active tool is Translate. Turning on
Style Hair turns on the Guides sub-object level in the Selection rollout on page
1019, and vice versa.

Selection group

Select Hair by Ends You can select only the vertex at the end of
each guide hair.

Select Whole Guide (The default.) Selecting any vertex on a guide
hair selects all vertices on the guide hair. When you first turn on Style Hair,
Hair activates this mode and selects all vertices of all guide hairs.

Select Guide Vertices You can select any vertices on a guide hair.

Select Guide by Root You can select only the vertex at the root of
each guide hair, and doing so selects all vertices on the guide hair.
Vertex display drop-down list Chooses how selected vertices are displayed
in viewports.
■

Box Marker(The default.) Selected vertices display as small squares.

■

Plus MarkerSelected vertices display as small plus signs.

■

X MarkerSelected vertices display as small Xes.

■

Dot MarkerSelected vertices display as dots.

Selection Utilities The buttons labeled “Selection Utilities” are for handling
selections.

Invert Selection Inverts the vertex selection.

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Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+I

Rotate Selection Rotates the selection in space.

Expand Selection Expands the selection by growing its area
incrementally.

Hide Selected Hides selected guide hairs.
TIP If interactive styling in viewports seems to be slow, try hiding those guides
you aren't working on.

Show Hidden Unhides any hidden guide hairs.

Styling group

Hair Brush (The default.) In this styling mode, dragging the mouse
affects only selected vertices within the brush area.
While Hair Brush is on, a brush gizmo is displayed in viewports. In the active
viewport, the brush appears as a circle, but as you can see in the other
viewports, the brush is actually a three-dimensional cylindrical region.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1037

In the active viewport, the brush appears to be a circle.

1038 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Inactive viewports show the brush to be a cylindrical region.

Hair Cut Lets you trim the guide hairs. To cut hair, follow this
suggested procedure:
1 In Selection mode, choose any selection method.
2 Drag the mouse to select guide hairs to trim.

3

Turn on Hair Cut.

4 Resize the brush using the slider.
5 Position the brush circle over hairs to cut, and then click to cut the hairs.
Hairs with vertices inside the brush circle are shortened so that their
endpoints touch the brush circle.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1039

NOTE Cutting hair doesn't actually remove vertices; it only scales the guide hairs.
You can restore guide hairs to their original length with Scale or one of the Pop
commands on page 1043.

Left: Hair guides before cutting
Right: Hair guides after cutting

Select Goes into selection mode, where you can use 3ds Max selection
tools to select guide vertices according to the constraints chosen in the
Selection group (Whole Guide, Ends, and so on).
Distance Fade Available only for Hair Brush. When on, the effect of brushing
fades toward the edges of the brush, giving a gentler effect. When off, brushing
affects all selected vertices equally, giving a hard-edged effect. Default=on.
Ignore Back Hairs Available only for Hair Brush and Hair Cut. When on,
hairs on back faces are not affected by the brush. Default=off.
Brush size slider Drag this slider to change the size of the brush.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+drag
The styling buttons below the Brush Size Slider are available only while Hair
Brush is on.

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Translate Moves selected vertices in the direction that you drag the
mouse.

Stand Pushes selected guides toward a perpendicular orientation to
the surface.

Left: Guide hairs before styling with Stand
Right: Guide hairs after styling with Stand (on the right)

Puff Roots Pushes selected guide hairs toward a perpendicular
orientation to the surface. The bias for this tool is closer to the root of the hair
than to the endpoint.

Left: Hair guides before puffing roots
Right: Hair guides after puffing roots

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1041

Clump Forces selected guides to move towards each other (drag
mouse leftward) or farther apart (drag mouse rightward).

Left: Hair guides before clumping
Right: Hair guides after clumping (at the right)

Rotate Rotate or swirls guide hair vertices around the cursor location
(at the center of the brush).

Left: Hair guides before rotating
Right: Hair guides after rotating (at the forelock)

Scale Scales selected guides larger (drag mouse rightward) or smaller
(drag mouse leftward).

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Left: Hair guides at original lengths
Right: Hair guides after scaling shorter

Utilities group
Attenuate Length Scales selected guides according to the surface area of
underlying polygons. This is useful, for example, in applying fur to an animal
model, which typically has smaller polygons in areas with shorter hair. For
example, the polygons on an animals paws are usually smaller than the ones
on the chest, and the chest fur tends to be longer.

Pop Selected Pops selected hairs out along the surface normal.

Left: Hair guides before using Pop Selected
Right: Hair guides after using Pop Selected

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1043

Pop Zero-Sized Works like Pop Selected, but only operates on
zero-length hairs.

Left: Hair guides on top of head were scaled to zero length.
Right: Using Pop Zero affects only the zero-length hair guides.

Recomb Makes a guide parallel to the surface, using the guide's
current direction as a hint.
Here’s a suggested procedure: Turn on Hair Brush, select guides using Select
Whole Guide, and then move the guides around not worrying about skin
penetration or hair shape. You’re just trying to indicate the direction of the
hair flow. Click Recomb frequently, and you will soon start to see hair flowing
smoothly wherever you want it to. Once you have this flow, you can do your
other styling. With the Recomb tool, you probably won't need to use Comb
Away. Once you have the flow as you like it, you can go in and start styling
in scale, cut guides, and move some of the tips around, “shaping” or “styling”
the hair.

1044 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: Hair guides in their default position
Right: Hair guides after clicking Recomb

Reset Rest Performs an averaging of hair guides using the growth
mesh’s connectivity.
This function is particularly useful after using Recomb.

Toggle Collisions When on, styling takes hair collisions into account.
When off, styling ignores collisions. Default=off.
For collisions to be used while styling, you need to have already added at least
one collision object using the Dynamics rollout on page 1074. If no collisions
are specified, this button has no effect.
TIP If you collisions are enabled and styling interaction seems slow, try turning
off Toggle Collisions.

Toggle Hair Toggles viewport display of generated (interpolated)
hair. This doesn't affect display of the hair guides. Default=on (hair is
displayed).

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1045

Lock Locks selected vertices with respect to the orientation to and
distance from the nearest surface. Locked vertices can be selected, but they
can't be moved.
This is useful for creating different types of hair shapes. For example, to make
a braid, you would comb hair down some straight tubes, and then lock the
vertices to the tubes. Then, in 3ds Max, when you twist the tubes, the hairs
will follow. Locked vertices are no longer dynamic, although they will follow
whatever the surface does, but if other vertices on the same guides aren't
locked, they can still move freely, as usual.

Unlock Unlocks all locked guide hairs.

Undo Reverses the most recent action.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Z

Hair Groups group

Split Selected Hair Groups Splits the selected guides into a group.
This can be useful for creating a part or a cowlick, for example.

Merge Selected Hair Groups Recombines selected guides.
If you don't use Split Selected Hair Groups, then when you render hair, the
generated hairs are interpolated across a styled part. When Split Selected Hair
Groups is on, there is no interpolation between the split group and other
hairs. To remove this effect and make the part less “clean,” click Merge Selected
Hair Groups.

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Quad Menu for Hair Styling
While you are styling hair at the Guides sub-object level, right-clicking a
viewport displays a quad menu that contains shortcuts to many styling controls
that are also found on the Styling rollout on page 1033.

Interface

Utilities quadrant
The first two choices are shortcuts to the buttons in the Hair Groups group:
■

Merge Hairgroups on page 1046

■

Split Hairgroups on page 1046

The other choices in this quadrant are shortcuts to the buttons in the Utilities
group:
■

Unlock on page 1046

■

Lock on page 1046

■

Toggle Hairs on page 1045

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1047

■

Toggle Collisions on page 1045

■

Reset Rest on page 1045

■

Recomb on page 1044

■

Pop Zerosized on page 1044

■

Pop Selected on page 1043

■

Attenuate on page 1043

Styling quadrant
The choices in this quadrant are shortcuts to most of the controls in the Styling
group:
■

Ignore Back on page 1040

■

Soft Falloff on page 1040

■

Scale on page 1042

■

Rotate on page 1042

■

Clump on page 1042

■

Puff on page 1041

■

Stand on page 1041

■

Translate on page 1041

■

Cut on page 1039
To exit Cut mode and return to the hair brush, choose one of the other
styling modes in this quadrant.

TIP While the brush is active, you can resize it in viewports by holding down
Ctrl+Shift and dragging the mouse.

Selection Utils quadrant
These choices are shortcuts to the buttons under “Selection Utilities” in the
Selection group:
■

Invert Selection on page 1036

■

Rotate Selection on page 1037

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■

Expand Selection on page 1037

■

Hide Selected on page 1037

■

Show Hidden on page 1037

Selection quadrant
These choices are shortcuts to the buttons at the top of the Selection group
that constrain how you can select hair guides:
■

Tip on page 1036

■

Guide on page 1036

■

Verts on page 1036

■

Root on page 1036

General Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ General Parameters rollout

Modify

This rollout lets you set the hair count and density, the length, thickness at
the root and tip, and various other comprehensive parameters.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1049

Interface

Hair Count The total number of hairs generated by Hair. In some cases this
is an approximate count, but the actual count is usually very close to the
specified quantity. Default=15000. Range=0 to 10000000 (ten million).

Top: Hair Count=1000
Bottom: Hair Count=9000

1050 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

By default, Hair normalizes density to surface area; that is, larger polygons
receive more hairs than smaller ones. If you edit the growth object in a way
that changes the polygon-size ratios, use Reset Rest on page 1030 to adjust the
hair distribution automatically.
Hair Segments The number of segments per hair. Default=5. Range=1 to 150.
This is equivalent to spline segments; with more segments, curly hair looks
more natural, but the generated mesh object is larger. For perfectly straight
hair, set Hair Segments to 1.

Left: Hair Segments=5
Right: Hair Segments=60

Hair Passes Sets the number of transparency passes. Default=1. Range=1 to
20.
Hair's buffer render on page 7522has a fairly novel way of handling hair
transparency. Instead of resolving actual hair transparency, the hair is rendered
multiple times (as opaque hair) with different random seeds. These buffers
are then blended together. As you increase the Hair Passes value, the
transparency (or wispiness) of the hair increases. In addition, increasing the
value increases the actual number of rendered hairs as well, although the
apparent density, or fill, seems about the same because of the additional
transparency. Render time also increases linearly.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1051

Top: Hair Passes=1
Bottom: Hair Passes=4

NOTE For best results when using the “mr prim” hair rendering method (see Hair
And Fur Render Effect on page 7520) with the mental ray renderer, be sure to set
the Trace Depth ➤ Max. Depth value (see Rendering Algorithms Rollout (mental
ray Renderer) on page 7195) higher than the Hair Passes value.
Density The numeric value sets the overall hair density; that is, it acts as a
percentage multiplier of the Hair Count value. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to
100.0.
This attribute is also mappable via the map button to the right of the spinner.
Mapping lets you add a texture map to control the amount of hair. An area
of the map whose gray value is 50% will reduce the amount of hair grown in
that area by 50%. To change the overall hair count, use the Hair Count value
(see above).

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Top: Density=100.0 + map
Bottom: The bitmap used to control density

TIP For optimal efficiency, use the Hair Count value to set the actual number of
hairs, leave Density at 100.0, and use mapping to create uneven hair distribution.
Simply lowering the Density value without specifying a map causes hairs to be
created and then discarded, which unnecessarily increases rendering time.
Scale Sets the overall scaling for the hairs. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
At the default value of 100.0, the hairs are full size. Reduce this value to make
the hairs smaller. To make the hairs larger, use the styling tools on page 1033.
Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
This attribute is also mappable via the map button to the right of the spinner.
Mapping allows you to add a texture map to control the length of the hair.
An area of the map whose gray value is 50% will cut the hair grown in that
area to 50% of its original length, with no shape change.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1053

Scale value ramped from 0.0 (left) to 100.0 (right) using a linear gradient map

NOTE The default size of the hairs depends on the size of the object to which the
modifier is applied. The larger the object, the greater the initial size.
Cut Length The numeric value sets the overall hair length as a percentage
multiplier of the Scale value. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
This attribute is also mappable via the map button to the right of the spinner.
Mapping allows you to add a texture map to control the length of the hair.
An area of the map whose gray value is 50% will cut the hair grown in that
area to 50% of its original length, with no shape change.
This parameter is more computationally expensive than a density map, since
each curve is re-parameterized on the fly, and should not be confused with a
density map. It’s really more useful as an animated effect for growing hair (for
example, creating a wolfman character).
Rand. Scale Introduces random scaling into the rendered hairs. Default=40.0.
Range=0.0 to 100.0.

Random Scale value ramped from 0.0 (left) to 100.0 (right) using a linear gradient map

1054 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

At the default value of 40.0, 40 percent of the hairs are scaled down randomly
by varying amounts. At 0.0, no random scaling is introduced.
Root Thick Controls the thickness of the hair at its root. With instanced hair,
this controls the overall thickness as a multiplier of the original object's
dimensions on the X and Y axes in object space.
This setting affects both native hair and instanced hair. With instanced hair,
Root thick controls the overall thickness of the hair, not just at the root.
Tip Thick Controls the thickness of the hair at its tip.
This setting affects native hair only, not instanced hair. To create tapering in
instanced hair, apply the tapering when modeling the object to be instanced
within Hair.

Top: Root Thick=10.0, Tip Thick=0.0
Bottom: Tip Thick=10.0, Root Thick=0.0

Hair is translucent if its width is less than one pixel. On the other hand, setting
Root Thick and Tip Thick to small values (close to or less than 1.0) can be a
good way to obtain translucent hair.
Displacement Displaces the hair roots from the surface of the growth object.
Default=0.0. Range=–999999.0 to 999999.0.
When you render an object with a high polygon count, but use a low-polygon
proxy object to grow the hair, adjusting Displacement can help make the hair
seem to grow from the high-polygon object, rather than floating above it.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1055

Another use for this setting can be animating the hair falling onto or moving
away from the growth object.
Interpolate When on, hair growth is interpolated among the guide hairs, and
the surface is fully populated with hair according to the General Parameters
settings. When off, Hair generates only one hair per triangular face on the
growth object, up to the limit imposed by the Hair Count setting. Default=on.

Material Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Material Parameters rollout

Modify

The parameters on this rollout apply to buffer-rendered hair on page 7522
generated by Hair. In the case of geometry-rendered hair on page 7522, the hair
coloring is derived from the growth object. In the case of hair rendered by
“mr prim”, all parameters apply except Self Shadow and Geom. Shadow. With
instanced hair, Hair uses the material from the instanced object.
You can apply a map to any value by clicking the blank button to the right
of the parameter. Values in the map act as multipliers to the base value.
TIP If you apply a colored texture map to a color attribute such as Tip Color, start
by setting the base color to white. Because the map acts as a multiplier, not doing
so can lead to unexpected results. For example, if Tip Color is set to yellow and
you apply a blue texture map, the hair will be black: this is because if you multiply
those RGB values, they zero each other out.

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Interface

Occluded Amb. Controls the bias of the ambient/diffuse contributions of the
illumination model. A setting of 100.0 renders the hair with flat lighting. A
value of 0.0 is lit only by scene light sources, typically resulting in a
higher-contrast solution. Default=40.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1057

Left: Occluded Amb=0.0
Right: Occluded Amb=100.0
Both: Color=white, Self Shadow=50.0

Tip Fade Applies only to mr prim on page 7522rendering (with the mental ray
renderer). When on, the hair fades to transparent toward its tip. When off,
the hair is equally opaque for its entire length.
Tip Color Hair color at the tips, farthest from the growth object surface. To
change the color, click the color swatch and use the Color Selector.
Root Color Hair color at the roots, closest to the growth object surface. To
change the color, click the color swatch and use the Color Selector.

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Tip Color=red
Root Color=blue
Hue Variation=0.0

The Tip Color and Root Color attributes are also mappable via the map buttons
to the right of the spinners. These let you add texture maps to control the
hair coloring, separately at the tip and base. The UVW mapping used for the
texture is the same as that of the growth object.
For results closest to the map colors, set Tip Color and Root Color to white.
Alternatively, set a different color to tint the map coloring.

Left: The texture map used for the hair (center and right)
Center: The map applied to Tip Color and Root Color causes the hair to use the same
coloring.
Right: Setting Tip Color and Root Color to orange adds an orange tint to the hair.

Hue Variation The amount by which Hair varies the color of the hairs. The
default value results in natural-looking hair. Default=10.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1059

Value Variation The amount by which Hair varies the brightness of the hairs.
The default value results in natural-looking hair. Default=50.0. Range=0.0 to
100.0.

Top: Hue/Value Variation=0.0
Middle: Value Variation=100.0
Bottom: Hue Variation=100.0

Mutant Color The color for mutant hairs. Mutant hairs are randomly selected,
based on the Mutant % value (see following), and receive this color.
One example of mutant hairs are the gray hairs that appear as we age.
Mutant % The percentage of hairs that receive the mutant color (see above).
You can animate the Mutant % value to produce, for example, a rapidly aging
character. Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.

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Left: Mutant %=30.0
Right: Mutant %=0.0
Both: Color=brown, Mutant Color=white

Specular The brightness of highlights on the hairs.
Glossiness The relative size of highlights on the hairs. Smaller highlights result
in glossier-looking hair.
The combined results of the Specular and Glossiness settings appear in a graph
to the right of the two parameters.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1061

Left: Specular=0.0, Glossiness=0.0
Center: Specular=100.0, Glossiness=75.0
Right: Specular=100.0, Glossiness=0.1

Specular Tint This color tints specular highlights. Click the color swatch to
use the Color Selector. Default=white.
Self Shadow Controls the amount of self-shadowing; that is, hairs casting
shadows on other hairs within the same Hair And Fur modifier. A value of 0.0
disables self shadowing, while a value of 100.0 results in maximum
self-shadowing. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.

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Top: Self Shadow=0.0
Center: Self Shadow=50.0
Bottom: Self Shadow=100.0

NOTE You can adjust the shadow characteristics by changing the Hair Light Attr
rollout on page 5803 settings for lights that illuminate the hair.
Geom. Shadow The amount of shadow contribution hair receives from
geometry in the scene. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
Geom. Mat. ID The material ID assigned to geometry-rendered hair on page
7522. Default=1.

mr Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ mr Parameters rollout

Modify

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1063

Lets you assign a mental ray shader on page 6806 to generate hair. 3ds Max
passes the object's UV coordinate data, including map channels, to the mental
ray shader; strictly speaking, the shader generates hair from this UV and
mapping data, not from the object geometry itself. (Multiple map channels
are supported.)
When you use a mental ray shader for hair, you must render your scene using
the mental ray renderer on page 7129 and set the Hair And Fur render effect on
page 7520 method to “mr prim”.
Aside from the “mr prim” option that you can choose as a render effect (see
Hair And Fur Render Effect on page 7520), no mental ray hair shaders are
provided with 3ds Max. This feature is meant to support third-party hair shader
products or custom-coded hair shaders.
NOTE When you assign a mental ray shader, the shader controls supersede other
Hair And Fur material settings. On the other hand, if you use this rollout to assign
a shader that is not supported, the renderer uses the regular Hair And Fur material
settings. (“Geometric” settings such as Hair Count, Hair Segments, and so on, still
apply.)

Interface

Apply mr Shader When on, lets you apply a mental ray shader to generate
hair.
[shader button] Enabled only when “Apply mr Shader” is on. Click to display
a Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and assign the shader.
When no shader is assigned, this button is labeled “None”. When a shader is
assigned, the button's label shows the shader's name.

Frizz Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Frizz Parameters rollout

1064 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Modify

Frizz displacement is accomplished by doing a Perlin noise lookup at the hair's
rest position root, and then displacing the hair much the way bump mapping
displaces a surface normal. The frequency of the noise function is set by the
Frizz X/Y/Z Frequency parameters. The magnitude of the displacement is
controlled with Frizz Root and Frizz Tip. If you set dynamics mode on page
1079 to Live, the viewports show the effects of changing these settings in real
time.

1. Frizz Root/Tip=0.0
2. Frizz Root=50.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=14.0

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1065

3. Frizz Root=150.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=60.0
4. Frizz Tip=30.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=14.0
5. Frizz Root=50.0, Frizz Tip=100.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=60.0

Frizz actually calculates two noise fields, both of which use the same frequency
settings and tip/root amplitudes. One of the noise fields is static relative to
the hair. The Anim parameters let you animate the second noise field through
the hair over time. This is useful for things like grassy fields, where it would
be overkill to compute real dynamics. These parameters give you a similar
result, at a small fraction of the computational overhead.

All Frizz/Kink settings=0.0; this reference image provided for comparison with the Frizz
and Kink illustrations (below).

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Interface

Frizz Root Controls the displacement of the hair at its root. Default=15.5.
Range=0.0 to 360.0.
Frizz Tip Controls the displacement of the hair at its tip. Default=130.0.
Range=0.0 to 360.0.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1067

Frizz Root=30.0, Frizz Tip=100.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=14.0
Top: Styled
Bottom: Unstyled

Left: Differing values for Frizz Root and Frizz Tip result in curved hairs.
Right: When Frizz Root=Frizz Tip, the hairs are straight.

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Frizz X/Y/Z Freq(uency) Controls the frequency of the frizz effect on each
of the three axes. Default=14.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
Like frizz, Frizz Anim displaces the hair with a noise field. The difference is
that you can move the noise field to create animated displacement, resulting
in wavy movement without having to resort to dynamics.
Frizz Anim. Sets the amplitude of the wavy motion. Default=0.0.
Range=–9999.0 to 9999.0.
Anim. Speed This multiplier controls the speed at which the animating noise
field moves through space. This value is multiplied by the X, Y, and Z
components of the Frizz Anim Dir attribute to determine the per-frame offset
of the animating noise field. Default=0.0. Range=-9999.0 to 9999.0.
Frizz X/Y/Z Anim. Dir(ection) Sets the direction vector of the frizz animation.
Default=0.0. Range=–1.0 to 1.0.
This vector is not normalized before use. This means that you can apply small
tweaks to the values to achieve fine control over the speed of the animation
on a given axis. To reduce confusion it’s a good idea to keep these directions
either –1, 0, or 1. Once you’ve got the animation close to what you want, you
can diverge from these and adjust the values to achieve the exact result you
need.

Kink Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Kink Parameters rollout

Modify

Kink displacement works similarly to Frizz, but evaluates noise lookups along
the whole length of the guide. The result is a noise pattern that works on a
larger scale than the Frizz noise. The effect is similar to crimped hair.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1069

1. All settings=0.0 (no kink)
2. Kink Root=0.5 (rest=0.0)
3. Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=4.0,
4. Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=50.0,

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Interface

Kink Root Controls the amount of kink displacement of the hair at its root.
Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0

Kink Root=0.5, Kink Tip=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=4.0
Top: Styled
Bottom: Unstyled

Kink Tip Controls the amount of kink displacement of the hair at its tip.
Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1071

Top: Styled, Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.5, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=50.0
Bottom: Unstyled, Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=50.0

Kink X/Y/Z Freq(uency) Controls the frequency of the kink effect on each
of the three axes. Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.

Multi Strand Parameters Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Multi Strand Parameters rollout

Modify

Some degree of clumping gets naturally created when you use Frizz at low
frequencies, but you can go a bit further here with the Multi Strand parameters.
For each hair that is normally rendered, Multi Strand renders a clump of
additional hairs scattered around the original hair. The Splay settings control
the degree of scattering at the roots and tips, and Multi Strand Count controls
the number of hairs to create for the clump. You can use Splay to shape the
clump by spreading or compressing the roots and tips.

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TIP For each original hair, Multi Strand creates a cluster of hairs around that hair,
offset at the bottom by the Root Splay factor. The hair is offset in the plane tangent
to the root of the hair, which is not necessarily the surface of the object. To make
sure Multi Strand hairs actually make contact with the surface, make the growth
surface a bit smaller than the rendered surface.

1. Multi Strand Count=0, Hair Count=500
2. Multi Strand Count=10, Root Splay=0.1, Tip Splay=0.1, Hair Count=500
3. Multi Strand Count=10, Root Splay=0.4, Tip Splay=0.1, Hair Count=500
4. Multi Strand Count=10, Root Splay=0.0, Tip Splay=1.0, Hair Count=500

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1073

Interface

Count The number of hairs per clump.
Root Splay Provides a random offset for each hair in a clump, at the root.
Tip Splay Provides a random offset for each hair in a clump, at the tip.
Randomize Randomizes the size of each hair in a clump.

Dynamics Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Dynamics rollout

Modify

For hair to seem natural in an animation, it must respond to the motion of
the body it's attached to and to external influences such as wind and gravity.
Hair's Dynamics functions let the hair behave like real-world hair, in interactive
(Live) or Precomputed mode.

Designating Collision Surfaces
Hair dynamics uses guide hairs to calculate collision. To reduce computation,
you have to explicitly designate the objects with which hair will collide. The
object from which the hair grows is a special case: to have hair collide with
this object (for example, a human head), simply turn on Use Growth Object.
If there is a collision object that you want more than one Hair modifier to
interact with, you have to add that object as a collision object for each different
Hair And Fur modifier.
There are two different methods for calculating collision: Sphere and Polygon.
Spherical collision uses a bounding sphere for collision objects; polygonal

1074 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

collision uses the collision object's actual geometry. The Polygon option is
more accurate, but the Sphere option is quicker to calculate.

Procedures
Example: To view hair dynamics in real time:
1 Apply the Hair And Fur modifier to an object.
2 On the Dynamics rollout (scroll the command panel down to view it),
set Mode to Live.
3 Move the object around.
The hair moves realistically.
4 On the Tools rollout, click Regrow Hair.
The hair resumes its default position, growing straight out of the object.

5 Click

(Play Animation).

6 The hair settles and droops, as if affected by gravity. Note that, as the
animation repeats, the effects of gravity are cumulative; the hair animation
doesn't restart at the first frame.
7 On the Tools rollout, click Regrow Hair again.
8 Add a Wind space warp to the scene.
9 On the Dynamics rollout, set Dynamics Params ➤ Gravity to 0.0.
10 In the External Forces group (at the bottom of the Dynamics rollout),
click Add and then select the Wind space warp.

11

Play the animation again.
This time, the hair isn't affected by gravity, but simply blown by the
wind. Again, the effect is cumulative and the animation doesn't repeat.
All of this animation takes place only in real time; no keyframes are set,
so it can't be rendered. To learn how to set up a renderable dynamics
simulation with Hair, see the following procedure.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1075

To generate a precomputed dynamics simulation with Hair:
1 Apply the Hair And Fur modifier to an object.
2 Set up the animation. It could simply be motion of the growth object,
or you could use the Dynamics rollout ➤ External Forces group to add
space warps, such as Wind, that should affect the hair. Actually, because
the hair is affected by its own gravity by default, you don't need to set
up any explicit animation at all to see hair dynamics.
3 On the Modify panel ➤ Dynamics rollout, use the Collisions group to
set objects the hair should collide with. Also set other simulation
parameters in the Dynamics Params group.
4 In the Stat Files group, click the ellipsis (...) button. Use the Save As dialog
to specify the location and name of the stat files to be generated.
NOTE When you run the simulation, Hair will generate a separate stat file
for each animation frame.
IMPORTANT If you plan to render the animation with a networked render
farm, make sure the path you specify can be seen in exactly the same way
from each node on the render farm. If stat files aren’t found, hair will be stiff
and just oriented to the skin as it moves. If the wrong stat files are found, hair
can float right off an object.
TIP If using Windows XP, click the My Network Places button to set a path
using the Universal Naming Convention (UNC), even if it's on a local drive.
Such a path can be accessed readily by other computers on the network.
The path and stat file name appear in the text field next to the ellipsis
button.
5 In the Simulation group, set the frame range for the simulation and then
click Run.
Hair runs the dynamics simulation and generates a stat file for each frame
in the animation. It also automatically sets the mode to Precomputed,
so when you play or render the animation, it reads the stat files and uses
the information for the hair positioning in each frame.

6

Play the animation.
The dynamics simulation stored in the stat files appears in the viewports.

1076 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

7 In the Mode group, choose None, and then play the animation again.
The dynamics animation no longer appears. However, it's still stored in
the stat files, and will reappear if you choose Precomputed.
8 Make sure Precomputed is on, and then render the animation.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1077

Interface

1078 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Mode group
Chooses the method Hair uses to generate dynamics. Live mode is suitable
for experimentation, but for best results when rendering animation with Hair,
use Precomputed mode.
■

NoneHair doesn't simulate dynamics.

■

LiveHair simulates dynamics interactively in the viewports, but doesn't
generate animation keyframes or stat files for the dynamics. For best results
with Live mode, turn off Display rollout ➤ Display Hairs group ➤ As
Geometry.
For some methods of using live dynamics, see this procedure: Example:
To view hair dynamics in real time: on page 1075.
If you press ESC while using live dynamics, 3ds Max displays a dialog that
asks whether you want to stop live dynamics. Both Freeze and Stop reset
the mode to None, but Freeze freezes the hair in its current position. You
can use this as a starting point for precomputed dynamics, or as a point
from which you style the hair.

■

PrecomputedLets you generate stat files for rendering dynamics-animated
hair. Available only after setting a name and location for stat files (see
following and To generate a precomputed dynamics simulation with Hair:
on page 1076).

Stat Files group
Stat files let you record and play back a Hair-generated dynamics simulation.
For a workflow example, see this procedure: To generate a precomputed
dynamics simulation with Hair: on page 1076.
Text field Displays the path and file name for the stat files.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1079

(ellipsis button) Click to choose a name prefix and location for stat
files using the Save As dialog.
Hair adds a four-digit frame number (with leading zeroes) and the file name
extension “.stat” to the name you provide (for example, hair_test0001.stat).
Delete all files Deletes stat files from the target directory. The files must have
the name prefix you assigned using the ... button.
TIP You can still use stat files even if you move them to another location. Follow
this procedure:

1

Open the MAX file used to generate the stat files.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Dynamics rollout, click
ellipsis button).

(the

3 Use the Save As dialog to navigate to the directory with the stat files, and
then click any stat file. Its name appears in the File Name field.
4 Edit the File Name field to delete the four-digit extension after the stat
file name. For example, if the stat file name is test0033.stat, delete the
“0033” so that it reads test.stat.
5 Click the Save button. The new stat file path appears in the Stat Files
field.

Now, when you play or render the animation, Hair uses the stat files as
originally generated.

Simulation group
Determines the extent of the simulation, and lets you run it. These controls
become available only after you choose Precomputed mode and specify stat
files in the Stat Files group. Set Start and End to the frames at which to begin
and end the simulation, and then click the Run button. 3ds Max then
computes the dynamics and saves the stat files.
Start The first frame to consider in calculating the simulation.
End The final frame to consider in calculating the simulation.

1080 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Run Click to run the simulation and generate the stat files within the frame
range indicated by Start and End.
To abort a simulation while it's running, click Cancel on the status bar.

Dynamics Params group
These controls specify the basic parameters for the dynamics simulation. The
Stiffness, Root Hold, and Dampen values can be mapped: click the map button
to the right of the spinner to assign a map. Grayscale values in the map
multiply the parameter's value at that hair location.
Gravity Lets you specify a force that moves hair vertically in world space.
Negative values pull hair up while positive values pull it down. To cause hair
not to be affected by gravity, set the value to 0.0. Default=1.0. Range=–999.0
to 999.0.
Stiffness Controls the magnitude of the effect of dynamics. If you set Stiffness
to 1.0, the dynamics will have no effect. Default=0.4. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Root Hold Comparable to stiffness, but affects the hair only at the roots.
Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Dampen Dynamic hair carries velocity forward to the next frame. Increasing
dampening increases the amount by which these velocities are diminished.
Thus, a higher Dampen value means that hair dynamics will be less active
(the hair can also start to get “floaty”). Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

Collisions group
Use these settings to determine which objects hair collides with during a
dynamic simulation and the method by which collision is calculated.
■

NoneCollisions are not considered during the dynamic simulation. This
can cause the hair to penetrate its growth object as well as other objects it
comes into contact with.

■

SphereHair uses a spherical bounding box to calculate collisions. This
method is faster because it requires less computation, but can cause
inaccurate results. It's most effective when the hair is seen from a distance.

■

PolygonHair considers each polygon in the collision objects. This is the
slowest method, but the most accurate.

Use Growth Object When on, hair collides with the growth (mesh) object.
Objects list Lists the names of scene objects with which hair should collide.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1081

Add To add an object to the list, click Add and then click the object in a
viewport.
Replace To replace an object, highlight its name in the list, click Replace,
then click a different object in a viewport.
Delete To remove an object, highlight its name in the list, then click Delete.

External Forces group
This group lets you specify space warps on page 2920 that will affect the hair
during the dynamics simulation. For example, you can add a Wind space warp
on page 2960 to cause the hair to be blown by a breeze.
NOTE Hair dynamics already has a built-in gravity force, so it's not necessary to
add one.
Objects list Lists the names of forces that dynamically affect the hair.
Add To add a space warp to the list, click Add and then click the warp's icon
in a viewport.
Replace To replace a space warp, highlight its name in the list, click Replace,
then click a different warp's icon in a viewport.
Delete To remove a space warp, highlight its name in the list, then click Delete.

Display Rollout (Hair And Fur)
Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. ➤
panel ➤ Display rollout

Modify

These settings let you control how hairs and guides display in the viewports.
By default, Hair displays a small percentage of the hairs as lines. Alternatively,
you can display the hairs as geometry, and you can also choose to display the
guides.

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Interface

Display Guides group
Display Guides toggle When on, Hair displays guides in the viewports, using
the color shown in the color swatch. Default=off.
NOTE At the Guides sub-object level, guides always appear in the viewports.
Guide Color Click to display the Color Selector and change the color used to
display guides.
Guides do not reflect some settings made to the hair, such as Frizz. Use the
Guides display mainly to see where hair will appear on the growth object.
Hair places one guide at each vertex on the growth surface.

Display Hairs group
Display Hairs toggle When on, Hair displays hairs in the viewports.
Default=on.
Override When off, 3ds Max displays hairs using an approximation of their
rendered color. When on, displays hairs using the color shown in the color
swatch. Default=off.
Color swatch Click to display the Color Selector and change the color used
to display hairs when Override is on.
NOTE When hair is displayed as geometry (see below), the color setting is ignored.

Hair And Fur Modifier (World Space) | 1083

Percentage The percentage of total hairs displayed in the viewports. Lower
this value to improve real-time performance in the viewports.
Max. Hairs The maximum number of hairs displayed in the viewports,
regardless of the Percentage value.
As Geometry When on, displays the hairs in the viewports as the actual
geometry to be rendered, rather than the default lines. Default=off.

LS Colors Modifier (World Space)
Select a Lightscape mesh object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List
➤ World-Space Modifiers ➤ LS Colors (WSM)
The LS Colors modifier converts Lightscape radiosity values to 3ds Max vertex
colors.
When you import a Lightscape model into 3ds Max, the radiosity values are
kept as irradiances; that is, they describe the intensity of light falling on a
mesh in physical units. This modifier converts the physical units to RGB colors.
In conjunction with the Lightscape Mesh modifier on page 1431, this modifier
can be used to produce meshes suitable for game engines.
See also:
■

Lightscape Files (LP, LS, and Other Formats) on page 8286

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Interface

Brightness Controls the brightness of the displayed image on your monitor.
The setting of this control does not affect the actual lighting levels in the
model. Default=50.0.
Contrast box Controls the contrast between light and dark regions in the
model. Default=50.0.
Daylight Determines whether you want natural daylight to be used in the
calculation. Default=on.
Exterior Scene Turn on for exterior daylight simulations. Default=off.
TIP Use the logarithmic exposure control on page 7673 to control the brightness
and contrast of the colors when you render.
Use exposure control When on, disregards the settings of Brightness, Contrast,
Daylight, and Exterior, and instead uses the settings of the active exposure
control. If no exposure control is active in the scene, this toggle is disabled.
Default=off.

LS Colors Modifier (World Space) | 1085

The three radio buttons that follow choose how to handle irradiance values.
■

Convert light falling on the surfaceWhen chosen, converts the irradiance
values directly to RGB values. In order to properly render the mesh, the
vertex colors need to be interpolated and multiplied by the color of the
material on the mesh.

■

Convert light reflecting from the surfaceWhen chosen, takes the irradiance
values and multiplies them by the material's ambient color, then converts
the result to RGB. To properly render the mesh, you need to interpolate
the vertex colors over the faces. If textures are displayed by multiplying
them by the vertex colors, they will not be correctly displayed unless the
material color is white.
By default, this is the active option.

■

Convert light reflecting from the surface, except for textured materialsWhen
chosen, takes the irradiance values and multiplies them by the material's
ambient color, and then converts the result to RGB, unless a texture is
applied to the material's ambient component. If the ambient component
has a map, this method converts the irradiance value directly to the vertex
color. To properly render the mesh, you need to interpolate the vertex
colors over the faces, unless the material is textured. If textures are displayed
by multiplying them by the vertex colors, they will be correctly displayed.

Add to colors When on, the result of the color conversion is added to existing
vertex color values, if there are any. Default=off.
Use self-illumination When on, the material's self illumination is included
in the final vertex colors. Default=on.

MapScaler Modifier (World Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ MapScaler (WSM)
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ UV Coordinates ➤ Map Scaler (WSM)
MapScaler maintains the scale of a map applied to an object. This lets you
resize the object without altering the scale of the map. Typically, you might
use this to maintain the size of a map regardless of how the geometry is scaled.

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MapScaler sets the scale of a map on an object.

This differs from the MapScaler (OSM) modifier on page 1432, which maintains
the scale of the map with respect to the object size when scaled with a Select
And Scale tool. See the latter's definition for other differences between the
two versions.
NOTE This world-space modifier is for use primarily with vertically oriented objects,
such as walls in an architectural model, or objects with large, flat surfaces. While
you can apply the MapScaler to any object, the results are less realistic on curved
surfaces, especially complex ones, which can show cracks in the finished texture.

MapScaler Modifier (World Space) | 1087

Interface

Scale Represents the size of one repetition of the texture pattern. Size is
measured in current system units. Repetitions occur across the object in the
U and V directions. Default=1.0.
NOTE When the Use Real-World Texture Coordinates switch is active in the General
Preferences dialog on page 8887, the scale setting defaults to 1.0. If Use Real-World
Texture Coordinates is turned off, scale defaults to 100.0.
U/V Offset Specify horizontal and vertical offsets respectively. Available only
when Wrap Texture is off.
Wrap Texture When on, Map Scaler attempts to wrap the texture evenly
around the object. This option requires more computing, but usually produces
the most satisfactory results. Default=on.
Wrap Using Smoothing Groups When turned on, textures are wrapped
around corners when they share the same smoothing groups. Curved walls
will map smoothly while sharp corners get a new texture origin. This switch
is only available when the Wrap Textures switch is turned on. Default=off.
Channel Specifies the map channel on page 9210. Default=1.

Up Direction group
World Z Axis Aligns the map with the Z axis of the world.

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If you choose this option and then rotate the object, the mapping is not fixed
to the object.
Local Z Axis Aligns the map with the local Z axis of the object.
With this option, the mapping remains fixed to the object.

PatchDeform Modifier (World Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ PatchDeform (WSM)
The PatchDeform world-space modifier lets you deform an object based on
the contours of a patch object. It works the same as the PathDeform (World
Space) on page 1089, but uses a patch instead of a curve. With the exception of
the Move to Patch button, its parameters are the same as those in the
object-space PatchDeform modifier on page 1514.

PathDeform Modifier (World Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Animation
Modifiers ➤ PathDeform (WSM)
The PathDeform world-space modifier deforms an object based on a shape,
spline or NURBS curve path. With the exceptions noted in the Interface section,
this world-space modifier works the same as the object-space PathDeform
modifier on page 1516.

Procedures
The first two examples, below, demonstrate the basic differences in orientation
and the relationship between the object and its path when using the
PathDeform modifier and the PathDeform (WSM) modifier.

PatchDeform Modifier (World Space) | 1089

Example: To use the PathDeform modifier to curve text:
1 In the Top viewport, create a circle that's 100 units in radius.
2 In the Front viewport, create a text shape with six or seven letters, and a
size of 25.
3 Apply an Extrude modifier to the text shape, and set the Amount to –5.0.
4 On the main toolbar, set the Reference Coordinate System to Local.
Looking at the axis tripod for the extruded text object, you can see that
its Z axis runs from back to front relative to world space.
5 Apply a PathDeform on page 1516 object-space modifier to the text object.
Click the Pick Path button, and then select the circle.
A circular gizmo appears. The circle runs through the local Z axis of the
text object. Because of its orientation, its effect is minimal, but you can
see a slight wedge-shaped deformation from the top view.
6 In the Path Deform Axis group, choose the Y option, and then the X
option.
The circle gizmo rotates to run through the specified axes, deforming the
text object differently with each change.
7 Adjust the Percent spinner to view its effect, and then set it to zero. Try
the same with Stretch, Rotation, and Twist, and then restore them to
their original values.
TIP Use the Ctrl key with Twist to amplify the effect.
8 Turn on Flip to switch the direction of the path, and then turn it off.
9 Go to the Gizmo sub-object level, and move the gizmo path around.
The text object is further deformed by its relative position to the gizmo.

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10 Select the original circle shape, and change its radius.
The deformation of the text object alters because its gizmo is an instance
of the shape object.
Example: To use the PathDeform world space modifier:
This procedure continues from the previous one.
1 Select the text object, and then remove the Path Deform modifier from
the stack.
2 Apply a Path Deform (WSM) modifier.
3 Click Pick Path, and select the circle.
The text object flips around and moves in world space. Note that its
orientation and deformation are difficult to analyze because there's an
offset distance between the path and the object.
4 Click Move to Path.
The text object is transformed so that its local Z axis is aligned with the
path and its position is at the first vertex of the path.
In the following steps, you'll use various controls to re-orient the text
object so that it's at the front of the circle and readable from the Front
viewport.
5 Choose the X option in the Path Deform Axis group to place the length
of the text object along the path.
6 Adjust the Percent spinner to –25 to move the text to the front of the
circle.
7 Adjust the Rotation spinner to –90 to rotate the text so it faces the Front
viewport.

8 Turn on

9

(Auto Key), go to frame 100, and set Percent to –125.

Play the animation to watch the text run around the circle.

PathDeform Modifier (World Space) | 1091

Example: To create a growing vine:

1 Use the Line tool and, optionally, Editable Spline to create a path along
which the vine will grow.
2 Create a Cone, and apply the Path Deform (WSM) modifier.

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3 Pick the path, and then click Move to Path. (The local Z axis of the cone
should be along the path.)

4 Go to frame 100, and turn on

(Auto Key).

5 Increase the Stretch value to stretch the cone along the path until it
reaches the end. There won't be enough height segments in the cone,
but you can fix that in step 7.

6 Turn off

(Auto Key).

7 In the stack, click Cone, and then in the Parameters rollout increase the
Height Segments setting until the stretched cone is smooth on the path.
8 Play the animation.
The cone grows along the path, like a vine.

Interface
Because this is a world-space rather than an object-space modifier, the object
is affected in world-space coordinates, and also by the position of the path
relative to the object. Thus, if you transform the object relative to the path,
or vice-versa, it has an affect on the deformation.
Generally speaking, the Path Deform world-space modifier leaves the path in
place while moving the object to the path, while the Path Deform object-space
modifier leaves the object in place while moving the path to the object.

PathDeform Modifier (World Space) | 1093

For all parameters except the following, refer to the PathDeform modifier on
page 1516.

Path Deform group
Move to Path Moves the object from its original position to the start of the
path.
When you first pick a path, the object is deformed by the path based on the
offset distance between the first vertex in the path and the object's location.
Thus, as you adjust the Percent spinner, for example, the result will be distorted
depending on the offset distance.
IMPORTANT Using the Move To Path button applies a transform to the object
that's not removed if you later remove the Path Deform binding from the object.
However, you can undo on page 217 the transform immediately after it's been
performed.)
NOTE If the Auto Key button is on when you perform Move To Path, transform
keys are created.

1094 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Point Cache Modifier (World Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifiers List ➤ World Space
Modifiers ➤ Point Cache (WSM)
The world-space version of the Point Cache modifier works exactly the same
as the Point Cache modifier on page 1521, except that it uses world-space
coordinates instead of local-space coordinates. Use this version when animating
with world-space modifiers such as PatchDeform (WSM) modifier on page 1089
or PathDeform (WSM) modifier on page 1089.

Subdivide Modifier (World Space)
Make a selection. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ Subdivide (WSM)
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Radiosity Modifiers ➤ Subdivide
(WSM)
The Subdivide (WSM) modifier is similar to the object-space Subdivide modifier
on page 1705, and has the same parameters. In the world-space version of
Subdivide, the size limit is on the mesh after it is transformed into world space
coordinates.

Surface Mapper Modifier (World Space)
Make a selection. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ Surface Mapper (WSM)
The Surface Mapper (WSM) modifier takes a map assigned to a NURBS on page
2433 surface and projects it onto the modified object or objects. Surface Mapper
is especially useful for seamlessly applying a single map to a group of surface
sub-objects within the same NURBS model. You can also use it for other kinds
of geometry.

Point Cache Modifier (World Space) | 1095

The NURBS surface's map is projected onto the other geometry in the direction
of the NURBS surface's normals, or opposite the normals if the modified object
is on the other side of the NURBS surface.

Procedures
To use the surface mapper world-space modifier:
1 Create the NURBS surface to use for projection, and transform it so it
wraps the objects you want to map.

2 Use the
Material Editor on page 9210 to assign a mapped material to
the NURBS surface.
3 Select the objects you want to map.

4 Use the
Material Editor to assign the same material to the objects
you want to map.
5 Apply the Surface Mapper world-space modifier.
6 In the Parameters rollout, turn on Pick NURBS Surface, and then click
the NURBS projection surface in a viewport.
3ds Max now uses the NURBS surface's normals to project the texture
onto the modified objects.
TIP To fine-tune the map placement on the mesh, you can use the NURBS
surface's Edit Texture Surface dialog on page 2743.

1096 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Source Texture Surface group
These controls let you choose the NURBS surface to project.
Pick NURBS Surface Picks the NURBS surface to use for projection. Click to
turn on this button, then click the NURBS surface in an active viewport.
Surface Shows "" before you pick a NURBS surface; shows the name
of the surface after you pick one.

Map Channels group
These controls let you choose which map channels on page 9210 to use.
Input Channel Selects the NURBS surface map channel to use before
projection.
Output Channel Selects the modified object's map channel to use after
projection.

Surface Mapper Modifier (World Space) | 1097

Update Options group
These controls let you choose how to update the mapping displayed in
viewports. They have no effect if Show Map In Viewport on page 6006 is off.
Always Updates viewports whenever the mapping changes.
Manually Updates viewports only when you click Update.
Update Updates viewports. This is unavailable unless you've chosen Manually.

SurfDeform Modifier (World Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ World-Space
Modifiers ➤ Surf Deform (WSM)
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ Surf Deform
(WSM)
The SurfDeform (WSM) modifier works the same as the PathDeform (WSM)
modifier on page 1089, except that it uses a NURBS Point or CV surface instead
of a curve.

Object-Space Modifiers
Object-space modifiers directly affect an object's geometry in local space on
page 9205.
When you apply an object-space modifier, it appears directly above the object
with other oxbject-space modifiers in the modifier stack on page 8776. The order
in which the modifiers appear in the stack can affect the resulting geometry.

Affect Region Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a vertex sub-object selection. ➤ Modifier
List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Affect Region
Make a vertex sub-object selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric
Deformers ➤ Affect Region

1098 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The Affect Region modifier is a surface modeling tool, primarily used with
vertex sub-object selections while surface modeling. With Affect Region,
transforming a selection of vertices can also transform vertices in the region
that surrounds the selection. This can help you form a bubble or indentation
in the surface of an object. The easiest way to see this modifier's effect is with
a shallow, flat box object with plenty of subdivisions. The Affect Region
modifier has a two-part, arrow-shaped gizmo, plus numeric controls.
When you apply the Affect Region modifier, it assigns an arrow-like gizmo
consisting of two points connected by a line. The base of the arrow is the start
point. The length and direction of the arrow defines the amount of movement
of the vertices. Any vertices within Falloff distance of the base of the arrow
are translated in the direction of the arrow.
Because no points on the mesh are directly selected, this modifier doesn't
depend on the topology of the input object. You can apply it to any renderable
object. However, you can limit the effect by using a selection modifier like
Mesh Select on page 1445 or Volume Select on page 1944 to pass a sub-object
selection up the stack.
NOTE The Affect Region modifier is ideal for simple animated effects, especially
when you need to use interactive parameters. However, for fine-tuned modeling,
you'll probably prefer the expanded capabilities of Soft Selection on page 1966 in
Editable Mesh on page 2190, Editable Poly on page 2240, Edit Mesh on page 1263, Mesh
Select on page 1445, Volume Select on page 1944, the HSDS modifier on page 1408,
and NURBS on page 2453.

Affect Region Modifier | 1099

Affect Region modifier applied

Procedures
Example: To form a bubble over the surface of a plane:
1 Create a plane with 15 width and length segments.
2 Set the length and width of the plane to 50 units.
3 Apply the Affect Region modifier.
4 In the Parameters group, set Falloff to 50.
5 Adjust the parameters to achieve different effects.

Interface
NOTE The parameters of this modifier are similar to those of the Soft Selection
function on page 1966 of an Editable Mesh.

1100 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Modifier Stack

Point sub-object level At this sub-object level, the base and tip of the gizmo
arrow are points that can be selected. You can select, translate, and animate
these two points together or individually.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Parameters group
Falloff Sets the radius of affected vertices, in units, from the base of the gizmo
arrow. (Spinner value range: float, 0.0 to 999,999.0)
Ignore Back Facing Affects only those vertices whose face normals are in the
same general direction as the gizmo arrow. When turned off, all vertices in
the Falloff group are affected.

Affect Region Modifier | 1101

Curve group
Pinch Affects the tangency of the curve where it meets the arrow tip. Positive
values produce a pointed tip while negative values produce a dimple. (Spinner
value range: float, -999,999.0 to 999,999.0)
Bubble Changes the curvature of the affected vertices. A value of 1.0 produces
a half-dome. As you reduce this value, the sides of the dome slope more steeply.
Negative values lower the base of the curve below the base of the arrow gizmo.
(Spinner value range: float, -999,999.0 to 999,999.0)

Attribute Holder Modifier
Create or select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
Object Space Modifiers ➤ Attribute Holder
Create or select an object ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation ➤ Attribute
Holder
The Attribute Holder modifier is an empty modifier that provides a readily
accessible user interface on the Modify panel to which you can add custom
attributes on page 243. It has no user interface of its own; the interface consists
solely of those attributes you assign to it. In essence, Attribute Holder is a
stripped-down version of Parameter Collector on page 260 that can collect only
custom attributes and appears on the Modify panel instead of a floating dialog.

Procedures
Example: To collect different custom attributes in an Attribute Holder modifier:
Before undertaking this procedure, you should be familiar with basic usage of
the Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647.
1 Add a small box to an empty scene. Make it about 20.0 units on a side.
2 Apply a Taper modifier and an Attribute Holder modifier, in that order.
In the modifier stack, the Attribute Holder modifier should be highlighted.
3 From the Animation menu, choose Parameter Editor.
4 In Parameter Editor, on the Attribute Rollout, make or ensure the
following settings:
■

Add to Type=Selected Object's Current Modifier

1102 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Parameter Type=Float

■

UI Type=Slider

■

Name=Box Height

5 On the Float UI Options rollout, keep all the default settings.
6 On the Attribute Rollout, click Add.
The Custom Attributes rollout appears on the Modify panel, containing
the new Box Height slider.
7 Add another attribute:
■

Add to Type=Selected Object's Current Modifier

■

Parameter Type=Integer

■

UI Type=Spinner

■

Name=Box Height Segs

■

Integer UI Options ➤ Range=From 1 to 50.

8 Add two more Float/Spinner attributes named Taper Amount and Taper
Curve.
The Attribute Holder modifier now has four custom attributes, but they
don't do anything because they're not connected. You'll use Parameter
Wiring to hook them up.
9 Close the Parameter Editor dialog.
10 In the active viewport, right-click the box and choose Wire Parameters.
From the pop-up menu that appears, choose Modified Object ➤ Box
(Object) ➤ Height.
A rubber-band dashed line appears connecting the mouse cursor to the
box.
11 You can't connect this “wire” directly to the custom attribute, so just
left-click in an empty part of the viewport to open the Parameter Wiring
dialog.
The hierarchy list on the left side, Box01, is expanded to the box's Height
parameter, which is highlighted.
12 On the right side, expand this path: Object ➤ Box01 ➤ Modified Object
➤ Attribute Holder ➤ Custom Attributes, and then click Box Height
to highlight it.

Attribute Holder Modifier | 1103

13 Click
(Two-way Connection, the double-headed arrow), and then
click Connect.

14 Similarly,
connect Height Segments on the left side to Box Height
Segments on the right.
15 Close the Parameter Wiring dialog.
16 Right-click the box again, choose Parameter Wiring, choose Modified
Object ➤ Taper ➤ Amount, and then left-click to open the Parameter
Wiring dialog.
The Amount parameter is highlighted on the left side of the dialog.
17 On the right side, click the Attribute Holder's Taper Amount parameter,
and then connect them.
18 Connect Curvature on the left side to Taper Curve on the right side, and
then close the dialog.
All the parameters are now hooked up.
19 Experiment with changing the values on the Custom Attributes rollout.
The Attribute Holder modifier lets you change the box's creation
parameters as well as the Taper modifier's settings without switching back
and forth in the modifier stack. In this way you can access, in one
convenient location, as many different parameters from different levels
in an object's modifier stack, or even from different objects, as you like.
You might notice that you can't set the taper to curve inward. You can
resolve this by reopening Parameter Editor, clicking Edit/Delete, and then
modifying the Taper Curve attribute to allow negative values. The change
takes effect immediately, with no rewiring required.

Bend Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Bend

1104 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Bend
The Bend modifier lets you bend the current selection up to 360 degrees about
a single axis, producing a uniform bend in an object's geometry. You can
control the angle and direction of the bend on any of three axes. You can also
limit the bend to a section of the geometry.

Bend applied to a streetlight model

Procedures
To bend an object:
1 Select an object and apply the Bend modifier.
2 On the Parameters rollout, set the axis of the bend to X, Y, or Z. This is
the axis of the Bend gizmo, not the axis of the selected object.
You can switch between axes at any time, but the modifier carries only
one axis setting.
3 Set the angle of the bend along the chosen axis.
The object bends to this angle.

Bend Modifier | 1105

4 Set the direction of the bend.
The object swivels around the axis.
You can reverse angle and direction by changing a positive value to a negative
value.
To limit the bend:
1 Turn on Limit Effect in the Limits group.
2 Set values for the upper and lower limits. These are distances in current
units above and below the modifier's center, which is at zero on the
gizmo's Z axis by default. You can make the upper limit zero or positive,
and the lower limit zero or negative. If the limits are equal, the result is
the same as turning off Limit Effect.
The bend is applied between these limits. The surrounding geometry,
while unaffected by the bend itself, rotates to keep the object intact. This
is analogous to bending a pipe, where the unbent sections rotate but
remain straight.
3 At the sub-object level, you can select and move the modifier's center.
The Limit settings remain on either side of the center as you move it. This lets
you relocate the bend area to another part of the object.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo sub-object You can transform and animate the gizmo like any other
object at this sub-object level, altering the effect of the Bend modifier.
Translating the gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and
scaling the gizmo takes place with respect to its center.
Center sub-object You can translate and animate the center at this sub-object
level, altering the Bend gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the bent object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

1106 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout

Bend group
Angle Sets the angle to bend from the vertical plane. Range=-999,999.0 to
999,999.0.
Direction Sets the direction of the bend relative to the horizontal plane.
Range=-999,999.0 to 999,999.0.

Bend Axis group
X/Y/Z Specifies the axis to be bent. Note that this axis is local to the Bend
gizmo and not related to the selected entity. Default=Z.

Limits group
Limit Effect Applies limit constraints to the bend effect. Default=off.
Upper Limit Sets the upper boundary in world units from the bend center
point beyond which the bend no longer affects geometry. Default=0. Range=0
to 999,999.0.
Lower Limit Sets the lower boundary in world units from the bend center
point beyond which the bend no longer affects geometry. Default=0.
Range=-999,999.0 to 0.

Bend Modifier | 1107

Bevel Modifier
Select a shape. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Bevel

The Bevel modifier extrudes shapes into 3D objects and applies a flat or round
bevel to the edges. A common use for this modifier is to create 3D text and
logos, but you can apply it to any shape.
Bevel takes a shape as the base of a 3D object. You then extrude the shape up
to four levels and assign an outline amount for each level.

Beveled text

Procedures
Example: To create beveled text:
This example produces typical 3D beveled text, with equal bevels in front and
back.
1 Create text on page 535 using default settings.

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Font=Arial, Size=100.0.
2 Apply the Bevel modifier.
3 Type -1.0 in the Start Outline field.
4 For Level 1, do the following:
■

Type 5.0 for Height.

■

Type 2.0 for Outline.

5 Turn on Level 2, and do the following:
■

Type 5.0 for Height.

■

Type 0.0 for Outline.

6 Turn on Level 3 and do the following:
■

Type 5.0 for Height.

■

Type –2.0 for Outline.

7 If needed, turn on Keep Lines From Crossing.

Bevel Modifier | 1109

Interface
Parameters rollout

1110 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Capping group
You can determine whether or not the beveled object is capped at either end
with the check boxes in the Capping group.
Start Caps the end with the lowest local Z value (bottom) of the object. When
turned off, the bottom is open.
End Caps the end with the highest local Z value (top) of the object. When
turned off, the end is left open.

Cap Type group
Two radio buttons set the type of cap used.
Morph Creates cap faces suitable for morphing.
Grid Creates cap faces in a grid pattern. This cap type deforms and renders
better than morph capping.

Surface group
Controls the side curvature, smoothing, and mapping of the surface.
The first two radio buttons set the interpolation method used between levels;
a numeric field sets the number of segments to interpolate.
Linear Sides When active, segment interpolation between levels follows a
straight line.
Curved Sides When active, segment interpolation between levels follows a
Bezier curve. For visible curvature, use multiple segments with Curved Sides.
Segments Sets the number of intermediate segments between each level.

Four-level bevels with 1 and 2 segments

Bevels with linear and curved sides

Bevel Modifier | 1111

Rounding and smoothing the bevel object sides

Smooth Across Levels Controls whether smoothing groups are applied to the
sides of a beveled object. Caps always use a different smoothing group than
the sides.
■

When turned on, smoothing groups are applied to the sides. The sides
appear rounded.

■

When turned off, smoothing groups are not applied. The sides appear as
flat bevels.

Generate Mapping Coordinates When turned on, mapping coordinates are
applied to the beveled object.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.

Intersections group
Prevents sharp corners from overlapping neighboring edges.

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Bevel works best with rounded shapes or shapes with corners greater than 90
degrees. Acute angles (less than 90 degrees) produce extreme bevels and often
overlap nearby edges.
Keep Lines From Crossing Prevents outlines from crossing over themselves.
This is accomplished by inserting extra vertices in the outline and replacing
sharp corners with a flat line segment.

Using Keep Lines From Crossing:
Left: Off
Right: On

Separation Sets the distance to be maintained between edges. The minimum
value is 0.01.

Bevel Modifier | 1113

Changing the Separation value

Bevel Values rollout
Contains the parameters that set the height and bevel amount of up to four
levels.
A beveled object requires a minimum of two levels: a start and an end. You
add more levels to vary the amount and direction of bevel from start to end.
You can think of bevel levels as layers on a cake. The Start Outline is the
bottom of the cake and the Level 1 parameters define the height and size of
the first layer.
Turning on Level 2 or Level 3 adds another layer to the beveled object with
the height and outline specifying the amount of change from the previous
level.
The last level on is always the top of the object.
You must always set the Level 1 parameters.

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Start Outline Sets the distance the outline is offset from the original shape.
A non-zero setting changes the original shape's size.
■

Positive values make the outline larger.

■

Negative values make the outline smaller.

Level 1 Includes two parameters that indicate the change from the Start level.
Height Sets the distance of Level 1 above the Start level.
Outline Sets the distance to offset the Level 1 outline from the Start Outline.
Levels 2 and Level 3 are optional and allow you to change the bevel amount
and direction.
Level 2 Adds a level after Level 1.
Height Sets the distance above Level 1.
Outline Sets the offset distance of the Level 2 outline from Level 1.
Level 3 Adds a level after the previous level. If Level 2 is not on, Level 3 is
added after Level 1.
Height Sets the distance above the previous level.
Outline Sets the offset distance of Level 3 from the previous level.
Traditional beveled text uses all levels with these typical conditions:
■

Start Outline can be any value, usually 0.0.

■

Level 1 Outline is a positive value.

■

Level 2 Outline is 0.0. No change from Level 1.

■

Level 3 Outline is the negative of Level 1. Returns Level 3 to the same size
as the Start Outline.

Bevel Profile Modifier
Select a shape. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Bevel Profile

The Bevel Profile modifier extrudes a shape using another shape path as the
"beveling profile." It's a variation on the Bevel modifier on page 1108.

Bevel Profile Modifier | 1115

IMPORTANT Bevel Profile fails if you delete the original beveling profile. Unlike
a loft object, which incorporates the shape, Bevel Profile is simply a modifier.
NOTE Although this modifier might seem similar to a loft object with varying
scale settings, it's actually different because it uses different outline values as
distances between line segments rather than as scale values. This more complex
method of resizing a shape results in some levels having either more or less vertices
than others, and generally works better with text, for example.

Bevel Profile creates an object using an open spline.

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Bevel Profile creates an object using a closed spline, yielding a different result.

Procedures
To use the Bevel Profile modifier:
1 Create the shape you want to bevel (preferably in the Top viewport).
2 In the Front (XZ) viewport, create a shape to use as the beveling profile.
3 Select the first shape and apply the Bevel Profile modifier.
4 Click the Pick Profile button in the Bevel Profile modifier, and then click
the profile shape.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Bevel Profile Modifier | 1117

For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Bevel Profile group
Pick Profile Selects a shape or NURBS curve to be used for the profile path.
Generate Mapping Coords Assigns UV coordinates.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.

Capping group
Start Caps the bottom of the extruded shape.
End Caps the top of the extruded shape.

Cap Type group
Morph Selects a deterministic method of capping that provides the same
number of vertices for morphing between objects.
Grid Creates gridded caps that are better for cap deformations.

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Intersections group
Keep Lines From Crossing Prevents beveled surfaces from self intersecting.
This requires more processor calculation and can be time-consuming in
complex geometry.
Separation Sets the distance that sides should be kept apart to prevent
intersections.

Camera Map Modifier (Object Space)
Select one object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Camera Map

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Select one object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ UV Coordinates ➤ Camera Map
The Camera Map modifier (object-space version) assigns planar mapping
coordinates based on the current frame and the camera specified in the Camera
Map modifier. This differs from the Camera Map (WSM) modifier on page 1004
that updates the object's mapping coordinates on every frame.

Camera Map Modifier (Object Space) | 1119

Left: The texture of an object with a camera map modifier matches the background
when seen by the camera the modifier uses.
Right: When seen by a camera not used by camera map, the object’s texture is based
on object geometry.

Blending an Object into the Background
In the Procedures section (below), you'll be blending an object into the
background using the Camera Map modifier. If the background uses the same
image as the object's texture map, then the object blends with the background
at the frame where the modifier is applied and a camera is specified. The object
becomes visible if either the camera or object moves. In order to make the
illusion work, you must assign the same map to the background that you
assign to the object.

Mapping Coordinates
Because the accuracy of mapped objects depends partly on the complexity of
the mesh, the "blend to background" effect works best when applied to an
object with a relatively high density of triangular faces. The necessary density
also depends on the distance of the object from the camera.

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A simple box might look fine when it occupies only a small portion of the
background, but up close the mapping will look distorted without adequate
tessellation. Some experimentation is required to get an ideal mapping and
still minimize the complexity of the geometry. (In general, for a box object
that's filling a quarter of the screen, a tessellation of 4x4x4 works well.)
NOTE When using the Camera Map modifier, apply the modifier to a single object
at a time. If it's applied to a selection set, only the first item in the selection will
be mapped properly.
Use Camera Map (WSM) on page 1004 if you want to move the camera and
maintain the match to the background.

Using the Plate Match/MAX R2.5 Rendering Filter
Prior to 3ds Max 3, the antialiasing affected only geometric edges, with the
filtering of bitmaps being controlled in the Bitmap Map parameters (pyramidal,
summed area, or no filtering). Antialiasing filters affect every aspect of the
object, filtering textures along with geometric edges. While antialiasing
provides superior results, it produces inconsistencies when rendering objects
that are supposed to match the environment background. This is because the
antialiasing filters do not affect the background by default. You can turn on
background antialiasing in Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ Rendering ➤
Background Antialiasing ➤ Filter Background. To correctly match an objects
map to an unfiltered background image, you need to use the Plate Match/MAX
R2.5 filter so the texture is not affected by the antialiasing.
There are three ways you can render objects in 3ds Max to blend seamlessly
into a background environment:
■

By assigning a Matte/Shadow Material

■

By assigning a 100% self-illuminated diffuse texture to an object using
Camera Mapping

■

By assigning a 100% self-illuminated diffuse texture using
Environment/Screen projection

The Plate Match/MAX R2.5 antialiasing should be used whenever trying to
match foreground objects with an unfiltered background or when trying to
match the antialiasing qualities of the 3ds Max 2.5 renderer.

Camera Map Modifier (Object Space) | 1121

Procedures
The following steps show how to apply the Camera Map modifier, and how
to set up your scene.
To apply the Camera Map modifier:
1 Create a scene with a camera and one or more objects. Make sure the
object you want to map is visible in the Camera viewport.
2 Select the object, and apply the Camera Map modifier.
Be sure to use the Object-Space version of the Camera Map modifier.
3 If you have animation in the scene, move to the frame where you want
the object map to match the background. For example, if the camera is
animated, the mapping will match only at this frame.
4 On the Camera Mapping rollout, click Pick Camera, and then select the
camera used for the rendered view.
To assign a background image to the Camera viewport:
NOTE This procedure is not necessary for successful rendering, but if you want
to see the effect in a viewport, follow these steps.
1 Activate the Camera viewport and turn off the grid.
2 Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background.
3 On the Viewport Background dialog that displays, click the Files button,
and choose the same bitmap that you plan to apply as a background for
the rendered scene, and as a diffuse map on the object.
4 In the Aspect Ratio group, choose Match Rendering Output.
5 Turn on Display Background, and click OK.
3ds Max closes the dialog and displays the map in the viewport.
To assign a mapped material to the object:

1 In the
Material Editor, create a standard material to whose Diffuse
component you've assigned the same bitmap as you assigned to the
background.

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2 At the Diffuse Map level of the material, turn on
Viewport).

3

Select the object, and click

(Show Map In

(Assign Material To Selection).

The map on the object in the viewport matches the viewport background,
but the shading makes the object visible. To make the object truly
invisible, go to the next step.
4 At the top level of the object's material, set Specular Level and Glossiness
to 0. Turn off Self Illumination Color, and set Self Illumination to 100.
The object is now camouflaged against the background.
To assign the background to the rendered background:
1 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Environment.
2 In the Environment dialog that displays, click the button below
"Environment Map" to open the Material/Map Browser.
3 Under the Browse From group box, choose Material Editor.
4 Turn off Root Only, find the map in the list window, highlight it, and
choose OK.
5 Choose Copy in the dialog, and click OK.
6 In the Exposure Control rollout on the Environment dialog, make sure
the exposure is set to  or the turn off the Active
switch.
If you don’t do this, you will be able to see the object in the rendering.

7

Render the Camera viewport.
The mapped object is camouflaged against the background in the rendered
scene.

Camera Map Modifier (Object Space) | 1123

Interface

Pick Camera To apply the UVW coordinates, click this button, and then select
the camera through which you're going to view the scene.
Map Channel Turn on and choose a map channel to use. Map channels are
specified in the Material Editor.
Vertex Color Channel Uses the Vertex Color channel.

Cap Holes Modifier
Select a mesh object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Cap Holes

Select a mesh object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Cap Holes
The Cap Holes modifier builds faces in the holes in a mesh object. A hole is
defined as a loop of edges, each of which has only one face. For example, one
or more missing faces from a sphere would produce one or more holes. The
modifier works best on reconstructing planar holes, but can do a reasonable
job on non-planar holes as well.

1124 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cap Holes used to make the cake appear solid

NOTE This modifier can cap holes in a sub-object selection passed up the stack.
It caps any part of the hole that's adjacent to, or within the selected geometry,
whether vertex, edge, or face.

Tips
■

If the Cap Holes modifier doesn't appear to work, remove it, apply a Mesh
Select modifier on page 1445 to select the faces surrounding the hole, then
apply Cap Holes to the sub-object selection.

■

The Cap Holes modifier creates faces with invisible edges unless you turn
on All New Edges Visible before you apply it.

Procedures
Example: To cap a hole in a sphere:
1 Create a sphere.
2 Apply an Edit Mesh modifier to the sphere.
3 In the stack display, choose the Face selection level.
4 Select and delete a contiguous group of faces.
5 Turn off the Face selection level.
6 Apply a Cap Holes modifier.
The hole you created should be filled.

Cap Holes Modifier | 1125

TIP Turning on Smooth With Old Faces makes the cap less visible.

Interface

Smooth New Faces Assigns the same smoothing group number to all new
faces. If possible, this will be a smoothing group number not used elsewhere
in the object.
Smooth With Old Faces Smoothes new triangular faces using the smoothing
groups from bordering old faces. This smoothes only one level in from the
perimeter of the border of the hole, so you might need to use both this and
the Smooth New Faces option to properly smooth a large hole.
NOTE When Smooth With Old Faces is turned on, the faces in the capped holes
inherit a material face ID from one of the surrounding faces. When this item is
turned off, the faces in the capped holes are assigned a new ID.
Triangulate Cap Makes all of the edges visible in the new faces.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers
Cloth provides you with advanced tools for creating realistic fabrics and
tailor-made clothing for characters and creatures.

1126 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Laura by Georges Walser

The Cloth system comprises two modifiers:
■

The Cloth modifier on page 1142 is responsible for simulating the motion
of cloth as it interacts with the environment, which may include collision
objects (a character or a table, for example) and external forces, such as
gravity and wind.

■

The Garment Maker modifier on page 1206 is a specialized tool for creating
3D garments from 2D splines, similarly to the way real clothes are made,
by stitching together flat pieces of cloth.

You can model clothing in two ways: by creating the cloth objects with
standard 3ds Max modeling methods and applying the Cloth modifier to
them, or by designing virtual clothing patterns with splines and stitching
together these various virtual panels to form a full garment using the Garment
Maker modifier. With Garment Maker, you can even import spline patterns
from external applications and use these as your pattern panels.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1127

Cloth and Garment Overview
Cloth is an advanced cloth-simulation engine that lets you create realistic
garments for your characters and other creations. Cloth is designed to work
in concert with the modeling tools in 3ds Max and can turn just about any
3D object into clothing; it also allows you to build garments from scratch.
Before you begin working with Cloth, we recommend that you read this
overview. It provides background information on cloth-simulation technology,
so you can begin to grasp exactly the way Cloth works. It will give you a better
overall understanding of how to set up Cloth scenes, the way the cloth behaves,
and the array of advanced controls you will have at your disposal.
As an artist and creator, you can use this knowledge to tailor (no pun intended)
how Cloth will affect and interact with your scenes, and how you can best
take advantage of this software.

Cloth-Simulation Technology
Cloth simulation is the process of replicating the movement and deformation
of a piece of fabric or clothing to mimic how cloth would react in the real
world. To make cloth simulation work, first you need a cloth object, such as
a tablecloth or a pair of pants. Next, you need something for the fabric to
interact with. This can be a collision object such as a table top or character’s
leg, or a force such as wind or gravity.

Limitations
While Cloth is designed to help you create clothing for your models, you
should be aware that, by its very nature, cloth simulation is only an
approximation of how real fabric would react under certain circumstances;
this system does have some limitations.
One of the most important aspects of working with Cloth is the amount of
time it can take to create a simulation. If you're looking to create a fully
physically correct simulation, you might run into problems. Even with a fast
computer, cloth dynamics at that level of accuracy (and geometric detail)
could take virtually forever. So you must learn to scale your simulations back
to a reasonable level. This doesn't mean you can't get believable clothing; it
simply means that there are tradeoffs you should be willing to make.

Tradeoffs
In order to create a believable simulation, you need to balance time against
quality and accuracy. The more time you have, the more accuracy and quality
your simulation can have. There's no reason to make a model with 10,000

1128 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

polygons if you can define the form equally well with 3,000. The same rule
applies to cloth simulations.

Internal and External Forces
When simulating cloth, different forces come into play. Some internal forces
like bend, stretch, and shear allow the fabric to deform in a realistic manner.
External forces such as gravity, wind, and collisions make the cloth interact
with its environment. To obtain a good-looking simulation, most or all of
these things need to come into play. Without these forces, a piece of cloth
will remain a flat, lifeless plane.

Collision Detection
When putting a shirt or pair of pants on a character, you don't want any part
of the body to protrude through the fabric. The desired result is to have the
garment deform around the mesh (rather than through it) so there are no
intersections. This is done with collision detection; with Cloth, you tell the
simulation system which objects will act as cloth, and which ones will act as
collision objects.
Basically, virtual feelers are sent out from the vertices of the cloth objects to
see if there are any other objects that they might collide with. When one of
the feelers hits something, the simulation knows that it must deform the
fabric. It is important to remember that a cloth mesh with more vertices has
more feelers and can do a better job of collision detection. This is critical,
because if you are working with a high-poly character (collision object), you
will need to increase the density of your cloth, or the high-poly mesh will
protrude through the lower-poly cloth object. The reason is that there aren't
enough feelers to detect all of the detail in the collision object.
The alternative to this is to add one or more low-polygon proxy meshes for
the character so there doesn't need to be such high density cloth objects that
will slow down simulation. We'll cover the mesh density a bit more in the
next section.
Lastly, if you are simulating with fast-moving cloth objects, you might need
to increase the Density value to give you the benefit of more feelers. You also
might adjust the Step size to check more often for collision objects in the way.

Clothing and Pattern Design Overview
Traditionally, sewing patterns are cut from flat pieces of cloth and stitched
together. The place where one piece of cloth is sewn to another is called a
seam. Patterns are generally symmetrical, where the left side of the garment
matches the right.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1129

Skirt
The simplest is a skirt pattern with two pieces, with a similar shape for the
front and back. The back shape is a little larger than the front to account for
the hips and buttocks.

The shapes are sewn together at the sides to form a simple skirt.

1130 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The bottom edge of a garment is called a hem. In the skirt pattern, the waistline
and hem are slightly curved. When a person puts on the skirt, the curve sits
flat on the waist, while the skirt falls in folds to the hem. Because both the
waistline and hem are curved, the skirt falls to the same length all the way
around.
Shirt
A shirt pattern is slightly more complicated. A simple T-shirt pattern is made
of two pieces, one for the front and another for the back. The collar on the
back piece is higher than the collar on the front. You sew seams up the sides
and at the shoulders, leaving the arm hole open.

You can also add sleeves to the shirt. A sleeve pattern is bell-shaped.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1131

It might not be immediately obvious how this pattern turns into a sleeve. The
large hump of the bell fits over the shoulder, to give room for it to move.

Pants
A pants pattern has a curved shape at the top to accommodate the hips. The
longer straight edge is the outside seam, while the shorter edge is the inseam.
The curve near the top fits around the belly or buttocks, and under the crotch
area.

1132 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Each piece is cut twice. The two front pieces are sewn together along the
crotch, and the two back pieces are sewn together in the same way. Then the
front is attached to the back at the outside seams and inseams.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1133

Darts
Darts are diamond-shaped holes inside a panel or V-shaped cutouts at an edge
of a garment panel (see figure below), which when closed up cause the garment
to assume a curved shape.

1134 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1135

Darts used to be a common part of women's everyday clothing, especially in
blouses and dresses. However, darts are not needed with loose garments or
stretchy clothing. Today, they are used mostly in formal wear and tailored
garments.

Clothing Design and Techniques
One way to create clothing is to lay out a pattern and put it together with
Garment Maker. Garment Maker is a modifier that is used to make seams, lay
out cloth panels and define fabric densities. You can use Garment Maker to
create seams for the pattern either in a traditional, flat layout or in a visual,
easy-to-use 3D layout.
In the real world, clothes are made by cutting out shapes from pieces of cloth
and sewing them together along seams with thread. Garment Maker emulates
this approach. First you must create a pattern that will define the shapes of
the panels. Clothing patterns typically use shapes that we don't encounter in
everyday life. Those of us who aren't an experienced clothing designers might
have a hard time creating these shapes from scratch. It's often best to start out
with a pattern made by somebody else. Cloth includes a variety of patterns

1136 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

for shirts, pants, jackets and so forth. You can also buy software that will
generate these patterns in DXF format.
One program that does this is PatternMaker, available from
http://www.patternmaker.com. When you want to move beyond editing the
patterns included with Cloth, it's often helpful to use such applications to
help create patterns and familiarize yourself with the process .

Shirt pattern and shirt sewn together with Garment Maker

Modeling Clothing
Garment Maker is a useful tool for putting together patterns and adjusting
seams, but you can also achieve good results by modeling with the standard
3ds Max tools and using Cloth on top of these meshes. You can create clothing
with polygons, patches, or NURBS.
IMPORTANT Keep in mind that modeled clothing must not have any overlapping
vertices or interpenetrating faces. This type of geometry can cause the simulation
to fail. Using Garment Maker; you will not run into this problem. If you are careful
in creating your mesh, then this is an easy rule to follow.
Pros and Cons
When designing clothing, Garment Maker is usually the best way to go. It lets
you define seams, seam strength, pleats, and other clothing parameters that
cannot be defined with clothing modeled via other methods. Either methods
lets you define separate portions of your clothing with different fabrics, but
Garment Maker gives you greater control over this. The advantage to using
modeled clothing is that it can sometimes be a faster setup with familiar
methods and it’s a great way to repurpose older clothing models you have

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1137

made in the past. Using polygon-modeled clothing can result in overly regular
creases and folds. Garment Maker uses a Delaunay mesh, which tends to avoid
this problem. However, the irregular triangulation can result in rendering
artifacts for low-resolution clothes, so it is advisable to apply the HSDS modifier
after Cloth on garments created with Garment Maker and subdivide all the
triangles once.
NOTE MeshSmooth does not give good results with Garment Maker meshes.

Left: Garment Maker Delaunay mesh
Right: Modeled quad mesh

How Cloth Works
Cloth exists within 3ds Max as a pair of modifiers: Garment Maker and Cloth.
Between these two, you can turn just about any 3D object into a cloth object,
or you can create clothing in a more traditional method from 2D patterns,
and then sew the panels together. However, before getting into the specifics
of the two modifiers, it's useful to discuss how to preplan for using Cloth. This
includes how geometry affects Cloth behavior as well as the density of the
meshes you use as fabric.

1138 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Effect of Geometry on Cloth
Ideally, the way you model your cloth should not affect how it behaves.
However, in practice, the nature of the cloth geometry impacts the simulation.
First of all, the density of the mesh defines how fine the folds are that can
develop. If you create a plane with only nine vertices, when you drape it over
a sphere, you are obviously not going to get much detailed folding.
In addition to this aspect, there is the nature of the edges in the mesh. Folding
can occur only at edges between triangles, so the regularity or irregularity of
the mesh also dictates the resulting deformation. For example, a plane all of
whose triangle hypotenuse edges are aligned will result in a cloth with folds
aligned along those edges. Garment Maker creates meshes with an irregular
layout (but with fairly equal-sized and close-to-equilateral triangles) that avoids
this folding bias. However, this can also result in rendering artifacts with
low-resolution cloths, so it is advisable to apply the HSDS modifier after Cloth
on garments created with Garment Maker and subdivide all the triangles once.
NOTE MeshSmooth does not give good results with Garment Maker meshes.

Left: A low-density shirt.
Right: The same shirt with HSDS applied, above Cloth in the modifier stack

NOTE There should never be any modifiers that can alter topology between
Garment Maker and Cloth. For example, you can use Unwrap UVW, but not
modifiers such as Edit Mesh, MeshSmooth, or HSDS.
The type of geometry you work with can have a great impact on how the cloth
will react. You're probably accustomed to using triangular and quadrilateral
polygons for modeling. Garment Maker uses a Delaunay mesh subdivision
that promotes non-uniform deformation. When using quad polygons for cloth
simulation be careful of getting uniform or symmetrical results.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1139

Left: A quad mesh
Right: A Delaunay mesh

Cloth Mesh Density
It is important to think about how dense your mesh has to be to achieve the
result you want. Making the mesh too dense will slow down the system, while
having your mesh at too low resolution might not give you the folds or detail
you want to see.
For example, if you applied a Bend modifier to a cylinder with only a few
height segments, the result would be angular and unsmooth. On the other
hand, if you created the cylinder with 1,000 height segments, you'd be wasting
resources. The same is true for Cloth. You must find a balance between level
of detail and performance that is appropriate for your scene.

Low, medium, and high-density meshes and the way they deform

Notes on the HSDS Modifier

1140 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Using the HSDS modifier to add detail to your model can be an effective
solution that lets you simulate with a lower resolution mesh, and still get
high-quality results. However, if you choose to use the HSDS modifier on top
of your Cloth garments, you may want to apply an Edit Mesh modifier below
it to weld the vertices together along the seams. This prevents the mesh from
coming apart at the seams as it is subdivided.

Shown above is how the modifier stack should look when using HSDS. The
intermediate Edit Mesh modifier is used to weld the panel edge vertices
together. If you want to preserve the seam creases, you should apply further
Mesh Select and Smooth modifiers to reselect the panels and apply different
smoothing groups across the garment.

Pattern-Making Software
Below is a list of traditional pattern-making software that you can use to create
patterns for import into 3ds Max and use with Cloth. After ensuring that your
Internet connection is active, click the software names to display the makers'
Web sites.
■

Fashion CAD

■

PatternMaker

■

Wild Ginger Software

■

Autometrix

■

AccuMark Pattern Design

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1141

■

TUKATECH

See also:
■

Cloth Modifier on page 1142

■

Garment Maker Modifier on page 1206

Cloth Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Cloth

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

The Cloth modifier is the heart of the Cloth system, and is applied to all
objects in your scene that need to be part of the Cloth simulation. This is
where you define cloth and collision objects, assign properties, and execute
the simulation. Other controls include creating constraints, interactively
dragging the cloth, and erasing parts of the simulation.

Left: Cloth modifier not yet applied
Right: Cloth modifier applied and simulated

See also:
■

Object Properties Dialog (Cloth) on page 1161

■

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers on page 1126

1142 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Cloth and Garment Overview on page 1128

■

Garment Maker Modifier on page 1206

Basic Concepts
In a Cloth simulation, you will let Cloth know which objects will be part of
the simulation, and which objects will not. Once you have done this, you
define what the objects are made of. You can specify what is made of cloth,
and what is a solid, collision object.
Because Cloth is a modifier, an instance of it is assigned to each object to be
included in the Cloth simulation. This includes all cloth and collision objects.
Be aware that two cloth objects with two separate applications of the Cloth
modifier will not interact with one another. There are a couple of ways to
include objects in the simulation:
■

Select all of the objects at once and apply the Cloth modifier to them.

■

Apply Cloth to one or more objects and then add objects with the Add
Objects button, available on both the Object rollout and the Object
Properties dialog on page 1161.

Units of Measure
IMPORTANT The following information is necessary only if you change the system
unit after applying the Cloth modifier. If you change the system unit before
applying Cloth, the modifier automatically adjusts the cm/unit setting.
It is important to think about size in doing clothing simulations. A very large
flag behaves differently from a handkerchief. If the scale is off, then the
simulation will be off. Because Cloth deals with real-world physics, it works
in real-world units. This means that Cloth needs to know the relationship
between units in 3ds Max and units in its own world.
For example, suppose you create a plane that is 10 x 10 3ds Max units. If you
want this plane to behave like a 10-inch x 10-inch handkerchief, you would
tell Cloth that 1 3ds Max unit=1 inch. If you want it to behave like a 10-foot
x 10-foot bed sheet, you would tell Cloth that 1 3ds Max unit=1 foot.
Except as noted at the start of this section, Cloth ignores the 3ds Max System
Units Setup (under Customize menu ➤ Units Setup ➤ System Units Setup).
Cloth has its own units setup, which is determined by the cm/unit parameter
on page 1181 on the Simulation Parameters rollout. This tells Cloth how many
centimeters (cm) correspond to each 3ds Max unit. One inch equals 2.54 cm,

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1143

so the default setting of 2.54 means that one 3ds Max unit corresponds to 1
inch.
Following is the procedure to follow to determine what setting to use here.
1 Use the measure utility or tape helper to measure some dimension of
your cloth (or character) in 3ds Max units (call this number x).
2 Decide how big you want this object to be in the real world Convert this
number to centimeters. If you have the dimension in inches, simply
multiply by 2.54 (call this number y).
3 cm/unit=y/x
Here is a quick example: You import a file, man.obj, into 3ds Max, and want
to put a shirt on him.
1 Using the Measure utility, you find that the man is 170 3ds Max units
tall. So y=170.
2 You determine that this man is about 6 feet tall.
■

6 feet=72 inches.

■

And 72 inches=72x2.54=182.88cm. So x=182.88

3 So now you have the values to make sure the shirt behaves correctly.
Cm/unit=y/x=170/182.88=0.929. Or you can round the spinner's value
up to 1.0, since pinpoint accuracy is not needed here.

Fabric Behavior
Cloth provides many different ways to set up fabric behaviors. You can make
your cloth behave like leather, silk, burlap, and anything in between.

The Simulation
Once all of your parameters are set and you’re ready to go, it’s time to simulate.
In many cases, you will first perform a local simulation to fit your fabric to
your character. Once your fabric is in place, you can simulate over time.
Running a simulation in Cloth is very freeform. You are able to make many
changes and edits to a simulation, making it more of a work in progress than
a click and a “hope for the best” scenario.

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Constraints
You can constrain fabric in various ways to create different fabric effects during
simulations. Cloth can constrain cloth to have extra drag as it flies through
the air, or can cause it to be affected by a space warp in the scene. Linking a
portion of the fabric to an animated object or attaching to a surface are other
common constraints. If you wanted to create a pair of pants you would
constrain the top portion of the pants to the waist of the character or a curtain
can be constrained to a rod. Constraints are a very important and robust part
of Cloth. Cloth has the ability to make multiple groups of constrained vertices
for great flexibility. You can constrain many different parts of a piece of
clothing to different nodes' surfaces or other cloth objects.
You build constraints in Cloth at the modifier's Group sub-object level on
page 1184. At this level, you can see vertices of all selected objects, both cloth
and collision. You can then select these and place them in groups. Once a
group is defined, you can then attach or "constrain" the selection set to another
object, or have it affected by some external force.

Tearing Cloth
You can tear cloth. For an example of how to do so, see this procedure on
page 1149.
Cloth tears during the course of a simulation under a couple of circumstances:
■

The forces affecting the cloth pull it in a way that causes it to tear.
A Strength or Tear Threshold value (they are the same) lets you set how
easily cloth is torn.

■

The cloth collides with a collision object that is set to Cuts Cloth. See
Collision Properties on page 1174.

You must specify where the cloth will tear before you run the simulation.
There are a few different ways to do this:
■

In either Cloth or Garment Maker, set a seam to be tearable.
See Seams Sub-Object Level (Cloth) on page 1203, Curves Sub-Object Level
(Garment Maker) on page 1228, and Seams Sub-Object Level (Garment Maker)
on page 1235.

■

In the Cloth modifier, use the Group sub-object level to choose vertices
that will tear, and then click Make Tear to create the tear.
See Group Rollout (Cloth) on page 1185.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1145

■

With the Cloth modifier, choose two cloth elements that will tear apart,
then at the Group sub-object level, join their edges by choosing vertices
and then clicking Weld.
See Group Rollout (Cloth) on page 1185.

Tearing Cloth and the Point Cache Modifier
If you use a Point Cache modifier on page 1521 to optimize a Cloth animation,
there is a chance that tears will not be smoothed correctly before tearing
occurs. To fix this problem, you can add a Welder modifier on page 1955 to the
stack. Place the Welder above the Point Cache modifier.

Procedures
Example: To use the Keep Shape option:
If your cloth object starts out with 3D shape that you'd like to retain during
the simulation, you can use the Keep Shape option and setting to preserve
this shape, or even reverse it. This simple procedure provides an example of
how to use Keep Shape.
1 In the Top or Perspective viewport, create a Plane primitive object of
about 90 x 90 units, with 20 x 20 segments.
2 Apply a Bend modifier, set Angle to 250.0, and set Bend Axis to X.
This produces the initial tubular shape.
3 Copy the bent plane twice so you have three planes in a row. Rename
the planes as follows:
■

don't keep shape

■

keep shape

■

reverse shape

1146 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

4

Select all three planes and apply the Cloth modifier.

5 On the Simulation Parameters rollout, turn off Gravity and set cm/unit
to 0.5.
Turning off Gravity keeps the cloth objects from falling during the
simulation, so they stay in view, and lowering the cm/unit setting
compensates for the planes' relatively large size.
6 On the Object rollout, click Object Properties.
This opens the Object Properties dialog.
7 In the Objects In Simulation list, highlight all three planes (by dragging),
and then, above the Cloth Properties group, choose Cloth. Also set U
Bend to 500.0.
This also sets V Bend to 500.0 automatically.
Using high Bend values allows the simulation to proceed more quickly.
Next, you'll set different Keep Shape properties separately for each object.
8 Highlight the reverse shape object in the list and set the Bend % value to
–100.0.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1147

NOTE The default value is 100.0.
9 Click OK to exit the dialog.
10 Select the don't keep shape object and note that Object rollout ➤ Selected
Objects Manip group ➤ Use Target State is off.

11

Select both the reverse shape and the keep shape objects, but not
don't keep shape, and then turn on Use Target State.

12 On the Object rollout, click Simulate Local.

After a few seconds, the don't keep shape object starts to flatten out, the
keep shape object doesn't change, and the reverse shape object has, in fact,
reversed its shape, effectively creating a negative bend angle.
TIP You can also use Use Target State with Grab State to maintain or reverse
a shape created with a previous cloth simulation or shape-changing modifier.

1148 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Example: To tear a piece of cloth:

1 In the Top viewport,
create a Plane. Make it about 150
units on each side. Set its Length Segments and Width Segments both
equal to 7.

2 Also in the Top viewport, create two
each side of the plane.

Dummy objects: one on

The plane flanked by two dummy objects

3 Turn on
(Auto Key). Go to frame 100, then animate each
dummy object so it moves about 300 units away from the plane along
its X axis: Move the left-hand dummy to the left, and the right-hand
dummy to the right.

4 Turn off

(Auto Key).

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1149

5

Go back to Frame 0.

6

Select the plane. Go to the
Cloth modifier to the plane.

Modify panel, and apply a

7 On the Object rollout, click Object Properties. 3ds Max opens the Object
Properties dialog for cloth. In the list of objects, click Plane01 to highlight
it, choose the Cloth radio button to make Plane01 behave as cloth, and
then click OK (keep all the default Cloth Property settings).
8 In the Modifier stack, go to the Group sub-object level.

9

Select the vertices along the left-hand side of the plane, and
then on the Group rollout, click Make Group. Click OK to accept the
default name of Group01. With Group01 still highlighted in the Group
list, click Node, and then in a viewport click the left-hand dummy object
to assign it to this group.

10 Repeat step 9 for the right-hand column of vertices and the right-hand
dummy object.

1150 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

11

Select the two center columns of plane vertices, and then on
the Group rollout, click Make Tear. Click OK to accept the default name
of Group03.

Central vertices selected to create a tear in the cloth

3ds Max creates a new Weld constraint that comprises the vertices at the
center of the cloth plane.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1151

After clicking Make Tear

12 On the Modifier stack, go back to the top Cloth level.

13 In the Object rollout ➤ Simulation group, click Simulate.
3ds Max animates the dummies pulling at the cloth. As this happens,
the cloth tears along the vertices that you set to tear.

1152 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1153

Cloth tearing in the center as its edges are pulled apart

Depending on the position of the dummy objects, the tear you see in
your example might differ from the one shown in these illustrations.
To run a cloth simulation with a networked render farm:
A complex cloth simulation can require extensive computation and take a
long time. Cloth includes commands that make it easy to run a simulation
on a networked machine (part of a render farm), freeing up your machine for
working on other parts of the scene.
1 Set up the simulation.

2 For each cloth object in the simulation,
select the object, and
then on the Selected Object rollout click Set and specify a path and file
name for the cache.
For best results, specify a mapped drive and turn on Force UNC Path.
This specifies the path using the Universal Naming Convention so that
it can be found by all computers in the network. Also, it's probably a
good idea to keep all the cache files in the same directory.
3 On the Simulation Parameters rollout, turn on Sim On Render.

1154 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

4

Save the scene file.

5 On the Render Setup dialog, turn on Net Render, and then click Render.
Submit the job to a single Server.
Unlike rendering, network Cloth simulation cannot be split up among
multiple Server machines.
NOTE You needn't render the entire animation to trigger the cache creation;
a single frame suffices.
As soon as the Server machine starts the render, it begins computing the
simulation and saving it to disk. At any point you can load the simulation
in its current state from the cache file to check its progress by clicking
the Load button.

Object Rollout (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Object rollout
The Object rollout is the first rollout you see on the Command panel once
you apply the Cloth modifier. It comprises mostly controls to create a Cloth
simulation and adjust fabric properties.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1155

Interface

1156 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Object Properties Opens the Object Properties dialog on page 1161, where you
can define which objects to include in the simulation, whether they are cloth
or collision objects, and the parameters associated with them.
Cloth Forces Add forces (that is, space warps in the scene) such as wind to
the simulation. Click Cloth Forces to open the Forces dialog. To add forces to
the simulation, in the Forces In Scene list on the left side, highlight the forces
to add, and then click the > button to move them to the Forces In Simulation
list, thus adding them to the simulation. Thereafter, the forces affect all cloth
objects in the simulation.
To remove forces from the simulation, in the Forces In Simulation list on the
right side, highlight the forces to remove, and then click the < button to move
them to the Forces In Scene list.

Simulation group

To run a cloth simulation, click any of the three Simulate buttons in this
group. To halt a simulation, press Esc or if the Cloth Simulation dialog is open
(i.e., Progress on page 1158 is on), click the Cancel button.
Simulate Local Starts the simulation process without creating animation. Use
this to drape the clothes on a character or sew the panels of a garment together.
Simulate Local (damped) Same as Simulate Local, but with a large amount
of damping added to the cloth. When sewing a garment together, sometimes
the panels come together at high speed, causing problems. Using a damped
simulation alleviates this problem.
Simulate Creates a simulation over the active time segment. Unlike Simulate
Local, this creates animation data in the form of a simulation cache at every
frame.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1157

The simulator advances by a time step called dT. The initial value is the Step
setting on page 1182 on the Simulation Parameters rollout. When the simulator
encounters certain situations, it decreases dT in order to overcome the
obstacles. Sometime later, the simulator increases dT again up to the maximum
Step value you set. The current value of dT appears on the Cloth Simulation
dialog that shows the progress of the simulation as it takes place (see following).
When the simulator decreases dT, it shows "dT decreased" on the Cloth
Simulation dialog along with one of the following messages (explanation
follows each message):
■

could not solve equations – The solver could not solve the equations of
motion.

■

cloth has become over-stretched – In attempting to solve one step, some
edges of the cloth became too elongated, indicating a failure of the solver.

■

cloth-solid collision velocity was too large – The speed of the cloth relative
to that of the collision object is too high.

■

cloth-cloth collision velocity was too large – The speed of colliding cloth
parts is too high.

Progress When on, opens the Cloth Simulation dialog during the simulation.
The dialog shows the progress of the simulation, including information about
time, and messages about errors or time step size adjustments.

The Cloth Simulation dialog shows information about the simulation while it's running.

Simulated Frames Shows the number of frames simulated so far.
Erase Simulation Deletes the current simulation. This deletes the cache of
all cloth objects and sets the Simulated Frames count back to 1.

1158 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Truncate Simulation Deletes animation created by the simulation after the
current frame.
For example, if you've simulated an animation to frame 50 but want to keep
only animation keys from frames 0 to 30, set the time slider to frame 30, then
click this button. The simulation is then deleted from frame 31 on.

Selected Object Manip group

Set Initial State Updates the first frame of the selected cloth object’s cache
to the current position.
Reset State Resets the selected cloth object's state to the state before Cloth in
the modifier stack. When you click this, the simulation is erased; that is,
Simulated Frames returns to 1.
Delete Object Cache Deletes the cache for selected non-cloth objects. If an
object is simulated as cloth, and is then turned into a collision object (or
inactive) via the Object Properties dialog, it will retain the cloth motion in its
cache.
This is useful for simulating clothes in layers. For example, you may simulate
a character’s pants, then turn the pants into a collision object for simulating
a coat. By simulating in layers, you avoid the problems of cloth-to-cloth
collision detection. If you want to remove the cached motion from the selected
object(s), click this button.
Grab State Grabs the current state from the top of the modifier stack and
updates the cache for the current frame.
Following is an example of how this might be used:
1 Simulate to frame 100. When you play back the simulation, you see a
collision object poking through the cloth at frame 24.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1159

2 Add an Edit Mesh modifier after Cloth and pull the cloth vertices so the
object doesn't poke through.
3 Go down the stack to Cloth and click Grab State. The vertices are now
moved twice as far as you intended because the vertex displacement was
applied once by Cloth, and again with Edit Mesh.
4 Remove the Edit Mesh modifier. The vertices should now be where you
want them.
Grab Target State Lets you specify the target shape for Keep Shape on page
1173. Grabs the current deformation from the top of the modifier stack and uses
that mesh to define the target bend angles between triangles. Also turns on
Use Target State on page 1160.
NOTE Only the bend angles from the Target State mesh are used, not the edge
lengths.
TIP To add some natural creasing to your cloth, drop the cloth on the floor, click
Grab Target State, and then run the simulation. After clicking Grab Target State
and before running the simulation, click Reset State (unless you want the cloth to
stay on the floor!).
Reset Target State Resets the default bend angles to the mesh below Cloth
in the stack.
NOTE For Garment Maker on page 1206 objects, the target bend angles will depend
on the output method set in the Garment Maker modifier. To see what is actually
being used, use Show Target State on page 1161.
Use Target State When on, preserves the shape of the mesh as stored by Grab
Target State on page 1160. It uses the Bend % and Stretch % settings in the Keep
Shape on page 1173 group on the Object Properties dialog for Cloth.
If multiple cloth objects with different Use Target State settings are selected,
this check box appears unavailable, but you can click it to make the setting
for all selected objects.
NOTE In previous versions, this check box was labeled Keep Shape and was found
on the Object Properties dialog for Cloth.

1160 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

_____

Create Keys Creates keys for a selected cloth object. The object is collapsed
to an editable mesh, and any deformation is stored as vertex animation.
Add Objects Lets you add objects to the simulation without opening the
Object Properties dialog. Click Add Objects, and then click an object to add.
To add multiple objects at once, press H and use the Pick Objects dialog.
Show Current State Shows the current state of the cloth at the end of the
last simulation time step.
If the simulation is cancelled, the last time step could lie between two frames.
If the simulation is allowed to successfully finish, the last time step corresponds
to the last frame.
Show Target State Shows the current target state of the cloth; that is, the
desired bend angles used by the Keep Shape option.
Show enabled solid collision When on, highlights all groups of vertices for
which Solid Coll on page 1194 is on. This is handy for seeing exactly which
vertices will be involved in solid-object collisions.
Show enabled self collision When on, highlights all groups of vertices for
which Self Coll on page 1194 is on. This is handy for seeing exactly which vertices
will be involved in cloth-to-cloth collisions.

Object Properties Dialog (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Object rollout ➤ Object Properties button

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1161

Use the Object Properties dialog to specify which objects are included in a
Cloth simulation, whether they are cloth or collision objects, and define
parameters associated with them.

1162 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1163

Objects in Simulation
The list below the caption “Objects in Simluation” shows the objects currently
included in the Cloth simulation.
To change an object’s role and properties, first highlight its name in the list.
You can highlight multiple object names using standard methods: Ctrl+click,
Shift+click, and dragging.
Add Objects Click to open a Select From Scene dialog on page 184 that lets
you select objects from your scene to be added to the Cloth simulation. After
you add an object, the object name appears in the Objects In Simulation list,
and an instance of the Cloth modifier is applied to the object.
Remove Removes objects highlighted in the Objects In Simulation list from
the simulation. You cannot remove an object that is currently selected in 3ds
Max.

Choosing the Role of an Object
Three radio buttons in the Object Properties dialog, to the right of the Objects
In Simulation list, let you choose how the Cloth simulation treats each
individual object.
Inactive Choose to make the highlighted object inactive in the simulation.
The object can still be in the simulation, but it will not react to anything. This
option is helpful for testing how different objects react, and for isolating
dynamic effects.
When you first add an object to the Cloth simulation, by default it is Inactive.
Cloth Choose to make the highlighted object behave as a cloth object. Once
you designate an object as Cloth, you can set its parameters in the Cloth
Properties group on page 1165.
NOTE Each cloth object can actually have two sets of properties. See the following
section, “High-Level Cloth Options,” for more details.
Collision Object Choose to make the highlighted object behave as a collision
object. Cloth objects bounce off, wrap around, or are torn by collision objects.
Once you designate an object as a Collision Object, you can set its properties
in the Collision Properties group on page 1174.

High-Level Cloth Options
Use Panel Properties When on, tells Cloth to use the cloth properties specified
at the Panel sub-object level on page 1199. This allows you to define different
cloth properties on a panel-by-panel basis. Default=off.

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While this option is on, controls in the Cloth Properties group are unavailable.
Property 1 / Property 2 These two radio buttons let you assign two different
sets of cloth properties to a Cloth object.
If you assign both Property 1 and Property 2 sets, you can then use the Property
Assignment group on page 1178 settings to interpolate or animate between the
sets.
Three options can be set only for Property 1, and are unavailable in the
Property 2 set. Both sets use the same settings for these options. The options
are Use Cloth Depth/Offset, Use Edge Springs, and Use Solid Friction.

Cloth Properties
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Object rollout ➤ Object Properties button ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ Highlight an object in the list. ➤ Choose Cloth. ➤
Cloth Properties group
Cloth Properties control how a cloth object behaves in a Cloth simulation.
The 3ds Max interface provides a few different ways to set cloth properties.
Setting these values here in the Object Properties dialog for cloth applies them
to the object globally. You can also apply these values locally at either the
Group sub-object level on page 1184 or the Panel sub-object level on page 1199.
If you turn on Use Panel Properties (see Object Properties Dialog (Cloth) on
page 1161), 3ds Max disables the global settings in this group. Setting properties
locally for panels is useful mainly when you are modeling a multi-panel
garment created by the Garment Maker modifier on page 1206.
You can assign two sets of properties to a single cloth object: Property 1 and
Property 2. If both sets are assigned, you can then use the Property Assignment
group on page 1178 to interpolate or animate between the sets. See also
High-Level Cloth Options on page 1164.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1165

Interface

Presets group

1166 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Sets the Cloth Properties parameters to the preset chosen from the drop-down
list. Any presets that are built into the system or that have been previously
saved and loaded will show up here.
Load Loads presets from your hard drive. Click this button and then navigate
to the directory with your presets to load them into Cloth Properties. Presets
have the file name extension .sti.
Save Saves Cloth Properties parameters to a file to be loaded at a later time.
By default, all Cloth preset files are saved to your \scenes\cloth folder.

[Cloth Properties]

U Bend / V Bend Resistance to bending. The higher this value is set, the less
the fabric will be able to bend. A cotton fabric might bend more easily than
leather, so a value of 15.0 for both U and V Bend might be good for cotton,
while 50.0 would work well for leather.
By default, the U Bend and V Bend parameters are locked together so that
changing one sets the other to the same value. You can set different values
for the two only when Anisotropic on page 1172 is off. We recommend that you
do this only for Garment Maker on page 1206 objects.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1167

Left: U and V Bend=50, simulating a burlap material
Right: U and V Bend=2.5, simulating silk or other light fabric

U B-Curve / V B-Curve Resistance to bending as the fabric folds. The default
value of 0 sets the bend resistance to be constant. A setting of 1 makes the
fabric very resistant to bending as the angle between triangles approaches 180
degrees. You never want two adjacent triangles to pass through each other,
so you can increase this value to prevent this from happening.
By default, the U B-Curve and V B-Curve parameters are locked together so
that changing one sets the other to the same value. You can set different values
for the two only when Anisotropic on page 1172 is off. We recommend that you
do this only for Garment Maker on page 1206 objects.
U Stretch / V Stretch Resistance to stretching. The default value of 50.0 is a
reasonable value for most types of cloth. A larger value will be stiffer, while a
smaller one will be stretchy like rubber.
By default, the U Stretch and V Stretch parameters are locked together so that
changing one sets the other to the same value. You can set different values
for the two only when Anisotropic on page 1172 is off. We recommend that you
do this only for Garment Maker on page 1206 objects.
U Compress / V Compress Resistance to compression. Although these values
default to 50.0, like their counterpart Stretch values, assigning values lower
than the Stretch values can give good results, because when cloth is compressed
along the length of its fibers, it tends to buckle rather than shrink.
By default, the U Compress and V Compress parameters are locked together
so that changing one sets the other to the same value. You can set different

1168 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

values for the two only when Anisotropic on page 1172 is off. We recommend
that you do this only for Garment Maker on page 1206 objects.
Shear Resistance to shearing. Higher values result in stiffer cloth fabrics. Shear
defines how much the individual triangles can deform. If you were to lay the
edges of the triangle out in a straight line, this value would represent how
long this line can stretch. With a high value, this length will be only the sum
of the length of all of the sides at rest. A low value allows this length to be
greater then that of all of the triangle sides at rest. This length of stretched
sides is not on a one-to-one basis. One side of the polygon can stretch more
then another, as long as the total shear value is not exceeded.
Density The weight of the cloth per unit area (in gm/cm2). Higher values
mean heavier cloth like denim. Use smaller values for lighter cloth like silk.
Damping The larger this value, is the more sluggishly the fabric will react.
With a lower value, the fabric will behave with more spring. Cloth with more
damping will come to rest sooner then cloth with less damping. High damping
results in cloth that behaves as though it is moving through oil. Excessive
damping can cause simulation instabilities.
TIP Begin by setting Damping to 0.01. If your simulation requires more damping,
try increasing this value graudally.
Plasticity The tendency of the cloth to keep its current deformation (that is,
the bend angles).
This is different from Keep Shape on page 1173, which determines the extent
to which the cloth tends to keep its original deformation (or the one defined
by the Target State). If you set Plasticity to 100.0, the cloth will not attempt
to change the angles between triangles. If you want stiffer cloth, but you don't
want the cloth to “balloon” up, increase the Plasticity value.
Thickness Defines the virtual thickness of a fabric for the purpose of detecting
cloth-to-cloth collisions. This value is irrelevant if cloth-to-cloth collisions are
disabled. Larger values keep the cloth separated by greater distances. Be careful
not to use too large or small values in this field. Very large values will interfere
with the natural behavior of the cloth. Very small values will cause the
simulator to take too long to calculate. This distance is measured in cm
(centimeters) and should be smaller than the size of the triangles that make
up the cloth object. A setting of 0.0 will let Cloth automatically assign a
reasonable value for thickness.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1169

Left: The top piece of cloth with a Thickness of 0
Right: Thickness of 9

Repulsion The amount of force used to repel other cloth objects. This value
is irrelevant if cloth-to-cloth collisions are disabled. The simulator will apply
a repulsion force scaled by this value to keep the cloth from coming in contact
with other cloth objects. Increase this value if there are a lot of collisions
between different parts of cloth, or if the cloth is tending to interpenetrate.
Air Res. Resistance to air. This value will determine how much the air will
affect the cloth. A higher Air Resistance value is useful for a tightly woven
fabric, while a lower value is suitable for a loose-knit garment.
Dyn. Fric. Dynamic friction between the cloth and solid objects. A larger
value will add more friction and cause the fabric to slide less across an object.
A lower value will allow the fabric to slip off an object easily, similarly to how
silk behaves.
Static Fric. Static friction between the cloth and solid objects. When the cloth
is in a stationary position, this value will control its ability stay where it is, or
slip away.
Self Fric. Friction between the cloth and itself. This is similar to dynamic and
static friction, but applies to cloth-to-cloth or self-collisions. A larger value
will cause more friction between the cloth and itself.

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Seam Force Not presently used and kept only for backward compatibility with
older versions of the former product, called Stitch. This was a global seam
strength, but seam strength is now defined on a seam-by-seam basis at the
Seams sub-object level.
U Scale Controls how much to shrink or expand the cloth along the U
direction (as defined by Garment Maker). For non-Garment Maker meshes,
this applies a uniform scaling to the cloth along both axes, and the V Scale
parameter is ignored. A value of less than 1 will shrink the fabric at simulation
time, while a value of more than 1 will stretch it.
V Scale Controls how much to shrink or expand the cloth along the V
direction (as defined by Garment Maker). A value of less than 1.0 will shrink
the fabric at simulation time, while a value of more than 1.0 will stretch it.
Depth Collision depth for the cloth object. If a portion of cloth reaches this
depth inside a collision object, then the simulation will no longer try to push
the cloth out of the mesh. This value is measured in 3ds Max units.
To specify a Depth value specific to the cloth object, use this setting and be
sure to turn on Use Cloth Depth/Offset on page 1172.
Offset The distance maintained between the cloth object and the collision
object. A very low value can cause the collision mesh to protrude from under
the cloth. A very high value causes the fabric to appear to be floating above
the collision object. This value is measured in 3ds Max units.
To specify an Offset value specific to the cloth object, use this setting and be
sure to turn on Use Cloth Depth/Offset on page 1172.
Cling The extent to which the cloth object adheres to a collision object.
Range=0.0 to 99999.0. Default=0.0.
You can use this parameter to simulate effects such as wet cloth. A setting of
1.0 should be just enough to hold the default material onto a surface against
its own weight.
Layer Indicates the correct “order” of cloth pieces that might come in contact
with each other. Range=–100 to 100. Default=0.
If your garments and/or panels are all correctly oriented to begin with, then
cloth-to-cloth collision detection should keep items from interpenetrating.
However, the initial state of a garment or panel might have some
interpenetration that cannot be resolved. For example, suppose you make a
jacket with Garment Maker where the front right panel is supposed to sit on
top of the front left panel. When you sew together the garment (generally
with self-collision off), the front panels will interpenetrate, so to make sure
that the right panel sits outside the left panel, you might have to use
constraints or Live Drag. Using the Layers option on the panels can help here.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1171

Here is the logic of layers: When two pieces of cloth (A and B) are in
collision-detection range, their layers (layerA and layerB) are compared and
the following rules are applied:
■

If either layerA or LayerB is 0, then Cloth uses the regular cloth-to-cloth
collision method.

■

If layerA=layerB, then Cloth uses the regular cloth-to-cloth collision
method.

■

If abs(layerA) > abs(layerB), then piece A is pushed to the appropriate side
of piece B. Which side? If layerB > 0, then to the side indicated by the face
normals. If layerB < 0, then to the opposite side.

The sign of the Layer value indicates what the "outside" of that piece of cloth
is. A positive sign means "The side that the normals face is the outside".

_____
Based on This text field displays the name of the preset that the initial Cloth
Property values are based on. If you have not chosen a preset, it displays
“default.”
When you modify some parameters and save a preset, 3ds Max saves the file
using the name of the last preset you loaded.

_____
Inherit Velocity When on, the cloth inherits the velocity of the mesh at the
start of the simulation. This can be useful if you are generating a simulation
in stages: generating one simulation, and then generating another that begins
where the first one ended. Turning on Inherit Velocity can help create a
smooth transition between the two simulations. Default=off.
Use Edge Springs Enables an alternative method for calculating stretch. When
on, stretch force is based on springs along triangle edges. When off, the stretch
and shear forces are calculated in a more sophisticated manner to more
accurately reflect the underlying physics. Default=off.
Anisotropic (unlock U,V) When on, you can set different U and V values for
the Bend, B-Curve, and Stretch parameters. The U and V directions are defined
by Garment Maker on page 1206 and do not apply to non-Garment Maker
meshes, for which setting different U/V values might result in unexpected
behavior. Default=off.
Use Cloth Depth/Offset When on, uses the Depth on page 1171 and Offset on
page 1171 values set in Cloth Properties. When on, the cloth object ignores the
collision object Depth and Offset values. Default=off.

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Use Collision Obj Friction When on, uses the friction of the collision object
to determine friction. Values for collision can be assigned either to the cloth
or the collision objects. This enables you to set different friction values for
each collision object. Default=off.

Keep Shape group

These settings preserves the shape of the mesh based on the values of Bend
% and Stretch %. In normal operation, when Cloth creates a simulation, it
tries to "flatten out" the cloth. To enable these settings, turn on Use Target
State on page 1160.
Bend % Modulates the target bend angles to a value between 0.0 and the
angles defined by the target state on page 1160. A negative value inverts the
angles. Range=–100.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.
Stretch % Modulates the target stretch angles to a value between 0.0 and the
angles defined by the target state on page 1160. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
Default=100.0.

Pressure group

A closed volume of cloth (for example, a polymesh based on a sphere) can
behave as if it is filled with gas.
Pressure The pressure of the gas filling the mesh. Increase this value to observe
the pressure effect. At pressures near 100.0, the cloth volume behaves much
like a balloon; lower values slow down the effect of gravity. Default=0.0.
Damping Increase the Damping value to slow down the effect of the pressure
force. Default=0.0.
Track Volume When Track Volume is on, Pressure changes as the cloth volume
changes. This models real-world gas, where compressing the volume increases
the pressure, and so on. Default=off.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1173

While Track Volume is on, the Pressure value sets only the pressure at the
start of the simulation.
Cap Holes If there are holes in the mesh, turning on Cap Holes adjusts the
pressure so the mesh behaves as if the holes were capped. Default=off.

Collision Properties
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Object rollout ➤ Object Properties button ➤ Object
Properties dialog ➤ Highlight an object in the list. ➤ Choose Collision
Object. ➤ Collision Properties group
Collision Properties control how a collision object behaves in a Cloth
simulation. Cloth objects bounce off, wrap around, or are torn by collision
objects.

Interface

Depth Collision depth for the collision object. If a portion of cloth reaches
this depth inside a collision object, then the simulation will no longer try to
push the cloth out of the mesh. This value is measured in 3ds Max units.
Offset The distance maintained between the cloth object and the collision
object. A very low value can cause the collision mesh to protrude out from
under the cloth. A very high value will look like the fabric is floating on top
of the collision object. This value is measured in 3ds Max units.
Dyn. Fric. Dynamic friction between the cloth and this particular solid object.
A larger value will add more friction and cause the fabric to slide across an
object less. A lower value will allow the fabric to slip of an object very easily,
similarly to how silk would react. This value is only used for interaction with
cloth objects that have Use Solid Friction enabled, otherwise the friction value
is taken from the cloth's own properties.

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Static [Friction] Static friction between the cloth and solid objects. When the
cloth is in stationary position, this value will control its ability stay where it
is, or slip away. This value is only used for interaction with cloth objects that
have Use Solid Friction enabled otherwise the friction value is taken from the
cloth’s own properties.
Enable Collisions Enables or disables collisions for this object while still
allowing it to be in the simulation. This means the object can still be used for
making surface constraints.
Cuts Cloth When on, the Collision Object can cut the cloth if it intersects
with the cloth during the course of a simulation. The cloth object must be set
up to have a tear along either a seam or a group of vertices. Default=off.
TIP When you turn on Cuts Cloth, turn off Enable Collisions. This gives the most
realistic results for most models.

Selected Object Rollout (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Selected Object rollout
The Selected Object rollout lets you control the simulation caches, control
and optionally animate the cloth properties with a texture map or
interpolation, and specify a bend map. This rollout appears only when a single
object in the simulation is selected.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1175

Interface

1176 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cache group
Use these settings for network simulation. When you render with Sim On
Render on page 1183 on, Cloth can run the simulation on a networked machine,
leaving your local machine free for other work. For a procedure, see To run a
cloth simulation with a networked render farm: on page 1154.

[text field] Shows the current path and file name for the cache file. You can
edit this field, but the path must exist; the file will be created if necessary.
For any cloth object for which you have not specified a file name, Cloth creates
one based on the object name.
Force UNC Path If the text field path is to a mapped drive, converts the path
to UNC format on page 9339. This makes the path readily accessible to any
computer on the network. To convert cache paths for all cloth objects in the
current simulation to UNC format, click the All button.
Overwrite Existing When on, Cloth can overwrite existing cache files. To
enable overwriting for all cloth objects in the current simulation, click the All
button.
Set Lets you specify the path and filename of the cache file for the selected
object. Click Set, navigate to the directory, enter the file name, and then click
Save.
Load Loads the specified file into the selected object's cache.
Import Opens a file dialog to load a cache file other than the specified one.
Load All Loads the specified cache file for every cloth object in the simulation.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1177

Save Saves the current cache, if any, using the specified file name and path.
If no file is specified, Cloth creates one based on the object name.
Export Opens a file dialog to save the cache to a file other than the specified
one. You can save in the default CFX format or in PointCache2 format.
Extra Cache To create a second cache in PointCache2 format, turn on Extra
Cache and click Set to specify a path and file name. This file is also created
when you render with Sim On Render on.

Property Assignment group

Interpolate Interpolates between the two different property settings in the
Object Properties dialog on page 1161 (as determined by the Property 1 and
Property 2 radio buttons at the top right corner). You can use this slider to
animate between these two properties to adjust the type of fabric settings the
garment is using.
Texture Map Set a texture map and apply the Property 1 and Property 2
settings to the cloth object. You can add a grayscale texture map in this slot
to blend between the two properties set in the Object Properties dialog. Black
will represent property 1 and white property 2. Any grayscale value will blend
between these two properties. You can drag a texture map onto this button.

1178 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cloth object with a burlap material in Property 1 and silk in Property 2 being controlled
by a Checker procedural map

Mapping Channel Lets you specify the mapping channel the Texture map
will work from, or choose Vertex Color to use that instead. Vertex color can
be particularly useful in conjunction with the new painting tools in 3ds Max.
You can paint vertex colors directly onto your object and use the painted areas
for material assignment.

Bend Map group
The Bend Map option lets you use a texture map, map channel, or vertex
colors to modulate the target bend angles. The value of this is that you can
paint deformations onto your cloth, or use some kind of noise map to add
irregularity to the cloth.

Bend Map Toggles the use of the Bend Map option.
Set the strength of the modulation with the numeric value. In most cases, the
value should be less than 1.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=0.5.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1179

[map type] Choose the map type for the Bend map:
■

Vertex ColorUses the Vertex Color channel for modulation.

■

Map ChannelUses a map channel other than Vertex Color for modulation.
Set the channel with the spinner.

■

Texture MapUses a texture map for modulation. To specify a texture map,
click the button (labeled None by default) and then use the Material/Map
Browser to choose the map. Thereafter the map name appears on the
button.

Simulation Parameters Rollout (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Simulation Parameters rollout
The Simulation Parameters rollout settings let you specify general properties
of the simulation such as gravity, start and end frames, and sewing-spring
options. These settings apply to the simulation on a global scale, that is, to
all objects in the simulation.

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Interface

cm/unit Determines how many centimeters there are per 3ds Max system
unit.
Cloth automatically sets cm/unit to the equivalent of 2.54 centimeters per
inch (the default system unit in 3ds Max). For example, if you set the system
unit to one foot, Cloth automatically sets cm/unit to 30.48 (12x2.54).
Size and scale are important when doing cloth simulation because a 10-foot
curtain behaves much differently from a one-foot square handkerchief, even
if they are made from the same fabric.
Earth Click this button to set the Gravity value to that of planet Earth.
Gravity When on, the Gravity value (see following) affects cloth objects in
the simulation.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1181

[Gravity value] The force of gravity in cm/sec2. A negative value applies
gravitational force downward. A positive value (i.e., no sign) means gravity
will act to move cloth objects upward. The default value is set to be the same
as Earth's gravity: -980.0 cm/sec2.
Step The maximum size of the time step the simulator takes.
This value is measured in seconds. The value must be less than the length of
one frame (less than 0.033333 for 30 fps animation). A value of 0.02 is generally
the largest value you want to use. Reducing this value causes the simulator to
take longer to calculate, but will in general give better results. The simulator
will automatically reduce its time steps as needed, but this is the maximum
value that it will try. This value works in conjunction with the Subsample
parameter: The actual maximum value=Step value divided by Subsampl value.
Subsample The number of times per frame that 3ds Max samples the position
of solid objects. Default=1.
At the default value, Cloth samples the solid objects in the simulation once
every frame. Increasing this value should help when objects are moving or
rotating quickly, but be aware that the higher you set the value, the slower
the simulation will be.
Start Frame The frame at which the simulation starts. If you change this value
after the simulation has been performed, the cache will be moved to this
frame. Default=0.
End Frame When on, determines the frame at which the simulation will stop.
Default=100.
Self Collision When on, detects cloth-to-cloth collisions. Leaving this off will
speed up the simulator, but will allow cloth objects to interpenetrate.
The numeric setting specifies the extent to which Cloth tends to avoid
self-colliding cloth objects, at the cost of simulation time. Range=0 to 10.
Default=0.
This is a maximum limit. If Cloth needs fewer calculations to resolve all
collisions, it will use fewer. In most cases, a value greater than 1 isn't necessary.
Check Intersections (Discontinued feature. This check box has no effect.)
Solid Collision When on, the simulator takes into account cloth-to-solid
object collisions. This is almost always left on.
Use Sewing Springs When on, uses the sewing springs created with Garment
Maker to pull the fabric together.
This works only with objects that have been made with Garment Maker on
page 1206. Turn this option off once the garment has been pulled together.

1182 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

When off, Cloth will identify vertices that are sewn together and will always
keep them coincident. When on, there is always a chance for the vertices to
come apart if the sewing springs are not strong enough (actually, there will
always be some slight gap between the vertices in this case).
Show Sewing Springs Toggles the visual representation of the sewing springs
in the viewports. These do not render.
Sim on Render When on, triggers the simulation at render time. Use this for
generating a simulation with a network computer, which lets you continue
to work on other aspects of your scene with your own computer. See a
procedure here on page 1154.
After the render is completed, Cloth writes a cache for each cloth object. You
can specify this cache file on the Selected Object Rollout (Cloth) on page 1175
(which is available only when a single object is selected). If you do not specify
a name, 3ds Max creates one.
The numeric value indicates the priority of the simulation; the simulations
are run in ascending order. For modifiers with the same priority, the order is
undefined.
NOTE Each object has its own cache file, which is temporarily created when the
MAX file is opened. On saving the file, the cache is incorporated into the MAX
file. When Sim On Render is on, the cache file specified is created and written to,
but is not read from as you change the time slider. The cache file must be loaded
into the internal cache file on page 1177 before you can see it.
Advanced Pinching When on, Cloth tests for cloth pinched between two
parts of the same collision object.
This option helps with cloth colliding with small features of the collision
objects, such as fingers. There is a significant performance hit for
high-resolution collision objects.
Tension Lets you visualize the compression/tension in the fabric by means
of vertex coloring. Stretched cloth is indicated by red, compressed by blue,
neutral by green. The numeric setting lets you change the range of
tension/compression illustrated by a complete traversal from red to blue. The
higher this value, the more gradual the shading. This works only for Garment
Maker objects.

Weld group
Controls how cloth is smoothed across a tear that you set up, before the cloth
has been torn.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1183

The difference between these two options is primarily in whether they are
compatible with a Point Cache modifier. See Point Cache Modifier (Object
Space) on page 1521.
■

Verts When chosen, Cloth welds the vertices before tearing occurs. This
creates a smooth mesh; however, its topology changes when the tear occurs,
so when you choose this option you can’t use a Point Cache modifier with
the Cloth animation.

■

Normals (The default.) When chosen, uses face normals to generate
smoothing. The topology of the Cloth object does not change, so when
this option is chosen, you can use a Point Cache modifier with the Cloth
animation.

Group Sub-Object Level (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Group sub-object
level
Groups let you select groups of vertices and constrain them to surfaces,
collision objects, or other cloth objects.
At the Group sub-object level, all selected objects that are part of the Cloth
simulation are shown with their vertices visible so that you can select them
in an efficient fashion.
When you create or select a group at this sub-object level, the Group Parameters
rollout on page 1192 becomes available.
IMPORTANT The concept of a group for Cloth can be applied to both the cloth
objects and to the collision objects in the simulation. And when created, groups
can then be given unique properties. For example, a group on a collision object
can have a different collision offset from the rest of the object. This is a powerful
feature when working with groups.
NOTE You can select groups of vertices explicitly, with the mouse in the viewports,
and you can also specify a soft selection or use a texture map to select vertices
using controls on the Group Parameters rollout. See Soft Selection group on page
1198. In addition, named selection set on page 204 tools are available at this level.

1184 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Groups and Constraints
The main reason for creating a group is to make it a constraint. A group becomes
a constraint when you assign its vertices to behave in a particular way: for
example, to follow another object or another piece of cloth. Until you make
a group into a constraint, the group is described as unassigned.
You create and manage groups, and constrain them, using the controls on
the Group rollout on page 1185. You can fine-tune the behavior of an individual
group using the controls on the Group Parameters rollout on page 1192.

Group Rollout (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Group sub-object
level ➤ Group rollout
The Group sub-object rollout is for selecting groups of vertices and constraining
them to surfaces, collision objects, or other cloth objects.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1185

Interface

[Group management buttons]

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Make Group Makes a group out of selected vertices. Select the vertices to
include in the group, and then click this button. Name the group, and it will
then show up in the list below for you assign to an object.
Delete Group Deletes the group highlighted in the list.
Detach Removes any constraint assigned to the group and sets it back to being
unassigned (that is, without any constraint). Any unique properties assigned
to this group will remain in effect.
Initialize Constraints that involve attaching the vertices to another object
(Node, SimNode, Surface and Cloth constraints) contain information regarding
the relative positions of the group vertices to the other object. This information
is created upon the creation of the constraint. To regenerate this information,
click this button.
Change Group Lets you modify the vertex selection in the group. To use,
follow this procedure:
1 Choose the group in the list.
2 Change the selection of vertices.
3 Click Change Group.
Rename Renames the highlighted group.

[Constraint creation buttons]

Node Constrains the highlighted group to the transforms of an object or node
in the scene. To use, click Node, and then select the node for constraining.
The node cannot be an object in the simulation; for that purpose, use the
SimNode constraint on page 1188.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1187

NOTE Node and SimNode simply constrain the group to an object's transforms,
not to the object itself. They need not be near each other. When the cloth and
the constraining object should be in close proximity, such as with clothing on a
character mesh, use the Surface constraint instead (see following).
Surface Attaches the selected group to the surface of a collision object in the
scene. To use, click Surface, and then select the node for attaching.
TIP This constraint is best suited for when the cloth and the constraining object
should be in close proximity, such as with clothing on a character mesh.
Cloth Attaches the selected group of cloth vertices to another cloth object.
Preserve This group type preserves the motion from below the Cloth modifier
in the modifier stack. For example, you might have a dress that you've skinned
to a skeleton. You want the upper portion of the dress to be unaffected by the
Cloth simulation (that is, to retain its deformation defined by the skinning),
and the lower part to be simulated. In this case, you'd make a Preserve
constraint from the upper vertices.
Drag This group type locks the vertices in place or adds a damping force to
selected group. When Group Parameters rollout ➤ Soft on page 1193 is off, you
can use this constraint for nailing vertices in place so that they do not move
at all. When Soft is on, the vertices will have a drag force applied where the
amount of drag is controlled by the Strength and Damping values, also on
the Group Properties rollout.
SimNode This option works the same as the Node option on page 1187, except
that the node must be part of the Cloth simulation.
Group Attaches one group to another. This is recommended only for
single-vertex groups. (that is, groups that contain only one vertex). With this,
you can make one cloth vertex stick to another cloth vertex. Select one group,
click this button to open the Pick Group dialog , and then choose another
group.
NoCollide Causes collisions between the currently selected group and another
group to be ignored. When you click this button, you're prompted to choose
another group. You could use this option to prevent the simulator from
processing collisions between cloth and the body under an arm or between
the legs.
Forcefield Allows you to link a group to a space warp and have the space warp
affect the vertices.

1188 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Sticky Surf The group sticks to a surface only after it has collided with that
surface. Solid Coll on page 1194 must be enabled for this constraint to work.
Sticky Cloth The group sticks to a surface only after it has collided with that
surface. Self Coll on page 1194 must be enabled for this constraint to work.
Weld Click to make an existing group into a Weld constraint. You must first
highlight the name of the group in the Group list.
Weld does not create a tear; it only welds vertices that are in close proximity.
Use Weld if you create a tear by modeling two elements with matching edges
and then applying the Cloth modifier later.
Make Tear Click to make a vertex selection into a tear with a Weld constraint.
First, select the vertices, and then click Make Tear.
Clear Tears Click to remove all tears from the Cloth modifier. You cannot
remove individual tears.
NOTE Deleting a Weld constraint does not remove a tear: instead, it causes the
mesh to break along those vertices, because the Weld constraint holds vertices
together until tearing occurs.

[Group list]

Shows all current groups. The number of vertices associated with the
highlighted group is shown below the list. To assign, copy, paste, delete, or
edit a created group, first highlight the group name in the list.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1189

_____

Copy Copies a named selection set to the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes the named selection set from copy buffer.
Shrink Click to shrink the current vertex selection. 3ds Max removes the outer
row and column from the selection.
Grow Click to grow the current vertex selection. 3ds Max adds an outer row
and column to the selection.

Growing a selection from a single vertex

Ring Select two vertices, and then click Ring to select the vertices that are
perpendicular to these two.
Ring also works with selections of more than two vertices, but the results
might not be what you expect. This is especially likely if Ignore Backfacing is
turned off, as it is by default.

1190 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Ring selection based on two vertices

Loop Select two vertices, and then click Loop to select the vertices that are
parallel to these two.
Loop also works with selections of more than two vertices, but the results
might not be what you expect. This is especially likely if Ignore Backfacing is
turned off, as it is by default.

Loop selection based on two vertices

Element Select one or more vertices, then click Element to select all the vertices
in an element. An element corresponds to an Element in the underlying
geometry: use this option with Editable Poly, Editable Patch, or Editable Mesh
objects.
Get Stack Selection Gets a sub-object selection from below the Cloth modifier
on the stack, and applies it to the Group vertex selection. For example, if you
create an Editable Poly object, make a vertex sub-object selection for the
Editable Poly object, apply the Cloth modifier, and then at the Group level

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1191

click Get Stack Selection, the vertex selection is identical to the one you made
for the Editable Poly object.
If the underlying selection is of a different sub-object type, such as Edge or
Poly, clicking Get Stack Selection creates a selection whose vertices correspond
to vertices in the underlying selection: for example, all vertices that belong
to the Edges or the Polys selected below.

_____

Ignore Backfacing When on, you can select only vertices that face you in a
viewport. When off (the default), you can select any vertices under the mouse
cursor, regardless of whether they face you in the viewport.

Group Parameters Rollout (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Group sub-object
level ➤ In a viewport, select vertices. ➤ Group rollout ➤ Click Make Group
➤ Group Parameters rollout

Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Group sub-object
level ➤ Group rollout ➤ In the Group list, highlight the name of an existing
group. ➤ Group Parameters rollout
The Group Parameters rollout appears after you use Make Group on a vertex
selection to create at least one group. Thereafter, highlight the group in the
Group rollout list to display and edit the group's settings with the Group
Parameters rollout.

Interface
Constraint Parameters group
If the currently highlighted group is unassigned (that is, not a constraint),
then controls in this group are not available.

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On When on, enables the constraint specified for the current group in the
group list on the Group rollout, using remaining settings in this group box.
Soft Sets the constraint type to soft. A soft constraint uses springs between
vertices. When off, the constraint is hard or rigid. The constraint types Node,
Surface, Preserve, Drag, and SimNode can be hard or soft. Cloth, Group, and
Forcefield constraints are always soft.
ID Uses a Material ID to attach the group to an object. This option applies
only to Surface and Cloth constraints. If, when the constraint is created or
initialized, the cloth vertices are not over a triangle, then the constraint will
be created to the center of the nearest triangle that has the requisite Material
ID. This could mean that several vertices might be constrained to the center
of the same triangle. In this case, you should only use soft constraints. A hard
constraint would pull all those cloth vertices to the same exact point on the
triangle, which would look strange.
Offset The variance in the distance between a constrained group and its
constraining, or target, object. The default value is 1.0 with Rel on (see
following). This sets the constrained group to maintain its original distance
from the target object. When set to 0.0, the constraint seeks to set the distance
to the target object to zero.
■

rel Specifies the offset as a ratio of the original value. Available only with
the Surface and Cloth constraint types. For example, if you want to move
a constrained vertex by half its original distance, turn on the Rel. check
box and set Offset to 0.5. Default=on.

Strength The stiffness of the springs used if the constraint is soft.
■

vc Sets vertex colors to determine the strength of the constraint.
Default=off.

Damping The damping of the springs if the constraint is soft.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1193

_____

1-to-1 (The default.) When the mesh density is changed in Garment Maker,
the group selection is reassigned. The 1-to-1 option selects the vertex closest
to the original vertex.
Blob When the mesh density is changed in Garment Maker, the group
selection is reassigned. The Blob option selects the original vertex and the
ones created within a certain radius of it. The radius can be left at default or
auto, or it can be set manually.
■

Radius When on, lets you set the radial distance used by the Blob option.
When off, Blob uses an automatic radial value. Default=off; default value
= 2.0.

Behavior Settings group

Behavior Settings Toggles the availability of the other settings in this group.
When off, the other settings have no effect.
Solid Coll When on, the group vertices are used in solid-collision detection.
Self Coll When on, the group vertices are used in self-collision detection.
Layer Indicates the correct "order" of cloth pieces that might come in contact
with each other. Range=–100 to 100. Default=0.
If your garments and/or panels are all correctly orientated to begin with, then
cloth-to-cloth collision detection should keep items from interpenetrating.
However, the initial state of a garment/panel might have some interpenetration
that cannot be resolved. For example, suppose you make a jacket with Garment
Maker where the front right panel is supposed to sit on top of the front left
panel. When you sew together the garment (generally with self-collision off),

1194 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

the front panels will interpenetrate, so to make sure that the right panel sits
outside the left panel, you might have to use constraints or Live Drag. Using
the Layers option on the panels can help here.
Here is the logic of layers: When two pieces of cloth (A and B) are in
collision-detection range, their layers (layerA and layerB) are compared and
the following rules are applied:
■

If either layerA or LayerB is 0, then Cloth uses the regular cloth-to-cloth
collision method.

■

If layerA=layerB, then Cloth uses the regular cloth-to-cloth collision
method.

■

If abs(layerA) > abs(layerB), then piece A is pushed to the appropriate side
of piece B. Which side? If layerB > 0, then to the side indicated by the face
normals. If layerB < 0, then to the opposite side.

The sign of the Layer value indicates what the "outside" of that piece of cloth
is. A positive sign means "The side that the normals face is the outside".
Keep Shape When on, preserves the shape of the mesh based on the Bend %
and Stretch % settings. In normal operation, when Cloth creates a simulation,
it tries to "flatten out" the cloth. Default=off.
■

Bend % Modulates the target bend angles to a value between 0.0 and the
angles defined by the target state on page 1160. A negative value inverts the
angles. Range=–100.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.

■

Stretch % Modulates the target stretch angles to a value between 0.0 and
the angles defined by the target state on page 1160. A negative value inverts
the angles. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.

Presets group

Sets the Cloth Properties parameters to the preset selected in the drop-down
list. Any presets that are built into the system or that have been loaded will
show up here.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1195

Load Loads presets from the hard drive. Click this button and then navigate
to the directory with your presets to load them into your Cloth Properties.
Presets have the file name extension .sti.
Save Saves your Cloth Properties parameters to a file that you can then load
at a later time.

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[Group properties]

Use These Properties Turn on to set the cloth properties for the individual
group, using the controls on this rollout. Default=off.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1197

Get From Object Click to sets the cloth properties of the group to be the same
as the object to which the group belongs.
The remaining Properties controls are the same as those found in the Cloth
Properties group on page 1165 of the Object Properties dialog for Cloth.

Soft Selection group

The Soft Selection controls apply on a per-group basis to permit soft selection
of vertices neighboring the explicitly selected group members. This works the
same as soft selection of vertices in other parts of 3ds Max. For details, see Soft
Selection Rollout on page 1966. Alternatively, you can select vertices for a group
based on a texture map.

Use Texture Map When on, Cloth uses a texture map to specify a soft selection
of vertices that belong to the current group. Click the button (by default,

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labeled “None”) to choose a texture map. Use the Mapping Channel controls
to choose a map channel or vertex color channel.
You can add a grayscale texture map in this slot to blend between unselected
and fully selected pixels in the group. Black represents unselected and white
represents fully selected. Any grayscale value blends between the two. You
can drag a texture map onto this button.
NOTE For a texture map to apply to a group, at least one vertex must be explicitly
selected. However, when Use Texture Map is on, the group's explicit vertex
selection has no effect.

Panel Sub-Object Level (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Panel sub-object level
At the Panel sub-object level, you can select one panel (cloth section) at a time
and change its cloth properties.
A panel, which must be created by the Garment Maker modifier on page 1206,
is a closed spline that is not enclosed by another spline. If a closed spline is
enclosed by another spline, it forms a hole in the outer spline.
NOTE To be able to select a panel at this sub-object level, you must first use Object
Properties on page 1161 to specify that the object is cloth. Also, to be able to change
settings on this rollout, first turn on Object Properties ➤ Use Panel Properties on
page 1164.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1199

Interface

1200 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Presets group

Presets Sets the selected panel's properties parameters to the preset selected
in the drop-down list. Any presets that are built into the system or that have
been previously saved and loaded will show up here. Presets have the file
name extension .sti.
Load Load presets from a specified location on your hard drive. Click this
button and navigate to the directory with your presets to load them into your
Cloth Properties.
Save Save your Cloth Properties parameters to a file to be loaded at a later
time. By default, Cloth preset files are saved to the \cloth folder inside 3ds Max
install directory.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1201

[Panel properties]

These Properties controls are the same as those found in the Cloth Properties
group on page 1165 of the Object Properties dialog for Cloth.

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Keep Shape group

Keep Shape When on, preserves the shape of the mesh based on the Bend %
and Stretch % settings (see following). In a normal operation, when Cloth
creates a simulation, it tries to "flatten out" the cloth.
Bend % Modulates the target bend angles to a value between 0.0 and the
angles defined by the target state on page 1160. A negative value inverts the
angles. Range=-100.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.
Stretch % Modulates the target stretch angles to a value between 0.0 and the
angles defined by the target state on page 1160. A negative value inverts the
angles. Range=-100.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.

_____

Layer Sets the layer for the selected panel. See Behavior Settings group on
page 1194.

Seams Sub-Object Level (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Seams sub-object
level
The Seams sub-object rollout is used to define seam properties.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1203

Interface

On Turn the seam on or off to make it active or inactive.
Crease angle Creates a crease at your seam. The angle value will determine
the angle of the crease that will be between the two panels. (Can be positive
or negative depending on which way you want to crease)

Left: High crease angle
Right: Low crease angle

Crease Strength Increase or decrease the strength of your seam. This value
will effect how much the seam will resist bending in relation to the rest of the
cloth object. A value of 2.0 means that the cloth will have twice the resistance
to bending that it would otherwise have (as defined by the object/panel/vertex
group properties).

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Sewing Stiffness The amount of force with which the panels will be pulled
together at simulation time. A larger value will pull the panels together harder
and faster.
Tearable When on, sets the selected seam to be tearable. Default=off.
■

Tear Threshold Sets a threshold value for tearing the seam. This value is
equivalent to the Strength value of a Weld constraint at the Group
sub-object level on page 1184. Default=10.0.

Enable All Sets all seams on selected garment to be active.
Disable All Sets all seams on selected garment to be off. This button deactivates
the On check box for all seams.

Faces Sub-Object Level (Cloth)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Cloth ➤ Modifier stack ➤ Highlight the Faces sub-object level
The Faces sub-object rollout enables interactive dragging of cloth objects while
they are simulated locally. This sub-object level is useful for positioning cloth
within your scenes in a more interactive way.
NOTE If you position your cloth incorrectly, you can restore the original position
by returning to the Object level and clicking the Reset State button.

Interface

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1205

Simulate Local Starts local simulation of the cloth. In order for the real-time
interactive feedback with the cloth to occur, this button must be on.
Live Drag! When active you can drag selected faces as the local simulation is
taking place.
Live Rotate! When active, you can rotate selected faces as the local simulation
is taking place.
Sim on mouse down Runs the local simulation only when the left mouse
button is clicked. This mode is usually preferred since you can start and stop
the local simulation simply by releasing the mouse button. As a result, it makes
it far easier to position and rotate the faces of your cloth within your scene.
Ignore Backfacing When on, you can select only faces facing you. When off
(the default), you can select any faces under the mouse cursor, regardless of
visibility or facing.

Garment Maker Modifier
Select a shape object (spline or NURBS curve). ➤
Modify panel ➤
Modifier List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Garment Maker
Garment Maker is a modifier that is designed to put together 2D patterns that
you can then use with Cloth on page 1142. With Garment Maker you can take
a simple, flat, spline-based pattern and convert it to a mesh, arrange its panels,
and create seams to sew the panels together. You can also specify internal
seam lines on page 1214 for creases and cuts.
See also:
■

Troubleshooting and Error Codes in Garment Maker on page 1239

■

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers on page 1126

■

Cloth and Garment Overview on page 1128

■

Cloth Modifier on page 1142

1206 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Basic Concepts
Splines
When you start working with Garment Maker, you begin either by importing
or drawing traditional 2D splines in the 3ds Max Top viewport. To use a spline
with Garment Maker and eventually Cloth, it must be a closed shape. This
does not mean that you cannot have splines inside of splines, but if you have
multiple spline shapes inside of one another, the inner splines are treated as
"holes" in the fabric, as shown below.

Two closed splines - one with a nested spline inside

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1207

Resulting geometry after applying Garment Maker

TIP For best results, when applying Garment Maker to multiple splines, first
combine the splines into a single object.
Also, to keep your patterns precise, no rounding of boundary edges and corners,
you must break the splines at the corner vertices. This is also important because
it directly impacts the segments of the splines that are to be used to create
seams between the individual panels. To understand this better, take a look
at the following example.
In the image below are two rectangular splines to which a user might want
to apply Garment Maker. After applying Garment Maker, the idea is to then
create a seam between the two panels along the inner edge. First, it should be
noted that both splines are closed shapes and have been attached so they are
part of the same editable spline object.

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When Garment Maker is assigned, look what happens:

Garment Maker seems to have "chopped" corners of the rectangular splines
off, altering the pattern. Beyond that, if the user tried to select the edges of
the panels that make up the seam, they will not be able to. This is because
Garment Maker currently has only a single spline to work with for each panel.
To keep the pattern clean, do the following:

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1209

1 Access the

2

Vertex sub-object level of the editable spline.

Select the vertices where the seams should be.

3 Click Break to create unique segments that Garment Maker can use to
create a seam.
Shown below are the results when all of the vertices are selected and then
broken.

All vertices in both panels selected and then "broken"

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Garment Maker applied to "broken" splines

The corners are now preserved. When the user goes to select the edges between
the panels to act as seams, they will be selected independently of the other
panel edges and highlight in red. This is what you want in order to create
seams.

Seam edges selected at the Seam sub-object level in red

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1211

Garment Panels
Garment Maker's Panels sub-object level lets you arrange the panels of the
pattern around the character. You can then create seams where the panels
should connect and be "sewn" together. This lets you create the seams you
need while seeing how the clothing will look around your character. Creating
seams like this is in many cases far superior to making them in a flat layout
because it allows you to visualize what is being done.

Arranged panels with seams defined

Pattern Creation
To make patterns you can use the basic 2D spline tools in 3ds Max. Cloth
comes with several patterns, but after you learn to use them, you will most
likely want to start making your own. Patterns can take advantage of many
features that real sewing patterns have, such as darts and multi-segment seams.
To learn about other pattern making software, see Pattern-Making Software
on page 1141.

1212 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Tricky Assemblies
As you begin to move beyond the basic patterns for your garments, there are
a number of rules that you should follow in order to work effectively with
Cloth:
■

Always create your pattern splines in the Top viewport. Garment Maker
assumes that the pattern is laid out this way.

■

When seaming garments with MultiSegment edges, you must take care of
the order in which the seams are made.
NOTE A MultiSegment comprises two or more individual segments acting as
a single segment; you create it with Garment Maker.

When creating a seam you cannot use:
■

A MultiSegment that has multiple gaps in it, unless all but one of those
gaps are bridged by another seam.

■

A segment or MultiSegment that forms a closed loop (that is, a path directly,
or via seams, completely encloses the MultiSegment).

Both these issues arise in the common sleeve assembly shown below. The
sleeve needs to be sewn to the armhole. When assembled, both the sleeve and
the armhole form closed loops. The sleeve forms a loop via the seam along
its underside. The armhole is closed by two seams: one across the shoulder
and one down the side.
Now, since you cannot seam closed loops together, it therefore follows that
both the armhole and sleeve must be left open when creating the seam
connecting them. So the order is as follows:
1 Because the sleeve is one segment and the armhole is two segments, you
must make a MultiSegment out of those two segments first.
2 When dealing with MultiSegment seams, the order of creation is
important. If you attempt to create seams in the wrong order, you might
get a “Seamline topology is wrong” error, and the seams will not be
created. When dealing with MultiSegment seams, create the minimum
number of seams necessary to make the MultiSegment seam match the
topology of the other piece to that you are going to connect.
In this case, you have an arm seam that is open at the bottom, and a
MultiSegment that is open at both the top and the bottom. If you closed
the side of the garment, you'd end up with the situation illustrated in

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1213

the center image below, where the seam is twisted (it cannot be
“untwisted” by reversing the seam). By closing the top of the armhole
MultiSegment with a seam at the shoulder, you'll create proper topology
to make the MultiSegment seam.
3 Next, you can seam up the sleeve to the armhole. See the leftmost image
below.
4 Finally, you can add the seam down the side of the garment and across
the underside of the sleeve (the order is irrelevant here).

Left: Seam created for shoulder first and then for the MultiSegment, producing the
desired result.
Middle: Seam created at the bottom of the body MultiSegment first, resulting in an
irreversible MultiSegment seam from the arm to the body.
Right: No seams made on the body to connect its MultiSegment, resulting in a seam
topology error.

Internal Seam Lines
When drawing panels, you can use extra open splines to define seam lines
within the panels, also known as internal seam lines. Triangulation always
occurs along these internal seam lines, so you can use them to help define
the structure of the cloth panel, and as crease lines on page 1237. Also, you can
specify that an internal seam line should be cut on page 1231, so that the cloth
separates along the line during the simulation.
To create an internal seam line, simply specify a Material ID of 2 for the
internal spline, which should not be closed. Also, for best results, keep its

1214 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

endpoints away from other splines in the shape. And, as with outside seam
lines, an internal spline should not cross over itself or other splines.

Left: Open spline, set to Material ID 2, specifies internal seam line.
Center: At Garment Maker ➤ Curves or Seams sub-object level, seam line is selected
and Cut is turned on.
Right: Cloth separates along cut line during simulation.

Procedures
To place garment panels automatically:
The Garment Maker modifier provides tools for positioning garment panels
on a humanoid character model. This automatic placement is approximate;
further adjustment is typically necessary.
1 Load or create your character model.
2 Create your panels as splines or NURBS curves parallel to the world XY
plane (that is, create them in the Top viewport).

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1215

Shirt panels, as seen in the Top viewport

TIP When applying Garment Maker to multiple splines, for best results, first
combine the splines into a single object. You can still manipulate the separate
pieces within the Garment Maker modifier at the Panels sub-object level.
3 Apply the Garment Maker modifier. Set parameters as necessary.

1216 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

4 On the Main Parameters rollout, click the Figure button initically labeled
“None”), and then click the character model.
The object's name appears on the button.
5 Below this button, click the Mark Points On Figure button.
A character outline appears in the corner of each viewport. Superimposed
on the outline are seven asterisk-shaped points; the one at the center-top
of the chest is highlighted in red.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1217

The character outline lets you mark points for positioning panels.

6 Click the corresponding point on the front of your model.
As you move the mouse cursor over the surface of the model, a red circle
shows where the marker will be placed. When you click, an axis tripod
appears on the surface at that location, and the next point on the
character outline, at the center of the pelvic region, is highlighted in red.

The axis tripod appears on the object surface where you click.

1218 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

7 Continue to click at each location on your model that corresponds to
the highlighted marker on the character outline until you've designated
all seven points.

All seven points are marked on the character model.

To finish, right-click in the viewport.
8 Go to the Panels sub-object level and select a panel.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1219

The front shirt panel is selected.

9 At the bottom of the Panels rollout, choose a Level, and then in the Panel
Position group, click the button corresponding to the desired position
for the panel.
The panel moves to the designated position.

1220 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Panel Position=Front Center; Level=Top at shoulder

10 Adjust as necessary. For example, in the above illustration, Level should
probably be set to Top At Neck. To correct this, you would choose Top
At Neck, and then click Panel Position ➤ Front Center again.

Panel Position=Front Center; Level=Top at neck

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1221

Of course, you can also move the panel manually; in fact, in most cases
it will probably be necessary to do so. Panel Position serves primarily as
a starting point for placing panels.
11 Continue selecting panels and placing them, adjusting as necessary.

All panels placed with Panel Position. Note that sleeve panels need to be rotated
90 degrees, and cuff panels need to be rotated and moved to the wrists.

Main Parameters Rollout (Garment Maker)
Select a shape object (spline or NURBS curve). ➤
Modify panel ➤
Modifier List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Garment Maker ➤ Main
Parameters rollout
The Main Parameters rollout is the first rollout you see on the Modify panel
once you apply the Garment Maker modifier.

1222 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

This rollout comprises mostly controls to create and adjust the mesh. The
remaining rollouts are available at the sub-object levels.

Interface

Density Adjusts the relative density of the mesh (in other words, the number
of triangles per unit area). Possible values range between 0.01 and 10.0. A
value of 10.0 creates a very dense mesh, while 0.01 creates a comparatively
low-resolution mesh.
For best results, use the lowest possible density to achieve the desired result.
This speeds up simulation time and overall performance.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1223

Left: Density=0.5
Right: Density=1.5

Auto mesh When on, Garment Maker updates the mesh automatically if you
change the density or add/remove seams.
This setting is active at all sub-object levels, so it's recommended you leave it
on to see changes as you make them. The only time you might want to turn
off Auto Mesh is while creating the seams at the Curves sub-object level.
Re-meshing can take some time, so you might want to define a number of
seams before re-meshing.
Preserve When on along with Auto mesh, Garment Maker preserves the 3D
shape of the object. When off, if you change the Density value, the panels are
flat.
Relax When on, relaxes the default mesh to produce a smoother result.
Default=off.
(The default mesh is a standard Delaunay triangulation.)
Mesh It! Applies a change in the Density value. If Auto mesh is off when you
change the Density value, you must click the Mesh It! button to apply the
change.
TIP Sometimes in an error condition Mesh It! will no longer respond. If this
happens, go to the spline level in the modifier stack, and then return to the
Garment Maker level.
Mesh It and Preserve Applies a Density change and also preserves the 3D
shape of the object. This lets you change the density of the cloth or the

1224 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

underlying spline shape after simulating without having to run the simulation
again.

_____
The following setting, comprising three radio buttons, determines how the
cloth panels are passed up the modifier stack to the Cloth modifier:
■

Arranged PanelsWith this option, the mesh passed up the stack will be
have the panels arranged/bent around the figure as they were placed by
the user in panels sub-object mode.

■

Preserved SurfaceWhen both Auto mesh and Preserve are on, or when you
click Mesh It And Preserve, Garment Maker takes a snapshot of the mesh
at the top of the stack (where Cloth is applied). This snapshot is passed up
the stack when you choose Preserved Surface. This way, if you change the
Density value, the mesh will retain its deformation. Once a snapshot has
been taken, at the Panel sub-object level, the panels will have the Use
Preserved check box on. This means you can move the panels around while
maintaining their deformation. Also note that once a snapshot has been
taken, Garment Maker automatically chooses the Preserved Surface option.

■

Flat PanelsDisplays all the panels as flat surfaces. This mode defines the
texture coordinates of the garment vertices. With this output mode active,
you can adjust texture coordinates at the Panel sub-object level by moving
and rotating the panels.

_____
Stretch Map Coords When on, the UV coordinates are based on the square
bounding rectangle whose edge is the longer edge of the actual bounding box,
and so have an aspect ratio of 1:1. When off, the UV coordinates do not
maintain a 1:1 apect ratio but use the actual bounding box.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1225

Left: Stretch Map Coords on
Right: Stretch Map Coords off

Figure group
Use these controls to specify locations for each panel on the figure to be
clothed
[button] Click this button, labeled “None” by default, and then click the
object, or figure, to which the clothing is to be applied. Typically this is a
character model. Thereafter, the name of the object appears on the button.
Mark Points on Figure After specifying a figure using the “None” button (see
preceding), use this control to specify locations on the figure for automatically
positioning panels in the garment.
When you click Mark Points On Figure, this character outline appears in the
corner of each viewport:

1226 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The character outline lets you mark points for positioning panels.

As each point highlights in red, click the corresponding location on your
figure. When you do so, an axis tripod appears on the object surface and the
next point on the outline highlights. During this process you can manipulate
the viewport as usual, zooming, panning, and rotating freely. You can continue
clicking points as long as you like; to stop, right-click in the viewport, or turn
the button off.
NOTE If you return to marking points later, 3ds Max starts again where you left
off earlier.
The points highlight in this order:
1 Upper Chest
2 Pelvis
3 Neck
4 Right shoulder
5 Left shoulder
6 Right hand
7 Left hand

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1227

After setting the points, you can use the Panel Position on page 1234 and Level
on page 1235 controls at the Panels sub-object level to place the panels
automatically.

Curves Sub-Object Level (Garment Maker)
Select a shape object (spline or NURBS curve). ➤
Modify panel ➤
Modifier List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Garment Maker ➤ Curves
sub-object level ➤ Curves rollout
Use the Curves sub-object level to stitch your pattern panels together.
You can also connect seams in the Seams sub-object mode with a more
three-dimensional representation of the panels. The Curves sub-object level
provides a flat layout to work in that can be useful for more complex patterns.
You can create and delete seams and adjust the way your pattern fits together.

Interface

1228 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Create Seam Creates a seam between two segments. Select two segments of
the panels you would like to sew together, and click Create Seam. This will
make a seam between these two panels that will be sewn together at simulation
time. Seams get a randomly-generated color to distinguish them from the
panels.

Top: Segments selected
Bottom: Seam made between two panels

Delete Seam Deletes selected seam. (Selected seam is colored red).
Reverse Seam Reverses or flips a twisted seam.
When creating seams, the first vertex on each segment is used to line up the
resulting seam panel. Sometimes you can end up with a twisted seam and will
need to use Reverse Seam to untwist it.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1229

A twisted seam that needs to be reversed

Make MultiSegment A MultiSegment is a combination of two or more
segments that will be treated as one segment for the purpose of creating seams.
Select the segments you want to combine then click this button. Note that if
the segments are not contiguous, the gaps must be bridged by seams before
this MultiSegment can be used in a seam.
Break MultiSegment Break apart selected MultiSegments.
On Turns the selected seam on or off, making it active or inactive.
Crease angle Creates a crease at the selected seam. The angle value determines
the target angle of the crease between the two panels or along an internal
seam line on page 1214

Left: High crease angle
Right: Low crease angle

Crease Strength Increase or decrease the strength of the selected seam. This
value affects how much the seam will resist bending in relation to the rest of

1230 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

the cloth object. A value of 2.0 means that the cloth will have twice the
resistance to bending that it would otherwise have (as defined by the
object/panel/vertex group properties).
Sewing Stiffness The amount of force with which the panels are pulled
together at simulation time. A larger value pulls the panels together harder
and faster.
Cut Applies only to an internal seam line on page 1214. Makes a cut in the fabric
at this seam line.
Tearable When on, sets the selected seam to be tearable. Default=off.
■

Tear Threshold Sets a threshold value for tearing the seam. This value is
equivalent to the Strength value of a Weld constraint at the Group
sub-object level on page 1184. Default=10.0.

Seam Tolerance The amount of difference in length between two edges that
is permitted in the formation of a seam. The two segments that comprise a
seam should be about the same length. If they have different lengths, the
difference must be within this tolerance range. If you seam together two
segments that are significantly different in length, the cloth will tend to bunch
up (which could be a desired effect). In order to allow the creation of such a
seam, the Seam Tolerance will need to be increased. The default value is 0.06,
which means that the two segment lengths must be within 6 percent of each
other's lengths.
Draw Seams Shows the seams in the viewport; hides them when off.
Show Mesh Shows the mesh in the viewport, or hides it to work on your
pattern. When this option is off, the mesh is represented with a bounding
box.

Panels Sub-Object Level (Garment Maker)
Select a shape object (spline or NURBS curve). ➤
Modify panel ➤
Modifier List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Garment Maker ➤ Panels
sub-object level ➤ Panels rollout
The Panels sub-object level of the Garment Maker modifier lets you position
and bend the panels of your pattern to fit your object or figure.
You can also use these controls to adjust the texture mapping of your garment.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1231

Interface

1232 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Density Controls the mesh density of a selected panel. This value is applied
as a multiplier of the Main Parameters rollout ➤ Density setting on page 1223.
You can increase the density of a particular panel by raising this value.
If Main Parameters rollout ➤ Auto Mesh is off when you change this value,
go back to the Main Parameters rollout (Cloth level in modifier stack) and
click Mesh It! on page 1224 to update the mesh. For this reason, it is
recommended that you leave Auto Mesh on. The only time you might want
to turn off Auto Mesh is while creating the seams at the Curves sub-object
level. Re-meshing can take some time, so you might want to define a number
of seams before re-meshing.

Different Density settings applied to separate panels

Mat ID Set the material ID for the selected panel. Using this option enables
you to assign different materials to select portions of the clothing.

Position group
Reset Resets the position of the selected panels to their original locations (that
is, the locations immediately after Garment Maker was applied).
Reset All Resets the position of all panels to their original locations.

Deformation group
Most controls in this group are available only when one or more panels are
selected.
Reset Removes the deformation of the selected panels (restoring the flat state).
Reset All Removes the deformation from all panels.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1233

Use Preserved Turn this on to override the None or Curved deformation
options. When on, the panel gets its shape from the preserved mesh instead
of the deformation options.
None Makes this panel flat.
Curved Use the value in the Curvature field to bend the panel.
Curvature Sets the amount of curve or bend of a panel. The higher this value
is, the more the panel will curve.
X-axis Sets the axis for the curvature to the panel's local X axis.
Y-axis Sets the axis for the curvature to the panel's local Y axis.

Panel Position group
These buttons move the selected panel to a specified position. These positions
are determined by 3ds Max based on the positions you set with the Mark
Points On Figure on page 1226 controls at the Garment Maker object level. The
positions are:
■

Front Center

■

Front Right

■

Front Left

■

Back Center

■

Back Right

■

Back Left

■

Right Side

■

Left Side

■

Right Arm

■

Left Arm

NOTE The terms Front, Back, Right, and Left refer to the character's orientation.

1234 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Level group
Sets where the top of the panel should go. Garment Maker derives these
locations from the locations you specify with the Mark Points On Figure on
page 1226 controls. The choices are:
■

Top at neck

■

Top at shoulder

■

Top at underarm

■

Top at waist

If you change the setting here, it affects the subsequent Panel Position results.

Adjusting Texture Coordinates
When Garment Maker is in Flat Panels mode (that is, the Main Parameters
rollout ➤ Flat Panels option on page 1225is chosen), the texture coordinates
are defined by the positions of the panels. Imagine the panels are being cut
out of a large piece of fabric. The location and orientation of a panel in that
large piece of fabric determine how the texture is aligned on it. By moving
and rotating a panel, you can change its texture coordinates. Remember, you
must be in Flat Panels mode to do this.

Seams Sub-Object Level (Garment Maker)
Select a shape object (spline or NURBS curve). ➤
Modify panel ➤
Modifier List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Garment Maker ➤ Seams
sub-object level ➤ Seams rollout
At the Seams sub-object level, you can define and edit seams and their
properties.
Seams behave the same as curves, but at this level the mesh is displayed
three-dimensionally instead of in a flat layout. Also, at this level the mesh is
always updated when you add or remove a seam.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1235

Interface

Create Seam Creates a seam between two segments. Select two segments of
the panels you would like to sew together and then click Create Seam. This
creates a seam between the two panels that will be sewn together at simulation
time.

Left: Segments selected

1236 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Right: Seam created between the two segments

Delete Seam Deletes selected seam. (Selected seam is colored red).
Reverse Seam Reverses or flips a seam that has been made with a twist in it.
When creating seams, the first vertex on each segment is used to line up the
resulting seam panel. Sometimes you can end up with a twisted seam and will
need to use Reverse Seam to untwist it.

A twisted seam that needs to be reversed

Make MultiSegment A MultiSegment is a combination of two or more
segments that will be treated as one segment for the purpose of creating seams.
Select the segments you want to combine then click this button. Note that if
the segments are not contiguous, the gaps must be bridged by seams before
this MultiSegment can be used in a seam.
Break MultiSegment Break apart selected MultiSegments.
On Turns the selected seam on or off, making it active or inactive.
Crease angle Creates a crease at the selected seam. The angle value determines
the target angle of the crease between the two panels or along an internal
seam line on page 1214.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1237

Left: High crease angle
Right: Low crease angle

Crease Strength Specifies the strength of the selected seam. This value affects
the extent to which the seam resists bending in relation to the rest of the cloth
object. A value of 2.0 means that the cloth will have twice the resistance to
bending that it would otherwise have (as defined by the object/panel/vertex
group properties).
Sewing Stiffness The amount of force with which the panels are pulled
together at simulation time. A larger value will pull the panels together harder
and faster.
Cut This applies only to an internal seam line on page 1214. Makes a cut in the
fabric at this seam line.
Tearable When on, sets the selected seam to be tearable. Default=off.
■

Tear Threshold Sets a threshold value for tearing the seam. This value is
equivalent to the Strength value of a Weld constraint at the Group
sub-object level on page 1184. Default=10.0.

Seam Tolerance The amount of difference in length between two edges that
is permitted in the formation of a seam. The two segments that comprise a
seam should be about the same length. If they have different lengths, the
difference must be within this tolerance range. If you seam together two
segments that are significantly different in length, the cloth will tend to bunch
up (which may be a desired effect). In order to allow the creation of such a
seam, the Seam Tolerance will need to be increased. The default is 0.06, which
means that the two segment lengths must be within 6%.
Remove All Deletes all seams.

1238 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Draw Seams Shows the seams in the viewport; hides them when turned off.
Show Mesh Show the mesh in the viewport, or hide it to work on your pattern.
When this option is off, the mesh is represented with a bounding box.

Troubleshooting and Error Codes in Garment Maker
When you are working with Garment Maker, you may encounter errors if
your splines are set up incorrectly. This topic lists the common error messages
you might see, and how to correct the problems they report.
Cannot remesh: the number of panels has changed: This error occurs when
the user has modified the original pattern, and added new closed splines to
it. The only way to correct this is to delete the original Garment Maker modifier
and reapply a new one.
Number of boundary curves has changed: Users will get this error if they add
or remove splines from the pattern after the initial application of Garment
Maker. To correct it, delete the original Garment Maker modifier and reapply
a new one.
Boundary splines do not form a closed loop: In this case, the splines that the
user has tried to apply Garment Maker to don't form closed loops. Often, this
is caused by an extra vertex and segment attached to one of the splines, and
usually this segment is so small you cannot see it. It can be difficult to find
the offending part. To remedy this situation, select all the vertices, weld them,
then re-break them at the corners.
Splines form overlapping loops: When a user gets this error, it means that
some panel loops overlap others (in the XY plane of the local view). If you
create the shape in the Top view this should not happen (provided you don't
create overlapping loops). Most commonly, this occurs when the user create
the splines in a viewport other than Top and on a plane other than the XY
plane.
Unable to create seam: This error happens in when trying to create a seam in
two cases:
■

One (or more) of the segments/MultiSegments in the attempted seam
forms a closed loop (for example, if you make a MultiSegment from the
armhole segments, that MultiSegment forms a closed loop if you create
seams at the shoulder and below the armhole). You will have to delete one
of the seams so that the MultiSegment is no longer closed. For an armhole,
you generally keep the seam below the armhole open when you join it
with the sleeve. You can then close the seam. For the same reason, the
sleeve cannot be seamed at the underside before joining to the armhole.

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers | 1239

■

A MultiSegment in the attempted seam contains segments that are not
contiguous and that are not linked by any seam.

Seam line topology is wrong: This error usually occurs when you try to make
a closed loop into a seam. The loop might be natural, or it might be the result
of seams created earlier.
For example, when creating a shirt, if you first create the sleeve seam along
the length of the sleeve, and then attempt to sew the sleeve to the armhole,
this message appears. This is because a loop has been created in the spline
that defines the top of the sleeve. The solution in this example is to create the
seams in the correct order:
1 Shoulder-front to shoulder-back
2 Sleeve to armhole
3 Side-front to side-back
4 Along the length of the sleeve
See Tricky Assemblies on page 1213 for more information.

CrossSection Modifier
Select a spline object with spline cross sections. ➤
Modifier List ➤ CrossSection

Modify panel ➤

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ CrossSection
The CrossSection modifier creates a "skin" across multiple splines. It works by
connecting the vertices of 3D splines to form a skin. The resulting object is
another spline object that can be used with the Surface modifier on page 1711
to create a patch surface. These two modifiers, when used together, are
sometimes referred to collectively as “Surface Tools.”

1240 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

CrossSection uses splines to create a model of a boat.

CrossSection can build a skin across various-shaped splines with different
vertex counts and open/closed status. The more different the splines in vertex
count and complexity, the more likely the skin will have discontinuity.
NOTE Similar functionality is provided by the Editable Spline object on page 554.
At the Editable Spline ➤ Segment and Spline sub-object levels, you can create a
spline cage using Connect Copy and Cross Section. Using this method, you need
to region-select the created vertices to transform them. Also, this method lets you
define the ordering of the spline more easily than does the CrossSection modifier.

Procedures
Example: To explore the CrossSection modifier:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Shapes), then click Circle.

2 Drag in the Top viewport to create a circle about 100 units in radius.

CrossSection Modifier | 1241

3 On the

Modify panel, choose Edit Spline from the Modifier List.

4 In the modifier stack display, turn on Spline sub-object, then
select the circle.
5 In the Front viewport, Shift+Move the spline up to copy it.
6 Shift+Move the copy up to create a third circle.
NOTE The order that you attach or clone splines is important: this is the
order that CrossSection uses to create the skin.

7 On the

Modify panel, choose CrossSection from the Modifier List.

CrossSection joins the vertices of the three circles. A basic spline cylinder
is displayed.

8 On the
Modify panel, on the Modifiers List, choose Surface to add
the Surface modifier.
The spline cylinder is transformed into a patch surface by the Surface
modifier.
9 To edit the model's surface, change the splines using controls in the Edit
Spline modifier. Or, since the output of the Surface modifier is a patch
surface, add an Edit Patch modifier and use patch edit controls to change
the surface.

1242 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

An Edit Patch modifier above the Surface modifier was used to create the image.

Example: Using the CrossSection modifier to skin several splines with different
shapes:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Shapes).

2 On the Object Type rollout, turn on Start New Shape, then click NGon.
3 In the Top viewport, create two five-sided circular NGons.

4 On the
Create panel, with
(Shapes) still active, click Line.
Create two lines, each with four vertices. Create the vertices left-to-right.

CrossSection Modifier | 1243

5 On the main toolbar, click
(Select And Move), then move the
objects in the viewport to order them along the Z axis, with the NGons
at the bottom and the lines above the NGons.

6 Select the bottom NGon.

7 On the

Modify panel, choose Edit Spline from the Modifier List.

8 In the Geometry rollout, click Attach.
9 Select the remaining NGon and lines in an ascending order, as numbered
in the image.

1244 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

NOTE The order of selection is important. The CrossSection modifier uses
the selection order to define the skin.

Example continued: Lining up the vertices:

1 On the
Modify panel, choose the Vertex sub-object level in the
stack display.
Lining up the first vertex of each spline is important to prevent the surface
from twisting.
2 Use Ctrl+click to select the rightmost vertex of each line and the
bottommost vertex of each NGon.
3 On the Geometry rollout, click Make First.

Aligning the first vertex is important. This is where the seam forks, going
from a closed to an open spline.
Example continued: Using CrossSection and Surface to "skin" the shapes:

1 On the

Modify panel, choose CrossSection from the Modifier List.

The CrossSection modifier connects the splines at the vertices.
2 On the Modifiers List, choose Surface.
The Surface modifier generates a patch surface based on the splines.
3 In the modifier stack display, choose the CrossSection modifier.

CrossSection Modifier | 1245

4 On the CrossSection Parameters rollout, toggle between Linear and
Smooth. Notice how the splines change.

5 On the Modify panel, toggle
(Show End Result On/Off Toggle) to
display the final patch surface. The toggle won’t remain on if the
CrossSection modifier is current. Drop down to the Editable Patch in the
stack and turn on the Show End Result toggle if you like.
TIP When you use CrossSection, draw splines in a consistent direction. A
twisted surface results when lines are created from vertices that are not lined
up.

Interface

Linear/Smooth/Bezier/Bezier Corner Determines what type of curve will be
used through the spline vertices.

Delete Mesh Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a sub-object selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤
Delete Mesh

Modify panel ➤ Make a sub-object selection. ➤ Modifiers menu
➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Delete Mesh
Delete Mesh provides parametric deletion based on the current sub-object
selection level in the stack. The possible choices are faces, vertices, edges, and

1246 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

objects. Apply the Delete Mesh modifier to delete the geometry specified at
that sub-object level.

Delete Mesh used to remove the faces where the handle joins the cup.

For example, you can apply a Mesh Select modifier on page 1445, select a row
of faces in a cylinder, and then apply a Delete Mesh modifier to delete those
faces. To undo the deletion, you can simply remove the Delete Mesh modifier.
TIP Try applying a Delete Mesh modifier following an animated Vol. Select modifier
on page 1944.

Procedures
Example: To delete a row of faces in a cylinder:
1 Create a cylinder on page 336.
2 Apply a Mesh Select modifier and select a row of faces in the cylinder.
3 Apply the Delete Mesh modifier to delete those faces.
To undo the deletion,

remove the Delete Mesh modifier.

Interface
This modifier has no parameters.

Delete Mesh Modifier | 1247

Delete Patch Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a patch selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Delete
Patch
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Delete
Delete Patch provides parametric deletion based on the current sub-object
level in the stack. The possible choices are vertices, edges, patches, and
elements. Apply the Delete Patch modifier to delete the geometry specified at
that sub-object level.
For example, you can apply a Patch Select modifier, select a row of patches in
a patch sphere, and then apply a Delete Patch modifier to delete those patches.
To undo the deletion, remove the Delete Patch modifier.

Delete Patch used to remove sections of a patch sphere.

1248 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Procedures
Example: To delete a patch in a sphere:
1 Create a sphere.
2 Right-click the sphere, and on the quad menu, choose Convert To ➤
Convert To Editable Patch.

3 On the

Modify panel, in Editable Patch, choose the Patch sub-object

level, and

select a patch.

4 In the Modifier List, choose the Delete Patch modifier.
This deletes the selected patch.
To undo the deletion,

remove the Delete Patch modifier.

Interface
There are no parameters for this modifier.

Delete Spline Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Select a spline sub-object. ➤ Modifier List ➤
Delete Spline

Modify panel ➤ Select a spline sub-object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤
Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Delete Spline
The Delete Spline modifier provides parametric deletion of spline geometry
based on the current sub-object selection level in the stack. The possible
selection levels include vertices, segments, and splines. Apply the Delete Spline
modifier to delete the geometry specified at that sub-object level.

Delete Spline Modifier | 1249

Delete Spline used to remove a segment in the middle of a spline.

Procedures
To use the delete spline modifier:
1 Create a shape that contains multiple splines.
2 Apply a Spline Select modifier on page 1690 and select a section of the
spline for deletion.
3 Apply a Delete Spline modifier to delete the section.
To undo the deletion,

remove the Delete Spline modifier.

Interface
This modifier has no parameters.

1250 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Disp Approx Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Disp Approx
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Surface Deformers ➤ Disp Approx
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ NURBS Editing ➤ Disp Approx
The Disp Approx modifier (short for Displacement Approximation) lets you
make the displacement mapping settings on an object in the modifier stack
on page 8776. It converts its input object to an editable mesh on page 2190, so
you can use this modifier to add displacement mapping to geometry primitives
on page 321 and any other kind of object that can convert to an editable mesh.

Disp Approx Modifier | 1251

Using an image to displace the surface of a cylinder

Displacement mapping on page 6482 uses a map to change surface geometry.
You apply the map using the Material Editor on page 6019.
You don't need to apply this modifier to NURBS on page 2433 surfaces, patches
on page 2424, editable meshes on page 2190, or editable polymeshes on page 2240,
because you can apply displacement mapping directly to these kinds of objects.

1252 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Procedures
To apply displacement mapping:

1

Select an object other than a NURBS surface, patch, editable
mesh, or editable poly.

2 Apply the Disp Approx modifier.
Now you can apply displacement mapping to the object. The
Displacement Approx. rollout has parameter that you can adjust, but
displacement mapping will work using the default settings.

3 Open the

Material Editor. Apply a Standard material to the object.

4 In the material's Maps rollout, click the Displacement button, then use
the Material/Map Browser to apply a displacement map.

Disp Approx Modifier | 1253

Interface

Subdivision Displacement Subdivides mesh faces to accurately displace the
map, using the method and settings you specify in the Subdivision Presets
and Subdivision Method group boxes. When turned off, the modifier applies
the map by moving vertices in the mesh, the way the Displace modifier on
page 1255 does. Default=on.
Split Mesh Affects the seams of displaced mesh objects; also affects texture
mapping. When on, the mesh is split into individual faces before displacing
them; this helps preserve texture mapping. When off, texture mapping is
assigned using an internal method. Default=on.

1254 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP This parameter is required because of an architectural limitation in the way
displacement mapping works. Turning Split Mesh on is usually the better technique,
but it can cause problems for objects with clearly distinct faces, such as boxes, or
even spheres. A box's sides might separate as they displace outward, leaving gaps.
And a sphere might split along its longitudinal edge (found in the rear for spheres
created in the Top view) unless you turn off Split Mesh. However, texture mapping
works unpredictably when Split Mesh is off, so you might need to add a Displace
Mesh modifier on page 1005 and make a snapshot on page 888 of the mesh. You
would then apply a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 and then reassign mapping
coordinates to the displaced snapshot mesh.

Subdivision Presets and Subdivision Method group boxes
The controls in these two group boxes specify how the modifier applies the
displacement map when Custom Settings and Subdivision Displacement are
both turned on. They are identical to the Surface Approximation controls on
page 2762 used for NURBS surfaces.

Displace Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Displace
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Displace
The Displace modifier acts as a force field to push and reshape an object's
geometry. You can apply its variable force directly from the modifier gizmo,
or from a bitmapped image.

Displace Modifier | 1255

Displace used to change the surface in the container

There are two basic ways to use the Displace modifier:
■

Apply displacement effects directly by setting Strength and Decay values.

■

Apply the grayscale component of a bitmapped image to generate the
displacement. Lighter colors in the 2D image push outward more strongly
than darker colors, resulting in a 3D displacement of the geometry.

The Displace space warp on page 2964 has similar features. It's useful for applying
effects to a large number of objects or a particle system.

Force Distribution
Displace distributes its force through four different gizmos: Planar, Cylindrical,
Spherical, and Shrink Wrap. Gizmos are also used as mapping coordinates for
applying bitmaps. Sphere and Shrink Wrap have the same effect when
modeling, but differ in the way they map.
The Spherical and Shrink Wrap gizmos begin with a uniform field around
them. The Cylinder and Planar gizmos are both directional. Cylinder pushes
at right angles to its axis, and Planar pushes at right angles to its surface.

1256 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

By default, gizmos are centered on the object. However, you can transform
any of these shapes and use it directly as a tool to deform the geometry of an
object.

Modeling Options
Displace is a versatile modifier with many possible applications. Here are some
options:
■

Produce interior modeling effects by scaling down the gizmo and moving
it inside the object. The outward force shapes the geometry from within.

■

Animate the modeling process. One result is a roving, magnetic-like field
that pushes and pulls on a surface.

■

Add additional Displace modifiers to an object, using each one to create
a different modeling effect.

■

Collapse a finished model into a plain mesh. This reduces the object's
complexity and removes all modifiers, but keeps the modeled surface intact.

Procedures
To displace an object:

1

Select an object and apply the Displace modifier.

2 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Map group, select one of the four gizmo
types.
3 In the Displacement group, set values for Strength and Decay. Vary these
settings to see the effect of the displacement on the object.
Depending on the object and the complexity of the bitmap, you might need
to use dense geometry to see the effect clearly. Try a test run and, if necessary,
add tessellation in the areas of greatest detail.
To apply a bitmap as a displacement map:
1 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Image group, click the Bitmap button (which
is labeled "None" until a map has been chosen). Use the file dialog to
choose a bitmap.

Displace Modifier | 1257

2 Adjust the Strength value. Vary the strength of the field to see the effect
of the bitmap displacing the object's geometry.
After you get the image you want from bitmapped displacement, you can
apply an Optimize modifier on page 1504 to reduce the complexity of the
geometry while retaining the detail.
To model with the displace modifier:
1 Apply Displace to the object you want to model. Choose a gizmo from
the Map group.
2 Increase the Strength setting until you begin to see a change in the object.

3

Scale,
rotate, and
move the gizmo to
concentrate the effect. As you do this, adjust the Strength and Decay
settings to fine-tune the effect.

Interface
Displacement group

Strength When set to 0.0, Displace has no effect. Values greater than 0.0
displace object geometry or particles away from the position of the gizmo.
Values less than 0.0 displace geometry toward the gizmo. Default=0.0.
Decay Varies the displacement strength with distance.
By default, Displace has the same strength throughout world space. Increasing
Decay causes the displacement strength to diminish as distance increases from
the position of the Displace gizmo. This has the effect of concentrating the
force field near the gizmo, similar to the field around a magnet repelling its
opposite charge. Default=0.0.

1258 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Luminance Center Determines which level of gray Displace uses as the zero
displacement value.
By default, Displace centers the luminance by using medium (50 percent) gray
as the zero displacement value. Gray values greater than 128 displace in the
outward direction (away from the Displace gizmo) and gray values less than
128 displace in the inward direction (toward the Displace gizmo). Use the
Center spinner to adjust the default. With a Planar projection, the displaced
geometry is repositioned above or below the Planar gizmo. Default=0.5.
Range=0 to 1.0.

Image group

Lets you choose a bitmap on page 9108 and map on page 9215 to use for
displacement. Both are assigned and removed in the same way.
Bitmap button Assigns a bitmap or map from a selection dialog. After you
make a valid choice, these buttons display the name of the bitmap or map.
This button is labeled "None" until you choose a map.
Remove Bitmap/Map Removes the bitmap or map assignment.
Blur Increase this value to blur or soften the effect of the bitmapped
displacement.

Displace Modifier | 1259

Map group

Contains mapping parameters for bitmapped displacement. See UVW Map
modifier on page 1883.
The four mapping modes control how Displace projects its displacement. The
type of Displace gizmo and its location in the scene determine the final effect.

1260 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Displace gizmos: Planar, Cylindrical, Spherical, and Shrink Wrap

Planar Projects the map from a single plane.
Cylindrical Projects the map as if it were wrapped around the cylinder. Turn
on Cap to project a copy of the map from the ends of the cylinder.
Spherical Projects the map from a sphere, with singularities at the top and
bottom of the sphere where the bitmap edges meet at the sphere's poles.
Shrink Wrap Projects the map from a sphere, as Spherical does, but truncates
the corners of the map and joins them all at a single pole, creating only one
singularity at the bottom.
Length, Width, Height Specifies the dimensions of the Displace gizmo's
bounding box. Height has no effect on Planar mapping.
U/V/W Tile Sets the number of times the bitmap repeats along the specified
dimension. The default value of 1.0 maps the bitmap exactly once; a value of
2.0 maps the bitmap twice, and so on. Fractional values map a fractional
portion of the bitmap in addition to copies of the whole map. For example,
a value of 2.5 maps the bitmap two and a half times.
Flip Reverses the orientation of the map along the corresponding U, V, or W
axis.
Use Existing Mapping Has Displace use mapping set earlier in the stack. This
has no effect if the object is not mapped.

Displace Modifier | 1261

Apply Mapping Applies the Displace UV mapping to the bound object. This
lets you apply material maps to the object using the same mapping coordinates
as the modifier.

Channel group
Specifies whether to apply the displacement projection to a mapping channel
or a vertex color channel, and which channel to use. For more information
on these channels, see UVW Map modifier on page 1883.
Map Channel Choose this to specify a UVW channel to use for the mapping,
and use the spinner to its right to set the channel number.
Vertex Color Channel Choose this to use the vertex color channel for the
mapping.

Alignment group

Contains controls for adjusting the mapping gizmo's size, position, and
orientation.
X, Y, Z Flips the alignment of the mapping gizmo along its three axes.
Fit Scales the gizmo to fit the object's bounding box.
Center Centers the gizmo relative to the object's center.
Bitmap Fit Displays a Select Bitmap dialog. The gizmo is scaled to fit the
aspect ratio of the bitmap you select.
Normal Align Turns on Pick mode to let you select a surface. The gizmo is
aligned to the normal of that surface.
View Align Orients the gizmo in the same direction as the view.

1262 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Region Fit Turns on Pick mode to let you drag two points. The gizmo is scaled
to fit the specified area.
Reset Returns the gizmo to its defaults.
Acquire Turns on Pick mode to let you choose another object and acquire its
Displace gizmo settings.

Edit Mesh Modifier
Create or select an object ➤
Space Modifiers ➤ Edit Mesh

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object

Create or select an object ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Edit Mesh
The Edit Mesh modifier provides explicit editing tools for different sub-object
levels of the selected object: vertex, edge, and face/polygon/element. The Edit
Mesh modifier matches all the capabilities of the base Editable Mesh object,
except that you cannot animate sub-objects in Edit Mesh. See Editable Mesh
on page 2190 for a complete parameter reference.
When possible, it’s far more efficient and reliable to perform explicit modeling
at the Editable Mesh level rather than store those edits within the Edit Mesh
modifier. The Edit Mesh modifier must copy the geometry passed to it, and
this storage can lead to large file sizes. The Edit Mesh modifier also establishes
a topological dependency that can be adversely affected if earlier operations
change the topology being sent to it.
There are, however, situations where using the Edit Mesh modifier is the
preferred method.
■

You want to edit a parametric object as a mesh, but want to retain the
ability to modify its creation parameters after the edit.

■

You want to store your edits temporarily within Edit Mesh until you are
satisfied with the results, before collapsing them permanently to an editable
mesh object.

■

You need to make edits across several objects at once, but do not want to
convert them to a single editable mesh object.

■

You have a modifier in the stack that must remain parametric, and the
mesh must be edited after the modifier is applied.

Edit Mesh Modifier | 1263

NOTE Collapsing an object that has an Edit Mesh modifier applied to it results in
an Editable Mesh object.

Edit Normals Modifier
Select a mesh, patch, spline or NURBS object. ➤
Modifier List ➤ Edit Normals

Modify panel ➤

Select a mesh, patch, spline, or NURBS object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh
Editing ➤ Edit Normals
The Edit Normals modifier gives you explicit and procedural, interactive
control over each of an object's vertex normals on page 9237. It is meant to be
used primarily with mesh objects destined for output to game engines and
other 3D rendering engines that support specified normals. The results are
visible in the viewports and in rendered images.
The orientation of a vertex normal affects how neighboring surfaces reflect
light. By default, normals are set so that reflection of light in 3ds Max follows
the rules of real-world physics: The angle of reflection equals the angle of
incidence. But by reorienting vertex normals, you can set the angle of reflection
to be anything you want. The Edit Normals modifier lets you specify vertex
normals' directions, combine and separate them, change the type, and copy
and paste values among normals.
WARNING Don't apply an Edit Normals modifier to the low-res object used in
normal bump projection on page 7320. Normal bump projection relies on the low-res
object having standard normals, and altering them causes normal bump maps to
have unpredictable results.

Types of Normals
Three types of normals are available with the Edit Normals modifier:
■

Unspecified: These are the normals that the modifier derives from
smoothing groups and initially assigns to the modified mesh vertices. 3ds
Max calculates the direction of an unspecified normal based on the average
facing of all polygons to which it belongs that are in its smoothing group.
By default, each vertex has as many normals as the number of unique
smoothing groups used by surrounding polygons. For example, each side
of a box uses a different smoothing group by default, so each vertex at
which three sides meet (typically a corner) has three different normals:

1264 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

one perpendicular to each of the three sides. On the other hand, a sphere
uses a single smoothing group, so each of its vertices has one normal,
perpendicular to the average facing of the polygons that share it. By default,
unspecified normals are displayed as blue.
■

Specified: These are normals that are intended for use by particular corners
of particular faces, without regard to smoothing groups. For instance, you
might create a box, apply Edit Normals, select a group of normals at a
particular vertex, and click Unify. Now those three faces are told specifically
to use that one unified normal, and they ignore their smoothing groups
at that vertex. But specified normals are not set to explicit values; they
ignore smoothing groups, but they're still based on the face normals of
the faces that use them. Specified normals are displayed as cyan.

■

Explicit: These are normals that are set to particular values. For instance,
if you use the Move or Rotate command to change a normal from its default
value, it has to be made explicit, so it won't be recomputed based on the
face normals. Explicit normals are green by default.
NOTE Explicit normals are also considered to be specified.

NOTE A selected normal is always red. When not selected, its color indicates as
type, as noted above. You can find the customizable color entries on page 8860 for
these normal types in the Elements ➤ Geometry list. The three entry names are:
■

Normals - Explicit

■

Normals - Specified

■

Normals - Unspecified

Usage Examples
Following are two instances in which a 3D artist creating content for output
to a game engine might find practical use for the Edit Normals modifier:
■

An artist is working on a knight with a chrome shield. The chrome shield
has a DirectX cube map shader on page 9302 on it so that the artist can see
the reflections in the viewport. The artist would like to make the reflections
in the shield look "dented" by fights in battle. The artist applies the Edit
Normals modifier to the shield object. He then adjusts several of the
normals slightly, viewing the results in real time, thanks to the pixel shader.
He then exports the character with a custom export tool designed to handle
normal information.

Edit Normals Modifier | 1265

■

A game artist is working on an object that will explode in the game. To
do this, the game engine requires the object to be split into multiple objects:
the broken pieces that will result from the explosion. When the object is
broken apart in 3ds Max (using Slice), the normals are pointing in different
directions; this makes it easy to see the seams between the broken pieces.
To fix this, the artist selects all the pieces of the breaking object and applies
the Edit Normal modifier to all of them at once. She then selects the
normals across the seam and unifies them so they are pointing in the same
direction. The artist then exports to the game engine.

Usage Notes
Please observe the following notes and precautions when using the Edit
Normals modifier:
■

Edit Normals supports both poly objects (polygon-based) and mesh objects
(triangle-based). If you apply Edit Normals to a poly object, the result is a
poly object. If you apply Edit normals to any other object type, the result
is a mesh object.

■

Edit Normals also supports embedding of edited-normal data when
collapsing the stack, and when converting from poly object to mesh object,
but not when converting from a mesh object to any other object type. If
you apply Edit Normals to a primitive object, adjust the normals, and then
collapse the stack (or convert to Editable Mesh), 3ds Max embeds any
changes to the normals in the mesh object, including selection status.
Primitive objects are mesh-based, so if you convert the same object to
Editable Poly, the edited normals are lost. On the other hand, if you convert
a primitive object to Editable Poly, apply Edit Normals, adjust the normals,
and then collapse the stack, resulting in a poly object, the normals are
retained. You can subsequently regain access to embedded, edited normals
in a collapsed object by applying another Edit Normals modifier.

■

Any modifiers that change topology will remove changes applied to the
normals with the Edit Normals modifier. These include MeshSmooth,
Tessellate, Slice, Mirror, Symmetry, Face Extrude, and Vertex Weld. Oddly
enough, it also means that the Normal modifier (used to flip face
orientations) will not support the edited normals. Since Turn To Poly can
be used to modify face topology, it also strips off the edited normals.

■

All compound objects strip off the edited normals from their operands.

■

The good news: All deformation and map modifiers preserve the normals.
For instance, if you apply a Bend, the normals should be bent along with

1266 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

the geometry. Map modifiers, such as Unwrap UVW, won't affect the
normals at all.
■

However, a few geometric modifiers do not fully support the new normals.
They won't strip them away, but neither will they correctly deform any
explicit normals. Modifiers in this category include Push and Relax.

■

The Smooth modifier correctly modifies any non-specified normals, while
leaving the specified and explicit normals alone.

■

Like Mesh Select and Poly Select, Edit Normals “inherits” attributes from
below it in the stack. For example, if you create a box, apply an Edit
Normals modifier, change some normals, and then apply a second Edit
Normals modifier, the top Edit Normals "inherit" the user-specified normals
from the pipeline, just as Mesh Select adopts the current selection when
you apply it. But the top Edit Normals modifier ignores any subsequent
changes to the original Edit Normals modifier, just as Mesh Select ignores
any changes made to the selection below it in the stack after it is applied.

Edit Normals Modifier | 1267

Interface

The Edit Normals modifier is useful mainly at the sub-object level, Normal,
so this level is active by default as soon as you apply the modifier to an object.
At this point, you can see the normals as lines emanating from the mesh
vertices, select and transform them, copy and paste them, and change their
settings on the Modify panel.
You can transform normals only by moving and rotating them, not by scaling
them. However, moving a normal effectively rotates it, so in most cases you'll
have better control by using the Rotate tool.
The following command reference includes keyboard shortcuts, which are
available when the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 (on the
toolbar) is on. In addition, you can use Ctrl+0 (zero) to access the object level
of the modifier.

1268 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Select By group Lets you specify how to select normals in the viewport:
■

Normal (Ctrl+1): Click a normal to select it.

■

Vertex (Ctrl+2): Click a mesh vertex to select all of its normals.

■

Edge (Ctrl+3): Click a mesh edge to select the normals associated with the
neighboring polygons.

■

Face (Ctrl+4): Click a mesh face (or polygon) to select the associated
normals.

Of course, with all of these methods, you can also use region selection to select
multiple normals at once.
Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects affects only those facing
you. When off (the default), you can select any sub-object(s) under the mouse
cursor, regardless of their visibility or facing. If there are more than one
sub-object under the cursor, repeated clicking cycles through them. Likewise,
with Ignore Backfacing off, region selection includes all sub-objects, regardless
of the direction they face.
Show Handles Enables the display of handles, which are small squares at the
end of each normal. Turn this on to make it easier to select normals.
Display Length Specifies the length of each normal. This is for display
purposes only; the length has no effect on the normal's functionality.
Unify (U) Combines all selected normals at each vertex into a single specified
normal on page 1264 . By default, with Unify/Break To Average off, Unify sets
the direction for each unified normal to be perpendicular to the averaged
surface at that point. With Unify/Break To Average on, Unify sets the direction
be the average of the combined normals at each location.
Break (B) Separates all selected, unified normals into their original
components. With Unify/Break To Average off, Break orients each separated
normal perpendicular to its respective face, thus splaying out the normals at
each vertex if the connected faces are at different angles (as with a sphere).
With Unify/Break To Average on, each separated normal uses the orientation
of the original normal.
Break converts any selected normals to specified normals.
Unify/Break to Average Determines normal orientation as the result of a
Unify or Break operation. See the descriptions above for details. Default=off.

Edit Normals Modifier | 1269

Average group
These controls give you different methods of averaging vertex normals; that
is, setting them all to the same absolute angle, which is the average of their
combined angles.
Selected Sets selected normals to the same absolute angle: the average angle
of all of them. If Use Threshold is on, averages only normals whose distance
from each other is less than that specified in the Average Threshold spinner
(to the button's right).
Use Threshold Activates the Average Threshold setting, and causes the Selected
to average only normals whose distance from each other is less than the
specified value.
Target Enters an interactive mode in which you specify pairs of normals to
average. Click Target, and then select a normal. When the mouse cursor is
over a normal, it changes to a + symbol. After clicking the first normal, a
rubber-band dashed line connects the normal to the mouse cursor. Click a
second normal to average the angles of the two normals.
The Pixels spinner next to the Target button sets the maximum distance in
screen pixels between the mouse cursor and the target normal.

_____
Copy Value (Ctrl+C) Copies the selected normal's orientation to the copy
buffer. Available only when a single normal is selected.
Use Copy Value and Paste Value to apply a normal's orientation to one or
more others within the same Edit Normals modifier. You cannot copy normals
between modifiers.
Paste Value (Ctrl+V) Applies the paste buffer contents to the current selection.
Available only after Copy Value has been used to place a normal's orientation
in the copy, and one or more target normals are selected.
Specify (S) Converts selected normals to specified normals on page 1265.
Reset (R) Causes all selected normals to revert to unspecified on page 1264 status,
and returns them to their initial, calculated positions. Also breaks apart unified
normals.
Make Explicit (E) Converts selected normals to explicit normals on page 1265.
[Selection Display] When one normal is selected, shows its ID number. When
0 or more than one normal is selected, shows the number of normals selected.

1270 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit Patch Modifier
Create or select an object ➤
Space Modifiers ➤ Edit Patch

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object

Create or select an object ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤
Edit Patch
The Edit Patch modifier provides editing tools for different sub-object levels
of the selected object: vertex, handle, edge, patch, and element. The Edit Patch
modifier matches all the capabilities of the base Editable Patch object, except
that you cannot animate sub-objects in Edit Patch. See Editable Patch on page
2374 for a parameter reference.
Other than the inability to animate sub-objects with Edit Patch, the main
difference between Edit Patch and Editable Patch is that the modifier
incorporates the ability of the Surface modifier to generate a patch object from
a spline cage. For details, see Spline Surface on page 1272.
When possible, it’s far more efficient and reliable to perform explicit editing
on an Editable Patch object rather than store those edits within the Edit Patch
modifier. The Edit Patch modifier must copy the geometry passed to it, and
this storage can lead to large file sizes. The Edit Patch modifier also establishes
a topological dependency that can be adversely effected if earlier operations
change the topology being sent to it.
There are, however, situations where using the Edit Patch modifier is the
preferred method.
■

You want to edit a parametric object as a patch, but want to retain the
ability to modify its creation parameters after the edit.

■

You want to store your edits temporarily within Edit Patch until you are
satisfied with the results, before committing them permanently to an
editable patch.

■

You want to streamline your workflow with the Spline Surface tools, which
are unique to Edit Patch.

■

You need to make edits across several patch objects at once, but do not
want to convert them to a single editable patch object.

■

You have a modifier in the stack that must stay parametric, and the
resulting patch must be edited after the modifier is applied.

Edit Patch Modifier | 1271

Procedures
To create a patch object using the Cross Section and Spline Surface tools:
This procedure describes how to simplify the workflow of building objects
using a spline cage to which a patch surface is applied, a method described in
the Surface modifier on page 1711 topic as “Surface Tools.”
1 Create a spline object.
Make sure that the spline vertices form valid three-sided or four-sided
polygons. Vertices on splines that cross one another should be coincident.
To make spline vertices coincident, drag vertices over each other with
3D Snap turned on. 3D Snap must have the Vertex or End Point option
turned on. With 3D Snap turned on, you can snap to vertices on existing
splines as you create new splines. You can also select vertices and use the
Fuse option in an Editable Spline to make vertices coincident.
2 Convert the spline object to an Editable Spline, if necessary, or apply an
Edit Spline modifier.
3 Use the Cross Section command on page 567 in Edit/Editable Spline to
add splines connecting different splines in the spline object, thus creating
a spline cage.
4 Apply the Edit Patch modifier to the spline object.
By default, in Edit Patch the Geometry rollout ➤ Spline Surface group
➤ Generate Surface option is on, causing the modifier to create patches
over all valid three- and four-sided polygons in the spline cage.
5 Adjust the Spline Surface settings and edit the object as necessary. If you
modify the spline object, for best results, edit at the Vertex sub-object
level, and be sure to select all vertices at an intersection before moving
them.

Interface

1272 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Spline Surface group
The Geometry rollout ➤ Spline Surface group is found only in the Edit Patch
modifier; it's not available in the Editable Patch object. The group becomes
available when the object to which the Edit Patch modifier is applied consists
of splines. Its controls replicate the functionality of the Surface modifier on
page 1711.
For best results, apply the Spline Surface controls after creating a spline cage
with the CrossSection modifier on page 1240 or the Editable Spline Cross Section
command on page 567. The latter approach approximates the Surface Tools
workflow (described in the Surface Modifier topic), but with a simpler modifier
stack; instead of additional CrossSection and Surface modifiers, the stack need
contain only an Editable Spline object and an Edit Patch modifier.
Alternatively, you can use the Edit Spline modifier's Cross Section command.
Generate Surface Creates a patch surface using existing splines to define the
patch edges. Default=on.
Threshold Determines the overall distance that is used to weld the vertices
of the spline object. All vertices/vectors within the threshold distance of each
other are treated as one. Threshold uses units set in the Units Setup dialog on
page 8955. Default=1.0.
NOTE Spline control handles are also treated as vertices, so setting high Threshold
levels can produce unexpected results.
Flip Normals Reverses the facing direction of the patch surface. Default=off.
Remove Interior Patches Removes interior faces of an object that you would
not normally see. These are the faces created within the caps or other interior
patches of the same type of a closed polygon. Default=on.
Use Only Selected Segs Only segments selected in the Edit Spline modifier
or the editable spline object will be used by the Surface modifier to create
patches. Default=off.
NOTE Segment Sub-Object does not have to be left on in the Edit Spline modifier
or editable spline object.

Edit Patch Modifier | 1273

Edit Poly Modifier
Create or select an object. ➤
Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Edit Poly

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤

Create or select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Edit Poly
Create or select an object. ➤ modeling ribbon on page 1978 ➤ Polygon
Modeling panel ➤ Apply Edit Poly Mod
The Edit Poly modifier provides explicit editing tools for different sub-object
levels of the selected object: vertex, edge, border, polygon, and element. The
Edit Poly modifier includes most capabilities of the base Editable Poly object,
except for Vertex Color information, Subdivision Surface rollout, Weight and
Crease settings, and Subdivision Displacement rollout. Edit Poly lets you
animate sub-object transforms and parameter changes. In addition, because
it's a modifier, you can retain the object creation parameters and change them
later. For detailed information about animating with Edit Poly, see these
procedures on page 1281.
Edit Poly gives you these options:
■

Transform or Shift+Clone the selection, as with any object.

■

Use the options supplied on the Edit rollouts to modify the selection or
object. Later topics discuss these options for each of the polymesh
components.

■

Pass a sub-object selection to a modifier higher in the stack. You can apply
one or more standard modifiers to the selection.

TIP You can exit most Edit Poly command modes, such as Extrude, by right-clicking
in the active viewport.

Overriding Actions with Press/Release Keyboard Shortcuts
While working with poly objects, you can use a “press/release keyboard
shortcut” to temporarily override the current operation and perform a different
one. As soon as you release the keyboard shortcut, you return to the previous
operation.
For example, you might be working at the Polygon sub-object level, moving
polygons, and need to rotate the object to access a different part of it. Instead
of having to exit the Polygon sub-object level, rotate the object and then

1274 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

re-enter the sub-object level, you could simply press and hold 6, rotate the
object, release the key, and immediately return to moving polygons.
To see a list of press/release keyboard shortcuts, go to Customize ➤ Customize
User Interface ➤ Keyboard panel, open the Group drop-down list, and choose
Edit Poly or Editable Poly. The actions in boldface are the ones that you can
assign as press/release shortcuts. Not all are assigned; for information about
assigning keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Panel on page 8837.

The actions in boldface can function as press/release shortcuts.

Differences Between Edit Poly and Editable Poly
Functionality in Edit Poly is mostly the same as that of Editable Poly. Please
note the following differences:
■

Edit Poly is a modifier, with all properties that modifier status entails. These
include the ability to place Edit Poly above a base object and other modifiers
on the stack, to move the modifier to different locations in the stack, and
to apply multiple Edit Poly modifiers to the same object, each containing
different modeling or animation operations.

■

Edit Poly has two distinct modes of operation: Model and Animate. See
Edit Poly Mode rollout on page 1284.

■

Edit Poly eliminates the Full Interactivity switch; this feature is on all the
time.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1275

■

Edit Poly provides two new ways of obtaining an existing selection from
lower in the stack: Use Stack Selection on page 1291 and Get Stack Selection
on page 1298.

■

In addition to the caddies on page 2338 in common with Editable Poly, Edit
Poly gives you an Align Geometry dialog on page 1366, available from the
Settings button on the Edit Poly Mode rollout on page 1284.

■

Edit Poly lacks Editable Poly's Subdivision Surface and Subdivision
Displacement rollouts. There are no Weight or Crease settings for vertices,
edges, or borders. If you need to use Weight and Crease settings with Edit
Poly, apply a Meshsmooth modifier on page 1450, set Iterations to 0, and
then make the settings as desired. Also, there is no provision for setting
vertex properties such as color.

■

In Animate mode, you begin a slice operation by clicking Slice, not Slice
Plane. You still need to click Slice Plane to move the plane around. You
can animate the slice plane.

■

In some cases, several Undo commands on page 217 might be required to
revert from changes made with certain Edit Poly operations, such as
Extrude.
For example, if you extrude a polygon using the Extrude Polygons dialog
on page 2358, there will be three Undo actions. The first undoes the Commit,
which happens automatically when you click the dialog OK button at the
end; the second undoes the change in height (from 0 to the height you
set); and the third undoes the entry into the Extrude operation.

Following is a table showing the Edit Poly functions that are and are not
animatable. Functions that are not animatable are unavailable in Animate
mode. Functions marked “Yes” can be animated explicitly in Animate mode.
Functions marked “Proc” cannot be animated explicitly, but can be animated
procedurally. This means they can be applied to different parts of the Edit
Poly object at different points in the animation by means of an animated
sub-object selection passed up the stack. For further information, see this
procedure on page 1282.
Function

Animatable?

Transform sub-objects

Yes

Shift+Transform sub-objects

Yes

Constraints

No

1276 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Function

Animatable?

Preserve UVs

No

By Vertex

No

Ignore Backfacing

No

Ring

No

Loop

No

Shrink

No

Grow

No

Selection conversion

No

Named Selection copy/paste

No

Soft Selection (most settings)

Yes (but not painting soft selection)

Shaded Face toggle

No

Delete

Proc

Create Vertex

No

Create Face

No

Create Edge

No

Collapse

Proc

Attach / Attach List

No

Detach

No

Slice

Yes

Quickslice

No

Cut

No

Edit Poly Modifier | 1277

Function

Animatable?

MSmooth

Proc

Tessellate

Proc

Make Planar

Proc

View Align

Yes

Grid Align

Yes

Relax

Yes

Hide Selected

No

Hide Unselected

No

Unhide All

No

Remove

Proc

Break

Proc

Extrude

Yes

Chamfer

Yes

Bridge

Yes

Weld (selected)

Proc (can animate Weld Threshold)

Target Weld

No

Connect

Yes

Remove Isolated Vertices

Proc

Remove Unused Map Verts

Proc

Remove

Yes

Split

Yes

1278 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Function

Animatable?

Insert Vertex

No

Weld (selected)

Yes (Threshold)

Target Weld

No

Connect (Vertex)

Proc

Connect (Edge)

Yes

Create Shape

No

Edit Triangulation

No

Cap

Proc

Insert Vertex

No

Extrude

Yes

Bevel

Yes

Outline

Yes

Inset

Yes

Retriangulate

Proc

Flip

Proc

Hinge from Edge

Yes

Extrude Along Spline

Yes

Set Material ID

Yes

Select by Material ID

No

Set Smoothing Group

Yes

Select by Smoothing Group

No

Edit Poly Modifier | 1279

Function

Animatable?

Auto Smooth

Proc

Edit Poly Workflow
Edit Poly differs from other Edit modifiers in 3ds Max in that it provides two
different modes, available on the Edit Poly Mode rollout: one for modeling
and another for animating. By default, Edit Poly operates in Model mode,
whose functionality is mostly the same as that of Editable Poly. Alternatively,
you can work in Animate mode, which makes available only functions that
you can animate.
Each Edit Poly modifier can preserve any number of keyframes animating a
single operation type, such as transforming faces, on the same sub-object
selection. To animate other parts of the object, or to animate a different
operation on the same sub-object selection, just use another Edit Poly modifier.
You’ll find functions specific to the active sub-object level on a special rollout,
leaving the Edit Geometry rollout with functions that can be used at most
sub-object levels, as well as at the object level.
Also, many commands are accompanied by a Settings button, which gives
you a second way to use the command:
■

In Direct Manipulation mode, activated by clicking the command button,
you apply the command by manipulating sub-objects directly in the
viewport. An example of this is Extrude: You click the Extrude button, and
then click and drag sub-objects in the viewports to extrude them.
NOTE Some buttons, such as Tessellate, operate on the mesh immediately,
with no viewport manipulation required.

■

Interactive Manipulation mode is well suited to experimentation. You
activate this mode by clicking the command's Settings button. This opens
a non-modal settings interface (typically a caddy on page 2339) and places
you in a preview mode, where you can set parameters and see the results
immediately in the viewport on the current sub-object selection. You can
then accept the results or cancel the operation. Alternatively, you can
apply the settings to the current sub-object selection and then make one
or more subsequent selections and apply or change the settings. Make the
selection, optionally change the settings, click Apply And Continue, and
then repeat with a different selection.

1280 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

IMPORTANT When you click Apply And Continue, the settings are “baked
into” the selection, and then applied again to the selection as a preview. If you
then click OK to exit, you will have applied the settings twice. If your intention
is to apply them only once, simply click OK the first time, or click Apply And
Continue and then Cancel.
NOTE Changes implemented in Interactive Manipulation mode with editable
poly objects cannot be animated. However, they can with Edit Poly objects.

See also:
■

Poly Select Modifier on page 1529

■

Turn To Poly Modifier on page 1779

■

Editable Poly Surfaceeditable poly on page 2240

Procedures
To animate an Edit Poly operation on a sub-object selection:

1

Select an object.

2 Apply the Edit Poly modifier.

3 Go to the first frame at which to set a key and turn on
Key).

4 On the

5

(Auto

Modify panel ➤ Edit Poly Mode rollout, choose Animate.

Make a sub-object selection.

6 Perform an operation on the selection, such as a transform or extrusion.
7 Proceed to the next keyframe and continue to change settings for the
current operation and sub-object selection.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1281

If you change the selection, the existing animation is applied to the new
selection, and lost from the previous one. If you change the operation,
any changes from the previous animation are frozen (that is, “baked”
into the model) at the current frame, and only new keyframes are recorded
in the current Edit Poly modifier.
To animate different sub-object selections using different operations, use
multiple applications of the Edit Poly modifier.
To apply an Edit Poly operation to an animated sub-object selection:
This procedure demonstrates procedural animation with Edit Poly: the ability
to change the location of application on an object during an animation using
an existing, animated sub-object selection.

1

Select an object.

2 Create an animated sub-object selection. One way to do this is to apply
a Volume Select modifier on page 1944 and animate the gizmo's transform,
or animate the modifier effect by using an animated texture map.
3 Apply the Edit Poly modifier.
4 Go to the same sub-object level in Edit Poly, and then, on the Selection
rollout, turn on Use Stack Selection.
5 Scrub the time slider.
The animated selection appears on the Edit Poly object.

6 On the

Modify panel ➤ Edit Poly Mode rollout, choose Animate.

7 Perform an operation on the sub-object selection, such as a chamfer or
extrusion. You don’t need to turn on Auto Key or use Set Key.
NOTE With Use Stack Selection on, you can't change the selection.

Now, when you
play the animation, the Edit Poly effect moves
along with the animation of the sub-object selection.
If you decide to animate a different function procedurally, first click Edit
Poly Mode rollout ➤ Cancel.

1282 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Example: To apply an Edit Poly operation procedurally to an animated model:
Edit Poly lets you layer an animated sub-object operation on top of an existing
animation. Try this brief example:
1 Create an animated model, such as a box with an animated Bend modifier.
2 Apply an Edit Poly modifier, and on the Edit Poly Mode rollout, choose
Animate. Also turn on

(Auto Key).

3 Go to the Polygon sub-object level.
4 Go to frame 20 and extrude a polygon.

5

Play the animation.
The extrusion animation plays “on top” of the existing animation. This
isn't possible with the Edit Mesh modifier.

Interface
Stack Display
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.
Show End Result Because Edit Poly is a modifier, if you apply further modifiers
and then return to the Edit Poly stack entry, Show End Result is on by default,
and you can still see the results of any modifiers above Edit Poly on the stack.
This is different from the Editable Poly object, where if you apply a modifier
such as Symmetry on page 1752 and then return to the Editable Poly stack entry,
you cannot see the effect of the modifier on the object's geometry. While at
a sub-object level, if you turn on Show Cage on the Edit Poly Mode rollout,
you can see the final object as a white mesh, the original sub-object selection
as a yellow mesh, and the original Edit Poly object as an orange mesh.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1283

Edit Poly Mode rollout

This rollout provides access to Edit Poly's two modes of operation: Model, for
modeling, and Animate, for animation of modeling effects. For example, you
can animate the Taper and Twist settings for polygons extruded along a spline.
During and between sessions, 3ds Max remembers the current mode for each
object separately. The same mode remains active at all sub-object levels.
Edit Poly Mode also gives you access to the current operation's caddy on page
2338, if any, and lets you commit to or cancel out of modeling and animation
changes.
Model Lets you model using the Edit Poly functions. Operations in Model
mode cannot be animated.
Animate Lets you animate using the Edit Poly functions.
In addition to choosing Animate, you must turn on Auto Key on page 8679 or
use Set Key on page 8682 for animating sub-object transforms and parameter
changes. Alternatively, in Animate mode you can apply a single command,
such as Extrude or Chamfer, to an animated sub-object selection passed up
the stack.
TIP If you use Set Key to animate with Edit Poly, be sure to turn on Key Filters ➤
Modifiers.

1284 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

NOTE The Edit Poly modifier can store any number of keyframes animating a
single operation, such as transforming polygons, on the same sub-object selection.
Use additional Edit Poly modifiers to:
■

animate other parts of the object

■

animate repeated applications of the same operation on the same sub-object
selection

■

animate repeated applications of a different operation on the same
sub-object selection

For example, say you want to animate a polygon extruding from an object
from frame 1 to 10, and then moving back to the original position over the
next 10 frames. You can accomplish this with a single Edit Poly modifier using
the Extrude function, setting one keyframe at 10 and another at 20. However,
say you want to animate a polygon extruding outward, and then animate
movement of one of the resultant side polygons. In that case, you'd need two
Edit Poly modifiers: one for the extrusion, and another for the poly transform.
TIP While modeling in Animate mode, you can use Commit on page 1285 to freeze
the animation at the current frame.
[label] Shows the current command, if any. Otherwise, it shows .
When you're working in Model mode using direct manipulation (that is,
working in the viewports), the label shows the current operation during drag
operations, and then returns to the unavailable state.
When you're working in Model mode using a caddy on page 2338, or in Animate
mode using direct manipulation or a caddy, the label continually shows the
current operation.
Commit In Model mode, using a caddy, accepts any changes and closes the
caddy (same as the OK button on the caddy). In Animate mode, freezes the
animated selection in its state at the current frame and closes the dialog. Any
existing keyframes are lost.
TIP Commit lets you use animation as a modeling aid. For example, you could
animate a vertex selection between two positions, scrub between the two to find
a suitable in-between position, and then use Commit to freeze the model at that
point.
Settings Toggles the caddy on page 2338 for the current command.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1285

Cancel Cancels the most recently used command.
Show Cage Toggles the display of a two-color wireframe that shows the
editable poly object before modification or subdivision. The cage colors are
shown as swatches to the right of the check box. The first color represents
unselected sub-objects, and the second color represents selected sub-objects.
Change a color by clicking its swatch. The Show Cage toggle is available only
at sub-object levels.

The cage displays the original structure of the edited object.

Typically this feature is used in conjunction with the MeshSmooth modifier
on page 1450 because it lets you easily toggle visibility of the unsmoothed base
object while simultaneously viewing the smoothed result, but it works with
any modifier.
TIP Show Cage is also particularly helpful when used with the Symmetry modifier
on page 1752.

Selection rollout
The Selection rollout provides tools for accessing different sub-object levels
and display settings and for creating and modifying selections. See Selection
Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) on page 1287.

1286 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions and any deformation modifiers (such as
Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit (sub-object) rollout
The Edit (sub-object) rollouts provide sub-object-specific functions for editing
an Edit Poly object and its sub-objects. For specific information, click any of
the following links:
Edit Poly (Object) on page 1299
Edit Poly (Vertex) on page 1301
Edit Poly (Edge) on page 1310
Edit Poly (Border) on page 1331
Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) on page 1338

Edit Geometry rollout
The Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly)edit geometry
rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry rollout on page 1352provides
global functions for editing an Edit Poly object and its sub-objects.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier)
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

Edit Poly Modifier | 1287

The Selection rollout provides tools for accessing different sub-object levels
and display settings and for creating and modifying selections. It also displays
information about selected entities.
When you first access the Modify panel with an Edit Poly object selected,
you're at the Object level, with several functions available as described in Edit
Poly (Object) on page 1299. You can toggle the various sub-object levels and
access relevant functions by clicking the buttons at the top of the Selection
rollout.
Clicking a button here is the same as choosing a sub-object type in the modifier
stack display. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the Object
selection level.

Converting Sub-object Selections
You can convert sub-object selections in three different ways with the use of
the Ctrl and Shift keys:
■

To convert the current selection to a different sub-object level, clicking a
sub-object button on the Selection rollout with Ctrl held down. This selects
all sub-objects at the new level that touch the previous selection. For
example, if you select a vertex, and then Ctrl+click the Polygon button, all
polygons that use that vertex are selected.

■

To convert the selection to only sub-objects all of whose source components
are originally selected, hold down both Ctrl and Shift as you change the
level. For example, if you convert a vertex selection to a polygon selection
with Ctrl+Shift+click, the resultant selection includes only those polygons
all of whose vertices were originally selected.

■

To convert the selection to only sub-objects that border the selection, hold
down Shift as you change the level. The selection conversion is inclusive,
meaning:
■

When you convert faces, the resulting selection of edges or vertices all
belong to selected faces that bordered unselected faces. Only the edges
or vertices that bordered unselected faces are selected.

1288 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Face selection (left) converted to vertex border (center) and edge border (right)

■

When you convert vertices to faces, the resulting selection of faces had
all of their vertices selected and bordered unselected faces. When you
convert vertices to edges, the resulting selection contains only edges
all of whose vertices were previously selected and only edges of faces
that did not have all vertices selected; that is, of faces around the border
of the vertex selection.

Vertex selection (left) converted to edge border (center) and face border (right)

■

When you convert edges to faces, the resulting selection of faces had
some but not all of their edges selected, and were next to faces with no
edges selected. When you convert edges to vertices, the resulting vertices
are on previously selected edges, but only at intersections where not
all edges were selected.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1289

Edge selection (left) converted to face border (center) and vertex border (right)

NOTE
Conversion commands are also available from the quad menu.

Interface

Vertex Accesses the Vertex sub-object level, which lets you select a
vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects vertices within the region.

1290 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edge Accesses the Edge sub-object level, which lets you select a polygon
edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges within the
region.
Border Accesses the Border sub-object level, which lets you select a
sequence of edges that borders a hole in the mesh. A border comprises only
connected edges with faces on only one side of them, and is always a complete
loop. For example, a default box primitive doesn't have a border, but the teapot
object has a couple of them: one each on the lid, the body, and the spout,
and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder and delete one end, the row
of edges around that end forms a border.
When Border sub-object level is active, you can't select edges that aren't on
borders. Clicking a single edge on a border selects that whole border.
You can cap a border, either with the Cap function on page 1334 or by applying
the Cap Holes modifier on page 1124. You can also connect borders between
objects with the Connect compound object on page 628.
NOTE
The Edge and Border sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one to
the other, any existing selection is retained.

Polygon Accesses the Polygon sub-object level, which lets you select
polygons beneath the cursor. Region selection selects multiple polygons within
the region.

Element Accesses the Element sub-object level, which lets you select
all contiguous polygons in an object. Region selection lets you select multiple
elements.
NOTE
The Polygon and Element sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one
to the other, any existing selection is retained.
Use Stack Selection When on, Edit Poly automatically uses any existing
sub-object selection passed up the stack, and prevents you from manually
changing the selection.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1291

By Vertex When on, you can select sub-objects only by selecting a vertex that
they use. When you click a vertex, all sub-objects that use the selected vertex
are selected.
Not available at the Vertex sub-object level.
Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects affects only those facing
you. When off (the default), you can select any sub-object(s) under the mouse
cursor, regardless of their visibility or facing. If there are more than one
sub-object under the cursor, repeated clicking cycles through them. Likewise,
with Ignore Backfacing off, region selection includes all sub-objects, regardless
of the direction they face.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull on page 145 setting on the Display panel does
not affect sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is off, you can still select
sub-objects even if you can't see them.
By Angle When on, selecting a polygon also selects neighboring polygons
based on the angle setting to the right of the check box. This value determines
the maximum angle between neighboring polygons to select. Available only
at the Polygon sub-object level.
For example, if you click a side of a box and the angle value is less than 90.0,
only that side is selected, because all sides are at 90-degree angles to each
other. But if the angle value is 90.0 or greater, all sides of the box are selected.
This function speeds up selection of contiguous areas made up of polygons
that are at similar angles to one another. You can select coplanar polygons
with a single click at any angle value.
Shrink Reduces the sub-object selection area by deselecting the outermost
sub-objects. If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the remaining
sub-objects are deselected.
Grow Expands the selection area outward in all available directions.
For this function, a border is considered to be an edge selection.

1292 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

With Shrink and Grow, you can add or remove neighboring elements from the edges
of your current selection. This works at any sub-object level.

Ring Expands an edge selection by selecting all edges parallel to the selected
edges. Ring applies only to edge and border selections.

TIP
You can select an edge ring quickly by selecting an edge and then
Shift+clicking another edge in the same ring.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1293

Ring selection adds to the selection all the edges that are parallel to the ones selected
originally.

TIP After making a ring selection, you can use Connect on page 1326 to subdivide
the associated polygons into new edge loops.

[Ring Shift] The spinner next to the Ring button lets you move
the selection in either direction to other edges in the same ring; that is, to
neighboring, parallel edges. If you have a loop selected, you can use this
function to select a neighboring loop. Applies only to Edge and Border
sub-object levels.

1294 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: Original loop selection
Upper right: Ring Shift up moves selection outward (from center of model).
Lower right: Ring Shift down moves selection inward (toward center of model).

To expand the selection in the chosen direction, Ctrl+click the up or down
spinner button. To shrink the selection in the chosen direction, Alt+click the
up or down spinner button.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for Ring Shift:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1295

Loop Expands an edge selection as far as possible, in alignment with selected
edges.
Loop selection propagates only through four-way junctions.

TIP
You can select a loop quickly at any sub-object level except Element
by selecting a sub-object and then Shift+clicking another sub-object in the same
loop.

Loop selection extends your current edge selection by adding all the edges aligned to
the ones selected originally.

[Loop Shift] The spinner next to the Loop button lets you move
the selection in either direction to other edges in the same loop; that is, to
neighboring, aligned edges. If you have a ring selected, you can use this
function to select a neighboring ring. Applies only to Edge and Border
sub-object levels.

1296 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: Original ring selection
Upper right: Loop Shift up moves selection outward.
Lower right: Loop Shift down moves selection inward.

To expand the selection in the chosen direction, Ctrl+click the up or down
spinner button. To shrink the selection in the chosen direction, Alt+click the
up or down spinner button.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for Loop Shift:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1297

Get Stack Selection Replaces the current selection with the sub-object selection
passed up the stack. You can then modify this selection using standard
methods.
If no selection exists in the stack, all sub-objects are unselected.

Preview Selection

This option lets you preview a sub-object selection before committing to it.
You can preview at the current sub-object level, or switch sub-object levels
automatically based on the mouse position. The choices are:
■

OffNo preview is available.

■

SubObjEnables previewing at the current sub-object level only. As you
move the mouse over the object, the sub-object under the cursor highlights
in yellow. To select the highlighted object, click the mouse.
To select multiple sub-objects at the current level, press and hold Ctrl,
move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click to select all
highlighted sub-objects.

Polygon sub-object selection preview with Ctrl held down

1298 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

To deselect multiple sub-objects at the current level, press and hold Ctrl+Alt,
move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click a selected
sub-object. This deselects all highlighted sub-objects.
■

MultiWorks like SubObj, but also switches among the Vertex, Edge, and
Polygon sub-object levels on the fly, based on the mouse position. For
example, if you position the mouse over an edge, the edge highlights, and
then clicking activates the Edge sub-object level and selects the edge.
To select multiple sub-objects of the same type, press and hold Ctrl after
highlighting a sub-object, move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects,
and then click to activate that sub-object level and select all highlighted
sub-objects.
To deselect multiple sub-objects at the current sub-object level, press and hold
Ctrl+Alt, move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click a
selected sub-object. This deselects all highlighted sub-objects. Note that
this method does not switch sub-object levels.

NOTE When Ignore Backfacing on page 1292 is off, you’ll see backfacing vertices
and edges highlight while previewing a sub-object selection.

Selection Information
At the bottom of the Selection rollout is a text display giving information
about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object is selected, the
text gives the number and type selected; for example, “4 Polygons Selected.”
If one sub-object is selected, the text gives the identification number and type
of the selected item; for example, “Polygon 73 Selected.”
When using Preview Selection on page 1298, a second line gives additional
information about the identity or number of highlighted sub-objects.

Edit Poly (Object)
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤

Modify panel

Edit Poly (Object) functions are available when no sub-object levels are active.
These functions are also available at all sub-object levels, and work the same
in each mode, except as noted below.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1299

Interface
Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

1300 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit Poly (Vertex)
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

Vertex

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤
➤ Expand Edit Poly. ➤ Vertex

Modify panel ➤ Modify Stack display

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Vertex
Vertices are points in space: They define the structure of other sub-objects
that make up the poly object. When vertices are moved or edited, the geometry
they form is affected as well. Vertices can also exist independently; such
isolated vertices can be used to construct other geometry but are otherwise
invisible when rendering.
At the Edit Poly (Vertex) sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
vertices and move them using standard methods. This topic covers the Edit
Vertices and Edit Geometry rollouts; for other controls, see Edit Poly Modifier
on page 1274.

Procedures
To weld polygon vertices:
You can use either of two methods to combine several vertices into one, also
known as welding. If the vertices are very close together, use the Weld function.
You can also use Weld to combine a number of vertices to the average position
of all of them.
Alternatively, to combine two vertices that are far apart, resulting in a single
vertex that's in the same position as one of them, use Target Weld.
1 To use Weld:
1 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary.
This ensures that you're welding only vertices you can see.
2 Select the vertices to weld.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1301

3 If the vertices are very close together, simply click Weld. If that
doesn't work, proceed to the next step.
4 Click

(Settings) to the right of the Weld button.

This opens the Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372.
5 Increase the Weld Threshold value gradually using the spinner (click
and hold on the up-down arrow buttons to the right of the numeric
field and then drag upward). If you need the value to change more
quickly, hold down the Ctrl key as you drag.
When the threshold equals or exceeds the distance between two or
more of the vertices, the weld occurs automatically, and the resulting
vertex moves to their average location.
6 If not all the vertices are welded, continue increasing the Weld
Threshold value until they are.
7 Click OK to exit.
2 To use Target Weld:
1 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary.
This ensures that you're welding only vertices you can see.
2 Find two vertices you want to weld, and determine the ultimate
location of the resulting vertex. The two vertices must be contiguous;
that is, they must be connected by a single edge.
For this example, we'll call the vertices A and B, and the resulting
vertex will be at vertex B's location.
3 Click the Target Weld button.
The button stays highlighted, to indicate that you're now in Target
Weld mode.
4 Click vertex A and then move the mouse.
A rubber-band line connects the vertex and the mouse cursor.
5 Position the cursor over vertex B, whereupon the cursor image
changes from an arrow to a crosshairs. Reminder: Only vertices
connected to the first vertex by a single edge qualify for target
welding.
6 Click to weld the two.
The resulting vertex remains at vertex B's position.

1302 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

7 Click Target Weld again to turn it off.

Interface
Edit Poly Mode rollout
See Edit Poly Mode rollout on page 1284 for information on the Edit Poly Mode
rollout settings.

Selection rollout
See Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) on page 1287 for information on the
Selection rollout settings.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Vertices rollout

This rollout includes commands specific to vertex editing.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1303

NOTE To delete vertices, select them and press the Delete key. This can create
one or more holes in the mesh. To delete vertices without creating holes, use
Remove (see following).
Remove Deletes selected vertices and combines the polygons that use them.
The keyboard shortcut is Backspace.

Removing one or more vertices deletes them and retriangulates the mesh to keep the
surface intact. If you use Delete instead, the polygons depending on those vertices are
deleted as well, creating a hole in the mesh.

WARNING Use of Remove can result in mesh shape changes and non-planar
polygons.
Break Creates a new vertex for each polygon attached to selected vertices,
allowing the polygon corners to be moved away from each other where they
were once joined at each original vertex. If a vertex is isolated or used by only
one polygon, it is unaffected.
Extrude Lets you extrude vertices manually via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any vertex to extrude
it.
Extruding a vertex moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the vertex to the object. The
extrusion has the same number of sides as the number of polygons that
originally used the extruded vertex.

1304 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Following are important aspects of vertex extrusion:
■

When over a selected vertex, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple vertices selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
vertices equally.

■

You can drag other vertices in turn to extrude them while the Extrude
button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded vertex

Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Vertices caddy on page 2360, which
lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1305

If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Weld Combines contiguous, selected vertices that fall within the tolerance
specified in Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372. All edges become connected to
the resulting single vertex.

Using Weld at the Vertex level
Vertices farther apart than the Threshold distance are not welded.

Weld is best suited to automatically simplifying geometry that has areas with
a number of vertices that are very close together. Before using Weld, set the
Weld Threshold via the Weld caddy on page 2372. To weld vertices that are
relatively far apart, use Target Weld on page 1308 instead.
Weld Settings Opens the Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372, which lets you
specify the weld threshold.
Chamfer Click this button and then drag vertices in the active object. To
chamfer vertices numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button and use the
Chamfer Amount value.
If you chamfer multiple selected vertices, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected vertex, any selected vertices are first deselected.
Each chamfered vertex is effectively replaced by a new face that connects new
points on all edges leading to the original vertex. These new points are exactly
 distance from the original vertex along each of these edges.
New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the neighboring

1306 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an intersection of
all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one corner of a box, the single corner vertex is
replaced by a triangular face whose vertices move along the three edges that
led to the corner. Outside faces are rearranged and split to use these three new
vertices, and a new triangle is created at the corner.
Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered vertices; for
details, see Chamfer on page 2351.

Top: The original vertex selection
Center: Vertices chamfered
Bottom: Vertices chamfered with Open on

Chamfer Settings Opens the Chamfer caddy on page 2351, which lets you
chamfer vertices via interactive manipulation and toggle the Open option.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1307

If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.
Target Weld Allows you to select a vertex and weld it to a neighboring target
vertex. Target Weld works only with pairs of contiguous vertices; that is,
vertices connected by a single edge.
In Target Weld mode, the mouse cursor, when positioned over a vertex,
changes to a + cursor. Click and then move the mouse; a dashed, rubber-band
line connects the vertex to the mouse cursor. Position the cursor over another,
neighboring vertex and when the + cursor appears again, click the mouse. The
first vertex moves to the position of the second and the two are welded. Target
Weld remains active until you click the button again or right-click in the
viewport.
Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected vertices.

Connect does not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all
four vertices of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only two of the
vertices will be connected. In this case, to connect all four vertices with new
edges, use Cut on page 1361.
Remove Isolated Vertices Deletes all vertices that don't belong to any
polygons.
Remove Unused Map Verts Certain modeling operations can leave unused
(isolated) map vertices that show up in the Unwrap UVW editor on page 1807,
but cannot be used for mapping. You can use this button to automatically
delete these map vertices.

1308 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1309

Edit Poly (Edge)
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

Edge

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤
➤ Expand Edit Poly. ➤ Edge

Modify panel ➤ Modifier Stack display

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Edge
An edge is a line connecting two vertices that forms the side of a polygon. An
edge can't be shared by more than two polygons. Also, the normals of the two
polygons should be adjacent. If they aren't, you wind up with two edges that
share vertices.
At the Edit Poly Edge sub-object level, you can select single and multiple edges
and transform them using standard methods. This topic covers the Edit
Geometry and Edit Edges rollouts; for other controls, see Edit Poly Modifier
on page 1274.

Procedures
Example: To use the Cut and Turn features:
3ds Max provides a convenient function for turning edges, which, along with
the Cut feature, streamlines the custom modeling process considerably.
Specifically, cutting a new polygon into existing geometry minimizes the
number of extra visible edges, typically adding none or one. And after using
cut, the Turn function lets you adjust any diagonal with a single click.
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a Plane object. This object is available

from the
Create panel ➤
Primitives ➤ Object Type rollout.

(Geometry) ➤ Standard

By default, the Plane object is divided into 4 x 4 polygons. If you don't
see the polygons in the Perspective viewport, press F4 to activate Edged
Faces view mode.

1310 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

2 Convert the Plane object to Editable Poly format. If you're not sure how,
continue in this step; otherwise, skip to the next step after converting.
To convert the object, right-click once in the Perspective viewport to exit
create mode. This leaves the object selected. Right-click again in the
Perspective viewport, and then at the bottom of the Transform quadrant,
choose Convert To ➤ Convert To Editable Poly. Alternatively, apply the
Edit Poly modifier.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1311

The object is now an editable poly and the command panel switches to
the Modify panel.
3 Cut is available at the object level as well as at every sub-object level. On
the Edit Geometry rollout, find the Cut button, and then click it.
4 In the Perspective viewport, position the mouse cursor in the center of
a corner polygon, such as the one closest to you, click once, and then
move the mouse around the viewport.

1312 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Two or three lines appear and move as you move the mouse. One line
connects the mouse cursor to the original click location, and indicates
where the next cut will appear when you click the mouse button. Another
connects to a corner of the polygon; this connection changes depending
on the mouse position. And, if the cursor isn't over an edge or a vertex
(it changes appearance if it is, depending on which), a third line connects
the mouse cursor to another vertex.
This demonstrates one aspect of the new Cut functionality; in previous
versions, the first click in a Cut operation connected to two corners of
the polygon.
5 Continue cutting in a rectangular pattern, clicking once at the center of
a different polygon, finish by clicking once more at the starting point,
and then right-click to exit Cut mode.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1313

The result is a rectangle across four polygons, without any connecting
visible edges. In previous versions, you would have had eight connecting
visible edges: two in each of the original polygons. Note that all the edges
you created are selected, and ready for further transformation or editing.
6 Cut a rectangle into the center of a single polygon.
In this case you end up with a single, additional visible edge instead of
seven, as in previous versions. The edge connects corner of the new
polygon with a corner of the original one. This new edge is not selected,
but the ones you created explicitly are.

1314 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Connecting the remaining corners are a number of diagonals on page
9136, which serve to fully triangulate the polygons. The new Turn function
lets you manipulate each of these with a single click.
7 Go to the Edge sub-object level, and then, on the Edit Edges rollout, click
Turn.
All diagonals, including those created from the Cut operations, appear
as dashed lines.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1315

8 Click a diagonal to turn it, and then click it again to return it to its original
status.

In Turn mode, click a diagonal (dashed line) once to turn it.

Each diagonal has only two different available positions, given no changes
in any other diagonals' or edges' positions.
Compare this with the Edit Triangulation tool, with which you must
click two vertices to change a diagonal's position.
This simple demonstration shows how, when manually subdividing a
polygon mesh for modeling and animation purposes, you can save a good
deal of time by using the Cut and Turn tools in 3ds Max.
To create a shape from one or more edges:

1

Select the edges you want to make into shapes.

2 On the Edit Edges rollout, click Create Shape From Selection.
3 Make changes, as needed, on the Create Shape dialog that appears.
■

Enter a curve name or keep the default.

■

Choose Smooth or Linear as the shape type.

4 Click OK.
The resulting shape consists of one or more splines whose vertices are
coincident with the vertices in the selected edges. The Smooth option
results in vertices using smooth values, while the Linear option results
in linear splines with corner vertices.

1316 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

If the selected edges are not continuous, or if they branch, the resulting
shape will consist of more than one spline. When the Create Shape
function runs into a branching 'Y' in the edges, it makes an arbitrary
decision as to which edge produces which spline. If you need to control
this, select only those edges that will result in a single spline, and perform
a Create Shape operation repeatedly to make the correct number of shapes.
Finally, use Attach on page 589 in the Editable Spline to combine the
shapes into one.

Above: Original object

Edit Poly Modifier | 1317

Below: Object with edges selected

Above: Selected edges removed from original object
Below: Unwanted edges removed

1318 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface
Edit Poly Mode rollout
See Edit Poly Mode rollout on page 1284 for information on the Edit Poly Mode
rollout settings.

Selection rollout
See Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) on page 1287 for information on the
Selection rollout settings.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Edges rollout

This rollout includes commands specific to edge editing.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1319

NOTE To delete edges, select them and press the Delete key. This deletes all
selected edges and attached polygons, which can create one or more holes in the
mesh. To delete edges without creating holes, use Remove (see following entry).
Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide visible edges manually.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click an edge to add a vertex at that location.
You can continue subdividing polygons as long as the command is active.
To stop inserting edges, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex again
to turn it off.
Remove Deletes selected edges and combines the polygons that use them.

Removing one edge is like making it invisible. The mesh is affected only when all or all
but one of the edges depending on one vertex are removed. At that point, the vertex
itself is deleted and the surface is retriangulated.

To delete the associated vertices when you remove edges, press and hold Ctrl
while executing a Remove operation, either by mouse or with the Backspace
key. This option, called Clean Remove, ensures that the remaining polygons
are planar.

1320 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: The original edge selection
Center: Standard Remove operation leaves extra vertices.
Right: Clean Remove with Ctrl+Remove deletes the extra vertices.

Edges with the same polygon on both sides usually can't be removed.
WARNING Use of Remove can result in mesh shape changes and non-planar
polygons.
Split Divides the mesh along the selected edges.
This does nothing when applied to a single edge in the middle of a mesh. The
vertices at the end of affected edges must be separable in order for this option
to work. For example, it would work on a single edge that intersects an existing
border, since the border vertex can be split in two. Additionally, two adjacent
edges could be split in the middle of a grid or sphere, since the shared vertex
can be split.
Extrude Lets you extrude edges manually via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any edge to extrude
it.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1321

When extruding a vertex or edge interactively in the viewport, you set the extrusion
height by moving the mouse vertically and the base width by moving the mouse
horizontally.

Extruding an edge moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the edge to the object. The
extrusion has either three or four sides; three if the edge was on a border, or
four if it was shared by two polygons. As you increase the length of the
extrusion, the base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to
the extruded edge's endpoints.
Following are important aspects of edge extrusion:
■

When over a selected edge, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple edges selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
edges equally.

■

You can drag other edges in turn to extrude them while the Extrude button
is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport to end
the operation.

1322 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Chamfer box showing extruded edge

Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Edges caddy on page 2360, which lets
you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Weld Combines selected edges that fall within the threshold specified on the
Weld caddy on page 2372.
You can weld only edges that have one polygon attached; that is, edges on a
border. Also, you cannot perform a weld operation that would result in illegal
geometry (e.g., an edge shared by more than two polygons). For example, you
cannot weld opposite edges on the border of a box that has a side removed.
Weld Settings Opens the Weld Edges caddy on page 2372, which lets you specify
the weld threshold.
Chamfer Click this button and then drag edges in the active object. To chamfer
edges numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button and change the Chamfer
Amount value.
If you chamfer multiple selected edges, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected edge, any selected edges are first deselected.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1323

An edge chamfer "chops off" the selected edges, creating a new polygon
connecting new points on all visible edges leading to the original vertex. The
new edges are exactly  distance from the original edge
along each of these edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material
ID of one of the neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group
which is an intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one edge of a box, each corner vertex is replaced
by two vertices moving along the visible edges that lead to the corner. Outside
faces are rearranged and split to use these new vertices, and a new polygon is
created at the corner.

Using Chamfer at the Edge level

Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered edges; for
details, see Chamfer on page 2351.
Chamfer Settings Opens the Chamfer caddy on page 2351, which lets you
chamfer edges via interactive manipulation and toggle the Open option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.
Target Weld Allows you to select an edge and weld it to a target edge. When
positioned over an edge, the cursor changes to a + cursor. Click and move the
mouse and a dashed line appears from the vertex with an arrow cursor at the
other end of the line. Position the cursor over another edge and when the +
cursor appears again, click the mouse. The first edge is moved to the position
of the second, and the two are welded.

1324 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

You can weld only edges that have one polygon attached; that is, edges on a
border. Also, you cannot perform a weld operation that would result in illegal
geometry (e.g., an edge shared by more than two polygons). For example, you
cannot weld opposite edges on the border of a box that has a side removed.
Bridge Connects border edges on an object with a polygon “bridge.” Bridge
connects only border edges; that is, edges that have a polygon on only one
side. This tool is particularly useful when creating edge loops or profiles.
There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation mode (that is, without
opening the Bridge Edges caddy):
■

Select two or more border edges on the object, and then click Bridge. This
immediately creates the bridge between the pair of selected borders using
the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected border edges),
clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First
click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects
the mouse cursor to the clicked edge. Click a second edge on a different
border to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the
current Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting
more edges. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport or click
the Bridge button.

The new polygons that result from a Bridge operation are automatically
selected; you can see this by accessing the Polygon sub-object level.

Using Bridge at the Edge level

Edit Poly Modifier | 1325

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between edges. To make
the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate after
creating the bridge. For example, bridge two edges, and then use Bend on page
1104.

Bridge Settings Opens the Bridge Edges caddy on page 2348, which lets you
add polygons between pairs of edges via interactive manipulation.
Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected edges using the current
Connect Edges settings. Connect is particularly useful for creating or refining
edge loops.
NOTE You can connect only edges on the same polygon. Also, Connect will not
let the new edges cross. For example, if you select all four edges of a four-sided
polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring edges are connected, resulting
in a diamond pattern.

Connecting two or more edges using the Settings dialog creates equally spaced edges.
The number of edges is set in the dialog. When you click the Connect button, the
current dialog settings are applied to the selection.

Connect Settings Opens the Connect Edges caddy on page 2353, which
lets you preview the Connect results, specify the number of edge segments
created by the operation, and set spacing and placement for the new edges.
Create Shape After selecting one or more edges, click this button to create a
spline shape or shapes from the selected edges, using the current settings from
the Create Shape Settings dialog (see following).
The new shape's pivot is placed at the same location as that of the Edit Poly
object.

1326 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Create Shape Settings Lets you name the Create Shape output and set
it to Smooth or Linear.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1327

An edge selection (top); a smooth shape (center); a linear shape (bottom)

Edit Tri[angulation] Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into
triangles by drawing internal edges, or diagonals on page 9136.

In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and
change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon.

1328 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

To edit triangulation manually, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
TIP For easier editing of triangulation, use the Turn command instead (see
following).
Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by clicking
diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136 become visible
as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a
diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport
or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But
changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1329

Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

1330 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit Poly (Border)
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

Border

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤
➤ Expand Edit Poly. ➤ Border

Modify panel ➤ Modifier Stack display

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Border
A border is a linear section of a mesh that can generally be described as the
edge of a hole. This is usually a sequence of edges with polygons on only one
side. For example, a box doesn't have a border, but the teapot object has
several: on the lid, on the body, on the spout, and two on the handle. If you
create a cylinder, and then delete an end polygon, the adjacent row of edges
forms a border.
At the Edit Poly Border sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
borders and transform them using standard methods. This topic covers the
Edit Geometry and Edit Borders rollouts; for other controls, see Edit Poly
Modifier on page 1274.

Procedures
To create a polygon that closes the surface at the selected border:

1 At the Border sub-object level,

select any open edge.

This selects the entire closed loop of continuous open edges that make
up the border selection.
2 Click Cap.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1331

Interface
Edit Poly Mode rollout
See Edit Poly Mode rollout on page 1284 for information on the Edit Poly Mode
rollout settings.

Selection rollout
See Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) on page 1287 for information on the
Selection rollout settings.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Borders rollout

This rollout includes commands specific to editing borders.
NOTE To delete a border, select it and press the Delete key. This deletes the border
and all attached polygons.
Extrude Lets you extrude a border manually via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any border to extrude
it.

1332 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Extruding a border moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the border to the object. The
extrusion can form a varying number of additional sides, depending on the
geometry near the border. As you increase the length of the extrusion, the
base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to the extruded
border's endpoints.
Following are important aspects of border extrusion:
■

When the mouse cursor is over a selected border, it changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

To specify the extent of the extrusion, drag vertically, and to set the size
of the base, drag horizontally.

■

With multiple borders selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
borders equally.

■

While the Extrude button is active, you can extrude other borders in turn
by dragging them. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Edges caddy on page 2360, which lets
you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide border edges manually.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click a border edge to add a vertex at that
location. You can continue subdividing border edges as long as the command
is active.
To stop inserting vertices, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex
again to turn it off.
Chamfer Click this button and then drag a border in the active object. The
border need not be selected first.
If you chamfer multiple selected borders, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected border, any selected borders are first deselected.
A border chamfer essentially “frames” the border edges, creating a new set of
edges paralleling the border edges, plus new diagonal edges at any corners.
These new edges are exactly  distance from the original
edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the

Edit Poly Modifier | 1333

neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an
intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered borders,
essentially cutting away at the open edges; for details, see Chamfer on page
2351.
Chamfer Settings Opens the Chamfer Edges caddy on page 2351, which
lets you chamfer borders via interactive manipulation and toggle the Open
option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.
Cap Caps an entire border loop with a single polygon.
Select the border, and then click Cap.
Bridge Connects pairs of borders on an object with polygon “bridges.” There
are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation mode (that is, without
opening the Bridge Settings dialog):
■

Select an even number of borders on the object, and then click Bridge.
This immediately creates the bridge between each pair of selected borders
using the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected borders),
clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First
click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects
the mouse cursor to the clicked edge. Click a second edge on a different
border to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the
current Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting
more pairs of borders. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport
or click the Bridge button.

The new polygons that result from a Bridge operation are automatically
selected; you can see this by accessing the Polygon sub-object level.

1334 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Using Bridge at the Border level.

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between border pairs. To
make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate
after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two borders, and then use Bend on
page 1104.

Bridge Settings Opens the Bridge caddy on page 2344, which lets you
connect pairs of borders via interactive manipulation.
Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected border edges. The edges
are connected from their midpoints.
You can connect only edges on the same polygon.
Connect will not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all
four edges of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring
edges are connected, resulting in a diamond pattern.
Connect Settings Lets you preview the Connect and specify the number
of edge segments created by the operation. To increase the mesh resolution
around the new edge, increase the Connect Edge Segments setting.
Create Shape After selecting one or more borders, click this button to create
a spline shape or shapes from the selected edges, using the current settings
from the Create Shape Settings dialog (see following).
The new shape's pivot is placed at the same location as that of the Edit Poly
object.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1335

Create Shape Settings Lets you preview the Create Shape function,
name the shape, and set it to Smooth or Linear.
Edit Tri[angulation] Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into
triangles by drawing internal edges, or diagonals on page 9136.
To edit triangulation manually, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
TIP For easier editing of triangulation, use the Turn command instead (see
following).
Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by clicking
diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136 become visible
as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a
diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport
or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But
changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

1336 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1337

Edit Poly (Polygon/Element)
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤

Polygon or

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

Element

Select an Edit Poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ modifier stack display
➤ Expand Edit Poly. ➤ Polygon or Element
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Polygon
or Element
A polygon is a closed sequence of three or more edges connected by a surface.
Polygons provide the renderable surface of Edit Poly objects.
At the Edit Poly (Polygon) sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
polygons and transform them using standard methods. This is similar for the
Element sub-object level; for the distinctions between polygon and element,
see Edit Poly ➤ Selection rollout on page 1286. This topic covers the Edit
Polygons/Elements rollout and Edit Geometry rollout functions for these
sub-object types. For other controls, see Edit Poly Modifier on page 1274.
NOTE Workflow enhancements in the Edit Poly user interface give you a choice
of editing methods. See Edit Poly Workflow on page 1280 for more information.

Interface
Edit Poly Mode rollout
See Edit Poly Mode rollout on page 1284 for information on the Edit Poly Mode
rollout settings.

Selection rollout
See Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) on page 1287 for information on the
Selection rollout settings.

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Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Polygons/Elements rollout

At the Element sub-object level, this rollout includes commands that are
common to both polygons and elements. At the Polygon level, it contains
those as well as a number more that are unique to polygons. The commands
available at both levels are Insert Vertex, Flip, Edit Triangulation, Retriangulate,
and Turn.
NOTE To delete polygons or elements, select them and press the Delete key. If
Delete Isolated Vertices on page 1365 is off, this can result in isolated vertices; that
is, vertices with no associated face geometry.
Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide polygons manually. Applies to polygons,
even if at the element sub-object level.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click a polygon to add a vertex at that location.
You can continue subdividing polygons as long as the command is active.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1339

To stop inserting vertices, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex
again to turn it off.
Extrude Lets you perform manual extrusion via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to extrude
it.
Extruding polygons moves them along a normal and creates new polygons
that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the selection to the object.
Following are important aspects of polygon extrusion:
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
polygons equally.

■

You can drag other polygons in turn to extrude them while the Extrude
button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded polygon

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Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Polygons caddy on page 2358, which
lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing an extrusion, the same extrusion is
performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Outline Lets you increase or decrease the outside edge of each contiguous
group of selected polygons.

Outline is often used after an extrusion or bevel to adjust the size of the
extruded faces. It doesn't scale the polygons; only changes the size of the outer
edge. For example, in the following illustration, note that the sizes of the inner
polygons remain constant.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1341

Extruded polygons (top), outline expanded (middle), outline reduced (bottom)
Note that inner polygons do not change size.

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Outline Settings Opens the Outline Polygons caddy, which lets you
perform outlining by a numeric setting.
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.
Bevel Lets you perform manual beveling via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to extrude
it. Release the mouse button and then move the mouse vertically to outline
the extrusion. Click to finish.
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to a Bevel cursor.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one bevels all selected
polygons equally.

■

You can drag other polygons in turn to bevel them while the Bevel button
is active. Click Bevel again or right-click to end the operation.

Polygon beveled outward (left) and inward (right)

Bevel Settings Opens the Bevel caddy on page 2342, which lets you perform
beveling via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a bevel, the same bevel is performed
on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with the same
settings used for the previous bevel.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1343

Inset Performs a bevel with no height; that is, within the plane of the polygon
selection. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to inset
it.
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to an Inset cursor.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one insets all selected
polygons equally.

■

While the Inset button is active, you can drag other polygons in turn to
inset them. To end the operation, click Inset again or right-click.

Inset works on a selection of one or more polygons. As with Outline, only the outer
edges are affected.

Inset Settings Opens the Inset caddy on page 2363, which lets you inset
polygons via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual inset, the same inset is
performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Inset Amount set to the amount of the last manual inset.
Bridge Connects two polygons or polygon selections on an object with a
polygon “bridge.” There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation
mode (that is, without opening the Bridge Settings dialog):
■

Make two separate polygon selections on the object, and then click Bridge.
This creates the bridge immediately using the current Bridge settings, and
then deactivates the Bridge button.

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■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more discrete polygon
selections), clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge
mode. First click a polygon and move the mouse; a rubber-band line
connects the mouse cursor to the clicked polygon. Click a second polygon
to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the current
Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting more pairs
of polygons. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport or click
the Bridge button.

Using Bridge at the Polygon level

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between polygon pairs.
To make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as
appropriate after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two polygons, and then
use Bend on page 1104.

Bridge Settings Opens the Bridge Polygons caddy on page 2344, which lets
you connect pairs of polygon selections via interactive manipulation.
Flip Reverses the directions of the normals of selected polygons, hence their
facing.
Hinge From Edge Lets you perform a manual hinge operation via direct
manipulation in the viewport. Make a polygon selection, click this button,
and then drag vertically on any edge to hinge the selection. The mouse cursor
changes to a cross when over an edge.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1345

The hinge edge needn't be part of the selection. It can be any edge of the mesh. Also,
the selection needn't be contiguous.

Hinging polygons rotates them about an edge and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the hinge, connecting the selection to the object. It's
essentially an extrusion with rotation, with the exception that, if the hinge
edge belongs to a selected polygon, that side is not extruded. The manual
version of Hinge From Edge works only with an existing polygon selection.
TIP To avoid inadvertently hinging about a backfacing edge, turn on Ignore
Backfacing.

Hinge Settings Opens the Hinge From Edge caddy on page 2362, which lets
you hinge polygons via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual hinge, the dialog opens
with Angle set to the extent of the last manual hinge.
Extrude Along Spline Extrudes the current selection along a spline.

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You can extrude a single polygon (1) or a selection of contiguous (2) or non-contiguous
polygons (3). Extrusion 2 uses Taper Curve and Twist (available via Settings). Extrusion
3 uses Taper Amount; each extrusion has a different curve rotation.

Make a selection, click Extrude Along/On Spline, and then select a spline in
the scene. The selection is extruded along the spline, using the spline's current
orientation, but as though the spline's start point were moved to the center
of each polygon or group.
Extrude Along Spline Settings Opens the Extrude Along Spline caddy
on page 2356, which lets you extrude along splines via interactive manipulation.
Edit Triangulation Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into
triangles by drawing internal edges.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1347

In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and
change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon.

To manually edit triangulation, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
Retriangulate Lets 3ds Max automatically do its best triangulation on the
polygon or polygons currently selected.

Retriangulate attempts to optimize how selected polygons are subdivided into triangles.

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Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by clicking
diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136 become visible
as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a
diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport
or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But
changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

Edit Geometry rollout

Edit Poly Modifier | 1349

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Polygon Properties rollout

These controls let you work with material IDs and smoothing groups.

Material group
Set ID Lets you assign a particular material ID on page 9217 number to selected
sub-objects for use with multi/sub-object materials on page 6542 and other
applications. Use the spinner or enter the number from the keyboard. The
total number of available IDs is 65,535.
Select ID Selects sub-objects corresponding to the Material ID specified in the
adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID, then click the Select
ID button.
[Select By Name] This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an
object has a multi/sub-object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow and
choose a sub-material from the list. This selects any sub-objects assigned that
material. If an object does not have a multi/sub-object material assigned, the

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name list is unavailable. Likewise, if multiple selected objects have an Edit
Patch, Edit Spline, or Edit Mesh modifier applied, the name list is inactive.
NOTE Sub-material names are those specified in the Name column on the
material's multi/sub-object Basic Parameters rollout. By default, 3ds Max assigns
the material name “No Name” followed by a sequence number in parentheses.
These names don't appear in the Material Editor, but they do show up in the
drop-down list.
Clear Selection When on, choosing a new ID or material name unselects any
previously selected sub-objects. When off, selections are cumulative, so new
ID or sub-material name selections add to the existing selection set of patches
or elements. Default=off.

Smoothing Groups group
Use these controls to assign selected polygons to different smoothing groups
on page 9310, and to select polygons by smoothing group.
To assign polygons to one or more smoothing groups, select the polygons,
and then click the number(s) of the smoothing group(s) to assign them to.
Select By SG (Smoothing Group) Displays a dialog that shows the current
smoothing groups. Select a group by clicking the corresponding numbered
button and clicking OK. If Clear Selection is on, any previously selected
polygons are first unselected. If Clear Selection is off, the new selection is
added to any previous selection set.
Clear All Removes any smoothing group assignments from selected polygons.
Auto Smooth Sets smoothing groups based on the angle between polygons.
Any two adjacent polygons are put in the same smoothing group if the angle
between their normals is less than the threshold angle, set by the spinner to
the right of this button.
[threshold] This numeric setting (to the right of Auto Smooth) lets you specify
the maximum angle between the normals of adjacent polygons that determines
whether those polygons will be put in the same smoothing group.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1351

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly)
Create or select an editable poly or Edit Poly object. ➤
➤ Edit Geometry rollout

Modify panel

The Edit Geometry rollout provides global controls for changing the geometry
of the poly object, at either the top (Object) level or the sub-object levels. The
controls are the same at all levels, except as noted in the descriptions below.

Interface

Repeat Last Repeats the most recently used command.

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For example, if you extrude a polygon, and want to apply the same extrusion
to several others, select the others, and then click Repeat Last.

You can apply a spline extrusion of a single polygon (left) repeatedly to other single
polygons (1) or to multiple polygon selections, contiguous (2) or not (3).

NOTE Repeat Last does not repeat all operations. For example, it does not repeat
transforms. To determine which command will be repeated when you click the
button, check the tooltip for the Repeat Last button on the command panel, which
gives the name of the last operation that can be repeated. If no tooltip appears,
nothing will happen when you click the button.
Constraints Lets you use existing geometry to constrain sub-object
transformation. Choose the constraint type:
■

None: No constraints. This is the default option.

■

Edge: Constrains sub-object transformations to edge boundaries.

■

Face: Constrains sub-object transformations to individual face surfaces.

■

Normal: Constrains each sub-object’s transformations to its normal, or the
average of its normals. In most cases, this causes sub-objects to move
perpendicular to the surface.
NOTE This constraint works like the Push modifier on page 1588, including the
fact that it operates on unmodified base normals. Edited normals are
unsupported.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1353

When set to Edge, moving a vertex will slide it along one of the existing edges,
depending on the direction of the transformation. If set to Face, the vertex moves only
on the polygon’s surface.

NOTE You can set constraints at the Object level, but their use pertains primarily
to sub-object levels. The Constraints setting persists at all sub-object levels.
Preserve UVs When on, you can edit sub-objects without affecting the object's
UV mapping. You can choose any of an object's mapping channels to preserve
or not; see Preserve UVs Settings, following. Default=off.
Without Preserve UVs, there is always a direct correspondence between an
object's geometry and its UV mapping. For example, if you map an object and
then move vertices, the texture moves along with the sub-objects, whether
you want it to or not. If you turn on Preserve UVs, you can perform minor
editing tasks without changing the mapping.

Original object with texture map (left); Scaled vertices with Preserve UVs off (center);
Scaled vertices with Preserve UVs on (right)

TIP For best results with Preserve UVs at the vertex level, use it for limited vertex
editing. For example, you'll usually have no trouble moving a vertex within edge
or face constraints. Also, it's better to perform one big move than several smaller
moves, as multiple small moves can begin to distort the mapping. If, however,
you need to perform extensive geometry editing while preserving mapping, use
the Channel Info utility on page 6936 instead.

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Preserve UVs Settings Opens the Preserve Map Channels dialog on page
2367, which lets you specify which vertex color channels and/or texture channels
(map channels) to preserve. By default, all vertex color channels are off (not
preserved), and all texture channels are on (preserved).
Create Lets you create new geometry. How this button behaves depends on
which level is active:
■

Object, Polygon, and Element levelsLets you add polygons in the active
viewport. After you turn on Create, click three or more times in succession
anywhere, including on existing vertices, to define the shape of the new
polygon. To finish, right-click.
While creating a polygon at the Polygon or Element level, you can delete
the most recently added vertex by pressing Backspace. You can do this
repeatedly to remove added vertices in reverse order of placement.
You can start creating polygons in any viewport, but all subsequent clicks
must take place in the same viewport.
TIP For best results, click vertices in counterclockwise (preferred) or clockwise
order. If you use clockwise order, the new polygon will face away from you.

■

Vertex levelLets you add vertices to a single selected poly object. After
selecting the object and clicking Create, click anywhere in space to add
free-floating (isolated) vertices to the object. The new vertices are placed
on the active construction plane unless object snapping is on. For example,
with face snapping on, you can create vertices on object faces.

■

Edge and Border levelsLets you create an edge between a pair of
non-adjacent vertices on the same polygon. Click Create, click a vertex,
and then move the mouse. A rubber-band line extends from the vertex to
the mouse cursor. Click a second, non-adjacent vertex on the same polygon
to connect them with an edge. Repeat, or, to exit, right-click in the viewport
or click Create again.
Edges you create separate the polygons. For example, by creating an edge
inside a quadrilateral polygon, you turn it into two triangles.

Collapse (Vertex, Edge, Border, and Polygon levels only) Collapses groups
of contiguous selected sub-objects by welding their vertices to a vertex at the
selection center.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1355

Using collapse on a vertex selection

Using collapse on a polygon selection

Attach Lets you attach other objects in the scene to the selected poly object.
After activating Attach, click an object to attach to the selected object. Attach
remains active, so you can continue clicking objects to attach them. To exit,
right-click in the active viewport or click the Attach button again.
You can attach any type of object, including splines, patch objects, and NURBS
surfaces. Attaching a non-mesh object converts it to editable-poly format.
When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in
the following way:
■

If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits
the material of the object it is being attached to.

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Handle inherits material from the cup it is being attached to.

■

Likewise, if the object you're attaching to doesn't have a material, it inherits
the material of the object being attached.

■

If both objects have materials, the resulting new material is a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 that includes the input materials. A
dialog appears offering three methods of combining the objects' materials
and material IDs. For more information, see Attach Options Dialog on
page 2232.
Attach remains active in all sub-object levels, but always applies to objects.

Attach List Lets you attach other objects in the scene to the selected
mesh. Click to open the Attach List dialog, which works like Select From Scene
on page 184 to let you choose multiple objects to attach.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1357

Upper left: Shaded view of model
Upper right: Wireframe view of model
Lower left: Model with objects attached
Lower right: Subsequent multi/sub-object material

Detach (sub-object levels only) Detaches the selected sub–objects and the
polygons attached to them as a separate object or element(s).
With an Editable Poly object, when you click Detach, the software prompts
you for the options specified on the Detach dialog. With an Edit Poly object,
Detach on the Modify panel automatically uses those settings. To change
them, click Detach Settings (see following).

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Detach Settings Opens the Detach dialog on page 1367, which lets you set
several options. Available only with Edit Poly objects; with Editable Poly, this
dialog opens automatically when you click Detach.

Cut and Slice group
These knife-like tools let you subdivide the poly mesh along a plane (Slice) or
in a specific area (Cut). Also see Full Interactivity on page 1366.
Slice Plane (sub-object levels only) Creates a gizmo for a slice plane that you
can position and rotate to specify where to slice. Also enables the Slice and
Reset Plane buttons; click Slice to create new edges where the plane intersects
the geometry.
If you use Slice Plane from the modeling ribbon, the Slice, Split, and Reset
Plane controls are available on the Slice Mode contextual panel on page 2049.
If snapping is off, you see a preview of the slice as you transform the slice
plane. To perform the slice, click the Slice button.
NOTE At the Polygon or Element sub-object level, Slice Plane affects only selected
polygons. To slice the entire object, use Slice Plane at any other sub-object level,
or at the object level.
Split When on, the QuickSlice and Cut operations create double sets of vertices
at the points where the edges are divided. This lets you easily delete the new
polygons to create holes, or animate the new polygons as separate elements.
Slice (sub-object levels only) Performs the slice operation at the location of
the slice plane. Available only when Slice Plane is on. This tool slices the poly
just like the “Operate On: Polygons” mode of the Slice modifier on page 1676.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1359

Left: Using Slice; Right: After slicing and moving the pieces apart

Reset Plane (sub-object levels only) Returns the Slice plane to its default
position and orientation. Available only when Slice Plane is on.
QuickSlice Lets you quickly slice the object without having to manipulate a
gizmo. Make a selection, click QuickSlice, and then click once at the slice start
point and again at its endpoint. You can continue slicing the selection while
the command is active.
To stop slicing, right-click in the viewport, or click QuickSlice again to turn
it off.

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With Quickslice on, you can draw a line across your mesh in any viewport, including
Perspective and Camera views. The mesh is sliced interactively as you move the line
endpoint.

NOTE At the Object level, QuickSlice affects the entire object. To slice only specific
polygons, use QuickSlice on a polygon selection at the Poly sub-object level.
NOTE At the Polygon or Element sub-object level, QuickSlice affects only selected
polygons. To slice the entire object, use QuickSlice at any other sub-object level,
or at the object level.
Cut Lets you create edges from one polygon to another or within polygons.
Click at the start point, move the mouse and click again, and continue moving
and clicking to create new connected edges. Right-click once to exit the current
cut, whereupon you can start a new one, or right-click again to exit Cut mode.
While cutting, the mouse cursor icon changes to show the type of sub-object
it’s over, to which the cut will be made when you click. The following
illustration shows the three different cursor icons.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1361

Top: Cutting to a vertex
Center: Cutting to an edge
Bottom: Cutting to a polygon
Cut is available at the object level and all sub-object levels.

NOTE You can use Cut with Turn for enhanced productivity. For more information,
see this procedure on page 1310.

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_____
MSmooth Smoothes the object using the current settings. This command
uses subdivision functionality similar to that of the MeshSmooth modifier on
page 1450 with NURMS Subdivision, but unlike NURMS subdivision, it applies
the smoothing instantly to the selected area of the control mesh.

Smoothing a low-poly object with NURMS subdivision

MSmooth Settings Opens the MeshSmooth Selection dialog on page 2365,
which lets you specify how smoothing is applied.
Tessellate Subdivides all polygons in the object based on the Tessellation
settings on page 2371.
Tessellation is useful for increasing local mesh density while modeling. You
can subdivide any selection of polygons. Two tessellation methods are
available: Edge and Face.
Tessellate Settings Opens the Tessellate caddy on page 2371, which lets
you specify how smoothing is applied.
Make Planar Forces all selected sub-objects to be coplanar. The plane's normal
is the average surface normal of the selection.
At the Object level, forces all vertices in the object to become coplanar.
TIP One application for Make Planar is making a flat side on an object. Normally,
you would use a contiguous selection set. If the selection includes vertices on
various parts of the object, the vertices are still made planar, but with distorting
effects on the rest of the geometry.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1363

X/Y/Z Makes all selected sub-objects planar and aligns the plane with the
corresponding plane in the object's local coordinate system. The plane used
is the one to which the button axis is perpendicular; so, for example, clicking
the X button aligns the object with the local YZ axis.
At the Object level, makes all vertices in the object planar.
View Align Aligns all vertices in the object to the plane of the active viewport.
At sub-object levels, this function affects only selected vertices or those
belonging to selected sub-objects.
In orthographic viewports, aligning to the view has the same effect as aligning
to the construction grid when the home grid is active. Aligning to a perspective
viewport (including camera and light views), reorients the vertices to a plane
that is parallel to the camera's viewing plane. This plane is perpendicular to
the view direction that is closest to the vertices' average position.

Above: Selected polygons in Perspective view
Below: Same polygons aligned to Front view

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Grid Align Aligns all vertices in the selected object to the plane of the current
view. At sub-object levels, aligns only selected sub-objects.
This command aligns the selected vertices to the current construction plane.
The current plane is specified by the active viewport in the case of the home
grid. When using a grid object, the current plane is the active grid object.
Relax Applies the Relax function to the current selection, using the current
Relax settings (see following). Relax normalizes mesh spacing by moving each
vertex toward the average location of its neighbors. It works the same way as
the Relax modifier on page 1591.
At the object level, Relax applies to the entire object. At sub-object levels,
Relax applies only to the current selection.
Relax Settings Opens the Relax caddy on page 2369, which lets you specify
how the Relax function is applied.
Hide Selected (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only) Hides selected
sub-objects.
Unhide All (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only) Restores hidden
sub-objects to visibility.
Hide Unselected (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only) Hides
unselected sub-objects.

Named Selections (sub-object levels only)
Lets you copy and paste named selection sets of sub-objects between objects.
Start by creating one or more named selection sets, copy one, select a different
object, go to the same sub-object level, and then paste the set.
NOTE This function uses sub-object IDs, so if the target object's geometry differs
from that of the source object, the pasted selection will probably comprise a
different set of sub-objects.
For more information, see Named Selection Sets on page 163.
Copy Opens a dialog that lets you specify a named selection set to place into
the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes the named selection from the copy buffer.

_____
Delete Isolated Vertices (Edge, Border, Polygon, and Element levels
only) When on, deletes isolated vertices when you delete a selection of

Edit Poly Modifier | 1365

contiguous sub-objects. When off, deleting sub-objects leaves all vertices intact.
Default=on.
Full Interactivity (editable poly only) Toggles the level of feedback for the
QuickSlice and Cut tools, as well as all settings dialogs and caddies. Available
with editable poly objects, but not the Edit Poly modifier.
When on (the default), 3ds Max updates the viewport in real time as you use
the mouse to manipulate the tool or change a numeric setting. With Cut and
QuickSlice, when Full Interactivity is off, only the rubber-band line is visible
until you click. Similarly, with numeric settings in caddies, the final result is
visible only when you release the mouse button after changing the setting.
The state of Full Interactivity doesn't affect changing a numeric setting from
the keyboard. Whether it's on or off, the setting takes effect only when you
exit the field by pressing Tab or Enter, or by clicking a different control in the
dialog.

Align Geometry Dialog
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ object level or any
sub-object level ➤ Animate mode ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Click View
Align or Grid Align ➤ Edit Poly Mode rollout ➤ Settings button
This Edit Poly-specific dialog lets you change the alignment method after
using the View Align or Grid Align function. Available only in Animate mode
after using the View Align or Grid Align command.

Interface

1366 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Align to Lets you choose what to align the selection with:
■

ViewAligns the selection with the view plane.

■

Construction PlaneAligns the selection with the active grid.

Update Click this button to realign the selection with the designated entity
after changing it. Typically you'd use this with the View option after rotating
the view.

Detach Dialog
Select an Edit Poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ any sub-object level
➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Detach Settings button
This dialog lets you specify how a sub-object selection is detached from an
Edit Poly object.
By default, both Detach To Element and Detach As Clone are off. Thus, when
you detach a sub-object selection, it's removed from the original object and
becomes a new object. The dialog options let you keep the detached item as
an element of the original object and/or detach it as a copy of the original
selection.
NOTE When you detach a vertex or an edge, any adjacent polygons are detached
as well. Also, a detached item remains in its original location.
NOTE Any Detach dialog settings you change are saved as program defaults
automatically.

Edit Poly Modifier | 1367

Interface

Detach as Lets you assign a name to the new object. By default, the name is
"Object" followed by a sequence number.
This option is unavailable when Detach To Element is on.
Detach To Element The detached sub-object selection remains as part of the
original object, but becomes a new element. It can then be manipulated
independently at the Element sub-object level. Default=off.
Detach As Clone Detaches the selection as a copy of the original selection;
the latter remains intact. Default=off.

Edit Spline Modifier
Create or select a spline ➤
➤ Edit Spline

Modify panel ➤ Object Space Modifiers

Create or select a spline ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Edit
Spline
The Edit Spline modifier provides explicit editing tools for different levels of
the selected shape: vertex, segment, or spline. The Edit Spline modifier matches
all the capabilities of the base Editable Spline object, with the exceptions noted
below. For a complete parameter reference, see Editable Spline on page 554.
The Rendering and Interpolation rollouts found in Editable Spline, which
allow manipulation of the spline's creation parameters, are not available in
the Edit Spline modifier. (The creation parameters are available in the modifier
stack on page 8776 for a spline to which Edit Spline is applied.) In addition, the

1368 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

direct vertex animation capabilities of Editable Spline are not possible in Edit
Spline.
When possible, it’s far more efficient and reliable to perform explicit editing
at the Editable Spline level rather than store those edits within the Edit Spline
modifier. The Edit Spline modifier must copy the geometry passed to it, and
this storage can lead to large file sizes. The Edit Spline modifier also establishes
a topological dependency that can be adversely effected if earlier operations
change the topology being sent to it.
There are, however, situations where using Edit Spline is the preferred method.
■

You want to edit a parametric shape as a spline, but want to retain the
ability to modify its creation parameters after the edit.

■

You want to store your edits temporarily within Edit Spline until you are
satisfied with the results, before committing them permanently to an
editable spline object.

■

You need to make edits across several shapes at once, but do not want to
convert them to a single editable spline object.

■

You have a modifier in the stack that must stay parametric, and the
resulting spline must be edited after the modifier is applied.

Extrude Modifier
Select a shape. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Extrude

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Select a shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Extrude
The Extrude modifier adds depth to a shape and makes it a parametric object.

Extrude Modifier | 1369

Above: Spline before extrusion
Below left: Extruded spline with Cap End off
Below right: Extruded spline with Cap End on

1370 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Amount Sets the depth of the extrusion.
Segments Specifies the number of segments that will be created in the extruded
object.

Capping group
Cap Start Generates a flat surface over the start of the extruded object.
Cap End Generates a flat surface over the end of the extruded object.
Morph Arranges cap faces in a predictable, repeatable pattern, which is
necessary for creating Morph targets on page 600. Morph capping can generate
long, thin faces that don't render or deform as well as grid capping. Use morph
capping primarily if you're extruding multiple morph targets.
Grid Arranges cap faces in a square grid trimmed at the shape boundaries.
This method produces a surface of evenly sized faces that can be deformed
easily by other modifiers. When you choose the Grid capping option, the grid
lines are hidden edges rather than visible edges. This primarily affects any
objects assigned a material with the Wire option turned on, or any objects
that use the Lattice modifier on page 1423.

Extrude Modifier | 1371

Output group
Patch Produces an object that you can collapse to a patch object; see Editing
the Stack on page 987.
Mesh Produces an object that you can collapse to a mesh object; see Editing
the Stack on page 987.
NURBS Produces an object that you can collapse to a NURBS surface; see
Editing the Stack on page 987.

_____
Generate Mapping Coords Applies mapping coordinates to the extruded
object. Default=off.
When on, Generate Mapping Coordinates applies separate mapping coordinates
to the end caps, placing a single 1 x 1 tile on each cap.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.
Generate Material IDs Assigns different material IDs to the sides and the caps
of the extruded object. Specifically, the sides receive ID 3, and the caps receive
IDs 1 and 2.
This check box is turned on as a default when you create an extruded object,
but if you load an extruded object from a MAX file, the check box is turned
off, maintaining the same material ID assignment for that object as it had in
R1.x.
Use Shape IDs Uses the material ID values assigned to segments in the spline
on page 511 you extruded, or curve sub-objects in the NURBS on page 2433 curve
you extruded.
Smooth Applies smoothing to the extruded shape.

Face Extrude Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Select one or more faces of a mesh object. ➤
Modifier List ➤ Face Extrude

1372 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Modify panel ➤ Select one or more faces of a mesh object. ➤
Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Face Extrude
The Face Extrude modifier extrudes faces along their normals, creating new
faces along the sides of the extrusion that connect the extruded faces to their
object. As with most modifiers, this affects the current face selection passed
up the stack. There are various differences between the Face Extrude modifier
and the Face Extrude function in an editable mesh on page 2190, especially the
fact that all parameters in the Face Extrude modifier are animatable.

Faces extruded on the top and along the edge of the object

Face Extrude Modifier | 1373

Interface
Modifier Stack

Extrude Center At this sub-object level, you can select and move (or animate)
the center point. This affects the geometry only if you turn on Extrude From
Center.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Amount Determines the extent of the extrusion. You can adjust and readjust
the Amount spinner as often as you choose. To extrude a second level, apply
another Face Extrude modifier.
Scale Scales each cluster of selected faces independently about its center.
NOTE By using multiple extrude modifiers with Scale, you can achieve a bevel
effect.
Extrude From Center Extrudes each vertex radially from the center point.
The direction in which the faces are extruded is slightly different than Face
Extrude in the editable mesh. Each vertex is displaced in the direction of the

1374 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

average surface normal of selected faces that share that vertex. So each vertex
may move in a slightly different direction. Put another way, each vertex is
extruded in the direction of the surface normal at the point on the surface
where that vertex lies.

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ FFD 2x2x2, FFD 3x3x3, or FFD 4x4x4
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Free Form Deformers ➤ FFD 2x2x2,
FFD 3x3x3, or FFD 4x4x4
FFD stands for Free-Form Deformation. Its effect is used in computer animation
for things like dancing cars and gas tanks. You can use it as well for modeling
rounded shapes such as chairs and sculptures.
The FFD modifier surrounds the selected geometry with a lattice. By adjusting
the control points of the lattice, you deform the enclosed geometry.

FFD deformation creates a bulge in the snake.

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers | 1375

There are three FFD modifiers, each providing a different lattice resolution:
2x2, 3x3, and 4x4. The 3x3 modifier, for example, provides a lattice with three
control points across each of its dimensions or nine on each side of the lattice.
There are also two FFD-related modifiers that provide supersets of the original
modifiers; see FFD (Box/Cyl) modifier on page 1380. With the FFD (Box/Cyl)
modifiers, you can set any number of points in the lattice, which makes them
more powerful than the basic FFD modifier.

Animating FFD Control Points and the Master Point Controller
Turn on the Auto Key button and move the lattice points to animate an FFD
and any underlying geometry. When you animate FFD control points, a Master
Point Controller is created automatically. In Track View the master controller
allows you to move multiple animated control points in time by simply moving
one master key (master keys display green in Track View).

Procedures
To use an FFD modifier:

1

Select the geometry. This can be the whole object, or you can
use a Mesh Select modifier to select a portion of the object's vertices.

2 Apply the FFD 2X2, FFD 3X3, or FFD 4X4 modifier, depending on the
resolution of the lattice you want.
An orange lattice gizmo surrounds the geometry.
3 In the modifier stack display, choose the Control Points sub-object level,
and then move the control points of the lattice to deform the underlying
geometry. To animate the deformation, turn on Auto Key.
The lattice volume defaults to the bounding box of the selected geometry.
However, you can position, rotate, and/or scale the lattice box so that it
modifies only a subset of vertices. Choose the Lattice sub-object level, and
then use any of the transform tools to adjust the lattice volume relative to the
geometry.

1376 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface
Modifier Stack

Control Points At this sub-object level, you can select and manipulate control
points of the lattice, one at a time or as a group (select multiple points using
standard techniques). Manipulating control points affects the shape of the
underlying object. You can use standard transformation methods with the
control points. If the Auto Key button is turned on when modifying the control
points, the points become animated.
Lattice At this sub-object level, you can position, rotate, or scale the lattice
box separately from the geometry. If the Auto Key button is turned on, the
lattice becomes animated. When you first apply an FFD, its lattice defaults to
a bounding box surrounding the geometry. Moving or scaling the lattice so
that only a subset of vertices lies inside the volume makes it possible to apply
a localized deformation.
Set Volume At this sub-object level, the deformation lattice control points
turn green, and you can select and manipulate control points without affecting
the modified object. This lets you fit the lattice more precisely to
irregular-shaped objects, giving you finer control when deforming.
Set Volume essentially lets you set the initial state of the lattice. If you use it
after you have animated a control point or when the Auto Key button is turned
on, then it works the same as at the Control Points sub-object level, deforming
the object as you manipulate points.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers | 1377

FFD Parameters rollout

Display group
Affects the display of the FFD in the viewports.
Lattice Draws lines connecting the control points to make a grid.
Although the viewports can sometimes become cluttered when these lines are
drawn, it helps to visualize the lattice.
Source Volume Displays the control points and lattice in their unmodified
state.
When you're in the Lattice selection level, this helps to position the source
volume.

1378 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP To see which points lie in the source volume (and therefore will be deformed),
temporarily deactivate the modifier by clicking to turn off the light bulb icon in
the modifier stack display.

Deform group
Only in Volume Deforms vertices that lie inside the source volume.
Default=on.
All Vertices Deforms all vertices, regardless of whether they lie inside or
outside the source volume.
The deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation of the
deformation inside the volume. The deformation can be extreme for points
far away from the source lattice.

Control Points group
Reset Returns all control points to their original positions.
Animate All Assigns Point3 controllers to all control points so that they're
immediately visible in Track View.
By default the control points of an FFD lattice don't appear in Track View
because they don't have controllers assigned to them. But when a control
point is animated, a controller is assigned to it and becomes visible in Track
View. With Animate All, you can add and delete keys and perform other key
operations.
Conform to Shape Moves each FFD control point to the intersection of the
modified object with a straight line extending between the object's center to
the control point's original location, plus an offset distance specified by the
Offset spinner.
NOTE Conform to Shape works best with regular shapes, such as primitives. It's
less effective if the object has degenerate (long, narrow) faces or sharp corners.
All the controls are unavailable with shapes, because there are no faces to intersect
with.
Inside Points Only control points inside the object are affected by Conform
to Shape.
Outside Points Only control points outside the object are affected by Conform
to Shape.
Offset The distance by which control points affected by Conform to Shape
are offset from the object surface.

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers | 1379

About Displays a dialog with copyright and licensing information.

FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ FFD(box) or FFD(cyl)
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Free Form Deformers ➤ FFD Box
or FFD Cylinder
FFD stands for Free-Form Deformation. Its effect is used in computer animation
for things like dancing cars and gas tanks. You can use it as well for modeling
rounded shapes such as chairs and sculptures.
The FFD modifier surrounds the selected geometry with a lattice box. By
adjusting the control points of the lattice, you deform the enclosed geometry.
With the Auto Key button turned on, you can animate the lattice points, and
thus the deformation of the geometry.

FFD deformation creates a bulge in the snake.

1380 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

With the FFD(box) and FFD(cyl) modifiers you can create box-shaped and
cylinder-shaped lattice free-form deformation objects. Both are available as
object modifiers and as space warps.
The source lattice of an FFD modifier is fitted to the geometry it's assigned in
the stack. This can be a whole object, or a sub-object selection of faces or
vertices.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Control Points At this sub-object level, you can select and manipulate control
points of the lattice, one at a time or as a group (select multiple points using
standard techniques). Manipulating control points affects the shape of the
underlying object. You can use standard transformation methods with the
control points. If the Auto Key button is turned on when modifying the control
points, the points become animated.
Lattice At this sub-object level, you can position, rotate, or scale the lattice
box separately from the geometry. If the Auto Key button is turned on, the
lattice becomes animated. When you first apply an FFD, its lattice defaults to
a bounding box surrounding the geometry. Moving or scaling the lattice so
that only a subset of vertices lie inside the volume makes it possible to apply
a localized deformation.
Set Volume At this sub-object level, the deformation lattice control points
turn green, and you can select and manipulate control points without affecting
the modified object. This lets you fit the lattice more precisely to
irregular-shaped objects, giving you finer control when deforming.
Set Volume essentially lets you set the initial state of the lattice. If a control
point is already animated or the Animate button is turned on, then Set Volume
works the same as at the Control Points sub-object level, deforming the object
as you manipulate points.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers | 1381

FFD Parameters rollout

1382 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Dimensions group
Adjusts the unit dimensions of the source volume and specifies the number
of control points in the lattice. Note that the point dimensions also show up
beside the modifier name in the stack list.
Lattice dimensions The text displays the current number of control points
in the lattice (for example 3x4x4).
Set Number of Points Displays a dialog containing three spinners labeled
Length, Width, and Height, plus OK/Cancel buttons. Specify the number of
control points you want in the lattice, and then click OK to make the change.
WARNING Make changes to the lattice dimensions before you adjust the positions
of the lattice control points. When you change the number of control points with
this dialog, you lose any adjustments you've already made to the control points.
(You can undo this dialog.)

Display group
Affects the display of the FFD in the viewports.
Lattice Draws lines connecting the control points to make a grid. Although
the viewports can sometimes become cluttered when these extra lines appear,
they help to visualize the lattice.
Source Volume Displays the control points and lattice in their unmodified
state. This is an important display when you're adjusting the source volume
to affect specific vertices that lie inside or outside it.
TIP To see which points lie in the source volume (and therefore will be deformed),
temporarily deactivate the modifier by clicking to turn off the light bulb icon in
the modifier stack display.

Deform group
Provides controls that specify which vertices are affected by the FFD.
Only In Volume Deforms vertices that lie inside the source volume. Vertices
outside the source volume are not affected.
All Vertices Deforms all vertices regardless of whether they lie inside or outside
the source volume depending on the value in the Falloff spinner. The
deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation of the
deformation inside the volume. Note that the deformation can be extreme
for points far away from the source lattice.

FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers | 1383

Falloff Determines the distance from the lattice that the FFD effect will
decrease to zero. Available only when you choose All Vertices. When set to 0,
it's effectively turned off, and there is no falloff. All vertices are affected
regardless of how far they are from the lattice. The units of the Falloff
parameter are actually specified relative to the size of the lattice. A falloff of
1 means that the effect will go to 0 for points that are a lattice
width/length/height away from the lattice (depending on which side they
are).
Tension/Continuity Adjusts the tension and continuity of the deformation
splines. Although you can't actually see the splines in an FFD, the lattice and
control points represent the structure that controls the splines. As you adjust
the control points, you alter the splines (which move through each of the
points). The splines, in turn, deform the geometry of the object. By altering
the tension and continuity of the splines, you alter their effect on the object.

Selection group
Provides additional methods of selecting the control points. You can toggle
the state of any combination of the three buttons to select in one, two, or
three dimensions at once.
All X, All Y, All Z Selects all control points along the specified local dimension
when you select a control point. By turning on two buttons, you can select
all control points in two dimensions.

Control Points group
Reset Returns all control points to their original positions.
Animate All By default, the control points of an FFD lattice don't appear in
Track View because they don't have controllers assigned to them. But when
you animate a control point, a controller is assigned and it becomes visible
in Track View. You can also add and delete keys and perform other key
operations. Animate All assigns Point3 controllers to all control points so that
they're immediately visible in Track View.
Conform to Shape Moves each FFD control point to the intersection of the
modified object with a straight line extending between the object's center to
the control point's original location, plus an offset distance specified by the
Offset spinner.
NOTE Conform to Shape works best with regular shapes, such as primitives. It's
less effective if the object has degenerate (long, narrow) faces or sharp corners.
All the controls are unavailable with shapes, because there are no faces for the
lattice to intersect with.

1384 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Inside Points Only control points inside the object are affected by Conform
to Shape.
Outside Points Only control points outside the object are affected by Conform
to Shape.
Offset The distance by which control points affected by Conform to Shape
are offset from the object surface.
About Displays a dialog with copyright and licensing information.

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Select Modifier
Select an FFD space warp. ➤
Select

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ FFD

Select an FFD space warp. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection Modifiers ➤ FFD
Select
The FFD Select modifier works on an FFD (Box) Space Warp on page 2997 or
FFD (Cyl) Space Warp on page 3004 to change the selection of its control points,
and pass the selection up the stack.
The space-warp versions of the FFD modifiers provide sub-object geometry
that you can manipulate in the stack. For example, you can apply a Bend
modifier on page 1104 to an FFD space warp, bend its control points, and thus
bend the object to which the space warp is bound. Using the FFD Select
modifier, you can select a sub-object pattern of control points, and then use
the subsequent modifier(s) to deform the selected points.
The FFD Select modifier is especially useful for assigning Linked XForm
modifiers on page 1428 to portions of an FFD space warp.

Procedures
Example: To use the Linked XForm modifier with an FFD space warp:
1 Create an object, an FFD space warp (such as FFD (Box) on page 2997), and
a couple of dummies on page 2871.
2 Bind the FFD space warp to the object you want to deform.

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Select Modifier | 1385

3

Select the FFD space warp and apply an FFD Select modifier.

4 At the Control Points sub-object level, select the control points you want
to use to affect the object.
5 Apply a Linked XForm modifier, and then pick one of the dummies as a
control object.
6 Apply another FFD Select modifier, and make a different selection of
control points.
7 Apply another Linked XForm modifier and assign the other dummy as
a control object.
8 You can now move either of the dummy objects to both translate the
linked control points in the FFD space warp, and to deform the target
object.

Interface

All X/All Y/ All Z Select the control points corresponding to the specified
axis plane.
First click a selection button, and then select FFD control points in the
viewports.

Fillet/Chamfer Modifier
Select a shape. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Fillet/Chamfer
Select a shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline editing ➤ Fillet/Chamfer
The Fillet/Chamfer modifier lets you fillet or chamfer the corners between
linear segments of Shape objects on page 9306. Fillet rounds corners where

1386 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

segments meet, adding new control vertices. Chamfer bevels corners, adding
another vertex and line segment. Note that this modifier works on the splines
at the sub-object level of the shape. It does not work between two or more
independent shape objects.
When you apply Fillet/Chamfer, you're placed in a Vertex sub-object selection
level. You can select (and move) any vertex, but only Corner vertices and
Bezier Corner vertices are valid for fillet and chamfer functions. In addition,
both segments connected by a Bezier Corner vertex must be linear rather than
curved.
There are two methods for applying either fillets or chamfers:
■

Select one or more valid corner vertices, and then adjust either the Radius
spinner to fillet the selected corners, or the Distance spinner to chamfer
the corners.

■

You can preset the Radius or Distance values, and then select one or more
valid corner vertices, and click one of the Apply buttons to apply the
specified value to the selected vertices.
NOTE As of version 3 of 3ds Max, Edit/Editable Spline on page 568 includes
interactive fillet/chamfer functions. The only reason to use this modifier is to
apply it at a specific location on the stack.

Star with selected vertices

Fillet/Chamfer Modifier | 1387

Fillet applied to above star with radius of 20 (left) and 40 (right)

Chamfer applied to above star with distance of 20

Procedures
Example: To fillet/chamfer a star:
1 Create a Star shape on page 533.
2 Apply a Fillet/Chamfer modifier.
3 Select one or more of the star's vertices.
4 Adjust the parameters to achieve different effects.

1388 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Fillet group
Radius Specifies the radius of the filleted corner.
Apply Applies the value specified in the Radius spinner to selected vertices.
For example, before selecting any vertices, set the Radius to the desired value,
then select your vertices and click Apply to fillet the selection with the specified
radius.

Chamfer group
Distance Specifies the distance of the new vertices from the original corner
vertex.
Apply Applies the value specified in the Distance spinner to selected vertices.
For example, before selecting any vertices, set Distance to the desired value,
then select your vertices and click Apply to chamfer the corners.

Flex Modifier
Select a Mesh , Patch, or NURBS object. ➤
List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Flex

Modify panel ➤ Modifier

Select a Mesh, Patch, or NURBS object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation
Modifiers ➤ Flex Modifier
The Flex modifier simulates soft-body dynamics using virtual springs between
an object's vertices. You can set the springs' stiffness, or how actively they

Flex Modifier | 1389

keep vertices from coming close to each other, as well as stretch, or how far
apart they can move. At its simplest, this system causes vertices to lag behind
an object as it moves. At a more advanced level, you can also control the sway,
or how much the spring angle can change.

Flex causes the tongue to wag as the head rotates.

Flex works with NURBS, patches, meshes, shapes, FFD space warps, and any
plug-in-based object types that can be deformed. You can combine Flex with
space warps on page 2920 such as Gravity, Wind, Motor, Push, and PBomb to
add realistic, physically based animation to an object. In addition, you can
apply deflectors to soft-body objects to simulate collision.
NOTE The Flex modifier is aware of vertex/control-point motion in any animated
modifier that deforms points below Flex in the modifier stack, such as the Morpher
modifier on page 1464. Use this to simulate soft body motion on a morphed or
otherwise deform-animated object.
TIP To change the center of the flex effect, after applying the Flex modifier to an
object or sub-object selection, choose the Flex modifier's Center sub-object and
use Move.

1390 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP Using Flex's advanced capabilities can significantly impede real-time playback.
To improve performance in such cases, use the Point Cache modifier on page 1521
to record the vertex animation to disk, and then play it back using the cache.

The antennae, with the Flex modifier applied, move around like springs reacting to the
motion of the character's head.

Surfaces Influenced by the Flex Modifier
■

On a mesh surface, the Flex modifier influences every vertex.

■

On a patch surface, the Flex modifier influences both control points and
tangent handles. Flex unlocks tangent handles and moves them
independently.

■

On a NURBS surface, Flex influences control vertices (CVs) or points.

■

On a Spline (shape), the Flex modifier influences both control points and
tangent handles.

■

On an FFD Space Warp, the Flex modifier influences control points.

Flex Modifier | 1391

Effects
You can apply space warps to the Flex modifier. For example, you can add
Wind on page 2960 to animate plants and trees, or a waving flag. In such cases,
you don't need to create keyframes to see the effects; the space warp alone
can animate the surface.

Character Animation
Use Flex above the Skin modifier on page 1614 to add secondary motion to a
character animated with Bones, or above the Physique modifier to add
secondary motion to a character animated with Biped.

Procedures
Example: To paint on weights:
1 Create a sphere on the left side of the Top viewport.

2 Turn on

(Auto Key) and drag the time slider to frame 50.

3 In the Top viewport,
viewport.

4 Turn off

5 On the

move the sphere to the right side of the

(Auto Key).

Modify panel, click the Modifier List, and then choose Flex.

The Flex modifier is applied to the sphere.

6 Click

(Play Animation).

The sphere flexes around the Transform gizmo evenly.
7 Open the Flex modifier hierarchy in the stack display, and click Weights
& Springs.
This enables modification of the Weights & Springs sub-object settings.
8 In the Paint Weights group, turn on Paint.

1392 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

9 In the Left viewport, paint on the lower part of the sphere.
The vertex color changes as the vertex weight changes. Yellow vertices
are more rigid, blue vertices are less rigid.
TIP You can change Flex vertex colors through Customize menu ➤
Customize User Interface ➤ Colors ➤ Elements=Geometry ➤ Subselection
Hard/Medium/Soft.

10 Click

(Play Animation).

The sphere wobbles on one side more than the other.
If the Strength setting in the Paint Vertex group is a positive value, you
paint rigidity. If the values are negative, you paint flexibility.
To reverse the effect, paint with negative Strength values.
Example: To use wind as a force:
1 In the Top viewport, create a sphere.

2 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps), and then, if
necessary, choose Forces from the drop-down list.
3 Click Wind, and then click and drag in the Front viewport to create a
wind gizmo.
4 On the Wind Parameters rollout, set Strength and Turbulence to 4.

5

Select the Sphere.

6 Go to the

Modify panel, and apply a Flex modifier.

7 On the Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout, set Samples to 1.
8 On Forces and Deflectors rollout ➤ Forces group, click the Add button,
and then select the Wind gizmo in the viewports.

9 Click

(Play Animation).

Flex Modifier | 1393

The sphere undulates in the wind. The Advanced Parameters rollout ➤
Reference Frame setting determines the frame where the force(s) in the
list take effect.
You can also use this example to see how the Chase Springs option works.

10 Turn off Chase Springs and click

(Play Animation) again.

The sphere keeps moving in the direction the wind is blowing without
"bouncing" back. That's because the chase springs, which attempt to
return the object to its original shape, are no longer in effect.
To add custom springs:
1 Apply Flex to an object and go to the Weights & Springs sub-object level.
The Flex vertices appear at object vertices in the viewports.
2 On the Advanced Springs rollout, turn on Show Springs.
3 Click the Options button and in the Spring Option dialog on page 1406,
choose how you want to add springs. Exit the Spring Option dialog.
4 Select vertices according to the options.
For instance, if you want to add one Hold Shape spring between two
vertices, select both vertices.
5 Click Add Spring.
The new spring or springs appear. Edge springs are blue and Hold Shape
springs are red.
Example: To create a swinging rope:
1 Use Create menu ➤ Space Warps to add a Drag and a Gravity space warp
in the Top viewport.
2 Use Create menu ➤ Shapes ➤ Line to create a line with ten vertices
spaced evenly in the top viewport.

3 On the
Modify panel, turn on
select all the vertices except the first vertex.
4 Apply the Flex modifier.

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(Vertex) and

5 In the modifier stack view, open Weights and Springs sub-objects.
6 Turn off Use Chase Springs.
7 Turn off Use Weights.
8 Set the solver to Runge-Kutta4.
9 Set Samples to 5.

10 In a viewport,

select all the points on the spline.

11 In the Advance Springs rollout, click the Option button.
12 In the dialog, turn on Hold Edge Length Springs and click OK.
13 Click Add Springs.
14 On the Forces and Deflectors rollout, add Gravity and Drag in the Forces
group.

15 Click

(Play Animation).

The spline resembles a swinging rope.
Example: To create cloth draping on a sphere:
1 Use Create menu ➤ Space Warps to add a Drag and a Gravity space warp
in the Top viewport.
2 Use Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Deflectors ➤ SDeflector to create
a spherical deflector. Set Bounce to 0 and Friction to 100. Place the
deflector below Z=0.
3 Use Create menu ➤ Geometry ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Plane to create
a 20 x 20 plane in the Top viewport. It should be above the spherical
deflector.
4 Apply a Mesh Select modifier to the plane.

5 In the Top viewport,
column.

select all the vertices except for the leftmost

Flex Modifier | 1395

6 Apply the Flex modifier to the plane.
7 Turn off Use Chase Springs and Use Weights.
8 Set Samples to 3.
9 Click Create Simple Soft Body.
10 In the Forces and Deflectors rollout, add the Gravity and Drag forces.
11 In the Forces and Deflectors rollout, add the spherical deflector.

12 Click

(Play Animation).

The plane drapes over the spherical deflector like cloth.

Interface
Modifier Stack

These modifier sub-object levels are available in the stack display by opening
the modifier hierarchy (click the + icon to the left of the modifier name).
Center Move the Transform gizmo in the viewports to set the center of the
effect.
The flex effect increases as the distance between the center and a vertex
increases.

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Edge Vertices Select vertices in the viewports to control the falloff and
direction of the flex effect.
Selected vertices flex less than unselected vertices.
Weights & Springs Use the Weights And Painting rollout controls to select
and deselect vertices for subsequent operations on the Weights And Painting
rollout and the Advanced Springs rollout.
You can paint weights at any sub-object level, and add and remove springs at
any sub-object level (or even at the Flex modifier object level), but while a
Weights & Springs selection is active, only the selected vertices are affected.

Parameters rollout

Flex Sets the amount of flex and bend. Range=0 to 1000; Default=1.
This value represents the amount of the flexed animation that is used; the
flexed animation is determined by other factors such as motion and vertex
weighting. The default setting of 1 causes the flexed animation to occur
unmodified; higher settings cause unnaturally high amounts of stretching,
and lower settings cause diminished stretching.
Strength Sets the overall spring strength of the chase springs.
A value of 100 is rigid. Range=0 to 100; Default=3.
Sway Sets the time for the object to come to rest for chase springs.
Lower values increase the time for the object to come to rest. Range=0 to 100;
Default=7.

Flex Modifier | 1397

Use Chase Springs When on, enables chase springs, which force the object
to return to its original shape. When off, no chase springs are used, and the
amount by which vertices move depends only on their weights. Default=on.
Typically, for soft-body simulations when you want objects to be influenced
by forces and deflectors, you would turn off Use Chase Springs.
Use Weights When on, Flex recognizes the different weights assigned to an
object's vertices, applying different amounts of flexing accordingly. When off,
the flex effect applies itself to the object as a monolithic whole. Default=on.
Typically, for soft-body simulations when you want objects to be influenced
by forces and deflectors, you would turn off Use Weights.
Solver Type Choose a solver for the simulation from the drop-down list. The
three choices are Euler, Midpoint, and Runge-Kutta4. Midpoint and
Runge-Kutta4 require successively more computation than Euler, but are more
stable and accurate. Default=Euler.
TIP In most cases, you can use Euler successfully, but if unexpected object
deformations occur during a simulation, try using one of the more accurate solver
types. Specifically, you might need to use Midpoint or Runge-Kutta4 with higher
Stretch and Stiffness settings.
Samples The number of times per frame the Flex simulation is run at equal
time intervals. The more samples you take, the more accurate and stable the
simulation. When using the Midpoint or Runge-Kutta4 solver, you might not
need as many samples as with Euler. Default=5.
TIP If your simulation produces unexpected results, such as object vertices moving
to seemingly random locations, try increasing the Samples setting.

Simple Soft Bodies rollout

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Lets 3ds Max determine spring settings for the entire object automatically.
Alternatively, you can use the Advanced Springs on page 1404 rollout settings
to specify spring settings between each pair of vertices.
Create Simple Soft Body Generates spring settings for the object based on
the Stretch and Stiffness settings.
NOTE After you use Create Simple Soft Body, you can change the Stretch and
Stiffness settings without having to click the button again; the changes take effect
immediately.
Stretch Determines how much object edges can elongate. When Advanced
Springs rollout ➤ Enable Advanced Springs is off, the Stretch setting is linked
to the Advanced Springs rollout ➤ Stretch Str. and Stretch Sway settings.
Stiffness Determines how rigid the object is. When Advanced Springs rollout
➤ Enable Advanced Springs is off, the Stretch setting is linked to the Advanced
Springs rollout ➤ Shape Str. and Shape Sway settings.
The differences between Stretch and Stiffness are subtle, and understanding
them is further complicated by the fact the two affect each other. In addition,
how they work depends on object topology. For example, say you create a
box, add a Flex modifier, apply Create Simple Soft Body, and then set a high
Stretch value and a low Stiffness value. If you use the box in a Flex-based
dynamics simulation, such as dropping it onto a surface (deflector) with
gravity, you might expect the box to fall over and flatten out. But instead,
because of the box's topology, which causes Create Simple Soft Body to apply
a relatively small number of shape springs, you'd actually get better results
with a low Stretch value and a high Stiffness value. However, if you use a
sphere of eight segments instead, you'll get the collapsing behavior with the
default Stretch and Stiffness settings, and as expected, increasing rigidity with
higher Stiffness settings.
In soft-body simulations, such as the above-cited example of dropping an
object onto a surface, particularly with dense meshes, you might get better
results by applying the mesh to an FFD space warp that's bound to the object.
If the object's shape isn't suitable for use with the space warp, you might have
to instead use the Advanced Springs on page 1404 rollout settings to apply
springs manually. In such cases, you should create shape springs between
opposite vertices rather than adjacent ones.
Cloth-like animation usually works best with a high Stretch setting and a low
Stiffness setting. For soft bodies, you would usually use high settings for both
Stretch and Stiffness, depending on how "squishy" you want the object to be.

Flex Modifier | 1399

Weights and Painting rollout

When you first apply Flex to an object, the modifier automatically sets a weight
for each vertex based on its distance from the modifier's center. The higher a
vertex weight, the less prone it is to being affected by Flex effects. The modifier
applies the highest weights to vertices closest to its center, and the lowest
weights to vertices farthest from the center. So, for example, with a cylinder
whose pivot point is at the base, you'll get the greatest amount of flexing at
the top. But with a sphere, all of whose vertices are equidistant from the pivot
point (center), all vertices have, by default, equal weight values.
The Paint Weights controls let you use a spherical brush with adjustable radius
and falloff to change vertex weights in the viewports, thus controlling the
amount of lag. The Vertex Weights controls let you apply absolute or relative
weighting to single vertices or groups of vertices.

Paint Weights group
Paint At any sub-object level, click Paint, and then drag the cursor over the
mesh in the viewports to "paint" vertex weights using the current Strength
and Feather settings. Vertex colors changes to reflect the new vertex weight.
Painting changes vertex weights relative to their current values; it does not
apply an absolute weight. Longer strokes over an area of the mesh will increase
or decrease vertex weights more than short strokes, and repeated strokes over
the same area will cause incremental changes in weight values unless they're
already at their extremes.
The vertex coloring shown at any Flex sub-object level provides an approximate
indication of weighting. The colors are determined by the settings in Customize

1400 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

menu ➤ Customize User Interface ➤ Colors tab ➤ Elements: Geometry.
In this list are three color entries: Subselection Hard, used to display vertices
with the highest Weight values; Subselection Medium, used to display vertices
with medium Weight values; and Subselection Soft, used to display vertices
with low Weight values.
Strength Sets the amount by which painting changes weight values. Higher
values change weighting more quickly. At Strength=0, painting does not
change weight values. Range=–1 to 1; Default=0.1.
Negative values allow you to remove weight.
TIP When painting, you can use the Alt key to invert the strength.
Radius Sets the size of the brush in world units. Range=0.001 to 99999;
Default=36.
NOTE If you position the mouse cursor over the object before painting, you can
see a wireframe representation of the spherical "brush" that depicts the Radius
setting.
Feather Sets the falloff in strength from the center of the brush to its edge.
Default=0.7. Range=0.001 to 1.
Vertices at the center of the brush are always changed by the full amount of
the Strength setting, but the higher the Feather setting, the less vertices closer
to the edge change. At the lowest setting, all vertices inside the radius are
changed equally.

Vertex Weights group
Sets vertex weighting manually. At the Weights & Springs sub-object level,
select vertices in the viewports, and then change the value of the Vertex
Weight parameter. Alternatively, turn on Absolute Weight, set the desired
Vertex Weight, and then select vertices to set; changes are immediate.
Absolute Weight Turn on to assign absolute weights to the selected vertices.
Turn off to add or remove weight based on the Vertex Weight setting.
Vertex Weight Assigns weight to selected vertices.
Depending on the state of the Absolute Weight parameter, weight assignment
is either absolute or relative.

Flex Modifier | 1401

NOTE The Vertex Weight range is -100 to 100. With Absolute Weight on, the
negative Vertex Weight settings have no effect; the effective range is 0 to 100.
With Absolute Weight off, changing the Vertex Weight setting adds the amount
to the current weights of selected vertices, and then the setting is reset to 0.

Forces and Deflectors rollout

Forces group
Use these controls to add space warps in the Forces category to the Flex
modifier. Supported space warps are:
■

Displace on page 2964

■

Drag on page 2941

■

Gravity on page 2958

■

Motor on page 2931

■

PBomb on page 2947

1402 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Push on page 2926

■

Vortex on page 2936

■

Wind on page 2960

List Window Displays particle space warps applied to the Flex modifier.
Add Click this, and then select a particle space warp in the viewports to add
the effect to Flex. The added space warp displays in the list window.
Remove Select a space warp in the list and click Remove to remove the effect
from Flex.

Deflectors group
Using deflectors with Flex lets object movement be impeded by surfaces. This
lets you simulate collisions with soft-body objects. For best results with
collisions, in the deflector settings use a low value for Bounce and a high value
for Friction.
Supported deflectors are:
■

POmniFlect on page 2969

■

SOmniFlect on page 2980

■

UOmniFlect on page 2983

■

UDeflector on page 2991

■

SDeflector on page 2988

■

Deflector on page 2994

List Window Displays deflectors applied to the Flex modifier.
Add Click this, and then select a deflector in the viewports to add the effect
to Flex. The added deflector displays in the list window.
Remove Select a deflector in the list and click Remove to remove the effect
from Flex.

Flex Modifier | 1403

Advanced Parameters rollout

Reference Frame Sets the first frame at which Flex begins its simulation.
End Frame When on, sets the last frame at which Flex is to take effect. After
this frame, the object snaps back to its shape as currently defined by the stack.
For instance, if you animate a Bend modifier in the stack under Flex, then
when Flex stops, the object's shape is altered only by the Bend modifier settings
as of that frame.
Affect All Points Forces Flex to ignore any sub-object selection in the stack
and apply itself to the entire object.
Set Reference Updates the viewports.
After moving the effect center, click Set Reference to update the viewports.
Reset Resets vertex weighting to the defaults.

Advanced Springs rollout
Use these settings when you need a more precise springs setup than is provided
by the Simple Soft Body feature. Flex uses two types of spring: edge springs,
which create springs only along existing edges, and shape springs, which can
exist between any two vertices in the object that are not connected by an
edge. In general, add edge springs along existing edges and shape springs
between vertices that don't share an edge.
NOTE Before using these controls, go to the Weights & Springs sub-object level.
TIP Additional spring types are available using MAXScript. See the MAXScript
Help for details.

1404 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Enable Advanced Springs Makes the numeric controls available for editing,
and disconnects the Strength and Sway settings from the Simple Soft Bodies
controls. Default=off.
The four numeric Stretch and Sway settings in this rollout are available only
when Enable Advanced Springs is on.
Add Spring Adds one or more springs to the object based on the vertex
selection at the Weights & Springs sub-object level and the Spring Option
dialog on page 1406 settings.
NOTE You cannot undo this action. To delete existing springs, select the endpoints
and click Remove Spring.
Options Opens the Spring Option dialog on page 1406 for determining how
springs are added with the Add Spring function.
Remove Spring Deletes any springs that have both vertices selected at the
Weights & Springs sub-object level.
Stretch Str. Determines the strength of the edge springs; the higher the
strength, the less the distance between them can vary.

Flex Modifier | 1405

Stretch Sway Determines the sway of the edge springs; the higher the strength,
the less the angle between them can vary.
Shape Str. Determines the strength of the shape springs; the higher the
strength, the less the distance between them can vary.
Shape Sway Determines the sway of the shape springs; the higher the strength,
the less the angle between them can vary.
Spring Count Displays the number of edge springs, followed by the number
of shape springs in parentheses.
Hold Length Maintains the length of edge springs within the specified
percentage.
NOTE This setting, which is applied after the Flex simulation, can affect the object
shape, and thus cause collision detection to fail.
Show Springs Displays edge springs as blue lines and shape springs as red
lines. Springs are visible only when a Flex sub-object mode is active.
You can change the spring colors using MAXScript.

Spring Option Dialog
Select a Mesh, Patch, or NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier
List ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ Flex ➤ Advanced Springs rollout ➤ Options
button
Use the Spring Option dialog to determine how springs are added in the Flex
modifier when you click the Advanced Springs rollout ➤ Add Spring button.

1406 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Single Edge Spring Creates one edge spring between two selected vertices. If
any number of vertices is selected other than two, no springs are created.
Hold Edge Length Springs Creates edge springs along the edges of the objects
between any vertex selection and neighboring vertices.
Hold Edge Length Springs Apply Only To Selected Creates edge springs
along the edges of the objects between all selected vertices.
Hold Shape Springs Creates shape springs from the selected vertex or vertices
to all other vertices within the Hold Shape Radius.
Hold Shape Springs Apply Only To Selected Creates shape springs between
all selected vertices within the Hold Shape Radius.
Hold Shape Radius The radius within which shape springs are created. No
shape springs are created between vertices farther apart than this distance.
At the bottom of the dialog is an informational display showing the object's
average edge length, maximum edge length, and minimum edge length. This
information can help in determining an appropriate Hold Shape Radius setting.

Flex Modifier | 1407

HSDS Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ HSDS Modifier
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Subdivision Surfaces ➤ HSDS
Modifier
The HSDS modifier implements Hierarchical SubDivision Surfaces. It is
intended primarily as a finishing tool rather than as a modeling tool. For best
results, perform most of your modeling using low-polygon methods, and then
use HSDS to add detail and adaptively refine the model.
The modifier's primary features are:
■

Local refinement

■

Hierarchical modeling

■

Adaptive tessellation

With local refinement, you subdivide part of a polygon mesh and edit the
mesh in the subdivided area. This is done indirectly by manipulating
sub-objects in a control grid. Use this feature when you need to increase mesh
resolution in specific areas of a model rather than uniformly over the entire
object, as with the Tessellate modifier on page 1761. An example of usage would
be a human hand. Once you've modeled the basic shape, you might use the
HSDS modifier to add bumps for the knuckles.
The HSDS modifier supports multiple levels of detail, hence its hierarchical
nature. The Subdivision Stack lets you visually navigate the levels of detail at
any time while using the modifier. Thus, you can edit the same part of a mesh
at different mesh resolutions. If you work at a level of detail lower than the
highest available, the higher-detail areas are still in effect, but you control
them indirectly by means of the more widespread sub-objects at the lower
level.
Sub-object animation is supported only at the lowest level of detail: Base Level.
This is accomplished by animating the mesh below the HSDS modifier. To
apply deformation animation after HSDS modeling, first convert the object
to an editable mesh by right-clicking the modifier stack and choosing Collapse
All.

1408 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The adaptive tessellation automatically subdivides polygons as needed to
maintain a smoothly curved surface when transforming mesh sub-objects.
You can use a preset or provide custom settings.
IMPORTANT HSDS models are not passed up the modifier stack. The HSDS
modifier takes a polygon mesh as input, and outputs a triangle-based mesh.
Also, The HSDS modifier does not handle changes to the modified object's
topology, such as altering a sphere's Segments setting. Topology changes to
the input mesh results in the loss of all edits made in the HSDS modifier.

Procedures
To use the HSDS modifier:
1 Apply the HSDS modifier to an object.
By default, the HSDS modifier doesn't convert non-quadrilateral polygons
to quads. Because the modifier works best with four-sided polygons, it's
recommended you perform the conversion if necessary.
2 If the object contains any non-quadrilateral polygons, in the HSDS
Parameters dialog, turn on Force Quads. Click Yes in the Force Quads?
dialog that appears.
NOTE Upon conversion to quads, the modifier automatically performs one
level of subdivision with smoothing (like MeshSmooth on page 1450 with one
iteration) on the object to which it's applied. Thus, for best results, use it with
relatively low-polygon objects. For example, if you usually work with the
Sphere object at the default 32 segments, use a 16-segment sphere with
HSDS.
If the object is made up of quads only, Force Quads isn't available because
no conversion is necessary.

3 Choose a sub-object mode at which to subdivide.
The object is covered with a gold control grid (or, in Vertex sub-object
mode, a white grid with blue vertices), indicating that the entire mesh is
available for subdivision and/or sub-object transformation at base level.

4

Select one or more sub-objects.

5 Click the Subdivide button.

HSDS Modifier | 1409

The modifier again subdivides and smoothes the selected sub-objects as
well as all surrounding polygons. The resultant sub-objects reside at a
higher level of detail, as indicated by the addition of a level in the
Subdivision Stack. Now the control grid shows only polygons at the new
level. With sub-objects other than Element, this typically covers only
part of the object's surface.

A control grid on a sphere at level 2. Subdivisions at lower levels are visible as
gold lines.

In wireframe views, you can still see polygons at lower levels of detail,
but you can select only sub-objects resulting from the subdivision, as
indicated by the control grid. You can subdivide sub-objects further,
transform them, hide and delete them, and change material IDs.
NOTE When you transform an HSDS sub-object, the control grid tends to
expand by adding segments at its edges, in order to maintain surface
smoothness.

1410 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

6 To subdivide a different part of the object, choose a lower level in the
Subdivision Stack, and then repeat steps 2–4.
Each time you subdivide a sub-object that has been subdivided, a higher
level in the Subdivision Stack is hightlighted, indicating a finer mesh
resolution. You can then work at that level, or any lower level by selecting
the level.
NOTE If you transform a sub-object at a level lower than the highest level in
which the subject exists, the mesh uses the resolution imparted by the detail
in the higher levels.

Interface
HSDS Parameters rollout
The sub-objects available in the HSDS modifier belong to the control grid
rather than the mesh object itself. Transforming the grid sub-objects also
transforms the underlying mesh, but the mesh doesn't always move to the
full extent of the control grid. This is particularly true in cases where you
transform a sub-object at a level lower than the highest level in which the
sub-object resides.
For example, if you subdivide a vertex at the Base Level, it then resides in the
Base Level and Level 1. If you then move the vertex in the base level, the mesh
doesn't, by default, move as far as the vertex. This is roughly analogous to the
way free-form deformation works, but with HSDS, the control grid conforms
much more closely to the shape of the mesh object.
With vertices, you can control the degree to which the mesh follows the
control-grid vertex with the settings on the Vertex Interpolation on page 1414
group.

HSDS Modifier | 1411

Vertex Turns on Vertex sub-object mode, which lets you select a vertex
beneath the cursor; region selection selects vertices within the region.

1412 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edge Turns on Edge sub-object mode, which lets you select a face or
polygon edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges within
the region.

Polygon Turns on Polygon sub-object mode, which lets you select a
single face or polygon. A polygon is the area you see within the visible wire
edges. Region selection selects multiple polygons within the region.

Element Turns on Element sub-object mode, which lets you select all
contiguous polygons beneath the cursor in the current level of detail.
Ignore Backfacing When on, you can select only those sub-objects whose
normals are visible in the viewport. When off (the default), selection includes
all sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their normals. Default=off.
Only Current Level Displays only polygons at the current level of detail, with
highlights, but without smoothing. Use this option to speed up the display
when working with complex objects. Default=off.
Subdivision Stack Shows the current level of the subdivision hierarchy.
Automatically increments when you subdivide a sub-object selection. To edit
at a different level of detail, select the level in the stack. The current level is
outlined in red.

Visibility is controlled by the box icon to the right of the level label.
Turning on the visibility at one level activates the visibility from that level
down to the base level. Visibility above that level will be turned off.

HSDS Modifier | 1413

Box
icon
for
invisible
layer

Subdivide Performs subdivision and smoothing on the current selection, and
adds a level to the Subdivision Stack. When the subdivision results in a control
grid and other subdivisions have been performed at the same level of detail,
the control grids may become interconnected.
Vertex Interpolation group

Determines how selected vertices are treated during subdivision. Available
only in Vertex sub-object mode.
For best results, use when moving control grid vertices at a level of detail lower
than the highest in which the vertex resides.
Standard/Conic/Cusp/Corner Determines how closely mesh vertices follow
the movement of control grid vertices. Standard provides the least amount of
relative movement, while Cusp and Corner provide the most. Corner also
keeps edges adjacent to subdivided vertices from being rounded off during
subdivision. Default=Standard.
NOTE Corner is available only when the selected vertex or vertices aren't
surrounded by polygons, such as the vertices on the edge of a plane object.
Edge Crease group

Determines the extent to which selected edges are treated as creases during
subdivision. Available only in Edge sub-object mode.

1414 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

For best results, use with control grid edges at a level of detail lower than the
highest in which the edge resides. Also, for creasing to be visible, the edge
should be offset from the surrounding surface by a significant amount.

Left: Crease=1.0
Center: The eyebrow edges selected at LOD 0
Right: Crease=0.0

Crease Specifies how much creasing is performed on the selected edge or
edges. At low settings, the edge is relatively smooth. At higher settings, the
crease becomes increasingly visible. At 1.0, the highest setting, the edge is not
smoothed at all. Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

Advanced Options rollout
Force Quads When on, the modifier converts all non-quadrilateral faces or
polygons to four-sided polygons. When off, converts all polygons to triangles.
Available only when the object contains any non-quadrilateral faces or
polygons. Default=off.
When you change the status of Force Quads, any edits made in the HSDS
modifier are lost. A message appears warning you of this, and asking you to
confirm the change.
Because the modifier works best with four-sided polygons, it's recommended
you confirm the conversion if an object contains non-quadrilateral faces or
polygons. The sphere primitive is an example of such an object; the uppermost
and lowermost faces are three-sided.
Smooth Result When turned on, all faces on the object will be in smoothing
group 1, but if Smooth Result is turned off, each face will inherit smoothing
groups from the input MNMesh.

HSDS Modifier | 1415

Material ID Displays the material ID assigned to the current selection.
Available only in Polygon and Element sub-object modes. If multiple
sub-objects are selected and they don't share an ID, this field is blank.
You can change the material ID assigned to selected sub-objects at the current
and higher levels of detail by changing this setting.
Material IDs are used primarily with Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542.
Hide Hides the current polygon selection. Available only at the Polygon and
Element sub-object levels. Use Unhide All to reveal hidden polygons.
TIP Use Hide to isolate part of an object you want to work on. The Select Invert
command on the Edit menu is useful in this case. Select the faces you want to
focus on, choose Edit ➤ Select Invert, then click the Hide button.
Unhide All Reveals hidden polygons.
Delete Polygon Deletes the current polygon selection, creating a hole or holes
in the surface. Available only in Polygon sub-object mode.
NOTE When the current level of detail does not encompass the entire object
surface, you cannot delete polygons at the border of the control grid; that is,
polygons that do not share all edges with other polygons in the grid.
Adaptive Subdivision Opens the Adaptive Subdivision dialog on page 1416.
This option is best used for smoothing subdivided and edited portions of the
mesh when you're finished using the HSDS functionality.

Soft Selection rollout
These controls let you set a gradual falloff of influence between selected and
unselected vertices. See Soft Selection Rollout (Edit/Editable Mesh) on page
1966.

Adaptive Subdivision Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ HSDS Modifier ➤ Advanced Options rollout ➤ Adaptive
Subdivision button
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Subdivision Surfaces ➤ HSDS
Modifier ➤ Advanced Options rollout ➤ Adaptive Subdivision button

1416 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Use adaptive subdivision for smoothing subdivided and edited portions of
the mesh when you're finished using the HSDS modifier on page 1408.
Alternatively, you can use adaptive subdivision to remove a level of detail
from the object.

Procedures
To use adaptive subdivision:
1 Edit an object with the HSDS modifier.
2 Choose Add Detail or Remove Detail, depending which operation you
want to perform.
3 Set the desired amount of detail with one of the presets or by specifying
custom Length and Angle settings.
4 Click OK to perform the specified operation.
The detail addition or removal is performed, and you're returned to the
HSDS modifier. Depending on whether you removed or added detail, the
highest level of detail is decremented or incremented by 1.

Interface

Detail group
Add/Remove Determines whether clicking the OK button increases or
decreases detail.

HSDS Modifier | 1417

Parameters group
These settings determine the extent to which detail is added or removed. The
Length and Angle settings are available for editing only when the Custom
option is chosen. However, they show the default settings for the Low,
Medium, and High options.
Low/Medium/High/Custom Choose one of the presets, or choose Custom
to set your own Length and Angle values.
Max. LOD Specifies the highest number of levels of detail that 3ds Max can
add when increasing detail. Not available when removing detail.
Length The maximum permissible length of any edge after adding or removing
detail. The smaller the length, the higher the amount of tessellation that is
allowed.
Angle The maximum permissible angle between two opposite edges emanating
from a vertex. The smaller the angle, the higher the amount of tessellation
that is allowed.
OK Performs the subdivision or removal of detail and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without changing the mesh.

Lathe Modifier
Select a shape. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Lathe

Select a shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Lathe
Lathe creates a 3D object by rotating a shape or NURBS curve about an axis.

1418 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Object resulting from 360-degree lathe

Interface
Modifier Stack

Axis At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the axis of
revolution.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Lathe Modifier | 1419

Parameters rollout

Degrees Determines the number of degrees that the object is spun around the
axis of revolution (0 to 360, default=360). You can set keyframes for Degrees
to animate the circular growth of a lathed object. The Lathe axis auto-sizes
itself to the height of the shape being lathed.

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Object resulting from 270-degree lathe

Weld Core Simplifies the mesh by welding together vertices that lie on the
axis of revolution. Keep it turned off if you intend to create morph targets.
Flip Normals Depending on the direction of the vertices on your shape, and
the direction of rotation, the lathed object might be inside out. Toggle the
Flip Normals check box to fix this.
Segments Determines how many interpolated segments are created in the
surface between the start and endpoint. This parameter is also animatable.
Default=16
NOTE You can create up to 10,000 segments using the segments spinner. Try
not to create geometry that is more complex than you need. Often you can get
satisfactory results by using smoothing groups or smoothing modifiers, rather than
increasing segmentation.

Capping group
Controls whether or not caps are created for the interior of the lathed object
if Degrees is set to less than 360.

Lathe Modifier | 1421

Cap Start Caps the start of the lathed object with Degrees set to less than 360
and a closed shape.
Cap End Caps the end of the lathed object with Degrees set to less than 360
and a closed shape.
Morph Arranges cap faces in a predictable, repeatable pattern necessary for
creating morph targets. Morph capping can generate long, thin faces that
don't render or deform as well as grid capping. Use morph capping primarily
if you are lathing multiple morph targets.
Grid Arranges cap faces in a square grid trimmed at the shape boundaries.
This method produces a surface of evenly sized faces that can easily be
deformed by other modifiers.

Direction group
Sets up the direction of the axis of revolution, relative to the pivot point of
the object.
X/Y/Z Set the direction of the axis of revolution relative to the pivot point
of the object.

Align group
Min/Center/Max Align the axis of revolution to the minimum, center, or
maximum extents of the shape.

Output group
Patch Produces an object that you can collapse to a patch object (see Editing
the Stack on page 987).
Mesh Produces an object that you can collapse to a mesh object (see Editing
the Stack on page 987).
NURBS Produces an object that can be collapsed to a NURBS surface (see
Editing the Stack on page 987).
Generate Mapping Coordinates Applies mapping coordinates to the lathed
object. When Degrees is less than 360, and Generate Mapping Coordinates is
turned on, additional mapping coordinates are applied to the end caps, placing
a 1 x 1 tile on each cap.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.

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Generate Material IDs Assigns different material IDs to the sides and the caps
of the lathed object. Specifically, the sides receive ID 3, and the caps (when
Degrees is less than 360 and the lathed shape is closed) receive IDs 1 and 2.
Default=on.
Use Shape IDs Uses the material ID values assigned to segments in the spline
on page 511 you lathed, or curve sub-objects in the NURBS on page 2433 curve
you lathed. Use Shape IDs is available only when Generate Material IDs is
turned on.
Smooth Applies smoothing to the lathed shape.

Lattice Modifier
Select an object or a shape. ➤
Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Lattice

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤

Select an object or a shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤
Lattice
The Lattice modifier converts the segments or edges of a shape or object into
cylindrical struts with optional joint polyhedra at the vertices. Use this either
to create renderable structural geometry based on the mesh topology, or as
an alternate method to achieve a rendered wireframe effect.

Lattice Modifier | 1423

Top: Joints only
Middle: Struts only
Bottom: Both (joints and struts)

NOTE This modifier can act on the whole object or on sub-object selections in
the stack.

1424 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP You can combine the Scatter compound object on page 608 with the Lattice
modifier to place any object you want as a joint, rather than the provided
polyhedra. To do this, create your mesh distribution object and your source object
(for example, a box). Use Scatter to scatter the box at the vertices of the distribution
object. (Be sure to use the Copy option rather than Instance.) In the Scatter Display
parameters, hide the distribution object. Select the original object that was used
as a distribution object, apply Lattice to it, and turn off the joints. You'll have two
coincident objects: one providing the lattice struts, and the other positioning the
boxes.

Lattice Modifier | 1425

Interface

1426 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Geometry group
Specifies whether to use the whole object or selected sub-objects, and which
of the two components (struts and joints) is displayed.
Apply To Entire Object Applies Lattice to all edges or segments in the object.
When turned off, applies Lattice only to selected sub-objects passed up the
stack. Default=on.
NOTE When Apply To Entire Object is turned off, unselected sub-objects render
normally. For example, if you convert a box to an editable mesh, select one
polygon, and then apply Lattice with Apply To Entire Object turned off, the face
does not render, while the edges and vertices that form that face are converted
to struts and joints, and the remaining faces render normally. However, if you
select the four edges surrounding the polygon and turn off Ignore Hidden Edges,
the struts and joints are added to the object while all faces render as normal. If
you turn on Struts group ➤ Ignore Hidden Edges, one of the polygon's faces
renders, while the other doesn't.
Joints Only From Vertices Displays only the joints (polyhedra) generated by
the vertices of the original mesh.
Struts Only From Edges Displays only the struts (cylinders) generated by the
segments of the original mesh.
Both Displays both struts and joints.

Struts group
Provides controls that affect the geometry of the struts.
Radius Specifies the radius of the struts.
Segments Specifies the number of segments along the struts. Increase this
value when you need to deform or distort the struts with subsequent modifiers.
Sides Specifies the number of sides around the perimeter of the struts.
Material ID Specifies the material ID to be used for the struts. The struts and
the joints can have different material IDs, making it easy to assign them
different materials. The struts default to ID #1.
Ignore Hidden Edges Generates struts only for visible edges. When turned
off, generates struts for all edges, including the invisible edges. Default=on.
End Caps Applies end caps to the struts.
Smooth Applies smoothing to the struts.

Lattice Modifier | 1427

Joints group
Provides controls that affect the geometry of the joints.
Geodesic Base Type Specifies the type of polyhedron used for the joints.
Tetra Uses a tetrahedron.
Octa Uses an octahedron.
Icosa Uses an icosahedron.
Radius Specifies the radius of the joints.
Segments Specifies the number of segments in the joints. The more segments,
the more spherical the joints' shape.
Material ID Specifies the material ID to be used for the joints. Defaults to ID
#2.
Smooth Applies smoothing to the joints.

Mapping Coordinates group
Determines the type of mapping assigned to the object.
None Assigns no mapping.
Reuse Existing Uses the mapping currently assigned to the object. This might
be the mapping assigned by Generate Mapping Coords., in the creation
parameters, or by a previously assigned mapping modifier. When using this
option, each joint inherits the mapping of the vertex it surrounds.
New Uses mapping designed for the Lattice modifier. Applies cylindrical
mapping to each strut, and spherical mapping to each joint.

Linked XForm Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Select objects or sub-objects. ➤ Modifier List ➤
Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Linked XForm
Select an object or sub-objects. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers
➤ Linked XForm
The Linked XForm modifier links the transforms for any object or sub-object
selection to another object, called the control object. The control object's

1428 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

motion, rotation, and/or scale transforms are passed onto the object or
sub-object selection.

Using Linked XForm
Linked XForm connects any geometry it receives from the stack to another
object, which is called the control object. Its single control simply picks the
control object. To use this modifier, you must have at least two objects in
your scene.
See also:
XForm Modifier on page 1961

■

Procedures
To apply a Linked XForm modifier:
1 Choose a location in an object's stack and apply a Linked XForm from
the Modifier List.
2 On the Parameter's rollout, click Pick Control Object. When animating,
do this at frame 0.

3

Select the object you want to be the control object.
This completes the link. The name of the control object appears on the
Parameters rollout.

To apply a Linked XForm modifier at a Sub-Object level:

1

Select an Editable Mesh or an object to which a Mesh Select
modifier has been applied.

2 Turn on the
Vertex sub-object level and
vertices on the object.

select some

3 Apply a Linked XForm modifier.

Linked XForm Modifier | 1429

4 On the Parameter's rollout, click Pick Control Object. When animating,
do this at frame 0.

5

Select another object that you want to control the sub-object
selection.
This completes the link. The name of the control object appears on the
Parameters rollout.

6

Move the control object and see how the vertices are affected.

Interface

Control Object Object that the vertices are linked to. When transformed, the
vertices follow.
Pick Control Object Click this button, and then select the object that you
want to be the control object.
Back Transform Allows an object with a Linked XForm modifier to be linked
to a Control Object. Normally, moving the Control Object causes the linked
object to move twice as much as it should, once with the Control Object and
once with the link. When the switch is turned on, any transforms to the
Control Object are only applied to the linked object once. This switch is similar
to the 'Back Transform Vertices' switch of the Skin on page 1614 modifier.

1430 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

LS Mesh Modifier
Select a Lightscape mesh object. ➤
➤ LS Mesh

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List

The LS Mesh modifier refines a Lightscape mesh object.
When you import a Lightscape scene into 3ds Max, the mesh produced by
Lightscape doesn’t contain the refinements that Lightscape introduced to
improve the lighting. This information is kept and used by the Lightscape
material while rendering. This modifier will add these refinements to the
Lightscape mesh. In conjunction with the LS Colors modifier on page 1084, this
modifier can be used to produce meshes suitable for game engines.
The refinement stored in a Lightscape mesh is hierarchical. When a polygon
is refined, it is broken into four smaller polygons. These polygons can then
be refined further. A polygon in the refinement has a depth from the original
polygon, which is the number of refinements needed to get from the original
polygon to the polygon in question.
The modifier allows you to reduce the number of polygons in the result by
limiting the depth to which the modifier will descend, or by limiting the size
of polygons that will be refined.
You can apply the LS Mesh modifier to a Face sub-object selection of a
Lightscape mesh object. In this case, only the selected faces will be refined.
See also:
■

Lightscape Files (LP, LS, and Other Formats) on page 8286

Interface

LS Mesh Modifier | 1431

Limit subdivision depth When the toggle is on, the value sets the maximum
depth of refinement. When the toggle is off, then the mesh modifier will
descend to the bottom of the refinement. Default=on, 0.
Limit subdivision size When the toggle is on, the value limits the size of
polygons that are refined. When the toggle is off, then the mesh modifier will
refine polygons to any size. The size is a length in the current view units.
Polygons smaller than that size squared will not be refined by the modifier.
Default=off, 19.685 units or 0.5 meters.

MapScaler Modifier (Object Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ MapScaler

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

The MapScaler (OSM) modifier works in object space to maintain the scale of
a map applied to an object. This lets you resize the object via its creation
parameters without altering the scale of the map. Typically, you might use
this to maintain the size of a map regardless of how the geometry is scaled, if
you change the object size by adjusting its creation parameters. However, if
you use a Select And Scale tool to change the object size, the map scales along
with the object.
To maintain the scale of the map regardless of how the object is resized, use
the MapScaler (WSM) modifier on page 1086.
For example, if you scale a brick wall with the MapScaler (WSM) modifier
applied, the bricks will all remain the same size as you increase the size of the
wall. However, if you scale the same wall with the MapScaler (OSM) modifier
applied, the size of the bricks will grow in proportion with the scale of the
wall.
The MapScaler (OSM) modifier has two primary benefits compared to the
WSM version:
■

As an object-space modifier, it can reside anywhere in the stack and be
collapsed with the stack, rather than being restricted to the top of the
stack, as with world-space modifiers. This lets other object-space modifiers
take effect after the map-scaling operation.

■

When instanced among multiple objects, the object-space version appears
in the modifier stack display when any number of objects is selected. This
differs from the world-space version, which, when instanced among

1432 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

multiple objects, appears in the stack display only when a single object is
selected.
TIP MapScaler also works at the sub-object level. If the object you're working on
requires different scaling of the texture map on each surface, you can do so by
creating a modifier stack with multiple occurrences of the MapScaler modifier.

Procedures
Example: To use the MapScaler at a sub-object level:
1 Create a Box and apply a brick or other patterned material to the object.

2 Go to the
List.

Modify panel and choose Mesh Select from the Modifier

3 On the Parameters rollout, click
one of the sides of the box.

(Polygon), then

select

4 Open the Modifier List and apply either MapScaler modifier.
5 Change the Scale value.
Notice that the texture map only on the selected set of polygons is
changed.
To change the scale of the texture on another part of the same object, add
another Mesh Select modifier and make a new sub-object selection. Add the
next MapScaler modifier to the new selection set and change the scale as you
did in step 5.

MapScaler Modifier (Object Space) | 1433

Interface

Scale Represents the size of one repetition of the texture pattern. Size is
measured in current scene units. Repetitions occur across the object in the U
and V directions. Default=1.0.
NOTE When the Use Real-World Texture Coordinates switch is active in the General
Preferences dialog on page 8887, the scale setting defaults to 1.0. If Use Real-World
Texture Coordinates is turned off, scale defaults to 100.0.
U/V Offset Specify horizontal and vertical offsets respectively. Available only
when Wrap Texture is off.
Wrap Texture When on, Map Scaler attempts to wrap the texture evenly
around the object. This option requires more computing, but usually produces
the most satisfactory results. Default=on.
Wrap Using Smoothing Groups When turned on, textures are wrapped
around corners when they share the same smoothing groups. Curved walls
will map smoothly while sharp corners get a new texture origin. This switch
is only available when the Wrap Textures switch is turned on. Default=off.
Channel Specifies the map channel on page 9210. Default=1.

1434 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Material Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Material

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Surface ➤ Material
The Material modifier allows you to animate, or simply change, the assignment
of material IDs on page 9217 on an object. If the material ID is animated, the
change to a new material ID is abrupt, from one frame to the next.

Object mapped using a multi/sub-object material:
Material ID 1 for the housing of the monitor
Material ID 2 for the image on the screen

TIP If you want a gradual blend from one material to another, try animating the
Mix parameter on a Blend on page 6529 material.
Use this modifier in conjunction with the multi/sub-object on page 6542 material
type, to assign different materials to objects or faces at different frames of an
animation, or to quickly change the material ID of an object.

Material Modifier | 1435

See also:
Editable Mesh Surface on page 2190

■

Patches
This modifier does not convert a patch object below it in the modifier stack
to a mesh. A patch object input to the Material modifier retains its patch
identity.

Procedures
Example: To change the material ID of a sub-object selection:
1 In the Top viewport, create a sphere.

2 In the

Material Editor, create a multi/sub-object material.

Make the colors of material ID 1 and 2 different.

3

Assign the multi/sub-object material to the sphere.

4 On the

Modify panel, choose Mesh Select from the Modifier List.

5 On the Mesh Select Parameters rollout, click

6 In the Front viewport,

(Polygon).

region-select the lower half of the sphere.

The selected polygons turn red.
7 While Polygon is still the active sub-object level (in the stack display, a
square polygon icon appears to the right of Mesh Select), choose Material
from the Modifier List.
8 On the Material modifier Parameters rollout, set the value of the Material
ID to 1 and 2 to toggle the color on and off.
In the shaded viewport, the lower half of the sphere changes to the color
of the selected material ID.

1436 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Material ID Sets the material ID to be assigned; this can be animated. If the
input object is in face sub-selection, then the ID is only applied to selected
faces; otherwise, it is applied to the entire object. The ID number refers to one
of the materials in a multi/sub-object material.

MaterialByElement Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ MaterialByElement
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Surface ➤ Material By Element
The MaterialByElement modifier lets you apply different material IDs to objects
containing multiple elements, at random or according to a formula. When
animated, this effect is useful for such applications as an office building at
night with window illumination turning on and off at random.

MaterialByElement Modifier | 1437

Various materials randomly applied to the leaves of the plant

Procedures
Example: To assign colors randomly in a group of spheres:
1 Create six spheres.
TIP One method is to add a sphere on page 329 primitive, then use Shift+Move
on page 851 with the Copy option, and enter 5 in the Number Of Copies
field.
2 Combine the spheres into a single editable mesh object.
Right-click a selected sphere and from the Transform (lower-right)
quadrant of the quad menu, choose Convert To: ➤ Convert to Editable
Mesh. Then click Modify panel ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Attach List.
In the Attach List dialog, click All, and then Attach.

1438 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

3 Create a multi/sub-object material on page 6542 with six materials, and

specify a different color for each material.
the object with multiple spheres.

Assign the material to

Because sphere primitives are assigned material ID 2 by default, all the
spheres now have the color assigned to material number 2 in the
multi/sub-object material.
4 Apply the MaterialByElement modifier to the object.
5 From the Parameters rollout, turn on Random Distribution.
Because the default ID Count setting is 2, some of the spheres are assigned
sub-material #1, and the rest are assigned #2.
6 Use the spinner to increase the ID Count setting to 3. Also change the
Uniqueness group ➤ Seed value.
Now the first three materials are assigned to the spheres at random,
although with some Seed settings, you may see only two different colors.
7 Keep increasing the ID Count setting until you see all six colors in the
multi/sub-object material. As the assignments are random, it may take
awhile.

MaterialByElement Modifier | 1439

Interface

Material ID By Element group
The two choices in this group let you either create a truly random distribution
of material IDs or divide the assignments among up to eight materials
according to percentages you set.
Random Distribution Assigns the materials at random to different elements
in the object.

1440 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

ID Count Determines the minimum number of material IDs to assign. Because
material ID assignment is random, setting it to the number of materials in the
multi/sub-object material or higher doesn't guarantee that all materials get
used.
List Frequency Determines an approximate relative weight (percentage) for
each of up to eight material IDs, as set by the Mat'l ID #1-8 spinners. The
modifier assigns material IDs until the weights total 100.
For example, if you set Mat'l ID #1 to 40, #2 to 35, and #3 to 60, approximately
40 percent of the elements will be assigned material ID 1, 30 percent will be
assigned material ID 2, and 25 percent (100 − [40 + 35]) will be assigned
material ID 3. Any remaining percentages (as set in Mat'l IDs 4-8) are ignored.
NOTE These percentages are approximate. The more elements the object contains,
the closer the assigned percentage comes to the set percentage.

Uniqueness group
Seed Sets the seed value for the (pseudo-)randomization of material ID
assignments. Not animatable.

Melt Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Melt
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ Melt
The Melt modifier lets you apply a realistic melting effect to all types of objects,
including editable patches and NURBS objects, as well as to sub-object
selections passed up the stack. Options include sagging of edges, spreading
while melting, and a customizable set of substances ranging from a firm plastic
surface to a jelly type that collapses in on itself.

Melt Modifier | 1441

Increasing the Melt amount progressively melts the cake

Procedures
Example: To animate a jelly-like melting sphere:
1 In the Top viewport, create a Sphere primitive with a radius of about 50
units.
2 Apply the Melt modifier.

3 Turn on

(Auto Key) and go to frame 100.

4 In the Melt group box, set Amount to 70.
5 In the Solidity group box, choose Jelly.

6 Turn off

(Auto Key).

7 Drag the time slider to see the sphere melt.

1442 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Melt modifier. Translating the gizmo
translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo takes
place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center,
altering the Melt gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the melted object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Melt Modifier | 1443

Parameters rollout

Melt group
Amount Specifies the extent of the "decay," or melting effect applied to the
gizmo, thus affecting the object. Range=0.0 to 1000.0.

Spread group
% of Melt Specifies how much the object and melt will spread as the Amount
value increases. It's basically a "bulge" along a flat plane.

Solidity group
Determines the relative height of the center of the melted object. Less-solid
substances like jelly tend to settle more in the center as they melt. This group
provides several presets for different types of substances, as well as a Custom
spinner for setting your own solidity.
Ice The default Solidity setting.
Glass Uses a high Solidity setting to simulate glass.

1444 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Jelly Causes a significant drooping effect in the center.
Plastic Relatively solid, but droops slightly in the center as it melts.
Custom Sets any solidity between 0.2 and 30.0.

Axis to Melt group
X/Y/Z Choose the axis (local to the object) on which the melt will occur.
Note that this axis is local to the Melt gizmo and not related to the selected
entity. By default, the Melt gizmo's axes are lined up with the object's local
coordinates, but you can change this by rotating the gizmo.
Flip Axis Normally, the melt occurs from the positive direction toward the
negative along a given axis. Turn on Flip Axis to reverse this direction.

Mesh Select Modifier
Create or select and object ➤
Mesh Select

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection Modifiers ➤ Mesh Select
The Mesh Select modifier lets you pass a sub-object selection up the stack to
subsequent modifiers. It provides a superset of the selection functions available
in the Edit Mesh modifier on page 1263. You can select vertices, edges, faces,
polygons or elements, and you can change the selection from sub-object level
to object level.
Note the following:
■

When you apply the Mesh Select modifier and then go to any sub-object
level, the select-and-transform buttons in the toolbar are unavailable, and
the Select Object button is automatically activated.

■

The Mesh Select modifier automatically turns off the Show End Result
button, which becomes "spring loaded" while you're in the modifier.

For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Mesh Select Modifier | 1445

Using XForm Modifiers to Animate a Mesh Selection
When you apply a Mesh Select modifier, there are no animation controllers
assigned to the sub-object selection. This means that the selection has no way
to "carry" the transform information needed for animation.
To animate a sub-object selection using Mesh Select, apply either an XForm
or Linked XForm modifier to the selection. These modifiers provide the
necessary controllers for animating the effects of transforms. In a sense, they
give "whole-object status" to the sub-object selection.
■

XForm on page 1961
Animates transforms directly on a sub-object selection. Creates a gizmo
and center for the sub-object selection. You can animate both, with the
center acting as a pivot point for the selection.

■

Linked XForm on page 1428
Lets you choose another object to control the animation. The sub-object
selection is linked to the "control object." When you transform the control
object, the sub-object selection follows accordingly.

Procedures
To use the Mesh Select modifier:
1 Create a mesh object.

2

Select the mesh object.

3 Apply a Mesh Select modifier.

4

Select vertices, edges, faces, polygons or elements.

5 Add another modifier to affect only the selection from step 3.

Interface
Modifier Stack controls
Show End Result Normally, if you apply a modifier such as Twist to an
editable-mesh object and then return to the Editable Mesh stack entry, you

1446 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

cannot see the effect of the modifier on the object's geometry. But if you turn
on Show End Result, you can see the final object as a white mesh, and the
original editable mesh as an orange mesh.

Mesh Select Parameters rollout

Provides buttons for turning different sub-object modes on and off, working
with named selections and handles, display settings, and information about
selected entities.
The icons at the top of the Selection rollout let you specify the method of
sub-object selection.
Clicking a button here is the same as selecting a sub-object level in the modifier
stack. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the object selection
level.

Mesh Select Modifier | 1447

Vertex Selects a vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects
vertices within the region.

Edge Selects a face or polygon edge beneath the cursor; region selection
selects multiple edges within the region.

Face Selects a triangular face beneath the cursor; region selection
selects multiple triangular faces within the region.

Polygon Selects all coplanar faces (defined by the value in the Planar
Threshold spinner) beneath the cursor. Usually, a polygon is the area you see
within the visible wire edges. Region selection selects multiple polygons within
the region.

Element Selects all contiguous faces in an object. Region selection
selects the same.
By Vertex Selects any sub-objects at the current level that use a vertex you
click. Applies to all sub-object levels except Vertex. Also works with Region
Select.
Ignore Backfaces Selects only those sub-objects whose normals make them
visible in the viewport. When turned off (the default), selection includes all
sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their normals.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull setting in the Display panel doesn't affect
sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is turned off, you can select
sub-objects even if you can't see them.
NOTE The state of the Ignore Backfaces check box also affects edge selection at
the Edge sub-object selection level.
Ignore Visible Edges When turned off (the default), and you click a face, the
selection won't go beyond the visible edges no matter what the setting of the
Planar Thresh spinner. When turned on, face selection ignores the visible
edges, using the Planar Thresh setting as a guide. Enabled when the Polygon
face selection method is chosen.

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Generally, if you want to select a "facet" (a coplanar collection of faces), you
set the Planar Threshold to 1.0. On the other hand, if you're trying to select
a curved surface, increase the value depending on the amount of curvature.
Planar Thresh (Planar Threshold) Specifies the threshold value that
determines which faces are coplanar for Polygon face selection.

Get from Other Levels group
Applies selections from one sub-object level to another.
Get Vertex Selection Selects faces based on the last vertex selection. Selects
all faces shared by any selected vertex. The selection is added to the current
selection. Available only when Vertex is not the current sub-object level.
Get Face Selection Selects vertices based on the last face/polygon/element
selection. This selection is added to the current selection. Available only when
Face/Polygon/Element is not the current sub-object level.
Get Edge Selection Selects faces based on the last edge selection. Selects those
faces that contain the edge. Available only when Edge is not the current
sub-object level.

Select by Material ID group
Selects faces based on their material ID.
ID Set the spinner to the ID number you want to select, and then click the
Select button. Press Ctrl while clicking to add to the current selection, or press
Alt to remove from the current selection.

Named Selection Sets group
These functions are primarily for copying named selection sets on page 163 of
sub-objects between similar objects, and between comparable modifiers and
editable objects. For example, you can apply a mesh select modifier to a sphere,
create a named selection set of edges, and then copy the selection to a different
sphere that's been converted to an editable mesh object. You can even copy
the selection set to a different type of object, because the selection is identified
by the entities' ID numbers.
The standard procedure is to create a selection set, name it, and then use Copy
to duplicate it into the copy buffer. Next, select a different object and/or
modifier, go to the same sub-object level as you were in when you copied the
set, and click Paste.

Mesh Select Modifier | 1449

NOTE Because sub-object ID numbers vary from object to object, the results of
copying named selection sets between different objects can be unexpected. For
example, if the buffered set contains only entities numbered higher than any that
exist in the target object, no entities will be selected when the set is pasted.
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
Select Open Edges Selects all edges with only one face. In most objects, this
will show you where missing faces exist. Available only at the Edge sub-object
level.

Selection Information
At the bottom of the Mesh Select Parameters rollout is a text display giving
you information about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object
is selected, the text gives the number and type selected. If one sub-object is
selected, the text gives the ID number and type of the selected item.
NOTE When the current sub-object type is Polygon or Element, selection
information is given in faces.

Soft Selection rollout
These controls let you set a gradual falloff of influence between selected and
unselected vertices. See Soft Selection Rollout (Edit/Editable Mesh) on page
1966.

MeshSmooth Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ MeshSmooth
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Subdivision Surfaces ➤ MeshSmooth
The MeshSmooth modifier smoothes geometry in your scene by means of
several different methods. It lets you subdivide the geometry while
interpolating the angles of new faces at corners and edges, and apply a single
smoothing group to all faces in the object. The effect of MeshSmooth is to
round over corners and edges as if they had been filed or planed smooth. Use

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MeshSmooth parameters to control the size and number of new faces, and
how they affect the surface of the object.

Angular model (shown on the right) changed to a smooth model with MeshSmooth

You can use MeshSmooth to produce a Non-Uniform Rational MeshSmooth
object (NURMS for short). A NURMS object is similar to a NURBS object in
that you can set different weights for each control vertex. You can further
control the object's shape by changing edge weights.
MeshSmooth's effect is most dramatic on sharp corners and least visible on
rounded surfaces. Use MeshSmooth on boxes and geometry with crisp angles.
Avoid using it on spheres and similar objects.
TIP To better understand MeshSmooth, create a sphere and a cube and apply
MeshSmooth to both. The cube's sharp corners become rounded, while the sphere's
geometry becomes more complex without changing shape significantly.
NOTE Having an animated deformer placed before a meshsmoothed object that
has had control level editing can result in the meshsmoothed object becoming
distorted. It's recommended that deforming modifiers be placed after the
MeshSmooth modifier in the stack if you're using the deformers for animation.

MeshSmooth Modifier | 1451

See also:
■

Quadify Mesh Modifier on page 1589

■

TurboSmooth Modifier on page 1767

Procedures
To apply MeshSmooth to an object:

1

Select an angular object.

2 Apply the MeshSmooth modifier.
3 Set MeshSmooth parameters.
To apply MeshSmooth to sub-objects:

1

Select an object.

2 Apply a Mesh Select modifier.
3 Select a group of vertices or faces.
4 Apply MeshSmooth.
5 In the Subdivision Method rollout, turn off Apply To Whole Mesh.
This lets MeshSmooth work only on the sub-object selection.
6 Set MeshSmooth parameters.

Interface
Modifier Stack

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Vertex At this sub-object level you can transform or edit vertices in the
smoothed mesh.
Edge At this sub-object level you can transform or edit face edges in the
smoothed mesh.
See Local Control rollout on page 1457.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Subdivision Method rollout

Subdivision Method list Choose one of the following to determine the output
of the MeshSmooth operation:
■

NURMSProduces Non-Uniform Rational MeshSmooth object (NURMS for
short). The Strength and Relax smoothing parameters are unavailable with
the NURMS type.
A NURMS object is similar to a NURBS object in that you can set different
weights for each control vertex. You can further control the object's shape
by changing edge weights. See Display/Weighting group, following, for
further information on changing weights.

■

ClassicProduces three- and four-sided facets. (This is the same as applying
MeshSmooth in version 2.x without turning on Quad Output.)

■

Quad OutputProduces only four-sided facets (assuming you don't look at
the hidden edges, since the object is still made up of triangular faces). If
you apply this with default parameters to a whole object, like a box, it's
topologically exactly the same as Tessellate on page 1761, edge-style. However,
rather than using tension to project face and edge vertices out of the mesh,
use the MeshSmooth Strength to relax the original vertices and the new
edge vertices into the mesh.

Apply To Whole Mesh When turned on, any sub-object selection passed up
the stack is ignored and MeshSmooth is applied to the entire object. Note that
the sub-object selection is still passed up the stack to any subsequent modifiers.

MeshSmooth Modifier | 1453

Old Style Mapping Uses the 3ds Max version 3 algorithm to apply
MeshSmooth to the mapping coordinates. This technique tends to distort the
underlying mapping coordinates as it creates new faces and as texture
coordinates shift.

Effect of MeshSmooth with two iterations on a cube and different iteration method:
A. NURMS
B. Quad
C. Classic
D. Original object with no MeshSmooth

Subdivision Amount rollout
Sets how many times to apply MeshSmooth.

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Iterations Sets the number of times the mesh is subdivided. When you increase
this value, each new iteration subdivides the mesh by creating smoothly
interpolated vertices for every vertex, edge, and face from the iteration before.
The modifier then subdivides the faces to use these new vertices. Default=0.
Range=0 to 10.
The default value of 0 iterations allows you to modify any setting or parameter,
such as the type of MeshSmooth or the update options, before 3ds Max starts
subdividing the mesh.
NOTE Be cautious when increasing the number of iterations. The number of
vertices and faces in an object (and thus the calculation time) can increase as much
as four times for each iteration. Applying four iterations to even a moderately
complex object can take a long time to calculate. You can press Esc to stop
calculation; this also automatically sets Update Options to Manually. Reduce the
Iterations value before setting Update Options back to Always.
Smoothness Determines how sharp a corner must be before faces are added
to smooth it. Smoothness is calculated as the average angle of all edges
connected to a vertex. A value of 0.0 prevents the creation of any faces. A
value of 1.0 adds faces to all vertices even if they lie on a plane.
TIP To subdivide only sharp edges and corners, use a Smoothness value of less
than 1.0. To see the subdivisions in Wireframe/Edged Faces viewports, turn off
Isoline Display on page 1458.
Render Values These let you apply a different number of smoothing iterations
and a different Smoothness value to the object at render time. Typically you
would use a low number of iterations and a lower Smoothness value for
modeling, and higher values for rendering. This lets you work quickly with a
low-resolution object in the viewports, while producing a smoother object for
rendering.

MeshSmooth Modifier | 1455

Iterations Lets you choose a different number of smoothing iterations on
page 1455 to be applied to the object at render time. Turn on Iterations, and
then use the spinner to its right to set the number of iterations.
Smoothness Lets you choose a different Smoothness value to be applied to
the object at render time. Turn on Smoothness, then use the spinner to its
right to set the smoothness value.

From right to left, effect of increasing the number of iterations

1456 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Local Control rollout

Sub-object Level Turns Edge or Vertex level on or off. When both levels are
off, you're working at the object level. Information about the selected edges
or vertices is displayed in the message area under the Ignore Backfacing check
box.
Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects selects only those
sub-objects whose normals make them visible in the viewport. When off (the
default), selection includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their
normals.
Control Level Allows you to see the control mesh after one or more iterations
and to edit sub-object points and edges at that level. Transform controls and
the Weight setting are available for all sub-objects at all levels. The Crease
setting is available only at the Edge sub-object level.
Crease Creates a discontinuity on a surface so you get a hard edge, such as a
wrinkle or lip. You select one or more edge sub-objects and adjust the Crease
setting; the crease appears in the surfaces associated with the selected edges.
Available only at the Edge sub-object level.
Weight Sets the weight of selected vertices or edges. Increasing a vertex weight
"pulls" the smoothed result toward that vertex. Edge weights are more complex
and behave in an opposite manner in some respects. They aren't really
"weights" as such, but "knot intervals," in NURBS terminology. Consequently,
increasing an edge weight tends to push the smoothed result away. Kinks will
form in the result if weights of 0 are used.

MeshSmooth Modifier | 1457

Isoline Display When on, 3ds Max displays only isolines: the object's original
edges, before smoothing. The benefit of using this option is a less cluttered
display. When off, 3ds Max displays all faces added by MeshSmooth; thus,
higher Iterations settings (see Subdivision Amount Rollout on page 1454) result
in a greater number of lines. Default=on.
Show Cage Toggles the display of a two-color wireframe that shows the
modified object before subdivision. The cage colors are shown as swatches to
the right of the check box. The first color represents unselected edges at the
Vertex sub-object level, and the second color represents unselected edges at
the Edge sub-object level. Change a color by clicking its swatch.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls affect the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and Scale
functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to
unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the
transformation.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Parameters rollout

Parameters rollout > Smoothing Parameters group
These settings are available only when MeshSmooth Type is set to Classic or
Quad Output. Also, Project To Limit Surface is available only in Classic mode.

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Strength Sets the size of the added faces using a range from 0.0 to 1.0.
■

Values near 0.0 create small faces that are very thin and close to the original
vertices and edges.

■

Values near 0.5 size faces evenly between edges.

■

Values near 1.0 create large new faces and make the original faces very
small.

Relax Applies a positive relax effect to smooth all vertices.
Project to Limit Surface Places all points on the "limit surface" of the
MeshSmooth result, which is the surface that would be produced after an
infinite number of iterations. The topology is still controlled by the number
of iterations.

Parameters rollout > Surface Parameters group
Applies smoothing groups to the object and restrict the MeshSmooth effect
by surface properties.
Smooth Result Applies the same smoothing group to all faces.
Separate by Materials Prevents the creation of new faces for edges between
faces that do not share Material IDs.
Separate by Smoothing Groups Prevents the creation of new faces at edges
between faces that don't share at least one smoothing group.

Settings rollout

MeshSmooth Modifier | 1459

Settings rollout > Input Conversion group
Operate On Faces/Polygons Operate On Faces treats every triangle as a face
and smoothes across all edges, even invisible edges. Operate On Polygons
ignores invisible edges, treating polygons (like the quads making up a box or
the cap on a cylinder) as a single face.
Keep Faces Convex (Available only with Operate On Polygons mode.) Keeps
all input polygons convex. Selecting this option causes non-convex polygons
to be handled as a minimum number of separate faces, each of which is convex.
(Turn on Display/Weighting group ➤ Display Control Mesh to see what's
happening here.)
"Convex" means that you can connect any two points in the polygon with a
line that doesn't go outside the polygon. Most letters aren't convex. In the
capital letter "T," for example, you can't connect the upper-left corner to the
bottom with a straight line without going outside the shape. Circles, rectangles,
and regular polygons are all convex.
Problems that can occur with non-convex faces include the fact that changes
in the geometry of the input object can result in a different topology for the
MeshSmooth result. For instance, in a box, if you drag one of the top corners
across the middle of the top face, the box becomes non-convex. MeshSmooth
would then see this as two triangles instead of one quad, and the number of
points in the result would change.
If you need to make sure your output topology is stable, turn this off. If you
have a lot of letters or other non-convex faces in your mesh, however, you'll
probably want it on.

Settings rollout > Update Options group
Sets manual or render-time update options, for situations where the complexity
of the smoothed object is too high for automatic updates. Note that you can
also set a greater degree of smoothing to be applied only at render time, on
the Subdivision Amount rollout.
Always Updates the object automatically whenever you change any
MeshSmooth settings.
When Rendering Updates the viewport display of the object only at render
time.
Manually Turns on manual updating. When manual updating is selected,
any settings you change don't take effect until you click the Update button.
Update Updates the object in the viewport to match the current MeshSmooth
settings. Works only when you choose When Rendering or Manually.

1460 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Resets rollout
This rollout allows you to go back to default or initial settings on any changes
you made such as sub-object transforms (geometric edits), and changes to
edge creases, vertex weights, and edge weights.
You can reset changes for all control levels or to the current control level.
Turn on the reset option for the sub-object level you want, and then click the
appropriate button.

Reset All Levels Returns to the default or initial settings for geometric edits,
creases, and weights for all sub-object levels.
Reset This Level Returns to the default or initial settings for geometric edits,
creases, and weights for the current sub-object level.
Reset Geometric Edits Returns to the default or initial settings for any
transforms made to vertices or edges.
Reset Edge Creases Returns to the default or initial setting for edge creases.
Reset Vertex Weights Returns to the default or initial setting for vertex
weights.
Reset Edge Weights Returns to the default or initial setting for edge weights.
Reset Everything Returns to the default or initial setting for everything.

MeshSmooth Modifier | 1461

Mirror Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Mirror
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Mirror
The Mirror modifier provides a parametric method of mirroring an object or
a sub-object selection. You can apply the Mirror modifier to any type of
geometry, and you can animate the mirror effect by animating the modifier's
gizmo.

Mirroring a bench

Procedures
To apply the Mirror modifier:
1 Apply the Mirror modifier to a selection.
2 Set the axis or axis pair on which to mirror the object.

1462 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

3 To create a mirrored pair, specify an Offset amount and turn on Copy.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Mirror Center Represents the axis of the mirror effect. You can move, rotate
or scale the gizmo to affect the mirroring. You can animate the gizmo
transforms, which you can't do with the toolbar Mirror on page 877 tool.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Mirror Axis group
X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, ZX Specify the axis or axes about which the mirroring takes
place. You can usually see the effect in the viewport as you select the option.

Options group
Offset Specifies the offset, in units, from the mirror axis. This is an animatable
parameter.
Copy Copies the geometry rather than simply mirroring it.
NOTE The Copy option affects only geometry with triangular meshes.

Mirror Modifier | 1463

Morpher Modifier
Select a mesh, patch, or NURBS object. ➤
List ➤ Morpher

Modify panel ➤ Modifier

Select a mesh, patch, or NURBS object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation
Modifiers ➤ Morpher
Use the Morpher modifier to change the shape of a mesh, patch, or NURBS
model. You can also morph shapes (splines), and World Space FFDs. As well
as morphing from one shape to another, the Morpher modifier also supports
material morphing.

On this patch model, morph targets are created by moving control vertices and tangent
handles in an Editable Patch.

Morphing is commonly used for lip sync and facial expression on a 3D
character, but can be used to change the shape of any 3D model. There are
100 channels available for morph targets and materials. Channel percentages
can be mixed, and the result of the mix can be used to create a new target.

1464 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

On a mesh object, vertex count on the base object and targets must be the
same. On a patch or NURBS object, the Morpher modifier works on control
points only. This means that the resolution of patches or NURBS surfaces can
be increased on the base object to increase detail at render time.
A Flex modifier above the Morpher modifier is aware of vertex/control point
motion in the Morpher modifier. If, for example, a jaw is morphed to slam
shut, then the Flex modifier placed above the Morpher modifier in the modifier
stack can be used to make the lips quiver to simulate soft tissue.
See also:
■

Morpher Material on page 6538

Lip Sync and Facial Animation
For lip sync and facial animation, create a character's head in an "at rest" pose.
The head can be a mesh, patch, or NURBS model. Copy and modify the original
head to create the lip-sync and facial-expression targets. Select the original or
"at rest" head and apply the Morpher modifier. Assign each lip-sync and
facial-expression target to a channel in the Morpher modifier. Load an audio
file in the Track View sound track, turn on the Auto Key button, scrub the
time slider, and view the audio waveform in Track View to locate frames for
lip sync. Then set the channel spinners on the Morpher modifier to create
key frames for lip position and facial expression.
Teeth can either be a part of the model or animated separately. If the teeth
and head are two different objects, model the teeth in an open position, and
then apply the Morpher modifier, and create one target with the teeth closed.
Eyes and head motion can be animated after the morph keys are created.

Morph Targets for Speech
Nine mouth shape targets are commonly used for speech. If your character
speaks an alien dialect, don't hesitate to create extra morph targets to cover
these mouth shapes.
Include cheek, nostril, and chin-jaw movement when creating mouth position
targets. Examine your own face in a mirror or put a finger on your face while
mouthing the phonemes, if necessary, to establish the direction and extent
of cheek motion.
Set lip-sync keys by viewing the audio waveform as well as listening to the
sound as you scrub the time slider. Many mouth-position keys benefit from
being set a frame early. Often the mouth must assume a shape before the

Morpher Modifier | 1465

appropriate sound is uttered. For the word "kilo", the "K" mouth shape precedes
the actual sound, for example.

A, I

E

F,V

C, D, G, J, K, N, S, T, Y, Z

1466 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

L,T

O

U

W,Q

Morpher Modifier | 1467

M,B,P (This target can be the same shape as the "at rest" base object)

Morph Targets for Expression
Create as many expression targets as necessary for the character. Joy, sadness,
surprise, evil can all have their own targets. Depending on the personality of
the character, certain targets, like a terror target, may not be necessary. Targets
like nostril flare, jaw-muscle bunching, temple twitching can be effective to
give a character an edge. Each morph channel can contain a material as well:
as you morph the brows up, a bump map can crease the forehead, for example.
Save time and create targets as the need arises; if the audio file or scene you
are working on requires a look of surprise, create the "surprise" target while
the mood of the scene is with you.
If the character has teeth, copy the teeth and the base head to create a new
target. The teeth act as a guide to shape and position the lips.

Blink

1468 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Brows up

A blend of the Pain, Blink, and Brows targets

Procedures
Example: To add the morpher modifier to an object and assign a morph target
to a channel:

1 On the

Create panel, turn on

(Geometry).

2 On the drop-down list, choose Patch Grids.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Quad Patch.
4 In the Top viewport, click and drag to create a patch grid.

5 On the
Modify panel, on the modifier stack display, right-click
Quad Patch and choose Convert To: Editable Patch from the right-click
menu.
The base object is now an Editable Patch.

Morpher Modifier | 1469

6 In the Top viewport, use
patch object.

Shift+Move to create a copy of the

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout, click

7 On the

8 In the Front viewport,
surface.

(Vertex).

move patch vertices to deform the patch

9 In the
modifier stack, choose Editable Patch to go to the object
(top) level. (The highlight should change from yellow to gray, and the
Vertex sub-object icon is no longer displayed at the right of the stack.)

10

Select the first patch object.

11 On the

Modify panel, choose Morpher from the Modifier List.

The Morpher modifier is added to the modifier stack.
12 On the Morpher modifier, on the Channel List rollout, right-click the
first channel (over the word "empty").
A right-click menu displays.
13 Choose Pick from Scene on the right-click menu, and click the deformed
patch grid in the viewports.
QuadPatch02 is listed in the channel as a morph target.
14 Drag the Channel spinner, to the right of QuadPatch02, up and down.
The flat patch grid "morphs" to the shape of the target.
To use progressive morphing:
1 Create starting and ending morph targets, and one or more intermediate
targets.

1470 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

2 Apply the Morpher modifier to the starting morph target, and click Load
Multiple Targets to load the starting and ending morph targets.
3 In the Channel List rollout, select the channel you want to be influenced
by an intermediate target.
4 In the Channel Parameters rollout, click Pick Object from Scene, and
select the intermediate target.
5 In the Progressive Morph group Target List, set the Target % to determine
the degree to which each target affects the channel.
6 Use the down arrow button to move the original channel target to the
bottom of the Target List.

Interface
Whatever is assigned as the default float controller in 3ds Max will be assigned
as the float controller on the morph channels as well. Float controllers handle
the interpolation between keys; Bezier is the default float controller. You can
assign the TCB float controller to the morph channels in Track View, if you
prefer.
For morphing, the Bezier controller allows you to use function curves with
vector handles on the keys for smoothing and easing control of interpolation
in Track View. Default parameters of the TCB controller, however, handles
morph interpolation with less overshoot. Try using both controllers, to decide
which one you prefer.

Gray The channel is empty, and has not been edited.

Morpher Modifier | 1471

Orange The channel has been changed in some way but contains no morph
data.
An artist may wish to name a channel and set up its parameters before actually
assigning a morph target.
Green The channel is live. The channel contains morph data and the target
object still exists in scene (the target is available for refresh).
Blue The channel contains morph data but the target has been deleted from
the scene.
Dark Gray The channel is disabled.
■

There is a problem with the morph, the topology of the base object, or
targets, have changed and are no longer valid; for example, the vertex
count might have changed. The channel cannot be used.

■

The channel is not active. This is controlled by the Channel is Active toggle
in the Channel Parameters rollout.

■

Disabled channels are not included in the morph result.

Global Parameters rollout

1472 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Global Settings group
Use Limits Use the minimum and maximum limits for all channels.
You can turn off limits to double purpose a target. The target for a smile can
be used to turn the corners of the mouth down using negative values for
example.
Minimum Sets the minimum limit.
Maximum Sets the maximum limit.
Use Vertex Selection Turn on to limit morphing to vertices selected in a
modifier below the Morpher modifier in the modifier stack.
If your are using Character Studio Physique, limit morph animation on the
base object to just the head and exclude the neck, for example. Place the
Physique modifier above the Morpher modifier and assign the head vertices
as rigid (green) in the Physique modifier.

Channel Activation group
Set All Click to activate all channels.
Set None Click to deactivate all channels.

Morph Material group
Assign New Material Click to assign the Morpher material to the base object
(the object to which the Morpher modifier is applied).
Open the Material Editor to view and edit the Morpher material. There is a
direct correlation between the Channel Material Maps and the Channel list
in the Morpher modifier (100 channels and 100 maps). For example, if channel
1 contains a brows up target and the Morpher material has a material assigned
to map 1, then, as the brows are morphed so is the material.
In the Morpher material, if a material is assigned to a map or channel that
has no morph target in the Morpher modifier, then the channel spinner in
the Morpher modifier can be used to simply morph the material on a static
object. See Morpher Material on page 6538.

Morpher Modifier | 1473

Channel List rollout

The upper section of the Channel List rollout contains controls for managing
markers, which designate different locations in the list of morph targets. For
example, channels 15 through 24 might contain all the emotion targets. Rather
than scrolling to display these tracks, you can choose a marker from the list
to display those channels.
[marker drop-down list] Choose a previously saved marker in the list, or
enter a new name in the text field and click Save Marker to create a new
marker.
For example, channel 15 through 24 might contain all the emotion targets.
Rather than scrolling to display these tracks, you can choose a marker from
the list to display these channels in the list.

1474 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Save Marker Move the scroll bar to frame a particular set of 10 channels, enter
a name in the text field, and then click Save Marker to store the channel
selection.
Delete Marker Choose a marker name to delete from the drop-down list, and
then click Delete Marker to delete it.

_____
Channel List The Morpher modifier provides up to 100 morph channels.
Scroll through the channels using the slider. Once you've assigned a morph
target to a channel, the target's name appears in the channel list. Each channel
has a percentage value field and a spinner to change the value.
You can change channel names and order in the Channel Parameters on page
1476 rollout.
Right-click a morph channel to display a right-click menu:

■

Pick from Scene Choose this command and select an object in the viewports
to assign a morph target to the channel.

■

Delete Channel Deletes the morph data, name and parameters from the
channel. Displays only if the channel has data.

■

Reload Target Retrieves morph data from the target. Use this after editing
a target.

List Range Displays the range of visible channels in the channel list.

Morpher Modifier | 1475

Load Multiple Targets Load multiple morph targets into empty channels by
selecting object names in the selection dialog and clicking Load.
If there are more targets than empty channels, a warning displays and the
channels are not assigned.
Reload All Morph Targets Reloads all the morph targets.
If the targets have been edited, the channels are updated to reflect the changes.
If a morph target has been deleted from the scene, then the morpher updates
using the stored data in the channel, functions using the last stored morph
data.
Zero Active Channel Values Click to create keys with a value of 0 for all
active morph channels, if the Auto Key is on.
This is handy to prevent key interpolation from distorting the model. First
click Zero Active Channel Values, and then set a particular channel to the
value you want; only the altered channel affect the model.
Automatically reload targets Turn this on to allow animated targets to be
updated dynamically by the Morpher modifier. There is a performance penalty
when using this option.

Channel Parameters rollout
The channel number button and channel name field at the top of this rollout
reflect the current active channel in the channel list.

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[channel number] Click the number next to the channel name to display a
menu. Use commands on the menu to group and organize channels, or to
locate a channel.

Morpher Modifier | 1477

■

Move To Displays the Channel Operations dialog. To move the current
channel to the selected channel, choose a channel from the list, and click
Move To.

■

Swap With Displays the Channel Operations dialog. To swap the current
channel with the selected channel, choose a channel from the list, and
click Swap With.

■

Used Channels Displays a list of active channels. Choose a channel to
place it at the top of the channel list display in the Channel List rollout.

Channel Name Displays the name of the current target. Change the name
of the target in the text field if necessary. Parameter changes in the Channel
Parameters rollout affect the current target.
Channel is Active Toggles a channel on and off. Inactive channels do not
affect the morph result. Use this control to turn off certain channels to focus
on animating other channels.

Create Morph Target group
Pick Object from Scene Turn on and click an object in the viewports to assign
a morph target to the current channel. Picking an object adds it to the
Progressive Morph list.
Capture Current State Choose an empty channel to activate this function.
Click to create a target using the current channel values.
The captured channel is always blue because there is morph data but no specific
geometry. Use Extract to create a mesh copy of the captured state.
Delete Deletes the target assignment for the current channel.
Extract Choose a blue channel and click this option to create an object from
the morph data.
If you have used Capture Current State to take a snapshot of a group of channel
values, but then want to edit it, use Extract to make a new object, pick it as
the channel's target, and then start editing.

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Channel Settings group
Use Limits Turn on to use limits on the current channel if Use Limits is turned
off in the Global Parameters rollout.
Minimum Sets the lower limit.
Maximum Sets the upper limit.
Use Vertex Selection Morphs only selected vertices on the current channel.

Progressive Morph group
Progressive morphing performs a tension-based interpolation, similar to the
TCB animation controller, that creates smooth interpolation through each
intermediary targets. This provides the artist with an unprecedented amount
of control over the morph transformation.

Morphed object using multiple, intermediary targets

Morpher Modifier | 1479

Morphed object using a single target

When morphing from one target to another, the object can sometimes pass
through intermediary stages that are not desirable. For example, morphing a
straight cylinder directly to a bent cylinder causes the cylinder to squash at
intermediate stages.
You could get a better result by creating several intermediate morph targets
for the object, and using them as channels. However, an easier solution is to
create fewer intermediate targets, and use progressive morphing. With
progressive morphing, you do not use the intermediate targets as channels;
you use them to influence the end targets.
Target List Lists all intermediary morph targets associated with the current
channel. To add morph targets to the list, click Pick Object from Scene.
Move Up Moves the selected intermediary morph target up in the list.
Move Down Moves the selected intermediary morph target down in the list.
TIP For best results, move the original morph target (the one in the channel) to
the bottom of the list.

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Target % Specifies how much the selected intermediate morph target
contributes to the overall morph solution.
Tension Specifies the overall linearity of the vertex transformation between
intermediary morph targets. A value of 1.0 creates a “loose” transition, causing
the interpolation to overshoot each target slightly. A value of 0.0 creates a
direct, linear transformation between each intermediary target.
Delete Target Deletes the selected intermediary morph target from the target
list.
Reload Morph Target Reloads data from the current target into the channel.
Reload a target if it has been adjusted or edited.
If the active morph target entry in the channel list is empty, this button is
unavailable, and displays the text “No Target to Reload.”

Advanced Parameters rollout

Spinner Increments Specify fine or coarse spinner increments. 5.0 is coarse
and 0.1 is fine. Default=1.0
Compact Channel List Compact the channel list by filling in any empty
channels in between assigned channels. The status window displays how many
channels were moved.
Approximate Memory Usage Displays an approximation of the current
memory usage.

Morpher Modifier | 1481

MultiRes Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ MultiRes

Modify panel ➤ Modifiers List ➤ Object Space

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ MultiRes
The MultiRes modifier reduces the memory overhead needed to render models
by decreasing the number of vertices and polygons. This is useful not only
within 3ds Max, but for content creators who export models for use outside
of 3ds Max, such as in Web-based 3D applications. MultiRes offers several
advantages over the Optimize modifier, including faster operation and the
ability to specify reduction as an exact percentage or vertex count.
NOTE
The MultiRes modifier supports the preservation of map channels when face count
is increased or reduced.

Left: Original model
Center and right: Model progressively simplified by the MultiRes modifier

1482 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Modeling Tips for MultiRes
The MultiRes multi-resolution mesh algorithms are designed to be
general-purpose, and yield high-quality meshes on a wide variety of model
types. However, careful modeling can improve the results of the algorithm.
The following are suggestions to yield high-quality multi-resolution meshes:
■

Avoid using complex model hierarchies with MultiRes. For such models
you should generate an individual multi-resolution mesh for each model
component, or collapse the entire model into a single mesh. In general,
single-skin meshes work best with animation engines like Physique in
character studio. MultiRes works especially well with single-skin meshes.

■

Avoid duplicating vertices. The presence of extra vertices is an
often-overlooked artifact of some modeling techniques. The Weld function
in the Edit Mesh modifier on page 1263 and Editable Poly on page 2240 is
useful for cleaning these up.

■

Be conservative with texture and normal discontinuities. For example, an
artist might associate multiple texture coordinates with a single vertex.
MultiRes will seek to preserve this discontinuity and the border between
the two texture mappings, but it might do so at the expense of model
shape.

■

Create high-resolution models. High-resolution models provide MultiRes
with more faces and vertices that describe the shape of the model. The
more initial information MultiRes has about the shape of the model, the
better the decisions it makes in generating a final multi-resolution mesh.

Procedures
To use the MultiRes modifier:

1

Select a model and

apply the MultiRes modifier.

2 In the Generation Parameters group in the MultiRes Parameters rollout,
click the Generate button to initialize the modifier.
3 In the Resolution group, use the keyboard or spinner controls to decrease
the Vert Percent or Vert Count value.
As the vertex and polygon counts decrease, the mesh updates in real time
in the viewports.

MultiRes Modifier | 1483

To maintain part of a mesh at full resolution while reducing the rest:

1

Select a model and apply the MultiRes modifier.

2 In the
modifier stack, click
(the plus-sign icon) next to the
MultiRes modifier to open the sub-object hierarchy.
3 Click the Vertex label to access the Vertex sub-object level.

4

Select the vertices in areas whose resolution you want to
maintain.

5 In the Generation Parameters group, turn on Maintain Base Vertices.
6 Click the Generate button to initialize or re-initialize the mesh.
Notice that the selected vertices look like asterisks instead of standard
ticks.
7 Reduce the resolution as in the first procedure.
The selected vertices are the last to be removed during vertex reduction.
NOTE You can change the base vertices at any time by selecting a different
group of vertices and regenerating the mesh.

To merge vertices:
If there are gaps between vertices that you want to close as vertex resolution
decreases, use the Vertex Merging feature of the MultiRes modifier. With vertex
merging, vertices within a given threshold distance eventually collapse during
vertex reduction.
You can estimate the gap length by activating the Select Object tool on page
150, moving the mouse cursor over the extents of the gap in the active viewport
(it might help to access the Vertex sub-object level), and comparing the values
displayed in the X/Y/Z readouts in the status bar, or use the Tape helper on

1484 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

page 2886 object to get an exact measurement. Enter the estimated gap length
value in the Threshold field.

1

Select a model and

apply the MultiRes modifier.

2 Turn on Vertex Merging. This makes the Merge Threshold and Within
Mesh controls available.
3 Set the appropriate parameters:
■

To define the maximum distance over which vertices are merged,
enter a value in Merge Threshold.

■

To merge boundaries of adjacent elements and vertices within
elements, turn on Within Mesh.

4 Click the Generate button.
The effect of the change is displayed in the object.
After the Generate button is clicked, a busy cursor will display. If the
merge threshold is too large relative to the dimensions of the model, the
busy cursor may display for a long time. To cancel the generation process
at any time, press the Esc key.

MultiRes Modifier | 1485

Interface

Resolution group
Use these controls to change the vertex count and overall topology of the
modified object.
Vert Percent The modified object's vertex count as a percentage of the overall
number of vertices in the original mesh. Adjusting this setting alters the Vert
Count value as well.
NOTE After you enter a specific percentage, such as 30, you might find that 3ds
Max changes the value to a slightly lower one, such as 29.971. This is due to the
relationship between the overall number of vertices in the model and the
percentage calculation. It is not a bug, but simply the closest solution to your
request.
Vert Count The total number of vertices in the modified object. Use this
control to set the maximum number of vertices in the output mesh. Adjusting
this setting alters the Vert Percent value as well.

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Max Vertex Displays the vertex count from the original mesh that you applied
MultiRes to. You cannot enter values larger than this in the Vert Count field.
Face Count Displays the current face count. As you adjust the Vert Percent/Vert
Count settings, the value for the face count will update on the fly.
Max Face Displays the maximum face count.

Generation Parameters group
Vertex Merging When on, lets MultiRes merge vertices between discrete
elements on page 9143 in a model.
For example, if you apply MultiRes to a teapot, which comprises four separate
elements, and turn on Vertex Merging, as you adjust the vertex resolution,
the separate components will meld together into one contiguous
lower-resolution object.
To control Vertex Merging, you can set a Merge Threshold. This value
determines the unit distance within which vertices will merge at a higher rate.
Threshold Sets the maximum distance in 3ds Max units between vertices in
order for those vertices to be considered for merging. Within this distance,
the vertices between elements are welded together at a higher rate as the mesh
is reduced in complexity. Available only when Vertex Merging is on.
NOTE To eliminate only coincident vertices, set Threshold to 0.0. This is similar
to the Weld Vertex function.
Within Mesh When on, MultiRes merges the boundaries of adjacent elements
and vertices within elements. Many objects can contain multiple groups of
vertices that don't share connectivity. A simple example of this is the Teapot
object on page 349. It comprises four different elements: the body, the handle,
the spout, and the lid. Normally, MultiRes optimizes each discrete element
in a mesh on its own.
The default behavior of the Vertex Merging option is to merge vertices between
elements. Turning on Within Mesh causes vertices within elements to be
merged as well.
Boundary Metric When on, MultiRes preserves materials assigned to the
selected model. The material boundaries defined by Material IDs are retained
as long as possible, and are the last to be eliminated at low vertex counts.
Default=off.
Maintain Base Vertices When on, overrides the MultiRes optimization
algorithms and preserves any vertices selected at the MultiRes Vertex sub-object
level as "critical" ones. Use this feature to retain critical features of an object

MultiRes Modifier | 1487

or character such as its fingers or claws, or other geometry that might become
unrecognizable if reduced too severely.
To select vertices for use with this option, use the MultiRes Vertex sub-object
level. To access this level, first go to the modifier stack display and click the
plus-sign icon next to the MultiRes modifier. This opens its hierarchy, which
consists of the single Vertex sub-object level. Next, click the Vertex entry. The
MultiRes vertices appear on the mesh as blue dots. You can select these using
any standard interactive method, but you cannot transform them.
IMPORTANT After selecting MultiRes sub-object vertices with Maintain Base
Vertices turned on, regenerate the mesh before changing the vertex resolution.
In the following illustration, the clown started out as a high-resolution mesh.
All of the MultiRes vertices in the right half were selected, Maintain Base
Vertices was turned on, and then the vertices were reduced.

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Clown model with left half reduced, right half at original resolution

Multiple Vertex Normals When on, lets MultiRes assign multiple normals
for each vertex. By default, MultiRes generates a single normal per vertex.
If multiple normals are generated, they are applied as the vertex resolution is
decreased and increased.
When the Multiple Vertex Normals option is on, the MultiRes modifier
generates normal updates when the geometry surrounding a vertex changes.

MultiRes Modifier | 1489

You must specify a crease angle in degrees (0.0 - 180.0). The crease angle is the
angle between the face normals. It is used to decide when a normal should
be shared across an edge between two faces.
For example, in a plane defined as a mesh grid of 10 x 10 faces, any two
adjacent faces have a crease angle of zero. In a cube, adjacent faces have a
crease angle of 90 degrees. In general, crease angles approaching 0 yield
smoother shading. Crease angles approaching 180 yield more visible corners.
Crease Angle The value of the crease necessary in order to generate multiple
normals. Available only when Multiple Normals Per Vertex is on.
The optimal crease angle depends on the model; set it interactively and check
the viewport and rendered images for shading effects. While use of Multiple
Vertex Normals enables more accurate shading, it can require more internal
data.
Generate Applies the current MultiRes settings to the modified object. When
you first apply MultiRes to an object, you must use Generate to initialize the
mesh-optimizing algorithm before you can change the vertex count.
Reset Sets all Generation Parameters rollout settings to their values as of the
last time you used Generate. Available only when one or more of these settings
has changed.
Use Reset to review the generation parameters as of the last time you generated
the mesh.

Noise Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Noise
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Noise
The Noise modifier modulates the position of an object's vertices along any
combination of three axes. This important animation tool simulates random
variations in an object's shape.
Using a fractal setting, you can achieve random, rippling patterns, like a flag
in the wind. With fractal settings, you can also create mountainous terrain
from flat geometry.
You can apply the Noise modifier to any kind of object. The Noise gizmo
changes shape to help you visualize the effects of changing parameter settings.

1490 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The results of the Noise modifier are most noticeable on objects that have
greater numbers of faces.
Most of the Noise parameters have an animation controller. The only keys set
by default are for Phase.

Plane with no noise applied

Noise Modifier | 1491

Adding texture to the plane creates a calm sea.

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Plane with fractal noise applied

Noise Modifier | 1493

Textured plane with noise creates a stormy sea.

Procedures
To apply noise to an object:

1

Select an object and

apply the Noise modifier. To

animate, move to a nonzero frame and turn on

(Auto Key).

2 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Strength group, increase Strength values
along one or more of the three axes.
You begin to see noise effects as the strength goes up.
3 In the Noise group, adjust Scale. Lower values increase the dynamics of
the Strength settings, making the effect more obvious. See Noise group,
below, for other options.
If you've animated this procedure, you can change parameters as the
animation runs to see the effects.

1494 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

For another source of noise effects, go to the sub-object level of the Noise
modifier and transform the gizmo and center of the modifier.
To create terrain effects:
When set for Fractal, the Noise modifier produces a random fractal noise that
creates a variety of topological and terrain effects. You can animate these
effects or use them to model static landscapes and other complex forms.
The following steps assume you begin with a broad object like a multi-segment
box lying on the XY plane.

1

Apply the Noise modifier to the object.

2 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Noise group, turn on Fractal.
Roughness and Iterations settings are now available.
3 Increase Strength on the Z axis and adjust other parameters.
Once you have a base terrain, you can select sub-objects with Edit Mesh
and apply Noise to grow mountains in a smaller region. You can also
apply a second Noise modifier to amplify the first one.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo/Center You can move, rotate, or scale the gizmo and center sub-objects
to affect the noise. You can also animate the sub-object transforms.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Noise Modifier | 1495

Parameters rollout

Noise group
Controls the appearance of the noise, and thus its effect on the physical
deformations of the object. By default, the controls are inactive until you
change the settings.
Seed Generates a random start point from the number you set. Especially
useful in creating terrain, because each setting can produce a different
configuration.
Scale Sets the size of the noise effect (not strength). Larger values produce
smoother noise, lower values more jagged noise. Default=100.
Fractal Produces a fractal effect based on current settings. Default=off.
If you turn on Fractal, the following options are available:

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Roughness Determines the extent of fractal variation. Lower values are less
rough than higher values. Range=0 to 1.0. Default=0.
Iterations Controls the number of iterations (or octaves) used by the fractal
function. Fewer iterations use less fractal energy and generate a smoother
effect. An iteration of 1.0 is the same as turning Fractal off. Range=1.0 to 10.0.
Default=6.0.

Strength group
Controls the magnitude of the noise effect. No noise effect occurs until some
strength is applied.
X, Y, Z Set the strength of the noise effect along each of three axes. Enter a
value for at least one of these axes to produce a noise effect. Default=0.0,0.0,0.0.

Animation group
Controls the shape of the noise effect by overlaying a sine wave for the noise
pattern to follow. This keeps the noise within bounds, dampening random
extremes. When Animate Noise is turned on, these parameters influence the
overall noise effect. However, you can animate Noise and Strength parameters
independently; these do not require Animate Noise to be on during animation
or playback.
Animate Noise Regulates the combined effect of Noise and Strength
parameters. The following parameters adjust the underlying wave.
Frequency Sets the periodicity of the sine wave. Regulates the speed of the
noise effect. Higher frequencies make the noise quiver faster. Lower frequencies
produce a smoother and more gentle noise.
Phase Shifts the start and end points of the underlying wave. By default,
animation keys are set at either end of the active frame range. You can see the
effect of Phase more clearly by editing these positions in Track View. Select
Animate Noise to enable animation playback.

Normal Modifier
Select an object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Normal

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Normal Modifier

Normal Modifier | 1497

The Normal modifier allows you to unify or flip the normals of an object
without applying an Edit Mesh modifier.
For example, if you wanted to fly inside of a procedural object, such as a sphere
or a cylinder, and wanted to retain control over the radius and number of
segments, you couldn't collapse the object to an Editable Mesh and maintain
the procedural nature of the primitive.

Flipping the normals of a sphere creates a sky dome over a city.

TIP If you are animating the creation of a complex object such as a nested Boolean
or a loft, and you think the operation might result in inconsistent faces, apply
Normal to the result and turn on Unify.

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TIP The Lathe modifier sometimes creates an object with normals pointing inward.
Use the Normal modifier with both Unify and Flip turned on to fix "inside-out"
lathe objects. The Normal modifier allows whole-object manipulations of normals
to be performed quickly without using an Edit Mesh modifier.

Patches
Patch objects coming up the modifier stack are not converted to a mesh by
this modifier. A patch object input to the Material modifier retains its patch
definition. Files that contain patch objects with the Material modifier from
previous versions of 3ds Max will be converted to meshes to maintain backward
compatibility.

Procedures
To use the normal modifier:

1

Select an object, then on the
Modify panel ➤ Modifier
List, choose Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Normal.
The object appears to turn inside-out, since Flip Normals is on by default.

2 If the object has some faces pointing inward and others outward, turn
on Unify Normals to make all the faces point similarly.
TIP To flip or unify normals on portions of objects, convert to Editable Mesh
and select Faces or Polygons. On the Surface Properties rollout in the Normals
group, use the Flip and Unify buttons.

Interface

Unify Normals Unifies the normals of an object by flipping the normals so
that they all point in the same direction, usually outward. This is useful for
restoring an object's faces to their original orientations. Sometimes normals
of scenes that have come into 3ds Max as part of a DWG or DXF file are

Normal Modifier | 1499

irregular, depending on the methods used to create the scene. Use this option
of the modifier to correct them.
NOTE Unify Normals does not work on editable poly on page 2240 objects; before
applying the Normal modifier, convert the model to editable mesh format or apply
a Mesh Select on page 1445or Turn To Mesh on page 1774modifier.
Flip Normals Reverses the direction of all the surface normals of the faces of
the selected object or objects. Default=on.

Normalize Spline Modifier
Select a spline object. ➤
Spl.

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Normalize

Select a spline object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤
Normalize Spline
The Normalize Spline modifier adds new control points in the spline at regular
intervals. Use Normalize Spline to produce splines for motion paths that
require constant velocity.

1500 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The spline on the left has been normalized.

NOTE This feature is not animatable.

Interface

Seg Length Sets the length of the spline's segments, in 3ds Max units. The
positions of the original vertices are discarded, and vertices are set to regular
intervals. Segment length determines how many control points are added:
shorter segments result in more control points, longer segments result in fewer.
Default=20.0 units.

Normalize Spline Modifier | 1501

NSurf Sel Modifier
Select a NURBS curve or surface object. ➤
List ➤ NSurf Sel

Modify panel ➤ Modifier

Select a NURBS curve or surface object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection
Modifiers ➤ NURBS Surface Select
Select a NURBS curve or surface object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ NURBS Editing
➤ Surface Select
The NSurf Sel (NURBS Surface Selection) modifier lets you place a NURBS on
page 2433 sub-object selection on the modifier stack. This lets you modify only
the selected sub-objects. Also, selected curve sub-objects are shape objects that
you can use as paths and motion trajectories.
If a NURBS surface object is nonrelational on page 2502, NSurf Sel can't select
the sub-object levels Curve, Curve CV, or Point. NURBS surfaces are
nonrelational by default. You can make the surface relational by turning on
Relational Stack on the object's General rollout.
NSurf Sel can select any kind of NURBS sub-objects except imports. Each
sub-object selection is of one particular sub-object level only.
NOTE The NSurf Sel modifier doesn't support copying and pasting selections as
Mesh Select on page 1445 does. Copying and pasting mesh selections is based on
vertex indexes. NURBS selections are based on object IDs, which are unique to
each model.

Procedures
To use the NSurf Sel (NURBS Surface Selection) modifier:

1

Select a NURBS object. Go to the
and apply NSurf Sel.
This modifier has no controls at the top level.

1502 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Modify command panel,

2 In the stack display, choose a sub-object level from the list.

NSurf Sel has the same selection controls you see for NURBS surfaces,
except that selecting connected curves or surfaces is not available.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page
8776.
While applying the modifier, you can also select NURBS sub-objects by
name. Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008 and
then press the H key. This displays a version of the Selection Floater on
page 187 that lists only sub-objects at the current level. Choose one or
more objects in the list, and then click Select.

3 Use the
selection controls to create a selection set of the chosen
sub-object type.

NSurf Sel Modifier | 1503

With NSurf Sel, the selection can be of surface CV or surface sub-objects.
If you turn on Relational Stack for the NURBS object, you can also select
point, curve, and curve CV sub-objects.
4 At the Surface CV sub-object level, adjust Soft Selection controls as you
wish. These controls are the same as those in the Soft Selection rollout
on page 2561 for NURBS curves and surfaces, except that the Same Type
Only toggle is absent.
Once you've used the modifier to create the selection, you can apply other
modifiers to it.

Optimize Modifier
Select an object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Optimize

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Optimize
The Optimize modifier lets you reduce the number of faces and vertices in an
object. This simplifies the geometry and speeds up rendering while maintaining
an acceptable image. A Before/After readout gives you exact feedback on the
reduction as you make each change.

1504 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Optimize simplifies a smooth model with a high number of faces without greatly
changing the model’s appearance.

TIP Because Optimize makes decisions based on angles between faces, it's
sometimes best to apply it to selected face sub-objects rather than to an entire
object. Avoid applying Optimize to areas where you want to preserve geometric
detail.

Applying Optimize
When you first apply Optimize, you might not see any change in the viewports.
Adjust the Face Threshold setting to obtain the best optimization. In the Last
Optimize Status group, you can see how the object or faces were optimized.
Watch these values while you adjust the Optimize parameters, until you have
the best possible result.

Setting Level of Detail
Optimize lets you maintain two levels of optimization detail. You might set
a lower optimization level, with fewer faces, to speed up your viewport work,
and a higher level for final output in the renderer. However, you can render
at either level. You can also switch to the higher level in a viewport to get an
idea of what the rendered image will look like.

Optimize Modifier | 1505

Procedures
To optimize manually:
1 Set up two viewports: one wireframe, one smooth shaded.

2

Select an object and apply the Optimize modifier.
The Parameters rollout for this modifier appears.

3 Turn off Manual Update and then adjust the Face Thresh value. Observe
the result in the viewports.
You can also choose to view the results of the Optimize operation
manually by leaving the Manual Update check box turned on and clicking
the Update button every time you wish to view a result.
4 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Last Optimize Status group, notice the
Before/After count for vertices and faces.
5 In the Optimize group, vary parameters to continue reducing geometry.
Compare the result in the two viewports against the Before/After count.
To set the level of detail:
1 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Level of Detail group, choose Viewports L1.
2 Adjust parameters in the Optimize and Preserve groups.
This sets the L1 level of optimization for both the viewport and the
renderer.
3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 for Viewports L2, adjusting parameters for a different
optimization.
To use level of detail:
■

Switch between L1 and L2 for either Viewports or Renderer.
You see the effect immediately in a smooth shaded viewport. Do a test
rendering to see the effect on the renderer.

The following parameters are stored for each level: Face Threshold, Edge
Threshold, Bias, Max Edge Len, Material Boundaries, and Smooth Boundaries.

1506 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Level of Detail group
Renderer L1, L2 Set the level of display for the default scanline renderer. Use
Viewports L1 and L2 to change the stored optimization level. Default=L1.
Viewports L1, L2 Set the optimization level for both viewport and renderer.
Also toggles the level of display for the viewport. Default=L1.

Optimize Modifier | 1507

Optimize group
Adjusts the degree of optimization.
Face Thresh Sets the threshold angle used to determine which faces are
collapsed. Low values produce less optimization but better approximations of
the original shape. Higher values improve optimization, but are more likely
to result in faces that render poorly (see Bias). Default=4.0.
Edge Thresh Sets a different threshold angle for open edges (those that bound
only one face). A low value preserves open edges. At the same time you can
apply a high face threshold to get good optimization. Default=1.0.
Bias Helps eliminate the skinny or degenerate triangles that occur during
optimization, which can cause rendering artifacts. Higher values keeps triangles
from becoming degenerate. The default of 0.1 is enough to eliminate the
skinniest triangles. Range=0.0 to 1.0 (a 0 value turns Bias off).
Max Edge Len Specifies the maximum length, beyond which an edge cannot
be stretched when optimized. When Max Edge Len is 0, it has no effect. Any
value greater than 0 specifies the maximum length of the edges. Default=0.0.
Along with Bias, this control helps you avoid creating long skinny faces while
optimizing.
Auto Edge Turns edges on and off following optimization. Turns on any open
edges. Turns off any edges between faces whose normals are within the face
threshold; such edges beyond the threshold are not turned on. Default=off.

Preserve group
Maintains clean separation at the face level between material and smoothness
boundaries.
Material Boundaries Prevents face collapse across material boundaries.
Default=off.
Smooth Boundaries Optimizes an object and maintain its smoothing. When
turned on, allows only faces that share at least one smoothing group to
collapse. Default=off.

Update group
Update Updates the viewports with the current optimization settings. Available
only when Manual Update is turned on.
Manual Update Enables the Update button. When turned off, Optimize works
as it does by default, updating the viewport display dynamically.

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NOTE When using Manual Update, if you make any changes that cause the
reevaluation of the stack, the existing optimization display disappears. Click the
Update button again to restore it.
The Renderer ignores the optimization display in the viewport, using the
Optimize settings, regardless of the state of the Manual Update.

Last Optimize Status group
Displays numerical results of optimization with exact before-and-after counts
for vertices and faces.

Patch Select Modifier
Make a selection. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Patch Select

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection Modifiers ➤ Patch Select
The Patch Select modifier lets you pass a sub-object selection up the stack to
subsequent modifiers. It provides a superset of the selection functions available
in the Edit Patch modifier on page 1271. You can select vertices, edges, patches,
and elements. You can also change the selection from sub-object level to object
level.
NOTE When you apply the Patch Select modifier and then go to any sub-object
level, the select-and-transform buttons in the toolbar are unavailable, and the
Select Object button is automatically activated.

Using XForm Modifiers to Animate a Patch Selection
When you apply a Patch Select modifier, there are no animation controllers
assigned to the sub-object selection. This means that the selection has no way
to "carry" the transform information needed for animation.
To animate a sub-object selection using Patch Select, apply either an XForm
or Linked XForm modifier to the selection. These modifiers provide the
necessary controllers for animating the effects of transforms. In a sense, they
give "whole-object status" to the sub-object selection.
■

XForm on page 1961

Patch Select Modifier | 1509

Animates transforms directly on a sub-object selection. Creates a gizmo
and center for the sub-object selection. You can animate both, with the
center acting as a pivot point for the selection.
Linked XForm on page 1428
Lets you choose another object to control the animation. The sub-object
selection is linked to the "control object." When you transform the control
object, the sub-object selection follows accordingly.

■

Procedures
To use the patch select modifier:
1 Create or select a patch object.

2 Go to the
list.

3

Modify panel and choose Patch Select from the modifier

Select vertices, handles, edges, patches, or elements.

4 Add another modifier to affect only the selection from step 3.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Vertex Selects vertices.
Handle Selects handles.
Edge Selects edges.
Patch Selects patches.

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Element Selects elements.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Provides buttons for turning different sub-object modes on and off, working
with named selections and handles, display settings, and information about
selected entities.
The icons at the top of the Selection rollout let you specify the method of face
selection. Clicking a button here is the same as selecting a sub-object type in
the modifier stack. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the object
selection level.

Vertex Selects a vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects
vertices within the region.
Handle Selects a handle beneath the cursor; region selection selects
multiple handles within the region.

Patch Select Modifier | 1511

Edge Selects an edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple
edges within the region.
Patch Selects a patch beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple
patches within the region.

Element Selects all contiguous faces in an object; region selection
selects the same.
Select By Vertex Selects any sub-objects at the current level that use a vertex
you click. Applies to all sub-object levels except Vertex. Also works with Region
Select.
Ignore Backfaces Selects only those edges, patches, or elements whose normals
make them visible in the viewport. When turned off (the default), selection
includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their normals.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull setting in the Display panel doesn't affect
sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is turned off, you can select
sub-objects even if you can't see them.
NOTE The state of the Ignore Backfaces check box also affects edge selection at
the Edge sub-object selection level.

Get from Other Levels group
Applies selections from one sub-object level to another.
Get Vertex Selection Selects edges, patches, or elements based on the last
vertex selection. The selection is added to the current selection. Available only
when Vertex is not the current sub-object level.
Get Edge Selection Selects vertices, patches, or elements based on the last
edge selection. Selects those vertices, patches, or elements that contain the
edge. Available only when Edge is not the current sub-object level.
Get Patch Selection Selects vertices, edges, or elements based on the last patch
selection. This selection is added to the current selection. Available only when
Patch is not the current sub-object level.

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Select by Material ID group
Selects faces based on their material ID.
ID Set the spinner to the ID number you want to select, and then click the
Select button. Press Ctrl while clicking to add to the current selection, or press
Alt to remove from the current selection.

Named Selection Sets group
These functions are primarily for copying named selection sets on page 204of
sub-objects between similar objects, and between comparable modifiers and
editable objects. For example, you can apply a patch select modifier to a sphere,
create a named selection set of edges, and then copy the selection to a different
sphere that's been converted to an editable patch object. You can even copy
the selection set to a different type of object, because the selection is identified
by the entities' ID numbers.
The standard procedure is to create a selection set, name it, and then use Copy
to duplicate it into the copy buffer. Next, select a different object and/or
modifier, go to the same sub-object level as you were in when you copied the
set, and click Paste.
NOTE Because sub-object ID numbers vary from object to object, the results of
copying named selection sets between different objects can be unexpected. For
example, if the buffered set contains only entities numbered higher than any that
exist in the target object, no entities will be selected when the set is pasted.
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
Select Open Edges Selects all edges with only one face. In most objects, this
will show you where missing patches exist. Available only at the Edge
sub-object level.

Selection Info
At the bottom of the Patch Select Parameters rollout is a text display giving
you information about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object
is selected, the text gives the number and type selected. If one sub-object is
selected, the text gives the ID number and type of the selected item.
NOTE When the current sub-object type is Patch or Element, selection information
is given in Patches.

Patch Select Modifier | 1513

Soft Selection rollout
See Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966 for information on the Soft Selection
rollout settings.

PatchDeform Modifier (Object Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifiers List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ PatchDeform
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ Patch Deform
The PatchDeform modifier deforms an object based on the contours of a patch
object. This modifier works similarly to the PathDeform modifier on page 1516,
but uses a quad-based patch object instead of a spline shape or NURBS curve
path.
To use the PatchDeform modifier, apply it to the object you want to deform,
click the Pick Patch button, and then select a patch object. Deform the object
by manipulating the patch object or adjusting the various controls in the
Patch Deform panel.
Not all objects can be used with PatchDeform. Objects that are valid
PatchDeform targets include: Plane, Cylinder, Cone and Torus.
This modifier is also similar to the SurfDeform modifier on page 1723, except
that it uses a patch surface instead of a NURBS Point or CV surface.
There's also a world-space version of the PatchDeform modifier. See
PatchDeform (WSM) on page 1089. Generally, the PatchDeform object-space
modifier leaves the object in place while moving the patch to the object, while
the PatchDeform world-space modifier leaves the patch in place while moving
the object to the patch. Also, the WSM version has a Move to Patch button,
while the object-space version does not.

Procedures
To use the PatchDeform modifier:

1

Select an object.

2 Apply PatchDeform.

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3 On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Patch.
4 Click a patch object.
Deform the object by adjusting the controls in the Patch Deform panel
and by manipulating the patch object.

Interface
Modifier Stack
Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the modifier. The PatchDeform gizmo
is a representation of the deforming patch object, so transforming it determines
which part of the patch affects the modified object.

Parameters rollout

Patch Deform group
Provides controls that let you pick the patch and adjust the object's position
and deformation along the gizmo copy of the patch.
Patch Displays the name of the selected patch object.
Pick Patch Click this button, and then select the patch object you want to
use for the deformation. A gizmo is created for the object that matches the

PatchDeform Modifier (Object Space) | 1515

patch. Once you assign the patch gizmo, you can adjust the deformation using
the remaining controls in this rollout.
NOTE Patch Deform can be used only with a rectangular quad patch form. 3ds
Max makes no distinction between quad-style patches and certain primitive meshes.
Examples of suitable patches are the primitive quad patch object on page 2426, the
primitive cylinder on page 336, and the primitive torus on page 342. (The cylinder
actually has tri-patches at each end, but since they are at the end of the list of
patches, PatchDeform just ignores these extra faces.)
U Percent Moves the object along the U (horizontal) axis of the gizmo patch,
based on a percentage of the U distance. This spinner defaults to a setting of
50 percent, which places the object at the center of the gizmo patch. A setting
of 0 percent places the object at the left edge of the gizmo patch, as seen from
the viewport where the patch was created.
U Stretch Scales the object along the U (horizontal) axis of the gizmo patch.
V Percent Moves the object along the V (vertical) axis of the gizmo patch,
based on a percentage of the V distance. A setting of 0 percent places the
object at the bottom of the gizmo patch.
V Stretch Scales the object along the V (vertical) axis of the gizmo patch.
Rotation Rotates the modified object with respect to the gizmo patch.
Move To Patch Clicking this button moves the object from its original position
to the patch object you are using for deformation. This button is only available
with the PatchDeform (WSM).

Patch Deform Plane group
XY/YZ/ZX Choose a two-axis plane of the object to make parallel with the
XY plane of the gizmo patch.
Flip Reverses the gizmo direction.

PathDeform Modifier (Object Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ PathDeform

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ Path Deform

1516 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The PathDeform modifier deforms an object using a spline or NURBS curve
as a path. You can move and stretch the object along the path, and rotate and
twist it about the path. There's also a world-space modifier version. See
PathDeform (WSM) on page 1089.

PathDeform creates a wiggle for the snake.

Using a Path to Deform an Object
Generally, you use the PathDeform modifier when you want to keep an object
in place while deforming to a path. Use the PathDeform world-space modifier
when you want to move an object to a path while keeping the path in the
same world space.
To use the PathDeform modifier, you apply it, then click the Pick Path button
and select a shape or curve consisting of a single open or closed spline. Once
the object is assigned to the path, you can adjust the parameters to deform
or animate the object along a gizmo copy of the path.

PathDeform Modifier (Object Space) | 1517

Procedures
To use the PathDeform modifier:

1

Select an object.

2 Apply PathDeform.
3 On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Path.
4 Click a spline or NURBS curve.
Deform the object by adjusting the various controls in the Path Deform
panel and by editing the path object.
Example: To use the PathDeform modifier to curve text:

1 In the Top viewport, create a circle with a radius of 100 units.
2 In the Front viewport, create a text shape with six or seven letters, and a
size of 25. (You can use the default "MAX Text".)
3 Apply an Extrude modifier on page 1369 to the text shape and set Amount
to –5.0.
4 On the main toolbar, set the Reference Coordinate System to Local.
Looking at the axis tripod for the extruded text object, you can see that
its Z axis runs from back to front, relative to world space.
5 Apply a PathDeform object-space modifier to the text object, click the
Pick Path button, and then select the circle.3ds Max displays
a circular gizmo. The circle runs through the local Z axis of the text object.
Because of its orientation, its effect is minimal, but you can see a slight
wedge-shaped deformation from the top view.

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6 In the Path Deform Axis group, choose the Y option, and then the X
option.
The circle gizmo rotates to run through the specified axes, deforming the
text object differently with each change.
7 Adjust the Percent spinner to view its effect, and then set it to 0. Try the
same with Stretch, Rotation, and Twist, and then restore them to their
original values. (Tip: Use the Ctrl key with Twist to amplify the effect.)
8 Turn Flip on and off to switch the direction of the path.
9 In the stack display, choose the Gizmo sub-object level, and move the
gizmo path around.
The text object is further deformed by its relative position to the gizmo.
10 In the modifier stack, turn off sub-object selection by selecting the original
circle shape.
11 Adjust the circle's radius.
The deformation of the text object changes because its gizmo is an
instance of the shape object.

Interface
Modifier Stack
Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the modifier. The PathDeform gizmo
is a representation of the deforming path object, so transforming it determines
which part of the path affects the modified object.

PathDeform Modifier (Object Space) | 1519

Parameters rollout

Path Deform group
Provides controls that let you pick a path and adjust an object's position and
deformation along the path.
Path Displays the name of the selected path object.
Pick Path Click this button and then select a spline or NURBS curve to use
as the path. The gizmo that appears is shaped like the path and is aligned with
the local Z axis of the object. Once you assign the path, you can adjust the
deformation of the object using the remaining controls in this rollout. The
path you pick should contain a single, open or closed curve. If you use a path
object consisting of multiple curves, only the first one is used.
Percent Moves the object along the gizmo path based on a percentage of the
path length.
Stretch Scales the object along the gizmo path, using the object's pivot point
as the base of the scale.
Rotation Rotates the object about the gizmo path.
Twist Twists the object about the path. The twist angle is based on the rotation
of one end of the overall length of the path. Typically, the deformed object
takes up only a portion of the path, so the effect can be subtle.

1520 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Path Deform Axis group
X/Y/Z Choose one to rotate the gizmo path to align with a specified local
axis of the object.
Flip Reverses the gizmo path 180 degrees about the specified axis.

Point Cache Modifier (Object Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Point Cache

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Cache Tools ➤ Point Cache
The Point Cache modifier lets you store modifier and sub-object animation
to a disk file that records only changes in vertex positions, and then play back
the animation using the information in the disk file instead of the modifier
keyframes.
Point Cache is useful when the computation required for vertex animation
becomes so excessive that it causes animation playback to run slowly or drop
frames. Another use for this modifier is to apply the same animation to a
number of objects, varying the Start Time and Strength settings for each so
they don't all move identically.
NOTE Point Cache can be useful with Cloth animations on page 1142. If your Cloth
animation includes cloth that tears (see Tearing Cloth on page 1145), the Welder
modifier on page 1955 can help smooth joins and seams before tearing occurs.
The Point Cache modifier is also available in a world-space version on page
1095, for which usage is the same.

Special Point Cache Features
Special features in the Point Cache modifier include:
■

You can save animation files in XML and MC formats for greater
compatibility with other applications, such as Autodesk Maya, as well as
the legacy PC2 format.

■

When recording to XML, you can save each animation frame in a separate
file.

Point Cache Modifier (Object Space) | 1521

Cache files for large meshes and long animations can be very large. Saving
as a file per frame lets you manage data more easily and replace single
frames if you find errors.

Compatibility with Autodesk Maya
Following is a suggested workflow for using Point Cache for working on an
animation project in both 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya:
1 Create a deforming mesh (such as Skin, Cloth, and so on).
2 Apply the Point Cache modifier.
3 Save the cache in XML format with referenced MC files.
4 Save the mesh in FBX format.
5 Bring the mesh into Maya.
6 In Maya, load the cache data onto the mesh using the XML file to load
the referenced MC files.
7 Modify the animation in Maya and save it, overwriting the XML and MC
files.
In 3ds Max, use the Point Cache ➤ Reload command; this updates the
animation to that saved from Maya.

Special Features in Point Cache
Both versions of the Point Cache modifier provide enhanced animation
capabilities, including:
■

Adjustable playback ranges and a playback graph, to animate which cache
frame is played back. This lets you load a cache and then animate it, slowing
down, stopping, reversing, etc.

■

Nth-frame sampling, so you can sample every few frames to save disk space
if sampling every frame is unnecessary, or record multiple samples per
frame for improved motion blurring.

■

The "strength" is adjustable in Absolute mode, so you can easily blend the
cache with what is below in the stack.

■

Improved cache file management.

■

Pre-loaded caches to speed up playback.

1522 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Procedures
To use the Point Cache modifier:
1 Use one or more modifiers to animate an object. For example, you might
apply a Bend modifier on page 1104, and then set keyframes for the Angle
parameter to make the object bend back and forth.

2 Click

(Play Animation).

If the animation is a good candidate for caching, the playback will drop
many frames with Real Time Playback turned on, and will run slowly
with Real Time Playback turned off.

3 From the
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Point Cache.
4 On the Parameters rollout ➤ Record group, set values for Start Time and
End Time.
5 If you plan to render the cached animation using motion blur, decrease
the Sample Rate setting.
6 Click the Record button, and use the Save Cache dialog to specify a cache
file. To export the animation to another program, such as Autodesk Maya,
use the XML file format; otherwise, use the PC2 file format.
3ds Max records the animation to the cache file. When finished, the
cache file name appears in the Cache File group.
7 In the Record group, click Disable Modifiers Below.
This turns off all the object's modifiers below Point Cache so that only
the cached vertex animation will appear when you play back the
animation.

8 Click

(Play Animation) again.

This time the animation plays back quickly and smoothly.

Point Cache Modifier (Object Space) | 1523

Interface

1524 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cache File group
Contains settings for recording vertex animation.
[file name] After you specify or load a cache file, its name appears in this
field.
New Creates a new, empty cache file. After setting a new file, use Record to
create the cache data.
You can save the file in either of two formats:
■

XML:Saves the basic cache information in an XML file, and the animation
data in one or more MC files (The XML file includes references to the MC
files). The modifier uses multiple MC files if you set the Record group
option to One File Per Frame. When recording multiple MC files, the
modifier gives them the name [file name]Frame[frame number}.mc; for
example, Cylinder01Frame10.mc. If you set a non-integer value for Sample
Rate, the modifier appends the sub-frame cache file names with Tick[tick
number].

■

PC2:Saves all cache information and data in a single PC2 file. When you
use this format, the One File Per Frame option is unavailable.

Load Loads a vertex animation from a cache file on disk into the Point Cache
modifier. If the number of vertices in the cache does not match the number
of vertices in the object, the Cache Info group reports an error, and the
animation doesn’t take effect.
Load supports these file formats: XML, PC2, PTS.
Unload Temporarily frees the current cache file, so it can be edited or deleted
externally.
Reload Reopens the current cache file, if previously unloaded.

Cache Info group
Displays cache statistics in read-only format, including the number of files,
point count, evaluations (number of samples), sample rate, start and end
frames, and errors, if any.

Record group
Contains settings for recording cached animation.
One File/One File Per Frame Choose whether to save the cache in a single
file, or in a separate file for each frame of recorded animation. The latter option
is available only when using the XML file format.

Point Cache Modifier (Object Space) | 1525

Start Frame Sets the first frame for recording the vertex animation.
Default=first frame of the active time segment.
Using decimal fractions lets you start at a sub-frame setting when using a
Frame:Ticks time display.
End Frame Sets the last frame for recording the vertex animation. Default=last
frame of the active time segment.
Using decimal fractions lets you start at a sub-frame setting when using a
Frame:Ticks time display.
Sample Rate Sets the number of frames between each recorded sample. When
rendering with motion blur, which uses sub-frame sampling, decrease this
value. Default=1.0.
At the default value of 1.0, Point Cache records one sample per frame.
Increasing the value causes a sample to be recorded every Nth frame. For
example, a value of 10.0 records every tenth frame. Decreasing the value causes
multiple samples to be recorded for each frame. For example, if you set Sample
Rate to 0.1, Point Cache records 10 samples per frame at evenly spaced
intervals.
Record Stores the vertex animation to a disk file. If no cache file is specified,
or the specified file doesn't exist, activates the Save Points dialog, which lets
you specify a path and file name for the cache file. Click Save to record the
file, and then load it into the Point Cache modifier, ready for playback.
TIP To change the path or file name, use Cache File group ➤ New and specify
a different cache file.
Enable Modifiers Below Turns on all stack modifiers below the Point Cache
modifier. Use this when you want to change modifier settings.
Disable Modifiers Below Turns off all the object's stack modifiers below Point
Cache so that only the cached vertex animation appears when you play back
the animation.

Load Type group
These options apply only to PC2 and PTS files; when the cache file type is
XML they are unavailable.
Local The method the modifier uses to load the cache file. The options are:
■

StreamKeeps the cache file open for fast access, but loads only a single
frame at a time to conserve memory. This is the default mode.

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■

Per-SampleOpens the cache file, reads a single frame, and then immediately
closes the file. This is slower than the Stream method, but is useful if many
users are reading/writing the same set of cache files since the cache files
won't be locked open as you read from them.

■

Pre-LoadLoads the entire cache file into memory for fast access, and then
closes the file. This is particularly useful in networked situations, or when
a few cache files are used by many objects in one scene. In the latter case,
using this option prevents each object from thrashing the disk on playback.
Be conservative in using this, as it can consume a great deal of memory.
However, if one cache file is used by several objects, the cache is loaded
into memory only once.

Slave These options apply if 3ds Max is running as a network-rendering client;
see the preceding for details. In this situation, only Per-Sample and Pre-Load
are available, and the default option is Per-Sample, so the clients don't lock
files.
[label] This read-only field displays the size of the pre-loaded data when Local
is set to Pre-Load.

Playback Options group
Strength Affects the motion relative to the original animation. Default=1.0.
Range=-10.0 to 10.0.
When modifiers below the Point Cache modifier are enabled, the Strength
value is used only when Relative Offset is on. When modifiers below the Point
Cache modifier are disabled, the Strength value is always used.
At 1.0, the animation plays back the same as recorded. With strengths between
0.0 and 1.0, the animation is relatively restrained. At strengths greater than
1, the animation is exaggerated. With negative Strength settings, the motion
is reversed.
Relative Offset Enables offsetting the animated vertex positions relative to
their positions as recorded, based on the Strength setting. Default=off.
NOTE When you turn on Relative Offset and play back a cached animation with
the modifiers turned on, the cached vertex positions are calculated relative to their
positions as calculated by the modifiers. For example, if you record a Bend
animation to a cache file, and then play it back with both Relative Offset and the
Bend modifier on and Strength=1.0, all vertex positions are doubled, resulting in
exaggerated motion.

Point Cache Modifier (Object Space) | 1527

Apply To Whole Object When off, only the active vertex selection is animated.
In this case, for the cache animation to be visible, the selection must include
at least some of the originally animated vertices.

Playback Type group
Playback Type Specifies how playback occurs:
■

Original RangePlays back the cache over the range it was originally
recorded, so the animation will always be the same as the original.

■

Custom StartPlays back the cache from a custom start time, set by Start
Frame, but the animation length and playback speed will be the same as
the original animation.

■

Custom RangeLets you set start and end frames within which the current
cache plays back. Using a range that is smaller than the original record
range plays the cache back faster, while specifying a larger range plays the
cache back slower.

■

Playback GraphLets you animate which cache frame is played at any given
time.
For example, if you record a cache from frames 0 to 100 and then want it
to play back twice as fast forward and then in reverse, choose this option,
turn on Auto Key, set the Frame parameter to 0.0 at frame 0, 100.0 at frame
50, and then back to 0.0 at frame 100. The function curve of this parameter
in Track View shows how the cache is played back. Animating the Frame
value lets you achieve unusual effects such as slowing a cache down over
time, creating a ping-pong effect during playback, etc.

Start Frame The frame number at which the cached animation starts playing
back. Using decimal fractions lets you start at a sub-frame setting when using
a Frame:Ticks time display. Available only when Playback Type is set to Custom
Start or Custom Range. Default=0.0.
End Frame The frame number at which the cached animation starts playing
back. Using decimal fractions lets you start at a sub-frame setting when using
a Frame:Ticks time display. Available only when Playback Type is set to Custom
Range. Default=0.0.
Frame Lets you animate playback of the cache; for details, see Playback Graph,
above.
Clamp Graph Controls what gets loaded when the Playback Graph frame is
out of the original recorded range.
Take an example in which the playback frame is set to 105, but the original
cache was recorded over frames 0-100. With Clamp Graph on, the loaded

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frame will be 100. If it's off (the default), the cache will "wrap around" and
load frame 5.
This lets you loop caches more easily. In the above example, you could simply
have a two-key playback graph. The first key would be at frame 0 with a value
of 0.0, and the second would be at frame 100 with a value of 100.0. You would
then set the out-of-range type on page 3996 for the Frame parameter (Playback
Frame in Track View) to Linear, and the cache would loop back smoothly to
the beginning at frame 101.

Poly Select Modifier
Make a selection. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Poly Select

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection Modifiers ➤ Poly Select
The Poly Select modifier lets you pass a sub-object selection up the stack to
subsequent modifiers. It provides a superset of the selection functions available
in Editable Poly on page 2240. You can select vertices, edges, borders, polygons,
and elements. You can change the selection from sub-object level to object
level.
When you apply the Poly Select modifier and then go to any sub-object level,
the select-and-transform buttons in the toolbar are unavailable, and the Select
Object button is automatically activated.

Using XForm Modifiers to Animate a Poly Selection
When you apply a Poly Select modifier, there are no animation controllers
assigned to the sub-object selection. This means that the selection has no way
to "carry" the transform information needed for animation.
To animate a sub-object selection using Poly Select, apply either an XForm or
Linked XForm modifier to the selection. These modifiers provide the necessary
controllers for animating the effects of transforms. In a sense, they give
"whole-object status" to the sub-object selection.
■

XForm on page 1961
Animates transforms directly on a sub-object selection. Creates a gizmo
and center for the sub-object selection. You can animate both, with the
center acting as a pivot point for the selection.

■

Linked XForm on page 1428

Poly Select Modifier | 1529

Lets you choose another object to control the animation. The sub-object
selection is linked to the "control object." When you transform the control
object, the sub-object selection follows accordingly.

Procedures
To use the Poly Select modifier:
1 Create or select an object.
NOTE Applying a Poly Select modifier to an object other than a polymesh
type will convert the object to a polymesh object. If you want more control
over the conversion, add a Turn To Poly modifier on page 1779 before applying
the Poly Select modifier. The Turn To Poly modifier provides conversion
options that aren't available with the Poly Select modifier.
2 Apply the Poly Select modifier.

3

Select vertices, faces, or polygons.

4 Add another modifier to affect only the selection from step 3.

Interface
Modifier Stack

1530 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Vertex Selects vertices.
Edge Selects edges.
Border Selects borders.
Polygon Selects polygons.
Element Selects elements.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Provides buttons for accessing different sub-object levels, working with named
selections and handles, display settings, and information about selected
entities.
The icons at the top of the Selection rollout let you specify the method of face
selection.

Poly Select Modifier | 1531

Clicking a button here is the same as choosing a sub-object type in the modifier
stack. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the Object selection
level.
NOTE You can convert sub-object selections in two different ways with the use
of the Ctrl and Shift keys:
■

Clicking a sub-object button in the Selection rollout with Ctrl held down
converts the current selection to the new level, selecting all sub-objects in
the new level that touch the previous selection. For example, if you select
a vertex, and then Ctrl+click the Polygon button, all polygons that use that
vertex are selected.

■

To convert the selection to only sub-objects all of whose source components
are originally selected, hold down both Ctrl and Shift as you change the
level. For example, if you convert a vertex selection to a polygon selection
with Ctrl+Shift+click, the resultant selection includes only those polygons
all of whose vertices were originally selected.

Vertex Selects a vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects
vertices within the region.

Edge Selects a polygon edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects
multiple edges within the region.
Border Turns on Border sub-object mode, which lets you select an area
on a mesh that can generally be described as a hole. Areas like this are usually
sequences of edges with faces on only one side. For example, a box doesn't
have a border, but the Teapot object has several of them: on the lid, on the
body, on the spout, and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder, then
delete the top face, the top row of edges forms a border.
When the Border sub-object level is active, you can't select edges that aren't
on borders. Clicking a single edge on a border selects that whole border.
Borders can be capped (either in editable poly or by applying the cap holes
modifier). They can also be connected to another object (compound object
connect).

1532 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Polygon Selects all coplanar polygons beneath the cursor. Usually, a
polygon is the area you see within the visible wire edges. Region selection
selects multiple polygons within the region.

Element Selects all contiguous polygons in an object; region selection
selects the same.
By Vertex Selects any sub-objects at the current level that use a vertex you
click. Applies to all sub-object levels except Vertex. Also works with Region
Select.
Ignore Backfaces Selecting sub-objects selects only those whose normals make
them visible in the viewport. When turned off (the default), selection includes
all sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their normals.
NOTE The state of the Display properties on page 143 ➤ Backface Cull setting
doesn't affect sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is turned off, you
can select sub-objects even if you can't see them.
NOTE The state of the Ignore Backfaces check box also affects edge selection at
the Edge sub-object selection level.
Shrink Reduces the sub-object selection area by deselecting the outermost
sub-objects. If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the remaining
sub-objects are deselected.
Grow Expands the selection area outward in all available directions.
For this function, a border is considered to be an edge selection.

Poly Select Modifier | 1533

With Shrink and Grow, you can add or remove neighboring elements from the edges
of your current selection. This works at any sub-object level.

Ring Expands an edge selection by selecting all edges parallel to the selected
edges. Ring applies only to edge and border selections.

Ring selection adds to the selection all the edges that are parallel to the ones selected
originally.

1534 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Loop Expands the selection as far as possible, in alignment with selected
edges.
Loop applies only to edge and border selections, and propagates only through
four-way junctions.

Loop selection extends your current edge selection by adding all the edges aligned to
the ones selected originally.

Get from Other Levels group
Applies selections from one sub-object level to another.
Get Vertex Selection Selects faces based on the last vertex selection. Selects
all faces shared by any selected vertex. The selection is added to the current
selection. Available only when the current sub-object level is not Vertex.
Get Poly Selection Selects vertices based on the last polygon/element selection.
This selection is added to the current selection. Available only when the current
sub-object level is not Polygon or Element.
Get Edge Selection Selects faces based on the last edge selection. Selects those
faces that contain the edge. Available only when the current sub-object level
is not Edge or Border.

Poly Select Modifier | 1535

Select by Material ID group
Selects faces based on their material ID.
ID Set the spinner to the ID number you want to select, and then click the
Select button. Press Ctrl while clicking to add to the current selection, or press
Alt to remove from the current selection.

Named Selection Sets group
These functions are primarily for copying named selection sets on page 204of
sub-objects between similar objects, and between comparable modifiers and
editable objects. For example, you can apply a Poly Select modifier to a sphere,
create a named selection set of edges, and then copy the selection to a different
sphere that's been converted to an editable mesh object. You can even copy
the selection set to a different type of object, because the selection is identified
by the entities' ID numbers.
The standard procedure is to create a selection set, name it, and then use Copy
to duplicate it into the copy buffer. Next, select a different object and/or
modifier, go to the same sub-object level as you were in when you copied the
set, and click Paste.
NOTE Because sub-object ID numbers vary from object to object, the results of
copying named selection sets between different objects can be unexpected. For
example, if the buffered set contains only entities numbered higher than any that
exist in the target object, no entities will be selected when the set is pasted.
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
Select Open Edges Selects all edges with only one face. In most objects, this
will show you where missing faces exist. Available only at the Edge or Border
sub-object level.

Selection Info
At the bottom of the Parameters rollout for Mesh Select is a text display giving
you information about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object
is selected, the text gives the number and type selected. If one sub-object is
selected, the text gives the ID number and type of the selected item.
NOTE When the current sub-object type is Element, selection information is given
in polygons When the current sub-object type is Border, selection information is
given in edges.

1536 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls affect the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and Scale
functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to
unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the
transformation.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Preserve Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Preserve
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Preserve
The Preserve modifier lets you retain, as much as possible, the edge lengths,
face angles, and volume of an edited and deformed mesh object using an
unmodified copy of the object before it was deformed. When you push and
pull vertices at the sub-object level, the process typically stretches the edges
and often alters the face angles, resulting in irregular topology. You can use
the Preserve modifier to generate more regular edge lengths, and a "cleaner"
mesh.

Procedures
Using the Preserve modifier:
1 Create an object. Before you edit it, create a copy.
2 Edit the copy at the sub-object level, pushing and pulling vertices, faces,
and so on.
3 Apply the Preserve modifier to the copy, click the Pick Original button,
and then select the original, unmodified object.
4 Adjust controls in the Preserve modifier to fine-tune the mesh.

Preserve Modifier | 1537

Example: Use the Preserve modifier on a geosphere:

1 Create a GeoSphere on page 334 and use
copy of it.

Shift+Move to make a

TIP If you want to see the effect of Preserve on mapping, apply a
checker-mapped material to the sphere and display it in the viewports before
making the copy.
2 Convert the copy to an editable mesh on page 2190.
3 At the Vertex sub-object level, select a third of the vertices at the top of
the sphere, and move them upward (as seen from the front) about one
radius in distance.
Notice the stretched edges between the moved vertices and the remaining
vertices.
4 While still at the Vertex sub-object level, apply the Preserve modifier.
5 Click the Pick Original button, and then select the original (unedited)
sphere.
The selected vertices move back toward the sphere in an attempt to
maintain the original volume and edge lengths.
6 Turn on Invert Selection.
The selected vertices return to their moved position, and the unselected
vertices (the inverted selection) move up toward the selected vertices.
7 Turn off Invert Selection and slowly reduce the Iterations to 0.
The object now looks as it did before you applied Preserve.
8 Increase Iterations to the default 25, and then increase it to approximately
75.
The object is now almost completely spherical again.
9 Set Iterations back to 25, and then try different Edge Lengths, Face Angles,
and Volume settings. (You can restore the defaults by settings Edge
Lengths to 1.0, and Face Angles and Volume to 0.3.

1538 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Steps in applying the Preserve modifier to a geosphere

Example: Animating a preserved object:
You can animate the Preserve parameters, but the following procedure shows
you how to use Morph and Preserve together.
1 Remove the Preserve modifier from the copied sphere, and go to object
level (instead of sub-object level).

2 With the copied (and deformed) sphere still selected, choose
Create
panel ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Morph to make it into a Morph object.

Preserve Modifier | 1539

3 Make sure Instance is chosen in the Pick Targets rollout.
4 At frame 0, click Pick Target, and then select the original sphere.

5 On the
Modify panel, go to frame 100, select sphere02 in the Morph
Targets list, and click Create Morph Key.
The object now morphs from a sphere to a deformed sphere.
6 Apply Preserve to the morph object.
7 Click Pick Original, and select the original sphere.
The object now morphs from the sphere to a preserved and deformed
sphere. Note that because the object selection is passed up the stack, the
Preserve effect is applied to the entire sphere.
8 Choose Selected Verts Only in the Selection group.
Now only the selected vertices are affected by Preserve. However, the
morph still works.
Example: Using the Selection check boxes:
1 Reset 3ds Max, create a box, and convert it to an editable mesh.

2 Use

Shift+Move to make a copy.

3 Use the
Modify panel to select the top four vertices in the second
box. Move them upward in Z, making the copied box taller than the
original.
4 Apply Preserve, and pick the first box as the original.
The selected vertices move down to match the original edge lengths.
5 Set Iterations to 0 to move the vertices back up, then turn on Invert
Selection, and set iterations back up to 25.
The selected vertices stay in their original locations, but the unselected
vertices move upward to restore the original edge lengths.
6 Turn Iterations back down to 0. Turn on Apply To Whole Mesh (Invert
Selection becomes unavailable), and then turn Iterations back up to 25.

1540 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Preserve is now applied to the whole mesh. Since all vertices are affected,
the top and bottom of the box approach each other.
7 Turn off Apply To Whole Mesh.
All vertices are translated, but maintain the same positions relative to
each other.
8 Turn off Invert Selection and turn on Selected Verts Only.
You're back to the original effect. You can move the Iterations spinner
up and down to see that you're affecting only the selected vertices.
Example: Simulating cloth:
1 Reset 3ds Max, create a Quad Patch Grid, and convert it to an editable
mesh.
2 Make a copy, and then make a reference of the copy.
You should have a total of three objects in the scene.
3 Apply Preserve to the third patch, using the first as the original.
4 Turn on Selected Verts Only and Invert Selection.
5 Set Iterations to 100.

Select the second patch and go to the Sub-Object ➤ Vertex

6
level.

7

Select a single vertex in the middle of the patch and move it
upward in Z.
The third patch becomes a floating handkerchief.

8

9

Undo the vertex move.

Select the far two corner vertices of the second patch, and drag
them upward in Z.
Now, you've got the beginnings of a sheet hanging on the line.

Preserve Modifier | 1541

Interface

Original Displays the name of the selected original object. (Note that the
so-called "original" object doesn't actually have to be the original. It's simply
a copy of the object that represents its unmodified topology.)
Pick Original Click this, and then select an unmodified copy of the current
object. You should pick an object with the same topology as the current object,
which has the same number of vertices. While you can select a completely
different object with equal vertices, the results are unpredictable.
Iterations Specifies the number of calculations toward the solution. The higher
this number, the closer the object comes to matching the original object and
the slower the process. When this is set to zero, the original object has no
effect, as if the Preserve modifier were never applied.

Preservation Weights group
Edge Lengths, Face Angles, Volumes Adjusts the relative importance of the
three components you're attempting to preserve: edge lengths, face angles,
and volume. In most cases, you'd leave these at their default settings, but you
can achieve some interesting effects by altering them. Higher face angles, for
example, produce stiffer meshes.

1542 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Selection group
Provides options that let you specify which selection level to take from previous
selection modifiers in the stack. The Preserve modifier acts on the specified
selection.
Apply to Whole Mesh Applies Preserve to the entire object, regardless of the
selection passed from previous levels of the stack. Disables the other two check
boxes.
Selected Verts Only Uses previous sub-object vertex selections. Note that it
doesn't matter if the Vertex sub-object level is active in a previous stack item.
As long as vertices have been selected, Preserve will use that selection.
Invert Selection Inverts the selection passed up the stack.
NOTE If all of the check boxes are turned off, Preserve uses whatever active
selection is passed up the stack. Thus, if a Mesh Select modifier is set to the Vertex
level, then that vertex selection is used. If the same Mesh Select modifier is set to
the top (object) level, then the entire object is affected.

Projection Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Projection

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

The Projection modifier is used primarily to manage objects for producing
normal bump maps on page 7320. You apply it to the low-resolution object,
and then pick a high-resolution object as the source for the projected normals.
When you use the Render To Texture dialog on page 7333 to set up projection,
Render To Texture applies the Projection modifier to the low-resolution object
automatically. You can also explicitly apply the Projection modifier to set up
the projection before you use Render To Texture.
NOTE The low-resolution object requires UV coordinates, but the high-resolution
source object does not need to have them. When the normals map is rendered,
you can choose to have Render To Texture apply an “Automatic Flatten UVs”
(Unwrap UVW) modifier on page 1787 to the top of the low-res object's stack; or
you can use existing mapping, if such exists.
You can apply more than one instance of the Projection modifier to the same
object, and you can instance it across multiple objects.

Projection Modifier | 1543

The Projection modifier is a topology-dependent modifier on page 9330, so when
you select an item in the stack that is lower than the Projection modifier, you
see a warning dialog that asks if you want to proceed. (The same is true of the
Automatic Flatten UVs modifier.)

Projection and Sub-Object Selections
You can match geometry to sub-object selections. There are two ways to do
so: matching material IDs, or matching named selections of sub-object
geometry.

Matching Material IDs
Here is a sample workflow for using material IDs to match portions of the
low-res object to different high-res objects:
1 At the level of the low-res object itself, assign differing material IDs to
different face selections.
To do so, the low-res object must be a surface model; that is, an editable
mesh, editable poly, editable patch, or NURBS surface. Use the Surface
Properties rollout to change the material ID of sub-object selections.
2 For the high-res target objects, assign corresponding material IDs.
An easy way to do this is to apply the Material modifier on page 1435.
3 In the Resolve Hit group of the Projection Options dialog on page 7351,
turn on Hit Only Matching Material ID.
4 Render to texture.
The texture for faces of the low-res object receive texture element
information only from the source object that had the corresponding
material ID.

Matching Selected Geometry
Here is a sample workflow for using sub-object selections to match portions
of the low-res object to different high-res objects.
1 In the Projection modifier, go to the Face or Element sub-object level.
See Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier) on page 1545.
2 Make a sub-object selection, then on the Reference Geometry rollout on
page 1548, enter a descriptive name in the Name field.

1544 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

3 Click

(Add) or press Enter.

The name of the sub-object selection set is added to the list.
4 Click in the list to highlight the selection-set name, click Pick or Pick
List, and then select the high-res source object to associate with the
sub-object selection.
5 Repeat steps 2 through 4 to associate different sub-object selections with
different source objects.
6 Choose Rendering ➤ Render To Texture.
The Render To Texture dialog appears.
7 In the Projection group of the Objects To Bake rollout on page 7336, turn
off Object Level and turn on Sub-Object Levels.
8 Click Render.
Render To Texture renders a separate texture for each of the named
sub-object selections contained in the Projection modifier.
See also:
■

Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966

Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Selection rollout
The Projection modifier's Selection rollout is for managing sub-object
selections.

Projection Modifier | 1545

Interface

Cage Click to turn on the Cage sub-object level.
The Cage is the surface from which normals are projected. At the Cage
sub-object level, you can adjust the cage manually by transforming sub-object
selections of cage vertices.

Face Click to turn on the Face sub-object level.
The Face sub-object level lets you assign different source geometry to different
portions of a surface.

Element Click to turn on the Element sub-object level.
The element sub-object level lets you assign different source geometry to
individual elements. (An element is a group of contiguous faces.)
Shrink Reduces the sub-object selection area by deselecting the outermost
sub-objects. If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the remaining
sub-objects are deselected.
Grow Expands the selection area outward in all available directions.

1546 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

With Shrink and Grow, you can add or remove neighboring elements from the edges
of your current selection. Shrink and Grow work at any sub-object level.

Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects affects only those facing
you. When off, you can select any sub-objects under the mouse cursor,
regardless of visibility or facing. If multiple sub-objects lie under the cursor,
repeated clicking cycles through them. Likewise, with Ignore Backfacing off,
region selection includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction they face.
Default=off.
Get Stack Selections Click to collect sub-object selections from modifiers that
are below the Projection modifier on the stack.
Select SG To select by smoothing group value, use the spinner to set the
number of the smoothing group, and then click Select SG.
Select MatID To select by material ID, use the spinner to set the ID number,
and then click Select MatID.
■

Sub-material drop-down listWhen a multi/sub-object material is applied
to the low-res object, this list shows the names and numbers of
sub-materials that are assigned to faces or elements of the object. When
you have selected by material ID, the corresponding sub-material appears
in the field above the list.

Clear Selection When on, each stack, smoothing group, or material ID
selection you make replaces the previous selection. When off, each new
selection is added to the previous selection set. Default=on.

Projection Modifier | 1547

Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Reference Geometry rollout
On the Reference geometry rollout, you can create named sub-object selection
sets, and associate them with high-resolution geometry.

Interface

Name Lets you enter a name for the current set of selected sub-objects.

Delete Click to delete the sub-object selection set whose name is
highlighted in the list.

1548 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Add Click to add the named sub-object selection set to the list.
Keyboard shortcut: Enter.

Select Click to select the sub-objects in the selection set whose name
is highlighted in the list.

Delete All Click to delete all named sub-object selection sets in the list.
Reference geometry window This window shows a list of named sub-object
selection sets, and the high-resolution source geometry with which they're
associated. If you have picked a high-res object at the object level, it also shows
“Object Level” followed by the name of the source object.
Proportion Multiplier When Proportional is chosen for sub-object normal
bump mapping in the Projection Mapping group of the Objects To Bake rollout
on page 7336 for Render To Texture, this value multiplies the default size of the
normal bump map. Range=0.0 to 2.0. Default=1.0.
For example, if Proportional rendering of a sub-object were to render a
sub-object selection at 16 x 16 pixels, changing Proportion Multiplier to 2.0
would change the size of the normal bump map to 32 x 32 pixels.
This control is unavailable unless a sub-object selection is active.
Pick To associate high-res geometry with the current selection, click Pick to
turn it on, then click a source object in a viewport.
Pick List To associate high-res geometry with the current selection, click Pick
List, then use the Add Objects dialog, which works like the Select From Scene
dialog on page 184, to choose a source object.

Display Toggle group
The Display Toggle group is useful when you want to compare the hi—res to
your low-res geometry. You can quickly toggle between your low-res geometry
and your hi-res geometry to compare versions. You can show selected or all
hi-res geometry.
Enable When on, makes it possible to show or hide reference geometries.
Default=off.
Hide Reference Geometry/Hide Working Geometry When Enabled is on,
click Hide Reference Geometry to hide your hi-res geometry. Conversely, click

Projection Modifier | 1549

Hide Working Geometry to hide your low-res geometry. You can also selectively
show and hide high-res geometries in your Pick List. Click Off to hide a
geometry. Click Hide

to show a geometry.

Cage Rollout (Projection Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Cage rollout
These settings adjust the cage and its display. The cage is the nonrenderable
geometry that the Projection modifier uses as the surface from which it
ray-traces normals.
NOTE Special export/import functionality available on this rollout lets you convert
the cage into standard geometry of the same type and topology as the cage and
modified object, which you can edit using standard methods and then use to
define a new shape for the cage. This provides access to the full range of
mesh-editing tools available in 3ds Max for shaping the cage to your precise
requirements. For example, with editable poly, you can take advantage of tools
such as Loop, Ring, Grow, and Shrink, and quickly switch among sub-object levels
such as Face and Vertex.

Procedures
To use Export and Import with a cage:
1 Create a cage:
1 Create low-resolution and high-resolution objects. In most cases, for
best results they should be arranged concentrically.
2 Apply the Projection modifier to the low-resolution object.
This creates the cage with the same shape and position as the
low-resolution object.
3 Use the Reference Geometry rollout controls to specify one or more
high-resolution objects.
4 On the Cage rollout, click Update.
This reshapes the cage, roughly enveloping the high-resolution
object(s).

1550 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

2 On the Cage rollout, click Export.
This creates a separate geometrical object in the same shape as the cage,
with the same type and topology as the low-resolution object. We'll call
this the cage object.
For example, if the low-resolution object is an editable poly, or has an
Edit Poly modifier at the top of the modifier stack, the resultant cage
object is of editable poly type.
3 Use standard object-editing tools to modify the cage object's shape. Do
not alter its topology by adding or removing vertices, edges, etc., because
that would invalidate its usage for reshaping the cage. Also, for best results,
do not move the cage object. If you wish, you can temporarily hide any
overlapping objects.
4 Select the low-resolution object.
5 On the Cage rollout, click Import and then select the cage object.
If the cage object type and topology are the same as the low-resolution
object, 3ds Max reshapes the cage to match the cage object's shape.
Alternatively, if the cage object can be converted to the same type as the
low-resolution object without a change in topology, it is also accepted.
If not, a warning appears and no reshaping takes place.
IMPORTANT The resultant cage matches the imported cage object's shape,
position, orientation, and size exactly.
If the import is successful, the cage object can be deleted, or retained for
possible future cage modification.

Projection Modifier | 1551

Interface

Display group
Cage When on, the cage is displayed. When off, the cage is hidden except at
the Cage sub-object level. Default=on.
The cage is always displayed at the Cage sub-object level, regardless of this
toggle's setting. See Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier) on page 1545.
■

ShadedWhen on, the cage is shaded with a transparent gray. When off,
the cage is displayed as a blue lattice. Default=off.
The Shaded option can be useful when you need to tell whether or not
high-resolution source geometry is within the cage, and when you need
to expand the cage to include more geometry.

■

Point to PointWhen on, additional lines connect vertices in the cage to
points on the target object, showing how the projection will be done.
Default=off.

1552 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Push group
These controls let you adjust the size of the cage as a whole, or on a sub-object
selection if one is currently chosen (see Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection
Modifier) on page 1548).
Amount Change to adjust the size of the cage in 3ds Max units. Positive values
increase the size of the cage; negative values decrease the size. Default=0.0.
Percent Change to adjust the size of the cage as a percentage. Positive values
increase the size of the cage; negative values decrease the size. Default=0.0.

Auto-Wrap group
By default, the Projection modifier does not automatically create a cage that
wraps around the geometry. To change the cage, use the settings in this group
or the Push group, or adjust cage vertices manually at the Cage sub-object
level.
Tolerance The distance in 3ds Max units, between the cage and the target
geometry. Positive values are outside the high-res source geometry; negative
values are inside the source geometry. Default=varies, depending on the
geometry.
Always Update When on, the cage automatically expands around high-res
geometry as it is added to the list (see Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection
Modifier) on page 1548). When off, the initial cage is not updated automatically.
Default=off.
Update Click to update the cage. Use this when Always Update is off.

_____
Import Lets you specify a mesh object to define the cage shape. This is typically
an object that was created with Export (see following) and then modified
using standard mesh-editing methods. After clicking Import, select the object
to import. After importing the object, the cage conforms to its shape. You can
then delete the imported object if you wish.
IMPORTANT The imported object should be of the same type (for example,
editable mesh) as the projection object (that is, the object with the Projection
modifier), or be convertible to that type without topology change, and must have
the identical topology. If it doesn't meet either or both of those criteria, an alert
appears requesting that you select an object of the same type and identical
topology.

Projection Modifier | 1553

Export Creates a geometry object from the cage, with the same type and
topology as the modified object. Clicking Export causes the Export Cage dialog
to open. Accept the default “Export as” object name or enter a new one, and
then click OK.
For a detailed description of the export/import process, see To use Export and
Import with a cage: on page 1550.
Reset Click to reset the cage to a wrapping that is the same size as the
low-resolution target geometry.

Selection Check Rollout (Projection Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Selection Check rollout
This rollout lets you check selections to see if any are overlapping; that is, if
a material ID or a face or element is assigned to more than one selection.

Interface

Check group
■

Material IDsChecks for material IDs being assigned to more than one
selection.

1554 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

GeometryChecks for faces or elements being assigned to more than one
selection.

■

Both(The default.) Checks for both material ID and sub-object overlap.

_____
Check Click to run the check.
Select Faces When on, if running the selection check detects “bad” selections,
the “bad” faces are selected by the Projection modifier automatically. When
off, “bad” selections are not selected automatically. Default=on.

Results group
After you click Check, the fields in this group display the results. The first field
is for material IDs, and the second is for sub-object selections. If there is no
conflict, the first field says “No conflicting Mat IDs detected,” and the second
says “No conflicting face selections detected.” If there is a conflict, the results
say something such as, “6 Mat IDs are assigned to more than one selection.”

Projection Rollout (Projection Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Projection rollout
The Projection rollout has controls for projecting data from the object with
the Projection modifier to a different object. This data flow is the reverse of
what it is when you project normals from a high-resolution object to a
low-resolution object.

Projection Modifier | 1555

Interface

Projector list Shows the active projector plug-ins.
Projector plug-in drop-down list Lets you choose a projector plug-in. Only
one projector, Project Mapping, is provided with 3ds Max. See Project Mapping
Rollout (Projection Modifier) on page 1557. Additional projectors might be
available from third-party sources.
NOTE Multiple instances of the Project Mapping plug-in can be active.
Add Adds a projector of the type chosen in the drop-down list.
Remove Removes the projector that is currently highlighted in the projector
list.
Project to Shows the name of the geometry to which you're projecting. To
choose this geometry, use the Reference Geometry rollout on page 1548.
Show Alignment Click to display the faces of the geometry selection that
will project to the selected faces of the object that has the Projection modifier.
This shows which hi-res faces will be projected to the selected low-res faces.
This works only for selected faces, not selected vertices: you can lock a face
selection and then make adjustments to the cage, then click Show Alignment
to see the effects of the cage modification.
This button is unavailable if no selection has been made in the Reference
Geometry rollout.
Clear Click to turn off the Show Alignment display.

1556 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Project Click to perform the projection.
Project All Click to perform all projections that are in the projector list.

Project Mapping Rollout (Projection Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Projection rollout ➤ Choose Project Mapping
in the plug-in drop-down list (this is the only available choice unless
third-party plug-ins have been installed). ➤ Click Add ➤ Project Mapping
rollout.

Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection ➤ Projection rollout ➤ Highlight a Project Mapping
projector in the Projector list. ➤ Project Mapping rollout.
The Project Mapping rollout contains controls for the Project Mapping
projector plug-in. This rollout is visible when a Project Mapping instance is
highlighted in the Projector list on the Projection rollout on page 1555. Use
Project Mapping to project a map channel value, material IDs, or vertex
attributes from the object that has the Projection modifier applied, onto other
geometry.

Projection Modifier | 1557

Interface

1558 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Projector name field Shows the name of the Project Mapping projector. If
you edit this field, the change is reflected on the Projection rollout on page
1555.

Projection Holder group
Projection Holder name field Shows the name of the Projection Holder
modifier. If you edit this field, the change is reflected in the target object's
stack, but not until you click Project on the Projection rollout.
Create New Holder When you click the Project button in the Project rollout,
a Projection Holder modifier is added to the geometry selection. When Create
New Holder is on, 3ds Max creates and adds a new modifier each time you
click Project. When Create New Holder is off, clicking Project simply updates
the data in the existing Projection Holder; it creates a new Projection Holder
modifier only if none was present, before. Default=off.
Same Topology When on, the source object's topology is transferred to the
target object. Default=off.
IMPORTANT You need to turn on Same Topology when you project to the target
object's Vertex Position.
Always Update When on, changing the object with the Projection modifier
automatically re-projects and updates the Projection Holder modifiers on the
geometry selections. When off, projection is recalculated only when you click
Project. Default=off.
This toggle is available only when Create New Holder is off and Same Topology
is on.
When Always Update is on, changes to the geometry with the Projection
modifier can manipulate UVW channels or animate vertex colors of the objects
with the Projection Holder modifiers.

Source Channel group
■

Map Channel(The default.) Projects a map channel on page 9210 value.
Use the spinner to set the channel value.

■

Vertex ColorProjects vertex color values.

■

Vertex IllumProjects vertex illumination (grayscale) values.

■

Vertex AlphaProjects vertex alpha values.

■

Vertex PositionProjects vertex positions.

Projection Modifier | 1559

Target Channel group
Same as Source When on, the radio buttons in this group are disabled, and
the Project Mapping projector projects to the same channel that is chosen in
the Source Channel group. When off, the radio buttons in this group are
enabled. Default=on.
The radio buttons are the same as the ones in the Source Channel group.
When Same As Source is off, the chosen map channel or vertex data of the
target geometry derives its value from the channel or vertex data chosen in
the Source Channel group.
The projection does not take place until you click Project or Project All on the
Projection rollout.

_____
Project Material IDs When on, projects values. Default=off.
The projection does not take place until you click Project or Project All on the
Projection rollout.

Projection Mapping Quality group
Use these settings to improve the quality of the mapping when projecting
texture mapping from one object to another.
Ignore Backfaces When on, does not take backfaces into account when
calculating the projection. In the case of overlapping faces, this can prevent
projection, resulting in undesirable erroneous faces. In almost all cases this
should remain off.
Test Seams Tests for seams by walking around the neighboring faces and then
will try to fix the faces
Check Edge Ratios Attempts to correct UVW faces that look abnormal; that
is, that are not similar to their geometry faces. This compares edge ratio lengths
and angle ratio. It typically finds the sliver faces generated by projections
across seams. The larger the Threshold value, the more likely a face is to be
tagged as abnormal and fixed.
Weld UVs Welds all the UVs at the end of the projection and combines them
into groups, based on the Threshold value. The Threshold value is based on
edges, so it welds UVs based on the closest N edges. In most cases this should
be on.

1560 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Projection Holder Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Projection modifier ➤ Geometry rollout ➤ Choose target
geometry ➤ Projection rollout ➤ Click Add. ➤ Click Project. ➤ Projection
Holder is applied to the target geometry.
The Projection Holder modifier appears for objects being used by the Projection
modifier's Project Mapping feature on page 1555. It contains the data generated
by the Project Mapping operation, much as UVW Mapping Add or UVW
Mapping Clear do for Channel Info manipulations.

Interface
The Projection Holder modifier has no parameters.

ProOptimizer Modifier
Create or import an object. ➤
ProOptimizer modifier

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤

Select an object or objects. ➤
ProOptimizer modifier

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤

The ProOptimizer modifier lets you select objects and interactively optimize
them.
The ProOptimizer feature is an optimization tool that helps you reduce the
number of vertices (and so the number of faces) in an object while preserving
the object’s appearance. Options let you maintain material, mapping, and
vertex color information in the optimized model.
Optimizing objects can reduce a scene’s memory requirements, simplify
modeling because objects have fewer faces, and improve the speed of viewport
display and rendering time.
There are two ways to use ProOptimizer:
■

The ProOptimizer modifier, described here, lets you select objects and
interactively optimize them.

Projection Holder Modifier | 1561

■

The Batch ProOptimizer utility on page 2793 lets you optimize multiple scene
files (MAX or OBJ files) at the same time.

TIP With the Batch ProOptimizer, you can optimize meshes before you import
them. This can save time. The Batch ProOptimizer is also a good choice if the
original meshes are extremely dense.

Original model
Vertices: 47226
Faces: 93792

Optimized model, Vertex % = 10.0

1562 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Vertices: 4722
Faces: 9323

Optimized model, Vertex % = 5.0
Vertices: 2361
Faces: 4660

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1563

NOTE
When you modify one or more objects with ProOptimizer , an
orange, box-shaped gizmo appears around each object. If you then select an
object to which ProOptimizer is applied, this gizmo displays for all instances of
the modifier, when the Modify panel is active. This feature can be useful for finding
other objects to which the modifier is instanced.

Optimization Level Rollout
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Level rollout
The main ProOptimizer modifier controls are on the Optimization Level
rollout.
To initialize ProOptimizer, click Calculate. You can then adjust the
optimization level interactively. You choose the level of optimization either
by setting the percent of vertices to preserve (Vertex %), or by setting an
explicit count of vertices to preserve (Vertex Count).

1564 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Additional rollouts contain options that let you control how the model is
optimized, and what kind of information to retain or discard. These options
are not interactive. If you adjust their settings after an initial optimization, you
must click Calculate once again to see the effects.

ProOptimizer Workflow
To use the ProOptimizer modifier, follow these steps for most situations:

1

Select the object or objects you want to optimize.

2 Go to the

Modify panel and apply the ProOptimizer modifier.

NOTE The ProOptimizer modifier is available for 3ds Max geometric objects,
but not for nongeometric objects such as lights, cameras, or helpers.
3 On the Optimization Level rollout, click Calculate.
This initializes ProOptimizer and lets you interactively adjust the
optimization level.
4 Adjust the Vertex % or Vertex Count value until you have the level of
optimization you want to achieve.
5 If you want to change the optional settings, do so now, and then click
Calculate once again.
TIP Once you are familiar with ProOptimizer, you can also change these
settings before the first time you click Calculate.

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1565

6 When you have obtained the level of optimization and detail that you
want, right-click the stack and choose Collapse All from the pop-up menu.
This creates an Editable Mesh object with an optimized number of faces.

Interface
Optimization Level rollout

Vertex % Sets the number of vertices in the optimized object as a percentage
of the vertices in the original object. Default=100.0 percent.
This control is unavailable before you click Calculate. After you click Calculate,
you can adjust the Vertex % value interactively.
Vertex Count Directly sets the number of vertices in the optimized object.
This control is unavailable before you click Calculate. After you click Calculate,
this value is set to the number of vertices in the original object (because Vertex
% defaults to 100). Once this control is available, you can adjust the Vertex
Count value interactively.
Calculate Click to apply the optimization.
If optimization takes some time, you can cancel the operation by pressing Esc.
Status window This text window shows the ProOptimizer status. Before you
click Calculate, it displays “Modifier Ready.” After you click Calculate and
adjust the optimization level, it displays statistics that describe the effect of
the operation: “before” and “after” vertex and face counts.

1566 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

If, after a calculation, you change a setting in the one of the Options rollouts,
the text changes to “Optimization Invalid.” You must click Calculate again
to see the results of changing the options.
The optimization can also become invalid if you move the ProOptimizer
modifier location on the stack, or change topology on the stack below the
ProOptimizer modifier.
If you press Esc to cancel an optimization, this window displays “Optimization
Cancelled.”

Options rollouts
The options rollouts contain various settings that control ProOptimizer. They
are described in the topics that follow.

Optimization Options Rollout
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Options rollout
The Optimization Options rollout lets you control how ProOptimizer treats
such features as object borders, materials and mapping, vertex colors, and
sub-object selections.
IMPORTANT The controls on this rollout are not interactive. If you change a setting,
the Status window on the Optimization Level rollout displays “Optimization
Invalid,” and you must click Calculate once again to see the result of changing
the option value.

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1567

1568 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Optimization Mode Group
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Options rollout ➤ Optimization
Mode group
Controls how ProOptimizer treats object borders.
An edge is considered to be on the “border” of an object, when it is shared by
no other face. Preserving borders can be important to preserving the appearance
of a model.

Original model
Vertices: 557

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1569

Interface

Crunch Borders ProOptimizer optimizes the object without considering
whether edges and faces lie on borders or not.

Crunch Borders active
Vertex % = 50.0
Vertices = 278
Faces are reduced but object borders are not preserved

1570 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Protect Borders (The default.) ProOptimizer protects faces with edges that
are on the border of the object. However, a high optimization level can still
cause border faces to be removed. If you are optimizing multiple connected
objects, gaps might appear between them.

Protect Borders active
Vertex % = 50.0
Vertices: 557
Borders are preserved

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1571

Protect Borders active
Vertex % = 1.0
Vertices: 5
Decreasing Vertex % or Vertex Count can cause borders to become distorted.

Exclude Borders ProOptimizer never removes faces with border edges. This
reduces the number of faces you are able to remove from the model, but it
ensures that gaps don’t appear when you optimize multiple connected objects.

1572 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Exclude Borders active
Vertex % = 10.0
Vertices: 65
At low Vertex % values, Exclude Borders can interfere with optimization.

Materials and UVs Group
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Options rollout ➤ Materials and
UVs group
Controls how ProOptimizer treats objects with materials or texture mapping.

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1573

Interface

Keep Material Boundaries When on, ProOptimizer preserves boundaries
between materials. Points that belong to faces that have different materials
are frozen, and not removed during optimization. Default=on.
When off, ProOptimizer can remove faces along the boundary between
materials.

Original object

1574 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Original object with red points showing the
boundaries between materials

Optimized object with Keep Material
Boundaries active (red points show the
boundaries)

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1575

Optimized object with Keep Material
Boundaries turned off

Keep Textures When on, ProOptimizer preserves texture mapping coordinates.
When off, ProOptimizer removes texture coordinates. Default=off.
This option is disabled if the object doesn’t have texture coordinates.
NOTE If Keep Textures is off when you optimize a mapped object, 3ds Max will
display a Missing Map Coordinates dialog when you attempt to render that object.
Keep UV Boundaries This control is available only when Keep Textures is
turned on. When on, ProOptimizer preserves boundaries between UV mapping
channels. When off, ProOptimizer disregards UV mapping boundaries.
Default=off.
■

ToleranceThis is available only when Keep UV Boundaries is turned on.
The Tolerance value controls how UV boundaries are treated. A value of
0.0 (the default), preserves all faces that have UV mapping channels that
differ from neighboring faces. A value of 1.0 allows any face to be removed,
even if its neighbor has a different UV channel.
TIP Setting Tolerance to 0.1 preserves most mapping boundaries, but also
allows a reasonable amount of optimization.

1576 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Vertex Colors Group
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Options rollout ➤ Vertex Colors
group
Controls how ProOptimizer treats objects that have vertex colors assigned to
them.

Interface

Keep Vertex Colors When on, ProOptimizer preserves vertex color data. When
off, ProOptimizer discards vertex colors. Default=Off
This control is unavailable if the object has no vertex color data.
Keep VC Boundaries This control is available only when Keep Vertex Colors
is turned on. When on, ProOptimizer preserves boundaries between vertex
colors. When off, ProOptimizer disregards vertex color boundaries. Default=off.
■

ToleranceThis is available only when Keep VC Boundaries is turned on.
The Tolerance value controls how vertex color boundaries are treated. A
value of 0 (the default), preserves all vertices that have a color that differs
from a neighboring vertex. A value of 255 allows any vertex to be removed,
even if its neighbor has a different vertex color.
TIP A tolerance of 20 preserves most color boundaries, but also allows a
reasonable amount of optimization.

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1577

Original object
Vertex colors make the object appear
illuminated

Keep Vertex Colors turned off
ProOptimizer shows the object’s two
materials, but vertex color is lost.

1578 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Keep Vertex Color turned on
Tolerance = 0
Frozen points are shown in red. Almost all
faces are frozen and not optimized, because
each point has a color that differs from its
neighbor.

Keep Vertex Color turned on
Tolerance = 35

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1579

Frozen points are shown in red. Only the
center, which has important color variations,
is frozen.

Keep Vertex Color turned on
Tolerance = 90
Frozen points are shown in red. Only the
frontier between the two materials is frozen.

Normals Group
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
Edit Normals modifier ➤ Modifier List ➤ ProOptimizer modifier ➤
Optimization Options rollout ➤ Normals group
The Normals group lets you manage the face normals on page 9237 of the
geometry you are optimizing.
In general, turning on Keep Normals can improve the appearance of the
optimized model, but also can reduce the number of faces that are removed
during optimization.

1580 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Keep Normals When on, applies the normal controls to geometry. When off,
normals are not taken into account during optimization, and all explicit
normals are removed after optimization. Default=off.
This toggle is unavailable unless you have applied an Edit Normals modifier
on page 1264 to the geometry. The ProOptimizer Keep Normals toggle is also
available if you collapse the stack after applying Edit Normals.
■

Crunch Normals When chosen, normals are ignored while optimizing,
but explicit normals are kept after optimization.

■

Protect Normals (The default) When chosen, ProOptimizer protects normals
using the value of Threshold Angle: when the angle between the normals
of two faces is greater than the Threshold Angle, the faces are preserved as
long as possible. Explicit normals are kept after optimization.

■

Exclude Normals Normals are excluded from the optimization using the
value of Threshold Angle: when the angle between the normals of two
faces is greater than the threshold angle, the faces are always preserved.
Explicit normals are kept after optimization.

Threshold Angle Sets an angle value used in optimizing normals. Default=10.0.
When Crunch Normals is chosen, this value is ignored.
When Protect Normals is chosen, two faces are protected from optimization
if the angle between their normals exceeds this value.
When Exclude Normals is chosen, two faces are excluded from the optimization
if the angle between their normals exceeds this value.

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1581

Merge Tools Group
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Options rollout ➤ Merge Tools
group
Each of the Merge tools adds a preprocessing step to the optimization process.
These can help correct specific problems in a model.
■

“Dirty” objectsIf a model has faces that are disconnected, but should not
be, the Merge Vertices tool can correct the discontinuities and improve
the optimization.

■

Coplanar facesIf the model has surfaces that are subdivided into many
coplanar (or nearly coplanar) faces, the Merge Faces tool can simplify these
planes, leading to better optimization.

Interface

Merge Vertices When on, merges vertices before performing the optimization.
Default=off.
ThresholdSets the distance within which vertices are merged. This distance is
based on a percentage of the size of the object’s bounding box. At the
Threshold value of 0.0, the distance is about 0.0001 percent of the
bounding-box size. At the Threshold value of 100.0, the distance is about 5
percent of the bounding-box size. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=0.0.
Merge Faces When on, merges coplanar (or nearly coplanar) faces before
performing the optimization. Default=off.
WARNING If the planar surface has holes in it, Merge Faces might not give correct
results. Also, if the planar surface has repeated (tiled) UV mapping, the tiling
information will be lost.

1582 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Threshold AngleSets the angle between face normals within which faces are
merged. Range=0.0 to 10.0. Default=0.0.

Original model
Vertices: 557

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1583

Merge Faces turned off
Vertex % = 25.0
Vertices: 139
Faces: 214

1584 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Merge Faces turned on
Vertex % = 25.0
Vertices: 23
Faces: 21
When a model has coplanar faces, Merge Faces can greatly improve
optimization.

Sub-Object Selection Group
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Optimization Options rollout ➤ Sub-Object
Selection group

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1585

These options control how ProOptimizer treats vertex sub-object selections.
You can’t create a sub-object selection in ProOptimizer, but it can acquire a
vertex selection from an object or modifier below it on the stack.

Interface

Preserve Vertices When on, ProOptimizer does not optimize vertex selections
passed up from the stack. When off, ProOptimizer disregards vertex sub-object
selections. Default=off.
Invert When on, ProOptimizer optimizes the vertex selection and disregards
the rest of the object. Default=off.
This control is unavailable unless Preserve Vertices is turned on.

Symmetry Options Rollout
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Symmetry Options rollout
The Symmetry options preserve an object’s symmetry around a plane that
you specify.
When one of the Symmetry options is active, ProOptimizer looks for
symmetrical pairs of edges. When it finds a symmetrical pair, it applies the
same optimization on either side of the plane.
These options work best if the object is truly symmetrical; for example, if it
was originally created by mirroring. If ProOptimizer cannot detect symmetry
about the plane you specify, it optimizes the object as it normally does.
Points that lie on the plane itself are frozen (not optimized), because they are
symmetrical by definition.
Some 3ds Max objects appear to be symmetrical but are not; for example, a
surface of revolution created by the Lathe modifier. In this case, although the
overall geometry is symmetrical, edges all have the same orientation in the
direction of revolution, so when bisected by a plane, opposite edges face in

1586 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

opposite directions. In this case, ProOptimizer cannot detect symmetry, and
optimizes according to the usual method.
IMPORTANT The controls on this rollout are not interactive. If you change a setting,
the Status window on the Optimization Level rollout displays “Optimization
Invalid,” and you must click Calculate once again to see the result of changing
the option value.

Interface

No Symmetry (The default.) ProOptimizer does not attempt to make
symmetrical optimizations.
XY Symmetry ProOptimizer attempts to make optimizations symmetrical
about the XY plane.
YZ Symmetry ProOptimizer attempts to make optimizations symmetrical
about the YZ plane.
XZ Symmetry ProOptimizer attempts to make optimizations symmetrical
about the XZ plane.
Tolerance Specifies a tolerance value for detecting symmetrical edges. In some
models, the position of symmetrical edges might not be precise; for example,
roundoff error might have caused small discrepancies in position values.
Increasing the Tolerance value can correct this problem. Default=0.0.

Advanced Options Rollout
Create or import an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
ProOptimizer modifier ➤ Advanced Options rollout

ProOptimizer Modifier | 1587

This rollout provides two options: Favor Compact Faces, and Prevent Flipped
Normals.
The options in this rollout are on by default, because in most cases they give
the best optimization results.
IMPORTANT The controls on this rollout are not interactive. If you change a setting,
the Status window on the Optimization Level rollout displays “Optimization
Invalid,” and you must click Calculate once again to see the result of changing
the option value.

Interface

Favor Compact Faces A face is “compact” when the triangle it forms is
equilateral, or nearly so When Favor Compact Faces is on, ProOptimizer verifies
that removing a face does not create sharpened faces. The optimized model
is more uniform than it would be without this test. Default=on.
Prevent Flipped Normals When on, ProOptimizer verifies that moving a
vertex does not cause a face normal to flip. When off, ProOptimizer does not
perform this test; the resulting mesh might appear to have holes when viewed
with 1-sided viewport shading or rendered with a 1-sided material. Default=on.

Push Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Push
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Push
The Push modifier lets you "push" object vertices outward or inward along
the average vertex normals. This produces an "inflation" effect that you can't
otherwise obtain.

1588 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Positive and negative amounts of push applied to an object.

Interface

Push Value Sets the distance in world units by which vertices are moved with
respect to the object center. Use a positive value to move vertices outward, or
a negative value to move vertices inward.

Quadify Mesh Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Quadify Mesh
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Quadify Mesh

Quadify Mesh Modifier | 1589

The Quadify Mesh modifier converts the object structure to quadrilateral
polygons whose relative size you specify. This capability helps to produce
rounded edges when combined with MeshSmooth on page 1450.

Left: Original object; Right: After applying Quadify Mesh and MeshSmooth modifiers

See also:
■

Quad Meshing and Smoothing on page 766

Interface

Quad Size % The approximate size of each quadrilateral relative to the size
of the object. The smaller this value, the more quads will result.

1590 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: Original object; Center: Quad Size %=8.0; Right: Quad Size %=4.0

Relax Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Relax
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Relax
The Relax modifier changes the apparent surface tension in a mesh by moving
vertices closer to, or away from, their neighbors. The typical result is that the
object gets smoother and a little smaller as the vertices move toward an
averaged center point. You can see the most pronounced effects on objects
with sharp corners and edges.

Relax Modifier | 1591

Relax moves the bowl away from its original contours.

When you apply Relax, each vertex is moved toward the average position of
its neighboring vertices. A neighboring vertex is one that shares a visible edge
with the current vertex.

Original objects compared to relaxed objects

1592 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Patches
As of version 4, a patch object coming up the modifier stack is not converted
to a mesh by this modifier. A patch object input to the Relax modifier retains
its patch definition. If a file created by a previous version of 3ds Max contains
a patch object applied with the Relax modifier, it will be converted to a mesh
to maintain backward compatibility.

Interface

Relax Value Controls how far a vertex moves for each iteration. The value
specifies a percentage of the distance from the original location of a vertex to
the average location of its neighbors. Range=-1.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5.
■

Positive Relax values move each vertex in closer to its neighbors. The object
becomes smoother and smaller.

■

When the Relax value=0.0, vertices do not move and Relax has no affect
on the object.

■

Negative Relax values move each vertex away from its neighbors. The
object becomes more irregular and larger.

Relax Values=1.0, 0.0, -1.0
Iterations=1 (default)

Relax Modifier | 1593

Iterations Sets how many times to repeat the Relax process. For each iteration,
average locations are recalculated and the Relax Value is reapplied to every
vertex. Default=1.
■

For 0 iterations, no relaxation is applied.

■

Increasing iterations for positive Relax Value settings smooths and shrinks
an object. With very large iteration values, the object shrinks to a point.

■

Increasing iterations for negative Relax Value settings exaggerates and
expands an object. With relatively few iterations, the object becomes
jumbled and almost unusable.

Iterations=0, 10, 50
Relax Value=0.5 (default)

Iterations=0,1, 5
Relax Value=-0.5

Keep Boundary Pts Fixed Controls whether vertices at the edges of open
meshes are moved. Default=on.
When Keep Boundary Pts Fixed is on, boundary vertices do not move while
the rest of the object is relaxed. This option is particularly useful when working
with multiple objects, or multiple elements within a single object, that share
open edges.
When this check box is off, all vertices of the object are relaxed.

1594 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Keep Boundary Pts Fixed=on
Iterations=0, 10, 50

Keep Boundary Pts Fixed=off
Iterations=0, 10, 50

Save Outer Corners Preserves the original positions of vertices farthest away
from the object center.

Renderable Spline Modifier
Select a shape. ➤
Spline

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Renderable

The Renderable Spline modifier lets you set the renderable properties of a
spline object, without collapsing the spline to an editable spline. This is
particularly useful with splines you have linked to from AutoCAD. It also lets
you apply the same rendering properties to multiple splines at once.
NOTE This modifier cannot be applied to NURBS curves.

Renderable Spline Modifier | 1595

Interface

Enable In Renderer When on, the shape is rendered as a 3D mesh using the
Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Enable In Viewport When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D
mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Use Viewport Settings Lets you set different parameters for viewport display
and rendering, and displays the mesh generated by the Viewport settings in
the viewports. Available only when Enable in Viewport is turned on.
Generate Mapping Coords Turn this on to apply mapping coordinates.
Default=off.
3ds Max generates the mapping coordinates in the U and V dimensions. The
U coordinate wraps once around the spline; the V coordinate is mapped once
along its length. Tiling is achieved using the Tiling parameters in the applied
material. For more information, see Mapping Coordinates on page 6005.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by

1596 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.
Viewport Choose this to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display in the viewport when Enable In Viewport is on.
Available only when Use Viewport Settings is on
Renderer Choose this to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display when rendered or displayed in the viewport when
Enable in Viewport is turned on.
Radial Displays the spline as a 3D object with a circular cross-section.
■

ThicknessSpecifies the cross-section diameter. Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to
100,000,000.0.

■

SidesSets the number of sides for the spline mesh in the viewports or
renderer. For example, a value of 4 produces a square cross-section.

■

AngleAdjust the rotational position of the cross section in the viewports
or renderer. For example, if you have a square cross section you can use
Angle to position a “flat” side down.

Rectangular Displays the spline as a 3D object with a rectangular cross-section.
■

LengthSpecifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis.

■

WidthSpecifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.

■

AngleAdjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport
or renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use
Angle to position a "flat" side down.

■

AspectSets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check
box lets you lock the aspect ratio. When Lock is turned on, Width is locked
to Depth that results in a constant ratio of Width to Depth.

Auto Smooth When on, the spline is auto-smoothed using the smoothing
angle specified by the Threshold setting. Auto Smooth sets the smoothing
based on the angle between spline segments. Any two adjacent segments are
put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is less than the
threshold angle.
NOTE Turning Auto Smooth on for every situation does not always give you the
best smoothing quality. Altering the Threshold angle may be necessary or turning
Auto Smooth off may produce the best results.

Renderable Spline Modifier | 1597

Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline
segments are placed in the same smoothing group if the angle between them
is less than the threshold angle.

Ripple Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Ripple
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Ripple
The Ripple modifier lets you produce a concentric rippling effect in an object's
geometry. You can set either of two ripples or a combination of both. Ripple
uses a standard gizmo and center, which you can transform to increase the
possible ripple effects.
The Ripple on page 3018 space warp has similar features. It is useful for applying
effects to a large number of objects.

An object with the Ripple modifier applied.
Top (from left to right): Amplitude 1 only, Amplitude 2 only and both amplitudes.

1598 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Bottom: Both amplitudes with the Decay effect.

See also:
■

Wave Modifier on page 1951

Procedures
Example: To use the Ripple modifier:
1 Start with an empty scene, and add a Plane object on page 352 in the
Perspective viewport. Set Length and Width both to 100.0, and set Length
Segs and Width Segs both to 10.
The Plane object is useful as the basis for the surface of a body of water
in which ripples form.

2 Go to the
Modify panel, click the Modifier List, and choose
Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Ripple.
This applies the modifier to the Plane object.
3 On the Parameters rollout, set Amplitude 1 to 10.0.
A large ripple forms in the Plane object.
You can change the horizontal scale by adjusting the wave length.
4 Set Wave Length to 20.0. The waves become smaller, but now it's apparent
that the Plane object needs greater geometric resolution to properly
display the number of waves.
5 In the modifier stack, click the Plane item, and then set Length Segs and
Width Segs both to 30.
The smaller waves become more apparent. The Ripple modifier needs a
relatively high number of subdivisions in the geometry it's applied to in
order to work properly.
You can use the Amplitude 2 parameter to add complexity to the wave
forms created by Ripple.
6 Return to the Ripple level of the modifier stack, and then click and hold
on the Amplitude 2 and drag downward.
As you drag, a new set of wave forms are combined with the existing
ones. The farther you drag, the more dominant the second set becomes.
Using a negative value for Amplitude 2 (or a positive one if Amplitude 1

Ripple Modifier | 1599

is negative) produces more of an interference effect between the two sets
of waves.
You can animate the waves with the Phase control.
7 Drag slowly upward or downward on the Phase spinner.
Increasing the Phase value moves the waves inward, and decreasing it
moves the outward. To animate the waves, create keyframes on page 8679
for the Phase value.
To simulate an object dropping in liquid, use the Decay setting.
8 Drag slowly upward on the Decay spinner.
The farther you drag, the more the wave sizes decrease with the distance
from the center of the effect. This is the effect you get when an object
perturbs the water surface, and the waves lose energy as they move away
from the point of impact.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Ripple modifier. Translating the
gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo
takes place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center of
the ripple effect, and thus the shape and positions of the ripples.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

1600 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout

Amplitude 1/ Amplitude 2 Amplitude 1 produces a ripple across the object
in one direction, while Amplitude 2 creates a similar ripple at right angles to
the first (that is, rotated 90 degrees about the vertical axis).
Wave Length Specifies the distance between the peaks of the wave. The greater
the length, the smoother and more shallow the ripple for a given amplitude.
Default=50.0.
Phase Shifts the ripple pattern over the object. Positive numbers move the
pattern inward, while negative numbers move it outward. This effect becomes
especially clear when animated.
Decay Limits the effect of the wave generated from its center.
The default value of 0.0 means that the wave will generate infinitely from its
center. Increasing the Decay value causes the wave amplitudes to decrease
with distance from the center, thus limiting the distance over which the waves
are generated.

Select By Channel Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Channel

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Select By

The Select By Channel modifier works in conjunction with the Channel Info
utility on page 6936. After you store a vertex selection into a subcomponent
with Channel Info, use Select By Channel to quickly access the selection.

Select By Channel Modifier | 1601

Procedures
To use Select By Channel:
1 Use Channel Info to store one or more vertex selections in a map channel
subcomponent.

2

Apply the Select By Channel modifier to the object with the
stored vertex selection(s).

3 Choose the selection type.
4 Choose the selection channel.
5 To “bake” the new selection into the object, collapse the stack.

Interface

Selection Type Lets you choose how to combine the stored vertex selection
with an existing vertex selection.
■

ReplaceReplaces the existing selection with the stored selection.

■

AddAdds the stored selection to the existing selection.

■

SubtractSubtracts the stored selection from the existing selection. Has no
effect if there's no overlap between the stored selection and the existing
selection.

Selection Channel Lets you choose which stored, named vertex-selection
channel to apply to the modified object. Click the arrow to the right of the
name field to open the drop-down list, and then click a channel in the list.

1602 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Shell Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Shell
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Shell
The Shell modifier “solidifies” or gives thickness to an object by adding an
extra set of faces facing the opposite direction of existing faces, plus edges
connecting the inner and outer surfaces wherever faces are missing in the
original object. You can specify offset distances for the inner and outer surfaces,
characteristics for edges, material IDs, and mapping types for the edges.
Also, because the Shell modifier doesn't have sub-objects, you can use the
Select options on page 1609 to specify a face selection for passing up the stack
to other modifiers. Please note that the Shell modifier doesn't recognize existing
sub-object selections, nor does it pass such selections up the stack.

Left: Sphere with part of surface removed; Right: Sphere with Shell applied

You'd typically use Shell on an object with part of its surface removed, such
as a sphere with several deleted vertices or faces, as illustrated above. For best
results, the original polygons should face outward. If an object has no faces
with at least one free edge, Shell will not create any edges.

Shell Modifier | 1603

Watch a movie about Shell Modifier.

Examples of Shell Usage
Following are some examples of modeling tasks for which the Shell modifier
would be appropriate:
■

An artist is modeling a vehicle such as a car, a tank, or, in this case, a
helicopter. The artist builds a solid external shell as the body of the copter.
When done, the modeler breaks up his model: he selects window areas
and detaches them as new objects, followed by the area for the doors (also
detached as new objects). The modeler now has open objects representing
the body, windows, and doors. The modeler applies Shell to the body, and
sets it to extrude both outward and inward, with the inward extrusion
amount greater than the outward. Next, Shell is applied to the windows,
with inward extrusion only. The modeler then copies the Shell modifier
from the body to the doors, and reduces the doors' outward extrusion
amount. The result is a solid body with an interior that can accept
additional modeling, inset windows, and doors that are slightly less thick
than the shell of the helicopter.

■

A designer is modeling a manufactured object that will need to be shown
in an exploded view. It might be a cell phone, an engine, a mouse, shaped
glass, or something similar; this example will use part of a cell phone.
When working on the phone keypad area, if the modeler builds with detail
in mind, she might accurately model the shell with a moderately dense
mesh, using ShapeMerge on page 642 to create the shapes for the holes
where the keys will poke through, and then deleting those faces. When
satisfied, the modeler applies the Shell modifier, sets Segments to 2, and
then turns on the Bevel Edges option to use a curve for the profile of the
holes' edges. She then applies a MeshSmooth modifier on top. The extra
segment helps control the curve of the edges where the outer surface curves
down to the keypad holes. The modeler then goes back to the cage portion
of the stack and refines the base mesh details to her liking.

■

A modeler is creating a suit of futuristic armor for a character. The modeler
copies a selection of polygons from the character mesh to a new object;
for example, the polygons that make up the arm. The modeler deletes
some faces from the copied arm, and perhaps cuts some holes from it. He
then applies the Shell modifier, followed by a MeshSmooth modifier,
resulting in form-fitting armor.

1604 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Procedures
To solidify an object:
1 Create an object to solidify. The object should have some holes in its
surface. For example, start with a primitive sphere, convert it to Editable
Poly, and delete some vertices or polygons.
2 Optionally create an open spline to serve as the profile for the edges
connecting the inner and outer surfaces. For example, go to Create panel
➤ Shapes and click Line. Then, in the Top viewport, draw the spline
from top to bottom. Where the spline protrudes to the right, the edge
surface will be convex, and where it protrudes to the left, the surface will
be concave.
3 Apply the Shell modifier to the object from step 1.
4 To use custom edges, turn on Bevel Edges, click the Bevel Spline button,
and then select the spline from step 2.
5 By default, Shell keeps the material IDs of the new surfaces consistent
with those of the original object. To change these, turn on the different
Override options, specify appropriate material IDs, and apply a
Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542.
6 Likewise, Shell keeps the texture coordinates of the new surfaces consistent
with those of the original object. To change these on the new edges,
change the Edge Mapping choice, and with the Strip and Interpolate
choices, optionally change the TV Offset setting.

Shell Modifier | 1605

Interface

Inner/Outer Amount Distance in 3ds Max generic units by which the inner
surface is moved inward and the outer surface is moved outward from their
original positions. Defaults=0.0 / 1.0.

1606 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The sum of the two Amount settings determines the thickness of the object's
shell, as well as the default width of the edges. If you set both to 0, the resultant
shell has no thickness, and resembles an object set to display as 2-sided.
Segments The number of subdivisions across each edge. Default=1.
Change this setting if you need greater resolution on the edge for use by
subsequent modeling or modifiers.
NOTE When you use a Bevel Spline, the spline's properties override this setting.
Bevel Edges When on, and you specify a Bevel Spline, 3ds Max uses the spline
to define the edges' profile and resolution. Default=off.
After you define a Bevel Spline, use Bevel Edges to switch between a flat edge
whose resolution is defined by the Segments setting and a custom profile
defined by the Bevel Spline.
Bevel Spline Click this button and then select an open spline to define the
edge shape and resolution. Closed shapes such as Circle or Star will not work.
The original spline is instanced to the Bevel Spline, so changing the spline's
shape and properties are reflected in the Bevel Spline. With non-corner vertices,
you can change the edge resolution with the spline's Interpolation rollout
settings.

A bevel spline as viewed from the top (inset) and the resulting bevel

Shell Modifier | 1607

TIP For best results, create the spline in the Top viewport, and draw it from top
to bottom. The top point on the spline is applied to the outside edge, and the
bottom point to the inside edge. Displacements to the right will create outward
protrusions on the edge profile, and displacements to the left create inward
protrusions.
Override Inner Mat ID Turn on to specify a material ID for all of the inner
surface polygons using the Inner Mat ID parameter. Default=off.
If you don't specify a material ID, the surface uses the same material ID or IDs
as the original faces.
Inner Mat ID Specifies the material ID for inner faces. Available only when
Override Inner MatID is on.
Override Outer Mat ID Turn on to specify a material ID for all of the outer
surface polygons using the Outer Mat ID parameter. Default=off.
If you don't specify a material ID, the surface uses the same material ID or IDs
as the original faces.
Outer Mat ID Specifies the material ID for outer faces. Available only when
Override Outer MatID is on.
Override Edge Mat ID Turn on to specify a material ID for all of the new edge
polygons using the Edge Mat ID parameter. Default=off.
If you don't specify a material ID, the surface uses the same material ID or IDs
as the original faces from which the edges are derived.
Edge Mat ID Specifies the material ID for edge faces. Available only when
Override Edge MatID is on.
Auto Smooth Edge Applies automatic, angle-based smoothing across the edge
faces using the Angle parameter. When off, no smoothing is applied.
Default=on.
This doesn't apply smoothing across the junction between the edge faces and
the outer/inner surface faces.
Angle Specifies the maximum angle between edge faces that will be smoothed
by Auto Smooth Edge. Available only when Auto Smooth Edge is on.
Default=45.0.
Faces that meet at an angle greater than this value will not be smoothed.
Override Smooth Group Lets you specify a smoothing group on page 9310 for
the new edge polygons using the Smooth Grp setting. Available only when
Auto Smooth Edge is off. Default=off.

1608 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Smooth Grp Sets the smoothing group for the edge polygons. Available only
when Override Smooth Group is on. Default=0.
When Smooth Grp is set to the default value of 0, no smoothing group is
assigned to the edge polygons. To specify a smoothing group, change the
value to a number between 1 and 32.
NOTE When Auto Smooth Edge and Override Smooth Group are both off, 3ds
Max assigns smoothing group 31 to the edge polygons.
Edge Mapping Specifies the type of texture mapping that is applied to the
new edges. Choose a mapping type from the drop-down list:
■

CopyEach edge face uses the same UVW coordinates as the original face
from which it's derived.

■

NoneEach edge face is assigned a U value of 0 and a V value of 1. Thus, if
a map is assigned, the edges will take the color of the upper-left pixel.

■

StripThe edges are mapped in a continuous strip.

■

InterpolateThe edge mapping is interpolated from the mapping of the
adjacent inner and outer surface polygons.

TV Offset Determines the spacing of the texture vertices across the edges.
Available only with the Edge Mapping choices Strip and Interpolate.
Default=0.05.
Increasing this value increases the repetition of the texture map across the
edge polygons.
Select Edges Selects the edge faces. This selection is passed up the stack to
other modifiers. Default=off.
Select Inner Faces Selects the inner faces. This selection is passed up the stack
to other modifiers. Default=off.
Select Outer Faces Selects the outer faces. This selection is passed up the stack
to other modifiers. Default=off.
Straighten Corners Adjusts corner vertices to maintain straight-line edges.
If you apply Shell to a subdivided object with straight edges, such as a box set
to 3x3x3 segments, you might find that the corner vertices don't stay in a
straight line with the other edge vertices. This gives the edges a bulging look.
To resolve this, turn on Straighten Corners.

Shell Modifier | 1609

Box with Straighten Corners off (left) and on (right)

Skew Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Skew
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Skew
The Skew modifier lets you produce a uniform offset in an object's geometry.
You can control the amount and direction of the skew on any of three axes.
You can also limit the skew to a section of the geometry.

1610 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Skew modifier applied

Effect of moving modifier center with limits set

Procedures
To skew an object:

1

Select an object, go to the
from modifier list.

Modify panel, and choose Skew

Skew Modifier | 1611

2 On the Parameters rollout, set the axis of the skew to X, Y, or Z. This is
the axis of the Skew gizmo, not the axis of the selected object.
You can change the axis at any time, but only one axis setting is carried
with the modifier.
3 Set the amount of the skew. The amount is an offset in current units
parallel with the axis.
The object skews to this amount beginning at the lower limit, by default
the location of the modifier's center.
4 Set the direction of the skew.
The object swivels around the axis.
You can reverse the amount and direction by changing a positive value
to a negative value.
To limit the skew:
1 Turn on Limits group ➤ Limit Effect.
2 Set values for the upper and lower limits. These are distances in current
units above and below the modifier's center, which is at zero on the
gizmo's Z axis. The upper limit can be zero or positive, the lower limit
zero or negative. If the limits are equal, the result is the same as turning
off Limit Effect.
The skew offset is applied between these limits. The surrounding
geometry, while unaffected by the skew itself, is moved to keep the object
intact.
3 At the sub-object level, you can select and move the modifier's center.
The limit settings remain on either side of the center as you move it. This
lets you relocate the skew area to another part of the object.

Interface
Modifier Stack

1612 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Skew modifier. Translating the
gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo
take place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center of
the Skew effect.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Skew group
Amount Sets the angle to skew from the vertical plane.
Direction Sets the direction of the skew relative to the horizontal plane.

Skew Axis group
X/Y/Z Specify the axis that will be skewed. Note that this axis is local to the
Skew gizmo and not related to the selected entity. Default=Z.

Limits group
Limit Effect Applies limit constraints to the Skew modifier.
Upper Limit Sets the upper limit boundaries in world units from the skew
center point, beyond which the skew no longer affects the geometry. Default=0.

Skew Modifier | 1613

Lower Limit Sets the lower limit boundaries in world units from the skew
center point, beyond which the skew no longer affects the geometry. Default=0.

Skin Modifier
Select a mesh, patch, or NURBS object. ➤
List ➤ Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Skin

Modify panel ➤ Modifier

Select a mesh, patch, or NURBS object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation
Modifiers ➤ Skin
The Skin modifier is a skeletal deformation tool that lets you deform one
object with another object. Mesh, patch, or NURBS objects can be deformed
by bones, splines, and other objects.
Applying the Skin modifier and then assigning bones gives each bone a
capsule-shaped "envelope." Vertices of the modified object within these
envelopes move with the bones. Where envelopes overlap, vertex motion is
a blend between the envelopes.
By default, each vertex that's affected by a single bone is given a weight value
of 1.0, which means it's affected by that bone only. Vertices within the
intersection of two bones' envelopes have two weight values: one for each
bone. And you can use Skin modifier toolsets such as the Weight Tool dialog
on page 1645 to arbitrarily assign vertices to any number of bones. The ratio of
a vertex's weight values, which always total 1.0, determine the relative extent
to which each bone's motion affects the vertex. For example, if a vertex's
weight with respect to bone 1 is 0.8 and its weight with respect to bone 2 is
0.2, then the motion of bone 1 will have four times greater influence on the
vertex than will the motion of bone 2.
The initial envelope shape and position depends on the type of bone object.
Bones create a linear envelope that extends along the longest axis of the bone
geometry. Spline objects create envelopes that follow the curve of the spline.
Primitive objects create an envelope that follows the longest axis of the object.
You can also deform the mesh based on the angle of the bones. Three
deformers let you shape the mesh based on bone angles:
■

The Joint and Bulge Angle deformers use a lattice similar to an FFD lattice
on page 1375 to shape the mesh at a specific angle.

■

The Morph Angle Deformer morphs the mesh at specified angles. Morph
targets are created by using modifiers above the Skin modifier in the stack,

1614 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

or by using the Snapshot tool on page 888 to create a copy of the mesh and
deforming the mesh using standard tools.
You can apply the Skin modifier to several objects at the same time.

Jacket object deformed using the Skin modifier

In 3ds Max you can mirror envelope and vertex assignments from one side
of the mesh to the other with commands on the Mirror Parameters rollout.

Procedures
To use the Skin modifier:
1 Prepare the skin (mesh or patch object) and skeleton (bones or other

objects). Carefully
place the skeleton inside the mesh or patch
object so that its elements are able to influence polygons or patches in
their immediate vicinity.

Skin Modifier | 1615

2

Select the mesh or patch object and apply the Skin modifier.

3 In the Parameters rollout, click Add and choose the skeleton objects.
4 Click Edit Envelopes and select an envelope to modify the volume in
which each bone can influence the surrounding geometry.
To weight vertices manually:
1 On the Parameters rollout, turn on Vertices.
2 On the mesh, select the vertices you would like to weight manually.
Each selected vertex is surrounded by a small white rectangle.
3 Highlight the name of the bone for which you want to change the vertex
weights.
4 In the Weight Properties group, change the Abs. Effect parameter to the
new vertex weight.
To mirror envelope or vertex weight settings:
1 Adjust envelopes and vertex weights on one side of the mesh.
2 On the Mirror Parameters rollout, click Mirror Mode.
The mirror plane appears at the position and orientation of the mesh's
pivot point.
3 If the mirror plane is not at the center of the mesh, change the Mirror
Offset parameter to move the plane to the center.
4 If some vertices in the left or right side of the mesh are red rather than
blue or green, increase the Mirror Thresh value until all vertices are blue
or green.
5 On the Mirror Parameters rollout, click the appropriate Paste button to
paste green or blue envelopes or vertex weights to the other side of the
mesh.
To adjust the skin and/or bones without affecting the envelopes:

1

Save the scene.

1616 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

This is a potentially destructive operation, so it's best not to take any
chances with your data.

2

Select the object to which the Skin modifier is applied.

3 In the Advanced Parameters rollout, turn off Always Deform.
4 Apply any necessary transforms to the mesh/patch object or bones objects.
5 Turn Always Deform back on.
To adjust the bones only, you can also use skin pose on page 7946.
Example: To apply the Skin modifier to a cylinder with a bones skeleton:

1 On the
Create panel, with
Primitives, click Cylinder.

(Geometry) active, under Standard

2 In the middle of the Top viewport, click and drag 20 units to create the
base of the cylinder.
3 Release the mouse button and drag up 130 units to establish the height
of the cylinder.
4 On the parameters rollout, set Height Segments to 20.
This provides mesh detail for a smooth surface deformation.

5 On the
Create panel, click
rollout, click Bones.

(Systems). On the Object Type

Make sure an IK Solver is chosen in the IK Solver list. Turn on Assign To
Children. (This should turn on Assign To Root as well.)
6 In the Front viewport, click successively three times: below the cylinder,
in the middle of the cylinder, and above the top of the cylinder.
7 Right-click to end Bones creation.
Three bones display. Two of them are within the middle of the cylinder.

8

Select the cylinder.

Skin Modifier | 1617

9 On the

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose Skin.

10 On the Skin modifier Parameters rollout, click Add, and use the Select
Bones dialog to select the three bones.
The names of the bones are now displayed in the list.

11 In the Front viewport,
and move it around.

select the bone end effector (IK Chain01)

The cylinder deforms to follow the bones. To adjust envelopes to refine
the surface deformation, choose the Skin modifier's Envelope sub-object
level, and use the Edit Envelopes controls to resize envelopes and change
vertex weights.
Example: To use a morph angle deformer:
Create the cylinder and bones from the preceding procedure before you
continue with this procedure.
1 At frame 50, animate bone 2 so that bones 1 and 2 represent a 90-degree
angle.
2 At frame 0, the bones should be straight at about a 180-degree angle.
3 Go to frame 0.
4 In the Parameters rollout, turn on Edit Envelopes.
5 Select the child bone (bone 2) in the modifier's list of bones.
6 In the Select group, turn on Vertices.
This allows you to select vertices.

7 In the viewports,
region-select a good portion of the vertices
that are controlled by both bones.
8 In the Gizmos rollout, select the Morph Angle Deformer in the drop-down
list, and then click Add Gizmo.
The Deformer Parameters rollout displays. A base morph target is the first
and only target in the list.

1618 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP if the Deformer doesn't assign, make sure that bone 2 and not bone 1
is selected in the list.
9 Scrub the Time Slider to frame 50.
10 Add an Edit Mesh modifier above the Skin modifier on the modifier stack.
11 In the Edit Mesh modifier, turn on Vertex and Soft Selection.
12 Edit the mesh to the shape you want.
13 In the stack, go back down to the Skin modifier. If 3ds Max displays the
topology warning dialog, click Yes.
14 In the Deformer Parameters rollout, click Add From Stack.
A new morph target is added at about 90 degrees.
15 Delete the Edit Mesh modifier from the stack.
There is a doubling effect of the morph if you don’t delete or deactivate
the Edit Mesh modifier.
16 Scrub the time slider. The mesh morphs as the bone angle changes.

Interface
The Skin Modifier interface includes the following rollouts:
■

Parameters rollout on page 1621

■

Mirror Parameters rollout on page 1628

■

Display rollout on page 1630

■

Advanced Parameters rollout on page 1632

■

Gizmos rollout on page 1635

■

Deformer Parameters rollout on page 1638

■

Joint Angle and Bulge Angle parameters on page 1640

Some of the Skin modifier commands are also available from the quad menu
on page 8640.

Modifier Stack
Envelope Turn on this sub-object level to work on envelopes and vertex
weights.

Skin Modifier | 1619

TIP You can use the quad menu to choose this sub-object level.

1620 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout

Skin Modifier | 1621

Edit Envelopes Use this sub-object level to work on envelopes and vertex
weights.

Select group
The following filtering options are grouped together to help you work on a
particular task, by preventing you from accidentally selecting the wrong item
in the viewports.
Vertices Turn on for vertex selection.
You can rotate around selected vertices using Orbit SubObject on page
8742 on the Orbit flyout on page 8740. You can also rotate around a selected
envelope as long as no vertices are selected, as they have precedence.
NOTE You must choose Use Selection Center on page 870 from the User Center
flyout on page 867 to center on your selection. If you choose Use Pivot Point Center
on page 868, Orbit centers on the selected bone/cross section.

You can zoom on selected vertices using Zoom Extents Selected on page
8733 from the Zoom Extents flyout. You can also zoom on an envelope if no
vertices are selected.
■

ShrinkModifies the current vertex selection by progressively subtracting
the outermost vertices from the selected object. Has no effect if all the
vertices from an object are selected.

■

GrowModifies the current vertex selection by progressively adding
neighborhood vertices of the selected object. You must start with at least
one vertex to be able to grow your selection.

■

RingExpands the current vertex selection to include all vertices part of
parallel edges.
NOTE You must select at least two vertices to use the Ring selection.

■

LoopExpands the current vertex selection to include all vertices part of
continuing edges.
NOTE You must select at least two vertices to use the Ring selection.

■

Select ElementWhen on, selects all vertices of the element you select, as
long as you select at least one vertex from that element.

1622 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP You can edit your selection by holding Ctrl or Alt, and then select vertices.
This adds or removes, respectively, vertices to or from your selection.
■

Backface Cull VerticesWhen on, you cannot select vertices pointing away
from the current view (on the other side of the geometry).

Envelopes Turn on for envelope selection.
Cross Sections Turn on for cross-section selection.

_____
The first step, after applying the Skin modifier to an object, is to determine
which bones participate in the object's weighting. Every bone you choose
influences the weighted object with its envelope, which you can configure in
the Envelope Properties group on page 1624.
Add Click to add one or more bones from the Select Bones dialog.
Remove Choose a bone in the list, and then click Remove to remove it.
[list window] Lists all bones in the system. Highlighting a bone in the list
displays that bone's envelope and the vertices influenced by the envelope.
An horizontal scroll bar appears if a bone's name is longer than the window's
width.
NOTE If an older scene containing long bone names is loaded in 3ds Max, its
name is truncated to fit in the window. You can overwrite this by setting the
MAXScript shortenBoneNames property of your Skin modifier to false.
Example: $'Sphere01'.modifiers[#Skin].shortenBoneNames = false
For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript
Help, available from Help menu ➤ MAXScript Help.
[bone name type-in field] Enter a bone name to highlight it in the bone list
above. The highlighting goes to the first matching bone.
Use these methods for finding bone names faster:
■

Narrow the list by typing the first few characters in the name of the bone
you want to highlight.

■

Use the wildcard (*) key. For example, you can find Robot R Index Finger by
typing * R In

Skin Modifier | 1623

Cross Sections group
By default, each envelope has two round, lateral cross sections, one at each
end of the envelope. These options add and remove cross sections from
envelopes.
Add Choose a bone in the list, click Add, and click a position on the bone in
a viewport to add a cross section.
Remove Select an envelope cross section and click Remove to delete it.
Before you can select a cross section, the Cross Sections option in the Select
group must be on.
You can delete only extra cross sections that you have added; not the default
cross sections.

Envelope Properties group

Radius Select an envelope cross section, and use Radius to resize it. In order
to select a cross section, the Cross Sections option in the Select group must
be checked.
You can also click and drag a cross section control point in a viewport to resize
it.
Squash A squash multiplier for bones that stretch. This is a single value that
reduces or increases the amount of squash applied to a bone when it is
stretched with Freeze Length off, and Squash on.
NOTE You can set Freeze Length and Squash in the Bone Tools dialog on page
812.
Absolute/Relative This toggle determines how vertex weights are calculated
for vertices between inner and outer envelopes.

■

AbsoluteA vertex must merely fall inside the brown outer envelope
to have 100% assignment weight to that particular bone. A vertex falling
inside more than one outer envelope will be assigned multiple weights
summing to 100% based on where it falls in the gradients of each envelope.

1624 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

RelativeA vertex falling only within an outer envelope will not
receive 100% weighting. A vertex must either fall inside two or more outer
envelopes whose gradients sum to 100% or greater or the vertex must fall
within a red inner envelope to have 100% weight. Any points within a red
inner envelope will be 100% locked to that bone. Vertices falling within
multiple inner envelopes will receive weighting distributed over those
bones.

Envelope Visibility Determines the visibility of unselected
envelopes. Choose a bone in the list and click Envelope Visibility, then choose
another bone in the list. The first bone selected remains visible. Use this to
work on two or three envelopes.
Falloff Flyouts Choose a falloff curve for the displayed envelopes.
Weight falls off in the area between the inner and outer envelope boundaries
if envelopes overlap and Absolute is turned on. This setting lets you specify
how the falloff is handled:

■

Falloff Fast OutWeight falls off quickly.

■

Falloff Slow OutWeight falls off slowly.

■

Falloff LinearWeight falls off in a linear way.

■

Falloff SinualWeight falls off in a sinusoidal way.

Copy Copies the currently selected envelope size and shape to memory.
Turn on sub-object Envelopes, choose one bone in the list, click Copy, then
choose another bone in the list and click Paste to copy an envelope from one
bone to another.

Skin Modifier | 1625

Paste commands are on a flyout with the following options:

■

PastePastes the copy buffer to the current selected bone.

■

Paste to All BonesPastes the copy buffer to all bones in the modifier.

■

Paste to Multiple BonesPastes the copy buffer to selected bones. A
dialog allows you to choose the bones to paste to.

Weight Properties group

Abs. Effect Enter an absolute weight for the selected bone to selected vertices.
Choose the Envelope sub-object level, turn on Vertices in the Parameters
rollout ➤ Select group, select a vertex or vertices, and then use the Abs. Effect
spinner to assign weight. Selected vertices move in the viewports as their
weight changes.
Rigid Causes selected vertices to be influenced only by one bone, the one
with the most influence.
Rigid Handles Causes the handles of selected patch vertices to be influenced
by only one bone, the one with the most influence.
Normalize Forces the total weights of each selected vertex to add up to 1.0.

1626 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Exclude Selected Verts Adds the currently selected vertices to the
exclusion list for the current bone. Any vertices in this exclusion list will not
be affected by this bone.

Include Selected Verts Takes the selected vertices out of the exclusion
list for the selected bone. The bone can then affect these vertices.

Select Excluded Verts Selects all vertices excluded from the current
bone (see Exclude Selected Verts, preceding).
Bake Selected Verts Click to bake the current vertex weights. Baked weights
are not affected by envelope changes, only by changes to Abs. Effect on page
1626 or weights in the Weight Table on page 1652.

Weight Tool Displays the Weight Tool dialog on page 1645, which
offers control tools to help you assign and blend weights on selected vertices.
Weight Table Displays a table for viewing and changing weights for all bones
in the skeletal structure. See Weight Table on page 1652.
Paint Weights Click and drag the cursor over vertices in the viewports to
brush on weights for the selected bone.
TIP Streamline the painting process by using the Brush Presets tools on page 8633.

Painter Options [ellipsis] Opens the Painter Options dialog on
page 1940, where you can set parameters for weight painting.
Paint Blend Weights When on, blends painted values by averaging the weights
of neighboring vertices and then applying the average weight based on the
brush strength. Default=on.

Skin Modifier | 1627

Mirror Parameters rollout

Mirror Mode Activates Mirror mode, which lets you mirror the envelopes and
vertex assignments from one side of the mesh to the other. This mode is
available only at the Envelope sub-object level.
Mirror mode uses the Mirror Plane setting to determine the “left side” and
“right side” of the mesh. When you turn on Mirror Mode, the vertices on the
left side of the mirror plane turn blue, while the vertices on the right turn
green. Vertices that are neither left nor right turn red, including vertices at
the mirror plane. If vertices don't change color appropriately, you might have
to increase the Mirror Thresh value to expand the range used to determine
the left and right sides.
If you select vertices or bones, the selected vertices or bones turn yellow, and
the corresponding match on the other side of the mesh turns a brighter blue
or green. This can help you check for matches.

Mirror Paste Pastes selected envelope and vertex assignments to the
opposite side of the body.

Paste Green to Blue Bones Pastes the envelope settings from green
bones to blue.

1628 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Paste Blue to Green Bones Pastes the envelope settings from blue bones
to green.

Paste Green to Blue Verts Pastes the individual vertex assignments
from all green vertices to the corresponding blue vertices.

Paste Blue to Green Verts Pastes the individual vertex assignments
from all blue vertices to the corresponding green vertices.
Mirror Plane Determines the plane that will be used to determine the left
and right sides. The plane appears in the viewport at the mesh's pivot point
when you turn on Mirror mode. The selected mesh's local axes are used as the
basis for the plane. If several objects are selected, one object's local axes are
used. Default=X.
TIP For the easiest workflow with mirroring tools for the Skin modifier, set the
pivot points for character meshes to align with the World before applying Skin.
Mirror Offset Shifts the mirror plane along the Mirror Plane axis.
Mirror Thresh Sets the relative distance the mirroring tools will look when
setting vertices as left or right. If some vertices in the mesh (other than those
at the mirror plane) are not colored blue or green when you turn on Mirror
mode, increase the Mirror Thresh value to include a larger area of the character.
You can also increase this value to compensate for lack of symmetry in
asymmetrical models.
Display Projection When Display Projection is set to Default Display, selecting
vertices on one side of the mirror plane automatically projects the selection
to the opposite side. The Positive and Negative options allow selection of
vertices on one side of the character only. The None option does not project
selected vertices to either side. Default=Default Display.
TIP You can use the Positive and Negative options to temporarily project the
display of one side's vertices to the other side so you can see how the vertices
align. This can be helpful when determining the correct Mirror Plane settings for
an asymmetrical mesh.
Manual Update When on, you can update the display manually rather than
automatically after each mouse-up.
Update When Manual Update is on, use this button to update the display
with your new settings.

Skin Modifier | 1629

Display rollout

Show Colored Vertices Colors vertices in viewports according to their weights.
Show Colored Faces Colors faces in viewports according to their weights.
Color All Weights Assigns a color to every bone in the envelope. The vertex
weighting blends the colors together.
TIP You can toggle this feature to get a global view of all weight regions across
your model at once.
TIP You can also assign a color to unweighted vertices: Open the Customize User
Interface dialog and, on the Colors panel, choose Skin Colors from the Elements
drop-down list.
Show All Envelopes Displays all envelopes at the same time.
Show All Vertices Draws a small tick at every vertex. On a patch surface, it
will also draw all the handles.
Show All Gizmos Displays all the gizmos in addition to the currently selected
gizmo.
Show No Envelopes Causes no envelopes to be displayed even when an
envelope is selected.

1630 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Show Hidden Vertices When on, hidden vertices are visible. Otherwise, they
remain hidden until you enable the option or go into the object's modifier
(Editable Mesh on page 2190 or Editable Poly on page 2258), and then click Unhide
All on the Selection rollout or Edit Geometry rollout, respectively. Default=off.

Draw On Top group
These options determine which elements will be drawn on top of all other
objects in viewports.
Cross Sections Forces cross sections to be drawn on top.
Envelopes Forces envelopes to be drawn on top.

Skin Modifier | 1631

Advanced Parameters rollout

Always Deform A toggle useful for editing the transformation relationship
between bones and the controlled points. This relationship is initially set
when Skin is applied. To change the relationship, turn off Always Deform,
move the object or the bones, and reactivate. The new transformation
relationship is now used.
Ref. Frame Sets the frame where the bones and the mesh are in a reference
position.
Normally this is frame 0. If frame 0 is the reference frame, start your animation
at frame 1 or later . If you need to adjust bones relative to the mesh, move

1632 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

the time slider to frame 0, turn off Always Deform, move the bones into the
correct position, and then turn on Always Deform.
Back Transform Vertices Allows you to link on page 3665 the mesh to the bone
structure. Ordinarily, when you do this, any movement of the bones causes
the mesh to move twice as far as it should, because it moves once with the
bones and once with the link. Enabling this option prevents the mesh from
moving twice under these circumstances.
Rigid Vertices (All) When on, effectively assigns each vertex to the bone
whose envelope has the most influence, as though weighted 100% to that
bone. Vertices will not have weight distributed over more than one bone and
the deformation of the skinned object is rigid. This is mainly used with game
engines that do not support weighted point transformation.
NOTE This does not change weight values for vertices assigned to multiple bones,
so you can return to distributed weight assignments simply by turning off Rigid
Vertices (All).
Rigid Patch Handles (All) On a patch model, forces patch handle weights to
equal the knots weights.
Bone Affect Limit Limits the number of bones that can affect one vertex.

Reset group

Reset Selected Verts Resets the weight of selected vertices to the
envelope defaults. After manually changing vertex weight, use this to reset
weights if necessary.

Reset Selected Bone Resets associated vertex weights back to the
original weights calculated for the selected bone's envelope.

Reset All Bones Resets all vertex weights back to the original weights
calculated for all bone's envelopes.

Skin Modifier | 1633

_____
Save/Load Allows you to save and load the envelope position and shape, as
well as the vertex weights. If you load a saved file onto a different system of
bones, you can use the Load Envelopes dialog on page 1641 to match the
incoming bones to the current bones.
Update on mouse up When on and the mouse button is pressed down, no
updates take place. When the mouse button is released, updates occur. This
option helps keep workflow moving quickly by avoiding unnecessary updates.
Fast Updates Turns off viewport display of weighted deformation and gizmos
and uses rigid deformation when not rendering.
Ignore Bone Scale Turn this option on to leave a skinned mesh unaffected
by a scaled bone. Default=off.
NOTE To scale a bone's length, you first need to turn off its Freeze Length option
on the Object Properties rollout on page 812 of the Bone Tools floater dialog on
page 806.
Animatable Envelopes Toggles the possibility of creating keys on all
animatable envelope parameters while Auto Key is active. Default=off.
NOTE This does not affect keyable track settings.
Weight All Vertices When on, forces all vertices that are not under the control
of an envelope to be weighted to the bone closest to them. Has no effect on
vertices that are manually weighted. Default=on.
TIP If you want to revert vertices to their original weight value, click Reset Selected
Verts (in the Reset group) or open the Weight Table on page 1652, and change the
Modified weight status (M) of your selected vertices.
Remove Zero Weights Strips a vertex from its weight if it is less than the
Remove Zero Limit value. This helps making your skinned model lighter (in
games for instance) because less unnecessary data is stored in the geometry.
Also accessible from the Weight Table.
Remove Zero Limit Sets the weight threshold that determines if a vertex is
stripped of its weight when you click Remove Zero Weights. Default=0.0.

1634 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Gizmos rollout

Controls in the Gizmos rollout allow you to deform the mesh according to
the angle of the joint, and to add gizmos to selected points on the object. The
rollout consists of a list box containing all the gizmos for this modifier, a
drop-down list of the current types of gizmos, and four buttons (Add, Remove,
Copy, and Paste).
The workflow for adding a gizmo is to select the vertices that you want to
affect, select the bones that will drive the deformation, and then click the Add
button.
There are three deformers available:
■

The Joint Angle deformer has a lattice that can deform vertices on the
parent and child bones.

■

The Bulge Angle deformer has a lattice that only works on vertices on the
parent bone.

■

The Morph Angle deformer works on vertices of the parent and child bones.
Keep these distinctions in mind when you select vertices to deform. For
example, if you want to use the Joint Angle deformer, then select vertices
close to the joint that will drive the deformation. If you want the parent
bone vertices to deform like a biceps muscle, then select vertices that are
only assigned to the parent bone before adding the Bulge Angle deformer.
If all the vertices of the parent and child bone must deform, then select
all of the vertices and add the Morph Angle deformer.

Skin Modifier | 1635

Bending the arm without the Morph Angle deformer causes the sleeve to crumple.

1636 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Using the Morph Angle deformer creates a smooth bend in the sleeve.

Gizmo List Window Lists the current Angle Deformers.
The Deformer Parameters rollout changes depending on the type of gizmo
selected.
Deformer drop-down list Lists the available deformers.

Add Gizmo Adds the current Gizmo to the selected vertices.
To add a gizmo, you must first select the child bone for the joint you want to
deform. Then you must select the vertices that you want to deform. You can
then add a gizmo.
After a gizmo is added, a Deformer Parameters rollout displays that contains
gizmo parameters that you can adjust.

Remove Gizmo Remove the selected gizmo from the list.

Skin Modifier | 1637

Copy Gizmo Copy the selected gizmo.
Paste Gizmo Paste the gizmo.
The Paste button pastes the current copy buffer into the currently selected
gizmo. You can only paste to like gizmos. For instance, you can't paste from
a bulge gizmo to a joint gizmo.

Deformer Parameters rollout

The following parameters are for the Morph Angle deformer. One way to create
morph targets, after the morph gizmo is added, is to add an Edit Mesh modifier
to the stack above the Skin modifier. Use the vertex controls in the Edit Mesh
modifier to shape the geometry. Then go back in the stack to the Skin modifier
and click Add From Stack. You can then delete the Edit Mesh modifier. Add

1638 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

From Stack looks at the last modifier in the stack to get the morph target. Note
that when you go back down to the Skin modifier, the morph effect is doubled;
you can rectify this by deleting or deactivating the Edit Mesh modifier.
Joint Field Displays the type of Deformer and the associated bone.
List Window Contains the current morph targets and associated bone angles.
Naming Field Select a morph target and rename it in this field.
Add from stack Uses the current state of the stack to get the morph target.
Ideally, you have put an Edit Mesh modifier on top of the stack and done
your edits before you click Add From Stack.
Add from node Uses another object as your morph target for this angle. This
is like a regular morph target, but instead of being driven by a field, it is driven
by the joint angle.
TIP You can use Snap Shot on the main toolbar to create a new target for
morphing.
Delete Deletes the currently selected morph target from the list.
Enable gizmo Toggles the effect of the gizmo.

Skin Modifier | 1639

Joint Angle and Bulge Angle parameters

The following parameters are for the Joint Angle and Bulge Angle deformers.
These two deformers are almost identical in the way they operate. The
difference is that the Bulge Angle deformer only works on vertices of the parent
bone, while the Joint Angle deformer works on vertices on both the child and
parent bone.
To apply either of these deformers, first select the child link, then select vertices
on the mesh, and then apply the deformer. Remember to turn on Vertices in
the Parameters rollout ➤ Select group before region-selecting vertices in the
viewports.
Once the deformer is applied, turn on Edit Lattice and move the lattice control
points in the viewports to deform the mesh at different bone angles.
Name Field Allows you to change the name of the deformer.
Twist Allows you to spin the gizmo around the mesh to place control points
appropriately.
Use Bounding Volume Turn this on if you plan to change the geometry, like
increasing segments on a cylinder. If the geometry changes, the mesh will
still deform inside the lattice if this is turned on.
Enable Gizmo Toggles the effect of the gizmo on and off.

1640 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit Lattice Allows you to move the lattice control points in the viewports.
Edit Angle Keys Curves Brings up a curve editor that lets you manipulate the
shape of the lattice at a particular angle. This curve is position vs. angle. It
will show you the curves of the current selected points. The red curves are X,
green curves are Y, and blue curves are Z.

Load Envelopes Dialog (Skin Modifier)
Select a mesh, patch, or NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Apply
a Skin modifier. ➤ Advanced Parameters rollout ➤ Load button
The Load Envelopes dialog associated with the Skin modifier on page 1614 allows
you to load saved envelopes on page 1634 to specific bones. This resizable dialog
shows the current envelopes in your scene and the incoming envelopes. Use
the controls to manipulate the incoming envelopes so they align with the
current envelopes.

Skin Modifier | 1641

Interface

1642 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Skin Modifier | 1643

OK Accepts any changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Discards any changes and closes the dialog.
Move Up/Down Move the current selection in the incoming list up or down.
Create Blank Creates space in the Incoming list.
Use this when loading data onto a skeleton that is not identical as the one
from which the data was saved. For example, if your original skeleton had
three fingers and the new one has only two fingers, you might need to add
spaces in the list to line up the fingers correctly.
Delete Removes the current selected incoming envelopes.
Match by Name Resorts the Incoming list and matches any bones that have
the same name in the list of current envelopes.
Remove Incoming Prefix Removes any prefixes on the names of the incoming
envelopes.
Remove Current Prefix Removes any prefixes on the names of the current
envelopes.
Load End Points Loads the envelope end point positions.
Load Cross Sections Loads the envelope cross sections.
Load Vertex Data When on, loads weights at the vertex level. Normally only
the envelope data is loaded so any manual adjustments to the vertex data are
lost. This option lets you load those manual edits.
Load Exclusion Lists Lets you also load user-generated exclusion-list data,
which specifies that certain vertices should not be affected by certain bones.
See Exclude Selected Verts on page 1627 and Show Exclusions on page 1653.
Load Vertices By Index Lets you load vertices by index rather than vertex
position. You would typically use this option with identical meshes that have
not undergone any type of topology change. This should be off if you've
changed the topology, by, for instance, deleting or adding vertices or changing
their order.

Current Incoming Vertex Set
When Load Vertex Data is on, use these controls to match vertex sets in cases
where the Skin modifier is instanced. In such cases you might need to set up
several vertex sets.
The Move Up/Create Blank/Move Down buttons have the same functions as
in the Envelopes lists.

1644 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Weight Tool Dialog (Skin Modifier)
Select an object that has the Skin modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Skin modifier ➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Weight Properties group
➤ Weight Tool button
This dialog is launched from the Skin modifier on page 1614 and provides tools
to select vertices and assign them weights. You can also copy, paste, and blend
weights between vertices. Each vertex you select displays the objects
contributing to its weighting in the dialog list.
To use these tools, Parameters rollout ➤ Edit Envelopes must be on,
Parameters rollout ➤ Select group ➤ Vertices must be on, and at least one
vertex must be selected.
IMPORTANT The controls on this dialog adjust vertex weighting with respect to
the active bone; that is, the object highlighted in the Bones list on the Parameters
rollout. When you select a vertex and then change its weighting, if the active bone
does not already influence the vertex, the bone is added to the list of bones
influencing the vertex. You can ensure that bone assignments don't change by
highlighting the bone in the Weight Tool dialog list after selecting the vertex and
before changing weighting.
Also, the total weighting for all bones influencing a vertex is always 1.0, so if
multiple bones influence a vertex and you change the weight value for one
bone, the weight values for the others change as well.

Procedures
Example: To Set and Blend Weights on Selected Vertices:
1 Prepare a cylinder skinned to a bone chain.

Skin Modifier | 1645

2 On the
Envelopes.

Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout, turn on Edit

3 In the Select group, turn on Vertices.

4 In the Weight Properties group, click

(Weight Tool).

3ds Max opens the Weight Tool dialog.

5 Select a few vertices and then click

(the .25 weight button).

The selected vertices are weighted at 0.250 for the active bone (highlighted
in the Parameters rollout list), coloring them yellow.
NOTE The active bone is added to the list of bones influencing each of the
selected vertices, if necessary.

1646 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

NOTE In theEnvelope Properties group on page 1614, you might need to toggle

the vertex weighting to

(Relative).

6 Click
(directly under the .9 weight button) repeatedly until the
vertices are red (that is, their weight is 1.0).
As you increase the vertices' weight, they gradually change color.

7 Select a few other vertices, and assign them a weight of

(0.250).

Skin Modifier | 1647

The left vertices are weighted 1.0 and the right vertices are weighted 0.25.

8 Select all weighted vertices, then repeatedly click Blend.
Every time you click Blend, each vertex's weight is adjusted to blend with
other selected neighborhood weights. This creates a smooth weighting
transition among all selected vertices.

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The two separate colors blend into a smooth gradient.

Skin Modifier | 1649

Interface

Shrink Modifies the current vertex selection by progressively subtracting the
outermost vertices from the selection. Has no effect if all vertices in an object
are selected.
Grow Modifies the current vertex selection by progressively adding
neighborhood vertices of the selected object. You must start with at least one
vertex to be able to grow your selection.
Ring Expands the current vertex selection to include all vertices in parallel
edges.
NOTE You must select at least two vertices to use the Ring selection.
Loop Expands the current vertex selection to include all vertices in continuing
edges.

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NOTE You must select at least two vertices to use the Loop selection.
[specific weight values] Assigns an absolute weight value
between 0 and 1 for the active bone to the selected vertices.
NOTE When you click one of these buttons, the active bone is added to the list
of bones influencing each of the selected vertices, if necessary.
Set Weight Sets an absolute weight based on the field value. Default=0.5.
NOTE The spinner increments the field value by steps of 0.05.
+/- Increases/decreases each selected vertex's weight by 0.05.
Scale Weight Multiplies each selected vertex's weight value by the field value,
resulting in a relative weight change. Default=0.95.
NOTE The spinner increments the field value in steps of 0.05.
+/- Increases/decreases each selected vertex's weight by five percent.
Copy Stores the current weight value(s) in the copy buffer.
Paste Retrieves the weight values from the copy buffer and assigns them to
the selected vertices.
Paste-Pos Assigns the weight values currently in the copy buffer to the selected
vertices based on the distance between them and the copied vertices, which
is determined by the Paste-Pos Tolerance value.
This is useful when you need to match weights between two juxtaposed
skinned meshes sharing the a common bone.
Blend Modifies the selected weight values to smooth out the transition
between them and their surrounding vertices.
Paste-Pos Tolerance Determines the radius influence of the Paste-Pos.
Default=0.1.

Vertex information
Below the Paste-Pos Tolerance field is a text display displaying information
on the amount of copied and selected vertices.
[First Vertex Weight list] Displays the selected vertex weight along with the
bone envelopes contributing to its weighting. You can select individual

Skin Modifier | 1651

envelopes in the current viewport by highlighting the respective bone in the
list.
NOTE If you select multiple vertices, the list only displays the weighting of the
first selected vertex.

Weight Table (Skin Modifier)
Select an object that has the Skin modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Skin modifier ➤ Weight Properties group ➤ Weight Table
The weight table for the Skin modifier is used to change vertex weights for
several vertices and bones at a time. This table appears when you click the
Weight Table button.

Interface

Vertex numbers appear down the left column, while bone names appear across
the top. Vertex weights for each bone are displayed in the chart. You can
change vertex weights in a number of ways:
■

Click and drag a vertex weight to the left or right.

■

Highlight a weight and type in a new weight.

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■

Select vertices by dragging over vertex IDs, then click and drag one weight
to change all selected weights for the bone.

■

Right-click to enter a value of 0.

■

Ctrl+right-click to enter a value of 1.0.

Menu options:
Edit menu Copy/paste vertex weights, and choose vertices to edit.
■

Copy: Copies weights for highlighted vertices.

■

Paste: Pastes the copied weights.

■

Remove Zero Weights: All vertices with a weight less than the Remove
Zero Limit on page 1634 field value are stripped from their weight. Also
available on the Advanced Parameters rollout on page 1632.

■

Select All/None/Invert: Changes the selection of vertices.

Vertex Sets menu Select vertices in the left column by holding down Ctrl
while clicking vertices. Create a named selection set, which can then be picked
from the drop-down menu at the lower left of the dialog.
Options menu Customizes the weight table display.
■

Flip UI: Flips the UI to show vertex IDs across the top and bone names
down the left side.

■

Update On Mouse Up: When the mouse button is pressed down, no updates
will take place. When the mouse button is released, updates will occur.
This option helps keep workflow moving quickly by avoiding unnecessary
updates.

■

Show Affected Bones: Displays only bones that affect the displayed vertices.

■

Show Attributes: Toggles display of the S/M/N/R/H attributes.

■

Show Exclusions: Toggles display of small check box areas in each vertex
weight field. Clicking the check box toggles exclusion of the vertex from
the bone (a red X appears in the check box when the exclusion is in effect).

Skin Modifier | 1653

■

Show Global: Shows values for all displayed vertices.

■

Show Set Sets UI: Displays info about vertex sets.

Dialog options
Vertex ID Vertices are displayed by number down the left column of the
weight table. Double-click a vertex number to cause the vertex to display in
pink in viewports. To display only selected vertices, choose Selected Vertices
from the drop-down menu at the bottom left of the dialog.
S Indicates vertex is selected.
M Indicates vertex weight has been modified.
N Indicates vertex weights are normalized (total of all vertex weights is always
1.0).
R Indicates vertex is rigid (affected only by one bone, the one with the most
influence).
H Indicates patch handles are rigid (affected only by one bone, the one with
the most influence).
Vertex selection drop-down Choose to display all vertices, selected vertices
or only vertices affected by the selected bone.
Copy Copies weights for highlighted vertices.
Paste Pastes copied weights.

Skin Morph Modifier
The Skin Morph modifier lets you use a bone's rotation to drive a morph; that
is, a deformation of the object mesh. Skin Morph is intended for use with Skin
or a comparable modifier such as Physique: add the Skin Morph modifier after
the skin-type modifier. You create the morph at the frame in which the effect
should be greatest, and then Skin Morph automatically animates the affected
vertices into and out of the morph, based on the rotation of the bone that
drives the morph.
Skin Morph lets you fine-tune mesh deformation at any frame, using a bone
to drive the morph that is fixing a problem area. Often, when you animate a
character with bones, you have to create extra bones to handle problem areas
such as armpits and the groin. With Skin Morph, instead of adding extra
bones, you can simply create a morph and then transform vertices into the

1654 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

exact shape you want. Skin Morph provides an easy way to create muscle
bulges and many other effects.
NOTE When working with Skin Morph, it's important to be familiar with the
concept of delta. The frame at which you apply the modifier determines the base
position for each vertex that's used in a morphing animation controlled by Skin
Morph. After applying the modifier, go to a frame at which the bone driving the
morph is rotated an amount that will cause the greatest deformation, and then
transform vertices to produce the morph. The amount by which you transform
the vertices is called the delta: the difference between the base pose and the
morphed position.

Procedures
To use Skin Morph (basic usage):
1 Create an animated character with bones and a skinned body mesh, using
a modifier such as Skin on page 1614 or Physique on page 4807.
2 Go to the “pose frame” and apply the Skin Morph modifier.
The pose frame contains the initial pose; typically a standing character
with arms outstretched and legs apart. This is often frame 0, but it can
be any frame, even a negative-numbered one. This is the frame from
which the modifier measures delta: the change in the vertex position
between this pose and the morph.
3 Determine which bones are driving deformations that you want to modify
with Skin Morph.
For example, bending an arm might cause the inside of the elbow to
indent too far, or you might want to add a bulging bicep. In this case,
the forearm bone is driving the deformation.
4 Use Add to bind the deformation-driving bones to the modifier.
The modifier overlays an orange line along the length of each bone you
add.
5 Go to the frame where you wish to create the morph. Using the
arm-bending example, this might be the frame where the forearm is at
a 90-degree angle to the upper arm.
6 In the list box, click one of the bones.
In the viewport, the orange line representing the bone becomes a thicker
yellow line to indicate that this bone will drive the morph.

Skin Morph Modifier | 1655

7 On the Local Properties rollout, click Create Morph.
The modifier adds a morph to the highlighted bone and sets the morph
to 100% at this frame, as reflected by the number next to the morph's
name in the list.
8 On the Local Properties rollout, click Edit.
This temporarily freezes the skin deformation at the current frame.
9 Move vertices to where they should be at the current frame.
10 Click Edit again to exit this mode, and then test the animation.

Interface
Skin Morph modifier stack

Points sub-object level At the Points sub-object level, you can view and select
vertices on the skin mesh. However, you can transform these vertices only
when Edit mode on page 1661 is on. The ability to select points when not in
Edit mode lets you make the selection when the points are more easily
accessible, and then go to the pose to transform them in Edit mode.

1656 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout

[list window] Lists all attached bones and their morphs in a hierarchical view.
You can expand or contract a bone's morph listing by clicking the + or - box
next to its name in the list. The number in parentheses next to the morph
name shows its relative influence as a percentage at the current frame.
Highlighting a bone in the list highlights the bone in the viewports as a yellow
line, and lets you create a morph for it. Alternatively, you can select the bone
in the viewport while the modifier's Points sub-object level is active by clicking
the orange line through its center.
Highlighting a morph in the list lets you edit the morph. To change the
morph's name, edit the Local Properties rollout ➤ Morph Name field.
Add Bone Click to add one or more bones from the Select Bones dialog.

Skin Morph Modifier | 1657

TIP To keep things simple, add only bones that will drive morphs. There's no point
in adding any other bones.
Pick Bone Lets you add bones by selecting them in a viewport.
Click Pick Bone, and then select bones in any viewport. While Pick Bone is
active, the cursor resembles a cross with the words ADD BONE attached. To
exit Pick Bone mode, right-click the active viewport or click Pick Bone again.
Remove Bone Removes a bone and its morphs from the list. Click a bone
name in the list, and then click Remove.
If a morph name is highlighted when you click Remove, its bone is removed.
To remove the morph only, highlight it and then click Local Properties rollout
➤ Delete Morph.

Selection rollout

Use Soft Selection Enables soft selection for editing vertices.
Soft Selection in Skin Morph works much like Soft Selection on page 1966 in
other parts of 3ds Max, except that instead of Pinch and Bubble settings you

1658 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

can adjust the graph shape directly, and it uses a Radius setting instead of
Falloff to determine the extent of the soft-selection area.
Radius Determines the extent of the soft-selection area in system units.
Edge Limit When on, Skin Morph uses the Edge Limit numeric setting to
determine the extent of the soft-selection area in terms of the number of edges
from the selected vertex or vertices.
Reset Graph Sets the soft-selection graph to default values. Use this if a vertex
or handle is no longer visible and thus cannot be manipulated.
[graph] Skin Morph provides a small, full-functioned curve graph for editing
soft-selection characteristics globally; it works much like other such graphs
in 3ds Max, such as Curve Editor Introduction on page 3841. The toolbar above
the graph offers functions for moving and scaling points on the graph, as well
as inserting new ones. The same functions are available by right-clicking the
graph: If you right-click a graph point, you can set it to Corner or one of two
different Bezier types. If you select a Bezier point, you can reshape the curve
by moving its handles.
Ring Expands a vertex selection by first converting the selection to an edge
selection, selecting all edges parallel to the selected edges, and then converting
the new edge selection back to a vertex selection. Use of Ring requires that a
qualifying vertex selection exist; that is, at least two vertices on the same edge.
Loop Expands a vertex selection by first converting the selection to an edge
selection, selecting all aligned edges, and then converting the new edge
selection back to a vertex selection. Use of Loop requires that a qualifying
vertex selection exist; that is, at least two vertices on the same edge.
Shrink Reduces the vertex selection area by deselecting the outermost vertices.
If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the remaining vertices are
deselected.
Grow Expands the vertex selection area outward in all available directions.

Skin Morph Modifier | 1659

Local Properties rollout

This rollout contains functions for creating and editing individual morphs.
The settings, such as Morph Name and Influence Angle, are specific to each
morph.
Create Morph Sets a morph at the current frame for the highlighted bone.
Also sets the “pose” for this morph, using the bone's current orientation, and
sets the bone to 100%, as shown in the list window hierarchical view. When
you edit the morph, the skinned object returns to and stays at this orientation.
When you create a morph, the modifier displays, in orange, all vertices that
are part of the current pose (that is, they're offset from the initial pose). Also,
the modifier creates a default name for the morph and adds it as a child to
the highlighted bone in the list window.

1660 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP By default, the Show Edges switch is on, which might make it difficult to see
the vertices themselves. To see only the vertices, turn off Options rollout ➤ Show
Edges.
TIP To help keep track of morphs, use the Local Properties rollout to rename each
morph as you create it.
Delete Morph Deletes the highlighted morph, removing it from its parent
bone in the list window. Available only when a morph is highlighted.
Edit Lets you shape the current morph by transforming vertices. To exit Edit
mode, click the Edit button again.
Transforming a vertex in Edit mode creates a morph target. Each transformed
vertex moves into the morph target position (or orientation or scale) as the
morph value increases to 100.0, and then out of it as the morph value
decreases, based on the angle of the bone driving the morph.
Transforming a vertex in Edit mode also changes its color from orange to
yellow. This lets you easily see which vertices are part of the current morph.
Choosing Edit places the skinned object at the 100% “pose” orientation for
this morph (see Create Morph, above). It also activates the Points sub-object
level so you can transform vertices using the standard 3ds Max transform
tools.
Clear Verts Keeps selected vertices in the morph, but resets their deltas
(changes from the initial pose) to 0.
Reset Orient(ation) Sets the morph orientation to current orientation of the
bone that controls the morph.
This lets you change the angle at which the morph has its greatest effect. For
example, if you create a bulging bicep at frame 120, and later decide that the
muscle should be largest at frame 150 instead, go to frame 150, choose the
morph in the list box, and then click Reset Orientation.
Remove Verts Removes selected vertices from the current morph, which
deletes any animation applied as part of the morph.
Use this command to save memory by removing vertices not part of the morph
animation.
Enabled When on, the morph is active; when off, the morph doesn't appear
in the animation, and is indicated in the list box with the text “Disabled.”
Default=on.
The ability to enable and disable each morph individually lets you isolate the
effect of each or test them in combination.

Skin Morph Modifier | 1661

Morph Name Displays and lets you change the name of the current morph.
Influence Angle The angle around the bone's current orientation within
which the morph takes place. Default=90.0.
This is an important parameter. Think of the influence angle as a cone around
the bone at its orientation when you create the morph. Consider an example
in which Influence Angle is set to the default value of 90.0 degrees. If the bone
starts its rotation beyond 45 degrees away from the orientation at which the
morph was created, the morph has no effect at that time. As the bone moves
from 45 degrees away to the morph orientation, the morph increases to its
full value. As the bone then rotates away, the morph gradually decreases until,
at 45 degrees or more away from the morph orientation, the morph no longer
appears.
TIP Influence Angle is useful for isolating morphs; that is, to prevent overlapping
of different morphs on the same bone. Reduce the value until one morph's
contribution percent value (shown in the list box) falls off to 0.0 before the next
one begins.
Falloff Determines the rate of change of the morph as the bone moves within
the influence angle. Use the drop-down list to choose one of four different
falloff types: Linear, Sinual, Fast, or Slow. If you choose Custom Falloff, you
can then click the G (for Graph) button and edit the falloff using standard
curve-graph controls.
NOTE The default graph, displayed when you first access the falloff graph, shows
the Sinual falloff type.
Joint Type Determines how the modifier tracks the angular motion of the
bone. This is a per-bone setting, not per-morph. Default=Ball Joint.
■

Ball JointTracks all rotation of the bone. Use this setting in most cases.

■

Planar JointTracks rotation of the bone only in the plane of its parent
bone.

External Mesh Lets you use a different mesh as a morph target. Click the
button (default label=-none-) and then select the target object. The target
object should have the same mesh structure as the Skin Morph object. After
specifying an external mesh, its name appears on the button.
Using an external mesh makes it easier to set up morph targets in a target
mesh that uses a reference pose, rather than the skinned, animated mesh of
which sections might be interpenetrating, making it difficult to select the

1662 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

specific vertices to be morphed. In this situation, it's probably best to turn
Reload Only Selected Verts.
NOTE The external-mesh connection is not live; if you edit vertices in the external
mesh, Skin Morph doesn't automatically recognize the changes. To update the
vertex positions after editing the external mesh, use Reload Target (see following).
Reload Target Updates the Skin Morph object with edited vertex positions
from the external mesh.
Reload only selected verts When on, Reload Target copies only the positions
of vertices selected in the Skin Morph mesh from the target mesh. When off,
Reload Target copies the positions of all vertices. Default=off.

Copy and Paste rollout

These functions let you copy all morph targets for a specific bone from one
side of the object to the other. Indicate the morphs to copy by highlighting
the bone or any of its morphs in the Parameters rollout ➤ list box.
Paste Mirror Copies the morphs from the highlighted bone to the target on
the other side of the mirror gizmo. A qualified target bone must exist and be
present in the list box.
NOTE This copies the morph data only; the rotation of the target bone must be
comparable to that of the source bone for the morphing to appear in the
animation.

Skin Morph Modifier | 1663

Show Mirror Plane Displays the mirror plane as a red, rectangular gizmo in
the viewports. The target bone must be on the opposite side of the mirror
plane from the highlighted bone, and must be present in the Parameters
rollout ➤ list box.
Preview Bone Highlights the target bone in red in the viewports.
Preview Vertices Displays the morphing-qualified vertices in red in the
viewports, as well as any animation present in the source vertices.
Mirror Plane The axis for the mirror plane. The plane is perpendicular to the
indicated axis. Default=X.
Mirror Offset The position for the mirror plane on the Mirror Plane axis.
Default=0.0.
Mirror Threshold The radius, in system units, within which Skin Morph looks
for a qualifying target bone on the other side of the mirror plane. Default=1.0.

Options rollout

Beginner Mode When on, you must use the Create Morph button to create
a morph and the Edit button to edit a morph.
When off, you can create and edit morphs on the fly. In this mode, when you
select and move vertices at the Points sub-object level, 3ds Max first determines
whether a morph exists for the selected bone at 100%; if so, all edits will go

1664 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

to that morph. Otherwise, 3ds Max creates a new morph automatically and
applies the edits to that morph.
Show Driver Bone Matrix Shows the matrix tripod of the current bone.
Show Morph Bone Matrix Shows the tripod of the orientation of the active
morph.
Show Current Angle Shows pie wedges depicting the angles between the
driver bone matrix and the morph bone matrix. These are color coded: red
for the angle about the X axis; blue for the angle about the Y axis; and green
for the angle about the Z axis.
Show Edges Highlights the edges connected to morphable vertices in orange.
This is useful when a tessellating modifier such as MeshSmooth is applied to
the skinned mesh above the Skin Morph modifier, to see the actual mesh
being affected by Skin Morph.
Matrix Size The size of each tripod.
Bone Size The size of the bone display.

Skin Wrap Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Skin Wrap

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

The Skin Wrap modifier allows one or more objects to deform another. While
Skin Wrap is flexible enough to serve a variety of needs, it's primarily intended
for animating a high-resolution object, such as a character mesh, with a
low-resolution one.
The low-resolution object doing the deforming is called a control object, and
the high-resolution object it's affecting (that is, the one with the Skin Wrap
modifier) is the base object. A base object can be any type of deformable object.
Also, in this topic, control vertex refers to a vertex on the control object, and
point refers to a vertex on the base object.
With Skin Wrap, you can modify the structure and topology of the
high-resolution object after setting up the animation. The animation remains
intact because it is actually contained in the control object.
In most cases, when using Skin Wrap, the control object is positioned near
the modified base object, and then bound to the latter using the modifier's

Skin Wrap Modifier | 1665

Add function. By default, moving a vertex in the control object affects nearby
vertices in the base object. Additional options allow faces in the control object
to affect the nearest points in the base object instead (Blend To Base Object).
Conversely, points in the control object can affect faces in the base object
(Face Deformation).
Skin Wrap offers a great deal of control in that you can set a different strength
value for each control vertex, as well as the shape of its volume of influence.
You can also convert the Skin Wrap effect to a Skin modifier applied to the
high-res model, suitable for use with game engines. And the ability to animate
with multiple control objects lets a technical director assign animation of
different parts of a complex character mesh to various artists.
TIP If you use a control object to which non-uniform scaling has been applied,
its vertices will have non-spherical volumes of influence, which can lead to
unexpected results. In such a case, before adding the control object to the modifier,
apply Reset XForm on page 849 and then collapse the stack.
See also:
■

Skin Wrap Patch Modifier on page 1675

Procedures
To use Skin Wrap (basic method):
1 Create a high-resolution base object and one or more low-resolution
control objects, which will deform the base object. In general, each control
object should have an overall shape similar to the part of the base object
that it will deform, and be positioned near that part of the base object.
2 Apply Skin Wrap to the high-resolution base object. The modifier transfers
animation or modeling from the control object to the base object.
3 On the Skin Wrap ➤ Parameters rollout, use Add to assign the control
object(s).
4 Choose a deformation engine: Vertex or Face.
5 Set global parameters as desired. These parameters affect all control
vertices, and include Deformation Engine, Falloff, Distance Influence,
and Face Limit.
6 To set local parameters, including strength and influence distances, access
the Control Vertices sub-object level of the Skin Wrap. Select one or more
control vertices, and then change the settings as necessary.

1666 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

7 Edit or animate the control object with modifiers and/or sub-object
transforms; the high-resolution (base) object deforms accordingly.
8 Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 as necessary. Occasionally you might need to
reset the modifier as well, by clicking the Reset button. Before doing so,
always return to a non-deformed point (or “skin pose”) in the animation;
typically, frame 0.

Interface
Skin Wrap modifier stack

Control Vertices sub-object level At the Control Vertices sub-object level,
you can view and select vertices on the control object(s), and set local
parameters on page 1670 for any selected vertices. By default, each selected
vertex is surrounded by loops on page 1673 that depict its volume of influence.
This sub-object level also uses color coding on affected points in the base
object to show each selected vertex's relative effect on points within the volume
of influence. Colors range from orange for the strongest influence to blue for
the weakest influence. Red is for vertices that are within its range of influence
but that it's not influencing.
By default, at this level, control vertices appear as small orange squares. To
prevent this, turn off Display Parameters rollout ➤ Display Control Vertices.

Skin Wrap Modifier | 1667

Parameters rollout

[control object list] Lists object(s) that deform the modified object. Use the
Add and Remove functions to edit the list contents.

1668 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Add Adds control objects to the list. Click Add, and then click each control
object in turn. To stop adding, right-click in the viewport or click Add again.
You can use as a control object anything that can be converted to a triangle
mesh, such as a mesh, patch, or a NURBS object. However, avoid using objects
that change topology, such as a deforming NURBS object with adaptive
tessellation.
Remove Removes control objects from the list. Click an object in the list, and
then click Remove.
Deformation Engine Determines which engine drives the deformation.
Default=Vertex Deformation.
■

The Vertex Deformation engine is a weighted engine; it uses vertex
proximity to drive the deformation. That is, each vertex in the control
object affects nearby points in the high-resolution (base) mesh.

■

With the Face Deformation engine, each control vertex is tied to the closest
face in the base object. Face deformation can use falloff, or be a rigid
deformation by setting Falloff to 0.001, the lowest possible value.

Falloff Determines the extent to which the control vertices affect nearby
points in the base object. This is a global setting. Default=1.0. Range=0.001
to 10.0.
Higher values pull nearby points closer to the control vertex. In Face
Deformation mode, setting Falloff to the lowest value, 0.001, causes rigid
deformation so that there's no falloff; the control vertex either affects the
base-object face or it doesn't. For best results, use Falloff values between 1.0
and 2.0, or with Face Deformation, 0.001 for rigid mode.
Distance Infl(uence) Determines the distance of influence, in system units,
of control vertices in the control object. This is a global setting, and is available
only in Vertex Deformation mode. Default=1.2. Range=0.001 to 10.0.
Distance Influence is a multiplier. It looks at the length of each edge that
touches each control vertex. For each vertex, it averages all the lengths and
then multiplies the average by the Distance Influence value. This lets vertices
that are touching only small faces to affect a small area, and vice-versa. The
higher the influence value, the smoother the deformation, but the less
individual control each vertex has. For best results, keep this value between
1.0 and 2.0.
Face Limit Determines the extent of influence, in control-object faces, of
control vertices in the control object. This is a global setting, and is available
only in Vertex Deformation mode. Default=3. Range=0 to 30.0.

Skin Wrap Modifier | 1669

Beyond this limit, no base-object points can be influenced by the control
vertex, even if they're within the Distance Influence radius.
Face Limit is useful for preventing the control-object influence from bridging
gaps in the mesh; for example, between fingers in a character mesh.
Blend To Base Mesh Causes the modifier to base deformation on the distance
from each affected point to the closest face in the control object. Turning on
this option makes the Blend Distance setting available.
Blend Distance Determines the relative distance between control-object faces
and vertices in the base object for deformation to take effect. Available only
when Blend To Base Mesh is on. Default=5.0.
Increasing this setting effectively causes a stronger deformation effect and
broadens the area on the control that affects the base object.

[local parameters]
The Local parameters are available only at the Control Vertices sub-object
level (see Skin Wrap modifier stack on page 1667), and affect only selected points.
If you select a single point, the numeric fields reflect its current parameter
values. If you select multiple points, 3ds Max displays only those values
common to all selected points; parameters with differing values are blank.
With multiple points selected, changing a value sets all selected points to that
value.
Local Str(ength) Determines the power and direction by which the
control-object vertex affect points under its influence in the base object. A
positive value pulls the points toward the vertex; a negative value pushes them
away. Default=1.0.
Local Scale Mult(iplier) Scales each selected control-object vertex's volume
of influence uniformly. Default=1.0.
Use the scale settings to increase or decrease the area of the base object that
the selected control vertex affects.
Local X/Y/Z Scales each selected control-object vertex's volume of influence
along the indicated axis. Default=1.0.
Change these parameters to produce a non-spherical volume of influence.

_____
Reset Resets all control-object vertices' local values to 1.0 and resamples the
mesh. It recalculates the control vertices' influence on the base object using
the current modifier settings.

1670 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Use Reset if you alter a parameter but don't see any change in the deformation.
For example, always use Reset after changing the Threshold value. Or, if you
want the control object to affect a different part of the base object, move the
former, and then use Reset so the modifier accounts for the change in
positional relationship between the two. You might also need to reset after
changing the topology of the base object or a control object.
IMPORTANT Use Reset at a point in the animation where no deformation is in
effect; typically, frame 0.
Threshold Determines the distance in system units that 3ds Max uses to find
the closest face to a control vertex. The greater the distances by which the
control object's and base object's surfaces deviate, the higher the Threshold
value needs to be. Default=5.0.
NOTE Threshold is recomputed only when you add a base mesh or click Reset.
WARNING Be careful about increasing this setting. High values can result in
excessive computation times, especially with complex base objects.
Weight All Points Forces all base-object points to have weights. Each weight
is calculated from a combination of three factors: control vertex scale, control
vertex strength, and base-object point position.
By default, not all base-object points are necessarily influenced by the control
object. Turning on Weight All Vertices causes all points to be influenced by
one or more control vertices. If a large number of base-object points are
unassigned, this can take a long time to calculate.
Convert To Skin Applies a new Skin modifier on page 1614 to the base object
that replicates the animation in the Skin Wrap modifier. Using this function
requires that a Skin modifier already be applied to each control object.
Basically, Convert To Skin intelligently “bakes” the animation from skinned
low-res control objects to the high-res base object. The Skin modifier that it
creates contains all the bone assignments from the original Skin modifier, but
with completely rebuilt weight settings based on the base-object weights
created by the Skin Wrap modifier.
This function is useful in game-development settings where the game engine
recognizes the Skin modifier settings but not the Skin Wrap modifier.

Skin Wrap Modifier | 1671

Advanced Parameters rollout

The Mirror tools in Skin Wrap let you apply local settings (Strength and Scale)
from control vertices on one side of a control object to the other, mirroring
them across a plane aligned with the X, Y, or Z axis. This is useful for setting
up character meshes.
NOTE Mirror copies only Skin Wrap settings from control vertices; it doesn't copy
animation data. Thus, when using Skin Wrap with a character model, first make
local settings for control vertices on one side of the control object, select the
vertices to copy, mirror them, and then animate the control object.
The Bake/Retrieve Control Vertices functions let you store control-vertex
settings into the base object and then retrieve them. This is useful for sharing
data among artists working on the same project.
Show Mirror Data Turns on display of the mirror plane gizmo as well as a
small circle showing the projected location for each selected control vertex.
Move the gizmo and the projected locations with the Mirror Offset control
(see following).
NOTE For mirror data to be visible, the Skin Wrap ➤ Control Vertices sub-object
level must be active.
Mirror Plane Choose the X, Y, or Z axis for mirroring.

1672 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Mirror Offset Moves the mirror plane as well as all mirrored vertices.
Mirror Threshold Sets the distance, in system units, that Skin Wrap uses to
find a control vertex near a projected vertex. Increase this if vertex locations
are not the same on either side of the mirror plane.
Mirror Selected Copies the local settings from each selected control vertex
to any control vertices within the threshold distance of its projected location
on the other side of the mirror plane.
Bake Control Verts Stores the Local Strength/Scale and the global Falloff,
Distance Infl., and Face Limit settings on the control objects for later retrieval
with Retrieve Control Vertices.
NOTE This data is static; any changes to the base-object topology invalidates it.
Retrieve Control Verts Takes any control-vertex data stored on the control
objects with Bake Control Vertices and copies them into the modifier.

Display Parameters rollout

These settings determine whether or not 3ds Max displays different elements
in the Skin Wrap modifier.
Display Loops Displays volumes of influence for selected control vertices as
red loops. Default=on.
Display Axis Displays the axis tripods for selected control vertices. Default=on.
Display Face Limit Shows all base-object points that the selected control
vertex or vertices can affect. This is a visualization of the Face Limit setting
on page 1669. Default=on.

Skin Wrap Modifier | 1673

Display Unassigned Points Draws a red circle around each base-object point
that the system did not find a closest face for and draws a red box around
each point that has a closest face but is not weighted by any control vertex.
Default=off.

Unassigned points: The circled points (bottom) have no closest face, while the points
with red boxes (center) have a closest face but aren't weighted by control vertices.

This is an important debugging tool because any vertex that is not assigned
a closest face will never be weighted. To do so, you need to increase the
Threshold value and click Reset, or turn on Weight All Points. Any points that
are not weighted to a control vertex can be fixed by increasing the Local Scale
of a control vertex near that point.
Display Control Verts Toggles display of all control vertices. Default=on.

1674 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Skin Wrap Patch Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Skin Wrap Patch
Skin Wrap Patch is a simple modifier that allows a patch object to deform a
mesh object. It's very easy to use: just assign the modifier to a mesh object,
and then use the modifier to specify a deforming patch object. Each point on
the patch object influences a surrounding volume of points on the mesh
object.
See also:
■

Skin Wrap Modifier on page 1665

Interface

Pick Patch Click this button, labeled “None” by default, and then select a
patch object to deform the mesh object. After picking the patch object, its
name appears on the button.
Sample Rate Determines the accuracy with which the modifier samples the
patch object. The higher the rate, the more accurate the resulting animation
will be, but the longer it will take to calculate.
Resample Forces the system to resample the date. This should be done at a
point in the animation at which no deformation takes place; typically, frame
0.

Skin Wrap Patch Modifier | 1675

Slice Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Slice

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Slice
The Slice modifier lets you create a cutting plane that slices through a mesh,
creating new vertices, edges and faces based on the location of the slice plane
gizmo. The vertices can either refine or split the mesh according to the selected
options.
The Slice modifier slices through groups, selected objects or sub-object
selections of faces. It works similarly to the Editable mesh ➤ Edge ➤ Slice
function but does not require the objects to be editable meshes.

Slice cuts through the cake.

You can animate the cutting plane, changing its position and rotation over
time. You can also use the Remove Top and Remove Bottom options to create
the appearance and disappearance of objects by animating the Slice Plane
gizmo.

1676 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Top: Original object
Middle: Object without top
Bottom: Object without bottom, respectively

Multiple Slices
To create multiple slices in an object you need to apply multiple Slice modifiers.
If the geometry doesn't need to remain parametric, you can collapse it into
an editable mesh and use the Slice tool available under Editable Mesh (Edge)

Slice Modifier | 1677

on page 2207. This tool is easier to use when you need to make multiple slices
in an object, but it does not stay parametric.

Warning: Slice and Sub-Object Selections
You can use Slice on sub-object selection sets by slicing or removing only the
selected faces. However, because selected faces are sliced and unselected
adjacent faces are not, there may be "holes" in the mesh on the edge where
the slice occurs. These holes can be problematic, creating discontinuities in
smoothing and rendering. Holes are created only when Operate On Faces is
on.

Procedures
Example: To animate the appearance of a teapot using the Slice modifier:
1 Create a teapot on page 349 primitive. Set the viewport to wireframe.
2 Apply a Slice modifier.
The Slice Plane gizmo appears at the base of the teapot.
3 On the modifier stack, highlight the Slice Plane gizmo.

4 Turn on

5

(Auto Key), and drag the time slider to frame 100.

Move the Slice Plane gizmo above the top of the teapot.
Play the animation to verify that the slice plane is animated.

6 Change the Slice type from Refine Mesh (the default) to Remove Top.

Play the animation again.
7 Make a copy of the teapot in the same position (choose Edit menu ➤
Clone and click OK to accept the default settings).
8 Put a Wireframe material on the clone and change the Slice type on the
clone to Remove Bottom.

9

Play the animation.
The wireframe teapot magically becomes a fully shaded one.

1678 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Example: To slice vertically through an object:
1 Create a teapot on page 349 primitive.
2 Apply a Slice modifier.
The Slice Plane gizmo appears at the base of the teapot.
3 On the modifier stack, expand the Slice modifier hierarchy and highlight
the Slice Plane gizmo.

4

Move the Slice Plane gizmo so it intersects the middle of the
teapot.

5

Rotate the Slice Plane gizmo so it is vertical.

6 Turn on Remove Top.
The back of the teapot is sliced away.
7 Turn on Remove Bottom.
The front half of the teapot is sliced away.

Slice Modifier | 1679

Interface
Modifier Stack

Slice Plane At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo
like any other object to determine where the slice occurs. Scaling the gizmo
has no effect, because its extents are effectively infinite. If you need to limit
the extent of the slice, use it on a sub-object selection set of faces, rather than
on the entire object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Slice Parameters rollout

Slice Type Defines how the slice plane will affect the geometry to which it
has been applied.
■

Refine MeshAdds new vertices and edges along the intersection of the
geometry with the slicing plane. Faces cut by the plane are subdivided into
new faces.

■

Split MeshAdds a double set of vertices and edges along the plane boundary
producing two separate meshes (one on either side of the slice plane),
which you can modify differently if desired. Use this to break a mesh in
two.

■

Remove TopDeletes all the faces and vertices above the Slice Plane.

1680 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Remove BottomDeletes all the faces and vertices below the Slice Plane.

Operate On Choose one of these buttons to specify how the slice handles
quads and other polygons.

■

FacesTreats the selection set as a set of triangular faces, slicing
each one in turn. Outputs a mesh-type object on page 2190.

■

PolygonsConverts the object to a polygon mesh based on visible
edges, eliminating hidden edges. Outputs a polymesh-type object on page
2240.

Operate On Face vs. Operate On Polygon

Slice Modifier | 1681

Smooth Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Smooth

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Smooth
The Smooth modifier provides auto-smoothing based on the angle of adjacent
faces. You can apply new smoothing groups to objects.
Smoothing eliminates the facets on geometry by grouping faces into smoothing
groups. At render time, faces in the same smoothing group appear as a smooth
surface.

1. No smoothing applied

1682 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

2. Smoothing threshold=15
3. Smoothing threshold=30

Patches
As of 3ds Max 4, patch objects coming up the modifier stack are not converted
to a mesh by this modifier. A patch object input to the Material modifier
retains its patch definition. Files that contain patch objects with the Material
modifier from previous versions of 3ds Max will be converted to meshes to
maintain backward compatibility.

Procedures
To smooth an object:

1

Select the object to smooth.

2 On the Modifiers menu, choose Mesh Editing ➤ Smooth.

3 On the
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Smooth.
4 Turn on Auto Smooth and adjust the Threshold for the desired smoothing
effect.
To apply smoothing groups manually:
1 Select an object.

2 Use a
Mesh Select modifier on page 1445 to select the faces to be
smoothed.
3 Click a numbered button to apply the corresponding smoothing group
to the selected faces.

Smooth Modifier | 1683

Interface
Parameters rollout

Auto Smooth If Auto Smooth is selected, the object is auto-smoothed using
the (animatable) threshold specified by the Threshold setting below it. Auto
Smooth sets the smoothing groups based on the angle between faces. Any two
adjacent faces are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between their
normals is less than the threshold angle.
Prevent Indirect Smoothing Turn on to prevent smoothing 'leaks" when
using Auto Smooth. If you apply Auto Smooth to an object, and portions of
that object that should not be smoothed become smoothed, then turn on
Prevent Indirect Smoothing to see if it corrects the problem.
Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent faces
are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between their normals is
less than the threshold angle.

Smoothing Groups group
The grid of 32 buttons shows which smoothing groups are used by the selected
faces, and are used to assign smoothing groups manually to selected faces.

1684 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Spherify Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Spherify

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Spherify
The Spherify modifier distorts an object into a spherical shape. This modifier
has only one parameter: a Percent spinner that deforms the object, as much
as possible, into a spherical shape.

Spherify shapes the dog inside the snake.

The success of the operation depends on the topology of the geometry to
which it's applied. For example, a cylinder with no height segments will result
in little change. Adding height segments will result in a barrel at 100 percent.
Adding cap segments will produce a sphere.
Try this on a teapot on page 349.

Spherify Modifier | 1685

Procedures
Example: To use the spherify modifier to distort a teapot:

Click Create ➤ Geometry ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Teapot.

1

2 Create a teapot in the viewports.

3

On the Modify panel, choose Spherify from the Modifier List.
The teapot should now look like a sphere.

4 Adjust the Percent setting to less than 100%.
Example: To animate spherifying a teapot:
1 Click Create ➤ Geometry ➤ Standard Primitives ➤ Teapot.
2 Create a teapot in the viewports.

3 On the

4 Turn on

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose Spherify.

(Auto Key).

5 Set the Spherify Percent to 0.
6 Drag the time slider ahead to frame 30.
7 Set the Spherify Percent to 100.

8 Turn off

(Auto Key).

9 Drag the time slider to play the animation, or click
Animation).

Interface

1686 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

(Play

Percent Sets the percentage of spherical distortion to apply to an object.

Spline IK Control Modifier
Select a spline or NURBS curve ➤
Spline IK Control

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤

When the Spline IK Control modifier is applied to a spline, you can select and
transform its vertices without having to access the vertex sub-object level. It
can also place helpers at each vertex location to aid in moving vertices.
The Spline IK Control modifier works by placing knots (control points) at each
vertex. The knots can then be used to control vertices, which in turn reshape
the spline.
This modifier also works on NURBS curves, placing a knot at each control
point or control vertex (CV).
Use the Spline IK Control modifier to prepare a spline or NURBS curve for use
with the Spline IK Solver.
See also:
■

Spline IK on page 3767

Spline IK Control Modifier | 1687

Interface

Control Objects When helpers are created, knot numbers and their
corresponding names appear here. Knot #1 is placed at the first vertex on page
9162 on the spline, and additional knots are numbered in sequence.
Create Helpers Places a helper at each knot, and displays knot numbers and
helper names in the Control Objects area. Helper display is based on selections
in the Helper Display group. Helpers are linked upon creation if a linking
option is selected in the Link Types group.

Link Types group

These options cause helpers to be linked upon creation.
Link All in Hierarchy Links each helper to its immediately previous helper.
For example, the helper at knot #3 is linked to the helper at knot #2, while
the helper at knot #2 is linked to the helper at knot #1.

1688 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Link All to Root Links each helper to the helper at knot #1.
No Linking Helpers are not linked.

Helper Display

When you click Create Helpers, 3ds Max can place one or more Point helper
objects at each knot, making it easier to move and animate the knots. You
can enable more than one type of helper.
Center Marker Places a small X-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Axis Tripod Places a small tripod-axis-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Cross Places a small cross-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Box Places a small box-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Size Sets the size for helpers.
Constant Screen Size Keeps the sizes of helpers constant regardless of the
zoom extent of the viewports.
Draw On Top Displays the helpers on top of all other objects in the scene for
improved visibility in busy scenes.
TIP To change the display of helpers after creation, select each helper and change
selections on the Modify panel.

Spline IK Control Modifier | 1689

Spline Select Modifier
Select a shape. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object Space
Modifiers ➤ Spline Select
Select a shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection Modifiers ➤ Spline Select
The Spline Select modifier passes a sub-object selection of shapes up the stack
to subsequent modifiers. It provides much of the same set of selection functions
available in the Edit Spline modifier on page 1368. You can select vertices,
segments, or splines, and you can change the selection from sub-object level
to object level.
This modifier is similar to the Mesh Select on page 1445 and Poly Select modifiers
on page 1529, except for the type of sub-object components.

Procedures
To use the Spline Select modifier:
1 Create a multi-spline shape.
2 Apply a Spline Select modifier.
By default, the Vertex sub-object level is active.
3 If you wish to work at a different sub-object level, use the modifier stack
display to choose it.
4 In the viewports, select vertices, segments, or splines.
TIP You can transform the selection using an XForm modifier on page 1961 or
Linked XForm modifier on page 1428.

1690 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface
Modifier Stack

The sub-object level you choose for the spline select modifier determines
which rollout appears. (There are no parameters at the top, object level.)
Vertex Creates a sub-object selection of vertices.
Segment Creates a sub-object selection of segments.
Spline Creates a sub-object selection of splines.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Select Vertex rollout

Get Segment Selection, Get Spline Selection Select vertices based on the last
Segment or Spline selection. This selection is added to the current selection.
Available only when Vertex is not the current sub-object level.

Spline Select Modifier | 1691

Select Segment rollout

Get Vertex Selection, Get Spline Selection Select segments based on the last
vertex or spline selection. The selection is added to the current selection.
Available only when Segment is not the current sub-object level.

Select Spline rollout

Get Vertex Selection, Get Segment Selection Select splines based on the last
vertex or segment selection. The selection is added to the current selection.
Available only when Spline is not the current sub-object level.

Copy/Paste Selection controls (all rollouts)
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
You can copy a named selection from one object to another or one modifier
to another. You must copy and paste in the same sub-object level.

1692 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Squeeze Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Squeeze
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Squeeze
The Squeeze modifier lets you apply a squeezing effect to objects, in which
the vertices closest to the object's pivot point on page 9269 move inward. The
squeeze is applied around the Squeeze gizmo's local Z axis. You can also use
Squeeze to create a bulge on the vertical axis, to accentuate the squeeze effect.

Left: Original object
Middle and Right: Varying squeeze amounts

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Squeeze modifier. Translating the
gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo
takes place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center,
altering the Squeeze gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the squeezed object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Squeeze Modifier | 1693

Parameters rollout

Axial Bulge group
These controls let you apply a bulge effect along the Squeeze gizmo's local Z
axis, which is aligned by default with the object's local Z axis.
Amount Controls the magnitude of the bulging effect. Higher values effectively
elongate the object and cause the ends to curve outward.
Curve Sets the degree of curvature on the bulging ends. You can use this to
control whether the bulge is smooth or pointy.

Radial Squeeze group
These controls let you apply a squeeze effect around the Squeeze gizmo's local
Z axis, which is aligned by default with the object's local Z axis.
Amount Controls the magnitude of the squeezing action. Values larger than
zero tend to constrict the "waist" of the object, and values less than zero tend
to bulge the waistline out, as if the object had been stepped on.

1694 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Curve Sets the degree of curvature into the squeeze. Low values cause a sharp
squeezing effect, while high values create a gradual, less pronounced squeeze.

Limits group
These controls let you limit the squeeze effect's extents along the local Z axis.
Limit Effect Limits the extent of the squeeze effect as defined by the Lower
and Upper Limit settings.
Lower Limit Sets the limit in the positive direction along the Z axis.
Upper Limit Sets the limit in the negative direction along the Z axis.

Effect Balance group
Bias Changes the relative amounts of bulge and squeeze while retaining a
constant object volume.
Volume Increases or decreases the effects of both Squeeze and Bulge in parallel.

STL Check Modifier
Select an object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ STL Check

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ STL check
The STL Check modifier checks an object to see if it's correct for exporting to
an STL (stereolithography) file format on page 8364. Stereolithography files are
used by specialized machines to produce prototype physical models based on
the data in the STL file.
To create a physical model, an STL file must have a complete and closed
surface. Using STL Check to test your geometry before you export it can save
time and money when the file is used to create the physical model.

STL Check Modifier | 1695

STL Check errors.
1. Open edges
2. Double face
3. Spikes
4. Multiple edges

Procedures
To check an object for STL compatibility:

1

Select the object, then on the
List, choose Mesh Editing ➤ STL Check.

Modify panel ➤ Modifier

2 Turn on Check.
The message in the Status group shows if errors are found. STL Check
indicates errors by selecting the problem geometry, assigning it a special
material ID, or both.

1696 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Errors group
Choosing one of these options selects incorrect geometry specific to the choice,
and selects it depending on the option chosen in the Selections group.

STL Check Modifier | 1697

Open Edge Checks for open edges (holes).
Double Faces Checks for faces that share the same 3D space.
Spike Checks for spikes, which are isolated faces that share only one edge
with the object.
Multiple Edges Checks for faces that share more than one edge.
Everything Checks for all of the above.
TIP While checking Everything takes the longest amount of time, it is
recommended if you plan to use the STL file for generating a physical model.

Selections group
These options specify the level of incorrect geometry that's selected, based on
the settings in the Errors group.
Don't Select When on, STL Check doesn't select any part of objects in error.
Select Edges When on, STL Check marks the edges of faces in error by selecting
them. The selection of erroneous edges is visible in viewports.
Select Faces When on, STL Check marks the faces of any object in error by
selecting them. The selection of erroneous faces is visible in viewports.
Change Mat-ID When on (the default), STL Check also marks faces in error
by assigning them a unique material ID. Use the spinner to choose the value
of the material ID that STL Check uses.
Check Turn on to perform the STL check. For complex models, expect a pause
between the time you turn this on, and the time you see the reported errors
in the Status group. Default=off.
Status Displays the number of errors when Check is on.
TIP If Select Edges is turned off, you can see faces in error by applying an Edit
Mesh modifier on page 1263 and selecting by material ID at the Face sub-object
level. You can also assign a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542 to the object
to help you see where the errors are.

1698 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Stretch Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Stretch

Modify panel ➤ Modifiers List ➤ Object Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Stretch
The Stretch modifier simulates the traditional animation effect of
"squash-and-stretch." Stretch applies a scale effect along a specified stretch
axis and an opposite scale along the two remaining minor axes.
The amount of opposite scaling on the minor axes varies, based on distance
from the center of the scale effect. The maximum amount of scaling occurs
at the center and falls off toward the ends.

Applying a Stretch modifier to the object on the left creates the object on the right.

Stretch Modifier | 1699

Procedures
To stretch an object:

1

Select an object.

2

Apply Stretch.

3 On the Parameters rollout ➤ Stretch Axis group, choose X, Y, or Z.
4 On the Parameters rollout ➤ Stretch group, enter a value in the Stretch
field.
5 Adjust the Parameters rollout ➤ Stretch group ➤ Amplify setting to
change the amount of scaling along the minor axes.
To limit a stretch:
1 Apply a Stretch modifier to an object and specify the stretch amounts
and stretch axis.
2 On the Parameters rollout ➤ Limits group, turn on Limit Effect.
3 Set values for the Upper and Lower Limits to define the Stretch boundaries
on either side of the Stretch center.
4 In the modifier stack, choose the Center sub-object level, and move the
center to locate the limited stretch effect.

Interface
Modifier stack
Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Stretch modifier. Translating the
gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo
takes place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center,
altering the Stretch gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the stretched object.

1700 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout

Use options in the Parameters rollout to set the following:
■

Amount of stretch

■

Major stretch axis

■

Area affected by the stretch

Stretch group
The Stretch group of the Parameters rollout has two fields that control the
amount of stretch scaling applied.
Stretch Sets the base scale factor for all three axes. The scale factor derived
from the Stretch value varies according to the sign of the value.
■

Positive stretch values define a scale factor equal to Stretch+1. For example,
a stretch value of 1.5 yields a scale factor of 1.5+1=2.5, or 250 percent.

■

Negative stretch values define a scale factor equal to -1/(Stretch-1). For
example, a stretch value of -1.5 yields a scale factor of -1/(-1.5-1)=0.4, or
40 percent.

Stretch Modifier | 1701

The calculated scale factor is applied to the selected stretch axis and the
inverse scale is applied to the minor axes.

Stretch values of 0.0, 0.5, and -0.5

Amplify Changes the scale factor applied to the minor axes. Amplify generates
a multiplier using the same technique as stretch. The multiplier is then applied
to the Stretch value before the scale factor for the minor axes is calculated.
Amplify values affect scaling along the minor axes in the following way:
■

A value of 0 has no effect. It uses the default scale factor calculated from
the Stretch amount.

■

Positive values exaggerate the effect.

■

Negative values reduce the effect.

Stretched objects with Amplify values of 0.0, 1.0, and -1.0.

1702 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Stretch Axis group
You select which of the object's local axes is the Stretch Axis using options in
the Stretch Axis group of the Parameters rollout.
■

The scale factor calculated from the Stretch Amount is applied to the Stretch
Axis.

■

The inverse scale factor is applied to the remaining minor axes.

Effects of changing the Stretch axis

Limits group
You can apply the stretch effect to the entire object, or limit it to a portion
of the object, using controls in the Limits group of the Parameters rollout.
The limits restrict the stretch effect along the positive and negative Stretch
Axis as measured from the modifier's center.
Limit Effect Limits the stretch effect. When Limit Effect is turned off, values
in the Upper and Lower Limit fields are ignored.
Upper Limit Sets the boundary of the stretch effect along the positive Stretch
Axis. The Upper Limit can be 0 or any positive number.
Lower Limit Sets the boundary of the stretch effect along the negative Stretch
Axis. The Lower Limit can be 0 or any negative number.

Stretch Modifier | 1703

Limiting the effect of Stretch

Click Sub-Object and move the modifier's center to change the location of
the limited stretch areas. The Upper and Lower Limit boundaries move with
the modifier center to maintain their specified distances.

Effects of moving the Stretch center

NOTE You can also limit the stretch effect by using an Edit or Select modifier,
defining a sub-object selection, and then applying Stretch. If the modifier's
Sub-Object button is active, only the selected sub-objects will be stretched.

1704 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Subdivide Modifier (Object Space)
Select an object ➤
Modifiers ➤ Subdivide

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Radiosity Modifiers ➤ Subdivide
The Subdivide modifier provides an algorithm for creating meshes used for
radiosity on page 7068 processing. Processing radiosity requires meshes that
have elements shaped as close as possible to equilateral triangles. The density
of the mesh also needs to be considered in determining the resolution of the
lighting details that need to be captured. The denser the mesh is, the finer the
lighting detail and accuracy will be. The trade-off is a larger memory
requirement and slower rendering times. The Subdivide modifier works on a
whole object and does not work on selected faces in a mesh.

Subdivide modifier breaks flat surfaces into meshes.

Although it is primarily developed for increasing the quality of radiosity
solutions, the Subdivide modifier can also be used by any application that

Subdivide Modifier (Object Space) | 1705

requires well-formed meshes. For example, irregular mesh elements generated
for Terrain on page 663 compound objects can be improved.
The modifier has world space and object space variants. In the world space
modifier the size limit is on the mesh after it is transformed into world space
coordinates. The object space modifier limits the size in object space
coordinates.
NOTE Typically, the Subdivide modifier is applied automatically to objects in the
scene when a radiosity solution is processed. Meshing parameters can be set on
a global basis in the radiosity control panel on page 7087 or for individual objects
in the Object Properties dialog on page 221.
TIP When you are satisfied with the subdivision settings on one object, you can
drag the modifier to other objects to propagate it.

Interface

Size Controls the size of triangles in the subdivided mesh. The length of the
longest edge of any triangle will not exceed the square root of 2 times the size
in the Subdivide modifier. The square root of 2 factor is used, so that a square
whose edges are the size will not be subdivided.

Update group
The radio buttons in the Update group control when the meshing is done.

1706 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Automatic Updates immediately when changes are made to the controls or
the mesh.
Render Updates only for rendering.
Manual Updates only when Update Now is pressed. Subdivision can be
interrupted using the Esc key. If the subdivision is interrupted the Update
mode is changed to Manual.
Update Now Updates the mesh when Manual is turned on.
Display Subdivision Controls whether all of the triangles are visible, or only
the edges where face properties are changing. Allows you to reduce the visible
triangles in the scene if it appears cluttered.

Substitute Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Substitute

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Typically, designers use two-dimensional shapes to represent objects, such as
furniture, in their AutoCAD designs. However, when they link their DWG
files on page 9140 into 3ds Max for visualization, they want to see how the
objects will look in their design.

Top view of 2D symbols used to represent 3D objects

Substitute Modifier | 1707

The Substitute modifier lets you quickly replace one or more objects with
another in the viewports or at render time. The substitute object can be
instanced from the current scene or can be referenced from an external file.

The Substitute modifier replaces the 2D objects with their 3D counterparts.

To get rid of the substitute object, simply remove the modifier from the stack.
This frees up the memory required to store it.
TIP When you file link to a DWG file, the file is imported to 3ds Max as groups of
VIZBlocks on page 9344. If the pivot points of the VIZBlock and the substituted
geometry do not match, you may not obtain the desired results. Adjust the pivot
point of the VIZBlock object using the Adjust Geometry button to align the
substituted geometry correctly.
See also:
■

XRef Objects on page 7971

■

XRef Scene on page 7999

1708 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Procedures
To use an object from the current scene as a substitute:

1

Select an object, and then

apply the Substitute modifier.

2 Click Pick Scene Object, and then in the viewport, click an object to
substitute for the selection.
Alternatively, click the ... button to the right of Pick Scene Object and
use the dialog to select an object.
The original object is replaced by an instance of the substitute object.
3 To see the original object in the viewport, turn off In Viewport. To see
the original object in the final rendering, turn off In Render. To
permanently disable the substitution, delete the modifier.
To use an externally referenced object as a substitute:

1

Select an object, and then

apply the Substitute modifier.

2 Click Select XRef Object.
3 Use the Open File dialog to designate the file that contains the substitute
object you want to use.
4 Use the XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 to designate the object to use as
a substitute.
The original object is replaced by an instance of the substitute object.
To see the original object in the viewport, turn off Display group ➤ In
Viewport. To see the original object in the final rendering, turn off Display
group ➤ In Render. To permanently disable the substitution, delete the
modifier.

Interface
Modifier Stack
Substitute Object At this sub-object level, you can transform the substitute
object without affecting the original, changing the offset distance between
them. Otherwise, transforming the substitute object affects both equally.

Substitute Modifier | 1709

Parameters rollout

Display group
In Viewport Replaces the original object with the substitute in the viewports.
In Render Replaces the original object with the substitute when you render
the scene.

_____
Object This editable text field displays the name of the substitute object and
lets you rename it.
NOTE The name, if changed, appears only on the Modify panel at the current
stack level. That is, the name is local to the current application of the Substitute
modifier.
Type (label) Displays the type of object used as a substitute. If you use a scene
object, the type is shown as Instance. If you use an XRef object, the type is
shown as XRef Object. Appears only after you designate a substitute object.

1710 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Substitute Assignment group
Pick Scene Object Lets you choose an object from the current scene to be
instanced as a substitute for the selected object. Click Pick Scene Object, and
then select the object from a viewport to use as a substitute. If In Viewport is
on and Retain Current Position is off (the default settings), an instance on
page 9195 of the substitute object appears in the place of the original object.
The mouse cursor changes to a plus sign (+) when over an object that can be
used as a substitute. You cannot use an object to which the Substitute modifier
is applied as a substitute object.
Use the button labeled "..." to the right of Pick Scene Object to choose a
substitute object using the Select Substitute Object dialog, which works like
the Select From Scene dialog on page 184. In the dialog's list window, highlight
the object to use as a substitute, and then click Select.
Select XRef Object Lets you specify an object to be instanced from an external
scene file as the substitute. Click Select XRef Object, and then, in the Open
File dialog, open the file containing the substitute object. On the XRef Merge
dialog on page 7993, select the substitute object and then click OK. Objects to
which the Substitute modifier is applied don't appear in the list.
NOTE Because the object used as a substitute is referenced from an external file,
any changes to the object in that file apply to the substitute after reloading. For
example, if you apply a Bend modifier to the substitute object in the external file,
then the next time you load the file containing the object with the Substitute
modifier, it appears bent.
Retain Local Rotation/Scale When on, rotates or scales the new object
instance in the same place as the substitute object you select. In this case, the
two objects coincide in space, and you must move one to see both. When off,
3ds Max positions the instanced substitute object in the same place as the
object containing the Substitute modifier.
You must specify the Retain Local Rotation/Scale setting before designating
the substitute object. Changing this setting afterward has no effect.

Surface Modifier
Select a spline object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Surface
Select a spline object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Surface

Surface Modifier | 1711

Procedures on page 1718 Interface on page 1722
The Surface modifier generates a patch surface based on the contours of a
spline network. A patch is created wherever the segments of the interwoven
splines form a three- or four-sided polygon. The Surface modifier and the
CrossSection modifier, taken together, are referred to as Surface Tools. They
allow you to create complex or organic surfaces, like the fuselage of a plane,
or a three-dimensional character.

Applying the Surface modifier to create a patch surface.

The CrossSection modifier on page 1240 can be applied before the Surface
modifier to connect splines representing cross-sections. Once the basic spline
network is created and the Surface modifier is applied, the model can be
adjusted by editing the splines using an Edit Spline modifier below the Surface
modifier in the modifier stack. Since the Surface modifier creates a Patch
surface, further refinements can be made to the patch model by adding an
Edit Patch modifier above the Surface modifier.
The bulk of the work in using Surface tools to model lies in creating and editing
splines in an Editable Spline or Edit Spline modifier. One of the benefits to
modeling using splines and Surface Tools is the ease of editing the model. At
almost any stage of modeling, you can add a nostril, ear, limb or body by

1712 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

simply adding splines. This lends itself to a free-form approach to organic
modeling: you have a mental image of what you want, then you create and
edit the spline network until you are satisfied.
NOTE 3ds Max offers a simplified workflow for this modeling technique, using
Edit/Editable Spline and the Edit Patch modifier. For details, see To create a patch
object using the Cross Section and Spline Surface tools: on page 1272.

Surface Modifier Basics
1 Create a spline object.
2 Make sure that the Spline vertices form valid three-sided or four-sided,
closed regions. Vertices on splines that cross one another should be
coincident.
To make spline vertices coincident, drag vertices over each other with
3D Snap turned on. 3D Snap must have the Vertex or End Point option
turned on. With 3D Snap turned on, you can snap to vertices on existing
splines as you create new splines. You can also select vertices and use the
Fuse option in an Editable Spline to make vertices co-incident.
3 Use the CrossSection modifier to connect spline cross-sections, unless
you plan on manually creating the splines that connect the model's
cross-sections.
4 Apply the Surface modifier, then adjust the weld threshold to generate
a patch object. Ideally all spline vertices that will form a patch surface
are coincident; the Threshold parameter allows patch creation even if
vertices are not quite coincident.
5 Optionally, add an Edit Patch modifier to edit the patch surface.
TIP Make a reference copy of the spline object, then add the Surface modifier
to the copy and edit the original. As you edit the original spline object, patches
appear on the reference copy as splines form three-or four-sided shapes. This
allows you to view a shaded surface as you model.
You can take this a step further and add a Mirror modifier to the reference
copy. As you create splines for one side of a head or body, the reference copy
displays an entire model.

Surface Modifier | 1713

Modeling with Surface Tools
There are two primary methods of using the Surface modifier to create patch
models.
■

Create splines that represent a model's cross sections, add the CrossSection
modifier to connect the cross sections, and apply the Surface modifier to
create the patch surface. This approach works for models like the body of
an airplane.
Alternatively, use the editable spline Cross Section function on page 567 to
connect the cross sections, and then use the editable patch Spline Surface
tools on page 1273 to create the surface.

■

Create a network of splines manually, and then apply the Surface modifier
or editable patch Spline Surface tools to create the patch surface. This
approach works for modeling a face or body of a character.

Modeling Examples

1714 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Scooter: Splines form cross sections of the body

One method of using Surface Tools is to create splines that represent a model's
cross sections, then the CrossSection and Surface modifiers are applied to
create the patch surface.

Surface Modifier | 1715

Face: Spline network based on front and profile reference images

Two intersecting texture-mapped polygons are used as a reference to create a
network of splines manually. Drawing lines on the physical sculpture is used
as an added visual aid to position the splines in this case. The CrossSection
modifier is not necessary if you create the spline network manually.
As the spline network is edited, the patch surface of the reference copy is
updated dynamically. This allows you to view a shaded patch model as you
manipulate the spline network, any surface anomalies can be spotted and
corrected.

1716 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Sequence of images showing the spline network, the patches created by the Surface
modifier, and a shaded view of an alien character.

Additional Details
■

Splines are initially created using the tools in Create panel ➤ Shapes ➤
Splines ➤ Object Type rollout, such as Line on page 518, Circle on page
524, Arc on page 526, and Section on page 541. Splines can also be created
using the Create Line command in an Editable Spline or and Edit Spline
modifier.

Surface Modifier | 1717

■

Splines are edited by applying an Edit Spline modifier to the selected spline
object or editing parameters in an Editable Spline. Editing splines changes
the patch surface created by the Surface modifier.

■

To add splines to a spline object, use the Attach command in the Edit
Spline modifier.

■

Within a spline object, splines need not be continuous. A spline object
may consist of ten splines, for example. As long as the spline vertices are
coincident, or close enough for the Threshold parameter in the Surface
modifier to weld them together, a surface will be generated.

Procedures
Example: Understanding valid splines:

1 In the Top viewport, use
Create panel ➤
(Shapes) ➤ NGon
to create three NGons: a three-sided, four-sided, and five-sided NGon,
each about 100 units wide.

2 Make sure that all the splines form one object. Do this by
applying
an Edit Spline modifier to one of the NGons and using Attach to add the
remaining NGon objects.

1718 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

3 Choose Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Surface from the
Modifier List.
Notice that the three- and four-sided splines formed patches but the
five-sided NGon did not. The five-sided spline does not form a three- or
four-sided closed region. To make it a valid spline, a line must bisect the
NGon to form a three- and four-sided region.
4 In the modifier stack, highlight the Edit Spline modifier again. On the
Geometry rollout, turn on Create Line, then create a line that bisects the
five-sided NGon.
The start and end points of the line should overlap the vertices on the
NGon. Being exact is not critical; the Threshold parameter fuses spline
vertices based on their proximity.

Surface Modifier | 1719

5 In the modifier stack, highlight the Surface modifier again. Now the
five-sided NGon is a patch object, consisting of a quad patch and a tri
patch.
NOTE If the spline object did not turn into a patch, increase the Surface
modifier's Threshold parameter until the patches appear.

Example continued: Adjusting the shape of the spline:
1 In the modifier stack,
expand the Edit Spline modifier's hierarchy,
and higlight the Vertex sub-object level.

2 In the Top viewport,
NGon.3ds Max displays

select the top vertex of the five-sided

two vector handles. You can move these handles on any axis.

3 On the main toolbar, turn on
(Select and Move), then drag the
handles around in the Top viewport.
The shape of the spline changes.

1720 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

4 Below the modifier stack display, turn on
Toggle).

(Show End Result On/Off

The patch changes shape to fit the spline.

Surface Modifier | 1721

Interface

Spline Options group
Threshold Determines the overall distance that is used to weld the vertices
of the spline object. All vertices/vectors within the threshold of each other
are treated as one. Threshold uses units set in the Units Setup dialog on page
8955.
NOTE Spline control handles are also treated as vertices, so setting high Threshold
levels can produce unexpected results.
Flip Normals Flips the normal direction of the patch surface.
Remove Interior Patches Removes interior faces of an object that you would
not normally see. These are the faces created within the caps or other interior
patches of the same type of a closed polygon.
Use only selected segs Only segments selected in the Edit Spline modifier
will be used by the Surface modifier to create patches.
NOTE Segment Sub-Object does not have to be left on in the Edit Spline modifier.

1722 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Patch Topology group
Steps The steps field spinner determines how many steps are used between
each vertex. The higher the step count, the smoother the curve you will get
between vertices.

SurfDeform Modifier (Object Space)
Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ SurfDeform

Modify panel ➤ Modifiers List ➤ Object Space

Select an object. ➤
Modifiers ➤ SurfDeform

Modify panel ➤ Modifiers List ➤ World Space

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ SurfDeform
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Animation Modifiers ➤ SurfDeform
(WSM)
The SurfDeform modifier works the same way as the PatchDeform modifier
on page 1514, except that it uses a NURBS Point or CV surface instead of a patch
surface to apply surface deformation.

SurfDeform Modifier (Object Space) | 1723

SurfDeform shapes how the snake rests.

Procedures
To use the SurfDeform modifier:
1 Select an object.

2 From the
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose Object Space
Modifiers ➤ SurfDeform.
3 On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Surface.

4

Select a NURBS Point or CV surface.

5 Deform the object by adjusting the controls in the Surface Deform group.

1724 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

See PatchDeform modifier on page 1514 for a description of the user interface.

Sweep Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Select a 2D shape. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Sweep
Select a 2D shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Sweep
The Sweep modifier is used to extrude a cross-section along an underlying
spline or NURBS curve path. It is similar to the Loft compound object but is
a more efficient method. The Sweep modifier allows you to work with a series
of pre-made cross-sections such as angles, channels and wide flanges. You can
also use your own splines or NURBS curves as custom sections that you create
in 3ds Max or import from other MAX files.
NOTE This modifier is similar to the Extrude modifier in that once the Sweep is
applied to a spline, the end result is a 3D mesh object. Both sections and paths
can contain multiple splines or multiple NURBS curves.
This modifier is very useful for creating structural steel details, molding details,
or in any situation where you need to extrude a section along a spline.

Sweep Modifier | 1725

Examples of extrusions created with the Sweep modifier

Procedures
To apply the Sweep modifier to a line:
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a line.

2

Apply the Sweep modifier to the line.
The line takes on the shape of an angled extrusion.

3 Open the Built-In Section list and choose a different section.
The line now has the new section swept along its length.
To use a custom section with the Sweep modifier:
1 Create a line and a six sided NGon in the perspective viewport.

2

Apply the Sweep modifier to the line.

1726 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The line takes on the shape of an angled extrusion.
3 Click the Use Custom Section radio button.
The line displays as a line again.
4 Click the Pick button in the Custom Section Types group and choose the
NGon in the viewport.
The hexagonal shape is swept along the line's length.
NOTE If you find that you need to rescale the Custom Section shape, the
effects of using a transform like Select and Squash or Non-Uniform Scale will
not be reflected when swept. You need to apply an XForm modifier on page
1961 to the section and then rescale the XForm modifier's gizmo.

Interface
Section Type rollout

Sweep Modifier | 1727

Use Built-In Section Choose this to use one of the included stock sections.

Built-In Section group
Built-In Section list Clicking the arrow button for this list displays common
structural sections.

■

Angle sectionSweeps a structural angle section along
the spline. Default section=Angle.
Bar sectionSweeps a 2D rectangular section along the

■

spline.
Channel sectionSweeps a structural channel section

■

along the spline.
Cylinder sectionSweeps a solid 2D circle section along

■

the spline.
■

Half Round sectionThis section produces a half round
extrusion along the spline.
Pipe sectionSweeps a circular hollow tube section

■

along the spline.
■

Quarter Round sectionUseful for molding details;
this section produces a quarter round extrusion along the spline.
Tee sectionSweeps a structural tee section along the

■

spline.

1728 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Tube sectionBased on a square, this sweeps a hollow
tube section along the spline. Similar to the Pipe section.

■

Wide Flange sectionSweeps a structural wide flange
section along the spline.

Use Custom Section Choose this if you've created your own section or there
is another shape in the current scene or in another MAX file that you'd like
to use as your section.
NOTE Using a 2D shape as the Sweep modifier’s custom section will yield the
most predictable results. If using a 3D shape as the custom section, for the most
predictable results the base object should be a straight line or smooth path like a
circle or an arc. The same applies to custom sections made up of multiple splines.
You'll get the best results attained by insuring that all vertices in all the shapes are
coplanar.

Custom Section Types group
Section Displays the name of the custom shape you've selected. This area is
blank until you select a custom shape.
NOTE You can switch from a custom section to a built-in section and back without
having to pick the custom-section shape again from the viewports.
Pick If the custom shape you want to use is visible in the viewport, click the
Pick button and then pick the shape directly from the scene.
Pick Shape Click the Pick Shape button to open the Pick Shape dialog on
page 1745. This dialog shows only valid shapes that are currently in the scene.
Extract Lets you create a new shape in the scene that is either a copy, instance,
or reference of the current custom section. Opens the Extract Shape dialog on
page 1747.
Merge From File Lets you choose a section that is stored in another MAX file.
Opens the Merge File dialog on page 1749.
NOTE When you use the Merge from File option, you will not be able to Undo
your work.
Move Sweeps the custom section along the specified spline. Unlike the
Instance, Copy and Reference switches, the selected section is moved to the

Sweep Modifier | 1729

spline. Editing the original shape in the viewports has no effect on the Sweep
mesh.
Copy Sweeps a copy of the selected section along the specified spline.
Instance Sweeps an instance on page 9195 of the selected section to the specified
spline.
Reference Sweeps a reference on page 9282 of the selected section along the
specified spline.
NOTE When using Instance or Reference, adding modifiers to or editing the
original section in the viewports will change the Sweep mesh.

Interpolation rollout (Sweep modifier)

The controls in the Interpolation rollout of the Sweep modifier work exactly
as they do for any other spline. However, the controls affect only the built-in
section you've chosen, not the spline that the section is swept along.
NOTE If you want to change the interpolation settings of the underlying spline
path, you need to select the path object in the modifier stack.
In general, all spline curves are divided into small straight lines that
approximate a true curve. The number of divisions between each vertex on
the spline are called steps. The more steps used, the smoother the curve appears.
NOTE The Interpolation rollout is only active when built-in sections are used.

1730 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: The quarter-round section is set to zero steps.
Right: The same section on the right is set to four steps.

Steps Sets the number of divisions, or steps, 3ds Max uses between each built-in
section's vertices. Splines with tight curves require many steps to look smooth
while gentle curves require fewer steps. Range=0 to 100.
Spline steps can be either adaptive or manually specified. The method used
is set by the state of the Adaptive switch. The main use for manual
interpolation is to create splines for morphing or other operations where you
must have exact control over the number of vertices created.
Optimize When on, removes unneeded steps from straight segments in the
spline. Default=on.
NOTE Optimize is not available when Adaptive is on.

Left: Optimize is on for the left-hand sweep.
Right: Optimize is off for the right-hand sweep.

Sweep Modifier | 1731

Adaptive When on, automatically sets the number of steps for each spline to
produce a smooth curve. Straight segments always receive 0 steps. When off,
enables manual interpolation control using Optimize and Steps. Default=off.

Parameters rollout
The Parameters rollout is context-sensitive and displays different settings
depending upon the built-in section you've chosen to sweep along a spline.
For example, more complex sections such as the Angle have seven settings
that you can change whereas the Quarter-Round has only one setting.

Parameters rollout: Angle

Length Controls the height of the vertical leg of the angle section. Default=6.0.
Width Controls the width of the horizontal leg of the angle section.
Default=4.0.
Thickness Controls the thickness of both legs of the angle. Default=0.5.
Sync Corner Fillets When turned on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of
both the interior and exterior corners between the vertical and horizontal
legs. It also maintains the thickness of the section. Default=off.
Corner Radius 1 Controls the exterior radius between the vertical and
horizontal legs of the angle section. Default=0.0.
Corner Radius 2 Controls the interior radius between the vertical and
horizontal legs of the angle section. Default=0.5.
Edge Radii Controls the interior radius at the outermost edges of the vertical
and horizontal legs. Default=0.0.

1732 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

NOTE Be cautious when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set an inside radius (Corner
Radius 2) that is greater than the length or width of the legs of the angle.

Parameters rollout: Bar

Length Controls the height of the bar section. Default=6.0.
Width Controls the width of the bar section. Default=6.0.
Corner Radius Controls the radius of all four corners of the section.
Default=0.0.

Parameters rollout: Channel

Length Controls the height of the vertical web of the channel section.
Default=12.0.
Width Controls the width of the top and bottom horizontal legs of the channel
section. Default=4.0.

Sweep Modifier | 1733

Thickness Controls the thickness of both legs of the channel. Default=0.5.
Sync Corner Fillets When on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of both
the interior and exterior corners between the vertical web and horizontal legs.
It also maintains the thickness of the section. Default=off.
Corner Radius 1 Controls the exterior radius between the vertical web and
horizontal legs of the channel. Default=0.0.
Corner Radius 2 Controls the interior radius between the vertical web and
horizontal legs of the channel. Default=0.5.
NOTE Be cautious when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set an inside radius (Corner
Radius 2) that is greater than the length of the web or width of the legs.

Parameters rollout: Cylinder

Radius Controls the radius of the cylinder section. Default=3.0.

Parameters rollout: Half-Round

Radius Controls the radius of the half round section. Default=3.0.

Parameters rollout: Pipe

Radius Controls the exterior radius of the pipe section. Default=3.0.

1734 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Thickness Controls the thickness of the wall of the pipe. Default=0.5.

Parameters rollout: Quarter-Round

Radius Controls the radius of the quarter round section. Default=3.0.

Parameters rollout: Tee

Length Controls the height of the vertical web of the tee section. Default=12.0.
Width Controls the width of the flange crossing the tee section. Default=6.0.
Thickness Controls the thickness of the web and flange. Default=0.5.
Corner Radius Controls the radius of the two interior corners between the
vertical web and horizontal flange of the section. Default=0.5.
NOTE Be cautious when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set a radius (Corner Radius)
that is greater than the length of the web or width of the flange.

Sweep Modifier | 1735

Parameters rollout: Tube

Length Controls the height of the tube section. Default=6.0.
Width Controls the width of the tube section. Default=6.0.
Thickness Controls the thickness of the walls of the tube. Default=0.5.
Sync Corner Fillets When turned on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of
both the interior and exterior corners of the tube. It also maintains the
thickness of the section. Default=on.
Corner Radius 1 Controls the radius of all four interior and exterior corners
of the section. Default=0.8.
If Sync Corner Fillets is turned off, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of the
four exterior corners of the tube.
Corner Radius 2 Controls the radius of the four interior corners of the tube.
Default=0.0.
Corner Radius 2 is only available when Sync Corner Fillets is turned off.
NOTE Take care when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set an inside radius (Corner
Radius 2) that is greater than the length and width of the sides.

1736 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout: Wide Flange

Length Controls the height of the vertical web of the wide flange section.
Default=14.0.
Width Controls the width of the horizontal flanges crossing the section.
Default=8.0.
Thickness Controls the thickness of the web and flanges. Default=0.5.
Corner Radius Controls the radius of the four interior corners between the
vertical web and horizontal flanges. Default=0.5.
NOTE Be cautious when adjusting these settings. There are no constraining
relationships between them. Therefore, it's possible to set a radius (Corner Radius)
that is greater than the length of the web or width of the flanges.

Sweep Modifier | 1737

Sweep Parameters rollout

Mirror On XZ Plane When turned on, the section is flipped vertically in
relation to the spline to which the Sweep modifier is applied. Default=off.

1738 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: The object shows the default state.
Right: The object has Mirror On XZ Plane turned on.

Mirror On XY Plane When turned on, the section is flipped horizontally in
relation to the spline to which the Sweep modifier is applied. Default=off.

Left: The object shows the default state.
Right: The object has Mirror On XY Plane turned on.

X Offset Lets you shift the horizontal position of the section relative to the
underlying spline.

Sweep Modifier | 1739

Left: The section is in the default position.
Right: The section is offset –10 relative to the underlying spline path (red).

Y Offset Lets you shift the vertical position of the section relative to the
underlying spline.

Left: The section is in the default position.
Right: The section is offset –10 relative to the underlying spline path (red).

NOTE The X and Y Offsets let you fine tune the section position while the Pivot
Alignment settings allow for a quick initial adjustment.
Angle Allows you to rotate the section relative to the plane on which the
underlying spline is located.

1740 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: The section is in the default position.
Right: The section is rotated 30 degrees.

Smooth Section Provides a smooth surface around the perimeter of the section
that is swept along the underlying spline. Default=on.
Smooth Path Provides a smooth surface along the length of the underlying
spline. This type of smoothing is useful when for curved paths. Default=off.

Sweep Modifier | 1741

Left: Smoothing the path
Right: Smoothing the section
Rear: Smoothing both path and section

Pivot Alignment This is 2D grid that helps you align the section to the
underlying spline path. Selecting one of the nine buttons shifts the section's
pivot around the spline path.
NOTE When none of the Pivot Alignment buttons is depressed the pivot point of
the section is used as the alignment point.
Align Pivot When turned on, a 3D representation of the Pivot Alignment
grid appears in the viewport. You only see the 3x3 alignment grid, the section
and the underlying spline path. Once you're satisfied with the alignment, turn
off the Align Pivot button or right-click to see the sweep.

1742 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Align Pivot grid showing control points (in orange) superimposed over a duplicate
sweep.

Banking When on, sections rotate about the spline path whenever the path
bends and changes height in the path's local Z axis. Banking is ignored if the
spline path is 2D. When off, shapes do not rotate about their Z axis as they
traverse a 3D path. Default=on.
Union Intersections If working with multiple intersecting splines, like a grid,
turn this switch on to produce cleaner intersections with fewer artifacts.
NOTE Union Intersections takes additional time to compute the intersections, so
leave this switch off if you don't have intersecting splines. Furthermore, this setting
will only calculate intersections of separate splines contained in one shape object.
So a figure X (separate, intersecting splines) will be properly intersected, but a
figure 8 (a single, self-intersecting spline) will not.
Gen. Mapping Coords Applies mapping coordinates to the extruded object.
Default=off.

Sweep Modifier | 1743

Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.
Generate Mapping IDs Assigns different material IDs to the sides and the
caps of the sweep. Specifically, if both Use Section IDs and Use Path IDs are
both turned off the sides receive ID 3, the front cap receives ID 1, and the rear
cap receives ID 2. Default=on.
Use Section IDs Uses the material ID values assigned to segments of the section
that is swept along the underlying spline on page 511 or NURBS on page 2433
curve. Default=on.
By applying an Edit Spline modifier on page 1368 to a Custom Section, different
material IDs can be assigned to each segment that makes up the section.
NOTE Built-in sections do not benefit from the Use Section IDs switch.
Use Path IDs Uses the material ID values assigned to segments of the
underlying spline or curve sub-objects in the underlying curve.
By applying an Edit Spline modifier to the underlying spline, each segment
can be assigned its own material ID.
NOTE Use Section IDs and Use Path IDs does not control the material IDs of the
front and rear caps of the sweep.

Left: Materials set by path IDs

1744 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Right: Materials set by section IDs
Rear: Section and Path IDs turned off

Pick Shape Dialog (Sweep Modifier)
Select a shape that already has a Sweep modifier applied. ➤
Modify
Panel ➤ Section Type rollout ➤ Turn on Use Custom Section ➤ Click Pick
Shape.
The Pick Shape dialog is displayed when you select a custom shape in the
scene. This shape can be any of the splines, extended splines or NURBS curves.

Procedures
To pick a custom section using the Pick Shape dialog:

1 In a viewport,
path of the sweep.

select a shape you want to use as the underlying

2 From the Modifiers menu, open the Patch/Spline Editing menu and
choose Sweep.

3 On the
Types rollout.

4 Click

Modify panel, turn on Use Custom Section in the Section

(Pick Shape).3ds Max opens

the Pick Shape dialog.
5 Select a shape in the list, then click the Pick button.

Sweep Modifier | 1745

Interface

If the scene contains multiple shapes, you can choose only one shape to be
swept along the underlying spline in your scene.
All/None/Invert These buttons are unavailable in the Pick Shape dialog.
Display Subtree Displays the shapes in the list in an indented format. Turn
this switch off to activate the Sort group options.
Select Subtree Unavailable in the Pick Shape dialog.
Case Sensitive When on, distinguishes between upper case and lower case
for item names.

1746 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Sort group
Options allow you to sort the list on the left. When Display Subtree is on,
these options are not available.
Alphabetical Sorts from A at the top to Z at the bottom.
By Type While this switch is available, it has no effect because only shapes
are listed in the Pick Shape dialog.
By Color Sorts by object wireframe color. The sorting order is arbitrary; shapes
of the same color are grouped together.
By Size This switch is available but has no effect on sorting.

List Types group
Because this dialog is specifically designed to work with the Sweep modifier,
the List Type group is locked to only display Shapes. Shapes is the only switch
in this group that affects what is displayed.
All/None/Invert These buttons alter the pattern of activation of the List Types
options.

Selection Sets group
The Selection Sets group is unavailable in the Pick Shape dialog.

Extract Shape Dialog (Sweep Modifier)
Select a shape that already has a Sweep modifier using a Custom Section

applied. ➤

Modify Panel ➤ Section Type rollout ➤ Click Extract.

The Extract functionality allows you to recover custom cross-sections that
may have been deleted from the scene. As long as you have a sweep in the
scene that uses the deleted shape as a custom cross-section, Extract can be
used to restore it to the scene.
In a large scene that has many objects and shapes, you can also use Extract if
you want to quickly duplicate a section used by the sweep instead of searching
for the original shape you used as the section.

Sweep Modifier | 1747

Procedures
To extract a section from a sweep:

1 In a viewport,

select a swept shape.

2 Go to the
Modify panel and in the Section Types rollout ➤
Custom Section Types group, click the Extract button.
3ds Max opens the Extract Shapes dialog.
3 Enter a new name for the extracted section.
4 Specify the type of cloned shape you want extracted; a copy, an instance
or a reference.
5 Click OK.

Interface

Name This field shows the default name that will be given to the extracted
section. By default, it always has the naming convention of
Sweep_ShapeName01, Sweep_ShapeName02, etc.
For example, if your missing section was named Roman-Ogee, the extracted
shape will be named Sweep_Roman-Ogee01.
Copy Places a copy of the extracted section at the global origin (0,0,0).
Instance Places an instance of the extracted section at the global origin.
Reference Places a reference of the extracted section at the global origin.

1748 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Merge File (Sweep Modifier)
Select a shape that already has a Sweep modifier using a Custom Section

applied. ➤
From File.

Modify Panel ➤ Section Type rollout ➤ Click Merge

The Merge File dialog for the Sweep modifier appears when you click the Merge
From File button. Merge From File allows you to bring shapes or section profiles
from other scene files into the current scene.

Automatic Unit Conversion
When Respect System Units in Files is turned on in the Units Setup dialog on
page 8955 in the System Unit Scale group, merged objects from a file with a
different scene-unit scale are scaled to maintain their correct size in the new
scene.
NOTE If Respect System Units is off (which is not recommended), a 10–foot square
tube that was created in a 1 unit = 1 foot scene becomes a 10-inch square tube
in a 1 unit = 1 inch scene.

Resolving Conflicts When Merged Shapes Have the Same Name
When an incoming shape has the same name as a shape in the scene, an alert
gives you the following options:
Merge Merges the incoming shape using the name in the field at the right.
To avoid having two shapes with the same name, type a new name before
proceeding.
Skip This button is unavailable when Merge From File is used in the Sweep
modifier.
Delete Old This button is unavailable when Merge From File is used in the
Sweep modifier.
Auto Rename The merged shape's name is left intact except it is given a
numeric suffix that is one number higher than any duplicates found in the
scene.
Cancel Cancels the merge operation.

Sweep Modifier | 1749

Interface
In the standard file selector dialog, select the scene file to merge. You can only
merge MAX files.

This dialog has the same functionality as the Merge File dialog on page 8101
that appears when you choose Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import ➤
Merge with one minor exception.
If you choose a MAX file that does not include a valid 2D shape that can be
used as a custom section, you will receive a warning.

Once the scene file is selected, you can choose the shape or section profile
that you want the Sweep modifier to use.

1750 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

If the scene file you selected contains multiple shapes, keep in mind that you
can only choose one shape to be swept along the spline in your current scene.
All/None/Invert These buttons are unavailable when Merge From File is used
in the Sweep modifier.
Display Subtree Displays the shapes in the list in an indented format. Turn
off this option to activate the Sort group options.
Select Subtree This switch is unavailable when Merge From File is used in the
Sweep modifier.
Case Sensitive Distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase for item names.

Sweep Modifier | 1751

Sort group
Options allow you to sort the list on the left. If the Display Subtree switch is
on, these options are not available.
Alphabetical Sorts from A at the top to Z at the bottom.
By Type This switch is unavailable when Merge From File is used in the Sweep
modifier.
By Color Sorts by object wireframe color.

List Types group
Because this dialog is specifically designed to work with the Sweep modifier,
the List Type group is locked to display only Shapes. None of the switches or
buttons in this group can be activated.

Symmetry Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Symmetry
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Symmetry
The Symmetry modifier is especially useful when modeling characters or
building ships or aircraft
This modifier is unique in that it allows you to perform three common
modeling tasks:
■

Mirror a mesh about the X, Y, or Z plane.

■

Slice a mesh, removing parts if necessary.

■

Automatically weld vertices along a common seam.

1752 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Examples of using Symmetry with different mirror axes or by moving the mirror gizmo

You can apply the Symmetry modifier to any geometry, and you can animate
the mirror or slicing effect by animating the modifier's gizmo.
When the Symmetry modifier is applied to a mesh, any edits you make to the
original half of the mesh below the Symmetry modifier in the stack also occur
interactively to the other half. For an example, see the second procedure,
below.
NOTE The Symmetry modifier converts patch and NURBS objects to mesh format
in the modifier stack; editable poly and editable mesh objects remain in their
original format.

Procedures
Example: To apply the Symmetry modifier to an object:
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a teapot.

2

Apply the Symmetry modifier.

Symmetry Modifier | 1753

The teapot appears to have two spouts.

3 In the modifier stack, click
(the plus-sign icon) to expand the
Symmetry modifier hierarchy, then highlight Mirror.
The mirror gizmo acts as a slice plane when it is within the boundaries
of the object
4 With Mirror Axis set to X, click and drag the mirror gizmo along the X
axis.
Dragging right slices more of the teapot until there is nothing visible.
Dragging left causes a second teapot to appear. When the mirror gizmo
is moved beyond the boundaries of the original mesh, it acts as a mirror
plane showing you two complete teapots.
Example: To perform box modeling with the Symmetry modifier:
1 In the Perspective viewort, create a box primitive, and then convert it to
Editable Poly or apply the Edit Poly modifier.
2 If necessary, press F4 to activate Edged Faces display mode.

3

Apply the Symmetry modifier.
Other than the new edge loop created by the modifier, the box's
appearance doesn't change, because it's already symmetrical.

4 On the modifier stack, click
(the plus-sign icon) to expand the
Symmety modifier hierarchy, and then highlight Mirror.

5 In the Front viewport, with Mirror Axis set to X,
gizmo in either direction on the X axis.

move the Mirror

Only the left-hand box moves: This is the copy created by the Symmetry
modifier.
6 Position the Mirror near the left side of the original box, so the two copies
are merged.
7 On the modifier stack, go to the Edit/Editable Poly level and highlight
the Vertex sub-object level.

1754 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

If you no longer see the Symmetry copy of the box, turn on
End Result On/Off Toggle).

(Show

With Show End Result on, you might see an orange wireframe “cage”
that shows the edges of original object. This is on by default for editable
poly objects, but off by default for the Edit Poly modifier. The Show Cage
toggle for editable poly objects is on the Subdivision Surface rollout, and
for Edit Poly it's on the Edit Poly Mode rollout.
You can also see that only the vertices of the original object are visible;
the vertices of the symmetry object can't be transformed directly.

8

Move one of the visible vertices on the right side of the box.
As you do so, its counterpart on the symmetry object moves symmetrically
in real time.
As you can see, the Symmetry modifier not only creates a mirror image
of an object for you, but also lets you manipulate both sides in tandem
in an intuitive way.

9 Now
move one of the vertices on the left side of the box, where
it overlaps the symmetry box.
Because you're also moving its counterpart vertex, which is invisible, the
apparent result is motion of the corresponding point on the plane of
symmetry. This isn't as intuitive as moving a non-overlapping point, so
for best results, position the Mirror gizmo so as to cause as little overlap
as possible; that way you can edit the center vertices directly on the plane
of symmetry.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Symmetry Modifier | 1755

Mirror The placement of the mirror gizmo delegates how the object will be
affected by symmetry. You can move or rotate, as well as animate the gizmo.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Mirror Axis group
X, Y, Z Specify the axis about which the symmetry takes place. You can see
the effect in the viewport as you select the axis.
Flip Turn on Flip if you want to flip the direction of the symmetry effect.
Default=off.
Slice Along Mirror Turning on Slice Along Mirror causes the mirror gizmo
to act as a slice plane when it in located inside the boundaries of a mesh.
When the gizmo is outside the boundaries of a mesh, the symmetrical
reflection is still treated as part of the originating mesh. If Slice Along Mirror
is turned off, the symmetrical reflection is treated as a separate element of the
originating mesh. Default=on.
Weld Seam Turning on Weld Seam assures that the vertices along the mirror
axis will be automatically welded if they are within the Threshold. Default=on.
Threshold The value of the Threshold setting delegates how close vertices
can be before being automatically welded together. Default=0.1.
NOTE Setting the Threshold value too high may result in some distortion of the
mesh, especially when the mirror gizmo is outside the boundaries of the originating
mesh.

1756 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Taper Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Taper
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Taper
The Taper modifier produces a tapered contour by scaling both ends of an
object's geometry; one end is scaled up, and the other is scaled down. You
can control the amount and curve of the taper on two sets of axes. You can
also limit the taper to a section of the geometry.

Examples of default tapers

Taper Modifier | 1757

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Taper modifier. Translating the
gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo
takes place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center,
altering the Taper gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the tapered object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Moving the modifier's center changes the gizmo shape.

1758 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Parameters rollout

The Taper modifier provides two sets of axes and a symmetry setting in the
Taper Axis group box of the Parameters rollout. As with other modifiers, these
axes refer to the Taper gizmo, not the object itself.

Taper group
Amount The extent to which the ends are scaled. Amount is a relative value
with a maximum of 10.
Curve Applies a curvature to the sides of the Taper gizmo, thus affecting the
shape of the tapered object. Positive values produce an outward curve along
the tapered sides, negative values an inward curve. At 0, the sides are
unchanged. Default=0.

Taper Axis group
Primary The central axis or spine of the taper: X, Y, or Z. Default=Z.
Effect The axis, or pair of axes, indicating the direction of the taper from the
primary axis. The available choices are determined by the choice of primary
axis. The effect axis can be either of the two remaining axes, or their
combination. If the primary axis is X, the effect axis can be Y, Z, or YZ.
Default=XY.

Taper Modifier | 1759

Symmetry Produces a symmetrical taper around the primary axis. A taper is
always symmetrical around the effect axis. Default=off.

Changing the effect axis changes the effects of the modifier.

Limits group
The taper offset is applied between the upper and lower limits. The surrounding
geometry, while unaffected by the taper itself, is moved to keep the object
intact.
Limit Effect Enables upper and lower limits for the taper effect.
Upper Limit Sets the upper limit boundaries in world units from the taper
center point, beyond which the taper no longer affects the geometry.
Lower Limit Sets the lower limit boundaries in world units from the taper
center point, beyond which the taper no longer affects the geometry.

1760 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Left: Limiting the effect of the taper.
Right: Using symmetry.

Tessellate Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Tessellate
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Tessellate
The Tessellate modifier subdivides faces in the current selection. It's particularly
useful for smoothing curved surfaces for rendering, and creating additional
mesh resolution for other modifiers to act on. If no sub-object selection has
been passed up the stack, then the entire object is tessellated.
This modifier lets you tessellate polygonal faces; the tessellation available in
an editable mesh on page 2214 does not (it works on faces, even at the Polygon
selection level).

Tessellate Modifier | 1761

Top: Original mesh object
Lower left: Tessellation applied to polygonal facets
Lower right: Tessellation applied to triangular faces

WARNING Tessellating an object retains any UVW mapping that exists in the
stack before the Tessellate modifier. However, in some cases, the mapping might
be altered, depending on the type of mapping and the tessellation settings.
Typically, this happens when the applied mapping uses extreme compound angles.

1762 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface
Parameters rollout

Operate On Specifies whether to perform the tessellation on the triangular
faces or on the polygonal facets (the areas bound by visible edges).

Faces Treats the selection as a set of triangular faces.

Polygons Divides the polygonal facets. For example, using the polygonal
method on the side of a box results in cross-shaped edges using the Edge
method, and X-shaped edges using the Face-Center method.
Edge Divides the face or polygon from its center to the middle of each edge.
When applied to a triangular face, it also divides unselected faces that share
edges with the selected faces.
Face-Center Select this to divide the face from the center to the vertex corners.
Tension Determines if the new faces are flat, concave, or convex after Edge
tessellation. A positive value rounds faces by pushing vertices outward. A
negative value creates concave faces by pulling vertices inward. A setting of
0 keeps the faces flat. Also works with the Edge/Polygon method. Default=25.

Tessellate Modifier | 1763

Iterations group
Iterations Specifies how many times the tessellation is applied. For example,
setting Iterations to 2 is similar to clicking the Tessellation button twice in an
editable mesh, except that you can easily back out at any time while using
the Tessellate modifier. If you want more than four iterations, apply another
Tessellate modifier.

Update Options group
Always Tessellation is updated whenever the base geometry changes.
When Rendering Tessellation is updated only when the object is rendered.
Manually Tessellation is updated only when the user clicks Update.
Update Click to update tessellation. Has no effect unless Manually is the active
update option.

Trim/Extend Modifier
Select a shape. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Trim/Extend
Select a shape. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Patch/Spline Editing ➤ Trim/Extend
The Trim/Extend modifier is used primarily to clean up overlapping or open
splines in a multi-spline shape so that lines meet at a single point. As with
the Fillet/Chamfer modifier, this modifier operates on the splines at the
sub-object level in the shape. When applied to a selection of multiple splines,
Trim/Extend works as it does on a single spline.
To trim, you need intersecting splines. Click the portion of the spline you
want to remove. The spline is searched along its length until it hits an
intersecting spline, and deleted up to the intersection. If the section intersects
at both ends, the entire section is deleted up to the two intersections. If the
section is open on one end and intersects at the other, the entire section is
deleted up to the intersection and the open end. If the section is not
intersected, nothing happens.
To extend, you need an open spline. The end of the spline nearest the picked
point is extended until it reaches an intersecting spline. If there is no
intersecting spline, nothing happens. Curved splines extend in a direction
tangent to the end of the spline. If the end of a spline lies directly on a

1764 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

boundary (an intersecting spline), then it looks for an intersection further
along.
NOTE As of version 3 of 3ds Max, Edit/Editable Spline on page 554 includes
interactive trim/extend functions. The only reason to use this modifier is to apply
it at a specific location on the stack.

Before and after initial use of Trim

Before and after second use of Trim on above spline

Before and after using Extend

Trim/Extend Modifier | 1765

Procedures
To trim a shape using the Trim/Extend modifier:
1 Create an open Line shape on page 518 in the form of roughly concentric
overlapping circles.

2

Apply the Trim/Extend modifier.

3 Click Pick Locations.
4 Click the inner spline sections of the concentric shape to trim them away,
or click the open spline segment to extend the spline.

Interface

Pick Locations Click to turn on Pick mode. While in this mode, the mouse
cursor changes in appearance when over part of the spline that can be affected
by the Trim/Extend modifier. Click to either trim or extend the spline, based
on the settings below. Default=Auto.

Operation group
Specifies the type of operation that's performed on the selected spline.
Auto When this is chosen, a Trim is first looked for and, if not found, an
Extend is attempted. In most cases, a Trim will occur when Auto is chosen.

1766 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

An Extend can occur, however, in cases where an open spline exists without
intersecting other splines.
Trim Only Performs only trims. Turn on Pick Locations, and then click the
spline section you want to trim.
Extend Only Performs only extends. Click Pick Locations, and then select
the open spline section you want to extend.
Infinite Boundaries For the purposes of calculating intersections, turn this
on to treat open splines as infinite in length. For example, this lets you trim
one linear spline against the extended length of another line that it doesn't
actually intersect.
NOTE As the number of open splines in the shape increases, the chance of finding
an intersection, when using Infinite Boundaries, increases as well. This can produce
results you might not have expected because of projected spline intersections you
hadn't considered, particularly if you're in Auto mode. For predictable results,
avoid using Auto mode when using Infinite Boundaries.

Intersection Projection group
These options specify how the Trim and Extend functions determine a valid
intersection.
View Projects the lines onto the active viewport, and judges the intersections
accordingly. These are the intersections as you see them in the active viewport.
Construction Plane Projects the lines onto the current construction plane.
None (3D) Considers only true intersections as the splines exist in 3D space.
They must physically intersect to be considered.

TurboSmooth Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ TurboSmooth
The TurboSmooth modifier, like MeshSmooth on page 1450, smoothes geometry
in your scene.

TurboSmooth Modifier | 1767

The differences between the two are as follows:
■

TurboSmooth is considerably faster and more memory-efficient than
MeshSmooth. TurboSmooth also has an option for Explicit Normals,
unavailable in MeshSmooth. See Explicit Normals on page 1773.

■

TurboSmooth provides a limited subset of MeshSmooth functionality. In
particular, TurboSmooth uses a single smoothing method (NURMS), can
be applied only to an entire object, has no sub-object levels, and outputs
a triangle-mesh object.

TurboSmooth lets you subdivide the geometry while interpolating the angles
of new faces at corners and edges, and apply a single smoothing group to all
faces in the object. The effect of TurboSmooth is to round over corners and
edges as if they had been filed or planed smooth. Use TurboSmooth parameters
to control the size and number of new faces, and how they affect the surface
of the object.

Angular model (shown on the right) changed to a smooth model with TurboSmooth

1768 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Smoothing an object modeled with extrusions

You use TurboSmooth to produce a Non-Uniform Rational MeshSmooth object
(NURMS for short). A NURMS object is similar to a NURBS object in that you
can set different weights for each control vertex.
TurboSmooth's effect is most dramatic on sharp corners and least visible on
rounded surfaces. Use TurboSmooth on boxes and geometry with crisp angles.
Avoid using it on spheres and similar objects.
TIP To better understand TurboSmooth, create a sphere and a cube and apply
TurboSmooth to both. The cube's sharp corners become rounded, while the
sphere's geometry becomes more complex without changing shape significantly.

Procedures
To apply TurboSmooth to an object:

1

Select an angular object.

TurboSmooth Modifier | 1769

2

Apply the TurboSmooth modifier.

3 Set TurboSmooth parameters.
Example: To compare the speeds of TurboSmooth and MeshSmooth:
1 Create a Box primitive with Length/Width/Height Segs=3. Convert the
box to editable poly format.

2

Apply MeshSmooth.

3 Set Iterations=5.
This creates a heavily subdivided mesh.

4 Go to the Editable Poly ➤ Vertex sub-object level, and turn on
(Show End Result On/Off Toggle).

5

Move one of the corner vertices outward.
There is a significant delay before you see the result of the Move operation.

6 Perform a few more
Move operations on vertices, observe the
delays, and then undo (Ctrl+Z) repeatedly until the MeshSmooth modifier
goes away.
7 Apply TurboSmooth.
8 Set Iterations=5.
This creates a heavily subdivided mesh.

9 Go to the Editable Poly ➤ Vertex sub-object level, and turn on
(Show End Result On/Off Toggle).

1770 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

10

Move one of the corner vertices outward.
The response is much faster.

Interface

Main group
Lets you set the basic parameters for TurboSmooth.
Iterations Sets the number of times the mesh is subdivided. When you increase
this value, each new iteration subdivides the mesh by creating smoothly
interpolated vertices for every vertex, edge, and face from the iteration before.
The modifier then subdivides the faces to use these new vertices. Default=1.
Range=0 to 10.

TurboSmooth Modifier | 1771

From right to left, effect of increasing the number of iterations

NOTE Be cautious when increasing the number of iterations. The number of
vertices and faces in an object (and thus the calculation time) can increase as much
as four times for each iteration. Applying four iterations to even a moderately
complex object can take a long time to calculate.
Render Iter(ation)s Lets you choose a different number of smoothing iterations
on page 1771 to be applied to the object at render time. Turn on Render Iters,
and then use the field to its right to set the number of render iterations.
Isoline Display When on, 3ds Max displays only isolines: the object's original
edges, before smoothing. The benefit of using this option is a less cluttered
display. When off, 3ds Max displays all faces added by TurboSmooth; thus,
higher Iterations values result in a greater number of lines. Default=off.
WARNING If you're going to collapse the model or apply further modifiers after
the TurboSmooth, you should first turn off Isoline Display. Unlike in MeshSmooth,
isoline display is achieved by making all the edges "invisible," joining large groups
of faces together in single "polygons." This can be especially problematic if you
apply a PolyObject-based modifier afterwards, because all vertices in the interior
of these "polygons" will be lost.

1772 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Explicit Normals Lets the TurboSmooth modifier compute normals for its
output, which is faster than the standard method 3ds Max uses to compute
normals from the mesh object's smoothing groups. Default=off.
Consequently, if the TurboSmooth result is used directly for display or
rendering, it will generally be faster with this option turned on. Also, the
quality of the normals will be slightly higher. However, if you apply any
topology-affecting modifiers, such as Edit Mesh, above the TurboSmooth
modifier, these normals will be lost and new ones computed, potentially
affecting performance adversely. So it's important to remember to turn on
Explicit Normals only if no modifiers change the object topology after
TurboSmooth takes effect.

Surface Parameters group
Lets you apply smoothing groups to the object and restrict the smoothing
effect by surface properties.
Smooth Result Applies the same smoothing group to all faces.
Separate by Materials Prevents the creation of new faces for edges between
faces that do not share Material IDs.
Separate by Smoothing Groups Prevents the creation of new faces at edges
between faces that don't share at least one smoothing group.

Update Options group
Sets manual or render-time update options, for situations where the complexity
of the smoothed object is too high for automatic updates. Note that you can
also set a greater degree of smoothing to be applied only at render time, in
the Main group.
Always Updates the object automatically whenever you change any
TurboSmooth settings.
When Rendering Updates the viewport display of the object only at render
time.
Manually Turns on manual updating. When manual updating is selected,
any settings you change don't take effect until you click the Update button.
Update Updates the object in the viewport to match the current TurboSmooth
settings. Works only when you choose When Rendering or Manually.

TurboSmooth Modifier | 1773

Turn To Mesh Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Turn to Mesh

Modify panel ➤ Modifier list ➤ Object-Space

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Conversion ➤ Turn to Mesh
The Turn To Mesh modifier lets you apply object conversions in the modifier
stack. As another example, you could use this modifier on a sophisticated
patch model to which you might want to apply a tool that applies only to
meshes, or convert the object to a mesh. Also, when you apply general-purpose
modifiers such as Normal, Material, or UVW Map, it can be helpful to explicitly
control the type of object beforehand.
NOTE Converting from one object type to another causes a complete caching in
the modifier stack. When you have large objects in your scene, this can take up a
lot of space. For example, an object that starts as a mesh, converts to a patch, and
then back to a mesh takes three times as much space as a mesh that just has
ordinary modifiers like Bend or UVW Map applied.
TIP Turn To Mesh can be useful on meshes, allowing you to invert a selection or
change the selection level in a modifier that doesn't depend on topology.

Procedures
Example: To translate a patch sub-object selection to a polygon sub-object
selection:

1

Select a patch model and turn on wireframe mode.

2 In the modifier stack, choose the Patch sub-object level.

3

Select a patch on the model.

4 From the Modifier List, apply the Turn To Mesh modifier.
5 On the modifier stack, right-click the Turn To Mesh modifier and choose
Collapse All.

1774 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

6 In the dialog that warns you about the possibility of undesirable
topological effects, click Yes.
7 On the modifier stack (or on the selection rollout), choose the Polygon
sub-object mode. The original patch selection has been preserved.

Interface
Parameters rollout

Use Invisible Edges When on, uses invisible edges to represent polygons.
When off, produces a completely triangulated mesh with all visible edges.
Default=on.

Sub-object Selections group
These options control the selection of sub-objects.
Preserve Passes the sub-object selection up the stack. For example, if you have
an object that you have converted to an editable mesh, and you've selected a
polygon, then when you apply a Turn To Mesh modifier, the polygon remains
selected. Default=on.
Clear Clears the sub-object selection so that nothing is selected. Default=off.
Invert Inverts the sub-object selection. All sub-objects not currently selected
are selected, and all sub-objects currently selected are deselected. Default=off.
Include Soft Selection Affects the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and
Scale functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation

Turn To Mesh Modifier | 1775

to unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect, with a sphere of influence around the
transformation. Use this when you want to preserve the soft selection from
beneath. For example, if Use Soft Selection is on when you select vertices on
an editable poly, and you apply Turn To Mesh with Include Soft Selection on,
then the same soft selection will apply to the mesh vertices. Default=on.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Selection Level group
These options set the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.
From Pipeline Uses the equivalent of whatever the input object uses (patch
level becomes face level, and so on). For example, if you create a box, convert
it to an editable patch in patch mode, and apply a Turn To Mesh modifier to
it, 3ds Max passes a sub-object selection in patch mode up the stack. The Turn
To Mesh modifier takes the sub-object patch selection into account and selects
the mesh faces that derive from the patch selection.
Object Uses Object as the selection level for passing up the rest of the stack.
Edge Uses Edge as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.
Vertex Uses Vertex as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of
the stack.
Face Uses Face as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.

Turn To Patch Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Turn to Patch
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Conversion ➤ Turn to Patch
The Turn To Patch modifier lets you apply object conversions in the modifier
stack. Using the Turn To Patch modifier, you can fine-tune the conversion
process such as turning quads into quad patches.

1776 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

NOTE Converting from one object type to another causes a complete caching in
the modifier stack. When you have large objects in your scene, this can take up a
lot of space. For example, an object that starts as a mesh, converts to a patch, and
then back to a mesh takes 3 times as much space as a mesh which just has ordinary
modifiers like Bend or UVW Map applied.
TIP Turn To Patch can be useful on patches, allowing you to invert a selection or
change the selection level in a modifier that doesn't depend on topology.

Procedures
Example: To collapse to quad patches:

1 Create a chamfer box in wireframe:
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Extended Primitives ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
ChamferBox button.

2 Apply a Turn To Patch modifier:
➤ Turn To Patch.

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List

3 Right-click the stack display and choose Collapse All.

Interface

Turn To Patch Modifier | 1777

Quads to Quad Patches Turns quad faces in meshes or polymeshes into quad
patches.
NOTE When you turn this option off, 3ds Max triangulates quads when the Turn
To Patch modifier is applied to a mesh or poly object.

Sub-object Selections group
These options control the selection of sub-objects.
Preserve Passes the sub-object selection up the stack. For example, if you have
an object that you have converted from an editable mesh, and you've selected
a polygon, then when you apply a Turn To Patch modifier, the patch, which
is derived from the selected polygon, remains selected. Default=on.
Clear Clears the sub-object selection so that nothing is selected. Default=off.
Invert Inverts the sub-object selection. All sub-objects not currently selected
are selected, and all sub-objects currently selected are deselected. Default=off.
Include Soft Selection When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve
deformation to unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected
sub-object. This provides a magnet-like effect, with a sphere of influence
around the transformation. Use this when you want to preserve the soft
selection from beneath. For example, if Use Soft Selection is on when you
select vertices on an editable mesh, and you apply Turn To Patch with Include
Soft Selection on, then the same soft selection will apply to the patch vertices.
Default=on.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Selection Level group
These options set the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.
From Pipeline Uses the equivalent of whatever the input object uses (patch
level becomes face level, and so on.). For example, if you create a box, convert
it to an editable mesh in face mode, and apply a Turn To Patch modifier to
it, 3ds Max passes a sub-object selection in patch mode up the stack. The Turn
To Patch modifier takes the sub-object face selection into account and selects
the patches that derive from the face selection.
Object Uses object as the selection level for passing up the rest of the stack.
Edge Uses edge as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.

1778 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Vertex Uses vertex as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of
the stack.
Patch Uses patch as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of
the stack.

Turn To Poly Modifier
Make a selection. ➤
Modifiers ➤ Turn to Poly

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space

Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Conversion ➤ Turn to Poly
The Turn To Poly modifier lets you apply object conversions in the modifier
stack. Also, when you apply the general-purpose modifiers, such as Normal,
Material, or UVW Map, it can be helpful to explicitly control the type of object
beforehand.
When you use Turn To Poly, you're joining triangles into polygons, so you
might need to have restrictions on polygon convexity, size, and planarity. All
conversions from patches produce quads and triangles. Conversions from
meshes can produce arbitrarily large polygons. Mesh polygons are controlled
as usual by joining together faces that are separated by invisible edges.
NOTE Converting from one object type to another causes a complete caching in
the modifier stack. When you have large objects in your scene, this can take up a
lot of space. For example, an object that starts as a mesh, converts to a patch, and
then back to a mesh takes three times as much space as a mesh that has only
ordinary modifiers like Bend or UVW Map applied.
TIP Turn To Poly can be useful on polymeshes, allowing you to invert a selection
or change the selection level in a modifier that doesn't depend on topology.

Procedures
Example: To prevent interior vertices from being passed up the stack:

1 Create an NGon in wireframe mode:
Create panel ➤
(Shapes) ➤ Splines ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ NGon.

Turn To Poly Modifier | 1779

2 Go to the
Modify panel and convert the NGon to an editable mesh
by right-clicking the modifier stack and choosing Convert to ➤ Editable
Mesh.
3 In the stack display (or in the Selection rollout), choose the Polygon
sub-object mode.
4 Choose Edit ➤ Object Properties to display the Object Properties dialog.
5 In the Display Properties group, turn off By Layer.
6 Turn on Vertex Ticks. Choose OK to close the dialog.
7 Click Cut under the Edit Geometry rollout, and make a cut from one side
of the NGon to the other. Notice that an interior vertex now exists.
NOTE Doing this on an NGon doesn't always generate an interior vertex.

8 Apply the Turn To Poly modifier:
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List
➤ Turn To Poly. Notice the interior vertex clears.

1780 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface
Parameters rollout

Keep Polygons Convex Does not join across edges if the resulting polygon
would not be convex. "Convex" means that you can connect any two points
in the polygon with a line that doesn't go outside the polygon. A polygon is
not convex if you can draw a line between vertices and that line lays outside
of the polygon.
Problems that can occur with non-convex polygons include the fact that
changes in the geometry of the input object can result in a different topology
for the Turn To Poly result. For instance, in a box, if you drag one of the top
corners across the middle of the top face, the box becomes non-convex. Turn
To Poly would then see this as two triangles instead of one quad, and the
number of points in the result would change.
Limit Polygon Size Limits the number of sides to a polygon so that the surface
is better defined. For example, you might want to produce a polymesh of
triangles and quads, or one composed of all triangles, rather than joining
together more than two triangles into pentagons, hexagons, and so on.

Turn To Poly Modifier | 1781

Max Size The maximum number of sides to a polygon.
Require Planar Polygons Creates polygons composed of flat planes. Does not
join faces together across an edge if the edge has a sharper angle than the
threshold listed.
Threshold Controls the threshold of the angle between polygonal planes.
Remove Mid-Edge Vertices Eliminates divisions that result from intersections
with invisible edges.

Sub-object Selections group
These options control the selection of sub-objects.
Preserve Passes the sub-object selection up the stack. For example, if you have
an object that you have converted to an editable mesh, and you've selected a
polygon, then when you apply a Turn To Poly modifier, the polygon remains
selected. Default=on.
Clear Clears the sub-object selection so that nothing is selected. Default=off.
Invert Inverts the sub-object selection. All sub-objects not currently selected
are selected, and all sub-objects currently selected are deselected. Default=off.
Include Soft Selection Affects the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and
Scale functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation
to unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect, with a sphere of influence around the
transformation. Use this when you want to preserve the soft selection from
beneath. For example, if Use Soft Selection is on when you select vertices on
an editable mesh, and you apply Turn To Poly with Include Soft Selection on,
then the same soft selection will apply to the polymesh vertices. Default=on.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Selection Level group
These options set the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.
From Pipeline Uses the equivalent of whatever the input object uses (patch
level becomes face level, and so on). For example, if you create a box, convert
it to an editable mesh in face mode, and apply a Turn To Poly modifier to it,
3ds Max passes a sub-object selection in face mode up the stack. The Turn To
Poly modifier takes the sub-object face selection into account and selects the
polygons that derive from the face selection.
Object Uses object as the selection level for passing up the rest of the stack.

1782 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edge Uses edge as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.
Vertex Uses vertex as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of
the stack.
Face Uses face as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the
stack.

Twist Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Twist
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Twist
The Twist modifier produces a twirling effect (like wringing out a wet rag) in
an object's geometry. You can control the angle of the twist on any of three
axes, and set a bias that compresses the twist effect relative to the pivot point.
You can also limit the twist to a section of the geometry.
NOTE When you apply the Twist modifier, the Twist gizmo's center is placed at
the object's pivot point, and the gizmo lines up with the object's local axis.

Twist Modifier | 1783

Left: Original model
Middle: A moderate twist
Right: An extreme twist

Procedures
To twist an object:

1

Select an object and

apply Twist.

2 On the Parameters rollout, set Twist Axis to X, Y, or Z. This refers to the
axis of the Twist gizmo, not the axis of the selected object.
You can switch between axes at any time, but only one axis setting is
carried with the modifier.
3 Set the angle of the twist. Positive values produce a clockwise twist,
negative values a counterclockwise twist. An angle of 360 produces a
complete revolution.

1784 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The object twists to this amount beginning at the lower limit (by default,
the location of the modifier's center).
4 Set the bias of the twist.
A positive value compresses the twist at the end away from the pivot
point, a negative value toward the pivot point.
To limit the twist:
1 Turn on Limits group ➤ Limit Effect.
2 Set values for the upper and lower limits. These are distances in current
units above and below the modifier's center, which is at zero on the
gizmo's Z axis. The upper limit can be zero or positive, the lower limit
zero or negative. If the limits are equal, the result is the same as turning
off Limit Effect.
The twist offset is applied between these limits. The surrounding
geometry, while unaffected by the twist itself, is moved to keep the object
intact.
3 At the sub-object level, you can select and move the modifier's center.
The limit settings remain on either side of the center as you move it. This
lets you relocate the twist area to another part of the object.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo You can transform and animate the gizmo like any other object at this
sub-object level, altering the effect of the Twist modifier. Translating the gizmo
translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo takes
place with respect to its center.
Center You can translate and animate the center at this sub-object level,
altering the Twist gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the twisted object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Twist Modifier | 1785

Twist Parameters rollout

Twist group
Angle Determines the amount of twist around the vertical axis. Default=0.0.
Bias Causes the twist rotation to bunch up at either end of the object. When
the parameter is negative, the object twists closer to the gizmo center. When
the value is positive, the object twists more away from the gizmo center. When
the parameter is 0, the twisting is uniform. Range=100 to -100. Default=0.0.

Twist Axis group
X/Y/Z Specify the axis along which the twist will occur. This is the local axis
of the Twist gizmo. Default=Z.

Limits group
Applies the twist effect only to vertices that lie between the lower and upper
limits. The two spinners represent distance along the gizmo's Z axis (Z=0 is at
the gizmo's center). When they are equal, it is the same as disabling the twist
effect.
Limit Effect Applies limit constraints to the Twist modifier.
Upper Limit Sets the upper limit for the twist effect. Default=0.
Lower Limit Sets the lower limit for the twist effect. Default=0.

1786 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

UVW Mapping
This group of modifiers provides various ways to manage UVW coordinates
and mapping materials onto geometry.

Unwrap UVW Modifier
Select one or more objects. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
Object-Space Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW
Select one or more objects. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ UV Coordinates ➤ Unwrap
UVW
The Unwrap UVW modifier lets you assign mapping coordinates to sub-object
selections, and to edit the UVW coordinates of those selections. You can also
use it to unwrap and edit existing UVW coordinates on an object. Maps can
be adjusted to the proper fit on a Mesh, Patch, Polygon, HSDS, or NURBS
model.
The Unwrap UVW modifier can be used as a self-contained UVW mapper and
UVW coordinate editor, or in conjunction with the UVW Map modifier on
page 1883. If you use Unwrap UVW in conjunction with the UVW Map modifier,
it is usually so you can use a mapping method unavailable in Unwrap UVW,
such as Shrink Wrap. You can animate UVW coordinates by turning on the
Auto Key button and transforming the coordinates at different frames.
NOTE After applying the Unwrap UVW modifier, open mapping edges, or seams,
appear on the modified object in the viewports. This helps you visualize the
locations of mapping clusters on the object surface. You can toggle this feature
and set the line thickness with the Display setting on page 1802.

UVW Mapping | 1787

Open UVW mapping edges (seams) shown on head model in viewport

Self-Contained Mapper and UVW Coordinate Editor
Rather than creating a large modifier stack by first making a sub-object selection
of faces and then adding a UVW Map modifier to specify the type of mapping,
you can use the Unwrap UVW modifier to do both. You can select sub-object
vertices, edges, or faces/patches, store sub-object selections as named selections,
map them using planar and other methods, and then edit the UVW coordinates
for each sub-object selection, all from within the Unwrap UVW modifier. For
example, to map a character's face using three planar maps, you could create
three sub-object selections of the front and sides of the face, planar-map the
selections individually, and then edit the UVW coordinates for each selection,
all without leaving the Unwrap UVW modifier.

1788 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Support for Multiple Unwrap Objects
Instancing capabilities in Unwrap UVW make it easy to map a texture across
several objects. You simply make your selection and then apply Unwrap UVW.
When you open the editor, you’ll see the mapping coordinates for all selected
objects containing the instanced modifier. The editor shows each object’s
wireframe color on page 8771 so you can distinguish the different objects.

Left: Two objects’ UVW coordinates in the editor, showing wireframe colors.
Right (inset): The objects with a shared Unwrap UVW modifier in the viewport.

UVW Mapping | 1789

TIP The UVWs of different objects typically start out in the same location in the
editor, so it’s a good idea to separate them before editing. To save time, use the
Pack UVs function on the Tools menu.

What Happens to Existing UVW Coordinates
When you apply the Unwrap UVW modifier, it stores the object's current
mapping coordinates in the modifier. If the object has no mapping coordinates,
the modifier creates new ones by applying planar mapping. If the incoming
data on the stack is a face-level or polygon-level sub-object selection, then
only the UVWs for the selected faces are brought into the modifier, and the
modifier's sub-object levels are unavailable.
When the modifier is evaluated, its UVWs are reassigned to the object flowing
down the pipeline. So if the UVWs upstream are changed, the changes won't
make it past the Unwrap UVW modifier. If the Unwrap modifier is operating
on a selection of faces, then upstream changes to unselected faces will still be
able to flow past the Unwrap modifier.

Native Support for HSDS, Polygon Object, and Patch mapping
Unwrap UVW supports polygon faces and Bezier quad and tri patch faces in
addition to triangles and quads.
Below is a sample of what the various face types look like based on the
incoming type. For HSDS and Poly surfaces, the basic interface remains the
same, except that the maximum number of sides per polygon increases from
4 to over two billion. HSDS supports only one level of detail: the level at which
the mapping was. Patches have handles on nonlinear vertices. These handles
work just like regular patch handles.

1790 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Faces from HSDS and Poly surfaces; handles appear for nonlinear vertices

Pinning Textures
Although not its primary purpose, you can use the Unwrap UVW modifier to
freeze UVWs. You can apply mapping after an animated deformation and
have the mapping stick to the object. For example, you can apply Unwrap
UVW above a Morpher modifier in the modifier stack, apply planar maps and
edit the UVW coordinates. The mapping will follow the morphing geometry.

Procedures
To use Unwrap UVW with the standard mapping methods:
This procedure offers a general overview of using the basic Unwrap UVW tools
available on the Modify panel and the Edit UVWs dialog on page 1807. Unwrap
UVW provides many additional tools not described in this procedure,
particularly in the editor.
For procedures detailing other mapping methods available with Unwrap UVW,
see To use Pelt mapping on page 1850 and To use Spline mapping on page 1870.
1 Apply the modifier and a texture-mapped material to an object. Set the
material to display in the viewports, set at least one viewport to be shaded
(for example, press F3 to toggle between Wireframe and
Smooth+Highlights), and, if necessary, turn off Shade Selected Faces (press
F2) for that viewport so the texture mapping is visible.

UVW Mapping | 1791

2 Go to the Face sub-object level of the Unwrap modifier and make a
selection of contiguous faces. You'll use a single mapping type on this
selection.
Within the single modifier, you can apply as many different mappings
as you like to different face selections.
3 Name the face selection using the Named Selection Sets on page 204
function on the main toolbar. This makes it easy to return to the selection
set in the viewports for subsequent mapping adjustments. For example,
if you're working on a house, you could use names such as roof.
IMPORTANT Be sure to press Enter after typing the selection set name.
NOTE Naming each face selection set isn’t strictly necessary, but it is highly
recommended.
4 On the Map Parameters rollout, click the appropriate mapping type button
(Planar, Box, etc.) and then adjust the gizmo using any combination of
the transform tools (Move, Rotate, Scale) in the viewports and the Align
buttons (Align X, etc.) on the Map Parameters rollout.
TIP You can often save time by starting with the Best Align command and
then adjusting manually from there.
After each adjustment of the mapping gizmo, the texture display in the
viewports updates to reflect the mapping changes, as do the green seam
lines on the object that show where the open edges lie (depending on
the object shape and mapping type; the seam lines don't change with
Planar mapping). To cause the viewports to update in real time, turn on
Edit UVWs dialog ➤ Constant Update on page 1821.
You can also open the editor (Parameters rollout ➤ Edit) to view the
changes in the generated texture coordinates as you adjust the gizmo.
5 Click the mapping type button again to turn it off and exit mapping for
this face selection.
6 Continue making and naming selections and applying mapping until
the entire mesh is mapped. Use the green seam display lines as a guide.
If you don't see them, make sure Parameters rollout ➤ Display Group
➤ Show Map Seam is on.
7 Open the Edit UVWs dialog on page 1807 (Parameters rollout ➤ Edit).

1792 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

By default, the editor displays a checkered background. To view the map
in the material on the object, you need to change a setting.
8 At the right end of the editor upper toolbar, click the drop-down list that
currently reads CheckerPattern (Checker) and choose the map that's
applied to the material.
The map appears as the background.
By default, all the UVW clusters display. To work on one cluster at a time,
you need to filter the UVWs.

9 On the Edit UVWs dialog ➤ lower toolbar, click
Faces).

(Filter Selected

At this point, the editor shows only faces you select in the viewport, and
hides the rest. You can select faces to show directly in the viewport, or
choose a named selection set. In the next step, you'll use the latter
method.
10 On the main toolbar, open the Named Selection Sets drop-down list, and
choose one of your named selection sets.
The viewports show the selection as active, and the UVW coordinates
for the selection appear in Edit UVWs window.

11 In the Edit UVWs window,

select and move a UVW face.

In the viewports, the texture slides around the selected portion of the
object mesh.
12 Choose a different selection set and edit its UVW coordinates.
Again, the viewport display reflects the editing changes.
13 In a viewport, drag to select a group of faces by region.
The faces' UVW coordinates display in the Edit UVWs window. This is
another way of choosing what you want to work on.
As you can see, from within the Unwrap UVW modifier you can assign
multiple mapping types to different, optionally named face selections,
and then edit the UVW coordinates to fine-tune map placement on the
geometry.

UVW Mapping | 1793

To perform quick planar mapping:
You'll find the Quick Planar Map controls on the Map Parameters rollout of
the Unwrap UVW modifier.
1 Apply Unwrap UVW to an object.
2 Go to the Face sub-object level.
3 Select the faces to map.
The Quick Map gizmo appears juxtaposed over the face selection, showing
the default Averaged Normals mapping.
4 If you prefer a different orientation for the mapping, choose X, Y, or Z.
5 Click Quick Planar Map to apply the mapping. To map additional faces,
proceed from step 3.
Example: To restore the original mapping coordinates after swtiching to a
non-default channel:
An object contains 99 different sets of texture coordinates; each mapping
modifier controls one of these. When you change the Unwrap UVW modifier
Map Channel setting, 3ds Max copies the texture coordinates from the previous
channel. If you want to use the original coordinates stored in the channel it’s
necessary to reset the coordinates to restore them from lower on the modifier
stack or from the object’s internal mapping attributes.
1 Add a box primitive to the scene.
2 Apply a UVW Map on page 1883 modifier and set Mapping to Cylindrical.
Note Map Channel is set to 1 by default.
3 Apply a second UVW Map modifier, set Map Channel to 2, and set
Mapping to Spherical.
4 Add an Unwrap UVW modifier (note Map Channel is set to 1 by default)
and click Edit on the Parameters panel.
Note the cylindrical mapping coords, inherited from the UVW Map
modifier in step 2.
5 On the Parameters panel, set Map Channel to 2.
The mapping in the editor doesn't change because the modifier copied
the cylindrical mapping coordinates from channel 1, thus replacing the
spherical coordinates from the second UVW Map modifier (from step 3).
6 On the Parameters panel, click Reset UVWs.

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The spherical mapping coordinates are recovered from the second
underlying UVW Mapping modifier into map channel 2 in the Unwrap
UVW modifier.
TIP When you use Reset UVWs, any edits to the current channel’s mapping
coordinates are lost. Thus, if there’s any chance you might want to use the
edited coordinates later, first store the coordinates in a disk file with the Save
function on the Parameters rollout. Alternatively, collapse the object’s stack
and then apply another mapping modifier.

To export texture coordinates to a paint program:
1 Apply the Unwrap UVW modifier to your object and use the modifier
tools to set up the mapping. Texture-coordinate clusters that will use the
same texture area should overlap.
2 From the Edit UVWs dialog menu bar, choose Tools ➤ Render UVW
Template.
This opens the Render UVs dialog:

UVW Mapping | 1795

3 Set the Width and Height values to the output resolution you want in
the rendered template. You'll usually get good results by setting the desired
width and then clicking Guess Aspect Ratio.
TIP When creating texture maps for gaming and other real-time 3D engines,
be sure to set both dimensions to powers of 2: 256, 512, 1024, etc.
4 Change the remaining values as needed. By default, the template is
rendered with the edges as white and opaque (alpha=1.0), and background
is empty and transparent (background alpha=0.0), but you have a variety
of choices here, as detailed in Render UVs Dialog on page 1860.
5 At the bottom of the dialog, click Render UV Template.
This opens a new rendered frame window on page 6963 containing the
rendered template as a bitmap. Inspect the output, and if changes are
necessary, make them on the Render UVs dialog and re-render.

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6 When you're satisfied with the results, then on the rendered frame

window toolbar, click
(Save Bitmap), and then use the file dialog
to specify the file type and name. Click Save to export the file.
If you want to use the rendered transparency information in the paint
program, be sure to save in a format that supports the alpha channel,
such as TIF or Targa.
7 Open the exported image in a paint program and use the rendered edges
as a guide for painting the texture map. Save the image when done.
Be sure to paint over or erase all the edges so they don't appear in the
final texture.
8 Back in 3ds Max, create a material, set the Diffuse map to Bitmap, and
open the file from the previous step.
9 Apply the material to your mesh object.
The painted texture map follows the outlines set up by the exported UVs.

Interface
After applying the modifier, its panel appears, consisting of the modifier stack
plus two rollouts:

Modifier Stack display

Normally, when you apply Unwrap UVW to an object, the modifier stack
provides access to Vertex, Edge, and Face sub-object levels. These are
synchronized with the corresponding selection modes on the Edit UVWs
dialog on page 1807. The Vertex and Edge sub-object levels are useful for making

UVW Mapping | 1797

UVW vertex and edge selections in the viewports, where texture mapping on
the object surface is more readily visible, and the Edge level is also useful for
setting up edge selections that you can later convert to pelt seams.
If you apply Unwrap UVW to an active face selection of an Editable/Edit
Mesh/Poly object, or to an active patch selection of an Editable/Edit Patch
object, no sub-object levels are available in the Unwrap UVW modifier. You
can use Unwrap UVW to edit only the selection that was active when you
applied the modifier. Changing the sub-object selection in the object doesn't
affect the Unwrap modifier contents, because the modifier obtains the face
selection when you first apply it.
All three sub-object levels are synchronized between the modifier stack and
the Selection Modes group on page 1815 on the Edit UVWs dialog. When you
activate a sub-object level in one, it's also activated in the other. Similarly,
selecting sub-objects in a viewport selects them in the editor and vice-versa.

Selection Parameters rollout
Use these settings to make or modify a sub-object selection for use by the
modifier. If you've passed a face selection up the stack, for example from the
Poly Select modifier, Unwrap UVW uses that instead, and makes these controls
unavailable.

+ button Expands the selection by selecting all faces adjacent to selected faces.
- button Reduces the selection by deselecting all faces adjacent to non-selected
faces.
Ring Expands an edge selection by selecting all edges parallel to the selected
edges. Ring applies only to edge selections.

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Loop Expands the selection as far as possible, in alignment with selected
edges. Loop applies only to edge selections, and propagates only through
junctions of even numbers of edges.
Ignore Backfacing When region selecting, prevents the selection of faces not
visible in the viewport.
Select By Element Lets you select elements on page 9143.
Planar Angle Lets you select contiguous coplanar faces with one click. Turn
this on, and then set the threshold angle value that determines which faces
are coplanar. Then click a face to select it and all contiguous faces whose angles
are less than the threshold value.
Planar Angle is available only at the Face sub-object level.
Select MatID Enables face selection by material ID on page 9217. Specify the
material ID to select, and then click Select MatID.
Select MatID is available only at the Face sub-object level.
Select SG Enables face selection by smoothing group on page 9310. Specify the
smoothing group to select, and then click Select SG.
Select SG is available only at the Face sub-object level.

UVW Mapping | 1799

Parameters rollout

Edit Displays the Edit UVWs dialog on page 1807.
Reset UVWs Restores the UVW coordinates to the original status.
Clicking this is almost the same as removing and reapplying the modifier,
except that a map assigned in the Edit UVWs dialog is not deleted. For example,
if you forgot to turn on the Generate Mapping Coordinates check box for an
object, and then applied the Unwrap UVW modifier, the modifier would have
no UVW coordinates to use and its settings would be wrong. If you then go
back in the Stack and turn on Generate Mapping Coordinates, you'd need to
click the Reset UVWs button. When you click this button, an alert warns you
that you're losing any edits you've made.
Save Saves the UVW coordinates to a UVW (.uvw) file.
Load Loads a previously saved UVW file.

Channel group
Each object can have up to 99 different UVW mapping coordinate channels.
The default mapping channel (from the Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle

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in the object’s creation parameters on page 9127) is always channel 1. You can
specify texture coordinates for any channel by using a different Unwrap UVW
or UVW Map modifier for each channel.
IMPORTANT When you change the Map Channel setting, 3ds Max copies the
current edits to the new channel. To access the texture coordinates stored in the
channel prior to the copy, use the Reset UVWs command (see preceding). To edit
the texture coordinates of multiple channels (thus for different maps), use a
different modifier (Unwrap UVW or UVW Map on page 1883) for each one.
If you already have edits in that channel from another modifier, those edits could
be overwritten. To ensure preservation of your edits, save them before changing
the channel and then reload the saved edits as necessary.
Map Channel Sets the identification number of the texture coordinates
controlled by the modifier. This channel value corresponds to the Map Channel
value set in a map’s parameters, so that the modifier controls how maps set
to the same channel are applied to the object surface. Default=1. Range=1 to
99
You can use multiple Unwrap UVW modifiers in the modifier stack, each set
to a different map channel and thus controlling the mapping coordinates of
different maps in a material.
If you specify a different channel, make sure any maps in the object’s material
that should use that mapping are also set to that channel.
The map channel setting is available in various places in 3ds Max, as follows:
■

Generate Mapping CoordsThis check box, present in the creation
parameters of most objects, assigns map channel 1 when on.

■

UVW Map, UVW Xform, and Unwrap UVWs modifiersThese modifiers let
you set the map channel to 1 through 99, thus specifying which UVW
coordinates the modifier uses. The modifier stack can pass these channels
simultaneously for any face.

■

Material Editor Channel AssignmentYou assign the channel to be used by
a map on the Coordinates rollout at the map level in the Material Editor.
The Explicit Map Channel option must be active.

■

NURBS Surface Objects and Sub-ObjectsLet you specify which map channel
the surface uses.

Vertex Color Channel Define the channel as a vertex color channel by
choosing this option. Be sure to match any material mapping in the

UVW Mapping | 1801

coordinates rollout to be Vertex Color as well, or by using the Assign Vertex
Colors utility on page 6927.

Display group
This setting determines whether and how pelt seams and mapping cluster
boundaries, also known as map seams, appear in the viewports:
Show Seam When on, pelt boundaries appear in the viewports as blue lines.
Show Map Seam When on, mapping cluster boundaries appear in the
viewports as green lines. You can change this color by adjusting the Display
seams color on page 1880.
Thin/Thick Seam Display The display thickness setting applies to both pelt
seams and map seams:
■

Thin Seam DisplayDisplays map seams and pelt seams on object surfaces
in the viewports with relatively thin lines. The line thickness remains
constant as you zoom the view in and out.

■

Thick Seam DisplayDisplays map seams and pelt seams on object surfaces
in the viewports with relatively thick lines. The line thickness increases
when you zoom the view in and decreases when you zoom out. This is the
default choice.

_____
Prevent Reflattening This option is used mainly for texture baking. When
turned on, the version of the Unwrap UVW modifier automatically applied
by Render To Texture on page 7307, named, by default, Automatic Flatten UVs,
will not reflatten the faces. Also, make sure that both Render To Texture and
the modifier are using the same map channel.

Map Parameters rollout
You can apply any map type to selected faces, patches, or surfaces, and align
the mapping gizmo in any of a variety of ways.
The mapping controls on the upper part of the rollout are available only at
the Face sub-object level. Also, the Quick Map controls are available only when
no mapping mode button (Planar, Pelt, etc.) is active. However, the seam
controls on page 1805 are available at all sub-object levels.
NOTE When a mapping type button is active, you cannot change the selection
without first exiting the mapping operation.

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Preview Quick Map Gizmo When on, a rectangular planar mapping gizmo,
applicable to the Quick Planar Map tool only, appears juxtaposed over the
face selection in the viewports. This gizmo is not manually adjustable, but
you can use the following control to reorient it.
X/Y/Z/Averaged Normals Choose the alignment for the quick map gizmo:
perpendicular to the object's local X, Y, or Z axis, or based on the faces' average
normals.
Quick Planar Map Applies planar mapping to the current face selection based
on the orientation of the Quick Map gizmo.

UVW Mapping | 1803

Planar Applies planar mapping to selected faces.
Make the selection, click Planar, adjust the mapping using the transform tools
and Align buttons on the Map Parameters panel, and then click Planar again
to exit.
Pelt Applies pelt mapping to selected faces. Clicking this button activates Pelt
mode, in which you can adjust the mapping and edit the pelt map on page
1848.
NOTE Pelt mapping always uses a single planar mapping for the entire pelt. If
you've applied a different type of mapping, such as Box, and then switch to Pelt,
the previous mapping is lost.
TIP For the basic method of using Pelt mapping, see this procedure on page 1850.
Cylindrical Applies cylindrical mapping to the currently selected faces.
Make a face selection, click Cylindrical, adjust the cylinder gizmo using the
transform tools and Align buttons on the Map Parameters panel, and then
click Cylindrical again to exit.
NOTE When you apply Cylindrical mapping to a selection, 3ds Max maps each
face to the side of the cylinder gizmo that most closely matches its orientation.
For best results, use Cylindrical mapping with cylinder-shaped objects or object
parts.
Spherical Applies spherical mapping to currently selected faces.
Make the face selection, click Spherical, adjust the sphere gizmo using the
transform tools and Align buttons on the Map Parameters panel, and then
click Spherical again to exit.
Box Applies box mapping to the currently selected faces.
Make the selection, click Box, adjust the box gizmo using the transform tools
and Align buttons on the Map Parameters panel, and then click Box again to
exit.
NOTE When you apply Box mapping to a selection, 3ds Max maps each face to
the side of the box gizmo that most closely matches its orientation. For best results,
use Box mapping with box-shaped objects or object parts.
Spline Applies spline mapping to the currently selected faces. Clicking this
button activates Spline mode, in which you can adjust the mapping and edit
the spline map on page 1866.

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Align X/Y/Z Aligns the gizmo to the X, Y, or Z axis of the object's local
coordinate system.
Best Align Adjusts the mapping gizmo's position, orientation, and scale to fit
that of the face selection, based on the selection's extents and average normals.
Fit Scales the gizmo to the extents of the selection and centers it on the
selection. Does not change the orientation.
Align To View Reorients the mapping gizmo to face the active viewport and
adjusts its size and position as necessary to fit the extents of the selection.
Center Moves the mapping gizmo so that its pivot coincides with the center
of the selection.
Reset Scales the gizmo to fit the selection and aligns it with the object's local
space.
Normalize Map When on, scales the mapping coordinates to fit into the
standard coordinate mapping space: 0 to 1. When off, the mapping coordinates
are the same size as the object. The map is always tiled once in the 0-1
coordinate space; the part of the map based on its Offset and Tiling values on
For example, if you take a sphere of 25 units that's planar mapped from the
top, and then apply Unwrap UVW and turn off Normalize Map, then when
you open the editor, the radius of the sphere's mapping coordinates is 25
units. As a result, the texture map is tiled onto the sphere surface many times.
With Normalize Map on, both the sphere and the map fit into the 0-1
coordinate space, so they're the same size.
In general, for best results, leave Normalize Map on. One reason to turn it off
would be to turn it off is if you want to map several elements of different
proportions with a texture of a specific aspect ratio, such as brick, keeping the
texture the same size on each object.

[Seam controls]

These tools, which give you different ways of specifying pelt seams, are
available at all sub-object levels of the modifier. Pelt seams apply to pelt

UVW Mapping | 1805

mapping on page 1804, as well as to spline mapping on page 1804 when you use
manual seams on page 1873.
Edit Seams Lets you specify a pelt seam by selecting edges with the mouse in
the viewports.
This process is similar but not identical to standard edge selection:
■

Click an edge to add it to the current selection.

■

Alt+click an edge to remove it from the current selection.

■

Drag to select a region.

Point To Point Seam Lets you specify pelt seams by selecting vertices with
the mouse in the viewports. Pelt seams specified with this tool are always
added to the current seam selection.
In this mode, after you click a vertex, a rubber-band line extends from the
vertex you clicked to the mouse cursor. Click a different vertex to create a pelt
seam, and then continue clicking vertices to create a seam from each vertex
to the previous one. To start at a different point in this mode, right-click, and
then click a different vertex. To stop drawing seams, click the button again
to turn it off.
NOTE While Point To Point Seam is active, you can pan, rotate, and zoom the
viewport at any time using contextual controls (middle-button drag,
Alt+middle-button drag, turn mouse wheel, respectively) to access a different part
of the mesh surface. You can also navigate using the ViewCube on page 68 and
SteeringWheels on page 75. After doing so, 3ds Max still remembers the last vertex
you clicked and draws an accurate seam at the next click. Similarly, you can adjust
the viewport using the viewport control buttons on page 8703 and then return to
selecting the seam. If the control requires more than a single click, such as Pan,
exiting the control by right-clicking in the viewport restores the rubber-band line,
extending from the last vertex you clicked.
TIP The algorithm Point To Point Seam uses to calculate a path might create a
different seam than what you have in mind. If this happens, undo (Ctrl+Z) and
specify the desired path by plotting points closer together.
Edge Sel To Seams Converts the current edge selection in the modifier to pelt
seams. These seams are added to any existing seams.
Exp(and) Face Sel to Seams Expands the current face selection to meet the
pelt seam border(s). If multiple seam outlines contain selected faces, the
expansion takes place only for the last-selected face; all others are deselected.

1806 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Edit UVWs Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout)
The heart of the Edit UVWs dialog is a window that displays a lattice made
up of UVW faces and UVW vertices. Each UVW face, which has three or more
vertices, corresponds to a face in the mesh.
The view window displays the UVWs in the 2D-image space of the map,
superimposed over a grid. Thicker grid lines show the boundaries of a texture
map as it would appear in image space; the lower-left corner of the rectangle
has the coordinates (0,0) and the upper-right has the coordinates (1,1). Within
this window, you manipulate the UVW coordinates relative to the map (or
mesh) by selecting the lattice vertices, edges, or faces (collectively known as
sub-objects), and transforming them.
The state of the Edit UVWs dialog, including buttons and selected options, is
stored and recalled the next time you open the Edit dialog.
NOTE You can edit patch object texture coordinates as well as mesh coordinates
in the Edit UVWs dialog. When editing a patch object, you can also edit the vertex
handles. In addition, you can edit the manual interior handles. However, you must
enable the manual interior handles before applying the Unwrap UVW modifier. To
do so, at the Patch sub-object level, select one or more patches, right-click a
selected patch, and then, from the quad menu ➤ tools 1 quadrant, choose
Manual Interior. The manual interior handles appear in the editor window as
isolated vertices.
NOTE Certain modeling operations can leave unused (isolated) map vertices that
show up in the editor window, but cannot be used for mapping. If the model is
an Editable Poly or Edit Poly object, you can use the Remove Unused Map Verts
button on page 1308 at the Vertex sub-object level to automatically delete these
vertices.
TIP The editor can display the number of selected sub-objects. This option is
available as an Unwrap UVW shortcut on page 1829 as Show Subobject Counter.

UVW Mapping | 1807

Interface
Besides the window, the editor interface consists of a menu bar, a toolbar, a
lower toolbar, and, docked below the main dialog, the Options panel on page
1814.

Menu bar
The menu bar provides access to a wide range of Edit UVWs functions. See
Edit UVWs Dialog Menu Bar on page 1822.

1808 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Toolbar
Contains all the controls for manipulating the texture sub-objects in the view
window, navigating within the window, and setting other options. When
transforming with Rotate and Scale, pressing Ctrl+Alt will allow you to
transform the selection from the point of the mouse click, instead of the
selection center. The initial click specifies the center of the transform.

Move Lets you select and move sub-objects. Flyout options are Move,
Move Horizontal, and Move Vertical. Press Shift to constrain the movement
to a single axis.

Rotate Lets you select and rotate sub-objects.

Scale Lets you select and scale sub-objects. Flyout options are Scale,
Scale Horizontal, and Scale Vertical.
Pressing Shift as you scale constrains the transform to a single axis.

Freeform Mode Lets you select and move, rotate, or scale vertices,
depending on where you drag. After you make a selection, the Freeform gizmo
appears as a rectangular bounding box around the selected vertices. As you
move the cursor over the gizmo's various elements and inside the gizmo, the
cursor's appearance, and the result of starting to drag in this location, change:
■

MovePosition the cursor anywhere inside the gizmo and then drag
to move the selection. To constrain movement to the vertical or horizontal
axis, depending on how you begin dragging, press and hold Shift before
dragging.

■

RotatePosition the cursor over a gizmo edge center point, and then
drag to rotate the selection about the pivot. As you drag, the amount of
rotation is shown in the center of the gizmo.
Ctrl+drag to rotate in five-degree increments; Alt+drag to rotate in
one-degree increments. Freeform rotation respects the angle snap on page
2840 status.

UVW Mapping | 1809

■

ScalePosition the cursor over a gizmo corner and then drag to scale
the selection. By default, scaling is non-uniform; if you press and hold Ctrl
before dragging, scaling is uniform on the horizontal and vertical axes.
Press and hold Shift before dragging to constrain scaling to the vertical or
horizontal axis, depending on how you begin dragging.
By default, scaling takes place about the gizmo center. If you've moved the
pivot (see following item), you can scale about the transform center instead
by pressing and holding Alt before dragging.

■

Move pivotPosition the cursor over the pivot, a wireframe cross that
appears by default at the center of the gizmo. When this cursor appears,
drag to move the pivot. Rotation always occurs about the pivot; scaling
takes place about the pivot if you press and hold Alt before dragging.
TIP By default, the pivot always resets to the center of the gizmo when you
make a new selection. If you prefer to retain the offset from selection to
selection, you can toggle this feature with the Reset Pivot On Selection
command. This command is not available in the editor interface by default;
you must use the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837 to add it.

If you Ctrl+select one or more vertices outside the gizmo, the gizmo expands
to encompass the entire selection.

Mirror Mirrors selected vertices and flips UVs. Flyout options are Mirror
Vertical, Mirror Horizontal, Flip Horizontal, and Flip Vertical.
Flip first detaches the selection along its boundary edges and then applies a
Mirror Horizontal or Vertical depending on the mode.

Show Map Toggles the display of the map in the editor window.

UV/VW/UW By default, the UV portion of the UVW coordinates is
displayed in the view window. However, you can switch the display to edit
the UWs or the VWs.
[texture list drop-down] Contains all the maps of the material assigned to
the object.

1810 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The names of the maps assigned in the Material Editor and in the Edit UVWs
dialog (via Pick Texture) appear in the list.
Below the map names are several commands:
■

Pick TextureLets you use the Material/Map Browser to add and display
textures that are not in the object's material.

■

Remove TextureEliminates the currently displayed texture from the editor.

■

Reset Texture ListReturns the texture list to the current state of the applied
material, removing any added textures and restoring any removed textures
that were part of the original material, if they still exist in the material.
This command also adds any new maps in the material, so it essentially
updates the UVW editor to the current state of the material.

Choose a map you want to use in the view window. For example, you might
use a bump or texture map as a reference to move UVW vertices.
A checker texture named CheckerPattern (Checker), useful for checking for
distorted areas of the texture mapping, is built in to the Edit UVWs dialog. By
default, this texture appears as the background texture when you first open
the editor after applying Unwrap UVW to an object. To cause the pattern to
appear on the object in viewports set to display textures, choose it from the
drop-down list, even if it's already active in the editor.

Edit UVWs window
The Edit UVWs window allows you to edit UVW sub-objects to adjust the
mapping on a model. For example, a texture map might contain the side, top,
and front views of a car. By first planar mapping the top, side, and front faces
of the model at the Face sub-object level, you can adjust the texture coordinates
for each selection to fit the different parts of texture map to the corresponding
areas on the car.

UVW Mapping | 1811

To edit the UVW vertices, first choose a transform tool and sub-object mode,
make a selection, and then click and drag in the window to transform the
selection.
Quad menu Right-click in the window to display the quad menu, which
provides access to all the transform tools, as well as a number of editor
commands.

Commands to freeze and hide selected sub-objects and unfreeze/unhide all
sub-objects are found only in the quad menu.

Lower Toolbar
Absolute/Offset Mode When this is off, 3ds Max treats values
you enter into the U, V, and W fields (see following) as absolutes. When this
is on, 3ds Max applies transform values you enter as relative to current values;
that is, as offsets. Default=off.
U, V, and W These fields display the UVW coordinates for the current
selection. Use the keyboard or the spinners to edit them.
These fields are active at all sub-object levels, but they always apply to vertices.
With a single vertex selected, they display the current coordinates. With
multiple vertices (or one or more edges or faces) selected, they display any
coordinates the vertices belonging to the selection have in common; otherwise,
they're blank.

1812 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Lock Selection Locks selection. You can move selected sub-objects
without touching them.

Filter Selected Faces Displays UVW vertices of the object's selected faces
in the viewport, and hides the rest. When Filter Selected Faces is on, changing
the viewport face selection automatically updates the display of visible faces
in the editor.
All ID's (drop-down) Filters the object's material IDs. Displays texture faces
that match the ID drop-down.

Pan Click Pan, and then drag in the window to change the visible
portion.
TIP With a three-button mouse, you can also pan the window by dragging with
the middle mouse button held down.

Zoom Click Zoom, and then click+drag to zoom the window.
TIP With a wheel mouse, you can also zoom by turning the wheel.

Zoom Region Click Zoom Region, and then region-select part of the
window to zoom in.

Zoom Extents Zooms in or out to fit the texture coordinates in the
window. The flyout buttons, from top to bottom, let you zoom to all texture
coordinates, to the current selection, and to all clusters/elements containing
any selected sub-objects.

Grid Snap When on, moving sub-objects tends to snap the vertex closest
to the mouse cursor, which is highlighted by a square outline, to the nearest
grid line or intersection.
This is the default tool on this flyout; Pixel Snap is also available.
You can set the snap strength in the Unwrap Options dialog on page 1882.

UVW Mapping | 1813

Pixel Snap Snaps to the nearest pixel corner when you have a bitmap
in the background. Available from the Grid Snap flyout.
Combine this with Center Pixel Snap on page 1822 to snap to the center of pixels
rather than the corner.
NOTE With multiple vertices selected, all vertices snap to the nearest pixel,
relatively; this can slightly alter the spatial relationships among them.

Options panel

By default, the Options panel, docked to the bottom of the Edit UVWs dialog,
provides controls for using soft selection, specifying selection modes, and
rotating the selection. The Options button lets you toggle the display of
additional settings for bitmaps, viewports, and the editor.

Soft Selection group
The Soft Selection controls make a sub-object selection behave as if surrounded
by a "magnetic field." Unselected sub-objects within the field are drawn along
smoothly while you transform the sub-object selection, the effect diminishing
with distance. You can adjust this distance, or “falloff,” whether it applies to
object space, texture space, or edge space, and the formula by which it
diminishes.
First, set a value that encompasses sub-objects to be moved or scaled, and then
transform sub-objects with a falloff effect.
On Activates or deactivates soft selection.
XY/UV Specifies object or texture space for the falloff distance. XY selects
object space, UV selects texture space.
Falloff Sets the falloff distance. As values increase, unselected vertex colors
change gradually from the selected vertex to reflect the area of influence.
Edge Distance Turn on to limit the falloff region by the specified number of
edges between the selection and the affected vertices. The affected region is
measured in terms of "edge-distance" space rather than absolute distance.

1814 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Falloff Type Transforming with soft selection affects non-selected vertices
within the falloff area based on the falloff type.
The icons depict how their buttons affect falloff. The options are:

■

Smooth

■

Linear

■

Slow Out

■

Fast Out

Selection Modes group
[sub-object mode] Specifies the type of sub-object that you can select by
clicking or dragging in the window. Default=Vertex.
One of the three sub-object modes can be active at a time:

■

Vertex

■

Edge

■

Face

NOTE Selected sub-objects are colored red by default. Also, in Edge and Face
sub-object modes, any shared edges are blue by default. A shared edge is one
both of whose endpoints are shared by a selected edge or face; thus, it is, in effect,
also selected. You can change these colors using Customize User Interface ➤
Colors panel on page 8860.
The three sub-object levels are synchronized between the modifier stack on
page 1797 of the Unwrap UVW modifier and the Selection Modes group. When
you choose a sub-object level in one, it's also activated in the other. Similarly,
selecting sub-objects in a viewport selects them in the editor and vice-versa.
Select Element When on, selecting a sub-object in a cluster causes the entire
cluster to become selected. Works in all sub-object modes.

UVW Mapping | 1815

Expand Selection Adds sub-objects to the selection.
Vertex and face expansion proceeds outwards in all available directions. Edge
expansion proceeds along available UV paths. For example, to select a cluster
outline, select one outer edge, and then click Expand Selection repeatedly.

Contract Selection Shrinks the selection by deselecting the outermost
sub-objects.
Paint Select Mode Lets you “paint” a sub-object selection by dragging
in the editor window. After activating this mode, move the cursor into the
editor window, and then drag to select sub-objects. To exit Paint Select mode,
right-click or choose a transform tool.
Paint mode selects only sub-objects that are fully inside the selection brush.
The dotted circle attached to the mouse shows the size of the brush. Use the
+/- buttons next to the paintbrush button to change its size.
+/- Increases and decreases the size of the Paint Select mode “brush”: the circle
attached to the mouse cursor.
Loop [+/-] Selects a loop of texture vertices, edges, or polygons. Usage is as
follows:
■

Vertices/PolygonsSelect two or more adjacent vertices or polygons in one
or more rows or columns, and then click Loop. This selects all sub-objects
in line with the selection(s).

■

EdgesSelect one or more edges, and then click Loop. This selects all edges
in line with the selected edge(s).

To extend a loop or loops at both ends, when possible, click +. To deselect the
sub-objects at both ends of a loop or loops, click -.
Ring [+/-] Selects a ring of texture vertices, edges, or polygons. Usage is as
follows:
■

Vertices/PolygonsSelect two or more adjacent vertices or polygons in one
or more rows or columns, and then click Ring. This selects all sub-objects
perpendicular to the line formed by the selection(s).

■

EdgesSelect one or more edges, and then click Ring. This selects all edges
in the row(s) or column(s) perpendicular to the selected edge(s).

1816 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

To extend a ring or rings at both ends, when possible, click +. To deselect the
sub-objects at both ends of a ring or rings, click -.

_____

Rot(ate) +90 Rotates the selection 90 degrees about its center.

Rot(ate) -90 Rotates the selection -90 degrees about its center.

Rejoins a disconnected cluster of texture coordinates to its original
neighbor by connecting selected vertices to their corresponding UV seam
vertices. If a UV vertex has more than one corresponding UV vertex, it will
be stitched to the closest one.
Stitch has three different modes, depending on which part of the button you
click:
■

Stitch to Source [left arrow]Moves the corresponding vertices to the selected
vertices.

■

Stitch to Average [Stitch button]Moves both sets of vertices to the average
positions.

■

Stitch to Target [right arrow]Moves the selected vertices to the
corresponding vertices.

1. Texture vertices before stitching
2. Stitch to Source
3. Stitch

UVW Mapping | 1817

4. Stitch to Target

Align Horizontal Applies by default only to selected texture vertices
and edges. At the Vertex level, this tool lines up the selected UV vertices
horizontally in a straight line. At the Edge level, Align lines up the selected
edges.

Initial vertex selection (left); after Align Horizontal (right)

At the Edge level, if you press Shift when clicking the button, Align loops
through all selected edges and lines up all the edge loops of those edges
horizontally. In that case it is enough to select one edge on each edge loop to
line up. It will also line up UV seam edge loops.

Align Vertical Applies by default only to selected texture vertices and
edges. At the Vertex level, this tool lines up the selected UV vertices vertically
in a straight line. At the Edge level, Align lines up the selected edges.
At the Edge level, if you press Shift when clicking the button, Align loops
through all selected edges and lines up all the edge loops of those edges
vertically. In that case it is enough to select one edge on each edge loop to
line up. It will also line up UV seam edge loops.

1818 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Aligning edges:
1. Initial edge ring selection
2. After using Align Vertical with Shift pressed
3. Initial edge ring selection
4. After using Align Horizontal with Shift pressed

Space Horizontal Applies by default only to selected texture vertices
and edges. At the Vertex level, this tool adjusts the positions of selected UV
vertices to make the horizontal distances between each pair the same. At the
Edge level, Align evenly spaces selected edges horizontally.
At the Edge level, if you press Shift when clicking the button, Align loops
through all selected edges and evenly spaces those edges horizontally. In that
case it is enough to select one edge on each edge loop to space. It will also
space UV seam edge loops.

Initial edge ring selection (left); after using Space Horizontal with Shift pressed
to space each edge’s loop (right)

UVW Mapping | 1819

Space Vertical Applies by default only to selected texture vertices and
edges. At the Vertex level, this tool adjusts the positions of selected UV vertices
to make the vertical distances between each pair the same. At the Edge level,
Align evenly spaces selected edges vertically.
At the Edge level, if you press Shift when clicking the button, Align loops
through all selected edges and evenly spaces those edges vertically. In that
case it is enough to select one edge on each edge loop to space. It will also
space UV seam edge loops.
UV_SelectionFromBase/SelectionToBase These commands transfer sub-object
selections from the base object (must be editable poly) to the texture
coordinates and vice-versa. They are available only from the Customize User
Interface dialog on page 8837:
■

UV_SelectionFromBaseConverts a sub-object selection from the base
editable poly object to the texture coordinates in the Unwrap UVW
modifier. It is available only when the Editable Poly level in the modifier
stack is active. The CUI action is available from the PolyTools category.

■

SelectionToBaseConverts a sub-object selection from the texture coordinates
in the Unwrap UVW modifier to base editable poly object. It is available
only when the Unwrap UVW level in the modifier stack is active. The CUI
action is available from the UVW Unwrap category.

Bitmap Options group
Click the Options button to toggle this group.

Use Custom Bitmap Size When on, scales the bitmap texture to the values
specified by Width and Height values (see following). You can scale and
reproportion the bitmap texture in relation to the texture coordinates with
these settings. This scaling affects the bitmap only as viewed in the editor;
not in the material.
TIP For faster feedback when working with large textures, reduce the bitmap size.
And when working with disproportionate textures, setting the dimensions closer
to each other in the editor can make it easier to work.

1820 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Width Scales the bitmap along the horizontal axis.
Height Scales the bitmap along the vertical axis.
Tile Bitmap When turned on, you can repeat the bitmap in the editor,
displaying tiling set in the material. You can use any part of the tiled image
for setting texture coordinates. This is helpful when the sections of the texture
image are packed tightly together and the mesh contains many different areas
to map. Default=on.
Tiles The number of times the texture image is repeated, counting outward
in eight directions (the four corners and the four sides). Default=1.
With Tiles=1, the result is a 3 x 3 grid. With Tiles=2, the result is a 5 x 5 grid,
and so on.
Brightness Sets the brightness of the tiled bitmap. At 1.0, the brightness equals
that of the original image; at 0.5 it's half the brightness; and at 0, it's black.
TIP Turning off Affect Center Tile, available in the Unwrap Options dialog on page
1878 ➤ Display Preferences group, prevents the Brightness setting from affecting
the center tile, so it's easier to find if you've turned down the brightness.

Viewport Options group
Click the Options button to toggle this group.

Constant Update When on, the viewports update in real-time, reflecting any
changes to the texture coordinates as you make them. When off, the viewports
update only after you finish transforming texture coordinates (that is, when
you release the mouse button).

Unwrap Editor Options group

Click the Options button to toggle this group.
Show Hidden Edges Toggles the display of face edges. When turned off, only
faces appear. When turned on, all mesh geometry appears.

UVW Mapping | 1821

Center Pixel Snap When Pixel Snap on page 1814 is turned on, snaps to the
center of pixels of the background images instead of pixel edges.
Weld Threshold Sets the radius within which welding using Weld Selected
takes effect. The setting is in UV-space distance. Default=0.01. Range=0 to
100.0.

Edit UVWs Dialog Menu Bar
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Menu
bar
The Edit UVWs dialog on page 1807 menu bar provides access to a number of
important editing commands. Some of these commands are replicated on the
dialog toolbar and the Unwrap UVW command panel; others, such as the
Mapping, Stitch, and Sketch tools, are available only from the menus.
TIP Several commands are not available in the editor interface by default; you can
use the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837 to add them.

Interface
File menu
Load UVs Loads a previously saved UVW (texture coordinates) file.
Save UVs Saves the UVW coordinates to a UVW file.
Reset All Restores the UVW coordinates to their original status.
Reset All has almost the same effect as removing and reapplying the modifier,
except that a map assigned in the Edit UVWs dialog is not deleted. For example,
if you forgot to turn on the Generate Mapping Coordinates check box for an
object, and then applied the Unwrap UVW modifier, the modifier would have
no UVW coordinates to use and its settings would be wrong. If you then go
back in the modifier stack and turn on Generate Mapping Coordinates, you'd
need to choose the Reset All command. When you do so, an alert warns you
that you're losing any edits you've made.

Edit menu
These commands provide access to the different transform functions, and
copy and paste selections.

1822 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Copy Copies the current selection (i.e., texture coordinates) into the paste
buffer.
Paste Applies the texture mapping coordinates in the paste buffer to the
current selection. Using Paste repeatedly with the same target coordinates
causes the coordinates to rotate by 90 degrees each time.
Use Copy and Paste to apply the same mapping coordinates (i.e., image) to a
number of different geometry faces. A typical example of usage would be in
designing a game level, where you're working with a multi-image texture map,
part of which is a door image. You might want to apply the same door image
to several different door polygons. First, you would select one of the door
polys and position it over the door image. Next, use Copy to place its texture
coordinates in the paste buffer. Then select another door poly and choose
Paste or Paste Weld. The door's texture coordinates move to the same location
as the original poly. Continue selecting other door polys and pasting until all
the doors are mapped.
TIP For best results, use comparable sets of texture coordinates for the source and
destination. For example, copy a single four-sided face, and then paste another
four-sided face.
Paste Weld Applies the contents of the paste buffer to the current selection
and then welds coincident vertices, effectively fusing the source and
destination selections together.
Use this function to end up with a single set of texture coordinates that's
applied to multiple geometry elements. Adjusting these texture coordinates
changes the mapping for all geometry to which they're applied.
Move Mode Lets you select and move sub-objects.
Rotate Mode Lets you select and rotate sub-objects.
Scale Mode Lets you select and scale sub-objects.
Freeform Gizmo Lets you select and transform vertices. See Freeform Mode
on page 1809.

Select menu
These commands let you copy a viewport selection to the editor, and transfer
selections among the three different sub-object modes.
Convert Vertex to Edge Converts the current vertex selection to an edge
selection and places you in Edge sub-object mode. For an edge to be selected,
both of its vertices must be selected.

UVW Mapping | 1823

Convert Vertex to Face Converts the current vertex selection to a face
selection and places you in Face sub-object mode. For a face to be selected, all
of its vertices must be selected.
Convert Edge to Vertex Converts the current edge selection to a vertex
selection and places you in Vertex sub-object mode.
Convert Edge to Face Converts the current edge selection to a face selection
and places you in Face sub-object mode. For a face to be selected, the current
edge selection must include all of its vertices. For example, if two opposite
edges of a four-sided face are selected, the edge selection includes all four of
the face's vertices, so this command will select the face.
Convert Face to Vertex Converts the current face selection to a vertex
selection and places you in Vertex sub-object mode.
Convert Face to Edge Converts the current face selection to an edge selection
and places you in Edge sub-object mode.
Select Inverted Faces Selects any faces facing away from the current mapping.
Available only in Face selection mode on page 1815.
This is useful in complex models for finding faces on a surface that folds in
under itself, thus causing potential problems with bump mapping.
For example, add a sphere, turn off Generate Mapping Coords, and them apply
Unwrap UVW. This causes the modifier to apply planar mapping from the
top down, so that all faces on the bottom half of the sphere are “inverted”;
that is, they face away from the mapping. In the modifier stack display,
highlight the Select Face sub-object level, and then click the Edit button to
open the UVW editor. Choose the Face selection mode, and then choose Select
➤ Select Inverted Faces. In the viewports, the bottom half of the sphere turns
red to indicate that the inverted faces are now selected.
Select Overlapped Faces Selects any faces that overlap other faces. If no face
is selected, this selects all overlapping faces. If a face selection exists, this selects
only overlapping faces within the selection. Available only in Face selection
mode on page 1815.
When working with complex meshes, it's common for texture-coordinate
faces to overlap one another, with the result that they use the same portion
of the texture map. Use this command to find overlapping faces in order to
separate them as needed.

1824 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Tools menu
Tools on this menu let you flip and mirror texture coordinates, weld vertices,
combine and separate sets of texture coordinates, and sketch outlines for
multiple selected vertices.
Flip Horizontal/Vertical Detaches the selected sub-objects along their
boundary edges and then applies Mirror Horizontal or Vertical, depending on
the mode.
Mirror Horizontal/Vertical Reverses the direction of selected sub-objects
along the indicated axis and flips UVs accordingly.
Weld Selected Welds selected sub-objects to a single vertex, based on the
Weld Threshold setting. You can set the threshold on the Options panel ➤
Unwrap Editor Options group, as well as on the Unwrap Options dialog on
page 1878 ➤ Misc. Preferences group.
Target Weld Welds pairs of vertices or edges. Not available at the Face
sub-object level.
Turn on Target Weld, and then drag one vertex to another vertex, or one edge
to another edge. As you drag, the cursor changes in appearance to cross hairs
when it's over a valid sub-object. While this command is active, you can
continue welding sub-objects, and change the sub-object level. To exit Target
Weld mode, right-click in the editor window.
Break Applies to the current selection; works differently in the three sub-object
modes. At the Vertex sub-object level, Break replaces each shared vertex with
two vertices. With edges, Break requires at least two contiguous edges to be
selected, and separates each edge into two. With faces, Break splits the selection
off from the rest of the mesh into a new element, exactly as does Detach Edge
Verts.
Detach Edge Verts Tries to split off the current selection into a new element.
Any invalid vertices or edges are removed from the selection set before the
detach.
Stitch Selected For the current selection, finds all the texture vertices that are
assigned to the same geometric vertex, brings them all to the same spot, and
welds them together. With this tool you can automatically connect faces that
are contiguous in the object mesh but not in the editor.
To use Stitch Selected, first select sub-objects along an edge you want to
connect (by default, this causes the shared edges to highlight), and then choose
the command. In the Stitch Tool dialog on page 1874, adjust the settings, and
then click OK to accept or Cancel to abort.

UVW Mapping | 1825

Pack UVs Distributes all texture-coordinate clusters through the texture space
using one of two methods and spacing you specify. This is useful if you have
several overlapping clusters and wish to separate them.
Choosing Pack UVs opens the Pack dialog on page 1846.
Sketch Vertices Lets you draw outlines for vertex selections with the mouse.
This is useful for matching coordinate cluster outlines to sections of the texture
map en masse, without having to move vertices one at a time.
Choosing Sketch Vertices opens the Sketch Tool dialog on page 1864. Sketch
Vertices is available only in the Vertex sub-object mode.
Relax Dialog Opens the non-modal Relax Tool dialog on page 1856, which lets
you change the apparent surface tension in a selection of texture vertices by
moving vertices closer to, or away from, their neighbors. Relaxing texture
vertices can make them more evenly spaced, resulting in easier texture
mapping. Available at all sub-object levels.
NOTE This command, as well as a Relax command that lets you apply the default
settings to the current selection without opening the dialog, are available as
assignable keyboard shortcuts on page 1829.
Render UVW Template Opens the Render UVs dialog on page 1860, which lets
you export texture mapping data as an image file that you can then import
into 2D paint software.

Mapping menu
Lets you apply one of three different types of automatic, procedural mapping
methods to a model. Each method provides settings so you can adjust the
mapping to the geometry you're using.
With each method, the mapping is applied to the current face selection; if
there is no face selection it is applied to the entire mesh.
Here's a quick overview of the three methods:
■

Flatten mapping prevents overlap of mapping clusters, but can still cause
texture distortion.

■

Normal mapping is the most straightforward method, but can result in
even greater texture distortion than with Flatten mapping.

■

Unfold mapping eliminates texture distortion, but can result in overlapping
coordinate clusters.

1826 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP In many cases, one of the automatic mapping functions will provide useful
results. But with certain custom or complex objects, you might get the best results
with manual mapping; use a variation of the basic procedure on page 1791, or use
a procedural method as a starting point for custom mapping.
Flatten Mapping Applies planar maps to groups of contiguous faces that fall
within a specified angle threshold.
Choosing Flatten Mapping opens the Flatten Mapping dialog on page 1843.
Normal Mapping Applies planar maps based on different vector-projection
methods.
Choosing Normal Mapping opens the Normal Mapping dialog on page 1845.
Unfold Mapping Unfolds the mesh so you get no face distortion, but does
not guarantee that faces will not overlap.
Choosing Unfold Mapping opens the Unfold Mapping dialog on page 1876.

Options menu
Load Defaults Loads the editor settings from the file unwrapuvw.ini in the
plugcfg directory.
Save Current Settings as Default Saves the editor settings to the file
unwrapuvw.ini in the plugcfg directory. Settings saved in this way persist between
sessions.
Always Bring Up The Edit Window When on, selecting an object with the
Unwrap UVW modifier active automatically opens the Edit UVWs dialog. By
default, this is off, so you must click the Parameters rollout ➤ Edit button to
open the dialog.
Preferences Opens the Unwrap Options dialog on page 1878.

Display menu
Hide Selected Hides all selected sub-objects and associated faces.
Unhide All Reveals any hidden sub-objects.
Unfreeze All Unfreezes any frozen sub-objects.
NOTE You can freeze a sub-object selection with Freeze Selected, available from
the right-click menu ➤ Display quadrant.

UVW Mapping | 1827

Filter Selected Faces When on, the editor displays UVW vertices of the
viewport selection at the Face sub-object level of the modifier, and hides the
rest.
This is a quick way to work on a limited selection of the texture coordinates
of a complex mesh while ignoring the rest. You can turn this on, go to the
Face sub-object level of the Unwrap UVW modifier, and select the portion of
the object whose texture coordinates you want to edit; only those coordinates
appear in the editor, and remain visible even when you change the sub-object
level. To work on a different portion, return to the Face level and change the
selection in the viewport; the editor window updates to the new selection
automatically.
Show Hidden Edges Toggles the display of hidden face edges.
Show Edge Distortion Uses a green-to-red color range to depict distortion:
how far in length texture edges are from their corresponding geometry edges.
The greater the disparity in lengths (that is, the greater the distortion), the
redder the edge appears in the Edit UVW dialog window. Also draws end
segments of edges that are too long as white, showing the difference in length
from that of the geometry edge.

Left: Texture edges the same as or very close to geometry edges in length are green.
Center: Texture edges slightly different from geometry edges in length are brown.
Right: Texture edges very different from geometry edges in length are red.
When texture edges are longer than geometry edges, white end segments depict
length disparity.

Use this display as a way to view where the areas of greatest distortion are in
your texture mesh. If an edge is brown or red but doesn't have white end
segments, it's too short. If it's brown or red and has white end segments, it's
too long, by the total length of the white segments.

1828 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Show Vertex Connections In Vertex sub-object mode, toggles the display of
numeric labels for all selected vertices. Shared vertices are indicated by the
appearance of multiple same-numbered labels.
Show Shared Sub-objects When turned on, for the current selection,
highlights any shared vertices and/or edges. You can change the highlight
color on the Unwrap Options dialog on page 1878.

View menu
Pan Activates the Pan tool, which lets you move horizontally and vertically
in the window by dragging the mouse.
As with the viewports, if you use a three-button mouse, you can also pan by
middle-button dragging.
Zoom Choose Zoom, and then drag downward in the editor window to zoom
out and upward to zoom in. Zooming is centered about the point you click
before dragging.
If you have a wheel mouse, you can also turn the wheel to zoom. Zooming is
centered about the mouse cursor location.
Zoom Region To zoom to a specific area, choose Zoom Region, and then drag
a rectangle in the editor window.
Zoom Extents Zooms in or out to fit all UVW vertices in the editor window.
Zoom Extents Selected Zooms in or out to fit all selected UVW vertices in
the editor window.
Zoom To Gizmo Zooms the active viewport to the current selection.
Zoom Extents Selected Zooms in or out to fit all selected UVW vertices in
the window.
Show Grid Displays a grid in the background of the editor window.
Default=on.
Show Map Displays a texture map in the background of the editor window.
Set the image via the drop-down list at the right end of the editor toolbar.
Update Map Causes the displayed texture map to reflect any changes to the
texture, such as tiling settings or a different bitmap.

Unwrap UVW Shortcuts
To use keyboard shortcuts for the Unwrap UVW modifier, the Keyboard
Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 must be on.

UVW Mapping | 1829

See also:
■

Unwrap UVW Modifier on page 1787

■

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007

■

Keyboard Panel on page 8837

■

Customize User Interface Dialog on page 8837

In general, this table includes only functions that have default keyboard
shortcuts and functions with descriptions that are not documented in the
Unwrap UVW reference topics.
Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Allow Selections Inside
Transform Gizmo

Lets you select vertices inside the gizmo by
CTRL+clicking or
ALT+clicking a vertex.
When turned on, you can
move only by dragging
over empty space.

Always Bring Up The Edit
Window

When on, the Edit UVWs
dialog automatically opens
when you access the Unwrap UVW modifier.

Blend Tiles To Background

Lets you blend the image
in the Edit UVWs dialog
with the background color.
At 0 the image will be hidden while at 1 it will be at
full intensity.

Box Map
Break Selected Vertices

1830 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Ctrl+B

Breaks selected vertices so
no face shares them; the
same as breaking a vertex
in Edit Mesh.

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Brightness Affects Center
Tile

The brightness control for
the tile of image at 0,0 of
the Edit UVWs dialog.

Contract Geom. Faces

Shrinks the face selection
in the viewport.

Copy

Copies the current face selection texture data into
the paste buffer.

Cylindrical Map
Detach Edge Vertices

D, CTRL+D

Detaches the selected vertices into a separate element.

Display Seams

Highlights edges that are
seams in texture space in
the Edit UVWs dialog. A
seam is an edge that has
only one face attached to
it.

Edge Sel to Pelt Seam
(Add)

Converts the edge selection
to pelt seams, adding to
the current pelt seams.

Edge Sel to Pelt Seam (Replace)

Converts the edge selection
to pelt seams, replacing the
current pelt seams.

Edge Snap
Edge to Face Select

Converts an edge selection
into a face selection.

Edge to Vertex Select

Converts an edge selection
into a vertex selection.

UVW Mapping | 1831

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Edit UVWs

Ctrl+E

Opens the Edit UVWs dialog.

Expand Geom. Faces

Grows the face selection in
the viewport.

Face to Edge Select

Converts a face selection
into an edge selection.

Face to Vertex Select

Converts a face selection
into a vertex selection.

Filter Selected Faces

Alt+F

When on, only faces that
are selected in the viewport
will be displayed in the Edit
UVWs dialog.

Flatten Map

Lays out the UV space so
that no texture faces overlap.

Flatten Map Dialog

Opens the dialog for Flatten Mapping settings.

Flip Horizontal

Detaches the current selection and then mirrors it in
the U direction.

Flip Vertical

Detaches the current selection and then mirrors it in
the V direction.

Freeform Mode

Toggles freeform editing
tool in the Edit UVWs dialog.

Freeze Selected

Geom. Edge Loop Selection

1832 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Ctrl+F

Locks the current selection
so you cannot select it
anymore.

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Geom. Edge Ring Selection
Geom. Element Select
Mode

Puts you in an element-select mode for selecting
faces in the viewport.

Get Face Selection From
Stack

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+F

Copies the face selection
from the modifier stack into the face selection that
Unwrap UVW uses.

Get Selection From Faces

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+P

Transfers the face selection
in the viewport to the selection in the Edit UVWs dialog.

Grid Snap

Turns on grid snapping.

Grid Visible

Toggles grid visibility.

Hide Selected

Ctrl+H

Hides the current selection
in the Edit UVWs dialog.

Ignore Back Faces

When on you can select
only faces in the viewport
that are facing you.

Load Defaults

Loads the UI defaults from
an .ini file.

Load UVW

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+L

Lets you load a .uvw file
onto a mesh. The mesh
must have similar topology
as the source.

Lock Selected Vertices

Spacebar

Locks the selection so you
cannot add to or remove
from it.

Mapping Align Normals

UVW Mapping | 1833

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Mapping Align To View
Mapping Align X

Aligns the mapping gizmo
to the X axis of the object's
local coordinate system.

Mapping Align Y

Aligns the mapping gizmo
to the Y axis of the object's
local coordinate system.

Mapping Align Z

Aligns the mapping gizmo
to the Z axis of the object's
local coordinate system.

Mapping Center

Moves the mapping gizmo
so that its pivot coincides
with the center of the selection.

Mapping Fit

Scales the gizmo to the extents of the selection and
centers it on the selection.
Does not change the orientation.

Mapping Reset

Scales the gizmo to fit the
selection and aligns it with
the object's local space.

Mirror Horizontal

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+N

Mirrors the current selection along the U axis.

Mirror Vertical

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+M

Mirrors the current selection along the V axis.

Move Horizontal

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+J

Move Vertical

Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K

Normal Map

1834 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

This creates a mapping
based on the face normals.

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Normal Map Dialog

Opens a dialog for making
Normal Mapping settings.

Open Edge Mode

When turned on, selecting
an open edge selects all attached open edges.

Open Edge Select

Selects all open edges connected to the current selection.

Pack

Lays out all selected elements so they don't overlap.

Pack Dialog

Opens the Pack dialog.

Paint Select Decrement
Cursor Size

Applies to the Sketch tool.

Paint Select Increment
Cursor Size

Applies to the Sketch tool.

Paint Select Mode

Applies to the Sketch tool.

Pan

Ctrl+P

Paste

Pastes the contents of the
paste buffer onto the selection. For best results the
source and target should
have similar topology.

Paste Instance

The pasted and source UVs
will share the same vertices.

Pelt Always Show Seams

Toggles display of the pelt
seams in the viewports.

Pelt Dialog

Opens the Pelt Map Parameters dialog

UVW Mapping | 1835

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Pelt Dialog Mirror Stretcher

Mirrors the stretcher points
from one side of the mirror
axis to the other.

Pelt Dialog Relax Simulation Heavy

Causes a relatively strong
normalization of the distances between mapping
vertices.

Pelt Dialog Relax Simulation Light

Causes a relatively weak
normalization of the distances between mapping
vertices.

Pelt Dialog Reset Stretcher

Returns the stretcher and
the pelt UVs to their default
shape and orientation.

Pelt Dialog Run Simulation

Runs the simulation,
pulling the pelt seam vertices towards the stretcher
points.

Pelt Dialog Select Pelt UVs

Selects all pelt UVs.

Pelt Dialog Select Stretcher

Selects all stretcher UVs.

Pelt Dialog Snap Seams

Aligns all the stretcher
points to the edge seams
on the pelt UVs.

Pelt Dialog Straighten
Stretcher

Lets you specify a polygonal outline for the stretcher
by moving points.

Pelt Edit Seams

Lets you specify a pelt seam
by selecting edges with the
mouse in the viewports.

1836 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Pelt Expand Selection To
Seams

Expands the current face
selection to meet the pelt
seam border(s).

Pelt Map

Activates pelt-mapping
mode.

Pelt Seam to Edge Sel
(Add)

Converts the pelt seam to
an edge selection, adding
to the current edge selection.

Pelt Seam to Edge Sel (Replace)

Converts the pelt seam to
an edge selection, replacing the current edge selection.

Pivot Snap ... (nine shortcuts)

Snaps the Freeform gizmo
pivot to the specified
gizmo edge.

Planar Map Faces/Patches

Planar Threshold

Enter

Applies a planar map to the
current selection.
Turns on the Modify panel
➤ Planar Angle check
box.

Point to Point Edge Selection

Lets you specify pelt seams
by selecting vertices with
the mouse in the viewports.

Polygon Mode

Applies only to triangle
meshes. When turned on
(the default), if you select
a triangular face, 3ds Max
will select all faces that belong to the poly that owns
that face.

UVW Mapping | 1837

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Polygon Select

Expands the current face
selection to the poly.

Prevent Reflattening

When on, keeps Render To
Texture from reflattening
the mapping.

Relax

Applies the default Relax
Tool settings to the current
texture vertex selection.

Relax Dialog

Opens the Relax Tool dialog.

Render UVW Template

Renders the UVW coordinates to a bitmap.

Reset Pivot On Selection

When turned on (the default), the Freeform gizmo
pivot is reset to the center
every time the selection
changes, otherwise the
pivot maintains its offset.

Reset UVWs

Sets texture coordinates to
the original values before
Unwrap was applied.

Save Current Settings As
Default

Saves current UI values to
the default .ini file.

Save UVW

Lets you save the UVW data
to disk as a .uvw file, which
can be read in later or onto
another mesh if they have
similar topology.

Scale Horizontal

Scales the selection along
the U axis.

1838 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Scale Vertical

Scales the selection along
the V axis.

Select Inverted Faces

Selects any faces in the Edit
UVWs dialog that are not
facing you.

Select Overlapped Faces

Selects overlapping faces in
the Edit UVWs dialog.

Show Edge Distortion

Uses a green-to-red color
range to depict distortion.

Show Hidden Edges

Toggles display of all
edges.

Show Map

Toggles display of the image map.

Show Seams in Viewport

Alt+E

Toggles display of cluster
seams in the viewport.
Works only when Edit
UVWs dialog has focus.

Show Shared Sub-objects

Shows sub-objects that
share edges/vertices.

Show Subobject Counter

Displays the number of selected objects in the editor
window.

Show Vertex Connections

Tags all texture vertices
that share the same geometry vertex with a unique
ID.

Sketch

Activates Sketch Vertices.

Sketch Dialog

UVW Mapping | 1839

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Sketch Reverse Vertex Order

Snap

Description
Reverses the order of the
selected vertices for Sketch
mode. Applies to the Use
Current Selection option
for Sketch.

Ctrl+S

Toggles snapping.

Snap to Grid/Vertex/Edge

Sets the snap type.

Soft Selection Edge Distance

Equivalent to turning on
Edge Distance.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 1

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 2

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 3

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 4

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 5

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 6

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 7

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Soft Selection Edge Distance Range 8

Set Edge Distance to the
specified value.

Spherical Map

Applies spherical mapping.

Stitch

Stitches together shared
edges of a polygon.

1840 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Stitch Dialog

Opens the properties for
the Stitch command.

Sync Selection Mode

Same as Sync to Viewport

Sync Texture Selection to
Viewport

Synchronizes the selection
in the Edit UVWs dialog to
the selection in the viewport.

Sync Viewport Selection to
Texture

Synchronizes the selection
in the viewport to the selection in the Edit UVWs dialog.

Texture Vertex Contract
Selection

- (minus sign), - (on numeric keypad)

Shrinks the selection in the
Edit UVWs dialog.

Texture Vertex Expand Selection

= (equal sign), + (on numeric keypad)

Grows the selection in the
Edit UVWs dialog.

Texture Vertex Move Mode

Q

Lets you move vertices in
editor.

Texture Vertex Rotate
Mode

Ctrl+R

Lets you rotate vertices in
editor.

Texture Vertex Scale Mode

Lets you scale vertices in
editor.

Texture Vertex Weld Selected

Ctrl+W

Welds selected vertices in
editor.

Texture Vertex Target Weld

Ctrl+T

Lets you target-weld selected vertices in editor.

TV Edge Sub-object Mode

TV=Texture Vertex

TV Element Mode

TV=Texture Vertex

TV Face Sub-object Mode

TV=Texture Vertex

UVW Mapping | 1841

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

TV Vertex Sub-object Mode

Description
TV=Texture Vertex

Unfold Map
Unfold Map Dialog
Unfreeze All

Unfreezes all frozen elements.

Unhide All

Unhides all hidden elements.

Unwrap Options

Ctrl+O (letter "o")

Update Map

Ctrl+U

Updates map in editor.

UV Edge Mode

When on, selecting an
edge expands the selection
to include all edges in its
loop on page 1816.

UV Edge Select

Expands an existing edge
selection to include all
edges in its loop on page
1816.

Vertex Snap
Vertex To Edge Select

Converts vertex selection
to an edge selection and
puts you in Edge mode.

Vertex To Face Select

Converts vertex selection
to a face selection and puts
you in Face mode.

Zoom

Z

Zoom Extents

X

Zoom Extents Selected

Alt+Ctrl+Z

1842 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Unwrap UVW Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Zoom Region

Ctrl+X

Description

Zoom Selected Element
Zoom to Gizmo

Shift+Spacebar

UVW Editor Dialogs
These topics describe support dialogs for the Unwrap UVW modifier.

Flatten Mapping Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤
Mapping menu ➤ Flatten Mapping
The Flatten Mapping method of procedural mapping applies planar maps to
groups of contiguous faces that fall within a specified angle threshold. It
prevents overlap of mapping clusters, but can still cause texture distortion.
The Flatten Mapping dialog lets you control how clusters are defined and
mapped.
See also:
■

Normal Mapping Dialog on page 1845

■

Unfold Mapping Dialog on page 1876

UVW Mapping | 1843

Interface

Face Angle Threshold The angle used to determine the clusters to be mapped.
As the Flatten Map gathers faces to be mapped, it uses this parameter to
determine which faces get put in a cluster. This is the maximum angle that
can exist between faces in a cluster.
The higher this number, the larger the clusters will be, with consequently
greater distortion introduced as a result of texture faces' proportions deviating
from their geometry-equivalent faces.
Spacing Controls the amount of space between clusters.
The higher this setting, the larger the gap that appears between clusters.
Normalize Clusters Controls whether the final layout will be scaled down
to 1.0 unit to fit within the standard editor mapping area. If this is turned off,
the final size of the clusters will be in object space, and they'll probably be
much larger than the editor mapping area. For best results, leave this turned
on.
Rotate Clusters Controls whether clusters are rotated to minimize the size of
their bounding box. For instance, the bounding box of a rectangle rotated 45
degrees occupies more area than one rotated 90 degrees.
Fill Holes When turned on, smaller clusters will be placed in empty spaces
within larger clusters to take the most advantage of the available mapping
space.
By Material IDs When on, ensures that no cluster contains more than one
material ID after flattening.
OK Accepts the settings, closes the dialog, and performs the mapping as
specified.

1844 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cancel Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
Set As Default Makes the current settings the defaults for the current session.

Normal Mapping Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤
Mapping menu ➤ Normal Mapping
The Normal Mapping method of procedural mapping applies planar maps
based on different vector-projection methods. It is the most straightforward
method, but can result in even greater texture distortion than with Flatten
mapping on page 1843. The Normal Mapping dialog lets you control how clusters
are defined and mapped.
See also:
■

Flatten Mapping Dialog on page 1843

■

Unfold Mapping Dialog on page 1876

Interface

(drop-down) Sets the mapping method:
■

Back/Front

■

Left/Right

UVW Mapping | 1845

■

Top/Bottom

■

Box No Top

■

Box

■

Diamond

Spacing Controls the amount of space between clusters.
The higher this setting, the larger the gap that appears between clusters.
Normalize Clusters Controls whether the final layout will be scaled down
to 1.0 unit to fit within the standard editor mapping area. If this is turned off,
the final size of the clusters will be in object space, and they'll probably be
much larger than the editor mapping area. For best results, leave this turned
on.
Rotate Clusters Controls whether clusters are rotated to minimize the size of
their bounding box. For instance, the bounding box of a rectangle rotated 45
degrees occupies more area than one rotated 90 degrees.
Align By Width Controls whether the width or the height of the clusters is
used to control the layout of the clusters.
OK Accepts the settings, closes the dialog, and performs the mapping as
specified.
Cancel Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
Set As Default Makes the current settings the defaults for the current session.

Pack UVs Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Tools
menu ➤ Pack UVs
The Pack UVs dialog contains controls for clusters.

1846 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

(drop-down) Sets the packing method:
■

Linear PackingUses a linear method to lay out the faces. This method is
fast but not very efficient, and tends to leave a lot of unused UV space.

■

Recursive PackingSlower than the Linear method, but packs the faces more
efficiently.

Spacing Controls the amount of space between clusters.
The higher this setting, the larger the gap that appears between clusters.
Normalize Clusters Controls whether the final layout will be scaled down
to 1.0 unit to fit within the standard editor mapping area. If this is turned off,
the final size of the clusters will be in object space, and they'll probably be
much larger than the editor mapping area. For best results, leave this turned
on.
Rotate Clusters Controls whether clusters are rotated to minimize the size of
their bounding box. For instance, the bounding box of a rectangle rotated 45
degrees occupies more area than one rotated 90 degrees.
Fill Holes When turned on, smaller clusters will be placed in empty spaces
within larger clusters to take the most advantage of the available mapping
space.
OK Accepts the settings, closes the dialog, and performs the packing as
specified.
Cancel Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
Set As Default Makes the current settings the defaults for the current session.

UVW Mapping | 1847

Pelt Map Parameters Dialog
Unwrap UVW Modifier ➤ Face sub-object level ➤ Map Parameters rollout
➤ Pelt ➤ Edit Pelt Map
Pelt mapping on page 1804 is useful for mapping organic models such as
characters and creatures. This feature gives you a special editor with a virtual
stretcher and springs that let you easily “pull” a complex UVW map flat. The
result more closely approximates the actual shape of the object than other
mapping methods, making it easier to create convincing texture maps.
The primary function of the Pelt Map Parameters dialog is to let you stretch
out the UVW coordinates into a flat, unified map that you can then use for
texturing. When the dialog is open, the stretcher appears in the Edit UVWs
dialog window as a circle of points, each of which is attached to a vertex on
a pelt seam. You can manipulate these vertices exactly as any other vertex in
the editor, selecting, rotating, moving, etc. Other special functions available
on the dialog let you straighten out stretcher vertices, snap them to the pelt
seams, and so on.

1848 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The stretcher points surround the pelt UVs in the Edit UVWs dialog window.

The lines connecting the stretcher vertices to the pelt-seam vertices function
as springs that pull the pelt seams outward in an animated simulation. After
you set up the pelt UVs and the stretcher shape, you run the simulation by
clicking the Simulate Pelt Pulling button. Depending on the results, further
adjustment and simulation might be required.
While Pelt mode is active and the Edit UVWs dialog is open, most standard
UVWs editing functions are also available. So, for example, instead of stretching
the entire pelt, you could select a subset of UVs to stretch. To access any
commands that are unavailable in Pelt mode, such as Mapping menu
commands, simply close the Pelt Map Parameters dialog.

UVW Mapping | 1849

Procedure
To use Pelt mapping:
1 Apply Unwrap UVW to the object.
2 Make an edge selection that you can later convert to pelt seams. It's not
absolutely necessary to do this at this point, but the Edge sub-object level
of the modifier gives you handy Ring and Loop tools as well as buttons
to expand and shrink the edge selection automatically.
TIP Creating the pelt seams is more art than exact science. Visualize the way
the mesh should lie flat, and then select edges so the UVs can split in a natural
way.
3 Go to the Face sub-object level of the modifier and select the faces to pelt
map. To select all faces, press Ctrl+A. If you're not pelt-mapping the entire
mesh, you can skip this step.
4 If you made an edge selection in step 2, click Map Parameters rollout ➤
Edge Sel To Seams. This copies the edge selection to pelt seams. If you
didn't specify the pelt seams at the Edge sub-object level of the modifier,
turn on Edit Seams or Point To Point Seam and then specify seams in the
viewports.
The pelt seams appear on the mesh as blue lines.
5 If you're not pelt-mapping the entire mesh, you probably want to map
a region enclosed by a pelt seam. Click a face within the region to map
and then click Exp. Face Sel to Pelt Seams.
This expands the face selection to the full size of the region defined by
the pelt seam.
NOTE You can pelt map only one such region at a time.
6 On the Map Parameters rollout, click Pelt.
This opens the Pelt Map Parameters dialog. It also opens the Edit UVWs
dialog, if necessary, and displays the pelt UVWs and the stretcher in the
editor window. By default, the stretcher appears as a circle of points
centered on the pelt UVWs, with only the stretcher vertices selected. Also,
springs, represented as dashed lines, connect the stretcher points and the
pelt-seam vertices.

1850 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

7 If necessary, rotate the Pelt UVs so that the mapping coordinates are
oriented correctly, and rotate the stretcher so that the springs form a
symmetrical pattern. Typically you're looking for left-right symmetry.
TIP Using Ctrl+click adds to the existing selection, as in the viewports.
8 On the Pelt Map Parameters dialog, click Start Pelt.
The springs contract, pulling the pelt seam vertices toward the stretcher
points. The internal UV vertices are also affected by this action. You can
adjust the extent to which they're affected with the Decay setting on the
Pelt Options rollout.
9 The simulation runs continuously until you stop it by clicking the Stop
Pelt button. Do so when you’re satisfied with the solution, or would like
to adjust something.
10 Continue adjusting the stretcher points, mapping vertices, dialog settings,
etc., and re-running the solution until you get the desired results. If things
get out of hand, simply undo, or click Reset and start over.

Interface
The primary Pelt Map commands are activated via the buttons on the Quick
Pelt rollout. Other functions on this dialog let you adjust various stretching
parameters.

UVW Mapping | 1851

Quick Pelt rollout
These are the main controls for the simulation, in which the springs attached
to the stretcher pull the pelt seam vertices out, flattening the UVs. For best
results, alternate between running the simulation (click Start Pelt) and relaxing
the mesh.

1852 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Pelt group
Start Pelt Runs the simulation, pulling the pelt seam vertices towards the
stretcher points. The simulation runs continuously until you stop it by pressing
Esc or clicking Stop Pelt (the same button). You can also stop it by clicking
Reset, or Commit or Cancel at the bottom of the dialog.
Pelt affects only selected texture vertices. However, if no texture vertices are
selected, it affects all of them.
Reset Stops the simulation if it’s running, and returns the pelt and stretcher
to their original condition.
You can also reset the pelt by exiting pelt mapping mode by clicking either
Commit or Cancel, and then clicking the Pelt button again.
Simulation Samples The number of samples around each pelt-seam point
used in the simulation. A higher value results in a greater pulling effect.
Default=5. Range=1 to 50.
Show Local Distortion When on, depicts the differences between texture
vertices and mesh vertices for visible faces; that is, faces selected in the viewport
when Filter Selected Faces on page 1813is on. For more information, see Show
Edge Distortion on page 1828.
Normally, when showing edge distortion, 3ds Max takes the entire mesh into
account. This can result in an unrealistic depiction of distortion when you
use pelt mapping on only part of a mesh (for example, the head of a character).
For a more accurate depiction of distorted edges with respect to the part of
the mesh that you're currently pelt-mapping, turn on this option, turn on
Filter Selected Faces, and select in the viewport only the faces that you're
currently pelt-mapping.

Relax group
Start Relax Normalizes the distances between mapping vertices. The relaxation
process runs continuously until you stop it by pressing Esc or clicking Stop
Relax (the same button).
Relax affects only selected texture vertices. However, if no texture vertices are
selected, it affects all of them.
Settings Opens the Relax Tool dialog on page 1856 for setting relax parameters.
While this dialog is open, you can start the relax by clicking its buttons or the
Start Relax button on the Pelt Map dialog.

UVW Mapping | 1853

Pelt Options rollout
Stretcher group
These tools help adjust the stretcher shape.
Straighten Stretcher Lets you specify a polygonal outline for the stretcher by
moving points. When this mode is active, move one stretcher vertex, and
then move a second, non-adjacent point to line up all intervening vertices in
a straight line between the two. This process is fully interactive; as you move
the second vertex, the intervening vertices continually change position to
maintain the straight line. Continue moving vertices to create a polygonal
outline; to quit, click Straighten Stretcher again.
NOTE While Straighten Stretcher is active, you can pan and zoom the editor
window at any time using contextual controls (middle-button drag or turn mouse
wheel, respectively) to access a different part of the window. After doing so, 3ds
Max still remembers the last vertex you dragged and draws a straight line between
it and the next one you drag. Similarly, you can adjust the window using the
control buttons on page 1813 and then return to straightening the stretcher. If the
control requires more than a single click, such as Pan, exit the control by
right-clicking in the window and then return to straightening the stretcher.
TIP To create a symmetrical outline for the stretcher, create the outline on one
side and then use Mirror Stretcher (see following).
Snap To Seams Aligns all the stretcher points to the edge seams on the pelt
UVs. This causes the stretcher to take on the pelt outline.
TIP For best results, use this command only after stretching.
Mirror Stretcher Mirrors the stretcher points from one side of the mirror axis
(see following) to the other. By default, Mirror Stretcher mirrors the points
from the right side to the left.
Mirror Axis Lets you specify the orientation of the mirror axis. The axis takes
the form of three yellow lines forming a T. The leg of the T indicates the side
that will be mirrored when you use Mirror Stretcher (see preceding), and the
crossbar indicates the axis across which the mirroring will occur. Default=0.0.
Range=0.0 to 360.0.

Select group
These commands let you select all the stretcher points or the pelt UVs. As
with other selection methods, you can press and hold Ctrl when you use either

1854 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

of these to add to the current selection. That is, to select all stretcher points
and pelt UVs, click one button, press and hold Ctrl, and then click the other
button.
Select Stretcher Selects all stretcher points.
Select Pelt UVs Selects all pelt texture vertices.

Springs group
These parameters control the springs that are used to stretch the pelt. In most
cases you won’t need to change these values, except possibly for Pull Strength.
Pull Strength The magnitude of the stretching action when you click Simulate
Pelt Pulling. Default=0.1. Range=0.0 to 0.5.
If the stretching is too gradual, increase Pull Strength for a more forceful
stretching action.
Dampening Applies a dampening or inhibiting factor to the pulling action.
The higher the Dampening value, the greater the inhibition of the stretcher.
Default=0.16. Range=0.0 to 0.5.
Stiffness Sets the rate at which the springs pull. The higher the Stiffness value,
the more abrupt the pulling action. Default=0.16. Range=0.0 to 0.5.
Decay The rate of falloff of the influence of each pelt-seam vertex on the other
mapping vertices. Higher Decay values typically result in significantly greater
stretching, or undesirable results. For best results, keep the Decay value low.
Default=0.25. Range=0.0 to 0.5.
Lock Open Edges Locks the open edges in place. This typically applies to
using the stretcher on a partial selection of mapping vertices in the pelt region.
When Lock Open Edges is on, selected vertices next to unselected vertices
tend to stay in place during stretching. When Lock Open Edges is off, the
selected vertices tend to pull away from the unselected vertices.

Commit/Cancel
Commit Saves changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Discards changes and closes the dialog.

UVW Mapping | 1855

Relax Tool Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Edit
UVWs dialog ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Tools menu ➤ Relax Dialog
The Relax Tool dialog offers an advanced toolset for modifying the spacing
of selected texture coordinates parametrically, for the purpose of eliminating
or minimizing distortion in texture maps.
The dialog provides three different methods for relaxing vertices, plus several
numeric parameters and two check boxes. You can use Relax to separate texture
vertices that are too close together to texture easily, and to resolve overlapping
areas.
The dialog is non-modal, which means that you can work directly in the editor
while keeping the dialog open. You can make a selection of texture vertices,
apply relaxation, make a different selection, apply relaxation, and so on,
without having to close the Relax Tool dialog.
TIP When using Relax with complex objects, you might find that vertices in interior
sections of the texture mesh don't relax properly because they have nowhere to
go. In such cases, try making a seam: Select an edge loop or part of a loop, and
then use the Break on page 1825 function to separate the mesh at the seam.
Alternatively, you could make a face selection and then use Detach Edge Verts.
For example, Select Overlapped Faces ➤ Expand Selection ➤ Detach Edge Verts
will break the selection away from the mesh into a new UV element.

TIP
Effective use of the Relax tools requires that the geometry and texture
vertices be in the same order. If you get unexpected results using Relax, try
mirroring the texture vertices to reverse their order.

Procedures
To relax texture coordinates:
1 Use the Edit UVWs dialog to select the texture-coordinate vertices to
relax.
You can make this selection at any sub-object level (Vertex, Edge, or Face),
but Relax always works on vertices.

1856 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

2 On the Tools menu, choose Relax Dialog.

This opens the Relax Tool dialog.
3 Choose the relax method. Three are available from the drop-down list:
■

Relax By Face Angles

■

Relax By Edge Angles

■

Relax By Centers

The default method is Relax By Edge Angles; this usually gives the best
results.
4 Do either of the following:
■

Set the other options and then click Apply. This applies the Amount
and Stretch settings for the specfied number of iterations.
As the relaxing progresses, a message appears showing you which
frame is being processed. A frame is equivalent to an iteration.

■

Click Start Relax. This ignores the Iterations setting and initiates a
continuous relax process, during which you can which you can change
any of the other parameters to see the results in real time.

The appropriate relax method and other settings depend on a variety of
conditions, including the complexity and topology of the mesh, so
experimentation is usually required. Relaxing is undoable, so if one method
doesn't work, undo and try another.

UVW Mapping | 1857

To use Relax to fix overlapping faces:
This procedure provides general guidelines for resolving overlapping texture
faces. It might not work in every case, but it should give you a starting point
for correcting most situations.
1 Open the Edit UVWs dialog and in the Selection Modes group, click Face
Sub-object Mode.
2 From the Edit UVWs dialog ➤ Select menu, choose Select Overlapping
Faces.
Only the overlapping faces are selected.

3 Click
faces.

(Expand Selection) to select faces surrounding the overlapping

This gives the overlapping faces a larger area in which to spread out.
4 From the Tools menu, choose Relax Dialog.
5 On the Relax Tool dialog, set Stretch to an intermediate value. If the
overlapping is considerable, use 0.5 or higher. If it's relatively small, try
0.1 to 0.3.
6 Click Apply.
If this seems to help, continue clicking Apply, or just click Start Relax,
and wait until the overlapping is resolved. If not, undo (Ctrl+Z) and try
using Relax By Face Angles instead, or increase the Amount value, or
change the Stretch value, or use combinations of the above.

1858 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

[relax method] The method used to relax the texture vertices. Choose from
the drop-down list:
■

Relax By Face AnglesRelaxes the vertices based on the shape of the faces.
It tries to align the geometric shape of the face to the UV face. This
algorithm is mainly used to remove distortion and not so much to remove
overlap, and is best suited for simpler shapes.

■

Relax By Edge AnglesThis default method is similar to Relax By Face Angles
except that it uses the edges that are attached to the vertices as the shape
to match. It typically works better than Relax By Face Angles but tends to
take longer to reach a solution. This method is bested suited for more
complex shapes.

■

Relax By CentersThe original Relax method from previous versions of 3ds
Max. It relaxes vertices based off the centroids (centers of mass) of their
faces. It does not take into account the face or edge shapes/angles so it is
mainly useful for removing overlap or for faces that are mostly rectangular.

Iterations The number of times the Relax settings are applied when you click
Apply. Each iteration is applied successively, to the results of the previous
iteration. Range=0 to 100000. Default=100.
Amount The strength of the relaxation applied per iteration. Range=0.0 to
1.0. Default=0.1.
Stretch The amount of stretching that can occur. Stretching is useful mainly
to resolve overlapping texture vertices, at the cost of reintroducing distortion
into the texture mesh. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.0.

UVW Mapping | 1859

Keep Boundary Points Fixed Controls whether vertices at the outer edges of
the texture coordinates are moved. Default=off.
When off, the outer edge of the texture mesh can float, allowing a wider range
of the available texture-mapping space to be used. Typically you would keep
this off when relaxing an entire element or cluster, so 3ds Max can minimize
distortion by moving the edges.
When relaxing an interior subset of vertices, it is recommended you turn this
on to prevent the selected vertices from overlapping unselected vertices. For
Relax By Edge and Face Angles, turn this off until you get a good solution for
the outer boundaries of the mesh and then turn it on to resolve the interior
sections.
Save Outer Corners Preserves the original positions of texture vertices farthest
away from the center. Available only with the Relax By Centers method.
Start Relax Initiates the relax process on a continuous basis, ignoring the
Iterations setting. During this time, you can change the other dialog settings
and see the results in real time.
To halt the relax process, click outside the dialog, press Esc, or click the same
button (“Stop Relax”). To revert to the previous mapping, use Undo (Ctrl+Z).
Apply Begins the relaxation process using the current settings. As relaxation
takes place, a textual progress indicator appears at the bottom of the dialog,
showing the current iteration (Process frame) and the total number of iterations
being processed.
To abort the relaxation process, press Esc. You can then use Undo (Ctrl+Z) to
return to the prior state, if necessary.
Set As Default Saves all current settings as the Relax defaults, so they are
recalled from session to session.

Render UVs Dialog
Unwrap UVW modifier ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Tools menu
➤ Render UVW Template
The Render UVs dialog, part of the Unwrap UVW editor on page 1807, lets you
export a model's texture mapping data as a template; a bitmapped image file.
you can then import this template into a 2D paint program, apply color as
needed, and then bring it back into 3ds Max as a texture map to apply to the
model. The exported file looks like a screen shot of the editor window, but
without any background texture, and has the added options of setting color
and alpha options for both the edges and the area they cover.

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For a procedure that covers usage of this dialog, see To export texture
coordinates to a paint program: on page 1795.

Interface

Width/Height The horizontal and vertical dimensions of the output (rendered)
template image in pixels.
Guess Aspect Ratio Adjusts the Height value to produce an output aspect
ratio based on the Width value and the dimensions of the UV grid.
For instance, if a rectangular UV grid measures 20 x 100 units and you click
Guess Aspect Ratio, it would try to keep the bitmap at the 1:5 aspect ratio.
This makes painting on the bitmap easier because the bitmap is at the correct
aspect ratio for the mesh.

UVW Mapping | 1861

WARNING Using this function can result in Height value that is not a power of
2. If your mesh is destined for a real-time renderer, adjust the resulting Height
value to the nearest power of 2 after using Guess Aspect Ratio. For example, if it
sets Height to 650, change it to 512 before rendering the template.
Force 2-Sided When on, all UV edges are rendered into the template. When
off, only UV edges of faces facing the viewer are included; edges of back-facing
faces are not rendered.

Fill group
Fill is the coloring applied to the rendered bitmap in the face areas between
edges. By default, there's no fill; the bitmap color is black, and the alpha
channel is fully transparent. You can change this to a solid color or to shading
derived from the mesh and lighting in the scene, or from the normal directions.
NOTE The overlap color overrides the fill color. For example, if Show Overlap is
on and all visible faces overlap other faces, all faces will show the overlap color,
ignoring the fill color.
[color swatch] Shows the fill color used for faces when Mode is set to Solid.
To change the color, click the swatch.
Alpha Sets the alpha-channel value for the fill areas when Mode=Solid, Normal,
or Shaded. When Mode=None, the fill alpha is always 0.0 (transparent).
Range=0.0 (transparent) to 1.0 (opaque). Default=1.0.
The alpha channel is included with the rendered image only when you save
in a format that supports transparency, such as TIF or Targa.
Mode Specifies the method used for filling faces in the rendered template.
■

None: No fill is rendered. This setting ignores the Alpha value, and sets
fill alpha to 0.0; that is, fully transparent.

■

Solid: Renders faces using the fill color specified by the swatch at the top
of the Fill group.

■

Normal: Renders each vertex’s normals into the bitmap. The result looks
similar to a normal map.

■

Shaded: Uses a simple lighting setup to render shading across the UV
surface.

Show Overlap When on, fills faces that overlap other faces with the overlap
color, shown in the color swatch to the right. Default=on.
To change the overlap color, click the color swatch.

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Edges group
[color swatch] Shows the color used for rendered edges. To change the color,
click the swatch.
Alpha Sets the alpha-channel value for edges. Range=0.0 (transparent) to 1.0
(opaque). Default=1.0.
The alpha channel is included with the rendered image only when you save
in a format that supports transparency, such as TIF or Targa.
Visible Edges When on, edges are rendered using the specified edge color.
Default=on.
Invisible Edges When on, hidden edges are rendered using the specified edge
color. Default=off.
Hidden edges are most often found dividing mesh polygons into triangles.
They aren't present in polygon objects.
Seam Edges When on, seam (outside) edges are rendered using the specified
seam color. Default=on.
To change the seam color, click the color swatch. The default color (green) is
the same as that used for seam edges in the Edit UVWs dialog, but the two
can be changed separately.

_____
Render UV Template Renders the template bitmap in a new rendered frame
window on page 6963.
To save the rendered frame, click the Save Bitmap button.
NOTE This command renders the normalized UV space, from (0,0) to (1,1), as
depicted in the editor by a dark blue outline. For best results, make sure the texture
UVs fill this space but don't exceed its bounds.

TIP
To turn off the background texture, which tends to obscure the UV
space outline, click the Show Map button on the upper toolbar.

UVW Mapping | 1863

Sketch Tool Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Tools
menu ➤ Sketch Vertices
If you need to match a contiguous selection of texture vertices to an outline
in a bitmap, whether an irregular shape, a straight line, or a geometric shape,
you can use the Sketch tool to perform the operation quickly, rather than
dragging the vertices one at a time.

Procedures
Example: To sketch texture vertices free form:
You can start with the vertices already selected, or use the Sketch tool to select
them. In this example, we'll assume the latter.
1 Choose Sketch Vertices.
2 In the Sketch Tool dialog, next to Select By, choose Drag Selection, if
necessary.
3 Next to Align To, choose Free Form, if necessary.
4 Make sure Show Vertex Order and Interactive Mode are turned on. Leave
Drag Cursor Size at the default setting.
5 Click OK to close the dialog.
The mouse cursor takes the form of a circle, which means you're in “drag
select” mode.
6 In the editor window, drag the cursor over the vertices to select, and then
release the mouse button.
As you drag, each vertex is assigned a consecutive number. When you
release the mouse button, the cursor turns into a pencil, which means
you're in “sketch” mode.
NOTE Before you start sketching, each successive mouse click alternates
between drag and sketch modes.
7 In the editor window, drag a wavy line.

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The selected vertices follow the line in numeric order, spreading out
evenly over its length. To start the sketch over, release the mouse button,
and then drag again.
Alternatively, if you press and hold Alt, and then press and release the
mouse button, you'll draw a straight line by moving the mouse. Click
and move again to draw connected straight-line segments.
You can combine free-form and straight-line sketching freely:
■

To append a free-form line to a straight-line segment, release the Alt
key and then begin dragging.

■

To append a straight-line segment to a free-form line, press and hold
Alt as you drag, and then release the mouse button and move the
mouse.

8 To exit the Sketch tool, right-click in the editor window.

Interface

Select by Lets you choose how to select the vertices to sketch:
■

Pick SelectionLets you pick the vertices one by one. When you click OK,
a Pick cursor appears comprising a + sign and the letter P; when the cursor
is over a vertex, the + sign becomes larger. To finish picking, right-click,
and then drag to sketch. After sketching, you return to Pick mode, and so
on. To exit, right-click.

■

Drag SelectionLets you pick multiple vertices by dragging. When you click
OK, the mouse cursor appears as a circle. After you drag to select vertices,
release the mouse button, and then drag (or Alt+click) to sketch. As with

UVW Mapping | 1865

Pick Selection, the mouse cursor continues to alternate between Select and
Sketch modes until you right-click to exit.
■

Use Current SelectionUses the current selection; you cannot change the
selection while using the tool. If the current selection is edges or faces,
Sketch uses all vertices attached to selected sub-objects.

Align To Lets you choose how to sketch:
■

Free FormDrag to sketch free form (like drawing with a pencil), or Alt+click
to sketch connected

■

LineDrag to sketch a single, straight line segment.

■

BoxDrag diagonally to sketch a rectangle.

■

CircleDrag outward to sketch a circle, and then move the mouse in a circle
to rotate the circle.

Show Vertex Order Displays numbered labels that indicate the order in which
vertices were selected and will spread out during sketching.
Interactive Mode Shows vertex positioning as you sketch. Turn off for faster
feedback.
Drag Cursor Size Sets the size of the mouse cursor used while dragging a
selection. Default=8. Range=1 to 15.
OK Accepts the changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
Set As Default Makes the current settings the defaults for the current session.

Spline Map Parameters Dialog
Unwrap UVW Modifier ➤ Face sub-object level ➤ Map Parameters rollout
➤ Spline
Spline mapping on page 1804 is useful for mapping curved objects with a
cylindrical cross-section, such as a snake or tentacle, as well as curved flat
surfaces such as a winding road. This feature lets you use any spline to specify
mapping on a mesh surface, as well as manipulate the mapping gizmo via
cross-sections for greater accuracy. The result more closely approximates the
actual shape of such objects than other mapping methods, making it easier
to create convincing texture maps.

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The following illustration shows two objects that were created by extruding
a circular polygon along an S-shaped spline. Such objects have no native
mapping coordinates. The object on the left uses simple planar mapping, with
the plane parallel to its largest dimension. The object on the right uses spline
mapping, with the spline (also used to extrude the polygon) inside the object.

Working with Cross-sections
You can adjust spline mapping in two ways:
■

By manipulating the assigned spline. To use this method, you must exit
the modifier, select the spline, and then transform it or its sub-objects
(typically the vertices). To see the results of such manipulation, you must
re-select the mapped object, go to the Face sub-object level, and then click
the Spline button.

■

By manipulating the cross-sections in the Unwrap modifier.This is the
recommended method because it provides better feedback. Thus, it is
important to make sure the spline fits the mapped object well before
applying the spline mapping. If you have problems manipulating the

UVW Mapping | 1867

cross-sections, sometimes the fastest way to recover is to delete the Unwrap
UVW modifier and start fresh with a new one.
When manipulating cross-sections, keep the following points in mind:
■

When Spline mode is active (that is, the Spline Map Parameters dialog is
open), you can select and transform only cross-sections. To select
cross-sections, use standard methods, such as clicking, Ctrl+clicking,
region-selecting, and, to select all cross-sections, Ctrl+A. Selected
cross-sections are yellow, and unselected ones are orange.

■

All cross-section transforms take place in the Local coordinate system.

■

Moving a cross-section on the Z axis always moves it along the length of
the spline used for mapping. However, doing so does not change the
mapping between the moved cross-section and the next one. For example,
moving a cross-section closer to its neighbor does not compress the
intervening texture coordinates. The main reason for having cross-sections
close together is for finer control over mapping within complex areas of
the model.

■

With the Planar mapping method, it’s important to use well-formed mesh
objects; that is, objects without narrow bends, with evenly spaced
tessellating edges that cross the “track” perpendicular to its sides. In
particular, avoid objects with the following two characteristics:
■

Narrow bends. In particular, this type of shape can cause tessellating
edges that connect to the same side instead of crossing the “track,”as
shown in the following illustration.

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■

“Fan” edges, where several edges share a single endpoint. This can cause
the type of mapping anomalies shown in the following illustration.

UVW Mapping | 1869

Procedure
To use Spline mapping:
1 Create a mesh object to map, and a spline with which to specify the
mapping. Position the spline inside the mesh object. For best results,
always center the spline inside the mesh.
TIP To create the spline from a series of edges, use Create Shape from
Selection on page 2285.
2 Apply Unwrap UVW to the mesh object.
3 Go to the Face sub-object level, and then select the faces to map. To map
the entire object (that is, all faces), leave all faces unselected.
4 On the Map Parameters rollout, click Spline.
The Spline Map Parameters dialog opens.
5 Click the Pick Spline button, and then select the spline to use for mapping.
Either click the spline in the viewport or press H and select it by name.
At this point, or if you already applied a spline, the mapping gizmo
appears around the spline, showing the outlines and cross-sections.

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S-shaped object with circular spline mapping

6 If necessary, modify the mapping by transforming the cross-sections in
the viewports and adjusting the Spline Map Parameters dialog settings.
Keep in mind that changes affect only the mapping on selected faces,
unless no faces are selected, in which case changes affect the mapping
on all faces.
7 If you use the Planar mapping method, make sure the cross-sections are
parallel to the flat surface. One way to do so is to select all the
cross-sections (press Ctrl+A), then click the Align To: Face button, and
then click a face on the surface.

UVW Mapping | 1871

Interface

Spline group
These settings are for overall mapping.
Pick Spline Lets you specify a spline to use for mapping. Click this button
and then select the spline. After you specify the spline, its name appears in
the space above the button.
If the spline contains several elements, the element used for mapping is the
one you click.
Mapping Lets you specify how the modifier projects the map onto the mesh.
■

CircularUse for objects with a circular cross-section, like a tube.
With circular projection, the cross-sections are circular by default. You can
change the mapping by transforming these cross-sections. For example,
you can create a spiral mapping effect by rotating the cross-sections around
their local Z axes by successively greater amounts.

■

PlanarUse for flat objects, like a road.

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With planar projection, the cross-sections are lines. For best results, make
sure the cross-sections are parallel to the mesh surface, and perpendicular
to the spline used for mapping. In most cases, this happens by default.
Use Manual Seams When on, uses the pelt seam on page 1805 as the texture
border. When off, uses the green seam line built in to the spline-mapping
gizmo.
This option is available only with Circular mapping, and works best with
relatively simple objects with open ends.

Cross Section group
After you assign a spline in the Spline group (see preceding), 3ds Max applies
the spline mapping to the object, creating a cross-section for each vertex in
the spline. The settings in this group let you manipulate the cross-sections.
To select a cross-section, click it. To select all cross-sections, press Ctrl+A.
In Spline mode you can transform selected cross-sections in the local
coordinate system, moving, rotating, and scaling them as you like to adjust
the texture coordinates.
NOTE If you have two cross-sections close together with very different orientations
or scaling values, the mapping might show visual anomalies (such as pinched UVs)
as the Unwrap modifier interpolates quickly from one section to the next.
Fit Resizes selected cross-sections to match the adjacent geometry.
NOTE With asymmetrical geometry, Fit might give unexpected results because
it adjusts the cross-section to the closest parts of the neighboring geometry along
the cross section's local X and Y axes. In such cases, you might need to transform
the cross-section manually to get the best fit.
Add Lets you add cross-sections for finer control over the interpolation of the
mapping between cross-sections. Click this button and then click the spline
where you want to add a cross-section. The mouse cursor changes to a
crosshairs when over the spline. Continue adding cross-sections as necessary,
and then click the button again to exit Add mode.
Remove Deletes any selected cross-sections. The end cross-sections cannot be
deleted.
Align To:
■

SectionAligns the selected cross-sections to another cross-section. Select
the cross-sections to align, click Section, and then click the target

UVW Mapping | 1873

cross-section. Aligned cross-sections pick up the orientation and scale of
the target.
■

FaceAligns the selected cross-sections to a mesh face on the modified object.
Select the cross-sections to align, click Face, and then click the face to align
them to.
This tool is most useful with Planar mapping.

Reset Count to Lets you specify the number of evenly spaced cross-sections.
Set the numeric value and then click the Reset Count To button.
This tool is useful when the mapping spline has many vertices, and you want
to reduce the number of cross-sections to a manageable number.

Commit/Cancel
Commit Applies changes and closes the dialog, exiting spline-mapping mode.
Cancel Discards changes and closes the dialog, exiting spline-mapping mode.

Stitch Tool Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Tools
menu ➤ Stitch Selected
After you've separated your object's UVW coordinates into clusters, either
manually or using one of the automatic tools on the Mapping menu on page
1826, you can use the Stitch tool to recombine specific clusters by merging
corresponding edges.
NOTE You can stitch together only two clusters at a time. If the current sub-object
selection is shared by more than one cluster, then “majority rules”: Stitch attaches
the cluster that shares the most sub-objects. If the number of sub-objects shared
by multiple other clusters is the same, 3ds Max attaches the cluster whose shared
sub-objects were chosen first.

Procedures
To stitch two clusters together:
1 In the “source” cluster, select sub-objects along an edge you want to
connect.

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By default, this causes the shared edges to highlight in the “target”
object(s).
2 Choose Stitch Selected.
The clusters are connected.
3 Adjust the settings on the Stitch Tool dialog.
Feedback takes place in real time.
4 Click OK to accept or Cancel to abort.

Interface

Align Clusters Moves the target cluster to the source cluster, and rotates the
target cluster into place if necessary. When off, the target cluster remains in
its original position and orientation. Default=on.
TIP If your clusters overlap after stitching with Align Clusters turned on, cancel
the stitching, and then position and align them as you want them after stitching.
Then use the Stitch tool with Align Clusters turned off.
Scale Clusters Resizes the target cluster to a size comparable to that of the
source cluster. Takes effect only when Align Clusters is on. Default=on.

UVW Mapping | 1875

Edges chosen to stitch (left); Clusters aligned (center); Clusters aligned and scaled,
with Bias=0 (right)

Bias When Scale Clusters is off, Bias sets the extent to which attached
sub-objects are moved from their original positions. At Bias=0, the sub-objects
remain in their original positions in the source cluster. At Bias=1, sub-objects
remain in their original positions in the target cluster. At in-between settings,
their positions are averaged between the two.
When Scale Clusters is on, Bias sets where 3ds Max derives the scaling of the
target cluster(s). At Bias=0, the scale is fully derived from the stitched edges
on the source. At Bias=1, the scale is fully derived from the stitched edges on
the target. At in-between settings, the scaling is averaged between the two.
OK Accepts the changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
Set As Default Makes the current settings the defaults for the current session.

Unfold Mapping Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤
Mapping menu ➤ Unfold Mapping
The Unfold Mapping method of procedural mapping eliminates texture
distortion, but can result in overlapping coordinate clusters. The Unfold
Mapping dialog lets you control how faces are unfolded.

1876 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

See also:
■

Flatten Mapping Dialog on page 1843

■

Normal Mapping Dialog on page 1845

Interface

(drop-down) Sets the unfold method by specifying whether 3ds Max will start
unfolding with the closest or farthest face angle, with respect to distance. In
almost all cases, you'll get better results with Walk To Closest Face.
■

Walk To Closest Face

■

Walk to Farthest Face

Normalize Clusters Controls whether the final layout will be scaled down
to 1.0 unit to fit within the standard editor mapping area. If this is turned off,
the final size of the clusters will be in object space, and they'll probably be
much larger than the editor mapping area. For best results, leave this turned
on.
OK Accepts the settings, closes the dialog, and performs the mapping as
specified.
Cancel Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
Set As Default Makes the current settings the defaults for the current session.

UVW Mapping | 1877

Unwrap Options Dialog
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Unwrap UVW ➤ Edit button (on Parameters rollout) ➤ Edit
UVWs dialog ➤ Options menu ➤ Preferences
Set preferences for the Unwrap UVW editor using controls in the Unwrap
Options dialog.

1878 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

UVW Mapping | 1879

Colors group
Contains color swatches to customize the display of the UVW lattice. With
certain maps, the default colors may become difficult to see. Use these swatches
to choose colors that work better for your specific map.
To change a color, click its swatch, and then use the Color Selector on page
304 to choose a new one.
Line Color Specifies the color of the UVW lattice lines. Default=white.
Handle Color The color assigned to patch handles. Default=yellow.
Show Shared Subs When turned on, non-selected sub-objects shared by the
current selection are highlighted in this color. In most cases, the shared
sub-objects are edges. With a single vertex, the shared sub-objects are vertices.
Defaults=on, blue.
Selection Color Specifies the color of selected UVW sub-objects. Default=red.
Gizmo Color The color assigned to the Freeform gizmo on page 1809.
Default=orange.
Display Seams When on, lets you assign a distinctive color to coordinate
clusters' boundaries that appears in the viewports. Defaults=on, green.
Show Grid When on, the grid lines are visible. Defaults=on, dark blue.
You can also set the grid size on page 1882.
Background Color The color assigned to the background where the texture
map isn't displayed. Default=dark gray.
(drop-down) Lets you assign a fill pattern to selected faces. Default=Cross
Hatch Horizontal/Vertical.

Display Preferences group
Contains controls affecting the map display in the view window.
Render Width Specifies the width resolution of the image displayed in the
view window. This does not change the size of the image, but only the
resolution.
Render Height Specifies the height resolution.
Use Custom Bitmap Size When turned on, scales the bitmap texture to the
values specified by Width and Height. You can adjust these settings to scale
and reproportion the bitmap texture in relation to the texture coordinates.

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This scaling doesn't affect the bitmap in the material, but only as viewed in
the editor.
TIP When working with large textures, reduce the bitmap size for faster feedback.
And when working with disproportionate textures, setting the dimensions closer
to each other in the editor can make it easier to work.
Tiles The number of times the texture image is repeated, counting outward
in eight directions (the four corners and the four sides).
With Tiles=1, the result is a 3 x 3 grid. With Tiles=2, the result is a 5 x 5 grid,
and so on.
You can toggle the tiling feature with the Tile Bitmap check box, described
below.
Tile Brightness Sets the brightness of the tiled bitmap. At 1.0, the brightness
equals that of the original image; at 0.5 it's half the brightness; and at 0, it's
black.
This is the same setting as Brightness in the UVWs editor ➤ Bitmap Options
group (available with Show Options).
Tile Bitmap When turned on, you can repeat the bitmap in the editor,
displaying tiling set in the material.
You can use any part of the tiled image for setting texture coordinates. This
is helpful when the sections of the texture image are packed tightly together
and the mesh contains many different areas to map.
Affect Center Tile When turned on, the Brightness setting affects all tiles
equally. When off, the center, or “home,” tile always remains at full brightness,
so you can easily distinguish the home tile from the copies.
Constant Update in Viewports Affects the adjusting of UVW vertices in the
viewport while you move the mouse. Default=off (the effect of adjusting the
UVW vertices does not appear in the viewport until you release the mouse).
Show Image Alpha Displays the alpha channel of the background image in
the editor, if it exists.
Show Hidden Edges Toggles the display of face edges. When turned off, only
faces appear. When turned on, all mesh geometry appears.
Blend Tile to Background Affects the color to which tiles set to Brightness
less than 1.0 blend. When turned off, tiles blend to black. When turned on,
tiles blend to the background color on page 1880.

UVW Mapping | 1881

Misc. Preferences
Center Pixel Snap When turned on, snaps to the center of pixels of the
background images instead of pixel edges.
Grid Snap When on, snaps to grid edges and intersections.
Vertex Snap When on, snaps to texture-coordinate vertices.
Edge Snap When on, snaps to texture-coordinate edges.
Weld Threshold Sets the radius within which welding using Weld Selected
on page 1825 takes effect. The setting is in UV-space distance. Default=0.01.
Range=0 to 10.
Grid Size Sets the spacing of horizontal and vertical grid lines. Default=0.1.
Setting Grid Size to 0 effectively turns off the grid. At the highest value, 1.0,
the grid is the same size as the texture.
Snap Str(ength) Sets the grid snap on page 1813 strength. Default=0.2. Range=0
to 0.5.
Setting the strength to 0 effectively turns off snapping. At values less than 0.3,
grid snapping tends to go to grid edges. At the highest value, 0.5, grid snapping
goes only to grid intersections.

Selection Preferences
Soft Selection Edge Distance When Soft Selection on page 1814 is turned on,
limits the falloff region by the specified number of edges between the selection
and the affected vertices. The affected region is measured in terms of
"edge-distance" space rather than absolute distance. Default=16.
Single Click Hit Size Sets how far away you can click from a sub-object to
select it. Default=4. Range=1 to 10.
Selected Tick Size Sets the size of the square icon the editor window uses to
indicate selected vertices. Default=2. Range=1 to 10.

_____
OK/Cancel/Defaults Click OK to accept, or Cancel to cancel the changes in
the dialog. Click Defaults to restore all settings in this dialog to default values.

1882 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

UVW Map Modifier
Select an object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ UVW Map

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ UV Coordinates UVW Map
By applying mapping coordinates to an object, the UVW Map modifier controls
how mapped and procedural materials appear on the surface of an object.
Mapping coordinates specify how bitmaps are projected onto an object. The
UVW coordinate system is similar to the XYZ coordinate system. The U and
V axes of a bitmap correspond to the X and Y axes. The W axis, which
corresponds to the Z axis, is generally only used for procedural maps. A
bitmap's coordinate system can be switched in the Material Editor to VW or
WU, in which case the bitmap is rotated and projected so that it is
perpendicular to the surface.

Mapping a sphere and a box.

UVW Mapping | 1883

By default, primitive objects such as spheres and boxes have mapping
coordinates, as do loft objects and NURBS surfaces. Scanned, imported, or
hand-constructed polygonal or patch models do not have mapping coordinates
until a UVW Map modifier is applied.
NOTE Drawings that are imported or linked from Autodesk Architectural Desktop
and Autodesk Revit do retain the mapping coordinates that were assigned to
objects by those products.
If you apply a UVW Map modifier to an object with built-in mapping
coordinates, the applied coordinates take precedence if map channel on page
9210 1 in the UVW Map modifier is used. The Generate Mapping Coordinates
option, available during the creation of primitives, uses map channel 1 by
default.
You use the UVW Map modifier to:
■

Apply one of the seven types of mapping coordinates to an object on a
specified map channel. A diffuse map on map channel 1 and a bump map
on map channel 2 can have different mapping coordinates and can be
controlled separately by using two UVW Map modifiers in the modifier
stack

■

Apply one of the seven types of mapping coordinates to an object.

■

Transform the mapping gizmo to adjust map placement. Objects with
built-in mapping coordinates lack a gizmo.

■

Apply mapping coordinates to an object with no mapping coordinates,
an imported mesh, for example.

■

Apply mapping at the sub-object level.

Map Channels
You can control the type of mapping coordinates and the placement of the
mapping gizmo for each bitmap in a material that uses multiple bitmaps by
assigning explicit map channels to the bitmaps. In the Material Editor you
assign each map a different channel number, then you add multiple UVW
Map modifiers to the object's modifier stack, each UVW Map modifier is set
to a different map channel. To change the type of mapping or gizmo placement
for a particular bitmap, you select one of the UVW Map modifiers in the
modifier stack and change the parameters. You can change the name of a
UVW Map modifier in the Edit Modifier Stack dialog to correlate the modifier
to the bitmap.

1884 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Transforming UVW Map Gizmos

Changing a map's location by moving the gizmo.

The UVW Map gizmo projects mapping coordinates onto an object. You can
position, rotate, or scale a gizmo to adjust map coordinates on an object; you
can also animate the gizmo. Gizmo transformations remain in effect if you
select a new map type. For example, if you scale a spherical mapping gizmo
and then switch to planar mapping, then the planar mapping gizmo is also
scaled.

Gizmo Display for Different Map Types
For planar, spherical, cylindrical and shrink wrap maps, a short yellow line
indicates the top of the map. The green edge of the gizmo indicates the right
side of the map. On a spherical or cylindrical map the green edge is the seam
where the left and right edge meet. Gizmo must be selected in the modifier
display hierarchy to display the gizmo.

UVW Mapping | 1885

Gizmos for different projection types
Left to right: planar, cylindrical, box, and spherical

Effects of Transforming the UVW Map Gizmo
Moving the gizmo changes the center of projection and affects all types of
mapping. Rotating the gizmo changes the orientation of the map, which
affects all types of mapping. Uniform scaling does not affect spherical or
shrink-wrap mapping. Non-uniform scaling affects all types of mapping.
If you scale a gizmo smaller than the geometry, then a tiling effect is created,
unless scaling has no effect on the map type in use. Tiling based on gizmo
size is in addition to tiling values set in the Material Editor Coordinates rollout
for the map or the UVW Map modifier tile controls.

1886 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The size of the gizmo affects how the mapping is applied to an object.

Manipulators for UVW Map
The UVW Map modifier has graphic manipulators to help you adjust the
mapping dimensions and tiling when Real-World Map Size is off. When
Real-World Map Size is on, you can adjust positioning only for the Planar and
Box mapping types.

Manipulators are visible and usable while the Select And Manipulate
button on page 2868 is active. This button is on the default toolbar on page 8623.
When you move the mouse over a manipulator, the manipulator turns red to
show that dragging or clicking it will have an effect. Also, a tooltip appears,
showing the object name, the parameter, and its value.
For more information on using the UVW Map manipulators, see the Procedures
section on page 1889.
UV width/length manipulators In a viewport, drag the edges of the UVW
Map gizmo to change the width or height.

UVW Mapping | 1887

UV tiling manipulators In a viewport, drag the small circle next to the U
edge or V edge to adjust the tiling in that dimension.

Tile Controls
Use the UVW Tile controls if you want a map to repeat. Tiled maps are useful
for bricks on a wall, or tiles on a floor. Rather than creating one large map,
seamless maps can be tiled to surface a large area without visible seams, to
give the illusion of a large map.
Tiling in the UVW Map modifier affects only the objects that use this modifier.
Tiling a map in the Material Editor affects tiling on all the objects that use the
material.
Material and UVW Map tiling are multiplied. For example, if a map in the
Material Editor has a tile value of 2 on one axis, and a UVW Map modifier
has a tiling value of 3 on the same axis, then the result is a tiling value of 6.

Objects with No Mapping Coordinates
If you render an object that doesn't have mapping coordinates or a UVW Map
modifier, and the object uses a material with 2D bitmaps or 3D procedural
maps that use explicit map channels, then a Missing Map Coordinates on
page 6618 alert is displayed. The alert lists both the name of the object and the
UVW channels or Vertex Color channels that are missing the coordinates. For
example: (UVW 2): Torus01.

Mapping Selection Sets or Grouped Objects
You can apply one UVW Map modifier to a selection of objects. One large
mapping gizmo will encompass the entire selection unless the Use Pivot Points
option is turned on in the modifiers rollout before applying the UVW Map
modifier. If the Use Pivot Points option is used then each object is encompassed
with its own mapping gizmo.
If any of the objects in the selection has had its pivot point shifted in the
Hierarchy ➤ Pivot panel, and you use the Use Pivot Points option with the
UVW Map modifier, then the mapping gizmos are centered to the pivot points
rather than the object center and the mapping may be tricky to position the
way you want.

Real-World Mapping
The idea behind real-world mapping is to simplify the use of texture mapped
materials which are scaled correctly with the geometry in the scene. This
feature gives you the ability to create a material and specify the actual width

1888 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

and height of a 2D texture map in the material editor. When you assign that
material to an object in the scene, the texture map appears in the scene with
the correct scaling.
There are two parts to the equation in order for real-world mapping to work.
First, the correct style of UV texture coordinates must be assigned to the
geometry. Basically, the size of the UV space needs to correspond to the size
of the geometry. Therefore, a new switch, called Real-World Map Size, has been
added to many of the dialogs and rollouts where you can generate texture
coordinates. Any dialog or rollout in which you have the option to turn on
Generate Mapping Coords, also has a switch where you can turn on Real-World
Map Size.
NOTE There are a few primitive objects that do not have a Real-World Map Size
switch. These are Torus Knot, Hedra, Prism and RingWave.
The other part of the equation is in the material editor. When you create a
material and use a 2D texture map, you now see a new switch in the
Coordinates rollout called Use Real-World Scale. When this switch is turned on,
the default, the Width and Height spinners are enabled that let you specify
the horizontal/vertical offsets and size of the texture map in current display
units on page 8955.
NOTE Autodesk VIZ scenes with objects using real-world mapping coordinates
will display differently when opened in 3ds Max. This is because real-world mapping
coordinates is not the default method of generating mapping coordinates in 3ds
Max.

Procedures
To apply the UVW Map modifier:
1 Assign a mapped material to an object.

2 On the

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose UVW Map.

3 Adjust the mapping parameters.
By default, the UVW Map modifier uses planar mapping on map channel
1. You can change the type of mapping and the map channel to suit your
needs. There are seven types of mapping coordinates, ninety-nine map
channels, tiling controls, and controls to size and orient the mapping
gizmo in the UVW Map modifier.

UVW Mapping | 1889

NOTE If a UVW Map modifier is applied to multiple objects, the UVW Map
gizmo is defined by the selection, and the mapping that results is applied to
all the objects.

To use multiple UVW channels in the same object:
1 Assign Map channel 1 to an object. You can do this by either turning on
Generate Mapping Coordinates in the Parameters rollout of any primitive,
or by assigning a UVW Map modifier with channel 1 chosen.
Generate Mapping Coordinates uses map channel 1 by default.
2 Assign a UVW Map modifier (or a second one, if you're using the first to
assign channel 1). Choose channel 2 for this modifier.
Both coordinate channels are now assigned to the geometry. The next
step is to assign a mapped material that uses both channels.
3 Create a material with two maps. You can do this using a Composite
map, or a Blend material with two maps, or you can have one map
assigned to Diffuse and another assigned to Bump. Perhaps the easiest
way to see the effect is to composite two maps, with the second map
containing an alpha channel.
4 Go to the level of one of the maps and, in the Mapping list, choose
Explicit Map Channel 2.
The other map is already assigned channel 1 by default.
5 Assign the mapped material to the object.
You can switch between viewing the maps in the viewport using the
Show Map In Viewport control in the Material Editor. You can adjust the
mapping of channel 2 without altering the mapping of channel 1 if you've
assigned two UVW Map modifiers. Render the scene to see the effect.
To use the XYZ to UVW option:
The XYZ to UVW option is used to make a 3D procedural texture, like Cellular,
follow the animated surface of an object. If the object stretches, so does the
3D procedural texture. Currently, it cannot be used with NURBS objects and
is unavailable if a NURBS object is selected.
1 In the Top viewport, create a box.

2

Create a material with a Cellular diffuse map.

1890 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

3 In the Material Editor, on the Coordinates rollout of the Cellular map,
open the Source drop-down list, and choose Explicit Map Channel.
On the Coordinates rollout, the Map Channel parameter activates, leave
the value at 1.
4 Assign the material to the box.

5 On the

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List, choose UVW Map.

6 On the UVW Map modifier, turn on XYZ to UVW.
By default, the Map Channel value is 1.
7 Render the Front viewport.
The cellular pattern renders normally on the surface of the box.
8 Right-click over the object and choose Convert To: ➤ Convert to Editable
Mesh from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu.
The box is converted to an editable mesh.

9 On the
turn it on.

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout, click

10 In the Front viewport,
move them up.

(Vertex) to

select the top vertices of the box, and

11 Render the Front viewport again.
The cellular pattern stretches with the box. This effect is enabled by the
XYZ to UVW option. To see the difference, we will change the Source
option in the Coordinates rollout in the Material Editor.

12 In the

Material Editor, locate the diffuse Cellular material.

13 On the Coordinates rollout of the Cellular diffuse map, open the Source
drop-down list and choose Object XYZ.
14 Render the Front viewport.
The cellular pattern is no longer stretched.

UVW Mapping | 1891

To transform the UVW Map gizmo:

1 On the
Modify panel, choose the UVW Mapping modifier in the
stack display.
2 In the stack display, choose the Gizmo sub-object level.
The gizmo changes to a yellow color, with one green edge.
The green edge indicates the right edge of the texture.
3 Move, scale, or rotate the gizmo in the viewports, or use the Length and
Width controls in the UVW Map modifier.
Transforming the map gizmo shifts the bitmap, allowing you to orient
and move the map on the object's surface.
To use manipulators to control the width and length:

1 On the
display.

Modify panel, choose the UVW Map modifier in the stack

You can also be at the Gizmo level of the modifier.

2 On the main toolbar, click to turn on

(Select And Manipulate).

The UVW Map modifier's gizmo turns green, showing it is now a
manipulator. Also, two small circles appear next to two of the gizmo's
edges.
3 Drag an edge of the gizmo to adjust the width or length.
A tooltip shows the new width or length value.
To use manipulators to control tiling:

1 On the
display.

Modify panel, choose the UVW Map modifier in the stack

You can also be at the Gizmo level of the modifier.

2 On the main toolbar, click to turn on

1892 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

(Select And Manipulate).

The UVW Map modifier's gizmo turns green, showing it is now a
manipulator. Also, two small circles appear next to two of the gizmo's
edges.
3 Drag one of the circles to adjust tiling in the U or V dimension.
A tooltip shows which dimension you are adjusting, and the new tiling
value in that dimension.

Interface
Modifier Stack
Gizmo sub-object level Enables gizmo transformations. At this sub-object
level you can move, scale, and rotate the gizmo in the viewports to position
the mapping. In the Material Editor, you turn on the Show Map in Viewport
option to make the map visible in a shaded viewport, the map moves on the
surface of the object as you transform the gizmo.

UVW Mapping | 1893

Mapping group
Determines the type of mapping coordinates used. Different kinds of mapping
are distinguished by how the map is geometrically projected onto the object
and how the projection interacts with the object's surfaces.
Planar Projects the map from a single plane flat against the object, somewhat
like projecting a slide.
Planar projection is useful when only one side of an object needs to be mapped.
It is also useful for obliquely mapping multiple sides, and for mapping two
sides of a symmetrical object.

Planar map projection

Cylindrical Projects the map from a cylinder, wrapping it around an object.
Seams where the edges of the bitmap meet are visible unless a seamless map
is used. Cylindrical projection is useful for objects that are roughly cylindrical
in shape.

1894 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Cylindrical map projection

Cap Applies planar mapping coordinates to the caps of the cylinder.
NOTE If the ends of the object geometry are not at right angles to the sides, the
Cap projection bleeds onto the sides of the object.
Spherical Surrounds the object by projecting the map from a sphere. You see
a seam and mapping singularities at the top and bottom of the sphere where
the bitmap edges meet at the sphere's poles. Spherical mapping is useful for
objects that are roughly spherical in shape.

UVW Mapping | 1895

Spherical map projection

Shrink Wrap Uses spherical mapping, but truncates the corners of the map
and joins them all at a single pole, creating only one singularity. Shrink-wrap
mapping is useful when you want to hide the mapping singularity.

1896 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Shrink-wrap projection

Box Projects the map from the six sides of a box. Each side projects as a planar
map, and the effect on the surface depends on the surface normal. Each face
is mapped from the closest box surface whose normal most closely parallels
its own normal.

UVW Mapping | 1897

Box projection (shown on a box and on a sphere)

Face Applies a copy of the map to every face of an object. Pairs of faces sharing
a hidden edge are mapped with the full rectangular map. Single faces with no
hidden edge are mapped with a triangular portion of the map.

1898 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Face projection

XYZ to UVW Maps 3D procedural coordinates to UVW coordinates. This
"sticks" the procedural texture to the surface. If the surface stretches, so does
the 3D procedural map. Use this option with procedural textures, like Cellular
on page 6699, on objects with animated topologies. Currently, XYZ to UVW
cannot be used with NURBS objects and is disabled if a NURBS object is
selected.
NOTE In the Material Editor's Coordinates rollout for the map, set Source to Explicit
Map Channel. Use the same map channel in the material and UVW Map modifier.

UVW Mapping | 1899

A sphere with a 3D procedural texture is copied, and the copies are stretched.
Right: Using XYZ to UVW on the object enables the 3D procedural texture to stick and
stretch with the surface.

Length, Width, Height Specify the dimensions of the UVW Map gizmo. The
default scale of the mapping icon is defined by the largest dimension of the
object when you apply the modifier. You can animate the projection at the
gizmo level. Note the following facts about these spinners:
■

The dimensions are based on a bounding box of the gizmo.
The Height dimension is unavailable for the Planar gizmo: It does not have
depth. Likewise, the dimensions for Cylindrical, Spherical, and Shrink
Wrap mapping all display the dimensions of their bounding box and not
their radiuses. No dimensions are available for the Face map: Each face on
the geometry contains the entire map.

■

The three dimensions are set to 1 or 2, depending on map type and
dimensions, when you load files created in Autodesk VIZ or earlier versions
of 3ds Max. (This maintains compatibility with files from previous releases,
in which gizmos were scaled non-uniformly to adjust their dimensions.).

1900 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The dimensions essentially become scale factors rather than measurements.
You can reset the values to dimensions by clicking the Fit or Reset buttons,
which will lose the original non-uniform scaling.
U Tile, V Tile, W Tile Let you specify the dimensions of the UVW map, for
tiling the image. These are floating-point values, which you can animate to
displace the map's tiling over time.
Flip Reverses the image about the given axis.
Real-World Map Size When on, uses real-world mapping on page 6610 for
texture-mapped materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values
are controlled by the Use Real-World Scale settings found on the applied
material's Coordinates rollout on page 6622. (Both Real-World Map Size and Use
Real-World Scale should be either off or on at the same time.) Default=off.
When on, the Length, Width, Height and Tiling spinners are unavailable.

Channel group
Each object can have up to 99 different UVW mapping coordinate channels;
one per modifier. The default mapping channel (from the Generate Mapping
Coordinates toggle in the object’s creation parameters on page 9127) is always
channel 1. The UVW Map modifier can specify coordinates for any channel.
This lets you have many different sets of coordinates on the same face
simultaneously.
IMPORTANT The UVW Map modifier works on only one map channel at a time.
When you change channels, 3ds Max copies the current edits to the new channel
without alerting you. To apply different UVW mapping in different channels, use
multiple modifiers (Unwrap UVW on page 1787 or UVW Map ).
If you already have edits in that channel from another modifier, those edits could
be overwritten. To ensure preservation of your edits, save them before changing
channels and then reload the saved edits as necessary.
Map Channel Sets the map channel. The UVW Map modifier defaults to
channel 1, so mapping behaves in the default fashion unless you explicitly
change to another channel. Default=1. Range=1 to 99
If you specify a different channel, make sure any maps in the object’s material
that should use that mapping are also set to that channel.
You can use multiple UVW Map modifiers in the modifier stack, each one
controlling the mapping coordinates of different maps in a material.

UVW Mapping | 1901

The map channel setting is available in various places in 3ds Max, as follows:
■

Generate Mapping CoordsThis check box, present in the creation
parameters of most objects, assigns map channel 1 when on.

■

UVW Map, UVW Xform, and Unwrap UVWs modifiersThese modifiers let
you set the map channel to 1 through 99, thus specifying which UVW
coordinates the modifier uses. The modifier stack can pass these channels
simultaneously for any face.

■

Material Editor Channel AssignmentYou assign the channel to be used by
a map on the Coordinates rollout at the map level in the Material Editor.
The Explicit Map Channel option must be active.

■

NURBS Surface Objects and Sub-ObjectsLet you specify which map channel
the surface uses.

Vertex Color Channel Define the channel as a vertex color channel by
choosing this option. Be sure to match any material mapping in the
coordinates rollout to be Vertex Color as well, or by using the Assign Vertex
Colors utility on page 6927.

Alignment group
X/Y/Z Select one of these to flip the alignment of the mapping gizmo. Each
specifies which axis of the gizmo is aligned with the local Z axis of the object.
NOTE These options aren't the same as the Flip check boxes beside the U/V/W
Tile spinners. The Alignment option buttons actually flip the gizmo orientation,
while the Flip check boxes flip an assigned map's orientation.
Manipulate When on, a gizmo appears on the object that lets you change
parameters in the viewport. When Real-World Map Size is on, Manipulate is
available only with the Planar and Box mapping types. For more information,
see Manipulators for UVW Map on page 1887.

1902 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

TIP Turn on snapping to adjust the mapping precisely.
Fit Fits the gizmo to the extents of the object and centers it so that it's locked
to the object's extents. Unavailable when Real-World Map Size is on.
Center Moves the gizmo so that its center coincides with the center of the
object.
Bitmap Fit Displays the standard bitmap file browser so that you can pick an
image. Unavailable when Real-World Map Size is on.
For planar mappings, the map icon is set to the aspect ratio of the image. For
cylindrical mapping, the height (rather than the radius of the gizmo) is scaled
to match the bitmap. For best results, first use the Fit button to match the
radius of the object and gizmo, and then use Bitmap Fit.
Normal Align Click and drag on the surface of the object to which the modifier
is applied. The origin of the gizmo is placed at the point on the surface where
the mouse is pointing; the XY plane of the gizmo is aligned to the face. The
X axis of the gizmo lies in the object's XY plane.

UVW Mapping | 1903

Normal Align respects smoothing groups and uses the interpolated normal
based on face smoothing. As a result, you can orient the mapping icon to any
part of the surface, rather than having it "snap" to face normals.
View Align Reorients the mapping gizmo to face the active viewport. The size
of the icon is unchanged.
Region Fit Activates a mode in which you can drag in the viewports to define
the region of the mapping gizmo. The orientation of the gizmo is not affected.
Unavailable when Real-World Map Size is on.
Reset Deletes the current controller controlling the gizmo and plugs in a new
one initialized using the Fit function. Any animation to the gizmo is lost. As
with all the alignment options, you can cancel the reset operation by clicking
Undo.
Acquire Effectively copies the UVW coordinates from other objects When
you pick an object from which you want to acquire UVWs, a dialog prompts
you whether the acquire should be done in an absolute or relative fashion.
If you choose Absolute, the acquired mapping gizmo is positioned exactly on
top of the mapping gizmo you pick. If you choose Relative, the acquired
mapping gizmo is positioned over the selected object.

Display group

This setting determines whether and how mapping discontinuities, also known
as seams, appear in the viewports. The seams appear only when the Gizmo
sub-object level is active. The default seam color is green; to change it, go to
Customize menu ➤ Customize User Interface ➤ Colors tab, and then from
the Elements drop-down list, choose UVW Map.
The options are:
■

Show No SeamsMapping boundaries don't appear in the viewports. This
is the default choice.

■

Thin Seam DisplayDisplays mapping boundaries on object surfaces in the
viewports with relatively thin lines. The line thickness remains constant
as you zoom the view in and out.

1904 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Thick Seam DisplayDisplays mapping boundaries on object surfaces in the
viewports with relatively thick lines. The line thickness increases when
you zoom the view in and decreases when you zoom out.

UVW Mapping Add Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Add

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ UVW Mapping

Select an object. ➤ Channel Info on page 6936 ➤ Add a channel.
The UVW Mapping Add modifier is added to an object's modifier stack when
you add a channel in the Channel Info utility on page 6936. You can also add
the modifier explicitly by choosing it from the Modifier List. It has no user
interface.
To merge the results of the add operation into the object's geometry, collapse
the modifier stack after adding.

UVW Mapping Clear Modifier
Select an object. ➤
Clear

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ UVW Mapping

Select an object. ➤ Channel Info on page 6936 ➤ Clear a channel.
The UVW Mapping Clear modifier is added to an object's modifier stack when
you clear a channel with the Channel Info utility on page 6936. You can also
add the modifier explicitly by choosing it from the Modifier List.
To merge the results of the deletion into the object's geometry, collapse the
modifier stack after deleting.

Interface
Map Channel Specifies the map channel to clear. This is equivalent to clearing
a specific channel in the Channel Info utility. If the specified map channel
doesn't exist, the modifier has no effect.

UVW Mapping | 1905

UVW Mapping Paste Modifier
Select an object. ➤ Channel Info on page 6936 ➤ Copy and then paste a
channel.
The UVW Mapping Paste modifier is added to an object's modifier stack when
you paste a channel in the Channel Info utility on page 6936. It isn't available
from the modifier list, and has no user interface.
To merge the results of the paste operation (for example, a vertex selection)
into the object's geometry, collapse the modifier stack after pasting.

UVW XForm Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ UVW XForm
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ UV Coordinates ➤ UVW XForm
Use the UVW XForm modifier to adjust tiling and offset in existing UVW
coordinates on page 9340. If you have an object with complex UVW coordinates
already applied (such as a Loft object, or a parametric object with generated
coordinates), you can apply this modifier to adjust those coordinates further.
For example, if you create a torus and turn on Generate Mapping Coordinates,
the UVW coordinates work perfectly with the torus, but if you want to tile or
move the coordinates, you would previously have needed to do it at the
material/map level. Now you can apply a UVW XForm modifier to alter the
built-in coordinates. You can use a Mesh Select or Edit Mesh modifier to apply
a UVW Adjust to sub-object selections, as well. This is handy if you want to
rotate the mapping on a particular portion of an object.

1906 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

Mapping group
U Tile, V Tile, W Tile Alter the tiling along any of the three coordinate axes.
Flip Reverses the direction of the map along the specified axis.
U Offset, V Offset, W Offset Move the map in the direction of the specified
axis coordinate.
Rotation Rotates the map.
Rotate About Center When active, the map rotates about the center of the
object. If this is applied to a sub-object selection, it uses the center of that
selection.
When this is turned off, the map rotates about the corner of the U and V
coordinate gizmo.

UVW Mapping | 1907

Channel group
Specifies whether to apply the transform to a mapping channel or a vertex
color channel, and which channel to use. For more information on these
channels, see UVW Map Modifier on page 1883.
Map Channel Specifies a UVW channel to use for the mapping, and use the
spinner to its right to set the channel number.
Vertex Color Channel Uses the vertex color channel for the mapping.

_____
Apply To Entire Object If the UVW Xform modifier is applied to an active
sub-object selection, such as face or patch, this switch controls whether the
settings of the UVW Xform modifier affect only the original sub-object
selection or affect the entire object.

Vertex Weld Modifier
Select a mesh, patch, or PolyMesh object. ➤
Modifier List ➤ Vertex Weld

Modify panel ➤

Select a mesh, patch, or PolyMesh object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing
➤ Vertex Weld
The Vertex Weld modifier behaves like the Weld feature in Editable Mesh or
Editable Patch by combining all vertices within a specified distance from each
other into a single vertex. Vertex Weld is useful for cleaning up meshes that
contain clusters of vertices within small areas.

The results of using different Vertex Weld threshold settings

1908 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The new vertex is automatically placed at the average position of the combined
vertices. Because the original vertices are removed, some associated faces and
edges are usually removed as well. Also, welded vertices need not belong to
the same element, so welding can result in combining elements within an
object.

Procedures
Example: To apply the Vertex Weld modifier to a mesh:
1 Create a box with Length, Width, and Height set to 40.
2 Right-click the box and choose Convert to ➤ Convert to Editable Poly.
3 Go to the Polygon sub-object level and select polygon 6.
TIP To see which polygon is selected, watch the readout at the bottom of
the Selection rollout.
4 Press Delete to delete polygon 6.
By deleting the polygon, you create an open mesh.
5 Apply a Turn To Poly modifier, and set the Selection Level to Object.
6 Apply a Mirror modifier, and set Mirror Axis to X.
7 Turn on Copy, and set Offset to –40.
The reflection of the box shares a common seam but the vertices along
the seam are not welded.
8 Apply a Vertex Weld modifier to cement the two boxes into one element.
NOTE This combination of steps can be streamlined by using the Symmetry
modifier on page 1752, which mirrors and welds the mesh in a single operation.

Interface

Threshold The distance, in scene units on page 9295, within which vertices are
automatically combined. Vertices farther apart than this value are not welded.
Default=0.1

Vertex Weld Modifier | 1909

NOTE A higher Threshold setting results in welding more vertices, thus removing
smaller faces and details. If the threshold is set too high, the mesh will begin to
deform.

A threshold setting of 5.5 removes all detail, making the model unrecognizable.

VertexPaint Modifier
Select an object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ VertexPaint

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Vertex Paint

Select an object. ➤

Utilities panel ➤ More ➤ Assign Vertex Colors

➤ Click Assign To Selected. ➤

Modify panel

The VertexPaint modifier lets you paint vertex colors onto an object. You're
not restricted to only vertex-level painting. Using sub-object selection, you
can also control which vertices get painted, face-by-face. All faces sharing a
vertex have the adjacent corner shaded as well. The resulting painted object
receives a coarse gradient across each face.
The amount of color that 3ds Max applies to a vertex depends on the distance
of the vertex from the position of the paint cursor on the face. The more you
select a face, the more it changes to the new color. The Opacity button also
controls the strength of the color. 3ds Max shades the color, so if you have

1910 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

one green vertex and two white vertices for one face, for example, you'll see
a gradient on that face.
VertexPaint modifier also lets you paint values for the vertex alpha and
illumination channels. These channels affect the transparency and shading
of vertex colors, respectively.

Notes and Tips
For best results with VertexPaint, keep the following in mind:
■

VertexPaint is automatically applied to the selected object when you click
Assign Vertex Colors on page 6927 ➤ Assign To Selected. It is not available
directly from the Modify panel or Modifiers menu.

■

To render vertex colors, assign a Vertex Color map on page 6775, as described
in To render vertex colors on page 1914.

■

If you select faces using the selection tools of the VertexPaint modifier,
you restrict your painting to the selected faces, as opposed to all faces. This
allows you to sharply define the edges of your painted selection.

■

You can streamline the painting process by using the Brush Presets tools
on page 8633.

■

Each VertexPaint modifier works internally to itself, and cannot modify
existing vertex coloring. To paint over existing coloring, use the Condense
to single layer on page 1933 function.

About Map Channels and Vertex Color, Vertex Alpha, and Vertex Illum
When using vertex paint, it is helpful to understand how 3ds Max manages
vertex color, alpha, illumination, and map channels. 3ds Max stores and
manages all of these different pieces of information using the same underlying
system.
The map channels are defined as triple-value channels (tuples) with a unique
integer ID number ranging from –2 to 99. The first five map channels have
specific and familiar usages:
■

Channel (2): UVW “second pass” texture mapping coordinates

■

Channel (1): UVW standard texture mapping coordinates

■

Channel (0): RGB vertex color

■

Channel (–1): FLOAT vertex alpha (really only 1 value needed)

VertexPaint Modifier | 1911

■

Channel (–2): RGB vertex illumination

Every geometric vertex of a mesh or poly object can be assigned up to 102
channel values (99 + 3).
The reason for the negative numbering scheme for the vertex alpha and
illumination channels is actually historic: It serves to preserve the meaning
of existing map-channel data in older scene files before vertex alpha and
illumination were added.
You can paint on any arbitrary channel, and to use one or more channels for
any arbitrary meaning for a given vertex. It is useful in development of content
for games to paint on arbitrary map channels numbered higher than those
used for texture mapping (such as channels 3, 4, 5). These can be used to store
logical information about a vertex: for example, whether it is “slippery” or
“explosive.”
You can assign a single vertex a stack of map channels that carry different
meanings. When you collapse the modifier stack, 3ds Max preserves these
map channels.
The VertexPaint modifier takes this into consideration through its simple
exposure of map channel IDs for display and painting.

About Painting in Layers
The layer system allows you to paint changes on a single layer, then make
another layer on top of that, and paint additional changes. This can be used
to store different versions or variations of your vertex color painting.
Every layer has a blending mode that it uses to determine how it combines
with the other layers. You can assign vertex colors using the Assign Vertex
Colors utility on page 6927, then add another layer, change the layer mode
operator to Lighten, and paint with a white paintbrush to lighten up areas.
Fifteen different modes are available, and many tasks can be accomplished
using paint layers.
One of the primary advantages of VertexPaint is its use of the modifier stack
as a kind of image-composite stack. Each VertexPaint modifier serves as a
single layer in the composite. You can move layers up and down the stack,
enable and disable them, and flatten the stack using Condense to single layer
on page 1933.

Backward Compatibility
If you load an older file that uses a previous version of the VertexPaint
modifier, then the legacy modifier will be loaded when the file is opened.

1912 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The legacy modifier has not been changed, and the two modifiers are not
inherently compatible in terms of their data format during loading and saving.
If you have vertex color data in a legacy VertexPaint modifier, you can use
the Condense to single layer tool on page 1933 of the new modifier to migrate
the vertex colors into the new modifier.

Procedures
To add scene lighting into an object's vertex color:
1 Select the objects in the scene that you want to color.
2 On the Modify panel, choose VertexPaint from the modifier list.
The floating Paintbox on page 1920 appears, docked to the left edge of the
viewports.
3 Open the Assign Vertex Colors rollout.
NOTE This rollout provides the same tools as found in the Assign Vertex
Colors utility.
4 In the Light Model group, choose Lighting + Diffuse.
5 Click Assign.

6 On the Vertex Paintbox, choose
(Vertex Color Display Shaded)
to see the vertex lighting in the vertex color map.
To paint vertex colors on an object:
1 Select the scene objects to paint.

2 On the

Modify panel, choose VertexPaint from the Modifier List.

The Vertex Paintbox appears.
3 Choose the color you want to paint with by clicking the large color swatch
below the Paintbrush button. This opens the Color Selector.
4 Change the color using controls on the Color Selector.
5 Adjust the strength of the color by entering a percentage value in the
Opacity field.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1913

6 Choose
(Vertex Color Display Unshaded) to see the vertex colors
without shading.

7 Click
(Paint), and move the cursor over the selected
object in the viewport.
8 When the cursor displays over the object, press and hold down the left
mouse button and drag to paint the object.
TIP The cursor displays the size of the brush. Use the Size spinner to change
to a larger or smaller brush.

To see vertex colors in a viewport:
1 Right-click the object with painted vertices, and choose Properties from
the quad menu.
2 In the Display Properties group, turn on the toggle for Vertex Color.
Vertex Color is one item on a drop-down list. The other items are Vertex
Illumination, Vertex Alpha, Map Channel Color (which uses the spinner
immediately below the list), and Soft Selection Color. Viewports can
display only one of these vertex channels at a time.
3 Click OK.
To render vertex colors:

1 Open the
object.

Material Editor, and apply a Standard material to the

2 Click the map button for the Diffuse component.
3 In the Material/Map Browser, choose Vertex Color as the map, and then
click OK.
Now, when you render the scene, the rendering shows the painted
vertices.

1914 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

To animate the opacity of a vertex color layer
1 Choose the layer you wish to animate, by highlighting the Vertex Paint
modifier in the stack that corresponds to that layer.

2 Turn on

(Auto Key).

3 On the floating vertex paintbox, in the Layer group move the Opacity
slider.
This sets a key for the opacity.
4 Move the time slider to another frame and again change the value using
the Opacity slider.

5 Turn off

6 Click
viewport.

(Auto Key).

(Play Animation) to see the animated opacity in the

To animate vertex color using UVW XForm modifier:
You can use the UVW XForm modifier in conjunction with a specific vertex
paint layer to modulate vertex color effects in the viewport.
1 Apply a UVW XForm modifier directly above the VertexPaint layer
(modifier) you want to modulate.
2 Set the Channel type on the UVW XForm modifier to Vertex color.
3 Animate the U, V, and W spinners using identical values. For example,
animate UVW from 1 to 0 over the length of the animation.
This will attenuate the RGB values of the underlying vertex color results
uniformly. It will effectively dim out the vertex color result directly below
the UVW XForm modifier.
NOTE Any additional vertex paint layers applied above the UVW XForm
modifier in the stack for the selected object(s) will be unaffected
TIP You can add multiple UVW XForm modifiers in your stack in this way,
giving some progressive control over modulated vertex colors. The effect is
always additive, however, and cannot be weight-blended.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1915

To paint under an existing layer and view the result:
1 Select an object that has several VertexPaint modifiers displayed in the
stack.
2 In the modifier stack, activate the VertexPaint modifier that is the layer
you want to paint on.

3 Turn on

(Show End Result On/Off Toggle).

Now, when you paint on the layer, you will see the painting taking place
under the top layer.

Interface
Parameter rollout

1916 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Selection group
The controls in this group are identical to the selection controls found in the
Selection group on page 1927 of the Paintbox rollout.

Channel group
These controls specify which channel type the vertex paint layer will affect,
and which map channel number you'll paint on.
■

Vertex ColorChoose this to paint on a vertex color layer.

■

Vertex IllumChoose this to paint on a vertex illumination layer.

■

Vertex AlphaChoose this to paint on a vertex transparency layer.

■

Map ChannelChoose this to paint on a specifically named or numbered
map channel.
Map channel spinner
Specifies the channel number. Available only when Map Channel is chosen.

NOTE If you have painted on a layer and then change the channel setting, the
painted information will be moved to the new channel. For example if you select
Vertex Color and paint, then turn on Vertex Illum, the painted information will be
removed from the Vertex Color channel and applied to the Vertex Illum channel
instead.
Name If a channel has a name defined it will appear here. Channels can be
named using the Channel Info Utility on page 6936.

_____
Ignore underlying color When turned on, VertexPaint ignores whatever
vertex colors it receives from below it on the stack. As a result, you will see
the layer's raw colors on an otherwise white object. The blend mode has no
effect (it behaves like Normal mode) because the base color is considered
transparent, so the layer is not blended with anything.
The purpose of this toggle is to isolate a layer from the colors below, to help
the user visualize the layer's raw data. The layer is not completed isolated
when this is on, because layers above it can still affect the result. The user
needs to disable those layers or turn off Show End Result to see the current
layer in complete isolation.
The Ignore Base Color toggle should only be needed when the object at the
bottom of the stack already has some vertex colors baked in. In other cases,
you can just disable the paint layers or whichever modifiers are adding vertex

VertexPaint Modifier | 1917

colors to the object. In that case, the active paint layer would not receive any
vertex colors from below itself on the stack. As a result, it treats all base color
as transparent and the layer colors are displayed in the raw (not blended with
anything).
NOTE Per-vertex layer opacity is not passed up the stack. A paint layer modifier
makes a yes/no decision about whether an object below it has vertex colors or
not, and will subsequently treat all base colors as transparent or all as opaque. So
if you paint even a single vertex using Edit Mesh, for example, the object is
considered to have vertex colors, and a paint layer will blend its colors with the
(predominantly white) mesh instead of treating the mesh as transparent.
Preserve Layer When on, the modifier will not be deleted by any Condense
To Single Layer operation. Since Condense To Single Layer performs two
independent actions (creating a new baked-color modifier and then deleting
existing modifiers), this option allows access to only the first part of the
functionality when necessary. That is, you can bake colors into a new paint
layer, without being forced to have the old modifiers deleted.
Edit Displays the Vertex Paintbox floater on page 1920 if it has been closed.

1918 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Assign Vertex Color rollout

This rollout gives you access to the same controls found in the Assign Vertex
Colors utility on page 6927. They let you take the scene lighting information
and bake it into the vertex channel system.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1919

VertexPaint Paintbox
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ VertexPaint
➤ Paintbox dialog (Click Edit in the Parameters rollout if it isn't displayed.)
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Vertex Paint ➤
Paintbox dialog (Click Edit in the Parameters rollout if it isn't displayed.)

Select an object. ➤

Utilities panel ➤ More ➤ Assign Vertex Colors

➤ Click Assign To Selected ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤
VertexPaint ➤ Paintbox dialog (Click Edit in the Parameters rollout if it isn't
displayed.)
The VertexPaint modifier's Paintbox is a floating toolbox with various vertex
painting tools. The Paintbox is launched automatically after the VertexPaint
modifier on page 1910 has been applied to one or more objects. You can close
the Paintbox by clicking the X button in the upper-right corner of its window.
To open it again, click the Edit button in the Parameters rollout of the
VertexPaint Modifier
NOTE If a VertexPaint modifier is assigned to the object, you can also display the
Paintbox by clicking Edit in the Assign Vertex Color utility.

1920 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Interface

VertexPaint Modifier | 1921

Vertex Color Display controls

Control the display of the vertex paint in the viewport by using the four icons
at the top of the floating panel. You can easily switch between shaded and
unshaded vertex color modes, or turn off the display of vertex color and or
texture maps.
NOTE The first three of these buttons stay highlighted when you click them, to
indicate which shading mode is active. Toggle Texture Display simply performs
the action without becoming highlighted.
NOTE These controls have no effect on wireframe viewports, but work for all
shaded viewports, including Lit Wireframe.

Vertex color display – unshaded Displays the currently selected
object in vertex color display mode. This mode is identical to the one offered
by the Object Properties menu (right click on object, select Properties ➤ Turn
On Vertex Color in the Display Properties group, making sure that Shaded is
off.)
This has no effect on wireframe, but works on lit wireframe and all other
shaded display modes.

Vertex color display – shaded Displays the currently selected object
in vertex color display mode, with viewport lighting (shading). his mode is
identical to the one offered by the Object Properties menu (right click on
object, select Properties ➤ Turn On Vertex Color in the Display Properties
group, making sure that Shaded is on.

Disable vertex color display Displays the currently selected object
in its current shading mode without showing vertex colors.

1922 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Toggle texture display Displays or hides texture maps on the currently
selected object.

Viewport Channel Display selector

This menu allows you to select which one of the map channels to paint on:

■

Vertex colorsChoosing this lets you display the vertex color channel
in the viewport.

■

Vertex alphaChoosing this lets you display and paint the vertex
transparency channel in the viewport.

■

Vertex IllumChoosing this lets you display and paint the vertex
lighting channel in the viewport.

■

Map ChannelChoosing this lets you define a numbered map channel
to paint on. Define the channel ID number with the Map Channel Display
spinner.

Map channel display in viewport flyout

What you see is what you paint, so whatever you select will both be displayed
and activated for painting.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1923

NOTE You cannot paint on all channels simultaneously as you could in the previous
version of the vertex paint modifier.
Map Channel Display Spinner This control lets you to numerically select a
channel other than the 3 conventional ones listed above, for display only. If
the channel you select is currently used for mapping coordinates, you'll see
red/yellow/green colors corresponding to the UVW values.
You might choose map channels above the standard channel 1, 2, 3 that do
typically get used for texture mapping. But you will need to keep track of your
own conventions, and/or use the Channel Info utility to track what has been
allocated for each object.
The Map Channel Display Spinner is only available when the Map Channel
display button. If you assign a new vertex paint modifier or create a new layer
and choose a particular numeric map channel, then select Map Channel
display, the spinner will become available.

Lock button The Lock button makes the Display Channel setting
unavailable, and automatically sets Display Channel to whatever channel you
choose on the Modify panel ➤ Channel rollout. Keep this turned on, to
ensure that you're always displaying what you're painting.
If you want to glance at another channel without stopping your current paint
session, turn off the lock and then switch the display channel. When you are
finished, switch back and turn the lock back on.

1924 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Vertex Paintbrush group

Vertex paint controls

Here are the controls that let you access the paintbrush and the paint. You
can choose color to paint with, from a color selector or from the scene. Choose
to adjust the brush size or envelope, or launch advanced paintbrush options
such as pressure sensitivity.
Paint All Performs a traditional paint fill operation on the current object or
sub-object selection. In the case of sub-object selections (vertices, faces,
elements) the fill will honor those selections. In the case of soft-selections
Paint all will do a “faded” fill, slowly tapering off the opacity based on the
soft selection settings.
As with the Paint button, this will either paint on the current layer, if one is
open in the Modify panel, or else it will create a new vertex paint layer
instanced across the selected objects.

Paint Starts the painting process. Once it is turned on,
you can start painting on the current selection, by moving the cursor into the
viewport and over the object.
If there is a Vertex Paint modifier highlighted in the Modify panel, you will
be painting into that layer. But if the selected objects do not currently have
a vertex paint layer highlighted in the modify panel, then a dialog appears
letting you create a new modifier. This will be instanced across all the selected
objects.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1925

You will not see the results of your brush strokes, unless the proper display
mode is set (above) Be sure your display mode and your paint target match.
For example – if you are painting on the alpha channel, be sure you are
displaying the alpha channel. If you are painting on the color channel, display
the color channel. Brush strokes will use the color specified in the color swatch
directly below the Paint button.
See Painter Options Dialog on page 1940 for more painting options.

Erase all Erases all painting applied to the currently selected objects
via the current VertexPaint modifier. This allows you to see through the
underlying color of the object’s vertices. This underlying color might come
from the object’s original vertex color, or from another vertex paint layer
directly below it in the modifier stack. This supports soft selection as well.

Erase Turns the brush into an eraser that will remove
paint from the currently selected objects. Erase mode will actually erase any
painting applied to the currently selected objects for the current layer of paint
(allowing the true color of the original objects vertices to be seen, or the vertex
paint layer immediately below the current one).

Pick color from object Allows you to choose a color from the currently
selected objects. The color is taken from a single vertex; region selection is
not supported. The choice must occur near a vertex, or no color will be chosen.
You can drag across a vertex of interest to pick up its color. Because this button
enters a mode, it must be clicked to leave the mode, or you can choose another
mode to turn it off.

Color swatch The color swatch indicates the current
color that will be used when painting begins. Clicking the swatch launches
the standard color selector. Here you can change the color that will be used
on the next brush stroke. It provides standard Hue, Saturation, and Brightness
selection, along with Red, Green, and Blue selection and numerical entry.
Opacity Controls the opacity of paint being applied to the currently selected
objects in a single paint stroke (actually, any time before mouse up). This
value represents the percentage of new paint that will blend into the color
already applied to the selected objects. Successive paint strokes will continue
to add this color until it overpowers the underlying color completely. The

1926 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

maximum value is 100% and 0% is the minimum value. A value of 50 percent
will blend equally with the underlying vertex color in a single stroke (before
mouse up).
The brush opacity serves to clamp the effect of each brush stroke, taken as a
whole. If you pick a low opacity amount, then a single brush stroke will have
only a small effect, no matter how much you scrub. This allows improved
control over the density of a glaze of color, with an even glazing across all the
painted vertices.
Size Controls the diameter of the brush, as seen in the viewport. Size values
range from zero to 9,999,999 and must be chosen appropriately for the size
and resolution of geometry you are painting.

Brush Options Opens the Painter Options dialog on page 1940, where
you can access advanced paintbrush controls. These are the standard set of
Painter Interface options. The same options can be seen, for example in the
Skin modifier, for painting weights.
Here you will find a rich selection of brush configuration tools that change
the way your brush strokes apply color to the selection. Includes tools for
mirror painting mode and using pressure sensitivity.

Palette Click to display the Color Palette on page 1935, which lets you
create, edit, and manage custom palettes for use with VertexPaint.

Selection group

Tools in this group let you choose sub-object selection levels. You can select
vertices, faces or elements. Includes the option to ignore backfacing so you
can limit your selection to sub-objects that face toward you, and also provides
access to standard soft selection options.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1927

This creates a mask that will lets you determine what is being affected by your
paint strokes, and any other operations you might apply, such as blurring or
color adjustment. Erase functionality will also honor this mode selection.
NOTE Soft Selection is supported on the various sub-object selection modes.

Select vertex Allows you to select vertices from the currently selected
objects. Once selected, only these vertices will be available for painting.

Select face Allows you to select faces in the currently selected objects.
Once selected, only these faces will be available for painting.

Select element Allows you to select elements in the currently selected
objects. Once selected, only these elements will be available for painting.
Ignore Backfacing When this is on, prevents you from mistakenly selecting
sub-objects facing away from the user.
Soft Selection The same soft-selection options on page 1966 found in Editable
Mesh and Editable Poly are available by clicking this button.

Image Adjustment group

Tools in this group allow you to perform overall color adjustment or image
blurring without using the paint brush in the viewport.

Adjust Color Displays the Adjust Color dialog on page 1933, where you
can find sliders for adjusting HLS or RGB values, preview the adjustment effect,
and apply it.

1928 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Blur Smoothes the pixels in the image so there is less contrast and
color difference. Use this to get rid of harsh edges such as shadows created by
the Assign Vertex Colors utility.
Blur Amount spinner Blurs currently selected channel values (for example,
vertex color, alpha) for the currently selected objects. Also supports sub-object
selection of vertices, faces, and elements. With soft selections, the final blurred
value is computed, and then combined with the original color according the
selection; a 50 percent soft selection means that a vertex will become a
fifty-fifty combination of its original color and the blurred color. Successive
clicks of the Blur button will succesively blur the previous results, eventually
washing out painting effects entirely.
Blur is useful for softening vertex color lighting information that is
automatically generated by the Assign Vertex Color utility or rollout. Assign
Vertex Color computes intensities per vertex. This is especially useful for
low-resolution geometry and high-frequency lighting changes.

Blur Brush Lets you apply blurring by using the same
brush techniques and settings that you use to apply color. The Blur Brush
respects sub-object selection and the Blur Strength setting.

Layers group

Mode The layer mode drop-down list allows you to select a specific operator
for this paint layer. The operator selected affects base color, alpha, illumination,
and other information coming up from layers below it, or from the base object
itself. The chosen operator controls how the incoming color is combined with
any newly painted colors for the current level.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1929

This mode is changeable at any time, without destroying previously painted
information in layers above, below, or in the current paint layer. The following
modes are supported per paint layer:
■

NormalThe layer color completely overwrites the base color.

■

OverlayThe color cast is shifted towards the layer color and contrast might
be increased.
It's useful when you want to make an object appear a different color but
in the same lighting conditions. A fully bright or dark channel is never
affected however, so if Red=100% and Green=0% in the base color, then
neither the red nor green channels can be affected by the layer color.

■

ScreenEach RGB channel is moved towards full brightness, depending on
the layer color. The result is at least as bright (never darker) than the
original. Black is transparent in this mode.

■

MultiplyEach RGB channel is moved towards zero, depending on the layer
color. The result is at least as dark (never brighter) than the original. White
is transparent in this mode.

■

LightenWhichever color is brighter, the layer or the base, is used as the
output. It operates on the whole color, and not channel-by-channel.

■

DarkenWhichever color is darker, the layer or the base, is used as the
output. It operates on the whole color, and not channel-by-channel.

■

Color dodgeEmulates the effect of "dodging" a color print in a darkroom;
the result is at least as bright (never darker) than the original.
For each RGB channel, if the layer is at full value in that channel, the
output channel will be at full value. Even if the layer value is less then full
value, the output is still strongly brightened in that channel. For example,
a medium-red layer color will add a significant red brightness to the output.

■

Color burnEmulates the effect of "burning" a color print in a darkroom;
the result is at least as dark (never brighter) than the original. For each
RGB channel, if the layer is zero in that channel, the output channel will
be zero. Even if the layer value is above zero, the output is still be strongly
darkened in that channel. For example, a medium red layer color will
significantly reduce blue and green brightness in the output.

The next four Light modes essentially offer compromises between the
destructive effect of Normal Mode and the toning effect of Overlay mode. Try
using medium-value desaturated layer colors, since the light modes can be

1930 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

too destructive with bright, vivid layer colors. A neutral grey layer color is
transparent in any of the light modes.
■

Soft lightVery similar to Overlay, but even more gentle, and it does not
tend to increase contrast as much.

■

Hard lightMore like Normal mode than Overlay, it will change color cast
somewhat. It is fairly destructive like Normal mode, especially with bright
layer colors.

■

Vivid lightBrighter layer colors produce a Color Dodge effect, while darker
layer colors produce a Color Burn effect, although the effect is generally
weaker than Dodge or Burn.

■

Linear lightFor each RGB channel, if the layer color is more than 50 percent
bright in that channel, the output will be brightened, and if the layer is
less then 50 percent bright, the output will be darkened. As an example,
if you want the top of your image to be twice as bright, and the bottom
to be half as bright, use a gradient from 75 percent gray to 25 percent gray,
top to bottom.

The next four modes are used to control the HSV channel values of the image
instead of using RGB channel value.
■

HueThe output color has the saturation and value of the base color, with
the hue of the layer color.

■

SaturationThe output has the hue and value of the base color, and the
saturation of the layer color.

■

Color The output has the value of the base color, and the hue and
saturation of the layer color.

■

Luminosity The output has the hue and saturation of the base color, and
the brightness value of the layer color.

NOTE Using the show end result button in the modifier stack for the current paint
layer will allow you to interactively paint under any over laying paint layers (vertex
paint modifiers that are above the current one in the object’s modifier stack). This
allows you to see the final results of your paint strokes for any paint layer in the
stack.
Opacity Slider Allows you to set the opacity of the current vertex paint layer,
from 0 to 100 percent. 100 percent Opacity means that the current layer is
entirely opaque: you cannot see through it to the layer directly under it or to
the base vertex colors of the objects being painted.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1931

The opacity of a layer is animatable. Simply turn on Auto Key, move the time
slider and adjust the spinner value. This will set a keyframe.
NOTE If you painted on the layer with a brush opacity less than 100 percent, then
colors stored in the layer can already be less than full opacity, and the final opacity
at any vertex is a product of the two values. If you vertex had only 50 percent
opacity worth of paint applied to it, and the layer is 50 percent opaque, then the
vertex will appear 25 percent opaque overall.
Be aware that the paint opacity is different from the vertex alpha channel.
Values less than 100 percent incrementally reveal any vertex color, alpha
information, and so on, coming from vertex paint layers beneath it, or the
base object's original information. Opacity values can be changed for the
current layer at any time. Since vertex paint layers are preserved in the modifier
stack you can return to a particular layer at any time and adjust its opacity to
tune an object’s final appearance.
NOTE The opacity for a specific paint layer should not be confused with “alpha”
information for a given vertex. Opacity controls the mixing of painted information
in the modifier stack for the currently active map channel (whether it be color
information, alpha, illumination, or any arbitrary map channel from 1 to 99). Alpha
Channel information (by convention) is intended to be used specifically to indicate
the transparency of all combined color information for a given vertex.
Another way to think about the opacity slider is that it is identical to the
amount spinner. The difference between them is that opacity is for the entire
layer, where as amount is for the current brush stroke (between a mouse down
and mouse up period when painting). Changing the amount spinner after
painting does not affect what is already displayed on the screen; where
changing the opacity layer does. In the end, the current vertex paint layer
being applied generates a final color that is the combine result of amount and
opacity. The whole concept should be quite natural to any Adobe Photoshop
user. However, Photoshop is able to display a light grey and dark grey quilt
as a background to give a visual cue about layer opacity, whereas 3ds Max
does not support this same display cue. So in 3ds Max, more attention is
required of the artist to understand the opacity of each vertex on each layer.
Opacity numeric entry field Allows you to enter an opacity amount. Range=0
(completely transparent) to 100 (totally opaque).

New Layer Click to create a new VertexPaint layer. Clicking new layer
displays a New Layer dialog.

1932 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Delete Layer Click to delete the current VertexPaint layer. This removes
the modifier from the stack.

Condense to single layer Click to condense all vertex coloring into
a single layer in the current VertexPaint modifier. Use this to modify existing
vertex coloring within the current modifier.
Condensing layers is a two-part operation: First 3ds Max adds a new
VertexPaint modifier to the stack, combining vertex coloring applied directly
with Editable Mesh/Polygon and from previous VertexPaint layers according
to the settings described above. Second, it deletes any prior VertexPaint
modifiers.
If Preserve Layer has been turned on for a particular VertexPaint layer, then
its colors are “baked” into the new VertexPaint modifier, but the preserved
layer isn't deleted from the stack.

Adjust Color Dialog (VertexPaint Modifier)
Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ VertexPaint
➤ VertexPaint Paintbox ➤ Click the Adjust Color button.
Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Vertex Paint ➤

VertexPaint Paintbox ➤ Click

(Adjust Color).

Select an object. ➤
Utilities panel ➤ More ➤ Assign Vertex Colors
➤ Click Assign to Selected ➤ Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ VertexPaint

➤ VertexPaint Paintbox ➤ Click

(Adjust Color).

The Adjust Color dialog lets you adjust the color of currently selected vertices.
If there is no active vertex sub-object selection, it affects all vertices equally.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1933

Interface

■

HSV(The default.) When chosen, the first three sliders are labeled HSV,
and adjust the colors' hue, saturation, and value.

■

RGBWhen chosen, the first three sliders are labeled RGB, and adjust the
colors' red, blue, and green components.

See Red, Green, Blue / Hue, Saturation, Value on page 9280.
Preview When on, vertex color adjustments are previewed interactively in
shaded viewports (provided that on the Paintbox, Vertex Color Display Unshaded or Vertex Color Display - Shaded is active). Default=on.
Contrast slider Lets you adjust the contrast of the vertex colors.

Histogram and Input-Level Spinners
Histogram Graphically shows the distribution of colors in the vertex selection,
as well as the current shadow, gamma, and highlight input levels.

1934 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The shadow, gamma, and highlight input levels can help you adjust 3ds Max
viewport color to better match your target hardware display (such as a game
engine).
Shadow level Adjusts the level of shadow display.
Gamma level Adjusts the gamma display. This value is a gamma correction
on page 9175 value.
Highlight level Adjusts the level of highlight display.
When you adjust a level, the corresponding arrow moves on the histogram,
to indicate the current setting. (However, you can't graphically drag the
arrows.)

_____
Apply Click to apply the current settings to vertex colors, without closing the
dialog.
Reset Click to restore dialog settings to their defaults.

Color Palette (VertexPaint Modifier)
Select an object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ VertexPaint

➤ VertexPaint Paintbox ➤ Click

(Palette).

Select an object. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Vertex Paint ➤

VertexPaint Paintbox ➤ Click

(Palette).

Select an object. ➤
Utilities panel ➤ More ➤ Assign Vertex Colors
➤ Click Assign to Selected ➤ Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ VertexPaint

➤ VertexPaint Paintbox ➤ Click

(Palette).

VertexPaint Modifier | 1935

The VertexPaint modifier's Color Palette lets you create and maintain color
palettes for use with vertex paints. You can save or load palettes as Color
Clipboard (CCB) files, which are also used by the Color Clipboard utility on
page 310.
NOTE The Palette remembers the last palette you used. This is not affected by
File ➤ Reset. However, the active palette is saved in the file 3dsmax.ini on page
42, so deleting the INI file causes the palette to revert to the default grayscale
palette.

Procedures
To use the palette to choose a color:
■

On the List or Swatch panel, click the color.
The color appears as the active color on the VertexPaint Paintbox, in the
swatch just below the Erase button.

To change the color of a color swatch:
1 Double-click the swatch.
A Color Selector on page 304 appears.
2 Use the Color Selector to change the swatch's color.
This version of the Color Selector is modeless on page 9224, so after choosing
a color you can either close it, or leave it open to change another swatch.
To use the color picker:
1 In the Palette's List panel, highlight the name of a color.

2 Click

(Color Picker) to turn it on.

The cursor changes to an eyedropper icon.
3 Without depressing the mouse button, drag to an area where you want
to pick a color.
You can obtain colors from viewports, the 3ds Max user interface, or
anywhere on the Windows desktop.
4 When you depress the mouse button, the picker obtains the color below
the cursor. You can drag while the mouse button is depressed. While you

1936 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

do, the color swatch in the palette and the larger swatch on the Paintbox
update.
5 Release the mouse to pick the color you want.
The color in the Palette and the active color in the Paintbox are both
updated.
To change a color's name:
1 In the List panel, click the name twice (more slowly than a double-click).
The name changes to an editable field.
2 Enter a new name or edit the existing one, and then press Enter.
Press Esc to cancel the name change.
To save a palette to a file:
1 Right-click the List panel or the Swatch panel.
The Palette's pop-up menu on page 1940 appears.
2 Choose Save As from the menu.
A Save Color Clipboard File dialog appears.
3 Use the dialog to give the palette a name (and optionally, a directory
location other than the default), and then click OK to save the CCB file.
To load a palette from a file:
1 Right-click the List panel or the Swatch panel.
The Palette's pop-up menu on page 1940 appears.
2 Choose Load from the menu.
A Load Color Clipboard File dialog appears.
3 Choose the CCB palette file you want to load, and then click OK.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1937

Interface

New Click to add a new color to the palette.
The only limit to the number of colors a palette can have is a file size or
memory limitation.

1938 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Delete Click to delete the active color.

Copy Click to copy the active color.

Paste Click to paste a copied color to the active swatch.

Color Picker Highlight a color in the palette, turn this button on to
activate the picker, then drag anywhere on the Windows desktop. The color
is picked when you release the mouse. (See the procedure “To use the color
picker,” above.)
List panel Displays the colors in the palette, along with their names.
Swatch panel Displays the colors in the active palette. The swatch panel
doesn't list the names of colors, but each color's name appear as a tooltip when
the mouse is over the swatch.

Swatch panel showing default grayscale palette

VertexPaint Modifier | 1939

List and Swatch Panel Right-Click Menu
When you right-click the List panel or the Swatch panel, a pop-up menu
appears.
Copy Copies the active color.
This is the same as clicking Copy.
Paste Pastes a color to the active swatch.
This is the same as clicking Paste.
New Adds a color to the palette.
This is the same as clicking New.
Delete Deletes the active color.
This is the same as clicking Delete.
Save As Displays a Save As dialog on page 7956 that lets you enter a name for
the CCB file, then save it.
By default, Color Clipboard files are saved in the \images directory below the
3ds Max root directory.
Load Displays a file open dialog that lets you choose a CCB palette file to
load.
View Displays a text-editor window with the current CCB palette file. If no
CCB file has been loaded or saved, choosing View has no effect.
The first 12 lines of a CCB file contain integer RGB values. This part of the
file is used by the Color Clipboard utility on page 310 and ignored by the Color
Palette dialog. The remaining lines of the file include floating-point RGB values
and color names.

Painter Options Dialog
Modify panel ➤ Skin modifier ➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Weight

Properties group ➤ Click

1940 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

(Painter Options).

VertexPaint modifier ➤ Floating Vertex Paintbox ➤ Click
Options).

(Brush

Edit/Editable Poly object or Poly Select modifier ➤ Soft Selection rollout ➤
Paint Soft Selection group ➤ Brush Options button
Edit/Editable Poly object ➤ Paint Deformation rollout ➤ Brush Options
button
Edit/Editable Poly object ➤ modeling ribbon ➤ Freeform tab ➤ Paint
Options panel (when certain Paint Deform tools are active)
The Painter Options dialog for the Skin modifier appears when you
click the Painter Options button.

This same dialog is used by the VertexPaint modifier to control the
brush envelope, use pressure sensitivity, or enter mirror painting mode. The
dialog is accessed through the Brush Options button on the floating Vertex
Paintbox.
The dialog is also used by the Paint Soft Selection and Paint Deformation tools
available for poly objects.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1941

Interface

Brush Properties group
Min. Strength Sets the minimum vertex weight to paint.
Max. Strength Sets the maximum vertex weight to paint.
Min. Size Sets the minimum size for the paint gizmo.
Max. Size Sets the maximum size for the paint gizmo.
Brush strength falloff curve This graph determines how the brush weight
falls off as the distance increases from the center of the brush. The controls
on this graph are similar to those on a loft deformation dialog on page 716.
Additive When on, brush strokes add to existing vertex weights.
Quick Brush Falloff Types Set the brush falloff to linear, smooth, slow, fast,
or flat.

Display Options group
The options in this group determine the appearance of the paint gizmo.
Draw Ring A ring appears as part of the paint gizmo.

1942 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Draw Normal A normal arrow appears as part of the paint gizmo.
Draw Trace Draws a trace (temporary mark) that shows the path of the brush
stroke on the surface.
Normal Scale Sets the scale of the normal arrow in the paint gizmo.
Marker Displays a circular marker at the end of the normal arrow. The value
next to Marker sets the height of the marker.

Pressure Options group
Enable Pressure Sensitivity Turns on pressure sensitivity for the paint gizmo
brush.
Pressure Affects Selects the brush parameter to be affected by pressure
sensitivity. Choose from four options: None, Strength, Size, or both size and
strength (Size/Str).
Predefined Str Pressure Turn this option on to use a predefined strength
pressure. Click the button to view and edit the falloff curve for the strength.
Predefined Size Pressure Turn this option on to use a predefined size pressure.
Click the button to view and edit the falloff curve for the size.

Mirror group
Mirror Turn this option on to mirror the paint gizmo on the other side of the
object. Choose an axis from the drop-down menu. The paint gizmo is mirrored
about the selected axis in the world coordinate system.
Offset Offsets the mirror plane by the value you specify.
Gizmo Size Changes the mirror gizmo size to a value you specify.

Misc group
Tree Depth Determines the size of the quad tree used for hit testing. Tree
Depth relates to the amount of memory set aside for weight painting. Larger
values mean faster interaction but more memory use.
Update On Mouse Up Prevents the system from updating viewports when
the mouse button is pressed. This can save time in your workflow.
Lag Rate Determines how often the stroke updates the painted surface. Higher
values update the surface less often.

VertexPaint Modifier | 1943

Volume Select Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Vol. Select
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Selection Modifiers ➤ Volume
Select
The Volume Select modifier lets you make a sub-object selection of vertices
or faces for passing up the stack to another modifier or modifiers. The
sub-object selection is completely separate from the underlying parametric
geometry of the object. Like other selection methods, Volume Select works
with single or multiple objects.

Faces and vertices selected using box volumes.

Volume Select lets you use one of three gizmos or another object to define a
volume of space as the selection area, to which you can then apply modifiers.
You can move the selection over an object and animate it.
When applied, Volume Select begins with the current geometry in the object's
stack, whether it's a whole object or a sub-object selection (for example, from
an Edit Mesh on page 1263 or another Volume Select modifier).

1944 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Top: Original mesh with select gizmo showing
Bottom: Modification made after applying Volume Select modifier

Patches
As of version 4, patch objects coming up the modifier stack are not converted
to a mesh by this modifier. A patch object input to the Volume Select modifier
retains its patch definition. Files that contain patch objects with the Volume
Select modifier from previous versions of 3ds Max will be converted to meshes
to maintain backward compatibility.

Scaling Compatibility
The Volume Select gizmo scales along with its object. Thus, if you apply a
Volume Select modifier, and then change the scale of your object (with the
toolbar Scale function on page 855) the selection doesn't change. In other
words, all three transforms affect the Volume Select gizmo and its object
identically.

Volume Select Modifier | 1945

Volume Select Center
The Volume Select modifier has a center as well as a gizmo. This lets you alter
the center for non-animated transforms. However, if you animate a rotation
about the offset center, you achieve animation of both rotation and translation.

Procedures
To apply and use volume selection:
1 Select an object and apply the Vol. Select modifier.
The Parameters rollout appears.
2 In the Stack Selection Level group, choose Object, Vertex, or Face to
specify the kind of geometry you want to work with.
3 In the Select By group, choose one of the four volume types: Box, Sphere,
Cylinder, or Mesh Object.
If you choose Mesh Object, you should then click the None button and
select an object to use as the selection volume.
4 Choose a selection method and type (defined in the following Interface
section). You can change these choices as you work, depending on the
particular selection you're trying to make.
5 Once the selection is complete, you can do the following:
■

Apply modifiers to the selection.

■

Transform the Volume Select gizmo at the sub-object level, changing
the selection in the process.

■

Combine these options. See the following example.

Example: To animate a volume selection:
1 Apply Volume Select to an object.
2 Make a sub-object selection of the object's geometry at Face or Vertex
level, and apply a geometric modifier, such as Bend on page 1104, to the
selection.
3 Move to a nonzero frame and begin animation. Adjust parameters on
the geometric modifier, then move to another frame.

1946 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

4 In the stack, return to the Volume Select modifier. Choose the Volume
Select gizmo sub-object. Move the gizmo and its geometry selection to
another part of the object.
5 Repeat this process on other frames. Optionally, you can return to the
geometric modifier and change its parameters at any frame.
During playback, you see the effect of an animated geometric modifier moving
over the object.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo sub-object You can transform and animate the gizmo to change the
selection. Translating the gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating
and scaling the gizmo takes place with respect to its center.
Center sub-object You can translate and animate the center, which affects
rotation or scaling of the Volume Select modifier's gizmo.
For more information on the Stack Display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Volume Select Modifier | 1947

Parameters rollout

1948 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Stack Selection Level group
Object/Vertex/Face Volume Select provides three selection levels. Vertex and
Face levels put the modifier stack in sub-object selection. You can make one
sub-object selection for each Volume Select modifier. You can then toggle the
one selection between Face and Vertex level to send either up the stack. Object
(top) level lets you modify the whole object while retaining any sub-object
selection.

Selection Method group
Replace Clears any selection passed up the stack to the Volume Select modifier,
and then selects geometry within the volume.
Add Selects all geometry within the volume, adding to any previous selection.
Subtract Deselects all geometry within the volume.
Invert Reverses the entire selection set. Geometry that was unselected becomes
selected, and vice versa.

Selection Type group
Lets you determine whether selected faces are wholly or partially within the
defined volume when you set Stack Selection Level to Face.
Window Selects only faces with all three vertices within the selection volume.
Crossing Selects faces with only one vertex within the selection volume.

Select By group
These controls let you define the selection with a primitive, a mesh object, or
by surface characteristics.
Volume: Box/Sphere/Cylinder To define the selection space using a standard
primitive-shaped gizmo, choose one of these. You can then scale, rotate, or
move the gizmo anywhere around the object.
Volume: Mesh Object Choose this option to use another object to define the
selection space. After choosing Mesh Object, click the button below it (labeled
"None" by default), and then select an object to use as the volume.
Besides mesh objects, you can use patch objects and NURBS objects. In
addition, if you turn on Soft Selection rollout ➤ Use Soft Selection, you can
use spline objects and particle systems to define the selection. This latter
option is quite powerful because the selection changes as the particles move.

Volume Select Modifier | 1949

Mesh object button Click this button, then select an object to define the
selection space. You don't need to choose Mesh Object first, but you do need
to choose Mesh Object to use the object as a volume. After you select an object,
its name appears on the button.
This button is labeled "None" if no object has been chosen.
NOTE The selection depends on a volume intersecting the object. If a gizmo or
object is scaled down and moved inside an object, no selection occurs because
no geometry is within the volume of the gizmo.
Surface Features Defines the selection by surface characteristics instead of a
geometric volume. While this doesn't have much to do with volume, it was
added because Volume Select is a procedural modifier, whereas Mesh Select
on page 1445 is explicit. Now, even if your topology changes, Volume Select
will consistently select the faces or vertices using a particular material or
smoothing group.
Indicate which type of surface characteristic to base selection on by choosing
one of the following:
Material ID Specifies a material ID. All faces or vertices using the ID indicated
by the spinner value are selected.
Sm Group Specifies a smoothing group. All faces or vertices using the ID
indicated by the spinner value are selected.
Texture Map Specifies a texture map from the scene. Click the map button
(labeled "None" by default) to choose a texture map to use for selection. All
faces or vertices using that texture map will be selected. When using the
Texture Map option, you can also specify a mapping channel or the vertex
color channel using the Map/Vertex Color radio buttons and spinner.
NOTE You must apply mapping to the object below Vol. Select in its stack for the
Texture Map selection to work. That is, the Vol. Select modifier must have mapping
coordinates passed up the stack so it can use a texture map for selection.
NOTE If you set Selection Type to Window, vertices will be selected if all the faces
they touch use the specified material or smoothing group. If you set Selection
Type to Crossing, vertices will be selected if they touch any face using the specified
material or smoothing group.

Alignment group
These controls are generally used when the gizmo has been transformed out
of its original orientation to the object.

1950 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Fit Resizes the gizmo to fit around the object or previous selection in the stack.
Maintains any previous rotation.
Center Recenters the gizmo on the object or previous selection in the stack.
Maintains any previous scale or rotation.
Reset Returns the gizmo to its default size and orientation. Cancels the effect
of all previous transforms.
Auto Fit When on, automatically adjusts the gizmo size and shape to fit the
object as you change the underlying topology (for example, transforming
vertices).

Soft Selection rollout
These controls, available only at the Vertex stack selection level, let you set a
gradual falloff of influence between selected and unselected vertices. See Soft
Selection Rollout (Edit/Editable Mesh) on page 1966.
NOTE Soft Selection does not apply to materials or smoothing groups. However,
if there was already a weighted selection passed up the stack, a Volume Select set
to Material or Smoothing Group mode and not set to Replace will preserve the
selection.

Wave Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Wave
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ Wave
The Wave modifier produces a wave effect in an object's geometry. You can
use either of two waves, or combine them. Wave uses a standard gizmo and
center, which you can transform to increase the possible wave effects.
The Wave on page 3013 space warp has similar features, and is useful for applying
effects to a large number of objects.

Wave Modifier | 1951

An object with the Wave modifier applied. Amplitude 1 and 2 can be changed, creating
different profiles.

See also:
Ripple Modifier on page 1598

■

Procedures
To make an object wavey:

1

Select an object and apply the Wave modifier.
TIP To see the effect clearly, apply Wave to a broad, flat object that has many
segments.

2 Set one or both values for amplitude, or the vertical height of the wave
in current units.

1952 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Amplitude 1 produces a sine wave from one edge to the other, while
Amplitude 2 creates a wave between the opposite edges. Switching a value
from positive to negative reverses the position of peaks and troughs.
3 Set the length of the wave and the distance in current units between
crests of both waves.
The greater the length, the smoother and more shallow the wave for a
given amplitude.
To add a phase effect:
■

Set a phase value to shift the wave pattern over the object. Positive numbers
move the pattern in one direction, while negative numbers move them in
the other. This effect is especially clear when animated.

Phase effect on a wave

To add a decay effect:
■

Set a decay value to increase or decrease the amplitude.

Wave Modifier | 1953

A decay value decreases the amplitude as the distance from the center
increases. As the Decay value increases, the wave is concentrated at the
center and flattens until it disappears (completely decays).

Interface
Modifier Stack

Gizmo At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like
any other object, altering the effect of the Wave modifier. Translating the
gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo
takes place with respect to its center.
Center At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center,
altering the Wave gizmo's shape, and thus the shape of the wavy object.
For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.

Parameters rollout

Amplitude 1/Amplitude 2 Amplitude 1 produces a sine wave along the
gizmo's Y axis, while Amplitude 2 creates a wave along the X axis (although
peaks and troughs appear in the same direction with both). Switching a value
from positive to negative reverses the positions of peaks and troughs.

1954 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Wave Length Specifies the distance in current units between the crests of
both waves.
Phase Shifts the wave pattern over the object. Positive numbers move the
pattern in one direction, while negative numbers move it in the other. This
effect is especially clear when animated.
Decay Limits the effect of the wave generated from its origin. A decay value
decreases the amplitude at increasing distance from the center. As this value
increases, the wave is concentrated at the center and flattened until it
disappears (completely decays).

Welder Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ Welder
Welder smooths a mesh that has a tear in it.
Welder welds either the vertices or face normals on page 9237 of an Editable
Mesh on page 2190. To “weld” normals means to make nearby vertices use the
same normal.
Welder is meant for use with Cloth meshes on page 1142 that you have cached
using a Point Cache modifier on page 1521. Add the Welder modifier to the
stack above the Point Cache modifier. You don’t need to use Welder if the
Cloth modifier is still active in the stack.
In the illustration, the cloth consists of two planes, and the edges of the front
half of the join between the planes have been selected.

Welder Modifier | 1955

Two planes of cloth to weld

1956 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Welding normals with Don’t Weld Sel Edges on (the default)
At the rear half of the join, normals on either plane are matched within the Threshold
distance.

Welder Modifier | 1957

Welding normals with Don’t Weld Sel Edges off
Normals are matched all along the join.

1958 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

Welding vertices with Don’t Weld Sel Edges on (the default)
Welding vertices joins the plane geometry, but only at the rear half of the join are
normals matched.

Welder Modifier | 1959

Welding normals with Don’t Weld Sel Edges off
Vertices are joined and normals are matched all along the join.

Interface

Threshold Sets a threshold for welding vertices. When two vertices are within
this distance, they are welded for smoothing purposes. Default=0.1.
Verts/Normals
■

Verts When chosen, smooths the mesh based on the proximity of vertices.

1960 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

■

Normals (The default.) When chosen, smooths the mesh based on face
normals.

Don’t Weld Sel Edges When on, Welder does not weld selected edges. For
example, you might not want to smooth the creases between the panels of a
mesh created by Garment Maker on page 1206. You must select the edges at a
lower level of the stack. Default=on.

XForm Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Make a selection. ➤ Modifier List ➤ Object-Space
Modifiers ➤ XForm
Make a selection. ➤ Modifiers menu ➤ Parametric Deformers ➤ XForm
Use the XForm (short for Transform) modifier to apply transformations (Move,
Rotate, Scale) to objects. The XForm has two main functions:
■

To animate transformations of a sub-object selection. You can also animate
the position of the modifier's center.

■

To transform an object at any point in the stack.
NOTE The Linked XForm modifier on page 1428 is a variant of XForm. Linked
XForm has no gizmo or center of its own. Instead, a given selection is "linked"
to another object, which supplies its gizmo and center. Using Linked XForm,
you can link a sub-object selection directly to the coordinate system of another
object.

Using XForm
XForm provides a gizmo and center for any geometry it receives from the stack
whether it's a sub-object selection or the whole object. XForm has no
parameters. When you move the XForm modifier gizmo, the center moves
with it, along with the geometry.
You can reposition the XForm center separately from the gizmo.

Offsetting XForm Center
At the XForm Center sub-object selection level, only the Move transform is
available. This lets you reposition the center. When you return to the Gizmo

XForm Modifier | 1961

level, you can rotate or scale the selection around the offset center. The center
position and gizmo transformations are all animatable.

Scaling with XForm
When you scale an object with a toolbar Scale tool, 3ds Max applies the effect
to the object after all the modifiers in the stack. In some cases you might want
to squash or stretch an object before applying geometric or edit modifiers.
XForm makes this possible.
By applying XForm and scaling its gizmo, you can place the scaling operation
anywhere in the stack.

Using XForm with Volume Select
You can combine the XForm and Volume Select modifiers on page 1944 to
animate sub-object selections. This combination makes it possible to animate
both the effect of a modifier on the selection (Volume Select) and a
transformation of that selection (XForm).

Procedures
To use the XForm modifier:
1 Choose a location in an object's stack and apply the XForm modifier.
The Gizmo sub-object level is automatically activated. All transform
buttons are available on the toolbar.

2 Move to a nonzero frame, and turn on
the next step.

(Auto Key) to animate

3 Transform the gizmo.
As you transform the gizmo, the selected geometry is transformed with
it.
To use XForm as a scaling modifier:
1 Apply XForm to an object or a sub-object selection.

2

Scale the gizmo.

1962 | Chapter 9 Modifiers

The rescaled geometry becomes "part of the stack" because the scale
transform is carried with XForm, instead of being applied after the
modifiers.

Interface

This modifier has no parameters, but you can transform the XForm gizmo
and the XForm center. If you switch the selection level to the XForm center,
only the Move transform is available. This lets you offset the center and
transform the gizmo around it. Both offset and gizmo transformations are
animatable.

XForm Modifier | 1963

1964

Surface Modeling

10

Surface modeling is more free-form than geometric (parametric) modeling. Although you can
create Patch and NURBS primitives from the Create panel, more often a surface model begins
when you use the quad menu on page 8640 or the modifier stack on page 8776 to “collapse” a
parametric model to some form of editable surface. Once you have done so, a variety of tools
let you shape the surface. A lot of surface modeling work is done by editing sub-objects on
page 9317 of the surface object.

Three types of surface models: patch (left); mesh (center); NURBS (right)

Subdivision Surfaces
A subdivision surface is a surface that has been divided into more faces while
retaining the object's general shape. You perform subdivision to add detail to
an object, or to smooth it out.
3ds Max supports two kinds of subdivision surfaces:
■

The HSDS modifier on page 1408 provides hierarchical subdivision surfaces,
which you can use to add fine detail to an object.

■

The MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450 and TurboSmooth modifier on page
1767 provide smoothing.

1965

Related closely to these are the Subdivision Surface rollout on page 2327
controls for editable poly on page 2240 objects, with which you can subdivide
a surface without the need for a modifier.
NOTE These controls are not available with the Edit Poly modifier.

The latter type works best as a finishing tool for models.

Soft Selection Rollout
Select an editable patch, editable mesh, editable poly, editable spline, an object
that has an Edit Mesh, Edit Patch, or Edit Spline modifier applied to it, or an

object that has a comparable Select modifier applied to it. ➤
panel ➤ Choose a sub-object level. ➤ Soft Selection rollout

Modify

The Soft Selection controls allow you to partially select sub-objects in the
vicinity of an explicit selection. This causes the explicit selection to behave
as if surrounded by a "magnetic field." Partially selected sub-objects within
the field are drawn along smoothly as you transform the sub-object selection;
the effect diminishes with distance or the “strength” of the partial selection.
This falloff is visible in the viewports as a color gradient surrounding the
selection, conforming to the first part of the standard color spectrum: ROYGB
(red, orange, yellow, green, blue). Red sub-objects are those you select explicitly.
The highest-value soft-selected sub-objects are reddish-orange; they have the
same selection value as red sub-objects, and respond the same way to
manipulation. Orange sub-objects have a slightly lower selection value, and
respond to manipulation a bit less strongly than do red and reddish-orange
vertices. Yellow-orange sub-objects have an even lower selection value, and
then yellow, green-yellow, and so on. Blue sub-objects are effectively unselected
and don't respond to manipulation, except as required by neighboring
soft-selected sub-objects.
Normally, you designate a soft selection procedurally, by setting parameters
and then selecting sub-objects. You can also “paint” a soft selection explicitly
on poly objects. See Paint Soft Selection group on page 1973.
By default, the soft-selection region is spherical without regard to geometric
structure. Alternatively, you can use the Edge Distance option on page 1970 to
limit the selection to vertices in contiguous faces.

1966 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

If a sub-object selection is passed up the modifier stack, and Use Soft Selection
is on, the results of modifiers that deform the object, such as Bend and XForm,
are affected by the Soft Selection parameter values.
The controls in this dialog let you modify Soft Selection parameters. All
sub-object levels share the same Soft Selection parameter values. Soft Selection
is available for NURBS, mesh, poly, patch, and spline objects.

Soft selection colors and effect on the surrounding area

See also:
■

Use Soft Selection on page 2001

Soft Selection Controls in the Caddy
When an editable poly or Edit Poly object is selected, the Select And Manipulate
on page 2868 tool is active, and Use Soft Selection on page 1970 is on, the Falloff,
Pinch, and Bubble controls are available in a special Manipulate caddy on
page 2339 in the active viewport:

At the Vertex and Edge sub-object levels, additional controls appear in the
Manipulate caddy; those are covered in the applicable sections of the help.

Soft Selection Rollout | 1967

The caddy controls for Soft Selection are as follows:
Falloff See Falloff on page 1971.

Pinch See Pinch on page 1971.

Bubble See Bubble on page 1971.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.

Procedure
To edit a soft selection in the viewport:
This procedure describes usage of the Customize User Interface ➤ Edit Soft
Selection Mode feature for editing the Falloff, Pinch, and Bubble values for
soft selection.
For more information, including a list of feature sets with which Edit Soft
Selection Mode is available, see Edit Soft Selection Mode on page 1972.
1 From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface; this opens
the Customize User Interface dialog to the Keyboard panel. From the
Group drop-down menu on the dialog, choose the feature set with which
you wish to use Edit Soft Selection Mode, such as Editable Poly.
2 In the group’s Action list, check the action for Edit Soft Selection Mode
(or Edit Soft Selection). If it’s not already assigned, or you wish to change
the keyboard shortcut, highlight the action and use the standard method
to set a Hotkey. Alternatively, switch to one of the other panels and set,
for example, a toolbar button for the action. When finished, close the
dialog.

3

Select an object to edit and activate the feature set from step 1.

On the
Modify panel, go to the sub-object level you wish to edit,
such as Vertex.
4 If necessary, expand the Soft Selection rollout and turn on Use Soft
Selection.

1968 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

5 Make a sub-object selection.
The viewport shows your selection in red and the surrounding,
soft-selected sub-objects in a color gradient.
6 Press the hotkey for Edit Soft Selection mode, or otherwise activate the
action.
The mouse cursor switches to the Falloff symbol.

7 Press and hold the mouse button, and drag vertically: upward to increase
the Falloff value, or downward to decrease Falloff.
As you drag, the color gradient changes to show the modified Falloff, as
does the Falloff value on the Soft Selection rollout.
8 When you’ve finished editing the Falloff, release the mouse button and
then click once.
The mouse cursor switches to the Pinch symbol.

9 Drag to adjust the Pinch value.
10 When you’ve finished editing Pinch, release the mouse button and then
click once.
The mouse cursor switches to the Bubble symbol.

11 Drag to adjust the Bubble value.
12 You can continue cycling through the three editing modes by releasing
the drag and then clicking once.
13 To finish using Edit Soft Selection Mode, right-click in the active viewport.

Soft Selection Rollout | 1969

Interface

Use Soft Selection Affects the action of Move, Rotate, and Scale functions at
sub-object levels of the editable object or Edit modifier, as well as the action
of deformation modifiers applied to the object if they are operating on a
sub-object selection (the latter also applies to the Select modifiers). When on,
3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to the unselected sub-objects
surrounding the selection you transform. To take effect, this check box must
be on before transforming or modifying the selection.
Edge Distance When on, limits the soft-selection region to the specified
number of edges between where you select and the maximum extent of the
soft selection. The affected region is measured in terms of "edge-distance"
space, along the surface, rather than real space.
This option is useful in cases where you want to select only contiguous sections
of geometry. For example, if a bird's wing is folded back against its body,
selecting the wing tip with Soft Selection would affect body vertices as well.
But if you turn on Edge Distance, set the numeric value to the distance (in
edges) along the wing that you wish to affect, and then set Falloff to an
appropriate value, selecting and then moving the wing tip would move only
the wing geometry.
Affect Backfacing When on, deselected faces whose normals face in the
opposite direction to the average normal of the selected sub-objects are affected

1970 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

by the soft-selection influence. In the case of vertices and edges, this applies
to the normals of faces to which they're attached. Turn off Affect Backfacing
when you want to manipulate faces of a thin object, such as a thin box, but
don't want to affect faces on the other side of the object.
NOTE Affect Backfacing is not available when editing splines.
Falloff Distance in current units from the center to the edge of a sphere
defining the affected region. Use higher falloff settings to achieve more gradual
slopes, depending on the scale of your geometry. Default=20.
NOTE The region specified by the Falloff setting is depicted graphically in the
viewports as a color gradient in vertices and/or edges (or, with editable polys and
patches, optionally in faces). The gradient ranges from the selection color (normally
red) to the non-selected sub-object color (normally blue). In addition, this gradient
is updated in real time as you change the Falloff setting.
NOTE If Edge Distance on page 1970 is on, the Edge Distance setting limits the
maximum falloff amount.
Pinch Raises and lowers the top point of the curve along the vertical axis. Sets
the relative "pointedness" of the region. When negative, a crater is produced
instead of a point. At a setting of 0, Pinch produces a smooth transition across
this axis. Default=0.
Bubble Expands and contracts the curve along the vertical axis. Sets the relative
"fullness" of the region. Limited by Pinch, which sets a fixed starting point
for Bubble. A setting of 0 for Pinch and 1.0 for Bubble produces the smoothest
bulge. Negative values for Bubble move the bottom of the curve below the
surface, creating a "valley" around the base of the region. Default=0.
(soft selection curve) Graphically displays how Soft Selection will work. You
can experiment with a curve setting, undo it, and try another setting with the
same selection.
Shaded Face Toggle Displays a color gradient corresponding to the soft
selection weights on faces within the soft selection range. Available only when
editing patch and poly objects.
If the Vertex Color display property on page 228 of an editable poly or editable
patch object is off, clicking the Shaded Face Toggle button will turn on Soft
Selection Color shading. If the object already has an active Vertex Color setting,
clicking the Shaded Face Toggle overrides the previous setting and changes it
to Soft Selection Color.

Soft Selection Rollout | 1971

NOTE Use the Undo command if you do not want to change your vertex color
shading properties.
Lock Soft Selection Locks the soft selection in order to prevent changes to
the procedural selection.
Using Paint Soft Selection (see following) turns on Lock Soft Selection
automatically. If you turn it off after using Paint Soft Selection, the painted
soft selection is lost and cannot be restored with Undo.

Edit Soft Selection Mode
In addition to the controls described in the preceding section, you can edit
the soft selection in the viewports with interactive controls based on a
Customize User Interface action named Edit Soft Selection Mode. This mode
is available for the following feature sets:
■

Editable Mesh surface

■

Editable Poly surface

■

Edit Mesh modifier

■

Edit Patch modifier

■

Edit Poly modifier

■

Edit Spline modifier

■

HSDS modifier

■

Mesh Select modifier

■

MeshSmooth

■

Patch Select modifier

■

Poly Select modifier

■

Projection modifier

■

Vol. Select modifier

For each feature set, open the Customize User Interface dialog from the
Customize menu, and choose the feature from the Group drop-down list. For
many feature sets, but not all, the Edit Soft Selection Mode keyboard shortcut
is set to 7 by default. For the rest, such as Editable Poly, you must set the
keyboard shortcut with the Customize User Interface controls.

1972 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

For the basic method of using Edit Soft Selection Mode, follow this procedure
on page 1968.
To enter Edit Soft Selection Mode, press the keyboard shortcut (or click the
toolbar button, etc.) assigned in Customize User Interface. When active, drag
to use the current mode and click to switch to the next mode. To exit,
right-click in the active viewport.
The three Edit Soft Selection Mode modes, along with their mouse-cursor
symbols, are:

Falloff

Pinch

Bubble

Paint Soft Selection group

Paint Soft Selection lets you specify a soft selection explicitly by dragging the
mouse over the selection. The Paint Soft Selection functionality is available
at sub-object levels with Editable Poly objects, as well as with objects with the
Edit Poly or Poly Select modifier applied. You can work in one of three painting
modes: Paint, Revert, and Blur.

Soft Selection Rollout | 1973

TIP You can streamline the painting process by using the Brush Presets tools on
page 8633.
Paint Lets you paint a soft selection on the active object using the current
settings. Drag the mouse cursor over the object surface to paint the selection.
Blur Lets you paint to soften the outlines of an existing painted soft selection.
Revert Lets you paint to reverse a soft selection on the active object using the
current settings. Drag the mouse cursor over the object surface to reverse the
selection.
NOTE Revert affects only a painted soft selection, not a soft selection made by
normal means. Also, Revert uses only the Brush Size and Brush Strength settings,
not the Selection Value setting.
Selection Value The maximum relative selection of the painted or reverted
soft selection. The values of surrounding vertices within the brush radius fall
off towards a value of 0. Default=1.0.
Brush Size The radius of the circular brush used for painting the selection.
Brush Strength The rate at which painting a soft selection sets the painted
sub-objects to the maximum value. A high Strength value reaches the full
value quickly, while a low value requires repeated applications to reach full
value.
Brush Options Opens the Painter Options dialog on page 1940, with settings
for brush-related properties.

Collapse Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Collapse button
The Collapse utility lets you combine the stack operations of one or more
selected objects into an Editable Mesh on page 2190 or the stack result, and,
optionally, perform a Boolean on page 646 operation on them at the same
time.
IMPORTANT You can't undo the results of using the Collapse utility. Before you
use it, save a copy of your work file, or use Hold on page 219.

1974 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE You can also collapse an object's stack from the modifier stack right-click
menu on page 8789, and convert a selection to editable surfaces on page 1965 with
the transform quadrant of the quad menu on page 8640. These changes are
undoable.

Procedures
To collapse the stack of an object into an editable mesh:

1 On the

Utilities panel, click the Collapse button.

2 Select the object or objects that you want to collapse.
3 Click the Collapse Selected button.
All modifiers are removed from the modifier stack and the object becomes
an editable mesh.
To collapse the stack of an object into an editable surface other than mesh:

1 On the

Utilities panel, click the Collapse button.

2 On the Collapse rollout, set Output Type to Modifier Stack Result.
3 Select the object or objects that you want to collapse.
4 Apply a modifier that outputs the desired ultimate surface type, such as
Turn To Poly on page 1779 or Turn To Patch on page 1776.
5 Click the Collapse Selected button.
All modifiers are removed from the modifier stack and the object becomes
an editable surface of the type indicated by the modifier.
To subtract multiple objects from another object:
The Boolean compound object restricts you to combining objects one at a
time. With the Collapse utility, you can perform Boolean operations on several
objects simultaneously.
1 For the purposes of this procedure, we'll call the object to have shapes
subtracted from Main. Create and arrange Main and the objects to subtract
from it. For example, you might have several boxes penetrating a sphere

Collapse Utility | 1975

(Main) in different places; subtracting them will produce box-shaped
cutouts in the sphere's surface.

2

Select Main, and then select the objects to be subtracted from
it.
The first object you select before collapsing is the one from which the
others are subtracted.

3 On the

Utilities panel, click the Collapse button.

4 On the Collapse rollout, set Output Type to Mesh, if necessary.
5 In the Collapse To group, choose Single Object.
6 Turn on Boolean, and then choose Subtraction.
7 Click the Collapse Selected button.
All objects you selected after Main, the first object, are subtracted from
Main.

1976 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Selected Object group
Displays the name of the current selection. If more than one object is selected,
"[Number] Objects Selected.” displays.
Collapse Selected Collapses the selected objects. The method of collapse
depends on the settings of the options below this button.

Output Type group
Specifies the type of object that results from the collapse.

Collapse Utility | 1977

Modifier Stack Result The resultant object will be the same as if you had
collapsed its stack. In most cases, this results in a mesh object, as when using
the Mesh option. However, if the object has an Edit Patch modifier so that its
stack produces a patch, then the result will be a patch object rather than a
mesh. Likewise, a shape with Edit Spline modifiers becomes an editable spline.
When this option is used, the Collapse To options are unavailable, and all
selected objects remain independent objects.
Mesh All selected objects become editable meshes regardless of their type
before they were collapsed.

Collapse To group
Specifies how the selected objects are combined. These options are available
only when you choose the Mesh option.
Multiple Objects Collapses each object in the selection but maintains each
as an independent object. When this option is selected, the Boolean options
are disabled.
Single Object Collapses all selected objects into a single, editable mesh object.
Boolean Performs Boolean operations on the selected objects. During the
Boolean calculation, a progress bar appears along with a Cancel button. If any
objects in the Boolean operation fail, that object is skipped, but the Collapse
proceeds. The result is not a Boolean compound object, but a single editable
mesh. The type of Boolean is specified by the following option.
Union Combines the several objects, removing intersecting geometry.
Intersection Removes all but the intersecting geometry.
Subtraction Maintains the first object selected while subtracting the
subsequently selected objects. For example, to subtract several cylinders from
a box, click to select the box, hold down Ctrl, and region-select the cylinders.
Close Exits the Collapse utility.

Graphite Modeling Tools
The Graphite Modeling Tools set, also known as the modeling ribbon, provides
a comprehensive toolset for editing polygon-based objects. Its customizable,
context-based interface provides all (and only) tools directly specific to the
modeling task, and it minimizes onscreen clutter by giving you access to
relevant parameters only as you need them.

1978 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The ribbon comprises all standard Edit/Editable Poly tools as well as additional
tools for creating, selecting, and editing geometry. Last but not least, you can
customize the ribbon however you like. For details, see the following links.
TIP If the ribbon does not appear in the program interface, re-enable it by choosing
Customize menu ➤ Show UI ➤ Show Ribbon.

The Ribbon Interface
The modeling ribbon takes the form of a toolbar that can float or dock in a
horizontal or vertical configuration. The toolbar contains four tabs:
■

Graphite Modeling Tools on page 1995

■

Freeform on page 2107

■

Selection on page 2132

■

Object Paint on page 2144

Each tab contains a number of panels whose presence, in general, depends
on the context, such as the active sub-object level. You can use a right-click
menu to determine which panels appear, and you can also tear off panels so
they float independently on the interface. You can adjust the panel size
horizontally by dragging either end, and when you make it smaller, the panels
adjust automatically to fit. The same controls that were previously available
directly then become available from drop-down menus.
The main tab on the modeling ribbon is the Graphite Modeling Tools tab,
and its first panel, Polygon Modeling, provides a subset of Modify panel tools:
sub-object level (Vertex, Edge, Border, Polygon, Element); stack level, preview
options for sub-object selection, and more. At any time you can show or hide
any available panel with the right-click menu.

The Ribbon Interface | 1979

NOTE Most tools on the modeling ribbon have two-part tooltips; the first part
contains a brief description of the tool, and sometimes lists important options.
The second part, when available, describes how to use the tool, often with an
illustration, and with certain tools lists secondary options.
Also, some tooltips have an embedded video, or ToolClip, that uses motion
to show how to use the tool. These are indicated by the text “Press Y for video.”
To restart the video, press Y again.

Using the Ribbon
The Graphite Modeling Tools interface takes the form of a highly customizable,
context-sensitive toolbar containing four tabs: Graphite Modeling Tools,
Freeform, Selection, and Object Paint. Each of these comprises a number of
panels and tools whose availability depends on the context.
The ribbon can assume a horizontal or vertical configuration and either
configuration can float or be docked. The horizontal version can be maximized
(Show Full Ribbon) or minimized to tabs or panel titles. By default, the ribbon
is horizontal, minimized to panel titles, and is docked immediately above the
viewports (below the main toolbar), as shown in the following illustration.

NOTE When the ribbon is horizontal, you can attach the Quick Access toolbar to
its bottom edge. For details, see Quick Access Toolbar on page 8585.
The basic unit of ribbon organization is the panel; each panel contains a
related set of tools. The main panel on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab is the
Polygon Modeling panel on page 1995. This panel contains global controls for
making the other panels available, switching sub-object levels, toggling soft
selection, and more.
See also:
■

Customizing the Ribbon on page 2163

Procedures
This section includes some basic procedures for getting started with the
modeling ribbon. For more information about using and configuring the
ribbon, be sure to read Modeling Ribbon Controls on page 1985.

1980 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To activate the modeling ribbon:
By default, 3ds Max starts with the horizontal configuration of the modeling
ribbon open, minimized to panel titles, and docked to the top of the interface,
just above the viewports. If you close it and quit the program, it does not
automatically reopen when you restart.
➤

Do either of the following:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Graphite Modeling Tools (Open)).

■

On the Customize menu, click Show UI and choose Show Ribbon.

Each of these commands is a toggle: If the ribbon is closed, the command
opens it; if the ribbon is open, the command closes it.
To switch the ribbon orientation:
By default, the ribbon uses a horizontal configuration, but you can change it
to vertical using the right-click ribbon menu. The vertical ribbon feature set
is identical to that of the horizontal ribbon, except that it can be docked left
and right, rather than top and bottom.
1 Right-click the ribbon outside a panel, such as on the tab bar.
2 Choose Ribbon Configuration ➤ Switch To Vertical Ribbon. If the current
orientation is vertical, the command is Switch To Horizontal Ribbon.
After a short pause, the ribbon reopens in the new orientation.
To minimize or maximize the ribbon:
The ribbon in its horizontal orientation has three different minimized states
in addition to the maximized state. This procedure describes how to switch
among them:
➤

Do either of the following:

■

Click the
minimize/maximize toggle on the ribbon. If you hold
the mouse over the button, a tooltip describes what happens when
you click.

The Ribbon Interface | 1981

■

Click the small arrow button next to the minimize/maximize toggle
to open the Minimize drop-down list on page 1992. The current state
has a check mark next to it; choose a different one from the menu.

Choosing an option not only minimizes ribbon to the indicated status,
but also determines how the (maximized) ribbon minimizes when
you click the minimize/maximize button.
To restore the ribbon to the default setup:
If you’ve reconfigured the ribbon significantly by hiding and floating panels
and so on, you can return to the default setup with a command on the ribbon
right-click menu:
1 Right-click an empty area of the ribbon and open the Ribbon
Configuration submenu.
2 Choose the Reset Ribbon To Default command.
3 When prompted to confirm, click Yes.
After a brief pause, the ribbon reopens in the default configuration:
horizontal and minimized to panel titles.

1982 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To convert an object to editable poly or Edit Poly format:
For most ribbon functions to be available, a single editable poly on page 2240
or Edit Poly on page 1274 object must be selected, and the corresponding stack
level must be active. If the object you want to work with is not in the required
format, you can use the ribbon to convert it.
1 Select an object.
2 If the ribbon is minimized, open the Polygon Modeling panel; otherwise,
open the panel expansion.
3 Choose Convert To Poly or Apply Edit Poly Mod.

This converts the object or applies the modifier, respectively, and switches
to Modify mode if necessary.
NOTE You could also use Collapse Stack if the stack collapses to an editable
poly object. However, if you collapse a primitive object such as a Teapot with
non-format-specific modifiers such as Bend, the result is an editable mesh
object, which is not compatible with the modeling ribbon.

The Ribbon Interface | 1983

To start using the modeling ribbon with an editable poly or Edit Poly object:
You can use the modeling ribbon tools with a selected editable poly or Edit
Poly object when the corresponding stack level is active and the software is
in Modify mode.
Once you become familiar with the ribbon, you can accomplish just about
any polygon-modeling task without resorting to the Modify panel. At that
point, you can hide the command panel most of the time while working in
3ds Max, thus recovering valuable screen real estate.
1 Select an editable poly or Edit Poly object (to convert an object, see the
preceding procedure).
To use the ribbon tools, Modify mode must be active; that is, the Modify
panel must be the current command panel (whether or not the command
panel is displayed).
2 Check the wide button on the Polygon Modeling panel:

If it says Modify Mode, click the button to switch to Modify mode. If it
says anything else, proceed to the next step without clicking.
3 If the Editable Poly or Edit Poly stack level is active, the applicable panels
then become available. If the ribbon is maximized or minimized to panel
titles, the panels are readily apparent. If the ribbon is minimized to tabs,
you can see all available open panels on a tab by clicking the tab (see
Minimize/Maximize on page 1992).
If the object is already in a required format but has modifiers other than
Edit Poly applied, one of which is active, you need to switch to the
Editable Poly or Edit Poly stack level. Use the Next/Previous Modifier on
page 1999 buttons on the Polygon Modeling panel.
For instance, consider an editable poly object with the Cloth modifier
applied. When the Cloth modifier is active on the stack, the ribbon looks
like this:

1984 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Note that the wide button on the Polygon Modeling panel shows the
modifier name.
The Next/Previous Modifier buttons enable navigation up and down the
stack, respectively. When navigation in only one direction is possible,
the other button is disabled.

In this example, you would click
(Previous Modifier), thus
accessing the Editable Poly level of the modifier stack.
4 Use the Next/Previous Modifier buttons to go to the Editable Poly or Edit
Poly stack level.

Modeling Ribbon Controls
Most ribbon-configuration controls are available from right-click menus. This
topic details these controls as well as others for customizing the ribbon setup.
NOTE When you reconfigure the ribbon and then exit 3ds Max, the changes are
automatically saved in the two files in the folder MaxModelingRibbon.Config.xml
and MaxManaged.cui. These files are saved in the system path on page 8881, in the
UI directory. By default, this is C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Local
Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\[3ds max version]\enu\UI. The next
time you start 3ds Max, it reads the previous ribbon status from these files and
restores it.
To return the ribbon to its default configuration, quit 3ds Max, delete both
MaxModelingRibbon.Config.xml and MaxManaged.cui from the system UI path (be
sure to make backup copies first), and restart.

The Ribbon Interface | 1985

Floating and Docking the Modeling Ribbon and its Panels
■

To dock a floating horizontal ribbon to the top or bottom of the interface,
or the vertical ribbon left or right, drag it to the desired location and, when
the mouse cursor changes to a horizontal strip, release it. Alternatively,
right-click the title bar and choose the desired docking location from the
Dock submenu.

■

To float the docked ribbon, drag it by the left end (horizontal) or top
(vertical) away from the docked location. The cursor changes from a
horizontal strip to a rectangle to let you know when releasing it will cause
it to float.

■

To float a panel by itself, drag it by the title bar (bottom edge or right side)
away from the ribbon or panel group. If Show Panel Titles on page 1994 is
off, there’s still a small bar at the bottom of docked panels on the horizontal
ribbon by which you can drag the panel. However, this bar is not available
on non-expanding panels on the vertical ribbon when Show Panel Titles
is off.

■

To move a floating panel or group, drag it by the title or by the “thumbs”:
the gray extensions on either side of a floating panel group. You can see
the thumbs on the panels in the following illustration.
NOTE Normally panel thumbs are transparent; they appear only when the
mouse cursor is over the panel.

■

To dock a panel to a floating panel or panel group, drag the first to the
others until a “landing zone” (rectangular outline, as shown in the
illustration) appears on the target, and then release the mouse button.

1986 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Docking one floating panel to another

Thereafter you can move the panel group as a unit.
■

To return a floating panel or panel group to the ribbon, drag it to the
ribbon. If the panel’s “home” tab is active, a rectangular outline appears
where it will dock when you release the mouse button. If the panel’s home
tab is not active, the tab highlights. If a panel group contains a mix, a
combination of the aforementioned conditions occur.

■

Similarly, to change a panel’s position on the ribbon, drag it to the desired
location.

Resizing the Modeling Ribbon
■

When the horizontal ribbon floats, you can resize it horizontally by
dragging either end. When you reduce the size of the maximized ribbon,
the panel contents automatically scale down to fit within the current
width, first by dropping labels and ultimately by replacing the visible panel
contents with the panel title. At that point, you need to click the panel to
view its contents.

The Ribbon Interface | 1987

Top: Edit and Geometry (All) panels at full width, ...
Center: ... at medium width, and ...
Bottom: ... fully reduced

NOTE Panels also sometimes scale down when the ribbon is more crowded.
This happens when you access a sub-object level, which opens additional
panels, or if you add optional panels.
■

When the horizontal or vertical ribbon floats and has been reduced in size
so that not all tab labels fit, the remaining tabs are available from a
drop-down list that opens by clicking a double-arrow button:

1988 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

When the vertical ribbon floats, you can resize it both horizontally and
vertically by dragging a vertical or horizontal edge, respectively. When
you reduce the vertical ribbon height, the panel contents scale as much
as possible; thereafter, a scroll bar becomes available for scrolling through
the panels.

Vertical ribbon with scroll bar on right side

The Ribbon Interface | 1989

Additional Controls
■

To use a panel tool, click its button. To learn its function, hover the mouse
cursor over it for a moment and read the tooltip. Some tooltips include an
illustration or a video; the latter is indicated by the message, “Press Y for
video.”
NOTE Certain tools, such as Use Soft Selection, open a contextual
settings/options panel when active. The contextual panel always opens on all
tabs of the ribbon, even if the panel with the tool floats. If you like, you can
use the right-click menu to turn it off on other panels.

■

Contextual panels open at the right end of the ribbon. Like any other
panel, you can drag them to another location on the ribbon if you wish.

The Soft Selection and Slice Mode contextual panels have been moved closer to the
left end of the ribbon.

When the ribbon is minimized to panel titles, contextual panels are
indicated with “---” on both sides of the panel title, as shown in the
following illustration:

Interface
In addition to the modeling tools provided by the panel buttons and other
controls, the modeling ribbon provides interface-management functions in
the form of buttons and a context-sensitive right-click menu.

1990 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Buttons
Button-type ribbon controls let you expand panels, pin the expansions, and
more; all are described in this section.
[open panel expansion] At the bottom or right side of every panel is the title
bar; if Show Panel Titles on page 1994 is off, a thin bar takes its place. If the title
bar contains a small arrowhead, that means it can be expanded to show
additional controls. To expand the panel, click the title.
The panel expansion remains open as long the mouse cursor stays on it. To
close it, simply move the mouse away.

Left: Click the panel title bar ...
Right: ... to open the panel expansion.

NOTE When the ribbon is minimized to panel titles, panels expand fully when
opened, so further expansion is inapplicable.
TIP If you like, you can “pin” open a panel expansion (see following).

[pin/unpin panel expansion] At the left end of the title bar of
an expanded panel is a small button with a pushpin icon (see preceding
illustration). To “pin” the panel expansion, thus locking it open, click this
button. To allow it to close, “unpin” it by clicking the button again.

The Ribbon Interface | 1991

NOTE When Show Panel Titles on page 1994 is off, the “pin” icon takes the form
of a small circle.

Return Panels to Ribbon Restores all panels in the group to the modeling
ribbon. Each panel returns to its previous tab and location on the ribbon,
before it was floated. Available only on floating panels.

Toggle Orientation Switches the panel group layout between vertical
and horizontal. Available only on floating panels.

Top: Floating panel group in vertical orientation
Bottom: Floating panel group in horizontal orientation

Minimize/Maximize Click this button, found on the ribbon next to
the tab titles, to toggle the ribbon between maximized and the active minimize
option (see following).
Alternatively, if the Cycle Through All option is active (see following), clicking
Minimize/Maximize activates the next option in this progression: maximized,

1992 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

minimized to panel buttons, minimized to panel titles, and minimized to
tabs.
When the ribbon is maximized, most of its controls are visible; the rest are
available on the expansion area of certain panels, indicated by a small
arrowhead next to the panel title. Click the title to open the expansion.

To set the active minimize option, click the small arrow next to the
Minimize/Maximize button and choose an option from the drop-down list:
■

Minimize to Tabs The ribbon shows only tab names. To access the panels,
click a tab; this maximizes the ribbon temporarily. When you move the
mouse cursor away from the ribbon, it minimizes again.

In this mode, additional controls on some panels are available on the panel
expansion, indicated by a small arrowhead next to the panel title when
the panels are expanded. Click the title to open the expansion.
■

Minimize to Panel Titles The ribbon shows tabs and panel titles. To access
a panel, mouse over its title.

In this mode, each panel expands to show all controls automatically; no
further expansion is available.
■

Minimize to Panel Buttons The ribbon shows tabs, panel titles, and
a single icon for each panel. To access a panel, mouse over its title.

■

Cycle through All When active, clicking the Minimize/Maximize button
activates the next option in this progression: maximized, minimized to
panel buttons, minimized to panel titles, and minimized to tabs.

The Ribbon Interface | 1993

Right-click menu
When you right-click the ribbon or a floating panel group, different commands
and submenus appear, depending on where you click. Following is a
comprehensive listing of available right-click-menu commands.
Show Tabs submenu Toggles visibility of the ribbon tabs: Graphite Modeling
Tools on page 1995, Freeform on page 2107, and Selection on page 2132, and Object
Paint on page 2144.
Show Panels submenu Lists all panels available for the active tab. Visible
panels have check marks next to their names; hidden ones don’t. To toggle a
panel’s visibility, click its name in the list.
NOTE Floating panels do not appear in the list; to enable control over the visibility
of a floating panel, return it to the ribbon.
Show Panel Titles When on, a panel title appears at the bottom or side of
each panel (depending on orientation). When off, the panel titles are replaced
by thin horizontal strips on the horizontal ribbon; you can drag these away
from the ribbon to float the panels. However, on the vertical ribbon, turning
of Show Panel Titles simply removes the title bars.
NOTE When Minimize to Panel Titles is active, panel titles always appear. Also,
floating panels always have titles.
Ribbon Configuration Provides commands for customizing the ribbon, as
described in the following section.

Ribbon Configuration Submenu
These commands are available on the ribbon right-click menu ➤ Ribbon
Configuration submenu for changing the ribbon configuration to better fit
your workflow.
Customize Ribbon Opens the Customize Ribbon dialog on page 2163.
Switch to Vertical/Horizontal Ribbon Toggles the ribbon orientation between
vertical and horizontal. Before changing the orientation, 3ds Max saves the
current configuration (docked, maximized, etc.) and restores it when you next
switch the orientation.
Load Ribbon Opens a dialog for loading a saved ribbon-configuration file.
These files use the .ribbon filename extension, and contain all
ribbon-configuration data including orientation, maximize/minimize status,
docked/floating/position/size status, tab and panel visibility, and so on.

1994 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

In general, use Load Ribbon to load a custom configuration file you created
with Save Ribbon (see following).
Save Ribbon Opens a dialog for saving a ribbon-configuration file. These files
use the .ribbon filename extension, and contain all ribbon-configuration data
including orientation, maximize/minimize status, docked/floating/position/size
status, tab and panel visibility, and so on.
If you typically change the ribbon configuration during a session or for
different projects, use Save Ribbon to store each configuration in a different
file and then restore a saved configuration with Load Ribbon (see preceding).
Reset Ribbon to default Restores the ribbon to the default settings as originally
installed, including horizontal orientation, docked at the top of the interface,
and minimized to panel titles. In addition, any ribbon elements you added,
removed, or changed with Customize Ribbon (see preceding) are lost, so be
sure to save the ribbon in a custom file before resetting it.
Enable Tooltips When on, ribbon tooltips function normally. When off,
ribbon tooltips are unavailable.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab
The Graphite Modeling Tools tab contains the tools you use most often for
polygon modeling, organized into separate panels for easy, convenient access.

Polygon Modeling Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform/Selection tab ➤
Polygon Modeling panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the Freeform tab and Selection
tab via the right-click menu.
The Polygon Modeling panel includes tools for switching sub-object levels,
navigating the modifier stack, converting objects to editable poly and Edit
Poly, and more.
Because this is perhaps the most commonly used panel, we recommend that
you float it separate from the modeling ribbon (“tear” it off by dragging the

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 1995

panel label), and use the rest of the ribbon minimized, to maximize screen
real estate.

Recommended setup: The modeling ribbon is docked and minimized, while the Polygon
Modeling panel floats.

See also:
■

Editable Poly Surfaceeditable poly on page 2240

Interface

Polygon Modeling panel on
minimized ribbon

1996 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Polygon Modeling panel on maximized ribbon,
with expansion

Polygon Modeling panel floating, with expansion

NOTE The sub-object level buttons on the Polygon Modeling panel provide the
same selection-conversion features as their counterparts on the Modify panel. For
details, see Converting Sub-object Selections on page 1288.

Vertex Accesses the Vertex sub-object level, which lets you select a
vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects vertices within the region.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 1997

Edge Accesses the Edge sub-object level, which lets you select a
polygon edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges within
the region.

Border Accesses the Border sub-object level, which lets you select a
sequence of edges that borders a hole in the mesh. A border comprises only
connected edges with faces on only one side of them, and is always a complete
loop. For example, a default box primitive doesn't have a border, but the teapot
object has a couple of them: one each on the lid, the body, and the spout,
and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder and delete one end, the row
of edges around that end forms a border.
When Border sub-object level is active, you can't select edges that aren't on
borders. Clicking a single edge on a border selects that whole border.
You can cap a border, either with the Cap function on page 1334 or by applying
the Cap Holes modifier on page 1124. You can also connect borders between
objects with the Connect compound object on page 628.
NOTE
The Edge and Border sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one to
the other, any existing selection is retained.

Polygon Accesses the Polygon sub-object level, which lets you select
polygons beneath the cursor. Region selection selects multiple polygons within
the region.

Element Accesses the Element sub-object level, which lets you select
all contiguous polygons in an object. Region selection lets you select multiple
elements.
NOTE
The Polygon and Element sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one
to the other, any existing selection is retained.
Modify Mode/[stack level] Switches to the Modify panel, or if the Modify
panel is active, shows the current modifier stack level.

1998 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Usage examples:
■

if any object is selected and any command panel other than the Modify
panel is active, the button label reads “Modify Mode.”

■

For an object with no modifiers, if the Modify panel is active and the object
type is anything other than editable poly or Edit Poly, the button is
unavailable; otherwise the button shows the object type, such as “Editable
Poly.”

■

If the Modify panel is active and the current stack level is a modifier, the
button shows the name of the modifier.

TIP When the Modify panel is active, you can navigate the modifier stack with
the Next/Previous Modifier controls.

Toggle Command Panel Toggles visibility of the command panel.
NOTE Clicking this button always makes the Modify panel active.

Pin Stack Locks the modifier stack and modeling ribbon controls to
the currently selected object so they remain with that object regardless of
subsequent changes in selection.
TIP Pin Stack is useful for transforming another object while keeping your place
in the modified object's stack.

Show End Result (off/on) Shows the selected object as it
appears after all modifications in the stack have taken place, regardless of your
current position in the stack.
When this toggle is off, the object appears as modified up to the current
modifier in the stack.

Next/Previous Modifier Moves up or down the stack,
respectively, making the next highest or lowest modifier current.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 1999

Equivalent to clicking the entry above or below the current one in the modifier
stack.
Preview This option lets you preview a sub-object selection before committing
to it. You can preview at the current sub-object level, or switch sub-object
levels automatically based on the mouse position. The choices are:

■

■

Preview OffNo preview is available.

Preview SubObjectEnables previewing at the current sub-object
level only. As you move the mouse over the object, the sub-object under
the cursor highlights in yellow. To select the highlighted object, click the
mouse.
To select multiple sub-objects at the current level, press and hold Ctrl,
move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click to select all
highlighted sub-objects.

Polygon sub-object selection preview with Ctrl held down

2000 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To deselect multiple sub-objects at the current level, press and hold Ctrl+Alt,
move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click a selected
sub-object. This deselects all highlighted sub-objects.

■

Preview MultiWorks like Preview SubObject, but also switches
among the Vertex, Edge, and Polygon sub-object levels on the fly, based
on the mouse position. For example, if you position the mouse over an
edge, the edge highlights, and then clicking activates the Edge sub-object
level and selects the edge.
To select multiple sub-objects of the same type, press and hold Ctrl after
highlighting a sub-object, move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects,
and then click to activate that sub-object level and select all highlighted
sub-objects.
To deselect multiple sub-objects at the current sub-object level, press and
hold Ctrl+Alt, move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then
click a selected sub-object. This deselects all highlighted sub-objects. Note
that this method does not switch sub-object levels.

NOTE When Ignore Backfacing (see following) is off, you’ll see backfacing vertices
and edges highlight while previewing a sub-object selection.

Ignore Backfacing Toggles selection of backfacing sub-objects.
When on, selection of sub-objects affects only those facing you. When off
(the default), you can select any sub-object(s) under the mouse cursor,
regardless of their visibility or facing.

Use Soft Selection Toggles Soft Selection on page 1966 and the Soft
Panel on page 2003, with settings for controlling how Soft Selection works.
Available only at sub-object levels.
When off, transforming a sub-object selection affects only those sub-objects.
When on, partially selects sub-objects near an explicit selection, depicted as
a color gradient. Transforming then falls off with distance from explicitly
selected sub-objects.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2001

Left: Vertex moved with Soft Selection off
Right: Vertex moved with Soft Selection on

NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Polygon Modeling panel
floats, the following controls appear on the Polygon Modeling panel expansion.

Collapse Stack Same as Collapse All on page 989: Collapses the selected
object’s entire stack to an editable object that preserves the cumulative effect
of the collapsed modifiers on the base object. See Collapsing the Stack on page
988.
You can use the Graphite Modeling Tools with an object that results from
collapsing the stack only if it’s an editable poly.

Convert to Poly Converts the object to editable poly format and
switches to Modify mode.
This is the quickest way to start using the Graphite Modeling Tools on an
object.

Apply Edit Poly Mod Applies the Edit Poly modifier on page 1274 to
the object and switches to Modify mode.

2002 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Generate Topology Opens the Topology dialog on page 2007 with
tools for adjusting the object’s geometric makeup.

Symmetry Tools Opens the Symmetry Tools dialog on page 2012 with
controls for making models symmetrical.
Full Interactivity Toggles the level of feedback for the QuickSlice and Cut
tools, as well as all settings dialogs and caddies. Available with editable poly
objects, but not the Edit Poly modifier.
When on (the default), 3ds Max updates the viewport in real time as you use
the mouse to manipulate the tool or change a numeric setting. With Cut and
QuickSlice, when Full Interactivity is off, only the rubber-band line is visible
until you click. Similarly, with numeric settings in caddies, the final result is
visible only when you release the mouse button after changing the setting.
The state of Full Interactivity doesn't affect changing a numeric setting from
the keyboard. Whether it's on or off, the setting takes effect only when you
exit the field by pressing Tab or Enter, or by clicking a different control in the
dialog.

Soft Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform/Selection tab ➤
Polygon Modeling panel ➤ Access a sub-object level. ➤ Use Soft Selection
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the Freeform tab and Selection
tab via the right-click menu.
The Soft panel opens when Use Soft Selection is on, and provides controls for
modifying how Soft Selection works. For details, see Soft Selection Rollout on
page 1966

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2003

Interface

Edit When on, you can change Soft Selection parameters
interactively with the keyboard and mouse. For details, see this procedure on
page 1968 and this section on page 1972.

Paint Paint a soft selection on the active object using the current
settings. When active, opens the PaintSS panel on page 2006 for controlling how
painting works.
Drag the mouse cursor over the object surface to paint the selection.
TIP You can streamline the painting process by using the Brush Presets tools on
page 8633.

Lock Locks the soft selection in order to prevent changes to the
procedural selection.
NOTE Painting the soft selection turns on Lock Soft Selection automatically. If you
turn it off after using Paint Soft Selection, the painted soft selection is lost, and
cannot be restored with Undo.

Shaded When on, displays a color gradient corresponding to the
soft selection weights on faces within the soft selection range.

2004 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Shaded makes it easier to see the soft-selection area, especially with complex
models.

Use Backfaces When on, deselected faces whose normals face in
the opposite direction to the average normal of the selected sub-objects are
affected by the soft-selection influence. In the case of vertices and edges, this
applies to the normals of faces to which they're attached.
TIP Turn off Use Backfaces when you want to manipulate faces of a thin object,
such as a thin box, but don't want to affect faces on the other side of the object.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Soft panel floats, the
following controls appear on the Soft panel expansion.

Use Edge Distance When on, limits the soft-selection region to the
specified number of edges (use the adjacent numeric setting) between where
you select and the maximum extent of the soft selection. The affected region
is measured in terms of "edge-distance" space, along the surface, rather than
real space.
This option is useful in cases where you want to select only contiguous sections
of geometry. For example, if a bird's wing is folded back against its body,
selecting the wing tip with Soft Selection would affect nearby body vertices
as well. But if you turn on Use Edge Distance, set the numeric value to the
distance (in edges) along the wing that you wish to affect, and then set Falloff
to an appropriate value, selecting and then moving the wing tip would move
only the wing geometry.
Falloff Distance in current units from the center to the edge of a sphere
defining the affected region. If Edge Distance is on, Falloff is measured in
edges and the Edge Distance setting limits the maximum falloff amount.
NOTE The region specified by the Falloff setting is depicted graphically in the
viewports as a color gradient in vertices and/or edges (or, with editable polys and
patches, optionally in faces). The gradient ranges from the selection color (red by
default) to the non-selected sub-object color (blue by default). In addition, This
gradient is updated in real time as you change the Falloff setting.
Pinch Adjusts the slope of the curves on either side of the top point of the
soft-selection falloff curve (visible on the command panel). Default=0.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2005

Pinch sets the relative "pointedness" of the region. When negative, a crater is
produced instead of a point. At a setting of 0, Pinch produces a smooth
transition across this axis.
Bubble Expands and contracts the soft-selection falloff curve (visible on the
command panel) along the vertical axis. Sets the relative "fullness" of the
region. Default=0.
Bubble is limited by Pinch, which sets a fixed starting point for Bubble. A
setting of 0 for Pinch and 1.0 for Bubble produces the smoothest bulge.
Negative values for Bubble move the bottom of the curve below the surface,
creating a "valley" around the base of the region.

PaintSS Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform/Selection tab ➤
Polygon Modeling panel ➤ Use Soft Selection ➤ Soft panel ➤ Paint
The PaintSS (Paint Soft Selection) panel provides controls for painting a soft
selection of sub-objects on an editable poly or Edit Poly object.

Interface

Blur Paint with Blur to soften the outlines of an existing painted
soft selection.

Revert Paint with Revert to reverse a soft selection on the active
object using the current settings.

2006 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Options Opens the Painter Options dialog on page 1940, with settings
for brush-related properties.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the PaintSS panel floats, the
following controls appear on the PaintSS panel expansion.
Value The maximum relative selection of the painted or reverted soft selection.
The values of surrounding vertices within the brush radius fall off towards a
value of 0. Default=1.0.
Size The radius of the circular brush used for painting the selection.
Strength The rate at which painting a soft selection sets the painted sub-objects
to the maximum value. A high Strength value reaches the full value quickly,
while a low value requires repeated applications to reach full value.

Topology dialog
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform/Selection tab ➤
Polygon Modeling panel [expansion] ➤ Generate Topology
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the Freeform tab and Selection
tab via the right-click menu.
The topology tools rework an object’s mesh subdivision into procedurally
generated patterns. You can apply a topology pattern over an entire surface
or a selected section.
The various topology tools are described following. The descriptions for the
tools are only suggestions of what the tools can be used for, and you can
combine multiple tools to create new patterns. Try experimenting with
applying a tool several times to generate a different pattern. A typical use of
these tools could be to first generate a topology pattern of some sort, and then
extrude or bevel different parts to form a structure.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2007

Interface
NOTE The topology tools work at the object level and all sub-object levels. To
confine a tool’s effect to the current sub-object selection, press and hold Shift
before clicking.
Also, all tools have assignable CUI action items on page 8837 available in the PolyTools
category, as noted in the descriptions.

Wall Generates a wall-type topology with bricks of different sizes.
CUI action: TopoWall

Tiles Generates a tile type topology. CUI action: TopoTiles

2008 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Bricks Generates brick topology.
IMPORTANT This tool requires one edge to be selected. The direction of the edge
determines which way is "up" on the bricks. The tool works only if the selected
edge is within quad topology.
CUI action: TopoBrick

Hive Generates hive-type topology.
IMPORTANT This tool requires one edge to be selected. The direction of the edge
determines which way is "up." The tool works only if the selected edge is within
quad topology.
CUI action: TopoHive

Tiles2 Works like Tiles (see preceding), but the resulting tiles are
slightly more random.
CUI action: TopoTiles2

Mosaic Generates mosaic topology, with random bricks of different
sizes.
CUI action: TopoMosaic

Floor Works like Tiles (see preceding), but generates the pattern in a
crossing direction.
CUI action: TopoFloor

Floor2 Works like Wall (see preceding), but generates the pattern in
a crossing direction.
CUI action: TopoFloor2

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2009

Skin Generates a skin-type topology, with rounded patches.
CUI action: TopoSkin

Holer Generates "holes" in the topology.
If you press Alt the result is more chaotic and less rounded, because it removes
vertices with only two edges going from them.
CUI action: TopoHoler

Diamond Changes the direction of the edges to a regular diagonal
pattern.
CUI action: TopoEdgedir

Simplify Simplifies the topology by removing random parts, but
keeping certain areas of edges intact.
CUI action: TopoSimplify

Chaos Generates a chaotic topology, with randomly shaped patches.
CUI action: TopoChaos

Fours Generates a tile-type topology, which consists of mostly larger
quads.
CUI action: TopoFours

Stars Generates a random smoothed-stars topology.
CUI action: TopoStars

Cross Generates a topology with crosses.

2010 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

CUI action: TopoCross

Planks Generates a plank-type topology, with "planks" of different
sizes.
CUI action: TopoPlanks

Planks2 Similar to Planks (see preceding) but with broader planks.
CUI action: TopoPlanks2

Planks3 Generates a topology with large crosses of "planks."
CUI action: TopoPlanks3

Planks4 Similar to Planks (see preceding) but with longer planks.
CUI action: TopoPlanks4

Tatter Generates "holes" in the topology, separated by rows of
polygons.
The three numeric settings apply to Tatter only, before applying the tool.
■

SizeDetermines the overall size of the generated holes.

■

IterationsDetermines the number of different sizes for the generated holes.

■

SmoothDetermines how rounded the generated holes will be.

CUI action: TopoTatter
ScrapVerts Removes all vertices in the mesh with two edges going from them.
CUI action: TopoScrapV
Plane Creates a Plane object and converts it to editable poly format for quick
testing of the different tools. The value of the "S" parameter determines the
number of segments in the plane.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2011

Symmetry Tools dialog
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform/Selection tab ➤
Polygon Modeling panel [expansion] ➤ Symmetry Tools
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the Freeform tab and Selection
tab via the right-click menu.
These are tools for making models symmetrical when using the Symmetry
modifier on page 1752 is not an option, such as when working with morph
targets. You can model one side of the model and apply these tools to make
it symmetrical about an axis.
The symmetry is based on an object you pick that is symmetrical about the
chosen axis. It then determines which vertices are symmetrical and enables
you to use that information on any other model sharing the same vertex
count. The Symmetry tool works in the object’s local coordinate system.

Interface

Pick Main Model Click this button and then select the object on which to
base the symmetry. The software then calculates the symmetry based on the
specified axis with the specified Tolerance value (see following).
After calculating the symmetry, the software selects all non-symmetrical
vertices in the model, including vertices in the center seam.

2012 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Axis The axis on which to base the symmetry, in the object’s local coordinate
system.
The center of the axis is determined by the pivot point of the picked object.
Changing the axis recalculates the symmetry for the picked model.
Tolerance The distance in world units that the software uses to determine
whether two vertices are symmetrical. If the picked model is not completely
symmetrical, increase this value slightly.

Make Symmetrical group
+ To -/- To + Use these buttons to make the model symmetrical on the chosen
axis. Click

to make everything on the minus side of the axis

symmetrical to the plus side. Click
to make everything on the
plus side of the axis symmetrical to the minus side.
Flip Symmetry Works like a mirror tool by switching the vertex positions on
the chosen axis.

Vertex positions group
Copy Selected Use this tool to copy the currently selected vertices’ positions.
Paste Use this tool to paste the vertex positions that you copied with the Copy
Selected tool.
For example, you can copy the closed eyes or a certain mouth shape from one
model to another. You can also copy positions from an editable poly object
and paste them into an Edit Poly modifier.

Modify Selection Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Selection tab ➤ Modify
Selection panel
NOTE The Modify Selection panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the Selection tab via the right-click
menu.
The Modify Selection panel provides tools for adding to and subtracting from
sub-object selections, both in general and with respect to loops and rings.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2013

Interface

Modify Selection panel on
minimized ribbon

Modify Selection panel on maximized ribbon, with
expansion

2014 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Modify Selection panel floating, with expansion

Grow Expands the selection area outward in all available directions.
For this function, a border is considered to be an edge selection.

With Shrink and Grow, you can add or remove neighboring elements from the edges
of your current selection. This works at any sub-object level.

Shrink Reduces the sub-object selection area by deselecting the
outermost sub-objects. If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the
remaining sub-objects are deselected.
Loop Selects a loop or loops based on the current sub-object
selection. Loop on the modeling ribbon differs from Loop on the Modify panel
in that the latter works only on edges, while the former works at all sub-object
levels.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2015

TIP
You can select a loop quickly at any sub-object level except Element
by selecting a sub-object and then Shift+clicking another sub-object in the same
loop.
Usage:
■

Vertex Select sets of neighboring vertices and apply to select loops. If you
select a single vertex, Loop selects all vertices on loops passing through
the vertex.

Using Loop at the Vertex level

■

Edge Select one or more edges and apply to select loops.

Using Loop at the Edge level

2016 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Polygon Select sets of neighboring polygons and apply to select loops. If
you select a single polygon, Loop selects all polygon loops that pass through
the poly.

Using Loop at the Polygon level

Loop Cylinder Ends (on Loop drop-down) Selects vertex and edge
loops along the top and bottom edges of a cylinder.
Select an edge or a pair of adjacent vertices along the top and/or bottom edge
of a cylinder, and then apply to select a loop.
Add Loop Shift to Caddy Manipulator (on Loop drop-down) Toggles the
availability of the Loop Shift on page 1296 control on the caddy on page 2339
when Select And Manipulate on page 2868 is active.

Grow Loop Grows a loop based on current sub-object selection.
Select part of one or more loops (an edge, or two or more adjacent vertices or
polygons), and then click Grow Loop to select sub-objects at the end(s) of the
loops.

Shrink Loop Reduces the extent of selected loops by removing
sub-objects from the ends. Does not apply to circular loops.
Select one or more non-circular loops and then click Shrink Loop to deselect
sub-objects at the end(s) of the loops.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2017

Loop Mode When on, selecting sub-objects can also automatically
select an associated loop.

TIP
When Loop Mode is not active, you can select a loop quickly at any
sub-object level except Element by selecting a sub-object and then Shift+clicking
another sub-object in the same loop.
Usage:
■

Vertex/Polygon Select two or more adjacent sub-objects to select the
associated loop(s).

■

Edge Select one or more edges to select the associated loop(s).

To deselect a loop with Loop Mode active, hold Alt while making a selection
described preceding.

Dot Loop Selects loops with gaps. Select an edge or sets of two or
more adjacent vertices or polygons in a row or column (to indicate the loop
direction) and apply.
To change the spacing, use the Dot Gap setting on page 2025.
Dot Loop Opposite (on Dot Loop drop-down) Selects vertex/polygon loops
with gaps. Select sets of two or more adjacent vertices or polygons in a row
or column (to indicate the loop direction) and apply.
Starts with a different sub-object from Dot Loop.
To change the spacing, use the Dot Gap setting on page 2025.
Dot Loop Cylinder (on Dot Loop drop-down) Selects edges or vertices in a
non-continuous loop around the top and bottom edges of a cylinder, with
the selection pattern determined by the Dot Gap setting on page 2025 available
on the panel expansion.
To use with edges, first select an edge on the top or bottom edge of a cylinder.
To use with vertices, first select two or more adjacent vertices on the top or
bottom edge of a cylinder.

Ring Selects a ring or rings based on the current sub-object selection.

2018 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Usage:
■

Vertex Select sets of neighboring vertices and apply to select rings.

Using Ring at the Vertex level

■

Edge Select one or more edges and apply to select rings.

Using Ring at the Edge level

TIP
You can select an edge ring quickly by selecting an edge and
then Shift+clicking another edge in the same ring.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2019

■

Polygon Select sets of neighboring polygons and apply to select rings. If
you select a single polygon, selects both the loop and ring the poly belongs
to.

Using Ring at the Polygon level

Add Ring Shift to Caddy Manipulator (on Ring drop-down) Toggles the
availability of the Ring Shift on page 1294 control on the caddy on page 2339
when Select And Manipulate on page 2868 is active.

Grow Ring Grows one or more edge rings in steps. Available only
at the Edge and Border sub-object levels.
Select one or more edges and then apply to select any available rings at either
end of the current ring(s).

Shrink Ring Reduces the extent of selected edge rings by removing
edges from the ends. Does not apply to circular rings. Available only at the
Edge and Border sub-object levels.
Usage: Select one or more non-circular rings and then click Shrink Ring to
deselect edges from the ends of the rings.

Ring Mode When on, selecting enough sub-objects to indicate the
ring direction automatically selects the ring.

2020 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Sub-object level:
■

Vertex/Polygon Select two or more adjacent sub-objects to select the ring(s)
they’re on.

■

Edge Select one or more edges to select the ring(s) they’re on.

To deselect a ring with Ring Mode active, hold Alt while selecting an edge in
a selected ring.

Dot Ring Selects edge rings with gaps, based on the current selection.
To change the spacing, use the Dot Gap setting on page 2025.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Modify Selection panel
floats, the following controls appear on the Modify Selection panel expansion.

Outline Selects the border (outside members) of the current sub-object
selection and deselects the rest.
At the Polygon level, to select an edge border, use Shift (switches to Edge
sub-object level).

Similar Adds to the current sub-object selection based on the
characteristics of selected sub-objects and the settings on the drop-down for
this tool.
The availability of options and results depend on the sub-object level and the
current selection. The options are:
■

Edge CountSelects vertices with the same number of edges going from them
as the selected vertices, or polygons with the same number of sides as the
selected polygons.

■

Edge LengthSelects vertices with roughly the same combined length of
connected edges as the selected vertices, or edges with roughly the same
lengths as selected edges.

■

Face CountSelects vertices with the same number of surrounding faces as
the selected vertices.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2021

■

Face AreasSelects vertices or edges with roughly the same combined areas
of surrounding faces as the current selection.

■

TopologySelects edges whose endpoint vertices have the same number of
neighboring edges and faces as the selected edges, or polygons whose vertices
have the same edge count as the selected faces.

■

Normal DirectionSelects vertices, edges, or polygons with roughly the same
normal directions on page 9237 as the current selection.

Also see: Select By Numeric on page 2142.

Fill Selects all sub-objects between two selected sub-objects.
Usage: Select two objects to designate diagonally opposite corners of the area
to be filled, and then click Fill.

Using Fill at the Vertex level

2022 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using Fill at the Polygon level

Fill Hole Selects all sub-objects within an enclosed area, as designated
by an outline selection and a freestanding selection inside the outline.
Outline an area with a selection, select a sub-object within the area, and click
Fill Hole. The selected part must stand free from the surrounding selection,
so, for example, a selected polygon in the hole should not be adjacent to any
selected polygons around the hole.

Using Fill Hole at the Vertex level

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2023

Using Fill Hole at the Edge level

Using Fill Hole at the Polygon level

StepLoop Selects a loop between two selected sub-objects on the same
loop.
Select two sub-objects on the same loop and apply StepLoop to select all
sub-objects between them using the shortest distance.

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Using StepLoop at the Vertex level

StepLoop Longest Distance (on StepLoop drop-down) Selects a loop between
two selected sub-objects on the same loop using the longest distance, if
possible.
Select two sub-objects on the same loop and apply StepLoop to select all
sub-objects between them using the longest distance, if the complete loop is
closed.

Step Mode Use Step Mode to select a loop in steps, increasing the loop
length by selecting individual sub-objects.
Access the desired sub-object level and turn on Step Mode. Select a sub-object
and then Ctrl+click to select another sub-object on the same loop. This also
selects all sub-objects between the two in the shortest distance.
To select an edge or vertex loop at a cylinder end, use Shift+Ctrl+click to select
the second and subsequent sub-objects.
If you select a sub-object not on the current loop, you start a new loop, and
can then use Step Mode for that loop.
Dot Gap Specifies the extent of gaps between sub-objects in a loop selected
with Dot Loop, or between edges in a ring selected with Dot Ring.

Edit Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform tab ➤ Edit panel

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2025

NOTE The Edit panel is visible by default only on the Graphite Modeling Tools
tab but can be made visible on the Freeform tab via the right-click menu.
The Edit panel provides a variety of tools for modifying mesh objects, including
transform constraints, edge and loop creation, and editing texture coordinates.

Interface

Edit panel on minimized ribbon

Edit panel at Object level

Edit panel at sub-object levels

2026 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Preserve UVs When on, you can edit sub-objects without affecting
the object's UV mapping. You can choose any of an object's mapping channels
to preserve or not; see Preserve UVs Settings, following. Default=off.
Without Preserve UVs, there is always a direct correspondence between an
object's geometry and its UV mapping. For example, if you map an object and
then move vertices, the texture moves along with the sub-objects, whether
you want it to or not. If you turn on Preserve UVs, you can perform minor
editing tasks without changing the mapping.

Original object with texture map (left); Scaled vertices with Preserve UVs off (center);
Scaled vertices with Preserve UVs on (right)

TIP For best results with Preserve UVs at the vertex level, use it for limited vertex
editing. For example, you'll usually have no trouble moving a vertex within edge
or face constraints. Also, it's better to perform one big move than several smaller
moves, as multiple small moves can begin to distort the mapping. If, however,
you need to perform extensive geometry editing while preserving mapping, use
the Channel Info utility on page 6936 instead.
Preserve UVs Settings (on Preserve UVs drop-down) Opens the Preserve
Map Channels dialog on page 2367, which lets you specify which vertex color
channels and/or texture channels (map channels) to preserve. By default, all
vertex color channels are off (not preserved), and all texture channels are on
(preserved).
TIP You can open the Preserve Map Channels dialog quickly by Shift+clicking the
Preserve UVs button.

Tweak (UVs) When on, you can adjust the UVW mapping on your
model directly in the viewport by dragging over the vertices of the model to
pull the texture vertices around. Adjust settings with the UV Tweak Options
panel on page 2038.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2027

By tweaking UVs with this tool you can quickly adjust areas of stretching in
the UVW mapping without the need to add any modifiers. Use the spinner
to choose the desired mapping channel and then start the tool. When finished
tweaking, right-click to exit the tool.

Drag a vertex to adjust the UVs

When working with Tweak, it’s useful to have a material applied to the model
that enables you to easily spot stretching in the mapping. A checker map is
suitable for this purpose.
TIP To see the modified texture coordinates that result from using the Tweak tool,
apply an Unwrap UVW modifier on page 1787 and then click the Edit button on the
modifier’s Parameters rollout.

Repeat Last Repeats the most recently used command.
For example, if you extrude a polygon, and want to apply the same extrusion
to several others, select the others, and then click Repeat Last.

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You can apply a spline extrusion of a single polygon (left) repeatedly to other single
polygons (1) or to multiple polygon selections, contiguous (2) or not (3).

NOTE Repeat Last does not repeat all operations. For example, it does not repeat
transforms. To determine which command will be repeated when you click the
button, check the tooltip for the Repeat Last button on the command panel, which
gives the name of the last operation that can be repeated. If no tooltip appears,
nothing will happen when you click the button.

QuickSlice Lets you quickly slice the object without having to
manipulate a gizmo. Make a selection, click QuickSlice, and then click once
at the slice start point and again at its endpoint. You can continue slicing the
selection while the command is active.
To stop slicing, right-click in the viewport, or click QuickSlice again to turn
it off.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2029

With Quickslice on, you can draw a line across your mesh in any viewport, including
Perspective and Camera views. The mesh is sliced interactively as you move the line
endpoint.

NOTE At the Object level, QuickSlice affects the entire object. To slice only specific
polygons, use QuickSlice on a polygon selection at the Poly sub-object level.
NOTE At the Polygon or Element sub-object level, QuickSlice affects only selected
polygons. To slice the entire object, use QuickSlice at any other sub-object level,
or at the object level.

SwiftLoop Place edge loops by clicking. Turn on, then click anywhere
to insert an edge loop automatically, perpendicular to the edge closest to
where you click. Continue clicking edges or right-click to exit.
NOTE As you move the mouse cursor over the object surface, a real-time preview
shows where the loop will be created when you click.

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Additional features include the ability to slide edges or edge loops in different
ways. Following are the different functions of the tool, which depend on
which keyboard keys are pressed:
■

Shift Click to insert an edge loop and adjust the new loop to the flow of
the surrounding surface.

■

Ctrl Click to select an edge loop and automatically activate the Edge
sub-object level.

■

Alt Drag a selected edge loop to slide the edge loop between its bounding
loops.

■

Ctrl+Alt Same as Alt but also straightens out the loop (if necessary) when
you start to drag.

■

Ctrl+Shift Click to remove an edge loop.

Use NURMS Applies smoothing via the NURMS method and opens
the Use NURMS Panel on page 2034. As implemented in Edit/Editable Poly,
NURMS is an easy-to-use, procedural mesh-smoothing method that gives you
overall control over smoothing parameters.
You control the degree of smoothing with the main Iteration setting, and,
optionally the Iteration setting in the Render group as well.

Cut Lets you create edges from one polygon to another or within
polygons. Click at the start point, move the mouse and click again, and
continue moving and clicking to create new connected edges. Right-click once
to exit the current cut, whereupon you can start a new one, or right-click
again to exit Cut mode.
While cutting, the mouse cursor icon changes to show the type of sub-object
it’s over, to which the cut will be made when you click. The following
illustration shows the three different cursor icons.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2031

Top: Cutting to a vertex
Center: Cutting to an edge
Bottom: Cutting to a polygon
Cut is available at the object level and all sub-object levels.

NOTE You can use Cut with Turn for enhanced productivity. For more information,
see this procedure on page 1310.

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Paint Connect When on, you can paint connections interactively
between edges and vertices.
Paint Connect offers a variety of operational modes, depending on which key
or keys are pressed:
■

Normal Drag to paint connections between edges.

■

Shift Drag to paint connections between edges in the middle of the edges.

■

Ctrl Drag to select and connect vertices.

■

Alt Click to remove a vertex.

■

Ctrl+Shift Click to remove an edge loop.

■

Ctrl+Alt Click to remove an edge.

■

Shift+Alt Drag to paint a double connection (two parallel edges) between
edges.

TIP After using Paint Connect to create a loop that changes direction, you can
“quadify” the corner polygons with Build Corner on page 2093.
Set Flow (on Paint Connect drop-down) When on, using Paint Connect
automatically repositions new edges to fit the shape of the surrounding mesh.

Constraints Lets you use existing geometry to
constrain sub-object transformation. Choose the constraint type:
■

None: No constraints. This is the default option.

■

Edge: Constrains sub-object transformations to edge boundaries.

■

Face: Constrains sub-object transformations to individual face surfaces.

■

Normal: Constrains each sub-object’s transformations to its normal, or the
average of its normals. In most cases, this causes sub-objects to move
perpendicular to the surface.
NOTE This constraint works like the Push modifier on page 1588, including the
fact that it operates on unmodified base normals. Edited normals are
unsupported.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2033

When set to Edge, moving a vertex will slide it along one of the existing edges,
depending on the direction of the transformation. If set to Face, the vertex moves only
on the polygon’s surface.

NOTE You can set constraints at the Object level, but their use pertains primarily
to sub-object levels. The Constraints setting persists at all sub-object levels.

Use NURMS Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Edit panel ➤ Use NURMS
The Use NURMS panel opens when the Use NURMS on page 2031 button on
the modeling ribbon ➤ Edit panel is active, and provides access to all controls
for how NURMS smoothes object surfaces.

Interface

2034 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Iterations Sets the number of iterations used to smooth the poly object. Each
iteration generates all polygons using the vertices created from the previous
iteration. Range=0 to 10.
When the Iterations check box in the Render group (see following) is off, this
setting controls iterations both in the viewports and at render time. When
the check box is on, this setting controls iterations only in the viewports.
WARNING Use caution when increasing the number of iterations. The number
of vertices and polygons in an object (and thus the calculation time) can increase
as much as four times for each iteration. Applying four iterations to even a
moderately complex object can take a long time to calculate. To stop calculation
and revert to the previous iteration setting, press Esc.
Smoothness Determines how sharp a corner must be before polygons are
added to smooth it. A value of 0.0 prevents the creation of any polygons. A
value of 1.0 adds polygons to all vertices even if they lie on a plane.
When the Smoothness check box in the Render group (see following) is off,
this setting controls smoothness both in the viewports and at render time.
When the check box is on, this setting controls smoothness only in the
viewports.

Show Cage Toggles the display of a two-color wireframe that shows
the editable poly object before modification or subdivision. The cage colors
are shown as swatches to the right of the check box. The first color represents
unselected sub-objects, and the second color represents selected sub-objects.
Change a color by clicking its swatch.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2035

The cage displays the original structure of the edited object.

Typically this feature is used in conjunction with the NURMS Subdivision
feature, or with the MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450, because it lets you
easily toggle visibility of the unsmoothed base object while simultaneously
viewing the smoothed result, but it works with any modifier. When used with
a modifier, turn on Show End Result to make Show Cage available.
TIP Show Cage is particularly helpful when used with the Symmetry modifier on
page 1752.

Isoline Display When on, 3ds Max displays only isolines: the object's
original edges, before smoothing. The benefit of using this option is a less
cluttered display. When off, 3ds Max displays all faces added by NURMS
Subdivision; thus, higher Iterations settings (see Display group on page 2330)
result in a greater number of lines. Default=on.

2036 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Smoothed box with Isoline Display off (left) and Isoline Display on (right).

NOTE Applying a modifier to an Editable Poly object cancels the effect of the
Isoline Display option; the wireframe display reverts to showing all polygons in
the object. This is not, however, always the case with the MeshSmooth modifier.
Most deformation and mapping modifiers maintain the isoline display, but others,
such as the selection modifiers (except Volume Select) and the Turn To ... modifiers,
cause the interior edges to be displayed.

[color swatches] Shows the colors used for the cage display (see
preceding). To change a color, click its swatch.

Update Updates the object in the viewport to match the current
MeshSmooth settings. Works only when you choose When Rendering or
Manually.
Update: Choose how the software is to update the mesh:
■

AlwaysUpdates the object automatically whenever you change any
MeshSmooth settings.

■

When RenderingUpdates the viewport display of the object only at render
time.

■

ManuallyAny settings you change don't take effect until you click the
Update button.

Smooth Result Applies the same smoothing group to all polygons.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2037

Separate By
Smoothing Groups Prevents the creation of new polygons at edges between
faces that don't share at least one smoothing group.
Material IDs Prevents the creation of new polygons for edges between faces
that do not share Material IDs.

Render group
Applies a different number of smoothing iterations and/or a different
Smoothness value to the object at render time.
TIP Use a low number of iterations and/or a lower Sharpness value for modeling,
and higher values for rendering. This lets you work quickly with a low-resolution
object in the viewports, while producing a smoother object for rendering.
Iterations Lets you choose a different number of smoothing iterations on
page 2330 to be applied to the object at render time. Turn on Iterations, and
then use the spinner to its right to set the number of iterations.
Smoothness Lets you choose a different Smoothness on page 2331 value to be
applied to the object at render time. Turn on Smoothness, and then use the
spinner to its right to set the smoothness value.

UV Tweak Options Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Edit panel ➤ Tweak
The Tweak feature lets you adjust texture coordinates directly on the geometry
by “painting”; that is, dragging with a circular brush. These settings let you
modify the brush parameters.

Interface

Full Strength The area of the Tweak painting brush within which texture
coordinates move at the same rate that you drag the brush. This area is depicted
as a white circle inside a black one.

2038 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Texture coordinates outside the Full Strength circle but within the Falloff circle
(see following) move at a gradually slower rate.
To adjust Full Strength interactively, use Shift+drag.
Falloff The area within which dragging the mouse with the Tweak tool active
gradually decrease the effect, going from full strength (within the white circle)
to no effect (outside the black circle).
To adjust Falloff interactively, use Ctrl+drag.
Strength % The overall rate at which the Tweak tool moves texture
coordinates. For subtler effects, lower the Strength % value.
To adjust Strength % interactively, use Shift+Alt+drag.

Keep UV Boundaries Fixed When on, prevents movement of texture
coordinates across cluster boundaries. (A cluster is a contiguous group of UVW
coordinates.)

Geometry (All) Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform tab ➤ Geometry
(All) panel
NOTE The Geometry (All) panel is visible by default only on the Graphite Modeling
Tools tab but can be made visible on the Freeform tab via the right-click menu.
The Geometry (All) panel provides a subset of modeling tools from the Edit
Geometry rollout on page 1352 and adds Cap Poly on page 2046 for creating a
polygon from a vertex or edge selection and the Quadrify on page 2048 tools
for converting polygons to quadrilaterals.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2039

Interface

Geometry (All) panel on
minimized ribbon

Geometry (All) panel on
maximized ribbon, with
expansion

2040 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Geometry (All) panel floating, with expansion

Relax Applies the Relax function to the current selection, using the
current Relax settings (see following). Relax normalizes mesh spacing by
moving each vertex toward the average location of its neighbors. It works the
same way as the Relax modifier on page 1591.
At the object level, Relax applies to the entire object. At sub-object levels,
Relax applies only to the current selection.
NOTE To open the Relax Settings dialog, use the drop-down or Shift+click the
Relax button.
Relax Settings (on Relax drop-down) Opens the Relax caddy on page 2369,
which lets you specify how the Relax function is applied.

Create Lets you create new geometry. How this button behaves
depends on which level is active:
■

Object, Polygon, and Element levelsLets you add polygons in the active
viewport. After you turn on Create, click three or more times in succession
anywhere, including on existing vertices, to define the shape of the new
polygon. To finish, right-click.
While creating a polygon at the Polygon or Element level, you can delete
the most recently added vertex by pressing Backspace. You can do this
repeatedly to remove added vertices in reverse order of placement.
You can start creating polygons in any viewport, but all subsequent clicks
must take place in the same viewport.
TIP For best results, click vertices in counterclockwise (preferred) or clockwise
order. If you use clockwise order, the new polygon will face away from you.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2041

■

Vertex levelLets you add vertices to a single selected poly object. After
selecting the object and clicking Create, click anywhere in space to add
free-floating (isolated) vertices to the object. The new vertices are placed
on the active construction plane unless object snapping is on. For example,
with face snapping on, you can create vertices on object faces.

■

Edge and Border levelsLets you create an edge between a pair of
non-adjacent vertices on the same polygon. Click Create, click a vertex,
and then move the mouse. A rubber-band line extends from the vertex to
the mouse cursor. Click a second, non-adjacent vertex on the same polygon
to connect them with an edge. Repeat, or, to exit, right-click in the viewport
or click Create again.
Edges you create separate the polygons. For example, by creating an edge
inside a quadrilateral polygon, you turn it into two triangles.

Attach Lets you attach other objects in the scene to the selected
poly object. After activating Attach, click an object to attach to the selected
object. Attach remains active, so you can continue clicking objects to attach
them. To exit, right-click in the active viewport or click the Attach button
again.
You can attach any type of object, including splines, patch objects, and NURBS
surfaces. Attaching a non-mesh object converts it to editable-poly format.
When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in
the following way:
■

If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits
the material of the object it is being attached to.

2042 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Handle inherits material from the cup it is being attached to.

■

Likewise, if the object you're attaching to doesn't have a material, it inherits
the material of the object being attached.

■

If both objects have materials, the resulting new material is a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 that includes the input materials. A
dialog appears offering three methods of combining the objects' materials
and material IDs. For more information, see Attach Options Dialog on
page 2232.
Attach remains active in all sub-object levels, but always applies to objects.

NOTE To attach objects from a list, use the drop-down or Shift+click the Attach
button.
Attach from List (on Attach drop-down) Lets you attach other objects in
the scene to the selected mesh. Click to open the Attach List dialog, which
works like Select From Scene on page 184 to let you choose multiple objects to
attach.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2043

Upper left: Shaded view of model
Upper right: Wireframe view of model
Lower left: Model with objects attached
Lower right: Subsequent multi/sub-object material

Collapse (Sub-object levels only) Collapses groups of contiguous
selected sub-objects by welding their vertices to a vertex at the selection center.

2044 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using collapse on a vertex selection

Using collapse on a polygon selection

Detach (Sub-object levels only) Detaches the selected sub–objects
and the polygons attached to them as a separate object or element(s).
With an Editable Poly object, when you click Detach, the software prompts
you for the options specified on the Detach dialog. With an Edit Poly object,
Detach on the Modify panel automatically uses those settings. To change
them, click Detach Settings (see following).
On the modeling ribbon, with an Edit Poly object, click Detach to open the
Detach dialog, or Shift+click Detach to detach using the current settings.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2045

Cap Poly Creates a single polygon from a vertex or edge selection
and selects the polygon. Available at all sub-object levels except Polygon and
Element.
Select vertices or edges and then click Cap Poly.
TIP To cap an entire border, for best results use Cap Poly at the Border sub-object
level.

Using Cap Poly with a vertex selection

Using Cap Poly with an edge selection

2046 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using Cap Poly with a border selection

When capping an edge selection, the software uses the edge vertices to
determine the feasibility of creating a polygon. When using Cap Poly at the
Vertex or Edge level, the software requires a non-overlapping counter-clockwise
sequence of selected sub-objects. Consider the example shown in the following
illustration, in which the goal is to cap all border edges or vertices:

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2047

The software first determines the geometric center of the selected sub-objects
(the small green disc), and then shoots out “rays” in counter-clockwise order
from that location to find the locations of vertices from which to form a
polygon. In this case, it finds vertex 6 before it finds vertex 7, but vertex 7
actually precedes vertex 6 when going around the border in counter-clockwise
order. As a result, Cap Poly cannot form the polygon because the vertices it
finds are in the wrong order.
In such cases, apply Cap Poly at the Border sub-object level.
Quadrify ... A set of tools for converting triangles to quadrilaterals. Click the
visible tool to apply it, or choose another tool from the drop-down list.
■

Quadrify AllRemoves edges from the entire object to convert triangles to
four-sided polygons.

■

Quadrify SelectionRemoves edges from the current sub-object selection to
convert triangles to four-sided polygons.

■

Select Edges from AllSelects edges that would be removed in a Quadrify
All operation.
To see the selection, go to the Edge sub-object level.

2048 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Select Edges from SelectionSelects edges that would be removed in a
Quadrify All operation.
To see the selection, go to the Edge sub-object level.

TIP For best results, the geometry to quadrify should be fairly uniform.
TIP Another way to convert a mesh to quads is with the Quadify Mesh modifier
on page 1589.
Slice Plane (sub-object levels only) Creates a gizmo for a slice plane that you
can position and rotate to specify where to slice. Also enables the Slice and
Reset Plane buttons; click Slice to create new edges where the plane intersects
the geometry.
If you use Slice Plane from the modeling ribbon, the Slice, Split, and Reset
Plane controls are available on the Slice Mode contextual panel on page 2049.
If snapping is off, you see a preview of the slice as you transform the slice
plane. To perform the slice, click the Slice button.
NOTE At the Polygon or Element sub-object level, Slice Plane affects only selected
polygons. To slice the entire object, use Slice Plane at any other sub-object level,
or at the object level.

Slice Mode Panel
Any sub-object level ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling
Tools/Freeform tab ➤ Geometry (All) panel ➤ Click Slice Plane.
The Slice Mode contextual panel is available on the modeling ribbon when
the Slice Plane on page 2049 tool is active. It provides tools for performing the
slice and resetting the slice plane position, as well as an option for splitting
the mesh while slicing.

Interface

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2049

Slice Performs the slice operation at the location of the slice plane. Available
only when Slice Plane is on. This tool slices the poly just like the “Operate
On: Polygons” mode of the Slice modifier on page 1676.

Left: Using Slice; Right: After slicing and moving the pieces apart

Split When on, the QuickSlice and Cut operations create double sets of vertices
at the points where the edges are divided. This lets you easily delete the new
polygons to create holes, or animate the new polygons as separate elements.
Reset Returns the Slice plane to its default position and orientation. Available
only when Slice Plane is on.

[Sub-object] Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Any sub-object level ➤ [Sub-object] panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The [sub-object] panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools
tab.
When you access a sub-object level on the Polygon Modeling panel, a
corresponding contextual panel with controls for editing at that level opens
on the ribbon. The sub-object panels are:

2050 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Vertices Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Access the Vertex sub-object level ➤ Vertices panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The Vertices panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab.
Vertices are points in space: They define the structure of other sub-objects
(edges and polygons) that make up the poly object. When you move or edit
vertices, the connected geometry is affected as well. Vertices can also exist
independently; such isolated vertices can be used to construct other geometry
but are otherwise invisible when rendering.
At the editable poly Vertex sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
vertices and move them using standard methods.

Interface

Extrude Lets you extrude vertices manually via direct manipulation
in the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any vertex to
extrude it.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2051

Extruding a vertex moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the vertex to the object. The
extrusion has the same number of sides as the number of polygons that
originally used the extruded vertex.
Following are important aspects of vertex extrusion:
■

When over a selected vertex, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple vertices selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
vertices equally.

■

You can drag other vertices in turn to extrude them while the Extrude
button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded vertex

2052 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE To open the Extrude Vertices dialog, choose Extrude Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Extrude button.
Extrude Settings (on Extrude drop-down) Opens the Extrude Vertices caddy
on page 2360, which lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.

Chamfer Click this button and then drag vertices in the active
object. To chamfer vertices numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button
and use the Chamfer Amount value.
If you chamfer multiple selected vertices, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected vertex, any selected vertices are first deselected.
Each chamfered vertex is effectively replaced by a new face that connects new
points on all edges leading to the original vertex. These new points are exactly
 distance from the original vertex along each of these edges.
New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the neighboring
faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an intersection of
all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one corner of a box, the single corner vertex is
replaced by a triangular face whose vertices move along the three edges that
led to the corner. Outside faces are rearranged and split to use these three new
vertices, and a new triangle is created at the corner.
Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered vertices; for
details, see Chamfer on page 2351.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2053

Top: The original vertex selection
Center: Vertices chamfered
Bottom: Vertices chamfered with Open on

NOTE To open the Chamfer Vertices dialog, choose Chamfer Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Chamfer button.
Chamfer Settings (on Chamfer drop-down) Opens the Chamfer caddy on
page 2351, which lets you chamfer vertices via interactive manipulation and
toggle the Open option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.

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Weld Combines contiguous, selected vertices that fall within the
tolerance specified in Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372. All edges become
connected to the resulting single vertex.

Using Weld at the Vertex level
Vertices farther apart than the Threshold distance are not welded.

Weld is best suited to automatically simplifying geometry that has areas with
a number of vertices that are very close together. Before using Weld, set the
Weld Threshold via the Weld caddy on page 2372. To weld vertices that are
relatively far apart, use Target Weld on page 1308 instead.
NOTE To open the Weld Vertices dialog, choose Weld Settings from the drop-down
or Shift+click the Weld button.
Weld Settings (on Weld drop-down) Opens the Weld Vertices caddy on page
2372, which lets you specify the weld threshold.

Remove Deletes selected vertices and combines the polygons that
use them. The keyboard shortcut is Backspace.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2055

Removing one or more vertices deletes them and retriangulates the mesh to keep the
surface intact. If you use Delete instead, the polygons depending on those vertices are
deleted as well, creating a hole in the mesh.

WARNING Use of Remove can result in mesh shape changes and non-planar
polygons.

Break Creates a new vertex for each polygon attached to selected
vertices, allowing the polygon corners to be moved away from each other
where they were once joined at each original vertex. If a vertex is isolated or
used by only one polygon, it is unaffected.

Target Weld Allows you to select a vertex and weld it to a
neighboring target vertex. Target Weld works only with pairs of contiguous
vertices; that is, vertices connected by a single edge.
In Target Weld mode, the mouse cursor, when positioned over a vertex,
changes to a + cursor. Click and then move the mouse; a dashed, rubber-band
line connects the vertex to the mouse cursor. Position the cursor over another,
neighboring vertex and when the + cursor appears again, click the mouse. The
first vertex moves to the position of the second and the two are welded. Target

2056 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Weld remains active until you click the button again or right-click in the
viewport.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Vertices panel floats, the
following controls appear on the Vertices panel expansion.
Weight Sets the weight of selected vertices. Used by the NURMS subdivision
option on page 2328 and by the MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450. Increasing
a vertex weight tends to pull the smoothed result toward the vertex.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Vertex
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for vertex weight:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.
Add Vertex Weight to Caddy Manipulator (on Weight drop-down) Toggles
the availability of the Weight control on the caddy on page 2339 when Select
And Manipulate on page 2868 is active.
Remove Isolated Verts Deletes all vertices that don't belong to any polygons.
Remove Unused Map Verts Certain modeling operations can leave unused
(isolated) map vertices that show up in the Unwrap UVW editor on page 1807,
but cannot be used for mapping. You can use this button to automatically
delete these map vertices.

Edges Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Access the Edge sub-object level ➤ Edges panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The Edges panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab.
An edge is a line connecting two vertices that forms the side of a polygon. An
edge can't be shared by more than two polygons. Also, the normals of the two
polygons should be adjacent. If they aren't, you wind up with two edges that
share vertices.
At the editable poly Edge sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
edges and transform them using standard methods.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2057

Interface

Extrude Lets you extrude edges manually via direct manipulation
in the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any edge to
extrude it.

When extruding a vertex or edge interactively in the viewport, you set the extrusion
height by moving the mouse vertically and the base width by moving the mouse
horizontally.

2058 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Extruding an edge moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the edge to the object. The
extrusion has either three or four sides; three if the edge was on a border, or
four if it was shared by two polygons. As you increase the length of the
extrusion, the base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to
the extruded edge's endpoints.
Following are important aspects of edge extrusion:
■

When over a selected edge, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple edges selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
edges equally.

■

You can drag other edges in turn to extrude them while the Extrude button
is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport to end
the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded edge

NOTE To open the Extrude Edges dialog, choose Extrude Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Extrude button.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2059

Extrude Settings (on Extrude drop-down) Opens the Extrude Edges caddy
on page 2360, which lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.

Chamfer Click this button and then drag edges in the active object.
To chamfer edges numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button and change
the Chamfer Amount value.
If you chamfer multiple selected edges, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected edge, any selected edges are first deselected.
An edge chamfer "chops off" the selected edges, creating a new polygon
connecting new points on all visible edges leading to the original vertex. The
new edges are exactly  distance from the original edge
along each of these edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material
ID of one of the neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group
which is an intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one edge of a box, each corner vertex is replaced
by two vertices moving along the visible edges that lead to the corner. Outside
faces are rearranged and split to use these new vertices, and a new polygon is
created at the corner.

Using Chamfer at the Edge level

Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered edges; for
details, see Chamfer on page 2351.

2060 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE To open the Chamfer Edges dialog, choose Chamfer Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Chamfer button.
Chamfer Settings (on Chamfer drop-down) Opens the Chamfer caddy on
page 2351, which lets you chamfer edges via interactive manipulation and toggle
the Open option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.

Weld Combines selected edges that fall within the threshold specified
on the Weld caddy on page 2372.
You can weld only edges that have one polygon attached; that is, edges on a
border. Also, you cannot perform a weld operation that would result in illegal
geometry (e.g., an edge shared by more than two polygons). For example, you
cannot weld opposite edges on the border of a box that has a side removed.
NOTE To open the Weld dialog, choose Weld Settings from the drop-down or
Shift+click the Weld button.
Weld Settings (on Weld drop-down) Opens the Weld Edges caddy on page
2372, which lets you specify the weld threshold.

Bridge Connects border edges on an object with a polygon “bridge.”
Bridge connects only border edges; that is, edges that have a polygon on only
one side. This tool is particularly useful when creating edge loops or profiles.
There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation mode (that is, without
opening the Bridge Edges caddy):
■

Select two or more border edges on the object, and then click Bridge. This
immediately creates the bridge between the pair of selected borders using
the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected border edges),
clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First
click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects
the mouse cursor to the clicked edge. Click a second edge on a different
border to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the
current Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2061

more edges. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport or click
the Bridge button.
The new polygons that result from a Bridge operation are automatically
selected; you can see this by accessing the Polygon sub-object level.

Using Bridge at the Edge level

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between edges. To make
the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate after
creating the bridge. For example, bridge two edges, and then use Bend on page
1104.
NOTE To open the Bridge Edges dialog, choose Bridge Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Bridge button.
Bridge Settings (on Bridge drop-down) Opens the Bridge Edges caddy on
page 2348, which lets you add polygons between pairs of edges via interactive
manipulation.

Remove Deletes selected edges and combines the polygons that use
them.

2062 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Removing one edge is like making it invisible. The mesh is affected only when all or all
but one of the edges depending on one vertex are removed. At that point, the vertex
itself is deleted and the surface is retriangulated.

To delete the associated vertices when you remove edges, press and hold Ctrl
while executing a Remove operation, either by mouse or with the Backspace
key. This option, called Clean Remove, ensures that the remaining polygons
are planar.

Left: The original edge selection
Center: Standard Remove operation leaves extra vertices.
Right: Clean Remove with Ctrl+Remove deletes the extra vertices.

Edges with the same polygon on both sides usually can't be removed.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2063

WARNING Use of Remove can result in mesh shape changes and non-planar
polygons.

Split Divides the mesh along the selected edges.
This does nothing when applied to a single edge in the middle of a mesh. The
vertices at the end of affected edges must be separable in order for this option
to work. For example, it would work on a single edge that intersects an existing
border, since the border vertex can be split in two. Additionally, two adjacent
edges could be split in the middle of a grid or sphere, since the shared vertex
can be split.

Target Weld Allows you to select an edge and weld it to a target
edge. When positioned over an edge, the cursor changes to a + cursor. Click
and move the mouse and a dashed line appears from the vertex with an arrow
cursor at the other end of the line. Position the cursor over another edge and
when the + cursor appears again, click the mouse. The first edge is moved to
the position of the second, and the two are welded.
You can weld only edges that have one polygon attached; that is, edges on a
border. Also, you cannot perform a weld operation that would result in illegal
geometry (e.g., an edge shared by more than two polygons). For example, you
cannot weld opposite edges on the border of a box that has a side removed.

Spin Spins the selected edge or edges in the polygon, changing the
direction.
Select one or more edges and then apply Spin to change how the edges
subdivide the mesh. Normally the edge spins clockwise, but if you hold Shift,
the edges spin counterclockwise.

Insert Vertices Inserts vertices in selected edges.
Select edges, set the number of vertices to insert in each, and click Insert
Vertices. The inserted vertices are spaced evenly along each selected edge.
Also, the Vertex sub-object level is activated and the new vertices are selected.

2064 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Edges panel floats, the
following controls appear on the Edges panel expansion.

Create Shape From Selection After selecting one or more edges, click
this button to create a spline shape from the selected edges. A Create Shape
dialog appears, letting you name the shape and set it to Smooth or Linear.
The new shape's pivot is placed at the center of the poly object.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2065

An edge selection (top); a smooth shape (center); a linear shape (bottom)

Weight Sets the weight of selected edges. Used by the NURMS subdivision
option on page 2328 and by the MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450.
Increasing an edge weight tends to push the smoothed result away.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for edge weight:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.
Add Edge Weight to Caddy Manipulator (on Weight drop-down) Toggles
the availability of the Weight control on the caddy on page 2339 when Select
And Manipulate on page 2868 is active.
Crease Specifies how much creasing is performed on the selected edge or
edges. Used by the NURMS subdivision option on page 2328 and by the
MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450.
At low settings, the edge is relatively smooth. At higher settings, the crease
becomes increasingly visible. At 1.0, the highest setting, the edge becomes a
hard crease.

2066 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for edge crease:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.
Add Edge Crease to Caddy Manipulator (on Crease drop-down) Toggles
the availability of the Crease control on the caddy on page 2339 when Select
And Manipulate on page 2868 is active.

Border Edges Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Access the Border sub-object level ➤ Border Edges panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The Border Edges panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools
tab.
A border is a linear section of a mesh that can generally be described as the
edge of a hole. This is usually a sequence of edges with polygons on only one
side. For example, a box primitive on page 322 doesn't have a border, but the
teapot on page 349 object has several: on the lid, on the body, on the spout,
and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder and then delete an end
polygon, the adjacent row of edges forms a border.
At the editable poly Border sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
borders and transform them using standard methods.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2067

Interface

Extrude Lets you extrude a border manually via direct manipulation
in the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any border to
extrude it.
Extruding a border moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the border to the object. The
extrusion can form a varying number of additional sides, depending on the
geometry near the border. As you increase the length of the extrusion, the
base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to the extruded
border's endpoints.
Following are important aspects of border extrusion:
■

When the mouse cursor is over a selected border, it changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

To specify the extent of the extrusion, drag vertically, and to set the size
of the base, drag horizontally.

■

With multiple borders selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
borders equally.

2068 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

While the Extrude button is active, you can extrude other borders in turn
by dragging them. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

NOTE To open the Extrude Edges dialog, choose Extrude Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Extrude button.
Extrude Settings (on Extrude drop-down) Opens the Extrude Edges caddy
on page 2360, which lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.

Bridge Connects pairs of borders on an object with polygon “bridges.”
There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation mode (that is, without
opening the Bridge Settings dialog):
■

Select an even number of borders on the object, and then click Bridge.
This immediately creates the bridge between each pair of selected borders
using the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected borders),
clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First
click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects
the mouse cursor to the clicked edge. Click a second edge on a different
border to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the
current Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting
more pairs of borders. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport
or click the Bridge button.

The new polygons that result from a Bridge operation are automatically
selected; you can see this by accessing the Polygon sub-object level.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2069

Using Bridge at the Border level.

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between border pairs. To
make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate
after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two borders, and then use Bend on
page 1104.
NOTE To open the Bridge Borders dialog, choose Bridge Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Bridge button.
Bridge Settings (on Bridge drop-down) Opens the Bridge caddy on page 2344,
which lets you connect pairs of borders via interactive manipulation.

Chamfer Click this button and then drag a border in the active
object. The border need not be selected first.
If you chamfer multiple selected borders, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected border, any selected borders are first deselected.
A border chamfer essentially “frames” the border edges, creating a new set of
edges paralleling the border edges, plus new diagonal edges at any corners.
These new edges are exactly  distance from the original
edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the
neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an
intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered borders,
essentially cutting away at the open edges; for details, see Chamfer on page
2351.

2070 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE To open the Chamfer Edges dialog, choose Chamfer Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Chamfer button.
Chamfer Settings (on Chamfer drop-down) Opens the Chamfer Edges caddy
on page 2351, which lets you chamfer borders via interactive manipulation and
toggle the Open option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.

Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected border edges.
The edges are connected from their midpoints.
You can connect only edges on the same polygon.
Connect will not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all
four edges of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring
edges are connected, resulting in a diamond pattern.
NOTE To open the Connect Edges dialog, choose Connect Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Connect button.
Connect Settings (on Connect drop-down) Lets you preview the Connect
and specify the number of edge segments created by the operation. To increase
the mesh resolution around the new edge, increase the Connect Edge Segments
setting.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Border Edges panel floats,
the following controls appear on the Border Edges panel expansion.

Create Shape From Selection After selecting one or more borders,
click this button to create a spline shape from the selected edges. A Create
Shape dialog appears, letting you name the shape and set it to Smooth or
Linear. The new shape's pivot is placed at the center of the poly object.
Weight Sets the weight of selected borders. Used by the NURMS subdivision
option on page 2328.
Increasing an edge weight tends to push the smoothed result away.
Crease Specifies how much creasing is performed on the selected border or
borders. Used by the NURMS subdivision option on page 2328.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2071

At low settings, the border is relatively smooth. At higher settings, the crease
becomes increasingly visible. At 1.0, the highest setting, the border is not
smoothed at all.

Polygons/Elements Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Access the Polygon or Element sub-object level ➤ Polygons/Elments panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The Polygons or Elements panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling
Tools tab.
A polygon is a closed sequence of three or more edges connected by a surface.
Polygons provide the renderable surface of editable poly objects.
At the editable poly Polygon sub-object level you can select single and multiple
polygons and transform them using standard methods. At the Element
sub-object level you can select and edit groups of contiguous polygons. For
further distinctions between polygon and element, see Editable Poly ➤
Selection rollout on page 2248.

Interface
The Polygons panel includes all of the following controls, while the Elements
panel includes only the Flip on page 2076 and Insert Vertex on page 2082 functions.

2072 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Extrude Lets you perform manual extrusion via direct manipulation
in the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon
to extrude it.
Extruding polygons moves them along a normal and creates new polygons
that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the selection to the object.
Following are important aspects of polygon extrusion:
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
polygons equally.

■

You can drag other polygons in turn to extrude them while the Extrude
button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2073

Chamfer box showing extruded polygon

NOTE To open the Extrude Polygons dialog, choose Extrude Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Extrude button.
Extrude Settings (on Extrude drop-down) Opens the Extrude Polygons caddy
on page 2358, which lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing an extrusion, the same extrusion is
performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.

Bevel Lets you perform manual beveling via direct manipulation in
the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to
extrude it. Release the mouse button and then move the mouse vertically to
outline the extrusion. Click to finish.
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to a Bevel cursor.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one bevels all selected
polygons equally.

■

You can drag other polygons in turn to bevel them while the Bevel button
is active. Click Bevel again or right-click to end the operation.

2074 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Polygon beveled outward (left) and inward (right)

NOTE To open the Bevel Polygons dialog, choose Bevel Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Bevel button.
Bevel Settings (on Bevel drop-down) Opens the Bevel caddy on page 2342,
which lets you perform beveling via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a bevel, the same bevel is performed
on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with the same
settings used for the previous bevel.

Bridge Connects two polygons or polygon selections on an object
with a polygon “bridge.” There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct
Manipulation mode (that is, without opening the Bridge Settings dialog):
■

Make two separate polygon selections on the object, and then click Bridge.
This creates the bridge immediately using the current Bridge settings, and
then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more discrete polygon
selections), clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge
mode. First click a polygon and move the mouse; a rubber-band line
connects the mouse cursor to the clicked polygon. Click a second polygon
to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the current
Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting more pairs

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2075

of polygons. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport or click
the Bridge button.

Using Bridge at the Polygon level

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between polygon pairs.
To make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as
appropriate after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two polygons, and then
use Bend on page 1104.
NOTE To open the Bridge Polygons dialog, choose Bridge Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Bridge button.
Bridge Settings (on Bridge drop-down) Opens the Bridge Polygons caddy
on page 2344, which lets you connect pairs of polygon selections via interactive
manipulation.

GeoPoly Untangles a polygon and organizes the vertices to form a
perfect geometric shape.
Select polygons and apply to make a geometric shape. If several adjacent
polygons are selected the result is averaged among the polygons.

Flip Reverses the directions of the normals of selected polygons,
hence their facing.

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Hinge Lets you perform a manual hinge operation via direct
manipulation in the viewport. Make a polygon selection, click this button,
and then drag vertically on any edge to hinge the selection. The mouse cursor
changes to a cross when over an edge.

The hinge edge needn't be part of the selection. It can be any edge of the mesh. Also,
the selection needn't be contiguous.

Hinging polygons rotates them about an edge and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the hinge, connecting the selection to the object. It's
essentially an extrusion with rotation, with the exception that, if the hinge
edge belongs to a selected polygon, that side is not extruded. The manual
version of Hinge From Edge works only with an existing polygon selection.
TIP To avoid inadvertently hinging about a backfacing edge, turn on Ignore
Backfacing.
NOTE To open the Hinge Polygons From Edge dialog, choose Hinge Settings from
the drop-down or Shift+click the Hinge button.
Hinge Settings (on Hinge drop-down) Opens the Hinge From Edge caddy
on page 2362, which lets you hinge polygons via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual hinge, the dialog opens
with Angle set to the extent of the last manual hinge.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2077

Inset Performs a bevel with no height; that is, within the plane of
the polygon selection. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any
polygon to inset it.
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to an Inset cursor.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one insets all selected
polygons equally.

■

While the Inset button is active, you can drag other polygons in turn to
inset them. To end the operation, click Inset again or right-click.

Inset works on a selection of one or more polygons. As with Outline, only the outer
edges are affected.

NOTE To open the Inset Polygons dialog, choose Inset Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Inset button.
Inset Settings (on Inset drop-down) Opens the Inset caddy on page 2363,
which lets you inset polygons via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual inset, the same inset is
performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Inset Amount set to the amount of the last manual inset.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Polygons panel floats, the
following controls appear on the Polygons panel expansion.

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Outline Lets you increase or decrease the outside edge of each
contiguous group of selected polygons.

Outline is often used after an extrusion or bevel to adjust the size of the
extruded faces. It doesn't scale the polygons; only changes the size of the outer
edge. For example, in the following illustration, note that the sizes of the inner
polygons remain constant.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2079

Extruded polygons (top), outline expanded (middle), outline reduced (bottom)
Note that inner polygons do not change size.

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NOTE To open the Outline Polygons dialog, choose Outline Settings from the
drop-down or Shift+click the Outline button.
Outline Settings (on Outline drop-down) Opens the Outline Polygons caddy,
which lets you perform outlining by a numeric setting.
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Extrude on Spline Extrudes the current selection along a spline.

You can extrude a single polygon (1) or a selection of contiguous (2) or non-contiguous
polygons (3). Extrusion 2 uses Taper Curve and Twist (available via Settings). Extrusion
3 uses Taper Amount; each extrusion has a different curve rotation.

Make a selection, click Extrude Along/On Spline, and then select a spline in
the scene. The selection is extruded along the spline, using the spline's current
orientation, but as though the spline's start point were moved to the center
of each polygon or group.
NOTE To open the Extrude Polygons Along Spline dialog, choose Extrude On
Spline Settings from the drop-down or Shift+click the Extrude On Spline button.
Extrude On Spline Settings (on Extrude On Spline drop-down) Opens the
Extrude Along Spline caddy on page 2356, which lets you extrude along splines
via interactive manipulation.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2081

Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide polygons manually. Applies to
polygons, even if at the element sub-object level.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click a polygon to add a vertex at that location.
You can continue subdividing polygons as long as the command is active.
To stop inserting vertices, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex
again to turn it off.

Loops Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Vertex, Edge, or Polygon sub-object level ➤ Loops panel
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The [sub-object] panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools
tab.
The Loops panel features are for working with edge loops, and include tools
for creating loops within polygons and at a distance, automatically adjusting
a new loop to an object’s shape, random paths, and more.
All of the Loops panel tools are available at the Edge level; other sub-object
levels provide a subset or none. At the Polygon level, only Insert Loop and
Remove Loop are available. The Vertex level provides Connect, Distance
connect, Insert/Remove Loop, and Build End/Corner.

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Interface

Loops panel at the Edge level on minimized
ribbon

Loops panel on maximized ribbon, with
expansion

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2083

Loops panel floating, with expansion

Connect (Vertex level) Creates new edges between pairs of selected
vertices.

Connect does not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all
four vertices of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only two of the
vertices will be connected. In this case, to connect all four vertices with new
edges, use Cut on page 1361.

Connect (Edge level) Creates new edges between pairs of selected
edges using the current Connect Edges settings. Connect is particularly useful
for creating or refining edge loops.
NOTE You can connect only edges on the same polygon. Also, Connect will not
let the new edges cross. For example, if you select all four edges of a four-sided
polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring edges are connected, resulting
in a diamond pattern.

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Connecting two or more edges using the Settings dialog creates equally spaced edges.
The number of edges is set in the dialog. When you click the Connect button, the
current dialog settings are applied to the selection.

Connect Settings (on Connect drop-down) Opens the Connect Edges caddy
on page 2353, which lets you preview the Connect results, specify the number
of edge segments created by the operation, and set spacing and placement for
the new edges.
TIP You can open the Connect Edges dialog quickly by Shift+clicking the Connect
button.

Distance Connect Creates edge loops between vertices and edges
across distance and other topology.
Usage depends on the sub-object level:
■

VertexSelect two end vertices and apply to connect them across the
intervening mesh.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2085

Left: initial selection; Right: after applying Distance Connect

■

EdgeSelect two parallel edges and apply to connect them across the
intervening mesh.

Left: initial selection; Right: after applying Distance Connect

NOTE At the Edge level, if a complete (closed) loop is possible (for instance,
around a sphere), Distance Connect automatically creates one.

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Flow Connect Connects selected edges across one or more edge
rings and adjusts the new loop position to fit the shape of the surrounding
mesh.
Select an edge ring and apply Flow Connect. For each selected edge, Flow
Connect creates a loop through the ring and adjusts the new edges to follow
the physical outline of the mesh.

Left top: Selected edge ring; Left bottom: Selected edge with
Auto Ring on
Right: After applying Flow Connect, showing the corrected shape
after creating the loop

TIP To automatically select the ring before connecting, based on the edge
selection, turn on Auto Ring first (see following).
Auto Ring (on Flow Connect drop-down) When on and you use Flow
Connect, creates a full edge loop automatically.
Usage: Turn on Auto Loop, select one or more edges, and apply Flow Connect.
For each selected edge, Flow Connect creates a loop through its entire ring
and adjusts the new edges to follow the physical outline of the mesh.

Insert Loop Creates one or more edge loops based on the current
sub-object selection and selects the results.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2087

Usage depends on the sub-object level:
■

Vertex Select one or more pairs of adjacent vertices and apply to insert
edge loops between each pair of adjacent vertices.

Using Insert Loop at the Vertex level

■

Edge Two options are available:
■

Normal Select one or more edges and apply to insert edge loops going
through the edge ring that each selected edge is on.

Using Insert Loop at the Edge level

2088 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

■

Shift Opens the Connect Edges dialog on page 2353 so you can set the
number of inserted edges and control Pinch and Slide settings
interactively.

Polygon Select one or more pairs of adjacent polygons and apply to insert
edge loops going through the centers of each pair (parallel to the selection).

Using Insert Loop at the Polygon level

Remove Loop Removes loops at the current subobject level, and
automatically deletes all leftover vertices.
Usage depends on the sub-object level:
■

Vertex Select one or more pairs of adjacent vertices (to indicate the loop
direction) and then click Remove Loop.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2089

Using Remove Loop at the Vertex level

■

Edge Select one or more edges, and then click Remove Loop. This removes
all loops on which the edges reside.

Using Remove Loop at the Edge level

■

Polygon Select one or more pairs of adjacent polygons (to indicate the
loop direction) and then click Remove Loop. Alternatively, removing a
single polygon removes all edge loops on which the polygon resides.

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Using Remove Loop at the Polygon level

NOTE Removing a polygon loop is equivalent to removing the boundary edge
loops.

Set Flow Adjusts selected edges to fit the shape of the
surrounding mesh.
Usage: Select one or more edges and apply. To automatically adjust each edge’s
entire loop, first turn on Auto Loop.
Use the spinner to set the flow interactively.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for Set Flow:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.
Auto Loop (on Set Flow drop-down) When on, using Set Flow automatically
selects loops for the selected edge(s).
Usage: Select one or more edges, turn on Auto Loop, and then apply Set Flow.
Each selected edge’s loop is automatically selected, and then Set Flow is applied
to each loop.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2091

Add Set Flow Action to Caddy Manipulator (on Set Flow
drop-down) Toggles the availability of the Set Flow control on the caddy on
page 2339 when Select And Manipulate on page 2868 is active.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Loops panel floats, the
following controls appear on the Loops panel expansion.

Build End Builds a quad ending to two parallel loops based on the
vertex or edge selection.
Select two vertices at the ends of parallel loops ending at the same polygon
or the edge connecting them and apply to build a quad ending to two parallel
loops.

Using Build End at the Vertex level

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Using Build End at the Edge level

NOTE Build End works only when exactly two parallel loops end at the same side
of the same internal edge.

Build Corner Builds a quad corner based on the vertex or edge selection
to make an edge-loop turn.
Usage depends on the sub-object level:
■

Vertex Select vertices that terminate two loops that travel at right angles
and end at adjacent sides of the same quad polygon and apply.

Using Build Corner at the Vertex level

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2093

■

Edge Select edges that connect two adjacent sides of a quad polygon and
apply. Typically, these are edges where edge loops turn 90-degree corners.

Using Build Corner at the Edge level

Loop Tools Opens the Loop Tools dialog on page 2095, with features
for adjusting loops.

Random Connect Connects selected edges, randomizing the positions
of the created edges.
Select two or more contiguous edges to connect and then click Random
Connect. This connects the edges, randomizing the positions of the created
edges. The Random Jitter numeric setting (spinner) determines the extent of
the randomization.

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Using Random Connect at the Edge level

To make a full loop, first turn on Auto Loop (see following) or hold Shift as
you click Random Connect. For this, only one selected edge is required.
Auto Loop (on Random Connect drop-down) When on, applying Random
Connect makes as full a loop as possible.
Turn on Auto Loop and then apply Random Connect to one or more selected
edges. The random-connection function is applied to all edges on the selected
edges’ rings.
Set Flow Speed The rate at which adjusting the Set Flow on page 2091 spinner
changes the flow of the selected edges.

Loop Tools dialog
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel
➤ Edge sub-object level ➤ Loops panel [expansion] Loop Tools
NOTE The Polygon Modeling panel is visible by default only on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab but can be made visible on the other tabs via the right-click
menu. The [sub-object] panel is available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools
tab.
The Loop Tools dialog contains tools for adjusting inter-loop distance, curving
loops, and more.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2095

Interface

AutoLoop Automatically loops selected edges before applying a tool.

[2Loops] Select two or more parallel edges and adjust the spinner
to change the distance between them. To change the rate at which the spinner
works, use the Percent setting.
When AutoLoop is on, automatically selects the loops on which selected edges
reside before adjusting the spacing.

[3Loops] Select one or more edges and adjust the spinner to change
the positions of the edges on either side of the selected loop. To change the
rate at which the spinner works, use the Percent setting.
When AutoLoop is on, automatically selects the loops on which selected edges
reside before adjusting the spacing.
Center Centers edges or edge loops on their edge rings and places the vertices
in the middle of the edges. Select one or more edges and apply.
When AutoLoop is on, automatically selects the loops on which selected edges
reside before centering the edges.
Space Spaces vertices evenly along the selected edges.

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When AutoLoop is on, automatically selects the loops on which selected edges
reside before spacing the vertices.

Left: Selected edge loops
Right: After applying Space

To space loops at the ends of cylinders, hold Shift and then click Space.
Curve Adjusts each set of selected edges or open edge loops into smooth curves.
The curvature of each loop is determined by the positions of selected vertices
along the loop. This is analogous to how splines work in that the resulitng
curve is smoothly interpolated among the selected vertices.
NOTE Curve supports open edge loops only; it does not work on closed (circular)
edge loops.
To use, select vertices whose positions on the edge loops will determine the
extents of the resulting curves, then select edges or edge loops to be adjusted,
and then apply Curve.
If AutoLoop is on, loops on which selected edges reside are automatically
selected before adjusting. And if Space Loops is on, all vertices are adjusted to
be evenly spaced along their loops.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2097

Left: Initial selection of vertices
Center: Initial selection of edges
Right: After applying Curve with both AutoLoop and Space Loop on

Straight Straightens each set of selected edges or edge loops.
Select edges or edge loops and apply.

Left: Initial edge selection
Right: After applying Straight

To straighten loops at the ends of cylinders, hold Shift and then click Straight.
Space loop Spaces all vertices evenly along the loop when using Curve and
Straight.
Circle Adjusts each set of selected edges and edge loops into the form of a
circle. To apply to loops at the top and bottom edges of a cylinder, hold Shift
while clicking Circle.
For each loop or set of edges to apply Circle to, at the Vertex level, select a
vertex on a closed loop whose position represents the radius of the desired
circle, or on an open loop to designate the start of the circle. Then, at the Edge

2098 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

level, select a loop or an edge on the loop. If the latter, turn on AutoLoop on
the Loop Tools dialog, and then click Circle.
NOTE After making the necessary vertex and edge selections, you can apply Circle
at the object level or any sub-object level.
The following illustration shows using Circle with closed loops on a cylindrical
object.

Left: Selected closed edge loops
Center: The intial vertex selection, indicating the desired radii of the circles
Right: After clicking Circle while holding Shift, so the cylinder end loops are included.

The Space Loop check box has no influence on this tool.
Relax Smoothes the curvature of each set of selected edges or edge loops. To
apply to loops at the top and bottom edges of a cylinder, hold Shift while
clicking Relax. To increase the relax effect, apply several times.
The Space Loop check box has no influence on this tool. If AutoLoop is on,
the software automatically loops the initial selection before applying the tool.

Additional Panels
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools tab
The panels described in this topic provide tools for subdividing meshes,
changing triangulation, aligning objects and sub-objects, hiding and unhiding
sub-objects, and setting properties such as smoothing. These panels are
available only on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab of the modeling ribbon.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2099

Subdivision Panel
The Subdivision panel provides tools for increasing mesh resolution
parametrically for smoothing, displacement, and tessellation. It is available
at the object level and at all sub-object levels.

MeshSmooth Smoothes the object using the current settings. This
command uses subdivision functionality similar to that of the MeshSmooth
modifier on page 1450 with NURMS Subdivision, but unlike NURMS subdivision,
it applies the smoothing instantly to the selected area of the control mesh.

Smoothing a low-poly object with NURMS subdivision

MeshSmooth Settings (on MeshSmooth drop-down) Opens the MeshSmooth
Selection dialog on page 2365, which lets you specify how smoothing is applied.
TIP You can open the MeshSmooth Selection dialog quickly by Shift+clicking the
MeshSmooth button.

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Tessellate Subdivides all polygons in the object based on the
Tessellation settings on page 2371.
Tessellation is useful for increasing local mesh density while modeling. You
can subdivide any selection of polygons. Two tessellation methods are
available: Edge and Face.
Tessellate Settings (on Tessellate drop-down) Opens the Tessellate caddy
on page 2371, which lets you specify how smoothing is applied.
TIP You can open the Tessellate Selection dialog quickly by Shift+clicking the
Tessellate button.

Use Displacement Opens the Displacement panel, with parameters
for setting how to subdivide the mesh for displacement. For details, see
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement
rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Triangulation (Tris) Panel
The Triangulation panel, also labeled “Tris” in some configurations, appears
at all sub-object levels except Vertex, and provides tools for changing how
polygons are subdivided into triangles for rendering purposes. The
Retriangulate tool is available only at the Polygon and Element levels.

Edit Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles
by drawing internal edges, or diagonals on page 9136.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2101

In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and
change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon.

To edit triangulation manually, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
TIP For easier editing of triangulation, use the Turn command instead (see
following).

Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles
by clicking diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136
become visible as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn
mode, click a diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click
in the viewport or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But
changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

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Retriangulate Lets 3ds Max automatically do its best triangulation
on the polygon or polygons currently selected.

Retriangulate attempts to optimize how selected polygons are subdivided into triangles.

Align Panel
The Align panel provides tools for aligning objects and sub-object selections
with the view or grid, or simply flattening a mesh. It is available at the object
level and at all sub-object levels.

Make Planar Forces all selected sub-objects to be coplanar. The
plane's normal is the average surface normal of the selection.
At the Object level, forces all vertices in the object to become coplanar.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2103

TIP One application for Make Planar is making a flat side on an object. Normally,
you would use a contiguous selection set. If the selection includes vertices on
various parts of the object, the vertices are still made planar, but with distorting
effects on the rest of the geometry.

To View Aligns all vertices in the object to the plane of the active
viewport. At sub-object levels, this function affects only selected vertices or
those belonging to selected sub-objects.
In orthographic viewports, aligning to the view has the same effect as aligning
to the construction grid when the home grid is active. Aligning to a perspective
viewport (including camera and light views), reorients the vertices to a plane
that is parallel to the camera's viewing plane. This plane is perpendicular to
the view direction that is closest to the vertices' average position.

Above: Selected polygons in Perspective view
Below: Same polygons aligned to Front view

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To Grid Aligns all vertices in the selected object to the plane of the
current view. At sub-object levels, aligns only selected sub-objects.
This command aligns the selected vertices to the current construction plane.
The current plane is specified by the active viewport in the case of the home
grid. When using a grid object, the current plane is the active grid object.
X/Y/Z Makes all selected sub-objects planar and aligns the plane with the
corresponding plane in the object's local coordinate system. The plane used
is the one to which the button axis is perpendicular; so, for example, clicking
the X button aligns the object with the local YZ axis.
At the Object level, makes all vertices in the object planar.

Visibility Panel
Use the Visibility panel for hiding and unhiding sub-object selections. When
working with complex geometry, hiding the parts you’re not modeling directly
can help speed your work. It is available at all sub-object levels except Edge
and Border.

Hide Selected Hides selected sub-objects.

Hide Unselected Hides unselected sub-objects.

Unhide All Restores hidden sub-objects to visibility.

Graphite Modeling Tools Tab | 2105

Properties Panel
Use the Properties panel to adjust mesh smoothing, vertex colors, and material
IDs. It is available at the object level and at all sub-object levels; the availability
of commands depends on the level.

Hard Turns off smoothing for the entire model.
Removes all polygons in the model from any smoothing groups, resulting in
a uniform faceted appearance.
Hard Selected Turns off smoothing for selected polygons.
Removes selected polygons in the model from any smoothing groups, resulting
in a uniform faceted appearance for those polygons.

Smooth Enables smoothing for the entire object.
Sets Auto Smooth to 180.0 and applies it to all polygons in the model.
Smooth Selected Enables smoothing for selected polygons.
Sets Auto Smooth to 180.0 and applies it to selected polygons.

Smooth 30 Enables moderate smoothing for the entire object.
Sets Auto Smooth to 30.0 and applies it to all polygons in the model, assigning
smoothing groups as necessary.
Smooth 30 Selected Enables moderate smoothing for selected polygons.
Sets Auto Smooth to 30.0 and applies it to selected polygons.

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Color Click the color swatch to set the vertex color for selected vertices
or polygons.
For more information on vertex color, see Assign Vertex Colors Utility on
page 6927.

Illum Click the color swatch to set the illumination color for selected
vertices or polygons.
For more information on vertex illumination, see Assign Vertex Colors Utility
on page 6927.

Alpha Assign an alpha (transparency) value to selected vertices or
polygons.
The spinner value is a percentage; zero is completely transparent and 100 is
completely opaque.
For more information on vertex alpha, see Assign Vertex Colors Utility on
page 6927.

Smoothing Groups Opens a dialog for working with smoothing
groups. For details, see Polygon: Smoothing Groups rollout on page 2311

Opens the Material IDs dialog for setting material IDs and selecting
by ID and sub-material name. For details, see Polygon: Material IDs rollout
on page 2310

Freeform Tab
Modeling ribbon ➤ Freeform tab
The Freeform tab contains tools for freehand creation and modification of
polygon geometry, available on the PolyDraw and Paint Deform panels. In

Freeform Tab | 2107

addition, the following panels are hidden but available on the Freeform tab
from the right-click menu:
■

Polygon Modeling Panel on page 1995

■

Edit Panel on page 2025

■

Geometry (All) Panel on page 2039

PolyDraw Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform tab ➤ PolyDraw
panel
NOTE The PolyDraw panel is visible by default only on the Freeform tab but can
be made visible on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab via the right-click menu.
PolyDraw provides tools for quickly sketching out and editing a mesh on the
main grid, projected onto the surface of another object, or on the selected
object itself, depending on the Draw On on page 2112 setting.
The tools have different effects depending on which combination of the Ctrl,
Shift, and Alt keys you press, as described in the following definitions. PolyDraw
does not require that a particular sub-object level be active, but we recommend
that you use them at the Vertex level for improved visual feedback with certain
tool effects. To exit a PolyDraw tool, click its button again or right-click in
the active viewport.

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Interface

PolyDraw panel on minimized ribbon

PolyDraw panel on maximized ribbon, with expansion

PolyDraw panel floating, with expansion

Freeform Tab | 2109

Step Build With Step Build you can build and edit a surface vertex
by vertex and polygon by polygon. Works at the object level and all sub-object
levels. Right-click to exit the tool.
Following are the different functions of the tool, depending on which keyboard
keys are pressed:
■

Normal Click to place vertices on the grid or surface.

■

Shift Drag over freestanding vertices to fill in the gaps with quad polygons.
This always creates a polygon from the closest four vertices.

■

Ctrl Click a polygon to delete it. The vertices remain so that if you
accidently create a face in the wrong place it's easy to delete the face and
draw again closer to the vertices you want.

■

Alt Click a vertex to remove it.

■

Ctrl+Alt Click an edge to remove it.

■

Ctrl+Shift Click to place and select vertices, or to select existing vertices.
Each time you place and/or select four vertices, Step Build automatically
creates a polygon. It includes the last two vertices from the previously
created polygon in the new selection, so you need only click twice to create
the next polygon. To clear the selection, release the keys.

■

Shift+Alt Move the mouse cursor (without dragging) over vertices to select
them, and then click to create a polygon from the selected vertices. Useful
for creating non-quad polygons. To clear the selection, release the keys.

■

Ctrl+Shift+Alt Drag to move a vertex around on the grid or surface. At the
Vertex sub-object level, a vertex highlights when you move the mouse
near enough to start dragging it.

NOTE While Step Build is active, vertex ticks on page 146 are always visible for the
selected object. If you don’t see them at levels other than Vertex, make sure the
object’s display properties on page 225 are set to By Object.

2110 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Extend With the Extend tool you can work on the open edges of
the object; those on the border of the surface that have only one polygon
attached. Following are the different functions of the Extend tool:
■

Normal Drag a border vertex to create a polygon.

■

Shift Drag a border edge to create a polygon.

■

Ctrl+Shift Drag an edge to extend the entire loop on which the edge
resides.

■

Ctrl+Alt Drag between two edges to create a polygon.

■

Ctrl Click to delete a polygon and its isolated vertices.

■

Ctrl+Shift+Alt Drag a vertex to move it around on the grid or surface.

You can also use Extend to edit the object in screen space, thus moving
sub-objects perpendicular to the view direction. You do not need to change
the active coordinate system to use this method.
■

Alt Drag a border vertex to create a polygon in screen space.

■

Alt+Shift Drag a border edge to create a polygon in screen space.

Drag With the Drag tool you can move individual sub-objects around
on the surface or grid. The options are:
■

Normal Move vertices by dragging them.
NOTE With Drag on at the Vertex sub-object level, moving the mouse cursor
around automatically selects the vertex that will be moved when you drag the
mouse.

■

Shift Move edges by dragging them.

■

Ctrl Move polygons by dragging them.

■

Shift+Ctrl Move edge loops by dragging them.

■

Shift+Ctrl+Alt Move elements by dragging them.

Freeform Tab | 2111

You can also use Drag to move sub-objects in screen space; that is,
perpendicular to the current view direction. You do not need to change the
active coordinate system to use this method.
■

Alt Drag vertices to move them in screen space.

■

Alt+Shift Drag edges to move them in screen space.

■

Alt+Ctrl Drag polygons to move them in screen space.

Optimize Optimize meshes quickly by sketching away details. The
tool options are:
■

Normal Click edges to collapse them, combining two vertices into one.

■

Shift Drag from one vertex to the next to target-weld the two, combining
the first with the second. If you continue dragging to further vertices you
can weld several vertices with a single stroke.

■

Ctrl Drag between vertices to connect them with edges.

■

Alt Remove a vertex by clicking it.

■

Shift+Ctrl Remove an edge loop by clicking an edge on the loop.

■

Shift+Alt Remove an edge ring by clicking an edge in the ring.

■

Ctrl+Alt Remove an edge by clicking it.

■

Shift+Ctrl+Alt Move a vertex by dragging it.

Draw On: From the drop-down list, choose the entity type to draw on:

■

GridPolyDraw creates geometry on the grid of the active viewport.
This drawing mode is particularly suited to orthographic viewports, but
also works well in perspective viewports.

■

SurfacePolyDraw creates geometry on an object that you specify.
Click the Pick button and then select a different object to draw on. The
button then contains the name of that object. Use any of the PolyDraw

2112 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

tools (Strips, etc.) to draw on the object. To change the surface, click the
button again and choose a different object to draw on.

■

SelectionPolyDraw creates geometry on the selected object.

Pick Designates an object to draw on for the Draw On: Surface option (see
preceding).
After setting the Draw On option to Surface, click the Pick button, and then
click an object to draw on. To remove the object, click the button again.

Shapes Draw polygon shapes on the grid or a surface.
Drag to set the polygon outline on the grid or an object surface. After drawing
a polygon, optionally use Solve Surface to create a workable mesh from the
shape.
While Draw Polygon is active, the following keyboard alternatives are available:
■

Ctrl Click to delete a polygon.

■

Ctrl+Shift+Alt Drag to move a polygon.

Topology Draw lines that form a grid of quads. As you draw eligible
quads, Topology fills them in with polygons, creating a mesh from the grid.
Right-click to exit the tool.

Left: Starting to draw the grid
Center: Completing the grid, with polygons created

Freeform Tab | 2113

Right: The result of using Topology (after right-clicking to exit)

If Auto Weld (see following) is on, the software automatically attaches the
created mesh to the selected object and welds border vertices that are close
together. This way you can continue adding to the surface of the selected
object.
When Auto Weld is off, drawing with Topology always creates a new object.
The Minimum Distance on page 2116 value determines the resolution of the
lines. If the value is too small some faces might be missed in the polygon
creation. The default value, 10.0, with the unit type set to pixels should work
well in most cases.
While Draw Topology Pattern is active, the following keyboard alternatives
are available:
■

Shift Drag to continue a line from the closest existing endpoint.

■

Ctrl Click to delete a line.

Auto Weld When on, automatically attaches the mesh that you create with
Topology to the selected object and welds border vertices that are close
together.
When off, drawing with Topology always creates a new object.

Splines Draw splines on a surface or grid. You can then make these
splines renderable or use them in a lofting operation to create quick details.
Set the Draw On option, click Splines, and then drag to draw the splines on
the desired base. All splines are combined into a single, separate object.
While Splines is active, the following keyboard alternatives are available:
■

Ctrl Click to delete a spline.

■

Ctrl+Shift+Alt Drag to move the closest spline.

Strips Paint strips of polygons that curve to follow the mouse
direction.
The Strips tool lets you quickly lay out the topology foundation for a mesh
object.

2114 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

While Strips is active, the following keyboard alternatives are available:
■

Shift Starts painting from the closest existing edge.

■

Alt While drawing, press and drag to an open edge in the current object
(but not on the same strip) to add a polygon between where you press Alt
and the edge you drag to.
Alternatively, press Alt before drawing and then drag between two open
edges to connect them with a new polygon.

Surface Drag to paint a surface onto an object or the grid.
To start the surface from an existing border edge, hold Shift before starting to
draw. This prevents drawing overlapping polygons.
To delete a polygon and any resulting isolated vertices while Surface is active,
Shift+click it.

Branches Paint multi-segmented extrusions from polygons with
optional tapering to form "branches.”
NOTE Drawing branches always starts from the selected object; it doesn’t use
the Draw On: (Grid/Surface/Selection) setting.
The extrusions are aligned to the screen. The Branch Taper value (see following)
determines the difference in size between the first and the last polygon in the
branch, while Minimum Distance on page 2116 lets you set the distance between
segments in the extrusion.
Activate the tool and then drag from polygons on the selected object to draw
branches.
■

Normal Drag to draw extruded branches from the polygon closest to the
mouse.

■

Shift Drag to draw extruded branches from selected polygon(s).

■

Ctrl Click to select a polygon (at the Polygon sub-object level only).

■

Ctrl+Alt Click to select/deselect additional polygons (at the Polygon
sub-object level only).

Freeform Tab | 2115

NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Paint Deform panel floats,
the following controls appear on the Paint Deform panel expansion.
Branch Taper The amount by which branches taper as you draw them. A
negative value makes the branch dwindle in size; a positive value makes it get
thicker, and 0 keeps it the same size as the starting polygon.
A value of -1.0 makes the end of the branch as small as possible, while values
lower than -1.0 cause the branch to shrink to the minimum partway through
and then enlarge the rest of the way.

New Object Creates a new, “empty” editable poly object, accesses
the Vertex sub-object level, and keeps the current PolyDraw tool active.
Immediately after clicking New Obj you can use the PolyDraw tools to add
geometry.

Solve Surface Takes a polygon shape such as one painted with the
Shapes tool and tries to create a workable mesh, adding edges so that the result
is a clean shape composed mainly of quadrilateral polygons. Or, if Solve To
Quads (see following) is off, the result is mostly triangles.
TIP Solve Surface works best when the starting shape is mostly in the form of
"strips," where the two sides of the polygon are fairly close together.
Angle Affects the way Solve Surface connects vertices. With flat shapes, the
default value of 35 works best. With curved surfaces, however, Solve Surface
might produce better results at higher values.

Solve to Quads When on, using Solve Surface (see preceding) results
in mostly four-sided polygons. When off, Solve Surface produces mainly
triangles.
Offset The distance that PolyDraw uses for creating geometry on (or moving
it across) the grid or object surface (depending on the Draw On setting).
Minimum Distance The shortest distance you need to drag the mouse before
the next step in the tool is taken.

2116 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

For example, when using the Shapes on page 2113 tool, this value determines
the minimum distance, in pixels or world units, between the vertices the
software creates as you draw.
To determine how to measure Minimum Distance, choose one of the following:

■

in PixelsUses pixels to specify the minimum distance you need
to drag the mouse before the next step in the tool is taken.

■

in UnitsUses world units to specify the minimum distance you
need to drag the mouse before the next step in the tool is taken.

Paint Deform Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform tab ➤ Paint Deform
panel
NOTE The Paint Deform panel is visible by default only on the Freeform tab but
can be made visible on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab via the right-click menu.
Paint Deform provides tools for deforming mesh geometry interactively and
intuitively by dragging the mouse over an object surface. The primary tools
are Shift, for moving vertices with falloff in the direction you drag the mouse,
and Push/Pull, for moving vertices inward and outward. Additional tools
include Smudge, Flatten, Noise, and more.
Paint Deform tools work the same way at the object level and at all sub-object
levels, and are independent of any sub-object selection. To exit a Paint Deform
tool, click its button again or right-click in the active viewport.

Freeform Tab | 2117

Interface

Paint Deform panel on minimized ribbon

Paint Deform panel on maximized ribbon

Paint Deform panel floating

Shift Move sub-objects around in screen space (perpendicular to the
viewing direction) with an adjustable falloff effect. The Shift tool is roughly
equivalent to using the Move tool with Soft Selection, but no initial selection
is necessary.

2118 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using Shift on a mesh object

Shift affects only vertices within the brush area when you start to drag; to
affect other vertices, release and then drag again.
When you activate the Shift tool, its Options panel on page 2127 opens with
settings for adjusting the tool’s effect. These settings are also available via the
following keyboard modifiers:
■

Ctrl Drag vertically to change the radius of the Falloff on page 2128 (black)
circle.

■

Shift Drag vertically to change the radius of the Full Strength on page 2127
(white, inner) circle.

■

Shift+Alt Drag vertically to change the Strength % on page 2128 value.

NOTE Revert on page 2126 works with the Shift tool only after you use another
Paint Deform tool, such as Push/Pull.

Push/Pull Drag the brush to move vertices outward; Alt+drag to
move them inward.

Freeform Tab | 2119

Using Pull (left) and Push (right) on a mesh object

Following is a list of other effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size, strength, and other settings on the Paint Options Panel
on page 2129.

Relax/Soften Drag the brush to smooth out the surface; for example,
to round off corners.
NOTE With most other brushes, you can apply Relax/Soften by dragging with
Shift held down.

2120 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using Relax/Soften on a mesh object

Following is a list of effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Alt Drag the brush to relax the mesh without shrinking.

■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size and strength on the Paint Options Panel on page 2129.

Smudge Drag to move vertices around. Smudge is roughly equivalent
to the Shift tool, but updates the area of effect continually as you drag, and
doesn’t use falloff.

Freeform Tab | 2121

Using Smudge on a mesh object

Following is a list of effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Alt Drag the brush to move vertices horizontally only (prevents movement
in normal direction).

■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size and strength on the Paint Options Panel on page 2129.

Flatten Drag the brush to flatten convex and concave areas.

2122 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using Flatten on a mesh object

Following is a list of effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size and strength on the Paint Options Panel on page 2129.

Pinch/Spread Move vertices closer together by dragging, or spread
them apart with Alt+drag.

Freeform Tab | 2123

Using Pinch (left) and Spread (right) on a mesh object

Following is a list of additional effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size and strength on the Paint Options Panel on page 2129.

Noise Drag to add convex noise to the surface, or Alt+drag to add
concave noise.

2124 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using Noise on a mesh object

Following is a list of additional effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size, strength, and other settings on the Paint Options Panel
on page 2129.

Exaggerate Makes the features of the painted surface more
pronounced by moving convex areas outward and concave areas inward.

Freeform Tab | 2125

Using Exaggerate on a mesh object

Following is a list of effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Alt Inverts the exaggeration, making convex areas concave and vice-versa.

■

Ctrl Reverts on page 2126 to the previous saved state.

■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size, strength, and other settings on the Paint Options Panel
on page 2129.

Revert Paint to restore the mesh to its previous shape, before the
last use of Commit (see following).
If you haven’t used Commit yet, Revert goes back to the object’s initial shape.
Following is a list of effects available with keyboard alternatives:
■

Shift Relaxes on page 2120 the mesh.

■

Ctrl+Shift Resizes the brush.

■

Shift+Alt Changes the brush strength.

Change brush size and strength on the Paint Options Panel on page 2129.

2126 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE Revert works with Shift on page 2118 only after you use another Paint Deform
tool, such as Push/Pull.

Commit Sets the restore buffer to the current state of the object.
After using Commit, using Cancel or the Revert brush (see preceding) returns
the model to its shape when you last used Commit.

Cancel Removes any changes made with Paint Deform since the last
Commit.
If you haven’t used Commit, returns the model to its initial shape.

Shift Options Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform tab ➤ Paint Deform
panel ➤ Enable Shift tool.
NOTE The Paint Deform panel is visible by default only on the Freeform tab but
can be made visible on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab via the right-click menu.
This panel opens when the Shift on page 2118 tool is active, and provides settings
for modifying its effects.

Interface

Shift Options panel on minimized ribbon

Full Strength The area of the Shift-tool painting brush within which
sub-objects move at the same rate that you drag the brush. This area is depicted
as a white circle inside a black one.

Freeform Tab | 2127

Sub-objects outside the Full Strength circle but within the Falloff circle (see
following) move at a gradually slower rate.
To adjust Full Strength interactively, use Shift+drag.
Falloff The area within which dragging the mouse with the Shift tool active
gradually decrease the effect, going from full strength (within the white circle)
to no effect (outside the black circle).
To adjust Falloff interactively, use Ctrl+drag.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Shift Options panel floats,
the following controls appear on the Shift Options panel expansion.
Strength % The overall rate at which the Shift tool deforms an object. For
subtler effects, lower the Strength % value.
To adjust Strength % interactively, use Shift+Alt+drag.

Mirror When on, the Shift tool effect is applied equally to both
sides of an object across the mirror axis, as specified by the Mirror Axis setting
(see following).

Use Selected Verts When on, the Shift tool affects selected vertices
only. Applies at the object level and all sub-object levels.
When off (the default), the Shift tool affects all vertices in the selected object.

Ignore Backfacing When on, the Shift tool affects only sub-objects
facing you.
When off (the default), the Shift tool affects all sub-object(s) in the selected
object within the Falloff range, regardless of their visibility or facing.
Mirror Axis X/Y/Z Choose the axis across which the Shift tool is
mirrored (see Mirror, preceding). This setting uses the World coordinate system.
Freeze Axis X/Y/Z Click to activate any combination of X, Y, and Z. When
an axis button is on, the Shift tool is prevented from moving sub-objects on
the object’s corresponding local axis.

2128 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

TIP To limit the Shift tool’s effect to a particular axis, turn on Freeze Axis for the
other two axes.
Freeze Selected Edges X/Y/Z Click to activate any combination of X, Y, and
Z. When an axis button is on, the Shift tool is prevented from moving selected
edges on the object’s corresponding local axis. Unselected edges move freely.
Applies at all sub-object levels.
For example, to allow Shift to cause vertical deformation only on the upper
half of an object, first access the Edge sub-object level and select the upper
half of the object, turn on Freeze Selected Edges ➤ X and Y, and activate the
Shift tool. Then, at the object level or at any sub-object level, using Shift on
the upper half of the object prevents horizontal deformation.

Paint Options Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite Modeling Tools/Freeform tab ➤ Paint Deform
panel ➤ Enable a tool other than Shift (Push/Pull, etc.).
NOTE The Paint Deform panel is visible by default only on the Freeform tab but
can be made visible on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab via the right-click menu.
This panel opens when Paint Deform on page 2117 tools other than Shift are
active, and provides settings for modifying their effects.
NOTE Only Size and Strength settings are available for Relax/Soften, Flatten,
Pinch/Spread, Smudge, and Revert; additional settings are available for the rest.

Freeform Tab | 2129

Interface

Paint Options panel on
minimized ribbon

Size The radius of the circular deform brush.
NOTE With most brushes, you can change the size interactively by dragging with
Ctrl+Shift held down.
Strength The overall rate at which the deform tool deforms an object. For
subtler effects, lower the Strength value.
NOTE With most brushes, you can change the strength interactively by dragging
with Shift+Alt held down.
Offset The maximum amount by which painting with a deform tool can
change the mesh without lifting the mouse button. Applies only when Cap
Offset is on (see following).
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Paint Options panel floats,
the following controls appear on the Paint Options panel expansion.
Cap Offset When on, dragging the brush continously stops deforming at the
Offset amount (see preceding). To increase the offset, release the mouse button
and then start again.

2130 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

When off, dragging the brush continously keeps applying the offset without
limit.
Normal Direction Choose the direction in which mesh deformation occurs
when painting:
■

OriginalUses the normals that the vertices had when you began using the
tool.
This way you can keep adding strokes without having the vertices go off
in unexpected directions.

■

DeformedThe normals are updated after each stroke so the tool keeps
pushing from the current state.

■

BrushUses the normal from the brush (gizmo) when you started the stroke.

■

ViewPushes towards or away from the view direction.

■

Transform X/Y/ZMoves vertices along the corresponding world axis.

Refresh Normals Resets the brush to use each polygon’s current
normal direction when deforming, rather than the original. Available only
with Normal Direction=Original.
When off, painting always deforms in the original direction of the polygon’s
normal.
TIP For automatic refreshing of the deform direction, set Normal Direction to
Deformed (see preceding).

Brush Options Opens the Painter Options dialog on page 1940 for
adjusting brush properties, display options, and more.
Noise Options These settings apply only to the Noise brush on page 2124:
■

SeedGenerates a random starting point for the noise deformation from
the number you set. Affects only subsequent painting, not existing results.

■

ScaleSets the size of the noise effect (not strength). Larger values produce
smoother noise, lower values more jagged noise.

■

TurbulenceDetermines the extent of noise variation. Lower values are less
rough than higher values.

Freeform Tab | 2131

Selection Tab
Modeling ribbon ➤ Selection tab
The Selection tab of the modeling ribbon provides a variety of specialized
tools for making sub-object selections. For example, you can select concave
or convex areas, sub-objects that face the viewpoint, or point in a certain
direction, and more.
NOTE The Selection tab panels appear only when a sub-object level is accessed.
When no object is selected, or an object is selected but no sub-object level is active,
the Selection tab is empty by default.
You can use the right-click menu ➤ Panels submenu to make the Polygon
Modeling panel on page 1995 available on the Selection tab, which you can then
use to access and change sub-object levels. You can also use the right-click menu
to add the Modify Selection panel on page 2013 to the Selection tab.

General Selection Panels
Access a sub-object level. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Selection tab ➤
Select/Stored Selections/Selection Sets panel
The general selection panels comprise the Select panel for selecting sub-objects
based on certain topologies; the Stored Selections panel for saving, restoring,
and combining sub-object selections; and the Selection Sets panel for copying
and pasting named sub-object selection sets.

Select panel
The Select panel includes the Tops, Open, and Patterns tools for sub-object
selection at all levels, plus the Hard tool for selecting edges at the borders of
smoothing groups and additional selection tools for polygons.

Select panel at Vertex level

2132 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Select panel at Edge/Border level

Select panel at Polygon/Element level
(minimized ribbon)

Tops Selects the tops of extruded sections of the model. The actual
results depend on the sub-object level:
■

Vertex Selects the vertices of the tops of extruded polygons.

■

Edge Selects the edge outlines of the tops of extruded polygons.

■

Polygon Selects the tops of extruded polygons.

Tops of Current Selection (on Tops drop-down) Selects the tops of
extruded sections of the model within the current selection, and deselects all
remaining sub-objects. For details, see Tops (preceding).

Open Selects all “open” sub-objects.

Selection Tab | 2133

The current sub-object level determines the actual results:
■

Vertex Selects all border vertices; that is, vertices on edges with only one
polygon.

■

Edges Selects all border edges; that is, edges with only one polygon.

■

Polygon Selects all border polygons; that is, polygons that have one or
more edges with only one polygon.

Hard Selects all edges in a model whose faces do not share the same
smoothing groups. Available only at the Edge sub-object level.

Non-Quads Selects all non-quadrilateral polygons; that is, polygons
with more or fewer than four sides. Available only at the Polygon sub-object
level.
NOTE When the modeling ribbon is maximized or the Select panel floats, the
following controls appear on the Select panel expansion.

Patterns Grows the current selection and turns it into a pattern that
depends on the initial selection. Make a selection and then choose a Patterns
option from the drop-down list. All options work at all sub-object levels except
for One Ring, which works only for polygons.
You can use the Pattern tools for a variety of purposes, such as making complex
surface details or laying out building structures.
The options are as follows:
■

Pattern 1-8 Each numbered Pattern option provides a different way of
forming a pattern. Some are fast-growing while others are slower; some
tend to form cubic patterns while others are more broken up.
The effect depends very much on the initial selection and thus can be
somewhat unpredictable, so the best way to use the patterns is to
experiment until you find a result you like.

■

Growlines Grows the selection to lines with gaps of unselected lines. For
example, if you select a whole polygon loop and apply Growlines, the

2134 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

selection grows by selecting alternating polygon loops starting with the
initial selection.
■

Checker Grows the selection and forms a checker pattern.

■

Dots Grows the selection and forms a pattern where all selected sub-objects
have gaps between them.

■

One Ring Grows a single polygon ring around the initial selection. Available
only at the Polygon level.

By Vertex When on, you can select sub-objects only by selecting a vertex that
they use. When you click a vertex, all sub-objects that use the selected vertex
are selected.
Not available at the Vertex sub-object level.
By Mat ID Selects polygons corresponding to the Material ID specified in the
adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID, then click By Mat
ID.
By Angle When on, selecting a polygon also selects neighboring polygons
based on the angle setting to the right of the check box. This value determines
the maximum angle between neighboring polygons to select. Available only
at the Polygon sub-object level.
For example, if you click a side of a box and the angle value is less than 90.0,
only that side is selected, because all sides are at 90-degree angles to each
other. But if the angle value is 90.0 or greater, all sides of the box are selected.
This function speeds up selection of contiguous areas made up of polygons
that are at similar angles to one another. You can select coplanar polygons
with a single click at any angle value.
By Smoothing Group Displays a dialog that shows the current smoothing
groups. Select all polygons that belong to a group by clicking the corresponding
numbered button and clicking OK.
If Clear Selection is on, any previously selected polygons are first deselected.
If Clear Selection is off, the new selection is added to any existing selection.

Stored Selections panel
This panel provides tools for quickly and easily storing and retrieving selections
as well as performing some basic operations between stored selections. You
can also use the tools for transferring a selection from one model to another.
This is especially useful when working with morph targets if you need to
change the same area on multiple models.

Selection Tab | 2135

Copy Store 1/
Copy Store 2 Places the current sub-object
selection in the Store 1 or Store 2 buffer.
When a buffer contains a stored selection, its Copy button turns blue. When
empty, the button background is white.
TIP To use a third store, assign the Store and Paste CUI actions on page 8837
available in the PolyTools category. This store works only with the CUI versions of
the commands.

Paste Store 1/
Paste Store 2 Selects sub-objects at the
current level based on the contents of the corresponding Store buffer, replacing
the current selection. To retain the current selection, press Shift before clicking
Paste Store.
Does not clear the buffer.

Add 1+2 Combines the two stored selections and applies the selection
at the current sub-object level, emptying both Store buffers.
Use Copy Store 1 and Copy Store 2 on different sub-object selections and then
use Add 1 + 2 to select all sub-objects in both store buffers.

Subtract 1-2 Selects Store 1 except for where it overlaps with Store 2.
Clears both buffers.

Intersect Selects the overlap (if any) of the sub-object selections in
Store 1 and Store 2.

2136 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Clear Clears the stored selections, emptying both buffers.

Selection Sets panel
This panel provides controls for copying and pasting sub-object selection sets.
When the ribbon is maximized or the panel floats, the panel label is shortened
to “Sets.”
The controls let you copy and paste named selection sets on page 163 of
sub-objects between objects. Start by creating one or more named selection
sets, copy one, select a different object, go to the same sub-object level, and
then paste the set.
NOTE This function uses sub-object IDs, so if the target object's geometry differs
from that of the source object, the pasted selection will probably comprise a
different set of sub-objects.

Copy Opens a dialog that lets you specify a named selection set to
place into the copy buffer.

Paste Pastes the named selection from the copy buffer.

Select By Panels
Access a sub-object level. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Selection tab ➤ By ...
panels
The Select By panels provide a variety of methods for making sub-object
selections procedurally. For example, you can use By Surface to select concave
or convex areas of a model, or By Pivot to select the outer areas of a model.

Selection Tab | 2137

Following is a linked list of all the Select By panels:
■

By Surface panel on page 2138

■

By Normal panel on page 2138

■

By Perspective panel on page 2139

■

By Random panel on page 2140

■

By Half panel on page 2141

■

By Pivot Distance panel on page 2141

■

By View panel on page 2142

■

By Symmetry panel on page 2142

■

By Numeric panel on page 2142

■

By Color panel on page 2143

By Surface panel
Select sub-objects by the degree of concavity or convexity. Choose Concave
or Convex and then specify the selection with the value spinner.
NOTE To see the resulting change in selection after switching between Concave
and Convex, adjust the numeric setting.

Concave/
Convex From the drop-down, choose to select
sub-objects in concave or convex areas.
[value spinner] Adjust to change the number of selected of sub-objects. Low
values (including negative numbers) select sub-objects only in areas of extreme
concavity or convexity, and increasing the value expands the selection from
there.

By Normal panel
Selects sub-objects based on their normal directions on the World axes. Choose
an axis, optionally turn on Invert, and then set an Angle value.

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NOTE To see the resulting change in selection after switching the axis or toggling
Invert, adjust the Angle setting.

Angle The amount by which a sub-object’s normal direction can deviate from
the specified axis and still be selected. The higher this value, the more
sub-objects are selected.
X/Y/Z The direction in which a sub-object’s normal must point in the World
coordinate system to be selected.

Invert Reverses the direction of normal selection.
For example, using the Z option by itself selects upward-facing sub-objects,
while turning on Invert instead selects downward-facing sub-objects.
NOTE Invert simply inverts the selection, so the Angle setting works in reverse
when it’s on: Higher values select fewer sub-objects and vice-versa.

By Perspective panel
Selects sub-objects based on the extent to which they point toward the user
in the active viewport. You can think of it as projecting a selection onto the
model from the current view.
Set the Angle value, optionally toggle Outline, and then click Select.
NOTE The CUI on page 8837 action for this command, found in Group: Main UI
➤ Category: PolyTools, is PerspectiveSelect. When you use the shortcut, the tool
automatically uses an Angle value of 30.0, and when applied at the Edge sub-object
level, it always uses Outline mode.

Angle The amount by which a sub-object’s normal direction can deviate from
the view axis (an imaginary line between the viewpoint and the sub-object)
and still be selected. The higher this value, the more sub-objects are selected.

Selection Tab | 2139

Outline When on, By Perspective selects only the outermost sub-objects
as defined by the Angle setting.

Select Makes the selection based on the current settings.

By Random panel
Use these tools to select sub-objects at random by number or percentage, and
to expand or shrink the current selection, also at random.
Choose to select random sub-objects by number (#) or percent (%), set the
respective numeric value, and then click Select. Or, to select random sub-objects
within the current selection, click Select Within Current Selection on the
Select drop-down. To expand or shrink the current selection at random, click
Random Grow or Random Shrink.

Number Enables random selection by number.
Click #, set the desired number of sub-objects to select, and then click Select.

Percent Enables random selection by percentage.
Click %, set the desired percentage of sub-objects to select, and then click
Select.

Select Makes the selection based on the current settings.

Select Within Current Selection (on Select drop-down) Selects random
sub-objects within the current selection based on the Random-panel settings.

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Random Grow Grows the selection by selecting random unselected
sub-objects near the current selection.
This function has no parameters; it does not use the # or % setting.

Random Shrink Shrinks the selection by deselecting random
sub-objects.
This function has no parameters; it does not use the # or % setting.

By Half panel
Selects half of the mesh on the specified axis. The selection is based on area,
not the number of sub-objects.
Choose the axis on which to select half the mesh, then click Invert Axis or
Select.
The center of the mesh is determined by the location of its pivot on page 3796.
If you change the pivot position, apply Reset XForm Utility on page 849 and
then collapse on page 1974 the mesh. If you use the Collapse utility, be sure to
choose the Modifier Stack Result option.

X/Y/Z Choose the axis on which to select half the mesh.

Invert Axis Toggles inverting the Select By Half selection, and makes
the selection.
Choose the axis on which to select half of the mesh, and then click Invert to
make the selection. Click again to select the other half.

Select Makes the selection based on the current settings.

By Pivot Distance panel
Selects sub-objects based on distance from the object’s pivot on page 3796.

Selection Tab | 2141

If you change the pivot position, apply Reset XForm Utility on page 849 and
then collapse on page 1974 the mesh. If you use the Collapse utility, be sure to
choose the Modifier Stack Result option.

% From Pivot The distance beyond which to select sub-objects, expressed as
a percentage of the object’s size.
If the pivot is centered, a value of 100.0 means the whole object is unselected;
values below that result in selection of the outer parts of the model, growing
inward as the value decreases.

By View panel
Selects and grows sub-objects based on the current view and inwards into the
view. The closest part of the model is selected first; higher values grow the
selection farther into the view.

Grow From Perspective View The distance to select sub-objects, starting with
the closest part of the object to the view. At 0.0, no sub-objects are selected;
low values select only the closest sub-objects, and higher values select
increasingly farther sub-objects.

By Symmetry panel
In a symmetrical model, mirrors the current sub-object selection on the
specified local axis. The center of the object is determined by the location of
the object’s pivot on page 3796.

X/Y/Z Choose the local axis on which to mirror the current sub-object
selection.

By Numeric panel
Enables selecting vertices by the number of connected edges or polygons by
the number of sides.
At the Vertex level, selects vertices with the same, less than, or more than the
number of connected edges specified by the Edges setting. At the Polygon

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level, selects polygons with the same, less than, or more than the number of
sides specified by the Sides setting. Available only at the Vertex and Polygon
sub-object levels.
Click the =, <, or ➤ button, set the desired number of connected edges (for
vertices) or sides (for polygons) as the Edges value, and then click Select.

By Numeric panel at the Vertex
level

By Numeric panel at the
Polygon level

=/ Choose to base the selection on whether the qualifying sub-objects
match the specified value (=) or are less than (<) or more than (>) the value.
Edges Selects vertices with (same as; less than; more than) the Edges number
of edges connected to them. Available only at the Vertex sub-object level.
Sides Selects polygons with (same as; less than; more than) the Sides number
of sides. Available only at the Polygon sub-object level.

Select Makes the selection based on the current settings.

By Color panel
Select vertices by color or illumination value. Available only at the Vertex
sub-object level. For more information about vertex colors, see Assign Vertex
Colors Utility on page 6927.
From the drop-down, choose Color or Illumination, use the color swatch and
RGB settings to specify the color or illumination value and range to match,
and then click Select.

Selection Tab | 2143

Color/
Illumination From the drop-down, choose to select
vertices by Color or Illumination.
[color swatch] Displays the Color Selector on page 304, where you can specify
a color to match.
RGB [Range] Specifies a range for the color match. All three RGB values in
the vertex color or illumination must either match the color specified by the
color swatch in Select By Vertex Color, or be within plus or minus the values
in the Range spinners. Default=10.

Select Makes the selection based on the current settings.

Object Paint Tab
Modeling ribbon ➤ Object Paint tab
The Object Paint tool enables you to paint objects freehand anywhere in the
scene or onto specific object surfaces. You can also “fill” selected edges
automatically with paint objects. You can paint with multiple objects in a
specific order or at random, and change the scale as you paint. Applications
include applying regular surface features such as rivets, plants, columns, and
even populating a scene with characters.
NOTE Objects added with Object Paint are not combined with other objects or
each other; they remain discrete objects in the scene. Thus, you can manipulate
them using standard tools such as Move and Rotate after creation. However, each
painted object is an instance of the original, so changing creation parameters,
modifier settings, etc. for any painted object (or the original) changes all of them
equally.

2144 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Paint Objects Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Object Paint tab ➤ Paint Objects panel
Use these tools to paint objects onto the scene or specific objects freehand or
along a selected edge loop. The objects you add to the scene by painting are
known as paint objects.

Procedures
To paint objects freehand:
This procedure covers the most important settings for painting objects onto
the scene freehand.
1 Add to the scene one or more paint objects to paint into the scene, and,
optionally, objects to paint on.
2 Specify the paint objects with Pick Object(s) on page 2153 or Edit Object
List on page 2153.
3 To paint multiple objects, set the drop-down list on page 2152 to paint
them in order or at random.
4 To restrict painting to a specific object or objects, select them and set
Paint On on page 2154 to

Selected Objects; otherwise, choose

Scene to paint anywhere in the scene, or
objects while painting.

Grid to ignore existing

5 Click
(Paint) and then drag in a viewport to paint the paint
objects into the scene. Use as many paint strokes as you need.

Object Paint Tab | 2145

Teapots painted onto the scene

IMPORTANT You can adjust strokes after painting, before exiting Paint mode.
So, after painting your objects, do not right-click to exit Paint mode unless
you’re satisfied with the results.
6 On the Brush Settings panel on page 2159, adjust parameters for the painted
objects, which respond in real time. These settings include Align (use the
check boxes on the drop-down list and the buttons), Spacing, Scatter,
and the rest. You can also use the Offset setting on the Paint Objects
panel to adjust the vertical distance of the paint objects from the painted
surface.
7 When finished painting, to exit Paint mode and save your work,
right-click in the active viewport, or click Paint again on the Paint Objects

panel, or click

(Commit) on the Brush Settings panel.

After you do so, you can no longer adjust the paint objects via the Paint
Objects and Brush Settings parameters. However, they are standard objects,
so you can edit them as with other objects in the scene. Also, each paint
object is an instance of the original object, so you can affect each set of
instances by editing any one’s creation parameters, modifiers, and so on.

Alternatively, to stop painting without saving your work, click
(Cancel) on the Brush Settings panel.

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Example: To paint with an animated object:
You can paint with transform-animated objects so that each paint object’s
transform plays back differently during the animation.
1 Create a plane to paint on and a small cylinder as a paint object.
2 Animate the cylinder to rotate 90 degrees about its Y axis over 15 frames,
so it looks like it’s falling over.
3 Pick the cylinder as the paint object and then select the plane.

4 Set Paint On to

Selected Objects.

5 Make sure Offset Transform Motion on page 2157 is set to Consecutive by
0 frames.
6 Go to frame 0 and paint a stroke on the plane, so you get 10 or more
copies of the cylinder.

7 Play the animation, and then return to frame 0.
The painted-on cylinders all fall over at once, because the animation for
each copy starts at the same time as the animation of the original cylinder.

Object Paint Tab | 2147

8 Undo the painting and then set Offset Transform Motion to Consecutive
by 1 frames.
9 Repeat steps 6 and 7.
This time the cylinders fall in sequence, starting with the first and
proceeding to the last. The offset of 1 means that the playback of each
cylinder’s transform animation is delayed one frame from the one before
it.

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To apply objects to an edge selection with Fill:
1 Add to the scene one or more paint objects to paint into the scene, and
an object to paint on. The latter must be an editable poly object or an
object with the Edit Poly modifier applied.

2 Specify the paint objects with Pick Object(s) on page 2153 or Edit Object
List on page 2153.
3 If using more than one paint object, set the drop-down list on page 2152
to paint them in order or at random.
4 Select an edge loop on the object to paint on.

Object Paint Tab | 2149

Fill works only with a single, unbroken edge loop. If the object contains
multiple qualifying selections, the loop containing the lowest ID gets the
fill (see Fill on page 2151).

5 Click

(Fill).

The paint objects are applied to the edge selection.

6 If necessary, change the number of paint objects by adjusting the Fill #
setting.

Also, you can change other settings such as transforms applied to the
paint objects with the Brush Settings panel on page 2159.

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7 When finished, exit Fill mode by clicking Fill again or right-clicking in
the active viewport.

Alternatively, to stop painting without saving your work, click
(Cancel) on the Brush Settings panel.

Interface

Paint After specifying one or more paint objects and the surface to
paint on, click this button and then drag in a viewport to paint the objects.
To stop painting, right-click in the viewport or click the Paint button again.
To exit Paint mode without saving your work, use Cancel on page 2160.
For details, see this procedure on page 2145.

Fill Places paint objects along selected edges in a continuous loop
on an editable poly or Edit Poly object only. Available only at the Edge or
Border sub-object level of an editable poly or Edit Poly object with at least one
edge selected.
For details, see this procedure on page 2148.

Object Paint Tab | 2151

If edges on more than one loop are selected, Fill applies to the loop that
contains the edge with the lowest ID on page 9318.

Single edge loop before Fill (left) and after Fill (right)

Left: Two edge loops are selected; the one on the left contains the edge with the
lowest ID value.
Right: After using Fill

Use Object list The object or objects to paint into the scene. By default, this
field shows “No Object...” (when no paint object is designated) or the name

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of the object at the end of the object list (see following). Alternatively, you
can choose either of the following:
■

All, In OrderPaints with each object in the object list in the order that it
appears in the list. When the end of the list is reached, starts again at the
top.

■

All, RandomlyPaints with the objects in the list in random order.

Edit Object List Opens the Paint Objects dialog on page 2158 for
managing the list of paint objects.
When the Use Object list (see preceding) is set to a single object, use Edit
Object List to choose which object to paint. When the Use Object list is set
to All, In Order, use Edit Object list to change the object order.
TIP To quickly change the active paint object, open the Paint Objects dialog and
highlight the new paint object. You can keep the dialog open to change the paint
object on the fly as you paint.

Pick Object(s) Designates a single paint object. Click Pick Object(s)
and then select an object. To designate additional paint objects, repeat the
process. Available only when Paint on page 2151 is off.
The last object you pick appears by default on the drop-down list (see
preceding) and is thus the default paint object. To make a different object the
default, highlight it in the Edit Object List (see preceding). To draw with
multiple objects, choose an alternative option from the drop-down list: All,
In Order; or All, Randomly.
NOTE To use a scaled object as a paint object, follow these steps before picking
the object:
1 Select the object.
2 Apply Reset XForm on page 849.
3 Collapse on page 1974 the modifier stack.

Fill # The number of objects painted on the selected edges when you click
Fill on page 2151.

Object Paint Tab | 2153

Paint On Choose the surface to receive paint objects.

■

GridPaints objects onto the active grid only, disregarding any objects
in the scene.

With Draw On set to Grid, some paint objects were painted under the raised part of
the plane object.

■

Selected ObjectsPaints only on selected objects.

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If, when using Paint On Selected Objects, you move the brush off an object
surface and then back on in a different place, using a single stroke (that
is, without releasing the mouse button), the software automatically
connects the two points with a line of paint objects.

Object Paint Tab | 2155

The paint stroke moved off the object surface at point 1 and then back on at point 2.

■

ScenePaints objects on object surfaces under the mouse cursor, and
on the grid when the mouse cursor is not over an object.

2156 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

See also: Paint on Painted Objects on page 2158
Offset The distance from the painted surface at which paint objects are placed.
Positive values place the objects above the surface, while negative values place
the objects below.
Offset Transform Motion If you paint with transform-animated objects, the
resulting paint objects inherit that motion. Note that this applies only to
animation of the entire object with the Move, Rotate, or Scale tool (or any
combination of those tools). It does not apply to sub-object-level animation
or animation of modifier parameters.
For more information, see this procedure on page 2147.
Use these parameters to specify how the animation plays back. The desired
settings must be in place before you paint; changing settings does not affect
existing paint objects.

■

ConsecutiveUpon animation playback, starts playing each
successively painted object N frames later than the previous one, where N
is the By # Frames value (see following).

Object Paint Tab | 2157

■

RandomUpon animation playback, starts playing each successively
painted object a random number of frames later than the previous one.

■

By # FramesThe playback delay for each successive paint object when using
the Consecutive option (see preceding).

Paint on Painted Objects Layers paint strokes instead of juxtaposing the
objects. In other words, when on, painting on newly created paint objects
applies the subsequent paint objects on the surface of existing paint objects.

Paint Objects Dialog
Modeling ribbon ➤ Object Paint tab ➤ Paint Objects panel ➤ Click Edit
Object List.
The Paint Objects dialog lets you manage the list of paint objects used when
painting objects into the scene. You can keep this dialog open while painting
to change the paint object on the fly.

Interface

2158 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

[object list window] Shows the list of paint objects. Click a list entry to
highlight it. When painting with a single object, the highlighted entry serves
as the paint object.
Move Up / Move Down Moves the highlighted entry one position higher or
lower in the list.
Pick Adds a single object to the list. Click Pick and then select the object to
add. To add more objects, repeat the process.
Add Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184 for designating paint objects
from a list.
Add Selected Adds objects selected in the scene to the list.
Remove Removes the highlighted entry from the list.

Brush Settings Panel
Modeling ribbon ➤ Object Paint tab ➤ Brush Settings panel
Use this panel to set parameters for the paint objects, including alignment,
spacing, and scale. You can also save and load settings from this panel.
IMPORTANT These settings apply to all active strokes; that is, to all objects painted
since most recently clicking the Paint button. So you can start to paint objects,
and then adjust the spacing, alignment, scale, and so on, with real-time feedback,
and then continue to paint using the new settings. After you exit Paint mode,
changing the brush settings affects only future strokes.
The brush settings persist during the current session and survive a reset of the
software. The default settings are restored when restarting 3ds Max.

Interface
These settings apply to objects painted since the previous use of Commit or
Cancel, and objects painted after adjusting the settings. After you click
Commit, changing the settings has no effect on the existing paint objects,
but it does affect subsequently created paint objects.

Object Paint Tab | 2159

Commit Bakes the current settings into the active paint objects (that
is, paint objects created since the previous Commit or Cancel). Does not exit
the Paint tool on page 2151, but does exit the Fill tool on page 2151. Available only
when Paint or Fill mode is active.
After clicking Commit (in Paint mode), further settings changes do not apply
to existing painted objects.

Cancel Removes the active paint objects; that is, those that were
created since the previous use of Commit or Cancel, or since starting to paint
if you haven’t used Commit or Cancel. Does not exit the Paint tool on page
2151, but does exit the Fill tool on page 2151.
Align From the drop-down list, enable either or both options:
■

Align to NormalWhen on, aligns the specified axis (see following) of each
painted object with the normal on page 9237 of the painted surface. When
off, aligns the specified axis of the painted objects with the world Z axis.

2160 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Follow StrokeWhen on, aligns the specified axis (see following) of each
painted object with the direction of the paint stroke. When off, aligns the
specified axis of the painted objects with the world Z axis.

X/Y/Z Choose the axis of painted objects for alignment; used in conjunction
with the Align settings (see preceding).

Flip Axis When on, reverses the alignment axis.

Spacing The distance in world units between objects in the stroke. The
higher the Spacing value, the lower the number of paint objects.

Scatter Applies a random offset from the painted stroke for each paint
object. Three dimensions of offset are available:
■

UThe maximum horizontal distance from the stroke.

■

VThe maximum distance along the stroke length.

■

WThe maximum vertical distance from the stroke.

Rotate (X/Y/Z) The rotation about the respective local axis for each
paint object.
Each axis label (X/Y/Z) has a Random drop-down check box; when on, the
rotation about that axis is set to a random value that is not affected by the
numeric setting.

Scale Set scaling options for the paint objects (see following).
Even/Random/Ramp Choose how scaling is applied to paint objects:

■

■

EvenThe same scaling is applied to all paint objects.

RandomA random scaling value is applied to each paint object. To
set the range for the random scaling, use the Random Start/End settings
(see following).

Object Paint Tab | 2161

■

RampThe scaling factor for each paint stroke increases or decreases
throughout the stroke. To set the range for the ramp scaling, use the Ramp
Start/End settings (see following).

Axis Lock (Uniform Scale) When on, any scaling of painted objects
is applied to all three axes equally, so objects maintain their original
proportions.
When Axis Lock is on, only the X setting is available, and its value affects all
three axes uniformly.
X/Y/Z The scaling of paint objects on each axis as percentages. When Axis
Lock is on (see preceding), only the X setting is available, and its value affects
all three axes uniformly. With Scale Lock off, you can set different scaling
factors for each axis, resulting in non-uniform scaling.
When Scale is set to Random, two settings are available for each axis: Scale
Random Range (Low) and Scale Random Range (High). These set lower and
upper limits for the random scaling for each paint object. For example, at the
values of 10 and 150, each object can be scaled between 10 % and 150 % of
its original size on the respective axis.
When Scale is set to Ramp, two settings are available for each axis: Scale Ramp
Range (From) and Scale Ramp Range (To). These set the starting and ending
ramp scaling factors for each paint object. For example, at the values of 100
and 200, each stroke starts at full size and ramps up to double size at the end
of the stroke. Or at the values of 50 and 25, each stroke starts at half size and
ends at a fourth of the original size.
All Brush Settings Use the buttons to load and save the Brush Settings
parameter values:

■

LoadOpens a file dialog for choosing a saved Brush Settings file.

■

SaveOpens a file dialog for saving the current settings to a file.

■

Set Current Settings as DefaultSaves the current Brush Settings
values in the Default.txt file; these values are restored automatically the
next time you start 3ds Max.

2162 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Customizing the Ribbon
Modeling ribbon ➤ Right-click an empty portion of the ribbon. ➤ Right-click
menu ➤ Ribbon Configuration ➤ Customize Ribbon
The Customize Ribbon dialog offers a wealth of tools for editing the modeling
ribbon. You can use the mouse and keyboard to rearrange existing controls,
rename them, and change their icons. More important, you can add controls
based on almost any tool in 3ds Max, or new tools based on custom scripts.
You can also add custom tabs and panels whose contents are best suited to
your own workflow. Each ribbon element, from tabs all the way down to
individual tools, has a number of properties that you can define such as name,
size, enabled status, and others. Also, you can set the Visible and Enabled
status of most ribbon elements to be conditional based on the active context.
TIP To create a custom ribbon from scratch, delete all existing tabs, add one or
more new tabs, then set them up according to your preferences. Note, however,
that only one ribbon at a time can be active in 3ds Max. Thus it’s recommended
you save your custom ribbon to a new file name and load it or the original ribbon
as needed. If it ever becomes necessary to restore the default ribbon, use the Reset
Ribbon to default on page 1995 command.

Using Customize Ribbon
Using the Customize Ribbon dialog is straightforward: Drag commands and
ribbon controls from the two sections on the left side of the dialog to the
Existing UI hierarchy list in the center. Next, to edit settings for an item in
the Existing UI list, highlight the item and use the Properties editor on the
right side of the dialog. Property settings changes appear in the ribbon
immediately, and you can save them to a custom ribbon file that you can
then load later or send to teammates so they can also take advantage of your
work.
While dragging, when the mouse cursor is over the Existing UI list, an arrow
appears at the list location where the item will be dropped, if permitted. Also,
any parent items highlight temporarily to indicate where in the hierarchy the
item will appear. If you hold the mouse cursor for a few seconds over an
element that can be expanded, such as a collapsed panel, the element’s
hierarchy expands. If the current placement is not permitted, a “stop” icon
appears at the mouse cursor:

Customizing the Ribbon | 2163

When you release the mouse button, the item appears where the arrow was
pointing. If nothing happens, you attempted to place the command in an
unsupported position. For example, a separator must be placed on a panel or
sub-panel; it cannot be the direct descendant of a tab.
TIP After you add a ribbon control to the Existing UI list, it might not be obvious
what type of control it is. For example, the sets of properties for the Button and
Toggle Button controls are quite similar. Thus it’s recommended that you enter
the control type in the Description field, as a reminder, immediately after adding
the control to the UI. The Description property is purely internal and does not
affect the command functionality at all.
Additional editing functions are available within the Existing UI list, as follows:
■

To change an item’s position on the ribbon, drag it from the original
location in the list to the desired location.

■

To duplicate an item, Shift+drag it to a different location. The duplicated
item has no connection to the original; changing a setting for one does
not affect the other.

■

To delete an item, highlight the item and press Delete.

Procedures
To create a shortcut to a particular ribbon panel:
Using features available on the Customize Ribbon and Customize User Interface
(CUI) dialogs, you can set a keyboard shortcut, toolbar button, or menu item

2164 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

to open a specific ribbon panel. Twenty of these shortcuts are available. This
procedure shows how to do it.
1 In the Customize Ribbon dialog > Existing UI list, find and highlight the
panel to link to a CUI action.
By default, the Ribbon Panel No. property for the panel is set to 0, which
means that it’s currently unavailable for linking to a shortcut.
2 Set the Properties list > Standard group > Ribbon Panel No. property to
a value between 1 and 20, inclusive. Be sure to press Enter or Tab after
doing so to commit the change.
3 On the menu bar, choose Customize > Customize User Interface.
The Customize User Interface dialog opens.
4 On the Customize User Interface dialog, open the panel for the type of
user-interface element to which to assign the panel: Keyboard, Toolbars,
Quad, or Menu.
5 From the Categories list, choose the Ribbon item.
The Action list shows 20 numbered Ribbon Panel items.
6 Customize the action whose number corresponds to the number you set
for the Ribbon Panel No. property in step 2. For example, if you set Ribbon
Panel No. to 1, you’d use the Ribbon Panel #1 action.
For example, on the Keyboard panel, assign a hotkey, or on the Toolbars
panel, drag the action to a toolbar.
7

Close the Customize User Interface dialog.

8 Invoke the shortcut you set in step 6.
The panel appears at the mouse cursor. You can now use it the same way
you would on the ribbon.
IMPORTANT The panel stays open only while the mouse cursor is over it.
As soon as you move the mouse cursor away from the panel, it closes.

Example: To customize the ribbon, part 1:
The Customize Ribbon dialog provides a wide variety of tools for modifying
the ribbon and creating new interface elements to suit your workflow precisely.

Customizing the Ribbon | 2165

This two-part procedure demonstrates some techniques you might find useful
in doing so.
1 Start or reset 3ds Max, and make sure no objects are selected.
2

Maximize the ribbon, if necessary, so you can see the contents
of the Polygon Modeling panel on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab.

3 Right-click an empty area of the ribbon and choose Ribbon Configuration
➤ Customize Ribbon.

The Customize Ribbon dialog on page 2177 opens.
4 In the center panel, Existing UI, click the arrow to the left of the single
entry, Modeling Ribbon, to expand the second level of its hierarchy.
You can now see the names of the four default tabs on the ribbon.

5 Expand the Graphite Modeling Tools item so you can see its child:
Polygon Modeling.

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This is the only panel currently available on the Graphite Modeling Tools
tab.
Next you’ll create an entirely new ribbon tab and populate it with a panel.
6 In the Ribbon Controls list on the left side of the dialog, find the Tab
item and drag it over to the Existing UI list. Position it just below the
lowest item in the list, Object Paint, and then release the mouse button.

As you move the mouse over the Existing UI list, an arrow shows where
the item you’re dragging will be dropped when you release the mouse
button. If you pause for a few seconds over an expandable item, its
hierarchy expands so you can then place the dragged item within the
hierarchy. In this case, this is not desirable, so be sure to release the mouse
button before the Object Paint hierarchy expands. If it does expand,
release the mouse button (most likely nothing will be added), close the
hierarchy, and try again.
TIP You can still add the new panel at the end of the list, even if the panel
hierarchy expands, by positioning the mouse cursor there and moving it all
the way to the left.
A new item named “New Tab” appears at the end of the list. Also, a tab
with the same name has been added to the ribbon.
7 Highlight the New Tab item, if necessary, and look at the Properties panel
on the right side of the dialog.
The Title property is defined as New Tab. This is the default name given
to new tabs.

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8 In the field that contains the text “New Tab,” double-click the word
“New” so it highlights, and then on the keyboard, type My followed by
a space, and then press Tab.
The new ribbon tab is now named “My Tab.”

9 Press and hold the Shift key, and then drag the Polygon Modeling item
in the Existing UI list (under Graphite Modeling Tools) to just below the
My Tab item. Before you release the mouse button, make sure a + icon
appears on the cursor, as shown in the following illustration.

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A copy of the Polygon Modeling panel item appears as a child of My Tab
item. You can confirm the copy by clicking the My Tab tab on the ribbon.
You’ve just populated your tab!
NOTE This feature works similarly to Shift+cloning an object in the viewport.
The main difference is that you’re not given the opportunity to make the
copy an instance or reference; it’s always a standard copy.
10 Expand the copied-panel hierarchy.

This level of the hierarchy contains two sub-panels separated by a panel
break. (A sub-panel, which uses the
icon, is a section of a panel
that usually contains related tools.) The first sub-panel, named [C: poly
main H,M], contains the visible part of the panel. The second sub-panel,
after the panel break, contains the expansion that opens when you click
the panel title on the ribbon.
NOTE You might be wondering about the initials in the name of the first
sub-panel in the preceding illustration. These initials come from a naming
convention that indicates conditional attributes of the sub-panel, and were
entered manually in the Name property; they are not generated procedurally.
It’s a good idea to use the Name property to indicate the contents and
visibility conditions of the sub-panel for your own reference.
In this naming convention, the C stands for “conditional” and the H, V and/or
M show the conditions: horizontal or vertical (ribbon orientation) and/or
minimized. The naming convention can also reflect other conditions such as
the current sub-object level.
The second part of this procedure covers conditional attributes.

11 Expand the “poly main” sub-panel.

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You can now see three more sub-panels nested within, with separators
between each. These define the three areas within the Polygon Modeling
panel, which are arranged horizontally. You’ll delete the center sub-panel,
labeled [stack navigation], because, really, who needs to navigate the
stack?
12 Click the [stack navigation] element to highlight it, and then press Delete.
The [stack navigation] sub-panel has vanished from the hierarchy and
from the copy of the Polygon Modeling panel.

13 On the ribbon, check the original Polygon Modeling panel on the
Graphite Modeling Tools tab to ensure the [stack navigation] sub-panel
is still there (who knows; you might need it someday), and then return
to the copy.
14 Also delete the [separator: Spacer] item.
The right-hand sub-panel, [command panel tools], moves slightly to the
left.
15 Try to undo this deletion by pressing Ctrl+Z.
Nothing happens.

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IMPORTANT Edits to the ribbon cannot be undone. However, you can back
out any changes made during the current session by clicking Cancel, or by
closing the dialog and not saving the changes. In any case, it’s important to
make and keep backup copies of everything. For this procedure, you can rely
on the backup copy of the original ribbon that 3ds Max keeps automatically,
which you can restore with the Reset Ribbon to default on page 1995 command.
16 Highlight the copy of the Polygon Modeling panel, under My Tab, and
rename it My Polygon Modeling with the Title property. Don’t forget to
press Tab or Enter to commit the text editing.
17 Near the bottom-right corner of the Customize Ribbon dialog, click the
Save As button, enter the file name MyRibbon, and then click Save.
TIP If you close the Customize Ribbon dialog without saving your changes,
3ds Max prompts you to save them. If you choose not to, the ribbon returns
to the previously saved changes.
So far you’ve learned how to create a new ribbon tab, how to populate
it with a copy of an existing panel, and how to edit the panel. In the next
part you’ll create a new panel and populate it with ribbon tools from
existing 3ds Max commands.
Example: To customize the ribbon, part 2:
This procedure follows directly from the previous one; if you haven’t followed
part 1, please do so now and then continue on to this one.
In this procedure you’ll create a new panel and populate it with commands
to create objects and modify them.
1 From the Ribbon Controls section in the bottom-left area of the Customize
Ribbon dialog, drag a Panel control to just below the My Polygon
Modeling panel.

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A new panel with the default name New Panel appears in the list and on
the ribbon.
2 Use the Title property to rename the panel Create & Modify.
3 In the Action Items section of the Customize Ribbon dialog, open the
Category list and choose Objects Primitives.
The list changes to show all available object primitives.
4 Scroll down to the Teapot entry, and then drag it to the Create & Modify
panel entry in the Existing UI list.

The Teapot command appears in the list and on the new panel in the
ribbon. The name “Teapot” appears in the list, but not on the ribbon.
However, the default icon appears in both places. You can change the
image, if you like, with the Icon property; this procedure doesn’t cover
the details.
5 Turn on the Show Text property for the Teapot item.
Now the name “Teapot” appears next to the icon. The ribbon button has
widened to fit both the icon and the label.

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6 Also add the Torus command and turn on its Show Text property.

The two buttons sit side by side on the panel, which widens to fit. But
what if you want them to be arrayed vertically?
7 From the Ribbon Controls list, drag the Row Break item between the
Teapot and Torus entries in the Existing UI list.

Row Break works just like pressing Enter in a word processor, so the
following content starts a new line. Now the two items appear in a
vertical-list format, and the panel is more compact.

Next you’ll add a modifier that you can apply to any object.
8 In the Existing UI list, add another Row Break control after the Torus
item.

Customizing the Ribbon | 2173

9 In the Action Items list, set Category to Modifiers, and then drag the
Bend Modifier item to just below the second Row Break.

TIP To enable the Bend modifier, select an object in the scene.
10 Turn on the Show Text property for the Bend Modifier item.
Now your Create & Modify panel provides a list of three items: two objects
and a modifier. This presents a design problem, because objects and
modifiers differ functionally. It’s best to separate them in the interface,
even if they’re on the same panel. One way to do that is with the
sub-panel control, which lets you create parallel sections on a panel.
11 From the Ribbon Controls list, drag a Sub-Panel control to anywhere on
the Create & Modify section of the Existing UI list, and then add a second
sub-panel.
If the second sub-panel appears as a child of the first (that is, indented),
just drag it to the left to move it to the same hierarchy level as the other
panel items.
12 Drag the Teapot and Torus items to the first sub-panel, and then drag
either Break item between them. Drag the Bend Modifier item to the
second sub-panel, and delete the second Break.
Now the objects appear on the left side of the panel, while the modifier
is on the right.

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You might want to have different groups of related modifiers presented
in drop-down lists; this is easily achievable with the Split Button control.
13 From the Ribbon Controls list, drag a Split Button control to just below
the second sub-panel entry in the Existing UI list, and drag the Bend
modifier onto the split button.
14 Also, from the Action Items list, add the Taper Modifier and Twist Modifier
actions to the split button. The order is unimportant.
15 In the Existing UI list, click the Split Button control and turn on the Show
Text property.
No text shows yet because none of the modifiers is active.
16 Select an object in the scene, if necessary, and then on the Create &
Modify panel, click the arrow on the right side of the drop-down list to
open the list. Choose any modifier from the list.
The modifier name appears on the split button and the modifier is applied
to the selected object.
To save space on the panel, you can make the modifier split button appear
only under certain conditions.
17 With the split button control highlighted in the Existing UI list, click the
True button to the right of the Visible property in the Properties list.
A drop-down list opens with the choices True, False, and Conditional.
18 Choose Conditional from the list.
The Conditions For Visible dialog opens. You use this dialog to specify
the conditions under which the control will be visible; in other conditions,
it doesn’t appear. You can reopen the dialog later to change the conditions
by clicking the [...] button on the right side of the property.

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19 On the Conditions For Visible dialog, under Selection States, turn on
both items: Editable Poly Selected and Edit Poly Selected.
This means the control will appear only when an editable poly object or
an object with an Edit Poly modifier is selected. Of course, most modifiers
can be applied to any geometry, so if you’re familiar with MAXScript,
you could script that condition via the Maxcript field or the Open Editor
button on the Conditions For Visible dialog.
20

Close the Conditions For Visible dialog and then select and
deselect an editable poly or Edit Poly object in the scene to make the
drop-down list (split button) on the Create & Modify panel appear and
disappear.
You can also set conditions for the Enabled property. In that case, if a
condition isn’t met, the item is visible but not available (that is, grayed
out).

21 On the Customize Ribbon dialog, click Save As and save the ribbon with
the same filename as before (MyRibbon), then exit the dialog by clicking
(the Close button in the top-right corner).
3ds Max asks if you want to save the changes. If you click No, the program
loads the default ribbon configuration. If you click Yes, your edits are
saved to the default ribbon and load whenever you restart the program.
To return to the standard ribbon, right-click the ribbon and choose Ribbon
Configuration ➤ Reset Ribbon To Default.
In this two-part procedure you’ve learned how to modify the existing
ribbon, add new components, and set conditions for visibility. There’s
much more to customizing the ribbon, of course; we encourage you to
read the rest of this section and then experiment on your own. Remember,
you can always return to the default ribbon with the Ribbon Configuration
➤ Reset Ribbon To Default command on the ribbon right-click menu.

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Interface

Overall Interface
The Customize Ribbon dialog window functions like most other dialogs. To
resize it, drag an edge or corner, and to reposition, drag the title bar. To collapse
or expand a section, click the triangle at the right end of its header. To change
the proportions between sections, drag the vertical or horizontal divider.
Although the right-hand column contains sections, the Preview Window is a
fixed size, so the only way to give the Properties section more vertical room
is to collapse The Preview Window.
The dialog user interface comprises five main areas plus several buttons. This
section describes the areas and, where necessary, provides links to sections
with further explanation.
Action Items This section lists all the 3ds Max functions you can assign as
ribbon controls, and provides most of the same features as the equivalent on
the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.
To add a command to the ribbon, first choose its group and category from
the Group and Category lists, then find it in the Action list and drag it to the

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appropriate location in the Existing UI hierarchy in the center of the Customize
Ribbon dialog.
When you add a command to the ribbon in this way, it creates a button. The
behavior of the button depends on the nature of the command as defined in
the software. For example, the button for a geometric primitive such as Box
remains on when clicked, so that you can create several boxes in succession.
On the other hand, a button for a modifier activates only momentarily,
applying the modifier to the selected object.
Ribbon Controls Lists all user-interface elements (independent of specific
commands) you can add to the ribbon. For descriptions of these, see Ribbon
Controls on page 2179.
Existing UI A tree view, or hierarchical list, of the ribbon user interface. To
expand or collapse a tree branch, click the arrow next to the parent item. The
arrow for a collapsed branch appears as a gray outline pointing to the right;
for an expanded branch, the arrow is black and points to the bottom-right.
By default, the list contains only features currently active in the ribbon. For
example, if no object is selected, the Graphite Modeling Tools branch contains
only the Polygon Modeling panel, but if an editable poly object is selected, a
number of additional panels appear in that branch.
Alternatively, to display all ribbon contents regardless of the current program
status, turn on the Show All Hidden UI toggle below the Existing UI list.
Typically you’ll want to keep that off, though.
If an item’s name is green, its Available or Visible propertyhas been set to
Conditional. For details, see Conditions dialog on page 2185.
Preview Window Shows the panel of the highlighted item in the Existing UI
list, including the panel name. When a tab is highlighted in the list, no preview
is available.
The preview window is interactive to a limited extent: Clicking an item
highlights it in the Existing UI list and shows its properties in the Properties
section. Similarly, clicking an item in the Existing UI list highlights its visual
representation in the preview window. Also, hovering the mouse above a
preview item shows the tooltip, if available. However, the preview window
does not support changing settings or opening drop-down lists.
Properties Shows all available settings for the highlighted item in the Existing
UI list.

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The Properties settings are self-documented with tooltips on the Customize
Ribbon dialog, so they aren’t described in detail here. A few general notes,
however:
■

In some cases, after changing a property value, you need to confirm the
change by moving to another field, either by pressing Enter or Tab or
clicking a different property.

■

To change the icon or large icon for a UI element, click the [...] button in
the corresponding property for the element and choose a different ICO
file.

■

To reset a property to its default value, if available, click the X button on
the right side of the value field.

■

The Enabled, Visible, and Available properties usually have a drop-down
list of possible settings: True, False, and Conditional. In the latter case, you
set the conditions with the Conditions dialog on page 2185.

■

In general, the ribbon tries to keep everything on screen. When the ribbon
changes size for any reason, depending on the available space or the size
of the ribbon, panels collapse, but first panels and sub-panels resize by any
combination of reducing the width, hiding text, and changing icon size.
At the default Priority value of 100 for any Collapse or Resize property,
the collapsing or resizing happens last to first. You can set a specific priority
for any element by changing the value from 100. Then, higher Priority
values retain the default size longer. For some elements you can set a Resize
Style property that determines how or whether they resize.

TIP To learn how a particular property works, examine the property in existing
controls of the same type. Try changing the setting (such as the spinner Maximum
value) and observe how this affects the control’s behavior. As long as you don’t
save, you’ll have a chance to revert all changes when you close the dialog.

Ribbon Controls
The Ribbon Controls interface provides the available user-interface elements,
including organizing elements such as tabs and panels, and the controls
themselves. To add a control to the ribbon, drag it from the Ribbon Controls
list to the Existing UI list.
The first six ribbon controls, which are used for organizing the ribbon, have
specific icons that appear below and next to the control name on the
Customize Ribbon dialog. These icons are “sticky” and remain the same even
if you set a different icon via the Properties settings.

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The remaining controls (Button through Color Swatch) have customizable
icons and are thus marked with a generic star icon in the Ribbon Controls
list. To set an icon for one of these, after adding it to the ribbon, set its Icon
(and, optionally, Large Icon) property by clicking the ... button and choosing
an ICO to represent the element. This icon then appears in the Existing UI
list and on the ribbon.

Separator Creates a vertical divider between side-by-side elements
within a panel or sub-panel. Typically you would place a separator between
sub-panels to distinguish them as distinct areas.
To set the visual appearance of the separator, use the Style property. Two types
of separator are available: The Line and None styles create a thin vertical line,
and the Spacer and Invisible styles create a thin vertical space. You can adjust
the width and height of a separator via its properties.

Row Break Starts a new row of controls. By default, adjacent elements
within a panel or sub-panel appear in a single row in that space; use Row Break
to create multiple rows. To create a columnar layout, place a Row Break
between each pair of successive elements.

Panel Break Creates a separate area below the panel (or, in the vertical
ribbon, to its side). When the ribbon is maximized, you access the controls
after a panel break by clicking the panel name, which opens an expansion
area adjacent to the panel.
When the ribbon is minimized, opening a panel displays all of its controls,
including those after the panel break.
A Panel Break control cannot be made conditional, so if you place conditional
elements after a panel break, the result could be an empty expansion.

Sub-Panel A sub-panel is a self-contained subgroup of controls within
a panel or parent sub-panel. It works much the same as a panel (see following),
except that by placing multiple sub-panels on a panel, you can create a neater
arrangement of the panel contents.
A sub-panel acts like a column on a multi-column page of text, or in a
spreadsheet. All the items on the sub-panel line up on their left edges, assuming
you place a Row Break control between each pair of items.
You can find numerous examples of this usage on the default horizontal ribbon
included with 3ds Max, as well as examples of nested sub-panels. For example,

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on the Freeform tab (make sure you have an editable poly object selected),
the PolyDraw panel includes two sub-panels. If you expand the first one, [C:
polydraw H], you can see two [poly draw tools] sub-panels at the end, separated
by a Spacer separator. And if expand these, you can see how the two columns
of controls on the right side of the PolyDraw panel, headed respectively by
Shapes and Topology, are arranged.
You can nest sub-panels only once; in other words, you can put a sub-panel
inside a sub-panel, but you cannot nest them any deeper than that.

Panel A panel is a self-contained group of controls on a tab. Use the
panel to organize related commands and properties into a single group. To
save space, you can turn on the Collapsed property for a panel. You can also
set a panel to be accessed quickly with a CUI shortcuts; for details, see this
procedure on page 2164.
By default, all controls in a panel appear in a row. To create multiple rows,
insert row breaks. For example, to have a single column of controls on a panel,
place a row break after each element except the last.
Or, to have a 2 x 2 arrangement of controls within a panel, place two controls,
then a row break, and then two more controls. However, unless all of the
controls as displayed on the panel are all the same size, this might lead to an
uneven arrangement. For a more symmetrical look to your panels, use
sub-panels, as described preceding.

Tab The tab is the top-level unit of organization in the ribbon, and
generally contains a broad range of related tools. After adding a tab, populate
it with panels, sub-panels, and controls.
Button Creates an “empty” standard button as a placeholder for a specific
command. A standard button typically is clicked once to invoke a command;
an example is a button used to apply a modifier to an object.
Once you add a button, you can define a function for it by dragging a
non-toggle action from the Action Items list to its Command property. You
can also create a custom command by assigning a macroScript to the Command
property. For more information, see Advanced Usage on page 2184.
Toggle Button Creates an “empty” toggle button as a placeholder for a specific
command. A toggle button typically is clicked once to invoke a state, and
then again to disable that state. An example of a toggle button is a button
used to create an object primitive such as a box. Typically when creating a
toggle button you would assign an alternate icon to emphasize the “on” state.
An example in the ribbon is Show End Result.

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Once you add a toggle button, you can define a function for it by dragging a
toggle action from the Action Items list to its Command property. You can
also create a custom toggle action for it with a macroScript assigned to the
Command property. For more information, see Advanced Usage on page 2184.
Checkbox Creates an “empty” check box as a placeholder for a specific
command. A standard check box typically is clicked once to toggle a state; an
example is the Full Interactivity check box on the Polygon Modeling panel.
Once you add a check box, you can define a function for it with a macroScript
assigned to the Command property. For more information, see Advanced
Usage on page 2184.
Split Button Creates a “container” for a drop-down command list. An example
is the Paint On control on the Object Paint tab ➤ Paint Objects panel.
Once you add a Split Button control, populate it with child items by dragging
the actions onto the Split Button control (see this procedure on page 2165). You
can also define a function for it with a macroScript assigned to the Command
property. For more information, see Advanced Usage on page 2184.
Checklist Button Creates a “container” for a drop-down list of check boxes.
An example is the Similar control on the Graphite Modeling Tools tab ➤
Modify Selection panel.
Once you add a Checklist Button control, populate it with Checkbox controls
by dragging them onto the Checklist Button control. You can also define a
function for it with a macroScript assigned to the Command property. For
more information, see Advanced Usage on page 2184.
Label Use to add a text descriptor or an icon (or both) for controls that don’t
have their own labels, or whose default labels are disabled. An example of text
label is the Contraints label for the row of buttons on the Edit panel. An
example of an icon-only label is the icons for the color swatches in the
Properties panel of a vertical ribbon.
Spinner Creates a standard spinner control consisting of a numeric field and
up/down arrow buttons for changing the spinner value with the mouse.
Once you add a spinner, you can define a function for it with a MAXScript
script assigned to the Maxscript property. For more information, see Advanced
Usage on page 2184.
Color Swatch Creates a standard color swatch control that the user clicks to
edit the color using the Color Selector dialog.
Once you add a color swatch, you can define a function for it with a MAXScript
script assigned to the Maxscript property. For more information, see Advanced
Usage on page 2184.

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Buttons
The Customize Ribbon dialog buttons provide controls for saving and loading
ribbon configurations, plus toggling the display of all UI items.
Show All Hidden UI By default, the Existing UI list shows only interface
elements currently visible in the ribbon, based on conditions. For example,
sub-panels with the Horizontal condition are usually hidden in the vertical
ribbon. To make all ribbon elements available for editing, regardless of
conditions, turn on Show All Hidden UI.
TIP When Show All Hidden UI is on, it can be difficult to find a specific item for
editing. To make it easier to find a particular interface element, place 3ds Max in
a state that makes the desired ribbon elements visible, and edit with Show All
Hidden UI off.
Load Opens a file dialog for loading a ribbon scheme file, which uses the
filename extension .ribbon. Typically you would use this to load a custom
ribbon that you saved previously with Save As (see following).
Save As Opens a file dialog for saving the customized ribbon in a
ribbon-configuration file, which uses the filename extension .ribbon. Use Load
subsequently to restore this configuration.
Save Saves any changes to the ribbon to the default startup ribbon
configuration, not necessarily the same file saved with Save As. Available only
when the ribbon has changed since the previous save or opening the dialog.
TIP As noted, the Save command replaces the startup ribbon configuration with
the customized ribbon. To return to the factory-default ribbon, right-click the
ribbon and choose Ribbon Configuration ➤ Reset Ribbon To Default.
Cancel Discards any changes made to the ribbon since opening the dialog or
saving the ribbon. Available only when such changes exist.
[close button] The close button is found in the top-right corner
of the Customize Ribbon dialog, and, when clicked, closes the dialog. If you’ve
made any unsaved changes, you’re prompted whether to save the changes.
If you click Yes, the changes are saved to the default ribbon-configuration file
and the dialog closes. If you click No, any changes subsequent to the last save
(or opening the dialog, if you haven’t saved) are discarded.

Customizing the Ribbon | 2183

Advanced Usage
The Customize Ribbon feature is intended primarily for reorganizing the
ribbon interface to suit your working methods and for adding existing 3ds
Max commands from the Action Items list. While this feature provides for
adding other types of custom controls such as check boxes and spinners,
making these functional requires advanced knowledge and scripting ability,
including writing macroScripts.
That said, to learn more about the inner workings of the ribbon, it can be
useful to examine some existing controls and see how they connect to
underlying scripts. For example, using the Customize Ribbon dialog, find the
UVW Tweak spinner in the bottom-left corner of the Edit panel on the Graphite
Modeling Tools tab.
IMPORTANT Proceed in this section only if you’re very familiar and comfortable
with 3ds Max and computer programming. If you make a mistake, it’s possible to
disrupt program functionality. For best insurance, make backup copies of all
specified files and work only with the copies.
In the Existing UI list or the Preview Window, click the spinner, and then
scroll to the bottom of the Properties list. The Maxscript property is
UVWTweakSpinnerCallback. In the \stdplugs\stdscripts folder in the
program-install directory, use a text editor to open the file PolyTools.ms. Search
in the file for the text “UVWTweakSpinnerCallback” (without quotes). The
search should come up with the following:
struct UVWTweakSpinnerCallback
(
fn OnChanged iValue =
(
PolyToolsUI.UVWTweakChannel = iValue
),
fn getValue =
(
PolyToolsUI.UVWTweakChannel
)
)

This is the MAXScript code that connects the ribbon spinner with the 3ds
Max software. It’s beyond the scope of this help to discuss the exact workings
of the script, but you can find further information in the MAXScript Help,
available from the Help menu.
Similarly, other ribbon controls invoke a macroScript via the Command
property. For example, using the Customize Ribbon dialog, find the Paint

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toggle button on the Paint Objects panel on the Object Paint tab. The
Command property value is ObjectPaint Paint, which toggles the Paint
command for the Object Paint feature. You can find this command in the
Action Items list ➤ Main UI group ➤ PolyTools category. To apply an action
to a button, you just drag it from the Action Items list to the Command value
in the button properties. The ObjectPaint Paint command, incidentally, is
defined in the macroScript file Macro_PolyTools.mcr, found in the
\UI\MacroScripts in the install directory.
So, to define custom functionality for a Button or Toggle Button control, first
write a macroScript for it, place the file in a directory from which 3ds Max
automatically loads scripts at startup, and then restart 3ds Max so the
command appears in the Action Items list. Next, add the button to the ribbon,
find the command in the Action Items list, and drag the action to the
Command property in the Properties section.

Conditions Dialog
Customize Ribbon dialog on page 2163 ➤ Highlight an element in the Existing
UI list. ➤ Properties window ➤ Set Enabled, Visible, or Available property
to Conditional. ➤ Click the [...] (ellipsis) button (to change conditions).
Use the Conditions dialog to set conditions for enabling ribbon elements and
controls or making them visible. The full name of the dialog is Conditions
For Enabled, Conditions For Visible, or Conditions for Available, depending
on the Customize Ribbon dialog property from which you invoked it.
The three properties can be set to True, False, or Conditional, which returns
either True or False based on the conditions. Those properties are:
■

Enabled: Refers to whether a control can be used or not; if a control is
visible but not enabled, it is grayed out and can’t be accessed with the
mouse.

■

Visible: Hides the control completely when set to False or if the conditions
are not met. Conditional option is unavailable for panels and tabs.

■

Available: Toggles visibility in the ribbon right-click menu; available only
for tabs and panels. If the Available conditions are not met, it is not present
in the ribbon whether Visible is on or not.

If you set multiple conditions, keep in mind that when any condition for a
particular state, such as the ribbon layout, is met, it causes the condition to
be satisfied.

Customizing the Ribbon | 2185

For example, the Polygon Modeling panel has two different “poly main”
sub-panels available. One of the “poly main” sub-panels has its Visible property
set to Conditional: Horizontal (which implies maximized) or Minimized,
which applies to either horizontal or vertical.
The other sub-panel is set to Conditional: Vertical, which applies to the
maximized vertical ribbon. When setting up different versions of a panel or
sub-panel for different ribbon configurations, make sure the conditions for
visibility don’t overlap.
However, if you set multiple conditions for different states, such as ribbon
layout and active sub-object level, at least one condition in each state must
be met for the condition to be satisfied.
TIP You can quickly see what the conditions are for a particular conditional control
by holding the mouse over the Available or Visible setting (the Conditional button
or the associated [...] button). After a brief pause, a tooltip opens that lists the
conditions.
IMPORTANT Any control set to True for Visible or Available always appears in any
ribbon configuration in every state of 3ds Max.

Interface
The Conditions dialog offers a list of check boxes for choosing preset conditions
for ribbon elements; you can also custom-tailor a condition using MAXScript.

2186 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Maxscript
If none of the check box options reflects a condition you want to set, and
you’re familiar with MAXScript, you can create a script to specify any
conditions you like.
Maxscript Enter a short MAXScript statement or function in this field to set
a condition. The statement or function must evaluate to True or False (1 or
0). If True, the condition is met; if False, the condition is not met.
To enter multiple lines after the first line, press Shift+Enter.
For longer scripts, click the Open Editor button and use the editor window to
define a function in a MAXScript file, and then enter the function name in

Customizing the Ribbon | 2187

the Maxscript field. The function name as entered here must use the following
format:
[if the function is defined within a struct, specify the struct name followed
by “.”][function name]()
For example, you could use the function ValidSOMode to determine whether
a valid sub-object level is active for the selected editable poly or Edit Poly
object. This function is defined in the Ribbon_Modeling struct in the
Ribbon_Modeling.ms MAXScript file, so you would enter the following in the
Maxscript field:
Ribbon_Modeling.ValidSOMode()
If the function is not within a struct, you need specify only the function name
followed by (). If you write a new function, be sure to evaluate the script before
using the function as a condition.
Following are some examples of statements you can use in the Maxscript field
to set a condition, with explanations:
■

selection.count == 1Only one object is selected in the scene. Change the
numeric value to specify a different selection count.

■

selection.count > 0 AND (for o in selection where superclassof o == Light
collect o).count == selection.countOne or more light objects are selected
in the scene, and only light objects are selected.

■

selection.count == 1 and selection[1].isAnimatedOnly one object is selected
and the object is animated.

■

selection.count == 1 and selection[1].material != undefinedOnly one object
is selected and the object has a material applied.

■

animButtonStateThe state of the Auto Key button: evaluates to True or
False when Auto Key is on or off, respectively.
NOTE This statement requires a viewport selection change (for example) to
be reevaluated by 3ds Max.

Open Editor Opens a MAXScript editor window. For more information about
using the editor, see the MAXScript help, available from the 3ds Max Help
menu.
NOTE The script in the editor window does not define a condition. For details,
see the definition of the Maxscript field, preceding.

2188 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Conditions
Action Item Applies when a particular toggle command is active. For example,
the Soft panel on page 2003, which provides controls for modifying how Soft
Selection works, is available only when the Use Soft Selection command is
active.
When you click this item, a dialog opens that lets you choose an action item
to define the condition. The dialog is organized the same way as the Action
Items window on the Customize Ribbon dialog. Find the command and then
double-click it to apply it to the Action Item condition. The command’s name
then appears in parentheses next to “Action Item” on the dialog.

Ribbon Layout
Horizontal Applies when the ribbon orientation is horizontal and maximized.
Vertical Applies when the ribbon orientation is vertical and maximized.
Minimized Applies when the ribbon is minimized.

Selection States
Typically, if you enable either of these, enable the other as well. This is the
case for the Available property in most panels on the Graphite Modeling Tools,
Freeform, and Selection tabs on the ribbon.
Editable Poly Selected Applies when a single editable poly object is selected
and .3ds Max is in Modify mode.
Edit Poly Selected Applies when a single Edit Poly object (that is, an object
with the Edit Poly modifier applied) is selected and .3ds Max is in Modify
mode.

Selected Object States
Soft Selection Enabled Applies when Use Soft Selection on the Polygon
Modeling panel is active.
NURMS Subdivision Enabled Applies when Use NURMS on the Edit panel
is active.
Slice Mode Enabled Applies when the Slice Plane tool on the Geometry (All)
panel is active.
Tweak UVW Enabled Applies when Tweak on the Edit panel is active.
Subdivision Displacement Enabled Applies when Use Displacement on the
Subdivision panel is active.

Customizing the Ribbon | 2189

Sub-object Modes
Object Applies when no sub-object level is active.
Vertex Applies at the Vertex sub-object level of editable poly and Edit Poly
objects.
Edge Applies at the Edge sub-object level of editable poly and Edit Poly objects.
Border Applies at the Border sub-object level of editable poly and Edit Poly
objects.
Polygon Applies at the Polygon sub-object level of editable poly and Edit Poly
objects.
Element Applies at the Element sub-object level of editable poly and Edit Poly
objects.

Editable Mesh Surface
Create or select an object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant ➤ Convert
To: submenu ➤ Editable Mesh

Create or select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click the base
object in the stack. ➤ Convert to: Editable Mesh

Create or select an object. ➤
Collapse Selected button

Utilities panel ➤ Collapse button ➤

Editable Mesh on page 9143, like the Edit Mesh modifier, provides controls for
manipulating a mesh object made up of triangular faces as an object and at
three sub-object levels: vertex, edge and face. You can convert most objects
in 3ds Max to editable meshes, but for open spline objects, only vertices are
available, because open splines have no faces or edges when converted to
meshes.
To make a sub-object selection on a non-editable mesh object (for example,
a primitive) for passing up the stack to a modifier, use the Mesh Select modifier
on page 1445.

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Once you make a selection with Editable Mesh, you have these options:
■

Use the options supplied on the Edit Geometry rollout to modify the
selection. Later topics discuss these options for each of the mesh
components.

■

Transform or Shift+clone the selection, as with any object.

■

Pass the selection to a later modifier in the stack. You can apply one or
more standard modifiers to the selection.

■

Use the options on the Surface Properties rollout to alter the surface
characteristics of selected mesh components.

NOTE Because Edit Mesh modifier functionality is almost identical to that of
editable mesh objects, features described in the Editable Mesh topics also apply
to objects with Edit Mesh applied, except as noted.
TIP Editable Poly on page 2240 is similar to Editable Mesh, but lets you work with
polygons of four or more sides, and provides a greater range of functionality.
TIP You can exit most Editable Mesh command modes, such as Extrude, by
right-clicking in the active viewport.
See also:
■

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

■

Edit Mesh Modifier on page 1263

■

Mesh Select Modifier on page 1445

Procedures
To produce an editable mesh object:
First select the object, and then do one of the following:
■

Right-click the object and choose Convert To Editable Mesh from the
Transform quadrant.

Editable Mesh Surface | 2191

Use the Collapse utility on page 1974.

■
■

Apply a modifier to a parametric object that turns the object into a mesh
object in the stack, and then collapse the stack. (For example, you can
apply a Mesh Select modifier.)

■

Apply an Edit Mesh or Mesh Select modifier to an object.

■

Import a non-parametric object, such as that found in a 3DS file.

■

Import a 3ds Max object using Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import
➤ Merge.

Converting an object to an editable mesh removes all parametric controls,
including the creation parameters. For example, you can no longer increase
the number of segments in a box, slice a circular primitive, or change the
number of sides on a cylinder. Any modifiers you apply to an object are
collapsed as well. After conversion, the only entry left on the stack is "Editable
Mesh."
Maintaining an object's creation parameters:
As described in the above procedure, you can convert an existing object to an
editable mesh, which replaces the creation parameters in the stack with
"Editable Mesh." The creation parameters are no longer accessible or
animatable. If you want to maintain the creation parameters, you can use the
following modifiers:
■

Edit Mesh Modifier on page 1263

■

Mesh Select Modifier on page 1445

■

Delete Mesh Modifier on page 1246

■

Tessellate Modifier on page 1761

■

Face Extrude Modifier on page 1372

■

Affect Region Modifier on page 1098

Interface
Modifier Stack display
Show End Result Normally, if you apply a modifier such as Twist to an
editable-mesh object and then return to the Editable Mesh stack entry, you

2192 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

cannot see the effect of the modifier on the object's geometry. But if you turn
on Show End Result while in sub-object level, you can see the original
sub-object selection as a yellow mesh, the final object as a white mesh, and
the original editable mesh as an orange mesh.

Selection rollout
See Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh) on page 2195.

Named Selections
Copy Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer.
For more information, see Named Selection Sets on page 204.

Selection Information
At the bottom of the Selection rollout is a text display giving information
about the current selection. If no objects or more than one sub-object are
selected, the text gives the number of objects and the type selected. If a single
sub-object is selected, the text gives its identification number and type.
NOTE When the current sub-object level is Polygon or Element, selection
information is given in faces.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls affect the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and Scale
functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to
unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the
transformation.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Geometry rollout
The Edit Geometry rollout on page 2218 provides various controls for editing
an editable mesh object and its sub-objects. For information specific to the
different sub-object levels, see the topics in this section.

Editable Mesh Surface | 2193

Working with Mesh Sub-Objects
This topic describes how to work with sub-object selections when you are
editing an Editable Mesh on page 2190.
See also:
■

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

■

Editable Mesh on page 9143

■

Editable Poly on page 9143

Selecting and Transforming
In selecting and transforming sub-object geometry, you use standard
techniques:
■

Clicking any vertex, edge, or face/polygon/element selects it.

■

Holding down Ctrl lets you add to or subtract from the selection with single
clicks.

■

Holding down Alt lets you a subtract from the selection with single clicks,
or with Window/Crossing selections.

■

Beginning a selection outside the object starts a region selection. Holding
down Ctrl during region selection lets you add to the selection.

Once you’ve made a sub-object selection, you can use the Spacebar to lock
the selection while you’re working with it.

Using Sub-Object Selection
With either an editable mesh (or Edit Mesh modifier) or a Mesh Select modifier,
you can store three separate sub-object selections: one for each selection level
(vertex, face, and edge). These selection sets are saved with the file. With
sub-object selections, you have these options:
■

Choose one of the selection sets to pass geometry up the stack to other
modifiers. Only one selection set is active at a time.

■

Change to one of the other selection sets at any time.

2194 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Use named selection sets on page 204for sub-object geometry you want to
reuse.
In modeling a character head, for example, you might have a number of
different vertex selections for forehead, nose, and chin. Such selections
can be difficult to re-create, so named sets give you easy access to the
original selection when you want to rework a particular area.

Cloning Sub-Object Geometry
Using Shift+transform with a selection of vertices or faces displays the Clone
Part Of Mesh dialog. This lets you determine whether you want to "Clone To
Object" or "Clone To Element." Click the desired option, optionally giving the
cloned object a new name, then click OK.
■

If you choose Clone To Object, the cloned copy becomes a plain mesh
object, entirely separate from the original object. The new object is given
the name in the field to the right of the Clone To Object radio button.

■

If you choose Clone To Element, the selection is cloned in its new position
and remains part of the original object.

Animating Sub-Object Geometry
When you work with an editable mesh, you can directly transform and animate
a sub-object selection. In effect, the selection works like any other object.

Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh)
The Selection rollout provides buttons for turning different sub-object levels
on and off, working with named selections and handles, display settings, and
information about selected entities.
When you first access the Modify panel with an editable mesh selected, you're
at the Object level, with access to several functions available as described in
Editable Mesh (Object) on page 2198. You can toggle the various sub-object
levels, and access relevant functions by clicking the buttons at the top of the
Selection rollout.
Clicking a button here is the same as selecting a sub-object type in the Modifier
Stack display. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the Object
selection level.
The Selection rollout also allows you to display and scale vertex or face normals
on page 9237

Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh) | 2195

Interface

Vertex Turns on Vertex sub-object level, which lets you select a vertex
beneath the cursor; region selection selects vertices within the region.

Edge Accesses the Edge sub-object level, which lets you select the edge
of a face or polygon beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges
within the region. At the Edge sub-object level, selected hidden edges are
displayed as dashed lines, allowing for more precise selection.

Face Accesses the Face sub-object level, which lets you select a
triangular face beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple triangular
faces within the region. If a selected face has a hidden edge and Shade Selected
Faces on page 8967 is off, the edge is displayed as a dashed line.

Polygon Accesses the Polygon sub-object level, which lets you select
all coplanar faces (defined by the value in the Planar Threshold spinner)
beneath the cursor. Usually, a polygon is the area you see within the visible
wire edges. Region selection selects multiple polygons within the region.

2196 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Element Accesses the Element sub-object level, which lets you select
all contiguous faces in an object. Region selection lets you select multiple
elements.
By Vertex When on, and you click a vertex, any sub-objects (at the current
level) that use that vertex are selected. Also works with Region Select.
NOTE When By Vertex is on, you can select sub-objects only by clicking a vertex,
or by region.
Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects selects only those
sub-objects whose normals are visible in the viewport. When off (the default),
selection includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their normals.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull setting in the Display panel does not affect
sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is off, you can still select sub-objects,
even if you can't see them.
Ignore Visible Edges This is enabled when the Polygon face selection method
is chosen. When Ignore Visible Edges is off (the default), and you click a face,
the selection will not go beyond the visible edges no matter what the setting
of the Planar Thresh spinner. When this is on, face selection ignores the visible
edges, using the Planar Thresh setting as a guide.
Generally, if you want to select a "facet" (a coplanar collection of faces), you
set the Planar Threshold to 1.0. On the other hand, if you're trying to select
a curved surface, increase the value depending on the amount of curvature.
■

Planar Thresh(Planar Threshold) Specifies the threshold value that
determines which faces are coplanar for Polygon face selection.

Show Normals When on, 3ds Max displays normals on page 9237 in the
viewports. Normals are displayed as blue lines.
Show normals is not available in Edge mode.
■

ScaleSpecifies the size of the normals displayed in the viewport when Show
is on.

Delete Isolated Vertices When on, 3ds Max eliminates any isolated vertices
when you delete a contiguous selection of sub-objects. When off, deleting a
selection leaves all vertices intact. Not Available at the Vertex sub-object level.
Default=on.

Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh) | 2197

An isolated vertex is one that has no associated face geometry. For example,
if Delete Isolated Vertices is off and you delete a rectangular selection of four
polygons, all clustered about a single central point, the point remains,
suspended in space.
Hide Hides any selected sub-objects. Edges cannot be hidden.
TIP The Select Invert command on the 3ds Max Edit menu is useful for selecting
faces to hide. Select the faces you want to focus on, choose Edit ➤ Select Invert,
then click the Hide button.
Unhide All Restores any hidden objects to visibility. Hidden vertices can be
unhidden only when in Vertex sub-object level.

Editable Mesh (Object)
Select an editable mesh object or object with the Edit Mesh modifier applied.

➤

Modify panel

Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤
Top-Level
Editable Mesh (Object) controls are available when no sub-object levels are
active. These controls are also available at all sub-object levels, and work the
same at each level, except as noted in Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) on page
2218.

2198 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Edit Geometry rollout

See Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) on page 2218 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Editable Mesh (Object) | 2199

Surface Properties rollout

Specifies surface approximation settings for subdividing the editable mesh.
These controls work like the surface approximation settings for NURBS surfaces
on page 2433. They are used when you apply a displacement map on page 6482
to the editable mesh.
NOTE The Surface Properties rollout is available only for editable mesh objects;
it does not appear in the Modify panel for an object to which the Edit Mesh
modifier is applied. With Edit Mesh-modified objects, you can use the Disp Approx
modifier on page 1251 to the same effect.
Subdivision Displacement When on, faces are subdivided to accurately
displace the mesh, using the method and settings you specify in the
Subdivision Presets and Subdivision Method group boxes. When off, the mesh
is displaced by moving existing vertices, the way the Displace modifier on
page 1255 does. Default=off.
Split Mesh Affects the seams of displaced mesh objects; also affects texture
mapping. When on, the mesh is split into individual faces before it is displaced;
this helps preserve texture mapping. When off, the mesh is not split and an
internal method is used to assign texture mapping. Default=on.

2200 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

TIP This parameter is required because of an architectural limitation in the way
displacement mapping works. Turning Split Mesh on is usually the better technique,
but it can cause problems for objects with clearly distinct faces, such as boxes, or
even spheres. A box's sides might separate as they displace outward, leaving gaps.
And a sphere might split along its longitudinal edge (found in the rear for spheres
created in the Top view) unless you turn off Split Mesh. However, texture mapping
works unpredictably when Split Mesh is off, so you might need to add a Displace
Mesh modifier on page 1005 and make a snapshot on page 888 of the mesh. You
would then apply a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 and then reassign mapping
coordinates to the displaced snapshot mesh.

Subdivision Presets group & Subdivision Method group
The controls in these two group boxes specify how the displacement map is
applied when Subdivision Displacement is on. They are identical to the Surface
Approximation controls on page 2762 used for NURBS surfaces.

Editable Mesh (Vertex)
Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤
Vertex
Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Modify panel ➤ Modifier Stack display
➤ Expand Editable Mesh. ➤ Vertex
Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Vertex
Vertices are points in space: they define the structure of faces. When vertices
are moved or edited, the faces they form are affected as well. Vertices can also
exist independently; such isolated vertices can be used to construct faces but
are otherwise invisible when rendering.
At the Editable Mesh (Vertex) sub-object level, you can select single and
multiple vertices and move them using standard methods.
See also:
■

Editable Mesh Surface on page 2190

Editable Mesh (Vertex) | 2201

Procedures
To weld mesh vertices:
You can use either of two methods to combine several vertices into one, also
known as welding. If the vertices are very close together, use the Weld function.
You can also use Weld to combine a number of vertices to the average position
of all of them.
Alternatively, to combine two vertices that are far apart, resulting in a single
vertex that's in the same position as one of them, use Target Weld.
TIP Welding vertices is considerably easier with poly objects. See this procedure:
To weld polygon vertices: on page 1301
1 To use Weld:
1 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary.
This ensures that you're welding only vertices you can see.
2 Select the vertices to weld.
3 If the vertices are very close together, go to the Edit Geometry rollout
➤ Weld group and click Selected. If that doesn't work (you get a
No vertices within weld threshold. message), proceed to the next
step.
4 Increase the numeric value to the right of the Selected button.
This is the threshold value; the minimum distance that vertices can
be apart from each other to be welded.
5 Click Selected again.
At this point, one of three things happens: None, some, or all of the
vertices are welded. If the latter, you're done. If either of the others
occurs, proceed to the next step.
6 Continue increasing the threshold value and clicking Selected until
all of the vertices are welded.
2 To use Target Weld:
1 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary.
This ensures that you're welding only vertices you can see.
2 Find two vertices you want to weld, and determine the ultimate
location of the resulting vertex. You can weld any two vertices, but

2202 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

for best results the two should be contiguous; that is, they should
be connected by a single edge.
For this example, we'll call the vertices A and B, and the resulting
vertex will be at vertex B's location.
3 Click the Target button.
The button stays highlighted, to indicate that you're now in Target
Weld mode.
4 Drag vertex A to Vertex B.
While you're dragging, the mouse cursor image is a four-headed,
+-shaped arrow. When over an eligible target vertex, the cursor
changes to a crosshairs.
TIP If you have trouble dragging in the proper direction, open the Axis
Constraints toolbar on page 8627 and click the XY button.
5 Release the mouse button.
The pair is welded. The resulting vertex remains at vertex B's position,
and you exit Target Weld mode.
TIP If you have trouble combining the two vertices, try increasing the
Pixels value with the spinner to the right of the Target button.
You remain in Target Weld mode, and can continue to weld pairs
of vertices.
6 Exit Target mode by right-clicking in the active viewport or clicking
the Target button again.

To select vertices by color:
1 On the Surface Properties rollout, click the Existing Color swatch, and
specify the color of vertex you want in the Color Selector.
2 Specify ranges in the RGB Range spinners. This lets you select vertices
that are close to the specified color, but don't match exactly.
3 Click the Select button.
All vertices matching the color, or within the RGB range, are selected.
You can add to the selection by holding Ctrl as you click the Select button,
and you can subtract from the selection by holding the Alt key.

Editable Mesh (Vertex) | 2203

TIP You can select all vertices of the same color by first selecting the vertex
you want matched, dragging a copy of the Edit Color swatch to the Existing
Color swatch, and then clicking the Select button. (If you want an exact
match, be sure to set the RGB Range spinners to 0 first.)

Interface
Selection rollout
For information on the Selection rollout settings, see Editable Mesh on page
2193.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls affect the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and Scale
functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to
unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the
transformation.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

2204 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Edit Geometry rollout

See Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) on page 2218 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Editable Mesh (Vertex) | 2205

Surface Properties rollout

These controls let you set the weight and color for vertices.
Weight Displays and lets you change vertex weights for NURMS operations
(see MeshSmooth Modifier on page 1450).

Edit Vertex Colors group
Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha
(transparency) values of selected vertices.
Color Click the color swatch to change the color of selected vertices.
Illumination Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of
selected vertices. This lets you change the illumination of a vertex without
changing the vertex's color.
Alpha Lets you assign an alpha (transparency) value to selected vertices.
The spinner value is a percentage; zero is completely transparent and 100 is
completely opaque.

Select Vertices By group
Color/Illumination These radio buttons let you choose to select vertices by
vertex color value or vertex illumination value. Set the desired options and
then click Select.

2206 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Color Swatch Displays the current color to match. Click to open the Color
Selector, where you can specify a different color.
Select Depending on which radio button is selected, selects all vertices whose
vertex color or illumination values either match the color swatch, or are within
the range specified by the RGB spinners.
Range Specifies a range for the color match. All three RGB values in the vertex
color or illumination color must either match the color specified by the Color
swatch in Select By Vertex Color, or be within a range determined by adding
and subtracting the Range values from the displayed color. Default=10.
For example, if you've chosen Color and set the color swatch to medium gray
(R=G=B=128), and are using the default Range values of 10,10,10, then clicking
the Select button selects only vertices set to RGB color values between
118,118,118 and 138,138,138.

Editable Mesh (Edge)
Select an editable mesh object. ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

(Edge)

Select an editable mesh object. ➤
display ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack

Expand the Editable Mesh entry. ➤ Edge

Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Edge
An edge is a line, visible or invisible, forming the side of a face and connecting
two vertices. Two faces can share a single edge.
At the Editable Mesh (Edge) sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
edges and transform them using standard methods.
See also:
■

Editable Mesh Surface on page 2190

Editable Mesh (Edge) | 2207

Procedures
To create a shape from one or more edges:

1

Select the edges you want to make into shapes.

2 On the Edit Geometry rollout, click Create Shape From Edges.
3 Make changes, as needed, on the Create Shape dialog that appears.
■

Enter a curve name or keep the default.

■

Choose Smooth or Linear as the Shape Type.

■

Turn on Ignore Hidden Edges to exclude hidden edges from the
calculation, or turn this feature off.

4 Click OK.
The resulting shape consists of one or more splines whose vertices are
coincident with the vertices in the selected edges. The Smooth option
results in vertices using smooth values, while the Linear option results
in linear splines with corner vertices.
When you region-select edges, all edges are highlighted, including hidden
edges, which are displayed as dashed lines. As a default, the Create Shape
function ignores the hidden edges, even though they're selected. Turn
off Ignore Hidden Edges if you want to include the hidden edges in the
calculation.
If the selected edges are not continuous, or if they branch, the resulting
shape will consist of more than one spline. When the Create Shape
function runs into a branching 'Y' in the edges, it makes an arbitrary
decision as to which edge produces which spline. If you need to control
this, select only those edges that will result in a single spline, and perform
Create Shape repeatedly to make the correct number of shapes. Finally,
use Attach in the Editable Spline to combine the shapes into one.

2208 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Top: Original object
Bottom: Object with edges selected

Editable Mesh (Edge) | 2209

Top: Selected edges removed from original object
Bottom: Unwanted edges removed

Interface
Selection rollout
See Editable Mesh on page 2193 for information on the Selection rollout settings.

2210 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls affect the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and Scale
functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to
unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the
transformation.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Editable Mesh (Edge) | 2211

Edit Geometry rollout

See Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) on page 2218 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

2212 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface Properties rollout

These controls affect the visibility of the edges. Invisible edges (also called
construction lines) appear in the viewports when Edges Only is turned off in
the Display command panel, or when you're editing at the Edge sub-object
level. The visibility of edges is primarily of importance when an object is being
rendered using a wireframe material.
Visible Makes selected edges visible.
Invisible Makes selected edges invisible, so they won't be displayed in Edges
Only mode.

Auto Edge group
Auto Edge Automatically determines edge visibility based on the angle between
the faces that share the edge, with the angle set by the Threshold spinner to
its right.
Clicking Auto Edge can have one of three effects, depending on which radio
button is active (Set means to make an invisible edge visible; Clear means to
make a visible edge invisible):
■

Set and Clear Edge VisCan change the visibility of all selected edges
depending on the Threshold setting.

■

SetMakes previously invisible edges visible only if they exceed the Threshold
setting; does not clear any edges.

■

ClearMakes previously visible edges invisible only if they are less than the
Threshold setting; does not make any edges visible.

Editable Mesh (Edge) | 2213

Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/Element)
Select an editable mesh object. ➤

➤

(Face),

(Polygon), or

Select an editable mesh object. ➤
display ➤
Element

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

(Element)

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack

Expand the Editable Mesh entry. ➤ Face, Polygon, or

Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Face,
Polygon, or Element
A face is the smallest possible mesh object: a triangle formed by three vertices.
Faces provide the renderable surface of an object. While a vertex can exist as
an isolated point in space, a face cannot exist without vertices.
At the Editable Mesh (Face) level, you can select single and multiple faces and
transform them using standard methods. This is also true for the Polygon and
Element sub-object levels; for the distinctions between face, polygon, and
element, see Editable Mesh ➤ Selection rollout on page 2193.
See also:
■

Editable Mesh Surface on page 2190

Interface
Selection rollout
For information on the Selection rollout settings, see Editable Mesh on page
2193.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls affect the action of sub-object Move, Rotate, and Scale
functions. When these are on, 3ds Max applies a spline curve deformation to

2214 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This
provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the
transformation.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Geometry rollout

Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/Element) | 2215

See Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) on page 2218 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Surface Properties rollout

These controls let you work with face normals, material IDs, smoothing groups,
and vertex colors.

Normals group
Flip Reverses the direction of the surface normals of the selected faces.
Unify Flips the normals of an object so that they all point in the same
direction, usually outward. This is useful for restoring an object's faces to their
original orientations. Sometimes normals of objects that have come into 3ds

2216 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Max as part of a DXF file are irregular, depending on the methods used to
create the objects. Use this function to correct them.
Flip Normal Mode Flips the normal of any face you click. To exit, click this
button again or right-click anywhere in 3ds Max interface.
TIP The best way to use Flip Normal mode is to set up your viewport to display
with Smooth+Highlight and Edged Faces on. If you use Flip Normal mode with
default settings, you'll be able to flip a face away from you, but you won't be able
to flip it back. For best results, turn off Ignore Backfacing in the Selection rollout.
This lets you click any face and flip the direction of its normal, regardless of its
current direction.

Material group
Set ID Lets you assign a particular material ID on page 9217 number to selected
sub-objects for use with multi/sub-object materials on page 6542 and other
applications. Use the spinner or enter the number from the keyboard. The
total number of available IDs is 65,535.
Select ID Selects sub-objects corresponding to the Material ID specified in the
adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID, then click the Select
ID button.
[Select By Name] This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an
object has a Multi/Sub-Object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow
and choose a sub-material from the list. The sub-objects that are assigned that
material are selected. If an object does not have a Multi/Sub-Object material
assigned, the name list is unavailable. Likewise, if multiple objects are selected
that have an Edit Patch, Edit Spline, or Edit Mesh modifier applied, the name
list is inactive.
NOTE Sub-material names are those specified in the Name column on the
material's Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout; these are not created by
default, and must be specified separately from any material names.
Clear Selection When on, choosing a new ID or material name deselects any
previously selected sub-objects. When off, selections are cumulative, so new
ID or sub-material name selections add to the existing selection set of patches
or elements. Default=on.

Smoothing Groups group
Use these controls to assign selected faces to different smoothing groups on
page 9310, and to select faces by smoothing group.

Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/Element) | 2217

To assign faces to one or more smoothing groups, select the faces, and then
click the number(s) of the smoothing group(s) to assign them to.
Select by SG (Smoothing Group) Displays a dialog that shows the current
smoothing groups. Select a group by clicking the corresponding numbered
button and clicking OK. If Clear Selection is on, any previously selected faces
are first deselected. If Clear Selection is off, the new selection is added to any
previous selection set.
Clear All Removes any smoothing group assignments from selected faces.
Auto Smooth Sets the smoothing groups based on the angle between faces.
Any two adjacent faces will be put in the same smoothing group if the angle
between their normals is less than the threshold angle, set by the spinner to
the right of this button.
Threshold This spinner (to the right of Auto Smooth) lets you specify the
maximum angle between the normals of adjacent faces that determines
whether those faces will be put in the same smoothing group.

Edit Vertex Colors group
Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha
(transparency) values of vertices on the selected face(s).
Color Click the color swatch to change the color of vertices on the selected
face(s). Assigning vertex colors at the face level prevents blending across the
face(s).
Illumination Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of
vertices on the selected face(s). This lets you change the illumination without
changing the vertex's color.
Alpha Lets you assign an alpha (transparency) value to vertices on the selected
face(s).
The spinner value is a percentage; zero is completely transparent and 100 is
completely opaque.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh)
Select an editable mesh object. ➤
➤ Choose any sub-object level.

2218 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

Select an editable mesh object. ➤
display ➤
level.

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack

Expand the Editable Mesh entry. ➤ Choose any sub-object

Select an editable mesh object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤
Choose any sub-object level.
The Edit Geometry rollout for Meshes contains most of the controls that let
you alter the geometry of the mesh, at either the Object (top) level, or one of
the sub-object levels. The controls that the rollout displays can vary, depending
on which level is active; if a control is not available for the active level, it
might be grayed out, or simply might not appear at all. The descriptions below
indicate the levels at which controls are available.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2219

Interface

Editing buttons
Create Lets you add sub-objects to a single selected mesh object. Select an
object, choose a sub-object level, click Create, and then click to add sub-objects.
Available only at the Vertex, Face, Polygon, and Element levels only.

2220 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

For example, at the Vertex sub-object level, Create lets you add free-floating
vertices to the object. The new vertices are placed on the active construction
plane.
To create faces at the Face, Polygon, or Element level, click Create. All vertices
in the object are highlighted, including isolated vertices left after deleting
faces. Click three existing vertices in succession to define the shape of the new
face. (The cursor changes to a cross when it is over a vertex that can legally
be part of the face.)
You can also create new faces at the Polygon and Element sub-object levels.
At the Face and Element sub-object levels, a new face is created after every
third click. At the Polygon sub-object level, you can continue clicking as many
times as you like to add vertices to the new polygon. To finish drawing a new
polygon, click twice, or click again on any existing vertex in the current
polygon.
At the Face, Polygon, and Element levels, you can add vertices while Create
is on by Shift+clicking in an empty space; these vertices are incorporated into
the face or polygon you're creating.
You can start creating faces or polygons in any viewport, but all subsequent
clicks must take place in the same viewport.
TIP For best results, click vertices in counterclockwise (preferred) or clockwise
order. If you use clockwise order, the new polygon will be facing away from you,
and you won’t be able to see it unless you’ve turned on Force 2-Sided or are using
a two-sided material.
Delete (sub-object levels only) Deletes selected sub-objects and any faces
attached to them.
Attach Lets you attach another object in the scene to the selected mesh. You
can attach any type of object, including splines, patch objects, and NURBS
surfaces. Attaching a non-mesh object converts it to a mesh. Click the object
you want to attach to the currently selected mesh object.
When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in
the following way:
■

If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits
the material of the object it is being attached to.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2221

Handle inherits material from the cup it is being attached to.

■

Likewise, if the object you're attaching to doesn't have a material, it inherits
the material of the object being attached.

■

If both objects have materials, the resulting new material is a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 that encompasses the input materials.
A dialog appears offering three methods of combining the objects' materials
and material IDs. For more information, see Attach Options Dialog on
page 2232.

2222 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Upper left: Shaded view of model
Upper right: Wireframe view of model
Lower left: Model with objects attached
Lower right: Subsequent multi/sub-object material

Attach remains active in all sub-object levels, but always applies to objects.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2223

Attach List (Object level only) Lets you attach other objects in the scene to
the selected mesh. Click to open the Attach List dialog, which works like Select
From Scene on page 184 to let you choose multiple objects to attach.
Detach (Vertex and Face/Polygon/Element levels only) Detaches the selected
sub-object as a separate object or element. All faces attached to the sub-object
are detached as well.
A dialog appears, prompting you to enter a name for the new object. The
dialog has a Detach As Clone option that copies the faces rather than moving
them.
Detached faces leave a hole in the original object when you move them to a
new position.
Break (Vertex level only) Creates a new vertex for each face attached to
selected vertices, allowing the face corners to be moved away from each other
where they were once joined at the original vertex. If a vertex is isolated or
used by only one face, it is unaffected.
Turn (Edge level only) Rotates the edge within its bounding. All mesh objects
in 3ds Max are composed of triangular faces, but by default, most polygons
are depicted as quadrilaterals, with a hidden edge dividing each quad into
two triangles. Turn lets you change the direction in which the hidden edge
(or any other) runs, thus affecting how the shape changes when you transform
sub-objects directly, or indirectly with a modifier.
Divide (Face/Polygon/Element levels only) Subdivides faces into three
smaller faces. This function applies to faces even if you're at the Polygon or
Element sub-object level. Click Divide, and then select a face to be divided.
Each face is subdivided where you click it. You can click as many faces as you
want divided, in sequence. To stop dividing, click Divide again to turn it off,
or right-click.

Extrude, Chamfer, and Bevel group

The Extrude controls let you extrude edges or faces. Edge extrusion works in
a fashion similar to face extrusion. You can apply extrusion interactively (by
dragging on sub-objects) or numerically (using spinners).

2224 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Extruded edges seen in viewport and rendered image

Extrude (Edge and Face/Polygon/Element levels only) Click this button
and then either drag to extrude the selected edges or faces, or adjust the Extrude
spinner to perform the extrusion. You can select different sub-objects to extrude
while Extrude is active.
■

Extrude AmountThis spinner (to the right of the Extrude button) lets you
specify the amount to extrude the edge. Select one or more edges, and
then adjust the spinner.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2225

The Chamfer controls are available only at the Vertex and Edge sub-object
levels. They let you bevel object corners using a chamfer function. You can
apply this effect interactively (by dragging vertices) or numerically (using the
Chamfer spinner).
Chamfer (Vertex and Edge levels only) Click this button, and then drag
vertices or edges in the active object. The Chamfer Amount spinner updates
to indicate the chamfer amount as you drag.
If you drag one or more selected vertices or edges, all selected sub-objects are
chamfered identically. If you drag an unselected vertex or edge, any selected
sub-objects are first deselected.
A chamfer "chops off" the selected sub-objects, creating a new face connecting
new points on all visible edges leading to the original sub-object. Chamfer
Amount specifies the exact distance from the original vertex along each of
these edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the
neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group that is an
intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one corner of a box, the single corner vertex is
replaced by three vertices moving along the three visible edges that lead to
the corner. 3ds Max rearranges and splits the adjacent faces to use these three
new vertices, and creates a new triangle at the corner.
■

Chamfer AmountAdjust this spinner (to the right of the Chamfer button)
to apply a chamfer effect to selected vertices.

■

Normal (Edge and Face/Polygon/Element levels only)Determines how a
selection of more than one edge is extruded. With Normal set to Group
(the default), extrusion takes place along the averaged normal of each
continuous group (line) of edges. If you extrude multiples of such groups,
each group moves along its own averaged normal. If you set Normal to
Local, extrusion takes place along each selected edge's normal.

Beveling, available only at the Face/Polygon/Element levels, is a second step
to extrusion: it lets you scale the faces you have just extruded.

2226 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

TIP A similar operation is Inset on page 1344, which Editable Poly has but Editable
Mesh doesn't. When you inset a polygon, you create another, smaller polygon of
the same proportions inside the borders of an original polygon, in the plane of
the original. Essentially, it's a bevel with no height. You can achieve this in Editable
Mesh with the following procedure:
1 Select the polygon to inset.
2 Right-click the spinner all the way to the right of the Extrude button.
This performs an extrusion with no height, thus creating a new polygon
plus connecting polygons in the same position as the original.
3 Set a negative Bevel value using the numeric field or the spinner. This
insets the new polygon created by the extrusion without changing its
height.

Chamfer box showing extruded face

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2227

Extruded face beveled in two different directions

You can bevel faces by dragging or by using keyboard/spinner entry.
Bevel (Face/Polygon/Element levels only) Click this button, and then drag
vertically on any face to extrude it. Release the mouse button and move the
mouse vertically to bevel the extrusion. Click to finish.
■

When over a selected face, the mouse cursor changes to a Bevel cursor.

2228 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

With multiple faces selected, dragging on any one bevels all selected faces
equally.

■

You can drag other faces in turn to bevel them while the Bevel button is
active. Click Bevel again or right-click to end the operation.

Outlining This spinner (to the right of the Bevel button) lets you scale selected
faces bigger or smaller, depending on whether the value is positive or negative.
It is normally used after an extrusion for beveling the extruded faces.

Cut and Slice group
Lets you subdivide edges with either cut or slice tools to create new vertices,
edges, and faces. For details, see Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh) on page 2234.
NOTE At the Vertex sub-object level, Slice is available but Cut is not.

Weld group (Vertex level only)
Selected Welds selected vertices that fall within the tolerance specified in the
Weld Threshold spinner (to the button's right). All line segments become
connected to the resulting single vertex.
Target Enters weld mode, which allows you to select vertices and move them
around. While moving, the cursor changes to the Move cursor as usual, but
when you position the cursor over an unselected vertex the cursor changes
to a + cursor. Release the mouse at that point to weld all selected vertices to
the target vertex they were dropped on.
The pixels spinner to the right of the Target button sets the maximum distance
in screen pixels between the mouse cursor and the target vertex.

Tessellate group (Face/Polygon/Element levels only)

Use these controls to tessellate (subdivide) selected faces. Tessellation is useful
for increasing local mesh density while modeling. You can subdivide any
selection of faces. Two tessellation methods are available: Edge and Face-Center.
Tessellate Click to tessellate selected faces, based on the Edge, Face-Center,
and Tension (spinner) settings.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2229

Top: Original selection
Middle: Tessellated once
Bottom: Tessellated twice

Tension (Active only when Tessellate by Edge is active.) This spinner, to the
right of the Tessellate button, lets you increase or decrease the Edge tension
value. A negative value pulls vertices inward from their plane, resulting in a
concave effect. A positive value pulls vertices outward from their plane,
resulting in a rounding effect.
By Edge/Face-Center Edge inserts vertices in the middle of each edge and
draws three lines connecting those vertices. As a result, four faces are created
out of one face. (To see this at the Polygon or Element sub-object level, turn
off Display panel ➤ Display Properties rollout ➤ Edges Only.)
Face-Center adds a vertex to the center of each face and draws three connecting
lines from that vertex to the three original vertices. As a result, three faces are
created out of one face.

Set of polygons showing Face-Center tessellation

2230 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Explode group (Object and Face/Polygon/Element levels only)

Explode Breaks up the current object into multiple elements or objects based
on the angles of its edges. This function is available in Object mode as well
as all sub-object levels except Vertex and Edge.

Exploded faces (white) removed from tessellated faces

The angle threshold spinner, to the right of the Explode button, lets you
specify the angle between faces below which separation will not occur. For
example, all sides of a box are at 90-degree angles to each other. If you set the
spinner to 90 or above, exploding the box changes nothing. However, at any
setting below 90, the sides all become separate objects or elements.
To Objects/Elements Specifies whether the exploded faces become the separate
objects or elements of the current object.

_____
Remove Isolated Vertices Deletes all isolated vertices in the object regardless
of the current selection.
Select Open Edges (Edge level only) Selects all edges with only one face. In
most objects, this shows you where missing faces exist.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) | 2231

Create Shape from Edges (Edge level only) After selecting one or more edges,
click this button to create a spline shape from the selected edges. A Create
Shape dialog appears, letting you name the shape, set it to Smooth or Linear,
and ignore hidden edges. The new shape's pivot is placed at the center of the
mesh object.
View Align Aligns all vertices in selected objects or sub-objects to the plane
of the active viewport. If a sub-object level is active, this function affects only
selected vertices or those belonging to selected sub-objects.
In the case of orthographic viewports on page 9251, using View Align has the
same effect as aligning to the construction grid when the home grid is active.
When aligning to a perspective viewport (including camera and light views),
the vertices are reoriented to be aligned to a plane that is parallel to the
camera’s viewing plane. This plane is perpendicular to the view direction that
is closest to the vertices’ average position.
Grid Align Aligns all vertices in selected objects or sub-objects to the plane
of the current view. If a sub-object level is active, function aligns only selected
sub-objects.
This function aligns the selected vertices to the current construction plane.
The current plane is specified by the active viewport in the case of the home
grid. When using a grid object, the current plane is the active grid object.
Make Planar (sub-object levels only) Forces all selected sub-objects to become
coplanar. The plane's normal is the average surface normal of all faces attached
to the selected sub-objects.
Collapse (sub-object levels only) Collapses selected sub-objects into an
averaged vertex.

Attach Options Dialog (Editable Mesh)
Select an editable mesh object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Attach button

The Attach Options dialog appears when you attach two or more objects to
which materials have been assigned. It provides three different methods of
combining the sub-materials and the material IDs in the two objects.

2232 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Match Material IDs to Material The number of material IDs in the attached
objects are modified so they are no greater than the number of sub-materials
assigned to those objects. For example, if you have a box with only two
sub-materials assigned to it, and you attach it to another object, the box will
have only two material IDs, instead of the six it was assigned on creation.
Match Material to Material IDs Maintains the original ID assignment in the
attached objects by adjusting the number of sub-materials in the resulting
multi/sub-object material. For example, if you attach two boxes, both assigned
single materials, but with their default assignment of 6 material IDs, the result
would be a multi/sub-object material with 12 sub-materials (six containing
instances of one box's material, and six containing instances of the other box's
material). Use this option when it's important to maintain the original material
ID assignments in your geometry.
NOTE If you want to make the instanced sub-materials unique, highlight their
tracks in Track View and apply the Make Unique button on page 3935 function. You
can also make them unique one at a time with the Make Unique tool on page 6072
in the Compact Material Editor.
Do Not Modify Mat IDs or Material Does not adjust the number of
sub-materials in the resulting sub-object material. Note that, if the number of
material IDs in an object is greater than the number of sub-materials in its
multi/sub-object material, then the resulting face-material assignment might
be different after the attach.
Condense Material IDs Affects the Match Material IDs To Material option.
When this is on, duplicate sub-materials or sub-materials that aren't used in
the objects are removed from the multi/sub-object material that results from
the attach operation. Default=on.

Attach Options Dialog (Editable Mesh) | 2233

Tips
■

In most cases, use the first option (Match Material IDs to Material) while
keeping Condense Material IDs selected. This maintains the appearance
of the objects, and results in the fewest additional sub-materials or IDs.

■

Use the second option (Match Material to Material IDs) when you need
to maintain the original material ID assignments.

■

Avoid using the third option, unless you need to repeat a 3ds Max version
1 attachment for compatibility with a previous project.

■

Leave Condense Material IDs selected unless you have an unassigned
sub-material that you want to keep for future assignment.

■

Perform Edit menu ➤ Hold before performing the attach.

Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh)
Select an editable mesh object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout
➤ (Optional: Choose a sub-object level.) ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Cut
and Slice group box
The tools available in the Cut and Slice group let you subdivide edges and
faces to create new vertices, edges, and faces. You can slice an editable mesh
object at any sub-object level; the Cut tool is available at every sub-object level
except the Vertex sub-object level.

Procedures
To create a new face using Cut:
1 Convert the geometry to an editable mesh.

2 On the
Modify panel, choose the object's Edge (or Face, Polygon,
or Element) sub-object level.
3 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing.
4 On the Edit Geometry rollout, in the Cut and Slice group, click the Cut
button.

2234 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

5 Click the first edge you want to subdivide, and then move your cursor
toward the second edge. The cursor changes to a plus sign when over an
edge, and a dotted line connects the initial point where the edge was
clicked with the current cursor location.
6 Click the second edge. This edge can be anywhere, cutting across as many
faces as you like. A new visible edge appears.
7 At this point, a new dotted line is connected to the mouse cursor,
originating from the last point you clicked.
8 Continue clicking edges to cut. To start from a different point, right-click,
and then select the new start point. To finish cutting, right-click twice.
You can use Snaps on page 2833 with Cut. To divide an edge in half, set
Snaps to midpoint. To start or end a cut at a vertex, set snap to vertex or
endpoint.

Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh) | 2235

Before and after applying Cut to faces

To create multiple slices:
1 Select an editable mesh.

2 On the
Modify panel, choose the object's Edge (or Face, Polygon,
or Element) sub-object level.

3

Select one or more sub-objects. Slice affects only selected
sub-objects.

4 In the Cut And Slice group box, click the Slice Plane button.
5 Position and rotate the Slice Plane gizmo to where you want the first
slice.
6 Click the Slice button. The object is sliced.

2236 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

7 If you want, move the Slice Plane to a second position and click the Slice
button again.
8 Click the Slice Plane button again to turn it off and see the results.
9 To better understand what has happened, turn off Edges Only in the
Display panel.

Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh) | 2237

Slice gizmo placed for first slice (top) and second slice (bottom)

2238 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
NOTE The keyboard shortcuts listed here require that the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle on page 9008 be on.

Cut and Slice group

Slice Plane Creates a gizmo for a slice plane that can be positioned and rotated
where you want to slice the edges. Also enables the Slice button.
Slice Performs the slice operation at the location of the slice plane. The Slice
button is available only when the Slice Plane button is highlighted. This tool
slices the mesh just like the Slice modifier on page 1676 in “Operate On: Face”
mode.
NOTE Slice works only on a sub-object selection. Make the selection before
activating Slice Plane.
Cut Lets you divide a edge at any point, then divide a second edge at any
point, creating a new edge or edges between the two points. Clicking the first
edge sets the first vertex. A dotted line tracks the cursor movement until you
click a second edge. A new vertex is created at each edge division. Alternately,
double-clicking an edge simply divides that edge at the point clicked, with
invisible edges on either side.
You can use Cut to cut across any number of faces, even across an entire object.
Click one edge to start the cut, and a second edge to end the cut.
Use Snaps on page 2833 with Cut for precision. Cut supports Midpoint, Endpoint,
and Vertex snaps.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Alt+C to toggle Cut mode.
IMPORTANT When using the Cut tool to add new edges, you should work in a
non-Perspective viewport, such as Front or User. If you use Cut while working in
a Perspective viewport, you may find that the created edges appear to jump or
aren't placed correctly. Using an orthographic viewport will allow the cuts to
appear where you click.

Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh) | 2239

TIP When performing a Cut, turn on Selection rollout ➤ Ignore Backfacing to
avoid accidentally selecting edges on the back side of the mesh.
Split When on, the Slice and Cut operations create double sets of vertices at
the points where the edges are divided. This lets you easily delete the new
faces to create holes, or animate the new faces as separate elements.
Refine Ends When on, adjacent faces at the ends of the cut are also divided
by additional vertices, so that the surface stays contiguous. When Refine Ends
is off, the surface will have a seam where the new vertex meets the adjacent
face. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep Refine Ends turned on, unless
you are sure that you don’t want the extra vertices created.
Refine Ends affects only Cut. It does not affect Slice.

Editable Poly Surface
Create or select an object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant ➤ Convert
to ➤ Convert to Editable Poly

Create or select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click the base
object in the stack. ➤ Choose Convert to: Editable Poly.
Editable Poly on page 9143 is an editable object with five sub-object levels: vertex,
edge, border, polygon, and element. Its usage is similar to that of an editable
mesh object on page 2190, with controls for manipulating an object as a polygon
mesh at various sub-object levels. Rather than triangular faces, however, the
poly object's faces are polygons with any number of vertices.
TIP This section covers Editable Poly usage on the command panel. Most of the
same functions and quite a few others are available on the modeling ribbon on
page 1978.
Editable Poly gives you these options:
■

Transform or Shift+Clone the selection, as with any object.

■

Use the options supplied on the Edit rollouts to modify the selection or
object. Later topics discuss these options for each of the polymesh
components.

■

Pass a sub-object selection to a modifier higher in the stack. You can apply
one or more standard modifiers to the selection.

2240 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Use the options on the Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision
surface rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision surface rollout on page
2327 to alter surface characteristics.

TIP You can exit most Editable Poly command modes, such as Extrude, by
right-clicking in the active viewport.

Overriding Actions with Press/Release Keyboard Shortcuts
While working with poly objects, you can use a “press/release keyboard
shortcut” to temporarily override the current operation and perform a different
one. As soon as you release the keyboard shortcut, you return to the previous
operation.
For example, you might be working at the Polygon sub-object level, moving
polygons, and need to rotate the object to access a different part of it. Instead
of having to exit the Polygon sub-object level, rotate the object and then
re-enter the sub-object level, you could simply press and hold 6, rotate the
object, release the key, and immediately return to moving polygons.
To see a list of press/release keyboard shortcuts, go to Customize ➤ Customize
User Interface ➤ Keyboard panel, open the Group drop-down list, and choose
Edit Poly or Editable Poly. The actions in boldface are the ones that you can
assign as press/release shortcuts. Not all are assigned; for information about
assigning keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Panel on page 8837.

The actions in boldface can function as press/release shortcuts.

Editable Poly Surface | 2241

Editable Poly Workflow
Commands for specific sub-object levels, such as Remove on page 1320 for edges,
appear a rollout for that sub-object level (for example, Edit Edges) in the
Editable Poly user interface. This leaves the Edit Geometry rollout on page 1352
with functions that you can apply at most sub-object levels, as well as at the
object level.
Also, many commands are accompanied by a Settings button, which gives
you a second way to use the command:
■

In Direct Manipulation mode, activated by clicking the command button,
you apply the command by manipulating sub-objects directly in the
viewport. An example of this is Extrude: You click the Extrude button, and
then click and drag sub-objects in the viewports to extrude them.
NOTE Some buttons, such as Tessellate, operate on the mesh immediately,
with no viewport manipulation required.

■

Interactive Manipulation mode is well suited to experimentation. You
activate this mode by clicking the command's Settings button. This opens
a non-modal settings interface (typically a caddy on page 2339) and places
you in a preview mode, where you can set parameters and see the results
immediately in the viewport on the current sub-object selection. You can
then accept the results or cancel the operation. Alternatively, you can
apply the settings to the current sub-object selection and then make one
or more subsequent selections and apply or change the settings. Make the
selection, optionally change the settings, click Apply And Continue, and
then repeat with a different selection.
IMPORTANT When you click Apply And Continue, the settings are “baked
into” the selection, and then applied again to the selection as a preview. If you
then click OK to exit, you will have applied the settings twice. If your intention
is to apply them only once, simply click OK the first time, or click Apply And
Continue and then Cancel.
NOTE Changes implemented in Interactive Manipulation mode with editable
poly objects cannot be animated. However, they can with Edit Poly objects.

See also:
■

Edit Poly Modifier on page 1274

2242 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Graphite Modeling Toolsmodeling ribbonintroductiongraphite modeling
tools on page 1978

■

Poly Select Modifier on page 1529

■

Turn To Poly Modifier on page 1779

Procedures
To produce an editable poly object:

First

select an object, and then do one of the following:

■

If no modifiers are applied to the object, On the
Modify panel,
right-click the modifier stack display, then on the pop-up menu, choose
Editable Poly from the Convert To list.

■

Right-click the object and choose Convert To Editable Poly from the
Transform quadrant of the quad menu.

■

Apply a modifier to a parametric object that turns the object into a poly
object in the stack display, and then collapse the stack. For example, you
can apply a Turn To Poly modifier on page 1779.
To collapse the stack, use the Collapse utility on page 1974 and set Output
Type to Modifier Stack Result, or right-click the object's modifier stack and
then choose Collapse All.

Converting an object to Editable Poly format removes all parametric controls,
including the creation parameters. For example, you can no longer increase
the number of segments in a box, slice a circular primitive, or change the
number of sides on a cylinder. Any modifiers you apply to an object are merged
into the mesh as well. After conversion, the only entry left on the stack is
"Editable Poly."
To maintain an object's creation parameters:
■

As noted in the previous procedure, if you convert an existing object to
editable poly format, 3ds Max replaces the creation parameters in the stack
with "Editable Poly." The creation parameters are no longer accessible or
animatable. If you want to maintain the creation parameters, you can use

Editable Poly Surface | 2243

the Edit Poly modifier on page 1274 or the Turn To Poly modifier on page
1779.

Interface
Stack Display
For more information on the Stack Display, see Modifier Stack on page 8776.
Show End Result Normally, if you apply a modifier such as Symmetry on
page 1752 to an editable poly object and then return to the Editable Poly stack
entry, you cannot see the effect of the modifier on the object's geometry. But
if you turn on Show End Result while in sub-object level, you can see the final
object as a white mesh, the original sub-object selection as a yellow mesh,
and the original editable polymesh as an orange mesh.

Selection rollout
Lets you access the different sub-object levels. See Selection Rollout
(Polymesh)selection rollouteditable polyeditable polyselection
rolloutsub-objectselectionrolloutsselection on page 2245.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions and any deformation modifiers (such as
Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit (sub-object) rollout
The Edit (sub-object) rollout provides sub-object-specific functions for editing
an editable poly object and its sub-objects. For specific information, click any
of the links below:
Edit Vertices rollout on page 2261
Edit Edges rollout on page 2278
Edit Borders rollout on page 2292

2244 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Edit Polygons/Elements rollout on page 1339

Edit Geometry rollout
The Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) on page 1352 provides
global functions for editing an editable poly object and its sub-objects.

Subdivision Surface rollout
Controls on this rollout apply subdivision to the polymesh in the style of the
MeshSmooth modifier. See Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision
surface rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision surface rollout on page
2327.

Subdivision Displacement rollout
Specifies surface approximation for subdividing the polymesh. See Subdivision
Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement rollouteditable
polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Subdivision Presets group & Subdivision Method group
The controls in these two group boxes specify how 3ds Max applies the
displacement map when Subdivision Displacement is on. They are identical
to the Surface Approximation controls on page 2762 used for NURBS surfaces.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Selection Rollout (Polymesh)
Create or select an editable poly object. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Selection

The Selection rollout provides tools for accessing different sub-object levels
and display settings and for creating and modifying selections, and displays
information about selected entities.

Selection Rollout (Polymesh) | 2245

When you first access the Modify panel with an editable poly selected, you're
at the Object level, with access to several functions available as described in
Editable Poly (Object) on page 2256. You can toggle the various sub-object levels,
and access relevant functions, by clicking the buttons at the top of the Selection
rollout.
Clicking a button here is the same as choosing a sub-object type in the modifier
stack display. Click the button again to turn it off and return to the Object
selection level.

Converting Sub-object Selections
You can convert sub-object selections in three different ways with the use of
the Ctrl and Shift keys:
■

To convert the current selection to a different sub-object level, clicking a
sub-object button on the Selection rollout with Ctrl held down. This selects
all sub-objects at the new level that touch the previous selection. For
example, if you select a vertex, and then Ctrl+click the Polygon button, all
polygons that use that vertex are selected.

■

To convert the selection to only sub-objects all of whose source components
are originally selected, hold down both Ctrl and Shift as you change the
level. For example, if you convert a vertex selection to a polygon selection
with Ctrl+Shift+click, the resultant selection includes only those polygons
all of whose vertices were originally selected.

■

To convert the selection to only sub-objects that border the selection, hold
down Shift as you change the level. The selection conversion is inclusive,
meaning:
■

When you convert faces, the resulting selection of edges or vertices all
belong to selected faces that bordered unselected faces. Only the edges
or vertices that bordered unselected faces are selected.

2246 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Face selection (left) converted to vertex border (center) and edge border (right)

■

When you convert vertices to faces, the resulting selection of faces had
all of their vertices selected and bordered unselected faces. When you
convert vertices to edges, the resulting selection contains only edges
all of whose vertices were previously selected and only edges of faces
that did not have all vertices selected; that is, of faces around the border
of the vertex selection.

Vertex selection (left) converted to edge border (center) and face border (right)

■

When you convert edges to faces, the resulting selection of faces had
some but not all of their edges selected, and were next to faces with no
edges selected. When you convert edges to vertices, the resulting vertices
are on previously selected edges, but only at intersections where not
all edges were selected.

Selection Rollout (Polymesh) | 2247

Edge selection (left) converted to face border (center) and vertex border (right)

NOTE
Conversion commands are also available from the quad menu.

Interface

Vertex Accesses the Vertex sub-object level, which lets you select a
vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects vertices within the region.

Edge Accesses the Edge sub-object level, which lets you select a polygon
edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges within the
region.

2248 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Border Accesses the Border sub-object level, which lets you select a
sequence of edges that borders a hole in the mesh. A border comprises only
connected edges with faces on only one side of them, and is always a complete
loop. For example, a default box primitive doesn't have a border, but the teapot
object has a couple of them: one each on the lid, the body, and the spout,
and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder and delete one end, the row
of edges around that end forms a border.
When Border sub-object level is active, you can't select edges that aren't on
borders. Clicking a single edge on a border selects that whole border.
You can cap a border, either with the Cap function on page 1334 or by applying
the Cap Holes modifier on page 1124. You can also connect borders between
objects with the Connect compound object on page 628.
NOTE
The Edge and Border sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one to
the other, any existing selection is retained.

Polygon Accesses the Polygon sub-object level, which lets you select
polygons beneath the cursor. Region selection selects multiple polygons within
the region.

Element Accesses the Element sub-object level, which lets you select
all contiguous polygons in an object. Region selection lets you select multiple
elements.
NOTE
The Polygon and Element sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one
to the other, any existing selection is retained.
By Vertex When on, you can select sub-objects only by selecting a vertex that
they use. When you click a vertex, all sub-objects that use the selected vertex
are selected.
Not available at the Vertex sub-object level.
Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects affects only those facing
you. When off (the default), you can select any sub-object(s) under the mouse
cursor, regardless of their visibility or facing. If there are more than one

Selection Rollout (Polymesh) | 2249

sub-object under the cursor, repeated clicking cycles through them. Likewise,
with Ignore Backfacing off, region selection includes all sub-objects, regardless
of the direction they face.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull on page 145 setting on the Display panel does
not affect sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is off, you can still select
sub-objects even if you can't see them.
By Angle When on, selecting a polygon also selects neighboring polygons
based on the angle setting to the right of the check box. This value determines
the maximum angle between neighboring polygons to select. Available only
at the Polygon sub-object level.
For example, if you click a side of a box and the angle value is less than 90.0,
only that side is selected, because all sides are at 90-degree angles to each
other. But if the angle value is 90.0 or greater, all sides of the box are selected.
This function speeds up selection of contiguous areas made up of polygons
that are at similar angles to one another. You can select coplanar polygons
with a single click at any angle value.
Shrink Reduces the sub-object selection area by deselecting the outermost
sub-objects. If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the remaining
sub-objects are deselected.
Grow Expands the selection area outward in all available directions.
For this function, a border is considered to be an edge selection.

With Shrink and Grow, you can add or remove neighboring elements from the edges
of your current selection. This works at any sub-object level.

Ring Expands an edge selection by selecting all edges parallel to the selected
edges. Ring applies only to edge and border selections.

2250 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

TIP
You can select an edge ring quickly by selecting an edge and then
Shift+clicking another edge in the same ring.

Ring selection adds to the selection all the edges that are parallel to the ones selected
originally.

TIP After making a ring selection, you can use Connect on page 1326 to subdivide
the associated polygons into new edge loops.

[Ring Shift] The spinner next to the Ring button lets you move
the selection in either direction to other edges in the same ring; that is, to
neighboring, parallel edges. If you have a loop selected, you can use this
function to select a neighboring loop. Applies only to Edge and Border
sub-object levels.

Selection Rollout (Polymesh) | 2251

Left: Original loop selection
Upper right: Ring Shift up moves selection outward (from center of model).
Lower right: Ring Shift down moves selection inward (toward center of model).

To expand the selection in the chosen direction, Ctrl+click the up or down
spinner button. To shrink the selection in the chosen direction, Alt+click the
up or down spinner button.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for Ring Shift:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.

2252 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Loop Expands an edge selection as far as possible, in alignment with selected
edges.
Loop selection propagates only through four-way junctions.

TIP
You can select a loop quickly at any sub-object level except Element
by selecting a sub-object and then Shift+clicking another sub-object in the same
loop.

Loop selection extends your current edge selection by adding all the edges aligned to
the ones selected originally.

[Loop Shift] The spinner next to the Loop button lets you move
the selection in either direction to other edges in the same loop; that is, to
neighboring, aligned edges. If you have a ring selected, you can use this
function to select a neighboring ring. Applies only to Edge and Border
sub-object levels.

Selection Rollout (Polymesh) | 2253

Left: Original ring selection
Upper right: Loop Shift up moves selection outward.
Lower right: Loop Shift down moves selection inward.

To expand the selection in the chosen direction, Ctrl+click the up or down
spinner button. To shrink the selection in the chosen direction, Alt+click the
up or down spinner button.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for Loop Shift:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.

2254 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Preview Selection

This option lets you preview a sub-object selection before committing to it.
You can preview at the current sub-object level, or switch sub-object levels
automatically based on the mouse position. The choices are:
■

OffNo preview is available.

■

SubObjEnables previewing at the current sub-object level only. As you
move the mouse over the object, the sub-object under the cursor highlights
in yellow. To select the highlighted object, click the mouse.
To select multiple sub-objects at the current level, press and hold Ctrl,
move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click to select all
highlighted sub-objects.

Polygon sub-object selection preview with Ctrl held down

To deselect multiple sub-objects at the current level, press and hold Ctrl+Alt,
move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click a selected
sub-object. This deselects all highlighted sub-objects.

Selection Rollout (Polymesh) | 2255

■

MultiWorks like SubObj, but also switches among the Vertex, Edge, and
Polygon sub-object levels on the fly, based on the mouse position. For
example, if you position the mouse over an edge, the edge highlights, and
then clicking activates the Edge sub-object level and selects the edge.
To select multiple sub-objects of the same type, press and hold Ctrl after
highlighting a sub-object, move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects,
and then click to activate that sub-object level and select all highlighted
sub-objects.
To deselect multiple sub-objects at the current sub-object level, press and hold
Ctrl+Alt, move the mouse to highlight more sub-objects, and then click a
selected sub-object. This deselects all highlighted sub-objects. Note that
this method does not switch sub-object levels.

NOTE When Ignore Backfacing on page 1292 is off, you’ll see backfacing vertices
and edges highlight while previewing a sub-object selection.

Selection Information
At the bottom of the Selection rollout is a text display giving information
about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object is selected, the
text gives the number and type selected; for example, “4 Polygons Selected.”
If one sub-object is selected, the text gives the identification number and type
of the selected item; for example, “Polygon 73 Selected.”
When using Preview Selection on page 1298, a second line gives additional
information about the identity or number of highlighted sub-objects.

Editable Poly (Object)
Select an editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel

Select an editable poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤
Top-level
Editable Poly (Object) functions are available when no sub-object levels are
active. These functions are also available at all sub-object levels, and work the
same in each mode, except as noted below.
Use the Selection rollout on page 2248 or modifier stack on page 8776 to access
the different sub-object levels.

2256 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Subdivision Surface rollout
For information about the Subdivision Surface rollout settings, see Subdivision
Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision surface rollouteditable polyeditable
polysubdivision surface rollout on page 2327.

Editable Poly (Object) | 2257

Subdivision Displacement rollout
For information about the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings, see
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement
rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Editable Poly (Vertex)
Select an editable poly object. ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

(Vertex)

Select an editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack
display ➤ Expand Editable Poly. ➤ Vertex
Select an editable poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Vertex
Vertices are points in space: They define the structure of other sub-objects
(edges and polygons) that make up the poly object. When you move or edit
vertices, the connected geometry is affected as well. Vertices can also exist
independently; such isolated vertices can be used to construct other geometry
but are otherwise invisible when rendering.
At the editable poly Vertex sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
vertices and move them using standard methods. This topic covers the Edit
Vertices and Vertex Properties rollouts and provides links to the rest.

Procedures
To weld polygon vertices:
You can use either of two methods to combine several vertices into one, also
known as welding. If the vertices are very close together, use the Weld function.

2258 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

You can also use Weld to combine a number of vertices to the average position
of all of them.
Alternatively, to combine two vertices that are far apart, resulting in a single
vertex that's in the same position as one of them, use Target Weld.
1 To use Weld:
1 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary.
This ensures that you're welding only vertices you can see.
2 Select the vertices to weld.
3 If the vertices are very close together, simply click Weld. If that
doesn't work, proceed to the next step.
4 Click

(Settings) to the right of the Weld button.

This opens the Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372.
5 Increase the Weld Threshold value gradually using the spinner (click
and hold on the up-down arrow buttons to the right of the numeric
field and then drag upward). If you need the value to change more
quickly, hold down the Ctrl key as you drag.
When the threshold equals or exceeds the distance between two or
more of the vertices, the weld occurs automatically, and the resulting
vertex moves to their average location.
6 If not all the vertices are welded, continue increasing the Weld
Threshold value until they are.
7 Click OK to exit.
2 To use Target Weld:
1 On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary.
This ensures that you're welding only vertices you can see.
2 Find two vertices you want to weld, and determine the ultimate
location of the resulting vertex. The two vertices must be contiguous;
that is, they must be connected by a single edge.
For this example, we'll call the vertices A and B, and the resulting
vertex will be at vertex B's location.
3 Click the Target Weld button.
The button stays highlighted, to indicate that you're now in Target
Weld mode.

Editable Poly (Vertex) | 2259

4 Click vertex A and then move the mouse.
A rubber-band line connects the vertex and the mouse cursor.
5 Position the cursor over vertex B, whereupon the cursor image
changes from an arrow to a crosshairs. Reminder: Only vertices
connected to the first vertex by a single edge qualify for target
welding.
6 Click to weld the two.
The resulting vertex remains at vertex B's position.
7 Click Target Weld again to turn it off.

To select vertices by color:
1 In the Vertex Properties rollout ➤ Select Vertices By group, click the
color swatch, and specify the color of vertex you want in the Color
Selector on page 304.
2 Specify ranges in the RGB Range spinners. This lets you select vertices
that are close to the specified color, but don't match exactly.
3 Click the Select button.
All vertices matching the color, or within the RGB range, are selected.
You can add to the selection by holding Ctrl as you click the Select button,
and subtract from the selection by holding the Alt key.
TIP You can select all vertices of the same color by first selecting the vertex
you want matched, dragging a copy of the Edit Color swatch to the Existing
Color swatch, and then clicking the Select button. (If you want an exact
match, be sure to set the RGB Range spinners to 0 first.)

Interface
Selection rollout
See Editable Poly on page 2248 for information on the Selection rollout settings.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown

2260 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Vertices rollout

This rollout includes commands specific to vertex editing.
NOTE To delete vertices, select them and press the Delete key. This can create
one or more holes in the mesh. To delete vertices without creating holes, use
Remove (see following).
Remove Deletes selected vertices and combines the polygons that use them.
The keyboard shortcut is Backspace.

Editable Poly (Vertex) | 2261

Removing one or more vertices deletes them and retriangulates the mesh to keep the
surface intact. If you use Delete instead, the polygons depending on those vertices are
deleted as well, creating a hole in the mesh.

WARNING Use of Remove can result in mesh shape changes and non-planar
polygons.
Break Creates a new vertex for each polygon attached to selected vertices,
allowing the polygon corners to be moved away from each other where they
were once joined at each original vertex. If a vertex is isolated or used by only
one polygon, it is unaffected.
Extrude Lets you extrude vertices manually via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any vertex to extrude
it.
Extruding a vertex moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the vertex to the object. The
extrusion has the same number of sides as the number of polygons that
originally used the extruded vertex.
Following are important aspects of vertex extrusion:
■

When over a selected vertex, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

2262 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

With multiple vertices selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
vertices equally.

■

You can drag other vertices in turn to extrude them while the Extrude
button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded vertex

Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Vertices caddy on page 2360, which
lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Weld Combines contiguous, selected vertices that fall within the tolerance
specified in Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372. All edges become connected to
the resulting single vertex.

Editable Poly (Vertex) | 2263

Using Weld at the Vertex level
Vertices farther apart than the Threshold distance are not welded.

Weld is best suited to automatically simplifying geometry that has areas with
a number of vertices that are very close together. Before using Weld, set the
Weld Threshold via the Weld caddy on page 2372. To weld vertices that are
relatively far apart, use Target Weld on page 1308 instead.
Weld Settings Opens the Weld Vertices caddy on page 2372, which lets you
specify the weld threshold.
Chamfer Click this button and then drag vertices in the active object. To
chamfer vertices numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button and use the
Chamfer Amount value.
If you chamfer multiple selected vertices, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected vertex, any selected vertices are first deselected.
Each chamfered vertex is effectively replaced by a new face that connects new
points on all edges leading to the original vertex. These new points are exactly
 distance from the original vertex along each of these edges.
New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the neighboring
faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an intersection of
all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one corner of a box, the single corner vertex is
replaced by a triangular face whose vertices move along the three edges that
led to the corner. Outside faces are rearranged and split to use these three new
vertices, and a new triangle is created at the corner.
Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered vertices; for
details, see Chamfer on page 2351.

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Top: The original vertex selection
Center: Vertices chamfered
Bottom: Vertices chamfered with Open on

Chamfer Settings Opens the Chamfer caddy on page 2351, which lets you
chamfer vertices via interactive manipulation and toggle the Open option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.
Target Weld Allows you to select a vertex and weld it to a neighboring target
vertex. Target Weld works only with pairs of contiguous vertices; that is,
vertices connected by a single edge.
In Target Weld mode, the mouse cursor, when positioned over a vertex,
changes to a + cursor. Click and then move the mouse; a dashed, rubber-band
line connects the vertex to the mouse cursor. Position the cursor over another,

Editable Poly (Vertex) | 2265

neighboring vertex and when the + cursor appears again, click the mouse. The
first vertex moves to the position of the second and the two are welded. Target
Weld remains active until you click the button again or right-click in the
viewport.
Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected vertices.

Connect does not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all
four vertices of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only two of the
vertices will be connected. In this case, to connect all four vertices with new
edges, use Cut on page 1361.
Remove Isolated Vertices Deletes all vertices that don't belong to any
polygons.
Remove Unused Map Verts Certain modeling operations can leave unused
(isolated) map vertices that show up in the Unwrap UVW editor on page 1807,
but cannot be used for mapping. You can use this button to automatically
delete these map vertices.
Weight Sets the weight of selected vertices. Used by the NURMS subdivision
option on page 2328 and by the MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450. Increasing
a vertex weight tends to pull the smoothed result toward the vertex.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Vertex
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for vertex weight:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.

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Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Editable Poly (Vertex) | 2267

Vertex Properties rollout

Edit Vertex Colors group
Use these controls to assign the color, and illumination color (shading) of
selected vertices.
Color Click the color swatch to change the color of selected vertices.
Illumination Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of
selected vertices. This lets you change the illumination without changing the
vertex's color.
Alpha Lets you set specific alpha values of selected vertices. These alpha values
are maintained by the pipeline and can be used in conjunction with vertex
color to provide full RGBA data for export.

Select Vertices By group
Color/Illumination Determines whether to select vertices by vertex color
values or vertex illumination values.
Color Swatch Displays the Color Selector on page 304, where you can specify
a color to match.
Select Depending on which radio button is chosen, selects all vertices whose
vertex color or illumination values either match the color swatch, or are within
the range specified by the RGB spinners.
Range Specifies a range for the color match. All three RGB values in the vertex
color or illumination must either match the color specified by the color swatch

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in Select By Vertex Color, or be within plus or minus the values in the Range
spinners. Default=10.

Subdivision Surface rollout
For information about the Subdivision Surface rollout settings, see Subdivision
Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision surface rollouteditable polyeditable
polysubdivision surface rollout on page 2327.

Subdivision Displacement rollout
For information about the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings, see
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement
rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Editable Poly (Edge)
Select an editable poly object. ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

(Edge)

Select an editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack
display ➤ Expand Editable Poly. ➤ Edge
Select an editable poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Edge
An edge is a line connecting two vertices that forms the side of a polygon. An
edge can't be shared by more than two polygons. Also, the normals of the two
polygons should be adjacent. If they aren't, you wind up with two edges that
share vertices.
At the editable poly Edge sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
edges and transform them using standard methods. This topic covers the Edit

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2269

Geometry and Edit Edges rollouts; for other controls, see Editable Poly on
page 2240.
NOTE Besides edges, each polygon has one or more internal diagonals on page
9136 that determine how the polygon is triangulated by 3ds Max. Diagonals can't
be manipulated directly, but you can use the Turn on page 1329 and Edit
Triangulation on page 1328 functions to change their positions.

Procedures
Example: To use the Cut and Turn features:
3ds Max provides a convenient function for turning edges, which, along with
the Cut feature, streamlines the custom modeling process considerably.
Specifically, cutting a new polygon into existing geometry minimizes the
number of extra visible edges, typically adding none or one. And after using
cut, the Turn function lets you adjust any diagonal with a single click.
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a Plane object. This object is available

from the
Create panel ➤
Primitives ➤ Object Type rollout.

(Geometry) ➤ Standard

By default, the Plane object is divided into 4 x 4 polygons. If you don't
see the polygons in the Perspective viewport, press F4 to activate Edged
Faces view mode.

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2 Convert the Plane object to Editable Poly format. If you're not sure how,
continue in this step; otherwise, skip to the next step after converting.
To convert the object, right-click once in the Perspective viewport to exit
create mode. This leaves the object selected. Right-click again in the
Perspective viewport, and then at the bottom of the Transform quadrant,
choose Convert To ➤ Convert To Editable Poly. Alternatively, apply the
Edit Poly modifier.

The object is now an editable poly and the command panel switches to
the Modify panel.
3 Cut is available at the object level as well as at every sub-object level. On
the Edit Geometry rollout, find the Cut button, and then click it.
4 In the Perspective viewport, position the mouse cursor in the center of
a corner polygon, such as the one closest to you, click once, and then
move the mouse around the viewport.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2271

Two or three lines appear and move as you move the mouse. One line
connects the mouse cursor to the original click location, and indicates
where the next cut will appear when you click the mouse button. Another
connects to a corner of the polygon; this connection changes depending
on the mouse position. And, if the cursor isn't over an edge or a vertex
(it changes appearance if it is, depending on which), a third line connects
the mouse cursor to another vertex.
This demonstrates one aspect of the new Cut functionality; in previous
versions, the first click in a Cut operation connected to two corners of
the polygon.
5 Continue cutting in a rectangular pattern, clicking once at the center of
a different polygon, finish by clicking once more at the starting point,
and then right-click to exit Cut mode.

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The result is a rectangle across four polygons, without any connecting
visible edges. In previous versions, you would have had eight connecting
visible edges: two in each of the original polygons. Note that all the edges
you created are selected, and ready for further transformation or editing.
6 Cut a rectangle into the center of a single polygon.
In this case you end up with a single, additional visible edge instead of
seven, as in previous versions. The edge connects corner of the new
polygon with a corner of the original one. This new edge is not selected,
but the ones you created explicitly are.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2273

Connecting the remaining corners are a number of diagonals on page
9136, which serve to fully triangulate the polygons. The new Turn function
lets you manipulate each of these with a single click.
7 Go to the Edge sub-object level, and then, on the Edit Edges rollout, click
Turn.
All diagonals, including those created from the Cut operations, appear
as dashed lines.

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8 Click a diagonal to turn it, and then click it again to return it to its original
status.

In Turn mode, click a diagonal (dashed line) once to turn it.

Each diagonal has only two different available positions, given no changes
in any other diagonals' or edges' positions.
Compare this with the Edit Triangulation tool, with which you must
click two vertices to change a diagonal's position.
This simple demonstration shows how, when manually subdividing a
polygon mesh for modeling and animation purposes, you can save a good
deal of time by using the Cut and Turn tools in 3ds Max.
To create a shape from one or more edges:

1

Select the edges you want to make into shapes.

2 On the Edit Edges rollout, click Create Shape From Selection.
3 Make changes, as needed, on the Create Shape dialog that appears.
■

Enter a curve name or keep the default.

■

Choose Smooth or Linear as the shape type.

4 Click OK.
The resulting shape consists of one or more splines whose vertices are
coincident with the vertices in the selected edges. The Smooth option
results in vertices using smooth values, while the Linear option results
in linear splines with corner vertices.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2275

If the selected edges are not continuous, or if they branch, the resulting
shape will consist of more than one spline. When the Create Shape
function runs into a branching 'Y' in the edges, it makes an arbitrary
decision as to which edge produces which spline. If you need to control
this, select only those edges that will result in a single spline, and perform
a Create Shape operation repeatedly to make the correct number of shapes.
Finally, use Attach on page 589 in the Editable Spline to combine the
shapes into one.

Above: Original object

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Below: Object with edges selected

Above: Selected edges removed from original object
Below: Unwanted edges removed

Interface
Selection rollout
See Editable Poly on page 2248 for information on the Select rollout settings.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2277

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Edit Edges rollout

This rollout includes commands specific to edge editing.
NOTE To delete edges, select them and press the Delete key. This deletes all
selected edges and attached polygons, which can create one or more holes in the
mesh. To delete edges without creating holes, use Remove on page 1320.
Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide visible edges manually.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click an edge to add a vertex at that location.
You can continue subdividing polygons as long as the command is active.
To stop inserting edges, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex again
to turn it off.
Remove Deletes selected edges and combines the polygons that use them.

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Removing one edge is like making it invisible. The mesh is affected only when all or all
but one of the edges depending on one vertex are removed. At that point, the vertex
itself is deleted and the surface is retriangulated.

To delete the associated vertices when you remove edges, press and hold Ctrl
while executing a Remove operation, either by mouse or with the Backspace
key. This option, called Clean Remove, ensures that the remaining polygons
are planar.

Left: The original edge selection
Center: Standard Remove operation leaves extra vertices.
Right: Clean Remove with Ctrl+Remove deletes the extra vertices.

Edges with the same polygon on both sides usually can't be removed.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2279

WARNING Use of Remove can result in mesh shape changes and non-planar
polygons.
Split Divides the mesh along the selected edges.
This does nothing when applied to a single edge in the middle of a mesh. The
vertices at the end of affected edges must be separable in order for this option
to work. For example, it would work on a single edge that intersects an existing
border, since the border vertex can be split in two. Additionally, two adjacent
edges could be split in the middle of a grid or sphere, since the shared vertex
can be split.
Extrude Lets you extrude edges manually via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any edge to extrude
it.

When extruding a vertex or edge interactively in the viewport, you set the extrusion
height by moving the mouse vertically and the base width by moving the mouse
horizontally.

Extruding an edge moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the edge to the object. The
extrusion has either three or four sides; three if the edge was on a border, or
four if it was shared by two polygons. As you increase the length of the
extrusion, the base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to
the extruded edge's endpoints.
Following are important aspects of edge extrusion:
■

When over a selected edge, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude cursor.

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple edges selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
edges equally.

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■

You can drag other edges in turn to extrude them while the Extrude button
is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport to end
the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded edge

Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Edges caddy on page 2360, which lets
you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Weld Combines selected edges that fall within the threshold specified on the
Weld caddy on page 2372.
You can weld only edges that have one polygon attached; that is, edges on a
border. Also, you cannot perform a weld operation that would result in illegal
geometry (e.g., an edge shared by more than two polygons). For example, you
cannot weld opposite edges on the border of a box that has a side removed.
Weld Settings Opens the Weld Edges caddy on page 2372, which lets you specify
the weld threshold.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2281

Chamfer Click this button and then drag edges in the active object. To chamfer
edges numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button and change the Chamfer
Amount value.
If you chamfer multiple selected edges, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected edge, any selected edges are first deselected.
An edge chamfer "chops off" the selected edges, creating a new polygon
connecting new points on all visible edges leading to the original vertex. The
new edges are exactly  distance from the original edge
along each of these edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material
ID of one of the neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group
which is an intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
For example, if you chamfer one edge of a box, each corner vertex is replaced
by two vertices moving along the visible edges that lead to the corner. Outside
faces are rearranged and split to use these new vertices, and a new polygon is
created at the corner.

Using Chamfer at the Edge level

Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered edges; for
details, see Chamfer on page 2351.
Chamfer Settings Opens the Chamfer caddy on page 2351, which lets you
chamfer edges via interactive manipulation and toggle the Open option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.
Target Weld Allows you to select an edge and weld it to a target edge. When
positioned over an edge, the cursor changes to a + cursor. Click and move the

2282 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

mouse and a dashed line appears from the vertex with an arrow cursor at the
other end of the line. Position the cursor over another edge and when the +
cursor appears again, click the mouse. The first edge is moved to the position
of the second, and the two are welded.
You can weld only edges that have one polygon attached; that is, edges on a
border. Also, you cannot perform a weld operation that would result in illegal
geometry (e.g., an edge shared by more than two polygons). For example, you
cannot weld opposite edges on the border of a box that has a side removed.
Bridge Connects border edges on an object with a polygon “bridge.” Bridge
connects only border edges; that is, edges that have a polygon on only one
side. This tool is particularly useful when creating edge loops or profiles.
There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation mode (that is, without
opening the Bridge Edges caddy):
■

Select two or more border edges on the object, and then click Bridge. This
immediately creates the bridge between the pair of selected borders using
the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected border edges),
clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First
click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects
the mouse cursor to the clicked edge. Click a second edge on a different
border to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the
current Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting
more edges. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport or click
the Bridge button.

The new polygons that result from a Bridge operation are automatically
selected; you can see this by accessing the Polygon sub-object level.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2283

Using Bridge at the Edge level

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between edges. To make
the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate after
creating the bridge. For example, bridge two edges, and then use Bend on page
1104.

Bridge Settings Opens the Bridge Edges caddy on page 2348, which lets you
add polygons between pairs of edges via interactive manipulation.
Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected edges using the current
Connect Edges settings. Connect is particularly useful for creating or refining
edge loops.
NOTE You can connect only edges on the same polygon. Also, Connect will not
let the new edges cross. For example, if you select all four edges of a four-sided
polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring edges are connected, resulting
in a diamond pattern.

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Connecting two or more edges using the Settings dialog creates equally spaced edges.
The number of edges is set in the dialog. When you click the Connect button, the
current dialog settings are applied to the selection.

Connect Settings Opens the Connect Edges caddy on page 2353, which
lets you preview the Connect results, specify the number of edge segments
created by the operation, and set spacing and placement for the new edges.
Create Shape From Selection After selecting one or more edges, click this
button to create a spline shape from the selected edges. A Create Shape dialog
appears, letting you name the shape and set it to Smooth or Linear. The new
shape's pivot is placed at the center of the poly object.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2285

An edge selection (top); a smooth shape (center); a linear shape (bottom)

Weight Sets the weight of selected edges. Used by the NURMS subdivision
option on page 2328 and by the MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450.
Increasing an edge weight tends to push the smoothed result away.

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NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for edge weight:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.
Crease Specifies how much creasing is performed on the selected edge or
edges. Used by the NURMS subdivision option on page 2328 and by the
MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450.
At low settings, the edge is relatively smooth. At higher settings, the crease
becomes increasingly visible. At 1.0, the highest setting, the edge becomes a
hard crease.
NOTE When the Select And Manipulate on page 2868 tool is active at the Edge
sub-object level, the caddy appears in the viewport with a control for edge crease:
.
For instructions for using the caddy, see The Caddy Interface on page 2339.
Edit Tri[angulation] Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into
triangles by drawing internal edges, or diagonals on page 9136.

In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and
change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2287

To edit triangulation manually, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
TIP For easier editing of triangulation, use the Turn command instead (see
following).
Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by clicking
diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136 become visible
as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a
diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport
or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But
changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

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Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Subdivision Surface rollout
For information about the Subdivision Surface rollout settings, see Subdivision
Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision surface rollouteditable polyeditable
polysubdivision surface rollout on page 2327.

Editable Poly (Edge) | 2289

Subdivision Displacement rollout
For information about the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings, see
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement
rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Editable Poly (Border)
Select an editable poly object. ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

(Border)

Select an editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier Stack
display ➤ Expand Editable Poly. ➤ Border
Select an editable poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Border
A border is a linear section of a mesh that can generally be described as the
edge of a hole. This is usually a sequence of edges with polygons on only one
side. For example, a box primitive on page 322 doesn't have a border, but the
teapot on page 349 object has several: on the lid, on the body, on the spout,
and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder and then delete an end
polygon, the adjacent row of edges forms a border.
At the editable poly Border sub-object level, you can select single and multiple
borders and transform them using standard methods. This topic covers the
Edit Geometry and Edit Borders rollouts; for other controls, see Editable Poly
on page 2240.

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Procedures
To create a polygon that closes the surface at the selected border:

1 At the Border sub-object level,

select any open edge.

This selects the entire closed loop of continuous open edges that make
up the border selection.
2 Click Cap.

Interface
Selection rollout
See Editable Poly on page 2248 for information on the Selection rollout settings.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

Editable Poly (Border) | 2291

Edit Borders rollout

This rollout includes commands specific to editing borders.
NOTE To delete a border, select it and press the Delete key. This deletes the border
and all attached polygons.
Extrude Lets you extrude a border manually via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any border to extrude
it.
Extruding a border moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the border to the object. The
extrusion can form a varying number of additional sides, depending on the
geometry near the border. As you increase the length of the extrusion, the
base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to the extruded
border's endpoints.
Following are important aspects of border extrusion:
■

When the mouse cursor is over a selected border, it changes to an Extrude
cursor.

■

To specify the extent of the extrusion, drag vertically, and to set the size
of the base, drag horizontally.

■

With multiple borders selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
borders equally.

■

While the Extrude button is active, you can extrude other borders in turn
by dragging them. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

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Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Edges caddy on page 2360, which lets
you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual extrusion, the same extrusion
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the caddy opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide border edges manually.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click a border edge to add a vertex at that
location. You can continue subdividing border edges as long as the command
is active.
To stop inserting vertices, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex
again to turn it off.
Chamfer Click this button and then drag a border in the active object. The
border need not be selected first.
If you chamfer multiple selected borders, all of them are chamfered identically.
If you drag an unselected border, any selected borders are first deselected.
A border chamfer essentially “frames” the border edges, creating a new set of
edges paralleling the border edges, plus new diagonal edges at any corners.
These new edges are exactly  distance from the original
edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the
neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an
intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
Alternatively, you can create open space around the chamfered borders,
essentially cutting away at the open edges; for details, see Chamfer on page
2351.
Chamfer Settings Opens the Chamfer Edges caddy on page 2351, which
lets you chamfer borders via interactive manipulation and toggle the Open
option.
If you click this button after performing a manual chamfer, the same chamfer
is performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer.
Cap Caps an entire border loop with a single polygon.
Select the border, and then click Cap.

Editable Poly (Border) | 2293

Bridge Connects pairs of borders on an object with polygon “bridges.” There
are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation mode (that is, without
opening the Bridge Settings dialog):
■

Select an even number of borders on the object, and then click Bridge.
This immediately creates the bridge between each pair of selected borders
using the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button.

■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected borders),
clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First
click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects
the mouse cursor to the clicked edge. Click a second edge on a different
border to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the
current Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting
more pairs of borders. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport
or click the Bridge button.

The new polygons that result from a Bridge operation are automatically
selected; you can see this by accessing the Polygon sub-object level.

Using Bridge at the Border level.

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between border pairs. To
make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate
after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two borders, and then use Bend on
page 1104.

Bridge Settings Opens the Bridge caddy on page 2344, which lets you
connect pairs of borders via interactive manipulation.

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Connect Creates new edges between pairs of selected border edges. The edges
are connected from their midpoints.
You can connect only edges on the same polygon.
Connect will not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all
four edges of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring
edges are connected, resulting in a diamond pattern.
Connect Settings Lets you preview the Connect and specify the number
of edge segments created by the operation. To increase the mesh resolution
around the new edge, increase the Connect Edge Segments setting.
Create Shape From Selection After selecting one or more borders, click this
button to create a spline shape from the selected edges. A Create Shape dialog
appears, letting you name the shape and set it to Smooth or Linear. The new
shape's pivot is placed at the center of the poly object.
Weight Sets the weight of selected borders. Used by the NURMS subdivision
option on page 2328.
Increasing an edge weight tends to push the smoothed result away.
Crease Specifies how much creasing is performed on the selected border or
borders. Used by the NURMS subdivision option on page 2328.
At low settings, the border is relatively smooth. At higher settings, the crease
becomes increasingly visible. At 1.0, the highest setting, the border is not
smoothed at all.
Edit Tri[angulation] Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into
triangles by drawing internal edges, or diagonals on page 9136.
To edit triangulation manually, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
TIP For easier editing of triangulation, use the Turn command instead (see
following).
Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by clicking
diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136 become visible
as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a
diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport
or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But

Editable Poly (Border) | 2295

changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

Edit Geometry rollout

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

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Subdivision Surface rollout
For information about the Subdivision Surface rollout settings, see Subdivision
Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision surface rollouteditable polyeditable
polysubdivision surface rollout on page 2327.

Subdivision Displacement rollout
For information about the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings, see
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement
rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element)
Select an editable poly object. ➤

➤

(Polygon) or

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout

(Element)

Select an editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier Stack
display ➤ Expand Editable Poly. ➤ Polygon/Element
Select an editable poly object. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 1 quadrant ➤ Polygon
or Element
A polygon is a closed sequence of three or more edges connected by a surface.
Polygons provide the renderable surface of editable poly objects.
At the Editable Poly (Polygon) sub-object level, you can select single and
multiple polygons and transform them using standard methods. At the Element
sub-object level you can select and edit groups of contiguous polygons. For
further distinctions between polygon and element, see Editable Poly ➤
Selection rollout on page 2248. This topic covers the Edit Polygons/Elements

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2297

rollout and Edit Geometry rollout functions for these sub-object types; for
other controls, see Editable Poly on page 2240.
TIP You can toggle highlighting of selected polygons in a shaded viewport with
the Shade Selected Faces switch on the Viewport Configuration dialog. To open
the dialog, open the General viewport label menu ([+]) and choose Configure
from the menu. You can also toggle this feature with the default keyboard shortcut,
F2.
NOTE Workflow enhancements in the Editable Poly user interface give you a
choice of editing methods. See Editable Poly Workflowinteractive manipulation
modedirect manipulation modeworkflowseditable poly on page 2242 for more
information.

Interface
Selection rollout
See Editable Poly ➤ Selection rollout on page 2248 for information on the
Selection rollout settings.

Soft Selection rollout
Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects
and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects
near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown
in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally
on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the
Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such
as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere
of influence around the selection.
For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966.

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Edit Polygons/Elements rollout

At the Element sub-object level, this rollout includes commands that are
common to both polygons and elements. At the Polygon level, it contains
those as well as a number more that are unique to polygons. The commands
available at both levels are Insert Vertex, Flip, Edit Triangulation, Retriangulate,
and Turn.
NOTE To delete polygons or elements, select them and press the Delete key. If
Delete Isolated Vertices on page 1365 is off, this can result in isolated vertices; that
is, vertices with no associated face geometry.
Insert Vertex Lets you subdivide polygons manually. Applies to polygons,
even if at the element sub-object level.
After turning on Insert Vertex, click a polygon to add a vertex at that location.
You can continue subdividing polygons as long as the command is active.
To stop inserting vertices, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex
again to turn it off.
Extrude Lets you perform manual extrusion via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to extrude
it.
Extruding polygons moves them along a normal and creates new polygons
that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the selection to the object.
Following are important aspects of polygon extrusion:
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to an Extrude
cursor.

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2299

■

Drag vertically to specify the extent of the extrusion, and horizontally to
set the size of the base.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one extrudes all selected
polygons equally.

■

You can drag other polygons in turn to extrude them while the Extrude
button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport
to end the operation.

Chamfer box showing extruded polygon

Extrude Settings Opens the Extrude Polygons caddy on page 2358, which
lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing an extrusion, the same extrusion is
performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion.
Outline Lets you increase or decrease the outside edge of each contiguous
group of selected polygons.

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Outline is often used after an extrusion or bevel to adjust the size of the
extruded faces. It doesn't scale the polygons; only changes the size of the outer
edge. For example, in the following illustration, note that the sizes of the inner
polygons remain constant.

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2301

Extruded polygons (top), outline expanded (middle), outline reduced (bottom)
Note that inner polygons do not change size.

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Outline Settings Opens the Outline Polygons caddy, which lets you
perform outlining by a numeric setting.
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.
Bevel Lets you perform manual beveling via direct manipulation in the
viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to extrude
it. Release the mouse button and then move the mouse vertically to outline
the extrusion. Click to finish.
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to a Bevel cursor.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one bevels all selected
polygons equally.

■

You can drag other polygons in turn to bevel them while the Bevel button
is active. Click Bevel again or right-click to end the operation.

Polygon beveled outward (left) and inward (right)

Bevel Settings Opens the Bevel caddy on page 2342, which lets you perform
beveling via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a bevel, the same bevel is performed
on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with the same
settings used for the previous bevel.

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2303

Inset Performs a bevel with no height; that is, within the plane of the polygon
selection. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any polygon to inset
it.
■

When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to an Inset cursor.

■

With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one insets all selected
polygons equally.

■

While the Inset button is active, you can drag other polygons in turn to
inset them. To end the operation, click Inset again or right-click.

Inset works on a selection of one or more polygons. As with Outline, only the outer
edges are affected.

Inset Settings Opens the Inset caddy on page 2363, which lets you inset
polygons via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual inset, the same inset is
performed on the current selection as a preview and the dialog opens with
Inset Amount set to the amount of the last manual inset.
Bridge Connects two polygons or polygon selections on an object with a
polygon “bridge.” There are two ways to use Bridge in Direct Manipulation
mode (that is, without opening the Bridge Settings dialog):
■

Make two separate polygon selections on the object, and then click Bridge.
This creates the bridge immediately using the current Bridge settings, and
then deactivates the Bridge button.

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■

If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more discrete polygon
selections), clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge
mode. First click a polygon and move the mouse; a rubber-band line
connects the mouse cursor to the clicked polygon. Click a second polygon
to bridge the two. This creates the bridge immediately using the current
Bridge settings; the Bridge button remains active for connecting more pairs
of polygons. To exit Bridge mode, right-click the active viewport or click
the Bridge button.

Using Bridge at the Polygon level

NOTE Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between polygon pairs.
To make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as
appropriate after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two polygons, and then
use Bend on page 1104.

Bridge Settings Opens the Bridge Polygons caddy on page 2344, which lets
you connect pairs of polygon selections via interactive manipulation.
Flip Reverses the directions of the normals of selected polygons, hence their
facing.
Hinge From Edge Lets you perform a manual hinge operation via direct
manipulation in the viewport. Make a polygon selection, click this button,
and then drag vertically on any edge to hinge the selection. The mouse cursor
changes to a cross when over an edge.

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2305

The hinge edge needn't be part of the selection. It can be any edge of the mesh. Also,
the selection needn't be contiguous.

Hinging polygons rotates them about an edge and creates new polygons that
form the sides of the hinge, connecting the selection to the object. It's
essentially an extrusion with rotation, with the exception that, if the hinge
edge belongs to a selected polygon, that side is not extruded. The manual
version of Hinge From Edge works only with an existing polygon selection.
TIP To avoid inadvertently hinging about a backfacing edge, turn on Ignore
Backfacing.

Hinge Settings Opens the Hinge From Edge caddy on page 2362, which lets
you hinge polygons via interactive manipulation.
If you click this button after performing a manual hinge, the dialog opens
with Angle set to the extent of the last manual hinge.
Extrude Along Spline Extrudes the current selection along a spline.

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You can extrude a single polygon (1) or a selection of contiguous (2) or non-contiguous
polygons (3). Extrusion 2 uses Taper Curve and Twist (available via Settings). Extrusion
3 uses Taper Amount; each extrusion has a different curve rotation.

Make a selection, click Extrude Along/On Spline, and then select a spline in
the scene. The selection is extruded along the spline, using the spline's current
orientation, but as though the spline's start point were moved to the center
of each polygon or group.
Extrude Along Spline Settings Opens the Extrude Along Spline caddy
on page 2356, which lets you extrude along splines via interactive manipulation.
Edit Triangulation Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into
triangles by drawing internal edges.

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2307

In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and
change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon.

To manually edit triangulation, turn on this button. The hidden edges appear.
Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor.
Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon.
Retriangulate Lets 3ds Max automatically do its best triangulation on the
polygon or polygons currently selected.

Retriangulate attempts to optimize how selected polygons are subdivided into triangles.

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Turn Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by clicking
diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals on page 9136 become visible
as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a
diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport
or click the Turn button again.
Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking
a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But
changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate
position available to a diagonal.
For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see
this procedure on page 1310.

Edit Geometry rollout

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2309

For detailed descriptions of these controls, see Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh
and Edit Poly)edit geometry rollouteditable polyeditable polyedit geometry
rollout on page 1352.

Polygon: Material IDs rollout

Set ID Lets you assign a particular material ID on page 9217 number to selected
polygons for use with multi/sub-object materials on page 6542 and other
applications. Use the spinner or enter the number from the keyboard. The
total number of available IDs is 65,535.
Select ID Selects polygons corresponding to the Material ID specified in the
adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID, then click the Select
ID button.
[Select By Name] This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an
object has a Multi/Sub-Object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow
and choose a sub-material from the list. The sub-objects that are assigned that
material are selected. If an object does not have a Multi/Sub-Object material
assigned, the name list is unavailable. Likewise, if multiple objects are selected
that have an Edit Patch, Edit Spline, or Edit Mesh modifier applied, the name
list is inactive.
NOTE Sub-material names are those specified in the Name column on the
material's Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout; these are not created by
default, and must be specified separately from any material names.
Clear Selection When on, choosing a new ID or material name deselects any
previously selected sub-objects. When off, selections are cumulative, so new
ID or sub-material name selections add to the existing selection set of patches
or elements. Default=on.

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Polygon: Smoothing Groups rollout

Use these controls to assign selected polygons to different smoothing groups
on page 9310, and to select polygons by smoothing group.
To assign polygons to one or more smoothing groups, select the polygons,
and then click the number(s) of the smoothing group(s) to assign them to.
Select By SG (Smoothing Group) Displays a dialog that shows the current
smoothing groups. Select all polygons that belong to a group by clicking the
corresponding numbered button and clicking OK.
If Clear Selection is on, any previously selected polygons are first deselected.
If Clear Selection is off, the new selection is added to any existing selection.
Clear All Removes any smoothing group assignments from selected polygons.
Auto Smooth Sets the smoothing groups based on the angle between polygons.
Any two adjacent polygons will be put in the same smoothing group if the
angle between their normals is less than the threshold angle, set by the spinner
to the right of this button.
Threshold This spinner (to the right of Auto Smooth) lets you specify the
maximum angle between the normals of adjacent polygons that determines
whether those polygons will be put in the same smoothing group.

Polygon: Vertex Colors rollout

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) | 2311

Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha
(transparency) values of vertices on selected polygons or elements.
Color Click the color swatch to change the color of vertices on selected
polygons or elements.
Illumination Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of
vertices on selected polygons or elements. This lets you change the illumination
without changing the vertex's color.
Alpha Lets you assign an alpha (transparency) value to vertices on selected
polygons or elements.
The spinner value is a percentage; zero is completely transparent and 100 is
completely opaque.

Subdivision Surface rollout
For information about the Subdivision Surface rollout settings, see Subdivision
Surface Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision surface rollouteditable polyeditable
polysubdivision surface rollout on page 2327.

Subdivision Displacement rollout
For information about the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings, see
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)subdivision displacement
rollouteditable polyeditable polysubdivision displacement rollout on page 2332.

Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto
object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout
(Polymesh)editable polypaint deformation rolloutedit polypaint deformation
rolloutrolloutspaint deformationpaint deformation rollout on page 2334.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly)
Create or select an editable poly or Edit Poly object. ➤
➤ Edit Geometry rollout

Modify panel

The Edit Geometry rollout provides global controls for changing the geometry
of the poly object, at either the top (Object) level or the sub-object levels. The
controls are the same at all levels, except as noted in the descriptions below.

2312 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Repeat Last Repeats the most recently used command.
For example, if you extrude a polygon, and want to apply the same extrusion
to several others, select the others, and then click Repeat Last.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2313

You can apply a spline extrusion of a single polygon (left) repeatedly to other single
polygons (1) or to multiple polygon selections, contiguous (2) or not (3).

NOTE Repeat Last does not repeat all operations. For example, it does not repeat
transforms. To determine which command will be repeated when you click the
button, check the tooltip for the Repeat Last button on the command panel, which
gives the name of the last operation that can be repeated. If no tooltip appears,
nothing will happen when you click the button.
Constraints Lets you use existing geometry to constrain sub-object
transformation. Choose the constraint type:
■

None: No constraints. This is the default option.

■

Edge: Constrains sub-object transformations to edge boundaries.

■

Face: Constrains sub-object transformations to individual face surfaces.

■

Normal: Constrains each sub-object’s transformations to its normal, or the
average of its normals. In most cases, this causes sub-objects to move
perpendicular to the surface.
NOTE This constraint works like the Push modifier on page 1588, including the
fact that it operates on unmodified base normals. Edited normals are
unsupported.

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When set to Edge, moving a vertex will slide it along one of the existing edges,
depending on the direction of the transformation. If set to Face, the vertex moves only
on the polygon’s surface.

NOTE You can set constraints at the Object level, but their use pertains primarily
to sub-object levels. The Constraints setting persists at all sub-object levels.
Preserve UVs When on, you can edit sub-objects without affecting the object's
UV mapping. You can choose any of an object's mapping channels to preserve
or not; see Preserve UVs Settings, following. Default=off.
Without Preserve UVs, there is always a direct correspondence between an
object's geometry and its UV mapping. For example, if you map an object and
then move vertices, the texture moves along with the sub-objects, whether
you want it to or not. If you turn on Preserve UVs, you can perform minor
editing tasks without changing the mapping.

Original object with texture map (left); Scaled vertices with Preserve UVs off (center);
Scaled vertices with Preserve UVs on (right)

TIP For best results with Preserve UVs at the vertex level, use it for limited vertex
editing. For example, you'll usually have no trouble moving a vertex within edge
or face constraints. Also, it's better to perform one big move than several smaller
moves, as multiple small moves can begin to distort the mapping. If, however,
you need to perform extensive geometry editing while preserving mapping, use
the Channel Info utility on page 6936 instead.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2315

Preserve UVs Settings Opens the Preserve Map Channels dialog on page
2367, which lets you specify which vertex color channels and/or texture channels
(map channels) to preserve. By default, all vertex color channels are off (not
preserved), and all texture channels are on (preserved).
Create Lets you create new geometry. How this button behaves depends on
which level is active:
■

Object, Polygon, and Element levelsLets you add polygons in the active
viewport. After you turn on Create, click three or more times in succession
anywhere, including on existing vertices, to define the shape of the new
polygon. To finish, right-click.
While creating a polygon at the Polygon or Element level, you can delete
the most recently added vertex by pressing Backspace. You can do this
repeatedly to remove added vertices in reverse order of placement.
You can start creating polygons in any viewport, but all subsequent clicks
must take place in the same viewport.
TIP For best results, click vertices in counterclockwise (preferred) or clockwise
order. If you use clockwise order, the new polygon will face away from you.

■

Vertex levelLets you add vertices to a single selected poly object. After
selecting the object and clicking Create, click anywhere in space to add
free-floating (isolated) vertices to the object. The new vertices are placed
on the active construction plane unless object snapping is on. For example,
with face snapping on, you can create vertices on object faces.

■

Edge and Border levelsLets you create an edge between a pair of
non-adjacent vertices on the same polygon. Click Create, click a vertex,
and then move the mouse. A rubber-band line extends from the vertex to
the mouse cursor. Click a second, non-adjacent vertex on the same polygon
to connect them with an edge. Repeat, or, to exit, right-click in the viewport
or click Create again.
Edges you create separate the polygons. For example, by creating an edge
inside a quadrilateral polygon, you turn it into two triangles.

Collapse (Vertex, Edge, Border, and Polygon levels only) Collapses groups
of contiguous selected sub-objects by welding their vertices to a vertex at the
selection center.

2316 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Using collapse on a vertex selection

Using collapse on a polygon selection

Attach Lets you attach other objects in the scene to the selected poly object.
After activating Attach, click an object to attach to the selected object. Attach
remains active, so you can continue clicking objects to attach them. To exit,
right-click in the active viewport or click the Attach button again.
You can attach any type of object, including splines, patch objects, and NURBS
surfaces. Attaching a non-mesh object converts it to editable-poly format.
When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in
the following way:
■

If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits
the material of the object it is being attached to.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2317

Handle inherits material from the cup it is being attached to.

■

Likewise, if the object you're attaching to doesn't have a material, it inherits
the material of the object being attached.

■

If both objects have materials, the resulting new material is a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 that includes the input materials. A
dialog appears offering three methods of combining the objects' materials
and material IDs. For more information, see Attach Options Dialog on
page 2232.
Attach remains active in all sub-object levels, but always applies to objects.

Attach List Lets you attach other objects in the scene to the selected
mesh. Click to open the Attach List dialog, which works like Select From Scene
on page 184 to let you choose multiple objects to attach.

2318 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Upper left: Shaded view of model
Upper right: Wireframe view of model
Lower left: Model with objects attached
Lower right: Subsequent multi/sub-object material

Detach (sub-object levels only) Detaches the selected sub–objects and the
polygons attached to them as a separate object or element(s).
With an Editable Poly object, when you click Detach, the software prompts
you for the options specified on the Detach dialog. With an Edit Poly object,
Detach on the Modify panel automatically uses those settings. To change
them, click Detach Settings (see following).

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2319

Detach Settings Opens the Detach dialog on page 1367, which lets you set
several options. Available only with Edit Poly objects; with Editable Poly, this
dialog opens automatically when you click Detach.

Cut and Slice group
These knife-like tools let you subdivide the poly mesh along a plane (Slice) or
in a specific area (Cut). Also see Full Interactivity on page 1366.
Slice Plane (sub-object levels only) Creates a gizmo for a slice plane that you
can position and rotate to specify where to slice. Also enables the Slice and
Reset Plane buttons; click Slice to create new edges where the plane intersects
the geometry.
If you use Slice Plane from the modeling ribbon, the Slice, Split, and Reset
Plane controls are available on the Slice Mode contextual panel on page 2049.
If snapping is off, you see a preview of the slice as you transform the slice
plane. To perform the slice, click the Slice button.
NOTE At the Polygon or Element sub-object level, Slice Plane affects only selected
polygons. To slice the entire object, use Slice Plane at any other sub-object level,
or at the object level.
Split When on, the QuickSlice and Cut operations create double sets of vertices
at the points where the edges are divided. This lets you easily delete the new
polygons to create holes, or animate the new polygons as separate elements.
Slice (sub-object levels only) Performs the slice operation at the location of
the slice plane. Available only when Slice Plane is on. This tool slices the poly
just like the “Operate On: Polygons” mode of the Slice modifier on page 1676.

2320 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Left: Using Slice; Right: After slicing and moving the pieces apart

Reset Plane (sub-object levels only) Returns the Slice plane to its default
position and orientation. Available only when Slice Plane is on.
QuickSlice Lets you quickly slice the object without having to manipulate a
gizmo. Make a selection, click QuickSlice, and then click once at the slice start
point and again at its endpoint. You can continue slicing the selection while
the command is active.
To stop slicing, right-click in the viewport, or click QuickSlice again to turn
it off.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2321

With Quickslice on, you can draw a line across your mesh in any viewport, including
Perspective and Camera views. The mesh is sliced interactively as you move the line
endpoint.

NOTE At the Object level, QuickSlice affects the entire object. To slice only specific
polygons, use QuickSlice on a polygon selection at the Poly sub-object level.
NOTE At the Polygon or Element sub-object level, QuickSlice affects only selected
polygons. To slice the entire object, use QuickSlice at any other sub-object level,
or at the object level.
Cut Lets you create edges from one polygon to another or within polygons.
Click at the start point, move the mouse and click again, and continue moving
and clicking to create new connected edges. Right-click once to exit the current
cut, whereupon you can start a new one, or right-click again to exit Cut mode.
While cutting, the mouse cursor icon changes to show the type of sub-object
it’s over, to which the cut will be made when you click. The following
illustration shows the three different cursor icons.

2322 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Top: Cutting to a vertex
Center: Cutting to an edge
Bottom: Cutting to a polygon
Cut is available at the object level and all sub-object levels.

NOTE You can use Cut with Turn for enhanced productivity. For more information,
see this procedure on page 1310.

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2323

_____
MSmooth Smoothes the object using the current settings. This command
uses subdivision functionality similar to that of the MeshSmooth modifier on
page 1450 with NURMS Subdivision, but unlike NURMS subdivision, it applies
the smoothing instantly to the selected area of the control mesh.

Smoothing a low-poly object with NURMS subdivision

MSmooth Settings Opens the MeshSmooth Selection dialog on page 2365,
which lets you specify how smoothing is applied.
Tessellate Subdivides all polygons in the object based on the Tessellation
settings on page 2371.
Tessellation is useful for increasing local mesh density while modeling. You
can subdivide any selection of polygons. Two tessellation methods are
available: Edge and Face.
Tessellate Settings Opens the Tessellate caddy on page 2371, which lets
you specify how smoothing is applied.
Make Planar Forces all selected sub-objects to be coplanar. The plane's normal
is the average surface normal of the selection.
At the Object level, forces all vertices in the object to become coplanar.
TIP One application for Make Planar is making a flat side on an object. Normally,
you would use a contiguous selection set. If the selection includes vertices on
various parts of the object, the vertices are still made planar, but with distorting
effects on the rest of the geometry.

2324 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

X/Y/Z Makes all selected sub-objects planar and aligns the plane with the
corresponding plane in the object's local coordinate system. The plane used
is the one to which the button axis is perpendicular; so, for example, clicking
the X button aligns the object with the local YZ axis.
At the Object level, makes all vertices in the object planar.
View Align Aligns all vertices in the object to the plane of the active viewport.
At sub-object levels, this function affects only selected vertices or those
belonging to selected sub-objects.
In orthographic viewports, aligning to the view has the same effect as aligning
to the construction grid when the home grid is active. Aligning to a perspective
viewport (including camera and light views), reorients the vertices to a plane
that is parallel to the camera's viewing plane. This plane is perpendicular to
the view direction that is closest to the vertices' average position.

Above: Selected polygons in Perspective view
Below: Same polygons aligned to Front view

Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly) | 2325

Grid Align Aligns all vertices in the selected object to the plane of the current
view. At sub-object levels, aligns only selected sub-objects.
This command aligns the selected vertices to the current construction plane.
The current plane is specified by the active viewport in the case of the home
grid. When using a grid object, the current plane is the active grid object.
Relax Applies the Relax function to the current selection, using the current
Relax settings (see following). Relax normalizes mesh spacing by moving each
vertex toward the average location of its neighbors. It works the same way as
the Relax modifier on page 1591.
At the object level, Relax applies to the entire object. At sub-object levels,
Relax applies only to the current selection.
Relax Settings Opens the Relax caddy on page 2369, which lets you specify
how the Relax function is applied.
Hide Selected (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only) Hides selected
sub-objects.
Unhide All (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only) Restores hidden
sub-objects to visibility.
Hide Unselected (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only) Hides
unselected sub-objects.

Named Selections (sub-object levels only)
Lets you copy and paste named selection sets of sub-objects between objects.
Start by creating one or more named selection sets, copy one, select a different
object, go to the same sub-object level, and then paste the set.
NOTE This function uses sub-object IDs, so if the target object's geometry differs
from that of the source object, the pasted selection will probably comprise a
different set of sub-objects.
For more information, see Named Selection Sets on page 163.
Copy Opens a dialog that lets you specify a named selection set to place into
the copy buffer.
Paste Pastes the named selection from the copy buffer.

_____
Delete Isolated Vertices (Edge, Border, Polygon, and Element levels
only) When on, deletes isolated vertices when you delete a selection of

2326 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

contiguous sub-objects. When off, deleting sub-objects leaves all vertices intact.
Default=on.
Full Interactivity (editable poly only) Toggles the level of feedback for the
QuickSlice and Cut tools, as well as all settings dialogs and caddies. Available
with editable poly objects, but not the Edit Poly modifier.
When on (the default), 3ds Max updates the viewport in real time as you use
the mouse to manipulate the tool or change a numeric setting. With Cut and
QuickSlice, when Full Interactivity is off, only the rubber-band line is visible
until you click. Similarly, with numeric settings in caddies, the final result is
visible only when you release the mouse button after changing the setting.
The state of Full Interactivity doesn't affect changing a numeric setting from
the keyboard. Whether it's on or off, the setting takes effect only when you
exit the field by pressing Tab or Enter, or by clicking a different control in the
dialog.

Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh)
Create or select an editable poly object. ➤
Subdivision Surface rollout

Modify panel ➤

Applies subdivision to the object in the style of MeshSmooth on page 1450, so
you can work on a lower-resolution "cage" mesh and simultaneously see a
smoother, subdivided result. This rollout is available at all sub-object levels,
as well as at the object level, and always affects the entire object.

Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh) | 2327

Interface

Smooth Result Applies the same smoothing group to all polygons.
Use NURMS Subdivision Applies smoothing via the NURMS method. See
NURMS on page 1453. The difference between NURMS in Editable Poly and
MeshSmooth is that the latter gives you access to control vertices, but the
former does not.
You control the degree of smoothing with the Iterations controls in the Display
and Render groups.
NOTE The remaining controls on this rollout take effect only when Use NURMS
Subdivision is on.
Isoline Display When on, 3ds Max displays only isolines: the object's original
edges, before smoothing. The benefit of using this option is a less cluttered
display. When off, 3ds Max displays all faces added by NURMS Subdivision;

2328 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

thus, higher Iterations settings (see Display group on page 2330) result in a
greater number of lines. Default=on.

Smoothed box with Isoline Display off (left) and Isoline Display on (right).

NOTE Applying a modifier to an Editable Poly object cancels the effect of the
Isoline Display option; the wireframe display reverts to showing all polygons in
the object. This is not, however, always the case with the MeshSmooth modifier.
Most deformation and mapping modifiers maintain the isoline display, but others,
such as the selection modifiers (except Volume Select) and the Turn To ... modifiers,
cause the interior edges to be displayed.
Show Cage Toggles the display of a two-color wireframe that shows the
editable poly object before modification or subdivision. The cage colors are
shown as swatches to the right of the check box. The first color represents
unselected sub-objects, and the second color represents selected sub-objects.
Change a color by clicking its swatch.

Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh) | 2329

The cage displays the original structure of the edited object.

Typically this feature is used in conjunction with the NURMS Subdivision
feature, or with the MeshSmooth modifier on page 1450, because it lets you
easily toggle visibility of the unsmoothed base object while simultaneously
viewing the smoothed result, but it works with any modifier. When used with
a modifier, turn on Show End Result to make Show Cage available.
TIP Show Cage is particularly helpful when used with the Symmetry modifier on
page 1752.

Display group
Iterations Sets the number of iterations used to smooth the poly object. Each
iteration generates all polygons using the vertices created from the previous
iteration. Range=0 to 10.
When the Iterations check box in the Render group (see following) is off, this
setting controls iterations both in the viewports and at render time. When
the check box is on, this setting controls iterations only in the viewports.

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WARNING Use caution when increasing the number of iterations. The number
of vertices and polygons in an object (and thus the calculation time) can increase
as much as four times for each iteration. Applying four iterations to even a
moderately complex object can take a long time to calculate. To stop calculation
and revert to the previous iteration setting, press Esc.
Smoothness Determines how sharp a corner must be before polygons are
added to smooth it. A value of 0.0 prevents the creation of any polygons. A
value of 1.0 adds polygons to all vertices even if they lie on a plane.
When the Smoothness check box in the Render group (see following) is off,
this setting controls smoothness both in the viewports and at render time.
When the check box is on, this setting controls smoothness only in the
viewports.

Render group
Applies a different number of smoothing iterations and/or a different
Smoothness value to the object at render time.
TIP Use a low number of iterations and/or a lower Sharpness value for modeling,
and higher values for rendering. This lets you work quickly with a low-resolution
object in the viewports, while producing a smoother object for rendering.
Iterations Lets you choose a different number of smoothing iterations on
page 2330 to be applied to the object at render time. Turn on Iterations, and
then use the spinner to its right to set the number of iterations.
Smoothness Lets you choose a different Smoothness on page 2331 value to be
applied to the object at render time. Turn on Smoothness, and then use the
spinner to its right to set the smoothness value.

Separate By group
Smoothing Groups Prevents the creation of new polygons at edges between
faces that don't share at least one smoothing group.
Materials Prevents the creation of new polygons for edges between faces that
do not share Material IDs.

Update Options group
Sets manual or render-time update options, for situations where the complexity
of the smoothed object is too high for automatic updates.

Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh) | 2331

TIP You can also use the Iterations settings in the Render group to set a greater
degree of smoothing to be applied only at render time.
Update Option Choose how the software is to update the mesh:
■

AlwaysUpdates the object automatically whenever you change any
MeshSmooth settings.

■

When RenderingUpdates the viewport display of the object only at render
time.

■

ManuallyAny settings you change don't take effect until you click the
Update button.

Update Updates the object in the viewport to match the current MeshSmooth
settings. Works only when you choose When Rendering or Manually.

Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)
Create or select an editable poly object. ➤
Subdivision Displacement rollout

Modify panel ➤

Create or select an editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Subdivision
panel ➤ Activate Use Displacement. ➤ Displacement panel
Specifies surface approximation settings for subdividing an editable poly object.
These controls work like the surface approximation settings for NURBS on
page 2433 surfaces. They are used when you apply a displacement map on page
6482 to the editable poly object.
NOTE These settings differ from the Subdivision Surface rollout on page 2327 settings
in that, while the latter are applied at the same modifier-stack level as the mesh,
subdivision displacement is always applied at the top of the stack, when the mesh
is used for rendering. So, for example, applying the Symmetry modifier to an
object that uses surface subdivision would affect the subdivided mesh, but would
not affect an object that uses subdivision displacement only.
TIP By default, subdivision displacement is visible only when the object is rendered.
To see the results of displacement in the viewports, apply the Displace Mesh
modifier on page 1005.

2332 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Subdivision Displacement rollout
on command panel

Displacement panel on modeling
ribbon

Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh) | 2333

Subdivision Displacement When on, polygons are subdivided to accurately
displace the poly object, using the method and settings you specify in the
Subdivision Presets and Subdivision Method groups. When off, the poly is
displaced by moving existing vertices, the way the Displace modifier on page
1255 does. Default=off.
NOTE On the modeling ribbon, this control is available as the Subdivision panel
➤ Use Displacement on page 2101 button.
Split Mesh Affects the seams of displaced poly objects; also affects texture
mapping. When on, the poly object is split into individual polygons before
it is displaced; this helps preserve texture mapping. When off, the poly is not
split and an internal method is used to assign texture mapping. Default=on.
TIP This parameter is required because of an architectural limitation in the way
displacement mapping works. Turning Split Mesh on is usually the better technique,
but it can cause problems for objects with clearly distinct faces, such as boxes, or
even spheres. A box's sides might separate as they displace outward, leaving gaps.
And a sphere might split along its longitudinal edge (found in the rear for spheres
created in the Top view) unless you turn off Split Mesh. However, texture mapping
works unpredictably when Split Mesh is off, so you might need to add a Displace
Mesh modifier on page 1005 and make a snapshot on page 888 of the poly. You
would then apply a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 and then reassign mapping
coordinates to the displaced snapshot poly.

Subdivision Presets group & Subdivision Method group
These settings determine how 3ds Max applies the displacement map when
Subdivision Displacement is on. They are identical to the Tessellation settings
on the Surface Approximation rollout on page 2762 used for NURBS surfaces.

Paint Deformation Rollout (Polymesh)
Edit/Editable Poly object ➤ Paint Deformation rollout
Paint Deformation lets you push, pull, or otherwise affect vertices by dragging
the mouse cursor over the object surface. At the object level, Paint Deformation
affects all vertices in the selected object. At sub-object levels, it affects only
selected vertices (or vertices that belong to selected sub-objects), and recognizes
soft selection.
By default, deformation occurs in the normal on page 9237 direction of each
vertex. 3ds Max continues to use a vertex's original normal for the direction

2334 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

of deformation, but you can opt to use the altered normal direction for a more
dynamic modeling process, or even deform along a specific axis.
NOTE Paint Deformation cannot be animated.
TIP You can streamline the painting process by using the Brush Presets tools on
page 8633.

Procedures
To paint deformation onto a mesh object:
1 Apply an Edit Poly modifier on page 1274 to an object, or convert the object
to Editable Poly on page 2240 format. Paint Deformation uses existing
geometry, so the object should have enough mesh resolution for the
desired deformation.
2 Do either of the following:
■

To deform anywhere on the object, remain at the object level, or work
at a sub-object level with no sub-objects selected.

■

To deform only specific areas of an object, go to a sub-object level
and then select the sub-objects in the area to deform.

3 On the Paint Deformation rollout, click Push/Pull.
4 Set Push/Pull value to a negative value to push into the object surface,
or to a positive value to pull the surface outward. The higher the absolute
value, the greater the effect.
5 Set Brush Size and Brush Strength.
6 Position the mouse cursor over the surface to be deformed.
As you move the mouse, the “brush” reorients dynamically to show the
normal direction of the portion of the mesh currently under the cursor.
You can use the normal direction of deformed surfaces as the push/pull
direction by choosing Deformed Normals.
7 Press the mouse button and drag to deform the surface. If you paint in
the same spot repeatedly without lifting the mouse button, the effect is
cumulative up to the maximum Push/Pull Value setting.

Paint Deformation Rollout (Polymesh) | 2335

Interface

Paint Deformation has three modes of operation: Push/Pull, Relax, and Revert.
Only one of these modes can be active at a time. The remaining settings control
the effect of the active deformation mode.
For any mode, choose the mode, change settings as necessary, and then drag
the cursor over the object to paint the deformation.
To paint deformation anywhere on the object, remain at the object level, or
work at a sub-object level with no sub-objects selected. To deform only specific
areas of an object, go to a sub-object level and select the sub-objects in the
area to deform.
Push/Pull Moves vertices into the object surface (push) or out of the surface
(pull). The direction and extent of pushing or pulling is determined by the
Push/Pull Value setting.
TIP To reverse the Push/Pull direction while painting, press and hold Alt.
NOTE Push/Pull supports soft selection in that effective strength falls off with the
selection value of soft-selected sub-objects.

2336 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Relax Normalizes the distances between vertices by moving each vertex to a
position calculated from the average of its neighbors. Relax uses the same
method as the Relax modifier on page 1591.
Use Relax to push apart vertices that are too close together, or to pull together
vertices that are too far apart.
Revert Lets you gradually “erase” or reverse the effects of Push/Pull or Relax
by painting. Affects only vertices deformed since the most recent Commit
operation. If no vertices qualify for reversion, the Revert button is unavailable.
TIP You can switch to Revert mode temporarily by pressing and holding the Ctrl
key while painting deformation in Push/Pull or Relax mode.

Push/Pull Direction group
This setting lets you specify whether pushing or pulling vertices occurs with
respect to surface normals, original or deformed, or along a specific axis.
Default=Original Normals.
Painting deformations with Original Normals typically moves vertices
perpendicular to the original surface; using Deformed Normals tends to move
vertices outward after their initial deformation, resulting in a “puffy” effect.
Original Normals When chosen, pushing or pulling a vertex moves it in the
direction of its normal before deformation. Repeated applications of Paint
Deformation always move each vertex in the same direction it moved
originally.
Deformed Normals When chosen, pushing or pulling a vertex moves it in
the current direction of the normal; that is, after deformation.
Transform axis X/Y/Z When chosen, pushing or pulling a vertex moves it
along the specified axis, using the current reference coordinate system on
page 860.

_____
Push/Pull Value Determines the direction and maximum extent of a single
application of the push/pull operation. Positive values “pull” vertices out of
the object surface, and negative values “push” vertices into the surface. Default
=10.0.
A single application is defined as painting (that is, dragging once or more over
the same area) without lifting the mouse button.

Paint Deformation Rollout (Polymesh) | 2337

TIP You can use Alt to switch between pushing and pulling with the same value
while painting. For example, if you're pulling with a value of 8.5, press and hold
Alt to start pushing with a value of -8.5.
Brush Size Sets the radius of the circular brush. Only vertices inside the brush
circle are deformed. Default=20.0.
TIP To change the brush radius interactively, release the mouse button, press and
hold Shift+Ctrl+left mouse button, and then drag the mouse. This also works with
all other painter-interface features in 3ds Max such as Skin ➤ Paint Weights and
VertexPaint.
Brush Strength Sets the rate at which the brush applies the Push/Pull value.
A low Strength value applies the effect more slowly than a high value.
Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=1.0.
TIP To change the brush strength interactively, release the mouse button, press
and hold Shift+Alt+left mouse button, and then drag the mouse. This also works
with all other painter-interface features in 3ds Max such as Skin ➤ Paint Weights
and VertexPaint.
Brush Options Click this button to open the Painter Options dialog on page
1940, where you can set various brush-related parameters.
Commit Makes any deformation changes permanent, “baking” them into
the object geometry. After using Commit, you can no longer apply Revert to
changes up to that point.
Cancel Eliminates all changes since the initial application of Paint Deformation
or the most recent Commit operation.

Editable Poly Settings
These topics describe settings for tools for editing Editable Polymesh surfaces.
The settings are used in Interactive Manipulation mode on page 1280, in which
you can adjust settings parametrically and see the results immediately in the
viewports.

2338 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The Caddy Interface

Most settings described in this section use the caddy, a new “in-canvas”
interface that comprises a dynamic label and a set of buttons superimposed
on the viewport. The caddy supplants the previous settings dialogs, which are
no longer available.
NOTE You can also use the caddy in Manipulate mode to adjust Soft Selection
properties and certain sub-object settings. For details, see Select And Manipulate
on page 2868.
You use familiar mouse-based methods for adjusting caddy settings, including
clicking and dragging spinners, drop-down lists, and keyboard entry. However,
it’s important to understand the specifics of interacting with the caddy
interface as detailed following:
■

The caddy label appears at the top in white text on a dark background,
and specifies the feature name (for example, Extrude Polygons) when the
mouse cursor isn’t over any control. When the mouse cursor is over a
control, the label displays the control name.

Editable Poly Settings | 2339

Left: The mouse cursor is not over a control, so the caddy label
shows the feature name.
Right: The mouse cursor is over the Height control.

■

The caddy first appears near the sub-object selection. If you change the
selection, or move the object or navigate the navigate the viewport, the
caddy moves with it. However, if you navigate the viewport so that the
object is beyond its edges, the caddy remains within the viewport.
To reposition the caddy, drag it by the title. Thereafter it remains in that
position relative to the selection. This offset applies to all caddies for all
objects.

■

A numeric control appears by default as a button containing an icon that
depicts the control and the current value; for example, the Height control
in the Extrude Polygons caddy:

When the mouse cursor is over the control, the icon changes to a pair of
arrows pointing left and right:

The arrows function as a horizontal version of the standard spinner on
page 8570 control in 3ds Max. Drag left or right to decrease or increase the
value, respectively, or click either arrow to change the value by a small
increment. While dragging, right-click to restore the previous value. To
increase or decrease the rate of change, Ctrl+drag or Alt+ drag, respectively.
You can also right-click the arrows to reset the value to 0 or a reasonable
default value, depending on the control.

2340 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

When the mouse cursor is over the displayed value, it changes to a text
cursor. To edit the value with the keyboard, click or double-click and then
enter a new value. To finish editing and accept the new value, press Enter,
or, to cancel and exit, press Esc.
Undo (Ctrl+Z) works normally with changes made by either method.
■

A control that represents a choice, such as Group / Local Normal / By
Polygon in Extrude Polygons, appears as an icon showing the active choice
along with a downward-pointing arrow. To cycle through the available
choices, click the icon repeatedly; the caddy label changes to show the
current choice. To choose from a list, click the arrow.

Click the arrow to open the list.

A choice setting can be accompanied by additional controls that are
available only when a certain option is active. When a different option is
active, the caddy buttons for the additional controls are dark, but you can
still see a control name by positioning the mouse over it.
■

Some controls are toggles that can be on or off, like check boxes in the
standard interface. These have a check mark on the caddy button. When
the check mark is an outline, the switch is off, and when the check mark
is solid, the switch is on.
A toggle can be accompanied by additional controls that are available only
when the control is on. When the toggle is off, the caddy buttons for the
additional controls are dark, but you can still see a control name by
positioning the mouse over it.

■

Another control type is the Pick button, like the Pick Spline control in
Extrude Along Spline. To use a Pick button, first click it; the outline turns
blue. Next select the item to pick. After that, the circle outline on the
button is filled in and the control label changes to the name of the object
you picked. To pick a different object, repeat the process.

Editable Poly Settings | 2341

NOTE The Pick button remembers the current picked object on a per-object
basis. So, for example, if you use Extrude Along Spline with one poly object,
then select a different one, you’ll need to pick a spline again. But if you return
to the first poly object, the spline you used before is still picked.

Settings Persistence
With the following exception, settings persist throughout the current session
and affect subsequent use of the related tool. For example, if you change the
Segments value for the Bridge tool, and then use the tool subsequently in
Direct Manipulation mode on page 1280, the altered Segments value is applied
automatically.
The exception is where you apply a setting directly, typically by dragging on
a sub-object. For example, changing the Chamfer Amount setting with the
caddy doesn’t apply to chamfering a sub-object directly, because you set the
amount by dragging.

Bevel Polygons (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤

Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤ Bevel ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon sub-object level ➤
Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤

Bevel ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

level ➤ Polygons panel ➤ Shift+click
Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon) sub-object

(Bevel) or choose Bevel

Beveling involves first extruding polygons and then scaling the extruded
polygons. Use these settings for beveling polygons in Interactive Manipulation
mode.

2342 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

[Bevel Type] From the drop-down list, choose the method for beveling
multiple polygons at once:
■

GroupBeveling takes place along the average normal of each
contiguous group of polygons. If you bevel multiples of such groups, each
group moves along its own averaged normal.

Local NormalBeveling takes place along each selected polygon's

■

normal.

■

By PolygonBevels each polygon individually.

Height Specifies the extent of the extrusion in scene units
on page 9295. You can extrude selected polygons outward or inward, depending
on whether the value is positive or negative.

Outline Amount Makes the outer border of selected polygons
bigger or smaller, depending on whether the value is positive or negative.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Editable Poly Settings | 2343

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Bridge Borders/Polygons (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤
Polygon or Border sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤ Bridge ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon or Border sub-object
level ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Bridge ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

(Polygon) or

(Border) sub-object level ➤ Polygons or Border Edges panel ➤

Shift+click
list.

(Bridge) or choose Bridge Settings from the drop-down

Use these settings for bridging pairs of polygons, polygon selections, or borders
in Interactive Manipulation mode.
NOTE Bridge calculates which way the bridge polygons should face. If you bridge
two sub-objects so that the bridge goes through the object, the bridge polygons
face inward. But if you create a bridge that goes through empty space, such as
when connecting sub-objects between two elements, the polygons face outward.
To reverse the facing of bridge polygons, use the Flip on page 1345 function.

2344 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Examples of an internal bridge (left) and an external bridge (right), the latter connecting
two elements

NOTE Bridging two elements makes them contiguous, combining them into a
single element.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Editable Poly Settings | 2345

Bridge lets you use existing poly/border selections, or pick them with caddy
controls.
Segments Specifies the number of polygons along the length
of the bridge connection. This setting also applies to manually bridged
polygons.
TIP When using Taper, set Segments to a value greater than 1.

Taper Sets the extent to which the bridge width becomes
smaller or larger toward its center. Negative settings taper the bridge center
smaller; positive settings taper it larger.
NOTE To change the location of maximum taper, use the Bias setting.

Bias Determines the location of maximum taper amount.
The range of the Bias value is -99.0 to 99.0. At the default value of 0.0, the
taper amount is greatest at the center of the bridge. At -99.0, the taper amount
is greatest near the first selected polygon or border; at 99.0, it's greatest near
the second selected polygon or border.

Smooth Determines the maximum angle between columns
across which smoothing can occur. A column is a string of polygons extending
along the length of the bridge.

Twist 1 /
Twist 2 Rotates the order of
connection between the edges of the two selections. The two controls let you
set a different twist amount for each end of the bridge.
Use Selection / Use Specific [sub-objects] Choose whether to bridge
sub-objects that you choose with the caddy controls, or use an existing
selection. The options are:
■

Use Polygon/Border SelectionIf one or more qualifying selection
pairs exist, choosing this option connects them immediately. If not, you
can select pairs of sub-objects in a viewport to connect them.
If you make more than two qualifying selections, Bridge connects them
in increasing order of ID. For example, if you select polygon 12, 35, and

2346 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

89, Bridge connects polygons 12 and 35. But if you then deselect polygon
35, Bridge then connects polygons 12 and 89.

■

Use Specific Polygons/BordersIn this mode, use the Pick buttons
to designate polygons or borders for bridging.

Pick Polygon/Border 1/2 Click each Pick button in
turn, and then click a polygon or border edge in a viewport. At the Border
sub-object level, clicking any edge on a border designates the entire border
for bridging. Also, the edges you pick on each border are connected directly,
and the remaining edges are connected in consecutive order. You can change
the order of the edge correspondences with the Twist settings. Available only
in Use Specific mode.
After you pick a sub-object, the small circle on the Pick button changes
appearance from empty to filled in. You can change the selection at any time
by clicking the Pick button again and picking a different sub-object.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Editable Poly Settings | 2347

Bridge Edges (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤
Polygon or Border sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤ Bridge ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon or Border sub-object
level ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Bridge ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

level ➤ Edges panel ➤ Shift+click
from the drop-down list.

(Edge) sub-object

(Bridge) or choose Bridge Settings

Use these settings for bridging pairs of edges in Interactive Manipulation mode.
NOTE Bridge calculates which way the bridge polygons should face. If you bridge
two edges so that the bridge goes through the object, the bridge polygons face
inward. But if you create a bridge that goes through empty space, such as when
connecting edges between two elements, the polygons face outward, in general.
To make the bridge polygons face differently, use the Flip function.
NOTE Bridging edges of two elements makes them contiguous, combining them
into a single element.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

2348 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Segments Specifies the number of polygons along the length
of the bridge connection. This setting also applies to manually bridged edges.

Smooth Specifies the maximum angle between columns
across which smoothing can occur. A column is a string of polygons extending
along the length of the bridge.

Bridge Adjacent Specifies the minimum angle between
adjacent edges across which bridging can occur. Edges less than this angle will
not be bridged, and instead will be skipped.

Top Left: Edge selections before bridging
Top Right: Segments=2, Bridge Adjacent<83.0

Editable Poly Settings | 2349

Bottom Left: Bridge Adjacent=83.0
Bottom Right: Bridge Adjacent=126.5

NOTE The preceding illustration shows, among other things, how setting Bridge
Adjacent too high can cause overlapping polygons (left side of the two bottom
images), which is undesirable.

Reverse Triangulation When bridging two edge selections, each
of which contains different numbers of edges, you can use either of two
methods of triangulating the bridge polygons. This toggle lets you switch
between the two methods.

Left: Reverse Triangulation on
Right: Reverse Triangulation off

Use Edge Selection / Bridge Specific Edges Choose whether to bridge edges
that you choose with the caddy controls, or use an existing selection. The
options are:
■

Use Edge SelectionIf one or more qualifying selection pairs
exist, choosing this option connects them immediately. If not, you can
select pairs of edges in a viewport to connect them.
If you make more than two qualifying selections, Bridge connects them
in increasing order of ID. For example, if you select edges 12, 35, and 89,
Bridge connects the first two. But if you then deselect edge 35, Bridge
connects edges 12 and 89.

■

Bridge Specific EdgesIn this mode, use the Pick buttons (see
following) to designate edges for bridging.

2350 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Pick Edge 1 / Pick Edge 2 Click each Pick button in
turn, and then click a border edge in a viewport. Available only in Bridge
Specific Edges mode.
After clicking an edge, the Pick button shows its ID number. You can change
the selection at any time by clicking a Pick button and picking a different
sub-object.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Chamfer Vertices/Edges/Borders (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤
Vertex/Edge/Border sub-object level ➤ Edit Vertices/Edges/Borders rollout
➤ Chamfer ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Vertex/Edge/Border sub-object
level ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Chamfer ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤
(Edge), or

(Vertex),

(Border) sub-object level ➤ Vertices, Edges, or Border Edges

Editable Poly Settings | 2351

panel ➤ Shift+click
drop-down list.

(Chamfer) or choose Chamfer Settings from the

Chamfering creates new faces around the chamfered entity, along with
connecting edges. Or, with the Open option, you can create an open (empty)
area instead. For vertices, edges, and borders, you can use the caddy to set the
chamfer amount numerically and to toggle the Open option. The Segments
setting applies only to edges and borders.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Chamfer Amount The extent of the chamfer. Default=1.0.

Segments (edges/borders only) Adds edges and polygons over
the area of the chamfer, and, with single chamfered edges, rounds off the
chamfer. By default, the chamfer uses a single segment, which covers the
chamfered area with a new polygon positioned diagonally with respect to the
original corner. The higher the Segments value you use, the more the chamfer
is rounded off.
If you chamfer two or more adjacent, open edges at a time, the rounding off
takes place only at open ends of the edges. No rounding takes place where
the edges meet.

Open When on, the chamfered area is deleted, leaving open space.
Default=off.

2352 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Connect Edges (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Edge

or Border sub-object level ➤ Edit Edges rollout ➤ Connect ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Edge or Border sub-object level
➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Connect ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

(Border) sub-object level ➤ Loops panel ➤ Shift+click
or choose Connect Settings from the drop-down list.

(Edge) or

(Connect)

Connecting edges creates new edges between adjacent pairs of selected edges.
The Connect Edges settings let you specify the number of new edges, the
amount of separation from each other, and their general location.
TIP Connecting edges, and in particular the Slide function, work best with ring
selections on page 1293.

Editable Poly Settings | 2353

Top left: Original edge selection
Top right: Segments=3, Pinch=Slide=0
Bottom left: Segments=3, Pinch=-50, Slide=0
Bottom right: Segments=3, Pinch=-50, Slide=–200

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

2354 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Segments The number of new edges between each adjacent
pair of selected edges. Default=1.

Pinch The relative spacing between the new, connecting
edges. Negative values move the edges closer together; positive values move
them farther apart. Default=0.
If Segments=1, the Pinch setting has no effect.

Slide The relative positioning of the new edges. Default=0.
By default, the new edges are centered. Positive values move them in one
direction, while negative values move them in the opposite direction. The
new edges cannot move beyond existing edges.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Editable Poly Settings | 2355

Extrude Polygons Along Spline (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤
Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤ Extrude Along Spline
➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon sub-object level ➤
Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤
(Settings)

Extrude Along Spline ➤

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

(Polygon)

sub-object level ➤ Polygons panel ➤ Shift+click
(Extrude On Spline)
or choose Extrude On Spline Settings from the drop-down list.
Use these settings for extruding polygons along splines in Interactive
Manipulation mode.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

2356 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Segments Specifies the number of polygons into which each
extruded side is subdivided. This setting also applies to manually extruded
polygons.

Taper Amount Sets the extent to which the extrusion
becomes smaller or larger along its length. Negative settings taper the extrusion
smaller; positive settings taper it larger.

Taper Curve Sets the rate at which the tapering proceeds.
Lower settings result in a more gradual taper; large settings result in a more
abrupt taper.
Taper Curve affects the thickness of the extrusion between its endpoints, but
not the size of the ends.

Twist Applies a twist along the length of the extrusion.
When using this option, increasing the number of segments will improve the
smoothness of the extrusion.

Align Aligns the extrusion with the face normal, which, in most
cases, makes it perpendicular to the extruded polygon(s). When turned off
(the default), the extrusion is oriented the same as the spline.

With Align To Face Normal, the extrusion does not follow the original orientation of
the spline (1); it’s reoriented to match the face normals (2), or averaged normals for

Editable Poly Settings | 2357

contiguous selections. The Rotation option is available only when Align To Face Normal
is on.

Rotation Sets the rotation of the extrusion. Available only
when Align To Face Normal is on. Default=0. Range=-360 to 360.

Pick Spline Click this button and then select a spline along which
to extrude in the viewport. The spline object's name then appears on the
button.
If you open this caddy after performing a manual Extrude Along Spline, the
name of the spline you used appears on the button.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Extrude Polygons (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤

Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤ Extrude ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon sub-object level ➤
Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Extrude ➤

2358 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

sub-object level ➤ Polygons panel ➤ Shift+click
Extrude Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon)

(Extrude) or choose

Use these settings for extruding polygons in Interactive Manipulation mode.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

[Extrusion Type] From the drop-down list, choose the method for extruding
multiple polygons at once:
■

GroupExtrusion takes place along the average normal of each
contiguous group of polygons. If you extrude multiples of such groups,
each group moves along its own averaged normal.

Local NormalExtrusion takes place along each selected polygon's

■

normal.

■

By PolygonExtrudes each polygon individually.

Extrusion Height Specifies the amount of the extrusion in
scene units on page 9295. You can extrude selected polygons outward or inward,
depending on whether the value is positive or negative.

Editable Poly Settings | 2359

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Extrude Vertices/Edges (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤
Modify panel ➤
Vertex/Edge/Border sub-object level ➤ Edit Vertices/Edges/Borders rollout
➤ Extrude ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Vertex/Edge/Border sub-object
level ➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Extrude ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

(Vertex) or

(Edge) sub-object level ➤ Vertices or Edges panel ➤ Shift+click

(Extrude) or choose Extrude Settings from the drop-down list.
Use these settings for extruding vertices, edges, and borders in Interactive
Manipulation mode.

2360 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE At the Border sub-object level, this caddy is named Extrude Edges.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Extrusion Height Specifies the amount of the extrusion in
scene units on page 9295.
You can extrude sub-objects outward or inward, depending on whether the
value is positive or negative.

Extrusion Base Width Specifies the size of the extrusion base
in scene units on page 9295.
You can set this as high as you want, but the actual size cannot extend beyond
the vertices adjacent to the extruded sub-object(s).

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Editable Poly Settings | 2361

Hinge From Edge (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤

Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤
➤ (Settings)

Hinge From Edge

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon sub-object level ➤
Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Hinge From Edge ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

level ➤ Polygons panel ➤ Shift+click
Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon) sub-object

(Hinge) or choose Hinge

Use these settings for hinging polygons in Interactive Manipulation mode.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Angle The rotation about the hinge. Hinge selected polygons
outward or inward by using a positive or negative value, respectively.

2362 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Segments Specifies the number of polygons into which each
extruded side is subdivided. This setting also applies to manually hinged
polygons.

Pick Hinge Click Pick Hinge, and then click an edge to be the
hinge. After you designate a hinge, the circle in the button icon is filled in,
and when you hover the mouse over the button, the label is “Edge #” where
# is the ID number of the hinge edge.
All subsequent hinge operations created from the caddy use this hinge. To
hinge multiple polygons, each from one of its own sides, you must reselect
the hinge each time.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Inset Polygons (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤

Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Polygons rollout ➤ Inset ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Polygon sub-object level ➤
Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Inset ➤

(Settings)

Editable Poly Settings | 2363

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

sub-object level ➤ Polygons panel ➤ Shift+click
Inset Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon)

(Inset) or choose

Use these settings for insetting polygons in Interactive Manipulation mode.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

[Inset Type] From the drop-down list, choose the method for applying Inset
to multiple selected polygons at once:
■

GroupThe inset takes place across each selection of multiple,
contiguous polygons.

■

By PolygonInsets each polygon individually.

Inset Amount Specifies the amount of the inset in scene
units on page 9295.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

2364 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

MeshSmooth Selection (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤

Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ MSmooth ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

(Polygon)

sub-object level ➤ Subdivision panel ➤ Shift+click
(MSmooth
[MeshSmooth]) or choose MeshSmooth Settings from the drop-down list.
Use these settings to specify how mesh smoothing affects editable poly and
Edit Poly objects.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Editable Poly Settings | 2365

Smoothness Determines how sharp a corner must be before
polygons are added to smooth it. Smoothness is calculated as the average
angle of all edges connected to a vertex. A value of 0.0 prevents the creation
of any polygons. A value of 1.0 adds polygons to all vertices even if they lie
on a plane.

Separate by Smoothing Groups Prevents the creation of new
polygons at edges between polygons that don't share at least one smoothing
group.

Separate by Materials Prevents the creation of new polygons for
edges between polygons that do not share Material IDs.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

2366 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Preserve Map Channels Dialog (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ any

sub-object level ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Preserve UVs ➤

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤
sub-object level ➤ Edit panel ➤ Shift+click
Preserve UVs Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon)

(Preserve UVs) or choose

Use these settings for specifying which map channels to preserve when editing
sub-objects with the Preserve UVs option on. A preserved map channel doesn't
respond to minor editing that changes vertex locations, but a channel whose
UVs aren't preserved allows mapping to be changed by changes in vertex
locations.

Interface
The dialog contains buttons for all available, data-containing vertex color
channels and texture channels. The number and type of buttons displayed
vary depending on the state of the object; they can be changed, for example,
with the VertexPaint modifier on page 1910 and the Channel Info utility on
page 6936.
Click a button to toggle its state. When off, a button appears like most other
buttons in 3ds Max. When on, a button is highlighted and appears pressed
in.

Editable Poly Settings | 2367

Vertex Color Channels Displays buttons for any vertex-color channels that
contain data. These can be Vertex Colors, Vertex Illumination, and Vertex
Alpha. By default, all vertex-color buttons are off, so that associated UVs are
affected by sub-object editing. To prevent a channel from being affected by
sub-object editing, click its button.
Texture Channels Displays buttons for any texture (mapping) channels that
contain data. These are identified by number. By default these are on, so that
associated UVs are not affected by sub-object editing. To allow a channel to
be affected by sub-object editing, click its button.
Reset All Returns all channel buttons to their default states: all vertex color
channels off, all texture channels on.

_____
Apply Applies the settings to the current selection, retaining them for the
preview if you then change the selection.
OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without applying the settings to the current selection.
Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

2368 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Relax (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ object

level or any sub-object level ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Relax ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

sub-object level ➤ Geometry (All) panel ➤ Shift+click
choose Relax Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon)

(Relax) or

Use these settings for relaxing vertices in Interactive Manipulation mode.
Relax in Edit/Editable Poly works much like the Relax modifier on page 1591:
It normalizes the distance between each affected vertex and its neighbors by
moving the vertex toward the average position of its neighbors.
NOTE At the object level, Relax applies to the entire object. At any sub-object
level, Relax applies to selected sub-objects only.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Editable Poly Settings | 2369

Amount Controls how far a vertex moves for each iteration.
The value specifies a percentage of the distance from the original location of
a vertex to the average location of its neighbors. Range=-1.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5.

Iterations Sets how many times to repeat the Relax process.
For each iteration, average locations are recalculated and the Relax Value is
reapplied to every vertex. Default=1.

Hold Boundary Points Controls whether vertices at the edges of
open meshes are moved. Default=on.
When on, boundary vertices do not move while the rest of the object is relaxed.
This option is particularly useful when working with multiple elements within
a single object that share open edges.
When this check box is off, all vertices of the object are relaxed.

Hold Outer Points When on, preserves the original positions of
vertices farthest away from the object center.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

2370 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Tessellate (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤

Polygon sub-object level ➤ Edit Geometry rollout ➤ Tessellate ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

sub-object level ➤ Subdivision panel ➤ Shift+click
choose Tessellate Settings from the drop-down list.

(Polygon)

(Tessellate) or

Use this caddy to specify how Tessellate subdivides polygons.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

[Tessellation method] Choose the tessellation method from the drop-down
list:
■

EdgeInserts vertices in the middle of each edge and draws lines
connecting those vertices. The number of polygons created equals the
number of sides of the original polygon.

Editable Poly Settings | 2371

■

FaceAdds a vertex to the center of each polygon and draws
connecting lines from that vertex to the original vertices. The number of
polygons created equals the number of sides of the original polygon.

Tension Lets you increase or decrease the Edge tension value.
Available only when the Edge tessellation method (see preceding) is active.
A negative value pulls vertices inward from their plane, resulting in a concave
effect. A positive value pulls vertices outward from their plane, resulting in a
rounding effect.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Weld Vertices/Edges (Polymesh)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Vertex

or Edge sub-object level ➤ Edit Vertices/Edges rollout ➤ Weld ➤
(Settings)
Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Vertex or Edge sub-object level
➤ Quad menu ➤ Tools 2 quadrant ➤ Weld ➤

2372 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

(Settings)

Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. ➤ Modeling ribbon ➤ Graphite
Modeling Tools tab ➤ Polygon Modeling panel ➤

(Vertex) or

(Edge) sub-object level ➤ Vertices or Edges panel ➤ Shift+click

(Weld) or choose Weld Settings from the drop-down list.
Use this caddy for setting the weld threshold for vertices and edges and
previewing the number of sub-objects to be welded.

Interface
For details on using the caddy controls, see The Caddy Interfacecaddy
interfacecaddy controls on page 2339.

Weld Threshold Specifies the maximum distance, in scene
units on page 9295, within which selected sub-objects will be welded.
Any vertex or edge that lies outside this threshold (that is, it's farther than
this from the nearest vertex or edge) will not be welded.
Before/After Shows the number of vertices before and after the weld.
The After quantity updates dynamically as you change the setting.

_____

OK Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the caddy.

Editable Poly Settings | 2373

Apply and Continue Applies the settings to the current selection,
retaining them for the preview if you then change the selection.

Cancel Closes the caddy without applying the settings to the current
selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply.

Patch Objects
With patch modeling, you can create objects that look mesh-like but whose
surface curvature can be controlled with handles, like splines. You can create
a patch model with built-in patch grids, and can convert most objects to patch
format.

Editable Patch Surface
Create or select an object ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click object's
entry in the stack display ➤ Convert To: Editable Patch
Create or select an object ➤ Right-click the object ➤ Transform (lower-right)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Convert To: ➤ Convert to Editable Patch
Editable Patch provides controls for manipulating an object as a patch object
and at five sub-object levels: vertex, handle, edge, patch, and element.
Editable Patch objects provide the same basic functionality as the Edit Patch
modifier on page 1271. Because working with them requires less processing and
memory, we recommend you use Editable Patch objects rather than the Edit
Patch modifier whenever possible.
When you convert an object to Editable Patch format or apply an Edit Patch
modifier, 3ds Max converts the object's geometry into a collection of separate
Bezier patches on page 9262, each patch made up of a framework of vertices and
edges, plus a surface.
■

The framework of control points and connecting tangents defines the
surface. Transforming the components of this framework is the primary
technique in patch modeling. The framework does not appear in scanline
renderings.

2374 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The surface is the Bezier patch surface, whose shape is controlled by the
vertices and edges. The surface is the renderable geometry of the object.

■

Prior to version 3 of 3ds Max, some patch objects contained a lattice that
appeared separate from the surface. This is no longer the case: The control
framework conforms exactly to the surface, making it easier to visualize the
results of patch modeling.
The output of the Surface modifier on page 1711 is a patch surface. If you are
modeling with splines and are using the Surface modifier to generate a patch
surface from the spline cage, you can use an Edit Patch modifier on page 1271
for further modeling.

Show End Result
Turn on Show End Result on the Modify panel if you have modifiers
above the Editable Patch modifier and want to see the result of all the modifiers
in the modifier stack. This function will remain on until you turn it off.
See also:
■

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

Procedures
To work at a sub-object level:

1

2

In the modifier stack display, choose a selection level: Element,
Patch, Edge, or Vertex.

Select the sub-object geometry you want to edit.

Editable Patch Surface | 2375

To attach an object using Edit Patch:

1

Select an editable patch object, or an object with the Edit Patch
modifier applied.

2 In the
click Attach.

Modify panel ➤ Geometry rollout ➤ Topology group,

3 Turn off Reorient, if necessary.
4 Select an object to attach.
The object takes on a patch structure and stays in its original location.
The attached object is now part of the editable patch object. The
Tessellation settings for the original object affect attached objects as well.
To attach and reorient an object:
Turn on Reorient before attaching the object.
The object is both attached and moved to align with the patch object. The
pivot of the attached object matches the pivot of the Edit Patch object.

■

To detach a patch surface:

1

Make a selection at the Patch sub-object level.

2 If you want to reorient the detached surface, turn on Reorient.
3 Click Detach.
A Detach dialog appears.
4 Name the detached surface.
The detached surface remains in place if you chose not to reorient it. It
is deselected and assigned a different color.

2376 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To copy a patch surface:

1

Make a selection at the Patch sub-object level.

2 In the Geometry rollout ➤ Topology group, turn on Copy.
3 If you want to reorient the copied surface, turn on Reorient.
4 Click Detach.
A Detach dialog appears.
5 Name the patch copy.
The copied object remains in place if you chose not to reorient it.
To delete patches:

1

Make a selection at the Patch sub-object level.

2 Click Delete.
The patches disappear.
To subdivide a patch:

1

Make a selection at the Patch sub-object level.

2 Turn on Propagate to maintain surface continuity.
3 Click Subdivide.
The patch selection is subdivided, increasing the number of patches.
You can repeat this process, subdividing multiple times. Each subdivision
increases the number of patches, which become increasingly smaller. The
following figure is an example of modeling a highly subdivided surface.

Editable Patch Surface | 2377

To subdivide an edge:

1 At the Edge sub-object level,

make an edge selection.

A single edge is indicated by its coordinate axis or transform gizmo at
the center of the edge. For multiple edges, the axis icon is at the center
of the selection set.
2 Optionally, turn on Propagate to maintain surface continuity.
3 Click Subdivide.
The edge selection is subdivided. Each new edge is on the boundary of a
new, smaller patch.
To add a patch:

1 At the Edge sub-object level,
select an open edge (one that
bounds a single patch, and therefore is not shared with another patch).
2 Click Add Tri or Add Quad.
A new patch is added to the surface.

2378 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To unlock interior edges of selected patches:

1 At the Patch sub-object level,

select one or more patches.

2 Right-click the selection and choose Manual Interior from the pop-up
menu.
The check mark moves from Auto Interior, the default, to Manual Interior.
Interior edges and their vertices are now unlocked. If you now transform
the patch, the interior edges remain static. To transform the interior
vertices, see the following procedure.
To transform interior vertices:

1 At the Patch sub-object level,

select one or more patches.

2 Right-click the selection and choose Manual Interior from the pop-up
menu.
The check mark moves from Auto Interior, the default, to Manual Interior.
3 Switch to Handle level.
The interior vertices appear as yellow squares.
4 Transform the interior vertices of the selected patches.
To anchor a patch:
By default, the welding process shifts the geometry of both patches to a
common center. You can anchor one patch so that the other patch moves to
its location when the weld occurs.

1 At the Patch (Patch) level, before you begin the weld,
patch you want anchored.

select the

2 Return to Vertex level and weld the vertices.
When the weld occurs, the anchor patch remains fixed while the other
patch moves to make the weld.

Editable Patch Surface | 2379

To create a new element, do one of the following:
■

Shift+drag one or more patches.

■

Shift+extrude one or more patches.

■

Shift+extrude one or more edges.

■

Shift+drag an element.

Interface
Selection rollout
For information about these settings, see Selection Rollout (Editable Patch)
on page 2380.

Soft Selection rollout
For information on the Soft Selection rollout settings, see Soft Selection Rollout
on page 1966.

Geometry and Surface Properties rollouts
The Geometry rollout on page 2410 provides functions for editing a patch object
and its sub-objects, and the Surface Properties controls let you modify the
object's rendering characteristics. For detailed information on
sub-object-specific controls, see the topics in this section.

Selection Rollout (Editable Patch)
Create or select an object ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click object's
entry in the stack display ➤ Convert To: Editable Patch ➤ Selection rollout
Create or select an object ➤ Right-click the object ➤ Transform (lower-right)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Convert To: ➤ Convert to Editable Patch ➤
Selection rollout
The Selection rollout provides buttons for selecting the sub-object level,
working with named selections, display and filter settings, and displays
information about selected entities.
Editable Patch has five levels of sub-object editing: Vertex, Handle, Edge, Patch,
and Element. The selection you make at each level appears in the viewport as

2380 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

a component of the patch object. Each level maintains its own sub-object
selection. When you return to a level, the selection reappears.
Clicking a sub-object level button here is the same as clicking a sub-object
level in the modifier stack. Click the button again to turn it off and return to
the object selection level.

Interface

Vertex Lets you select vertex control points and their vector handles on
a patch object. At this level, vertices can be welded and deleted.
By default, a transform gizmo or axis tripod appears at the geometric center
of the selected vertices. If you turn on Gizmo Preferences on page 8941 ➤ Allow
Multiple Gizmos, however, gizmos or tripods appear at all selected vertices.
Vector handles appear as small green squares around selected vertices. Also,
with certain objects you may see interior vertices represented as yellow squares.

Editable Patch Surface | 2381

Handle Lets you select vector handles associated with each vertex. This
level lets you manipulate the handles without needing to deal with vertices.
A Transform gizmo or axis tripod appears at the geometric center of the selected
handles.
At this level, vector handles appear as small green squares around all vertices.
Also, with certain objects you may see interior vertices represented as yellow
squares.

Edge Selects a bounding edge of the patch object. At this level, edges
can be subdivided, and new patches added to open edges.
A Transform gizmo or axis tripod appears in the middle of a single selected
edge. For multiple selected edges, the icon is at the selection center.

Patch Selects an entire patch. At this level, a patch can be detached,
deleted, or its surface subdivided. When a patch is subdivided, the surface is
broken into smaller patches, each with its own vertices and edges.
TIP You can toggle highlighting of selected patches in a shaded viewport with
the Shade Selected Faces switch on the Viewport Configuration dialog. To open
the dialog, open the General viewport label menu ([+]) and choose Configure
from the menu. You can also toggle this feature with the default keyboard shortcut,
F2.

Element Select and edit an entire element. An element has contiguous
faces.

Named Selections group
These functions work with named sub-object selection sets. To create a named
sub-object selection, make the selection, and then enter a name in the Named
Selection Sets field on the toolbar. For more information, see Named Selection
Sets on page 204.
Copy Places a named sub-object selection into the copy buffer. After clicking
this button, choose the named sub-object selection from the Copy Named
Selection dialog that appears.
Paste Pastes the named sub-object selection from the copy buffer.

2382 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

You can use Copy and Paste to copy sub-object selections between different
objects.

Filter group
These two check boxes, available only at the Vertex sub-object level, let you
select and transform vertices, vectors (handles on the vertices), or both. When
a check box is turned off, you can't select the corresponding element type.
Thus, for example, if you turn off Vertices, you can manipulate vectors without
accidentally moving a vertex.
TIP For easier editing of vectors only, use the Handle sub-object level on page 2396.
You can't turn off both check boxes. When you turn off either check box, the
other one becomes unavailable. At that point, you can manipulate the element
corresponding to the check box that's on, but you can't turn it off.
Vertices When on, you can select and move vertices.
Vectors When on, you can select and move vectors.

_____
Lock Handles Affects only Corner vertices. Locks the tangent vectors together
so that when you move one, you move them all. Available only at the Vertex
sub-object level.
By Vertex When you click a vertex, any handles, edges, or patches that use
that vertex, depending on the current sub-object level, are selected. Available
only at the Handle, Edge, and Patch sub-object levels.
This also works with Region Select.
Ignore Backfacing When on, selection of sub-objects selects only those
sub-objects whose normals are visible in the viewport. When off (the default),
selection includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction of their normals.
Use this on a complex patch model where you want to select only visible
patches.
NOTE The state of the Backface Cull setting in the Display panel does not affect
sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is off, you can still select sub-objects,
even if you can't see them.
Shrink Reduces the sub-object selection area by deselecting the outermost
sub-objects. If the selection size can no longer be reduced, the remaining
sub-objects are deselected. Unavailable at the Handle sub-object level.

Editable Patch Surface | 2383

Grow Expands the selection area outward in all available directions.
Unavailable at the Handle sub-object level.
Ring Expands an edge selection by selecting all edges parallel to the selected
edges. Available only at the Edge sub-object level.
Loop Expands the selection as far as possible, in alignment with selected
edges. Available only at the Edge sub-object level.
Select Open Edges Selects all edges that are used by only one patch. Available
only at the Edge sub-object level.
You can use this to troubleshoot a surface; open edges will be highlighted.
Selection Information At the bottom of the Selection rollout is a text display
giving information about the current selection. If multiple sub-objects are
selected, or none is selected, the text gives the number and type selected. If
one sub-object is selected, the text gives the identification number and type
of the selected item.

Editable Patch (Object)
Select an editable patch ➤
Modify panel ➤ Editable patch (not a
sub-object level) selected in the modifier stack
Select an editable patch ➤ Right-click the patch ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Top-level
The functions available at the editable patch object level (that is, when no
sub-object level is chosen) are also available at all sub-object levels, and work
exactly the same at each level.

Interface
Selection rollout
For information on these settings, see Editable Patch Surface on page 2374.

2384 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Geometry rollout

Editable Patch Surface | 2385

See Geometry Rollout (Patch) on page 2410 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Surface Properties rollout

The Relax Mesh controls on the Surface Properties rollout change the apparent
surface tension by moving vertices closer to, or away from, their neighbors.
The typical result is that the object gets smoother and a little smaller as the
vertices move toward an averaged center point. You can see the most
pronounced effects on objects with sharp corners and edges.
Relax Turns on the relax function for renderings.
Relax Viewports Turns on the relax function for viewports.
Relax Value Sets the distance a vertex moves as a percentage of the distance
between a vertex and the average location of its neighbors. Range=-1.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.5.
Iterations Sets how many times Relax is repeated. Each iteration recalculates
average vertex locations based on the result of the previous iteration. Default=1.
Keep Boundary Points Fixed Vertices at the edge of open patches do not
relax. Default=on.
Save Outer Corners Preserves the original positions of vertices farthest away
from the object center.

2386 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

A patch box with Relax off (left), and Relax Value=1.0, with 1, 2, and 3 iterations (left
to right)

Editable Patch (Vertex)
Select an editable patch ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display

Expand the Editable Patch entry. ➤ Vertex sub-object level

Select an editable patch ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

(Vertex)
Select an editable patch ➤ Right-click the patch ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Vertex
At the Editable Patch (Vertex) level, you can select single and multiple vertices
and move them using standard methods. You can also move and rotate vector
handles on page 9341, thus affecting the shapes of any patches connected to
the vertex.

Editable Patch Surface | 2387

Procedures
To transform either vertices or vectors:
1 At Patch (Vertex) level, with Selection rollout ➤ Filter group ➤ Vertices

turned on,
transform.

select vertices in the patch object you want to

Vertices and their vectors both appear.
2 Turn off one of the filters, leaving the other on, and choose a transform.
A transform cursor appears when you move onto a vertex or vector in
the selection set. You can toggle between filters to alternatively transform
either component.
To switch vertex types:
1 Right-click a patch vertex.
2 Choose from commands on the quad menu. The Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant includes two options specific to patch vertices:
■

Coplanar: If you set a patch control point's property to be coplanar,
it's like locking the handle of the outgoing vector for that point.
Moving a handle attached to a coplanar vertex causes the opposite
vectors to adjust their positions to maintain a coplanar surface. This
option is the default and gives smooth transitions between patches.

■

Corner: If you set a patch control point's property to be corner, it
unlocks the handle of the outgoing vector, so you can create a
discontinuous break in the patch surface.

To switch vertex types from Coplanar to Corner, do one of the following:
■

Hold down Shift as you move a handle of a Coplanar vertex.
This changes the vertex type to Corner.
If Lock Handles is off (the default), Shift+Move "breaks" the handle, allowing
it to move independently.
If Lock Handles is on, the handles remain locked in their coplanar
relationship. However, the vertex is still switched to Corner, and turning
off Lock Handles lets you move the handles separately.

■

Right-click the vertex and then choose Corner from the quad menu.

2388 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To delete a vertex:

1 At Patch (Vertex) level,

select a vertex.

2 Click Delete.
The vertex and all patches sharing this control point are deleted.

Editable Patch Surface | 2389

Deleting vertices

2390 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To weld vertices:

1 At Patch (Vertex) level,
patches.

select two valid vertices on different

2 Set Weld Threshold to a value at least equal to the distance between the
selected vertices.
3 Click Selected.
The two vertices move together and join.

Editable Patch Surface | 2391

Welding vertices

To transform interior vertices:
Using program defaults, you can select only vertices and vectors on the outer
edge or boundary of a patch. This default is known as Auto Interior.

2392 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

In some cases, you might want to move the interior vertices. For example,
you might want to tweak a patch's curvature without having to subdivide the
patch.
■

At Patch level on page 2401, you can change the default on a patch-by-patch
basis by right-clicking a patch and choosing Manual Interior from the
shortcut menu. This lets you select and transform individual interior
vertices. These vertices appear as yellow squares in the viewports.
WARNING If you return a patch to the default, changes due to Manual Interior
are lost.
NOTE Certain objects are automatically set to Manual Interior when converted
to patch objects. In such cases, you can see all interior vertices when you go
to the Vertex sub-object level.

Interface
Selection rollout
For information on the controls in this rollout, see Selection Rollout (Editable
Patch) on page 2380.

Soft Selection rollout
See Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966 for information on the Soft Selection
rollout settings.

Editable Patch Surface | 2393

Geometry rollout

2394 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

See Geometry Rollout (Patch) on page 2410 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Surface Properties rollout

Edit Vertex Colors group
Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha
(transparency) values of selected vertices.
Color Click the color swatch to change the color of selected vertices.
Illumination Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of
selected vertices. This lets you change the color of shadows without changing
the vertex colors.
Alpha Lets you assign an alpha (transparency) value to selected vertices.
The spinner value is a percentage; zero is completely transparent and 100 is
completely opaque.

Select Vertex By group
Color and Illumination radio buttons These buttons determine whether to
select vertices by vertex color values or vertex illumination values.
Color Swatch Displays the Color Selector, where you can specify a color to
match.

Editable Patch Surface | 2395

Select Depending on which radio button is selected, selects all vertices whose
vertex color or illumination values either match the color swatch, or are within
the range specified by the RGB spinners.
Range Specifies a range for the color match. All three RGB values in the vertex
color or illumination must either match the color specified by the Color swatch
in Select By Vertex Color, or be within plus or minus the values in the Range
spinners. Default=10.

Editable Patch (Handle)
Select an editable patch ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display

Expand the Editable Patch entry. ➤ Handle sub-object level

Select an editable patch ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

(Handle)
Select an editable patch ➤ Right-click the patch ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Handle
The Handle sub-object level in Editable Patch provides direct access to vertex
handles, or vectors, without going through the Vertex sub-object level. Handles
are still accessible at the Vertex sub-object level, but the Handle level provides
enhanced functionality as follows:
■

The ability to select multiple handles for transformation and application
of operations such as Patch Smooth to them.

■

Usage of the transform gizmo when manipulating handles.

■

Elimination of the possibility of inadvertently transforming vertices.

■

Support for named selection sets of handles.

■

Copying and pasting handles.

■

Use the Align tool on page 906 for aligning handles.

2396 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Editable Patch Surface | 2397

See Geometry Rollout (Patch) on page 2410 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Editable Patch (Edge)
Select an editable patch ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display

Expand the Editable Patch entry. ➤ Edge sub-object level

Select an editable patch ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

(Edge)
Select an editable patch ➤ Right-click the patch ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Edge
An edge is the portion of a patch object between two adjacent vertices. When
at the Editable Patch (Edge) level, you can select single and multiple segments
and move, rotate, and scale them using standard methods. You can also hold
down the Shift key and drag an edge to create a new patch. Holding down the
Shift key during edge extrusion creates a new element.

Procedures
To unlock interior edges:
When you move an outer or boundary edge of a patch, the adjacent interior
edges are normally “locked” so that they move in parallel with the boundary
edge. This is often useful, because it provides a uniform transition across the
patch. This default is known as Auto Interior.
■

At Patch level on page 2401, you can change the default on a patch-by-patch
basis by right-clicking a patch and choosing Manual Interior from the
Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu. Thereafter, when you
move a boundary edge, interior edges are affected in a nonlinear way. The
interior edges are no longer locked to the boundary edge.
WARNING If you return a patch to the default, changes caused by Manual
Interior are lost.

2398 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Selection rollout
Select Open Edges Selects all edges that are used by only one patch. You can
use this to troubleshoot a surface; open edges will be highlighted.
For information on the other controls in this rollout, see Selection Rollout
(Editable Patch) on page 2380.

Soft Selection rollout
See Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966 for information on the Soft Selection
rollout settings.

Editable Patch Surface | 2399

Geometry rollout

2400 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

See Geometry Rollout (Patch) on page 2410 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Editable Patch (Patch)
Select an editable patch ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display

Expand the Editable Patch entry. ➤ Patch sub-object level

Select an editable patch ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

(Patch)
Select an editable patch ➤ Right-click the patch ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Patch
A patch is an area of a patch object, defined by three or four surrounding
edges and vertices. Controls described in this topic let you manipulate a patch
object at the patch level. As well as moving and rotating patches, you can
create a separate element by holding down the Shift key during a move
operation. This creates a separate element of the selected patches.

Texture Mapping Patches: Interpolation in Curved Space
Patches can now be mapped in curved space; this means simplified texture
mapping for patches. A planar map on a complex patch object will not be
distorted. At the Patch sub-object level there is a parameter in the right-click
quad menu (Tools 1 quadrant) called Linear Mapping. If you leave Linear
Mapping off, then textures are interpolated in curved space and behave much
like texture mapping a mesh object, predictably.
In the old method, patch mapping is interpolated between the knot points.
This works well with procedural maps but not so well with bitmaps, since
each patch is linear in UV space.

Editable Patch Surface | 2401

A complex patch (on right) no longer deforms a bitmap

The two leftmost patches show Linear patch mapping. The top left patch is a
patch with planar mapping and the bottom left shows its UVW space
representation. The patch on the right is a curved projection where the vectors
are used in UVW space projection. Notice the bottom right represents the
UVW space and notice how the handles and knots contribute to the shape of
the UVW space.
In short, leave the Linear option off for predictable planar maps. Leave the
linear mapping option on for backward compatibility.
NOTE The Unwrap UVW modifier now supports the new patch curve mapping.
Spline handles can be manipulated in the Edit dialog in the Unwrap UVW modifier.

2402 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Selection rollout
For information on the controls in this rollout, see Selection Rollout (Editable
Patch) on page 2380.

Soft Selection rollout
See Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966 for information on the Soft Selection
rollout settings.

Editable Patch Surface | 2403

Geometry rollout

2404 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

See Geometry Rollout (Patch) on page 2410 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Surface Properties rollout

These controls let you work with patch normals, material IDs, smoothing
groups and vertex colors.

Normals group
Flip Reverses the direction of the surface normals of the selected patches.
Unify Flips the normals of an object so that they all point in the same
direction, usually outward. This is useful for setting an object's patches to
appropriate orientations, thus eliminating apparent holes in the object surface.

Editable Patch Surface | 2405

Flip Normal Mode Flips the normal of any patch you click. To exit, click this
button again or right-click anywhere in the 3ds Max interface.
TIP The best way to use Flip Normal Mode is to set up your viewport to display
with Smooth+Highlight and Edged Faces on. If you use Flip Normal Mode with
default settings, you'll be able to flip a patch away from you, but you won't be
able to flip it back. For best results, turn off Ignore Backfacing in the Selection
rollout. This lets you click any patch and flip the direction of its normal, regardless
of its current direction.

Material group
These controls let you use multi/sub-object materials on page 6542 with patches.
Set ID Lets you assign a particular material ID on page 9217 number to selected
patches for use with multi/sub-object materials and other applications. Use
the spinner or enter the number from the keyboard. The total number of
available IDs is 65,535.
Select ID Selects patches or elements corresponding to the Material ID specified
in the adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID, then click
the Select ID button.
[Select By Name] This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an
object has a Multi/Sub-Object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow
and choose a sub-material from the list. The patches or elements that are
assigned that material are selected. If an object does not have a
Multi/Sub-Object material assigned, the name list is unavailable. Likewise, if
multiple objects are selected that have an Edit Patch, Edit Spline, or Edit Mesh
modifier applied, the name list is inactive.
NOTE Sub-material names are those specified in the Name column on the
material's Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout; these are not created by
default, and must be specified separately from any material names.
Clear Selection When on, choosing a new ID or material name deselects any
previously selected patches or elements. When off, selections are cumulative,
so new ID or sub-material name selections add to the existing selection set of
patches or elements. Default=on.

Smoothing Groups group
Use these controls to assign selected patches to different smoothing groups
on page 9310, and to select patches by smoothing group.

2406 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To assign patches to one or more smoothing groups, select the patches, and
then click the number(s) of the smoothing group(s) to assign them to.
Select by SG (Smoothing Group) Displays a dialog that shows the current
smoothing groups. Select a group by clicking the corresponding numbered
button and clicking OK.
Clear All Removes any smoothing group assignments from selected patches.

Edit Vertex Colors group
Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha
(transparency) values of vertices on the selected patch(es).
Color Click the color swatch to change the color of vertices on the selected
patch(es).
Illumination Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of
vertices on the selected patch(es). This lets you change the color of shadows
without changing the vertex colors.
Alpha Lets you assign an alpha (transparency) value to vertices on the selected
patch(es).
The spinner value is a percentage; zero is completely transparent and 100 is
completely opaque.

Editable Patch (Element)
Select an editable patch ➤
➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display

Expand the Editable Patch entry. ➤ Element sub-object level

Select an editable patch ➤

Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout ➤

(Element)
Select an editable patch ➤ Right-click the patch ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Element
Use the Element sub-object level when you want to select and work on all
contiguous faces in an element. The Element sub-object level is essential when

Editable Patch Surface | 2407

you are Shift+cloning and Shift+extruding patches, because doing so creates
separate elements. For example, if you select a patch, hold down the Shift key,
and move the patch to a new location, a new element is created separate from
the original. This also applies to extrusion. If you hold the Shift key down
while you extrude, a new element is created.
NOTE In some cases, you might find that moving a patch element causes parts
of it to move by differing amounts. This typically occurs because the object is set
to Manual Interior. It happens, for instance, when you convert a sphere primitive
to an editable patch object. To remedy this, select the element, and then right-click
it to display the quad menu, and in the Tools1 quadrant, choose Auto Interior.

Interface
Selection rollout
For information on the controls in this rollout, see Selection Rollout (Editable
Patch) on page 2380.

Soft Selection rollout
See Soft Selection Rollout on page 1966 for information on the Soft Selection
rollout settings.

2408 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Geometry rollout

Editable Patch Surface | 2409

See Geometry Rollout (Patch) on page 2410 for detailed descriptions of these
controls.

Geometry Rollout (Patch)
Select an editable patch ➤

Modify panel ➤ Geometry rollout

The Geometry rollout for Patches contains most of the controls that let you
alter the geometry of the patch, at either the Object (top) level, or one of the
sub-object levels. The controls that the rollout displays can vary, depending
on which level is active; if a control is not available for the active level, it
might be grayed out, or simply might not appear at all. The descriptions below
indicate the levels at which controls are available.

2410 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Editable Patch Surface | 2411

Subdivision group (Vertex, Edge, Patch, and Element levels only)
Bind (Vertex level only) Lets you create a seamless, gapless connection
between two patch edges that have unequal numbers of vertices. The two
patches must belong to the same object, and the vertex need not be selected
first. Click Bind, then drag a line from an edge-based vertex (not a corner
vertex) to the edge you want to bind it to. The cursor turns into a white cross
when over a legal edge.

Binding patch edges

To exit Bind mode, click the Bind button again, or right-click in the active
viewport.
TIP When connecting two patches edge-to-edge, first line up as many pairs of
vertices as possible, and use Weld to connect them. Then use Bind to connect the
remaining vertices. Bound vertices cannot be manipulated directly, although their
handles can.
NOTE Bind is useful for connecting patch objects with different patch resolutions,
such as a head and a neck, without the need to create additional patches in the
lower-resolution object.
Unbind (Vertex level only) Disconnects a vertex connected to a patch with
Bind. Select the vertex, and then click Unbind.

2412 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Subdivide (Edge, Patch, and Element levels only) Subdivides the selected
sub-objects.
■

PropagateWhen on, extends the subdivision to neighboring patches.
Propagating the subdivisions along all contiguous patches prevents patch
cracks where you have attached patches together.

Topology group
Add Tri / Add Quad (Edge level only) You can add Tri and Quad patches to
any open edge of an object. On closed objects such as spheres, you can delete
one or more existing patches to create open edges, and then add new patches.
The new patches adapt to the existing geometry. For example, when you add
a patch to a curved edge, the new patch follows that curve and seamlessly
extends it.

Editable Patch Surface | 2413

Original patch with edges selected (top) and three-sided patches added (bottom)

Add Tri adds a three-sided patch to each selected edge. Select one or more
edges, then click Add Tri to add the patch or patches.
Add Quad adds a four-sided patch to each selected edge. Select one or more
edges, and then click Add Quad to add the patch or patches.
Create (Vertex, Patch, and Element levels only) Lets you add geometry to
the patch object. Available at Vertex, Patch, and Element sub-object levels
only.

2414 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

At the Vertex sub-object level, turn on Create and then click anywhere to add
vertices to the object.
At the Patch and Element levels, you can add three- and four-sided patches.
The cursor changes to white cross hairs when over an existing patch vertex.
Select an existing vertex by clicking it. Click in free space to create a new
vertex at that location; this vertex is included in the sequence of vertices for
the new patch.
■

To create a Tri Patch: Click three times in free space or on existing vertices.
Right-click anywhere, or left-click one of the vertices in the current
sequence to complete the creation of a Tri Patch.

■

To create a Quad Patch: Click four times in free space or on existing vertices.
The Quad Patch is automatically created at the fourth click.

No operation takes place if you right-click or select a vertex in the current
sequence with only one or two vertices in the sequence.
Detach (Patch and Element levels only) Lets you select one or more patches
or elements within the current object and then detach them (or copy them)
to form a separate patch object.
■

ReorientWhen on, the detached patch or element copies the position and
orientation of the source object's Local coordinate system (when the source
object was created). The new detached object is moved and rotated so that
its Local coordinate system is positioned and aligned with the origin of
the current active grid.

■

CopyWhen on, the detached patches or elements are copied to a new patch
object, leaving the originals intact.

Attach Lets you attach an object to the currently selected patch object. Click
the object you want to attach to the currently selected patch object.
If you attach a non-patch object, the object is converted to a patch object.
When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in
the following way:
■

If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits
the material of the object it is being attached to.

■

Likewise if the object you're attaching to doesn't have a material, it inherits
the material of the object being attached.

■

If both objects have materials, the resulting new material is a
multi/sub-object material on page 6542 that encompasses the input materials.
A dialog appears offering three methods of combining the objects' materials

Editable Patch Surface | 2415

and material IDs. For more information, see Attach Options Dialog on
page 2232.
Attach remains active in all sub-object modes, but always applies to objects.

Top: Original patch object with rendering
Bottom: Rendering with another patch attached

Reorient When on, reorients the attached element so that each patch's creation
local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system
of the selected patch.
Delete (Vertex, Edge, Patch, and Element levels only) Deletes the selected
sub-objects.

2416 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

WARNING Delete vertices or edges with caution. Deleting a vertex or edge also
deletes the patches that share them. For example, if you delete the single vertex
at the top of a spherical patch, the top four patches are also deleted.
Break (Vertex and Edge levels only) For vertices, breaks a vertex into multiple
vertices. Use this if you need to split open an edge to add another patch or
for general modeling operations. Select a vertex, and then click Break. After
the break, select the individual vertices and move them to separate the edges.
For edges, splits an edge. Use this if you need to split open an edge for general
modeling operations. Select one or more edges, and then click Break. After
the break, move the handles of adjacent vertices to create a gap in the patch.
Hide (Vertex, Edge, Patch, and Element levels only) Hides the selected
sub-objects. For vertices and edges, Hide also hides the patches that are attached
to them.
NOTE At least one patch in the object must remain visible.
Unhide All Restores any hidden sub-objects to visibility.

Weld group (Vertex and Edge levels only)
Selected Welds selected vertices that fall within the tolerance specified in the
Weld Threshold spinner (to the right of the Weld button). Select the vertices
you want to weld between two different patches, set the spinner to a sufficient
distance, and click Selected.
At the Edge sub-object level, clicking Selected welds two edges that share
vertices. You can use this to eliminate gaps on a surface.
Target (Vertex level only) Turn on and drag from one vertex to another to
weld the vertices together. The dragged vertex fuses to the target vertex.
The pixels spinner to the right of the Target button sets the maximum distance
in screen pixels between the mouse cursor and the target vertex.

Extrude & Bevel group (Edge, Patch, and Element levels only)
These controls let you extrude and bevel edges, patches, or elements. Extruding
patches moves them along a normal and creates new patches that form the
sides of the extrusion, connecting the selection to the object. Beveling adds
a second step that lets you scale the extruded patches. You can extrude and
bevel patches by dragging or by direct entry. You can also hold down the Shift
key during extrusion, which creates a separate element.

Editable Patch Surface | 2417

NOTE Sides created by beveling or extrusion are assigned to smoothing group
1.
Extrude Click this button, and then drag any edge, patch, or element to
extrude it interactively. Hold down the Shift key during this operation to create
a new element.
When the mouse cursor is over a selected patch or element, it changes to an
Extrude cursor.
Bevel (Patch and Element levels only) Click this button, and then drag any
patch or element to extrude it interactively, then click and release the mouse
button, and drag again to bevel the extrusion. Hold down the Shift key during
this operation to create a new element.
When the mouse cursor is over a selected element, it changes to a Bevel cursor.

2418 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Original patch (top) and inward and outward extrusions

NOTE In some cases, particularly with closed objects (objects with no holes or
open edges), the second bevel step might not produce visible results.
Extrusion This spinner sets whether the extrusion is outward or inward,
depending on whether the value is positive or negative.
Outlining (Patch and Element levels only) This spinner lets you scale selected
patches or elements bigger or smaller, depending on whether the value is
positive or negative. It is normally used after an extrusion for beveling the
extruded patches.

Editable Patch Surface | 2419

Normal If Normal is set to Local (the default), extrusion takes place along the
normal of each selected edge, patch, or individual patch in an element. If
normal is set to Group, extrusion takes place along the averaged normal of
each contiguous group in a selection. If you extrude multiples of such groups,
each group moves along its own averaged normal.
Bevel Smoothing (Patch and Element levels only) These settings let you set
the shape of the intersection between the surface created by a beveling
operation and the neighboring patches. The shapes are determined by the
handle configurations of vertices at the intersections. Start refers to the
intersection between the sides and the patches surrounding the beveled patch.
Finish refers to the intersection between the sides and the beveled patch or
patches. The following settings are available for each:
■

SmoothVertex handles are set so the angles between the new patches and
their neighbors are relatively small.

■

LinearVertex handles are set to create linear transitions.

■

NoneVertex handles are not modified.

WARNING Set Bevel Smoothing before the bevel is performed; changing the
setting has no effect on existing beveled patches.

Tangent group (Vertex and Handle levels only)
These controls let you copy orientation, and optionally length, between
handles on the same object, or on different objects applied with instances of
the same Edit Patch modifier. The tool doesn't support copying handles from
one patch object to another, or between spline and patch objects.
Copy Copies a patch handle's transform settings to a copy buffer.
When you click Copy, 3ds Max displays all handles on the selected object.
When the mouse cursor is over a handle end, the cursor image changes to the
one shown below. Click a handle end to copy its direction and length to the
paste buffer; this also exits Copy mode.

Paste Pastes orientation information from the copy buffer to a vertex handle.
If Paste Length is on, it also pastes the length of the copied handle.
When you click Paste, 3ds Max displays all handles on the selected object.
When the mouse cursor is over a handle end, the cursor image changes to the
one shown below. Click a handle end to paste the information from the buffer

2420 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

to the handle. You can continue clicking other handle ends to paste the
information repeatedly. To exit Paste mode, right-click in the viewport or click
the Paste button.

Copy Length / Paste Length When on and you use Copy, the length of the
handle is also copied. When on and you use Paste, the length of the originally
copied handle is pasted as well as its orientation. When off, only the
orientation is copied or pasted.

Surface group
View Steps Controls the grid resolution of the patch model surface as depicted
in the viewports. Range=0 to 100. Default=5.
Render Steps Controls the grid resolution of the patch model surface when
rendered. Range=0 to 100. Default=5.

Editable Patch Surface | 2421

Original mesh display of model (top) and with increased steps (bottom)

Show Interior Edges Enables the display of the patch object's interior edges
in wireframe views. When off, only the object's outline is visible. Turn on to
simplify the display for faster feedback.
Use True Patch Normals Determines how 3ds Max smoothes the edges
between patches. Default=off.
When the check box is off, 3ds Max computes the surface normals from the
smoothing groups of the mesh object to which the patch object is converted
before rendering. These normals are not accurate, especially with a low
View/Render Steps setting. When the check box is on, 3ds Max computes true
patch normals directly from the patch surfaces, which can generate more
accurate shading.
In the illustration below, a sphere was converted to Editable Patch format,
and then a vertex was moved toward the center and rotated. The sphere on

2422 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

the left has Use True Patch Normals turned off, and the one on the right has
it turned on. In both cases, View Steps was set to 8.

A patch sphere with Use True Patch Normals off (left) and on (right).

Miscellaneous group
Create Shape (Edge level only) Creates splines based on the selected edges.
If no edges are selected, then splines are created for all the patch edges. 3ds
Max prompts you for a name: Type in a name for the new shape object, and
then click OK.
Each patch edge forms an individual spline. You can use this to create a spline
cage based on patch edges. This is useful for spline modeling or working with
surface tools.
Patch Smooth At the sub-object level, adjusts the tangent handles of the
vertices of selected sub-objects to smooth the surface of the patch object. At
the object level, adjusts all tangent handles to smooth the surface.
Patch Smooth sets the handles to absolute positions based on the patch object
geometry; repeated applications have no effect.

Editable Patch Surface | 2423

A patch tube before smoothing (left) and after using Patch Smooth (right)

Patch Grids
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Patch Grids

Create menu ➤ Patch Grids
You can create two kinds of patch surfaces in grid form: Quad Patch and Tri
Patch. Patch grids begin as flat plane objects but can be modified into arbitrary
3D surfaces by either using an Edit Patch modifier or collapsing the grid’s
modifier stack down to an Editable Patch in the Modify panel.
Patch grids provide convenient "building material" for custom surfaces and
objects, or for adding patch surfaces to existing patch objects.
You can animate the surface of a Patch object using various modifiers such as
the Flex and Morph modifiers. Control vertices and tangent handles of a patch
surface can be animated with an Editable Patch modifier.

2424 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface Tools
The output of the Surface modifier on page 1711 is a Patch object. Patch objects
offer a flexible alternative to mesh and NURBS modeling and animation.

Quad patch and tri patch

Editable Patches
You can convert a basic patch grid to an editable patch object on page 2374.
The editable patch has a variety of controls that let you directly manipulate
it and its sub-objects. For example, at the Vertex sub-object level, you can
move vertices or adjust their Bezier handles. Editable patches let you create
surfaces that are less regular, more free-form than the basic, rectangular patches.
When you convert a patch to an editable patch, you lose the ability to adjust
or animate its creation parameters.
See also:
■

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects on page 990

■

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level on page 991

■

Modifier Stack Controls on page 8776

Patch Grids | 2425

Procedures
To create a patch grid:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
(Geometry). Choose Patch
Grids from the drop-downlist, then on the Object Type rollout, click
either Quad Patch or Tri Patch.
2 Drag over any viewport to create a patch.

Interface

AutoGrid Uses surface normals as a plane to create patches. Click a patch type
and then click and drag the cursor over a face in the viewports.

Quad Patch
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Patch Grids ➤ Quad Patch

Create menu ➤ Patch Grids ➤ Quad Patch
Quad Patch creates a flat grid with a default of 36 visible rectangular facets.
A hidden line divides each facet into two triangular faces for a total of 72 faces.

2426 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Quad Patch

Procedures
To create a quad patch:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
(Geometry). Choose Patch
Grids from the drop-downlist, then on the Object Type rollout, click
Quad Patch.
2 Drag over any viewport to define a length and width for the patch.
To edit a Quad Patch:

1

Select a Quad Patch.

2 On the Modify panel, right-click Quad Patch in stack view and choose
Editable Patch.

Patch Grids | 2427

The Quad Patch collapses to an Editable Patch.

3 On the Editable Patch Selection rollout, click

(Vertex).

4 In any viewport,
select a vertex on the patch object, and move
the vertex to change the surface topology.
Vertices and vectors can be animated with an Editable Patch modifier.
At the sub-object Edge level, you can add patches along any edge. You can
create complex patch models beginning from a single patch.

An ear is created by adding patches and editing patch vertices

2428 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Name and Color rollout
The Name and Color rollout on page 8771 lets you rename objects and change
their wireframe color.

Keyboard Entry rollout
X/Y/Z Sets the patch center.
Length Sets the patch length.
Width Sets the patch width.
Create Creates a patch based on the XYZ, Length, and Width values.

Parameters rollout
Length, Width Sets the grid dimensions in current units.

Patch Grids | 2429

Length, Width Segments Determines the number of facets along the length
and width of the grid. Default=1.
The density of a Quad Patch rises sharply as you increase the segments. A
Quad Patch of two segments on a side contains 288 faces. The maximum is
100 segments. High segment values can slow performance.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Creates map coordinates for applying mapped
materials. Default=off.

Tri Patch
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Patch Grids ➤ Tri Patch

Create menu ➤ Patch Grids ➤ Tri Patch
Tri Patch creates a flat grid with 72 triangular faces. The face count remains
at 72, regardless of its size. The faces become larger to fill the area as you
increase the size of the grid.

Tri Patch

2430 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Procedures
To create a Tri Patch:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
(Geometry). Choose Patch
Grids from the drop-downlist, then on the Object Type rollout, click Tri
Patch.
2 Drag over any viewport to create the patch.
To edit a Tri Patch:

1

Select a Tri Patch.

2 On the
Modify panel, right-click TriPatch in stack view, and
choose Editable Patch.
The Tri Patch collapses to an Editable Patch.

3 On the Editable Patch Selection rollout, click

(Vertex).

4 In any viewport,
select a vertex on the patch object and move
the vertex to change the surface topology.
You can animate vertices and vectors with an Editable Patch modifier.

Patch Grids | 2431

Interface

Name and Color rollout
The Name and Color rollout on page 8771 lets you rename objects and change
their wireframe color.

Keyboard Entry rollout
X/Y/Z Sets the patch center.
Length Sets the patch length.
Width Sets the patch width.
Create Creates a patch based on the XYZ, Length, and Width values.

2432 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Parameters rollout
Length, Width Sets dimensions of grid in current units.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Creates map coordinates for applying mapped
materials. Default=off.

NURBS Modeling
3ds Max provides NURBS surfaces and curves. NURBS stands for Non-Uniform
Rational B-Splines. NURBS have become an industry standard for designing and
modeling surfaces. They are especially suited for modeling surfaces with
complicated curves.
The tools for modeling with NURBS do not require an understanding of the
mathematics that produces these objects. NURBS are popular because they
are easy to manipulate interactively, and because the algorithms that create
them are both efficient and numerically stable.

Fountain created as a NURBS model

NURBS Modeling | 2433

You can also model surfaces using polygonal meshes or patches. Compared
to NURBS surfaces, meshes and patches have these shortcomings:
■

Using polygons can make it more difficult to create complicated curved
surfaces.

■

Because meshes are faceted, facets appear at the edge of rendered objects.
You must have a large number of small faces to render a smoothly curved
edge.

NURBS surfaces, on the other hand, are analytically generated. They are more
efficient to calculate, and you can render a NURBS surface that appears to be
seamless. (A rendered NURBS surface is actually approximated by polygons,
but the NURBS approximation can be very fine grained.)

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects
Like Shape on page 506 objects, a NURBS model can be an assemblage of
multiple NURBS sub-objects. For example, a NURBS object might contain two
surfaces that are separate in space. NURBS curves and NURBS surfaces are
controlled by either point or control vertex (CV) sub-objects. Points and CVs
behave somewhat like the vertices of spline objects, but there are differences.
The parent object in a NURBS model is either a NURBS surface or a NURBS
curve. Sub-objects can be any of the objects listed here. A NURBS curve remains
a Shape object unless you add a surface sub-object to it when you convert it
to a NURBS surface (without changing its name).
Surfaces There are two kinds of NURBS surfaces. A point surface on page 2473
is controlled by points, which always lie on the surface. A CV surface on page
2477 is controlled by control vertices (CVs). Instead of lying on the surface, CVs
form a control lattice on page 9123 that surrounds the surface. (This is similar
to the lattice used by the FFD [free-form deformation] modifiers.)
See Creating Surface Sub-Objects on page 2625 and Editing Surface Sub-Objects
on page 2550.
Curves There are also two kinds of NURBS curves. These correspond exactly
to the two kinds of surfaces. A point curve on page 2483 is controlled by points,
which always lie on the curve. A CV curve on page 2490 is controlled by CVs,
which don't necessarily lie on the curve.
See Creating Surface Sub-Objects on page 2625 and Editing Curve Sub-Objects
on page 2538.

2434 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Points Point surfaces and point curves have point on page 2718 sub-objects.
You can also create separate point sub-objects that are not part of a surface or
a curve.
See Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2717.
CVs CV surfaces and CV curves have CV sub-objects. Unlike points, CVs are
always part of a surface or a curve.
See Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects on page 2522 and Editing Surface CV
Sub-Objects on page 2528.
Imports Imports are 3ds Max objects, including other NURBS objects. Within
the NURBS model, they render as NURBS; but they retain their original
parameters and modifiers.
See Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects on page 2509.
Sub-objects can be dependent on page 2450 sub-objects whose geometry is related
to the geometry of other sub-objects.

Creating NURBS Models
There is a variety of ways to create NURBS models.
These are various ways you can create a top-level, parent NURBS object:
■

You can create a NURBS curve on page 2481 on the Shape on page 506 panel
of the Create panel.

■

You can create a NURBS surface on page 2471 on the Geometry on page 289
panel of the Create panel. When you use this technique, the NURBS surface
is initially a flat rectangle. You can alter it using the Modify panel.

■

You can turn a standard geometry primitive on page 321 into a NURBS
object.

■

You can turn a torus knot on page 360 into a NURBS object.

■

You can turn a prism on page 392 extended primitive into a NURBS object.

■

You can turn a spline on page 511 object (Bezier spline) into a NURBS object.

■

You can turn a patch grid on page 2424 object (Bezier patch) into a NURBS
object.

■

You can turn a loft on page 674 object into a NURBS object.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2435

To turn objects other than NURBS curves and surfaces into NURBS objects,
use the Modify panel. Right-click the object's name in the stack display (see
Modifier Stack on page 8776) and choose Convert To: NURBS.
In viewports, the quad menu on page 8640 also lets you convert objects to
NURBS. Select and then right-click the object, and in the Transform
(lower-right) quadrant, choose Convert To: ➤ Convert to NURBS.
■

In addition, the modifiers Extrude on page 1369 and Lathe on page 1418 let
you choose NURBS output, which creates a NURBS object.

Working with NURBS Models
When you work with NURBS models, usually you create one NURBS object
as the “starter” object, then edit the starter object or add additional sub-objects.
Here is the two-step process in more detail:
■

Create one NURBS object as the "starter" object. This can be a surface object,
a curve object, or a converted geometry primitive, as described in Creating
NURBS Models on page 2435.
Often modelers like to identify a single, master surface as the main
component of the model. Converted geometry primitives are good if you
want the starter surface to become the master surface. See Creating NURBS
Surfaces from Geometric Primitives on page 2500. Point and CV surfaces are
good as starters for rectangular surfaces.

■

On the Modify panel, you can edit the original object, or you can create
additional sub-objects.
See Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects on page 2443.
You might even choose to delete the original, starter object once you have
built a model from newer sub-objects.

Going immediately to the Modify panel avoids the problem of creating
additional top-level NURBS objects, which you can't use to build relational,
dependent sub-objects. (The exception is using curves for loft and sweep
surfaces. See U Loft Surface on page 2669, UV Loft Surface on page 2679, 1-Rail
Sweep Surface on page 2686, or 2-Rail Sweep Surface on page 2696.)
Two general references for modeling with NURBS are Curves and Surfaces for
Computer-Aided Geometric Design: A Practical Guide by Gerald Farin (Academic
Press, fourth edition 1996) and Interactive Curves and Surfaces: A Multimedia
Tutorial on Computer Aided Graphic Design by Alyn Rockwood and Peter Chambers
(Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 1996).

2436 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NURBS Surface Trimming
To trim a surface is to use a curve on the surface to cut away part of the surface,
or to cut a hole in the surface.
Before you trim a surface, you must create a curve on that surface. These are
the kinds of curves that can trim surfaces:
■

U iso and V iso curves on page 2606

■

Surface-surface intersection curve on page 2600

■

Normal projected curve on page 2608

■

Vector projected curve on page 2611

■

CV curve on surface on page 2614

■

Point curve on surface on page 2619

Once you've created the curve, you trim the surface by turning on Trim in
the curve sub-object's parameters. A Flip Trim control inverts the trim direction.
The direction of the curve determines the initial direction of the trim. For
example, a closed curve on surface created in a clockwise direction trims
inward, creating a hole in the surface; while a closed curve on surface created
in a counterclockwise direction trims outward, creating a curve-shaped portion
of the surface.
When a surface is trimmed, its untrimmed version is still present in the 3ds
Max scene. You can select it for the purposes of editing it, or replacing it as a
parent to a dependent sub-object on page 2450. For details, see Sub-Object
Selection on page 2445.

Procedures
Example: To cut a hole in a CV surface:
1 Create a CV surface in the Top viewport.
2 Create a closed CV curve sub-object that lies on top of (or above) the
surface.

3 In the toolbox, turn on
(Normal Projected Curve), then in the
Top viewport click first the CV curve, then the surface.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2437

This creates a projection of the CV curve that lies on the surface, and can
trim it.
4 In the normal projected curve's parameters, click to turn on Trim.
A hole appears in the surface. Depending on the orientation of the Normal
Projected curve, you might see everything but the hole.
5 Use the Flip Trim toggle to invert the trim.
NOTE Trims aren't displayed in viewports if the NURBS surface's Surface
Trims toggle is turned off on the General rollout's Display group box.

Above: CV curve on surface
Below left: Using the curve to trim the surface
Below right: Using Flip Trim to change the trimming direction

To select an untrimmed surface:
1 Make sure the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008 is on.

2438 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

2 At the appropriate sub-object level or during a replace parent operation,
press H. This opens the Select Sub-Objects dialog, which is a subset of the
Selection Floater on page 187 that you can use during sub-object creation
as well as sub-object selection.
3 If the untrimmed version is selectable at this level, the trimmed version
appears as a "tree," with a plus sign next to it. Click the plus sign to expand
the tree. The child is the untrimmed version. Highlight its name to select
it.

Modifying NURBS Models and Creating Sub-Objects
You can edit NURBS immediately when you enter the Modify panel. You don’t
have to apply a modifier, as you do for most kinds of 3ds Max objects.
While you are editing a NURBS object on the Modify panel, you can create
sub-objects "on the fly," without having to go back to the Create panel. This
is an exception to the way you usually use 3ds Max. The Modify panel for
NURBS curve and NURBS surface objects includes rollouts that let you create
new NURBS sub-objects.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2439

Example: Rollout for creating NURBS surface sub-objects

TIP Another way to create curve and surface sub-objects is to use the NURBS
Creation Toolbox on page 2443
This is a summary of how to create sub-objects:
■

An individual point sub-object is either an independent point or a
dependent point tied to other NURBS geometry.

■

Curve sub-objects are either independent point curves or CV curves, or
they are dependent on page 9134 curves whose geometry is based on other
curves or surfaces already present in the model. For example, a blend curve
is a dependent curve sub-object that connects the endpoints of two other
curves.

■

Surface sub-objects are either independent point surfaces or CV surfaces,
or they are dependent on page 9134 surfaces whose geometry is based on
other surfaces or curves already present in the model. For example, a blend

2440 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

surface is a dependent surface sub-object that connects the edges of two
other surfaces.
■

You can attach 3ds Max objects. If the attached object is not already a
NURBS object, it is converted to NURBS geometry. You can attach a NURBS
curve, another NURBS surface, or a convertible 3ds Max object. The
attached object becomes one or more curve or surface sub-objects.

■

You can import 3ds Max objects. The imported object retains its parameters.
While it is part of the NURBS object it renders as a NURBS, but you can
still edit it parametrically at the Imports sub-object level. At this sub-object
level, viewports display its usual geometry, not its NURBS form. A NURBS
curve can import NURBS curves or spline curves. A NURBS surface can
import curves, surfaces, or convertible 3ds Max objects.

NOTE You can detach a NURBS sub-object to make it a new, top-level NURBS
object, and you can extract an imported object to create an independent, top-level
object once again.

Quad Menu for NURBS Objects
While a NURBS object is selected and the Modify panel is active, the quad
menu on page 8640 displays two quadrants that are specifically for NURBS
editing.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2441

Quad menu for modifying NURBS models

Tools 1 (upper-left) Quadrant
These options are general display and sub-object level shortcuts.
Transform Degrade Toggles Degradation Override on page 104.
Display Shaded Lattice, Display Lattices, Display Surfaces, and Display
Curves See Display Controls for NURBS Models on page 2504.
Sub-objects Displays the sub-object choices for the selected object, as well as
a Top-level choice.

2442 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Tools 2 (lower-left) Quadrant
These options are creation and editing shortcuts.
Create CV Surface, Create CV Curve, Create Point Surface, Create Point
Curve These create a new NURBS sub-object.
Insert CV Row, Insert CV Column, Refine CV Curve, Refine CV Row These
add CVs to a CV Surface sub-object by inserting or refining. For the difference
between inserting and refining, see Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects on page
2528. See NURBS Concepts on page 2457 for more information about refining.

Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ General rollout ➤
(NURBS Creation Toolbox)
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+T (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on.)
Besides using rollouts at the NURBS object level, you can use the NURBS
toolbox to create sub-objects.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2443

Interface

Toolbox for NURBS objects

The toolbox contains buttons for creating NURBS sub-objects. In general, the
toolbox behaves like this:
■

While the button is on, the toolbox is visible whenever a NURBS object
or sub-object is selected and you are on the Modify panel. It disappears
whenever you deselect the NURBS object or make a different panel active.
When you return to the Modify panel and select a NURBS object, it
reappears.

■

You can use the toolbox to create sub-objects from either the top, object
level, or from any NURBS sub-object level.

■

When you turn on a toolbox button, you go into creation mode, and the
Modify panel changes to show the parameters (if there are any) for the
kind of sub-object you are creating.
Other NURBS rollouts aren't displayed while you create the new sub-object.
This differs from using the NURBS object's Create rollouts or the NURBS
right-click menu on page 2441.

2444 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

If you are at the top, object level and use the toolbox to create a sub-object,
you must then go to the sub-object level to edit the new sub-object. (This
is the same as using the buttons on the rollouts.)

■

If you are at a sub-object level and use the toolbox to create an object of
the same sub-object type, you can edit it immediately after you turn off
the create button (or right-click to end object creation).

■

If you are at a sub-object level and use the toolbox to create an object of
a different sub-object type, you must change to that sub-object level before
you can edit the new sub-object.

The individual creation buttons are described in these topics:
Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2717
Creating Curve Sub-Objects on page 2569
Creating Surface Sub-Objects on page 2625

NURBS Sub-Object Selection
When you work with NURBS models, you often work with sub-objects. While
you are at the sub-object level, you use the usual selection techniques, such
as clicking, dragging a region, or holding down Ctrl, to choose one or more
sub-objects.
You can also select NURBS point, curve, and surface sub-objects by name.
Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008, go to a NURBS
sub-object level, and then press the H key. This opens the Select Sub-Objects
dialog, which is a subset of the Selection Floater on page 187 that lists only
sub-objects at the current level. Choose one or more objects in the list, and
then click Select. You can assign your own names to NURBS sub-objects (aside
from CVs) that you want to edit frequently.
TIP
Press Ctrl+H to have the Select Sub-Objects dialog list only sub-objects directly
beneath the mouse cursor.
TIP
The H shortcut is also a convenient way to choose parent objects while you're
creating dependent sub-objects.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2445

Workflow Tips
When you work with NURBS, you switch frequently between the object and
sub-object levels, or from one sub-object level to another. Keyboard shortcuts
and pop-up menus can help you do this.
■

The Sub-Object Selection Toggle (default: Ctrl+B) switches between object
and sub-object levels.

■

The Cycle Sub-Object Level shortcut (default: Insert) switches from one
sub-object level to another.

■

When you right-click in a viewport while a NURBS object is selected and
the Modify panel is active, the quad menu lets you switch between various
levels of the NURBS model: Top Level, Surface CV Level, Surface Level,
Curve CV Level, Point Level, Curve Level, and Imports Level.

■

The command panel’s right-click popup menu (available whenever the
mouse cursor becomes a pan hand) helps you navigate the rollouts on the
current command panel.
If you have a three-button or wheel mouse, rolling the wheel scrolls the
command panel.

■

Sub-object selection sets are persistent. If you go to a different sub-object
level, when you return to the previous level, your selection is still available.
However, refining or inserting points or CVs makes the sub-object selection
sets invalid for that object.

■

You can move a sub-object selection set among sub-objects at the active
level of the NURBS model by holding down Ctrl while you press the arrow
keys.

■

When you select surface CV sub-objects that are "on top of" each other in
a 3D view, sometimes all the selected CVs fail to highlight. To fix this,
choose Customize ➤ Viewport Configuration on page 8963, and turn on
Z-buffer Wireframe Objects.

CV Sub-Objects and Point Sub-Objects
Independent curves and independent surfaces both come in two varieties:
they are either CV sub-objects or point sub-objects. This topic describes the
differences between the two.

2446 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

CV Curves and CV Surfaces
CV curves and CV surfaces have control vertices (CVs) as do splines. The
position of the CVs controls the shape of the curve or the surface. However,
unlike spline vertices, CVs don’t necessarily lie on the curve or surface they
define. The CVs define a control lattice on page 9123 that connects the CVs and
surrounds the NURBS curve or surface. The control lattice displays in lines
that are yellow by default.

Cone-shaped NURBS surface with its control lattice (CVs are displayed as green squares)

TIP When you use Zoom Extents, the entire extents of a NURBS object are
displayed, including its control lattice. Because CVs can be located some distance
from an object, the curve or surface itself (the object’s renderable geometry) is
sometimes hard to see. If this happens, use Zoom Region or Field of View to zoom
in.
You can move a CV at the Curve CV or Surface CV sub-object level on the
Modify panel. Other transforms, rotate and scale, work as well. Rotate and
scale are useful mainly when you have selected multiple CVs.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2447

Moving and rotating CVs to change a surface (selected CVs are displayed in red)

Each CV also has a weight, which you can use to adjust the CV’s effect on the
curve or surface. Increasing the weight pulls the surface toward the CV.
Decreasing the weight relaxes the surface away from the CV.

2448 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Above: Weights=0.0
Below: Weights=40.0
Changing a spherical surface by decreasing or increasing the weight of four CVs
(selected CVs are at the left, in red)

Weights can be a useful way to "tune" the appearance of a NURBS curve or
surface.
The weight value of a CV is rational (as in a "rational number"). That is, it is
relative to other CVs in the curve or surface. Changing the weight of all CVs
at once has no effect, because it doesn’t change the ratio between weights.

Points, Point Curves, and Point Surfaces
Point curves and point surfaces are similar to CV curves and surfaces, but the
points that control them are required to lie on the curve or surface. Unlike
CVs, points do not have a weight.
Point curves and point surfaces can be more intuitive to create and work with.
However, working with point sub-objects is slower than working with CV
sub-objects. You can think of a point curve or point surface as being dependent
on the points to which it fits.
Points that you create individually are the same as the points on point curves
and surfaces, except that initially they aren’t part of a curve or surface. You
can create a point curve by fitting it to points that you select. When you fit
the new point curve, you can use points that are part of curves or surfaces,
and individual point sub-objects.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2449

Dependent Sub-Objects (NURBS)
A NURBS sub-object is either independent or dependent. A dependent
sub-object is based on the geometry of other sub-objects. For example, a blend
surface smoothly connects two other surfaces. Transforming or animating
either of the original, parent surfaces causes the shape of the blend to change
as it maintains a connection between the parents.

Moving a parent surface changes the blend surface (the blend surface is displayed in
green)

The immediate, interactive relation between the parent and dependent
sub-objects is known as relational modeling. Relational modeling is one of the
reasons NURBS models can be particularly easy to change or to animate.
IMPORTANT Dependent sub-objects must have parents that are also sub-objects
of the same NURBS model. Dependent relationships can’t exist between object-level
NURBS curves or surfaces. If you want to use a top-level NURBS object to create
a dependent object, first you must attach or import the top-level object. See
Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects on page 2509.
You have the option of making a dependent sub-object independent. After
you do so, the sub-object is no longer related to its parents. Changes to the
former parents don’t affect it, but you can edit and transform it as an
independent sub-object in its own right.

2450 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

At the appropriate sub-object level, dependent NURBS are displayed in green
in wireframe viewports. (You can change the display color using the Colors
panel of the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.)
Relational modeling does add computation time to a model, so when you
transform or edit dependent sub-objects in other ways, often you will notice
a slowdown in performance. Once a dependent surface sub-object has the
shape you want, you can improve performance by making it into a rigid surface
on page 2453.

Transforming Dependent Sub-Objects
In general, you can select and transform dependent sub-objects, but the effect
of the transform depends on the sub-object type. Some dependent objects
have a gizmo, similar to the gizmo used with modifiers. Sub-objects that don’t
have gizmos can’t change relative to their parent objects. For these kinds of
sub-objects, transforms apply equally to the sub-object and its parents. For
example, moving a blend sub-object moves its parents as well. Sub-objects
that have gizmos can change relative to their parent objects. In this case, as
with modifiers that use gizmos, you are really transforming the gizmo. For
example, rotating a mirror sub-object changes the mirror axis, and therefore
the mirror’s position relative to its parent curve or surface.
When you Shift+Clone on page 2759 a dependent NURBS sub-object, by default
the parent objects are also cloned. For example, if you Shift+Clone a UV loft,
all the lofting curves are copied as well. This means that the new object has
the same type as the original object. The cloned object keeps its parents, so
you can edit it just as you do the original. When you Shift+Clone a NURBS
sub-object, you can also choose to remove dependencies in order to improve
performance.

Error Condition for Dependent Sub-Objects
Sometimes changes you make to the parent objects make it no longer possible
to correctly update the dependent object’s geometry. For example, a fillet
between two curves requires the curves to be coplanar. If you move one curve
(or its CVs or points) so that the curves are no longer coplanar, the fillet cannot
update correctly. In this case, the dependent object’s geometry reverts to a
default position, and it is displayed in orange to indicate an error condition.
(You can change the error color using the Colors panel on page 8860 of the
Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.)

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2451

The arrow points to the segment indicating an error condition.

Seed Values
Some kinds of dependent sub-objects depend on geometry that might have
more than one solution. For example, if you want to create a surface-curve
intersection point, and the curve intersects the surface more than once, 3ds
Max must decide which intersection is to be the location of the point.
For these kinds of objects, seed value on page 9299 parameters control the
decision. The seed location is on a parent object, and 3ds Max chooses the
location nearest to the seed value that satisfies the creation condition. You
can alter the seed value when you edit these dependent sub-objects. The seed
location is displayed as a yellow square.
For example, the seed location for a surface-curve intersection point is a U
position along the length of the parent curve. The surface-curve intersection
closest to the seed is chosen as the location of the dependent point.
The seed location for a surface is a pair of UV coordinates in the surface's
parameter space on page 9257.

2452 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Replacing Parent Sub-Objects
Dependent sub-objects have controls that let you replace the object or objects
on which they depend. For example, Offset Surface has a button called Replace
Base Surface. You can click this button and then click a different surface to
act as the base of the offset.
This capability lets you replace a trimmed surface with its untrimmed version,
or vice versa. To do so, you need to use the Select Sub-Objects dialog, which
is a subset of the Selection Floater on page 187 that you can use during
sub-object creation as well as sub-object selection. For example, select the
trimmed surface sub-object and turn on the Keyboard Shortcuts Override
toggle on page 9008. Click the replacement button, press the H key, expand the
surface's tree, and then highlight the name of the untrimmed version.

Rigid NURBS Surfaces
To improve performance, you can make any kind of surface sub-object into
a rigid surface. The only editing allowed on a rigid surface is to transform it
at the Surface sub-object level. You can't move a rigid surface's points or CVs,
or change the number of points or CVs.
Rigid surfaces reduce the amount of memory used by the NURBS model.
Making surfaces rigid improves performance, especially for large and complex
models.
When a surface is rigid, you can't see its points or CVs when you are at the
Point or Surface CV sub-object levels. If the model has only rigid surfaces and
no point curves, the Point and Surface CV sub-object levels aren't available at
all.
To make a rigid surface editable again, click Make Point, Make Independent,
Make Loft, or Convert Surface.

NURBS and Modifiers
In general, you can apply modifiers to NURBS models as you do to other
objects.
You can apply Edit Patch on page 1271 and Edit Mesh on page 1263 modifiers to
NURBS surface objects.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2453

TIP To improve performance while you animate your scene, make the surfaces in
your NURBS model nonrelational surfaces on page 2502. Modifiers treat nonrelational
surfaces as if they were independent CV surfaces: you can animate the scene more
efficiently, and then turn relational modeling back on before you render.

Deforming NURBS Objects
Deform modifiers such as Bend on page 1104 and Twist on page 1783 operate on
CV and point sub-objects. They don't change the NURBS model into an editable
mesh object. This means that you can use a deform modifier, collapse the
stack, and still have a NURBS object that you can edit further. However, because
the deform modifiers directly affect CVs and points (and not the mesh
approximation of the NURBS model), they can produce unexpected results.
For example, a Ripple on page 1598 modifier does not ripple the surface if the
CVs are farther apart than the wavelength of the ripples. If you want the
modifier to affect the mesh approximation instead of the CVs, you can apply
a Mesh Select on page 1445 modifier first. Then when you collapse the stack,
you get an editable mesh, not a NURBS object.
These are the deform modifiers that collapse to NURBS:
■

Modifiers in the Parametric Deformers set, except for Lattice (which
collapses to an editable mesh) and Slice (which collapses to an editable
poly or an editable mesh).

■

Modifiers in the Animation Modifiers set, except for the world-space
modifier (WSM) versions of PatchDeform, PathDeform, and SurfDeform,
which don't collapse.

TIP While the Morpher and Skin modifiers collapse to a NURBS object, they are
meant to be used with their own controls, and lose their usefulness when you
collapse them.
The modifiers with Soft Selection controls treat NURBS models the same way
they treat editable meshes. As with editable mesh vertices, CVs are colored
proportionally according to how much the region affects them.
If Relational Stack is turned off (see Nonrelational NURBS Surfaces on page
2502), the Affect Neighbors toggle can affect all surface CVs, curve CVs, and
points in neighboring sub-objects. If Relational Stack is on, Soft Selection
affects neighboring sub-objects only if they are at the same sub-object level.
Soft Selection works with Scale and Rotate as well as with the Move transform.

2454 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NURBS Objects and the UVW Map Modifier
When you apply a UVW Map on page 1883 modifier, it affects the NURBS object
the same way it affects a mesh. If you then collapse the stack, UVW mapping
is still in effect. However, you can override the mapper for individual surface
sub-objects. To do so, turn on the surface's Generate Mapping Coords check
box, if necessary. When the check box is on, you get the natural mapping of
the surface; when it is off, you get the mapping from the collapsed UVW
modifier.
TIP Don't use UVW Map to assign a texture to an animated surface. The texture
will shift as the surface animates.

NURBS Selection Modifier
The NURBS Surface Selection (NSurf Sel) on page 1502 lets you place a NURBS
sub-object selection on the modifier stack. This lets you modify only the
selected sub-objects. Also, selected curve sub-objects are Shape on page 506
objects that you can use as paths and motion trajectories.
NSurf Sel can select any kind of NURBS sub-object except imports. Each
sub-object selection is of one sub-object level only.

Procedures
To use a NURBS select modifier:

1 With a NURBS object selected, go to the
NSurf Sel.

Modify panel and apply

The selection modifier has no controls at the object level.

2

Click to open the modifier's hierarchy, and choose a sub-object
level.
The selection modifier has the same selection controls you see for the
corresponding sub-object type.
While applying the modifier, you can also select NURBS sub-objects by
name. Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle button on the
status bar, and then press the H key. This open the Select Sub-Objects
dialog, which is a subset of the Selection Floater on page 187 that you can
use during sub-object creation as well as sub-object selection. Choose one
or more objects in the list, and then click Select. Press Ctrl+H to have the

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2455

Select Sub-Objects dialog list only sub-objects (for example, points) directly
under the mouse cursor.
3 Use the selection controls to create a selection set of the chosen sub-object
type.
With the NSurf Sel modifier, you can select NURBS sub-objects at any
level except imports.
NOTE To select point, curve, or curve CV sub-objects, you must go to the NURBS
object and turn on Relational Stack.
Once you have used the modifier to create the selection, you can apply other
modifiers to it. If the selected sub-object is a curve, you can also use it as a
path or trajectory.
NOTE NSurf Sel doesn't support copy and paste of selections as Mesh Select does.
Copying and pasting mesh selections is based on vertex indexes. NURBS selections
are based on object IDs, which are unique to each model.

NURBS and Animation
In general, you animate NURBS curves and NURBS surfaces by turning on the
Auto Key button and transforming sub-object attributes such as CV or point
positions, by animating the parameters that control dependent NURBS objects,
and so on.
You can't animate NURBS object creation or creation parameters, or
fundamental changes to NURBS geometry such as adding or deleting CVs or
points, attaching objects, and so on.
TIP To improve performance while you animate your scene, make the surfaces in
your NURBS model nonrelational surfaces on page 2502. Modifiers treat nonrelational
surfaces as if they were independent CV surfaces: you can animate the scene more
efficiently, and then turn relational modeling back on before you render.
Some NURBS editing operations remove animation controllers.

Operations that Remove Animation
The following operations remove animation from a NURBS object or sub-object:
■

Make Independent

2456 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

This operation removes the animation of anything directly dependent on
the object.
■

Break, Extend, Join and Zip, Refine, Delete, Rebuild, Reparameterize, Close,
Make Loft, Convert Curve, and Convert Surface
Any operation that changes the number of points or CVs in a curve or
surface removes the animation of all points or CVs that are lost.

■

Fuse
The animation of the point or CV being fused to the other point or CV
(the second one chosen) is lost. The first point or CV acquires the animation
of the second.

NURBS Concepts
NURBS curves and surfaces did not exist in the traditional drafting world.
They were created specifically for 3D modeling using computers. Curves and
surfaces represent contours or shapes within a 3D modeling space. They are
constructed mathematically.
NURBS mathematics is complex, and this section is simply an introduction
to some NURBS concepts that might help you understand what you are
creating, and why NURBS objects behave as they do. For a comprehensive
description of the mathematics and algorithms involved in NURBS modeling,
see The NURBS Book by Les Piegl and Wayne Tiller (New York: Springer, second
edition 1997).

Definition and Parameter Space
The term NURBS stands for Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines. Specifically:
■

Non-Uniform means that the extent of a control vertex's influence can vary.
This is useful when modeling irregular surfaces.

■

Rational means that the equation used to represent the curve or surface is
expressed as a ratio of two polynomials, rather than a single summed
polynomial. The rational equation provides a better model of some
important curves and surfaces, especially conic sections, cones, spheres,
and so on.

■

A B-spline (for basis spline) is a way to construct a curve that is interpolated
between three or more points.
Shape curves such as the Line tool and other Shape tools are Bezier curves,
which are a special case of B-splines.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2457

The non-uniform property of NURBS brings up an important point. Because
they are generated mathematically, NURBS objects have a parameter space on
page 9257 in addition to the 3D geometric space in which they are displayed.
Specifically, an array of values called knots on page 9201 specifies the extent of
influence of each control vertex (CV) on the curve or surface. Knots are
invisible in 3D space and you can't manipulate them directly, but occasionally
their behavior affects the visible appearance of the NURBS object. This topic
mentions those situations. Parameter space is one-dimensional for curves,
which have only a single U dimension topologically, even though they exist
geometrically in 3D space. Surfaces have two dimensions in parameter space,
called U and V.
NURBS curves and surfaces have the important properties of not changing
under the standard geometric affine transformations (Transforms), or under
perspective projections. The CVs have local control of the object: moving a
CV or changing its weight does not affect any part of the object beyond the
neighboring CVs. (You can override this property by using the Soft Selection
on page 2561 controls.) Also, the control lattice that connects CVs surrounds
the surface. This is known as the convex hull on page 9125 property.

Degree and Continuity
All curves have a degree on page 9134. The degree of a curve is the highest
exponent in the equation used to represent it. A linear equation is degree 1;
a quadratic equation is degree 2. NURBS curves typically are represented by
cubic equations and have a degree of 3. Higher degrees are possible, but usually
unnecessary.
Curves also have continuity on page 9122. A continuous curve is unbroken.
There are different levels of continuity on page 9122. A curve with an angle or
cusp is C0 continuous: that is, the curve is continuous but has no derivative
at the cusp. A curve with no such cusp but whose curvature changes is C1
continuous. Its derivative is also continuous, but its second derivative is not.
A curve with uninterrupted, unchanging curvature is C2 continuous. Both its
first and second derivatives are also continuous.

2458 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Levels of curve continuity:
Left: C0, because of the angle at the top
Middle: C1, at the top a semicircle joins a semicircle of smaller radius
Right: C2, the difference is subtle but the right side is not semicircular and blends
with the left

A curve can have still higher levels of continuity, but for computer modeling
these three are adequate. Usually the eye can't distinguish between a C2
continuous curve and one with higher continuity.
Continuity and degree are related. A degree 3 equation can generate a C2
continuous curve. This is why higher-degree curves aren't generally needed
in NURBS modeling. Higher-degree curves are also less stable numerically, so
using them isn't recommended.
Different segments of a NURBS curve can have different levels of continuity.
In particular, by placing CVs at the same location or very close together, you
reduce the continuity level. Two coincident CVs sharpen the curvature. Three
coincident CVs create an angular cusp in the curve. This property of NURBS
curves is known as multiplicity on page 9233. In effect, the additional one or
two CVs combine their influence in that vicinity of the curve.

Effects of multiplicity: there are three CVs at the apex on the left, two CVs at the apex
on the right.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2459

By moving one CV away from the other, you increase the curve's continuity
level again. Multiplicity also applies when you fuse CVs. Fused CVs create a
sharper curvature or a cusp in the curve. Again, the effect goes away if you
unfuse the CVs and move one away from the other.
Degree, continuity, and multiplicity apply to NURBS surfaces as well as to
curves.

Refining Curves and Surfaces
Refining a NURBS curve means adding more CVs. Refining gives you finer
control over the shape of the curve. When you refine a NURBS curve, 3ds Max
preserves the original curvature. In other words, the shape of the curve doesn't
change, but the neighboring CVs move away from the CV you add. This is
because of multiplicity: if the neighboring CVs didn't move, the increased
presence of CVs would sharpen the curve. To avoid this effect, first refine the
curve, and then change it by transforming the newly added CVs, or adjusting
their weights.

Refining a NURBS curve.

NURBS surfaces have essentially the same properties as NURBS curves, extended
from a one-dimensional parameter space to two dimensions.

Reparameterizing CV Curves and Surfaces
When you refine a NURBS curve or surface, it is a good idea to reparameterize
it. Reparameterizing adjusts the parameter space so the curve or surface will
behave well when you edit it in viewports. There are two ways to
reparameterize:
■

Chord-length
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots in parameter space based
on the square root of the length of each curve segment.

■

Uniform
Uniform reparameterization spaces knots uniformly. A uniform knot vector
has the advantage that the curve or surface changes only locally when you
edit it.

2460 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

CV curve and surface sub-objects give you the option of reparameterizing
automatically whenever you edit the curve or surface.

Point Curve and Surface Concepts
You can work with point curves and point surfaces as well as with CV curves
and surfaces. The points that control these objects are constrained to lie on
the curve or surface. There is no control lattice, and no weight control. This
is a simpler interface that you might find easier to work with. Also, point-based
objects give you the ability to construct curves based on dependent
(constrained) points, and then use these to construct dependent surfaces.
You can think of point curves and surfaces as an interface to CV curves and
surfaces, which are the fully defined NURBS objects. The underlying
representation of the curve or surface is still constructed using CVs.
You can also think of a point curve or surface as dependent on its points. You
can use the Convert Curve button to convert a point curve or surface to the
CV form, or vice versa.

NURBS Tips and Techniques
These topics contain suggestions on how to work with NURBS. They include
tips collected from various NURBS modeling users.

How to Make Objects with NURBS Modeling
These are tips on using NURBS to create models.

Objects and Sub-Objects
■

In 3ds Max, a NURBS model is a single, top-level NURBS object on page
2434 that can contain a variety of sub-objects. Get in the habit of creating a
single object at the top level, then going immediately to the Modify panel
and adding sub-objects by using rollouts or the NURBS Creation Toolbox
on page 2443.

■

Sub-objects are either independent or dependent. Dependent sub-objects
on page 2450 use relational modeling to build NURBS geometry that is related
to other geometry. However, understand that the more dependencies a
model has, the slower interactive performance becomes.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2461

■

In general, point curves and surfaces are slower than CV curves and surfaces.
Trims are the slowest kind of dependency, and texture surfaces are the
slowest kind of dependent sub-object.

■

If a dependent sub-object doesn't change during animation, you can
improve performance by making the sub-object independent after you
finish creating it.

■

You can use NSurf Sel on page 1502 to apply modifiers to a sub-object
selection. However, before you do so make sure that Relational Stack is on;
Relational Stack on page 2502 is on the General rollout for NURBS models.
Otherwise, NSurf Sel can select only the Surface and Surface CV sub-object
levels.

Converting Other Objects to NURBS
■

Remember that you can collapse splines on page 511 to NURBS objects. A
spline Shape or a NURBS curve can be a good starter object for a NURBS
model.

■

Shapes with sharp angles collapse to multiple NURBS curves. You can
control this before NURBS conversion by first converting the Shape to an
editable spline on page 554. Modify the editable spline so that all its vertices
are Bezier or Smooth vertices. Then when you collapse the spline to a
NURBS curve, you obtain a single curve.

■

If you want a single NURBS curve, don't change vertices to Bezier Corner
vertices. These always convert to a junction between two different NURBS
curves.

■

Collapsing a primitive on page 321 into a NURBS object is one of the
quickest ways to start building a NURBS model. After collapsing the
primitive, you can select various CVs and transform them. Other objects
you can convert to NURBS are prisms on page 392, torus knots on page 360,
lofts on page 674, and patch grids on page 2424.

■

You can also change the NURBS surface by applying modifiers. The
modifiers act on the points or CVs of the surface, and not on the surface
itself. After applying the modifiers, collapse the modifier stack on page 8776.
This removes the modifiers from the stack without changing the position
of the modified points or CVs, making for a simpler and quicker model.

■

Another way to create a NURBS surface object is to apply a Lathe on page
1418 or Extrude on page 1369 modifier to a NURBS curve. Set the modifier's
Output Type to NURBS, and then collapse when you're done adjusting the
parameters.

2462 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

(There are also NURBS lathe and extrude surface sub-object types, which
you can apply to curve sub-objects.)

Shortcuts, Snaps, and User Interface Tips
■

Remember to turn on the Plug-In Keyboard Shortcut Toggle on page 9008.
While it is on, you can use all the NURBS keyboard shortcuts.

■

One of the most useful NURBS keyboard shortcuts is H, which opens the
Select Sub-Objects dialog. This is a subset of the Selection Floater on page
187 that you can use during sub-object creation as well as sub-object
selection. This is handy when sub-objects are crowded or hard to see.
A variant is Ctrl+H, which also displays the Select Sub-Objects dialog, but
lists only those NURBS sub-objects beneath the mouse cursor position.

■

There are special NURBS Snaps in the Grid and Snap Settings dialog on
page 2850 (right-click the 3D Snap toggle to display this). When you use
NURBS snaps, turn off Options/Axis Constraints; otherwise, snaps work
only in the current axis.
Also, remember that snaps work in a viewport only when you have made
the viewport active. And choosing your snap settings does not turn on
snaps. You must also turn on the 3D Snap Toggle button on page 2833 (on
the status bar).
Snaps are especially important when you create the curves for building
1-rail on page 2686 and 2-rail on page 2696 sweep surfaces.

■

Remember that without leaving the viewport, you can right-click to display
a quad menu on page 8640 with shortcuts for changing the sub-object level,
creating some sub-objects, and using some other edit commands.

■

When you work with NURBS, there are a lot of rollouts in the Modify
panel. Minimize the rollouts you don't need. For example, minimizing the
Modifiers rollout helps unless you're applying Modifiers, and minimizing
the Surface Common rollout is useful when you're creating U loft, UV loft,
and 1-rail or 2-rail sweep surfaces.

■

Don't set viewports to display edged faces. Displaying edges is almost twice
as slow as displaying a simple shaded viewport.

Creating Curves
■

When drawing a CV curve, click three times to get a sharp corner.
Be aware, however, that multiple CVs increase the amount of calculation
and therefore reduce the performance and stability of your model. However,

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2463

if you want to use the curve to construct a U Loft, and so on, this is the
best technique.
■

You can also create sharp corners by fusing the ends of two separate NURBS
curve sub-objects. This is the recommended method if you aren't using
the curves to construct a surface.

■

While creating curves, you can turn on the Draw in All Viewports toggle.
This lets you draw curves in 3D. Begin drawing a curve in one viewport,
go to another viewport, and continue drawing.
If your mouse has a middle mouse button, Alt+middle mouse button lets
you use Orbit on page 8740 to change a viewport's orientation while you are
creating the curve.

■

To create a transform curve along a specific axis, turn on the appropriate
axis constraints, and then Shift+move a copy of the transform curve.

Curves and Direction
■

NURBS curves show their direction in viewports. A small circle indicates
the first vertex. If the curve is closed, a plus sign (+) indicates the direction
of the curve.
Be aware of curve direction when you use curves to construct blend surfaces
on page 2637, U loft on page 2669 and UV loft on page 2679 surfaces, and 1-rail
on page 2686 and 2-rail on page 2696 sweeps. If the curves don't have the same
direction, you can get strange twisting. Make sure curves have the same
direction before you construct the surface. On the Curve Common rollout,
the controls Reverse and Make First let you control the direction of the
curve, and where its starting point or CV is located.
Another good way to make sure curves are aligned is to draw one curve
and then use Shift+Clone to create the others. After creating the aligned
curves, you can transform CVs to vary the curves on which the surface
will be based.

Curves for Sweeps
■

Besides expecting cross-section curves to be all in the same direction, 1-rail
on page 2686 and 2-rail on page 2696 sweep surfaces work best if the cross
sections intersect the rail or rails. To achieve this, draw the rails first, then
draw the cross sections using the NURBS Snaps on page 2850 Curve End and
Curve Edge turned on.

2464 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

2-rail sweeps have the additional requirement that the endpoints of the
first cross section intersect the endpoints of the rails. Again, NURBS Snaps
help you do this.
If the endpoints of the first cross-section don't coincide with the rail
endpoints, the resulting surface might not follow the rails.

■

While you're editing a sweep, the Edit Curve button lets you directly
transform the CVs of a rail or cross section, without changing the sub-object
level. Edit Curve also gives you access to all the rollouts that control the
curve. You can use Refine or Make First, for example, without changing
levels.

Curves on Surfaces and Projected Curves
■

You can use a viewport to draw a curve on a surface on page 2614 (COS), but
this works only for visible portions of the surface. To see the entire surface
and the curve or curves on it projected into a flat plane, use Edit Curve.
If your mouse has a middle mouse button, Alt+middle mouse button lets
you use Orbit on page 8740 to change a viewport's orientation while you
draw the curve on surface.

■

Neither curves on surfaces nor projected curves can cross the edge of a
surface. This includes the seam on surfaces with fused CVs. If you try to
project across the seam, only part of the curve's projection is created.

Creating Blend Surfaces
■

You can blend between curves or between surface edges. (You can't blend
from a trimmed edge. In that situation, you are blending from the curve
that trimmed the surface.)

■

If you want a controllable tangent or tension, you must blend to a surface
edge or a curve on a surface. Adjusting tension changes the flatness or
"bulginess" of that end of the blend.
When a curve and a surface (or two surfaces) are near each other, sometimes
it can be hard to tell which edge you are selecting. To assist you, the
currently selected surface turns yellow, and the edge that will be used for
the blend turns blue. Make sure you have selected the right surface before
you choose the edge.

■

If the edges you are blending have different numbers of points (usually
due to different surface approximation settings), then sometimes rendering
shows gaps between the blend and the original surface. If this happens,
go to the Surface Approximation rollout on page 2762 and increase the value
of Merge until the gaps disappear when you render.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2465

The Merge setting affects only the production renderer. It has no effect on
viewport display.

Lofts
■

If you need a surface between only two curves, use a ruled surface on page
2663 instead of a U loft. This is faster.

■

If loft creation seems slow, make sure the Display While Creating check
box (in the U Loft Surface rollout on page 2669) is turned off.

■

If the U loft doesn't come out as you expected, try reparameterizing the
curves. Click Reparam. at the Curve sub-object level. This button is on the
CV Curve rollout. In the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, choose Chord
Length reparameterization.
If a curve is dependent or a point curve, first you will have to make it
independent (this also improves performance).
Curves that are made of two joined curves have this problem more often
than others. If you have a joined curve as one of the curves to construct
the loft, reparameterize it before you create the loft, or set the curves to
reparameterize automatically.

■

The Edit Curve button lets you directly transform the CVs of a curve within
a U loft or UV loft on page 2679, without changing the sub-object level. Edit
Curve also gives you access to all the rollouts that control the curve. You
can use Refine or Make First, for example, without changing levels.

■

To close a UV loft, you can pick the first V curve again to make it the last
curve in the loft. Sometimes a seam is visible at this location in the UV
loft.

Multisided Blend Surfaces
■

If 3ds Max doesn't create the multisided blend on page 2706, fuse the CVs
at the three or four corners. Snapping CVs to each other doesn't always
succeed, because of rounding off.

Multicurve Trimmed Surfaces
■

Multicurve trimmed surfaces are the only way to create a trimmed hole
that contains sharp angles.

2466 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Displacement Mapping
■

In general, the default tessellation settings aren't suitable for displaced
surfaces. With these default settings, displacement mapping can create an
extremely high face count, which performs very slowly. Change the surface
approximation to the lowest necessary resolution. A good rule of thumb
is to start with Spatial approximation and an Edge value of 20. If that is
too low, reduce the Edge value until the model looks as it should.

■

Use the Displace NURBS world space modifier on page 1008 to convert the
displacement map into an actual displaced mesh so you can see the effect
of displacement in viewports. To make a displaced mesh copy of the NURBS
model, use Snapshot on page 888.

Connecting an Arm to a Shoulder
■

The easiest approach is to create a CV curve on surface on page 2614 or
normal projected curve on page 2608 on the shoulder. Then create the arm
as a U loft on page 2669. For the last curve of the U loft, select the CV curve
on surface or the normal projected curve. Then turn on Use COS Tangents,
which makes the loft surface tangent to the other surface where the arm
joins the shoulder.

■

If the blend appears twisted, use the Start Point spinner to change the
location of the first point of the curves that make up the U loft surface.

■

Another way to connect a U loft to another surface is to project the last
curve in the U loft onto the other surface. Click Make COS to convert the
projected curve into a curve on surface, and then on the U Loft Surface
rollout click Insert to make the new curve on surface the last curve in the
U loft. You can scale the curve on surface or move its CVs to get the
curvature and blending you want.

How to Fix NURBS Objects
These are tips on fixing problems with NURBS models.
■

If you create a surface but it isn't visible in viewports, click Flip Normals.
Flip Normals is available on the surface's creation rollout, or at the Surface
sub-object level on the Surface Common rollout.

■

If you create a blend surface on page 2637 and it looks like a bow tie, use Flip
End 1 or Flip End 2 to correct the twist.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2467

■

If a CV curve gives you unexpected or incorrect results, try reparameterizing
it. Click Reparam. at the Curve sub-object level. This button is on the CV
Curve rollout. In the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, choose Chord
Length reparameterization.
If the curve still gives you trouble, try rebuilding it. The Rebuild button is
on the same rollout.

■

If a blend between a surface and a curve gives you unexpected or incorrect
results, try reparameterizing the parent surface. Click Reparam. at the
Surface sub-object level. This button is on the CV Surface rollout. In the
Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, choose Chord Length
reparameterization.

■

If you see a seam in a shaded viewport, render the viewport first before
you try to fix the seam. What you see in viewports might not be what you
get in a render, and the viewport shader is less accurate than the production
renderer. Seams in viewports can also result from different surface
approximation settings on page 2762 for the viewport and the renderer, so
check these as well.

■

If you see gaps between faces in the rendered model, increase the Merge
value for the renderer in the surface approximation settings.

■

Sometimes gaps between faces appear after you convert a NURBS model
into a mesh. (For example, by using Mesh Select on page 1445.) If this
happens, increase the Merge value for the renderer in the surface
approximation on page 2762 settings.

■

If you see odd twists in a 1-rail on page 2686 or 2-rail on page 2696 sweep, add
more cross sections at the areas of change in the surface. For example, if
your rail looks like a box with rounded corners, placing cross sections at
the corners helps to control the shape of the sweep. On the other hand,
you don't need more cross sections for a rail shaped like an 'S', because the
curvature is more constant.

■

If a U loft or UV loft doubles back on itself unexpectedly, make sure that
all the curves are going in the same direction. Click Reverse to change a
curve's direction. Use the Start Point spinner to align the curve's initial
points.

2468 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

How to Improve NURBS Performance
These are tips on improving the performance of your NURBS models.
■

Avoid using point curves and point surfaces. These are slower than CV
curves and CV surfaces. Use the point forms only when you need them
for construction; for example, when you use Curve Fit to create a curve
that interpolates specific points.

■

Use the nonrelational stack on page 2502 feature in conjunction with the
Shaded Lattice toggle to improve performance while you animate your
NURBS model.

■

Use Transform Degrade to hide surfaces while you are moving, rotating,
and scaling NURBS sub-objects. The shortcut Ctrl+X toggles this option.
You can use Ctrl+X in the middle of a transform, to turn on degradation
if things are happening slowly.

■

Turn off the display of dependent surfaces while you are creating new
dependent surfaces or moving, rotating, or scaling NURBS sub-objects. The
shortcut Ctrl+D toggles dependent surface display.

■

Trim holes only when you need to. For example, when you connect an
arm to a torso, you don't need to create a hole beneath the arm, as it won't
be visible anyway.
You can also speed up performance by turning off the Display Trims toggle.
The shortcut Shift+Ctrl+T toggles trim display. The trims still appear in
renderings.

■

For symmetrical models, create only half the geometry, and then mirror
it. You can then use a blend on page 2637 surface or ruled on page 2663 surface
to connect the two halves.

■

Restart 3ds Max when performance begins to slow down. If your NURBS
model needs to page, then working with it for a long time causes
performance to slow. If you notice this, save your work, close 3ds Max,
and then restart.

■

Convert point surfaces to CV surfaces whenever possible.

■

When you use texture surfaces, use the Edit Texture Surface dialog on page
2743 (click Edit Texture Surface on the Material Properties rollout on page
2564) to rebuild the texture surface with the minimum necessary number of
UV rows and columns.

■

U lofts are faster than UV lofts.

NURBS Models: Objects and Sub-Objects | 2469

■

Every type of surface is faster if you can make it independent.

■

Set the surface approximation on page 2762 for viewports to use the lowest
possible resolution. Set the renderer to use higher resolution, and turn on
View Dependent for the renderer so objects far from the camera render
more quickly.

■

You can customize and save surface approximation on page 2762 presets by
using the Surface Approximation utility on page 2773. This utility also lets
you set surface approximation values for a selection set of multiple NURBS
models.

NURBS Animation, Textures, and Rendering
These are tips about animating NURBS models and using textures with
animated NURBS models.
■

An easy way to animate a growing surface is to put a curve point on page
2721 with trimming on a curve, then animate the U position of the curve
point, and then use this curve as the rail of a 1-rail sweep on page 2686. As
the trimmed rail grows, so does the sweep surface. (You must trim the
curve before you create the sweep surface.)

■

If you see gaps between surfaces in rendered images, increase the value of
Merge for the renderer in the surface approximation on page 2762 settings.

■

If a texture slides around on the surface during animation, this is because
you are using the default Chord-Length parameterization of the texture
surface. Select the surface, then on the Material Properties rollout on page
2564 change the parameterization to User Defined. Now the texture should
stick to the surface better.

■

Don't use the UVW Map modifier on page 1883 to apply a texture to an
animated NURBS surface.

■

If a surface seems to glitter or jump around as you move toward it in an
animation, this is because View Dependent tessellation is on (on the Surface
Approximation rollout on page 2762) so the tessellation is constantly
changing. Usually View Dependent creates no visible changes, but if it
does, turn it off.

■

If a surface seems to glitter or jump around while it changes during
animation, this is because the tessellation is changing as the surface
animates. Changing surface approximation (on the Surface Approximation
rollout) to Regular fixes this in all cases. Parametric tessellation also solves

2470 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

this problem for every kind of surface except U lofts on page 2669 and UV
lofts on page 2679.
■

If the View Dependent setting doesn’t seem to be doing much, change the
tessellation (on the Surface Approximation rollout) from Curvature to
Spatial. You will then get a much more drastic change in face count.

■

To get a map to smoothly cover two or more surface without tiling, create
another surface whose shape covers and roughly conforms to the original
surfaces. Apply the texture to the larger surface. In the Material Properties
rollout on page 2564 for the original surfaces, set Texture Surface to Projected,
click Pick Source Surface, and pick the larger surface. Adjust the larger
surface to fine-tune the map projection. Hide the larger surface before you
render.

■

To have different maps on a surface sub-object, use different mapping
coordinates on page 9212, and multiple map channels on page 9210. On the
Material Properties rollout on page 2564, change the Map Channel value and
then turn on Generate Mapping Coordinates. (Each map channel requires
its own set of mapping coordinates.)
NURBS surface sub-objects let you set the map channel directly, and don't
require you to apply UVW Map modifiers as other objects do.

■

If a map doesn't align to a surface sub-object the way you want it to, on
the Material Properties rollout on page 2564 choose User Defined as the
Texture Surface, and then use Edit Texture Points or the Edit Texture Surface
dialog to move the points of the texture surface.

■

To adjust how the map aligns to the edges of a surface sub-object, use the
Texture Corner settings on the Material Properties rollout on page 2564.

NURBS Surfaces
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ NURBS Surfaces

Create menu ➤ NURBS ➤ CV Surface/Point Surface
NURBS on page 9239 surface objects are the basis of NURBS models. The initial
surface you create using the Create panel is a planar segment with points or
CVs. It is meant simply to be "raw material" for creating a NURBS model. Once
you have created the initial surface, you can modify it on the Modify panel
by moving CVs or NURBS points, attaching other objects, creating sub-objects,
and so on.

NURBS Surfaces | 2471

There are two kinds of NURBS surfaces:
Point Surface on page 2473
CV Surface on page 2477
You can also create a NURBS surface from a geometric primitive on page 2500.
NURBS surfaces can contain multiple sub-objects, including NURBS points,
NURBS curves, and other NURBS surfaces. These sub-objects are either
dependent or independent.
Creating Curve Sub-Objects on page 2569
Creating Surface Sub-Objects on page 2625
Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2717
Common Sub-Object Controls on page 2512
Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2514
Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects on page 2522
Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects on page 2528
Editing Curve Sub-Objects on page 2538
Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550
You can also create NURBS surface sub-objects by attaching or importing other
3ds Max objects on page 2509.
Both NURBS curves and NURBS surfaces have a Display area in the General
rollout on the Modify panel. These controls affect which portions of the NURBS
geometry are displayed. Next to the Display area is the button that turns on
the toolbox for creating sub-objects.
Display Controls for NURBS Models on page 2504
WARNING When you move CV sub-objects, the effect must be calculated over a
region of the surface. Although the calculations are optimized, this is a more
involved process than simply moving vertices in an editable mesh. Because of this,
if you manipulate large numbers of a NURBS surface's CVs by transforming,
animating, applying modifiers, and so on, you will notice a drop in interactive
performance.
You can use MAXScript to control NURBS objects. See "Working with NURBS
in MAXScript" in the MAXScript help file. Choose Help ➤ Additional Help,
and then choose MAXScript from the list of additional help files.

2472 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Point Surface
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ NURBS Surfaces ➤ Point

Surf
Create menu ➤ NURBS ➤ Point Surface
Point surfaces are NURBS surfaces on page 2471 whose points are constrained
to lie on the surface.

Points shape the surface they lie on.

Because an initial NURBS surface is meant to be edited, the surface creation
parameters do not appear on the Modify panel. In this respect, NURBS surface
objects are different from other objects. The Modify panel provides other ways
to change the values you set in the Create panel.

NURBS Surfaces | 2473

Procedures
To create a point surface:

1 Go to the

Create panel.

2 With
(Geometry) active, choose NURBS Surfaces from the
drop-down list.
3 Turn on Point Surf.
4 In a viewport, drag to specify the area of the planar segment.
5 Adjust the surface's creation parameters.

Interface
The creation parameters are the same for both point surfaces and CV surfaces,
except that the labels indicate which kind of basic NURBS surface you are
creating.

Keyboard Entry rollout
The Keyboard Entry rollout lets you create a point surface by typing. Use the
Tab key to move between the controls on this rollout. To click the Create
button from the keyboard, press Enter while the button is active.

2474 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

X, Y, and Z Let you enter the coordinates of the center of the surface.
Length and Width Let you enter the dimensions of the surface in current
3ds Max units.
Length Points Lets you enter the number of points along the length of the
surface (this is the initial number of point columns).
Width Points Lets you enter the number of points along the width of the
surface (this is the initial number of point rows).
Create Creates the surface object.

NURBS Surfaces | 2475

Create Parameters rollout

Length The length of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
Width The width of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
On the Modify panel, the Length and Width spinners are no longer available.
You can change the length or width of the surface by scaling the surface at
the Surface sub-object level. Moving point sub-objects also alters the length
and width of the surface.
Length Points The number of points along the length of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of point columns in the surface. Range=2 to 50.
Default=4.
Width Points The number of points along the width of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of point rows in the surface. Range=2 to 50.
Default=4.
On the Modify panel, the point Length and Width spinners are no longer
available. You can change the number of rows and columns by deleting existing
rows and columns, or by adding new rows and columns using the Refine
controls at the Point sub-object level.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Generates mapping coordinates so you can
apply mapped materials to the surface.
The Generate Mapping Coordinates control is present on the Modify panel.
It is at the Surface sub-object level.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals.

2476 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The Flip Normals control is present on the Modify panel. It is at the Surface
sub-object level.
When you modify a point surface, a rollout lets you change its surface
approximation settings on page 2762.

CV Surface
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ NURBS Surfaces ➤ CV Surf

Create menu ➤ NURBS ➤ CV Surface
CV surfaces are NURBS surfaces on page 2471 controlled by control vertices (CVs
on page 9128). The CVs don't lie on the surface. They define a control lattice
on page 9123 that encloses the surface. Each CV has a weight that you can adjust
to change the shape of the surface.

The CVs in a control lattice shape the surface it defines.

Because an initial NURBS surface is meant to be edited, the surface creation
parameters do not appear on the Modify panel. In this respect, NURBS surface

NURBS Surfaces | 2477

objects are different from other objects. The Modify panel provides other ways
to change the values you set in the Create panel.

Procedures
To create a CV surface:

1 Go to the

Create panel.

2 With
(Geometry) active, choose NURBS Surfaces from the
drop-down list.
3 Turn on CV Surf.
4 In a viewport, drag to specify the area of the planar segment.
5 Adjust the surface's creation parameters.
NOTE When you edit a CV surface you can add or move CVs so that more
than one CV is at the same location (or close to it) to increase the influence
of the CVs in that region of the surface. Two coincident CVs sharpen the
curvature. Three coincident CVs create an angular peak in the surface. This
technique can help you shape the surface. However, if you later move the
CVs individually, you lose this effect. (You can also obtain the influence of
multiple CVs by fusing on page 9172 CVs.)

Interface
The creation parameters are the same for both point surfaces and CV surfaces,
except that the labels indicate which kind of basic NURBS surface you are
creating.

Keyboard Entry rollout
The Keyboard Entry rollout lets you create a CV surface by typing. Use the
Tab key to move between the controls on this rollout. To click the Create
button from the keyboard, press Enter while the button is active.

2478 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

X, Y, and Z Let you enter the coordinates of the center of the surface.
Length and Width Let you enter the dimensions of the surface, in current
3ds Max units.
Length CVs Lets you enter the number of CVs along the length of the surface
(this is the initial number of CV columns).
Width CVs Lets you enter the number of CVs along the width of the surface
(this is the initial number of CV rows).
Create Creates the surface object.

NURBS Surfaces | 2479

Create Parameters rollout

Length The length of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
Width The width of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
On the Modify panel, the Length and Width spinners are no longer available.
You can change the length or width of the surface by scaling the surface at
the Surface sub-object level. Moving CV sub-objects also alters the length and
width of the surface.
Length CVs The number of CVs along the length of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of CV columns in the surface. Can range from 4 to
50.
Width CVs The number of CVs along the width of the surface. In other words,
the initial number of CV rows in the surface. Can range from 4 to 50.
On the Modify panel, the CV Length and Width spinners are no longer
available. You can change the number of rows and columns by deleting existing
rows and columns, or by adding new rows and columns using the Refine
controls at the Surface CV sub-object level.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Generates mapping coordinates so you can
apply mapped materials to the surface.

2480 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The Generate Mapping Coordinates control is present on the Modify panel.
It is at the Surface sub-object level.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals.
The Flip Normals control is present on the Modify panel. It is at the Surface
sub-object level.
When you modify a CV surface, a rollout lets you change its surface
approximation settings on page 2762.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The radio buttons in this group box let you choose automatic
reparameterization. With reparameterization, the surface maintains its
parameterization as you edit it. Without reparameterization, the surface's
parameterization doesn't change as you edit it, and can become irregular.
None Do not reparameterize.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the surface will change only
locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization, moving
any CV can change the entire surface.

NURBS Curves
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ NURBS Curves

NURBS on page 9239 curves are Shape objects on page 506, and you can use them
as you do splines. You can use the Extrude or Lathe modifiers to generate a
3D surface based on a NURBS curve. You can use NURBS curves as the path
or the shape of a loft. (Lofts created using NURBS curves are loft objects, not
NURBS objects.)
You can also use NURBS curves as Path Constraint and Path Deform paths or
as motion trajectories.
You can assign thickness to a NURBS curve so it renders as a cylindrical object.
(The thickened curve renders as a polygonal mesh, not as a NURBS surface.)

NURBS Curves | 2481

A curve and the same curve rendered with thickness

There are two kinds of NURBS curve objects:
Point Curve on page 2483
CV Curve on page 2490
Like other Shape objects, NURBS curves can contain multiple sub-objects,
which are either dependent or independent.
Creating Curve Sub-Objects on page 2569
Creating Surface Sub-Objects on page 2625
Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2717
Common Sub-Object Controls on page 2512
Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2514
Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects on page 2522
Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects on page 2528
Editing Curve Sub-Objects on page 2538
Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550
NOTE Like an object-level NURBS surface on page 2471, an object-level NURBS
curve is a top-level NURBS model on page 9239 that can contain NURBS curve,
NURBS surface, and NURBS point sub-objects. A NURBS curve remains a Shape
object unless you add a surface sub-object to it; if you do, it converts to a NURBS
surface (without changing its name).
Creating Independent Surfaces from NURBS Curve Objects on page 2498

2482 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

You can also create NURBS curve sub-objects by attaching or importing other
objects such as other NURBS curves or spline shapes.
Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects on page 2509
Display Controls for NURBS Models on page 2504
Both NURBS curves and NURBS surfaces have a Display area in the Modify
panel. These controls affect which portions of the NURBS geometry are
displayed. Next to the Display area is the button that turns on the toolbox
for creating sub-objects.

Point Curve
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ NURBS Curves ➤ Point Curve

button
Create menu ➤ NURBS ➤ Point Curve
Point curves are NURBS curves on page 2481 whose points are constrained to
lie on the curve.
A point curve can be the basis of a full NURBS model on page 9239.

NURBS Curves | 2483

Points lie on the curve they define.

Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves
When you create a point curve, you can draw it in three dimensions. There
are two ways to do this:
■

Draw In All Viewports: This toggle lets you use any viewport to draw the
curve, enabling you to draw three dimensionally.

■

Using Ctrl to drag points: While you draw a curve, you can use the Ctrl key
to drag a point off of the construction plane.

With the Ctrl–key method, further mouse movement lifts the latest point off
the construction plane. There are two ways to use this:
■

Click-drag. If you hold down Ctrl and also hold down the mouse button,
you can drag to change the height of the point. The point's location is set
when you release the mouse button.
This method is probably more intuitive.

2484 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

■

Click-click. If you Ctrl+click and then release the mouse button, the height
changes as you drag the mouse. Clicking the mouse a second time sets the
point's location.
This method is less prone to repetitive stress injury.

While you are offsetting the point, a red dotted line is drawn between the
original point on the construction plane and the actual point offset from the
plane. You can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case 3ds
Max sets the height of the point using the point's Z axis in the inactive
viewport. This lets you set the height of the point with accuracy.
Snaps on page 2850 also work when you change the height of a point. For
example, if you turn on Point snapping, you can set a point to have the same
height as another point by snapping to that other point in an inactive
viewport.

Procedures
To create a NURBS point curve:

1 Go to the

2 Activate
list.

Create panel.

(Shapes), and choose NURBS Curves from the drop-down

3 Turn on Point Curve.
4 In a viewport, click and drag to create the first point, as well as the first
curve segment. Release the mouse button to add the second point. Each
subsequent location you click adds a new point to the curve. Right-click
to end curve creation.
NOTE If you begin the curve by clicking without dragging, this also creates
the curve's first point. However, if you release the mouse button more than
five pixels away from where you initially pressed it, this creates an additional
point.
While you are creating a point curve, you can press Backspace to remove
the last point you created, and then previous points in reverse order.
If Draw In All Viewports is on, you can draw in any viewport, creating a
3D curve.

NURBS Curves | 2485

To lift a point off the construction plane, use the Ctrl key as described
earlier in this topic under "Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves."
As with splines, if you click over the curve's initial point, a Close Curve
dialog on page 2754 is displayed. This dialog asks whether you want the
curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the
curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object
level.) When a closed curve is displayed at the Curve sub-object level, the
initial point is displayed as a green circle, and a green tick mark indicates
the curve's direction.
5 Adjust the curve's creation parameters.
6 (Optional.) To add a new NURBS curve sub-object, you can turn off the
Start New Shape check box, and then repeat the preceding steps.

Interface
The creation parameters are the same for both point curves and CV curves.

2486 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Rendering rollout

Lets you turn on and off the renderability of the curve, specify its thickness
in the rendered scene, and apply mapping coordinates.
Render parameters can be animated. For example, you can animate the number
of sides.
Enable In Renderer When on, the shape is rendered as a 3D mesh using the
Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Enable In Viewport When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D
mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Use Viewport settings Lets you set different rendering parameters, and displays
the mesh generated by the Viewport settings. Available only when Enable in
Viewport is turned on.
Generate Mapping Coords Turn this on to apply mapping coordinates.
Default=off.

NURBS Curves | 2487

The U coordinate wraps once around the thickness of the spline; the V
coordinate is mapped once along the length of the spline. Tiling is achieved
using the Tiling parameters in the material itself.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.
Viewport Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display in the viewport when Enable in Viewport is turned on.
Renderer Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display when rendered or viewed in the viewport when Enable
in Viewport is turned on.
Radial Displays the 3D mesh as a cylindrical object.
Thickness Specifies the diameter of the viewport or rendered spline mesh.
Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 100,000,000.0.

Splines rendered at thickness of 1.0 and 5.0, respectively

Sides Sets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport
or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross section.
Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if the spline mesh has a square cross section you can
use Angle to position a "flat" side down.
Rectangular Displays the spline's mesh shape as rectangular.
Aspect Sets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check box
lets you lock the aspect ratio. When Lock is turned on, Width is locked to
Depth that results in a constant ratio of Width to Depth.

2488 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Length Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis.
Width Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.
Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use Angle
to position a "flat" side down.
Auto Smooth If Auto Smooth is turned on, the spline is auto-smoothed using
the threshold specified by the Threshold setting below it. Auto Smooth sets
the smoothing based on the angle between spline segments. Any two adjacent
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.
Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.

Keyboard Entry rollout
The Keyboard Entry rollout lets you create a NURBS curve by typing. Use the
Tab key to move between the controls in this rollout. To click a button from
the keyboard, press Enter while the button is active.

X, Y, and Z Let you enter the coordinates of the next point to add.
Add Point Adds the point to the curve.
Close Ends creation of the curve and creates a segment between the last point
and the initial point to close the curve.
Finish Ends creation of the curve, leaving it open.

NURBS Curves | 2489

Create Point Curve rollout

This rollout contains the controls for curve approximation.

Interpolation group
The controls in this group box change the accuracy and type of curve
approximation on page 2761 used to generate and display the curve.
Draw In All Viewports Lets you use any viewport while you are drawing the
curve. This is one way to create a 3D curve. When off, you must finish drawing
the curve in the viewport where you began it. Default=on.
While Draw In All Viewports is on, you can also use snaps on page 2850 in any
viewport.

CV Curve
Create panel ➤

(Shapes) ➤ NURBS Curves ➤ CV Curve

button
Create menu ➤ NURBS ➤ CV Curve
CV curves are NURBS curves on page 2481 controlled by control vertices (CVs
on page 9128). The CVs don't lie on the curve. They define a control lattice on
page 9123 that encloses the curve. Each CV has a weight that you can adjust to
change the curve.
While you're creating a CV curve you can click to create more than one CV
at the same location (or close to it), increasing the influence of the CVs in
that region of the curve. Creating two coincident CVs sharpens the curvature.
Creating three coincident CVs creates an angular corner in the curve. This
technique can help you shape the curve; however, if you later move the CVs

2490 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

individually, you lose this effect. (You can also obtain the influence of multiple
CVs by fusing on page 9172 CVs.)
A CV curve can be the basis of a full NURBS model on page 9239.

CVs shape the control lattice that defines the curve.

Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves
When you create a CV curve, you can draw it in three dimensions. There are
two ways to do this:
■

Draw In All Viewports: This toggle lets you use any viewport to draw the
curve, enabling you to draw three dimensionally.

■

Using Ctrl to drag CVs: While you draw a curve, you can use the Ctrl key
to drag a CV off of the construction plane.

With the Ctrl–key method, further mouse movement lifts the latest CV off
the construction plane. There are two ways to use this:
■

Click-drag. If you hold down Ctrl and also hold down the mouse button,
you can drag to change the height of the CV. The CV's location is set when
you release the mouse button.

NURBS Curves | 2491

This method is probably more intuitive.
■

Click-click. If you Ctrl+click and then release the mouse button, the height
changes as you drag the mouse. Clicking the mouse a second time sets the
CV's location.
This method is less prone to repetitive stress injury.

While you are offsetting the CV, a red dotted line is drawn between the original
CV on the construction plane and the actual CV offset from the plane. You
can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case 3ds Max sets
the height of the CV using the CV's Z axis in the inactive viewport. This lets
you set the height of the CV with accuracy.
Snaps on page 2850 also work when you change the height of a CV. For example,
if you turn on CV snapping, you can set a CV to have the same height as
another CV by snapping to that other CV in an inactive viewport.

Procedures
To create a NURBS CV curve:

1 Go to the

2 Activate
list.

Create panel.

(Shapes), and choose NURBS Curves from the drop-down

3 Turn on CV Curve.
4 In a viewport, click and drag to create the first CV, as well as the first
curve segment. Release the mouse to add the second CV. Each subsequent
location you click adds a new CV to the curve. Right-click to end curve
creation.
NOTE If you begin the curve by clicking without dragging, this also creates
the curve's first CV. However, if you release the mouse more than five pixels
away from where you initially pressed it, this creates an additional CV.
While you are creating a CV curve, you can press Backspace to remove
the last CV you created, and then previous CVs in reverse order.
If Draw In All Viewports is on, you can draw in any viewport, creating a
3D curve.

2492 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To lift a CV off the construction plane, use the Ctrl key as described earlier
in this topic under "Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves."
As with splines, if you click over the curve's initial CV, a Close Curve
dialog on page 2738 is displayed. This dialog asks whether you want the
curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the
curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object
level.) When a closed curve is displayed at the Curve sub-object level, the
initial CV is displayed as a green circle, and a green tick mark indicates
the curve's direction.
5 Adjust the curve's creation parameters.
6 (Optional) To add a new NURBS curve sub-object, you can turn off the
Start New Shape check box, and then repeat the preceding steps.

Interface
The creation parameters are the same for both point curves and CV curves.

NURBS Curves | 2493

Rendering rollout

Enable In Renderer When on, the shape is rendered as a 3D mesh using the
Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Enable In Viewport When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D
mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Use Viewport settings Lets you set different rendering parameters, and displays
the mesh generated by the Viewport settings. Available only when Enable in
Viewport is turned on.
Generate Mapping Coords Turn this on to apply mapping coordinates.
Default=off.
The U coordinate wraps once around the thickness of the spline; the V
coordinate is mapped once along the length of the spline. Tiling is achieved
using the Tiling parameters in the material itself.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by

2494 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.
Viewport Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display in the viewport when Enable in Viewport is turned on.
Renderer Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display when rendered or viewed in the viewport when Enable
in Viewport is turned on.
Radial Displays the 3D mesh as a cylindrical object.
Thickness Specifies the diameter of the viewport or rendered spline mesh.
Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 100,000,000.0.

Splines rendered at thickness of 1.0 and 5.0, respectively

Sides Sets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport
or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross section.
Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if the spline mesh has a square cross section you can
use Angle to position a "flat" side down.
Rectangular Displays the spline's mesh shape as rectangular.
Aspect Sets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check box
lets you lock the aspect ratio. When Lock is turned on, Width is locked to
Depth that results in a constant ratio of Width to Depth.
Length Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis.
Width Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.

NURBS Curves | 2495

Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use Angle
to position a "flat" side down.
Auto Smooth If Auto Smooth is turned on, the spline is auto-smoothed using
the threshold specified by the Threshold setting below it. Auto Smooth sets
the smoothing based on the angle between spline segments. Any two adjacent
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.
Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.

A curve and the same curve rendered with thickness

Keyboard Entry rollout
The Keyboard Entry rollout lets you create a NURBS curve by typing. Use the
Tab key to move between the controls in this rollout. To click a button from
the keyboard, press Enter while the button is active.

2496 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

X, Y, and Z Let you enter the coordinates of the next CV to add.
Add Point Adds the CV to the curve.
Weight Enter a weight for the CV.
Close Ends creation of the curve and creates a segment between the last CV
and the initial CV, to make the curve a closed curve.
Finish Ends creation of the curve, leaving it open ended.

Create CV Curve rollout

This rollout contains the controls for curve approximation.

Interpolation group
The controls in this group box change the accuracy and kind of curve
approximation on page 2761 used to generate and display the curve.
Draw In All Viewports Lets you use any viewport while you are drawing the
curve. This is one way to create a 3D curve. When off, you must finish drawing
the curve in the viewport where you began it. Default=On.
While Draw In All Viewports is on, you can also use snaps on page 2850 in any
viewport.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The controls in this group box let you specify automatic reparameterization.
They are similar to the controls in the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, with
one addition: all choices except for None tell 3ds Max to reparameterize the

NURBS Curves | 2497

curve automatically; that is, whenever you edit it by moving CVs, refining,
and so on.
None Do not reparameterize automatically.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve or surface changes
only locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization,
moving any CV can change the entire sub-object.

Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects
These topics describe how to create top-level, “starter” NURBS objects.

Creating Independent Surfaces from NURBS Curve Objects
To create independent surfaces from top-level NURBS curve objects, use the
Extrude on page 1369 and Lathe on page 1418 modifiers. Extrude adds height to
the curve, creating a shape by sweeping it along the curve's local Z axis. Lathe
creates a surface of rotation, revolving the shape along a specified axis. You
can also use the Bevel on page 1108 and Bevel Profile on page 1115 modifiers on
NURBS curves.
These modifiers treat NURBS curves the same way they treat shapes on page
506. The advantage of using NURBS curves instead of shapes is in the different
possible shapes that NURBS geometry and editing provide.
TIP When you create a complicated surface, especially with the Lathe modifier,
you often want to render both sides of the surface. To see both sides of the
extruded or lathed surface in rendered output, turn on Force 2-Sided on the Render
Setup dialog. To see both sides in viewports, turn on Force 2-Sided on the Viewport
Configuration dialog.
By default, an object with Extrude or Lathe collapses to an editable mesh on
page 2190 object. To have Extrude or Lathe output collapse to a NURBS object,
change the setting to NURBS in the Output group box of the Extrude or Lathe
rollout, and then collapse the modifier stack on page 8776.

2498 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Creating NURBS Curves from Splines
Select Spline object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display ➤
Right-click the spline name. ➤ Convert To: NURBS
You can turn a spline on page 511 into a NURBS object formed of CV curves
on page 2490. Once converted, you can no longer edit the spline shape
parametrically, but you can edit it as a NURBS object, moving CVs and so on.

Splines become NURBS curves that then become NURBS surfaces.

When you convert a spline circle on page 524 to a NURBS curve, the direction
of the curve is reversed. This facilitates using the curve to trim a surface: if the
direction weren't reversed, usually the circle would trim outward instead of
inward.

Procedures
To turn a spline into NURBS curves:
1 Create the spline.

Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects | 2499

2 Go to the

Modify panel.

3 In the stack display, right-click the name of the spline.
4 On the pop-up menu, choose Convert To: NURBS.
The spline is converted to one or more CV curves.
Smoothly curved splines, such as circles and arcs, convert to a single CV
curve.
Splines with sharp angles, such as rectangles and stars, convert to multiple
CV curves whose endpoints are at the angles in the original spline. These
endpoints are fused except for the initial CV in the spline (for a star, the
initial segment is unfused at both ends).
"Sharp angles" doesn't apply to smooth splines to which you have given
angles by changing vertex tangents using the Edit Spline on page 1368
modifier. These still convert to a single NURBS curve.

Creating NURBS Surfaces from Geometric Primitives
You can turn a standard primitive on page 321 into a NURBS object formed of
CV surfaces on page 2628. Once converted, you can no longer edit the object
parametrically, but you can edit it as a NURBS object, moving CVs and so on.

2500 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Primitive objects become NURBS surfaces that you can then edit in various ways.

You can't convert most extended primitive objects in this way, but you can
convert the torus knot on page 360 and prism on page 392 extended primitives
to NURBS objects.
You can also convert patch on page 2424 objects and loft on page 674 compound
objects.

Tips
■

Geospheres are good for creating rounded models with no sharp edges.

■

Boxes are good for creating models that have sharp edges.

■

Flattened cones work well for models whose contours are roughly
triangular.

If the primitive is closed, the converted surface is a closed CV surface, which
has no visible seams. Also, relational cap surfaces on page 2666 are used to cap
surfaces that aren't closed.

Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects | 2501

Procedures
To turn a primitive into a NURBS object:
1 Create the primitive object.

2 Go to the

Modify panel.

3 In the stack display, right-click the name of the object.
4 On the pop-up menu, choose Convert To: NURBS.
The object is converted to one or more CV surfaces. The surfaces can be
independent surface sub-objects, or dependent surface sub-objects such
as Lathe.

Nonrelational NURBS Surfaces
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Relational Stack toggle

Modify panel ➤ General rollout ➤

Nonrelational NURBS surfaces provide a way to improve the performance of
NURBS with modifiers. These are controlled by the Relational Stack toggle on
the General rollout for NURBS objects.

2502 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

When Relational Stack is on, NURBS maintain full relational modeling on the
modifier stack on page 8776. When this toggle is off (the default), then using
the modifier stack converts surfaces into independent CV surfaces before
applying modifiers. Surfaces on the stack behave in a nonrelational way. If
your NURBS model contains no dependent surfaces, then it behaves the same
on the stack regardless of the Relational Stack setting. However, the results
are still faster if Relational Stack is turned off.
When Relational Stack is off, there is no overhead of copying the data from
the relational model, and no need to compute the relational surfaces, so
performance is faster.
TIP To improve performance still further, display surfaces as shaded lattices (see
Display Controls for NURBS Models on page 2504). With Relational Stack off and
Shaded Lattice chosen, NURBS objects perform on the stack about as well as mesh
objects do.

Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects | 2503

Procedures
To use nonrelational NURBS surfaces:
1 Make sure Relational Stack is off and Shaded Lattice is chosen.
2 Set up your modifiers and animation.
3 If your model has only independent CV surfaces, you can render it now.
If it has relational surfaces such as blends or lofts, then before you render,
choose the NURBS model at the bottom of the stack, and turn on
Relational Stack.
When you return to the top of the modifier stack, performance is slower
but dependent surfaces are accurate. The modified NURBS model looks
different than it did with the nonrelational stack. Usually the difference
in appearance isn't great, but the nonrelational stack can show anomalies
such as cracks between Blend surfaces.

Display Controls for NURBS Models
Modify panel ➤ Select a Nurbs object. ➤ General rollout ➤ Display
group, Surface Display group, and NURBS Creation Toolbox button

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Right-click in viewport.
➤ Display commands on the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu
The check boxes on the General rollout for a NURBS curve or surface control
how the object is displayed in viewports. If all check boxes are turned off, the
NURBS object is invisible (except for the white bounding-box indicators
displayed in shaded viewports when the object is selected).
An additional rollout, Display Line Parameters on page 2507, contains controls
for how surfaces display in viewports.

2504 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

Display group
Lattices When on, displays control lattices in yellow lines. (You can change
the lattice color using the Colors panel on page 8860 of the Customize User
Interface dialog.) The Curve CV and Surface CV sub-object levels also have a
local Display Lattice toggle, which overrides this global setting at the sub-object
level. The Curve CV and Surface CV settings are independent. In other words,
at the sub-object level you can turn on the lattice for an object’s curves but
not its surfaces, or vice versa.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+L
At the object level, this shortcut is equivalent to turning Lattice on or off. At
the sub-object level, Ctrl+L overrides the setting of Lattice, toggling the local
Display Lattice setting.
Curves When on, displays curves.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+Shift+C
Surfaces When on, displays surfaces.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+Shift+S
Dependents When on, displays dependent sub-objects.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+D
Surface Trims When on, displays surface trimming on page 2437. When turned
off, displays the entire surface, even if it’s trimmed.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+Shift+T
Transform Degrade When on, transforming a NURBS surface can degrade its
display in shaded viewports, to save time. This is similar to the Degradation
Override on page 104 button for playing animations. You can turn off this

Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects | 2505

toggle so surfaces are always shaded while you transform them, but transforms
can take longer.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+X
TIP You can toggle Ctrl+X during a transform, as well as before you begin the
transform.

NURBS Creation Toolbox Turn on to display the NURBS sub-object
creation toolbox. See Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects on page
2443.
Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+T

Surface Display group

This group box, for surfaces only, lets you choose how to display surfaces in
viewports.
Tessellated Mesh When chosen, NURBS surfaces display as fairly accurate
tessellated meshes in shaded viewports. In wireframe viewports, they appear
as either iso curves or wire meshes, depending on the settings you've chosen
on the Display Line Parameters rollout on page 2507.
Shaded Lattice When chosen, NURBS surfaces appear as shaded lattices in
shaded viewports. Wireframe viewports display the surface's lattice without
shading. A shaded lattice shades the CV control lattice on page 9123 of the
NURBS surface. This displays more quickly than a tessellated mesh. The shading
is not accurate. It gives you a fairly good idea of lofts, but is less accurate for
free-form surfaces. The shading is always as large or larger than the actual
surface, because of the convex hull property on page 9125.
Shaded lattice display doesn't show surface trimming on page 2437 or texture
mapping.
TIP Shaded Lattice is a good option to choose when you use the modifier stack
with nonrelational NURBS surfaces on page 2502.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+L

2506 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

(You can use this keyboard shortcut without having to turn on the Keyboard
Shortcut Override Toggle.)

Display Line Parameters for NURBS Surfaces
Select a NURBS object. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Display Line Parameters

These parameters are contained on a single rollout at the top level of a NURBS
object.

Interface

U Lines and V Lines The number of lines used to approximate the NURBS
surface in viewports, along the surface's local U and V dimensions, respectively.
Reducing these values can speed up the display of the surface, but reduce
accuracy of the display. Increasing these values increases accuracy at the
expense of time. Setting one of these values to 0 displays only the edge of the
object in the corresponding dimension.

Creating NURBS Curve and Surface Objects | 2507

Iso and mesh displays of a NURBS teapot

Iso Only When chosen, all viewports display iso line on page 9197
representations of the surface. Iso(parametric) lines are similar to contour
lines. The lines show where the NURBS surface has a constant U value or V
value or both. Iso line representations can be less crowded and easier to
visualize than wire mesh representations.
Iso and Mesh (The default.) When chosen, wireframe viewports display iso
line representations of the surface, and shaded viewports display the shaded
surface.
Mesh Only When chosen, wireframe viewports display the surface as a wire
mesh, and shaded viewports display the shaded surface. In wireframe viewports,
this option lets you see the surface approximation on page 2762 used for
viewports.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects
These topics describe how to create and edit lower-level, sub-object NURBS.

2508 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ General rollout ➤ Attach
button, Import button, and related controls
You can bring other 3ds Max objects into a NURBS model.
There are two ways to bring other 3ds Max objects into a NURBS object:
■

Attach, which works like Attach for meshes and splines. It converts the
attached object to NURBS format. Once the object is attached, you can
edit it as a NURBS surface or curve. However, the attached object's history
is lost.
NOTE For NURBS surfaces, you can attach other NURBS objects, standard
primitive on page 321 objects, or quad patch on page 2426 and tri patch on page
2430 surfaces. The patch is converted to a NURBS surface. Quad patches convert
more successfully than Tri Patches. A converted Tri Patch has a collapsed internal
edge, which gives irregular results when you manipulate its mesh.
When you convert a spline circle on page 524 to a NURBS curve, the
direction of the curve is reversed. This facilitates using the curve to trim a
surface: if the direction weren't reversed, usually the circle would trim
outward instead of inward.

■

Import, which works somewhat like the operand of a Boolean on page 646.
The object is brought into the NURBS object without losing its history.
You can select the imported object as a sub-object.

Using Imports
Here are reasons to use Import instead of Attach:
■

To maintain parametric control over primitives.
For example, if you import a sphere, you can change its radius directly,
which you can't do after using Attach.

■

To use Bezier splines as NURBS curves.
For example, if you want to use a Bezier spline as a curve in a NURBS model,
import it. This allows you to edit it as a Bezier spline, and not as a NURBS
curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2509

Surfaces and curves created by an import are available in the NURBS model.
For example, if you import a box, you can create a blend surface between one
of its polygons and another surface in your NURBS object.
Once you have imported an object, the NURBS object has an Imports sub-object
level. When you select an import, it is highlighted in red.
It is an error to apply a modifier to an import when the modifier converts the
import into something that can't be converted to a NURBS object. For example,
if you import a sphere and apply a Bend on page 1104 to it, the sphere converts
to an editable mesh, which can't automatically convert to a NURBS surface.
In this case, the import sub-object is in an error state, and it is displayed in
the error color (orange by default).
Imports are displayed in two different ways. While you work at the NURBS
object level or at a sub-object level other than Imports, imports are displayed
as NURBS curves or surfaces, and use the NURBS object's mesh tessellation
(see Surface Approximation on page 2762). However, at the Imports sub-object
level, the selected import is displayed using its native display format. In other
words, it displays as it would if it were a top-level object. This is because the
display must let you edit the imported object. For example, an imported Bezier
spline needs to display its tangent handles. This wouldn't be possible if it were
displayed as a converted NURBS curve. Leaving the Imports sub-object level
returns to NURBS-style display.
You can extract an imported object. This creates an independent, top-level
object again.

Procedures
To attach or import an object to a NURBS object:

1

Select the NURBS object and go to the

Modify panel.

2 (Optional.) Turn on Reorient if you want to reorient and align the import
with the center of the NURBS object.
3 Turn on Attach or Import.

2510 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE At this step, you can click Attach Multiple or Import Multiple instead.
These buttons open a Select From Scene dialog on page 184 so you can choose
multiple objects to attach or import.
4 Click the object to attach or import.
The mouse cursor changes shape to indicate a valid object. You can attach
curves, NURBS surfaces, or objects convertible to NURBS.
To extract an imported object:
1 Go to the Imports sub-object level and select the object to extract.
2 Click Extract Import on the Import sub-object rollout.
If Copy is set (the default), the extracted object is a top-level copy of the
imported object. If Instance is set, the extracted object is an instance of
the imported object. Initially the extracted object occupies the same space
as the imported object: you must move either the extracted object, the
import sub-object, or the whole NURBS model before you can see the
extracted object.

Interface

Attach and Import controls
Attach Lets you attach another object to the NURBS object. Click to turn on
Attach, and then click the object to attach. If the object you're attaching isn't
already a NURBS object, it is converted to one or more NURBS curves or surfaces
that are sub-objects of the object you're modifying.
Attach Multiple Lets you attach multiple objects to the NURBS surface. Opens
a version of the Select From Scene dialog on page 184, listing the objects that
can be attached. Use the dialog controls to select one or more objects by name,
and then click Attach.
Reorient Moves and reorients the object you are attaching or importing so
its creation local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate
system of the NURBS object.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2511

Import Lets you import another object to the NURBS object. Works the same
way Attach does, but the imported object retains its parameters and modifiers.
Import Multiple Lets you import multiple objects. Works the same way Attach
Multiple does, but the imported objects retain their parameters and modifiers.

Common Sub-Object Controls
Many controls are common to the various kinds of sub-objects in NURBS
models (with the exception of Imports on page 2509). This topic introduces the
controls that are common to most NURBS sub-objects.
See also:
■

Editing Point Sub-Objects on page 2514

■

Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects on page 2522

■

Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects on page 2528

■

Editing Curve Sub-Objects on page 2538

■

Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550

Transforming Sub-Objects
One way to alter a NURBS model is to transform its sub-objects. Transforming
lets you interactively change the model’s curvature and shape. Transforming
points or CVs is especially useful for adjusting the shape of a NURBS curve or
surface.
You can also Shift+Clone most kinds of sub-objects, except CVs. For curves
and surfaces, Shift+Cloning displays a Sub-Object Clone Options dialog on
page 2759, which lets you reduce relational dependencies to improve
performance.

Selection Controls
There is a Selection group box on the rollout for all NURBS sub-objects except
Imports. The buttons in this group let you control which sub-objects to select.
The selection buttons let you select sub-objects individually, or multiple
sub-objects at once. For example, Surface CV selection buttons give you the
option of selecting individual CVs, or selecting a row of CVs on the surface,
and so on.

2512 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NOTE There is no delete modifier for NURBS curves as there is for splines. There
is a NURBS selection modifier, NSurf Sel on page 1502. See NURBS and Modifiers
on page 2453.
Selection controls also include a Name field that lets you customize the name
of individual NURBS sub-objects other than CVs. (The Name field is the only
selection control for Import sub-objects.)

Visibility
You can hide or unhide NURBS sub-objects as you do other objects. Hidden
sub-objects are invisible in viewports, but remain renderable. (At the sub-object
level, hiding doesn’t affect the renderer.) You can’t select hidden sub-objects.
Hide and unhide by name is available for curve and surface sub-objects.

Make Independent
You can make a dependent point, curve, or surface sub-object independent.
WARNING When you make an object independent, you lose the animation
controllers for all objects that depend on it in turn. When you make point objects
independent, you lose the animation controllers for all points on the curve or
surface. Also, if you make a curve that trims a surface independent, you lose the
trimming of the surface.

Remove Animation
All sub-object rollouts have a Remove Animation button. This removes
animation controllers from the selected sub-objects.

Detach and Copy
You can create a new curve or surface object by detaching a curve or surface
sub-object from a NURBS model. To do so, select the curve or surface and then
click Detach. A dialog is displayed, which lets you enter a name for the new
NURBS object. The new object is no longer part of the original NURBS object.
You can also use the Detach button to create a new NURBS object that is a
copy of a curve or surface sub-object. To do so, select the curve or surface, and
click to turn on Copy before you click Detach. A dialog is displayed, which
lets you enter a name for the new object. The original curve or surface
sub-object remains part of the NURBS object you were editing, but the copied
curve or surface is now a NURBS object of its own.
Relational This toggle affects dependent objects. When off, detaching a
dependent sub-object makes it an independent object. For example, detaching

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2513

a U loft converts it to a CV surface. When on, detaching a dependent sub-object
also detaches the objects it depends on, so the object remains dependent. For
example, detaching a U loft also detaches the curves that define it.

Editing Point Sub-Objects
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object or sub-object. ➤ Point
sub-object level ➤ Select point sub-objects.

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object or sub-object. ➤ Right-click.
➤ Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Point ➤ Select point
sub-objects.
This topic describes the controls for point sub-objects. A rollout labeled Point
contains the point sub-object controls for NURBS models. In addition to the
Point rollout described here, the Point sub-object level displays the Soft
Selection rollout on page 2561.

Procedures
To transform point sub-objects:

1 At the Point sub-object level,

select one or more points.

The sub-object selection tools are the same as for other kinds of
sub-objects. You can also use the H key while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override toggle on page 9008 is on. See Sub-Object Selection on page 2445.
The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic,
provides some additional options for selecting Point sub-objects.

2 Activate
(Select And Move) or another transform and then drag
in a viewport to transform the selection.
The shape of the model changes as you interactively transform the points.
Rotate and Scale are useful only when you've selected multiple points.

2514 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Tips

■

The Lock Selection Set button is useful when you transform NURBS
point sub-objects. You can make a selection in one viewport, click Lock
Selection Set (or press the Spacebar), and then transform the selection in
a different viewport.

■

When you move point sub-objects, move them as systematically as possible
to avoid "getting lost."

■

On surfaces, avoid moving points so they cross over or under adjacent
points. This can create odd-looking warps or overlaps in the surface.

To Shift+Clone a point sub-object:
Hold down Shift while you transform the point.
This works only for points that lie on curves or surfaces, independent point
on page 2718 sub-objects, and curve point on page 2721 or surface point on
page 2724 sub-objects that lie on the curve or surface (that is, that aren't
displaced).

■

To use the keyboard to select point sub-objects:
You can select point sub-objects using the Ctrl key and the arrow keys. The
arrows traverse the sub-objects in the order they were created. To do so, follow
these steps:

1 Turn on

2

(Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle).

Click or drag to select points.

3 Hold down Ctrl and use the arrow keys to move among the point
sub-objects.
For points on curves, the arrow keys traverse the point selection along
the length of the curve. The arrow keys don’t move between curve
sub-objects.
For points on surfaces, the left and right arrow keys traverse the U
dimension of a surface, while the up and down arrow keys traverse the

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2515

V dimension of the surface. The arrow keys don’t move between surface
sub-objects.
The arrow keys don’t traverse individually created points that aren’t part
of a curve or surface.
You can also use the H keyboard shortcut (while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle is on) to display a dialog and select points by name. Ctrl+H
displays only the names of points directly beneath the mouse cursor.
To remove a point from a curve:

1

Select a point.

2 In the Delete group box, click Point.
Keyboard shortcut: Delete
The point is deleted and the shape of the curve is updated.
NOTE An open point curve must have at least two endpoints.

To remove points from a surface:

1

Select a point, row, or column.
The appropriate Delete buttons are enabled.

2 In the Delete group box, click Point, Row, or Col.
The point, row, or column is deleted. Deleting a "single" point actually
deletes both the row and column to which the point belongs.
To add a point to a curve:
1 In the Refine group box, turn on Curve.
2 Click the curve where you want to add the point.
A point is added at the location you clicked. The curvature can change.

2516 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To add a point and extend the length of a curve:
1 Click to turn on Extend.
2 Move the mouse over a point curve. The curve is highlighted in blue,
and one of the curve's ends displays a box to show where the curve will
be extended.
3 Drag from the highlighted end point, and then release the mouse button.
A new point is added beyond the original length of the curve.
To add points to a point surface:
1 In the Refine group box, click Surf Row, Surf Col., or Surf Row & Col.
2 Click the surface.
A row, a column, or both are added close to the point where you clicked
the surface. The new points are placed on the surface so they preserve
the surface’s curvature. The curvature can change, but only slightly.
To fuse two points:
1 Turn on Fuse.
2 Click a point without releasing the mouse button. Drag to another point,
and then release the mouse button.
The first point you choose acquires the position of the second point, and
becomes dependent to it. If the first point has an animation controller,
the controller is discarded. If the second point has an animation
controller, the first point acquires it too.
Fused points display in purple by default.
To unfuse fused points:

1

Select the fused point.

2 Click Unfuse.
Now you can move and edit the two points independently.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2517

To transform a region:
1 Using sub-object selection, select one or more points for the center of
transformation.
2 Turn on Soft Selection.
3 Transform the point.
A region around the selected point is transformed accordingly.
Move is the most common transform to use. Rotate and Scale can be used
with a non-local transform center.
TIP If Soft Selection appears not to be working, the Falloff value might be too
small for the size of your surface. On the Soft Selection rollout on page 2561, increase
the value of Falloff so it encompasses other points.

Interface
In addition to the Point rollout described here, the Point sub-object level also
displays the Soft Selection rollout on page 2561.

2518 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Selection group

Point sub-object selection controls

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2519

Single Point (The default.) When on, you can select individual points
by clicking, or groups of points by dragging a region.

Row of Points When on, clicking a point selects the entire row the
point belongs to. Dragging selects all rows in the region.
If the point is on a curve, Row of Points selects all points in the curve.

Column of Points When on, clicking a point selects the entire column
the point belongs to. Dragging selects all columns in the region.
If the point is on a curve, Column of Points selects only a single point.

Row and Column of Points When on, clicking a point selects both
the row and column the point belongs to. Dragging selects all rows and
columns in the region.

All Points When on, clicking or dragging selects all the points in the
curve or surface.
TIP Rows and columns are easily visible when the NURBS surface is planar, or
nearly so. When the surface has a complicated curvature, rows and columns can
be more difficult to see. The Row, Column, and Row/Column buttons can be
especially useful in this situation.
Name Shows the name of the currently selected point. It is disabled if you
have selected multiple points.
By default, the name is "Point" followed by a sequence number. You can use
this field to give the point a name that you choose.
Hide Click to hide the currently selected points.
Unhide All Click to unhide all hidden points.
Fuse Fuses a point to another point. (You can't fuse a CV to a point, or vice
versa.) This is one way to connect two curves or surfaces. It is also a way to
change the shape of curves and surfaces.

2520 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Fusing points does not combine the two point sub-objects. They are connected
but remain distinct sub-objects that you can unfuse later.
Fused points behave as a single point until you unfuse them.
Fused points are displayed in a distinct color. The default is purple. (You can
change this color using the Colors panel on page 8860 of the Customize User
Interface dialog on page 8837.)
Unfuse Unfuses the fused points.
Extend Extends a point curve. Drag from the end of a curve to add a new
point and extend the curve.
WARNING When you add points with Extend, you lose the animation controllers
for all points on the curve or surface.
Make Independent Disabled if the point is independent. If the point is
dependent, clicking this button makes it independent.
WARNING When you make a point independent, you lose the animation
controllers for all objects that depend on it in turn.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected points.

Delete group
The buttons in this group box delete one or more points.
Point Deletes a single point (on a curve) or a row and column of points (on
a surface).
Row Deletes a row from a surface.
Col. Deletes a column from a surface.
WARNING When you delete points, you lose the animation controllers for all
points on the curve or surface.

Refine group
The buttons in this box refine point curves or surfaces by adding points to
them.
Curve Adds points to a point curve.
Surf Row Adds a row of points to a point surface.
Surf Col. Adds a column of points to a point surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2521

Surf Row & Col. Adds both a row and a column to a point surface; their
intersection is where you click the surface.
WARNING When you add points, you lose the animation controllers for all points
on the curve or surface.
Points Selected This text field shows how many points are currently selected.

Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object or sub-object. ➤ Modifier
stack display ➤ Curve CV sub-object level ➤ Select CV sub-objects.

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object or sub-object. ➤ Right-click.
➤ Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Curve CV ➤ Select CV
sub-objects.
This topic describes the controls for CV sub-objects that lie on curves. A rollout
labeled CV contains the CV sub-object controls for NURBS models. In addition
to the CV rollout described here, the Curve CV sub-object level displays the
Soft Selection rollout on page 2561.
In you can edit the CVs in CV curves on surfaces on page 2614 as you edit other
kinds of curve CVs. You can transform CVs in CV curves on surfaces, but you
can't move the CVs off the surface. Using the Curve CV sub-object level is an
alternative to editing these CVs by using the Edit Curve on Surface on page
2740 dialog.

Procedures
To transform curve CV sub-objects:

1 At the Curve CV sub-object level,

select one or more CVs.

The sub-object selection tools are the same as for other kinds of
sub-objects. You can also use the H key while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override toggle on page 9008 is on. See Sub-Object Selection on page 2445.

2522 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic,
provides some additional options for selecting CV sub-objects.

2 Activate
(Select And Move) or another transform and then drag
in a viewport to transform the selection.
The shape of the model changes as you interactively transform the CVs.
Rotate and Scale are useful only when you've selected multiple CVs.
Tips

■

When you transform NURBS CV sub-objects, the Lock Selection
Set button can be useful. You can make a selection in one viewport, click
Lock Selection Set (or press the Spacebar), and then transform the selection
in a different viewport.

■

When you move CV sub-objects, move them as systematically as possible
to avoid "getting lost."

To use the keyboard to select curve CV sub-objects:
You can select curve CV sub-objects using the Ctrl key and the arrow keys.
The arrows traverse the sub-objects in the order they were created. To do so,
follow these steps:

1 Turn on

2

(Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle).

Click or drag to select CVs.

3 Hold down Ctrl and use the arrow keys to move among the CV sub-objects.
For CVs on curves, the arrow keys traverse the CV selection along the
length of the curve. The arrow keys don’t move between curve sub-objects.
You can also use the H keyboard shortcut (while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle button is on) to display a dialog and select CVs by name.
Ctrl+H displays only the names of CVs directly beneath the mouse cursor.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2523

To remove a CV from a curve:

1

Select a CV.

2 Click Delete.
Keyboard shortcut: Delete
The CV is deleted and the shape of the curve is updated.
NOTE A CV curve must have at least one more CV than the degree on page
9134 of the curve.

To add a CV to a curve:
1 Turn on Refine.
2 Click the curve where you want to add the CV.
A CV is added at the location you clicked. Neighboring CVs move away
from the new CV in order to preserve the original curvature.
To add CVs and extend the length of a curve:
1 Click to turn on Extend.
2 Move the mouse over a CV curve. The curve is highlighted in blue, and
one of the curve's ends displays a box to show where the curve will be
extended.
3 Drag from the highlighted end CV, and then release the mouse button.
New CVs are added beyond the original length of the curve.
To fuse two CVs:
1 Turn on Fuse.
2 Click a CV without releasing the mouse button. Drag to another CV, and
then release the mouse button.
The first CV you choose acquires the position of the second CV, and
becomes dependent to it. If the first CV has an animation controller, the
controller is discarded. If the second CV has an animation controller, the
first CV acquires it too.
Fused CVs display in purple by default.

2524 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To unfuse fused CVs:

1

Select the fused CV.

2 Click Unfuse.
Now you can move and edit the two CVs independently.
To transform a region:
1 Using sub-object selection, select one or more CVs for the center of
transformation.
2 Turn on Soft Selection.
3 Transform the CV.
A region around the selected CV is transformed accordingly.
Move is the most common transform to use. Rotate and Scale can be used
with a non-local transform center.
TIP If Soft Selection appears not to be working, the Falloff value might be too
small for the size of your surface. On the Soft Selection rollout on page 2561, increase
the value of Falloff so it encompasses other points or CVs.

Interface
In addition to the CV rollout described here, the Curve CV sub-object level
also displays the Soft Selection rollout on page 2561.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2525

Selection group

Curve sub-object selection controls

Single CV (The default.) When on, you can select individual CVs by
clicking, or groups of CVs by dragging a region.

All CVs When on, clicking or dragging selects all the CVs in the curve.

2526 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Name Shows either "No CVs selected", "Multiple CVs selected", or
"CurveName(index)", where "CurveName" is the name of the CV's parent
curve, and "index" is the CV's U location along the length of the curve. You
can't edit the Name field to customize the names of CVs.
If CVs are fused, the Name field shows the name of the first CV.
Weight Adjusts the weight of the selected CVs. You can use a CV's weight to
adjust the CV's effect on the curve. Increasing the weight pulls the curve
toward the CV. Decreasing the weight relaxes the curve away from the CV.
Increasing weight is a way to harden a curve; that is, to sharpen its curvature
at a particular location.
By default, the weight is 1.0 for the CVs of NURBS objects that you create on
the Create panel or the NURBS sub-object creation rollouts. The weight of
CVs in geometry that you convert to NURBS can vary, depending on the
object's original shape.
You can change the weight when multiple CVs are selected. Using the Weight
field or spinner while multiple CVs are selected assigns all of them the value
you choose. Because weights are relative to each other (rational), using the
Weight control when all CVs are selected has no visible effect.
Hide Click to hide the currently selected CVs.
Unhide All Click to unhide all hidden CVs.
Fuse Fuses a CV to another CV. (You can't fuse a CV to a point, or vice versa.)
This is one way to connect two curves. It is also a way to change the shape of
curves.
Fusing CVs does not combine the two CV sub-objects. They are connected but
remain distinct sub-objects that you can unfuse later.
Fused CVs behave as a single CV until you unfuse them. Fused CVs behave
similar to a single point, but the property of multiplicity for coincident CVs
also applies. (See NURBS Concepts on page 2457 and CV Curve on page 2490.)
The fused CVs have proportionally more influence on the curve. The curve
can become sharper in the fused CVs' vicinity, or even angular if more than
two CVs are fused together.
Fused CVs are displayed in a distinct color. The default is purple. (You can
change this color using the Colors panel on page 8860 of the Customize User
Interface dialog on page 8837.)
Unfuse Unfuses the fused CVs.
Refine Refines the curve by adding CVs.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2527

WARNING When you add CVs with Refine, you lose the animation controllers for
all CVs on the curve.
As you move the mouse over the CV curve, a preview of the CVs that will be
added, and their locations, is displayed in blue.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to a curve by
refining. See Editing Curve Sub-Objects on page 2538.
Delete Deletes the selected CVs.
Insert Inserts CVs into the curve. Click Insert and then click the curve where
you want to insert the new CV. Inserting CVs is similar to refining with CVs,
except that other CVs in the curve do not move. This means that the shape
of the curve changes when you insert.
Inserting CVs does not remove animation from the curve, as refining does.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to a curve by
inserting. See Editing Curve Sub-Objects on page 2538.
Extend Extends a CV curve. Drag from the end of a curve to add a new CV
and extend the curve.
WARNING When you add points with Extend, you lose the animation controllers
for all points on the curve.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected CVs.
Display Lattice When on, displays the control lattice on page 9123 that
surrounds CV curves. When off, the control lattice isn't shown in viewports.
Default=on.
CVs Selected This text field shows how many CVs are currently selected.

Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object or sub-object. ➤ Modifier
stack display ➤ Surface CV sub-object level ➤ Select CV sub-objects.

2528 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object or sub-object. ➤ Right-click
a viewport. ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant ➤ Sub-objects ➤ Surface CV
➤ Select CV sub-objects.
Procedures on page 2530
Interface on page 2533
This topic describes the controls for CV sub-objects that lie on surfaces. A
rollout labeled CV contains the CV sub-object controls for NURBS models. In
addition to the CV rollout described here, the Curve CV sub-object level
displays the Soft Selection rollout on page 2561.

Transforming CVs changes the shape of the surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2529

Procedures
To transform surface CV sub-objects:

1 At the Surface CV sub-object level,

select one or more CVs.

The sub-object selection tools are the same as for other kinds of
sub-objects. You can also use the H key while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle on page 9008 button is on. See Sub-Object Selection on
page 2445.
The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic,
provides additional options for selecting CV sub-objects.

2 Activate
(Select And Move) or another transform and then drag
in a viewport to transform the selection.
The shape of the model changes as you interactively transform the CVs.
Rotate and Scale are useful only when you've selected multiple CVs.
Tips

■

The Lock Selection Set button is useful when you transform NURBS
CV sub-objects. You can make a selection in one viewport, click Lock
Selection Set (or press the Spacebar), and then transform the selection in
a different viewport.

■

When you move CV sub-objects, move them as systematically as possible
to avoid "getting lost."

■

On surfaces, avoid moving CVs so they cross over or under adjacent points.
This can create odd-looking warps or overlaps in the surface.

To Shift+clone surface sub-objects:
■

Hold down Shift while you transform the surface selection.
The Sub-Object Clone Options on page 2759 dialog appears. This dialog
provides various ways to clone the surfaces, some of which reduce relational
dependencies to improve performance.

2530 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To use the keyboard to select surface CV sub-objects:
You can select surface CV sub-objects using the Ctrl key and the arrow keys.
The arrows traverse the sub-objects in the order they were created. To do so,
follow these steps:

1 Turn on

2

(Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle).

Click or drag to select CVs.

3 Hold down Ctrl and use the arrow keys to move among the CV sub-objects.
For CVs on surfaces, the left and right arrow keys traverse the U dimension
of a surface, while the up and down arrow keys traverse the V dimension
of the surface. The arrow keys don’t move between surface sub-objects.
You can also use the H keyboard shortcut (while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle button is on) to display a dialog and select CVs by name.
Ctrl+H displays only the names of CVs directly beneath the mouse cursor.
To remove CVs from a surface:

1

Select a row, column, or a row and column.
The appropriate Delete buttons are enabled.

2 In the Delete group box, click Row, Col., or Both.
The row, the column, or both are deleted.
NOTE You can't delete a single CV from a CV surface. Nor can you delete a
row or column if that would make the surface have fewer than four rows or
columns.

To add CVs to a CV Surface:
1 In the Refine group box, click Row, Col., or Both.
2 Click the surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2531

A row, a column, or both are added close to the point where you clicked
the surface. Neighboring CVs move away from the new CVs in order to
preserve the surface’s original curvature.
To fuse two CVs:
1 Turn on Fuse.
2 Click a CV without releasing the mouse button. Drag to another CV, and
then release the mouse button.
The first CV you choose acquires the position of the second CV, and
becomes dependent to it. If the first CV has an animation controller, the
controller is discarded. If the second CV has an animation controller, the
first CV acquires it too.
NOTE Fused CVs display in purple by default.

To unfuse fused CVs

1

Select the fused CV.

2 Click Unfuse.
Now you can move and edit the two CVs independently.
To transform a region:
1 Using sub-object selection, select one or more CVs for the center of
transformation.
2 Turn on Soft Selection.
3 Transform the CV.
A region around the selected CV is transformed accordingly.
Move is the most common transform to use. Rotate and Scale can be used
with a non-local transform center.
TIP If Soft Selection appears not to be working, the Falloff value might be too
small for the size of your surface. On the Soft Selection on page 2561 rollout, increase
the value of Falloff so it encompasses other CVs.

2532 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
In addition to the CV rollout described here, the Surface CV sub-object level
also displays the Soft Selection rollout on page 2561.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2533

CV rollout

Surface CV sub-object rollout

2534 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Selection group

Surface CV sub-object selection controls

Single CV (The default.) When on, you can select individual CVs by
clicking, or groups of CVs by dragging a region.

Row of CVs When on, clicking a CV selects the entire row the CV
belongs to. Dragging selects all rows in the region.

Column of CVs When on, clicking a CV selects the entire column
the CV belongs to. Dragging selects all columns in the region.

Row and Column of CVs When on, clicking a CV selects both the
row and column the CV belongs to. Dragging selects all rows and columns in
the region.

All CVs When on, clicking or dragging selects all the CVs in the surface.
Name Shows either "No CVs selected", "Multiple CVs selected", or
"SurfaceName(uIndex,vIndex)", where "SurfaceName" is the name of the CV's
parent surface, and "uIndex,vIndex" is the CV's UV location on the surface.
You can't edit the Name field to customize the names of CVs.
If CVs are fused, the Name field shows the name of the first CV.
Weight Adjusts the weight of the selected CVs. You can use a CV's weight to
adjust the CV's effect on the surface. Increasing the weight pulls the surface
toward the CV. Decreasing the weight relaxes the surface away from the CV.
Increasing weight is a way to harden a surface: that is, to sharpen its curvature
at a particular location.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2535

By default, the weight is 1.0 for the CVs of NURBS objects that you create on
the Create panel or the NURBS sub-object creation rollouts. The weight of
CVs in geometry that you convert to NURBS can vary, depending on the
object's original shape.
You can change the weight when multiple CVs are selected. Using the Weight
field or spinner while multiple CVs are selected assigns all of them the value
you choose. Because weights are relative to each other (rational), using the
Weight control when all CVs are selected has no visible effect.
TIP You can increase the curvature of an indentation in a surface by increasing
the weight of the CVs surrounding the indented area. This is easier and often more
effective than moving the indented area's CVs.
Hide Click to hide the currently selected CVs.
Unhide All Click to unhide all hidden CVs.
Fuse Fuses a CV to another CV. (You can't fuse a CV to a point, or vice versa.)
This is one way to connect two surfaces. It is also a way to change the shape
of surfaces.
Fusing CVs does not combine the two CV sub-objects. They are connected but
remain distinct sub-objects that you can unfuse later.
Fused CVs behave as a single CV until you unfuse them. Fused CVs behave
similar to a single point, but the property of multiplicity for coincident CVs
also applies. (See NURBS Concepts on page 2457 and CV Curve on page 2490.)
The fused CVs have proportionally more influence on the curve, which can
become sharper in the fused CVs' vicinity, or even angular if more than two
CVs are fused together.
Fused CVs are displayed in a distinct color. The default is purple. (You can
change this color using the Colors panel on page 8860 of the Customize User
Interface dialog on page 8837.)
Unfuse Unfuses the fused CVs.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected CVs.

Constrained Motion group
These buttons constrain CV motion. They are enabled when you select one
or more CVs. When you finish dragging the CV selection, the active constraint
button turns off.
U Constrains the CV selection to move in the surface's U dimension.
Keyboard shortcut (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on): Alt+U

2536 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

V Constrains the CV selection to move in the surface's V dimension.
Keyboard shortcut (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on): Alt+V
Normal Constrains the CV selection to move normal to the original surface.
Keyboard shortcut (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on): Alt+N

Delete group
These buttons delete CVs from the surface. Select one or more CVs, and then
click Row, Col., or Both.
You can't delete surface CVs if the deletion would give the surface fewer than
four rows or fewer than four columns. Aside from that restriction, these buttons
delete all rows, columns, or rows and columns that contain selected CVs. This
means that you can't delete after you make a selection using the Row and
Column or All selection buttons: that would imply deleting the entire CV
surface.
These buttons are unavailable unless the deletion is possible.
WARNING When you delete CVs, you lose the animation controllers for all CVs
on the surface.
Row Deletes rows of CVs from the surface.
Col. Deletes columns of CVs from the surface.
Both Deletes both rows and columns of CVs from the surface.

Refine group
These buttons refine the surface by adding CVs. As you move the mouse over
the surface, a preview of the CVs that will be added, and their locations, is
displayed in blue.
WARNING When you add CVs with Refine, you lose the animation controllers for
all CVs on the surface.
Row Adds a row of CVs to the surface.
Col. Adds a column of CVs to the surface.
Both Adds both a row and a column of CVs to the surface.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to a surface by
refining. See Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2537

Insert group
These buttons insert CVs into the curve. Click to turn on one of these buttons
and then click the surface where you want to insert the new CVs. Inserting
CVs is similar to refining with CVs, except that other CVs in the surface do
not move. This means that the shape of the surface can change when you
insert.
Inserting CVs does not remove animation from the surface the way refining
does.
Row Inserts a row of CVs into the surface.
Col. Inserts a column of CVs into the surface.
Both Inserts both a row and a column of CVs into the surface.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to a surface by
inserting. See Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550.
Display Lattice When on, displays the control lattice on page 9123 that
surrounds CV surfaces. When off, the control lattice isn't shown in viewports.
Default=on.
CVs Selected This text field shows how many CVs are currently selected.

Editing Curve Sub-Objects
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display ➤
Expand the NURBS
object's hierarchy. ➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select curve sub-objects.
This topic describes the controls that are common to point and CV curves. A
rollout labeled Curve Common contains the curve sub-object controls for
NURBS models.

Procedures
To transform curves:

1 At the Curve sub-object level,

2538 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

select one or more curves.

The sub-object selection tools are the same as for other kinds of
sub-objects. You can also press the H key when the Keyboard Shortcut
Override toggle on page 9008 is on. See Sub-Object Selection on page 2445.
The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic,
provides additional options for selecting curves.

2 Activate
(Select And Move) or another transform and then drag
in a viewport to transform the selection.
The shape of the model changes as you interactively transform the curves.

TIP
The Lock Selection Set button is useful when you transform
NURBS curve sub-objects. You can make a selection in one viewport, click
Lock Selection Set (or press the Spacebar), and then transform the selection
in a different viewport.

To Shift+Clone curve sub-objects:
■

Hold down Shift while you transform the curve selection.
The Sub-Object Clone Options on page 2759 dialog is displayed. This dialog
provides various ways to clone the curves, some of which reduce relational
dependencies to improve performance.

To use the keyboard to select curve sub-objects:
You can select curve sub-objects using the Ctrl key and the arrow keys. The
arrows traverse the sub-objects in the order they were created. To do so, follow
these steps:

1 Turn on

(Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle).

2 At the
(Curve) sub-object level, set the selection controls to select
curves individually.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2539

3

Click or drag to select curves.

4 Hold down Ctrl and use the arrow keys to move among the curves in the
current model.
At the Curve sub-object level, the left and right arrow keys move forward
and backward through individual curves in the order they were created.
The up and down arrows are equivalent to left and right.
You can also use the H keyboard shortcut (while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle is on) to display a dialog and select curves by name. Ctrl+H
displays only the names of curves directly beneath the mouse cursor.
To delete a curve:

Select the curve and then click Delete.
Keyboard shortcut: Delete

■

To turn a CV curve into a point curve:

1

Select the curve sub-object, and then click Make Fit.
The Make Point Curve on page 2754 dialog is displayed. This dialog asks
how many points the new point curve should have.

2 Change the number of points, and then click OK.
Reducing the number of points can change the shape of the curve.
If the selected curve is already a point curve, you can use Make Fit to change
the number of points it has.
To select a first vertex on the curve:

■

Select the curve sub-object, turn on Make First, and then click a
location on the curve.

2540 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

If the curve is closed and there is a vertex where you click, this vertex
becomes the first vertex. If the curve is closed and there is no vertex where
you click, a new vertex is created at the location you click. It becomes the
new first vertex, and the curve's points or CVs adapt to maintain the
curvature.
If the curve is open, clicking it has no effect.
WARNING Using Make First discards any animation controllers for the points or
CVs in the curve.
If the curve is open, the first vertex must be one of the endpoints (by default,
it is the first you created). The Make First button has no effect, but you can
use Reverse to change the curve's direction.

The small circle indicates the first vertex.

To turn a curve that lies on a surface into a Point Curve on Surface:

1

Select the curve sub-object, and then click Make COS.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2541

Make COS is unavailable unless the curve already lies on a surface; for
example, it is a U Iso curve.
2 3ds Max opens the Convert Curve on Surface dialog on page 2734.

Choose CV Curve on Surface to create a CV curve, or Point Curve on
Surface to create a point curve. The Number of CVs or Number of Points
values let you specify the complexity and accuracy of the new curve on
surface. If Preview is on, the new curve is previewed in viewports. This
can help you choose the number.
To reverse a curve:

■

Select a curve sub-object and then click Reverse.

2542 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Reversing a curve affects the blend surface that depends on it.

To join two curves:
1 In a NURBS object that contains two curve sub-objects, turn on Join.
2 Click one curve near the end that you want to connect. Drag to near the
end of the other curve, and then release the mouse.
The Join Curve dialog on page 2747 is displayed. This dialog gives you a
choice of methods for joining the curves. Whichever method you choose,
the two original curves are replaced by a single curve.
3 If the gap between the curves is small (less than about 30 units), use the
Join Curve dialog to set the Tolerance value greater than the distance of
the gap.
To break a curve:
■

Turn on Break and then click a curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2543

The curve is split into two independent curve sub-objects. Two coincident
(but independent) points or CVs are created at the location you clicked:
each is the endpoint of one part of the original curve.
If the curve is a closed curve, Break creates a single curve object, with its
new start and end points at the location you clicked. The new start and
end points are coincident but independent.
To close a curve:

■

Select the curve and then click Close.
3ds Max closes the curve by adding a segment between the curve's
endpoints. The curvature of the new segment blends the curvature of the
previous end segments.

Closing a curve does not add points or CVs. The curve retains its original
number of points or CVs, and increases its number of segments by one.

2544 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Curve Common rollout

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2545

The controls on this rollout apply to all curve types. Depending on the type
of curve, an additional rollout is displayed with controls specific to that type
of curve.

Selection group
The selection buttons for curve sub-objects let you select either individual
curves, or curves that are connected in space.

Curve sub-object selection controls

Single Curve Clicking or transforming a curve selects only a single
independent curve sub-object.

All Connected Curves Clicking or transforming a curve selects all
curve sub-objects that are connected within the NURBS object. To be
connected, two curves must have fused points, or one curve must be a
connected dependent (a blend, fillet, or chamfer) of the other.
Name Shows the name of the currently selected curve. It is disabled if you
have selected multiple curves.
By default, the name is the name of the curve type ("CV Curve" or "Point
Curve") followed by a sequence number. You can use this field to give the
curve a name that you choose.
Hide Click to hide the currently selected curves.
Unhide All Click to unhide all hidden curves.
Hide by Name Click to display a Select Sub-Objects dialog that lists curves
by name. Select the curves to hide, then click Hide.
Unhide by Name Disabled unless there are hidden curves. Click to display a
Select Sub-Objects dialog that lists curves by name. Select the curves to make
visible, then click Unhide.
Delete Deletes the selected curve sub-objects.

2546 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Make Fit Turns a CV curve into a point curve. This displays the Make Point
Curve dialog on page 2754, which lets you set the number of points.
For a point curve, this button lets you change the number of points in the
curve.
Reverse Reverses the order of the CVs or points in a curve, so that the first
vertex becomes the last, and the last becomes the first.
The first point or CV is significant when you use the NURBS curve like a spline:
as a loft on page 674 path or shape, as a path constraint on page 3629 path, or
as a motion trajectory on page 3440. For these purposes, the first vertex of the
curve is significant. If the curve is a closed curve, you can use Make First to
set the curve's first vertex.
The direction of the curve also determines the initial direction of normals on
surfaces based on this curve.
Make COS This button is enabled only for the following kinds of curves:
■

U iso curves on page 2606

■

V iso curves on page 2606

■

Normal projected curves on page 2608

■

Vector projected curves on page 2611

■

Surface-surface intersection curves on page 2600

■

Surface edge curves on page 2623

■

CV curves on surfaces on page 2614

■

Point curves on surfaces on page 2619
This displays a Make Curve on Surface dialog on page 2734, which turns the
selected curve into a CV or point curve on surface. Once converted, you
can edit the new curve on surface using the curve on surface controls,
including the Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740.
If the curve is already a curve on surface, this button lets you change it
from a point to CV curve on surface, or vice versa.
The new Curve on Surface preserves the trimming of the original curve.

Convert Curve Click to display the Convert Curve dialog on page 2733. This
dialog provides a more general way to convert a CV curve to a point curve,
or a point curve to a CV curve. It also lets you adjust a number of other curve
parameters.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2547

Make Independent Disabled if the curve is independent. If the curve is
dependent, clicking this button makes it independent.
WARNING When you make a curve independent, you lose the animation
controllers for all objects that depend on it in turn. If you make a curve that trims
a surface independent, you lose the trimming of the surface.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected curves.
Detach Detaches the selected curve sub-object from the NURBS model, making
it a new top-level NURBS curve on page 2481 object. The Detach dialog on page
2739 is displayed, which lets you name the new curve. The new object is no
longer part of the original NURBS model.
To create a new top-level NURBS curve that is a copy of the selected curve,
turn on Copy before you click Detach.
Copy When on, clicking Detach creates a copy of the selected curve instead
of detaching it from the NURBS model. Default=off.
Make First For a closed curve, lets you choose a position that becomes the
first vertex of the curve.
The first point or CV is significant when you use the NURBS curve like a spline:
as a loft on page 674 path or shape, as a path constraint on page 3629 path, or
as a motion trajectory on page 3440. For these purposes, the first vertex of the
curve is significant. If the curve is a closed curve, you can use Make First to
set the curve's first vertex.
Break Breaks a single curve into two curves. Click in a viewport to choose the
location to break the curve.
WARNING When you break a curve sub-object, you lose the animation controllers
for all points or CVs on the curve.
Join Joins two curve sub-objects together. After you have joined the curves
in a viewport, the Join Curves dialog on page 2747 is displayed. This dialog lets
you choose the method for joining the two curves.
WARNING When you join two curve sub-objects, you lose the animation controllers
for all points or CVs on both curves.
Material ID Lets you assign a material ID value to the curve. If the curve is
renderable, material IDs let you assign a material to the curve using a
Multi/Sub-Object on page 6542 material. In addition, the Select by ID button
lets you select a curve or multiple curves by specifying a material ID number.
Can range from 1 to 100. Default=1.

2548 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Select by ID Displays a Select by Material ID on page 2760 dialog.

CV Curve rollout
This additional rollout is displayed when a CV curve is selected.

Degree Sets the degree of the curve. The higher the degree value, the greater
the continuity. The lower the degree, the more discontinuous the curve
segments become. The degree can't be less than one or greater than the number
allowed by the number of CVs in the curve. Degree 3 curves are adequate to
represent continuous curves, and are stable and well behaved. Default=3.
Setting the degree greater than 3 isn't recommended because higher-degree
curves are slower to calculate and less stable numerically. Higher-degree curves
are supported primarily to be compatible with models created using other
surface modeling programs.
The number of CVs in a CV curve must be at least one greater than the curve's
degree.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The controls in this group box let you specify automatic reparameterization.
They are similar to the controls in the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, with
the addition that all choices except for None tell 3ds Max to reparameterize
the curve automatically; that is, whenever you edit it by moving CVs, refining,
and so on.
None Do not reparameterize automatically.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2549

Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve or surface changes
only locally when you edit it. With chord-length parameterization, moving
any CV can potentially change the entire curve.
Close Closes the curve. Disabled if the curve is already closed.
Rebuild Displays the Rebuild CV Curve dialog on page 2755, which lets you
specify how to rebuild the curve. Rebuilding the curve can change its
appearance.
Reparam. Displays the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757. Reparameterizing
a curve changes the curve's parameter space on page 9257 to provide a better
relation between control point locations and the shape of the curve.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to the curve by
refining or inserting.

Point Curve rollout
This additional rollout appears when a point curve is selected.

Close Closes the curve. Disabled if the curve is already closed.

Editing Surface Sub-Objects
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display ➤
Expand the NURBS
object's hierarchy. ➤ Surface sub-object level ➤ Select surface sub-objects.
This topic describes controls that are common to point surfaces, CV surfaces,
and the various dependent surface types. A rollout labeled Surface Common

2550 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

contains the surface sub-object controls for NURBS surfaces. Another rollout,
Material Properties on page 2564, controls mapping on surface sub-objects, and
is described in its own topic. See Surface Approximation on page 2762 for a
description of that rollout. The final rollout for surface sub-objects depends
on the type of surface selected.

Procedures
To transform surface sub-objects:

1 At the Surface sub-object level,
sub-objects.

select one or more surface

The sub-object selection tools are the same as for other kinds of
sub-objects. In addition, you can use the H key when the Keyboard
Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008 is on. See Sub-Object Selection on
page 2445.
The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic,
provides additional options for selecting surfaces.

2 Activate
(Select And Move) or another transform and then drag
in a viewport to transform the selection.
The shape of the model changes as you interactively transform the
surfaces.

TIP
The Lock Selection Set button is useful when you transform
NURBS sub-objects. You can make a selection in one viewport, click Lock
Selection Set (or press the Spacebar), and then transform the selection in a
different viewport.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2551

To use the keyboard to select surface sub-objects:
You can select surface sub-objects using the Ctrl key and the arrow keys. The
arrows traverse the sub-objects in the order they were created. To do so, follow
these steps:

1 Turn on

(Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle).

2 At the
( Surface) sub-object level, set the selection controls to select
surfaces individually.

3

Click or drag to select surfaces.

4 Hold down Ctrl and use the arrow keys to move among surfaces in the
current model.
At the Surface sub-object level, the left and right arrow keys move forward
and backward through individual surfaces in the order they were created.
The up and down arrows are equivalent to left and right.
You can also use the H keyboard shortcut (while the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle is on) to display a dialog and select surfaces by name. Ctrl+H
displays only the names of surfaces directly beneath the mouse cursor.
To delete a surface:

Select the surface and then click Delete.
Keyboard shortcut: Delete

■

To make a surface a loft:

1

Select the surface and then click Make Loft. 3ds Max opens a
Make Loft dialog on page 2751.

2552 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

2 Use the Make Loft dialog controls to choose the settings for the new
surface, and then click OK.
To break a surface:
1 Turn on Break Row, Break Col., or Break Both, and then drag over the
surface.
One or two blue curves appear on the surface to indicate where the break
will occur.
2 When you have dragged to the location you want to break, click the
surface.
NOTE If you break a dependent surface, the new "broken" surfaces are made
independent.

You cannot break a trimmed surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2553

To extend a surface:
1 Turn on Extend.
2 Move the mouse over the surface without depressing the mouse button.
The edge that will be extended is highlighted in blue.
3 When the edge you want to extend is highlighted, press the mouse button,
and then drag vertically to increase the length of the surface.
The surface extension is invalid and disappears if it would cause the surface
to intersect itself or if the edge of the surface touches itself but is not closed.
For example, you can't extend the top of a cylinder.
To join two surfaces:
1 In a NURBS object that contains two surface sub-objects, turn on Join.
2 If the gap between the surfaces is small (less than about 30 units), set the
Tolerance value greater than the distance of the gap.
3 Click one surface near the edge that you want to connect. The edge that
will be connected is highlighted in blue. Drag to choose the edge you
want to connect. Without releasing the mouse button, drag to the other
surface. The edge of the other surface is also highlighted in blue. Drag
on the other surface to choose the edge to connect, and then release the
mouse button.
The surface that owns the highlighted edge is highlighted in yellow, to
help you distinguish which edge you are choosing when two surfaces
have coincident edges.
The Join Surfaces dialog on page 2749 is displayed, which gives you a choice
of methods for how to join the surfaces. Whichever method you choose,
3ds Max creates a single surface that replaces the two original surfaces.
To close a surface:

Select the surface sub-object and then click Close Rows or Close

■

Cols.

2554 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Surface Common rollout

Surface sub-object rollout

The controls on this rollout apply to all surface types. Depending on the type
of surface, an additional rollout is displayed with controls specific to that type
of surface.

Selection group
The selection buttons for surface sub-objects let you select either individual
surfaces, or surfaces that are connected in space.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2555

Surface sub-object selection controls

Single Surface Clicking or transforming a surface selects only a single
surface sub-object.

All Connected Surfaces Clicking or transforming a surface selects all
surface sub-objects that are connected within the NURBS object. To be
connected, two surfaces must have all the CVs on a shared edge fused between
them, or one surface must be a connected dependent of the other (for example,
a blend or a cap).
Name Shows the name of the currently selected surface. It is disabled if you
have selected multiple surfaces.
By default, the name is the name of the surface type ("CV Surface," "Point
Surface," "Blend Surface," and so on) followed by a sequence number. You can
use this field to give the surface a name that you choose.
Hide Click to hide the currently selected surface.
Unhide All Click to unhide all hidden surfaces.
Hide by Name Click to display a Select Sub-Objects dialog that lists surfaces
by name. Select the surfaces to hide, then click Hide.
Unhide by Name Disabled unless there are hidden surfaces. Click to display
a Select Sub-Objects dialog that lists surfaces by name. Select the surfaces to
make visible, then click Unhide.
Delete Deletes the selected surface sub-objects.
Make Rigid Makes the surface rigid. The only editing allowed on a rigid surface
is to transform it at the Surface sub-object level. You can't move a rigid surface's
points or CVs, or change the number of points or CVs.
Rigid surfaces reduce the amount of memory used by the NURBS model.
Making surfaces rigid improves performance, especially for large and complex
models.
When a surface is rigid, you can't see its points or CVs when you are at the
Point or Surface CV sub-object levels. If the model has no nonrigid surfaces

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and no point curves, the Point and Surface CV sub-object levels aren't available
at all.
To make a surface no longer rigid, click Make Point or Make Independent.
Editing the surface with Break, Join, and so on also makes it no longer rigid.
Make Loft Displays a Make Loft dialog on page 2751 to convert the surface
sub-object to a (dependent) U loft or UV loft surface. Can also change the
dimension used to construct a U loft surface.
You can’t use Make Loft if the surface sub-object is in an error condition.
TIP Make Loft creates a loft with uniformly spaced curves. To make a loft with
adaptively spaced iso curves, manually create the curves and then loft them with
U Iso Lines, V Iso Lines, or U and V Iso Lines.
Make Point Displays a Make Point dialog on page 2753 to convert any kind of
surface to a point surface. You can also use Make Point to change the number
of rows and columns if the surface is already a point surface.
Convert Surface Click to display the Convert Surface dialog on page 2736. This
dialog provides a general way to convert a surface to a different type of surface.
You can convert between lofts, point ("fit") surfaces, and CV surfaces. The
dialog also lets you adjust a number of other surface parameters.
Make Independent Disabled if the surface is independent. If the surface is
dependent, clicking this button makes it independent.
WARNING When you make a surface independent, you lose the animation
controllers for all objects that depend on it in turn.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected surfaces.
Detach Detaches the selected surface sub-object from the NURBS model,
making it a new top-level NURBS surface object on page 2471. The Detach dialog
on page 2739 is displayed, which lets you name the new surface. The new object
is no longer part of the original NURBS model.
To create a new top-level NURBS surface that is a copy of the selected surface,
turn on Copy before you click Detach.
Copy When on, clicking Detach creates a copy of the selected surface instead
of detaching it from the NURBS model. Default=off.
Renderable When on, the surface renders. Turn off to make the surface
invisible in renderings. Default=on.
Display Normals When on, the normal for each selected surface is displayed.
There is one normal per surface sub-object. The normal is displayed at the

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2557

surface's UV origin, so displaying normals can help you see how materials will
be mapped. On the other hand, the normal can be hard to see if you are
zoomed out. Default=off.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals.
Default=off.
TIP The Flip Normals control is useful for viewing a surface that is mostly concave
or mostly convex. With more complicated NURBS surfaces, you often want to
render both sides of the surface. To see both sides of the surface, turn on Force
2-Sided on the Render Setup dialog on page 6956. To see both sides of the surfaces
in viewports, turn on Force 2-Sided on the Rendering Method panel of the Viewport
Configuration dialog on page 8963, or assign a Double-Sided Material on page 6535.
Break Row Breaks the surface into two surfaces in the direction of a row (the
surface's U axis).
Break Col. Breaks the surface into two surfaces in the direction of a column
(the surface's V axis).
Break Both Breaks the surface into four surfaces in both directions.
You cannot break a trimmed surface.
Extend Extends the surface by changing its length.
WARNING Extending a surface loses all animation controllers for the surface and
its points or CVs.
Join Joins two surface sub-objects together. After you have joined the surfaces
in a viewport, the Join Surfaces dialog on page 2749 is displayed. This dialog lets
you choose the method for joining the two surfaces. You can join only original
edges of surfaces; you cannot join edges created by trimming.
WARNING When you join two surface sub-objects, you lose the animation
controllers for all point or CVs on both surfaces.

CV Surface rollout
This additional rollout is displayed when a CV surface is selected.

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U Degree and V Degree Let you set the degree of the surface in either the U
or V dimension. The higher the degree value, the greater the continuity. The
lower the degree, the more discontinuous the surface segments become. The
degree can't be less than one or greater than the number allowed by the
number of CVs in the specified dimension. Degree 3 is adequate to represent
continuous surfaces, and is stable and well behaved. Default=3.
Setting the degree greater than 3 isn't recommended because higher-degrees
are slower to calculate and less stable numerically. Higher-degrees are supported
primarily to be compatible with models created using other surface modeling
programs.
The number of CVs in a given dimension must be at least one greater than
that dimension's degree.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The controls in this group box let you specify automatic reparameterization.
They are similar to the controls in the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, with
the addition that all choices except for None tell 3ds Max to reparameterize
the curve automatically; that is, whenever you edit it by moving CVs, refining,
and so on.
None Do not reparameterize automatically.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2559

A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve or surface changes
only locally when you edit it. With chord-length parameterization, moving
any CV can potentially change the entire surface.
The close controls let you close a surface. They are displayed on the CV Surface
rollout while an independent CV surface sub-object is selected. They are
disabled if the surface is already closed in that direction.
Close Rows Closes the surface by joining the ends of its rows.
Close Cols. Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns.
Rebuild Displays the Rebuild CV Surface dialog on page 2756, which lets you
specify how to rebuild the surface. Rebuilding the surface can change its
appearance.
WARNING When you rebuild a surface, you lose the animation controllers for all
CVs on the surface.
Reparam. Displays the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757. Reparameterizing
a surface changes the surface's parameter space on page 9257 to provide a better
relation between control point locations and the shape of the surface.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to the surface
by refining or inserting.
WARNING When you reparameterize a surface, you lose the animation controllers
for all CVs on the surface.

Point Surface rollout
This additional rollout appears when a point surface is selected.

The close controls let you close a surface. They appear on the Point Surface
rollout while an independent point surface sub-object is selected. They have
no effect if the surface is already closed in that direction.
Close Rows Closes the surface by joining the ends of its rows.
Close Cols. Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns.

2560 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Soft Selection Rollout (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select NURBS point or CV sub-objects. ➤ Soft
Selection rollout
The soft selection controls for NURBS models are like the soft selection controls
for editable mesh on page 2190 objects. Soft selection controls make a point or
CV behave as if surrounded by a "magnetic field." Unselected points or CVs
within the field are drawn along smoothly while you move the selected one.
With this feature, you can sculpt the points or CVs of a curve or surface. For
example, you can draw a sphere into an egg, or gently curve a flat surface into
hills and valleys.

With soft selection, transforming a single vertex can move others.

The Soft Selection rollout for point and CV sub-objects contains the controls
for this feature. The Soft Selection check box is turned off by default.
Before you begin, you might need to increase the number of CVs or points
on the surface. This allows smoother and more complex reshaping effects.
A single point or CV works well for many purposes. Moving a point or CV
along a single axis is the most useful for smoothly raising and lowering surfaces.
For multiple points or CVs, you can also use Rotate or Scale.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2561

Interface

Soft Selection When on, point or CV transforms affect a region of the curve
or surface.
Affect Neighbors When on, the transform affects points or CVs not only on
this curve or surface but within the entire Falloff region of the NURBS object.
Same Type Only (for point curves and surfaces only) When on, the transform
affects only neighboring points of the same type; that is, either curve points,
surface points, or independent points.
Soft Selection Curve This curve display shows how Soft Selection will work.
You can experiment with a curve setting, undo it, and try another setting with
the same selection.
Falloff Distance in current units from the center to the edge of a sphere
defining the region. Use higher falloff settings to achieve more gradual slopes,
depending on the scale of your geometry. Default=20.

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Left: Falloff=20 (the default)
Right: Falloff=40

Pinch Raises and lowers the top point of the curve along the vertical axis. Sets
the relative "pointedness" of the region. When negative, a crater is produced
instead of a point. At a setting of 0, Pinch produces a smooth transition across
this axis. Default=0.

Left: Pinch=.5
Right: Pinch=2
Falloff and Bubble have their default values.

Bubble Expands and contracts the curve along the vertical axis. Sets the relative
"fullness" of the region. Limited by Pinch, which sets a fixed starting point
for Bubble. A setting of 0 for Pinch and 1.0 for Bubble produces a maximum
smooth bulge. Negative values for Bubble move the bottom of the curve below
the surface, creating a "valley" around the base of the region. Default=0.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2563

Left: Bubble=1
Right: Bubble=6
Falloff and Pinch have their default values.

Material Properties Rollout (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Surface sub-object level ➤ Material Properties rollout
This rollout controls material mapping onto a NURBS surface sub-object.

Procedures
To apply a mapped material to a surface sub-object:
1 On the Material Properties rollout, turn on Gen. Mapping Coordinates.

2 Use the
the surface.

Material Editor on page 6019 to assign a mapped material to

To use multiple map channels on a single surface sub-object (example):
1 On the Material Properties rollout, turn on Gen. Mapping Coordinates.
2 Change the Map Channel value to 2, and turn on Gen. Mapping
Coordinates.

2564 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

3 Change the U and V tiling values for map channel 2.
Now when you assign a mapped material, maps on map channel 1 use
the default UV tiling, while maps on map channel 2 use the channel 2
tiling. An easy way to see this is to create a checker on page 6650 map on
channel 1, and make one checker color another checker map on channel
2.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2565

Interface
Material Properties rollout

2566 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Material ID Use this to change the surface’s material ID number. Multiple
material IDs in a single NURBS object let you assign a multi/sub-object material
on page 6542 to the NURBS object.
Select by ID Displays a Select by Material ID dialog on page 2760.

Texture Channels group
The controls in this group box support materials, including tiling and
positioning mapping coordinates on the surface.
Map Channel Chooses a UV coordinates map channel on page 9210. Range=1
to 99. A single surface can use up to 99 texture channels. Default=1.
Gen. Mapping Coordinates Generates mapping coordinates so you can apply
mapped materials to the surface. Each surface in a NURBS object has its own
set of mapping coordinates. Default=off.
U and V Offset Offset mapping coordinates along the surface’s local U axis
or V axis. That is, at 0.0 (the default), the map begins at the U or V origin.
Increasing an Offset value moves the map forward along that axis, and
decreasing it moves it backward. These parameters are animatable.
U and V Tiling Control the tiling of UV mapping coordinates; that is, the
number of times a mapped material’s map is repeated in the surface’s local U
axis or V axis. Default=1.0 for both axes (no tiling). These parameters are
animatable.
Rotation Angle Lets you specify a rotation angle for the texture. This parameter
is animatable.

Texture Corners group
The controls in this group box let you explicitly set which texture surface UV
values to use at the corners of a surface. These controls are especially useful
when you are matching the textures of adjacent surfaces.
These controls are disabled unless Generate Mapping Coordinates is on.
Corners radio buttons The four buttons correspond to the four corners of
the currently selected surface. When you choose a button, the corresponding
corner is highlighted with a blue box in 3D viewports, and the U and V
spinners are enabled.
U and V Unavailable unless you've chosen one of the Corners radio buttons.
When available, you use these spinners to set the U and V texture values for
the chosen corner.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2567

By default, the U and V values for most surfaces range from 0.0 to 1.0. For
some kinds of geometry converted to a NURBS surface, these ranges can vary.

Texture Surface group
The controls in this group box let you choose a method for mapping texture
to the currently selected NURBS surface sub-object, and to adjust the parameters
for some of the chosen methods.
These controls are available when Generate Mapping Coordinates is on.
A texture surface is a surface associated with the surface sub-object. The texture
surface controls how materials are mapped. In effect, changing the texture
surface stretches or otherwise changes the UV coordinates for the surface,
altering the mapping.
Maps can shift with certain surface approximation methods. This effect is
especially noticeable when the surface has animated CVs. You can reduce or
eliminate map shifting by changing the mapping method to User Defined.
TIP Don't use the UVW Map modifier to apply a texture to an animated NURBS
surface.
Default Automatically generates a texture surface. This method evenly
distributes the texture and attempts to compensate for stretching of the surface.
The default texture surface method has no additional controls.
User Defined Generates a texture surface that you can edit. You edit the
user-defined texture surface either by using an Edit Texture Surface dialog (as
you did in 3ds Max prior to v3), or by editing texture points directly in
viewports.
Edit Texture Surface Click to display the Edit Texture Surface dialog on page
2743, which lets you control UV mapping on this surface. This button is available
when you've chosen User Defined as the texture surface method.
Edit Texture Points Click to edit texture surface points directly in viewports.
This button available when you've chosen User Defined as the texture surface
method.
While Edit Texture Points is on, the points of the texture surface are displayed
in viewports, where you can adjust their positions by using the selection and
transform tools.
Projected Generates the texture surface by projecting the texture of another
NURBS surface sub-object in the NURBS model. The projection travels along
the direction of the normals of the source surface.

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Projected texture surfaces are relational: if you update the source surface, the
texture updates on all the surfaces it projects onto.
If you use the same source surface to project a texture onto several other
connected surfaces, the textures will match along the boundaries where the
mapped surfaces touch.
Pick Source Surface This button is available when you've chosen Projected
as the texture surface method. To choose a source (projector) surface, choose
Projected, click to turn on this button, and then click in a viewport to select
another surface sub-object in the same NURBS model.
Source text field If Projected is the chosen texture surface method and you
have picked a surface to project, this field displays the name of the projector
(source) surface. Otherwise, this field says "None."

Creating Curve Sub-Objects
Select a NURBS object. ➤

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Toolbox)

Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout

Modify panel ➤

(NURBS Creation

Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+T to toggle NURBS toolbox display (Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle must be on)
Curve sub-objects are either independent point and CV curves (similar to the
top-level point and CV curves described in Point Curve on page 2483 and CV
Curve on page 2490), or they are dependent curves. Dependent curves are curve
sub-objects whose geometry depends on other curves, points, or surfaces in
the NURBS object. When you change the geometry of the original, parent
sub-objects, the dependent curve changes as well.
You create curve sub-objects using the Create Curves rollout on the Modify
command panel for a NURBS curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2569

TIP Lathe and extrude surface sub-objects can be based on only a single curve;
see Creating Dependent Surfaces on page 2625. If you create dependent curves and
then want to use the set of curves (for example, two parents and a fillet between
them) as the basis of an extrude or loft surface, first go to the Curve sub-object
level and use Join to connect the curves.
Creation operations for dependent sub-objects require you to select one or
more parent objects. In general, you can click and drag, or click and then click
again. You can also use the H keyboard shortcut to display the Select
Sub-Objects dialog. This is a subset of the Selection Floater on page 187 for
choosing the parent. (The Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008
must be on for H to work this way.)

Toolbox Buttons for Creating Curves
These are the toolbox on page 2443 buttons for creating curve sub-objects:
Create an independent CV curve sub-object on page 2572.

2570 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Create an independent point curve sub-object on page 2576.
Create a dependent fit curve (as with the Curve Fit on page 2579 button).
Create a dependent transform curve on page 2580.
Create a dependent blend curve on page 2582.
Create a dependent offset curve on page 2585.
Create a dependent mirror curve on page 2587.
Create a dependent chamfer curve on page 2590.
Create a dependent fillet curve on page 2595.
Create a dependent surface-surface intersection curve on page 2600.
Create a dependent U iso curve on page 2606.
Create a dependent V iso curve on page 2606.
Create a dependent normal projected curve on page 2608.
Create a dependent vector projected curve on page 2611.
Create a dependent CV curve on surface on page 2614.
Create a dependent point curve on surface on page 2619.
Create a dependent surface offset curve on page 2604.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2571

Create a dependent surface edge curve on page 2623.

CV Curve Sub-Object
Select a NURBS object. ➤
➤ CV Curve button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create CV Curve)

Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

CV curve sub-objects are similar to object-level CV curves on page 2490. The
main difference is that you can't give CV curves a renderable thickness at the
sub-object level.

Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves
When you create a CV curve, you can draw it in three dimensions. There are
two ways to do this:
■

Draw In All Viewports: This toggle lets you use any viewport to draw the
curve, enabling you to draw three dimensionally.

■

Using Ctrl to drag CVs: While you draw a curve, you can use the Ctrl key
to drag a CV off of the construction plane.

With the Ctrl–key method, further mouse movement lifts the latest point off
the construction plane. There are two ways to use this:
■

Click-drag. If you hold down Ctrl and also hold down the mouse button,
you can drag to change the height of the CV. The CV's location is set when
you release the mouse button.
This method is probably more intuitive.

■

Click-click. If you Ctrl+click and then release the mouse button, the height
changes as you drag the mouse. Clicking the mouse a second time sets the
CV's location.
This method is less prone to repetitive stress injury.

2572 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

While you are offsetting the CV, a red dotted line is drawn between the original
CV on the construction plane and the actual CV offset from the plane. You
can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case 3ds Max sets
the height of the CV using the CV's Z axis in the inactive viewport. This lets
you set the height of the CV with accuracy.
Snaps on page 2850 also work when you change the height of a CV. For example,
if you turn on CV snapping, you can set a CV to have the same height as
another CV by snapping to that other CV in an inactive viewport.

Procedures
To create a CV curve sub-object:
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(CV Curve).

2 In a viewport, click and drag to create the first CV, as well as the first
curve segment. Release the mouse button to add the second CV. Each
subsequent location you click adds a new CV to the curve. Right-click to
end curve creation.
NOTE If you begin the curve by clicking without dragging, this also creates
the curve's first CV. However, if you release the mouse button more than five
pixels away from where you initially pressed it, this creates an additional CV.
While you are creating a CV curve, you can press Backspace to remove
the last CV you created, and then previous CVs in reverse order.
If Draw In All Viewports is on, you can draw in any viewport, creating a
3D curve.
To lift a CV off the construction plane, use the Ctrl key as described earlier
in this topic under "Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves."
As with splines, if you click over the curve's initial CV, a Close Curve
dialog on page 2738 is displayed. This dialog asks whether you want the
curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the
curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object
level.) When a closed curve is displayed at the Curve sub-object level, the
initial CV is displayed as a green circle, and a green tick mark indicates
the curve's direction.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2573

Interface
CV Curve rollout (creation time)

Draw In All Viewports Lets you use any viewport while you are drawing the
curve. This is one way to create a 3D curve. When off, you must finish drawing
the curve in the viewport where you began it. Default=on.
While Draw In All Viewports is on, you can also use snaps on page 2850 in any
viewport.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The controls in this group box let you specify automatic reparameterization.
They are similar to the controls in the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, with
one addition: all choices except for None tell 3ds Max to reparameterize the
curve automatically; that is, whenever you edit it by moving CVs, refining,
and so on.
None Do not reparameterize automatically.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve or surface changes
only locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization,
moving any CV can change the entire sub-object.

2574 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

CV Curve rollout (modification time)

Degree Sets the degree of the curve. The higher the degree value, the greater
the continuity. The lower the degree, the more discontinuous the curve
segments become. The degree can't be less than one or greater than the number
allowed by the number of CVs in the curve. Degree 3 curves are adequate to
represent continuous curves, and are stable and well behaved. Default=3.
Setting the degree greater than 3 isn't recommended, because higher-degree
curves are slower to calculate and less stable numerically. Higher-degree curves
are supported primarily to be compatible with models created using other
surface modeling programs.
The number of CVs in a CV curve must be at least one greater than the curve's
degree.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The controls in this group box let you specify automatic reparameterization.
They are similar to the controls in the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757, with
one addition: all choices except for None tell 3ds Max to reparameterize the
curve automatically; that is, whenever you edit it by moving CVs, refining,
and so on.
None Do not reparameterize automatically.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2575

Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve or surface changes
only locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization,
moving any CV can change the entire sub-object.
Close Closes the curve. Disabled if the curve is already closed.
Rebuild Displays the Rebuild CV Curve dialog on page 2755 to let you rebuild
the CV curve.
Reparam Displays the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757 to let you re
parameterize the CV.

Point Curve Sub-Object
Select a NURBS object. ➤
➤ Point Curve button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Point Curve)

Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Point curve sub-objects are similar to object-level point curves on page 2483.
Points are constrained to lie on the curve. The main difference is that you
can't give point curves a renderable thickness at the sub-object level.

Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves
When you create a point curve, you can draw it in three dimensions. There
are two ways to do this:
■

Draw In All Viewports: This toggle lets you use any viewport to draw the
curve, enabling you to draw three dimensionally.

■

Using Ctrl to drag points: While you draw a curve, you can use the Ctrl key
to drag a point off of the construction plane.

2576 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

With the Ctrl key method, further mouse movement lifts the latest point off
the construction plane. There are two ways to use this:
■

Click-drag. If you hold down Ctrl and also hold down the mouse button,
you can drag to change the height of the point. The point's location is set
when you release the mouse button.
This method is probably more intuitive.

■

Click-click. If you Ctrl+click and then release the mouse button, the height
changes as you drag the mouse. Clicking the mouse a second time sets the
point's location.
This method is less prone to repetitive stress injury.

While you are offsetting the point, a red dotted line is drawn between the
original point on the construction plane and the actual point offset from the
plane. You can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case 3ds
Max sets the height of the point using the point's Z axis in the inactive
viewport. This lets you set the height of the point with accuracy.
Snaps on page 2850 also work when you change the height of a point. For
example, if you turn on Point snapping, you can set a point to have the same
height as another point by snapping to that other point in an inactive
viewport.

Procedures
To create a point curve sub-object:
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Point Curve).

2 In a viewport, click and drag to create the first point, as well as the first
curve segment. Release the mouse button to add the second point. Each
subsequent location you click adds a new point to the curve. Right-click
to end curve creation.
NOTE If you begin the curve by clicking without dragging, this also creates
the curve's first point. However, if you release the mouse button more than
five pixels away from where you initially pressed it, this creates an additional
point.
While you are creating a point curve, you can press Backspace to remove
the last point you created, and then previous points in reverse order.
If Draw In All Viewports is on, you can draw in any viewport, creating a
3D curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2577

To lift a point off the construction plane, use the Ctrl key as described
earlier in this topic under Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves on page
2576.
As with splines, if you click over the curve's initial point, a Close Curve
dialog on page 2754 is displayed. This dialog asks whether you want the
curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the
curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object
level.) When a closed curve is displayed at the Curve sub-object level, the
initial point is displayed as a green circle, and a green tick mark indicates
the curve's direction.

Interface
Point Curve rollout (creation time)

Draw In All Viewports Lets you use any viewport while you are drawing the
curve. This is one way to create a 3D curve. When off, you must finish drawing
the curve in the viewport where you began it. Default=on.
While Draw In All Viewports is on, you can also use snaps on page 2850 in any
viewport.

Point Curve rollout (modification time)

Close Closes the curve. Disabled if the curve is already closed.

2578 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Curve Fit
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Curve Fit button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Fit Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates a point curve fitted to points you select. The points
can be part of previously created point curve and point surface objects, or
they can be point sub-objects you created explicitly. They can't be CVs.

Fitting a curve to selected points

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2579

Procedures
To create a point curve with Curve Fit:
The NURBS object must contain two or more point sub-objects.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Fit Curve).

2 Click two or more points.
A point curve is created. It runs through the points you select, in the
order you select them.
You can use Backspace to undo point selection in reverse order.
3 Right-click to end creation.

Interface
There are no parameters for a point curve created with Curve Fit.

Transform Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Transform button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Transform Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A transform curve is a copy of the original curve with a different position,
rotation, or scale.

2580 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Curve used to create a transform curve

Procedures
To create a transform curve:

■

In a NURBS object that contains at least one curve, turn on
(Create
Transform Curve).
To move the transform curve, click and drag the curve you want to
duplicate. To rotate or scale the transform curve, click the parent curve,
go to the Curve sub-object level in the modifier stack, and then rotate or
scale the transform curve.
When you use Move to create the transform curve, it simply copies the
parent. (It doesn't exaggerate curvature as an offset curve does.)
Axis constraints don't apply to the creation of transform curves. You can
click to create the curve in place; then once it is created, transform it using
constraints.
TIP You can also use axis constraints by using Shift+Clone at the Curve
sub-object level.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2581

Interface
Creation time
At creation time, transform curves have no parameters.

Transform Curve rollout (modification time)
At modification time, you can transform the transform curve as a curve
sub-object, and you can animate curve sub-object transforms. Transform curves
also have one control in the Modify panel.

Replace Base Curve Lets you replace the parent curve. Click the button, then
click the curve to replace the original curve.

Blend Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Blend button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Blend Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A blend curve connects the end of one curve to the end of another, blending
the curvature of the parents to create a smooth curve between them. You can
blend curves of the same type, a point curve with a CV curve (and vice versa),
an independent curve with a dependent curve, and so on.

2582 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Blend curves connecting original curves

Procedures
To create a blend curve:
The NURBS object must contain two or more curves.
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turnon

(Create Blend Curve).

2 Click one curve near the end that you want to connect. The end that will
be connected is highlighted. Without releasing the mouse button, drag
to the end of the other curve that you want to connect. The other end
is highlighted as well. When the end that you want to connect is
highlighted, release the mouse button.
After the blend curve is created, changing the position or the curvature
of either parent curve changes the blend curve as well.
3 Adjust the blend parameters.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2583

Interface
Blend Curve rollout (creation time)

"Tension" affects the tangent between a parent curve and the blend curve.
The greater the tension value, the more closely the tangent parallels the parent
curve, and the smoother the transition. The lower the tension, the greater the
tangent angle and the sharper the transition between parent and blend.
Tension 1 Controls tension at the edge of the first curve you clicked.
Tension 2 Controls tension at the edge of the second curve you clicked.

Blend Curve rollout (modification time)

"Tension" affects the tangent between a parent curve and the blend curve.
The greater the tension value, the more closely the tangent parallels the parent
curve, and the smoother the transition. The lower the tension, the greater the
tangent angle and the sharper the transition between parent and blend.
Tension 1 Controls tension at the edge of the first curve you clicked.
Tension 2 Controls tension at the edge of the second curve you clicked.

2584 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Replace First Curve and Replace Second Curve Let you replace the parent
curves. Click the button, then click the curve to replace the original first or
second curve.

Offset Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Offset button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Offset Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

An Offset curve is offset from the original, parent curve. It is normal to the
original. You can offset both planar and 3D curves.

Curve used to create an offset curve

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2585

Procedures
To create an offset curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least one curve.
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Offset Curve).

2 Click the curve you want to offset, and drag to set the initial distance.
An offset curve is created.
3 Adjust the Offset parameter.
If the parent curve is not linear, increasing the distance increasingly
exaggerates the curvature of the offset curve.

Interface
Offset Curve rollout (creation time)

Offset The distance between the parent curve and the offset curve, in 3ds Max
units.
This parameter is animatable.

Offset Curve rollout (modification time)

Offset The distance between the parent curve and the offset curve, in 3ds Max
units.

2586 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Replace Base Curve Lets you replace the parent curve. Click the button, then
click the curve to replace the original curve.

Mirror Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Mirror button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Mirror Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A mirror curve is a mirror image of the original curve.

Curve used to create a mirror curve

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2587

Procedures
To create a mirror curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least one curve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Mirror Curve).

2 On the Mirror Curve rollout, choose the axis or plane you want to use.
3 Click the curve you want to mirror, and drag to set the initial distance.
A mirror curve is created. A gizmo (yellow by default) indicates the
direction of mirroring. Transforming the mirror curve's gizmo changes
the orientation of the mirror, letting you mirror along an axis that isn't
aligned with a local coordinate axis.
4 Adjust the mirror parameters.

Interface
In viewports a gizmo (yellow by default) indicates the mirror axis.

Mirror Curve rollout (creation time)

Mirror Axis group
The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original curve is
mirrored.
You can't transform the mirror curve directly (that would simply transform
the mirror curve and its parent curve at the same time). You transform it by

2588 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

transforming its gizmo. By using transforms you can mirror about an arbitrary
axis, rather than using one of the Mirror Axis presets. When you transform a
mirror curve, you are actually transforming the mirror plane, so Rotate has
the effect of rotating the plane about which the curve is mirrored. (This is like
rotating the mirror gizmo in the Mirror modifier.)
Offset Controls the mirror's distance from the original curve.
This parameter is animatable.

Mirror Curve rollout (modification time)

Mirror Axis group
The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original curve is
mirrored.
You can't transform the mirror curve directly (that would simply transform
the mirror curve and its parent curve at the same time). You transform it by
transforming its gizmo. By using transforms you can mirror about an arbitrary
axis, rather than using one of the Mirror Axis presets. When you transform a
mirror curve, you are actually transforming the mirror plane, so Rotate has
the effect of rotating the plane about which the curve is mirrored. (This is like
rotating the mirror gizmo in the Mirror modifier.)
Offset Controls the mirror's distance from the original curve.
This parameter is animatable.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2589

Replace Base Curve Lets you replace the parent curve. Click the button, then
click the curve to replace the original curve.

Chamfer Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Chamfer button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Chamfer Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Chamfer creates a curve that is a straight bevel between two parent curves.

Creating chamfers between two original curves

2590 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Procedures
To create a chamfer curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least two curves.
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Chamfer Curve).

TIP Make sure the curves intersect before you begin to create the chamfer.
2 Click one curve near the end that you want to connect. The end that will
be connected is highlighted. Without releasing the mouse button, drag
to the end of the other curve that you want to connect. When the end
that will be connected is highlighted, release the mouse button.
A chamfer curve is created. Changing the position or the curvature of
either parent curve can change the chamfer as well.
The parent curves must be coplanar. The chamfer is not necessarily
connected at the endpoints of the parent curves: you can adjust its
position with the chamfer's Length parameters.
3 Adjust the chamfer parameters.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2591

Interface
Chamfer Curve rollout (creation time)

The lengths are the distances from the intersection (or apparent intersection)
at which the chamfer segment is drawn.
Length 1 The distance along the first curve you click.
This parameter is animatable.
Length 2 The distance along the second curve you click.
This parameter is animatable.
Some length values make it impossible to construct the chamfer. If you set
the length to an invalid value, the chamfer returns to a default position and
is displayed in the error color (orange by default).

2592 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Trim First Curve and Trim Second Curve groups
These two group boxes let you control how the parent curves are trimmed.
The controls are the same in each. "First" and "second" refer to the order in
which you picked the parent curves.

Flipping the direction of a trim

Trim Curve When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet
curve. When off, the parent isn't trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims in the opposite direction.
Seed 1 and Seed 2 Change the U location of the seed value on the first and
second curves. If there is a choice of directions, the direction indicated by the
seed points is the one used to create the chamfer.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2593

Chamfer Curve rollout (modification time)

The lengths are the distances from the intersection (or apparent intersection)
at which the chamfer segment is drawn.
Length 1 The distance along the first curve you click.
Length 2 The distance along the second curve you click.
Some length values make it impossible to construct the chamfer. If you set
the length to an invalid value, the chamfer returns to a default position and
is displayed in the error color (orange by default).

2594 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Trim First Curve and Trim Second Curve groups
These two group boxes let you control how the parent curves are trimmed.
The controls are the same in each. "First" and "second" refer to the order in
which you picked the parent curves.

Flipping the direction of a trim

Trim Curve When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet
curve. When off, the parent isn't trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims in the opposite direction.
Seed 1 and Seed 2 Change the U location of the seed value on the first and
second curves. If there is a choice of directions, the direction indicated by the
seed points is the one used to create the chamfer.
Replace First Curve and Replace Second Curve Let you replace the parent
curves. Click the button, then click the curve to replace the original first or
second curve.

Fillet Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Fillet button

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2595

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Fillet Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Fillet creates a curve that is a rounded corner between two parent curves.

Above: Two simple fillets
Below: Flip Trim changes the direction of trimming and the shape the fillet.

Procedures
To create a fillet curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least two curves.
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Fillet Curve).

2 Click one curve near the end that you want to connect. The end that will
be connected is highlighted. Without releasing the mouse button, drag
to the end of the other curve that you want to connect. When the end
that you want to connect is highlighted, release the mouse button.

2596 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

A fillet curve is created. It trims the ends of the parent curve to match
the fillet. The fillet is not necessarily placed at the endpoints of the parent
curves: placement depends on the value of the Radius parameter.
Changing the position or the curvature of either parent curve can change
the fillet as well.
The parent curves must be coplanar.
3 Adjust the fillet parameters.

Interface
Fillet Curve rollout (creation time)

Radius The radius of the fillet arc in the current 3ds Max units. Default=10.0.
This parameter is animatable.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2597

TIP If the fillet you initially create is in an error state, often this is because the
radius is not large enough to bridge the distance between the two curves.
Increasing the Radius value gives you a correct fillet. The fillet becomes an arc
displayed in the dependent object color (green by default). When the fillet is in
an error state it is displayed as a straight line in the error color (orange by default).

Trim First Curve and Trim Second Curve groups
These two group boxes let you control how the parent curves are trimmed.
The controls are the same in each. "First" and "second" refer to the order in
which you picked the parent curves.
Trim Curve When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet
curve. When off, the parent isn't trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims in the opposite direction.
Seed 1 and Seed 2 Change the U location of the seed value on the first and
second curves. If there is a choice of directions, the direction indicated by the
seed points is the one used to create the fillet.

2598 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Fillet Curve rollout (modification time)

Radius The radius of the fillet arc in the current 3ds Max units. Default=10.0.
TIP If the fillet you initially create is in an error state, often this is because the
radius is not large enough to bridge the distance between the two curves.
Increasing the Radius value gives you a correct fillet. The fillet becomes an arc
displayed in the dependent object color (green by default). When the fillet is in
an error state it is displayed as a straight line in the error color (orange by default).

Trim First Curve and Trim Second Curve groups
These two group boxes let you control how the parent curves are trimmed.
The controls are the same in each. "First" and "second" refer to the order in
which you picked the parent curves.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2599

Trim Curve When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet
curve. When off, the parent isn't trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims in the opposite direction.
Seed 1 and Seed 2 Change the U location of the seed value on the first and
second curves. If there is a choice of directions, the direction indicated by the
seed points is the one used to create the fillet.
Replace First Curve and Replace Second Curve Let you replace the parent
curves. Click the button, then click the curve to replace the original first or
second curve.

Surface-Surface Intersection Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Surf x Surf button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤
(Create Surface-Surface Intersection Curve)
This command creates a curve that is defined by the intersection of two
surfaces. You can use surface-surface intersection curves for trimming on page
2437.

2600 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Trimming a surface with a surface-surface intersection curve

If the surfaces intersect at two or more locations, the intersection closest to
the seed point is the one that creates the curve.

Procedures
To create a surface-surface intersection curve:
The NURBS object must contain two surfaces that intersect.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on
Curve).

(Create Surface-Surface Intersection

2 Click the first surface, then the second.
If the two surfaces intersect, a curve that lies along their intersection is
created.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2601

Interface
Surf-Surf Intersection Curve rollout (creation time)

Trim Controls group
Trim 1 and Trim 2 When on, trim a surface against the intersection curve.
When off, the surface isn’t trimmed. Trim 1 trims the first parent surface you
clicked, and Trim 2 trims the second parent surface.
If the intersection curve does not pass completely across a surface, trimming
is impossible, and the affected surface is displayed in the error color (orange
by default).
Flip Trim 1 and Flip Trim 2 When on, trim the associated surface in the
opposite direction.
U Seed and V Seed Change the UV location of the seed value on surface 1,
the first surface you clicked. If there is a choice of intersections, the intersection
closest to the seed point is the one used to create the curve.

2602 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surf-Surf Intersection Curve rollout (modification time)

Trim Controls group
Trim 1 and Trim 2 When on, trim a surface against the intersection curve.
When off, the surface isn’t trimmed. Trim 1 trims the first parent surface you
clicked, and Trim 2 trims the second parent surface.
If the intersection curve does not pass completely across a surface, trimming
is impossible, and the affected surface is displayed in the error color (orange
by default).
Flip Trim 1 and Flip Trim 2 When on, trim the associated surface in the
opposite direction.
U Seed and V Seed Change the UV location of the seed value on surface 1,
the first surface you clicked. If there is a choice of intersections, the intersection
closest to the seed point is the one used to create the curve.
Replace First Surface and Replace Second Surface Let you replace the parent
surfaces. Click a button, then click the surface to replace the original first or
second surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2603

Surface Offset Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Surf Offset button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Surface Offset Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates a curve that is offset from a curve that lies on a surface.
In other words, the parent curve must have one of the following types:
surface-surface intersection, U iso, V iso, normal projected, vector projected,
CV curve on surface, or point curve on surface. The offset is normal to the
surface. That is, the new curve is either above or below the surface by the
offset amount.

Creating surface offset curves

2604 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Procedures
To create a surface offset curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least one NURBS surface with a curve on
it.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, it, turn on

(Create Surface Offset Curve).

2 Put the cursor over a curve that lies on a surface, and drag to set the offset
amount. Release the mouse button to end curve creation.

Interface
Surface Offset Curve rollout (creation time)

Offset The amount by which the curve is offset from the surface on which
the parent curve lies.

Surface Offset Curve rollout (modification time)

Offset The amount by which the curve is offset from the surface on which
the parent curve lies.
This parameter is animatable.
Replace Curve Lets you replace the parent curve. Click the button, then click
the curve to replace the original parent curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2605

U and V Iso Curves
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ U Iso Curve button or V Iso Curve button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create U Iso Curve) or

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤
(Create V Iso Curve)

U and V iso curves are dependent curves created from the iso (isoparametric)
lines of a NURBS surface. You can use U and V iso curves to trim surfaces on
page 2437.

Iso curves in the U and V dimensions

2606 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Procedures
To create an iso curve:

■

Turn on
(Create U Iso Curve) or
(Create V Iso Curve), then drag
over the surface.
The iso lines are highlighted in blue as you drag.
Click to create the curve from the highlighted iso line.

Interface
Iso Curve rollout (creation time)

Position Sets the iso curve's position along the U or V axis of the surface.
This parameter is animatable.

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the iso curve.
Flip Trim When on, flips the direction of the trim.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2607

Iso Curve rollout (modification time)

Position Sets the iso curve's position along the U or V axis of the surface.
This parameter is animatable.

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the iso curve.
Flip Trim When on, flips the direction of the trim.
Replace Base Surface Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button,
then click the new surface on which to base the iso curve.

Normal Projected Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Normal Proj. button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Normal Projected Curve)

2608 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A normal projected curve lies on a surface. It is based on an original curve,
which is projected onto the surface in the direction of the surface's normals.
You can use normal projected curves for trimming on page 2437.

Trimming a surface with a normal projected curve

If the projection intersects the surface in two or more locations, the intersection
closest to the seed point is the one that creates the curve.

Procedures
To create a normal projected curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface and one cruve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox , turn on

(Create Normal Projected Curve).

2 Click the curve, then click the surface where you want the normal
projected curve to lie.
If the curve can be projected onto the surface in the surface's normal
direction, the projected curve is created. The original, parent curve can

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2609

go "off the edge of the surface." The projected curve is created only where
the projection and the surface intersect.

Interface
Normal Projected Curve rollout (creation time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it neither crosses the edge of the surface nor forms a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.
U Seed and V Seed Change the UV location of the seed value on the surface.
If there is a choice of projections, the projection closest to the seed point is
the one used to create the curve.

2610 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Normal Projected Curve rollout (modification time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it neither crosses the edge of the surface nor forms a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.
U Seed and V Seed Change the UV location of the seed value on the surface.
If there is a choice of projections, the projection closest to the seed point is
the one used to create the curve.
Replace Curve and Replace Surface Let you replace the parent sub-objects.
Click a button, then click a curve or surface to replace the original parent
object.

Vector Projected Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Vector Proj. button

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2611

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Vector Projected Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A Vector Projected curve lies on a surface. This is almost the same as a Normal
Projected curve, except that the projection from the original curve to the
surface is in the direction of a vector that you can control.
You can use vector projected curves for trimming on page 2437.

Trimming a surface with a vector projected curve

If the projection intersects the surface in two or more locations, the intersection
closest to the seed point is the one that creates the curve.

Procedures
To create a vector projected curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface and one curve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

2612 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

(Create Vector Projected Curve).

2 Click the curve, then the surface where you want the vector projection
curve to lie.
The initial vector direction is in the view direction. That is, the vector
points away from you as you look at the viewport. If the curve can be
projected onto the surface in this direction, the projection curve is created.
The original, parent curve can go "off the edge of the surface." The
projection curve is created only where the projection and the surface
intersect.

Interface
In viewports a gizmo (yellow by default) indicates the projection axis.
Transforming the gizmo changes the projection onto the surface. Rotating
the gizmo is the most useful transform. You can use rotation to adjust the
distortion caused by projection.

Vector Projected Curve rollout (creation time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it neither crosses the edge of the surface nor forms a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.
U Seed and V Seed Change the UV location of the seed value on the surface.
If there is a choice of projections, the projection closest to the seed point is
the one used to create the curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2613

Vector Projected Curve rollout (modification time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it neither crosses the edge of the surface nor forms a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.
U Seed and V Seed Change the UV location of the seed value on the surface.
If there is a choice of projections, the projection closest to the seed point is
the one used to create the curve.
Replace Curve and Replace Surface Let you replace the parent sub-objects.
Click a button, then click a curve or surface to replace the original parent
object.

CV Curve on Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ CV on Surf button

2614 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create CV Curve on Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A CV curve on surface is similar to a plain CV curve, but it lies on a surface.
You create it by drawing rather than projecting from a different curve. You
can use this curve type for trimming on page 2437 the surface on which it lies.

Trimming a surface with a CV curve on surface

There are two methods for drawing and editing curves on surfaces: drawing
in a viewport, or using the Edit Curve on Surface dialog. The choice is useful
because you draw in two dimensions, with a mouse or other pointing device,
while the curve on a surface can exist in three dimensions. The more complex
the 3D surface, the more effort it can require to create and edit a curve on a
surface.
Visual feedback can help you draw the curve. The point whose surface you
first click is shown as a blue square, and the surface's minimum UV point is
shown as a plus sign (+). As you draw the curve, it is displayed interactively
in viewports.

Drawing in a Viewport
When you click to position a CV, the click is projected in the viewport's Z
dimension. That is, your click is projected "through the screen" and onto the
surface. This is a straightforward way to create a curve on a surface if the
portion of the surface where the curve will lie is clearly visible in the viewport.
However, this method doesn't let you place CVs on surface locations that are

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2615

not visible in the viewport (they are on back faces, lie behind other geometry,
and so on).

Using the Edit Curve on Surface Dialog
The Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740 lets you edit curves on surfaces
as you edit regular curves in a viewport. The main part of the dialog is a
two-dimensional view of the surface. The controls provide typical curve editing
functions. While you are creating a CV curve on surface, the 2D View toggle
controls display of the Edit Curve on Surface dialog.
You can edit the CVs in CV curves on surfaces at the Curve CV sub-object
level on page 2522, as you edit other kinds of curve CVs. You can transform CVs
in CV curves on surfaces, but you can't move the CVs off the surface. Using
the Curve CV sub-object level is an alternative to editing these CVs by using
the Edit Curve on Surface dialog.

Procedures
To create a CV curve on surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create CV Curve On Surface).

2 Do one of the following:
■

Draw the curve in the viewport, using the mouse above the surface.

■

Turn on 2D View. This displays an Edit Curve on Surface dialog, which
lets you create the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of
the surface.

3 Right-click to end curve creation.

2616 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
CV Curve on Surface rollout (creation time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it doesn't form a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The radio buttons in this group box let you choose automatic
reparameterization. With reparameterization, the curve maintains its
parameterization as you edit it. Without reparameterization, the curve's
parameterization doesn't change as you edit it, and can become irregular.
None Do not reparameterize.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2617

A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve will change only
locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization, moving
any CV can change the entire curve.
2D View When on, displays the Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740,
which lets you create the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of
the surface.

CV Curve on Surface rollout (modification time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it doesn't form a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.

2618 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Automatic Reparameterization group
The radio buttons in this group box let you choose automatic
reparameterization. With reparameterization, the curve maintains its
parameterization as you edit it. Without reparameterization, the curve's
parameterization doesn't change as you edit it, and can become irregular.
None Do not reparameterize.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve will change only
locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization, moving
any CV can change the entire curve.
Replace Surface Lets you replace the parent surface. Click a button, then click
a surface to replace the original parent surface.
Edit Click to display the Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740, which lets
you edit the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of the surface.
To edit multiple curves on a surface, select more than one CV curve sub-object
on the same surface, then click Edit.
Rebuild Displays the Rebuild CV Curve dialog on page 2755 to let you rebuild
the CV curve on surface.
Reparam Displays the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757 to let you
reparameterize the CV curve on surface.

Point Curve on Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Point on Surf button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Point Curve on Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2619

A point curve on surface is similar to a plain point curve, but it lies on a surface.
You create it by drawing rather than projecting from a different curve. You
can use this curve type for trimming on page 2437 the surface on which it lies.

Trimming a surface with a point curve on surface

There are two methods for drawing and editing curves on surfaces: drawing
in a viewport, or using the Edit Curve on Surface dialog. The choice is useful
because you draw in two dimensions, with a mouse or other pointing device,

2620 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

while the curve on a surface can exist in three dimensions. The more complex
the 3D surface, the more effort it can require to create and edit a curve on a
surface.
Visual feedback can help you draw the curve. The point whose surface you
first click is shown as a blue square, and the surface's minimum UV point is
shown as a plus sign (+). As you draw the curve, it is displayed interactively
in viewports.

Drawing in a Viewport
When you click to position a point, the click is projected in the viewport's Z
dimension. That is, your click is projected "through the screen" and onto the
surface. This is a straightforward way to create a curve on a surface if the
portion of the surface where the curve will lie is clearly visible in the viewport.
However, this method doesn't let you place points on surface locations that
are not visible in the viewport (they are on back faces, lie behind other
geometry, and so on).

Using the Edit Curve on Surface Dialog
The Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740 lets you edit curves on surfaces
as you edit regular curves in a viewport. The main part of the dialog is a
two-dimensional view of the surface. The controls provide typical curve editing
functions. While you are creating a point curve on surface, the 2D View toggle
controls display of the Edit Curve on Surface dialog.
You can edit the points in point curves on surfaces at the Point sub-object
level on page 2514, as you edit other kinds of points. You can transform points
in point curves on surfaces, but you can't move the points off the surface.
Using the Point sub-object level is an alternative to editing these points by
using the Edit Curve on Surface dialog.

Procedures
To create a point curve on surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Point Curve On Surface).

2 Do one of the following:
■

Draw the curve in the viewport, using the mouse above the surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2621

■

Turn on 2D View. This displays an Edit Curve on Surface dialog, which
lets you create the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of
the surface.

3 Right-click to end curve creation.

Interface
Point curves on surfaces have point sub-objects that you can transform and
edit in viewports as you do with plain point curves.

Point Curve on Surface rollout (creation time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it doesn't form a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.
2D View When on, displays the Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740,
which lets you create the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of
the surface.

2622 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Point Curve on Surface rollout (modification time)

Trim Controls group
Trim When on, trims the surface against the curve. When off, the surface
isn’t trimmed.
If it's impossible to trim with this curve, the surface is displayed in the error
color (orange by default). For example, the curve is unusable for trimming if
it doesn't form a closed loop.
Flip Trim When on, trims the surface in the opposite direction.
Replace Surface Lets you replace the parent surface. Click a button, then click
a surface to replace the original parent surface.
Edit Click to display the Edit Curve on Surface dialog on page 2740, which lets
you edit the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of the surface.
To edit multiple curves on a surface, select more than one point curve
sub-object on the same surface, then click Edit.

Surface Edge Curve
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Curves rollout
➤ Dependent Curves group box ➤ Surf Edge button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Surface Edge Curve)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2623

A surface edge curve is a dependent curve type that lies on the boundary of
the surface. It can be the original boundary of the surface, or a trim edge.

Creating a curve from a surface edge

Procedures
To create a surface edge curve:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface.
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Surface Edge Curve).

2 As you move the mouse in the scene, NURBS surface edges are highlighted
in blue. Click the edge where you want to create the curve.

2624 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
Surface Edge Curve rollout (creation time)

Seed 1 and Seed 2 The curve resides on the edge closest to the two seed values.
Adjust the seed values to change the edge on which the curve resides.

Surface Edge Curve rollout (modification time)

Seed 1 and Seed 2 The curve resides on the edge closest to the two seed values.
Adjust the seed values to change the edge on which the curve resides.
Replace Surface This lets you replace the parent surface. Click a button, then
click a surface to replace the original parent surface.

Creating Surface Sub-Objects
Select a NURBS object. ➤

Select a NURBS object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout

(NURBS Creation Toolbox)

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2625

Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+T to toggle NURBS toolbox display (Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle must be on.)
Surface sub-objects are either independent point and CV surfaces (like the
top-level point and CV surfaces described in Point Surface and CV Surface),
or they are dependent surfaces. Dependent surfaces are surface sub-objects
whose geometry depends on other surfaces or curves in the NURBS model.
When you change the geometry of the original, parent surface or curve, the
dependent surface changes as well.
You create surface sub-objects using the Create Surfaces rollout on the Modify
panel for a NURBS surface, or using the NURBS toolbox on page 2443.

2626 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

TIP Lathe and extrude surface sub-objects can be based on only a single curve. If
you have dependent curves and want to use the set of curves (for example, two
parents and a fillet between them) as the basis of an extrude or lathe surface, first
go to the Curve sub-object level and use Join to connect the curves.
Creation operations for dependent sub-objects require that you select one or more
parent objects. In general, you can click and drag, or click and then click again.
You can also use the H keyboard shortcut to open a Pick Object version of the
Selection Floater on page 187 for choosing the parent. (The Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle on page 9008 must be on for H to work this way.)

Toolbox Buttons for Creating Surfaces
These are the toolbox buttons for creating surface sub-objects:
Create an independent CV surface sub-object on page 2628.
Create an independent point surface sub-object on page 2632.
Create a dependent transform surface on page 2634.
Create a dependent blend surface on page 2637.
Create a dependent offset surface on page 2644.
Create a dependent mirror surface on page 2647.
Create a dependent extrude surface on page 2651.
Create a dependent lathe surface on page 2654.
Create a dependent ruled surface on page 2663.
Create a dependent cap surface on page 2666.
Create a dependent U loft surface on page 2669.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2627

Create a dependent UV loft surface on page 2679.
Create a dependent 1-rail sweep surface on page 2686.
Create a dependent 2-rail sweep surface on page 2696.
Create a dependent multisided blend surface on page 2706.
Create a dependent multicurve trimmed surface on page 2707.
Create a dependent fillet surface on page 2712.

CV Surface Sub-Object
Select a NURBS object. ➤
➤ CV Surf

Select A nurbs object. ➤
(Create CV Surface)

Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click a viewport.
➤ Tools 2 (lower-left) quadrant ➤ Create CV Surface
CV surface sub-objects are similar to object-level CV surfaces on page 2477.
See also:
■

Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550

■

NURBS Surface Approximation on page 2762

2628 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Procedures
To create a CV surface sub-object:
1 In the NURBS toolbox,

(Create CV Surface).

2 In a viewport, drag to specify the initial area of the CV surface.
3 Adjust the CV surface's creation parameters.

Interface
The parameters that appear when you create a CV surface sub-object differ
from those you see when you modify it as a sub-object.

CV Surface rollout (creation time)

Length The length of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
Width The width of the surface in current 3ds Max units.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2629

Length Points The number of points along the length of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of point columns in the surface. Range=2 to 50.
Default=4.
Width Points The number of points along the width of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of point rows in the surface. Range=2 to 50.
Default=4.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Generates mapping coordinates so you can
apply mapped materials to the surface.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The radio buttons in this group box let you choose automatic
reparameterization. With reparameterization, the surface maintains its
parameterization as you edit it. Without reparameterization, the surface's
parameterization doesn't change as you edit it, and can become irregular.
None Do not reparameterize.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the surface will change only
locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization, moving
any CV can change the entire surface.

2630 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

CV Surface rollout (modification time)

U Degree and V Degree Let you set the degree of the surface in either the U
or V dimension. The higher the degree value, the greater the continuity. The
lower the degree, the more discontinuous the surface segments become. The
degree can't be less than one or greater than the number allowed by the
number of CVs in the specified dimension. Degree 3 is adequate to represent
continuous surfaces, and is stable and well behaved. Default=3.
Setting the degree greater than 3 isn't recommended, because higher degrees
are slower to calculate and less stable numerically. Higher degrees are supported
primarily to be compatible with models created using other surface modeling
programs.
The number of CVs in a given dimension must be at least one greater than
that dimension's degree.

Automatic Reparameterization group
The radio buttons in this group box let you choose automatic
reparameterization. With reparameterization, the surface maintains its
parameterization as you edit it. Without reparameterization, the surface's
parameterization doesn't change as you edit it, and can become irregular.
None Do not reparameterize.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2631

Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the surface will change only
locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization, moving
any CV can change the entire surface.
The close controls let you close a surface. They appear on the Point Surface
rollout while an independent point surface sub-object is selected. They have
no effect if the surface is already closed in that direction.
Close Rows Closes the surface by joining the ends of its rows.
Close Cols. Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns.
Rebuild Displays the Rebuild CV Surface dialog on page 2756, which lets you
specify how to rebuild the surface. Rebuilding the surface can change its
appearance.
Reparameterize Displays the Reparameterize dialog on page 2757.
Reparameterizing a surface changes the surface's parameter space on page 9257
to provide a better relation between control point locations and the shape of
the surface.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to the surface
by refining or inserting.

Point Surface Sub-Object
Select a NURBS object. ➤
➤ Point Surf

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Point Surface)

Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click a viewport.
➤ Tools 2 (lower-left) quadrant ➤ Create Point Surface

2632 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Point surface sub-objects are similar to object-level point surfaces on page 2473.
The points are constrained to lie on the surface.
See also:
■

Editing Surface Sub-Objects on page 2550

■

NURBS Surface Approximation on page 2762

Procedures
To create a point surface sub-object:
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Point Surface).

2 In a viewport, drag to specify the initial area of the point surface.
3 Adjust the point surface's creation parameters.

Interface
The parameters that appear when you create a point surface sub-object differ
from those you see when you modify it as a sub-object.

Point Surface rollout (creation time)

Length The length of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
Width The width of the surface in current 3ds Max units.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2633

Length Points The number of points along the length of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of point columns in the surface. Range=2 to 50.
Default=4.
Width Points The number of points along the width of the surface. In other
words, the initial number of point rows in the surface. Range=2 to 50.
Default=4.
Generate Mapping Coordinates Generates mapping coordinates so you can
apply mapped materials to the surface.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals.

Point Surface rollout (modification time)

The close controls let you close a surface. They appear on the Point Surface
rollout while an independent point surface sub-object is selected. They have
no effect if the surface is already closed in that direction.
Close Rows Closes the surface by joining the ends of its rows.
Close Cols. Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns.

Transform Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Transform

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Transform Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A transform surface is a copy of the original surface with a different position,
rotation, or scale.

2634 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface created as a transform

Procedures
To create a transform surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface.
■

In the NURBS toolbox, turn on
(Create Transform Surface).
To move the transform surface, click and drag the surface you want to
duplicate. To rotate or scale the transform surface, click the parent surface,
go to the Surface sub-object level in the modifier stack, and then rotate or
scale the transform surface.
When you use Move to create the transform surface, it simply copies the
parent. (It doesn't exaggerate curvature as an offset surface does.)
Axis constraints don't apply to the creation of transform surfaces. You can
click to create the surface in place; then once it is created, transform it
using constraints.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2635

You can later transform the transform surface as a surface sub-object, and you
can animate surface sub-object transforms.

Interface
Creation time
At creation time, there is only one parameter.

Flip Normals Flips the surface normals
After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface Common
rollout.

Transform Surface rollout (modification time)

Replace Base Surface Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button,
then click the surface to replace the original surface.

2636 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Blend Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Blend

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Blend Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A blend surface connects one surface to another, blending the curvature of
the parent surfaces to create a smooth surface between them. You can also
blend from a surface to a curve, or from a curve to a curve.

Blend surface connecting two other surfaces

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2637

Procedures
To create a blend surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least two surfaces, two curves, or a surface
and a curve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Blend Surface).

2 Click one surface near the edge that you want to connect. The edge that
will be connected is highlighted in blue. Drag to choose the other edge
you want to connect. When the edge you want is highlighted, click and
then drag to the other surface. The edge of the other surface is also
highlighted in blue. Drag on the other surface to choose the edge to
connect, and then release the mouse button to create the blend surface.
The surface that owns the highlighted edge is highlighted in yellow, to
help you distinguish which edge you are choosing when two surfaces
have coincident edges.
The blend surface is created. Changing the position or the curvature of
either parent surface will change the blend surface as well.
3 Adjust the blend parameters.

Interface
While a blend surface sub-object is selected, a rollout with the blend parameters
is displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel.

2638 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Blend Surface rollout (creation time)

"Tension" affects the tangent between a parent surface and the blend surface.
The greater the tension value, the more closely the tangent parallels the parent
surface, and the smoother the transition. The lower the tension, the greater
the tangent angle and the sharper the transition between parent and blend.
Tension 1 Controls tension at the edge of the first surface you clicked. This
value has no effect if the edge is a curve.
Tension 2 Controls tension at the edge of the second surface you clicked. This
value has no effect if the edge is a curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2639

A. Tension 1=0, Tension 2=10
B. Tension 1=1, Tension 2=1
C. Tension 1=10, Tension 2=0
D. Tension 1=0, Tension 2=0

Flip End 1 and Flip End 2 Flip one of the normals used to construct the
blend. A blend surface is created using the normals of the parent surfaces. If
the two parents have opposing normals, or if a curve has the opposite direction,
the blend surface can be shaped like a bow tie. To correct the situation, use
Flip End 1 or Flip End 2 to construct the blend using a normal opposite the
corresponding parent surface's normal.

2640 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

A. No flipping
B. End 2 is flipped.

Flip Tangent 1 and Flip Tangent 2 Flip the tangent at the edge of the first
or second curve or surface. Flipping the tangent reverses the direction in which
the blend surface approaches the parent sub-object at that edge.
Flipping the tangent has no effect if the edge is a curve, unless the curve is a
curve on surface.
When you blend to a CV or point curve on surface, the new blend surface is
tangent to the surface on which the curve on surface lies. The Flip Tangent
controls are especially useful in this situation.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2641

A. Tangent 1 flipped
B. Tangent 2 flipped

Start Point 1 and Start Point 2 Adjust the position of the start point at the
two edges of the blend. Adjusting the start points can help eliminate unwanted
twists or "buckles" in the surface.
These spinners are unavailable if the edges or curves are not closed.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the blend surface normals.

2642 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Blend Surface rollout (modification time)

"Tension" affects the tangent between a parent surface and the blend surface.
The greater the tension value, the more closely the tangent parallels the parent
surface, and the smoother the transition. The lower the tension, the greater
the tangent angle and the sharper the transition between parent and blend.
Tension 1 Controls tension at the edge of the first surface you clicked. This
value has no effect if the edge is a curve.
Tension 2 Controls tension at the edge of the second surface you clicked. This
value has no effect if the edge is a curve.
Flip End 1 and Flip End 2 Flip one of the normals used to construct the
blend. A blend surface is created using the normals of the parent surfaces. If
the two parents have opposing normals, or if a curve has the opposite direction,
the blend surface can be shaped like a bow tie. To correct the situation, use
Flip End 1 or Flip End 2 to construct the blend using a normal opposite the
corresponding parent surface's normal.
Flip Tangent 1 and Flip Tangent 2 Flip the tangent at the edge of the first
or second curve or surface. Flipping the tangent reverses the direction in which
the blend surface approaches the parent sub-object at that edge.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2643

Flipping the tangent has no effect if the edge is a curve, unless the curve is a
curve on surface.
When you blend to a CV or point curve on surface, the new blend surface is
tangent to the surface on which the curve on surface lies. The Flip Tangent
controls are especially useful in this situation.
Start Point 1 and Start Point 2 Adjust the position of the start point at the
two edges of the blend. Adjusting the start points can help eliminate unwanted
twists or "buckles" in the surface.
These spinners are unavailable if the edges or curves are not closed.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Replace First Edge and Replace Second Edge Let you replace the parent
edges or curves. Click a button, then click the edge to replace the original first
or second edge. The edge can be on the same surface as the original edge, or
on a different surface.

Offset Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Offset

Select a NURBS object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

(Create Offset Surface)
An Offset surface is offset a specified distance from the original along the
parent surface's normals.

2644 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface created as an offset

Procedures
To create an offset surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Offset Surface).

2 Click the surface you want to offset, and drag to set the initial distance
of the offset surface.
The offset surface is created.
3 Adjust the Offset parameter.

Interface
While an offset surface sub-object is selected, a rollout with the offset Distance
parameter is displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2645

Offset Surface rollout (creation time)

Offset The distance between the parent surface and the offset surface, in 3ds
Max units.
If the parent surface is planar, the appearance of the offset surface doesn't
change with distance. If the parent surface is curved, increasing the offset
value increasingly exaggerates the curvature of the offset surface.
Flip Normals Lets you flip the surface normals at creation time. (After creation,
you can flip normals using controls on the Surface Common rollout.)
Cap When on, eight boundary curves are generated (four at the four edges of
each surface), and then generates four ruled surfaces to connect the two original
surfaces. While they are present, cap surfaces are maintained so they match
the dimensions of the offset and its parent.
The Cap check box appears only on the creation rollout. If you want to remove
the caps later, simply select them as surface sub-objects and delete them. Think
of offset capping as a workflow shortcut rather than a property (or parameter)
of offset surfaces.
To flip the normal of an offset cap, select it as a surface sub-object and use the
Flip Normals toggle on the Surface Common rollout.
NOTE If you trim the original surface, or make the offset surface independent and
then trim it, the capping surfaces will look strange.

2646 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Offset Surface rollout (modification time)

Offset The distance between the parent surface and the offset surface in 3ds
Max units.
If the parent surface is planar, the appearance of the offset surface doesn't
change with distance. If the parent surface is curved, increasing the offset
value increasingly exaggerates the curvature of the offset surface.
Replace Base Surface Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button,
then click the new surface on which to base the offset.

Mirror Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Mirror

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Mirror Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A mirror surface is a mirror image of the original surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2647

Surface created as a mirror

Procedures
To create a mirror surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one surface.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Mirror Surface).

2 On the Mirror Surface rollout, choose the axis or plane you want to use.
3 Click the surface you want to mirror, and drag to set the initial distance
of the mirror surface.
The mirror surface is created. A gizmo (yellow by default) indicates the
direction of mirroring. Transforming the mirror surface's gizmo changes
the orientation of the mirror, letting you mirror along an axis that isn't
aligned with a local coordinate axis.
The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation
time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface
Common rollout.)

2648 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

4 Adjust the Offset parameter.

Interface
While a mirror surface sub-object is selected, the Mirror Surface rollout appears
at the bottom of the Modify panel. Also, a gizmo (yellow by default) indicates
the mirror axis.

Mirror Surface rollout (creation time)

Mirror Axis group
The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original surface is
mirrored.
You can't transform the mirror surface directly (that would simply transform
the mirror surface and its parent surface at the same time). You transform it
by transforming its gizmo. By using transforms you can mirror about an
arbitrary axis, rather than using one of the Mirror Axis presets. When you
transform a mirror surface, you are actually transforming the mirror plane, so
Rotate has the effect of rotating the plane about which the surface is mirrored.
(This is like rotating the mirror gizmo in the Mirror modifier.)
TIP A convenient way to guarantee that a surface is symmetrical is to create one
side of the surface, mirror that surface, and then create a blend between the two
sides.
Offset Controls the mirror's distance from the original surface. This parameter
is animatable.
Flip Normals Lets you flip the surface normals.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2649

Mirror Surface rollout (modification time)

Mirror Axis group
The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original surface is
mirrored.
You can't transform the mirror surface directly (that would simply transform
the mirror surface and its parent surface at the same time). You transform it
by transforming its gizmo. By using transforms you can mirror about an
arbitrary axis, rather than using one of the Mirror Axis presets. When you
transform a mirror surface, you are actually transforming the mirror plane, so
Rotate has the effect of rotating the plane about which the surface is mirrored.
(This is like rotating the mirror gizmo in the Mirror modifier.)
TIP A convenient way to guarantee that a surface is symmetrical is to create one
side of the surface, mirror that surface, and then create a blend between the two
sides.
Offset Controls the mirror's distance from the original surface. This parameter
is animatable.
Replace Base Surface Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button,
then click the new surface on which to base the mirror.

2650 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Extrude Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Extrude

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Extrude Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

An extrude surface is extruded from a curve sub-object. It is similar to a surface
created with the Extrude modifier. The advantage is that an extrude sub-object
is part of the NURBS model, so you can use it to construct other curve and
surface sub-objects.

Surface extruded from a curve

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2651

Procedures
To create an extrude surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one curve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Extrude Surface).

2 Move the cursor over the curve to extrude, and drag to set the initial
amount.
By default, the surface extrudes along the NURBS model's local Z axis. A
gizmo (yellow by default) indicates the direction of extrusion.
Transforming the extrude surface's gizmo changes the direction of the
extrude, letting you extrude along an axis that isn't aligned with a local
coordinate axis.
The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation
time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface
Common rollout.)
3 Adjust the extrusion parameters.

Interface
While an extrude sub-object is selected, a rollout with the extrusion parameters
is displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel.

Extrude Surface rollout (creation time)

2652 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Amount The distance the surface is extruded from the parent curve in current
3ds Max units.
This parameter is animatable.

Direction group
X, Y and Z Choose the axis of extrusion. Default=Z.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
The start point is displayed as a blue circle.
Flip Normals Lets you flip the surface normals at creation time. (After creation,
you can flip normals using controls in the Surface Common rollout.)
Cap When on, two surfaces are generated to close the ends of the extrusion.
While they are present, the cap surfaces are maintained so they match the
dimensions of the extrude surface. The parent curve must be a closed curve.
The Cap check box appears only on the creation rollout. If you want to remove
the caps later, simply select them as surface sub-objects and delete them. Think
of extrude capping as a workflow shortcut rather than a property (or parameter)
of extrude surfaces.
To flip the normal of an extrude cap, select it as a Surface sub-object and use
the Flip Normals toggle on the Surface Common rollout.

Extrude Surface rollout (modification time)

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2653

Amount The distance the surface is extruded from the parent curve in current
3ds Max units.

Direction group
X, Y and Z Choose the axis of extrusion. Default=Z.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
The start point is displayed as a blue circle.
Replace Base Curve Lets you replace the parent curve. Click the button, then
click the new curve on which to base the extruded surface.

Lathe Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Lathe

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Lathe Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A lathe surface is generated from a curve sub-object. It is similar to a surface
created with the Lathe modifier. The advantage is that a lathe sub-object is
part of the NURBS model, so you can use it to construct other curve and surface
sub-objects.

2654 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface created by lathing a curve

Procedures
To create a lathe surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one curve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Lathe Surface).

2 Click the curve to lathe.
The lathe surface rotates about the NURBS model's local Y axis. The initial
lathe amount is 360 degrees. A gizmo (yellow by default) indicates the
axis of the lathe. Transforming the lathe surface's gizmo changes the
shape of the lathe, and lets you lathe around an axis that isn't aligned
with a local coordinate axis.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2655

The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation
time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface
Common rollout.)
3 Adjust the lathe parameters.

Interface
While a lathe sub-object is selected, a rollout with the lathe parameters is
displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel.

2656 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Lathe Surface rollout (creation time)

Degrees Sets the angle of rotation. At 360 degrees (the default), the surface
completely surrounds the axis. At lower values, the surface is a partial rotation.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2657

A partial lathe (degrees=225)

Direction group
X, Y, and Z Choose the axis of rotation. Default=Y.

2658 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

X, Y, and Z rotations of the same curve

Align group
These buttons position the axis of rotation relative to the curve.
Min (The default.) Locates the lathe axis at the curve's negative local X-axis
boundary.
Center Locates the lathe axis at the curve's center.
Max Locates the lathe axis at the curve's positive local X-axis boundary.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2659

Min, Center, and Max lathes of the same curve

Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
The start point is displayed as a blue circle.
Flip Normals Lets you flip the surface normals at creation time. (After creation,
you can flip normals using controls on the Surface Common rollout.)
Cap When on, two surfaces are generated to close the ends of the lathe. While
they are present, the cap surfaces are maintained so they match the dimensions
of the lathe surface. The lathe must be a 360-degree lathe.
The Cap check box appears only on the creation rollout. If you want to remove
the caps later, simply select them as surface sub-objects and delete them. Think
of lathe capping as a workflow shortcut rather than a property (or parameter)
of lathe surfaces.
To flip the normal of a lathe cap, select it as a Surface sub-object and use the
Flip Normals toggle on the Surface Common rollout.

2660 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Adding a cap to a partial lathe

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2661

Lathe Surface rollout (modification time)

Degrees Sets the angle of rotation. At 360 degrees (the default), the surface
completely surrounds the axis. At lower values, the surface is a partial rotation.

Direction group
X Y and Z Choose the axis of rotation. Default=Y.

Align group
These buttons position the axis of rotation relative to the curve.
Min (The default.) Locates the lathe axis at the curve's negative local X-axis
boundary.
Center Locates the lathe axis at the curve's center.
Max Locates the lathe axis at the curve's positive local X-axis boundary.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
The start point is displayed as a blue circle.
Replace Base Curve Lets you replace the parent curve. Click the button, then
click the new surface on which to base the lathed surface.

2662 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Ruled Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Ruled

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Ruled Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A ruled surface is generated from two curve sub-objects. It lets you use curves
to design the two opposite borders of a surface.

Using two curves to create a ruled surface

You can animate the parent curves or their CVs to change the ruled surface.

Automatic Curve Attachment
When you create a ruled surface, you can select curves that are not already
sub-objects of the active NURBS model. You can select another curve or spline

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2663

Splines object in the scene. When you select that curve, it attaches to the
current object as if you had used the Attach button on page 2509.
WARNING If the curve you attach is a sub-object of another NURBS model, the
entire model (that is, the curve's parent NURBS object) is attached as well.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve, but
the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Procedures
To create a ruled surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least two curves.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Ruled Surface).

2 Drag from one curve to the other.
You can also click first one curve, then the other.
A dependent surface is generated, using the two curves as the surface's
opposite edges. The perpendicular edges are generated automatically.

The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation
time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface
Common rollout.)

2664 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
When you turn on the Ruled button, and while a ruled surface sub-object is
selected, a rollout with the ruled surface parameters is displayed at the bottom
of the Modify panel.

Ruled Surf rollout (creation time)

Flip Beginning and Flip End Flip one of the curve directions used to construct
the ruled surface. A ruled surface is created using the directions of the parent
curves. If the two parents have opposing directions, the ruled surface can be
shaped like a bow tie. To correct the situation, use Flip Beginning or Flip End
to construct the ruled surface using a direction opposite the corresponding
parent curve's direction. These controls eliminate the need to reverse the curve.
Start Point 1 and Start Point 2 Adjust the position of the start point at the
two curves that specify the ruled surface. Adjusting the start points can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
These spinners are disabled if the edges or curves are not closed.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the ruled surface's normals.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2665

Ruled Surf rollout (modification time)

Flip Beginning and Flip End Flip one of the curve directions used to construct
the ruled surface. A ruled surface is created using the directions of the parent
curves. If the two parents have opposing directions, the ruled surface can be
shaped like a bow tie. To correct the situation, use Flip Beginning or Flip End
to construct the ruled surface using a direction opposite the corresponding
parent curve's direction. These controls eliminate the need to reverse the curve.
Start Point 1 and Start Point 2 Adjust the position of the start point at the
two curves that specify the ruled surface. Adjusting the start points can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
These spinners are disabled if the edges or curves are not closed.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Replace First Curve and Replace Second Curve Let you replace the parent
curves. Click a button, then click the curve to replace the original first or
second curve.

Cap Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Cap

2666 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Cap Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates a surface that caps a closed curve or the edge of a closed
surface. Caps are especially useful with extruded surfaces.

Capping an extrude surface

Procedures
To create a cap surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least one closed curve.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Cap Surface).

2 Move the mouse over the closed curve or the closed edge of a closed
surface.
If the cap can be created, the curve or edge is highlighted in blue.
3 Click the highlighted curve or edge.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2667

The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation
time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface
Common rollout.)

Interface
While a cap surface sub-object is selected, a rollout with cap surface controls
is displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel.

Cap Surface rollout (creation time)

Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the cap surface's normals.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the edge or curve's start point.
The start point is displayed as a blue circle.

Cap Surface rollout (modification time)

Replace Curve Lets you replace the parent curve or edge. Click the button,
then click the new curve or edge on which to base the cap.

2668 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Start Point Adjusts the position of the edge or curve's start point.
The start point is displayed as a blue circle.

U Loft Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ U Loft

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create U Loft Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A U loft surface interpolates a surface across multiple curve sub-objects. The
curves become U-axis contours of the surface.

Using multiple curves to create a U Loft surface

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2669

Tips
■

A U loft can be an extremely dense surface. To improve performance while
working with viewports, set the surface approximation on page 2762 for
viewports to Curvature Dependent.

■

You can speed up U loft creation by making sure that the curves you loft
have the same number of CVs in the same order (that is, the curves point
in the same direction). Also, CV curves have a performance advantage over
point curves.

■

Turning off display of dependent sub-objects, including the U loft itself,
also speeds up interactive performance when you create a U loft. The
default keyboard toggle for dependent sub-object display is Ctrl+D (the
Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 button must be on.)

Closed U lofts

Automatic Curve Attachment
When you create a U loft, you can select curves that are not already sub-objects
of the active NURBS model. You can select another curve or spline on page

2670 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

511 object in the scene. When you select that curve, it is automatically attached
to the current object as if you had used the Attach button.
WARNING If the curve you attach is a sub-object of another NURBS model, the
entire model (that is, the curve's parent NURBS object) is attached as well.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate you can pick the curve, but the
curve is not highlighted in blue.

Procedures
To create a U loft surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least two curves.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create U Loft Surface).

2 Click the first curve.
3 Click additional curves in succession.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2671

The U loft is created. It is "stretched" across the curves you click. The
order in which you click the curves can affect the shape of the U loft
surface. The names of the curves appear in the U Loft Surface creation
rollout.
While creating a U loft, you can press Backspace to remove the last curve
you clicked from the list of U loft curves.

2672 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation
time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface
Common rollout.)
4 Right-click to end U loft creation.
To create a U loft with automatic attach (example):

1 Go to the
Create panel and create three or more independent
CV or Point NURBS curves.

2 Go to the

Modify panel. In the NURBS toolbox, click to turn on

(Create U Loft Surface).
3 Click the curves in the appropriate order for the loft.
3ds Max creates the U loft. You don't have to collapse the curves to a
NURBS surface, or attach them to an existing NURBS model on page 2509.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate you can pick the curve, but
the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Interface
While a U loft sub-object is selected, a rollout with the U loft parameters is
displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel. This rollout appears only when
one U loft sub-object is selected. It isn't possible to edit more than one U loft
at a time, so unlike some other NURBS sub-objects, the rollout doesn’t appear
when multiple U loft sub-objects are selected.
When you create lofted and swept surfaces, you have access to all the
parameters, and some of the editing operations, of the surface. You can reverse
and set start points on curves while you create the surface. You can also use
the arrow buttons to change the order of the curves, and you can remove a
curve with the Remove button.
TIP When you edit a U loft sub-object, close the Surface Common rollout to see
the U Loft Surface rollout more easily.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2673

U Loft Surface rollout (creation time)

U Curves This list shows the name of the curves you click in the order you
click them. You can select curves by clicking their names. Viewports display
the selected curve in blue. Initially the first curve is the one selected.
You can also select more than one curve at a time. This is useful when you
use the Edit Curves button.

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Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of curves used to construct the
U loft. Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection
up or down.
These buttons are available at creation time.

Curve Properties group
These controls affect individual curves you select in the U Curves list, as
opposed to properties of the loft surface in general. They are enabled only
when you have selected a curve in the U Curves list.
Reverse When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Tension Adjusts the tension of the loft where it intersects that curve.
Use COS Tangents If the curve is a curve on surface, turning on this toggle
causes the U loft to use the tangency of the surface. This can help you blend
a loft smoothly onto a surface. Default=off.
This toggle is disabled unless the curve is a point or CV curve on surface.
Flip Tangents Reverses the direction of the tangents for that curve.
This toggle is disabled unless the curve is a point or CV curve on surface and
Use COS Tangents is on.
Auto Align Curve Starts (Disabled.)
Close Loft (Disabled.)
Insert (Disabled.)
Remove Removes a curve from the U loft surface. Select the curve in the list,
and then click Remove.
This button is available at creation time.
Refine (Disabled.)
Replace (Disabled.)
Display While Creating When on, the U loft surface is displayed while you
create it. When off, the loft is created more quickly. Default=off.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2675

Flip Normals Reverses the direction of the U loft's normals.

U Loft Surface rollout (modification time)

U Curves This list shows the name of the curves you click, in the order you
click them. You can select curves by clicking their names in this list. Viewports
display the selected curve in blue. Initially the first curve is the one selected.

2676 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

You can also select more than one curve at a time. This is useful when you
use the Edit Curves button.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of curves used to construct the
U loft. Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection
up or down.
These buttons are available at creation time.

Curve Properties group
These controls affect individual curves you select in the U Curves list, as
opposed to properties of the loft surface in general. They are enabled only
when you have selected a curve in the U Curves list.
Reverse When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Tension Adjusts the tension of the loft where it intersects that curve.
Use COS Tangents If the curve is a curve on surface, turning on this toggle
causes the U loft to use the tangency of the surface. This can help you blend
a loft smoothly onto a surface. Default=off.
This toggle is disabled unless the curve is a point or CV curve on surface.
Flip Tangents Reverses the direction of the tangents for that curve.
This toggle is disabled unless the curve is a point or CV curve on surface and
Use COS Tangents is on.
Auto Align Curve Starts When on, aligns the start points of all curves in the
U loft. 3ds Max chooses the location of the start points. Using automatic
alignment minimizes the amount of twisting in the loft surface. Default=off.
Close Loft If the loft was initially an open surface, turning on this toggle
closes it by adding a new segment to connect the first curve and the last curve.
Default=off.
Insert Adds a curve to the U loft surface. Click to turn on Insert, then click
the curve. The curve is inserted before the selected curve. To insert a curve at
the end, first highlight the "----End-----" marker in the list.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2677

Remove Removes a curve from the U loft surface. Select the curve in the list,
and then click Remove.
This button is available at creation time.
Refine Refines the U loft surface. Click to turn on Refine, then click a U-axis
iso curve on the surface. (As you drag the mouse over the surface, the available
curves are highlighted.) The curve you click is converted to a CV curve and
inserted into the loft and the U Curves list. As when you refine a point curve,
refining a U loft can change the curvature of the surface slightly. Once you've
refined the surface by adding a U curve, you can use Edit Curve to change the
curve.
Replace Replaces a U curve with a different curve. Select a U curve, click to
turn on Replace, then click the new curve in a viewport. Available curves are
highlighted as you drag the mouse.
This button is enabled only when you've selected a single curve in the U Curves
list.
Display Iso Curves When set, the U loft's V-axis iso curves are displayed as
well as the U-axis curves used to construct the loft. The V-axis curves are only
for display. You can't use them for surface construction.
Edit Curve Lets you edit the currently selected curve without switching to
another sub-object level. Click to turn on Edit Curve. The points or CVs of
the curve are displayed, as well as the control lattice if the curve is a CV curve.
You can now transform or otherwise change the points or CVs as if you were
at the Point or Curve CV sub-object level. To finish editing the curve, click to
turn off Edit Curve.
When you turn on Edit Curves, all applicable rollouts for the selected curves
are displayed, including the Curve Common rollout, the CV or Point rollout
(depending on the curve type), and the CV Curve or Point Curve rollout.
These rollouts appear beneath the U Loft rollout. They let you edit the loft
curves and their points or CVs without having to switch sub-object levels.
TIP When you edit curves in a U loft, turning off display of the U loft itself can
make the curves easier to see and improve performance. Use Ctrl+D (while the
Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle button on page 9008 is on) to toggle display of
dependent sub-objects, including U Lofts.

2678 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

UV Loft Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ UV Loft

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create UV Loft Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A UV loft surface is similar to a U loft surface, but has a set of curves in the V
dimension as well as in the U dimension. This can give you finer control over
the lofted shape, and require fewer curves to achieve the result you want.

Using perpendicular curves to create a UV loft surface

If the U and V curves intersect, the UV loft surface interpolates all the curves.
If the curves don't intersect, the lofted surface lies somewhere between the U

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2679

and V curves. In general, UV loft works best if the ends of all the curves in
one direction lie on the two end curves in the other direction, as in the
illustration. UV loft does not work well if the curves in both directions are
closed.
NOTE The Make Loft on page 2751 dialog (displayed by the Make Loft button on
the Surface Common rollout for surface sub-objects) now lets you convert a surface
to a UV loft as well as a U loft. In addition, you can use point curves instead of CV
curves for the new loft lattice. If you use point curves for a UV loft, turning on the
Fuse Points option guarantees that the U and V curves intersect.

Automatic Curve Attachment
When you create a UV loft, you can select curves that are not already
sub-objects of the active NURBS model. You can select another curve or spline
on page 511 object in the scene. When you select that curve, it attaches to the
current object as if you had used the Attach button on page 2509.
WARNING If the curve you attach is a sub-object of another NURBS model, the
entire model (that is, the curve's parent NURBS object) is attached as well.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve, but
the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Procedures
To create a UV loft:
1 Create the curves that outline the surface you want to create.

2 In the NURBS toolbox, click to turn on

(Create UV Loft Surface).

3 Click each of the curves in the U dimension, then right-click. Click each
of the curves in the V dimension, then right-click again to end creation.
As you click curves, their names appear in the lists on the UV Loft Surface
creation rollout. The order in which you click the curves can affect the
shape of the UV loft surface.
In either dimension, you can click the same curve more than once. This
can help you create a closed UV loft.

2680 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To create a UV loft with automatic attach (example):

1 Go to the
Create panel and three or more independent CV or
point NURBS curves.

2 Go to the

Modify panel. In the NURBS toolbox, click to turn on

(Create UV Loft Surface).
3 Click the curves in the appropriate order for the loft.
3ds Max creates the UV loft. You don't need to collapse the curves to a
NURBS surface or Attach them to an existing NURBS model.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve,
but the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Interface
While a UV Loft sub-object is selected, a rollout with the UV loft parameters
appears. This rollout appears only when one UV loft sub-object is selected. It
isn’t possible to edit more than one UV loft at a time, so unlike some other
NURBS sub-objects, the rollout doesn’t appear when multiple UV loft
sub-objects are selected.
TIP When you edit a UV loft sub-object, close the Surface Common rollout to see
the U Loft Surface rollout more easily.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2681

UV Loft Surface rollout (creation time)

U Curves and V Curves These lists show the names of the curves you click,
in the order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in a
list. Viewports display the selected curve in blue.

2682 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The two buttons above and the four below each list are identical for both lists.
While you create the loft, in either dimension you can click the same curve
more than once. This can help you create a closed UV loft.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of curves in the U Curve or V
Curve list. Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the
selection up or down.
Insert (Disabled.)
Remove Removes a curve from the U list or V list. Select the curve in the list,
and then click Remove.
Refine (Disabled.)
Replace (Disabled.)
Display While Creating When on, the UV loft surface is displayed while you
create it. When off, the loft can be created more quickly. Default=off.
Flip Normals Reverses the direction of the UV loft's normals.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2683

UV Loft Surface rollout (modification time)

U Curves and V Curves These lists show the names of the curves you click,
in the order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in a
list. Viewports display the selected curve in blue.

2684 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

The two buttons above and the four below each list are identical for both lists.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of curves in the U Curve or V
Curve list. Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the
selection up or down.
Insert Adds a curve to the U list or V list. Click to turn on Insert, then click
the curve. The curve is inserted before the selected curve. To insert a curve at
the end, first highlight the "----End-----" marker in the list.
Remove Removes a curve from the U list or V list. Select the curve in the list,
and then click Remove.
Refine Refines the UV loft surface. Click to turn on Refine, then click an iso
curve on the surface. (As you drag the mouse over the surface, the available
curves are highlighted.) The curve you click is converted to a CV curve and
inserted into the loft and the U Curves or V Curves list. As when you refine
a point curve, refining a UV loft can change the curvature of the surface
slightly. Once you’ve refined the surface by adding a U curve or V curve, you
can use Edit Curves to change the curve.
Replace Lets you replace the selected curve. Select a curve in the list, click
this button, then select the new curve.
Display Iso Curves When set, the UV loft’s iso curves are displayed as well
as the U-axis and V-axis curves used to construct the loft. The iso curves are
only for display. You can’t use them for surface construction.
Edit Curves Lets you edit the currently selected curve without switching to
another sub-object level. Click to turn on Edit Curve. The points or CVs of
the curve are displayed, as well as the control lattice if the curve is a CV curve.
You can now transform or otherwise change the points or CVs as if you were
at the Point or Curve CV sub-object level. To finish editing the curve, click to
turn off Edit Curves.
When you turn on Edit Curves, all applicable rollouts for the selected curves
are displayed, including the Curve Common rollout, the CV or Point rollout
(depending on the curve type), and the CV Curve or Point Curve rollout.
These rollouts appear beneath the U Loft rollout. They let you edit the loft
curves and their points or CVs without having to switch sub-object levels.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2685

TIP When you edit curves in a UV loft, turning off display of the UV loft itself can
make the curves easier to see and improve performance. Use Ctrl+D (while the
Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle button on page 9008 is on) to toggle display of
dependent sub-objects, including UV lofts.
The UV loft surface can deviate from the curve if you edit a curve in a UV loft by
increasing the weight of the curve CVs. You can work around this by refining the
curve at the point where the surface deviates.

1-Rail Sweep Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ 1-Rail

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create 1-Rail Sweep)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Sweep surfaces are constructed from curves. A 1-rail sweep surface uses at least
two curves. One curve, the "rail," defines one edge of the surface. The other
curves define the surface's cross sections.

2686 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

1-rail sweep surface
Changing the position of the rail can change the shape of the surface.

The cross-section curves should intersect the rail curve. If the cross-sections
don't intersect the rail, the resulting surface is unpredictable. In addition, the
initial point of the rail and the initial point of the first cross-section curve
must be coincident. Use NURBS Snaps on page 2850 to accomplish this.

Automatic Curve Attachment
When you create a 1-rail sweep, you can select curves that are not already
sub-objects of the active NURBS model. You can select another curve or spline
on page 511 object in the scene. When you select that curve, it attaches to the
current object as if you had used the Attach button on page 2509.
WARNING If the curve you attach is a sub-object of another NURBS model, the
entire model (that is, the curve's parent NURBS object) is attached as well.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve, but
the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2687

Procedures
To create a 1-rail sweep:
1 Create the curves that define the surface you want to create.
2 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create 1 Rail Sweep).

3 Click the curve to use as the rail, then click each of the cross-section
curves. Right-click to end creation.
The sweep is interpolated smoothly between the cross sections, following
the outline defined by the rail.

2688 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

As you click curves, their names appear in the lists on the 1 Rail Sweep
Surface creation rollout. The order in which you click the curves can
affect the shape of the sweep surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2689

Example: To create a 1-rail sweep with automatic attach:

1 Go to the
NURBS curves.

Create panel, create two independent CV or Point

2 Go to the

Modify panel. In the NURBS toolbox, click to turn on

(Create 1-Rail Sweep).
3 Select the curves in the appropriate order for the sweep.
The sweep is created. You don't need to collapse the curves to a NURBS
surface or Attach them to an existing NURBS model.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve,
but the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Interface
While a 1-rail sweep sub-object is selected, a rollout with the 1-rail sweep
parameters appears. This rollout appears only when one 1-rail sweep sub-object
is selected. It isn’t possible to edit more than one 1-rail sweep at a time, so
unlike some other NURBS sub-objects, the rollout doesn’t appear when multiple
1-rail sweep sub-objects are selected.
TIP When you edit a 1-rail sweep sub-object, close the Surface Common rollout
to see the 1-rail sweep Surface rollout more easily.

2690 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

1-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (creation time)

Rail Curve Shows the name of the curve you chose to be the rail.
Replace Rail (Disabled.)

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2691

Section Curves This list shows the names of the cross-section curves, in the
order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in the list.
Viewports display the selected curve in blue.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of section curves in the list.
Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection up or
down.

Curve Properties group
These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list,
as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled
only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list.
Reverse When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Insert (Disabled.)
Remove Removes a curve from the list. Select the curve in the list, and then
click Remove.
Refine (Disabled.)
Replace (Disabled.)
Sweep Parallel When on, ensures that the sweep surface's normal is parallel
to the rail.
Snap Cross-Sections When on, cross-section curves are translated so they
intersect the rail. The first cross section is translated to the start of the rail,
and the last to the end of the rail. The cross sections in the middle are
translated to touch the rail at the closest point to the end of the cross-section
curves.
When Snap Cross-Sections is on, the sweep follows the rail curve exactly. This
makes it easier to construct 1-rail sweep surfaces.
Road-Like When on, the sweep uses a constant up-vector so the cross sections
twist uniformly as they travel along the rail. In other words, the cross sections
bank like a car following a road, or a camera following a path constraint on
page 3629. Default=off.

2692 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

When you edit the surface, you can control the angle of banking. The up-vector
is displayed as a yellow gizmo (similar to the gizmo that lathe surfaces on page
2654 use for the center of rotation). To change the up-vector angle, use Rotate
on page 852 to change the gizmo's angle.
Display While Creating When on, the sweep surface is displayed while you
create it. When off, the sweep can be created more quickly. Default=off.
Flip Normals Reverses the direction of the sweep's normals.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2693

1-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (modification time)

Rail Curve Shows the name of the curve you chose to be the rail.
Replace Rail Lets you replace the rail curve. Click this button, then in a
viewport click the curve to use as the new rail.

2694 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Section Curves This list shows the names of the cross-section curves, in the
order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in the list.
Viewports display the selected curve in blue.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of section curves in the list.
Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection up or
down.

Curve Properties group
These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list,
as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled
only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list.
Reverse When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Insert Adds a curve to the section list. Click to turn on Insert, then click the
curve. The curve is inserted before the selected curve. To insert a curve at the
end, first highlight the "----End-----" marker in the list.
Remove Removes a curve from the list. Select the curve in the list, and then
click Remove.
Refine Refines the 1-rail sweep surface. Click to turn on Refine, then click an
iso curve on the surface. (As you drag the mouse over the surface, the available
section curves are highlighted.) The curve you click is converted to a CV curve
and inserted into the sweep and the section list. As when you refine a point
curve, refining a sweep can change the curvature of the surface slightly. Once
you’ve refined the surface by adding a cross-section curve, you can use Edit
Curves to change the curve.
Replace Lets you replace the selected curve. Select a curve in the list, click
this button, and then select the new curve.
Sweep Parallel When on, ensures that the sweep surface's normal is parallel
to the rail.
Snap Cross-Sections When on, cross-section curves are translated so they
intersect the rail. The first cross section is translated to the start of the rail,
and the last to the end of the rail. The cross sections in the middle are

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2695

translated to touch the rail at the closest point to the end of the cross-section
curves.
When Snap Cross-Sections is on, the sweep follows the rail curve exactly. This
makes it easier to construct 1-rail sweep surfaces.
Road-Like When on, the sweep uses a constant up-vector so the cross sections
twist uniformly as they travel along the rail. In other words, the cross sections
bank like a car following a road, or a camera following a path constraint on
page 3629. Default=off.
When you edit the surface, you can control the angle of banking. The up-vector
is displayed as a yellow gizmo (similar to the gizmo that lathe surfaces on page
2654 use for the center of rotation). To change the up-vector angle, use Rotate
on page 852 to change the gizmo's angle.
Display Iso Curves When set, the 1-rail sweep's V-axis iso curves are displayed
as well as the U-axis curves used to construct the loft. The V-axis curves are
only for display. You can’t use them for surface construction.
Edit Curves Lets you edit the currently selected curve without switching to
another sub-object level. Click to turn on Edit Curve. The points or CVs of
the curve are displayed, as well as the control lattice if the curve is a CV curve.
You can now transform or otherwise change the points or CVs as if you were
at the Point or Curve CV sub-object level. To finish editing the curve, click to
turn off Edit Curves.
TIP When you edit curves in a 1-rail sweep, turning off display of the sweep itself
can make the curves easier to see and improve performance. Use Ctrl+D (while
the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 is on) to toggle display of
dependent sub-objects, including sweeps.
The sweep surface can deviate from the curve if you edit a curve in a sweep by
increasing the weight of the curve CVs. You can work around this by refining the
curve at the point where the surface deviates.

2-Rail Sweep Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ 2-Rail

2696 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create 2-Rail Sweep)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

Sweep surfaces are constructed from curves. A 2-rail sweep surface uses at least
three curves. Two curves, the "rails," define the two edges of the surface. The
other curves define the surface's cross sections. A 2-rail sweep surface is similar
to a 1-rail sweep. The additional rail gives you more control over the shape
of the surface.

Sweep surface created with two rails

The cross-section curves should intersect the rail curves. If the cross sections
don't intersect the rails, the resulting surface is unpredictable. In addition, the
initial points of the rails and the endpoints of the first cross-section curve
must be coincident. Use NURBS Snaps to accomplish this.

Automatic Curve Attachment
When you create a 2-rail sweep, you can select curves that are not already
sub-objects of the active NURBS model. You can select another curve or spline

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2697

object on page 511 in the scene. When you select that curve, it attaches to the
current object as if you had used the Attach button on page 2509.
WARNING If the curve you attach is a sub-object of another NURBS model, the
entire model (that is, the curve's parent NURBS object) is attached as well.
As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve, but
the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Procedures
To create a 2-rail sweep:
1 Create the curves that define the surface you want to create.
2 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create 2-Rail Sweep).

3 Click the curve to use as the first rail, then click the curve to use as the
second rail. Click each of the cross-section curves, and then right-click
to end creation.
The sweep is interpolated smoothly between the cross sections, following
the outlines defined by the two rails.
As you click curves, their names appear in the lists on the 2 Rail Sweep
Surface creation rollout. The order in which you click the curves can
affect the shape of the sweep surface.
Example: To create a 2-rail sweep with automatic attach:

1 Go to the
NURBS curves.

Create panel and create three independent CV or Point

2 Go to the

Modify panel. In the NURBS toolbox, click to turn on

(Create 2-Rail Sweep).
3 Click the curves in the appropriate order for the sweep.
3ds Max creates the sweep. You don't need to collapse the curves to a
NURBS surface or Attach them to an existing NURBS model.

2698 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS
object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve,
but the curve is not highlighted in blue.

Interface
While a 2-rail sweep sub-object is selected, a rollout with the 2-rail sweep
parameters appears. This rollout appears only and when one 2-rail sweep
sub-object is selected. It isn’t possible to edit more than one 2-rail sweep at a
time, so unlike some other NURBS sub-objects, the rollout doesn’t appear
when multiple 2-rail sweep sub-objects are selected.
TIP When you edit a 2-rail sweep sub-object, close the Surface Common rollout
to see the 2-rail sweep surface rollout more easily.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2699

2-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (creation time)

Rail Curves Shows the names of the two curves you chose to be the rails.

2700 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Section Curves This list shows the names of the cross-section curves, in the
order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in the list.
Viewports display the selected curve in blue.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of section curves in the list.
Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection up or
down.

Curve Properties group
These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list,
as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled
only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list.
Reverse When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Insert (Disabled.)
Remove Removes a curve from the list. Select the curve in the list, and then
click Remove.
Refine (Disabled.)
Replace (Disabled.)
Sweep Parallel When off, the rail curves define a ruled surface, and the cross
sections describe lofting from this base ruled surface. When on, each cross
section is associated with its best fitting plane. This plane moves along the
rails and parallel to them. If the rails are curved, the plane can rotate. If the
spacing between the rails changes, the section scales or stretches. In either
case, the surface is blended from section to section along its entire length.
Default=off.
Sweep Scale When off, the size of the plane is scaled only in the direction
across the rails. When on, the plane is scaled uniformly in all directions.
Default=off.
Snap Cross-Sections When on, cross-section curves are translated and scaled
so they intersect both rails. The first cross section is translated to the start of
the rails, and the last to the end of the rails. The cross sections in the middle

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2701

are translated to touch the rails at the closest point to the ends of the
cross-section curves. Default=off.
When Snap Cross-Sections is on, the sweep follows the rail curves exactly.
This makes it easier to construct 2-rail sweep surfaces.
Display While Creating When on, the sweep surface is displayed while you
create it. When off, the sweep can be created more quickly. Default=off.
Flip Normals Reverses the direction of the sweep's normals.

2702 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

2-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (Modification time)

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2703

Rail Curves Shows the names of the two curves you chose to be the rails.
Replace Rail 1 and Replace Rail 2 Let you replace the rail curves. Click one
of these buttons, then in a viewport click the curve to use as the new rail.
Section Curves This list shows the names of the cross-section curves, in the
order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in the list.
Viewports display the selected curve in blue.
Arrow Buttons Use these to change the order of section curves in the list.
Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection up or
down.

Curve Properties group
These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list,
as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled
only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list.
Reverse When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve.
Start Point Adjusts the position of the curve's start point. This can help
eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
While you're adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between
them, to show the alignment. The surface is not displayed, so it doesn't slow
down adjustment. When you release the mouse button, the surface reappears.
Insert Adds a curve to the section list. Click to turn on Insert, then click the
curve. The curve is inserted before the selected curve. To insert a curve at the
end, first highlight the "----End-----" marker in the list.
Remove Removes a curve from the list. Select the curve in the list, and then
click Remove.
Refine Refines the 2-rail sweep surface. Click to turn on Refine, then click an
iso curve on the surface. (As you drag the mouse over the surface, the available
section curves are highlighted.) The curve you click is converted to a CV curve
and inserted into the sweep and the section list. As when you refine a point
curve, refining a sweep can change the curvature of the surface slightly. Once
you’ve refined the surface by adding a cross-section curve, you can use Edit
Curves to change the curve.
Replace Lets you replace the selected curve. Select a curve in the list, click
this button, then select the new curve.

2704 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Sweep Parallel When off, the rail curves define a ruled surface, and the cross
sections describe lofting from this base ruled surface. When on, each cross
section is associated with its best fitting plane. This plane moves along the
rails and parallel to them. If the rails are curved, the plane can rotate. If the
spacing between the rails changes, the section scales or stretches. In either
case, the surface is blended from section to section along its entire length.
Default=off.
Sweep Scale When off, the size of the plane is scaled only in the direction
across the rails. When on, the plane is scaled uniformly in all directions.
Default=off.
Snap Cross-Sections When on, cross-section curves are translated and scaled
so they intersect both rails. The first cross section is translated to the start of
the rails, and the last to the end of the rails. The cross sections in the middle
are translated to touch the rails at the closest point to the ends of the
cross-section curves. Default=off.
When Snap Cross-Sections is on, the sweep follows the rail curves exactly.
This makes it easier to construct 2-rail sweep surfaces.
Display Iso Curves When set, the 2-Rail Sweep's V-axis iso curves are displayed
as well as the U-axis curves used to construct the sweep. The V-axis curves are
only for display. You can’t use them for surface construction.
Edit Curves Lets you edit the currently selected curve without switching to
another sub-object level. Click to turn on Edit Curve. The points or CVs of
the curve are displayed, as well as the control lattice if the curve is a CV curve.
You can now transform or otherwise change the points or CVs as if you were
at the Point or Curve CV sub-object level. To finish editing the curve, click to
turn off Edit Curves.
TIP When you edit curves in a 2-rail sweep, turning off display of the sweep itself
can make the curves easier to see and improve performance as well. Use Ctrl+D
(while the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 is on) to toggle display
of dependent sub-objects, including sweeps.
The sweep surface can deviate from the curve if you edit a curve in a sweep by
increasing the weight of the curve CVs. You can work around this by refining the
curve at the point where the surface deviates.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2705

Multisided Blend Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ N Blend

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤
(Create a Multisided Blend Surface)
A multisided blend surface "fills in" the edges defined by three or four other
curve or surface sub-objects. Unlike a regular, two-sided blend surface, the
curves’ or surfaces’ edges must form a closed loop; that is, they must completely
surround the opening that the multisided blend will cover.

Multisided blend between three other surfaces

TIP If the multisided blend surface can't be created, fuse the points or CVs at the
corners where the surfaces meet. Sometimes snapping the corners doesn't work,
because of round-off error.

2706 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Procedures
To create a multisided blend:

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create A Multisided Blend Surface).

2 In turn, click the three or four surface sides or curves that surround the
opening.

You can flip normals on the multisided blend while creating it.
3 Right-click to end creation.3ds Max creates
a new surface that covers the opening.

Interface
Multisided Blend surfaces have no parameters other than those on the Surface
Common rollout on page 2550.

Multicurve Trimmed Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Multi-Trim

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤
(Create a Multicurve Trimmed Surface)
A multicurve trimmed surface is an existing surface trimmed by multiple
curves that form a loop.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2707

Creating a multicurve trimmed surface

When you create a multicurve trimmed surface, you create only one trimmed
hole. If you want to create multiple holes, first create holes in the surface using
other techniques, and as the final step create the multicurve trim.
You can't trim across the edge between two surfaces, or across a "seam" where
a surface touches itself, as at the back of a spherical surface created by
converting a Sphere primitive.

Procedures
To create a multicurve trim:
The NURBS object must contain a surface with curves on it that create a closed
loop.
1 Create a loop out of multiple curve sub-objects.
2 At the Curve CV or Point sub-object level, use Fuse to connect the ends
of the curves.
The curves must form a single closed loop, or completely traverse the
surface.

2708 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

3 Project the curves onto the surface by creating a normal or vector
projected curve for each curve in the loop.
TIP You can also use CV or point curve on surface for these curves.

4 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on
Surface).

(Create A Multicurve Trimmed

5 Click the surface to trim, then click each of the curves in the loop.
Right-click to end creation.
The Trim list shows the names of the curves you select. Flip Trim inverts
the direction of trimming. Flip Normals lets you flip the surface normals
at creation time. (After you have created the surface, you can flip normals
using controls on the Surface Common rollout.)

Interface
While a multicurve trimmed sub-object is selected, a rollout with the
multicurve trim parameters appears. This rollout appears only when one
multicurve trimmed sub-object is selected. It isn’t possible to edit more than
one multicurve trimmed object at a time, so unlike some other NURBS
sub-objects, the rollout doesn’t appear when multiple multicurve trimmed
sub-objects are selected.
TIP When you edit a multicurve trimmed sub-object, close the Surface Common
rollout to see the Multicurve Trim Surface rollout more easily.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2709

Multicurve Trimmed Surface rollout (creation time)

Trim Curves This list shows the names of the curves used to trim the surface.
You can select a curve by clicking its name. Viewports display the selected
curve in blue.
Insert (Disabled.)
Remove Removes a curve from the list. Select the curve in the list, and then
click Remove.
Replace (Disabled.)
Flip Trim Reverses the direction of the trim.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the trimmed surface's
normals.

2710 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Multicurve Trimmed Surface rollout (modification time)

Trim Curves This list shows the names of the curves used to trim the surface.
You can select a curve by clicking its name. Viewports display the selected
curve in blue.
Insert Adds a curve to the Trim Curves list. Click to turn on Insert, then click
the curve. The curve is inserted before the selected curve. To insert a curve at
the end, first highlight the "----End-----" marker in the list.
Remove Removes a curve from the list. Select the curve in the list, and then
click Remove.
Edit Curves Lets you edit the currently selected curve without switching to
another sub-object level. Click to turn on Edit Curve. The points or CVs of
the curve are displayed, as well as the control lattice if the curve is a CV curve.
You can now transform or otherwise change the points or CVs as if you were
at the Point or Curve CV sub-object level. To finish editing the curve, click to
turn off Edit Curves.
Don't edit the curve so you break the loop. If you do, the surface goes into an
error condition.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2711

Replace Lets you replace the selected curve. Select a curve in the list, click
this button, and then select the new curve.
Flip Trim Reverses the direction of the trim.
Along with Edit Curves, the Insert, Remove, and Replace buttons let you alter
the curves that trim the surface. While you are making changes, the surface
will go into an error condition (orange display by default) until the curves
you are working on once again form a closed loop.

Fillet Surface
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Surfaces rollout
➤ Dependent Surfaces group box ➤ Fillet Surf

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Fillet Surface)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

A fillet surface is a rounded corner connecting the edges of two other surfaces.

2712 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Fillet surface created from two parent surfaces

Usually you use both edges of the fillet surface to trim the parent surfaces,
creating a transition between the fillet and its parents.

Procedures
To create a fillet surface:
The NURBS object must contain at least two surfaces.
1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Fillet Surface).

2 Click to choose the first parent surface, then click to choose the second
parent surface. Potential parent surfaces are highlighted in blue as you
move the mouse in a viewport.
The fillet surface is created. If the fillet surface can't be created, a default
error surface is displayed (by default, the error surface displays as orange).

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2713

Interface
Fillet Surface rollout (creation time)

Start Radius and End Radius Set the radius used to define the fillet at the
first surface you chose and the second surface you chose, respectively. The
radiuses control the size of the fillet surface. Default=1.0.
Lock Locks the Start and End radius values so they are identical. When on,
the End Radius setting is unavailable. Default=on.

2714 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Radius Interpolation group
This group box controls the radius of the fillet. The Radius Interpolation setting
has no effect unless one or both surfaces that define the fillet have curvature
to them.
Linear When chosen (the default), the radius is linear.
Cubic When chosen, the radius is treated as a cubic function, allowing it to
change based on the parent surface's geometry.

Seeds group
These spinners adjust the seed values for the fillet surface. If there is more
than one way to construct the fillet, 3ds Max uses the seed values to choose
the nearest edge for that surface.
Surface 1 X Sets the local X coordinate of the seed on the first surface you
chose.
Surface 1 Y Sets the local Y coordinate of the seed on the first surface you
chose.
Surface 2 X Sets the local X coordinate of the seed on the second surface you
chose.
Surface 2 Y Sets the local Y coordinate of the seed on the second surface you
chose.

Trim First Surface and Trim Second Surface groups
For each of the parent surfaces, these controls affect trimming.
Trim Surface Trims the parent surface at the edge of the fillet.
Flip Trim Reverses the direction of the trim.
Flip Normals Turn on to reverse the direction of the fillet surface's normals.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2715

Fillet Surface rollout (modification time)

Start Radius and End Radius Set the radius used to define the fillet at the
first surface you chose and the second surface you chose, respectively. The
radiuses control the size of the fillet surface. Default=10.0.
Lock Locks the Start and End radius values so they are identical. When on,
the End Radius setting is unavailable. Default=on.

2716 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Radius Interpolation group
This group box controls the radius of the fillet. The Radius Interpolation setting
has no effect unless one or both surfaces that define the fillet have curvature
to them.
Linear When chosen (the default), the radius is always linear.
Cubic When chosen, the radius is treated as a cubic function, allowing it to
change based on the parent surface's geometry.

Seeds group
These spinners adjust the seed values for the fillet surface. If there is more
than one way to construct the fillet, 3ds Max uses the seed values to choose
the nearest edge for that surface.
Surface 1 X Sets the local X coordinate of the seed on the first surface you
chose.
Surface 1 Y Sets the local Y coordinate of the seed on the first surface you
chose.
Surface 2 X Sets the local X coordinate of the seed on the second surface you
chose.
Surface 2 Y Sets the local Y coordinate of the seed on the second surface you
chose.

Trim First Surface and Trim Second Surface groups
For each of the parent surfaces, these controls affect trimming.
Trim Surface Trims the parent surface at the edge of the fillet.
Flip Trim Reverses the direction of the trim.
Replace First Surface and Replace Second Surface Let you replace the parent
surfaces. Click a button, then click the surface to replace the original first or
second surface.

Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects
Select a NURBS object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2717

Select a NURBS object. ➤
Toolbox)

Modify panel ➤

(NURBS Creation

Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+T to toggle NURBS toolbox display (Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle must be on.)
In addition to the points that are an integral part of point curve on page 2483
and point surface on page 2473 objects, you can create "freestanding" points.
Such points can help you construct point curves by using the Curve Fit on
page 2579 button. You also use dependent points to trim curves.
You create individual points as NURBS sub-objects while you are modifying
NURBS. To create points individually, use the Create Points rollout or the
NURBS toolbox on page 2443.

Toolbox Buttons for Creating Points
These are the toolbox buttons for creating point sub-objects:
Create an independent point on page 2718.
Create a dependent offset point on page 2719.
Create a dependent curve point on page 2721.
Create a dependent curve-curve intersection point on page 2728.
Create a dependent surface point on page 2724.
Create a dependent surface-curve intersection point on page 2731.

Point (NURBS)
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Point button

2718 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout ➤

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Point)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates an independent, freestanding point.

Procedures
To create a freestanding point:

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Point).

2 Click a viewport to position the point.
Independent point sub-objects have no additional parameters. You can use
Curve Fit in the Create Curves rollout to create a curve from multiple
freestanding points.

Interface
There are no additional controls for independent points.

Offset Point
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout ➤
Dependent Points group box ➤ Offset Point button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Offset Point)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates a dependent point that is coincident to an existing
point or at a relative distance from an existing point.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2719

Procedures
To create a dependent offset point:

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Offset Point).

2 In a viewport, click an existing point.

3 On the
Modify panel ➤ Offset Points rollout, use the Offset
spinners to adjust the points position relative to the original point.

Interface
While an offset point sub-object is selected, the Offset Point rollout appears.

2720 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

At Point When chosen, the dependent point has the same location as the
original, parent point.
Offset Enables point offset. Use the X,Y,Z Offset spinners to set offset values
(in object space coordinates).
Replace Base Point (Only at modification time.) Lets you replace the parent
point. Click the button, then click the new point on which to base the offset
point.

Curve Point
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout ➤
Dependent Points group box ➤ Curve Point button

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Curve Point)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates a dependent point that lies on a curve or relative to it.
The point can be either on the curve or off the curve. If it is on the curve, the
U Position is the only control of its location. The U Position specifies a location
along the curve (based on the curve's local U axis). There are three ways to
displace the point's location relative to the U position.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2721

Procedures
To create a dependent curve point:

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Curve Point).

2 Click along a curve to position the point.
3 The curve and cursor position are highlighted during this operation.
4 At the Point sub-object level, adjust the point's position relative to the
curve by adjusting the curve point parameters on the Curve Point rollout.

5 Right-click to end point creation.

2722 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
While a curve point sub-object is selected, the Curve Point rollout appears.

U Position Specifies the point's location on the curve or relative to the curve.
On Curve When on, the point lies on the curve at the U Position.
Offset Moves the point according to a relative (object space) X,Y,Z location.
This is relative to the U Position.
X Offset, Y Offset, and Z Offset Specify the object space location of the offset
curve point.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2723

Normal Moves the point along the direction of the curve's normal at the U
Position.
Distance Specifies the distance along the curve's normal. Negative values
move the point opposite to the normal.
Tangent Moves the point along the tangent at the U Position.
U Tangent Specifies the distance from the curve along the tangent.

Offset, normal, and tangent displacement of a curve point

Trimming group box
Controls in this group box let you trim the parent curve.
Trim Curve When on, trims the parent curve against the curve point's U
position. When off (the default), the parent isn't trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims in the opposite direction.
Replace Base Curve (Only at modification time.) Lets you replace the parent
curve. Click the button, then click the new curve on which to base the curve
point.

Surface Point
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout ➤
Dependent Points group box ➤ Surface Point button

2724 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Select a NURBS object. ➤
(Create Surf Point)

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

This command creates a dependent point that lies on a surface or relative to
it. This is enabled with a NURBS object that contains a surface.

Procedures
To create a dependent surface point:

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Surf Point).

2 Click over a NURBS surface to position the point.
3 The surface cross-section and cursor are highlighted during this operation.
4 Right-click to end the create operation.
5 At the Point sub-object level, adjust the point’s position relative to the
surface by adjusting the surface point parameters in the Surface Point
rollout.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2725

Interface
While a surface point sub-object is selected, the Surface Point rollout appears.
These controls are similar to the curve point controls.

2726 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

U Position and V Position If the point is on the surface, these coordinates
specify the point's location, based on the surface's local UV coordinates.
On Surface Specifies that the point lies on the surface, at the location specified
by U Position and V Position.
If the point lies on the surface, you can move it using the Move transform.
You can also move it using the Move Surface Point button. See Editing Point
Sub-Objects on page 2514. Either way, this updates the U Position and V Position
values.
Offset Moves the point according to a relative (object space) X,Y,Z location.
X Offset, Y Offset, and Z Offset Specify the object space location of the offset
surface point.
Normal Moves the point along the direction of the surface's normal.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2727

Distance Specifies the distance from the surface, along the normal. Negative
values move the point opposite to the normal.
Tangent Moves the point along the tangent of the UV position.
U Tangent and V Tangent Specify the distance from the surface along the
tangents at U and V.
Replace Base Surface (Only at modification time.) Lets you replace the parent
surface. Click the button, then click the new surface on which to base the
surface point.

Curve-Curve Intersection Point
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout
Dependent Points group box ➤ Curve-Curve button

Select a NURBS object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

(Create Curve-Curve Point)
This command creates a dependent point at the intersection of two curves.

Procedures
To create a dependent curve-curve point:

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Curve-Curve Point).

2 Drag from the first curve to the second curve.
If the curves do not intersect, the point is orange, an invalid dependent
point.
The point is created at the nearest intersection between the two curves.
You can use the curve-curve parameters to trim the parent curves.
3 Right-click to end the create operation.

2728 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface
While a curve-curve point sub-object is selected, the Curve-Curve Intersection
rollout appears.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2729

Trim First Curve and Trim Second Curve groups
These two groups let you control how the parent curves are trimmed. The
controls are the same in each. "First" and "second" refer to the order in which
you picked the parent curves.
Trim Curve When on, the parent curve is trimmed against the curve-curve
point. When off (the default), the parent isn't trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims in the opposite direction.
Seed 1 and Seed 2 Change the U location of the seed value on the first and
second curves. If there is a choice of intersections, the intersection closest to
the seed points is the one used to create the point.
Replace First Curve and Replace Second Curve (Only at modification time.)
Let you replace the parent curves. Click a button, then click the curve to
replace the original first or second curve.

2730 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface-Curve Intersection Point
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Create Points rollout ➤
Dependent Points group box ➤ Surf-Curve button

Select a NURBS object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

(Create Surface-Curve Point)
This command creates a dependent point at the intersection of a surface and
a curve.

Procedures
To create a dependent surface-curve point:
The NURBS object must have a curve that passes through a surface.

1 In the NURBS toolbox, turn on

(Create Surface-Curve Point).

2 Click the curve, then click the surface.
The point is created at the intersection between the curve and the surface
that is nearest the seed point. You can use the surface-curve parameters
to trim the parent curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2731

Interface
While a surface-curve intersection point sub-object is selected, a rollout with
its parameters appears.

Trim Curve group
Trim When on, trims the curve from the surface. When off, the curve isn’t
trimmed.
Flip Trim When on, trims the curve in the opposite direction.
Seed Changes the U location of the seed value on the curve. If there is a choice
of intersections, the intersection closest to the seed point is the one used to
create the point.
Replace Curve and Replace Surface (Only at modification time.) Let you
replace the parent sub-objects. Click a button, then click a curve or surface to
replace the original parent object.

NURBS Editing Dialogs
This section describes dialogs that support creating and editing NURBS models.

2732 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Convert Curve Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS curve sub-object. ➤ Curve Common
rollout ➤ Convert Curve button
This dialog is a general way to convert one kind of a curve to another or to
adjust a curve's parameters.

Interface

Point Curve and CV Curve Choose whether to convert to a point curve or a
CV curve. If the curve is already of the type you chose, the settings in this
dialog don't convert it, but do change its properties. Default=CV Curve.

CV Curve options
These are the options when you choose CV Curve.
Number When chosen, the spinner sets the number of CVs in the CV curve.
Tolerance When chosen, 3ds Max calculates the number of CVs. This option
rebuilds the curve according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance value, the

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2733

more accurate the rebuild. Increasing Tolerance enables the curve to be rebuilt
using fewer CVs.

Reparameterization group
These controls let you reparameterize the CV curve and turn on automatic
reparameterization.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve changes only locally
when you edit it. With chord-length parameterization, moving any CV can
potentially change the entire sub-object.
Maintain Parameterization When on, the curve is automatically
reparameterized as you edit it, using the currently active method of
reparameterization. When off, no reparameterization happens unless you use
a dialog to specifically request it. Default=on.

Point Curve options:
These are the options when you choose Point Curve.
Number Sets the number of points in the point curve.
Tolerance When chosen, 3ds Max calculates the number of points. This option
rebuilds the curve according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance value, the
more accurate the rebuild. Increasing Tolerance enables the curve to be rebuilt
using fewer points.
Preview When on, the effect of the conversion is previewed in viewports.
Default=on.

Convert Curve On Surface Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select curve sub-object. ➤ Curve Common
rollout ➤ Make COS button

2734 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

This dialog converts a curve to a point curve on surface on page 2619 or CV
curve on surface on page 2614.
The Make COS button that displays it is enabled only for the following types
of curves:
■

U iso curves on page 2606

■

V iso curves on page 2606

■

Normal projected curves on page 2608

■

Vector projected curves on page 2611

■

Surface-surface intersection curves on page 2600

■

Surface edge curves on page 2623

■

CV curves on surfaces on page 2614

■

Point curves on surfaces on page 2619

If the curve is already a curve on surface, this dialog lets you change its type.

Interface

CV Curve On Surface Converts the curve to a CV curve on surface.
Number of CVs Specifies the number of CVs in the new curve.
Point Curve On Surface Converts the curve to a point curve on surface.
Number of Points Specifies the number of points in the new curve.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2735

Preview When on, previews the effect of the conversion in viewports.
Default=on.

Convert Surface Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Surface
Common rollout ➤ Convert Surface button
This dialog provides a general way to convert one kind of a surface to another
or to adjust a surface's parameters.

Interface

Loft tab
If the surface isn't already a loft, this tab converts it to the kind of loft you
indicate.
The controls are comparable to those in the Make Loft dialog on page 2751.

2736 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

From U Iso Lines Uses curves along the surface's U dimension to construct a
U loft.
From V Iso Lines Uses curves along the surface's V dimension to construct a
U loft. If the surface was already a U loft, set this to change the lofting
dimension.
From U and V Iso Lines Uses curves from both the U and V dimensions to
construct a UV loft.
U Curves Sets the number of curves in U.
V Curves Sets the number of curves in V.
Use Point Curves When on, constructs the loft from point curves instead of
the default CV curves. Default=off.
Extra Points per Segment This control is available only for UV lofts (From
U and V Iso Lines). Lets you increase the number of points in each segment.
Fuse Points This control is available only for UV lofts (From U and V Iso
Lines). When on, fuses points at curve intersections to ensure that the U and
V curves continue to intersect when you edit the surface, and that the surface
remains coincident with its parent curves. UV lofts constructed from
intersecting curves behave more predictably. Default=on.

Fit Point tab
If the surface isn't already a point surface, this tab converts it to a point surface.
In U Sets the number of point rows (in the surface's U axis).
In V Sets the number of point columns (in the surface's V axis).
Tolerance When chosen, 3ds Max calculates the number of points. This option
rebuilds the surface according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance value, the
more accurate the rebuild. Increasing Tolerance enables the surface to be
rebuilt using fewer points.

CV Surface tab
If the surface isn't already a CV surface, this tab converts it to a CV surface.
This tab is the default.
Number When chosen, the spinners set the number of CVs in the CV surface.
In U Sets the number of CV rows (in the surface's U axis).
In V Sets the number of CV columns (in the surface’s V axis).

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2737

Tolerance When chosen, 3ds Max calculates the number of CVs. This option
rebuilds the surface according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance value, the
more accurate the rebuild. Increasing Tolerance enables the surface to be
rebuilt using fewer CVs.

Reparameterization group
These controls let you reparameterize the CV surface and turn on automatic
reparameterization.
Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the surface changes only locally
when you edit it. With chord-length parameterization, moving any CV can
potentially change the entire surface.
Maintain Parameterization When on, the surface is automatically
reparameterized as you edit it, using the currently active method of
reparameterization. When off, no reparameterization happens unless you use
a dialog to specifically request it. Default=on.
Preview When on, viewports display a preview of the conversion. Turning
off this toggle can speed up conversion, especially to lofts.
Delete Original Curves This is available only if the surface was already a U
loft or UV loft. When on, Convert Surface deletes the original loft curves when
you click OK. When off, the original curves remain where they are. Default=off.

CV Curve: Close Curve Dialog (NURBS)
Create panel ➤
(Shapes) ➤ CV Curve button ➤ In
viewports, draw a CV curve and click to create a CV in the same location as
the first CV in the curve.

2738 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

(Create CV Curve) ➤ In viewports, draw a CV curve sub-object and
click to create a CV in the same location as the first CV in the curve.
This dialog lets you create a closed CV curve when you click to create a CV in
the same location as the curve's first CV.

Interface

Yes Closes the curve and ends curve creation.
No Keeps the curve open and does not end curve creation.

Detach Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS sub-object. ➤ Curve Common or
Surface Common rollout ➤ (optional) Copy toggle ➤ Detach button
This dialog appears when you use Detach to create a new top-level NURBS
curve or surface sub-object.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2739

Interface

Detach as Lets you assign a name to the new object. By default, the name is
"Curve" or "Surface" followed by a sequence number.
This option is unavailable when Detach To Element is on.
Relational This toggle affects dependent objects. When off, detaching a
dependent sub-object makes it an independent object. For example, detaching
a U loft converts it to a CV surface. When on, detaching a dependent sub-object
also detaches the objects on which it depends, so the object remains
dependent. For example, detaching a U loft also detaches the curves that
define it. Default=on.

Edit Curve On Surface Dialog (NURBS)
Select a NURBS object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select a NURBS curve on surface sub-object. ➤
CV Curve On Surface or Point Curve On Surface rollout ➤ Edit button
This dialog lets you edit curves on surfaces as you edit regular curves in a
viewport. The main part of the dialog is a two-dimensional view of the surface.
The controls provide typical curve editing functions.
This is a modeless dialog. You can use the main 3ds Max window while Edit
Curve On Surface remains open. However, if you select a different kind of
curve or a sub-object that isn't a curve, the dialog closes.
You can edit multiple CV on surface on page 2614 or Point on surface on page
2619 curves, but you can’t edit both types of curves at the same time.

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The point whose surface you first click is shown as a blue square in the dialog
as well as in viewports. As you draw the curve, it appears interactively in
viewports and a blue asterisk (*) shows the current mouse location on the
surface.
While you are creating a curve, you can press Backspace to remove the last
point or CV you created, and then previous points or CVs in reverse order.

Interface

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2741

Toolbar
The toolbar above the surface image provides selection, transform and viewing
controls. These controls work the way their analogs do in the main 3ds Max
viewports. The toolbar is disabled while you create a new curve on surface.

Select Selects one or more points. Drag a window to select multiple
points.

Move Moves the selected points.
Move is a flyout. The alternative buttons constrain texture points to move
either vertically or horizontally.

Rotate Rotates the selected points.

Scale Scales the selected points. This is a flyout that lets you choose
between uniform scale, nonuniform scale in the surface's U dimension, or
nonuniform scale in the surface’s V dimension.

Pan Pans the surface view.

Zoom Zooms in or out on the surface view.

Zoom Window Zooms to a window you drag on the surface view.

Zoom Extents Zooms to the extents of the surface.

Lock Selection Locks the active selection set. You can turn this on to
keep from accidentally selecting other points or CVs while you’re transforming
a selection set.

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Preview When on (the default), edits you make in the dialog are also shown
in viewports.

Curve on Surface Image
Below the toolbar is a 2D image of the curve. This image shows the points or
CVs of the curve, allowing you to edit it as you edit sub-objects in viewports.
If you right-click while in the image, a pop-up menu lets you switch between
Select, Move, Rotate, and Scale. This is an alternative to using the toolbar.
If your mouse has a middle button, you can use it to pan in this window.

Buttons and Weight
These controls are comparable to editing controls on the rollouts for point
sub-objects. (The Open button works differently.) These controls are disabled
while you create a new curve on surface.
Refine Adds points to the curve. This does not change curvature. For point
curves, the curvature can change, but only slightly.
Insert (Not available for point curves on surfaces.)
Close Closes the curve.
Fuse Fuses two points.
Weight (Not available for point curves on surfaces.)
Delete Deletes the selected points.
Open Opens the curve by unfusing the points where the curve was originally
closed.
Unfuse Unfuses the selected points.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected points
or CVs.

Edit Texture Surface Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Material
Properties rollout ➤ Texture Channels group box ➤ Turn on Gen. Mapping
Coords. ➤ Texture Surface group box ➤ Choose User-Defined. ➤ Edit
Texture Surface button

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2743

This dialog lets you edit the texture surface for a surface sub-object. It is
available when you have chosen User Defined as the sub-object's texture
surface method.
A texture surface is associated with the surface sub-object. The texture surface
is used to control how materials are mapped. In effect, changing the texture
surface stretches or otherwise changes the UV coordinates for the surface,
altering the mapping.
The Edit Texture Surface dialog shows a 2D view of the texture surface. You
can also edit user-defined texture surfaces directly in 3D viewports, using the
Edit Texture Points button. See Material Properties Rollout on page 2564.
Maps can shift with certain surface approximation methods. This effect is
especially noticeable when the surface has animated CVs. You can reduce or
eliminate map shifting by changing the mapping method to User Defined.
TIP Don't use the UVW Map modifier to apply a texture to an animated NURBS
surface.

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Interface

Toolbar
The toolbar above the surface image provides selection, transform and viewing
controls. These controls work the way their analogs do in viewports.
NOTE You can animate transforms to the texture surface points.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2745

Select Selects one or more points. Drag a window to select multiple
points or CVs.

Move Moves the selected points.
Move is a flyout. The alternative buttons constrain texture points to move
either vertically or horizontally.

Rotate Rotates the selected points.

Scale Scales the selected points. This is a flyout that lets you choose
between uniform scale, nonuniform scale in the surface's U dimension, or
nonuniform scale in the surface's V dimension.

Pan Pans the surface view.

Zoom Zooms in or out on the surface view.

Zoom Window Zooms to a window you drag on the surface view.

Zoom Extents Zooms to the extents of the surface.

Lock Selection Locks the active selection set. You can turn this on so
you don't accidentally select other points while you're transforming a selection
set.
Preview When on (the default), your edits are also shown in viewports. In
viewports, selected texture points are displayed in red, and the others are
displayed in green.

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Texture Surface Image
Below the toolbar is a 2D image showing the points of the texture surface.
You can edit the texture surface as you edit sub-objects in viewports.
If you right-click while in the image, the popup menu lets you switch between
Select, Move, Rotate, and Scale. This is an alternative to using the toolbar.
If your mouse has a middle button, you can use it to pan in this window.

Texture Surface Controls
The controls below the surface image edit the texture surface.
Remove Animation Removes animation controllers from the selected texture
points.
Reset to Defaults Resets user-defined mapping to the default.
Rebuild Displays the Rebuild Texture Surface dialog on page 2757, which rebuilds
the texture surface and lets you change the number of CV rows or columns.
Insert Row, Insert Col., Insert Both Click one of these buttons to insert a
row or column of points, or both at once, into the surface. Insertion adds
points without moving other rows and columns.
While you refine the surface, the operation is previewed the same way Insert
is previewed in 3D viewports.
Delete Row, Delete Col., Delete Both Click one of these buttons to delete a
row or column of points, or both at once.

Join Curves Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS curve sub-object. ➤ Curve Common
rollout ➤ Join button ➤ Join two curves in a viewport.
This dialog lets you choose the way to join two curves.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2747

Interface

ZIP tab
This tab chooses the zip algorithm. Zipping concatenates the CV lattices of
the two original curves. Zipping can change the shape of the original curves,
but usually it produces a better result than joining.
By default, the ZIP tab is active.
If both curves are untrimmed point curves, the result of zipping is a point
curve. In all other cases, the result is a CV curve.
Tolerance A distance in 3ds Max units. If the ends of the two original curves
are closer than this distance, zipping deletes one of the points or CVs in order
to avoid creating coincident points or CVs in the new zipped curve.
Tension 1 (Disabled.)
Tension 2 (Disabled.)

Join tab
This tab chooses the join algorithm. Joining first creates a blend curve between
the two original curves, and then makes all three into a single curve. Joining
does not change the shape of the two original curves.
If both curves are point curves, the result is a point curve. If one or both curves
are CV curves, the result is a CV curve.

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Tolerance A distance in 3ds Max units. If the gap between the curves you are
joining is greater than this value, the join is created by first creating a blend
curve and then joining the three parts. If the gap is less than this value, or if
the curves are overlapping or coincident, 3ds Max doesn't create the blend.
Creating a blend and then joining the three curves into a single curve is the
better technique. The result matches the parent curves well. Without the blend
step, the resulting curve can deviate from the parent curves, in order to
maintain smoothness. (The amount of deviation depends on how far from
tangent the two input curves were at the join.)
A problem arises when the gap is too small. In this case, 3ds Max generates
the blend but because there isn't enough room for it, the resulting curve has
a loop. To avoid having this loop, set the Tolerance higher than the gap
distance.
If you set the tolerance to 0.0, 3ds Max chooses a value to use for the Tolerance.
Tension 1 Adjusts the tension of the new curve at the end of the first curve
you picked.
Tension 2 Adjusts the tension of the new curve at the end of the second curve
you picked.
Preview When on, the effect of the zip or join is previewed in viewports.
Default=on.

Join Surfaces Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Surface
Common rollout ➤ Join button ➤ Join two surfaces in a viewport.
This dialog lets you choose the way to join two surfaces.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2749

Interface

ZIP tab
This tab chooses the zip algorithm. Zipping concatenates the CV lattices of
the two original surfaces. Zipping can change the shape of the original surfaces,
but compared to joining it usually produces a simpler surface that is easier to
edit.
By default, the ZIP tab is active.
If both curves are untrimmed point surfaces, the result of zipping is a point
surface. In all other cases, the result is a CV surface.
Tolerance A distance in 3ds Max units. If the edges of the two original surfaces
are closer than this distance, zipping deletes one row (or column) of the points
or CVs in order to avoid creating a coincident point or CV row (or column)
in the new zipped surface.
Tension 1 (Disabled.)
Tension 2 (Disabled.)

Join tab
This tab chooses the join algorithm. Joining first creates a blend surface
between the two original surfaces, and then makes all three into a single
surface. Joining does not change the shape of the two original surfaces.

2750 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

If both surfaces are point surfaces, the result is a point surface. If one or both
surfaces are CV surfaces, the result is a CV surface.
Tolerance A distance in 3ds Max units. If the gap between the surfaces you
are joining is greater than this value, the join is created by first creating a
blend surface and then joining the three parts. If the gap is less than this value,
or if the surfaces are overlapping or coincident, 3ds Max doesn't create the
blend.
Creating a blend and then joining the three surfaces into a single surface is
the better technique. The result matches the parent surfaces well. Without
the blend step, the resulting surface can deviate from the parent surfaces, in
order to maintain smoothness. (The amount of deviation depends on how
far from tangent the two input surfaces were at the join.)
A problem arises when the gap is too small. In this case, 3ds Max generates
the blend but because there isn't enough room for it, the resulting surface has
a loop. To avoid having this loop, set the Tolerance higher than the gap
distance.
If you set the tolerance to 0.0, 3ds Max chooses a value to use for the Tolerance.
Tension 1 Adjusts the tension of the new surface at the edge of the first surface
you picked.
Tension 2 Adjusts the tension of the new surface at the end of the second
surface you picked.
Preview When on, the effect of the zip or join is previewed in viewports.
Default=on.

Make Loft Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Surface
Common rollout ➤ Make Loft button
This dialog converts a surface sub-object to a (dependent) U loft or UV loft
surface. You can also change the dimension used to construct a U loft surface.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2751

Interface

From U Iso Lines Uses curves along the surface's U dimension to construct a
U loft.
From V Iso Lines Uses curves along the surface's V dimension to construct a
U loft. If the surface was already a U loft, set this to change the lofting
dimension.
From U and V Iso Lines Uses curves from both the U and V dimensions to
construct a UV loft.
U Curves Sets the number of curves in U.
V Curves Sets the number of curves in V.
Use Point Curves When on, constructs the loft from point curves instead of
the default CV curves. Default=off.
Extra Points per Segment This control is enabled only for UV lofts (From U
and V Iso Lines). Lets you increase the number of points in each segment.

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Fuse Points This control is enabled only for UV lofts (From U and V Iso Lines).
When on, fuses points at curve intersections to ensure that the U and V curves
continue to intersect when you edit the surface, and that the surface remains
coincident with its parent curves. UV lofts constructed from intersecting curves
behave more predictably. Default=on.
Delete Original Loft Curves This is available only if the surface was already
a U loft or UV loft. When on, Make Loft deletes the original loft curves when
you click OK. When off, the original curves remain where they are. Default=off.
Preview When on, displays a preview of the new loft surface. Loft creation is
faster when Preview is off. Default=off.

Make Point Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Surface
Common rollout ➤ Make Point button
This dialog converts a CV surface sub-object to a point surface sub-object.

Interface

Number in U Sets the number of columns.
Number in V Sets the number of rows.
Preview When on, your changes are previewed in viewports. Point surface
conversion is faster when Preview is off. Default=off.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2753

Make Point Curve Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS curve sub-object. ➤ Curve Common
rollout ➤ Make Fit button
The Make Fit button for a NURBS curve sub-object turns a CV curve into a
point curve. For point curves, it lets you change the number of points. It
displays this dialog.

Interface

Number of Points Sets the number of points in the point curve.

Point Curve: Close Curve Dialog (NURBS)
Create panel ➤
(Shapes) ➤ Point Curve button ➤ In
viewports, draw a point curve and click to create a point in the same location
as the first point in the curve.

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ NURBS toolbox ➤

(Create Point Curve) ➤ In viewports, draw a point curve sub-object
and click to create a point in the same location as the first point in the curve.
This dialog lets you create a closed point curve when you click to create a
point in the same location as the curve's first point.

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Interface

Yes Closes the curve and ends curve creation.
No Keeps the curve open and does not end curve creation.

Rebuild CV Curve Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select an independent CV curve sub-object. ➤
CV Curve rollout ➤ Rebuild button
The Rebuild button for CV curves displays this dialog. It lets you specify how
to rebuild the curve. Rebuilding the curve can change its appearance.

Interface

Tolerance Rebuilds the curve according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance
value, the more accurate the rebuild. Increasing Tolerance enables the curve
to be rebuilt using fewer CVs.

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2755

Number (The default.) Lets you alter the number of CVs in the curve.
Preview When on (the default), your changes are previewed in viewports.

Rebuild CV Surface Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Surface sub-object level ➤ Select an independent CV surface sub-object.
➤ CV Surface rollout ➤ Rebuild button
The Rebuild button for CV surfaces displays this dialog. It lets you specify how
to rebuild the surface. Rebuilding the surface can change its appearance.

Interface

Tolerance Rebuilds the surface according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance
value, the more accurate the rebuild. Increasing Tolerance enables the surface
to be rebuilt using fewer CVs.
Number (The default.) Lets you alter the number of CVs in the surface. Number
in U specifies the number in the U dimension, and Number in V specifies the
number in the V dimension. These values default to the numbers that already
exist in the surface.
Preview When on (the default), your changes are previewed in viewports.

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Rebuild Texture Surface Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Surface
sub-object level ➤ Material Properties rollout ➤ Texture Channels group
box ➤ Turn on Gen. Mapping Coords. ➤ Texture Surface group box ➤
Choose User-Defined. ➤ Edit Texture Surface button ➤ Edit Texture Surface
dialog ➤ Rebuild button
This dialog rebuilds the texture surface and lets you change the number of
CV rows or columns.

Interface

Number in U Sets the number of CV columns.
Number in V Sets the number of CV rows.

Reparameterize Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select an independent CV curve sub-object. ➤
CV Curve rollout ➤ Reparam. button

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select an independent CV surface sub-object.
➤ CV Surface rollout ➤ Reparam. button

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2757

The Reparam. button for CV curves and surfaces displays this dialog.
Reparameterizing a CV sub-object changes its parameter space on page 9257 to
provide a better relation between control point locations and the shape of the
sub-object.
TIP It is a good idea to reparameterize after you have added CVs to a curve or
surface by refining or inserting.

Interface

Chord Length Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization.
Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space on page
9257) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment.
Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice.
Uniform Spaces the knots uniformly.
A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve or surface changes
only locally when you edit it. With chord-length parameterization, moving
any CV can potentially change the entire sub-object.
Maintain Parameterization When on, the curve is automatically
reparameterized as you edit it, using the currently active method of
reparameterization. When off, no reparameterization happens unless you use
this dialog. Default=off.
Preview If on (the default), displays the effects of reparameterizing in
viewports.

2758 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Sub-Object Clone Options Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface or curve sub-object. ➤
Shift+Clone. ➤ Clone Options dialog
When you Shift+Clone on page 936 a surface or curve sub-object, the Clone
Options dialog appears. This dialog asks whether you want the clone to be a
relational copy, an independent copy, or a transform.

Interface

Relational Copy The cloned object is the same type as the original. If the
original object was a dependent object, the clone includes copies of the parents.
For example, when you clone a Blend surface, the clone remains a Blend
surface and its two parent surfaces are copied along with it.
Because all related sub-objects are copied, Relational Copy can be
time-consuming.
Independent Copy The cloned object is an independent CV curve or CV
surface. It has the same shape as the original, but its relational dependencies
aren't copied. This method of cloning uses less time and memory, although
you lose the relational properties. For example, when you clone a Blend surface,
the clone is an independent CV surface.
Copy as Transform Object(s) The "clone" is actually a transform curve or
transform surface, based on the original object and still dependent on it. This

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects | 2759

lets you create transform curves and surfaces based on a rotation and scale as
well as on translation.
Include Parent(s) (Available only for Independent Copy or Copy as Transform
Object(s).) Tells the system whether or not to include the parents of the
dependent object. For example, if Include Parent(s) is on when you clone a
blend surface, the two parent surfaces are also cloned as independent CV
surfaces. If Include Parent(s) is off, only the one curve or surface is cloned.
Cloning is slower when Include Parent(s) is on, although quicker than
Relational Copy.

Select By Material ID Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS object. ➤ Modifier stack display
➤ Curve sub-object level ➤ Select By ID button.
This dialog lets you select curve sub-objects by the material ID number assigned
to them.

Interface

ID Specifies the material ID you want to select.
Clear Selection When on, replaces the current selection (if any) by the material
ID selection. When off, adds the material ID selection to the current selection
set.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation
Topics in this section describe how you can control the way 3ds Max generates
NURBS curves and surfaces.

2760 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

NURBS Curve Approximation
Modify panel ➤ Select a top-level NURBS object. ➤ Curve
Approximation rollout
Although NURBS curves are analytically generated, in order to generate and
display them they must be approximated by line segments.
Curve approximation controls are displayed in the creation parameters for
curve objects, and on a Curve Approximation rollout for NURBS models
(top-level NURBS objects). At the model level, approximation controls affect
all curve sub-objects in the model.
Curve approximation is accomplished by segments. One or more line segments,
or steps, are used to approximate each segment of the curve. For point curves,
a segment of a curve is the portion between one point and the next. For CV
curves, the segment is determined by the CV’s parametric knot on page 9201.
The transition from one CV curve segment to another isn’t visible in viewports.
Curve approximation parameters aren't animatable.

Interface

Steps The maximum number of line segments used to approximate each curve
segment. If the curve displays or renders with angles, increase this value. This
control is unavailable when Adaptive is on. Range=1 to 100.
Optimize Turn on this check box to optimize the curve. When on,
interpolation uses the specified Steps value unless two segments are collinear,
in which case they are converted to a single segment. This control is
unavailable when Adaptive is on.
Adaptive (The default.) Segments the curve adaptively, based on its curvature.
In other words, the curve is assigned more segments where its curvature is
greatest, and fewer segments where its curvature is less.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2761

NURBS Surface Approximation
Modify panel ➤ Select a top-level NURBS object. ➤ Surface
Approximation rollout

Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface sub-object. ➤ Surface
Approximation rollout
Although NURBS surfaces are analytically generated, in order to generate and
display them they must be approximated by faces. You use the controls
described in this section to set the type of approximation used and its
parameters.
The Surface Approximation rollout controls how surface sub-objects in the
NURBS model are approximated for purposes of rendering and viewport
display. NURBS can be approximated differently in viewports and in the
renderer. Typically you want viewport display to be clear and quick, while
you want rendered display to be smooth, accurate, and "realistic." However,
the approximation you choose for viewports creates a mesh, and the kind of
mesh you choose can affect the behavior of modifiers that you later apply to
the NURBS model.
The first two controls on this rollout are radio buttons for selecting the kind
of display output, viewport or renderer, these parameters control.
Surface approximation parameters are not animatable.
NOTE If the size or shape of a surface changes over time, the tessellation used to
approximate it can change (automatically) as well. This has the advantage of
improving render time in animations. It has the disadvantage that you can't apply
image motion blur on page 9190 to NURBS objects whose tessellation changes
during animation. The Regular method of tessellation is the exception: it doesn't
change when animated, so you can use image motion blur with Regular tessellation.

Surface Approximation Per Surface
By default, surface sub-objects use the same approximation settings as the
top-level NURBS model. You can override these settings. Each surface sub-object
now has a Surface Approximation rollout of its own. The controls on this
rollout are disabled unless you turn off the Lock to Top Level toggle. With
this toggle turned off, you can choose approximation settings specific to this
surface sub-object.

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Interface

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2763

Tessellation group
Viewports When chosen, the rollout affects how surfaces in the NURBS object
are displayed interactively in viewports, including shaded viewports, and by
the preview renderer.
The Viewports surface settings are also used when you apply a mesh modifier
such as Mesh Select to the NURBS object. This is important because the
modifier can affect the scene's geometry.
Renderer When chosen, the rollout affects how surfaces in the NURBS object
are displayed by the renderer.
The next cluster of buttons lets you choose which portions of the geometry
are affected by the surface approximation settings.
Base Surface Settings affect the entire surface. This is the default.
Surface Edge Turn on to set approximation values for tessellating surface
edges that are defined by trim curves. With Lock turned off, the surface and
edge tessellation values are independent of each other.
For object-level surfaces, this is unavailable unless Lock (described below) is
turned off.
Displaced Surface Turn on to set a third, independent approximation setting
for surfaces that have a displacement map on page 6482 applied to them.
Available only when Renderer is chosen.
Using a preset approximation setting (in the Presets group box) should give
you faster results for displaced surfaces.
Lock (for object-level surfaces only) Locks the Base Surface settings to the
Surface Edge settings. In other words, surfaces and surface edges have a
relational tessellation setting unless Lock is turned off. Default=on.

Tessellation Presets group
Lets you choose a preset low, medium, or high quality surface approximation.
While a preset is chosen, the values it uses are displayed on the Tessellation
Method rollout.
Preset values are saved in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file. You can customize
the preset values by using the Surface Approximation utility on page 2773.
Low Selects a (comparatively) low-quality surface approximation. These are
the default values:
Viewports, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=50.0 Distance=50.0 Angle=50.0 Merge=0.0
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3

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Renderer, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=20.0 Distance=20.0 Angle=15.0
Merge=0.01 Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Displaced Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=20.0 Distance=20.0 Angle=10.0
Merge=(Unavailable) Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=2
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+1
Medium (The default for both viewports and rendering.) Selects a
medium-quality surface approximation. These are the default values:
Viewports, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=20.0 Distance=20.0 Angle=15.0 Merge=0.0
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=10.0 Distance=15.0 Angle=10.0
Merge=0.01 Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=4
Renderer, Displaced Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=10.0 Distance=10.0 Angle=4.0
Merge=(Unavailable) Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+2
High Selects a high-quality surface approximation. These are the default values:
Viewports, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=5.0 Distance=15.0 Angle=10.0 Merge=0.0
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=5.0 Distance=5.0 Angle=3.0 Merge=0.01
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=4
Renderer, Displaced Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=5.0 Distance=5.0 Angle=2.0
Merge=(Unavailable) Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=4
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+3
NOTE The keyboard shortcuts for surface approximation presets don't require
that the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle be on. You can change the surface
approximation of NURBS objects by selecting them in a viewport, and then using
Alt+1, Alt+2, or Alt+3. This works for sub-objects as well, but the surface sub-object's
Lock to Top Level toggle must be turned off.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2765

Tessellation Method group
The controls in this group affect the display of the NURBS surface in viewports
if you have chosen Viewports above, or by the renderer if you have chosen
Renderer above. You can choose between five algorithms. Each approximates
NURBS surfaces by tessellating them in a different way.
Generally speaking, if the preset values you have chosen give good results,
you don't need to adjust the controls on this rollout. Adjust them if you
encounter problems with the preset alternative.
Tips
■

Viewport Tessellation: The tessellation method creates the mesh. If you
modify the NURBS object with Mesh Select on page 1445, choose the method
that gives the result you need. If you use modifiers heavily, Spatial or
Parametric might be better than Curvature, because of their regular
tessellation. Curvature-dependent tessellation can cause problems with
some modifiers.

■

Renderer Tessellation: Spatial and Curvature usually obtains the most
accurate rendering. Curvature can be the more efficient choice when you
render animated surfaces.

Lock to Top Level (for sub-object surfaces only) When on, the surface
sub-object uses the same surface approximation settings as the top-level NURBS
model, and other controls on this rollout are disabled. When turned off, you
can set the sub-object approximation to differ from the top-level model.
Default=on.
Regular Generates a fixed tessellation across the surface based on U Steps by
V Steps. Increasing these parameters increases accuracy at a cost of speed, and
vice versa, but in general this can be the quickest and least accurate way to
approximate a NURBS surface. Very low values for U and V Steps using the
Regular method usually doesn't provide good results. Model complexity
increases slowly as U and V Steps values increase.

2766 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Regular mesh of the NURBS teapot

Parametric Generates an adaptive tessellation based on U Steps by V Steps.
Low values for U and V Steps using the Parametric method often provide good
results. Model complexity increases rapidly as U and V Steps values increase,
so take care when you switch from Regular, which generally requires higher
U and V values, to Parametric, where lower U and V values generally suffice.
For example, if you convert a teapot to NURBS and set the U and V steps to
15, the Regular method generates 4470 faces but the Parametric method
generates 204960 faces.

Parametric mesh of the NURBS teapot

Spatial Generates a uniform tessellation made of triangular faces.
The Edge parameter specifies the maximum length of a triangular face in the
tessellation. The value is a percentage of the object's bounding box. Decreasing
this value increases accuracy but increases rendering time.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2767

Spatial mesh of the NURBS teapot

Curvature (The default.) Generates a variable tessellation based on the
curvature of the surface. The tessellation has a finer grain where the surface
is more curved. Changing surface curvature dynamically changes the curvature
tessellation.
The Distance parameter specifies how far the approximation can deviate from
the actual NURBS surface. Distance is a percentage of the diagonal of each
surface's bounding box. Each surface in an object is tessellated based on its
size, independently of other surfaces. Scaling a surface doesn't change its
tessellation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Distance to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Angle to control accuracy.
The Angle parameter specifies the maximum angle between faces in the
approximation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Angle to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
Distance to control accuracy.
When both Distance and Angle are 0.0, the surfaces degenerate and can become
flat surfaces.

2768 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Curvature mesh of the NURBS teapot

Spatial and Curvature Combines the spatial (edge-length) method and the
curvature (distance and angle) methods, using all three values.
The Edge parameter specifies the maximum length of a triangular face in the
tessellation. The value is a percentage of the object's bounding box. Decreasing
this value increases accuracy but increases rendering time. When you set Edge
to 0.0, the effect is equivalent to the Curvature method.
The Distance parameter specifies how far the approximation can deviate from
the actual NURBS surface. Distance is a percentage of the diagonal of each
surface’s bounding box. Each surface in an object is tessellated based on its
size, independently of other surfaces. Scaling a surface doesn’t change its
tessellation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Distance to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Edge and Angle values to control accuracy.
The Angle parameter specifies the maximum angle between faces in the
approximation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Angle to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Edge and Distance values to control accuracy.
When Distance, Angle, and Edge are all 0.0, the surfaces degenerate and can
become flat surfaces.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2769

Spatial and Curvature mesh of the NURBS teapot

View-Dependent (for the Renderer only) When on, takes the object's distance
from the camera into account while calculating tessellation. This can improve
rendering time by not generating fine-grained tessellations for objects in the
distance of the rendered scene. The view-dependent effect works only when
you render camera or perspective views. It doesn't work in orthographic views.
This control is disabled while Viewports is active.
For the Spatial, Curvature, and Spatial and Curvature methods, the Distance
and Edge values specify pixels instead of 3ds Max units when View-Dependent
is on.
NOTE When View-Dependent is on, tessellation quickly reaches the maximum
subdivision limit. You might want to increase this value to 7 (the greatest value
allowed). See the description of Advanced Parameters, below.
Merge (sub-object surfaces only) Controls the tessellation of surface
sub-objects whose edges are joined or very nearly joined. When input to a
modifier (such as Mesh Select) requires a mesh, and when NURBS surfaces are
tessellated for production rendering, by default 3ds Max adjusts the tessellation
of adjoining surfaces to match each other, in terms of the number of faces
along the edges. The Merge parameter controls how this is done. If Merge is
zero, adjoining faces are unchanged. Increasing the value of Merge increases
the distance 3ds Max uses to calculate how edges should match, guaranteeing
no gaps between the surfaces when they are rendered. Default=0.0.
In most cases, you don't need to adjust Merge. If rendering shows gaps between
nearly adjoining faces, increase Merge to eliminate them.
Technically, the Merge value is 0.1 percent of the diagonal of the object's
bounding box. In other words, a Merge value of 1.0 (higher than necessary
for most purposes) is 0.1 percent of the length of the diagonal. Because Merge

2770 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

is based on the object's dimensions, you can scale the NURBS model without
affecting the Merge setting.
Advanced Parameters Click to display the Advanced Surface Approximation
dialog on page 2771. The parameters in this dialog apply to the Spatial, Curvature,
and Spatial and Curvature approximation methods.
Clear Surface Level (Appears only for top-level surfaces.) Clears all surface
approximation settings assigned to individual surface sub-objects. When you
click this button, all surface-specific approximations are lost, and Lock to Top
Level is on for surface sub-objects.

Advanced Surface Approximation Dialog (NURBS)
Modify panel ➤ Select a NURBS surface object or surface sub-object.
➤ Surface Approximation rollout ➤ Tessellation Method group box ➤
Turn off Lock To Top Level. ➤ Advanced Parameters button

Select an editable mesh object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Surface Properties
rollout ➤ Advanced Parameters button
This dialog sets parameters that control the tessellation used in the Spatial,
Curvature, and Spatial and Curvature approximation methods.

Interface

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2771

Subdivision Style
Chooses the method used to subdivide the surface:
Grid Subdivides the surface using a regular grid.
Tree (The default.) Subdivides the surface using a binary tree.
Delaunay Subdivides the surface using nearly equilateral triangles.

Delauney surface subdivision style

Subdivision Limits
For Grid or Tree subdivisions, the limits control the number of recursive
decompositions that are performed during tessellation.
Minimum Subdivision Levels Sets the minimum number of recursions.
Default=0.
Maximum Subdivision Levels Sets the maximum number of recursions. The
maximum can be no greater than 7. Be careful: setting the maximum greater
than 5 can result in massive face counts and poor performance. Default=3.

Maximum Number of Triangles
For Delaunay subdivision, the Maximum Number of Triangles lets you specify
the maximum number of triangles into which the surface will be divided.
Default=20000.

2772 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Surface Approximation Utility (NURBS)
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Surface Approximation
The Surface Approximation utility lets you change approximation and display
settings without going into the NURBS model, and is especially useful for
changing settings on multiple NURBS objects at once.
It has two rollouts, one for surface approximation and the other for surface
display controls:
Surface Approximation Rollout on page 2773
Surface Display Rollout on page 2784

Procedures
To use the Surface Approximation utility:

1 On the
Utilities panel, click the More button, and choose Surface
Approximation from the list.
2 Set the desired options on the Surface Approximation and Surface Display
rollouts.

3

Select the NURBS objects to apply the settings to.

4 On the Surface Display rollout, click Set Selected to apply the settings.

Surface Approximation Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Surface Approximation ➤ Surface Approximation rollout

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2773

The controls in the Surface Approximation rollout are the same as the surface
approximation on page 2762 controls for NURBS on page 2433 surface objects,
with two additional buttons: Set Selected and Reset.

2774 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2775

Iso Parametric Lines group
The controls in this group box affect the display of the NURBS surfaces in
viewports.
U Lines and V Lines The number of lines used to approximate the NURBS
surfaces in viewports, along the surface's local U and V dimensions,
respectively. Reducing these values can speed up the display of the surface,
but reduce accuracy of the display. Increasing these values increases accuracy
at the expense of time. Setting one of these values to 0 displays only the edge
of the object in the corresponding dimension.
Iso Only When chosen, all viewports display iso line on page 9197
representations of the surface. Iso (parametric) lines are similar to contour
lines. The lines show where the NURBS surface has a constant U value or V
value or both. Iso line representations can be less crowded and easier to
visualize than wire mesh representations.
Iso and Mesh (The default.) When chosen, wireframe viewports display iso
line representations of the surface, and shaded viewports display the shaded
surface.
Mesh Only When chosen, wireframe viewports display the surface as a wire
mesh, and shaded viewports display the shaded surface.
In wireframe viewports, this option lets you see the surface approximation
used for viewports.

Iso and mesh displays of a NURBS teapot

2776 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Viewports When chosen, the utility affects how surfaces in the NURBS objects
are displayed interactively in viewports, including shaded viewports, and by
the preview renderer.
The Viewports surface settings are also used when you apply a mesh modifier
such as Mesh Select to the NURBS objects. This is important because it can
affect the scene's geometry.
Renderer When chosen, the utility affects how surfaces in the NURBS objects
are displayed by the renderer.
Base Surface When on, settings affect entire surfaces in the selection set.
Default=on.
Surface Edge When on, settings affect the tessellation of surface edges that
are defined by trim curves.
Displaced Surface Enabled only when Renderer is chosen. Turn on to set a
third, independent approximation setting for surfaces that have a displacement
map on page 6482 or Displace on page 1255 modifier applied to them.

Load Tessellation Preset group
Lets you choose a preset low, medium, or high-quality level of surface
approximation. While a preset is chosen, the values it uses are displayed in
the Tessellation Method group box.
Preset values are saved in the 3dsmax.ini file. You can customize the preset
values by using the buttons in the following group box, Save Tessellation
Preset.
Low Selects a (comparatively) low-quality level of surface approximation.
These are the default values:
Viewports, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=50.0
Distance=50.0
Angle=50.0
Merge=0.0
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=20.0
Distance=20.0

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2777

Angle=15.0
Merge=0.01
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Displaced Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=20.0 Distance=20.0
Angle=10.0 Merge=(Unavailable)
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=2
Medium (The default for both viewports and rendering.) Selects a
medium-quality level of surface approximation. These are the default values:
Viewports, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=20.0
Distance=20.0
Angle=15.0
Merge=0.0
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=10.0
Distance=15.0
Angle=10.0
Merge=0.01
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=4
Renderer, Displaced Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=10.0
Distance=10.0
Angle=4.0
Merge=(Unavailable)
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
High Selects a high-quality level of surface approximation. These are the
default values:
Viewports, Base Surface:

2778 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=5.0 Distance=15.0 Angle=10.0 Merge=0.0
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=3
Renderer, Base Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=5.0
Distance=5.0
Angle=3.0
Merge=0.01
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=4
Renderer, Displaced Surface:
Method=Spatial and Curvature
Edge=5.0
Distance=5.0
Angle=2.0
Merge=(Unavailable)
Advanced Parameters ➤ Minimum=0, Maximum=4

Save Tessellation Preset group
Click a button to save the current Tessellation Method settings as a new Low,
Medium, or High preset. These values are saved in the 3dsmax.ini file.
NOTE There is a separate Low, Medium, and High preset for Base Surface and
Displaced Surface approximation. Check whether Base Surface or Displaced Surface
is on before you use the buttons in this group box to save a custom preset.
Customizing preset values overwrites the default presets. To restore the defaults,
you can re-enter the default preset values shown above, and then save them
with the corresponding button. You can also restore defaults by editing the
3dsmax.ini file to delete the custom preset values.
When you customize the preset values, there is no necessary correlation
between the button names and the quality of surface approximation. 3ds Max
has no way of knowing how "good" a tessellation is, and you can save a very
high-quality surface approximation in the Low preset, for example.

Tessellation Method group
The controls in this group box affect the display of the NURBS surfaces in
either viewports, if Viewports is chosen, or by the renderer, if Renderer is

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2779

chosen. You can choose between five algorithms. Each approximates NURBS
surfaces by tessellating them in a different way.
NOTE When Viewports is chosen, you must also choose Mesh Only in order to
see the effect of the Mesh Parameter settings in wireframe viewports.
Generally speaking, if the preset values you have chosen give good results,
you don't need to adjust the controls in this rollout further. Use them if you
encounter problems with the preset alternative.
Tips
■

Viewport Tessellation: The tessellation method creates the mesh, so if you
modify the NURBS object with Mesh Select, choose the method that gives
the result you need. If you use modifiers heavily, Spatial or Parametric
might be better than Curvature, because of their regular tessellation.
Curvature-dependent tessellation can cause problems with some modifiers.

■

Renderer Tessellation: Spatial and Curvature usually obtains the most
accurate rendering. Curvature can be the more efficient choice when you
render animated surfaces.

Regular Generates a fixed tessellation across the surface based on U Steps by
V Steps. Increasing these parameters increases accuracy at a cost of speed, and
vice versa, but in general this can be the quickest and least accurate way to
approximate a NURBS surface. Very low values for U and V Steps using the
Regular method usually doesn't provide good results. Model complexity
increases slowly as U and V Steps values increase.
Parametric Generates an adaptive tessellation based on U Steps by V Steps.
Low values for U and V Steps using the Parametric method often provide good
results. Model complexity increases rapidly as U and V Steps values increase,
so take care when you switch from Regular, which generally requires higher
U and V values, to Parametric, where lower U and V values generally suffice.
For example, if you convert a teapot to NURBS and set the U and V steps to
15, the Regular method generates 4470 faces but the Parametric method
generates 204960 faces.

2780 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Parametric mesh of the NURBS teapot

Spatial Generates a uniform tessellation made of triangular faces.
The Edge parameter specifies the maximum length of a triangular face in the
tessellation. The value is a percentage of the object's bounding box. Decreasing
this value increases accuracy but increases rendering time.

Spatial mesh of the NURBS teapot

Curvature Generates a variable tessellation based on the curvature of the
surface. The tessellation has a finer grain where the surface is more curved.
Changing surface curvature dynamically changes the curvature tessellation.
The Distance parameter specifies how far the approximation can deviate from
the actual NURBS surface. Distance is a percentage of the diagonal of each
surface's bounding box. Each surface in an object is tessellated based on its
size, independently of other surfaces, and scaling a surface doesn't change its
tessellation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Distance to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Angle to control accuracy.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2781

The Angle parameter specifies the maximum angle between faces in the
approximation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Angle to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Distance to control accuracy.
When both Distance and Angle are 0.0, the surfaces degenerate and can become
flat surfaces.

Curvature mesh of the NURBS teapot

Spatial and Curvature (The default.) Combines the spatial (edge-length)
method and the curvature (distance and angle) methods, using all three values.
The Edge parameter specifies the maximum length of a triangular face in the
tessellation. The value is a percentage of the object's bounding box. Decreasing
this value increases accuracy but increases rendering time. When you set Edge
to 0.0, the effect is equivalent to the Curvature method.
The Distance parameter specifies how far the approximation can deviate from
the actual NURBS surface. Distance is a percentage of the diagonal of each
surface’s bounding box. Each surface in an object is tessellated based on its
size, independently of other surfaces, and scaling a surface doesn’t change its
tessellation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Distance to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Edge and Angle values to control accuracy.
The Angle parameter specifies the maximum angle between faces in the
approximation. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering
time. When you set Angle to 0.0, 3ds Max ignores this parameter and uses
the Edge and Distance values to control accuracy.
When Distance, Angle, and Edge are all 0.0, the surfaces degenerate and can
become flat surfaces.
View-Dependent (for the Renderer only): When on, takes the object's distance
from the camera into account while calculating its tessellation. This can

2782 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

improve rendering time by not generating fine-grained tessellations for objects
that are in the distance of the rendered scene. The view-dependent effect only
works when you render camera or perspective views. It doesn't work in
orthographic views. This control is disabled while Viewports is active.
For the Spatial, Curvature, and Spatial and Curvature methods, when
View-Dependent is on, the Distance and Edge values specify pixels instead of
the default 3ds Max units.
NOTE When View-Dependent is on, tessellation very quickly reaches the maximum
subdivision limit. You might want to increase this value to 7 (the greatest value
allowed). See the description of Advanced Parameters, below.
Merge Controls the tessellation of surface sub-objects whose edges are joined
or very nearly joined. When input to a modifier (such as Mesh Select) that
requires a mesh, and when NURBS surfaces are tessellated for production
rendering, by default 3ds Max adjusts the tessellation of adjoining surfaces to
match each other, in terms of the number of faces along the edges. The Merge
parameter controls how this is done. If Merge is zero, adjoining faces are
unchanged. Increasing the value of Merge increases the distance 3ds Max uses
to calculate how edges should match, guaranteeing no gaps between the
surfaces when they are rendered. Default=0.01.
In most cases, you don't need to adjust Merge. If rendering shows gaps between
nearly adjoining faces, increase Merge to eliminate them.
Technically, the Merge value is one tenth of one percent of the diagonal of
the object's bounding box. In other words, a Merge value of 1.0 (higher than
necessary for most purposes) is 0.1 percent of the length of the diagonal.
Because Merge is based on the object's dimensions, you can scale the NURBS
model without affecting the Merge setting.
Advanced Parameters Click to display the Advanced Surface Approximation
dialog on page 2771. The parameters in this dialog apply to the Spatial, Curvature,
and Spatial and Curvature approximation methods.
Clear Surfaces When on, the settings you choose in this utility override all
sub-object specific surface approximation settings in the selected NURBS
models. When off, the utility affects top-level NURBS models but settings local
to individual surface sub-objects remain unaffected. Default=Off.

Set Selected Applies the surface approximation values active in the utility to
all selected NURBS objects.
Reset Resets the values in the utility to the default settings for a NURBS surface.

NURBS Curve and Surface Approximation | 2783

Surface Display Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Surface Approximation ➤ Surface Display rollout
The controls in the Surface Display rollout are the same as the display controls
for NURBS surface objects, with two additional buttons: Set Selected and Reset.

Interface

Display group
Lattices When on, displays control lattices, in yellow lines. (You can change
the lattice color by using the Colors panel on page 8860 of the Customize User
Interface dialog. The Curve CV and Surface CV sub-object levels also have a
local Display Lattice toggle, which overrides this global setting at the sub-object
level. The Curve CV and Surface CV settings are independent. In other words,
at the sub-object level, you can turn on the lattice for an object’s curves but
not its surfaces, or vice versa.
Curves When on, displays curves.
Surfaces When on, displays surfaces.

2784 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Dependents When on, displays dependent sub-objects.
Surface Trims When on, displays surface trimming. When turned off, displays
all of a surface even if it’s trimmed.
Transform Degrade When on, transforming a NURBS surface can degrade its
display in shaded viewports, to save time. This is similar to using the Adaptive
Degradation toggle for playing animations. You can turn off this toggle so
surfaces are always shaded while you transform them, but transforms can take
longer to create.

Button set
Set Selected Applies the display settings active in the utility to all selected
NURBS objects.
Reset Resets the values in the utility to the default settings for a NURBS surface.

Tools for Low-Polygon Modeling
A few features help you manage the polygon count for scenes and animations
that must not become too complex.
Show Statistics, available from the General viewport label menu on page 8707,
lets you monitor the number of polygons, vertices, and so on, in the scene,
as well as the frames per second displayed.
The Level of Detail utility, available from the Utilities panel on page 8810, lets
you manage the complexity of an object in the scene. For example, Level of
Detail enables you to display a complex object as simple geometry when the
object is at a distance from the camera.
ProOptimizer is a modifier that helps you reduce the vertex and polygon count
of high-resolution models. This feature is also available as a utility, which lets
you run it as a batch process on one or more scene files.

Show Statistics
Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”). ➤ General viewport
label menu on page 8707 ➤ Show Statistics
Keyboard ➤ 7
You can quickly access various statistics related to your current selection and
entire scene.

Tools for Low-Polygon Modeling | 2785

NOTE These statistics are relevant primarily to mesh and poly objects. Some
statistics information might be unavailable with certain other types of object.

Procedures
To use the viewport statistics display:
1 Choose Customize menu ➤ Viewport Configuration dialog ➤ Statistics
panel.
2 Activate the viewport in which to display statistics.
3 Toggle the statistics display by pressing 7 or right-clicking the viewport
label and choosing Show Statistics.

Interface
You can customize the viewport statistics by turning on and off options on
the Statistics on page 8978 panel of the Viewport Configuration dialog. The
following statistics reflect all options turned on.

The first column lists the statistics for the entire scene, while the second only refers to
the selected objects.

Polys Displays the number of polygons in the scene and selection.
NOTE This is valid only for poly objects.
Tris Displays the number of triangle faces in the scene and selection.
NOTE If you select a polygon in a poly object, this option shows two or more
triangles.
Edges Displays the number of edges in the scene and selection.
Verts Displays the number of vertices in the scene and selection.
FPS The frames per second displayed in the viewport.

2786 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Level of Detail Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Level of Detail
The Level Of Detail utility lets you construct an object that alters its geometric
complexity or level of detail based on its size in the rendered image. You create
several versions of the same object each with different levels of detail, group
them as one, and then run the Level Of Detail utility, which automatically
creates a special LOD controller as a Visibility track. The LOD controller then
hides and unhides the objects in the group, depending on their size in the
rendered scene.
The main purpose of this utility is to save time in rendering complex objects
and in manipulating objects in the viewports. Since a portion of rendering
speed is directly related to the number of faces that must be rendered in a
scene, using the Level Of Detail utility lets you reduce the number of rendered
faces as an object reduces its apparent size. In addition, you can use this utility
to display a simple stand-in for a more complex object in the viewports. Since
the stack is not calculated for objects hidden in the viewports, you can speed
up viewport manipulation by using this utility to substitute complex stack
objects with simple stand-ins.

Procedures
To set up an object for the Level Of Detail utility:
1 Create two or more objects that are identical except for their complexity.
NOTE It's best to assign materials and mapping coordinates, as well as all
modifiers while the objects are still separate.

2

Select all of the objects, and use the
all of them about a common center.

Align tool to center

3 Group the objects.
4 Choose the Level Of Detail utility.
5 While the grouped object is selected, click the Create New Set button.

Level of Detail Utility | 2787

The name of the objects within the group appear in the Level Of Detail
list, in order of complexity; only the least complex object in the group
is displayed in the viewports, while all other objects are made invisible.
6 Use the controls in the Level Of Detail rollout to adjust when the objects
will switch their display in the rendered scene.
To access an object's stack:

1

Select the Level Of Detail object, and then choose Group menu
➤ Open.

2 In the Level Of Detail utility, choose the object you want to access from
the list window, and then turn on Display In Viewports (or double-click
the object's name in the list window).

3

Select the object in the viewport.

4 Open the

Modify panel to access that object's parameters.

5 When finished, choose Group menu ➤ Close.
To assign materials within the group:

1

Select the grouped object.

2 Use Display In Viewports in the Level Of Detail utility to display the
grouped object you want to assign the material to.
3 Drag the material from the Material Editor (or the Browser) over to the
object in the viewport.
4 Choose Assign To Object in the Assign Material alert, and then click OK.
NOTE Be sure and choose Assign To Object. If you choose the default Assign
To Selection, all objects in the group will be assigned the same material.

2788 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

To dismantle a Level Of Detail object:
If you look at a Level Of Detail object in Track View, you'll see only the tracks
for the sub-object that's currently displayed in the viewports. To see all
sub-objects in Track View, you need to turn off Visible Objects.
If you need to dismantle a grouped Level Of Detail object, and restore its
sub-objects to their independent states, follow these steps:
1 Open the Filters dialog in Track View, and turn off Visible Objects in the
Show Only group box.
2 The tracks for all of the sub-objects in the Level Of Detail object are now
visible.
3 Open the hierarchy of each of the sub-objects, and then select each of
their Visibility tracks.
4 On the Track View toolbar, click the Delete Controller button.
5 If you also want to remove the grouping, select the grouped objects, and
then choose Explode in the Group menu.

Level of Detail Utility | 2789

Interface

Level of Detail Set group
Lets you create a new set, and add or remove objects from the current set.

2790 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Create New Set Creates a new Level of Detail set based on a currently selected
group object.
Add To Set Adds an object to the Level of Detail set. You must first attach the
object you want to add to the group object. To add an object to the set, use
Align to center the object with the group object. Select the object you want
to add, and then choose Attach from the Group menu, and then click the
group object. Finally, click the Add to Set button, and then click the object
you want added.
Remove from Set Removes the object highlighted in the list window from
the current set. Note that the object then becomes visible in the viewports,
but is still part of the group. To remove the object from the group, choose
Group menu ➤ Open, select the object you want removed, and choose Group
menu ➤ Detach. Select the group object again, and choose Group menu ➤
Close.

Image Output Size group
Width/Height The Width and Height spinners in this area are set to the
current rendering output size each time you enter the Level of Detail utility.
Using the spinners, you can change this to any resolution. If the percent of
Target Image option is selected, as you change the Target Image Size, the
threshold values change as well.
Reset to Current Resets both spinners to the current rendering output size.
List window Lists all of the objects in the group by complexity, with the least
complex at the top of the list. The numbers at the left of each object name
are the threshold values that indicate at what size the object will be displayed
in the rendered scene. The numbers can be one of two types of units, pixels,
or percentage of the target image. You set the type of unit in the Threshold
Units group.
Display in Viewports Displays in the viewport the object highlighted in the
list window. Only one object in the group is displayed in the viewports at any
time. As a default, the least complex object is displayed, but you can look at
the other objects by highlighting them in the list and selecting this item.
Double-clicking the object name in the list performs the same function.

Threshold Units group
The options in this group box let you choose between two types of threshold
units. Switching between these two options does not alter the effect; it alters
the method by which you set the thresholds.

Level of Detail Utility | 2791

Pixels The thresholds are determined by specifying the maximum pixel size
of the image (measured diagonally). Use when you want to set the transfer
thresholds using absolute rather than relative values.
% of Target Image Sets the thresholds based on the percentage of the size of
the image (measured diagonally) relative to the size of the rendered output.

Thresholds group
Min Size/Max Size Sets the minimum size of the object before it's replaced
by the less complex object, and the maximum size of the object before it's
replaced by the more complex object. The values vary depending on the
current type of Threshold Unit. The default threshold values are initialized so
that the most complex object is 100 percent of the image output size. The
remaining thresholds are set using an algorithm based on a ratio of the number
of faces between each object. It assumes that all faces are the same size, and
then picks thresholds so that the faces would remain a constant size as
displayed on the screen. Usually, this will provide the type of smooth transition
you need, but you can customize the threshold values. The threshold values
are interrelated between the objects, so altering the minimum size of one
object, for example, will also alter the maximum size of the next object.
Reset All Resets all thresholds for all objects in the list, using the previously
described algorithm.
TIP You can use the Level of Detail utility to create objects that display very simple
geometry in the viewports, while displaying complex geometry in the rendered
scene. Create a grouped Level of Detail object consisting of only two objects, the
complex object and the simple object. Select the simple object in the list window
and, in the Thresholds are, set its Min Size and its Max Size to 0. This will display
the simple object in the viewports, but the complex object will always appear in
the rendered scene, regardless of its apparent size.

Close button
Close Closes the utility.

Optimization Modifiers
A few 3ds Max modifiers can help you lower the polygon count of your models.
■

MultiRes on page 1482
The MultiRes modifier reduces the memory overhead needed to render
models by decreasing the number of vertices and polygons. This is useful
not only within 3ds Max, but for content creators who export models for

2792 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

use outside of 3ds Max, such as in Web-based 3D applications. MultiRes
offers several advantages over the Optimize modifier, including faster
operation and the ability to specify reduction as an exact percentage or
vertex count.
■

Optimize on page 1504
The Optimize modifier lets you reduce the number of faces and vertices
in an object. This simplifies the geometry and speeds up rendering while
maintaining an acceptable image. A Before/After readout gives you exact
feedback on the reduction as you make each change.

■

ProOptimizer on page 1561
The ProOptimizer modifier lets you select objects and interactively optimize
them.
ProOptimizer is also avaialble as a Batch ProOptimizer utility on page 2793,
described in this chapter. This utility lets you optimize multiple scene files
at the same time.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Batch ProOptimizer
The Batch ProOptimizer utility lets you optimize multiple scene files at the
same time. You can optimize 3ds Max (MAX) or Wavefront (OBJ) files.
The ProOptimizer feature is an optimization tool that helps you reduce the
number of vertices (and so the number of faces) in an object while preserving
the object’s appearance. Options let you maintain material, mapping, and
vertex color information in the optimized model.
Optimizing objects can reduce a scene’s memory requirements, simplify
modeling because objects have fewer faces, and improve the speed of viewport
display and rendering time.
There are two ways to use ProOptimizer:
■

The ProOptimizer modifier on page 1561 lets you select objects and
interactively optimize them.

■

The Batch ProOptimizer utility, described here, lets you optimize multiple
scene files (MAX or OBJ files) at the same time.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2793

TIP With the Batch ProOptimizer, you can optimize meshes before you import
them. This can save time. The Batch ProOptimizer is also a good choice if the
original meshes are extremely dense.

Original model
Vertices: 47226
Faces: 93792

Optimized model, Vertex % = 10.0
Vertices: 4722
Faces: 9323

2794 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Optimized model, Vertex % = 5.0
Vertices: 2361
Faces: 4660

Batch ProOptimizer Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Batch ProOptimizer ➤ Batch ProOptimizer rollout
The Batch ProOptimizer rollout contains a couple of options, and also lets
you open the Batch Optimization dialog, which contains the main controls
for this utility.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2795

Interface

Batch Optimization Click to open the Batch Optimization dialog on page
2797.

Options group
Apply Modifier When on, applies modifiers to objects before optimizing
them. After optimization, ProOptimizer collapses the stack. Default=on.
When off, ProOptimizer optimizes base objects only, and does not collapse
the stack.
Validate 3ds Max dialogs automatically during batch processing Opening
and saving files can cause 3ds Max to display dialogs; for example, warnings
about missing bitmaps or MAX files that were saved with an earlier version.
When on, ProOptimizer confirms these dialogs. This option prevents the
dialog appearing interactively, interrupting the batch process and forcing you
to intervene. Default=on.
When off, ProOptimizer does not confirm dialogs. If a 3ds Max dialog appears
during batch processing, you must click to confirm it before the batch process
continues.

2796 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Batch Optimization Dialog
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Batch ProOptimizer ➤ Click Batch Optimization. ➤ Batch Optimization
dialog
The Batch Optimization dialog lets you set up and launch a batch optimization
task.
The first time you click Batch Optimization, ProOptimizer displays a dialog
warning you to close any modeless 3ds Max dialogs and windows that might
be open. The batch process runs more quickly if all such dialogs are closed
before you begin.

If your current scene has unsaved changes, the ProOptimizer utility also
prompts you to save the scene.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2797

Interface

The Batch Optimization dialog has three panels, described in the topics that
follow.

Batch Optimization: Source Files Panel
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Batch ProOptimizer ➤ Click Batch Optimization. ➤ Batch Optimization
dialog ➤ Source Files panel
On the Source Files panel, you choose which files to optimize.

2798 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

For options on how to save the optimized files, see Batch Optimization:
Optimized Files Panel on page 2802.

Interface

File Selection Lets you choose an one or more files to optimize.
■

SelectClick to open a file selector that lets you choose the file or files to
optimize.

Current Directory (The default.) Batch optimizes all the eligible files (MAX
or OBJ files) in the current directory.
Selected Directory Batch optimizes all the eligible files (MAX or OBJ files) in
the selected directory.
■

BrowseClick to display a directory browser that lets you choose the directory
to process.

Include Subdirectories When on, ProOptimizer scans subdirectories and
batch processes the eligible files in them. When off, it processes only files in
the specified directory (the root). Default=on.
This option is disabled when File Selection is active.

Batch Optimization: Optimization Panel
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Batch ProOptimizer ➤ Click Batch Optimization. ➤ Batch Optimization
dialog ➤ Optimization panel
On the Optimization panel, you choose the optimization levels to generate,
and the options that will be active.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2799

These settings are comparable to those for the ProOptimizer modifier on page
1561. The main difference is that you can choose to generate multiple files, each
of which has a different level of optimization.
This panel is inaccessible if you haven’t used the Source Files panel to choose
at least one file or directory to optimize. If you haven’t done so, this alert
appears when you click the tab:

Interface

2800 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Optimization Level group
The controls in this group are comparable to the Vertex % control for the
modifier (see ProOptimizer Modifier on page 1561), but allow you to generate
multiple optimized scenes during batch processing.
Predefined Vertex % When Predefined Vertex % is active, you can generate
up to five optimized files, using Vertex % values that you enter yourself.
Defaults = 25, 50, 65, 75, 90.
If you enter fewer than five values, ProOptimizer generates only as many
optimized files as Vertex % values you specify.
Automatic Vertex % When Automatic Vertex % is active, ProOptimizer
generates multiplie optimized files at regular Vertex % intervals. Each interval
is greater than zero and less than 100 percent (zero percent would leave no
geometry at all, and 100 percent is just the original model).
The number you choose is the number of optimized files that ProOptimizer
generates. Default=9.
For example, at the default count of 9, the optimized files use Vertex % values
of 10, 20, 30, through 90. If you change the count to 3, the Vertex % values
used are 25, 50, and 75. A count of 50 (too large to be practical) would use
Vertex % values of 2, 4, 6, through 98.
For options on how to save the optimized files, see Batch Optimization:
Optimized Files Panel on page 2802.

Optimization Options group
Crunch Borders / Protect Borders / Exclude Borders See Optimization Mode
Group on page 1569.
Optimize Hidden Objects When on, ProOptimizer optimizes hidden objects
as well as visible ones. When off, ProOptimizer optimizes visible objects only.
Default=on.
Merge Vertices When on, applies the Merge Vertices tool before optimizing.
Default=off.
TIP Use this tool if a model has faces that are disconnected, but should not be.
■

Threshold The Threshold setting for the Merge Vertices tool. See Merge
Tools Group on page 1582.

Merge Faces When on, applies the Merge Faces tool before optimizing.
Default=off.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2801

TIP Use this tool if the model has surfaces that are subdivided into coplanar faces.
■

Threshold Angle The Threshold Angle setting for the Merge Faces tool. See
Merge Tools Group on page 1582.

Materials and UVs group
These are equivalent to the modifier options. See Materials and UVs Group
on page 1573.

Vertex Color group
These are equivalent to the modifier options. See Vertex Colors Group on page
1577.

Symmetry Options group
These are equivalent to the modifier options. See Symmetry Options Rollout
on page 1586.

Normals group
These are equivalent to the modifier options. See Normals Group on page 1580.

Advanced Options group
These are equivalent to the modifier options. See Advanced Options Rollout
on page 1587.

Batch Optimization: Optimized Files Panel
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Batch ProOptimizer ➤ Click Batch Optimization. ➤ Batch Optimization
dialog ➤ Optimized Files panel
On the Optimized Files panel, you choose the location of the generated files,
their file name format, and file format.
This panel is inaccessible if you haven’t used the Source Files panel to choose
at least one file or directory to optimize. If you haven’t done so, this alert
appears when you click the tab:

2802 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Interface

File Names group
These options tell ProOptimizer how to name the files it generates.
Number by order of creation (The default.) When this option is active,
ProOptimizer gives the files it generates the name of the original file, followed
by a value that shows the order in which the file was created.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2803

Number by optimization level When this option is active, ProOptimizer
gives the files it generates the name of the original file, followed by a value
that shows the optimization level (Vertex % value) used to create the file.
Auto rename duplicate files When on, ProOptimizer renames each file it
generates if there is a conflict with the name of an exisiting file. When off,
ProOptimizer overwrites existing files that have the same name. Default=on.
Prefix to add to the name Lets you specify a prefix to add to the name of all
files generated by ProOptimizer.
Suffix to add to the name Lets you specify a suffix to add to the name of all
files generated by ProOptimizer.

Optimized Files Directory group
These options tell ProOptimizer where to save the files it generates.
In the same directory as the source files When active, ProOptimizer saves
optimized files in the same directory as the source files.
In a subdirectory of the source files (The default.) When active, ProOptimizer
saves optimized files in the directory whose name is shown in the Directory
Name field.
In the selected directory When active, you can click the Browse button to
choose a particular directory in which to save the optimized files.
Directory Name field When you choose either a subdirectory or specify a
particular directory, this field shows the name of the directory used.
Default=”.\Results”.
NOTE The combination of defaults means that by default, optimized files are
saved in a folder named \Result, which is a subdirectory of the directory where
the source files are located.
■

BrowseWhen “In the selected directory” is active, click Browse to display
a directory browser that lets you choose the folder in which to save the
optimized files.

Re-create directory tree When on, and “In the selected directory” is active,
ProOptimizer creates subdirectories that match the original source tree. When
“In a subdirectory of the source files” is active, this option is always on.
Default=on.
This option is disabled if you turn off Include Subdirectories on the Source
Files panel on page 2798.

2804 | Chapter 10 Surface Modeling

Optimized Files Format group
With these options, you can choose the format of the generated files.
Keep source file format if possible, otherwise convert to selected
format (The default.) When active, optimized files are saved in the same
format as the source file, unless this is impossible for some reason, in which
case they are saved in the format specified by the drop-down list.
Convert to the selected format When active, optimized files are saved in the
format specified by the drop-down list.
File Format drop-down list Lets you choose between MAX (3ds Max) or OBJ
(Wavefront) file formats.

Batch ProOptimizer Utility | 2805

2806

Precision and Drawing Aids

11

3ds Max provides tools that give you control over the positioning and alignment of objects
in 3D space. With these tools, you can do the following:
■

Choose display units from the most common real-world measuring systems or define your
own.

■

Use the home grid as a construction plane, or use grid objects to position custom
construction planes.

■

Select different options to align objects with grids, points, and normals.

■

Use 3D object snaps on a modeless dialog as you build and move geometry in your scene.
Grid points and lines are among the many snap options.

■

Use "helper objects" in your work. This category includes grid objects as well as objects
used for positioning and measurement.

2807

Various drawing aids
Upper left: Aligning objects to grids
Upper right: Aligning objects to each other
Bottom: Using a Tape helper to measure distance

Tools for Precision
A set of interrelated tools in 3ds Max gives you precise control of the scale,
placement, and movement of objects in your scene. These are especially
important tools for those who build precise models in real-world units of
measurement.

Basic Tools
The tools for precision are grouped as follows:
Units Define different measurement systems. Besides the generic unit, you
have your choice of feet and inches in both decimals and fractions. Metric
units range from millimeters to kilometers. You can also define other units.
See Using Units on page 2810.

2808 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Grids Include the home grid and special grid objects. Both types of grid can
act as construction planes. 3ds Max constructs objects using the orientation
and position of the active grid. While the home grid is fixed in world space,
you can rotate grid objects and place them anywhere in a scene, and align
them to other objects and surfaces. You can also give each grid object its own
spacing, and display any grid as a dedicated viewport.
See Using Grids on page 2811.
Object alignment Matches an object with the position, orientation, or normal
of another object, or to a point in space.
See Alignment on page 2825.
Object snaps Ensure precise placement when creating and rearranging objects.
Keyboard shortcuts let you change object snaps as you work. You can also set
snaps to find grid lines and intersections. An angle snap sets the increment
for rotation, and a percent snap sets the increment for scaling.
See Using Snaps on page 2830.
Helpers These are specialized tools in the same category as grid objects. For
example, the Tape object measures distances in current units, and the
Protractor object measures angles. The Dummy helper is useful in constructing
hierarchies, and the Manipulator helpers let you use custom controls in the
program interface.
See Helpers on page 2868.
Additional Tools Rounding out the set of precision aids are tools and utilities
for checking geometry, measurement, and rescaling units.
See Drawing Assistants on page 2905.

How the Tools Work Together
The tools themselves establish a general order of use and interaction, although
you can always change settings as needed without following this sequence.
■

Choose a measuring unit. The default is generic units, sufficient for many
purposes.

■

Set grid spacing (the size of the smallest square), based on the measuring
unit. The home grid and grid objects can have their own spacing, separate
from the grid spacing.

■

Move and align grid objects to a useful orientation.

■

Set or vary snap settings as needed in your work.

■

Use other helper objects like Point and Tape as part of the precision process.

Tools for Precision | 2809

As you work, you can change your settings (including the measuring unit)
without losing any precision.

Using Units
Units are the key to connecting the three-dimensional world of 3ds Max with
the physical world. You define the units you want to use from the Units Setup
dialog on page 8955.

Changing Display Units
When you change display units, 3ds Max displays measurements in the new
unit for your convenience. All dimensions are displayed in the new unit.
Essentially, you’re using a new "measuring stick." No object is changed in this
process. As in the physical world, objects in the scene maintain their absolute
size, regardless of how you measure them.

Type-In Entry
When you enter any dimension, 3ds Max always assumes the number you
enter is expressed in the current units. You can also enter a series of numbers:
3ds Max then converts their sum into the current unit. Here are some examples
that assume the current units are in centimeters:
■

When you enter a dimension of 1’ (one US foot), it converts to 30.48cm.

■

If you enter a series of numbers such as 14 286 175 (separated by spaces),
the series is totaled to 475.0cm.

■

If you enter 1’ 1 (one US foot and 1 centimeter), this is converted and
summed into 31.48cm.

When you use US Standard as the display unit scale, you can select either feet
or inches as the default for type-in entry. If you select feet and enter 12, the
result is 12’ 0". However, if you enter 1’ 2, 3ds Max identifies the second digit
as inches, producing 1’ 2" as the result.
In any unit system, you can enter fractional amounts. For example, assume
you’re working in US Standard with feet as the default:
■

If you enter 18/3, the result is 6’0".

■

If you enter 18/3", the result is 0’6".

■

You can specify units in a different system, and they are converted on the
fly. For example, if you enter 18/3cm, the result is 0'2.362".

2810 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Understanding the System Unit
3ds Max keeps track of all measurements in its own internal system unit. No
matter what kind of display units you use, measurements are stored in this
absolute unit for storage and computation. The default system unit is defined
as 1.000 inch. As long as the system unit is left at one inch, you can freely
share models and change units on the fly with no effect on the underlying
geometry. Except in rare circumstances, you never need to change this default
scale. This means you can merge a model created with any standard unit into
your scene at true scale.
You can change the system unit setting on the System Unit Setup dialog,
available from the Units Setup dialog on page 8955. Changing the system unit
is recommended only if your scene has very small (less than one inch) or very
large dimensions. See System Unit Setup Dialog on page 8959 for more
information.
If you do need to change the system unit, change it before you create or import
geometry. Do not change the system unit in an existing scene.

Using Grids
Grids are two-dimensional arrays of lines similar to graph paper, except that
you can adjust the spacing and other features of the grid to the needs of your
work.

Using Grids | 2811

One grid establishes the pitch of the boat, another the pitch of the ship

Grids have these primary uses:
■

As an aid in visualizing space, scale, and distance.

■

As construction planes where you create and align objects in your scene.

■

As a reference system for using the Snap feature to align objects.

Home Grid and Grid Objects
3ds Max provides two kinds of grids: the home grid and grid objects. In
addition, it includes the AutoGrid feature, an automated way of creating grid
objects.
Home grid The home grid is defined by three planes along the world X, Y,
and Z axes. Each of these axes passes through the world coordinate system's
origin point (0,0,0). The home grid is fixed; it cannot be moved or rotated.
■

The home grid is visible by default when you start 3ds Max, but its display
can be turned off.

■

You can use any view of the home grid as a construction plane by drawing
in the viewport in which the grid's view appears.

2812 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

See Viewing and Navigating 3D Space on page 47 for a complete introduction
to the home grid.
Grid objects A grid object is a helper object you can create whenever you
need a local reference grid or construction plane somewhere other than the
home grid.
■

You can have any number of grid objects in your scene, but only one can
be active at a time.

■

When active, a grid object replaces the home grid in all viewports.

■

Each grid object has its own set of XY, YZ, and ZX planes. You can freely
move and rotate grid objects, placing them at any angle in space, or attach
them to objects and surfaces.

■

You can change a viewport to display a plan (top) view of any active grid
object.

■

Grid objects can be named and saved like other objects, or used once and
deleted.

AutoGrid This feature lets you create new objects and grid objects off the
surfaces of other objects on the fly. See AutoGrid on page 2819.

Using the Home Grid
The home grid provides ready-to-use construction planes, much like a leveled
building site marked with stakes and strings. When you create an object in a
viewport, the new object is placed on the home grid plane of that viewport.
To use the home grid effectively for construction, you often need to change
the defaults to the job at hand, analogous to moving the stakes and strings
to match your own site plan.

Using the Home Grid | 2813

Using the home grid to position houses

Changing Home Grid Settings
The home grid is a single system; its three planes use the same settings for
grid spacing and major line divisions. You change these settings from a single
panel of the Grid and Snap Settings dialog.
To access the Home Grid panel, do one of the following:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings,
then click the Home Grid tab.
2 Right-click any snap button on page 2833, then click the Home Grid tab.

Setting Grid Spacing
Grid spacing is the size, in current units, of the grid's smallest square. The
basic idea is to choose a grid spacing that corresponds to your unit of
measurement, then choose a larger spacing for multiple units.
For example, if you have units set to centimeters, you might make one grid
space equal to 1.000 (one unit, or one centimeter in this case).

2814 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Setting Major Grid Divisions
The home grid displays heavier or "major" lines to mark groups of grid squares.
You can use these to represent larger units of measurement.
For example, if you use a grid spacing of one centimeter, you might use a
value of 10 so the major grid divisions represent one decimeter.

Setting Color and Intensity
To improve grid visibility, you can change the intensity or color of the home
grid. Choose Customize menu ➤ Customize User Interface ➤ Colors panel
on page 8860.

Using Grid Objects
Grid objects let you bypass the home grid and work on separately defined
grids to create and position objects. You can use as many grid objects as you
like, each serving as a custom construction plane with its own grid settings.

Using Grid Objects | 2815

Above: Inactive grid object in a scene
Below: Activated grid object

Grid objects are 2D parametric objects, with adjustments for overall size and
grid spacing. You can adjust their orientation in world space, and match them
to a particular surface or object.
To activate a grid object:
1 Create or select a grid object.
2 Choose Tools ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Grid Object.

2816 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

To deactivate a grid object, do one of the following:

■

Select and activate another grid object.

■

Choose Tools ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Home Grid.

■

Press Delete to delete the grid object.

Creating and Modifying Grid Objects
You find Grid objects in the Create panel ➤ Helpers category.
When creating an object, you can also create a temporary "AutoGrid" grid
object that's tangent to an existing object surface at the point you click. To
do this, turn on the AutoGrid on page 2819 check box in the Object Type rollout.
You can save this grid by holding the Alt key before you click.
Grid objects are named when you create them and are saved with the scene.
You can delete them at any time.
Like other objects created in 3ds Max, standard grid objects are placed on the
grid of the current viewport. By default, this is a plane of the home grid, but
can also be another activated grid object.
For more information on grid object settings, see Grid on page 2878.

Viewing Grid Objects
An activated grid helper object on page 2878 creates a true plane in 3D space.
No matter how small an activated grid object appears on the screen, its plane
is effectively infinite, just as if it were a plane of the home grid. However, you
can view a given grid object in different ways.

Setting the Display Plane
You can adjust the visible plane of a selected or activated grid object on the
Modify panel.
To set the display plane:

1 Open the
selected grid.

Modify panel to display the Parameters rollout for the

Viewing Grid Objects | 2817

2 In the Display group, choose any of the three planes: XY, YZ, or ZX.
The grid rotates in world space to display the corresponding plane, always
based on the grid's local axis.
You can move or rotate a grid, either before or after setting its display plane.

Setting Grid Views
You can set the view in any viewport to an orthographic view as well as the
display view.
To set grid view:
1 Activate the grid object. on page 2881
2 Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label and from the
POV viewport label menu on page 8712 choose Grid to display a submenu
of possible views.
3 Choose Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Right, Left, or Display Planes. Display
Planes corresponds to the current setting on the Parameters rollout (XY,
YZ, or ZX).
The viewport now shows this view of the grid.
You can set different viewports to different views of the grid. Objects are always
created on a view's orthographic grid, even if you rotate the angle of view. In
other words, you can set up a convenient view and still construct on the
chosen plane.

Deactivating Grid Objects
You can deactivate a grid object in any of the following ways:
■

Select and activate another grid object.

■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Home Grid.

■

Delete the grid object.

When you deactivate a grid object, any viewports based on that grid switch
to the corresponding orthographic view. For example, a Grid (Front) viewport
becomes a Front viewport. A Grid (Display Planes) viewport always switches
to Top view, regardless of the currently displayed plane.

2818 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

AutoGrid
Create panel ➤ Any object category ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
AutoGrid check box

Extras toolbar ➤

(AutoGrid)

AutoGrid lets you automatically create, merge, or import objects on the surface
of other objects by generating and activating a temporary construction plane
based on normals of the face that you click. This serves as a more efficient
way of stacking objects as you create them, rather than building objects and
then aligning them as a separate step.

AutoGrid | 2819

AutoGrid used to position the second block on top of the first

You can use objects within an XRef scene as reference when AutoGrid is on.
NOTE If the Smooth check box is turned on in the Parameters rollout of a
parametric object, the construction plane is placed tangent to the face of the
surface implied by any smoothing present on the surface, not the actual face of
the surface.

Procedures
Example: To create a box aligned to another object using a temporary
construction grid:
1 Create or load a scene containing an object to which you want to align
a new box.

2 On the
Create panel ➤ with
(Geometry) active ➤ Standard
Primitives ➤ Object Type rollout, click Box.
3 Turn on AutoGrid.

2820 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

4 Merge the object you want aligned.
5 Move your cursor over the object to which you want to orient the box
you are about to create.
The cursor includes an X,Y,Z tripod to help you orient the position of
the new object. As you move over the object, the cursor aligns the Z axis
to the surface normal.
6 When the orientation is as you want it, click and use the standard
drag-release-move-click method to create the box. The box will be created
on the designated surface.
When you click, a temporary, automatic grid is created, and the newly
created object is aligned to that grid.

Interface

Object Type rollout
AutoGrid AutoGrid is available only after you select an object button (such
as Box). When you turn AutoGrid on, the cursor includes an axis tripod to
help you orient the grid. Before clicking and as you position the cursor over
a visible mesh object, the cursor jumps to the nearest point on that surface.
The tripod's X and Y axes form a plane tangent to the object surface (forming
an implied construction grid), and the Z axis is perpendicular to the plane.
After creating the object, 3ds Max places it on the temporary construction
grid. When creating an object, if the cursor isn't over another object, 3ds Max
places the object on the current active grid.
TIP When you create an object that requires multiple clicks, AutoGrid applies only
to the first click. So, for instance, if you want to create a Line spline on page 518
that snaps to the faces of a sphere, turn on Snaps on page 2833 (press the S key),
and then open the Grid And Snap Settings dialog on page 2850 and turn on Face.

AutoGrid | 2821

NOTE To make the grid permanent, hold down the Alt key before you click. The
grid becomes active and 3ds Max turns AutoGrid off.

Grid Commands
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps
The Grids commands on the Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps submenu provide
functions to manipulate the home grid on page 9184 and grid objects on page
9181.
The Snaps system uses grids both as visual references and as physical snap
references. In addition, grids serve as construction planes, because the objects
you create are built on the active grid in the active viewport.
As a default, 3ds Max uses a construction grid called the home grid. The home
grid is the basic reference system, and is defined by three fixed planes on the
world coordinate axes. It provides ready-to-use construction planes, intersecting
at right angles through the origin. When the home grid is displayed, each
orthographic viewport on page 9251 is coplanar (parallel) with one of the grid
faces.
A custom grid, or grid object, is a helper object that you can use in place of
the home grid. While the home grid is three intersecting planes whose
orientation is fixed in world space, a grid object is a free-floating, 2D grid that
you can position anywhere and rotate freely, letting you construct objects at
any angle in world space. You can also generate grids automatically on existing
geometry when creating objects by using AutoGrid on page 2819.

Show Home Grid
Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Show Home Grid
Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”). ➤ General viewport
label menu on page 8707 ➤ Show Grids
Keyboard ➤ G
Show Home Grid toggles the display of the home grid on page 9184 in the active
viewport.
Grids are used both as visual references and as physical snap references by the
Snap system. In addition, grids are construction planes, since the objects you
create are built on the active grid in the active viewport.

2822 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

As a default, there is a home construction grid called home grid. The home
grid is the basic reference system, and is defined by three fixed planes on the
world coordinate axes. It provides ready-to-use construction planes, intersecting
at right angles through the origin. When the home grid is displayed, each
orthographic viewport on page 9251 is coplanar (parallel) with one of the grid
faces.

Procedures
To toggle the display of the home grid, do one of the following:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Show Home Grid.
2 Click or right-click the General viewport label (“[ + ]”) and choose Show
Grids on the General viewport label menu on page 8707.
3 Press G on the keyboard.

Activate Home Grid
Activate a grid other than the Home grid. ➤ Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps
➤ Activate Home Grid
This command activates the home grid on page 9184 as the construction grid,
and deactivates the active grid object on page 9181.

Procedures
To return to the home grid, do one of the following:
■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Home Grid.

■

Right-click the selected grid object, and choose Activate Home Grid from
the quad menu.
This deactivates the grid object and activates the home grid in all views.

Activate Grid Object
Select a grid object. ➤ Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Grid
Object

Grid Commands | 2823

This command activates the selected grid object on page 9181 as the construction
grid and deactivates the home grid on page 9184. This menu item is available
only when a grid object is selected.

Procedures
To activate a grid object:

1

Select a grid object.

2 Do one of the following:
■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Grid Object.

■

Right-click the selected grid object and choose Activate Grid from the
quad menu.
The grid object changes to show its internal grid structure. Except for
its main axes, the home grid disappears in all viewports.

3 Right-click the selected grid object and choose Activate Grid from the
quad menu.
The grid object changes to show its internal grid structure. Except for its
main axes, the home grid disappears in all viewports.

Align Grid to View
Activate a grid object. ➤ Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Align Grid to
View
This command aligns a grid object on page 9181 with the current view. The grid
object is aligned so that it's coplanar with the view and oriented with the top
of the grid at the top of the view.

Procedures
To align a grid object with a viewport:
1 Activate a grid object.
2 Click or right-click in a viewport.
3 Right-click to open the quad menu.

2824 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

4 In the Tools 1 quadrant, choose Align Grid to View.
The grid object rotates to align itself with the selected view. The grid
object is now planar, or parallel, with the viewport.
5 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Align Grid to View.
The grid object rotates to align itself with the selected view. The grid
object is now planar, or parallel, with the viewport.

Alignment
3ds Max provides a range of tools for aligning objects. This section includes
a couple of brief introductory topics to alignment in 3ds Max; for specific
information on the available alignment functions, see Align Flyout on page
905 and Clone and Align Tool on page 900.

Aligning Objects
You can align a selection consisting of one or more objects, called the source,
with a target object. There are many uses for this feature. For precision, an
important use is grid alignment. You can create a new grid object and align
it to an existing object, either manually after creation or automatically during
creation using the AutoGrid on page 2819 feature. Conversely, you can move
an object onto a grid anywhere in your scene.

Alignment | 2825

Aligning objects by the centers, bottoms, or tops of their bounding boxes

Source and Target Objects
Alignment involves two entities: one is the source object or selection set,
where the process begins; the other is the target object, where the selection
process ends.
Source object Object or objects you want to move into alignment with another
object. You select one or more source objects to begin the alignment process.
Target object Object used to define the alignment. You select the target object
during the alignment process. It cannot be selected beforehand.
After selecting the source, choose Tools menu ➤ Align or click the Align
button on the Main toolbar, and then select the target object.
Next, the Align dialog appears. For discussion of the Align options, see Align
on page 906.

2826 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Setting a Coordinate System
The effects of alignment depend on the current reference coordinate system,
such as View, World, or Local. You should decide which system you want to
use before beginning alignment.
Reference Coordinate System Determines the axes used for positional
alignment and the size of the bounding box for maximum and minimum
positions.
To align objects using active grid axes:
■

Choose Grid as the reference coordinate system from the list on the toolbar.

To align two objects using their own axes:
■

Choose Local as the reference coordinate system. Alignment is then strictly
between the two objects. Object bounding boxes determine maximum
and minimum positions.

As a reminder to you during the alignment process, the current reference
coordinate system appears in parentheses following the Align Position label
in the Align Selection dialog.

Basics of Aligning Objects
Alignment controls are on a single dialog. As you make a setting, the object
being aligned moves immediately to the new position. This lets you experiment
with alignment until you get what you want. Settings can be made in any
order.
You can also work step-by-step, by applying position choices, for example,
before deciding on final orientation. You can cancel at any time, returning
the scene to its original state. You can also undo any alignment and start over.

Aligning Objects | 2827

Aligning Multiple Objects

Aligning multiple objects to the arrow object (each photo is adjusted in a different
correction)

When you select multiple objects for alignment, the same settings apply to
all of them. However, the effect on each source object can be different. In
practice, you're aligning separate objects at the same time with the same
settings.
To align a collection of objects as a single unit, select the objects and group
on page 7909 them. The alignment now takes place relative to the pivot and
bounding box of the entire group.

Sub-Object Alignment
You can use Align with any selection that can be transformed. The tripod axis
becomes the source for alignment. You do this by accessing the sub-object
level of the object before clicking Align.

2828 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Aligning Normals
3ds Max lets you align the normals between any two objects. In the case of
mesh objects, the alignment is between individual faces, because each face
has its own normal. See Normal Align on page 912.

Normal on the front of the bolt is aligned with the normal of a face on the assembly.

Basics of Aligning Normals
Before you begin, select a view that lets you see both objects you want to align.
If necessary, you can navigate the view after selecting the first normal. To see
face normals clearly, work in a wireframe viewport.
For details on the procedure and dialog settings, see Normal Align on page
912.

Other Align Options
The Align flyout on the main toolbar has other buttons that provide specialized
alignments.

Aligning Normals | 2829

Align Camera Orients a camera viewport to a selected face normal,
with the normal in the center of the viewport and on the axis of the camera.
See Align Camera on page 917.

Align to View Orients a local axis of an object or sub-object selection
with the current viewport. Options on the dialog are interactive, as they are
on the Normal Align dialog. See Align to View on page 918.

Place Highlight Orients a face normal to a light. See Place Highlight
on page 915 and Lighting in 3ds Max on page 5686.

Using Snaps
Standard snaps give you control in creating, moving, rotating, and scaling
objects. You access the 3ds Max snap features from buttons on the main
toolbar.

2830 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Snapping to: endpoints, midpoints, edges

You make most snap settings on Grid And Snap Settings, a modeless dialog
with four panels. You can move this dialog to any convenient location on
your screen and turn options on and off as you work. Panels are reset to
defaults for each new session.
You can also make commonly used snap settings on the Snaps toolbar on
page 2851. In addition, a Snaps quad menu on page 8650 gives you quick access
to some snap options.
Snap settings are stored in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file rather than in the
MAX file. This means that the state of the snap settings persists from session
to session without your having to modify the maxstart.max file.

Grid And Snap Settings Dialog and Snaps Toolbar
The most commonly used grid and object snaps appear on the Grid and Snap
Settings dialog on page 2850. This is the general sequence for using these snaps:

Using Snaps | 2831

1 Turn on snapping by clicking
(Snaps Toggle) on the main toolbar,
and then right-click this button to display the Grid And Snap Settings
dialog.
Two sets of snap types are available: Standard (the default) and NURBS.
Both are discussed in Snap Settings on page 2850.
You can also make commonly used snap settings on the Snaps toolbar
on page 2851.
2 Turn on OSNAPS on the status bar, then right-click this button to display
the Grid and Snap Settings dialog.
3 By default, only the Grid Points snap type is active. Turn on other snap
types to activate them. When you create or move objects, these snaps are
now in effect anywhere in 3D space, and unaffected by the current
transform coordinate system.
As you move the cursor, each snap type is marked by a distinctive icon
shown on the Snap panel. The current icon indicates the type and position
of the next snap.
Grid points and grid lines are secondary to the other snap types. For
example, if both Grid Point and Vertex are active, 3ds Max snaps to a
vertex in preference to an equally close grid point.
4 Turn snaps on and off as needed; the easiest way is by pressing the S key.
For more information on snaps, see 2D Snap, 2.5D Snap, 3D Snap on page
2833 and Snap Settings on page 2850.

Snap Override
Snap Override bypasses currently selected snaps. You use a keyboard-mouse
combination or a keyboard shortcut to define a new snap for the next click.
You can override on the fly, one snap at a time.
For example, while creating a spline between grid points, you might need to
snap to a vertex or midpoint of an object. This is the general procedure:
1 As you use preset snaps to create or move an object, hold down Shift and
right-click. This pops up a three-quadrant right-click menu, which you
can use to override the current snap setting(s).

2832 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

NOTE You can begin the creation or transformation process before accessing
the override menu. This typically means that you'll be holding down the left
button as you Shift+right-click.
2 From the Snap Override quadrant, choose the snap type you want to use.
The cursor switches to this type.
3 Make the snap. After the snap, currently set snaps are back in effect.
In addition, the Snap Override quadrant lets you reuse the last override you
used (listed by name), and gives you an option for None. None turns off
snapping entirely on the next click. The Snap quad menu also contains an
Options quadrant, with toggles for snapping within current transform
constraints (default=off) and snapping to frozen objects (default=off).

Snap Commands
Main toolbar ➤ Snap buttons
Menu bar ➤ Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps submenu
Snaps help you precisely control the dimensions and placement of objects
when you create them or transform them. There is also a Spinner snap for
controlling the entry of values.
You can use objects within an XRef scene as snap references.
The snap commands listed below and described in this section are found on
the main toolbar (except for Ortho and Polar; see their topics for details).
They’re also available from the Grids And Snaps submenu of the Tools menu.

2D Snap, 2.5D Snap, 3D Snap

Main toolbar ➤
(2D Snap),
Snap) on the Snaps Toggle flyout

(2.5D Snap), or

(3D

Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Snaps Toggle
Keyboard ➤ S

Snap Commands | 2833

The buttons on the Snaps Toggle flyout on page 9166 provide control over the
range of 3D space where snaps are active. A wide variety of snap types is
available from the Snaps dialog on page 2850, which you can use to activate
different snap types as you work.

2D, 2.5D, 3D Snaps flyout

Object Snapping
Object snapping lets you snap to specific portions of existing geometry during
creation and transforms of objects or sub-objects. You can also snap to the
grid, and you can snap to tangents, midpoints, pivot points, face centers and
other options.
The mode you choose maintains its state when you switch levels.

Transforming Around Snap Points
When snapping is on and Auto Key on page 8679 is off, rotations and scales
occur about the snap point. For example, if you're using Vertex snapping and
you're rotating a box, you can rotate it about any of its corner vertices. See To
use snaps to move an absolute distance: on page 2838 below.
When Auto Key is on and either Select And Rotate or Select And Scale is active,
the Snaps Toggle button is disabled, and rotation and scaling take place about
the pivot point of the object.

Snap Handle When Moving an Object
When 2D, 2.5D, or 3D snaps are turned on and the Move tool is active, the
Move gizmo on page 828 shows a small circle at its center.

2834 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

A circle at the center of the Move gizmo shows that snaps are active.

Not only does the circular handle indicate that snaps are active, it helps
increase the accuracy of snaps, compared to releases prior to Autodesk 3ds
Max 2011. You can use the gizmo controls as before, or drag the handle itself:
In either case, 3ds Max shows the original position of the object, and by default
a rubber-band line stretches from the original position to the new destination.
When you drag the snap handle or the Move gizmo, the axis center is the
start snap point.

Snap Commands | 2835

The green line shows start and destination points.
■

When you drag the circular snap handle, axis constraints don’t apply, and
Use Axis Constraints is automatically turned off.

■

When you drag an axis or a plane, axis constraints apply, and Use Axis
Constraints is automatically turned on.

■

When you drag from a snap point other than the axis center (for example,
a vertex), the state of Use Axis Constraints determines whether movement
is constrainted or not.

When start and destination points are snapped or aligned, the color of the
snap points and rubber band changes from Snap Point Active (default=green)
to Snap Point Snapped (default=yellow).
NOTE You can customize the colors of the snap indicators: In the Customize User
Interface dialog ➤ Colors panel on page 8860, choose Elements ➤ Snaps.
Dragging from the snap handle is equivalent to using the snap option on page
2859 Use Axis Center As Start Snap Point that was available in versions of 3ds
Max prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011. In addition, you can use other snap
points on the object that you are moving. For example, when snapping to
vertices, the following illustrations show that you can snap from a vertex on
the object you are moving.

2836 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Vertex snap: Snapping from the upper-left corner of the box.

Snapping the upper-left corner of the box to a vertex on the dodecahedron.

Snap Commands | 2837

TIP When you snap from a location other than the snap handle (the axis center),
be careful of two things:

■

Make sure the
Move cursor is visible when you click. Otherwise,
you might deselect the object you are trying to move.

■

If the vertex (or other snap location) is close to an axis of the Move gizmo
on page 828, the move might be constrained along that axis.

Using the snap handle or the Move gizmo corresponds to the toggle Use Axis

Constraints on page 2863, or to
(Snaps Use Axis Constraints Toggle)
on the Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627 being on. Using a snap point
elsewhere on the moving object corresponds to the option being off. In
Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, buttons on the toolbar update interactively, depending
on which portion of the gizmo or geometry you use to move the object.

Procedures
To turn snap off during a transform:
■

Press S to toggle snapping off when it gets in the way. Press S again to turn
it back on.

To use snaps to move a relative distance:

1 Turn on Snaps with the S key, or by clicking

(Snaps Toggle).

2 Lock your selection set by pressing the spacebar, or by clicking
(Selection Lock Toggle) on the status bar.
3 Wherever you click in the viewport, the snap will stay relative to the
distance of your cursor to the object.

2838 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

To use snaps to move an absolute distance:

1 Turn on

(Snaps Toggle).

2 Click the selection. Snap uses the point you click for the snap source.
3 Move to whatever target snap you desire. The object will snap to an
absolute distance.
Example: To rotate a box around a vertex using snaps:

1 Make sure

2

(Auto Key) is off.

Select the box.

3 On the main toolbar, click

(Select And Rotate).

4 Turn Snaps on by pressing S on the keyboard.
5 On the Tools menu, choose Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings.
Turn on Vertex and turn off Grid Points.

6 Lock your selection set by clicking
status bar.

(Selection Lock Toggle) on the

7 On the toolbar, choose
(Use Transform Coordinate Center) (hold
the mouse down on Use Pivot Point Center to open the flyout).
8 Move your cursor over any vertex in the box. The blue snap cursor will
appear, and then you can rotate the box around that vertex.

Interface
There are three snap modes:

Snap Commands | 2839

2D Snap The cursor snaps only to the active construction grid, including
any geometry on the plane of that grid. The Z axis, or vertical dimension, is
ignored.

2.5D Snap The cursor snaps only to the vertices or edges of the
projection of an object onto the active grid.
Suppose you create a grid object on page 9181 and make it active. You then
position the grid object so you can see through the grid to a cube further off
in 3D space. Now with 2.5D set, you can snap a line from vertex to vertex on
the distant cube, but the line is drawn on the active grid. The effect is like
holding up a sheet of glass and drawing the outline of a distant object on it.

3D Snap This is the default tool. The cursor snaps directly to any
geometry in 3D space. 3D snapping lets you create and move geometry in all
dimensions, ignoring the construction plane.
Right-click this button to display the Grid and Snap Settings dialog on page
2850, which lets you change snap categories and set other options.

Angle Snap Toggle
Main toolbar ➤

(Angle Snap Toggle)

Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Angle Snap Toggle
Keyboard ➤ A
Angle Snap Toggle determines the incremental rotation for a number of
features, including the standard Rotate transform. As you rotate an object (or
group of objects), the object moves around a given axis in the increment you
set.
Angle Snap Toggle also affects Pan/Orbit camera controls, FOV on page 9153
and Roll camera settings, and Hotspot/Falloff on page 9187 spotlight angles.

2840 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Procedures
To turn angle snap on:

■

On the main toolbar, click
(Angle Snap Toggle). When on, angle
snap affects all rotational transforms.

To rotate an object an even number of degrees:

■

Turn on
(Angle Snap Toggle) and
rotate the object.
By default, the rotations take place in 5-degree increments.

To rotate an object a precise degree of rotation, do one of the following:

■

Click
(Select And Rotate), then right-click it to display the
Transform Type-In dialog on page 835. Enter the exact rotation you want.

■

Right-click to see the quad menu, then click
the settings button next
to Rotate to open the Transform Type-In dialog on page 835. Enter the exact
rotation you want.

■

Right-click
(Angle Snap Toggle), then on the Grid And Snap
Settings dialog, click the Options tab. Set the Angle value in the General
group to the precise degree of rotation you need, then rotate the object.
Rotation snaps to the angle increment you specified.

Interface
The angle increment is set on the Options panel of the Grid and Snap Settings
dialog on page 2850. Right-click the Angle Snap Toggle button to display the
Options panel of the Grid and Snap Settings dialog. The default is 5 degrees.

Snap Commands | 2841

Percent Snap Toggle
Main toolbar ➤

(Percent Snap Toggle)

Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Percent Snap Toggle
Keyboard ➤ Shift+Ctrl+P
Percent Snap Toggle increments scaling of objects by the specified percentage.

Interface
The snap percent increment is set in the Grid And Snap Settings dialog. The
default is 10 percent. Right-click the Percent Snap Toggle button to display
the Grid and Snap Settings dialog on page 2850.
This is a general-purpose snap system that applies to any operation involving
a percentage, such as scaling or squashing.

Spinner Snap Toggle
Main toolbar ➤

(Spinner Snap Toggle)

Spinner Snap Toggle sets the single-click increment or the decrement value
for all of the spinners in 3ds Max.

Procedures
To set and toggle spinner snap:
1 Do one of the following:
■

Choose Customize menu ➤ Preferences.

■

Right-click the Spinner Snap Toggle button on the main toolbar.
Either method opens the Preference Settings dialog ➤ General panel.
The two controls for spinner snap are in the Spinners group on this
panel.

2 Set a value in the Snap field.

2842 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

3 Turn on Use Snap.
When you exit the dialog, the Spinner Snap Toggle button is turned on.
4 As you work, use the Spinner Snap Toggle button to toggle the alternate
setting.

Interface
The amounts for Spinner Snap are controlled by settings on the General panel
on page 8887 of the Preferences dialog. Default=1.0.

Ortho Snapping Mode
By default, Ortho Snapping Mode is not directly accessible in the 3ds Max
user interface. To add it as a button on the Snaps toolbar, follow this procedure
on page 2844.
When drawing a Line spline on page 518 or Wall object on page 425, Ortho
Snapping Mode constrains line creation to the horizontal or vertical directions
relative to the active grid. That is, with Ortho on, you can draw only lines
that are parallel to lines of the active grid.
Ortho is particularly useful for drawing plans where all lines must be at 90
degrees to each other, such as a house plan. To constrain line-drawing to other
angle increments, use Polar Snapping Mode on page 2845 instead.
The following provisions apply to using Ortho:
■

Use of Ortho is mutually exclusive of use of the Polar Snapping Mode
toggle on page 2845; only one can be active at a time.

■

Ortho Snapping applies primarily to the creation of line splines and wall
objects. It can be used while creating other objects, but results are likely
to be unsatisfactory.

Ortho mode displays a compass which gives a readout of the current angle of
the input relative to the positive direction of the local X axis.
NOTE If you hold down the Alt key in Ortho mode, the next point becomes doubly
constrained by both the previous point and the first point of the current object.
This allows you to close splines precisely. In this mode, two compasses are
displayed; one each at the first and previous points.

Snap Commands | 2843

Procedures
To add Ortho Snapping Mode to the Snaps toolbar:
1 Open the Snaps toolbar, if necessary. To do so, right-click an empty part
of the main toolbar, such as the area directly below one of the drop-down
lists, and choose Snaps.
2 Drag the right end of the toolbar to the right to make room for a new
button.
3 Choose Customize menu ➤ Customize User Interface.
This opens the Customize User Interface dialog.
4 On the dialog, click the Toolbars tab.
5 Scroll down the Action list on the dialog to the Ortho Snapping Mode
item. You can jump to the O section by clicking any item in the list and
then pressing O on the keyboard.
6 Drag the Ortho Snapping Mode item from the list to the empty section
of the Snaps toolbar. This adds the button to the toolbar.
7 Close the Customize User Interface dialog.
3ds Max automatically saves the toolbar in its revised state and makes
the new button a permanent part of the user interface.
To use Ortho:
1 Turn on

(Ortho Snapping Mode).

2 Begin to draw a Line spline.
An orange compass appears where you place the first point, along with
a red number indicating the angle of the current line segment with the
positive direction of the local X axis.
3 Move the mouse cursor around in the viewport.
The line jumps to 90-degree angle increments on the local X axis, while
the compass reading updates to show the current angle.
4 Click to place the next vertex.
5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you're ready to complete the shape.

2844 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

6 Do either of the following:
■

To finish the shape at the most recent vertex without closing it,
right-click anywhere.

■

To finish the shape by closing it, position the mouse cursor close to
the first point and then click. A small dialog opens asking if you want
to close the spline; click Yes.

Polar Snapping Mode
By default, Polar Snapping mode is not directly accessible in the 3ds Max user
interface. To add it as a button on the Snaps toolbar, follow this procedure
on page 2846.
When drawing a Line spline on page 518 or Wall object on page 425, Polar
Snapping Mode constrains line creation to angle increments determined by
the Angle Snap setting relative to the active grid. To change the Angle Snap
setting, right-click the Angle Snap Toggle button on the main toolbar and in
the Options panel ➤ General group, edit the Angle setting.
Polar is particularly useful for drawing plans where angles between all lines
must conform to specific angle increments, such as 45 degrees. If all lines must
be at 90-degree angles to each other, use the Ortho Snapping Mode toggle on
page 2843 instead.
The following provisions apply to using Polar:
■

Use of Polar is mutually exclusive of use of the Ortho toggle; only one can
be active at a time.

■

Polar applies primarily to the creation of line splines and wall objects. It
can be used while creating other objects, but results are likely to be
unsatisfactory.

Polar mode displays a compass that provides a readout of the current angle
of the input relative to the positive direction of the local X axis.
NOTE If you hold down Alt in Polar mode, the next point becomes doubly
constrained by both the previous point and the first point of the current object.
This allows you to close splines precisely. In this mode, two compasses are
displayed; one each at the first and previous points.

Snap Commands | 2845

Procedures
To add Polar Snapping Mode to the Snaps toolbar:
1 Open the Snaps toolbar, if necessary. To do so, right-click an empty part
of the main toolbar, such as the area directly below one of the drop-down
lists, and choose Snaps.
2 Drag the right end of the toolbar to the right to make room for a new
button.
3 Choose Customize menu ➤ Customize User Interface.
This opens the Customize User Interface dialog.
4 On the dialog, click the Toolbars tab.
5 Scroll down the Actions list on the dialog to the Polar Snapping Mode
item. You can jump to the P section by clicking any item in the list and
then pressing P on the keyboard.
6 Drag the Polar Snapping Mode item from the list to the empty section
of the Snaps toolbar. This adds the button to the toolbar.
7 Close the Customize User Interface dialog.
3ds Max automatically saves the toolbar in its revised state and makes
the new button a permanent part of the user interface.
To use Polar:
1 Turn on

(Polar Snapping Mode).

2 Begin to draw a line spline.
An orange compass appears where you place the first point, along with
a red number indicating the angle of the current line segment with the
positive direction of the local X axis.
3 Move the mouse cursor around in the viewport.
The line jumps to specific angle increments from the X-axis, while the
compass reading updates to show the current angle. You set the angle
increment in the Grid And Snap Settings dialog ➤ Options panel on
page 2859 ➤ General group, which you can access by right-clicking the
Angle Snap Toggle button on the main toolbar.
4 Click to place the next vertex.

2846 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you're ready to complete the shape.
6 Do any of the following:
■

To finish the shape at the most recent vertex without closing it,
right-click anywhere.

■

To finish the shape by closing it, position the mouse cursor close to
the first point and then click. A small dialog opens asking if you want
to close the spline; click Yes.

■

To finish the shape by closing it while constraining the line to the
polar snap, first position the mouse cursor close to the first point,
press and hold Alt to constrain the mouse by both the previous point
and the first point, and then click. This vertex is automatically placed
at the current angle increment from the first point, so that you need
only click the first point to close the shape.

Setting Snap Options
You can access a number of snap features from the Options tab of the Grid
And Snap Settings dialog. Right-click any of the snap buttons on the main
toolbar to display the Grid And Snap Settings dialog or choose Tools menu
➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings, then click the Options tab.

Setting Snap Options | 2847

See also:
■

Snap Options on page 2859

■

Snaps Shortcut Menu on page 8650

Display and General Settings
Marker settings Determine the color and size of the snap cursor. To prevent
the snap cursor from appearing, turn off Display.
Snap Radius settings Determines how close the cursor needs to approach a
snap point before the snap preview or actual snap takes place. These are global
settings, affecting all snap interactions, and are measured in terms of the pixels
in a "search region" around the active point of the cursor.
Snap to Frozen Objects Normally, if an object is frozen you can't snap to it;
this option lets you snap to frozen objects.

Settings for Angle and Percent Snap
The following Options settings are for two snap buttons that operate
independently of standard snaps.
Angle (deg) A global setting, in degrees, that determines the angle of rotation
for a number of features in 3ds Max, including the standard Rotate transform.
As you rotate an object (or group of objects), the object moves around a given
axis in the increment you set. Angle snap also affects the following:
■

Pan/Orbit camera controls

■

FOV and Roll camera settings

■

Hotspot and Falloff light angles

For more information, see Angle Snap on page 2840.
Percent Sets a percentage increment during a scaling operation.
For more information, see Percent Snap on page 2842.

2848 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Rotating and Scaling with Snaps
The effect of rotating and scaling with snaps depends on whether Auto Key
on page 8679 is on or off:

■

With
(Auto Key) on, snap toggles are disabled, while Angle and
Percent snaps remain active. Rotation and scaling occur around the pivot
point of the object.

■

With
(Auto Key) off, rotations and scales occur around the
snap point. For example, using Vertex snap, you can rotate a box about
any of its corners.

Translation Options
By default, the Use Axis Constraints on page 847 option is off.
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, buttons on the Axis Constraints toolbar
update interactively, depending on which portion of the gizmo or geometry
you use to move the object.
The Translation group also lets you toggle display of a rubber band line between
the start and end points during a snap operation.

Settings for Spinner Snap
You set the spinner snap on the General panel on page 8887 of the Preferences
dialog. Right-click the Spinner Snap button on the main toolbar to display
this panel.

Spinner snap Sets a numerical increment for spinner fields. If you’re
using generic units of 1 inch, a setting of 12 would let you resize objects by
one foot with every click, or add 12 segments to a sphere.
The same setting applies to all spinner fields. Since spinner snap is a toggle,
you can easily turn it on when needed and use the default at other times.
Spinner snap has no effect on dragging a spinner, only on single clicks.
For more information, see Spinner Snap on page 2842.

Setting Snap Options | 2849

Grid and Snap Settings
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Grid and Snap Settings
Right-click any snap button
Shift+right-click a viewport. ➤ Snaps shortcut (quad) menu on page 8650 ➤
Snap Options quadrant ➤ Grid and Snap Settings
This command displays the Grid and Snap Settings dialog. This modeless
dialog establishes settings and options for snaps, the home grid on page 9184,
and user-defined grids.
Controls on the Grid And Snap Settings dialog determine which snap settings
are used when you activate snaps by clicking 3D Snap Toggle. Adjusting any
of these snap settings does not automatically turn on snaps.
You can use objects within an XRef scene as snap references.

Procedures
To change grid and snap settings:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings and
click the appropriate tab.
2 Choose the type of snap you want (Standard or NURBS).
3 Select the snap settings.

Snap Settings
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings ➤ Grid And
Snap Settings dialog ➤ Snaps tab
Main toolbar ➤ Right-click a snap button
Keyboard ➤ Hold Shift+right-click ➤ Snaps quadrant
Keyboard ➤ S (toggles snaps on and off)
Snapping gives you additional control when creating, moving, rotating, and
scaling objects by causing the cursor to “jump” to specific portions of existing
geometry and other scene elements during creation and transformation of
objects or sub-objects. The controls in this dialog set the snap strength and
other characteristics such as the snap target.

2850 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

NOTE Snapping functionality includes several features that enhance ease of use.
For details, see the General Group section of the Snap Options topic on page 2862.
You can specify the portion of the geometry where you will snap. For example,
when Vertex is the active snap type, creating and transforming objects snaps
to the vertices of existing geometry. You can specify any combination of active
snap types to provide multiple snapping points. For example, if Vertex and
Midpoint are active, snapping occurs at both vertices and edge midpoints.
The default snap type is Grid Points.
NOTE Snapping is not on by default. You can toggle snapping by pressing the
S key at any time, even in the middle of a transform. In this way you can combine
snapping with free positioning.
Snapping works at sub-object levels. For example, you can use snaps to position
a gizmo to the object on which you're working, or snap it to other objects in
the scene.
You must activate a viewport in order to use snaps. Also, the Z-axis constraints
don't apply to the home grid or grid objects, since grids don't have a Z axis.
Settings are stored in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file. The state of the snap
settings persists from session to session.

Snaps and Axis Constraints
Snaps take precedence over axis constraints on page 847. If you activate an axis
constraint, such as Restrict to X, you can move the object only in X. But if
you then turn on snaps, Restrict to X is suspended and not used.
You can override this by turning on Snaps Use Axis Constraint Toggle on the
Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627, or by turning on Use Axis Constraints
in Snap Options on page 2859.

The Snaps Toolbar

The most common Snaps settings are available from an optional toolbar. To
toggle display of the Snaps toolbar, right-click an empty area of the main
toolbar, such as the section under the Reference Coordinate System drop-down,

Grid and Snap Settings | 2851

and choose Snaps. The toolbar buttons are shown next to the relevant
commands, below and in the Snap Options topic on page 2859.
The same settings are also available from the snap quad menu, available with
Shift+right-click.

Procedures
To set grid and snap settings:

1 Turn on

(3D Snap Toggle).

2 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings to
display the Grid and Snap Settings dialog.
3 In the Snaps tab, select one or more of the types of snaps you want active.
4 Create an object or transform an object.
Snap markers appear when the mouse cursor is over existing geometry
or on a grid, depending on the active snap types. Each snap type has a
different display; clicking when the snap-specific display is visible snaps
to that spot.
To display the Snaps shortcut menu:
■

Hold Shift and right-click anywhere in any viewport. The quad menu that
opens gives you access to various snap settings including Snaps Use Axis
Constraints and Snap To Frozen Objects.

To use both constraint and snaps, do one of the following:
1 In the Grid and Snap Settings dialog ➤ Options tab ➤ Translation
group, turn on Use Axis Constraints.
2 Hold Shift and right-click in the viewport, and then choose Options ➤
Transform Constraints from the Snap quadrant.
Example: To use 3D snaps and rotation transformations together:
1 Create a box.

2852 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

2

Select the box and turn on

3 On the toolbar, turn on
(Select And Rotate).

(Selection Lock Toggle).

(3D Snaps Toggle), then click

4 From the Use Center flyout on the main toolbar, choose
Transform Coordinate Center on page 871).

(Use

5 Activate the Perspective viewport and move the cursor over the grid.
A blue icon displays when the cursor passes over a grid point.
6 When the blue icon displays, click and drag to rotate the box around the
selected grid point.
You can rotate around anything you can snap to.
To turn snaps on and off during an operation:
■

Use the S keyboard shortcut to turn snap on and off.
TIP You can select something with snap off, and then turn snap on to snap it
to a snap target. Alternately you might want to snap to something, then
position it freely wherever you want.

Interface
Use these check boxes on the Snaps tab to turn on any combination of snap
settings.
After setting snaps, close the dialog using the Close button in the dialog's
upper-right corner. Do not click the Clear All button, or you'll turn off all the
snaps.
Override This label changes to display the temporary snap type used by the
Override system. For more information, see Snap Override on page 2856.
Clear All Turns off all of the Snaps check boxes.

Grid and Snap Settings | 2853

NOTE The layout of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is generated at runtime.
Because of this, it might appear slightly different than the illustrations shown here.

Standard snaps

These are the standard snap types used for grids, mesh, and shape objects.
Non-grid snap types, when active, take priority over Grid Points and Grid
Lines snaps: if the mouse is equally near a grid point and some other snap
type, it will choose the other snap type.
NOTE The button images shown below are from the Snaps toolbar on page 2851.

Grid Points Snaps to grid intersections. This snap type is on by default.
Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F5.
Grid Lines Snaps to any point on a grid line.
Pivot Snaps to pivot points of objects. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F6.
Bounding Box Snaps to one of the eight corners of an object's bounding box.

2854 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Perpendicular Snaps to the perpendicular point on a spline, relative to the
previous point.
Tangent Snaps to a tangent point on a spline, relative to the previous point.
Vertex Snaps to vertices of mesh objects or objects that can be converted to
editable meshes. Snaps to segments on splines. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F7.

Endpoint Snaps to the end points of edges on meshes or spline
vertices. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F8

Edge/Segment Snaps anywhere along edges (visible or invisible) or
spline segments. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F10.

Midpoint Snaps to the middle of edges on meshes and spline
segments. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F9.

Face Snaps anywhere on the surface of a face. Back faces are culled,
so they have no effect. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F11.
Center Face Snaps to the center of triangular faces.

NURBS snaps

Grid and Snap Settings | 2855

These options snap to objects or sub-objects in a NURBS model on page 9239.
The NURBS snaps settings are aids for creating and transforming objects, and
are not constraints. 3ds Max does not maintain the relationship between the
NURBS object and other objects you create or transform.
CV Snaps to a CV sub-object on page 9128 in a NURBS curve on page 9239 or
NURBS surface on page 9240.
Point Snaps to a point sub-object on page 9270 in a NURBS model.
Curve Center Snaps to the center of a NURBS curve.
The center of a NURBS curve is calculated parametrically, and might not be
the same as the curve's apparent visual center.
Curve Normal Snaps to a point normal to a NURBS curve.
This snap operates only while you are creating a new object that requires two
or more clicks to create.
Curve Tangent Snaps to a point tangent to a NURBS curve.
This snap operates only while you are creating a new object that requires two
or more clicks to create.
Curve Edge Snaps to the edge of a NURBS curve (the current object moves or
is created to lie along the curve).
Curve End Snaps to the end of a NURBS curve.
Surf Center Snaps to the center of a NURBS surface.
The center of a NURBS curve is calculated parametrically, and might not be
the same as the curve's apparent visual center.
Surf Normal Snaps to a point on a NURBS surface normal to previous point.
This snap operates only while you are creating a new object.
Surf Edge Snaps to the edge of a NURBS surface.

Snap Override
Any viewport ➤ Hold down Shift and right-click. ➤ Snaps shortcut (quad)
menu on page 8650 ➤ Snap Override ➤ Standard ➤ Choose snaps type.
Any viewport ➤ Hold down Shift and right-click. ➤ Snaps shortcut (quad)
menu on page 8650 ➤ Snap Override ➤ NURBS ➤ Choose snaps type.
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Grid and Snap Settings ➤ Snaps tab

2856 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Snap Override lets you supersede all the currently selected snap types and
temporarily use only one, or none, of the snap types currently selected on the
Grid And Snap Settings dialog. For example, you might be creating a spline
while snapping to grid points, but then need to snap one of its vertices to the
midpoint of an object.
TIP You can choose the override by cycling through active snap types via a
keyboard shortcut instead of using the quad menu. Press Alt+S repeatedly to
choose the override snap type. If the Grid and Snap dialog is displayed, the
"Override OFF" label changes to display the selected snap type.

Procedures
To use Snap Override (keyboard shortcut method):
1 Activate all the snap types you want to use or override with.
2 Make sure the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is open to the Snaps panel,
so you can easily track the override type. Alternatively, if you're using
only snap types available on the Snaps toolbar on page 2851, you can keep
the toolbar open instead.
3 While creating or moving an object with Snap on, press Alt+S repeatedly.
The Grid And Snap Settings dialog ➤ "Override OFF" label changes to
display the first available override snap type, chosen from the active snap
types. If the Snaps toolbar is open, and the override snap type is available
on the toolbar, the override snap type is visible there as well.
4 Press Alt+S repeatedly.
3ds Max cycles through all the active snap types for the override type.
The benefit of this method is that it's fast and easy; you don't have to
use the quad menu. But if you want to override with a snap type that
isn't currently active, it's necessary to use the standard override method,
which is described in the next procedure.
To use Snap Override (standard method):
1 While creating or moving an object with Snap on, hold down Shift and
right-click in a viewport.
2 Select one of the snap types from the sub-menus in the Snap Override
quadrant to make it the only active snap type.
If the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is open to the Snaps panel, the
"Override OFF" label changes to display the active snap override type.

Grid and Snap Settings | 2857

When you complete the mouse action, "Override OFF" is again displayed
in the dialog, and the previously active snap types are active again.
To use Snap Override during a drag operation:
1 Left-click, press Shift, and then right-click to display the menu.
2 Release the left mouse button, and then left-click to select the snap you
want.
3 Release the Shift key, right-click, and continue the drag operation (the
geometry remains locked to the mouse).
4 Left-click to complete the operation.

Interface
In addition to the available snap types, the snap quad menu contains these
items:
Snap Options quadrant Lets you set the following options:
■

Grid and Snap Settings: Toggles display of the Grid And Snap Settings
dialog.

■

Snaps To Frozen Objects: Turn this on to enable snapping to frozen objects.
Default=off.

■

Snaps Use Axis Constraints: Turn this on to use the current transform
constraints. For example, if you're moving a vertex with Restrict To XY
Plane on and want to snap the vertex to a point removed on the Z axis,
turn this off, if necessary. Default=off.

Snap Override quadrant Lets you set the following options:
NURBS/Standard Let you choose a snap type for one-time use. This applies
to the next snap only.
None Turns off all snap types for the next mouse action. (This item is
unavailable if the Snap Toggle is off.)
[last] Displays the last snap override type you chose from the NURBS or
Standard submenu, letting you easily reuse that type.
Snap Toggles quadrant Lets you set six of the most common snap types on
an ongoing basis. These remain in effect until you turn them off; it's the same
as setting them on the Grid And Snap Settings dialog.

2858 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Snap Options
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Grid and Snap Settings ➤ Grid and Snap
Settings dialog ➤ Options panel
Main toolbar ➤ Right-click 3D Snap Toggle ➤ Grid and Snap Settings dialog
➤ Options panel
The Options panel of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog lets you set options
related to snapping.

Procedures
To set snap options:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings.
2 Click the Options tab.
3 Set the options as desired.
Example: To use Snap Preview:
The Snap Preview Radius setting lets you preview a snap before it actually
happens. The Snap Radius setting determines when actual snapping occurs,
providing the same functionality as Snap Strength in previous versions.
This procedure also demonstrates how to cycle through available snap/preview
points with the keyboard shortcut.
1 Reset 3ds Max, and then maximize the Perspective viewport.
To maximize the Perspective viewport, make sure it's active (yellow
border), and then press Alt+W.

2

Zoom in a bit so the grid squares are relatively large.
Snap and Snap Preview measure in pixels, so if the grid points are
relatively far apart, it's easy to see the difference between Snap Preview
and Snap.

3 On the main toolbar, click
(Snaps Toggle) to turn on snapping, and
then right-click the button to open the Grid And Snap Settings dialog to
the Snaps panel.

Grid and Snap Settings | 2859

The default Snaps setting is Grid Points only; if this is not the case, make
it so. A grid point is the intersection of two grid lines.
4 On the dialog, click the Options tab.
In the General group, Snap Preview Radius is set to 30 pixels and Snap
Radius is set to 20 pixels. You can leave this dialog open while you use
snaps.

5 On the
Create panel, click
Type rollout ➤ Line.

(Shapes), and then click Object

You're now in line-creation mode.
6 Click anywhere in the viewport to start creating a line-type spline object.
7 Move the cursor around the viewport.
As you do so, a rubber-band line connects the mouse cursor to the start
point.
8 Position the mouse cursor near a grid point, but not too close, so that
the snap cursor (cyan box + crosshairs) appears at the grid point, but the
line endpoint remains attached to the mouse cursor.
This shows the snap preview; you'll see its purpose in the next step.
9 Click the left mouse button.
The second line vertex is created not where you clicked but at the grid
point indicated by the snap preview. Snap preview lets you see where a
snap will occur before it actually happens.
10 Move the cursor toward another grid point.
At the Snap Preview Radius distance (30 pixels), the snap cursor appears
at the grid point.
11 Continue moving the cursor toward the grid point.
After you move it 10 pixels closer (the difference between Snap Preview
Radius and Snap Radius), the line endpoint jumps from the mouse cursor
to the grid point. This is the legacy snap functionality.
12 Click to accept the snap.

13 Complete the line, and then
zoom out so the grid points are closer
together. Start another line, and then position the mouse cursor in the

2860 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

center of a grid square, so the preview snap point appears at one of the
grid points.
14 On the keyboard, press and hold Alt+Shift and then press S repeatedly to
cycle through the remaining nearby grid points. If nothing happens, try
zooming out more or increasing the Snap Preview Radius value.
By default, 3ds Max uses the closest snap point as the preview location.
This keyboard shortcut lets you choose other qualifying snap points.

Interface
NOTE The layout of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is generated at runtime.
Because of this, it might appear slightly different than the illustration shown here.

Marker group
Provides settings that affect the visual display of the snap points.
Display Toggles the display of the snap guides. When off, the snaps still
function, but there's no display.
Size Sets the size, in pixels, of the snap "hit" point. This is the small icon that
indicates either the source or target snap point.
Color Click the color swatch to display the Color Selector, where you can set
the color of the snap display.

Grid and Snap Settings | 2861

General group
Snap functionality includes several features that enhance ease of use. When
using Snap, if the cursor comes within distance of a potential snap point that's
less than the Snap Preview Radius distance but greater than the Snap Radius
distance, the snap cursor jumps to that point as a preview of where the snap
will occur, but no actual snapping occurs.
To use the preview point as the snap point, click or release the mouse button,
depending on the context. If, instead, you then continue to move the cursor
toward the potential snap point so that it comes within a distance equal to
or less than the Snap Radius value, the snap takes place.
TIP For best results, keep the Snap Preview Radius value 10 pixels or more higher
than the Snap Radius value. This lets you preview any snap before it actually occurs.
Snap Preview Radius When the cursor is a distance from a potential snap-to
point between the Snap Preview Radius value and the Snap Radius value, the
snap marker jumps to the closest potential snap-to point, but no snap occurs.
Default=30.
When a snap-to preview point is highlighted, release or click the mouse button
(depending on the context) to snap the current selection to that location.
Alternatively, before using the displayed snap point, you can cycle though
any other available preview and snap points by pressing and holding Alt+Shift
and then press S repeatedly.
NOTE The Snap Preview Radius value should generally be set higher than the
Snap Radius value, so that previewing occurs before snapping. If you attempt to
set the Snap Preview Radius value lower than the Snap Radius value, 3ds Max
lowers the latter so that the two are equal. This effectively turns off previewing,
so that only snapping is in effect.
Snap Radius Sets the size of the area around the cursor, in pixels, within
which snapping occurs automatically. Default=20.
NOTE The Snap Radius value should generally be set lower than the Snap Preview
Radius value, so that previewing occurs before snapping. If you attempt to set the
Snap Radius value higher than the Snap Preview Radius value, 3ds Max raises the
latter so that the two are equal. This effectively turns off previewing, so that only
snapping is in effect.
Angle Sets the increment at which objects are rotated about a given axis
(degrees).
Percent Sets the percentage increment for scale transforms.

2862 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Snap to Frozen Objects When on, snapping to frozen objects is
enabled. Default=off. This option is also available from the Snaps shortcut
menu, accessed when you hold Shift and right-click in any viewport, as well
as from the Snaps toolbar on page 2851. Keyboard shortcut=Alt+F2.

Translation group
Use Axis Constraints Constrains the selected object to move only
along the axes specified on the Axis Constraints toolbar on page 8627. When
off (the default), the constraints are ignored, and snapped objects can be
translated in any dimension (assuming 3D snapping is used).
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, buttons on the Axis Constraints toolbar
update interactively, depending on which portion of the gizmo or geometry
you use to move the object.
This option is also available from the Snaps shortcut menu, accessed when
you hold Shift and right-click in any viewport, as well as from the Snaps toolbar
on page 2851 and the Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps submenu. Keyboard
shortcut=Alt+F3 or Alt+D.
Display rubber band When on and you move an selection, a rubber-band
line appears between the original location and the mouse position. Use this
visual aid for greater accuracy when fine-tuning Default=on.

NOTE
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, the option Use Axis Center As Start
Snap Point is no longer present: This is always the default behavior. See Snap
Handle When Moving an Object on page 2834 for more information.

Home Grid Settings
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings ➤ Home Grid
panel
Main toolbar ➤ Right-click 3D Snaps Toggle. ➤ Grid And Snap Settings ➤
Home Grid panel
The Home Grid panel of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog sets the spacing
and other characteristics of the home grid on page 9184. Choosing useful home

Grid and Snap Settings | 2863

grid settings can simplify the construction process. The home grid provides
a visual reference for creating objects in a scene.
In 3ds Max, grids have these primary uses:
■

An aid in visualizing space, scale, and distance.

■

Construction planes where you create and align objects in your scene.

■

A reference system for using grid snaps.

Procedures
To set grid spacing for unit measure:
1 From the menu bar, choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid
And Snap Settings.
2 Click the Home Grid tab.
3 Adjust the value for Grid Spacing, which is in current units.
For example, if you have units set to centimeters, you might make one
grid space equal to 1.000 (one unit, or one centimeter in this case).
To set major grid divisions for multiple units:
1 From the menu bar, choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid
And Snap Settings.
2 Click the Home Grid tab.
3 Adjust the Major Lines Every Nth Grid Line value, which is the number
of grid squares between major lines. The minimum is 2.
For example, if you use a grid spacing of one centimeter, you might use
a value of 10 so the major grid divisions represent one decimeter.
In perspective viewports, you can set a fixed size for the displayed home
grid. If Inhibit Perspective View Grid Resize is turned off however, the
grid size adjusts as you zoom in or out.
To set view update options:
1 From the menu bar, choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid
And Snap Settings.
2 Click the Home Grid tab.

2864 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

3 Under Dynamic Update, choose either Active Viewport (the default) or
All Viewports.
To allow subdivision below grid spacing:
1 From the menu bar, choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid
And Snap Settings.
2 Click the Home Grid tab.
3 Turn off Inhibit Grid Subdivision Below Grid Spacing.
When you turn off this box, you can zoom indefinitely "deep" into any
plane of the home grid. Each grid square subdivides into the same number
of smaller grid spaces.

Interface
NOTE The layout of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is generated at runtime.
Because of this, it might appear slightly different than the illustration shown here.

Grid and Snap Settings | 2865

Grid Dimensions group
Grid spacing Grid spacing is the size of the grid's smallest square. Use this
spinner to adjust the spacing (which is in current units), or enter the value
directly.
For example, if you have units set to centimeters, you might make one grid
space equal to 1.000 (one unit, or one centimeter in this case).
Major Lines every Nth Grid Line The home grid displays heavier or "major"
lines to mark groups of grid squares. Use spinner to adjust the value, which
is the number of grid squares between major lines, or you can enter the value
directly, the minimum is 2.
For example, if you use a grid spacing of one centimeter, you might use a
value of 10 so the major grid divisions represent one decimeter.
Perspective View Grid Extent Sets the size of the home grid in the Perspective
viewport.
This value is specified in terms of the Grid Spacing value, and represents the
length of half the grid along an axis. This means that if Grid Spacing=10.0
and Perspective View Grid Extent=7, you will have a grid that is 140 x 140
units in size.

_____
Inhibit Grid Subdivision Below Grid Spacing Causes 3ds Max to treat the
grid as a fixed set of lines when you zoom in on the home grid. In effect, the
grid stops at the grid space setting. If you keep zooming, the fixed grid is lost
from view. Zooming out is not affected. When you zoom out, the home grid
expands indefinitely to maintain the major grid divisions. Default=on.
When this is turned off, you can zoom indefinitely into any plane of the home
grid. Each grid square subdivides into the same number of smaller grid spaces.
For a grid spacing of one centimeter and a major division of 10, the next level
down subdivides into millimeter spaces, and so on.
Inhibit Perspective View Grid Resize Causes 3ds Max to treat the grid in
the Perspective viewport as a fixed set of lines when you zoom in or out. In
effect, the grid maintains one size, no matter how much you zoom. Default=on.
When this is turned off, the grid in the Perspective viewport will subdivide to
adjust its size when you zoom in or out.

Dynamic Update group
Dynamic Update By default, only the active viewport updates as you change
values for Grid Spacing and Major Lines every Nth. The other viewports update

2866 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

after you have completed changing the values. Choose All Viewports to have
all viewports update as you change the values.

User Grid Settings
Tools menu ➤ Grids and Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings ➤ Grid And
Snap Settings dialog ➤ User Grids tab
The User Grids panel controls automatic activation of grid objects on page
2878 and settings for AutoGrid on page 2819.

Interface
NOTE The layout of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is generated at runtime.
Because of this, it might appear slightly different than the illustration shown here.

Grid object automation group
Determines if 3ds Max automatically makes grids active upon creation.
Activate grids when creating Turn on to automatically activate the grid you
created.
TIP If not turned on, you can activate the grid by selecting the grid, then
right-clicking and choosing Activate Grid.

AutoGrid group
AutoGrid allows you to automatically create grids on the surface of objects.
The task of creating objects that are aligned to other object surfaces has been
simplified. Turn on AutoGrid in the Object Type rollout of a command panel.

Grid and Snap Settings | 2867

When you turn on AutoGrid, 3ds Max uses the setting in the User Grids dialog
for world or object space.
World space Aligns grids to world space.
Object space Aligns grids to object space.

Helpers
Create panel ➤

(Helpers)

Create menu ➤ Helpers
Helper objects play a supporting role, like stagehands or construction assistants.
Several categories of helpers are available from the drop-down list on the
Create panel:
Standard helpers on page 2870
Atmospheric Apparatuses on page 7694
Camera match on page 5976
Assembly Head Helper Object on page 7936
■

Character Assembly on page 7920

■

Luminaire Helper Object on page 7937

Manipulator Helper Objects on page 2892
Particle Flow helpers on page 3079
VRML97 Helper Objects on page 8389
reactor on page 4255
Other helper objects might be available, depending on your configuration.

Select And Manipulate
Main Toolbar ➤

(Select And Manipulate)

2868 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

The Select And Manipulate tool lets you edit the parameters of certain objects,
modifiers, and controllers by dragging "manipulators" in viewports.
NOTE Unlike Select And Move and the other transforms, this button's state is
non-exclusive. As long as Select mode or one of the transform modes is active,
and Select And Manipulate is turned on, you can manipulate objects. However,
you must turn off Select And Manipulate before you can select a manipulator
helper.
You can add these custom manipulators to your scene:
Cone Angle Manipulator on page 2893
Plane Angle Manipulator on page 2896
Slider Manipulator on page 2900
These features have manipulators built in, which you can use to change
parameters on these objects:
IK Solver Properties Rollout (HI Solver) on page 3735
Reaction Controllers on page 3559
Target Spotlight on page 5758
Target Directional Light on page 5764
mr Area Spotlight on page 5780
Free Spotlight on page 5761
Spotlight Parameters on page 5799
UVW Map Modifier on page 1883
Primitives on page 318 with a Radius parameter have a built-in manipulator
for the radius.

Caddy Manipulators
When Select And Manipulate is active, the caddy on page 2339 appears in certain
sub-object contexts for convenient access to settings. These include:

■

■

Vertex Weight on page 2057

Edge Weight and Crease on page 2066

Select And Manipulate | 2869

■

Set Flow on page 2091

■

Loop Shift on page 1296

■

Ring Shift on page 1294

■

When Soft Selection is active, the caddy manipulator includes settings for
Falloff, Pinch, and Bubble on page 1971.

TIP You can toggle the availability of any individual setting in the caddy
manipulator with a check box setting that drops down from the respective ribbon
control.

Standard Helper Objects
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

Create menu ➤ Helpers
Helper objects play a supporting role, like stage hands or construction
assistants.
The helpers in this section serve mainly as precision and drawing aids, while
you can find links to other kinds of helpers in the See Also list, following.

2870 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

See also:
■

Container on page 7855

■

Crowd Helper on page 5515

■

Delegate Helper on page 5507

■

Atmospheric Apparatuses on page 7694

■

CamPoint Helper on page 5976

■

Assembly Heads Helper on page 7937

■

Manipulator Helper Objects on page 2892

■

Particle Flow helpers on page 3079

■

VRML97 Helper Objects on page 8389

■

reactor Helpers on page 4281

Dummy Helper
Create panel ➤
➤ Dummy

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Dummy
A Dummy helper object is a wireframe cube with a pivot point at its geometric
center. It has a name but no parameters, you can't modify it, and it doesn't
render. Its only real feature is its pivot, used as a center for transforms. The
wireframe acts as a reference for transform effects.

Standard Helper Objects | 2871

The dummy object is used primarily in hierarchical linkages. For example,
you can use a dummy object as a center of rotation by linking a number of
different objects to it. When you rotate the dummy, all of its linked children
rotate with it. A dummy is often used this way to animate linked motion.
Another common usage of a dummy object is in the animation of target
cameras. You can create a dummy and position a target camera within the
dummy object. Then you can link both the camera and its target to the
dummy, and animate the dummy with a path constraint. The target camera
will follow the dummy along the path.
Dummy objects are always created as cubes. You can change the proportions
of dummies by using non-uniform scaling, but avoid this on dummies that
are within a hierarchical linkage; this can introduce unexpected results.

Procedures
To create a dummy object:
■

Click Dummy and drag a cube to any convenient size.

Interface
Dummy objects don't have any parameter rollouts or settings.

Expose Transform Helper
Create panel ➤
➤ ExposeTm

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Standard ➤ ExposeTm
The Expose Transform helper exposes values of non-keyed objects for use in
expressions and scripts. This lets riggers and animators access a select set of
transforms for an object, and between an object and its parent, such as a bone
in an IK chain. For example, using the Expose Transform helper, you could
write a script or use parameter wiring that tests the angle of an character's arm
bone that's controlled by IK (thus, has no keys), and once it exceeds a specific
value, rotate the corresponding clavicle bone to deform the shoulder area.
In the viewports, the Expose Transform helper object looks just like a Point
helper on page 2884.

2872 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Procedures
To use the Transform helper:
1 Click ExposeTm and choose the appearance characteristics from the
Display rollout.
2 Adjust the size of the helper object by using the Size spinner on the
Display rollout. Default=20.0
3 Click anywhere in your scene to add the helper object.
The helper object's position has no bearing on its functionality.
4 On the Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout, click the Expose Node button
(default label: None) and select the object whose transform values you
want to expose.
The object's name appears on the button, and its transform values appear
in the fields on the Expose Values rollout.
5 Optionally, turn off Parent and choose a Local Reference Node object.
This option is used by the Local Euler Angles, Distance To Reference, and
Angle parameters. If the object has no parent and you don't specify a
Local Reference Node object, these fields use the world center (0,0,0) as
the reference node.
6 To use a transform value in a script or expression, first click the M button
next to the parameter value.
This copies the transform name, using MAXScript notation, to the copy
buffer.
7 Paste the contents of the buffer to your script or expression.
A sample result of this is “$ExposeTransform01.localPositionX”. 3ds Max
interprets this as the local position, on the X axis, of the Expose Node
object.

Standard Helper Objects | 2873

Interface
Parameters rollout

These settings let you specify the exposed node, a reference object other than
the parent, and rotation and timing parameters.
Expose Node The object from which the values are generated. Click the
button, and then select the object. Thereafter, the object name appears on
the button.
Local Reference Node The object whose relationship with the Expose Node
object is used to generate local data for rotation, distance, and angle. Click
the button, and then select the object. Available only when Parent is off.
By default, this is the parent object, but you can turn off Parent and then
specify a different object.
Parent When on, the Local Reference Node is set automatically to the parent
of the Expose Node. When off, you can pick an object to refer to for local data.
Default=on.

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This is used by the Local Euler Angles, Distance To Reference, and Angle
parameters. If the object has no parent and you don't specify a Local Reference
Node object, these fields use the world center (0,0,0) as the reference node.
Rotation Order These three settings determine the order in which the Expose
Transform helper will look for an Euler rotation.
This parameter corrects for anomalies that can be introduced when a local
rotation value is generated in relation to other rotation values. For example,
when Z Order is set to XYZ, the Z value is generated in reference to X and
then Y. Or when X Order is set to ZXY, the Z value is generated directly in
reference to the parent, regardless of X and Y rotations.
Strip NU Scale When on, removes any non-uniform scaling that could
influence the rotation data. It does not strip non-uniform scaling from the
object; only from the values generated.
Use Time Offset When on, lets you specify a frame other than the current
one from which to gather data. The Offset value is added to the current frame
to derive the frame from which data is gathered.
For example, if the current frame is 20 and you wish to gather data from frame
15, turn on Use Time Offset and set Offset to -5.

Display rollout

Lets you specify how the helper object appears in the viewports. By default,
the display type is set to Cross only, and Size is set to 20.0. You can activate
multiple display settings if you like.
Center Marker Displays a small X marker at the center of the helper object.

Standard Helper Objects | 2875

Axis Tripod Displays a tripod axis indicating the position and orientation of
the helper object.
Cross Displays an axis-aligned cross.
Box Displays a small axis-aligned box at the center of the helper object.
Size Sets the size for the helper object. Use this setting to minimize the helper
object, or increase its size to aid in locating it. Default=20.0.
Constant Screen Size Keeps the size of the helper object constant, regardless
of how much you zoom in or out.
Draw On Top Displays the helper object on top (or in front) of all other
objects in the scene.

2876 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Exposed Values rollout

This rollout provides readouts of values for all transform values of the Expose
Node object. Each value has a button labeled “M” next to it; click this button

Standard Helper Objects | 2877

to copy the MAXScript associated with the value to the clipboard, which you
can then paste into a script.
Display Exposed Values When on, transform values for the Expose Node
object appear on this rollout, and update as the values change. When off,
values don't appear, but the M buttons still function normally.
Local Euler Angles Rotation values with respect to the parent or Local
Reference Node object.
World Euler Angles Rotation values in the world coordinate system.
Local Position Position values with respect to the Expose Node object's local
coordinate system.
World Position Position values in the world coordinate system.
Bounding Box The maximum dimensions of the object.
Distance to Reference The distance between the Expose Node object and its
parent or the designated Local Reference Node object. If neither exists, this
shows the distance to the world center (0,0,0).
Angle The angle between the Expose Node object and its parent or the
designated Local Reference Node object.

Grid Helper
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

➤ Grid
Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Grid
The grid, also called User Grid or Custom Grid, is a 2D parametric object with
adjustments for overall size and grid spacing. You can move and orient user
grids anywhere in world space.
You can create any number of grid objects in your scene. You name them
when you create them and save them with the scene. You can delete them at
any time.
Like other objects you create in 3ds Max, grid objects are placed on the grid
of the current viewport. By default, this is a plane of the home grid, but it can
also be another activated grid object.

2878 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

NOTE You can use AutoGrid on page 2819 to create a temporary or permanent user
grid off the surface of any object.

Using the Grid Object
You can use the grid object as a construction plane on all three orthographic
planes in both directions. Here's how it works:
In the Parameters rollout of each grid object is a Display group with three
options: XY Plane, YZ Plane, and ZX Plane. These determine which of the
three planes of the grid object is displayed in the viewport.
When you activate a grid object, the displayed plane is the construction plane
for all viewports. When you create a grid viewport, you can choose from one
of six orthographic views (Front, Top, Left, and so on), or you can choose a
special Display Planes grid viewport. (When you press the G key to create a
grid viewport, the Display Planes type becomes the default.) The Display Planes
type of grid viewport always displays the plane chosen by the three option
buttons under Display. Thus, as you switch between XY Plane, YZ Plane, and
ZX Plane, the view through the grid viewport switches accordingly, and objects
created in that viewport are created on the displayed plane.
When you use the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 (or
go to the Layout tab of the Viewport Configuration dialog), you can choose
six additional types of grid viewports, based on the six orthographic views.
These are available by a cascading Grid menu that provides Left, Right, Front,
Back, Top, Bottom, and Display Planes. Each of the orthographic directions
is local to the grid object, regardless of its orientation in the scene.
When you choose a specific orthographic grid viewport (as opposed to the
Display Planes viewport), the construction of objects in that viewport is on
the plane specified in the viewport title regardless of the displayed plane of
the grid object.
You can create more than one viewport based on the same grid object, with
each using a different plane. For example, you can have a Grid (Front) viewport
and a Grid (Top) viewport, as well as a Grid (Display Planes) viewport.
When you deactivate a grid object, its remaining viewports show the assigned
orthographic view. Thus, a Grid (Front) viewport becomes a Front viewport,
for example. A Grid (Display Planes) viewport always reverts to a Top view,
regardless of the currently displayed plane.

Scaling Not Advised
As a rule, don't use scaling to resize a grid object. Scaling enlarges or reduces
the apparent size of the grid object but has no effect on grid spacing. A sphere

Standard Helper Objects | 2879

20 units in radius created on a grid object appears smaller than another 20-unit
sphere created on a scaled-up version of the same grid.
If you want to change the actual size of the grid object, select it and go to the
Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Grid Size group, and change the
Length and Width settings.

Locating Grid Tools
Grid tools are available throughout the 3ds Max interface.
■

On the Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps submenu are the commands to
activate home and user grids.
The same tools are available by right-clicking anywhere in the viewport
when a grid helper is selected.

■

Right-click in the viewport while a grid object is selected and the Tools1
quadrant of the quad menu provides commands to activate the home and
user grids.

■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps ➤ Grid And Snap Settings to
display the Grid and Snap Settings dialog on page 2850. Two tabs are devoted
to Grid tools, one for home, another for user grids. You can change
parameters of any active grid using the Modify panel.

See also:
■

Viewing Grid Objects on page 2817

Procedures
To create a grid object:
1 Do one of the following:

■

Click
Create panel ➤
Type rollout ➤ Grid.

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object

■

Choose Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Grid.

The Parameters rollout appears on the Create panel.
2 In a viewport, drag out a rectangle and release the mouse button. This
creates and selects a grid object, which appears in white wireframe, divided
into four quadrants with coordinate axes at the center.

2880 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

While the newly created grid object is still selected, you can change its settings
on the Parameters rollout.
You can also create a grid object during object creation. Turn on AutoGrid,
then press Alt during object creation. A grid is created at the same time as the
object and remains displayed and active. See AutoGrid on page 2819 for more
information.
To activate a grid object:
A grid object requires activation before use. Standard selection doesn't activate
it unless you turn on the option to do so (see User Grids on page 2867).
Only one grid can be active for construction at a time, whether it's the home
grid or a grid object. Activating a user grid "deactivates" the home grid.
Activating a grid object enables options to reactivate the home grid on the
Tools menu ➤ Grids And Snaps submenu and the Quad menu.
If you have more than one grid object in your scene, you have to activate each
one separately. Select the grid object you want to make active and follow the
same procedure. Activating another grid object deactivates the current one.

1

Select a grid object.

2 Do one of the following:
■

From the Tools menu, choose Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Grid
Object.

■

Right-click the selected grid object and choose Activate Grid from the
quad menu.

The grid object changes to show its internal grid structure. Except for its
main axes, the home grid disappears in all viewports.
To reactivate the home grid, do one of the following:
■

From the Tools menu, choose Grids And Snaps ➤ Activate Home Grid.

■

Right-click the selected grid object and choose Activate Home Grid from
the quad menu.
This deactivates the grid object and returns the home grid in all views.
If you delete an activated grid object, the home grid also reactivates.

Standard Helper Objects | 2881

You can assign a keyboard shortcut to Activate Home Grid in the Keyboard
panel on page 8837 of the Customize User Interface dialog. This is useful if
you need to move back and forth between different grids.
To use a grid object as construction plane:
When activated, a grid object replaces the home grid as the frame of reference
for creating objects.
An activated grid object creates a true plane in 3D space. No matter how small
an activated grid object appears on screen, its XY plane is effectively infinite,
just as if it were the XY plane of the home grid.
1 Activate the grid object.
2 Create any category of object.
3ds Max creates the object directly on the plane of the grid object, with
the object's Z axis perpendicular to the plane.
3 Use Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import ➤ Merge to import an
object.
3ds Max creates the object directly on the plane of the grid object, with
the object's Z axis perpendicular to the plane.
See Align on page 906 for details on aligning objects and grids.
Like other objects in 3ds Max, you can move and rotate grid objects freely
using standard transformation methods. These transforms, along with
alignment, are essential in positioning a construction plane in 3D space.
To nudge a grid object up or down:
1 Activate the grid object.
2 Use Customize User Interface on page 8837 to specify controls for the Nudge
Grid Down and Nudge Grid Up actions. For example, you could set the
+ and − keys on the numeric keypad to move the grid object up and
down.
Adjust the nudge strength with the Grid Nudge Distance on page 8899
setting on the Viewports panel of the Preferences dialog.

2882 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Interface

Grid Size group
Sets the overall size of the grid object. This size determines the extents of a
viewport set to the grid object. It doesn't affect the useful limits of the grid,
which extend infinitely.
Length/Width Specifies the length and width of the grid.

Grid Spacing group
Grid Specifies the size of the smallest square in the visible grid. This setting
appears on the status line when the grid is activated.

Standard Helper Objects | 2883

NOTE You can set Grid Spacing when a grid is selected, but you won't see the
grid spacing until the grid is activated.

Active Color group
Determines the color used to draw the grid in viewports when it's not selected.
Gray The active grid object is two shades of gray.
Object Color The main grid lines use the assigned object color, while the
secondary lines use a lighter intensity.
Home Color The grid object uses the home grid color assigned via the
Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.
Home Intensity The grid object uses the grid intensity settings assigned to
the home grid in the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.

Display group
XY Plane, YZ Plane, ZX Plane Determines which of the three planes of the
grid object are displayed in the viewport.

Point Helper
Create panel ➤
➤ Point

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Point
Point provides a specific location in 3D space that can be used as a reference
or by other program functions.

Procedures
To create a point in space:
1 Click Point and check the type of display from the Parameters rollout.
2 Adjust the size of the point object by using the Size spinner in the
Parameters rollout. Default=20.0
3 Left-click and drag anywhere in your scene.

2884 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

The point follows the cursor until you release the mouse button,
indicating the current location of the point object.
4 Move the cursor to where you want the point object and release the
mouse button.
The point object appears using the display setting you chose.
You can move and rotate the point as needed using standard
transformation methods.

Interface

Center Marker Displays a small X marker at the center of the point object.
Axis Tripod Displays a tripod axis indicating the position and orientation of
the point object. The axis remains visible when the point object is no longer
selected.
Cross Displays an axis-aligned cross.
Box Displays a small axis-aligned box at the center of the point object.
Size Sets the size for the point object. Use this to minimize the point object,
or increase its size to aid in locating it. Default=20.
Constant Screen Size Keeps the size of the point object constant, regardless
of how much you zoom in or out.

Standard Helper Objects | 2885

Draw On Top Displays the point object on top of all other objects in the
scene.
NOTE You can also choose to activate multiple display settings.

Tape Helper
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

➤ Tape
Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Tape Measure
Tape provides an on-screen "tape measure" for determining and setting
distances. The tape is composed of two named objects, in the same way targeted
lights and cameras are. By default, these are named Tape## and Tape##.Target.
The tape and target icons are connected by a line representing the current
distance between them.

Using a tape helper to measure the distance from floor to window frame.

2886 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

You can drag a length (the default), or enter a specific length by turning on
Specify Length. You can snap or align either end of the tape or link to objects
in your scene. Deleting either end deletes the tape.
NOTE When you add a Tape helper object, 3ds Max automatically assigns a Look
At controller on page 3533 to it, with the tape's target object assigned as the Look
At target. You can use the controller settings on the Motion panel to assign any
other object in the scene as the Look At target.

Selection
You can select a tape-measure object from either end, or from the middle.
When you click the connecting line, both ends of the tape object become
selected so you can move them as one. Note that the same is true of target
cameras and lights.
NOTE Line selection is available only when clicking with the mouse. Region
selection doesn't work for this.
TIP The Length readout of the tape object is displayed in the Modify panel only
when you select the tape end of the object (as opposed to the target or link line).
You can lock the Length display by activating the Pin Stack button while the tape
end is selected, and then proceed to adjust any part of the tape object or any
other object in your scene.
See also:
■

Measure Distance Tool on page 2913

Procedures
To measure a distance:
1 Click Tape and drag from one point to create the tape, and then drag to
a second point and release the mouse button to create the target.
The distance between tape and target appears in the Length field. The
number in the Length field is gray to indicate that this is a read-only
measurement.
NOTE To snap the tape ends to object vertices, edges and so on, turn on
Snap on page 2833 with the appropriate snap settings activated.

Standard Helper Objects | 2887

2

Move either end to a new location. The line between stretches
to the new distance, shown in the Length field.
NOTE For accurate results when moving a tape endpoint with Snap, you
must turn on Pivot in the Snap Settings panel as well as the types of sub-object
you want to snap to; see Snaps on page 2850. This is because the endpoints
are actually pivots.

To set a distance:
■

Turn on Specify Length in the Parameters rollout, enter a length, and then
create the tape.
The connector line is the length you specified, although you can still set
the target to any offset by dragging. You can reorient this line as required.
NOTE Clearing Specify Length will adjust the connector line length to meet
the target and the new length appears in the Length field.

Interface

2888 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Parameters rollout
Length Specifies the length of the tape object. You must select the Specify
Length check box to enable this option.
Specify Length Activates the Length parameter setting. Otherwise the tape
object's length will be specified by clicking and dragging in the viewport.

World Space Angles group
To X/Y/Z Axis Displays the angle of the tape object relative to each axis in
world space.
To XY/YZ/ZX Plane Displays the angle of the tape object relative to each of
these home planes.

Protractor Helper
Create panel ➤
➤ Protractor

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Protractor
Protractor measures the angle between a point and any two objects in your
scene.
The names of the two objects appear above their respective buttons, and the
angle formed at the protractor object between the pivot points of the two
objects is displayed in the Angle field. Lines are drawn between the protractor
and the two selected objects.
NOTE The line to the first selected object uses the Target Line color, and the line
for the second selected object uses the color of the protractor. The Target Line
color is set with Customize User Interface dialog ➤ Colors panel on page 8860 ➤
Elements drop-down list ➤ Gizmos group. The Protractor color is set by choosing
the Tape Object in Customize User Interface dialog ➤ Colors panel on page 8860
➤ Elements drop-down list ➤ Objects group.
You can reselect the protractor at any time, enter the Modify panel on page
8773, and pick new objects to measure. You can move either of the two objects
or the protractor itself to change the angle.

Standard Helper Objects | 2889

NOTE
If you need to watch the Angle readout while moving either of the
objects, first select the protractor, then click the Pin Stack button on the Modify
panel. You can now select and move the other objects while the stack remains
pinned to display the protractor angle.

Procedures
To use the protractor:
1 After selecting Protractor in the Create panel ➤ Helpers section, click
in the viewport to place and create the protractor icon. You can also drag
to move it before releasing the mouse button.
2 Click the Pick Object 1 button, and then select one of the objects in the
scene.
The name of the selected object appears above the button.
3 Click Pick Object 2, and then select a second object in the scene.
The Angle parameter shows the angle formed by lines from the protractor
object to the two picked objects.

Interface

Parameters rollout
Pick Object 1 Click this and select the first of the two objects whose angle
you want to measure.

2890 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Pick Object 2 Click this and select the second of the two objects whose angle
you want to measure.
Angle Displays the angle formed by the lines from the protractor to the two
objects.

Compass Helper
Create panel ➤
➤ Compass

(Helpers) ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Compass
Compass displays as a non-rendering compass rose, with indicators for North,
South, East, and West. A compass is part of a Daylight or Sunlight system on
page 5852; you create a compass automatically when you create sunlight. In a
Sunlight system, the orientation of the compass indicates the orientation of
the scene, relative to the path of the sun (the ecliptic).
Use the Compass helper object if you want to create an orientation symbol
in your scene, but don’t need to create a sunlight system.

Procedures
To create a compass object:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
(Helpers), then on the
Object Type rollout, click the Compass button.
2 Click and drag to define the radius of the compass.

3

Select and rotate the compass object to orient it.

Standard Helper Objects | 2891

Interface

Parameters rollout
Show Compass Rose Displays the non-rendering compass rose in the viewport.
Radius Specifies the radius of the compass object.

Manipulator Helper Objects
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Manipulators ➤ Object Type

rollout
Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Manipulators
Manipulator helpers are objects you can create to manipulate other objects.
They let you add customized controls to your scene that provide visual
feedback in viewports. To control other objects, manipulators use the parameter
wiring feature on page 3645.
Manipulators can be especially useful when you create a scene that will be
used by more than one animator.
There are three kinds of manipulator helpers: Cone Angle, Plane Angle, and
Slider.
See also:
■

Wire Parameters on page 3645

■

Parameter Wiring Dialog on page 3647

■

Select And Manipulate on page 2868

2892 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Cone Angle Manipulator
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Cone Angle button

(Helpers) ➤ Manipulators ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Manipulators ➤ Cone Angle
The Cone Angle manipulator is a cone whose base you can adjust. By wiring
its Angle value to a parameter of another object, you can create a custom
control, with visual feedback, within a scene.

Cone angle manipulator

Cone angle manipulators are used by a spotlight's Hotspot and Falloff controls.

Procedures
To create a cone angle manipulator:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
Manipulators from the drop-down list.

(Helpers) and choose

2 Click to turn on Cone Angle.
3 Drag in a viewport, and then release the mouse.
The cone angle manipulator is created along the negative Z axis of the
viewport in which you drag. In other words, its initial position points
away from you.

Manipulator Helper Objects | 2893

To change the angle of a cone angle manipulator:

1 Turn on

(Select And Manipulate).

TIP If you are still in the Create panel, turn on
(Select Object) before
using the manipulator. Otherwise, it is too easy to create a new one.
2 In a viewport, move the mouse over the manipulator.
The manipulator turns red when the mouse is over it and it is available
to be manipulated. Also, a tooltip appears, showing the name of the
manipulator and its current value.
3 Drag the base of the cone angle manipulator's cone.
The Angle value changes as you drag the manipulator. This value can
range between 0.0 and 180.0.
To select a cone angle manipulator:

1 Turn on

(Select Object).

You can also use

and

2 Turn off

(Select And Move),

(Select And Rotate),

the scale options on a cone angle manipulator.

(Select And Manipulate).

If you don't turn off Select And Manipulate, you adjust the manipulator's
Angle value without affecting its properties.
3 Adjust the properties of the selected manipulator.

2894 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

To connect a cone angle manipulator so it controls another object:

1

Select the cone angle manipulator.

NOTE
(Select And Manipulate) must be off before you can select the
manipulator.
2 Choose Animation ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Wire Parameters.
You can also right-click the manipulator and choose Wire Parameters
from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu.
A pop-up menu appears over the manipulator.
3 In the pop-up menu, choose Object (Cone Angle Manipulator) ➤ Angle.
4 Click the object you want to manipulate.
A pop-up menu appears over the object.
5 In the pop-up menu, choose Object, then the name of the parameter you
want to manipulate.
3ds Max opens the Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647.
6 On the Parameter Wiring dialog, click the “control direction” arrow
between the two upper lists that goes from the manipulator to the object
(or both directions), and then click Connect.
7 Close the Parameter Wiring dialog.

Now when you turn on
(Select And Manipulate) and use the
manipulator, the object updates under the manipulator's control.

Manipulator Helper Objects | 2895

Interface

Angle The initial angle of the manipulator.
Distance The length of the manipulator, in 3ds Max units. Default=the
distance of mouse drag when the manipulator was created.
Use Square When on, the base of the cone is square or rectangular, rather
than circular. Default=off.
Aspect When Use Square is on, adjusts the aspect ratio of the rectangular cone
base. Default=1.0.

Plane Angle Manipulator
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Plane Angle button

(Helpers) ➤ Manipulators ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Manipulators ➤ Plane Angle
The Plane Angle manipulator looks like a lever or joystick. By wiring its Angle
value to a parameter of another object, you can create a custom control, with
visual feedback, within a scene.

2896 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Plane angle manipulator at different angles

Procedures
To create a plane angle manipulator:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
Manipulators from the drop-down list.

(Helpers) and choose

2 Click to turn on Plane Angle.
3 Drag in a viewport, and then release the mouse.

Manipulator Helper Objects | 2897

The plane angle manipulator is always created vertically, along the Y axis
of the viewport in which you drag.
To change the angle of a plane angle manipulator:

1 Turn on

(Select And Manipulate).

TIP If you are still in the Create panel, turn on
(Select Object) before
using the manipulator. Otherwise, it is too easy to create a new one.
2 In a viewport, move the mouse over the manipulator.
The manipulator turns red when the mouse is over it and it is available
to be manipulated. Also, a tooltip appears, showing the name of the
manipulator and its current value.
3 Drag the handle of the plane angle manipulator.
The Angle value changes as you drag the manipulator. This value can
range between –100000.0 and 100000.0.
To select a plane angle manipulator:

1 Turn on

(Select Object).

You can also use

and

2 Turn off

(Select And Move),

(Select And Rotate),

the scale options on a plane angle manipulator.

(Select And Manipulate).

If you don't turn off Select And Manipulate, you adjust the manipulator's
Angle value without affecting its properties.
3 Adjust the properties of the selected manipulator.

2898 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

To connect a plane angle manipulator so it controls another object:

1

Select the plane angle manipulator.

NOTE
(Select And Manipulate) must be off before you can select the
manipulator.
2 Choose Animation ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Wire Parameters.
You can also right-click the manipulator and choose Wire Parameters
from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu.
A pop-up menu appears over the manipulator.
3 In the pop-up menu, choose Object (Plane Angle Manipulator) ➤ Angle.
4 Click the object you want to manipulate.
A pop-up menu appears over the object.
5 In the pop-up menu, choose Object, then the name of the parameter you
want to manipulate.
3ds Max opens the Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647.
6 On the Parameter Wiring dialog, click the “control direction” arrow
between the two upper lists that goes from the manipulator to the object
(or both directions), and then click Connect.
7 Close the Parameter Wiring dialog.

Now when you turn on
(Select And Manipulate) and use the
manipulator, the object updates under the manipulator's control.

Manipulator Helper Objects | 2899

Interface

Angle The angle of the manipulator, from 0.0 to 360.0 (both values are
perpendicular in the Y axis of the viewport where you created the manipulator,
unless you have rotated the manipulator object). Default=0.0.
Distance The length of the manipulator, in 3ds Max units. Default=the
distance of mouse drag when the manipulator was created.
Size The size of the manipulator's handle, in 3ds Max units. Default=1.0.

Slider Manipulator
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Slider button

(Helpers) ➤ Manipulators ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Manipulators ➤ Slider
The Slider manipulator is a graphic control that appears in the active viewport.
By wiring its Value to a parameter of another object, you can create a custom
control, with visual feedback, within a scene.

Slider manipulator

NOTE Because the slider manipulator is a custom control, its Value has no inherent
unit. It takes on the unit of the parameter to which it is wired. When the minimum
is 0.0 and the maximum is 100.0, the slider Value can represent a percentage.

2900 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Using a Slider Manipulator

Slider manipulator components:
1. Label
2. Value
3. Move
4. Show/hide
5. Slider bar
6. Adjust value
7. Change width

The slider appears in the same location in whichever viewport is active.
You can adjust the slider's value by dragging the triangle below the slider bar.
The triangle turns red when you move the mouse over it. It represents the
slider's value, and the value changes as the triangle is dragged. You can also
make the following changes without going into the Modify panel:
■

Dragging the small square at the left moves the slider.

■

Dragging the diamond at the right changes the width of the slider.

■

Clicking the plus sign (next to the move icon at the left) hides all of the
slider except for the label and the move icon.

Like the Value triangle, these components also turn red when you move the
mouse over them.

Manipulator Helper Objects | 2901

Procedures
To create a slider manipulator:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
Manipulators from the drop-down list.

(Helpers) and choose

2 Click to turn on Slider.
3 Click a viewport.
The slider manipulator is created with its default width of 100 units. It
will appear at the same viewport location in whichever viewport is active.
To change the value of a slider manipulator:

1 Turn on

(Select And Manipulate).

The slider turns green.

TIP If you are still in the Create panel, turn on
(Select Object) before
using the manipulator. Otherwise, it is too easy to create a new one.
2 In a viewport, move the mouse over the triangle below the slider bar.
The triangle turns red when the mouse is over it and it is available to be
dragged.
3 Drag the value triangle of the slider manipulator.
The slider's value display changes as you drag the triangle.
To move a slider manipulator:

1 Turn on

(Select And Manipulate).

2 In the active viewport, move the mouse over the move icon, which is
the small square at the left of the slider, below the sliders label (if there
is one) and value display.
The square turns red when the mouse is over it and it is able to be dragged.
3 Drag the box to move the slider.

2902 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Unlike angle manipulators, transforms have no effect on sliders.
To connect a slider manipulator so it controls another object:

1

Select the slider.

NOTE
slider.

(Select And Manipulate) must be off before you can select the

2 Choose Animation ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Wire Parameters.
You can also right-click the manipulator and choose Wire Parameters
from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu.
A pop-up menu appears over the manipulator.
3 In the pop-up menu, choose Object ➤ Value.
4 Drag to the object you want to manipulate, and click it.
A pop-up menu appears over the object.
5 In the pop-up menu, choose Object, then the name of the parameter you
want to manipulate.
The Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647 appears.
6 In the Parameter Wiring dialog, make sure the direction goes from the
slider to the object (or both directions), and then click Connect.
7 Close the Parameter Wiring dialog.

Now when you turn on
(Select And Manipulate) and use the slider,
the object updates under the slider's control.

Manipulator Helper Objects | 2903

Interface

Label The slider name that appears in viewports. Default=none.
Value The value of the slider, based on the position of the slidable triangle.
Default=0.0.
Minimum The minimum possible value of the slider. Default=0.0.
Maximum The maximum possible value of the slider. Default=100.0.
When the minimum is 0.0 and the maximum is 100.0, the slider Value can
represent a percentage.
X Position The slider's X location in the active viewport. Default=Viewport
X location you clicked when you created the slider.
Y Position The slider's Y location in the active viewport. Default=Viewport Y
location you clicked when you created the slider.
Width The slider's width, in 3ds Max units. Default=100.0.
Snap When on, the slider "snaps" to incremental values determined by the
Snap Value setting. Default=on.
Snap Value The increment used by the slider when Snap is on. Default=0.01.
Hide When on, hides all of the slider except for the label and the move and
show/hide components. Default=off.

2904 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Drawing Assistants
The tools and utilities described in this section can help with drawing and
precision. The xView toolset gives you visual feedback for a variety of
mesh-object metrics. The Measure Distance tool lets you quickly calculate the
distance between two points. The Measure utility returns the measurements
of a selected shape or 3D object. And the Rescale World Units utility rescales
either a selection or an entire scene.
Access the xView submenu from the Views menu and the Shading viewport
label menu. Measure Distance is available from the Tools menu. Access the
Measure utility and Rescale World Units from the Utilities panel on page 8810.

xView
Views menu ➤ xView
Shading Viewport Label menu on page 8719 ➤ xView ➤ Choose a command.
Activate xView. ➤ Active viewport ➤ Click xView message (test name/result).
xView analyzes mesh models, flags various potential problems and errors, and
displays the results in the viewports both graphically and as text. Tests include
isolated and overlapping vertices, open edges, various UVW statistics, and
more.
In addition, xView can convert its graphical display, such as highlighted
vertices or edges, to a sub-object selection. And you can change the tolerance
setting (distance) for relevant checks such as overlapping edges.
While a test is active, its name appears at the top or bottom of the active
viewport; you determine the position by toggling the Display On Top
command on the xView menu. You can open the xView menu by clicking
this text.

The xView viewport display

Next to the test name is a status message. If the test has been successful, the
message indicates the results, such as “14 Vertices.” Otherwise, the message
indicates a possible reason for the failure of the test, such as “No selection”

Drawing Assistants | 2905

(xView works only on selected objects) or “Unsupported object type” (xView
works only on editable mesh and poly objects).
If the active test is configurable, the message “Click Here To Configure” appears
on a second line after the test name. Typically the configurable parameter is
a Tolerance setting that determines the maximum distance for the test, such
as between vertices. To change the value, click the message or use the xView
menu ➤ Configure command.

Customizing xView
Every command on the xView submenu is available from the Customize User
Interface (CUI) on page 8837, so you can define keyboard shortcuts or a custom
toolbar for frequently used functions. Also available in the CUI xView category
are additional actions to cycle through the command list, toggle the viewport
display, and more.

Procedure
To use xView:

1

Select the geometry to check; typically an Edit/Editable
Mesh/Poly object. There is no need to access a sub-object level.

2 Choose the type of test to perform from the xView menu. By default, you
can find this menu on the Shading Viewport Label menu on page 8719 (the
rightmost viewport label menu) and the Views menu.
The test is performed immediately and the results, if any, display in the
viewports as green-highlighted sub-objects: vertices, edges, or faces. At
the same time, the name of the test and its numerical results display at
the bottom or top of the viewport.
NOTE If any of the flagged sub-objects are already selected, they remain
selected and display normally at the relevant sub-object level. Thus they are
not highlighted in green when the relevant sub-object level is active. However,
they’re still flagged and, if you deselect the sub-objects, retain the green
highlighting.

2906 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

3 To convert the highlighted sub-objects to a sub-object selection, reopen
the xView menu and choose Select Results. To use the selection, access
the relevant sub-object level.

Interface
The xView functions work on editable/edit poly and mesh objects; most other
object types (including primitives) are unsupported.
All of the modes relate to sub-objects: vertices, edges, and faces (whether
geometry or UVW). However, you need not be at a sub-object level for a
checker to display its results. The checker results appear at the object level
and at all sub-object levels.

xView | 2907

Face Orientation Highlights the back side (see 2-Sided (Double Sided) on page
9079) of each face in the selection. This is useful for checking for inadvertently
flipped faces.
Overlapping Faces Highlights interpenetrating, coplanar faces. This should
be avoided when possible to prevent rendering anomalies.
Technically, this test checks for at least one vertex of one face lying in the
plane of another, so if only edges of two faces overlap, the test won’t find
them. The Tolerance value specifies the distance from the vertex to the plane
of the overlapping face.
Open Edges Edges that are not shared with any other polygons; that is, at the
outer edge of a surface.
Multiple Edges Checks for edges that are common to more than two faces.
This doesn't happen in Edit/Editable Poly objects, but is possible in
Edit/Editable Mesh objects. However, if you have any flipped polys in an
Edit/Editable Poly, xView flags edges where they adjoin non-flipped polys as
multiple edges.

2908 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

NOTE Because of the underlying nature of Edit/Editable Mesh objects, an internal
edge can show two different IDs on the Selection panel when selected twice in
succession. However, this does not necessarily indicate a multiple edge, and the
Multiple Edges test does not indicate such edges.
Isolated Vertices Flags vertices that are not associated with any edges or faces.
Overlapping Vertices Flags vertices that lie within a certain distance of each
other. The configurable Tolerance parameter indicates the maximum distance
in world units within which the test is performed.
T-Vertices Flags vertices that lie at the intersection of three edges or faces.
Applies to poly objects only.

The T-Vertex is highlighted in green

Missing UVW Coordinates Highlights faces that lack texture-mapping
coordinates. 3ds Max has internal safeguards against this, but it might happen
with certain imported geometry.
Flipped UVW Faces Highlights texture-mapping faces whose normals point
opposite the usual direction.
Overlapped UVW Faces Highlights any texture-mapping faces that coincide
with other texture-mapping faces.
Select Results Selects sub-objects flagged and highlighted by the active test.
To see the selection, go to the relevant sub-object level.
See-Through Shows all highlighted sub-objects regardless of any intervening
geometry.

xView | 2909

Auto Update When on, xView automatically redraws the screen to show the
result of parameter changes.
Display On Top When on, the text display appears at the top of the active
viewport. When off (the default), the text displays at the bottom of the
viewport.
Configure Opens a small dialog for setting the current test’s parameters, if
there are any. If there are not, this option is unavailable.

Measuring Distances
3ds Max provides several options for measuring various aspects of your scene.
The tape, protractor and compass helpers measure distance, angles and
direction respectively. The Measure utility has a floater to display various
measurements of any selected object.
You can quickly measure the distance between two points with the Measure
Distance tool on page 2913.

Helper Objects for Measurement
Tape Helper
You can create a Tape helper on page 2886 by dragging between any two points
in 3D space, much like using a physical tape measure. You then read the length
on the Parameters rollout.
If you turn on Specify Length, the length field lets you enter a value in current
units. This is like locking a tape measure to a set length. You can position the
tape object and snap to its ends.

2910 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

The pyramid icon is the tape helper object; the cube is the helper object's target.
■

To display length and angle settings, select only the tape helper object
(the pyramid icon).

■

To move the entire tape including its target (the cube icon), select the
connecting line.

Two sets of World Space Angles give you current readouts to the three world
axes (X, Y, Z) and the three world planes (XY, YZ, ZX).
TIP When measuring with precision, it is helpful to use snaps to force the ends of
the tape object to exact locations. If there are no specific points to snap to, you
can use dummy or point helpers to set points.
To measure with a tape helper using snaps:
1 Locate points in the scene to which you can snap to accurately make a
measurement. If no points like this exist, create point objects on page
2884 at measurement extremes.
2 Choose 3D from the Snap Toggle flyout.
3 Right-click the Snap Toggle button to display the Grid And Snap Settings
dialog. On the Snaps tab, set the snap type to the type you will use for
measurement. For example, if you are going to use point objects for
measurement, check the Pivot option so you can snap to the point objects'
pivot points. Close the dialog.

4 On the
Create panel, activate
(Helpers), then click the
Tape button. Move the cursor over the first measurement point until the
snap cursor appears, then click and drag to the other measurement point.

Measuring Distances | 2911

5 Read the length of the tape on the Parameters rollout.

Protractor
The Protractor helper on page 2889 measures the angle between pivot points of
two objects and the protractor object.
As with the tape helper, point objects and snap tools can be used to aid in
precise measurement of angles.
To measure an angle with a protractor:

1 On the
Create panel, activate
(Helpers), then click the
Protractor button. Click in a viewport to place the protractor object.
2 On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Object 1 and then click an object
in your scene. The name of the selected object appears above the pick
button. A line connects the protractor to the center of the object.
3 Click Pick Object 2 and click a second object. The angle between the
protractor and the two objects appears on the rollout.

4 To move either object while watching the Angle readout, turn on
(Pin Stack) below the modifier stack. This locks the stack to the Protractor's
Parameters rollout.

Compass
The Compass helper on page 2891 establishes an orientation for your scene. You
create this object with a single click and drag to define the radius, usually in
a Perspective or Top view. On its parameters rollout, you can adjust the
apparent radius of the compass rose. Like all helper objects, this object is for
reference only and does not render.

Measure Utility
The Measure Utility on page 2914 provides measurements of a selected object
or shape.

2912 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

To use the Measure utility:

1 On the
rollout.

2

Utilities panel, click Measure to display the Measure

Select any shape or object and read out the measurements. If
you select multiple objects, the sum of the measurements is displayed.

3 Click New Floater to display a modeless Measure dialog with all the same
information.
4 Use the Measure dialog to display the length of a spline, like a line or
circle, as you create it.

Measure Distance Tool
The Measure Distance tool quickly calculates the distance between two points.
To measure the distance between two points:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Measure Distance
2 Click in the viewport where you want to start measuring.
3 Click in the viewport where you want to measure to.
A distance is returned in the Mini Listener. Additional information,
detailing the distance along the X, Y, and Z coordinates is displayed in
the status bar.

Measure Distance Tool
Tools menu ➤ Measure Distance
The Measure Distance tool lets you quickly calculate the distance between
two points, using just two clicks. The calculated distance is displayed in display
units on page 8955 in the status bar.

Measure Distance Tool | 2913

Procedures
To measure the distance between two points:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Measure Distance.
2 Click in the viewport where you want to start measuring from.
3 Click again in the viewport where you want to measure to.
A distance is returned in the status bar. Additional information, detailing
the distance along the X, Y, and Z coordinates is displayed as well.

Measure Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Measure button
The Measure utility provides measurements of a selected object or shape.
See also:
Measure Distance Tool on page 2913

■

Procedures
To measure an object:

1 On the

2

Utilities panel, click the Measure button.

Select the object you want to measure.
If both an object and a shape are in the selection, information is displayed
for both types. If several objects are in a selection, the sum of their
measurements is displayed.

2914 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Interface

Text display Displays the name of the object in the current selection. If more
than one object is in the selection, Multiple Objects Selected is displayed.
Lock Selected Prevents the displayed data from changing when you change
selection. For example, you might need to select and manipulate another
object that affects the currently selected object.

Objects group
Displays information about renderable mesh objects.
Surface Area Displays the total surface area of all objects in the selection, in
units squared.

Measure Utility | 2915

Volume Displays the total volume of all objects in the selection, in units
cubed. Note that objects with "holes" caused by missing faces can result in
inaccurate volume values. When an object has one or more holes, an asterisk
appears beside the Volume number.
Center Of Mass Displays the world coordinates of the location of the center
of mass for the object or the center of mass of the selected objects.
Create Center Point Creates a point helper object on page 2884 at the center
of mass.

Shapes group
Displays information about shape objects.
Length Displays the sum of the length of all splines in all selected shapes.

Dimensions group
Displays the dimensions of the object, as they appear in world space. For
example, if it were a box with the created dimensions of 15 x 10 x 25, and
that box were scaled 200 percent, then this group would report dimensions
of 30 x 20 x 50.

Button set
New Floater Launches a modeless Measure dialog that displays the same
information found under the Objects, Shapes, and Dimensions groups on the
Utilities panel. In addition, you can expand the dialog horizontally, in case
the values are too long to be viewed in the default dialog size.
TIP While the Measure floater is displayed, you can view the length of a spline
while you're creating it.
Close Closes the utility.

Rescale World Units Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Rescale World Units
This utility rescales the world units of either the entire scene or selected objects
in the scene. The Rescale World Units dialog controls scale factor and whether
it is applied to the entire scene or the current selection.

2916 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Procedures
To rescale an object:

1

Select an object in the viewport.

2 On the
Utilities panel, click the More button, and on the Utilities
dialog, choose Rescale World Units from the list.
3 On the Utilities panel, click the Rescale World Units button.
4 On the Rescale World Units rollout, click the Rescale button.
5 Set the Scale Factor to the desired scale. For example, setting the scale to
a value of 2.0 doubles the size of the object that it’s applied to.
6 In the Affect group, choose the Selection option.
7 Click OK to apply the scale.

Interface
Rescale World Units rollout

Rescale After selecting the objects you want to rescale, click this to display
the Rescale World Units dialog.

Rescale World Units Utility | 2917

Rescale World Units dialog

Scale Factor Specifies the scaling factor.
Affect
■

SceneApplies the scale to the entire scene.

■

SelectionApplies the scale only to the current selection.

OK Applies the scale.
Cancel Cancels the operation.

2918 | Chapter 11 Precision and Drawing Aids

Space Warps and Particle
Systems

12

Space warps and particle systems are additional modeling tools. Space warps are “force fields”
that deform other objects, creating the effect of ripples, waves, blowing wind, and so on.
Particle systems generate particle sub-objects for the purpose of simulating snow, rain, dust,
and so on. (You use particle systems primarily in animations.)

Left: Fountain spray created as a particle system
Insets on right: Wind space warp changes the direction of fountain spray

2919

Space Warp Objects
Create panel ➤

(Space Warps)

Space warps are nonrenderable objects that affect the appearance of other
objects. Space warps create force fields that deform other objects, creating the
effect of ripples, waves, blowing wind, and so on.
Space warps behave somewhat like modifiers, except that space warps influence
world space, rather than object space, as geometric modifiers do.
When you create a space warp object, viewports show a wireframe
representation of it. You can transform the space warp as you do other 3ds
Max objects. The position, rotation, and scale of the space warp affect its
operation.

Surfaces deformed by space warps
Left: Bomb
Right: Ripple
Rear: Wave

2920 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

A space warp affects objects only when the objects are bound to it on page
2925. The warp binding appears at the top of the object's modifier stack. A space
warp is always applied after any transforms or modifiers.
When you bind multiple objects to a space warp, the space warp's parameters
affect all the objects equally. However, each object's distance from the space
warp or spatial orientation to the warp can change the warp's effect. Because
of this spatial effect, simply moving an object through warped space can
change the warp's effect.
You can also use multiple space warps on one or more objects. Multiple space
warps appear in an object's stack in the order you apply them.
NOTE You can take advantage of the AutoGrid feature to orient and position new
space warps with respect to existing objects. See AutoGrid on page 2819 for details.

Space Warps and Supported Objects
Some types of space warps are designed to work on deformable objects, such
as geometric primitives, meshes, patches, and splines. Other types of warps
work on particle systems such as Spray and Snow.
Five space warps (Gravity, PBomb, Wind, Motor, and Push) can work on
particle systems and also serve special purposes in a dynamics simulation. In
the latter case, you do not bind the warps to objects, but rather assign them
as effects in the simulation.
On the Create panel, each space warp has a rollout labeled Supports Objects
Of Type. This rollout lists the kind of objects you can bind to the warp.

Basics of Using Space Warps
Follow these general steps to use space warps:
1 Create the space warp.
2 Bind objects to the space warp.

On the main toolbar, click
(Bind To Space Warp), and then drag
between the space warp and the object.
The space warp has no visible effect on your scene until you bind an
object, system, or selection set to it.
3 Adjust the space warp's parameters.

Space Warp Objects | 2921

4 Transform the space warp with Move, Rotate, or Scale. The transforms
often directly affect the bound object.
You can animate space warp parameters and transforms. You can also animate
space warp effects by animating transforms of an object bound to the warp.

Particle Leakage and Deflector Space Warps
A deflector is a space warp that acts as a barrier to particles in particle systems.
Occasionally stray particles can leak through a deflector under the following
circumstances:
■

When a particle happens to hit the deflector too near the end or beginning
of a time interval, and numerical error in the solution doesn't report a hit

■

When a particle hits too near the edge of a face referenced by a UDeflector,
and neither face finds it

■

When a particle is moving quickly and first appears too close to the
deflector, so the very first update cycle within the particle system takes it
past the deflector without the deflector ever seeing it

Often this isn't a problem because the particles bounce off solid objects, so
you don't see the errant particles. When it does cause problems, you can use
a planar deflector instead of a UDeflector, a collection of planars to
approximate the mesh, or a simple mesh to replace the planar. The solutions
vary, so where one has a glitch the other might work just fine.
If particles are moving fast and the deflector is in a particular position (for
example, it might be too close to the emitter) many particles can leak through
defectors. Sometimes you can fix this leakage by changing the particle system's
Subframe Sampling setting or the particle speed. Other times you must
reposition the deflector farther away from the emitter.
In addition, particles imbued with bubble motion on page 3388 can leak through
deflectors, particularly when set to high amplitudes. To avoid this, use
alternative methods of implementing bubble-like motion, such as varying
speed (see Particle Generation Rollout (PArray) on page 3369), setting a higher
angle for the stream spread with spray systems (see Spray Particle System on
page 3337, Super Spray Particle System on page 3346), or using larger particles with
an animated texture map.

Space Warp Categories
There are four categories of space warps, available via the list on the Create
panel's Space Warps category.

2922 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Forces
These space warps are used to affect particle systems and dynamics systems.
All of them can be used with particles, and some can be used with dynamics.
The Supports Objects of Type rollout indications which systems each space
warp supports.

Motor Space Warp on page 2931
Push Space Warp on page 2926
Vortex Space Warp on page 2936
Drag Space Warp on page 2941
Path Follow Space Warp on page 2953
PBomb Space Warp on page 2947
Displace Space Warp on page 2964
Gravity Space Warp on page 2958
Wind Space Warp on page 2960

Deflectors
These space warps are used to deflect particles or to affect dynamics systems.
All of them can be used with particles and with dynamics. The Supports Objects
of Type rollout indicates which systems each space warp supports.
PDynaFlect Space Warp on page 2975
POmniFlect Space Warp on page 2969
SDynaFlect Space Warp on page 2982

Space Warp Objects | 2923

SOmniFlect Space Warp on page 2980
UDynaFlect Space Warp on page 2985
UOmniFlect Space Warp on page 2983
SDeflector Space Warp on page 2988
UDeflector Space Warp on page 2991
Deflector Space Warp on page 2994

Geometric/Deformable
These space warps are used to deform geometry.
FFD(Box) Space Warp on page 2997
FFD(Cyl) Space Warp on page 3004
Wave Space Warp on page 3013
Ripple Space Warp on page 3018
Displace Space Warp on page 2964
Conform Space Warp on page 3022
Bomb Space Warp on page 3027

Modifier-Based
These are space-warp versions of object modifiers (see Modify Panel on page
8773). Read more about these in Modifier-Based Space Warps on page 3030.
Bend Modifier on page 1104
Noise Modifier on page 1490
Skew Modifier on page 1610
Taper Modifier on page 1757
Twist Modifier on page 1783
Stretch Modifier on page 1699

2924 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Procedures
To create a space warp:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Space Warps).

The Space Warps panel is displayed.
2 Choose a category of space warp from the list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click a space warp button.
TIP You can take advantage of the AutoGrid feature to orient and position
new space warps with respect to existing objects. For details, see AutoGrid
on page 2819.
4 Drag in a viewport to create the space warp.
See the topics for the various space warps for further details.

Bind to Space Warp
Main toolbar ➤

(Bind to Space Warp)

Use the Bind to Space Warp button to attach the current selection to a space
warp on page 9312 or vice versa.

Procedures
To bind the current selection to a space warp:

1

2 Click

Select an object

(Bind To Space Warp).

3 Drag a line from the selected object to the space warp object. You can
also press H to select the space warp by name.

Bind to Space Warp | 2925

The space warp object flashes for a moment to show that the bind was
successful.

Forces
Forces affect particle systems and dynamics systems.

Push Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Push

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Push
For particle systems, Push applies a uniform, unidirectional force. For dynamics
systems, it provides a point force: like pushing something with your finger.

2926 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Push disperses a cloud of particles

The Push space warp applies a force to either particle systems on page 3032 or
dynamics systems on page 4226. The effect is different, depending on the system:
■

Particles: Applies a uniform, unidirectional force in a positive or negative
direction. A positive force moves in the direction of the pad on the
hydraulic jack. The breadth of the force is infinite, perpendicular to the
direction; you can limit it using the Range option.

■

Dynamics: Provides a point force (also called a point load) away from the
pad of the hydraulic jack icon. A negative force pulls in the opposite
direction. In dynamics, applying a force is the same as pushing something
with your finger.

Forces | 2927

Push viewport icon

Procedures
To create a Push space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Push.
2 Drag in a viewport to define the size.
The Push warp appears as a hydraulic jack icon.

2928 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Timing group
On Time/Off Time The numbers of the frames in which the space warp begins
and ends its effect. Because Push moves the particles to which it's applied over
time, no keyframes are created.

Forces | 2929

Strength Control group
Basic Force The amount of force exerted by the space warp.
Newtons/Pounds This option specifies the units of force used by the Basic
Force spinner.
A pound is about 4.5 Newtons, and one newton is one
kilogram-per-second-squared. When Push is applied to particle systems, these
values have only subjective meaning because they depend on the built-in
weighting factors and time scaling used by the particle system. However, when
used in a dynamics system, the value listed is precisely the value used.
Feedback On When on, the force varies depending on the speed of the affected
particles relative to the specified Target Speed. When off, the force remains
constant, regardless of the speed of the affected particles.
Reversible When on, if the particle's speed exceeds the Target Speed setting,
the force is reversed. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
Target Speed Specifies the maximum speed in units per frame before the
Feedback takes effect. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
Gain Specifies how quickly the force adjusts to approaching the target speed.
If set to 100 percent, the correction is immediate. If set lower, a slower and
"looser" response occurs. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
NOTE Setting Gain above 100 percent can result in over-correction, but is
sometimes necessary to overcome damping from other system settings, such as
IK damping.

Periodic Variation group
These settings introduce variations into the force by affecting the Basic Force
value randomly. You can set two waveforms to produce a noise effect.
Enable Turns on the variations.
Period 1 The time over which the noise variation makes a full cycle. For
example, a setting of 20 means one cycle per 20 frames.
Amplitude 1 The strength of the variation (in percent). This option uses the
same types of units as the Basic Force spinner.
Phase 1 Offsets the variation pattern.
Period 2 Provides an additional variation pattern (a second wave) to increase
the noise.

2930 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Amplitude 2 The strength of the variation of the second wave (in percent).
This option uses the same types of units as the Basic Force spinner.
Phase 2 Offsets the variation pattern of the second wave.

Particle Effect Range group
Lets you restrict the Push effect's range to a specific volume. This affects particle
systems only; it has no effect on dynamics.
Enable When on, limits the range of the effect to a sphere, displayed as a
tri-hooped sphere. The effect falls off increasingly as the particles near the
boundary of the sphere.
Range Specifies the radius of the range of the effect, in units.

Display Icon group
Icon Size Sets the size of the Push icon. This is for display purposes only, and
does not alter the Push effect.

Motor Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Motor

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Motor
The Motor space warp works like Push on page 2926, but applies rotational
torque to the affected particles or objects rather than a directional force. Both
the position and orientation of the Motor icon affect particles, which swirl
around the Motor icon.

Forces | 2931

Motor disperses a cloud of particles

When used in dynamics, the position of the icon relative to the affected object
has no effect, but the orientation of the icon does.

Motor viewport icon (with particle system on the left)

2932 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Procedures
To create a motor space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Motor.
2 Click and drag in a viewport to define the size.
The Motor warp appears as a box-shaped icon with an arrow indicating
the direction of the torque.

Interface

Timing group
On Time/Off Time The numbers of the frames in which the space warp begins
and ends its effect. Because Motor moves the objects to which it's applied over
time, no keyframes are created.

Strength Control group
Basic Torque The amount of force exerted by the space warp.

Forces | 2933

N-m/Lb-ft/Lb-in Specify the unit of measure for the Basic Torque setting,
using common world measurements of torque. N-m stands for Newton meters,
Lb-ft stands for pound-force feet, and Lb-in stands for pound-force inches.
Feedback On When on, the force varies depending on the speed of the affected
objects relative to the specified Target Speed. When off, the force remains
constant, regardless of the speed of the affected objects.
Reversible When on, if the object's speed exceeds the Target Speed setting,
the force is reversed. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
Target Revs Specifies the maximum revolutions before the feedback takes
effect. Speed is specified in units traveled per frame. Available only if you turn
on Feedback On.
RPH/RPM/RPS Specifies the units of measure for Target Revs in revolutions
per hour, minute, or second. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
Gain Specifies how quickly the force adjusts to approaching the target speed.
If set to 100%, the correction is immediate. If set lower, a slower and "looser"
response occurs. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
NOTE Setting Gain above 100% can result in over-correction, but is sometimes
necessary to overcome damping from other system settings, such as IK damping.

2934 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Periodic Variation group

These settings introduce variations into the force by affecting the Basic Torque
value randomly. You can set two waveforms to produce a noise effect.
Enable Turn on to enable the variations.
Period 1 The time over which the noise variation makes a full cycle. For
example, a setting of 20 means one cycle per 20 frames.
Amplitude 1 The strength of the variation (in percent). This option uses the
same types of units as the Basic Torque spinner.
Phase 1 Offsets the variation pattern.
Period 2 The next two spinners provide an additional variation pattern to
increase the noise.
Amplitude 2 The strength of the variation of the second wave in (percent).
This option uses the same types of units as the Basic Torque spinner.

Forces | 2935

Phase 2 Offsets the variation pattern of the second wave.

Particle Effect Range group
Lets you restrict the Motor effect's range to a specific spherical volume. This
affects particles systems only; it has no effect on dynamics.
Enable When on, limits the range of the effect to a sphere, displayed as a
tri-hooped sphere. The effect falls off increasingly as the particles near the
boundary of the sphere.
Range Specifies the radius of the range of the effect, in units.

Display Icon group
Icon Size Sets the size of the Motor icon. This is for display purposes only,
and does not alter the Motor effect.

Vortex Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Vortex

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Vortex
The Vortex space warp applies a force to particle systems on page 3032, spinning
them through a whirling vortex, and then moving them down a long, thin
spout or vortex well. Vortex is useful for creating black holes, whirlpools,
tornadoes, and other funnel-like objects.
The space warp settings let you control the vortex shape, the well
characteristics, and rate and range of particle capture. The shape of the vortex
is also affected by particle system settings, such as speed.

2936 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle stream caught in a vortex

Procedures
To create a Vortex space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Vortex.
2 Determine which world axis you want the vortex to spiral around, and
then drag in the appropriate viewport to create the space warp. For
example, if you want the vortex to spin around the vertical world axis,
create the space warp in the Top viewport. You can rotate the warp later
to change the vortex direction, and animate the warp orientation.

Forces | 2937

The Vortex warp appears as a curved-arrow icon in the plane you drag
in, with a second, perpendicular arrow indicating the axis of rotation as
well as the direction of the well. This second axis is called the drop axis.
NOTE The position of the space warp plays an important role in the results.
The vertical position affects the shape of the vortex, and the horizontal
position determines its location. If you want the particles to spiral around the
particle emitter, place both at the same location.

2938 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Timing group
Time On/Time Off The frame numbers at which the space warp becomes
active and becomes inactive.

Forces | 2939

Vortex Shape group
Taper Length Controls the length of the vortex, as well as its shape. Lower
settings give you a "tighter" vortex, while higher settings give you a "looser"
vortex. Default=100.0.
Taper Curve Controls the shape of the vortex. Low values create a vortex
with a wide, flared mouth, while high values create a vortex with nearly vertical
sides. Default=1.0. Range=1.0 to 4.0.

Capture and Motion group
This group contains basic settings for Axial Drop, Orbital Speed, and Radial
Pull, with Range, Falloff, and Damping modifiers for each.
Unlimited Range When on, Vortex exerts full damping strength over an
unlimited range. When off, the Range and Falloff settings take effect.
Axial Drop Specifies how quickly particles move in the direction of the drop
axis.
Range The distance from the center of the Vortex icon, in system units, at
which Axial Damping has its full effect. Takes effect only when Unlimited
Range is turned off.
Falloff Specifies the distance beyond the Axial Range within which Axial
Damping is applied. Axial Damping is strongest at the Range distance, decreases
linearly out to the limit of the Axial Falloff, and has no effect beyond that.
Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.
Damping Controls the degree to which particle motion parallel to the drop
axis is restrained per frame. Default=5.0. Range=0 to 100.
For subtle effects, use values of less than 10%. For more overt effects, try using
higher values that increase to 100% over the course of a few frames.
Orbital Speed Specifies how quickly the particles rotate.
Range The distance from the center of the Vortex icon, in system units, at
which Orbital Damping has its full effect. Takes effect only when Unlimited
Range is turned off.
Falloff Specifies the distance beyond the Orbital Range within which Orbital
Damping is applied. Orbital Damping is strongest at the Range distance,
decreases linearly out to the limit of the Orbital Falloff, and has no effect
beyond that. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.

2940 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Damping Controls the degree to which orbital particle motion is restrained
per frame. Smaller values produce a wide spiral, while larger values produce
a thin spiral. Default=5.0. Range=0 to 100.
Radial Pull Specifies the distance from the drop axis at which the particles
rotate.
Range The distance from the center of the Vortex icon, in system units, at
which Radial Damping has its full effect. Takes effect only when Unlimited
Range is turned off.
Falloff Specifies the distance beyond the Radial Range within which Radial
Damping is applied. Radial Damping is strongest at the Range distance,
decreases linearly out to the limit of the Radial Falloff, and has no effect beyond
that. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.
Damping Controls the degree to which Radial Pull is restrained per frame.
Default=5.0. Range=0 to 100.
CW/CCW Determines whether particles rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

Display group
Icon Size Specifies the size of the icon.

Drag Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Drag

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Drag
The Drag space warp is a particle motion damper that reduces particle velocity
by a specified amount within a specified range. The damping can be applied
linearly, spherically, or cylindrically. Drag is useful for simulating wind
resistance, transfers into dense media (like water), impacts with force fields,
and other, similar situations.
With each damping type, you can control the damping effect along several
vectors. The damping is also affected by particle system settings, such as speed.
NOTE To create a uniform drag effect, the default value for all directional
parameters is 5.0%.

Forces | 2941

Drag slows down a stream of particles.

Procedures
To create a Drag space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Drag.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the space warp.
The space warp appears initially as a box within a box, indicating that
it's using the default Linear Damping mode.
3 To apply the damping spherically or cylindrically, choose Spherical
Damping or Cylindrical Damping in the command panel.

2942 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

NOTE The position and orientation of the space warp plays an important
role for all three damping types.
4 Change the settings for the current damping type as necessary.

Forces | 2943

Interface

2944 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Timing group
Time On/Time Off The frame numbers at which the space warp becomes
active and becomes inactive.

Damping Characteristics group
This group lets you choose Linear Damping, Spherical Damping, or Cylindrical
Damping, plus a set of parameters for each.
Unlimited Range When on, Drag exerts full damping strength over an
unlimited range. When off, the Range and Falloff settings for the current
damping type take effect.
■

Linear DampingMotion for each particle is separated into vectors for the
space warp's local X, Y, and Z axes. The area over which damping is exerted
for each vector is an infinite plane whose thickness is determined by the
corresponding Range setting.
X Axis/Y Axis/Z Axis
Specifies the percentage of particle motion along the local Drag space warp
axis that's affected by the damping.
Range
Sets the thickness of the "range plane," or the infinite plane perpendicular
to the specified axis. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned
off.
Falloff
Specifies the distance beyond the X, Y, or Z Range within which Linear
Damping is applied. Damping is strongest at the Range distance, decreases
linearly out to the limit of the Falloff, and has no effect beyond that. While
Falloff takes effect only beyond the Range, it is measured from the center
of the icon, and always has a minimum value equal to the Range value.
Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.

■

Spherical DampingWhen Drag operates in Spherical Damping mode, its
icon is a sphere within a sphere. Particle motion is broken up into radial
and tangential vectors. Damping is applied for each vector within a
spherical volume whose radius is set by the Range setting, when Unlimited
Range is off.
Radial/Tangential
Radial specifies the percentage of particle motion toward or away from the
center of the Drag icon that's affected by the damping. Tangential specifies
the percentage of particle motion across the body of the Drag icon that's
affected by the damping.
Range

Forces | 2945

Specifies the distance from the center of the Drag icon, in system units,
within which damping is in full effect. Takes effect only when Unlimited
Range is turned off.
Falloff
Specifies the distance beyond the Radial/Tangential Range within which
Linear Damping is applied. Damping is strongest at the Range distance,
decreases linearly out to the limit of the Falloff, and has no effect beyond
that. While Falloff takes effect only beyond the Range, it is measured from
the center of the icon, and always has a minimum value equal to the Range
value. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.
■

Cylindrical DampingWhen Drag operates in Spherical Cylindrical mode,
its icon is a cylinder within a cylinder. Particle motion is broken up into
radial, tangential, and axial vectors. Damping is applied within a spherical
volume for the radial and tangential vectors and on a planar basis for the
axial vector.
Radial/Tangential/Axial
Damping controls the percentage of particle motion toward or away from
the center of the circular portion of the icon (Radial), across the radial
vector (Tangential), or along the length of the icon's long axis (Axial) that's
affected by the damping, on a per-frame basis.
Range
Specifies the distance from the center of the Drag icon, in system units,
within which Radial and Axial damping are in full effect. Range also
specifies the thickness of the infinite plane that governs the range of Axial
damping. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.
Falloff
Specifies the distance beyond the Radial/Tangential/Axial Range within
which Linear Damping is applied. Damping is strongest at the Range
distance, decreases linearly out to the limit of the Falloff, and has no effect
beyond that. While Falloff takes effect only beyond the Range, it is
measured from the center of the icon, and always has a minimum value
equal to the Range value. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned
off.

Display group
Icon Size Specifies the size of the icon.

2946 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

PBomb Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ PBomb

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ PBomb
The PBomb space warp creates an impulse wave to blow up a particle system,
as distinguished from the Bomb space warp on page 3027, which blows up
geometry. The PBomb is particularly well suited to the Particle Array (PArray)
system with Particle Types set to Object Fragments. This space warp also applies
an impulse as a dynamics effect.
The general usage is as follows:
■

Create a particle system (recommended: a PArray system on page 3362 set
to Object Fragments).

■

Create a PBomb and use Bind to Space Warp on page 2925 to bind it
to a non-event-driven particle system. Be sure to bind the PBomb to the
particle system and not to the distribution object. Or, if using Particle Flow,
use a Force operator on page 3223 to apply the space warp to the particle
system.

■

Adjust the parameters of both the PBomb and the particle system.

Forces | 2947

Right: PBomb viewport icon
Above: PArray particle system
Below: Torus knot used as the PArray's distribution object

2948 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Effect of blowing up the torus knot

Procedures
Example: To use PBomb with PArray:
You can use the Particle Bomb bound to a Particle Array to blow an object
into fragments. The following steps demonstrate the basic setup.
Begin by binding a particle array to an object, and setting parameters.
1 Create the object you want to blow up.
2 Create a PArray and use Pick Object to assign the object to blow up as
the PArray object-based emitter.
3 In the Basic Parameters rollout ➤ Viewport Display group, choose Mesh
to display the fragments as mesh objects in the viewports.
4 On the Particle Generation rollout of PArray, set Speed and Divergence
to 0.0. This prevents PArray from moving the particles, letting PBomb
do the work.
5 On the Particle Generation rollout, set Life to the length of the active
time segment, so that the fragments appear during the entire animation.

Forces | 2949

6 In the Particle Type rollout ➤ Particle Types group, choose Object
Fragments. In the Object Fragment Controls group, choose Number of
Chunks, and set the Minimum to about 50, depending on your
distribution object and the effect you want.
Now create a particle bomb, and bind it to the particle array.
1 In the Space Warps panel ➤ Particles & Dynamics category, click the
PBomb button and drag in a viewport to create the PBomb icon.
2 Use Bind to Space Warp to bind the PArray icon to the PBomb icon.
(Don't bind the distribution object by mistake.)
3 Select the PBomb icon and move to the Modify panel.
4 In the Explosion Parameters group, set Blast Symmetry to Spherical, Start
Time to 10, Duration to 1, and Strength to 1.0. Choose Linear, if it's not
already chosen.
5 Drag the time slider between frames 9 and 20 to see the effect.
6 Go to frame 12 and try out various settings. Notice that increasing
Strength expands the explosion effect at the current frame. If you decrease
Range enough, the bomb no longer affects all or part of the object
(depending on the placement of the PBomb icon). Test the three Blast
Symmetry settings by placing the bomb in the center of the object and
then seeing the different blast patterns.
Once you get an explosive effect you like, you can return to the PArray settings,
add spin or thickness to the fragments, and so on.

2950 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Blast Symmetry group
These options specify the shape, or pattern of the blast effect.
Spherical The blast force radiates outward from the PBomb icon in all
directions. The icon looks like a spherical anarchist's bomb.
Cylindrical The blast force radiates outward from and normal to the central
axis, or core of the cylindrical icon. The icon looks like a stick of dynamite
with a fuse.
Planar The blast force radiates both up and down, perpendicular to the plane
of the planar icon. The icon looks like a plane with arrows pointing up and
down along the direction of the blast force.
Chaos The blast forces vary for each particle or each frame, an effect similar
to Brownian motion, with a rate of change in the direction of force equal to

Forces | 2951

the rendering interval rate. Note: This setting is effective only when the
Duration spinner is set to 0.

Explosion Parameters group
Start Time The frame number at which the impulse forces are first applied to
the particles.
Duration The number of frames, beyond the first, over which the forces are
applied. This value should typically be a small number, such as between 0 and
3.
Strength The change in velocity along the blast vector, in units per frame.
Increasing Strength increases the speed with which the particles are blown
away from the bomb icon.
Unlimited Range The effects of the bomb icon reach all bound particles
throughout the scene. This option ignores the Range setting (which specifies
the distance of the PBomb effect).
Linear The impulse forces decay linearly between the full Strength setting to
a value of 0 at the specified Range setting.
Exponential The impulse forces decay exponentially between the full Strength
setting to a value of 0 at the specified Range setting.
Range The maximum distance, in units, over which the PBomb icon affects
the bound particle system. If the Range is large enough to reach only a portion
of the particle system, only that part of the system is affected.
If you turn on Range Indicator (see following), the extent of the range is
indicated by a tri-hooped sphere. If you choose Unlimited Range, this
parameter has no effect.

Display Icon group
These options affect the visual display of the PBomb icon.
Icon Size Alters the overall size of the PBomb icon.
Range Indicator Displays a wireframe sphere that indicates the volume of
the particle bomb's influence. If you choose Unlimited Range, turning this
on has no effect.

2952 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Path Follow Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Path Follow

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Path Follow
The Path Follow space warp forces particles to follow a spline path.

Particles following a spiral path

Procedures
To create a Path Follow space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Path Follow.
2 Click and drag in a viewport to define the size.
The Path Follow warp appears as a box-shaped icon containing curved
lines that indicate hypothetical paths.
To set up and use Path Follow:
1 Create a shape consisting of a single spline. (You can use shapes with
multiple splines, but 3ds Max uses only one spline for the path.)
2 Create a particle system and set its parameters to emit particles over a
range of frames.

Forces | 2953

3 On the Create panel, click Path Follow, and drag in a viewport to create
the Path Follow icon (a cube with wavy lines). The display and position
of this icon don't affect the particles.
4 On the Basic Parameters rollout, click Pick Shape Object and select the
spline you created earlier.

5

Bind the Path Follow icon to the particle system.

6 Adjust the Path Follow parameters to create the particle movement you
want.
NOTE You can further animate the particle effect by animating the spline
vertices.
TIP To adjust the position of the path or particle system while maintaining
access to the Path Follow parameters, select the Path Follow space warp and

then turn on

(Pin Stack), below the modifier stack.

If the particles don't follow the emitter after it's moved, then change any
PathFollow parameter, and the motion will be corrected.

2954 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Forces | 2955

Current Path group
Lets you choose the path for the particles, and specify the range of influence
of the Space Warp.
Object Displays the name of the currently assigned path.
Pick Shape Object Click this, and then click a shape in the scene to select it
as a path. You can use any shape object as a path; if you select a multiple-spline
shape, only one the lowest-number spline is used. You can also use NURBS
curves as paths.
Unlimited Range When off, the range of influence of the space warp is limited
to the value set in the Distance spinner. When on, the space warp influences
all bound particles in the scene, regardless of their distance from the path
object.
Range Specifies the range of influence when Unlimited Range is off. This is
the distance between the path object and the particle system. The position of
the Path Follow space warp's icon is ignored.

Motion Timing group
These controls affect how long particles are influenced by Path Follow.
Start Frame The frame at which Path Follow begins to influence the particles.
Travel Time The time each particle takes to traverse the path.
Variation The amount by which each particle's travel time can vary.
Last Frame The frame at which Path Follow releases the particles and no
longer influences them.

Particle Motion group
The controls in this area determine the motion of particles.
Along Offset Splines The distance between the particle system and the path
alter the effect of the particle motion. If the first vertex of the spline is at the
birthplace of the particle, the particle follows the spline path. If you move the
path away from the particle system, the particles are affected by the offset.
Along Parallel Splines Particles follow a copy of the selected path, parallel
to the particle system. In this mode, the position of the path relative to the
particle system does not matter. The orientation of the path, however, affects
the particle stream.
Constant Speed When on, all particles travel at the same speed.

2956 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Stream Taper Causes particles to converge or diverge toward the path over
time, or to simultaneously converge and diverge. You specify the effect by
choosing Converge, Diverge, or Both (see following). This provides a tapering
effect over the length of the path.
Variation The amount by which Stream Taper can vary for each particle.
Converge When Stream Taper is greater than 0, the particles move in toward
the path as they follow the path. The effect is that the stream tapers from
larger to smaller over time.
Diverge Provides the opposite effect of Converge. The particles diverge from
the path over time.
Both Splits the particle stream, causing some particles to converge and others
to diverge.
Stream Swirl Specifies the number of turns by which particles spiral about
the path. In conjunction with Stream Taper, alters the diameter of the spiral.
Stream Swirl is generally more effective when you choose Along Offset Splines.
Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Spiral value.
Clockwise Particles spiral in a clockwise direction.
Counterclockwise Particles spiral in a counterclockwise direction.
Bidirectional The stream is split so that particles spiral in both directions.

Uniqueness group
Provides a seed number for unique generation of the particle pattern.
Seed Specifies the seed number for the current Path Follow.

Display Icon group
Affects the display of the Path Follow icon.
Icon Size Specifies the size of the Path Follow icon. Does not alter the Path
Follow effect.

Forces | 2957

Gravity Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Gravity

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Gravity
The Gravity space warp simulates the effect of natural gravity on particles
generated by a particle system. Gravity is directional. Particles moving in the
direction of the gravity arrow accelerate. Particles moving against the arrow
decelerate.

Particles falling because of gravity

In the case of spherical gravity, motion is toward the icon. Gravity can also
be used as an effect in dynamics simulations. See Dynamics Utility on page
4226.

Gravity effect on snow

2958 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Procedures
To create gravity:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Gravity.
2 Drag in a viewport.
The Gravity icon appears. For planar gravity (the default), the icon is a
wireframe square with a direction arrow on one side. For spherical gravity,
the icon is a wireframe sphere.
The initial direction of planar gravity is along the negative Z axis of the
construction grid that is active in the viewport where you drag. You can
rotate the gravity object to change the direction.

Interface

Force group
Strength Increasing Strength increases the effect of gravity; that is, how objects
move in relation to the Gravity icon's direction arrow. Strength less than 0.0
creates negative gravity, which repels particles moving in the same direction
and attracts particles moving in the opposite direction. When Strength is set
to 0.0, the Gravity space warp has no effect.

Forces | 2959

Decay When Decay is set to 0.0, the Gravity space warp has the same strength
throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes gravity strength
to diminish as distance increases from the position of the gravity warp object.
Default=0.0.
Planar Gravity effect is perpendicular to the plane of the Gravity warp object
throughout the scene.
Spherical Gravity effect is spherical, centered on the Gravity warp object.
This choice is effective for creating water fountain or planetary effects.

Display group
Range Indicators When on, and when the Decay value is greater than 0.0,
icons in the viewports indicate the range at which the force of gravity is half
the maximum value. For the Planar option, the indicators are two planes; for
use the Spherical option, the indicator is a double-hooped sphere.
Icon Size Size of the Gravity warp object icon, in active units. You set the
initial size when you drag to create the Gravity object. This value does not
change the gravity effect.

Wind Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Wind

(Space Warps) ➤ Forces ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Forces ➤ Wind
The Wind space warp simulates the effect of wind blowing particles generated
by a particle system. Wind is directional. Particles moving in the direction of
the wind arrow accelerate. Particles moving against the arrow decelerate. In
the case of spherical wind, motion is toward or away from the icon.

2960 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Wind changing the direction of the spray of a fountain

Wind is similar in effect to the Gravity space warp, but has added parameters
for turbulence and other features characteristic of wind in the natural world.
Wind can also be used as an effect in dynamics simulations. See Dynamics
Utility on page 4226.

Wind effect on snow and spray

Forces | 2961

Procedures
To create wind:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Wind.
2 Drag in a viewport.
The wind icon appears. For planar wind (the default), the icon is a
wireframe square with a direction arrow coming out of one side. For
spherical wind, the icon is a wireframe sphere.
The initial direction of planar wind is along the negative Z axis of the
construction grid that is active in the viewport where you drag. You can
rotate the wind object to change the direction.

2962 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Force group
These settings are comparable to the Gravity parameters.
Strength Increasing Strength increases the wind effect. Strength less than 0.0
creates a suction. It repels particles moving in the same direction and attracts
particles moving in the opposite direction. When Strength is 0.0, the Wind
warp has no effect.
Decay When Decay is set to 0.0, the Wind warp has the same strength
throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes wind strength to
diminish as distance increases from the position of the Wind warp object.
Default=0.0.
Planar Wind effect is perpendicular to the plane of the Wind warp object,
throughout the scene.

Forces | 2963

Spherical Wind effect is spherical, centered on the Wind warp object.

Wind group
These settings are specific to the Wind space warp.
Turbulence Causes particles to change course randomly as the wind blows
them. The greater the value, the greater the turbulence effect.
Frequency When set greater than 0.0, causes turbulence to vary periodically
over time. This subtle effect is probably not visible unless your bound particle
system generates a large number of particles.
Scale Scales the turbulence effect. When Scale is small, turbulence is smoother
and more regular. As Scale increases, turbulence grows more irregular and
wild.

Display group
Range Indicators When the Decay value is greater than zero, icons appear in
the viewports that represent the range at which the force of wind is half the
maximum value. When you use the Planar option, the indicators are two
planes; when you use the Spherical option, the indicator is a double-hooped
sphere.
Icon Size Size of the Wind warp object icon, in active units. You set the initial
Icon Size value when you drag to create the wind object. This value does not
change the wind effect.

Displace Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Displace
Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ Displace
The Displace space warp acts as a force field to push and reshape an object's
geometry. Displace affects both geometry (deformable objects) and particle
systems.

2964 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Displace used to change the surface in the container

There are two basic ways to use the Displace space warp:
■

Apply the gray scale of a bitmap to generate the displacement amount.
Black areas of the 2D image are not displaced. Whiter areas push outward,
causing a 3D displacement of geometry.

■

Apply displacement directly by setting displacement Strength and Decay
values.

The Displace space warp works similarly to the Displace modifier, except that,
like all space warps, it affects world space rather than object space. Use the
Displace modifier when you need to create detailed displacement of a small
number of objects. Use the Displace space warp to displace particle systems,
a large number of geometric objects at once, or an object relative to its position
in world space.
For geometry, the detail of the displacement depends on the number of
vertices. Use the Tessellate modifier to tessellate faces you want to show in
greater detail.

Forces | 2965

Procedures
To create a Displace space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose
Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout,
click Displace.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the Displace warp object, which appears as
a wireframe. Its shape depends on the active mapping parameter settings.
Regardless of the mapping, a single drag creates the space warp.
3 Bind the space warp to an appropriate object.
To assign a bitmap to a displace space warp:

1

Select the Displace warp object.

2 In the Parameters rollout ➤ Displacement group, click the Bitmap button
(labeled "None" by default). Use the selection dialog to choose a bitmap.
3 Set the Strength value. Vary the strength of the field to see how the bitmap
displaces the object's geometry.

2966 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Displacement group
These are the basic controls for Displace space warps.

Forces | 2967

Strength When set to 0.0, the Displace warp has no effect. Values greater than
0.0 displace object geometry or particles away from the position of the Displace
space warp object. Values less than 0.0 displace geometry toward the warp.
Default=0.0
Decay By default, the Displace warp has the same strength throughout world
space. Increasing Decay causes displacement strength to diminish as distance
increases from the position of the Displace warp object. Default=0.0
Luminance Center By default, the Displace space warp centers the luminance
by using medium (50%) gray as the zero displacement value. Gray values
greater than 128 displace in the outward direction (away from the Displace
warp object) and gray values less than 128 displace in the inward direction
(toward the Displace warp object). You can adjust the default using the Center
spinner. With a Planar projection, the displaced geometry is repositioned
above or below the Planar gizmo. Default=0.5. Range=0 to 1.0.

Image group
These options let you choose a bitmap and map to use for displacement.
Bitmap (Labeled "None" by default.) Click to assign a bitmap or map from a
selection dialog. After you choose a bitmap or map, this button displays the
bitmap's name.
Remove Bitmap Click to remove the bitmap or map assignment.
Blur Increase this value to blur or soften the effect of the bitmapped
displacement.

Map group
This area contains mapping parameters for a bitmapped Displace warp. The
mapping options are comparable to those options used with mapped materials.
The four mapping modes control how the Displace warp object projects its
displacement. The warp object's orientation controls where in the scene the
displacement effect will appear on bound objects.
Planar Projects the map from a single plane.
Cylindrical Projects the map as if it were wrapped around the cylinder.
Spherical Projects the map from a sphere, with singularities at the top and
bottom of the sphere, where the bitmap edges meet at the sphere's poles.
Shrink Wrap Truncates the corners of the map and joins them all at a single
pole, creating one singularity.

2968 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Length, Width, Height Specify the dimensions of the bounding box of the
space warp gizmo. Height has no effect on planar mapping.
U/V/W Tile The number of times the bitmap repeats along the specified
dimension. The default value of 1.0 maps the bitmap once; a value of 2.0 maps
the bitmap twice, and so on. Fractional values map a fractional portion of the
bitmap in addition to copies of the whole map. For example, a value of 2.5
maps the bitmap two and one-half times.
Flip Reverses the orientation of the map along the corresponding U, V, or W
axis.

Deflectors
Deflectors are used to deflect particles or to affect dynamics systems.

POmniFlect Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ POmniFlect

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

POmniFlect is a planar version of the omniflector on page 9246 type of space
warp. It provides enhanced functionality over that found in the original
Deflector space warp, including refraction and spawning capabilities.

Deflectors | 2969

POmniFlect viewport icon

Procedures
To create a POmniFlect space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click POmniFlect.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the planar icon.
NOTE Because particles bounce off the icon, the size of the icon affects
particle deflection.
3 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method:
■

If using Particle Flow on page 3033, specify the deflector in the Collision
test on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274 parameters.

■

If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3323, bind
on page 2925 the particle system to the deflector icon.

2970 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

4 Position the POmniFlect icon to interrupt the particle stream.
5 Adjust the POmniFlect parameters as necessary.

Deflectors | 2971

Interface

2972 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Timing group
The two spinners specify the start frame and end frame of the deflection effect.
Time On/Off Time On specifies the frame at which the deflection begins,
and Time Off specifies the frame at which the deflection ends.

Reflection group
These options affect the reflection of particles from the space warp. The
POmniFlect can reflect or refract particles, or perform a combination of the
two.
Reflects Specifies the percentage of particles to be reflected by the POmniFlect.
See also Refracts, later in this topic, for methods of combining the two effects.
Bounce This is a multiplier that specifies how much of the initial speed of
the particle is maintained after collision with the POmniFlect. Using the default
setting of 1.0 causes the particle to rebound with the same speed as it collides.
A real-world effect would usually be less than 1.0. For a “flubber” effect, set
greater than 1.0.
Variation Specifies the variation of Bounce applied to the range of particles.
For example, a Variation of 50% applied to a Bounce setting of 1.0 would
result in randomly applied Bounce values ranging from 0.5 to 1.5.
Chaos Applies a random variation to the bounce angle. When set to 0.0 (no
chaos), all particles bounce off the POmniFlect surface perfectly (like banking
pool balls). A nonzero setting causes the deflected particles to scatter.

Refraction group
These settings are similar to those in the Reflection group, but these affect the
refraction of particles as they pass through the POmniFlect, causing the direction
of the particles to change.
Refracts Specifies the percentage of particles not already reflected that will be
refracted by the POmniFlect.
NOTE The Refracts value affects only those particles not already reflected because
the reflected particles are processed before the refracted particles. Thus, if you set
Reflects to 50% and Refracts to 50%, you would not get a 50/50 split of particles.
Rather, half the particles would be reflected, and then half the remainder (25% of
the total) would be refracted. The remaining particles either pass through without
being refracted or are passed on to Spawn Effects.

Deflectors | 2973

To get a 50/50 split of reflection and refraction, set Reflects to 50% and Refracts
to 100%.
Pass Vel Specifies how much of a particle’s initial speed is maintained after
passing through the POmniFlect. The default setting of 1 retains the initial
speed is retained, so there’s no change. A setting of 0.5 reduces the speed by
half.
Variation Specifies the variation of Pass Velocity applied to the range of
particles.
Distortion Controls the angle of refraction. A value of 0 means there’s no
refraction. A value of 100% sets the angle of the particles to be parallel with
the POmniFlect surface. A value of −100% sets the angle perpendicular to the
surface. The Distortion effect is reversed when particles strike the POmniFlect
from the back side.
NOTE Distortion and Refraction do not work properly when particles strike the
POmniFlect surface at exactly 90 degrees. In this case, any positive Distortion
settings cause a scattering of particles, while negative values have no effect.
Variation Specifies a range of variation of the Distortion effect.
Diffusion Applies a diffusion effect to the refraction by randomly modifying
each particle’s Distortion angle by the Diffusion angle. This effectively scatters
the particles into a hollow cone.
Variation Specifies a range of variation of the Diffusion value.

Common group
Friction The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the
deflector surface. A value of 0% means they're not slowed at all. A value of
50% means they're slowed to half their original speed. A value of 100% means
they stop moving when they strike the surface. Default=0%. Range=0% to
100%.
TIP To have particles slide along a deflector surface, set Bounce to 0. Also, unless
influenced by a force such as Wind or Gravity, particles meant to slide should strike
the surface at an angle other than 90 degrees.
Inherit Vel (Velocity Inheritance) Determines how much of a moving
POmniFlect’s speed is applied to reflected or refracted particles.
For example, if Inherit Vel is 1.0, particles with no motion that are hit by a
moving PomniFlect inherit the speed of the POmniFlect at the point of
collision.

2974 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Spawn Effects Only group
These settings affect only particles set to Spawn On Collision that do not either
reflect or refract from the omniflector. See Particle Spawn Rollout (PArray) on
page 3389. The Spawns percentage spinner works like the Reflects and Refracts
percentage spinners, but is the third in line to be processed. Thus, if either
Reflects or Refracts are set to 100%, no particles are affected by these settings.
Note also that reflective or refractive particles spawn upon collision, regardless
of the settings in this group.
Spawns Specifies the percentage of particles that can use spawn effects.
Pass Vel Specifies how much of the particle’s initial speed is maintained after
passing through the POmniFlect.
Variation Specifies the variation of the Pass Velocity setting applied to the
range of particles.

Display Icon group
Width/Height Specify the width and height of the POmniFlect icon. This is
for display purposes only and does not influence the deflector effect.

PDynaFlect Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ PDynaFlect

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

PDynaFlect (planar dynamics deflector) is a planar version of the dynaflector
on page 9141, a special class of space warp that lets particles affect objects in a
dynamics situation. For example, if you want a stream of particles to strike an
object and knock it over, like the stream from a firehose striking a stack of
boxes, use a dynaflector.
NOTE You use dynaflectors in the same way as omniflectors; that is, you can use
them as deflectors alone, with no dynamics simulation. Because they take physics
into account, dynaflectors are slower than omniflectors. Therefore, it is
recommended that you use dynaflectors only when a dynamics simulation is
involved.

Deflectors | 2975

PDynaflect viewport icon

Procedures
Many dynaflector parameters are the same as those for omniflectors. However,
the procedure of associating the dynaflector with both the particle system
and the object to be affected is more complex than the simple binding used
by omniflector.
To create a particle/dynamics system:
1 Create or load a scene containing a non-event-driven particle system on
page 3323 and an object to be affected by the particles (hereafter called "the
object"). Position and orient the two as desired so that the particles strike
the object.
■

The icon for the particle system must be visible in at least one
non-disabled viewport.

■

On the Basic Parameters rollout of the particle system, set Percentage
of Particles to 100%. Otherwise, only those particles displayed in the
viewport will be calculated.

2976 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

2 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the drop-down list, then on the Object Type rollout, click one of
the dynaflector buttons (PDynaFlect, SDynaFlect, or UDynaFlect). Drag
in a viewport to create the deflector.
3 Do either of the following:
■

If using a PDynaFlect or SDynaFlect, position the space warp icon
where the particles strike (or will strike) the object. Resize and orient
it as needed.
Also,
link the PDynaFlect or SDynaFlect as a child of the object.
This step isn't absolutely necessary, but allows the deflector to follow
the object as it moves.

■

4

If using a UDynaFlect, go to the Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout,
click the Pick Object button, and then select the object. The position
of the space warp icon doesn't matter, and it's not necessary to link
the two.

Bind the particle system to the dynaflector using the toolbar Bind
to Space Warp button on page 2925.

5 Go to the

Utilities panel and open the Dynamics utility.

6 On the Dynamics rollout, click New to create a new simulation.
7 Click Edit Object List, and add the object to the dynamics simulation.
8 Click Edit Object. On the Edit Object dialog, click Assign Object Effects
and assign the dynaflector to the object.
9 On the Dynamics rollout, turn on the Update Display w/Solve check box
above the Solve button.
10 Solve the simulation.

Deflectors | 2977

Interface

Timing group
The two spinners specify the start frame and end frame of the deflection effect.
Time On/Off Time On specifies the frame at which the deflection begins,
and Time Off specifies the frame at which the deflection ends.

2978 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Bounce group
These settings affect the reflection of particles from the space warp.
Reflects Specifies the percentage of particles to be reflected by the PDynaFlect.
This affects both the particles and the dynamics reaction of the object struck
by the particles. The more particles that strike the affected object, the more
force applied to that object. If set to 0.0, the particles have no effect on the
object.
Bounce This is a multiplier that specifies how much of the initial speed of
the particle is maintained after collision with the PDynaFlect.
Using the default setting of 1.0 causes the particle to rebound with the same
speed as it collides. A real-world effect would usually be less than 1.0. For a
"flubber" effect, set greater than 1.0.
Variation Specifies the variation of Bounce applied to the range of particles.
For example, a Variation setting of 50% applied to a Bounce setting of 1.0
would result in randomly applied Bounce values ranging from 0.5 to 1.5.
Chaos Applies a random variation to the bounce angle.
When you set Chaos to 0.0 (no chaos), all particles bounce off the PDynaFlect
surface perfectly (like banking pool balls). A nonzero setting causes the
deflected particles to scatter.
Friction The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the
deflector surface. A value of 0% means they're not slowed at all. A value of
50% means they're slowed to half their original speed. A value of 100% means
they stop moving when they strike the surface. Default=0%. Range=0% to
100%.
TIP To have particles slide along a deflector surface, set Bounce to 0. Also, unless
influenced by a force such as Wind or Gravity, particles meant to slide should strike
the surface at an angle other than 90 degrees.
Inherit Vel (Velocity Inheritance) Determines how much of a moving
PDynaFlect’s speed is applied to reflected or refracted particles.
For example, if Inherit Vel is 1.0, particles with no motion that are hit by a
moving PDynaFlect inherit the speed of the PDynaFlect at the point of
collision.

Physical Properties group
These options let you set the mass of each particle.
Mass Specifies the mass based on the chosen unit.

Deflectors | 2979

gram One gram equals 1/1000 kg or 22/1000 Lbm at a gravity of 1.0.
Kg One kg (kilogram) equals 1000 grams or 2.2 Lbm at a gravity of 1.0.
Lbm One Lbm (pounds-mass) equals 5/11 kg or 454 5/11 grams at a gravity
of 1.0. (Pounds-mass, the amount of mass in one pound of weight, is dependent
on gravity. For pounds-mass values at a gravity other than 1.0, multiply the
pounds-mass value by the gravity factor.)

Display Icon group
Width/Height Specify the width and height of the PDynaFlect icon. This is
for display purposes only and does not influence the deflector effect.

SOmniFlect Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ SOmniFlect

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

SOmniFlect is the spherical version of the omniflector on page 9246 type of
space warp. It provides more options than the original SDeflector. Most settings
are the same as those in POmniFlect on page 2969. The difference is that this
space warp provides a spherical deflection surface rather than the planar
surface. The only settings that are different are in the Display Icon area, in
which you set the Radius, instead of the Width and Height.
NOTE Opposite sides of the deflectors reverse the distortion effect. Thus, a refracted
particle passing through the SOmniFlect hits its outside surface first, and then its
inside surface. A positive Distortion value warps the particles toward the
perpendicular; then, as the particles pass through the inside surface, the same
positive Distortion value warps them toward the parallel.

2980 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

SOmniFlect viewport icon

Procedures
To create an SOmniFlect space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click SOmniFlect.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the spherical icon.
NOTE Because particles bounce off the icon, the size of the icon affects
particle deflection.
3 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method:
■

If using Particle Flow on page 3033, specify the deflector in the Collision
test on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274 parameters.

■

If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3323,
on page 2925 the particle system to the deflector icon.

bind

Deflectors | 2981

4 Position the SOmniFlect icon to interrupt the particle stream.
5 Adjust the SOmniFlect parameters as necessary.

SDynaFlect Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ SDynaFlect

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

The SDynaFlect space warp is a spherical dynaflector on page 9141. It’s like the
PDynaFlect on page 2975 warp, except that it’s spherical, and its Display Icon
spinner specifies the icon's Radius value.

SDynaFlect viewport icon

2982 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

UOmniFlect Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ UOmniFlect

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

UOmniFlect, the universal omniflector on page 9246, provides more options
than the original UDeflector. This space warp lets you use any other geometric
object as a particle deflector. The deflections are face accurate, so the geometry
can be static, animated, or even morphing or otherwise deforming over time.
NOTE Some particle “leakage” can occur with this deflector, particularly when
you use many particles and a complex deflector object. To avoid this, perform a
test render to check for leaking particles, and then add POmniFlects to catch the
strays.

UOmniFlect viewport icon

Deflectors | 2983

Procedures
To use the UOmniFlect space warp:
To use a universal omniflector, you need a minimum of three objects in the
scene:
1 The particle system
2 The UOmniFlect space warp
3 The object used as the deflector
4 Add or select an object used as the deflector.
5 Create a particle system whose particles intersect the deflector object.

6 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click UOmniFlect.
7 Click and drag in a viewport to place the space warp icon.
NOTE The size and position of the UOmniFlect icon do not alter the effect.
8 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method:
■

If using Particle Flow on page 3033, specify the deflector in the Collision
test on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274 parameters.

■

If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3323,
on page 2925 the particle system to the deflector icon.

bind

9 On the
Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Object-Based
OmniFlector group, click Pick Object, and then select the object to use
as a deflector.
10 Adjust the particle system and UOmniFlect parameters as necessary.

Interface
Parameters rollout
The settings for the UOmniFlect are the same as those for POmniFlect on page
2969, with the following additions:

2984 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Object-Based OmniFlector group
Lets you choose the object to use as a deflector.
Item Displays the name of the selected object.
Pick Object Click this, and then select any renderable object to use as a
deflector.

Display Icon group
Icon Size Specifies the size of one side of the square UOmniFlect icon.

UDynaFlect Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ UDynaFlect

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

The UDynaFlect space warp is a universal dynaflector on page 9141 that lets you
use the surface of any object as both the particles deflector and the surface
that reacts dynamically to the particle impact.
The procedures and options for using UDynaFlect are the same as for
PDynaFlect on page 2975, with the following changes and additions.

Deflectors | 2985

UDynaFlect viewport icon

NOTE When you use UDynaFlect, you must indicate the object to be affected
with the Pick Object button. Linking is not necessary.

2986 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Deflectors | 2987

Object-Based DynaFlector group
Lets you choose the object to use as a deflector.
Item Displays the name of the selected object.
Pick Object Click this, and then select any renderable object to use as a
deflector.

Display Icon group
Icon Size Specifies the size of the UDynaFlect icon.

SDeflector Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ SDeflector

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Deflectors ➤ SDeflector
The SDeflector space warp serves as a spherical deflector of particles.

SDeflector viewport icon (with particle system on the left)

2988 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

SDeflector repelling particles

Procedures
To create an SDeflector:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click SDeflector.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the spherical icon.
NOTE Because particles bounce off the perimeter of the spherical icon, the
size of the icon affects particle deflection.
3 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method:
■

If using Particle Flow on page 3033, specify the deflector in the Collision
test on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274 parameters.

■

If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3323,
on page 2925 the particle system to the deflector icon.

bind

4 Position the SDeflector icon to interrupt the particle stream.

Deflectors | 2989

5 Adjust the SDeflector parameters as necessary.

Interface

Particle Bounce group
These settings determine how the deflector affects the bound particles.
Bounce Determines the speed with which particles bounce off the deflector.
At 1.0, the particles bounce at the same speed as they approach. At 0, they
don't deflect at all.
Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce
setting.
Chaos The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found
when Chaos is set to 0.0). 100% induces a variation in reflection angle of up
to 90 degrees
Friction The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the
deflector surface. A value of 0% means they're not slowed at all. A value of
50% means they're slowed to half their original speed. A value of 100% means
they stop moving when they strike the surface. Default=0%. Range=0% to
100%.

2990 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

TIP To have particles slide along a deflector surface, set Bounce to 0. Also, unless
influenced by a force such as Wind or Gravity, particles meant to slide should strike
the surface at an angle other than 90 degrees.
Inherit Vel (Velocity Inheritance) When the value is greater than 0, the motion
of the deflector affects particles as well as the other settings. For example, to
animate the SDeflector passing through a passive array of particles, turn up
this value to affect the particles.

Display Icon group
This option affects the display of the icon.
Diameter Specifies the diameter of the SDeflector icon. This setting also alters
the effect of the deflection, because particles bounce off the perimeter of the
icon. The scale of the icon also affects the particles.

UDeflector Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ UDeflector

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Deflectors ➤ UDeflector
The UDeflector is a universal deflector that lets you use any object as a particle
deflector.

Deflectors | 2991

Particles scatter when they strike a UDeflector object

Procedures
To create a UDeflector:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click UDeflector.
2 In a viewport, drag out a rectangle to add a UDeflector warp to the scene.
3 On the command panel, click the Pick Object button and select an object
to be a particle deflector.
4 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method:
■

If using Particle Flow on page 3033, specify the deflector in the Collision
test on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274 parameters.

■

If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3323,
on page 2925 the particle system to the deflector icon.

2992 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

bind

5 Position the UDeflector icon to interrupt the particle stream.
6 Adjust the UDeflector parameters as necessary.

Interface

Object-Based Deflector group
Specifies the object to use as a deflector.
Item Displays the name of the selected object.
Pick Object Click this, and then click any renderable mesh object to be used
as a deflector.

Particle Bounce group
Bounce Determines the speed with which particles bounce off the deflector.
At 1.0, the particles bounce at the same speed as they approach. At 0, they
don't deflect at all.

Deflectors | 2993

Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce
setting.
Chaos The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found
when Chaos is set to 0.0). 100% induces a variation in reflection angle of up
to 90 degrees.
Friction The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the
deflector surface. A value of 0% means they're not slowed at all. A value of
50% means they're slowed to half their original speed. A value of 100% means
they stop moving when they strike the surface. Default=0%. Range=0% to
100%.
TIP To have particles slide along a deflector surface, set Bounce to 0. Also, unless
influenced by a force such as Wind or Gravity, particles meant to slide should strike
the surface at an angle other than 90 degrees.
Inherit Vel (Velocity Inheritance) When greater than 0, the motion of the
deflector affects particles as well as the other settings. For example, to animate
the SDeflector passing through a passive array of particles, turn up this value
to affect the particles.

Display Icon group
Icon Size This spinner displays and lets you change the size of the icon.

Deflector Space Warp
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Deflector

(Space Warps) ➤ Deflectors ➤ Object Type

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Deflectors ➤ Deflector
The Deflector space warp acts as a planar shield to repel the particles generated
by a particle system. For example, you can use Deflector to simulate pavement
being struck by rain. You can combine a Deflector space warp with a Gravity
space warp to produce waterfall and fountain effects.

2994 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Two streams of particles striking two deflectors

See also:
■

SDeflector Space Warp on page 2988

■

UDeflector Space Warp on page 2991

Procedures
To create a deflector:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose Deflectors
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Deflector.
2 Drag in a viewport to define the deflection area.
The deflector appears as a wireframe rectangle.
3 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method:
■

If using Particle Flow on page 3033, specify the deflector in the Collision
test on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274 parameters.

Deflectors | 2995

■

If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3323,
on page 2925 the particle system to the deflector icon.

bind

Interface

The deflector's effect is controlled mainly by its size and orientation in the
scene, relative to the particle system that is bound to it. You can also adjust
how strongly the deflector deflects particles.
Bounce Controls the speed at which particles bounce off the deflector. At a
setting of 1.0, particles bounce off the deflector at the same speed they struck
it. At 0.0, particles do not bounce at all. At values between 0.0 and 1.0, particles
bounce off the deflector at a speed reduced from their initial speed. At values
greater than 1.0, particles bounce off the deflector at a speed greater than their
initial speed. Default=1.0.
Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce
setting.
Chaos The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found
when Chaos is set to 0.0). 100% induces a variation in reflection angle of up
to 90 degrees

2996 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Friction The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the
deflector surface. A value of 0% means they're not slowed at all. A value of
50% means they're slowed to half their original speed. A value of 100% means
they stop moving when they strike the surface. Default=0%. Range=0% to
100%.
TIP To have particles slide along a deflector surface, set Bounce to 0. Also, unless
influenced by a force such as Wind or Gravity, particles meant to slide should strike
the surface at an angle other than 90 degrees.
Inherit Vel (Velocity Inheritance) When the value is greater than 0, the motion
of the deflector affects particles as well as the other settings. For example, if
you want an animated SDeflector passing through an array of particles to
affect the particles, turn up this value.
Width Sets the deflector's width.
Length Sets the deflector's length.

Geometric/Deformable
These space warps are used to deform geometry.

FFD(Box) Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ FFD(Box)
Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ FFD(Box)
Free-form deformations (FFDs) provide a method of deforming an object by
adjusting the control points of a lattice. The offset position of the control
points to the original lattice source volume causes the distortion of the affected
object. The FFD(Box) space warp is a box-shaped lattice FFD object similar to
the original FFD modifiers. This FFD is available as both an object modifier
and a space warp. For information on the object-modifier version, see FFD
(Box/Cylinder) Modifiers on page 1380.
You create FFD space warps as separate objects similarly to the way you create
standard primitives: by dragging the mouse in the viewport. The result is a
lattice of control points. The source lattice of an FFD modifier is fitted to the

Geometric/Deformable | 2997

geometry it's assigned to in the stack. This might be a whole object or a
sub-object selection of faces or vertices.
Because FFD space warps are separate objects, they carry their own adjustable
dimension parameters among the creation parameters.
You can apply object modifiers to space warp objects. For example, you can
use the Linked XForm modifier with a space-warp FFD.

2998 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Object and object surrounded by an FFD lattice

Geometric/Deformable | 2999

Moving control points in the lattice deforms the object.

Procedures
To use the FFD(box) space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose
Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout,
click FFD(Box).
2 Drag in a viewport to create the base. Release the mouse button, and then
move the mouse to define the height of the FFD lattice. Click to finish
the lattice.

3

Bind the lattice to the object you want to deform.

4 Determine the relative placement of the lattice to the object.
If the lattice is to be outside of the object, turn on All Vertices. To affect
only those vertices inside the lattice, choose Only In Volume, and position
the lattice accordingly.

3000 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

5 In the
modifier stack display, choose Control Points as the
sub-object level for FFD(box).
6 Adjust the control points.
NOTE The distortion effect of an FFD modifier is based on the positional
offset of the control points from their original positions in the source volume.
If you don't move control points, there is no effect on the target object. Keep
this in mind when using space-warp version of the FFD.

If you're using the Deform group ➤ All Vertices option, once you've distorted
the object you can set the Falloff value to adjust how much the lattice affects
the object, based on distance. This is particularly useful if the lattice is animated
to approach or move away from the target object. When Falloff is set to 0, all
the vertices are affected, regardless of distance.
NOTE When you're at the base-parameters level of an FFD modifier in the Stack,
the Show End Result button is turned off and spring-loaded, as it is in an Edit Mesh
modifier.

Geometric/Deformable | 3001

Interface

3002 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

This rollout lets you set the size and resolution of the lattice, and how it
displays and deforms.

Dimensions group
These options let you adjust the unit dimensions of the source volume, and
specify the number of control points in the lattice. Note that the point
dimensions are displayed beside the modifier name in the Stack list.
Length, Width, Height These three spinners display and let you adjust the
length, width, and height of the lattice. To create the space warp, you drag
the mouse in the same way that you would to create a standard Box primitive.
Note that these spinners don't exist in the object-modifier version of the FFD.
Label Displays the current number of controls points in the lattice (for
example: 4x4x4).
Set Number of Points Displays a dialog containing three spinners labeled
Length, Width, and Height, plus OK/Cancel buttons. Specify the number of
control points you want in the lattice, and then click OK to make the change.
NOTE Make changes to the dimensions before you adjust the positions of the
lattice control points. When you change the number of control points with this
dialog, any adjustments you've already made to the control points are lost;
however, you can undo this use of the dialog.

Display group
These options affect the display of the FFD in the viewports.
Lattice When turned on, lines are drawn connecting the control points to
make a grid. Although viewports can become cluttered when these extra lines
are drawn, they help to visualize the lattice.
Source Volume When on, the control points and lattice are displayed in their
unmodified state. This display is helpful when you're adjusting the source
volume to affect specific vertices that lie within or without it. See the All
Vertices and Only in Volume options, later in this topic.

Deform group
These options provide controls that specify which vertices are affected by the
FFD.
Only In Volume Only vertices that lie inside the source volume are deformed.
Vertices outside the source volume are not affected.

Geometric/Deformable | 3003

All Vertices All vertices are deformed regardless of whether they lie inside or
outside the source volume, depending on the value in the Falloff spinner. The
deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation of the
deformation inside the volume. The deformation can be extreme for points
far away from the source lattice.
Falloff This spinner, enabled only when you choose All Vertices, determines
the distance from the lattice that the FFD effect will decrease to zero. When
this spinner is set to 0, it's effectively turned off, and there is no falloff; that
is, all vertices are affected regardless of their distance from the lattice. The
units of the Falloff parameter are specified relative to the size of the lattice: A
falloff of 1 means that the effect will go to 0 for points that are a lattice
width/length/height away from the lattice (depending on which side they are
on).
Tension/Continuity Lets you adjust the tension and continuity of the
deformation splines. Although you can't see the splines in an FFD, the lattice
and control points represent the structure that controls the splines. As you
adjust the control points, you alter the splines (which move through each
point). The splines, in turn, deform the geometry of the object. By altering
the tension and continuity of the splines, you alter their effect on the object.

Selection group
These options provide additional methods of selecting the control points. You
can toggle the state of any combination of the three buttons to select in one,
two, or three dimensions at once.
All X, All Y, All Z When one of these buttons is on and you select a control
point, all control points along the local dimension specified by the button
are selected as well. By turning on two buttons, you can select all control
points in two dimensions.
About Displays a dialog with copyright and licensing information.

FFD(Cyl) Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ FFD(Cyl)
Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ FFD(Cyl)

3004 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Free-form deformations (FFDs) provide a method of deforming an object by
adjusting the control points of a lattice. The offset position of the control
points to the original lattice source volume causes the distortion of the affected
object. The FFD(Cyl) space warp uses a cylindrical array of control points in
its lattice. This FFD is available as both an object modifier and a space warp.
For information on the object modifier version, see FFD (Box/Cylinder)
Modifiers on page 1380.
You create FFD space warps as separate objects similarly to the way you create
standard primitives: by dragging the mouse in the viewport. The result is a
lattice of control points. The source lattice of an FFD modifier is fitted to the
geometry it's assigned to in the stack. This might be a whole object or a
sub-object selection of faces or vertices.
Because FFD space warps are separate objects, they carry their own adjustable
dimension parameters among the creation parameters.
You can apply object modifiers to space warp objects. For example, you can
use the Linked XForm modifier with a space-warp FFD.

Procedures
Example: Create an animated tablecloth:

Finished tablecloth using FFD (Cyl) space warp

Geometric/Deformable | 3005

This example shows how to use the FFD(Cyl) space warp to create a tablecloth
that flies in and drapes itself over a table.
Begin by creating the table and tablecloth.
1 Create a table from two cylinders. Make the table top with a radius of 30
units, and a height of 2 units. Make the "table stand" cylinder with a
radius of 3 and a height of 60.
2 Make a tablecloth from a box 100 units square and 0.5 units in height.
Increase Length and Width Segments to 30, and keep Height Segments
at 1.
3 Position the tablecloth so it's level with or slightly above the table top,
and a little less than 100 units to the left of the table edge, as seen from
the Top view.
4 Apply a nice wood grain to the table, and a checker to the tablecloth.
(Set the checker tiling to about 15x15, and choose any color for the
checkers.)
Now, set up a cylindrical FFD space warp that will form the drape of the
tablecloth over the table.
1 From the Create panel ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable, choose
FFD(Cyl).
2 In the Top viewport, create a cylindrical FFD space warp, centered on the
table top, with a radius of 45 and a height of 5.
3 Click the Set Number of Points button and, in the Set FFD Dimensions
dialog, set Side points to 12, Radial points to 5, and Height points to 2.
4 Move the entire FFD lattice up until it's just over the surface of the table,
as seen from the Front viewport.

3006 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Next, adjust the control points of the lattice to drape over the table.
1 Zoom Extents All Selected.
2 On the Modify panel, in the stack display (below "Modifier List"), click
the FFD(cyl) item so it turns yellow. This means you've enabled direct
access to the FFD space warps control point sub-objects.
3 In the FFD Parameters rollout ➤ Selection group, turn on All X. This
lets you select control points around the perimeter of the FFD cylinder.
4 In the Top viewport, use the Select and Move tool on page 851 and
region-select the two visible control points of the two outer rings of
control points at the nine-o'clock position. (This is easier shown than
described. You can actually region-select any number of vertices in the
two outer concentric rings of vertices. Because All X is on, all control
points for the two rings will be selected.)

5 On the status bar, click
(Selection Lock Toggle) to lock the
selection. In the Front viewport, drag the selected points halfway down
the height of the table.
6 Unlock the selection, and then region-select any control point in the
outer ring to select all points in the outer ring.

Geometric/Deformable | 3007

7 Lock the selection and, in the Front viewport, drag the outer ring of points
down to the floor.

You now have a truncated cone shape over the table.
8 Unlock the selection. In the Top viewport, again select all the control
points in the two outer rings.
9 Scale the selected control points in, until the radius of the inner ring of
points is slightly larger than the table top.
10 Select only the outer ring of points, and scale them so their radius is
slightly larger than the inner ring.
If necessary, move the points, as seen from the Front viewport, down to
touch the floor again.
You now have a lattice of control points draped over the table.
In this next series of steps, you'll bind the tablecloth to the FFD lattice, and
then animate it to move over the table.
1 In the stack display, click the FFD(cyl) entry again to exit the sub-object
level. It turns gray.

2 On the main toolbar, click
the FFD and the tablecloth.

(Bind To Space Warp), and drag between

3008 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

3 Select the FFD lattice.
4 Choose Deform group ➤ All Vertices.
The tablecloth is immediately deformed because all vertices are now
affected, including those outside the lattice volume, and Falloff is set to
0. A falloff value of 0 means that the distance of the vertices from the
lattice doesn't matter. Any number greater than 0, however, limits the
effect.
5 Set the Falloff spinner to 0.4.
No longer influenced by the FFD space warp, the tablecloth returns to
its square shape.

6 Turn on

(Auto Key), and go to frame 100.

7 In the Top viewport, select the tablecloth, and move it until it's centered
over the table.
8 As the tablecloth nears the table, it droops down to the floor, sweeps up
and over the table, and finally drapes itself over the table.

9 As you move the time slider back and forth and examine the animation,
you might find that the bottom of the tablecloth is deformed to the point
where it's hanging below the floor. To fix this, turn off Auto Key, go to
frame 100, select the lower ring of control points, and move them up

Geometric/Deformable | 3009

until the tablecloth is at the height you want it. You can also adjust the
position of the other control points to create drapes, and so on.
10 On the Display command panel ➤ Hide by Category rollout, turn on
Space Warps to hide the FFD space warp.

11 Turn off

(Auto Key).

12 Set up appropriate lights and a camera, and

3010 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

play your animation.

Interface

This rollout lets you set the size and resolution of the lattice, and how it
displays and deforms.

Geometric/Deformable | 3011

Dimensions group
These options let you adjust the unit dimensions of the source volume, and
specify the number of control points in the lattice. Note that the point
dimensions are displayed beside the modifier name in the Stack list.
Radius, Height These two spinners display and let you adjust the length,
width, and height of the lattice. To create the space warp, drag the mouse in
the same way that you would to create a standard Cylinder primitive. Note
that these spinners don't exist in the object-modifier version of the FFD.
Label Displays the current number of controls points in the lattice (for
example: 4x8x4).
Set Number of Points Displays a dialog containing three spinners labeled
Side, Radial, and Height, plus OK/Cancel buttons. Specify the number of
control points you want in the lattice, and then click OK to make the change.
Side The number of control points around the perimeter of the lattice.
Radial The number of control points, radially, from the center to the outer
perimeter of the lattice.
Height The number of control points along the height of the lattice.
NOTE Make changes to the dimensions before you adjust the positions of the
lattice control points. When you change the number of control points with this
dialog, any adjustments you've already made to the control points are lost;
however, you can undo this use of the dialog.

Display group
These options affect the display of the FFD in viewports.
Lattice When on, lines are drawn connecting the control points to make a
grid. Although viewports can become cluttered when these extra lines are
drawn, they help to visualize the lattice.
Source Volume When on, the control points and lattice are displayed in their
unmodified state. This display is helpful when you're adjusting the source
volume to affect specific vertices that lie within or without it. See the All
Vertices and Only in Volume options, later in this topic.

Deform group
These options provide controls that specify which vertices are affected by the
FFD.

3012 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Only In Volume When on, only vertices that lie inside the source volume
are deformed. Vertices outside the source volume are not affected. This is the
default choice.
All Vertices When on, all vertices are deformed regardless of whether they
lie inside or outside the source volume, depending on the value in the Falloff
spinner. The deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation
of the deformation inside the volume. Note that the deformation can be
extreme for points far away from the source lattice.
Falloff This spinner, enabled only when you choose All Vertices, determines
the distance from the lattice that the FFD effect will decrease to zero. When
this spinner is set to 0, it's effectively turned off, and there is no falloff; that
is, all vertices are affected regardless of their distance from the lattice. The
units of the Falloff parameter are specified relative to the size of the lattice: A
falloff of 1 means that the effect will go to 0 for points that are a lattice
width/length/height away from the lattice (depending on which side they are
on).
Tension/Continuity Lets you adjust the tension and continuity of the
deformation splines. Although you can't see the splines in an FFD, the lattice
and control points represent the structure that controls the splines. As you
adjust the control points, you alter the splines (which move through each
point). The splines, in turn, deform the geometry of the object. By altering
the tension and continuity of the splines, you alter their effect on the object.

Selection group
These options provide additional methods of selecting control points. You
can toggle any combination of the three buttons to select in one, two, or three
dimensions at once.
All X, All Y, All Z When one of these buttons is on and you select a control
point, all control points along the local dimension specified by the button
are selected as well. By turning on two buttons, you can select all control
points in two dimensions.
About Displays a dialog with copyright and licensing information.

Wave Space Warp
Create panel ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Wave

(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤

Geometric/Deformable | 3013

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ Wave
The Wave space warp creates a linear wave through world space. It affects
geometry and behaves the same as the Wave modifier on page 1951. Use the
Wave space warp when you want the wave to affect a large number of objects,
or to affect an object relative to its position in world space.

Using a wave to deform a box

3014 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

See also:
■

Ripple Space Warp on page 3018

Procedures
To create a Wave space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose
Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout,
click Wave.
2 Drag in a viewport to define the initial size of the wave object icon.
The icon is displayed as a flat mesh wireframe.
3 Release the mouse button to set the icon size; then move the mouse to
define the initial amplitude of the wave.
4 Click to set the wave amplitude.

Geometric/Deformable | 3015

Interface

The initial amplitude sets both Amplitude 1 and Amplitude 2. Set these
parameters to unequal values to create a cross wave.

Wave group
These options control the wave effect.
Amplitude 1 Sets wave amplitude along the wave warp object's local X axis.
Amplitude 2 Sets wave amplitude along the wave warp object's local Y axis.
Amplitude is expressed in units. The wave is a sine wave along its Y axis and
parabolic along its X axis. Another way to think of the difference between the
amplitudes is that Amplitude 1 is at the center of the wave gizmo and
Amplitude 2 is at the edge of the gizmo.
Wave Length Sets the length of each wave along the wave's local Y axis, in
active units.

3016 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Phase Offsets the phase of the wave from its origin at the wave object's center.
Whole values have no effect; only fractional values do. Animating this
parameter makes the wave appear to travel through space.
Decay When set to 0.0, the wave has the same amplitude or amplitudes
throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes amplitude to
diminish as distance increases from the position of the wave warp object.
Default=0.0.

Display group
These options control the geometry of the Wave warp gizmo. In some cases,
such as when the two Amplitude values differ, they change the effect of the
wave.
Sides Sets the number of side segments along the wave object's local X
dimension.
Segments Sets the number of segments along the wave object's local Y
dimension.
Divisions Adjusts the size of the wave icon without altering the wave effect
as scaling would.

Flexibility parameter (Modify panel)
The Wave space warp also has a Flexibility parameter that you can adjust
individually in each bound object's stack, at the Wave Binding level. The
parameter belongs to each binding; it doesn't appear with the Wave warp
parameters.

Geometric/Deformable | 3017

Flexibility Makes the bound object more or less responsive to the wave by
multiplying the amplitude by this value.

Ripple Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Ripple
Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ Ripple
The Ripple space warp creates a concentric ripple through world space. It
affects geometry and behaves the same as the Ripple modifier on page 1598. Use
the Ripple space warp when you want the ripple to affect a large number of
objects, or to affect an object relative to its position in world space.

3018 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Using a ripple to deform a surface

See also:
■

Wave Space Warp on page 3013

Procedures
To create a Ripple space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose
Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout,
click Ripple.
2 Drag in a viewport to define the initial size of the ripple object icon.
The icon is displayed as a wireframe spider web.
3 Release the mouse button to set the icon size, and then move the mouse
to define the initial amplitude of the ripple wave.
4 Click to set the wave amplitude.

Geometric/Deformable | 3019

Interface

The amplitude value set by dragging applies equally in all directions. The
ripple's Amplitude 1 and Amplitude 2 parameters are initially equal. Set these
parameters to unequal values to create a ripple whose amplitude varies relative
to the local X and Y axes of the space warp.

Ripple group
Amplitude 1 Sets ripple amplitude along the ripple warp object's local X axis.
Amplitude is expressed in active units.
Amplitude 2 Sets ripple amplitude along the ripple warp object's local Y axis.
Amplitude is expressed in active units.
Wave Length Sets the length of each wave, in active units.
Phase Offsets the phase of the wave from its origin at the ripple object's center.
Whole values have no effect; only fractional values do. Animating this
parameter makes the ripple appear to travel through space.

3020 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Decay When set to 0.0, the ripple has the same amplitude or amplitudes
throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes amplitude to
diminish as distance increases from the position of the ripple warp object.
Default=0.0.

Display group
The options control display of the Ripple warp object's icon. They don't change
the effect of the ripple.
Circles Sets the number of circles in the ripple icon.
Segments Sets the number of segments (pie slices) in the ripple icon.
Divisions Adjusts the size of the ripple icon without altering the ripple effect
as scaling would.

Flexibility parameter (Modify panel)
The Ripple space warp also has a Flexibility parameter that you can adjust
individually in each bound object's stack, at the Ripple Binding level. The
parameter belongs to each binding; it doesn't appear with the Ripple warp
parameters.

Geometric/Deformable | 3021

Flexibility Makes the bound object more or less responsive to the wave by
multiplying the amplitude by this value.

Conform Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Conform
Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ Conform
The Conform space warp modifies its bound object by pushing its vertices in
the direction indicated by the space warp icon, until they hit a specified target
object, or until the vertices move a specified distance from their original
position.
After creating a Conform space warp, you specify a target object in the Conform
parameters, and then bind the Conform to the object you want to deform.
You rotate the Conform icon to specify the travel direction (toward the target

3022 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

object). The vertices of the deformed object move until they hit the target
object.
There is also a Conform compound object on page 621 that provides additional
methods of conforming one object to another.

Conform viewport icon (a surface is below it)

Procedures
Example: Using the Conform space warp:
Begin by making two objects.
1 Create a terrain by making a wide, flat box with plenty of Length and
Width segments (or a quad patch). Apply a Noise modifier and adjust its
parameters to result in a bumpy terrain (not mountainous, but low and
irregular).
2 Create a short, wide cylinder whose radius is about one-eighth the area
of the box (like a coin). You'll animate the cylinder to float diagonally
over the surface of the terrain.
3 Set Cap Segments in the cylinder to 4, and position the cylinder to float
over the terrain.
4 Set the object color of the cylinder to contrast with the color of the terrain.

Geometric/Deformable | 3023

5 Move the cylinder inside one corner of the terrain as seen from the Top
viewport. Turn on Animate, move to frame 100, and move the cylinder
to the opposite corner of the terrain.
The coin/disk moves from one corner of the terrain to the other.
The terrain will become the target object, and the cylinder the deformed
object. The next step is to create the Conform space warp and bind it to the
cylinder.
1 On the Create panel, choose Space Warps, and then, from the drop-down
list, choose Geometric/Deformable. Click the Conform button.
2 In the Top viewport, in the center of the terrain, drag outward to create
the Conform space warp.
3 Click the Pick Object button, and then click the terrain box.
4 In the Front viewport, drag the space warp up until it's above the cylinder.
As seen in the Front viewport, the terrain is at the bottom, the cylinder
is between the terrain and the space warp, and the space warp is at the
top.
5 Bind the space warp to the cylinder.
The cylinder becomes a disk that seems to be painted on the surface of
the terrain.
6 Drag the time slider to see the cylinder/disk move across the box,
following the terrain.
Because the vertices are pushed almost to the level of the terrain, the faces of
the two object might intersect. In the following steps, you'll fix this by
adjusting the standoff distance between the target surface and the pushed
vertices. Then you'll go on to affect only selected vertices in the cylinder.
1 Select the Conform space warp, and open the Modify panel.
2 Set Standoff Distance to 3.
You can now clearly see the surface of the disk above the terrain.
3 Set the Standoff Distance to 20.
The disk floats 20 units above the terrain. Next, change the affected
vertices.
4 Select the disk/cylinder.

3024 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

5 In the modifier stack display, click the Cylinder item so it's highlighted
in gray.
6 Apply a Mesh Select modifier.
7 At the Vertex sub-object level, in the Front viewport, region-select the
bottom cap vertices of the cylinder.
8 Remain at the sub-object level, and in the stack display click the Conform
Binding item.
9 In the viewport, select the Conform icon.
10 In the Modify panel, turn on Use Selected Vertices.
Now that only the bottom cap vertices are selected, the rest of the cylinder
is restored. If you adjust the viewing angle and play the animation, you'll
see that the bottom face of the cylinder follows the terrain, while the rest
of the cylinder retains its shape.

Geometric/Deformable | 3025

Interface

Wrap To Object group
These options provide controls to select the target object.
Pick Object Click this, and then select an object in the scene. The object you
select becomes the barrier against which the bound object's vertices will be
pushed.
Object Displays the name of the picked object.

Move Vertices group
These options affect how the vertices are moved.
Default Projection Distance The distance a vertex in the bound object moves
from its original location if it does not intersect the target object.

3026 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Standoff Distance The distance maintained between the vertex and the surface
of the target object. For example, if set to 5, the vertices can be pushed no
closer than 5 units from the surface of the target object.
Use Selected Vertices When on, only the sub-object selection of vertices on
the Stack are pushed. When off, all vertices in the object are pushed regardless
of the Stack selection.

Display group
Icon Size Specifies the size of the icon.

Bomb Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Bomb
Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Geometric/Deformable ➤ Bomb
The Bomb space warp explodes objects into their individual faces.

Right: Bomb viewport icon
Left: Torus knot

Geometric/Deformable | 3027

Effect of exploding the torus knot

Procedures
To create a Bomb space warp:

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Space Warps). Choose
Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout,
click Bomb.
2 Create mesh objects to be exploded.

3 On the main toolbar, click

(Bind To Space Warp).

4 Drag the mouse between each object and the Bomb space warp.
5 Adjust Bomb parameters to achieve different effects.

3028 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Explosion group
Strength Sets the power of the bomb. Larger values make the particles fly
farther. The closer an object is to the bomb, the greater the effect of the bomb.
Spin The rate at which fragments rotate, in revolutions per second. This is
also affected by the Chaos parameter (which causes different fragments to
rotate at different speeds), and by the Falloff parameter (which causes the
force of the explosion to be weaker the farther the fragment is from the bomb).
Falloff The distance from the bomb, in world units, of the effect of the bomb.
Fragments past this distance are not affected by the Strength and Spin settings,
but are affected by the Gravity setting.

Geometric/Deformable | 3029

For example, this is useful for blowing up the base of a building, and having
the top of the building topple. To see the effect, place a bomb at the base of
a tall cylinder with many height segments, and adjust Falloff to be less than
the height of the cylinder.
Falloff On Turn on to use the Falloff setting. The falloff range appears as a
yellow, tri-hooped sphere.

Fragment Size group
These two parameters define the number of faces per fragment. Any given
fragment will have a number of faces, randomly determined, between the
Min and Max values.
Min Specifies the minimum number of faces per fragment to be randomly
generated by the "explosion."
Max Specifies the maximum number of faces per fragment to be randomly
generated by the "explosion."

General group
Gravity Specifies the acceleration due to gravity. Note that gravity is always
in the direction of the world Z axis. You can have negative gravity.
Chaos Adds random variation to the explosion to make it less uniform. A
setting of 0.0 is totally uniform; 1.0 is a realistic setting. A value greater than
1.0 makes the explosion extra chaotic. Range=0.0 to 10.0.
Detonation Specifies the frame at which the bomb goes off. Bound objects
are unaffected before this time.
Seed Change to alter randomly generated numbers in the bomb. You can
achieve a different bomb effect by changing Seed while maintaining the other
settings.
Although you can animate strength and gravity, the equations used for
projectile motion assume they are constant. Therefore, the motion will not
be physically correct, but it might look interesting. Also, if the bomb object
is in motion during the blast, the result is not physically correct.

Modifier-Based Space Warps
Create panel ➤

(Space Warps) ➤ Modifier-Based

3030 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Create menu ➤ Space Warps ➤ Modifier-Based
Modifier-based space warps duplicate the effects of standard object modifiers.
Like other space warps, they must be bound to objects, and they work in world
space. They are useful when you want to apply effects such as Twist or Bend
to a widely scattered group of objects.

Creating Modifier-Based Space Warps
You create modifier-based space warps the same way that you create other
space warps. Modifier-based space warps are listed on the Create panel as a
separate category under Space Warps.
All the modifier-based space warps use a box-shaped (nonrenderable) object.
When you create one, you use the mouse in the viewport as you do when
creating a Box primitive.
Unlike their modifier versions, these space warps do not have sub-object levels.

Interface
Gizmo Parameters rollout

Modifier-Based Space Warps | 3031

Gizmo Size group
Length/Width/Height Let you adjust the warp object's dimensions.

Deformation group
Decay When is set to 0, there is no decay, and the space warp affects its bound
object regardless of its distance from the object. When you increase the decay,
the effect on the bound object falls off exponentially. See the topics on the
individual modifiers for more information.

Parameter rollout
The parameters for a modifier-based space warp are identical to those of the
modifier on which the space warp is based:
Bend Modifier on page 1104
Taper Modifier on page 1757
Noise Modifier on page 1490
Twist Modifier on page 1783
Skew Modifier on page 1610
Stretch Modifier on page 1699

Particle Systems
Particle systems are useful for a variety of animation tasks. Primarily, they're
employed when animating a large number of small objects using procedural
methods; for instance, creating a snowstorm, a stream of water, or an explosion.
3ds Max provides two different types of particle systems: event-driven and
non-event-driven. The event-driven particle system, Particle Flow on page 3033,
tests particle properties, and, based on the test results, sends them to different
events. Each event assigns various attributes and behaviors to the particles
while they're in the event. In the non-event-driven systems on page 3323,
particles typically exhibit consistent properties throughout the animation.

3032 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

IMPORTANT Particle systems can involve a great many entities, each of which is
potentially subject to any number of complex calculations. For this reason, when
using them for advanced simulations, you should have a very fast computer and
as much memory as possible. Also, a powerful graphics card helps speed the
display of particle geometry in the viewports. Even so, it’s still easy to overburden
the system; if you encounter loss of responsiveness, wait for the particle system
to finish its calculations, and then reduce the number of particles in the system,
implement a cache, or use other methods to optimize performance.

Which Particle System to Use?
Having access to a wealth of particle systems in 3ds Max leads to the need to
decide which system to use for a particular application. In general, for a simple
animation, such as falling snow or a water fountain, setup is faster and easier
with a non-event-driven particle system. With more complex animations,
such as an explosion that generates different types of particles over time (for
example: fragments, fire, and smoke), use Particle Flow for greatest flexibility
and control.

Particle Flow
Particle Flow is a versatile, powerful particle system for 3ds Max. It employs
an event-driven model, using a special dialog called Particle View on page 3049.
In Particle View, you combine individual operators on page 9248 that describe
particle properties such as shape, speed, direction, and rotation over a period
of time into groups called events on page 9148. Each operator provides a set of
parameters, many of which you can animate to change particle behavior
during the event. As the event transpires, Particle Flow continually evaluates
each operator in the list and updates the particle system accordingly.
To achieve more substantial changes in particle properties and behavior, you
can create a flow on page 9165. The flow sends particles from event to event
using tests on page 9327, which let you wire on page 9349 events together in series.
A test can check, for example, whether a particle has passed a certain age, how
fast it's moving, or whether it has collided with a deflector. Particles that pass
the test move on to the next event, while those that don't meet the test criteria
remain in the current event, possibly to undergo other tests.
NOTE Operators and tests are known collectively as actions on page 9081.
See also:
■

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems on page 3323

Particle Flow | 3033

How Particle Flow Works
Particle View on page 3049 is the primary interface for building and modifying
Particle Flow systems. The first event in the system is always a global event,
whose contents affect all particles in the system. It has the same name as the
Particle Flow source icon.
By default, the global event contains a single Render operator that specifies
rendering properties for all particles in the system. You can add other operators
here to have them act globally, such as Material, Display, and Speed. When
you use an operator globally, be sure not to use the same operator locally (that
is, in any other events in the system) to avoid potential conflicts.
The global event also serves as the Particle View representation of the particle
system. You can create a new system by duplicating this event, or by adding
an Empty Flow or Standard Flow. Conversely, if you clone the Particle Flow
icon in a viewport, or add a new PF Source, the new system appears in Particle
View as well.
The second event is called the birth event, because it must contain a Birth
operator. The Birth operator should exist at the top of the birth event, and in
no other place. The default birth event also contains a number of operators
that act locally to specify properties of particles while in that event. The default
particle system provides a basic global event and birth event that serve as a
useful starting point for creating your own system. If you like, you can instead
start with an empty system that lets you build a particle system from scratch.

3034 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

1. Event display
2. Particle diagram
3. Global event
4. Birth event
5. Depot

To add an action to the particle diagram, you drag it to the event display from
the depot (the area at the bottom of the Particle View dialog). If you drag an

Particle Flow | 3035

action to an event, you can add it to the event or replace an existing action,
depending on where you drop it. If you drop it in an empty area, it creates a
new event. Then, to customize the action, you click its event entry, and then
edit its settings in the parameters panel at the side of Particle View.
To add complexity to the particle system, you can add a test to an event, and
then wire the test to another event. You can adjust the test parameters to
affect particle behavior, as well as determine whether specific conditions exist.
When particles meet these conditions, they become eligible for redirection to
the next event.
Particle Flow provides a number of tools for determining where in the system
particles currently reside, including the ability to change particle color and
shape on an event-by-event basis. You can also easily enable and disable
actions and events, and determine the number of particles in each event. To
speed up checking particle activity at different times during the animation,
you can cache particle motion in memory. Using these tools, plus the ability
to create custom actions with scripting, you can create particle systems of a
level of sophistication previously unachievable.

The Life of a Particle
Another way of looking at Particle Flow is from the perspective of an individual
particle. Each particle first comes into existence, or is born, via the Birth
operator on page 3087, which lets you specify when to start and stop creating
particles, and how many to create.
The particles first appear at an object called an emitter. By default, the emitter
is the Particle Flow source icon using the Position Icon operator on page 3120,
but you can alternatively use the Position Object operator on page 3123 to specify
that particles should be born on the surface of or within any mesh object in
the scene.
After being born, particles can remain stationary at the emission point, or
start moving in two different ways. First, they can move, physically, within
the scene at a speed and in a direction specified by various actions. These are
typically Speed operators, but other actions can also affect particle motion,
including Spin on page 3133 and Find Target on page 3280. In addition, you can
use the Force operator on page 3223 to affect their motion with outside forces.

3036 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

1. Particle immediately after creation, with no speed.
2. The Speed operator sets the particle in motion.
3. The particle continues moving until acted upon by another action.

The second way that particles move is logically, from event to event through
the particle diagram, as constructed in Particle View on page 3049. Each event
can contain any number of operators that can affect, in addition to motion,
a particle's surface appearance, its shape and size, and others.
The particles start out in the birth event, which typically is the first event after
the global event. During a particle's residence in an event, Particle Flow
evaluates each of the event's actions from top to bottom, once per integration
step, and makes any applicable changes to the particle. If the event contains
a test, Particle Flow determines whether the particle tests True for the test's
parameters, such as whether it has collided with an object in the scene. If it
does, and if the test is wired to another event, Particle Flow sends the particle
to the next event. If it doesn't, the particle remains in the current event, and
may be further acted upon by its operators and tests. Thus, each particle exists
in only one event at a time.

An action in an event can change the particle shape (1), or the particle spin (2), or
spawn new particles (3).

Particle Flow | 3037

Actions can also apply forces to particles (1), specify collision effects (2), and alter
surface properties (3).

In this way, the particle continues to travel through the system. Due to the
flexible nature of schematic construction in Particle Flow, a particle may be
redirected to the same event several times. But at some point, you might want
the particle's life to end. For this purpose, you'd use the Delete operator on
page 3101 or the Collision Spawn test on page 3274 or Spawn test on page 3313.
Otherwise, the particle lives throughout the entire animation.

Particle age can be used to kill a particle.

As a particle moves through the system, it's accompanied by a number of
channels. For example, each particle has a speed channel that defines how
fast it moves, and a material ID channel that lets Particle Flow know which
sub-material to apply to it. However, the material itself is not defined by a
channel, but by a Material operator that acts locally or globally. Properties
that are defined by channels persist, unless altered by an action. For example,
the Material Dynamic operator on page 3202 can change a particle's material
ID. In effect, by setting up a particle diagram and modifying how particles
look and act during the animation, you’re deciding how channel values change
based on events and animation keyframes.

3038 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Flow FAQ
This topic offers answers to a number of questions users commonly ask when
first learning to use Particle Flow. The first section contains links to all the
questions, and the subsequent sections contain the questions and answers
organized by category.

Question List
How does Particle Flow handle time? on page 3040
When I go to a different frame, 3ds Max sometimes seems to freeze for a while.
What's going on? on page 3041
Is there a way to pre-calculate portions of a particle simulation, as in "baking"
the animation? on page 3041
What else can I do to optimize performance? on page 3042
How do I use Particle Flow to make an object explode? on page 3042
How can I control the accuracy of the Particle Flow simulation? on page 3042
Can I use MAXScript to affect particles? on page 3042
Can I use more than one object as instanced geometry? on page 3043
How can I exclude particles from certain light sources? on page 3043
How do I open Particle View without clicking Particle View button on the
command panel? on page 3043
Do I need multiple Particle Views to manage more than one particle system?
on page 3043
Can I selectively disable or "turn off" portions of a particle system? on page
3043
I sometimes see events named “Action Recovery” in Particle View. Where did
they come from? on page 3044
How do I animate action parameters? on page 3044
How can I synchronize an animated bitmap texture to particle age? on page
3044
Do I still need to bind my Particle Flow particles to space warps? on page 3044
How do I make particles follow a path? on page 3044
Can I use Snapshot or dynamics with Particle Flow? on page 3044

Particle Flow | 3039

How do I use motion blur with Particle Flow? on page 3045
How do I use the Particle Age and Particle MBlur maps with Particle Flow? on
page 3045
I’m trying to apply Particle Flow to an animation created with a dynamics
system. Why am I getting strange results such as unexpected spawning of
particles? on page 3046
How can I make all particles appear in the first frame while giving them
different ages? on page 3046
How can I specify the time frame in which animated parameters are applied
to particles? on page 3046
How can I apply bubble motion to particles? on page 3046
How can I branch an event to several other events? on page 3047
Does it matter which order I put actions in an event? on page 3047
How can I tell which particles are in a certain event? on page 3048
Why do my particles lose their material when they move to another event?
on page 3048
Can I have an event receive input from multiple events? on page 3048
I changed an operator setting, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the
particle system. on page 3048
Can an event be isolated in Particle View and not connected to anything? on
page 3048

General
How does Particle Flow handle time?
Parameters that measure time in Particle Flow, such as Birth on page 3087 ➤
Emit Start/Stop and Age Test on page 3268 ➤ Test Value, are specified in frames.
However, Particle Flow is always aware of the current system frame rate (fps),
and if you change this rate, it adjusts all time-related parameters to keep the
same timing. For instance, if you set Test Value to 60 when you're using the
NTSC frame rate (30 fps), and then switch to PAL (25 fps), Particle Flow
automatically changes the value to 50, so the age that's tested for is still two
seconds.
On the other hand, rate parameters, such as Speed, are measured in units per
second, so they don't change when you go to a different frame rate.

3040 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

When I go to a different frame, 3ds Max sometimes seems to freeze for a
while. What's going on?
Most of the animation in Particle Flow is history dependent; that is, to be able
to draw the particles in a particular frame, Particle Flow needs to know what
happened in all previous frames. Normally, when you change a parameter
value, Particle Flow needs to recalculate all frames between the start and the
current frames. Or, if you go to a different frame, Particle Flow must recalculate
one or more animation frames. If you go forward, it must calculate the frames
between the current frame and the one you go to. So, for example, if you just
go to the next frame, relatively little calculation is needed. But if you go
backward, even only by one frame, it must calculate all frames from the start
of the animation to the frame you go to.
If a lot of calculation is needed, there is a delay. Meanwhile, 3ds Max displays
a message like “PF Source 01 Update xx% (Press Esc to cancel)” in the status
bar, so you can get an idea of how the recalculation is progressing. If, when
you see this message, you press the Esc key, Particle Flow displays an alert with
the message “Click OK to turn off PF Source 01.” If you click OK, the
recalculation stops, giving you the opportunity to optimize the animation.
For example, you could reduce the number of particles for testing purposes.
You must turn the source back on to continue. If you click Cancel, the
calculation continues.
TIP An easy way to speed up recalculation and rendering of particles is by adjusting
the total number of particles. To do this, select the Particle Flow source icon, and
then go to the Modify panel ➤ Emission rollout ➤ Quantity Multiplier group.
Here you can increase or decrease by percentage the total number of particles,
separately for viewport display and rendering.
TIP To speed up animation playback when you're not adjusting parameters, use
the Cache operator (see the following item).

Is there a way to pre-calculate portions of a particle simulation, as in "baking"
the animation?
Yes. Particle Flow's Cache operator on page 3213 lets you store all or part of a
particle animation in memory, and then play back the animation from memory
rather than having to recalculate particle motion. This makes it much faster
to jump between different parts of the animation. You can even save the
cached animation to disk as part of the scene file.

Particle Flow | 3041

What else can I do to optimize performance?
Particle Flow can place heavy processing and resource demands on your
computer. For optimal performance, the most important thing you can do is
to use the fastest available CPU. Also, when using particle systems with many
particles, install as much memory as possible in your computer, especially if
you're using caching.
Other ways to improve performance include reducing the percentage of
viewport particles with the Quantity Multiplier setting, and temporarily
disabling flows and actions that you're not currently working with. When
making parameter changes, return to the first frame and play forward, or set
Particle View ➤ Options menu ➤ Update Type to Forward. That way, if you
change a setting, the particle system is not forced to recalculate its state from
the very beginning. The change will affect only animation from the current
frame forward. On the other hand, the result could be misleading, because
you wont be able to see the difference right away.
Also, be cautious when using spawning; it can quickly create very large
numbers of particles, especially when you use the By Travel Distance option
in the Spawn test on page 3313.

How do I use Particle Flow to make an object explode?
Particle Flow doesn't have a fragmentation operator, but by utilizing the PArray
particle system on page 3362 in a Birth Script operator, you can implement
fragmentation in Particle Flow. You can find example scenes, with commented
Birth Script operators, in the files on the second disc in the directory
Samples\Scenes\Particle Flow\Fragments\.

How can I control the accuracy of the Particle Flow simulation?
On the command panel ➤ System Management rollout on page 3076 of the
PF Source icon, you can adjust the integration step independently for viewport
playback and rendering. The smaller the integration step, the more times
Particle Flow calculates particle motion per frame, resulting in greater accuracy
at the cost of calculation time.

Can I use MAXScript to affect particles?
Yes. Particle Flow includes a Script operator on page 3230 and test on page 3311,
as well as a Birth Script operator on page 3090, that let you fully customize the
particle system. Each scriptable action includes a sample script, which also
lists all relevant scriptable functions. You can also control parameters of the
Force operator on page 3223 and Keep Apart operator on page 3165 with script
wiring, described in the respective topics.

3042 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

In addition, you can execute a script at each integration step, and another
just before each frame is viewed or rendered; see Script rollout on page 3077.

Can I use more than one object as instanced geometry?
Yes. With the Shape Instance operator on page 3176, you can use groups,
hierarchies, and objects consisting of multiple elements, with each members
of the combined object constituting a separate particle. These objects can be
emitted in a specific order, or in a random order. For example, you can use a
text object, with the letters emitted in the order in which they appear in the
text.

How can I exclude particles from certain light sources?
To prevent particles from being affected by a light source, use the light’s
Exclude function, found on the General Parameters rollout (Modify panel),
to specify any events containing particles to be excluded. Specifying the PF
Source XX object (default name) has no effect; you must specify all objects
listed as PF Source XX->Event XX.

Particle View
How do I open Particle View without clicking Particle View button on the
command panel?

Press the 6 key. It might be necessary to first turn on the Keyboard
Shortcut Override Toggle.

Do I need multiple Particle Views to manage more than one particle system?
No: All particle systems appear in Particle View. You can scroll and zoom the
event display to see the different systems.

Can I selectively disable or "turn off" portions of a particle system?
Yes. Particle View gives you a number of different ways of doing this. You can
click an action's icon or an event's light-bulb icon to turn it off, or use the
right-click menu, or use Edit menu's Turn On and Turn Off commands. Also,
if you press Esc while Particle Flow is calculating, 3ds Max gives you the
opportunity of turning off the entire particle system, thus immediately
returning control of 3ds Max to you. You can then analyze the system to
determine the area of slowdown, optimize or simplify the particle flow, and
then recalculate the animation.

Particle Flow | 3043

I sometimes see events named “Action Recovery” in Particle View. Where
did they come from?
When you merge a scene containing Particle Flow data, you can import entire
events and isolated actions. If you merge an action without its events, Particle
Flow places it in an event named “Action Recovery.”

Animation
How do I animate action parameters?
Use the same Auto Key on page 3403 method as with animating any other
parameter in 3ds Max.
NOTE Avoid animating Particle Flow parameters with Set Key mode or with
Shift+right-click. Also, to see animation keys for actions in the track bar, make sure
the Particle Flow source icon is selected.

How can I synchronize an animated bitmap texture to particle age?
Use the Material Dynamic operator on page 3202 in conjunction with the Bitmap
2D map on page 6636. You'll find a procedure that describes the method in
detail here on page 3203.

Do I still need to bind my Particle Flow particles to space warps?
No; you use the Collision test on page 3269, Collision Spawn test on page 3274,
or Force operator on page 3223 to affect particle motion with 3ds Max space
warps. The ability to do this on a global and local (per-event) basis gives you
much greater control over how space warps affect the particles than with
previous systems.

How do I make particles follow a path?
You can use the Speed By Icon operator on page 3146 or the Find Target test on
page 3280, assigning the icon or target to a spline path. You'll find illustrative
procedures in both topics.

Can I use Snapshot or dynamics with Particle Flow?
No. The Snapshot tool is not currently compatible with Particle Flow, nor is
reactor or the legacy dynamics system.

3044 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

How do I use motion blur with Particle Flow?
You can apply motion blur on a per-event basis by editing the event's object
properties on page 221 with the right-click menu in Particle View, or on a global
basis by editing the global event's object properties. In the Particle View dialog,
highlight the event to edit and then right-click and choose Properties. On the
Object Properties dialog, edit the Motion Blur group settings.
Alternatively, you can apply motion blur to an entire Particle Flow system
without the need to set properties by using the multi-pass motion blur effect
on page 5955 with a camera.
NOTE You can also use Object Properties to set other properties for events and
the particle system, as with any object in 3ds Max. Do this only within Particle View,
not using the source icon in the viewports (right-click menu ➤ Properties or Edit
menu ➤ Object Properties).
NOTE When using Object Motion Blur, if an event contains a Material Dynamic
operator that uses a material with a Particle Age, Particle MBlur, or Bitmap map,
the event should not also contain a Delete operator, or a Spawn or Collision Spawn
test. Also, the event should not contain any tests that are wired to another event.
The only exception to this is the Age Test operator when set to Absolute Time
without any variation; that is, all particles leave the event at the same time. This
applies to the use of Object Motion Blur only; there are no restrictions with Image
Motion Blur.

How do I use the Particle Age and Particle MBlur maps with Particle Flow?
To use the Particle Age map with Particle Flow, you must use the Delete
operator to give the particles a finite life span. For further information, see
Delete Operator on page 3101.
Also note the following:
■

Particle Age, Particle MBlur and a Bitmap map containing an animated
bitmap can be used only with Material Dynamic operator on page 3202, with
Same As Particle ID turned on. You'll find procedures for using Bitmap and
Particle Age at this topic.

■

The particle material cannot be a submaterial; it must be the main material.

■

In the non-event-driven particle systems in 3ds Max, Particle MBlur is used
with a control named Direction Of Travel\MBlur and an accompanying
Stretch parameter. In Particle Flow, you can replicate the stretching effect
by using a Scale operator, turning off Scale Factor ➤ Constrain Properties,
and scaling the particle along one axis.

Particle Flow | 3045

I’m trying to apply Particle Flow to an animation created with a dynamics
system. Why am I getting strange results such as unexpected spawning of
particles?
The dynamics system probably generates rotation keys using the Euler XYZ
controller. To avoid interpolation discontinuities, change the rotation
controller for such objects to TCB Rotation.

How can I make all particles appear in the first frame while giving them
different ages?
Use a negative frame range in the Birth operator on page 3087. For example, to
get a particle-age spread of 30 frames, set Emit Start to -29 and Emit Stop to
0.

How can I specify the time frame in which animated parameters are applied
to particles?
You can animate many of the Particle Flow parameter values with keyframing.
In most actions, you can choose the time frame by which to apply this
animation to the particles from a drop-down list labeled Sync By. You can
apply this animation to particles in the time frame of the entire animation,
or at a specific time of each particle's life (particle age), or based on the length
of time the particle has been in the current event. See the individual operator
and test topics for details.

How can I apply bubble motion to particles?
Although Particle Flow doesn't have the bubble motion option on page 3388
found in PArray, you can simulate the effect by following this procedure:
1 Add an object to serve as particle geometry and a dummy helper object
on page 2871.
2 Position the dummy away from the center of the particle geometry object
and link on page 3665 your particle geometry to the dummy so that the
dummy is the parent object (that is, drag from the geometry object to
the dummy). The distance between the pivots on page 3796 of the two
objects determines the radius of the bubble motion.
3 In Particle View, add a Shape Instance operator on page 3176 and a Spin
operator on page 3133 to the event in which the bubble motion is to occur.
4 Click the Shape Instance operator and specify the dummy object as the
particle geometry object.

3046 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

5 Click the Spin operator and set appropriate values for Spin Rate and
Variation. For Spin Axis, keep the default setting of Random 3D.
The result is particle motion in which the particles bob about while moving
along their paths, similar to bubble motion.

Events
How can I branch an event to several other events?
Particle Flow includes several Split tests, which let you send some particles to
another event based on quantity, selection, or source. You can use any number
of these in a single event to send parts of the particle stream to different events,
and then use a Send Out test on page 3312 to redirect the remaining particles
to another event. Keep in mind that any tests subsequent to the first can work
only with particles remaining in the event, not necessarily all particles that
begin in the event.

Does it matter which order I put actions in an event?
It depends. If an event contains two or more operators of the same type, such
as Shape, the last one overrides the rest. If an event contains two or more tests,
they are evaluated and particles redirected in the order in which the tests
appear.
However, if two actions in an event control the same properties, the interaction
is more complex. An action that works on a continuous basis will typically
prevail over one that affects particles only when they first enter the event. For
example, both the Find Target test on page 3280 and Speed operator on page
3141 can control particle speed and direction, but the test works continuously,
while the operator takes effect only once. If an event contains both, particle
speed and direction will be primarily controlled by the test, in general, even
if the operator comes after the test. However, the operator's settings will still
have some influence over particle behavior, particularly if its Speed value is
significantly higher than that of the test. For a list of actions’ effective time
frames, see Action Time Frames on page 3081.
Also, if you're testing for a specific condition that can be affected by other
actions in an event, be sure to place the test after the actions. For example, in
an event with a Force operator on page 3223 and a Collision test on page 3269,
place the Collision test after the Force operator. This avoids the possibility of
the force pushing particles past the deflector before Particle Flow can test for
the collision, which would allow the particles to penetrate the deflector. In
general, place tests at the end of the event.

Particle Flow | 3047

How can I tell which particles are in a certain event?
One way is to set the Type option for the Display operator on page 3220 in each
event to a different choice. For example, the first event could use Ticks, the
second Circles, and the third Lines. This way the particles change appearance
in the viewports as they move from event to event. You can also use the
Display operator to change particle colors, to further distinguish them.
Another way is to select all particles in a certain event. Select the Particle Flow
source icon, and then go to the Modify panel ➤ Selection rollout and click
the Event icon. You can then click an event in the Select By Event list to
highlight all of its particles in the viewports.

Why do my particles lose their material when they move to another event?
A material is a static property of an event. It does not travel along with the
particles from event to event. A particle's material ID does, but its material
does not. If you want particles always to use the same material, define the
material in the global event on page 9178 with a Material operator on page 3190
or a Shape Instance operator on page 3176. Otherwise, you need to define it in
each local event.

Can I have an event receive input from multiple events?
Particle Flow lets you wire any number of tests to a single event.

I changed an operator setting, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the
particle system.
A similar operator in the global event might be overriding your local operator.
By default, Particle Flow evaluates local operators first, and then global
operators. If a global operator affects the same property, such as speed, as a
local one, the particle system will use the value set by the global operator.
You can set local operators to override global ones by choosing Particle View
➤ Options menu ➤ Action Order ➤ Globals First.

Can an event be isolated in Particle View and not connected to anything?
Yes, but it won't affect the particle system at all.

Particle Flow User Interface
This section describes the various interface elements in Particle Flow.

3048 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle View
Select a Particle Flow source icon ➤
➤ Click Particle View (or press 6).

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout

Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Particle Systems ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ Click PF Source. ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Click Particle View (or
press 6).
Particle View provides the main user interface for creating and modifying
particle systems in Particle Flow. The main window, known as the event display,
contains the particle diagram, which describes the particle system. A particle
system consists of one or more events wired together, each of which contains
a list of one or more operators on page 3084 and tests on page 3266. Operators and
tests are known collectively as actions.
The first event is called the global event, because any operators it contains can
affect the entire particle system. The global event always has the same name
as the Particle Flow icon; by default, this is PF Source ## (starting with 01 and
counting upward). Following this is the birth event, which must contain a Birth
operator on page 3087 if the system is to generate particles. By default, the birth
event contains this operator as well as several others that define the system's
initial properties. You can add any number of subsequent events to a particle
system; collectively, the birth event and additional events are called local
events. They're called this because a local event's actions typically affect only
particles currently in the event.
You use tests to determine when particles are eligible to leave the current
event and enter a different one. To indicate where they should go next, you
wire the test to another event. This wiring defines the schematic, or flow, of
the particle system.
By default, the name of each operator and test in an event is followed by its
most important setting or settings in parentheses. Above the event display is
a menu bar, and below is the depot, containing all actions available for use in
the particle system, as well as a selection of default particle systems.
TIP The easiest way to open Particle View is by pressing the 6 key. It's not necessary
to first select a Particle Flow icon.

Particle Flow | 3049

1. Menu bar
2. Event display
3. Parameters panel
4. Depot
5. Description panel
6. Display tools

Particle View comprises the following elements:
■

The menu bar on page 3051 provides functions for editing, selection, adjusting
the view, and analyzing the particle system.

■

The event display on page 3062 contains the particle diagram, and provides
functions for modifying the particle system.

3050 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

The parameters panel contains rollouts for viewing and editing parameters
of any selected actions. Basic functionality is identical to that of rollouts
on the 3ds Max command panels, including usage of the right-click menu.
To toggle display of the parameters panel, choose Display menu ➤
Parameters.

■

The depot contains all Particle Flow actions, as well as several default particle
systems. To see an item's description, click its entry in the depot. To use
an item, drag it into the event display on page 3062.
The contents of the depot fall into three categories: operators on page 3084,
tests on page 3266, and flows on page 3262.
To toggle display of the depot, choose Display menu ➤ Depot.

■

The Description panel displays a brief description of the highlighted depot
item.
To toggle display of the description panel, choose Display menu ➤
Description.

■

The icon-based display tools in the bottom-right corner of the Particle View
dialog let you pan and zoom the event display window. For descriptions,
see Display menu on page 3057.

Particle View Menu Bar
Select a Particle Flow source icon. ➤
➤ Click Particle View (or press 6).

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout

Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Particle Systems ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ Click PF Source. ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Click Particle View (or
press 6).
The menu bar provides access to a number of important Particle View
functions.

Particle Flow | 3051

Procedures
To render only particles in specific events:
1 In Particle View, highlight the events containing the particles you want
to render.
2 Choose Select menu ➤ Assign Selection To Viewport.
3 Render using one of the Render Type on page 6992 ➤ Selected options.
To bring a Particle Flow setup into a different scene:
1 In Particle View, highlight the events containing the particles you want
to merge with a different scene. For example, to designate only a particular
flow, you might highlight its global event, and then choose Select menu
➤ Select Downstreams.
2 Choose Select menu ➤ Save Selected, and use the file dialog to specify
a file to save.
NOTE Any scene objects on which Particle Flow depends are also saved. For
instance, if a Shape Instance operator on page 3176 in one of the highlighted
events refers to a certain object, that object is saved along with the designated
events.
3 Open or create the scene with which the saved Particle Flow setup will
be combined, and then use Merge on page 8101 to merge the file from step
2.

3052 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface
Edit menu

Each of the first three commands on this menu presents a submenu containing
all actions. Choose the command, and then choose an action from the
submenu.
NOTE The Undo and Redo commands are available from the main 3ds Max Edit
menu, and their default keyboard shortcuts are the same: Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y,
respectively.
New Adds a new event containing the chosen action to the event display.
Insert Before Inserts the chosen item above each highlighted action. Available
only when one or more actions are highlighted.
Append To Inserts the chosen item at then end of each highlighted event.
Available only when one or more events are highlighted.
Turn On All Turns on all actions and events.
Turn Off All Turns off all actions and events.
Turn On Selected Turns on any highlighted, turned-off actions or events.
Available only when one or more highlighted items are turned off.

Particle Flow | 3053

Turn Off Selected Turns off any highlighted, turned-on actions or events.
Available only when one or more highlighted items are turned on.
Make Unique Converts an instanced action to a copy that's unique to its
event. Available only when one or more instanced actions are highlighted.
Wire Selected Wires one or more highlighted tests to a highlighted event, or
one or more highlighted global events to a highlighted birth event. Available
only when one or more tests and a single event are highlighted, or when one
or more global events and a single birth event are highlighted.
Copy Copies any highlighted events, actions, and wires to the paste buffer.
Keyboard equivalent: Ctrl+C.
Paste Pastes the contents of the paste buffer to the event display. Keyboard
equivalent: Ctrl+V.
The result of copying and then pasting multiple items depends on what you
copied:
■

If you copied multiple actions, pasting adds them all to a single new event,
even if they originally came from different events.

■

Copying multiple events or wires pastes them exactly as copied.

■

If you copied a combination of actions and events, pasting creates a new
event for each group of actions from a single event. For example, if you
highlight event A, some actions from event B, and some actions from event
C, copying and then pasting would add three events: a copy of event A, a
second event with the actions from event B, and a third event with the
actions from event C.

Paste Instanced Pastes the contents of the paste buffer to the event display,
making instances of any pasted actions and their originals.
For the results of pasting multiple copied items, see Paste, above.
Delete Deletes any highlighted items. Keyboard equivalent: Delete.
Deleting an event also deletes all of its actions.
Rename Lets you enter a new name for any single highlighted item in the
event display. Available only when one action or test is highlighted

3054 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Select menu

By default, the Select tool is active when Particle View is open, as indicated
by the arrow-shaped mouse cursor. You can use this tool to highlight, move,
and copy events, actions, tools, and wires. You can also use the commands
on this menu to highlight all elements, no elements, or elements by category.
NOTE When you render using any of the Selected options, 3ds Max renders only
events that are selected in the viewports. You can use the last three commands
on this menu to manage and coordinate selection of events and flows between
Particle View and the viewports. This also applies to use of the Views menu ➤
Shade Selected command.
Select Tool Activates the Select tool. Choose this to return to the Select tool
after using interactive tools for panning and zooming the event display.
Alternatively, simply right-click anywhere in the event display to activate the
Select tool.
Select All Highlights all items in the event display.

Particle Flow | 3055

Select None Deselects all items in the event display. Alternatively, click an
empty area in the event display.
Select Actions Highlights all operators and tests in the event display.
Select Operators Highlights all operators in the event display.
Select Tests Highlights all tests in the event display.
Select Events Highlights all events in the event display.
Select Wires Highlights all wires in the event display.
Select Downstreams Highlights all events after currently highlighted events.
Available only when one or more events are highlighted.
Save Selected Saves only highlighted elements in the event display to a MAX
file. You can then open this file, or combine it with an existing scene with
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import ➤ Merge.
NOTE The Particle View ➤ Save Selected command saves all items selected in
Particle View and in the scene. So if a PF Source icon is selected in the scene, then
this command will save its global event as well as any birth events associated with
it. if you want to save only parts of a Particle Flow setup, first unselect everything
in the scene.
Also, if an action references an object (for example, a Shape Instance operator
on page 3176 uses a geometry object), and the action or its parent event is
highlighted when you use Save Selected, then the reference object is saved as
well.
Get Selection From Viewport Highlights global events whose source icons
are selected in the viewports.
Assign Selection To Viewport Transfers an event selection to the viewports.
Use this to render only particles in specific events. First, in Particle View,
highlight the events to render. Next, choose this command, and finally, render
using one of the Render Type on page 6992 ➤ Selected options.
Sync Source/Events Selection In Viewport Selects all events of any source
icons selected in the viewports. You can then propagate this selection to
Particle View with the Get Selection From Viewport command.
Use this function to render a specific particle flow using one of the Render
➤ Selected options.

3056 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Display menu

The first five commands on this menu are also available as icons, in the Display
tools section on the right side of the bottom border of the Particle View dialog.
Each command's Display tools icon is shown below.
Pan Tool Drag in the event display to move the view. The mouse cursor
changes to a hand icon. You can also pan the view by dragging with the middle
mouse button or wheel button held down.
To exit this mode, right-click in the event view or choose the command again.

Zoom Tool Drag in the event display to zoom the view. The mouse
cursor changes to a magnifying-glass icon. Drag upward to zoom in, or
downward to zoom out.
To exit this mode, right-click in the event view or choose the command again.

Zoom Region Tool Drag in the event display to define a zoom rectangle.
The mouse cursor changes to the image of a magnifying glass inside a zoom
region. When you release the mouse button, the display zooms to show only
the area defined by the region.
To exit this mode, right-click in the event view or choose the command again.

Zoom Extents Sets the zoom to show the entire particle diagram in the
event display.

Particle Flow | 3057

No Zoom Sets the zoom to the default level. This is the level displayed
when you first open Particle View in a given session.
Parameters Toggles display of the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog. Default=on.
Depot Toggles display of the depot, below the Particle View dialog. Default=on.
Description Toggles the Description panel, to the right of the depot.
Default=on.
The Description panel displays a brief description of any action highlighted
in the depot.

Options menu

This menu contains a number of options useful in analyzing and debugging
particle systems.
Default Display Determines whether the Display operator is applied locally
or globally to new particle systems and events. Default=Local.
■

GlobalWhen you create a new particle system, Particle Flow adds a single
Display operator to the global event. It does not add a Display operator to
each new event.

■

LocalParticle Flow adds a Display operator to each new event. This lets you
easily distinguish particles in different events in the viewports.

Action Order For predictable results, don't use similar actions in the global
and local events. However, if comparable actions do exist in both the global
event and other events, Particle Flow applies them to the system in the order
specified here. Typically, the effect that's applied last is the one that's visible
in the particle system. Default=Locals First.
For example, consider a situation in which the global event contains a Shape
operator set to Cube, and the other events in the same system contain Shape
operators set to Tetra or Sphere. By default, Particle Flow applies the global

3058 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Shape operator last at each integration step, overwriting any local shapes, so
all particles would be cubes. But if you set Action Order to Globals First, the
local shapes are applied last, and particles appear as tetrahedrons or spheres,
depending on which event they're in.
■

Globals FirstAt each integration step, Particle Flow first applies actions in
the global event, and then actions in the other (local) events. Typically,
the result is that actions in the local events override comparable actions
in the global event.

■

Locals FirstAt each integration step, Particle Flow first applies actions in
the local events, and then actions in the global event. Typically, the result
is that actions in the global event override comparable actions in the local
events.

Update Type This setting determines how Particle Flow updates the system
when you change a parameter during playback. Because the state of the particle
system at any given frame can depend on events in previous frames, using
the Complete option can provide a more accurate depiction of the result of
the change, at a cost in speed; it takes more time to recalculate the entire
system starting at the first frame. Default=Complete.
■

CompleteWhen you change a setting during playback, Particle Flow updates
the entire system, starting at the first frame.

■

ForwardWhen you change a setting during playback, Particle Flow updates
the system starting at the current frame.

Track Update Provides options for visualizing the particle system status in
Particle View.
■

Particle CountAdds a tab above each event that shows the number of
particles in the event. The global event's count shows the total number of
particles in the particle system.
Use this, in addition to the ability to display particles differently in each
event, to trace particle progress through the system.

■

Update ProgressHighlights each action in color whenever Particle Flow
evaluates it.
The highlighting is very fast, but this option can add significant
computational overhead to the particle system, with the result that
real-time playback might skip a greater number of frames. To see all frames,
turn off Time Configuration ➤ Real Time.

Particle Flow | 3059

Use Dynamic Names When on, action names in events are followed by their
most important setting or settings, in parentheses. When off, only the names
appear. Default=on.

Tools menu

The Tools menu in Particle View provides several utilities for managing Particle
Flow.
Synchronize Layers Synchronizes Particle Flow geometry with source objects.
Use this option after you move PF Source objects to different layers. The
Synchronize Layers option does not change objects' layers, but rather
synchronizes Particle Flow geometry with source objects so they will function
correctly.
■

MAXScript particleFlowUtility.synchronizeLayers()

Repair Cache System Repairs the cache system if it stops working.
If a Cache operator ends up in a different event from the one it was originally
placed in, whether through direct manipulation or from being merged into
another Particle Flow system, the operator might stop functioning because of
ID conflicts. In such cases, use this function to restore the cache to working
condition.
■

MAXScript particleFlow.repairCacheSystem(bool doReport)

Preset Manager Opens the Particle Flow Preset Manager dialog (see following).
■

MAXScriptparticleFlow.presetManager()

3060 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Flow Preset Manager dialog

You can use the Preset Manager to save a scene as a preset for later retrieval
via Preset Flow on page 3263 in Particle View. Keep in mind that all objects in
the scene are saved as a part of the preset, regardless of whether they are part
of the Particle Flow. This ensures that any Particle Flow reference objects are
included in the preset.
To save a new preset, enter a Preset Name and Preset Description, and then
click Save Scene As Preset Flow.
Preset Name Enter an identifying name for the new preset.
Preset Description Enter a description for the new preset.

Particle Flow | 3061

Presets A list of the current presets in the system. Click a preset to see its
description.
Save Scene as Preset Flow Saves the current scene as a preset. The preset is
saved as a pair of files: preset_name.txt with the description of the preset; and
preset_name.max file with the scene itself. Both files are saved in \plugcfg\Particle
Flow Presets\ within the install folder. Since presets are saved as files, it is
possible to exchange or modify the presets by manipulating the files.

Particle View Event Display
Select a Particle Flow source icon. ➤
➤ Click Particle View (or press 6).

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout

Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Particle Systems ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ Click PF Source. ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Click Particle View (or
press 6).
The event display on page 9150 in Particle View contains the particle diagram,
and provides a complete range of intuitive functions for editing the particle
system.
NOTE A number of these functions are also available from the event display
right-click menu on page 3066, as well as the menu bar on page 3051.

Editing the Particle Diagram and Particle System
Interactive functionality in event display includes the following:

General
■

To add an action to the particle system, drag it from the depot to the event
display. If you drop it in an empty area of the event display, it creates a
new event. If you drag it to an existing event, the result depends on whether
a red line or a blue line appears when you drop it. If a red line, the new
action replaces the underlying action. If a blue line, the action is inserted
in the list.

■

To edit an action's parameters, click its name in an event. The parameters
appear on the right side of Particle View. If not, it means the parameters
panel is hidden; to display it, choose Display menu ➤ Parameters.

3062 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

To wire a test to an event, drag from its test output, the blue dot that by
default sticks out to the left of the test, to the event's event input, which
sticks out from the top, or vice-versa. Similarly, you can wire a global event
to a birth event by dragging between the source output on the bottom of
the global event and the event input. The mouse cursor changes to the

first depicted image when you can begin this operation, and to

the
■

second image when you can complete it.

To pan or zoom the event display, use the controls available from the
Display menu on page 3057, the right-click menu on page 3066, or as icons at
the bottom-right of the dialog.

Modifying Actions and Events in the Event Display
■

To change the color used by a Display operator, click its color swatch to
the right of its name.

■

To toggle an operator (that is, turn it off and on), click its icon in the event.

The mouse cursor changes to
is possible.

the depicted image when this action

A turned-off operator does not affect the particle system, and appears
as gray in the event list; however, its parameters are still available for
editing.
Toggling an instanced operator doesn’t affect its other instances.
■

To toggle an event (that is, turn it off and on), click the light-bulb icon
next to its name in the title bar.

Turning off an event is equivalent to turning off all of its operators and
tests, although you cannot turn the operators and tests back on
individually. The event's items do not affect the particle system, and appear

Particle Flow | 3063

as gray in the event list. All particles entering a turned-off event are
immediately passed on to the next event, if any.
■

To make a test result always True or False, click its icon's left or right side,

respectively. The mouse cursor changes to the
first image
(with the left-pointing arrow) when you can click for always True, and to

the
second image (without the left-pointing arrow) when
you can click for always False.
The test icon changes to a
green or
red light bulb to indicate
current functionality: green for always True, and red for always False.
To return to the original functionality, click the icon again. The mouse

cursor changes to

the depicted image when this action is possible.

Selecting, Moving, and Copying
■

To copy an action or event, first press and hold the Shift key and position
the mouse cursor over the item to copy. When the plus sign (+) appears
next to the mouse cursor arrow, drag the item to a new location. When
you release the mouse button, the Clone Options dialog appears; choose
Copy or Instance and click OK. In the Clone Options dialog, the Event
And Particle System group is unavailable, as a reminder that you cannot
instance these elements. Reference is not an option when cloning Particle
System elements. Cloning an event or particle system simply creates a new
event or particle system containing clones of the original's actions.
Any instanced actions have identical properties. Changing one instance's
values changes them all. On the other hand, copied actions can have
different values.
To clone multiple items, highlight them all before Shift+dragging. If you
attempt to clone a combination of actions and events, or actions from
different events, the result depends on where you start dragging from. If
you drag a highlighted action, you'll clone only actions from that event.
If you drag an event, only highlighted events are cloned.

3064 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

NOTE When you highlight an instanced action, Particle View indicates all of
its other instances by changing their background color to a lighter shade of
gray.
■

To move an event, drag its title bar, or the icon of any of its actions. If you
drag the event to an edge of the display, and scrolling is possible, the
display window will automatically scroll in that direction.

■

To resize an event, drag its right edge.

■

To highlight multiple items, drag a rectangle around them, or Ctrl+click
them individually.

■

To delete an event, action, or wire, highlight it and then press Delete. Be
sure the Particle Dialog is active, or you might inadvertently delete a
selection in the scene instead.

■

To move an action, drag its name (not its icon) to the new location. If you
drag the event to an edge of the display, and scrolling is possible, the
display window will automatically scroll in that direction.
If you drag an action to an event, you can insert the action or replace an
existing action, depending on where you position the mouse cursor before
releasing the button. A blue line (before releasing) indicates that it will be
inserted at that location, and a red line indicates that it will replace the
underlying action. If you drag the action to an empty space in the event
display, it will form a new event, and, by default, the system will add a
new Display operator.
NOTE Particle Flow doesn't let you perform illegal operations. For instance, a
Birth operator must always be the first item in a birth event on page 9106; the
system doesn't let you position it elsewhere. You can place a Birth operator in
an isolated event, but you can't then wire that event into a particle system,
except in parallel with another birth event. For more information, see the Birth
operator topic on page 3087.

■

To move a test output or switch it to the opposite side of the event, drag
from just inside the test output to the desired new location. The mouse

cursor changes to
possible.

the depicted image when this operation is

Particle Flow | 3065

Getting Information
■

To see a renamed action's original type, position the mouse cursor over its
event list entry until the tooltip appears.

■

To see a brief description of an action, click it in the depot. The description
appears on the Description panel, to the right of the depot.

Event Display Right-Click Menu
Select a Particle Flow source icon. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout
➤ Click Particle View (or press 6). ➤ Right-click in event display.

Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Particle Systems ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ Click PF Source. ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Click Particle View (or
press 6). ➤ Right-click in event display.
The event display right-click menu provides handy access to a number of
contextual commands. The contents of the menu, as well as the results of its
commands, depend in some cases on where you click, in other cases on what's
highlighted, and in still other cases, on both.
In the following descriptions, “item” means an action or event, or, in some
cases, a wire.

Interface
Insert Displays a submenu of all actions, and when you choose a new action,
inserts it where you originally right-clicked. Available only when you right-click
over an event or action.
If you right-click over an action, and then insert an action, the inserted action
replaces the old one. If you right-click above or below an action (no tooltip
appears), the new action is added to the event at that location. If you right-click
over an event, the action is inserted at the first available position.
Append Displays a submenu of all actions, and when you choose a new action,
inserts it at the end of the event. Available only when you right-click over an
event or action.
Turn On Turns on the event or action under the mouse cursor. Available only
when the item under the mouse cursor is turned on.

3066 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

To affect an event, the mouse cursor must be over its title bar.
Turning on a highlighted item affects all highlighted items.
Turn Off Turns off the event or action under the mouse cursor. Available only
when the item under the mouse cursor is turned off.
To affect an event, the mouse cursor must be over its title bar.
Turning off a highlighted item affects all highlighted items.
Make Unique Converts an instanced action to a copy that's unique to its
event. Available only when the mouse cursor is over an instanced action.
If you right-click over a highlighted, instanced action, Make Unique affects
all such actions.
Wire Wires one or more highlighted tests to a highlighted event, or one or
more highlighted global events to a highlighted birth event. Available only
when one or more tests and a single event are highlighted, or when one or
more global events and a single birth event are highlighted, and when you
right-click over an eligible, highlighted item.
Copy Copies any highlighted events, actions, and wires to the paste buffer.
Available only when the mouse cursor is over an highlighted action, but affects
all highlighted items.
Paste Pastes the contents of the paste buffer to the event display at the mouse
cursor.
If the cursor is over a list, and you copied actions, the actions are added to
the event. If the cursor is over an empty area of the event display, Particle
Flow creates a new event containing the pasted actions. A copied event can
be pasted only in an empty area of the event display.
The result of copying and then pasting multiple items depend on what you
copied and the position of the mouse cursor:
■

If you copied multiple actions, pasting adds them all to the event under
the mouse cursor, or, if the cursor is over an empty area, to a new event,
even if they originally came from different events.

■

Copying multiple events and/or wires pastes them exactly as copied, but
in this case Paste is available only when the mouse cursor is over an empty
area.

■

If you copied a combination of actions and events, you can paste them
only when the mouse cursor is over an empty area. Pasting creates a new
event for each group of actions from a single event. For example, if you
highlight event A, some actions from event B, and some actions from event
C, copying and then pasting would add three events: a copy of event A, a

Particle Flow | 3067

second event with the actions from event B, and a third event with the
actions from event C.
Paste Instanced Pastes the contents of the paste buffer to the event display,
making instances of any pasted actions and their originals.
For the results of pasting multiple copied items, and the limitations based on
mouse position, see Paste, above.
New Add a new item to the event display from the submenu. The submenu
contents are identical to that of the depot. Available only when the mouse
cursor is over an empty area.
Delete Deletes the item under the mouse cursor. Available only when the
mouse cursor is over an item.
If the mouse cursor is over a highlighted item, choosing Delete deletes all
highlighted items.
Rename Lets you rename the item under the mouse cursor. Enter a new name
from the keyboard.
Properties Opens the Object Properties dialog for the event under the mouse
cursor. Available only when the mouse cursor is over the title bar of a
highlighted event.
Particle Flow lets you set object properties on a per-event basis. This lets you
set attributes such as Hide, Renderable, and Motion Blur separately for each
event. Alternatively, you can set properties for the entire particle system from
the global event.
For more information, see Object Properties on page 221.
NOTE Set properties for events and the particle system only within Particle View,
not via the source icon in the viewports (using the right-click menu ➤ Properties
or Edit menu ➤ Object Properties).
Use Script Wiring Lets you use a script to specify certain parameters in the
Force operator on page 3223 and Keep Apart operator on page 3165. This command
appears only when you right-click either of the specified, highlighted operators
in an event.
Comments Lets you add comments to each action and event, and view existing
comments. Available only when the mouse cursor is over an action or the
title bar of an event.
Choosing Comments opens a window for entering text from the keyboard.
Begin typing, and click OK to finish. A commented event or action has a red

3068 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

triangle near its name to indicate the presence of the comment. You can click
this triangle to open the comment.

Commented actions; click the triangle to view a comment.

NOTE A comment is specific to the action or event to which it's applied. If you
copy a commented event or action, the comment is not included in the copy,
because it's probably not applicable to the copy.
Pan Switches to the Pan tool. Drag in the event display to change the view;
right-click to exit. Available only when you click over an empty area of the
event display.
Zoom Switches to the Zoom tool. Drag upward in the event display to zoom
in, and downward to zoom out; right-click to exit. Available only when you
click over an empty area of the event display.
Zoom Region Switches to the Zoom Region tool. Drag a rectangle in the event
display to specify the area to zoom into; right-click to exit. Available only
when you click over an empty area of the event display.

Particle Flow Source
Add a Particle Flow system to the scene. ➤

Select a PF Source icon. ➤

Create panel

Modify panel

Particle Flow | 3069

Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click a global event (title bar). ➤ Parameters
panel
The Particle Flow source is the viewport icon for each flow on page 9165, and
also serves as the default emitter. By default, it appears as a rectangle with a
central logo (see illustration), but you can change its shape and appearance
using the controls described in this topic.

When you select a source icon in the viewport, the Particle Flow emitter-level
rollouts appear on the Modify panel. Alternatively, click the title bar of a global
event in Particle View to highlight it, and to access the emitter-level rollouts
from the parameters panel on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Use
these controls for setting global attributes, such as icon properties and the
maximum amount of particles in the flow.
The particle source icon is roughly equivalent to the corresponding global
event on page 9178 in Particle View. They have the same name, but selecting
one does not select the other. If you delete a particle source icon from the
scene, Particle Flow converts the global event to an isolated local event in
Particle View, retaining its operators with their settings intact. Any other
events in the system remain in Particle View, along with their wiring. However,
if you delete a global event, Particle Flow also removes any local events used
exclusively by that system, as well as the corresponding particle source icon.
To retain the local events, first delete the wire from the global event, and then
delete the global event.
If you clone a particle source in a viewport with Shift+transform or Edit menu
➤ Clone, an equal number of copies of the global event appear in Particle

3070 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

View, each wired to the original birth event on page 9106. The Clone Options
dialog offers only the Copy option. However, if you clone a global event in
Particle View, the Clone Options dialog also lets you create instances of the
cloned operators and tests. It's not possible to create instances of global and
local events, so these options are unavailable in the Clone Options dialog, as
a reminder. Also, global events cloned in Particle View are not automatically
wired to the original birth event.

Interface
Modifier stack
In the modifier stack, expanding the hierarchy of a Particle Flow source object
provides access to two sub-object levels: Particle and Event. For further
information, see Selection rollout on page 3074.

Setup rollout

Use these controls to turn the particle system on and off, and to open Particle
View.
NOTE This rollout appears only on the Create and Modify panels, not on the
Particle View dialog ➤ parameters panel.
Enable Particle Emission Turns the particle system on and off. Default=on.
You can also turn off all particle flows in Particle View with Edit menu ➤
Turn Off All, or a specific particle flow by right-clicking its global event's title
bar and choosing Turn Off.
Particle View Click to open the Particle View dialog on page 3049.

Particle Flow | 3071

Emission rollout

Sets the physical characteristics of the emitter (particle source) icon, and the
percentage of particles produced in the viewports and when rendering.

Emitter Icon group
Logo Size Sets the size of the Particle Flow logo, which appears at the center
of the source icon, as well as the arrow that indicates the default direction of
particle motion.
By default, the logo size is proportional to that of the source icon; with this
control, you can make it larger or smaller.
This setting affects only the viewport display of the logo; changing it has no
effect on the particle system.
Icon Type Choose the basic geometry of the source icon: Rectangle, Box,
Circle, or Sphere. Default=Rectangle.
This choice matters only if you use the source icon as the particle emitter. The
available size settings depend on which icon type you choose, and, again, are
important only if you use the source icon as an emitter.
The default icon type is Rectangle. If you add a particle system, and then
change the icon type to Box, the icon continues to resemble a rectangle. To
make it look like a box, increase the Height setting.
Length/Diameter Sets the length of the Rectangle and Box icon types, and
the diameter of the Circle and Sphere icon types.

3072 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Width Sets the width of the Rectangle and Box icon types. Unavailable with
the Circle and Sphere icon types.
Height Sets the height of the Box icon type. Available only with the Box icon
type.
Show Logo/Icon Turns display of the logo (with arrow) and icon on and off,
respectively.
These settings affect only the viewport display of these items; they have no
effect on the particle system.

Quantity Multiplier group
These settings determine the percentage of the total number of particles in
each flow on page 9165 that are actually produced in the viewports and at render
time. They don't affect the percentage of particles that are visible; those are
determined by the Display operator on page 3220 and Render operator on page
3228. You can use them to quickly decrease or increase the number of particles
consistently throughout all events in the particle system. The maximum
setting, 10,000%, lets you multiply the number of particles generated by the
flow by 100.
The total number of particles is determined by the combined effects of the
following operators and tests: Birth on page 3087, Birth Script on page 3090, Delete
on page 3101, Collision Spawn on page 3274, and Spawn on page 3313. Scripted
operators and tests can also affect this number.
Viewport Sets the percentage of the total number of particles in the system
produced in the viewports. Default=50.0. Range=0.0 to 10000.0.
Render Sets the percentage of the total number of particles in the system
produced at render time. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 10000.0.

Particle Flow | 3073

Selection rollout

Use these controls for selecting particles on a per-particle or event basis.
Selection of particles at the Event level is for debugging and tracking purposes.
Particles selected at the Particle level can be acted upon by the Delete operator
on page 3101, the Group Selection operator on page 3112, and the Split Selected
test on page 3321. You cannot directly manipulate selected particles with standard
3ds Max tools such as Move and Rotate.
NOTE This rollout appears only on the Modify panel, not on the Create panel or
Particle View dialog ➤ parameters panel.

Particle Lets you select particles by clicking them or dragging a region.

Event Lets you select particles by event. At this level, you can select all
particles in one or more events by highlighting the event(s) in the Select By
Event list on page 3075, or in the viewports with standard selection methods.
To convert a selection from the Event level to the Particle level for use with
the Delete operator or Split Selected test, use Get From Event Level on page
3075.

3074 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Selected particles appear in the viewports in red (if not geometry), in the form
designated by the Display operator ➤ Selected setting on page 3223.

Select by Particle ID group
Each particle has a unique ID number, starting with 1 for the first particle and
counting up. Use these controls to select and deselect particles by their ID
numbers. Available only at the Particle selection level.
TIP You can display particle IDs in the viewports by turning on Display operator
➤ Show Particle IDs.
ID Use this to set the ID number of the particle you want to select. You can
set only one number at a time.
Add After setting the ID number of a particle to select, click Add to add it to
the selection. By default, selecting a particle doesn't deselect any others.
Remove After setting the ID number of a particle to deselect, click Remove
to remove it from the selection.
Clear Selection When on, clicking Add to select a particle deselects all other
particles.

_____
Get From Event Level Click to convert an Event-level selection to the Particle
level. Available only at the Particle level.

_____
Select By Event This list shows all events in Particle Flow, and highlights
selected events. To select all of an event's particles, click its list entry, or use
standard viewport-selection methods.
# Particles Selected Shows the number of selected particles.

Particle Flow | 3075

System Management rollout

Use these settings to limit the number of particles in the system, and to specify
the frequency of updating the system.

Particle Amount group
Upper Limit The maximum number of particles the system may have.
Default=100000. Range=1 to 10000000.
TIP You can have more than 10,000,000 particles in a single system by using
multiple particle sources and wiring them to the same birth event. Note, however,
that Particle Flow is limited to sending a maximum of 5,000,000 particles per
event to the renderer.

Integration Step group
At each integration step, Particle Flow updates the particle system, applying
each active action to particles in its event. A smaller integration step can
improve accuracy, at the cost of calculation time. These settings let you apply
different integration steps to the particle animation in the viewports and at
render time.
In most cases, the default Integration Step settings work fine. One instance
in which increasing the integration-step frequency might help is when
fast-moving particles that should collide with a deflector penetrate it instead.
Viewport Set the integration step for animation playback in the viewports.
Default=Frame (once per animation frame). Range=1/8 Frame to Frame.
Render Set the integration step at render time. Default=Half Frame (twice per
animation frame). Range=1 Tick to Frame.
There are 4,800 ticks in a second; thus, at the NTSC video rate of 30 frames
per second, there are 160 ticks per frame.

3076 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Script rollout

This rollout lets you apply a script to the particle system at each integration
step, as well as after the last integration step of each frame you view. Use an
Every Step Update script to set up history-dependent properties, and a Final
Step Update script to set up history-independent properties.

Every Step Update group
The Every Step Update script is evaluated at the end of each integration step,
after all actions in the particle system are evaluated, and all particles are finally
in their respective events. When, for example, you are setting up Material ID
according to a particle index, it is important to be sure that particles are not
about to jump to another event.
When you set up history-dependent properties, such as speed, it is important
to do that at every integration step, because otherwise the final position would
be quite different.
Enable Script Turn on to cause a script in memory to be executed at each
integration step. You can modify this script by clicking the Edit button, or
load and use a script file with the remaining controls in this group.
The default script modifies particle speed and direction, causing particles to
follow a wavy path.
Edit Click this button to open a text-editor window with the current script.
When Use Script File is off, this is the default Every Step Update script
(3dsmax\scripts\particleflow\example-everystepupdate.ms). When Use Script File
is on, this is the loaded script, if you've loaded one. If you haven't, clicking
Edit displays the Open dialog.

Particle Flow | 3077

Use Script File When on, you can load a script file by clicking the button
below.
[button] Click this button to display an Open dialog that lets you specify a
script file to load from disk. After you load a script, the name of script file
appears on the button.

Final Step Update group
The Final Step Update script is executed after the last integration step has been
completed for each frame that you view (or render). For example, if you play
the animation in the viewport with Real Time turned off, Particle Flow runs
this script at each frame, immediately before the particle system is rendered
to the viewport. However, if you simply jump to a different frame, the script
is run once only, so if the script assumes a certain history, you might get
unexpected results.
For this reason, it's best to use the Final Step Update script to modify
history-independent properties. For example, if no operators in the system
depend on the material indices, you could use it to modify the material index.
In this case there's no need to set those indices in every intermediate
integration step. Also, you can set up a position channel in the Final Step
Update script if you know the analytical expression for the position.
Enable Script Turn on to cause a script in memory to be executed after the
final integration step. You can modify this script by clicking the Edit button,
or load and use a script file with the remaining controls in this group.
The default script modifies particle speed and direction, causing particles to
follow a bulb-shaped path.
Edit Click this button to open a text-editor window with the current script.
When Use Script File is off, this is the default Final Step Update script
(3dsmax\scripts\particleflow\example-finalstepupdate.ms). When Use Script File is
on, this is the loaded script, if you've loaded one. If you haven't, clicking Edit
displays the Open dialog.
Use Script File When on, you can load a script file by clicking the button
below.
[button] Click this button to display an Open dialog that lets you specify a
script file to load from disk. After you load a script, the name of script file
appears on the button.

3078 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Flow Helpers
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Particle Flow ➤ Object Type

rollout
Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Particle Flow
In general, Particle Flow helpers take the form of icons that are automatically
created in the scene when you add the associated test or operator. A special
case is the Particle Paint helper, which must be added explicitly.
With the exception of Particle Paint, when you add a Particle Flow helper to
the scene, Particle Flow creates the associated action in Particle View.

Interface

SpeedByIcon on page 3146
Find Target on page 3280
Particle Paint on page 3231
Birth Texture on page 3091
Initial State on page 3103
Group Select on page 3112

Particle Flow Keyboard Shortcuts
To use Particle Flow keyboard shortcuts, the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle
on the main toolbar must be turned on.
To view and customize these shortcuts, open the Customize User Interface
dialog from the Customize menu, and then, from the Group drop-down menu,
choose Particle Flow.
Particle Flow Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Clean Up Particle View

Alt+Ctrl+P

Description

Particle Flow | 3079

Particle Flow Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Description

Copy Selected In Particle View*

Ctrl+C

Open Preset Manager

Alt+Ctrl+M

Particle Emission Toggle

;

Toggles active status of all particle systems.

Particle View Toggle

6

Toggles Particle View dialog.

Paste In Particle View*

Ctrl+V

Repair Cache System

Alt+Ctrl+C

Reset Particle View*

Alt+Ctrl+R

Select All In Particle View*

Ctrl+A

Selects all events, actions, and wires.

Selected Particle Emission Toggle

Shift+;

Toggles active status only of particle systems whose icons are selected in the
viewports.

Synchronize Particle Flow Layers

Alt+Ctrl+L

* These functions are specific to Particle
View. It is recommended that you use
Customize User Interface to change their
keyboard shortcuts only, and not assign
them to toolbars, quads, or menus.

MAXScript/CUI-Only Tools
Particle flow provides two commands for resetting Particle View and for
cleaning up Particle Flow. These are available from Customize User Interface
and MAXScript.

Interface
Reset Particle View Moves the Particle View dialog to its default position. If
a scene is opened and saved on different computer systems with different
resolutions, you might find that the Particle View dialog has been placed

3080 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

off-screen with regard to your system. Reset Particle View option restores the
default position and makes the dialog visible on any computer system.
■

Customize User Interface (CUI) actionReset Particle View

■

ShortcutAlt+Ctrl+R

■

MAXScriptparticleFlowUtility.resetParticleView()

Clean Up Particle Flow Removes items that can slow down rendering and
editing. When a you create or modify a Particle Flow system, invisible items
are sometimes created in the flow network. If you change the PF system during
playback, these items allow the PF system to display changes immediately in
viewports. However, the items might slow down rendering or editing. Clean
Up Particle Flow deletes the invisible items safely, improving render speed
and interactivity during Particle View editing.
It is recommended that you use this option after editing Particle View wiring
and before rendering or saving the scene.
■

ShortcutAlt+Ctrl+P

■

MAXScriptparticleFlow.cleanUpParticleFlow(bool doReport)
Returns number of items removed (cleaned up) from Particle Flow. The
bool doReport parameter specifies whether or not to show a message box
with the report.

Actions
The Particle Flow components for creating particle systems are known
collectively as actions. These are subdivided into three main categories:
Operators, Flows, and Tests.

Action Time Frames
Most actions in Particle Flow operate on particles in either of two time frames:
once, when the particle first enters the event, or on a continuous basis,
potentially changing particle behavior at each integration step (that is, the
whole time the particle is in the action’s event). Some actions can work only
in one time frame, while others can work on an instantaneous or continuous
basis, depending on their settings. The tables in this topic list each action with
its time frame.

Particle Flow | 3081

Operators
Operator

Time Frame

Birth

n/a

Birth Paint

Once, except continuous when Lock At
Painted Objects ➤ Position or Rotation is
on

Birth Script

n/a

Birth Texture

Once

Delete

n/a

Force

Continuous

Group

Once

Group Selection

Depends on Selection Update setting

Initial State

Once, except continuous when Lock To
Icon TM ➤ Position or Speed is on

Keep Apart

Continuous

Mapping

Continuous

Mapping Object

Depends on Type setting

Material Dynamic

Continuous

Material Frequency

Once

Material Static

Once

Placement Paint

Depends on Data Update setting

Position Icon

Once, except continuous with Lock On
Emitter

Position Object

Once, except continuous with Lock On
Emitter

3082 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Operator

Time Frame

Preset Flow

n/a

Rotation

Once, except continuous with Speed Space
Follow

Scale

Once, except continuous with Absolute
and Relative options

Script Operator

Depends on script

Shape

Once, except continuous when Scale % or
Variation % parameters are animated

Shape Facing

Continuous

Shape Instance

Once, except continuous with Animated
Shape

Shape Mark

Once, except continuous with Align To
Surface Animation

Speed

Once

Speed By Icon

Continuous

Speed By Surface

Depends on setting

Spin

Once, except continuous with Speed Space
Follow

Split Group

Continuous

n/a=not applicable

Tests
Most tests in Particle Flow function only as tests. At each integration step,
they check each particle for the specified conditions, and then return the test
result: True or False. So, as tests, they work on a continuous basis. For example,
Age Test checks each particle's age at every integration step, because particles
might not reach the specified age until remaining in the event for a while,

Particle Flow | 3083

and also because another action in the event might change or reset particle
age.
The principal exceptions to this are the Split tests, which test each particle
only when it first enters the event. That is, a Split test splits the particle stream
only once for each particle that enters the event. Any particles that remain in
the event are not subject again to being split off from the stream by the same
test. Also, the Send Out test performs no test, but simply moves particles along
to the next event.
Some tests also function as operators, in that they directly affect particle
behavior. These are the ones listed here, and the specified time frame is related
to the operator functionality, not the test.
Test

Time Frame

Collision Spawn

Continuous

Find Target

Continuous

Go To Rotation

Continuous

Script Test

Depends on script

Spawn

Continuous, except once with Once

Operators
The operator is the basic element of the particle system: you combine operators
into events to specify the particles' characteristics over a given period of time.
Operators let you describe particle speed and direction, shape, appearance,
and more.
The operators reside in two groups in the Particle View depot, and within each
group appear in alphabetical order. Each operator's icon has a blue background,
except for the Birth operators, which have a green background. The first group
contains operators that directly affect particle behavior, such as transformation.
The second group, found at the end of the depot listing, contains four operators
that serve more of a utility function: Cache, for optimizing particle-system
playback; Display, for determining how particles appear in the viewports;
Notes, for adding comments; and Render, for specifying render-time
characteristics.

3084 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The Particle Flow operators in the Particle View depot

The primary operators in Particle Flow are:
Birth Operator on page 3087
Birth Paint Operator on page 3256
Birth Script Operator on page 3090
Birth Texture Operator on page 3091
Delete Operator on page 3101
Force Operator on page 3223
Group operator on page 3110
Group Selection Operator on page 3112
Initial State operator on page 3103
Keep Apart Operator on page 3165
Mapping Object operator on page 3192
Mapping Operator on page 3210
Material Dynamic Operator on page 3202
Material Frequency Operator on page 3200
Material Static Operator on page 3197
Placement Paint operator on page 3258
Position Icon Operator on page 3120
Position Object Operator on page 3123

Particle Flow | 3085

Preset Flow on page 3263
Rotation Operator on page 3131
Scale Operator on page 3135
Script Operator on page 3230
Shape Operator on page 3171
Shape Facing Operator on page 3173
Shape Instance Operator on page 3176
Shape Mark Operator on page 3183
Speed Operator on page 3141
Speed By Icon Operator on page 3146
Speed By Surface Operator on page 3156
Spin Operator on page 3133
The utility operators are:
Cache Operator on page 3213
Display Operator on page 3220
Notes Operator on page 3227
Render Operator on page 3228
See also:
■

Flows on page 3262

■

Tests on page 3266

Birth and Death
These operators control the creation of new particles and the elimination of
particles that are no longer needed.
See also:
■

Birth Paint Operator on page 3256

3086 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Birth Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Birth in an event or add a Birth operator
to the particle system and then select it.
The Birth operator enables creation of particles within the Particle Flow system
using a set of simple parameters. In general, use Birth as the first operator in
any event connected directly to a global event on page 9178; this is called the
birth event on page 9106.
You can specify a total number of particles, or a rate of particles born per
second. You can also tell the system when to begin emitting particles, and
when to stop.
NOTE The Birth operator must always come at the beginning of a particle stream;
the system doesn't let you position it elsewhere. You can place a Birth operator in
an isolated event, but you can't then wire that event in series with a stream that
already uses a Birth operator. However, you can wire multiple Birth operators,
each in its own event, into a particle stream with an existing Birth operator, in
parallel. The following procedure illustrates this. If you need to create particles
midstream, use the Spawn Test on page 3313 or Collision Spawn Test on page 3274
test.
See also:
■

Birth Script Operator on page 3090

Procedures
To use the Birth operator:
This procedure demonstrates the impossibility of using multiple Birth operators
in series, and shows how to use multiple Birth operators in parallel.
1 Start or reset 3ds Max, and add a new PF Source object to the scene.
2 Press 6 to open Particle View.
The default particle system contains a Birth operator as the first action
in the birth event.
3 Try to drag the Birth operator elsewhere in Event 01.
You can't. As you drag over the different actions in Event 01, a red line
appears at the top of the event, showing that the Birth operator will be
placed here, no matter where you release the mouse button.

Particle Flow | 3087

4 Try to drag a new Birth operator from the depot to Event 01.
As in the previous step, the only place you can drop the Birth operator
is at the top of the event, replacing the existing Birth operator.
5 From the depot, drag the Birth operator to an empty area in the event
display.
Particle Flow creates a new birth event, Event 02, containing the Birth
operator and a Display operator.
6 Wire the output of the global event, PF Source 01, to the event input of
Event 02.
Each birth event must be associated with a global event to be able to
generate particles.
7 From the depot, add a Send Out test at the end of both Event 01 and
Event 02.
8 Try to wire the test output of Event 02 to the event input of Event 01.
Particle Flow doesn't let you, because this would result in two Birth
operators in series.
9 Try to wire the test output of Event 01 to the event input of Event 02.
Again, Particle Flow doesn't let you, because this would result in two Birth
operators in series.
10 Drag a Speed operator to an empty area of the event display.
Particle Flow creates a new event, Event 03.
11 Wire the test output of Event 01 to the event input of Event 03.
12 Wire the test output of Event 02 to the event input of Event 03.
There's no problem wiring the two birth events to a single, third event.
The birth events exist in the particle stream in parallel, each generating
particles independently and then feeding its particle stream into a
common event, where the two streams are combined.
If the second birth event had its own global event, you could, at any
point further downstream, separate the streams back out according to
their origin using the Split Source test on page 3322. To do this, delete the
wire from PF Source 01 to Event 02, add an Empty Flow on page 3265 to
the system, and then wire it to Event 02.

3088 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Emit Start The frame number at which the operator begins emitting particles.
Emit Stop The frame number at which the operator stops emitting particles.
NOTE The Emit Start and Emit Stop values are tied to the system frame rate. If
you change the frame rate, Particle Flow automatically adjusts the Emit values
accordingly. For example, if you set Emit Start to 120 and Emit Stop to 300 using
the default NTSC frame rate (30 fps), and then switch to PAL (25 fps) using the
Time Configuration dialog, you've reduced the frame rate to 5/6 of the original
value. Thus, Particle Flow automatically uses the same ratio to adjust the Emit
settings, resulting in an Emit Start value of 100 and an Emit Stop value of 250.
This allows the particle system to retain the timing you specify, no matter which
frame rate you use.
NOTE With Subframe Sampling off, such adjustments are rounded off to the
nearest integer frame number. With Subframe Sampling on, fractional frame values
that result from such adjustments will be used, but not displayed.
Amount To specify the total number of particles emitted by the operator,
choose Amount, and then set the quantity of particles.
Using the Amount option, the first particle is always emitted at the Emit Start
frame, and the last particle is always emitted at the Emit Stop frame. Particles
emitted between these endpoints appear at equal intervals within the emission
period. For example, if you set Amount to 3, the second particle is emitted
halfway through the emission period.
To determine the number of particles emitted per frame when using Amount,
divide the Amount value by the number of emission frames (Emit Stop-Emit
Start+1).

Particle Flow | 3089

Rate To specify the number of particles emitted per second, choose Rate, and
then set the value. The operator emits this number of particles per second
starting at the Emit Start frame and ending at the Emit Stop frame.
If you specify a birth rate value that isn’t an integer multiple of the system
frames-per-second value (set in the Time Configuration dialog), Particle Flow
uses interpolation to determine when to emit particles. For example, if you
use the system default rate of 30 frames per second, and set the birth rate to
4, the system would emit each particle at intervals of seven or eight frames if
Subframe Sampling is off, or at intervals of 7.5 frames if Subframe Sampling
is on.
Total The calculated total number of particles emitted by the operator.
Subframe Sampling Turning this on helps avoid particle "puffing" by emitting
particles at a much higher subframe resolution (that is, throughout each
frame), rather than using the relatively coarse frame resolution. Default=on.
"Puffing" is the effect of emitting separate "puffs" or clusters of particles, rather
than a continuous stream. This effect is especially noticeable when the emitter
is animated.
Turn off Subframe Sampling to cause particles to be emitted exactly at frame
times. This makes it easier to sort particles by their age later.
TIP If, when using the Collision on page 3269 or Collision Spawn test on page 3274,
you experience an irregular particle stream, try turning off Subframe Sampling.

Birth Script Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Birth Script in an event or add a Birth Script
operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Birth Script operator enables creation of particles within the Particle Flow
system using a MAXScript script. The script can use any program functionality
available to MAXScript.
The default script (3dsmax\scripts\particleflow\example-scriptbirth.ms) emits
particles for 100 frames in a wavy, circular path. To see this, turn off or delete
any Speed and Position operators in the event.
See also:
■

Birth Operator on page 3087

3090 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Edit Script Click this button to open the current script in a MAXScript Editor
window.
For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript
Help, available from Help menu ➤ MAXScript Help.
Emit Start The frame number at which the operator begins emitting particles.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting provides a randomization seed that the script can use
or ignore.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Birth Texture Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Birth Texture in an event or add a Birth
Texture operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Birth Texture operator uses an animated texture to calculate the timing,
location, and scale of particles. In general, Birth Texture causes particles to
emit from the object where the texture is white or a bright color.
The Birth Texture operator controls are available in two areas of 3ds Max.
First, the Birth Texture rollout on page 3093, which appears in Particle View,
regulates the overall timing of particles.
Second, adding a Birth Texture operator to a Particle Flow system creates a 3D
icon, or helper, that you can select in viewports. The icon is placed at the
world origin (0,0,0). When you select this icon, the Parameters rollout on page

Particle Flow | 3091

3094 opens on the Modify panel. These controls let you specify the timing,
placement, and scaling of particles. You can also access the Birth Texture
operator's parameters via the operator in Particle View, by clicking Initialization
Parameters.

Birth Texture icon

Procedure
To use the Birth Texture operator:
1 Create an object, and apply a material to it that includes an animated
map with variations of light and dark colors. For example, you could
apply a Checker map as the Diffuse map with an animated Offset
parameter.
2 Create a PF Source.
3 In Particle View, replace the Birth operator with a Birth Texture operator.
This creates the Birth Texture icon at the world center: 0,0,0.
4 On the Birth Texture rollout in Particle View, set Emit Stop to 100 (or
any other value you prefer) and turn off Lock To Emitters.
5 Click Initialization Parameters. This selects the Birth Texture icon and
opens the Modify panel.
6 On the Modify panel, in the Timing group of controls, set Stop to the
value you used in step 4.
7 In the Emitter Objects group, select the object with the material as the
emitter.
8 At the top of the Parameters rollout, click Initialize Particle Emission.

3092 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

This process runs through the animation, and places particle seeds (white)
on the object's surface where white or light areas appear.
TIP If no particles appear, try turning down the Whiteness setting in the
Emission By group. This lowers the threshold of texture brightness required
to emit particles.
9 In Particle View, remove or disable the Position Icon operator and then
play the animation.
The seeds turn into particles whenever the area under the seeds turns
white; the particles then move away from the object.

Interface
Birth Texture rollout
This rollout appears in Particle View when the Birth Texture operator is
selected.

Emit Start The frame at which the operator begins emitting particles.
Emit Stop The frame at which the operator stops emitting particles. The exact
timing of start and stop may vary due to the timing of individual particles,
which depends on the emitter's animated texture.
Reset To Original Timing Sets the Emit Start and Emit Stop values to the
current values of Timing ➤ Start and Stop on page 3097 as initialized (that is,
when you last clicked Initialize Particle Emission on page 3095). If Emit Start
and Emit Stop differ from the original timing, the particle timing is scaled to
fit into the emission interval. This lets you change the overall timing of the
emission without the long process of pre-calculation.

Particle Flow | 3093

Lock On Emitters Causes all particle pivot points to be "glued" to the emitter
objects. This control is similar to the Lock On Emitter option of the Position
Icon operator. It tells the Birth Texture operator to continue controlling particle
position even after the particles are born.
Total Particles This read-only value shows the total number of pre-calculated
particles. The amount of particles actually generated depends on the Quantity
Multiplier of the master PF Source object. If the multiplier value is less than
100%, the operator samples the pre-calculated particles. If the multiplier is
greater than 100%, some particle seeds are able to generate multiple particles.
Initialization Parameters Selects the Birth Texture icon and switches to the
Modify panel to show controls related to the particle timing and placement
pre-calculation (see following).

Parameters rollout
This rollout is available on the Modify panel when you select the Birth Texture
icon or click Initialization Parameters (see preceding).

3094 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

[concentric color box] The color of this icon indicates the calculation status
of particle seeds. When blue-green, the operator has generated particle seeds
according to the current set of parameters, and is up to date. When red,
parameters have been changed since the last initialization, and you must
update the particle seeds by clicking Initialize Particle Emission.
Initialize Particle Emission Click to calculate particle seed timing, placement
and scaling according to the current set of parameters. If the emitters geometry
or textures are complex, the initialization process can be lengthy. The overall
progress of calculation is indicated as a percentage in the status bar. When
calculation is complete, the Green/Red concentric color box turns green.
This option is available only after you have picked at least one emitter in the
Emitter Objects group.

Quantity group
The Birth Texture operator offers several methods for determining the quantity
and placement of particle seeds. In general, each of these methods covers the
emitter with the maximum number of particle seeds allowed for the chosen
method, then the texture's coloring or brightness defines if and when a seed
is converted to a particle.
NOTE These parameters control particle seeds, not the particles themselves. A
particle seed is converted to a particle based on the parameters in other rollouts,
and on the color and brightness of the texture itself.
Choose one option in this group:
■

AmountRandomly covers the emitter surface with the specified number
of particle seeds. Then the animated texture is used to define if and when
a seed generates a particle. This option can be used when you don’t want
particles to be generated in the same place multiple times when the texture
is animated.

■

Max. RateSets the maximum number of particles that can be generated
per frame over the entire surface, when the texture color exceeds the
Whiteness value. The rate is expressed in particles per frame. First, the
emitter surface is randomly covered with seeds at the Max. Rate, starting
with the Start frame. Then the texture for the current frame defines at that
frame whether each seed generates a particle. The unused seeds are not
used. At the next frame, a new set of particle seeds is generated. This option
generates particle seeds in this manner from the Start frame to the Stop
frame. This option can be used when it doesn't matter whether particles
are generated in the same place multiple times.

Particle Flow | 3095

■

■

SeparateSets the distance by which particle seeds are separated, in units.
The emitters surface is evenly covered with particle seeds, and the seeds
are placed in such a way that they are separated by the Separate value.
Then the animated texture is used to define if and when a seed generates
a particle. The Separate option guarantees the absence of dense clusters
and overlapping particles. This option guarantees that particles will not
be generated in the same place multiple times.
When you choose Separate, two additional options become available:
■

Adjust By Scale FactorWhen the Separate option is chosen and you’ve
specified a Scale Factor option on page 3100 other than None, this option
adjusts the separation distance according to particle scale. In other
words, when Adjust By Scale Factor is on, Particle Flow can place smaller
particles closer together, while increasing the distance between larger
particles.

■

Fast Approx. Separation

Vertices/EdgesPlaces particle seeds on surface vertices. The total amount
of particle seeds is defined by the number of vertices.
■

■

SubdividePlaces particle seeds on visible edges as well as vertices. The
seeds are distributed evenly along edges, spaced by a distance
approximately equal to the Subdivide value. Then the animated texture
is used to define if and when a seed generates a particle. The total
amount of particle seeds is defined by the number of vertices, and the
lengths of visible edges.

FacesPlaces particle seeds at face centers. If the Subdivide option is on then
each face is subdivided to a point when every faces edge is less then the
Subdivide value, and a particle seed is placed at the center of the sub-faces.
Then the animated texture is used to define if a seed generates a particle,
and when. The total amount of particle seeds is defined by the number of
faces and their size (if Subdivide is on). The Faces option with Subdivide
on generates the most evenly distributed particles over the emitter surface,
with some regular properties. If the Subdivide value is less then a particle
size then the particles are able to cover the entire emitter surface without
any holes.
■

SubdivideThe option is available for the Vertices/Edges and Faces amount
types only. When On, edges and faces are subdivided to generate the
greater amount of particles.

3096 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Amount Limit This control is available if you choose Vertices/Edges or Faces
and also turn on Subdivide. Small values of Subdivide can generate so many
particle seeds that they exceed available memory: this value limits the number
of seeds, so 3ds Max doesn’t hang. Range = 10 to 50000000 (fifty million).
Default=1000000 (one million).
Total Amount This read-only value shows the total number of particles
pre-calculated for the emission. Because the animated texture might not reach
required whiteness level over the emitter surface, this value is usually smaller
then Amount or Max. Rate*(Stop-Start) values.

Timing group
These parameters determine the time interval over which particles are
generated. The operator analyzes the emitter texture over the time interval,
using the data to define the precise birth moment for each particle. The timing
for each particle is stored as a floating-point value ranging from 0.0 to 1.0.
This indicates its timing relative to the start (0.0) or end (1.0) of the interval
and makes it possible to adjust the overall timing of the particle emission
without recalculation.
You can also adjust particle timing in Particle View by changing the Emit Start
and Emit Stop values.
Start The first frame of the interval over which particles are generated.
Stop The last frame of the interval over which particles are generated.
Delay Var Variation in particle emission, in frames.
Latency Causes particle seeds to accumulate brightness over time, and to be
converted to particles only if they accumulate a certain brightness value. The
Latency value is multiplied by the Whiteness % on page 3099 value to determine
the whiteness that needs to be achieved. Then particle seeds accumulate
Luminance values for the texture at each frame, and are converted to particles
when they achieve the multiplied whiteness value. Latency can be used to
cause a sweep of particles to be generated over a gradient map without having
to animate the map.
For example, if Latency is off, Whiteness is 100%, and the texture where a
particle seed resides is white [256,256,256], a particle will be generated. But
if Latency is on and set to 3, the multiplied whiteness required to convert to
a particle is 300%, which the particle seed accumulates after 3 frames.

Particle Flow | 3097

Following are more examples of how adjusting Latency affects how particles
are generated:
■

Texture color=[128,128,128] (50% brightness); Whiteness=100%; Latency=7:
The particle seed requires 700% brightness to emit a particle, which would
be achieved after 14 frames.

■

Texture color=[32,32,32] (12.5% brightness); Whiteness=50%; Latency=2:
The particle seed requires 100% brightness to emit a particle, which would
be achieved after eight frames.

Precision The level of accuracy for particle timing calculation. If the texture
has more than a single image per frame, to include the sub-frame images
choose a sub-frame sampling method. The available choices are Frame, Half
Frame, 1/4 Frame, 1/8 Frame.

Emission By group
Particle seeds are converted to particles when the particle seeds are located on
an area of the texture that exceeds the Whiteness value. The parameters in
this group define how Particle Flow interprets the texture information to see
if it exceeds the Whiteness value.
The Emission By choices are as follows:
■

MaterialGathers colors from the emitter's material.

■

Sub-MaterialGathers colors from a single sub-material, and generates
particles only on faces with the specified sub-material ID (Material ID).
The sub-material ID is set by the Sub-Mtl ID parameter (see following).

■

Sub-Mtl GlobalGathers colors from a single sub-material, and generates
particles over the entire emitter surface regardless of the faces' Material
IDs. The sub-material ID is set by the Sub-Mtl ID parameter (see following).

■

Vertex ColorGathers colors from the Vertex Color channel.

■

Vertex AlphaGathers colors from the Vertex Alpha channel.

■

Vertex IllumGathers colors from the Vertex Illum channel.

■

MappingGathers colors from a mapping channel. A mapping channel can
be used by the Vertex Paint modifier to color vertices. The mapping channel
index is defined by the Channel parameter.

TIP For information about these channels, see the VertexPaint Modifier topic in
the 3ds Max Help.

3098 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

R/G/B These buttons let you define the set of color channels to be considered
for particle generation. For example, if only the R (red) button is active, then
only the red color data is used to determine whether particles are generated.
If more then one button is active, the average of the chosen channels is used.
Sub-Mtl ID Specifies the sub-material ID when Emission By (see preceding)
is set to Sub-Material or Sub-Material Global. Typically the sub-material is a
component of a Multi/Sub-Object material, and you can find the IDs on the
material’s Basic Parameters rollout.
Whiteness % Sets the color trigger level. If a color at a particle seed location
exceeds this threshold, then a particle is generated. A 0% Whiteness
corresponds to RGB value (0,0,0), while a 100% Whiteness corresponds to the
RGB value (255,255,255).

Emitter Objects group
Use these controls to assign objects to be used as particle emitters.
Add Adds an object to the list.
By List Opens the Select Emitter Geometry dialog where you can add multiple
objects to the list.
Remove Removes a highlighted object from the list.
Animated Emitters Indicates that the emitter objects are animated, either
with transforms or surface animation. This option affects the display of particle
seeds, but doesn’t affect particle generation, because all particles are generated
on the surface regardless of whether it is animated. Toggling this option does
not affect calculation status.
Surface Normal Offset When on, lets you specify an offset range from the
emitter surface for particle placement. Negative values place particle seeds
below the surface.
Offset Min/Max When Surface Normal Offset is on, you can specify the range
of offset distance from the object surface. The Min value cannot exceed the
Max value, and the Max value cannot go below the Min value.

Scale Factor group
The operator can initialize particle scaling according to the characteristics of
the texture the particles are generated from. So, for example, you can vary the
sizes of particles emitted from different parts of the surface with a gradient
map. The scale value calculation uses the texture's state at the current frame,
disregarding any animation the texture has. Since a color has three

Particle Flow | 3099

floating-point values, each value defines a different component of the scale
vector. To have a uniform scale factor, use textures with no hue
(black/gray/white gradients).
Scale By Defines the source of color to calculate particle scaling. The available
choices are:
■

NoneNo particle scaling is set.

■

Sub-MaterialUses a single sub-material to set the scale, and uses this scale
over the entire emitter surface regardless of the faces' Material IDs. The
sub-material ID is set by the Sub-Mtl ID parameter.

■

Vertex ColorUses the Vertex Color channel to define particle scale.

■

Vertex AlphaUses the Vertex Alpha channel to define particle scale.

■

Vertex IllumUses the Vertex Illum channel to define particle scale.

■

MappingDefines particle scale with a mapping channel that is used for
vertex coloring by the Vertex Paint modifier. The mapping channel index
is defined by the Channel parameter.

TIP For information about these channels, see the VertexPaint Modifier topic in
the 3ds Max Help.
Sub-Mtl ID When Scale By (see preceding) is set to Sub-Material, specifies the
sub-material ID. Typically the sub-material is a component of a
Multi/Sub-Object material, and you can find the IDs on the material’s Basic
Parameters rollout.
Black Scale % Defines the scale value for particles that fall on pure black areas
of the texture. This value should be used to set the scale percentage for the
smallest particles in the range. The Black Scale % must be lower than or equal
to the White Scale %.
White Scale % Defines the scale value for particles that fall on pure white
areas of the texture. For intermediate gray colors, the scale value is linearly
interpolated between the Black Scale % and White Scale %.
The Black Scale % and White Scale % can influence the particle distribution
if the Separate option in the Quantity group is chosen, and Adjust By Scale
Factor is on.

Display group
The operator is able to show the particles in interactive, non-history-dependent
mode. Usually, if you want to see particle animation, you have to place the

3100 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

operator into an event that is wired to an active PF Source event. However,
this might require heavy calculation for history-dependent particle animation.
The parameters in the Display group give you the ability to see how particles
will be created without the overhead of generating a particle system.
Show Particles Displays calculated particle seeds as ticks.
All / By Timing Defines the mode for showing particles:
■

AllAll pre-calculated particles are shown.

■

By TimingEach particle is displayed at the frame at which it will be born.
The timing shown with the By Timing method might differ from the actual
particle emission because the Emit Start and Emit Stop values in the Birth
Texture operator can adjust the overall particle timing.

Only When Selected When on, particle seeds appear in the viewports only
when the Birth Texture icon is selected. When off, particle seeds always appear.
Icon Size Sets the size of the 3D icon of the operator. The size of the icon has
no effect on particle size or emission.
Color Coordinated When on, the color of the 3D icon is synchronized with
the color set by the Display operator in the same event as the corresponding
Birth Texture operator. When off, the icon uses the standard Particle Flow
operator color: blue.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness settings enable you to change the randomization of the
particle generation where appropriate.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Delete Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Delete in an event or add a Delete operator
to the particle system and then select it.
Use the Delete operator to remove particles from the particle system. By default,
particles live “forever,” that is, for the duration of the animation. The Delete
operator lets you give them a finite life span. This is useful for eliminating
particles once they've served their purpose in the animation.

Particle Flow | 3101

The Delete operator is also necessary when using the Particle Age map, which,
when incorporated into the Material Dynamic operator, applies different
materials to particles depending on their age. Because the map works on the
basis of a percentage of the particle's life span, you need to use a Delete operator
to define the particles' maximum age. For an example of usage, see Material
Dynamic operator on page 3202.

Interface

The user interface appears in the Parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Remove group
Choose whether to delete all particles, selected particles, or particles past a
specific age.
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of maximum particle age using
the By Particle Age ➤ Variation setting.
All Particles Deletes all particles in the event immediately.
Selected Particles Only Deletes particles selected at the Particle sub-object
level in the event immediately. See Selection rollout on page 3074.
By Particle Age Deletes particles in the event after they’ve existed for a specific
length of time, with an optional random variation. Choosing this makes the
Life Span and Variation settings available.
■

Life Span The number of frames of life allowed to the particles. After this
period, they're deleted. Default=60.

3102 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

Variation The maximum amount by which Life Span may vary. To get
each particle's actual life span, this value is multiplied by a random number
between –1.0 and 1.0, and then added to Life Span. Default=10.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of maximum particle age using
the By Particle Age ➤ Variation setting.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Initial State Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Initial State in an event or add an Initial
State operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Initial State operator is a birth operator that uses a snapshot of another
particle system or other events as a starting point for a new event. The particle
system or events from which the Initial State operator gets its snapshot must
be different from those of the Initial State operator itself.
The Initial State operator can make use of an icon in the scene, whose default
size is 0.0. The icon is visible only if the Icon Size parameter is greater than 0.
You can also use the Initial State helper object (in the Particle Flow category)
to create an Initial State icon and a corresponding Initial State event at the
same time.
NOTE To avoid looping dependencies, create the Initial State operator after you
create the particle system or events from which it obtains its initial state.

Initial State Usage
The Initial State operator is particularly useful when a large number of particles
are generated before frame 0, and you want to use the state of particles at
frame 0.
In the following example, the left side of the image shows the original wiring
without the Initial State operator. Because 1,000,000 particles are born starting
at frame -750, a great deal of calculation is required to calculate the particles
at frame 0.

Particle Flow | 3103

In a particle system like this, you can save time by using the Initial State
operator. In this case, you could set the Viewport Quantity Multiplier in the
original system to 100%, and then let the system calculate the particles at
frame 0, which could take 15 minutes or more. Then you would use the
Calculate Initial State function in the Initial State operator to acquire the
starting state of particles at frame 0. The first time you perform this operation,
it will take as long as particle calculation without the Initial State operator.
The advantage is that the initial particle state at frame 0 does not have to be
calculated again unless you change parameters that affect the initial state.
The original system generates particles from frame -750 to 144, but the Initial
State operator captures the state at frame 0. Therefore, you would need an
additional Birth operator to generate particles from frames 0 to 144. To
determine how many particles to generate from frames 0 to 144, look at the
Initial State operator to get the number of particles generated, and subtract
this number from the original total; the result is the number of particles should
be generated with the new Birth operator. In the example shown above, the
amount is 1,000,000–834,000 = 166,000.
If the original particle system has Position and Speed operators, be sure to
instance them in the new event with the Birth operator. There is no need to
instance these operators in the event that contains the Initial State operator,
as this information is already included in the referenced event. All other
operators can go into a common event where the Birth and Initial State events
merge.

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Procedure
To use Initial State:
1 Create a particle system.
2 Go to the frame where the particle system is in the desired initial state.
3 Drag the Initial State operator to a blank area of Particle View to create
a new, separate event. Alternatively, you can use the Initial State helper
to create an Initial State icon and a new event at the same time.
4 Decide if you want the whole particle system, or distinctive events for
the initial state, and choose the appropriate option in the Initial State
From group.
5 Select the particle system or events.
6 Click Calculate Initial State. The Initial State UI makes a snapshot at the
current frame, and also reports the number of the particles in the initial
state and the amount of memory used.
7 At this point, you can disable the original particle system if you like.
8 Drag an Empty Flow to a blank area of Particle View to create a new global
event.
9 Wire the new global event to the event that includes the Initial State
operator.

Particle Flow | 3105

Interface

3106 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Calculate Initial State Creates a snapshot of a particle system or selected
events at the current frame. The snapshot uses only particles visible in the
viewport, and is reflected by the Amount and the Memory Used statistics. This
button becomes available after you specify a particle system or events.
Initial State uses the Viewport % and Render % in the PF Source's Quantity
Multiplier group. If Viewport % is set to 100, all particles in the snapshot are
used. If Viewport % is less than 100, then only some particles of the original
initial state are used. If Viewport % is greater than 100, the operator spawns
particles from the original state to meet the percentage. The Initial State
operator moves the particles apart in order to separate the spawns visually,
and can modify the speed of the spawns.
Emit Time All particles in the initial state are generated at the Emit Time.
Auto Sync Emit Time Sets the Emit Time value to the current frame
automatically when you click Calculate Initial State button. This action
synchronizes the referenced particle system's timing with the operator.
Amount Read-only field shows the number of particles in the initial state,
which is the number of visible particles in the original particle system during
the snapshot. Keep in mind that the operator grabs the viewport state of a
particle system. What you have in the viewport at the snapshot frame is what
you get for the initial state.
Memory Used Read-only field shows the amount of system memory used to
keep the initial-state data when the scene is saved into a file, in kilobytes.
Initial State From Choose a source option for the initial state and then make
settings as appropriate.
■

Particle SystemLets you derive the initial state from an entire particle
system. Click the button to choose the particle system. You cannot use
the particle system that contains the Initial State operator.

■

Selected EventsLets you choose any number of events to use for the initial
state. To add events to the list, click Add. You cannot add the event the
Initial State operator is in. To remove an event from the list, highlight the
event and click Remove.

Initial State Data group
The options in this group serve two purposes:
■

Before you click Calculate Initial State, the settings define the types of data
to get from the particle system or events for the initial state.

Particle Flow | 3107

■

After you click Calculate Initial State, the settings define the data to be
used during particle generation.

When you click Calculate Initial State, the operator reads the status of the
check boxes in this group and acquires the indicated data from the particle
system or events. If a check box is on and the data corresponding to that
checkbox is available from the particle system or events, the checkbox text is
black. Otherwise, it is gray. You can toggle a check box whether its text is
black or gray.
If the data is available (the checkbox text is black) and you turn off the check
box, the data is not used when particles are generated.
Age When off, all particles are born with age 0. When on, each particle retains
its age as of the moment of the snapshot.
Speed/Scale/Rotation/Spin/Shape When on, these options derive the
corresponding type of data from the snapshot.
Mapping Takes data from a Mapping operator. To make this option work
properly, turn on Show Map in Viewport for the original Mapping operator.
Material ID Takes the sub-material index assignment, To make this option
work properly, turn on Assign Material ID and Show in Viewport for all
Material operators.
Script Data Takes the Script Float, Integer, Vector and Matrix data created by
Script operators. This data can be used later by Script operators as well as by
the Script Vector option of the Find Target test ➤ Point setting.
Selection Takes particle selection data. Any selections in the Initial State
operator’s particle system is overwritten by the snapshot selection.

For Quantity Multiplier > 100% group
The options in this group have an effect on particles only if the Viewport %
(or Render %) in the PF Source's Quantity Multiplier group is greater than
100%. To meet the requirement of the Quantity Multiplier, the operator has
to spawn the acquired particles.
Position Variation Max. Spread The maximum offset of spawned particles’
placement from the original location.
Speed Variation Magnitude % Variation in the speed magnitude for spawned
particles. The variation is defined as the maximum percentage change from
the original speed. For example, if the original speed is 100 units per second

3108 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

and Magnitude is 20%, then the spawned particle may have any speed from
80 to 120.
Speed Variation Divergence Directional variation of the speed for the spawned
particles, in degrees, with a range from 0 to 180.

Lock To Icon TM group
The options in this group are used to link initial particle placement and speed
to the operators 3D icon.
Position When on, you can modify the particles’ initial placement by moving,
rotating, and scaling the operator icon.
Speed Causes the particles’ initial speed after the snapshot to be affected by
transform animation of the operators icon.
Icon Size Sets the icon size. If you create the operator in Particle View, the
default size is 0, and the icon is not visible in viewport. If you create the
operator as a Particle Flow helper object, then the size is set when you drag
in a viewport during the icon-creation process.
Color Coordinated When this option is turned on, the color of the 3D icon
is synchronized with the color of the Display operator in the same event.
When this option is off, the icon has a standard Particle Flow operators color
(blue).

Uniqueness Group of Controls
The Uniqueness setting enables changing the randomization of the position
and speed variation when Quantity Multiplier is greater than 100% (see the
For Quantity Multiplier ➤ 100% group).
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Groups
The group actions in Particle Flow let you identify and act on subsets of
particles, specified either explicitly or procedurally according to any of a
number of different conditions. You can create as many groups as you like,
and apply any event’s actions to any group.

Particle Flow | 3109

Group Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Group Operator in an event or add a Group
Operator operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Group Operator applies an entire event to the particles specified by one
or more Group Selection operators on page 3112. The Group Operator is useful
when you want to apply an event to a subset of particles, but you don't want
to split the particles from the current event. It affects the selected particles
only while they remain in the current event.
This operator is useful when you want to apply a complex event to a subset
of particles. It is also useful when you want to apply the same series of operators
to different subsets of particles in different events.
The Group Operator does not wire the external event to the current event,
but rather, it refers the current event to the external event.

Group operator is not wired to the event that it calls.

3110 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

In the Particle Flow network shown above, all particles in Event 01 that pass
the Age test are directed to Event 02, but only those that were selected by the
Group Selection operator in Event 02 will use the operators in the Rotation
event. Then all particles that flowed to Event 02 (including both the particles
selected with the Group Selection operator, and those not selected) are directed
to Event 03 via the Spawn test.

Interface

Group Selection Operators Lists one ore more Group Selection operators that
specify the particle selection(s) to which the event should be applied.
To add one or more groups, click the Add button and use the Select Group
Selection Operator dialog to specify the groups to add. To remove a group
from the list, highlight its name and then click Remove
Selection Condition When the Group Selection Operators list (see preceding)
contains multiple entries, use this option to specify how to qualify particles
in overlapping groups:
■

Selected In All GroupsA particle qualifies only if it belongs to all listed
groups.

■

Selected In Any GroupA particle qualifies if it belongs to any listed group.

■

Selected In Single GroupA particle qualifies only if it belongs to only one
of the listed groups.

Particle Flow | 3111

Modify Particles By Event Specifies the event with operators/tests to be used
on the selected particles. Click the button and then choose the event from
the selection dialog.
If the referred-to event has tests, the particles are not redirected to another
event. All other operators in the event are performed on the specified particles.

Group Selection Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Group Selection in an event or add a Group
Selection operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Group Selection operator extends Particle Flow's ability to select particles.
Originally in Particle Flow, you select a single group of particles explicitly that
remains selected throughout the entire flow. With Group Selection, however,
you can specify any number of groups according to various criteria: location,
particle properties, at random, and more.
You can divert selected particle groups to another event with the Split Group
test on page 3118, or indicate an outside event to affect particles with the Group
Operator on page 3110. The Group Selection icon can be scaled and transformed
to change the particle selection dynamically over the course of the particle
flow.
You can instance the Group Selection operator in different events to define
the same selection subset. If the particles converge into another event, the
selection subsets are united, and a Group Operator works with the combined
selection subset.
The Group Selection operator doesn't change particle properties. It adds a data
channel that indicates the selection status of a particle corresponding to the
selection operator. To modify particles based on their selection status, use a
Group Operator or Split Group test.

Group Selection icon
Adding a Group Selection operator to a Particle Flow system creates a 3D icon,
or helper, that you can select in viewports. The icon is placed at the world
origin (0,0,0). When you select this icon, the Parameters rollout opens on the
Modify panel that provides the controls described in the following section.
The position of the icon is used by Particle Flow when you choose the Inside
Icon Volume on page 3115 option.

3112 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Group Selection icon

Particle Flow | 3113

Interface

3114 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Selection Update Choose how to calculate the selection status:
■

OnceThe operator determines the selection status only once, at the time
a particle enters the event.

■

ContinuousCalculates the selection status anew at every frame.

Depending on other options, the Group Selection operator may detect the
selection status change in between frames, on sub-frame sampling basis.
Reverse Selection Inverts the particle selection.
Selection Condition Determines the method the operator uses to select
particles. The choices are as follows:
■

Entire Particle StreamSelects all particles in the event. Use this option if
particle selections are merging in the current event, and in a later event
you plan to separate particles with an instanced Group Selection operator.

■

By SnapshotSelects particles based on those currently selected in the PF
Source sub-object level, or all particles present in the event at the current
frame. The number of selected particles appears next to By Snapshot.
To select the particles, choose one of the following sources from the
dropdown menu and then click Generate Snapshot:
■

Selected in PF SourceSelects the particles currently selected at the Particle
sub-object level of the PF Source. Before using this option, make sure
both of the PF Source object's Quantity Multiplier settings (Viewport
% and Render %) are the same.

■

All in Current EventSelects all particles in the event at the current frame.

■

Generate SnapshotClick to select the particles as specified by the choice
in the drop-down list. The number of selected particles appears next to By
Snapshot.
Once you have generated a snapshot, you can change the frame or
sub-object particle selection without affecting the selection in this Group
Selection operator. Keep in mind that the selection is based on the particle
IDs. Therefore, if the number of particles in the viewport and the rendering
are different, the overall effect can differ drastically. To use this type of
selection effectively, synchronize the percentage of particles in the viewport
and renderer.

■

Inside Icon Volume Displays the Group Selection icon in the viewports,
and selects all particles within the icon. If Selection Update (see preceding)
is set to Once, only particles that are inside the icon at the start of the
event are selected. If Selection Update is set to Continuous, particles are

Particle Flow | 3115

members of the group only when present inside the icon volume; thus,
the selection can change throughout the animation.
■

Icon TypeSets the overall shape of the icon: Box, Cylinder, or Sphere.
The initial size of the icon is set by the Icon Size parameter, near the
bottom of the rollout. To change the icon size and shape, change this
parameter or use either uniform and non-uniform scaling . You can
also move, rotate, and animate the icon to change the selection area.

■

Subframe SamplingWhen off, the motion of the icon or the reference
object is considered to be linear between frames. If the icon or the
object has fast, complex motion, turn on this option for greater
precision in the calculation of the icon/object location.
NOTE This setting also applies to the Inside Object option (see following).

■

Inside ObjectLets you designate an arbitrary object as the volume for
selecting particles for the group. After choosing this option, click the
“None” button and then select a reference object to use as a selection
bounding area. All particles inside the reference object are selected. If the
object doesn't define a closed space, the resulting selection might not be
consistent.
NOTE The Subframe Sampling option (see preceding) applies to Inside Object
as well as Inside Icon Volume.
■

■

Animated ShapeIf the reference object is animated in a way that changes
its shape or volume, turn on this option.

Select By Particle PropertyUses particle properties to define the selection
set. This choice appears in parentheses in the event, after the operator
name. From the Property list, choose one of the following:
■

AgeUses particle age to define the subset. All particles with ages in the
From/To range become selected. Use the Variation parameter to vary
the selection status.

■

Birth IDUses a unique particle ID is used to define the subset. All
particles with IDs in the From/To range become selected. Use the
Variation parameter to vary the selection status.
NOTE The Birth ID property is not scalable in reference to the Quantity
Multiplier parameters of the PF Source object.

3116 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

DirectionUses the particle speed vector and the icon direction vector
to determine the selection subset. Particles are selected if their speed
vectors are close in direction to the icon vector. When this option is
selected, the icon shows an arrow with a surrounding cone to show
the effects of the Divergence parameter. All particles with a speed vector
within the cone become selected. The Divergence and Variation
parameters are expressed in degrees.

■

ScaleUses particle scale value to define the selection subset. Since the
scale value is a vector, and From and To values are scalar, the maximum
value of the scale components is used to define the range inclusion.

■

Script FloatUses a particle float data channel to define the selection
subset. The Float data channel is usually controlled by a Script operator.

■

SizeUses particle size to define the selection subset. Particle size is
controlled by Shape and Scale operator parameters. As with the Scale
option, the operator uses the maximum value of the size vectors
components to define the range inclusion.

■

SpeedUses particle speed to define the selection subset. The From, To,
and Variation parameters are defined in units per second.

■

Uniform IndexA scalable particle ID parameter. If the Quantity
Multiplier is set to 100%, then the Uniform Index is the same as the
Birth ID index. If the Uniform Index parameter is used, then the area
with selected particles is consistent regardless of the Quantity Multiplier
parameters.

■

Randomly SelectedSelects particles at random. The Chance % parameter
defines how many particles will be selected. 100% means that all particles
are selected; 50% means that roughly half of the particles are selected.

■

Combine GroupsSelects particles using a combination of the selection
subsets defined by other Group Selection operators. Buttons A and B define
the other Group Selection operators. The available combinations are:
■

A and BA particle is selected if it is selected by both operators A and B.

■

A or BA particle is selected if it is selected by operator A or operator B.

■

A or B not bothA particle is selected if it is selected by operator A but
not by operator B, or vice-versa.

■

A and not Ba particle is selected if it is selected by operator A but not
by operator B.

Particle Flow | 3117

Icon Size Sets the size of the 3D icon. Available only for the selection
conditions Inside Icon Volume and Select By Particle Property: Direction.
Logo Size Sets the logo size, which has no effect on particles.
Color Coordinated When on, the color of the 3D icon is synchronized with
the Display operator in the current event. When off, the icon has a standard
Particle Flow operator color (blue).

Uniqueness Group
These controls set randomization for the Randomly Selected and Select By
Particle Property selection conditions.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Split Group Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Split Group in an event or add a Split Group
test to the particle system and then click it.
The Split Group test splits the particle stream based on the particles’ selection
status, as defined by a Group Selection operator on page 3112.

3118 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Group Selection Operators Lists the Group Selection operators holding the
particle selection to split. If a single Group Selection operator exists in the
event, that operator will be added to the list automatically.
Use Proxy Particles When on, you can split the particles based on their
selection status in a particle system other than the one that contains the Split
Group test.
Proxy Particle System To specify a proxy particle system, click this button
and then select the proxy’s icon. If the current event contains particles that
meet the “Test True if Particle” condition (see following) as specified by a
Group Selection operator on page 3112 in the proxy system, Particle Flow will
send those particles to the next event.
Proxy Index --> Particle Index
■

MultiplierApplies a multiplier for index values of particles in the proxy
system. So, for example, if Multiplier is set to 2.0 and the particles that test
true in the proxy system have index values 4, 5, and 8, then the particles
that actually get split off will be those with index values 8, 10, and 16.

Particle Flow | 3119

■

Index OffsetAdds the specified value to index values of particles in the
proxy system. So, for example, if Index Offset is set to 5 and the particles
that test true in the proxy system have index values 4, 5, and 8, then the
particles that actually get split off will be those with index values 9, 10,
and 13.

Test True if Particle Lets you specify how to determine whether particles
should pass the test and move on to the next event. The choices are:
■

Selected In All GroupsOnly particles that belong to all listed groups can
pass the test.

■

Selected In Any GroupParticles that belong to any listed group can pass
the test.

■

Selected In Single GroupOnly particles that belong to only one listed group
can pass the test.

■

Not Selected In Any GroupOnly particles that belong to none of the listed
groups can pass the test.

Transforms
Transform operators control particle position, rotation, scale, and angular
velocity.
See also:
■

Lock/Bond Test on page 3296

■

Placement Paint Operator on page 3258

Position Icon Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Position in an event or add a Position
operator to the particle system and then select it.
By default, particles are born, or emitted, from the Particle Flow icon. This
topic uses the term emitter to refer to this icon. Use the Position Icon operator
to control the initial placement of particles on the emitter. You can set the
emitter to emit particles from its surface, volume, edges, vertices, or center.
And, if you animate the emitter, you can cause its motion to be imparted to
the particles it emits.

3120 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Alternatively, you can use Position Object on page 3123 to emit particles from
any other object.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Lock On Emitter When on, causes all particles to remain at their initial
positions on the emitter. In effect, they're “glued” to the emitter. When off,
each particle's birth position is determined by the emitter's current location.
Default=off.
Inherit Emitter Movement When on, Particle Flow sets each particle's rate
and direction of motion to that of the emitter at the time of birth. When off,
the emitter movement doesn't affect that of the particles. Available only when
Lock On Emitter is off. Default=off.
NOTE If a Speed operator exists later in the event, it overrides any motion imparted
by Inherit Emitter Movement.
Multiplier Determines, as a percentage, the extent to which particles inherit
the emitter's motion. Available only when Inherit Emitter Movement is on.
Default=100.

Particle Flow | 3121

To have the particles move half as fast as the emitter, set Multiplier to 50. To
have them move the same speed, use the default setting of 100. To make the
particles move twice as fast as the emitter, set Multiplier to 200.

Location group
The Location drop-down list lets you specify where on the emitter the particles
appear. You can create a variety of emission behaviors by varying the icon
type on page 3072, Location setting, and direction of emission. Default=Volume.
■

PivotEmits particles from the center of the icon.

■

VerticesFor the Box and Rectangle icon types, emits particles from the
corners of the icon. For the Sphere icon type, emits particles from the six
intersections of the three circles that define the sphere. For the Circle icon
type, emits particles from the center.

■

EdgesEmits particles from random points along the edges of the icon.

■

SurfaceEmits particles from random points on the surface of the icon.

■

VolumeEmits particles from random points within the volume of the icon.

Distinct Points Only Limits emission to a specific number of points (see Total,
below) on the specified Location type.
Emission points are still randomized; change the Uniqueness setting to alter
these.
Total Sets the number of emission points. Available only when Distinct Points
Only is on. Default=10.

_____
Subframe Sampling When on, the operator acquires animation of the emitter
icon on a tick basis (every 1/4800th of a second) rather than a frame basis.
This provides greater precision in allowing the particle positions to follow
animation of the emitter icon. Default=off.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting lets you alter the randomization of emission points.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

3122 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Position Object Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Position Object in an event or add a Position
Object operator to the particle system and then select it.
By default, particles are born, or emitted, from the Particle Flow icon. The
Position Object operator lets you emit particles from any other object or objects
in the scene instead. This topic uses the term emitter to refer to an object or
objects used to emit particles with this operator. For example, use it to create
a meteor's fiery trail.
Use the Position Object settings to control the initial placement of particles
on the emitter. You can set the emitter to emit particles from its surface,
volume, edges, vertices, or pivot, or from a sub-object selection. You can also
control particle emission with a material applied to the object.
Alternatively, you can use the Position Icon operator on page 3120 to emit
particles from the Particle Flow icon.
NOTE Typically, you would use Position Object in a birth event, so the particles
appear initially at the emitter object(s). If you use it in a non-birth event, the
particles jump to the designated emitter(s) upon entering the event. This could
be useful for a teleportation effect.
TIP The default speed operator, Speed on page 3141, typically uses the Particle Flow
icon to control the direction of the particle flow, so if the emitter object(s) and
the icon aren't coincident and aligned, you might get unexpected results. For
better control over the direction of particle movement when using Position Object,
use the Speed By Surface operator on page 3156 instead and designate as Surface
Geometry the same object(s) as with Position Object.

Procedures
To use Position Object:
1 Create a Particle Flow system and one or more mesh objects to use as
emitters. Animate the emitter objects and set particle system parameters
as necessary.
2 In Particle View, add a Position Object operator to the birth event,
replacing the Position Icon operator if one exists. Click the operator to
display its parameters.

Particle Flow | 3123

3 In the Emitter Objects group, click Add, and then select an object to serve
as the emitter. Alternatively, click By List and then use the Select Emitter
Objects dialog to designate one or more objects as emitters.
4 Use the Location drop-down list to choose where the particles should
appear on the emitter: surface, vertices, and so forth.
5 Set other options as necessary. For example, if you want the particles to
use the same motion as the emitter at the time of emission, turn on
Inherit Emitter Movement. Or if you're using an emitter object whose
shape is animated, turn on Animated Shape.

3124 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particle Flow | 3125

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Lock On Emitter When on, causes all particles to remain at their initial
positions on the emitter. In effect, they're “glued” to the emitter. When off,
each particle's birth position is determined by the emitter's current location.
Default=off.
Inherit Emitter Movement When on, Particle Flow sets each particle's speed
and direction of motion to those of the emitter at the time of birth. When
off, the emitter movement doesn't affect that of the particles. Available only
when Lock On Emitter is off. Default=off.
NOTE If a Speed operator exists later in the event, it overrides any motion imparted
by Inherit Emitter Movement.
Multiplier Determines, as a percentage, the extent to which particles inherit
the emitter's motion. Available only when Inherit Emitter Movement is on.
Default=100.
To have the particles move half as fast as the emitter, set Multiplier to 50. To
have them move the same speed, use the default setting of 100. To make the
particles move twice as fast as the emitter, set Multiplier to 200.
Variation Determines, as a percentage, the extent to which inherited emitter
motion can vary per particle. To determine the final multiplier for each particle,
the Variation value is multiplied by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0,
and then added to the Multiplier value. Default=0.

Emitter Objects group
Use these controls to assign objects to be used as particle emitters. The list in
this group shows the objects, or reference geometry, that the operator uses as
emitters.
If you don't assign any objects, Particle Flow uses the world origin (0,0,0) as
the emitter source.
With more than one emitter object, the division of particles among the objects
depends on which option you choose for Location. If you set Location to
Pivot, then each object has one emission point and each object emits the same
number of particles (total number of particles/number of objects). But if you
set Location to any other option, each object emits a number of particles
proportionate to the number of available emission points per object. For
instance, if you set Location to Volume, then a larger object will emit more
particles than a smaller one. Similarly, with Location set to Vertices, an object
with 100 vertices will emit twice as many particles as an object with 50.

3126 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

If you delete from the scene an object designated as an emitter, its entry in
the list is replaced with “”.
Use the Add and Remove buttons to edit this list.
Add Adds an object to the list. Click Add, and then click an object in the
viewport.
By List Adds multiple objects to the list. Click By List to open the Select Emitter
Objects dialog. This works just like Select From Scene on page 184: Highlight
the objects to use as emitters, and then click the Select button.
Remove Removes an object from the list. Highlight the object in the list, and
then click Remove.
Animated Shape Turn on to allow particles to emit from the surface of an
object whose form is animated by morphing or with modifiers.
Subframe Sampling When on, the operator acquires animation of the emitter
shape on a tick basis (every 1/4800th of a second) rather than a frame basis.
This provides greater precision in allowing the particle positions to follow
animation of the emitter object's form.

Location group
The Location drop-down list lets you specify where on each emitter the
particles appear. This choice applies to all emitter objects. Default=Surface.
The Selected Vertices/Edges/Faces options in this list let you emit particles
from a specific part of the emitter object by using an existing sub-object
selection. To create this selection, first convert the object to an editable mesh
or poly, or apply a Mesh Select or Poly Select modifier (or equivalent), select
the sub-objects that are to emit particles, and then choose the corresponding
Location option. If Particle Flow doesn't find a sub-object selection, it uses all
sub-objects of the indicated type.
Pivot Emits particles from the original position of the emitter object's pivot.
Moving the pivot does not affect this option.
Vertices Emits particles from randomly selected vertices of the emitter objects.
Edges Emits particles from random points along the edge sub-objects of the
emitter objects.
Surface Emits particles from random points on the surface of the icon.
Volume Emits particles from random points within the volume of the icon.
Selected Vertices Emits particles from the current vertex sub-object selection.

Particle Flow | 3127

Selected Edges Emits particles from the current edge sub-object selection.
Selected Faces Emits particles from the current face or polygon sub-object
selection.

_____
You can modify the Location choice with any combination of the following:
Surface Offset Lets you specify a range of distances from the object surface
for particle placement.
Surface Offset is unavailable when Location is set to Pivot or Volume. Use the
Min and Max parameters to set the range.
NOTE Negative values offset the particles below the surface.
Min/Max When Surface Offset is on, these let you specify the range of offset
distances from the object surface. The Min value cannot exceed the Max value,
and vice-versa. If you try to raise Min above Max, or lower Max below Min,
both values change equally.
Density by Material Varies emission over the emitter surface based on
properties of the material applied to the emitter. For example, if the object is
assigned a black-and-white checkered diffuse map and you choose the
Grayscale option, particles are emitted only from the white checks.
IMPORTANT For material-influenced emission to appear properly in the viewports,
two conditions are required:
■

At least one viewport must be set to a shaded display mode.

■

The material or map must have Show Map In Viewport turned on in the
Material Editor.

The options are as follows:
■

GrayscaleParticle Flow internally converts the material-based coloring
(diffuse) to grayscale, and then emits more particles in lighter areas and
fewer in darker areas.

3128 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The box emitter is mapped with a gradient. With Position Object set to Density By
Material ➤ Grayscale, the particles appear with greater frequency in the lighter
areas of the box.

■

OpacityParticles are more likely to appear on opaque areas than on
transparent areas.

■

Grayscale & OpacityCombines the two: More particles appear on light,
opaque areas than on dark, transparent areas.

■

Red/Green/BlueConsiders only the specified color channel. The higher its
value at any given pixel, the more likely particles are to appear there.

Use Sub-Material When on, uses a sub-material from the Multi/Sub-Object
material assigned to the emitter to define density values.
This option allows usage of “invisible” materials for particle placement. If the
emitter uses a Multi/Sub-Object material but its geometry doesn't use the ID

Particle Flow | 3129

that corresponds to one of the sub-materials, the sub-material doesn't appear.
However, the operator can use it to calculate the density of particle placement.
Particle Flow assumes the material to be applied to the entire object surface.
Mtl ID Specifies the material ID of the sub-material to be used for particle
emission.
Separation When on, Particle Flow attempts to keep the particles apart by
the amount specified in Distance. The likelihood of successfully separating
particles depends on the number of particles, the specified distance, and the
Attempts Max value.
Distance Specifies the distance, in system units, by which Particle Flow should
try to keep the particles separate. Default=1.0.
Distinct Points Only Limits emission to a specific number of points (see Total,
below) on the specified Location type.
Emission points are still randomized; change the Uniqueness setting to alter
these.
Total Sets the number of emission points. Available only when Distinct Points
Only is on. Default=10.

If Location Is Invalid group
Delete Particles When on, if Particle Flow cannot place a particle according
to the current option, it deletes the particle. When off, particle placement is
undefined; that is, it depends on other variables. Default=off.
If the number of particles is more important than the position on the object,
leave this off. However, if exact placement is of higher priority than the
number of particles, turn Delete Particles on.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of placement on the emitters.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.
Attempts Max When using the Separation option, this specifies the maximum
number of times Particle Flow will try to set particle positions that maintain
the requested distance. If unsuccessful within this number of attempts, particles
might be closer together than the requested distance. Also affects placement
with Density By Material using either of the Grayscale options.

3130 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Rotation Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click a Rotation operator in an event or add a
Rotation operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Rotation operator lets you set and animate particle orientation during an
event, with optional random variation. You can apply orientation in any of
five different matrices: two random and three explicit. For some options you
can set a degree of random variation or divergence from the specified
orientation.
To cause particles to spin, use the Spin operator on page 3133.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Particle Flow | 3131

Orientation Matrix group
Orientation drop-down list The Orientation Matrix drop-down list includes
options that give particles random orientations, or let you specify orientation
in any of three different ways. Default=Random 3D.
■

Random 3DGives each particle an arbitrary, random 3D orientation.

■

Random HorizontalGives each particle an arbitrary, random 3D orientation
about the Z axis only. Rotation about the X and Y axes doesn't change
(unless Divergence is used), so the particles remain vertical.

■

World SpaceOrientation is specified in the world coordinate space.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles.

■

Speed SpaceThe coordinate space for particle orientation is determined by
the particles' direction upon entering the event.
By default, using the Speed operator on page 3141 ➤ Along Icon Arrow
option, particles are aimed straight down when born.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles.

■

Speed Space FollowThe coordinate space for particle orientation is
determined continually while the particles are in the event. Thus, by
default, particles constantly reorient themselves to “aim” in the direction
they're traveling.
For example, if you add a Find Target test on page 3280 to the end of the
default Event 01, move the target sideways, and set Rotation to Speed Space
Follow, the particles start out pointing straight down, as oriented by the
Speed operator, and then gradually reorient themselves to point in the
direction they're traveling: toward the target.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles. The
Divergence setting is unavailable when using Speed Space Follow.

X/Y/Z Set the basic orientation about the particles' local axes. Unavailable
with the Random 3D and Random Horizontal options.
Divergence Defines the range of variation (in degrees) for particle orientation.
The actual deviation is calculated at random within this range. Unavailable
with the Random 3D or Speed Space Follow option. Default=0.0.
Restrict Diverg[ence] To Axis When on, lets you use the Divergence Axis
controls to set the axis to which divergence will be applied. When off, Particle
Flow uses a random axis for each particle. Unavailable with the Random 3D
or Speed Space Follow option. Default=off.

3132 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Divergence Axis Use the X/Y/Z settings to set the axis to which divergence
will be applied. Default=1,0,0. Range=–1.0 to 1.0.
To specify one of the world axes, set the corresponding parameter to any
nonzero value, and the others to 0. A negative value flips the axis. The numeric
values come into play when you want to use an axis that's not aligned with
the X, Y, or Z axis. In that case, you specify multiple nonzero values whose
effect is relative to one another. For example, if you want the axis to be
oriented halfway between the positive X and Y axes, you would set X and Y
to the same positive amount. The actual value doesn't matter. Similarly, to
set the axis to 30 degrees (1/3 of the angle) from the X axis to the Y axis, you'd
set the Y value to twice that of the X value. For example, X=0.2 and Y=0.4, or
X=0.5 and Y=1.0.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting affects the randomization of orientation with the
Random 3D and Random Horizontal options, and also Divergence.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Spin Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click a Spin operator in an event or add a Spin
operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Spin operator gives an angular velocity to particles in an event, with
optional random variation. Spin is applied once per event per particle, except
when using the Speed Space Follow option; however, the settings can be
animated.
To simply specify particle orientation, use the Rotation operator on page 3131.

Particle Flow | 3133

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Spin Rate The rate of revolution in degrees per second.
Variation The maximum amount, in degrees per second, by which the spin
rate can vary. The actual variation is calculated once, at random, for each
particle.

Spin Axis group
Spin Axis drop-down list The Spin Axis setting includes options that let you
apply the spin on a random or specific axis, with optional random variation
of the spin axis. Default=Random 3D.
■

Random 3DSpins each particle about an arbitrary, random 3D axis.

■

World SpaceThe spin axis is specified in the world coordinate space.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the spin axis.

■

Particle SpaceThe spin axis is specified in the local coordinate space of
each particle.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the spin axis.

■

Speed SpaceThe coordinate space for particle orientation is determined by
the particles' direction upon entering the event.

3134 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The X axis is aligned with the particle direction, while the Z axis is
perpendicular to the X axis and is pointed upward with respect to world
space as much as possible.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles.
■

Speed Space FollowThe coordinate space for particle orientation is
determined by the particles' direction throughout the event. Use this option
to allow particles that change direction during the event to keep the spin
axis aligned with their direction.
The X axis is aligned with the particle direction, while the Z axis is
perpendicular to the X axis and is pointed upward with respect to world
space as much as possible.
Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles.

X/Y/Z Use these to set the spin axis. Unavailable for the Random 3D option.
Default=0,0,1. Range=–1.0 to 1.0.
To specify a single axis, set the corresponding parameter to any nonzero value,
and the others to 0. A negative value flips the axis, and reverses the direction
of rotation. The numeric values come into play when you give more than one
axis a nonzero value, in which case their effect is relative to one another. For
example, if you want the spin axis to be oriented halfway between the positive
X and Y axes, you would set X and Y to the same positive amount. The actual
value doesn't matter. Similarly, to set the spin axis to 30 degrees (1/3 of the
angle) from the X axis to the Y axis, you'd set the Y value to twice that of the
X value. For example, X=0.2 and Y=0.4, or X=0.5 and Y=1.0.
Divergence Defines the range of variation (in degrees) for spin-axis orientation.
The actual deviation is calculated at random within this range. Unavailable
for the Random 3D option. Default=0. Range=0 to 180.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting affects the randomization of spin rate variation, spin
axis with the Random 3D option, and Divergence with the other options.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Scale Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click a Scale operator in an event or add a Scale
operator to the particle system and then select it.

Particle Flow | 3135

The Scale operator lets you set and animate particle size during an event, with
optional random variation. Options for how scaling and animation are applied
give this operator a great deal of flexibility.

Procedures
Example: To animate particle scale:
This procedure gives an overview of animating particles to grow for 30 frames,
remain at full size for the next 30 frames, and then shrink for 30 frames. It
also gives an option for having the particles pulsate in size during the middle
period. To follow this procedure, you should be familiar with the basic usage
of Particle Flow and Track View.
1 Set up a default Particle Flow system. Set the Shape operator to Sphere,
and set the Display operator to Geometry.
2 Add a Send Out test to Event 01.
3 Add a new Scale operator to the event display, creating a new event. Set
the new event's Display operator to Geometry, and make sure it's a
different color than the one in Event 01.
4 Wire the Send Out test in Event 01 to Event 02.
5 In the Event 02 ➤ Scale operator, set Type to Absolute, and animate the
Scale Factor values from 10 to 100 over frames 0 to 30. In the Animation
Offset Keying group, set Sync By to Event Duration.
6 Add an Age Test to Event 02. Set it to Event Age, set Test Value to 30, and
Variation to 0.
In this event, particles grow from 10 percent of their original size to full
size over the first 30 frames of their existence, which is the same as their
duration in the event. At that point, they'll be eligible to move to the
next event.
7 Use a new Scale operator to create a new event, Event 03. Set the new
event's Display operator to Geometry, and make sure it's a different color
than the others.
8 Wire the Age Test in Event 02 to Event 03.
9 In the Event 03 ➤ Scale operator, Set Type to Absolute, and in the
Animation Offset Keying group, set Sync By to Event Duration.
10 Copy and paste the Age Test as an instance from Event 02 to Event 03.

3136 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particles in Event 03 remain at full scale for 30 frames, and then move
on to the next event.
11 Use a new Scale operator to create a new event: Event 04. Set the new
event's Display operator to Geometry, and make sure it's a different color
than the others.
12 Wire the Age Test in Event 03 to Event 04.
13 In the Event 04 ➤ Scale operator, set Type to Absolute, and animate the
Scale Factor values from 100 to 10 over frames 0 to 30. In the Animation
Offset Keying group, set Sync By to Event Duration.
14 Copy and paste the Age Test as an instance from Event 03 to Event 04.
In this event, particles shrink from full size to 10 percent of their original
size over 30 frames.
15 Play the animation.
Next, you'll use a Noise controller to cause the particles in Event 03 to
pulsate in size.
16 Add a second Scale operator to Event 03, below the existing Scale operator.
Set it to Relative Successive, and set Sync By to Event Duration.
The name of this operator should be Scale 04.
17 In Particle view, right-click the Scale Factor X % parameter field on the
Scale 04 rollout, and choose Show In Track View.
The Curve Editor opens with the X Scale Factor parameter highlighted.
18 Right-click the X Scale Factor item and choose Assign Controller from
the menu.
19 In the Assign Float Controller dialog, double-click Noise Float.
The Noise Controller dialog opens.
20 Set Strength to 200, and to the right of Strength, turn on the >0 check
box.
21 Copy this controller, and then paste it as instances to Y Scale Factor and
Z Scale Factor.
Although the Scale operator defaults to constraining all scale factors to
the same value, thus scaling particles uniformly, changing controllers in
Track View works on a per-parameter basis.
22 Play the animation.

Particle Flow | 3137

This time, the particles grow in size for 30 frames, then pulsate in size
for the next 30 frames, and then shrink from the size at the end of Event
03 to 10 percent of that over the next 30 frames.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Type
The scaling Type setting includes options that let you scale particles once in
an event or repeatedly, and apply scaling as an absolute or relative factor.
Default=Overwrite Once.
Overwrite Once Sets the scale one time only as an absolute percentage value,
disregarding any previous scaling.

3138 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

To produce a range of different birth sizes, and specify the scaling explicitly,
use Overwrite Once with animated scale factors.
Inherit Once Sets the scale one time only as a percentage of existing scaling.
The existing scaling should be specified with a previous Scale operator, the
Scale setting in the Shape operator on page 3171, or a Shape Instance operator
on page 3176.
For instance, if you previously used Scale with Overwrite Once to scale particles'
birth size within a range, and then want to scale them to half their previous
size, use Inherit Once and set Scale Factor to 50%.
Absolute Sets the scale continuously, while the particle is in the event, as an
absolute percentage value, disregarding any previous scaling.
Use Absolute if you want to animate the particles' scale explicitly.
Relative First Sets the scale continuously, while the particle is in the event, as
a percentage of existing scaling. The existing scaling should be specified with
a previous Scale operator, or a Shape Instance.
Use Relative First when you want to scale the particles relative to the scaling
at which they enter the event, and optionally animate the scaling, or before
a Relative Successive operator.
Relative Successive Scales the particles continuously, relative to scaling set
earlier in the same event.
NOTE Always precede Relative Successive in the same event with an operator that
modifies the scale channel all the time, such as a Scale operator set to Absolute
or Relative First, or a Shape Instance operator with the Scale check box turned on
(it's on by default).

Scale Factor group
The operator performs scaling on each particle's local axes. It can scale particles
on a single axis or on any combination of axes.
X/Y/Z Sets the scaling as a percentage of the particle's current size. To scale
uniformly, turn on Constrain Proportions, and then change any axis setting.
Range=0 to 10000000. Default=100.
Constrain Proportions When on, retains the current ratio of scale factor
settings, so that changing any axis setting changes all of them. Default=on.

Particle Flow | 3139

Scale Variation group
X/Y/Z Sets the scaling variation as a percentage of the particle's previous size.
To scale uniformly, turn on Constrain Proportions, and then change any axis
setting. Range=0 to 100. Default=0.
Constrain Proportions When on, retains the current ratio of scale variation
settings, so that changing any axis setting changes all of them. Default=on.
Bias Lets you choose how to distribute the scaling variation within the
specified range or ranges. Default=None.
■

NoneNo bias; scaling variation is distributed equally through the range.

■

CenteredScaling variation is concentrated near the middle of the range;
that is, at 0.0%.
With this choice, scaling will occur more frequently with low percentage
values than with ones near the values you set. In other words, most scaling
variants will be close to the specified scaling value.

■

Towards MinimumScaling variation is concentrated near the lower end of
the range (base-variation); that is, most scaling variants will be smaller
than the scaling value.

■

Towards MaximumScaling variation is concentrated near the upper end
of the range (base+variation); that is, most scaling variants will be larger
than the scaling value.

Animation Offset Keying group
If you animate the Scale Factor or the Scale Variation settings or both, Particle
Flow can begin applying this animation to all particles as of the start frame
of the animation or the first frame of the current event, or to each particle
based on its age. For instance, if you set Sync By to Particle Age, and set Scale
Factor keys at frames 0 and 30, then Particle Flow will animate the scaling
factor for each particle between its birth and its 30th frame of existence, if the
particle is in the scaling event or a prior event. Following this example, any
particle that has already reached its 30th frame of existence before reaching
the event will enter the event fully scaled. That is, Particle Flow will apply the
Scale Factor value that you set at frame 30 to each particle aged 30 or above
at the moment it enters the scaling event. However, any particle that leaves
the scaling event before reaching age 30 will stop scaling as of its exit frame.
In other words, with respect to particles in other events, animation of action
parameters is retroactive, but not post-active.
Alternatively, if you set Sync By to Absolute Time, the scaling is animated
from frame 0 to frame 30 of the animation, regardless of particle age, and even

3140 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

if no particles are in the event at that time. Or, if you set Sync By to Event
Duration, the scaling animation is applied to each particle as of the time that
it enters the event.
NOTE With the Overwrite Once and Inherit Once scaling types, scaling always
occurs with respect to the entire animation; that is, in Absolute Time mode. Thus,
when either of those scaling types is in effect, the Sync By setting is unavailable.
Also, if you animate Scale Factor or Scale Variation when using Overwrite Once
or Inherit Once, it doesn't cause scaling animation in the particles, but rather
applies one-time scaling to particles born during that period. For instance, if you
animate Scale Factor on all three axes from 100% to 200% over frames 0 to 30,
particles born at frame 0 are normal size, particles born at frame 15 are
one-and-one-half times normal size, and particles born at frame 30 (and thereafter)
are twice normal size.
Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting affects the randomization of scale variation.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Speed
Speed operators control particle speed, direction, and some other aspects of
particle movement.

Speed Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Speed in an event or add a Speed operator
to the particle system and then select it.

Particle Flow | 3141

This is the default Speed operator, which appears in the first event when you
create a new Particle Flow icon. It provides basic controls over particle speed
and direction.
Directional controls provided by the Speed operator are based on the position
and orientation of the Particle Flow icon. For best results when using other
objects as emitters, use the Speed By Surface Operator on page 3156 operator
instead.
See also:
■

Speed By Icon Operator on page 3146

■

Keep Apart Operator on page 3165

Procedures
Example: To change particles' speed:
The Speed operator works on an instantaneous basis: It sets each particle's
speed once only, when it enters the event. Even if you animate the Speed
value, each particle moves at a constant rate of speed, defined by the value at
the time it enters the event. This procedure demonstrates a trick you can use
to change particle speed with an animated Speed value, thanks to Particle
Flow's looping ability.
1 Create a default particle system, and position it at the top of the
Perspective viewport.
2 Play the animation.
The particles fall downward at the default rate: 300 units per second.
3 Add a Send Out test at the bottom of Event 01.
4 Add a Speed operator to an empty area of the event display.
This creates a new event.

5 Turn on

(Auto Key), and move the time slider to frame 30.

6 In Particle View, click the new Speed 02 operator, and then in the Particle
View parameters panel, set Speed to 0.
This animates the Speed value from 300 at frame 0 to 0 at frame 30.

3142 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

7 Turn off

(Auto Key).

8 Wire the Send Out test in Event 01 to Event 02.

9

Play the animation.
The particles born later move slower, but all still move at a constant rate
of speed.

10 Add a Send Out test at the end of Event 02.
11 Create a new event using an Age Test. Click the Age Test to display its
parameters, and then set the following:
■

Event Age

■

Test Value=1

■

Variation=0

12 Wire the Send Out test in Event 02 to Event 03.
13 Wire the Age Test in Event 03 to Event 02.

14

Play the animation.
All the particles slow down simultaneously and eventually come to a
stop.
Here's how it works: As each particle enters Event 02, its speed is set to
the current Speed value in the Speed operator. Particle Flow then sends
the particle immediately to Event 03, where it sits for one frame. Event
03 then returns the particle to Event 02, whose Speed value is now lower.
Particle Flow perceives the returned particle as newly entering the event,
so it changes its speed to the current Speed value. Thus, the particles
continually return to Event 02 one frame later than before, and are
assigned a progressively lower speed.
If you wanted the particles to do something else after they stop, you could
add a Speed Test to Event 02, above the Send Out test, set Test True If
Particle Value to Is Less Than Test Value, and set Test Value to a very low
value, such as 0.01. Then wire the Speed Test to a different event.

Particle Flow | 3143

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Speed The particle speed in system units per second. Default=300.
A positive Speed value moves the particles in the direction determined by the
Direction setting; a negative Speed value moves the particles in the opposite
direction.
NOTE Speed sets each particle's speed once only: when the particle enters the
event (or is born, in the case of a birth event). If you animate the Speed value,
particle speed does not vary: rather, each particle is given a constant speed equal
to the current Speed value when it enters the event.
Variation The amount by which particle speed can vary, in system units per
second. Default=0.0.
To obtain each particle's speed, the system multiplies the Variation value by
a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the Speed
value. For example, if Speed=300 and Variation=100, then each particle's speed
would be between 200 and 400.

Direction group
The Direction drop-down list lets you specify which way the particles go after
they're born. Default=Along Icon Arrow. In most cases, the actual direction
also depends on the icon orientation. The primary exception is when Position
➤ Location is set to Pivot.

3144 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle movement is always in a straight line unless influenced by other
factors.
Along Icon Arrow Particles move parallel to the icon arrow. Rotate the icon
to change the direction.
Icon Center Out Each particle moves along an imaginary line drawn between
the particle's location and the icon center.
With the flat icon types (Rectangle and Circle), this results in all the particles
moving in one plane, unless you increase Divergence above 0.0. With icons
that have height (Box and Sphere), the particles move outward in three
dimensions.
Particles at the center, as is the case when the Position operator's Location
parameter is set to Pivot, arbitrarily move along the world X axis.
Icon Arrow Out Each particle moves along an imaginary line drawn between
the particle's location and the icon arrow. The line is perpendicular to the
icon arrow, which is considered an infinite line for this purpose.
With the flat icon types (Rectangle and Circle), this results in all the particles
moving in one plane, unless you increase Divergence above 0.0. With icons
that have height (Box and Sphere), the particles move outward in a cylindrical
formation.
Random 3D Particles move in all directions. This option is affected by the
Uniqueness setting.
Random Horizontal Each particle moves in a random horizontal direction;
that is, parallel to the world XY plane. This option is affected by the
Uniqueness setting.
Inherit Previous Uses the current direction of motion.
If you choose Inherit Previous but no direction was previously specified, the
speed and direction are undefined; the particles don't move.
Reverse When on, the direction is reversed. Default=off.
Using Reverse is the equivalent of multiplying the Speed value by -1. This
option is unavailable if Random 3D or Random Horizontal is chosen.
Divergence When on, spreads out the particle stream. Use the numeric setting
to define the extent of the divergence, in degrees. Range=0 to 180. Default=0.
The value can be animated.
This option is unavailable if Random 3D is chosen.

Particle Flow | 3145

TIP For a fountain-like spray, set Position ➤ Location to Pivot, set Direction to
Along Icon Arrow, set Divergence to the desired angle, and rotate the icon so its
arrow points upward.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of speed variation, and
randomization of direction with the Random 3D and Random Horizontal
options.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Speed By Icon Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Speed By Icon in an event or add a Speed
By Icon operator to the particle system and then select it.

Click a Speed By Icon operator icon in the viewport ➤

Create panel ➤

Modify panel

(Helpers) ➤ Particle Flow ➤ SpeedByIcon

The Speed By Icon operator lets you use a special, non-rendering icon to
control particle speed and direction.

Speed By Icon operator icon

3146 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

When you add a Speed By Icon operator to the particle system in Particle View
on page 3049, the Speed By Icon operator icon icon, or helper, appears in the
scene at the world origin (0,0,0). When animated, the operator icon's motion
is imparted to the particles. If you delete the icon, Particle Flow also deletes
the operator.
NOTE If you add Speed By Icon from the Create panel, Particle Flow creates a
separate event for the operator in the particle diagram.
WARNING If you delete a Speed By Icon operator icon in the viewport, you also
delete the corresponding operator in the Particle Flow system.
See also:
■

Speed Operator on page 3141

■

Speed By Surface Operator on page 3156

■

Keep Apart Operator on page 3165

Procedures
To use the Speed By Icon operator:
1 Add a Speed By Icon operator to an event. Be sure to add it after any
existing Speed operators in the event. Alternatively, delete or turn off
any existing Speed operators.
The Speed By Icon operator icon appears at the world origin (0,0,0).
2 Animate the icon as you would any object. You can do this manually, or
with a controller such as Path Constraint. See the following procedure
for an example of this.
The particles' motion is now under the influence of the animated icon.
3 Set the Speed By Icon parameters. With the icon selected, you can do this
in the Modify panel.
In general, the default Icon Animation ➤ Sync By setting, Event
Duration, works best. It causes the icon animation to be applied to the
particles within the time frame of the event containing the Speed By Icon
operator.

Particle Flow | 3147

Example: To send particles along a path:
1 Reset 3ds Max, and then add a Particle Flow system in the Perspective
viewport.

2 On the
Create panel, click
Shapes. Choose Splines, then
on the Object Type rollout, click Helix. In the Perspective viewport, at
the center of the grid, create a helix shape. Then, on the Parameters
rollout, set the following:
■

Radius 1=100

■

Radius 2=20

■

Height=20

■

Turns=3

■

Bias=0

This will serve as the particle path.

3

Move and
rotate the Particle Flow source icon so that
it's at the start of the helical path, and aimed along the path, as shown.
Get the base of the arrow as close as possible to the start of the path.

3148 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

4 Open Particle View (press 6).
5 In Event 01, click the Position Icon operator and set Location to Pivot.
This causes the particles to be emitted in a thin stream.
6 Insert a Speed By Icon operator at the end of Event 01.
The operator icon appears at the world origin.
7 Select the operator icon, and then, from the Animation menu, choose
Position Controllers ➤ Path Constraint on page 3629.
When you move the mouse cursor into the viewport, a rubber-band line
joins the cursor to the icon.
8 Click the Helix object.

The command panel switches to the
Motion tab, and the controls
indicate that 3ds Max has applied a Position List controller to the icon,

Particle Flow | 3149

with the listed controllers being a Position XYZ and a Path Constraint.
You can delete the former if you like, but it doesn't make any difference
for the purposes of this procedure.
9 Close Particle View, and then drag the time slider back and forth between
its extents a few times.
TIP The best way to view the results is from the Top viewport.
The particles follow the path fairly closely, but diverge noticeably at the
end of the path, where the turns are tightest. Correcting divergence in
tight turns typically requires an increase in the acceleration limit.

The particle stream diverges from the path at its endpoint.

10 Stop at frame 100.
This will let you see the results of changing the Speed By Icon parameters
as you make the changes.

11 Go to the
operator icon.

Modify panel. If necessary, select the Speed By Icon

3150 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The operator parameters appear on the Modify panel. This is the case
with any action that uses a unique icon, and lets you adjust the parameters
without using Particle View.
12 On the Parameters rollout, use the Accel Limit spinner to slowly increase
the value as you observe the changes to the particle path.
As you approach a value of 150, the end of the particle path comes closer
and closer to the Helix. You shouldn't see much change above 150.

The endpoints now coincide.

13 Drag the time slider again.
The particle path remains similar to that of the Helix for the entire
duration of the animation. With other setups, you might need to use
different values for Influence %, and for paths with tight twists and turns,
you might need to increase Accel Limit as well.
You might be wondering why you didn't simply replace the default Speed
operator with the Speed By Icon operator. To see why not, try this:
14 Go to frame 100, open Particle View, and click the Speed 01 operator's
icon to turn it off. Play the animation.
The entire particle path is offset from the Helix, so it's difficult to tell
how closely it follows the latter's curves.

Particle Flow | 3151

15 Try adjusting the Speed By Icon's Accel Limit and Influence % setting to
get the particles to follow the helical path more closely.
It's not easy. You get more reliable results using the Speed operator to set
the initial speed, and then Speed By Icon to set the particle path.
To use the Use Icon Orientation option:
The Use Icon Orientation option applies arc-like motion to the particles based
on rotation animation of the icon. To best understand how it works, it's
necessary to isolate its influence by eliminating any potentially conflicting
factors.
1 Reset 3ds Max, and then add a Particle Flow system in the Perspective
viewport. Set its position to the world origin: (0,0,0).
2 Open Particle View and click the Birth operator. Set Emit Stop=0.
This causes all particles to appear at frame 0.
3 Click the Speed operator and press the Delete key to delete it.
4 Drag a Speed By Icon operator from the Depot to the end of Event 01.
The Speed By Icon operator icon appears at the world origin.
5 Select the Speed By Icon operator icon, and then right-click the icon and
choose Rotate from the menu. Go to frame 20, turn on
Key), and rotate the icon 180 degrees about the X axis.

6 Turn off

(Auto

(Auto Key).

7 Drag the time slider.
The particles aren't affected by the icon animation.
Because the Speed By Icon operator icon is selected, the operator's
parameters appear on the Modify panel.

8 On the
Modify panel, turn on Use Icon Orientation. Drag the
time slider again.
This time, the particles move in unison with the icon rotation, as if they
were glued to an infinite plane coincident with the icon.

3152 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

9 Go to frame 10, select the Particle Flow source icon (not the Speed By
Icon operator icon), and then right-click the icon and choose Move from
the menu. Move the icon straight up, on the Z axis, about 100 units.
As you drag upward, the particles move away from the icon.
10 Drag the time slider again. This time the particles move in an arc around
the icon.

11 Try
moving and
rotating the two icons, playing the
animation each time you make a change. Also set Emit Stop back to 30.
As you can see, the possibilities with just this simple setup are myriad.
In combination with the many other variables and options in Particle
Flow, they're endless.

Interface

Particle Flow | 3153

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog. When the icon is selected, the parameters also appear
on the Modify panel.
Accel(eration) Limit The maximum amount, in system units per second per
second, by which the particles' speed can change in order to match the speed
of the operator icon. Default=100.0.
If the operator icon changes speed or direction rapidly, increase this value to
let the particles follow it more closely.
TIP Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when
greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
You can animate this setting (use Sync By ➤ Event Duration) to specify different
appropriate values, depending on the required results.
Influence % Determines the mix of the previous speed with the speed of the
operator icon. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
At the default value of 100, the speed is controlled only by that of the icon.
At 0, the icon speed doesn't affect particle speed at all. At in-between values,
the mix proportion is determined by the Influence % value.
Speed Variation Enables random variation of the particles' speed, so they
don't all move at exactly the same rate as the icon. Turn this on, and then set
the minimum and maximum percentages of variation. Default=off.
Using Speed Variation can help keep the particles from bunching up as they
travel along the animation path. Note, however, that each individual particle's
speed doesn't vary; it travels at a constant speed.
Min %/Max % Set the minimum and maximum percentages, respectively,
of particle speed variation. Default=50.0 (Min %), 100.0 (Max %).
For example, if you set Min % to 50 and Max % to 200, the particles will vary
in speed between half and two times the speed of the icon.
Use Icon Orientation Applies animation of the icon's orientation to the
particles.
By default, Speed By Icon controls particle motion only by animation of the
icon's position. If you turn on Use Icon Orientation, Particle Flow also applies
rotation of the icon to the particle motion. In essence, this motion is circular,
and its extent depends on the distance between each particle and the icon.
Default=off.
The best way to understand how this works is by using it. To try out Use Icon
Orientation, see this procedure on page 3152.

3154 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Steer Towards Trajectory Particles farther away than the Distance value from
the icon are moved directly toward the icon. Default=off.
Distance Sets the distance between the particles and the operator icon beyond
which Steer Towards Trajectory takes effect. Default=10.0.

Parameters Animation group
If you animate the operator settings, Particle Flow can begin applying this
animation to all particles as of the start frame of the animation or the first
frame of the current event, or to each particle based on its age. For instance,
if you set Sync By to Particle Age, and set Speed Variation keys at frames 0
and 30, then Particle Flow will animate the speed variation for each particle
born while the event is active between its birth and its 30th frame of existence.
Alternatively, if you set Sync By to Absolute Time, the speed variation is
animated from frame 0 to frame 30 of the animation, even if no particles are
in the event at that time. Or, if you set Sync By to Event Duration, the speed
variation animation is applied to each particle as of the time that it enters the
event. For further information, see Animation Offset Keying group on page
3140.
Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
relative to the frame at which it first enters the event.

Icon Animation group
Particle Flow can begin applying animation of the Speed By Icon operator
icon to all particles as of the start frame of the animation or the first frame of
the current event, or to each particle based on its age. For an explanation, see
Animation Offset Keying group on page 3140.
Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animation of the icon to the
particles:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for icon motion are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for icon motion are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

Particle Flow | 3155

■

Event DurationAny keys set for icon motion are applied to each particle
relative to the frame at which it first enters the event.

_____
Icon Size Sets the size of the operator icon. This setting is for visibility only;
it doesn't affect particle behavior.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the speed variation range.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Speed By Surface Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Speed By Surface in an event or add a Speed
By Surface operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Speed By Surface operator lets you control particle speed and direction
with any object or objects in the scene. This is in contrast to the default Speed
operator on page 3141, which uses the Particle Flow icon to control particle
speed and direction. Speed By Surface also provides options for controlling
speed by materials in the scene, and continuous speed control.
Typically, you use Speed By Surface to assign speed and direction characteristics
based on the objects used as emitters with the Position Object operator on
page 3123. That is, you assign the same objects as emitters with Position Object
and as Surface Geometry objects with Speed By Surface.
TIP For greater control over particle motion on the surface, apply a Speed operator
on page 3141 before the Speed By Surface operator in the same event. Use the Speed
operator to specify particle direction on the surface, and the Speed By Surface
operator to adjust the vertical component of the speed vector to follow the contour
of the surface.
See also:
■

Speed By Icon Operator on page 3146

■

Keep Apart Operator on page 3165

3156 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Procedures
Example: To use Speed By Surface:
The Speed By Surface operator offers a wealth of possibilities for usage. This
procedure will lead you through several examples, but you're encouraged to
explore the operator further on your own to learn more about it.
1 Start or reset 3ds Max, and add a Particle Flow system. Position the source
icon at the world origin (X/Y/Z=0), and set the icon's Length and Width
values both to 30.
2 Add a Cylinder primitive to the scene. Position it above the source icon:
X/Y=0 and Z=30. Set Radius=20 and Height=40.

3

Play the animation, and then

stop playback.

The particles move downward, using the default starting setup.
4 Open Particle View and add a Speed By Surface operator to the end of
Event 01. Click the operator in the event to display its parameters panel
in Particle View.
5 In the Surface Geometry group, click Add, and then select the cylinder.

6

Play the animation again, and then

stop.

The particles still move downward.

7 Go to frame 15, so you can see the particles, and then slowly
move the cylinder downward along the Z axis, while watching the
particles in the Perspective and Front viewports. Stop when the emitter
is above the cylinder.
As the bottom of the cylinder passes below the emitter, more and more
particles start moving on the XY plane rather than perpendicular to it.
That's because they eventually become closer to one of the vertical sides
of the cylinder, rather than the bottom, at which point they move
perpendicular to the vertical sides. When the top becomes the closest
side, the particles again move vertically, but upward instead of downward.

Particle Flow | 3157

8

Move the cylinder back up until the emitter is at its vertical

center. Then, on the
Modify panel, click the lower part of the
Sides spinner to decrease the number of sides, one at a time.
Each time you click, the particle streams traveling outward change, to
move perpendicular to the vertical sides as they change position. You
might also try rotating the cylinder, and note that the particle streams
also rotate, like the spokes of a wheel.
9 In the Speed By Surface parameters, change Direction to Out Of Surface,
and then move the cylinder up and down.
The overall behavior doesn't change much. Out Of Surface becomes more
useful when you use the Control Speed Continuously option, as you'll
observe shortly.
10 In the Speed By Surface parameters, change Direction to Parallel To
Surface, and then move the cylinder up and down.
Now the particle behavior is effectively opposite of that with the other
two options. When the particles are closer to the top or bottom, they
move along the XY plane, and when they're closer to the vertical sides,
they move downward. If you want them to move upward instead, set
Speed to a negative value.
Next, you'll discover how the Control Speed Continuously option alters
particle behavior.
11 In the Speed By Surface parameters, choose Control Speed Continuously,
and then drag the time slider.
The particles spread out from the emitter, and then start orbiting the
cylinder in a roughly cylindrical overall formation. Particle Flow
continually checks to see which side of the cylinder a particle is closest
to, and, if necessary, changes its direction to make it travel parallel to
that side. You can affect the size of the particles' orbits by changing their
speed.
Lastly, you'll see how to contain particle motion within the cylinder.
12 Make the cylinder considerably larger: Radius=60 and Height=90. Activate
the Perspective viewport, if necessary, and then press F3 to set it to
Wireframe view.

3158 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

13 In Particle View, click the Speed 01 operator and set Direction to Random
3D.
14 Click the Speed By Surface operator. Set Speed to 300 if necessary. In the
Direction group, choose Out Of Surface, and then drag the time slider.
After exiting the emitter, the particles always move away from the nearest
surface, with the result that they end up milling about in the center of
the cylinder.
15 Gradually increase the Speed value, up to 1,000 or so.
The particles start to spread out vertically, and eventually start moving
so fast that they escape the cylinder. You can make them stay inside the
cylinder by letting them accelerate more quickly, so they can turn before
moving past the nearest surface.
16 Increase the Accel Limit setting until the particles no longer exit the
cylinder.
17 Try giving the particles more room to move about in by increasing the
size of the emitter. Also try changing other settings throughout the particle
system to see their effects. The possibilities don't end here, and the more
you experiment, the more you'll learn about how this powerful operator
works.

Particle Flow | 3159

Interface

3160 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
The first setting lets you choose whether the operator controls speed once or
continuously.
Set Speed Once The operator sets the speed for each particle once: when the
particle enters the event.
Control Speed Continuously The operator sets particle speed throughout
the event. When you choose this option, the Continuous Speed Control group
on page 3164 becomes available.
Speed The particle speed in system units per second. Default=300.
With the Control Speed Continuously option, you can turn off Speed. This
causes Particle Flow to use the current particle speed.
Using a negative Speed value causes particles to move in the opposite direction
of that effected by a positive speed.
Variation The amount by which particle speed can vary, in system units per
second. Default=0.0.
To obtain each particle's speed, the system multiplies the Variation value by
a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the Speed
value. For example, if Speed=300 and Variation=100, then each particle's speed
would be between 200 and 400.

Surface Geometry group
Use these controls to assign objects to affect particle speed and direction. The
list in this group shows the objects, or reference geometry, that the operator
uses to control speed and direction.
If you don't assign any objects, the current particle speed and direction are
not affected.
You can assign multiple Surface Geometry objects, but if they're not all emitters
as well, the results can be difficult to interpret. In general, assign the same
objects as Surface Geometry that your system uses as emitters.
TIP For optimal performance, when moving particles with respect to high-polygon
objects, create a low-poly proxy version to use as surface geometry, link it as a
child of the high-poly object if necessary, and then hide the low-poly proxy.
Use the Add and Remove buttons to edit this list.
Add Adds an object to the list. Click Add, and then click an object in the
viewport.

Particle Flow | 3161

By List Adds multiple objects to the list. Click By List to open the Select Surface
Objects dialog. This works just like Select From Scene on page 184: Highlight
the objects to use to control speed and direction, and then click the Select
button.
Remove Removes an object from the list. Highlight the object in the list, and
then click Remove.
Animated Shape Turn on to allow particles to follow the surface of an object
whose form is animated by morphing or with modifiers.
Subframe Sampling When on, the operator acquires animation of the Surface
Geometry shape on a tick basis (every 1/4,800th of a second) rather than a
frame basis. This provides greater precision in allowing the particle positions
to follow animation of the Surface Geometry object's form.
Speed by Material Varies particles' existing speed and direction based on
properties of the material applied to each Surface Geometry object. For
example, if an object is assigned a black-and-white checkered diffuse map and
you choose the Grayscale Multiplier option, particles near the white-checked
areas move faster than those from the black-checked areas.
NOTE For material-influenced speed to appear properly in the viewports, two
conditions are required: at least one viewport must be set to a shaded display
mode, and the material or map must have Show Map In Viewport turned on in
the Material Editor.
The options are as follows:
■

Grayscale MultiplierLets material luminance control speed, with darker
areas producing slower particles and lighter areas producing faster ones.
Particle Flow multiplies the luminance of the material near each particle,
converted to a percentage, by the particle's current speed. A luminance of
0 converts to 0%, of 128 converts to 50%, and of 255 converts to 100%.
For example, if the speed of a particle traveling at 50 units per second is
influenced by a pixel whose luminance is 90, the resulting speed is
90/255*50, or about 17.6 units per second.

■

Signed GrayscaleWorks like Grayscale Multiplier, but the multiplier can
be negative as well, causing reversal of motion. Signed Grayscale uses a
material luminance value of 128 as the midpoint, and assigns it a multiplier
of 0%. Luminance values from 0 to 127 result in multipliers of -100% to
about -1%, respectively, and values of 129 to 255 result in multipliers of
about 1% to 100%, respectively.

3162 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

RGB as World XYZ Mult.Works like Grayscale Multiplier, but uses the
intensity of the material's red, green, and blue channels to affect particle
speed on the world X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. So, for example, if the
material pixel is pure red, that is, its RGB value is (255,0,0), then the particle
will retain its current speed on the world X axis, but its speed on the Y and
Z axes will be reduced to 0. Similarly, a medium-yellow pixel (128,128,0)
will cause speed on the world X and Y axes to be reduced by half, and will
cut speed on the Z axis to 0.

■

RGB as Local XYZ Mult.Works like RGB as World XYZ Mult., but uses the
object's local coordinates rather than world coordinates.

Use Sub-Material When on, uses a sub-material from the Multi/Sub-Object
material assigned to the Surface Geometry object to define speed.
This option allows usage of “invisible” materials for controlling particle speed.
If the emitter uses a Multi/Sub-Object material but its geometry doesn't use
the ID that corresponds one of the sub-materials, the sub-material doesn't
appear. However, the operator can use it to calculate the density of particle
placement. Particle Flow assumes the material to be applied to the entire object
surface.
Mtl ID Specifies the material ID of the sub-material to be used for particle
speed control.

Direction group
The Direction drop-down list lets you specify which way the particles go after
they're born. Default=Surface Normals. In most cases, the actual direction also
depends on the icon orientation. The primary exception is when Position ➤
Location is set to Pivot.
Particle movement is always in a straight line unless influenced by other
factors.
Surface Normals Each particle moves along a line perpendicular to the nearest
face. The direction the surface faces doesn't matter.
Out Of Surface Particles move away from the closest face.

Particle Flow | 3163

TIP You can use this option to confine particles to the interior of an object. Position
the emitter inside the object, designate the object as the Surface Geometry, choose
Control Speed Continuously, and choose Out Of Surface. Each time a particle
comes close to a surface, it turns to travel directly away from the surface. Control
the particles' travel range with the Speed setting, but keep in mind that particles
moving very fast might “escape” their container. If this happens, increase the
Accel Limit setting; this lets the particles turn more quickly.
Parallel To Surface Each particle travels parallel to the nearest face.
To make particles orbit an object, use this with Control Speed Continuously,
and set appropriate Continuous Speed Control values (see the following
section).

_____
Divergence When on, spreads out the particle stream. Use the numeric setting
to define the extent of the divergence. Range=0 to 180. Default=0. The value
can be animated.
This option is unavailable if Control Speed Continuously is chosen.
TIP For a fountain-like spray, set Position ➤ Location to Pivot, set Direction to
Along Icon Arrow, set Divergence to the desired angle, and rotate the icon so its
arrow points upward.

Continuous Speed Control group
When you choose the Control Speed Continuously option, these controls
become available. Basically, these controls let the particles move about within
the region of the Surface Geometry object rather than in a straight line away
from the emitter.
Accel Limit Sets the maximum acceleration. The higher this value, the more
quickly particles can turn and change speed.
TIP Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when
greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
You can animate this setting (use Sync By ➤ Event Duration) to specify different
appropriate values, depending on the required results.
Unlimited Range When on, the surface controls speed and direction of
particles at any distance. When off, particles must be within a specified range.
Default=on.

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Range The maximum distance, in system units, between the particles and
controlling surface. The Surface Geometry will not control particles beyond
this distance.
Falloff Zone The distance, in system units, beyond the Range value within
which the Surface Geometry exerts partial control over particles. The degree
of control diminishes from 100% at the Range distance to 0% at the
Range+Falloff Zone distance.

Animation Offset Keying group
Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters. For an explanation,
see Animation Offset Keying group on page 3140.
Absolute Time Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.
Particle Age Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.
Event Duration Any keys set for parameters are applied to each particle starting
when it first enters the event.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of speed variation, and
randomization of direction with the Random 3D and Random Horizontal
options.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Keep Apart Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Keep Apart in an event or add a Keep Apart
operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Keep Apart operator, a member of the Speed operator family, lets you
apply forces to particles to cause them to separate, in order to prevent or
minimize collisions among particles. Alternatively, you can use a negative
force to keep particles from separating too much. The operator works by
controlling particle speed and acceleration.

Particle Flow | 3165

NOTE Keep Apart doesn't use particle geometry; rather, it creates a spherical force
field centered on the pivot of each particle. You can adjust the size of the force
field by changing the particle size.
TIP In certain cases, the default settings might not be sufficient to keep particles
from interpenetrating. For increased separation, use higher values for Force and
Accel Limit, choose Relative To Particle Size, and increase the Core % value.
See also:
■

Speed Operator on page 3141

■

Speed By Surface Operator on page 3156

■

Speed By Icon Operator on page 3146

Script Wiring rollout
This rollout appears in the parameters panel below the main operator rollout
after you highlight the operator, right-click it, and then choose Use Script
Wiring. Thereafter, a check mark appears next to the Use Script Wiring in the
right-click menu, and the rollout appears whenever you highlight the operator.
To turn off script wiring, choose Use Script Wiring again from the right-click
menu.
Script wiring lets you use a script to control the Force and Range parameters,
which you normally specify in the operator's parameters. Place a Script operator
on page 3230 before the Keep Apart operator in the event, and then use it to
define values in the particleFloat and particleVector channels. For an example
of a script that sets particleFloat values, see particleFloat Sample Script on page
3224.
On the Script Wiring rollout, choose either of the following:
Use Script Float As Choose either of the following:
■

Not UsedParticle Flow uses the Force setting on page 3169 specified in the
Parameters rollout.

■

InfluenceParticle Flow applies the script particleFloat value to the Force
value.

3166 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Use Script Vector As Choose one of the following. Choosing Absolute Size
Range or Relative Size Range makes the Range settings on the Parameters
rollout unavailable.
■

Not UsedParticle Flow uses the Range on page 3169 settings specified in the
Parameters rollout.

■

Absolute Size RangeParticle Flow applies the script particleVector values
to the Absolute Size Range values. The X component of the vector value
is used for the core radius, and the Y component for the falloff radius.

■

Relative Size RangeParticle Flow applies the script particleVector values to
the Relative Size Range values. The X component of the vector value is
used for the core percent, and the Y component for the falloff percent.

Particle Flow | 3167

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

3168 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Force The amount of force applied to the particles. Use positive values to
separate particles, or negative values to move them closer together.
Default=100.0
Accel(eration) Limit When on, lets you set a maximum acceleration value
that can be applied to particles' motion. When off, Particle Flow uses any
necessary acceleration. Default=on, 1000.0.
TIP Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when
greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
You can animate this setting (use Sync By ➤ Event Duration) to specify different
appropriate values, depending on the required results.
Speed Limit When on, lets you set a maximum speed value that can be applied
to particles' motion. When off, Particle Flow uses any necessary speed.
Default=off, 600.0.

Range group
You can set a volume and falloff within which the force takes effect, either as
absolute distances or relative to particle size. Default=Absolute Size.
Absolute Size Choose this to set the core radius and falloff zone as absolute
distances, in system units.
Core Radius The distance from each particle's pivot point, in system units,
within which the force is applied at full strength. Default=10.0
Falloff Zone The distance beyond the core radius, in system units, over which
the force diminishes from full strength to 0. Default=10.0
Relative to Particle Size Choose this to set the core radius and falloff zone
as percentages, relative to the radius of each particle. The particle radius is
determined by measuring the distance from the pivot point to the farthest
corner of its bounding box.
Core % The distance from each particle, as a percentage of the particle radius,
within which the force is applied at full strength. Default=200.0
Falloff % The distance beyond the core radius, as a percentage of the radius,
over which the force diminishes from full strength to 0. Default=100.0
Variation % The amount by which range values can vary randomly, as a
percentage of the specified values. Particle Flow uses the same random variation
value for both Core and Falloff values, whether absolute or relative. Default=0.0
For example, if you choose Absolute Size, set Core Radius to 40 and Falloff
Zone to 20, and set Variation % to 50, then each particle's actual core radius

Particle Flow | 3169

will be a random number in the range 20 to 60, and the falloff zone a random
number in the range 10 to 30. For each particle, Particle Flow uses the same
Variation % value, so if Core Radius is determined to be 20, then Falloff Zone
would be 10.

Scope group
By default, the Keep Apart force keeps particles only in the current event (that
is, the event that contains the Keep Apart operator) apart from each other
when used locally, or particles in each event in the current flow on page 9165
apart when used globally. These settings let you alternatively keep particles
away from particles in other events or flows without affecting the behavior
of latter. Default=Current Event.
Current Event Keeps particles in the current event only away from each other.
When used globally, keeps particles in each event in the current flow apart
from each other, but not apart from particles in other events in the flow.
Current Particle System Keeps particles in the current event away from each
other, and away from all other particles in the current flow on page 9165. The
particles not in the current event are not influenced by the Keep Apart operator.
When used globally, keeps apart and influences all particles in the current
flow.
Selected Events Keeps particles in the current event away from all particles
in the events highlighted in the list below this choice. Particles not in the
current event are not influenced by the Keep Apart operator.
When used globally, keeps all particles in the current flow apart from all
particles in the events highlighted in the list below this choice, but influences
only particles in the current flow.
After choosing this option, click items in the list to highlight them.
Selected Particle Systems Keeps particles in the current event away from all
particles in the flows on page 9165 highlighted in the list below this choice. The
particles not in the current event are not influenced by the Keep Apart operator.
When used globally, keeps all particles in the current flow apart from all
particles in the flows highlighted in the list below this choice, but influences
only particles in the current flow.
After choosing this option, click items in the list to highlight them.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the Range on page 3169 ➤
Variation % calculations.

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Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Shape
Shape operators control the geometry of particles.

Shape Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Shape in an event or add a Shape operator
to the particle system and then select it.
The new Shape operator, which replaces the original version, expands the
choices of ready-made geometry for use in the particle system. You can specify
particles in a number of different predefined 2D and 3D shapes, such as
geometric primitives, alphanumeric characters, and musical notes, as well as
particle size and scale.
Primitive particles created with Shape have pivot points at their geometric
centers. They also have UVW mapping assigned according to the vertex
position in the local 3D particle space.
2D particles have zero thickness, and are invisible when the back of the particle
faces the camera unless a double-sided material is assigned to the particles or
emitter.
See also:
■

Shape Instance Operator on page 3176

■

Shape Facing Operator on page 3173

■

Shape Mark Operator on page 3183

Particle Flow | 3171

Interface

2D/3D Makes available a drop-down list of pre-built 2D or 3D objects for use
as a particle shape. The thumbnail image is color-coded to indicate its relative
complexity to other pre-built objects. Simpler shapes are blue or green, while
more complex shapes are purple or red. There are 20 shapes of each type. For
sequential shapes, such as digits, letters, and notes, you can turn on
Multi-Shape Random Order to produce a random sequence.
Size Sets the overall size of the particles in system units. Default=10.0.
Scale Turn on to set the size of the particles as a percentage of the Size value.
Use the numeric field to set the Scale percentage value. Default=100.0.
Scale is animatable, while Size is not. Turning on Scale creates scale data that
Scale operators later in the flow can work with.
Variation Available only if Scale is turned on. Adds variation to the overall
particle scale. The resulting scale factor is set only once, when a particle enters
the event. To control the scale factor continuously, use the Scale operator.
Multi-Shape Random Order When on, assigns shapes to particles in random
order. This option is available only for multi-shape forms. When off, the shapes
are assigned in their natural order, such as A, B, C for letters, and 1, 2, 3 for
digits.

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Uniqueness Group of Controls
The options in the Uniqueness group are available only when Multi-Shape
Random Order is turned on.
Seed Specifies a randomization seed.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Shape Facing Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Shape Facing in an event or add a Shape
Facing operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Shape Facing operator creates each particle as a rectangle that always faces
a particular object, camera, or direction. For effects like smoke, fire, water,
bubbles, or snowflakes, use Shape Facing with a material containing appropriate
opacity and diffuse maps.
By default, the particles' top and bottom sides are parallel to the horizontal
plane. The Orientation setting lets you change this default alignment.
NOTE For the Shape Facing operator to be able to calculate the particle orientation,
it must know the current particle position. For this reason, always place the Shape
Facing operator below a Position operator in an event.
See also:
■

Shape Operator on page 3171

■

Shape Instance Operator on page 3176

■

Shape Mark Operator on page 3183

Particle Flow | 3173

Interface

Look At Camera/Object group
Use this control for defining the camera or object toward which the particle
will face. This object is known as the Look At object. For the technically minded,
the facing is maintained by keeping each particle's local Z axis pointed at the
Look At object, or when Use Parallel Direction is on, aligned with the vector
between the Particle Source icon and the Look At object.
Name After picking a Look At object, its name appears here.
Pick Camera or Object Click this button, and then select a camera or object
in the scene to use as the Look At object. The mouse cursor changes to a cross
shape when positioned over a valid object.

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Use Parallel Direction When off, all particles continuously rotate to stay
facing toward the Look At object. Each particle's orientation varies because
its location differs from those of the others. When on, all particles face in the
same direction, defined by an imaginary line between the Particle Source
gizmo center and the Look At object. Default=off.

Size/Width group
Use these settings to specify the coordinate system for setting the size, as well
as the size parameters. The numeric settings in this group are not animatable.
In World Space Sets the absolute size in system units, using the World
coordinate system.
Units With the In World Space option, sets the particle size in system units.
Range=0 to 1000000000. Default=1.
In Local Space Sets particle size relative to the existing size, in local space.
Particle Flow uses the dimensions of the existing shape to determine the size
of the “facing rectangle.”
Inherited % Sets the facing particles' size as a percentage of the existing size.
Range=0 to 100. Default=100.
In Screen Space Sets the facing particles' size as a percentage of the screen
width. The actual size of each particle changes as necessary throughout the
animation, depending its distance from the camera, to maintain a constant
size from the camera's point of view.
This option is available only when the Look At object is a camera, and Use
Parallel Direction is off.
Proportion % Sets the particle size as a percentage of the screen width.
Default=1.
Variation % Sets the percentage by which particle size can vary. Default=0.

_____
Pivot At Specifies the part of the particle around which rotation is performed
when maintaining the facing direction. The choices, available from the
drop-down list, are Top, Center, and Bottom. Default=Center.
With Top and Bottom, the center of the corresponding side is used as the
particle center for rotation.
This option is useful, for example, when particles are lying on a surface, and
each particle is an explosion. In this situation, you'd probably want the entire
particle rectangle to appear above the surface, so you'd set Pivot At to Bottom.

Particle Flow | 3175

W/H Ratio Defines the aspect (width-to-height) ratio of the shape rectangle.
Adjust this ratio to that of the particle-map imagery. For the commonly used
TV aspect ratio of 4:3, set W/H Ratio=1.33. The parameter is not animatable.
Range=0.001 to 1000. Default=1 (square particles).
This value is not animatable.

Orientation
Use this drop-down list to choose how particles rotate on the axes not specified
by the Look At direction. Default=Align to Horizon.
Align to Horizon Keeps the top edge aligned with the horizon (the world XY
plane).
Align to Speed Follow Uses the right side of each particle as the leading edge,
so the top and bottom edges are aligned with the direction of particle motion.
Random Orients the top edge at random.
Allow Spinning To spin the particles, choose this option, and in the same
event use a Spin operator on page 3133. In the latter, set Rotation Axis to Particle
Space and use the default axis values: X=0, Y=0 , Z=1.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables changing the randomization of the size/width
variation.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Shape Instance Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Shape Instance in an event or add a Shape
Instance operator to the particle system and then select it.
Shape Instance lets you use any reference object on page 9282 in the scene as
particles. You can effectively define only one reference object per event, but
the object can comprise any number of sub-objects, each of which Particle
Flow can treat as a separate particle. Also, using tests, you can divide the
particle stream into multiple branches and define a different particle shape
for each.
As the name of the operator indicates, reference geometry is instanced into
the particle system. Thus, any physical changes you make to the original

3176 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

geometry are reflected instantly in the particle system. If you hide the original
geometry, the particles still appear. However, if you delete the original
geometry, the particles are deleted as well.

Using Transform-Animated Reference Objects
You can create animated particle shapes by animating the reference object
with modifiers, and then turning on Animated Shape on page 3182. However,
Shape Instance ignores any rotational and positional transformations applied
directly to the reference object; it uses only the pure scale component. For
example, if you scale an object non-uniformly using the View reference
coordinate system, the result might skew the object's shape. Because the
skewing is the by-product of a rotational transform, it wouldn't be reflected
in the particles' shape. However, modifiers and comparable functions that
contain transformations applied to the reference object are reflected in the
instanced particles. For example, if you want particles to use rotational
transforms applied to the reference object, use the Reset XForm function on
the reference object. Reset XForm is available from the Utilities panel.
TIP Particle Flow can, however, use rotational and positional animation applied
to descendant objects in a hierarchy, when you use the entire hierarchy as a single
particle. To do this, create a hierarchy, animate the descendant objects, and then
designate the parent as the reference object. Do not turn on Separate Particles
For ➤ Object And Children. You'll find a procedure illustrating this, below.
When using an animated reference object, it is recommended that you hide
the reference object after instancing it in the particle system.
See also:
■

Shape Operator on page 3171

■

Shape Facing Operator on page 3173

■

Shape Mark Operator on page 3183

Procedures
Example: To use the reference object's rotational and positional animation
in the particle system:
1 Create an object you want to use as the particle shape, such as a teapot,
and a Dummy helper object.

Particle Flow | 3177

2 Animate the teapot using the

3 Use the

Move and

Rotate tools.

Align tool to center the teapot to the dummy.

This step isn't necessary, but it can help to obtain more consistent results.

4

Link the teapot as a child of the dummy (drag from the teapot to
the dummy).
You can use any object as the parent, but using a dummy, which doesn't
render, lets you animate all instanced particles visible in the final
animation.

5 Create a default Particle Flow system.
6 In Particle View, delete the Rotation operator.
7 Replace the Shape operator with a Shape Instance operator.
8 In the Shape operator parameters, designate the dummy as the Particle
Geometry Object.
9 Turn on Animated Shape.
10 For sequential animation, which can be more interesting visually, in
Animation Offset Keying, set Sync By to Particle Age or Event Duration.

3178 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particle Geometry group
Use this control for defining the object to be used as the particle geometry.
This object is known as the reference object.
[button] Click this button, and then select a geometry object in the scene to
be used as the particle shape. The mouse cursor changes to a cross shape when
positioned over an object that's valid for use as a reference object. Valid objects
include multi-shape objects such as groups and hierarchies; see Separate Particles
For group on page 3180.

Particle Flow | 3179

After picking a reference object, its name appears on the button.
You can use almost any geometry object as a reference object. By default, the
operator automatically converts closed splines to rendering geometry by “filling
in” the area defined by the shape outline. To use the shape outline instead,
select the original shape and, on the Modify panel ➤ Rendering rollout, turn
on Display Render Mesh. You needn't turn on Renderable, but changes to all
other Rendering rollout settings, such Thickness and Sides, are reflected in
the rendered particles.
Particle Flow does not automatically “fill in” open shapes such as Line
(non-closed) and Arc. To render these shapes when using them as particles,
turn on Modify panel ➤ Rendering rollout ➤ Display Render Mesh.
If a Shape Instance operator is in effect for which the geometry object is not
defined, and the viewport display type is set to Geometry, then the particles
appear in the viewports as X characters.
NOTE If a multi-shape object used as a reference object comprises objects both
with and without materials applied, and Acquire Material is on, Particle Flow will
apply the first available material to any objects without materials applied.
NOTE You can use a NURBS surface as a reference object, but not a NURBS curve.
To use a NURBS curve as particle geometry, first convert it to a surface using a
method such as the Cap function.
TIP For best results, when using an animated reference object, it's highly
recommended that you hide the original object before rendering, or use Object
Properties to turn off its Renderable check box.
NOTE If using a group as a reference object, make sure the group is closed before
selecting it. Selecting an open group will add only the group member you click,
not the entire group.

Separate Particles For group
3ds Max provides a number of methods for combining disparate objects into
single entities, including grouping, building hierarchies with linking, and
attaching. By default, when using such a multi-shape object as particle geometry,
each particle comprises all member objects. Alternatively, you can instruct
Particle Flow to treat each member object as a separate particle with these
options. When on, Particle Flow uses each member object as a single particle,
in left-to-right order according to its X-axis position, by default. So, for
example, if you create text in the Front viewport, assign it as reference

3180 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

geometry, and turn on Object Elements, the letters come out in the proper
order.
You can vary the order randomly by turning on Multi-Shape Random Order
on page 3182.
You can turn on any combination of Separate Particles items. All are off by
default.
Group Members When on, group members are treated as separate particles.
Object and Children When on, linked objects are treated as separate particles.
Object Elements When on, element sub-objects of a single mesh object are
treated as separate particles.

_____
Vertices/Faces Show the number of vertices and triangles per particle. If the
reference geometry is multi-shape and the appropriate check boxes in the
Separate Particles are on, then these displays show an average vertex/face
count.
Number of Shapes Shows number of different particle shapes. This number
is always 1 unless the reference geometry is multi-shape and the appropriate
check boxes in the Separate Particles For group are on, in which case this
displays the number of resulting different shapes.
Scale (%) Specifies a uniform scaling factor for all particles. Range=0 to 100000.
Default=on, 100.
The center of scaling for multi-shape object members treated individually
depends on how the objects are combined. For grouped and linked objects,
the scaling is done about the objects' pivot points. For object elements, the
scaling center is the geometric center of each object; that is, the averaged
location of all the vertices.
This value cannot be animated. To animate particle size, use the Scale operator
on page 3135.
Variation (%) Specifies a randomized percentage of scaling variation. Use the
Uniqueness setting to change the randomization. Range=0 to 100. Default=0.
This value cannot be animated. To animate scaling variation, use the Scale
operator on page 3135.
Acquire Mapping When on, all mapping data from the reference object is
transferred to particles. Default=on.

Particle Flow | 3181

Acquire Material When on, material data from the reference object is
transferred to particles. Default=on.
If the reference object is a group, with different materials applied to the group
members, Particle Flow creates a new Multi/Sub-Object material containing
all of the materials and uses it as the particle material.
TIP Because materials are “sticky” in Particle Flow, if you turn off Acquire Material
after specifying a reference object with an attached material, the material remains
applied to the particles. To avoid applying the instanced shape's material to the
particles, turn off Acquire Material before specifying the reference object.
Multi-Shape Random Order When on, assigns shapes to particles in random
order. When off, Particle Flow emits each shape in the multi-shape object as
a single particle, in the order of the shape's X coordinate. In other words, the
shape with the lowest X-axis coordinate is emitted first, then the one with
the next highest, and so on. The option is available only if at least one of
Separate Particles For group check boxes is on. Default=off.
For example, if you want the particles to spell out a word or phrase, use
extruded text created in the Front viewport as the reference object, turn on
Separate Particles For ➤ Group Elements, but leave Multi-Shape Random
Order off.
Animated Shape When on, particles use any animation in the reference
object, including cyclic animation applied with the Parameter Curve
Out-of-Range Types controls. When off, the particles are not animated.
With this option, you can use the Animation Offset Keying controls to specify
how to synchronize the reference-object animation with the particles. See the
next section.
NOTE A particle that uses this option is animated only while in the event containing
the Shape Instance operator. If it moves to another event that doesn't contain a
shape operator, it keeps the same shape, but the animation stops. The easiest way
to keep the animation going from event to event is to place the Shape Instance
operator in the global event on page 9178. Otherwise, you need to place the operator
in each event in which the particle should be animated.
Acquire Current Shape When on, Particle Flow acquires the particle shape
from the reference object as each particle enters the event. Thus, if the reference
object is animated, particles that enter at different times get different shapes.
However, these shapes are not animated. When the option is off, the shape
is acquired from frame 0. Default=off.
This option is available only when Animated Shape is off.

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Animation Offset Keying group
These controls are available only when Animated Shape is on.
Sync By Lets you choose how to synchronize reference-object animation with
the particles.
■

Absolute TimeAll particles have the same shape at any given moment.

■

Particle AgeAnimation of the reference object is synchronized with particle
age: Frame 0 of the reference-object animation corresponds to the frame
of each particle's birth.

■

Event DurationFrame 0 of the reference-object animation corresponds to
the moment the particle enters the event.

Rand Offset When on, randomly varies the start of each particle's animation.
Use the numeric setting to specify the number of frames by which the
animation start can vary.

_____
Update Particle Shape Refreshes instanced particle shapes from the reference
object. Use this after changing an object in a hierarchical reference object.
In most cases, Particle Flow automatically updates instanced particles when
changes are made to the reference object. However, in some cases, when you
change an object deep in a hierarchy, the particle instances might not be
updated. In such a case, click Update Particle Shape to refresh the instances.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables changing the randomization of the scale
variation, animation offset, and the multi-shape random order.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Shape Mark Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Shape Mark in an event or add a Shape
Mark operator to the particle system and then select it.
Use the Shape Mark operator to replace each particle with either a rectangle
or a box cut out from the particle geometry with an image mapped onto it.
The image can be animated and the animation can be synchronized with
particle events.

Particle Flow | 3183

A typical application of Shape Mark would be to leave marks after particles
impact objects in the scene. For example, when a torpedo hits a boat and
explodes, you could use Shape Mark to leave scorch marks on the boat surface.
TIP By default, the mark left by Shape Mark is always rectangular, no matter what
shape the particles are. To leave a differently shaped mark, choose the Shape
group ➤ Rectangle option, and use a material on page 3190 in the same event
with transparent areas to define the mark's outline. For example, apply a Mask
map to the material's Opacity channel, and to the map's Mask channel, apply a
bitmap containing an alpha channel. On the Bitmap Parameters rollout, set Mono
Channel Output to Alpha.
NOTE With its default settings, the Shape Mark operator can generate coplanar
faces, which the mental ray renderer cannot render well. If you want to use mental
ray rendering with Shape Mark, adjust the operator's settings as follows:
■

In the Shape group, choose Box Intersection.

■

Set Surface Offset to 0.01.

■

Set Offset Variation to 0.005.

■

Set Vertex Jitter to 0.002.

With these settings, faces are no longer coplanar, and the mental ray renderer
gives better results.
See also:
■

Shape Operator on page 3171

■

Shape Instance Operator on page 3176

■

Shape Facing Operator on page 3173

Procedures
Example: To use Shape Mark:
1 Determine which object is to receive the marks; this will be the contact
object. Apply a deflector to this object.
2 Set up your particle system with an event that causes particles to collide
with the contact object deflector.
3 At the end of this event, add a Collision test on page 3269.

3184 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

4 In the Collision test, designate the deflector from step 1.
5 Create a new event with the Shape Mark operator, and wire the Collision
test to this event.
6 In the Shape Mark operator ➤ Contact Object group, designate the
object from step 1. Change the other Shape Mark settings as necessary.
Now, when the particles strike the contact object, they disappear, leaving
marks on the object.
If you want the particles to bounce after leaving marks, rather than
disappearing, use a Collision Spawn test on page 3274 instead, and turn off
its Delete Parent check box. The spawned particles become the marks,
and the original particles remain in the first event.
7 Optionally, add a Material operator to define the surface characteristics
of the marks.

Particle Flow | 3185

Interface

3186 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Contact Object group
Use this control for defining the object on which marks are to be left.
[button] Click this button, and then select an object in the scene to use as
the contact object. The mouse cursor changes to a cross shape when positioned
over a valid object.
After picking a contact object, its name appears on the button.
Align to Surface Animation When on, Shape Mark takes into account surface
changes due to vertex animation of the contact object. If Shape on page 3188
is set to Rectangle, then the mark changes its orientation and position to
appear be stuck to the surface of the contact object. If Shape is set to Box
Intersection, then the mark changes shape along with that of the contact
object. When off, only transformation of the contact object is taken into
consideration. Default=off.
Turn this on only if there is significant vertex animation at the contact point,
such as with an animated water surface.
WARNING This option requires significant CPU and memory resources.

Orientation group
Align To Depending on the setting for Shape on page 3188, Shape Mark creates
either a rectangle or a box cutout on the contact geometry. The Orientation
setting specifies how the shape is oriented. In the mark's local coordinate
system, the X axis is Length, the Y axis is Width, and with the box cutout, Z
is height. The Z axis is perpendicular to the surface of the object at the contact
point.
The alignment choices are as follows:
■

SpeedThe Length direction is parallel to the projection of the particles'
speed vector onto the contact plane.

■

Particle X/Y/ZThe Length direction is parallel to the projection of the
particle's local coordinate axis X, Y, or Z, respectively, as the particle moves
toward the contact object.

■

RandomUses a random Length direction in the contact plane.

Divergence Applies a range of random variation, in degrees, to the orientation
of the Length direction. Unavailable when using the Random option.

Particle Flow | 3187

Size group
Use these settings to specify the coordinate system for setting the size of the
mark, as well as the size parameters. The numeric settings in this group are
not animatable.
In World Space Sets the absolute size of the mark in system units, using the
World coordinate system.
Width/Length With the In World Space option, sets the particle dimensions
in system units. Range=0 to 1000000000. Default=1.0.
In Local Space Sets the mark size relative to the existing particle size, in local
space. Particle Flow uses the dimensions of the existing shape to determine
the size of the “facing rectangle.”
Inherited % Sets the percentage of the mark size, relative to the existing
particle size. Range=0 to 100. Default=100.0.
Variation % Sets the percentage by which particle size can vary. Default=0.0.
Impact Angle Distortion When on, increases the Length value of the mark
according to the particle's angle of approach. This effectively stretches the
mark shape if particle approaches the contact geometry at a low angle.
Available only when Align To is set to Speed. Default=off.
For example, if a drop of paint hits a surface perpendicularly, it creates a
circular mark, but if it hits the surface at a lower angle, the resulting shape is
an ellipse.
Distor(tion) Max % Sets the maximum percentage by which Particle Flow
may stretch the mark. Available only when Impact Angle Distortion is on.
Default=1000.
With very low angles of approach, the stretching factor can become very high.
For example, value 500% means that the stretching factor cannot exceed 5.

Shape group
These settings let you specify the mark-making object as a rectangle or a box.
Default=Rectangle.
Rectangle The mark shape is a two-faced rectangle.
When using a material with Shape Mark, always choose this option.
Box Intersection With this option, Particle Flow creates a box for each particle
that leaves a mark, and derives the mark shape from a Boolean intersection
between the contact object and the box.

3188 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Box Height Sets the height of the box used with the Box Intersection method.
Available only with Box Intersection. Default=10.0.
Allow Multiple Elements When on, particles can leave marks on all parts of
contact objects that contain multiple elements. When off, a particle marks
only the first element it collides with. Available only with Box Intersection.
Default=off.

Particles falling onto a two-element cylinder
Left: Allow Multiple Elements is off; Right: Allow Multiple Elements is on.

Continuous Update When on, the shape of the mark is recalculated at each
frame, according to the current positions of the particle and the contact surface.
This option can consume a great deal of CPU time. Available only with Box
Intersection.
Generate Mapping Coords. Allows correct application of the shape mark
when using a mapped material. Default=on.
If you're not using a mapped material, you can save memory by turning this
off.

_____
Pivot Offset % Shifts the position of the shape mark along its length
dimension with respect to the pivot of the impacting particle. Default=0.0.
Range=-50.0 to 50.0.
By default, the center of the mark's length dimension coincides with the point
where the particle's pivot strikes the contact object. This setting lets you offset
the mark's position to anywhere along its length.
NOTE The width dimension and the Box Intersection's height dimension are
always centered at the intersection of the particle pivot and the contact object's
surface.

Particle Flow | 3189

Surface Offset Specifies the distance of the shape mark above the contact
object's surface. Default=0.001.
The mark is slightly elevated above the contact geometry to achieve the visual
effect of the mark spot overlapping the contact geometry. This parameter is
not animatable.
Offset Variation Specifies the maximum extent of a random variation in the
actual surface offset among particles. Default=0.0.
Adjusting this value can help to alleviate rendering artifacts with overlapping
marks.
Vertex Jitter Specifies the maximum extent of a random variation in the
positions of vertices of marks created using the Box Intersection method.
Available only with the Box Intersection method. Default=0.0.
Adjusting this value can help to alleviate rendering artifacts with overlapping
marks.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables changing the randomization of the size/width
variation.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Materials and Mapping in Particle View
Particle Flow provides three operators for applying materials to particles. To
give the same appearance to all particles throughout an event, use Material
Static Operator on page 3197. If you're using a compound material such as
Multi/Sub-Object on page 6542, you can assign different sub-materials to different
particles with the Material Frequency operator on page 3200. And to assign
materials that change in appearance over time, use the Material Dynamic
operator on page 3202.
Related to this is the Mapping operator on page 3210, which lets you give the
same mapping coordinates to the entire surface of each particle in an event,
thus using a single pixel from a material to color the particles. By animating
the mapping coordinates, you can cause the particles to change color over
time. This is particularly effective with a gradient material.
The Bitmap map on page 6636, used in conjunction with Material Dynamic,
lets you assign different frames from an image sequence to particles based on
the particle age, among other effects.

3190 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Following are some items to keep in mind when using materials with Particle
Flow:
■

A material is a static property of an event. It does not travel along with
the particles from one event to the next. A particle's material ID does, but
its material does not. If you want particles always to use the same material,
define the material in the global event on page 9178 with a Material operator
or a Shape Instance operator on page 3176. Otherwise, you need to define it
in each local event.

■

The primitive particle shapes available with the Shape operator on page
3171 do not have mapping coordinates. The Mapping operator on page 3210
applies the same mapping coordinates to each particle's entire surface, so
it's not suitable in this situation. If you want to apply image-based materials
to particles, use Shape Instance on page 3176 instead.

■

If you use a Material operator with Shape Instance on page 3176, be sure to
apply mapping coordinates to the reference object(s) on page 9282. You can
do this by making sure the object's Generate Mapping Coords option is
on (if available), or applying a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 or Unwrap
UVW modifier on page 1787. If you don't apply mapping coordinates, the
system generates a Missing Map Coordinates warning when you render
the scene.

■

If you use an object with a material already applied as a reference object
on page 9282 for instanced particles, you don't need a Material operator in
the same event. However, the material appears only in the event containing
the Shape Instance operator on page 3176; it does not persist from event to
event.

■

If you use the Cache operator on page 3213 with Update set to Always,
toggling the Material Editor ➤ Show Map In Viewport switch causes
Particle Flow to recalculate the cache.

■

You can drag a material from the Material Editor to a Particle Flow source
icon, but the material will not have any effect on the system. You must
use a Material operator or Shape Instance to apply materials to particles
in Particle Flow.

■

Once you've assigned a material to a Material operator, the material shows
up in the Material Editor as “hot”; that is, triangles appear in the corners
of its sample slot. However, because of the nature of the Particle Flow data
structure, the Material Editor functions Select By Material and Get Material
➤ Browse From Selected do not work correctly with Particle Flow systems.
You can, however, use Get Material ➤ Browse From Scene.

Particle Flow | 3191

Mapping Object Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Mapping Object in an event or add a
Mapping Object operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Mapping Object operator assigns mapping to particles by taking mapping
values from one or more reference objects. For every particle, the Mapping
Object operator finds the closest point on reference geometry, takes the
mapping values and material ID from this point, and then assigns these values
to the particle.
If a particle enters the event with mapping already assigned, you can blend
the mapping values to avoid a jump in color. Blending can occur either by
time or by distance from the reference geometry.

3192 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particle Flow | 3193

Type Defines the timing used to acquire and apply the mapping. The options
are:
■

Once on Event EntryAcquires the mapping once, from the closest point
on the reference object geometry when the particle enters the event. Use
this option if particles are locked to the reference surface.

■

ContinuousAcquires the mapping continuously during the time a particle
is in the current event. If a particle changes location with regard to the
reference object, mapping values change according to the closest point at
any given time because, in this case, the closest point on the surface is not
constant.
This option takes significantly longer to calculate, as the closest point has
to be computed for every particle on every frame. Use this option only
when necessary.

Acquire Sub-Material Index When on, the Mapping Object operator assigns
the material ID from the nearest face to each particle. If the current event or
a previous event has a material operator that uses the reference surface material,
this option matches particle coloring to the reference surface. This allows you
to blend particles to the reference surface for Multi/Sub-Object materials.
TIP Place the Mapping Object operator below a Material operator in the same
event. This way, Mapping Object has the final word in assigning the sub-material
index to a particle.
Uniform Color Per Particle When on, the whole particle gets the same
mapping coordinates. As a result, the whole particle is of the same color since
the mapping coords are the same across the particle shape. The mapping
coordinates are taken from the surface point on the reference geometry nearest
the particle pivot point.
When off, a mapping for a particle is a linear approximation of the mapping
at the nearest surface point. It's as though mapping from the reference
geometry is projected onto the particle. As a result, vertices of a particle have
different mapping coordinates, and a texture on a particle represents a patch
of texture from the reference geometry. This method is slower because it
requires more complex analysis of the reference geometry.

Mapping From Objects group
These controls let you assign reference objects, from which particles acquire
mapping or material IDs.
[list] Lists reference objects.

3194 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Add Adds an object to the list.
By List Displays a dialog where you can select multiple objects from a list.
Remove Removes a highlighted object from the list.
Static Objects Indicates that reference geometry is not animated in any way.
In this case, the Mapping Object operator acquires mapping and material IDs
only once.
Animated Surface When on, the Mapping Object operator updates the surface
data at every frame, which is necessary if the reference geometry has surface
animation that causes it to change shape. If the object has transform animation
only (move, rotate, scale), leave this option off. This option is available only
when Static Objects is off.
Mapping Channels Choose mapping channels to acquire from the reference
surface and assign to particles. You can choose up to 32 channels.
Vertex Color Channel Acquires the Vertex Color channel from reference
geometry and assigns it to particles.

Mapping Variation group
U/V/W Var % Enables variation of the mapping values assigned. The variation
value is a percentage of the standard 0.0-1.0 mapping space. For example, if
the U Var % value is 20.0, then the U mapping assigned to a particle can vary
by up to 0.2 from the reference geometry mapping U value.
Exclude Tiling Clamps mapping values to the 0.0-1.0 range. Variations set
by U/V/W Var % can cause mapping values to go below 0.0 or above 1.0. With
non-tiling textures, this can cause a visual jump in coloring. When this option
is on, if the original mapping value is below 1.0, then adding the variation
won’t make it larger than 1.0. If the original mapping is above 0.0, adding the
variation won’t make it smaller than 0.0.
By default, the acquired mapping values are assigned to a particle as soon as
it enters the event. If particles have been assigned mapping values in a previous
event, a visual color jump can result. Use Blend Mapping By Time or Blend
Mapping By Distance to cause particles to smoothly blend between previous
mapping and mapping assigned by the Mapping Object operator in the current
event.
Blend Mapping By Time Causes particles to blend smoothly between previous
and current mapping by time.
NOTE When Blend Mapping By Time is on, Blend Mapping By Distance is
unavailable.

Particle Flow | 3195

Type This option defines the timing used for map blending. It is available
only when Blend Mapping By Time is on.
The types are:
■

Absolute TimeParticles finish the blending process by the time they reach
the frame specified by the Finish At Time parameter.

■

Particle AgeParticles finish the blending process by the time they reach
the age specified by the Finish At Age parameter.

■

Event DurationParticles will finish the blending process after they spend
a specific period of time in the current event, as specified by the Finish At
Time parameter.

■

Limited Change RateLimits the rate at which a particle can change its
mapping. The Turnaround Time parameter defines the time interval
required to change the mapping value from its previous value to the current
value. The greater the Turnaround Time value, the longer it takes for a
particle to change to the current mapping.

Blend Mapping By Distance Causes particles to blend smoothly between
previous and current mapping based on the distance from the reference
geometry. At every frame, the operator calculates the distance to the closest
surface point. As a particle approaches the reference surface, the blending
process occurs. The blending is finished when a particle reaches the Finish
Distance in relation to the reference surface. Use this option if particles are
directed toward the surface upon entry into the event, as with a Find Target
operator.
NOTE When Blend Mapping By Distance is on, Blend Mapping By Time is
unavailable.
Show Map In Viewport Displays map coloring in viewports.

Uniqueness Group of Controls
The settings in this group change the randomization of the U Var, V Var, and
W Var parameters in the Mapping Variation group.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Generates a new seed using a randomization formula.

3196 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Material Static Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Material Static in an event or add a Material
Static operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Material Static operator lets you give particles material IDs that remain
constant throughout the event. It also lets you assign a material to each particle
based on its material ID. The operator can assign the same material ID to all
particles, or different IDs to successive particles on a cyclical or random basis.
The most common usage of this latter capability is with a Multi/Sub-Object
material, for applying a different material to each particle.
See also:
■

Materials and Mapping in Particle View on page 3190

■

Material Frequency Operator on page 3200

■

Material Dynamic Operator on page 3202

Interface

Particle Flow | 3197

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Assign Material When on, the operator assigns a material to the particles.
Default=on.
[button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button
and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively,
drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button. After you
assign a material to the operator, its name appears on the button.
Assign Material ID When on, the operator defines a material ID number for
each particle. Default=off.
Show In Viewport When on, the material is shown applied to the particles
in the viewports.

Assignment Method
The Material Static operator gives you a choice of three different methods for
assigning Material IDs to particles:
Material ID Assigns the same material ID to all particles. Use the numeric
field to set the ID value.
Cycle Assigns each particle a material ID in the range 1 to N, where N=#
Sub-Materials, in increasing sequential order. The first ID assigned is 1, then
2, then ..., then N, then 1 again, and so on.
Random Assigns each particle a random material ID in the range 1 to N, where
N=# Sub-Materials.
# Sub-Materials The highest ID number assigned to particles using the Cycle
or Random option.
In general, set this to the same number of sub-materials in the Multi/Sub-Object
material. If you set it to a smaller number, the operator will use only that
many sub-materials, starting with the first and counting upward.
NOTE Particle Flow automatically sets this value to the number of sub-materials
in the material, once only, the first time you apply the material to the operator.
Any subsequent changes in the material itself, or applying a different material to
the operator, will not change or update the setting.

Rate group
These settings let you choose the basis on which the operator changes material
ID assignments, and specify the rate of change.

3198 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Per Second Sets the number of times per second that the assigned material
ID is incremented. If this value is the same as the rate at which particles enter
the event, then one ID is assigned per particle. If it's lower, then multiple
particles are given the same ID, or if it's higher, then Particle Flow increments
the assigned ID faster than 1 per particle.
For instance, if particles enter the event at intervals of 1/60 of a second, and
Per Second=30, then each pair of particles will be assigned the same ID. Or if
particles enter the event at intervals of 1/15 of a second, and Per Second=30,
then the ID is incremented (or changed randomly) twice per particle.
Per Particle Sets the number of particles that must appear before material ID
assignment changes. For example, If you set Per Particle=3, the material ID
changes every three particles.
If you set Per Particle to a number less than 1.0, Particle Flow then moves
through the sub-material list more rapidly than one (or more) particle per ID.
That is, Particle Flow divides this value into 1.0, and adds the result to the
current material ID to obtain the next one. For example, with eight
sub-materials, if you set Per Particle=0.33, and use the Cycle option, the
following series of IDs will result: 1, 4, 7, 2, 5, 8, 3, 6, 1, ... In general, this
option is useful only with the Cycle option.

_____
Loop When on, and the last ID has been assigned, Particle Flow loops back
around to the first ID and continues the cycle. When off, Particle Flow assigns
the last cycle ID to all subsequent particles. Available only with the Cycle
assignment method. Default=on.
For example, say you want the first eight particles that enter the event to use
different materials, and all subsequent particles to use a ninth material. To do
so, you would create a nine-sub-material Multi/Sub-Object material and assign
it to the Material Static operator. Turn on Assign Material ID, choose the Cycle
assignment method, and set # Sub-Materials=9. For Rate, use the default settings
of Per Particle and 1.0. Lastly, turn off Loop.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting varies the sequence of assigned IDs with the Random
option.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Particle Flow | 3199

Material Frequency Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Material Frequency in an event or add a
Material Frequency operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Material Frequency operator lets you assign a material to an event, and
specify the relative frequency with which each sub-material appears on the
particles. Typically, the material is a Multi/Sub-Object or other compound
material, and you specify the frequency by setting a percentage for each of
up to 10 different sub-materials (or material ID). Particle Flow assigns IDs to
particles in a random sequence, based on these percentages. You can also use
other materials that use sub-materials, such as Double Sided and Top/Bottom.
See also:
■

Materials and Mapping in Particle View on page 3190

■

Material Static Operator on page 3197

■

Material Dynamic Operator on page 3202

3200 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Assign Material When on, the operator assigns a material to the particles.
Default=on.
[button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button
and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively,
drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button. After you
assign a material to the operator, its name appears on the button.
Assign Material ID When on, the operator defines a material ID number for
each particle, and enables the remaining parameters. Default=on.
In general, this should remain on. Particle Flow uses the material ID with
compound materials to know which sub-material to assign to a particle.

Particle Flow | 3201

Show In Viewport When on, the material is shown applied to the particles
in the viewports.
# Sub-Materials Displays the number of sub-materials in the assigned material.
Material ID #1–10 Specifies the relative likelihood of particles to be assigned
the corresponding material ID. Assign values for all IDs, or sub-materials, in
the material that you want to have applied to the particles. So, for example,
with a Multi/Sub-Object material containing five sub-materials, you'd set
values for Material IDs #1-5.
This value is not absolute, but relative to the other settings. To follow the
previous example, if you wanted all five materials to appear with equal
frequency, you'd set the same nonzero value for Material IDs #1-5; the actual
value wouldn't matter. On the other hand, if you wanted the materials to
appear with decreasing frequency, you'd set the lower Material ID settings to
relatively higher values; say 100, 80, 50, 33, and 10. In this case, each particle
would twice as likely to be assigned material ID 1 as it would material ID 3,
and one-tenth as likely to be assigned ID 5 as it would ID 1.
The actual sequence of material ID assignments is random, and can be varied
by changing the Uniqueness Seed setting.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting varies the random sequence of assigned IDs.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Material Dynamic Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Material Dynamic in an event or add a
Material Dynamic operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Material Dynamic operator lets you give particles material IDs that can
vary during the event. It also lets you assign a different material to each particle
based on its material ID. When used with an animated texture on page 9090,
this lets you assign a different frame or map to each particle based on its total
age or the amount of time it has spent in the current event. In this context,
one example of an animated texture is a material that uses a multi-frame
bitmap, such as an AVI file, as the Diffuse Bitmap map on page 6636. Other
examples of animated textures are materials that use the Particle Age map on
page 6726 or the Particle MBlur map on page 6728. Alternatively, you can use
different sub-materials from a compound material such as Multi/Sub-Object.

3202 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

NOTE When using Object Motion Blur, if an event contains a Material Dynamic
operator that uses a material with a Particle Age/MBlur/Bitmap map, the event
should not also contain a Delete operator, or a Spawn or Collision Spawn test.
Also, the event should not contain any tests that are wired to another event. The
only exception to this is the Age Test operator when set to Absolute Time without
any variation; that is, all particles leave the event at the same time. This applies to
the use of Object Motion Blur only; there are no restrictions with Image Motion
Blur.
See also:
■

Materials and Mapping in Particle View on page 3190

■

Material Static Operator on page 3197

■

Material Frequency Operator on page 3200

Procedures
Example: To assign animation frames to particles based on age:
1 Prepare a file to be used as the animated bitmap. This can be a
multiple-frame format such as AVI, or an image file list (IFL file) that
points to a sequence of still images. With the latter, you can use images
in a format such as Targa that contain predefined alpha channels to
specify particle opacity selectively.

2 Open the
map.

Material Editor, and assign a Bitmap map as the Diffuse

3 Use the Select Bitmap Image File dialog to assign the file from step 1 as
the bitmap. This dialog appears automatically when you first assign a
Bitmap map; alternatively, click the Bitmap button on the map's Bitmap
Parameters rollout.
4 On the map's Time rollout, turn on Sync Frames To Particle Age.
5 If you want to use the image background or alpha channel to define
transparency, on the Maps rollout, copy this map to the Opacity slot,
and set the parameters accordingly.

Particle Flow | 3203

6 At the material level, turn on

(Show Standard Map In Viewport).

7 Add a camera to the scene and set it up as desired. Activate the Perspective
viewport and press the C key to set the viewport to show the camera view.
8 Create a default Particle Flow system.
9 Open Particle View.
10 Replace the Shape operator with a Shape Facing operator.
Using this operator makes it easier to see the animation.
11 Click the Shape Facing operator, and in its rollout, click the Look At
Camera/Object button, and then select the camera.
12 In the Size/Width group, increase In World Space ➤ Units to about 15.
13 Add a Material Dynamic operator to Event 01, and assign it the material
from the beginning of this procedure.
14 Turn on Show In Viewport.
15 In the Animated Texture group, make sure Same As Particle ID is chosen,
and turn on Reset Particle Age.
Always choose Same As Particle ID with an animated texture, and one of
the Sub-Material Rotoscoping options when using a compound material.
Turning on Reset Particle Age causes Particle Flow to set particles to age
0 as they enter the event. In this example, the particles are born in the
event, so technically it's not necessary to turn on Reset Particle Age.
However, it's a good habit to get into to ensure that the animation always
plays from the first frame.

16

Play the animation.
In the viewport, the bitmap animation advances as the particles move,
but all the particles show the same frame, regardless of age. This is
anomalous behavior related to the limitations of viewport interactivity.
The particles render correctly, however.

17

Render the animation.

3204 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

As each particle is born, it begins displaying the animation from the first
frame. At each frame, each particle's age is incremented, and it displays
the next frame from the applied map.
Example: To use the Particle Age map:
The Particle Age map on page 6726 applies up to three different colors or maps
to particles throughout their life span, gradually changing from one to the
next as the particles age. This effect can be used, for example for sparks flying
from a fire: At first they're yellow; then, as they cool down, they turn red, and
finally they become gray ashes. In order for Particle Age to know how far a
particle has progressed through its life span, the particle has to be given a
finite life. You do this using the Delete operator on page 3101.
1 Start or reset 3ds Max, and add a Particle Flow system.

2 Open Particle View and the
by side.

Material Editor. Position them side

3 In Particle View, add a Material Dynamic operator and a Delete operator
to Event 01.
For Particle Age to work, the Delete operator must be in the same event
as the Material Dynamic operator. Alternatively, you can add the Delete
operator to the global event on page 9178 so that it affects every event.
4 Click the Delete operator, and in the parameters panel, choose By Particle
Age, and set Life Span=100 and Variation=0.
This gives each particle a life span of 3 1/3 seconds.
5 Click the Material Dynamic operator.
6 In the Material Editor, assign a Particle Age map as the Diffuse map. On
the Particle Age Parameters rollout, set three different colors, such as red,
green, and blue. Also change the Age percentage values as necessary. For
example, if you want each particle to show the second color a third of
the way through its life instead of halfway, change Age #2 to 33.
7 Drag the active material from its sample slot to the material button on
the Material Dynamic parameters rollout in Particle View. When the
Instance (Copy) dialog appears, click OK to accept the default choice:
Instance.
8 In the Material Dynamic parameters, make sure Assign Material ID is on.

Particle Flow | 3205

If it isn't, the particles all change color at the same time.
There's no need to turn on Show In Viewport; the Particle Age map doesn't
appear in the viewports.

9

Render the animation, or a few representative frames.
As each particle falls, it gradually changes color, with the oldest particles
changing first.
TIP You needn't actually delete the particles to use this method. There are
several ways to avoid this. You could set Life Span to a higher number than
the length of the animation, and then, in the Particle Age map parameters,
lower the Age #2 and Age #3 settings. Or, if you're using a local Delete
operator, you could use an Age test on page 3268 to move the particles into
another event just before they're scheduled to be deleted. In that case, to
avoid an abrupt color change, you might want to add to subsequent events
a Material Static operator on page 3197 with a material that uses the same final
color or map as the Particle Age map.

3206 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Assign Material When on, the operator assigns the specified material (see
next parameter) to the particles. Default=on.
[button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button
and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively,
drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button.
After you assign a material to the operator, its name appears on the button.
Assign Material ID When on, the operator defines a material ID number for
each particle. Default=on.

Particle Flow | 3207

In general, this should remain on. Particle Flow uses the material ID with the
Particle Age map to find the particle's other properties, including its life span
and current age. And it uses the material ID with compound materials to know
which sub-material to assign to a particle.
Show In Viewport When on, the material is shown applied to the particles
in the viewports when the particles are displayed as geometry.

Assignment Method
The Material Dynamic operator lets you assign Material IDs to particles in
several different ways, depending on whether you're using an animated texture
or a compound material. Default=Same As Particle ID.

Animated Texture group
Same As Particle ID Assigns the same material ID to a particle as its particle
ID. Choose this when using a material containing an animated texture, such
as a Bitmap, Particle Age, or Particle MBlur map.
NOTE Particle Flow assigns Particle IDs consecutively to particles at birth, starting
with 0. Although the highest possible Particle ID is over 2,000,000,000, the highest
possible material ID is 65535. Thereafter, the numbering sequence starts again at
0. Thus, when using a Particle Age map in a material assigned to the Material
Dynamic operator, for best results, use a total of 65,536 particles or fewer.
Reset Particle Age When on, sets each particle's age to 0 when it enters the
event.
When using an animated material with a Bitmap map, turn this on to ensure
that the animation always plays from the first frame.
Randomize Age Offset When on, Particle Flow varies the difference between
the particle age and the starting material ID at random. The maximum
difference is determined by the Max Offset parameter.
Max Offset The maximum number of frames by which Particle Flow can
randomly vary particle age.

Sub-Material Rotoscoping group
These settings let you choose the basis on which the operator changes material
ID assignments when using a compound material such as Multi/Sub-Object,
and specify the rate of change.
Material ID Assigns the same material ID to all particles. Use the numeric
field to set the ID value.

3208 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Cycle Assigns each particle a material ID in the range 1 to N, where N=#
Sub-Materials, in increasing sequential order. The first ID assigned is 1, then
2, continuing to increment each by 1 until N; then 1 again, and so on.
Random Assigns each particle a random material ID in the range 1 to N, where
N=# Sub-Materials.
# Sub-Materials The highest ID number assigned to particles using the Cycle
or Random option.
In general, set this to the same number of sub-materials in the Multi/Sub-Object
material. If you set it to a smaller number, the operator will use only that
many sub-materials, starting with the first and counting upward.
NOTE 3ds Max automatically sets this value to the number of sub-materials in
the material, once only, the first time you apply the material to the operator. Any
subsequent changes in the material itself, or applying a different material to the
operator, will not change or update the setting.
Rate Per Sec(ond) Sets the number of times per second that the assigned
material ID is incremented. If this value is the same as the rate at which
particles enter the event, then one ID is assigned per particle. If it's lower, then
multiple particles are given the same ID, or if it's higher, then Particle Flow
increments the assigned ID faster than 1 per particle.
For instance, if particles enter the event at intervals of 1/60 of a second, and
Per Second=30, then each pair of particles will be assigned the same ID. Or if
particles enter the event at intervals of 1/15 of a second, and Per Second=30,
then the ID is incremented (or changed randomly) twice per particle.
Loop When on, and the last ID has been assigned, Particle Flow loops back
around to the first ID and continues the cycle. When off, Particle Flow assigns
the last cycle ID to all subsequent particles. Available only with the Cycle
assignment method. Default=off.
For example, say you want the first eight particles that enter the event to use
different materials, and all subsequent particles to use a ninth material. To do
so, you would create a nine-sub-material Multi/Sub-Object material and assign
it to the Material Dynamic operator. Choose the Cycle assignment method,
and set # Sub-Materials=9. Set the Rate Per Sec value to the rate at which
particles enter the event. Lastly, turn off Loop.
Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters. Available
only with the Material ID and Cycle options.
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

Particle Flow | 3209

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

Rand Offset When on, Particle Flow varies the difference between the particle
age and the assigned material ID at random. The maximum difference is
determined by the numeric parameter. Available only with the Material ID
and Cycle options.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting varies the sequence of assigned IDs with the Random
option, and the offset with the Randomize Age Offset option.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Mapping Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Mapping in an event or add a Mapping
operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Mapping operator lets you assign a constant UVW mapping to the entire
surface of the particles. It works in conjunction with a map specified in a
material operator in the current event. By animating the mapping coordinates,
you can vary the location on the material map from which the particle color
is taken, thus changing the particle color in a predictable way over time.
The Mapping operator was designed primarily to be used with gradient maps,
although you can use it with any map you like. The procedure below describes
a recommended method for using the Mapping operator.
See also:
■

Material Static Operator on page 3197

■

Material Frequency Operator on page 3200

■

Material Dynamic Operator on page 3202

3210 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Procedures
Example: To animate particle coloring using the Mapping operator:

1 Open the
Material Editor, and create a material that uses Gradient
Ramp as the Diffuse map.
2 On the map's Gradient Ramp Parameters rollout, make sure Gradient
Type is set to Linear.
3 Create a colorful gradient. The Mapping operator uses the colors in
left-to-right order as the U value increases from 0.0 to 1.0.
4 Add a Particle Flow Source object to the scene.
5 Open Particle View.
6 In Event 01, click the Speed operator and set Speed to 100.
7 In Event 01, click Display and set Type to Geometry.
8 Add a Material Static operator to Event 01, and then click the operator
in the event.
9 Drag the material you created from its Material Editor sample slot to the
button (labeled “None”) on the Material Static parameters rollout in
Particle View.
10 Add a Mapping operator to Event 01, and then click the operator in the
event.
11 On the Mapping rollout in Particle View, turn on Show Map In Viewport.

12 Go to frame 100 and turn on

(Auto Key).

13 On the Mapping rollout in Particle View, set Map Values ➤ U=1.0.
14 For Sync By, choose Particle Age.

15 Turn off

(Auto Key), and click

(Play Animation).

As each particle is born and falls, its U mapping coordinate gradually
changes from 0.0 to 1.0, while its color changes to match the
corresponding position across the Gradient Ramp map.

Particle Flow | 3211

To vary the effect, try changing the Gradient Type setting, and animate
the V and W values as well. Or, for more sophisticated effects, assign
animation controllers such as Noise Float to the Mapping coordinate
values, or wire them to other changing parameters in the scene
(Animation menu ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Parameter Wire Dialog).
TIP In the Material Editor, it's easier to see the result of the Gradient Type
choice if you set Sample Type to Cube.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Map Values group
U/V/W Set the coordinates on the map from which the particle color is taken.
One pixel from this location is used to color the entire particle.
In general, U and V represent the horizontal and vertical dimensions,
respectively, beginning at the upper-left corner of the map, and W is useful
only with three-dimensional maps, in which context it specifies depth.
Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters. For further
information, see Animation Offset Keying group on page 3140.
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

3212 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

Channel group
The Channel setting determines whether the mapping is applied to a map
channel or to a vertex color channel.
Map Channel The mapping is applied to the specified map channel.
Vertex Color Channel The mapping is applied to the particles' vertex color
channel.

_____
Show Map In Viewport The map coloring is visible in the viewports.

Additional Operators
The operators described in this section are utilities to help you manage Particle
Flow systems.

Cache Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Cache in an event or add a Cache operator
to the particle system and then select it.
The Cache operator records and stores particle states to memory. This is
particularly useful with large or complex particle systems, where playback,
and particularly backtracking, are slow because of the large amount of
processing required.
When Cache is in effect, the first time you play or go to a frame, the particle
motion up to and including the frame is calculated and recorded in the cache.
Thereafter, playing the frame or any previous frames uses the data in the cache,
rather than recalculating the particle action. With caching on, the particle
system needs to be calculated only once for each frame, and thereafter playback
and moving among frames is significantly faster.
To cache an entire flow, add a Cache operator to the global event. To cache
an individual local event, add a Cache operator to it.

Particle Flow | 3213

To determine how best to implement caching in your particle system, turn
on Particle View ➤ Track Update ➤ Update Progress, and then play the
animation or go to a frame relatively distant from the current frame. Observe
the particle diagram, and watch for events with actions that highlight longer
than a fraction of a second, or events with more activity than the rest. Any
such events could benefit from caching.
NOTE Use no more than one Cache operator per event, unless you’re using two:
one set up for viewports, and the other for rendering. Similarly, don’t use global
and local Cache operators in the same flow, unless one is set up for viewports,
and the other for rendering.
TIP When using real-time playback, if playback isn't fast enough, you can use the
Cache operator to speed it up. For best results, set the Viewport integration step
to the same value as the real-time playback speed, and set cache sampling to
Integration Step. For example, if the real-time playback speed is set to 1/4x, then
the Viewport Integration Step for viewport should be also set to 1/4 Frame, and
the Cache operator Sampling parameter should be set to Integration step. Thus,
because real-time playback is showing four times as many frames per second, and
the Cache operator has stored four times as many frames per second, the two are
synchronized. If the real-time playback speed is set to 2x or 4x, set the Viewport
Integration Step to Frame.

Procedures
Example: To use the Cache operator:
1 Start or reset 3ds Max, and then add a Particle Flow system.
2 Open Particle View.
3 In Particle View, go to Options menu ➤ Track Update and turn on
Update Progress.
This lets you monitor calculation of the particle system by highlighting
actions in Particle View as the system executes them.
4 In Particle View, Add a Keep Apart operator on page 3165 to Event 01.
Keep Apart is a fairly calculation-intensive operator.
5 Go to frame 100 by clicking the right end of the time slider track.
There is a delay as the system calculates all particle motion between
frames 0 and 100. This is necessary because Particle Flow is a
history-dependent system. At the same time, the actions in the system
highlight briefly in Particle View as they're executed at each frame.

3214 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

6 Go to frame 50 by clicking the center of the time slider track.
There is a another delay as the system calculates all particle motion
between frames 0 and 50.
7 In Particle View, drag a Cache operator from the depot to Event 01. Insert
it anywhere in the event.
When you release the mouse button, there is a delay as the Cache operator
automatically caches particle motion from the start of the animation to
the current frame. Meanwhile, each action highlights briefly at each
frame.
8 Go to frame 20 or so.
The only operators that highlight are Cache (very fast) and Display; there
is no delay for calculation. All frames between 0 and 50 have been cached.
9 Go to frame 100.
The delay this time is a result of caching particle motion for frames 50
to 100.
10 Jump to different frames, and drag the time slider.
All particle motion is now cached, so no delays occur. But if you change
a setting's value, the Cache operator automatically recalculates and stores
the particle motion.
11 Go to frame 100, and then, in Particle View, click the Keep Apart operator
and use the keyboard to change the Falloff Zone value to 8.0.
By default, the Cache operator automatically updates the cache when
you change any parameters it stores. Thus, when you change the Falloff
Zone value at frame 100, it recalculates and recaches the entire animation.
Next, you'll briefly explore how manual caching works.
12 Click the Cache operator and set Update to Manually.
The Cache operator no longer updates the stored data automatically when
you change a parameter.
13 Click the Keep Apart operator, change the Falloff Zone value to 9.0, and
then drag the time slider.
There is no delay, because the animation is still playing back from the
cached data. However, the cached data is now invalid, because you
changed a parameter in the particle system.
14 Click the Cache operator, and in the Manual Update group, click Update.

Particle Flow | 3215

3ds Max closes Particle View, updates the cache for the active segment,
and then reopens Particle View. The cached data is now accurate.
Other manual update options let you update the cache for the entire
animation or a custom frame range.
As you can see, the Cache operator is quite powerful. When present and
active, by default it overrides recalculation of the particle system, except
when you change any action parameters, whereupon it automatically
updates the cached data. Used appropriately, it can save a good deal of
time in setting up and testing particle systems.

Interface

3216 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Use At Caches particle motion when playing back in the viewports, or at
render time, or both. Default=Viewport.
IMPORTANT Choose the Viewport/Render option only when using the same
number of particles in the viewports and for rendering (see Quantity Multiplier
group on page 3073). Otherwise, unpredictable results can occur.
Update If you change a parameter in the particle system, the cached data
might become invalid. This setting determines whether Particle Flow should
update the cache automatically, or let you do it manually. Default=Always.
■

AlwaysChanging any parameter under the Cache operator's purview causes
it automatically to update stored data from the start of the current range
(see next parameter) to the current frame.

■

ManuallyUpdating occurs only when you click the Update button, or clear
the cache and then move to a different frame.

Range Sets the frame range within which the Cache operator operates.
Default=Active Segment.
■

CompleteParticle Flow caches the entire animation.

■

Active SegmentParticle Flow caches only frames in the active segment, as
defined by the Start Time and End Time settings on the Time Configuration
dialog. This is the frame range shown on the track bar. You can also change
the active segment by holding down Alt and Ctrl and dragging the track
bar with the left, middle, or right mouse button.

■

CustomParticle Flow caches only frames in the custom range, as defined
by the Cache operator's Start Time and End Time settings (see following).
NOTE If you cache only part of the animation, Particle Flow calculates particle
behavior in subsequent, non-cached frames using the cached data. For example,
if you cache frames 0 to 50, and then jump to frame 60, Particle flow will
calculate frame 51 based on the cached data, and frames 52 to 60 based on
each previous frame.

Start/End Time The first and last frames of the range considered for caching
when Range=Custom (see above). Default=0, 30.

Particle Flow | 3217

NOTE The frame range time frame is in absolute time; that is, in terms of the
entire animation. If you use a Cache operator locally, and specify a frame range
during which no particles are present in the event, Particle Flow won't use the
cache.
Sampling Determines how often the Cache operator samples and caches the
animation. Default=Every Frame.
■

Every FrameParticle Flow caches animation data once per frame.

■

Integration StepParticle Flow caches animation data at each integration
step, using the Integration Step setting as specified in the Use At setting
(see above). If Use At is set to Viewport/Render, it uses lower of the two
Integration Step values. For example, if Viewport is set to Half Frame, and
Render to 1/8 Frame, the sampling rate would be eight per frame.

■

Every Nth FrameParticle Flow caches animation data at frame intervals
specified by the N value, below.

N Determines the frame interval for caching when Sampling (above) is set to
Every Nth Frame. Default=5.
For example, with N set to the default value of 5, the cache stores animation
data for every fifth frame.
Cache Test Results When caching particle data, this caches the results of test
actions as well. Default=on.
This is important if Cache is used as a local operator, and the next event
doesn’t have a Cache operator. For the next event to work properly, it should
receive particles from the current event. Those particles result from the activity
of a test action. The Cache operator can record the test activity to play it back
later.
If the Cache operator is used as a global operator, there is no need to cache
the test results. This is because the system has cache data for every event, and
is able to jump to an arbitrary frame without the need for test results.
Save Cache with File When on, Particle Flow Includes the cached data with
scenes that you save to disk. This can significantly increase the size of saved
files, but saves the time of recalculating the particle motion upon reloading
the file. Default=off.
Normally, the cached data is saved only in disk files that you create with the
Save or Save As commands. You can also instruct 3ds Max to include cached
data with other types of files using the two following options.
Save Cache with Hold Saves cached data in the Hold file, created with Edit
menu ➤ Hold. Default=off.

3218 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Manual Update group
These controls let you update or clear the cache manually within a frame
range, or clear the entire cache.
Update Calculates particle motion within the current range (defined below)
and stores it in the cache, replacing any existing cached data. Available only
when Range is set to Active Segment or Custom.
During the update, 3ds Max temporarily closes Particle View and displays a
Cache Update Progress bar, while moving the time slider through the cached
range. At the same time, by default, the animation plays in the viewports. To
prevent this, and speed calculation, turn off Update Viewports.
If the cache runs out of memory during a manual update, Particle Flow halts
the update operation and displays an alert. Click OK to continue, and then,
if possible, increase the Limit value before updating the cache again.
Clear Deletes any cached data.
After you clear the cache buffer, if you go to a different frame or change any
action parameters, Particle Flow automatically caches particle motion even if
Update is set to Manually.
Range Sets the frame range within which the Cache operator recalculates data
when you click Update. Default=Active Segment.
■

CompleteParticle Flow clears the cache for the entire animation. Choosing
Complete makes the Update button unavailable; this option is for clearing
the cache only.
To update the entire animation, set the active segment or the custom range
to encompass all frames, and then use the corresponding choice and click
Update.

■

Active SegmentParticle Flow updates the cache only for frames in the active
segment, as defined by the Start Time and End Time settings on the Time
Configuration dialog. This is the frame range shown on the track bar. You
can also change the active segment by holding down Alt+Ctrl and dragging
the track bar with the left, middle, or right mouse button.

■

CustomParticle Flow updates the cache only for only frames in the custom
range, as defined by the Start Time and End Time settings (see following).

Start/End Time The first and last frames of the range that's updated when
Range=Custom (see above). Defaults=0, 30.
Update Viewports When on, the animation plays in the viewports during
manual updating of the cache. Turn this off to disable playing the animation

Particle Flow | 3219

in the viewports during manual caching; this can speed up the caching process,
especially with large or complex particle systems. Default=on.

Memory Used (K) group
The Cache operator stores data in system memory; you can specify an upper
limit for the amount of memory it uses. If the Limit setting and the amount
of cached data exceeds the available free memory, the computer system might
use virtual (hard disk-based) memory instead, which slows down the caching.
If Particle Flow fills the cache, any remaining frames are calculated on the fly.
This group also lets you monitor the amount of memory used for caching
data.
Limit The maximum amount of system memory used to cache particle data,
in kilobytes. Default=100,000, or 97.6 MB.
Total The amount of memory currently used by the cached data, in kilobytes.
Read-only.
NOTE Even animation frames with no particles will probably consume a certain
amount of cache memory. The reason for this is that the cache also stores states
for randomly calculated values such as Variation, to ensure that particle activity is
consistent across a rendering network, and with machines that might not have
regular access to all frames.
Current Frame The amount of memory used by the data cached for the current
frame, in kilobytes. Read-only.

Display Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Display in an event or add a Display operator
to the particle system and then select it.
The Display operator lets you specify how particles appear in the viewports.
The default display mode is Ticks, which is the simplest, and thus the fastest
to display. It's useful for animations that use a large number of particles. At
the opposite end of the complexity spectrum is the Geometry option, which
lets 3ds Max depict particles as their actual shapes. In addition, the Display
operator provides a variety of simple shapes that provide fast feedback in
testing animation, as well as the ability to easily distinguish among particles
in different events. It also lets you set the percentage of visible particles.
By default, Particle Flow automatically inserts a new Display operator in each
local event you add to the system. Alternatively, you can choose Particle View

3220 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

➤ Options menu ➤ Default Display ➤ Global. With this option, Particle
Flow automatically inserts a Display operator in new global events, but does
not add one to new local events.
Particles in any local event that doesn't contain a Display operator don't appear
in the viewports, unless an associated global event contains a Display operator
(that is, a global Display operator). If a particle is affected by multiple Display
operators (for example, both global and local operators) simultaneously, 3ds
Max generates all viewport particle representations at the same time.
See also:
■

Render Operator on page 3228

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Type Choose how particles appear in the viewports. The two-dimensional
particle markers depict position only. Geometry shows how particles will
actually render, in three dimensions; Lines shows speed and direction of
motion; and Bounding Boxes reflects scale and orientation.
In the following list, each choice's description is preceded by the number of
dimensions used by each particle representation:
■

NoneParticles do not appear in the viewports.

■

Dots(0D) Each particle appears as a single pixel.

■

Ticks(2D) Each particle appears as a + sign.

■

Circles(2D) Each particle appears as a small circle.

Particle Flow | 3221

■

Lines(1D) Each particle appears as a line, one pixel thick. The line's length
indicates particle speed, and its orientation reflects the direction of motion.
Use this option for fast, accurate feedback when experimenting with the
Speed operators.
TIP When using the Lines display type with the OpenGL display driver,
slow-moving particles might not appear properly in the viewports. In such
cases, to see all particles, add a second Display operator in the same event and
set its Type to Dots.

■

Bounding Boxes(3D) Each particle appears as a bounding box. Use this
option for a good representation of the final animation, at a slight cost in
computational speed.

■

Geometry(3D) Each particle appears as its actual geometry. Use this option
for the best representation of the final animation, at the greatest cost in
computational speed.

■

Diamonds(2D) Each particle appears as a diamond.

■

Boxes(2D) Each particle appears as a small square.

■

Asterisks(2D) Each particle appears as an asterisk (*).

■

Triangles(2D) Each particle appears as a small triangle.

Visible % Specifies the percentage of particles visible in the viewports. This
option lets you speed up viewport redrawing by reducing the number of visible
particles.
Show Particle IDs When on, each particle's unique index number is visible
in the viewports. Particles are numbered in the order of their birth, starting
with 1 for the first particle born.
[color swatch] Shows the color for particles displayed using options other
than Geometry, as well as for the particle IDs. Particle Flow chooses a different
color at random for each Display operator added to the system. In addition
to the Type options, using different colors helps to distinguish among particles
in different events.
To change the color, click the color swatch and use the Color Selector dialog
to choose a new color.
If a system has a global Display operator, and you select its Source icon in a
viewport, then you can change the color of the global Display operator from
the color swatch on the Modify panel. However, changing the global Display

3222 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

operator's color in Particle View does not change the color of the swatch on
the Modify panel.
NOTE When a Particle Flow source icon is selected, all of its non-selected particles,
other than those shown as geometry, are colored white in the viewports. To see
all assigned particle colors, deselect the particle system.
Selected Choose how selected particles on page 3074 appear in the viewports.
The choices are the same as for Type, above.

Force Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click a Force operator in an event or add a Force
operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Force operator lets you influence particle motion with one or more space
warps from the Forces category. Use this operator along with different forces
to simulate the effects of wind, gravity, and so on.
The following force space warps work with the Force operator:
■

Displace on page 2964

■

Drag on page 2941

■

Gravity on page 2958

■

Motor on page 2931

■

PBomb on page 2947

■

Push on page 2926

■

Vortex on page 2936

■

Wind on page 2960

NOTE By default, the influence of these space warps on Particle Flow particles is
equivalent to their influence on the 3ds Max 2 particle systems: PArray, Super
Spray, Blizzard, and PCloud. To obtain an influence on Particle Flow particles
equivalent to that of the 3ds Max 1 particle systems Snow and Spray, set Influence
on page 3226 to 100.0.

Particle Flow | 3223

TIP To make the particles follow a path, use the Speed By Icon operator on page
3146 and use Path Constraint to assign its icon to the path. For a procedure, see
Example: To send particles along a path: on page 3148.
To employ deflectors for particle dynamics, with or without the Force operator,
use the Collision test on page 3269 and Collision Spawn test on page 3274.

Script Wiring rollout
This rollout appears in the parameters panel below the main operator rollout
after you highlight the operator, right-click it, and then choose Use Script
Wiring. Thereafter, a check mark appears next to the Use Script Wiring in the
right-click menu, and the rollout appears whenever you highlight the operator.
To turn off script wiring, choose Use Script Wiring again from the right-click
menu.
Script wiring lets you use a script to control parameters that you normally
specify in the operator's parameters. Place a Script operator on page 3230 before
the Force operator in the event, and then use it to define values in the
particleFloat channel. You'll find an example script below.
Use Script Float As Choose either of the following:
■

Not UsedParticle Flow uses the Influence setting on page 3226 specified in
the Parameters rollout.

■

InfluenceParticle Flow applies the script to the Influence setting.

particleFloat Sample Script
NOTE See this topic in the online User Reference for the particleFloat sample
MAXScript code.

Procedures
To affect particle motion with force space warps:
1 Add one or more force space warps to the scene, and set them up as
necessary.
2 In Particle View, add a Force operator to any events in which particles
are to be affected by the forces. To affect particles in all events, add the
Force operator to the PF Source instead.
3 Highlight the Force operator, and then use the Add or By List button to
apply the force space warps to the operator.

3224 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Force Space Warps group
This group displays the forces currently in effect, and let you add and remove
forces.
[List] Shows the forces that apply to this operator. If more than three forces
apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list.
If you delete a listed space warp from the scene, its name is replaced in the
list by the entry “”.
NOTE Particle Flow applies the forces to particle motion in the order in which the
space warps appear in the list; the effect is cumulative in top-to-bottom order.
First, the topmost space warp is applied to particle motion, then the second space
warp is applied to the result of the first space warp, and so on. Changing the order
can alter the final result.
Add Click this button, and then select a force space warp in the scene to add
it to the end of the list.

Particle Flow | 3225

By List Click this button, and then use the Select Force Space Warps dialog
to add one or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist
in the scene.
Particle Flow adds space warps to the list in same order in which they appear
in the dialog. To effect a different order, use the Add button to add them one
at a time.
Remove Highlight a space warp in the list, and then click this button to
remove it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene.
Force Field Overlapping Determines how multiple forces that occupy the
same volume of space affect the particles. With Additive, the forces are
combined according to their relative strengths. With Maximum, only the
force with the greatest strength affects the particles.
For example, you might apply Wind and Gravity space warps to particles, and
set their Strength parameters to 1.5 and 1.0, respectively. If you choose
Additive, the Wind space warp will have approximately 50 percent more
influence over the particles than the Gravity space warp. But if you choose
Maximum, only the Wind space warp will affect the particles.
Influence Specifies the strength with which the force or forces are applied to
the particles as a percentage. Default=1000.0.
A negative Influence value reverses the force effects.
NOTE By default, the influence of the Force space warps on Particle Flow particles
is equivalent to their influence on the 3ds Max 2 particle systems PArray, Super
Spray, Blizzard, and PCloud. To obtain an influence on Particle Flow particles
equivalent to that of the 3ds Max 1 particle systems Snow and Spray, set
Influence=100.0.

Offset Influence group
Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters. For an explanation,
see Animation Offset Keying group on page 3140.
Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

3226 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Notes Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Notes in an event or add a Notes operator
to the particle system and then select it.
The Notes operator lets you add a textual comment to any event. It doesn't
have any direct effect on the particle system, but it helps you keep track of
the overall function of each event.
NOTE You can also add a comment directly to an event or action by right-clicking
it and choosing Comments.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
The interface is a simple text box. Click in the box and enter your text.

Particle Flow | 3227

Render Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click a Render operator in an event or add a
Render operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Render operator provides controls related to rendering particles. You can
specify the form that rendered particles are to take, and how to convert the
particles to individual mesh objects for rendering purposes.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Type Lets you render particles as bounding boxes or geometry, or disable the
particle system at render time, or enable the particle system but prevent it
from sending renderable particles to the 3ds Max renderer. Default=Geometry.
■

NoneThe particle system (or event, if used locally) is considered
non-renderable, and therefore is never evaluated during render.

■

BoundingBoxParticles render as boxes whose sizes represent the particle
geometry extents.
Use this option with complex particle systems to speed up test renders.

■

GeometryParticles render with their actual geometry.
Use this option with simpler particle systems, and for the final render.

■

PhantomUse this option when you want Particle Flow to function normally,
calculating the animation at each frame, but not to render geometry
directly. An example would be when you're using a Final Step Update script
on page 3078 to pass data from the particle system to other objects in the
scene.

3228 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Visible % The percentage of particles that render. Range=0 to 100. Default=100.
Lower this value for faster rendering of complex particle systems.
You can also reduce the number of particles in the system at render time with
the Quantity Multiplier ➤ Render setting on page 3073.

Render Result group
These settings determine how the system converts particles to mesh format
for rendering. By default, 3ds Max renders all particles as a single mesh per
event, which provides for the most efficient operation under most conditions.
However, in some situations each particle should be converted to an individual
mesh object by turning on Mesh Per Particle. For example, with particles each
of whose face count exceeds 10,000, it's most efficient to render a mesh per
particle. Alternatively, you can opt to combine particles into multiple meshes
by specifying a face count and number of particles per mesh.
Certain renderers might require a non-default setting for Render Result. Consult
the renderer documentation for further information.
NOTE The number of particles Particle Flow can handle per frame is limited only
by system resources, but each single mesh is allowed a maximum of 5,000,000
faces or vertices. If the total number of faces or vertices in a mesh exceeds
5,000,000, Particle Flow ignores particles beyond this limit.
Single Mesh Sends the renderer one mesh object comprising all particles in
the system.
Multiple Meshes Sends the renderer the specified number of mesh objects,
each containing the specified number of particles. If the result of dividing the
total number of particles by the Particles p/Mesh value is less than the specified
Mesh Count value, some of the meshes might contain few or no faces.
This is a compromise method of operation, and can be used with renderers
that cannot handle all particles in a single mesh, but can deal with groups of
particles of a certain size.
Mesh Count The maximum number of mesh objects that Particle Flow will
send to the renderer.
Particles p/Mesh The number of particles that each mesh object will comprise.
Mesh Per Particle Sends the renderer a separate mesh for each particle.
This is the least efficient method of operation, but might be required by certain
renderers.

Particle Flow | 3229

NOTE With the default scanline and mental ray renderers, this method does not
support rendering of particles born after the start of the rendered frame sequence.
In general, use Mesh Per Particle only with renderers that require it.

Script Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Script Operator in an event or add a Script
Operator to the particle system and then select it.
The Script operator enables control of particles within the Particle Flow system
using a MAXScript script. The script can use any program functionality
available to MAXScript.
When you add a new Script operator, it contains a default script that slows
particles, and then, when they are slow enough, splits off the first 50 particles
into a stream traveling in a negative direction on the world X axis, and the
remainder traveling in the opposite direction.
TIP You can use MAXScript to align particle scale with the underlying bitmap,
thus providing a “scale bitmap” function. This requires a sandwich with three
operators: two Script operators, and a Speed By Surface operator in between. The
first Script operator reads the current speed vector into the MXVector channel,
thus caching the current speed. The Speed By Surface operator changes the speed
according to the underlying bitmap. And the second Script operator reads the
speed channel into a temporary variable, restores the speed from the MXVector
channel (the cached value), and uses the temporary variable to define the scale.
This way, the original speed is restored, and the scale value is defined by the
bitmap.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Edit Script Click this button to open the current script in a MAXScript Editor
window.

3230 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript
Help, available from Help menu ➤ MAXScript Help.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting provides a randomization seed that the script can use
or ignore.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Painting Particles
Particle Flow includes the ability to generate particles from specific locations
by “painting” particle generators, or seeds, on object surfaces. The toolset for
doing so includes the Particle Paint helper and the Placement Paint operator.

Particle Paint
The Particle Paint toolset lets you use a spray-paint metaphor to specify
arbitrary areas of object surfaces for emitting particles. To paint particles, you
first apply particle “seeds” to one or more objects with the Particle Paint helper,
and then use other controls to specify how the seeds should generate particles.

Particle Paint Helper
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Particle Flow ➤ Particle Paint

The Particle Paint helper enables you to apply particle seeds with a specific
pattern and timing onto the surface of one or more objects.
Particle seeds painted with the Particle Paint helper are not particles, but are
seeds that can be turned into particles with the Birth Paint or Placement Paint
operators in Particle Flow.
You can spray particle seeds with a freehand painting tool, or by using 3ds
Max splines to define the pattern. Particle Paint works in any orthogonal
viewport such as a Front or Top view. It sprays directly into the viewport (that
is, perpendicular to the plane of view), and plants particle seeds on the surface
of first object that it hits.

Particle Flow | 3231

Particle Paint Icon
To create the Particle Paint icon, click Create panel ➤ Helpers ➤ Particle
Flow ➤ Particle Paint, and then drag in a viewport.
The Particle Paint icon is composed of two parts: a circle and a spray can icon.

Particle Paint helper icon

The Particle Paint helper uses the metaphor of a real-world airbrush to
spray-paint particle seeds onto a surface. When you use the Freehand paint
tool, particle seeds are sprayed through a virtual nozzle, as with an airbrush.
The circle in the Particle Paint icon represents the size of the nozzle. If, on the
other hand, you use stroke splines, the particle seeds are sprayed along the
spline.
The Particle Paint icon does not have to sit in front of or on the objects on
which you plan to paint particle seeds, nor does it have to be created in the
viewport in which you plan to paint.
Deleting the Particle Paint icon deletes all particle seeds and strokes associated
with it.

Strokes
The Particle Paint helper works with particle groupings called strokes. With a
real-world airbrush, each time you depress the nozzle, spray, then release the
nozzle, you create a stroke. With the freehand tool, you can drag across objects
several times to create strokes. With the spline method, you can pick several
splines to create different strokes.
Each set of strokes stored with the Particle Paint helper can be used as a series
of birth instructions with the “Birth Paint” on page 3256 and “Placement Paint”
on page 3258 operators in Particle Flow. You can work with each stroke separately

3232 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

to adjust its timing, delete some of its particles, and perform other operations.
To edit particle seeds and strokes after creating them, select the Particle Paint
helper and then access the Editing rollout on the Modify panel.
You can undo the creation of strokes, and you can also delete particle seeds
or change particle seed timing with the options on the Editing rollout. You
can also restart by deleting the Particle Paint helper and creating a new one.

Procedures
Example: To create strokes with freehand painting:
1 Create a sphere in the Top viewport.

2 Click
Create panel ➤
(Helpers). Choose Particle Flow,
then on the Object Type rollout, click Particle Paint. Drag in any viewport
to create the Particle Paint helper.

3 With the Particle Paint helper selected, go to the

Modify panel.

4 On the Setup rollout, click Freehand Paint.
5 In the Front viewport, position the mouse cursor over the sphere. A set
of nozzle crosshairs appear, indicating that Particle Paint is ready to paint.
NOTE You can create freehand strokes only in orthographic viewports.
6 Drag the nozzle crosshairs over the sphere for a few seconds, then release.
After you release, the particle seeds appear as +-shaped tick marks on the
object surface.
You have just created one stroke.
7 Move the time slider to a later frame.
8 Drag the nozzle over a different part of the sphere to create another stroke.
9 Click the Freehand Paint button to turn it off.
10 On the Editing rollout, turn on Show Particle Timing.
11 Drag the time slider to see the particle timing.

Particle Flow | 3233

As you drag the time slider, the particle seeds change color as they become
eligible for birth. You will see the second stroke begin at the frame to
which you moved the time slider before making the stroke.
To create strokes with splines:
1 Create a 3D object in any viewport.
2 In the Front viewport, create two splines, such as a line and a circle. Place
the splines so they overlap the 3D object when viewed in the Front
viewport.
The splines don't have to actually be in front of the 3D object in 3D space.
But because Particle Paint will project the splines onto the object to create
particle seeds, the splines must overlap the 3D object when viewed in
the viewport.

3 Click
Create panel ➤
Helpers ➤ . Choose Particle Flow,
then on the Object Type rollout, click Particle Paint. Create the Particle
Paint helper in any viewport.

4 With the Particle Paint helper selected, go to the

Modify panel.

5 On the Setup rollout, click Pick Stroke Spline.
6 Activate the Front viewport.
7 With the time slider at frame 0, click one of the splines in the Front
viewport.
This creates the first stroke.
8 Move the time slider to a later frame, and click another spline.
This creates a second stroke, starting at the current frame.
9 Click Pick Stroke Spline again to turn it off.
10 On the Editing rollout, turn on Show Particle Timing.
11 Drag the time slider to see the particle timing.
As you drag the time slider, the particle seeds change color as they become
eligible for birth. You will see the second stroke begin at the frame to
which you moved the time slider before picking the second spline.

3234 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface
The controls on the Setup, Orientation, and Mapping rollouts set parameters
for particle seeds upon creation. These settings go into effect when you create
the particle seeds with the freehand or spline tool. Changing the parameter
values after you create particle seeds has no effect on the seeds. After particle
seed creation, you can change some aspects of seeds and strokes with the
Editing rollout settings.
The Particle Paint rollouts are as follows:
Setup Rollout (Particle Paint) on page 3235
Layout Rollout (Particle Paint) on page 3242
Orientation Rollout (Particle Paint) on page 3246
Mapping Rollout (Particle Paint) on page 3247
Editing Rollout (Particle Paint) on page 3249

Setup Rollout (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout

The parameters on the Setup rollout determine the density and placement of
particle seeds as well as stroke timing.
IMPORTANT For these parameters to affect the strokes or seeds, you must set
them before you create particle seeds. Changing values after creating particle seeds
has no effect on the existing strokes or seeds.

Particle Flow | 3235

Interface

3236 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Flow | 3237

Freehand Paint Activates a freehand paint tool, allowing you to drag anywhere
in an orthographic viewport to set particle seeds. The timing of the drag across
an object determines the base timing for particle birth when used with the
Birth Paint or Particle Paint operators. This option is available only on the
Modify panel.
IMPORTANT To use the freehand paint tool, you must work from one of the
orthographic viewports such as Top or Front. You cannot use this tool in
Perspective, Camera, or Spotlight viewports.
Each time you release the mouse while using this tool, you create an individual
stroke. You can create as many strokes as you like for each Particle Paint helper.
Particle timing and other options for each stroke are governed by the other
settings on the Setup rollout.
To stop creating strokes, right-click in the active viewport or click the Freehand
Paint button again.
Pick Stroke Spline Allows you to pick one or more standard splines as paths
for the particle seeds. Particles are then placed along this spline, but are
projected on to 3D surfaces into the orthogonal viewport. The splines do not
have to be in front of the surfaces in the orthographic viewport; Particle Paint
will project from splines to surfaces as if the splines were in front of the objects
regardless of their actual positions in 3D space.
The picked splines can be either open or closed splines. NURBS curves cannot
be used as spray splines.
You can pick as many splines as you like, and each spline picked is considered
to be a separate stroke. The stroke starts from the spline's first vertex, and
continues along the spline until it reaches the end of the spline (or the first
vertex, in the case of closed splines).
Total Particle Seeds The total number of particle seeds that have been
generated.
Strokes The number of strokes created by the Particle Paint helper.
Brush Radius Adjusts the spray emitter's nozzle size. The change in size is
reflected in the Particle Paint icon. This value determines the distance around
the center of the nozzle by which particle seeds spread when using either
method to generate particle seeds. This value can be animated over time.

Paint Density group
These controls set the particle seeds' area of distribution within the emitter
nozzle.

3238 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Center (%) Percentage of particle seeds that spray at the center of the nozzle.
Sides (%) Percentage of particle seeds that spray at the edges of the nozzle.
Higher percentages result in wider bands of particles.

Paint Flow Rate group
These controls determine how many particle seeds are emitted and how fast
they are emitted over the course of a single stroke. For the freehand paint
method, a stroke is defined by the time you press the mouse button to start
the stroke, until you release the mouse button. For a spline, one stroke is
distributed over each spline picked.
Stroke Limit Sets the overall number of particle seeds that can be emitted per
stroke when using the freehand or spline methods. So if Seeds p/sec is 25.0
and Stroke Limit is 100.0, you can spray for four seconds before running out
of particle seeds with that one stroke. This parameter is overridden by the
Stroke spray rate type, selected under Type (see following).
Type Sets the spray rate type. The available choices are Time, Length, and
Stroke. Each one works with one of the later parameters to set the spray rate.
■

TimeSets the spray rate by particle seeds per second.

■

LengthSets the spray rate by spatial movement of the nozzle.

■

StrokeSets the spray rate with a specific number of particle seeds per stroke,
regardless of stroke length. This option overrides the Stroke Limit parameter
(see preceding).

[rate value] Depending on the Type setting (see preceding), one of these is
available to set the number of seeds created when painting.
■

Seeds p/secThe number of particle seeds emitted per second as you draw
in viewports. Higher values cause more seeds to be emitted. This option is
available only for the Time spray rate type (see preceding).

■

Paint StepThe distance the nozzle center must move between emitting
individual particle seeds. Higher values cause fewer seeds to be emitted
during a stroke. This option is available only for the Length spray rate type.

■

Total AmountDetermines the total number of particle seeds per stroke,
regardless of the stroke length in units or time. Seeds are evenly distributed
over the stroke time. This option is available only for the Stroke spray rate
type.

Particle Flow | 3239

Brush Adjustment group
These controls are used for fine-tuning the Brush Radius and Flow Rate with
regard to stroke timing.
Radius Provides for varying the seed-painting radius over the course of each
stroke. Alternatively, you can animate the Brush Radius parameter to vary the
brush size, but that animation occurs in absolute time (that is, within a specific
frame range). Use this option to adjust the brush radius within a single stroke
regardless of its start and end times.
Clicking Radius opens the “Brush Radius Graph (Particle Paint)” on page 3252.
The settings on the graph are in effect when the Radius option is on.
Rate Provides for varying the seed-painting rate over the course of each stroke.
Alternatively, you can animate the Seeds p/sec parameter to vary the rate, but
this animates the rate in absolute time (that is, within a specific frame range).
Use the Rate option to adjust the seed painting rate within a single stroke
regardless of its start and end times.
Clicking Rate displays the “Paint Flow Rate Graph (Particle Paint)” on page
3254. The settings on the graph are in effect when the Rate option is on.

_____
Display Type This drop-down list gives you the choice of how to display the
particles in the viewports. You can choose Ticks or Flags as the display type.
The Flags type gives more information about each seed’s rotational data. The
pole of a flag marker is aligned with its seed’s local Z axis, while the banner
points in the direction of the local X axis.
Particle Size Sets the size of the flag markers. Available for the Flags type only.

Stroke Start group
The settings in this group determine the start frame for particle seeds generated
by a stroke. These timing values can be used later by the Birth Paint on page
3256 and Placement Paint on page 3258 operators for precise timing of every
particle emitted.
Stroke Start Choose either of the following:
■

Current FrameStarts the stroke timing at the current frame.

■

FixedStarts the stroke timing at the indicated frame.

3240 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Stroke Stop group
These settings specify the method for determining the duration or stop frame
of the stroke.
Stroke Stop Choose one of the following:
■

Real-Time OffsetDefines stroke time by the actual time taken for drawing
the stroke. If you created a stroke by picking a spline, then the default time
for the stroke is one second.
Use the Time Scale % parameter to define the correspondence between the
animation time (frames of animation) and the real-world time when a
stroke is drawn. For example, a value of 100.0 means that one second of
actual time corresponds to 30 frames of animation (for NTSC), while a
value of 50.0 means that one second of stroke drawing corresponds to 15
frames of animation.
NOTE Adjusting the Time Scale % value changes the effective flow rate of the
painting, since the Seeds p/sec on page 3239 parameter uses animation time,
not drawing time.

■

FixedStops the stroke at the specified frame, in absolute time.

■

DurationSets the stroke length in frames.

Auto Adjust Current Frame Aligns the start of each successive stroke
automatically with the stop time of the previous one. If you turn on this
option for an exsisting stroke, the time slider is adjusted to the stop moment
of the stroke. This option is available only if Stroke Start is set to Current
Frame and Stroke Stop is set to either Real-Time Offset or Duration.
Auto Adjust Global Timing Adjusts emission timing of the related Birth Paint
operator automatically.
The Birth Paint operator has its own parameters that define when particles
start and stop emission. When this switch is off, Particle Flow fits the timing
of the strokes into the Birth Paint operator’s Start/Stop interval. However,
when this option is on, Particle Paint allows the related Birth Paint operator
to adjust its emission timing to the timing of the strokes.
Icon Size Adjusts the overall size of the helper icon, but does not affect the
nozzle radius.

Paint Spread Uniqueness group
These settings randomize particle-seed distribution over a stroke. If you pick
the same spline for a stroke, the helper generates the same placement for seeds.

Particle Flow | 3241

To generate varied particle placement for the same spline, change the Seed
value.
Seed Specifies a randomization value. Not otherwise related to particle seeds.
New Generates a new Seed value.

Layout Rollout (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Layout rollout

The settings on this rollout determine how the particles are placed on objects
in the scene. The Layout settings affect all particle seeds associated with the
Particle Paint helper, either before or after they are created.

3242 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particle Flow | 3243

[paint option] Choose a painting option:
■

Paint on All ObjectsAllows particle painting on any object in your scene.

■

Paint on Objects ListedAllows particle painting only on listed objects. Click
Add to pick objects from viewports, or By List to choose from a dialog. The
names of paintable objects appear in the list. To delete an object from the
list, highlight it and then click Remove.

Animated Objects If the object on which particle seeds are placed is animated,
the original stroke placement might not be at the same place as the animated
surface at the time particles are born. If you want particles painted on animated
objects to be born from the animated surface regardless of the surface's position,
orientation, or shape by the time the particles are born, turn on this option.
The Particle Paint helper works with any animated object, whether animated
by transforms or another method, such as sub-object animation, morphing,
or skinning operations. If the surface animation involves a change in the
number of faces (as with the Optimize modifier), Particle Paint might fail
because the seeds are linked to specific faces by face indices.
Include Children Allows painting on linked children of listed objects.
Include Group Members For groups in the list, allows painting on all group
members.
Use Mask Objects Lets you use a mesh or patch object as a mask or frisket to
block particles from being sprayed in that area. Click Add to pick objects from
viewports, or By List to choose from a dialog. The names of selected objects
appear in the list. To delete an object from the list, highlight it and then click
Remove.
NOTE Mask objects block painting only where their geometry is above (or closer
to the viewpoint than) the painted surface in the viewport in which the painting
occurs. Also, mask objects cannot receive particle seeds.
Include Children Linked children of listed objects also mask the painting.
Include Group Members For groups in the list, all group members mask the
painting.
Selection Filter Restricts painting to selected areas of geometry. Choose one
of the following:
■

NoneNo restriction.

■

Selected Faces OnlyPaints particle seeds only at the geometry's selected
faces.

3244 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

Soft SelectionUses Soft Selection on a selection of the geometry's vertices
or faces. Fewer particle seeds will be placed areas where the selection falls
off.

Particle Location group
These controls determine how to distribute particle seeds on the geometry.
Particle Location This drop-down list lets you choose where particle seeds
will be deposited. The choices are:
■

At SurfaceParticle seeds will reside on the surface of any objects on which
they are painted.

■

Above SurfaceParticle seeds will be placed above the surface of objects on
which they are painted. Set the distance above the surface with the Distance
parameter.

■

Below SurfaceParticle seeds will be placed below the surface of any objects
on which they are painted. Set the distance below the surface with the
Distance parameter.

■

Above And Below SurfaceParticle seeds will be placed both above and below
the surface of any objects on which they are painted. Set the distance from
the surface with the Distance parameter.

Distance The distance above or below the surface that particles seeds are
placed. This value is expressed in units.
Variation Adds variation to the distance from the surface that particle seeds
are placed.
Separation When on, Particle Paint attempts to keep particle seeds apart by
the specified distance, expressed in 3ds Max units.
Max Attempts When Separation is on, Particle Paint attempts to separate
particles by generating seeds repetitively until the desired separation is
achieved. The Max Attempts parameter sets the number of times Particle Paint
will generate seeds to attempt separation. If the Distance value is low and
Separation is high, the desired separation might not be achieved even after
many attempts. In this case, turn on Stack Up For Separation (see following).
Stack Up For Separation When on, instead of using repetitive seed generation
to attempt to separate particles, the separation conflict is resolved by moving
the conflicting seed away in the direction of the surface normal.

Particle Flow | 3245

Orientation Rollout (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Orientation rollout

The Orientation rollout controls the way particle seeds are oriented on surfaces.
The orientation information can be used by the Birth Paint and Placement
Paint operators to rotate particles in space. These options are useful when you
plan to use instanced shapes with a visible orientation as particles.
IMPORTANT To have these settings affect the particle seeds, set these parameters
before you create the seeds. Changing these parameter values after creating particle
seeds has no effect on the existing seeds' orientation.

Interface

Generate Rotational Comp. Enables control over the orientation of particle
seeds. The remaining settings on this rollout are available only when this
check box is on.

X-Axis and Z-Axis groups
Priority Axis Sets the axis as the primary axis. When the X axis is chosen as
the Priority Axis, each particle first aligned by its local X axis in the manner
specified in the drop-down list, and then the local Z axis is used. If the Z axis
is chosen as the Priority Axis, each particle is aligned first by its local Z axis,
and then its X axis.

3246 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Reverse Reverses the direction of the Priority Axis. This has the effect of
rotating particles by 180 degrees so they point in the opposite direction.
[orientation list] Use this drop-down list to specify how Particle Flow orients
particles with respect to the surface of the painted object.
■

RandomOrients the particles on the surface at random, according to the
chosen axis.

■

Align to Surface NormalAligns particles to the surface normal of the object
upon which they were painted. For example, if X is selected as the Priority
Axis, the local X-axis for a particle is aligned with the surface normal. This
option is suitable for placing instanced grass or hair objects on a surface.

■

Align to World X/Y/Z-AxisAligns the particles along the respective world
axis.

■

Look at ViewportForces all particles to align with the active viewport.

■

Look at Particle Paint IconForces all particles to face the Particle Paint Icon.

■

Follow StrokeAligns particles along the spray path in the direction in which
the stroke was drawn.

■

Align to U/V/W Map VectorAligns particles along the U/V/W mapping
direction on the surface of the painted object.

Divergence Sets the maximum degree of variation off the chosen Priority
Axis, expressed in degrees.

Mapping Rollout (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Mapping rollout

The Mapping rollout determines how particles are mapped. To use mapping
with particle seeds, add a Material operator to the event, and assign a material
that has mapping.
IMPORTANT To have these settings affect the particle seeds, set these parameters
before you create the seeds. Changing the parameter values after creating particle
seeds has no effect on existing seeds' mapping.

Particle Flow | 3247

Interface

Acquire Sub-Material Index Causes each particle seed to acquire the
sub-material index (Material ID) of the nearest point of the surface painted.
Generate Mapping Coords. Creates mapping coordinates for each particle
seed according to the Type selection. If you use this option, do not use a
Mapping operator with the Birth Paint or Placement Paint operator, because
doing so will override the mapping generated by the Particle Paint helper.
Assign To Mapping Channels Defines the mapping channels to which
mapping values are assigned. You can choose more than one channel for
assignment. Available only when Generate Mapping Coords. is on.
Type Lets you specify how Particle Paint assigns mapping to particles. These
mapping types work with numeric parameters to set mapping on particle
seeds. For example, with a planar map the bottom-left corner has UVW values
of 0,0,0, while the top-right corner has UVW values of 1,1,0. These mapping
types correlate these values to the stroke.
■

Stroke DependentSpreads mapping values from the Start Value to the End
Value over the course of the stroke. The first particle in the stroke receives
the Start Value, the last particle of the stroke receives the End Value, and
intervening particles receive values interpolated between the two. The
same value is assigned to U, V, and W.

■

Time DependentAssigns mapping values according to time. The first particle
in the stroke is given the Start Value, and the timing of each successive
particle (in relation to the first particle) receives an incremented value
according to the Offset p/Sec parameter and the number of seconds elapsed.
For example, if Offset p/Sec is 0.25 (the default value), then a four-second
stroke covers the 0-1 range of UV mapping values.

3248 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

Index DependentAssigns mapping values incrementally regardless of the
stroke time. The first particle in the stroke is given the Start Value, and
each successive mapping value increments by the Offset p/Particle value.
For example, if Offset p/Particle is 0.01 (the default value) and a stroke has
101 particles, then particles in the stroke receive the incremental mapping
values 0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, ... 0.98, 0.99, 1.0.

■

From Object PaintedParticle seeds take their mapping from their placement
on the painted object. A particle acquires the mapping values at the nearest
point of the object surface. To acquire mapping values from several
mapping channels of the object, activate multiple buttons in the Assign
To Mapping Channels group.

Editing Rollout (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Editing rollout

The Editing rollout lets you delete unwanted particle seeds or whole strokes,
adjust stroke/particle timing, and select particles/strokes and pass the selection
data to the Birth Paint and Placement Paint operators. You cannot directly
manipulate selected particle seeds with standard 3ds Max tools such as Move
and Rotate.
This rollout appears only on the Modify panel.

Particle Flow | 3249

Two levels of sub-objects are available for selection: Particles and Strokes. The
As with other sub-object types in 3ds Max, each level remembers its selection.
Selected particles are red.

Particle Lets you select particle seeds by clicking them or dragging a
region.

Event Lets you select entire strokes. At this level, you can select all
particle seeds in one or more strokes with standard selection methods.
Show Particle Timing When on you can scrub the time slider to see particle
timing in the viewports. Particles start out with the color specified by the

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Show Particle Timing color swatch. As you scrub the time slider, each particle
turns white when it reaches its emission time.
The particle timing displayed with this option is taken from the current stroke
timing settings stored in the Particle Paint helper. This timing might differ
from the timing set by a Birth Paint operator.
Available only when not at a sub-object level (Particles or Strokes).
Delete Selected Items Deletes selected particles or strokes. You can also use
the Delete key.
Combine Into Single Stroke Combines selected strokes into a single stroke.
The particle seeds are intermixed according to their relative timing. You can
use this tool to combine short or single-particle strokes into a larger stroke.
Available only at the Stroke sub-object level when multiple strokes are selected.
Equalize Particle Timing Evens out the distribution of particle timing within
a stroke. This tool is useful for evening out strokes where some particles have
been deleted.
Available only at the Stroke sub-object level.
Auto Sync Timing by Sel. When on, sets Start At, Stop At, and Duration (see
following) to the current start frame, stop frame, and duration of the currently
selected stroke. This option takes effect only if a single stroke is selected.
Current Start Shows the start frame of the currently selected stroke(s). If
multiple strokes with different start times are selected, then the value shown
is .
Start At The start time for selected strokes. If you change this value, the new
time goes into effect when you click Adjust Stroke Timing.
Current Stop Shows the end frame of the currently selected stroke(s). If
multiple strokes with different end times are selected, then the value shown
is .
Stop At The end time for selected strokes. If you change this value, the new
time goes into effect when you click Adjust Stroke Timing. You can choose
either this method or the Duration method for changing the length of the
stroke.
Cur. Duration Shows the duration of the currently selected stroke(s). If
multiple strokes with different durations are selected, then the value shown
is .

Particle Flow | 3251

Duration The duration of selected strokes. A change to this value goes into
effect when you click Adjust Stroke Timing. You can choose either this method
or the Stop At method for changing the length of the stroke.
Auto-Adjust Global Timing When on, changing the stroke timing
automatically changes the timing in any related Birth Paint operators on page
3256 in Particle Flow. This option has an effect only if a Birth Paint operator
that references the Particle Paint helper is present in the scene.
Adjust Stroke Timing Adjusts the timing of selected strokes to match the
values for Start At, and Stop At or Duration.
Total Particles Displays the total number of particle seeds associated with the
Particle Paint helper.
Total Strokes Shows the total number of strokes in the Particle Paint helper.
Selected Particles Shows the number of selected particles. At the Particles
sub-object level, it shows the number of selected particles. At the Strokes
sub-object level, it show the total number of particles in the selected strokes.
At the object level, it displays the number of selected particles at the Particles
sub-object level.
Selected Strokes Shows the number of selected strokes. The value changes
for different sub-object levels. At the Particles level it shows the number of
strokes that have selected particles. At the Strokes level it shows the number
of directly selected strokes. At the Object level it shows the same amount as
in the Strokes level.
Selected Stroke # Shows the sequence number of the currently selected stroke.
Strokes are stored in the order in which they are made.

Brush Radius Graph (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤
Brush Adjustment group ➤ Turn on Radius. ➤ Click Radius.
The Brush Radius Graph appears when you click the Radius button on the
Setup rollout of a “Particle Paint helper” on page 3231. It allows you to animate
the brush radius over the time of a single stroke.

3252 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The left end of the graph represent the start of the stroke, while the right end
represents the end of the stroke. The values in the left column represent the
brush radius in units.
Move the existing control points, or add and move more control points, to
change the curve over the length of the stroke.
The controls on this dialog are similar to those on the loft deformation dialogs
in 3ds Max.

Moves control points in any direction. The exceptions are the start and
end control points, which can be moved only vertically.

Moves control points horizontally only. This button is available from
the main Move button flyout.

Moves control points vertically only. This button is available from the
main Move button flyout.

Scales selected control points with respect to the 0 value.

Inserts a Corner point on the graph.

Particle Flow | 3253

Inserts a Bezier point on the graph. This type of point has handles that
you can adjust for a smooth curve. This button is available from the Corner
point button flyout.

Deletes a control point.

Pans the graph.
Zoom Extents, Zoom Hoifrizontal Extents, and Zoom Vertical
Extents zoom the graph in or out to fit in the window.
Interactive zoom controls zoom horizontally or vertically, zoom
the entire window, or zoom to a selected region.

Paint Flow Rate Graph (Particle Paint)
Select a Particle Paint helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤
Brush Adjustment group ➤ Turn on Rate. ➤ Click Rate.
The Paint Flow Rate Graph appears when you click the Rate button on the
Setup rollout of a “Particle Paint helper” on page 3231. It allows you to animate
the particle paint rate over the time of a single stroke.

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The left end of the graph represent the start of the stroke, while the right end
represents the end of the stroke. The values in the left column represent
particles per second.
To change the curve over the length of the stroke, move control points, or
add and move control points.
The controls on this dialog are similar to those on the loft deformation dialogs
in 3ds Max.

Moves control points in any direction. The exceptions are the start and
end control points, which can be moved only vertically.

Moves control points horizontally only. This button is available from
the main Move button flyout.

Moves control points vertically only. This button is available from the
main Move button flyout.

Scales selected control points with respect to the 0 value.

Inserts a Corner point on the graph.

Inserts a Bezier point on the graph. This type of point has handles that
you can adjust for a smooth curve. This button is available from the Corner
point button flyout.

Deletes a control point.

Pans the graph.
Zoom Extents, Zoom Hoifrizontal Extents, and Zoom Vertical
Extents zoom the graph in or out to fit in the window.
Interactive zoom controls zoom horizontally or vertically, zoom
the entire window, or zoom to a selected region.

Particle Flow | 3255

Birth Paint Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Birth Paint in an event or add a Birth Paint
operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Birth Paint operator uses a Particle Paint helper on page 3231 as a reference
for creating particles. With the Particle Paint helper, you place particle seeds
on an object with a specific pattern and timing. The Birth Paint operator
creates particles from these seeds, initializing particle position, rotation,
mapping and selection status.
TIP If the Particle Paint helper does not generate a sufficient number of particles,
but you want to use the overall particle birth pattern and rate set by the Particle
Paint helper, use the Spawn test on page 3313 after Birth Paint in the event to spawn
additional particles at each particle seed's location.
See also:
■

Placement Paint Operator on page 3258

Interface

3256 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Paint Helper group
[button] Choose a Particle Paint helper as the source for particle seeds by
clicking the button, labeled “None” by default, and then selecting a helper.
After doing so, the helper name appears as the button label.
Total Particles Shows the total number of particles in the Particle Paint helper.
The amount of particles actually generated depends on the Quantity Multiplier
of the master PF Source object. If the multiplier value is less than 100%, the
Birth Paint operator samples the particles from the helper. If the multiplier is
greater than 100%, some particle seeds from the helper generate multiple
particles.
Total Strokes The total number of strokes in the Particle Paint helper.
Emit Start The frame number at which particles start to emit, beginning with
particle seeds at the start of the first stroke.
Emit Stop/Duration Choose either of two methods of setting the length of
time particles are emitted:
■

Emit StopSets the frame number at which particles stop emitting. The time
to emit all strokes in the Particle Paint helper is scaled to fit the time
between Emit Start and Emit Stop.

■

DurationSets the duration of the emission in frames. If the Duration value
is not the same as the stroke time, particle emission timing is scaled to fit
the Duration value.

Reset To Stroke Time Adjusts the Emit Start, Emit Stop, and Duration values
to the timing of the Particle Paint helper's strokes. The Emit Start value is set
to the earliest start time of the strokes, and the Emit Stop time is set to the
latest stop time of the strokes.
Subframe Sampling When on, particles are emitted on the sub-frame timing
as defined by the strokes timing and the Emit Start and Emit Stop values. This
can help avoid particle clumps. When off, the particle creation time is clamped
to the nearest whole frame value.

Lock At Painted Objects group
This group of controls tells the Birth Paint operator how to continue
controlling particle position/rotation after particles are born. These options
apply only if objects painted with the Particle Paint helper are animated, and
the Animated Objects on page 3244 option on the Particle Paint helper's Layout
rollout is on.
Position Causes all particle pivot points to stick firmly to the painted objects.

Particle Flow | 3257

Rotation Causes all particles to retain their original orientations. Even if the
painted object has surface animation, particles retain the same normal
orientation they had at the moment of generation.
Acquire Selection Uses the Particle Paint helper selection. This selection
overwrites the PF Source particle selection, if any. Choose the sub-object
selection Particles or Strokes (see Editing Rollout (Particle Paint) on page 3249).

Placement Paint Operator
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Placement Paint in an event or add a
Placement Paint operator to the particle system and then click it.
The Placement Paint operator uses a Particle Paint helper on page 3231 to acquire
particle seeds from which to generate particles. Placement Paint sets particle
positions, rotation, and mapping.
For more information about painting particles, see Particle Paint on page 3231.

Using Placement Paint
Both Placement Paint and Birth Paint allow placing particles as painted with
the Particle Paint helper. Birth Paint combines Birth operator functionality
with limited placement options. If you prefer to use birth options not provided
in Birth Paint, you can use a different Birth operator with Placement Paint
placed immediately after the Birth operator in the event.
Another case for using Placement Paint would be a situation in which you
would like to paint particle positions to which particles should be sent by the
Find Target operator. In that case the event would look something like this:
■

Birth (any)

■

Placement Paint

■

Script operator (to copy particle positions to Script Vector)

■

Position operator (any)

■

Find Target (set to use Script Vector)

This the way particles are directed to the positions defined by the painted
particle seeds.

3258 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

See also:
■

Birth Paint Operator on page 3256

Interface

Particle Flow | 3259

Particle Paint Helper Click the button to specify a Particle Paint helper on
page 3231 as the reference for particle seeds.
Total Particles The total number of particles in the Particle Paint helper. How
the particles seeds correspond to the particles in the current event depends
on the Quantity Multiplier of the PF Source object and the option Obey
Quantity Multiplier.
Total Strokes The total number of strokes in the Particle Paint helper.
Data Update Lets you choose how the operator controls positions and rotation:
■

OnceSets the positions and rotation for each particle once, when the
particle enters the event.

■

ContinuousSets particle positions and rotation throughout the event.

Acquire Paint Data group
These controls tell the Placement Paint operator which data to get from the
Particle Paint helper, how to interpret the data, and how to use it for particle
control.
Paint Position To When on, Particle Flow uses position data from the Particle
Paint helper to control particle position or speed. Choose either of the
following:
■

PositionThe particle seeds’ position data is translated into particle position.
If Data Update is set to Continuous, particle speed is controlled to ensure
that particles are locked to the particle seeds location. This is similar to the
Lock On Emitter option of the Position Icon operator.

■

Script VectorThe particle seeds’ position data is translated into the particle
script vector channel (as used by the Script operators and Find Target test).
If Data Update is set to Continuous, the script vector channel is updated
continuously while the particles are in the event.
Most commonly, the Find Target test uses the Script Vector data to direct
particles at the target defined by the script vector. However, Find Target
controls particles only until they reach the target. To overcome this and
keep particles on target, you can use the following option.

Snap If Close Available for the Script Vector option only. If a particle is
directed close to the target point as defined by the Paint Position value (written
to the Script Vector channel), then the operator starts controlling the particle
position directly, as with the option Position. With this technique you can
use the Find Target test to direct particles to the Paint seeds’ location, and
then switch back to direct control of particle position (similar to Lock On

3260 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Emitter operation). Keep in mind that the operator continues to write the data
into the script vector channel even after the snap moment.
Snap Distance Defines distance in 3ds Max units when control shifts from
directing particles toward a target to snapping to the target, as defined in the
Snap If Close description.
Rotation When turned on, Particle Flow uses rotation data from the Particle
Paint helper to control particle rotation or spin.
■

Blend-in RotationAvailable when Data Update is set to Continuous, Paint
Position To is set to Script Vector, and Rotation is on. In this case, particles
move toward the position as defined by the Particle Paint helper. When
on, the operator modifies particle rotation to allow smooth blending from
the current particle rotation to the rotation by Particle Paint while particles
are approaching their target position.

■

Near/Far DistanceAvailable when Blend-in Rotation is On. The Far Distance
value indicates the distance from the target point to the current particle
position when the blend-in rotation process starts. The Near Distance value
indicates the distance when the blend-in process should be finished,
meaning a particle eventually assumes the rotation value as defined by
the Particle Paint helper.

Mapping When on, uses the mapping data from the Particle Paint helper for
particle mapping.
Material ID When on, defines a material ID for each particle. The ID is defined
by the Particle Paint operator as sub-material index at the closest face of the
painted object to the particle seed.
Selection When on, uses the Particle Paint helper selection to set up the
selection qualities of particles. Any selection made at a PF Source sub-object
level is overwritten by the selection from the helper. Since selection in the
helper can be done at two different sub-object levels, you must choose the
selection level: Particles or Strokes.

Index Order group
These controls associate particle quantity and timing in the event with particle
seeds in the Particle Paint helper.
Type Indicates the method the operator uses to select particle seeds from the
Particle Paint helper for conversion to particles. The choices are:
■

RandomSelects particle seeds for conversion to particles at random, without
regard to stroke timing. If the number of particles exceeds the number of

Particle Flow | 3261

particle seeds and Stop If Count Overflow is off, all particle seeds are used
each time Placement Paint cycles through the seeds.
■

Paint TimingUses the timing of particles and strokes in the Particle Paint
helper to define the order of emission.

Stop If Count Overflow Causes Placement Paint to stop creating particles
when the number of particles in the event reaches the number of particle
seeds in the Particle Paint helper. When this option is turned off, Placement
Paint cycles through the particle seeds as many times as necessary to create
the required quantity of particles.
Obey Quantity Multiplier Uses the Quantity Multiplier parameter from the
PF Source object to adjust the correspondence between particles in the event
and particle seeds in the helper. For example, if Quantity Multiplier is set to
50%, then only half the particle seeds in the Particle Paint helper are used. If
Quantity Multiplier is greater than 100%, then some or all particle seeds will
be used to generate more than one particle.
Separate Streams Indexing Causes particles from different events to be treated
as separate streams with regard to particle seed correspondence. When on,
particles retain their correspondence to their original seeds. When off, particles
coming into the event can be associated with any seed from the entire pool
of seeds.

Uniqueness group
These parameters initialize randomness for particle sequence when Random
is selected as the Type in the Index Order group.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Generates a new randomization value.

Flows
The flows category contains operators for creating three different kinds of
initial particle-system setups. These are: Preset, Empty Flow, and Standard
Flow.
See also:
■

Operators on page 3084

■

Tests on page 3266

3262 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Preset Flow
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Depot ➤ Preset Flow
Particle View ➤ Edit menu ➤ New ➤ Particle System ➤ Preset Flow
Preset Flow merges a previously saved Particle Flow setup into the current
scene. It allows you to use the flow as an event within your current flow, or
as a starting point for a new particle system.
Before you can merge a scene with Preset Flow, you must save it with the
Preset Manager on page 3060. A preset can include Particle Flow elements as
well as standard 3ds Max objects.
To add a Preset Flow, drag Preset Flow into the event map of Particle View.
The Select Preset Flow dialog opens. Highlight a preset and then click OK, or
simply double-click a preset name.
When you drag a Preset Flow in Particle View, the global event appears where
you drop the flow, and additional events appear in the same spatial relationship
as when they were saved in the preset (if you add the Preset Flow from the
Edit menu, it appears where it was saved from). All items that were added by
Preset Flow are selected in the scene and in Particle View.
To revert the merge, activate the 3ds Max window (by clicking outside a
viewport, right-clicking a viewport, or closing Particle View) and then press
the Delete key.
If the Preset Flow contains geometry, operators, or other items with names
identical to those in your current scene, the standard 3ds Max Duplicate Name
dialog appears and prompts you to change the names or skip the items. If you
skip the PF source item, the preset will not merge.
NOTE Preset Flow flushes the Undo/Redo buffer.
See also:
■

Empty Flow on page 3265

■

Standard Flow on page 3265

Particle Flow | 3263

Interface

Presets Lists the current presets in the system. Add a preset either by
double-clicking its name or by highlighting it and then clicking OK.
Preset Description Displays the description for the highlighted preset. To
scroll a description that is too long to fit into the visible space, place the cursor
in the description area and use the Down Arrow and Up Arrow keys.
OK Adds the selected preset.

3264 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Cancel Cancels the merging of presets.

Empty Flow
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Depot
Empty Flow provides a starting point for a particle system consisting of a single
global event containing a Render operator. This lets you build a system
completely from scratch, without having first to delete the default operators
provided by the Standard Flow system.
To use Empty Flow, drag it from the depot to the event display. In Particle
View, this creates a global event containing a single Render operator. If the
Global default display option is active in the Particle View ➤ Options menu,
the global event will also contain a Display operator. Adding an Empty Flow
also creates a Particle Flow Source icon in the viewports, at the world origin
(0,0,0).
NOTE If an orthographic viewport is active when you add an Empty Flow to the
system, 3ds Max orients the new source icon parallel to the plane of the active
viewport, with the default emission direction pointing forward. For example, if
the Front viewport is active, the icon is oriented parallel to the XZ plane in the
world coordinate system, with the default emission direction along the positive Y
axis. If a Camera or Perspective viewport is active, Particle Flow uses the default
orientation: parallel to the XY plane, pointing in the negative Z direction.
See also:
■

Preset Flow on page 3263

■

Standard Flow on page 3265

Standard Flow
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Depot
Standard Flow provides a starting point for a particle system consisting of a
global event containing a Render operator, wired to a birth event containing
a Birth, a Position, a Speed, a Rotation, a Shape, and a Display operator, with
all parameters set to default values. This is the same system that 3ds Max
creates automatically when you add a Particle Flow icon to the viewport.

Particle Flow | 3265

To use Standard Flow, drag it from the depot to the event display. In Particle
View, this creates the particle system described above. If the Global default
display option is active in the Particle View ➤ Options menu, the global
event will also contain a Display operator. Adding a Standard Flow also creates
a Particle Flow Source icon in the viewports, at the world origin (0,0,0).
NOTE If an orthographic viewport is active when you add a Standard Flow to the
system, 3ds Max orients the new source icon parallel to the plane of the active
viewport, with the default emission direction pointing forward. For example, if
the Front viewport is active, the icon is oriented parallel to the XZ plane in the
world coordinate system, with the default emission direction along the positive Y
axis. If a Camera or Perspective viewport is active, Particle Flow uses the default
orientation: parallel to the XY plane, pointing in the negative Z direction.
See also:
■

Empty Flow on page 3265

■

Preset Flow on page 3263

Tests
The basic function of a test in Particle Flow is to determine whether particles
satisfy one or more conditions, and if so, make them available for sending to
another event.
When a particle passes a test, it is said to “test True.” To send eligible particles
to another event, you must wire the test to that event. Particles that don't pass
the test (“test False”) remain in the event and are repeatedly subjected to its
operators and tests. Or, if the test isn't wired to another event, all particles
remain in the event. You can use several tests in an event; the first test checks
all particles in the event, and each test after the first checks only particles that
remain in the event.
One test, Spawn, doesn't actually perform a test, but simply creates new
particles from existing ones, and sets the new particles' test result to True so
they're automatically eligible for redirection to another event. And the Send
Out test simply sends all particles to the next event by default.
Some tests can also serve as operators, in that they contain parameters that
modify particle behavior. If you don't wire a test to another event, it functions
only as an operator; the test aspect doesn't affect particle flow.

3266 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

TIP Always place a test at the end of its event, unless you have specific reasons
for placing it elsewhere. That way, all preceding actions can take effect during
each integration step before the test is evaluated.
All the tests are grouped together in the Particle View depot, and are listed in
alphabetical order. The icon for all tests is a yellow diamond, usually containing
a simplified diagram of an electrical switch.

The Particle Flow tests in the Particle View depot

See also:
■

Split Group Test on page 3118

■

Operators on page 3084

■

Flows on page 3262

Particle Flow | 3267

Age Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Age Test in an event or add Age Test to the
particle system and then select it.
Age Test lets the particle system check whether a specific amount of time has
passed since the start of the animation, or how long a particle has existed, or
how long a particle has been in the current event, and branch accordingly.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
The first interface element is a drop-down list that lets you choose the type
of age to test. Default=Particle Age.
■

Absolute AgeTests the current frame number in the animation.

■

Particle AgeTests the current age of each particle in frames. This is the
default test type.

■

Event AgeTests the current duration of the current event in frames.

Test True if Particle Value Lets you specify whether the test passes particles
on to the next event if the age test succeeds or fails. Default=Is Greater Than
Test Value
By default, Age Test returns True if the value tested for exceeds the Test Value
quantity, but you can alternatively choose Is Less Than Test Value. For example,

3268 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

if you use the Absolute Age test type and set Test Value=60 and Variation=0,
and choose Is Less Than Test Value, then particles will move to the next event
only until frame 60. After frame 60, any remaining particles stay in the current
event unless another test returns True.
Test Value The specific frame number, particle age (in frames), or event
duration (in frames) to test for. Default=30.
This value cannot be animated.
Variation The number of frames by which the value tested for can vary
randomly. Default=5.
This value cannot be animated.
To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the
Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the
result to the Test Value setting. For example, if Test Value=300 and
Variation=10, then tested value for each particle would be between 290 and
310.
Subframe Sampling Turning this on helps avoid particle "puffing" when
passing particles to the next event by testing the time at a much higher
subframe resolution (that is, throughout each frame), rather than using the
relatively coarse frame resolution. Default=on.
"Puffing" is the effect of creating separate "puffs" or clusters of particles, rather
than a continuous stream.
Turn off Subframe Sampling to cause the test to be executed exactly at frame
times.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the test value variation.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Collision Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Collision in an event or add Collision to
the particle system and then select it.
Collision tests for particles that collide with one or more specified Deflector
space warps. It can also test whether a particle has slowed down or sped up
after one or more collisions, has collided more than once, and even whether
it will collide with a deflector in a specified number of frames.

Particle Flow | 3269

The Collision test supports all deflector space warps except the DynaFlect
deflectors:
■

POmniFlect on page 2969

■

SOmniFlect on page 2980

■

UOmniFlect on page 2983

■

SDeflector on page 2988

■

UDeflector on page 2991

■

Deflector on page 2994

TIP When testing for collisions with multiple deflectors, for best results, place all
the deflectors in a single Collision test. This tests for collisions with all the deflectors
simultaneously, and helps avoid possible missed collisions.
See also:
■

Collision Spawn Test on page 3274

Procedures
Example: To test for particles slowing down after one or more collisions:
In the real world, particles bouncing repeatedly against a surface lose kinetic
energy at each collision, and slow down gradually. Rather than testing for a
specific number of bounces, you can use the Is Slow After Collision(s) to test
whether particle speed has sunk below a specific level.
1 Start or reset 3ds Max. Set the animation length to 500 frames.
2 Add a Gravity space warp and a Deflector space warp. Decrease the
deflector's Bounce setting below 1.0, and increase the Variation and Chaos
values above 0.0. Set the deflector's Width and Length to 500.
3 Create a default Particle Flow system. Position the emitter directly above
the deflector.
4 Add a Force operator on page 3223 to the end of Event 01 and add the
Gravity space warp to the Force operator.
5 Create a new event with a Display operator on page 3220, and change the
display type to a different choice than is used in Event 01.

3270 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

6 Add a Collision test to Event 01, below the Force operator, and wire it to
the new event.
7 In the Collision test settings, add the deflector. Choose Is Slow After
Collision(s), and set Speed Min=100 (assuming you're using the default
initial speed of 300).

8

Play the animation. You might need to adjust one or more settings
before seeing the expected behavior.
After several bounces, the particles change in appearance and move
steadily away from the deflector, indicating that they've entered the
second event. Of course, you can set any behavior you like in this event.
In the next step, you'll see what happens when actions in an event are
not in the right order.

9 In Event 01, move the Collision test above the Force operator, and then
play the animation.
Quite a few particles leak through the deflector. This happens because
Particle Flow first tests the particles for a collision, and then applies the
Gravity force. The particles that are approaching the deflector and are
very close to it are being tested for a collision, which tests False because
they haven't actually struck the deflector yet. Particle Flow then applies
the gravity, which pushes them past the deflector, making them no longer
eligible for testing for collision. Generally speaking, it is best to keep Force
operators above Collision tests in each event to ensure that particles don't
leak through the deflector.

Particle Flow | 3271

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Deflectors group
This group displays the deflectors currently in effect, and let you add and
remove deflectors.
[list] Shows the deflectors that apply to this operator. If more than three
deflectors apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list.
If you delete a listed space warp from the scene, its name is replaced in the
list by the entry “”.

3272 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Add Click this button, and then select a Deflector space warp in the scene to
add it to the list.
By List Click this button, and then use the Select Deflectors dialog to add one
or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist in the
scene.
Remove Highlight a deflector in the list, and then click this button to remove
it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene.

Test True If Particle group
Choose the condition under which the test will pass particles on to the next
event, and then adjust the associated setting or settings. Default=Collides.
Collides Choose this option, and then set Speed according to how particle
speed should be affected by the collision.
Speed Choose one of the following. Default=Bounce.
■

BounceThe speed and direction after collision is determined by the deflector
properties.

■

ContinueParticle speed and direction are unaffected by the collision.

■

StopParticle speed is set to 0 after the collision.

■

RandomParticles bounce off the deflector in random directions.

Is Slow After Collision(s) The test succeeds if, after collision, particle speed
is less than the Speed Min value.
With this choice, particle behavior with respect to the deflector(s) is the same
as with the Collides ➤ Bounce option.
Speed Min Particles traveling at less than this speed, in system units per
second, test True and become eligible for moving to the next event.
Default=1.0.
Is Fast After Collision(s) The test succeeds if, after collision, particle speed is
greater than the Speed Max value.
With this choice, particle behavior with respect to the deflector(s) is the same
as with the Collides ➤ Bounce option.
Speed Max Particles traveling faster than this speed, in system units per
second, test True and become eligible for moving to the next event.
Default=1000.0.

Particle Flow | 3273

Collided Multiple Times The test becomes True after a particle collides a
specific number of times. The particle is moved to the point of the last collision
and then redirected to the next event.
# Times The number of times a particle must collide in order to test True.
Speed Determines speed and direction after the specified number of collisions.
See above for explanations of the choices.
Will Collide Particle Flow extrapolates particle motion in a linear fashion,
based on the current direction and speed, and the test becomes True if the
results suggest that the particle will collide with the deflector during a specified
time interval. The particle is redirected to the next event without updating
its speed or position.
# Frames The number of frames ahead during which Particle Flow looks for
an impending collision.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the Random options in the
Speed drop-down lists.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Collision Spawn Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Collision Spawn in an event or add Collision
Spawn to the particle system and then select it.
Collision Spawn creates new particles from existing ones that collide with one
or more Deflector space warps.
You can specify different post-collision behavior for the colliding particles
and their offspring. Each spawned particle is born at the same location as its
parent, and has the same orientation and shape. Collision Spawn can give the
spawned particles a different speed and scaling factor. If you wire the Collision
Spawn test to another event, spawned particles are sent to that event, where
you can specify different properties for the new particles.
Examples of Collision Spawn usage include marks or explosions resulting from
collisions between particles and objects. To achieve these effects, you can use
Collision Spawn in conjunction with the Shape Mark on page 3183 and Shape
Facing on page 3173 operators.

3274 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The Collision Spawn test supports all deflector space warps except the
DynaFlect deflectors:
■

POmniFlect on page 2969

■

SOmniFlect on page 2980

■

UOmniFlect on page 2983

■

SDeflector on page 2988

■

UDeflector on page 2991

■

Deflector on page 2994

TIP When testing for collisions with multiple deflectors, for best results, place all
the deflectors in a single Collision Spawn test. This tests for collisions with all the
deflectors simultaneously, and helps avoid possible missed collisions.
See also:
■

Collision Test on page 3269

■

Spawn Test on page 3313

Particle Flow | 3275

Interface

3276 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
In the context of Collision Spawn, a parent is the original particle from which
new particles are spawned.

Test True for group
These check boxes let you specify which particles, if any, should become
eligible for redirection to the next event upon satisfaction of the test
conditions.
NOTE After a particle tests True, the Collision Spawn test no longer tests the
particle for collision. If you simply want particles to spawn every time they collide,
turn either or both of these off and use a different test for redirection.
Parent Particles When on, parent particles qualify for redirection when the
test conditions are met. Default=on.
When using the Spawn On First Collision option on page 3278, Parent Particles
is available only when Delete Parent is off.
This option is also available when using the Spawn On Each Collision option
on page 3278. In this case, parent particles test True only after colliding the
number of times specified by the Until # value.
Spawn Particles When on, spawned particles qualify for redirection when
the test conditions are met. Default=on.

Deflectors group
This group displays the deflectors currently in effect, and let you add and
remove deflectors.
[list] Shows the deflectors that apply to this operator. If more than three
deflectors apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list.
If you delete a listed space warp from the scene, its name is replaced in the
list by the entry “”.
Add Click this button, and then select a Deflector space warp in the scene to
add it to the list.
By List Click this button, and then use the Select Deflectors dialog to add one
or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist in the
scene.
Remove Highlight a deflector in the list, and then click this button to remove
it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene.

Particle Flow | 3277

Spawn Rate And Amount group
Use these settings to specify when particles are to spawn and other values
related to how many particles are spawned.
Spawn On First Collision Particles spawn only the first time they collide with
a deflector.
Delete Parent When on, deletes each original particle from which a new one
is spawned. Available only with the Spawn On First Collision option.
Spawn On Each Collision Particles spawn on each of multiple collisions, up
to a limit specified with the Until # parameter.
Until # The maximum number of collisions by the parent particles that
produce spawned particles. Available only with the Spawn On Each Collision
option. Default=3.
When Test True For ➤ Parent Particles is on, parent particles test True only
after colliding the number of times specified by the Until # value.
Spawnable The percentage of particles in the current event that will spawn
new particles. This is determined once for each particle, when it enters the
event. However, the parameter is animatable. Default=100.0.
For values other than 100.0, Spawnable uses a randomized selection process,
which is affected by the Uniqueness Seed value. For example, with five parent
particles, Offspring #=1, and Spawnable=80.0, you might get any number of
spawned particles between two and five for each collision. The average per
spawning would be four, however.
Offspring # The number of new particles the system creates from each parent
particle for each spawning event. Default=1.
Variation The amount by which the Offspring # value can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the
Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then applies
the result as a percentage of the Offspring # setting. For example, if Offspring
#=20 and Variation=10, then the actual number of offspring for each particle
would be between 18 and 22.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Offspring # and
Variation:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

3278 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

_____
Restart Particle Age When on, sets the age of each newly spawned particle
at 0. When off, each spawned particle inherits its parent's age. Default=on.

Speed group
Lets you specify the behavior of spawned particles, as well as their speed in
absolute terms or relative to the parents' speed, with optional random variation.
The direction of a spawned particle is always in relation to that of its parent,
but you can set a Divergence so they eventually spread out. Default=Inherited.
Parent Specify the parent's behavior. Available only when Delete Parent is
off.
■

BounceThe speed and direction after collision is determined by the deflector
properties.

■

ContinueParticle speed and direction are unaffected by the collision.

Offspring Specify the behavior of the newly spawned particles.
■

BounceThe speed and direction of offspring after collision is determined
by the deflector properties.

■

ContinueSpeed and direction of offspring are unaffected by the collision.

In Units Choose this to specify the speed of spawned particles in system units
per second. Default=100.0.
A positive value inherits the parent's direction; a negative value reverses it.
Inherited Choose this to specify each spawned particle's speed as a percentage
of its parent's speed. Default=100.0
A positive value inherits the parent's direction; a negative value reverses it.
Variation The amount by which a spawned particle's speed can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual speed for each spawned particle, the system multiplies
the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds
the result to the particle's speed as specified or inherited. For example, if a

Particle Flow | 3279

particle's speed is 100 units/second and Variation=20, then the tested value
for each particle would be between 80 and 120 units/second.
Divergence When on, spreads out the stream of spawned particles. Use the
numeric setting to define the extent of the divergence in degrees. Range=0 to
180. Default=12.0.

Size group
Scale Factor The amount of uniform scaling to apply to each spawned particle,
as a percentage of its parent's size. Default=100.0.
Variation The amount by which a spawned particle's scale can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual scaling for each spawned particle, the system multiplies
the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds
the result to the Scale Factor value. For example, if Scale Factor=100 and
Variation=20, then each spawned particle would be between 80 and 120
percent of its parent's size.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the Spawnable result, when
less than 100.0, as well as of the Variation values.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Find Target Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Find Target in an event or add Find Target
to the particle system and then select it.

Select a Find Target icon in the viewport. ➤
Parameters rollout

Create panel ➤

Modify panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Particle Flow ➤ Find Target

By default, Find Target sends particles to a specified target or targets. Upon
reaching a target, the particles become eligible for redirection to another event.
You can specify that the particles should use a particular speed or time frame

3280 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

in moving toward the target. You can also specify where on the target the
particles should go.
Alternatively, you can use Find Target as a simple proximity test: If a particle
comes within a certain distance of its target, it becomes eligible for redirection
to the next event.

Find Target icon

When you add a Find Target test to the particle system in Particle View on
page 3049, a spherical Find Target icon, or helper, appears in the scene at the
world origin (0,0,0). You can use this icon as a target, or you can use one or
more mesh objects in the scene as targets. To display the Find Target parameters
on the Modify panel, select the icon. If you delete the icon, Particle Flow also
deletes the test.
NOTE If you add Find Target from the Create panel, Particle Flow creates a separate
event for the test in the particle diagram.
TIP In a particle loop, all particles end up at their respective starting positions,
enabling seamless repetition of the resulting animation. You can make particle
loops with Particle Flow using a Script operator and a Find Target operator. At the
start of the loop, the Script operator should read all particle positions and write
them into the MXS Vector channel. Then, at the end of the loop, set the Find
Target operator to Control by Time, set Timing to Absolute Time, set Time to the
end of the loop, and in the Target group, set Point to By Script Vector. Particle
Flow will direct particles to the previously cached position at the specified frame.

Particle Flow | 3281

Script Operator Example
NOTE See this topic in the online User Reference to view the script operator sample
MAXScript code.

3282 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particle Flow | 3283

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Control By ... The drop-down list at the top of the parameters panel lets you
choose whether to send particles to a target by specifying the speed and
acceleration, or by specifying the amount of time they should take.
Alternatively, by choosing No Control, you can test particles' distance from
a target.
■

Control By SpeedSpecify speed and acceleration settings for the particles
to follow while traveling to the target. Use the Control By Speed group to
set the parameters.

■

Control By TimeSpecify time-based settings for the particles to follow while
traveling to the target. Use the Control By Time group to set the parameters.

■

No ControlWith this option, Find Target functions only as a proximity
test. When a particle comes within the specified distance of the target, the
particles become eligible for redirection to the next event.
NOTE When you choose No Control, the Find Target test does not affect
particle speed or direction.

Test True If Distance To group
These settings let you choose which distance the Find Target test measures
and specify the measured distance. You can choose Target Pivot or Target
Point, and specify a distance with the Is Less Than setting.
Target Pivot Measures the distance between the particle and the target pivot.
If the particles are directed to the outside of the target and the Is Less Than
value is small, this condition might never be satisfied.
Target Point Measures the distance between the particle and the target point
on page 3288.
Is Less Than When particles are closer than this distance from target pivot
or point, they test True and become eligible for redirection to the next event.
Measured in scene units.
NOTE If you set Is Less Than to 0, the particles might never test True. This might
be desirable for an animation of, for example, bees buzzing around a flower but
not landing on it. In this case, you might want to use a low value for Accel Limit
so the bees don’t circle too close to the flower.

3284 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Control By Speed group
Use these settings to specify speed and acceleration parameters when using
Control By Speed or Speed Then Time. This group is available only when using
Control By Speed.
Use Cruise Speed When on, Particle Flow gives you explicit control over
particle speed and speed variation. When off, Particle Flow calculates particle
speed automatically using the Accel Limit value. Default=on.
Speed Particle speed in scene units per second. Default=300.0.
Variation The amount by which the actual Speed value can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual speed for each particle, the system multiplies the Variation
value by a random number between –1.0 and 1.0, and then applies the result
as a percentage of the Speed setting. For example, if Speed=200 and
Variation=10, then the actual speed for each particle would vary randomly
between 190 and 210.
Accel Limit Sets the acceleration limit. This value impacts the inertia and
speed of the particles. Default=1000.0.
The default acceleration limit value is based on the default Speed value of
300.0. If you change the Speed value, it is recommended that you also change
the Accel Limit value proportionately.
TIP Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when
greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
You can animate this setting (use Sync By ➤ Event Duration) to specify different
appropriate values, depending on the required results.
Ease In % Controls the rate by which particles slow down when it approaches
the target point.
Particle Flow calculates the final speed with this formula: (100% – Ease In) *
Speed. Therefore, if the Ease In value is 100%, a particle should approach the
target with a speed of 0, and if Ease In is 0%, the particle doesn't slow down
at all when approaching the target. At intermediate values, the speed is
calculated according to the distance to the target point, as linear interpolation
between the initial (cruise) speed, and the final speed. When a particle enters
the event, the distance to the target point is calculated and later used for the
interpolation. Default=0.0.

Particle Flow | 3285

Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Speed, Variation, and
Accel Limit:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

Control By Time group

Lets you specify the amount of time particles should take to reach the target.
This group is unavailable when using Control By Speed.
Timing Determines how Particle Flow applies the specified timing, defined
by the Time and Variation values. The possible options are:
■

Absolute TimeTime refers to the overall time of the system. Each particle
will reach its target at the frame number specified by Time.

■

Particle AgeTime refers to the time elapsed since the birth of the particle.
Each particle will reach its target when its age reaches the value specified
by Time.

■

Event DurationTime refers to the time elapsed since the particle entered
the current event. Each particle will reach its target when it has been in
the current for the number of frames specified by Time.

Time The number of frames particles should take to reach the target.
Default=60.
Variation The number of frames by which Time can vary randomly. Default=5.

3286 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

To obtain the actual time to the target for each spawned particle, the system
multiplies the Variation value by a random number between –1.0 and 1.0,
and then adds the result to the Time value. For example, if Time=60 and
Variation=20, then the time to target for each particle would be between 40
and 80 frames.
Subframe Sampling Turning this on helps avoid particle "puffing" by timing
particles at a much higher subframe resolution (that is, throughout each
frame), rather than using the relatively coarse frame resolution. Default=on.
"Puffing" is the effect of clustering particles, rather than producing a continuous
stream. This effect is especially noticeable when the emitter is animated.
Use Docking Speed Lets you specify particles' speed when they reach the
target.
A particle might be required to reach the target from a specific direction at a
specific speed. When Use Docking Speed is off, Particle Flow calculates a path
for particles to reach the target in the shortest distance with the least
acceleration along the path. When Use Docking Speed is on, Particle Flow
calculates particles' final speed when they reach the target using the Speed
and Variation parameters. Therefore if you want a “smooth landing,” set Speed
to 0.0. Default=off.
Speed The speed of particles when they reach the target in scene units per
second. Default=100.0.
Variation The amount by which the actual Speed value can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.

Target group
By default, Find Target uses its own target icon, but you can use these controls
to designate other scene objects as targets instead.
Icon Use the Find Target icon as the target.
Each Find Target test has its own target icon. Even if you don't use it as a
target, it still influences particle behavior if you set the docking type to Parallel,
Spherical, or Cylindrical.
Mesh Objects Use one or more scene mesh objects as targets. Choose this to
make the list and list-management buttons available.
If you designate more than one target, the target used by each particle is
determined by the choice in the Object drop-down list on page 3289 in this
group.
[list] Shows the mesh objects used as targets. If more than three target objects
apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list.

Particle Flow | 3287

Add Click this button, and then select a mesh object in the scene to add it to
the list as a target.
By List Click this button, and then use the Select Target Objects dialog to add
one or more mesh objects to the list. The objects must already exist in the
scene, and the dialog shows only eligible objects.
Remove To remove a target object from the list, first highlight it and then
click this button. Any removed objects remain in the scene.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when sending particles toward animated
objects when using Animated Shape or Follow Target Animation:
■

Absolute TimeAnimation derived from the target is applied to particles
immediately.

■

Particle AgeAnimation derived from the target is applied to particles at the
corresponding frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAnimation derived from the target is applied to particles
is applied to each particle starting when it first enters the event.

Animated Shape Turn on to allow particles to target the surface of an object
whose form is animated by scaling, by morphing, or with modifiers. This
requires more computation, because the destination must be updated at every
integration step.
Follow Target Animation Turn on to allow particles to follow a moving
target; that is, a target whose location is animated. This requires more
computation, because the destination must be updated at every integration
step.
Point Lets you specify where on its target a particle should land.
■

RandomEach particle targets a random point on the target.

■

Closest SurfaceEach particle targets the nearest point of the target’s surface.

■

By Script VectorThe target point or points are defined using a Script
operator that defines values in the particleVector channel. The Script
operator can be anywhere upstream of the Find Target test.
NOTE When using By Script Vector to target absolute positions, such as vertex
locations, be sure to set Target to Icon. If you set it to Mesh, the positions
specified by the script will be relative to the position of the mesh object. This
latter option is useful for placing scripted targets on the surface of a moving
object.

3288 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Object With multiple mesh targets, lets you specify how Particle Flow should
choose among them. Available only when targeting more than one object.
■

RandomFor each particle, Particle Flow chooses a target object at random.

■

Closest PivotFor each particle, Particle Flow chooses as its target the object
whose pivot is nearest to the particle.

■

Closest SurfaceFor each particle, Particle Flow chooses as its target the
object whose surface is nearest to the particle.

■

Least DeviationFor each particle, Particle Flow chooses as its target the
object that requires the least change in its current direction (or resteering)
to reach.

■

By Script IntegerFor each particle, the choice of a targeted object is defined
by a script operator that sets an index. This index corresponds to a
target-object entry position in the target list. See Script Operator Example
on page 3282.

Lock On Target Object When on, Particle Flow calculates each particle's target
object once: when the particle enters the event. Thereafter, the particle is
“locked on” to its target object. When off, Particle Flow can continually
recalculate the target object for each particle. Available only when multiple
target objects are designated.
For example, if you set particles to target the closest surface, due to the target
animation and particle movement, the definition of the closest surface is
constantly changing. Thus the particle may change the target object due to
the circumstances.
NOTE Each time Find Target sets a target object, it “locks on” to a specific point
on that object. This point can change only if the target object changes. Thus, with
a single target object, the target point always remains constant relative to the target
object. That is, if the target object or its surface is animated, and Follow Target
Animation or Animated Shape is on, the absolute coordinates of the target point
may change.
NOTE When Lock On Target Object is off, more calculation is required because
the system might have to recalculate each particle's optimal target point in each
frame.

Particle Flow | 3289

Docking Direction group
Docking type Lets you specify from which direction particles should approach
targets.
■

None SpecifiedNo docking constraints. Particles reach their targets in the
most efficient way, based on their assigned parameters and their current
attributes.

■

Along Icon ArrowThe final direction is the same as the Find Target icon
arrow.
NOTE When using this option, arrows appear on the Find Target icon to
indicate the direction particles will use for docking. You can change the docking
direction by reorienting the icon. This applies even when using mesh objects
as targets.

■

Icon SphericalThe final direction points toward the center of the operator
icon.
NOTE When using this option, arrows appear on the Find Target icon to
indicate the directions particles will use for docking. You can change the
docking directions by reorienting the icon. This applies even when using mesh
objects as targets.

■

Icon CylindricalThe final direction points toward the icon arrow as a line,
thus forming a cylindrical field with the arrow as the cylinder's main axis.
NOTE When using this option, arrows appear on the Find Target icon to
indicate the directions particles will use for docking. You can change the
docking directions by reorienting the icon. This applies even when using mesh
objects as targets.

■

Surface NormalsEach particle reaches its target point from a direction
perpendicular to the surface at that point.
NOTE When using this option, arrows appear on the Find Target icon to
indicate that particles will use surface normals for docking; the actual directions
they will use depends on the target surface. This applies even when using mesh
objects as targets.

Distance The distance from the target at which particles begin docking
behavior. This includes the docking direction, and, when using Control By
Time, the docking speed.

3290 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

_____
Icon Size Set the size of the Find Target icon. This affects particle behavior
when using the icon as the target.
Color Coordinated When on, the Find Target icon uses the color of the event
containing the test as defined by its local Display operator, if one exists. This
applies even if the Display operator is turned off. When off, the Find Target
icon uses the default Test Gizmos color as defined in Customize User Interface
➤ Colors ➤ Particle Flow. Default=on.
Turn on Color Coordinated to make it easier to spot the Find Target icon,
because the particles in the event use the same color as the icon.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the Random options and
the Variation options.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Go To Rotation Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Go To Rotation in an event or add Go To
Rotation to the particle system and then select it.
The Go To Rotation test enables a smooth transition in the rotational
component of a particle, so that the particle can gradually rotate to a specific
orientation over a specific period. An example of its usage would be with
falling leaves, which spin chaotically as they fall, but land on a flat side rather
than an edge. The test aspect lets you direct the particle to a new event when
the transition period ends.
To set a target orientation, place the Go To Rotation test before an
orientation-type operator (Rotation on page 3131 or a Script operator on page
3230 if it defines the rotation channel) in the same event. In this situation, the
Go To Rotation test can grab the particle rotational component before the
orientation-type operator overwrites it. The Go To Rotation operator modifies
the particle orientation and spinning in the post-evaluation cycle. For an
example, see the procedure below.
WARNING The Go To Rotation test is not compatible with the Spin, Shape Facing,
and Shape Mark operators. Do not use any of these operators in the same event
with a Go To Rotation test.

Particle Flow | 3291

NOTE You can define the transition period only in terms of time. You cannot set
the test to come to a specific rotation by the time of another test, such as a collision
test. Also, limited control is provided over the axis of spinning when a particle
comes to the final rotation.

Procedures
Example: To make falling particles land smoothly, face up:
This procedure assumes a basic knowledge of Particle Flow usage.
1 In the Perspective viewport, add a Particle Flow system and raise its icon
about 80 units on the Z axis.
2 In Event 01, make the following changes:
■

Birth ➤ Amount=50

■

Speed=100

■

Shape=Cube (or use Shape Instance with a custom object, such as a
coin-shaped cylinder)

■

Display ➤ Type=Geometry

This reduces the number of particles and slows them down, making it
easier to see what's going on.
3 Add a Spin operator on page 3133 to Event 01, and set both Spin Rate and
Variation to 150.
This gives the particles random spinning behavior as they fall.
4 Add an Age test to the end of Event 01, and set Test Value=15.
This allows each particle to fall and tumble for 15 frames before Go To
Rotation takes effect.
5 From the Depot, drag a Go To Rotation test to an empty area in Event
Display. Set Duration=15 and keep all other default settings.
6 Insert a Rotation operator immediately after the Go To Rotation test.
Choose Random Horizontal as the orientation matrix. Keep the other
default settings.
The Go To Rotation test will use this as the final orientation for the
particles.
7 Use a Speed event to create a third event. Set Speed=0.0.
This stops the particles at the end of the animation.

3292 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

8 In both new events, set Display ➤ Type=Geometry.
9 Wire the Age Test in Event 01 to Event 02, and then wire the Go To
Rotation test in Event 02 to Event 03.

10

Play the animation.
The particles tumble chaotically as they fall for about 30 frames, and then
come to a smooth stop, facing up.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Particle Flow | 3293

Test True When group
Transition Period Ends When on, the particles test True at the end of the
specified transition period, and become eligible for redirection to the next
event. When off, particles will not go to the next event, even if wired. Turn
off to disable the test aspect of Go To Rotation. Default=on.

Transition By group
Determines how Particle Flow applies the specified timing, defined by the
Time and Variation values. Default=Event Duration.
The possible options are:
■

Absolute TimeTime refers to the overall time of the system. Each particle
will reach its target orientation at the frame number specified by Time.

■

Particle AgeTime refers to the time elapsed since the birth of the particle.
Each particle will reach its target orientation when its age reaches the value
specified by Time.

■

Event DurationTime refers to the time elapsed since the particle entered
the current event. Each particle will reach its target orientation when it
has been in the current for the number of frames specified by Time.

Duration The number of frames particles should take to reach the target
orientation. Default=30.
Variation The number of frames by which Duration can vary randomly.
Default=0.
To obtain the actual time to the target orientation for each particle, the system
multiplies the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and
then adds the result to the Duration value. For example, if Duration=60 and
Variation=20, then the time to target orientation for each particle would be
between 40 and 80 frames.

Target Rotation group
When you use an orientation-type operator with Go To Rotation, this setting
lets you determine whether the test sets the target orientation on a one-time
or ongoing basis. Default=Constant.
Constant Defines that the orientation-type operator sets a constant orientation
for a particle.

3294 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

For example, when using a Rotation operator set to an orientation matrix
other than Speed Space Follow, the Go To Rotation operator would acquire
the target orientation only once, and then use it as its goal.
Changing Defines that the orientation-type operator sets a changing rotation
for a particle. At each frame the desirable final rotation may be different.
For example, if you use the test with a Rotation operator set to Speed Space
Follow, the test will adjust the particle rotation constantly to aim at the
changing final rotation.

Target Rotation Spin group
Defines the angular velocity for each particle when it reaches the target
orientation.
Match Initial Spin Sets the angular velocity at the end of the transition period
to the same as the angular velocity when particle enters the event.
NOTE The axis of rotation might still be different, because it is calculated on the
fly to let the particle come to the target orientation.
Spin Rate Defines each particle's angular velocity, in degrees per second, when
it reaches the target orientation. Available only when Match Initial Spin is
off. Default=0.0.
For a smooth transition to the target orientation, set to 0.0.
Variation Defines a random variation in the Spin Rate value when a particle
reaches the target orientation. Default=0.0.
To obtain the final angular velocity for each particle, the system multiplies
the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds
the result to the Spin Rate value. For example, if Spin Rate=6.0 and
Variation=1.0, then the final angular velocity for each particle would be
between 5.0 and 7.0 degrees per second.
Ease In % Defines a curve in achieving the final spin rate. Default=0.0
When set to 0.0, the test produces a linear interpolation between the initial
and final spin rate, and when set to 100.0, the final spin rate is achieved earlier.
For the smoothest approach to the target orientation, set Spin Rate and
Variation to 0.0, and Ease In to 100.0.

Transition End group
Stop Spinning When on, halts particle rotation when it reaches the target
orientation. Default=on.

Particle Flow | 3295

Even with Spin Rate spinner set to 0.0, we recommend that you keep this
check box on to avoid slow spinning at the end, due to computational
averaging and marginal errors.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the Variation options.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Lock/Bond Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Lock/Bond in an event or add a Lock/Bond
test to the particle system and then click it.
The Lock/Bond test attaches particles to objects, and can keep them attached
even as the object animates. Particles can move over an object's surface and
the bond can be broken, causing particles to fly or break off from the object.
The standard Position Object operator is also able to lock particles to an object,
but because it chooses particle positions at random on the object's surface,
particles can drift when the object is animated. The Position Object operator's
main limitation is that it cannot be applied to particles that have already
established their positions. Because the Position Object operator generates
new particle positions regardless of the old ones, it can create the illusion that
each particle shifts to a new location instantaneously. With Lock/Bond, you
can force particles to maintain their original positions with respect to an
animated surface.
Lock/Bond can also fix particle orientation. This means that particles with a
perceivable orientation, such as darts or arrows, can maintain their orientation
to the object even as it rotates. You can also limit particles' rotation from their
original orientations for fine control over wind and gravity effects.
You can also dampen particle motion to simulate air, fluid, or friction as
particles move across a surface or through the air.
While Lock/Bond functions mainly as an operator, applying various attributes
to particles while they’re in the same event, it also serves as a test for particles
breaking off from the object. For information on the test performed, see the
parameter Break Off When Exceeds on page 3302.
For more information on Lock/Bond, see Using the Lock/Bond Test on page
3303.

3296 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particle Flow | 3297

Lock On Objects group
The controls in this group set the starting point for the Lock/Bond test. Here
you specify the objects to which to attach the particles, and choose the method
for placing particles as they enter the event.
When the Lock/Bond test starts, each particle is locked to a specific point in
the scene, usually on the object's surface. This point is referred to as the
particle's lock point. If the object is animated, the lock points animate along
with the object. When Snap To Surface is turned on, the lock point is on the
surface. When Snap to Surface is off, the lock point is exactly at the point
where the particle is located at the moment when it enters the event. This
location is translated to the local coordinates of the reference object, and
maintained throughout the animation of the reference object.
[list] Shows all objects referenced by the test.
Add Adds an object to the list.
By List Allows you to add multiple objects to the list.
Remove Removes highlighted objects from the list.
[locking method] Choose a method for locking particles to objects in the
list:
■

Lock To ObjectLocks particles to the object's local coordinate space. This
option takes less processing time than Lock To Surface.

■

Lock To SurfaceLocks particles to the closest point of the object's surface
at the moment when the particle enters the event.
By default, this option maintains the distance each particle had from the
surface upon entering the event. When used in conjunction with Snap To
Surface, this option locks particles to the actual object surface.
Lock to Surface takes more processing time than Lock to Object because
the software has to find the closest point on the surface for each particle.

Animated Surface Locks particles to a changing surface. Use this option when
the object's surface changes shape or detail over time, such as with animated
sub-objects or parameters, morphing, or a skinning modifier. If the object is
animated through transforms only (position/rotation/scale), you can save
processing time by leaving this option off.
When on, the operator acquires the surface data at every frame. When off,
the operator acquires the surface data only once, and uses transformation data
as needed to calculate the surface location at every frame.
Available only when Lock To Surface is on.

3298 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Snap To Surface Causes particles to jump to the object's surface as they enter
the event. This option differs from Lock To Surface, which locks particles to
the surface but maintains each particle’s distance from the surface upon
entering the event. Snap To Surface forces particles to lie on the object's surface.
If you turn on Snap To Surface but not Restrict To Surface (see following),
particles jump to the surface upon entering the event, but don't stay on the
surface if Force in the Position Lock/Bond group is less than 100% and other
forces such as the Speed operator or Force operator are applied.
Available only when Lock To Surface is on.

Position Lock/Bond group
These options control the movement of particles from their lock points after
they enter the event.
Restrict To Surface Forces particles to stay on the object's surface as they
move. When the Force parameter is less than 100%, particles can move from
their original positions based on Speed and Force operators within the event.
In this case, turning on Restrict to Surface forces the particles to move only
to other parts of the surface without leaving the surface itself.
For more information on how Restrict to Surface works with the Force
parameter, see Force, following.
Offset Limit The maximum distance a particle can move from its lock point,
in units. When off, particles are not limited in their movement.
If the object or surface is animated, particles might need to move quickly to
keep up with the lock point's animation and stay within the Offset Limit
distance. If Offset Limit is on and particles cannot keep up with the lock point's
movement, particles will be limited to be within the Offset Limit distance to
the lock point (to the Offset Limit) even if Force is less than 100%. In addition,
if Speed Limit is on, particles can exceed the speed limit to maintain the
specified offset. In other words, the Offset Limit parameter, when on, overrides
the Speed Limit parameter.
Speed Limit The maximum speed a particle can travel, in units per frame. If
Speed Limit is on and particles cannot keep up with lock points on an animated
object, particles are limited to the Speed Limit even if Force is 100%. In other
words, the Speed Limit parameter, when on, overrides the Force % parameter.
Force % Sets the amount of force holding the particle to its lock point. A Force
% value of 100.0 attempts to keep particles stuck to their lock points. If the
Force % value is less than 100.0, particles can move off their lock points based
on Speed and Force operators in the event. The lower the Force % value, the
more influence Speed and Force operators have on the particles.

Particle Flow | 3299

If Force % is less than 100.0 and Restrict To Surface is on, particles move along
the object's surface. If Force % is less than 100.0 and Restrict To Surface is off,
particles move off the surface but retain their relationships to lock points. In
either case, particle movement is based on Speed and Force operators, and is
restricted by Offset Limit and Speed Limit if those parameters are on.
When Force %=100.0 and Restrict To Surface is on, particles are locked strictly
to the object or surface, and do not move. If Force %=100.0 and Restrict To
Surface is off, particles are locked to the object unless Break Off When Exceeds
is on and the object is animated at a sufficient speed to break off particles.
NOTE Offset Limit and Speed Limit, when enabled, can override a 100% Force
setting.
Dampening Defines how particles are slowed down, whether moving on the
object's surface or off it. Dampening simulates the effect of various resistance
forces.
■

NoneNo dampening is applied, other than the default dampening on
oscillating forces from Speed and Force operators.

■

FrictionSimulates a surface friction effect, which gradually slows particles
until they stop moving. The total slowdown is proportional to the travel
distance of a particle. The number of seconds in which a particle loses its
speed is equal to initial speed divided by the Friction value. For example,
if the initial speed of a particle is 300.0 and the Friction value is 100.0,
then the particle gradually comes to a halt over three seconds.

■

Air/FluidSimulates the resistance of a medium such as air or water, which
slows particles but never stops them completely. The resistance is
proportional to the speed squared, making the resistance very high for
fast-moving particles, but quite low for slow-moving particles. For example,
if one particle is moving at a speed of 100.0 and another at 200.0, the
resistance for the faster particle will be four times larger than for the slower
particle. The Resistance value defines the resistance force for a particle with
speed equal to the Speed Unit value.

■

BothCombines both forces: Friction and Air/Water. If you want the overall
effect of air resistance, but you want particles to stop moving eventually,
use this option. In this case, a small Friction value stops slow-moving
particles.

No Force In Central Zone group
The central zone is a volume around a lock point. Each particle has its own
central zone defined by the Radius parameter in this group.

3300 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

When Force % is less than 100.0, particle movement is influenced by Force
and Speed operators, where forces are oscillated and particles gradually slow
down until they come to rest. If you want particles to wander around the lock
point rather than coming to rest, you can use these settings to disable forces
in each particle's central zone. This will keep a particle wandering indefinitely
if its location is within the Radius of its lock point.
Acceleration When on, turns off acceleration forces in each particle's central
zone. This prevents the particle from slowing down to a stop.
Dampening When on, turns off dampening in each particle's central zone.
This prevents particles from being slowed by friction and coming to a stop.

Rotation Lock/Bond group
Use these options to control the rotation of particles. In this section, mentions
of the Force % parameter refer specifically to the one in this group.
Offset Limit The maximum number of degrees by which a particle can deviate
from its lock point's rotation. For example, the maximum number of degrees
a particle can lean or bend when affected by Wind or Gravity.
If the object or surface is animated, particles might need to rotate quickly to
keep up with the lock point's rotation and still remain within the Offset Limit.
If Offset Limit is on and particles cannot keep up with the lock point's rotation,
particles will be limited to the Offset Limit even if Force % is less than 100.0.
In addition, if a Spin Limit is set (see following), particles can exceed the Spin
Limit to maintain the specified offset. In other words, the Offset Limit, when
on, overrides the Spin Limit.
Spin Limit The maximum number of degrees per frame that a particle can
rotate. If Spin Limit is on and particles cannot keep up with lock points that
are rotating, particles will be limited to the Spin Limit even if Force %=100.
In other words, the Spin Limit, when on, overrides the Force % setting.
Force % The amount by which the particle's rotation is forced to match its
lock point's rotation. When Force %=100.0, particles maintain their original
orientations, unless limited to rotate by Spin Limit settings. When Force % is
less than 100.0, particles can be rotated with Force operators. The lower the
Force value, the more a particle can be influenced by Force operators and
inertial properties of a particle.
Dampening % The amount of resistance that prevents a particle from catching
up with the lock point's rotation. A value of 0.0 creates no dampening, while
100.0 keeps the particle from rotating at all. If Offset Limit is on, Dampening
cannot cause the particle rotation to deviate from the lock point's rotation by

Particle Flow | 3301

more than the Offset Limit amount, even if Dampening % is set to 100.0. In
other words, the Offset Limit setting overrides the Dampening value.
Induced By Speed Change Causes particle rotation to occur even when
particles' positions are locked to their lock points. For example, a field of grass
particles would not move, but could rotate when wind is applied to them.
This option also works with particles locked to animated surfaces, such as hair
or fur particles on an animal's body. Usually particles are rotating because the
underlying surface is rotating, and particles are trying to catch up with the
"lock" orientation. This option lets you simulate the effect of a particle with
a springy attachment to a surface. Since the center of gravity of a particle
doesn't coincide with the lock point, any movement of the underlying surface
initiates a rotational movement of a particle.
Inertial Size The distance between the pivot point of a particle and the
particle’s center of gravity. For example, the inertial size of a blade of grass is
half the length of the strand. Smaller values induce a stronger rotation.
Available only when Induced By Speed Change is turned on.
Break Off When Exceeds Causes particles to be released from an object's
surface when they achieve a specific speed or acceleration. This option works
only when particles are glued to the object's surface and have no speed of
their own, and any speed or acceleration comes from animation of the object
itself.
Particles that break off from the object become available to the Lock/Bond
test output, which you can wire to another event.
You can use either of the following settings with this option:
■

SpeedThe particle speed at which a particle breaks off the object.

■

Accel.The particle acceleration at which a particle breaks off the object.

Break If Outwards Only Causes particles to break off only when the particle's
motion is directed away from the object's surface, in the direction of the
nearest surface normal. Particles that would penetrate the object when breaking
off are not released from the object. Available only when Lock to Surface is
chosen and Break Off When Exceeds is on.

Parameters Animation group
You can animate Lock/Bond parameters. When you do, Particle Flow can
begin applying the animation to particles at different times, depending on
the settings in this group.

3302 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which theyre set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle’s existence. For example, suppose you set keys for
the Offset Limit parameter at frames 0 and 30. With the Particle Age option,
the settings for the first key would be applied to particles at birth, and the
second key would be applied 30 frames later.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
relative to the frame at which it first enters the event. Use this option when
particles are entering from another event. If particles are born in the current
event, this option has the same effect as the Particle Age option.

Uniqueness Group
These controls set randomization for the Randomly Selected and Select By
Particle Property selection conditions.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Using the Lock/Bond Test
The Lock/Bond test is a versatile tool for locking particles to objects. By
combining its controls in different ways, as described in this topic, you can
create a variety of effects.

How Lock/Bond Works
Lock/Bond has three main functions:
■

Attaching particles firmly to an object, either at the start of an animation
or as a result of a collision

■

Moving particles along or near an object's surface with a flexible attachment

■

Ejecting particles from an animated object

In setting up these effects, you will find that the four most important
parameters are Lock To Surface, Snap To Surface, Restrict To Surface, and Force.
Different settings for these parameters, along with a few other parameters and
operators, can create a variety of effects with Lock/Bond.

Particle Flow | 3303

Attaching Particles to an Object
When particles enter an event containing a Lock/Bond test with the Snap To
Surface option enabled, each particle is locked to a specific point on the
selected object's surface. This point is referred to as the particle's lock point.
If the object is animated, the lock points animate along with the object.
With Lock/Bond, particle attachment is controlled largely by the Force %
parameter in the Position Lock/Bond group. In general, when Force %=100.0,
particles stay firmly stuck to their lock points, even on an animated object.
For firm attachment, the Lock/Bond test should be the last action in the event.
If there are other operators below Lock/Bond that modify speed, then the
overall attachment might not be as firm as desired.
All parameters in the Lock/Bond test are animatable. Therefore, you can
animate Force % to lock down particles gradually or loosen them from their
locked positions.

Position Object vs. Lock/Bond
The standard Position Object operator can generate particles randomly on the
surface of an object. Position Object is useful for some types of animation,
but is limited in its functionality. The Lock/Bond test overcomes many of
these limitations, as described in the following points:
■

When an object to which particles are attached is rotated, the Position
Object operator does not rotate the particles along with it. The effects of
this limitation are not necessarily visible with tiny or round particles, but
it becomes obvious when using directional-type particle instances such as
arrows or darts. Lock/Bond rotates the particles along with the object to
which they are locked.

■

When particles are passed to a new event that has a Position Object operator
and the particles are meant to land on the object's surface, particles do not
necessarily lock to the exact spot on which they land. This is because
Position Object generates particles randomly on the surface, and they are
not "glued down" to a specific spot on a specific face or vertex. Lock/Bond
attaches each particle to a specific location on the object's surface so
particles don't drift in relation to the surface.

The Position Object operator can be useful in conjunction with the Lock/Bond
test. For example, you can use Position Object to cover an object with particles
before locking them down with Lock/Bond, as described in the following
section.

3304 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Covering an Object in Particles
To cover an object in particles, add a Position Object operator to the same
event as the Lock/Bond test. The Position Object operator places particles
randomly on the surface, while the Lock/Bond test locks or animates them
with Lock/Bond forces and parameters.
To cover the object with particles, make sure the Amount setting in the Birth
operator is high enough to create the necessary quantity of particles. The Birth
Texture operator generates complete, even coverage when using Face
subdivision.
After the object is covered in particles, you can lock them to the surface as
the object animates, make them drift over the surface, or fling them off the
object.

Locking Particles to an Animated Surface
An animated surface is one that deforms, or changes shape, over time.
Examples of animated surfaces are objects with:
■

Parameter animation

■

Sub-object animation (animated vertices or faces)

■

Morphed objects

■

Surfaces animated with skinning modifiers such as Skin and Physique

Transform animation (position, rotation, scale) at the object level is not
considered an animated surface.
Use these parameters to lock particles to an animated surface:
Parameter

Value

Lock To Surface

On

Animated Surface

On

Snap To Surface

On

Offset Limit

Off

Speed Limit

Off

Force %

100.0

Particle Flow | 3305

When Force %=100.0, particles stay firmly stuck to their lock points. The
exception is when Speed Limit is on and the object is animated. In that case,
particles stick to their lock points only if they can keep up with them without
exceeding the specified velocity (Speed Limit). If this parameter is off, there
is no distance or speed limit, and particles stay firmly stuck to their lock points.
A Force % value of 100.0, coupled with Offset Limit and Speed Limit off, forces
the particles to stay on the surface.

Moving Particles Along or Near an Object's Surface
To allow particles to move along an object's surface, Restrict To Surface must
be on and the Force % parameter in the Position Lock/Bond group must be
set to a value lower than 100.0.
Any Speed or Force operators in the event will then act on the particles to
move them along the surface. These forces are applied in such a way that they
cause the particles to oscillate with and against the force, gradually slowing
down (dampening). You can control the amount of dampening in the particles'
motion with the Dampening parameters in the Position Lock/Bond group.
When Restrict To Surface is on, all Force and Speed operators should be above
the Lock/Bond test, while Collision and Spawn tests should be below the
Lock/Bond test.

Moving Particles Along a Surface
If you want particles to drift along the surface of an object, use the following
settings:
Parameter

Value

Lock To Surface

On

Snap To Surface

On

Restrict To Surface

On

Force %

50.0 (or any value lower than 100.0)

Add Speed and Force operators to the event to make the particles move in a
particular direction. For example, you can use a Wind space warp with a Force
operator to push all the particles onto one end of the object.

3306 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Drifting Particles
Lock/Bond can also cause particles to drift slightly but always stay a short
distance from their lock points. The area around each particle's lock point is
called the central zone. Each particle has its own central zone, which extends
to a specified radius around the lock point.
Parameter

Value

Lock To Surface

On

Snap To Surface

On

Restrict To Surface

Off

Force %

50.0 (or any value lower than 100.0)

In the No Force In Central Zone group, turn on For Acceleration or For
Dampening, and set Radius to the distance around each lock point in which
the particle can freely move. The Radius setting determines the central zone.

Ejecting Particles from an Animated Object
Lock/Bond can also cause particles to be ejected, released, or flung from an
object's surface when they achieve a specific speed or acceleration.

Ejecting Particles from a Fast-Moving Object
Use this technique when particles are glued to the object's surface and have
no speed of their own, and any speed or acceleration comes from animation
of the object itself. Examples include a fast-spinning or fast-moving object,
or one with sub-object animation that moves one part of the object at a fast
speed.
Use these parameters to cause particles to break off a fast-moving object:
Parameter

Value

Lock To Surface

On

Snap To Surface

On

Restrict To Surface

Off

Force %

100.0

Particle Flow | 3307

Parameter

Value

Break Off When Exceeds

On

Under Break Off When Exceeds, choose either Speed or Acceleration, and set
the speed or acceleration where particles should break off. Use the Acceleration
method to simulate an object shaking off particles. When the object suddenly
stops shaking the particles will fly off the object.
Particles that break off pass the Lock/Bond test and can be passed to another
event. Use a Force operator in the next event to specify how the particles will
behave after they are released from the object.

Ejecting Particles When They Reach a Specific Speed
To cause particles to break off an object as they move along the surface and
achieve a specific speed of their own, use the settings described in the preceding
section Moving Particles Along a Surface, and use a Speed Test operator to test
particle speed and break to a new event.

Scale Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Scale Test in an event or add Scale Test to
the particle system and then select it.
Scale Test lets the particle system check particle scaling, or particle size before
or after scaling, and branch accordingly. The test provides a variety of axis
options for measuring scale or size.
You can use this test to cause a change in behavior based on size. For example,
a bubble could grow to a certain size, and then pop. Or an object could shrink
in size until it falls under the influence of a force, like wind.

3308 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Type Choose the type of measurement to test. You can test actual scaling, or
the size before or after scaling. Default=Scale.
For example, if the X-axis size of a particle's bounding box starts out at 10
system units, and you then use the Scale operator to scale it by 150% on the
X axis, the pre-scale size is 10, and the post-scale size is 15. And, of course,
the scale is 150.
NOTE Particle Flow measures particle size based on each particle’s bounding-box
dimensions in the particle's local coordinate space. With the low-polygon Shape
options Tetra and Sphere, the result of this measurement might not be the same
as the Shape operator’s Size value.
■

PreScale SizeTests the size before scaling.

Particle Flow | 3309

■

PostScale SizeTests the size after scaling.

■

ScaleTests the scaling percentage.

Axis Choose the axis to measure. Default=Average.
■

AverageObtains an average measurement by adding the sizes on all three
axes and then dividing by three.

■

MinimumUses the smallest dimension.

■

MedianUses the middle dimension in order of size. For example, if the
particle dimensions are X=5, Y=6, Z=12, then the number compared to
Test Value would be 6.

■

MaximumUses the largest dimension.

■

X/Y/ZUses the specified dimension.

Test True if Particle Value Lets you specify whether the test passes particles
on to the next event if the speed test succeeds or fails. Available for all tests
except True When Accelerates/Decelerates. Default=Is Greater Than Test Value.
By default, Scale Test returns True if the value tested for exceeds the Test Value
quantity, but you can alternatively choose Is Less Than Test Value. For example,
if you set Type to Scale and set Test Value=150 and Variation=0, and choose
Is Less Than Test Value, a particle will move to the next event only when its
scaling factor is less than 150%.

Size group
These settings are available when Type is set to PreScale Size or PostScale Size.
Test Value The specific size to test for. Default=10.0.
Variation The amount by which the value tested for can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the
Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the
result to the Test Value setting. For example, if Test Value=10 and Variation=5,
then the tested value for each particle would be between 5 and 15.

Scale group
These settings are available when Type is set to Scale.
Test Value The specific scaling factor to test for. Default=100%.

3310 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Variation The amount by which the value tested for can vary randomly.
Default=0.0%.
To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the
Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the
result to the Test Value setting. For example, if Test Value=100% and
Variation=10%, then the tested value for each particle would be between 90%
and 110%.

Test Value Offset Keying group
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Test Value and
Variation:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the test value variation.
Available only when either Variation value exceeds 0.0.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Script Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Script Test in an event or add a Script Test
operator to the particle system and then select it.
Script Test lets you test particle conditions using a MAXScript script. The script
can use any program functionality available to MAXScript.
The default test script tests for the presence of all particles within a spherical
volume of radius 20.

Particle Flow | 3311

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Edit Script Click this button to open the current script in a MAXScript Editor
window.
For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript
Help, available from Help menu ➤ MAXScript Help.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting provides a randomization seed that the script can use
or ignore.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Send Out Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Send Out in an event or add Send Out to
the particle system and then select it.
The Send Out test simply sends all particles to the next event, or, conversely,
keeps all particles in the current event. Use Send Out when you simply want
to send particles to another event without any conditions.
TIP You can temporarily convert any test to Send Out. To specify that a test should
send all particles out without any conditions, click the left side of its icon in Particle
view; the icon changes to a green light bulb to indicate that all particles
automatically test True. Or, if you click the right side of the icon, it changes to a
red light bulb, indicating that all particles test False and thus will stay in the current
event. To revert to the test's original function, click its icon again.

3312 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Test True For Lets you specify whether the test passes all particles on to the
next event or keeps them in the current event. Default=All Particles.
■

All ParticlesAll particles are passed on to the next event.

■

No ParticlesAll particles are retained in the current event.

Spawn Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Spawn in an event or add Spawn to the
particle system and then select it.
Spawn creates new particles from existing ones. Each spawned particle is born
at the same location as its parent, and has the same orientation and shape.
Spawn can give the spawned particles a different speed and scaling factor. If
you wire the Spawn test to another event, spawned particles are sent to that
event, where you can specify different properties for the new particles.
Spawn is a test only in that it sends the spawned particles to another event
(if wired); it doesn't actually test any properties. All particles that encounter
Spawn are immediately affected by it. Thus, if you want particles to spawn
based on the results of a test, use a different test that branches to an event
containing the Spawn. In such a case, you might want to then send the
spawned particles to yet another event, or the particles will continually
respawn. Alternatively, to spawn particles after a collision, use Collision Spawn
Test on page 3274.
See also:
■

Collision Spawn Test on page 3274

Particle Flow | 3313

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
In the context of Spawn, a parent is the original particle from which new
particles are spawned.

Spawn Rate And Amount group
Use these settings to specify how often particles are to spawn, the measurement
system to use, and other values related to how many particles are spawned.

3314 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Once Particles spawn one time only. For each existing particle, one new one
is born.
Delete Parent When on, deletes each original particle from which a new one
is spawned. Available only with the Once option.
Per Second Lets you specify a number of particles to spawn every second. For
example, if you use the default Rate setting of 10.0, at 30 fps a new particle is
born every three frames.
Rate The number of particles to spawn per second. Available only with the
Per Second option.
By Travel Distance Lets you spawn new particles at regular intervals over the
path of a moving parent particle.
Step Size The system spawns a new particle every time the parent moves this
distance, in system units.
Spawnable The percentage of particles in the current event that will spawn
new particles. This is determined once for each particle, when it enters the
event. However, the parameter is animatable. Default=100.0.
For values other than 100.0, Spawnable uses a randomized selection process,
which is affected by the Uniqueness Seed value. For example, with five parent
particles, Offspring #=1, and Spawnable=80.0, you might get any number of
spawned particles between two and five. The average per spawning would be
four, however.
Offspring # The number of new particles the system creates from each parent
particle for each spawning event. Default=1.
Variation The amount by which the Offspring # value can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the
Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then applies
the result as a percentage of the Offspring # setting. For example, if Offspring
#=20 and Variation=10, then the actual number of offspring for each particle
would be between 18 and 22.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Rate, Step Size,
Offspring #, and Variation:
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

Particle Flow | 3315

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

_____
Restart Particle Age When on, sets the age of each newly spawned particle
at 0. When off, each spawned particle inherits its parent's age. Default=on.

Speed group
Lets you specify the speed of spawned particles in absolute terms or relative
to the parents' speed, with optional random variation. The direction of a
spawned particle is always in relation to that of its parent, but you can set a
Divergence so they eventually spread out. Default=Inherited.
In Units Choose this to specify the speed of spawned particles in system units
per second. Default=100.0.
A positive value inherits the parent's direction; a negative value reverses it.
Inherited Choose this to specify each spawned particle's speed as a percentage
of its parent's speed. Default=100.0
A positive value inherits the parent's direction; a negative value reverses it.
Variation The amount by which a spawned particle's speed can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual speed for each spawned particle, the system multiplies
the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds
the result to the particle's speed as specified or inherited. For example, if a
particle's speed is 100 units/second and Variation=20, then the tested value
for each particle would be between 80 and 120 units/second.
Divergence When on, spreads out the stream of spawned particles. Use the
numeric setting to define the extent of the divergence in degrees. Range=0 to
180. Default=20.0.

Size group
Scale Factor The amount of uniform scaling to apply to each spawned particle,
as a percentage of its parent's size. Default=100.0.
Variation The amount by which a spawned particle's scale can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual scaling for each spawned particle, the system multiplies
the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds
the result to the Scale Factor value. For example, if Scale Factor=100 and

3316 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Variation=20, then each spawned particle would be between 80 and 120
percent of its parent's size.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the Spawnable result, when
less than 100.0, as well as of the Variation values.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Speed Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Speed Test in an event or add Speed Test
to the particle system and then select it.
Speed Test lets the particle system check particle speed, acceleration, or the
rate of circular travel, and branch accordingly. The test provides a number of
variants that let you test speed or acceleration on specific axes, or simply
whether the particle is accelerating or decelerating.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Particle Flow | 3317

The first interface element is a drop-down list that lets you choose the type
of measurement to test:
■

Velocity MagnitudeTests the particle velocity, in system units per second,
without consideration of direction. This is the default test type.

■

Velocity X/Y/ZTests the particle velocity on the specified axis, in system
units per second, using the world coordinate system.
An example of this option would be with fireworks: As the particles move
upward, their velocity on the world Z axis is positive. When the reach the
top of their trajectory and begin to move downward, their velocity on the
world Z axis slows to 0, and then becomes negative. If you choose Velocity
Z and Is Less Than Test Value, and set Test Value to 0.0, you can send
particles to another event at the moment they begin to move downward.

■

Acceleration MagnitudeTests the particle acceleration (change in velocity),
in system units per second per second, without respect to direction.

■

Acceleration X/Y/ZTests the particle acceleration (change in velocity) on
the specified axis, in system units per second per second, using the world
coordinate system.

■

Steering RateTests the circular component of particle travel in degrees per
second, without consideration of rotation or spinning.
For example, if a particle travels along a parabolic path, its motion has
both linear and circular components. The circular component is greatest
at the top of the parabola. If a particle travels in a full circle in one second,
the rate is 360; if it travels in a half circle, the rate is 180.
Potential usage: When a particle is forced to turn too sharply, it might
explode or change its type of movement. For example, missiles chase a jet
fighter, which maneuvers to elude the missiles. The missiles are forced to
change their course rapidly, but the missile construction cannot stand the
fast change in steering, so the missiles blow up or disintegrate.
TIP You can test steering rate by setting the particle speed with Speed By Icon
on page 3146, and linking the Speed By Icon operator icon to a circular path.

■

True When AcceleratesReturns a True value when the particle velocity is
increasing in value.

■

True When DeceleratesReturns a True value when the particle velocity is
decreasing in value.

3318 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Test True if Particle Value Lets you specify whether the test passes particles
on to the next event if the speed test succeeds or fails. Available for all tests
except True When Accelerates/Decelerates. Default=Is Greater Than Test Value.
By default, Speed Test returns True if the value tested for exceeds the Test
Value quantity, but you can choose Is Less Than Test Value as well. For
example, if you use the Velocity Magnitude test type and set Test Value=200
and Variation=0, and choose Is Less Than Test Value, then particles will move
to the next event only when they travel faster than 200 units per second. Any
particles traveling 200 units per second or slower stay in the current event
unless they later exceed that speed or another test returns True.
Test Value The specific speed or acceleration to test for. The unit of
measurement depends on the type of test; see above. Default=300.0.
Variation The amount by which value tested for can vary randomly.
Default=0.0.
To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the
Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the
result to the Test Value setting. For example, if Test Value=300 and
Variation=10, then tested value for each particle would be between 290 and
310.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Test Value and
Variation. For further information, see Animation Offset Keying group on
page 3140.
■

Absolute TimeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames
for which they're set.

■

Particle AgeAny keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding
frames of each particle's existence.

■

Event DurationAny keys set for parameters are applied to each particle
starting when it first enters the event.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the test value variation.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Particle Flow | 3319

Split Amount Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Split Amount in an event or add Split
Amount to the particle system and then select it.
The Split Amount test lets you send a specific number of particles to the next
event, keeping all remaining particles in the current event. You can split the
particle stream by a specific number or percentage, or by every Nth particle.
With a specific number of particles, the splitting takes place once per event,
but you can animate the percentage and “every Nth” values to vary the amount
of split-off particles over time.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Test True For group
Lets you choose how to split the particle stream. Default=Fraction Of Particles,
50%.
Fraction Of Particles Split the particle stream on a percentage basis, specified
with the Ratio value. With Ratio greater than 0.0, whether a particular particle
is split off depends on a randomization factor; change this with the Uniqueness
Seed value.

3320 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Ratio Specify the percentage of particles that will test True. Animatable.
Default=50.0.
Available only with the Fraction Of Particles option.
Every Nth Particle Splits off a regular sample of particles.
N Specify how often to split off a particle. Animatable. Default=3.
For example, enter 8 to split off every eighth particle.
Available only with the Every Nth Particle option.
First N Particles Splits off the number of particles specified as the N value
(below), starting with the first particle to enter the event, and retains the rest.
Particles After N First Splits off all particles starting with the first one after
N particles, as specified with the N parameter (below). All particles starting
with the first to enter the event up to N are retained in the event.
N Specify the number of particles to split off, with First N Particles, or to retain
in the event, with Particles After N First.
Available only with the First N Particles or the Particles After N First option.
Per Emission Source When on, Particle Flow applies the N value for the
options First N Particles and Particles After N First separately for each emission
source.
Use this option with multiple Particle Flow sources converging into a single
Split Amount test.

Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of particle retention with the
Fraction Of Particles option.
Seed Specifies a randomization value.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.

Split Selected Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Split Selected in an event or add Split
Selected to the particle system and then select it.
The Split Selected test lets you split the particle stream based on particles'
selection status. For information about selecting particles, see Selection rollout
on page 3074.

Particle Flow | 3321

NOTE This test considers only particles selected at the Particle sub-object level.
To use all particles in an event at a specific frame, go to that frame, go to the Event
sub-object level, and highlight the event. Then go to the Particle sub-object level,
and on the Selection rollout, click Get From Event Level.

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Test True If Particle group
Lets you choose how to split the particle stream. Default=Is Selected.
Is Selected All selected particles are eligible for redirection to another event.
Is Not Selected All non-selected particles are eligible for redirection to another
event.

Split Source Test
Particle View on page 3049 ➤ Click Split Source in an event or add Split Source
to the particle system and then select it.
The Split Source test lets you split the particle stream based on particles' origin.
You can specify that particles from one or more specific Particle Flow sources
should or should not be eligible for redirection to the next event.

3322 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.

Test True If Particle group
Lets you choose how to split the particle stream. Default=Is From Selected
Source.
Is From Selected Source All particles from sources highlighted in the Selected
Emission Sources list are eligible for redirection to another event.
Is Not From Sel(ected) Source All particles from sources not highlighted in
the Selected Emission Sources list are eligible for redirection to another event.

_____
Selected Emission Sources Lists all emission sources in the system. Highlight
the sources to be considered by the test.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems
Create panel ➤

(Geometry) ➤ Particle Systems

Create menu ➤ Particles
Non-event-driven particle systems provide relatively simple, straightforward
methods for generating particle sub-objects over time for the purpose of
simulating snow, rain, dust, and so on. You use particle systems primarily in

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3323

animations. 3ds Max provides six built-in, non-event-driven particle systems:
Spray, Snow, Super Spray, Blizzard, PArray, and PCloud.

Fountain spray created as a particle system

TIP You can take advantage of the AutoGrid feature to orient and position new
particle systems with respect to existing objects. For details, see AutoGrid on page
2819.
See also:
■

Particle System Usage on page 3326

■

Creating a Particle Emitter on page 3327

■

Particle Flow on page 3033

3324 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Snowstorm created as a particle system

This topic describes only the general properties of particle systems. Other
plug-in particle systems might be available in your configuration.
The built-in particle systems share these controls:
Emitter Specifies where in the scene the particles are generated. The emitter
is the particle system's main sub-object. It doesn't render. Particles appear on
the surface of the emitter and fall (or drift, drop, flurry, spray) from the emitter
in a particular direction.
Timing The timing parameters control the dynamics of particles in the system.
They specify how quickly particles appear, how quickly they disappear, whether
the emission rate is constant, and so on.
Particle-specific parameters These parameters are specific to the kind of
particle system. Examples are particle size and speed.
Rendering properties These parameters are also specific to the kind of particle
system. There are options for displaying particles in viewports and rendering
them in scenes and animations. Particles do not necessarily appear the same
in renderings as they do in viewports.
You can modify and animate particle system parameters. You can also affect
particle system behavior with space warps on page 2920. In addition, you can
deform particle systems with the Mesher compound object on page 729.
NOTE Particles can participate in dynamics simulations.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3325

Particle System Usage
You create particle systems when you want to model an object or effect that
can best be described as a large collection of similar objects behaving in a
similar fashion. Obvious examples of such effects include rain and snow, but
other equally valid examples include water, smoke, ants, and even crowds of
people.
On the Create panel, click Spray, Snow, Super Spray, Blizzard, PArray, or PCloud
to create a particle system. Spray and Snow exist primarily for compatibility
with earlier releases of 3ds Max, and are superseded by Super Spray and
Blizzard.
To create a particle system, first choose Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ Spray
or Snow.
These are the basic steps for creating a particle system:
1 Create a particle emitter. All particle systems require an emitter. Some
particle systems use the particle system icon as the emitter while others
use an object you select from the scene as the emitter.
2 Determine the number of particles. You set parameters such as birth rate
and life span to control how many particles can exist at any given time.
3 Set particle shape and size. You can select from many standard particle
types (including metaballs) or you can select an object to be emitted as
a particle.
4 Set initial particle motion. You can set the speed, direction, rotation, and
randomness of particles as they leave the emitter. Particles can also be
affected by animation of the emitter.
5 Modify particle motion. You can further modify the motion of particles
after they leave the emitter by binding the particle system to a space warp
in the Forces group, such as Path Follow, or make them bounce off a
deflector in the Deflectors space warp group, such as UDeflector.
IMPORTANT When you use forces and deflectors together, always bind the
forces before the deflectors.
TIP If the particles don't follow the emitter after it's moved, then change any
Path Follow parameter on page 2953. The motion will be applied to the particles.

3326 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Rain and Snow
Create rain and snow using Super Spray on page 3346 and Blizzard on page 3350.
These particle systems are optimized for droplet (Super Spray) and tumbling
flake (Blizzard) effects. Add space warps such as Wind on page 2960 to create
spring rains or winter storms.

Bubbles
Create bubbles by using the Bubble Motion options of Super Spray on page
3346. If you require good rendering speed, consider using constant or tetra
particles. If you require bubble detail, consider using opacity-mapped facing
particles, instanced spheres, or metaparticles.

Flowing Water
You generate flowing liquid effects by setting Super Spray on page 3346 to
generate closely packed metaparticles. The metaparticles blob together forming
a stream. Add a Path Follow on page 2953 space warp to send the stream down
a trough.

Explosions
Particle Array (PArray) on page 3362 uses another object as its particle emitter.
You can set the particle type to use fragments of the emitter object to simulate
the object exploding.

Volume Effects
Particle Cloud (PCloud) on page 3355 constrains its particles within a specified
volume. You can use Particle Cloud to generate bubbles in a glass of soda, or
bees buzzing inside a jar.

Crowds
Super Spray on page 3346, Blizzard on page 3350, Particle Array on page 3362, and
Particle Cloud on page 3355 can use instanced geometry as their particle type.
You can create a stream of ants, a flock of birds, or a cloud of dandelion seeds
using instanced geometry particles.

Creating a Particle Emitter
After you choose a particle system type to add, you create the particle system
icon in the scene. The icon serves different purposes depending on the type
of particle system.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3327

As an emitter: The icon defines the starting location and direction of the
particles. Spray, Snow, Super Spray, Blizzard, and Particle Cloud use the icon
as the particle emitter.
As a placeholder: The icon serves only to hold the parameters for the particle
system. The particles are emitted from another selected object. Particle Array
and Particle Cloud use the icon as a placeholder.
You can choose whether Particle Cloud uses its icon or another selected object
as the emitter.

Procedures
To create emitter icons:
■

Drag in a viewport to set the size and orientation of the particle emitter
icon for Spray, Snow, Super Spray, Blizzard, and Particle Cloud.
Spray, Snow, Blizzard, and Particle Cloud use the icon size as the area of
particle emission. Super Spray emits particles from its center regardless of
its icon size.
All particle systems align the particle direction with the Z axis of the
creation grid.

To create placeholder icons:
1 Drag in a viewport to set the size of the placeholder icon for Particle Array
and Particle Cloud.
The size and location of the particle system icon has no effect on the
particles.
2 After placing the particle system icon, click Pick Object on the Basic
Parameters rollout to select the object to use as the particle emitter.

Using Materials with Particle Array
There are a few different options for applying a material to a particle system.
The material that appears on the particles comes from one of three places:
■

The particle system itself

■

The material assigned to the distribution object (PArray only)

■

The material assigned to the instanced objects

3328 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3329

Particles with various materials assigned to them

You make this choice in the Material Mapping and Source group near the
bottom of the Particle Type rollout. Choose Icon to use the material assigned
to the particle system, choose Picked Emitter to use the material assigned to
the distribution object, or choose Instanced Geometry to use the material
assigned to the instanced objects. Note that this third option is available only
when Instanced Geometry is the current particle type (selected in the Particle
Types group at the top of the Particle Type rollout).
NOTE SuperSpray and Blizzard don't have distribution objects. PCloud has a
distribution object but you can't get the material from it. In these cases, a radio
button lets you use the material from the instanced geometry. Only PArray lets
you get the material from the distribution object.
IMPORTANT A particle-system object, like any other object, can carry only a single
material at any time. Thus, if you choose either Picked Emitter or Instanced
Geometry, an instance of the chosen material is actually copied to the particle
system, overwriting the material assigned to the emitter. If you want to restore
the emitter material, choose Icon, and then reassign the material from the Material
Editor or the Browser.
No matter what choice you make, if the material used is not mapped, then
all particles take on the surface properties of the material, regardless of which
object is used as the source of the material.

3330 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Achieving Particle Motion Blur
Particle motion blur is actually the result of varying the opacity and the length
of particles based on their speed. To accomplish this requires coordination
between material assignment and the settings in the particle systems.
Follow these instructions:
■

Use the Particle MBlur map on page 6728 in the material that you assigned
to the particles. For best results, assign it as an opacity map.

■

Make sure that the particle system, PArray, PCloud, and Super Spray, or
Spray, supports the Particle MBlur map.

■

Choose Rotation and Collision rollout ➤ Spin Axis Controls group ➤
Direction of Travel/Mblur option.

■

In this same group, set the Stretch spinner greater than 0 to stretch the
particles as a percent of their length based on the particle Speed setting.

■

Use the correct type of particle. MBlur works on all particle types except
Constant and Facing.
NOTE Instanced objects with multi/sub-object materials cannot be image
motion blurred.

Using Mapped Materials with Particle Systems
Mapped materials affect particles differently, depending on the source of the
material.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3331

Particles with a diffuse-mapped material

When you choose Icon, the mapping coordinates of the material are applied
across the V (vertical) axis, from V=0 (the bottom edge of the map) to V=1
(the top edge of the map). The bottom edge of the map is applied at the birth
of the particle, and the top edge at either the death of the particle (if Time is
on) or the distance of the particle at its death (if Distance is on).
The Time spinner specifies the number of frames from birth that it takes to
complete one mapping of a particle. Thus, if set to 15, the particle uses the
bottom edge of the map at its birth, and moves through to the top edge of
the map at frame 15.
The Distance spinner specifies the distance, in units, from birth that it takes
to complete one mapping of a particle. Thus, if set to 50, as the particle moves
along the normal vector, it displays the bottom edge of the map at birth, and
the top edge at 50 units along the normal vector.
The one exception to this is when you use the Tetra particle type. In this case,
each particle is always constantly mapped with V=0 at the head and V=1 at
the tail.
When you choose Picked Emitter, the particles take on the color of the object
at the point at which they're created. If the mapped surface is yellow where
the particle emerges, then the particle is yellow.
Again, Tetra particles are an exception and the distribution-object material is
mapped from head to tail.

3332 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Fragment particles use the same technique, with additional options when the
Thickness setting is greater than 0.
When Thickness is 0, all faces in the fragment are mapped the same as the
portion of the object surface from which they're derived.
When Thickness is greater than 0, the outer faces of the fragment copy the
surface of the distribution object, and are assigned the material ID specified
in the Outside ID spinner in the Particle Type rollout ➤ Fragment Materials
group. The thickness edges use the Edge ID number, and the inner faces use
Backside ID. Thus, by assigning a multi/sub-object material to the object-based
emitter, you can specify a different material for the outer fragment surfaces,
the edges, and the inner surfaces. Note that the Outside ID spinner defaults
to a value of 0, which means "use whatever material is currently assigned."
Change this to a specific sub-material number to assign a sub-material to the
outside edges of the fragments.

Using Multi/Sub-Object Materials with Particle Systems
If the assigned material is a Multi/Sub-Object material, the source of the
material affects how particles are rendered.
■

Icon: In most cases, each particle, at its birth, is assigned a different
sub-material, cycling through each available sub-material. For example, if
there are only three sub-materials, the first particle receives sub-material
#1, the second #2, the third #3, the fourth #1, and so on. The exceptions
to this are as follows:

■

MetaParticles use only the first sub-material.

■

Object fragments are born at once, so all of them use only the first
sub-material.

■

Picked Emitter: When used with object fragments as particles, each particle
uses the three ID numbers in the Fragment Materials group. If this source
is used with the other particle types, the particles are assigned sub-materials
in the same way as when Icon is chosen.

■

Instanced Geometry: When used with Instanced Geometry particles, each
particle is assigned a sub-material in exactly the same way as the source
object, so each particle looks just like the source object. When used with
other particle types, the particles are assigned sub-materials in the same
way as when Icon is chosen.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3333

NOTE Instanced objects with Multi/Sub-Object materials cannot be image
motion blurred.

Particles with a Multi/Sub-Object material

Using Spawned Particles
The examples in this topic demonstrate a very simple spawning using the
Super Spray particle system.
Example: Setting up the particle system:
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a pyramid that's 5 units in all
dimensions.
2 Create a cylinder with a radius and height of 3, and 6 sides.
3 In the center of the Perspective viewport, create a Super Spray emitter.
4 Set Speed in the Particle Motion group (Particle Generation rollout) to
3.0.
5 On the Particle Type rollout, choose Instanced Geometry, then in the
Instancing Parameters group click Pick Object, and select the pyramid.
6 In the Viewport Display group of the Basic Parameters rollout, choose
Mesh and set the Percentage of Particles to 100.

3334 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

7 On the Particle Generation rollout, choose Use Rate, and set the spinner
to 1.
8 Set Emit Start and Emit Stop to 0, set Display Until to 100, set Life to 10,
and leave Variation at 0.
9 Under Particle Size, set Grow For and Fade For to 0.
10 Drag the time slider between frames 0 and 15.
A single pyramid particle emerges from the emitter, moves up, and then
dies and disappears at frame 10.
Example: Adding spawning effects:
1 On the Particle Spawn rollout, choose Spawn on Death.
2 Leave Spawns spinner at 1, and set the Multiplier to 2.
3 Set the Direction Chaos spinner to 50.
4 Drag the time slider slowly over frames 8 to 25 (approximately).
At frame 10, two pyramids appear at the death of the original particle
(because of the Multiplier setting), and move off in different directions
(because of the Direction Chaos setting). All particles die after frame 20
because only one generation of spawned particles is specified.
5 Set Spawns to 4, and the Multiplier to 4.
6 Drag the time slider over frames 8 to 50.
With each spawned generation the particles increase exponentially.
Example: To mutate the objects:

1 In the Object Mutation Queue group, click Pick Object, and then
select the cylinder.
The name of the cylinder appears in the list window.
2 Click Pick Object and click the pyramid. Then click Pick Object again,
and click the cylinder. Your list now reads: Cylinder01, Pyramid01,
Cylinder01.
3 Drag the time slider over frames 0 to 50.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3335

The pyramid appears over frames 0 to 10, then changes to four cylinders
at frame 11, then 16 pyramids at the next spawning, and so on.

Using Interparticle Collision
You can set up particles to detect collisions with each other. This can be useful
when the particles are meant to model solid objects such as marbles.

Particles colliding and then rebounding

Procedures
Example: To create particles that collide with each other:
1 Create a Super Spray particle emitter, and place a Deflector space warp
on page 2994 a short distance from it with the surface of the deflector
perpendicular to the stream of the particles. Bind the deflector to the
Super Spray.
2 Set the Super Spray values as follows:
■

Off Axis: 1, Spread: 1, Off Plane: 180, Spread: 180

3336 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

■

Mesh: chosen, Percent of Particles: 100

■

Particle Quantity: Use Rate chosen and set to: 1

■

Speed: 3, Variation: 100%

■

Emit Start: 0, Emit Stop: 5, Display Until: 100, Life: 100

■

Size: 4.0, Grow For: 0, Fade For: 0

■

Particle Type: Sphere

3 Drag the time slider so you can see the particle spheres bounce off the
deflector. Note that the rebounding particles move through each other.
4 On the Rotation & Collision rollout, turn on Enable in the Interparticle
Collisions group. View the animation again. This time, the particles
bounce off each other.
TIP InterParticle Collisions, Deflector Binding, and Bubble Noise do not get
along well together. Particles may leak through the deflector when these
three are used together. Instead of bubble motion use animated mapping.
Use facing particles with an animated map of a bubble, where the bubble is
smaller than the map size. The bubble is animated moving around the map.
This simulates bubble motion at the map level.

Spray Particle System
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Spray
Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ Spray
Spray simulates water drops such as rain, a fountain, the spray from a garden
hose, and so on.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3337

Kinds of Spray

NOTE SuperSpray on page 3346 is a more powerful and advanced version of Spray.
It provides all the functionality of Spray, plus additional features.
TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow
space warp on page 2953.

Procedures
To create spray:

1 On the
Create panel, make sure
(Geometry) is active and
Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click Spray.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the Spray emitter; see Creating a Particle
Emitter on page 3327.
The emitter's direction vector points in the negative Z direction of the
active construction plane. For example, if you create the emitter in the
Top viewport, the particles will move downward in the Front and Left
viewports.

3338 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particles group
Viewport Count Maximum number of particles displayed in viewports at any
given frame.
TIP Setting the viewport count less than the render count can improve viewport
performance.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3339

Render Count Maximum number of particles that can appear in a single
frame when you render it. Works in combination with the particle system's
timing parameters.
■

When the number of particles reaches the Render Count value, particle
creation is suspended until some particles die.

■

When enough particles die, particle creation resumes until Render Count
is reached again.

Drop Size Size of a particle in the active units.
Speed Initial velocity of each particle as it leaves the emitter. Particles travel
at this speed unless they are affected by a particle system space warp.
Variation Varies the initial speed and direction of particles. The greater the
Variation, the stronger and broader the spray.
Drops, Dots, or Ticks Choose how particles are displayed in viewports. The
display setting does not affect how particles are rendered. Drops are streaks
that appear like raindrops, dots are points, ticks are small plus signs.

Render group
Tetrahedron Particles are rendered as long tetrahedrons, with the length you
specify in the Drop Size parameter. Tetrahedron is the default setting for
rendering. It provides a basic simulation of water drops.
Facing Particles are rendered as square faces whose width and height equals
the Drop Size. Facing particles always face the camera (or the user's perspective).
They are provided especially for use with material maps. Use with an
appropriate opacity map for bubbles or snowflakes.
NOTE Facing works correctly only in a perspective or camera view.

Timing group
Timing parameters control the "birth and death" rates of emitted particles.
At the bottom of the Timing group is a line that displays the maximum
sustainable rate. This value is based on the Render Count and the lifetime of
each particle. To be precise:
maximum sustainable rate=Render Count/Life
Because the number of particles in a frame never exceeds Render Count, if
the Birth Rate exceeds the maximum rate, the system will run out of particles,

3340 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

pause until some die off, and then start again, generating particles in bursts
or spurts.
Start Number of the first frame where particles appear.
Life The lifetime of each particle, in number of frames.
Birth Rate The number of new particles born per frame.
If this is less than or equal to the maximum sustainable rate, the particle
system generates an even flow of particles. If it is greater than the maximum
rate, the particle system generates particles in bursts.
You can animate the Birth Rate parameter.
Constant When on, Birth Rate is unavailable and the birth rate used equals
the maximum sustainable rate. When off, Birth Rate is available. Default=on.
Turning Constant off does not mean that the birth rate varies automatically;
the birth rate remains constant unless you animate the Birth Rate parameter.

Emitter group
The emitter specifies the area where particles appear in the scene. It has a
geometry you can display in viewports, but it isn't renderable.
The emitter is displayed as a rectangle with a vector pointing out of one side.
The vector shows the direction in which the system emits particles.
Width and Length You implicitly set the initial value of these parameters
when you drag in a viewport to create the emitter. You can adjust the values
in the rollout.
The space occupied by the particle system at any given time is the result of a
combination of its initial parameters (such as size of the emitter, and speed
and variation of emission) and any space warps that have been applied.
Hide Turn on to hide the emitter in viewports. When Hide is off, the emitter
is displayed in viewports. The emitter is never rendered. Default=off.

Snow Particle System
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Snow
Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ Snow

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3341

Snow simulates falling snow or confetti. The snow system is similar to Spray,
but it has additional parameters to generate tumbling snowflakes, and its
rendering options are different.

Kinds of Snow

NOTE Blizzard on page 3350 is a more powerful and advanced version of Snow. It
provides all the functionality of Snow, plus additional features.
TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow
space warp on page 2953.

Procedures
To create snow:

1 On the
Create panel, make sure
(Geometry) is active and
Particle Systems is selected from the object category drop-down list, then
click Snow.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the Snow emitter; see Creating a Particle
Emitter on page 3327.
The emitter's direction vector points in the negative Z direction of the
active construction plane.

3342 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Particles group
Viewport Count Maximum number of particles displayed in viewports at any
given frame.
TIP Setting the viewport count less than the render count can improve viewport
performance.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3343

Render Count Maximum number of particles that can appear in a single
frame when you render it. Works in combination with the particle system's
timing parameters.
■

When the number of particles reaches the Render Count value, particle
creation is suspended until some particles die.

■

When enough particles die, particle creation resumes until Render Count
is reached again.

Flake Size Size of a particle in the active units.
Speed Initial velocity of each particle as it leaves the emitter. Particles travel
at this speed unless they are affected by a particle system space warp.
Variation Varies the initial speed and direction of particles. The greater the
Variation, the broader the area of snowfall.
Tumble Amount of random rotation for snowflake particles. This parameter
can range from 0 to 1. At 0, flakes do not rotate; at 1, they rotate the most.
The axis of rotation is generated randomly for each particle.
Tumble Rate Speed at which snowflakes rotate. The greater the Tumble Rate,
the faster the rotation.
Flakes, Dots, or Ticks Select how particles are displayed in viewports. The
display setting does not affect how particles are rendered. Flakes are star-shaped
snowflakes, dots are points, ticks are small plus signs.

Render group
Six Point Each particle is rendered as a six-pointed star. Each side of the star
is a face to which you can assign a material. This is the default setting for
rendering.
Triangle Each particle is rendered as a triangle. Only one side of the triangle
is a face to which you can assign a material.
Facing Particles are rendered as square faces whose width and height equals
the Drop Size. Facing particles always face the camera (or the user's perspective).
They are provided especially for use with material maps. Use with an
appropriate opacity map for bubbles or snowflakes.
NOTE Facing works correctly only in a perspective or camera view.

Timing group
Timing parameters control the "birth and death" rates of emitted particles.

3344 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

At the bottom of the Timing group is a line that displays the maximum
sustainable rate. This value is based on the Render Count and the lifetime of
each particle. To be precise:
maximum sustainable rate=Render Count/Life
Because the number of particles in a frame never exceeds Render Count, if
the Birth Rate exceeds the maximum rate, the system will run out of particles,
pause until some die off, and then start again, generating bursts or spurts of
particles.
Start Number of the first frame where particles appear.
Life The lifetime of a particle, in number of frames.
Birth Rate The number of new particles born per frame.
If this is less than or equal to the maximum sustainable rate, the particle
system generates an even flow of particles. If it is greater than the maximum
rate, the particle system generates particles in bursts.
You can animate the Birth Rate parameter.
Constant When on, Birth Rate is unavailable and the birth rate used equals
the maximum sustainable rate. When off, Birth Rate is available. Default=on.
Turning Constant off does not mean that the birth rate varies automatically;
the birth rate remains constant unless you animate the Birth Rate parameter.

Emitter Group
The emitter specifies the area where particles appear in the scene. It has a
geometry you can display in viewports, but it isn't renderable.
The emitter is displayed as a rectangle with a vector pointing out of one side.
The vector shows the direction in which the system emits particles.
You set emitter parameters in the Emitter group of the particle system's
Parameters rollout.
Width and Length You implicitly set the initial value of these parameters
when you drag in a viewport to create the emitter. You can adjust the values
in the rollout.
The space occupied by the particle system at any given time is the result of a
combination of its initial parameters (size of the emitter, and speed and
variation of emission) and any space warps that have been applied.
Hide Turn on to hide the emitter in viewports. When off, the emitter is
displayed in viewports. The emitter is never rendered. Default=off.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3345

Super Spray Particle System
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Super Spray
Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ Super Spray
Super Spray emits a controlled spray of particles. This particle system is like
the simple Spray particle system with the added power provided by all the
newer particle systems.

3346 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow
space warp on page 2953.

Super Spray viewport icon (emitter)

Particles emerging from a super spray system

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3347

Procedures
To create a super spray particle system:

1 On the
Create panel, make sure
(Geometry) is active and
Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click Super
Spray.
2 Drag in any viewport to create the Super Spray emitter icon; see Creating
a Particle Emitter on page 3327.
The icon appears as an intersecting plane and circle with an arrow. The
initial direction of the spray (based on the orientation of the emitter icon
and indicated by the icon arrow) depends on the viewport in which you
create the icon. Generally, the particles spray toward you when created
in an orthographic viewport, or spray upward when created in a
Perspective viewport.
3 Adjust the various parameters to alter the spray effect.

Interface
NOTE This section describes the Particle Formation group in the Basic Parameters
rollout, and the Particle Motion group in the Particle Generation rollout. These
are the only controls unique to Super Spray. The other Super Spray rollouts and
their contents are identical with those in Particle Array, except that Object
Fragments and associated settings are not available on the Particle Type rollout.
See PArray Particle System on page 3362 for details or choose from the following
list for rollout information.
Particle Generation Rollout (PArray) on page 3369
Particle Type Rollout (PArray) on page 3373
Rotation and Collision Rollout (PArray) on page 3383
Object Motion Inheritance Rollout (PArray) on page 3386
Bubble Motion Rollout (PArray) on page 3388
Particle Spawn Rollout (PArray) on page 3389
Load/Save Presets Rollout (PArray) on page 3395

3348 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Basic Parameters rollout > Particle Formation group

These items control the direction and spread of particles.
Off Axis Affects the angle of the particle stream off the Z axis (along the plane
of the X axis).
Spread Affects the spread of the particles away from the emission vector (along
the plane of the X axis).
Off Plane Affects the angle of emission about the Z axis. This has no effect if
Off Axis is set to 0.
Spread Affects the spread of the particles about the Off Plane axis. This has
no effect if Off Axis is set to 0.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3349

Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group
Speed The speed of the particle at birth, in units per frame.
Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each
particle.

Blizzard Particle System
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Blizzard
Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ Blizzard
This is an advanced version of the original Snow particle system.

3350 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow
space warp on page 2953.

Blizzard viewport icon (emitter)

Snowflake particles in a blizzard

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3351

Procedures
To create a blizzard particle system:

1 On the
Create panel, make sure
(Geometry) is active and
Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click Blizzard.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the Blizzard emitter; see Creating a Particle
Emitter on page 3327.
The icon appears as a plane with a perpendicular line pointing in the
direction of emission.
3 Adjust the various parameters on the command panel.

Interface
This section describes the Display Icon group in the Basic Parameters rollout,
the Particle Motion group in the Particle Generation rollout, and the Material
Mapping and Source group in the Particle Type rollout. These are the only
controls unique to Blizzard. The other Blizzard rollouts and their contents are
identical with those in Particle Array, except that Object Fragments and
associated settings are not available on the Particle Type rollout. See PArray
on page 3362 for details or choose from the following list for rollout information.
Particle Generation Rollout (PArray) on page 3369
Particle Type Rollout (PArray) on page 3373
Rotation and Collision Rollout (PArray) on page 3383
Object Motion Inheritance Rollout (PArray) on page 3386
Particle Spawn Rollout (PArray) on page 3389
Load/Save Presets Rollout (PArray) on page 3395

3352 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Basic Parameters rollout > Display Icon group

The emitter specifies the location where particles are generated in the scene.
It has a geometry you can display in viewports, but it isn't renderable.
The emitter is displayed as a rectangle with a vector pointing out of one side.
The vector shows the direction in which the system emits particles.
You set emitter parameters on the particle system's Basic Parameters rollout,
in the Display Icon group.
Width and Length You implicitly set the initial value of these parameters
when you drag in a viewport to create the emitter. You can adjust the values
on the rollout.
The space occupied by the particle system at any given time is the result of a
combination of its initial parameters (such as size of the emitter, and speed
and variation of emission) and any space warps that have been applied.
Emitter Hidden Hides the emitter in viewports. When off, the emitter is
displayed in viewports. The emitter is never rendered. Default=off.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3353

Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group
Specifies the number, size, and motion of particles.

Speed The speed of the particle at birth, in units per frame.
Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each
particle.

3354 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Tumble Amount of random rotation of the particles.
Tumble Rate Speed at which the particles rotate.

Particle Type rollout > Mat'l Mapping and Source group

Emitter Fit Planar Maps particles at birth, based on their point of emission
from the rectangular Blizzard emitter icon. The UV range of the mapped
material runs from 0 to 1 over the width and length of the emitter.

PCloud Particle System
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ PCloud
Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ PCloud

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3355

Use the PCloud (or Particle Cloud) particle system when you want a "cloud"
of particles that fill a specific volume. PCloud can provide a flock of birds, a
starfield, or a troupe of soldiers marching over terrain.
You can confine the particles using basic supplied volumes of a box, sphere,
or cylinder, or you can use any renderable object in the scene as a volume as
long as that object has depth. Two-dimensional objects do not work with
PCloud.
TIP There is no automatic way to hide the object chosen as the object-based
emitter. Hide it by using Hide Selected on the Display panel, or by applying a Hide
key in Track View.

PCloud viewport icon (default emitter)

3356 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

PCloud viewport icon (object-based emitter)

PCloud used to form a school of fish (each fish is a particle)

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3357

Procedures
To create a particle cloud:

1 On the
Create panel, make sure
(Geometry) is active and
Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click PCloud.
2 Drag in a viewport to create the PCloud emitter; see Creating a Particle
Emitter on page 3327.
Adding a PCloud emitter works the same way as creating a box primitive:
First drag out the length and width, then release the mouse button and
move the mouse vertically to set the height, and then click to finish.
The emitter appears with a letter "C" representing the particle cloud.
3 Adjust the various parameters on the command panel.

Interface
This section describes the Object-Based Emitter, Particle Formation, and Display
Icon groups in the Basic Parameters rollout, and the Particle Motion group in
the Particle Generation rollout. These are the only controls unique to PCloud.
The other PCloud rollouts and their contents are identical with those in Particle
Array, except that Object Fragments and associated settings are not available
on the Particle Type rollout. See PArray on page 3362 for details or choose from
the following list for rollout information.
Particle Generation Rollout (PArray) on page 3369
Particle Type Rollout (PArray) on page 3373
Rotation and Collision Rollout (PArray) on page 3383
Object Motion Inheritance Rollout (PArray) on page 3386
Bubble Motion Rollout (PArray) on page 3388
Particle Spawn Rollout (PArray) on page 3389
Load/Save Presets Rollout (PArray) on page 3395

3358 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Basic Parameters rollout

Object-Based Emitter group
This button lets you select a renderable mesh object to use as a particle emitter.
This object is used only when the Object-Based Emitter option is chosen in
the Particle Formation group.
Pick Object Click this, and then select a renderable mesh object to be used
as a custom emitter.
Object Displays the name of the picked object.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3359

Particle Formation group
These options let you specify the shape of the emitter.
Box Emitter Chooses a box-shaped emitter.
Sphere Emitter Chooses a sphere-shaped emitter.
Cylinder Emitter Chooses a cylindrical emitter.
Object-Based Emitter Chooses the object selected in the Object-Based Emitter
group.
NOTE With regard to animation of the object-based emitter, the particles will
properly fill a deformed object at frame 0, but they can't stay with the emitter
while it's moving. If the emitter moves in a straight line, this can give the
appearance of the cloud moving with the emitter.

Display Icon group
These options let you adjust the dimensions of the emitter icon when a custom
object is not used as an emitter. When a custom object is used you can still
resize the "Fill" icon using these options.
Rad/Len Adjusts the radius of a spherical or cylindrical icon, and the length
of a box icon.
Width Sets the width of a box emitter.
Height Sets the height of a box or cylindrical emitter.
Emitter Hidden Hides the emitter.

3360 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group

Speed The speed of the particle at birth along the normal, in units per frame.
NOTE For the correct volume effect, Speed should be set to 0.
Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each
particle.
Random Direction One of three options that affect the direction of the
particles. This option emits particles in random directions.
Direction Vector Specifies the direction of the particles by a vector defined
by the three X, Y, and Z spinners.
X/Y/Z Displays the particle direction vectors.
Reference Object Emits particles in the direction of the local Z axis of a
specified object.
Object Displays the name of the picked object.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3361

Pick Object Click this, and then select an object in the scene to use as a
reference object. This button is available only when you choose Reference
Object.
Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the direction when you choose
either the Direction Vector or Reference Object option. This spinner is
unavailable and has no effect when you choose Random Direction.

PArray Particle System
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ PArray
Create menu ➤ Particles ➤ PArray
The PArray (Particle Array) particle system can distribute particles on a
geometric object. You can also use it to create sophisticated object explosions.
TIP A good way to create explosions with PArray is to set the particle type to
Object Fragments and then apply a PBomb space warp on page 2947.
When you use PArray to emit particles using a selected geometric object as
the emitter template (or pattern) for the emission, the object is referred to as
the distribution object.

3362 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Basket used as a distribution object for random particles over its surface

How particles can be distributed on an object:
Left: Edges

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3363

Center: Vertices
Right: Faces

See also:
■

Particle System Usage on page 3326

■

Using Materials with Particle Array on page 3328

■

Achieving Particle Motion Blur on page 3331

■

Using Mapped Materials with Particle Systems on page 3331

■

Using Multi/Sub-Object Materials with Particle Systems on page 3333

■

Using Spawned Particles on page 3334

■

Using Interparticle Collision on page 3336

Procedures
To set up a particle array:
1 Create an object that will become the distribution object, providing the
emitter pattern (or exploded object) for the particle array.

2 On the
Create panel, make sure
(Geometry) is active and
Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click PArray.
3 Drag anywhere in a viewport to create the particle-system object; see
Creating a Particle Emitter on page 3327.
4 On the Basic Parameters rollout, click Pick Object, and then click the
object to use as the distribution object.
5 Adjust the various options in the Particle Array rollouts to achieve the
effect you want.
The distribution object can be any object containing renderable faces.
The particle-system object does not appear in the rendered scene. Its
placement, orientation or size in the scene has no influence on the particle
effect. To access the Particle Array parameters after creation, open the
Modify panel and select the particle-system object (or click any visible
particles in the viewport). To transform or otherwise modify the
distribution object, select the distribution object itself.

3364 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Also, you can share a single distribution object among more than one
particle-system object. The distribution object merely provides the
template for the particles, which are actually generated by the particle
system.
Example: To assign three different mapped materials to fragments:
1 Apply mapping coordinates to the distribution object, either by turning
on Generate Mapping Coords, if necessary, or by applying a UVW Map
modifier on page 1883.
2 Assign a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542 to the distribution object.
3 Set up the first three sub-materials to be mapped materials.

4

Select the PArray icon.

5 On the Particle Type rollout in the Mat'l Mapping And Source group,
choose Picked Emitter.
6 In the Particle Type rollout ➤ Particle Types group, turn on Object
Fragments.
7 Make sure the three spinners in the Fragment Materials group are set to
1, 2, and 3, respectively (or match the numbers with the sub-materials
you've assigned in your multi/sub-object material).
TIP Using a complex distribution object for object-fragment particles can
really slow down viewport interaction. You can use a simple stand-in object
as the distribution object, and then later use the File/Replace command to
replace the distribution object with a more complex object of the same name.

Basic Parameters Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Parray ➤ Basic Parameters
rollout
The items on the Basic Parameters rollout let you create and adjust the size of
the particle system, and pick the distribution object. In addition, they let you

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3365

specify the initial distribution of the particles in relation to the geometry of
the distribution object, and the initial velocity of the particles from the
distribution object. From here, you can also specify how the particles appear
in the viewport.

Interface

Object-Based Emitter group
Pick Object After you create the particle-system object, the Pick Object button
becomes available. Click this button, and then click to select an object in your
scene. The selected object becomes the object-based emitter, and is used either

3366 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

as the source geometry over which particles form, or the source geometry used
to create particles that appear to be fragments of the object.
Object text field Displays the name of the picked object.

Particle Formation group
These options determine how standard particles are initially distributed over
the surface of the object-based emitter. These controls are available only when
the picked object is used as a distribution grid for standard particles,
MetaParticles, or instanced geometry; see Particle Type rollout on page 3373.
When Object Fragments is chosen in the Particle Type rollout, these controls
are unavailable.
Over Entire Surface Emits particles randomly over the entire surface of the
object-based emitter. This is the default choice.
Along Visible Edges Emits particles randomly from the visible edges of the
object.
At All Vertices Emits particles from the vertices of the object.
At Distinct Points Places a specified number of emitter points randomly over
the surface of the object.
Total Specifies the number of emitter points used when At Distinct Points is
chosen.
At Face Centers Emits particles from the center of each triangular face.
Use Selected SubObjects With mesh-based emitters, and to a limited extent
with patch-based emitters, limits the source of the particle stream to the
sub-object selection passed up the modifier stack in the object-based emitter.
For example, if your emitter object is a cylinder converted to an editable mesh,
and the top cap of that cylinder is selected at the Face or Polygon sub-object
level, if Use Selected SubObjects is on and Particle Formation group ➤ At
Face Centers is on, the particles will stream only from the top cap of the
cylinder. Default=off.
The type of particle formation you specify determines the type of sub-object
geometry used, as follows:
■

Over Entire SurfaceFaces

■

Along Visible EdgesEdges

■

At All VerticesVertices

■

At Distinct PointsFaces

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3367

■

At Face CentersFaces
If you’ve converted your object to an editable mesh, and selected different
sub-object sections of it with vertex, edge, and face selection, as you switch
particle formation options, you’ll see the particles emit from different areas
of the object.
NOTE Use Selected SubObjects is applicable to patch object emitters only at
the patch and element sub-object levels, and is not applicable NURBS objects
used as emitters.
TIP You can best see the emission patterns by first setting Speed on the Particle
Generation rollout ➤ Particle Motion group to 0. Move to a frame in which
the particles appear, and then choose the various particle formation options.

Display Icon group
Adjusts the display of the particle-system icon in the viewports. (The
particle-system icon is usually called the "emitter." In this case, however, it
doesn't actually emit particles, so we're avoiding the term.)
Icon Size Sets the overall size of the icon, in units.
Icon Hidden When on, the PArray icon is hidden in the viewports. Note that
the icon does not render, in any case. Default=off.

Viewport Display group
Specifies how the particles are displayed in the viewports.
Dots Displays the particles as dots.
Ticks Displays the particles as crosses.
Mesh Displays the particles as mesh objects. This results in slower viewport
redraws.
BBox For instanced geometry only, this displays each instanced particle,
whether a single object, a hierarchy, or a group, as a bounding box.
Percentage of Particles This spinner specifies the number particles displayed
in the viewports as a percentage of the number of rendered particles.
Default=10 percent.
Set the display percentage to 100 percent if you want to see the same number
of particles as will be rendered in your scene. However, this can considerably
slow viewport display.

3368 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Particle Generation Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud ➤ Particle Generation rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
➤ Particle Generation rollout

Modify panel

Items on this rollout control when and how quickly particles form, how
particles move, and the size of the particles over time.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3369

Interface

Particle Quantity group
In this group, you can choose one of two methods by which the number of
particles is determined over time. These settings are unavailable if you set
Particle Type (in the Particle Type rollout on page 3373) to Object Fragments.

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Use Rate Specifies a fixed number of particles emitted per frame. Use the
spinner to set the number of particles formed per frame.
Use Total Specifies a total number of particles formed over the life of the
system. Use the spinner to set the number of particles formed per frame.
The life of the system, in frames, is specified by the Life spinner in the Particle
Timing group, described later in this topic.
TIP Generally, Use Rate is best for a continuous flow of particles, like a trail of pixie
dust, while Use Total is better for bursts of particles over a short period of time.

Particle Motion group
These spinners control the initial particle velocity, which is directed along
the surface, edge, or vertex normals (interpolated for each emitter point).
Speed The velocity of the particle at birth, along the normal, in units traveled
per frame.
Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each
particle.
Divergence Applies an angular degree of variation by which each particle's
velocity can vary from the emitter normal.
NOTE The initial direction for a fragment cluster is the normal of the cluster's seed
face. Clusters are created by choosing a single face (the seed face), and then
creating a cluster outward from that face, depending on the method chosen in
the Object Fragment Controls group on the Particle Type rollout.

Particle Timing group
These options specify when particle emission starts and stops, and the lifespan
of the individual particles.
Emit Start Sets the frame at which particles begin to exist in the scene.
Emit Stop Sets the last frame at which particles are emitted. This setting has
no effect if you choose the Object Fragments particle type.
Display Until Specifies the frame at which all particles will disappear,
regardless of other settings.
Life Sets the lifespan in number of frames of each particle from the frame of
creation.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3371

Variation Specifies the number of frames by which the life of each particle
can vary from the norm.
Subframe Sampling Turning on any of the three check boxes below helps
avoid particle "puffing" by sampling particles at a much higher subframe
resolution, instead of the relatively coarse frame resolution. Depending on
your needs, you can do this over time, over motion, or over rotation. "Puffing"
is the effect of emitting separate "puffs" or clusters of particles, rather than a
continuous stream. This effect is especially noticeable when the emitter is
animated.
■

Creation TimeEnables the addition of a time offset to the equations of
motion that prevents puffing in time. This setting has no effect with the
Object Fragments particle type. Default=on.

■

Emitter TranslationIf the object-based emitter is moving in space, particles
are created at integral times at positions along the geometry's path between
renderable positions. This prevents puffing in space. This setting has no
effect if Object Fragment particle type is on. Default=on.

■

Emitter RotationIf the emitter is rotating, turn this on to avoid puffing
and produce smooth spiral effects. Default=off.
IMPORTANT Each additional subframe sampling check box that you turn on
progressively increases the necessary computation. In addition, the methods
are listed in order of least amount of computation to most. Thus, Emitter
Rotation is more costly than Emitter Translation, which is more costly than
Creation Time.

Particle Size group
These spinners specify the size of the particles.
Size This animatable parameter specifies the target size for all particles in the
system, depending on the type of particle:
■

Standard ParticlesThe major dimension of the particle.

■

ConstantThe dimension, in rendered pixels, of a Constant type of particle.

■

Object FragmentsNo effect.

Variation The percentage by which the size of each particle may vary from
the norm. This is applied to the Size value. Use this parameter to get a realistic
mix of large and small particles.

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Grow For The number of frames over which the particle grows from being
very small to the Size value. The result is subject to the Size/Variation value,
since Grow For is applied after Variation. Use this parameter to simulate natural
effects such as bubbles growing as they reach the surface.
Fade For The number of frames over which the particle will shrink to 1/10th
its Size setting prior to its death. This is also applied after Variation. Use this
parameter to simulate natural effects such as sparks fading to ash.

Uniqueness group
By changing the Seed value in this spinner, you achieve different results using
otherwise identical particle settings.
New Randomly generates a new seed value.
Seed Sets a specific seed value.

Particle Type Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud ➤ Particle Type rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
➤ Particle Type rollout

Modify panel

The controls on this rollout let you specify the type of particle used and the
type of mapping performed on the particles.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3373

Left: A stream from a fountain
Right: The same stream with various types of particles

3374 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Interface

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3375

Particle Types group
These options specify one of four categories of particle type. Depending on
which option you choose, different controls become available in the lower
portion of the Particle Type rollout.
Standard Particles Uses one of several standard particle types, such as triangle,
cube, tetra, and so on.
MetaParticles Uses Metaball particles. These are particle systems in which the
individual particles blend together in blobs or streams.
Object Fragments Creates particles out of fragments of an object.
Object Fragments is available only with Particle Array. Choose it when you
want to fracture the particle emitter object and use the pieces as particles. This
option is useful for animating explosions and shattering collisions.
The fragments are created at the Emit Start frame. The Use Rate, Use Total,
Emit Stop, and Particle Size parameters are unavailable.
Instanced Geometry Generates particles that are instances of either an object,
a linked hierarchy of objects, or a group. The object is selected in the Instancing
Parameters group on the Particle Type rollout.
Choose Instanced Geometry when you want particles to be identical instances
of another object in your scene. Instanced geometry particles are extremely
effective for creating crowds, flocks, or flows of very detailed objects. Here are
a few examples:
■

Instance a red blood cell and use Super Spray to animate blood flowing in
an artery.

■

Instance a bird and use Particle Cloud to animate a flock of birds flying.

■

Instance a rock and use Particle Cloud to animate an asteroid field.
NOTE Only one type of particle can be used for the particle system. However,
you can have more than one particle array bound to a single object, and each
particle array can emit a different type of particle.
TIP Image motion blur, described in Object Properties on page 221 ➤ Motion
Blur group, is known not to work properly with instanced particles. Use object
motion blur with instanced particles, or use image motion blur with standard
particles.

3376 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Standard Particles group
When you choose Standard Particles in the Particle Types group, the options
in this group become available. Choose one of the following options to specify
the particle type:
Triangle Renders each particle as a triangle. Use Triangle particles with noise
opacity for steam or smoke.
Cube Renders each particle as a cube.
Special Each particle consists of three intersecting 2D squares. These are
effective when you use a face-map material, described in Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390, optionally along with an opacity map, to
create the effect of a three-dimensional particle.
Facing Renders each particle as a square that always faces the view. Use with
an appropriate opacity map for bubbles or snowflakes.
Constant Provides a particle that remains the same size, in pixels, specified
in the Size spinner. This size never changes, regardless of its distance from the
camera.
IMPORTANT You must render either a camera or a perspective view for Constant
particles to render correctly.
Tetra Renders each particle as a mapped tetrahedron. Use Tetra particles for
raindrops or sparks.
The default alignment of the tetra particles depends on the particle system
type and emitter setup. To specify an alignment, use controls in the Rotation
and Collision rollout on page 3383.
SixPoint Renders each particle as a six-pointed, two-dimensional star.
Sphere Renders each particle as a sphere.

MetaParticle Parameters group
When you choose the MetaParticles option in the Particle Types group, the
options in this group become available, and metaballs are used as particles.
Metaparticles take extra time to render but are very effective for spraying and
flowing liquid effects.
Tension Determines the tightness of the particles, with regard to their tendency
to blend with other particles. The higher the Tension, the harder the blobs,
and the harder it is for them to merge.
Variation Specifies the percent of variation of the Tension effect.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3377

Evaluation Coarseness Specifies how accurately the metaparticle solution is
calculated. The higher the coarseness values, the less calculation. However, if
the coarseness is too high, there may be little or no metaparticle effect at all.
Conversely, if the coarseness is set too low, the time for calculation can become
extremely long.
Render Sets the coarseness for metaparticles in the rendered scene. This option
is unavailable when Automatic Coarseness is on.
Viewport Sets the coarseness for the viewport display. This option is
unavailable when Automatic Coarseness is on.
Automatic Coarseness A general rule is to set the Coarseness value between
1/4 and 1/2 the size of the particles. When this item is on, the rendering
coarseness is automatically set, based on the size of the particles, and the
viewport coarseness is set to about twice that of the rendering coarseness.
One Connected Blob When off (the default), all particles are calculated; when
on, a shortcut algorithm is used that calculates and displays only those particles
that are adjoining or contiguous to each other.
NOTE One Connected Blob mode speeds particle calculations, but you should
use it only when your metaparticles form one connected blob, as the label indicates.
That is, all particles' blobs must be touching. For example, if you were to use One
Connected Blob on a stream of particles containing a mass of 10 contiguous
particles followed by a space, then 12 contiguous particles followed by another
space, and finally 20 contiguous particles, one of the particles will be chosen, and
only the mass connected to that particle will be displayed and rendered.
TIP When in doubt, leave this option off. If you think all your particles are
contiguous and want to save time, turn on One Connected Blob, and then display
various frames to see if everything appears.

Object Fragment Controls group
With a particle array, when you choose the Object Fragments particle type,
the items in this group become available, and the object-based emitter is
exploded into fragments, rather than being used to distribute particles.
NOTE To see the fragments in the viewports, choose Mesh in the Viewport Display
group near the bottom of the Basic Parameters rollout on page 3365.
The items in this group include a Thickness spinner, along with three option
buttons that determine how the fragments are formed.

3378 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

TIP There is no automatic way to hide the distribution object that explodes into
fragments. To create the illusion that an object is exploding, you must either set
the original object to be invisible at the start of the explosion, as described in Add
Visibility Track on page 3944, or move or scale the original object so it doesn't remain
in view.
Thickness Sets the thickness of the fragments. At 0, the fragments are
single-sided with no thickness. When greater than 0, the fragments are
extruded, at fragmentation time, by the amount specified. The outer and inner
surfaces of the fragment use identical smoothing, which is picked up from
the object-based emitter. The edges of the fragments are not smoothed.
The three options that follow specify how the object fragments.
All Faces Each face of the object becomes a particle. This results in triangular
particles.
Number of Chunks The object breaks into irregular fragments. The Minimum
spinner, below, specifies the minimum number of fragments that will appear.
The method of calculating the chunks may result in more fragments than
specified.
Minimum Determines a number of "seed" faces in the geometry. Each seed
face collects connecting faces surrounding it until all available faces are
exhausted. Any leftover faces become unique particles, thus increasing the
minimum number of fragments.
Smoothing Angle The fragments are broken based on the angles between
face normals, as specified in the Angle spinner. Generally, the higher the Angle
value, the fewer the number of fragments.
Angle Sets the amount of smoothing angle.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3379

Instancing Parameters group

3380 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

These options are used when you specify Instanced Geometry in the Particle
Types group. They let you generate each particle as an instance of either an
object, a linked hierarchy of objects, or a group.
NOTE Instanced objects can be animated, providing the animation incorporates
one or more of the following types:
■

Animation of object geometry parameters, such as a sphere's Radius setting.

■

Animation of object-space modifiers, such as the Angle setting of a Bend
modifier on page 1104.

■

Transform animation of a hierarchical object's children. Transform
animation of the top-level parent and non-hierarchical objects is not
supported. For example, if you use the toolbar Select and Rotate function
on page 852 to animate a box rotating, and then use the box as instanced
geometry with a particle system, the system will not use instanced box's
keyframed animation.

Object Displays the name of the picked object.
Pick Object Click this, and then select an object in the viewport to be used
as a particle. If you select an object that's part of a hierarchy and Use Subtree
Also is on, then the picked object and its children become a particle.
If you pick a group, all objects in the group are used as a particle.
Use Subtree Also Turn this on when you want to include the linked children
of the picked object in the particle. If the picked object is a group, all children
of the group are included. Note that you can turn this on or off at any time
to alter the particles.
Animation Offset Keying Because the instanced objects can be animated,
the options here let you specify the timing of the animations for the particles.
None Each particle duplicates the timing of the original object. As a result,
the animation of all particles will be identically timed.
Birth The firstborn particle is an instance of the current animation of the
source object at the moment of that particle's birth. Each subsequent particle
then uses the same start time for the animation. For example, if the animation
of the source object is a bend from 0 to 180 degrees, and the first particle is
born at frame 30, when the object is at 45 degrees, then that particle, and all
subsequent particles will be born starting at a bend of 45 degrees.
Random This option is the same as None when Frame Offset is set to 0.
Otherwise, each particle is born using the same animation as the source object

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3381

at the time of birth, but with a random offset of frames, based on the value
in the Frame Offset spinner.
Frame Offset Specifies an offset value from the current timing of the source
object.

Mat'l Mapping and Source group
Specifies how a mapped material affects the particles, and lets you specify the
source of the material assigned to the particles. A detailed description of how
materials affect particles is in the topic Using Mapped Materials with Particle
Systems on page 3331.
Time Specifies the number of frames from the birth of the particle that it takes
to complete one mapping of the particle.
Distance Specifies the distance, in units, from the birth of the particle that it
takes to complete one mapping of the particle.
NOTE Tetra particles are an exception. They always have their own local mapping
from head to tail, as described in the following section.
Get Material From Updates the material carried by the particle system, using
the source specified by the option buttons below this button.
IMPORTANT Remember to click Get Material From whenever you choose a
different source option button, or whenever you assign a new material to the
specified source. Only a single material (or multi/sub-object material) is carried by
the particle-system object at any time. Thus, when you change sources, you actually
overwrite the currently assigned material with an instance of the source material.
Icon The particles use the material currently assigned to the particle system
icon.
NOTE The Time and Distance options are available only when you choose this
option.
Picked Emitter The particles use the material assigned to the distribution
object.
Instanced Geometry The particles use the material assigned to the instanced
geometry. This option is available only when you choose Instanced Geometry
in the Particle Types group.

3382 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

IMPORTANT When you turn on either Picked Emitter or Instanced Geometry, an
instance of the material from the chosen source is copied to the emitter icon,
overwriting the material originally assigned to the icon. Thus, if you've assigned
a material to the particle emitter, and then switch to Picked Emitter, the material
originally assigned to the icon is replaced by an instance of the material carried
by the picked object. If you then return to the Icon option, the particle system
does not revert to the material that was assigned the icon, but retains the material
taken from the picked object.

Fragment Materials group
These spinners let you assign different material ID numbers to outside surfaces,
the edges and the back sides of fragment particles. You can then assign different
materials to the front, edge and back of the fragments by using a
multi/sub-object material.
Outside ID Specifies which face ID number is assigned to the outside faces of
the fragments. This spinner defaults to 0, which is not a valid ID number,
forcing the outside of the particle fragments to use whatever material is
currently assigned to the associated faces. Thus, if your distribution object
already has several submaterials assigned to its outer faces, these materials are
retained by using ID 0. If you want a single, specific submaterial, you can
assign it by changing the Outside ID number.
Edge ID Specifies which submaterial ID number is assigned to the edges of
the fragments.
Backside ID Specifies which submaterial ID number is assigned to the back
sides of the fragments.

Rotation and Collision Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud ➤ Rotation and Collision rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
➤ Rotation and Collision rollout

Modify panel

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3383

Particles often move at high rates of speed. In such cases, you might want to
add motion blur to the particles to enhance their motion. Also, real-world
particles typically rotate as they move, and collide with each other.
The options on this rollout affect the rotation of the particles, provide motion
blur effects, and control inter-particle collisions.

Interface

3384 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Spin Speed Controls group
Spin Time The number of frames for one rotation of a particle. If set to 0, no
rotation takes place.
Variation The percent of variation of the Spin Time.
Phase Sets the initial particle rotation, in degrees. This has no meaning for
fragments, which always begin with zero rotation.
Variation The percent of variation of the Phase.

Spin Axis Controls group
These options determine the spin axis for the particles, and provide a partial
method of applying motion blur to the particles.
Random The spin axis for each of the particles is random.
Direction of Travel/Mblur (Not available with the Blizzard particle system.)
Rotates the particles about a vector formed by the direction in which they're
moving. This option also lets you apply a form of motion blur to the particles
by using the Stretch spinner. For further information, see Achieving Particle
Motion Blur on page 3331.
Stretch When greater than 0, the particles stretch along the travel axis,
depending on their speed. Specifically, the Stretch value specifies the percent
of their length per each unit of the Speed setting (in the Particle Motion group).
Thus, if you set Stretch to 2 while Speed is set at 10, the particles are stretched
20 percent longer than their original size along the axis of their travel. This
spinner is available only when you choose Direction of Travel/Mblur.
NOTE For best results when using Stretch, you should also assign the Particle
MBlur map as an opacity map of the material assigned to the particle system.
User Defined Uses a vector defined in the three X, Y, and Z axis spinners.
X/Y/Z Axis Specifies the spin vector of the X, Y, or Z axis, respectively. These
spinners are available only when User Defined is chosen.
Variation The amount, in degrees, by which the spin axis of each particle
may vary from the specified X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis settings. This spinner
is available only when you choose User Defined.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3385

Interparticle Collisions group
These options enable collisions between particles, and control how the
collisions occur. Note that this involves intensive calculation, particularly
when large numbers of particles are involved.
Enable Enables inter-particle collisions in the calculation of the particle
movements.
Calc Intervals Per Frame The number of intervals per rendering interval,
during which an inter-particle collision test is conducted. The higher the value,
the more accurate the simulation, but the slower the simulation will run.
Bounce The degree to which speed is recovered after a collision.
Variation The percentage of random variation of the Bounce value, applied
to the particles.

Object Motion Inheritance Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud ➤ Object Motion Inheritance rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
➤ Object Motion Inheritance rollout

Modify panel

Each particle's position and direction of movement are determined by the
position and orientation of the emitter at the time the particle is created. If
the emitter is moving through the scene, particles are scattered along the
emitter's path.
Use these options to affect the motion of the particles by the motion of the
emitter.

Procedures
Example: To observe object motion inheritance:
1 Create a Super Spray particle system.

3386 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

2

Animate the emitter moving sideways (perpendicular to the
direction of the particle stream) between frames 1 and 15.

3

Play the animation while observing it from the Top viewport.
The emitter stops at frame 15, while the particles it has emitted up to
that point continue moving along the diagonal between the emitter's
path and that of the particles. The remaining particles move straight out
from the emitter.

4 On the Object Motion Inheritance rollout, set Influence to 50.

5

Play the animation again.
This time, only some of the particles inherit the emitter's motion, while
the rest move straight out from the emitter. Note that the latter form a
diagonal stream because each particle emerges at a subsequent point on
the emitter path.

Interface

Influence The percent of particles that inherit the motion of the object-based
emitter at the moment of particle formation. For example, when this is set at
100 (the default), all particles travel along with a moving object; when it's set
at 0, none of the particles are affected by the translation of the object and fall
behind its movement.
Multiplier Modifies the amount by which the emitter motion affects the
particle motion. This can be a positive or negative number.
Variation Provides a percentage of variation of the Multiplier value.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3387

Bubble Motion Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ SuperSpray/Parray/PCloud ➤
Bubble Motion rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
Bubble Motion rollout

Modify panel ➤

Bubble motion provides the wobbling effect you see in bubbles rising
underwater. Typically, it's used when the particles are set to rise in thin streams.
Bubble motion is similar to a waveform, and the Bubble Motion parameters
let you adjust the amplitude, period, and phase of the bubble "wave."
NOTE The bubble motion is not affected by space warps, so you can use a space
warp to control the direction of the particle flow without altering the local,
wobbling bubble effect.
TIP InterParticle Collisions, Deflector Binding, and Bubble Noise do not get along
well together. Particles may leak through the deflector when these three are used
together. Instead of bubble motion, use animated mapping. Use facing particles
with an animated map of a bubble, where the bubble is smaller than the map
size. The bubble is animated moving around the map. This simulates bubble
motion at the map level.

Interface

Amplitude The distance the particle moves off its usual velocity vector as it
travels.

3388 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Variation The percent of Amplitude variation applied to each particle.
Period The cycle time for one complete oscillation of a particle through the
bubble "wave." A recommended value might be 20 to 30 intervals.
NOTE Bubble motion is measured in time, not in rate, so a very large Period value
means the motion takes a long time to complete. Thus, there is no motion,
effectively. Period is therefore set to a very large default value so that the default
motion of this type is none.
Variation The percent of Period variation for each particle.
Phase The initial displacement of the bubble pattern along the vector.
Variation The percent of Phase variation for each particle.

Particle Spawn Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
(Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud ➤ Particle Spawn rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
➤ Particle Spawn rollout

Modify panel

The options on the Particle Spawn rollout let you specify what happens to
particles when they die, or when they collide with a particle deflector. Using
the options on this rollout, you can have particles generate additional
generations of particles upon collision or death.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3389

Interface

Particle Spawning Effects group
Choose one of these options to determine what happens to the particles at
either collision or death.

3390 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

None Uses none of the spawning controls, and the particles act as they
normally would. That is, upon collision, they either bounce or stick, depending
on Particle Bounce settings in the deflector, and on death they disappear.
Die After Collision Particles disappear when they strike a deflector to which
they're bound, such as the SDeflector.
Persist The life, in frames, that the particle will persist after the collision.
Setting this to 0 (the default) causes particles to vanish immediately after the
collision.
Variation Varies the Persist value of each particle, when Persist is greater than
0. This lets you "feather" the dying off of particle density.
Spawn on Collision Spawn effects take place upon collision with a bound
deflector.
Spawn on Death Spawn effects take place at the end of each particle's life.
Spawn Trails Particles are spawned from existing particles at each frame of
that particle's life. The Multiplier spinner specifies the number of particles
that are spawned from each particle. The base direction of the spawned particles
is opposite that of the parent's velocity. The Scale, Direction, and Speed Chaos
factors are applied to that base direction.
NOTE If the Multiplier is greater than 1, at least one of the three Chaos factors
must be greater than 0 in order to see the additional spawned particles. Otherwise,
the multiples will occupy the same space.
WARNING This option can produce many particles. For best results, begin by
setting Particle Quantity on the Particle Generation rollout to Use Rate and to 1.
Spawns The number of spawns beyond the original particle generation. For
example, if this is set to 1, and you're spawning at death, one spawning will
occur beyond the original lifespan of each particle.
Affects Specifies the percentage of particles that will spawn. Reducing this
reduces the number of particles that produce spawned particles.
Multiplier Multiplies the number of particles spawned at each spawning
event.
Variation Specifies a percentage range by which the Multiplier value will vary,
frame by frame.

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3391

Direction Chaos group
Chaos Specifies the amount by which the direction of the spawned particle
can vary from the direction of the parent particle. A setting of 0 means no
variance. A setting of 100 causes the spawned particle to travel in any random
direction. A setting of 50 causes the spawned particle to deviate from its
parent's path by up to 90 degrees.

Speed Chaos group
These options let you vary the spawned particles' speed randomly in relation
to their parents' speed.
Factor This is the range of a percentage of change in the speed of the spawned
particle relative to its parent. A value of 0 means no change.
Slow Applies the speed factor randomly to slow the speed of the spawned
particles.
Fast Randomly speeds up particles based on the speed factor.
Both Some particles speed up, while others slow down, based on the speed
factor.
Inherit Parent Velocity Spawned particles inherit the speed of their parents,
in addition to the effect of the speed factor.
Use Fixed Value Uses the Factor value as a set value, rather than as a range
applied randomly to each particle.

3392 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Scale Chaos group

These options apply random scaling to the particles.
Factor Determines a random percentage range of scaling of the spawned
particles relative to their parents, and dependent on the options below.
Down Randomly scales down spawned particles to be smaller than their
parents, based on the Factor value.
Up Randomly scales up spawned particles to be larger than their parents.
Both Scales spawned particles both larger and smaller than their parents.
Use Fixed Value Uses the Factor value as a fixed value, rather than a range
of values.

Lifespan Value Queue group
These options let you specify a list of alternative lifespan values for each
spawned generation of particles. The spawned particles use these lifespans

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3393

rather than the lifespan specified for the original particles in the Life spinner
on the Particle Generation rollout on page 3369.
List window Displays a list of lifespan values. The first value on the list is
used for the first generation of spawned particles, the next value is used for
the next generation, and so on. If there are fewer values on the list than there
are spawnings, then the last value is used repeatedly for all remaining
spawnings.
Add Adds the value in the Lifespan spinner to the list window.
Delete Deletes the currently highlighted value in the list window.
Replace Lets you replace a value in the queue with a value in the Lifespan
spinner. To use, first place a new value in the Lifespan spinner, then select
the value in the queue you want to replace, and click the Replace button.
Lifespan Use this to set a value, and then click the Add button to add the
value to the list window.

Object Mutation Queue group
The options in this group let you switch between instanced-object particles
with each spawning (as set with the Spawns spinner). These options are
available only if Instanced Geometry is the current particle type.
List window Displays a list of objects to be instanced as particles. The first
object on the list is used for the first spawning, the second for the second
spawning, and so on. If there are fewer objects on the list than there are
spawnings, then the last object on the list is used for all remaining spawnings.
Pick Click this, and then select an object in the viewport to add to the list.
Note that the type of object you use is based on the settings in the Instancing
Parameters group of the Particle Type rollout. For example, if you've turned
on Subtree in that group, you can pick object hierarchies. Likewise, if you've
picked a group, you can use groups as your spawned particles.
Delete Deletes the currently highlighted object in the list window.
Replace Replaces an object in the queue with a different object. Select an
object in the queue to enable the Replace button. Click Replace, and then pick
an object in the scene to replace the highlighted item in the queue.

3394 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Load/Save Presets Rollout (PArray)
Create panel ➤
)Geometry) ➤ Choose Particle Systems from
the drop-down list. ➤ Object Type rollout ➤
SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud ➤ Load/Save Presets rollout

Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. ➤
➤ Load/Save Presets rollout

Modify panel

These options let you store preset values that can be used in other, related
particle systems. For example, after setting parameters for a PArray and saving
it under a specific name, you can then select another PArray system, and load
the preset values into the new system.

Interface

Preset Name An editable field in which you can define a name for your
settings. Click the Save button to save the preset name.
Saved Presets Contains all the saved preset names. A number of presets are
included with 3ds Max; to see what they do, create a particle system, load a

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3395

preset, and play back the animation. Some of the presets, such as Particle
Array's Shimmer Trail, are most effective with moving particle systems.
Load Loads the preset currently highlighted in the Saved Presets list.
Alternatively, double-click the preset name in the list to load it.
Save Saves the current name in the Preset Name field and places it in the
Saved Presets window.
Delete Deletes the selected items in the Save Presets window.
NOTE Animated parameter values subsequent to frame 0 are not stored.

3396 | Chapter 12 Space Warps and Particle Systems

Animation

13

3ds Max gives you a variety of different ways to create animation, and a wealth of tools for
managing and editing animation.

A spacefighter model is animated by following a path.

See also:
■

Saving and Loading Animation on page 4141

■

Animation Layers (Layer Controller) on page 3496

■

Animation and Time Controls on page 8677

3397

■

Animation Quad Menu on page 8646

Animation Concepts and Methods
With 3ds Max, you can create 3D computer animation for a variety of
applications. You can animate characters or vehicles for computer games, or
you can animate special effects for film or broadcast . You can create animation
for serious purposes such as medical illustration or forensic presentation in
the courtroom. Whatever reason you have to animate, you'll find 3ds Max a
capable environment for achieving your goals.
The basic way to animate is quite simple. You animate the transform
parameters of any object to change its position, rotation, and scale over time.
Turning on the Auto Key on page 8679 button, then moving the time slider
places you in a state in which any changes you make will create animation
for the selected objects in the viewport.
Animation is used throughout 3ds Max. You can animate the position, rotation,
and scale of an object, and almost any parameter setting that affects an object's
shape and surface. You can link objects for hierarchical animation, using both
forward and inverse kinematics, and you can edit your animation in Track
View on page 3827.
This section discusses the basics of creating animation. It looks briefly at a
comparison between computer animation and classic hand-drawn animation,
and then describes the creation of keyframed animation.

Animation Concepts
Animation is based on a principle of human vision. If you view a series of
related still images in quick succession, you perceive them as continuous
motion. Each individual image is referred to as a frame.

3398 | Chapter 13 Animation

A frame is a single image in an animated film.

Traditional Animation Method
Historically, the main difficulty in creating animation has been the effort
required of the animator to produce a large number of frames. One minute
of animation might require between 720 and 1800 separate images, depending
on the quality of the animation. Creating images by hand is a big job. That’s
where the technique of keyframing comes in.
Most of the frames in an animation are routine, incremental changes from
the previous frame directed toward some goal. Traditional animation studios
realized they could increase the productivity of their master artists by having
them draw only the important frames, called keyframes. Assistants could then
figure out what belonged on the frames in between the keyframes. The
in-between frames were called tweens.
Once all of the keyframes and tweens were drawn, the images had to be inked
or rendered to produce the final images. Even today, production of a traditional
animation usually requires hundreds of artists to generate the thousands of
images needed.

Animation Concepts | 3399

The frames marked 1,2, and 3 are key frames. The other frames are tweens.

The 3ds Max Method
This program is your animation assistant. As the master animator, you create
the keyframes that record the beginning and end of each animated sequence.
The values at these keyframes are called keys. 3ds Max calculates the
interpolated values between each key to produce the completed animation.
3ds Max can animate just about any parameter in your scene. You can animate
modifier parameters, such as a Bend angle or a Taper amount, material
parameters, such as the color or transparency of an object, and much more.
Once you have specified your animation parameters, the renderer takes over
the job of shading and rendering each frame. The result is a high-quality
animation.

3400 | Chapter 13 Animation

The object's position at 1 and 2 are the keyframed models at different times. The
computer generates the in-between frames.

Comparing Frames and Time
Traditional animation methods, and early computer animation programs, are
rigidly locked to the concept of producing animation frame by frame. This is
okay if you always work in a single format or do not need to specify an
animated effect at a precise time.
Unfortunately, animation comes in many formats. Two of the more common
formats are film at 24 frames per second (FPS) and NTSC video on page 9238 at
30 FPS. Also, the need for accurate time-based animation versus frame-based
animation is critical as animation becomes more common for scientific and
legal presentation.

Animation Concepts | 3401

Different animation formats have differing frame rates.

3ds Max is a time-based animation program. It measures time, and stores your
animation values, with an internal precision of 1/4800 of a second. You can
configure 3ds Max to display time in a format best suited for your work,
including traditional frames format. See Time Configuration on page 8696.
Many of the examples in the following sections describe time using the frames
method for the sake of tradition and familiarity. Keep in mind that you are
really animating using a very precise time-based method, and frames aren’t
created until you instruct 3ds Max to render your animation.

Identifying Animation Tools
You can locate the basic animation tools in the following areas of the interface:

3402 | Chapter 13 Animation

Track View Provides detailed animation editing capabilities in several floating
or dockable windows. See Track View on page 3827.
Track Bar Provides quick access to keyframes and interpolation controls. Can
be expanded for function curve editing. See Track Bar on page 8659.
Motion Panel Use this panel to adjust transform controllers that affect all
position, rotation, and scale animation. See Working with Controllers on page
3421.
Hierarchy Panel Use this panel to adjust all parameters governing the linkage
of two or more objects. These include inverse kinematics parameters and pivot
point adjustments. See Hierarchy Panel on page 8801.
Time Controls Use these controls to move through time in the viewport
displays. You can move to any point in time, and play animations in the
viewports. The time controls, documented in Animation and Time Controls
on page 8677, include:
■

Time slider on page 8656

■

Auto Key button on page 8679

■

Set Key buttons on page 8682

■

Animation playback buttons on page 8691

■

Current frame field on page 8694

■

Key Mode toggle on page 8694

■

Time Configuration button on page 8696

To get started with animation, see Using Auto Key Mode on page 3403.

Using Auto Key Mode
Start creating an animation by turning on the Auto Key button, setting a
current time, and then changing something in your scene. You can change
the position, rotation, or scale of an object, or change almost any setting or
parameter.
When you make a change, a key storing the new value for the changed
parameter is created at the current time. If that key was the first animation
key created for the parameter, a second animation key is also created at time
0 to hold the parameter’s original value.

Using Auto Key Mode | 3403

Keys are not created at time 0 until you create at least one key at another time.
After that, you can move, delete, and re-create keys at time 0.
Turning Auto Key on has the following effects:
■

The Auto Key button, the time slider, and the border of the active viewport
turn red to indicate you are in animation mode.

■

Whenever you transform an object or change an animatable parameter,
3ds Max creates keys at the current frame, as indicated by the time slider
position.

To begin animating an object:

1 Click

(Auto Key) to turn it on.

2 Drag the time slider to a time other than 0.
3 Do one of the following:
■

Transform an object.

■

Change an animatable parameter.

For example, if you have a cylinder that has not been animated yet, it has no
keys. If you turn on Auto Key, and at frame 20 you rotate the cylinder 90
degrees about its Y axis, rotation keys are created at frames 0 and 20. The key
at frame 0 stores the original orientation of the cylinder, while the key at
frame 20 stores the animated orientation of 90 degrees. When you play the
animation, the cylinder rotates 90 degrees about its Y axis over 20 frames.
TIP To change the default start frame to 1, or to disable automatic start-frame
recording, use the Animation Preferences ➤ Auto Key Default Frame controls on
page 8937.

Modeling Without Animating
Just as you can animate at any time by turning Auto Key on, you can also
model at any time in your animation without creating animation keys.

3404 | Chapter 13 Animation

The results of changing an object or any other parameters with Auto Key off
varies according to whether or not the object or parameters have been
animated yet.
■

If you create a new object, or change an object parameter that has not
been animated yet, you can work at any time with Auto Key off. The
changes you make are constant through the entire animation.
For example, you might animate an object bouncing around your scene
and then decide to create pads for the object to land on. To do that, you
drag the time slider to a time when the bouncing object hits the ground,
and make sure Auto Key is off before you proceed. You can then create a
pad under the bouncing object and repeat the process at the next time
where it hits the ground. Because Auto Key is off, the frame at which you
create the pad objects does not matter. They remain present and inanimate
through the entire animation.

■

If you change an object or parameter that is already animated, while Auto
Key is off, the amount of change is applied equally across all the animation
keys.
For example, you might animate a sphere’s radius to be 15 at frame 0, 30
at frame 10, and 50 at frame 20. If you drag the time slider to frame 10,
turn Auto Key off, and increase the sphere’s radius from 30 to 40, the
change in the radius is applied to the other two keys as well. Because you
increased the radius by 10 units with Auto Key off, all radius keys are
increased by 10 units. The sphere’s radius is now 25 at frame 0, 40 at frame
10, and 60 at frame 20.
If Auto Key had been on when you changed the radius, it would have been
an animated change applied only to the key at frame 10.

Identifying What Can Be Animated
Because most parameters in 3ds Max can be animated, the easiest way to find
out if something can be animated is just to try it. Usually, if you want to
animate a parameter, it can be animated.
Sometimes you need to know in advance if you can animate a parameter. If
so, you can use Track View on page 3827. The Track View Hierarchy list displays
every parameter that can be animated. You might also need to add a controller
on page 3454 to a track before it can be animated.

Using Auto Key Mode | 3405

Using Set Key Mode
The Set Key animation method is designed for the professional character
animator who wants be able to try out poses and then commit those poses to
keyframes intentionally. It can also be used by any animator to set keys on
specific tracks of objects.
The Set Key method allows more control than the Auto Key method, because
it gives you the chance to try out ideas and discard them quickly without
having to undo work. It lets you transform objects and selectively key certain
tracks on certain objects through the use of Key Filters and Keyable tracks in
Track View.
NOTE Although the following information uses the example of animating a
character, it also applies to animating a complex mechanical assembly.

Straight-Ahead and Pose-to-Pose
Traditional animation is created one of two ways, either straight-ahead
animation or pose-to-pose animation. Straight-ahead animation is drawn
starting from the beginning and then additional frames are drawn sequentially
thereafter, moving straight ahead in time. Pose-to-pose animation is created
by drawing the important frames first (extremes and breakdowns), and then
the intervening frames are filled in later.
Once a character has been correctly drawn for a specific frame, pose-to-pose
animation requires that all the keyable tracks needs to be keyframed. This
creates a pose of the character that will not be affected if animation for the
character is edited at other points in time. If all the animatable tracks are keyed
in the extremes, the in-betweening work will not destroy any of those poses.

Set Key and Pose-to-Pose Animation
The number of objects and tracks that require keying for a character, even a
simple character, is not something that can be easily handled manually. Set
Key makes this process easier by listing all the tracks that are parts of the
character that have to be keyed when you want to fix a pose and create a
snapshot in time. Keyable tracks let you determine which tracks can be keyed,
then Key filters let you work on them selectively, placing keys on only the
tracks you want.

Differences Between Set Key and Auto Key Modes
Set Key mode differs from Auto Key in a number of ways.

3406 | Chapter 13 Animation

In Auto Key mode, the workflow is to turn on Auto Key, move to
a point in time, then transform objects or change their parameters. All changes
register as keyframes. When you turn off Auto Key mode, you no longer are
creating keys. Changes made to objects when Auto Key mode is off are applied
globally to the animation. This is referred to as Layout mode.
In Set Key mode, the workflow is similar, but the behavior is
fundamentally different. Turn on Set Key mode, then move to a point in time.
Before you transform or change object parameters, you determine the tracks
you want to set keys on using Keyable icons in Track View and Filters. Once
you know what you plan to key, you try out poses in the viewport (transform
the objects, change parameters, and so forth).

When you like what you see, click the large Set Keys button or press K
on the keyboard to set a key. If you don't do this, no keys are set.
If you move to another point in time, your changes are lost and have no effect
on your animation. For example, if you find that you have a posed character,
but at the wrong frame in time, you can hold down Shift and the right-mouse
button and drag the time slider to the correct frame without losing your pose.

Using Set Key with Inverse Kinematics
Choosing IK Parameters in Key Filters allows you to use Set Key to keyframe
inverse kinematics. This lets you set keys for IK goals and end effectors using
Set Key as well as other IK parameters such as Swivel Angle or Twist.
As always, when using Set Key, you can selectively keyframe tracks by
combining Keyable icons in Track View with Key Filters.
Set Key doesn't currently support IK/FK Enabling, so don't try to keyframe the
Enable button using the Set Key button or the keyboard shortcut. Use the
Auto Key method when you want to work with IK/FK blending.

Using Set Key with Materials
If you select Materials in Key Filters, you can use Set Key to create keys for
materials. Be forewarned that you need to use Keyable Icons to limit the tracks
which get keyed. If you simply turn on Materials and set a key, you will place
keys on every Material track, something you probably don't want to have
happen.

Using Set Key Mode | 3407

Using Set Key with Modifiers and Object Parameters
When you want to set a key on an object's parameters, and you have the
Object Parameters Key Filter selected, every parameter will receive a key, unless
you have turned off the parameter track in the Controller window of Track
View using Keyable icons. It might be easier to simply Shift+right-click the
parameter spinner to set the key.
Also make sure both Modifiers and Object Parameters are turned on in the
Filters dialog on page 3922 when you are keyframing a modifier gizmo.

Additional Set Key Tools
Additional Set Key Tools are found in the Customize User Interface dialog on
page 8837. On the Keyboard panel, choose Set Key Tools from the Category
field. Here, you can set keyboard shortcuts to clear the Set Key buffer, as well
as create keys on just a single axis for a transform.

Using Set Key with Sub-Object Animation
When using Set Key with sub-object animation, you must first assign a
controller before creating a key. Sub-objects do not have a default controller
assigned upon creation. The controller is assigned by animating at the
sub-object level.

Other Methods to Set Keys
You can also set position, rotation, and scale keys by right-clicking the Frame
Indicator of the time slider. To set keys on parameters that have spinners,
hold down the Shift key and right-click to set a key using the existing parameter
value.

Procedures
To use Set Key animation:
1 Turn on the

(Set Key).

The button turns red to show you are now in Set Key mode. In this mode,
you can try out ideas before you commit to them.
2 Open Track View (either Curve Editor or Dope Sheet).

3408 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Show Keyable).

4 Turn off all the tracks you don't want to keyframe.

The red key means the track will be keyed. If you click the red key, it
turns to a gray key, which means that track will not be keyed.
TIP You can toggle multiple tracks as keyable by using the Controller menu
➤ Keyable command.
When you are finished, minimize or close Track View.
5 Click the Key Filters button, and turn on the filters to choose the tracks
you want keyframed.

Position, Rotation, and Scale are on by default. So is IK Parameters.
You can use the Key Filters button to work on individual tracks selectively.
For example, if you are in Track View and the Rotation and Position tracks
of a character's arm are keyable, you can use the key filters to turn off the
Position filter and only work on the Rotation tracks.
6 Move the time slider to another point in time, transform your objects or
adjust parameters in the command panels to create animation.
This does not yet create keyframes.

7 Click

(Set Keys) or press K on the keyboard to set a key.

When the button turns red, it sets a key which appears on the time ruler.
The keys are color coded to reflect which tracks are being keyed.

Using Set Key Mode | 3409

If you don't click Set Keys and you move to another point in time, the
pose is lost.
TIP To move the pose to another point in time, use the right mouse button
to press and drag the time slider. This lets you move to another frame number
without losing the pose.

To animate a vertex using Set Key:
1 Create an editable spline.

2

Select a vertex.

3 Turn on

(Set Key).

4 Move the selected vertex.

5 Click

(Set Keys).

Now a controller has been assigned to the vertex. From this point forward,
you can animate.
To set a key on every keyable track of an object:

1

Select the object for which you need to set keys.

2 Turn on

(Set Key).

3 On the Key Filters dialog, click All.

3410 | Chapter 13 Animation

4 Click

(Set Keys) or press K on the keyboard.

Spinner Right-Click Menu
To open the spinner right-click menu, right-click the editable field of an
animatable parameter. This menu provides options for cutting, copying, and
pasting values, wires, and animation tracks between various object parameters.
It also allows you to show the parameter in Track View on page 3827 or in the
Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647.

Interface
With the exceptions of Undo and Select All, each of the following commands
takes effect on the parameter you right-click. It's not necessary to first click
in the value field.

Undo Reverses the effect of the last action.
Cut Removes highlighted text to be pasted elsewhere.
Copy Copies highlighted text to be pasted elsewhere.

Spinner Right-Click Menu | 3411

Paste Inserts cut or copied text into the editable field.
Delete Removes highlighted text.
Select All Highlights all text within the active editable field.
NOTE In order for Select All to work, the text cursor must be active in the field
that you right-click to open the menu. For best results, first click in the field, and
then right-click the field and choose Select All.
Copy Animation Copies the animation controller, including all animation
keys, to a buffer, which you can then assign elsewhere by pasting.
Paste Animation - Copy Assigns a copy of animation controller in the buffer
to the right-clicked field.
Paste Animation - Instance Assigns an instance on page 9195 of the copied
animation controller to the right-clicked field.
Paste Animation - Wire Opens a Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647 with
the copied parameter and the paste destination parameter selected. This is
equivalent to creating a wire parameter on page 3645 in the viewport between
two parameters.
Edit Wire Opens the Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647 expanded and
positioned to show the wire controller assigned to the selected parameter.
NOTE Edit Wire is available only if a two-way connection on page ?is currently
applied on the right-clicked parameter.
Show in Track View Opens a Track View - Curve Editor window, titled
“Selected,” expanded and positioned to show the selected parameter. This is
very useful for fast access to a particular curve or track.
Show in Parameter Wire dialog Opens a Parameter Wiring dialog expanded
and positioned to show the selected parameter.

Viewing and Copying Transform Keys
The viewports display white brackets around objects that have transform keys
at the current time. These key brackets only appear in viewports using the
wireframe shading method.
Use the Track View to view all key types. You can also see all keys for the
current selection in the track bar on page 8659.

3412 | Chapter 13 Animation

For example, suppose you animate a sphere by moving it at frame 20, and
scale and rotate it at frame 50. When you drag the time slider, white brackets
appear around the sphere at frames 50, 20, and 0, and keys appear at the same
frames in the track bar.
If you then apply a modifier such as Bend, and animate its Angle setting at
frame 40, you won't see a white bracket around the sphere at frame 40, but
track bar displays a key for the Bend animation.

Controlling Key Bracket Display

Animation panel of the Preference Settings dialog

You can control the display of key brackets using options in the Preference
Settings dialog ➤ Animation panel on page 8933.

Creating Transform Keys with the Time Slider
You can use the time slider on page 8656 to create transform keys by copying
transform values from one time to another. To specify the type of key to create
and the source and destination time for the key values, right-click the time
slider to display the Create Key dialog.

Viewing and Copying Transform Keys | 3413

You set parameters in the Create Key dialog:
Source Time Specifies the time from which transform values will be copied.
Destination Time Specifies the time where the key will be created.
Position, Rotation, Scale Determine which transform key values will be
copied to the destination time.
When you click OK, new keys for the specified transforms are created at the
destination time, using values from the source time. Keys do not have to exist
at the source frame, because the interpolated values at the frame are used.
You might find it easier to create and manipulate keys with the track bar on
page 8659.
When Auto Key mode is on, you can right-click and drag the time slider at
the same time. When you do this, the Source time uses the frame number
that you were on when you pressed the mouse button, and the Destination
time accepts the frame number that you move the time slider to.
When Set Key mode is on, you can right-click and drag the time slider to move
to another frame in time, without losing your character pose. If you find you
have posed your character on the wrong frame, simply right-click and drag
the time slider, and the pose will be copied to the new frame. Click Set keys
to set keys for the pose on the new frame.

Creating Position Lock Keys and Rotation Lock Keys
Creating a lock key creates a key with Linear interpolation. If you create the
lock key while an existing key is selected, it changes that key's interpolation
from Smooth to Linear. (Different types of interpolation are described in Bezier
Controllers on page 3462.)
You can create a lock key for position or for rotation.

3414 | Chapter 13 Animation

Lock keys are useful when you want an object to be stationary, but smooth
interpolation is causing it to "wobble" on its stationary spot.
To create a lock key:
1 From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface.
2 On the Customize User Interface dialog, click the Quads tab, and then,
from the drop-down list at the upper right of the dialog, choose
Animation.
3 Click the top-left quadrant of the four gray squares that comprise the
quad menus.
The quad turns yellow.
4 In the Action list to the left, find Create Position Lock Key. Drag it to the
window on the right below any menu item. Choose Save and click OK
to apply this and close the dialog.
5 (Optional.) Select a key.
6 Alt+right-click the object you're animating.
NOTE The Auto Key button need not be on.
7 From the quad menu that appears, choose Create Position Lock Key .
You can also create keyboard shortcuts for these two commands. Create
Position Lock Key and Create Rotation Lock Key are main user interface
shortcuts. See Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007.

Controlling Time
You create animation by changing your scene over time. You can exercise
great control over time, including: how time is measured and displayed; the
length of the active time segment (the part of the animation in which you’re
currently working); and how much time is covered by each rendered frame
of your animation.
Other time issues described in the topics that follow include how to move
through time, and how to view animation in the viewports.

Controlling Time | 3415

Choosing the Time Display Format
When you start 3ds Max, the default time display is in frames, but you can
use alternative time-display formats. For example, you might want to see time
in seconds and minutes.
You can specify different time-display formats using the Time Configuration
dialog on page 8696 ➤ Time Display group settings. When you change the
time display format, you not only change the way that time is shown in all
parts of 3ds Max, but you also change the method with which you access
time.

You can use these time display formats:

3416 | Chapter 13 Animation

Frames Displays time in whole frames.
This is the default display mode. The amount of time covered by a single frame
depends on your choice for the current frame rate. For example, in NTSC video
each frame represents 1/30th of a second.
SMPTE Displays time using the Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers format.
This is the standard time-display format for most professional animation work.
From left to right, the SMPTE format displays minutes, seconds, and frames,
delineated by colons. For example, 2:16:14 represents 2 minutes, 16 seconds,
and 14 frames.
FRAME:TICKS Displays time using frames and the 3ds Max internal time
increment, called "ticks."
There are 4,800 ticks per second, so you can actually access time intervals as
small as 1/4800 of a second.
MM:SS:TICKS Displays time in minutes (MM), seconds (SS), and ticks,
delineated by colons. For example, 2:16:2240 represents 2 minutes, 16 seconds,
and 2,240 ticks.

Setting Time Segments
The active time segment specifies a block of working time. You might think
of it as a window in time that you use to focus on a specific part of your
animation.

Specifying an Active Time Segment
You specify the active time segment by setting the Start Time and End Time
for the segment on the Time Configuration dialog on page 8696.
You can change the active time segment whenever you want without affecting
the keys you've already created. For example, if you have keys scattered over
a range of 1000 frames, you can narrow your active time segment to work
only on frames 150-300.
Changing the active time segment has the following effect:
■

Restricts the range of time you can access using the time slider on page
8656.

■

Restricts the range of time displayed when using the animation playback
buttons.

Setting Time Segments | 3417

The default setting for the active time segment runs from frames 0 to 100, but
you can set it to any range.
You can also increase the active time segment using the track bar on page 8659.

Rescaling the Active Time Segment
You use the Re-scale Time button on the Time Configuration dialog on page
8696 to change your entire animation based on the active time segment.
Use Re-scale Time as follows:
■

Scale all animation in the active time segment to fit within a new time
range.

■

Move the entire animation to a new time.

Click Re-scale Time and then enter new Start Time and End Time values on
the Re-scale Time dialog. When you click OK all the animation in the active
time segment is moved and scaled to fit the new Start Time and End Time
settings. Any animation outside the active time segment is moved to match
the new active time segment boundaries.
For example, say you have an animation from frame 0 to frame 300 and an
active time segment starting at frame 100 and ending at frame 200. Use Re-scale
Time to set the new Start Time to frame 200 and the new End Time to frame
250. Clicking OK gives you the following result:
■

Animation in the active time segment moves forward 100 frames and
shrinks to a length of 50 frames. The new active time segment is from
frames 200 to 250.

■

Animation in the frames preceding the original active time segment moves
forward 100 frames to connect to the start of the new active time segment.

■

Animation in the 100 frames after the original active time segment moves
forward 50 frames to connect to the end of the new active time segment.

You can also rescale the active time segment using the track bar on page 8659.

Moving Through Time
You can move to any time in your active time segment by using either the
time slider on page 8656, or the Current Frame field on page 8694 in the time
controls area. You can also move through time using the playback control
buttons.

3418 | Chapter 13 Animation

Using the Time Slider
The time slider shows you the current time, and lets you move to any time
in your active time segment.
To change the current time using the time slider, do one of the following:
1 Drag the time slider.
2 Click in the empty track to either side of the time slider.
3 Click the increment arrows at either end of the time slider.
When you click in the slider track, the time slider jumps to the time where
you clicked. This is a faster method of moving through time than dragging
the time slider.
The time slider displays the current time, followed by a slash (/), followed by
the total time in the active time segment. For example 25/100 means frame
25 of 100 frames. The current time also appears in the current time field. If
your scene has been animated, it’s played back in all viewports as you drag
the time slider.
You can use the < and > keys on the keyboard to advance the time slider a
frame at a time. When Key mode is on, this will advance to the next keyframe.

Moving to an Exact Time
The Current Time field always displays the current time. You can also enter
a time value and press Enter to move to that time.

Using the Time Control Buttons
You use the Time Control buttons to move forward and backward in time and
to play your animation in one or more viewports. They work like VCR controls
that you use to move through frames and to start and stop animation playback.
The Time Control buttons include four buttons for moving through time and
a center flyout for controlling animation playback:
Go To Start on page 8690
Previous Frame/Key on page 8690
Play/Stop on page 8691
Next Frame/Key on page 8693
Go To End on page 8694

Moving Through Time | 3419

They work like VCR controls that you use to move through frames and to
start and stop animation playback.

Choosing a Frame Rate and Playback Speed
The frame rate of an animation is expressed in frames per second (FPS). This
is the number of frames 3ds Max displays and renders for every second of real
time. Because 3ds Max stores your animation keys using real time using an
internal precision of 1/4800 of a second, you can change the frame rate for
your animation at any time without affecting your animation timing.
For example, if you create three seconds of animation using the NTSC video
frame rate of 30 FPS, you will have a 90-frame animation. If you later discover
you need to output to PAL video, at 25 frames per second, you can switch to
that frame rate, and your animation is now set to 75 frames of output. No
change in the timing of your animation has occurred. Only the number of
frames that 3ds Max will display and render has changed.

Setting the Frame Rate
You use the settings in the Time Configuration dialog on page 8696 ➤ Frame
Rate group to switch back and forth between frame rates at any time.
NTSC: U.S. and Japanese video standard of about 30 frames per second.
PAL: European video standard of 25 frames per second.
Film: Movie standard of 24 frames per second.
Custom: Frame rate set in the FPS parameter.

Configuring Animation Playback
You use settings in the Time Configuration dialog on page 8696 ➤ Playback
group to specify the playback speed, and the number of viewports that play
the animation.
Real Time: Animation plays at the selected playback speed, skipping frames,
if necessary, to maintain the correct speed. Turn this off and the animation
will play every frame without trying to maintain the correct speed. The
different playback speeds are also useful when using the Motion Capture utility
on page 4174.
Active Viewport Only: Animation plays only in the active viewport. Turn this
off and the animation will play in all four viewports at once.

3420 | Chapter 13 Animation

Speed: Choose one of these options to multiply the frame rate by the selected
speed.
Direction: When Real Time is off you have the option to change the direction
of the animation playback. Choosing Reverse will play the animation from
end to start. Choosing Pingpong will play the animation from start to end,
and then end to start.
Loop: When Loop is turned off, the animation will play once and stop.

Viewport Playback Speed
The ability of 3ds Max to play your animation at a specified rate depends on
many things, including the complexity of the scene, the number of objects
moving in the scene, the geometry display mode, and so on. The worst case
is a camera move in shaded mode, in which the viewport is filled with detailed
geometry. In such cases, it’s best to simplify the viewport display, using either
wireframe display or, in extreme cases, box display mode.
Naturally, it takes more computing power to display your animation in four
viewports, and playback smoothness is reduced. When Active Viewport Only
is on, you can switch active viewports during playback either by clicking the
label of an inactive viewport, or by right-clicking in an inactive viewport.

Working with Controllers
Everything you animate in 3ds Max is handled by a controller. A controller
is a plug-in that handles the storage and interpolation of all animated values.
The default controllers are:
■

Position: Position XYZ

■

Rotation: Euler XYZ

■

Scale: Bezier Scale

TIP For fast access to key info or controller parameters, double-click a controller
track name on the Motion panel or Track View hierarchy window . This productivity
enhancement can help speed your work when fine-tuning animation.
Although 3ds Max has many different types of controllers, much of the
animation is handled by the Bezier controller on page 3462. Bezier controllers
interpolate between keyframes in a smooth curve. You can adjust the key
interpolation of these interpolations through the keys on the track bar or in

Working with Controllers | 3421

Track View. This is how you can control acceleration, hesitation and other
types of motion.
The default controller for Rotation is Euler XYZ, which breaks the rotation
down into three individual Bezier Float tracks. The default controller for
Position is Position X,Y,Z. The Scale controller default is Bezier.
NOTE If you load files made in earlier versions of 3ds Max, their existing controllers
will be maintained.
WARNING Be aware that Euler rotations behave differently than TCB rotations.
If you are used to using TCB controllers, you can reassign TCB Rotation as the
controller and you will get the same behavior you are used to.
3ds Max has a specialized type of controller, called a constraint, that is
commonly used to help automate the animation process. A constraint can be
used to control an object’s position, rotation, or scale through a binding
relationship with another object.
You apply constraints and controllers using commands on the Animation
menu. When you assign a controller from this menu, a weighted list controller
is automatically applied, with the controller you've selected appearing first in
the list. The weighted list controller gives you the ability to blend controllers,
similar to a nonlinear animation system. If you assign a controller through
the Motion panel or Track View, it replaces the existing controller, rather than
creating a list controller. You can do that manually if you are working in the
Motion panel or Track View.
This section explains techniques for working with controllers. For details about
the parameters and use of each individual controller type, see Animation
Controllers on page 3454.

Understanding Controllers
Controllers are plug-ins that handle the animation tasks in 3ds Max.
Specifically, a controller can:
■

Store animation key values.

■

Store procedural animation settings.

■

Interpolate between animation key values.

3422 | Chapter 13 Animation

Most animatable parameters don't receive a controller until you animate them.
As soon as you change an animatable parameter at any frame other than 0
with the Auto Key button on, or click the parameter track to choose Curve
Editor ➤ Add Keys, 3ds Max assigns a default controller to the parameter.

Accessing Controllers
You can work directly with controllers in two different places:

■

Track View: Controllers are indicated in the Hierarchy list by the
various controller icons. Each controller has its own individual icon. Using
Track View, in either Curve Editor or Dope Sheet mode, you can view and
work with the controllers for all objects and all parameters. See Track View
on page 3827.

■

Motion panel: Contains special tools for working with transform
controllers. The Motion panel contains many of the same controller
functions as the Curve Editor, plus controls necessary for working with
special controllers such as IK Solvers. Using the Motion panel you can view
and work with the transform controllers of a single selected object. See
Motion Panel on page 8802.

Categories of Controllers
There are two main categories of controllers. These categories are easy to
identify when looking at the Track View - Curve Editor Hierarchy list.
Single-Parameter Controllers: Control animation values of a single parameter.
Regardless of whether the parameter has a single component, such as the
number of sides of a cylinder, or multiple components, such as the RGB values
of a color, the controller is handling a single parameter.
Compound Controllers: Combine or manage multiple controllers. Compound
controllers include high-level Transform controllers, such as PRS on page 3557,
the Euler XYZ Rotation controller on page 3482, the Transform Script controller
on page 3585, and the List controller on page 3528.
A compound controller appears in the Hierarchy list as a controller icon with
subordinate-level branches of other controllers.

Understanding Controllers | 3423

Controllers and Constraints
In addition to controllers, 3ds Max can animate using constraints. These items
are located in the Animation ➤ Constraints menu. The constraints include
the following: Attachment, Surface, Path, Link, Position, Orientation, and
LookAt.
When you assign a controller in the Motion panel or in Track View, you will
see these constraints appearing in the list of available controllers. You can
assign them the same as the other controllers, but they are also assignable
from the Animation ➤ Constraints submenu. For more information, see
Animation Constraints on page 3607.
NOTE If you assign a controller using the Animation ➤ Controller submenu, a
list controller is automatically applied to the object, with the selected controller
applied beneath the list controller. This is different than controllers that are applied
via the Motion panel.

Viewing Controller Types
You can view the controller type assigned to a parameter in both the Curve
Editor and in the Motion panel. Before you can view the controller types in
Track View, you must do the following:
1 On the Curve Editor toolbar, click the Filters icon. Then in the Filters
dialog ➤ Show group, turn on Controller Types.
You can then see the name of the Controller type in the Hierarchy view.

2

Assign controllers to parameters. You can do this on the Assign

Controller rollout of the
Motion panel, or through the right-click
menu in the Hierarchy list in Track View.
The Parameters mode of the Motion panel always displays the transform
controller types for the selected object.

Reading Controller Types
You can tell a lot about how a parameter is animated by looking at the
controller type.

3424 | Chapter 13 Animation

Parameter Name: Is always visible and is always to the right of the controller
icon. It tells you what is animated.
Interpolation Type: Usually follows the parameter name. It tells how animation
values are calculated. The label Diffuse: Bezier Color indicates a Diffuse color
parameter using Bezier interpolation with Color data.
Data Type: Usually follows the interpolation type. It tells what type of data
is used. The label Height: Linear Float indicates a Height parameter using
Linear interpolation with a floating point value.

Changing Controller Properties
Certain controllers, including procedural ones like Noise on page 3550, do not
use keyframes. For this type of controller, you can analyze and change your
animation by editing controller parameters by means of a Properties dialog.
The controller type determines whether or not the controller displays a
properties dialog and the type of information displayed.
Using Curve Editor you can view controller properties dialogs for multiple
tracks simultaneously. The following rules govern viewing multiple controller
properties dialogs:
■

Each track displays only one properties dialog in each Track View window.

■

When properties dialogs for multiple tracks are visible, only one dialog
can be active.

■

Properties dialogs for tracks that use keys are disabled unless keys are
selected.

Changing Controller Properties
Some controllers do not use keys, using instead a properties dialog that affects
the entire animation. Such controllers are usually parametric controllers like
Noise, or compound controllers like List.
To view controller properties in Curve Editor:
Do one of the following:
■

Highlight the label for a parametric or compound controller, right-click
the label, and then choose Properties from the shortcut menu to display
the properties dialog.
The dialog title identifies the controller type, the item or object name, and
the parameter. For example: Noise Controller:-Box01\Position

Changing Controller Properties | 3425

Double-click the label.

■

You can also view global properties for some transform controllers in the
Motion panel. The same controls described above apply.
Controller properties can also be viewed from the track bar on page 8659.
Right-click any key and choose Controller Properties.

Changing Controller Key Information
Some controllers interpolate between keys that you set on specific frames.
Such controllers are always single parameter controllers such as a Bezier Float
controller for Height or TCB for Rotation. These controllers use a Key Info
dialog that contains settings for one of more selected keys.
To view key information in the Curve Editor:
Right-click a key to display the Key Info dialog.
If more than one key is highlighted, Key Info displays common information
for all of the selected keys. Settings that contain values indicate values
common to all of the selected keys. Settings that are blank indicate values
that change from key to key.

■

Viewing key information in the Motion panel always displays the settings for
a single transform key.
To view key information for transform controllers in the Motion panel:

1

Select an object.

2 On the

Motion panel, click Parameters, if it's not already active.

3 Click Position, Rotation, or Scale on the Parameters rollout.
If the transform controller uses keys, Key Info rollouts appear below the
Parameters rollout.
To view key information for transform controllers in the track bar:

1

Select an animated object.

3426 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 Right-click any key in the track bar.
3 From the right-click menu, choose the property to inspect (e.g., Sphere01:
X Position), or, if available, choose Controller Properties.

Changing Controllers That Do Not Display Properties
Some controller types do not display any properties in Track View or the
Motion panel. You change the animation values of these controllers using
the Auto Key button in the viewports and using the tools in the Curve Editor
Keys and Curves menus, and in the track bar.

Assigning Controllers
Every parameter has a default controller type that gets assigned the moment
the parameter is animated. You can choose from multiple controller types for
any parameter and change controllers after the parameter is animated.

Assigning Controllers in Track View
You can assign controllers to any animatable parameter in the Curve Editor
by selecting controller items and then choosing Assign Controller on the
Controller menu.
You can also assign controllers to any animatable parameter in the Track View
— Curve Editor by selecting the parameter in the Hierarchy List then
right-clicking and choose Assign Controller from the quad menu.
You can also assign the same controller type to a selection of multiple
parameters as long as all the selected parameters can use the same type of
controller. For example, you could select the Length, Width, and Height
parameters for multiple Box objects and assign the same controller type to all
of them. This is because they all use controllers that work on floating point
data.
If a parameter has already been animated, then assigning a new controller has
one of the following effects:
■

The existing animation values are recalculated to produce a similar
animation with the new controller. For example, replacing TCB Position
with Bezier Position closely preserves the animation.

■

The existing animation values are discarded. For example, replacing Smooth
Rotation with Noise Rotation discards the Smooth Rotation animation
values.

Assigning Controllers | 3427

Assigning Controllers on the Motion Panel
You can assign controllers on the Motion panel on page 8802 by selecting an
object and then, on the Assign Controller rollout, choosing a controller and

clicking
(Assign Controller). You can change the controllers of only
one selected object at a time.

Assigning Controllers Using the Animation Menu
You can assign controllers using the Animation menu. All the controllers and
constraints are available by going to the menu bar and choosing Animation,
and then selecting the type of Controller you want and picking the controller
from the submenu that displays.
When you assign a controller in this method, a list controller is automatically
assigned, and the controller you have selected appears as the first entry in the
list. This automatic list controller assignment does not occur if you assign
controllers using the Motion panel or Track View. Weighted list controllers
allow you to blend between various tracks by animating the weights.
TIP You can use the Animation menu to assign the same type of controller or
constraint to several different objects at once. Just select the objects and then
choose the controller or constraint from the Animation menu.
NOTE If an assigned constraint requires designating an additional subject, such
as a Path constraint, a rubber-band line extends from the first selected object to
the mouse cursor after choosing the constraint. To complete the assignment,
position the cursor over a qualifying target object and click.

Copying and Pasting Controllers
Right-click any blank area on the Track View toolbars, then choose Show
Toolbars ➤ Controllers: Track View. This displays the Controller toolbar with
buttons for quick access to controller tools.

Click Copy and Paste on the Track View toolbar to copy and paste
controllers. For a general discussion of using Copy and Paste, see Copying and
Pasting Items on page 3981.
To copy and paste controllers in the Curve Editor, select the controller track
to copy, then right-click and choose Copy from the Track View quad menu.

3428 | Chapter 13 Animation

Navigate the Hierarchy list to the target object, select the track, right-click
and choose Paste.
Rules for using Copy and Paste are as follows:
■

You can copy only single controllers. Compound controllers like List or
PRS Transform controllers are considered single controllers for Copy and
Paste operations.

■

You can paste a copied controller into one or more controllers using the
same data type.

■

You can choose to make an instance or a copy of the pasted controller.

■

You can choose to convert other controller instances in the scene
automatically.

Clicking Paste displays the Paste dialog, with three controls for determining
how the Paste operation is carried out.
Copy Pastes the controller as a copy.
Instance Pastes the controller as an instance of the source controller. Any
change you make to either controller will affect the other.
For example, you can paste a box's Length controller as an instance into its
Height and Width parameters. This makes the box a cube. Changing either
of the Length, Width, or Height parameters changes the other two.
Paste Target: Replace All Instances When selected, all instances of the target
controller receive the paste controller, whether or not they are selected. This
keeps all instances of the target controller as instances. When off, the target
controller is made unique and the remaining instances are unchanged.

Specifying Default Controllers
You can specify the permanent defaults for controller types and controller
settings to match the way you prefer to work.
The following defaults are written to the 3dsmax.ini file:
■

The default controller used for each data type

■

The default controller settings

Specifying Default Controllers | 3429

Specifying Default Controllers
You specify default controllers by choosing Controller ➤ Assign from on the
Track View menu (see Assigning Controllers on page 3427). When you choose
a controller in the Assign Controller dialog you have the option to click Make
Default before clicking OK.
Clicking Make Default assigns the chosen controller as the default for all
parameters using that data type. It has the following effects:
■

The default controller is listed at the bottom of the Assign Controller dialog.

■

Many different parameters might share the same data type. For example,
selecting the Length parameter of a Box and specifying Linear Float as the
default sets the default controller for all parameters that use the Float data
type. This includes, Width, Camera FOV, and Scale Deformation Curves.

■

Default controller choices are written to the 3dsmax.ini file and become
the default for all new scenes.

■

Previously assigned controllers are not affected.

Specifying Default Controller Values
You can specify the default settings for many controller types, or reset
controllers to their factory settings on the Preferences dialog.
To specify default controller settings:
1 Choose Customize menu ➤ Preferences.
2 In the Preferences dialog ➤ Animation panel ➤ Controller Defaults
group, click Set Defaults to display the Set Controller Defaults dialog.
3 From the list of available controllers, choose a controller type and click
the Set button to display the default settings supported by the selected
controller. For example, with a Bezier controller you can set the In and
Out tangents.
NOTE The default Rotation controller is Euler XYZ, not TCB (Quaternion) as
in earlier versions of 3ds Max. The default Position controller is now Position
XYZ, instead of TCB Position. Only Scale is still Bezier as a default.
Euler XYZ Rotation behaves quite differently from TCB. It gives you three
function curves to manipulate, but does not allow rotations of greater than
180 degrees between keys. If you are used to working with TCB controllers,
you can change the default rotation controller back to TCB.

3430 | Chapter 13 Animation

Once you click OK, the controller defaults are changed. Changes to the
controller default settings are written to your 3dsmax.ini file and become the
defaults for all newly assigned controllers and all new scenes.
You can also revert to the original program defaults for all controllers by
clicking Preference Settings dialog ➤ Animation panel ➤ Controller Defaults
group ➤ Restore To Factory Settings.

General-Purpose Controllers
The controllers described in this topic are general purpose in that you can
apply them to parameters of different data types, yet they behave in essentially
the same way for those different parameters.
Within certain general-purpose controllers there might be variations according
to the data type used by a parameter.
See Animation Controllers on page 3454 for detailed descriptions of controller
properties.

Bezier Controllers
Bezier controllers on page 3462 interpolate between keys using an adjustable
spline curve; they are the default controller for most parameters.
Use Bezier controllers to provide fully adjustable interpolation between keys.
Bezier controllers support the following options:
■

Adjustable tangent handles.

■

Step tangents for abrupt changes from one key to the next.

■

Constant velocity control.

You can adjust the key interpolation by choosing among different tangent
types in the Key Info dialog. .

TCB Controllers
The TCB controller on page 3595 produces curve-based animation like Bezier
controllers. However, TCB controllers use fields to adjust the Tension,
Continuity, and Bias of the animation.
Use TCB controllers when you want adjustable, curved interpolation between
keys, and you want to use TCB style controls.

General-Purpose Controllers | 3431

Linear Controllers
The Linear on page 3526 controller interpolates between animation keys by
evenly dividing the change from one key value to the next by the amount of
time between the keys.
For a rigid, mechanical motion, use Linear controllers.

Noise Controllers
The Noise on page 3550 controller produces random, fractal-based animation
over a range of frames. Noise controllers are parametric; they do not use keys.
Noise controllers have many possible uses, as in the following examples:
■

Use Noise whenever you need completely random animation around a
given value. For example, use a Noise Rotation controller when you want
an object to wobble in place. A common use for a noise controller is the
creation of camera shake.

■

Use Noise in a List controller to apply variations to the result of another
controller. For example, use a List controller to combine Noise Position
with Bezier Position. The Bezier controller moves the object while the
Noise controller makes the object shake and stray a little from the
trajectory.

XYZ Controllers
The XYZ controllers such as Euler XYZ on page 3482 and Position XYZ on page
3555 are specifically designed so that you have three separate curves, one for
each axis. This allows you to independently view and control the curves
individually. This has advantages over rotation controllers like TCB that do
not display function curves at all. XYZ controllers are now the default for
rotation animation.
You can adjust the interpolation between keys using the Key Info dialog.

Audio Controllers
The Audio controller on page 3455 converts the amplitude of a recorded sound
file or real-time sound wave into values that can be used by an animated
parameter.
Use the Audio controller to synchronize parameter values with a sound file.
For example, use an Audio controller for a Multiplier Curve to scale a parameter
in sync with a sound.

3432 | Chapter 13 Animation

Special-Purpose Controllers
The controllers described in this topic are applied to parameters of different
data types, like general-purpose controllers, but they are used for special
purposes.

List Controllers
The List controller on page 3528 combines multiple controllers into a single
effect. It is a compound controller with tools for managing the order in which
its internal controllers are calculated. List controllers are weighted, by
animating the weights of the different layers you can create an effective
non-linear animation system.
Use List controllers to combine controllers as in the following examples:
■

Combine Noise Rotation and TCB Rotation controllers to introduce random
orbital motion as an object rotates.

■

Combine Bezier Position and Path Constraint to make an object follow a
path with manually keyframed variation away from the path.
When you apply any controller from the Animation menu, a list controller
is automatically placed on the object and the selected controller placed
first in the list.

Expression/Script Controllers
You write custom code for Expression controllers on page 3486 and Script
controllers on page 3584 in an Expression or Script controller dialog. You specify
parameters using mathematical expressions, functions, and variables. The
code can include values based on the controllers of other objects in the
animation.
NOTE You can replicate some functions of Expression and Script controllers without
having to write code by using parameter wiring or Reaction controllers. See
Parameter Wiring Dialog on page 3647 and Reaction Controllers on page 3559.

See also
Expression Controller Techniques on page 3492
Trigonometric Functions on page 282
Vectors on page 285

Special-Purpose Controllers | 3433

Motion Capture Controllers
A Motion Capture controller controls parameters in real time from the input
of external devices. Currently supported devices are mouse, keyboard, MIDI
device and joystick. Each device has specific properties that must be set:
■

After assigning the motion-capture controller, open the controller Properties
dialog and bind the type of peripheral device and set device parameters.

■

Use the Motion Capture utility on page 4174 to test and record captured
motion.

Explicit Axis Keys
The XYZ controllers assign an individual track to the X, Y, and Z components
of the position, rotation, or scale of an object. However, the controllers always
assign three keys (one for each axis), by default.
In previous versions of 3ds Max, you had to manually edit the keys in order
to create explicit axis keys. However, there are now actions available from the
Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837 that let you create explicit keys
with the touch of a button.
When an explicit key is created on an axis, any keys on the two remaining
axes (at the selected time) will be deleted.
An explicit axis key can only be assigned to objects that already have an XYZ
controller assigned to their position, scale, or rotation tracks.
You can also use Keyable Icons to turn on or off tracks for editing. This allows
you to set keys on only specified PRS X, Y or Z axes as well. See Keyable Icon
on page 3898.
See also:
■

Position XYZ Controller on page 3555

■

General-Purpose Controllers on page 3431

■

Euler XYZ Rotation Controller on page 3482

■

Scale XYZ Controller on page 3582

3434 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface
NOTE These commands are not available in the default user interface. You can
use the Customize User Interface dialog to assign a keyboard shortcut to them or
add them to your toolbars or menus if you want to use them.
Key Position X, Y, or Z Creates an explicit key on the designated position
axis.
Key Rotation X, Y, or Z Creates an explicit key on the designated rotation
axis.
Key Scale X, Y, or Z Creates an explicit key on the designated scale axis.

Float Controllers
The controllers described in this topic are available only for parameters that
use the Float data type.

On/Off Controller
An On/Off controller on page 3553 controls parameters using binary on and off
values. The On/Off track displays a solid blue color in frames that are on, and
the background in frames that are off. The on/off state of the parameter
switches every time you add a key.
Use for binary parameters such as the Smooth object parameter, or for Visibility
tracks.

Boolean Controller
The Boolean Controller is a variation on the On/Off controller. It provides a
similar functionality, but with one significant difference. The on/off state of
the parameter does not switch automatically every time you add a key. This
allows you to effectively add keys in the middle of a sequence without creating
unintended drastic changes.

Waveform Controller
A Waveform controller on page 3598 generates values by combining periodic
waveforms. You can specify different types of waveforms and add waveforms
together to create complex animation.
Waveform was originally created to control blinking lights. Use it for any
value that you want to vary in a regular, oscillating pattern.

Float Controllers | 3435

Controlling Transforms
Transform controllers are compound controllers. They set the type and
behavior of the controllers used for Position, Rotation, and Scale.
You assign Transform controllers using either Track View — Curve Editor or
the Motion panel. Compound Transform controllers do not display properties
in Track View. You can access the parameters of Transform controllers only
in the Motion panel.

Position/Rotation/Scale Controller
The Position/Rotation/Scale (PRS) controller on page 3557 is a simple Transform
controller applicable for most objects. When applied the PRS Transform
controller sets up default Bezier Position, TCB Rotation, and Bezier Scale
controllers.
Use a PRS controller whenever you want a standard transform set up or when
you want single function curve control over the Position, Rotation, and Scale
controllers.
NOTE PRS controller is no longer the default controller applied to all objects. The
latest version of 3ds Max uses Position XYZ and Euler XYZ as the new default
controllers for position and rotation transforms.

Transform Script Controller
The Transform Script controller on page 3585 contains all of the information
contained in a PRS Controller in one scripted matrix value. Instead of having
three separate tracks for position, rotation, and scale, all three values can be
simultaneously accessed from one script controller dialog. Because the
transform values are defined by a script, they are easier to animate.
The value of the controller script must be a matrix3 value. A matrix3 value is
a 4x3 3D transformation matrix. For more information, see the Matrix3 Values
topic in the MAXScript Help.

XRef Controller
The XRef controller on page 3602 lets you externally reference any type of
Transform controller from another scene file. When you assign this controller
to your object, it nests the source controller, making it only accessible for
playback. You can use the XRef controller either on its own, or combine it
with an XRef Object on page 7971.

3436 | Chapter 13 Animation

Controlling Position
The Position controller is a component of the Transform controller. Position
is a data type that can use most of the standard controllers such as Bezier,
TCB, and Noise.
The controllers described in this topic can be used only as position controllers.

XYZ Controller
The XYZ controller breaks a Position controller into three separate Bezier Float
controllers. Each of the X, Y, and Z components of position receives its own
track.
Use the XYZ controller when you want to have separate key patterns or
controller types for each position component.
See Euler XYZ Rotation Controller on page 3482, Position XYZ Controller on
page 3555, and Scale XYZ Controller on page 3582.

Controlling Rotation
The Rotation controller is a component of the Transform controller. Rotation
is a data type that can use most of the standard controllers such as TCB, Linear,
and Noise.
Rotations in 3D are very complex. Even the standard controller types behave
differently when used for rotation. The most common way of calculating
rotations in 3D animation uses four components to define rotation about an
arbitrary axis. This is the quaternion method.
The benefits of using quaternion rotation include:
■

It produces a direct one-to-one relationship between the quaternion values
and how objects interactively rotate in the scene.

■

It produces smoother rotation than other methods.

The drawbacks of using quaternion rotation include:
■

Rotation values in key information can be difficult to understand.

■

Quaternion rotation controllers do not display function curves in Track
View — Curve Editor. For this reason Euler XYZ is now the default rotation
controller assigned to all objects.

You can use the following controllers only as rotation controllers.

Controlling Position | 3437

Smooth Rotation
Use Smooth Rotation on page 3590 when you want rotation to have a smooth
and natural look. Smooth rotation uses nonadjustable curved interpolation,
and has the following characteristics:
■

You can move keys in Track View to change timing.

■

You can directly rotate objects in the viewports to change rotation values.

■

You cannot display controller or key properties, or function curves.

Euler XYZ Rotation
Use the Euler XYZ Rotation controller on page 3482 when you want individual
function curve control for each axis of rotation. Euler XYZ is a compound
controller that combines separate, single-value float controllers to specify an
angle of rotation about each of the X, Y, and Z axes. Euler XYZ Rotation is
the default controller applied to all objects.
Euler XYZ is not as smooth as quaternion rotation, but it is the only rotation
type that you can use to edit rotation function curves.
Euler angles are well suited for animating mechanical rotations. They can also
be a good choice for an object in an inverse kinematics chain because IK
Rotational joints are defined as Euler angles. X, Y, and Z function curves
displayed by this controller in Track View represent rotations in "world" or
"parent" space which is the rotation system used by most 3D animation
packages.
Customers upgrading from earlier versions of 3ds Max might find some
difficulty in adapting to using Euler XYZ rotation controllers. If you find
yourself experiencing unexpected rotation behavior, this might be the reason.
Reassign TCB rotation as the default rotation controller and you will be able
to regain your customary workflow.

Controlling Colors
You can animate colors in 3ds Max just as you can animate most other
parameters.
Two data types are available for controlling colors:
■

Point3: A general-purpose, three-component data type that works with
RGB color values. It uses most of the standard controllers.

3438 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Color: A special data type designed specifically for working with RGB and
HSV color values. Color uses the Bezier and RGB controllers.

Color Point3 Controller
You can assign any of a variety of Point3 controllers to a material's color
channels, including Point3 Expression, Point3 List, Color RGB (described later
in this topic), and so on. When using Point3 controllers for color parameters,
an important issue is behavior of the Key Value fields, labeled X, Y, Z. They
store color values using only the RGB color model.
■

The X value field stores Red color values.

■

The Y value field stores Green color values.

■

The Z value field stores Blue color values.

The Point3 Key Value fields do not clamp at the valid color range of 0 to 255.
Values that drop below 0 or exceed 255 are ignored by the color parameter
but are still displayed in Track View.

Bezier Color Controller
The Bezier Color controller (see Bezier Controllers on page 3462) is a data type
that uses Bezier key interpolation. You can use RGB or HSV color models with
the Bezier Color controller.
The choice of color model is global for all keys used by the controller. You
can switch between color models anytime and color key values are correctly
converted.
The Color Value fields are limited to a range of 0 to 255. You can drag the
color keys above 255 in Track View Curve Editor, but the values are clamped
at 255.

Color RGB Controller
Assign a Color RGB controller on page 3480 to break a Color controller into
three separate Bezier Float controllers. Each of the R, G, and B components
of color uses its own track.
Use the Color RGB controller when you want to have separate key patterns
or controller types for each color component.

Controlling Colors | 3439

Morph Controllers
You can choose from two morph controllers: Cubic and Barycentric; they
manage how morph targets blend from one target to another. Morphing can
also be achieved by applying a Morpher modifier on page 1464 to an object.

Cubic Morph Controller
A Cubic Morph controller is a TCB-style controller. It uses Tension, Continuity,
and Bias controls much like the generic TCB controller.
The Cubic Morph controller manages only the interpolation from one morph
target to the next. If you want to add Morph keys or change the morph target,
you must use the Pick Targets and Current Targets rollouts on page 600 in the
Modify panel.

Barycentric Morph Controller
The Barycentric Morph controller on page 3459 is also a TCB controller like the
Cubic Morph controller, except that instead of each key representing a single
target, each key represents a series of weights for all targets. A Barycentric
Morph key represents a new object which is a blending of all targets.
You can adjust each morph key to percentages of the available morph targets,
creating subtle adjustments in the animation.
You can also click Add Keys in Track View to create new Barycentric Morph
keys. The added keys contain interpolated values for all targets.

Motion Panel Commands
Controls for assigning and adjusting controllers appear on the Motion panel.
NOTE You can also work with controllers in Track View on page 3827.

Trajectories
Select an object ➤

Motion panel ➤ Trajectories

The Trajectories rollout displays the path an object travels over time. Controls
to convert splines into trajectories, trajectories into splines, and to collapse

3440 | Chapter 13 Animation

any transform controller into editable keys are also available by choosing
Motion panel ➤ Trajectories.

Scooter following a trajectory

NOTE The state of the Trajectory check box under Display in the Object Properties
dialog on page 221 (and on the Display panel ➤ Display Properties rollout) controls
whether trajectories will be visible for an object.
Using trajectories, you can do the following:
■

Display the 3D path for selected object’s position tracks.

■

Insert and delete keys from the path.

■

Move, rotate, and scale keys on the path.

■

Convert the path to a spline object.

■

Derive a new path from a spline object.

■

Collapse transforms.

Motion Panel Commands | 3441

Values under Sample Range are used in the Spline Conversion and Collapse
Transform functions.
NOTE You can assign the four principal Trajectories functions to keyboard shortcuts
and other custom UI items. The following actions are available via Customize User
Interface on page 8837:
■

Trajectory Add Key Mode Toggle: Enters and exits Add Key mode on page
3444.

■

Trajectory Delete Key: Activates the Delete Key on page 3444 function on a
one-time basis.

■

Trajectory Key Mode Toggle: Enters and exits the Keys sub-object level for
direct editing of animation keys via transformation of the trajectory keys.

■

Trajectory Toggle: If one or more objects are selected, this enters and exits
Trajectories mode on the Motion panel.

Procedures
To display an object’s trajectory:

1

Select an animated object that moves over time.

2 Right-click the object and choose Properties.
Trajectory is not available.
3 In the Display Properties group, click By Layer to change this button to
By Object. Skip this step if By Object is already displayed.
Trajectory becomes available.
4 Turn on Trajectory, then click OK.
The Trajectory is displayed as a red line with white squares and dots. The
white squares are keys, the white dots are in-betweens.
To add a key to a trajectory:

1

Select an object.

3442 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 Display the trajectory by following the previous steps.

3 On the

Motion panel, click Trajectories.

4 Click Sub-Object to activate Keys and enable editing.
5 Click Add Key.
The button highlights.
6 Click the trajectory.
Wherever you click the trajectory a key will be added.
7 Right-click the key and select Key Info from the right-click menu.
In the Key Info dialog, you can change the In and Out values for the
in-betweens on either side of the key. This allows you to use the trajectory
key to create the illusion of hesitation or acceleration.
You can click repeatedly to add many keys in this mode.
To delete a key from a trajectory:

1

Select a key on a trajectory. You can click it, or use window
selection.

2 On the
turned off.

Motion panel ➤ Trajectories rollout, be sure Add Key is

3 On the Motion panel ➤ Trajectories rollout, click Delete Key.
3ds Max deletes the key.
To transform keys on a trajectory:

1

2 On the

Select one or more objects.

Motion panel, click Trajectories.

3 Click Sub-Object to activate Keys and enable editing.

Motion Panel Commands | 3443

4 Select one or more keys and use the transform tools on the Main toolbar

to

move,

rotate, or

scale the selected keys.

Interface

Sub-Object Enables key editing. Use the Move, Rotate, and Scale transforms
to change the location of a key(s) displayed on a trajectory.

Trajectories rollout
Delete Key Deletes the selected key(s) from the trajectory.
Add Key Adds key(s) to the trajectory. This is a modeless tool. When you click
this button once, you can then add any number of keys by clicking the
trajectory line in the viewport one or more times in succession. To exit Add
Key mode, click the button again.

Sample Range group
Start Time/End Time Specifies the interval for the conversion. If you're
converting from position keyframes to a spline object, this is the time interval
for which the trajectory will be sampled. If you're converting from a spline
object to position keys, this is the interval over which the new keys will be
placed.
Samples Sets the number of samples for the conversion. When converting in
either direction, the source is sampled at regular intervals, and keys or control
points are created on the target object.

3444 | Chapter 13 Animation

Spline Conversion group
Convert To/Convert From Converts keyframe position tracks to and from
spline objects. This enables you to create a spline trajectory for an object and
then convert that spline to keyframes for that object's position track in order
to do various keyframe-specific functions (such as applying constant velocity
to the keys and normalizing the time). Or, you can convert an object's position
keyframes into a spline object.
TIP Convert To and Convert From can be used to move an object along a path
without using a path constraint.

Collapse Transform group
Generates keys based on the current transformation of the selected object.
You can apply this for any type of transform controller assigned to an object,
but the main purpose of this function is to "collapse" a parametric transform
effect, such as one generated by a Path constraint, into standard, editable keys.
Collapse Collapses the transform of the selected object.
Position, Rotation, Scale Specifies which transforms you want to collapse.
You must choose at least one check box to activate the Collapse button.

Motion Panel Commands | 3445

PRS Parameters Rollout
Select an object ➤
rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ PRS Parameters

The PRS Parameters rollout provides tools for creating and deleting keys. PRS
stands for the three basic transform controllers: Position, Rotation, and Scale.

Procedures
To create a PRS transform key:

1

Select an object in the viewports.

2 Drag the time slider to the frame where you want to place a key.

3 On the

Motion panel, choose Parameters ➤ PRS Parameters rollout.

4 Click one of the following buttons under Create Key PRS Parameters
rollout:
■

Click Position to create a Position key.

■

Click Rotation to create a Rotation key.

■

Click Scale to create a Scale key.
If a particular Position, Rotation, or Scale controller doesn't use keys,
then that button is not available under Create Key. For example, you
can’t create Position keys if you're using a Noise Position controller.

3446 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Create Key/Delete Key Creates or deletes a move, rotate, or scale key at the
current frame. These buttons become active or inactive depending on the
existence of a key type at the current frame.
For example, if you're on a frame containing a Scale key, the Scale button is
inactive in the Create column because a key already exists. At the same time,
the Position and Rotation buttons are inactive in the Delete column because
there are no keys of that type to delete.
Position/Rotation/Scale Determines the contents of the Key Info rollouts
that appear below the PRS Parameters rollout on the Motion panel.

Key Info (Basic) Rollout/Dialog
Select an animated object ➤
Info (Basic) rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Key

Select an animated object. ➤ Right-click a key on the track bar. ➤ Choose
a controller track.

Make a selection. ➤
(Basic) rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK button ➤ Key Info

Curve Editor ➤ Right-click a key.
Parameter Collector on page 260 ➤ Click a Properties button.

Motion Panel Commands | 3447

The Key Info (Basic) rollout or dialog changes the animation value, time, and
interpolation methods of one or more selected keys.
The following parameters are available with the Bezier controller, which is
the default position controller. The Key Info controls for a TCB position
controller are different.
See also:
Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog on page 3451

■

Procedures
To set the tangent type for a key:

1

Select an object and open the Key Info (Basic) rollout.

2 Use the arrows in the upper-left corner of the dialog to select a key.
3 Choose a tangent type from the In or Out tangent flyouts.

Interface

Key number Shows the current key number. Click the right or left arrows to
go to the next or previous key.
Time Specifies at what time the key occurs.
Time Lock Prevents horizontal key movement in Track View Edit modes.

3448 | Chapter 13 Animation

Value Adjusts the position of the selected object at the current key.

NOTE In the Key Info dialog for the Bezier Scale controller, a Lock button is displayed
beside the X Scale spinner. If you click Lock X, only the X value affects all three
axes of scale. The Y and Z values are ignored and their function curves are not
displayed. When X is locked, the Y and Z values aren't affected by changes in the
X value. If you click Lock X when all three axes are at identical values, alter the X
value, and then unlock X. The Y and Z values remain where they were while X
retains its new value.
Key Tangent Flyouts With Bezier controller types, sets the interpolation
properties of the In tangent and Out tangent of the key. For details, see Tangent
Types on page 3449.
Tangent Copy buttons Use the arrow buttons at either side of the Key Tangent
flyouts to copy the tangent type between the tangents of the current key or
between the tangents of the previous and next key.
■

The left arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the previous
key.

■

The right arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the current
key.

■

The left arrow of the Out tangent copies to the In tangent of the current
key.

■

The right arrow of the Out tangent copies to the In tangent of the next
key.

Tangent Types
Key Info (Basic) dialog/rollout on page 3447 ➤ In/Out Tangent Type flyouts
Status bar ➤ Animation controls ➤ Default In/Out Tangents For New Keys
flyout

Select an animated object ➤
Info (Basic) rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Key

Motion Panel Commands | 3449

You can adjust the tangent type of the Bezier transforms. This means you can
adjust the interpolation between keyframes to create particular motion effects.
By manipulating tangent types, you can make something hesitate, speed up,
slow down, or even stand still.
Each key has two tangents: one to define the interpolation before the key,
and a second to define interpolation following the key.
TIP You can also set the default tangent type through the Default In-Out Tangents
For New Keys on page 8687 flyout. By doing so, each new key created with Set Key
Mode or Auto Key Mode follows the curve interpolation set by the default tangent
type.

Smooth Creates smooth interpolation through the key.

Linear Creates linear interpolation at the key.
A linear tangent affects the curve near the key only. Full linear interpolation
between two keys occurs only when the Out tangent of the first key and the
In tangent of the next key both use a linear tangent.

Step Creates binary interpolation from one key to the next. Step
tangents require a matched set between the Out tangent of one key and the
In tangent of the next key.
Choosing Step for the In tangent of the current key also sets the Out tangent
of the previous key to Step. Likewise, choosing Step for the Out tangent of
the current key also changes the In tangent of the next key to Step.
Using Step tangents, the outgoing value of a key is held constant until the
time of the next key is reached. The value then abruptly jumps to the value
of the next key. Use this tangent when you want to animate On/Off switching
or instantaneous changes from one value to the next.

3450 | Chapter 13 Animation

Slow Causes the interpolated rate of change to slow down around
the key. A slow In tangent decelerates as it approaches the key. A slow Out
tangent begins slow and accelerates as it leaves the key.

Fast Causes the interpolated rate of change to speed up around
the key. The effect is the opposite of using slow. A fast In tangent accelerates
as it approaches the key. A fast Out tangent begins fast and decelerates as it
leaves the key.

Custom Displays adjustable tangent handles at the key in Function
Curves mode in 3ds Max.

Flat Tangent Displays a smooth interpolation type designed to
eliminate overshoot with no editable handles. Tangent slopes automatically
take the most direct route to the next key value.
See also:
■

Default In/Out Tangents For New Keys on page 8687

Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog
Select an animated object. ➤
Info (Advanced) rollout

Make a selection. ➤
(Advanced) rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Key

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK button ➤ Key Info

Motion Panel Commands | 3451

Select an animated object in the viewport. ➤ Right-click a key in track bar.
➤ Choose the name of the controller track such as Sphere01: Z Position. ➤
Key Info dialog ➤ Click Advanced.
Parameter Collector on page 260 ➤ Click a Properties button. ➤ Key Info
dialog ➤ Click Advanced.
The Key Info (Advanced) rollout or dialog contains additional key settings.
With the Key Info (Advanced) settings, you can control velocity in three ways:
■

You can specify the absolute velocity at a key using the In/Out fields.

■

You can average velocity over a time period using Normalize Time.

■

With certain controller types, you can force constant velocity from one
component key to the next using Constant Velocity.

If you are creating Path animation, you can force constant velocity by placing
a Normalize Spline modifier on page 1500 on the spline used as a path.
See also:
Key Info (Basic) Rollout/Dialog on page 3447

■

Procedures
To set normalize time for a key:

1

Select an object and choose a key to Normalize.
You can use the arrows in the Key Info (Basic) rollout to step through
Keyframes.

2 In the Key Info (Advanced) rollout, click Normalize Time.
The key is moved in time to average the velocity through the key.

3452 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

In/Out The In field is the rate of change as the parameter approaches the key.
The Out field is the rate of change as the parameter leaves the key.
■

These fields are active only for keys using the Custom tangent type on
page 3449.

■

The number in the field is the rate of change expressed as parameter units
per tick. By changing the two values for X, Y, and Z you are changing the
length and angle of the tangent handle.

Lock button Changes one Custom tangent by changing the other an equal
but opposite amount. For example, if you click the Lock button and the In
value is 0.85, then the Out value is -0.85.
Normalize Time Averages the position of the keys in time and applies them
to any consecutive blocks of selected keys. Useful if you have an object that
speeds up and slows down repeatedly, and you want to smooth out the motion.
Constant Velocity When on, interpolates values between the key and the
next one so that the object moves at a constant velocity across that curve
segment. Available only with certain controller types, such as Bezier.
Free Handle Used for automatically updating the length of the tangent handle.
When this is turned off, the length of the tangent is at a fixed percentage from
its neighboring key. As you move a key, the handles adjust to stay the same
percentage away from the neighboring keys. When this is turned on, the
handle lengths are based on time lengths.

Motion Panel Commands | 3453

Animation Controllers
Track View ➤ Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu
bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤ Choose a controller in the dialog.
Animation menu ➤ Constraints/Transform Controllers/Position
Controllers/Rotation Controllers/Scale Controllers ➤ Choose a controller.

Select an object. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout ➤
Select a track. ➤ Assign Controller ➤ Choose a controller in the dialog.
Controllers, like constraints on page 3607, handle the animation tasks in a scene.
They store animation key values and procedural animation settings, and they
interpolate between animation key values.
An object or parameter doesn't receive a controller until you animate it. As
soon as you change an animatable parameter with Auto Key on, or add a key
on page 3951 in Track View - Dope Sheet on page 3827, 3ds Max assigns a controller
to the parameter. 3ds Max chooses a default type for the controller, depending
on the animation. You can change the default controller to another type.
The animation controllers are organized in the following categories:
■

Float controllers: for animating floating-point values

■

Point3 controllers: for animating three-component values such as colors
or 3D points

■

Position controllers: for animating positions of objects and selection sets

■

Rotation controllers: for animating rotation of objects and selection sets

■

Scale controllers: for animating the scale of objects and selection sets

■

Transform controllers: for animating general transforms (position, rotation,
and scale) of objects and selection sets

To change an assigned controller, use Assign Controller on page 3930 in Track
View or on the Motion panel on page 8802.
See also:
■

Working with Controllers on page 3421

■

Animation Constraints on page 3607

3454 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Inverse Kinematics (IK) on page 3696

Audio Controller
Main toolbar ➤ Curve Editor (Open) ➤ Select a track in the Track View
hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤ Audio
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Audio
Use the Audio controller to drive the animation of almost any parameter in
3ds Max. The Audio controller converts the amplitude of a recorded sound
file or real-time sound wave into values that can animate an object or
parameter.
With the Audio controller, you have full control over sound channel selection,
base threshold, oversampling, and parameter range.
The Audio controller works with most parameters in Track View, including:
■

Transforms

■

Float values

■

Point3 values (color)

Audio controller assigned to the scale track of
this object

Procedures
Example: To animate the Z axis scale of a box using a sound file:
1 Create a box.
2 In the Track View hierarchy, select the Scale track.
3 On the Track View menu, click Controller ➤ Assign, and choose the
AudioScale controller.

Audio Controller | 3455

The Audio Controller dialog appears.
4 Select Choose Sound, and select a .wav file.
5 In the Base Scale group, set the Z field to 0.
6 In the Target Scale group, set the Z field to 600.

7 Close the Audio Controller dialog and

play the animation.

The box scale is animated along the Z axis.
TIP If you want to hear the sound as the animation plays, include the same
audio file in the Sound Track on page 3868. (Sound Track in the Track View
hierarchy)

In the

Time Configuration dialog, turn on Real Time.

Interface
See Audio Controller Dialog on page 3456

Audio Controller Dialog
Track View or
Motion panel ➤ Highlight a track using the Audio
controller in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Right-click the track. ➤ Properties

Track View or
Motion panel ➤ Double-click a track using the Audio
controller in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Properties
Adding a sound track to your animation allows you to synchronize animation
to sound. Add a sound track to lip-sync a character speaking, for example.

3456 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Audio File group
Use this group to add and remove sound files from the controller, and to
adjust amplitude.
Choose Sound Displays a standard file selector dialog. You can choose WAV
and AVI files.
Remove Sound Removes any sound file associated with a controller.
Absolute Value Controls the interpretation of sound amplitude. The value
returned by the Audio controller is sample amplitude divided by maximum
amplitude.
Value=(sample amp.)/(maximum amp.)
When Absolute Value is turned on, the maximum amplitude equals the
maximum sampled amplitude from the waveform. This ensures that potential
for the output value reaches the target value.
When off, the maximum amplitude equals the maximum potential amplitude
of the waveform. Output reaches the target value only if the waveform reaches
its maximum potential amplitude.

Audio Controller | 3457

The maximum potential amplitude for an 8-bit file is 128; for a 16-bit file, it's
32768.

Real Time Control group
Use this group to create interactive animation that's driven by sound captured
from an external audio source, such as a microphone. Use these options only
for interactive presentations. You can't save the real-time sound or save the
animation produced by the controller.
Enable Real Time Device Sets whether sound is captured from an external
audio source. This option is inactive if a sound capture device is not installed
in your system.
When on, any selected audio file is ignored, and the controller uses sound
captured by the selected device.
When off, the controller uses the selected audio file.
Real Time device list Displays all available real-time sound devices installed
in your system. Select the device you want to use for real time sound capture.

Sample group
This group contains controls to filter out background noise, smooth out the
waveform, and control display in Track View.
Threshold Sets the bottom cut-out level as a percentage of total amplitude.
Any amplitude below the threshold drops to 0.0.
Threshold range is from 0.0 to 1.0.
A Threshold of 0.0 has no effect on amplitude output values.
A Threshold of 1.0 drops all amplitude output values to 0.0.
You can use low threshold values to filter out background noise from the
controller.
Oversampling Smoothes the waveform. Multiple samples are averaged to
remove peaks and valleys. Enter a number in the Oversampling field to
calculate the average
Fast Track View Controls the display of oversampling.
When turned on, oversampling is ignored for the Track View display.
When turned off, oversampling is applied to the Track View display. High
oversampling values can slow the display of the waveform.

3458 | Chapter 13 Animation

Base & Target Scale groups
Here you enter minimum and maximum parameter values returned by the
controller. The fields you see vary by the type of parameter using the Audio
controller.
Float parameters are displayed in the Controller Range group with Min. and
Max. fields.
Vector parameters (3 components), such as Transforms, display Base and Target
groups with fields for X, Y, and Z values.
Base Scale Defines the float value or X, Y, and Z values returned for an
amplitude of 0.0.
Target Scale Defines the float value or X, Y, and Z values returned for
maximum amplitude.

Channel group
With this group you select which channel drives the controller output value.
These options are only available if you have chosen a stereo sound file.
Left Uses the left channel amplitude.
Right Uses the right channel amplitude.
Mix Combines the two channels so that the returned amplitude is the greater
value of either channel.

Barycentric Morph Controller
Select an object. ➤
➤ Morph

Create panel ➤ Geometry ➤ Compound Objects

The Barycentric on page 9102 Morph controller is automatically applied when
a morph object is created in Create ➤ Geometry ➤ Compound Objects ➤
Morph. Morph targets are selected and keys are created at different times to
morph the original object into the shape of the Morph Targets.

Barycentric Morph Controller | 3459

NOTE The Morpher modifier provides an alternative to the Morph controller to
morph objects.
The Barycentric Morph controller represents each key as a series of weights
for all targets. One barycentric key represents a new object which is a blending
of all targets.
You can adjust each morph key to various percentages of the available morph
targets. This lets you create subtle adjustments in the animation.
You can add keys between existing morph keys. The added keys contain
interpolated values for all targets.
To access the key properties dialog, select the Morph track, select one of its
keys, and click Properties to display the Key Info dialog.
See also:
■

Morph Compound Object on page 600

■

Morpher Modifier on page 1464

Procedures
See Morph Compound Object on page 600 and Barycentric Morph Controller
Key Info Dialog on page 3461

Interface
After assigning the Barycentric Morph controller in Create panel ➤
Compound Objects ➤ Morph, then morph parameters for the controller
display in the Modify panel and in the Barycentric Controller Key Info dialog,
which is displayed by right-clicking over a morph key in Track View Dope
Sheet or the track bar.
See Morph Compound Object on page 600 for Morph parameters.

3460 | Chapter 13 Animation

Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info Dialog
Select a Morph object ➤ Track View - Dope Sheet ➤ Right-click a morph
key. ➤ Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info dialog
You can change morph target weighting using controls in the Barycentric
Morph Controller Key Info dialog.

Interface

Current Key Specifies the current key that you're adjusting.
Time Specifies where, in time, the current key is placed.
Tension/Continuity/Bias Adjusts the TCB parameters of the key spline
interpolation.
TCB Spline Displays the key interpolation spline.
Targets Lists all morph targets for the object, along with the percentage of
their influence at the current key. The total percentage of all targets is displayed

Barycentric Morph Controller | 3461

below the window. You can select any target in this window, and then adjust
its percentage of influence using the spinner at right.
Percentage Sets the percentage of influence for the target selected in the list
window. Percentage values can be negative as well as greater than 100 percent.
Constrain to 100% Limits total weight of all targets to 100 percent. As you
increase or decrease the percentage of a selected target, the other targets adjust
accordingly. The adjustment takes the form of balancing all of the target
percentages so that their relative weights remain the same.
When this check box is turned off, you can adjust the weight of each target
without affecting the others, and create a total that's greater or less than 100
percent. Totals greater than 100 percent cause the morph object to scale up
in size, while totals less than 100 percent cause the morph object to scale
down. Note that this check box is global, and not confined to a single key or
track.

Bezier Controllers
Main toolbar ➤
Curve Editor (Open) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Bezier
Graph Editors ➤ Track View Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track View
hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤ Bezier
The Bezier controller is the most versatile controller available in 3ds Max.
Bezier controllers interpolate between keys using an adjustable spline curve.
They are the default controller for most parameters.

Use Bezier controllers whenever you want fully adjustable interpolation
between keys. Bezier is the only controller that supports the following:
■

Dragging tangent handles

■

Step tangents for abrupt changes from one key to the next

■

Constant velocity controls

3462 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To set the tangent type for a key:

1

Select an object that has some animation keys, and open the
Motion panel ➤ Key Info (Basic) rollout.

2 Use the arrows to select a key.
3 Choose a tangent type from the In or Out tangent flyouts.
To normalize time for a key:

1

Select an object, and then choose a key to normalize.
You can use the arrows in the Key Info (Basic) rollout to step through
keyframes.

2 On the
Motion panel ➤ Key Info (Advanced) rollout, click
Normalize Time.
The key is moved in time to average the velocity through the key.

Interface
Motion panel > Parameters > Key Info (Basic) rollout
A Key Info dialog with identical parameters to this rollout is available by
right-clicking a key in Track View or the track bar.

Bezier Controllers | 3463

Key number Shows the current key number. Click the right or left arrows to
go to the next or previous key.
Time Specifies when in time the key occurs.
Time Lock Controls dragging the key horizontally in Track View edit modes.
X/Y/Z Adjusts the position of the selected object at the current key.
Key Tangent Two flyouts set the interpolation properties of the in tangent
and out tangent of the key.
Choosing Bezier Tangent Types Sets the tangent types for one or more keys
in the same track using the In and Out tangent flyouts.
See Tangent Types on page 3449 for detailed information on each of the available
tangent choices.
Tangent Copy Copies the tangent type between the tangents of the current
key or between the tangents of the previous and next key. Use the arrow
buttons on either side of the Key Tangent flyouts.
The left arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the previous key.
The right arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the current
key.
The left arrow of the Out tangent copies to the In tangent of the current key.
The right arrow of the Out tangent copies to the In tangent of the next key.
Choosing Bezier Tangent Types Sets the tangent types for one or more keys
in the same track using the In and Out tangent flyouts.

3464 | Chapter 13 Animation

Bezier Scale Controller (Lock X) Causes the X value to affect all three axes
of scale. The Y and Z values are ignored and their function curves are not
displayed.

When X is locked, the Y and Z values are not affected by changes in the X
value. If you lock X when all three axes are at identical values, alter the X
value, and then unlock X, the Y and Z values remain where they were while
X retains its new value.

Motion panel > Parameters > Key Info (Advanced) rollout

Controls in the rollout affect velocity in three ways:
■

Control the absolute velocity at a key using the In/Out values

■

Average velocity over a specified amount of time using Normalize Time

■

Force constant velocity from one component key to the next using
Constant Velocity

In/Out The In field displays the rate of change as the parameter approaches
the key. The Out field displays the rate of change as the parameter leaves the
key.
These fields are active only for keys using the Custom tangent type.

Bezier Controllers | 3465

The number in the field is the rate of change expressed as parameter units per
Tick. By changing the two values for X, Y, and Z you are changing the length
and angle of the tangent handle.
Lock button When on, changing one Custom tangent changes the other by
equal but opposite amount. For example, if the Lock button is on and the In
value is 0.85, then the Out value is -0.85.
Normalize Time Averages the position of the keys in time and is applicable
to any consecutive blocks of selected keys. Useful if you want to smooth out
the motion and have an object that speeds up, slows down, speeds up, and
slows down.
Constant Velocity Interpolates values between a key and the next one in a
way that makes the object move at a constant velocity across that curve
segment.
Free Handle Used for automatically updating the length of the tangent handle.
When this is turned off, the length of the tangent is at a fixed percentage from
its neighboring key. As you move a key, the handles adjust to stay the same
percentage away from the neighboring keys. When this is turned on, the
handle lengths are based on time lengths.
Create Position Lock Key / Create Rotation Lock Key Makes the incoming
handle of the current key linear, and the out going handle of the previous
key linear. This is to prevent overshoot from the spline interpolation.
To use these two features, you must first create a keyboard shortcut in
Customize ➤ Customize User Interface. Look for Create Position Lock Key
and Create Rotation Lock Key in the keyboard shortcut list and assign a key.
Or you can also add these commands to the quad menu.

Block Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Expand Global Tracks in
the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Block Control
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Expand Global Tracks in the
Track View hierarchy. ➤ Block Control
A Block controller is a global List controller on page 3528 that allows you to
combine several tracks from multiple objects over a range of time, and group
them as "Blocks." These Blocks are then used to re-create the animation

3466 | Chapter 13 Animation

anywhere in time. Blocks can be added, removed, scaled, moved graphically
in Track View, and saved. Blocks can represent either absolute or relative
animation.

For example to animate a hand forming a guitar chord, all the rotations of
the fingers and hand can be saved as a block. This block can then be used to
recreate the hand and finger position, rotation, and animation whenever the
chord is played in an animation.
Essentially, block controllers allow you to build up libraries of animations and
apply them to objects as you choose.
TIP Euler Rotations will give you better results than TCB Rotation controllers when
you are working with blocks. Block controllers blend clips in a relative repeat
manner. If your motions do not loop exactly, your rotations start to drift. Also note
that block controllers only work with Keyframe controllers (non-procedural).

Master Block Parameters Dialog
After assigning a Master Block, right-click the MasterBlock track to display the
Master Block Parameters dialog on page 3474. This is the first step in creating a
block.
With this dialog, you can save blocks and then load them later. Blocks are
saved as BLK files.

Track View Pick Dialog
The Track View Pick dialog on page 3477 is displayed when track selection is
necessary; for example, when you click Add in the Master Block Parameters
dialog. Select tracks in the dialog to include in a block. Valid tracks are shown
as darker.

Block Controller | 3467

Block Parameters Dialog
After you create a block by clicking Add in the Master Block Parameters dialog
and then selecting tracks in the Track View Pick dialog, clicking OK in the
Track View Pick dialog displays the Block Parameters dialog on page 3473.

Attach Controls Dialog (Loading Blocks)
The Attach Controls dialog on page 3471 is displayed when you click Load in
the Master Block Parameters dialog. Tracks in blocks saved previously can be
mapped to tracks in the current scene.

Slave Parameters Dialog (Slave Controller)
Every time a block is created, all tracks within the block are assigned a slave
controller, which allows the MasterBlock to transfer key data. The slave
controller tracks appear with the original tracks you used to create the block.
See Slave Parameters dialog on page 3475.

MasterBlock Subtracks
Below the main MasterBlock track are subtracks. The first of these is always
Blend. The remaining subtracks are initially copies of the tracks used to create
the block.
Blend track Lets you animate the influence of the block. You can reduce the
block's influence by creating Blend keys with values less than 1.0. Default=1.0.
Block-specific subtracks Display the block name and its associated tracks.
Initially these are copies of the tracks used to create the block. You can edit
keys on these tracks to change the block's behavior.

Block Key Properties Dialog

3468 | Chapter 13 Animation

Relative Motion Toggles between relative and absolute motion.
Start, End Set the first and last frames for this instance of the block (this scales
the block instance).

Procedures
Example: To create a block:
1 Animate two objects moving in the viewports. Make the final keyframe
for the objects frame 10.
2 Open Track View - Dope Sheet.
3 On the Track View hierarchy, expand Global Tracks, expand Block
Control, and then select Available.
Available is the track below the Block Control track.
4 From the Track View toolbar, choose Controller menu ➤ Assign, select
Master Block in the dialog, and then click OK.
The Master Block Parameters dialog automatically displays.
5 Click Add on the Master Block Parameters dialog.
6 On the Track View Pick dialog, expand the tracks for the two animated
objects.
7 While holding down Ctrl, click the X,Y,Z Position tracks for both objects,
and then click OK.
8 On the Block Parameters dialog, type a name in the name field.
Choose a name that will remind you of the animation in this block.
9 Set the End value to 10, and then click OK.
The Block will contain animation between frame 0 and frame 10.
10 Click OK to close the Master Block Parameters dialog.
The block has been created, and you can now use it.
■

Once a block is added, a slave controller is added to the controllers
on the original tracks. This enables communication between the track
and the Block controller.

■

With the Blend track (below the MasterBlock track in the Track View
hierarchy) you can animate how much of the block animation will
be in effect. Negative values reverse the animation.

Block Controller | 3469

■

Controllers that each block uses are listed under the block name. This
allows you to adjust the data for a particular block.

Example continued: To use a block:
1 In the Dope Sheet Key window, right-click the MasterBlock track.
A pop-up menu displays the name of blocks already created.
2 Select the name of the block you created earlier.
The Block is displayed in the Key window.
3 Drag the Block to start at frame 20, and click Play.
The animation repeats at frame 20.
You can create a number of blocks for different periods of an object's
animation, and use them at different locations in the MasterBlock track.
To move an inserted block:
■

In the Key window, select the block and then drag it left or right.

To scale (resize) an inserted block:
■

Select the key at the lower left or right corner of the block, and then drag
left or right.

To create a copy of a block:
■

Hold down Shift, and draft the block.
This creates a new instance of the block, which you can place at a different
time.

To remove an inserted block:
■

Click to select the block, then press Delete.

3470 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Inserted blocks appear in the Key window to the right of the MasterBlock controller
in the hierarchy under Global Tracks.

Block Control track Displays in Track View under Global Tracks.
To create a MasterBlock Control, expand Block Control, select Available, and
choose Controller ➤ Assign.
MasterBlock Track Displays in Track View after you assign a Master Block
controller to an available track.
You can right-click the track in the Key window. This displays a pop-up menu
that shows the name of blocks that have been created. Choosing a block inserts
the block into the MasterBlock track. The dialog also has an entry, Properties,
that displays the Master Block Parameters dialog.
In the MasterBlock track, inserted blocks display as colored rectangles. The
name of the block appears at the center. In the lower left and right corners
are keys that indicate the beginning and end of the block's animation. Below
the name of the block is the letter “R” for relative, or “A” for absolute. Click
and drag the center of a block to move it in time. Select a key in the corner
of a Block to move one edge of the block (scale time).
Right-click an inserted lock to display the Block Key Properties dialog (described
below).

Attach Controls Dialog (Block Controller)
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Click and then right-click
MasterBlock track. ➤ Properties ➤ Load ➤ Choose a file. ➤ OK ➤ Attach
Controls dialog

Block Controller | 3471

Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Double-click MasterBlock
track. ➤ Properties ➤ Load ➤ Choose a file. ➤ OK ➤ Attach Controls
dialog
3ds Max opens this dialog when you click Load in the Master Block Parameters
dialog on page 3474. Tracks in blocks previously saved can be mapped to tracks
in the current scene.
The Incoming Controls list on the left contains all the incoming tracks. The
Copy To list on the right contains all the tracks in the current scene that you
will attach to.

Interface

Add Selects tracks in the current scene in the Track View Pick dialog on page
3477.
Add Null Allows a space to be taken if you don’t want to use a particular track.
Match by Node Select tracks on the left that you want to match. Click Match
By Node. Then select a group of tracks that you want to match to. The system
attempts to match the controls based on their names.

3472 | Chapter 13 Animation

Delete Deletes a track from the list.
Move Up, Move Down Move tracks up and down to align them before
attaching them.
OK Imports the tracks and closes the dialog.
Cancel Cancels the Load operation.

Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller)
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Click and then right-click
MasterBlock track. ➤ Properties ➤ Master Block Parameters dialog ➤ Add
➤ Choose tracks in Track View Pick dialog ➤ Click OK. ➤ Block Parameters
dialog
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Double-click MasterBlock
track. ➤ Properties ➤ Master Block Parameters dialog ➤ Add ➤ Choose
tracks in Track View Pick dialog ➤ Click OK. ➤ Block Parameters dialog
After clicking Add in the Master Block Parameter dialog and selecting tracks
in the Track View Pick dialog to create a Block, clicking OK in the Track View
Pick dialog opens the Block Parameters dialog.

Interface

Name Field Names the block.
Start, End Set the range of the block in frames.
Color Selects a color for the Block. Displays a color selection dialog.
OK Saves the parameters and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without saving the parameters.

Block Controller | 3473

Master Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller)
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Master Block ➤ Click
and then right-click the Master Block track. ➤ Master Block Parameters dialog
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Master Block ➤
Double-click the Master Block track. ➤ Master Block Parameters dialog
After assigning a Master Block, right-click the Master Block track to open the
Master Block Parameters dialog. This is the first step in creating a block.

Interface

Add Opens the Track View Pick dialog. Use the dialog to choose tracks to
include in a Block. Valid tracks are displayed in darker text.
Add Selected Creates a block using the tracks already selected in the Track
View hierarchy. Any invalid tracks are ignored.
Select the tracks (include the Master Block track), and then right-click Master
Block in the Track View hierarchy.
Replace Replaces the currently selected block.
Remove Remove the selected block from the list.

3474 | Chapter 13 Animation

Load Loads a block from disk. Displays the Attach Controls dialog.
Map incoming tracks to tracks in your scene using controls in the Attach
Controls dialog.
Save Saves the current block to disk.

Slave Parameters Dialog (Block Controller)
Track View ➤ Click and then right-click a slave track in the Track View
hierarchy. ➤ Properties ➤ Slave Parameters dialog
Track View ➤ Double-click a slave track in the Track View hierarchy. ➤
Properties ➤ Slave Parameters dialog
Every time you create a block, all tracks within the block are assigned a Slave
controller, which allows the Master Block to transfer key data.
The Slave controller can be assigned without being connected to a Master
Block controller. Controls in the Slave Parameters dialog allow you to attach
the slave to a master. If the slave is not attached to a master, a dialog is
displayed listing the available master controls you can attach to. The Track
View Pick dialog on page 3477 is displayed, listing the tracks you can add.
Right-click a Slave controller in the Track View hierarchy to display the Slave
Parameters dialog. The list window displays any assigned tracks.

Block Controller | 3475

Interface

Add New Link Adds a link. Displays the Add New Link dialog with available
tracks. Click a track and then click OK.
Remove Link Removes the highlighted link.
Collapse Control Collapses the Slave controller to a standard controller.
Existing keys are copied to the new controller.
OK Closes the dialog.

3476 | Chapter 13 Animation

Track View Pick Dialog (Block Controller)
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Click and then right-click
MasterBlock track. ➤ Properties ➤ Master Block Parameters dialog ➤ Add
➤ Track View Pick dialog
Track View ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Double-click MasterBlock
track. ➤ Properties ➤ Master Block Parameters dialog ➤ Add ➤ Track
View Pick dialog
3ds Max opens this dialog when track selection is necessary; for example,
when you click Add in the Master Block Parameters dialog on page 3474. Select
tracks in the dialog that you want to include in a Block. Valid tracks are darker.

Interface

Cancel Exits the Track View Pick dialog with no changes.
If tracks are highlighted in the Hierarchy list, then the Block Parameters dialog
on page 3473 is displayed when you click OK, to allow you to set the duration
for the Block.

Block Controller | 3477

Boolean Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track containing
a float value in the Track View hierarchy ➤ Track View menu bar ➤
Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤ Boolean controller
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Dope Sheet ➤ Select a track containing a float
value in the Track View hierarchy ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller
menu ➤ Assign ➤ Boolean controller
The Boolean controller is similar to the On/Off controller on page 3553. By
default, it is assigned to tracks (such as an object's Visibility track) that provide
only binary on and off control.

NOTE The Boolean controller is useful for controlling the Enabled state in the
History Independent (HI) IK system on page 3730.
It differs from the On/Off controller in two ways: first, each key has its own
float value, either 1.0 or 0.0, signifying its on or off state. This enhancement
leads to the second component that differentiates the Boolean controller from
its On/Off cousin: the ability to lay down sequential keys without inadvertently
changing the on/off state of any keys downstream.
The Boolean controller can be assigned to any parameter that would normally
be controlled by a float or boolean class controller, such as a sphere's Hemisphere
or Smooth track.

3478 | Chapter 13 Animation

Boolean controller key values can be changed in on of two ways: through
Track View's Dope Sheet editor or through MAXScript.
NOTE Although the Boolean controller displays a function curve in Track View's
Curve Editor, it does not display keys. Key time and value must be changed in the
Dope Sheet editor.

Procedures
To assign a Boolean controller and add keys:
1 Open Track View's Dope Sheet editor and select any track that would
normally be assigned a float or boolean class controller.
2 Right-click and select Assign Controller. Pick the Boolean controller from
the Assign Controller dialog, and click OK

3 On the main Track View toolbar, click
anywhere on the selected track.

(Add Keys) and then click

New keys with a value of 0.0 are added.
To change Boolean controller key values in Track View:
1 Open the Track View Dope Sheet editor and select a track that contains
a Boolean controller.

2 Select any key and type 1.0 or 0.0 into the key value field at the bottom
of the Track View dialog.

NOTE Values greater than 0.0 will automatically be clamped to 1.0

To change Boolean controller key values via MAXScript:
■

Enter the following into either the MAXScript Listener or Mini
Listener:..keys[].value =
 where  is the object containing the Boolean-controlled

Boolean Controller | 3479

parameter (for example, $Sphere01,  is the parameter
itself (for example, Smooth,  is the actual sequential number
of the key in the key array, and  is either 1.0 or 0.0.

Color RGB Controller (Point3 XYZ Controller)
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a material color
track in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller
menu ➤ Assign ➤ Color RGB
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a material color track
in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu
➤ Assign ➤ Color RGB
The Color RGB controller splits the R, G, and B components into three separate
tracks. You can use this controller with color tracks. By default, each track is
assigned a Bezier Float controller. The Bezier Float controller is a single
parameter controller.

NOTE The Color RGB and the Point3 XYZ controllers are identical in function,
except that the labels of their tracks are RGB and XYZ respectively. Point3 XYZ
controllers can be used for functions such as Noise Strength, and the FFD modifier.

3480 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
Example: To animate the background color of a rendered animation:
1 Open Track View - Curve Editor.
2 In the Track View hierarchy, expand the Environment track and then
select Background Color.
3 On the Track View menu, click Controller ➤ Assign and select the Color
RGB controller.
4 Expand the Background Color track.

5 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Add Keys).

6 Add three keys along the red track at frames 0, 50, 100.
7 Right-click one of the keys to display the Bezier Float dialog. Change the
key values to 0, 400, and 0, respectively.
To see the background color change, move the time slider to the same
frame as the key that is being adjusted and render the scene. To see the
color change in an animated fashion, you must render the animation.
Although you can set values over 255 in the value field, the actual color
value stops at 255.

Interface
Bezier Float controller properties.

See Bezier Controller on page 3462 for a description of these parameters.

Color RGB Controller (Point3 XYZ Controller) | 3481

Euler XYZ Rotation Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a rotation track in
the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤
Assign ➤ Euler XYZ
Graph Editors ➤ Track View Curve Editor ➤ Select a rotation track in the
Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign
➤ Euler XYZ

Select an object in the viewport ➤
Motion Panel ➤ Assign Controller
rollout ➤ Select the rotation track. Euler XYZ is assigned as the default
controller.
The Euler XYZ Rotation controller is a compound controller that combines
separate, single-value float controllers to specify an angle of rotation about
each of the X, Y, and Z axes. Euler XYZ is not as smooth as quaternion rotation
(used by the TCB Rotation controller), but it is the only rotation type that you
can use to edit rotation function curves.

The Euler XYZ Rotation controller assigns individual tracks to the X, Y, and
Z components of position, rotation, and scale transforms. However, the
controller assigns three keys (one for each axis), by default. To avoid this, you
can use Customize User Interface on page 8837 actions to create explicit axis
keys. These are available in the Main UI group ➤ Set Key Tools category.
The Gimbal reference coordinate system on page 865 is intended for use with
this controller. With other coordinate systems, rotating about one axis always
changes at least two tracks. With Gimbal rotation, rotating about one axis
changes only one track, making it easier to edit function curves.

3482 | Chapter 13 Animation

Euler versus TCB Rotation
Euler rotation offers several advantages over the TCB Rotation controller,
which was the default rotation controller prior to 3ds Max 5. Euler rotation
provides function curves, while TCB does not. Euler rotation allows for three
separate curves that can be manipulated in the Curve Editor. TCB rotations
can be controlled only with tension, continuity, and bias settings, making it
difficult to keyframe and manipulate X, Y, and Z rotation independently.
On the other hand, TCB rotation allows for rotation greater than 180 degrees
on a given keyframe. If you turn on the Rotation Windup on page 3598 option,
you can get rotation values greater than 360 degrees.
TIP If you’re used to working with TCB rotation, you might find it difficult to adapt
to the Euler workflow. In that case, you might want to assign TCB as the default
rotation controller. See Specifying Default Controllers on page 3429.

Euler Rotation and the Waveform Float Controller
Because the Euler Rotation controller uses radians, unit adjustments should
be made when other controllers are applied to Euler axes. For example, the
Waveform Float controller has a default amplitude of 100 in the Characteristic
Graph. When the Waveform Float controller is applied to an Euler axis, the
default amplitude is 100 radians. This sets the Amplitude setting to 5729.598
(the number of degrees in 100 radians).

Euler Rotation and the Noise Float Controller
When a Noise Float controller is applied to an Euler axis, the default Strength
setting is 286.479 or 50 percent of 10 radians in degrees (maximum deflection).

Euler Rotation and the MIDI Motion Capture Controller
When a MIDI Motion Capture controller is applied, the Parameter Scaling is
taken in radians so that the Max. default setting of 1.0 results in an upper
boundary of 57.2958 degrees.

Procedures
Example: To use Euler XYZ Rotation:
1 Create a box.

2 Go to the
Motion panel and make sure the assigned rotation
controller is Euler XYZ. If not, highlight the Rotation track in the Assign

Euler XYZ Rotation Controller | 3483

Controller rollout list, click
(Assign Controller), and then choose
Euler XYZ in the Assign Controller dialog list. Click OK.

3 Turn on

(Auto Key).

4 At the bottom of the PRS Parameters rollout, click Rotation.
5 On the Euler Parameters rollout, click the X rotation axis button, if
necessary.
6 In the Create Key group of the PRS Parameters rollout, click Rotation.
3ds Max creates a rotational key.
7 Move the time slider to frame 50.
8 Again, in the Create Key group of the PRS Parameters rollout, click
Rotation.
9 On the Key Info (Basic) rollout, enter 500 in the Value field.
10 On the Euler Parameters rollout, click the Z rotation axis button and then
enter 90 in the Value field of the Key Info (Basic) rollout.

Play the animation. The box rotates 500 degrees around the X
axis and 90 degrees around the Z axis. In this case the X-axis rotation
takes place first, and then Z-axis rotation.
To use Euler XYZ with List controllers for local rotation control:
You can mimic the local Euler rotation controller (available in earlier versions
of 3ds Max) by combining a list controller with an Euler XYZ rotation
controller.
1 Select the object for which you want to have local rotational control. For
example, create a teapot and a dummy.
2 Animate the dummy.

3 Open the

3484 | Chapter 13 Animation

Motion Panel.

4 On the Assign Controller rollout, select the Rotation transform, then

assign a LookAt controller to teapot, with the dummy assigned as
the LookAt Target.
You now have an object with rotation controlled through the dummy.
5 With the Rotation: LookAt controller selected in the window, again click

(Assign Controller) and pick Rotation List.
Now there is a list controller, with the LookAt Constraint applied as the
first rotation controller in the list.
6 Scroll down in the window and select the entry labelled Available, then
again click Assign Controller.
7 Choose Euler XYZ.
You now have a list controller with a LookAt Rotation as the first
controller and an Euler XYZ as the second controller.
8 In the Rotation List rollout, highlight Euler XYZ in the Layers window,
then click Set Active.
9 In the Euler Parameters rollout, change the Axis Order to ZYX.
Now you can animate the rotation independent of the LookAt rotation
control. It should now behave the same as the Local Euler controller that
was available in versions 4 and earlier.

Interface
Euler parameters are displayed in the Motion panel.
The Euler parameters rollout is displayed when Rotation is selected in the PRS
Parameters rollout on page 3557.

Axis Order Selects the order that rotations are calculated. The default is X,Y,Z
order, where the X axis is rotated first.
X Displays controller properties for X axis rotation angle.

Euler XYZ Rotation Controller | 3485

Y Displays controller properties for Y axis rotation angle.
Z Displays controller properties for Z axis rotation angle.
Each axis uses its own independent controller using the float data type. For
example, the X and Y Rotation axes could use Bezier Float controllers, while
the Z rotation axis uses a Noise Float controller.

Expression Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Expression
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Expression
Animation menu ➤ Position or Scale controller ➤ Expression
Interface on page 3490 Procedures on page 3487
The Expression controller lets you use mathematical expressions to control
these animation aspects: object parameters such as length, width, and height;
and transform and modifier values such as an object's position coordinates.

You can constrain values by basing them on the controller values of other
objects in the scene.
An expression is a mathematical function that returns a value. 3ds Max
evaluates the expression once for each frame of an animation, generating
values that can change from frame to frame.

3486 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can create and manage Expression controllers in Track View on page 3827
and on the Motion panel on page 8802. You can assign expressions to the
following kinds of scene elements:
Scene element

Controller

Creation parameters

Any numeric creation parameter

Transforms

Position [X, Y, Z]
X Rotation
Y Rotation
Z Rotation
Scale [X%, Y%, Z%]

Modifiers

Any numeric modifier parameter (including
creation parameters)

Materials

Colors [R, G, B]
Any numeric material parameter

NOTE Expression controllers can work only with the individual XYZ components
of Euler rotation. You can't assign an expression to TCB Rotation or other kinds of
rotation controllers.
See also:
■

Expression Techniques on page 273

■

Expression Controller Techniques on page 3492

■

Trigonometric Functions on page 282

■

Vectors on page 285

Procedures
To assign a constant value to a variable:
1 Highlight the variable name in the Scalars or Vectors list.
2 Click Assign To Constant.
3ds Max opens a new dialog.
3 On the dialog, enter the new value (or, in the case of a vector, values) for
the constant, and then click OK.

Expression Controller | 3487

To assign a controller to a variable:
1 Highlight the variable name in the Scalars or Vectors list.
2 Click Assign To Controller.
3ds Max opens the Track View Pick subdialog, showing the track
hierarchy. The dialog display is similar to the Track View hierarchy.
3 Highlight the track for the variable to use, and then click OK.
Example: To create an expression that moves a sphere in a precise circle:
1 Create a sphere with Radius=15.0.
You'll use Track View to create the Expression controller.
2 In the active viewport, right-click the sphere and click Curve Editor.
3 In the Hierarchy list, scroll down to the Objects branch and, if necessary,
expand the Sphere01 branch so the sphere's Position track is visible. Click
the Position label to highlight it.
4 In the Hierarchy list, right-click the Position label and then click Assign
To Controller.
3ds Max opens the Assign Controller dialog.
5 Choose Position Expression from the list of controller types, and then
click OK.
3ds Max opens the Expression Controller dialog.
NOTE You can also open the Expression Controller dialog with Track View
➤ Controller menu ➤ Properties.
6 Replace the default expression by typing the following position expression
in the Expression field:
[100*cos(360*NT), 100*sin(360*NT), 0]
The expression specifies a circular path for the sphere. NT is a variable
that means normalized time. Movement based on NT happens exactly
once per the active time segment, regardless of how many frames are in
the animation.
7 Click Evaluate.

3488 | Chapter 13 Animation

8

Play the animation. The sphere moves in a circle about the world
origin (0,0,0). The radius of the circular path is 100 units.

Example continued: To change the radius of the circle:
The two 100s in the position expression from the previous procedure specify
the radius. To adjust the radius of the circle's path, create a symbolic variable
to represent the radius. The variable has a constant value that is easy to edit.
1 Reopen Track View and the Expression Controller dialog if necessary.
2 In the Name field of the Expression Controller dialog, type radius Make
sure Scalar is chosen, and then click Create.
The variable name "radius" appears in the Scalars list of the dialog.
3 Click Assign To Constant.
3ds Max opens a dialog titled "radius".
4 Enter 150 in the Value field, and then click OK.
The radius variable is now 150.
Next you'll use the new variable in the expression.
Example continued: To replace the literal value with the variable name:
1 In the Expression field, change 100 to radius in both places. The
expression should now look like this:
[ radius*cos(360*NT), radius*sin(360*NT), 0]
2 Click Evaluate.

3

Play the animation. The sphere moves in a circle about the world
origin (0,0,0). The radius of the circular path is 150 units.

Example continued: To make the sphere rotate about a box:
1 Create a box about 40 units square, and animate its position over three
or four keyframes.

Expression Controller | 3489

2

Select the sphere.

3 In the Name field of the Expression Controller dialog, enter boxposn.
Choose Vector, and then click Create.
The name "boxposn" is displayed in the Vectors list in the lower-left area
of the dialog.
Variable names are case sensitive; the variable name should be lower case.
4 Click Assign to Controller.
The Track View Pick dialog is displayed. It shows the object hierarchy as
it appears in the left side of Track View-Dope Sheet.
5 In the Hierarchy list, highlight the Position controller for Box01 and then
click OK.
6 In the Expression field, add boxposn as an offset:
[radius * cos(360*NT), radius * sin(360*NT), 0]+boxposn.
7 Click Evaluate, and then click Close.

Play the animation again. The sphere moves in a circle around
the box and follows the box wherever it moves.

Interface

3490 | Chapter 13 Animation

TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner.

Create Variables group
Name The variable name.
Scalar/Vector Choose the type of variable to create.
Create Creates the variable and adds it to the appropriate list.
You must enter a name and specify a type before clicking Create.
Delete Deletes the highlighted variable in the Scalar or Vector list.
Rename Renames the highlighted variable in the Scalar or Vector list.
First highlight the variable in the list; this places the name in the Name field.
Edit the name in the Name field, and then click Rename; the new name
replaces the previous one in the list.

Variable Parameters group
Tick Offset Contains an offset value.
A tick is 1/4800 of a second. If a variable has a non-zero tick offset, that value
is added to the current time.

Expression window
Type an expression in the Expression box.
The expression must be a valid mathematical expression. The result is either
a three-value vector for a vector expression (position, scale, or point3) or a
scalar value for a float expression.

Description window
Type text in this window to document an expression. For example, you can
describe user-defined variables.

_____
Function List Displays a list of Expression controller functions.
In the list, p, q, and r represent scalar values or scalar expressions; V and W
represent vector values or vector expressions.
Save Saves an expression. Expressions are saved as files with a ..xpr file name
extension.
Load Loads an expression.

Expression Controller | 3491

A saved expression does not include variable definitions or values. After loading
the expression, you need to redefine them.
Debug Displays the Expression Debug window.
This window shows the values of all variables, and the value of the expression.
When you change the variables or move the time slider, the Debug window
automatically updates so you can interactively view what's happening with
the expression. The values for frames (F), normalized time (NT), secs (S), and
ticks (T) are also displayed.
Evaluate Evaluate the expression for each frame in the animation.
There is no explicit assignment (= or := operator) as in a conventional
programming language; the assignment is implicit and takes place over time.
If the expression has a syntax error, an error message is displayed. The error
message is the first part of the expression itself. The last character in the error
message is the point of the error. This is usually where the error actually is,
unless the problem is that opening and closing parentheses (or the braces for
vectors) don't match. In this case, evaluation can proceed further before the
error is detected.
Close Closes the Expression Controller dialog.

Expression Controller Techniques
This topic summarizes some useful expression techniques.
See also:
■

Trigonometric Functions on page 282

■

Vectors on page 285

Commonly Used Expressions
This topic lists some expressions that you might find useful in situations when
you animate.

Circular Path
[ Radius * cos(360*Time),
Radius * sin(360*Time), 0 ]

where Time is one of the predefined time variables such as NT or S.
If you make the two Radius values unequal, you get an elliptical path.

3492 | Chapter 13 Animation

If you specify a nonzero Z component, the path is no longer planar.

Following Another Object
[X, Y, Z] + Position

where Position is the Position controller of the second object.
The vector [X, Y, Z] can be an offset from the second object. (If it’s [0,0,0], the
two objects occupy the same position.) It can also be a vector expression that
specifies some movement in itself.

Keeping an Object Between Two Objects
(Position1 + Position2) / 2

where Position1 and Position2 are the Position controllers of two objects.
The divisor 2 constrains the object to be halfway between the two other objects.
Other values constrain the object to other locations.

Bouncing Between Other Objects
(1+sin(360*Time))/2 * (Pos1-Pos2) + Pos2

where Time is one of the predefined time variables such as NT or S; Pos1 and
Pos2 are the Position controllers of two other objects.
The subexpression (1+sin(360*Time))/2 is a value that oscillates between 0
and 1 over time. (Pos1-Pos2) is the vector between the two other objects.
Multiplying the two and then adding Pos2 as an offset locates the object along
this vector.

Changing the Number of an Object’s Segments Based on Camera Distance
This expression varies the number of segments in a cylinder based on the
distance of a camera. It is assigned to the cylinder’s Segments creation
parameter.
if ( (length(Camera-Myself) > 35),
3 + (50*Height) / length(Camera-Myself),
MaxSegs)

where Camera is the position controller of the camera; Myself is the cylinder’s
position controller; Height (= 70) is the cylinder’s height; MaxSegs (=100) is
the maximum number of segments.

Expression Controller | 3493

When the camera is closer, more segments make the cylinder smoother; when
the camera is distant, the smoothing is less important and fewer segments
render more quickly.
The if() function returns its second argument if the first argument is true;
otherwise, it returns its third argument. In this example, if the camera is more
than 35 units away from the cylinder, the expression calculates the number
of segments; if the camera is 35 units away or closer, the number of segments
is the MaxSegs constant.
The values in the second argument are chosen so that as the distance decreases
toward the threshold of 35, the number of segments increases toward MaxSegs.
The addition "3+" ensures that the cylinder always has at least three segments,
even when the division rounds to zero (Segments is an integer).
NOTE To the expression, it doesn’t matter whether the camera is moving, or the
cylinder, or both.

Layer Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Highlight a Layer
controller track and right-click ➤ Properties

Select layer-enabled object. ➤
Position/Rotation/Scale

Motion Panel ➤ Parameters ➤

The Layer Controller dialog provides commands and options related to the
Layer controllers in your scene, which the system automatically assigns for
you when you enable animation layers on page 3496 on an object.
Unlike other controllers, you cannot assign a Layer controller explicitly to a
track; you first need to enable layers via the Animation Layers toolbar on page
8632 or the Controller menu of the Curve Editor.
The Layer controller dialog has similarities to the List controller on page 3528
dialog. You can refer to it for complementary information on some of the
options.

3494 | Chapter 13 Animation

NOTE This section concerns itself with using layers in general animation; for
information about using layers with biped animation, see Layers Rollout on page
5087.

Animation Layers and Autodesk VIZ
Although the Animation Layers feature is not available in Autodesk VIZ, VIZ
can load and save objects that use this feature without any data loss. The Layer
controllers continue to exist in VIZ, and can even be viewed and edited in
Track View, although editing of the animation-layer data is not recommended
if the objects are to be returned to 3ds Max.
TIP For best results with objects that are to be brought into Autodesk VIZ, collapse
on page 3511 any animation layers before saving the objects.

Interface
The dialog for a Layer controller depends on whether you’re using it with a
position or scale track (left, following), or with a rotation track (right,
following).

Layer Controller dialog with
position and scale tracks

Layer Controller dialog with
Rotation tracks

TIP In general, for ease of use we recommend you use the work with layers using
the Animation Layers toolbar on page 3496 rather than this dialog.
List Window Displays all Layer controllers for the selected object, along with
their respective weight value.

Layer Controller | 3495

Set Active Determines on which layer your animation keys are set. The active
controller is marked with an arrow in the list.
TIP You can also switch between active layers from the drop-down list on the
Animation Layers toolbar on page 3496 .
Delete Deletes the highlighted controller. A confirmation dialog prompts you
before.
Copy Copies the highlighted controller's data and enables Paste.
Paste Puts the copied content onto the highlighted controller.
Weight Sets the effects of the highlighted Layer controller
Average Weights When on, the weight values of all the controllers in the list.
Available only when you assign a Layer controller to a position track.
Default=off.
Pose to Pose Enables blending among controllers in the list. Available only
when you assign a Layer controller to a rotation track. Default=off.
Refer to the List controller on page 3528 for more information on this option.
Blend Euler As Quat When on, exposes the rotation axis order for blending
the Euler controllers, which can prove useful for controlling gimbal on page
860. Available only when you assign a Layer controller to a rotation track.
Default=off.
X/Y/Z Order Sets the order in which the system calculates each rotation axis.
Available only when Blend Euler As Quat is on.
Disable Removes the Layer controller from the select object and reverts the
animation keys on the Base Layer to the original controller.
NOTE You have to delete or collapse (available on the Animation Layers on page
3496 toolbar) all layers above the Base Layer before you can disable it.

Animation Layers (Layer Controller)
Right-click an unused area of any toolbar. ➤ Animation Layers
Animation menu ➤ Animation Layers
Animation layers let you combine multiple animation tracks on the same
object. You can use layers to store your animation experiments as you try

3496 | Chapter 13 Animation

them out, turning them on or off to your liking. To enable, add, and control
layers, use commands from the Animation Layers toolbar.
Using animation layers is comparable to using both the List Controller on
page 3528 and biped layer system on page 5087, while it is more flexible and
simpler for the animators to use.

Enabling Animation Layers
When you enable animation layers on page 3509 for a selected object by turning
them on in the Enable Anim Layers dialog, 3ds Max assigns a Layer controller
on page 3494 to the animation tracks.

When 3ds Max adds a Layer controller, it copies the original controller into
its first layer (called Base Layer), preserving any animation data it may already
contain.
NOTE The Base Layer is not a new layer; it is on the same level as any other
controller track.

Layer Controller | 3497

NOTE If you layer-enable a controller but do not see a Layer controller appear in
the Track View hierarchy window, open and close the Enable Anim Layers dialog
again.

The original controller before you enable
animation layers

The Layer controller nests
the original controller in its
Base Layer.

To revert from a Layer controller to the original controller, click Disable Anim
Layer on page 3511 on the Animation Layers toolbar. However, if your object
contains more than one animation layer, you first need to either delete or
collapse them before you can disable the Base Layer.
TIP You can also disable a Layer controller through the Layer Controller dialog on
page 3494.
NOTE Turning off a track in the Enable Anim Layers dialog does not disable it.
You can assign a Layer controller either at the leaf level of a controller track
(such as a material's Diffuse Color track), or at a branch level (such as a Position
track).

The Layer controller affects a point 3 branch.

3498 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Layer controller affects a leaf track.

If the selected object already has a list controller track when you enable layers,
that list controller is preserved within the Base Layer of the new Layer
controller.

The original List controller
The new Layer controller
nests the List Controller.

NOTE You cannot nest a Layer controller within a List controller or another Layer
controller.

Working with Animation Layers
The animation layers list works as follows (Refer to the procedure section
below on page 3502 for common workflow examples):
■

The list displays all existing layers for the selected object. If the object isn't
layer-enabled, “(Enable Layers)” appears instead.

■

By default, the Base Layer is the active layer when you first layer-enable
an object. This means that it stores all future animation keys.

■

Every subsequent layer you create becomes the new active layer and appears
after the previous one in the list.

■

When you select an object, its active layer is automatically chosen. When
expanded, the drop-down list highlights the active layer.

Layer Controller | 3499

■

When you select multiple objects that have different active layers,
“(Multiple Active Layers)” appears.
The drop-down list displays all common layers (that is, with the same
name); layers not common to all are unavailable.

When you select multiple objects, layers not
common to all are unavailable on the
drop-down list.

■

You can turn on or off any layer in the expanded list by clicking its light
bulb icon. Turning off a layer hides its animation without deleting it.

To toggle a layer, click its light bulb icon.

■

You can include or exclude any layer from the output track by clicking its
plus/minus sign icon. The output track contains the sum of all included
layers. You can use this track to control other objects' tracks via MAXScript
and parameter wiring.

To toggle a layer's inclusion in the output track, click the plus/minus
sign icon.

3500 | Chapter 13 Animation

TIP For a procedure that demonstrates how to use this option, see Example:
To link two objects with wire parameters using the Layer Controller's output
track: on page 3505.
■

You can lock and unlock a layer by clicking its lock icon. If a layer is locked,
you cannot manipulate any object properties that the layer controls (such
as motion) when the layer is active.

To toggle the ability to change animation in a layer,
click the lock icon for the layer.

Each animation layer has a global weight value which, when changed, impacts
every controller within that active layer. Similar to the List controller on page
3528, you can animate a layer's weight and toggle the visibility of the resulting
keys in the Track Bar using the Track Bar Filter menu on page 8665.

When you add a new animation layer on page 3513, you can pick a name already
in use by an existing layer; this links both layers' weight track, which is now
instanced.

Using Merged or XRef Scenes Containing Layers
When you merge on page 8101 or externally reference on page 7999 a source scene
(or object) containing layers into your master scene, the system adds the
incoming layers to the master scene's layer list.

Layer Controller | 3501

NOTE All animations within an incoming XRef object or scene is preserved within
an XRef controller on page 3602. You cannot edit them unless you merge the XRef
object or XRef controller into your master scene.
If a layer name from the merged or XRef scene matches one from the master
scene, both layers become synchronized ; that is, the weight track is instanced
to both of them.

Collapsing Layers
Collapsing a layer merges keys if any of these conditions are met:
■

the two controllers are of similar types (Bezier, Float, TCB, etc.).

■

they have the same tangent type.

■

the Blend Euler As Quat option of the Layer Controller dialog on page 3494
is turned off.

However, many factors can cause a collapse per frame (that is, setting a key
on every frame):
■

If one controller type is TCB (Quaternion) and the other is Bezier (Euler).

■

If the Blend Euler As Quat option of the Layer Controller dialog on page
3494 is turned on, and both rotation controllers are Euler-driven.

■

If the Blend Euler As Quat option of the Layer controller is turned off, and
both rotation controllers are Euler-driven, but both have different tangent
types.

■

If either controller is non-keyable.

Procedures: Integrating Animation Layers in a Workflow
The following sequence of procedures illustrate how you can use animation
layers in your workflow to quickly create and combine different animation
tracks together for the same object. You should be familiar with the basics of
animation and key creation before going through the following steps.
Example: To enable layers:

1 Create a teapot, and then turn on
(Auto Key) and
move the teapot at frames 15 and 30 to create a short animation.

3502 | Chapter 13 Animation

By default, this also creates a key at frame 1. Your start key might be at
frame 0 instead; for the purposes of this example, it’s immaterial.
2 On the main toolbar, choose Animation ➤ Animation Layers.
This opens the Animation Layers toolbar.
3 Make sure the teapot is selected, then click

(Enable Anim Layers).

4 On the Enable Anim Layers dialog, turn on only the Position track, and
click OK.
The new Layer controller now nests your teapot's animation.
Example: To add a layer and change its controller type:
This continues from the previous procedure, in which you enabled layers for
an animated object.
1 On the Animation Layers toolbar, click

(Add Anim Layer).

2 On the Create New Animation Layer dialog, enter "Noise Layer” as name,
and click OK.
The teapot now has two animation layers, each of which can contain a
separate animation that you can control independently of the other.
3 Right-click the teapot, and from the context menu choose Curve Editor
on page 3841. In the hierarchy list on the left, scroll down to the Teapot01
object. Expand the hierarchy as follows: Teapot01 ➤ Transform ➤
Position.
Under Position you’ll see Base Layer, Noise Layer, two Weight Tracks,
and Output
4 Highlight Noise Layer and right-click it.
5 From the context menu, choose Assign Controller and pick a Noise
Position controller.
6 This opens the Noise Controller dialog. Leave the options as they are and
close the dialog.
Two different controllers are now driving the teapot's position.

Layer Controller | 3503

7

Play the animation to see the teapot jitter as it moves along the
original animation path.

Example: To turn a layer on and off:
This procedure discusses turning existing layers on and off. It continues from
the previous procedure.
1 On the Animation Layers toolbar, expand the drop-down list.
The list currently contains both the original base layer and Noise Layer
from the previous procedure.
2 Move your cursor across the list and click the light bulb icon next to Noise
Layer.
This turns off the layer and hides the Noise controller track from the rest
of the tracks.

3 Drag the time slider and notice how the teapot does not shake anymore.
4 Try turning on and off both layers in the list to see the results. When
finished, turn both layers on.
Example: To lock and unlock a layer:
This procedure discusses locking and unlocking layers. It continues from the
previous procedure.
1 If the Base Layer isn’t already active, on the Animation Layers toolbar,
expand the drop-down list and choose the Base Layer.

3504 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 Make sure
(Auto Key) is on, then go to frame 20 and move
the teapot to set a new animation key.

Now when you

play the animation, the new key is included.

3 On the Animation Layers toolbar, expand the drop-down list. On the list
entry for the Base Layer, click the lock icon so it appears to be locked.

4 With the Base Layer still active, try to move the teapot.
You can’t, because the layer is locked. This protects the animation on
that layer from inadvertent changes.
5 Open Track View and find the Position ➤ Base Layer track for the teapot
and expand it. Highlight the X Position track (or Y Position or Z Position),
then right-click the highlighted track and from the top-left quadrant of
the quad menu, choose Unlock.
The “(Locked)” text no longer appears after the Base Layer tracks.
6 Go back to the Animation Layers dialog and check the Base Layer lock
icon.
It is no longer locked. This shows that locking and unlocking a track in
an animation layer affects all tracks controlled by that layer.
Example: To link two objects with wire parameters using the Layer Controller's
output track:
This procedure refers to a simple way to use the output track to control a cube's
position through wire parameters. It continues from the previous procedure.
1 Make sure both layers listed on the Animation Layers toolbar are on, as
indicated by the light bulb icons.
2 Create a box next to the teapot.
3 Right-click it and choose Wire Parameters from the quad menu.

Layer Controller | 3505

4 Navigate through the pop-up menu and choose Z Position.

5 A dashed line appears. Click the teapot and choose the X Output Track
from the pop-up menu.

6 3ds Max opens the Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647, with the two
parameters highlighted. Click the left directional arrow button to control
the cube's position using the teapot's animation.

3506 | Chapter 13 Animation

7 Click Connect and close the dialog. Drag the time slider and notice how
the cube's position in Z matches the teapot's layered animation in X.

8

Select the teapot and expand the layer list from the Animation
Layers toolbar.

9 Click the plus-sign icon next to the Noise Layer.
This excludes the layer from the output track.

10 Drag the time slider again. The cube doesn't move erratically like the
teapot.
Try including and excluding both layers in the list to see the results.

Layer Controller | 3507

Example: To copy and paste a layer and update an active layer:
This procedure continues from the previous procedure and focuses solely on
the teapot.
1 Make sure the teapot is selected and choose Base Layer from the animation
layers list to make it active.
2 On the Animation Layers toolbar, click
this layer and the data it contains.

(Copy Anim Layer) to buffer

3 Click
(Paste New Layer). On the Rename Anim Layer dialog,
enter “Changes on Z axis” as name and click OK.
This new layer becomes the active layer.

4 While
frames 5 and 20.

(Auto Key) is on, move the teapot on the Z axis at

This animation update only affects the position tracks of the active layer.

Example: To collapse a layer:
This procedure continues from the previous procedure.
1 In the animation layers list, turn off Noise Layer. Then choose Changes on
Z axis to make it active.
2 On the Animation Layers toolbar, click

(Collapse Anim Layer).

This merges the layer onto the next available one (Base Layer), skipping
Noise Layer, which is off.

3508 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 Turn Noise Layer back on in the list.

Interface

Enable Anim Layers Assigns a Layer controller to tracks you specify.
NOTE Enabling animation layers does not create a new layer, but rather transfers
all chosen controller tracks to the Base Layer.
This opens the Enable Anim Layers dialog, which, similar to the Set Key Filters
dialog on page 3406, lets you turn on tracks you want to assign a Layer controller
to.

The Position, Rotation, and Scale tracks are on by default. You can still animate
attributes other than those enabled on this dialog, but they are not subject to
control by the Layer controller.
NOTE Once you turn on a track, you can turn it off only by disabling the respective
Layer controller.
If you enable animation layers for an object that has animation loaded in the
Motion Mixer on page 4036, the following dialog opens:

Layer Controller | 3509

Remapping is necessary in this case because enabling Animation Layers causes
the full controller names to change. For example, if a sphere's X position track
before enabling Animation Layers is Sphere01\Transform\Position\X Position,
then after enabling animation layers it might change to
Sphere01\Transform\Position\Base Layer\X Position (the layer name is
inserted into the controller name).
If you accept the default dialog option, to create the new map files
automatically, 3ds Max automatically generates any necessary XMM files on
page 4147 with the same names as the XAF files and places them in the same
directory as the original map files, or if no map files exist, in the same directory
as the XAF files. Thereafter, when you open this scene file the map file is
loaded automatically and no additional mapping is required.
However, if you turn off Automatically Create The New Map Files? before
clicking OK, no map files are generated, and the next time you open the scene
file you're prompted to create map files. Without map files, the animation
doesn't appear correctly.
Select Active Layer Objects Selects all objects in your scene containing
the active layer.
[animation layer list] Displays all existing layers for the selected object. Each
layer in the list contains toggle icons to turn it on or off, as well as include or
exclude it from the controller's output track. See Working with Animation
Layers on page 3499 for more details.
[weight] Sets a global weight for the active layer, which affects If the active
layer is shared by several objects (ex. Base Layer), changing its weight affects
them all.
Anim Layer Properties Opens the Layer Properties dialog on page 8548,
which lets you set global options for layers.

3510 | Chapter 13 Animation

Add Anim Layer Opens the Create New Animation Layer dialog on page
3513, which lets you specify settings related to the new layer. This adds a new
layer to every track that has a Layer controller.
Delete Anim Layer Removes the active layer, along with the data it
contains. A confirmation dialog prompts you before deletion.
NOTE You cannot delete the Base Layer. Alternatively, Click Disable Anim Layer
on page 3511 to removes the Layer controller entirely.
Copy Anim Layer Copies the active layer's data and enables Paste Active
Anim Layer and Paste New Layer.
Paste Active Anim Layer Overwrites the active layer's controller type
and animation keys with the copied data.
NOTE You cannot paste a copied layer from one object onto another'.
Paste New Layer Creates a new layer with the copied layer's controller type
and animation keys. Opens the Rename Anim Layer dialog, in which you can
use the default layer name or enter your own.
Collapse Anim Layer Collapses the active layer to the one below it, as
long as it is not turned off. If it is, the collapsed layer cycles through the list
until it finds an available layer.
NOTE Collapsing a layer does not remove the Layer controller. Click Disable Anim
Layer to remove it.
Disable Anim Layer Removes the Layer controller from the selected
object. The animation keys on the Base Layer revert to the original controller.
A dialog prompts for confirmation.
NOTE Before you can disable the Base Layer, you have to delete or collapse all
layers above.

Layer Controller | 3511

Layer Properties Dialog (Layer Controller)
Right-click an unused area of any toolbar. ➤ Animation Layers ➤ Create
New Animation Layer
This dialog provides global options in regards to collapsing animation layers
on page 3496 and isolating the active layer from the rest.

Interface

Collapse To Sets the controller type for when you collapse a controller track
onto a non-keyable controller track, such as a Noise controller.
■

Bezier or EulerOn collapse, the resulting track is assigned either a Position
XYZ controller (for a Position track), a Bezier Scale controller (for a Scale
track), or an Euler XYZ controller (for a Rotation track).

■

Linear or TCBOn collapse, the resulting track is assigned either a Linear
controller (for Position and Scale tracks) or a TCB controller (for a Rotation
track).

■

DefaultOn collapse, the resulting track is assigned a default controller based
on the original controller track. Refer to Specifying Default Controllers on
page 3429 for more details.

Per Frame Collapse Range Sets the range to cover when you collapse a layer.

3512 | Chapter 13 Animation

NOTE For best results, turn off Collapse to Keys Only, When Possible; otherwise,
based on the collapsed layer's controller and tangent type, the system might
collapse to keys instead.
■

CurrentWhen chosen, a key is set on every frame of your scene's animation
range when you collapse a layer.

■

RangeWhen chosen, a key is set on every frame of the animation range
you specify.
Start/End
Sets the collapse range boundaries.

Collapse To Keys Only, When Possible When you collapse a layer, the keys
are merged only when the respective controllers are of the same type, same
tangent types, and Blend Eulers As Quats is on. Default=on.
Mute Layers Above Active Layer When on, you see the effects of the layers
only up to the active layer, inclusively. This is similar to the Visible Before/After
options of the biped Layers rollout on page 5087.

Create New Animation Layer Dialog (Layer Controller)
Right-click an unused area of any toolbar. ➤ Animation Layers ➤ Create
New Animation Layer
This dialog lets you choose both the name and controller type of the new
layer.

Interface

Layer Name Lists all available layers in your scene. You can use the default
name, enter a custom name, or pick one from the list. If you choose an existing
layer from the list, it inherits that layer's name and weight properties. Refer
to Working with Animation Layers on page 3499 for more details.

Layer Controller | 3513

TIP You can rename a layer after it is added from the Layer Controller dialog on
page 3494.
NOTE All animation layer names persist in the Layer Name list even after you
delete their host object. Resetting the scene clears the list.
[controller type] Determines the controller type to assign to each track within
the animation layer.
■

Duplicate the Active Controller TypeThe new layer's controller type
becomes the same as the one from the active layer, on a per-track basis.
For example, if a track in the active layer has a Noise controller, adding a
new layer copies that controller type.

■

Use Default Controller TypeWhen chosen, the new layer's controller does
not take into account the active layer's controller type and instead uses
the original track's type.

Limit Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Highlight a track in the
Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign
➤ Float Limit
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Highlight a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Float Limit
The Limit controller lets you specify upper and lower limits to available
controller values, thus restricting the potential value range of the controlled
track. For example, in a character rig you could use this to restrict rotation on
finger joints so the fingers can't bend backward. Basically, once a track is
limited, and the limit is active, you can't set a value for the track beyond the
limit.
You can apply a Limit controller to any other type of controller; the limited
controller (that is, the original controller) then appears as a child of the Limit
controller in the Track View hierarchy.
The Limit controller lets you specify upper and lower limits to available
controller values, thus restricting the potential value range of the controlled
track. For example, in a mechanical assembly you could use this to restrict

3514 | Chapter 13 Animation

rotation on a part so that it doesn't rotate beyond its standard range of motion.
Basically, once a track is limited, and the limit is active, you can't set a value
for the track beyond the limit. You can apply a Limit controller to any other
type of controller; the limited controller (that is, the original controller) then
appears as a child of the Limit controller in the Track View hierarchy.
Because the Limit controller doesn't change the original controller, you can
easily switch back and forth between the original and the limited animation
by toggling the limits. But if you collapse on page 3884 the Limit controller, the
result is the limited animation, and the original animation is no longer
available.
Use of the Limit controller makes it faster to set up and create animation. It
eliminates the need for expressions or scripts to do the same thing, this
improving the ease with which you can set up automation in hierarchies and
rigs, creating effects such as avoiding collision, FK joint limits, etc.
For example, a Technical Director might want to assign limits to float values
that animators will adjust to make posing easier, enforce standards, or prevent
inconsistencies and mistakes. A TD could use limits for:
■

light intensity

■

finger rotation

■

position extents for sliding drawers

■

camera field-of-view

■

limiting patch resolution to that supported by the game engine

Character riggers can use limits to create complex relationships or shortcuts
in rigs. Examples include:
■

Wire wrist-twist bones to the rotation of the hand, but limit the rotation
of the wrist-twist or hand to stop short of any flipping that might occur.

■

Prevent unnatural translation of a spline IK helper by causing limit values
for its local position tracks to react to the angle or distance of the helper
from surrounding helpers.

■

React to when IK is disabled, and match the limits of the solver in FK.

■

Limit the position of the IK chain swivel-angle target for the knee so that
it can never go behind the character. That is, the target is linked to
character’s root.

Limit Controller | 3515

Use Cases
Following is a brief list of examples of specific uses for the Limit controller:
■

Select the Y Rotation tracks of all finger bones in a character's hands and
assign a Limit controller. Use Set Key mode to pose the fingers at the
extremes of their ranges of motion and then use the right-click menu on
page 3525 ➤ Set Upper/Lower Limit commands to limit the fingers' motion.
NOTE Limits are included for Set Key via the Other category.

■

You apply a Noise controller to the X Rotation track of a window shutter
object to make it rattle, but the object intersects the building at the lower
end of its motion range. Apply a Limit controller to the track and set the
Lower Limit value to prevent the intersection.

■

Following from the previous example, say the wind tears the window
shutter from the building at frame 100. If the Noise controller is in a Float
List with a Bezier Float, you can weight the noise to 0 at frame 100, when
the shutter is torn from the building by the wind, at which point the
animator will key the animation. Limits are unnecessary after frame 100.
At frame 99, you'd use Set Lower Limit. Then, at frame 100, you'd edit the
Lower Limit value to set the limit to much lower, essentially removing the
limit. Finally, you would set keyframes to animate its movement past frame
100.

Limitations of the Limit Controller
It's important to be aware of the following limitations of Limit controllers:
■

Limit controllers do not limit IK joints. All IK solvers use their own limits,
and ignore Limit controllers. Interactive IK uses the current controllers,
but it also has its own limits, so using Limit controllers with interactive
IK will produce unpredictable results.

■

The Limit controller currently supports only Float controllers. Thus, the
Limit controller is currently available only under the name Float Limit.

■

Upper and lower limits values are expressed in the same units or coordinates
as those used by the limited controller. Thus, for example, Float limits on
an X Position track are in local coordinates, not in global coordinates.

3516 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
Example: To use the Limit controller:
1 Start with an animated object, and open the Curve Editor.
In this example, the teapot position was animated on the X axis between
extents of about –45 to 40, and on the Y axis between extents of about
–80 and 54.

2 Assign the Float Limit controller to a track. In this example, we'll assign
it to the X Position track.
This opens the Float Limit Controller dialog, where you can set limits
and other values, but you might find it easier to do this interactively, so
for now just accept the defaults by closing the dialog.
The track retains its original name (X Position, in this example), but the
icon has changed to indicate that it's now a Limit controller, and is
expandable (see illustration in following step).
3 Expand the track.

Limit Controller | 3517

The hierarchy contains a child track, named Limited Controller, and a
new, expandable child branch named Limits.
4 Click the X Position track and then the Limited Controller track to
compare them.
Because the original X-axis movement falls within the default limits, the
two tracks are identical.
5 Scrub the animation until the X-axis position is where you want to set a
limit. In this example, the position is about -20, where we'll set a lower
limit.

6 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and from the
right-click menu choose Limit Controller ➤ Set Lower Limit.

3518 | Chapter 13 Animation

The graph curve is now clipped below the lower limit. When you scrub
the animation, the object doesn't move beyond that position.

7 Again scrub the animation, stop where you want to set the upper limit,
right-click the X Position track, and choose Limit Controller ➤ Set Upper
Limit.

Limit Controller | 3519

In this example, we've set it at about 13. The graph curve is now clipped
above the upper limit and below the lower limit. The resulting motion
is likewise constrained.
8 Scrub the animation.
The motion on the X axis is limited at both extremes; wherever the object
originally moved beyond the limits, it now behaves as though it's hitting
a wall.
9 Again compare the two tracks.
The Limit Controller (X Position) track clearly shows the upper and lower
clipping, while the Limited Controller track shows the original motion.
The original motion still exists as the Limited Controller track; you can
restore it temporarily by toggling the Limit controller.
10 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and choose Limit
Controller ➤ Toggle Limit.
Now, when you scrub the animation, the object moves as before.
11 Choose Limit Controller ➤ Toggle Limit again to restore the limits
You can copy the Limit controller in two ways: the limits only, or the
limits and motion combined. First, you'll copy the limits only.
12 Highlight the Y Position track and note how its curve differs from that
of the X Position track.

3520 | Chapter 13 Animation

13 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and choose Limit
Controller ➤ Copy Limit Only.
14 Highlight the Y Position track, and then right-click and choose Limit
Controller ➤ Paste Limit Only. When the Paste dialog opens, click OK
to confirm the paste as a copy.
Now the Y Position track is also limited, using the same extents as the X
Position track, but retaining its original underlying motion. To verify
this, compare the Y Position track with its child Limited Controller track.
Next, you'll copy the entire limited X Position track to the Z Position
track, including motion and limits. The Z Position track currently is not
animated.
15 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and choose Copy.
16 Highlight the Z Position track, and then right-click and choose Paste.
Compare the X and Z Position tracks and both their child Limited
Controller tracks. Each corresponding pair of curves is identical. The
motion appears as though the object is hitting the inside edge of a box.
Finally, we'll cover the Smoothing Buffer settings. By default, sharp corners
are created wherever a curve is limited, causing abrupt changes in motion.
You can smooth off these corners with the Smoothing Buffer parameters,
resulting in more natural-looking motion.
17 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click it and choose
Properties.
This reopens the Float Limit Controller dialog.
18 Use the Upper Limit group ➤ Smoothing Buffer spinner to increase the
Smoothing Buffer value as far as it can go.
As you increase the value, the corners of the upper limit on the graph
become smoother.

Limit Controller | 3521

Note that there's an upper limit to this value; in this case, it's 34.973.
This limit is determined by the values of the other three settings on the
dialog.
19 Try increasing the Lower Limit group ➤ Smoothing Buffer. It's not
possible with the upper smoothing value at its maximum.
20 Decrease the upper smoothing value, and then increase the lower
smoothing value.

Now you get smoothing at both the upper and lower limits.

Interface
The Limit Controller interface comprises the Float Limit Controller dialog and
several-right-click menu items.

3522 | Chapter 13 Animation

Float Limit Controller dialog

The Float Limit Controller dialog opens when you first assign the Limit
controller, or when you right-click a highlighted Limit-controller track and
choose Properties.
Enable Toggles the Limit controller. When off, the original values of the
limited track are in effect. When on, the original values are limited by the
Upper Limit and Lower Limit values.
NOTE You can enable and disable all Limit controllers in the scene simultaneously
with the Toggle Limits command, available from the 3ds Max Animation menu.
If some Limit controllers are on and the rest are off, Toggle Limits turns them all
on.

Upper Limit Group
Enable Toggles the upper limit set by the controller. When off, no upper limit
is imposed. Default=on.
[Upper Limit value] The highest value permitted by the Limit controller. Any
values above this value in the original controller are clipped; that is, they're
set to this value, unless smoothing is in effect. Default=1000.0.
You can animate this value via keyframing and other standard methods, and
manipulate this animation in Track View via the Upper Limit track in the
controller's Limits branch.

Limit Controller | 3523

Smoothing Buffer Specifies a smoothing value, so that clipped values at the
beginning and end of a clipped range gradually increase and decrease instead
of leveling off abruptly.
The maximum total smoothing is determined by the Upper and Lower Limit
values. (Upper Limit ➤ Smoothing Buffer value) + (Lower Limit ➤ Smoothing
Buffer value) cannot exceed this total. For the smoothest possible results at
the upper and lower extents of the clipping, set either Smoothing Buffer value
to the maximum amount, and then back it off to half that value and set the
other Smoothing Buffer to the same amount.
You can animate the Smoothing Buffer value via keyframing and other
standard methods, and manipulate this animation in Track View via the Upper
Smoothing track in the controller's Limits branch.

Lower Limit Group
Enable Toggles the lower limit set by the controller. When off, no lower limit
is imposed. Default=on.
[Lower Limit value] The lowest value permitted by the Limit controller. Any
values below this value in the original controller are clipped; that is, they're
set to this value, unless smoothing is in effect. Default=-1000.0.
You can animate this value via keyframing and other standard methods, and
manipulate this animation in Track View via the Lower Limit track in the
controller's Limits branch.
Smoothing Buffer Specifies a smoothing value, so that clipped values at the
beginning and end of a clipped range gradually decrease and increase instead
of leveling off abruptly.
The maximum total smoothing is determined by the Upper and Lower Limit
values. (Upper Limit ➤ Smoothing Buffer value) + (Lower Limit ➤ Smoothing
Buffer value) cannot exceed this total. For the smoothest possible results at
the upper and lower extents of the clipping, set either Smoothing Buffer value
to the maximum amount, and then back it off to half that value and set the
other Smoothing Buffer to the same amount.
You can animate the Smoothing Buffer value via keyframing and other
standard methods, and manipulate this animation in Track View via the Lower
Smoothing track in the controller's Limits branch.

3524 | Chapter 13 Animation

Limit Controller right-click menu

To access the Limit Controller right-click menu, highlight a Limit Controller
track in the Track View hierarchy, and then right-click the track and move
the cursor to the Controllers quadrant ➤ Limit Controller menu item.
NOTE After using Copy Limit Only on a Limit controller track, you can apply a
new Limit controller with the same limits to any track by invoking Paste Limit Only.
Toggle Limit Turns the Limit controller on and off. This is the same as the
Enable check box on page 3523 on the Float Limit Controller dialog.
Set Upper Limit Sets a value/key in the Upper Limit track at the current frame
equal to the value at the current frame of the limited track. If there is only
one key, the value of the limit is constant over time.

Limit Controller | 3525

Set Lower Limit Sets a value/key in the Lower Limit track at the current frame
equal to the value at the current frame of the limited track. If there is only
one key, the value of the limit is constant over time.
Remove Limit Deletes the Limit controller, restoring the original controller
without limits.
Copy Limit Only Copies only the Limit values and ignores the limited
controller of the highlighted track.
Paste Limit Only Applies only the copied Limit values, or adds a Limit
controller with the copied values if one doesn't exist, while retaining the
values of the original limited track.
As with pasting copied controller tracks, you can paste the Limit values as a
copy or an instance of the copied Limit controller, with the option to replace
all instances of the paste target.

Linear Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Linear
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Linear
Animation menu ➤ Position, Rotation or Scale controllers ➤ Linear
The Linear controller interpolates between animation keys by evenly dividing
the change from one key value to the next by the amount of time between
the keys.

Linear controllers do not display a properties dialog. The only information
stored in a linear key are the time and animation values.

3526 | Chapter 13 Animation

Use Linear controllers whenever you want a very regular, even transition from
one key to the next. For example, use a Linear controller for:
■

A color parameter to change from one color to another at a constant rate
of change.

■

Transforms to produce mechanical, robot-like motion.

Procedures
To assign a Linear controller:

1

Select an animated object.

2 On the
Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Assign Controller rollout,
select the Position track in the list window.

3 Click
(Assign Controller), and then select Linear Position in the
Assign Controller dialog.
The animated object has a mechanical motion.
You can also assign this controller in Track View.

Interface
No Properties dialog is available for Linear controllers. You can, however,
move keys in Track View to change the animation.
Time Change linear key time. Move keys horizontally in Track View Edit Keys
or Function Curves mode.
Value Change linear animation values by moving keys vertically in Track
View Function Curves mode, change the parameter value in the viewport with
Auto Key on.

Linear Controller | 3527

List Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
List
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
List

Select an object in the viewport ➤

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller

rollout ➤ Highlight either Position, Rotation or Scale controller ➤
(Assign Controller) ➤ Choose Position List, Rotation List or Scale List.
The List controller combines multiple controllers into a single effect. It is a
compound controller with tools for managing how its component controllers
are calculated. Controllers are evaluated in top-to-bottom order. In addition,
you can specify a Weight setting for each controller in the list to determine
its relative influence.

When you assign a List controller to a parameter, the current controller is
moved one level below the List controller; it becomes the first controller in
the list. A second parameter, named Available, is added below the List
controller. This is an empty placeholder for the next controller you add to
the list.
By default, each listed controller's Weight setting is set to 100.0. This setting
can be changed to increase or decrease the effect the controller has on an
object.
When you assign a controller using the Animation menu, a list controller is
automatically assigned as a default, with the chosen controller placed first in

3528 | Chapter 13 Animation

the list. This behavior differs from when you assign a controller in the Motion
Panel or Track View, where only the specified controller is assigned.
You can animate List controller weights to achieve the equivalent of a
non-linear animation system. Each list controller track can hold different
values from frame to frame that you can turn on or off, or blend between by
animating the weights.

Wired and Expression-based Animation
The List controller is particularly useful when employing parameter wiring or
expressions to animate members of a hierarchy. If an object has only one
controller, animating it (or the first controller in a list) via wiring or an
expression always uses the parent object’s coordinate system, which, if the
object has no parent, is the World coordinate system. However, most such
situations call for animation in the object’s Local coordinate system. The latter
requires wiring to (or using an Expression controller as) the second controller
in a controller list.
TIP You can use the Freeze Transform on page 8648 command to apply a List
controller to multiple objects simultaneously, which is not possible with the
standard Assign Controller feature. “Freezing” an object’s transform creates a
two-controller list of which the second controller is the default for its transform,
so it then becomes easy to wire to the second controller.

Procedures
Example: To use the List controller to combine two controllers:

1 Create a box, and then turn on

(Auto Key on page 8679).

2 Create a simple animation containing three position keys.

3 On the
Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Assign Controller rollout,
click the position track to highlight it.

4 Click

(Assign Controller).

5 Click Position List on the Assign Position Controller dialog. Click OK.
6 Click the plus sign in the Position track to expand the track.
A Position XYZ track and a track labeled Available are now visible.

List Controller | 3529

7 Click the track named Available and then click the Assign Controller
button.
8 Choose Noise Position in the Assign Controller dialog, and then click
OK.
The Noise Controller dialog opens.

9

Play the animation.
The box follows the original animated path while vibrating randomly.
Experiment with different Weight settings for each controller and see
the results.

Interface
Motion panel > Parameters > List rollout

List Window Displays all the controllers in a list, with evaluation order from
top to bottom. The controller at the top of the list is evaluated first; lower
controllers are layered onto the result of higher controllers.
Set Active Determines which controller is affected by interactive changes in
the viewport. The current active controller is marked with an arrow in the
list.

3530 | Chapter 13 Animation

For example, you have an object using a Position List, with Noise Position
and Bezier Position in the list. The Bezier Position controller handles the
general motion path of the object, while the Noise Position controller adds a
random shake to the motion.
■

If Bezier Position is the active controller, you can freely move the object
in the scene.

■

If Noise Position is the active controller, you cannot move the object
because Noise is not an interactive controller.

Delete Deletes the selected controller.
Cut Removes the selected controller and stores it in a temporary clipboard.
The clipboard contents are only held until you paste the controller, close the
List Controller dialog, or exit the Motion panel.
Paste Puts the contents of the controller clipboard in the position above the
selected controller. The clipboard is empty after pasting.
Weight Exaggerate or minimize the effects of a controller by increasing or
decreasing its weight value. Default=100.0.
Average Weights When on, the weight values of all the controllers in the list
are averaged. Available only for the Position List and Scale List controllers.
Default=off.
Pose to Pose Enables blending among controllers in the list. Available only
for the Rotation List controller. Default=off.
When off, the List controller weights each rotation individually and adds up
the weighted rotations for the final effect. You animate by stacking layers on
top of layers, and then weighting in and out their effect. This is the default
behavior.
When on, each pose is blended with the results from the previous controllers
in the list. This method is not additive, but is instead true pose-to-pose
blending. Adjusting the weight of a controller in the list will blend to and
from that pose (controller in list). If the last weight is 100.0, then adjusting
the weights of the previous poses in the list won't have any effect because the
last pose has full effect. This is a stack-based approach that is best used for
nonlinear animation (NLA) effects. You can paste motion clips or even
single-frame poses onto new layers and use the weights to blend the poses
together.
Editable Name Field Select one of the controllers in the list window of the
Controller list, and then enter a descriptive name in this field. This field lets
you rename the controller so it's easier to identify.

List Controller | 3531

Local Euler XYZ Rotation Controller
This controller is no longer available. You can, however, still edit objects that
were assigned this controller in previous versions.
The Local Euler Rotation controller is similar to the Euler XYZ Rotation
controller on page 3482, but the angles are with respect to the rotated object's
local coordinate system. With the standard Euler Rotation controller, angles
are with respect to parent coordinates. Parameters for this controller are
displayed in the Motion panel.
The Local Euler XYZ Rotation controller has three rotation tracks to control
rotation on the X, Y, and Z axes. Setting an X axis rotation key will not create
keys in the Y and Z tracks on the same frame; each track can be keyed
independently. The rotation order of the axes is set in the Motion panel.

Interface
The Local Euler parameters are displayed in the Motion panel.

Euler Parameters rollout
This rollout is displayed when you select Rotation in the PRS Parameters rollout
on page 3557.

Axis Order Sets the order that rotations are calculated in the list. The default
is X,Y,Z order, where the X axis is rotated first.
X Displays controller properties for X axis rotation angle.
Y Displays controller properties for Y axis rotation angle.
Z Displays controller properties for Z axis rotation angle.
Each axis uses its own independent controller using the float data type. For
example, the X and Y rotation axes could use Bezier Float controllers, while
the Z Rotation axis uses a Noise Float controller.

3532 | Chapter 13 Animation

Look At Controller
Create or select an object that contains a Target component, such as a target

spotlight or camera. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Look At Parameters rollout

The Look At controller is automatically assigned as a transform animation
controller upon creation of objects that contain targets, including Target
Camera, targeted lights (including IES Sun/Sky) and the Tape helper. It cannot
be assigned by the user. To assign the equivalent of a Look At controller to an
object, use a LookAt constraint on page 3619.
NOTE A targeted object's pitch and heading are adjusted by moving the target,
so the only orientation setting that can be controlled directly by the user is Roll,
or bank.
Example: To prevent flipping of targeted objects during rotation:
1 Add a Target Camera object on page 5917.

2 Activate the
Move tool and use the coordinate display on page
8669 to position the camera and target at 0,0,0 and 80,0,0, respectively.
3 Add a Dummy object on page 2871 and position it at 0,0,0.

4 Use
(Select And Link) to link the camera to the dummy, and
then link the camera target to the dummy. At this point, the dummy is
parent to both the camera and its target.

5

Rotate the dummy about its Y axis, and watch the camera.
As the target passes through the zenith and nadir of its orbit, the camera
flips.

6

Select the camera and go to the
Motion panel. On the
Look At Parameters rollout, turn on Use Target As Up Node.

Look At Controller | 3533

7 Again,

rotate the dummy about its Y axis.

The camera no longer flips.

Interface

After you create or select an object that contains a Target component, you
can access the object's Look At properties on the Motion panel. In this rollout
you can change the target, create and delete animation keys, set the axis, and
adjust other, related parameters.
Create Key Sets a position, roll (orientation), or scale key at the current frame,
depending on which button you click.
Delete Key Deletes a position, roll (orientation), or scale key at the current
frame, depending on which button you click.

3534 | Chapter 13 Animation

Pick Target Lets you set a target other than the default Target object. Click
this button, and then select the new object to use as a target.
Thereafter, the new target controls the object's orientation. The original target
remains in the scene, and can be deleted or used as a Dummy helper.
Axis Specifies the local axis that looks at the target. The Flip check box is used
to flip the directions of the axis.
Use Target as Up Node When turned on, the controller forces the object on
which it acts (source node) to keep one of its local axes aligned with the look-at
direction (the vector between the source node and the target node). it also
prevents the source node from rotating around the look-at direction, to avoid
flipping about the object's local Z axis.
The flipping behavior is most commonly seen when the line between a targeted
object and its target is close to vertical; that is, their positions on the World
Z axis are nearly the same.
The option works by aligning one of the source node's local axes with one of
the target node's local axes. These axes are picked automatically by 3ds Max.
NOTE This feature lets you properly manipulate Luminaire assemblies . It also
provides for trouble-free operation when you i-drop on page 8172 manufacturer
luminaire assemblies.
TIP In some cases, the object will flip 90 or 180 degrees even when the Use Target
As Up Node option is turned on. This behavior occurs due to the fact that the axis
alignment is automatic. To resolve this, apply a roll angle to the object with the
coordinate display.
Position/Roll/Scale These three buttons let you specify the other rollouts
that appear for this controller. In all three cases, the Key Info (Basic) on page
3447 and Key Info (Advanced) on page 3451 rollouts appear. When Position is
active, an additional Position XYZ Parameters rollout lets you specify the
position axis.

Master Point Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Expand tracks on an
object with animated vertices or vectors in the Track View hierarchy. ➤
Master Point Controller

Master Point Controller | 3535

Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Open Track View ➤ Expand
tracks on an object with animated vertices or vectors in the Track View
hierarchy. ➤ Master Point Controller
The Master Point controller controls point sub-objects within editable splines,
editable surfaces, and FFD (free-form deformation) modifiers.
The Master Point controller is assigned automatically whenever control points,
vertices, or vectors (tangent handles) are animated in the sub-object mode of
an Editable Spline, Editable Patch, Editable Mesh, Editable Poly, NURBS surface,
or FFD (Free-Form Deformation). By allowing you to select and move all the
sub keys, visually correlate keys to points in the viewports, and change key
properties quickly, this controller helps to manage the numerous tracks created
when animating vertices, control points, and vectors.
The Master Point controller is displayed as a track with green keys in Track
View. Sub tracks below the Master track contain all the animated vertices,
control points, and vectors.

Procedures
Example: To animate vertices, viewing the Master Point controller track:
1 In the Front viewport, create a sphere.
2 Right-click the sphere and from the quad menu, choose Convert To ➤
Convert To Editable Mesh.

3 On the Editable Mesh ➤ Selection rollout, click

(Vertex).

4 On the Editable Mesh ➤ Soft Selection rollout, click Use Soft Selection.

5 Turn on

6 In the viewports,

(Auto Key), and drag the time slider to frame 10.

select and move some vertices on the sphere.

A key appears on the track bar at frame 10.
7 Right-click the sphere, and from the quad menu, select Curve Editor.
3ds Max opens the Track View - Curve Editor. At the top of the Controller
window, you can see the tracks for the sphere.

3536 | Chapter 13 Animation

8 Change the Track View mode to Dope Sheet and expand all the sphere
tracks in the Track View hierarchy.
Track View displays the Master Point Controller track, with tracks for the
animated vertices below it.

Interface

Master Track Keys While in the Track View – Dope Sheet, selecting a master
key (green) selects all the sub keys at that frame.
If hundreds of vertices are animated, collapse the master track so that only
the master track is visible. Moving the green keys will move all the sub keys.

Master Track Key Info dialog
Right-click a green master key in Track View to display the Master Track Key
Info dialog on page 3537.

Master Track Key Info Dialog (Master Point Controller)
Track View - Dope Sheet ➤ Right-click a master track key in the Dope Sheet
Key window. ➤ Master Track Key Info dialog
With Track View in Dope Sheet mode, right-click a green master key of a
Master Point controller on page 3535 to open the Master Track Key Info dialog.

Master Point Controller | 3537

Interface

[key arrows] Moves to the next or previous key.
Time Moves the master key to a different frame or time.
Sub Keys list window Displays all the animated sub-object keys at a particular
frame or time.
Select Point Select a node in the List Window and the corresponding node
in the viewports is selected, if the corresponding sub-object level is active.

3538 | Chapter 13 Animation

Key Frame Properties Displays and lets you adjust interpolation and position.
See Bezier Controller on page 3462.

Motion Capture Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Motion Capture
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Motion Capture
You can control an object's position, rotation, or other parameters using an
external device with the Motion Capture controller.

NOTE Rotation Motion Capture uses Euler rotations with an X, Y, Z axis order and
is subject to the limitations of Euler rotations. See Euler XYZ Rotation Controller
on page 3482.

The Motion Capture System
To use motion capture in 3ds Max, you follow these steps:

1

In Track View — Dope Sheet or the Motion panel, you assign
motion capture animation controllers to the specific tracks you want
controlled by external devices.

2 After assigning the motion capture controller, you open the Properties
dialog for the track and bind the type of peripheral device(s) that you
want. Currently supported devices are mouse, keyboard, MIDI device,
and joystick. Each device has specific properties.

Motion Capture Controller | 3539

3 After binding the devices, adjust their settings and parameters in the
lower portion of the Track Properties dialog. These controls vary
depending on the type of device.
4 In the Utilities panel, access the Motion Capture utility. You can test and
record your motion for any combination of tracks over any range of
frames.
5 When you assign a Motion Capture controller, the previously assigned
controller is maintained as a child of the Rotation controller. You can
continue to adjust the rotation of the object using standard transform
controls, while still making motion-capture control available.

Procedures
To use your mouse as an input device to animate the position of a box:
1 Create a box.

2 On the

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout, select the

position track for the box in the list window, and then click
Controller).

(Assign

3 In the Assign Position Controller dialog, select Position Motion Capture,
and then click OK.
4 In the Motion Capture dialog, select X Position, select mouse input device,
and then click OK.
NOTE You can open the Motion Capture dialog by selecting the Position
track in the Assign Controller list window, and then right-click and select
Properties.
5 In the Mouse Input Device rollout, make sure that horizontal is turned
on and Scale is set to 1.

6 On the
Utilities panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout, click Box01
➤ Position in the Track list window. Click Start in the Record Controls
group.

3540 | Chapter 13 Animation

Real-time recording is in effect; move the mouse horizontally back and
forth. The box moves back and forth along the X axis.

Play the animation to view the recorded movement.
By default, 3ds Max generates a key at every frame.

Interface
Right-click the transform track in the Track View - Dope Sheet hierarchy to
display the Motion Capture Properties dialog.

Position Motion Capture rollout

X, Y, Z Position Click an axis's button to display a Choose Device dialog,
which lets you pick a motion-capture device from a list of alternatives:
keyboard, joystick, mouse, or MIDI.
Choose Device dialog Select a device from a list of devices.
Edit Bindings XYZ Displays device controls in the device rollout in the lower
part of the Motion Capture dialog. If no device has been assigned to an axis,
this option is not available.
Track Name Names the Motion Capture Data track. This overrides the default
naming convention.

Motion Capture Controller | 3541

Mouse Input Device rollout

This rollout controls animation using the horizontal or vertical motion of the
mouse. The available settings include:
Horizontal/Vertical Specifies which mouse motion drives the animation.
Scale Scales the relative effect of the mouse movement to the animation
response. Spinner Value=float, 0 to 999,999
Flip Flips the direction of the response relative to the mouse movement. For
example, if moving the mouse horizontally to the right produces a clockwise
effect on a Rotation controller, activating Flip will reverse the rotation to
counterclockwise.

Keyboard Input Device rollout
This rollout lets you assign most keyboard keys to drive the animation.

3542 | Chapter 13 Animation

Assign Click and then press any key. The assigned key is displayed in the list
window at right.
List Open the list to select a key.

Envelope Graph group
The Envelope Graph group displays a representation of the amplitude curve
over time.

Envelope Parameters group
These options specify the time the envelope of the action takes effect. This
relates to the duration of pressing and releasing the key.
Attack Specifies the time, after pressing the key, for the value to reach its
maximum level.
Decay Specifies the time, after having reached maximum, for the value to fall
to that specified by the Sustain spinner.
Sustain After the Attack and Decay, specifies the value sustained until you
release the key.

Motion Capture Controller | 3543

Release After releasing the key, specifies the time for the value to fade out to
zero.

Parameter Scaling group
Provides controls for setting the scale of the envelope and the range of the
output value.
Time Specifies the scale of the Attack, Decay, and Release parameters. The
value represents the number of seconds for 1 unit. For example, if this value
is 1.0, then an Attack value of 1.0 equals 1 second.
Range Sets the maximum output value of the controller.
NOTE This controller ignores the state of the Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys.

Joystick Input Device rollout
The Joystick Input Device driver was designed for the Microsoft Sidewinder
joystick, which contains more controls than the standard joystick. You can
use this device driver for standard joysticks as well.

X, Y, Z Specifies which joystick direction drives the animation. (Standard
joysticks provide X and Y axes only. The Sidewinder provides the Z axis when
you twist the joystick.)
Throttle On the Sidewinder, this is a slider next to the stick.
Scale Scales the relative effect of the joystick action to the animation response.
Spinner Value=float, 0 to 999,999
Flip Flips the direction of the response.
Accumulate When off, the joystick position represents an absolute position,
and you're limited to the "rectangle" defined by the limits of the joystick.
When the joystick returns to its rest position, the value generated returns to
zero. When on, the joystick represents a change in the current position. Moving
the joystick forward, for example, can cause an object to start moving, and it
will continue to move until you return the joystick to its rest position.

3544 | Chapter 13 Animation

Joystick Buttons group

Point-of-View Hat (Left-Right, Up-Down) A mini joystick on the tip of the
main joystick that specifies the direction of the animation
1, 2, 3, 4 Specifies one of four buttons in the Sidewinder joystick. They work
similarly to the Point-of-View Hat, except that each button increases a direction
value only while pressed. When you release the button, the value returns to
zero (centered).
Inc./Dec One of three options that are only available when one of the
numbered joystick button options is turned on. This option
(Increment/Decrement) means that the value is incremented when the button
is down, and decremented when the button is up.
Inc When on, the value increments when the button is down, and stays at
that value when the button is released.
Absolute When on, the assigned parameters jumps to the value set in the
Speed spinner when the button is down, and then jumps back to zero when
the button is released. Use this for on/off animations, such as blinking lights.
Speed Controls the rate at which the value changes when using either the
Point-of-View Hat or the four buttons. When using a button option and the
Absolute option, this specifies the value that's output when the button is
pressed. Spinner Value=float, -999,999 to 999,999

Increment Based On Direction group

Motion Capture Controller | 3545

This group provides controls that let you derive the direction of movement
from a Rotation controller. These options are used primarily when you're
animating a first-person flythrough such as when you're controlling a camera.
NOTE The items in this group are only available when Accumulate is selected in
the Joystick Axis group.
Controller Assigns a Rotation Motion Capture controller where the direction
will be derived. Typically, this would be the Rotation controller of the camera
you're moving.
NOTE You can only use a Rotation Motion Capture controller here.
Clear Removes the assigned controller.
Direction X/Y/Z Specifies the local axis that will be used as the direction. For
a Free Camera, for example, this would be Z, because the camera points in the
Z direction. However, if you had a car that pointed along its Y axis, you'd use
Y.
Component X/Y/Z Specifies which edit binding to use. Match this to the
Edit Binding button in the Device Bindings group. For example, if the Y Edit
Binding button is selected, choose the Y Component option.

3546 | Chapter 13 Animation

MIDI Device rollout

MIDI Channel group
This group contains 16 buttons. You can assign a channel to your MIDI device.

MIDI Trigger group
Here, you define the type of MIDI event (message) that will drive the motion.
There are four options; Note, Velocity, Pitch Bend and MIDI controller.

Motion Capture Controller | 3547

NOTE Turn on to let the note number or pitch define the output value. The value
is derived from where the note falls within the Note Range, specified in the group
below. When the note is at the bottom of the range, the value takes on the Min
value specified in the Parameter Scaling group. When the note is at the top of the
range, the value takes on the Max value from the same group. Anything in between
is interpolated between the Min and Max values. (Note that Min doesn't have to
be less than Max.) The generated value will slide around as different keys are
pressed. The harder a key is pressed, the faster the value changes.
Speed Defines how fast the value changes as keys are pressed.
Velocity Determines the output value based on the velocity that the note
pressed. The notes set in the Note Range group specify which notes are valid
to press. The value takes on the Min value until a key within the Note Range
is pressed. When the key is pressed, the value approaches the Max value based
on how hard the key was pressed. (The value actually travels along a parabola
toward the Max value.)
Sustain Defines how long it takes the value to move through the parabola.
Variable Sustain duration is scaled by how hard the key is pressed.
Pitch Bend Value is defined by the MIDI instrument's pitch bend knob. The
Note Range doesn't apply in this case and is not available.
MIDI Controller Specifies a note event when you're hooked up to a different
type of MIDI controller than the typical keyboard. For example, if you're using
a MIDI slider box, you would select the MIDI Controller option, and then use
the # spinner to specify the note event for the specify slider.

Note Range group
Turn on Note or Velocity, and then set the note range here. A value is derived
from where the note falls within the Note Range.
Low Note Set a note and octave for the lower range.
High Note Set a note and octave for the higher range.
See Note parameter in the MIDI Trigger group, above.

Parameter Scaling group
Contains the Min and Max spinners, which specify the range of generated
values. See Note and Velocity above.

3548 | Chapter 13 Animation

MIDI Channel Viewer Displays a dialog that lets you test your MIDI device
to see which MIDI channel is receiving events and which notes are being
triggered.

Midi Viewer Dialog

MIDI Channel group
Provides a column of 16 buttons and progress bars representing the 16 MIDI
channels. Select the channel where you want to view note activity. The channel
progress bars light up when any channel has an event.

Motion Capture Controller | 3549

MIDI Note group
The 11 Octave buttons let you select which octave you want to view. When
a note is played in that octave, a corresponding progress bar lights up in the
Note column.
MIDI Controller When using a different type of MIDI controller, such as a
slider box, you can specify a note event, and then watch the corresponding
progress bar light up when you activate that event. (You can find the correct
note number by activating the event while watching the Note Number field
in the group below.)
Channel Displays the currently selected channel. This is one of four text fields
that display all of the values being generated by the MIDI device as you activate
an event.
Event Displays the type of MIDI event being sent. For example:
Note On: 9
Note Off: 8
Pitch Bend: 14
MIDI Controller: 11
Velocity Displays the velocity, which has a different meaning depending on
the event. For the most common event, a note being pressed, this value
represents the velocity at which the key was struck. Other events, however,
might generate a continuous value. For example, a pitch bend event transmits
the position of the pitch bend.
Note Number Displays the corresponding note number for the event. When
you're using a non keyboard MIDI device, such as a slider box, you can use
this to identify the note number of a specific slider.

Noise Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Noise
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Noise

3550 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Noise controller produces random, fractal-based animation over a range
of frames. Noise controllers are parametric: they work on a range of frames,
but do not use keys.

When you assign a Noise controller in Track View or the Motion panel, it is
initially applied to all frames in the current time segment. You can change
the range of frames by dragging the Noise range bar in Track View.
■

Use Noise whenever you need completely random animation around a
given value. For example, use a Noise Rotation controller when you want
an object to wobble in place.

■

Use Noise as part of a compound List controller to apply noise variations
to the result of another controller. For example, use a List controller to
combine Noise Position with Bezier Position. The Bezier controller moves
the object through your scene while the Noise controller makes the object
shake and stray a little from the path.

Procedures
Example: To apply a Noise controller to a rotation track:
1 Create a box in any viewport.

2 On the
Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Assign Controller rollout,
select the rotation track in the list window.

3 Click

(Assign Controller).

4 Select Noise rotation from the list of controllers.
3ds Max opens the Noise Controller dialog.

5

Play the animation.

Noise Controller | 3551

The box rotates randomly around all three axes. Because the non-modal
Noise Controller dialog is still open, you can adjust parameters and see
the results in real time.

Interface

Characteristic Graph Shows a stylized graph of how changing Noise properties
affects the Noise curve.
Seed Starts the noise calculations. Changing the seed creates a new curve.
Frequency Controls the peaks and valleys of the noise curve. The useful range
is from 0.01 to 1.0. High values create jagged, heavily oscillating noise curves.
Low values create soft, gentle noise curves.
Strength fields Sets the value range for noise output. These values can be
animated.
The number and meaning of the fields vary with different parameter data
types. Some typical field arrangements are:
■

XYZ fields for Position and Point3 keys

■

XYZ percentage fields for Scale keys

■

A single value field for Float keys

>0 Value constraint Forces Noise values to stay positive. Each strength field
has its own >0 constraint.

3552 | Chapter 13 Animation

When on, the application of the Strength field is changed. Noise values will
range from 0 to the value of Strength; most values will hover around
Strength/2.
Ramp In Sets the amount of time Noise takes to build to its full strength. A
value of 0 causes Noise to start immediately at full strength at the start of its
range. Any other value causes Noise to start at 0 strength and then build to
full strength by the elapsed time set in the Ramp In field.
Ramp Out Sets the amount of time Noise takes to fall to 0 strength. A value
of 0 causes Noise to stop immediately at the end of its range. Any other value
causes Noise to fall off to 0 strength by the end of its range. The value in the
Ramp Out field sets the amount of time before the end of the range that Noise
begins to fall off.
Fractal Noise Generates noise using a fractal Brownian motion. The main
value of using Fractal Noise is that it activates the Roughness field.
Roughness Changes the roughness of the Noise curve (when Fractal Noise is
turned on). Where Frequency sets the smoothness of the overall Noise effect,
Roughness changes the smoothness of the Noise curve itself.

On/Off Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
On/Off
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
On/Off
The On/Off controller provides binary on and off control. It is similar to the
Boolean controller on page 3478. For example, you can apply an On/Off
controller to the Visibility track of an object.

On/Off Controller | 3553

You can view the curve for this controller in the Function Curve display, but
it's not editable. In addition, there's no Properties dialog for this controller.
NOTE When you load a scene from version 1.x of 3ds Max that contains a Visibility
controller, the controller is automatically converted to an On/Off controller.
See also:
■

Boolean Controller on page 3478

Procedures
Example: To use the On/Off controller to control an object's visibility:
1 Create a cylinder, then open Track View.
2 In Track View, select the Cylinder track and click Tracks ➤ Visibility
Track ➤ Add.
Track View adds a Visibility track.
3 Select the track named Visibility .
4 From the Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign and select
On/Off in the Assign Controller dialog. Click OK.
If you change the mode to Dope Sheet, notice that the entire track region
is filled by a blue bar.

3554 | Chapter 13 Animation

5 In the Track View - Dope Sheet, click
at frame 20.

(Add Keys), and add a key

The blue bar stops at frame 20.
6 Add another key at frame 60.
The track is now blue again following frame 60.
7 Add some additional keys in the Visibility Track. Each added key reverses
the on/off blue pattern following the added key.
TIP You can select two or more keys and copy them to different positions. This
allows you to create even intervals for the On/Off effect.

Interface
You assign the On/Off Controller in Track View.

The On/Off track displays a solid blue color in frames that are On, and no
blue in frames that are Off. When you add a key to an On section of the track,
the section following that key is turned off. When you add a key to an Off
section, the following section is turned on and colored blue.

Position XYZ Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a position track in
the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤
Assign ➤ Position XYZ
The Position XYZ controller splits the X, Y, and Z components into three
separate tracks (similarly to the Euler XYZ Rotation controller on page 3482).
This provides separate control of the three tracks when referenced from
Expression controllers.

Position XYZ Controller | 3555

The Position XYZ controller assigns three keys (one for each axis), by default.
In earlier versions of 3ds Max, you had to edit the keys manually in order to
create explicit axis keys. However, there are now actions available from the
Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837 that let you create explicit axis
keys using Set Key Mode on page 3406.

Procedures
Example: To use the Position XYZ and Noise controller together:
1 Create a sphere.

2 On the
Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Assign Controller rollout,
select the Position track of the sphere.

3 Click

(Assign Controller) and choose Position XYZ.

4 Turn on
(Auto Key) and create three keys that
the sphere on the XY plane.

move

5 On the Assign Controller rollout, expand the position track and select Z
Position.

6 Click

7

(Assign Controller), and then select Noise Float.

Play the animation. The sphere moves around the keys that were
created earlier. The random up and down movement in the Z axis is
generated by the noise controller on the Z track.

3556 | Chapter 13 Animation

This effect can also be created using the List Controller to combine
controllers.

Interface
Motion panel > Parameters > Position XYZ Parameters rollout

X Displays controller properties for X axis transformation.
Y Displays controller properties for Y axis transformation.
Z Displays controller properties for Z axis transformation.
When you select an axis, a Key Info (Basic) and Key Info (Advanced) rollout
is available to change values.
A Bezier Float Controller is assigned to each track by default. Use Key Info
(Basic) and Key Info (Advanced) to control how the keys behave. See Bezier
Controller on page 3462.

PRS Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a transform track
in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu
➤ Assign ➤ Position/Rotation/Scale
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a transform track in
the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤
Assign ➤ Position/Rotation/Scale
The Position/Rotation/Scale (PRS) controller is the default Transform controller
for most objects. Use it for all general-purpose transforms.

PRS Controller | 3557

Procedures
To create PRS Transform keys:
1 Select an object.

Click Motion panel ➤ Parameters.

2

3 Drag the time slider to the frame where you want to place a key.
4 On the PRS Parameters rollout, in the Create Key group, click one of the
following:
■

Click Position to create a Position key.

■

Click Rotation to create a Rotation key.

■

Click Scale to create a Scale key.

If a particular Position, Rotation, or Scale controller does not use keys,
then that button is not available in the Create Key group. For example,
you cannot create Position Keys if a Noise Position controller is being
used.

Interface
Motion panel > PRS Parameters rollout

Create Key/Delete Key The six buttons in the PRS Parameters rollout let you
create or delete a transform key at the current frame. These buttons become
active or inactive depending on the existence of a key type at the current
frame.

3558 | Chapter 13 Animation

For example, if you're on a frame containing a Scale key, the Scale button is
inactive in the Create column, because a key already exists. At the same time,
the Position and Rotation buttons are inactive in the Delete column because
there are no keys of that type to delete.
Position/Rotation/Scale Determines the contents of the Key Info rollouts
that appear below the PRS Parameters rollout in the Motion panel.

Reaction Controllers
Track View ➤ Highlight a track in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Assign a
Reaction-type controller (for example, Position Reaction).

Select an object. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout ➤

Highlight a track. ➤ Click
(Assign Controller). ➤ Choose a
Reaction-type controller (for example, Position Reaction).
The Reaction controller is a procedural controller that lets a parameter react
to changes in any other parameter in 3ds Max. Typically, most of the setup
involving Reaction controllers is done with the Reaction Manager dialog on
page 3565. You use the dialog to define a master, which is an object that controls
other objects, and, for each master, any number of slaves, which are objects
the master controls. Alternatively, you can assign a Reaction controller directly
to a slave object using Track View or the Motion panel (as you would any
other controller), and then use Reaction Manager to specify its master and
other parameters.

Reaction controllers come in five different types: Position Reaction, Rotation
Reaction, Point3 Reaction, Scale Reaction, and Float Reaction. You can assign
a Reaction controller to any animatable track in the scene. Reaction is not

Reaction Controllers | 3559

based on time, but rather on other variables in your scene such as position or
rotation.
You can use a Reaction controller to turn on a light as an object nears a given
point. Muscles can bulge as an arm bone rotates. A ball can squash
automatically as the ball's Z position nears the ground plane. Feet can rotate
as their heels are lifted from the floor.
A particle system can be triggered by any given event. Morph target percentages
can be controlled by events.
NOTE The Reaction controllers replace the Reactor controllers found in previous
versions of 3ds Max. If you load a file containing a Reactor controller into this
version of 3ds Max, the Reactor controller is converted to a Reaction controller,
with all settings and reactions fully intact.
See also:
■

Using Manipulators with Reaction Controllers on page 3580

Procedures
Example: To make the position of a sphere react to the position of a box:
This procedure shows an alternate way to use a Reaction controller. The
recommended workflow is to do most of the setup in the Reaction Manager
dialog: See Example: To use the Reaction Manager dialog: on page 3565.
NOTE Objects don't need to be animated to use Reaction controllers. This
procedure starts with animation to make the reaction easier to see.
1 On the left side of the Top viewport, create a box about 30 units on a
side.
2 Animate the box from position (-100,0,0) at frame 0 to position (100,0,0)
frame 100.
3 In the Front viewport, create a sphere slightly above the box. Position
the sphere at (–100,0,50).

4 Go to the
Motion panel, and on the Assign Controller rollout, click
the Position track to highlight it.

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5 On the Assign Controller rollout, click

(Assign Controller).

6 On the Assign Position Controller dialog, click Position Reaction to
highlight it, and then click OK.

This opens the Reaction Manager dialog on page 3565. The Reactions list
shows that the sphere is assigned as a slave, but no master is assigned. A
Reaction controller uses a master's motion to control any number of
slaves.
7 Right-click the “Unassigned” line at the top of the Reactions list. From
the menu, choose Replace Master.
This places you in a Pick mode where you can choose a motion track
from any object in the scene to act as master.
8 In any viewport, click the box (Box01).
A pop-up menu appears.

9 From the pop-up menu, choose Transform ➤ Position ➤ X Position.

Reaction Controllers | 3561

The “Unassigned” text is replaced by a master track labeled “Box01 / X
Position”.
Also, a new state, State01, appears in the States list.

This is an example of the basis of the control mechanism used by the
Reaction controller: For each master/slave combination, you can specify
any number of states defined by values for the master and slave tracks.
The first state, created automatically when you added the master, specifies
that when the box is at –100 on the X axis, the sphere should be at
(–100,0,50). In this case, you're controlling three parameters (the sphere
position on all three axes) with one (the box position on the X axis).
More typically you'd use one-to-one master/slave-parameter ratios.
NOTE Reaction Manager also defines a state automatically when you assign
a new slave to a master.
Next you'll create a second state that tells the sphere how to move on
multiple axes as the box moves on one.
10 Drag the time slider to frame 50.
The box moves to the midpoint of its animated trajectory. The sphere
remains where it is.

11 On the Reaction Manager dialog, click

(Create State).

This creates a new state (State02) using the current positions of the box
and sphere.
12 Try moving the sphere in the Front viewport.
You can't move the sphere because it's under the full control of its master,
the box. Similarly, you can't change its position using the Coordinate
Display fields on the status bar. However, you can change the sphere's
position using the Reaction Manager's editing tools.
13 On the Reaction Manager dialog, click the Sphere01 / Position entry to
highlight it, if necessary, and then click the Edit Mode button.

3562 | Chapter 13 Animation

14 Position the sphere at (0,0,100).

The position updates in the Sphere01 / Position line under State02. Also,
the Reaction Manager graph shows the change in values of the slave's
(sphere) X and Z position values as the master box's X position changes.
On the graph, as in Track View, red=X, green=Y, and blue=Z.
15 Click the Edit Mode button again to turn it off, and then scrub the time
slider.
As the box moves between frames 0 and 50, the sphere rises to the
position specified in the second state.
For the third and final state, you'll have the slave move in a different
direction over the second half of the master's motion.
16 Go to frame 100, and then create a new state.
17 In the States list, click the new state or its slave track to highlight it.
18 Turn on Edit Mode. Position the sphere at (0,–100,100), and then turn
off Edit Mode.
19 Scrub the time slider between frames 0 and 100.

Reaction Controllers | 3563

Over the first 50 frames, the sphere moves between the first two states,
and over the second half of the animation, the sphere moves between
the second and third states.
To conclude the procedure, you'll demonstrate that the sphere is
responding only to the box's X position, regardless of animation.

20 Go to frame 0.
Select the box, and then press and hold the Alt
key and right-click the box.
This opens the Animation quad menu.
21 From the Set (lower-right) quadrant, choose Delete Selected Animation.
This command deletes all animation keys for the current selection.

22 Now

move the box in all three dimensions.

Any change in the Y or Z position has no effect on the sphere. However,
moving the box between –100 and 100 on the X axis, no matter what
the Y or Z position, results in changing the sphere's position as specified
in the Reaction controller.

3564 | Chapter 13 Animation

This procedure gives you a hint of the Reaction controller's power. You
can find another procedure showing additional aspects of the Reaction
Manager in: Example: To use the Reaction Manager dialog: on page 3565.

Interface
After assigning a Reaction controller, right-click the track and then choose
Properties, or choose Animation ➤ Reaction Manager, to open the Reaction
Manager dialog on page 3565.

Reaction Manager Dialog
Animation menu ➤ Reaction Manager
Track View ➤ Highlight a track in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Assign a
Reaction-type controller (e.g., Position Reaction).

Select an object. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout ➤

Highlight a track. ➤ Click
(Assign Controller). ➤ Choose a
Reaction-type controller (for example, Position Reaction).
Use the Reaction Manager dialog for setting up and modifying Reaction
controllers on page 3559. Reaction Manager lets you add and delete masters and
slaves, define states for reactions, use a graph to view and modify reactions
with curves, and more.
NOTE If you assign a Reaction controller while Reaction Manager is open, the
dialog closes. To reopen it, choose Animation menu ➤ Reaction Manager. If you
use Reaction Manager often, it's recommended that you assign a keyboard shortcut
to the command.

Procedures
Example: To use the Reaction Manager dialog:
The purpose of this procedure is to show you different ways to use Reaction
Manager. Before trying it, we suggest that you first follow the introductory

Reaction Controllers | 3565

procedure in the Reaction Controllers topic: Example: To make the position
of a sphere react to the position of a box: on page 3560.
1 Start or reset 3ds Max.
2 In the Perspective viewport, add a box and a sphere object. Also add a
Slider manipulator on page 2900, and give it the label Slider.
The viewport should resemble the following illustration:

You'll use the slider to control two slaves separately: Negative values for
the box X position, and positive values for the sphere's Hemisphere
parameter.

3 On the
100.0.

Create panel ➤ Parameters rollout, set Minimum to

The slider's current value is 0.
4 Open the Reaction Manager dialog from the Animation menu, and
position it so you can see the Perspective viewport.
At this point, the dialog is empty.

3566 | Chapter 13 Animation

5 On the upper toolbar, click
(Add Master), and then click the Slider
manipulator in the Perspective viewport.
6 On the pop-up menu that appears, choose Object (Slider) ➤ value.
In the Reactions list, the master entry Slider01 / value appears.

7 On the upper toolbar, click
the Perspective viewport.

(Add Slave), and then click the box in

8 On the pop-up menu that appears, choose Transform ➤ Position ➤ X
Position.
In the Reactions list, the slave entry Box01 / X Position appears under the
master entry. Also, a new state appears in the States list for the newly
added slave track. This simply says that, when the slider value is 0, the
box's X position should be what it is currently. However, a reaction needs
at least two states to be meaningful. You'll learn how to accomplish this
shortly.
Next, you'll discover a different way to add a slave track.

9 In the Perspective viewport,

10 On the upper toolbar, click

select the sphere.

(Add Selected).

This causes the pop-up menu to appear at the mouse cursor.
11 From the pop-up menu, choose Object (Sphere) ➤ Hemisphere.
The sphere's Hemisphere track is added as a slave of the slider, and a new
state for the two is added to the States list.
You now have two states in the States list, but in both cases the state
value (that is, the slider value) is the same, so you really need only one.
You can resolve this by adding the Hemisphere slave track to the first
state and then eliminating the second state.
12 In the Reactions list, click the Sphere01 / Hemisphere entry, and in the
States list, click the State01 entry.

Reaction Controllers | 3567

13 On the center toolbar, above the States list, click

(Append Selected).

This adds the Hemisphere track to State01.
Now you can delete the second, superfluous state.
14 In the States list, click the State02 entry, and then on the toolbar above
the States list, click

(Delete State).

State02 goes away.
Currently, the box is where you created it, but you might want it to start
out at a different location. However, because the box is a slave of the
slider, you can't move it freely on the X axis. You'll use the Reaction
Manager to set the X position of the box to a specific value.
15 In the States list, position the click and hold the mouse cursor over the
Box01 / X Position ➤ Value entry.

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NOTE Your value probably differs from that shown in the illustration.
16 Drag upward to increase the value, or downward to decrease the value.
Change the value to about –50.0.
You might find it difficult to set an exact value by dragging, which
changes only the tenths (and higher) value. You can use the keyboard to
specify a more exact value.
17 Double-click the value.
The value highlights and becomes a keyboard-editable field.

18 Enter –50 and press Enter or Tab.
The value now displays as –50.000.
You can use the same mouse and keyboard methods to change state
(master) values as well.
Next, you'll learn how to use Create Mode to create new states freely.
First, you'll set a new state to move the box leftward for negative slider
values.
19 Try moving the box on the X axis.
You can't do it, because it's slaved to the slider value.
20 Above the States list, click the Create Mode button.
When Create Mode is on, you can change master and slave properties
and use the current properties to create new states.

Reaction Controllers | 3569

21 On the main toolbar, click
(Select And Manipulate), and then drag
the slider pointer all the way to the left, so the slider value reads –100.0.
22 In the Reactions (upper) list, click the Box01 / X Position entry to highlight
it, and then move the box about –50 units on the X axis, to about X=–100.
Highlighting the slave entry lets you manipulate the slaved value
interactively in the viewport while Create Mode is on. Then, when you
click Create State, a new state is created for that slave only. If you
highlight the master instead, you can manipulate all slaves freely, but
then clicking Create State creates a new state for all slaves. Reaction
Manager is a complex tool, so in general it's best to keep the data as simple
as possible.

23 Click

(Create State).

The Reaction Manager adds a new state, State02, with the state (slider)
value at –100.0, and the box at its new X position.

24 Turn off Create Mode. Move the slider left and right to see how this affects
the box position.
Next, you'll set a new state so the right half of the slider range affects the
sphere's Hemisphere value.

25 Select the sphere and go to the

Modify panel.

The Hemisphere parameter is unavailable, because it's slaved to the slider
value.
26 Turn on Create Mode, and then and in the Reactions list, click the
Sphere01 / Hemisphere entry.
The Hemisphere parameter is now available.

27 On the

3570 | Chapter 13 Animation

Modify panel, set Hemisphere to 0.75.

28 In the Perspective viewport, drag the slider all the way to the right.

29 Click

(Create State).

The Reaction Manager adds a new state with the state (slider) value at
100.0, and the Sphere01 / Hemisphere value at 0.750.

Also, if you click Slide01 / Value in the Reactions list, you can see in the
graph showing the slider value on the horizontal axis and the two
reactions on the vertical axis. The scale between the two differs greatly,
so the Hemisphere reaction on the right side of the graph looks like a
straight line, but if you click the Sphere01 / Hemisphere slave entry in the
Reactions list, the graph shows a steady rise from 0.0 to 0.75.
30 Turn off Create Mode. Drag the slider in both directions.
Over the left half of the slider range, the box moves along the X axis.
Over the right half of the range, the sphere's Hemisphere value changes.
To finish the procedure, you'll experiment with using the graph to change
a reaction.
31 If you haven't already, click the Sphere01 / Hemisphere slave entry in the
Reactions list, and then click

(Zoom Extents) below the graph.

32 Click
(Add Point), and then click the middle of the graph curve (it's
the red, diagonal line).
This adds a new point to the curve and a new state in the States list.

33 Click
(Move), and then drag the new point upward so it's above the
right-hand endpoint.
34 Drag the slider again.

Reaction Controllers | 3571

As the slider moves from 0 to 100, the Hemisphere value increases so
much that the sphere disappears, and then decreases so you can see the
upper fourth of the sphere.
This has been a brief tour of some of the capabilities of the Reaction
Manager dialog. For further information, consult the “Interface” section,
below.

Interface

3572 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Reaction Manager dialog interface consists of three parts: the Reactions
list, the States list, and the graph. Each has its own toolbar or toolbars. Each
list contains rows and columns; the column headings employ standard
Windows functionality. To resize a column, drag the divider to the right of
its heading, or auto-size a column to fit its widest entry by double-clicking
the right-side heading divider. To change the vertical size of a list section,
drag the horizontal divider at the bottom of the list, and to scale all three
sections proportionally, drag the bottom of the dialog. You can also resize the
dialog by dragging a corner or a side.
You can use standard methods to highlight list items for further actions.
Highlight a single item by clicking it. Highlight multiple consecutive items
by clicking the first item and then Shift+clicking the last. Use Ctrl+click to
highlight non-contiguous items and to toggle highlighting of a single item.
In most cases, if a cell in the Reactions list or the States list contains a single
numeric value, you can change the value by dragging vertically on the cell.
Click and hold on the number in the cell, and then move the mouse upward
to increase the value or downward to decrease it. The exception to this are
the Start and End values for master objects; you can change these values only
by modifying a slave's Start or End value. You can also modify a one-value
field by double-clicking it and then editing it with the keyboard. If a field
contains multiple numeric values, you must manipulate the object directly
in the viewports or the appropriate dialog.
The dialog also has a right-click menu on page 3579 for managing reactions and
states, available by right-clicking anywhere on the dialog except in the graph
section.
NOTE A master is an object that you can use to control other objects via Reaction
controllers, and a slave is an object controlled by a master.

Reactions list

The Reactions list displays a hierarchical view of the master-slave relationships
of objects with Reaction controllers in the scene. You can use its controls to

Reaction Controllers | 3573

add and delete masters and slaves, change start and end frames, and toggle
usage of the graph curve. These controls are available both on the toolbar
above the list and in the list itself.

Add Master Places you in Add Master mode. Click an object in a
viewport, and then use the pop-up menu to choose an animation track to use
as master. Alternatively, choose a track in Track View or from the Motion
panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout list.
Using the pop-up menu, you can choose only a track at the end of the menu
hierarchy; for example, Transform ➤ Position ➤ X Position. If you choose
the object name from the top of the menu, Reaction Manager lists it as World
Space Position, so that you can use its three-dimensional position in the World
coordinate system to control its slaves.
To use a Position or Rotation track for the master, click Add Master and then
click the track in Track View or the Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout
list. In the latter case, the object must already be selected in the viewports
before clicking Add Master in order for it to show up on the Assign Controller
rollout list. If using Track View, you can open the Track View dialog before
or after clicking Add Master.
TIP If you use Track View or Motion panel to assign a Reaction controller to an
animation track, the object shows up in Reaction Manager without a master
(“Unassigned”). To assign a master, right-click the highlighted “Unassigned” label,
and then choose Replace Master from the context menu. Finally, choose the master
track.

Add Slave Places you in Add Slave mode, letting you assign a slave track
to the currently highlighted master in the Reactions list. Highlight a master
and then click Add Slave. Click an object in a viewport, and then use the
pop-up menu to choose an animation track to use as slave. Alternatively,
choose a track in Track View or from the Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller
rollout list. Available only when a master is highlighted in the Reactions list.
To add multiple slaves, click Add Slave and then press H to open the Pick
Object dialog. Highlight the objects to add, and then click Pick. The pop-up
menu then appears, prompting you to choose an animation track to use as
slave. The same track is used from each object. Alternatively, select the objects
and then use Add Selected (see following).
If multiple masters are highlighted when you add a slave or slaves, the slave
is added to the first master in the list.

3574 | Chapter 13 Animation

If any states are highlighted in the States list, the new slave or slaves are added
to the highlighted states. If no states are highlighted in the States list, Reaction
Manager creates a new state with the added slave or slaves.

Add Selected Lets you add slave tracks to the current master for any
selected objects in the viewports. Opens a pop-up menu from which you can
choose a track. If multiple objects are selected, this track is added as a slave
for each selected object. Available only when a master is highlighted in the
Reactions list and at least one object is selected in the viewports.
If multiple masters are highlighted, the slaves are added to the first master in
the list.
If any states are highlighted in the States list, the new slave or slaves are added
to the highlighted states. If no states are highlighted in the States list, Reaction
Manager creates a new state with the added slave or slaves.

Delete Selected Deletes any items highlighted in the Reactions list.
If you delete a slave, any related state definitions are deleted from the States
list, although the states themselves remain. If you delete a master, all of its
slaves and any related states are also deleted.
Show Selected When on, displays data in the Reactions list only for objects
selected in the viewports. This lets you restrict display reaction setups to objects
of immediate interest, without having to scroll through long lists of parameters.
When off, shows all objects and states, regardless of viewport selection status.
If the master is selected in the viewport, Show Selected shows all slaves in the
Reaction list whether or not they're selected.

Update Selection Refreshes the list contents based on the current
selection. Available only when Show Selected is on and the viewport selection
has changed.
Start/End These columns show the first and last animation frames for which
the master-slave relationship is in effect. These default to the active time
segment on page 9082. Use standard methods on page 3573 to change these values.
If multiple slaves assigned to the same master have different Start or End
values, the master's Start and End fields are blank.
Curve This column shows an X when the graph curve on page 3578 is used to
modify Strength, Influence, and Falloff. To specify these numerically in the
States list, click the field to toggle the X. Available for slaves only.

Reaction Controllers | 3575

States list

A state describes interaction between a master and its slaves. In each state,
you specify a value or values for the master track, and corresponding values
for each slave. Then, as a master-track value changes in the scene, the slaved
values follow along according to the states' specifications.
The States list shows all states for the highlighted reaction in the Reactions
list. Any member of a reaction (master and/or slaves) can be highlighted in
the Reactions list for its states to appear in the States list. If members of
multiple reactions are highlighted, the States list reflects values for the first
highlighted reaction only.
You can use tools in the States list to add and modify states and their names.
To change a state name, click the text twice, slowly (don't double-click). Or, if
the state name already highlighted, just click it once. The text highlights and
a box appears around it to show that you can now edit it. You can rename
only state names, not the indented slave tracks.
You can change values for single-numeric-value slaves in this list by dragging
vertically on the value.
The following reference describes changing values interactively in the viewports
using the States list controls. Other controls are described in the introduction
to this topic.
Create Mode Use primarily to create new states interactively. To use it, turn
on Create Mode, adjust values for the current reaction (master and slaves) in
the viewports, and then click Create State. You can repeat this to create any
number of new states quickly and efficiently.
The difference between creating a state in or out of Create mode is that, in
Create mode you can manipulate the reaction tracks for all objects, whereas
with it off you can manipulate the reaction track only for the master.

3576 | Chapter 13 Animation

Create State Adds a new state to the States list for the current reaction,
using the current values for the master and slave parameters.
When you create a state, 3ds Max gives it a default name (State##) and lists
its slave tracks, indented, under the state name.
The contents of the new state depend on what's highlighted in the Reactions
list. If the master is highlighted, a new state specifies values for the state (i.e.,
master track) and all of its slaves. If one or more slaves are highlighted in the
Reactions list, the new state specifies values for the master and only the
highlighted slaves.

Append Selected Adds a slave or slaves to a state in which they don't
currently participate. To use, highlight one or more slave tracks in the Reactions
list, highlight a state in the States list, and then click Append Selected.
Edit Mode When on, you can change slave values interactively in the current
state by manipulating slave objects in the viewports or by editing their values
on a rollout. Available only when at least one item in the States list is
highlighted.
If you highlight a slave name, you can edit its value for the current state. If
you highlight a state name and then click Edit Mode, you can edit any of its
slave tracks. To exit this mode and test the new values, click Edit Mode again.
As you manipulate the object, the value is updated immediately and the new
value is displayed in the States list. If slaves in multiple states are highlighted,
values are updated for those in the first state only.

Set State Updates the highlighted state (master track) to its current
value. To use this option, highlight the master track in the Reactions list and
the state in the States list. Manipulate the master object in the viewports, and
then click Set State to update the state value. Available only when a state is
highlighted in the States list.

Delete State Deletes any items highlighted in the States list.

_____
Value This column shows the current value or values for the state: the master
parameter(s) on the State## line and the slave parameter(s) on each slave line

Reaction Controllers | 3577

within a state. You can edit a single value (not groups of three in parentheses)
by dragging vertically on the value in the table.

_____
The following three parameters, which appear as columns in the States list,
apply to slaves and are normally controlled via the graph curve. They're
available only if the slave has Curve turned off in the Reactions list.
These parameters are based on the fact that states can influence one another,
so that you get a blending between them.
Strength This is a biasing factor that affects a state's relative influence when
one or more states overlap. A greater Strength value influences a value towards
a state and a smaller one influences the value away from it.
Influence The distance from the master state’s value to the maximum extent
of its range of influence.
Falloff The rate of change in the slave state (its speed) as the master goes from
a state to the maximum extent of its range of influence.

Graph

Reaction Manager's graph displays curves that graph the master values on the
horizontal axis and slave values on the vertical axis. It shows data of all states
for items highlighted in the Reactions list. If a master is highlighted, the graph
shows states curves for all its slaves. If one or more slaves are highlighted, but
the master isn't, the graph shows data for those slaves only. You can edit data
using the graph by dragging points.
The graph controls are similar to those found in other graphs in 3ds Max,
such as the Material Editor Output rollout on page 6613. The toolbar above the
graph offers functions for moving and scaling points on the graph, as well as
inserting new ones (that is, new states). The same functions are available by

3578 | Chapter 13 Animation

right-clicking the graph, and if you right-click a graph point, you can set it to
Corner and two different Bezier types. If you select a Bezier point, you can
reshape the curve by moving its handles. You can drag a region to select
multiple points, and then edit them together. Use the toolbar under the graph
for panning and zooming the graph.

Right-click menu
Reaction Manager's right-click menu provides quick access to a number of
commonly used functions. It also contains the Replace Master function, which
is unavailable elsewhere in the dialog interface. To open the right-click menu,
right-click anywhere on the Reaction Manager dialog except in the graph
section.
Add Master Places you in Add Master mode. Click an object in a viewport,
and then use the pop-up menu to choose an animation track to use as master.
Alternatively, choose a track in Track View or from the Motion panel ➤
Assign Controller rollout list.
For more information, see Add Master on page 3574.
Replace Master Lets you replace the current master. Use the standard method
to choose another master as described in Add Master on page 3574.
Use this function to specify a master when you open Reaction Manager by
assigning a Reaction controller to a slave.
NOTE If you replace a master with multiple states, Reaction Manager deletes all
existing states except the default one. In essence, replacing a master is like starting
over.
Add Slave Lets you add a slave to the current master. For details, see Add Slave
on page 3574.
Add Selected Lets you add selected objects as slaves to the current master.
For details, see Add Selected on page 3575.
Delete Selected Deletes any items highlighted in the Reactions list. For details,
see Delete Selected on page 3575.
Create States Mode Lets you create states on the fly by manipulating objects
in the viewports. For details, see Create Mode on page 3576.
Create State Adds a new state to the States list for the current reaction. For
details, see Create State on page 3577.

Reaction Controllers | 3579

Append Selected Adds a slave to a state in which the slave doesn't currently
participate. To use, highlight a slave in the Reactions list, highlight a state in
the States list, and then choose Append Selected.
Set State Updates the highlighted state (master track) to its current value. For
details, see Set State on page 3577.
Delete State Deletes any highlighted items in the States list.
Edit Slave State Mode Lets you change slaves' values in the current state. For
details, see Edit Mode on page 3577.
Show in Track View Opens Track View, displaying reaction tracks for
highlighted slaves and masters only.
Show in Schematic View Opens Schematic View, with reaction tracks
expanded for highlighted slaves and masters.

Using Manipulators with Reaction Controllers
The Position Reaction and Rotation Reaction controllers on page 3559 let you
perform certain functions via manipulators in the viewports.

Manipulators for Reactor Controllers
Reaction controllers for position and rotation tracks have graphic manipulators
to help you adjust their settings.
Other Reaction controllers, such as point3, scale, and float, do not have
manipulators.

Manipulators are visible and usable while the Select and Manipulate
button on page 2868 is turned on. This button is on the default main toolbar
on page 8623. When you move the mouse over a manipulator, the manipulator
turns red to show that dragging or clicking it will have an effect.
TIP Use the Reaction controller manipulators in a wireframe viewport. (See Shading
Viewport Label Menu on page 8719.) Also, for the Position Reaction controller, you
might have to change viewports to see a particular manipulator clearly.

Position Reaction controller
The Position Reaction controller has a set of manipulators to control (or simply
display) different reaction values.

3580 | Chapter 13 Animation

Reaction cycle manipulator: Click this to cycle among the various reactions
in the Reactions list. The display of the manipulators and indicators changes
to show their settings for the active reaction.
This manipulator is a small yellow circle that appears in the lower-left corner
of the active viewport, near the icon for coordinate axes.
Influence manipulator: Drag in a viewport to change the manipulator's size,
which changes the reaction's range of influence.
This manipulator is a yellow sphere that turns red when you can drag it. At
the center of the Influence manipulator is the Reaction Value manipulator.
Reaction Value manipulator: Drag in a viewport to change the reaction value,
which for a position track is an XYZ location.
This manipulator is a light blue sphere that appears at the center of the
Influence manipulator.
Object Pivot indicator: Shows the pivot point location of the master object.
This indicator is a dark blue sphere. You can't manipulate it.
Reaction State manipulator: Drag to adjust the reaction state. For position
reactions, the reaction state is an XYZ location that the slave object approaches,
depending on the animation of the master object and the Influence value.
This manipulator is a small green square.
Reaction State indicator: Shows the reaction state value. This indicator is
independent of the square green Reaction State manipulator, which you can
drag in viewports. As you drag the green square, the indicator follows it.
This indicator is a small dark-blue dot.

Rotation Reactors
The Rotation Reaction controller has a single manipulator, which controls
the reaction's Influence parameter.
Influence manipulator: Drag in a viewport to change the manipulator angle,
which changes the reaction's range of influence.

Reaction Controllers | 3581

Procedures
To use manipulators for a position or rotation Reaction controller:
(Point3, scale, and float Reaction controllers don't have manipulators.)

1

Select the object that has the Reaction controller assigned to it.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Select And Manipulate).

The manipulators appear in viewports.
3 In the active viewport, drag or click manipulators to adjust the reaction
parameters.
When you move the mouse over a manipulator, the manipulator turns
red to show that dragging or clicking it will have an effect.
TIP Use the reactor manipulators in a wireframe viewport. (See Shading
Viewport Label Menu on page 8719.) Also, for the Position Reaction controller,
you might have to change viewports to see a particular manipulator clearly.
The specific manipulators and their use are described below.

Scale XYZ Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a scale track in the
Track View hierarchy ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign
➤ Scale XYZ
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a scale track in the
Track View hierarchy ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign
➤ Scale XYZ
The Scale XYZ controller has independent float controllers for each scale axis
of an object's transform. With three separate tracks for scale, you can create
scale keys for each axis independently, change interpolation settings for a
single axis, or assign a controller on an axis. For example, after applying a

3582 | Chapter 13 Animation

Scale XYZ controller, you could apply a Noise or Waveform controller to an
axis to animate that axis independently.

The Scale XYZ controller assigns three keys (one for each axis), by default. In
previous versions of 3ds Max, you had to edit the keys manually in order to
create explicit axis keys. However, there are now actions available from the
Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837 that let you create explicit axis
keys on page 3434.
TIP Open Track View to view and edit the three scale tracks.

Procedures
Example: To assign the Scale XYZ controller to an object:
1 In the Top viewport, create a sphere.
2 Right-click the sphere and from the quad menu, choose Curve Editor.
The Track View - Curve Editor opens with the sphere as the first item in
the hierarchy.
3 In the Track View hierarchy, click the Scale track.
4 From the Track View menus, choose Controller ➤ Assign and select
Scale XYZ from the Assign Controller dialog.
Three tracks are displayed and are available to control the object's scale.
5 In the Track View hierarchy, click the Z Scale track, click Controller ➤
Assign from the Track View menus, and then choose Noise Float from
the dialog.
The Noise Controller dialog automatically displays.

6 Click
(Play Animation). The sphere changes scale along the Z axis,
controlled by the Noise controller.

Scale XYZ Controller | 3583

Interface
After applying the Scale XYZ controller to an object, Scale XYZ parameters
appear in a rollout on the Motion panel.

Scale Axis Adjusts an axis using controls in the Motion panel ➤ Key Info
rollout.
An axis should already have a key to adjust. To create keys, either turn on
Auto Key and scale the object, or click Scale in the Create Key group on the
PRS Parameters rollout.

Script Controller
Track View ➤ Highlight a track in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View
menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤ Script
The Script controllers work similarly to Expression controllers on page 3486.
They provide a Script Controller dialog where a you can enter a script for
computing the controller value.
The following Script controllers are available in 3ds Max:
■

Float Script: float controller

■

Point3 Script: Point3 controller

■

Transform Script on page 3585: matrix3 PRS controller

■

Position Script: position Point3 controller

■

Rotation Script: rotation Quaternion controller

■

Scale Script: scale Point3 controller

The differences among the various types of Script controllers are mainly in
the type of animation track you can assign them to. For example, you assign
a Transform Script controller to a Transform Track; a Position Script controller
to a Position track; and, if the Position controller is Position XYZ, you could
assign a Float Script controller to any or all of the individual Position tracks
(Position X/Y/Z).

3584 | Chapter 13 Animation

The primary advantages of Script controllers are:
■

They can use all the features of the MAXScript on page 14 language,
including loops, scripted functions, and path names.

■

Almost any property of any object in a scene can be used to help compute
controller values, including mesh vertices, values of properties at arbitrary
frame times, and other non-animatable properties that are not accessible
in Expression controllers.

■

They can use MAXScript global variables to communicate and coordinate
with other controllers and scripts in 3ds Max.

Refer to the MAXScript Help for a complete explanation of this scripting
language.

Transform Script Controller
A Transform Script controller contains all of the information contained in a
Position/Rotation/Scale (PRS) controller on page 3557 in one scripted matrix
value. Instead of having three separate tracks for position, rotation, and scale,
you can access all three values simultaneously from a single script controller
dialog. Because a script defines the transform values, they are easier to animate.
The value of the controller script must be a matrix3 value. A matrix3 value is
a 4x3 3D transformation matrix. For more information, see the Matrix3 Values
topic in the MAXScript Help.

Writing Controller Scripts
3ds Max interprets the text you type into the Script text box as the body of a
MAXScript block expression. You can type as many expressions as you want
on as many lines as you want, and they are evaluated in turn. The value of
the last expression is taken as the controller value. This value must yield the
right type for the controller: float for Float, point3 for Position, quat for
Rotation, matrix3 for Transform, and so on.
Because the text is inside a block expression, you can declare local variables
that are visible only within the script and are temporary for one evaluation.
You can also declare or access global variables that are shared with all other
scripts in MAXScript and hold their values from one evaluation to the next.

Script Controller | 3585

A controller is always evaluated by 3ds Max with respect to a specific animation
time. This might be the current time slider or incrementing frame time if an
animation is playing, or a rendering is under way. In the case of Script
controllers, the time being evaluated is used to establish an automatic "at
time" context around the controller script, so any properties you access (outside
of other explicit “at time” expressions) yield the correct values for the current
controller evaluation time. This means you don't have to do anything special
in your scripts to work at the correct time. You can access the evaluation time
with the standard MAXScript variable, currentTime. You can also reference
scene property values at other times by using "at time" expressions in your
scripts, as in regular MAXScript programming.

Assign Nodes and Tracks to Variables
When you need to refer to nodes in your scene or to animation tracks, it is
recommended that you use the Script controller variable toolset to create
variables to assign to any particular node or controller track. This way, if you
decide to later on rename your scene objects, the script controllers using these
objects are preserved because the variables maintain the link to the nodes.
Otherwise, if you assign, for example, a node to a variable manually in the
dialog's Expression window, that link becomes broken as soon as you rename
that particular node.
NOTE It is especially important to assign nodes and tracks to variables with the
corresponding buttons when using XRef scenes and objects.

Procedures
Example: To keep an object centered relative to other objects in the scene
during an animation:
1 Name the object that should remain centered foo and assign a Script
controller to its Position track.
2 Enter foo in the Name field and click Create.
The new variable is automatically added to the Variables list.
3 With the variable highlighted, click Assign Node.
The Track View Pick dialog opens, listing the contents of your scene.
4 Expand the Objects hierarchy until you locate foo. Highlight it and click
OK.
The foo node is assigned to your variable.

3586 | Chapter 13 Animation

5 Enter the following script in the Script Controller dialog's Expression
window:
local pos=[0,0,0]
for o in objects where o != foo do
pos += o.pos
pos / (objects.count - 1)
This script computes the average position of all objects, except the current
one (written as foo here) by setting up a local, iterating over all objects
except foo, accumulating a total position vector, and computing the
average in the last line, which is the final result of the script.
To use a Transform Script controller:

1

Select an object.

2 Right-click to open the quad menu.
3 In the Transform quadrant, click Curve Editor.
4 Select the Transform track of the selected object in Track View.
5 Select Transform Script from the Assign Transform Controller dialog and
click OK.
The Script Controller dialog opens.
6 Edit the matrix3 value in the Script Controller dialog, and click Evaluate
when you are finished.

Script Controller | 3587

Interface

Assigning a Script controller automatically opens a Script Controller dialog
where you can enter a script. You can open the dialog subsequently by
right-clicking the track on the Motion panel or in the Track View hierarchy
and choosing Properties, or clicking the Properties button on the Track View
toolbar.
TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner.

Create Variable group
Name Lets you enter and edit the name of user variables.
Create Creates a variable and adds it to the Variables list.
Delete Removes the highlighted variable from the Variables list. You can also
delete a variable by tying its name into the Name field and click Delete.
Rename Renames the highlighted variable.

Variable Parameters group
Tick Offset Specifies a time offset in ticks for the current variable. When the
script is evaluated, the variable's value is set from the current time plus the
Tick Offset value.
NOTE The Time Offset has no effect on variables that are assigned a constant.

3588 | Chapter 13 Animation

Variables list
Lists all available variables in the controller. The following pre-defined constant
variables are available in every script Controller and cannot be deleted or
renamed:
■

Fthe current time in frames

■

NTthe normalized time

■

Sthe current time in seconds

■

Tthe current time in ticks

_____
Assign Constant Opens a dialog which lets you assign a constant to the
highlighted variable.

■

Value expression Enter any MAXScript value or expression (such as an
integer, a float, an array, and so on).

■

Value expression result Displays the results of the expression above.

■

Evaluate Analyzes the expression at the current time.

■

OK Assigns the value expression result to the current variable.

■

Cancel Disregards the current value expression result and closes the dialog.

Assign Track Lets you assign a track to the highlighted variable.
Assign Controller Lets you assign a controller to the highlighted variable.
The controller's value is taken at the current time plus the variable's Tick
Offset.
Assign Node Lets you assign a node to the highlighted variable.

Script Controller | 3589

Expression window
Displays the expression to evaluate. You can edit the text in this window.

Description window
In this text window, you can enter comments about how the controller works,
how to use it, and so on.

_____
Save Click to save the script to a MAXScript (.ms) text file.
Load Click to load a script from a MAXScript (.ms) text file.
Debug Opens the Script Controller Debug Window, which displays the value
of all variables used in your script.
Evaluate Evaluates the script expression. The evaluation is computed for the
current position of the time slider.
Close Compiles and checks the controller script for errors. If no errors are
found, the dialog is closed. Any problems result in a query box asking whether
you want to revert the expression to the original value of the current track
and close the dialog (OK), or to return to editing the expression (Cancel).

Smooth Rotation Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a rotation track in
the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤
Assign ➤ Smooth Rotation
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a rotation track in the
Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign
➤ Smooth Rotation
Animation menu ➤ Rotation controllers ➤ Smooth
Use Smooth Rotation when you want rotation to have a smooth and natural
look.

3590 | Chapter 13 Animation

Smooth rotation functions the same as Linear Rotation, but uses non-adjustable
curved interpolation, and has the following characteristics:
■

Displays no controllers, key properties, or function curves

■

Move keys in Track View to change timing

■

Directly rotate objects in the viewports to change rotation values

Spring Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Spring
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Spring
Animation menu ➤ Position controllers ➤ Spring
The Spring controller adds secondary dynamics effects to any point or object
position. The end result is secondary mass/spring dynamics similar to Flex.
This constraint adds realism to generally static animations.

When you apply Spring to an animated object, its original motion is preserved
and secondary, velocity-based dynamics are applied. You can control the
object's mass and drag. When you first apply the controller, it constructs a

Spring Controller | 3591

virtual spring between the object's original position and where it would end
up after forces are applied to it.
You can adjust spring tension and dampening. Increasing the tension creates
a tighter spring, while increasing the dampening smoothes out jitters in the
motion. You can add external forces like Gravity on page 2958 and Wind on
page 2960 to affect the motion, and also add additional objects whose motions
act as springs.
NOTE You can also assign the Spring controller to animated vertices in Track View:
Open the object's Master Point Controller hierarchy, select the vertices, and assign
the Spring controller.

Interface
When you assign a Spring controller to an object, its rollouts automatically
appear in the Motion panel. In addition, the rollouts open in a floating dialog.
If you close the dialog, you can reopen it by right-clicking the track in the
Motion panel Assign Controller rollout or in the Track View hierarchy and
choosing Properties, or clicking the Properties button on the Track View
toolbar.

Spring Dynamics rollout

3592 | Chapter 13 Animation

Point group
Mass The mass of the object to which the Spring controller is applied.
Increasing the mass causes the "bouncing" spring motion to become more
exaggerated.
Drag Acts as air friction on the spring motion. A low Drag setting results in
a greater "bouncing" effect, while a high Drag results in subdued bouncing.
Default=1. Range=0 to 10.

Springs group
Add springs to an object using the Spring controller when you want the object
to be affected by the motion of other objects in your scene. This effectively
creates virtual springs between objects.
Add Click this button, and then select one or more objects whose motion
relative to the spring-controlled object will act as springs on that object. To
finish adding springs, click Add again, right-click in a viewport, or press Esc.
Remove Removes highlighted spring objects from the list.
NOTE You cannot remove the Self Influence list entry, which is the
spring-controlled object's influence on itself.
(List) Lists all spring objects by name, and displays each object's Tension and
Dampening settings separated by a slash (/). The spring-controlled object's
influence on itself appears as Self Influence, and cannot be deleted. However,
you can effectively remove the object's influence on itself by setting Tension
and Dampening to 0, resulting in no motion.
To set Tension and Dampening for one or more objects in the list, highlight
them in the list and then adjust the settings.
Tension The "stiffness" of the virtual spring between the controlled object
and the highlighted spring object(s).
Dampening Acts as a multiplier of an internal factor that determines how
quickly the object comes to rest.
With the Self Influence spring, changing Dampening has the same effect as
changing Drag. With other springs, Dampening affects only the movement
caused by that spring.
Internally, the dampening value is proportional to the tension, so as you
increase the tension and make the solution more stiff, the dampening is
increased to maintain system stability.

Spring Controller | 3593

Relative/Absolute With Relative chosen, changing the Tension and
Dampening settings causes the new settings to be added to the existing values.
With Absolute chosen, the new settings replace the existing values.

Forces Limits and Precision rollout

External Forces group
Add Click this button, and then select one or more space warps in the Forces
category that are to affect the object's motion. To finish adding space warps,
click Add again, right-click in a viewport, or press Esc.
Remove Removes highlighted space warps from the list.
(List) Lists all spring space warps by name.

Calculation Parameters group
Start Frame The frame at which the Spring controller first takes effect.
Default=0.
Iterations The accuracy of the controller application. If you get unexpected
results, try increasing this setting. Default=2. Range=0 to 4.
X/Y/Z Effect These settings let you control the percentage of the effect on
the individual world axes. Default=100.0. Range=0 to 1000.0.

3594 | Chapter 13 Animation

TCB Controllers
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
TCB
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
TCB
Animation menu ➤ Position, Rotation, or Scale ➤ Quaternion (TCB)
TCB Controllers produce curve-based animation much like Bezier controllers.
However, TCB controllers do not use tangent types or adjustable tangent
handles. They use fields to adjust the Tension, Continuity, and Bias of the
animation.

This controller works well as a Position controller in conjunction with the
Motion panel ➤ Trajectories display of an object. With sub-object keys turned
on and the Key Info dialog for a key displayed (right-click and select Key Info
on the selected key to display Key Info properties), you can change the
parameters in the Key Info dialog and see the trajectory path change. This
allows for very precise control of an object's trajectory with visual feedback.

Euler XYZ is now the default rotation controller in 3ds Max. The TCB Rotation
controller was the default rotation controller for files created in versions 4
and earlier.

TCB Controllers | 3595

TIP Euler XYZ behaves very differently than TCB rotations. Users upgrading from
versions 4 or earlier might have difficulty adapting to the differences between
these controllers. If you are used to working with TCB rotations, you can reassign
it to be the default rotation controller.

Procedures
To change an Euler XYZ Rotation controller into a TCB Rotation controller:

1

Select an object animated with an Euler XYZ rotation controller.

2 On the
I Motion panel ➤ Parameters ➤ Assign Controller rollout,
select the Rotation track in the list window.

3 Click

(Assign Controller), and then select Quaternion (TCB).

You can also assign this controller in Track View or from the Animation
menu.

Interface

TCB controllers display their properties in a Key Info dialog in Track View and
a single Key Info rollout in the Motion panel.
Time field Specifies when in time the key occurs.

3596 | Chapter 13 Animation

Time Lock Prevents horizontal key motion in Track View edit modes.
Key Value fields Stores the animation values for the key. The number and
meaning of the fields vary with different parameter data types. Some typical
field arrangements are:
■

XYZ fields for Position and Point3 keys

■

XYZ percentage fields for Scale keys

■

A single value field for Float keys

TCB Graph Charts the effect that changing the controller properties will have
on the animation. The red mark at the top of the curve represents the key.
The marks to the left and right of the curve represent an even division of time
to either side of the key.
The TCB graph is a stylized representation of the animation around a single
key. If you want to view the effect of changing TCB properties on the true
animation curve, use the Function Curves mode of Track View (works only
with position and scale).
The following descriptions refer to both the TCB graph and the function curve
as the animation curve.
NOTE When you are changing the properties of a selection of multiple keys, the
TCB graph is blank unless all properties are equal.
Ease To Slows the velocity of the animation curve as it approaches the key.
Default=0.
High Ease To causes the animation to decelerate as it approaches the key.
The default setting causes no extra deceleration.
Ease From Slows the velocity of the animation curve as it leaves the key.
Default=0.
High Ease From causes the animation to start slow and accelerate as it leaves
the key.
The default setting causes no change of the animation curve.
Tension Controls the amount of curvature in the animation curve.
High Tension produces a linear curve. It also has a slight Ease To and Ease
From effect.
Low Tension produces a very wide, rounded, curve. It also has a slight negative
Ease To and Ease From effect.
The default value of 25 produces an even amount of curvature through the
key.

TCB Controllers | 3597

Continuity Controls the tangential property of the curve at the key. The
default setting is the only value that produces a smooth animation curve
through the key. All other values produce a discontinuity in the animation
curve causing an abrupt change in the animation. Default=25.
High Continuity values create curved overshoot on both sides of the key.
Low Continuity values create a linear animation curve. Low continuity creates
a linear curve similar to high tension except without the Ease To and Ease
From side effect.
The default setting creates a smooth continuous curve at the key.
Bias Controls where the animation curve occurs with respect to the key.
Default=25.
High Bias pushes the curve beyond the key. This produces a linear curve
coming into the key and an exaggerated curve leaving the key.
Low Bias pulls the curve before the key. This produces an exaggerated curve
coming into the key and a linear curve leaving the key.
The default setting distributes the curve evenly to both sides of the key.
Rotation Windup (TCB rotation only) When on, rotation keys can be greater
than 180 degrees. When off, rotation keys are always less than 180 degrees.
This is useful if you want to set a single rotation key to create multiple
revolutions of an object. Default=off.
WARNING If you have Rotation Windup on and you insert a rotation key between
two previously created rotation keys, you might get unexpected directional shifts.
Rotation Windup works best if you set keys using a straight-ahead workflow.

Waveform Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Waveform Float
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a track in the Track
View hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign ➤
Waveform Float
The Waveform controller is a float controller that provides regular, periodic
waveforms. Created originally to control blinking lights, you can use it on
any float value.

3598 | Chapter 13 Animation

To view how the trajectory of an object is being affected by the Waveform
controller, turn on Motion panel ➤ Trajectories.

Procedures
To use the Waveform controller to animate the visibility of a sphere:
1 Create a sphere.
2 Open Track View, and select the Sphere track.
3 On the Tracks menu choose Visibility Track ➤ Add.
4 Select the Visibility track, click Controller ➤ Assign, and select Waveform
Float.
5 Play the animation to see the effect.
To use the Waveform controller to animate the radius of a sphere:
1 Create a sphere.
2 Open Track View - Dope Sheet, and expand the Object (Sphere) track.
3 Select the Radius track, click Controller ➤ Assign, and choose Waveform
Float from the Assign Controller dialog.

4

Play the animation to see the effect.

Waveform Controller | 3599

Interface
After assigning the Waveform controller, in Track View, right-click its track
to display its properties in the Waveform Controller dialog.

List Window Displays waveforms in a list.
Add Adds a new waveform to the end of the list. The default waveform is a
sine wave with a period of 10 frames and with an amplitude of 100.
Insert Inserts a new waveform before the selected waveform slot.
Remove Deletes the selected waveform. This is not available when only one
waveform remains.
Move Up and Move Down Shifts the selected waveform up and down in the
list, allowing the waveform order to be altered.
Disable Disables the selected waveform.

Waveform group
This group provides control parameters for the currently selected waveform.
TIP Using the Sphere example, you can observe the waveform in the Function
Curve displays of the Track View, and watch changes in the waveform while testing
the parameters described below.
Name Contains the name of the waveform.

3600 | Chapter 13 Animation

Waveform Icons Specifies five waveform types: Sine, Square, Triangle,
Sawtooth, and Half Sine.
Inverted Flips the waveform vertically.
Flipped Flips the waveform horizontally.
Period Sets the number of frames to complete one waveform pattern. Spinner
Value=float, 0.01 to 9,999,999
Duty Cycle For square waves only, specifies the percentage of time the square
wave is "on." Default=50, Spinner Value=float, 0 to 100
Amplitude Sets the height of the wave. Spinner Value=float, 0 to 9,999,999
Phase Sets the offset of the wave. Spinner Value=float, 0 to 1

Vertical Bias group
A waveform's output value can be altered by adjusting the Vertical Bias
parameter. Spinner Value=float, -9,999,999 to 9,999,999
Centered Centers the waveforms vertical bias about zero. For example, a 100
unit amplitude waveform would range from -100 to 100.
Auto > 0 Shifts the waveform above the zero line.
Auto < 0 Shifts the waveform below the zero line.
Manual Lets you set the waveform manually by adjusting the spinner.

Effect group
Each waveform has an Effect parameter, which can be one of the following:
Add Causes the current waveform's value to be added to the previous
waveform's output. This is the default.
Multiply Multiplies the previous waveform's output by this waveform's value.
Clamp Above Limits the previous waveform's output to be above this
waveform's value.
Clamp Below Limits the previous waveform's output to be below this
waveform's value.

Characteristic Graph
Characteristic Graph shows one of three displays, controlled by the radio
buttons below the display.

Waveform Controller | 3601

This Wave Shows the current waveform only, independent of all other
waveforms.
This Output Shows the output of the current waveform, including all previous
waveforms.
Final Output Shows the output of all the waveforms in the list. You can also
see the final output by turning on the Track View — Curve Editor display for
the track which has the waveform controller assigned.
All displays show the output graph of the controller waveforms in a solid dark
line, with the zero line drawn in a dotted gray line. Two numeric displays to
the right show the high and low range of the waveform curve. The graph
automatically scales vertically to fit the waveform output curve, and scales
horizontally to two times the period of the longest-period waveform.

XRef Controller
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Select a transform track
in the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu
➤ Assign ➤ XRef Controller
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Select a transform track in
the Track View hierarchy. ➤ Track View menu bar ➤ Controller menu ➤
Assign ➤ XRef Controller
This controller lets you externally reference any type of Transform controller
on page 3436 from another scene file. The XRef controller follows the same
concepts and principles as the XRef objects on page 7971 and XRef material on
page 6605; it can improve upon the collaborative synergy within a production
environment by letting you access animation data currently in another scene
while someone else updates it.
For example, while an animator works locally on a character's walk cycle, a
scene integrator can externally reference it into his master scene comprised
of several characters. The integrator can now regularly update his master scene
with the latest changes from the source scene; if he notices a problem, the
animator can make the appropriate modifications, which reflect in the master
scene.

3602 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can create an XRef controller with or without an XRef object:
■

You can externally reference a source object's animation without the object
itself by assigning an XRef controller to your current selection on page 3604.

■

You can create an XRef object, which automatically nests the source object's
Transform controller in an XRef controller. The XRef Objects dialog's XRef
Entities list on page 7986 lists both XRefs as separate entries.

NOTE The Merge Transforms option must be off to externally reference a
controller; otherwise, the controller merges with the current scene.

To remove an XRef controller, you can either right-click the entry in the XRef
Entities list and choose Merge in Scene from the contextual menu, or assign
a new Transform controller to your object.
NOTE Replacing the XRef controller with another type removes any animation it
contains.
Although XRef controllers are read-only in your master scene, you can add a
local offset to the object's animation on page 3605.

XRef Controller | 3603

Procedures
To assign an XRef controller using the Motion Panel:

1

Select an object in the current scene.

2 On the
Motion Panel, click Parameters, and open the Assign
Controller rollout.
3 Highlight the Transform track in the Assign Controller list.

4 Click
(Assign Controller), and then select XRef Controller from
the Assign Transform Controller dialog.
5 In the Open File dialog, navigate to the file from which to externally
reference the transform controller and then click Open.
6 Use the XRef Merge dialog to designate the object whole transform
controller you want to XReference.
3ds Max references the scene object's transform controllers from the
external object's controllers.

3604 | Chapter 13 Animation

TIP You can also XReference a different controller from either another file or
another object via the Parameters rollout of the XRef controller.

Object's Transform
Position highlighted.

Object's Transform
Position XReferenced.

To add and reset a Transform offset to an XRef Object's Animation

1 Create a sphere at [0,0,0] and

2

Save your scene, then choose

animate it from [0,0,0] to [5,5,5]

Application menu ➤

Reset.
3 Choose File ➤ XRef Objects.
4 In the XRef Objects dialog, make sure Merge Transforms is off, then click
(Create XRef Record From File) and select the scene you just saved.
The sphere appears in your master scene at [0,0,0].

XRef Controller | 3605

5

Move the sphere to [10,10,10].
The sphere now translates from [10,10,10] to [15,15,15].

6 Right-click the XRef Controller entry in the XRef Entities list of the XRef
Objects dialog.
7 From the contextual menu, choose Reset PRS Offset.
This removes the sphere's local offset, which now returns to its original
[0,0,0] position.

Interface

These controls, similar to those on the XRef Object rollout on page 7996, let
you change the file path, file name, and object name of the source of the XRef
controller.

Hightlight corresponding XRef Record in the XRef Object
dialog Opens the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977 and highlights the
corresponding XRef record within.

File Name controls
File Name field Displays the path and file name of the scene containing the
source controller. You can edit this to point to a different path and file.
File Name display Displays the file name only, without the path.

3606 | Chapter 13 Animation

Path button Opens a file dialog from which you select a new file (either
.max or .chr).

Object controls
Object Name field Displays the name of the source object pointed to in the
source file which holds the source controller.
Object Name display Displays the file name of the source object.

Path button Opens an XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 pointing to the
scene in the XRef File Name field. Here, you can specify a different object to
be used as the XRef object.

_____
status line Displays status information regarding the XRef controller:
■

“Unresolved XRef, File Not Found”: Cannot find the scene file containing
the specified object name.

■

“Unresolved XRef, Object Not Found”: Cannot find the object in the
specified scene.

■

“XRef Resolved”: Both scene and object match.

Animation Constraints
An animation constraint is a special type of controller that can help you
automate the animation process. You can use constraints to control an object’s
position, rotation, or scale through a binding relationship with another object.
A constraint requires an animated object and at least one target object. The
target imposes specific animation limits on the constrained object.
For example, to quickly animate an airplane flying along a predefined path,
you can use a Path constraint on page 3629 to restrict the airplane’s motion to
a spline.
You can use keyframe animation to toggle the constraint’s binding relationship
with its targets over a period of time.
Common uses for constraints include:
■

Linking one object to another over a period of time, such as a character’s
hand picking up a baseball bat

Animation Constraints | 3607

■

Linking an object’s position or rotation to one or several objects

■

Keeping an object’s position between two or more objects

■

Constraining an object along a path or between multiple paths

■

Constraining an object to a surface

■

Making an object point toward another object

■

Keeping an object’s orientation in relation to another

TIP You can use Schematic View to see all the Constraint relationships in a scene.

Using Constraints with Bones
Constraints can be applied to bones as long as an IK controller is not
controlling the bones. If the bones have an assigned IK controller, you can
only constrain the root of the hierarchy or chain.

Attachment Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Attachment Constraint
The Attachment constraint is a position constraint that attaches an object's
position to a face on another object (the target object doesn't have to be a
mesh, but must be convertible to a mesh).

3608 | Chapter 13 Animation

Attachment constraints keep the cylinders on the surface.

By keying different attachments over time, you can animate the position of
an object over the irregular surface of another object, even if that surface is
changing over time.

Procedures
Example: To attach a cone to a bending cylinder:
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a cylinder with a radius of 20, a height
of 30, and 10 height segments.
2 In the Perspective viewport, create a cone with a radius 1 of 15, a radius
2 of 5, and a height of 30.

Attachment Constraint | 3609

3

Select the cylinder, apply a Bend modifier, and set the bend
angle to –70 degrees.

4 Turn on
to 70 degrees.

(Auto Key), go to frame 100, and set the bend angle

The cylinder bends from one direction to the other over 100 frames.

5 Turn off

(Auto Key).

Example continued: To assign the Attachment constraint and adjust the cone:

1

Select the cone.

2 On the

Motion panel, open the Assign Controller rollout, click

the Position track, click
Attachment.

(Assign Controller), and choose

The cone moves to the origin of the scene, and the Attachment Parameters
rollout is displayed.
3 Click the Pick object, and then click the cylinder.
The name of the cylinder is displayed above the Pick Object button.
4 Go to frame 0. Orbit the Perspective viewport so you can see the top
surface of the cylinder.
5 Click Set Position, and click and drag over the faces on the top surface
of the cylinder.
The cone jumps to the top of the cylinder. As you drag the mouse, it
jumps to whichever face you drag over.
6 Release the mouse when the cone is on the top surface of the cylinder.

3610 | Chapter 13 Animation

Example continued: To adjust the position of the cone relative to the face:
1 Drag in the face display window to position the red x relative to the
triangle representing the face. (Because of the radial arrangement of cap
faces in a cylinder, the upper-left corner of the displayed triangle is the
center of the cylinder cap. You can turn off Edges Only for the cylinder
to see this.)
2 Adjust the A and B spinners to move the cone across the surface of the
face.
3 Drag the time slider to various frames.
As the cylinder bends back and forth, the cone remains attached to its
upper surface. Continue adjusting the A and B spinners and dragging in
the face display window to adjust the cone's position.
4 Remember the number in the Face spinner, and then lower the spinner
value until the cone leaves the cylinder cap and begins jumping around
various areas of the cylinder.
The Face spinner specifies which face the cone is attached to. As you
change its values, the cone moves to different faces on the cylinder.
5 Re-enter the original value in the Face spinner to return the cone to the
top of the cylinder.

6

Play the animation.
The cylinder bends back and forth with a cone attached to its upper cap.

Interface
Parameters for this constraint are available on the Motion panel after the
controller has been assigned.

Attach To group

Object Name text Specifies the target object to which the source object is
attached.

Attachment Constraint | 3611

Pick Object Selects and picks the target object in the viewports for the
attachment.
Align to Surface Fixes the orientation of the attached object to the face where
it's assigned. When this is turned off, the orientation of the attached object
is not affected by the orientation of the face on the target object.

Update group

Update Updates the display.
Manual Update Enables Update.

Key Info group

Current Key Displays the current key number and lets you move to another
key.
Time Displays the current frame, and lets you move the current key to a
different frame.

3612 | Chapter 13 Animation

Position group
Face Provides the index of the face to which the object is attached. Range=0
to 268435455.
A/B Contains the barycentric coordinates defining the position of the attached
object on the face. Range=-999,999 to 999,999.
(display window) Shows the position of the source object within the
attachment face. You can drag within this window to adjust the position of
the object relative to the face.
Set Position Adjusts the placement of the source object on the target object.
Drag over the target object to specify a face and a position within the face.
The source object moves accordingly over the target object.

TCB group

All of the items in this group are the same as in other TCB controllers on page
3595. The orientation of the source object is also interpolated and affected by
these settings.
Tension Range=0 to 50
Continuity Range=0 to 50
Bias Range=0 to 50
Ease To Range=0 to 50
Ease From Range=0 to 50

Attachment Constraint | 3613

Link Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Link Constraint
A Link constraint is used to animate an object linking from one target object
to another.

A link constraint enables the robot arms to pass a ball.

The Link constraint causes an object to inherit the position, rotation, and
scale of its target object. In effect, it allows you to animate a hierarchical
relationship, so that the motion of an object to which the Link constraint is
applied can be controlled by different objects in the scene throughout an
animation.
An example of using a link constraint is to pass a ball from one hand to
another. Assume that at frame 0 the ball is in a character’s right hand. The
hands are animated to meet at frame 50, when the ball is passed to the left
hand, and then spread apart until frame 100. This is achieved by assigning

3614 | Chapter 13 Animation

the Link constraint to the ball, with the right hand as its target at frame 0,
changing to the left hand as target at frame 50.

Procedures
Example: To assign the Link constraint and animate links:

1

Go to frame 0.

2 In the Top viewport, create a sphere, a cylinder and a box.

3

Select the sphere.

4 Open the

Motion panel.

5 Expand the Assign Controller rollout.
6 Select the Transform: Position/Rotation/Scale controller.

7 Click

(Assign Controller).

8 Choose Link Constraint.
This changes the Transform entry to Transform: Link Constraint and
adds a child controller named Link Params: Position/Rotation/Scale,
which becomes the immediate parent of the individual transform tracks.
It also adds a controller track named Link Times: LinkTimeControl.
The purpose of the LinkTimeControl controller is to expose the Link
constraint keys in the track bar so they can be manipulated there.
You can also assign the Link constraint from the Animation menu ➤
Constraints submenu.
It is recommended that you apply Link To World on page 3618 before
linking to any target objects. This allows you to animate the object on
its own, before the first link to a target object takes place.
9 On the Link Params rollout, click Link To World.
This adds a World entry at frame 0 in the link list on the Link Params
rollout.

Link Constraint | 3615

10 Drag the time slider to frame 1.
11 Click Add Link and select the cylinder.
The cylinder becomes a target and is added to the link list. The Link
constraint relationship is now active between the sphere and the cylinder.
12 Click Add Link again to turn it off.
13 Drag the time slider to frame 50.

14 Turn on
(Auto Key) and move the cylinder a good distance
away from where it is.

15

Play the animation.
The sphere follows the cylinder as it moves. The sphere is link-constrained.

16

Select the sphere.

17 Drag the time slider to frame 25.

18 On the
Motion panel ➤ Link Param rollout, click Add Link,
select the box, and turn off Add Link.
You have now added another target that becomes active at frame 25.

19 Turn off
(Auto Key) and
play the animation. The
sphere is linked to the cylinder from frame 0 to 24, so it follows the
cylinder until frame 25, at which point it links to the box.
20 With the sphere selected, right-click one of the keys on the track bar and
open the Delete Key submenu.
Notice the “Sphere01: Link Times” item. This is a special key made
accessible on the track bar by the LinkTimes: LinkTimeControl controller.
You can use these keys to modify link animation directly on the track
bar, like regular animation keys, by dragging them on the time line or
deleting them. However, unlike other animation keys, they cannot be
cloned by Shift+dragging them.

3616 | Chapter 13 Animation

To access the Link constraint’s parameters through the Motion panel:

1

Select the Link-constrained object.

2 On the
necessary.

Motion panel, expand the Link Params rollout, if

Interface

Once you assign a Link constraint, you can access its properties on the Link
Params rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add and delete

Link Constraint | 3617

targets and animate the time at which each target becomes the active parent
of the constrained object.
You can also modify the animation of link frames by manipulating the keys
on the track bar and in Track View. However, standard methods for deleting
keys in those contexts do not apply to link keys; you must use the Delete Link
function on the Link Params rollout instead.
Add Link Adds a new link target.
After clicking Add Link, set the time slider to the frame at which to activate
the link, and then select the object to link to. You can continue adding links
as long as Add Link is on; to exit this mode, right-click in the active viewport
or click Add Link again.
Link to World Links the object to the world (the scene as a whole).
We recommend this be the first target in the list. This prevents the object
from reverting to its independent creation or animation transforms if other
targets are deleted from the list.
Delete Link Removes the highlighted link target. Once a link target is removed,
it will no longer influence the constrained object.
Start Time Assign or edit the frame value of a target.
When you highlight a target entry in the list, Start Time shows the frame at
which the object becomes a parent. To change when the link transfer takes
place, adjust the value.
TIP You can also modify the animation of link frames by manipulating the keys
on the track bar and in Track View.

Key Mode group
NOTE The options Key Nodes and Key Entire Hierarchy have no effect unless the
object you are constraining is already part of a hierarchy. If you add objects to the
hierarchy after you apply the Link constraint, you have to reapply the Link constraint
using the key options you desire.
No Key When used, no keyframes are written to the constrained object or its
targets. The link control happens without inserting any keys.
Key Nodes When used, keyframes are written to the specified option. There
are two options: Child and Parents. Child sets a keyframe only on the
constrained object. Parents sets keyframes for the constrained object and all
of its targets.

3618 | Chapter 13 Animation

Key Entire Hierarchy Sets keyframes up the hierarchy for the specified option.
There are two options: Child and Parents. Child sets a keyframe only on the
constrained object and its parents. Parents sets keyframes for the constrained
object, its targets, and their upper hierarchy.

LookAt Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ LookAt Constraint
The LookAt constraint controls an object’s orientation so that it’s always
looking at another object. It locks an object’s rotation so that one of its axes
points toward the target object. The LookAt axis points toward the target,
while the Upnode axis defines which axis points upward. If the two coincide,
a flipping behavior may result. This is similar to pointing a target camera
straight up.

LookAt constraints enable the antenna dishes to track the satellite.

An example of a LookAt constraint’s use would be to constrain the eyeballs
of a character to a point helper. The eyes will then always be aimed at the
point helper. Animate the point helper, and the eyes follow. Even if you rotate
the character’s head, the eyes maintain their lock on the point helper.

LookAt Constraint | 3619

Multiple Targets and Weighting
A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using
multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by
which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets.
Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets. A value
of 0 means the target has no influence. Any value greater than 0 causes the
target to influence the constrained object relative to other targets' Weight
settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the
influence of a target with a Weight value of 40.

Procedures
To assign a LookAt constraint:

1

Select the object you want to constrain. This is the object that
will be always looking at its target.

2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ LookAt Constraint.
3 Click the target object.
To access the LookAt constraint’s parameters through the Motion panel:

1

Select the LookAt Constrained object.

2 On the
Constraint.

Motion panel ➤ Rotation list, double-click LookAt

The LookAt constraint parameters are located under the LookAt Constraint
rollout.
To edit weight values:

1

Select the constrained object.

3620 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 On the
Constraint.

Motion panel ➤ Rotation list, double-click LookAt

The LookAt constraint parameters are located under the LookAt Constraint
rollout.
3 Click a target from the list.
4 Use the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value to adjust the weight
value.
To animate weight values:

1

Select the constrained object.

2 On the
Constraint.

Motion panel ➤ Rotation list, double-click LookAt

The LookAt constraint parameters are located under the LookAt Constraint
rollout.
3 Click a target from the list.

4 Turn on

(Auto Key).

5 Use the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value to adjust the weight
value.

LookAt Constraint | 3621

Interface

3622 | Chapter 13 Animation

Once you assign a LookAt constraint, you can access its properties on the
LookAt Constraint rollout on the Motion panel. On this rollout, you can add
or delete targets, assign weighting, assign and animate target weight values,
and adjust other related parameters.
NOTE When you assign a LookAt constraint via the Animation menu, 3ds Max
assigns a Rotation List controller to your object. In the list on the Rotation List
rollout, you will find LookAt Constraint, which is the constraint you assigned. To
view the LookAt Constraint rollout, double-click the LookAt Constraint entry in
the list.
Add LookAt Target Use to add new targets that influence the constrained
object.
Delete LookAt Target Use to remove target objects that influence the
constrained object.
Weight Use to assign and animate weight values for each target. Available
only when multiple targets are used.
Keep Initial Offset Maintains the constrained object’s original orientation as
an offset to its constrained orientation.
Viewline Length Defines the length of the main viewline drawn from the
pivot of the constrained object to the pivot of its target (or the average, in
case of multiple targets). A negative value draws the line from the constrained
object in the opposite direction of the target or targets.
With a single target, the length of the viewline is determined by the distance
between the constrained object and the target, as well as the Viewline Length
setting. However, if Viewline Length Absolute is on, the distance between the
two has no effect on the length.
The color of the viewline is defined by the Target Line element in the Gizmos
category of the Colors panel on page 8860 in the Customize ➤ Customize User
Interface dialog on page 8837.
NOTE When multiple targets are assigned, additional viewlines drawn from the
constrained object to each target object inherit the color of the respective targets.
If Viewline Length Absolute is on, the length of each target-specific line is
determined by its target's Weight setting and the Viewline Length value. If Viewline
Length Absolute is off, the length of each line is determined by the distance
between the constrained object and the respective target, as well as the Viewline
Length value. An additional (main) viewline, whose length and color are determined
as specified above, indicates the actual, calculated orientation.

LookAt Constraint | 3623

Viewline Length Absolute When on, 3ds Max uses only the Viewline Length
setting for the length of the main viewline; the distance between the
constrained object and the target(s) has no effect.
Set Orientation Lets you define the offset orientation of the constrained
object manually. When on, you can use the Rotation tool to set the constrained
object’s orientation. This orientation is then maintained as the constrained
object looks at its target.
Reset Orientation Sets the orientation of the constrained object back to the
default. This is useful if you want to reset the constrained object’s orientation
after having set the orientation manually.
Select LookAt Axis Use to define the axis that looks at the target. The X,Y,Z
check boxes reflect the constrained object's local coordinate system. The Flip
check box reverses the directions of the local axes.
Select Upnode The default Upnode is the World. Turn off World to manually
select an object that defines the Upnode plane. This plane is drawn from the
constrained object to the Upnode object. If the LookAt Axis and the Upnode
axis coincide, the constrained object will flip. Animating the position of the
upnode object will move the upnode plane.

Upnode Control group:
Lets you quickly flip between LookAt Upnode Control and Axis Alignment.
LookAt When selected the Upnode matches the LookAt target.
Axis Alignment When this is selected the Upnode Aligns to the object axis.
Choose which axis (X, Y or Z) in the Source Upnode Alignment group directly
below Upnode Control.

Source/Upnode Alignment group
Source Axis Chooses the constrained object’s axis that is to be aligned to the
Upnode Axis. The Source Axis reflects the constrained object’s Local Axis. The
Source Axis and LookAt Axis work together therefore the Axis used to define
the LookAt Axis will be unavailable.
Aligned to Upnode Axis Chooses the Upnode axis that the selected Source
Axis aligns to. Note that the selected Source axis may or may not be able to
completely align to the Upnode Axis.

3624 | Chapter 13 Animation

Orientation Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Orientation Constraint
An Orientation constraint causes an object’s orientation to follow the
orientation of an object or averaged orientation of several objects.

Orientation constraints align the awning vanes to the supporting rod.

An Orientation Constrained object can be any rotatable object. When
constrained it will inherit its rotation from a target object. Once constrained
you can not rotate the object manually. You may move or scale the object as
long as its not constrained in a manner that effects the object’s position or
scale controller.
The target object can be any type of object. The rotation of a target object
drives the constrained object. Targets can be animated using any of the
standard translation, rotation, and scale tools.

Multiple Targets and Weighting
A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using
multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by
which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets.

Orientation Constraint | 3625

Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets. A value
of 0 means the target has no influence. Any value greater than 0 causes the
target to influence the constrained object relative to other targets' Weight
settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the
influence of a target with a Weight value of 40.

Procedures
To assign an Orientation constraint:

1

Select the object you want to constrain.

2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Orientation Constraint.
3 Click the target object.
To access the Orientation constraint’s parameters through the Motion panel:

1

Select the Orientation-constrained object.

2 On the
Controller.

Motion panel ➤ Rotation list, double-click Orientation

The Orientation constraint parameters are located on the Orientation
Constraint rollout.
To edit weight values:

1

Select the constrained object.

2 Go to the

Motion panel ➤ Orientation Constraint rollout.

3 Click a target from the list.
4 Use the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value to set the weight value.

3626 | Chapter 13 Animation

To animate weight values:

1

Select the constrained object.

2 Go to
the Motion panel ➤ Orientation Constraint rollout, and
choose a target from the list.

3 Turn on

(Auto Key).

4 Use the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value to set the weight value.

Orientation Constraint | 3627

Interface

Once you assign an Orientation constraint, you can access its properties on
the Position Constraint rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can
add or delete targets, assign weighting, assign and animate target weight values,
and adjust other, related parameters.
NOTE When you assign an Orientation constraint via the Animation menu, 3ds
Max assigns a Rotation List controller to your object. In the Rotation List rollout
list you will find Orientation Constraint, which is the constraint you assigned. To
view the Orientation Constraint rollout, double-click Orientation Constraint entry
in the list.

3628 | Chapter 13 Animation

Add Orientation Target Adds new target objects that influence the constrained
object.
Add World as Target Aligns the constrained object to the world axis. You
can weight the amount of influence that the world target has on the
constrained object as you would any other target object.
Delete Orientation Target Remove targets. Once removing the target, it will
no longer influence the constrained object.
Weight Assigns and animates weight values for each target.
Keep Initial Offset Preserves the original orientation of the constrained object.
When you turn off Keep Initial Offset, the object adjusts itself to match the
orientation of its target or targets. Default=off.
Transform Rule When an orientation constraint is applied to an object that
is part of a hierarchy, this determines whether the local node transform or
the parent transform will be used for the orientation constraint.
Local –>Local When selected, the local node transform is used for the
orientation constraint
World –>World When selected, the parent or world transform will be applied,
rather than the local node transform.

Path Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Path Constraint
A path constraint restricts an object's movement along a spline or at an
averaged distance between multiple splines.

Path Constraint | 3629

Path constraint positions the service platform along the side of the bridge.

A path target can be any type of spline. The spline curve (target) defines a path
of motion for the constrained object. Targets can be animated using any of
the standard translation, rotation, scale tools. Setting keys at a sub-object level
of the path, such as vertex or segment, animates the path while affecting the
constrained object.

Multiple Targets and Weighting
A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using
multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by
which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets.
Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets. A value
of 0 means the target has no influence. Any value greater than 0 causes the
target to influence the constrained object relative to other targets' Weight
settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the
influence of a target with a Weight value of 40.

3630 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To assign a Path constraint:
1 Create a Sphere with a radius of 10 and a Circle with a radius of 60.
2 With the Sphere selected, choose Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤
Path Constraint.
You are now in select target mode.
3 In the viewport, click the Circle shape.
To access the Path constraint’s parameters through the Motion panel:

1

Select the Sphere.

2 Open the

Motion panel.

3 In the PRS Parameters rollout, click the Position button.
The Path constraint's settings are located in the Path Parameters rollout.
Example: To assign a Path constraint through the Motion panel:
1 Create a Sphere with a radius of 10 and a Circle with a radius of 60.

2

3 Go to

Select the Sphere.

the Motion panel and click Parameters.

4 Open the Assign Controller rollout and select the Position controller.

5 Click

(Assign Controller).

6 Choose Path Constraint from the Assign Position Controller dialog.
7 On the Motion panel, click Parameters.

Path Constraint | 3631

8 In the Path Parameters rollout, click Add Path.
9 In the viewport, click the Circle.
To edit weight values:

1 On the
Create panel, click
that is about 120 units long.

(Shapes), and create a Line

TIP Use the diameter of the Circle to gauge the length of the Line.

2

Select the Sphere.

3 On the

Motion panel, open the Path Parameters rollout.

4 Click the Add Path button, then click the line.
The Sphere is now affected equally by both paths since the path weighting
defaults to 50
5 Adjust the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value for the weight
value.
Example continued: To animate weight values:

1

Select the Sphere.

2 On the

3 Turn on

Motion panel, open the Path Parameters rollout.

(Auto Key).

4 Select Line01 from the Path list.
5 Drag the time slider to frame 50 and change the Weight of Line01 to 75.

3632 | Chapter 13 Animation

6 Drag the time slider at frame 100 and change the Weight of Line01 to
10.

7

8 Turn off

Select the Circle01 path and change its Weighting to 25.

(Auto Key) and

play the animation.

To correct path constrained object flipping:
When an object is assigned a path constraint and the follow box is turned on,
the object will rotate as it moves along the path. Sometimes the object is
subject to unwanted flipping.

1

Select the object that is flipping.

2 On the Animation menu choose Constraints ➤ Orientation constraint,
then constrain the object to another object's orientation.
3 Use the control object to adjust the flipping. Animate the orientation of
the control object, while watching the flipped object at the problematic
frames.

Path Constraint | 3633

Interface

Once you assign a Path constraint, you can access its properties on the Path
Parameters rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add or delete
targets, assign weighting, and animate each target's weight value.
NOTE When you assign a Path constraint via the Animation menu, 3ds Max assigns
a Position List controller to your object. In the Position List rollout list you will find
Path Constraint. This is the actual path constraint controller. To view the Path
Parameters rollout with the constraint settings, double-click Path Constraint in the
list.

3634 | Chapter 13 Animation

Add Path Adds a new spline path that influences the constrained object.
Delete path Removes a path from the target list. Once removing the path
target, it will no longer influence the constrained object
Weight Assigns and animates weight values for each target.
% Along Path Sets the percent that the object is positioned along the path.
This duplicates the Value spinner in the track Properties dialog for the Percent
track in Track View. If you want to set keys to place an object at a certain
percent along the path, turn on Auto Key, move to the frame where you want
the key set, and adjust the % Along Path spinner to move the object.
NOTE The % Along Path value is based on the parameterization of the spline
path’s U value. A NURBS curve might not have an evenly spaced U value, so a
value of 50 % Along Path might not translate visually to 50 per cent of the NURBS
curve’s length.
Follow Aligns the object to the trajectory as it follows the contour.
Bank Allows the object to bank (roll) as it negotiates the curves of the spline.
Bank Amount Adjusts the amount of the banking to one side or the other,
depending on whether the value is positive or negative.
Smoothness Controls how rapidly the roll angle changes as the object moves
through bends in the trajectory. Smaller values will make the object more
responsive to subtle changes in the curve, while larger values smooth out
jerking. The default value is a good value for general damping along the curve.
Values below 2 tend to make the action jerky, but values around 3 can be very
useful for simulating a certain degree of realistic instability.
Allow Upside Down Turn on to avoid the situation in which an object flips
when going around a vertically oriented path.
Constant Velocity Provides a constant velocity along the path. When off,
the velocity of the object along the path varies depending on the distance
between the vertices on the path.
Loop By default, when the constrained object reaches the end of a path it can
no longer move past the end point. The loop option changes this behavior
so that when the constrained object reaches the end of the path it loops back
to the starting point.
Relative Turn on to maintain the original position of the constrained object.
The object will follow the path with an offset distance based on its original
world space position.

Path Constraint | 3635

Axis Defines which axis of the object is aligned to the trajectory of the path.
Flip Turn on to flip the direction of the axis.
The following controls are located on the Hierarchy panel while the IK button
is active:

Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to animate along
the activated path.
Limited Limits the range of motion allowed on an active path. Use in
conjunction with the From and To spinners.
Ease Causes a joint to resist motion as it approaches its From and To limits.
Simulates an organic joint, or worn mechanical joint, moving or rotating
freely in the middle of its range of motion but moving less freely at the
extremes of its range.
From and To Spinners Determine for path limits. Use in conjunction with
the Limited function.
Damping Applies resistance over a joint's motion along the path. Simulates
the natural effect of joint friction or inertia.

Position Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Position Constraint
A position constraint causes an object to follow the position of an object or
the weighted average position of several objects.

3636 | Chapter 13 Animation

Position constraints align the elements of the robot assembly.

In order to activate, a position constraint requires an object and a target object.
Once assigned the object becomes constrained to the target object’s position.
Animating the target’s position causes the constrained object to follow.
Each target has a weight value defining its influence. A value of 0 is equal to
off. Any value greater than 0 will cause the target to influence the constrained
object. Weight values can be animated to create effects such as a ball being
picked up from a table.

Multiple Targets and Weighting
A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using
multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by
which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets.
Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets. A value
of 0 means the target has no influence. Any value greater than 0 causes the
target to influence the constrained object relative to other targets' Weight
settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the
influence of a target with a Weight value of 40.

Position Constraint | 3637

For example, if a sphere is Position-constrained between two targets and each
target’s weight value is 100, the sphere will maintain an equal distance between
both targets even when they are in motion. If one of the weight values is 0
and the other is 50, then the sphere is influenced only by the target with the
higher value.

Procedures
To assign a Position constraint:

1

Select the object you want to constrain.

2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Position Constraint.
3 Click the target object.
To access the Position constraint’s parameters through the Motion panel:

1

Select the Position-constrained object.

2 On the
Constraint.

Motion panel, on the Position list, double-click Position

The Position constraint parameters are located under the Position
Constraint rollout.
To edit weight values:

1

Select the constrained object.

2 On the
Constraint.

Motion panel, on the Position list, double-click Position

The Position constraint parameters are located under the Position
Constraint rollout.

3638 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 Click a target in the list.
4 Adjust the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value for the weight
value.
To animate weight values:

1

Select the constrained object.

2 On the
Constraint.

Motion panel, on the Position list, double-click Position

The Position constraint parameters are located under the Position
Constraint rollout.
3 Click a target from the list.

4 Turn on

(Auto Key).

5 Adjust the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value for the weight
value.
Example: To assign a Position constraint with two targets and editing weights:
1 In the Top viewport, create a sphere, a box, and a cylinder so that the
box is between the sphere and the cylinder.

2

Select the box, assign a Position constraint, and click the sphere
as the target.

3

Click to select the box, assign a Position constraint, and click
the cylinder as the target.
The box is now position-constrained between the two targets.

Position Constraint | 3639

4 In the Top viewport,

move the sphere around.

As the sphere moves, the box maintains an equal distance between the
sphere and the cylinder. This is because the weight values for both targets
are equal. By default the values are 1.00. If the sphere had a higher weight
value than the cylinder, the sphere would influence the box more than
the cylinder.

5 To edit the weight values,

6 Go to the

select the box.

Motion panel and view the Position Constraint rollout.

7 Click the Cylinder’s name in the list of targets.
8 Using the Weight spinner, change the value from 50 to 20.
As the value decreases, the box moves closer to the sphere.

9 In the Top viewport.

10 In the Top viewport,

select the cylinder and move it around.

select the sphere and move it around.

The sphere has more influence over the box’s movement than the
cylinder.

3640 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Once you assign a Position constraint, you can access its properties on the
Position Constraint rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add
or delete targets, assign weighting, and animate each target's weight value.
NOTE When you assign a Position constraint via the Animation menu, 3ds Max
assigns a Position List controller to your object. In the Position List rollout list you
will find Position Constraint. This is the actual Position Constraint controller. To
view the Position Constraint rollout, double-click Position Constraint in the list.
Add position target Adds new target objects that influence the position
constrained object.
Delete position target Removes targets. Once a target is removed, it will no
longer influence the constrained object.
Weight Assigns and animates weight values for each target.
Keep Initial Offset Use Keep Initial Offset to preserve the original distance
between the constrained object and the target object. This prevents the

Position Constraint | 3641

constrained object from snapping to the target object’s pivot. The default is
Off.

Surface Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Constraints ➤ Surface Constraint
Animation menu ➤ Track View ➤ New/Open Track View ➤ Select a

position track in Track View Hierarchy. ➤ Track View toolbar ➤
(Assign Controller) ➤ Surface
The Surface constraint positions an object along the surface of another object.

Surface constraints position the weather symbols on the globe.

The type of object that can be used as the surface object is limited to those
whose surfaces can be represented parametrically. Use the Surface constraint
with the following types of objects:
■

Sphere

3642 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Cone

■

Cylinder

■

Torus

■

Quad Patches (single quad patches)

■

Loft object

■

NURBS object

The surface used is a "virtual" parametric surface, and not the actual mesh
surface. Objects with a low number of segments might have a mesh surface
quite different than the parametric surface.
The parametric surface ignores Slice and Hemisphere options. So if the object
is sliced, for example, the controlled object will position itself as if the missing
portion were still there.
Since the Surface constraint only works on parametric surfaces, if you apply
a modifier that converts the object to a mesh, the constraint will no longer
work. For example, you can't use it with a cylinder with a bend modifier
applied.

Procedures
Example: To animate a sphere over the surface of a cylinder:
1 In the Top viewport, create a cylinder and a sphere.

2

Select the sphere, open the
Motion panel, expand the
Assign Controller rollout, and then expand the Transform heading in
the list.

3 In the list window, click the Position item and then click
Controller).

(Assign

4 In the Assign Position Controller dialog, choose Surface and then click
OK.
The Surface Controller Parameters rollout replaces the Key Info rollout.
5 Click Pick Surface, and then click the cylinder.

Surface Constraint | 3643

6 Turn on

(Auto Key), and

go to frame 0.

7 Use the V Position spinner to move the sphere to a starting position at
the bottom of the cylinder.
8 Drag the time slider to frame 100.
9 Use the V Position spinner to place the sphere at the top of the cylinder.
10 Set U Position to 300.

Turn off
(Auto Key) and
play the animation. The
sphere moves over the surface of the cylinder in a helical path.

Interface
The Surface Constraint Parameters rollout is on the Motion panel.

Current Surface Object group
This group provides a method for selecting and then displaying the selected
surface object.
Text Displays the name of the selected object.
Pick Surface Selects the object you want used as a surface.

3644 | Chapter 13 Animation

Surface Options group
This group provides controls for adjusting the position and orientation of the
object along the surface.
U Position Adjusts the position of the controlled object along the U
coordinates of the surface object.
V Position Adjusts the position of the controlled object along the V
coordinates of the surface object.
No Alignment When on, the controlled object is not reoriented, regardless
of its position on the surface object.
Align to U Aligns the local Z axis of the controlled object with the surface
normal of the surface object, and the X axis with the U axis of the surface
object.
Align to V Aligns the local Z axis of the controlled object with the surface
normal of the surface object, and the X axis is aligned with the V axis of the
surface object.
Flip Flips the alignment of the local Z axis of the controlled object. This check
box is not available if No Alignment is turned on.

Wire Parameters
Select an object. ➤ Animation menu ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Wire Parameters
Select an object. ➤ Right-click quad menu ➤ Transform (lower-right)
quadrant ➤ Wire Parameters
Wire Parameters lets you link parameters from one object to another in the
viewport, so that adjusting one parameter changes the other automatically.
This enables you to set up one- and two-way connections between specified
object parameters, or to control one or more objects with a dummy object
containing the desired parameters. By wiring parameters, you can set up
custom constraints directly without having to go to Track View and assign
controllers.
Parameter wiring is accessible from the Animation menu and the quad menus
on page 8640. The Wire Parameters command is available only if a single node
is selected. Choosing the Wire Parameters command displays a hierarchical
pop-up menu with levels and items corresponding to the animatable tracks
that would be visible for that object in Track View.

Wire Parameters | 3645

When you make a parameter selection, a dashed line, similar to that displayed
in the Select and Link mode on page 3666, is drawn from the selected object to
the mouse cursor. The cursor changes from an arrow to a cross whenever it is
over a valid destination object. You can right-click at any time to cancel the
parameter wiring.
While the dashed line is displayed, you can click a destination node or on
empty space in the viewport to customize the relationship between two wired
parameters. If you click empty space, the Parameter Wiring dialog on page
3647 opens showing the first parameter in the left Tree View and the full scene
in the right tree. Clicking a destination node (which can be the same as the
originating node) displays a hierarchical pop-up menu for the destination
object so you can choose the destination parameter. After you choose a second
parameter, the Parameter Wiring dialog opens.
You can wire one-way and two-way connections between parameters. For
one-way wires, one parameter is effectively slaved to the other and its value
changes as the controlling parameter changes, according to a user-defined
transfer expression. The controlling parameter can be animated and adjusted
as needed using all the animation tools in 3ds Max. This includes making it
a controlled parameter in another parameter-wiring setup, so that you could
potentially set up a chain of controlled parameters.
For two-way wiring, 3ds Max assigns Wire controllers of the appropriate kinds
to each of the parameters and they are cross-linked so that changing either
parameter cause linked changes in the other.
NOTE You should establish all object hierarchies before wiring parameters in a
scene. If you change the hierarchy of an object that has a wired parameter, it will
take on new parameters, which could introduce undesired results in your wired
parameters.
TIP Use Schematic View on page 8507 to see all the wired parameter relationships
in a scene. You can also use Schematic view to wire parameters.

Procedures
To attach wire parameters:

1

Select the first object you want to use.

2 Choose Animation menu ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Wire Parameters, or
right-click the object and choose Wire Parameters.

3646 | Chapter 13 Animation

A pop-up menu displays the parameters you can link.
NOTE Wire Parameters works only with parameters that can be animated.
The menu options displayed depend upon the selected object and are the
same options you would see for the selected object in Track View.
3 Choose the parameter you want to link to another object from the
displayed menu.
A dashed line appears.
4 Move the cursor to the second object you want to use. When the cursor
changes from an arrow to a selection cross, you are over a valid destination
object. Click to select the destination object.
A pop-up menu displays the parameters to which you can link.
5 Choose the parameter you want to link from the displayed menu.
The Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3647 opens, with the two parameters
you selected highlighted in yellow.
6 If you like, change the parameter highlighting in the dialog, and then
click the direction buttons between the two panels to determine the
control direction: one way either way, or both directions (changes to
either object’s selected parameters affect the other object).
7 Click Connect to complete the wiring.

Parameter Wiring Dialog
Animation menu ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Choose parameters to wire.
Select an object. ➤ Right-click quad menu ➤ Transform (lower-right)
quadrant ➤ Wire Parameters ➤ Choose parameters to wire.

Select an object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Right-click text box portion of
animatable parameter spinner. ➤ Choose Show In Parameter Wire dialog.
Select an object with a wired parameter. ➤ Modify panel ➤ Right-click text
box portion of a two-way-wired on page 3651 parameter ➤ Edit Wire
The Parameter Wiring dialog allows you to define the relationships for Wire
Parameters on page 3645. In this dialog, you can create new one and two-way

Parameter Wiring Dialog | 3647

control relationships between object parameters, edit existing relationships,
and create or edit expressions which define the parameter relationships.
Only parameters that can be animated can be wired. Sub-objects, such as
vertices, must be animated before they can be wired.
Parameter wires can be used to establish connections from Manipulators on
page 2892 and Custom Attributes on page 243 to objects, materials, and modifiers.
NOTE Parameter Wiring is a modeless dialog on page 9224, and you can have several
dialogs open at the same time.

Procedures
Example: To use an expression with wire parameters:
1 Create a box and a sphere in your scene.
2 Right-click the box, and from the quad menu choose Transform quadrant
➤ Wire Parameters.
3 From the pop-up menu, choose Object (Box) ➤ Length.
A rubber-band dashed line now connects the box and the mouse cursor.
4 Click the sphere and choose Transform ➤ Position ➤ Z Position from
the pop-up menu.
The position of the sphere and the length of the box are now wired.
5 In the Parameter Wiring dialog, create a one-way wire by clicking the
arrow pointing toward the box’s tree view.
6 Type abs( before Z_position, followed by a closing parenthesis, ), in the
expression text box for Box01, so that the entire expressions is
abs(Z_Position).
7 Click Connect.
8 Move the sphere upward along the Z axis in the viewport.
Notice that as the sphere moves in the viewport, the length of the box
changes. Using abs() ensures that the box never has a negative length.
To control several slave parameters from one master parameter:
1 Open the Parameter Wiring dialog.
2 Choose the master parameter in the tree view.

3648 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 Choose the first slave parameter in the other tree view.
4 Click the arrow pointing toward the slave parameter.
5 Enter the desired relationship expression in the expression text box.
6 Click Connect.
7 Keeping the master parameter selected, choose another slave parameter
from the tree view.
8 Click the arrow pointing toward the slave parameter.
9 Enter the desired relationship expression in the expression text box.
10 Click Connect.
You can repeat this cycle to set up as many slaves as you want. The result
is a “fan” of parameter wires, so that you can control all of the slave
parameters at once as you change the master parameter.
To create a chain of wired parameters:
1 Open the Parameter Wiring dialog.
2 Choose the first controlling parameter in one tree view.
3 Choose the first slave parameter in the other tree view.
4 Click the arrow pointing toward the slave parameter.
5 Enter the desired relationship expression in the expression text box.
6 Click Connect.
7 Keeping the original slave parameter selected, choose the next slave
parameter from the tree view.
8 Click the arrow pointing toward the new slave parameter.
9 Enter the desired relationship expression in the expression text box.
10 Click Connect.
You can repeat this cycle, continuing to alternate slaves to masters as
many times as you like. The result is a “daisy chain” of parameter wires,
so that as you modify the original master parameter, each slave parameter
maintains a constant relationship with the next in a line of parameters.

Parameter Wiring Dialog | 3649

Interface

Tree Views
The dialog presents two tree views that display the animatable parameters of
all of the visible objects in the scene. The names of the currently selected
objects appear at the top. The tree views display the objects in the scene and
allow you to select and wire all of the animatable parameters of the objects
in the scene and the scene itself.
The tree views are color-coded to show existing wiring. A parameter with a
wire controller assigned to it (either as the member of a two-way pair or as
the slave in a one-way wire) displays in red. When a wire-controlled parameter
is selected, all of the parameters wired directly to it are displayed in green text
in the other Tree View. In either case, if the parameter is inside a track that is
not expanded, the enclosing track will display in red or green, so you can
expand the tracks to find the wires.
NOTE If you open the Parameter Wiring dialog by wiring two parameters, the
tree views initially display only the selected objects, highlighting the parameters
that you chose from the pop-up menus during the wiring procedure. If you want
to expand the trees, to include all other animatable parameters in the scene, click
Show All Tracks.
The buttons above the tree views are:

Show All Tracks Brings you to the top of the scene object list.

3650 | Chapter 13 Animation

Find Next Parameter Finds the next wired parameter in the scene,
expanding the tree if necessary to show and select it. You can browse through
all existing wires by clicking this button repeatedly.
NOTE If you click a wired parameter, its connections are shown in green on the
other tree view. While the wired parameter is highlighted, the Show Next Wire
button on the other tree cycles through the green connections only, so you can
quickly find the selected wire’s connections.
Refresh Tree View Content to Selected Node Shows only the node or
nodes that are selected in the scene in the tree view. The nodes are shown as
currently exanded.
Control Direction The Parameter Wiring dialog provides three
direction-control buttons between the tree views. You can choose only one
of these at a time. These buttons determine the direction of control, either
one-way or two-way:

■

Two-way connection [two-headed arrow]Click this to link both
parameters to each other, so that changing either parameter affects the
other.

■

One-way connection: right parameter controls left parameter [left
arrow]The right parameter controls the left parameter.

■

One-way connection: left parameter controls right parameter [right
arrow]The left parameter controls the right parameter.

NOTE You can change the direction of a wire at any time by clicking the desired
direction button and then clicking Connect or Update.

Connect/Update The Connect/Update button changes its
label depending on whether clicking it would add a new wire to previously
unwired parameters (Connect) or change an existing wire’s expressions or
direction (Update). Changes to existing wires are only applied when you click
Update.

Parameter Wiring Dialog | 3651

Disconnect The Disconnect button is enabled when you’ve
selected parameters with an existing wire between them. It will remove the
wire controller(s) and replace them with the Master parameter’s animation
track (if two-way) or with default controllers (if one-way).

Master parameters
The Parameter Wire system provides a way for the pair of wired parameters
to be animated as a single system. It does this by setting up a subcontroller
on one of the parameters; any animation on this controller drives the Wire
Controller pair. The animation subcontroller is always assigned to the master
parameter of the wired pair. By default, this is the parameter that is clicked
first in the wiring interaction. The master parameter can also be designated
with the Master radio buttons beneath the tree views.
The animation subcontroller appears as a nested track inside the master
parameter’s track in Track View and its values directly drive and match the
master parameter values. If the subcontroller is keyframable (which is the
default when a two-way wiring is first established) it can be keyframed by
adjustments of either of the wired parameters. This means that if you keyframe
the wired pair by adjusting the non-master parameter, the values keyframed
into the animation subcontroller are derived from the master parameter transfer
expression. Since the wired pair can be animated through either parameter,
the choice of master parameter is essentially just a convention.

Transfer Expression boxes
Underneath the parameter trees are the transfer expression text boxes. These
expressions determine how changes to each parameter affect the other and
are usually inverses of one another.
For more information on expression syntax, see the topic “Script Controllers”
in the MAXScript Help.
When the parameters are first wired, the default expressions are simple 1-to-1
links between the parameters. These expressions can be edited into any valid
script fragment that will yield a result of the correct type for its parameter.
For example, if you link a parameter such as height (which contains a float
value) to a parameter such as position (which contains a point3 value), your
expressions must include conversions that produce the same output value
type.
For one-way wires, the Expression box for the controlling parameter is
unavailable, since there is no Wire controller assigned to it.

3652 | Chapter 13 Animation

For two-way wiring, both transfer expression text boxes will be enabled. It is
possible for the user to supply transfer expressions for the two parameters that
are not inverses of one another, but this is of course discouraged, since the
relationship of the parameters will be different depending on which one is
changed first.

Hierarchies and Kinematics
When you animate characters (whether humanoid or otherwise), mechanical
assemblies, or complex motion, you can simplify the process by linking objects
together to form a hierarchy on page 9183 or chain. In a linked chain, the
animation of one member can affect some or all of the others, making it
possible to animate a number of objects or bones at once.
The term kinematics on page 9200 describes the movement or animation of the
chain. There are two types of kinematics:
■

With forward kinematics on page 9169 (FK) , you transform a parent object
to move its descendants (its children, their children, etc.).

■

With inverse kinematics on page 9196 (IK), you transform a child object to
move its ancestors (its parent and so on up the chain). You can also use
IK to make an object “stick” to the ground or another surface, while
allowing the chain to rotate off the pivot of that object.

Forward kinematics is the most straightforward method for animating
hierarchies. Inverse kinematics requires more setup than forward kinematics,
but is more intuitive for complex tasks such as character animation or intricate
mechanical animation.

Hierarchies
One of the most useful tools in producing computer animation is the ability
to link objects together to form a chain. By linking one object to another, you
create a parent-child relationship. Transforms applied to the parent are also
transmitted to child objects. A chain is also referred to as a hierarchy.

Hierarchies and Kinematics | 3653

Left: A disassembled robotic arm is linked into a hierarchy.
Right: The assembled robotic arm uses rotational joints.

You can find the commands to build and manipulate hierarchies in the
following places in the interface:

■

The Select and Link on page 3666 and Unlink Selection on
page 3667 buttons let you make and break links between objects in your
scene.

■

The Bones system on page 793 in the Create panel ➤ Systems category lets
you create a hierarchy of bones. You can also create bones by choosing
Bone Tools on page 806 from the Animation menu on page 8612. You can
turn any hierarchy of objects into bones by selecting the hierarchy and
turning on Bone Tools dialog ➤ Object Properties rollout ➤ Bone On.

■

The Hierarchy panel on page 8801 contains commands to control how links
behave.

■

The Motion panel on page 3749 contains commands to control how links
behave when using an History Dependent (HD) Solver

3654 | Chapter 13 Animation

Common Uses for Hierarchies
■

Link a large collection of objects to a single parent so they can be easily
animated and transformed by moving, rotating, or scaling the parent.

■

Link the target of a camera or light to another object so it tracks the object
through the scene.

■

Link objects to dummy objects to create complex motions by combining
multiple simple motions.

■

Link objects to simulate jointed structures to animate characters or
mechanical assemblies.

Parts of a Hierarchy
The relationship between objects linked together in a hierarchy is analogous
to a family tree.
Parent Object that controls one or more children. A parent object is often
controlled by another superior parent object. In the following figure, objects
1 and 2 are parent objects.
Child Object controlled by its parent. A child object can also be a parent to
other children. In the following figure, objects 2 and 3 (the support and hub)
are children of object 1. Objects 5 (the seats) are children of object 4, the Ferris
wheel.
Ancestors Parent and all of the parent’s parents of a child object. In the
following figure, objects 1 and 2 are ancestors of object 3.

Hierarchies | 3655

The seats of the Ferris wheel are children of the wheel, which is in turn a child of the
base and support objects, as shown in the following hierarchy.

Descendants Children and all of the children’s children of a parent object.
In the figures, all the objects are descendants of object 1.
Hierarchy Collection of all parents and children linked together in a single
structure.
Root Single parent object that is superior to all other objects in the hierarchy.
All other objects are descendants of the root object. In the figures, Object 1 is
the root.
Subtree All the descendants of a selected parent. In the figure below, the
Rotational Hub, Ferris Wheel, and Seats represent the subtree under the Support
object.

3656 | Chapter 13 Animation

1. Root
2. Leaves
3. Subtree
Example of a hierarchical structure

Branch Path through the hierarchy from a parent to a single descendant. In
the figure above, the Support, Rotational Hub, and Ferris Wheel objects
comprise a branch from the root to the leaf objects (the seats).
Leaf Child object that has no children. The lowest object in a branch. In the
figure above, the Seat objects are leaf objects.
Link Connection between a parent and its child. A link transmits position,
rotation, and scale information from parent to child.
Pivot Defines the local center and coordinate system for each object. You can
think of a link as the connection between the pivot of a child object and the
pivot of its parent.

Hierarchies | 3657

Linking Strategy
Before you begin linking any but the simplest hierarchy you should take a
few minutes to plan your linking strategy. Your choices for the root of the
hierarchy and how the branches grow out to the leaf objects will have
important effects on the usability of your model.
The strategy behind linking objects into a hierarchy can be reduced to two
main principles:
■

The hierarchy follows a logical progression from parent to child.

■

Parent objects move less than their descendants.

Within these two principles you have almost unlimited flexibility as to how
you link your objects. If you think about how you intend to use the hierarchy,
and link it with that use in mind, you will rarely have a problem.

Progression from Parent to Child
Progression from parent to child means the links do not erratically jump from
object to object. If two objects touch each other they should probably be
linked as parent and child. There is nothing to prevent you from linking a
body in the order of: Thigh->Foot->Shin->Waist. You would probably regret
such a linking strategy later. The effort to figure out how to transform objects
linked in such a strange way would be quite difficult. A more logical
progression would be Foot->Shin->Thigh->Waist.

Using Multiple Hierarchies
Rather than build a single bone chain from a hip to a toe, you can make one
chain from the hip to the ankle, and then a second independent chain from
the heel to the toe. You would then link the chains together to form a complete
leg assembly.
Because they are linked together, the leg and foot chains could be considered
one chain. However, the way you animate them treats each chain separately,
allowing fine control over the parts.
With this type of arrangement on leg and foot chains, the foot could be made
to stay on the ground while the leg bends. It also allows for independent
control of the foot's rotation, pivoting on the heel or toe, which would then
cause the knee to bend.

3658 | Chapter 13 Animation

Parents Move Less Than Descendants
Because of the way transforms are inherited from parent to child, small
adjustments to a parent object might require you to adjust all of its
descendants. The typical approach to linking is to choose as your root object
the object that moves the least. Objects close to the root should move very
little, and leaf objects should move the most.
This is especially true when you are linking jointed structures like robots or
machinery, or intend to use the hierarchy with inverse kinematics on page
3696.
An exception to this rule occurs when you are using the root object as a handle.
All of the descendants of the root are just along for the ride. Consider a tray
full of objects traveling on a conveyor belt. All the objects should be children
of the tray even though the tray moves much more than any of the other
objects.

Choosing the Root of a Hierarchy
You can find the best candidate for the root of your hierarchy by asking the
following question:
If I move this object, should all of the other objects in the hierarchy move
with it?
■

If the answer is almost always, then you are looking at a likely candidate
for the root object. Examples of this type of object are a torso, a lamp base,
and a tree trunk.

■

If the answer is not often, then you are probably looking at a child object.
Examples of this type of object are hands, lamp shades, and tree leaves. If
you move a character's hand, for example, its torso should not move.

Once you have a few candidates for the root object, you can examine them
in greater detail. Use these criteria to determine a good root object for your
hierarchy:
■

Moving the root object usually has a great effect on all other objects in
the hierarchy.

■

Conversely, the root object is mostly unaffected by movement of other
objects in the hierarchy.

■

The root object is rarely animated, and is moved or rotated primarily to
place the hierarchy at the correct place in the scene.

Hierarchies | 3659

■

The root object is at or near the hierarchy’s virtual center of mass.

The object that best satisfies these criteria is your root object. You then create
your hierarchy with all of the other objects as descendants of that root object.

Linking Objects for Inverse Kinematics
Inverse kinematics (IK) uses the child object as the driving force for the
animation. IK is less forgiving and is highly dependent on the linking strategy
for performing calculations.
You need to consider two additional principles when linking hierarchies for
use with inverse kinematics:
■

Links and pivot placement simulate real-world joint locations.

■

Choose an object near the structure’s center of mass, or center of gravity,
as the root of the hierarchy. The center of mass in the real world is the
point on an object about which reactions to external forces are applied.

3660 | Chapter 13 Animation

1 and 2 each represent the root of the characters.
Both structures are suitable for forward kinematics.
The structure on the right is best for most inverse kinematics.

The figure above shows two approaches to linking a skeletal structure. Either
structure is suitable for working with forward kinematics. The structure on
the right, however, is a better choice for working with inverse kinematics.
■

The root object is located near the body’s center of mass.

■

The link order more closely simulates the connections of a real body.

Hierarchies | 3661

The structure on the left has the arms and torso linked to the neck. The
structure on the right links the arms and neck to the torso, a more realistic
approach.
WARNING Be sure to avoid using non-uniform scaling on objects in a hierarchy
that will be animated using IK. You will see stretching and skewing if you do.
Instead do all non-uniform scaling at the sub-object level, to avoid this problem.
Use Reset XForm if you have objects that exhibit this behavior.

Linking Objects After Animation
When you link an object to another, the link relationship between the child
and its parent is determined by the position, rotation and scale of the parent
and child objects when the link is made.
Imagine linking a stationary sphere to an animated box.
■

At frame 0 the box is beside the sphere.

■

At frame 50 the box is 20 units away.

Original animation, with ball unlinked and stationary while the box moves.

3662 | Chapter 13 Animation

Linking the sphere to the box causes the sphere to move with the box. The
distance between the sphere and the box depends on the frame when the link
is made. Linking the sphere on different frames has the following effects:
■

Link on frame 0, and the sphere stays next to the box as it moves.

■

Link on frame 50, and the sphere stays a distance 20 units away from the
box as it moves.

Left: Ball linked at frame 0 follows the box on the side.
Right: Ball linked at frame 50 follows the box 20 units away.

Unlinking Objects After Animation
When you unlink a child, its frame 0 transforms are taken from the transforms
of its parent at the frame when the link is removed.
Imagine a sphere linked to a box moving around the face of a clock. The box
starts at 12 o'clock and travels all the way around the face over 100 frames.
The figure shows a box moving in a circle with a sphere linked above it.

Hierarchies | 3663

Original animation, with ball linked to follow the animated box.

If you unlink the sphere, it stops following the box. The position of the sphere
depends on its position, rotation or scale at the frame on which the link is
removed. Unlinking the sphere on different frames has the following effects:
■

Unlink on frame 0, and the sphere stays at 12 o'clock.

■

Unlink on frame 25, and the sphere stops at 3 o'clock.

■

Unlink on frame 75, and the sphere stops at 9 o'clock.

3664 | Chapter 13 Animation

Clockwise from top, position of the sphere unlinked at frame 0, 25 and 75, respectively.

Linking and Unlinking Objects
Use Select and Link on page 3666 and Unlink Selection on page
3667 on the toolbar to make and remove links between objects.

Linking Objects

The general process of creating links is to build the hierarchy from child
to parent. You click Select And Link on the toolbar, select one or more objects
as children, and then drag the link cursor from the selection to a single parent
object. The selected objects become children of the parent object.
Once objects are linked, any transformations applied to the parent are also
applied to its children. For example, if you scale the parent to 150%, the size

Hierarchies | 3665

of its children and the distance between the children and the parent are also
scaled by 150%.

Unlinking Objects

Click Unlink Selection to remove the link from selected objects to
their parents. Any children of the selected object are unaffected.
You can quickly unlink an entire hierarchy by double-clicking the root object
to select the object and all of its children. Then click Unlink Selection.

Linking Animated Objects
You should establish links before you begin animating objects. The linkage
of objects with Select and Link cannot be animated; the link remains in force
throughout the entire animation.
If you want your objects to be linked during one part of the animation but
not another, you can a Link constraint on page 3614 to change the linkage at
specific frames.

Displaying Links
A complex mesh hierarchy can be displayed with the links visible, or even
with the links replacing the mesh objects. To display links, first select the
linked objects. On the Display panel ➤ Link Display rollout on page 148, turn
on Display Links to see the links. You can also turn on Link Replaces Object
to see only the links and not the objects.

Select and Link
Main toolbar ➤

(Select And Link)

Use the Select and Link button to define the hierarchical relationship on page
9183 between two objects by linking them as child and parent.
You link from the currently selected object (child) to any other object (parent).
You can link an object to a closed group. When you do, the object becomes
a child of the group parent rather than any member of the group. The entire
group flashes to show that you've linked to the group.

3666 | Chapter 13 Animation

A child inherits the transformations (move, rotate, scale) applied to the parent,
but the child's transformations have no effect on the parent. If you want the
child not to inherit the transforms, use the Link Inheritance (Selected) Utility
on page 3695 or use the controls found in Link Info on page 3824 in the Hierarchy
panel.
You can also create hierarchical linkages using Schematic View on page 8503.
Use the Connect button on the Schematic View toolbar to create hierarchical
linkages between nodes.

Procedures
To link two objects:

1 Click

(Select And Link).

2 Drag a line from an object (the child) to any other object (the parent).
NOTE You do not need to select the child object first.

Unlink Selection

Main toolbar ➤

(Unlink Selection)

Use the Unlink Selection button to remove the hierarchical relationship on
page 9183 between two objects.
Unlink Selection detaches a child object from its parent object.
TIP You can also link and unlink hierarchies in Schematic View on page 8507.

Hierarchies | 3667

Procedures
To unlink a child object from a parent object:

1

Select the child object you want to unlink.

2 Click

(Unlink Selection).

Adjusting Pivots
You can think of an object's pivot point as representing its local center and
local coordinate system.
The pivot point of an object is used for a number of purposes:
■

As the center for rotation and scaling when the Pivot Point transform
center is selected.

■

As the default location of a modifier center.

■

As the transform offset for linked children.

■

As the joint location for IK.

You can adjust pivot points by clicking Pivot on the Hierarchy panel, and
then using the Adjust Pivot rollout on page 3797 tools.
The functions on the Adjust Pivot rollout cannot be animated. Adjusting an
object's pivot on any frame changes it for the entire animation.
See also:
■

Working Pivot Rollout on page 3800

Affecting Pivot Only
When Affect Pivot Only is on, move and rotate transforms are applied only
to the pivot of a selected object.
■

Moving or rotating the pivot does not affect the object or its children.

3668 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Scaling the pivot scales the object from the pivot center, but its children
are unaffected.

Affect Pivot Only transforms the pivot without moving the object.

Affecting Object Only
When Affect Object Only is on, transforms are applied only to selected objects.
Pivots are not affected.
Moving, rotating, or scaling the object does not affect the pivot or its children.

Hierarchies | 3669

Affect Object Only transforms the object without moving the pivot.

Affecting Hierarchy Only
When Affect Hierarchy Only is on, rotate and scale transforms are applied
only to the links between objects and their children.
■

Scaling or rotating an object affects the link offsets of all its descendents
without affecting the geometry of the object or its descendents. The
descendents shift position because of the scaled or rotated links.

Use this technique to adjust the offset relationship between linked objects.
Use this technique to adjust the offset relationship between linked objects
and for adjusting bones to match geometry.

3670 | Chapter 13 Animation

After a hierarchy is created, you can scale the position of the children without changing
the individual objects’ dimensions.

Hierarchies | 3671

Rotating the hierarchy does not affect the individual objects’ orientation.

Aligning Pivots
Buttons on the Alignment group box of the Adjust Pivot rollout change names
based on the state of Affect Object Only and Affect Pivot Only. Alignment is
disabled when Affect Hierarchy Only is active.
Center to Object/Pivot Moves the object, or pivot, so the pivot is at the center
of the object.
Align to Object/Pivot Rotates the object, or pivot, to align the pivot with the
object's original local coordinate system.
Align to World Rotates the object, or pivot, to align with the world coordinate
system.

Resetting the Pivot
Click Reset Pivot to return the pivot point of a selected object to the position
and orientation it held when the object was first created.
Reset Pivot has no effect on the object or its children. The state of the Affect
Pivot Only and Affect Object Only is ignored.

3672 | Chapter 13 Animation

Viewing and Selecting Hierarchies
There are a number of ways to view a hierarchy structure and select objects
in it.

Viewing a Hierarchy
You can use these methods to view the relationships between parents and
children in a linked hierarchy.
■

The Select From Scene dialog on page 184 appears whenever you use a
by-name selection method, such as choosing Edit menu ➤ Select By ➤
Name, by clicking Select By Name on the main toolbar, or by pressing the
H key.
To list objects hierarchically, turn on Display Subtree on the dialog. This
indents children below their parent.

■

The Hierarchy list on page 3853 at the left side of the Track View window
on page 3827 displays all objects using indentation to express hierarchy.
Child objects are displayed indented and below their parent. An added
advantage of Track View is that you can control the view by collapsing
and expanding branches of the hierarchy.

Hierarchies | 3673

Displaying the hierarchy in the Controller
list

A square icon with a plus indicates a collapsed branch under that object,
while a minus indicates an expanded branch. Click a plus icon to expand
a branch, or a minus icon to collapse it.
TIP In complex scenes, use Curve Editor to navigate quickly through the Track
View. Simply select the object in the viewport, then right-click and choose
Curve Editor. The Track View — Curve Editor will appear with the selected
object at the top of the window.
■

You can also use Schematic View on page 8507 to view hierarchies. In
addition to showing you the structure, Schematic View contains tools for
manipulating hierarchies.

3674 | Chapter 13 Animation

Selecting Hierarchy Members: Ancestors and Descendants
Once you have selected one or more objects in a hierarchy, you can select its
direct ancestor or descendant with the Page Up and Page Down keys.
■

Page Up deselects the object and selects the object’s parent.

■

Page Down deselects the object and selects all its immediate children, but
not all descendants down the chain.

TIP These navigation commands are particularly useful when setting joint
parameters for inverse kinematics.
To select an object and all of its descendants, you can:
■

Double-click the object in a viewport.

■

Double-click the object icon in the Track View Hierarchy list on page 3853.

Selecting Hierarchy Members: Siblings
Available in Customize User Interface on page 8837 are the actions Select Sibling
- Next and Select Sibling - Previous, which appear in the Main UI group and
All Commands category. You can assign them as hotkeys, toolbar buttons,
etc. We recommend assigning them to the cursor keys Right Arrow and Left
Arrow, respectively; by default, those keys are not assigned keyboard shortcuts.
Using one of these commands replaces the current selection with one object
only at the same hierarchical level. More precisely, a sibling is defined in this
context as an object of equal generational distance from the selected object's
nearest parent. All objects that fit this definition are siblings, so that in
asymmetrical hierarchies, object A can be a sibling of object B, but the reverse
is not necessarily the case.

Hierarchies | 3675

Take, for example, the asymmetrical hierarchy of dummy helper objects shown
below:

Hierarchy in viewport (numbers added)

Hierarchy in Select From Scene dialog

From the viewport image, it might appear that Dummy objects 06, 08 and 02
are siblings of each other. However, the setup is actually more complicated,
because Dummy objects 02 and 08 are direct children of Dummy03, while
Dummy06 is a direct child of Dummy05, which has the same hierarchical level
as Dummy03:
■

Selecting Dummy06 and activating Select Sibling - Next results in Dummy08
being selected.

■

Selecting Dummy06 and activating Select Sibling - Previous results in
Dummy02 being selected.

■

With Dummy02 selected, activating either Select Sibling command results
in Dummy08 being selected, and the selection continues alternating for
each subsequent invocation of either command. This is because 3ds Max
looks only as far as the next branch above the selected object, resulting in
Dummies 02 and 08 being siblings of Dummy06, but not vice versa.

Defining a sibling in this way has the practical advantage of letting you, for
example, cycle through the selection of all finger links on one side of a

3676 | Chapter 13 Animation

character without the selection jumping to the other hand. But cycling through
siblings with an arm object selected usually results in selecting the opposite
arm object.
When using these commands, hidden on page 9183 and frozen on page 9171
objects can't be selected, but are considered part of the hierarchy when deciding
what is and is not a sibling. Also, if a selection filter on page 164 is active,
siblings that don't meet the filter's criteria cannot be selected. In all such cases,
ineligible siblings are skipped in favour of a further sibling, if any exists.

Customizing the Quad Menu
You can customize the quad menu on page 8640 so it displays commands to
select children, or ancestors, or both. From the Customize menu, choose
Customize User Interface on page 8837. On the Quads on page 8847 tab, drag
Select Ancestor or Select Children from the list of all commands to the quad
menu. Then you can easily select children or parents with a right-click and
then a click.

Animating with Forward Kinematics
The default method of manipulating a hierarchy uses a technique called
forward kinematics on page 9169.
The basic principles employed by this technique are:
■

Hierarchical linking from parent to child

■

Placement of pivot points to define the connecting joint between linked
objects

■

Inheritance of position, rotation, and scale transforms from parent to child

You animate the objects of a hierarchy in much the same way you animate
anything else. Turn on the Auto Key button and transform members of the
hierarchy at different frames. However, you need to be aware of a few special
issues for animating hierarchies.

How Links and Pivots Work
Once two objects are linked together, the child object maintains its position,
rotation, and scale transforms relative to its parent object. These transforms
are measured from the pivot of the parent to the pivot of the child.
For example, consider the two boxes in the following figure. The larger box
is the parent of the smaller. The pivots and link between the boxes are

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3677

indicated to show how the link works. The link extends from the pivot of the
parent and connects to the pivot of the child. You can think of the child’s
pivot as being the joint between the parent and child.

Parent and child objects linked by their pivot points.

3678 | Chapter 13 Animation

Rotating the parent affects the position and orientation of the child object.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3679

Rotating the child does not affect the parent.

Links act as a one-way conduit to transmit the transforms of a parent object
to its child object. If you move, rotate, or scale the parent, the child is moved,
rotated, or scaled by the same amount. Because hierarchical links are one-way,
moving, rotating, or scaling the child has no effect on its parent.
The end result is that transforms applied to a child object are applied in
addition to any transforms inherited from the child’s parent.

Animating a Parent Object
Only transforms are passed from parent to child. Animating a parent object
using move, rotate, or scale animates the parent and the subtree attached to
the parent.
Animating a parent's modifiers or creation parameters has no effect on its
descendants.

3680 | Chapter 13 Animation

Moving the root parent moves the whole hierarchy.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3681

Rotation of a parent object is passed to all the child objects.

Animating a Child Object
With forward kinematics, a child is not constrained by its link to a parent.
You can move, rotate, and scale children independent of their parents.

3682 | Chapter 13 Animation

Moving the last child object does not affect any of the previous objects in the hierarchy.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3683

Rotating a child object in the middle of the hierarchy affects all the descendants but
none of the parents.

If you want to manipulate parent objects by moving the last child in the chain,
use inverse kinematics on page 3696.

Manipulating the Hierarchy
A child object inherits the transforms of its parent, and the parent inherits
the transforms of its ancestors all the way up the hierarchy to the root object.
Because forward kinematics employs this method of inheritance, you must
position and animate your hierarchies using a top-down method.

3684 | Chapter 13 Animation

Manipulating the hierarchy of a leg.

Consider the linked mannequin in the figure. If you want to position the
mannequin’s right foot to rest on top of the soccer ball beside it, you perform
the following steps:

1

Rotate the right thigh so the entire leg is above the soccer ball.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3685

2

Rotate the right shin so the foot is near the top of the soccer
ball.

3

Rotate the right foot so it is parallel with the top.

4 Repeat steps 1 through 3 until the foot is properly placed.
You always start transforming objects at the highest-level parent affected by
the motion and work your way down the hierarchy to the last child.
You have considerable control over the exact placement of every object in
the hierarchy using forward kinematics. However, the process can become
tedious with large and complex hierarchies. In such situations, you might
want to use inverse kinematics on page 3696.

Using Dummy Objects
The primary use of dummy helper objects on page 2871 is to assist in creating
complex motions and building complex hierarchies. Because dummies are
invisible when rendered, they are an excellent choice for offset joints,
connectors between objects, and handles for complex hierarchies. Dummies
and Points on page 2884 can act as null objects that function as controls for
transforming parts of an IK chain.

Using a Dummy to Control Motion
Breaking complex motions into simple components often makes it easier to
go back and edit your animations.
Consider a bouncing ball that moves along a path. You could animate the
ball by positioning it on many frames, but it would be very difficult for you
to go back and adjust the height of the bounce or the path of the ball. You
have to edit the motion of the ball on many frames to make even a simple
change.
Using a dummy object solves this problem by breaking the motion into simple
components. One component is the up and down bounce of the ball. The
other is movement on the path.

3686 | Chapter 13 Animation

Combining the bouncing motion of a ball with the forward motion of a dummy results
in a moving bouncing ball.

Using a Dummy as a Handle
You might want to move and animate a selection of objects individually but
also have the ability to transform them as a single object.
A good example of this is a camera on a tripod. You want to adjust both the
camera and its target individually but also want to move them together as a
single unit.

Procedures
Example: To create a complex bounce motion using a dummy object:
1 Start with a sphere, then create a dummy object below the sphere, and

link the sphere as a child of the dummy.
2 Animate the sphere bouncing up and down above the dummy.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3687

3 Animate the dummy moving.
The sphere bounces on top of the dummy object as the dummy moves
around the scene. You can easily change the height and speed of the
bounce by changing the sphere animation. You can change the path
through the scene by changing the dummy animation.
To create a camera tripod:
Create a dummy object below a target camera and link the camera and
target as children of the dummy object.
The camera and the target follow the dummy object. You can quickly
position the camera by placing the dummy object and compose your view
by adjusting the camera and its target.

■

Animating Links
You assign a Link constraint on page 3614 to an object to animate links from
one parent to another. You use a link constraint instead of using the regular
Select and Link and Unlink Selection buttons on the toolbar. (See Animation
Constraints on page 3607.)
An example of using a link constraint is to pass a ball from one hand to
another. Assume that at frame 0 the ball is in the first hand. The hands are
animated to meet at frame 50 and then spread apart until frame 100.
To animate the links for the ball:

1 On the
Motion panel, assign a Link constraint as the ball's
Transform controller. You can also put a Link constraint on the ball from
the Animation menu by choosing Constraints ➤ Link Constraint.

2

Go to frame 0, then on the Motion panel, click Add Link, and
click the hand holding the ball. The ball will now move along with the
hand, as if it were linked to it.

3 Drag the time slider to frame 50, where you want the second hand to
pick up the ball, click Add Link, then click the second hand. From this
frame on, it's as if the ball were linked to the second hand.

3688 | Chapter 13 Animation

When you play back the animation, the ball travels with the first hand until
frame 50, where you added the second link, then the ball is passed to the
second hand for the rest of the animation.

Robot arms pass a ball from one hand to the other.

Adding and Deleting Links
You add and delete links on the Motion panel. Expand the Link Parameters
rollout and click Add Link or Delete Link.
■

Click Add Link then click the object that you want to link to as a parent.
The frame at which you add the link is the frame at which control is passed.
You can change the link frame with the Start Time parameter.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3689

■

Click the name of a parent object in the list, and then click Delete Link to
remove the link.

Properties of the Link constraint include:
■

The Link constraint respects the link inheritance settings applied to the
child object.

■

The object using a Link constraint is not a true child object. It does not
appear in the subtree of any linked parent objects.

■

Objects with Link constraint do not participate in IK solutions.

Link to World
You can also link an object to the world using the Link to World button. This
will keep the object stationary without the use of a dummy object. Just click
Link to World and the world is automatically entered as a Target.

Key Modes
You can choose between three different key modes, which determine how
keyframes are written on the linked objects as part of the link constraint. These
options provide the following:
No Key Mode No keys are created any of the objects involved. No keys will
be visible in the track bar.
Key Nodes Sets keys for some of the objects. Child applies keys to the child
object only. Parents applies keys to both parents and the child object.
Key Entire Hierarchy This applies keyframes to the chosen nodes and their
entire hierarchies. Child keys the chosen object and the nodes in its hierarchy
up to the world. Parents keys both parents and the child and all three
hierarchies up to the world.

Side Effects of the Link Constraint
The Link constraint works to keep a child object from jumping position at
the time when the link changes from one parent to another parent.
Considering the previous example, the following should hold true:
■

During frames 0 to 50 the ball remains constant relative to the first hand.

■

During frames 50 to 100 the ball remains constant relative to the second
hand.

3690 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

At frame 50, the time when link control changes, the ball does not jump.

If you change the animation of the second hand at frame 75, it affects the
position of the hand relative to the ball at the time of the link (frame 50). This
change in relative position affects the ball over all frames where it is linked
to the second hand. Therefore, as you change the position of the hand at
frame 75, the child's position will also change, possibly in a counter-intuitive
way. However, when playing back the animation the above three rules will
hold true.

Adjusting Object Transforms
You use the features on the Adjust Transform on page 3804 rollout to transform
objects after they have been linked without transforming descendents, and
to reset an object's transform.

Transforming Parent Objects
You might discover, after linking a number of objects, that you need to move,
rotate, or scale a parent object but you do not want to affect the object's
descendents. You can transform a parent object without affecting its
descendents by clicking Don't Affect Children on the Adjust Transform rollout
of the Hierarchy panel.

Resetting an Object's Orientation and Scale
Click the Transform button in the Reset group to rotate an object's pivot to
match its parent's local coordinate system. Descendents of the object are not
affected.

Resetting an Object's Scale Only
Click the Scale button in the Reset group to set the current scale value as the
selected object's base scale value. All following scale transforms are then applied
using the base scale value as an absolute local scale of 100%.
Consider a sphere with a radius of 20 units and a linked child object:

1 Use
Uniform Scale to scale the sphere to 200%. The sphere and
its child become twice as big. Scale Transform Type-In reports an Absolute
Local Scale of 200% and the object's creation parameters report a radius
of 20 units. The true radius of the sphere is 200% of 20 units, or 40 units.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3691

2

Select the sphere and click Reset Scale. The sphere and its child
remain the same size. Here's what has happened:
The 200% scale has been absorbed by the sphere as its original state. The
sphere has a true radius of 40 units, Creation Parameters report a radius
of 20 units, and absolute local scale is 100%.
The sphere's child object accepts a local scale of 200% so it does not
change in size.

Resetting the scale of an object can lead to confusion because the object's true
size, absolute local scale, and creation parameters no longer match up.

Using the Reset Transform Utility
You can also reset the orientation and scale of an object by clicking Reset
XForm on page 849 on the Utilities panel on page 8810. Reset XForm takes the
rotation and scale transforms of an object and places them in an XForm
modifier on the modifier stack.
Consider the same sphere as before with a radius of 20 units and a linked child
object:

1 Use
Uniform Scale to scale the sphere to 200%. The sphere and
its child become twice as big. The Scale Transform Type-In reports an
Absolute Local scale of 200% and Creation Parameters report a radius of
20 units. The true radius of the sphere is 200% of 20 units, or 40 units.

2

Select the sphere and click Reset XForm. The sphere remains
the same size but its child reverts to its original size and position. Here's
what has happened:
The 200% scale has been placed in an XForm modifier on the sphere's
modifier stack. The sphere has a true radius of 40 units, Creation
Parameters report a radius of 20 units, and absolute local scale is 100%.
The sphere's child object now sees only the 100% local scale so it reverts
to its original size and position.

3692 | Chapter 13 Animation

Locking Object Transforms
You can lock an object’s ability to move, rotate, or scale about any of its local
axes by selecting objects and then setting options on the Locks on page 3824
rollout of the Hierarchy panel.
Enabling and disabling Local transform axes is also referred to as setting degrees
of freedom (DoF) for an object. If an axis is enabled, an object is free to
transform about that Local axis.
The Locks rollout contains three groups: one each for Move, Rotate, and Scale.
Each group contains three options, one each for the X, Y, and Z Local axes of
the selected objects.
■

When turned on, the objects cannot be transformed about the selected
Local axes when you directly use one of the transform tools.
Objects can still be transformed by other means such as being a child of a
transformed parent object or being part of an inverse kinematics chain.

■

When turned off, objects can be freely transformed about the unlocked
Local axes.

Animating Attachment
You assign an Attachment constraint on page 3608 to cause an object to hold
a position on the surface of another object.
The Attachment constraint is not a hierarchical link, but it has the effect of
"linking" an object to the surface of another object as follows:
■

Attach a "source" object to the face of a "target" object so that the source
object acts as if it's glued to the target object, no matter how the surface
of the target object is deformed.

■

Animate the Attachment parameters so that the source object moves over
the surface of the target object.

Unlike hierarchical linking, which considers only object transforms, an object
using an Attachment constraint follows the deformations of another object
based on that object's modifiers and space warp bindings.
See Animation Constraints. on page 3607

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3693

Setting Attachment Parameters
You use features on the Attachment Parameters rollout on the Motion panel,
to pick a target object and position the source object.
■

Click Pick Object, then click the target object to perform the attachment.

■

Click Set Position and click or drag on the surface of the target object to
place the source object onto the surface.
If you want to move the source object along the normal of the face (move
it below or above the face) click Affect Object Only on the Hierarchy panel
and move the object, using Local transform coordinates.

■

Turn on Align to Surface if you want to align the world Z axis of the source
object with the surface normal of the target object. Even with Align to
Surface selected, you can always rotate the source object to orient it the
way you want in relation to the target object.
If you were to align trees on an uneven terrain, you would turn off Align
to Surface so that all of the trees grew upright, regardless of the angle of
the terrain surface.

Animating Attachment Position
You can move to any frame and click Set Position to animate the source object
moving across the surface of the target object. It is not necessary to turn on
the Auto Key button, because you are working with an animation constraint.
When you set positions for the source target on multiple frames, its attachment
to the target object is only fixed at each keyframe. Frames between keys are
interpolated and might not match the target surface. If you need the object
to remain on the target surface, try using a Surface Constraint, rather than
attachment.
Test your animation, and either adjust the values of the keys, or add
intermediate keys to better match the target surface. Too many keys can result
in jittery movement of the source object, while too few keys might result in
the source object missing the surface of the target object over some frames.

Changing Link Inheritance
Links can transmit transform information from a parent to a child. By default,
a child inherits all of the transforms of its parent. To set an object's ability to
inherit the move, rotate, and scale transforms of its parent, you use the Inherit
on page 3825 rollout of the Hierarchy panel. Use its settings to limit which
transforms a child inherits.

3694 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Inherit rollout is available only when you have selected a single object.
When multiple objects are selected, the rollout is disabled.

Setting Link Inheritance Options
Set the Inherit options to release the link components between a selected
object and its parent for any world axis of Move, Rotate, or Scale.
The options that appear when you expand the Inherit rollout are determined
by the transform controllers assigned to the selected object.
The Inherit rollout for objects using standard position, rotation, and scale
controllers contains three groups: one each for Move, Rotate, and Scale. Each
group contains three options, one each for the X, Y, and Z world axes.
■

When turned on, transform information from the parent is passed on to
the child for the selected World axes.

■

When turned off, transform information for the selected axes is ignored
by the child.

Imagine you are animating a Ferris wheel that rotates on the world Y axis.
The wheel is the parent and the cars are its children. You want the cars to
ignore the Y axis rotation of the wheel. Otherwise, the passengers would all
fall out. You use Link Info to turn off the Y axis option on the Rotation group
of the Inherit rollout for each car.

Using the Link Inheritance Utility
The Link Inheritance on page 3695 utility works exactly the same as the Inherit
rollout in the Link Info group on the Hierarchy panel, except that you can
set link inheritance for multiple objects in a selection set.
For example, on a Ferris wheel, you could select all of the cars and use the
Link Inheritance utility to turn off Y axis rotation for all the cars at once.

Link Inheritance (Selected) Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Link Inheritance (Selected)
The Link Inheritance (Selected) utility constrains the links between multiple
objects in a selection set for any axis of position, rotation, or scale.

Animating with Forward Kinematics | 3695

This utility works exactly the same as the Inherit rollout on page 3825 in the
Link Info group box in the Hierarchy panel on page 8801, except that it lets you
adjust link inheritance for multiple objects in a selection set, while the
functions in the Hierarchy panel work only on single objects.

Procedures
To prevent the inheritance of X rotation in a hierarchy:
■

Select one or more objects, and then turn off X in the Rotate group of the
Inherit rollout.

Interface

XYZ Turn off any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Scale groups to prevent
inheritance.
When a box is turned on, transform information from the parent is passed
on to the selected objects for the selected axis. When a box is turned off,
transform information on that axis is ignored by the selected objects.

Inverse Kinematics (IK)
Inverse kinematics (IK on page 9196) is a method of animating that reverses the
direction of the chain manipulation. Rather than work from the root of the
tree, it works from the leaves.

3696 | Chapter 13 Animation

Using IK to animate a leg

Let's take the example of an arm. To animate an arm using forward kinematics,
you rotate the upper arm away from the shoulder, then rotate the forearm,
the hand from the wrist and so, on adding rotation keys for each child object.
To animate the arm using inverse kinematics, you move a goal that positions
the wrist. The upper and lower arms are rotated by the IK solution which
moves the pivot point of the wrist, called an end effector on page 9144, toward
the goal.
In the case of a leg, for example, the foot is constrained to the floor by the
goal. If you move the pelvis, the foot stays put since the goal has not moved,
and this causes the knees to bend. The entire animation is contained in
keyframes for the goal and the root, without keys being applied to the
individual chain objects.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3697

With inverse kinematics you can quickly set up and animate complex motions.
The basic procedure involves these tasks:
■

Build a model. It could be a jointed structure or many pieces or a single
continuous surface.

■

Link the jointed model together and defining pivot points, as described
in Hierarchies on page 3653.
For a continuous-surface model, create a Bones on page 793 structure or use
a biped to animate the skin of the character.

■

Apply IK solvers on page 3704 to the jointed hierarchy. You will probably
create several IK chains throughout the hierarchy, rather than just one.
You might also create several independent hierarchies, rather than link
everything together in one large hierarchy. For simple inverse kinematic
animation you can use interactive IK, without applying any IK Solver.

■

Define joint behavior on page 3787 at the pivot points, setting limits or
preferred angles, depending on the type of IK solvers you are using. Here
you can set up sliding joints or rotating joints.
You might also need to move the root of the hierarchy, and you might
want to add control objects such as dummies or points at this point.

■

Animate the goal (in the case of an HI Solver on page 3715 or IK Limb solver
on page 3766) or the end effector (in the case of the HD Solver on page 3744).
This animates all the components of the IK chain.
You can apply constraints on page 3607 to the goals or control objects or to
the root of a chain.

You can externally reference IK chains in your scene. An XRef IK chain behaves
the same as a non-XRef chain, except that you cannot retarget its XRef
controller on page 3602 once it is in your master scene. For more information,
see XRef Objects on page 7971.

Control Objects to Assist IK
You can link a goal or an end effector to points, splines, or dummy objects
that serve as quick controls to translate or rotate the end of the chain. These
control objects can be linked together as well, or they can be controlled with
constraints. You can also use parameter wiring to build relationships between
these control objects.
You can wire control objects to manipulator helpers on page 2892 or to custom
attributes on page 243, creating an easily accessible interface for your animatable
model.

3698 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can add further controls to manipulate the elements in the middle of the
chain.
NOTE In the HI Solver on page 3715, the swivel angle on page 3720 has its own
manipulator, which can be animated or linked to another target object.

Differences Between Forward and Inverse Kinematics
Forward kinematics uses a top-down method, where you begin by positioning
and rotating parent objects and work down the hierarchy positioning and
rotating each child object.
Basic principles of forward kinematics include:
■

Hierarchical linking from parent to child.

■

Pivot points defining joints between objects.

■

Children inheriting the transforms of their parents.

These principles are fairly forgiving. As long as everything is linked together
and the pivots are located at joint locations, you can successfully animate the
structure.
Inverse kinematics (IK) uses a goal-directed method, where you position a goal
object and 3ds Max calculates the position and orientation of the end of the
chain. The final position of the hierarchy, after all of the calculations have
been solved, is called the IK solution. There are a variety of IK solvers that can
be applied to a hierarchy.
Inverse kinematics starts with linking and pivot placement as its foundation
and then adds the following principles:
■

Joints can be limited with specific positional and rotational properties.

■

Position and orientation of parent objects are determined by the position
and orientation of child objects.

Because of these additions, IK requires greater thought about how you link
your objects and place pivots. Where many different solutions for linking
objects may be suitable for forward kinematics, there are usually just a few
good solutions for any given IK approach.
Inverse kinematics is often easier to use than forward kinematics, and you can
quickly create complex motions. If you need to edit those motions later, it
can be simpler to revise the animation if you are using IK. It also is the best
way to simulate weight in an animation.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3699

See also:
■

IK Solvers on page 3704

■

Linking Strategy on page 3658

■

Bones System on page 793

■

Using Objects as Bones on page 805

IK Terminology
Using inverse kinematics requires that you set parameters for a number of IK
components. Brief definitions of these components follow; details are provided
in other topics.
NOTE 3ds Max offers a variety of inverse kinematics systems. There are four kinds
of IK solvers, plus applied IK and interactive IK systems that don't use IK solvers.
Not all of the following parameters are used by all the systems.
IK Solvers An IK solver applies an IK solution to a kinematic chain. The
kinematic chain is composed of a bones system, or a set of linked objects.
Joints An IK joint controls how an object transforms with respect to its parent.
You specify joint behavior with settings in three categories:
■

Object Pivot PointThe location of an object’s pivot point defines where
joint motion is applied.

■

Joint ParametersChanging the IK settings in the Hierarchy command panel
determines the direction, constraints, and order of how the joint operates.

■

Parent Pivot PointThe location of an object’s parent pivot point defines
the origin from which the joint constraints are measured.

The commands you use to place the pivot points for both the object and its
parent are described in Adjusting Pivots on page 3668.
Start and End Joints The start and end joints define the beginning and end
of an IK chain managed by the IK solver. The hierarchy of the chain determines
the direction of the chain. The pivot point of the end joint is displayed as the
end effector, when end effector display is enabled.
Kinematic Chain Inverse kinematics calculates the position and orientation
of objects in a kinematic chain. The kinematic chain is defined as any part of
a hierarchy under IK control. The IK chain starts with a selected node and

3700 | Chapter 13 Animation

consists of a start joint and an end joint. The base of the chain is either the
root of the entire hierarchy, or an object that you specify as a terminator for
the chain. The kinematic chain is defined when you apply an IK solver to a
chain, or when you create a bone chain with an IK solver automatically applied.
Goal The goal is used by the HI Solver to manipulate the end of the chain.
When the goal is animated, the IK solution attempts to match the end effector
(pivot point of the last child in the chain) to the goal position. When using
an HD Solver, the end effector fulfills the same function as the goal.
End Effector For any IK solution, you explicitly move a control object. IK
calculations then move and rotate all other objects in the kinematic chain to
react to the object you move. The object that you move is the goal, in an HI
Solver or IK Limb Solver, or in the case of an HD Solver, an end effector on
page 9144.
Preferred Angle Determines which direction a joint will bend. The preferred
angle establishes a base angle between chain elements when an HI Solver is
applied. The IK Solution seeks this angle in calculations.
Solver Plane and Swivel Angle Manipulator A plane can be defined between
the start and end joints, which aids in controlling the IK solution. Adjust or
animate the solver plane by changing the swivel angle manipulator when in
manipulate mode. This determines an up-vector handle for the chain, which
can also be animated over time. You can also define a target for the swivel
angle manipulator to follow. For more information, see White Paper: Swivel
Angle of the HI IK Solver on page 3720.
Terminators You can explicitly set the base of an HD (History-Dependent)
IK chain by defining one or more objects as terminators. A terminator object
stops the IK calculations so that objects higher up the hierarchy are unaffected
by the IK solution. Terminator objects are also used to define hierarchies that
use multiple HD IK chains.
Terminator objects are not used in HI Solvers or IK Limb Solvers. In these cases
the termination is determined by the end joint of the chain.
Bound Objects Objects in your hierarchy can be bound to the world, or they
can be bound to other objects called follow objects on page 9167.
Binding allows objects in your hierarchy to be influenced by objects that are
not part of the hierarchy.
■

An object bound to the world will attempt to maintain its current position
and orientation.

■

An object bound to a follow object will attempt to match the position and
orientation of the follow object.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3701

■

You can bind to a follow object when you use an HD Solver, or when
Applied IK is used. If you want to bind to a follow object when using an
HI or IK Limb Solver, apply a position constraint between the goal and
any follow object of your choice (usually a point, dummy, spline, or bone).

Enabled IK (HI Solver) When using the HI Solver, you can animate with either
inverse kinematics or forward kinematics (FK). When Enabled is turned on,
inverse kinematics controls the chain, and keyframes are placed only on the
goal. When Enabled is turned off, forward kinematic rotational keys are placed
on all the bones.
IK/FK Snap (HI Solver) When using the HI Solver, if you animate using both
IK and FK, you might create a situation where the goal has moved away from
the end of the chain, causing a jump in the animation. Pressing IK/FK Snap
will result in the goal being moved back to match the position of the end
effector, eliminating the jump in the animation.
IK for FK pose (HI Solver) When this button is turned on, moving the goal
automatically sets rotation keys for the bones. In effect, this lets you use IK
manipulation to create your pose, setting FK keys.

Inverse Kinematics Methods
Inverse kinematics builds on the concepts of hierarchical linking. To
understand how IK works, you must first understand the principles of
hierarchical linking and forward kinematics. See Animating with Forward
Kinematics on page 3677 and Inverse Kinematics (IK) on page 3696.

IK Solvers
IK solvers on page 3704 are specialized controllers that apply IK solutions
procedurally across a range of frames.
Four different IK solvers ship with 3ds Max:
■

HD (History-Dependent) Solver

■

HI (History-Independent) Solver

■

IK Limb Solver

■

Spline IK Solver

3702 | Chapter 13 Animation

TIP In order to put an IK solver on a two-bone chain, a third bone is needed.
Choose the first bone, then from the Create menu click IK solver, then click the
third bone in the viewport.
In general, all IK solvers:
■

Work on any hierarchy.

■

Work on any hierarchy or bone structure.

■

Calculate IK solutions for all frames in real-time as you make changes.

■

Allow you to create multiple IK chains within a single hierarchy.

■

Allow you to create multiple or overlapping IK chains within a single
hierarchy.

■

Display active joint axes and joint limits graphically.

■

Use a node, goal or an end effector to animate the end of a chain.

■

Use an end effector to animate the end of a chain.

An IK solver places keyframes only on the IK goal or end effector, as opposed
to forward kinematics (or the non-solver IK methods), which place rotation
keyframes on the bones or hierarchical objects themselves.

Other IK Methods
In addition to the IK solvers, 3ds Max provides two non–solver methods of
inverse kinematic animation: Interactive IK and Applied IK. These IK methods
do not apply an IK solver.
NOTE These are older IK methods carried over from the earliest versions of 3ds
Max. It is generally recommended that IK Solvers be used in most cases rather
than Interactive or Applied IK.
■

Interactive IK on page 3781
Interactive IK gives you the ability to use IK manipulation on hierarchies
without applying an IK solver. You animate your IK structure by activating
Interactive IK (found in the IK panel of the Hierarchy panel and on the
Hierarchy toolbar) and manually animating the position of end effectors.
IK solutions are calculated only for the keyframes you set. All other motion
is interpolated as set by the object's controllers. Moving the end of the
chain simply adds rotational keys to the objects in the chain. The objects

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3703

can have joint limits assigned, for additional control. The chain can also
be terminated using the tools in the Auto Termination rollout on page 3823.
■

Applied IK on page 3784
With Applied IK, you animate follow objects and 3ds Max calculates the
solution on every frame of a specified range. The IK solution is applied as
standard transform animation keys. Applied IK works with any linked
hierarchy of objects except for bones that use the HI Solver or the IK Limb
Solver. It can combine forward kinematics with inverse kinematics on the
same objects. You can apply it automatically to a range of frames, or
interactively to single frames.
Applied IK is fast and accurate, but it creates keys for every object in the
kinematic chain, on every frame. The large number of keys can make it
difficult to adjust the animation later. Use Applied IK repeatedly to adjust
the animation.

IK Solvers
Select an object in a hierarchy where you want IK to start. ➤ Animation
menu ➤ IK Solver ➤ Apply an IK solver. ➤ Click the object in the hierarchy
where you want the IK chain to end.
An IK solver creates an inverse kinematic solution to rotate and position links
in a chain. It applies an IK Controller to govern the transforms of the children
in a linkage. You can apply an IK solver to any hierarchy of objects. You apply
an IK solver to a hierarchy or part of a hierarchy using commands on the
Animation menu. Select an object in the hierarchy, choose an IK solver, and
then click another object in the hierarchy to define the end of the IK chain.

3704 | Chapter 13 Animation

Bones system with HI IK solver applied

Each type of IK solver has its own behavior and workflow, as well as its own
specialized controls and tools that display in the Hierarchy and Motion panels.
IK solvers are plug-ins, so programmers can expand IK capabilities of 3ds Max
by customizing or writing their own IK solvers.
3ds Max ships with four different IK solvers.

How Does an IK Solver Work?
An IK solver generally operates in this way: an inverse kinematic chain is
defined on part of the hierarchy, say from the hip to the heel, or the shoulder
to the wrist of a character. At the end of the IK chain is a gizmo, called the
goal. The goal can be repositioned or animated over time in a variety of ways,
often using linkage, parameter wiring or constraints on page 3607. No matter
how the goal is moved, the IK solver attempts to move the pivot of the last
joint in the chain (also called the end effector) to meet the goal. The IK solver

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3705

rotates the parts of the chain to stretch out and reposition the end effector to
coincide with the goal.

Using an IK solver to animate an arm

Frequently, the end effector is constrained to the ground plane. For example,
you might "pin" the toes as the heels lift in a character walk cycle. Then the
movement of the root of the chain poses the legs up from the toes.
Four plug-in IK solvers ship with 3ds Max:
■

HI (History-Independent) Solver on page 3715
The HI Solver is the preferred method for character animation, and for any
IK animation in long sequences. With HI Solvers, you can set up multiple
chains in a hierarchy. For example, a character's leg might have one chain
from hip to ankle, and another from heel to toe.
Because this solver's algorithm is history-independent, it is fast to use
regardless of how many frames of animation are involved. Its speed is the
same on frame 2000 as it is on frame 10. It is stable and jitter-free in
viewports. This solver creates a goal and an end effector (although the
display of end effector is off by default). It uses a swivel angle on page 3720
to adjust the solver plane to position the elbow or the knee. You can display
the swivel angle manipulator as a handle in the viewport, and adjust it.

3706 | Chapter 13 Animation

HI IK also uses a preferred angle to define a direction for rotation, so the
elbow or knees bend correctly.
■

HD (History-Dependent) Solver on page 3744
The HD Solver is a solver well-suited to use for animating machines,
especially ones with sliding parts that require IK animation. It lets you set
up joint limits and precedence. It has performance problems on long
sequences, so ideally use it on short animation sequences. It is good for
animating machines, especially ones with sliding parts.
Because this solver's algorithm is history dependent, it works best for short
animation sequences. The later in the sequence it is solving, the longer it
takes to calculate a solution. It allows you to bind the end effector to a
follow object, and it uses a system of precedence and damping to define
the joint parameters. It allows for sliding joint limits combined with IK
animation, unlike the HI IK solver, which only allows for sliding joint
limits when using FK movement.

■

IK Limb Solver on page 3766
The IK Limb solver operates on only two bones in a chain. It is an analytical
solver that is fast in viewports, and can animate the arms and legs of a
character.
The IK Limb solver can be used for export to game engines.
Because this solver's algorithm is history-independent, it is fast to use
regardless of how many frames of animation are involved. Its speed is the
same on frame 2000 as it is on frame 10. It is stable and jitter-free in
viewports. This solver creates a goal and an end effector (although the
display of end effector is off by default). It uses a swivel angle on page 3720
to adjust the solver plane to position the elbow or the knee. You can target
the swivel angle to an another object to animate it. IK Limb Solver also
uses a preferred angle to define a direction for rotation, so the elbow or
knees bend correctly. It also allows you to switch between IK and FK by
keyframing IK Enabling, and it has a special IK for FK pose function so you
can use IK to set FK keys.

■

Spline IK Solver on page 3767
The Spline IK solver uses a spline to determine the curvature of a series of
bones or other linked objects.
Vertices on a Spline IK spline are called nodes. Like vertices, the nodes can
be moved and animated to change the curvature of the spline.
The number of spline nodes can be fewer than the number of bones. This
provides the ease of posing or animating a long multiple-bone structure
with just a few nodes, as opposed to animating each bone individually.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3707

Spline IK provides a more flexible animation system than other IK solvers.
Nodes can be moved anywhere in 3D space, so the linked structure can be
intricately shaped.
A helper object is automatically placed at each node when Spline IK is
assigned. Each node is linked to its corresponding helper, so a node can
be moved by moving the helper. Unlike the HI Solver, the Spline IK system
does not use a goal. The positions of nodes in 3D space is the only factor
that determines the shape of the linked structure. Rotating or scaling nodes
has no effect on the spline or structure.
NOTE 3ds Max also provides two other methods of inverse kinematic manipulation
of hierarchies, which don't depend on a solver: Interactive IK on page 3781 and
Applied IK on page 3784.

IK with Bones
While you can apply an IK solver to any hierarchy of objects, a system of
Bones on page 793 combined with an IK solver is a good way to animate a
character.
A bones system is a jointed, hierarchical linkage of bone objects. Bones are
used as an armature on to which objects are linked. If you use the skin modifier
on page 1614, you can "skin" an object to the bones, so the animation of the
bones deforms the mesh that models a character. If you have a jointed
character, you can use linkage or constraints so the bones animate the mesh.

Animating bones with skin causes the skin to stretch
or shrink.

3708 | Chapter 13 Animation

Animating bones with skin causes the skin to stretch
or shrink.

Turning Other Objects into Bones
Any object can be turned into a bone object. Select the object, choose
Animation ➤ Bone Tools on page 806. On the Object Properties rollout, turn
on Bone On. You can then choose Show Links Only to replace the display of
the objects with the bones. This can be useful if you have a geometrically
intensive hierarchy to animate. The interactive viewport response will be
much quicker when the geometry is hidden and displayed only at links.
You can display any object as a bone object. Select the object, then choose
Animation ➤ Bone Tools. This opens the Bone Tools floater. On the Object
Properties rollout, turn on Bone On. Then go to the Display panel, and on
the Link Display rollout turn on Display Links and Link Replaces Object, which
displays the bones instead of the object. This can be useful if you have a
geometrically intensive hierarchy to animate. The interactive viewport response
is faster when the geometry is hidden and displayed as links only.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3709

Any object hierarchy can be displayed as bones.

Any object hierarchy can be displayed as bones.

3710 | Chapter 13 Animation

Any object hierarchy can be displayed as bones.

Bones can scale, squash and stretch over time. See Using Objects as Bones on
page 805.

Link Display
You can use Display Links and Link Replaces Object to display the links instead
of the object. These settings are found on the Link Display rollout on the
Display panel. This can be useful if you have a geometrically intensive
hierarchy to animate. The interactive viewport response is faster when the
geometry is hidden and displayed only at links.

Advantages of Animating Bones with IK
It is possible to animate a character's motion through forward kinematics,
rotating each limb into position from the shoulder to the fingers, and the hips
to the toes. But it's a lot quicker and more realistic to use inverse kinematics
to simulate the foot interacting with the ground. And it is a lot easier to control
when you need to make changes to the animation. Rather than having
keyframes on every bone in the chain, you have to make changes to only one
node, to change the animation of the entire chain.
On the other hand, it is common for animators to use IK for the legs and FK
for the torso and the arms. FK offers a bit more control for posing the upper
body. It is not necessary to use IK for every character animation task. Using
the HI IK solver allows you to jump back and forth easily between FK and IK.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3711

How to Apply an IK Solver
You can apply an IK solver when you create a Bones system, or from the
Animation menu:
■

Bones creation on page 793
When you create bones, turning on the Assign to Children option lets you
apply an IK solver immediately. Default=Off.

■

You can apply the IK solver to a part of the skeleton using Animation menu
➤ IK Solver. You must select the node where you want the IK chain to
start, then choose Animation menu ➤ IK Solvers and select the solver.
Then click the node where you want the chain to end. The chain will be
created between the pivot points of the two nodes. If you are using an IK
Limb Solver, the IK goal will be placed two bones down from the highest
node you've selected in the chain.

Where to Adjust the IK Solver
You adjust IK solver settings in the Motion and Hierarchy panels:
■

Motion panel on page 8802
When the goal of an IK chain is selected, the motion panel displays the
rollouts for the individual IK solver.
HI Solver
Motion panel parameters adjust the swivel angle on page 3720 of the solver
plane, to point the knees and elbows. Also, the controls in the IK Solver
rollout let you mix periods of IK with FK (forward kinematics) through the
Enabled button and the IK button.
HD Solver
Motion panel parameters assign, remove, and edit the end effector for the
currently selected joint. You can parent the end effector to another object,
and return the skeleton to an initial pose. Changing IK controller
parameters in the Motion panel affects the entire HD IK chain, even when
you've selected only a single bone.
IK Limb Solver
Motion panel parameters for the IK Limb solver are the same as for the HI
Solver.
Spline IK Solver
Motion panel parameters allow you to activate/deactivate the solver, adjust
the bones assigned to the start and end joints, adjust start and end twist
angles and make twist handle display settings.

3712 | Chapter 13 Animation

Hierarchy panel on page 8801
HI Solver
When a bone is selected, the IK panel displays controls to activate and
limit the rotational joints, and set a preferred angle for the joints. The
preferred-angle poses of all the joints help control the direction of rotation
of the limbs. When a goal is selected, the IK panel is blank.

■

HD Solver
Select the end effector of an HD IK chain. In the Hierarchy panel, click IK.
The controls that appear affect the HD Solver. You will also find the tools
to bind to follow objects, and set precedence and joint limits, damping
and spring back.
IK Limb Solver
When a bone is selected, the IK panel displays controls to activate and
limit the rotational joints, and set a preferred angle for the joints. The
preferred-angle poses of all the joints help control the direction of rotation
of the limbs. When a goal is selected, the IK panel is blank. If you select a
bone before applying an IK Solver, a different set of sliding and rotational
joint parameters will be displayed, but these will be replaced once an IK
Solver is applied.
Spline IK Solver
Select the spline of an Spline IK chain. In the Hierarchy panel, click IK.
The controls that appear affect the Spline IK Solver. You will also find the
tools to bind to follow objects, and set precedence and joint limits, damping
and spring back. The controls in the IK panel are similar to the HD Solver.

Procedures
To add an IK solver to a hierarchy or bones system:
1 Create a bones system or any other linked hierarchy of objects.

2

Select a bone or an object where you'd like the IK chain to start.

3 Choose Animation menu ➤ IK Solver, and then choose the IK solver:
■

HI Solver for character animation

■

HD Solver for mechanical assemblages with sliding joints

■

IK Limb Solver for two-bone chains

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3713

■

Spline IK Solver for improved control of intricate, multiple-bone
structures

4 Click where you want the IK chain to end.
If you are using the IK Limb Solver, you must apply the IK Solver to
control only two bones.
The IK solver appears in the viewport.
To create a bones hierarchy that uses an IK solver:

1 Go to the

Create panel, click

(Systems), and click Bones.

2 On the IK Chain Assignment rollout, choose an IK solver from the list.
3 Turn on Assign To Children.
4 Click and drag in a viewport to create the bones. Right-click to stop bone
creation.
The bones are created with the IK solver already applied.
NOTE If you use the Spline IK Solver, a Spline IK Solver dialog will open where
you can make special settings for the spline and helpers used by the Spline
IK solver.

To display a hierarchy of objects as bones:

1

Select the hierarchy of objects in the viewport.

2 From the Animation menu, choose Bone Tools.
This Opens the Bone Tools dialog.
3 Expand the Object Properties rollout.
4 In the Bone Properties group, turn on Bone On.
5 On the Display panel, scroll down to Link Display and expand it.
6 On the Link Display rollout, turn on Display Links, and Link Replaces
Object.
The objects disappear and the links are displayed as bones.

3714 | Chapter 13 Animation

History-Independent (HI) IK Solver
The HI (History-Independent) Solver does not rely on IK solutions calculated
in previous keyframes in the timeline, so it is just as fast to use at frame 2000
as it is at frame 20.
The HI Solver uses a goal to animate a chain. You animate the goal and the
IK solver attempts to move the end effector (the pivot point of the last joint
of the chain) to match the position of the goal. Often the goal is parented to
other control objects such as points or dummies, splines or bones, and these
control objects in turn are wired to viewport or rollout sliders.
The IK solution takes place in a plane, known as the solver plane. The angle of
the solver plane in world space is controlled by a parameter called the swivel
angle on page 3720. The swivel angle is animatable. You can adjust it directly,
or with a manipulator.
The HI Solver allows for the creation of multiple or overlapping chains. This
allows you to create multiple goals for additional controls. By linking the goals
to points, splines, bones or dummies, you can create simple controls to animate
complex chains or hierarchies. You can also use constraints on these goals or
control objects, as another animation tool.

Applying an HI Solver
To apply an HI Solver to any part of a hierarchy select the bone or object
where you want to the solver to start. Then choose Animation menu ➤ IK
Solvers ➤ HI Solver. In the active viewport move your cursor to the bone
where you want the chain to end. When you click to select that bone, the
goal is drawn at the pivot point of that bone. If you want a goal at the far end
of the bone, refine the bone where you want to goal to be placed. An extra
bone will be added, and then choosing that bone allows you place the goal
at the end.
When you create bones, a small "nub" bone is automatically created at the
end of the chain to assist in this process.

Setting Up Multiple Chains
To rig a skeleton for a human leg you could use three chains in one leg, as
follows:
■

The first chain is created from the hip to the ankle. This chain controls
the overall leg motion including bending of the knee.

■

The second chain is created from the ankle to the ball of the foot. This
chain controls the heel's up and down motion.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3715

■

The third chain is created from the ball of the foot to the toe.

When the three chains work together they help to maintain the foot’s position
in space. This means it will keep the foot planted on the ground as the
character’s body moves. All three IK chains in this hip-to-toe setup place goals
at key positions in the foot that mimic natural foot behavior. In real life, the
toe, ball of the foot, and heel can be planted on the ground or raised.
Each chain has an goal that drives motion on the heel, ball of foot, and toe.
Use the IK goals to raise the heel, bend the toe, move and rotate the entire
foot, and maintain the foot's position in space.

Overlapping Chains
The IK solver system allows you to create overlapping IK chains in a single
hierarchy. In a human leg, for example, you could create a chain running
from the hip to the ankle, then a second chain from the knee to the ball of
the foot, and a third from the ankle to the toes. Use overlapping chains, when
you want to apply goals to sequential bones, but you don't want to refine the
bones.
Another good use for overlapping HI IK chains is to keep the goals at the
bottom of the hierarchy firmly rooted in place. In the case of the leg example,
the ankle, ball and toe of the foot would not move until the upper portion of
the hierarchy had reached its full stretch.

3716 | Chapter 13 Animation

Overlapping chains make the toe stick to the ground

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3717

Overlapping chains make the toe stick to the ground

Don't try to overlap chains with different kinds of IK solvers or you might get
unpredictable results.

Creating Control Objects
To create control objects to animate the goals, create dummies, points, splines
or other objects near the goal, then link the goal to the control object. For
example in a human leg, you might have a goal at the ankle, ball of the foot,
and the toe. You then create three splines under the foot, one for the heel,
one for the ball and one for the toe. Link each goal to each spline, then you
can animate the goals using these splines. You could also link the splines
together, so that the rotation of the toe is controlled by the movement of the
heel.
Besides hierarchical linkage, you can now use the new Constraint system in
conjunction with IK solvers. You could apply any of the constraints to create
a relationship between the goals or bones and other objects. The goal could
be position constrained to a dummy which is moved. Or you could create

3718 | Chapter 13 Animation

three bone chains that are all in the same place, and constrain one bone chain
to another, then weight the constraints.

Bone chains constrained together

Using control objects gives you something bigger to select in the viewport.
You can also use control objects to separate chains, for example in a human
arm one chain could end at the wrist and another separate chain be created
for the hand and fingers. The control object at the wrist serves as the root
node for the hand chain, yet that chain would remain disconnected
(hierarchically speaking) from the arm chain.
You can create viewport sliders using the manipulator helper, and then use
the viewport sliders to control the transforms of the control objects. Use wire
parameters on page 3645 to hook up the sliders with the control objects. You
can also create Custom Attributes to add these sliders to the object rollouts.

Mixing Forward Kinematics with Inverse Kinematics
The HI IK solver provides a tool for mixing FK and IK in a single animation
track. There is an FK subcontroller beneath the IK controller assigned by this
solver.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3719

When the Enabled button is on, the FK subcontroller values are preserved but
ignored. When Enabled is turned off, the FK subcontroller values apply. To
access the Enabled button, select the goal and go to the Motion panel, then
turn off the Enabled button. This will allow you to animate using FK rotations
of the bones or hierarchy objects.
IK for FK pose allows one to turn on IK in middle of FK manipulation. When
the Enabled button is turned off, and IK for FK Pose is on, then selecting and
moving the goal lets you use IK to create the forward kinematic keyframes.
Moving the goal poses the skeleton and add rotation keys to all the objects
in the chain when the Auto Key button is on.
When working with IK and FK together it is possible to create a situation where
the goal has moved away from the end of the chain. Use the IK/FK snap button
to reposition the goal, snapping it back to the end of the chain. When
AutoSnap is on, the snap happens automatically; when you touch the goal,
you don't have to click the IK/FK snap button.

Controlling HI IK Precision
When you are animating with HI Solvers, if you find the animation of the
limbs is not smooth, you should try doubling the Iterations in the Solutions
group of the HI Solver Properties rollout on page 3735. You can also try reduce
the Thresholds value to smooth the animation.
See also:
■

IK Solver Rollout (HI Solver) on page 3730

White Paper: Swivel Angle of the HI IK Solver
The fundamental requirement of HI Solver is that the solution be
history-independent: the solution has to be based on the goal and other
incidental parameters solely at their current states.

Swivel Angle Degree of Freedom
When the positional goal is given for a single chain, there remains an obvious
degree of freedom: the rotation about the End Effector Axis (EE Axis). The
swivel angle is used to describe this degree of freedom quantitatively.

3720 | Chapter 13 Animation

1. Start joint
2. End effector
3. EE axis

Solver Plane
Let’s call the plane passing all the joints the Solver Plane. When joints do not
lie on a plane, we will define it to be the plane that (A) passes the Start Joint
and End Joint and (B) is closest to the remaining joint in a certain sense.
The Swivel Angle describes the degree of freedom of the Solver Plane and it
constrains only the Start Joint.

Zero Plane Map
In order to describe the solver plane in terms of a numerical quantity, we have
to agree to what 0 means. Given the end-effector position, where is the Zero
(Solver) Plane? The Zero Plane Map takes as the argument EE Axis and produces
the normal to the zero plane.
The IK system allows individual solver plug-ins to define their own Zero Plane
Maps. When not defined, the IK system provides a default one.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3721

The argument to the Zero Plane Map is a unit vector to give the direction of
the EE axis. Equivalently, when the EE slides along the EE axis, the solver
plane should be fixed. Therefore, the Zero Plane Map defines a vector field on
a sphere. Given a point on the sphere, it produces a tangential unit vector to
be interpreted as the normal to the zero plane.

1. Normal to the zero plane

Solver Plane Flipping
It is a mathematical fact that there does not exist a continuous vector field
on a sphere. No matter how hard you try, there will always be a point on the
sphere where neighboring vectors change dramatically. This is where the
solver plane will flip when the end effector axis approaches to it.
This is because, on one hand, the history independent requirement demands
us to assign a fixed vector to the singular point. On the other hand, no matter
what vector is assigned, it will be dramatically different from some vectors
assigned to the neighboring points.

3722 | Chapter 13 Animation

Intrinsic Reference Frame for the Sphere
In order to define the Zero Plane Map, we need to define a reference frame
for the sphere. This reference frame is intrinsic to the joint chain itself.
A sphere can be defined by the center, the horizontal plane, and the meridian
(zero longitude). The center is assigned to the start joint.
The pose when all the joint angles assume preferred angles is particularly
important. Let’s call it the preferred pose.
We use the solver plane at the preferred pose as the horizontal plane. Since
the swivel angle is used to control the start joint, the preferred angles at the
start joint are not so intrinsic. It is also reasonable to define the horizontal
plane with the solver plane that is derived by assigning zeroes to the start
joint and preferred angles to the other joints.
The EE axis defines the meridian. The sphere is now defined as shown in the
following figure:

1. EE axis

All the joints assume preferred angles. The Zero Plane Map is to be defined
on this sphere.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3723

The API for the plug-in solver to define its own Zero Plane Map in fact takes
the EE axis and the normal to the solver plane at the preferred pose:
virtual const IKSys::ZeroPlaneMap*
GetZeroPlaneMap(const Point3& a0,
const Point3& n0) const

where a0 and n0 are the EE axis and solver plane at the preferred pose,
respectively. Object of ZeroPlaneMap is a function that assigns a plane normal
to each point on the sphere.

Default Zero Plane Map
When not provided by plug-in solvers, (the IK Solver itself is implemented as
a plug-in solver) the IK system will provide a default one. This map is defined
by the following rules:
■

A: For each point on the equator, the intersection of the horizontal plane
and the sphere, the normal vector is defined as the vertical vector, pointing
to the same direction as the normal of the solver plane at the preferred
pose.

■

B: For any point on the sphere other than the north or south poles, there
is a great circle that passes the point and the north, south poles. This circle
hits the equator at two points. One point is closer to the given point. The
normal vector at the given point is defined as derived from moving
tangentially the normal at the closer point on the equator along the great
circle to the point.

3724 | Chapter 13 Animation

Deriving the default normal to the zero plane

Obviously, this method won’t extend to the north or south poles. They are
the singular points. When the EE axis moves across the poles, the normal will
suddenly change direction: it flips from the users’ viewpoint.
Normally, the preferred pose is the one when the solver is first assigned. So,
the plane on which one lays the joints corresponds to the horizontal plane
here. Rule A makes sure that the chain will stay on the plane if one moves the
goal on the plane.
Rule B means that, when you move the goal along the great circle vertical to
the equator, the chain will stay vertical, except when it passes through the
poles, which are the singular points of this map.

Parent Space
So far, we have described things as if the whole world comprises only IK
elements. In practice, the IK chain and goal might sit at points of separate
transformation hierarchies. Ultimately, we need to map the position of the
end effector that is described in the world to a point on the sphere. Depending
how the sphere is mounted relative to the end effector position, the readings

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3725

of latitude and longitude are different. The parent transformation space that
this sphere is to be placed in is called the Swivel Angle Parent Space, or Parent
Space when the context is clear.
The parent space has to be invariant with regard to the IK parameters. Right
now, we provide two choices:
■

Start JointThe Swivel Angle Parent Space is the same as the parent space
of the Start Joint.

■

IK GoalThe Swivel Angle Parent Space is the parent space of the IK Goal.

Example 1
If both the start joint and the goal are rooted directly at the world, the choice
of Parent Space does not give rise to any difference. In the following example,
the start joint is parented to object A.

The IK chain is parented (via the start joint) at
object A.

3726 | Chapter 13 Animation

Assume this is the pose when the IK solver is assigned. So, this is the preferred
pose. The plane on that the joints are laid out is the horizontal plane of the
(Zero Plane Map) sphere.
■

A: Parent Space is Start Joint. In this case, the sphere is parented to A. If A
is rotated about the drawn axis, the sphere is rotated together with it. The
goal is in a separate transformation hierarchy. It stays in place, and the
end effector sticks to it because of the IK solution. Since the (plane) normal
is fixed to the sphere, it rotates with A, too. Therefore, the whole chain
appears to be rotated together with the parent object.

■

B: Parent Space is IK Goal. Suppose that the goal is parented to the world.
In this case, the sphere is parented to the world and, hence, stays fixed.
Since the normal is fixed to the sphere, the chain will appear stationary
when A is rotated.

Example 2
In the following example, we look at a case where there exists a rotation in
the parent space when the IK solver is assigned.

The parent space of the IK chain contains a rotation when the IK solver is assigned.

Parent A contains a rotation of 90 degrees. This is an abstraction of the case
when a user creates four bones without an IK solver and later assigns an IK

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3727

solver from Bone2 to Bone4. If we parent the chain directly to world, it would
appear as shown in the right figure: the solver plane becomes horizontal.
■

A: Parent Space is Start Joint. The sphere is mounted after the rotation of
A and therefore the “horizontal plane” coincides with the chain plane as
shown in the viewport. The singular points are perpendicular to the Start
Joint with regard to the plane. When the goal/end effector is moved on
the plane, it will never hit the singular points and flip.

■

B: Parent Space is IK Goal. Again, we assume that the parent space of the
goal is the world. The “horizontal plane” of the sphere becomes horizontal,
as shown in the right figure. The singular points, the poles, are on the
plane that joints are laid out. Therefore, when users move the goal/end
effector left to right, or the other around, the end effector will move across
the singular point and flip.

A problem of B is that the figure on the right is never shown to the user. They
have to envision it in order to understand the flipping.

Example 3
This example describes what happened when Start Joint is reassigned. Suppose
we have an IK chain of four bone nodes.

1. Bone01

3728 | Chapter 13 Animation

2. Bone02
3. Bone03
4. Bone04

The Start and End Joints are Bone01 and Bone04, respectively. Suppose the
pose shown in the figure is the preferred pose and Bone01 contains a rotation.
If we parent Bone02 directly to the world, the hierarchy from Bone02 will
appear as in the right figure.
When we reassign Start Joint to Bone02, the Zero Plane Map sphere will be
based on the configuration on the right.
■

A: Parent Space is Start Joint. In this case, the sphere that is fixed to the
right configuration is to be parented to Bone01 together. This will be the
same as the one based on Bone01 to Bone04. Therefore, we get the same
normal and chain stays stationary.

■

B: Parent Space is IK Goal. In this case, the sphere stays in the world while
Bone02 is parented to Bone01. When Bone04 is moved to where it is shown
on the left due to the transformation of Bone01, the observer who is fixed
to the sphere that is fixed to the world will see that Bone04 moves away
from the neutral position defined by the preferred pose. The algorithm
then applies the Zero Plane Map to find the normal at the displaced
position. It generally is not perpendicular to the viewport. Therefore, we
will see a flip once it takes a new Start Joint.

If you delete the solver/goal and assigned a new one from Bone02 to Bone04,
you will find that the chain won’t flip. Why? Assignment of Start Joint is
different from creating a new IK chain/goal. Start Joint is one of many IK
parameters. Reassigning it is simply the same as modifying any parameter.
The rest parameters are intact. In particular, the Swivel Angle is not changed
as a result of this reassignment.
Creating a new IK chain/goal is different. Effort is made to ensure that the
joint chain stay fixed by adjusting parameters appropriately. In particular, the
Swivel Angle will be set to a value so that the solver plane keeps stationary in
the viewport.

HI IK Solver Rollouts (Motion Panel)
These topics describe controls for the HI IK Solver, which appear on the Motion
panel.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3729

IK Solver Rollout (HI Solver)
Select an HI or IK Limb Solver IK Chain control (the blue cross at the end of

the chain.) ➤
rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters button ➤ IK Solver

The HI Solver is a history-independent solver that doesn't rely on the
calculations from previous frames for the IK solution, so it is fast to use no
matter the length of your animation. The history-independent solver uses a
goal to manipulate the end of the chain. It uses a preferred angle that specifies
a preference regarding which direction the link will rotate: positive or negative.
The preferred angle can also be considered as the initial angle; that is, the
angle at which the link was rotated at the time the solver was applied.
The IK solution takes place in a plane, known as the solver plane. The angle of
the solver plane is controlled by a parameter called the swivel angle.

Changing the swivel angle

The angle of the solver plane is actually calculated in one of two coordinate
systems: the Start Joint Parent space or the IK Goal Parent space. World space

3730 | Chapter 13 Animation

is not an explicit option; however, you can easily configure the IK chain to
work in world space by choosing the IK Goal Parent option and making sure
that the IK goal is unlinked (i.e., has no hierarchical parent). In this case, the
IK goal’s parent is the world, and therefore, the solver plane will be computed
in world space.
The swivel angle is animatable. You can adjust it directly, or with a
manipulator. Or you can target the swivel angle to a object and animate that
to affect the swivel angle. These parameters are on the IK Solver Properties
rollout on page 3735.
The HI Solver is designed to let the animator jump back and forth between
forward and inverse kinematics quickly and conveniently, with tools to
automatically enable IK and snap the goal to the end effector.

Procedures
To turn off IK on a chain:

1

Select the goal of a chain with an HI Solver.

2 On the

Motion panel ➤ IK Solver rollout, turn off Enabled.

IK is now off, so you can select and rotate any of the objects in the chain.
Turning IK on and off is animatable using the Auto Key button.
To mix IK and forward kinematics (FK) in a single animation track:
1 Apply an HI IK Solver to a hierarchy or bone system.

2 Turn on

3

(Auto Key) and move the time slider ahead in time.

Select the goal of the IK Chain, and open the

Motion

panel.

4

Move the goal to animate the IK chain with Inverse Kinematics.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3731

5 Advance the time slider again.
6 On the IK Solver Rollout, turn off Enabled and IK for FK Pose.

7

Rotate the root. The entire hierarchy rotates freely. You are now
adding keyframes using forward kinematics.

To match the goal and the end effector positions:
1 If the goal and end effector become separated, click IK/FK Snap and the
goal will move to match the end link of the chain.
2 If AutoSnap is turned on, clicking the goal will automatically perform
the snap action, matching the goal and end effector positions.

3732 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

IK Solver group
The items in this group provide the ability to set the start and end points of
the selected HI IK solver chain. There are also controls in this rollout that
allow you to use IK manipulation to create forward kinematic rotational
keyframes on the hierarchy objects, and there are buttons to align the goal
and the end effector.
Solver field Allows selection of IK Solver. Choose between the HI IK Solver
and the IK Limb Solver here. Any HI IK plug-in solver present at startup will
appear in this list, as well.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3733

Enabled Turns IK control of the chain on and off.
The HI IK Controller has an FK subcontroller. When Enabled is selected, the
FK subcontroller values are overwritten by the IK controller. When Enabled
is turned off, the FK values are used. You can animate Enabled On and Off.
Use this to turn off the chain control by the goal, when you want to do forward
rotations.
IK for FK Pose Lets you turn on IK in middle of FK manipulation. When
Enabled is off and IK for FK Pose is on, moving the goal will turn on IK
automatically in the middle of an FK manipulation. The result of this is that
all the FK subcontrollers receive values from the IK solution. Keys are placed
on the hierarchy objects or the bones, not on the goal. When both Enabled
and IK for FK Pose are turned off, moving the goal does not affect the chain
at all.
IK/FK Snap Performs an IK snap when in FK mode, and an FK snap in IK
mode.
IK Snap If the goal has moved away from the end of the chain, clicking IK/FK
Snap moves the goal to coincide with the end link position.
FK Snap The values of FK subcontrollers are suppressed by the solution of IK
when IK is on (Enabled is on). Their values don't always correspond to the
current pose of the chain. If you turn off Enabled, the values of FK
subcontrollers will suddenly take over. This can cause the chain to jump. FK
Snap, before Enabled is turned on, forces the FK subcontrollers to assume
values from the current pose (which is determined by the IK.) This eliminates
the jump in the chain's animation.
Auto Snap When Auto Snap is on, 3ds Max automatically applies an IK/FK
snap before you turn Enabled on or off. If Auto Snap is not on, you need to
click IK/FK Snap before toggling Enabled, otherwise the chain will jump.

Preferred Angles group
Set As Pref Angles Sets the preferred angle for each bone in the HI IK chain.
The current parent-space rotation of each bone is placed into its X, Y, and Z
Preferred Angle rotation channels as seen in the Rotational Joint rollout of
the Hierarchy|IK panel. This is useful for establishing a perfect match frame
on page 9216 when transitioning between forward and inverse kinematics.
Assume Pref Angles Copies the X, Y, and Z preferred angle channels of each
bone and places them into its FK rotation subcontroller. This essentially
performs the inverse operation of the Set As Pref Angles function.

3734 | Chapter 13 Animation

Bone Joints group
Allows you to change the ends of the IK chain.
Pick Start Joint Defines one end of the IK chain. Select from the viewport or
by name (press H).
Pick End Joint Defines the other end of the IK chain. The direction of the
chain is defined by the hierarchy, not by Start and End Joint. Select from the
viewport or by name (press H).
WARNING If you change the Start or End Joints so the IK Limb Solver so there
are more than two bones between the start and end, the solver will not work.
Moving the IK goal does not affect the bones.
TIP The order of the hierarchy determines the direction of the chain. You cannot
reverse the direction of the chain by picking Bone 10 as the start and Bone 1 as
the end.

IK Solver Properties Rollout (HI Solver)
Select end effector of an HI IK chain. ➤
button ➤ IK Solver Properties rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters

Here are the additional controls for the HI IK solver. The IK Solver Plane is
controlled here through the Swivel Angle, which can be animated directly or
using a target object.
In the Parent Space group you can choose to whether the IK goal or the start
joint will be used as the parent space for the swivel angle. If IK Goal is selected
(which is the default), then the Swivel Angle of the chain is defined in the
parent space of its goal. If Start Joint is chosen, then the Swivel Angle will be
relative to the parent space of the start joint. These two options allow a much
better control of the swivel angle on a chain with two HI IK solvers. For
example, the first solver on the upper part of a chain can use a Swivel Angle
in the Parent Space of the Start Joint, while the second IK solver on the lower
part of the chain uses the Parent Space of the IK Goal. In this case, the change
of the Swivel Angle for one chain won’t change the orientation of the other
one.
In the Thresholds and Solutions group you can refine the IK solution. The
Position Threshold sets a limit in units of how far the goal can be moved from
the end effector, the Rotation does the same in angle degrees.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3735

The Solutions group Iterations is the maximum number of attempts the IK
solution will perform before giving up.
If your IK animation seems to jitter, try increasing the Iterations to 200.
Increasing the Iterations will slow down the computational time, but should
produce better results.

Manipulator for the Swivel Angle

You can adjust the swivel angle with the spinner in this rollout, or you
can adjust it with a manipulator. To do so, turn on Select and Manipulate on
page 2868. The swivel angle manipulator is displayed as a handle in the
viewports.

Swivel angle manipulator.

3736 | Chapter 13 Animation

Swivel angle manipulator.

When you move the mouse over the manipulator, it turns red. At this point,
you can drag the manipulator to change the swivel angle. The Auto Key button
can be active while you do this.
You can also animate the swivel angle by using a target object. Pick an object
for the target, then animating the object will animate the swivel angle.
The swivel angle manipulator is a standard plane angle manipulator on page
2896. The HI Solver has its own controls for displaying this manipulator. These
are on the IK Display Options rollout on page 3739.

Procedures
To increase the precision of an IK solution:

1

Select the goal in an HI IK chain.

2 In the IK Solver Properties rollout increase the Iterations to 200 in the
solutions group.

3

Play or

render the animation.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3737

4 You can also adjust the Position and Rotation Thresholds to a smaller
value.

Interface

IK Solver Plane group
Swivel Angle Controls the Solver Plane which determines the direction of
the knee or elbow in a human limb. The Swivel Angle can be manipulated in
the viewport by turning on Swivel Angle Display in the Display Options rollout,
and then turning on Manipulate Mode. When the swivel angle manipulator
is displayed in the viewport, you can interactively animate the handle to
animate the solver plane.
Pick Target Lets you select another object to use to animate the Swivel Angle.
Use Turns the use of the Target on and off.
Parent Space Defines what space the Swivel Angle is relative to. Use this on
chains with multiple solvers, so the swivel angle manipulations on one chain
will not affect the second. For more information, see White Paper: Swivel
Angle of the HI IK Solver on page 3720.
IK Goal Defines the Swivel Angle parent space relative to the IK Goal.
Start Joint Defines the Swivel Angle Parent Space relative to the Start Joint.

3738 | Chapter 13 Animation

Thresholds group
Use to define the tolerances the system uses for its calculations.
Position Sets a limit in units of how far the goal can be moved from the end
effector. Keep these numbers low.
Rotation Sets a limit in degrees of how far the goal can be rotated away from
the end effector rotation. Keep these numbers low for best results.
Note that adjusting the Rotation threshold on the HI Solver and IK Limb
Solver has no effect. It is up to the plug-in solver’s discretion as to whether or
not they will support a rotation component in the IK solution.

Solutions group
Use to control the precision of the animation. Increase the iterations when
the IK solution produces an animation that appears rough or jittered.
Iterations The number of attempts an IK solution will make to find the best
match between the goal and the end effector positions. Increase this number
if you are seeing jumpy animation.

IK Display Options Rollout (HI Solver)
Create a bone chain ➤ Add an HI Solver. ➤

Motion panel

Here are the controls to turn on and off a variety of gizmos in the viewport.
The Goal and End effectors, the vector handle of the swivel angle manipulator,
and the IK solver display itself, are all located in this rollout.

Procedures
To see multiple IK solvers in a single chain:

1 In a chain with multiple IK solvers,

select a goal in the viewport.

2 In the IK Display Options rollout, turn on IK Solver Display Enabled.

3

Select a second goal and repeat the process.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3739

Each goal's display remains on whether it is selected or not.

Interface

End Effector Display group
Controls the appearance of the end effectors in the IK chain. Off by default.
Enabled Turns the end effectors display on or off.
Size Controls the size of the end effector gizmo in the viewport.

Goal Display group
Controls the appearance of the goals in the IK chain. On by default.
Enabled Turns the goals display on or off.
Size Controls the size of the goal gizmo in the viewport.

Swivel Angle Manipulator group
Controls the display of the swivel angle manipulator in the IK chain. Default
= on. Turn this on, then turn on Manipulate mode to see the swivel angle
manipulator.

3740 | Chapter 13 Animation

Enabled Turns the swivel angle manipulators on or off.
Size Controls the size of the manipulator's handle in viewports.
Length Controls the length of the manipulator in viewports.

IK Solver Display group
Controls the appearance of the IK Solver display, the line drawn between the
start and end joints. Turn this on when you have multiple chains that you
want to see at the same time.
Enabled Turns on or off the IK Solver display.

Sliding and Rotational Joints (HI Solver)
Create a bone chain. ➤ Apply an HI Solver ➤ Select any bone in the chain.

➤ Open the

Hierarchy panel. ➤ IK button

Here are the controls for setting the joint limits when using the HI Solver.
You can turn X, Y, or Z axes on or off, limit them, and set those limits here.
This is also where the preferred angle is defined, and adjusted. The preferred
angle defines the direction a chain will bend, which angle a chain will tend
to rotate toward.
NOTE Sliding joints are implemented in the HI Solver, but they do not take part
in an IK solution. They do, however, take part during FK interactive manipulation.
Use the HD Solver if you need to animate sliding joints with inverse kinematics.

Procedures
Example: To set the direction an IK chain will bend (preferred angle):
To understand setting the preferred angle it helps to use a simple example.

1 Go to the

Create panel, click

(Systems) and turn on Bones.

2 Turn on Assign To Children and make sure the HI Solver is displayed in
the Solver name field.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3741

3 In the Top viewport, create a bone chain of four bones in a straight line
.

4 Turn on

(Auto Key), and drag the time slider to frame 50.

5

Move the goal so it is close to the root node.

6

Select any bone in the chain.

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK panel, open the Rotational Joint

7 On the
rollout.

8 There are three axes. Find the one with the preferred angle that is not
zero.
9 Change the preferred angle. If it is negative make it a positive one.

10

Play the animation. Changing the preferred angle can redefine
the direction of the rotation.

To set rotational joint limits on a hierarchy of objects or a bone chain:
1 Create a bone chain or a hierarchy of objects.

2

Select any object in the chain.

3 On the
rollout.

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK panel, open the Rotational Joint

4 If you want to limit an axis, turn on Active and Limited, and set the
values of From and To. The hierarchy will rotate in the viewport.
TIP Pressing the From and To labels instantly rotates the bone to those angles.

3742 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface
Sliding Joints rollout

X, Y, Z Axis groups
Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to slide on the
activated axis.
Limited Limits the range of motion allowed on an active axis. Use in
conjunction with the From and To spinners. Most joints are limited in their
range of motion along an active axis. For example, a piston slides only within
the length of its cylinder.
From and To spinners Determine for position limits. Use in conjunction with
the Limited function. Clicking the labels From and To moves the object to its
limit position. Use this to check the sliding limits on an object.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3743

Rotational Joints rollout

X, Y, Z Axis groups
Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to rotate about
the activated axis.
Limited Limits the range of rotation allowed on an active axis. Use in
conjunction with the From and To spinners. Most joints are limited in their
range of rotation along an active axis. For example, a wheel rotating around
an axle could be limited to rotate around only one axis.
From and To Spinners Determine for rotation limits. Use in conjunction
with the Limited function. Clicking the labels From and To rotates the object
to its limit rotation. Use this to check the rotation limits on an object.
Preferred Angle Used by the HI Solver to set the initial pose for internal
calculations. Determines the direction of rotation preferred by a bone.

History-Dependent (HD) IK Solver
Select a node of hierarchy or bone chain. ➤ Animation menu ➤ IK Solvers
➤ HD Solver ➤ Click a second node of chain.

3744 | Chapter 13 Animation

Animating with the HD Solver lets you use sliding joints combined with
inverse kinematics. It has controls for spring back, damping, and precedence
not found in the HI Solver. It also has quick tools for viewing the initial state
of the IK chain. Use it for animations of machines and other assemblies. Since
this is history dependent, performance is slower at the end of long animations.
For lengthy scenes, use HI Solvers, if possible.

Animating the End Effectors
You animate a hierarchy of objects or bone structure using HD Solvers by
animating special end effectors located at the bone joints. There are two types
of end effectors: Position and Rotation. They are displayed as three intersecting
blue lines at the joint.
When you select and transform a joint that carries either end effector, only
the end effector itself is transformed. The objects or bones in the chain then
use IK to calculate the IK solution.
Animating these end effectors is much like animating with Interactive IK
except interpolation between keyframes uses correct IK solutions.

Linking End Effectors to a Parent
You can link HD IK end effectors to a parent to achieve results similar to using
bound follow objects with Interactive and Applied IK. To link a HD IK end
effector, you click Link on the Motion panel.
There are two reasons to link an end effector to a parent:
■

You can rescale your entire hierarchy. If you animate a robot, and then
later decide you want to scale the entire robot and its animation, link the
robot's root object to a dummy, link all of the robot's end effectors to the
same dummy, and then scale the dummy to scale all of the hierarchical
objects as well as the animation of the end effectors.

■

You can use linked end effectors for things like feet or hands. End-effectors
are automatically bound to the world, so when you move a root object in
your hierarchy, the end effectors remain behind. This is good for keeping
feet on the ground, but not very good for hands, where you want them to
move along with the character. To have hands follow the root object, link
the end effectors of the hands to the root object.

Linking Bones to Follow Objects
You can also use follow objects instead of end effectors and bind bones to any
number of follow objects using Interactive IK.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3745

If you use follow objects with HD IK, you do not need to click Apply IK. The
IK solver takes care of everything automatically.
See also:
■

Inverse Kinematics Rollout on page 3820

Binding Objects (HD Solver)
Use the binding functions on page 3809 in the HD Solver to cause an object to
attempt to maintain its position and orientation relative to the world or to
another object. A bound object will resist motion in the kinematic chain until
the chain is stretched near its limits and the bound object must move to
complete the IK solution.

In the top row, the ball is
independent of the lamp. In the
bottom row, the lamp head is
bound to the ball's position.

Setting Binding Options
You can bind an object by position, orientation, or both. Once an object is
bound you can set binding axes, weight, and whether the binding is absolute
or relative.
Bind Position Causes an object to attempt to maintain its location or to match
the location of a follow object.
Bind Orientation Causes an object to attempt to maintain its rotational
orientation or to match the orientation of a follow object.
Relative Changes how an object reacts to a bound follow object. See the
following discussion about binding an object to a follow object.

3746 | Chapter 13 Animation

Axis and Weight Set these options to control which axes are affected by the
binding and the binding’s influence over other bindings in the kinematic
chain.

Binding an Object to the World
You can bind an object to the world if you want the object to hold its position
and orientation as long as possible during IK operations.
If you are animating a walking figure you want one foot to remain in place
while you position the other foot. Without binding, the whole hierarchy
would have a tendency to slide around when you attempt to position a foot.
Binding both feet to the world ensures that the unselected foot stays in place
while you position the other foot.

Binding an Object to a Follow Object
You can bind a selected object in your hierarchy to any other object that is
not a descendant of the selected object. This other object is called the follow
object.
The behavior of the bound object varies depending on the state of the Relative
buttons next to the bind options.
■

When Relative is inactive, the bound object tries to match the exact
position and orientation of its pivot point to the position and orientation
of the follow object’s pivot point.

■

When Relative is active, the bound object mimics any changes in position
or rotation of the follow object but does not try to match it exactly.

You might want to animate a figure that always points to another object. Bind
the hand of the figure to the other object with Relative active. Turn IK on,
and as you move the object, the hand and arm of the figure move to point at
it.

Unbinding Objects
If you decide that you do not want an object to be bound you can either turn
off the Bind Orientation and Bind Position boxes, or unbind the object from
its follow object.
■

If you turn off the binding options, you disable the effect of binding
without removing the binding to a follow object. This method is handy
if you decide to reposition a follow object after you have bound an object
to it.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3747

■

If you unbind an object, it permanently removes the binding to a follow
object.

Controlling IK Precision (HD Solver)
Even with carefully defined joint precedence and joint parameters there are
many valid IK solutions for any placement of an end effector. You set position
and rotation thresholds to control IK precision and solution speed.
■

The threshold and iteration settings are found on the Motion panel on
the IK Controller Parameters Rollout, when the end effector is selected.

■

The threshold and iteration settings for the HD solver are also found on
the Inverse Kinematics tab of the Customize ➤ Preferences dialog.

Position Threshold Sets how close the end effector has to get to the follow
object or cursor position to be considered a valid solution. The value expresses
a distance in the current unit system. Small values increase accuracy but take
longer to solve.
Rotation Threshold Sets how accurately the end effector has to match the
orientation of the follow object to be considered a valid solution. The value
expresses a rotation angle in degrees. Small values increase accuracy but take
longer to solve.
Iterations Sets the maximum number of times 3ds Max repeats the IK
calculations to find a valid solution. A high Iterations value increases the
chance that 3ds Max can calculate a valid solution, but takes longer to
complete. The following rules apply:
■

Calculations stop as soon as a valid solution is found, even if the maximum
number of iterations have not been performed.

■

The last solution calculated is used if the maximum number of iterations
is reached, regardless of whether the solution satisfies the position and
rotation thresholds.

Setting Applied and Interactive Thresholds
You set the threshold and iterations settings as a trade-off between accuracy
and speed. You have two groups of settings so you can individually tune the
behavior of applied IK and interactive IK.
■

Use interactive IK if you want fast, real-time response. Your interactive IK
preferences should be set for speed.

3748 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Use applied IK if you want the solution to match the follow objects very
closely. Your Applied IK preferences should be set for accuracy.

The default applied IK and interactive IK settings are shown in the following
table:
Thresholds

Applied IK

Interactive IK

Position

0.100

1.000

Rotation

0.100

1.000

Iterations

50

10

See also:
■

HD Solver Motion Panel Rollouts on page 3749

HD Solver Motion Panel Rollouts
Select end effector of an HD chain ➤
button ➤ IK Controller Parameters rollout

Motion panel ➤ Parameters

To adjust the parameters for all bones or hierarchically linked objects in the
chain, you select a single bone or object, and then adjust the parameters in
Motion panel ➤ Parameters to affect all the bones or objects in the hierarchy.

Procedures
See History-Dependent (HD) IK Solver on page 3744.

Interface
Thresholds group

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3749

These settings are the same as those in Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤
Inverse Kinematics. They set the threshold for the changes in position and
rotation between the end effector and the last link of the chain.
Position Specifies, in units, the "slop" factor between the end effector and its
associate object. This is the allowable distance between the end effector and
its object, given the current IK solution.
Rotation Specifies the allowable number of degrees of rotational error between
a rotational end effector and its associate object.

Solution group

Iterations Specifies the maximum number of iterations allowed to solve the
IK solution. The actual number of iterations used depends on the difficulty
of the problem. This value simply puts a cap on it.
Start Time and End Time Species the range of frames in which IK is solved.
If the Start Time is set to 20 and the End Time is set to 80 in a 100-frame
animation, and then the end effector is animated, the animation of the chain
will only be correctly solved within the Start and End range.

Initial State group

When you first create a hierarchical chain, the initial position of the bones
or objects is the initial state. The options here let you display, alter, or lock the
initial state. When both of the options here are turned off (the default),
transforming the end effector is different from transforming the other joints
in the chain. When you select and transform a joint assigned an end effector,
you are actually transforming the end effector, and an IK solution transforms
the joints. This alters the position of the bones or objects in the viewport, but
will not alter their initial state. On the other hand, when you select and
transform any of the joints without end effectors, you alter their initial state.

3750 | Chapter 13 Animation

Show Initial State Shuts off the real-time IK solution. All objects in the chain
are moved to their initial positions and orientations prior to any changes
caused by IK calculations. The positions of the end effectors, however, are not
affected.
Turn on Show Initial State to view the initial state, or adjust the initial state
of bones or objects using end effectors. This is useful when you set joint limits
using the IK controls in the Hierarchy panel: the joints jump to their limits
while you set them. When Show Initial State is off (the default), you can select
and alter the initial state of bones or objects without end effectors, but when
you select a bone or object with an end effector, the end effector is transformed,
leading to an IK solution; the initial state of the associate object is not changed.
By selecting this, you can transform the initial state of the associated object.
Lock Initial State Locks all bones or objects in the chain from direct
transformations. You can, however, transform the end effector of any joint
to generate the IK solution without altering the initial state. Activate this when
you want to avoid accidentally selecting and transforming joints that are not
assigned end effectors. When Show Initial State is selected, Lock Initial State
is ignored.

Update group

The options in this group determine how the IK calculation is solved during
the transformation of the end effector.
Precise Solves the entire chain precisely for all frames from the Start time to
the current time. When you release the mouse button, the chain will not
move. Since all frames must be solved from Start to current time, the solution
takes longer if the current frame is 1000 rather than 100.
Fast Solves the chain only for the current frame while the mouse is moved.
Releasing the mouse button solves for all frames. Although this is faster than
Precise, sometimes the current-frame solution differs slightly from the all-frame
solution. As a result, when you release the mouse, the objects in the chain
might shift a bit.
Manual With this option, the IK problem is not solved until you click Update.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3751

Update With Manual on, click to solve the IK solution.

Display Joints group

The options here affect the display of the joint axes and limits. When a
rotational or sliding joint is active (Active is selected in the Sliding or Rotational
Joints rollouts in Hierarchy ➤ IK panels), an orange "rod" appears representing
the active axis. When the joint is also limited, a pair of small orange squares
appears, representing the From and To limits of the joint. If it's a sliding joint,
the squares are positioned on the axis rod. If it's a rotational joint, the squares
are at the ends of an orange arc.
Always Displays the axis rod and joint limits for all joints in the chain at all
times.
When Selected Displays the axis rod and joint limits only on selected joints.
TIP The joint icons can be difficult to see when the bones are linked to mesh
objects. When animating a bone-based hierarchy, you can hide all of the objects
and display and animate only the bones, which makes the joint icons more visible.
This is easily done by hiding geometry by category in the Display branch.

End Effectors group

With the options in this group, you can add or delete Position or Rotation
end effectors for any joint. Options affect only the currently selected joint.
An end effector is the object that the IK chain follows to come to a solution.
There are two types of end effectors: Position and Rotation. Both are displayed

3752 | Chapter 13 Animation

as three intersecting blue lines at the joint. When you select a joint that carries
either or both end effectors and perform a transformation matching the type
of end effector, only the end effector itself is transformed. The objects in the
chain then use IK to follow and create the IK solution.
When you transform a joint that does not have an end effector (or perform
a type of transform that doesn't match the assigned end effector), you
transform the joint itself and alter its initial state.
Position Creates or deletes Position end effectors. If the node already has an
end effector, only the Delete button is available.
Create Creates a Position end effector for the selected node.
Delete Removes the Position end effector from the selected node.
Rotation Works like the Position buttons, except Rotation end effectors are
created rather than Position end effectors. When you want to solve for IK
rotation, add a Rotation end effector, and then use the Rotate tool to rotate
the end effector.
End Effector Parent Links an end effector to another object in the scene.
Since end effectors are not, in themselves, objects, you won't see this linkage
in Track View, but the linked end effector will inherit the transformations of
its parent.
NOTE Apart from the root object, you can't link an end effector to an object in
the hierarchy because it would create an endless loop. The position of all objects
in the hierarchy depends on the position of the end effector, so the end effector
can't depend on the position of an object in the hierarchy.
End Effector (Display) Displays the name of the selected parent object.
Link Makes a selected object a parent of the currently selected link.
Unlink Unlinks the currently selected end effector from its parent.

Remove IK group

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3753

Delete Joint Deletes any selection of bones or hierarchical objects. Doesn't
delete the IK; only the selected hierarchical members.
NOTE Using the DELETE key will delete the entire hierarchy.
Remove IK Chain Deletes the IK Solver from the hierarchy. Doesn't delete
the objects or bones, only the IK controls.
Position Displays the Key Info parameter rollouts specific for a Position end
effector. This option is not active if no Position end effector is assigned. (The
Key Info parameters are the same as those used for any Position controller.)
Rotation Displays the parameters for an assigned Rotation end effector. This
option is not active if no Rotation effector is assigned. (The Key Info parameters
are the same as those used for any Rotation controller.)

HD Joint Settings
You control a joint's resistance to motion, and its tendency to return to its
original position, by setting Ease, Damping, and Spring Back options.

Moving telescopes with and without damping

Easing a Joint at Its Limits
An organic joint, or a worn mechanical joint, moves freely in the middle of
its range of motion but moves less freely at the extremes of its range. Use Ease
to cause a joint to resist motion as it approaches its From and To limits.

3754 | Chapter 13 Animation

For example, your forearm might move freely in the middle of its range of
motion, but it resists movement when you try to squeeze it against your upper
arm or extend it all the way out. Ease simulates this effect.

Damping Joint Action
As a joint corrodes, dries out, or is put under a heavy load, it resists motion
along its active axes. Damping simulates the natural effect of joint friction or
inertia. Enter a value greater than zero in the Damping field to apply resistance
over a joint's full range of motion.
As damping increases a joint resists motion and other joints are required to
move more. A damping value of 1.0 means there is extreme resistance and a
joint will not move on that axis.
For example, a telescope with no damping at all allows each cylinder to move
to its maximum limit before the next cylinder moves. If the cylinders have
damping values assigned, then each cylinder causes its parent to begin moving
before it reaches full extension.

Setting a Joint to Spring Back
When a joint resists motion, it also has a tendency to return toward its at-rest
position. You simulate this by setting Spring Back tension in the joints. As
the joint moves further from its rest position, an increasingly larger force pulls
the joint back, like a spring.
When you set Spring Tension higher, the spring pulls harder as the joint moves
farther away from its rest position. Very high settings can turn the joint into
a limit, because you can reach the point where the spring is too strong to
allow the joint to move any farther.

Setting Joint Precedence (HD Solver)
You set Joint Precedence to control the order in which joint calculations are
applied to the kinematic chain. When an IK solution is calculated, the result
is dependent on the order of calculation for each joint.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3755

The hoof (a child) has precedence over the leg (its parent).

The hoof (a child) has precedence over the leg (its parent).

3756 | Chapter 13 Animation

For any given position of an end effector, there are many possible IK solutions.
The three joint precedence controls in the Object Parameters rollout are:
Precedence Sets joint precedence manually.
Child->Parent Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from
child to parent.
Parent->Child Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from
parent to child.

Determining Order of Calculations
You control the HD IK solution by setting joint precedence to determine which
joints contribute the most to the HD IK solution and which joints contribute
the least.
■

Joints with high precedence values are calculated first, and contribute more
motion to the HD IK solution.

■

Joints with low precedence values are calculated last and contribute the
least motion to the HD IK solution.

■

Joints with equal precedence values are calculated by order in the hierarchy.
Joints closer to the end effector are calculated first and joints closer to the
root are calculated last.

Of all of the joint parameters, Joint Precedence is the most subtle.
See also:
■

Using Default Joint Precedence (HD Solver) on page 3758

■

Choosing Child-to-Parent Precedence (HD Solver) on page 3758

■

Choosing Parent-to-Child Precedence (HD Solver) on page 3760

■

Setting Precedence Manually (HD Solver) on page 3762

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3757

Using Default Joint Precedence (HD Solver)
The default joint precedence is suitable for many HD IK solutions. It assumes
that joints closest to where a force is applied (the end effector) will move more
than joints farther from the force.
The default joint precedence is a value of 0 for every joint: all joints have the
same precedence value. This default starts calculations with the end effector and
progresses up the IK chain until the base object is reached.
Using methods described in the following topics you can change the default
precedence values. You can also set your kinematic chain back to its default
precedence.
To reset the default joint precedence:

1

Select all objects in the kinematic chain.

2 On the

Hierarchy panel, expand the Object Parameters rollout.

3 Set Precedence to 0.
NOTE Default joint precedence occurs whenever all joints in the kinematic
chain have the same precedence value. Assigning a value of 100 to all objects
in the kinematic chain is exactly the same as assigning a value of 0.

Choosing Child-to-Parent Precedence (HD Solver)
Child–>Parent precedence causes joints closest to where a force is applied (the
end effector) to move more than joints that are farther away from the force.
Like the default precedence, Child->Parent precedence produces a natural
result that is suitable for many IK solutions.
The difference is that Child−>Parent precedence assigns unique values to each
object in the kinematic chain (default precedence uses the value of 0 for every
object). Child−>Parent precedence is more flexible if you want to go back and
manually change precedence values.

3758 | Chapter 13 Animation

The first figure shows values for child-to-parent precedence.

The first figure shows values for child-to-parent precedence.

Assigning Child->Parent Precedence
Clicking Child−>Parent sets joint precedence based on a child having a higher
precedence than its parent. The values are calculated by setting the root of

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3759

the entire hierarchy to a precedence value of 0 and each child to a value equal
to 10 times its depth from the root.
You almost always assign Child->Parent precedence to an entire kinematic
chain. The chain for the structure in the figure uses the body as the root object
and the duck as the end effector.
Each object receives a value equal to its depth from the root of the hierarchy
times 10. Note that precedence value calculation is based on the root of the
hierarchy whether or not the root is selected as part of the kinematic chain.
You might want to assign Child->Parent precedence to just a single object in
the kinematic chain. For example, if you have been manually changing
precedence values, you might want to set an object to its original Child->Parent
value. The value assigned to the object is equal to its depth from the root of
the hierarchy times 10.

Choosing Parent-to-Child Precedence (HD Solver)
Parent->Child precedence causes joints closest to where a force is applied (the
end effector) to move less than joints farther away from the force. This is the
opposite of Child->Parent precedence. Parent->Child precedence assigns the
highest precedence to the base object and the lowest precedence to the end
effector.
You might use this type of precedence for a number of special cases. For
example:
■

When joints near the end effector are less flexible than joints near the
base. You use Parent->Child precedence in conjunction with limits and
damping. For more information about the latter two, see Setting Joint
Resistance and Spring Back on page 3754.

■

When animating a kinematic chain where the real-world object is moved
by applying force to the base of the chain. Imagine an animal's tail. Using
IK you animate the tail by moving the tip of the tail. However, a real animal
moves its tail using muscles at the tail's base. The real-world motion is
applied from the base to the tip in a Parent->Child order.

3760 | Chapter 13 Animation

The figure shows values for parent-to-child precedence.

The figure shows values for parent-to-child precedence.

Assigning Parent->Child Precedence
Clicking Parent->Child sets joint precedence based on a child having a lower
precedence than its parent. The values are calculated by setting the root of

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3761

the entire hierarchy to a precedence of 0 and each child to a value equal to
-10 times its depth from the root.
You almost always assign Parent->Child precedence to an entire kinematic
chain. The chain for the structure in the above figure uses the body as the
root object and the duck as the end effector. Using Parent->Child precedence,
the feet are assigned a precedence of -50 and the duck is assigned a precedence
of -140.
You might want to assign Parent->Child precedence to a single object in the
kinematic chain. The value assigned to the object is equal to its depth from
the root of the hierarchy times -10.

Setting Precedence Manually (HD Solver)
Some models and animated motions don't fit neatly into a Child->Parent or
Parent->Child precedence. In such situations you can manually assign
precedence values to any object in the IK chain on a joint-by-joint basis.
For example:
■

Animating models with a combination of light, flexible joints and heavy,
resisting joints. Imagine a model of heavy iron balls linked together with
lengths of chain. Setting the precedence values of the chains higher than
the precedence values of the iron balls simulates the balls' inertial resistance
to motion.

■

Animating a motion where certain joints must move before other joints.
Imagine a golfer's arm where the elbow should remain locked while
swinging a golf club. You could accomplish this by setting the precedence
of the elbow lower than the precedence of the wrist and shoulder.

High precedence values are calculated before low precedence values. Precedence
values that are equal are calculated in Child->Parent order.
The precedence calculations only consider the relative IK values. This means
that an IK chain of three objects with precedence values of 0, 30, and 200
would have the same solution if the precedence were changed to 1, 2, and 3.

3762 | Chapter 13 Animation

The figures show precedence values that were assigned manually: the
chain for the structure uses the body as the root object and the duck
as the end effector.

The figures show precedence values that were assigned manually: the
chain for the structure uses the body as the root object and the duck
as the end effector.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3763

Terminating Chains (HD Solver)
The kinematic chain is automatically defined using the object you select as
the end effector and working up the hierarchical tree to use the root object
as the base of the kinematic chain. Sometimes you might not want the
kinematic chain to go all the way to the root of the hierarchy. This is especially
true when you are animating multi-limbed or branching structures, such as
an octopus or a tree.

Terminator option in the Object
Parameters rollout

You use the Terminator option in the Object Parameters rollout to stop
calculation of the kinematic chain before it reaches the root object of the
hierarchy. A terminator object stops calculation at the terminator's child
object; the terminator itself is not affected by the IK solution. This gives you
very precise control over the behavior of the kinematic chain.
For example, look at the bird in the figure. The bird is linked with its body as
the root of the hierarchy. If you use inverse kinematics to move the duck, all
objects from the duck to the body will be affected by the IK solution. However,
if you define a neck bone as a terminator object, then only the objects from
the duck to the neck vertebrae are affected.

3764 | Chapter 13 Animation

With a terminator in the neck, the body of the bird is not affected.

With a terminator in the neck, the body of the bird is not affected.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3765

IK Limb Solver
The IK Limb solver is specifically meant for animating the limbs of human
characters; for example, the hip to the ankle, or the shoulder to the wrist.
Each IK Limb solver affects only two bones in a chain, but multiple solvers
can be applied to different parts of the same chain. It is an analytical solver
that is very fast and accurate in viewports.
To use the IK Limb solver, a bones system must have at least three bones in
the chain. The goal is placed at the pivot point of the bone that is two bones
away from the first selected bone.
The IK Limb solver works not only with bone hierarchies, but with any linked
hierarchy that has at least three elements, and is set up to model a human
limb. The additional requirements are:
■

The first joint is "spherical." That is, it has three degrees of freedom.

■

The second joint is "revolute," a robotics term that means it is based on a
pin and has one degree of freedom.

The IK Limb solver uses the same controls as the HI Solver, so it allows for
mixing periods of forward and inverse kinematics in the same animation
period. It does not use the HD Solver methods of damping, precedence, and
setting joint limits, instead it has a preferred angle parameter, swivel plane
and IK/FK Enabling.
The IK Limb solver can be exported directly to a game engine.
See also:
■

IK Solver Rollout (HI Solver) on page 3730

■

IK Solver Properties Rollout (HI Solver) on page 3735

■

IK Display Options Rollout (HI Solver) on page 3739

■

Sliding and Rotational Joints (HI Solver) on page 3741

Procedures
To apply a IK limb solver:
1 Create a chain that has three bones.

3766 | Chapter 13 Animation

2

Select the root of the chain.

3 From the Animation menu, choose IK Solvers ➤ IK Limb Solver.
4 In the viewport, move the mouse. You will see a dotted line attached to
the cursor as you move the mouse.
5 Click the third bone in the chain, or any bone after the third bone.
The IK Limb solver displays on the bone chain. The IK Limb solver only
affects two bones in the chain, but you need to select the third bone to
put it on the other two bones.
To animate an IK limb solver chain:
1 Apply the IK Limb solver to a two bone chain, with joint limits as
described above.

2

Select the goal.

3

Move or

rotate the goal.

Interface
The Interface for the IK Limb solver is identical to that of the HI Solver.

Select the goal at the end of the chain, and open the Motion panel.
Here you will see the controls for the IK Limb solver. (The fourth is available
from the Hierarchy ➤ IK panel when a bone is selected.)

Spline IK
Animation menu ➤ IK Solvers ➤ Spline IK Solver

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3767

Create panel ➤
from the IK Solver list.

(Systems) ➤ Bones ➤ Choose SplineIKSolver

The Spline IK solver uses a spline to determine the curvature of a series of
bones or other linked objects.

You can move and animate the spline vertices to change the curvature of the
spline. Usually, a helper is placed at each vertex to assist in animating the
spline. The spline curvature is then passed on to the entire linked structure.
The bones themselves do not change shape.
Normally the number of spline vertices and bones are the same, but you can
use fewer vertices for easier posing and animating a long multiple-bone
structure with just a few nodes, as opposed to animating each bone
individually.
Spline IK provides a more flexible animation system than other IK solvers.
You can position vertices/helpers anywhere in 3D space, so the linked structure
can assume any shape you want to give it.

3768 | Chapter 13 Animation

A helper object is automatically placed at each vertex when Spline IK is
assigned. Each vertex is linked to its corresponding helper, so a vertex can be
moved by moving the helper.
Unlike the HI Solver, the Spline IK system does not use a goal. The positions
of helpers/vertices in 3D space is the only factor that determines the shape of
the linked structure.
NOTE Moving the Spline IK helpers to curl the spline can sometimes cause bones
to rotate or flip unexpectedly. If this happens, you can try choosing a different
upnode object with the IK chain's Pick Upnode option in the IK Solver Properties
rollout (see Spline IK Solver Rollouts on page 3777), or use a different IK method for
your hierarchy.

Applying a Spline IK Solver
The Spline IK solver can be applied at the time bones are created, or after the
bone structure has already been made.
To apply a spline IK solver when bones are created:

1 Go to the

Create panel, click

(Systems), then click Bones.

2 On the IK Chain Assignment rollout, set IK Solver to SplineIKSolver, and
turn on both check boxes: Assign To Children and Assign To Root.
By default, Assign To Root is on automatically when you turn on Assign
To Children.
3 Draw the bone structure as usual. When you right-click to end the bone
creation process, the Spline IK Solver dialog on page 3774 appears. Set
parameters and click OK.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3769

3770 | Chapter 13 Animation

This procedure automatically draws the spline based on your dialog
selections and sets up the Spline IK system to work with the spline. 3ds
Max automatically assigns a Path constraint to the root bone to constrain
it to the helper/vertex at that end of the spline.
To apply a Spline IK solver to an existing bone structure:
1 Create a bone structure without an IK chain.
2 Draw a spline or NURBS curve to be used by the bones. The curve can
have any length and shape, and does not have to match the length or
shape of the bone structure.

3

Select the bone or object where you want to the solver to start.

4 Choose Animation menu ➤ IK Solvers ➤ Spline IK Solver. In the
viewport, move the cursor to the bone or object where you want the

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3771

chain to end and click that bone. Then move the cursor to the spline and
click it.

The bone structure jumps to the spline and takes its shape, and a helper
is created on the spline at each vertex. A Path constraint is automatically
assigned to the root bone to constrain it to the helper/vertex at that end
of the spline.

3772 | Chapter 13 Animation

To specify a spline after the spline IK solver is applied:
You can also apply a Spline IK solver to an existing bone structure without
selecting a spline, then choose the spline later.
1 Create a bone structure without an IK chain.

2

Select the bone or object where you want to the solver to start.

3 Choose Animation menu ➤ IK Solvers ➤ Spline IK Solver. In the
viewport, move the cursor to the bone or object where you want the
chain to end and click that bone. Then right-click in the viewport to end
the IK solver creation without choosing a spline.
4 Create a spline or NURBS curve to be used with the Spline IK system. It
is recommended that you apply the Spline IK Control modifier on page
1687 to it and then click Create Helpers to place helpers at each vertex,
making the spline easier to control.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3773

5 Select the IK chain cross hairs and go to the
Motion panel. On
the Spline IK Solver rollout, click Pick Shape and click the spline.
With this method, the position constraint is not automatically assigned
to the root bone, so it must be assigned manually.

6

Select the root bone. Choose Animation menu ➤ Constraints
➤ Path Constraint, and then click the spline.
This moves the bone structure to the spline, if they're apart, and creates
a Position List controller for the bone with the Path Constraint as the
second (active) constraint.
NOTE This also animates the bones along the path. If you don't want this,
delete the second animation key.

Working with the Spline IK Solver
To use the Spline IK Solver, move the helpers to shape the spline. Do not move
the spline. The shape of the spline is determined by the positions of the
vertices, so moving the spline itself has no effect on the bone structure. If the
spline is moved, it will snap back to the helpers the next time a helper is
moved. However, it is recommended that you not move the spline at all.
Once you have finished setting up the spline IK solver, it can be helpful to
freeze the spline to avoid accidentally moving it.
Moving helpers changes the shape of the spline. To twist the spline, select the
spline IK chain object and go to the Motion panel to change twist angles in
the IK Solver Properties rollout.

Spline IK Solver Dialog
Create menu ➤
(Systems) ➤ Bones ➤ Choose SplineIKSolver
as IK Solver and turn on Assign To Children. ➤ Create bone structure.
The Spline IK Solver dialog appears after bone creation if the Spline IK Solver
has been selected as the IK solver and Assign To Children is turned on.

3774 | Chapter 13 Animation

This dialog sets parameters for the spline that will be created to control the
bone structure. The spline, in turn, is shaped by the positions of helper objects
at each knot (control point).
See also:
■

Spline IK on page 3767

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3775

Interface

Spline Options group
IK Name Sets the name of the IK chain object. This object appears as a set of
blue cross hairs at the end of the chain after you click OK.
Auto Create Spline Automatically creates the spline used for the Spline IK
solver based on the parameters on this dialog. When off, no spline is created
and a spline must be manually created and assigned to the spline IK solver in
order to use the solver. See Animating with the Spline IK Solver on page 3767
for a description of this procedure. Default=on.
Curve Type Choose the type of curve to serve as the Spline IK control:
■

BezierCreates a Bezier spline, similar to a spline created with the Create
➤ Shapes ➤ Line tool. This is the default curve type.

■

NURBS PointCreates a NURBS Point Curve, where all knots (control nodes)
lie on the curve.

■

NURBS CVCreates a NURBS CV Curve, where knots (control nodes) do not
necessarily lie on the curve.

3776 | Chapter 13 Animation

Number of Spline Knots Vertices on the spline, or control points and CVs
on the NURBS curve. You alter the spline or curve by moving and animating
the knots. The number of knots sets the degree of refinement on the curve as
well as the number of points that can be selected and moved to change the
shape of the curve.
The default value is the number of bones in the Spline IK chain. Because one
purpose of a Spline IK solver is to reduce the number of objects that require
animation, you might want to use a lower value, such as half the number of
bones.

Helper Options group
Create Helpers When on, 3ds Max places one or more Point helper on page
2884 objects at each knot in the spline or curve, making it easier to move and
animate the knots.
You can enable more than one type of helper. When you move one helper,
the others at the same location also move, as does the curve knot.
Center Marker Places a small X-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Axis Tripod Places a small tripod-axis-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Cross Places a small cross-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Box Places a small box-shaped Point helper at each knot.
Size Sets the size for helpers.
Constant Screen Size Keeps the sizes of helpers constant regardless of the
zoom extent of the viewports.
Draw On Top Displays the helpers on top of all other objects in the scene for
improved visibility in busy scenes.
TIP To change the display of helpers after creation, select each helper and change
selections on the Modify panel.

Spline IK Solver Rollouts
Select a Spline IK Solver control (the blue cross at the end of the chain) ➤

Motion panel ➤ Parameters button

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3777

When a Spline IK chain is selected, the options on the Motion panel can be
used to change the starting and ending bones, and twist angles for the entire
linked structure.
To create a Spline IK Solver, see Spline IK on page 3767.

Interface
Spline IK Solver rollout

The options on this rollout allow you to pick a new spline for the spline IK
chain, or pick new start and end joints for the chain.

Spline IK Solver group
Spline IK Solver Displays the name of the solver. The only available solver is
Spline IK Solver.
Enabled Turns control of the solver on and off.

Bone Joints group
Pick Start Joint Picks the start joint for the Spline IK Solver and displays the
object name.
Pick End Joint Picks the end joint for the Spline IK Solver and displays the
object name.

3778 | Chapter 13 Animation

IK Solver Properties rollout

The options on this rollout set the start and end twist angles for the spline IK
chain. The twist manipulators on each end of the chain show the degree of
twist.
Twist Start Angle Sets the twist angle for the entire chain, rotating all bones
in the chain.
Twist End Angle Sets the twist angle for the end joint relative to the start
joint, creating a gradual twist over the entire chain.
Pick Upnode When Spline IK is assigned to a bone chain, the IK system
attempts to determine the “up” direction for bones, which is the direction in
which the bones' back fins should point. The Spline IK Solver might interpret
this direction incorrectly, causing bones to flip to one side or the other. Picking
an upnode causes the “up” direction to point along the picked object's local
Z axis. By default, the upnode is set to the first helper/knot on the spline,
which usually causes the “up” direction to be interpreted correctly.
Use Use the picked node to specify the “up” direction for the root bone.

IK Display Options rollout
The options on this rollout set the display of twist manipulators and the IK
chain object.
TIP To see and adjust the twist manipulators, turn on Select And Manipulate on
page 2868.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3779

Twist Start group
Enabled Turns on the display of the start twist manipulator. Default=on.
Size Sets the size of the start twist manipulator. Default=1.0.
Length Sets the length of the start twist manipulator. Default=75.0

Twist End group
Enabled Turns on the display of the end twist manipulator. Default=on.
Size Sets the size of the end twist manipulator. Default=1.0.
Length Sets the length of the end twist manipulator. Default=75.0.

Goal Display group
Enabled Turns on the display of the IK goal. Default=on.
Size Sets the size of the IK goal. Default=30.0.

3780 | Chapter 13 Animation

IK Solver Display group
Enabled Turns on the display of the IK chain object. Default=off.

Interactive and Applied IK
Interactive IK and Applied IK are alternative methods to the IK Solver methods.
TIP Interactive IK and Applied IK are features carried over from the earliest version
of 3ds Max. We recommend that you explore the IK Solver methods first, and use
Interactive IK or Applied IK only if you find the IK Solvers will not satisfy your needs.

Animating with Interactive IK
Select the end of a hierarchy ➤
IK.

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Interactive

With Interactive IK and the Auto Key button turned on, you position your
model on keyframes, and the IK solution is interpolated between those
keyframes. Because the IK solution accounts for multiple objects and the joints
between objects, the interpolated animation of an IK object is usually different
from the animation of objects without IK.
TIP Interactive IK is a feature carried over from the earliest version of 3ds Max.
We recommend that you explore the IK Solver methods first, and use Interactive
IK only if you find the IK Solvers will not satisfy your needs.

Example of Interactive IK
The following example demonstrates how an interactive IK animation works
and how it might differ from what you expect. The figure shows an IK structure
with its end effector resting on top of a box. The box moves in a straight line
over 100 frames.
Turn the Auto Key button on and then in the Hierarchy panel ➤ IK tab, turn
on Interactive IK. Move the end effector of the IK structure to rest on top of
the box at frame 100. The interpolated animation of the end effector follows
a natural looking curved path.
You might have expected the IK bone structure to follow the same path as
the box. However, the IK solution is only calculated at the keyframes. The

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3781

positions and rotations of all the objects in the kinematic chain are interpolated
between the keyframes to produce the curved result.
To make the end effector closely follow the path of the box, you would have
to add more keyframes. You can also use binding and standard applied IK.
For information about making the end effector precisely follow the motion
of the box, see Animating with Applied IK on page 3784.

IK structure

3782 | Chapter 13 Animation

Results of animating the box and IK structure

Behavior of Objects in IK Mode
As you move and rotate objects using interactive IK you notice that some
objects might not be able to move or rotate about all axes. This is because the
objects are constrained by the joint parameters you have set. If the joint
parameters specify that motion cannot occur in a certain axis, the end of the
chain will not move.

Behavior of Root Objects in IK Mode
An option on the Inverse Kinematics panel on page 8939 of the Preference
Settings dialog enables the special case of moving and rotating root objects
when IK mode is on. The name of this control is Always Transform Children
Of The World.
While you are transforming an end effector using IK mode, the settings for
the root object’s joint parameters are used and the root object does not move
with respect to the World. If you select the root object, its joint parameters
are released and you can transform the root object.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3783

If you decide you want root objects to always use their joint parameters, you
can turn off the Always Transform Children Of The World option.
Single, unlinked objects are hierarchies of one. An unlinked object is its own
root and is also a child of the World. Turning Always Transform Children of
the World will prevent you from transforming single objects in IK mode.

Animating with Applied IK
Select the end of a hierarchy ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Set object
parameters such as Bind to Follow Object ➤ Apply IK.
Applied IK requires you bind one or more parts of your IK structure to animated
follow objects. Once bound, you can select any object in your kinematic chain
and click Apply IK. This calculates the IK solution for each frame of the
animation and places transform keys for every object in the IK chain.
The Apply IK method of animation works best when you want objects in the
kinematic chain to match the motions of other objects exactly.
TIP Applied IK is a feature carried over from the earliest version of 3ds Max. We
recommend that you explore the IK Solver methods first, and use Applied IK only
if you find the IK Solvers won't satisfy your needs.

3784 | Chapter 13 Animation

Example of Applied IK

IK structure

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3785

Animating the lamp with applied IK

The illustration demonstrates how an applied IK animation works. Just as in
the example in Animating with Interactive IK on page 3781, the figure shows
an IK lamp structure with its head positioned over a spider. To maintain the
offset distance between the lamp head and spider, the actual end effector is
an invisible Dummy helper object, placed within the spider and linked to the
lamp head as a child. The spider moves in a straight line over 100 frames.
To bind the end effector to the spider, click Bind, and then drag a line between
the two. Once the end effector is bound to the spider, it will try to match the
location of its pivot point with the pivot point of the spider.
Select the end effector and click Apply IK. 3ds Max matches the end effector
with the box and calculates the IK solution for every frame. Playback of the
animation shows that the end effector perfectly follows the box.
NOTE In the above example, the end effector is an invisible Dummy helper object,
which is used to maintain the offset distance between the lamp head and the
spider.

3786 | Chapter 13 Animation

Clearing Keys from Previous Animation
If you have animated any members of the IK chain interactively, or run Apply
IK previously, the existing animation keys will affect the new IK solution.
Sometimes that is exactly what you want. You can use manual animation to
subtly nudge the IK solution toward a particular result. However, it is more
likely that you want to remove old keys in order to begin the IK calculations
with a clean slate.
The Clear Keys option in the Inverse Kinematics rollout controls whether or
not old move and rotate animation keys are removed.

Constraining the IK Solution to Specific Frames
You use the Start and End fields in the Inverse Kinematics rollout to set the
range of frames used to calculate the applied IK solution. Using these fields,
you can restrict IK solutions to specific frames and solve for different solutions
in different time segments.
You can set the Start and End fields to include frames outside of the active
time segment.
You can also constrain an IK solution to frames where a key exists for an end
effector. This is useful if you want to animate a hierarchy using end effectors
but do not want keys generated on every frame.
Turn on Apply Only To Keys to constrain the IK solution to frames with end
effector keys.

Watching Progress of the IK Solution
Normally, Apply IK calculates all frames before updating the viewports. To
watch the progress of Apply IK frame by frame, turn on Update Viewports on
the Inverse Kinematics rollout.
Updating the viewports greatly slows down the Apply IK process but it can
help you troubleshoot complex animations.

Joint Controls
Joints control the rotation and position of an object with respect to its parent.

Setting Joint Parameters
You set whether a joint behaves as a hinge, a drawer slide, or another type of
joint by setting joint parameters on page 3741 for each object in the kinematic

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3787

chain. Joints control the rotation and position of an object with respect to its
parent.
Any object has a maximum of two joint-type rollouts: One rollout contains
settings to control the object's position, and the other controls the object's
rotation. There can be many different types of positional and rotational joints.
Which joint parameters are available is determined by the type of IK solver
assigned to an object. HI Solvers, for instance, are controlled with a preferred
angle setting found in the Rotational Joint parameters. HD Solvers have
additional parameters for spring back, precedence, and damping, not found
in the HI Solver.
Any hierarchy of object or bone systems can have its joint limits defined.
Select all the objects, and turn on their bone or link display. Select the bone
or link and open the Hierarchy panel ➤ IK tab. Scroll down to the Sliding
and Rotational Joints. There, you can activate axes and set their individual
limits.
NOTE Different IK solvers use different joint limits. When using a bone system,
add the IK solvers first, then set the joint limits second.

Common Joint Types
The most common joint types are Rotational and Sliding joints. Other common
joint types are Path and Surface joints. Each joint type displays its own set of
joint parameters.
Rotational joints Control rotation of objects using many of the standard
rotation controllers. The parameters for rotational joints set an object's ability
to rotate about a given axis.
For many IK structures, consider using an Euler XYZ controller on page 3482.
Quaternion-based controllers tend to freeze if an object is moved beyond
rotational joint limits before turning on IK.
Sliding joints Control the position of objects using many of the standard
position controllers. The parameters for sliding joints control whether an
object can move along a given axis.
Surface joints Control the position of objects using Surface constraint on
page 3642. The parameters control how the object travels along its assigned
surface.
Path joints Control the positional motion of objects using Path constraint
on page 3629. The parameters for path joints control how far an object can travel
along its assigned path.

3788 | Chapter 13 Animation

Using Joint Parameters
The way the children behave toward one another is governed by the
inheritance of the transforms down the chain. Setting joint limits on individual
child objects can influence this inheritance. If three children in a row all have
their rotational axes made inactive, they will not be able to rotate, and so a
piece of the chain will appear stiff. Or if only one axis is made active as a
sliding joint, the component can separate in space from the chain.
When you are using an object with a path constraint in an IK chain you might
want the path to appear as if it is part of the IK chain. You achieve this effect
by linking the object using the path constraint and the path to the same
parent. The path object should have no children, and other objects in the IK
chain should be linked to the object using the path constraint.

1. Base
2. Post
3. Cap
4. Ring
5. Holder
6. Handle

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3789

In the figure, the bead uses a path constraint to hold it to the ring. The IK
chain from parent to child is Post->Cap->Bead->Handle. The ring is a child of
the Cap but is not part of the IK chain.

Copying and Pasting Joint Parameters

You can copy and paste at the bottom of the Object Parameters rollout in the
Hierarchy panel to copy and paste a complete set of joint parameters from
one object to another.
There are separate copy and paste functions for sliding joints and rotational
joints. Each joint type saves copied parameters in separate clipboards.

3790 | Chapter 13 Animation

TIP Choose one of the Mirror Paste options if you want to mirror the joint
parameter settings as you paste them. This is very useful when pasting from one
side of an object to another, such as left arm joints to a right arm.
You can also copy joint settings from a non-IK controller to an IK controller, but
you can't copy from an IK controller to a non-IK controller.

Activating Joint Axes
You set whether an object can move or rotate about a given axis by using the
Active check box in the joint rollouts. Joints have a maximum of six possible
axes: three for rotation and three for position. You constrain the motion of a
joint by setting which axes are active.
■

A joint with all axes active can move and rotate freely, independent of its
parent.

■

A joint with all axes inactive is locked to its parent and cannot move
independently.

■

The setting of IK joint axes overrides Inherit and Lock settings on the Link
Info rollout.

Understanding Joint Axis Orientation
IK joint axes for an object are defined by the Local axes of the object’s parent.
That means if you activate the X axis of an object’s rotational joint parameters,
the object rotates about its parent’s X axis, not its own X axis.
You might have a problem when you set joint parameters for an object whose
local coordinate system is oriented 90 degrees from its parent’s coordinate
system. In such a case, the rotation angle about one axis becomes
indeterminate. The result is that one axis will often cause rotation about one
of the other two axes.
The following techniques will make setting joint parameters easier and more
successful:
■

Assemble IK hierarchies with objects aligned along the World axes.

■

Consider using the Adjust Pivot on page 3797 functions to align your object
pivots with either the World axes or the root object of the hierarchy.

■

Set the transform managers to Parent coordinate system and Use Pivot
Point Center, while setting joint parameters. This helps you see the

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3791

orientation of the joint axes by displaying the parent axis icon at the
selected object’s pivot point.
■

When activating joint axes, drag the From spinner up and down. This
causes the object to move or rotate about the active axis and is a quick
check that you chose the right axis.

Activating Rotational Joints

1. Rotational links

When you turn on Active for one of the X, Y, Z axes of a rotational joint, the
object can rotate about that axis of its parent’s coordinate system.
Joints that rotate about multiple axes are very common. A ball joint, like your
shoulder, is a rotational joint active about all three axes. A pin joint, like your
elbow, is a rotational joint active on a single axis.

3792 | Chapter 13 Animation

Activating Sliding Joints

1. Sliding axis

When you turn on Active for one of the X, Y, Z axes of a sliding joint the
object can move along that axis of its parent’s coordinate system.
Most sliding joints are active only along a single axis. A telescope is an example
of a sliding joint active on a single axis. You rarely see a sliding joint active
along all three axes.
If a sliding joint is active along all three axes, it moves independently from
its parent. It’s almost as if there is no joint connection at all.
TIP Use the HD IK Solver when you need to use sliding joints with IK.

Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3793

Path and Surface Joints

Circular path

When you turn on Active for Path or Surface joints you are setting whether
the object can move along the assigned path or surface.
A house key on a ring is an example of an active path joint.
See Path Constraint on page 3629.

Limiting Joint Action
Most joints are limited in their range of motion along an active axis. For
example: a hinge might open only to 120 degrees; a piston slides only within
the length of its cylinder. To limit the range of motion allowed on an active
axis, you turn on Limited and set values for the From and To fields on the
joint rollouts.
You can also view joint limits in the viewport by pressing and holding the
mouse button on the From or To label of a limit field. The object will move
or rotate to the limit value until you release the mouse button.

3794 | Chapter 13 Animation

Limiting Rotational Joints
Limits for a rotational joint define how far the object can rotate about its
parent’s axes. The values in the From and To fields represent the rotation
angle about the active axis measured from 0 degrees on the parent object.
For example, an elbow joint rotates the forearm with respect to the upper arm.
In the figure the limits on X axis rotation are from 0 to 135 degrees. The Y, Z
axes are inactive because an elbow joint rotates about a single axis.

Limiting Sliding Joints
Limits for a sliding joint define how far a joint can move along its parent’s
axes. The values in the From and To fields represent a distance for movement
along the active axis measured from the pivot point of the parent to the pivot
point of the selected object.
For example, a sliding joint on a piston moves the piston in and out of the
cylinder. In the figure, the limits on Z axis movement are from 10 to 90. This
prevents the piston from hitting the bottom or moving past the end of the
cylinder.

Limiting Path and Surface Joints
Limits for path and surface joints define how far along the path or surface an
object can move. The values in the From and To fields represent a percentage
of the total distance measured along the path or surface.
For example, a path joint for a house key moves the key along a key ring.
Setting the limits on the path joint at 5% to 95% prevents the key from
traveling along the ring where the fob is attached.
See also:
■

Sliding and Rotational Joints (HI Solver) on page 3741

Hierarchy Panel Commands
Once you have set up a hierarchy using the Select and Link command on page
3666 or a system such as Bones on page 793, you can manage it using the
Hierarchy panel.
The Hierarchy panel has three tabs:
Pivot on page 3796
IK on page 3807

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3795

Link Info on page 3824
You use the Pivot tab to adjust the pivot points of objects in the hierarchy.
You use the IK tab to manage the behavior of inverse kinematics (IK). You use
the Link Info tab to apply locks or inheritance to movement within the
hierarchy.
See also:
■

Hierarchies and Kinematics on page 3653

■

Inverse Kinematics (IK) on page 3696

■

IK Terminology on page 3700

■

Animating with Interactive IK on page 3781

■

Animating with Applied IK on page 3784

■

History-Dependent (HD) IK Solver on page 3744

■

History-Independent (HI) IK Solver on page 3715

■

IK Limb Solver on page 3766

■

Spline IK on page 3767

Pivot
Make a selection in the viewport. ➤

Hierarchy panel ➤ Pivot button

Every object has a pivot point that represents its local center and local
coordinate system.

3796 | Chapter 13 Animation

The pivot point of an object is used for the following:
■

Functions as the center of rotation and scaling when you use the Pivot
Point transform center on page 868.

■

Sets the default location of a modifier center.

■

Defines the transform relationship for the object's linked children.

■

Defines the joint location for inverse kinematics (IK) on page 3696.

You can adjust the position and orientation of an object's pivot point at any
time using the buttons in the Adjust Pivot rollout in the Hierarchy panel.
Adjusting an object's pivot has no effect on any children linked to that object.
NOTE You cannot animate the functions under the Adjust Pivot rollout. Adjusting
an object's pivot on any frame changes it for the entire animation. Use caution
when adjusting the pivot of an animated object. Adjusting the pivot on one frame
might produce unexpected results in another part of the animation. You should
adjust the pivot point to the location you want, before you start to animate, if
possible.
TIP Use the Link constraint on page 3614 to simulate the effect of an animated pivot.

Adjust Pivot Rollout
Make a selection in the viewport. ➤
➤ Adjust Pivot rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Pivot button

You can adjust the position and orientation of an object's pivot point on page
9269 at any time using the buttons in the Adjust Pivot rollout. Adjusting an
object's pivot has no effect on any children linked to that object.
You cannot animate the functions under the Adjust Pivot rollout. Adjusting
an object's pivot on any frame changes it for the entire animation.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3797

Pivot point sets hand to the center of the clock face.

Procedures
To reposition an object's pivot point:

1

2

Select an object and then turn on
Adjust Pivot rollout ➤ Affect Pivot Only.

Move or

Hierarchy panel ➤

rotate the pivot.

You can also use Align on page 906, Quick Align on page 911, and Align
to View on page 918 on the toolbar to align the pivot.
See Adjust Transform Rollout on page 3804 for related information.

3798 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface
Move/Rotate/Scale group
Each of the buttons in the Move/Rotate/Scale group box highlights when
active. This determines which part of the object is affected by the three buttons
in the Alignment area, as well as the Transform and Align commands on the
main toolbar.

Affect Pivot Only Affects only the pivot point of the selected objects.
NOTE A Scale transform has no effect on the pivot.
Affect Object Only Affects only the selected objects (and not the pivot point).
Affect Hierarchy Only Applies only to the Rotation and Scale tools. It applies
the rotation or scale to the hierarchy by rotating or scaling the position of the
pivot point without rotating or scaling the pivot point itself.
NOTE You can use this on hierarchies of 3ds Max objects, but don't use it on
Bones systems. To reposition, rotate or change the size of bones in a chain, see
Bones on page 793.
NOTE It's important to remember that the Align, Normal Align, and Align to View
functions are all affected by the state of Affect Pivot Only, Affect Object Only, and
Affect Hierarchy Only. Snap mode allows you to snap the pivot to its own object,
or to any other object in the scene.

Alignment group
The effect of these buttons depends on whether you chose Affect Pivot Only
or Affect Object Only. They don't apply to Affect Hierarchy Only.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3799

If you chose Affect Pivot Only, the buttons work as follows:
Center to Object Moves the pivot to the center of its object.
Align to Object Rotates the pivot to align with the object's transformation
matrix axes.
Align to World Rotates the pivot to align with the world coordinate axes.
If you chose Affect Object Only, the buttons work as follows:
Center to Pivot Moves the center of the object to its pivot location.
Align to Pivot Rotates the object to align its transformation matrix axes with
the pivot.
Align to World Rotates the object to align its transformation matrix axes with
the world coordinate axes.

Pivot group

Reset Pivot Resets the pivot point to the position and orientation it held when
the object was first created. This is not affected by the state of the Affect Pivot
Only and Affect Object Only buttons.

Working Pivot Rollout
Make a selection. ➤
Pivot rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Pivot button ➤ Working

As an alternative to the object’s own pivot, you can use the working pivot for
applying transforms to any object in the scene. This allows you, for example,

3800 | Chapter 13 Animation

to rotate an object about an arbitrary, persistent point in the scene without
interfering with the object’s own pivot.
You position and orient the working pivot using standard transform tools as
well as some special options available on this rollout, and can activate it at
any time. You can use it for editing geometry at the object and sub-object
levels. Keep in mind, however, that the working pivot cannot be used as a
transform center when creating animation (see Animation and the Transform
Center on page 846).
NOTE The scene contains only one working pivot, which is independent of other
scene elements such as geometry.

Moving an object along the working pivot Z axis

IMPORTANT Most Working Pivot tools are best used in working contexts other
than the Hierarchy panel. For example, you can use it in the Modify panel context
while editing mesh sub-objects. For this reason, it’s highly recommended that you
use Customize User Interface on page 8837 ➤ Main UI group ➤ Working Pivot
category actions to create a set of controls that you can use anywhere in the 3ds
Max interface. For example, you could create a custom Working Pivot toolbar on
page 8840 with buttons that give you access to the Working Pivot commands while
editing meshes.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3801

Procedure
To use Working Pivot:
1 Turn on Edit Working Pivot and use standard transform tools or the Place
Pivot To group on page 3803 commands to place and orient the working
pivot. Turn off Edit Working Pivot when done.
2 You can use the working pivot in either of two ways:

■

Turn on Use Working Pivot from either the
Hierarchy panel
or your custom UI control on page 3801.
By default, this sets the geometric center for rotate and scale transforms
to Use Transform Coordinate Center on page 871; that is, the working
pivot position. To specify a different transform center, use the Use
Center flyout on page 867.

■

From the main toolbar ➤ Reference Coordinate System list on page
860, choose Working.
This keeps the current Use Center on page 867 setting.

Interface
When any of the modular tools on this rollout is active, a message to that
effect appears in each viewport below the viewport name. For example, when
you activate Use Working Pivot, the viewport legend reads “USE WP,” as
shown in the above illustration.

Edit Working Pivot When on, makes the working pivot visible in the scene
and lets you transform it.

3802 | Chapter 13 Animation

When you first enter Edit Working Pivot mode, all transform tools use the
Local reference coordinate system on page 860 by default. You can change the
coordinate system while working in this mode, and the tool remembers the
reference coordinate system for each transform. Changing the transform, for
example from Move to Rotate, recalls the last coordinate system for that
transform during the current Edit Working Pivot session.
Exiting Edit Working Pivot restores the last active transform tool. For example,
if you’re rotating an object, and you move the working pivot and then exit
Edit Working Pivot mode, the Rotate tool will again be active.
NOTE While Edit Working Pivot is active, the current selection is locked to the
working pivot and cannot be changed without exiting this mode.
Use Working Pivot When on, lets you transform the current selection (objects
or sub-objects) with respect to the working pivot. The transform gizmo, when
visible, moves to the working pivot location. In this mode you typically
transform the selection by manipulating the gizmo rather than the selection.
This mode overrides the current transform space for all transforms. Exiting
this mode restores the individual coordinate system for each transform tool.
By default, this sets the geometric center for rotate and scale transforms to
Use Transform Coordinate Center on page 871; that is, the working pivot
position. To specify a different transform center, use the Use Center flyout on
page 867.
You can activate Edit Working Pivot while using the working pivot; when you
exit Edit Working Pivot, Use Working Pivot mode is restored.
Align To View Reorients the working pivot so that its XY plane is parallel to
the active view plane and the X and Y axes are parallel to the viewport edges.
Available only in Edit Working Pivot and Use Working Pivot modes.
Reset Moves the working pivot to the pivot location of the selected object.
With multiple selected objects, the working pivot moves to the pivot position
of the last-selected object. With a sub-object selection, the working pivot
moves to the geometric center of the selection (the averaged position of the
selected sub-objects).
If the working pivot doesn’t appear onscreen, use Reset to move it to a known
location.

Place Pivot To group
These controls let you position the working pivot by clicking the mouse instead
of with transform tools. To use, click the View or Surface button, and then
click in a viewport to position the working pivot there. To exit, right-click the

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3803

active viewport or click the button again. You’re then returned to the previous
transform tool and working pivot mode if you were using one.
View Places the working pivot in screen space without changing its depth in
the screen. Thus the placement is on a grid that is parallel to the screen,
intersecting the original position of the pivot.
Surface Places the working pivot on a surface you click on, or, if no surface
is present where you click, the construction plane. This works like AutoGrid
on page 2819, and you can see the gizmo previewing the alignment to the normal
of the surface as you move the cursor over it. Clicking places the pivot to the
surface and aligns it to the normal (unless Align To View is on; see following).
Align To View When on, automatically aligns the working pivot to the current
view when you place it with View or Surface. This is useful to prepare for
transforms in the screen plane.

Adjust Transform Rollout
Make a selection. ➤
Transform rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Pivot button ➤ Adjust

You can transform an object and its pivot without affecting its children using
the buttons in Adjust Transform rollout. Adjusting an object's transforms has
no effect on any children linked to that object.
See also:
Adjust Pivot Rollout on page 3797

■

Procedures
To scale a parent without scaling the children:

1

Select the parent object in a hierarchy.

2 On the
Hierarchy panel, click the Pivot button if it's not already
on, then on the Adjust Transform rollout, click Don't Affect Children.

3804 | Chapter 13 Animation

3

Scale the parent object.
The children will remain unaffected.
TIP Never use non-uniform scale at the object level for objects in a hierarchical
chain. Always go to the sub-object level when you do a non-uniform scale
on hierarchically linked objects.

To reinitialize the scale of an object:

1

Select an object.

2 In the
Hierarchy panel ➤ Adjust Transform rollout ➤ Reset
group, click Scale.
The XYZ values are re-initialized to 100%. This operation prevents
Non-uniform Scale inheritance if a child object is linked to this object.

Interface

Move/Rotate/Scale group
Don't Affect Children Limits transforms to the selected object and its axis,
not to its children. This is very useful when working with bones and other
hierarchies. If you need to make a particular bone or object longer or shorter,
select the object and then turn on Don't Affect Children. You can readjust it

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3805

and any parent objects in the hierarchy will stretch or shrink to compensate
to the new dimension of the selected bone.

Reset group
Transform Resets the orientation of an objects local axis coordinates to align
with the world coordinate system, regardless of the current orientation of the
object.
This does not affect descendants.
When applied to closed groups, it aligns the dummy node of the parent, but
keeps the children in the same place. It reorients and resizes the dummy node
to correctly bind the children of the group.
Scale Resets the scale values in the transformation matrix to reflect the new
scale of the object. There is no visual change in the object.
You can use the Scale to correct Non Uniform Scale inheritance problems. If
Non Uniform Scale is inherited by a child object in a hierarchy, it can result
in an undesirable deformation in the child object. To correct for this, use
Reset: Scale in the Adjust Transform rollout on an object before linking.
You can view the scale values of the transformation matrix of a selected object.
On the toolbar, turn on Scale, then right-click any of the three toolbar
Transform buttons (Move, Rotate, or Scale).
There is also a Reset XForm utility on page 849 to do the same tasks.

Skin Pose Rollout
Make a selection in the viewport. ➤
➤ Skin Pose rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Pivot button

These controls function as a copy/paste system for setting up character
animation. For more information, see Skin Pose Commands on page 7946.

3806 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Skin Pose Mode Poses the character in its skin pose and allows the skin pose
to be refined. Changes to the objects when Skin Pose Mode is on affect only
the skin pose, not the animation. When Skin Pose Mode is off, the structure
returns to its pose at the current frame.
Available only after you’ve used Set As Skin Pose on page 7946 on an object.
Enabled group Toggle the Position, Rotation, and Scale check boxes to enable
and disable recording of the corresponding transforms when Skin Pose Mode
is active.

IK
Make a selection. ➤

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK button

The IK rollouts contain controls for interactive IK and the HD IK solver.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3807

The rollouts on this panel are:
Inverse Kinematics Rollout (Interactive, Applied, and HD IK) on page 3820
Object Parameters Rollout (HD Solver) on page 3808
Auto Termination Rollout (Interactive IK) on page 3823
Position XYZ Parameters on page 3555
Key Info (Basic) on page 3447
Key Info (Advanced) on page 3451
Rotational Joints (HD Solver) on page 3817
NOTE The rollouts for the HI IK and IK Limb solvers are not available while IK is
chosen in the Hierarchy panel. Most controls for these solvers are found on the
Motion panel.

HD IK Solver Rollouts
The HD IK Solver rollouts appear on the Hierarchy panel.

Object Parameters Rollout (HD Solver)
Make a selection. ➤
rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Object Parameters

The Object Parameters rollout lets you set IK parameters for an entire
hierarchical chain.
This topic covers the Terminator check box; other parameters on the Object
Parameters rollout are covered in the following topics:
Position / Orientation / Bind to Follow Object (HD Solver) on page 3809
Precedence (HD Solver) on page 3813
Copying, Pasting, and Mirroring Joint Parameters (HD Solver) on page 3816
Sliding and Rotational Joints Rollouts (HD Solver) on page 3817

3808 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To create a terminator in any hierarchy or HD IK chain:

1

Select an object in any hierarchy or HD IK chain that you want
to be the terminator.

2 On the
Terminator.

Hierarchy panel ➤ Object Parameters rollout, turn on

The terminated objects will not move when you use Interactive, Applied,
or HD IK animation.

Interface

Terminator Sets the base of an IK chain by defining one or more selected
objects as terminators.
Turn on Terminator to stop calculation of the kinematic chain before it reaches
the root object of the hierarchy. A terminator object stops calculation at the
terminator's child object; the terminator itself is not affected by the IK solution.
This gives you very precise control over the behavior of the kinematic chain.

Position / Orientation / Bind to Follow Object (HD Solver)
Make a selection with an HD Solver applied. ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤
IK ➤ Object Parameters rollout ➤ Position/Orientation/Bind to Follow
Object groups
Use the controls in these group boxes to bind objects in a HD IK chain to the
world or to follow objects. Use the various options to modify the behavior of
the bindings.
Use weighted and axis-specific binding controls to create different weights for
each binding, and to specify which axes the bound follow object influences.
Use the R (Relative) buttons to establish a relative offset with Bind Position
and Bind Orientation.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3809

Binding an Object to the World
Binds an object to the world if you want the object to hold its position and
orientation as long as possible during IK operations.

Binding an Object to a Follow Object
Binds a selected object in your IK chain to any other object that is not a
descendant of the selected object. This other object is called the follow object.

Procedures
To bind an object to the world:

1

Select the object to be bound.

2 On the
Hierarchy panel, click IK and expand the Object
Parameters rollout.
3 Select one or both of the Bind boxes:
■

Turn on Bind Position to cause the object to attempt to maintain its
current location.

■

Turn on Bind Orientation to cause the object to attempt to maintain
its current orientation.

To bind an object to a follow object:

1 Turn on Bind and
bound.

select the object in a kinematic chain to be

Moving your mouse over an acceptable target will change the cursor to
a push-pin icon.
2 Drag to the follow object and release.
3 Turn on Bind Orientation if you want the bound object to match the
rotation of the follow object. Bind Position is automatically selected.

3810 | Chapter 13 Animation

Turn off an axis (Axis: XYZ). The specified axis is no longer influenced
by the follow object or the New IK Position end effector.
Use Weight to set the relative influence of multiple follow objects or end
effectors, and thus their priority in solving the IK solution. The higher
the relative Weight value, the higher the priority.
NOTE As you drag, a dotted line is drawn from the pivot point of the selected
object to the cursor. When the cursor is over a valid follow object, it changes
to a push-pin cursor. Release to set the follow object. The name of the follow
object will appear in the text area.

To unbind an object:
■

Select the object to unbind, and then click Unbind.
In the text area, the name of the follow object is replaced with the word
"None."

Interface
Position group

Bind Position Binds the selected object in the IK chain to the world (attempts
to maintain its location), or to a follow object, if one has been assigned. If a
follow object has been assigned, then the translation of the follow object
affects the IK solution.
NOTE This check box has no effect on the HD IK Solver Position end effectors,
which are always bound to their assigned joints.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3811

Orientation group

Bind Orientation Binds the selected object in the hierarchy to the world
(attempts to maintain its orientation), or to a follow object, if one has been
assigned. If a follow object has been assigned, then the rotation of the follow
object affects the IK solution.
NOTE This check box has no effect on the HD IK Solver Rotation end effectors,
which are always bound to their assigned joints.
R Establishes a relative position offset or rotation offset between follow object
and end effector.
This button has no effect on the HD IK Solver Position end effectors. They are
created on top of the joint to which they're assigned, and are automatically
absolute.
If you move the joint away from the end effector, and want to reset the end
effector to an absolute position, you can delete and then recreate the end
effector.
Axis X/Y/Z If one of the axes is turned off, the specified axis is no longer
influenced by the follow object or the HD IK Solver Position end effector.
For example, if you turn off the X axis in the Position group, movement of
the follow object (or end effector) along the X axis has no effect on the IK
solution, but movement along the Y or Z axis has.
NOTE These do not constrain the movement of the follow object or end effector.
Weight Sets the influence of the follow object (or end effector) on its assigned
object, and on the rest of the chain. A setting of 0 turns off the binding. Using
this value you can set the relative influence of multiple follow objects or end
effectors and their priority in solving the IK solution. The higher the relative
Weight value, the higher the priority.
The Weight settings are relative; there's no point in using them if there's only
one follow object or end effector in your IK hierarchy.
However, if you have a single HD IK chain with both Position and Rotation
end effectors on a single joint, you can give them different weights to give
priority to either the position or rotation solution.

3812 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can adjust the Weight for multiple joints. Select two or more objects in
the hierarchy, and the Weight value represents the commonality of the
selection set.
NOTE Differences in the Weight values only have an effect when there is no
solution that satisfies two or more opposing end effectors in the chain. In this case,
the end effector with the greatest weight "wins."

Bind To Follow Object group

Controls to bind and unbind an object in an inverse kinematic chain to a
follow object.
(Label) Displays the name of the selected follow object. Displays the word
"None" if no follow object is set.
Bind Binds an object in an inverse kinematic chain to a follow object.
Unbind Unbinds the selected object in a HD IK chain from its follow object.

Precedence (HD Solver)
Make a selection with an HD IK Solver applied. ➤
➤ IK ➤ Object Parameters rollout ➤ Precedence

Hierarchy panel

You can use the three joint precedence controls to alter how the IK Solution
is calculated.
The default joint precedence is 0. This is suitable for many IK solutions. It
assumes that joints closest to where a force is applied (the end effector) will
move more than joints farther from the force.
Child->Parent values are calculated by assuming the root of the entire
hierarchy has a precedence value of 0 and each child has a value equal to 10
times its depth from the root. In a four-object hierarchy starting with the root,
the values would be 0, 10, 20, and 30.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3813

Parent->Child values are calculated by assuming the root of the entire
hierarchy has a precedence value of 0 and each child has a value equal to 10
times its depth from the root. In a four-object hierarchy starting with the root,
the values would be 0, -10, -20, and -30.
■

Default joint precedence occurs whenever all joints in the kinematic chain
have the same precedence value. Assigning a value of 100 to all objects in
the kinematic chain is exactly the same as assigning a value of 0.

■

An IK chain of three objects with precedence values of 0, 30, and 200 would
have the same solution if the precedence were changed to be 1, 2, and 3.

Procedures
To assign a precedence value to an object manually:

1

Select an object in an HD IK Chain.

2 On the

Hierarchy panel, open the Object Parameters rollout.

3 Enter a value in the Precedence field.
To assign Child->Parent precedence to all objects in a kinematic chain:

1

Select all objects in an HD IK chain.

2 On the

Hierarchy panel, open the Object Parameters rollout.

3 Click Child->Parent.
To assign Parent->Child precedence to all objects in a kinematic chain:

1

Select all objects in the kinematic chain.

3814 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 On the

Hierarchy panel, open the Object Parameters rollout.

3 Click Parent->Child.
To reset the default joint precedence:

1

2 On the

Select all objects in the kinematic chain.

Hierarchy panel, open the Object Parameters rollout.

3 Set the value in the Precedence field to 0.

Interface

Three controls set precedence:
Precedence Manually assigns precedence values to any object in the IK chain.
High precedence values are calculated before low precedence values. Precedence
values that are equal are calculated in Child->Parent order.
Child->Parent Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from
child to parent. Causes joints closest to where a force is applied (the end
effector) to move more than joints farther away from the force.
You almost always assign Child->Parent precedence to an entire kinematic
chain.
Child->Parent behaves like the default precedence settings but is more flexible
if you want to go back and manually change the settings.
Parent->Child Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from
parent to child. Causes joints closest to where a force is applied (the end
effector) to move less than joints farther away from the force.
You almost always assign Child->Parent precedence to an entire kinematic
chain.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3815

Copying, Pasting, and Mirroring Joint Parameters (HD Solver)
Make a selection. ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Object Parameters
rollout ➤ Copying, Pasting, and Mirroring joint parameters
Use the Copy and Paste buttons in the Object Parameters rollout to copy and
paste the joint settings between IK controllers. You can also copy joint settings
from a non-IK controller to an IK controller, but you can't copy from an IK
controller to a non-IK controller. With an HD IK solver hierarchy, you can
paste to a multiple selection of joints.
Use Mirror Paste to mirror the IK joint settings about the X, Y, or Z axis during
a Paste operation. It consists of four buttons: one each for the X, Y, and Z axes,
and a None option that prevents mirroring altogether.
You can also mirror the IK joints using the Mirror tool on the main toolbar.
See also:
Sliding and Rotational Joints on page 3817

■

Procedures
To copy and paste joint parameters:

1

Select an object in an inverse kinematic chain.

2 Set sliding or rotational joint parameters.
3 Click Copy in either the Sliding Joints or Rotational Joints group on the
Object Parameters rollout.

4

Select a different object in the inverse kinematic chain.

5 Select an axis to mirror in the Mirror Paste group.
6 Click paste in either the Sliding Joints or Rotational Joints group on the
Object Parameters rollout.

3816 | Chapter 13 Animation

Both Sliding Joints and Rotational Joints maintain separate clipboards.
The copied joint parameters are saved in the clipboard until you replace
them with new copied parameters.

Interface

Sliding Joints group
Use these buttons to copy sliding joint parameters from one object to another.
These buttons are not available for Path joints.

Rotational Joints group
Use these buttons for copying rotational joint parameters from one object to
another.

Mirror Paste group
Use to mirror the IK joint settings about the X, Y, or Z axis during a Paste
operation.

Sliding and Rotational Joints Rollouts (HD Solver)
Make a selection. ➤
Joints rollouts

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Sliding and Rotational

In inverse kinematics, joints operate by allowing motion on one or more axes
and restricting motion on the remaining axes. You set whether an object can
move (slide) on or rotate about a given axis with the Active check box in the
joint rollouts. Joints have a maximum of six possible axes: three for position
and three for rotation. You constrain the motion of a joint by setting which
axes are active.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3817

The setting of IK joint axes overrides any Inherit and Lock settings in Link
Info on page 3824.

Procedures
To activate or deactivate an axis:

1

Select an object.

2 On the

Hierarchy panel, click IK.

3 Expand the rollout for a joint type.
4 Turn on Active for any available axis.
■

When on, the axis is active and the object can move or rotate about
that axis.

■

When off, the axis is inactive and the object cannot move or rotate
about that axis.

To limit a joint:

1

Select an object.

2 On the

Hiearchy panel, click IK.

3 Turn on Limited for any active axis. If an axis is inactive the limits settings
are ignored.
■

When on, the axis is limited and the object can move or rotate within
the range set by the From and To fields.

■

When off, the axis is not limited and the object moves or rotates freely
about that axis. If you turn on Limited, specify limit values in the
From and To fields. When setting limits, the object transforms to the
position or rotation defined by the From or To field. When you exit
the field or release the spinner, the object returns to its original
position. You can also view joint limits in the viewport by pressing

3818 | Chapter 13 Animation

and holding the mouse button on the From or To label of a limit field.
The object will move or rotate to the limit value until you release the
mouse button.

Interface
Sliding/Rotational Joints rollouts

The Sliding Joints rollout and Rotational Joints rollout contain similar controls
for position and rotation, respectively. Also, each rollout contains identical
group boxes for control of the X, Y, and Z axes.

X/Y/Z Axis groups
Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to slide on or rotate
about the activated axis.
Limited Limits the range of motion or rotation allowed on an active axis. Use
in conjunction with the From and To spinners. Most joints are limited in their
range of motion along an active axis. For example, a piston slides only within
the length of its cylinder.
Ease Causes a joint to resist motion as it approaches its From and To limits.
Simulates an organic joint, or worn mechanical joint, moving or rotating
freely in the middle of its range of motion but moving less freely at the
extremes of its range.
From and To Spinners Determine for position and rotation limits. Use in
conjunction with the Limited function.
Spring Back Activates Spring Back. Each joint has a rest position. As the joint
moves further from the rest position, an increasingly larger force pulls the
joint back to its rest position, like a spring.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3819

Spring Back (spinner) Sets the rest position for the joint. For rotational joints,
this is the orientation of the joint in degrees; for sliding joints, it's the position
in units. Adjusting this is similar to adjusting the From/To spinners. You see
the orientation/position while performing the adjustment, but when you
release the spinner the object returns to its previous state.
If you're using the HD Solver, you must turn on Show Initial State (Motion
panel ➤ IK Controller Parameters rollout) to see the effect on the geometry
during the adjustment .
Spring Tension Sets the strength of the "spring." Higher values cause the
spring to pull harder as the joint moves further from its rest position. A setting
of 0 turns off the spring; very high settings can turn the joint into a limit
because you can reach the point where the spring is too strong to allow the
joint to move past a certain point.
Damping Applies resistance over a joint's full range of motion or rotation.
Simulates the natural effect of joint friction or inertia. As a joint corrodes,
dries out, or is put under a heavy load, it resists motion along its active axes.

Interactive and Applied IK Rollouts
The Interactive and Applied IK rollouts appear on the Hierarchy panel.

Inverse Kinematics Rollout
Make a selection. ➤
rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Inverse Kinematics

The Inverse Kinematics rollout displays different controls based on IK Solvers
applied to the selected hierarchy. IK Solvers are applied to the hierarchies
using the Animation menu.
When an HD IK Solver is applied to an IK chain the Inverse Kinematics rollout
displays the controls described below.
The Inverse Kinematics rollout provides controls for interactive and applied
IK, as well as the controls for the HD Solver (history dependent). Use Apply
IK to calculate an IK solution and generate Transform keys (move, rotate) for

3820 | Chapter 13 Animation

all objects in an IK chain (the IK chain must include a follow object). By
default, keys are created at every frame.
■

Applied IK requires that one or more parts of your IK structure be bound
to animated follow objects. Once bound, you can select any object in your
kinematic chain and click the Apply IK button.

■

The Apply IK method of animation works best when you want objects in
the kinematic chain to match the motions of other objects exactly. An
example of this would be a mechanical connection that should always
appear to be attached to the follow object.

Procedures
To use interactive IK:
1 Build a hierarchy of objects.
If you want to use Bones, be sure Assign to Children is not active when
you create the Bones.

2

Select the end of the chain.

3 Go to the

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK button.

4 Scroll up to the Inverse Kinematics Rollout
5 Click Interactive IK.
6 Advance the time slider and move the end of the chain.
7 Turn off Interactive IK when you want to do forward kinematics.
To use applied IK:
1 Add an HD Solver to your hierarchy.
2 Bind objects in your IK structure to follow objects.
3 Animate the follow objects.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3821

4

Select any object in the IK structure.

5 On the
Hierarchy panel, click IK and expand the Inverse
Kinematics rollout.
6 Click Apply IK.
TIP Be sure your Start Frame and End frames match the length of your
animation.

Interface

Interactive IK Allows for IK manipulation of hierarchies without applying
an IK Solver or using a follow object.
Apply IK Calculates the IK solution for each frame of the animation and
creates transform keys for every object in the IK chain. A bar graph appears
on the prompt line to indicate progress of the calculations.
Apply Only To Keys Solves the IK solution for keyframes that already exist
for one of the end effectors.
Update Viewports Views the progress of Apply IK frame by frame in the
viewports.

3822 | Chapter 13 Animation

Clear Keys Removes all move and rotate keys from the selected IK chain before
applying IK.
Start/End Sets the range of frames to calculate the applied IK solution. The
default settings for Apply IK calculates the IK solution for every frame of the
active time segment.

Auto Termination Rollout (Interactive IK)
Make a selection. ➤
Termination rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ IK button ➤ Auto

The Auto Termination controls temporarily assign terminators a specific
number of links up the hierarchical chain from the selected object. This only
works with Interactive IK; it does not work with applied IK or with IK solvers.

Procedures
To use auto termination:
1 In the Auto Termination rollout, turn on Auto Termination.
2 Enter a value in the # of Links Up field.
Turn on the IK button on the toolbar.

3

Select any object in an IK chain to

move or

rotate.

Interface

Interactive IK Auto Termination Turns on the auto termination feature.
# of Links Up Specifies how far up the chain the termination is applied.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3823

For example, if you set this to 5, when you move any object in the hierarchy,
the object that's five links up the chain from the object you're adjusting acts
as a terminator. If you select a different object in the hierarchy, termination
is switched to whichever object is five links up the chain from the newly
selected object.
A setting of 1 simply locks the hierarchy, since it terminates the joint just
beyond the currently selected object.

Link Info
Make a selection. ➤

Hierarchy panel ➤ Link Info button

This part of the Hierarchy panel contains two rollouts. The Locks rollout has
controls to restrict the movement of objects in a particular axis. The Inherit
rollout has controls to limit the transforms that a child inherits from its parent
object.

Interface

Locks Rollout
Make a selection. ➤
rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Link Info button ➤ Locks

The Locks rollout locks an object’s ability to transform along particular local
axes.
See also:
■

Inherit Rollout on page 3825

3824 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To lock all move transforms:

1

Select an object.

2 In the Locks rollout, turn on Move group ➤ X, Y, and Z.
Only rotate and scale transforms will work.
The object does not need to be part of a hierarchy.

Interface

X, Y, Z Turn on any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Scale group box to lock the
axis. For example, if Rotate ➤ X and Y are turned on, you'll be able to rotate
the object only around the Z axis. All locks are relative to an object's local
coordinate system.

Inherit Rollout
Make a selection. ➤
rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Link Info button ➤ Inherit

The Inherit rollout limits which transforms a child inherits. It constrains the
links between a selected object and its parent for any axis of position, rotation,
or scale.

Hierarchy Panel Commands | 3825

See also:
■

Locks Rollout on page 3824

Procedures
To prevent inheritance of X rotation in a hierarchy:

Select an object, then turn off X in the Rotate group on the Inherit

■

rollout.

Interface

X, Y, Z Turn off any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Scale group boxes to prevent
inheritance.
When you turn on an axis, transform information passes from the parent to
the child for that axis. When you turn off an axis, transform information on
that axis is ignored by the child.

3826 | Chapter 13 Animation

Track View
Main toolbar ➤

(Curve Editor (Open))

Graph Editors menu ➤ New Track View
Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View - Curve Editor
Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View - Dope Sheet
Graph Editors menu ➤ Saved Track View ➤ Choose a saved Track View.
Right-click the active viewport. ➤ Quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant ➤
Curve Editor or Dope Sheet
Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label. ➤ POV viewport
label menu on page 8712 ➤ Track ➤ Choose New or a saved Track View.
With Track View, you can view and edit all the keys that you create. You can
also assign animation controllers to interpolate or control all the keys and
parameters for the objects in your scene.
Track View uses two different modes, Curve Editor and Dope Sheet. Curve
Editor mode lets you display the animation as function curves. Dope Sheet
mode displays the animation as a spreadsheet of keys and ranges. Keys are
color-coded for easy identification. Some of the functions in Track View, such
as moving and deleting keys, are also available on the track bar near the time
slider, which can be expanded to show curves as well. You can dock the Curve
Editor and Dope Sheet windows beneath the viewports at the bottom of the
interface, or use them as floating windows. Track View layouts can be named
and stored in the Track View buffer and reused. Track View layouts are stored
with the MAX file.

Track View | 3827

Track View — Curve Editor

Track View — Dope Sheet (Edit Keys)

Typical Uses for Track View
Track View can perform a variety of scene management and animation control
tasks. Use Track View to:
■

Display a list of objects in your scene and their parameters.

■

Change key values.

■

Change key timing.

■

Change controller ranges (see procedure).

■

Change interpolation between keys.

■

Edit ranges of multiple keys.

■

Edit blocks of time.

3828 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Add sound to your scene.

■

Create and manage notes about the scene.

■

Change the behavior of the animation outside the range of keys.

■

Change controllers for animated parameters

■

Select objects, vertices, and hierarchies.

■

Navigate the modifier stack in the Modify panel by clicking the modifier
items in the Track View Hierarchy.
NOTE Tracks are created for animated vertices in Track View. A Bezier Point3
controller is the default vertex interpolation controller.

See also:
Animation Controllers on page 3454

■

Procedures
To change the frames in which a controller takes effect:
When you apply a controller or constraint to an object's motion, the frame
range over which controller takes effect is determined by the current active
time segment on page 9082. If you then change the active time segment or the
animation length, the duration of the controller's influence doesn't change.
Sometimes applying a controller (such as Path Constraint) automatically sets
keys that you can use to change this range. But others, such as Noise
controllers, don't set keys. In such cases, follow this procedure:

1

Select the object, and then right-click it and choose Curve Editor
from the menu.

2 Expand the object hierarchy to find the track or tracks to adjust.
3 From the Modes menu, choose Dope Sheet.

4 On the Dope Sheet, click

(Edit Ranges).

Track View | 3829

5 Adjust the range duration by dragging its endpoints, or its position in
the animation by dragging between endpoints.
For more information, see Dope Sheet on page 3842.
To select keys in Track View (either mode), do any of the following:
■

Click the key to select an individual key.

■

Drag a selection rectangle around keys to select multiple keys.

■

Hold down the Ctrl key and click to create discontinuous multiple key
selections.

NOTE If you are in Dope Sheet – Edit Ranges mode, you can use Select Time to
select multiple keys.
To delete keys in Track View (either mode):
1 Select keys on the curve, or on the dope sheet.
2 Press the Delete key to delete the selected keys.
To force Track View to always display on a second monitor:
If you are running a dual-monitor setup, you can force Track View to display
on the right-hand monitor by editing a script.

1 On the main toolbar, right-click
then choose Edit Macro Script.

(Curve Editor (Open)), and

The MAXScript script that opens the Track View – Function Curve Editor
appears.
2 Locate the line that reads:
if (trackviews.open "Track View - Curve Editor" layoutName:"Func
tion Curve Layout") == true then

3 Replace that line with this one:
max_window = getMaxWindowSize() --get Desktop size if (track
views.open "Track View - Curve Editor" layoutName:"Function Curve
Layout" pos:[max_window.x/2,0] height:max_window.y
width:(max_window.x/2) ) == true then

3830 | Chapter 13 Animation

4 Save the script and restart 3ds Max.
This should open the Track View in a new session over the right half of the
desktop. Assuming that a dual-monitor setup reports twice the width, this
will force the Track View on the second monitor. On a single monitor, it opens
it over the right half of the monitor. Of course, you could enter your own
numbers like pos:[1024,0] height:768 width:1024 in case you are running two
monitors at 1024x768.
To open Track View in a viewport:
■

Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label, and then from
the POV viewport label menu on page 8712 choose Views ➤ Track ➤ New,
or choose the name of a saved Track View.

Working with Track View
Track View is the tool that you use to see a data-driven view of your scene
and animation.
The standard views, such as Top, Front, User, and Camera, are geometry-driven
views. These views display the surfaces of your objects and show them changing
over time.
Track View displays the values and timing that produce the geometry and
motion you see in standard views. Using Track View, you have very precise
control over every aspect of your scene.
Track View has two modes: Curve Editor and Dope Sheet. The Curve Editor
displays your animation as keys on function curves; editing the tangency of
the keys allows control of the in-betweens. Dope Sheet displays your animation
as keys and ranges on a box grid and allows you to adjust the timing of your
motions.
Track View keys and curves can also be displayed in the track bar. The same
Key properties dialogs available on Track View can also be found on the Motion
panel as well.
For details about using Track View and editing animation, see the following:
■

Track View Edit Window on page 3832

■

Track View Menu Bar on page 3882

■

Curve Editor Toolbars on page 3907

Working with Track View | 3831

■

Dope Sheet on page 3842

■

Dope Sheet Toolbars on page 3913

Understanding Track View Concepts
The left side of Track View, called the Controller Window, presents a Hierarchy
list of everything in your scene. Every object and environment effect appears
in the list, along with its associated animatable parameters. Choose items from
this list to apply changes to the animation values. Expand or collapse the list
using manual navigation, or allow the Auto expand to determine the display
in this window.
The right side of Track View, called the Key window, charts the changes applied
to parameters over time. Any change you make to one of these parameters
when the Auto Key button is on, appears as a key in the right side of Track
View. Select keys to apply changes to one or more specific keys.
This section covers some of the editing functions you can use with Track View:
Copying and Pasting Items on page 3981
Copying and Pasting Objects on page 3983
Making Instance and Reference Controllers and Objects Unique on page 3985

Track View Workspace
The Track View Key window displays function curves and keys when in Curve
Editor mode. When in Dope Sheet mode, the tracks can be displayed as keys
or ranges. You select and change animation values and timing in these
windows. The Key window also indicates the active time segment. Time within
the active time segment is highlighted with a light gray background. The Track
View Key window is sometimes referred to as the Key window.
Components of the Key window include a time slider, a time ruler, and a scale
origin slider. The Track View time slider indicates the current frame and is
synchronized with the viewport time slider. A time ruler at the bottom of the
window can be raised to measure keys against time. A scale origin indicator
(a horizontal orange line at 0) can be moved during scale value operations as
a reference point for scaling.

3832 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface
The two main sections of the Track View workspace consist of the Key window
and the Controller window.

Controller Window
The Controller window displays object names and controller tracks, and
determines which curves and tracks are available for display and editing.
Hierarchy items in the Controller window can be expanded and rearranged
as necessary using the Hierarchy list right-click menu. The navigation tools
can also be found in the Track View Options menu. Default behavior is to
only show selected object tracks. Use Manual Navigation mode to collapse or
expand tracks individually, or press Alt+right-click to display an alternate
menu to collapse and expand tracks.

Track View Workspace | 3833

Controller window

Key window
The Key window displays the keys as either curves or tracks. The tracks can
be displayed as a box graph of keys or range bars.

3834 | Chapter 13 Animation

Keys displayed as box graph (Dope Sheet - Edit Keys mode)

Key Creation
Keys are created using a variety of methods. Keys can be created by turning
on Auto Key, moving the time slider, and then transforming the object or
adjusting its parameters. Keys can also be created by right-clicking the viewport
time slider to access the Create Key dialog. Keys can be created directly in
Track View using Add Keys. Finally, keys can be created by turning on Set Key
mode, moving to a desired frame, posing the object, then clicking Set Key.

Key Display
Keys are displayed as points on the function curves, or as boxes on the Dope
Sheet. Keys on the Dope Sheet are color-coded for easy identification. When
there are multiple tracks keyed at one frame, the boxes appear with bands of
color to indicate the shared key types. Key coloration is also used to show soft
selection of keys. Subframe keys (keyframes that fall between frames) are
indicated as narrow rectangles within the boxes.

Track View Workspace | 3835

Colored keys with subframe display

Keys are also displayed on the track bar below the viewport.
Keys displayed on the function curves have tangency types. The tangency
buttons found on the Key Tangents toolbar can be used to change the function
curve keys. Use Custom tangency to show editable curve handles. Use Step
tangency to freeze motion or create classic storyboard pose-to-pose blocking.
Function curves can also be displayed below the track bar.

3836 | Chapter 13 Animation

Custom Tangency handles

Range Bars
In the Dope Sheet - Edit Ranges mode (when animation keys have been
created), range bars display to indicate the range of time the animation occurs.
Tools specific to working with ranges (position ranges and recouple ranges)
can be found on the Ranges toolbar (off by default). Right-click the toolbar,
choose Show Toolbars, and then select Range-Track View to access these tools.

Track View Workspace | 3837

Keys displayed as range bars (Dope Sheet - Edit Ranges mode)

Function Curves
Function Curves display the values of keys, and the interpolated values between
keys, as a curve. These curves express how a parameter varies over time. Only
animation tracks can display function curves. You can edit the curves using
tangency handles on the keys to change the shape of the curve.

Keys displayed as function curves (Curve Editor)

3838 | Chapter 13 Animation

Multiple curves can be viewed simultaneously by selecting tracks in the
Controller window. This is especially useful when using Multiplier or Ease
Curves. You can adjust the multiplier or ease curve point tangencies and watch
the final result in the controller curve at the same time.

Time Ruler
The time ruler measures time. Markings on the ruler reflect the settings in the
Time Configuration dialog. Move the time ruler up to the keys for more
accurate key placement.

Time ruler

Track View Time Slider
The current time is indicated by the Track View time slider. This is displayed
as a set of blue vertical lines synchronized with the position of the viewport
time slider. You can move the Track View time slider by dragging it in the Key
window. Moving either time slider updates the animation in the viewports.
The blue time slider also serves as a scale origin point when scaling keys in
time.

Track View Workspace | 3839

Scale keys using time slider

Scale Values Origin Line
When you scale key values on page 3990 (that is, scaling in space rather than
time), a horizontal orange line appears at the 0 value on the vertical graph
axis. This orange line is a scale values origin indicator, which you can move
vertically to vary the reference point for scaling values.

Horizontal line at the top of the illustration is the moveable scale origin line.

TIP The easiest way to return the scale origin line to the 0 position is to close and
reopen Track View.

3840 | Chapter 13 Animation

Curve Editor Introduction
Main toolbar ➤

(Curve Editor (Open))

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Modes menu ➤ Curve Editor
Main menu ➤ Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor
Right-click an object selected in a viewport. ➤ Curve Editor
The Track View - Curve Editor is a Track View mode that allows you to work
with motion expressed as function curves on a graph. It lets you visualize the
interpolation of the motion, the object transformations that 3ds Max creates
between the keyframes. You can easily see and control the motion and
animation of the objects in the scene using tangent handles on the keys found
on the curves.

The Curve Editor interface consists of a menu bar, a toolbar, a Controller
window, and a Key window. There is also a time ruler, and navigation and
status tools at the bottom of the interface.
You can loop or cycle your animation beyond its range by adding Parameter
Curve Out-Of-Range Types from the Curve Editor, as well as by adding
Multiplier or Ease Curve onto other animated tracks for added control.

TIP
curves.

You can also click Show Curves in the track bar to display function

Curve Editor Introduction | 3841

See also:
■

Track View Menu Bar on page 3882

■

Curve Editor Toolbars on page 3907

■

Curve Editor on page 3986

Dope Sheet
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Modes menu ➤ Dope Sheet
Main menu ➤ Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View - Dope Sheet
Right-click an object selected in a viewport ➤ Dope Sheet
The Track View - Dope Sheet editor displays keyframes over time on a
horizontal graph. This graphical display simplifies the process of adjusting
animation timing because you can see all keys at once in a spreadsheet-like
format.

Classical animation technique included the use of an exposure sheet, called
an “X” sheet or a Dope Sheet. The Dope Sheet was a vertical chart that served
as instructions to the camera operator. Dialogue and camera actions were
indicated over a numbered list that represented each shot, which became a
single photographed frame of the animated movie. The classical exposure
sheet also included instructions for compositing the cel drawings of animated
characters over backgrounds. This device serves as inspiration for the Dope
Sheet tool in 3ds Max.

3842 | Chapter 13 Animation

The 3ds Max Dope Sheet editor is similar to the classic X sheet. It displays
keyframes over time, only using a horizontal graph (rather than vertical). This
provides tools for adjusting the timing of your animation. Here, you can see
all the keys in a spreadsheet-type interface. You can select any or all of the
keys in a scene, scale them, move them, copy and paste them, or otherwise
work directly here, rather than in the viewport. You can choose to select the
keys for children, or subtree, or both, so you can make simple changes that
affect many objects and their keys at once.
A common use of Dope Sheet is to stagger the movement of a character's limbs
so they don't all move simultaneously. If you have a crowd of characters, you
could use Dope Sheet to shift movements so they don't all move in unison.

Dope Sheet Menus and Tools
In the Dope Sheet, you can select any or all of the keys in a scene, scale them,
move them, copy and paste them, or otherwise work directly, rather than
working with objects in viewports. You can choose to select the keys for
children, or subtree or both, so you can make simple changes that affect many
objects and their keys at once.
Dope Sheet allows for soft-selection of keys which is very useful when working
with motion capture data that has keys on every frame.
Dope Sheet provides tools for working directly with time. You can select, cut,
copy, paste, and insert and reverse time using the tools on the Time menu.
Like the Curve Editor on page 3841, Dope Sheet has both a menu bar and toolbars
to provide you quick access to tools.

Dope Sheet menu bar

Unlike Curve Editor, Dope Sheet has two modes: Edit Keys and Edit Ranges.
These modes affect the display in the Key window.

Edit Keys Mode
When Edit Keys is active, the keyframes are displayed as boxes within rectangles
on a grid. The keys are color-coded to show what has been keyframed (position
is red, scale is yellow, rotation is green, and so on.)

Dope Sheet | 3843

Colored keys

Dope Sheet keys are now displayed as rectangles within boxes so you can easily
spot sub-frame keys, keys that fall in-between frames. Keys that fill the boxes
are on the frame, keys that are small rectangles are sub-frame.

Sub-frame keys

Dope Sheet, just like the Curve Editor, allows you to use soft selection on keys.
This is extremely useful when you are dealing with massive quantities of keys,

3844 | Chapter 13 Animation

such as in motion-capture data files. Combine this with scaling keys for a
means to manipulate motion data.

Soft selection of Dope Sheet keys

Edit Ranges Mode
When Edit Ranges is active, the animation tracks are displayed as range bars;
no individual keys are visible. Use this modewhen you want to change only
how long an action takes, or when it starts and ends, rather than particular
keys within an animation range.

Edit Ranges mode

Modify Subtree and Modify Child Keys

When working in Dope Sheet mode, you can toggle Modify
Subtree on page 3893 and Modify Child Keys on page 3895. These let you
automatically move the tracks for the subtree and the keys for the children,
respectively. If you experience a slowdown while working with Dope Sheet,

Dope Sheet | 3845

try turning these off and moving the keys manually instead. Modify Subtree
is on by default in Dope Sheet, but Modify Child Keys is off.

Time Editing
Dope Sheet offers you a variety of tools for working directly with time. You
can select a period of time, which includes all the keys within that period,
and then perform different operations on that time segment. You can copy
and paste time to loop animations, or reverse time so the animation plays
backward. You can insert time to add a space to an animation, or delete time
to shorten a motion.
NOTE For Dope Sheet procedures, see the individual tools and menu choices
within the links below.

Dope Sheet Display Optimization
Only tracks displayed in the current field of view are computed, optimizing
the responsiveness of the Dope Sheet editor.
Dope Sheet temporarily retains the key caches so tracks that have already been
computed as a result of the parent being computed needn't be recomputed.
The cache is used instead.
The default auto-navigation settings for the Dope Sheet editor auto-expand
only to the node track for the currently selected object. This reduces the
number of tracks whose keys need to be displayed and also helps enforce the
top-down workflow for which the Dope Sheet editor is designed.
See also:
■

Track View Menu Bar on page 3882

■

Dope Sheet Toolbars on page 3913

■

Select Time on page 3965

■

Edit Ranges on page 3978

■

Edit Keys on page 3940

Time Ruler
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Time Ruler (below right-hand pane)

3846 | Chapter 13 Animation

The time ruler at the bottom of the Track View Key window measures time.
Markings on the time ruler reflect the settings in the Time Configuration
dialog on page 8696. You can drag the time ruler vertically in the Key window
to align it with any track.

Track View Shortcuts
This topic lists Track View functions for which keyboard shortcuts can be set.
Where there is no default keyboard shortcut listed and no button shown in
the action list, a brief description appears in the right column.
To use Track View keyboard shortcuts, the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle
on page 9008 must be on.
See also:
■

Track View on page 3827

■

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007

■

Keyboard Panel on page 8837

■

Customize User Interface Dialog on page 8837

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Access Hierarchy Select
Name Field

Accesses the track selection
field at the lower left of
Track View window

Access Time Field

Accesses the time field at
the lower left of Track View
window

Access Track Name Field

Accesses the name of the
Track View window at upper right

Access Value Field

Accesses the value field at
the lower left of Track View
window

Track View Shortcuts | 3847

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Add Keys

A

Add Note Track
Add Visibility Track
Align Keys
Apply Ease Curve

Ctrl+E

Apply Multiplier Curve

Ctrl+M

Assign Controller

C

Auto Expand Animated
Auto Expand Keyable
Auto Expand Limits
Collapse All
Collapse Objects
Collapse Tracks
Copy Controller
Copy Time
Cut Time
Delete Controller
Delete Ease/Multiplier
Curve
Delete Note Track
Delete Visibility Track

3848 | Chapter 13 Animation

Ctrl+C

Description

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Draw Curves
Ease Curve Out-of-Range
Types
Ease/Multiplier Curve Enable Toggle
Edit Keys Mode
Edit Ranges Mode
Edit Time Mode
Edit Track Set
Exclude Left End Point
Toggle
Exclude Right End PointToggle
Expand Object Toggle

O (letter "o")

Expand Objects
Expand Track Toggle

ENTER, T

Expand Tracks
Filters

Q

Freeze Nonselected Curves
Function Curves Mode
Ignore Animation Range
Insert Time

Track View Shortcuts | 3849

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Keyable Properties Toggle
Lock Selection

Spacebar

Lock Tangents Toggle

L

Make Controller Unique

U

Modify Subtree Toggle
Move Highlight Down

Down Arrow

Move Highlight Up

Up Arrow

Move Keys

M

Move Keys Horizontal
Move Keys Vertical
Move Object Down

Moves an object down in
the hierarchy display

Move Object Up

Moves an object up in the
hierarchy display

Multiplier Curve Out-ofRange Types
Nudge Keys Left

Left Arrow

Nudge Keys Right

Right Arrow

Pan

P

Parameter Curve Out-ofRange Types
Paste Controller

3850 | Chapter 13 Animation

Ctrl+V

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Paste Limit Only
Paste Time
Position Ranges Mode
Properties
Reduce Keys
Remove Limit
Respect Animation Range
Reverse Time
Scale Keys
Scale Time
Scale Values
Scroll Down

Ctrl+Down Arrow

Scroll Up

Ctrl+Up Arrow

Select All
Select Children
Select Invert
Select None
Select Time
Select Lower Limit
Set Tangents to Auto

Track View Shortcuts | 3851

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Set Tangents to Custom
Set Tangents to Fast
Set Tangents to Linear
Set Tangents to Slow
Set Tangents to Smooth
Set Tangents to Step
Set Upper Limit
Show All Tangents
Show Keys on Frozen
Curves
Show Selected Key Stats
Show Tangents Toggle
Slide Keys
Snap Frames

S

Toggle Limit
Track View Utilities
Zoom

Z

Zoom Horizontal Extents
Zoom Horizontal Extents
Zoom Region
Zoom Selected Object

3852 | Chapter 13 Animation

Alt+X

Description

Track View Function

Default Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Zoom Time
Zoom Value Extents
Zoom Values

Track View Hierarchy
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controller Window
The Track View Controller window displays all elements in your scene in a
hierarchical fashion.
You highlight items in the Hierarchy list to:
■

Designate object and track labels for Track View operations.

■

Select objects in the scene.

■

Designate materials and maps when working in the Material Editor.

■

Navigate the modifier stack in the Modify panel.

See also:
■

Hierarchy Right-Click Menu on page 3861

■

Properties (Track View Hierarchy) on page 3866

■

Modify Subtree on page 3893

■

Sound on page 3868

Procedures
To select objects in the scene using the Track View Controller window:
1 Do one of the following to select the first object:
■

Click an object's icon to select a single object.

■

Double-click a parent object's icon to select an object and its
descendants.

Track View Hierarchy | 3853

2 Do one of the following to select additional objects:
■

Press Shift and click an object icon to select all objects between the
object and the previously selected object.

■

Press Ctrl and click an object icon to add (or remove) the object to the
selection.

When objects are selected in the scene, their icons are also highlighted
in Track View.
All objects in your scene are always displayed in Track View. However,
selecting object icons in Track View follows the same rules as selecting
objects in the scene:
■

You can't select the icon of a hidden object.

■

You can't select the icon of a frozen object.

■

If you select the icon of an object that is part of a closed group, the
group icon and all the objects in the group are selected.

To select and deselect item labels by clicking:
1 Select the first item by clicking its label.
2 Do one of the following to add or subtract from the selection:
■

Press Shift and click an item label to select all items between the item
and the previously selected item.

■

Press Ctrl and click an item label to add (or remove) that item to the
selection.

■

Press Alt and click an item label to select all item labels in the column.

Right-clicking an item displays a right-click menu for globally selecting
items in the Hierarchy list.
To select items in the Controller window with the right-click menu:
■

Right-click an item in the Controller window, then do any of the following:
■

Choose Select All to select all items visible in the Hierarchy list.
Collapsed items are not selected. Press Ctrl and choose Select All to
select only visible transform items.

■

Choose Select Invert to reverse the selection pattern.

■

Choose Select None to clear all items from the selection.

3854 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Choose Selected Children to select the linked descendants of a parent
object.

When working with function curves, you can also select a controller icon
(instead of the label) to select that function curve for vertex editing.
To select a material or map as the active material in the Material Editor:

1 Open the

Material Editor.

2 Open the Medit Materials branch in the Hierarchy list of the Controller
window and select a material.
The selected material becomes the active item in the Material Editor. This
is one way to navigate and select a material for editing.
Example: To navigate the modifier stack in the Modify panel:
1 Create a cylinder.

2 On the
cylinder.

Modify panel, add a Bend and a Twist modifier to the

3 In the Track View controller window, expand the Cylinder branch.
4 Expand the Modified Object branch.
5 Click the icon of the Twist modifier.
The Twist modifier is displayed on the Modify panel.
6 Click the icon of the Bend modifier in the Hierarchy list.
The Bend modifier is displayed on the Modify panel.
Example: To highlight all tracks containing animation:
1 Create a box and a sphere.

2 Turn on
sphere in X.

(Auto Key), go to frame 10, and

move the

Track View Hierarchy | 3855

3 Go to frame 20 and

move the sphere in Y.

4 Go to frame 30 and

move the sphere in Z.

5 Deselect the sphere by clicking in a blank area of the viewport.
6 Open the Track View - Curve Editor and press Ctrl+A (Select All).
In the Track View Controller window, locate the box and sphere objects.
Notice that both their icons are highlighted as well as the sphere's XYZ
position tracks. The box’s tracks aren’t highlighted because they don’t
contain any animation.

Interface

3856 | Chapter 13 Animation

Scene Hierarchy
World World is the root of the scene hierarchy. This track collects all
keys in your scene as a single range for quick global operations.
By default, the World track shows the range of the Sound, Environment, Medit
Materials, and Scene Materials branches. Modify Subtree in Edit Ranges mode
causes the World track to include the range of all tracks in the Objects branch
as well.
NOTE The default location of the time ruler covers the World animation track.
Move the time ruler to see the World track.

Sound You can accompany your animations with audio tracks via either
of two plug-ins: Default Sound and ProSound. For details, see Sound on page
3868.
Global Tracks Allows you to store controllers for global use. Using expression
controllers, for example, you could point to a controller in the Global Tracks
from several other tracks. By altering the expression in the Global Tracks, all
of the other tracks are changed.
By pasting an instance of a controller in Global Tracks to a number of other
tracks, you can change many tracks by altering the controller in Global Tracks.
By default, Global Tracks contains List tracks of the different controller types.
To assign a controller, open one of the List tracks, highlight the available
track, and then click Assign Controller. Once the controller is assigned, you
can point to it from an expression controller assigned to any other track, or
you can copy and paste it to any number of matching controller types.
Video Post Allows you to manage animated parameters for Video Post plug-ins.
Environment Contains items that control the background and scene
environment effects. Examples include Ambient Light, Background definition,
Fogs, and Volumetric Lighting.
Render Effects Contains tracks for the effects added in Rendering menu ➤
Effects. After adding rendering effects, use the tracks here to animate effects
parameters such as glow size and color.
Render Elements Shows you what elements you've chosen to render separately
via the Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements rollout.

Track View Hierarchy | 3857

Renderer Allows you to animate parameters in the renderer. After selecting
a type of antialiasing in the Render dialog, you can animate various antialiasing
parameters using these tracks.
Global Shadow Parameters Use these tracks to change or animate shadow
parameters for any light that has the Use Global Settings parameter turned
on in the Shadow Parameters rollout. (Select a light, then open the Modify
panel ➤ Shadow Parameters rollout to toggle the Use Global Settings
parameter).
You can change shadow parameters for multiple lights simultaneously. Tracks
include Map Size, Map Range, Map Bias, and Absolute Bias on page 5808.
Scene Materials Contains the definitions for all materials in the scene. It is
empty until you begin assigning materials to objects. When you select materials
in this branch, you are working with instances of materials assigned to objects
in your scene. These materials might not be in any of the Material Editor
samples.
Medit Materials Contains global material definitions. The Medit Materials
branch contains the 24 material definitions in the Material Editor on page
6019. When you select materials from this branch, you are working with global
material definitions that might not yet be assigned to objects in your scene.
Objects Contains a hierarchy for all the objects in your scene.
When Manual Navigation on page 3895 is on, many of these categories display
a small plus or minus button to expand/collapse the contents.

Item Categories
Each type of item in the Hierarchy list is represented by an icon. You can use
these icons to quickly identify what each item represents.
Objects Branches contain linked descendants of the object. Branches
below contain transforms, materials, and modifiers applied to the object, as
well as the object's creation parameters.
Controllers They contain the animation values for parameters and are the
only item in the Hierarchy list that can have a track containing keys. Every
controller has an individual icon

3858 | Chapter 13 Animation

Examples of controller icons

Certain types of controllers can contain other controllers. Examples of these
are Transform Controllers and List Controllers.
NOTE Controllers that have been applied to objects via the Animation menu ➤
Controllers or Constraints submenus automatically have list controllers assigned.
Controllers assigned using the Track View Controller menu or right-click Assign
Controller choice on the quad menu do not apply list controllers automatically.
Maps Indicates map definitions. All branches below a map definition are part
of that map. This includes values used by parametric maps and other map
definitions that are part of a map tree.
Modifier This icon indicates modifiers and space warp bindings. Branches
below a modifier contain the modifier’s sub-objects and parameters.

Controller Window Right-Click menu
Right-click any item in the Controller window to display the right-click menu
on page 3861. Use Alt + right-click to display an alternate navigation menu.

Track View Hierarchy Icons
The Track View hierarchy, as displayed in the Controller window, follows the
traditional example of organizational headings in an outline. The highest
levels of the hierarchy represent the main groupings in 3ds Max of Sound,
Environment, Materials, Render Effects, and Objects. Lower levels of the
hierarchy progress through the details of your scene, such as individual
materials, material maps, and map parameters.
Each type of item in the Track View Hierarchy List is represented by an icon.
You can use these icons to quickly identify what each item represents.

Track View Hierarchy | 3859

World The World icon represents the root of the scene hierarchy.
Sound Indicate sound parameters. 3ds Max provides only one sound
source in Track View.
Material Indicates material definitions. All branches below a material
definition are part of that material. Because a material can be composed of
multiple materials it is possible to have nested material definitions in Track
View. Icons also appear in an object's modifier branch when a material is
assigned to an object.
Map Indicates map definitions. All branches below a map definition are
part of that map. This includes values used by parametric maps and other map
definition that are part of a map tree.
Object Indicates objects in the scene. Branches below the square icon
contain linked descendents of the object. Branches below the circle icon beside
a yellow cube contain transforms and modifications applied to the object.
Modifier Indicate modified objects and Space Warp bindings. Branches
below a modifier contain the modifier's sub-objects and parameters.
Controller Indicate animation controllers. Controllers are the animation
workhorses of Track View. They contain the animated values for all parameters
and are the only item in the Hierarchy list that can have a track containing
keys. Every controller has its own individual icon. Some examples:
■

Position controller

■

Rotation controller

■

Scale controller

Certain types of controllers can contain other controllers. Examples of these
are Transform Controllers and List Controllers.

3860 | Chapter 13 Animation

Hierarchy Right-Click Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Select an item in the Track View controller window
and right-click. ➤ Hierarchy right-click menu
The Hierarchy right-click menu provides ready access to commands for working
with controllers, locking and unlocking tracks for use with containers,
navigating the Hierarchy list of the Controller window, loading and saving
animation files, and more.

TIP Use Alt+right-click with quad menu tools to expand and collapse selected
tracks individually.
TIP The Hierarchy right-click menu displays commands related to the highlighted
item while the Alt+right-click menu displays commands related to the item currently
located under your mouse cursor.

Track View Hierarchy | 3861

Interface

Lock/Unlock/Unlock Leaves/Expose/Conceal/Override All Locks These
commands are intended for use primarily with the Container feature, and as
such are documented in the Container section. For details, see Locking and
Unlocking Tracks on page 7897.
Select All Selects all tracks that are visible in the Hierarchy list. Collapsed
items are not selected.
Select Invert Inverts the current Hierarchy list selection.
TIP Inverting an empty selection is the same as selecting all.
Select None Deselects all visible object tracks in the Hierarchy list. Does not
apply to selected objects in the scene (object icons remain highlighted).
Select Children Selects all objects descending from the selection by
highlighting their icon in the Hierarchy list. Collapsed children are also
selected.

TIP You can also select an object's children by double-clicking its icon.

3862 | Chapter 13 Animation

Expand Objects Expands only the object branch for all descendants of the
selected object. The expanded branches are not selected.

NOTE If you are using Auto Expand on page 3891 with the Children option turned
on, all objects branches are automatically expanded.
Expand Tracks Expands all branches of the selected item.

Track View Hierarchy | 3863

Expand All Expands all branches for all descendants of the selected object.
Collapse Objects Collapses only the object branch for all descendants of the
selected object.
Collapse Tracks Collapses all branches of the selected item.
Collapse All Collapses all branches for all descendants of the selected object.
Auto Expand Expands the Hierarchy list automatically based on submenu
selection choices. Submenu choices are: Selected Objects Only, Transforms,
XYZ Components, Limits, Keyable, Animated, Base Objects, Modifiers,
Materials, and Children.
Manual Navigation Turns off Auto Expand. Allows you to manually decide
when you will collapse and what you will expand. A small minus button in
a circle to the left of an item lets you collapse it. This button disappears when
Auto Expand is on and Manual Navigation is off.
TIP To expand or collapse individual tracks, use Alt+right-click.

Load Animation Loads XML animation data from files to the highlighted
track or tracks. For more information, see Saving and Loading Animation on
page 4141.
If any of the highlighted tracks has child tracks, animation is loaded to those
tracks as well.

3864 | Chapter 13 Animation

Save Animation Saves XML animation data from the highlighted track or
tracks to disk files. For more information, see Saving and Loading Animation
on page 4141.
If any of the highlighted tracks has child tracks, animation is saved from those
tracks as well.

Properties Displays the property dialog of a controller, if available. Not all
controller use this dialog, and it is unavailable in these cases.
Assign Controller Displays the Assign Controller dialog, which offers a list
of the available controller for that selection.
Copy Makes a copy of the controller held in the Track View clipboard.
Paste Pastes the copied controller to another object or track. Copies can be
pasted as instances or as unique copies.
Make Unique Changes an instanced controller into a unique one. Changes
made to instanced controller are reflected in all versions of the controller,
unique controllers can be individually edited without affecting anything else.

Alt + Right-click Menu
These commands can also be found on the right-click quad menu described
above.
Expand Objects Expands only the object branch for all descendants of the
selected object. The expanded branches are not selected.
NOTE If you are using Auto Expand on page 3891 with the Children option turned
on, all objects branches are automatically expanded.
Expand Tracks Expands all branches of the selected item.
Expand All Expands all branches for all descendants of the selected object.

Track View Hierarchy | 3865

Collapse Objects Collapses only the object branch for all descendants of the
selected object.
Collapse Tracks Collapses all branches of the selected item.
Collapse All Collapses all branches for all descendants of the selected object.
Select All Selects all tracks that are visible in the Hierarchy list. Collapsed
items are not selected.
Select Invert Inverts the current Hierarchy list selection.
TIP Inverting an empty selection is the same as selecting all.
Select Children Selects all objects descending from the selection by
highlighting their icon in the Hierarchy list. Collapsed children are also
selected.
TIP You can also select an object's children by double-clicking its icon.
Select None Deselects all visible object tracks in the Hierarchy list. Does not
apply to selected objects in the scene (object icons remain highlighted).
Properties See Properties on page 3866.

Properties (Track View Hierarchy)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Select an item in the Controller window. ➤
Right-click. ➤ Properties
Right-click an animated object in the viewport. ➤ Curve Editor ➤ Right-click
the Key window. ➤ Properties

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout ➤ Right-click a controller
track. ➤ Properties
Properties displays the Properties dialog for the selected item in the Track
View. For example, this option displays the Key Info dialog for selected keys,
or the Sound Options dialog on page 3868 if you select an item in the Sound
Track.
Some controllers, such as Noise, use the Properties dialog as their primary
interface for animating parameters. Other controllers do not use the Properties
dialog at all, and in those cases it is unavailable.

3866 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To display properties for animation controllers:
1 In the Controller window, select the controller track.
2 On the Controller menu, choose Properties.
Or you can right-click and select Properties from the Track View quad
menu.
To display the properties dialog for a Bezier key:
The Bezier Controller is the default position controller when an object is
animated.
1 In the Track View Key window, select an object's position key.
2 Right-click the key.
The controller dialog is displayed. The Key Tangency choices are available
from the dialog.
TIP You can also change tangency handles using the tools in the Key
Tangents: Track View toolbar.

To display the Sound Options dialog for adding a sound track:
1 In the Track View Hierarchy, select the Sound item.
2 Right-click and choose Properties.
The Sound Options dialog is displayed.
You can use this dialog to assign a sound file to the animation, which
can be displayed in Track View or the track bar.
To display the Sound Options dialog for adding a sound track:
1 In the Track View Hierarchy, select the Sound item.
2 On the Tools toolbar, click
and choose Properties.

(Properties), or right-click the Sound label

The Sound Options dialog is displayed.

Track View Hierarchy | 3867

Sound
The Sound track lets you add audio to your animations by either of two
options: Default Sound (Sound Options dialog) and ProSound. To assign the
sound option, use Preferences ➤ Animation ➤ Sound Plug-In. To access the
sound settings, open Track View, click and then right-click the Sound track,
and choose Properties.
While Default Sound is easier to use, ProSound is far more powerful and offers
more options.

Sound Options Dialog
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Right-click a Sound track in the Controller window.
➤ Properties ➤ Sound Options dialog
When using Default Sound, the Sound track in the Track View Controller
window contains two sound options. Use the Metronome to generate a series
of beeps, or load a sound file to play back.
Default Sound allows you to synchronize your animation to a sound file or
to a metronome. If you use a sound file, a Wave Form track is displayed in
the Hierarchy list, and a waveform is displayed in the Edit window. A sound
file plays on your installed sound card. You set the Metronome and the Wave
Form parameters in the Sound Options dialog on page 3868.
Sound is one way to provide the timing for your animation. You can scrub
the time slider to locate a particular sound, and coordinate your visuals around
it.
You can display this dialog by right-clicking the Sound item in the Track View
controller window, or by right-clicking a sound track in the Key window.

Procedures
To add a sound track:

1 In the Track View Controller window, right-click a
choose Properties.

sound item and

3ds Max opens the Sound Options dialog.
2 Click Choose Sound, select a sound file, and then click OK.

3868 | Chapter 13 Animation

A Wave Form branch appears in the Track View Hierarchy. A waveform
appears in the Track View Key window.

3 Turn on Real Time in the
Time Configuration dialog to hear the
sound track when you play your animation.

Interface

Audio group
Choose Sound Displays a file selector where you choose a sound file.
Remove Sound Deletes the waveform from Track View.
Reload Sound Reloads the last loaded file. This allows the sound file to be
reloaded when it has been changed by another program.
Active Plays the waveform during animation play back.

Metronome group
The Metronome track produces a regular beat using two tones. You specify
three settings in the Sound Options dialog to control the Metronome:
Beats per minute Sets the frequency of beats. The beats display in the
Metronome tracks as black vertical bars. Default=60.

Track View Hierarchy | 3869

Beats per measure Sets which beat is emphasized with a higher pitch tone.
Emphasized beats display in the Metronome track as black pluses. For example,
a setting of 4 generates a higher pitched tone every fourth beat. Default=4.
Active Plays the beats during animation playback.

ProSound
Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ Animation panel ➤ Sound Plug-In group
➤ Click Assign ➤ Choose Sound Plug-In dialog ➤ Double-click ProSound.
➤ Click OK. ➤ Track View ➤ Highlight Sound track ➤ Right-click ➤
Properties
MAXScript Listener (or Mini Listener) ➤ Enter prosound.init(true) (without
quotes) ➤ Enter prosound.open() (without quotes)
Initialize ProSound (see either of the preceding) ➤ Track View or Mini Curve
Editor (on track bar) ➤ Highlight Sound track (or any child track). ➤
Right-click ➤ Properties
ProSound is a real-time, multitrack audio solution for 3ds Max that includes
full support for and integration with Track View. For best results, use Track
View in Dope Sheet mode.
With ProSound, you can:
■

Add up to 100 independent audio tracks.

■

Animate the volume of each track.

■

Normalize the output audio volume to handle soft or transient tracks.

■

Manipulate sound tracks and audio samples independently in Track View
or with the ProSound controls.

■

Use PCM audio in both AVI and WAV files with up to six output channels:
front left, front right, back left, back right, center, and low frequency.
(Note: Multichannel audio must pre-exist in sound files.)

■

Export audio to a WAV file, or add it to an existing AVI.

■

Play back the audio accurately at 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, and 4 times recorded speed
to match viewport settings.

■

Render audio to match playback speed.

■

Manage multiple sound-effects directories.

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■

Access all features from MAXScript with 46 audio-related functions.

Editing ProSound Tracks in Track View

When working with ProSound tracks in Dope Sheet mode on page
3842, use Edit Ranges on page 3978 to drag an audio clip and its endpoints.
Dragging a range changes its start and stop times by the same amount, while
dragging an endpoint makes it shorter (by truncating the clip) or longer (by
repeating the clip). You can change the length of individual clips (must be
set to End Frame on page 3878, not Loops) but not of the Master Waveform
track, which serves as a composite of all the individual clips. Dragging an
endpoint of the Master Waveform track is the same as dragging the range.

NOTE Truncating a clip always takes place from the ending, not the beginning,
no matter which end you drag.
To open the ProSound interface with a specific track highlighted, showing its
parameters, simply right-click the track (either the waveform or the range bar)
in the graph area of Track View - Dope Sheet.

Procedure
To assign and access ProSound:
1 From the Customize menu, choose Preferences and then click the
Animation tab.

Track View Hierarchy | 3871

2 In the Sound Plug-In group click Assign; this opens the Choose Sound
Plug-In dialog. In the dialog list double-click ProSound and then click
OK to close Preferences.
3 Open Track View, and click the Sound track (under World) to highlight
it. Then right-click and choose Properties.
3ds Max opens the ProSound dialog.
NOTE An alternative method of opening the ProSound dialog is included in
the path annotation at the start of this topic.

Interface
The ProSound dialog is modeless, so you can keep it open while using other
parts of the program.

Input Files group
Controls in this group let you manage the audio samples available in the
scene. The number of loaded samples appears next to the group box title; in
the preceding illustration, it’s 2.

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[file list] Shows all loaded samples with file paths. All of these are automatically
loaded into the scene, play back when the animation is played, and are saved
with rendered animations. You can control each track’s playback with the
controls in the File Details group (see following).
Add Imports samples into ProSound. Each sample creates a track in the Track
View with start and end keys that you can manipulate, as with the default
sound track in 3ds Max. You can add multiple files in one action with standard
Windows methods: Use the Shift key to select a range of files or the Ctrl key
to toggle individual files.
Delete Removes highlighted samples from ProSound. You can highlight
multiple files for deletion.
Replace Lets you replace a single highlighted sample with another, from an
external file.
Reload Loads the highlighted sample from its file. If the file contents have
changed, the new sound replaces the previous one.
Convert Path Use this function when opening a 3ds Max scene file that points
to samples in a different location from your system and ProSound has loaded
the sample from a directory you added with Path Manager (see following).
Convert Path adjusts the file's path in the file list to match that of your system.
If you use Convert Path, save the scene, and then reopen it on the original
machine, the location of the file on the original system must be added with
Path Manager or ProSound will not find the sample.
Example: On another computer, a scene is saved with samples located in
D:\Sound\Samples. These same samples are located in E:\Samples on your
machine and you have added this directory with Path Manager. When you
load the scene, your machine will find the samples and no changes will be
made to the path in the Input Files section of ProSound. If you highlight these
samples and use Convert Path, the paths as listed change from
D:\Sound\Samples to match their location on your system: E:\Samples. If you
then save the scene and open it on the original system, the original location
of the samples (D:\Sounds\Samples) must be added with Path Manager so
ProSound can find the samples.
Path Manager Lets you manage disk locations where ProSound looks for
samples. This is useful when loading MAX scenes created on another system
where samples might be in different directories. Adding directories in the Path
Manager gives ProSound more places to look for samples. For example, if one
person saves a scene with a sample located in D:\Sounds\Samples, but your
copy of the sample is in E:\Samples, adding E:\Samples to the Path Manager

Track View Hierarchy | 3873

means ProSound will find the sample on your system without additional input
from you.

Clicking Path Manager opens a dialog, shown in the preceding illustration,
comprising a list and the following controls:
■

AddOpens a file dialog named Add Sound Path that lets you navigate to
a file path and use it.
If you highlight a path before clicking Add, the Add Sound Path dialog
opens to that path, and the added path appears in the Path Manager list
after the highlighted path. If no path is highlighted when you click Add,
the Add Sound Path dialog opens to the last-used path, and the added path
appears at the end of the Path manager list.

■

DeleteRemoves the highlighted item from the Path Manager list.

■

ModifyOpens a dialog that lets you replace the highlighted item with a
different path.

■

Move Up/Move DownRepositions the highlighted item in the list. Path
Manager searches paths in the order listed.

■

OKAccepts changes and closes the dialog.

■

CancelIgnores changes and closes the dialog.

Move Up Raises the highlighted track above the preceding one.
Rearranging tracks also affects their order in Track View.
Move Down Lowers the highlighted track below the following one.

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Rearranging tracks also affects their order in Track View.
Arrange Opens a dialog that lets you sort the highlighted tracks by filename,
full path name, or start frame. Choose the sort order and then click OK. Applies
to highlighted tracks only.
Rearranging tracks also affects their order in Track View.
Sequence Alters the Start Frame and End Frame times to play each clip one
time, in the order listed. The first clip plays to its end, then the next clip plays,
and so on.
WARNING Clicking this button once instantly resets the start and end frame
settings for all highlighted clips, and is not undoable.
Diagnostics Click to open a dialog with diagnostic information.

Track View Hierarchy | 3875

■

Soft ResetSometimes, after repeated playback, the sound tracks stop playing
in 3ds Max. When this happens, click Soft Reset to reset the playback
buffers and hear sound tracks once again.

File Details group
Displays information about the currently selected sample in the Input Files
list.

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[Play/Pause] Plays the current sample as loaded from the
external source; that is, without any modification from ProSound settings.
Clicking the button again during playback pauses the preview.
To the right of the Play button is the position indicator, which displays the
current position of playback. You can move the slider to change the position
of playback; this stops the audio output. To begin playback from the new
position, click Play again.
[file name] To the right of the Preview controls (above Format), ProSound
displays the file name of the highlighted sample.
Length Indicates the total length of the current sample in time and frames;
for example, 3.48 s (104.5 f) indicates 3.48 seconds or 104.5 frames. The
number of frames is rounded off; for example, a length of 318.688 frames
would be rounded up to 318.7.
Format Indicates the audio file format of the current sample. ProSound
supports two formats: WAV and AVI.
Statistics Indicates the sample rate and bit depth of the highlighted sample
and whether the audio is mono or stereo.
Mapped When on, indicates that ProSound has had to load a sample from
a directory other than the one used in the scene. For example, this would be
on if you loaded a scene that contains a sample originally located in
D:\Sound\Samples, but ProSound had to load it instead from E:\Samples as
mapped with Path Manager on the current machine.
Active Indicates whether the current sample is to be included in playback as
well as rendering of the output audio. For example, you could turn off Active
for three of five samples so that only the other two are heard during playback
of the animation, or included in the rendered animation.
Front/Center When on, places samples in the front-center channel when
using five- or six-channel audio. Applicable only to one-channel (Mono)
samples.
Replaceable When on, the software is permitted to replace a sample if
necessary. This is used when loading samples via MAXScript and tells ProSound
which samples may be replaced. The first sample with this option enabled
will be replaced. If no samples have this option enabled, any samples loaded
via MAXScript are appended to the Input Files list.
Start Frame The frame at which the sample is to start playing. Samples start
at frame 0.0 by default.

Track View Hierarchy | 3877

End Frame/Loops Choose either of the following to determine the length of
the sample:
■

End FrameThe frame at which playback is to stop. By default, this is frame
0.0+(sample length in frames). For example, a sample 50 frames in length
will have a Start Frame of 0.0 and End Frame of 50.0 by default. If you
manipulate tracks or keys for the sample in Track View (move, slide, etc),
these numbers will adjust automatically.

■

LoopsThe number of times the sample repeats. If Loops is active for a
sample, you cannot change its length in Track View.

Duration The true length of the current sample in frames. This value is not
rounded, as in Length (preceding).

Playback group
These settings are global for all audio output, not individual samples (to control
playback of individual samples, use the Active option in the File Details group).
Also, these options do not affect how the audio is rendered for export.

Permit Playback Toggles preview of the audio within 3ds Max. When off,
the audio will not play when you play the animation or scrub the time slider.
Channels The number of channels for the audio file.
Sample Rate The sample rate to use when previewing audio output in 3ds
Max. If set to Auto, ProSound examines the source files and determines the
best setting.

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Audio Quality Affects how ProSound alters sample rates. If, for example,
Sample Rate is set to 44Khz and you are using source files of 22Khz, changing
Audio Quality affects the quality of the upsampling.
Normalize adjusts the output of the audio so the peak amplitude is optimal
- it's loudest point is the loudest possible peak for a sound clip. This insures
that the audio file doesn't clip and distort if the volume is overdriven.
Normalization can be set to work in four different modes:
■

Only on overflowProSound normalizes only when the amplitude of the
output is too great.

■

Before master volumeProSound normalizes the audio before any volume
adjustments by you. In other words, this option normalizes the audio from
ProSound before any adjustments are made in the Master Volume track in
Track View.

■

After master volumeThe audio output is normalized after volume
adjustments made in the Master Volume track in Track View.

■

NeverTells ProSound not to normalize the output.

Track within # seconds when scrubbing Adjusts the amount of time between
when a frame is reached and the corresponding point in the audio is triggered.
For example, if you move the time slider forward and this parameter is set to
0.05, as you reach each frame there is 0.05-second delay before the audio at
that point is triggered.
Practically speaking, this means more accurate tracking because the lower the
number, the faster you can scrub and have the audio keep up. If this option
is disabled, when you scrub quickly, the audio simply plays back in real time
until it reaches the current frame. For instance, if you start at frame 0 and
scrub very fast to frame 75, audio plays back in real time until it reaches frame
75, and then stops, thus lagging the animation by a significant amount.
Permit Backwards Scrubbing When on and you scrub backward (that is,
drag the time slider to the left), the audio plays in reverse.
Play Once When on and you play the animation in 3ds Max, playback stops
after the last frame instead of repeating, as it normally does.
Specify Play Range
Toggles a limited playback range, as specified by the two numeric fields
separated by “to,” within the full length of the time slider. This "focus area"
is highlighted in the time slider area. This mode can be helpful for fine-tuning
lip sync of a single word or phrase.

Track View Hierarchy | 3879

NOTE To see the focus area in the time slider area, it’s necessary to display the
sound track: Right-click the track bar to display the context menu, and then turn
on Configure ➤ Show Sound Track.
Toggles automatic forward-then-reverse playback when you play the
animation. If a Specify Play Range is active, the ping pong mode will play
back and forth within this range. If Play Once is active, playback will play to
the animation or play range end, then reverse play to the beginning or play
range start.

Render group
These options adjust various parameters of the rendered audio for export.
These are not heard within 3ds Max unless you export the audio and reload
it as a sample. Most of the options in this section have identical functionality
to the same options in the Playback group. The other options in this section
are as follows.

Permit Save on Render Indicates that audio output should be included when
you render the scene. To set options for the exported audio, click Export Audio.
NOTE This option applies only when you render to a single animation file, such
as AVI or MOV.
Channels The number of channels for the audio file.

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Sample Rate The sample rate to use when previewing audio output in 3ds
Max. If set to Auto, ProSound examines the source files and determines the
best setting.
Audio Quality Affects how ProSound alters sample rates. If, for example,
Sample Rate is set to 44Khz and you are using source files of 22Khz, changing
Audio Quality affects the quality of the upsampling.
Normalize adjusts the output of the audio so the peak amplitude is optimal
- it's loudest point is the loudest possible peak for a sound clip. This insures
that the audio file doesn't clip and distort if the volume is overdriven.
Normalization can be set to work in four different modes:
■

Only on overflowProSound normalizes only when the amplitude of the
output is too great.

■

Before master volumeProSound normalizes the audio before any volume
adjustments by you. In other words, this option normalizes the audio from
ProSound before any adjustments are made in the Master Volume track in
Track View.

■

After master volumeThe audio output is normalized after volume
adjustments made in the Master Volume track in Track View.

■

NeverTells ProSound not to normalize the output.

Export Audio Click to open a dialog where you can set options (Range, Codec,
etc.) for the exported audio. You can also export the audio separately directly
from this dialog:

Track View Hierarchy | 3881

■

Output RangeSets the length of the exported audio in frames.

■

FileSets the name of the exported file.

■

CodecChoose the codec (if available) and relevant attributes for the file.

■

ExportClick to export the audio separately from the video file.

Metronome group
These controls work the same as the Metronome function for the standard
audio functionality in 3ds Max (see the Sound Options Dialog topic) with the
addition of two Tone parameters.

Beats Per Minute > Tone The beep pitch indicating each beat.
Beats Per Measure > Tone The beep pitch indicating each measure.

Track View Menu Bar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Menu bar

3882 | Chapter 13 Animation

A menu bar appears at the top of Track View in both Curve Editor and Dope
Sheet modes and the expanded track bar layout. The Track View menu bar is
contextual; it changes slightly between Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes.
The commands available on the Track View menus can also be accessed on
the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet toolbars. Certain tools, however, appear only
on the toolbars, and do not appear in the menus.

Modes Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Modes menu
The Modes menu lets you switch between the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet
when working in Track View.
Curve Editor Displays and allows for editing of animation function curves.
Dope Sheet Displays animation as a spreadsheet of keys available for editing.

Controller Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controller menu
The Controller menu gives you tools for working with controllers that are
assigned to objects or tracks when in the Curve Editor or Dope Sheet.
Assign Lets you select tracks and then assign a controller to that selection.
See Assign Controller on page 3930.
Delete Controller Lets you delete certain controllers, that can't otherwise be
replaced (Visibility tracks, Image Motion Blur Multiplier, Object Motion Blur,
On/Off). See Delete Controller on page 3932.
Keyable Toggles the ability to be keyed of selected controller tracks. Use this
with the Show Keyable button on the toolbar to see whether a track is keyable.
Copy Puts a copy of the selected controller track into the Track View buffer.
See Copy Controller on page 3927.
Paste Copies the controller track in the Track View buffer onto the selected
track of another object or objects. You have the option of pasting as a copy
or as an instance. See Paste Controller on page 3928.
Collapse Controller Converts procedural animation tracks to Bezier, Euler,
Linear, or TCB keyframe controller tracks. Can also be used to convert any

Track View Menu Bar | 3883

controller to these type of controllers. Allows for key reduction by using a
Samples parameter. See Collapse Controller on page 3884
Enable Anim Layer Assigns a Layer controller to each highlighted track in
the controller window. See Animation Layers (Layer Controller) on page 3496.
NOTE You must first set keys on the desired tracks before they can be
layer-enabled.
Ignore Animation Range Ignores the animation range for the selected
controller track. When set, the track plays independently of its range and its
background changes color. See Ignore Animation Range on page 3933.
Respect Animation Range Respects the animation range for the selected
controller track. When set, the track plays only within its range. See Respect
Animation Range on page 3934.
Make Unique Lets you turn an instanced controller into a unique controller.
If a controller is instanced, making changes to it will affect where ever it is
copied. If the controller is unique, then changes to it will not affect anything
else. See Make Controller Unique on page 3935.
Out of Range Types Lets you extend the animation beyond the existing
keyframes. Used primarily to loop and otherwise cycle your animation without
having to copy keys. See Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 3996.
Properties Displays the Properties dialog, which gives access to the key
interpolation types. Different controller types will offer individual options
here. For example a Position XYZ controller will offer Fast, Slow, Linear,
Smooth, Step, Bezier and Auto Tangent as key options, while a TCB controller
will not show any of those controls. For some controllers this is the primary
gateway to the animation parameters. See Properties (Track View Key Window)
on page 3952.

Collapse Controller
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controller menu ➤ Collapse Controller
The Collapse Controller tool allows you to convert procedural animation
tracks into tracks with keyframes. A procedural track is an expression track,
wired parameter, noise controller, or even something like a list controller.
You can also use this tool to convert any controller track to a simple keyframed
track. You can convert rotation tracks to either Euler or TCB, and collapse
Position and Scale tracks to either Bezier or Linear controllers.

3884 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can collapse an entire track, or collapse a range of frames within a track
by setting the Start and End frames. A Samples parameter lets you define how
many frames will be placed between keys.
Collapse Controller can be used to collapse any number of selected tracks at
once.
This functionality is similar to the Collapse button found in the Collapse
Transform group of the Motion panel ➤ Trajectories rollout on page 3440.
WARNING If you are using a Path constraint with the Follow option, using Collapse
Controller to collapse the position and rotation tracks will not preserve rotation
properly, because additional rotation is applied by the Path constraint. If you want
to collapse this kind of track, use Collapse in the Collapse Transform group of the
Motion panel ➤ Trajectories rollout instead.

Procedures
To collapse a procedural controller track:
1 In a viewport, select an object with a procedural controller, then
right-click and choose Curve Editor from the quad menu.
The Track View - Curve Editor is displayed.
2 In the Curve Editor's Controllers window, select the track you want to
collapse. Then choose Controller ➤ Collapse Controller from the Track
View menu.
The Collapse Controller dialog appears.
3 Change the Samples to specify the number of frames between keys.
The default value of 1.0 creates a key for every other frame, which might
be more than you want to work with.
4 Select the type of controller that you want the keys to use after collapsing.
Position and Scale tracks collapse to either Bezier or Linear. Rotation
tracks collapse to either Euler or TCB.
NOTE TCB controllers will not display function curves.
5 Click OK.
The Key window displays the curves for the collapsed animation. The
track bar displays the keys, as does the Track View – Dope Sheet.

Track View Menu Bar | 3885

TIP If you want to collapse the controller into a weighted list controller, turn
on Add To New Layer. The original controller will be stored on a layer with
a weight of 0.0. It will have no effect, but will be available for future use, if
need be.

Interface

Start Frame Sets the first frame of the range of animation to be collapsed.
Default=The first frame of the original controller's active range.
End Frame Sets the last frame of the range of animation to be collapsed.
Default=The last frame of the original controller's active range.
WARNING If you choose a range of frames smaller than the original range, the
animation within the range will be collapsed, and the remaining motion will be
discarded unless Add to New Layer is on.
Samples Sets the granularity of the collapse operation. This value defines the
number of frames between keys. Default=1.0.
Collapse to Sets the type of controller the procedural track will become:
■

Bezier or Euler Controller When this is chosen, Position, Scale, and scalar
parameter tracks will be assigned Bezier controllers. Rotation tracks will
be assigned Euler controllers.

■

Linear or TCB ControllerWhen this is chosen, Position, Scale, and scalar
parameter tracks will be assigned Linear controllers. Rotation tracks will
be assigned TCB controllers.
NOTE TCB controllers will not display function curves.

3886 | Chapter 13 Animation

Add to New Layer When this is turned on, the collapsed controller is added
as a new layer in a weighted list controller on page 3528. Default=off.
This option is useful because it keeps the old controller on another layer with
a weight of 0.0. This lets you restore the original animation easily if you need
to.

Tracks Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tracks menu
There are two types of special tracks that can be accessed from the Tracks
menu: Note tracks and Visibility tracks.
Note Track Lets you add or remove note tracks to your scene. Note tracks can
be used for variety of purposes to add information to any track in Track View.
See Add Note Track on page 3936.
Visibility Track Lets you add or remove visibility tracks to objects your scene.
You can also keyframe visibility by changing the visibility parameter in the
Object Properties dialog when Auto Key is on. See Add Visibility Track on page
3944.

Keys Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys menu
The commands on the Keys menu let you add, remove, slide, or scale keys
while you work in either the Curve Editor or the Dope Sheet.
Add Keys Adds keys in the Curve Editor or Dope Sheet. See Add Keys (Dope
Sheet) on page 3951.
Reduce Keys Reduces the amount of keys on curves, or in edit keys mode in
Dope Sheet. See Reduce Keys on page 3976.
Move Moves keys either vertically (in value) or horizontally (in time). See
Move Keys (Dope Sheet) on page 3947 or Move Keys (Curve Edit r) on page 3988.
Slide Moves keys, and adjacent keys slide away to make room for the move.
See Slide Keys on page 3948.
Scale Values Proportionally increase or decrease the key values (in space, not
time). Use in combination with the Scale Value Origin Slider. See Scale Values
on page 3990.

Track View Menu Bar | 3887

Scale Keys - Time Proportionally increase or decrease the key values (in space,
not time). Use in combination with the Scale Value Origin Slider. See Scale
Keys - Time on page 3949.
Use Soft Select When turned on, affects keys adjacent to a selection set of
keys according to a falloff threshold. Works on Curves and Dope Sheet edit
keys mode. See Use Soft Select on page 3888.
Soft Select Settings Use Soft Select Settings to display the dialog that lets you
control the falloff range of the soft selection. Select some keys, then watch
the Track View Key window while you adjust the range value. See Soft Selection
Settings on page 3961.
NOTE By default, the Soft Selection dialog appears as a toolbar on the bottom of
the Track View dialog.
Align to Cursor Proportionally increases or decreases the key values (in space,
not time). Use in combination with the Scale Value Origin Slider. See Align
to Cursor on page 3943.
Snap Frames When this is on, keys always snap to frames. When off, you can
move keys to sub-frame positions. See Snap Frames on page 3941.

Use Soft Select
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Use Soft Select
When on, Use Soft Select affects keys adjacent to a selection set of keys
according to a falloff threshold. This applies to both Curve Editor keys and
Dope Sheet Edit Keys modes.
To adjust the Soft Selection range and falloff, choose Soft Select Settings on
the Keys menu.
TIP Keys are “soft-selected” across time only (horizontally).
See also:
■

Soft Selection Settings on page 3961

3888 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To soft select keys in Track View:
1 In either Dope Sheet ➤ Edit Keys mode or in the Curve Editor, select a
single key in the middle of the animation curve or graph.
2 From the Keys menu, choose Use Soft Select.
3 From the Keys menu, choose Soft Select Settings
The Soft Selection Settings dialog appears.
4 Change the Range and observe the soft selection display in the key
window.

Curves Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves menu
The Curves menu is only available when working in Track View's Curve Editor
mode. The tools on this menu facilitate curve adjustments.
Apply – Ease Curve Applies curves to selected tracks that allow you to effect
the timing of the animation. See Apply Ease Curve / Apply Multiplier Curve
on page 3999.
Apply – Multiplier Curve Applies curves to selected tracks that allow you to
effect the strength of the animation. See Apply Ease Curve / Apply Multiplier
Curve on page 3999.
Remove Removes Ease and Multiplier Curves. See Remove Ease/Multiplier
Curve on page 4001.
On/Off Turns Ease and Multiplier Curves on or off. See On/Off (Curves) on
page 4001.
Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types Applies Eases to Parameter Out of Range
keys. See Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 4002.
Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types Applies multiplier curves to Parameter
Out of Range keys. See Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 4004.

Time Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Time menu

Track View Menu Bar | 3889

Use tools on the Time menu to edit, adjust, or reverse time. The Time menu
is available only when Track View is in Dope Sheet mode.
The commands on the Time menu are available only when Edit Keys is on. If
you are using Edit Ranges, these commands will not be accessible. If you are
using Edit Keys, then once you select a time range, the remainder of the time
menu commands will become available for use.
Select Select a time range.
Insert Add blank periods of time into a selected range.
Cut Remove a time selection.
Copy Copy a time selection. Includes any keys within the time selection
Paste Duplicates a copied or cut selection.
Reverse Rearranges the order of keys within a time range, flips time from back
to start.

Options Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu
The Options menu contains a series of toggles and switches that control how
items are handled in the Controller window.

Interactive Update
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu ➤ Interactive Update
Interactive Update controls whether editing keys in Track View updates the
viewports in real time. Also, turning off Interactive Update allows faster
animation playback in some cases.
Interactive Update When on, editing keys in Track View updates the viewports
with any changes that affect the current frame while your mouse button is
down. When off, the viewports are updated only after you release the mouse
button. Default=Off.
For example, if you're at frame 10 and there are position keys at frame 0, 20,
30, and 50, then editing either a key at frame 0 or 20 with Interactive Update
on potentially lets you see the changes in the viewport as you drag the key.
However, editing a key at frame 50 is unlikely to cause a position change at

3890 | Chapter 13 Animation

the current frame, so you won't see any difference with Interactive Update on
or off.
To view the results of editing keys anywhere in Track View in real time, use
Sync Cursor Time on page 3891 instead. Turning on Sync Cursor Time
automatically turns on Interactive Update as well, so you can see all changes
interactively.
Keep this turned off when you are working in big files and moving large
numbers of keys. Default=Off.
In some circumstances, simply playing back an animation or dragging the
time slider with Track View open, without editing keys, can cause performance
issues. If you experience this, and Interactive Update is on, turn it off to
improve playback performance.

Sync Cursor Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu ➤ Sync Cursor Time
Snaps the time slider to the cursor position.
Sync Cursor Time Snaps the time slider to the cursor position. When on,
clicking the cursor in the Track View window moves the time slider to that
spot in time. When you release the mouse button, the time slider jumps back
to its previous position.
When off, the time slider does not jump to the cursor position; you need to
click the time slider and move it by hand. Default=Off.
Turning on Sync Cursor Time also turns on Interactive Update on page 3890 so
you can edit keys anywhere in Track View by dragging them and see your
results right away. The time slider jumps to the frame at which the key resides
and the viewport displays your changes in real time.

Auto Expand
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu ➤ Auto Expand submenu
Auto Expand determines the behavior of the controller window display based
on choices made from a submenu. To turn Auto Expand off with a single click,
choose Manual Navigation from the Options menu: The Auto Expand settings
are then disregarded.
When you are working on a specific animation task, turn off the unnecessary
options to focus the controller window on what you need to see.

Track View Menu Bar | 3891

NOTE The default auto-navigation setting for the Dope Sheet editor auto-expands
only to the node track for the currently selected object. This reduces the number
of tracks whose keys need to be displayed and also helps enforce the top-down
workflow for which the Dope Sheet editor is designed.

Interface
Selected Objects Only When this is on, the controller window displays the
tracks for highlighted objects only. Default=On.
Transforms Expands the Hierarchy list to display the highlighted object's
Transform track. Default=On.
XYZ Components Expands the highlighted object's Transform track to display
individual XYZ components contained in each Transform controller (such as
Position and Scale).
Limits Expands the highlighted object's Limits track to display its parameters
(such as Upper Limit and Lower Smoothing). To be used in conjunction with
the Limit Controller on page 3514. Default=On.
Keyable Expands the highlighted object's Hierarchy list to display keyable
tracks. You must also enable Transform or XYZ Components to see results.
Also expands the Environment and Global Shadow Parameters Hierarchy lists.
Animated Expands the highlighted object's Hierarchy list to display animated
tracks.
Base Objects Expands the highlighted object's base object track to display its
parameters (such as Height/Width/Length).
Modifiers Expands the highlighted object's modifier track to display modifiers
applied to that object.
Materials Expands the highlighted object's material track to display materials
parameters.
Children Expands the Hierarchy list to display all children starting from the
highlighted object.

Auto Select
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu ➤ Auto Select

3892 | Chapter 13 Animation

Provides options to determine which types of tracks are selected when a Track
View window is opened, or node selection changes. Options include Animated,
with submenu choices of Position, Rotation and Scale.
When this is turned on, animated curves are automatically selected when
opening the controller window, using the submenu choices as well.
Additional filtering of the controller window can be accomplished by using
Filters, such as combining only selected tracks with only animated tracks.

Auto Scroll
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu ➤ Auto Scroll submenu
Provides options to control the automatic scrolling of the controller window
in Dope Sheet and Curve Editor. When these are chosen, the choice is displayed
at the top of the controller window.
Options include Selected and Objects.

Interface
Selected When this is on, the controller window automatically scrolls to move
the viewport selection to the top of the controller window.
Objects When this is turned on, the controller window automatically scrolls
to show all the objects in the scene in the controller window.

Modify Subtree
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Display toolbar ➤
(Modify Subtree)
Modify Subtree lets you move and scale on all sub-tracks for any/all tracks on
a node. It has two modes: Edit Keys and Edit Ranges.
NOTE Modify Child Keys on page 3895 works similarly, but for child nodes of the
current object. Modify Subtree lets you edit timing for a subset of tracks for an
object, while Modify Child Keys lets you edit the timing of an entire linked structure,
group, or character.

Track View Menu Bar | 3893

Procedures
To drag the ranges and linked descendants of an object:

1 In the Dope Sheet Editor, click

(Edit Ranges).

Modify Subtree is on by default.
2 Drag the World range bar or the Objects range bar.
With Modify Subtree on, a range bar is displayed in the Objects branch.
The Objects branch is the default parent of all named objects in the scene.
Dragging a parent Objects range bar with Modify Subtree on affects all
tracks subordinate to the object and all tracks of its linked descendants.
Dragging the World range bar with Modify Subtree on affects all tracks
in the scene, including Sounds, Materials, and all tracks of all objects.

3 Turn off

(Modify Subtree).

The World range bar and the Objects range bar are no longer available.
In this mode you can affect the range of an individual object or track
without affecting its descendants.

Interface
Modify Subtree (Edit Keys) Edits (cuts, pastes, or moves) keys
in the parent track. Anything you do to the keys in the parental track affects
the child keys as well.
NOTE Adding keys only affects the current track.

Modify Subtree (Edit Range) Affects the tracks of an object
and all of its descendent objects. When you edit the range of a parent object,
the child objects are also affected.

3894 | Chapter 13 Animation

Modify Child Keys
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Display toolbar ➤
(Modify Child Keys)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Options menu ➤
Modify Child Keys
Provides the ability to turn changes on and off down the hierarchy when
working in Dope Sheet mode. Changes that you have made to a parent object
can be added to the children by clicking this toolbar button. Similarly, if you
have made changes with Modify Subtree on, and you want to remove the
changes from the children, clicking Modify Child Keys will remove those
changes from the children that you previously made to the parent.
This tool is primarily designed for use in Dope Sheet Edit Ranges mode.
Modify Subtree allows you to move, scale, edit time, and so on, on all sub-tracks
for any or all tracks on a node. Modify Child Keys does the same thing, but
also extends to child nodes as well. Modify Subtree lets you edit timing for
an object of subset of tracks on an object, while modify child keys lets you
edit the timing of an entire linked structure, group, or character.

Manual Navigation
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Options menu ➤ Manual Navigation
Graph Editor ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Right-click the Controller
window. ➤ Manual Navigation.
Manual Navigation turns off the Auto Scroll features of the controller window
and allows you to select which tracks will display on an individual basis.
The default behavior of the Controller window is to automatically display the
selected object animated tracks, and to hide them when the object is not
selected in the viewport. Turning on Manual Navigation changes this behavior
so that deselecting the object will not make the curves disappear from view.
When Manual Navigation is engaged, buttons appear in the Controller window
next to the tracks, that allow you to expand or collapse individual containers
such as objects or materials.

Track View Menu Bar | 3895

TIP Use Alt+right-click to quickly access tools for expanding and collapsing selected
tracks.
To collapse individual components in the Controller window:
1 On the Graph Editors menu, choose Track View - Curve Editor.
2 Right-click the controller window and turn on Manual Navigation.
3 Click any item label in the controller window.
An small minus sign within a circle appears to the left of the entry.
4 Click the minus sign in the circle.
The tracks collapse. A plus sign within a circle appears.
When Manual Navigation is turned off, tracks expand based on
Auto-Expand choices made on the Settings ➤ Auto Expand menu.

Display Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Display menu
Display is only available when Track View is in Curve Editor mode. The toggles
in the Display menu let you adjust and customize how the items in the Curve
Editor appear.
Selected Key Stats Toggles display of statistics for the selected keys in the
function curve window. The statistics for a key generally include frame number
and value
This is useful because you see statistics for the keys you are working on only.
For details, see Show Selected Key Statistics on page 4020.
All Tangents Toggles display of all tangent handles for all keys in the Curve
Editor. When off, handles are displayed for selected keys only.
Show Custom Icons Changes the display of the icons in the Hierarchy list
from 2D to 3D shaded.
Keyable Icons Toggles a key icon for each track that indicates and lets you
define whether the track is keyable.
A red key icon indicates a keyable track, while a black key icon indicates the
track is not keyable. to toggle between these, click the icon or use Keyable on
the Controller menu. For details, see Keyable Icon on page 3898.

3896 | Chapter 13 Animation

Lock Toggle Icons Toggles a lock icon for each track that indicates and lets
you define whether the track is locked on page 3862. Click the icon to toggle
the track’s locked status. Locking a track prevents manipulation of the data
(such as position animation) controlled by that track.
NOTE Locked tracks also show the text “(Locked)” after the track name. This text
appears whenever the track is locked, and is not affected by the Lock Toggle Icons
setting.

The X Position track is locked; Y and
Z Position are unlocked

Hide Non-Selected Curves When on, if you deselect the object in the
viewport, its function curve also disappears from view in the Curve Editor.
Default is on.
For details, see Hide/Show Non-Selected Curves on page 3900.
Show Non-Selected Curves When on, the Curve editor shows data for
unselected objects as well as selected ones. Default is off.
For details, see Hide/Show Non-Selected Curves on page 3900.
Freeze Non-Selected Curves Displays nonselected curves, but doesn't allow
you to edit them. Available only when Show Non-Selected Curves is on. Default
is on.
For details, see Freeze Non-Selected Curves on page 4006.
Filters Provides controls to filter the display in Curve Editor. A wide range of
options to show, hide and display data is available.
For details, see Filtering Track View Display on page 3921.

Show All Tangents
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves toolbar ➤
(Show All Tangents)

Track View Menu Bar | 3897

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Display menu ➤ All
Tangents
This feature shows all tangent handles on any displayed curves.
You can make changes to multiple tangent handles simultaneously by using
Show All Tangents in combination with Lock Tangents.
See also:
■

Show Tangents on page 3994

Keyable Icon
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves toolbar ➤

(Show Keyable Icons)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Display menu ➤
Keyable Icons
The Keyable icon provides a method to tag a track so that it can receive
keyframes or be prevented from receiving keyframes. You can display an icon
in the Controller window next to the each track’s name to indicate whether
or not the track is keyable. You can toggle the state of the icon to define the
Keyable property.
You can also use the Track View Controller menu ➤ Keyable command to
make tracks keyable in a single operation.

Red key icon
means a track is
keyable.

When the keyable icons are visible, click the red icon to turn off the track.

Black key in a
circle indicates a
track is not
keyable.

3898 | Chapter 13 Animation

NOTE When a track’s Keyable property is off and Auto Key or Set Key is on, the
track is effectively locked; the associated value cannot be changed.
WARNING When you are working with Set Key animation and you have used key
filters to select object parameters or materials, all of the parameters will be keyed
unless you turn off the track's keyable property.
TIP You can assign a keyboard shortcut for making tracks keyable: On the Keyboard
panel of the Customize User Interface dialog, choose Keyable Property Toggle in
the Track View group. By combining the use of keyable icons with key filters, you
can use Set Key animation mode to add keyframes to just the tracks you want to
work with, and avoid keyframing other tracks.

Procedures
To make an individual track keyable:

1

Select the object in the viewport.

2 Right-click and choose Curve Editor.
The Function Curve Editor opens, with the selected object tracks visible.

3 On the Curves toolbar, click

(Show Keyable Icons).

4 Click the red keyable icons for the tracks for which you want to prevent
animation.
The tracks are changed, now marked with a black key in a circle. These
tracks will not receive keyframes. Only the tracks marked with red keyable
icons will.
NOTE Keyable tracks work with both Auto Key and Set Key animation modes.

To make multiple tracks keyable:
1 In Track View, with the object selected, hold down the Ctrl key and click
each track to create a selection set of tracks for which you want to prevent
animation. This can be for one or multiple objects

Track View Menu Bar | 3899

TIP You can hold down the Shift key to select a group of sequential tracks
at once. Alternately you can hold down the Alt key to select all tracks at the
same level as a given track at once.
NOTE If you select just a parent track such as Position, Controller ➤ Keyable
will toggle all of its sub-tracks, even if theyre not selected.
2 From the Controller menu, choose Keyable.
The selected tracks are now defined as keyable.
3 From the Display menu, choose Keyable Icons.
The keyable icon appears next to the tracks. The icon appears red for the
tracks that are keyable, and black for the ones that are not.
TIP Use the same procedure to make multiple tracks not keyable. The
Controller ➤ Keyable command toggles the keyability of the tracks.
NOTE If you have a mixed keyable situation it will toggle the state of the first
track and then set all remaining tracks to match the value of the first track

Hide/Show Non-Selected Curves
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Display menu ➤
Hide Non-Selected Curves or Show Non-Selected Curves
These commands either hide or show function curves that are not selected in
the controller window.
When Hide Non-Selected Curves is on (the default), the curve will disappear
when another track is chosen.
When Show Non-Selected Curves is on, the curve will still be visible in the
Key window when another track is chosen.
If you turn on Show Non-Selected Curves, then you can also use Freeze
Non-Selected Curves. This allows you to see the other curve but not edit it
inadvertently.

View Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ View menu

3900 | Chapter 13 Animation

These commands replicate those found on the Navigation toolbar in Track
View.
Pan Lets you move the window. See Pan (Track View) on page 4021.
Zoom Lets you zoom in and out. See Zoom Track View Key Window on page
4023.
Zoom Region Lets you zoom in to a rectangular area. See Zoom Region (Track
View) on page 4024.
Zoom Horizontal Extents Zooms to the active time segment. See Zoom
Horizontal Extents on page 4021.
Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys Zooms to show all keys. See Zoom Horizontal
Extents on page 4021.
Zoom Value Extents (Curve Editor only) Zooms vertically so that you can
see the full height of the curve.
Zoom Values (Curve Editor only) Zooms the contents of the key window
vertically. Drag upward to increase magnification, or downward to decrease
magnification.

Utilities Menu
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu
The Utilities menu on page 3953 gives you access to the Track View Utilities
dialog. The dialog shows a list of tools you can use when working with keys.
This menu is available in both Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes.
Randomize Keys Changes the values of selected keys randomly based on
range thresholds. Use this on either values or time. For details, see Randomize
Keys Utility on page 3955.

Track View Menu Bar | 3901

Create Out of Range Keys Creates new keys for selected tracks based on
Out-of-Range Parameters. Adjust the samples value to change the granularity
of the key creation. For details, see Create Out of Range Keys Utility on page
3957.

Select Keys by Time Allows you to select the keys within a time range. Turn
off Clear Previous Selection to create discontinuous selection sets. For details,
see Select Keys By Time Utility on page 3959.

3902 | Chapter 13 Animation

Soft Selection Settings Manager Displays a soft selection dialog at the bottom
of the Track View window. For details, see Soft Selection Settings on page 3961.

Euler Filter Corrects rotation anomalies by filtering Euler rotation tracks. For
details, see Euler Filter on page 3960.

Current Value Editor Provides transform type-in capability from within the
Track View modes. Allows you to choose between absolute and relative value
editing. The name of the controller appears above the axis choices. For details,
see Current Value Editor on page 3962.

Track View Menu Bar | 3903

This utility starts a floating Current Value window that works for either Dope
Sheet – Edit keys mode or Curve Editor. It doesn't work for Edit Ranges. Not
for use with object parameters, the current value editor is intended for use
primarily with Transform controllers.

Track View Quad Menus
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Right-click the Controller window or the Key
window.
Right-clicking the Key window or Hierarchy list brings up a quad menu that
offers instant access to tools. The menu is context-sensitive, so its contents
vary, depending on what is highlighted. For example, when the Hierarchy list
is active, you can assign copy and paste controllers, and open properties which
you can animate. You can set the Auto Expand and Manual Navigation controls
to change the behavior of the Controller window display.
The commands from the alternative quad menu (Alt+right-click) are integrated
in the right-click quad menu on page 3861. The Select, Expand, and Collapse
commands are therefore accessible along with the existing quad menu
commands, improving workflow efficiency.

3904 | Chapter 13 Animation

Controller window quad menu

When the key window is active you can draw curves, add keys, move keys
and scale values. You can also reduce keys.

Track View Menu Bar | 3905

Key window quad menu

In the Controller window, if you hold down Alt+right-click you can display
an alternate quad menu, which is also integrated with the main quad menu.

Alt+right-click for
alternate quad menu for
Controller window

You can add additional commands to these quad menus. You can customize
the Track View quad menu the same as any other quad menu.

Procedures
To customize the Track view quad menu:
1 On the Customize menu choose Customize User Interface.
2 On the Customize User Interface dialog, click the Quad tab.
3 From the Quad pull-down menu, choose Track View Quad, or Track View
Key Quad.

3906 | Chapter 13 Animation

4 Change the Group to Track View, and then drag items from the table of
actions on the left to the window in the lower right.

Track View Toolbars
Track View has a number of toolbars for managing controllers and animation.
The toolbars can be floated, docked, and rearranged as you like. (Most toolbar
commands are also available from the Track View menu bar.)
Not all toolbars are visible by default. To see the hidden toolbars, right-click
an empty area between toolbars, choose Show Toolbars, and then pick the
toolbar you want to display.

Curve Editor Toolbars
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ toolbars
These toolbars are visible by default when you open the Curve Editor. For the
most part, they contain controls that are active only in the Curve Editor.
See also:
■

Status Bar and View Controls on page 4007

Keys Toolbar (Curve Editor)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys toolbar
The Keys toolbar for the Curve Editor contains the Filter button, and buttons
for transforming keys or editing them in other ways.

Interface

Filter Use this to determine what is displayed in the Controller window and
the Key window. See Filtering Track View Display on page 3921.

Track View Toolbars | 3907

Move Keys Moves keys freely both horizontally and vertically on the
function curve graph. See Move Keys on page 3947.

Move Keys—Horizontal Moves keys only horizontally on the function
curve graph. See Move Keys on page 3947.

Move Keys — Vertical Moves keys constrained vertically on the
function curve graph. See Move Keys on page 3947.

Slide Keys Use Slide Keys in the Curve Editor to move a group of keys
and slide adjacent keys away as you move. See Slide Keys on page 3948.

Scale Keys Use Scale Keys to compress or expand the amount of time
between keyframes. Works both in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes. See
Scale Keys - Time on page 3949.

Scale Values Proportionally increases or decreases the values of the
keys, rather than moving the keys in time. See Scale Values on page 3990.

Add Keys Creates keys on existing curves on the function curve graph
or Dope Sheet. See Add Keys (Dope Sheet) on page 3951.

Draw Curves Use this to draw new curves, or revise existing ones by
sketching directly on the function curve graph. See Draw Curves on page 3993.

Reduce Keys Use this to reduce the amount of keys in a track. See
Reduce Keys on page 3976.

3908 | Chapter 13 Animation

Key Tangents Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Key Tangents toolbar
The Key Tangents toolbar lets you assign tangency to keys. Tangency controls
the smoothness and the speed of motion at the key.
Each of these buttons is also a flyout: you can apply tangents uniformly to
both in and out motion (the default), or to in and out motion individually.
Select the keys you want to adjust before you use these buttons.

Interface

Set Tangents to Auto Sets keys to automatic tangents.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.
NOTE Selecting the handles of an Auto tangent changes them to custom, and
makes them available for editing.

Set Tangents to Custom Sets keys to custom tangents. Custom tangents
have key handles that you can edit by dragging in the Curve window. Hold
down the Shift key to break continuity when you edit handles.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.

Track View Toolbars | 3909

Set Tangents to Fast Sets key tangency to fast.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.

Set Tangents to Slow Sets key tangency to slow.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.

Set Tangents to Step Sets key tangency to step. Use step to freeze
motion from one key to the next.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.

Set Tangents to Linear Sets key tangency to linear.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

3910 | Chapter 13 Animation

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.

Set Tangents to Smooth Sets key tangency to smooth. Use this to even
up discontinuous motion.

Use the In button to affect only the incoming tangent.

Use the Out button to affect only the outgoing tangent.

Curves Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves toolbar
The Curves toolbar contains controls for managing key selection and editing.

Interface

Lock Selection Locks the key selection. Once you have created a
selection, turn this on and you can't inadvertently select something else. See
Lock Selection on page 3942.

Snap Frames Restricts key movement to frames. Keys that are moved
will always snap to frames when this is on. When this is off, you can move a
key so it falls between frames and becomes a sub-frame key. Default=on. See
Snap Frames on page 3941.

Track View Toolbars | 3911

Parameter Out-of-Range Curves Use this to repeat keyframed motion
beyond the range of the keys. Includes options for Loop, Ping Pong, Cycle,
or Repeat relatively, as well as constant and linear. If you use Parameter
Out-of-Range types, you can later create keys using Track View ➤ Utilities
➤ Create Out-of-Range Keys. See Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types on
page 3996 and Create Out of Range Keys Utility on page 3957.

Show Keyable Icons Displays an icon that defines a track as keyable
or not. Use this to set keys only on the tracks you want to keyframe. Turning
off a track in Track View also restricts the movement in the viewport. Red keys
indicate keyable tracks, black keys are not keyable. See Keyable Icon on page
3898.

Show All Tangents Hides or displays all tangent handles on the curves.
Use this to hide the handles quickly when many keys are selected. See Show
All Tangents on page 3897.

Show Tangents Hides or displays tangent handles on the curves. Use
this to hide the handles on individual curves. See Show Tangents on page 3994.

Lock Tangents Locks the selection of multiple tangent handles, so you
can then manipulate several handles at once. When Lock Tangents is off, you
can only manipulate one key tangency at a time. See Lock Tangents on page
3996.

Biped Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Biped toolbar
Tools on the Biped toolbar let you choose which animation curves to display
in the Curve Editor. You can toggle between the position and rotation curves,
as well as toggle the separate curves representing the X, Y, and Z axes of the
current biped selection.
These controls are inactive if you haven’t selected a biped.

3912 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Show Biped Position Curves Displays the position curves for the
animated biped selection. Also chooses Pos Curve from the Curve Type
drop-down list of the Animation Workbench Toolbar on page 5173.
Show Biped Rotation Curves Displays the rotation curves for the
animated biped selection. Also chooses Rot Curve from the Curve Type
drop-down list of the Animation Workbench Toolbar on page 5173. Default=on.
Show Biped X Curves Toggles the X axis of the current animation or
position curves. Also toggles the X button of the Animation Workbench
Toolbar on page 5173. Default=on.
Show Biped Y Curves Toggles the Y axis of the current animation or
position curves. Also toggles the Y button of the Animation Workbench
Toolbar on page 5173. Default=on.
Show Biped Z Curves Toggles the Z axis of the current animation or
position curves. Also toggles the Z button of the Animation Workbench Toolbar
on page 5173. Default=on.

Dope Sheet Toolbars
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ toolbars
These toolbars are visible by default when you open the Dope Sheet. For the
most part, they contain controls that are active only in the Dope Sheet.
See also:
■

Status Bar and View Controls on page 4007

Track View Toolbars | 3913

Keys Toolbar (Dope Sheet)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Keys toolbar
The Keys toolbar for the Dope Sheet contains the Filter button and other
display controls, as well as buttons for transforming keys and editing them
in other ways.

Interface

Edit Keys Displays a Dope Sheet Editor mode that shows the keys as
boxes on a graph. Use this to mode to insert, cut, and paste time. See Edit
Keys on page 3940.

Edit Ranges Displays a Dope Sheet Editor mode that shows the keyed
tracks as range bars. See Edit Ranges on page 3978.
Filter Use this to determine what is displayed in the Controller window and
the Dope Sheet - Key window. See Filtering Track View Display on page 3921.

Slide Keys Use Slide Keys in the Dope Sheet to move a group of keys
and slide adjacent keys away as you move. Only slides keys on the same
controller track. See Slide Keys on page 3948.

Add Keys Creates keys on existing tracks on the Dope Sheet grid.
Combine this tool with Current Value editor to adjust the key values
numerically. See Add Keys (Dope Sheet) on page 3951.

Scale Keys Use Scale Keys to compress or expand the amount of time
between keyframes. Works both in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes. Uses
the time slider as an origin point to or from which to scale. See Scale Keys Time on page 3949.

3914 | Chapter 13 Animation

Time Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Time toolbar
Controls on the Time toolbar let you select time ranges, remove time, scale
it, insert it, or reverse its flow.

Interface

Select Time Lets you select a time range. Time selections include any keys
that might be included within the time range. Use Insert Time, then Select
Time to choose the time range. See Select Time on page 3965.

Delete Time Removes selected time from the selected tracks. Cannot
be applied globally to shorten the time segment. This removes keys but leaves
“blank” frames behind. See Delete Time on page 3966.

Reverse Time Reverses the keys on selected tracks within a selected
time segment. See Reverse Time on page 3970.

Scale Time Scales the keys within a selected time segment for selected
tracks. See Scale Time on page 3972

Insert Time Allows you to insert a range of frames as a time insertion.
Existing keys slide out of the way to make room for inserted time. Once you
have made a time selection with Insert Time, you can then use all the other
time tools. See Insert Time on page 3971.

Cut Time Deletes time selections from the selected tracks. See Cut Time
on page 3967.
Copy Time Duplicates the selected time selection so it will be available for
pasting. See Copy Time on page 3967.

Track View Toolbars | 3915

Paste Time Adds cut or copied time selections into the selected tracks.
See Paste Time on page 3968.

Display Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Display toolbar
The Display toolbar contains controls for managing key selection and editing,
including how to edit tracks in a hierarchy.

Interface

Lock Selection Locks the key selection. Once you have created a
selection, turn this on so that you cannot inadvertently select something else.
See Lock Selection on page 3942.

Snap Frames Restricts key movement to frames. Keys that are moved
will always snap to frames when this is on. When this is off you can move a
key so it falls between frames and become a sub-frame key. Default=on. See
Snap Frames on page 3941.
Show Keyable Icons Shows an icon that defines a track as keyable or not.
Use this to set keys only on the tracks you desire to keyframe. Turning off a
track in Track View will also restrict the movement in the viewport. Red keys
show keyable tracks, black keys are not keyable. See Keyable Icon on page 3898.

Modify Subtree When this is on, allows key manipulations to parent
tracks to affect the tracks down the hierarchy. On by default in Dope Sheet
mode. See Modify Subtree on page 3893.

Modify Child Keys If you modify the parent without Modify Subtree
on, click Modify Child Keys to apply the change to the child keys. Similarly,

3916 | Chapter 13 Animation

if you modify the parent with Modify Subtree on, Modify Child Keys toggles
those changes off. See Modify Child Keys on page 3895.

Name Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Name toolbar
The Name toolbar lets you name the Track View.

Interface

Name By entering a name in this field, you create a named Track View window
that you can later recall using the Graph Editors menu ➤ Saved Track View
submenu.
This toolbar appears by default for both the Curve Editor and the Dope Sheet.

Controllers Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Right-click the starting area of a toolbar (containing
two vertical bars). ➤ Show Toolbars ➤ Controllers toolbar
This toolbar contains the basic tools you need to work with controllers in
Track View. This toolbar is hidden as a default. Right-click the Track View
toolbar and choose Show Toolbars ➤ Controllers: Track View to display these
tools.
All of these commands are always available via the Track View Controller
menu.

Interface

Track View Toolbars | 3917

Filters Click to display the Filters dialog on page 3922, which you can use to
control what Track View displays in the Controller and Key windows.
Copy Controller Use this to copy a controller and its animated tracks from
a selected object. See Copy Controller on page 3927.

Paste Controller Pasts the copied or cut controller onto a new object
or selection of object tracks. See Paste Controller on page 3928.

Assign Controller Use this to assign a new controller to an object.
All objects have a default controller assigned; use this to change the default
controller to a different one. Select the controller track in the Controller
window, then use Assign Controller to select a new one. See Assign Controller
on page 3930.

Delete Controller Delete a controller from an object. The controller
will be replaced with a default controller. See Delete Controller on page 3932.

Make Controller Unique Changes an instanced controller to a unique
controller. This lets you make changes to the controller without affecting any
other object tracks. See Make Controller Unique on page 3935.

Procedures
To display the Controllers toolbar:
1 Right-click the blank area on the Track View toolbar, to the right of the
Modify Child Keys button.
2 From the right-click menu, choose Show Toolbars.
3 Choose Controllers: Track View from the list.

Tools Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Right-click the starting area of a toolbar (containing
two vertical bars). ➤ Show Toolbars ➤ Tools : Track View

3918 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Tools toolbar has buttons for managing Note tracks, Visibility tracks,
controller properties, starting utilities, and some buttons also available from
other toolbars.

Interface

Add Note Track Click to add a note track on page 3936.

Delete Note Track Click to remove a note track on page 3939.

Add Visibility Track Click to add a visibility track on page 3944.

Snap Frames Restricts key movement to frames. Keys that are moved
will always snap to frames when this is on. When this is off, you can move a
key so it falls between frames and becomes a sub-frame key. Default=on. See
Snap Frames on page 3941.

Lock Selection Locks the key selection. Once you have created a
selection, turn this on so that you cannot inadvertently select something else.
See Lock Selection on page 3942.

Properties Click to open a dialog for editing a track or selected key.
See Properties (Track View Key Window) on page 3952.

Track View Toolbars | 3919

Track View Utilities Click to open a dialog that lets you choose one
of the Track View utilities on page 3953.

Ranges Toolbar (Dope Sheet)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Right-click the starting
area of a toolbar (containing two vertical bars). ➤ Show Toolbars ➤ Ranges
: Dope Sheet
This toolbar, hidden by default, provides tools you use when working with
ranges.

Interface

Edit Ranges Changes Dope Sheet to display range bars rather than
tracks of keys. See Edit Ranges on page 3978.

Position Ranges Adjusts the relationship between a range bar and its
keys. Turning this on will allow you to see the keys while moving the range
bar.

Recouple Ranges Resizes the range bar to fit the first and last key of
the selected track.

Extras Toolbar (Dope Sheet)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Right-click the blank
area of the toolbar to the right of Modify Child Keys. ➤ Show Toolbars ➤
Extras : Dope Sheet

3920 | Chapter 13 Animation

Provides extra tools for use in Dope Sheet mode.

Interface

Exclude Left End Point Prevents a key at the first frame of a selected
block of time from being copied to the clipboard.

Exclude Right End Point Prevents a key at the last frame of a selected
block of time from being copied to the clipboard.

Filtering Track View Display
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤ Filters button
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers Toolbar ➤ Filters button
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Display menu ➤ Filters
Filters lets you determine which categories of items appear in Track View.
When you click the Filters button, Track View opens the Filters dialog on page
3922.
You can also right-click the Filters button for quick selection of items.
TIP You can set up a default filter configuration. Open a single Track View, set
the filters the way you want them to come up, and close the Track View. Save the
(empty) scene as maxstart.max. This scene file is automatically loaded when you
start 3ds Max.

Procedures
To position a selected object at the top of the Track View Hierarchy:
1 In a viewport, right-click a selected object.
2 From the right-click menu, choose Curve Editor or Dope Sheet.

Filtering Track View Display | 3921

Track View opens with the selected object at the top of the Track View
Hierarchy.
To display the animated transform tracks for an object in Track View:

1

Select an object, then open a Track View window.

2 Right-click

(Filters).

3 From the right-click menu, choose Animated Tracks Only.

4 Right-click

(Filters) again.

5 From the right-click menu, choose Selected Objects Only.

Interface
See Filters Dialog on page 3922.

Filters Dialog (Track View)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers Toolbar ➤

(Filters)

(Filters)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Display menu ➤ Filters
You use the Filters dialog to choose what to display in Track View. For example,
you can limit the view to animated tracks only, or tracks for selected objects.
This dialog also controls function curve display and transform display for
Position, Rotation, Scale, and X, Y, and Z axes individually.

3922 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To choose filter options:

1 On the Keys Toolbar, click

(Filters).

2 Choose any of the filter options from the dialog.

Interface

Show group
The Show group has options to display any of the following in the Hierarchy
list window:
■

Hierarchy

■

Objects

■

Space Warp Bindings

Filtering Track View Display | 3923

■

Transforms (Position, Rotation, Scale, X/Y/Z/W axes in any combination)

■

Modified Objects

■

Base Objects

■

Controller Types (off by default)

■

Note Tracks

■

Visibility Tracks

■

Sound

■

Materials/Maps

■

Material/Parameters

■

Static Values

■

Global Tracks: non-object tracks

All Sets all Show check boxes to on.
None Sets all Show check boxes to off.
Invert Reverses the state of all Show check boxes.

Hide by Controller Type group

Hide By Controller Type contains a window displaying a list of all controller
types in 3ds Max. Choose one or more controller types to prevent them from
appearing in the Hierarchy list. You can use the standard multiple-selection
methods of Ctrl+click, Shift+click, or drag.

3924 | Chapter 13 Animation

All/None/Invert Selects either all items in the list, none of the items in the
list, or inverts the current selection.
NOTE When you hide a controller, its subcontrollers (if any) are hidden as well.
For example, if you hide a PRS Transform controller, its Position, Rotation, and
Scale controllers are also hidden.

Show Only group

Animated Tracks Displays only tracks that contain animation. Only the
animated tracks are shown, each with its full hierarchy, whether or not the
Hierarchy switch on page 3923 is on.

Selected Objects Displays only items for objects selected in the scene. As you
select objects in the scene, the display in the Hierarchy list changes to show
the current selection. The display of sound and materials branches are not
affected by this filter.
Selected Tracks Displays only items that you select prior to setting this filter.
All of the displayed items are left-justified in the Hierarchy list regardless of
their level in the hierarchy.
Visible Objects Determines whether objects that are hidden in the viewports
will appear in the Track View Hierarchy. This does not consider objects with
tracks, but only objects that have been hidden. Default=on.
Keyable Tracks Displays only tracks that can receive keys. This property is
toggled using the Keyable property available on the Track View Controller
menu, or by clicking the keyable icon displayed using Show Keyable Icon.
Default=off.

Filtering Track View Display | 3925

Unlocked Attributes Displays only tracks that are not locked. This property
is controlled with the Lock and Unlock on page 3862 commands on the Hierarchy
right-click menu. Default=off.
Active Layer For each object listed in the controller window with animation
layers on page 3496 enabled, displays only the active layer, along with all nested
controllers.
TIP Available in Customize User Interface on page 8837 are actions and icons for all
Show Only options. Find them in the Track View group; their names all start with
“Filter”.

Hide by Category group

Contains a list of check boxes that let you hide tracks based on categories
similar to those found in the Display panel. Turning on one of these hides
the entire category type and any subcomponents.

Function Curve Display group

3926 | Chapter 13 Animation

Check boxes in this group, when active, specify which transforms are
suppressed, for which axis, and which RGB color values are suppressed. This
is only used for controllers such as the Bezier Position controller that displays
all three axis with one track selected.
NOTE The “W” and “A” Filters are for use with the Point4 controller. The W is
simply a fourth filter for position, and the A is for use with the floating-point RGBA
controller, which is based on the Point4 controller.

Managing Controllers
In Track View, you can manage controllers from either the Curve Editor or
the Dope Sheet.

Copy Controller

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers toolbar on page 3917 ➤
Controller)

(Copy

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a controller track in the Controller
window. ➤ Controller menu ➤ Copy
Copy Controller copies the selected item to the Track View clipboard.
You can use Copy and Paste to copy object and modifier tracks, controllers,
objects, and containers, depending on what you are working on.
The Controller tools are also available as buttons on the Controllers: Track
View toolbar. This toolbar is hidden by default; to unhide right-click the
toolbar and choose Show Toolbars ➤ Controllers: Track View.
Not all tracks can be copied and pasted. The basic restrictions for using Copy
and Paste in Track View are:
■

Only a single selected item can be copied.

■

A copied item can only be pasted into another item of the same type.

■

A copied item can be pasted into a selection of multiple items only if all
of the items are of the same type.

Managing Controllers | 3927

Procedures
To copy and paste a modifier:
1 In the Track View Hierarchy, highlight a modifier track.
2 From the Controller menu, choose Copy.
3 Click the object track for an object in the Track View Hierarchy.
4 From the Controllers menu, choose Paste.
The Paste dialog is displayed.
5 Set the options in the Paste dialog, and click OK.
The pasted modifier is inserted above the object track you selected. Note
that it does not replace any of the tracks in the target object.
To copy and paste a controller:
1 In the Track View Hierarchy, highlight a controller track.
2 On the Track View Controllers menu, click Copy Controller.
3 Highlight the controller track for an object in the Track View Hierarchy.
Make sure you choose the same type of transform that you copied.
4 From the Controllers menu, choose Paste.
The Paste dialog is displayed.
5 Set the options in the Paste dialog, and click OK.
The controller is pasted onto the selected object.

Paste Controller
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers toolbar on page 3917 ➤
Controller)

(Paste

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a controller track in the Controller
window. ➤ Controller menu ➤ Copy
Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+V

3928 | Chapter 13 Animation

Paste Controller pastes the contents of the Copy Controller buffer. You can
use the Copy and Paste buttons to copy tracks, controllers, objects, and
containers.
All the Controller tools can also be found on the Controllers: Track View
toolbar, which is hidden by default. Right-click the toolbar, then choose Show
Toolbars ➤ Controllers: Track View to display the icons for Assign, Copy,
Paste. Delete Controller and Make Controller Unique.
TIP If you need a gizmo to follow a dummy object, use Copy Controller and Paste
Controller to copy the animation from the dummy to the gizmo.

Procedures
See Copy Controller on page 3927.

Interface

Paste Controller Pastes an item from the Track View clipboard.
The Paste dialog contains the following options:
Copy/Instance Determines whether the cloned item is a simple copy or an
instance on page 9195 of the original.
Replace All Instances When you paste to any track that contains an instanced
object, replaces all instances of the object with the object on the clipboard. If
off, only the object in the selected track will be replaced. Any instanced objects
will remain as they are.

Managing Controllers | 3929

Assign Controller

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers toolbar on page 3917 ➤
Controller)

(Assign

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a controller track in the Controller
window. ➤ Controller menu ➤ Assign

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout ➤ Highlight a track in
the list. ➤

(Assign Controller)

Keyboard ➤ C
Use Assign Controller to assign animation controllers to any animatable
parameter or track in Track View.
Animation controllers and constraints provide powerful tools for animating
all the objects and materials in a scene. For example, rather than keyframing
the position of an object in your scene, the object can follow a spline using
the Path constraint, react to any animated parameter using a Reaction
controller, or move to the beat of music using the Audio controller. You can
combine controllers with a List Controller. You can drive a single vertex or
control point on a complex object by a variety of controllers.
You can also assign controllers using the right-click menu in the Track View
Controller window. Or you can assign controllers on the Motion panel, with
Schematic View, and from the Animation menu.
To view lists of available controllers and constraints, see Animation Controllers
on page 3454 and Animation Constraints on page 3607.

Constraints and Controllers
Technically, there is no difference between a controller and a constraint. A
constraint is simply a controller that requires the use of a second object. For
example, a Path constraint is a controller that requires a spline object for a
path.

3930 | Chapter 13 Animation

Special-Case Controllers
Special-case controllers are not assigned manually with the Assign Controller
command. They are applied automatically during certain procedures.
Barycentric Morph Controller is applied by selecting an object and clicking
Command panel ➤ Geometry ➤ Compound Objects ➤ Morph.
A Master Point Controller is assigned when animating vertices, control points,
or vectors in the sub-object mode of an Editable Mesh, Editable Spline, Editable
Patch, NURBS surface, or FFD modifier.
Slave Controllers can be assigned manually, but is also automatically applied
to selected tracks when a Block controller is created in Track View Global
Tracks. A Slave controller transfers key data to a Block controller. Slave
controllers are described in the Block controller topic.

Procedures
To assign an animation controller in Track View:
1 In the Track View Hierarchy, select one or more parameter items of the
same type.
2 From the Controller menu, choose Assign.
3 Choose a controller type from the Assign Controller dialog.
If a parameter has already been animated, then assigning a new controller
has one of the following effects:
■

The existing animation values are recalculated to produce a similar
animation with the new controller. For example, replacing Position
XYZ with Bezier Position closely preserves the animation.

■

The existing animation values are discarded. For example, replacing
Smooth Rotation with Noise Rotation discards the Smooth Rotation
animation values.

Managing Controllers | 3931

Interface

Assign Controller Choose a controller type from the Assign ... Controller
dialog. Depending on the type of track currently highlighted, the dialog lists
a subset of the different types of controllers.

Delete Controller
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers toolbar on page 3917 ➤
Controller)

(Delete

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a controller track in the Controller
window. ➤ Controller menu ➤ Delete Controller
Some node subcontrollers can be deleted. Visibility tracks, Image Motion Blur
Multiplier, Object Motion Blur, and On/Off are examples of controllers that
can be deleted. Most controllers, however, are not deletable.
You can also delete a Visibility track by using Tracks ➤ Visibility Tracks ➤
Remove.

3932 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To delete a deletable controller:
1 In the Controller window, select a deletable controller.
2 On the Track View Controllers menu, choose Delete Controller.
The controller is deleted.
NOTE Most controllers cannot be deleted, only replaced. The Delete
Controller menu item is available only if the controller track selected is an
applicable type.

Ignore Animation Range
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Select a controller track ➤ Controller menu ➤
Ignore Animation Range
Ignore Animation Range allows a parametric, non-keyable controller track to
be active throughout the entire length of the animation, independent of the
track's current animation range. Choosing this option changes the track's
background color to purple.
This setting is active by default on all new controller tracks (turn off the
Override Parametric Controller Range By Default option in the Animation
Preferences on page 8933 to change it). However, controller tracks from older
scenes are set to Respect Animation Range on page 3934 to maintain their original
behavior.

Procedures
Example: To set a controller track to ignore the animation range:
1 Create a sphere.

2 On the
Motion Panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout, highlight
the sphere's Position track.

3 Click
(Assign Controller), and then choose Noise Position from
the Assign Controller dialog.

Managing Controllers | 3933

4 3ds Max opens the Noise Controller dialog. Keep the current settings and
close the dialog.

5

Select the sphere, and then right-click it. From the quad menu,
choose Dope Sheet.

6 Expand the hierarchy items in the Controller window until you find the
sphere's Position track.
7 Drag the track's range bar until it starts at frame 10.

8

Play the animation.
Because Ignore Animation Range is on by default, the sphere moves
randomly even before entering the track's animation range.

Respect Animation Range
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Select a Controller track ➤ Controller menu ➤
Respect Animation Range
Respect Animation Range constrains a parametric, non-keyable controller
track to be active only within the track's current animation range. Choosing
this option changes the track's background color to gray.
NOTE While Ignore Animation Range on page 3933 is the default setting (turn off
the Override Parametric Controller Range By Default option in the Animation
Preferences on page 8933 to change it), controller tracks from older scenes are set
to this setting to maintain their original behavior.

Procedures
Example: To set a controller track to respect the animation range:
1 Create a sphere.

3934 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 On the
Motion Panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout, highlight
the sphere's Position track.

3 Click
(Assign Controller), and then choose Noise Position from
the Assign Controller dialog.
4 3ds Max opens the Noise Controller dialog. Keep the current settings and
close the dialog.

5

Select the sphere, and then right-click it. From the quad menu,
choose Dope Sheet.

6 Expand the hierarchy items in the Controller window until you find the
sphere's Position track.
7 On the Controllers menu, choose Respect Animation Range.
The background color of the track changes to gray.
8 Drag the track's range bar so it starts at frame 10.

9

Play the animation.
Because Respect Animation Range is on, the sphere starts moving only
when it is within the track's animation range.

Make Controller Unique
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Controllers toolbar on page 3917 ➤
Controller Unique)

(Make

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a controller track in the Controller
window. ➤ Controller menu ➤ Make Controller Unique

Managing Controllers | 3935

Make Controller Unique converts an instanced clone of a controller to a copy
that's unique to the current object. Objects and modifiers can also be made
unique.
The result depends on whether or not the data flow branches at the selected
container:
■

If the data flow does not branch anywhere below the selected container,
nothing happens.

■

If the data flow does branch at or below the selected container, the data
flow above the branch is split from the current data flow as a unique object.
The data flow from the selected container to the master object is copied
and attached to the new unique object.

All the Controller tools can also be found on the Controllers: Track View
toolbar which is hidden by default. Right-click any blank area of the Track
View toolbar, then choose Show Toolbars ➤ Controllers: Track View to display
the buttons for Assign, Copy, Paste. Delete Controller and Make Controller
Unique.

Procedures
To convert an instanced controller to a unique one:
1 Select an instanced controller.
2 On the Controllers menu, choose Make Unique, or press U on the
keyboard.
TIP If you have instanced modifiers you can make them unique by choosing
the modifier in the Modifier Stack, right-clicking and choosing Make Unique.

Note Tracks
Note tracks let you annotate keys with information such as what the key is
doing or how you plan to edit it.

Add Note Track
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tracks menu ➤ Note Tracks ➤ Add

3936 | Chapter 13 Animation

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tools toolbar on page 3918 ➤
Track)

(Add Note

With Add Note Track, you can insert a note track below a highlighted track
in the Track View Hierarchy. You can make note keys and associated notes at
specific time locations to keep track of what keys do. Do this by adding keys
in Dope Sheet ➤ Add Keys mode, then right-click a note key to see the Notes
dialog. The information you enter will appear in the Key window under the
keys.
Any item in the Hierarchy list can have a note track added as a branch below
it. You can add a note track to an item in any of the Track View modes.

Note track for animation of door opening

Once you have created a note track for an item, use Add Keys to insert note
keys. Use the Notes dialog to edit the notes.
You can have toolbar access to the Note Tracks by unhiding the Tools: Track
View toolbar.

Procedures
To add a note track:

1 On the Track View Dope Sheet toolbar, click

(Edit Keys).

2 Highlight one or more item labels in the Hierarchy list.
3 From the Tracks menu, choose Note Tracks ➤ Add.
A note track is inserted as a branch directly below each highlighted item.
To add a note key to a note track:
1 Select the Note track (in Dope Sheet Edit Keys mode).

Note Tracks | 3937

2 Click

(Add Keys).

3 Click a note track in the Key Window to place a note at that particular
frame.
To edit notes:
1 Right-click a note key to display the Notes dialog.
2 Click inside the edit box, and then start typing.
The first line of your note appears as a label to the right of the note key.
Type a one- or two-word description as the first line of your note. Close
the dialog using the X button at the top right corner to enter the body
of the note.

Interface
Add Note Track Inserts a note track directly below the highlighted items in
the Hierarchy list. This is available from the Tracks menu or from the Tools:
Track View toolbar.

Notes dialog
Adds or edits notes on the animation in Track View. The first line of your note
appears as a label to the right of the note key. You should type a short oneor two-word description as the first line of your note. Press Enter to start the
body of the note. Press Enter or click within the text field to start the body of
the note. Close the Notes dialog by clicking the X button at the top-right
corner of the dialog.

3938 | Chapter 13 Animation

Note Number Indicates which note key you are working with. Click the left
arrow to move back to the previous note or the right arrow to move forward
to the next note.
Time Sets the time position for the note key. Change the value to move the
note to a new time.
Lock Key Locks the key to the Time field. When set, the key ignores all
operations performed with Move, Slide, and Scale. The only way to change
the key's time is to use the Time field in the Notes dialog.

Remove Note Track
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a note track. ➤ Tracks menu ➤ Note
Tracks ➤ Remove
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a note track. ➤ Tools toolbar on page
3918 ➤

(Delete Note Track)

Use Remove Note Track to delete a note track and its associated keys.
You can have toolbar access to Remove Note Track by unhiding the Tools:
Track View toolbar. This toolbar is available only in the Curve Editor, however.
The tooltip is labeled Delete Note Track.

Note Tracks | 3939

Procedures
To delete a note track from items:
1 Highlight one or more note tracks in the Hierarchy list.
2 From the Tracks menu, choose Note Track ➤ Remove.

Editing Keys
Topics in this section relate to editing animation keys in Track View.

Edit Keys
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤
(Edit Keys)
Edit Keys displays your animation as a series of keys as boxes on a grid in the
Key window. Dope Sheet Editor turns on Edit Keys by default.
Edit Keys is useful for getting a global view of your animation because it
displays animation timing for all tracks. Use this mode for key and range
editing when you want to view your changes in the context of the total
animation.
Use Edit Keys mode to:
■

Select and change one or more keys

■

Drag range bars to change all animation in multiple tracks

Procedures
To turn on Edit Keys mode, do one of the following:
1 If you are in Curve Editor, choose Modes ➤ Dope Sheet.

2 If you are in Dope Sheet ➤ Ranges, then on the Keys toolbar, click
(Edit Keys).

3940 | Chapter 13 Animation

To delete keys in Edit Keys mode:
1 Highlight the keys in the Key window.
2 Press Delete to delete the selected keys.

Snap Frames
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves toolbar ➤
(Snap Frames)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Display toolbar ➤
(Snap Frames)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tools toolbar on page 3918 ➤

(Snap Frames)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Snap Frames
With Snap Frames, all key and range bar positions that are changed are forced
to absolute frame increments. This includes selection sets of multiple keys.
When Snap Frames is on, each key in a selection set will snap to the nearest
frame when the selection is moved or scaled. Default=on.
When you use the Time Display format MM:SS:Ticks, which doesn't use frames,
Snap Frames snaps to time values that match frame boundaries.
In Dope Sheet ➤ Edit Keys mode, keys are displayed as a box grid. Keys that
are snapped to frames are displayed as filled boxes. Keys that have been moved
with snap frames off are displayed as narrow rectangles within the grid. When
using the Curve Editor, a similar display is available in the track bar.

Subframe keys moved with snap frame off

Editing Keys | 3941

WARNING Don't turn off Snap Frames unless you have a reason to, such as the
need for more precise animation timing. If you do turn off Snap Frames and move
keys in Curve Editor you will create sub-frame keys, but they won't be noticeably
different in Curve Editor. In some cases, sub-frame keys can lead to animation
“popping,” or overly fast changes due to keys being too close together.

Procedures
To use Snap Frames:
Snap Frames is on by default, so the following procedure only applies if you
have turned off snap frames previously.

1 On the Track View Dope Sheet toolbar, click

(Edit Keys).

NOTE This isn't an absolute necessity, but it makes it easier to see the
snapping action. You can also view the snapping in the track bar in either
Dope Sheet or Curve Editor mode.

2 On the Track View toolbar, turn on

(Snap Frames).

3 In the Track View Key window, select one or more keys.

4 Use

(Move Keys) or

Scale Keys to move the keys.

With Snap Frames on, each key in a selection set snaps to the nearest
frame when the selection is moved or scaled.

Lock Selection
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves toolbar ➤
(Lock Selection)

3942 | Chapter 13 Animation

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Display toolbar ➤
(Lock Selection)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tools toolbar on page 3918 ➤

(Lock Selection)

Keyboard ➤ Spacebar
Lock Selection toggles selection locking on and off. When a selection is locked
you can't inadvertently deselect or select anything else. When a selection is
locked you don't have to click it to move the keys, you can click anywhere in
the window to more or scale the keys.
NOTE To use the Spacebar keyboard shortcut, the Keyboard Shortcut Override
Toggle on page 9008 must be on.

Procedures
To use Lock Selection in Track View:
1 In either Dope Sheet or Curve Editor Key window, highlight one or more
keys.

2 On the Track View toolbar, turn on
(Lock Selection), and then
click and drag inside the Track View Key window.
All the selected keys move regardless of where inside the Track View Key
window you click and drag.

Align to Cursor
Track View on page 3827 ➤ In the Key window, select keys to align to the
current frame. ➤ Keys menu ➤ Align to Cursor
Use Align to Cursor to move selected keys to the current time. Select the keys
to align using Move, Slide, or Scale.
Align to Cursor is useful for taking a group of scattered keys and moving them
to the same time location.
Align to Cursor is available in Dope Sheet and Curve Editor modes.

Editing Keys | 3943

Align Keys to Cursor ignores the state of Snap Frames, and always uses the
exact time set by the time slider.

Procedures
To move all selected keys to the current frame:
1 Open either Curve Editor or Dope Sheet - Edit Keys mode.
2 Drag the time slider to the time where you want the keys aligned.

3 Highlight one or more keys using
or

(Move Keys),

(Slide Keys),

(Scale Keys).

4 From the Keys menu, choose Align To Cursor.
The leftmost selected key in each track is moved to the current time.
Multiple selected keys on the same track maintain their relative distance
from the leftmost key.

Add Visibility Track
Right-click an object in the viewport. ➤ Choose Curve Editor or Dope Sheet.
➤ Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tracks menu ➤ Visibility Track ➤ Add
Track View on page 3827 ➤ In the Controller window, select the object whose
visibility you want to key. ➤ Tracks menu ➤ Visibility Track ➤ Add
Track View on page 3827 ➤ In the Controller window, select the object whose

visibility you want to key. ➤ Tools toolbar on page 3918 ➤
Visibility Track)

(Add

Add Visibility Track controls when you can see an object. Visibility tracks can
only be added to objects.
You can create a visibility track by either animating the Visibility parameter
in the Object Properties dialog or by selecting an object in the Track View

3944 | Chapter 13 Animation

Hierarchy and clicking Tracks menu ➤ Visibility Tracks ➤ Add. In both
cases a visibility track, using a Bezier float controller, is created in Track View.
The visibility track displays as a child of the object in the Track View Hierarchy.
NOTE In the Object Properties dialog, Rendering Control must be set to By Object
in order to keyframe the Visibility using the spinner.
NOTE Right-click over an object in the viewports and select Properties to display
the Object Properties dialog.
WARNING An object without mapping coordinates that is invisible at frame 0
will not ask for UVW Map coordinates at render time. The warning will display at
the frame that the object becomes visible. This can stop a render midway, so make
sure invisible objects at the beginning of your animation have mapping coordinates
if necessary.

On and Off Visibility
When you first assign a visibility track to an object, a Bezier float controller
is automatically assigned; this allows gradual visibility. You can make an object
appear or disappear suddenly by changing the interpolation of the visibility
keys to Step tangency.
Variable opacity is supported in the shaded viewports. For ease of use, the
object never completely disappears from the viewports.

Visibility Inheritance
An object can inherit the visibility of its parent (as determined by the parent's
Visibility track in the Track View). Use the Object Properties ➤ Inherit
Visibility check box to specify the visibility inheritance of an object.

Groups and Visibility
All members of a Group inherit the visibility of the parent when a visibility
controller is assigned to the parent. Transparent materials and hidden objects
have no effect on this function.

Level of Detail Utility and Visibility
The Level of Detail utility on page 2787 lets you construct an object that alters
its geometric complexity or level of detail based on its size in the rendered
image. You create several versions of the same object each with different levels
of detail; you group them as one, and then assign the Level of Detail utility.
This automatically creates a special LOD controller as a Visibility track.

Editing Keys | 3945

Procedures
To add a visibility track to objects:
1 In Track View Curve Editor or Dope Sheet Edit Keys mode, highlight the
object you want to affect in the Hierarchy list on the controller window.
2 From the Track View ➤ Tracks menu, choose Visibility Tracks ➤ Add.
3 Select the keys, then use Controller ➤ Properties to adjust the key values
and interpolation.
A value of 0 creates an invisible object, a value of 1.0 creates a fully visible
object. Change the interpolation to step for sudden visibility, rather than
gradual fades.
A visibility track appears below the selected object(s). Add and edit keys in
the visibility track to control the object's visibility.
To add visibility keys:
1 Once you have a visibility track assigned to the object, highlight the
track.

2 On the toolbar, click

(Add Keys).

3 On the Track View Key window, click in a visibility track to add a key at
that time location.
Example: To create and animate a visibility track using the Object Properties
dialog:
1 Create a box.

2 Turn on

(Auto Key).

3 Drag the time slider to frame 10.
This is the frame at which you'll set the box to disappear.
4 Right-click the box and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
5 In the General tab, set Visibility to 0, and then click OK.
This creates a visibility track in Track View and adds a key with a value
of 0 to the track.

3946 | Chapter 13 Animation

6 Scrub the time slider.
The box fades.

Move Keys (Dope Sheet)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

(Move Keys)

Move Keys lets you reposition keys horizontally, within their own tracks, thus
changing the times at which they take effect. If no keys are highlighted, you
can move any key by dragging it. If multiple keys are highlighted, you can
move them all the same distance by dragging one of them.
This button is a flyout. You can choose Move Keys Horizontal or Move Keys
Vertical, but in the Dope Sheet, all three buttons have the same effect.
You can clone highlighted keys by moving them while holding down the Shift
key.
NOTE You can use any button on the Move Keys flyout to move keys in Dope
Sheet mode, but you can move keys horizontally only.

Procedures
To move a selection of keys:

1 On the Keys Toolbar, click
(Move Keys) if it isn't already
highlighted. (It should be on by default.)
2 Highlight the keys you want to move in the Key window by dragging a
selection rectangle around the keys. You can also use Ctrl+click to
highlight non-contiguous keys.
3 Position the mouse cursor over one of the highlighted keys, and then
drag horizontally to move the keys in time.
TIP Press Spacebar to lock the key selection. Then you don't have to drag
over the selected key, but anywhere in the viewport. This is useful when you
have a complex selection set of keys.

Editing Keys | 3947

Slide Keys
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight keys in the Key window. ➤ Keys Toolbar
➤

(Slide Keys)

Use Slide Keys to move a group of keys (the highlighted keys plus all the keys
to one end of the animation).
The direction that you drag determines which group of keys moves:
■

Dragging to the right moves the highlighted keys, plus all keys to the last
key of the animation, forward in time.

■

Dragging to the left moves the highlighted keys, plus all keys to the first
key of the animation, backward in time.

Slide Keys is a way to split the animation at the highlighted keys and spread
the ends apart. Slide Keys is available in Edit Keys mode.
You can clone keys and insert them elsewhere in your animation curve while
offsetting existing keys by the length of time occupied by the cloned keys by
dragging while holding down Shift. Based on the length of your selection, the
existing keys to the right of the selection move forward in time (that is, to the
right) to allow the new key insertion, whether you drag to the right or the
left.

Procedures
To slide a selection of keys:

1 On the Track View toolbar, click
2 Highlight one or more keys.

3 Drag to slide the keys to the right.

3948 | Chapter 13 Animation

(Slide Keys).

The keys following your selection move to account for the offset produced
by sliding the keys.

4 Highlight another group of keys.

5 Hold Shift while dragging to slide the keys to the right.
The keys following your selection move to the right by the length of time
occupied by the cloned keys.

Scale Keys - Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

(Scale Keys)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Scale Keys - Time
Scale Keys - Time moves all selected keys proportionally toward or away from
the current frame. Use the Scale Keys button in either mode to change the
location and amount of time covered by one or more selected keys.

Editing Keys | 3949

The scale center is defined by the current time set by the time slider. You can
scale keys about any moment in time by dragging the time slider before you
use Scale Keys.

Procedures
To use Scale Keys:

1

Select an animated object, then right-click and choose Curve
Editor.
The following steps work in either Curve Editor or Dope Sheet modes.

2 Drag the time slider to the time you want to use as the scale center.

3 Click

(Scale Keys) or from the Keys menu choose Scale Keys - Time.

4 Highlight one or more keys.
5 Drag to scale the selected keys or press and hold Shift and drag to add
scaled copies of the selected keys.
Drag away from or toward the current time line for the following results:
■

Dragging away expands the keys from the current time. Expanding
the selection increases time between the selected keys and slows that
part of the animation.

■

Dragging toward shrinks the keys toward the current time. Shrinking
the selection reduces time between the selected keys and accelerates
that part of the animation.

■

Dragging through the current time reverses the keys and expands the
keys away from the current time.

TIP You can type-in the Scale Value using the first field in the Key Stats: Track
View toolbar.
The scale percentage is displayed in the Show Selected Key Stats field as you
drag the selection.

3950 | Chapter 13 Animation

Add Keys (Dope Sheet)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

(Add Keys)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Add Keys
Add Keys inserts a key on page 9200 at the point where you click a curve or a
track.
Add Keys is a mode that remains active until you activate another mode. While
Add Keys is on, you click in any animation track to add a key at that location
in time.

Procedures
To add keys in Track View:

1 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Add Keys).

2 Click an animation track to add a key.
The location where you click sets the time of the key as measured on the
time ruler.
The value of the new key is set by one of the following conditions:
■

Keys added before the first key of a track receive the same value as
the former first key.

■

Keys added between two keys receive an interpolated value based on
the values of the original keys.

■

Keys added after the last key in the track receive the same value as
the former last key.

If you are unable to add keys to a track, check the following conditions:
■

Only animated tracks can accept keys. If you want to add a key to a
track, such as an object parameter, you need to animate it first.

■

The animation controller must be a type that uses keys. Not all
controllers use keys. Examples of controllers that do not use keys
include procedural controllers such as Noise.

Editing Keys | 3951

■

The animation controller must be a type that uses keys. Not all
controllers use keys. Examples of controllers that do not use keys
include Expression controllers, List controllers, and Parametric
controllers.

Properties (Track View Key Window)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a single track that uses Properties. ➤
Right-click the track. ➤ Choose Properties on the Controllers pop-up quad
menu.
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a single track that uses Properties. ➤
Controller menu ➤ Properties
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Highlight a single track or select a key in the Key

window. ➤ Tools toolbar on page 3918 ➤

(Properties)

Properties displays a dialog to change animation values. The type of dialog
displayed depends on the type of animation controller the selected track is
using. The Properties function is unavailable if the selected track controller
does not use properties, or the track selection set is incorrect.
■

A track with animation keys display a Key Info dialog on page 3447. You can
change the values in the Key Info fields to change the animation value,
time, and interpolation methods of one or more selected keys.

■

A track with a parametric controller, such as Noise on page 3550, displays a
Properties dialog. You change the values in the Properties dialog to modify
the behavior of the controller over its entire range.
Access the Properties dialog through the controllers quad of the right-click
menu, or on the Controller menu ➤ Properties. The same dialog is also
accessible through the Motion panel.

You can also display the Key Info dialog by right-clicking a key in the Key
window. Parametric controller dialogs can also be displayed by right-clicking
their range bars.
The Properties button is unavailable in ambiguous cases, for example, when
a key and a Parametric controller item are both selected.

3952 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To display properties for a controller, do one of the following:
1 Highlight the track and then choose Controller menu ➤ Properties.
2 Right-click the track, and then on the Controllers quad choose Properties.
To display the Key Info dialog for a key:
1 Right-click the key in the Curve Editor Key Window.
3ds Max opens the Key Info dialog.
2 Change key properties in the dialog.

Track View Utilities
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tools toolbar ➤

(Track View Utilities)

Track View Utilities displays a dialog listing plug-in Track View utilities. A
typical Track View utility displays a modeless dialog (though utilities can be
modal) and provides functions that can be applied across multiple selected
keys and tracks. You can launch more than one utility by choosing Track View
Utilities again.

Available Utilities
■

Randomize Keys on page 3955: Applies random offset values to Time or Value
of selected keys or selected time.

■

Create Out of Range Keys on page 3957: Creates keys in the out-of-range
time of a track, when the Out of Range type is something other than
Constant. Thus, it converts the specified out-of-range area to a keyed area
that you can edit and adjust. Select one or more tracks, set the parameters
of the utility, and click Apply. In Function Curve display mode, you must
select the curve as well as the track.

■

Select Keys by Time on page 3959: Selects keys within a specified start and
end range of time. Lets you select a large range of time when using the

Track View Utilities | 3953

mouse might be awkward--for example, if keys are not visible in the Track
View Key window.
■

Euler Filter on page 3960: Displays a dialog with controls to remove gimbal
flipping from animated tracks using Euler rotation.

■

Soft Selection Settings Manager on page 3961: Displays a dialog with controls
to adjust the range and falloff of the soft selection of keys in the Dope
Sheet and Curve Editor.

■

Current Value Editor on page 3962: Provides transform type-in capability
from within the Track View modes. Allows you to choose between absolute
and relative value editing. The name of the controller appears above the
axis choices. This utility launches a floating Current Value window that
works for either Dope Sheet — Edit keys mode or Curve Editor. It doesn't
work for Edit Ranges.

Procedures
To select a Track View utility:
1 Open the Curve Editor, and then from the Utilities menu, choose Track
View Utilities.
2 In the Track View Utilities dialog, choose from the available utilities, and
click OK.

3954 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

The dialog displays a list of the available utilities. Click to highlight the name
of the utility you want to use, and then click OK; or simply double-click the
name of the utility.

Randomize Keys Utility
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Track
View Utilities dialog ➤ Randomize Keys
Randomize Keys applies random offset values to the times and/or values of
selected keys.

Procedures
To use Randomize Keys:
1 Highlight one or more keys, or a block of time, in one or more tracks.
In Dope Sheet ➤ Edit Keys mode, all selected keys are affected. In Edit
Ranges mode, the keys in the selected tracks that are within the selected
range of time are affected. In Curve Editor mode, the selected keys on
selected curves are affected.

Track View Utilities | 3955

2 From the Utilities menu, choose Track View Utilities, and then choose
Randomize Keys.
The Randomize Keys utility is displayed.
3 By default, both Randomize Time and Randomize Value are on. Turn off
either if you wish.
4 Set the +/- spinners to specify the desired range of randomized offset.
5 Click Apply.

Interface

Randomize Time Randomly shifts values in time, based on the spinner
settings. For example, if the + spinner is set to 20, and the - spinner is set to
10, the values could shift up as much as 20, and down as much as 10.
+ The amount of random shift in a positive direction.
- The amount of random shift in a negative direction.
Randomize Value Randomly shifts values, based on the spinner settings.
+ The amount of random shift in a positive direction.
- The amount of random shift in a negative direction.
Randomize group box You can apply randomization either with selected
keys or with selected time. When applying to selected keys, this displays the
message: "All selected keys." However, when you select a block of time in Edit
Time mode on page 3963, this message is displayed: "Keys in selected tracks that
are in the range: n to n."

3956 | Chapter 13 Animation

Apply Applies the specified random offset values to the selection. You can
click this repeatedly for more randomization.

Create Out of Range Keys Utility
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Track
View Utilities dialog ➤ Create Out of Range Keys
Create Out of Range Keys creates keys in the out-of-range time of a track when
the out of range type is something other than Constant. It converts the
specified out-of-range area to a keyed area that you can edit and adjust.
This utility works both in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes.
In Curve Editor mode, you must select the curve as well as the track.

Procedures
To use Create Out of Range Keys:
1 In the Track View Controller window, select the Position track of an
animated object.

2 On the Track View toolbar, click
(Parameter Curve Out-of-Range
Types) to apply an out-of-range type curve to the selected track.
Use any curve type except Constant (the default).
3 Click Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities. In the dialog box that
appears, choose Create Out Of Range Keys.
4 Set the desired parameters in the Create Out Of Range Keys dialog.
5 Click Apply.
3ds Max creates keys in the out-of-range areas of the position track. The
track bar expands to the boundaries of the newly created keys.

Track View Utilities | 3957

Interface

Time Range group
Sets the time after the range for generating keys. For example, if your range
of keyed animation is from frame 31 to 54, the out-of-range animation might
be from 0 to 30 and from 55 to 100.
Before Specifies the number of frames before the range for generating keys.
In the previous example, if you set this option to 20, it would generate keys
over frames 10 to 30. When you set this option to 0, no keys are generated
before the range.
After Specifies the number of frames after the range for generating keys. In
the first example, if you set this option to 40, it would generate keys over
frames 55 to 95. When you set this to option to 0, no keys are generated after
the range.

_____
Samples Specifies the number of keys to be generated for both the before and
after time range, based on the settings in Before and After. In the example
above, if Samples is set to 20, 20 new keys would be generated over frames 10
to 30, and another 20 new keys would be generated over frames 55 to 95.
Apply Generates the keys.
NOTE Keys are generated only for non-constant out-of-range types. If the area
before or after the range is the default, Constant type, no keys are generated in
that area.

3958 | Chapter 13 Animation

Select Keys By Time Utility
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Track
View Utilities dialog ➤ Select Keys by Time
The Select Keys By Time utility lets you select keys within a specified start and
end range of time. You can select a large range of time, which might be difficult
to select using the mouse in the Track View Key window for example.
This utility works in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet Edit Keys modes.

Procedures
To use Select Keys By Time:
1 In the Controller window, highlight the tracks you want to work with.
2 On the Utilities menu, choose ➤ Track View Utilities, then choose the
Select Keys By Time utility from the Track View Utilities dialog.
3 Set a range and click OK.
■

Keys within the range in the highlighted tracks are selected.

■

If you select Clear Previous Selection, all keys are cleared before the
keys within the time range are selected.

■

In Dope Sheet, highlight a single track to select all keys in the
descendants of the track.

Interface

Start Time Specifies the start range for selecting keys.
End Time Specifies the end range for selecting keys.

Track View Utilities | 3959

The Start Time and End Time spinners are activated to match the current time
selection.
Clear Previous Selection Clears all keys before keys within the specified time
range are selected.
In Dope Sheet mode, highlight a single track to select all keys in the
descendants of the track. Modify Subtree must be on for this to work.

Euler Filter
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Track
View Utilities dialog ➤ Euler Filter
This Track View utility corrects for gimbal flipping (anomalous rotation
animation) in objects animated using Euler rotation on page 3482 by processing
existing animation keys in selected animated tracks. It's particularly useful for
cleaning up rotation artifacts when importing raw motion-capture data. This
process does not break any keyed orientations.
By default, the utility modifies only frames with keys on all three tracks (X,
Y, and Z). By turning on Add Keys If Needed, you can perform the correction
on frames with X, Y, and Z keys and also add keys at frames that contain only
one or two keyed axes but require correction, resulting in X, Y, and Z keys at
those frames.
The default range for filtering is the current active range for the scene, which
automatically appears in the utility. To isolate the operation to a specific subset
of the animation, change the Start Time and End Time settings. Any changes
made to the utility remain active during the current 3ds Max session.
TIP The utility works in Dope Sheet mode, but it's much easier to see what it's
doing if you use Curve Editor mode.

Procedures
To use Euler Filter:

1

Select an object animated with Euler rotation on page 3482.

2 Right-click the object, and from the quad menu choose Curve Editor.
Track View opens in Curve Editor mode, with the animated tracks
highlighted.

3960 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 Make sure the rotation tracks to be filtered are highlighted in Track View.
4 From the Utilities menu in Track View, choose Track View Utilities.
This opens the Track View Utilities dialog.
5 In the list of utilities, click Euler Filter and then click OK, or just
double-click Euler Filter.
This opens the Filter Selected Euler Tracks dialog.
6 Change the parameters as necessary, and then click OK.
The utility adjusts the rotation keys to removed gimbal flipping.

Interface

Start/End Time The range over which the filtering should occur.
Default=current animation range.
Add Keys If Needed When on, the utility performs the correction on frames
with X, Y, and Z keys and also adds keys at frames that contain only one or
two keyed axes but require correction, resulting in X, Y, and Z keys at those
frames.
OK Performs the filtering using the current settings.
Cancel Closes the dialog without performing the filtering.

Soft Selection Settings
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Track
View Utilities dialog ➤ Choose Soft Selection Settings Manager, then click
OK.
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Tools toolbar on page 3918 ➤ Track View Utilities
button ➤ Track View Utilities dialog ➤ Choose Soft Selection Settings
Manager, then click OK.

Track View Utilities | 3961

Displays a toolbar with controls to adjust the range and falloff of the soft
selection of keys in the Dope Sheet and Curve Editor.
NOTE When the Soft Selection Settings toolbar first appears, it is docked at the
bottom of the Track View window beneath the status bar controls on page 4007.

Interface

Soft Toggles usage of the soft selection. When this is off, only the selected
keys are used, the soft selection is not.
Range Determines the range of keys affected by the soft selection.
Falloff Determines the distribution of the strength of the soft selection over
the range of keys.

Current Value Editor
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Track
View Utilities dialog ➤ Current Value Editor
The Current Value Editor gives you a way to use numeric input to affect the
values of the keys inside the Track View windows.
Absolute and relative value editing let you increment changes, or apply exact
values. The name of the controller whose values are being changed appears
above the axis choices.
This utility opens a dockable Current Value window that works for either
Dope Sheet - Edit keys mode or Curve Editor. It doesn't work for Edit Ranges.

Procedures
To use the Current Value Editor to apply an incremental change:
1 Select the position track of an animated object.
2 Choose Utilities ➤ Track View Utilities ➤ Current Value Editor.
3 Turn on Relative.

3962 | Chapter 13 Animation

4 Change the values for X, Y, or Z.
The numbers you enter add a relative increment to the existing values.

Interface

Absolute Applies world space values to the keys. The numbers you enter are
the numbers that are applied.
Relative Increments the values relative to their existing value. The numbers
you enter are added to the existing value.
Controller type Displays the name of the controller about the X, Y, and Z
fields.
X, Y, Z Use these fields to input numbers for relative or absolute value editing.

Edit Time
Use the Edit Time tools to work directly with selected blocks of time in the
Dope Sheet Editor, as opposed to working with keys and range bars. A block
of time is any contiguous time segment, across one or more tracks, and is
independent of key locations.
Enter Edit Time mode by selecting a time segment in the Dope Sheet Editor.
Once a time segment has been selected you can insert, cut, copy, paste, or
reverse the time segment, including its keys. The time tools are available from
the Time menu and the Time Toolbar. Time tools are unavailable from the
Time menu in Edit Ranges mode.

Edit Time | 3963

In Edit Time mode, keys and range bars of your animation are there only for
reference. You select blocks of time and then apply time-editing functions to
your selection.

Procedures
To edit time:

1

Select the animated object, then right-click and choose Curve
Editor.
This opens Track View navigated to the animated object.

2 On the Modes menu, choose Dope Sheet.
The Key window changes from curves to a key spreadsheet.
3 If Edit Keys isn't highlighted on the Keys Toolbar, click it to turn it on.

NOTE The next steps won't work if you have

instead of

(Edit Ranges) on

(Edit Keys).

4 From the Time menu, choose Select Time.
5 Expand and activate the tracks you wish to alter. For example you could
select the Z Position transform track of a bouncing Box object.
6 Drag a time segment out in the Key window. A tooltip displays the selected
Start and End frame numbers interactively as you drag.
This selects the time segment including any keys within it.
7 Perform any of the time tool operations available from the Time Menu
or the Time Toolbar.

3964 | Chapter 13 Animation

Select Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Time toolbar ➤

(Select Time)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Time menu ➤ Select
Time
With Select Time you can specify a block of time by dragging in the Key
window.
When you have selected a block of time, then you can apply any of the
following operations to the highlighted block (and any keys contained therein):
■

Delete Time on page 3966

■

Cut Time on page 3967

■

Copy Time on page 3967

■

Paste Time on page 3968

■

Reverse Time on page 3970

■

Insert Time on page 3971

■

Scale Time on page 3972

■

Exclude Left End Point on page 3973

■

Exclude Right End Point on page 3974

■

Reduce Keys on page 3976

Procedures
To select time:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

Edit Time | 3965

2 On the toolbar, click

(Select Time).

3 Drag in the key window to specify time in the selected tracks.
A beige bar between two yellow lines appears as you drag across the box
grid of the Dope Sheet Key window.
If a highlighted track does not support time operations, time selection
in that track is ignored.
After specifying a time range, you can perform other time- and key- related
operations.

Delete Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Time toolbar ➤

(Delete Time)

Use Delete Time to delete a selected block of time and any keys inside the
selected block. Keys to the right of the deleted time move to the left.
NOTE The deleted block is not copied to the clipboard.

Procedures
To delete a block of time:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

2 Use

3 Click

(Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

(Delete Time).

3ds Max deletes keys in the specified time block. Any keys to the right
of the block move leftward.

3966 | Chapter 13 Animation

Cut Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.

➤ Time toolbar ➤

(Cut Time)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Time menu ➤ Cut
Use Cut Time to delete a block of time from one or more tracks and place it
in the clipboard. Before you can paste time in a track, you must have time in
the clipboard. After specifying a block of time, place it in the clipboard with
Cut Time or Copy Time on page 3967.

Procedures
To cut time from tracks:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.
2 Use (Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

3 Click

(Cut Time), or, from the Time menu, choose Cut Time.

The block of time is deleted from the selected tracks and stored in the
time clipboard. Keys to the right of the deleted time move left.

Copy Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.

➤ Time toolbar ➤

(Copy Time)

Edit Time | 3967

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Time menu ➤ Copy
Use Copy Time to copy a block of time from one or more tracks to the
clipboard, after which you can paste it to other tracks.
You can use the clipboard to copy time, with keys, to different places in the
same track or from one track to another. For example, you can copy position
keys from one object to another.

Procedures
To copy time from tracks:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

2 Use

(Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

3 Click

(Copy Time), or choose Time menu ➤ Copy.

The block of time is copied to the time clipboard. The original block
remains unchanged.

Paste Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Cut or Copy Time ➤ Specify a different time block. ➤ Time toolbar ➤
(Paste Time)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Cut or Copy Time ➤ Specify a different time block. ➤ Time menu ➤
Paste
Use Paste Time to paste a block of time from the clipboard into one or more
tracks.

3968 | Chapter 13 Animation

The conditions for pasting time into a track are:
■

If the block of time on the clipboard is from a single track, you can paste
it into any track using the same type of controller.

■

If the block of time on the clipboard is from multiple tracks, you can paste
it into a selection of multiple tracks as long as the controllers for the
selected tracks include valid track types. For example, position tracks in
the clipboard are pasted to position tracks in the selection.

If the above conditions are not met, the Paste Time function has no effect.
Time editing is available only in Dope Sheet mode; it is not available in the
Function Curve Editor.
In Edit Time mode, you can copy and paste controller tracks that have no
animation keys. When a track has no key, its value at frame 0 is used. You
must select a block of time before cutting or pasting; otherwise the time is
ignored.

Relative and Absolute Pasting
The values of all the pasted keys are adjusted so that the first pasted key has
a value equal to the value at the time of the insertion point. For example, the
value of the controller at frame 50 is 10. The clipboard holds three keys
spanning 50 frames with values 20, 30, and 40. When you paste the three
keys at frame 50, the first key has a value of 20, but the insertion point has a
value of 10. 3ds Max subtracts 10 from the pasted key to maintain the value
at the insertion point. 3ds Max then subtracts 10 from the remaining pasted
keys, resulting in three pasted keys valued at 10, 20, and 30. In addition, any
keys after the insertion range are also adjusted by the net change over the
range being pasted. The net change is the value of the last key pasted minus
the value of the first key pasted. In this case 40-20=20. Every key after the
insertion point is increased by 20.

Procedures
To paste time into tracks:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, after using Cut Time on page 3967 or Copy Time on
page 3967, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller window to
specify tracks for pasting.

Edit Time | 3969

2 Use

(Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

3 On the Time: Track View toolbar, click

(Paste Time).

3ds Max opens the Paste Track dialog.
4 In the Paste Track dialog, choose Paste Absolute or Paste Relative, and
then click OK.

Interface

Options on the Paste Track dialog are as follows:
Paste Absolute Replaces the current animation values with the values in the
clipboard. Use this method when you want to replace one animated effect
with another.
Paste Relative Adds the animation values in the clipboard to the current
animation values. Use this method when you want to layer animation onto
an existing effect.

Reverse Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Time toolbar ➤

(Reverse Time)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Specify a time block.
➤ Time menu ➤ Reverse

3970 | Chapter 13 Animation

Reverse Time flips the order of keys within the selected time. You can reverse
time by scaling a selection past its left edge, but this also changes the position
of the selection and the remaining keys around it. Use Reverse Time to reverse
keys within a designated block of time.

Procedures
To reverse time:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

2 Use

3 Click

(Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

(Reverse Time), or choose Time menu ➤ Reverse.

The position of the selected block of time does not change, but 3ds Max
reverses the order of keys within the block.

Insert Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Time toolbar ➤
(Insert Time)
Use Insert Time to interpose time into highlighted tracks. Inserting time adds
time at a selected point in your animation, making existing keys slide out of
the way.

Procedures
To insert time into tracks
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

2 On the Dope Sheet toolbar, click

(Insert Time).

Edit Time | 3971

3 Drag in the Key window to insert time into the tracks.
TIP To insert time globally, highlight the World track, turn on the Modify
Child Keys button, then insert time into the World track.

Scale Time
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Time toolbar ➤
(Scale Time)
Scale Time scales a block of time. You can scale down to fit into less time, or
expand it to fill more time. Scale Time doesn't use the Track View time slider
as the scale origin reference; it always scales from the first frame of the key
selection.

Procedures
To scale time:

1 In the Dope Sheet Editor, on the Time Toolbar, click

(Scale Time).

2 In the controller window, click item labels to highlight tracks for time
editing.
3 Drag out a time block in the Key window, or use an existing block.
4 Move your cursor over the active time block in the Key window. The
cursor changes to show you when you can scale.
5 Do one of the following:
■

Drag to the right within the selection to expand time from the left
edge of the selection. All keys to the right of the selection slide right
as the selection expands.

■

Drag to the left within the selection to reduce time towards the left
edge of the selection. All keys to the right of the selection slide left as
the selection shrinks.

3972 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Drag past the left edge of the selection to reverse time and expand it
with a negative scale factor. Keys inside the selection, and keys to the
right of the selection, can overlap keys to the left of the selection.

Exclude Left End Point
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Extras toolbar ➤
(Exclude Left End Point)
Use Exclude Left End Point to exclude the beginning key in a selected block
of time.
If you paste the same block of time repeatedly, one block following the other,
you can create a looping segment in your animation. To create a smooth
looping animation, you need to exclude either the first or last key of the copied
block to prevent keys from doubling up at the ends.
The key to be excluded must be at the exact start time of the copied block of
time.
NOTE By default, the Extras: Dope Sheet toolbar doesn't appear in the Dope Sheet
Editor. You'll find a method for displaying it in the following procedure.

Procedures
To animate a loop by copying and pasting keys:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

2 Use

(Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

At least one track in the block should start with a keyframe. Also, for a
smooth loop, the first and last frame of the selection should be the same.
3 Right-click an empty section of the toolbar area and choose Show Toolbars
➤ Extras: Dope Sheet.
The Exclude Left End Point and Exclude Right End Point buttons appear.

Edit Time | 3973

4 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Exclude Left End Point).

5 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Copy Time).

The selection is copied to the clipboard, minus the first frame.
6 Click to define an insertion point in the key window.
The last position key should be your insert point.

7 Click

(Paste Time).

3ds Max opens the Paste Time dialog.
8 In the dialog, choose Paste Absolute or Paste Relative. For an animated
loop choose Paste Absolute, then click OK.
3ds Max pastes the time, including keys.

9

Play your animation to observe the effect.

Exclude Right End Point
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Extras toolbar ➤
(Exclude Right End Point)
If you paste the same block of time repeatedly, one block following the other,
you can create a looping segment in your animation. To create a smooth
looping animation, you need to exclude either the first or last key of the copied
block to prevent keys from doubling up at the ends.
The key to be excluded must be at the exact end time of the copied block of
time.
NOTE By default, the Extras: Dope Sheet toolbar doesn't appear in the Dope Sheet
Editor. You'll find a method for displaying it in the following procedure.

3974 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To animate a loop by copying and pasting keys:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller
window to specify tracks for time editing.

2 Use

(Select Time on page 3965) to specify a block of time.

At least one track in the block should end with a keyframe. Also, for a
smooth loop, the first and last frame of the selection should be the same.
3 Right-click an empty section of the toolbar area and choose Show Toolbars
➤ Extras: Dope Sheet.
The Exclude Left End Point and Exclude Right End Point buttons appear.

4 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Exclude Right End Point).

5 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Copy Time).

The selection is copied to the clipboard, minus the first frame.
6 Click to define an insertion point in the key window.
The last position key should be your insert point.

7 Click

(Paste Time).

3ds Max opens the Paste Time dialog.
8 In the dialog, choose Paste Absolute or Paste Relative. For an animated
loop choose Paste Absolute, then click OK.
3ds Max pastes the time, including keys.

9

Play your animation to observe the effect.

Edit Time | 3975

Reduce Keys
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ In the Key window,
highlight the keys to reduce. ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

(Reduce Keys)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ In the Key window, highlight the keys to reduce.
➤ Keys menu ➤ Reduce Keys
Use Reduce Keys to decrease key density. Animating with inverse kinematics,
or creating any complex animation, can result in many keys, which can make
editing the animation difficult. In the case of applied inverse kinematics, 3ds
Max generates a key on nearly every frame. Often, the same animation can
be produced with fewer keys. Having fewer keys in a track makes it easier to
change your animation.
Reduce Keys analyzes the pattern of keys in a block of time and creates a new
pattern of fewer keys that produces nearly the same animation. You specify
how closely the new animation matches the original.
NOTE The Reduce Keys button, depicted above, appears on the Keys Toolbar
only in Curve Editor, but you can add it to a Dope Sheet toolbar with Customize
User Interface on page 8837.

Procedures
To reduce keys:

1

Select an animated object.

2 Right-click the object and choose Curve Editor or Dope Sheet from the
quad menu.
3 In the Hierarchy list, highlight the tracks whose keys you want to reduce.
Reduce Keys works only on highlighted tracks.
4 Optionally, in the Key window, specify a time range within which to
reduce keys. Highlight a key at either end of the range to reduce, or drag
a selection rectangle around the keys you want to reduce. Alternatively,
in Dope Sheet mode, highlight specific tracks and then use Select Time
on page 3965 to designate a block of time within which to reduce keys. If

3976 | Chapter 13 Animation

no keys are highlighted in a highlighted track, Reduce Keys works on all
keys in that track.
You can use any of the above methods to specify different ranges for
different highlighted tracks.
5 From the Keys menu, choose Reduce Keys.
3ds Max opens the Reduce Keys dialog. This dialog has a single Threshold
parameter.
Raising the Threshold setting will increase the number of keys that are
reduced. The higher the threshold, the greater the reduction.
6 Click OK to reduce the keys.
Observe the results. If you are left with too few keys, press Ctrl+Z to undo,
then lower the threshold and reduce the keys again. If too many keys
remain, increase the threshold and reduce keys again.
TIP It will take repeated experimentation to find exactly the right threshold
for your particular animation.

Interface

Reduce Keys Displays the Reduce Keys dialog.
Threshold Sets a threshold value. Higher values will result in fewer keys.
OK Accepts the Threshold setting and reduces keys as follows:
■

Keys are reduced only in highlighted tracks.

■

If any of a track's keys are highlighted, reduction is performed only within
the indicated range (that is, between the leftmost and rightmost highlighted
key for each track). If no key is highlighted, reduction is performed on all
keys in the track.

Edit Time | 3977

Edit Ranges
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

(Edit Ranges)
Edit Ranges displays all tracks as range bars. This mode is useful for quickly
scaling and sliding complete animation tracks.
■

Drag the range bar of an animation track to change all animation in that
track.

■

Drag range bars in higher-level tracks to change all animation in multiple
tracks.

NOTE You cannot access individual key values in this mode.
The Ranges: Dope Sheet toolbar contains tools for working with Ranges.
Right-click an empty area adjacent to the Dope Sheet toolbar and choose Show
Toolbars ➤ Ranges: Dope Sheet to display the toolbar. Save your layout after
you do.

Procedures
To drag the ranges of an object and all of its linked descendants:

1 On the Track View toolbar, click

2 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Edit Ranges).

(Modify Subtree).

3 In the Track View Key window, drag an Object range bar or the World
range bar.
With Modify Subtree on, a range bar displays in the Objects track. The
Objects branch is the default parent of all objects in the scene.
Dragging a parent-object range bar with Modify Subtree on affects all
tracks subordinate to the object and all tracks of all of its linked
descendants.

3978 | Chapter 13 Animation

Position Ranges
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Ranges toolbar ➤
(Position Ranges)
Position Ranges mode allows you to position range bars independently from
their associated keys and produce special effects.
The process of adjusting a range bar independent of its keys is called decoupling
the range. Positioning a range bar so it matches the first to last keys of a track
is called recoupling the range.
NOTE The Ranges: Dope Sheet toolbar doesn't appear in Track View by default.
To open it, right-click an empty area adjacent to the Dope Sheet toolbar and
choose Show Toolbars ➤ Ranges: Dope Sheet. Save your layout after you do.

Decouple a Range Bar
You decouple a range bar for two reasons:
■

You want some keys at the start or end of an animation range not to take
effect.
Keys outside of the range bar are ignored during animation playback. The
keys outside the range still affect interpolated values inside the range, but
the applied Out-of-Range type is used to animate time outside the range
bar.

■

You want to add extra time before the first key or after the last key that is
not affected by the applied Out-of-Range type.
Time beyond the first or last key of the track, but still within the range,
uses the constant value of the nearest key within the range.

Procedures
To decouple a range bar from its keys:
1 Right-click an empty area adjacent to the Dope Sheet toolbar and choose
Show Toolbars ➤ Ranges: Dope Sheet.

2 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Position Ranges).

Edit Ranges | 3979

3 In the Track View Key window, drag the entire range bar left or right of
the keys, or drag either end of the range bar to make it longer or shorter
than the keys.
Using Out-of-Range types on page 3996 in conjunction with this procedure
allows you to change the behavior of an animated loop. Positioning either
end of a range bar changes the loop.

Recouple Ranges
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Dope Sheet on page 3842 ➤ Ranges toolbar ➤
(Recouple Ranges)
Recouple Ranges resizes the range bar so that the beginning and end of the
range matches the first and last keys in the track. This is useful to quickly
realign the range and the keys after editing.
NOTE The Ranges: Dope Sheet toolbar doesn't appear in Track View by default.
To open it, right-click an empty area adjacent to the Dope Sheet toolbar and
choose Show Toolbars ➤ Ranges: Dope Sheet. Save your layout after you do.

Procedures
To recouple a range:
1 Right-click an empty area adjacent to the Dope Sheet toolbar and choose
Show Toolbars ➤ Ranges: Dope Sheet.

2 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Position Ranges).

3 Select one or more item labels in the Hierarchy list to select tracks to be
recoupled.

4 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Recouple Ranges).

3ds Max positions the range bars for the selected tracks to match up with
the first and last keys in their track.
Position Ranges mode allows you to decouple the range bar from the
animation keys. Recouple Ranges is a quick way to realign the range bars.

3980 | Chapter 13 Animation

Editing Tracks: Copying, Pasting, and Handling Instances
and References
These topics describe how to copy and paste within Track View.

Copying and Pasting Items
You can copy and paste geometry, lights, materials, and animation controllers
between items in the Track View Hierarchy list of the controller window.
You can copy these categories of items in Track View:
Containers Items with multiple branches that completely define something
in your scene. Container items that can be copied include:
■

Material Parameters containing the Basic Parameters for a material
definition.

■

Material Maps containing the entire set of maps and map parameters
assigned to a material.

■

Map definitions containing a single map type with its associated parameters
and coordinates.

■

Map Coordinates containing the map XYZ and UVW coordinate offset,
tiling, and angle settings.

■

Map Parameters containing the parameters for a specific map type.

■

Objects, on levels below the transforms, containing creation parameters
for an unmodified object.

■

Modified Object, containing modifiers applied to an object and the
object-creation parameters.

■

Modifiers containing modifier parameters.

Controllers These control actual animated values for each parameter. Keep
in mind that when you copy containers, you are actually copying and pasting
groups of related controllers. Details about copying and pasting single
controllers are presented in Assigning Controllers on page 3427.
Whether you copy objects, materials, or controllers, the same basic principles
apply. Here are restrictions for using Copy and Paste:
■

You can copy only a single highlighted item.

Editing Tracks: Copying, Pasting, and Handling Instances and References | 3981

■

You can paste a copied item only into another item of the same type. An
exception to this restriction involves pasting Object and Modified Object
containers.

■

You can paste a copied item into a selection of multiple items only if all
the items are of the same type.

■

When pasting items, you can choose to make an instance or a copy of the
pasted item.

■

You cannot copy/paste actively linked objects.

Copying Items
You copy an item by highlighting it in the Controller window Hierarchy list,
and then right-clicking and choosing Copy from the quad menu. If Copy is
not available the selected item is not a valid copy source. 3ds Max disables
Copy when the selected item is not a valid copy source or if multiple items
are selected.

Pasting Items
Pasting items involves a few more choices than copying. You select one or
more items from the Hierarchy list. If Paste is available the selected items are
valid paste targets. 3ds Max disables Paste if the selected targets are not all the
same type or if they do not match the type of item in the clipboard.
You can use Paste as follows:
■

Paste into a single target item.

■

Paste into multiple target items.

■

Paste copies or instances.

■

Choose to convert other instances in the scene automatically.

Clicking Paste on the quad menu displays the Paste dialog, with controls for
determining how the Paste operation will be carried out.
Copy Pastes the item in the clipboard as an independent copy. The target item
will have no connection to the copied source item.
Instance Pastes the item in the clipboard as an instance of the copied source
item. The target item will be an instance of the source item. Any change you
make to either item affects the other.

3982 | Chapter 13 Animation

Replace All Instances Controls whether existing instances of the target item
are also converted to the paste source or left as they are.

Making Instances Unique
You can convert instanced items to unique items by clicking Make Unique
on page 3935 on the Controller menu. If the selected item is not an instance,
or if a selection of multiple items does not contain similar instances, Make
Unique is disabled.

Copying and Pasting Objects
In the Track View controller window you can use the Hierarchy list to copy
and paste objects. This allows you to replace the geometry of one animated
object with the geometry of another object. This is similar to the functionality
provided by XRef objects and scenes where you have to option of defining
proxy or stand-in objects.
Copying and pasting objects is achieved by highlighting the Object track for
the source object, copying it, then pasting it to the Object track of the target
object. The Object track is found beneath the Transforms and Modified objects
entries, and appears with parentheses that define the geometry type. For
example, Object (Box) or Object (Editable Mesh) are two label names that
might appear on the correct track for object cut and paste.
Using these two container types, you can copy geometry between objects.
To copy one object to other objects:
1 In the Curve Editor controller window, find the object that you want to
copy from.
2 Navigate to the Object track that is beneath the Transform or Modified
Object entries. The name will be something like Object (PivotDoor) or
Object (Editable Mesh), for example.
NOTE If the object is modified, the order of the name of its Object track in
the Hierarchy list is reversed; for example, Object (Sphere) becomes Sphere
(Object).
3 Highlight the object track you wish to copy, then right-click and choose
Copy from the quad menu.

Editing Tracks: Copying, Pasting, and Handling Instances and References | 3983

4 Navigate to the object track for the target object, highlight it, and then
right-click and choose Paste. Set options in the Paste dialog, then click
OK.
The object is replaced with the new one in the viewport as well as in the
Hierarchy list of the controller window.
WARNING The original target has been completely replaced by the pasted
object. Use Save Selected on page 7965 on the target object to save a copy of
that object, if you think you'll need to use it again sometime.

Here are some examples of how you might use object copy and paste:
■

Paste an Object to another Object to replace one simple object with
another. For example, you animate the transforms of a box object and
want to replace the box with a torus.

■

Paste an Object into a Modified Object to replace a complex, modified
object with a simple stand-in object. For example, you model a complicated
vehicle and you want to replace it with a box while you animate its
transforms. Be sure to save the Modified Object to a file (using Save Selected
on page 7965).

■

Paste a Modified Object into another Modified Object to replace one
complex modified object with another. For example, you animated a flight
of jets and want to replace them with helicopters.

■

Paste a Modified Object into an Object to replace simple stand-in objects
with complex modified objects. For example, you have animated a box
and now want to replace it with a complex model of a jet.

Copying and Pasting Object Modifiers
You can also copy and paste modifiers below the Modified Object container.
Copy and paste modifiers to do the following:
■

Copy modifiers within the modifier stack of a single object.

■

Copy modifiers between objects.

Unlike pasting other items, modifiers do not replace the highlighted item
when you click Paste. Instead, the pasted modifier is inserted above the selected
item.

3984 | Chapter 13 Animation

Making Instance and Reference Controllers and Objects Unique

You can convert instanced and referenced objects into unique objects by
clicking Make Controller Unique on the Track View toolbar or by choosing
Make Unique on the Controller menu. The result of clicking Make Unique
depends on how the object was instanced or referenced, and which object
container you select in the Hierarchy list.
When you make an instance or reference object, you cause the data flow to
branch on its way from the master object to two or more named objects.
■

In Track View, these branches usually occur at Modified Object containers
and sometimes at the base Object container.

■

In Track View, instances and references are displayed in bold face.

■

In the modifier stack, these branches display as a horizontal line, called a
derived object line.

For descriptions of object data flow and instance objects, see Understanding
Object Data Flow on page 971.
You can make an object unique by selecting a Modified Object or an Object
container and clicking Make Unique on the Track View toolbar. Your result
depends on whether or not the data flow branches at the selected container.
■

If the data flow does not branch anywhere below the selected container,
nothing happens.

■

If the data flow does branch at or below the selected container, the data
flow above the branch is split from the current data flow as a unique object.
The data flow from the selected container to the master object is copied
and attached to the new unique object.

Making a Selection of Multiple Instances Unique
If you select multiple objects that are instances of each other, or share instanced
modifiers, you can choose how to make them unique. After you click Make
Unique, the Make Unique dialog appears, with the question, “Do you want
to make the selected items unique with respect to each other?”
■

Click Yes to make each object in the selection completely unique.

Editing Tracks: Copying, Pasting, and Handling Instances and References | 3985

■

Click No to leave the objects in the selection as instances, but to make
them unique from other objects not in the selection.

Curve Editor
Main toolbar ➤
(Curve Editor (Open)) ➤ Highlight animated tracks.
➤ Curves are displayed in Key Window.
Graph Editors ➤ Track View - Curve Editor ➤ Highlight animated tracks.
➤ Curves appear in Key window.
Right-click any animated object. ➤ Curve Editor ➤ Curves appear in the
Key window.
The Curve Editor displays animation as function curves, charting the
controllers' changes of value over time.
Highlighting a controller label displays keys for that item as vertices on the
function curve. You can then highlight keys and change their values.
You can add keys to function curves for tracks that are not yet animated. The
curves appear as straight lines. When you add a key to a function curve, a
controller is created for that track.
Not all controller types display function curves. For example, a TCB Rotation
controller doesn't display a function curve, while an Euler XYZ rotation
controller shows individual curves for X, Y and Z. Some controllers display
individual tracks for each axis, while other controllers combine the three axis
values into a single curve.
See also:
■

Slide Keys on page 3948

■

Show All Tangents on page 3897

3986 | Chapter 13 Animation

Bezier Tangent Handles

Custom
tangents

You can use Bezier handles in the Curve Editor to change the shape of the
trajectory through a key. To display handles on a key, right-click a key in the
Track View Key Window and choose the Custom Tangents option. You can
assign the Custom Tangent type only to items using a Bezier controller. This
will display tangent handles on the keys that you can manipulate horizontally
and vertically.

Procedures
To display function curves:

1

Select an animated object.

2 Right-click the active viewport and choose Curve Editor.
The function curves for the object's animation are displayed in the Key
window of the Function Curve Editor.
3 To display additional curves at the same time, from the Track View menu
choose Settings ➤ Manual Navigation.

Curve Editor | 3987

4 Navigate the controller window until you see the additional tracks, and
then hold down the Ctrl key and click them.
The curves for all highlighted tracks are displayed together in the Key
window.

Move Keys (Curve Edit r)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤ Move

Keys flyout ➤

(Move Keys),

(Move Keys Horizontal), or

(Move Keys Vertical)
With the Move Keys flyout buttons in the Curve Editor, you can move one
or more highlighted keys to change keys' timing, values, or both.
You can clone keys by holding down Shift while dragging. The new keys are
added to the existing keys on the curve.
You can also clone keys to replace existing keys by holding down Shift+Alt
while dragging.
TIP When you select keys to clone and replace others, you can include the key
before the first selected key to preserve the tangent of your first copied key.

Procedures
To move a selection of keys:
1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight one or more tracks.
Only keys in highlighted tracks appear in the Key window.
By default, the Move Keys button is highlighted, showing it is already
on.
2 In the Track View Key window, highlight one or more keys.
3 Drag the highlighted keys to a new location, or press Shift and drag the
highlighted keys to add copies at the new location.

3988 | Chapter 13 Animation

4 Highlight another group of keys.
5 Press Shift+Alt, and drag the highlighted keys towards existing keys to
replace them with copies.

Interface

Move Keys Moves keys in both horizontal and vertical axes, to change
both timing and values.

Move Keys Horizontal Constrains movement to the horizontal axis,
to change timing.

Move Keys Vertical Constrains movement to the vertical axis, to
change values.

Scale Keys
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤

(Scale Keys)

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Scale Keys - Time
Use Scale Keys to scale keys horizontally, changing the horizontal location
and amount of time covered by selected keys. The horizontal location of the
keys represents the frame in time at which the key action takes place.
The scale center for scale time is the current time set by the time slider. You
can scale keys about any point in time by dragging the time slider before you
use Scale Keys.

Procedures
To scale a selection of keys horizontally:
1 Right-click an animated object and choose Curve Editor.
2 In the Hierarchy list, highlight a track.

Curve Editor | 3989

3 Scrub the time slider on page 8656 to the frame to use as the scale center.

4 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Scale Keys).

5 Highlight one or more keys.
6 In the Track View Key window, drag any of the highlighted keys
horizontally to scale, or press Shift and drag to add scaled copies of selected
keys.
7 The scaling effect depends on the direction you drag with respect to the
time slider location:
■

Drag away from the time slider location to expand keys' scaling.

■

Drag toward the time slider location to reduce keys' scaling.

■

Drag past the time slider location to reverse the keys' order and expand
the keys away from the current time.

Scale Values
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤
(Scale Values)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Scale
Values
Scale Values is used to proportionally increase or decrease the vertical distance
between selected keys on the function curves in Curve Editor. It uses the Scale
Origin Line on page 3840 as a movable reference point for the scale operation.
Practically speaking, scaling values always creates spatial adjustments, rather
than temporal. To scale in time, use Scale Time on page 3972 instead.
NOTE Scale Values is not available in Dope Sheet mode.

3990 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To scale key values:

1

Select an object, then right-click and choose Curve Editor.

2 Highlight one or more tracks, if necessary, and then highlight the keys
you want to scale.

3 On the Curve Editor toolbar, click

(Scale Values).

The orange Scale Values Origin line appears at the 0 position on the
vertical scale.
4 Drag the Scale Values Origin line to where you want to scale values from
or to.
TIP An easy way to return the scale origin line to the 0 position is to close
and reopen Track View.
5 Drag any highlighted key vertically to scale all of them.
TIP If you use Lock Selection on page 3942 after highlighting the keys, you
can drag anywhere in the Key window to create the scale operation.

Add Keys (Curve Editor)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys toolbar ➤
(Add Keys)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys menu ➤ Add
Keys
When Add Keys is active, you can click anywhere on a function curve to add
a key at that location on the curve. Add Keys stays active until you click
another mode.

Curve Editor | 3991

If the curve is part of a multicurve controller, vertices are added to each curve
at the time location where you clicked. For example, adding a key to the red
X curve of a TCB Position track simultaneously adds keys to the green Y curve
and the blue Z curve.
TIP You can move an existing key while in Add Keys mode simply by dragging it.

Adding Keys to a Multicurve Controller
The value of each key is set by one of the following conditions:
■

Keys added between keys receive the interpolated value shown by the
function curve at that location.

■

Keys added before the first or after the last key on the curve receive the
same value as the nearest key.

■

You can change a key value and/or time while adding it by dragging after
clicking the curve.

Procedures
To add keys to a function curve:
1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight a track.

2 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Add Keys).

3 Click the function curve (Curve Editor) where you want to add the key.
If the highlighted curve is part of a multicurve controller, vertices are
added to each curve at the time location where you clicked. For example,
if you are using a Bezier Position controller, adding a key to the red X
curve of a Position track simultaneously adds keys to the green Y curve
and the blue Z curve.

3992 | Chapter 13 Animation

Draw Curves
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Keys Toolbar ➤
(Draw Curves)
Use this tool to draw new curves, or revise existing ones by sketching directly
on the function curve in the Curve Editor Key window.
The speed with which you draw determines how many keys are added to the
curve. If there are too many keys, use Reduce Keys to make fewer keys on the
curve.

Procedures
To draw a curve:

1 On the Curve Editor toolbar, click

(Draw Curves).

2 Select the track of the curve you want to draw on.
3 Move your cursor onto the curve and draw.
If there are too many points after drawing curves, delete or reduce on
page 3976 keys.

Curve Editor | 3993

Show Tangents
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves Toolbar ➤
(Show Tangents)
Show Tangents lets you view adjust the tangents of highlighted vertices in
Curve Editor.

Custom Tangent
You can assign the Custom Tangent type to any controller that displays keys
on a curve. Highlight the key on the curve and then click the Set Tangents
To Custom icon on the Key Tangents: Track View toolbar to display the handle
controls.
The tangent handles can be either continuous or discontinuous. To make a
handle discontinuous, hold down the Shift key when you move it.
■

Continuous handles behave like a single lever with its pivot point at the
key location. Moving either end of the handle also moves the opposite
end, maintaining the continuity of the tangent. The function curve, and
the animation it represents, moves smoothly through a key with continuous
tangent handles.

■

Discontinuous handles behave like leaves on a hinge, with the hinge pin
at the key location. Each end moves independently of the other.

To convert a discontinuous tangent to a continuous tangent, change the
tangent type from Custom to Smooth and then back to Custom again. This
technique is performed at the key level and can affect unselected vertices if
they belong to the same key as one of the selected vertices.

Horizontal Bezier Handle Control
When using the Custom Tangent type, a tangent handle can be moved
horizontally in length away from its keyframe to affect the shape of the
function curve. This affects the amount of influence the keyframe has over
the interpolation between keyframes.
This feature can be used to aid in the slow-in and slow-out workflow of
traditional animation. For example, suppose you're animating a ball bouncing
up and down on the world’s Z axis. On frame 1, the ball is on the ground; on
frame 8, the ball is in the air; on frame 16 the ball is back on the ground. You

3994 | Chapter 13 Animation

could adjust the tangents for frame 8 so that their length pulls more of the
curve towards its keyframe and away from the keyframes on frame 1 and 16.
When rendered, the ball will be more visible on screen near the top of its
bounce and blurrier near the points where it touches the ground.

Procedures
To assign a Custom tangent type:
1 Open the Curve Editor.
2 In the Hierarchy list, highlight a track that uses any controller that
displays keys on the curve.
3 Highlight one or more keys on the curve.

4 On the Key Tangents: Track View toolbar, click
Custom).

(Set Tangents To

The handles are now all Custom and available for editing.
TIP If a highlighted key has Auto Tangency set, you can just move its handle
to instantly convert the key to Custom. For selections of multiple keys, choose
Lock Tangents, then move any handle to convert all the keys to Custom
tangency.

To edit the horizontal length of a Bezier handle:
1 Assign a Custom Tangent type to the key you want to edit on the function
curve, or highlight a key that already has one.

2 Make sure
(Show Tangents) is on. This toggle is located on the
Track View toolbar.
3 Highlight the key on the function curve.
Tangent handles appear on the highlighted keyframe.
4 Move one of the handles horizontally away from its key.

Interface
Show Tangents Displays the tangents of highlighted vertices, whereupon you
can adjust the tangents by dragging the handle endpoints.

Curve Editor | 3995

By holding down the Shift key, you can edit the tangents handles separately.

Lock Tangents
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Select keys on curves.
➤ Curves toolbar ➤

(Lock Tangents)

Lock Tangents lets you manipulate handles of multiple vertices simultaneously.
When Lock Tangents is active, dragging a tangent handle affects the handles
of all highlighted keys. When Lock Tangents is inactive, dragging a tangent
handle affects only that handle's key.

Procedures
To drag discontinuous tangent handles:
1 Highlight one or more keys in the Curve Editor. Hold down the Ctrl key
to add to the selection set.

2 Click

(Lock Tangents) to set one of the following modes:

■

Off: Dragging a tangent handle affects only the single key displaying
the handle.

■

On: Dragging a tangent handle affects both handles of all selected
keys.

Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves toolbar ➤
(Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Controller menu ➤
Out-of-Range Types
With Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types you can specify how an object is
to behave outside the range of the keys you've defined.

3996 | Chapter 13 Animation

Use Parameters Curve Out-of-Range Types to create loops and cycles. The idea
is to create a short pattern of keys that produce an animated effect, and then
loop or cycle through those keys throughout the animation.
Using the Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog, you select from four
ways for repeating your animation and two ways for applying a linear value.
TIP Use the Create Out of Range Keys utility on page 3957, found in Track View
Utilities, to turn the parameter out-of-range animation into editable keyframes.

Typical Steps for Using Parameter Out-of-Range Types
1 Animate an object to loop or cycle.
2 In the Curve Editor select the track you want to loop.

3 Click
(Parameter Curve Out-Of-Range Types) to select how your
animation behaves outside the time covered by the range bar.
4 In the dialog, choose which kind of out-of-range type you want, then

close the dialog and
play the animation. The Curve editor will
display the loop or cycle with a dotted line.
TIP You can create keys from the out of range type by using the Track View
Utilities ➤ Create Out of Range Keys.

Procedures
Example: To use Parameter Out-of-Range Types to create a loop:
1 On the left side of the Front viewport, create a Box primitive.

2 Turn on

3

(Auto Key) and drag the time slider to frame 10.

Move the box to the right side of the Front viewport.

Curve Editor | 3997

4 Open Track View, right-click
Tracks Only.

(Filters), and then select Animated

5 In the Track View Hierarchy, choose the Position track for the box, and
then click

(Parameter Curve Out-Of-Range Types).

6 In the Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types dialog, select Ping Pong for
both the in and out types and then click OK.

7 In the viewport controls, click

(Play Animation).

The box moves back and forth repeatedly.
While the animation is playing, experiment by adjusting the keys in the
Curve Editor, or in the Dope Sheet.

Interface

Select from the options for repeating your animation and options for applying
a linear value.
Constant Holds the value of the end key of the range for all frames. Use
constant when you want no animated effect before the first key of the range
or after the last key. Constant is the default out-of-range type.

3998 | Chapter 13 Animation

Cycle Repeats the same animation as within the range. If the first and last
keys in the range have different values, the animation will show an abrupt
"jump" from the last key to the first. Use Cycle when you want an animation
to repeat, but do not need the ends to match.
Loop Repeats the same animation as within the range, but interpolates between
the last key and first key in the range to create a smooth loop. If the first and
last key are both at the extreme ends of the range, Loop will behave exactly
like Cycle. If you use Position Ranges to extend the range bar beyond the keys,
the added length determines the amount of time used to interpolate between
the last key and the first key. Use loop with an extended range bar to produce
smoothly repeating animation.
Ping Pong Alternates between a forward and backward repeat of the animation
within the range. Use Ping Pong when you want your animation to alternate
back and forth.
Linear Projects the animation value along a line tangent to the function curve
at the end of the range. Use Linear when you want the animation to enter
and leave the range at a constant velocity.
Relative Repeat Repeats the same animation as within the range but offsets
each repetition by the value at the end of the range. Use Relative Repeat to
create animations that build on each other as they repeat.

Apply Ease Curve / Apply Multiplier Curve
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves menu ➤
Apply Ease Curve or Apply Multiplier Curve
Apply - Ease Curve and Apply - Multiplier Curve (available from the Curves
menu in the Curve Editor) create an ease curve or multiplier curve track. These
tracks let you modify or intensify an existing animation track without changing
the original track.
■

A multiplier curve shifts the value of the original track up or down.
Adjusting the multiplier curve increases or decreases the “intensity” of the
original track.

■

An ease curve shifts the time of the original track left or right.
Adjusting the ease curve changes time. The value of the ease curve at a
particular frame is a frame value from the original track. For example, if
the ease curve is 0 at frame 0 and 10 at frame 10, the original track plays
at its original speed. If the ease curve value at frame 10 increases to 20, the

Curve Editor | 3999

original track plays to frame 20 by frame 10: it has been sped up by a factor
of two.
Once you apply an ease or multiplier curve, you can edit its keys, ranges, and
properties just like any other animation track.
One use of ease and multiplier curves is to blend between the effects of different
controllers. This can be an aid to nonlinear editing.

Procedures
To apply an ease curve or a multiplier curve:
1 In the Curve Editor Hierarchy list, highlight the tracks you wish to ease
or intensify.
Not all controller items can receive ease or multiplier curves. For example,
the Path Constraint position controller cannot receive an ease or
multiplier curve, but its subordinate Percent controller can. If the
highlighted controller is incapable of receiving ease or multiplier curves,
nothing happens when you apply the curve.
2 From the Curves menu, choose Apply - Ease Curve or Apply - Multiplier
Curve.
3 In the Controller window expand the highlighted tracks to view the ease
curve.
4 Hold down the Ctrl key and click the ease curve and controller tracks.
5 Adjust the keys on the ease curve and watch the result in the controller
curve.
Use a Multiplier curve to intensify an effect, or an ease curve to make less
of an effect.
TIP Use Step interpolation to use the ease curve to turn tracks on and off.

Interface
Apply - Ease Curve Applies a curve to alter the timing of the selected function
curve. Ease curves vary the timing of a superior function curve. A normal
function curve charts an animated parameter value over time. An ease curve
charts changes to the timing of a function curve over time.

4000 | Chapter 13 Animation

Apply - Multiplier Curve Applies a curve to scale the value of the selected
function curve. The value of a multiplier curve is a scale factor applied to the
value of its superior function curve.
You apply ease and multiplier curves in Curve Editor mode. Once you apply
an ease or multiplier curve, you can edit its keys, ranges, and properties, as
with any other animation track.

Remove Ease/Multiplier Curve
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Select one or more
ease or multiplier curve tracks. ➤ Curves menu ➤ Remove
Remove (Ease/Multiplier Curve) lets you delete an ease or multiplier curve at
any time.

Procedures
To delete an ease or multiplier curve:
1 In the Hierarchy list, select one or more ease or multiplier curve tracks.
2 On the Track View menu bar, choose Curves ➤ Remove.
The selected Ease or Multiplier curve is removed.
TIP You can use On/Off (Curves) on page 4001 to turn off the ease or multiplier
affect without removing the curve.

On/Off (Curves)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves menu ➤
On/Off
Use On/Off when you want to work with the original function curve rather
than a curve altered by ease and multiplier curves. A disabled curve has no
effect on its assigned track, but can be enabled to restore the effect.

Procedures
To toggle the active state of an ease or multiplier curve:
1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight one or more ease or multiplier curves.

Curve Editor | 4001

2 From the Curves menu choose On/Off.
If you also have the parent track selected (the transform that has the ease
applied), you will see the difference in the curve when you turn the ease
or multiplier off.

Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves menu ➤ Ease
Curve Out-of Range Types
Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types displays a dialog that lets you assign
out-of-range types for the current ease curve on page 9142.
Ease and multiplier curves use the same out-of-range types as other controller
tracks. See Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 3996.
You will usually want to use the same out-of-range type for an ease curve that
you use for its superior function curve.

Procedures
To set the out-of-range type for an ease curve:
1 Highlight one or more ease curve items in the Hierarchy list.
2 From the Curves menu choose Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types.
3 Do one of the following.
■

Click an out-of-range type image to apply that type to both the
incoming and outgoing curves of the ease curve.

■

Click the left arrow button below an out-of-range type image to apply
it to only the incoming curve of the ease curve.

■

Click the right arrow button below an out-of-range type to apply it
to only the outgoing curve of the ease curve.

4002 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Constant Holds the values at the ends of the range for all frames. Use Constant
when you want no animated effect before or after the range. The time value
at start of the range is held for all frames before the range, and the time value
at the end of the range is held for all frames after the range. Constant is the
default out-of-range type for multiplier curves.
Cycle Repeats the same animation as within the range. Use Cycle when you
want an animation to repeat exactly.
Loop Repeats the same animation as within the range but interpolates between
the last key and the first key of the range to create a smooth loop. Use Loop
with an extended range bar to produce smoothly repeating animation.
Ping Pong Alternates between a forward and backward repeat of the animation
within the range. Use Ping Pong when you want your animation to alternate
back and forth.
Linear Projects the animation value along a line tangent to the ease or
multiplier curve at the end of the range. use linear when you want the
animation to enter and leave the range at a constant velocity.
Relative Repeat Repeats the same animation as within the range but offsets
each repetition by the value at the end of the range. Use Relative Repeat to
create animations that build on each other as they repeat.
Identity Projects the ease curve along a line with a slope of 1.0 from either
end of the range. This causes time to flow at a normal, constant rate outside
the range of the ease curve. Use Identity when you want the ease curve to be
a localized, non-repeating effect.

Curve Editor | 4003

Identity for an ease curve produces an effect similar to constant for other types
of curves. Identity is not available for multiplier curves; it is the default
Out-of-Range type for ease curves.

Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Curves menu ➤
Multiplier Curve Out-of Range Types
Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types displays a dialog that lets you assign
out-of-range types for the current multiplier curve on page 9235.
Ease and multiplier curves use the same out-of-range types as other function
curves.
You will usually want to use the same out-of-range type for a multiplier curve
that you use for its superior function curve.

Procedures
To set the out-of-range type for a multiplier curve:
1 Highlight one or more multiplier curve items in the Hierarchy list.
2 From the Curves menu choose Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types.
3 Do one of the following.
■

Click an out-of-range type image to apply that type to both the
incoming and outgoing curves of the multiplier curve.

■

Click the left arrow button below an out-of-range type image to apply
it to only the incoming curve of the multiplier curve.

■

Click the right arrow button below an out-of-range type to apply it
to only the outgoing curve of the multiplier curve.

4004 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Constant Holds the values at the ends of the range for all frames. Use Constant
when you want no animated effect before or after the range. The time value
at start of the range is held for all frames before the range, and the time value
at the end of the range is held for all frames after the range. Constant is the
default out-of-range type for multiplier curves.
Cycle Repeats the same animation as within the range. Use Cycle when you
want an animation to repeat exactly.
Loop Repeats the same animation as within the range but interpolates between
the last key and the first key of the range to create a smooth loop. Use Loop
with an extended range bar to produce smoothly repeating animation.
Ping Pong Alternates between forward and backward repetition of the
animation within the range. Use Ping Pong when you want your animation
to alternate back and forth.
Linear Projects the animation value along lines tangent to the ease or
multiplier curve at the limits of the range. Use Linear when you want the
animation to enter and leave the range at a constant velocity.
Relative Repeat Repeats the same animation as within the range but offsets
each repetition by the value at the end of the range. Use Relative Repeat to
create animations that build on each other as they repeat.

Curve Editor | 4005

Freeze Non-Selected Curves
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Curve Editor on page 3986 ➤ Display menu ➤
Show Non-Selected Curves ➤ Freeze Non-Selected Curves
Freeze Non-Selected Curves is a selection modifier that makes all
non-highlighted curves uneditable. Default=On.
Freeze Non-Selected Curves has the following properties:
■

Non-highlighted curves display as dashed lines.

■

You can manipulate vertices on highlighted curves only in the Edit window.

■

You highlight other curves by clicking their icons in the Hierarchy list.
Turn Freeze Non-Selected Curves off when you want to be able to edit
multiple curves without having to select them all. Turn Freeze Non-Selected
Curves On when you have multiple vertices on multiple curves all in the
same place.

Procedures
Example: To freeze non-selected curves:
1 Animate an object's position.
2 From the Graph Editors menu, choose Track View - Curve Editor. On the
Options menu, make sure Auto Expand ➤ Selected Objects
Only/Transforms/XYZ Components are all on.
The X/Y/Z position tracks are all highlighted, and their curves appear in
the Key window. You can drag keys on any curve.
3 On the Display menu, make sure Hide Non-Selected Curves is on. This
is the default setting.
4 In the Hierarchy list, click the X Position track icon.
Now only the red X Position curve is visible.
5 From the Display menu, choose Show Non-Selected Curves.
The other two curves reappear, and are editable.
6 From the Display menu, choose Freeze Non-Selected Curves.
The Y Position and Z Position curves remain visible, but display as dashed
lines.

4006 | Chapter 13 Animation

7 Position the mouse cursor over a vertex on the Y Position or Z Position
curve.
The cursor doesn't change to a crosshair, indicating that you can't modify
the vertex.
8 In the Hierarchy list, click the Y Position track icon and then Z Position
track icon.
All three remain visible, but in each case the two non-highlighted tracks
display as dashed lines, and are not editable.

Status Bar and View Controls
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Status bar
These toolbars appear on the status bar, at the bottom of the Track View
window. They control the Track View display, and also let you enter frame
and key values.

Track Selection Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Status bar ➤ Track Selection toolbar
The Track Selection toolbar has controls for particular object or track selections.

Track Selection toolbar

Zoom Selected Object
With Track View on page 3827 already open to navigate to a particular object,
select the object in the viewport. ➤ Track Selection toolbar ➤
Selected Object)

(Zoom

Use Zoom Selected Object to place the currently selected object at the top of
the Hierarchy list in the controller window.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4007

In Dope Sheet mode, Zoom Selected Object affects the Hierarchy list as well
as the Edit window, but in the Curve Editor, it affects only the Hierarchy list.
This function scrolls the hierarchy to place the track of the currently selected
object at the top of the list. If the object is a child of a closed hierarchy, the
hierarchy is opened to display the selected object. If more than one object is
selected in the scene, the uppermost selected object in the Hierarchy list is
placed at the top of the list. If no objects are selected, nothing happens. This
function works only on object tracks.

Procedures
To place the selected object at the top of the Hierarchy list:

1

Select an object.

2 Open Track View, and then click

(Zoom Selected Object).

The object is placed at the top of the Hierarchy list.
This option is handy to quickly find an object in a hierarchy, such as a
character's finger, and place it at the top of the Hierarchy list.

Select By Name (Track View)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Track Selection toolbar ➤ Select By Name field
With Select By Name you can highlight tracks in the Controller window by
entering the track names (including optional wildcards) in the editable field.
If the Controller Type display is active in the Filters options, you can specify
by controller type as well.

4008 | Chapter 13 Animation

Select By Name using wildcard

Notes
■

The name selection is not case-sensitive, except for text within parentheses.

■

Only those tracks that are open and displayed can be selected.

■

You can use wildcard characters. For example:
Seat selects all objects with Seat in the beginning of the name.
(Cone01)Position selects only the Position track under Cone01.
(Cone*)Position selects the Position track under all objects that begin with
"Cone"

■

You can include multiple names in your selection if you separate them
with commas; for example: Cone,Box,Sphere.

Procedures
To highlight all the tracks in a scene:
■

Enter * in the Select by Name field in the Track Selection toolbar.
All the tracks are selected at once.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4009

Example: To highlight and display Position tracks for three objects:
1 Create three boxes.
By default, the boxes are named Box01, Box02, and Box03.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Curve Editor (Open)).

3 In the Track View Hierarchy list, expand the hierarchies for the three box
objects.
4 In the Select By Name field, type (Box*)p.
All the Position tracks are highlighted.

5 On the Track View toolbar, right-click
Selected Tracks Only.

(Filters) and choose

The Position tracks for the three boxes are displayed at the top of the
Hierarchy list.
Example: To highlight multiple tracks using comma-separated name selections:
1 Create a box.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Curve Editor (Open)).

3 In the Track View Hierarchy list, expand the Box01 hierarchy to see all
Transform children tracks.
4 In the Select By Name field, type x pos,y rot,scale.
The box's X Position, Y Rotation, and Scale tracks are highlighted. The
commas placed between each name act as Boolean addition (“OR”)
operators, allowing multiple names in one selection.

Track Set Controls
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Track Selection toolbar

4010 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can assign a name to the current track selection, and then later reselect
those tracks by choosing the name of the respective track set from the list.

Using Key Filters with Track Sets
If you are animating track sets using Key Filters in Set Key mode on page 8682,
the filters dictate which track set members are keyable, because they take
precedence over track sets.

Only the track set members specified
in the Key Filters list are keyable.

Procedures
To assign a name to a track set:
1 Highlight one or more tracks in the Track View Controller window.
2 Click in the Track Set List field on the Track View toolbar on page 3907.
3 Enter a name for your track set. The name can contain any standard ASCII
characters, including letters, numerals, symbols, punctuation, and spaces.
NOTE Names are case-sensitive.
4 Press Enter to complete the track set.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4011

You can now highlight another combination of tracks and repeat the
process to create another track set.
To retrieve a track set:
1 In the Track Sets List, click the arrow.
2 On the list, click a name.
The respective tracks are highlighted in the Track View Controller window.
To edit a track selection:
You can change a track selection using track sets and the Ctrl and Alt keys.
1 Highlight one or more tracks in the Track View Controller window.
2 Open the Track Set List by clicking the arrow.
3 Press and hold Ctrl, and then click a name in the list.
The track set members are added to the current track selection.
4 Press and hold Alt, and then click a name (either the same or another) in
the list.
The track set members are subtracted from the current track selection.
To edit track sets;
■

On the Track View status bar, click
Sets Editor dialog on page 4013.

(Edit Track Set) to display the Track

Interface

Edit Track Set Click to display the Track Sets Editor dialog on page 4013.
Track Set List If you have created named track sets, you can activate them
by choosing them from this list.

4012 | Chapter 13 Animation

Track Sets Editor Dialog

Track View on page 3827 ➤ Track Selection toolbar ➤
Set)

(Edit Track

The Track Sets Editor dialog is a modeless dialog on page 9224 that lets you
create and edit animation track groups called track sets. This feature facilitates
working on multiple tracks at a time, because you can recall your tracks without
the need to select them individually.
TIP As your projects grow in size, you can also use track sets to help organize your
animations by regrouping them under reference dates or versions such as
Walk_Animation_v5.0 or Baseball_Hit_2005/07/01.
Within the Track Sets Editor dialog, you can browse track set listings, add or
remove tracks to/from a track set, highlight track set members based on
selections from the Hierarchy list, and vice-versa.
See also:
■

Track Set Controls on page 4010

Procedures
To create a track set from selected tracks:
1 In the Track View Controller window, highlight tracks to group as a track
set.
2 Click

(Edit Track Set).

3 In the Track Sets Editor dialog, click

(Create A New Track Set).

Status Bar and View Controls | 4013

4 Expand the new track set.
A new track set appears, containing your selected tracks.
To edit the contents of a track set:
This procedure follows from the previous procedure, and focuses on adding
and removing tracks to/from your track set.
1 In the Track View Controller window, highlight a few tracks to add to
your track set. Make sure the tracks are not already part of it.
2 In the Track Sets Editor dialog, highlight your track set or any of its

members, and then click
Current Track Set).

(Add The Track View Selection To The

The highlighted tracks are now members of your track set.

3 Click
Set).

(Remove The Track View Selection From The Current Track

The highlighted tracks are now removed from the track set.
To locate tracks in the Track View or the Track Sets Editor:
This procedure is a continuation of the previous procedures and explains how
you can use the Track Sets Editor to quickly locate your tracks in the Hierarchy
list and vice-versa. This is useful for managing scenes comprised of many
tracks that span across multiple track sets.
1 Create two track sets each containing tracks. Make sure one track is
common to both track sets.
2 In the Track View Controller window, highlight the common track.
In the Track Sets Editor dialog, click
Track View).

(Highlight Tracks Selected In The

The common track is highlighted in both track sets.

3 Highlight another track set member and click
Track Or Track Set In The Track View).

4014 | Chapter 13 Animation

(Select The Current

The respective track in the Controller window is highlighted.

Interface

The Track Sets Editor dialog window displays all current track sets. To expand
or collapse the track list for a set, click the plus (+) or minus (-), button next
to the track set name.

Create A New Track Set Adds a new track set comprising any
highlighted tracks in the Hierarchy list.
Only leaf on page 9183 tracks can be part of a track set. If you highlight a non-leaf
parent track when the track set is created, all its children leaf tracks are added
instead.

A track set created from a non-leaf parent track contains all
children leaf tracks.

NOTE If no tracks are highlighted, an empty set is created.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4015

Delete Track Sets Or Tracks Removes a highlighted track set or track
set member.
NOTE Deleting a track set member does not delete it in the Track View.

Add The Track View Selection To The Current Track Set Combines
a highlighted track from the Controller window to the current track set.
Only leaf tracks can be added to a track set. If you highlight a non-leaf parent
track to be added to the track set, all its children leaf tracks are added instead.

Remove The Track View Selection From The Current Track
Set Deletes a track set member from the current track set. The track itself must
be highlighted in the Controller window.
Highlight Tracks Selected In The Track View Highlights a track set
member based on the current Track View selection. If a track is shared between
track sets, all track set members are highlighted.

Select The Current Track Or Track Set In The Track View Highlights
a track in the Controller window based on the current track set member
selection.

Track Filters
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Track Selection toolbar ➤ Filter buttons
The filter buttons on the Track Selection toolbar help you control which tracks
are displayed in the Controller (Hierarchy) window.
You can use any combination of these filters to control what you see in Track
View.

4016 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Filter - Selected Tracks Toggle When on, the Controller window
shows only selected tracks.

Filter - Selected Objects Toggle When on, the Controller window
shows only tracks for selected objects.

Filter - Animated Tracks Toggle When on, the Controller window
shows only tracks with animation.

Filter - Unlocked Attributes Toggle When on, the Controller window
shows only tracks whose attributes are not locked on page 3862.

Key Stats Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Status bar ➤ Key Stats: Track View toolbar
The Key Stats toolbar controls key display.

Key Stats toolbar

Status Bar and View Controls | 4017

Key Time Display
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Key Stats toolbar ➤ Key Time Display (field on
left)
The Key Time editable field (the field on the left) displays the frame number
(position in time) of the selected key. You can enter a new frame number or
enter an expression to move the key to a frame.

Key Stats toolbar

Using Expressions in the Time and Value Fields
You can enter any expression in the time and value fields. The variable n
stands for the key time or value. An expression can be as complex as you want,
and can involve any function the expression controller on page 3486 uses. For
example, you could enter an expression such as: n/2+sin(n)*40^n.
The expression parsing in the time field works only when Time Configuration
on page 8696 ➤ Time Display is set to Frames. The expression parser doesn't
understand SMPTE or Frame:Ticks.

Procedures
To move a key to a specific frame:
1 In Track View, highlight a key.
2 In the Key Time Display, enter the frame number you want to move the
key to.
3 Press Enter.
The key (and, in Dope Sheet mode, any associated keys) moves to the
new time.
To move keys ahead 10 frames:
1 In the Track View Key window, highlight keys.
2 In the Key Time field, type n+10 .
Selected keys are incremented by 10 frames.

4018 | Chapter 13 Animation

Value Display
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Key Stats toolbar ➤ Value Display (field on right)
Value Display (the field on the right) displays the value, or position in space,
of a highlighted key. This is an editable field. You can enter a new number or
expression to change the value of selected keys.

Key Stats toolbar

Procedures
To move an object in space using Value Display:
1 In the Track View (either mode) Hierarchy list, expand the Position track
of an animated object. In Curve Editor mode, if Show Non-Selected Tracks
is not active, highlight a track, if necessary, so the keys are visible.
2 Highlight an X, Y, or Z Position key.
The Value Display shows the X, Y, or Z position key spatial value.
3 Enter the value you want in the Value Display and press Enter.
The new value takes effect. If the time slider is at or near the same frame
as the key, the change is visible in the viewports.
Example: To add 10 to the values of specific keys:
1 In Track View, either mode, highlight the keys to edit.
2 In the Value Display field, enter n+10.
Each key's value is incremented by 10. Simply entering 10 would give
each key a value of 10.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4019

Show Selected Key Statistics
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Key Stats toolbar ➤
Stats)

(Show Selected Key

Show Selected Key Statistics displays the statistics represented by the currently
selected keys in the Key window of the Curve Editor.
The frame number and value are displayed to the right of the key in the Key
window. For example, 68, 40.620 (frame=68, value=40.620).

Procedures
To show selected key statistics:
1 On the Key window of the Curve Editor, select any key or set of keys.

2 On the Key Stats: Track View toolbar, click
Stats).

(Show Selected Key

The key statistics are displayed next to each key.

Navigation Toolbar
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Status bar ➤ Navigation toolbar
The Navigation toolbar has controls for navigating the key window or curve
window.

Navigation toolbar

4020 | Chapter 13 Animation

Pan (Track View)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Navigation toolbar ➤

(Pan)

With Pan you can click and drag the Key window to move it left, right, up or
down. Pan remains active until you right-click to cancel or click another
option.
If you have a middle mouse button, pressing it will instantly give you the Pan
capability in Track View, as in the rest of 3ds Max.
Drag horizontally in all modes to slide the view forward and backward in time.
Drag vertically to slide the view up and down in value.

Zooming and Panning with a wheel mouse
You can use the wheel on a wheel mouse to zoom and pan the Track View
Key window. Drag with the wheel to pan, and roll the wheel to zoom. (If you
have a standard three-button mouse, use Ctrl+Alt+middle mouse button to
zoom.)

Procedures
To pan in the Key window:

1 On the Navigation: Track View toolbar, click

(Pan).

2 Position the mouse cursor over the Key window, and then press and drag
to pan.

Zoom Horizontal Extents
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Navigation toolbar ➤ Zoom Horizontal Extents
flyout
Zoom Horizontal Extents is a flyout containing the Zoom Horizontal Extents
and Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys buttons.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4021

Use Zoom Horizontal Extents to show only the active time segment on page
9082, and use Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys to show all keys, including those
outside the active time segment.

Procedures
To display the active time segment in the Key window:

■

On the Track View Navigation toolbar, click
(Zoom Horizontal
Extents).
The active time segment (lighter background color) is centered in the Key
window.

Interface
Zoom Horizontal Extents Adjusts the magnification of the Track View
Key window horizontally so that all of the active time segment is visible at
once.

Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys Scales the Track View Key window
horizontally to display the full range of all animation keys. Depending on
your animation, this view could be larger or smaller than the active time
segment.

Zoom Value Extents
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Navigation toolbar ➤ Zoom Value Extents flyout
Zoom Value Extents is a flyout containing the Zoom Value Extents and Zoom
Value Extents Range buttons.
In Function Curves mode, Zoom Value Extents adjusts the size of the Track
View Key window vertically so that you can see the full height of the curve.
Zoom Value Extents Range also adjusts the window vertically but it zooms
only to the height of the keyframes that are currently in view.
NOTE In Dope Sheet mode, Zoom Value Extents and Zoom Value Extents Range
serve no function.

4022 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To zoom to the height of the curves:
1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight the tracks to display.

2 On the Track View Navigation toolbar, click

(Zoom Value Extents).

The Key window scales vertically to display the function curves.
This control is particularly useful if you have zoomed in and need to see
all the keys again. There is no undo for view changes that occur in the
Key window, so the Zoom Extents button can serve the function of
resetting your view.
To zoom to the height of the keyframes that are currently visible:
1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight the tracks to display.

2 On the Track View Navigation toolbar, click
Range).

(Zoom Value Extents

The Key window scales vertically to the height of the keyframes in view.
This control is useful if you want to focus on working with one section
of your animation curve.

Zoom Track View Key Window
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Navigation toolbar ➤ Zoom flyout
In Track View, the Zoom controls are available from a three-button flyout.
You can zoom your view of time horizontally (Zoom Time), vertically (Zoom
Values), or in both directions simultaneously (Zoom). Drag to the right or
upward (Zoom Values) to increase magnification, or to the left or downward
(Zoom Values) to decrease magnification.
Zooming occurs around the cursor location.
NOTE All three zoom modes work in Curve Editor, but only Zoom and Zoom
Time work in Dope Sheet.

Status Bar and View Controls | 4023

TIP If you use a three-button or wheel mouse, you can also zoom uniformly by
using Ctrl+Alt+middle mouse button or by scrolling with your mouse wheel in the
Curve Editor.
TIP You can also zoom exclusively in time (left and right) or in value (up and
down) by holding down Ctrl or Shift respectively while scrolling with your mouse
wheel in the Curve Editor.

Procedures
To zoom in on time:

1 On the Navigation: Track View toolbar, choose
the flyout.

(Zoom Time) from

2 Click and drag to the right in the Track View Key window.
Your view of time expands horizontally in the Key window.

Interface
Zoom Zooms your view of time and values simultaneously. Zoom
remains active until you right-click to cancel or click another option.

Zoom Values In Curve Editor, zooms the contents of the key window
vertically. Drag upward to increase magnification, or downward to decrease
magnification.

Zoom Time Zooms the contents of the Key window horizontally.

Zoom Region (Track View)
Track View on page 3827 ➤ Navigation toolbar ➤

4024 | Chapter 13 Animation

(Zoom Region)

Zoom Region lets you drag a region in the Key window to scale that region
to fill the window. Zoom Region remains active until you right-click to cancel
or click another option.
In Curve Editor mode, both time and value are scaled to fit the Key window.
In Dope Sheet mode, only time is scaled to fit the Key window.

Procedures
To zoom a region of the Key window:

1 On the Navigation: Track View toolbar, click

(Zoom Region).

2 Drag a window in the Key window.
The region zooms to fill the Key window.
TIP There is no undo for view changes in the Track View windows. Use the
Zoom, Zoom Region, and Zoom Extents tools to navigate the Key window.

Managing Track View Windows
Controls for managing Track View windows are on the 3ds Max Graph Editors
menu. This section also contains topic on how to customize the Track View
interface.

New Track View
Graph Editors menu ➤ New Track View
New Track View opens a new, untitled Track View on page 3827 window. A
scene in 3ds Max can have up to 13 Track View windows. You can choose
these by name from the Graph Editors ➤ Saved Track Views on page 4027
submenu. New Track View is disabled if the scene already has 13 Track View
windows.
You can name a Track View window by typing in the editable field at the right
end of the Track View toolbar.

Managing Track View Windows | 4025

Procedures
To create a new Track View window:
■

Click Track View ➤ New Track View.
3ds Max opens a new, untitled Track View window, regardless of whether
you have closed other Track View windows.

To name a Track View window:
■

Type the name in the edit box at the right end of the Track View toolbar.
As soon as you type the name in, it is stored in the Saved Track Views list.

Delete Track View
Graph Editors menu ➤ Delete Track View
Delete Track View displays the Delete Track View dialog, which lets you delete
one or more stored Track View windows on page 3827.

Procedures
To delete a Track View window:
1 From the Graph Editors menu, choose Delete Track View.
3ds Max opens the Delete Track View dialog.
2 In the Delete Track View dialog, highlight the name of one or more Track
View windows.
3 Click OK to delete the Track View windows you chose.

4026 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Drag a selection, use Shift+click to select additional adjacent Track View
windows, or Ctrl+click to toggle a selection.

Saved Track Views
Graph Editors menu ➤ Saved Track Views ➤ Choose the named Track View
from the list.
Saved Track View lets you recall various Track View windows that you save
by naming them.

Managing Track View Windows | 4027

It is different from saved Track View layouts, which are recalled by
right-clicking the toolbar and choosing Load layout.
Saved Track View windows are saved with the MAX file.

Procedures
To save a Track View window:
1 In either Dope Sheet or Curve Editor, enter a name in the Name: Track
View field at the upper right.
TIP If the Name field is not visible, right-click the toolbar and choose Show
Toolbars, then choose Name: Track View from the list. This toolbar can float
or dock, as you like.
2 Close Track View.
3 To recall the saved Track View window, from the Graph Editors menu,
choose Saved Track Views, and then the desired window name.

Customizing the Track View Window
The Track View user interface is fully customizable. There are many ways you
can change the UI to suit your needs.

A customized Track View user interface:
• Controllers toolbar docked left
• Controller window (Hierarchy) hidden

4028 | Chapter 13 Animation

• Tools toolbar floating
• Navigation toolbar docked right

You can hide or display UI elements as you need to use them. Customization
tools are available from the Track View menu bar or from several Track View
toolbars. You can float or dock the toolbars to the top, bottom, left, or right
of the application window, for example, floating a toolbar so it is closer to
where you are working.
To customize the Track View UI, right-click the menu bar or the blank space
to the right of the Track View toolbars. A right-click menu is displayed, with
commands for the tools you need to perform your customization.

Track View Toolbar Right-Click Menu
You can use commands on the toolbar right-click menu on page 4035 to perform
most Track View UI customization tasks. Move your cursor over the blank
space to the right of the Track View toolbars and right-click to display this
menu.

Show UI Elements
Toggles on and off the display of Track View user interface elements. For
example, you can hide or show the menu bar, scroll bars, the controller and
key windows, and the time ruler.

Menu Bar
The menu bar gives access to most of the tools also found on the toolbars.
The menu bar can be displayed or hidden in the Curve Editor, Dope Sheet, or
track bar. The menu bar is context-sensitive, so it changes its display depending
on which Track View mode is active.

Scroll Bar
Standard Windows scroll bars can be displayed or hidden for the Track View
window. These are useful for navigating complex or lengthy windows.

Use the Pan hand button to scroll when these are not visible. The middle
mouse button can also be used to activate the pan hand to scroll this window.

Windows
There are two side-by-side display areas in Track View. They are the Controller
window and the Key window. The Controller window contains the Hierarchy

Customizing the Track View Window | 4029

list with labeled tracks. The Key window displays the keys either as curves in
the Curve Editor, or as boxes or ranges on a grid in Dope Sheet mode. Use
Show UI Elements, available from the toolbar right-click menu, to hide either
window.

Time Ruler
A movable time ruler is provided. To measure time, you can move the time
ruler close to the keys or curves when working zoomed in. Default=on.

Track View - Curve Editor Toolbars
You can display Curve Editor toolbars on page 3907 for quick access to tools.
The Curve Editor toolbars that you can display or hide, dock or float, from
the right-click menu include the following:

■

Name toolbarEnter a name in
this field to create a named Track View window. You can recall the saved
Track View window by choosing Graph Editors menu ➤ Saved Track View
on page 4027 submenu. This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode.

■

Navigation toolbarUse these
tools to pan on page 4021 and zoom the Key window on page 4023, or zoom
to the extents of the time on page 4021 or the values on page 4022. This option
is available in both Track View modes.

■

Key Stats toolbarTrack
View provides tools for the display and type-in transform of key values on
page 4018. This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode.

4030 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Key Tangents
toolbarTrack View gives you quick access to different tangency types of
keys on page 3909. This toolbar is most useful when floating near the curves.
This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode.

■

ControllersTrack View
has tools to copy, paste, assign, delete, and make controllers unique on
page 3917. This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode.

■

Track SelectionTrack View gives you tools to select tracks by typing in the
name of an object on page 4007. This option is also available in Dope Sheet
mode.

■

KeysTrack View provides the tools to move on page 3988, scale on page 3989,
and slide keys on page 3948, scale values on page 3990, add keys on page 3991,
draw curves on page 3993, and reduce keys on page 3976. This toolbar also has
the Filter button, which lets you limit the display in the Controller window.
A similar option is available in Dope Sheet mode on page 3913 with different
and fewer controls.

■

CurvesTrack
View provides tools to select and lock keys and curve handles on page 3911,

Customizing the Track View Window | 4031

as well as to make tracks keyable on page 3898, and to apply parameter curve
out-of-range types on page 3996.

■

ToolsTrack
View gives you tools to create or remove Note and visibility tracks, snap
frames, lock selection, properties, and Track View utilities. This toolbar is
hidden by default.

Dope Sheet Toolbars
There are 11 toolbars that can be displayed when in Dope Sheet mode. In
addition to the ones listed above for the Curve Editor, you can also choose to
display the following:

■

KeysDope Sheet
displays the tools to move, add, and scale keys on page 3914, the Filters
button on page 3921, and the buttons that let you choose between Edit Keys
on page 3940 and Edit Ranges on page 3978 options for Dope Sheet.

■

TimeTrack View
provides tools to select and work with time on page 3915. Time can be
selected, inserted, cut, copied, pasted, scaled, reversed, or removed. This
toolbar works only in Dope Sheet mode.

■

RangesHere are the tools to edit on page 3978,
position on page 3979, and recouple ranges on page 3980.

4032 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

DisplayDope Sheet holds tools
to modify subtree on page 3893 and modify child keys on page 3895, lock
selection on page 3942, snap frames on page 3941, and display keyable icons
on page 3898.

Soft Selection Toolbar

Both the Curve
Editor and Dope Sheet Edit Keys mode take advantage of soft selection of keys.
If you choose Keys menu ➤ Use Soft Select, then choose Soft Selection Settings
on page 3961, the Soft Selection Settings toolbar is displayed. This toolbar is
accessible only from the Keys menu, not from the right-click menu. If you
want this menu to stay visible, save a Track View layout on page 4033.

Track Bar
You can dock the Track View windows below the time slider and track bar by
choosing Dock ➤ Bottom from the toolbar right-click menu. You can dock
multiple Track View windows using this technique.

You can also display a Track View window below the viewports by
clicking the Open Mini-Curve Editor button at the upper left corner of the
track bar. Using this method, the time slider and track bar are replaced with
the Track View window. As with Dope Sheet and Curve Editor modes, you
use the toolbar right-click menu to display or hide all Track View UI elements.

Procedures
To save a Track View layout:
1 Customize the Track View layout as you want.
2 When you want to save it, right-click the Track View menu bar or the
blank area at the right of the Track View toolbar, and choose Save Layout
As.

Customizing the Track View Window | 4033

3 Enter a name you will remember.
To reload a saved Track View layout:
1 Right-click the Track View menu bar or the blank area at the right of the
Track View toolbar and click Load Layout.
2 Choose the layout you want to display in Track View.
To save a Track View window:
You can save a particular Track View window, displaying to a particular set of
tracks, by using the Name: Track View toolbar.
■

Enter the name for the window in the Name field. When you close the
window, you can reload it by choosing Graph Editors ➤ Saved Track
Views. Then choose the named window from the list.
TIP Named Track View windows are saved with a file. Named layouts are
independent of the file.

To restore the default Track View user interface:
If you have customized your Track View user interface and want to return to
the original installed version, do the following:
1 In the \plugcfg folder within the 3ds Max install directory, locate the file
trackview.bak.
2 Copy the file and rename the copy trackview.ini.
3 In Windows Explorer or My Computer, right-click and choose Properties.
Make sure the Attributes is not set to Read-only.
TIP You can also right-click the Track View title bar and choose Load Layout
➤ Default to return to the default layout. This works only if you have not
saved over the default.

To add a new menu bar name to a custom Track View layout:
1 From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface.
2 On the Menus panel, click New to create a new menu. Enter the name
of the menu in the New Menu field and click OK.

4034 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 Using Notepad, open |plugcfg|trackview.ini, and navigate to the layout
section. To affect the Curve Editor toolbar, choose the section named
[default], or to affect the Dope Sheet toolbar, choose the section called
[Dope Sheet layout].
4 Change the value of the "Menu Name" entry to the name of the menu
you created in step 2.
Save the layout after you are done and the changes will be persistent.
TIP You can also make the Dope Sheet Editor point at a renamed menu bar
by using MAXScript:
In the MAXScript Listener, type trackviews.current.ui.menubar = "Dope
Sheet - Menu Bar", substituting your menu bar name, and then press the
Enter key.
NOTE There is also a script that lets you choose menus from a list. Choose
Customize menu ➤ Customize User Interface, then on the Menus panel,
set Group to Main UI and Category to Track View, and choose Load Menu
Bar from the Action list. Select the Track View menu bar you want to customize
from the drop-down list on the right. Drag the action to the right window
and the menu bar will be customized.

Track View Toolbar Right-Click Menu
You can use commands on the right-click toolbar menu to perform most Track
View UI customization tasks. Move your cursor over the blank space to the
right of the Track View toolbars and right-click. This shortcut menu's
customization tools are as follows:
■

DockSnaps the toolbars into position horizontally above or below the
window, or vertically along the left or right window edge. Once toolbars
are horizontally docked, they can be reordered by dragging and dropping
them as you like. Also used to dock the window beneath the viewports.

■

FloatFloats the selected toolbar.
You can float toolbars anywhere you like. You can also drag the double
bars at the left of the toolbar to float the toolbar over the viewport.

■

HideTurns off the display of the selected user interface element. Once
something is hidden, you can redisplay it using Show UI Element or Show
Toolbar on this menu.

Customizing the Track View Window | 4035

■

Load LayoutLoads a saved default, named, Function Curve, Dope Sheet,
or track bar layout.

■

Save LayoutSaves your customized layout, creating a new default layout.
When you open a new Track View, this saved layout will be displayed.
NOTE To restore the default 3ds Max layout, see To save a Track View layout:
on page 4033.

■

Save Layout AsSaves your customized layout with a name you choose.
When you've customized your layout, save it with an easily recognizable
name, then you can return to it whenever you choose. Use Load layout to
retrieve a saved layout.

■

Show UI ElementsToggles the display of Track View user interface elements.
For example, you can hide or show the menu bar, scroll bars, the controller
and Key windows, and the time ruler.

■

Add ToolbarLets you display additional toolbars that you can create using
commands the Customize User Interface pull down from the main menu
bar.

■

Delete ToolbarDeletes the selected toolbar.

■

Show ToolbarsLets you choose which toolbars you want to display or hide.
NOTE Some toolbars are hidden by default.

Motion Mixer
The Motion Mixer allows you to combine motion data for biped and non-biped
objects.

4036 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Motion Mixer takes its design from the world of audio. When a song is
recorded in a studio, each instrument is played and recorded separately. Each
recording is called a track. The tracks are then put together in a sound mixer
so they play simultaneously, or overlap one another. During the mixing
process, the mixer operator can change the length or speed of a track, increase
or reduce volume, move a track to another place in the song, or cause a track
to fade in or out.
The Motion Mixer works in a similar way. For any object, you can add multiple
tracks on page 9330 to the mixer, each holding a separate series of motion clips
(BIP files on page 9105, XAF files). You can trim clips to use only part of a motion,
make the clips play slower or faster, or create transitions from one clip or set
of clips to another.

Motion Mixer | 4037

You can also use the Motion Mixer to animate some body parts with one set
of clips, and other body parts with other motions. For example, suppose you
have two clips, one where the biped runs with its arms pumping by its sides,
and another where the biped stands and cheers with its arms in the air. You
can mix the leg and hip motions from the running motion with the arms
from the cheering motion to make an animation of a biped cheering as he
runs across a finish line.

Using the Motion Mixer
The Motion Mixer allows you to mix motion files (BIP on page 9105 and XAF
on page 4159 files) for any biped or non-biped objects. These motion files are
also called clips.

4038 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Motion Mixer is comparable to an audio mixer. Motion clips can be
cross-faded, stretched, layered, and finally, mixed down to a single clip.
The Motion Mixer works by placing motion files on tracks on page 9330. With
the Motion Mixer, you can:
■

Transition or fade between motions.

■

Move motions in time.

■

Trim a motion so only part of it is used.

■

Vary the speed of a motion over time.

■

Use animation from selected biped or non-biped body parts within a
motion clip.

■

Keep planted feet from sliding during foot-based transitions.

To see a biped motion in the Mixer applied to the biped in the scene,
you must turn on Mixer Mode from the Biped rollout on page 5010.
In the Motion Mixer, motions are imported and mixed for any objects in the
scene. Once motions are mixed, you can pass the mix on to other biped (if it
contains BIP files) and non-biped objects (if it contains XAF files), or save the
mix to a MIX file.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4039

Blending Motions in the Mixer
The Motion Mixer provides these types of motion blending.
■

You can blend motion from one clip to another with a transition on page
9336. Transitions in the Mixer are similar to those used in the motion flow
system on page 5194. The optimization feature can automatically find the
best timing for a transition between two clips. When you make a transition
between foot-based clips (clips where IK constraints keep the feet planted
at certain times), you can cause the transition to focus on one foot or the
other. See Working with Transitions on page 4063.

■

In biped animation, if a transition between foot-based clips causes the foot
to slide or pop slightly during the transition, you can fix this problem with
a mixdown on page 9224 (flattening all tracks into one track). See Exporting
Animation to the Biped on page 4080.

■

You can change the weight on page 4069 of clips or tracks so they affect the
animation more at some times than others. See Adjusting Track Weight
on page 4069.

■

You can use only the part of a clip's motion that affects specified body
parts. See Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054.

■

When motions applied to a biped's upper body vary greatly from motions
on its lower body, the Mixer automatically compensates for discrepancies
in balance. See Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer on page 4075.
NOTE Balance parameters are available only when mixing biped objects.

Transitions Between Foot-Based Clips
The Motion Mixer excels in its ability to maintain smoothness of motion over
transitions between foot-based clips. Foot-based clips use IK constraints to
keep one or both feet locked down over the course of the motion.
For bipeds, the Mixer provides tools for maintaining foot positions during
transitions:
■

Computing the influence of balance from the upper to the lower body.
Without this, layered motion tracks will appear to be artificially combined
since out since the resulting motion will be plagued by the isolation of
dynamics and improper balance.

■

Mixdowns allow for precise elimination of the foot sliding with the aid of
knee limit filtering to unnatural knee poppimg artifacts. In short, the goal

4040 | Chapter 13 Animation

of the mixer is to assemble seamless, coherent character motion using
building blocks composed from other motion fragments.
For non-biped rigs and other 3ds Max objects, the Mixer provides velocity
blends and sub-blends to maintain smooth and coordinated motion.

Comparing the Motion Mixer and Motion Flow
Both the Motion Mixer and Motion Flow on page 5194 can be used to create
transitions between a consecutive series of BIP files. However, there are a few
significant differences between the two features:
■

With the Motion Mixer, several BIP files can be used at the same time to
affect biped motion. Compare with Motion Flow, where only one BIP file,
or a transition between two consecutive BIP files, affects the biped at any
given time.

■

With the Motion Mixer, you can specify that a BIP file will affect only one
part of the body. This feature is not available in Motion Flow.

■

In the Motion Mixer, you can use a mixdown to automatically lock feet
during transitions between biped foot-based motions. Motion Flow does
not perform this function.

■

A Motion Flow network can be used in conjunction with the Crowd feature,
giving the bipeds a choice of motions over the course of the simulation.
The Motion Mixer does not generate motion for biped crowds.

■

A Motion Flow network can be used to randomly generate different motion
scripts for one or more bipeds. This feature is not available in the Motion
Mixer.

Use the Motion Mixer when you want to create a specific animation for an
object from several clips, or you want to specify that some motions be applied
only to specific body parts. If you want to work with biped crowds or create
random motion, use Motion Flow.
If you're creating a straight series of transitions between motions, you can use
either one. However, the Motion Mixer has additional tools for improving
foot-based transitions.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4041

Opening the Motion Mixer

You open the Mixer by either clicking the Mixer button on the
Motion
panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout on page 5009 or choosing Motion Mixer from the
Graph Editors menu on page 8616.
When you open the Mixer while a biped is selected, a trackgroup on page 9332,
a clip track, and a balance track on page 9102 are assigned to that biped. If a
non-biped object is selected, the Mixer opens empty.

2. Clip track
3. Balance track

These items are discussed in detail in the sections that follow.

Procedures
To access the Motion Mixer from the Motion panel:

1

Select a biped.

2 Go to the

Motion panel.

3 On the Biped Apps rollout on page 5009, click the Mixer button.
The Motion Mixer opens, and displays the selected biped and two tracks.
To learn about these tracks, see Adding Tracks to the Mixer on page 4043.

4042 | Chapter 13 Animation

Accessing the Mixer also turns on Mixer mode for the biped.
Mixer mode must be on for the biped in order to see the mixed motion
on the biped.
To display the Motion Mixer in a viewport:
1 Activate the viewport in which you want to display the Motion Mixer.
2 Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label, and from
the Point-Of-View (POV) Viewport Label Menu on page 8712, choose
Extended ➤ Motion Mixer.
NOTE When the Motion Mixer is displayed in a viewport, its menu bar is not
accessible. However, you can access each menu by right-clicking the
corresponding element in the Mixer.

To remove the Motion Mixer from a viewport:
■

Right-click a blank area of the Motion Mixer toolbar, and choose another
POV from the menu that pops up.

Adding Tracks to the Mixer
In the Motion Mixer, you begin the mixing process by opening the Mixer,
then adding objects to mix, and then loading motion clips to clip tracks on
page 9330. One clip track is created automatically if a biped is selected while
you open the Mixer, but you'll probably need more to hold all the motions
you want to use with your mixed objects.
When you open the Mixer while a biped is selected, a trackgroup on page 9332,
a clip track, and a balance track on page 9102 are assigned to that biped. If a
non-biped object is selected, the Mixer opens empty.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4043

1. Trackgroup
2. Clip track
3. Balance track

This section discusses clip tracks. To learn about trackgroups, see Filtering
Mixer Tracks on page 4054. For information on the balance track, see Adjusting
Track Weight on page 4069.

Adding and Merging Non-Biped Object to a Mix
When you add a non-biped object to a mix, its keyable controllers are replaced
by mixer controllers, which store the object's original animation as well as
the Mixer animation.
If you merge a non-biped object containing Mixer controllers into a new scene,
it comes in with its mix name preserved from the original file, but without
any mixed animation.

Types of Clip Tracks
There are two types of tracks to which you can add clips:
Layer A track for a series of motions that do not need transitions between
them. By default, a Layer track is created for a biped when you open the Mixer.

4044 | Chapter 13 Animation

Layer track

Transition A tall track with room for two rows of clips. You can put one
motion file on the top tier and another on the bottom, and place a transition
in the area where the two clips overlap. Transitions on these tracks are similar
to Motion Flow transitions on page 5212 between clips.

Transition track

Each biped in the Mixer is automatically given a balance track on page 9102,
used for adjusting balance between clips in Layer and Transition tracks. Clips
cannot be added to the balance track.
NOTE Balance tracks are only available for mixed biped objects.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4045

Procedures
To add a Transition or Layer track to a trackgroup:
■

Right-click an existing track and choose one of the options for adding
tracks from the pop-up menu.

To convert a clip track from one type to another:
■

Right-click an existing track, and choose one of the options from the
pop-up menu for converting tracks.

4046 | Chapter 13 Animation

To add a biped to the Motion Mixer:

1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

(Add Biped).

2 From the Bipeds dialog, choose the bipeds you want to add to the Motion
Mixer.
Several bipeds can be added to the mixer at once. When you click OK,
highlighted bipeds are added to the mixer. Each is automatically assigned
a trackgroup, a clip track, and a balance track.
To add a non-biped object to the Motion Mixer:
1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

(Add Max Objects).

2 From the Max Objects To Mix dialog, choose the objects you want to add
to the Motion Mixer.
TIP You can save time if you first select your objects, and then open the
dialog. This way, the objects are automatically highlighted.
3 Enter a mix name or leave the default one.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4047

When you click OK, the highlighted objects are added to the mixer under
a single object mix . A track is automatically assigned to the object.

Importing Clips to the Mixer
You can import motion clips (BIP and XAF files) into the mixer.
To import a clip, use any of these methods:
■

Choose a file directly from the folder in which it resides.

■

Choose a file from those you have placed in the Reservoir on page 4084, a
storage area for BIP and XAF files.

■

Import motion from another biped in the scene. See Working with Clips
in the Mixer on page 4052.

■

Import a motion flow script.

All clips imported for a single object are assigned a random, unique color. For
example, all clips for one biped might be red, while those for another biped
are blue. The color distinction makes it easier to work with multiple bipeds
and non-biped objects in the Motion Mixer.

Biped rollout ➤ Mixer Mode must be turned on in order to see the
motion on the biped in viewports. This option is turned on by default when
you open the Mixer from the Biped rollout on page 5010.

The Motion Mixer might not display the entire active segment when
it is first opened. To set the Mixer display to the extent of clips in the Mixer,
click Set Range on the Motion Mixer toolbar.

Preparing BIP and XAF Files
To use a motion file with the Motion Mixer, it must first be saved as either a
BIP or XAF file. Many BIP files come with 3ds Max; you can use these, or you
can make your own. To find out how to create your own BIP files, see Loading
and Saving BIP Animation on page 4978. For more information of XAF files, see
Saving and Loading Animation on page 4141.

4048 | Chapter 13 Animation

Importing XAF Files
Non-biped object assets are loaded into the Mixer using the Load XML
Animation File dialog on page 4144, from which you pick the desired XAF motion
file to import. If the motion file needs an XMM mapping file, you can either
choose an existing one or open the Map Animation dialog on page 4147 to create
a new file.
TIP If you load multiple motion clips at the same time, you can pick a mapping
file only once if all clips use the same.
NOTE The Relative/Absolute and Replace/Insert options are unavailable when you
import XAF files.
NOTE Loading XAF clips from the Reservoir on page 4132 follows the same workflow.

Interpreting Clip Names
When you load a clip into the Mixer, the clip appears on the track as a solid
bar, with its name displayed on the clip.

Other information can appear on the clip, such as the start and end
frames, and the clip scale on page 4060. You can change the information that
displays on the clip by clicking Preferences on the Motion Mixer toolbar, and
changing the Clips options on the Mixer Preferences dialog on page 4137.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4049

You can use the same clip numerous times in the Mixer. Each version of the
clip displays the name of the BIP file, followed by a number, such as 1 or 2.
The name might also have the letter Z between the name and number. These
suffixes tell you how the clip is interpreted by the Mixer.
When you load a biped clip from a file, you have the option of setting the
lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (the construction plane). If you leave this
option turned on, the clip's motion will be moved in space so the biped's feet
fall on the construction plane on the first frame of the clip. The letter Z appears
after the clip name to indicate this setting.
When you load a clip into the Mixer for the first time, the clip name is followed
by the number 1. If you clone or load the same clip to another part of the
Mixer, the clip will display the same number or a different number depending
on whether the new clip is an instance on page 9195 or an adaptation on page
9084 of the original clip. Instances are versions of the same clip used with the
same object, or different objects of the same size. Adaptations are versions of
the clip used with objects of different sizes.
The Mixer displays instanced clips with the same numbers, while adaptations
receive sequential numbers. For example, if you clone a clip with the number
1 to a track for the same object, the new clip's name is also followed by the
number 1. If you clone the clip to a object with a different size, the new clip
is an adaptation, and the displayed name is followed an incremental number:
in this case, the number 2. If you then clone the adaptation to another track
for the same object, the new clip is an instance of that clip, and will be
displayed with the number 2. These numbers can help you determine which
clips are instances of one another, and which are adaptations.
The ability to tell instances from adaptations becomes important when you
replace a clip in the Mixer with another clip. During this operation, you have
the option of replacing only the selected clip, only the instances of the clip,
or all instances and adaptations of the clip.
NOTE Operations in the Mixer, such as cloning clips and editing clip timing, do
not affect the clip sources (BIP files).

Procedures
To import BIP clips from a file:

1

Select a biped, and open the Motion Mixer. See Adding Tracks
to the Mixer on page 4043.

4050 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 In the Motion Mixer, highlight the track into which you want to bring
the motion file. Be sure to highlight a blank area of the track and not
any existing clips on the track.
3 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Tracks ➤ New Clips ➤ From
Files. You can also right-click the track and choose New Clips ➤ From
Files from the pop-up menu.
4 Navigate to the folder where your BIP files are stored, and select one or
more BIP files.
You can select as many BIP files as you like. These motions will be placed
consecutively on the selected track.
Files imported into the Mixer in this way are automatically placed in the
Reservoir.
To import clips from the Reservoir:
In order to import clips from the Reservoir, you must first place them in the
Reservoir. See Using the Reservoir on page 4084.
1 Highlight a blank area of the track into which you want to bring the
motion(s).
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Tracks ➤ New Clips ➤ From
Reservoir. You can also right-click the track and choose New Clips ➤
From Reservoir from the pop-up menu.
3 Select one or more BIP or XAF files.
To import clips from a motion flow script:
Motion flow scripts can be imported to a track in the Mixer. Both clips and
transitions from the script are imported to the track.
Before you can import motion flow to a track, the biped must have at least
one motion flow script assigned to it in Motion Flow mode. See Creating a
Motion Flow Script on page 5204.
1 Highlight a blank area of the track into which you want to bring the
Motion Flow clips and transitions. You can choose either a transition or
layer track.
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Tracks ➤ Import Motion Flow.
You can also right-click the track and choose Motion Flow from the
pop-up menu.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4051

3 Choose a script from which to import motion.
The clips and transitions from the script are imported to the Mixer and
displayed the track. If the track was a layer track, it is converted to a
transition track to accommodate the transitions imported from the script.
To see the motions in the Motion Mixer on the biped in the scene:

1

Select the biped for which you want to see the current motion
from the Motion Mixer.

2 On the Biped rollout, click

3

(Mixer Mode).

Play the animation or drag the time slider to see the motion in
viewports.

Working with Clips in the Mixer
Once you have created tracks and imported clips to the Motion Mixer, you
can adjust your animation mix by moving, cloning, and replacing clips.
Within the Motion Mixer, you can:
■

Move clips in time within the same track.

■

Move clips to other tracks.

■

Clone clips.

■

Slide all clips in time on a track.

■

Replace a clip with motion from a biped, a motion flow script, or another
clip.

To move a clip in time within a track:

1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

4052 | Chapter 13 Animation

(Move Clips).

2 Drag the clip and move it to another location on the track.
A clip cannot be moved in such a way that it overlaps another clip. If
you move a clip on top of another clip, it will return to its original
location when you release the mouse.

Procedures
To move all clips horizontally on one track:
1 Select one or more clips. You can select multiple clips on different tracks
for this operation.

2 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

(Slide Clips).

3 Move the selected clips to slide clips to the left or right.
When you slide a selected clip to the right, all unselected clips to the
right of the clip move to the right. When you slide a clip to the left, all
unselected clips to the left move to the left.
To move a clip to another track:

1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

(Slide Clips).

2 Move one clip on a track to slide all clips on the track.
To replace one clip with another:
After a clip is placed on a track, you can replace the clip with another clip.
The new clip is scaled to fit the time of the original clip.
1 Select the clips you want to replace.
2 Right-click a selected clip and choose Load Source ➤ From Files from
the pop-up menu. Select a BIP file to replace selected clips.
3 On the Mixer Clip Source Options dialog, choose whether to replace only
the selected clips, or to also replace instances on page 9195 (versions of the
clip on same-sized bipeds) or adaptations on page 9084 (versions of the clip
on all bipeds).

Using the Motion Mixer | 4053

To clone a clip:
Clips can be cloned within the same track, across tracks, and even across bipeds
in the Mixer. A cloned clip retains the Z=0 status of the original clip (if this
option was selected for the original clip), and any changes made to the original
clip's timing. Cloning a clip to a different-sized biped creates an adaptation
on page 9084 of the original clip.
1 Make sure there's enough space on the track where you want to place the
cloned clips. Move clips as necessary to make room.
2 Select the clips you want to clone.
3 Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and drag the selected clips to
the new location.
If there isn't enough room where you attempted to placed the cloned
clips, the operations is cancelled and clips are not cloned.
To replace a clip with motion from a biped in the scene:
All motions used in the Motion Mixer must be saved as BIP files. When you
copy animation from a biped in the scene, you must save this motion as a BIP
file.
1 Place a clip in the track using any method.
2 Select the clips you want to replace with biped motion from the scene.
3 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Clips ➤ Load Source ➤ From
Biped. The Copy Biped Animation to Clip dialog on page 4089 appears.
4 Highlight the biped from which you want to copy the animation.
5 Enter a filename for the new clip.
6 Click Copy to replace clips with the biped motion.
The name of the clip in the track is replaced with the new filename.

Filtering Mixer Tracks
Each track in the Motion Mixer is part of a trackgroup on page 9332. Each
trackgroup can be filtered so it uses motions from one set of body parts and
not another. For example, you might want to use the arm motions from one
motion file with the legs from another. For this purpose, you would need two
separate trackgroups.

4054 | Chapter 13 Animation

There are two steps involved in filtering with trackgroups:
■

Create additional trackgroups as needed in the Mixer.

■

Filter each trackgroup (set it to use some body parts but not all), and name
the trackgroup appropriately. This is accomplished with the Trackgroup
Filter dialogs (biped and non-biped objects).

The Trackgroup Filter dialog for biped objects.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4055

The Trackgroup Filter dialog for
non-biped objects.

When a trackgroup is created, it is given one Layer track by default. However,
you can add more tracks to each trackgroup, making it possible to mix motions
for each set of body parts. For example, you could create a trackgroup for the
arms, and have two tracks within this trackgroup. Then you could put two
completely different sets of motions on each track, and use weighting to use
one track or the other at different times during the motion. See Adjusting
Track Weight on page 4069.

4056 | Chapter 13 Animation

Trackgroups for Spine, Legs and Arms. The Arms trackgroup has two tracks.

NOTE Create only one trackgroup for each filtered set of body parts. For example,
don't use two trackgroups that both filter the spine. If you do so, the trackgroup
highest in the Motion Mixer is used, and the other trackgroup is ignored. Instead,
use multiple tracks within the trackgroup to achieve the animation you want.

Procedures
To add a new trackgroup for the biped:
1 Highlight the name of an existing trackgroup.
2 Right-click the trackgroup name and choose Add Trackgroup Above or
Add Trackgroup Below.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4057

3ds Max adds a new trackgroup and Layer track above or below the
existing trackgroups. You can add more tracks to the trackgroup by
right-clicking the existing track and choosing one of the options from
the pop-up menu.
To filter and name a trackgroup:
1 Highlight the trackgroup label at the upper left corner of the trackgroup
you want to filter. By default, the trackgroup label is All, denoting that
the trackgroup currently affects all biped parts.
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Trackgroups ➤ Filter.
3ds Max opens the Trackgroup Filter dialog. By default, all body parts are
selected.

4058 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 In the diagram, click on body parts to select or deselect them. You can
also use the buttons below the diagram to help make the selection. For
example, if the trackgroup will affect only the arms, click None to deselect
all biped parts, then click the four arm boxes to select the arms.
4 Enter an appropriate name for the trackgroup at the bottom of the
Trackgroup Filter dialog, such as Arms.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4059

5 Click OK to close the dialog.
The new trackgroup name appears at the upper left of the track display.

Adjusting Clip Timing
In the Motion Mixer, you can shorten clips or change their timing interactively
within the track display.

4060 | Chapter 13 Animation

You can change the timing of motion clips in a number of ways:
■

Change the length of a clip without changing its speed by trimming the
clip at the start or end.

■

Change the speed of an entire clip by stretching it out or shrinking it.

■

Cause varying changes in speed throughout the clip with time warps. See
Adding Time Warps on page 4071.

TIP
When changing clip timing, it can be helpful to display start and
end frame numbers and the clip time scale. To do this, click Preferences on the
Motion Mixer and choose the appropriate options in the Mixer Preferences dialog
on page 4137. As you choose options, the Motion Mixer display is changed
interactively.

Procedures
To change the length of a clip without changing its speed:

1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

(Trim Clips).

2 Drag either end of a clip to trim its length.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4061

A gray bar appears on a trimmed end of a motion clip.
3 Turn off Trim Clips.
The gray area disappears.

TIP At any time, you can view original clip lengths in gray by turning on
Trim Clips.
To remove scaling or trimming from a clip in the Motion Mixer, select
the clip, right-click and choose Remove Scale/Trim.
To change the speed of an entire clip:
You can cause a motion to slow down or speed up by changing the length of
the clip in the Mixer. Lengthening a clip will slow down the motion, while
shortening the clip will speed it up.

1 On the Motion Mixer, click

(Move Clips).

2 Drag either end of the clip to extend or shorten it in time.

TIP To see the ratio of the original motion time to the new time, click
(Preferences). In the Mixer Preferences dialog, turn on Scales. This displays
the ratio on the clip next to its name.

4062 | Chapter 13 Animation

Working with Transitions
When two or more clips are placed on a transition track on page 9337, you can
create transitions between any two clips. A transition creates a constant,
gradual change from one clip to another.

Clips and transitions on Transition track. Transitions are shown as dark areas between
clips.

To learn how to create a transition track, see Adding Tracks to the Mixer on
page 4043.
If you want to make a less linear blend between clips than the blend created
by a transition, see Adjusting Track Weight on page 4069.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4063

Adjusting Transitions
Transitions are automatically created between clips when you load the clips
into a Transition track. You can adjust the start or end point of a transition
by dragging either end of the transition in the Mixer.
When a transition appears with hatchmarks, this indicates that the transition
is invalid. This can occur when a clip's brackets are reversed, with the
out-bracket before the in-bracket. You can correct this problem by dragging
each end of the transition to reverse the ends.
A useful transition can occur anyplace where two clips overlap. The unused
part of the clip on either side of the transition appears with hatchmarks to
indicate that that part of the clip will not be used in the mix. This type of
transition is often used for foot-based clips, when the best place for a transition
is not always at the edge of a clip.

Hatched parts of the clips are not used in the mix.

The Motion Mixer will allow you to extend a transition into an area where
two clips do not overlap. However, this transition will most likely result in
undesirable motion in the mix.

4064 | Chapter 13 Animation

Transitions extending into areas where clips don't overlap can create unpredictable
results.

For the best results, make sure all your transitions cover only areas where two
clips overlap completely.
To aid in making your transitions as smooth as possible, you can select
transitions and use the Transitions menu ➤ Optimize option. This feature
searches the two clips to find the start and end time that will result in the
smoothest transition, and adjusts the transition accordingly.

If you want to snap the ends of a transition to the ends of clips, turn
on Snap Clips on the Motion Mixer toolbar before dragging the transition
edges.

When you move or scale a clip on a transition track, by default its
transitions are also moved or scaled. To prevent transitions from changing
when you move or scale a clip, turn on Lock Transitions on the Motion Mixer
toolbar.

Using Transition Brackets
On a transition track, transition brackets appear around each transition, and
at the start or end of each clip that is not surrounded by a transition.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4065

Transition brackets

When you load a clip onto a transition track where clips already exist, the
clip creates a transition between the last clip on the track and the new clip.
The transition is created at the location of the last clip's transition bracket.
You can move a transition bracket to create the transition automatically exactly
where you want it before loading the next clip. This feature can make it very
quick and easy to load a long series of clips into a transition track with correct
transitions.

Working with Foot-Based Transitions
Much like Motion Flow, transitions in the Mixer between foot-based motion
clips (clips where IK constraints keep the feet planted at various times) must
be carefully placed and adjusted to make the animation look as natural as
possible. The workflow depends on whether you are animating a biped, or
3ds Maxobjects such as a rigged character.

Foot-Based Transitions with Biped
For the most natural transitions between foot-based motions, follow this
workflow:
1 Find a good place to start and end the transition.
2 Create the transition with this timing. You can also optimize the
transition to fine-tune it.
3 Change the transition focus.

4066 | Chapter 13 Animation

4 Perform a mixdown.
Study both clips to find a start time and range for the transition that will result
in smooth motion. Look for times when each foot has the same planting or
free status in both clips. For example, a time period when both clips have the
left foot planted and the right foot free is a good time range for a transition.
You can fine-tune your choice of transition time by optimizing the transition.
This features searches each clip, either in its entirety or near an existing
transition, to find the best timing for the transition.
You can improve a transition between foot-based clips by changing the
transition focus on the Transition Editor dialog (Biped Object) on page 4104. In
the example described above, the left foot would be chosen as the transition
focus, because this would keep the left foot planted while the animation moves
around it.
When transitions cause a planted foot to slide or pop slightly, or force a leg
to straighten unnaturally, you can use a mixdown on page 9224 to correct these
problems. See Exporting Animation to the Biped on page 4080.

Foot-Based Transitions with 3ds Max Objects
For foot-based motions, follow this overall workflow:
1 Find a good place to start and end the transition.
2 Create the transition with this timing.
3 Choose the parent object to be a velocity blend object.
4 Choose the model's feet to be sub-blend objects.
5 Optimize the transition.

Procedures
To create a transition between two clips:
1 Right-click an existing track to insert a Transition track or convert the
current track to a Transition track.
2 Right-click the track and choose New Clips ➤ From Files from the pop-up
menu. Choose at least two clips to load.
The clips are placed on the transition track with transitions between
them.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4067

3 Drag the transition to move it, or drag its ends to resize it.
4 Before adding the next clip, move the last clip's transition bracket to the
next desired transition location, and then load the clip.
To optimize a transition:
With foot-based clips, you can use the Optimize command on page 4097 to help
you find the best timing for a transition. The Optimize command exhaustively
searches the specified time period for times when the foot positions match
most closely.
TIP A good workflow is to look at the clips individually to find the best approximate
time for a transition, then use Optimize to fine-tune the timing.
1 Create a transition between clips at approximately the right location on
the track.
2 Right-click the transition and choose Optimize from the pop-up menu.
The Transition Optimization dialog on page 4117 appears.
3 Choose Search Near Existing Transition and click OK.
The best transition is calculated, and the transition changes position
and/or length in the Mixer to reflect the change.
TIP If you aren't sure where you want the transition to take place, you can
choose Search Entire Clip. This option can place the transition anywhere in
the two clips. Check the motion afterward to ensure the transition takes place
at an appropriate time.

To change the focus on a foot-based transition with Biped animation:
1 Scrub the time slider to the middle of the transition.

2

Zoom in on the feet in any viewport.

3 Right-click the transition and choose Edit from the pop-up menu.
Alternately, you can select the transition and choose Transitions ➤ Edit
from the Motion Mixer menu.
The transition editor appears. In addition, two stick figures appear in
viewports to show the bipeds' positions in the two clips. The yellow stick

4068 | Chapter 13 Animation

figure shows the biped's position in the first clip, while the red figure
shows the second.
4 On the dialog that appears, choose a different Transition Focus from the
list.
As you change the Transition Focus, you will see the foot positions
change. The Transition Focus sets a center or focal point for the transition,
changing the biped's position slightly depending on the setting. On
foot-based transitions, try different settings to bring the yellow and red
skeletons closer together on a planted foot.
NOTE Transitions involving planted feet often result in one or both feet
sliding when they should stay planted. After setting up the transition, you
can correct this problem with a mixdown. See Exporting Animation to the
Biped on page 4080.

Adjusting Track Weight
Each track has one or more weight curves on page 9348 that you can use to mix
motion from several tracks to varying degrees. The weight curve determines
how much a specific track contributes to the motion within the trackgroup.

With weight curves, you can create several full or partial transitions between
all the tracks in a trackgroup. Compare with transitions on a transition track
on page 9337, which can only create a full transition between two clips.
Weight curves are useful for:
■

Creating transitions between two tracks in a trackgroup.

■

Creating random motion.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4069

■

Experimenting with transitions quickly and easily.

Each track's weight curve appears as a thin black line across the top of the
track.
TIP If you can't see the weight curve, click Preferences to display the Mixer
Preferences dialog on page 4137. Turn Weight Curves off and on and watch the
display to see the weight curve appear.

You access the weight curve by clicking the Weight Mode button at the
right end of the track. Clicking Weight Mode on the Motion Mixer toolbar
enables weight curve editing for all tracks. When Weight mode is on, you can
work only with the weight curve, and not with clips.
You edit a weight curve using nodes (points) on the curve. Clips on layer
tracks automatically have a node at each end of each clip. A transition track
has no nodes by default.

Weight Curve Evaluation
By default, each track's weight curve is set to a value of 1.0 across the entire
track, which uses 100% of the track's motion in the mix. When you change
the curve to dip to a value below 1.0, the motion on the track is mixed with
the motion on the track below it. For example, if you set the weight curve for
two tracks in a trackgroup to 0.5, the two clips will be mixed equally.
Several tracks can be stacked in a trackgroup with varying weight curves on
each one. For each frame in the animation, the Motion Mixer evaluates the
curve on the topmost track. If its weight curve is less than 1.0 at that frame,
the Mixer evaluates the next track down, and so forth. The Motion Mixer adds
up the weight curve values until the sum reaches 1.0, and disregards tracks
below that point.
For Transition tracks, one weight curve is used for the entire track. On Layer
tracks, weight curves are set individually for each clip.

Procedures
To adjust a weight curve:
1 Open the Mixer, add a biped to the Mixer, and create two tracks for a
trackgroup. See Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054.
2 Place different motion clips on the tracks.

4070 | Chapter 13 Animation

3 For the topmost track in the trackgroup, click
button is to the right of the track display.

(Weight Mode). This

The weight curve turns red to indicate it can be edited.
You have to do the next two steps only if the weight curve has no nodes,
or would like to create more nodes.
4 Move the cursor over the line until a small arrow appears. Click to set a
node.
5 Move the cursor and click to set more nodes on the weight curve.
TIP On a transition track, you would ordinarily set a node at each end of the
track, and at intervals in between. The number of nodes you set depends on
the type of curve you want to make. Make as few nodes as possible to get
the curve required for your animation.
6 Move the cursor over an existing node until a cross cursor appears.
7 Click and drag to move the selected node downward.
The Motion Mixer mixes the motions from the topmost track with the
track below it on that frame. The motions are mixed to a greater or lesser
degree depending on how low you set the weight curve value for the
topmost track.

Adding Time Warps
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤
Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Clips ➤ Add Time Warp
Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer... ➤ Clips ➤ Add Time Warp
You can cause varying changes in speed throughout a clip with a time warp.
Adding a time warp to a clip allows you visually to squash and stretch time
over different parts of the clip.
You can use a time warp to:
■

Cause the object to do some parts of the motion quickly and others slowly.

■

Cause a particular motion within the clip to occur at a specific time.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4071

You use a time warp by picking a time within the motion clip and dragging
that time's motion to another time in the same clip. The overall time of the
clip is unchanged, so the object takes the same amount of time to do the entire
motion, but does some parts quickly and others slowly.
Dashed lines appear on a time-warped clip in the Mixer to indicate the motion
speed at different points in the clip.

Time warp added to topmost clip.

Warping a clip's time requires two steps. First a time warp must be
added to the clip with the Clips ➤ Add Time Warp menu option. Then you
turn on Editable Time Warps to see the dashed lines and adjust the clip's
timing.

Procedures
To prepare to warp a clip's time:
1 Open the Motion Mixer, add a biped to the Mixer, and load a clip on a
track. See Adding Tracks to the Mixer on page 4043.
2 Scrub the time slider to find a motion you would like to occur earlier or
later in the clip. Note the frame number. This frame number is the original
time.
3 Scrub the time slider to find the frame on which you would like the
motion to occur, and note the frame number. This frame number is the
warped time.
With a time warp, you will cause the motion to occur at the desired frame
by moving the original time to the warped time within the clip.

4072 | Chapter 13 Animation

To warp a clip's time:
1 In the Motion Mixer, zoom in on the original time for the time warp.
This is the frame number you noted in step 2 of the previous procedure.
2 In the Motion Mixer, select the clip.
3 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Clips ➤ Add Time Warp.
The appearance of the clip does not change when a time warp is added.

4 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click

(Editable Time Warps).

A series of evenly spaced dashes appears on the clip. The lengths of the
dashes indicate the relative speed of the clip at various points. Right now,
all dashes are evenly spaced to indicate the clip is playing at its original
speed from beginning to end.
5 Move the cursor over the clip's horizontal center line until an arrow cursor
appears.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4073

6 At the approximate original time, click the clip to set a time warp bar.

A time warp bar actually consists of two parts, a top and a bottom.
7 Click the top half the bar. The top half turns white to indicate it is
selected.
8 Drag the top half of the bar to the left or right to set it to the warped time
noted in step 3 of the previous procedure. This will cause the motion at
the original time to occur at the warped time.
TIP As you drag the top bar, watch the Frame value at the top of the Motion
Mixer window to see the top bar's new frame number.

The lengths of the dashed lines change to indicate the new timing. Where
lines are shorter, the motion will play faster. Where lines are longer, the
motion will slow down.
9 Select and move the bottom bar to change the original time.

4074 | Chapter 13 Animation

Either bar can be moved to change the effect of the time warp. The length
of separation between the two bars sets the degree of time-warping that
will occur. When both bars are aligned, no warping occurs.
To add multiple time warps to a clip:
1 You can time-warp other parts of the clip by adding more time-warp bars
with the arrow cursor, then moving the new top bars. When you add a
second time warp bar after editing the first, the top bar appears where
you click, but the bottom bar appears in a different location. The bottom
bar's location corresponds to the original time of the top bar before the
clip was time-warped.

NOTE You cannot move one time warp's top bar past another on the clip.

2 When you have finished warping the clip's time, turn off
Time Warps).

(Editable

When Editable Time Warps is turned off, the bars and the dashed line
between them remain displayed on a clip to indicate it has been
time-warped.

Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer
When you use different motions on the upper and lower parts of the biped,
you can create a situation where the balance in the two clips do not match
one another. For example, if the arms are waving wildly in the motion used
for the upper body, the hip motion should compensate to some degree to
keep the biped in balance. A straight mix of this arm motion with another
hip/leg motion will most likely not match up in terms of balance.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4075

Bipeds with same set of upper and lower body motions. Biped on the
left has balance compensation, biped on the right does not.

By default, the Mixer compensates for differences in upper and lower body
motion by making slight alterations to the spine and pelvis motions. If the
biped bends over at the waist, for example, the pelvis will be moved to
compensate for the weight shift, and the spine rotation will be lessened to
help the biped keep its balance. Balance compensation is intended to make
the biped's motion look as natural as possible.
In the Mixer, you can control the degree of automatic balance compensation
using the balance track. One balance track is automatically created for each
biped as it is added to the Mixer.

4076 | Chapter 13 Animation

Balance track

TIP
If the balance track for a biped is not displayed, click Preferences on
the Motion Mixer toolbar, and turn on Balance Curves on the Mixer Preferences
dialog on page 4137.
The balance track has a weight curve for adjusting the degree of automatic
balance compensation between upper and lower body trackgroups. By default,
the weight value of 1.0 across the balance track provides the maximum degree
of compensation. You can reduce the weight curve at various points to lessen
the degree of automatic balancing performed by the Mixer.
NOTE Each biped can have only one balance track, and the balance track cannot
be deleted.
For fine adjustments to balance compensation, you can also change the
parameters on the Balance Parameters dialog on page 4090, available from the
Mix menu.
NOTE Balance Curves and related parameters are not available for non-biped
mixes.

Procedures
To adjust balance using the balance track:
1 Add a biped to the Mixer, and create at least two trackgroups for the
biped. See Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054.
2 Filter one trackgroup to use motion only from the spine, arms and head.
See Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054. This trackgroup will hold the upper
body motion.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4077

3 Filter a different trackgroup to apply only to the legs, pelvis and COM
tracks. This trackgroup will hold the lower body motion.
4 Add a clip with a great deal of upper body motion to the upper body
track. See Importing Clips to the Mixer on page 4048.
5 Add a clip with very different lower body motion to the lower body track.
6 Click
(Balance Weight Mode). This button is at the far right of the
balance track.

The weight curve becomes visible at the top of the balance track.
TIP If you can't see the weight curve, click Preferences to display the Mixer
Preferences dialog, and turn on Weight Curves.
7 Add nodes to the weight curve, and adjust the nodes. For information
on how to add nodes and edit weight curves, see Adjusting Track Weight
on page 4069.

4078 | Chapter 13 Animation

When the weight is set to 0.0, the Mixer will not adjust the spine and
pelvis motion to compensate for differences in the upper and lower body
motion. Values between 0.0 and 1.0 will adjust the balance to some
degree.
To fine-tune balance compensation on the pelvis and spine:
The values on the Balance Parameters dialog can be used to make subtle
adjustments to the biped's balance.
1 In the Motion Mixer, select the biped by clicking its name at the upper
left corner of its trackgroups.
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Mix ➤ Balance Parameters.
The Balance Parameters dialog appears.
3 To adjust the degree of horizontal balance compensation on the pelvis,
change the Lateral Ratio parameter. Lower values make more
forward/backward motion on the pelvis, while higher values use more
side-to-side motion to compensate.
4 To adjust the degree to which spine rotation from the lower body motion
is propagated on the upper body, change the Propagation parameter.
Higher values rotate the spine links to better follow the COM and pelvis
motion.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4079

Bipeds with same upper and lower body motion. Biped on left has
Propagation set to 0.0, biped on right with Propagation at 1.0.

Exporting Animation to the Biped
Once you've worked with the Motion Mixer to create an animated sequence
for the biped, there are several ways to work with the finished mix.
If you want to work with the mix on the current biped (rather than a another
biped in the scene), you have several options:

■

If you're satisfied with the animation as it is, you can turn on
(Mixer Mode) on the Biped rollout on page 5010 to display the mix on the
biped, and simply render the scene.

4080 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

If transitions between different foot/leg motions have created small pops
or jerks near the transition area, you will want to create a mixdown on
page 9224 for the biped and check the mixdown before copying it to the
biped. A mixdown can correct many continuity problems with feet and
legs. You can correct transitions and recompute the mixdown as many
times as you like. When the mixdown is satisfactory, you can copy it to
the biped.

If you want to use the motion with a different biped, you can copy the
mixdown to the current biped, save the motion as a BIP file, and load the new
BIP file onto the other biped.
The mix can also be saved as a MIX (.mix) file. A MIX file on page 9223 can be
loaded onto other bipeds and edited as needed in the Motion Mixer.

Fixing Foot-Based Transitions with a Mixdown
When you create a transition between two motions with planted feet (feet
with IK constraints), the motion might not match perfectly between clips.
When this occurs, a planted foot might slide or pop, or a leg might stretch
unnaturally during or near the transition period.
A mixdown can correct two types of problems during transitions between
foot-based motions:
■

A foot sliding as it transitions from one planted motion to another.

■

A leg extending completely straight (hyper-extending) unnaturally to reach
a planted position.

The mixdown options on the Mixer Preferences dialog on page 4137
can help correct these problems. To access this dialog, click Preferences on
the Motion Mixer toolbar.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4081

To have an effect on a mixdown, these options must be set before the mixdown
is computed. If Prompt for options at each Mixdown is turned on, you will
be prompted to set these options each time you compute a mixdown.
Otherwise, the mixdown uses the settings on the Mixer Preferences dialog.
The options in the Mixdown Options group determine if and how the
mixdown affects transitions between clips with planted feet. Enforce IK
Constraints affects planted feet, while Filter Hyper-Extended Legs affects
unnaturally straight legs. Turn on Prompt for options at each Mixdown if you
want to be asked for these settings each time you do a mixdown. For more
information on these options, see Mixer Preferences Dialog on page 4137.
TIP You should not rely on the mixdown process to correct extreme problems
with clips or transitions. For the best results, adjust transitions before a mixdown
to minimize sliding feet and hyper-extending legs. See Working with Transitions
on page 4063.

Procedures
To perform a mixdown and copy it to the biped:
1 Select the biped in the Motion Mixer by clicking the biped name at the
upper left of the trackgroup set.

4082 | Chapter 13 Animation

2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Bipeds ➤ Compute Mixdown.
If Prompt for options at each Mixdown is turned on in the Mixer
Preferences dialog, you will be prompted for mixdown options. Click OK
to start the mixdown.
A progress bar at the bottom of the Mixer shows the progress of the
mixdown process. After a few moments, a new track called Mixdown is
created as the last track in the biped’s mix.
You can turn the track on and off by clicking the track. When the track
is solid, the Mixdown track is on (active), and the biped performs the
animation in the mixdown. When the track appears with hatchmarks,
the track is off (inactive), and the biped performs the animation in the
raw mix.
3 Click the Mixdown track to make it active.
4 Scrub the time slider or play the animation to check the transitions. If
they need correction, turn off the Mixdown track, correct the transitions,
and compute the Mixdown again. Repeat until the transitions are correct.
5 With the Mixdown track active, choose Bipeds menu ➤ Copy Mixdown
to Biped.

6 Turn off

(Mixer Mode) if it is on.

The mix from the Motion Mixer is visible on the biped in viewports even
though the biped is no longer in Mixer mode.
7 To save the animation as a BIP file, on the Biped rollout, click
File).

(Save

To save Motion Mixer data to a MIX file:
A MIX file saves the current state of the Motion Mixer data for a selected biped,
including all clips, transitions, trims, scaling and time warps. It is not necessary
to collapse clips before saving a MIX file.
1 Select the biped in the Motion Mixer by clicking the biped name at the
upper left of the track set.
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Bipeds menu ➤ Save Mix File.
Enter a filename for the .mix file, and click Save.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4083

Using the Reservoir
The Reservoir serves as a storage facility for motion clips on page 9230 (BIP and
XAF files) that you use with the Motion Mixer. You can load clips directly
into the Reservoir, and all clips that you load directly in the Motion Mixer
also show up in the Reservoir.

For each motion file used in the Motion Mixer, the Reservoir list shows the
source (disk path and name of the file), and, under the source, shows the name
of each clip or set of clips derived from that file.

4084 | Chapter 13 Animation

The Motion Mixer can apply multiple adaptations on page 9084 (occurrences
of the clip for different-sized bipeds) to different bipeds. In the Reservoir, the
various clip adaptations are listed under the clip name.

If you click a clip in the list, the window under the list displays information
about the clip, including structural differences between the figure it's applied
to and the figure from which the file was originally saved. A second window
displays a graphical view of the biped animation; drag the slider below the
window to move through the animation.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4085

NOTE The preview window is available only for BIP files.
TIP For best results when loading animation clips that might require remapping
into the Motion Mixer, load the clips directly into Mixer tracks, rather than going
through the Reservoir. This always gives you the opportunity to remap the
animation data.

Saving Clip Adaptations
The Reservoir lets you save a unique version of an adapted clip to a new BIP
file. This new file will contain the new biped's size data, so will not have to
be adapted when it is loaded into the Mixer.
If you are mixing long BIP files on a biped of a size other than the size used
to create the BIP file, when you reload the MAX file or load a MIX file, you
might have to wait while the Mixer recalculates the adaptation for the biped.
You can save loading time by saving adapted clips to new BIP files and
replacing the original clip in the Mixer.
If you save an instanced clip from the Reservoir under a new file name, all
clips in the Reservoir are renamed likewise.

Procedures
To access the Reservoir:

■

On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click
3ds Max opens the Reservoir opens.

(Reservoir).

To add clips to the Reservoir:
1 Choose between Max Clips and Biped Clips.

2 On the Reservoir toolbar, click

(New Entry).

The Open dialog appears.
3 Find the directory containing the clip files to load, highlight the desired
file or files, and then click the Open button.

4086 | Chapter 13 Animation

The file loads and appears as a Source in the Reservoir list. You can then
add it to a track in the Motion Mixer using the latter's New Clips ➤
From Reservoir command.
To replace a clip in the Reservoir:
Use the Load File command to replace a highlighted source or clip.
1 In the Reservoir list, click a single item.
The Motion Mixer permits replacing only one source or clip at a time.

2 On the toolbar, click

(Load File).

The Open dialog appears.
3 Find the directory containing the clip files to load, highlight the desired
file, and then click the Open button.
The file loads and replaces the highlighted item in the Reservoir list and
the Motion Mixer. If you replace a source item, all of its clips are replaced
as well. If you replace a clip, all of its references are replaced.
To save an instanced clip to a new clip:
Once you apply a clip instance to a different biped in Motion Mixer, 3ds Max
automatically fits the motion to the biped. You can then save the modified
motion from the Reservoir.
1 In the Reservoir list, highlight the clip whose motion you want to save.

2 On the Reservoir toolbar, click
(Save File). Use the Save As dialog
to specify a name and location for the motion file, and then click the
Save button.
The motion file is saved as fitted to the biped to which the clip is applied.
NOTE The motion file is saved at its original length, whether or not you
changed the length of any instances of the clip in the Motion Mixer.

Using the Motion Mixer | 4087

To save multiple instanced clips from the Reservoir:

1 On the Reservoir toolbar, click

(Batch Save).

This operation does not depend on which items are highlighted in the
Reservoir list.
2 In the Save Reservoir Items dialog, turn on items you want to save. For
each source/clips group, you can save the source or any combination of
clips, but not both.
Optionally turn on Reset Names After Saving.
3 Click Save to save the specified items.
To remove clips not used in the Motion Mixer from the Reservoir:
If you delete all instances of a clip from the Motion Mixer, it appears in the
Reservoir with a Refs value of 0.
■

On the Reservoir toolbar, click
(Clean) to remove these clips from the
Reservoir.
The motion file is saved under the new name.

Motion Mixer Interface
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer

Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer
The Motion Mixer is used to mix motion clips that are assigned to bipeds and
non-biped objects. The concept of the Motion Mixer is based on audio mixing
done in the music and sound industries. Like an audio mixer, Motion Mixer
lets you add a series of tracks on page 9330 for each object in a scene. To each
track you add clips on page 9230 in the form of BIP or XAF files. You can also
add transitions on page 9336 to smoothly link clips together. Clips and
transitions can be filtered on page 9158 so their motion affects only specified
biped parts.
The entirety of the clips, transitions and other clip settings for a single object
in the Motion Mixer is called a mix on page 9223. As each object has its own

4088 | Chapter 13 Animation

mix, there can be several mixes in the Motion Mixer at any given time. You
can save a mix as a MIX file on page 9223.
For more information and procedures describing how to use the Motion Mixer,
see Using the Motion Mixer on page 4038 and the topics that follow it.

The Motion Mixer is normally opened as a floating window. It can also be
opened in a viewport, like the Asset Browser and MAXScript Listener.

Motion Mixer Menus
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer

Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer...
The Motion Mixer interface contains five menus located at the top of Motion
Mixer window.

Interface

Motion Mixer Interface | 4089

Mix menu
The Mix menu provides tools for managing your bipeds and non-biped objects
when they are selected. If an object is already added to the Motion Mixer,
right-clicking its name displays the menu. Use commands on this menu to
load and save MIX files, adjust track colors and balance parameters, and
activate and deactivate the Mixer mode.
Edit Max Mix Object Opens the Edit Max Mix Object dialog, which lets you
modify the content of the highlighted non-biped object mix. This dialog is
comparable to the Max Objects To Mix dialog on page 4119 with the exception
of the Bake Removed Nodes option.
NOTE This dialog is only available for non-biped object mixes.

Bake Removed Nodes When on, animation keys from removed objects are
baked to the main timeline. Default=off.
Add Trackgroup Adds a trackgroup on page 9332 to the top of the selected
object's mixes.
Track Color... Allows you to change the color of the clips in the selected
object's mixes. Choosing this command displays a Color Selector, where you
can specify the clip color.

Balance Parameters... Opens the Balance Parameters dialog. These values
influence the effects of balance compensation on the biped's pelvis and spine

4090 | Chapter 13 Animation

when you use different motions on the upper and lower parts of the biped.
See Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer on page 4075.
NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes.

■

Lateral RatioDecreasing the Lateral Ratio to 0.0 will cause balance
compensation to use only forward/backward motion on the pelvis.
Increasing Lateral Ratio to 1.0 will adjust the pelvis with only side-to-side
motion. Range=0.0 to 1.0; Default=0.5.

■

PropagationAffects the degree to which spine links are rotated to follow
COM and pelvis rotation. When set to 0.0 (the default), spine rotation is
not influenced by lower body motion. When set to 1.0, all spine links
except the topmost one use the lower body motion's spine animation to
some degree to better follow the COM and pelvis motion. The lowest spine
link is rotated the most, and each subsequent spine link is rotated less and
less. The topmost spine link is not rotated at all so arm motion will be
preserved.
In order for this setting to affect spine rotation, the lower body motion
must have some spine animation as part of the motion clip.
A Propagation setting above 0.0 is appropriate when the upper body motion
causes the spine to bend over a great deal during a large part of the
animation. Range=0.0 to 1.0; Default=0.0.

Delete Clears the selected object(s) from the Mixer.
Load Mix File Opens a dialog where you can select a MIX file on page 9223 to
load into the Mixer.
Save Mix File Opens a dialog where you can save the current object's mix on
page 9223 to a MIX file.

_____
The following Mixdown-related tools are available only for biped object mixes.
Compute Mixdown Performs a mixdown on page 9224 on the selected biped(s).
A Mixdown track appears at the bottom of each biped’s mix. Clicking the

Motion Mixer Interface | 4091

Mixdown track deactivates or activates it. When the Mixdown track is active,
each biped inherits this single track's animation rather than the transition
and layer tracks in the mix. When the Mixdown track is inactive, the biped
uses the raw mix on page 9223 instead.

An inactive Mixdown track (above) and an active Mixdown track (below)

An inactive Mixdown track (above) and an active Mixdown track (below)

A mixdown can make automatic adjustments to transitions between planted
foot motions. Creating a Mixdown track makes it possible to copy the mixdown
to the biped so it can be saved as a BIP file. See Exporting Animation to the
Biped on page 4080.
Delete Mixdown Removes the mixdown from the mix of the selected biped(s).
The next three menu options are mutually exclusive; only one can be turned
on at a time.
Copy Mixdown to Biped Copies animation from the Mixdown track to the
biped. The animation remains on the biped even after Mixer mode is turned
off, and the animation can be saved as a BIP file.
Effect Raw Mix When this option is turned on, Mixer mode is turned on for
the biped. Default=active.
Effect Mixdown When this option is turned on, the mixdown track is
activated. This option is available only if a mixdown has been computed.
Effect Biped When this option is turned on, Mixer mode is turned off for the
biped. Click Effect Raw Mix to turn Mixer Mode on again.

Trackgroups menu
When a trackgroup is selected, you can access the commands in the Trackgroup
menu. Alternately, you can right-click a trackgroup label to open the menu.
The Trackgroups menu lets you administer the bipeds in the mixer. Each biped
you add to the Motion Mixer gets its own trackgroup, a selection of biped
parts.

4092 | Chapter 13 Animation

Filter... Opens the Trackgroup Filter dialog where you can customize the object
body parts that are included in a trackgroup mix. This command is only
available when a single trackgroup is selected. For more information, see
Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Non-Biped Object) on page 4126, Trackgroup Filter
Dialog (Biped Object) on page 4124, or Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054.

The Trackgroup Filter dialog for biped object mixes.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4093

The Trackgroup Filter dialog for
non-biped object mixes.

Add Trackgroup Above Adds new trackgroups above the currently selected
ones.
Add Trackgroup Below Adds new trackgroups below the currently selected
ones.
Add Layer Track Adds a Layer track at the top of the selected trackgroups.
Layer tracks hold clips to be mixed without transitions.
Add Transition Track Adds a Transition track at the top of the selected
trackgroups. Transition tracks hold clips that are mixed with transitions. Clips
in Transition tracks will automatically spawn transitions when they overlap.
Delete All Clips Clears the selected trackgroups of all clips and transitions.
Delete Clears the selected trackgroups from the Motion Mixer.

Tracks menu
The commands in the Tracks menu are only active when you have a track, or
tracks, selected in the Mixer. These menu commands are also available when
you right-click a track in the Mixer window.

4094 | Chapter 13 Animation

Add Layer Track Above Adds a new Layer track above the currently selected
tracks.
Add Layer Track Below Adds a new Layer track below the currently selected
tracks.
Add Transition Track Above Adds a new Transition track above the currently
selected tracks.
Add Transition Track Below Adds a new Transition track below the currently
selected tracks.
Convert to Layer Track Converts the selected Transition tracks to Layer tracks.
Convert to Transition Track Converts the selected Layer tracks to Transition
tracks.
Optimize All Transitions All transitions on the track are optimized.
New Clips > From Files Opens a dialog where you can choose one or more
BIP or XAF files to add to the selected track. If a selected BIP file has been
saved for this release of 3ds Max , a thumbnail is displayed in the Motion
Preview where you can move the slider and get an idea of what the motion
looks like.
Any clip you add to a track using this method is automatically added to the
Reservoir on page 4132.
NOTE If you choose a BIP file that is older, you will receive a warning that the file
is obsolete and should be resaved. Until the BIP file is resaved, it will not display
in the Motion Preview.
New Clips > From Reservoir Opens a Reservoir Files dialog where you can
choose one or more BIP or XAF files listed in the Reservoir.
Import Motion Flow Allows you to import clips and transitions from a motion
flow script to the selected track. You can import a script only if it is active on
the currently selected biped, and if it has been loaded or saved as part of an
MFE file on page 9223. If scripts are available for import, the Motion Flow Scripts
dialog displays a list of available scripts. The imported script replaces the
currently selected track with a transition track on page 9337 containing all the
clips and transitions in the script.
NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4095

NOTE If the selected track contains clips and transitions when you choose this
option, these clips are removed from the track when the motion flow script is
imported.
Delete All Clips Deletes all the clips residing on the selected track.
Delete Deletes a selected track or tracks.

Clips menu
The Clips menu is active when a clip is selected or when you right-click a clip
in the Mixer. Some menu commands are not available when multiple clips
are selected.
Add Time Warp Applies the ability to be time warped to the selected clips.
A time warp allows you to alter clip speeds. It gives you the ability to stretch
or squeeze time for parts of selected clips. For more details and procedures,
see Adding Time Warps on page 4071.
Remove Time Warp Removes the ability for clips to be Time Warped and
removes any existing Time Warping from selected clips.
Tile View Tiles the selected clip along the width of the Motion Mixer. The
number of duplicated clips depends upon the clip's length and the number
of frames displayed across the Motion Mixer. For example, if a clip is 100
frames long and the number of frames across the Motion Mixer is 500, the
clip will tile five times.
Tile Range Tiles the selected clip along the range of the active time segment.
The number of duplicated clips depends upon the clip's length and the number
of frames in the active time segment. For example, if a clip is 100 frames long
and the number of frames in the active time segment is 500, then the clip will
tile five times.
Remove Trim/Scale Removes the trim/scale from the selected clip or clips.
Delete Deletes a selected clip or clips from a track.
Load Source > From File Opens a dialog where you can choose a new BIP or
XAF file to replace selected clips. After selecting the new clip, the Mixer Clip
Source Options dialog on page 4098 is displayed.
Load Source > From Biped Opens the Copy Biped Animation To Clip dialog
on page 4100, where you can choose a biped from which to copy animation to
selected clips.
NOTE This tool is available only for biped object mixes.

4096 | Chapter 13 Animation

Load Source > From Reservoir Opens the Reservoir File Groups dialog on
page 4102, where you can choose a clip from the Reservoir to replace selected
clips.
Copy to Biped Puts the clip’s animation onto the base state of the selected
biped, evident when not in Mixer or any other mode. This option is available
only when a single clip is selected.
NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes.
Collapse Saves a collapsed version of the selected clip to a new BIP file.
Collapsing removes all scaling, trims, and time warps from the clip, and
prompts for a new BIP file name for the collapsed version of the clip. The
original selected clip is replaced by the new clip. Collapsing a clip does not
affect the selected clip itself.
NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes.

Transitions menu
Select a transition track to make commands on this menu active. Right-clicking
a transition also opens this menu.
Edit Opens either the Mixer Transition Editor dialog (Biped Object) on page
4104 or the Mixer Transition Editor dialog (Non-Biped Object) on page 4110, based
on the kind of mix the transition is applied to. The dialogs are similar to the
Transition Editor on page 5247 accessed from the Motion Flow rollout.
Optimize Optimizes the selected transitions. This uses optimization algorithms
similar to those in Motion Flow.
Convert To Loopable Clip Allows you to create a loopable clip from a
transition between two clips that are clones of one another. The two clips
must share the same source file, meaning they must point to the same clip in
the reservoir and they must have identical time warps and scales. Although
the two clips don't have to be created via cloning, it is probably the best way
to create them.
The loopable clip will replace the two original clips and their transition and
will begin exactly one frame before the transition starts, so at that frame, the
animation will appear the same as it did before you created the loopable clip.
If you tile the loopable clip after you create it, it should loop perfectly.
NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4097

Motion Mixer Dialogs
The topics in this section describe support dialogs for the Motion Mixer.

Mixer Clip Source Options Dialog
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤
Select clips. ➤ Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Clips ➤ Load Source ➤ From
File
Select non-biped clips. ➤ Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Clips ➤ Load Source
➤ From File
The Mixer Clip Source Options dialog opens when you select one or more
clips on a track and choose Load Source ➤ From File Clips menu on page
4096. The new clip you choose replaces the selected clips. You also have the
option of replacing instances on page 9195 and adaptations on page 9084 of
selected clips.

4098 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Load Animation Into:
■

The selected clips onlyReplaces only the selected clip with the newly
specified clip.

■

All instances of the selected clipReplaces instances of the clip (any
occurrence of the selected clip within tracks for the same biped, or other
bipeds of the same size).

■

All instances and adaptations of the selected clipReplaces adaptations (any
occurrence of the selected clip on all bipeds' tracks).

Motion Mixer Interface | 4099

Method to Fit Animation to Clip:
■

Scale animation to fit clipScales the length of the loaded clip to match the
length of the clip it replaces in the track.

■

Trim animation to fit clipTrims the length of the loaded clip to match the
length of the clip it replaces in the track.

■

Set clip length to animation length, shifting remaining clips in timeFor
selected clips, changes the animation length to the loaded clip length. All
clips on the track after the selected clip are shifted depending on the length
of the newly loaded clip.

Remove Weights Removes any existing weight curves from clips selected to
be replaced.
Remove Warps Removes any existing time warps from clips selected to be
replaced.

Copy Biped Animation to Clip Dialog
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤
Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Clips ➤ Load Source ➤ From Biped
The Copy Biped Animation To Clip dialog opens when you select one or more
clips on a track and choose Load Source ➤ From Biped on the Clips menu
on page 4096 The animation from the biped replaces the selected clips.
NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes.

4100 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Copy Animation Into:
■

The selected clips onlyOnly the selected clip in the track is replaced by a
new clip chosen from the reservoir.

■

All instancesReplaces instances on page 9195 of the clip (any occurrence of
the selected clip within tracks for the same biped, or other bipeds of the
same size) with the clip selected from the Reservoir.

■

All instances and adaptationsReplaces any occurrence (adaptation on page
9084) of the selected clip on all bipeds' tracks in the Mixer, with the clip
selected from the Reservoir.

Method to Fit Animation to Clip:
■

Scale animation to fit clipScales the length of the loaded clip to match the
length of the clip it replaces in the track.

■

Trim animation to fit clipTrims the length of the loaded clip to match the
length of the clip it replaces in the track.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4101

■

Set clip length to animation length, shifting remaining clips in timeFor
selected clips, changes the animation length to the loaded clip length. All
clips on the track after the selected clip are shifted depending on the length
of the newly loaded clip.

Remove Weights Removes any existing weight curves from clips selected to
be replaced.
Remove Warps Removes any existing time warps on page 4071 from clips
selected to be replaced.

Reservoir File Groups Dialog
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤
Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Clips ➤ Load Source ➤ From Reservoir
Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer ➤ Select a non-biped object track ➤
Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Clips ➤ Load Source ➤ From Reservoir
The Reservoir File Groups dialog opens when you select clips and choose Load
Source ➤ From Reservoir on the Clips menu on page 4096. This action replaces
selected clips with the clip you choose from the Reservoir. This dialog shows
a list of all the clips in the Reservoir on page 4132.

4102 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Copy Animation Into:
■

The selected clips onlyOnly the selected clip in the track is replaced by a
new clip chosen from the reservoir.

■

All instancesReplaces instances on page 9195 of the clip (any occurrence of
the selected clip within tracks for the same object, or other objects of the
same size) with the clip selected from the Reservoir.

■

All instances and adaptationsReplaces any occurrence (adaptation on page
9084) of the selected clip on all objects' tracks in the Mixer, with the clip
selected from the Reservoir.

Method to Fit Animation to Clip:
■

Scale animation to fit clipScales the length of the loaded clip to match the
length of the clip it replaces in the track.

■

Trim animation to fit clipTrims the length of the loaded clip to match the
length of the clip it replaces in the track.

■

Set clip length to animation length, shifting remaining clips in timeFor
selected clips, changes the animation length to the loaded clip length. All
clips on the track after the selected clip are shifted depending on the length
of the newly loaded clip.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4103

Remove Weights Removes any existing weight curves from clips selected to
be replaced.
Remove Warps Removes any existing time warps from clips selected to be
replaced.

Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Biped Object)
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤
Motion Mixer dialog ➤ Add clips to the Mixer. ➤ Select a transition in the
Mixer. ➤ Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Transitions ➤ Edit ➤ Transition
Editor
The Mixer Transition Editor controls transitions on page 9336 on transition
tracks on page 9337. When it is active, you view transitionary stick figures to
aid in placing your transitions. You can use this dialog to change the start
and end times of transitions, change the transition focus, and perform other
functions.
This dialog is very similar to the Motion Flow Transition Editor on page 5247.

4104 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Length Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition.
Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out
abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions.
Ease In Ease-in value for the source clip.
Ease Out Ease-out value for the destination clip.
Transition Focus Lets you specify a focus point on the biped where the
transition takes place. The Mixer will attempt to match movement based on
this selection. For example, if Left Foot is selected, the transition will use the
left foot as a focal point during the transition, aligning the motion of the left
foot in both clips as much as possible during the transition. Default=Auto.
■

AutoThe transition focus is calculated by averaging the overall position of
the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.

■

Center Of MassThe transition focus is based on the center of mass position
of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4105

■

Left FootThe transition focus is based on the left foot position of the biped
as it transitions from one clip to the next.

■

Right FootThe transition focus is based on the right foot position of the
biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.

■

Both FeetThe transition focus is based on an averaged foot position of both
of the biped's feet as it transitions from one clip to the next.

NOTE The best way to see the differences between the transition foci is by
watching the yellow and red ghosts.
Angle Sets the direction of the destination clip.
The angle of the destination clip is automatically set for best body fit between
the two clips when the Start Frame values change. Use Angle to change the
direction of the destination clip.
Preserve Height When turned on, Preserve Height will allow gradual vertical
motion to accumulate from the source to the destination clip. For example,
climbing stairs will loop upward. If it is turned off, the next clip is always set
so that its lowest point is at z=0. This default insures that motion does not
gradually float up (or down) with each additional clip.

Previous/Next Transition buttons, Start Frame controls, and Optimize
button

Previous Transition Go to the previous transition in the transition
track.
Displays the previous transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider
to the start frame of the previous transition and highlights the previous clip
in the transition track.

Next Transition Go to the next transition in the transition track.

4106 | Chapter 13 Animation

Displays the next transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider to
the start frame of the next transition and highlights the next clip in the Scripts
list.
Start Frame This text field displays the number of the first frame of the
transition.

Go To Start Frame Moves the time slider to the first frame of the
transition.

Optimize Transition Displays the Transition Optimization dialog on
page 4117.
Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to search for the
range over which the optimizer searches for the transition.

Source Clip and Destination Cip groups

Clip range This text field displays the range of the source or destination clip.
The ranges are relative to the clip itself, not to the frame range of the full
animation.
Start Frame Sets the transition start frame for the source or destination clip.
The start frame is relative to the clip itself, not to the frame range of the full
animation.
Transition options These choices control how the transition is interpolated.
■

RollingRetains the clip motion during the transition.

■

FixedFor the source clip, this option freezes the biped at the Start Frame
position during the transition. For the destination clip, this option freezes
the biped at the End Frame position. If Fixed is chosen for both the source
and destination clips, the transition is a gradual interpolation from one
frozen pose to another.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4107

Ghost subgroups (Source and Destination clips)

The Ghost group Frame spinners allow you to view and scrub the source and
destination clips by displaying stick figures (ghosts); yellow and red stick
figures represent the source and destination clips. The source and destination
bipeds might not be near each other during this scrubbing process; the
destination clip will be repositioned when you click Set Start Frame is clicked.
When you locate a suitable start frame, click Set Start Frame to copy the values
in the Frame field to the Start Frame field. Monitor foot position status in the
field provided.

Footstep key display This text field shows the state of footstep keys for the
current frame.

Set Start Frame Copies the value in the Frame field of the Ghost area
to the Start Frame field in the Clip area. The position of the destination clip

4108 | Chapter 13 Animation

changes to match the biped body in the destination clip to the biped body in
the source clip.
Locate an appropriate start frame for the source and destination clips by using
the Frame spinner and viewing the positions of both stick figures, then click
Set Start Frame.
The destination clip is rotated and positioned to match both bipeds. Use the
Angle spinner to reorient the destination clip.
Frame Shows the current frame in the clip. The frame value is relative to the
clip itself, not to the frame range of the full animation.
You can use the Frame spinner to scrub a stick figure back and forth, which
can help you choose a start frame for the source and destination clips. Visual
feedback of the stick figures is a good way to judge which start frames are
needed for the source and destination clips.

Playback group

These controls let you play back the transition from the Transition Editor
dialog.

Play Transition Click to play the transition. Click again to stop
playback.
Speed Chooses the playback speed.
■

1/4 x Plays at one-quarter of real time.

■

1/2 x Plays at half real time.

■

1 x (The default.) Plays at real time (full speed).

Frames Before/Frames After Set the number of frames to play before and
after the transition period.
Selected Only When on, plays back only the selected biped. Default=off.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4109

Play Ghosts When on, shows transition ghosts during playback. Default=off.

Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Non-Biped Object)
Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer ➤ Select a non-biped object clip
transition. ➤ Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Transitions ➤ Edit
The Mixer Transition Editor controls transitions on page 9336 on transition
tracks on page 9337. You can use this dialog to change the start and end times
of transitions, change the transition focus, and perform other functions. Mix
transition blend objects are changeable from clip to clip, and any new
transition that results from cloning or adding clips initially uses the blend
options from the last clip in time.
The options on this dialog are much the same as for Bipeds, except that:
■

Mix transitions for 3ds Max objects do not have ghosting or playback
controls.

■

You can explicitly pick blend objects from any object being mixed in the
track.

■

The sub-blend capability provides further tuning of the transition.

Blending and Sub-Blending
Consider a character walking around a corner. The trajectory of the character's
root describes an arc, while the IK feet cycle along the ground. This clip
contains a few footsteps, and is used to make a mixer cycle that should take
the character around in a circle. If you set the root and the feet all to be velocity
blends, the transition will result in the root continuing around the corner
while the feet continue in whatever direction they were moving at transition
time! That is, if the right foot was just about to hit the ground with its heel,
thus pointing up a bit, it would transition upward into the next clip instead
of blending in the direction that the root’s arc is taking. If you set the root to
be a velocity blend and then set the feet to be sub-blends of the root, the
transition results in the root continuing on its arc around the corner but with
the feet blending in relation to it. That is, the upward-pointing right foot
motion will blend with the foot motion in the new clip but in the direction
of the arc, not in its own upward direction.

4110 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Length Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition.
Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out
abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions.
Ease In Ease-in value for the source clip.
Ease Out Ease-out value for the destination clip.

Source Clip and Destination Clip groups
The following options let you set different parameters proper to both source
and destination clips involved in the transition.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4111

Start Frame Set the transition start frame for the source and destination clips
in their respective fields. Duration for the source and destination clips displays
above the Start Frame fields.
■

RollingKeeps the clip in motion during the transition.

■

FixedFor the source clip, this option freezes motion at the Start Frame
position during the transition. For the destination clip, this option freezes
motion at the End Frame position. If Fixed is chosen for both the source
and destination clips, the transition is a gradual interpolation from one
frozen pose to another.

Velocity Blends group
A Velocity Blend object is one that has its positions blended based on velocity
(like a biped's COM). Objects used for Velocity Blending are most commonly
the roots of the mix hierarchy. When you pick an object for velocity blending,
its animation will accumulate based on its trajectory in the scene; for example,
choosing the root of a character as the blend object will ensure that the
character’s animation is transitioned relatively from clip to clip, so the
character keeps moving through world space instead of repeating each clip as
absolute. All children of the root will follow in the transition.
In some cases, you might want to use velocity blending for a child object.
By default, the Transition Editor uses no velocity blend objects.
IMPORTANT If you use velocity blending, pick your blend objects before you
optimize the transition.
Velocity Nodes list Lists the objects you have chosen for velocity blending.

Select Velocity Nodes Click to display a Pick Nodes dialog on page
4115 and choose the objects to velocity blend.

Delete Velocity Nodes Click to delete the highlighted objects from
the list.

Set Other Transition Velocity Nodes Copies the set of velocity blend
objects to all other transitions in the current track.

4112 | Chapter 13 Animation

Roll When on, accumulates the roll (X) angle during the transition. When
off, the angle is simply blended with the next clip. Default=on.
The spinner value lets you specify an additional angle to add to the roll.
Pitch When on, accumulates the pitch (Y) angle during the transition. When
off, the angle is simply blended with the next clip. Default=on.
The spinner value lets you specify an additional angle to add to the pitch.
Yaw When on, accumulates the yaw (Z) angle during the transition. When
off, the angle is simply blended with the next clip. Default=on.
The spinner value lets you specify an additional angle to add to the yaw.
X/Y/Z When on, accumulates position in the specified axis during the
transition. When off, the position is simply blended with the next clip.
Default=on.

Sub-Blends group
In order for other world-space objects to transition within the space of the
velocity blend or a child of the velocity blend, you need to specify a sub-blend.
For example, think of a rig that has a root moving through world space, and
also has world-space IK foot controls. In this case, you would pick the root as
the velocity blend, then select the root in the list and add the foot controls
as its sub-blends. The result of this will be the that root makes a smooth
transition and the feet make as smooth a transition as possible in the direction
that the legs are going (within the root’s space) at transition time, not in the
direction that the feet themselves are going at transition time.
Sub-Blend Nodes list Displays the objects chosen for sub-blending.

Select Sub-blend Nodes Click to display a Pick Nodes dialog on page
4115 and choose the objects to sub-blend.
Before you pick sub-blend nodes, you must first choose a velocity blend node
in the upper list. Typically this is the parent of the nodes that will be
sub-blends.

Delete Sub-blend Nodes Click to delete the highlighted objects from
the list.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4113

Set Other Transition Sub-blend Nodes Copies the set of velocity
sub-blend objects to all other transitions in the current track.

_____

Previous Transition Goes to the previous transition in the transition
track.
Displays the previous transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider
to the start frame of the previous transition and highlights the previous clip
in the transition track.

Next Transition Goes to the next transition in the transition track.
Displays the next transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider to
the start frame of the next transition and highlights the next clip in the Scripts
list.
Current Frame Displays the current frame number.

Go To Start Frame Moves the time slider to the first frame of the
transition.

Optimize Transition Displays the Transition Optimization dialog on
page 4117.
Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to search for the
location for the transition.
IMPORTANT If you use velocity blending, pick your blend objects before you
optimize the transition.
OK Confirms the current settings and closes the dialog.

4114 | Chapter 13 Animation

Pick Nodes Dialog (Motion Mixer)
Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer ➤ Select a non-biped object clip
transition. ➤ Motion Mixer menu bar ➤ Transitions ➤ Edit ➤ Mixer
Transition Editor ➤ Click the Select Velocity Nodes or Select Sub-blend Nodes
button.
This dialog opens when you pick nodes for velocity blending or sub-blending.
If you click the Select Velocity Nodes button, the list displays only the objects
being mixed in the current transition track. If you click the Select Sub-blend
Nodes button, the list displays only the objects being mixed in the current
transition track, except those objects that are already velocity blends.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4115

Interface

Search field To find an object in the list, enter the object's name and then
press Enter.
Node list Lists all the available objects.
All Selects all objects in the list.
None Selects no objects in the list.
Invert Inverts the current list selection.

4116 | Chapter 13 Animation

Subtree group
Display When on, the object hierarchy is shown by indenting. When off, all
objects appear at the same level. Default=on.
Select When on, selecting an object selects that object's children. When off,
only one object at a time is selected. Default=off.

_____
Named selection sets drop-down list This list shows the scene's named
selection sets on page 204. Choosing a set from this list selects its members in
the Node list.

Transition Optimization Dialog
Motion Mixer ➤ Create a transition track. ➤ Place clips on the track. ➤
Right-click the transition. ➤ Optimize ➤ Transition Optimization dialog
Motion Mixer ➤ Create a transition track. ➤ Place clips on the track. ➤
Select the transition. ➤ Transitions menu ➤ Optimize ➤ Transition
Optimization dialog
Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to select the range
over which the optimize algorithm will search for a transition. It can search
either the whole clip, or it can search near the existing transition. You must
specify the preferred length of the optimized transition. 3ds Max will try to
get as close to that length as possible, still opting to give you the best length.
If it searches about the existing transition, you must specify the number of
frames about which it will search before and after the existing transition.
Optimized transitions compute for minimum foot sliding over the range of
the transition. This method of determining transitions yields very high quality
results.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4117

Interface

Preferred Transition Length Specify the preferred length of the optimized
transition.
Search Entire Clip Search the entire clip for an optimized transition start
frame.
Search Near Existing Transition Allows animators to find good transitions
that "are in the ballpark" of their existing transitions. Transitions can be fine
tuned without drastically changing the animation's timing. In general, there
may be several "good transitions", so this feature narrows the range of search
to the ones that are near to the current settings.
Search Range about Existing Transition Allows animators to set a “before”
and “after” range of frames to perform a search for other transitions that are
close to the selected transition. Both ranges default to 20 frames around the
selected transition.
Before Set a frame value to search before the existing transition.
After Set a frame value to search after the existing transition.

4118 | Chapter 13 Animation

Motion Mixer Toolbar
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer

Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer
Like an audio mixer where you add music tracks and use fades and blends to
transition between tracks, the Motion Mixer allows you to mix motion clips.
The Motion Mixer toolbar offers commands that you use to add and delete
biped and non-biped objects to and from the mixer, modify clips, and change
the way tracks in the mixer are displayed.
See also:
■

Adding Tracks to the Mixer on page 4043

■

Using the Reservoir on page 4084

Interface

Add Max Objects Opens the Max Objects To Mix dialog, which lists all
non-biped objects in the scene. This dialog lets you add objects to be driven
by your mixed animation, as well as name the mix in which they are
contained.
This dialog is comparable to the Selection Floater on page 188.
NOTE The default mix name is the root node with the most children in the list.
NOTE Objects can be added to only one mix at a time. Once an object is part of
a mix, it is removed from the list.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4119

Add Bipeds Opens the Bipeds dialog listing all the bipeds in the scene.
Highlight one or several bipeds to load them into the Motion Mixer window.

TIP You can click-drag over all, or several adjacent bipeds in the list if you want
to add multiple bipeds to the Motion Mixer. If the bipeds you want to add are
not next to one another, hold down the Ctrl key while choosing the bipeds you
want to add.

4120 | Chapter 13 Animation

Delete Deletes a selected biped from the Motion Mixer window.

Select Lets you select bipeds, trackgroups, tracks, and clips.

Move Clips Allows selection and movement (including Shift+Clone)
of bipeds and trackgroups, keeping clips and transitions intact. It also allows
independent horizontal movement of clips on the same track or vertical
movement of clips from one biped's track to another biped's track.

Slide Clips Allows horizontal movement of clips on the same track
or vertical movement of clips from one biped's track to another biped's track.
Sliding a clip to the right will move unselected clips which are situated to the
right of the selected clip; sliding to the left will move unselected clips which
sit to the left of the clip.
Offset Records how many frames have been displaced. This value appears in
the status area next to Slide Clips only during interactive translations, such
as moving a clip or editing a time warp. The Offset value resets to zero when
the translation is complete.
Frame Displays the frame number under the cursor during interactive
translations, such as stretching a clip or editing a time warp. When stretching
a clip, you can use both the Frame and Offset fields to tell you how many
more or fewer frames the clip will have.

Trim Clips Clips can be trimmed from their original lengths
interactively. When using this mode, you can grab the edge of a clip and drag
it to a new frame within the clip’s original length. This mode will display all
trimmed portions of clips in the Motion Mixer as gray. See Adjusting Clip
Timing on page 4060.

Editable Time Warps Clips can be interactively time warped, given
that they have had a time warp applied. When in this mode, you can place

Motion Mixer Interface | 4121

seams in a clip and then drag them within the clip’s original length. See Adding
Time Warps on page 4071.

Draggable Tracks Enables vertical movement of tracks with clips.
Holding down the Shift key while moving a track creates a clone of the original
track.

Lock Transitions When Lock Transitions is turned off (the default),
moving a clip or changing its length on a transition track affect the lengths
of transitions around the clip. When Lock Transitions is turned on, transition
lengths do not change when you move a clip or drag clip edges not touching
the transition. You can still change a transition's length by dragging the edges
of the transition itself.

Set Range Matches the active segment's start and end times to the
extents of the mix.

Pan Pans the Motion Mixer display horizontally and vertically.

Zoom Extents Stretches or shrinks the mix to fit in the current Motion
Mixer display.

Zoom Allows horizontal stretching and shrinking of the display of
the mix.

Zoom Region Zoom into a portion of a track by dragging a region
selection around that part of a track.

Snap Frames An on/off toggle that sets the Motion Mixer to snap all
adjustments to single frames.

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Snap Clips An on/off toggle that causes clips residing on the same
track to snap together. The end frame of one clip will match the start frame
of the next clip. If the first clip ends at frame 100, the start frame of the next
clip will snap to frame 100.
When Snap Clips is on, transition edges snap to clip edges when dragged.

Preferences Opens the Mixer Preferences dialog on page 4137, where
you can change display settings for clips, transitions, and frames.

Reservoir Opens the Reservoir dialog on page 4132.

Named selection Lets you enter a name for the current
selection. This field is similar to named selections for 3ds Max objects (on the
main toolbar), but unlike named object selections, you can rename an existing
set.
To create a named selection, select the clips for the set, enter a name in the
named selectionfield, and then press Enter. You can reselect an existing
selection set by choosing its name from the drop-down list.
Named sets of clips in the mixer are saved with the MAX file but not with MIX
files.

Horizontal This button is available when the Weighting button on the
motion mixer toolbar or on a trackgroup is active. It locks all movement of
weight nodes to the horizontal.

Vertical This button is available when the Weighting button on the
motion mixer toolbar or on a trackgroup is active. It locks all movement of
weight nodes to the vertical.

Horizontal Vertical This button is available when the Weighting button
on the motion mixer toolbar or on a trackgroup is active. It allows free
horizontal and vertical movements of weight nodes.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4123

Weight Mode An on/off toggle that allows you to work with weight
curves. Weight curves are useful for making smooth blends between tracks.
The Weight Mode button on the Motion Mixer toolbar acts as a global switch
that toggles the Weight Mode buttons on every track in the Mixer. The Weight
Mode button at the right end of each track toggles weighting only for that
track. For more information on how weight curves work, see Motion Mixer
Editor on page 4128. To find out how to use weight curves, see Adjusting Track
Weight on page 4069.

Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Biped Object)
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤
Click a biped track name to highlight it (by default, the name is All ). ➤
Trackgroups menu ➤ Filter
By default, the Motion Mixer expects that a mix you create will affect the
entire biped. If you like, you can filter on page 4054 a trackgroup so clips in the
mix affect only selected body parts. This functionality makes it easy for you
to assign one set of BIP files to control the motion of a biped's upper body,
while another set controls the lower body.
For more information and procedures on the use of trackgroup filters, see
Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054.

4124 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

The Trackgroup Filter dialog consists of a rough diagram of a biped. Selectable
components display in the color specified for the trackgroup by the Track
Color command on the Mix menu on page 4090. If the biped does not include
parts like ponytails or props, they are unselectable. Body parts can be
individually activated or deactivated by clicking them, or you can use the
buttons across the bottom of the Trackgroup Filter diagram to expedite
selections.
Center Activates all central body parts, comprised of the spine, pelvis and
horizontal movement, rotation and vertical movement icons.
Arms Activates the biped's arms, comprised of the right arm, left arm, and
both hand icons.
Legs Activates the biped's legs, comprised of the right leg, left leg, and both
foot icons.
Xtras Activates the biped’s extra tails. See Xtras group on page 5118.
All Activates all selectable body parts.
None Deactivates all body parts.
Invert Inverts the current body part selection. If everything is active, this
deactivates everything, as if you clicked the None button.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4125

Trackgroup Label Field Use this field to specify a more descriptive label for
a trackgroup. When you first create a trackgroup, it is labelled All. The new
label entered here will appear in place of All to the left of the trackgroup. Use
a unique, descriptive name to help you keep track of what body parts were
filtered for the trackgroup. For example, if you selected only the pelvis and
legs, you could enter Lower Body as the trackgroup label.

Xtras group
Lists the names of any Xtra tails the biped might have. See Xtras group on
page 5118. Click the name of an extra tail to select it. Extra tails don’t appear in
the biped diagram, only in this list.

Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Non-Biped Object)
Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer ➤ Click a non-biped track name to
highlight it (by default, the name is All. ➤ Trackgroups menu ➤ Filter
By default, the Motion Mixer expects that a mix you create will affect the
entire non-biped object. If you like, you can filter on page 4054 a trackgroup so
clips in the mix affect only selected body parts. This functionality makes it
easy for you to assign one set of XAF files to control the motion of an object's
upper body, while another set controls the lower body.
For more information and procedures on the use of trackgroup filters, see
Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 4054.

4126 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Search field To find an object in the list, enter the object's name and then
press Enter.
Object list The Trackgroup Filter dialog displays a list of objects, with the
hierarchy indicated by indenting (if Subtree ➤ Display is on, which it is by
default). Objects can be individually activated or deactivated by clicking them,
or you can use the buttons across the bottom of the Trackgroup Filter diagram
to expedite selections.
All Activates all selectable
None Deactivates all body parts.
Invert Inverts the current body part selection. If everything is active, this
deactivates everything, as if you clicked the None button.

Subtree group
Display When on, all body parts are listed following a hierarchy structure.
Otherwise, body parts are listed on the same level. Default=on.
Select When on, highlighting a body part automatically select all its children.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4127

_____
Named selection sets drop-down list This list shows the scene's named
selection sets on page 204. Choosing a set from this list selects its members in
the Object list.

_____
OK Confirms selection and closes the dialog.
Cancel Disregards current selection and closes the dialog.

Motion Mixer Editor
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer

The Motion Mixer window contains an editor where you manage everything
that is added to the mix: bipeds, trackgroups, tracks, clips, and transitions.

Interface

The editor contains three sections:
■

Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls on page 4128

■

Interactive Clip Controls on page 4129

■

Weighting Controls on page 4131

Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls
The left-most section of the editor is the Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls
section. The Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls set the number, order, display,

4128 | Chapter 13 Animation

and characteristics of those features in the mix. Bipeds and trackgroups can
be selected, added, removed and repositioned.

The “-” and “+” buttons collapse and expand the display of bipeds and
trackgroups. The “m” button mutes a track, taking its influence out of the
mix. The “s” button sets a track to solo mode, making it the only active track
in the mix.

Interactive Clip Controls
The center section of the editor, Interactive Clip Controls, lets you manipulate
the scale, time, timing, and trimming of clips and transitions.

The overall length of all clips and transitions in a track can be stretched or
squeezed by dragging the white ends of the gray range bars along the top of
each trackgroup. Drag from the middle of the range bar if the entire mix of a

Motion Mixer Interface | 4129

trackgroup needs to be moved. Likewise, clips can be moved by dragging from
the middle of a clip. Clips and transitions can be shortened or lengthened by
dragging either end.
The range bar for each biped can also be moved or scaled to move or scale the
entire mix for the biped.
Transition brackets appear in Transition tracks. Where a transition exists, the
brackets indicate the start and end point of the transition. If there is no
transition at the end of the clip, the bracket indicates where the transition
will be placed when a new clip is loaded into the track.
The current time in the scene can be changed by dragging the vertical, purple
timeline, a change which is reflected on the 3ds Max time slider.

The vertical timeline.

If a clip has a time warp applied, time can be distorted interactively in Time
Warp mode: first create seams in the clip, then drag the seams to stretch or
squeeze time.

4130 | Chapter 13 Animation

Note the corresponding changes in the frequency of the time ticks down the
center of the clip. Time warps are used to speed up or slow down a motion.

Weighting Controls
The weighting controls at the rightmost end of the editor let you set the weight
with which a clip or track will be blended with other tracks within the same
trackgroup.

When Weight Mode is turned on, weights can be adjusted with a red
weight curve on a clip or track.

On a Layer track, each clip has its own weight curve. Each Transition track
has one weight curve for the entire track. By default, each weight curve has a
node at each end that can be moved to change the weight at that point. Click
on the weight curve to add more nodes, and drag a node to move it.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4131

Weights can range from 0.0 (no weight) to 1.0 (full weight). The weight for
the currently selected node appears to the left of the Weight Mode button.
You can change the weight by moving the node or by changing the spinner
value.
When you have mulitple weight nodes selected, and you use the spinner to
set a new value, weight node values are changed relative to their original
values. In this case, you cannot spin the spinner lower than 0 or higher than
1 on any one spin. If you have more than one weight node selected and you
type in a weight, the weights of all nodes are changed to the new value.
Weighting is evaluated across tracks in a single trackgroup. If a trackgroup has
two or more tracks, the topmost track's weight is evaluated at each frame. If
the weight at any frame is less than 1.0, the motion on the track is only
partially used, and next track down is evaluated for its weight. If the total
weight is still less than 1.0, the next track down is evaluated, and so on. In
this way, motion from multiple tracks can be mixed at the same frame for the
same set of body parts.
The Weight Mode button at the right end of the main toolbar turns on this
mode for all tracks in the Motion Mixer. For more information, see Motion
Mixer Toolbar on page 4119.
On a balance track, the Balance Weight Mode button appears rather than
the Weight Mode button. When in Balance Weight mode, you can adjust the
weight curve for the balance track on page 9102. To find out how to use Balance
Weight mode, see Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer on page 4075.

Reservoir
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤

(Reservoir)

Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer ➤

(Reservoir)

The Motion Mixer Reservoir on page 9283 is similar to the Motion Flow Graph
on page 5242, in that it acts as a holding area where clips can be listed, giving

4132 | Chapter 13 Animation

you a palette of motions to choose from. As you add clips on page 9230 to objects
in the Motion Mixer window, you see them appear on a track on page 9330 and
they are automatically added to the Reservoir. If you add new clips directly
to the Reservoir, they are available and held for future use.
See also:
■

Using the Reservoir on page 4084

Interface

Motion Mixer Interface | 4133

The Reservoir comprises four parts:
■

The Reservoir toolbar on page 4134, where all the commands are located.
You can choose between listing biped clips and non-biped clips.

■

The Source/Clipname list on page 4135, where motion clips (BIP and XAF
files) are listed. Instances on page 9195 are grouped together in one listing,
while adaptations on page 9084 are listed separately.

■

The Clip Status field on page 4136, where you can gather information about
the clips used in the Motion Mixer.

■

The Motion Preview on page 4136, where you can see what a motion looks
like before you use it.
NOTE The Motion Preview is available only when you choose the Biped Clips
option.

Reservoir toolbar
The commands on the main Reservoir toolbar allow you to manage the clips
you have in the Motion Mixer and also build up a collection of clips that you
may want to use in the future.

Max Clips/Biped Clips Choose to switch between a list of biped and
non-biped motion assets. The Max Clips option displays XAF files while Biped
Clips displays BIP files.

New Entry Opens a dialog where you can choose BIP or XAF files to
load into the Reservoir. You can highlight multiple files to load by holding
down the Ctrl key while you click.

Reload Files Reloads selected BIP or XAF files listed in the Reservoir.

4134 | Chapter 13 Animation

Load File Opens a dialog where you can choose a new BIP or XAF file
to replace the selected entry.

Save File Allows you to save a highlighted clip from the Reservoir.
The Save As dialog is displayed and you can specify a name and location for
the clip you are saving.

Batch Save Opens the Save Reservoir Items dialog, where you can
choose the clip or clips to save.

Delete Removes a highlighted clip from the Reservoir. All instances
of the clip are also removed from the Motion Mixer.
Clean Similar to Delete, but only removes clips from the Reservoir that
are not used in the Motion Mixer.

Auto Clip Names Names the clip based on
the name of the motion file. Turn off to name a clip yourself.

Source / Clipname list
The Source / Clipname List displays all the clips you have in the Motion Mixer
Reservoir. Four pieces of important information can be gathered from this
list:
■

Drive location where the clips are stored.

■

Which clips are currently being used in a mix.

■

How many times each instance of a clip appears in the Mixer (Refs).

■

Which clips are simply being held in the reservoir, as opposed to being
used in the Mixer.

As you add clips to a track, from the Tracks menu on page 4094 or by
right-clicking a track, they are automatically added to the Reservoir. If the clip

Motion Mixer Interface | 4135

is a new adaptation on page 9084, the name of the clip is assigned an incremental
suffix, such as 1 or 2.
The Refs (Reference) column tells you how many times a clip instance on page
9195 has been used in the Motion Mixer, or if it has not been used at all. If an
instance shows a Refs value of 1 or more, it means the instance has been used
that many times. If an instance shows a Refs value of zero, it means the clip
was once used by one or more bipeds, but is not currently used on any tracks.
If a clip has been added to the reservoir, but has never been placed in the
Motion Mixer, only the source path will be listed and no Refs value is displayed.

Clip Status field
The Clip Status field appears at the lower left of the Reservoir and gives you
information about how a particular clip has been used. You can get file
information, such as the source location of the BIP or XAF file. Clip
information is also displayed, like the name of the clip reference as it appears
in the Motion Mixer. Information about the biped structure is also listed along
with the bipeds to which the clip has been adapted.

Motion Preview
The Motion Preview at the lower right side of the Reservoir shows a thumbnail
of the selected clip. Moving the slider across the bottom gives you an idea of
what the motion looks like before you add it to a track.
NOTE In order for a clip to show in the Motion Preview, it must be a BIP file that
has been saved for this version of 3ds Max. If you choose a BIP file that is from an
older version of 3ds Max, you will see a warning that the file is obsolete and should
be resaved. Until the BIP file is resaved, it will not display in the Motion Preview.
NOTE The Motion Preview is available only when you choose the Biped Clips
option.

4136 | Chapter 13 Animation

Mixer Preferences Dialog
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤ Mixer ➤

(Preferences)

Graph Editors menu ➤ Motion Mixer ➤

(Preferences)

The Motion Mixer Preferences dialog lets you make changes to display settings
for clips, transitions and frames. It is similar to the way you can Hide By
Category on the Display panel. You can also specify mixdown options from
this dialog.
The settings on the Motion Mixer Preference dialog are saved in the biped.ini
file, as well as with the MAX file.

Interface

Motion Mixer Interface | 4137

Show / Hide group
These settings affect how clips appear in the Motion Mixer tracks.
■

NamesWhen turned off, clip names do not appear on the colored clip bars
in the Motion Mixer. Default=On.

■

ScalesDisplays the clip scale. Since clips can be resized by using tools like
Move Clips, displaying the scales quickly lets you know if a clip is two
times its original length or half its length. Default=Off.

■

BoundariesTurns on and off the frame numbers at the start and end of the
colored clip bars. Default=On.

■

Weight CurvesToggles the display of the weighting line. It doesn't matter
if the Weight button is active or not. Default=On.

■

Time WarpsIf a time warp has been added to a clip, this switch toggles the
display of the warp on the colored clip bar. Default=On.

Show / Hide Transitions group
The two settings affect how transitions appear in the Motion Mixer tracks.
■

InpointsToggles the beginning transition frame on the transition clip bar.
Default=On.

■

OutpointsDisplays the end transition frame on the transition clip bar.
Default=Off.

Show / Hide Other group
These settings indicate if range bars and balance curves appear in the Motion
Mixer tracks.
■

Trackgroup RangebarsHides the gray range bar that appears along the top
of each trackgroup. Default=On.

■

Balance CurvesDisplays the Balance Curves track. Default=On.

Frame Display group
These settings affect how clip boundaries and transition in/outpoints appear
in the Motion Mixer.

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Global Displays clip start and end frames as frame numbers. Inpoints and
outpoints of transitions display the frame at which transitions start and end.
Default=On.
Local Clip boundary values are displayed as actual lengths in frames. Along
with the start and end frame number of the transition, additional values tell
you by how much the transition overlaps each motion clip.

Mixdown Options group
These settings affect how transitions between biped object clips appear in the
Motion Mixer tracks.
■

Prompt For Options At Each MixdownWhen turned on, the Mixdown
Options dialog is displayed when you choose Compute Mixdown from
the Mix menu in the Motion Mixer. Default=On.

■

A Keyframe Per FrameWhen turned on, a keyframe is generated for each
frame of animation when the mixdown is computed. Default=Off.

■

Enforce IK ConstraintsWhen a transition occurs between two clips where
the same foot or feet are planted with footsteps or planted keys, this option
forces the foot/feet to stay planted during the transition. Default=On.
■

■

Continuity RangeSets an additional transition time after the actual
transition, giving the foot time to get from its planted position to its
keyframed location in the next clip. Range=0 to 100; Default=6.

Filter Hyper–Extended LegsPrevents a leg from straightening during a
transition. This can occur when the COM moves in such a way that the
foot can't reach its planted position unless the leg goes completely straight.
This option corrects the problem by raising the biped's heel off the ground
so the knee can bend. Default=On.
■

Max Knee AngleSets the maximum angle that can be reached between
the thigh and calf before the heel comes off the ground. An angle of
180 indicates a perfectly straight leg. A value of 160 or 170 indicates a
slightly bent leg.

Motion Mixer Interface | 4139

Mixer Rollout
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
Mode) ➤ Mixer rollout

(Mixer

On this rollout, you can load and save MIX files (Motion Mixer files) on page
9223 . A saved MIX file can be loaded onto any biped in the scene, and motions
in the mix will be automatically adapted to the biped's size.

The Mixer rollout appears when Mixer Mode is turned on from the
Biped rollout.

Interface

Load File Loads a Motion Mixer file (.mix). These files include the
following, which display in the Motion Mixer window when a MIX file is
loaded:
■

TrackgroupsGroups of tracks on page 9330 for selected parts of the biped.

■

TracksLayer tracks on page 9201 and transition tracks on page 9337 where clips
and transitions reside.

■

ClipsReferences to BIP animation files used in the mix.

■

TransitionsConnections between clips on transition tracks.

NOTE Loading a MIX file does not automatically open the Motion Mixer. Click
Mixer on the Biped Apps rollout to open the Motion Mixer and see the loaded
mix.

Save File Saves the currently selected biped's mix in the Motion Mixer
to a MIX file.

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Saving and Loading Animation
You can save and load animation data for any number of objects separately
from the actual scene via Load Animation and Save Animation commands
available on the Animation menu.
These commands use two file types:
■

XAF (XML Animation File) contains the animation data.

■

XMM (XML Animation Map File) contains mapping information: how the
incoming animation data is assigned to objects in the current scene.

Mapping is quite flexible: as long as data is comparable, it can be assigned.
For example, each key for both position and rotation animation contains
three numbers, so you could, if you wanted, assign incoming position data
to a current object's rotation track, or vice versa.
See also:
■

Save Animation on page 4159

■

Load Animation on page 4144

■

Map Animation Dialog on page 4147

Procedures
To use the Save Animation and Load Animation commands:
You start by saving animation data from the current scene.
1 Select any number of objects in your scene that contain animation. The
animation can be of any type: procedural, manually keyframed, IK, and
so on.
The frame range from which the animation is saved is the same for all
objects, so make sure you select only objects from which you want to
save the same frame range.
NOTE Using this method, you can save animation only from selected objects.
Alternatively, you can save animation from specific tracks in Track View; see
Hierarchy Right-Click Menu on page 3861.
2 From the Animation menu, choose Save Animation on page 4159.
3 Set the save parameters.

Saving and Loading Animation | 4141

By default, the command saves all keys from animated tracks for selected
objects, including motion derived from constraints. For example, if an
object rotates because a LookAt constraint is applied to its Rotation track,
then when you save its animation with Include Constraints on page 4161
on, 3ds Max generates rotation keys based on the constrained motion.
It does not save the actual constraint.
You can save just a part of the animation by turning on Segment on page
4162 and setting a frame range.
4 Specify a file name and then click Save, or click the + button next to Save
to increment the file name and save under the new file name.
If the selected objects contain no savable animation, the message “No
animation tracks to save” appears. If this happens, create animation to
save or change the Save Animation parameters as needed.
Next, you load the animation data.
5 Set up or load a new scene and then select any objects that are to receive
the loaded animation.
NOTE Using this method, you can load animation only to selected objects.
Alternatively, you can load animation to specific tracks in Track View; see
Hierarchy Right-Click Menu on page 3861.
6 From the Animation menu, choose Load Animation on page 4144.
7 Find and highlight the XAF file from which to load animation.
8 Click Load Motion. If the objects you're loading animation to are the
same as those you saved the animation from, the animation loads and
is mapped automatically. If mapping is required, you're given the
opportunity to set it up. Or, if you've already set up mapping for the
scene and incoming animation data, choose a mapping (XMM) file from
the Motion Mapping/Retargeting drop-down list and then click Get
Mapping. Otherwise, click Edit Mapping.
Clicking Edit Mapping opens the Map Animation dialog on page 4147,
which contains three lists: from left to right, Current, Mapped, and
Incoming. The Current list shows selected objects in the scene and their
animation tracks; the Incoming list shows animation tracks in the XAF
file, and the Mapped list shows, for each track in the Current list, the
animation track in the Incoming list that will map to it. In certain cases,
such as with objects that have the same name, some tracks are mapped
automatically and appear in the Mapped column as soon as you open

4142 | Chapter 13 Animation

the dialog. The tracks that are already mapped are shown in gray in the
Current and Incoming columns.
9 To map a pair of tracks manually, click a track in the Current list and
another in the Incoming list, and then click the left-arrow (<-) button to
the left of the Incoming list.
This places the name of the incoming track in the Mapped list, opposite
the Current-list track to which it is assigned.
10 To remove a mapping assignment, click its entry in the Mapped list, and
then click the -> button.
11 Continue setting up the mapping assignments as needed. When you're
finished, click Save Mapping or Save Mapping As, and then specify a file
name to save.
After you save the mapping file, the Load Motion button becomes
available, and you can proceed with loading the animation.
12 Click Load Motion.
The animation data is loaded and assigned to the selected objects, and
any animation keys appear on the track bar.
To retarget an incoming animation:
This is a continuation of the previous procedure, and explains the basic
workflow of node retargeting. Retargeting means to scale the animation so it
matches the objects onto which you are mapping the motion. You can use
this feature any time you need to transfer an animation between two objects
or rigs of different sizes and proportions. For example, an animation of a cat
stretching could be retargeted to a bigger dog model, resulting in a scaled
animation to fit the dog's skeleton.
Once your track-mapping assignments are complete, the Retargetable Nodes
list on the Retargeting rollout displays the mappings available for retargeting.
For steps that describe retargeting a character rig, see To retarget one character
onto another on page 4155.
1 First, in the Scale Origin group, choose the Incoming and Current objects
to use as the origin and basis for scaling.
For example, when retargeting a rig, you would use each rig's root object.
2 Next, in the Derive Scale Between Chains group, chose comparable IK or
FK chains from the Incoming and Current models to obtain a Scale Factor

Saving and Loading Animation | 4143

that proportionally retargets the incoming animation onto the current
model.
3 Click Set to apply the retargeting.
4 If different portions of the model are differently proportioned, you might
need to repeat steps 2 and 3 for different selections of mapped tracks.
You might also need to use the FK Retargeting Extent group to account
for the different proportions. See Retargeting Rollout on page 4154 for more
details.
5 When you're finished, save your mapping to preserve the retargeted data,
and then click Load Motion to apply the animation to the currently
selected objects.
Retargeting is essentially a “by hand” process. You might need to try
different settings to get the result you need. You can remove retargeting
by highlighting a mapped track in the Retargetable Nodes list, and then
clicking Clear.
6 Close the Map Animation dialog.

Load Animation
Select one or more objects. ➤ Animation menu ➤ Load Animation
Track View ➤ Hierarchy/Controller window ➤ Highlight one or more tracks
➤ Right-click. ➤ Load Animation
Load Animation lets you load animation from an XAF (XML Animation File)
file to objects in your scene. Part of the animation-loading process is mapping
the animation; that is, specifying which objects in the scene are to receive the
loaded animation tracks.
For a procedure that outlines the basic method of saving and loading
animation, see To use the Save Animation and Load Animation commands
on page 4141.
See also:
■

Saving and Loading Animation on page 4141

■

Save Animation on page 4159

■

Map Animation Dialog on page 4147

4144 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

[file controls] The controls in the upper-left corner of the dialog are standard
file-browsing controls.
Load Into Active Layer Loads the animation file into the active layer.
Default=off.
This option makes it easier to load an animation file to an object that has had
Animation Layers on page 3496 enabled (or disabled) subsequent to saving the
animation files. Remapping is necessary in this case because enabling or
disabling Animation Layers causes the full controller names to change. For
example, if a sphere's X position track before enabling Animation Layers is
Sphere01\Transform\Position\X Position, then after enabling Animation
Layers it might change to Sphere01\Transform\Position\Base Layer\X Position
(the layer name is inserted into the controller name).
Whether Load Into Active Layer is on or off, when you load animation to an
object after changing its Animation Layers status, 3ds Max prompts you to
create a map file. If Load Into Active Layer is on, when you click Yes to create
the map file, the Map Animation dialog opens showing only the active layer's

Load Animation | 4145

tracks in the Current list, and the tracks are already mapped correctly in the
Mapped list. All you need to do is save the mapping, and then load the motion.
If Load Into Active Layer is off, clicking Yes to create the map file opens the
Map Animation dialog showing all animation tracks in all layers, and you
need to use the Map Animation controls to map the tracks before saving the
mapping and loading the motion.
Relative/Absolute Determines how incoming animation affects existing
values. Relative starts the loaded motion at the current values of the selected
objects in the scene. Absolute sets the values of objects in the scene the scene
to those of the motion; so, for example, it would move a character to a new
location and start the animation there. Default=Relative.
Replace/Insert Determines how existing keys are treated when the animation
is loaded. Replace overwrites the keys in the scene with the incoming motion,
starting at the chosen frame. Insert inserts the motion at the chosen frame
and moves any subsequent, existing keys to the end of the incoming motion.
Default=Insert.
At Frame The frame at which the incoming animation is applied. Default=0.
Load Motion If mapping information is available, loads the animation from
the file specified in the File Name field and applies it to current objects
according to the mapping information. If no mapping has been specified,
you're given the opportunity to create a map file. If you then click Yes, the
Map Animation dialog on page 4147 opens, but if you click No, no animation
is loaded.
Cancel Closes the dialog without loading any animation.

Motion Mapping/Retargeting group
File Shows the current mapping file, or “Default” if no mapping file has been
chosen. Choose a mapping file from the drop-down list.
The list contains the most recently loaded mapping files. If the file you want
to use isn't available in the list, use the Get Mapping button.
TIP If the paths in the drop-down list are too long to see the file name itself, you
can resize the dialog to make the dialog and the list wider.
Get Mapping Lets you browse to load a mapping file. Use this if the file doesn't
appear in the Use Mapping drop-down list. The file then appears in the list
for easy reloading.

4146 | Chapter 13 Animation

Edit Mapping Opens the Map Animation dialog on page 4147 for setting up
animation assignments between incoming tracks and existing tracks. Available
only after an animation (XAF) file has been chosen.

User Data group
The User Data list shows any user data present in the XAF file specified in the
File Name field. User data can be created via the Save Animation dialog, or by
editing the XAF file directly.

Map Animation Dialog
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Edit Mapping
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Load Motion ➤
XML Animation dialog ➤ Click Yes.
The Map Animation dialog lets you assign incoming animation tracks when
using the Load Animation on page 4144 command. The dialog is resizable and
contains three rollouts: for setting up basic parameters, doing the actual
mapping, and doing retargeting.
For a procedure that outlines the basic method of saving and loading
animation, see To use the Save Animation and Load Animation commands
on page 4141.
See also:
■

Saving and Loading Animation on page 4141

■

Save Animation on page 4159

■

Load Animation on page 4144

Load Animation | 4147

Interface

Most controls on this dialog are contained in three rollouts:
Motion Mapping Parameters Rollout on page 4149
Map Track to Track Rollout on page 4152
Retargeting Rollout on page 4154
Motion File Shows the path and name of the current animation (XAF) file.
■

NewClick to display a file dialog and specify a new animation file to load.
With this option, you don't need to return to the Load Animation dialog.

Map File Shows the path and name of the current map (XMM) file.
■

NewClick to display a file dialog and specify a new map file to load.
With this option, you don't need to return to the Load Animation dialog.

Save Mapping Click to save the current mapping assignments to an XMM
file. If a file name is already displayed in the Map File field, it is overwritten;
otherwise, 3ds Max displays a file dialog so you can enter a name for the new
file.

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Save Mapping As Click to save the current mapping assignments to an XMM
file using a different file name. This displays the Save XML Animation map
file dialog.
Load Motion Click to load the animation from the XAF file, and maps the
animation tracks as specified.
This button is available only when the Map File field contains a valid map
file name.
Replace / Insert These options determine how existing keys are treated when
you load an animation. Replace overwrites the current scene's keys (if any)
with the incoming motion, starting at the chosen frame. Insert inserts the
motion at the chosen frame and moves any existing keys to the end of the
incoming motion. Default=Insert.
■

At FrameThe frame at which the incoming animation is written (Replace)
or inserted. Default=0.

Relative/Absolute These options determine how incoming animation affects
existing values. Relative starts the loaded motion at the current values of the
selected objects in the scene. Absolute sets the values of objects in the scene
to those of the incoming motion. For example, when you load a character
animation, Relative starts the animation from the character's current position,
while Absolute first moves the character to the position of the character in
the scene from which the animation was saved. Default=Relative.

Motion Mapping Parameters Rollout
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Edit Mapping
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Load Motion ➤
XML Animation dialog ➤ Click Yes.
This rollout provides controls for automatically mapping animation tracks
and for filtering tracks to reduce clutter.

Interface

Load Animation | 4149

Map Nodes group
These controls let you perform automatic mapping by name or hierarchical
order. Mapping is done first by node (object) name, and then within each
node's hierarchy by controller (track) name.
The default method of automatic mapping is Exact Name for both nodes and
controller. When you first open the Map Animation dialog, any node/controller
pairs whose names match exactly are automatically mapped. To change the
mapping, remove any existing assignments in the Mapped list (highlight them
and then click the -> button), and then choose an alternate method.
Exact Name This maps node to node, by name. If the names do not match
exactly, the tracks will not map, and the status line will report how many
nodes did not map
Closest Name Finds a match in the object names, and uses the Controller
options (described below) to confirm the match.
For example, if the incoming is R Toe 01 and the choice in the Current list is
between Right Index Toe and R Toe Helper, it will look at the controller structure
and compare by name, or type or order, and try to determine which node is
the closest to the incoming. When the choice is close like this, the status line
reports that there was another close match, and highlight the close, but
unmapped, nodes in the incoming list in red.
Hierarchy This option turns off the above options. It matches by node order;
for example, Bone01>Bone02>Bone03 would map to Leg>Calf>Foot, if Controller
is set to Order and the leg is mapped to Bone01. The Hierarchy option ignores
the names.
Controller Determines how automatic mapping is performed within nodes:
■

Exact Name(The default.) Matches controllers by name, regardless of order.
This applies specifically to lists, morph channels, maps, custom attributes,
and any other tracks that are listed by a user-defined name that might be
reordered for some reason.

■

OrderThis maps by controller order only, regardless of name or type, and
it turns the other options off. For example, it will map the first controller
in a list to the first controller in a list. If necessary, it “bakes” the animation
by creating per-frame keys.
If any controllers are not mappable (for example, a Bezier controller getting
mapped into a script), the status line will report the error and highlight
the node that couldn’t map in the incoming list.

Type When on, allows mapping only between controllers of the same type.
It prevents mapping between two controllers of different types. For example,

4150 | Chapter 13 Animation

a controller such as Noise and its parameters will map only to another Noise
controller. Default=off.

Filters group
The Filters options are similar to those available in Track View: they enable
viewing only certain types of tracks. Filtering is can be a help with large,
complex animation setups, because it lets you focus on tracks of specific
interest and ignore the rest.
The following information describes the action of filters that are on. Unless
otherwise specified, when a filter is off, the track type it applies to is hidden.
In some cases, a track will not be hidden because a different filter that is on
permits display of that track.
NOTE The Incoming list contains only animation tracks that were saved in the
XAF file, so it cannot display unavailable tracks. For example, if you don't animate
an object's creation parameters, toggling the Base Objects switch won't change
the Incoming list contents.
Current/Incoming Determines whether the filters are applied to the Current
list or the Incoming list.
Lock When the Lock button is on, the filters are applied to both lists.
Default=locked.
When the Lock button is off, only one of these is active at a time, and
3ds Max remembers different sets of on/off values for the filtering parameters.
Animated Tracks Displays tracks that contain animation keys.
Include Constraints Displays constraint tracks, even if they are not animated.
Keyable Tracks Displays tracks that are set to keyable, regardless of whether
they contain animation.
Unmapped Tracks When on, hides mapped tracks. When off, all tracks are
displayed.
Visibility Tracks Displays visibility tracks.
Note Tracks Displays note tracks. When a note track is mapped, the notes
are added to an existing note track in the current scene.
Custom Attributes Displays custom attribute tracks.

Load Animation | 4151

Controller Types Displays controller types (names) in the list. For example,
the Position X track reads “Position X: Bezier Float.”
IK Controllers Displays any IK controllers.
Modifiers Displays animatable modifier tracks.
NOTE In order for modifier tracks to display in the Current column, the Base
Objects filter must also be on.
Base Objects Displays creation-parameter tracks for parametric objects such
as Box and Sphere.
Map Parameters Shows map tracks, such as Tiling for Bitmaps and Mix
Amount for Mix maps.
Material Parameters Shows tracks for materials; for example, animated Diffuse
color values, Opacity, and so on.
Expose World Transforms Displays tracks for world transforms. These let
you map all transform animation between two objects using a single track,
named Exposed World Transform.
Transforms Enables or disables display of all transforms other than the exposed
world transforms. The toggles that follow control display of individual
transforms:
■

Position/X/Y/ZThe Position check box lets you toggle display of all Position
tracks, while the X/Y/Z check boxes let you toggle display of the track for
each axis.

■

Rotation/X/Y/ZThe Rotation check box lets you toggle display of all
Rotation tracks, while the X/Y/Z check boxes let you toggle display of the
track for each axis.

■

Scale/X/Y/ZThe Scale check box lets you toggle display of all Scale tracks,
while the X/Y/Z check boxes let you toggle display of the track for each
axis.

Map Track to Track Rollout
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Edit Mapping
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Load Motion ➤
XML Animation dialog ➤ Click Yes.

4152 | Chapter 13 Animation

This rollout comprises three list windows. The left (Current) and right
(Incoming) show node/controller hierarchies, as in Track View.
Because the Map Nodes group functions apply to highlighted tracks, you can
use standard highlighting methods. Click to highlight an entry, Ctrl+click to
highlight multiple entries, and Shift+click to highlight a range. Also, in the
Current and Incoming windows, you can right-click to open a menu that lets
you highlight all tracks (Select All), invert the current highlighting (Select
Invert), and turn off highlighting for all tracks (Select None).
In addition, you can use the right-click menu to expand and collapse any
track with a - or + icon next to its name.

Interface

Current list Shows animation tracks for selected objects in the scene, using
the same hierarchical display as Track View. Unassigned tracks use black
characters, while assigned tracks use gray characters.
Status This read-only field shows the number of controllers and the number
of nodes mapped.
Mapped list Shows tracks that have been mapped.
<- Assigns the highlighted animation track in the Incoming list to the
highlighted animation track in the Current list. The assignment then appears
in the Mapped list, opposite the corresponding Current list entry.
If the two tracks don't contain comparable data, nothing happens when you
click the button.
-> Removes the highlighted Mapped list entry.

Load Animation | 4153

Incoming list Shows animation tracks in the loaded XAF file, using the same
hierarchical display as Track View. Unassigned tracks use black characters,
while assigned tracks use gray characters.

Retargeting Rollout
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Edit Mapping
Animation menu ➤ Load Animation ➤ Open dialog ➤ Load Motion ➤
XML Animation dialog ➤ Click Yes.
When you map an animation from one rig or object onto another, use this
rollout to establish retarget references between the incoming nodes in regards
to their scale dependency. Retargeting means to scale the animation so it
matches the objects onto which you are mapping the motion.
You need to retarget only when the size or proportions of the incoming model
differ from the size or proportions of the current model.
Retargeting applies to any kind of animation, from matching fight
choreographies, to changing a weather balloon's fly-through trajectory over
hills and valleys. The down side of this is that essentially you have to set up
the scaling relationships by hand; the good news is that the steps are fairly
straightforward, and that once you have retargeted, the settings are reusable
for all animation mapped between the same two sets of objects.
While retargeting is a general-purpose feature, it is especially useful for
transferring animation from one character to another, when the characters
are of different sizes, and possibly of different proportions (for example, a
human model to a gorilla, or vice versa). You can transfer IK animation onto
an FK rig, or vice versa. There are some rules of thumb when you work with
mapping character animation:
■

In a walk cycle, the root of a character moves, and all other movement is
typically rotation.
Because of this, usually you want to map the root motion and the rotation
tracks, and leave the others alone.
The exception to this is when arms or other parts (tentacles?) are animated
by IK. When IK is present, you need to take the additional step of mapping
and retargeting the IK goals.

■

The legs need to reach the “ground,” and feet should not slide.
Because of this, use the legs as the basis of recalculating the scale for the
target character.

4154 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Characters are usually symmetrical.
Because of this, usually retargeting one limb does the trick for both.
If a character's limbs are not symmetrical, retarget each of them individually.
If the current model uses forward kinematics, then use the FK Retargeting
Extent controls as well.

Procedures
To retarget one character onto another:
This procedure is not a detailed procedure, but an overall workflow. It assumes
you have already saved the incoming character's animation, then loaded it
onto the current character, as described in To use the Save Animation and
Load Animation commands on page 4141.
NOTE If the animation you are saving is unkeyed world-space animation (as
opposed to IK or FK), turn off Animated Tracks when you save.
1 On the Map Track To Track rollout on page 4152, map the motion tracks
of the incoming character's root to the current character's root.
For example, if you are retargeting a Biped on page 4822 onto another, you
would map the incoming Biped object's position and rotation tracks onto
the current Biped.
2 Map the rotation tracks of the incoming character's limbs onto the current
character's limbs.
There is one exception here: if a hand (for example) is going to use IK in
the current scene, either don't map it at all, so you can animate it later,
or if you are mapping from an FK model to an IK model, map the Exposed
World Transform to transfer the incoming FK trajectories to current IK
controls.
3 Go to the Retargeting rollout.
4 In the Scale Origin group, choose both the Incoming and Current root
objects.
If the characters are symmetrical and have the same proportions, you
can now choose all the mapped tracks in the Retargetable Nodes list. If
the characters are not symmetrical, or their proportions are different,
then you need to take further steps.

Load Animation | 4155

5 In the Derive Scale Between Chains group, choose the Start and End
nodes of both Incoming and Current chains to correspond to either the
left or right leg of the character: for example, Thigh to Toe.
Read the Scale Factor that is set on the basis of the two chains.
6 Click Set to retarget the highlighted mapped tracks.
If the two current legs are not the same length, repeat step 5 for the other
leg, then choose that leg's Foot (or Toe) node, turn on Enabled in the FK
Retargeting Extent group, and choose the top of the leg (for example,
Thigh) as the parent to use. Click Set.
7 Save the retargeted mapping file.
8 Click Load Motion to animate the current character, and then close the
Map Animation dialog.

Interface

Retargetable Nodes list This list shows the tracks that have been mapped
using the Map Track To Track rollout on page 4152. Each of these mappings can
be retargeted.
The fields in this list are as follows:
■

Current Mapped NodeShows the node-to-node mapping, as in
“CurrentObject->IncomingObject.”

■

RWhen a mapping has been retargeted, this field shows an “X.”

4156 | Chapter 13 Animation

■

Scale (X,Y,Z)Shows the current scaling factor for each dimension of the
current node.

■

AbsoluteWhen a mapping uses absolute scaling, this field shows an “X.”

■

Scale Origin (Incoming,Current)Shows the incoming and current scale
origins for this mapping. If the mapping hasn't been retargetted, this field
shows “Scene Root , Scene Root.”

■

Incoming Chain (Start,End)If the mapping has been retargeted, shows the
incoming chain used to calculate scale.

■

Current Chain (Start,End)If the mapping has been retargeted, shows the
current chain used to calculate scale.

■

FK ExtentIf a mapped track's FK extents have been recalculated, shows the
parent node used in the recalculation.

Find Enter a name to search for a particular object, then press Enter. 3ds Max
highlights matching entries in the list.
Filter Retargeted Nodes When on, the list shows only those mappings that
have been retargeted. When off, all mappings are listed. Default=off.
Mapped Node Shows the currently highlighted mapped node. If more than
one list entry is highlighted, shows “—Multiple—.”

Scale group
■

AbsoluteWhen chosen, scaling for the currently highlighted mappings is
absolute, and based on the XYZ settings in this group alone.

■

Multiply Derived Scale(The default.) When chosen, scaling for the selected
mappings is based on both the XYZ settings in this group, and calculations
from the Derive Scale Between Chains group and the FK Retargeting Extent
group (if that is used).

X/Y/Z You can use these fields to explicitly set the scaling factor for the
currently highlighted mappings.

Scale Origin group
Incoming Choose the incoming object from which to derive the scaling
origin. This is a drop-down list obtained from the list of incoming nodes.

Load Animation | 4157

Current Click to display a Select dialog and chose the current object from
which to derive the scaling origin. The dialog shows all currently selected
objects.
Typically, you set these two to be the incoming root node and current root
node, whose motion tracks are already mapped.

Derive Scale Between Chains group
Resulting Scale Factor Displays the scale factor derived from the Scale Origin
and Incoming/Current Chain settings. Check this value to see that it matches
the apparent difference in proportion between the objects or characters you
are retargeting.
Incoming Chain These controls set the incoming IK or FK chain to use in
calculating the Scale Factor.
■

StartChoose the start of the incoming chain. This is a drop-down list
obtained from the list of incoming nodes.
When retargeting character animation, typically you choose the top of the
incoming character's leg; for example, the thigh.

■

EndChoose the end of the incoming chain. This is a drop-down list that
is restricted to children of the incoming Start object.
When retargeting character animation, typically you choose the end of
the incoming character's leg; for example, the toe.

Current Chain These controls set the incoming IK or FK chain to use in
calculating the Scale Factor.
■

StartClick to display a Select dialog and choose the start of the current
chain. The dialog shows all currently selected objects.
When retargeting character animation, typically you choose the top of the
current character's leg (using the same side as you used for the incoming
chain).

■

EndChoose the end of the current chain. This is a drop-down list that is
restricted to children of the current Start object.
When retargeting character animation, typically you choose the end of
the current character's leg.

If a character's legs are symmetrical, which is usually the case, you only need
to calculate the retargeting scale for one leg, and then Set that value to both.
If the character's legs are not symmetrical, you need to calculate values for
both legs, and also use the FK Extents controls (described below).

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FK Retargeting Extent group
When the current model uses IK, 3ds Max knows the extent to retarget because
it is defined by the IK solution. But if the current model uses FK, you should
specify the extent of retargeting. For example, mapping rotation animation
from a long leg to a short leg with different link lengths requires that the short
leg’s foot be chosen to retarget so it ends up meeting the floor in the same
way the long leg does. In order for 3ds Max to know how far up the chain
from the foot to do the retargeting, the parent of the desired chain (for
example, the thigh) must be specified. By defining the two chains to compare,
3ds Max can adjust the resulting rotations such that the feet don't slide.
When a character's limbs are not symmetrical, you can also use these controls
to keep rotations proportional. First, highlight the current child (for example,
a foot or toe) in the Retargetable Nodes list. Turn on Enabled, and then use
the drop-down list to choose the upper parent (for example, the thigh) of the
limb you are retargeting. Finally, click Set.
Enabled Turn on to enable retargeting extents. Default=off.
Parent Node Choose the current upper parent of the limb you are retargeting.
This drop-down list is restricted to parents of the currently highlighted current
object.

_____
Get Click to set controls in the Scale, Derive Scale Between Chains, and FK
Retargeting Extents groups based on the currently highlighted mapping in
the list.
If multiple mappings are selected, Get fetches the first highlighted mapping
in the list.
Set Click to apply the current Scale Factor to the mappings that are currently
highlighted in the list.
Clear Click to clear retargeting values from the mappings that are currently
highlighted in the list.

Save Animation
Select one or more animated objects. ➤ Animation menu ➤ Save Animation
Track View ➤ Hierarchy/Controller window ➤ Highlight one or more tracks
➤ Right-click. ➤ Save Animation

Save Animation | 4159

Save Animation lets you store animation from your scene to disk in the XML
Animation File (XAF) format. The XAF file format lets you save and load
animation for any number of objects separately from the actual scene.
For a procedure that outlines the basic method of saving and loading
animation, see To use the Save Animation and Load Animation commands
on page 4141.
See also:
■

Saving and Loading Animation on page 4141

■

Load Animation on page 4144

■

Map Animation Dialog on page 4147

Interface
To use Save Animation, select the objects from which to save animation data,
and then choose Save Animation from the Animation menu. Settings in the
Save XML Animation dialog apply only to objects that are selected when you
save the animation.

4160 | Chapter 13 Animation

File controls The controls in the upper-left corner of the dialog are standard
file-browsing controls.
Animated Tracks Saves only animated tracks. This is on by default, and should
generally be left on.
Include Constraints When on, includes motion derived from constraints.
Available only when Animated Tracks is on. Default=on.
For example, if an object rotates because a LookAt constraint is applied to its
Rotation track, then when you save its animation with Include Constraints
on, 3ds Max generates rotation keys based on the constrained motion. It does
not save the actual constraint. When off, animation accomplished only by
constraints, such as the Link constraint, is not saved.
NOTE This doesn't apply to constraints such as the Path constraint on page 3629.
Because this constraint assigns the animation directly to the constrained object,
rather than deriving it from the constraining object, Save Animation saves
path-constrained animation even if Include Constraints is off.

Save Animation | 4161

Keyable Tracks When on, saves only keyable on page 3898 tracks with
controllers, as defined in Track View. Turning this on allows keyless animation
tracks to be saved. Default=off.
If both Animated Tracks and Keyable Tracks are on, any tracks that contain
animation but are not keyable won't be saved. You can use this option to
avoid saving tracks that aren't relevant to the scene into which you're loading
the animation. For example, if you want to save constraint data, but not data
from a LookAt constraint (because LookAt tends to be specific to the scene),
you can turn off Keyable for the LookAt track, and then save with Keyable
Tracks on.
NOTE Animated Tracks overrides Keyable Tracks. If a track is keyable but doesn't
contain any animation data, and Animated Tracks is on, the track won't be saved
even if Keyable Tracks is on.
NOTE Tracks without controllers, such as nonanimated creation-parameter tracks,
won't be saved even if Keyable Tracks is on. To save a nonanimated
creation-parameter track, add a controller, turn off Animated Tracks, and turn on
Keyable Tracks.
Segment Lets you save a specific frame range, as opposed to the entire
animation. Default=off.
■

Active Time RangeClick to set the From and To fields to the currently
active time range. Available only when Segment is on.

■

Objects Time RangeClick to set the From and To fields to the time
range that corresponds to the keys of the currently selected objects.
Available only when Segment is on.

■

FromSets the starting frame for the range to save. Available only when
Segment is on.

■

From/ToSets the ending frame for the range to save. Available only when
Segment is on.

Key Per Frame Saves an animation key per frame, thus “baking” the animation
to keyframes.
This can be useful if you are applying a procedural animation, such as a
dynamics simulation, to an object that won't be participating in a dynamics
simulation in the target scene.

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+ Increments the number at the end of the file name and saves the animation
file with the new name. If the file name doesn't currently end with a number
of two or more digits, clicking + appends “01” to the file name (before the
extension), and then saves the file.
Save Saves the animation using the current file name.
Cancel Closes the dialog without saving any animation.

User Data group
These controls let you enter user attributes and names. This could simply be
notes about the animation file, or they could be actual data for use by custom
plug-ins and utilities.
To enter user data, type a value in the Attribute field, press Tab and type a
value in the Value field, and then press Enter to add the attribute and value
to the list below. These values are saved with the XAF file and can be viewed
with the Load Animation dialog.
Attribute Enter an attribute name.
Value Enter an attribute value. This can be any combination of alphanumeric
characters. To add the attribute and value to the file, press Enter while the
cursor is in this field.

Delete User Data Deletes the highlighted attribute from the list along
with its corresponding value.
Attribute list Shows all attributes and values in the file. To change a value,
click the corresponding attribute in the list to highlight it and place it in the
Attribute and Value fields, edit the Value field, and then press Enter. You can
also edit the Attribute field, but this creates a new entry.
To remove an attribute, highlight its name in the list and then click Delete
User Data.

Merge Animation
[Available only as a CUI action]
Merge Animation merges (transfers) animation data from one object to another.
Animation data can be transferred from one scene to another, or between
objects in the same scene. Animation data from several objects can be merged
at the same time.

Merge Animation | 4163

IMPORTANT The Merge Animation command is available only as a Customize
User Interface on page 8837 action; to use it you first must add it to the user interface
explicitly. For transferring animation data between scenes, we highly recommend
that you use the Save Animation and Load Animation functions instead of Merge
Animation. See Saving and Loading Animation on page 4141.
Within the Merge Animation dialog, objects eligible for transferring or
receiving animation data are called nodes. Source nodes refer to objects from
which animation data can be transferred, while current nodes can receive
animation data. Merge nodes are source nodes that have been mapped to
(matched up with) current nodes in the Merge Animation dialog in preparation
for merging.
In order for a particular attribute's animation data to be transferred from a
merge node, the corresponding current node must have the same attribute.
For example, if a merge node has an animated Bend modifier applied to it,
the current node must also have a Bend modifier applied to it for the animation
data to transfer successfully.
The Merge Animation feature is ideal for transferring animation data between
similar hierarchies, such as character structures. In character creation, it is a
common practice to name bones for different characters with the character
name plus a suffix or prefix that describes the bone. For example, you might
have one character called Alien with bones named Alien_Pelvis,
Alien_LeftHand, etc. Another character called Chef would have bones named
Chef_Pelvis, Chef_LeftHand, etc. The Merge Animation dialog can
automatically filter prefixes and suffixes so you can quickly map the merge
nodes for complex hierarchies.
NOTE If you plan to merge animation data to and from characters, the process
will be much easier if you use the same bone-name prefixes or suffixes for each
character.
See also:
■

Merge on page 8101

■

Merging Effects on page 7519

■

Replace on page 8106

4164 | Chapter 13 Animation

Procedures
To replace the animation in the current scene with the animation from another
scene:
1 Load the scene that will receive the merged animation data.
2 Launch the Merge Animation dialog.
3 In the Merge Animation dialog, click Source File to choose the file from
which to merge animation data. The objects appear under Source Nodes
in the Object Mapping rollout.
4 On the Object Mapping rollout, drag and drop the source nodes to the
Merge Nodes column, matching them with the appropriate current nodes.
5 In the Source Time Range group, choose Replace Animation.
6 Specify the source node attributes that will be merged.
7 Click Merge Animation to merge the animation data from the merge
nodes to the current nodes.
To insert animation data from one character to another:
The Source Objects and Current Objects entry fields allow you to enter wildcard
expressions to filter prefixes and suffixes of node names. The filtered text is
ignored by the Auto Name Mapping tool, so complex structures of
similarly-named nodes can be mapped quickly. This feature is handy for
transferring an animation between character structures, providing the source
and current nodes have been named with the same conventions.
1 Load the file with the character to which animation data will be merged.
2 Launch the Merge Animation dialog.
3 Click Source File and choose the animation source file.
4 In the Merge Animation dialog, under Source Objects, use a wildcard
expression to specify multiple items that share a set of characters in their
names. For example, if the character bones are named Skater_Head,
Skater_RFoot, and so on, enter Skater* under Source Objects.
5 Click Refresh for Source Objects.
6 Under Current Objects, use a wildcard expression to filter the current
nodes' prefix or suffix. Click Refresh.
7 Click Auto Name Mapping.

Merge Animation | 4165

Source nodes are placed in the Merge Nodes column, corresponding with
current nodes with the same prefix or suffix.
8 Specify whether to replace or paste animation data from the source file.
If pasting animation data, the frame times for the merge nodes are added
to the current nodes.
9 Specify the source node attributes that will be merged.
10 Click Merge Animation to merge animation data from merge nodes to
corresponding current nodes.
To insert animation from one character assembly to another:
For character assemblies on page 7920, the Insert Animation feature can be used
to merge animation data.
1 Load the file into which the animation data will be merged.
2 Select the character assembly node.
3 On the Modify panel, click Insert Animation. Select the source file from
which animation data will be merged.
4 Follow the previous procedure from step 4.
To merge animation data from objects in the same scene:
1 Launch the Merge Animation dialog.
2 Click Source Object, and choose the object from which animation data
will be transferred. This object and its hierarchy appear under Source
Nodes in the Object Mapping rollout.
3 On the Object Mapping rollout, drag and drop source nodes to the Merge
Nodes column, matching them with the appropriate current nodes.
4 Specify whether to replace or paste animation data from the source file.
If pasting animation data, the frame times for the merge nodes are added
to the current nodes.
5 Specify the source node attributes that will be merged.
6 Click Merge Animation to merge the animation data from the merge
nodes to the current nodes.

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Interface

The Merge Animation dialog has the following controls.

Source Objects group
Source File Click to select a source file containing the animation data.
Animation data from this file will be merged into the current scene. All objects
in the scene are displayed under Source Nodes in the Object Mapping rollout.
Source Object Selects a source object from within the current scene. If a source
object is selected, the Source File selection is ignored.
Merge Animation Merges the animation data based on settings on this dialog.
Before animation data can be merged, Merge Nodes must be listed for their
corresponding Current Nodes on the Object Mapping rollout. The progress
bar at the bottom of the dialog shows the progress of the merge operation.
After merging, this dialog remains on-screen so you can check whether the
merge was performed properly before closing the dialog.
Undo Last Merge Undoes the last merge. If the merge was not performed
properly, you can change settings and try again.

Source Time Range group
Replace Animation Completely replaces existing animation data in the current
scene with the animation data from the source file.
Paste to Existing Animation Appends the source file animation data to the
existing animation data based on the following time parameters.
Match Source File Time Sets the source time range to match the active time
segment in the source file.

Merge Animation | 4167

Start Time Start Time and End Time set the frame range to merge from the
source file. Start Time sets the first frame in the range.
End Time Sets the end frame number to merge from the source file.
Insert Animation to Frame Sets the start time in the current scene. Animation
data will be pasted into the current scene starting at this frame. Any existing
animation data in the current scene prior to this frame will remain the same.
Relative Animation data pasted into the scene will change the current scene
objects relative to their current status. For example, if an object in the source
file is animated to move from the XYZ position 0,0,0 to 12,0,0, the object
receiving the animation data in the current scene will start at its current
position and move 12 units along the X axis.
Absolute Animation data pasted into the scene will replace the current
animation data. For example, if an object in the source file is animated to
move from the XYZ position 0,0,0 to 12,0,0, the object receiving the animation
data in the current scene will start at exactly 0,0,0 and animate to 12,0,0.

Main Attributes group
Specify the source file attributes whose animation data will be merged. Current
nodes must have the same attributes as merge nodes for the attribute animation
data to be merged.
Transform Enables selection of Position, Rotation and Scale animation data
for merging.
IK Merges animation data of IK chains created with IK solvers.
Position Merges Position transform animation data.
Rotation Merges Rotation transform animation data.
Scale Merges Scale transform animation data.
Modifiers Merges animation data of modifiers. In order for animation data
of a modifier to be transferred, the current object must already have the same
modifier applied to it.

More Attributes group
Selects additional attributes to be merged from the source file.
Custom Attributes Merges animation data of any custom attributes on source
objects.

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Add New Defs Adds custom attribute definitions to the current object if it
doesn't have the same definitions as the source object.
Base Objects Merges animation data of parameters at the object base level.
For example, if a sphere's Radius parameter is animated, checking this option
will merge the Radius animation data. This option will also merge animation
data at an object's sub-object level, such as the animation of vertices on a
spline or Editable Mesh object.
Materials/Maps Merges animation data of materials and/or maps.
Visibility Tracks Merges animation data of visibility tracks.

Object Mapping rollout

Sets up a one-to-one correspondence (mapping) between source objects and
current objects. Animation data on objects in the Merge Nodes column will
be merged to the corresponding object in the Current Nodes column.
To move objects to the Merge Nodes column, drag them from the Source
Nodes column, or use Auto Name Mapping to automatically map objects with
the same names or partial names.
Source Objects Allows you to specify wildcard expressions for filtering source
objects. Click Refresh to view objects specified by the wildcard expression.

Merge Animation | 4169

Refresh Refreshes the display based on wildcard expressions entered in the
Source Objects field.
Source Nodes Displays the object selected with the Source Object option, and
all its children. Objects with keyframed animation are listed in red, and objects
with procedural controllers (such as a Noise or Expression controller) are listed
in green. The display can be limited with wildcard expressions entered in the
Source Objects field.
Current Objects Allows you to specify wildcard expressions for filtering current
objects. Click Refresh to view objects selected by the wildcard expression.
Refresh Refreshes the display based on wildcard expressions entered in the
Current Objects field.
Current Nodes Displays objects in the current scene. Animated objects are
listed in red. Display can be limited by wildcard expressions in the Current
Objects field.
Merge Nodes Lists the current objects that will receive animation data from
the corresponding object under Current Nodes. To place an object in the
Merge Nodes column, drag and drop the item from Source Nodes, or use Auto
Name Mapping to automatically map objects with the same or similar names.

Move Up Moves the selected Merge Node up one row.

Clear Selected Clears selected entries under Merge Nodes.

Move Down Moves the selected Merge Node down one row.

Auto Name Mapping Automatically maps source objects to the Merge
Nodes column, matching names with current objects. The mapping process
filters any wildcard expressions entered in the Source Objects and Current
Objects fields. If no wildcard expressions are entered, source objects are mapped
only to current objects with identical names.

Display Options group
Show Animated Only Displays animated objects only.

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Indent Sets the number of characters by which child objects are indented in
the display.
Load Mapping Loads a previously saved .mnm file. This type of file can be
loaded and saved only on the Merge Animation dialog.
Save Mapping Saves the current mapping in an .mnm file. The name of the
source file and the mapping of source and current objects are saved. This type
of file can be loaded only with the Load Mapping option on the Merge
Animation dialog.

Animation Utilities
3ds Max provides a number of utilities, available from the Utilities panel on
page 8810, to assist in animating scenes.

Follow/Bank Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Follow/Bank
The Follow/Bank utility applies rotation keys to an object that already has a
motion trajectory. The settings are similar to those found in the Path
constraint. Use this when you have an object for which you've already assigned
motion and want it to follow or bank along its trajectory, but don’t want to
use a Path constraint.

Follow/Bank utility
changes the roll of a
camera as it follows a
path.

The utility aligns the object's X axis to the direction of motion. To change the
orientation, change the pivot orientation in the Hierarchy ➤ Pivot panel
before using this utility.

Animation Utilities | 4171

Although many of the settings are the same as in the Path constraint, this
utility is not dynamic; you have to click the Apply Follow button each time
you change an object's animation or the utility settings. When adjusting
banking settings, move to the point at which the object is at the sharpest turn,
then alternately click Apply Follow and adjust the banking settings to get the
right affect at the extreme corner.
TIP You can also use an Orientation Constraint to manually control the rotation
of the object as it moves through space. While this is not automatic, it allows more
fine control on individual frames than other methods.

Procedures
To apply the Follow/Bank utility:

1 On the
Utilities panel, click the More button, and choose
Follow/Bank from the list.
2 Adjust the options in the Follow/Bank Parameters rollout.

3

Select the objects you want to follow/bank.

4 Click the Apply Follow button.
The objects orient themselves at the start frame, and follow or bank along
their trajectories.

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Interface

Selected Object group
Displays the name of the current selection. If more than one object is selected,
"Multiple Selected" displays.

Apply Follow button
Apply Follow Applies the settings and generates rotation keys. Each time you
click this button, rotation keys in the specified range of frames (set in the
Samples group) are deleted and regenerated.

Follow/Bank Utility | 4173

Follow Options group
Contains the parameters that specify whether or not to use banking, and the
banking settings.
Bank Turn on to cause the objects to bank as well as follow the trajectory.
Bank Amount Adjusts the amount of the banking to one side or the other,
depending on whether the value is positive or negative.
Smoothness Controls how rapidly the roll angle changes as an object moves
through bends in the trajectory. Smaller values make an object more responsive
to subtle changes in the curve while larger values minimize jerkiness.
Allow Upside Down Avoids the situation where an object flips when going
around a vertically oriented path.

Samples group
Specifies the range of frames over which rotation keys are generated, and the
number of keys to be generated.
Start Specifies the first frame rotation keys are generated.
End Specifies the last frame rotation keys are generated.
Samples Specifies the number of rotation keys to be generated in the specified
range.

Close button
Close Exits the Follow/Bank utility.

Motion Capture Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Motion Capture button
The Motion Capture utility drives your animation using peripheral devices,
such as MIDI keyboards, joysticks, and the mouse. While driving the
animation, you can record it in real time.
The motion capture system in 3ds Max is handled in the following way:
1 In Track View, assign motion capture animation controllers to the specific
tracks you want controlled by external devices.

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2 After assigning the Motion Capture controller, open the Properties dialog
for the track and bind the type of peripheral device(s). As an example,
the Rotation Motion Capture controller has three rotational axes to which
you can bind one device each.
3 After binding devices, adjust their settings and parameters in the lower
portion of the Track Properties dialog. These controls vary depending on
the type of device.
4 On the Utilities panel, open the Motion Capture utility. You can test and
record your motion for any combination of tracks over any range of
frames.
The following motion-capture devices are included with 3ds Max:
Mouse Input Device rollout on page 4185
Keyboard Input Device rollout on page 4186
Joystick Input Device rollout on page 4187
MIDI Device rollout on page 4190

Procedures
To assign a Motion Capture controller to tracks:
The first step in using motion capture is to assign motion-capture controllers
to the tracks you want.
1 In the Track View hierarchy, highlight the Transform track you want.
2 Choose Controller ➤ Assign.
3ds Max opens the Assign Controller dialog.
3 Choose Motion Capture (might start with “Position,” “Float,” “Scale,”
or other), and then click OK.
A Motion Capture dialog is displayed. Its title bar includes the name of
the object and the track to which the controller is assigned.
If a Data dialog opens instead, close it, right-click the track name, and
choose Properties.

Motion Capture Utility | 4175

When you assign a Motion Capture controller, the previously assigned
controller is maintained as a child of the Motion Capture controller. This
lets you continue to adjust the object using standard transform controls,
while still making motion-capture control available.
To bind and adjust devices:
1 After assigning a Motion Capture controller, determine the type of device
that will drive the motion.
Depending on the type of controller, you might be able to bind one or
more devices. For example, a Rotation Motion Capture controller can

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have three devices, one for each axis of rotation. On the other hand, a
controller for the radius of a cylinder would have only one device to
control the radius value.
2 Bind the devices in the Properties dialog for the track.
To specify a device:
1 Click the Properties button while the Rotation track is selected.
The Properties dialog for rotation motion capture includes three binding
buttons (one for each axis.)
2 Click the Y Rotation button. In the resulting dialog, choose Mouse Input
Device, and click OK.
The lower half of the Properties dialog display controls specific to the
new device. Assuming this is a segment that isn't attached to another
object, you want the horizontal mouse movement.
3 Under Mouse Input, choose Horizontal.
The Scale spinner lets you adjust the relative effect of the mouse
movement to the rotation. Flip reverses the rotational direction with
respect to the mouse movement.
Example: To set up the Joystick controller to move a Free camera:
You set up the Joystick controller to move a Free Camera around on the XY
plane. The Y movement of the joystick will affect the camera's forward and
backward movement, and the X movement of the joystick will rotate the
camera. You'll use Increment Based On Direction to allow the Y movement
to be local to the camera rather than to the world.
1 Create a Free camera in the Front viewport.
2 In Track View, assign a Rotation Motion Capture controller to the Rotation
track of the camera.
3 Right-click in the Rotation track to display the Motion Capture properties
dialog.
4 Click the button beside Z Rotation, and assign a Joystick Input Device.
5 Under Joystick Axis, choose the X option (if it's not already chosen).
6 Check Accumulate so that the rotation won't return to zero each time
you release the joystick.

Motion Capture Utility | 4177

Example: To set up the Position controllers of a camera for moving with a
joystick:
The rotation of the camera about its world Z axis will be controlled by the X
motion of the joystick. You'll set up the Position controllers of the camera to
move the camera forward and back with the Y motion of the joystick.
1 Assign a Position Motion Capture controller to the camera's Position
track, and access its Properties dialog.
2 Assign a Joystick Input Device to both the X Position and Y Position
buttons.
3 Click the Edit Binding X button, and then choose the Y option under
Joystick Axis.
4 Check Accumulate.
5 Click the Edit Binding Y button, and also choose Y under Joystick Axis.
6 Check Accumulate.
The Y motion of the joystick will now affect both the X and Y positions
of the camera.
Example continued: To add the increment based on direction options:
If you tested the camera motion at this point, moving the joystick forward or
backward along the Y would produce a diagonal motion because the Position
tracks would receive equal amounts of X and Y values. Adding the Increment
Based On Direction options will change this.
1 Click the X Edit Binding button.
2 Under Increment Based On Direction, click the button beside Controller.
A dialog appears with a list of controllers.
3 Find and select the Rotation Motion Capture controller for the camera.
4 Set the Direction option to Z (the local axis along which the direction
points).
5 Set the Component option to X (matching the Edit Binding button).
6 Click the Y Edit Binding button.
7 Click the button beside Controller, and assign the Rotation Motion
Capture controller.
8 Set the Direction option to Z, then set the Component option to Y.

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9 Open the Motion Capture utility, turn on both tracks in the list, click
the Test button, and move the camera while observing it in the Top
viewport.
As you move the joystick in the Y direction, the camera moves forward
or backward. Moving the joystick in the X direction rotates the camera,
but then, as you continue moving the joystick in the Y direction, the
camera moves forward and back along its local axis.

Motion Capture Utility | 4179

Interface

4180 | Chapter 13 Animation

Record Controls group

Tests and records your animation. The first three buttons let you control the
recording directly, while the Start/Stop button lets you use a MIDI device to
control the recording.
Start Starts a recording using the values set under Record Range below the
Track list.
Stop Stops the recording before the Out frame is reached. You can also stop
a recording by pressing Esc, or by pressing the right mouse button.
Test Tests your motion. No recording takes place. Exit by clicking Test again,
pressing Esc, or clicking the right mouse button.
Play During Test When turned on, and you click Test, the animation in the
scene plays in a loop while you test your motion. Note that tracks in the
Motion Capture list that are selected (marked red) won’t play back because
they're waiting for input from the assigned peripheral device.
Start/Stop Displays the Start/Stop Trigger Setup dialog on page 4182. You can
choose the type of MIDI device that will control the recording.
Enable Uses the assigned MIDI device for recording instead of the Start, Stop,
and Test buttons.
TIP In the Time Configuration dialog, you can reduce the viewport playback speed,
test or record at the lower speed, and then reset the speed to normal to view the
results.

Motion Capture Utility | 4181

Start/Stop Trigger Setup dialog

Presets Choose the type of MIDI device. If you choose Media Control Station
2, you can use its buttons to Stop, Play, and Record. (The Media Control Station
is a MIDI device containing standard VCR-style playback buttons along with
a jog wheel.) By choosing Custom, you enable the remaining spinners in the
dialog, where you can set specific channels and note numbers. You can also
use Custom to customize the controls used by the Media Control Station.
Channel Specifies the channel to which your MIDI device is assigned.
Note Number The Stop, Play, and Record spinners that follow this label let
you specify which note event triggers which function.
■

StopThis note event stops the playback or the recording. On the Media
Control Station, this would be the square button. This is the equivalent
of clicking the Stop button under the Record Controls group.

■

PlayPlays the animation. This is the arrow button on the Media Control
Station.

■

RecordWhen this note is sent by itself, it's the equivalent of clicking the
Test button under Record Controls. To record the motion capture, you
must press both Play and Record at the same time (the equivalent of
clicking the Start button under Record Controls). You can press the Play
button before or after the Record button and release the Play button before
or after the Record button. The recording starts when the button is released.

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Tracks group

The Tracks area displays all tracks that have been assigned Motion Capture
controllers. You select the tracks that will be affected by the three buttons in
the Record Controls group. Click a track to toggle its selection box on or off.
Only the selected tracks displaying the red box are affected by the Record
Controls group.
You can select the tracks either by clicking them, or by using the All, Invert,
None buttons. In addition, you can create named selection sets of tracks. To
create a named selection, click the tracks you want, and then enter a name in
the Edit field above the track list. To select a previously named set, open the
Edit window, and select it from the list. To delete a named set, select it from
the list, and then click the Delete button at the right.
NOTE A specific track can be in only one named selection at a time.
All Assigns all tracks to the Record Controls group.
Invert When tracks are selected, assigns the unselected tracks to the Record
Controls Area.
None Assigns none of the tracks to the Record Controls group.
By default, each track is provided a name consisting of the name of the object
followed by a backslash and the name of the parameter. For example,

Motion Capture Utility | 4183

Sphere01\Angle is an Angle parameter applied to one of the modifiers assigned
to a sphere. You can rename the tracks in the Properties dialog, which you
can access in Track View, or by double-clicking the track name in the Motion
Capture utility. The upper rollout of each Properties dialog includes a Track
Name field. Any name entered in the Track Name field appears in the Track
list in the command panel, in the title bar of the Properties dialog, and beside
the Data track in the Hierarchy list in Track View.

Record Range group

Specifies the frame range affected by the recording. You can also set a preroll
range of frames (see below).
Preroll Specifies the frame number where the animation begins playing when
you press the Start button. If this number is the same or greater than the In
number, the Preroll number is ignored. For example, if In: 0 and Out: 200,
then a Preroll of -100 would give you 100 frames before the recording started,
while a Preroll of 50 would be meaningless. If the range defined by Preroll
and Out is larger than the current segment, the segment is temporarily enlarged
during the recording.
In Specifies the frame number where the recording begins after you click Start.
Out Specifies the frame number where the recording ends after you click Start.
You can stop the recording before this by clicking Stop.
Live During Preroll When this is active, the motion capture is live through
the preroll frames. The motion occurs, but isn't recorded. This can cause sudden
motion shifts at the In frame because your live motion might not match the
animation when you reach the In frame. When this option is inactive, the
motion is disabled or frozen until you reach the In frame.

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Samples group

When the motion data is captured, it’s sampled at a rate relative to the current
frame rate, which defaults to 30 frames per second. Increasing the frame rate
increases the sample rate. The two radio buttons in this section allow you to
choose one or two samples per frame. This is a shortcut that lets you sample
at a field rate. If you're rendering to fields, you don't need to capture at 60
frames per second. Controllers will interpolate between the samples.
Reduce Keys Reduces the keys generated by the motion capture.
Threshold The value you enter in the Threshold field constrains how 3ds Max
changes the selected track. The difference between the new animation and
the original animation, at any frame, will be less than the threshold value.
Low threshold values closely match the original animation but may not greatly
reduce the number of keys.
High threshold values produce the fewest keys but may not match the original
animation with much accuracy.
NOTE When Reduce Keys is active, there is additional calculation time after each
completed recording.

Mouse Input Device rollout

Controls animation using the horizontal or vertical motion of the mouse. The
available settings include the following:
Horizontal/Vertical Specifies which mouse motion drives the animation.
Scale Scales the relative effect of the mouse movement to the animation
response (Spinner Value: float, 0 to 999,999)

Motion Capture Utility | 4185

Flip Flips the direction of the response relative to the mouse movement. For
example, if moving the mouse horizontally to the right produces a clockwise
effect on a Rotation controller. Activating Flip will reverse the rotation to
counterclockwise.

Keyboard Input Device rollout
Lets you assign most keyboard keys to drive the animation.

Key Assignment group
Click the Assign button, and then press any key. The assigned key appears in
the list at right. Alternatively, you can open the list and select a key from it.
Assign Click the Assign button, and then press any key. The assigned key
appears in the lower list at right.
Drop-Down List You can open the list and select a key from it.

Envelope Graph group
Displays a representation of the amplitude curve over time.

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Envelope Parameters group
Specifies the time over which the envelope of the action takes effect, relative
to the key pressing and release.
Attack Displays the time it takes after pressing the key for the value to reach
its maximum level.
Decay Displays the time it takes after having reached maximum for the value
to fall to that specified by the Sustain spinner.
Sustain After the Attack and Decay, the value specified here is sustained until
you release the key.
Release After releasing the key, this is the time it takes for the value to fade
out to zero.
Parameter Scaling Area Sets the scale of the envelope and the range of the
output value.
Time Specifies the scale of the Attack, Decay, and Release parameters. The
value represents the number of seconds contained in 1 unit. For example, if
this value is 1.0, then an Attack value of 1.0 equals 1 second.
Range Sets the maximum output value of the controller.
NOTE This controller ignores the state of the Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys.
TIP Because a single keyboard key can only generate either a positive or negative
value, if you want to control both directions of a Bend Angle, for example, use a
List controller. First, make sure there's a standard controller (such as a Bezier
controller) assigned first in the list to maintain the center position. Then add two
Keyboard Motion Capture controllers to the list (one assigned to one key, and the
other assigned to a different key.) Set the range of one to the positive extent and
the range of the other to the negative extent.

Joystick Input Device rollout
The Joystick Input Device driver was designed for the Microsoft Sidewinder
joystick, which contains more controls than the standard joystick. You can
use this device driver for standard joysticks as well.

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Joystick Axis group
X, Y, Z Specifies which joystick direction drives the animation. (Standard
joysticks provide X and Y axes only. The Sidewinder provides the Z axis when
you twist the joystick.)
Throttle On the Sidewinder, this is a slider next to the stick.
Scale Scales the relative effect of the joystick action to the animation response
(Spinner Value: float, 0 to 999,999)
Flip Flips the direction of the response.
Accumulate When turned off, the joystick position represents an absolute
position, and you're limited to the "rectangle" defined by the limits of the
joystick. When the joystick returns to its rest position, the value generated

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returns to zero. When this is turned on, the joystick represents a change in
the current position. Moving the joystick forward, for example, can cause an
object to start moving, and it will continue to move until you return the
joystick to its rest position.

Joystick Buttons group
Point-of-View Hat (Left-Right, Up-Down) The Sidewinder includes a
mini-joystick on the tip of the main joystick. Specify the direction this joystick
controls in the animation.
1, 2, 3, 4 Specifies one of four buttons in the Sidewinder joystick. They work
similarly to the Point-of-View Hat, except that each button increases a direction
value only while pressed. When you release the button, the value returns to
zero (centered).
Inc./Dec. One of three options available only when you choose one of the
numbered joystick button options. This option (Increment/Decrement) means
that the value is incremented when the button is down, and decremented
when the button is up.
Inc. When turned on, the value increments when the button is down, and
stays at that value when you release the button.
Absolute When turned on, the assigned parameters jumps to the value set in
the Speed spinner when the button is down, and then jumps back to zero
when you release the button. Use this for on/off animations, such as blinking
lights.
Speed Controls the rate at which the value changes when using either the
Point-of-View Hat or the four buttons. When using a button option and the
Absolute option, this specifies the value output when you press the button
(Spinner Value: float, -999,999 to 999,999).

Increment Based On Direction group
Provides controls that let you derive the direction of movement from a
Rotation controller. These options are used primarily when you're animating
a first-person flythrough (such as when controlling a camera).
NOTE The items in this area are only available when you select Accumulate in
Joystick Axis.
Controller Assigns a Rotation controller from which the direction will be
derived.
Clear Removes the assigned controller.

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Direction X/Y/Z Specifies the local axis that will be used as the direction. For
a Free Camera, for example, this would be Z because the camera points in the
Z direction. However, if you had a car that pointed along its Y axis, you'd use
Y.
Component X/Y/Z Specifies the edit binding to use. Match this to the Edit
Binding button under Device Bindings. For example, if the Y Edit Binding
button is selected, choose the Y Component option.

MIDI Device rollout
Controls animation using a MIDI device.

MIDI Channel group
Contains 16 buttons. Click to specify the channel to which your MIDI device
is assigned.

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MIDI Trigger group
Defines the type of MIDI event (message) that will drive the motion. There
are four options.
NOTE When you choose this option, the note number or pitch defines the output
value. The value is derived from where the note falls within the Note Range,
specified in the Note Range group. When the note is at the bottom of the range,
the value takes on the Min value specified under Parameter Scaling. When the
note is at the top of the range, the value takes on the Max value from the same
area. Anything in between is interpolated between the Min and Max values. (Note
that Min doesn't have to be less than Max.) The generated value will slide around
as different keys are pressed. The harder a key is pressed, the faster the value
changes. The Speed setting defines how fast, overall, the value changes as keys
are pressed.
Velocity When you choose this option, the velocity of the note pressed
determines the output value. The notes set under Note Range merely specify
which notes are valid to press. The value takes on the Min value until a key
within the Note Range is pressed. When the key is pressed, the value
approaches the Max value based on how hard the key was pressed. (The value
actually travels along a parabola toward the Max value.) The Sustain setting
defines how long it takes the value to move through the parabola. When you
choose Variable, the sustain length is also scaled by how hard the key was
pressed.
Pitch Bend The MIDI instrument's pitch bend knob defines the value. The
Note Range doesn't apply in this case and is disabled.
MIDI Controller Specifies a note event when you're hooked up to a different
type of MIDI controller than the typical keyboard. For example, if you're using
a MIDI slider box, you would select the MIDI Controller option, and then use
the # spinner to specify the note event for the specify slider.

Note Range group
Low Note/High Note Set these to specify the low and high ends of the note
range when the Note option under MIDI Trigger is turned on.

Parameter Scaling group
Contains the Min and Max spinners, which specify the range of generated
values. See Note and Velocity.

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MIDI Channel Viewer
Clicking MIDI Channel Viewer at the bottom of the MIDI Device rollout
displays a dialog that lets you test your MIDI device to see which MIDI channel
is receiving events, and which notes are being triggered.

MIDI Channel group
Provides a column of 16 buttons and progress bars representing the 16 MIDI
channels. Select the channel from which you want to view note activity. The
channel progress bars light up when any channel has an event.

MIDI Note group
The 11 Octave buttons let you select which octave you want to view. When
a note is played in that octave, a corresponding progress bar lights up in the
Note column.
MIDI Controller # When using a different type of MIDI controller, such as a
slider box, you can specify a note event, and then watch the corresponding
progress bar light up when you activate that event. You can find the correct
note number by activating the event while watching the Note Number field
at the bottom of the dialog.
Channel This is one of four text fields that display all of the values being
generated by the MIDI device as you activate an event. The Channel field
displays the currently selected channel.
Event Displays the type of MIDI event being sent. This can be:
Note On: 9
Note Off: 8
Pitch Bend: 14
MIDI Controller: 11
Velocity Displays the velocity, which has a different meaning, depending on
the event. For the most common event, a note being pressed, this value
represents the velocity at which the key was struck. Other events, however,
might generate a continuous value. For example, a pitch bend event transmits
the position of the pitch bend.
Note Number Displays the corresponding note number for the event. When
you're using a non-keyboard MIDI device, such as a slider box, you can use
this to identify the note number of a specific slider, for example.

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MACUtilities Utility
Utilities panel ➤ More button ➤ MACUtilities
You can use the Motion Analysis Corporation utility to convert motion data
originally recorded in TRC format on page 8294 into character studio marker
(CSM) format on page 9128. This allows you to easily map the motion onto a
biped.
A MNM (Marker Name) file is needed to determine how to convert the marker
names from the incoming data into the CSM naming convention. You can
either load an existing MNM file or create a new one using the MNM
Creator/Marker Selection dialog.

Procedures
To convert a TRC file into CSM:
1 Click the Browse... button next to Create.
2 Highlight a MNM file in the Select Mapping File... dialog. Click Open to
confirm your selection.
The MNM file serves as a naming convention reference for the TRC
conversion.
3 Click the Browse... button over Convert TRC To CSM.
4 Highlight a folder in the Choose CSM Files Destination Folder... dialog.
Click Use Path to confirm your selection.
After the conversion, the resulting CSM file is saved in this folder.
5 Turn on Use MNM Filter File.
6 Turn off Use TRC Filename.
7 Click Convert TRC to CSM.
A Select Source TRC Files... dialog opens.
8 Highlight a TRC file and click Open to confirm your selection.
A Selected Target CSM File... dialog opens.
9 Either highlight an existing CSM file to overwrite or enter a new filename.
Click OK to confirm your selection.
Your file is converted into CSM format. You can now load it onto a biped.

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Interface

MNM Mapping File Displays the path and name of the chosen MNM file.
Create Launches the MNM Creator/Marker Selection dialog, which creates a
MNM file to use in the conversion process.

Browse... Lets you pick a custom mapping file to use in the conversion process.
CSM Output Folder Displays the folder path where the CSM file is generated.
Browse... Lets you pick a folder in which 3ds Max saves the generated CSM
file.
Convert TRC To CSM Lets you first pick the TRC file to convert. The resulting
CSM file is named after the original TRC file.
NOTE If Use TRC Filename is turned off, a second dialog opens so you can pick
an existing CSM file to overwrite or create a new one.

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Options group
Use MNM Filter File When on, the MNM file is used in the conversion process.
Default=on.
NOTE Turn off if the TRC marker names already follow the CSM standard naming
convention.
Batch File Conversion Enables you to pick multiple TRC files to convert.
TIP Use this option to save time when you need to convert multiple TRC files.
Use TRC Filename When off, you can customize the resulting CSM filename.
When on, the CSM file is named after the TRC file. Available only when Batch
File Conversion is off. Default=on.

Translation Offset group
Enable Turn on to add an offset to the resulting data's position.
TRC Space/3ds max Space Choose between an offset space relative to the
TRC data's root or to your scene.
XYZ Sets the offset value for each position axis.

Camera Tracker Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker
The Camera Tracker utility synchronizes a background by animating the
movement of a camera inside 3ds Max to match the movement of a real camera
that was used to shoot a movie.

Procedures
To generate a camera match-move:
1 Open the working scene in 3ds Max.
The scene should have a Free camera to be match-moved, as the tracker
does not create one. The scene also should have a set of Point or CamPoint
helper objects positioned in 3D to correspond to the tracking features.
Optionally install the movie as an environment map-based background

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image in the match camera viewport. This is needed if you want to render
a composite using the match-move or checking match accuracy. This
doesn’t automatically display the background image in the viewport. Use
Views ➤ Background Image to select the background movie and display
it in the viewport.

Real-world camera films a scene (the white dots will be tracking points).

2 Open the movie file in the Camera Tracker utility and create a set of
feature tracking gizmos for each of the tracking features in the scene.

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Resulting footage to be tracked and used as a background.

3 Position the Feature Selection box and Motion Search box for each gizmo
so that they’re centered on the features and have motion search bounds
large enough to accommodate the biggest frame-to-frame move of the
features throughout the frames that will be tracked.
4 Associate each tracker with its corresponding scene point object.

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The associated scene point objects are set up in 3D space based on real-world
dimensions.

5 (Optional) Use the Movie Stepper rollout to set the start and stop frames
for each tracker if it’s out-of-view for any of the frames that will be
matched. These specify the frame range during which the tracker is visible
in the scene and will be tracked as part of the matching process. This
mechanism allows you to match a move in which the view passes through
a field of features with only some of them (at least six) visible at any time.
6 (Optional) Set up manual keyframes for each tracker at frames in which
the feature radically changes motion or shape or is briefly occluded and
so might be difficult for the computer to track. If you want, you can do
this after a tracking attempt indicates where tracking errors occurred.
7 Perform the feature track using the Batch Track rollout. This is often an
iterative process: correcting for tracking errors by tuning start and stop
frames or manually repositioning the gizmo and motion search boxes at
error frames. When you reposition a gizmo at some frame, you establish
a new target feature image and subsequent frames up to the next keyframe
will be retracked. You can use the error detecting features in the tracker
to step through possible tracking errors. When complete, this process

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builds a table of 2D motion positions for each feature. You can save this
to disk using the Save button on the Movie rollout.
8 Choose the camera that will be matched in the Match-Move rollout,
select which camera parameters you want to estimate, set the movie and
scene animation frame ranges and perform the match. This generates a
keyframed animation of the selected camera parameters.

After camera tracking, scene geometry (the character) matches the filmed background.

9 Check the match for obvious errors and review the tracker gizmo positions
at these frames. You can manually adjust gizmos at these frames and the
matcher interactively recomputes the camera position.
10 (Optional) Apply smoothing to selected camera parameters and recompute
a compensating match for the other parameters.
The Camera Tracker also has the ability to animate 3ds Max geometry to follow
or match the video by following the movement of a tracker in a 2D plane. For
this type of animation scene measurements aren’t required. Use the Object
Pinning rollout of the Camera Tracker to create this type of tracking.

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Requirements for Camera Tracking
Using the Camera Tracker requires some setup, as this topic describes.
To use the camera tracker, you need the following:
■

Movie footage in one of the file formats that 3ds Max supports, such as
AVI or MOV. If you have sequential still images, you can use an IFL (Image
File List). The file selector can automatically generate an IFL file by selecting
the file name and turning on the sequence button. Or use the IFL Manager
Utility on page 8424 to create an IFL file.

■

A set of trackable features in the movie, such as wall markers, balls, corner
points and so on, for which position measurements are known. The tracker
will track most small features with good contrast to their surroundings,
have a well-defined position in space, and are unique within their
frame-to-frame areas of movement. There must be six or more tracking
features in the scene at any one time, at least two of which must be
non-coplanar with the others, for example four on the ground and two
elevated or three on one wall and three on another. For maximum match
accuracy, you should use as many features as you can and select the features
that are distributed as widely as possible over the scene. The features don’t
have to be in any particular planes.

■

A 3ds Max scene file in which a set of point objects have been created and
positioned in 3D corresponding to all the tracking features in the scene.
The objects should be point or CamPoint helper objects. The tracker will
match-move a selected Free camera in the scene, so you need to have at
least one Free camera. You can place and orient it anywhere in the scene.

Camera Tracker: Movie Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Movie rollout
Opens the movie for tracking. Also provides controls for the display of the
movie, including fade display to improve the visibility of the trackers. Provides
controls for loading and saving MOT files in which tracker information is
stored.

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Interface

Movie file Selects and opens the movie that will be tracked. You can open
any image file format that 3ds Max supports. If you use sequential still-image
files, you will use an .ifl (image file list) file. You can create the .ifl file using
the IFL Manager or using any bitmap selector dialog by choosing Sequence.
When you open the movie file, it’s displayed in a Movie window.
Display Movie Reopens a closed or minimized Movie window. You use the
Movie window to setup and adjust feature tracking gizmos and to browse
through the movie. For more details on working with the Movie window, see
Motion Tracker rollout on page 4205.
Show frame Allows you to step through the movie displayed in the Movie
window. Alternatively, use the Movie Stepper rollout, which provides
additional browsing controls.
Deinterlace Causes the tracker to apply a video deinterlacing filter to the
movie frames. If the movie comes from a video source and the features you’re
tracking show marked interlacing, you should deinterlace the video to improve
tracking accuracy. If the movie was digitized from film, you should not perform
deinterlacing because the results will be less accurate. The deinterlacing is
performed temporarily on loaded frames and doesn’t affect the original movie
file.
Off Disables deinterlacing. When no filtering is required click this.
Odd Interpolates using the odd lines.

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Even Interpolates using the even lines.
Fade Display Fades the movie in a Movie window by 50 percent. Use this to
see the tracker gizmos more clearly.
Auto Load/ Save Saves the state of a tracking setup and any position data
you’ve produced to a special file associated with each movie. Selecting Auto
Load/Save Settings causes the tracker to keep this settings file up-to-date
automatically as you work in the tracker. You can force a save at any time by
clicking the Save button. Whenever you open a movie file in the Camera
Tracker with Auto Load/Save on, the tracker reloads the state of the tracking
session from this settings file.
With Auto Load/Save Settings on, the tracker constructs the setting file
automatically and places it in the same folder as the movie, named with the
same prefix as the movie but with file type MOT. If you move the movie file
to a new folder, move the MOT file with it so the tracker can find it. You can
delete this file if you want to clear the settings or if the file becomes corrupted
for any reason.
When AutoLoad/Save is turned off, you can open a different movie file either
with an empty tracker state or into the existing tracker state or save the current
tracker state into a new file. The name of the current tracker file is displayed
at the bottom of the Movie rollout.
Save Saves the state of the tracking setup, and any position data produced to
the current MOT file.
Save As Saves the current setup into a new MOT file. This file becomes the
destination for subsequent Save operations.
Load Load the tracker setup and position data from another file.

Camera Tracker: Movie Window
The tracker gizmo displayed in the Movie window consists of two enclosed
boxes, a central pair of cross hairs, and a tracker number.
The inner box surrounds the feature that will be tracked and is called the
feature bounds box. The outer box defines the frame-to-frame search and is
called the motion search bounds box. You should place the central cross-hair
over the feature as close as possible to the point corresponding to the
placement of its scene point object. It’s this center coordinate that’s used in
the camera match-move correlation between image feature and scene Point
coordinates.

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You should make the feature bounds box large enough to enclose the feature
and some of the surrounding images enough to give the feature a contrasting
background of several pixels.
The motion search bounds defines the are in which the feature will be searched
for from frame-to-frame. This bounds box moves with the feature box, so the
area is relative to the current feature at each frame. It’s important to estimate
this search area well. If it’s too large, the matching process will be unnecessarily
slow and there’s more chance of other features in the search area making the
search ambiguous; if it’s too small, tracking errors will occur. It might be useful
to review the movie that will tracked on a real-time playback device like a
video deck and estimate feature moves beforehand. If you set the Max
Move/Frame spinner to the maximum move before creating the tracker, its
motion search bounds box will be set to accommodate this move for you. You
can also adjust this box at any time in the Movie window.
NOTE It’s possible to change the search bounds box for different frame ranges
in the movie, so you can optimize your search capabilities. See Keyframes and
Position Data on page 4215.

Working with the Movie Window
Displays the current frame of the movie being tracked and any active tracker
gizmos for that frame. You can open and close the window using the Display
Movie check box in the Movie rollout or minimize it using the standard
window title bar controls.
When you first open a movie, 3ds Max sizes the window so it will fit on the
screen and this might result in an automatic zoom out if the image is too big.
You can resize the window by dragging its sides or corners. You can zoom
around in and out of the window using the tracker gizmo controls.

Working with the Tracker Gizmos
There are several ways to work with gizmos in the Movie window.
■

Selecting: You need to select a gizmo to work on it. You do this by clicking
anywhere inside its bounds in the Movie window or by clicking its entry

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in the tracker list box in the Motion trackers rollout. The selected gizmo
displays positioning handles at the corners of both its bounds boxes. You
can also select a gizmo by typing its number on the keyboard. A selected
gizmo has click-selection priority in the Movie window. If several gizmos
overlap, they make it hard to select and adjust the gizmo you want. You
can select it first in the Motion Trackers rollout list; it remains selected for
adjustment when you click it in the Movie window.
■

Zooming: You can zoom in and out on the selected gizmo by pressing the
I and O keys, for “in” and “out,” respectively. Each time you press I or O,
the window zooms in or out by a factor of 2 and centers the selected gizmo
in the window. Pressing R resets the zoom factor to 100 percent whether
you have a gizmo selected or not. The Movie window has to be the active
window for any keyboard commands to work. You can make it active by
clicking it.

■

Tabbing: You can move among successively numbered gizmos by pressing
the Tab key. If the gizmo you’re searching for is out of view, because you’re
zoomed in, the image will be repositioned in the window to bring the
newly selected gizmo into view. Tabbing while you’re zoomed in provides
a quick way to step through the gizmos to check their fine positioning.

■

Positioning: You can reposition a gizmo by dragging anywhere within its
bounding boxes, providing you don't click one of the eight box-corner
handles. You can nudge a gizmo in single increments by pressing one of
the arrow keys on the keyboard. The minimum increment that a gizmo
will move depends on the zoom factor and the subpixel-tracking level.
The increment is the smaller of either a single screen pixel in the current
window or the subpixel increment selected. So, if you’re zoomed out two
times and the subpixel increment is 1/16 of a pixel, the nudge increment
is four image pixels, due to the zoom. However, if you’re zoomed in five
times, the nudge increment is 1/16 of an image pixel, due to the subpixel
level.

■

Bounds: You adjust the bounding boxes by pressing and dragging the
handles of the box you want to adjust in the selected gizmo. Dragging the
handles of the inner feature bounds box adjusts the opposite corner
symmetrically to keep the gizmo center fixed.

Typically when setting up tracker gizmos you should create and position them
all roughly in a zoomed-out view, then zoom in on one of them, fine-tune its
position and bounds, then tab to the next gizmo and repeat.

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Movie Window Keyboard Shortcuts
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts in the Movie window:
■

I, i: Zooms in on a selected gizmo.

■

O,o: Zooms out on a selected gizmo.

■

R, r: Resets zoom level to 100 percent.

■

Tab: Selects next numbered gizmo, cycles back to first gizmo after the last.

■

[digit]: Selects the numbered gizmo, only works for gizmos 1 to 10 (0=10).

■

Arrow Keys: Nudges the gizmo in the direction of the arrow.

Camera Tracker: Motion Trackers Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Motion Trackers rollout
The Camera Tracker utility's Motion Trackers rollout sets up and controls the
image feature trackers. All the trackers created are listed here: showing enable
check mark, tracker number, associated scene point object name, and active
frame range. To select a tracker, click in the list. Provides controls for subpixel
tracking as well.

Interface

Camera Tracker Utility | 4205

On When turned on, the feature will be tracked in the image when the movie
is stepped through in the Movie Stepper, or when a full track is performed.
An X appears in the tracker list when turned on.
Off When turned off, the tracker will sit at the closest known position prior
to the current frame. Because feature tracking is computationally intensive,
sometimes it’s useful to disable the trackers you’re not working on to speed
up movie stepping.
All Enables all the trackers.
None Disables all the trackers.
New Tracker Creates a new movie feature tracker. This places a feature tracker
gizmo in the center of the Movie window and a new entry in the tracker list.
The new tracker takes on the parameters currently displayed under Tracker
Setup. You can change these parameters after you create the tracker, but it’s
often useful to set the Max Move Per Frame parameter prior to creating the
new tracker as this automatically establishes an initial search bound for the
tracker gizmo.
Delete Tracker Deletes the selected tracker from the list and the Movie
window.

Tracker Setup group
Sets up the parameters for the currently selected tracker. Any tracker you create
will take its initial parameters from the current values in this group.

Scene object Associates a tracker with a scene point object that corresponds
to the image feature in the Movie window. Pressing this button puts 3ds Max
into standard object picking mode. When you’ve selected the object, the entry

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in the tracker list and the text in the button change to the name of the selected
object. You can change the connected object at any time by pressing this
button.
It’s recommended that you use point or CamPoint helper objects, although
you can use any 3ds Max object. The tracker uses the pivot point of the selected
object as the correlation reference point during the match computation.
When you set up a tracking project, you can make the tracker save the setup
in a .mot settings file. The association between tracker and scene point object
that you set up here is saved as a scene object name. If you reload the movie
in the tracker, the object association is reestablished using the object's name.
This means you must be careful to name the point objects uniquely, otherwise
you might establish incorrect associations. Further, you must load the working
scene in 3ds Max before opening the movie in the camera tracker utility, so
the named objects can be found. If you happen to open the movie first, the
object names in the Tracker list will all read "". Simply reopen the
movie in the tracker and it will establish the connections correctly.
Match weight Sets the camera matching priority separately for each tracker.
Use this to improve the match accuracy for features close to where a computer
graphics generated element will be inserted. It helps to minimize sliding and
jitter in that part of the scene.
The match-move algorithm works by adjusting the camera to minimize the
error between the feature objects seen through the camera and their associated
feature points in the movie plate. With all weights set to 1, the algorithm
randomly distributes the error between all the object projections and their
tracking features. If you bump the Match Weight of a tracker, it redistributes
the error in favor of that tracker, reducing the distance between that tracker's
feature and object projection, while possibly increasing the error in other
trackers. If you bump weights on two or more features, the locking may
progressively lessen, since the algorithm distributes the improvements between
the high-weight trackers. Use weights of two to six to get a good lock.
Max Move/Frame Sets the maximum number of pixels that the tracked feature
moves from frame-to-frame over the entire tracking range and establishes an
initial motion search bounds box for newly created trackers. You can also set
this dynamically by adjusting the motion search bounds box directly in the
Movie window.
Resample on error You can make the tracker identify possible tracking errors
and you can use this during a manual tracking review and during actual
tracking to correct errors. Typical sources of error include frame-to-frame
jumps greater than the search bounds, image contrast changes, or a feature
changing shape over a sequence of frames, such as a corner might if the camera

Camera Tracker Utility | 4207

moves by it. The error detector is controlled by measurement thresholds set
in the Error Thresholds rollout.
When you place a gizmo on some frame, a keyframe is created and a new
target feature image is sampled at that frame for searching in subsequent
frames. Turning on Resample On Error causes the tracker to detect errors
during tracking. If one is found, it backs up to the last good frame and places
a new keyframe there causing a new target feature image to be sampled at that
frame and continues tracking from that frame.
Subpixel Tracking Usually, an image feature won’t move an integral number
of pixels from frame-to-frame. With pixel-level tracking, however, the nearest
estimate for a feature center is always at a pixel boundary. This can lead to
camera match errors. With subpixel tracking you can zoom in on a feature
and position its gizmo within a pixel. This makes the tracker attempt to track
at that resolution by up-sampling the target image and search bounds, thereby
improving match accuracy.
You can turn on subpixel tracking selectively for each tracker by choosing a
level in the Subpixel Tracking drop-down menu on the Motion Trackers rollout.
This defines the resolution at which feature tracking is performed in the tracker
up to 1/32 of a pixel.
Two things happen when you select a subpixel level:
■

The grid over which you can position a tracker gizmo in the image window
is adjusted to the new subpixel level. You can position the gizmo can be
positioned inside pixels in zoomed views. You can zoom in on a tracker
gizmo by selecting it and pressing the I or O key to zoom in or out,
respectively.

■

Feature searching is performed on internally scaled-up versions of the
target image feature and portions of the search window. These versions
are scaled up in inverse proportion to the subpixel level using bicubic
interpolation, which allows the feature tracker to search at this scaled pixel
level.

When manually positioning gizmos at keyframes, it’s crucial that you zoom
in enough so you can place the gizmo in the center of the feature to the degree
of accuracy allowed by the selected subpixel level. If you don’t do this, the
tracker won’t be able to track the correct center at the selected resolution.

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TIP Even though the feature is first tracked to the nearest pixel at whole pixel
increments and then tracked at the subpixel level within that one pixel range, the
tracking time can increase significantly in proportion to the inverse square of the
subpixel level. For this reason it’s suggested that you set the subpixel level to as
low as possible. Usually 1/8 of a pixel is adequate for features well distributed
around the scene. Use greater levels if the features are fairly close together, or
move very slowly within the frame.
You can also reduce feature tracking times by making the inner feature bounds
box in the gizmo as tight as you can while still retaining a couple of pixels
worth of surrounding contrast. Search times are proportional to the feature
bounds box size.

Track Range
Use these when a feature moves off-screen or is not visible in the Movie
window.
Set Start Sets the start of the active frame range for a tracker.
Set Stop Sets the end of the active frame range for a tracker.
You use the Set Start and Set Stop buttons in the Setup box together with the
Movie Stepper rollout to set the active range. Pressing the buttons will set the
start or stop point at the frame currently shown in the Movie Stepper.

Tracker Keyframes and Position Data
Any time you manually position a tracker gizmo, such as at the first frame or
at some tracking error, you create a special keyframe position. The tracker
never attempts to reposition these keyframes, but uses them as start points
for the frames that follow them up to the next keyframe. At keyframes, you
can adjust the position and the feature or search bounds.
During tracking, the selected feature at a keyframe is sampled and that feature
becomes the search target for subsequent frames. Using any adjusted search
bounds up until the next keyframe, provides the start point, target feature,
and search bounds box for the frames that follow.
The position data for each frame in each gizmo can be one of three possibilities:
■

A keyframe defining a new start position, target feature image, and search
bounds box.

■

A tracked position.

■

Unknown.

Camera Tracker Utility | 4209

All frame positions except the first are initially unknown and will be named
as tracking proceeds or gizmos are positioned. When you manually set a
keyframe, any previously tracked positions following that keyframe up until
the next keyframe are deleted and so become unknown. The Complete Tracking
button in the Batch Track rollout searches for unknown positions in the
currently enabled trackers and tracks those frames. The Check Status button
in the same rollout checks for any currently unknown positions as well as
tracking errors. See Batch Track Rollout on page 4213.

Camera Tracker: Movie Stepper Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Movie Stepper rollout
The Camera Tracker utility's Movie Stepper rollout browses through the movie
during the tracking phase either to set start and stop frames, to review tracking
results or to manually perform a track over a sequence of frames. The Movie
Stepper rollout consists of a frame counter, a set of stepper buttons, and some
option check boxes.

Interface

Movie Frame Counter Advances the Movie window to the designated frame.
VCR controls Navigates through the movie in the Movie window:
<< Steps to the start frame of the selected tracker.

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<10 Steps back 10 frames.
< Steps back one frame or keyframe if Step Keyframes is turned on.
> Steps forward one frame or keyframe if Step Keyframes is turned on.
>10 Steps forward 10 frames, either directly or one frame at a time if the Master
Track Enable check box is turned on.
>> Steps forward to the end frame of the selected tracker, either directly or
one frame at a time if the Master Track Enable check box is turned on.
Feature Tracking If turned on, any forward steps will cause frame-by-frame
feature tracking to be performed for all enabled trackers with unknown position
data at the frames you previously stepped through. You can use this to perform
a tracking check while testing bounds settings or to review tracked positions
one frame at a time. The tracker also moves the gizmos to previously tracked
positions, so you can review tracking results a few frames at a time. If you
want, you can force a retrack by nudging a keyframe gizmo back-and-forth
which causes the gizmos to drop all subsequent tracked positions up to the
next keyframe.
NOTE Make sure this button is turned off if you just want to step through the
movie without tracking, such as when browsing through the movie to find and
place Start and Stop frames for trackers that come on screen or go off screen
during the tracking range.
Clear Tracking to End Removes all tracked positions and keyframes from the
current stepper frame onward for the currently selected tracker. This is often
helpful if you have too many errors and error correcting keyframes at the end
of a track and you want to clear them and track to the end again.
Step Keyframes Modifies the operations of the single-step buttons in the
Movie Stepper. If turned on, the single step buttons step immediately to the
next or previous keyframes, allowing you to browse through them quickly.
In this mode, feature tracking is disabled.
Show Track Displays a visible tracking line in the Movie window for the
currently selected tracker. This button shows where the tracker has currently
tracked. A red line is displayed for tracked segments, a white dashed line for
segments still to be tracked. White dots are centered on each frame position
with a green box around each frame position at which you or the tracker
create keyframes.
Live Camera Match Enabled after you set up the match parameters and select
a match camera in the Match rollout. If turned on, the match camera position
is recomputed and adjusted as you move gizmos in the Movie window. This

Camera Tracker Utility | 4211

can be useful for making corrections to bad match frames by adjusting the
trackers or to check the effect of tracker placement on the match computations.
This is best done with the nudge arrows. Turn on the 3ds Max Auto Key button
to record adjusted match camera positions.
Sync Animation Controls whether the scene time slider is advanced in step
with the movie frames during stepping. This is sometimes useful if you have
the movie set up as an animated background image in the match camera
window. Check camera positioning at the same time you check feature
positioning. This can slow stepping substantially, so it’s turned off by default.

Camera Tracker: Error Thresholds Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Error Thresholds rollout
The Camera Tracker utility's Error Thresholds rollout attempts to identify
feature tracking errors by taking measurements and comparing them to the
thresholds that you set up in this rollout. You can use this detection can be
used both during a manual tracking review (see Batch Track Rollout on page
4213) or during actual tracking to correct errors using the Resample On Error
control in the Motion Trackers setup rollout on page 4205.

Interface

Match Error A sum-of-differences-squared measure in RGB space of the best
match in the current frame to the feature target from the previous keyframe.
The error shown is a percentage of the maximum possible image difference.
Good matches are usually below 0.05 percent.
Variance Delta The difference in RGB color variance between the feature
target image and the current best match. This measures whether the target
and match have similar color ranges and can compensate for mistakes made
by the sum-of-differences measure.

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Jump Delta The tracker computes a moving average for the preceding five
frames and measures the difference between that average and the jump in the
current frame. If this difference exceeds the current Jump delta threshold, a
potential error is flagged. If the threshold is set to five, any jump in the current
frame that’s five pixels more than the average jump in the last five frames is
flagged. This picks up sudden accelerations rather than just large jumps.
You can adjust the thresholds as needed and enable or disabled individual
measures in the detector using the check boxes to the left of each measure.

Camera Tracker: Batch Track Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Batch Track rollout
The Camera Tracker utility's Batch Track rollout performs feature hands-off
tracking once the trackers have been set up. You can set up a set of trackers,
start a batch tracking of them all, and then use the other tools in this panel
to check for and review detected tracking errors. This panel also checks for
tracking completion.

Procedures
To review and correct tracking errors:
1 Select an error in the list.
2 Browse through the errors in sequence by repeatedly clicking Next, under
the list.
3 When you’ve selected an error, the associated tracker gizmo is selected
and brought into view and the movie is set to the frame at which the
potential error was detected.
4 If there is indeed an error, adjust the gizmo in the Movie window to
correct it, and place a new keyframe.
5 If inspection shows that there isn't an error, the thresholds may be set
too finely, so try adjusting the associated threshold and running Check
Status again. This is often a good way to calibrate the thresholds for your
scene, but be careful not to increase them too much and miss a real error.
6 To clear an entry out of the list, click the Clear button. This is basically
a cosmetic action that removes items from the list that you've either fixed

Camera Tracker Utility | 4213

or determined are not errors while working through the potential errors.
If you perform a Check Status again, some of the errors may show up as
well.

Interface

Complete Tracking Searches for unknown positions in enabled trackers and
undertakes tracking for those frames. It performs this optimally, and only
tracks the frames for which enabled trackers have no position data.

Tracking Status group
Check Status Scans for tracking errors and untracked frames. It displays two
lines of information underneath it in the Status box:
Incomplete Lists the tracker numbers with untracked frames in their active
frame ranges.
Errors Lists the tracker numbers containing one or more tracking errors as
determined by the current error threshold settings.

Tracking Error Review group
Displays all the potential errors in a list. For each error the list shows a tracker
number, error frame and details about the error. The details include a code
identifying the thresholds and the error measure.

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Error Codes
Me Match error threshold exceeded.
Vd Color variance delta threshold exceeded.
Jd Jump delta threshold exceeded.
In each case, the number following the code is the actual error measure. You
can see how the error measure compares to the current thresholds in the Error
Thresholds rollout. If you adjust the thresholds in this rollout and then rerun
the Check Status again, the list is refilled with those points in the tracking
that exceed the newly adjusted thresholds.
Next Moves to the next error in the list.
Clear Clears an entry out of the list.

Camera Tracker: Position Data Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Position Data rollout
This rollout lets you manage position data.

Interface

Apply to group
Contains three radio buttons that control which trackers will be operated on
by the action buttons below it.
Selected Tracker Operates on the currently selected tracker.

Camera Tracker Utility | 4215

Enabled Trackers Operates on all the enabled trackers in the Motion Trackers
rollout.
All Operates on all the trackers.
Clear to End Clears the position data in the trackers specified in the Apply
To group from the current Movie Stepper frame onward. This is useful for
clearing out and redoing a portion of the tracking.
Clear All Clears all the position data in the trackers specified in the Apply To
group.
Show Data Opens a text window that displays the position data for the trackers
specified in the Apply To box. The display includes some title lines showing
the tracker number and associated tracking object followed by comma
separated columns of numbers for the position data one row per frame. All
rows contain at least three columns: frame number, X position, Y position.
Keyframe frames also contain another eight columns: feature bounds left, top,
right, and bottom, and Search bounds left, top, right, and bottom. The
coordinates in decimal pixels show any subpixel tracking as decimal fractions.
The text window is a standard MAXScript source editor and you can copy,
edit or save the contents to file.
Export Creates a text file containing position data for the trackers specified
in the Apply To group. Pressing this button displays a standard Save File dialog
asking for the location and name of the file you’re creating. The file type
defaults to .csv, the comma-separated value format readable by Excel and other
data processing applications. The format of the data is exactly as for the Show
Data command described previously.

Camera Tracker: Match Move Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Match Move rollout
The Camera Tracker utility's Match Move rollout automatically generates a
camera animation by correlating the 2D position data of the movie features
gathered during the tracking phase with the associated 3D feature points in
the 3ds Max scene.

4216 | Chapter 13 Animation

Interface

Camera Enters an object-picking mode for you to select the camera that you
will match-move. You can either select the camera directly in the scene or
press H to open the Select From Scene dialog on page 184. Once selected, the
camera name is placed in the picker button, and other buttons and controls
are enabled in the utility. The selected camera is remembered in the MOT
settings file and restored on reopening the movie in the camera tracker. As
with the tracker point scene objects, the camera name is stored and used when
reloading, so make sure it’s unique. The camera selected must be a Free camera.
It can be at any position and orientation in the scene.

Match group
Lets you choose which camera parameters will be estimated during the
match-move. Those parameters turned off will be derived from the current
Camera animation or position, so it’s possible to pre-position or pre-animate

Camera Tracker Utility | 4217

the match camera with known moves or parameter settings and have the
matcher estimate just the missing parameters. The accuracy of the estimation
process increases substantially as the number of parameters that need
estimation decreases.
FOV Camera FOV (field-of-view).
Pan Rotation about the local camera Z axis.
Tilt Rotation about the local camera X axis.
Roll Rotation about the local camera Y axis.
Dolly Movement along the local camera Y axis.
Truck-H Movement along the local camera X axis.
Truck-V Movement along the local camera Z axis.

Match Range group
Let’s you set the range of frames that will be matched to set up the relationship
between the movie frames and the 3ds Max scene animation frames. By default,
the start frames are both set to zero and the frame count is set to the smaller
of the number of frames in the movie or the scene animation. Setting a
different Movie Start or Animation Start frame lets you position the movie
frame range relative to the animation frame range. The position data for a
match will be taken from the tracker frames starting at the Movie Start spinner
value and the camera will be matched and animated starting from those
frames.
Movie Start Sets the start of the range to be matched in the movie.
Animation Start Sets the start of the range in the animation. Use this if the
animation range is different from the movie range.
Frame Count Sets the number of frames to be matched.
Reset Ranges Reloads the maximum frame number and count ranges into
the match range spinners from the current movie and 3ds Max scene settings.
This is useful if you change the animation frame range in the scene while the
tracker is open.
Animate Displays Controls whether the 3ds Max viewport appears and if the
Movie window updates frame-by-frame to show the match results. This display
update can be very time-consuming, so it’s often best to leave this turned off
and review the match results by looking at the Camera function curves in
Track View or by stepping through the 3ds Max animation a frame at a time
after the match.

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Generate Keyframes Generates keyframes for the estimated parameters on
each frame.
Match-Move Starts the match process.
Max. Pixel Error Displays the running maximum tracking error and frame.
The error is shown in pixel fractions, and gives the largest distance between
any feature and the viewed position of its associated tracking object over all
the frames matched. You can use this to give a general estimate of how good
the match is and the frame to investigate if errors are problematic. The pixel
error display also interactively updates as you nudge tracker gizmos in Live
Camera Match mode, showing the current maximum match distance for the
camera; see Movie Stepper Rollout on page 4210.
Note that this error might be exaggerated when you employ match point
weighting, as this tends to distribute the errors toward the nonweight points.
Show Errors Opens a text window containing a list of the maximum errors
for each of the matched frames, so you can look over the whole set of match
frames and identify which frames to check.

Camera Tracker: Move Smoothing Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Move Smoothing rollout
Because the match-move algorithm is not always exact and is highly susceptible
to field measurement error or feature tracking errors, and because the match
for each frame is computed independently, the results can be "noisy",
particularly if field of view is estimated. In match-move situations where the
real camera performs smooth moves, it might be useful to filter the match
results to eliminate this noise.
You use the Move Smoothing rollout to control and perform these smoothing
operations after a match has been created.

Camera Tracker Utility | 4219

Interface

Channel To Smooth group
Lets you choose which parameter or set of parameters to smooth. You can
choose to smooth the entire Rotation or all the Position tracks at once, or you
can smooth individual parameters or axes.
Rotation Pan, Tilt, and Roll.
Position Dolly, Truck-H, and Truck-V.
FOV Camera FOV (field-of-view).
Pan Rotation about the local camera Z axis.
Tilt Rotation about the local camera X axis.
Roll Rotation about the local camera Y axis.
Dolly Movement along the local camera Y axis.
Truck-H Movement along the local camera X axis.
Truck-V Movement along the local camera Z axis.

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Smooth Type group
Straight line average Causes Move smoothing to generate a straight line
average for each of the selected parameters. This is useful when you know a
parameter is fixed, but don’t know its actual value. Examples might include
field-of-view or vertical position. Use the camera matcher to initially estimate
the parameter, then construct a straight line average fit and rematch the
remaining parameters
Low pass filter Causes Move smoothing to apply a low-pass filter to the
selected parameters, eliminating high-frequency noise.
Smooth amount Implements smoothing using a Gaussian low-pass filter
whose width and variance are controlled by the Smooth Amount spinner.
Increase this value to increase the smoothing.

Smooth Range group
Controls the range of frames over which the smoothing will be performed.
Match-Move Range Applies the smoothing to the range of animation frames
specified in the Match Move rollout. This allows you to break up a
match-moving job into several frame ranges. Use this to isolate and experiment
on a troublesome range of frames, without disturbing other satisfactory frames.
All Frames Applies the smoothing to all the keyframes in the selected
parameters.
Rematch After Smooth Controls whether a compensating match-move is
performed after the filtering. If this is turned on, the parameters that were
smoothed are disabled in the Match rollout and another match-move is
performed. Performing this rematch again is advised because it adjusts the
other camera parameters to compensate for the smoothing and often results
in a smoother estimation for the unsmoothed parameters.
Smooth Performs the move smoothing based on the smooth type, range, and
amount settings. If this button is disabled, no current match camera is assigned.

Camera Tracker: Object Pinning Rollout
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Camera Tracker ➤ Object Pinning rollout

Camera Tracker Utility | 4221

Object Pinning lets you use the 2D image feature tracking data to directly
animate objects in the 3ds Max scene. This is useful for replacing moving
features in the scene with 3D objects when the movement is approximately
planar.
After the tracking data is created, you can use this function to do such things
as synchronizing the movement of 3D objects with feature movements in the
background movie. If the 3D objects directly cover the background features,
they will appear to replace them. For example, you could take the video of a
juggler juggling balls and replace the balls with 3D balls of fire or synchronize
the movement of an animal's head with a 3D jaw to create talking animal
animations.

Procedures
Example: To create a juggler juggling 3D balls of fire:
This assumes you already have a video of a juggler. Otherwise, find a juggler
and a video camera.
1 Load a video of a juggler.
2 Create tracker gizmos to associate with the juggling balls.
3 Use the Movie Stepper to track the gizmos.
4 Go to Object Pinning and choose the tracker.
5 Under Object To Pin, associate an object with a tracker. In this case, create
a 3D ball of fire using fire or an animated map to generate the fire.
6 Adjust the Pin Range, and then click the Pin button to move the object
to follow the tracker.

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Interface

Choose Tracker Shows all the current trackers as set up in the Motion Trackers
rollout. Use this to select the tracker whose feature movements you will use
to control the pinned 3ds Max object. The feature must have been tracked
already over the frames you want to use, with the Track and/or Movie Stepper
rollouts. Note that the accuracy of the pinning is determined by the accuracy
of the match, so subpixel tracking is highly recommended.
Object To Pin Lets you choose the object in 3ds Max scene for pinning and
animating. By default the tracking object associated with the selected tracker
is preloaded into this button. You can use this picker if you wish to pin a
different object.

Pin Range group
Movie Start The movie frame from which to start using tracked feature
positions.
Animation Start The frame in the 3ds Max animation at which to start
keyframing the move of the pinned object.
Frame Count The number of frames to animate. There must be enough tracked
positions in the selected tracker to cover this number of frames.

Camera Tracker Utility | 4223

Reset Ranges Reloads the maximum frame number and count ranges into
the above spinners from the current movie and 3ds Max scene settings.

Pin Space group
Lets you select the plane of motion in which the keyframed pinning will occur.
Screen Moves and animates the pinned object in the plane of the screen at
its current depth in the scene. This is equivalent to dragging an object around
in the Screen reference coordinate system in 3ds Max.
Grid Moves and animates the pinned object in the plane of the currently
active grid. This lets you set up an arbitrary plane of motion for the pinning
by constructing a grid helper object in the desired place and making it the
active grid. If you don't have a grid helper set up and active, the pinning will
occur on the 3ds Max Home Grid.

Pin Mode Group
Lets you choose between two different pinning modes: absolute and relative.
Absolute Places and moves the pinned object exactly over the tracked feature.
If combined with grid space, the object is also placed and moved directly on
the active grid plane.
Relative Leaves the pinned object at its current position in space and moves
it so that its projected position relative to the tracked feature remains the same
throughout the pinning frame range. This makes it possible to animate an
object that you don’t want placed exactly over a feature, or to animate an
object using several features in successive frame ranges. (For example, a
computer generated jaw can track an ear for some frames, then a nose for
others in a talking animal shot). If combined with grid space, the object is not
moved onto the grid plane, but keeps its height above the grid and is moved
parallel to it.
Pin Performs the actual pinning, moves the object to follow the selected
feature and places a keyframe at each frame in the pin frame range. As with
the other keyframing operations in the tracker, you can undo a pin using the
3ds Max Undo function. You might also find it useful to perform keyframe
reduction afterwards in Track View.

Camera Tracker: Troubleshooting
This topic describes some common problems you might encounter when using
the Camera Tracker, and gives suggestions about how to fix them.

4224 | Chapter 13 Animation

Feature Tracking Halts Immediately
If the feature tracker attempts to match the first couple of frames but halts
immediately, check these steps:
1 One of the enabled error thresholds might be set too low. Perform a Check
Status in the Batch Track rollout and look at the reports in the Tracking
Error Review list. Also try disabling the thresholds in the Error Thresholds
rollout one at a time and see if this fixes the problem. Adjust the
problematic threshold as needed. You can also disable error threshold
checking altogether by turning off the Resample On Error check box in
each of the trackers.
2 Make sure the search bounds box for each tracker is big enough to
accommodate the frame-to-frame motion of the feature. This needs to
be at least big enough to enclose the moved feature and the surrounding
contrast area you’ve selected in the feature bounds box.
3 Make sure the scene objects are associated correctly with their trackers.
You can verify this by checking the entries in the list at the top of the
Motion Trackers rollout. If there is an object associated, you will see its
name in the list entry, if not you will see “”. If you open a
movie file for which you have previously set up trackers in the camera
tracker before you open the associated 3ds Max scene, the objects won’t
be associated with their trackers. You should make sure the correct 3ds
Max scene is open then close and reopen the movie file in the Camera
Tracker so that it can now find the scene objects.
4 If you have inadvertently swapped the scene objects for one or more pairs
of trackers, the match-move can’t find a solution.

Repeated Match-Move Errors
If you get repeated camera match-move errors, here’s a list of things to check:
1 Make sure there are at least six features actively being tracked at the error
frame and that at least two of them are a good distance out the plane of
the others.
2 Check the tracker gizmos in the Movie window around the frame on
which the error occurs to ensure that no obvious feature tracking errors
exist.
3 If you’ve disabled any parameters in the Match section of the Match-Move
rollout prior to a match-move, the camera being matched must be already
set correctly in the scene for those parameters. For example, if you disable

Camera Tracker Utility | 4225

roll and FOV, you must already have set the camera to the correct FOV
and roll orientation, either directly in 3ds Max, or as a result of a previous
match-move. The matching algorithm uses all the “fixed” camera
parameters to compute the ones being estimated and simply won’t work
if they’re fixed at incorrect values.
4 You may know that some of the camera parameters don’t vary during a
match sequence, but you aren’t sure of their values. One approach to this
situation is to enable all parameters for an initial match and then apply
a straight-line average filter to them in the Move Smoothing rollout. This
automatically disables them in the Match section and with luck sets them
at a good estimate of the fixed position.

Dynamics Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Choose Dynamics.
The term dynamics refers to a system of controls that generate keys to produce
animation that simulates real-world physics. For example, using standard
keyframing techniques to animate a bouncing ball, you create keys that move
the ball down to the floor, squash the ball, move the ball back up, and so on.
Using a dynamics system, you assign physical properties to the ball and the
floor (such as friction or amount of bounce), specify which object will collide
against another object (for example, the ball with the floor), place an effect
(such as gravity), in the scene, and then calculate a solution over a range of
frames. The result is a number of keys that produce an animation in which
the ball drops due to the gravity effect, collides with the floor and reacts
naturally based on its surface characteristics.
NOTE As of 3ds Max 5, the preferred tool for dynamics simulation is reactor on
page 4255, available from the Utilities panel. The reactor feature lets you control
and simulate complex physical scenes with ease. reactor supports fully integrated
rigid and soft-body dynamics, cloth simulation, and fluid simulation.

Objects and Space Warps Used to Create Dynamics Simulations
A very basic simulation would involve creating a sphere and a gravity space
warp, adding the sphere to a new simulation, assigning gravity as an effect

4226 | Chapter 13 Animation

on the sphere and solving the simulation. The result is that the sphere falls
under the force of gravity.
You can use dynamics objects on page 776, dynamics space warp deflectors
(PDynaFlect on page 2975, SDynaFlect on page 2982, and UDynaFlect on page 2985),
and space warp forces such as Gravity on page 2958 and Wind on page 2960 to
add complexity to a simulation. You can use a particle stream from a particle
emitter as a force on an object: the particles can collide with and be deflected
by the object, as well as move it. You can attach special dynamics objects to
objects, such as Spring on page 784 to simulate the effects of a spring.
You can combine effects: Wind, gravity, a spring object, collision, particle
deflection and collision, as well as surface properties such as friction, can all
work on an object in a simulation. For a full understanding of what dynamics
can do, explore this topic and areas of 3ds Max that pertain to dynamics.

Dynamics-Specific Areas in 3ds Max
The Dynamics Utility (this topic)
The Dynamics Utility is the main control center for dynamics simulations.
You specify which objects are used in the simulation, what their interactivity
is with each other and with the effects in the scene. The simulation is then
"solved," generating the keyframes.
The effects of collisions between objects depend on the velocity of the objects
and their properties. For collision to work between two objects, each object
must have the other object assigned for collision. For example, when bouncing
a ball, both the floor and the ball are assigned collisions.
The Material Editor: The Dynamics Properties rollout on page 6485 in the
Material Editor lets you assign the dynamics properties to the surface of an
object, like friction and bounce. Using a multi/sub-object material, you can
have different surface properties at the face level of any object.
NOTE You can override material surface dynamic properties with controls on the
Edit Object dialog on page 4241 in the Dynamics utility.
Dynamics Objects, Particles and Dynamics, Dynamics Interface: Special objects
like Spring and Damper, Space Warp forces like Gravity and Wind, as well as
Space Warp deflectors like PDynaFlect can all influence a dynamics simulation.
You must create these objects and space warps first in other areas of 3ds Max
before you can use them in a dynamics simulation. See the following topics
for details on their creation and use:
■

Create panel ➤ Geometry ➤ Dynamics Objects on page 776

Dynamics Utility | 4227

You can use the Spring and Damper objects for dynamics effects.
■

Create panel ➤ Space Warps on page 2920 ➤ Particles and Dynamics.
Effects (forces) are special space-warp objects that emulate natural
phenomena, such as wind or gravity. In a dynamics simulation, you must
place gravity in the scene if you want the objects in your simulation to
fall.

■

Create panel ➤ Space Warps on page 2920 ➤ Dynamics Interface.
The Dynamics Interface space warps can cause particles to deflect from
and affect an object in a simulation.

Combine Keyframed Objects in a Simulation: Keyframe an object and have it
interact with other objects in a dynamics simulation by turning on the This
Object is Unyielding check box in the Edit Object dialog for the keyframed
object. Objects can bounce off of a keyframed sphere for example.
Dynamics Controller: When a Dynamics simulation is solved, a new list
controller is created that holds both the generated dynamics keys and the
original keys. This allows you to restore your original keys, if necessary. Undo
is not supported by Dynamics.
For example, if a sphere is bouncing in a Dynamics simulation, and the sphere
already contains position keys from a previous animation, the following tracks
display in Track View:
Transform
Position
Dynamic Position Controller
Old Position
Rotation
Dynamic Rotation Controller
Old Rotation

Procedures
Example: To create a basic simulation of bouncing boxes:
1 Create a thin box in the Top viewport.
Have the box almost the same height and width as the viewport. This
will act as the ground plane.
2 In the Front viewport, create six small boxes above the "ground" box.
Position some of them to collide with each other when they fall.

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3 On the
Create panel, Click
(Space Warps). Choose Forces
from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Gravity.
4 Drag in the Top viewport to create a Gravity gizmo.

5 On the

Utilities panel, click Dynamics.

6 On the Dynamics rollout, click New.
Dynamics00 appears in the Simulation Name field.
7 Click Edit Object List.
The Edit Object List dialog displays.
8 Select all the boxes in the dialog and click the > button, then click OK.
All the objects are moved to the Objects in Simulation list on the right
side of the dialog.
9 On the Dynamics rollout, click Edit Object.
The Edit Object dialog displays.
10 In the list under Object, choose Box01.
11 Turn on Dynamics Controls group ➤ This Object is Unyielding.
12 Click Ok to close the Edit Object dialog.
The "ground" box won’t move when the other objects collide with it.
13 On the Dynamics rollout, in the Effects group, turn on Global Effects.
14 Click Assign Global Effects, select Gravity in the dialog and click > (right
arrow), then click Ok.
This assigns gravity to all objects in the simulation.
15 On the Dynamics rollout, in the Collisions group, turn on Global
Collisions.
16 Click Assign Global Collisions, select all the boxes in the dialog and click
> (right arrow), then click OK.
Collisions are active for all the boxes.
17 Turn on Update Display with Solve, and then click Solve.

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In the viewports the objects fall and collide with each other and the
ground plane.
18 Turn on the Auto Key button, move the time slider to frame 15, and then
select and move the "ground" box upward along the Z axis.
The ground will "move" during the simulation.
19 Click Solve.
The keyframed "ground" box moves up and collides with the boxes. The
ability of a keyframed object to be part of a simulation is one of the useful
features in 3ds Max. You could use this capability to strike a ball with a
bat, for example.
For further experimentation, create a spring object in Create panel ➤
Geometry ➤ Dynamics Objects and attach the ends of the spring object
to two of the boxes and then solve the simulation. The spring will stretch
and follow the bouncing boxes.
You can use the space warps in Create panel ➤ Space Warps ➤ Dynamics
Interface, such as SDynaFlect (Spherical Dynamics Deflector) to cause a particle
stream to "push" an object in a dynamics simulation.
To remove the dynamics tracks and restore the original animation tracks in
Track View:
When you solve a dynamics simulation, 3ds Max creates a list controller that
holds both the generated dynamics keys and the original keys. This lets you
easily restore the original keys. Undo is not supported by Dynamics.
To layer simulations, reverse this method. In other words, after you've solved
the first simulation, copy its controllers to the old tracks, and then set up the
next level of the simulation. The new simulation will base its actions on the
previous one instead of overwriting it, as it normally does. You can repeat this
as many times as you like to layer simulations ad infinitum.
Since Undo is not supported by Dynamics, you can also use Hold and Fetch
in its place.
1 In Track View, open the Position track for an object animated by a
dynamics simulation.
2 Select the Old Position track, and click Copy Controller on the Track
View toolbar (the second button from the left).
3 Select the Position track (the parent), and click Paste Controller (to the
right of Copy Controller).

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4 Click OK in the Paste dialog.
The two sub-tracks and the Position parent track are replaced by a single
Position track containing the original keys that were in the Old Position
track.
Repeat the above steps with the Rotation track.
To set up dynamics:
1 Assign materials to the objects included in the simulation and adjust the
surface characteristics in the Dynamics Properties rollout of the Material
Editor. (For a bouncing ball, you'd use this to create a rubber-like surface.)
2 If you're using a linked hierarchy, set the Move and Rotate locks in the
Hierarchy/Link Info panel to limit the motion and rotation of the linked
objects.
3 Create space warp effects in the scene where needed. (For a bouncing
ball, you'd need a Gravity space warp.)
4 Use the Dynamics utility to create a new simulation. Specify which objects
are included in the simulation, which effects influence which objects,
and which objects should collide with which. (For the bouncing ball, the
ball and the floor are in the simulation because one collides with the
other. You assign the ball the floor to collide with each other, and assign
the gravity effect to the ball.)
5 Use the Dynamics utility to specify the range of frames to which keys
will be generated, and to calculate the animation and generate the keys.
(In the case of a bouncing ball, a number of position and rotation keys
are generated for the ball.)
6 Play the animation to see if the effect is what you were looking for. If
one or more objects fly off into space, or move through objects they
should have bounced off, it's likely that you need to increase the Calc
Intervals Per Frame value.
To reduce the number of keys generated by the Dynamics utility:
When you solve a dynamics simulation, Position and Rotation keys are
generated at every frame of the specified range for every object affected in the
simulation. Not only does this result in an excess of keys for later editing, but

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it can increase the size of the .max file tremendously. The following steps show
how to reduce the number of keys using Track View.
1 After solving the simulation, check the animation to make sure it's what
you want, and then save that version of the scene.
2 Deselect every object in the scene.
3 In the Dynamics panel ➤ Objects in Simulation group, click the Select
Objects In Sim button.
All objects included in the simulation are selected.
4 Open a Track View window, and then set its filter to show Animated
Tracks Only and Selected Objects Only.
5 Right-click the top object in the Hierarchy list (Objects), and choose
Expand All.
Track View now shows all tracks in the simulation that have keys.
6 Go to Edit Time display mode and select all of the tracks containing keys
(or right-click over the hierarchy, and choose Select All).
7 Double-click any key to select all keys in all tracks.
8 Click the Reduce Keys button, set the Threshold to what you want, and
then click OK.
All selected keys are reduced.
9 Save the reduced version of the scene either under a new name, or by
replacing the original file.
To use linked hierarchies in a simulation:
When linked hierarchies are included in your simulation, you must set locks
for the children in the simulation to confine the dynamics results to specific
axes. Do this on the Hierarchy panel ➤ Link Info ➤ Locks rollout on page
3824.
The Locks rollout contains three rows of check boxes affecting the XYZ axes
of the three possible transforms: Move, Rotate, and Scale. The Scale transforms
are ignored, and only the Move and Rotate locks are used. When a check box
is turned on, that axis of the specific transform is locked.
When you manipulate a forward-kinematics hierarchy directly using the Move
or Rotate tools, you might not bother with the Link Info locks, because you
can specify axis constraints using the X, Y , Z, and XY buttons in the toolbar.
However, when you use that same hierarchy in a dynamics simulation, where

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there are several forces at work (gravity, wind, collisions), the only thing that
maintains the linkage between the objects is the locks you set in the Link Info
➤ Locks rollout. As a result, no matter what combination of Move and Rotate
locks you use, you'll always want at least one Move lock in place, or your
objects won t really be linked.
The following lists all of the combinations of Move and Rotate locks that make
sense within a dynamics simulation, and the effect on the link of such
combinations. An asterisk (*) indicates those combinations that are more
typically useful.
The format of this list is as follows:
X=check box on.
O=check box off.
One group of settings is made up of the three Move check boxes over the three
Rotate check boxes. Here's an example:
XXO=X and Y Move check boxes on, and Z off.
OXO=Y Rotate check box on, and X and Z off.
1 1 Move Lock: Turn on any single Move. (This is like a long pin sliding in
a loose, long slot.) The joint can transmit force in one direction only.
The objects can slide with respect to each other in two directions and
rotate freely.
2 2 Move Locks: Turn on any two Moves. (This is like a sliding ball joint;
a freely rotating joint at the end of a sliding shaft, which can slide and
rotate in a hole.)
3 * 3 Move Locks: Turn on three Moves. (This is like a ball joint, or the
theoretical "pin joint" of the statics and dynamics texts, in that it transmits
any force but never transmits any torque.)
4 1 Move + 1 Rotate (unique): Turn on any one Move and any one Rotate,
but not in the same column. (This is like two long pins, parallel, sliding
in a single long slot.) The joint can transmit force in one direction only
and restrain rotation about the axis of the "pins." This combination is of
limited application.
5 2 Moves + 1 Rotate (matching): Turn on two Moves, plus one Rotate
turned on that's in the same column as one of the selected Moves. (This
is the same as 1 Move + 1 Rotate, above, except that the pins can no
longer slide vertically in their slot.) If the assembly rotates so that one
pin travels further into the slot, the other must ride higher in the slot.

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This is of limited application. The possible check box combinations are:
XXO XXO XOX XOX OXX OXX OXO XOO XOO OOX OOX OXO
6 * 2 Moves + 1 Rotate (complementary): Turn on two Moves, plus one
Rotate that's not in the same column as any of the selected Moves. (This
is a sliding universal joint like the splined output shaft between the
automatic transmission of a rear-drive car and the drive shaft.) It can
transmit torque and constrain translation in two directions, both
orthogonal to the axis of rotation. The possible check box combinations
are: XOX XXO OXX OXO OOX XOO
7 3 Moves + 1 Rotate: Turn on three Moves plus one Rotate. (This is a
universal joint without the sliding.) It's typical of automotive applications
where the rear axle is located with the trailing drive shaft. This is an
uncommon application.
8 * 1 Move (complementary) + 2 Rotates: Turn on one Move that's
complementary to two Rotates. (This is like a hockey puck on ice.) The
joint can slide anywhere on a plane, but cannot fall or tip, and it cannot
leave the surface of the plane. The possible check box combinations are:
XOO OXO OOX OXX XOX XXO
9 2 Moves (one complementary) + 2 Rotates: Turn on two Moves, one of
which is complementary to one of the two Rotates that are selected. (This
is like a hockey puck with a nail through it, and the nail is sliding along
a groove in the ice.) It's free to travel in one direction, and to rotate about
an orthogonal axis. One possible check box combination is: XXO XOX
10 * 2 Moves + 2 Rotates (matching): Turn on two Moves and two matching
Rotates. This results in a sliding axle (a shaft that can both slide in and
out of a hole, and rotate with the hole). The clear Move and Rotate axis
specifies the axis along which the joint can slide and rotate. The possible
check box combinations are: XXO XOX OXX XXO XOX OXX
11 * 2 Moves + 3 Rotates: Turn on two Moves and all three Rotates. (This is
a prismatic or sliding joint.) The joint transmits no torque, and force in
only one direction. You can use this in conjunction with the Push effect
to make a hydraulic cylinder. The one clear Move specifies the axis of
movement.
12 * 3 Moves + 2 Rotates: Turn on all three Moves, and any two Rotates.
This is an axle (the most common type of joint.) The one clear Rotate
specifies the axis of rotation.
13 All Locked: All six check boxes are on. This is a completely rigid joint.

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Interface
Dynamics rollout
Contains all of the surface dynamics controls.

Simulation Name Displays the name of the current simulation. You can edit
the name to rename any existing simulation.
You can create any number of simulations in your scene. Each must have a
unique name and is stored in the .max file. For example, you might have a
simulation named Bouncing Ball that bounces a ball down a flight of stairs,

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while another simulation named Paper Airplane flies a paper airplane across
the room.
List Displays the name of the current dynamics simulation, and lists all
simulations in the scene. If the list contains two or more simulations, choose
one from the list to make it current. All remaining panel settings are specific
to the current simulation.
New Creates a new simulation. Its name consists of the word "Dynamics"
appended by a number, starting with 00. This number is incremented by one
for each new simulation.
Remove Deletes the current simulation. Dynamic simulations can use a lot
of memory. Removing old or unused simulations reduces the size of your .max
files. When you remove a simulation, all timings and other settings are deleted.
However, any keys generated by the simulation remain.
Copy Creates a duplicate of the current dynamics simulation. All of the settings
are identical to the original simulation, with the addition of “01” appended
to the name.

Objects in Simulation group
Lets you add and remove objects from the simulation, and edit the properties
of objects in the simulation.
Edit Object List Displays the Edit Object List dialog on page 4247, which lets
you specify which scene objects are to be included in the simulation.
Edit Object Displays the Edit Object dialog on page 4241.
The Edit Object dialog is the main interface for object dynamics attributes.
Use this dialog to set collisions, effects, surface properties and mass for each
object in the simulation.
Select Objects in Sim Adds all objects in the simulation to the current selection
set. One use for this function is to bring selected objects into Track View for
further manipulation, keyframe reduction, and so on.

Effects group
Specifies which effects are included in the dynamics calculation.
Effects by Object Only effects assigned to specific objects with the Edit Object
dialog ➤ Assign Object Effects button are considered in the calculation.

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Global Effects Only effects included in the Assign Global Effects dialog
(accessed by clicking the button of the same name) are included in the
calculation.
Assign Global Effects Displays the Assign Global Effects dialog.
Select effects (space warps) in the list on the left and use the > button to move
them to the list on the right. Effects thus chosen affect all objects in the
simulation except unyielding ones.
The Assign Global Effects dialog functions similarly to the Edit Object List
dialog on page 4247.

Collisions group
Specifies which collisions are included in the dynamics calculation.
Collisions by Object Collisions assigned to specific objects through the Edit
Object dialog ➤ Assign Object Collisions button are included in the
calculation.
Global Collisions Collisions assigned in the Assign Global Collisions dialog
(accessed by clicking the button of the same name) are included in the
calculation.
Assign Global Collisions Displays the Assign Global Collisions dialog.
Select the objects in the list on the left and use the > button to move them to
the list on the right. All objects thus chosen collide with each other in the
simulation.
The Assign Global Collisions dialog functions similarly to the Edit Object List
dialog on page 4247.

Solve group
Update Display w/ Solve Displays each frame of the solution in the wireframe
viewports during the calculations. This slows down the calculation process.
Solve Calculates the dynamics solution, generating keys over the range of
frames specified in the Timing area. A progress bar appears in the status/prompt
line. Press ESC to cancel the calculation.
NOTE You cannot undo the generation of a dynamics simulation solution. If there's
a chance you might want to restore the scene to its state prior to the solution,
either save on page 7955 the scene or use Hold on page 219 before solving it.

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Timing and Simulation rollout
Lets you specify the range included in the calculation, how IK is included in
the simulation, and what the air density is for the simulation.

Timing group
Controls how keys are generated over time.
Start Time Specifies the first frame to generate keys, which is the first frame
to be considered for the solution. Default=0.

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TIP If you set a start time that's later than a keyframe-animated object's last
animation frame, you may get unexpected motion during the interim frames. For
example, if you animate a box's position from frames 0 to 10, and then use the
box in a dynamics simulation that starts at frame 20, the box will move between
frames 10 and 20 because of the Bezier controller's default interpolation. To avoid
this, before solving the simulation, set the last animation keyframe's Out tangent
type to Linear or Step; see Bezier Controllers on page 3462. Alternatively, set the last
key of the keyframed "input motion" after the start time of the simulation, or set
a start time before the last key.
End Time Specifies the last key considered for the solution. This spinner is
set to the last frame of the active segment on page 9082 when you create a new
simulation. For example, if your active segment ends at frame 200, when you
click New to create a new simulation, End Time is set to 200.
Calc Intervals Per Frame Specifies how many calculations are performed for
each frame of the simulation time range. Range=1 to 160.
Finding the right number for this spinner is a matter of experimentation. As
a general rule, the faster things are moving in the simulation, the higher you
should set this value.
NOTE If you find that some objects aren't colliding properly with others (they're
going through them), increase the Calc Intervals Per Frame value.
Keys Every N Frames Specifies the frequency with which keys are generated,
per object. If this were set to 2, keys would be generated in every other frame.
WARNING When you reduce the key count by increasing this setting, important
information can be lost. For example, if a collision occurs on frame n, the Dynamics
utility normally sets keys at frames n, n+1, and n-1. But if you've set Keys Every N
Frames to 2, a keyframe for the impact itself might not be generated, while keys
for the sudden reversal of motion would be generated on either side of the
(missing) impact. Thus, the motion controller is left to interpolate motion in a
region where the motion should be sharply defined. When this happens, motion
can be incorrect and the remainder of the solve is affected. In the aforementioned
example, a key describing the impact is lost and the motion controller interpolates
motion so that objects that should collide actually intersect, ruining the simulation.
Time Scale Slows down or speeds up the overall effect of the simulation. It
applies a linear scale factor to the outside forces affecting each object (gravity,
wind, and so on).
The default value of 1 results in normal speed. You can scale down the
simulation (make it slower) by using values below 1 (from 0.1 to 1), and you

Dynamics Utility | 4239

can scale up the simulation (make it faster) by using values greater than 1
(from 1 to 100). If you speed up your simulation and objects begin to behave
incorrectly (going through objects, for example), increase the Calc Intervals
Per Frame value to compensate.

Simulation Controls group
Relates to IK settings and the transfer of momentum.
Use IK Joint Limits Uses the current IK joint limit settings as constraints for
hierarchies in the simulation.
Use IK Joint Damping Uses the IK damping settings as constraints for
hierarchies in the simulation.

Air Resistance group
Density percent Sets the air density in the simulation. A setting of 100 is the
air at sea level. A setting of 0 is a total vacuum.
When anything moves, it hits air resistance (except in space). The faster it
moves, the higher the relative air resistance with the square of the speed. Thus,
air resistance imposes an upper limit on the speed of things that are falling
with gravity, and also makes objects tumble due to the effect of air resistance
on each face of the object.
Close Closes the Dynamics utility.

Dynamics Properties Material Editor rollout

The three spinners in the Dynamics Properties rollout in the Material Editor
let you specify surface properties that affect the animation of an object upon
collision with another object. If there are no collisions in your simulation,
these settings have no effect.
Because the Dynamics Properties rollout is available at the top level of any
material (including sub-materials), you can specify different surface dynamic
properties for each face in an object. There are also controls in the Dynamics
utility that let you adjust the surface properties at the object level, but only

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the Material Editor lets you alter the surface properties at the sub-object level
(through use of a Multi/Sub-Object material).
As a default, the values in the Dynamics Properties rollout provide a surface
that's similar to Teflon-coated hardened steel. This is with values of Bounce
Coefficient equal to 1; with both Static Friction and Dynamic Friction set to
0.
Bounce Coefficient Determines how far an object bounces after striking a
surface (the higher the value, the greater the bounce.) A value of 1 represents
a bounce in which no kinetic energy is lost.
Static Friction Determines how difficult it is for an object to start moving
along a surface (the higher this value, the more difficult the movement). If
something weighs 10 pounds and sits on Teflon (a static friction of near zero),
it takes almost no force to make it move sideways. On the other hand, if it
sits on sandpaper, then the static friction might be very high, around .5 to .8.
Sliding Friction Determines how difficult it is for an object to keep moving
over a surface (the higher this value, the more difficult for the object to keep
moving). Once two objects begin to slide over one another, static friction
disappears and sliding friction takes over. Generally, sliding friction is lower
than static friction due to surface tension effects. For example, once steel starts
sliding over brass (a value of static friction that might run from .05 to .2), the
sliding friction drops to a significantly lower value: .01 to .1.

Edit Object Dialog (Dynamics Utility)
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Dynamics ➤
Dynamics rollout ➤ Edit Object button ➤ Edit Object dialog
The Edit Object dialog is the main interface for setting dynamic properties for
any object in the simulation. You assign dynamics properties one object at a
time. Select an object in the list under Object, and then set that object's
parameters. For example, you can cause the object to be affected by gravity
or wind, and specify collisions with other objects.

Dynamics Utility | 4241

Interface

Object Displays the name of the object for which you're setting the dynamic
properties. All settings in the Edit Object dialog affect the object listed here.
To change the object you're affecting, open the list, and choose from a list of
all objects assigned to the simulation.

Dynamic Controls group
Use Initial State When turned on, the simulation solves for the motion,
energy, and momentum of the object at the simulation's starting frame
(specified in the Start Time spinner in the Time and Simulation rollout ➤
Timing group.) If Use Initial State is turned off, the object is assumed to be
sitting motionless at the starting frame. The Dynamics utility overwrites keys.
Either the object's keys are clocked with the simulation, or it's not moving (or
both). If you don't solve for the initial state, the object's keys are interpolated
at the instant the simulation starts and all subsequent motion comes from
the interaction of the simulation itself.

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This Object is Unyielding Lets you use keyframe-animated objects in dynamics
simulations. Objects with this option turned on are immovable relative to
other objects that collide with them, but can be animated (keyframed).
You can animate objects with this option turned on by themselves or as part
of a keyframed hierarchy. For collisions, objects with Use Initial State turned
on cannot move objects with This Object is Unyielding turned on.
Move Pivot to Centroid When this button is on (green) and you exit the Edit
Object dialog by clicking OK, the object's pivot point is moved to its center
of mass. Having the pivot aligned with the center of mass speeds up the
dynamics calculation and makes manual keyframing of the objects appear
more natural. However, if the pivot point is already positioned as part of a
linked hierarchy, turning on Move Pivot to Centroid will alter the positioning
of your hierarchical linkage.

Load/Save Parameters Sets group
Saves the current Edit Object parameter settings, or loads previously saved
parameter settings. You can use these controls to save the settings for one
object, and then apply them to another object.
Set Name Accepts a new name for a parameter set. Click Save to save the
parameter set with this name.
Available Parameters Sets Lists previously saved parameter sets.
Load Loads the selected parameter set.
Save Saves the named parameter set. The saved parameter sets appear in the
list.
Delete Deletes the selected parameter set.

Assign Effects/Collisions group
Let you specify which effects in the scene will affect the current object, or
which objects in the scene can collide with the current object.
Assign Object Effects Displays a subdialog that lets you specify which effects
in the scene will affect the current object. The dialog consists of two list
windows. All effects (typically space warps) in the scene are listed in the
window on the left. Select effects in the list, and then click the > button to
transfer the highlighted effects to the window at right.
The Assign Object Effects dialog functions similarly to the Edit Object List
dialog on page 4247.

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Assign Object Collisions Displays a subdialog that lets you choose which
objects in the scene are considered for collision with the current object. This
dialog works the same as the Assign Object Effects dialog, except that it lists
only objects in the simulation. Objects included for collision in this dialog
can collide with the current object.
NOTE For every potential collision, you should explicitly specify both colliding
objects. For example, if you specify that Box01 is to collide with Box02, you should
also specify that Box02 is to collide with Box01. This is primarily for keeping track
of your simulation; if you specify the collision for only one object, it works for the
other as well. While it is not necessary to specify that Box02 collides with Box01,
this is the only way to update the Assign Object Collision list for Box02.
The Assign Object Effects dialog functions similarly to the Edit Object List
dialog on page 4247.

Collision Test group
Specifies the type of boundary used for collision testing.
Box A bounding box is used to test collision. This is the fastest method. If
your object is a box or close to a box shape, this option is both fast and
accurate.
Cylinder A cylindrical form is used to test collision. The "height" axis of the
cylinder is aligned with the local Z axis of the object.
Sphere A spherical form is used to test collision.
Mesh Uses the surface of the object to calculate the collision. This option is
the most accurate, but also takes far longer to calculate than the previous three
methods. Use this only when your object is too complex to work properly
with the first three options.

Recalculate Properties group
Specifies when to recalculate the properties of an object that changes over the
course of the animation. Specifically, the properties refer to the mass moment
of the object. The mass moment of an object can be defined as the measure
of how the mass in an object is distributed with respect to the center of mass
of that object. Altering the mass moment changes the way an object responds
to torque. If your object is changing shape over time, and you want to take
this into account for the simulation, you should recalculate the properties.
Never No calculation is performed beyond the first calculation for the
dynamics solution.

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Every Frame The object's properties are recalculated for every frame.
Every Calc Interval The object's properties are recalculated at each "Calc
Interval." You set the Calc Interval (interval of calculation) in the Time
Parameters rollout; it specifies how many calculations are performed for each
frame of the simulation time range.

Material Editor Physical Properties group
Three of an object's physical properties are taken by default from its material:
bounce, static friction, and sliding friction; see Dynamics Properties Rollout
on page 6485. Use these settings in this group to accept or override the material's
dynamics properties.
Bounce Specifies how far the object bounces after collision. Available only if
Override Material Bounce is on.
Override Material Bounce Enables the Bounce spinner when you want to
use a specific value that's different than that assigned by the object's material.
When using a multi/sub-object material, you can assign different Bounce
values to the sub-materials, and thus to different faces of an object. But if you
use an override value, it affects the whole object only.
Copy to Object's Material Copies the value in the Bounce spinner to the
material assigned to the object.
Static Friction Specifies how hard it is to start moving on a surface. Available
only if Override Material Static Friction is on.
Override Material Static Friction Enables the Static Friction spinner when
you want to use a specific value that's different than that assigned by the
object's material. When using a multi/sub-object material, you can assign
different Static Friction values to the sub-materials, and thus to different faces
of an object. But if you use an override value, it affects the whole object only.
Copy to Object's Material Copies the value in the Static Friction spinner to
the material assigned to the object.
Sliding Friction Sliding friction determines how hard it’s for an object to
keep moving over a surface. Available only if Override Material Bounce is on.
Override Material Sliding Friction Enables the Sliding Friction spinner when
you want to use a specific value that's different than that assigned by the
object's material. When using a multi/sub-object material, you can assign
different Sliding Friction values to the sub-materials, and thus to different
faces of an object. But if you use an override value, it affects the whole object
only.

Dynamics Utility | 4245

Copy to Object's Material Copies the value in the Sliding Friction spinner to
the material assigned to the object.

Physical Properties group
Provides controls that specify the physical properties of the current object.
Density Specifies the density of the object in grams per cc. A setting of 1 is
the equivalent of water, and useful for anything wooden, plastic, or organic.
The more dense an object, the slower it will react to forces. There is a direct
relationship between density and mass, so when you alter the Density setting,
the Mass value changes (when its automatic value is not overridden).
Mass Technically, mass is the measure of how many subatomic particles are
in an object. In 3ds Max, it's calculated as a result of density times volume.
Mass can is the resistance to acceleration given a constant force. The greater
the mass, the more resistance. The Mass value, when not overridden, is derived
from the density and volume, and the volume, when automatically calculated,
is affected by the Calculate Properties Using option.
Override Automatic Mass Enables the Mass spinner so you can specify the
object's mass. When you override the automatic value, the Mass value is no
longer affected by the Density or Volume values.
Mass is affected by the Calculate Properties Using options.
Volume The volume of the object, measured in cubic centimeters. When
automatically calculated, this value depends on the option chosen under
Calculate Properties Using.
Override Automatic Volume Enables the Volume spinner so you can specify
the object's volume. When you override the automatic Volume value, it's no
longer affected by the Calculate Properties Using options, and it no longer
affects the Mass value.

Calculate Properties Using options
Specifies the type of geometry the simulation will use to calculate the mass,
the volume, and the mass moment. When the Mass and Volume values are
automatically calculated (their overrides are turned off), changing these options
affects the volume, and thus the mass.
Vertices Treats an object as a "point cloud," or a collection of vertices without
segments. Each vertex is given a mass of 1 gram, but the object itself has no
volume.

4246 | Chapter 13 Animation

Surface Treats the object as a hollow shell whose thickness is 1 centimeter.
The mass is derived from the surface area and the 1-centimeter thickness, but
the object has no volume.
Bounding Box A bounding box surrounding the extents of the object is used
to calculate both the volume (of a solid bounding box) and the mass (based
on the volume).
Bounding Cylinder Similar to the Bounding Box option, except that a
bounding cylinder is used, whose Z height axis is aligned with the local Z axis
of the object.
Bounding Sphere Similar to Bounding Box, except that a bounding sphere
is used.
Mesh Solid The geometry of the object is used to calculate both the volume
and the mass, according.

Property Estimate Resolution options
Available only when the Mesh Solid option is chosen. The Property Estimate
Resolution settings affect the accuracy with which the mass moment is
calculated. This determines how accurately the rotation of the object responds
to torque.
Grid A sample grid is used to calculate the mass moment. The smaller the
cells in the grid, the more accurate the calculation. The grid cells are measured
in centimeters, regardless of the current display unit.
Override Automatic Resolution Lets the Dynamics utility automatically set
the grid size based on the complexity and size of the object. In addition, the
lowest value that will be automatically calculated is plugged into the Grid
spinner (which is also unavailable). If you want to specify your own grid value
using the Grid spinner, but want some idea of where to start, turn off
Automatic Resolution and then turn it back on again.

Edit Object List Dialog (Dynamics Utility)
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Dynamics ➤
Dynamics rollout ➤ Edit Object List button ➤ Edit Object List dialog
The Edit Object List dialog lets you select the objects to include in a dynamics
simulation. Highlight objects from the Objects in the Scene list on the left,

Dynamics Utility | 4247

and then click the > button to place them in the Objects in the Simulation
list on the right side of the dialog.
The Exclude and Include option buttons above the right window determine
whether the items listed are excluded from or included in the simulation.
NOTE All the selection and inclusion dialogs in the Dynamics Utility are displayed
and function similarly.

Interface

Objects in the Scene To add scene objects to the simulation (assuming Include
is chosen), select objects from the list on the left, then use the > button to
move them to the list on the right.
Search Field The edit box above the Scene Objects list lets you search for
object names by entering names that use wildcards. For example, searching
for "sphere*" finds all objects whose names start with "sphere".

4248 | Chapter 13 Animation

Objects in the Simulation To exclude objects from the simulation (assuming
Include is chosen), select objects from the list on the right, then use the <
button to move them to the list on the left.
Exclude/Include Choose whether the simulation will exclude or include the
objects named in the list on the right. If you choose Exclude, only objects in
the list on the left are included in the simulation.
All/None/Invert Affect the list on the left. All selects all objects, None deselects
all objects, and Invert selects unselected objects and deselects selected objects.
Display Subtree Turn on to indent the list according to the object hierarchy.
Case Sensitive Turn on to use case sensitivity when searching for object
names.
Select Subtree Selects all objects in a hierarchy at the level you click and
below.
Selection Sets Displays a list of named selection sets. Choosing a selection
set from this list selects those objects in the Scene Objects list.
Clear Clears all entries from the Exclude/Include list on the right.

Skin Utilities
Utilities panel ➤ More button ➤ SkinUtilities
Skin Utilities provide a method for copying skin data (envelopes and vertex
weights) from one model to another. Skin Utilities work by embedding the
skin data in a copy of the source mesh, then using the object copy to map the
data onto the target mesh.
To use Skin Utilities, you must have two meshes to which the Skin modifier
on page 1614 has been applied, both in the current scene. You must have already
assigned bones to the Skin modifier for both meshes.
NOTE Skin Utilities work by matching bones from one character to another, so
the task of copying the skin data will be greatly simplified if you name the bones
in each mesh with similar naming conventions.

Skin Utilities | 4249

Procedures
To use Skin Utilities:
1 Load a scene that contains two skinned meshes, one from which you
want to extract the skin data, the other to which you want to paste it.

2

Select the source mesh, the mesh with the correct envelopes
and vertex weights.

3 Choose

Utilities panel ➤ More button ➤ Skin Utilities.

4 Click Extract Skin Data To Mesh.
A new object is created, identical to the selected object. This is a new
mesh with all envelope-assigned and manually-assigned vertex weights
“baked” into the mesh. The object is named with the prefix SkinData_
followed by the same name as the original object.

5

Move the skin data mesh on top of the mesh to which you
would like to paste the skin data, so the two meshes are coincident.

6 If necessary, adjust the skin data object at the Vertex sub-object level to
make it fit the other mesh as closely as possible.

7

Select both the skin data object, and the object to which you
want to paste the data.

8 Click Import Skin Data From Mesh.
3ds Max opens the Paste Skin Data dialog.
9 Match up the bones by highlighting one on each side of the dialog, and
clicking the left arrow to move the source bone to its match on the left
side.
You can also highlight several bones on each side at once, and click the
left arrow to move them all over at the same time. Only bone pairs on
the left side of the dialog will be pasted.

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10 If the meshes' vertices do not match exactly, set the Interpolation method
to Match by Face, and increase the Threshold to a unit value that will
allow the meshes' faces to match up.
11 Click OK to paste the vertex weights and close the dialog.
12 Delete the skin data mesh.

Interface

Extract Skin Data to Mesh Extracts the skin data from the selected mesh and
embeds it in a new mesh named SkinData_ followed by the original object
name.
NOTE The skin data is stored in channels. To see the data, select the SkinData_
mesh and use the Channel Info Utility on page 6936.
Import Skin Data From Mesh Opens the Paste Skin Data dialog. Before
clicking this option, you must select the SkinData_ mesh and the mesh to
which you want to paste the data.

Skin Utilities | 4251

Paste Skin Data dialog

To use the Paste Skin Data dialog, highlight matching Target Bones and Source
Bones, and click the left arrow to match them. Only matched sets of bones
listed under Target Bones will be mapped when you click OK.
Target Bones Lists target bones available for matching, and lists matches
moved from the Source Bones listing with the left arrow.
Source Bones Lists source bones available for matching.
Add Adds removed bones back to the source or target list.
Remove Removes highlighted bones from the source or target list.

4252 | Chapter 13 Animation

Remove Suffix If bone names end with an underscore followed by text, this
removes the suffix from the displayed bone names from the underscore to
the end of the name. Use this option to remove suffixes and make source and
target bone names match, which will allow you to use the Match by Name
option.
Remove Prefix If bone names start with text followed by an underscore, this
removes all characters from the displayed bone names up to and including
the underscore. Use this option to remove prefixes and make source and target
bone names match, which will allow you to use the Match by Name option.

Left Arrow Matches highlighted target bones to
highlighted source bones. The source bone name is moved to the left side of
the dialog, where it follows the target bone name. You can also match more
than one source bone to a single target bone by highlighting the target bone
and the source bones and clicking the left arrow. When you click OK, only
the matches listed on the left side of the dialog will be mapped.

Right Arrow On a highlighted match on the left side of
the dialog, removes the match and moves the source bone to the right side
of the dialog.
Match by Name Matches the source and target bones by name. You can use
this option only if you have removed prefixes or suffixes to make the displayed
source and target bone names match exactly.
Threshold Sets the unit distance that the utility will search for vertex or face
matches. Default=1.0.
Interpolation Sets the method by which pasting will take place. Use the Match
by Vertex option only if the meshes are identical. Otherwise, use Match by
Face. Default=Match by Vertex.

Skin Utilities | 4253

4254

reactor

14

reactor is a toolset that allows animators and artists to control and simulate complex physical
scenes in 3ds Max. reactor supports integrated rigid and soft body dynamics, cloth simulation,
and fluid simulation. It can simulate constraints and joints for articulated bodies. It can also
simulate physical behaviors such as wind and motors. You can use all of these features to
create rich dynamic environments.

In a reactor simulation, a rag-doll figure crashes through a window.

Once you have created an object in 3ds Max, you can assign physical properties such as mass,
friction, and elasticity to it with reactor. Objects can be fixed, free, attached to springs, or
attached together using a variety of constraints. By assigning physical characteristics to objects

4255

like this, you can model real-world scenarios and then simulate them to produce physically
accurate, keyframed animations.
After you set up your reactor scene, you can preview it quickly using the real-time simulation
display window. This allows you to test and play with a scene interactively. You can alter
positions of all physical objects in the scene, dramatically reducing the design time. You
can then transfer the scene back into 3ds Max with a single mouse click while retaining all
the properties needed for the animation.
reactor frees you from having to hand-animate time-consuming secondary effects, like
exploding buildings or draping curtains. reactor also supports all standard 3ds Max
functionality such as keyframes and skinning, so you can use both conventional and physical
animation in the same scene. Convenient utilities, such as automatic keyframe reduction,
let you tweak and alter the physically generated parts of an animation after it has been
created.
The remainder of this chapter describes each of reactor's features in detail. Also, the included
tutorials step you through creating some typical reactor scenes. Together, we hope these
will help you to get the most from reactor.
If you would like to find out more about dynamics simulation, see Introducing Dynamics
Simulation on page 4263.

Getting Started
This section shows you where to find the various reactor options in 3ds Max, as well as
introducing you to reactor's helper icons. You'll see how to use each of the options in the
relevant section of this guide.

Command Panel
You can use the reactor options on the Create panel to create various reactor elements. To
find most reactor objects, go to the Helpers sub-panel, and then, from the drop-down list,
choose reactor.

4256 | Chapter 14 reactor

You can also find a space warp, used for water on page 4450, in Space Warps ➤ reactor.

Once you've created a reactor object, selecting the object and opening the Modify panel
allows you to configure its properties.

| 4257

There are also three reactor modifiers, used to simulate deformable bodies on page 4401:

4258 | Chapter 14 reactor

You'll find most of the remaining reactor functions on the Utilities panel. This provides
access to functionality such as previewing the simulation, changing world and display
parameters, and analyzing the convexity of objects. It also lets you see and edit the rigid
body properties associated with objects in the scene.

| 4259

NOTE The reactor menus and toolbar provide shortcuts for many of the reactor functions provided
in the command panel.

The reactor Toolbar

The reactor toolbar is a handy way to access much of reactor's functionality. It has buttons
that let you quickly create constraints and other helpers, display physical properties, generate
animations, and run the real-time preview.
To display the reactor toolbar:
1 Right-click an empty area of the main toolbar to display a list of available toolbars.
2 Click reactor.

4260 | Chapter 14 reactor

The reactor Submenu

The main reactor submenu, available from the Animation menu, is another way to access
reactor functionality.

| 4261

The reactor Quad Menu

A further quick way to access reactor options is the reactor quad menu. To open this menu,
press Shift+Alt and right-click in the active viewport.

Helper Icons
Many reactor elements, such as constraints and the Rigid Body Collection, have their own
special helper icon that appears in the viewport when you add them to the scene. For
instance, the following illustration shows the Hinge constraint icon:

Although the helper icon doesn't appear in your rendered scene, the icon's appearance (and
in some cases, its position and orientation) will help you to set up your reactor scene
correctly.

4262 | Chapter 14 reactor

When selected, reactor icons are white and are also larger than when not selected. When
not selected, the icon for a valid element is blue, and for an invalid element is red. What
constitutes validity depends on the particular reactor element. For instance, a hinge on page
4344 is valid if it has the correct number of objects attached to it; a Rigid Body Collection on
page 4296 is valid if it's not empty. Invalid elements are excluded from the simulation, and
reported as errors.
Certain icons provide additional information about how the element behaves in the
simulation. For example, the display for a valid hinge indicates the hinge position, and,
when selected, the hinge axis and any limits youvl have specified for the movement of the
hinged bodies.

Introducing Dynamics Simulation
This section gives a broad overview of physical simulation, and introduces
some concepts you might find useful when working with reactor.

Physical Simulation
Havok’s physics technology, used in reactor, relies on a process known as
physical simulation in order to provide a dynamic environment for the objects
in a scene. So what exactly does physical simulation mean?
It is a process that automatically determines the motion of objects according
to their physical properties. It achieves this by encapsulating some physical
laws, like Newton’s laws of motion, within a robust, efficient engine, which
calculates the position of each object as time passes. In much the same way
that a motion picture is composed of many individual images or frames,
physical simulation splits time into small discrete steps and predicts the motion
of each object during each step. The cumulative effect of all these steps is
fluid, continuous, believable motion.
Unlike traditional keyframe-based animation, where the animator needs to
specify a set of keyframed configurations, physical simulation determines how
objects move based their properties. This takes the burden from the animator,
who now doesn't need to manually animate every piece in an explosion, every
bone in a character stunt animation, or every vertex in a piece of cloth.
In a physical simulation, physical properties such as mass and elasticity are
assigned to all objects in a scene. This is then complemented with a set of
external forces like gravity or wind and/or constraints, like a spring force or
a ball-socket configuration. From all this information, the physics engine
calculates a continuous set of states that can then be displayed in real-time,

Introducing Dynamics Simulation | 4263

if the calculations are fast enough, or converted into keyframes to be played
back later.

What Does A Physics Engine Do?
A physics engine like Havok has three basic tasks to perform:
1 Collision Detection
Track the movement of all the objects in the scene and detect when any
of them have collided.
2 Update System
Determine an appropriate response for objects that have collided by
resolving the collision according to the object properties and for all other
(non-colliding) objects update them according to the forces acting on
them.
3 Interface with Application
Once reactor determines the new positions and state of all objects, it can
display the objects in a 3D window or store their states in the form of
keyframes.
NOTE A physics engine knows nothing about how the objects it is simulating are
displayed. It simulates the motion and interaction of these objects based on a
physical (not graphical) description of the objects, and this information can be
used to generate a display that “tracks” the simulation.
Given that we are talking about simulating a continuously evolving state (in
other words, objects are moving and colliding and reacting all the time in
general), we need to map this to a series of snapshots in order to generate an
animation. In a computer game, for example, we typically want to display the
world 60 times per second, because this is how frequently many graphics
systems can redraw the screen. When creating an animation, we may want
to store the state (that is, create a keyframe) for every frame. At 60 FPS, for
example, this would also create 60 keyframes every second, What this really
means is that the physics engine must be capable of evolving the world by
1/60th of a second knowing the state of all the objects at the start of this time
interval and knowing the external forces acting on these objects. As an example
we'll look at the simple case of a cannon ball and we’ll assume we're interested
in animation at 60Hz (Hz = cycles or frames per second).

4264 | Chapter 14 reactor

Simulating a Cannon Ball
Let’s forget about collisions for now, and consider only the simulation of a
cannon ball immediately after it has been fired from the cannon. We know
the ball’s position (and orientation, but we'll ignore this for now), speed,
acceleration, and weight, and we assume we know the state of the environment
(air resistance, wind force, gravity). Armed with this knowledge we can start
to make predictions using a physics engine.

A cannon ball follows a parabolic
trajectory.

This figure illustrates what we would like to achieve. Over a period of time
the cannon ball’s rate of ascent should slow due to gravity, and it should
eventually fall to the ground having traveled through a classic parabolic arc
(assuming no air resistance).
At a given point in time we can examine the state of the ball (its speed v and
acceleration a) and knowing the external forces acting on it we can make a
guess as to its change in position after a period of time has elapsed (call this
period h seconds). This guess is a combination of a number of factors:
■

We assume that Newton’s laws of motion govern the motion of the ball

■

We assume that in the time period h all the external forces acting on the
ball are constant, so air resistance and wind and gravity do not change
during this time.

■

We assume that the math we use to calculate the new position is accurate

In general, the first assumption is usually valid, except at relativistic or
quantum scales, which we can assume should be handled by other systems.
The remaining two, however, cause problems and are closely linked to the
time period h over which we’re performing the calculations. We’ll now
examine the effect of the size of this time period on the accuracy of the
simulation.

Introducing Dynamics Simulation | 4265

Time Steps
In general, the forces acting on an object are rarely truly constant; gravity is
close to being constant, but most other forces like wind and air resistance are
not. So, taking the cannon ball example, imagine a windy layer in the
atmosphere that the cannon ball passes through, as shown in the next figure.

Left: One-second steps
Right: Half-second steps

In the simulation on the left we assume we’re taking steps of one second; this
is actually a relatively large interval for a physics simulation, but is used here
to illustrate the point. We know all the forces acting on the ball at time t1 so
we use some math to predict the new position and velocity at time t2, after
one second has elapsed. During this period, we assume that the wind force
acting on the ball is constant. In this example, we’ll calculate the new position
above the region of high wind, so we’ll effectively have missed the windy bit
by taking too great a jump. In the second example on the right, we’re using
time steps of ½ second. In this case, after determining the new position at
time t2 we find the ball in the middle of the windy region. This region causes
a large wind force to act on the ball which is taken into account during the
next time step. At that point we reevaluate the math and determine a new
position for the ball at time t3. This is different from the position determined
in the simulation on the left, even though the same amount of time has been
simulated in each case. In other words, the wind has blown the ball to the
left a bit and has reduced the velocity of the ball
In general, the smaller the time step taken, the more accurate the result at the
end of the time step. Thus, to step forward in time by a large time step t it is
better to split this into n steps of a smaller time interval t/n.

4266 | Chapter 14 reactor

This is also true of the math. As the simulation becomes more complex, the
math required to calculate the new positions and velocities of objects in a
simulation also becomes more complex, and as a result the guesses produced
by the math give progressively less-accurate results.
So the principle is to take small time steps, evaluate all the forces acting on
the objects, determine the new positions and velocities (and other parameters)
of the objects at the end of the time steps, and then start over. We end up
with a series of snapshots of the state of the system as it evolves, as shown in
the following illustration.

Snapshots of a system state taken at regular time intervals

Substeps
In the previous section, we said that the physics engine passes on the necessary
information to update the display after it determines the new positions for
all its objects. However, what if you don't want to update the display in each
simulation time step?
Let's say we absolutely need to update the application once every 1/60th of a
second, either because we're playing a real-time game that refreshes the screen
at 60Hz. or we're creating a keyframe every frame for a 60FPS movie. This
effectively means that we want to step the physics engine at intervals of 1/60th
of a second. In many cases this does not present a problem, but if,
hypothetically, the accuracy of the simulation was not sufficient (remember:

Introducing Dynamics Simulation | 4267

smaller time steps mean better accuracy), then we’d like to decrease the time
step even further, say to 1/120th of a second. But this would mean we generate
twice the number of images/keyframes we are interested in, which is wasteful.
To get around this, the Havok engine allows you to specify the number of
substeps to take per key.
The Substeps/Key parameter specifies the number of steps the physics engine
takes before updating the application. This gives control over the granularity
of the physics simulation independent of the display update or
keyframe-creation frequency. So with Substeps/Key=1, reactor uses a single
simulation step for each update to the 3D display. With Substeps/Key=2,
reactor takes two physics steps each time before updating the application, and
so on.

Simulation (yellow) sampled every 1/240 second
Keyframes (red) created every 1/60 second

In this figure, we have specified that the physics simulation should step at
intervals of 1/240th of a second, but that we create a keyframe only once every

4268 | Chapter 14 reactor

1/60th of a second. The red spots indicate a keyframe and simulation step,
the yellow spots are simulation steps only. This was achieved by instructing
the physics engine to employ four substeps per key. Thus, for each four
simulation steps we create only keyframe. By setting the number of substeps
we can control the accuracy of the physical simulation independent of the
number of keyframes created.

Rigid Bodies and Deformable Bodies
Rigid Bodies
Havok simulates most objects in a simulation as rigid bodies. A rigid body is
an object whose geometry doesn't change over the course of the simulation.
You can simulate any real-world object that doesn't noticeably change its
shape, from a pen to a boulder hurtling down a mountainside, as a rigid body.
Simulating objects in this way facilitates rapid physical simulation in real
time; the physics engine can make certain assumptions when detecting
collisions based on the fact that the objects' shapes don't vary from simulation
step to simulation step.
Both the Havok 1 and Havok 3 engines can simulate rigid bodies, but Havok
3 simulations are faster and more accurate.

Deformable Bodies
To simulate cloth, rope, or other material whose shape changes over time,
you need to use a different type of body: a deformable body. With deformable
objects, collision detection becomes much more difficult, given that the object
can change shape dramatically between time steps and can also attempt to
collide with itself. For this reason, deformable bodies are more expensive to
simulate.
NOTE Only the Havok 1 engine can simulate with deformable bodies.

Scale
Our scientific knowledge of physics is extensive. What we are concerned with
here would more accurately be described as a mechanical simulation of the
interactions of objects at real-world scales. We are dealing with Newtonian
mechanics; that is, the well-understood laws of motion, popularized by Sir
Isaac Newton, that describe the behavior of objects under the influences of
other objects and external forces. Since then we’ve discovered that these laws
break down at very small (i.e. subatomic) and very large (i.e. planetary) scales.

Introducing Dynamics Simulation | 4269

New physics systems have been devised to work with these scales (for example,
relativistic and quantum), but these are beyond the scope of the reactor physics
engine. The Havok physics simulation technology works at the scale of objects
we interact with on a daily basis, such as chairs, cars, buildings, and footballs.
By default, the engine works in units of meters and kilograms.
It's important to keep in mind the scale in which you're working. For example,
a common mistake people make is to start by creating a cube 100 meters on
a side, and then they wonder why it takes so long to fall. A box of this size
when viewed at a distance sufficient to be able to see the entire box (say 1km
away) will appear to fall at the same speed as an aircraft hangar dropped from
a height and viewed from a kilometer away: slowly.

Changing Scale
The Havok physics engine does not care what units of measurement you use
when specifying the size of objects or the strength of gravity; it cares only
about the numbers. So you could, for instance, work in inches. However, for
realistic (or at least predictable) results, it's important to be consistent. So, for
instance, if you're working in meters, make sure gravity is set to an appropriate
value in meters. To produce Earth-like gravity, use 9.8 m/s2. Otherwise objects
might appear to fall faster or slower than you expect.
NOTE Due to CPU floating-point precision, a physics engine is most accurate
when dealing with numbers as close in magnitude to 1 as possible. In other words,
values like 10,000,000 work poorly, as do values like 0.0000001. Therefore, for
real-world scenes, when creating objects of 1*1*1 size it is most useful to be
working in meters or feet, rather than centimeters/inches or kilometers/miles, in
that you most often simulate objects larger than sugar cubes and smaller than
football fields. It is for this reason that the default values in many physics engines
are usually specified in meters.

Special Features in reactor
A number of reactor features enhance speed and usability. reactor lets you
create new and better animations that were virtually impossible without
reactor, and you can set up those animations in an efficient, intuitive way.
Here we present some of the main features in reactor.

Two Simulation Engines
From the reactor utility interface, you can choose to run your simulation with
either of two engines: Havok 1 or Havok 3.

4270 | Chapter 14 reactor

If your reaction involves cloth, rope, or soft bodies, you'll need to stick with
Havok 1, the version included with previous releases of 3ds Max. However, if
you're using rigid bodies only, you can take advantage of the enhanced
accuracy available in Havok 3. For more information, see The reactor Utility
on page 4460 and Havok 1 World / Havok 3 World Rollout on page 4464.

Integrated User Interface
The reactor interface is fully integrated in 3ds Max. You can access functionality
in reactor through menus, quad menus and toolbars. All 2D and 3D icons
follow a consistent look and feel. The reactor utility on page 4460 parameters
are arranged for easy access.

Special Features in reactor | 4271

You can find more details in:
■

reactor on page 4255

■

The reactor Utility on page 4460

Vertex Selection Inside reactor Modifiers
The reactor modifiers for deformable bodies on page 4401: Cloth, Soft, and Rope,
let you select vertices and apply constraints (fix points, keyframe points, attach
to rigid body, attach to deforming mesh) to those vertices without leaving
the modifier or having to apply extra modifiers. You can create and manipulate
deformable constraints on page 4437 inside the modifier.

4272 | Chapter 14 reactor

Vertex selection in red, across the top of the mesh

Cooperative Constraints
reactor includes a number of cooperative constraints on page 4317 that facilitate
the simulation of articulated bodies and machinery.
Mannequins constrained to touch hands

The Rag Doll constraint on page 4322 allows the simulation of constrained
bodies with relative rotation and twist angles limits similar to those found in
human and animal joints.
The Hinge constraint on page 4344 allows the simulation of hinges (limited or
not) and hinge-like joints where movement is limited around a specified axis,
like elbows and knees.
The Prismatic constraint on page 4358 allows the simulation of translation-only
joints (limited or not) like those found in robots and machinery.
The Car-Wheel constraint on page 4364 is particularly suited to the simulation
of wheels attached to a chassis. The wheels rotate (and can be powered) about
a given axis. Limited linear motion relative to the chassis is allowed along a
user-defined suspension axis.

Special Features in reactor | 4273

Using Point-Point constraint on page 4351 with the Limited option lets you
limit the relative rotation of the attached objects by a given degree around
each axis.
Using Point-Point on page 4351 with the Stiff Spring option constrains both
objects as though attached by a fixed-length bar (a very stiff spring).

Fracture Object
The Fracture on page 4387 object in reactor offers excellent usability and
behavior. Objects inside Fracture are standard Rigid Bodies and, as such, you
can add them to constraints, assigned initial velocities, etc. You can tell pieces
to break at a specific time.

A fractured glass

Constraint Manipulation and Constraint Spaces
Constraints on page 4299 in general restrict the relative movement between two
bodies (parent and child) or between a body (child) and the world, and use
consistent, intuitive nomenclature and setup methods. Springs, linear dashpots
and angular dashpots are referred as Simple Constraints on page 4303, while the
other constraints (those that are grouped with a Constraints Solver on page
4319) are referred to as Cooperative Constraints on page 4317.

4274 | Chapter 14 reactor

In reactor, you define the effect of constraints by the specifying and
manipulating two constraint spaces on page 4301. Limits, such as minimum
and maximum rotation angles, are defined and displayed around those spaces,
which you can modify using sub-object manipulation. reactor provides tools
for automatically aligning and manipulating those spaces.

Storage and Access of Collision Information
reactor can store information of all rigid body collisions occurred during the
simulation. The information includes the objects involved, the point of
collision, and the relative velocity during collision, and can be used by
animators to generate particles or other effects, trigger sounds, etc. You can
access the information via MAXScript and save it to a text file.

Special Features in reactor | 4275

For more information, see Storing and Accessing Collisions on page 4396.

Support for Global Collisions
In reactor, you can enable or disable collisions globally instead of inside the
Rigid Body Collection on page 4296. 3ds Max stores disabled collisions inside
the reactor Utility on page 4460. You can disable collisions not only for rigid
bodies, but also for cloth, soft and rope. And you can access disabled collisions
through MAXScript.

Animatable Wind
You can animate most parameters in the reactor Wind on page 4456 object,
including wind speed and direction. Range and Falloff parameters let you set
up the range of action for the wind.

4276 | Chapter 14 reactor

An array of planes shifted by wind

Cloth/Soft/Rope Attachments to Deforming Meshes (Skin)
The Attach to DefMesh on page 4445 deformable constraint allows vertices in
cloth, soft bodies, and rope to follow a non-rigid mesh such as skin.

Special Features in reactor | 4277

One mesh deforms another

Soft Selection for Cloth/Soft/Rope
The deformable on page 4401 (cloth/soft/rope) modifiers in reactor can now use
the soft selection flowing to that modifier and blend the current vertex
animation with the reactor animation, facilitating the transition between
skin-driven and reactor-driven animation.

4278 | Chapter 14 reactor

Soft selection dampens the deformation

Floating Rigid Body Property Editor
In reactor you can change the rigid body properties on page 4282, like mass,
elasticity or friction without having to use the reactor Utility on page 4460. You
can open a floating MAXScript window to modify rigid body properties from
the reactor menus, quad menus, and toolbars at any time.

Special Features in reactor | 4279

MAXScript Access
Virtually all parameters and functionality in reactor are accessible through
MAXScript.

Animation Features
reactor can automatically create list controllers (or character studio layers) to
store the animation of rigid bodies. For more information, see Preview &
Animation Rollout on page 4462.
Also, the ragdoll script on page 4482 is aware of being applied to character studio
bipeds, and, in such cases, sets up the constraints so that, when you create an
animation, the biped is physically animated.

4280 | Chapter 14 reactor

reactor Helpers
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object
This topic simply provides links to the various helper objects that are part of
the reactor system.

Interface

Rigid Body Collection on page 4296
Constraint Solver on page 4319
Point-Point Constraint on page 4351
Point-Path Constraint on page 4371
Hinge Constraint on page 4344
Rag Doll Constraint on page 4322
Car-Wheel Constraint on page 4364
Prismatic Constraint on page 4358
Linear Dashpot on page 4308

reactor Helpers | 4281

Angular Dashpot on page 4313
Cloth Collection on page 4411
Deforming Mesh Collection on page 4435
Rope Collection on page 4431
Soft Body Collection on page 4423
Fracture on page 4387
Motor on page 4377
Plane on page 4375
Spring on page 4304
Toy Car on page 4380
Wind on page 4456

Rigid Bodies
The rigid body is the basic building block of reactor simulations. You can use
a rigid body in reactor to simulate any real-world object that doesn't change
its shape, from a pen to a boulder hurtling down a mountainside.

4282 | Chapter 14 reactor

A rigid mannequin collides with a rigid window, which fractures.

You can create a rigid body using any geometry in a 3ds Max scene. reactor
then lets you assign the properties the object should have in the simulation,
such as mass, friction, and whether the body can collide with other rigid
bodies. You can also restrict the possible movement of your rigid bodies in
the simulation using constraints such as hinges and springs.
This section shows you how to create and work with rigid bodies in reactor.
To find out how to simulate objects that change their shape over time, see
Deformable Bodies on page 4401.

Rigid Body Basics
You can make a rigid body from any geometry in your scene. A rigid body
can be a single object, or it can comprise several objects grouped together,
known as a compound rigid body on page 4294. If you designate an object whose
geometry changes over time as a rigid body, the simulation uses its geometry
at the start frame.
reactor lets you assign the physical properties that each body will have in the
simulation, such as mass, friction, and whether the body can collide with

Rigid Body Basics | 4283

other rigid bodies. You can specify a proxy geometry for a rigid body, which
allows reactor to treat the rigid body as an easier-to-simulate shape for the
purpose of the simulation. You can also specify how your rigid body should
be displayed when previewing the simulation.
An object is simulated as a rigid body after you have added it to a Rigid Body
Collection on page 4296; you can edit its rigid body properties before or after
you do this.
This section tells you how to:
Edit rigid body properties on page 4284, including
■

physical properties on page 4285

■

simulation geometry on page 4287

■

display properties on page 4294

Rigid Body Properties
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Properties
Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Open Property Editor

reactor toolbar ➤

(Open Property Editor)

You assign physical properties, simulation geometry, and display properties
to a rigid body using the Rigid Body Properties rollout or dialog. The interface
consists of three rollouts or sections, each of which is described in detail in
this topic.

Procedures
To edit the properties of a rigid body:

1

Select the appropriate object in the scene.

4284 | Chapter 14 reactor

2 Open the Properties rollout or dialog. If the item you have selected cannot
become a rigid body (for example, if it is a helper object such as a Rigid
Body Collection), or if you have no object selected, the dialog still displays
when you choose this option, but its controls are unavailable until you
select a valid object.
3 Use the settings to specify the required properties, as described in the
following sections.

Interface
Physical Properties

Mass A rigid body’s mass governs how the object interacts with other objects.
When its mass is set to 0.0 (the default value), the object remains fixed in
space during the simulation, although other objects will be able to collide
with it. For example, you could use a fixed rigid body to create a slope for
other objects to roll down. Other values allow the object to move during the
simulation, depending on other circumstances. A valid value for Mass is greater
than or equal to 0.0.
Friction The coefficient of friction for the object’s surface. This affects how
smoothly the rigid body moves relative to surfaces it’s in contact with. The
friction values for both objects combine to produce a coefficient for the
interaction. To achieve realistic results, use values between 0.0 and 1.0.
However, values up to 5.0 are accepted.

Rigid Body Properties | 4285

Elasticity This value governs the effect collisions have on the velocities of the
rigid body; in other words, how "bouncy" the object is. Like Friction, this is a
pair-wise coefficient: When two objects collide, their elasticity values combine
to produce a coefficient for the interaction. To achieve realistic results, use
values between 0.0 and 1.0. However, values up to 5.0 are accepted.
Inactive When on, the rigid body starts the simulation in an inactive state.
This means it requires interaction with another object or system, or the mouse,
before it becomes active in the simulation. For example, if you place an object
in midair, give it a mass and set it to Inactive, when the simulation starts it
sits in midair until something interacts with it. Inactive objects require less
computation during simulation.
Disable All Collisions When on, the object doesn’t collide with other objects
in the scene; it simply passes through them.
Unyielding When on, the rigid body takes its motion from the animation it
already has in 3ds Max, rather than the physical simulation. Other objects in
the simulation can collide with it and react to its motion, but its motion is
governed solely by the current animation in 3ds Max, and reactor will not
create keyframes for it.
Phantom A phantom object has no physical presence in the simulation. Like
an object with Disable All Collisions on, it simply passes through other objects.
Unlike an object with disabled collisions, however, a phantom maintains
collision information about any objects that it passes through during the
simulation. You can then use this collision information, for instance, to trigger
sounds or other effects. You can find out how to access collision data in the
Storing and Accessing Collisions on page 4396.
Shell The radius of an extra "shell" around convex shapes, which reactor uses
as the shape's surface for collision-detection purposes. The simulation tries to
ensure that the distance between this shell and other objects is always more
than zero; in other words, that the distance between the original convex shape
and other objects is always more than the combined radii of the objects.
Default=0.05.
IMPORTANT Applies to Havok 3 only.
Adding a shell to an object can improve performance. The core convex-convex
collision-detection algorithm is fast when objects are not interpenetrating,
and slower when they are. Adding a shell makes it less likely that the shapes
themselves will interpenetrate, thus reducing the likelihood of using the slower
algorithm. Using a shell is thus faster in situations that involve the risk of
shapes interpenetrating; for instance, when an object is settling or sliding on

4286 | Chapter 14 reactor

a surface, when there is a stack of objects, or when many objects are jostling
together.
Penet. (Penetration) The amount of penetration reactor permits.
To avoid trying to solve insoluble physical problems, the Havok 3 engine
allows penetration between objects even if continuous physics on page ?is
enabled. Default=0.05.
IMPORTANT Applies to Havok 3 only.
Quality Lets you set individual settings for each object based on the desired
level of interaction. Default=Moving.
IMPORTANT Applies to Havok 3 only.
The available Quality settings are:
■

DebrisLow-importance objects used for adding visual quality.

■

MovingRegular objects that populate the world, such as furniture, etc.

■

CriticalEssential objects that are never allowed to interpenetrate.

■

BulletFast-moving projectiles.

Simulation Geometry
Lets you specify the physical representation of your object that will be used
in the Havok simulation.

Proxies
reactor supports substituting one object for another in two different ways:
geometry proxies and display proxies.
Geometry proxies allow you to specify a different body’s geometry as the
simulation geometry for an object. For example, you can have a complex
object displayed on-screen, but replaced for simulation purposes by a box,
which is much easier and faster for reactor to simulate. The box governs the
movement of the object, and dictates how it collides, its position, and
orientation. However, on-screen you can see the complex object in full detail.
Geometry proxies are applied per object.
Display proxies replace a rigid body’s display body with that of another object.
Therefore, they affect display only during the real-time preview on page 4476
and do not affect animation. They are applied per rigid body, rather than per
object. This means that you can create a compound rigid body of several

Rigid Body Properties | 4287

objects and simulate these, but display an alternative mesh for the body during
the preview. You can find out how to specify a display proxy in the Display
on page 4294 section.

Convex and Concave Objects
A rigid body primitive is defined as convex if, given any two points inside the
object, you can always go in a straight line from one to the other without
leaving the object. Convex objects include spheres, cylinders, and boxes. For
example, a sphere is convex but a golf ball is concave because of the concavities
(dimples) in its surface. Also, by definition, non-closed meshes (planes, hollow
hemispheres) are always concave.
Convex objects are faster to simulate than concave objects. Because of this,
you should aim to use convex objects as often as possible for simulation.
Treating concave objects as convex for simulation purposes allows you to take
advantage of their faster processing time. This is the default setting for an
object’s simulation geometry (Mesh Convex Hull). If you are unsure whether
an object is convex or concave, you can perform a convexity test on it. With
the object selected, open the reactor - Utilities menu and select Convexity
Test.
You can specify one of the following simulation geometry options to define
how your object will be represented in the physical simulation. To view the
simulation geometry for your objects in the preview, as in the following
examples, select Sim Edges from the Display menu in the Preview Window.

4288 | Chapter 14 reactor

Bounding Box The object is simulated as a box whose extents are determined
by the object’s dimensions.

Bounding box

Bounding Sphere The object is simulated as an implicit sphere. The sphere
is centered on the object’s pivot point and then minimally encloses the object’s
geometry.

Rigid Body Properties | 4289

Bounding sphere

Mesh Convex Hull This is the default option. The object’s geometry is passed
through an algorithm that creates a convex geometry using the geometry’s
vertices, completely enclosing the geometry’s vertices. To visualize this, imagine
shrink-wrapping a teapot: The teapot is concave but its shrink-wrap forms a
convex hull.

4290 | Chapter 14 reactor

Convex hull

Proxy Convex Hull The convex hull of another object is used as the physical
representation of the object in the simulation. For instance, you could use the
convex hull of a low-poly teapot to simulate a high-poly teapot. The proxy
object’s pivot point is aligned with that of the rigid body.

Rigid Body Properties | 4291

Proxy convex hull

Concave Mesh The actual mesh of the object is used for simulation. Although
the convex hull of an object and the object’s actual mesh may be exactly the
same shape, using the convex hull simulates much more quickly, as reactor
can make certain assumptions for convex objects. If you try to use Concave
Mesh for a convex object you will get a warning. Not heeding such warnings
could dramatically reduce the speed of your simulation. In some cases, though,
you might want to ignore that warning. If, for example, you want to place
objects inside a convex object, and make them collide with the internal faces
of that object, you should simulate it as concave instead of convex.
NOTE If you are using a standard 3ds Max plane as a rigid body (as opposed to
the special reactor Plane on page 4375 object), you must set its simulation geometry
to Concave Mesh.

4292 | Chapter 14 reactor

Concave mesh

Proxy Concave Mesh Another object’s concave mesh is used as the physical
representation of the object. For example, you can use a low-poly teapot to
animate a highly tessellated teapot. The proxy object’s pivot point is aligned
with that of the rigid body.
To specify the proxy object, click the Proxy button at the bottom of the rollout.

Rigid Body Properties | 4293

Proxy concave mesh

Not Shared This option is active when multiple objects with different
Simulation Geometry settings are selected.

Display

Proxy When on and you specify a proxy object by clicking the button (default
label: None), reactor displays the specified proxy in the Preview Window in
place of the object.

Compound Rigid Bodies
Rigid bodies can be made of one or more objects, or primitives. For instance,
if you assign physical properties to an object in a scene and add it to a Rigid
Body Collection, we say that the rigid body has one primitive. However, reactor

4294 | Chapter 14 reactor

can also simulate a rigid body made up of more than one primitive. To do
this, you need to group objects together using the 3ds Max Group menu. You
can then add the group to the collection, and the objects in the group then
become the primitives that make up the rigid body.
Creating such compound rigid bodies can be useful, as it is much faster to
simulate a rigid body made up of convex pieces than to simulate a more
complex concave shape. In addition, the primitives that make up a compound
rigid body can have different masses, so you can create rigid bodies that have
nonuniform mass distribution. For example, you can create a hand axe where
the head is heavier than the handle, so that if you toss the axe it spins around
its head.

Rigid body as a compound of three objects

You can do this because the Mass property on the Rigid Body Properties dialog
is assigned to a specific primitive rather than an entire rigid body, unlike most
of the other properties in this dialog. For single-primitive rigid bodies, this
distinction is unimportant. However, in the case of a compound rigid body,
the group parent is the rigid body and cannot have a Mass value assigned:
Mass can be assigned only to its children, the primitives.
Simulation geometry is also defined at a primitive level, so you can combine
concave and convex hull geometries in a single rigid body.

Procedures
To create a compound rigid body:
1 Arrange the objects to use to make up your compound rigid body.

Compound Rigid Bodies | 4295

2

Select all of the objects.

3 From the Group menu, choose Group.
Your objects are now all child objects of a new group parent. You can
add this parent object to a Rigid Body Collection.
To edit compound rigid body properties:
1 With the compound rigid body selected, choose Group ➤ Open.
2 To edit the compound rigid body’s properties, select the parent (dummy)
and go to the properties rollout of the utility or open the Rigid Body
Properties dialog. You cannot edit the Mass or Simulation Geometry
values for a group parent because they are primitive properties.
TIP It's easier to select a group parent using the Select From Scene dialog
on page 184 with Display ➤ Display Children enabled: The group parent is
displayed above its members.
3 To edit one of the rigid body’s primitive’s properties, select the appropriate
child and go to the Properties rollout of the utility or open the Rigid Body
Properties dialog. You can give this object a Mass value and, if you wish,
change its Simulation Geometry setting. Specifying any other rigid body
properties for a child object has no effect unless you remove the object
from the group.

Rigid Body Collection
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ RBCollection

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Rigid Body Collection

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Rigid Body Collection)

The Rigid Body Collection is a reactor helper object that acts as a container
for rigid bodies. Once you have added a Rigid Body Collection to your scene,

4296 | Chapter 14 reactor

you can add any valid rigid bodies in the scene to the collection. You can find
out more about rigid bodies in the Rigid Body Basics on page 4283 section.
When you run the simulation, reactor examines the Rigid Body Collections
in the scene and, provided the collections are not disabled, adds the rigid
bodies they contain to the simulation.
At a lower level, a collection also allows you to choose the mathematical
method to be used for solving the rigid body behaviors for its member bodies.

Procedures
To create and use a Rigid Body Collection:
1 Choose any of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to
add the Rigid Body Collection.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the collection’s behavior.
The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add rigid bodies to the
collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list.
2 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods:
■

On the RB Collection Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and
then in the viewport, click an object to add.

■

On the RB Collection Properties rollout, click the Add button, and
then use the Select Rigid Bodies dialog to specify one or more objects
to add.

To create a collection and add bodies in a single step:

1 Create and

select the objects to add to the collection.

2 Create the collection using the reactor toolbar, reactor menu, or quad
menu. reactor instantly places the collection in the scene and adds the
selected objects to the collection.

Rigid Body Collection | 4297

Interface
RB Collection Properties rollout

Highlight Cause the objects in the Rigid Bodies list to display momentarily
in the viewports as if selected.
Rigid Bodies Lists the names of the objects in the Rigid Body Collection.
Pick Lets you add an object to the Rigid Body Collection. Click this button,
then in the viewport move the cursor over the object you would like to add
to the collection. If the object can be used as a rigid body the cursor will change
from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the
collection.
Add Lets you add one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click
the button to open the Select Rigid Bodies dialog. Make a selection in the
provided list, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the
collection.
Delete Lets you remove objects from the collection. In the rigid bodies list,
select the bodies you would like to remove from the collection and click this
button.

4298 | Chapter 14 reactor

Disabled When on, the collection and the bodies it contains are not added
to the simulation.

Advanced rollout

ODE Solver Lets you choose the method by which reactor simulates the
collection:
■

EulerThe collection calculates the behavior for its rigid bodies using an
Euler ODE (Ordinary Differential Equation) solver. Euler is a fast method
that provides good results in most cases.

■

Runge-KuttaThis method is more accurate in some cases but requires more
computation. Use Runge-Kutta if you have many object connected using
simple constraints on page 4303 like springs or dashpots, because those kind
of systems can easily become unstable.

Reset Default Values Sets values for the collection to their defaults. In this
instance, it sets the ODE Solver back to its default value.

Constraints
With reactor, you can easily create a simple physical simulation by simply
assigning rigid body properties to objects and adding them to a Rigid Body
Collection. When you run the simulation, objects can fall from the sky, slide
across each other, bounce off each other, and so on. However, let's say you
want to simulate a real-world scene such as a person pushing open a door.
How, for instance, do you make sure that the door rigid body doesn't just fall
onto the ground, or that it swings out in the proper direction when pushed?
To accomplish this you use constraints. These let you restrict the possible
movement of objects in the physical simulation. Depending on the type of
constraint you use, you can hinge objects together, attach them together with

Constraints | 4299

springs that will snap back if the objects are pulled apart, or even simulate the
movement of a human body joint. You can constrain objects to each other
or to points in space.
This section shows you how to work with constraints in reactor.
Simple Constraints include:
■

Spring on page 4304

■

Linear Dashpot on page 4308

■

Angular Dashpot on page 4313

Cooperative Constraints include:
■

Constraint Solver on page 4319

■

Rag Doll Constraint on page 4322

■

Hinge on page 4344

■

Point to Point on page 4351

■

Prismatic on page 4358

■

Car-Wheel on page 4364

■

Point to Path on page 4371

Constraint Concepts
This topic introduces some common concepts that you'll need to understand
to work with any of the reactor constraint types.

Constraints, Simple Constraints, and Cooperative Constraints
You use constraints in reactor to specify limitations in the movements of
objects. Without constraints, the movement of objects could be limited only
by collisions and deformations. This is the case in the real world: For example,
a door's movement is limited by a set of pieces that form a hinge; the collisions
between those objects limit the movement of the door. The motion of two
objects attached by a spring is limited by the deformation of the spring. A
train can move only along the path defined by a rail due to the collisions of
its wheels with the rail. In many cases, though, it is preferable to specify
explicitly the effect of those objects (hinge, spring, rail) rather than model
them and simulate them. This is what constraints are for.

4300 | Chapter 14 reactor

A constraint lets you limit the way an object can move. Once you specify a
constraint, reactor tries to enforce it during the simulation. For example, you
can use a Hinge on page 4344 constraint to simulate the effect of an actual hinge
on an object: No translation is allowed, and rotation is allowed around only
one axis. Similarly, you can use a Spring on page 4304 constraint to simulate
the effect of a spring (translation is limited to a certain length); or a Point-Path
on page 4371 constraint to simulate the effect of a rail (translation and
orientation are limited to follow a path).
Sometimes you will have a system of many objects constrained together. For
example, if you want to simulate a character falling down the stairs, you might
constrain the different bones of the character using many constraints (like
Rag Doll on page 4322 or Hinge on page 4344). Because all the bodies are connected,
maintaining one constraint may affect the other constraints, so it is better if
they are simulated together, so they are aware of each other. Thus, some
constraints require you group them so they can be solved as a system. Those
constraints are called Cooperative Constraints on page 4317 and are usually
more stable, although they can be slightly slower to simulate. The other
constraints, Simple Constrains on page 4303, cannot be grouped and therefore
are more prone to instability in complex scenes, but are faster to simulate.

Constraint Spaces
In rigid body dynamics, each body has six degrees of freedom to move:
■

three translational degrees of freedom

■

three rotational degrees of freedom

Each type of reactor constraint can remove or limit one or more of these
degrees of freedom for its constrained bodies.
Depending on the number and type of these limitations, we get different types
of constraint, from the simple Point-Point on page 4351 constraint to the much
more complicated Rag Doll on page 4322 constraint. For example, with a
Point-Point constraint, the constrained objects are completely free to rotate
around the constraint pivot point, but have no linear freedom relative to each
other in any direction; they are attached together at the point. However, with
a Rag Doll constraint, the objects not only have no linear freedom, but their
possible relative orientation is also restricted.
In each constraint, these angular and linear limits are defined in terms of the
constraint’s coordinate system or constraint space. Because a constraint restricts
the movement of its objects relative to each other, a constraint also needs to
maintain a mapping from each object’s local space to the constraint space.
reactor lets you manipulate the constraint space in each object's local space

Constraints | 4301

separately, as you'll see in the Working With Constraint Spaces on page 4302
section.

Parents and Children
Each reactor constraint can have two objects: a parent object and a child
object. Although two-bodied constraints actually restrict the possible
movement of both bodies, it is often simpler to specify how one object is
allowed to move relative to the other one, particularly when you are using
limits. With reactor, you specify how the child object can move relative to
the parent.
For some constraints, it makes no difference which object is the parent and
which is the child. For instance, if you use a Point-Point constraint to attach
two objects together at a common point, it works in exactly the same way
regardless of how you specify the attached objects.
However, with the more complex Rag Doll constraint, which you typically
use to model body joints, it's important to specify which object is the parent.
This is because this constraint lets you specify a number of limits on how the
child can move relative to the parent object. For example, when you move
your torso, your arm always moves with it. So when modeling a shoulder
joint, you would specify that the torso object is the parent, making the arm
object the child. You can then specify limits on the arm's movement relative
to the torso.
When you constrain an object to a point in world space rather than another
object, the constrained object is the child object and there is no parent object.

Working With Constraint Spaces
For most constraints, by default the constraint space is aligned with the child
body. This means that the constraint pivot/attachment point is positioned at
the child object's pivot point, and the constraint space takes its orientation
from the child body's local space. The exceptions to this are the constraints
with two attachment points, Springs and Stiff Springs, and the Point-Path
constraint, each of which has its own default alignment.
You can move the constraint space relative to each of the bodies by going to
the constraint's Parent Space or Child Space sub-object level in the modifier
stack, and then using the Move and/or Rotate tools. The space will then
maintain its position and/or orientation relative to the corresponding object
during the simulation.

4302 | Chapter 14 reactor

reactor also provides some quick shortcuts for aligning constraint spaces,
available with each constraint. These are:
■

Align Spaces To Child BodyThis is the default alignment for all constraints
except Spring, the Stiff Spring variant of Point-Point, and Point-Path.

■

Align Spaces To Parent BodyThe constraint space is aligned with the parent
body: The pivot point is positioned at the parent body's pivot point, and
the constraint space takes its orientation from the parent object's local
space.

■

Align Spaces To Child SpaceAligns the parent and child constraint spaces
with the child's constraint space. So, for instance, if you move the
constraint space relative to the child, you can use this option to move the
parent's constraint space into alignment with it.

■

Align Spaces To Parent SpaceAligns the parent and child constraint spaces
with the parent's constraint space. So, for instance, if you move the
constraint space relative to the parent, you can use this option to move
the child's constraint space into alignment with it.

Certain constraints have additional alignment options:
■

Align Spaces To Each Body(Spring and Point-Point ➤ Stiff Spring only)
This option aligns each local constraint space (and hence the spring
attachment point) with the relevant body, so each body's attachment point
is at its pivot. It also sets the spring length to the current distance between
the nodes. This is the default alignment for springs and stiff springs.

■

Align Parent Space To Path(Point-Path constraint only) This option aligns
the parent space with the local space of the shape used for the constraint's
path. This is the default parent space alignment for the Point-Path
constraint.

Simple Constraints
The simple constraints provided with reactor are Spring, Linear Dashpot, and
Angular Dashpot. Unlike cooperative constraints, the simple constraint does
not require you to add it to a Constraint Solver on page 4319 helper. Instead,
reactor adds all valid simple constraints in a scene to the simulation by default.
A two-bodied simple constraint is valid if it has two rigid bodies attached,
while a single-bodied simple constraint is valid if it has one rigid body attached.

Constraints | 4303

Spring
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Spring

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Spring

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Spring)

The Spring helper lets you create a spring-like effect between two rigid bodies
in the simulation, or between a rigid body and a point in space. During the
simulation, the spring exerts forces on the attached bodies in an attempt to
maintain its rest length. So, for instance, if the objects are pulled apart so that
the spring attachment points are further apart than the rest length, the spring
works to bring them back together again.
You can configure a spring's behavior by specifying its stiffness, damping, and
rest length. reactor also lets you choose whether the spring acts under
extension (when the attachment points are pulled further apart) or
compression (when the attachment points are pushed closer together) or both
(the default). A spring that acts only on extension behaves as if the objects
were joined with a rubber band.
You do not have to add a Spring constraint explicitly to a simulation, as all
valid springs in a scene are added to the simulation by default. A two-bodied
spring is valid if it has two rigid bodies attached, while a single-bodied spring
is valid if it has one rigid body attached. When not selected, invalid springs
will be colored red in the viewport.

Procedures
To create a spring:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Spring.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the spring:
1 Create the Spring and the object(s) to connect using it.

4304 | Chapter 14 reactor

2 If you do not want to assign a second body to the spring, turn off the
Parent check box on the spring's Properties rollout if necessary.
3 Click the Child pick button and then select the object to use as the child
object in one of the viewports. This attaches the Spring to the body at
the body’s pivot point.
4 If the spring is two bodied, repeat step 2, using the Parent pick button to
set the parent object for the spring.
To create the spring and attach the objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the attachment positions for the bodies:

1 With the Spring constraint selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the Spring’s sub-object list.
3 Highlight the option corresponding to the object whose attachment point
you want to move: Parent Space or Child Space. If the Spring is
single-bodied, Parent Space allows you to move the world attachment
position.
4 The appropriate space becomes active in the viewport and can be moved
using the Move tool. The attachment point maintains its position relative
to its corresponding object; for example, if you move the child object,
its space, and hence its attachment point, moves with it. The attachment
point doesn't actually have to be on the object.
If you move the attachment points so that they're inside or beyond the
Spring rest length, you will see the attachment points represented by
large box markers and the rest length denoted by small box markers. The
difference between the two is displayed in red.
5 To reset the attachment point to the object’s pivot, reattach the object
to the Spring. Alternatively, if you click the Align Spaces To Each Body
button, both attachment points will be reset to their respective body's
pivot.
To align the parent and child constraint spaces:
1 Ensure that the constraint is selected in one of the viewports.

Constraints | 4305

2 In the Align Spaces To group, click the button for your chosen alignment.
You can find out more about the alignment options in the Working With
Constraint Spaces on page 4302 section.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Child Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the constraint
space for the child object, including the point relative to the child where the
Spring is attached to it. When you assign a child body to the Spring, the Child
Space attachment point is set to the child’s pivot point. If you alter the position
of the attachment point, it maintains its new position relative to the child
during the simulation.
Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the constraint's
second attachment point. If the spring is two-bodied, then this is the point
relative to the parent where the spring is attached to it. When you assign a
parent object to the Spring, the Parent Space attachment point is set to the
parent object’s pivot point. If you alter the position of the attachment point,
it maintains its new position relative to the parent. If the spring is
single-bodied, then the Parent Space's attachment point represents the point
in the world where the spring is attached.

4306 | Chapter 14 reactor

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the Spring has two bodies and you can designate an object
to be the parent body. When off, the Spring is single-bodied and the point
occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the Spring. You
assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body
from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in the Working With Constraint
Spaces on page 4302 section.

Constraints | 4307

Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves along with it.
Stiffness The strength of the spring; governs the force the spring applies to
each attached body for each unit difference between its current length and
its rest length. Values greater than or equal to 0.0 are valid. Default=10.0.
Rest Length The spring applies forces to the attached objects in an attempt
to reach this length. You can specify a figure in world units for this value, or
you can use the Set button. The spring’s rest length is displayed in the
viewports as the length of the displayed line between the two small box
markers. The large box markers are the objects’ attachment points.
Set Click this button to set the spring’s rest length to the current distance
between the two objects’ attachment points.
Damping Determines how quickly the oscillation of the spring settles down.
It governs the forces applied to the connected bodies due to the relative
velocities of their connection points. Valid damping values are those greater
than or equal to 0.0. The default damping value is 1.0.
TIP Typically, a Damping value of 1/10th of the stiffness yields good results.
Act on compression When on, the spring applies forces to the attached objects
when its length is less than its Rest Length. Default=on.
Act on extension When on, the spring applies forces to the attached objects
when its length is greater than its Rest Length.
Disabled When on, the spring is not used in the simulation.
Reset Default Values Click this to set Stiffness, Rest Length, Damping, Act
On Extension, and Act On Compression to their respective default values.

Linear Dashpot
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ L Dashpot

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Linear Dashpot

reactor toolbar ➤

4308 | Chapter 14 reactor

(Create Linear Dashpot)

Dashpots typically server to cushion impact. An example of a real-world linear
dashpot is the hydraulic cylinder in an automobile shock absorber. The Linear
Dashpot constraint lets you constrain two rigid bodies together in the
simulation, or to constrain one body to a position in world space. It behaves
like a heavily damped spring with zero rest length. You can specify the strength
and damping, and whether collisions between the attached bodies are disabled.
reactor lets you specify a dashpot attachment point in each body's local space.
During the simulation, the dashpot exerts impulses on the attached bodies
in an attempt to make these points match up in world space, thus keeping
the bodies in the same positions relative to each other. The bodies are still
free to rotate around the attachment point.
You do not need to add a Linear Dashpot explicitly to a simulation, as all valid
constraints in a scene are added to the simulation by default. A two-bodied
dashpot is valid if it has two rigid bodies attached, while a single-bodied
dashpot is valid if it has one rigid body attached. When not selected, invalid
dashpots are colored red in the viewport.

Procedures
To create a Linear Dashpot:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the dashpot.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the Linear Dashpot:
1 Create the Linear Dashpot and the objects to connect using it.
2 On the linear dashpot’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button,
and then select the object to use as the child object in one of the
viewports. By default, this attaches the linear dashpot to the body at the
body’s pivot point.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the dashpot, turn off the
Parent check box, if necessary.
4 If the dashpot is two-bodied, repeat step 2, using the Parent pick button
to set Parent for the Linear Dashpot.

Constraints | 4309

To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the attachment positions for the bodies:

1 With the dashpot selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the dashpot’s sub-object list.
3 Highlight the sub-object corresponding to the object in whose space you
want to move the attachment point: Parent Space or Child Space. If the
dashpot is single-bodied, Parent Space allows you to move the world
attachment position.
4 The appropriate point becomes active in the viewport and can be moved
using the Move tool. The attachment point maintains its position relative
to its corresponding object; for example, if you move the child object,
its space, and hence its attachment point, moves with it. The attachment
point doesn't have to actually be on either object.
5 To reset the attachment point to the child object’s pivot, reattach the
objects to the dashpot, or use the Align Spaces To Child Body option.
To align the parent and child constraint spaces:
1 Ensure that the constraint is selected in one of the viewports.
2 In the Align Spaces To group, click the button for your chosen alignment.
You can find out more about the alignment options in the Working With
Constraint Spaces on page 4302 section.

4310 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Modifier Stack

Child Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the dashpot
attachment point for the child body. When you assign a child body to the
dashpot, the Child Space attachment point is set to the child object’s pivot
point. If you alter the position of the Child Space attachment point, it
maintains its new position relative to the child during the simulation.
Parent Space At this sub object level, you can select and move the dashpot
attachment point for the parent body. When you assign a parent object to
the dashpot, the Parent Space attachment point is set to the parent object’s
pivot point. If you alter the position of the Parent Space attachment point, it
maintains its new position relative to the parent during the simulation. If the
dashpot is single-bodied, then the Parent Space's attachment point represents
the point in the world where the dashpot will be attached.

Constraints | 4311

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the dashpot has two bodies and you can designate an object
to be the parent body. When off, the dashpot is single-bodied and the point
occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the dashpot.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in the Working With Constraint
Spaces on page 4302 section.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves along with it.

4312 | Chapter 14 reactor

Strength Governs the size of the impulse the dashpot applies to each attached
body, taking into account the distance between the attachment points. The
strength value is mass-dependent. For example, a Strength value of 10 generates
a different behavior when connecting two 5 kg bodies than when connecting
two 50 kg bodies. Values greater than or equal to 0 are valid for this property.
Default=1.
Damping Determines how quickly the oscillation of the linear dashpot settles
down. Damping governs the impulse applied to the connected bodies due to
the relative velocities of their dashpot connection points. Valid damping
values are those greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 100000.
Default=0.1.
TIP Typically, a damping value of 1/10th of the stiffness yields good results.
Allow Interpenetration When on, collisions are disabled between the
dashpot’s objects, so that they can pass through each other during the
simulation. Defaults=off.
Disabled When on, the dashpot is not added to the simulation.
Reset Default Values Click this to set Strength, Damping, and Disabled to
their respective default values.

Angular Dashpot
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ A Dashpot

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Angular Dashpot

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Angular Dashpot)

Dashpots typically serve to cushion impact. An example of a real-world angular
dashpot is a device connected to a door to keep it from slamming shut. You
can use the Angular Dashpot constraint to constrain the relative orientation
of two rigid bodies, or the absolute orientation of a rigid body in world space.
When simulating, the dashpot exerts angular impulses on the bodies to which
it is attached in an attempt to maintain the specified rotation between the
objects. You can specify the dashpot’s strength and damping, and whether
collisions between the system’s bodies are disabled.

Constraints | 4313

An angular dashpot has two sets of axes as sub-objects. For two-bodied
dashpots, these are specified as offset rotations from the dashpot’s bodies. For
single-bodied dashpots, one sub-object is an offset rotation and the other is
a world rotation. In a simulation, the dashpot tries to maintain a common
rotation for these axes.
You do not need to add angular dashpots explicitly to a simulation, as all valid
dashpots in a scene are added to the simulation by default. A dashpot is valid
if it has the correct number of rigid bodies attached and is enabled. When not
selected, invalid dashpots are colored red in the viewport.

Procedures
To create an Angular Dashpot:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the dashpot.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the Angular Dashpot:
1 Create the dashpot and the objects to connect using it.
2 In the dashpot’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button and then
select the object to use as the child object in one of the viewports. By
default, this aligns the Angular Dashpot's target orientation with the child
body's local space.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the dashpot, turn off the
Parent check box if necessary.
4 If the dashpot is two-bodied, repeat Step 2, using the Parent pick button
to set Parent for the angular dashpot.
To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the offset rotations for the bodies:

1 With the Angular Dashpot selected, open the

4314 | Chapter 14 reactor

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the dashpot’s sub-object list.
3 Highlight the sub-object that corresponds to the offset rotation you want
to change: Child Space or Parent Space. If the dashpot is single-bodied,
Parent Space represents the world rotation that the dashpot works to
align the Child Space with.
4 The selected axis sub-object becomes active in the viewports and can be
rotated using the Rotate tool. The axis maintains its offset rotation so
that if you rotate the object it’s linked to, it also rotates.
5 To realign the rotation to the child body's local space, reattach the object
to the dashpot. Alternatively, click the Align Spaces To Child Body button.
To align the parent and child constraint spaces:
1 Ensure that the constraint is selected in one of the viewports.
2 In the Align Spaces To group, click the button for your chosen alignment.
You can find out more about the alignment options in the Working With
Constraint Spaces on page 4302 section.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Child Space At this sub-object level, you can select and rotate the offset
rotation for the child object. This is the rotation that the angular dashpot tries
to maintain for the child body relative to the parent. When you assign a child
object to the dashpot, reactor aligns Child Space to the child body's local
space. If you alter the rotation of this sub-object, it maintains its new rotation
relative to the child body.

Constraints | 4315

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can select and rotate the offset
rotation for the parent body. This is the rotation that the dashpot tries to
maintain for the parent body relative to the child. When you assign the parent
body to the dashpot, this rotation is aligned with the child body's local space.
If you alter the rotation of this sub-object, it maintains its new rotation relative
to the parent. If the dashpot is single-bodied, this rotation represents the world
rotation to which the dashpot tries to align the Child Space axis.

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the dashpot has two bodies and you can designate an object
to be the parent body. When off, the dashpot is single-bodied and the point
occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the dashpot.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.

4316 | Chapter 14 reactor

Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in the Working With Constraint
Spaces on page 4302 section.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves along with it.
Strength Governs the size of the impulse the dashpot will apply to each
attached body, taking into account the difference in their relative offset
rotations (Child Space and Parent Space). The strength value is mass dependent
– for example, a strength value of 10 will generate a different behavior when
connecting two 5 kg bodies than when connecting two 50 kg bodies. Values
greater than or equal to 0.0 are valid for this property. Default=1.0.
Damping This value affects how quickly the oscillation of the angular dashpot
settles down. It governs the impulse applied to the connected bodies due to
their relative angular velocities. Valid damping values are those greater than
or equal to 0. Default=0.1.
TIP Typically, a damping value of 1/10th of the stiffness yields good results.
Allow Interpenetration When on, collisions are disabled between the
dashpot’s objects: During the simulation, they can pass through each other.
Default=off
Disabled When on, the dashpot is not added to the simulation.
Reset Default Values Click this to set Strength, Damping, and Disabled to
their respective default values.

Cooperative Constraints
Cooperative constraints are more stable than simple constraints on page 4303,
but can be more computationally expensive to simulate. For a cooperative
constraint to take part in the simulation, you first need to add it to a Constraint
Solver on page 4319. The solver acts as a container for the cooperative constraint
in a particular Rigid Body Collection, and performs all the calculations
necessary for the constraints to work together.
The following constraint types are cooperative constraints:
■

Hinge on page 4344

■

Point-Point constraint on page 4351

Constraints | 4317

■

Point-Path constraint on page 4371

■

Car-Wheel constraint on page 4364

■

Prismatic constraint on page 4358

■

Rag Doll constraint on page 4322

Common Properties
The following properties are shared by all cooperative constraints:

Strength and Tau
These properties govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in
order to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works
to restrict their movement.
Strength The constraint applies an impulse to each attached body in order
to maintain the constraint, based on the relative velocities of the attached
bodies. The Strength parameter governs the percentage of this impulse the
constraint will apply to each object. If this is sufficient, then the constraint
is maintained.
Tau If the constraint drifts; that is, if the attached objects reach a state where
the constraint isn’t satisfied, then reactor applies a corrective force to rectify
this drift. An impulse is calculated to rectify the drift in a constraint system;
the Tau parameter governs the percentage of the corrective impulse the
constraint applies to each object.
NOTE Tau is unavailable in the Havok 3 engine.

Breakable Constraints
A breakable constraint stops working when a specified threshold is exceeded.
For example, you could use a breakable constraint to make a door that flies
off its hinges when kicked hard enough. You make a constraint breakable by
turning on its Breakable check box. It then ceases to exert impulses on its
constrained bodies if its limits are exceeded during the simulation.

4318 | Chapter 14 reactor

Breakable Turn on to make the constraint breakable.
The Linear and Angular parameters apply only to Havok 1, and the Theshold
parameter applies only to Havok 3.
Linear The maximum linear impulse the breakable constraint can apply before
it breaks. Available in Havok 1 only.
Angular The maximum angular impulse the breakable constraint can apply
before it breaks. Available in Havok 1 only.
Threshold A generic impulse parameter that governs the overall breakability
of the constraint. Larger values make the constraint harder to break. Available
in Havok 3 only.

Constraint Solver
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ CSolver

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Constraint Solver

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Constraint Solver)

The Constraint Solver acts as a container for the cooperative constraints on
page 4317 in a particular Rigid Body Collection on page 4296, and performs all
the calculations necessary for the constraints to work together.
For a cooperative constraint to be simulated in a scene, it must be included
in a valid Constraint Solver and any of the rigid bodies it contains should be
in the Rigid Body Collection associated with the solver. For a Constraint Solver
to be valid it should be associated with a valid Rigid Body Collection. When
not selected, an invalid Constraint Solver is red in the viewport.

Constraints | 4319

You can disable an entire Constraint Solver, thus disabling all of its constraints.
You can also set a deactivation threshold for all the constraints in the solver,
which lets you specify when you would like all the relevant rigid bodies to be
deactivated.

Procedures
To create a Constraint Solver:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Constraint Solver.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To assign a Rigid Body Collection to the solver:
1 On the Properties rollout click the RB Collection button.
This enters a pick mode in which you can choose only a Rigid Body
Collection.
2 In one of the viewports, click the collection to assign to the Constraint
Solver. The collection should contain the rigid bodies for the constraints
in the solver.
To add constraints to a solver:
1 Create a Constraint Solver and some cooperative constraints to add to
the solver.
2 Add constraints to the solver using either (or both) of these methods:
■

On the Constraint Solver ➤ Properties rollout, click the Pick button,
and then in the viewport click a constraint helper to add.

■

On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the
dialog to specify one or more constraints to add.

4320 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Properties rollout

RB Collection button Displays the name of the Rigid Body Collection assigned
to the solver, if any. To assign a Rigid Body Collection to the solver, click this
button and then selecting a collection in any viewport.
Highlight Click this button to cause the constraints in the Constraints list to
momentarily display in the viewports as if selected.
Constraints Lists the names of the constraints currently in the solver.
Pick Lets you add a constraint to the solver. Click this button, then in the
viewport move the cursor over the constraint you would like to add to the
solver. If the object can be used as a constraint, the cursor changes from an
arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the solver.

Constraints | 4321

Add Lets you add one or more constraints from the scene to the solver. Click
the button to open up the Select New Constraints To Add dialog. Make a
selection in the provided list, and then add the constraints to the solver by
pressing the Select button.
Delete Lets you remove constraints from the solver. Highlight the constraints
to remove from the solver in the Constraints list and then click this button.
Deactivation Threshold Lets you specify a special deactivation threshold for
all the rigid bodies constrained by the solver's constraints. Objects in a
Constraint Solver are activated and deactivated together; this parameter
specifies how aggressive the deactivation is. A value of 0.0 disables deactivation.
For more information about deactivation, see Havok 1 World / Havok 3 World
Rollout on page 4464.
Disabled When on, disables all the constraints in this solver.
Reset Default Values Sets Deactivation Threshold and Disabled to their
respective default values.

Rag Doll Constraint
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Ragdoll

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Rag Doll Constraint

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Rag Doll Constraint)

The Rag Doll constraint lets you realistically simulate the behavior of body
joints, such as hips, shoulders, and ankles. Once you decide the degree of
movement a joint should have, you can model it by specifying limiting values
for the Rag Doll constraint.

4322 | Chapter 14 reactor

Figure with rag doll constraints

The Rag Doll constraint uses the parent body as a reference when defining
the limits for the motion of the child body. For example, when your torso
moves, your arm always moves with it. So when modeling a shoulder joint,
you would usually designate the torso as the parent body and the upper arm
as the child body. You can then specify limits on the arm's movement relative
to the torso, as in the above illustration: The arm is allowed to rotate relative
to the torso within the grey limited cone. You can also limit the child body's
ability to twist.
You restrict how a Rag Doll constraint’s child can move relative to the parent
using the constraint’s Twist, Cone, and Plane limits on page 4332. As with the
other constraints, the constraint space for the Rag Doll joint is defined in each
body's local space; you use this constraint space to define your limits. The
constraint space is defined as follows:
■

The origin as the attachment point of the constraint between the child
and parent bodies.

Constraints | 4323

■

A twist axis, which is the axis around which the child body can twist
relative to the parent body. You use this axis to specify twist limits and
the child body's permitted cone of movement.

■

A plane and plane normal centered on the attachment point; the plane
serves to define further limits that restrict the child body's movement
within the cone.

reactor provides special limit visualizations to help you choose appropriate
values for the Rag Doll.
For a detailed explanation of how to define those limits, see Defining Rag Doll
Limits on page 4334.
reactor simulates a Rag Doll constraint if it has the correct number of rigid
bodies attached and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 4319. When
not selected, invalid rag dolls are red in the viewport.
To find out how to create an example character quickly using the Rag Doll
constraint, see Scripts and Tools on page 4481.

Procedures
To create a Rag Doll constraint:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Rag Doll.
NOTE For a two-bodied Rag Doll, the icon’s initial position has no effect on
the Rag Doll's behavior. For a single-bodied Rag Doll, it defines the initial
position of the world attachment point. You can change this afterwards.

To attach objects to the Rag Doll:
1 Create the rag doll and the objects to connect using it.
2 In the rag doll’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button. Now, in
one of the viewports, select the object to use as the child object. This
attaches the constraint to the selected body at the body’s pivot point.
The twist axis for the constraint in the child's space is aligned to the x-axis
of the child object and initially, the plane normal will be aligned to the
y-axis.
This constraint is more intuitive to use if the child and parent bodies are
attached correctly. For example, if connecting an upper arm to a shoulder,
the shoulder should be the parent and the upper arm the child.

4324 | Chapter 14 reactor

3 If you do not want to assign a parent to the constraint, turn off the Parent
check box.
4 If the constraint is two bodied, repeat Step 2, using the Parent pick button
to set the parent body for the constraint. By default, the constraint space
in the parent's local space is also aligned with the child body.
To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the Rag Doll positions and orientations for the bodies:

1 With the Rag Doll selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the sub-object list.
3 Access the sub-object level corresponding to the object whose constraint
representation is to be altered: Parent Space or Child Space. If the rag doll
is single-bodied, Parent Space represents the world attachment position
and rotation of the rag doll’s axes.

Constraints | 4325

4 The space, represented by just the twist axis for the child and by the twist
axis, plane normal and limit visualization for the parent, becomes active
in the viewport and can be moved and rotated using the Move and Rotate
tools respectively. The space maintains its position and rotation relative
to its corresponding object. For example, if you move or rotate the child,
Child Space moves relative to it.

5 To reset the space for an object to its default, reattach the object to the
rag doll or use the Align To Child Body button.
6 You can also rotate the plane normal independent of the twist axis. To
do this, set the sub-object level to Plane Rotation and you will be able to
rotate the plane normal with respect to the parent’s twist axis.
To change the Cone and Plane limits:
1 Ensure that you can see the limit visualization for the Rag Doll; this helps
you to choose appropriate limits for your desired behavior. Visual
representation of the limits is displayed at the location of the parent’s
sub-object. This provides you with a graphical representation of the
limited area of movement for the child relative to the parent.
2 With the rag doll selected, open the Properties rollout.
NOTE You can use this rollout to specify how the limits are represented in
the visualization, as well as changing the limits.
3 Change the Cone ➤ Min and Max settings.
When displayed, the cone remains symmetrical and is rotated about the
plane normal by the average offset of Min and Max. For example, if
Min=-10.0 and Max=20.0, the average offset is (-10+20)*0.5=5 with a cone

4326 | Chapter 14 reactor

angle of 15. In effect, we have a 15-degree symmetrical cone [-15, 15]
rotated by 5 degrees, resulting in limits of [–10, 20]. If the plane normal
is not at 90 degrees to the twist axis, non-intuitive cone rotations can
result. The rotation of the twist axis for the attached object is limited to
the volume of this cone. You can view the cone on its own by ensuring
that only the Show Cone option in the Properties rollout ➤ Display
group is on.

4 You can also try changing the Plane ➤ Min and Max settings. These are
limited between [-90, 0] and [0,90] respectively. Taking the Min and Max
limits and sweeping those angles around the plane normal creates cones.
The rotation of the attached object is then limited to within the region
between the plane and these cones.

You can also rotate the plane independent of the twist axis. To display
the plane limits, turn on Display rollout Show Plane Limits.
5 By combining Cone and Plane limits you generate valid rotational regions
for the child object relative to the parent object. This is the region
represented by the Show Volume option.

Constraints | 4327

NOTE Cone and plane limits limit the movement independently. As a result,
it is possible to have ineffective plane limits, where the cones generated by
the plane limits do not intersect the cone generated by the cone limits. Use
the plane limits to reduce the level of movement provided by the cone.

To change the Twist limits:

1

Select the Rag Doll helper object and open the Properties rollout.

2 The Twist settings limit the rotation of the child object about the twist
axis relative to the parent object. To fix the twist of one object relative
to the other, set the twist limits to [0,0].
3 Display the Twist limits by turning on Display rollout ➤ Show Twist.

4328 | Chapter 14 reactor

For a detailed explanation of how to define these limits, see Defining Rag Doll
Limits on page 4334.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the Rag Doll for the parent body. The constraint axes are
defined in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the position
or rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintain its offset
rotation and translation with respect to the parent. When you assign a parent
body to the Rag Doll, Parent Space is also aligned with the child body's local
space, with the attachment point at the child body's pivot point, the twist
axis aligned with the child's X axis, and the plane normal aligned to the child’s
Y axis. If the Rag Doll is single-bodied, then Parent Space represents the world
orientation and position of the constraint.
Child Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the Rag Doll for the child body. The constraint axes are
defined in the child body's space, which means that if you alter the position
or rotation of the child, the space moves as well and maintain its offset rotation
and translation with respect to the child. When you assign a child body to
the Rag Doll, the Child Space is positioned so that the attachment point
coincides with the child body pivot point, and the twist axis is aligned with
the child's X axis.
NOTE While the Child Space sub-object has its own representation of the plane
and plane normal, these are not displayed at this sub-object level, as the plane
normal can be edited only in the parent body's space.
Plane Rotation This sub-object level allows independent rotation of the plane
normal with respect to the Parent Space. This means that your plane normal
doesn’t have to be perpendicular to your twist axis, allowing for a greater

Constraints | 4329

ranger of constraint setups. However, it should be noted that non-orthogonal
systems affect the way reactor handles non-symmetrical cone limits.

4330 | Chapter 14 reactor

Properties rollout

Constraints | 4331

Parent When on, the Rag Doll has two bodies and you can designate an object
to be the parent body. When off, the Spring is single-bodied and the point
occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the Rag Doll.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces
on page 4302.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves along with it.

Strength group
Strength/Tau Govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order
to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict
their movement. You can find out more about these parameters in Strength
and Tau on page 4318.

Limits group
Twist Min The minimum rotation about the twist axis the constraint allows
between the reference and attached objects' constraint spaces. For example,
if Min=–5 then, with respect to the constraint spaces, the child cannot rotate
more than 5 degrees counterclockwise about the twist axis.
Twist Max The maximum rotation about the twist axis the constraint allows
between the reference and attached objects' constraint spaces. For example,
if Max=5 then, with respect to the constraint spaces, the child cannot rotate
more than 5 degrees clockwise about the twist axis.
Cone Min The minimum value, in degrees, used to specify the limit cone.
This value combines with the Cone Max value to generate a symmetrical cone.
This cone is rotated about the plane normal by an offset calculated by
combining these limits. The rotation of the child’s twist axis is then limited
to the volume of this cone with respect to the parent.
For example, if the Min=–10 and Max=20, the range is 30 degrees. A 30-degree
cone [–15,15] is created about the twist axis and is then rotated by the offset

4332 | Chapter 14 reactor

between the limits (–10+20 )*0.5=5. This results in the effective limits being
[–15,15] rotated by 5 degrees, thus final limits of [–10, 20].
Cone Max The maximum value, in degrees, used to specify the limit cone.
This is combined with the Cone Min value to generate a symmetrical cone.
This cone is rotated about the plane normal by an offset calculated by
combining these limits. The rotation of the child’s twist axis is then limited
to being within this cone with respect to the parent.
Plane Min The angle between the plane and a reference line in the range
[-90,0]. This line is swept about the plane normal to create a cone. The child’s
twist axis is then restricted from entering this cone. If this cone intersects the
cone produced by the cone limits, it further inhibits the motion of the child
with respect to the parent.
Plane Max The angle between the plane and a reference line in the range
[0,90]. This line is swept about the plane normal to create a cone. The child’s
twist axis is then restricted from entering this cone. If this cone intersects the
cone produced by the cone limits, it further inhibits the motion of the child
with respect to the parent.

Breakable group
Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are
exceeded during simulation it will cease to exert impulses on the attached
objects. You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable
Constraints on page 4318.

Display group
Show Twist When on, Twist limits display as part of the Parent Space
visualization. The representation is a cylinder section showing the restricted
motion of the attached object with respect to rotation about the twist axis.
Show Cone When on, the entire symmetrical cone produced by the Cone
➤ Min and Max limits displays as part of the Parent Space visualization.
Show Plane When on, representations of the plane and plane normal display
as part of the Parent Space visualization.
Show Plane Limits When on, the cones formed by the plane limits display
as part of the Parent Space visualization.
Show Volume If true, a representation of the allowed region of movement
based on a combination of the plane and cone values will be calculated and
displayed as part of the Parent Space visualization.

Constraints | 4333

Size Allows you to change the size of the limit visualization in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Resets the parameters for this constraint to their default
values.

Defining Rag Doll Limits
The Rag Doll constraint on page 4322 is useful for simulating complex joints,
like those found in some human and animal joints (shoulders, hips), that
cannot be properly simulated by simpler constraints like Hinge on page 4344
or Point-Point on page 4351 constraints.
Because they represent complex joints, the rotational limits use a complex
parameterization that can benefit from some explanation. This section covers
the different axes, planes, and cones used for that parameterization. We'll
begin with a simple picture of two objects connected by a rag doll constraint;
you can think of a shoulder joint, where the parent body is the torso and the
child body the upper arm:

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis (outward)
1. Parent Body

4334 | Chapter 14 reactor

2. Child Body

The illustration shows three axes of importance: the Twist Axis, the Plane Axis
and the Twist X Plane Axis. The twist axis is probably the easiest to visualize
and you can do so by simply stretching out your arm and rotating it so that
your thumb changes from pointing upwards to downwards. Your movement
is just a series of rotations along the twist axis of the shoulder and elbow. In
general, the twist axis should follow the length of the child body in a joint.
In reactor you can specify the extent to either side of the neutral position the
constraint can twist; this need not be symmetrical.

A. Twist Axis (outward)
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis
1. Twist Min.
2. Twist Max.
3. Twist Range

Constraints | 4335

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis
1. Twist Range

The other two axes are interlinked and together control the volume the child
body may occupy. So first we'll look at the cone angles that allow you to
specify the volume that the child may move through:

4336 | Chapter 14 reactor

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis (inward)
C. Twist X Plane Axis
1. Cone Min.
2. Cone Max.

Constraints | 4337

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis

If you imagine the constraint representing your shoulder, then the green
volume is the range of allowed positions your upper arm may occupy. However,
we can refine the allowed volume further by using the plane axis to enforce
plane limits. These limits are used to generate two further cones:

4338 | Chapter 14 reactor

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis (outward)
1. Plane
2. Plane Min. Cone
3. Plane Max. Cone
4. Plane Min.
5. Plane Max.

Constraints | 4339

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis
1. Plane
2. Plane Min. Cone
3. Plane Max. Cone

This allows us to create two different scenarios: one where the cones generated
by the plane limits intersect with cone produced by the cone angles, and
another where they do not:

4340 | Chapter 14 reactor

A. Twist Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis
1. Plane Min. Cone
2. Plane Max. Cone

Constraints | 4341

A. Twist Axis
C. Twist x Plane Axis (outward)
1. Plane Min. Cone
2. Plane Max. Cone

If the volumes do not intersect, the plane limits have no effect in the
constraint. However, by allowing the cones to intersect, and deeming the
overlapping volume as invalid body positions, we can limit the allowed
positions for the child body even further:

4342 | Chapter 14 reactor

A. Twist Axis
B. Plane Axis
C. Twist X Plane Axis

Back to Rag Doll Constraint on page 4322.

Constraints | 4343

Hinge Constraint
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Hinge

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Hinge Constraint

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Hinge Constraint)

The Hinge constraint allows you to simulate a hinge-like action between two
bodies. reactor lets you specify an axis in local space for each body, with a
position and a direction. During the simulation, the two axes attempt to match
position and direction, thereby creating an axis around which the two bodies
can rotate. Alternatively, you can hinge a single body to an axis in world space.
You can also limit the rotation between the attached objects relative to the
hinge axis, allowing you, for instance, to create a door that can open only to
a specified extent. You define this limitation with respect to an axis
perpendicular to the hinge axis for each body.
A Hinge constraint is simulated only if it has the correct number of rigid bodies
attached and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 4319. When not
selected, an invalid Hinge is red in the viewport.

Procedures
To create a Hinge constraint:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Hinge constraint.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the Hinge:
1 Create the Hinge and the objects to connect using it.
2 On the Hinge's Properties rollout, click the Child pick button, and then
select the object to use as the child object in one of the viewports. By
default, this attaches the constraint so that its axis goes through the child
body pivot point and the axes are aligned with the child body's local

4344 | Chapter 14 reactor

space. The constraint axis is aligned with the child's Z axis, and the
perpendicular axis used for rotation limits is aligned to the child’s X axis.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the Hinge, turn off the
Parent check box if necessary.
4 If the Hinge is to be two-bodied, repeat step 2, using the Parent pick
button to set Parent for the Hinge.
To create a Hinge and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the Hinge positions and rotations for the bodies:

1 With the Hinge helper object selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the sub-object list for the Hinge.
3 Access the sub-object level corresponding to the object whose hinge axes
you want to move: Child Space or Parent Space. If the Hinge is
single-bodied, Parent Space represents the world attachment position
and rotation of the axes.
4 The space, represented by a pair of axes, the larger of which represents
the hinge axis, the smaller of which is used to specify limits, becomes
active in the viewport. It can be moved and rotated using the Move and
Rotate tool respectively. The space maintains its position and rotation
relative to its corresponding object. For example, if you move or rotate
the child body, the Child Space moves with it.

Constraints | 4345

5 To reset the axes to their default alignment, reattach the objects to the
Hinge or click the Align Spaces To ➤ Child Body button.
To limit the rotation between the attached objects:
1 With the Hinge selected, open the Properties rollout.
2 Turn on the Limited check box.
The Hinge limits display around the Parent Space axis.
The default angle limits are –90.0 and 90.0. This means that in a situation
where the sub-objects are fully aligned for the objects, the objects will be
able to rotate 90 degrees in either direction about the shared hinge axis.
The child object is free to rotate within the indicated limits relative to
the parent during the simulation.
3 Change the minimum and maximum rotations the constraint maintains
between the objects by adjusting the Min Angle and Max Angle values.
The limit display updates to reflect your changes, to help you choose
appropriate values. Upon simulation you can see that the rotation between
the objects has been limited.

4346 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Modifier Stack

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the Hinge for the parent body. The Hinge axes are defined
in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the position or
rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintains its offset rotation
and translation with respect to the parent. When you assign a parent body to
the Hinge, Parent Space is also aligned with the child body's local space, with
the Hinge axis going through the child body's pivot point. If the Hinge is
single-bodied, then Parent Space represents the world orientation and position
of the Hinge.
Child Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the Hinge for the child body. The Hinge axes are defined in
the child body's space, which means that if you alter the position or rotation

Constraints | 4347

of the child, the space moves as well and maintains its offset rotation and
translation with respect to the child. When you assign a child body to the
Hinge, the Child Space hinge axis is positioned so that it goes through the
child body pivot point, and the axes are aligned with the child body's local
space: The Hinge axis is aligned with the child's Z axis, and the perpendicular
axis used for rotation limits is aligned to the child’s X axis.

4348 | Chapter 14 reactor

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the Hinge has two bodies and you can designate an object
to be the parent body. When off, the Hinge is single-bodied and the point
occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.

Constraints | 4349

You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the Hinge. You
assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body
from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces
on page 4302.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves and rotates along with it, and vice-versa.

Strength group
Strength/Tau Govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order
to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict
their movement. You can find out more about these parameters in Strength
and Tau on page 4318.

Limited group
Limited When on, limits the rotation about the hinge axis between the
attached objects. When this value is true, the child object will only be free to
rotate relative to the parent within the range specified by the Min Angle and
Max Angle values. You can also specify a friction value for a limited Hinge.
Min Angle The minimum rotation the constraint allows between the two
hinge spaces. For example, if Min Angle is –5.0 then the child body cannot
rotate more than 5 degrees counter clockwise about the hinge axis relative to
the parent body.
Max Angle The maximum rotation the constraint allows between the two
hinge spaces. For example, if Max Angle is 5.0 then the child body cannot
rotate more than 5 degrees clockwise about the hinge axis relative to the parent
body.
Friction The level of friction applied to the objects as they try to rotate about
the hinge axis. It is only applied to limited Hinges.

Breakable group
Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are
exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects.

4350 | Chapter 14 reactor

You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints
on page 4318.

Display group
Size Lets you change the size of the Hinge limit display in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns the Strength, Tau, Min Angle, Max Angle,
Friction, Linear, Angular, Threshold, and Display settings to their default
values.

Point-Point Constraint
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Point-Point

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Point-Point Constraint

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Point-Point Constraint)

The Point-Point (point-to-point) constraint lets you attach two objects together,
or an object to a point in world space. It forces its objects to try to share a
common point in space. The objects can rotate freely relative to each other,
but always have the attachment point in common. When you set up the
constraint, the point is defined in the object space of each object involved.
During the simulation the constraint tries to apply forces to the objects so
that the two pivot points defined by the two objects match.
reactor also provides two variations on the Point-Point constraint: Limited
and Stiff Spring. With a Limited Point-Point constraint, you can specify limits
for how much the child object can rotate relative to the parent. A Stiff Spring
constraint is similar to a standard Point-Point constraint with one important
exception: It holds the constrained bodies apart at a specified distance, as if
they were attached at each end of an invisible rod. The Stiff Spring variant
requires a point in the body space of each of two bodies, and a constant
distance by which reactor must keep these two points separated. Each body
is free to rotate around its point.
The constraint is simulated when it has the correct number of rigid bodies
attached and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 4319. When not
selected, an invalid Point-Point constraint is red in the viewport.

Constraints | 4351

Procedures
To create a Point-Point constraint:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Point-Point constraint.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the Point-Point constraint:
1 Create the constraint and the objects to connect with it.
2 On the constraint’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button, and
then select the object to use as the child object in one of the viewports.
By default, this attaches the constraint to the body at the body’s pivot
point.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the constraint, turn off
the Parent check box if necessary.
4 If the constraint is to be two-bodied, make sure Parent is on and then
use the Parent pick button to set the parent for the constraint. By default,
the attachment point for the parent is also aligned with the child body's
pivot point, which means that the bodies will maintain their current
positions relative to each other in the simulation.
To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the attachment positions for the bodies:

1 With the constraint selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the constraint’s sub-object list.
3 Access the sub-object level corresponding to the object in whose space
you want to move the attachment point: Parent Space or Child Space. If
the constraint is single-bodied, Parent Space allows you to move the world
attachment position.

4352 | Chapter 14 reactor

4 The corresponding point becomes active in the viewports and can be

moved using the

Move tool.

The attachment point maintains its position relative to its corresponding
object. For example, if you move the child object, its space, and hence
its attachment point, moves with it. The attachment point doesn't have
to actually be on either object.
5 To reset the attachment point to the child object’s pivot, reattach the
objects to the constraint, or click the Align Spaces To ➤ Child Body
button.
To limit the rotation between the attached objects:
1 With the constraint selected, open the Properties rollout.
2 In the Constraint Type group, choose Limited.
By default, the child body can rotate a total of 90 degrees around each
axis relative to the parent during the simulation: 45 degrees clockwise
and 45 degrees counterclockwise.
3 You can then choose which limits to display around the Parent Space
constraint axis by turning on each one's check box.
4 If you then change the limits, the limit display updates to reflect your
changes to help you choose appropriate values. Upon simulation you
can see that the rotation between the objects has been limited.

Constraints | 4353

5 You can also change the orientation of the axis to be limited by rotating
the Child Space and Parent Space sub-objects.
To create a Stiff Spring constraint:
1 With a Point-Point constraint selected, open the Properties rollout.
2 In the Constraint Type group, choose Stiff Spring.
3 You can now specify a Length value for the stiff spring. The default is
0.0: the same as a Point-Point constraint.
During the simulation, reactor works to maintain this distance between
the constrained objects' attachment points. To use the current distance
between the attachment points as the length, click the Set button.

4354 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Modifier Stack

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the constraint
attachment point in the parent body's local space. When you assign a parent
object to the constraint, the Parent Space attachment point is set to the child
object’s pivot point. If you alter the position of the Parent Space attachment
point, it maintains its new position relative to the parent during the
simulation. If the constraint is single-bodied, the Parent Space's position
represents the point in the world where the constraint is attached.
Child Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the constraint
attachment point in the child body's local space. When you assign a child
body to the constraint, the Child Space attachment point is set to the child
object’s pivot point. If you alter the position of the Child Space attachment
point, it maintains its new position relative to the child during the simulation.

Constraints | 4355

Properties rollout

4356 | Chapter 14 reactor

Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an
object to be the parent body. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and
the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces
on page 4302.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves and rotates along with it, and vice-versa.

Strength group
Strength/Tau Govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order
to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict
their movement. You can find out more about these parameters in Strength
and Tau on page 4318.

Constraint Type group
These options let you choose the type of Point-Point constraint to add to your
scene.
■

StandardThe default option.

■

LimitedThis type allows you to limit how the child object can rotate relative
to the parent.

■

Stiff SpringThis type allows you to specify a distance for reactor to maintain
between the constraint attachment points.

Limited (Limited constraints only) Lets you specify how much the child
object can rotate relative to the parent around the x, y, and z axes - for each
axis there is a minimum (counterclockwise) and maximum (clockwise) limit.
You can use the check boxes to switch on or off the limit displays in the
viewport.

Constraints | 4357

Length (Stiff Springs only) The distance that reactor should maintain between
the constraint attachment points.
Set Sets Length to the current distance between the attachment points.

Breakable group
Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are
exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects.
You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints
on page 4318.

Display group
Size Lets you change the size of the constraint limit display in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns the constraint's parameters to their default
values.

Prismatic Constraint
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Prismatic

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Prismatic Constraint

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Prismatic Constraint)

The Prismatic constraint serves as a constraint between two rigid bodies, or a
rigid body and the world, that allows its bodies to move relative to each other
along one axis only. Rotations, as well as the remaining two translation axes,
are fixed. For example, you could use a Prismatic constraint when creating a
forklift truck.
A Prismatic constraint is simulated if it has the correct number of rigid bodies
attached and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 4319. When not
selected, an invalid prismatic constraint is red in the viewport.

4358 | Chapter 14 reactor

Procedures
To create a Prismatic constraint:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Prismatic constraint.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the prismatic constraint:
1 Create the Prismatic constraint and the objects to connect using it.
2 On the constraint’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button and
then, in one of the viewports, select the object to use as the child.
This attaches the constraint to the body at the body’s pivot point. The
constraint's sliding axis is aligned to the Z axis of the object.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the prismatic constraint,
turn off the Parent check box, if necessary.
4 If the constraint is to be two-bodied, make sure Parent is on and then
use the Parent pick button to set the parent for the constraint.
To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the Prismatic constraint positions and rotations for the bodies:

1 With the constraint selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the constraint’s sub-object list.
3 Access the sub-object level corresponding to the object whose attachment
point you want to move: Child Space or Parent Space. If the constraint
is single-bodied, Parent Space represents the world attachment position
and rotation of the constraint axes.
4 The space, represented by a pair of axes, the larger of which represents
the sliding axis, becomes active in the viewport and can be moved or

Constraints | 4359

rotated using the
Move or
Rotate tool, respectively.
The space maintains its position and rotation relative to its corresponding
object. For example, if you move or rotate the child body, Child Space
moves with it.
5 To realign the constraint space to the child body, reattach the object to
the Prismatic constraint, or choose the Align To Child Body option.
To limit the movement of the child body along the sliding axis:
1 With the constraint selected, open the Properties rollout.
2 Turn on the Limited check box.
Both Limit parameters (Min and Max) are set by default to 0.0. This means
that from a situation where the sub-objects are fully aligned for the
objects, the child can move 0 units in either direction along the shared
sliding axis relative to the parent.
The limits are displayed as a line in Parent Space.

3 Change the Min Limit and Max Limit settings as necessary.

4360 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Modifier Stack

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the Prismatic constraint for the parent body. The constraint
axes are defined in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the
position or rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintains its
offset rotation and translation with respect to the parent. When you assign a
parent body to the constraint, Parent Space is also aligned with the child
body's local space, with the constraint axis going through the child body's
pivot point. If the constraint is single-bodied, then Parent Space represents
the world orientation and position of the constraint.
Child Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the Prismatic constraint for the child body. The constraint
axes are defined in the child body's space, which means that if you alter the
position or rotation of the child, the space moves as well and maintains its
offset rotation and translation with respect to the child. When you assign a
child body to the constraint, the Child Space axis is positioned so that it goes
through the child body pivot point, and the axes are aligned with the child
body's local space: The prismatic sliding axis is aligned with the child's Z axis.

Constraints | 4361

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an
object to be the parent body. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and
the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.

4362 | Chapter 14 reactor

You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces
on page 4302.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves and rotates along with it, and vice-versa.

Strength group
Strength/Tau Govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order
to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict
their movement. You can find out more about these parameters in Strength
and Tau on page 4318.

Limited group
Limited When on, limits the movement of the child object along the sliding
axis; the child object can move relative to the parent only within the range
specified by the Min Limit and Max Limit values. You can also specify a Friction
value for a limited prismatic constraint.
Min Limit The minimum distance the constraint allows between the two
spaces. For example, if Min Limit is –5.0 then the child body then the child
object cannot move more than 5 units backwards relative to the parent along
the sliding axis.
Max Limit The maximum distance the constraint allows between the two
spaces. For example, if Max Limit is 5, then the child object will not be able
to move more than 5 units forward relative to the parent along the sliding
axis.
Friction The level of friction applied to the objects as they try to move along
the sliding axis. It is applied only to limited Prismatic constraints.

Breakable group
Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are
exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects.

Constraints | 4363

You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints
on page 4318.

Display group
Size Lets you change the size of the constraint space display in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns the constraint's parameters to their default
values.

Car-Wheel Constraint
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Carwheel

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Car-Wheel Constraint

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Car-Wheel Constraint)

You can use this constraint to attach a wheel to another object; for instance,
a car chassis. You can also constrain a wheel to a position in world space.
During the simulation, the wheel object is free to rotate around a spin axis
defined in each object's space. Linear motion is allowed for the wheel along
a suspension axis. You can also add limits to the wheel's movement along this
axis. The constraint's child body always acts as the wheel, while the parent
acts as the chassis.
The Car-Wheel constraint also has spin parameters. If these are nonzero, the
constraint turns the wheel during the simulation. You can specify a target
velocity and a target gain: the maximum angular impulse that the motor can
apply to the rigid body in order to achieve the target velocity.
A Car-Wheel constraint is simulated if it has the correct number of rigid bodies
attached and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 4319. When not
selected, an invalid Car-Wheel constraint is red in the viewport.

Procedures
To create a Car-Wheel constraint:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Car-Wheel constraint.

4364 | Chapter 14 reactor

NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To attach objects to the Car-Wheel constraint:
1 Create the constraint and the objects to connect using it.
2 On the constraint’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button, and
then, in one of the viewports, select the object you want to use as the
wheel.
This attaches the constraint to the wheel at the wheel's pivot point. The
spin axis is aligned to the X axis of the wheel object and the suspension
axis is aligned to the Z axis.
3 If you do not want to assign a chassis to the Car-Wheel constraint, turn
off the Parent check box if necessary.
4 If the Car-Wheel constraint is to be two-bodied, repeat step 2, using the
Parent pick button to specify the chassis object for the constraint.
To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To change the positions and rotations for the bodies:

1 With the constraint selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the constraint’s sub-object list.
3 Access the sub-object level corresponding to the object whose constraint
space you want to move: Parent Space for the chassis or Child Space for
the wheel. If the constraint is single-bodied, Parent Space represents the
world attachment position and rotation of the constraint axes.
4 The space, represented by just a spin axis for the wheel and by the spin
and suspension axes for the chassis, becomes active in the viewport and
can be moved or rotated using the Move or Rotate tool, respectively. The
space maintains its position and rotation relative to its corresponding
object. For example, if you move or rotate the wheel, Child Space moves
with it.

Constraints | 4365

5 To reset the attachment point to the child's pivot, reattach the objects
to the car-wheel constraint or choose the Align Spaces To Child Body
option.
6 You can also rotate the suspension axis independent of the spin axis. To
do this, highlight the Suspension Rotation sub-object level; this lets you
rotate the suspension axis with respect to the chassis’s spin axis.
To change the suspension limits:
1 With the car-wheel constraint selected, open the Properties rollout.
The default limit settings in the Suspension Parameters group are Min
Limit=0.0 and Max Limit=0.0 . This means that in a situation where the
constraint spaces are fully aligned for the objects, the wheel cannot move
along the suspension axis.
The limits define the allowed motion of the wheel along the suspension
axis with respect to the chassis, and are displayed as a line with respect
to the chassis. This means that from a stable position where the
sub-objects are aligned, if the limits are –5 and 10, the wheel will be able
to move 10 units away from chassis along the suspension axis in the
direction of the icon’s arrow and 5 units in the opposite direction.

4366 | Chapter 14 reactor

2 Change the limits and observe the difference in the simulation.
3 You can also change Friction for the Car-Wheel constraint; this inhibits
the wheel’s motion along the suspension axis.
To spin the wheel:
These controls are found in the Spin Parameters group.
1 Set the Velocity value to the required value. This is specified in radians
per second.
2 Set the Gain. This is the maximum angular impulse the constraint can
apply to maintain this angular velocity.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Constraints | 4367

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representations of spin and suspension axes for the chassis. This describes
where on the chassis the wheel is attached and also the directions of the spin
and suspension axes for the chassis. This is defined in chassis space, which
means that if you alter the position or rotation of the chassis the axes will
move as well and maintain their offset rotation and translation with respect
to the chassis. When you assign a chassis to the car-wheel constraint, Chassis
Space’s translation is set to the wheel’s pivot point, the spin axis is aligned to
the wheel’s X axis, and the suspension axis is aligned to its Z axis. If the
car-wheel constraint is single-bodied, then Chassis Space represents the world
orientation and position of the constraint.
Child Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the constraint for the wheel. This describes both the location
on the wheel that the constraint considers as its attachment point and the
rotation of the spin axis for the wheel. This is defined in wheel space, which
means that if you alter the position or rotation of the wheel the space moves
as well and maintains its offset rotation and translation with respect to the
wheel. When you assign a wheel body to the Car-Wheel constraint, Wheel
Space’s translation is set to the wheel’s pivot point and the wheel’s spin axis
is aligned to its X axis.
Suspension Rotation This level allows independent rotation of the suspension
axis with respect to the Chassis Space. This means that your suspension axis
doesn’t have to be perpendicular to your spin axis, allowing for a greater range
of constraint setups.

4368 | Chapter 14 reactor

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an
object to be the optional chassis rigid body attached to the Car-Wheel

Constraints | 4369

constraint. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and the point occupied
by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the chassis by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body
from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the chassis
object.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces
on page 4302.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves and rotates along with it, and vice-versa.

Strength group
Strength/Tau Govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order
to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict
their movement. You can find out more about these parameters in Strength
and Tau on page 4318.

Suspension Parameters group
Min Limit The distance the constraint allows the wheel to move along the
suspension axis relative to the chassis, in the direction opposite that indicated
by the icon’s suspension arrow. For example, if Min Limit=–5, then the wheel
cannot move more than five units backwards along the suspension axis with
respect to the constraint’s spaces.
Max Limit The distance the constraint allows the wheel to move along the
suspension axis relative to the chassis, in the direction indicated by the icon’s
suspension arrow. For example, if Max Limit=10 then with respect to the
constraint’s spaces the wheel cannot move more than 10 units forward along
the suspension axis.
Friction The level of friction applied to the objects as they try to move relative
to each other along the suspension axis. Available with Havok 1 only.
Strength The strength value of the suspension spring. Higher values cause
less vertical movement. Available with Havok 3 only.
Damping The damping value of the suspension spring. Higher values suppress
vertical oscillation. Available with Havok 3 only.

4370 | Chapter 14 reactor

Spin Parameters group
Velocity This value indicates the angular velocity in radians per second that
the constraint will seek to achieve for the wheel.
Gain This value indicates the maximum angular impulse the constraint can
apply to attain the specified angular velocity.

Breakable group
Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are
exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects.
For more information, see Breakable Constraints on page 4318.

Display group
Size Lets you change the size of the constraint space display in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns the constraint's parameters to their default
values.

Point-Path Constraint
Create panel ➤

n (Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Point-Path

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Point-Path Constraint

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Point-Path Constraint)

The Point-Path constraint allows you to constrain two bodies so that the child
is free to move along a specified path relative to the parent. Alternatively, you
can create a single-bodied version of the constraint, where the constrained
body can move along a path in world space. The child body's orientation is
not restricted by the constraint.
You could, for example, use a Point-Path constraint to simulate a bead on a
wire. In most cases, you don't need to specify a parent rigid body for a
Point-Path constraint, unless the motion of the path itself should follow
another rigid body.

Constraints | 4371

The constraint is simulated if it has the correct number of rigid bodies attached,
a specified path shape, and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page
4319. When not selected, invalid constraints are red in the viewport.

Procedures
To create a Point-Path constraint:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the Point-Path constraint.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.

To specify objects and a path for the constraint:
1 Create the constraint and the bodies to constrain.
2 Create a line or curve in the viewport using one of the Shapes tools on
the Create panel.
3 In the constraint’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button, and
then select the object you want to use as the child object in one of the
viewports.
4 If you do not want to assign a second body to the constraint, turn off
the Parent check box if necessary.
5 If the constraint is to be two-bodied, repeat step 2, using the Parent pick
button to set the parent for the constraint.
6 Use the Path pick button to designate the path.
The constraint icon moves to the designated path. By default, this
constraint type is aligned so that the parent constraint space is aligned
with the path shape's local space, while the child space is aligned with
the child body's local space.
To change the path position and orientation for the bodies:

1 With the constraint selected, open the

Modify panel.

2 In the modifier stack, open the constraint’s sub-object list.
3 Access the sub-object level corresponding to the object whose constraint
space you want to move: Child Space or Parent Space. If the Point-Path

4372 | Chapter 14 reactor

constraint is single-bodied, Parent Space represents the world position
and rotation of the path.
4 The space, represented by a set of axes and the path, becomes active in
the viewport and can be moved or rotated using the Move or Rotate tool,
respectively. The space maintains its position and rotation relative to its
corresponding object. For example, if you move or rotate the child body,
Child Space moves with it.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the
representation of the constraint for the parent body. The axes and path are
defined in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the position
or rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintains its offset
rotation and translation with respect to the parent. When you assign a parent
body to the constraint, Parent Space is aligned with the path's local space. If
the constraint is single-bodied, then Parent Space represents the world
orientation and position of the path.Child Space At this sub-object level, you
can move and rotate the representation of the constraint for the child body.
The axes and path are defined in the child body's space, which means that if
you alter the position or rotation of the child, the space moves as well and
maintains its offset rotation and translation with respect to the child. When
you assign a child body to the constraint, the Child Space is aligned with the
child body's local space.

Constraints | 4373

Properties rollout

Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an
object to be the parent body. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and
the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent
body.

4374 | Chapter 14 reactor

Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint.
You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces.
You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces
on page 4302.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child
and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport,
the other space moves and rotates along with it, and vice-versa.

Strength group
Strength/Tau Govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order
to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict
their movement. You can find out more about these parameters in Strength
and Tau on page 4318.

Breakable group
Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are
exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects.
You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints
on page 4318.

Display group
Size Lets you change the size of the constraint space display in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns the constraint's parameters to their default
values.

reactor Objects
These topics describe helper objects that reactor provides specifically for use
in dynamic reactor simulations.

Plane
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Plane

reactor Objects | 4375

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Plane

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Plane)

The reactor Plane object is a type of rigid body that acts as a fixed, infinite
plane in the simulation. It shouldn't be confused with the standard 3ds Max
plane, which can also be used as a rigid body provided its simulation geometry
property on page 4287 is set to Concave Mesh.
Like other rigid bodies, the Plane can have display proxies assigned to it and
can be contained in a compound rigid body. You can also assign friction and
elasticity values to it. However, it is always fixed in the simulation (the Mass
on page 4285 and Unyielding on page 4285 properties are ignored).
The reactor Plane acts in only one direction, as shown in the viewport by an
arrow pointing away from its solid surface. This means that rigid bodies
approaching the plane from the "wrong" direction pass through it. You can,
of course, also use two opposing planes.

The reactor Plane as rendered in a viewport

Procedures
To create a Plane:
1 Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport.
The plane’s normal is aligned with the viewport’s Z axis.

4376 | Chapter 14 reactor

2 Use the Move and Rotate tools to adjust its position and orientation, as
necessary.

Interface
Properties rollout

Show Normal When on, the Plane normal is displayed as an arrow in the
viewport.

Motor
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Motor

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Motor

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Motor)

The Motor helper lets you apply a turning force to any non-fixed rigid body
in the scene. You can specify the angular velocity for the target and the
maximum angular impulse the Motor can apply to achieve this velocity.
You do not need to add a Motor explicitly to a simulation, as all valid motors
in a scene are added to the simulation by default. A Motor is valid if its Rigid
Body property has been set to a valid rigid body in the scene. When not
selected, invalid motors are colored red in the viewport.

reactor Objects | 4377

Procedures
To create a motor:
■

Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the motor.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the motor’s behavior.

To set the rigid body for the motor:
1 Create the motor and the rigid body to attach the motor to.
2 On the Properties rollout, click the Rigid Body pick button and then, in
one of the viewports, select the object you would like to motor to act on.
The motor can apply rotational forces about one of the object’s axes. The
default rotation axis is the object's Z axis. The rotation axis and rotation
direction are displayed in the viewport.

4378 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Motor Properties rollout

Rigid Body Displays the name of the rigid body that the motor applies forces
to. You assign a motor’s rigid body by clicking this button and then selecting
a rigid body from any viewport.
Ang Speed The target angular velocity that the motor attempts to achieve for
the rigid body. It is specified in radians per second, so the default value of
3.14 (pi) results in 180 degrees of rotation per second or half a revolution per
second.
Gain The maximum angular impulse that the motor can apply to the rigid
body in order to achieve the target velocity.
Rotation Axis The local axis for the rigid body about which the motor applies
impulses. This axis has a visual representation when the motor helper is
selected.

reactor Objects | 4379

Disabled When on, the motor is not added to the simulation.
Size The size of the rotation axis in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns Ang Speed, Gain, and Rotation Axis to their
default values.

Toy Car
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Toy Car

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Toy Car

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Toy Car)

The reactor Toy Car is a quick way to create and simulate a simple car without
having to set up each constraint separately.
The Toy Car helper lets you choose a chassis and wheels for your car, tweak
various properties such as the strength of its suspension, and specify whether
you would like reactor to turn its wheels during the simulation. reactor then
sets up all the necessary constraints to simulate the car.
A Toy Car is simulated if it has a rigid body assigned as a chassis and at least
one rigid body assigned as a wheel. When not selected, an invalid Toy Car
helper is red in the viewport.

Procedures
To set up a toy car, follow these procedures in order, and make sure the car
has a surface to travel on, such as a level plane. For getting started, we suggest

4380 | Chapter 14 reactor

you use Icon Orientation and ignore the procedure about Common Local
Orientation.
To create a Toy Car helper:
■

Choose one of the above menu options, and then click in any viewport
to add the Toy Car.
NOTE The icon’s initial position has no effect on the car's behavior.

To set up the rigid bodies for a Toy Car:
1 Create and position the rigid bodies you want to connect using the Toy
Car helper.
A toy car must have a chassis and at least one wheel.
2 Use the Rigid Body Properties dialog to assign a mass value to each car
element.
The Mass values you specify affect how the toy car behaves. Ideally, the
mass of the chassis should not be much greater than the total wheel mass,
and the density of the bodies should be such that the Analyze World
utility on page 4474 generates no warnings.

reactor Objects | 4381

To assign rigid bodies to a Toy Car:
1 Create the Toy Car helper and the objects to connect using it, as described
above.
2 On the Properties rollout, click the Chassis pick button, and then, in one
of the viewports, select the object to use as the chassis.
The Toy Car icon moves to the chosen rigid body. By default, the icon
is aligned with the chassis's local space. reactor can use this orientation
as a guide for the directions of the suspension and wheel axes.
3 Add your car's wheels to the helper. You can add wheels to the toy car
either by picking or using a selection list:
■

Click the Pick button and then select the object to use as a wheel.

■

Click the Add button and then use the dialog to select one or more
objects to use as wheels.

By default, reactor uses the icon orientation (taken from the chassis) to
provide the directions of the wheels' spin and suspension axes. Each spin
axis is aligned with the icon's X axis and passes through the relevant
wheel's pivot point. The suspension axes are aligned with the icon's Z
axis, and also pass through each wheel's pivot point.
NOTE For this to work, make sure that the wheels are oriented correctly
relative to the icon before simulating.

To change the wheel axis orientation (Icon Orientation):

1 Use the
Rotate tool to change the toy car icon's orientation so
that it matches that of the actual car model.
2 Ensure that Toy Car Properties rollout ➤ Toy Car Orientation is set to
Icon Orientation (the default).
The wheel axes are aligned with the icon's new orientation during the
simulation.
To change the wheel axis orientation (Common Local Orientation):
1 Ensure that the wheel and chassis local spaces are correctly aligned in
world space.

4382 | Chapter 14 reactor

The initial world space orientation of the wheels relative to the
chassis/icon is unimportant when using this option, as reactor reorients
the bodies so that their local spaces continue to match during the
simulation.
2 On the Toy Car Properties rollout, set Toy Car Orientation to Common
Local Orientation.
3 Use the radio buttons to change the Suspension and Spin directions
relative to the bodies' local spaces. By default, the Spin axes are aligned
with the wheel and chassis's local X axes, and the suspension axes with
their Z axes.
To spin the Toy Car wheels:
1 On the Toy Car Properties rollout, turn on the Spin Wheels check box.
2 Change the default Ang (Angular) Speed and Gain values as necessary.
Angular Speed is the target angular velocity that reactor attempts to
achieve for the wheels. The Gain is the maximum angular impulse that
can be applied to the wheels in order to achieve the target velocity.

reactor Objects | 4383

Interface
Toy Car Properties rollout

Chassis Displays the name of the rigid body that serves as the chassis. You
assign the chassis object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid
body from any viewport.

4384 | Chapter 14 reactor

Wheels Lists the names of the toy car's wheels.
Pick Lets you add a wheel to the car. Click this button, and then in the
viewport position the cursor over the object you would like to use as a wheel.
If the object can be used as a rigid body, the cursor changes from an arrow to
a cross and you can select the object to add it to the toy car.
Add Lets you add one or more rigid bodies from the scene to act as wheels
for the toy car. Click the button to open the Select Car Wheels dialog. Make
a selection in the provided list, then add the wheels to the car by clicking the
Select button.
Delete Lets you remove wheels from the car. Highlight the wheels to remove
from the car in the Wheels list and then click this button.
NOTE The following four parameters are available with Havok 1 only. With Havok
3, use the Havok 3 Wheel Params rollout on page 4386 settings instead.
Angular Strength The strength of the corrective forces applied to keep the
wheels upright and pointing forward.
Linear Strength The strength of the forces applied to keep the wheels in
position relative to the chassis.
Suspension The suspension strength for the car. The lower the value, the
more the chassis bounces when forces are applied to it.
Internal Substeps Allows the car to be simulated using more substeps per
keyframe than the rest of the simulation.
Increasing the Internal Substeps value can be useful if you are simulating a
car with unusual parameters, which might require more substeps for stability.

Toy Car Orientation group
Choose how reactor orients the bodies in relation to the spin and suspension
axes.
Icon Orientation The Toy Car icon's initial orientation provides the directions
of the wheels' spin and suspension axes. Each spin axis is aligned with the
icon's X axis and pass through the relevant wheel's pivot point. The suspension
axes are aligned with the icon's Z axis, and also pass through each wheel's
pivot point. The wheels' own local orientations are unimportant.
NOTE Animating the orientation of the Toy Car icon has no effect on the direction
of motion during the simulation; reactor uses only the orientation at the start of
the simulation.

reactor Objects | 4385

Common Local Orientation With this option, you align the bodies' local
spaces in world space, and specify the Spin and Suspension axes relative to
this common orientation. The orientation of the rigid bodies in world space
before simulating is unimportant.
This means, for instance, that you can set up your car with its wheels turned
sideways and they still spin around the correct axes when simulating. This
option allows you to change the spin and suspension axes separately. By
default, the spin axes are aligned with the wheel and chassis' local X axes, and
the suspension axes with their Z axes.
Allow Wheel Penetration When on, reactor disables collision detection
between the chassis and the wheels.
Spin Wheels When on, the car's wheels to spin during the simulation and an
arrow appears on the Toy Car viewport icon showing the direction of motion.
■

Ang SpeedThe target angular velocity that reactor attempts to achieve for
the wheels when Spin Wheels is on. It is specified in radians per second,
so the default value of 3.14 (pi) results in 180 degrees of rotation per second
or half a revolution per second.

■

GainThe maximum angular impulse that reactor can to the wheels in order
to achieve the target velocity.

Disabled When on, reactor removes the Toy Car helper from the simulation.
Display Size The size of the Toy Car helper icon as displayed in the viewport.
Reset Default Values Returns the Toy Car parameters to their default values.

Havok 3 Wheel Params rollout
These parameters apply only when the simulation engine is Havok 3, and
reflect the implementation of a subset of Car-Wheel constraint parameters in
the Toy Car object in Havok 3.

4386 | Chapter 14 reactor

These parameters replicate the Car-Wheel constraint parameters of the same
names on page 4370.

Fracture
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Fracture

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Fracture

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Fracture)

The Fracture helper object simulates the breaking of a rigid body into a number
of smaller pieces as the result of an impact. To do this, you need to supply the
pieces that are glued together to create the whole object. This is known as
"pre-fracturing." reactor does not break the pieces you supply into smaller
pieces.

reactor Objects | 4387

Asteroid fractures after a collision

TIP An excellent tool for pre-fracturing your objects is the ProCutter compound
object on page 758.
Rigid bodies that are part of a Fracture helper move together as a single body.
When a rigid body that belongs to a Fracture helper collides with another
body, the collision information is analyzed and if a threshold is exceeded, the
rigid body is removed from the fracture helper. Once the rigid body has been
removed, it moves independently of the fracture object and is free to collide
with the rigid bodies that are still part of the fracture object. This can often
result in a chain reaction of pieces breaking off.
You can optionally enable the use of connectivity. Connectivity analyzes the
bodies belonging to the Fracture helper to find bodies that are in contact with
each other before simulation occurs. This builds up an internal graph of which
bodies are connected to which other bodies. Thus groups of rigid bodies that
are connected to each other, but disconnected with other bodies in the fracture
helper, can move independently as separate fracturable objects. As a result,
you can get the effect of multiple fracturable objects in a single Fracture helper.
After a fracture event occurs, reactor once again analyzes this connectivity
graph to create new chunks if they exist. If you see floating disconnected

4388 | Chapter 14 reactor

bodies moving strangely because they are invisibly still part of a larger fracture
object, be sure to turn on connectivity. A body is considered to be in contact
with another body if the closest distance between them is less than the collision
tolerance.
To allow the fracture feature to work reasonably well, reactor uses a special
collision detection technique: penetration depth calculation. Unlike normal
rigid bodies in reactor, bodies that are part of a fracture helper are allowed to
continue to collide with each other, even when they are in a interpenetrating
state. To see how the non-fracture bodies are treated during collision detection,
see the Fracture Tips on page 4394 topic. Penetration depth calculation, especially
in the context of the simulation paradigm used in reactor, is computationally
expensive, so you might notice slower performance when the fracture bodies
are penetrating each other. Stability in these cases can also become an issue.
reactor provides a number of techniques for getting your fracture simulation
to behave more realistically If you find that it is unstable. For instance, the
fractured object might appear to explode after a single piece breaks loose. You
can find these in the Fracture Tips on page 4394 topic.

Procedures
To create a Fracture helper:
■

Choose one of the above menu options, and then click in any viewport
to add the Fracture helper.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the fracture object's behavior.

To add rigid bodies to a Fracture helper:
1 Create a Fracture helper in the scene and some objects to use as rigid
bodies.
You can add rigid bodies to the helper in two ways: by picking or by using
a selection list.
2 With the Fracture helper selected, use either (or both) of the following
methods:
■

Click the Pick button on the Properties rollout and then select the
select the rigid body to add to the helper.

■

Click the Add button and then use the dialog to select one or more
objects to use as fracture elements.

reactor Objects | 4389

The names of rigid bodies you add appear in the helper's Pieces list.
To create the Fracture helper and add objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

To prevent the Fracture object from exploding:
■

See the Fracture Tips on page 4394 topic.

4390 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Properties rollout

Highlight Click this button to cause the objects in the Pieces list to
momentarily display as if selected.

reactor Objects | 4391

Pieces Lists the names of the objects currently part of the Fracture object. To
highlight multiple contiguous list items, click and then Shift+click. To highlight
multiple non-contiguous list items or remove highlighting, use Ctrl+click.
Pick Lets you add an object to the Fracture helper. Click this button, and then
in the viewport position the cursor over the object to add to the helper. If the
object can be used as a fracture piece, the cursor changes from an arrow to a
cross and you can select the object to add it to the helper.
Add Lets you add one or more objects from the scene to the helper. Click the
button to open the Select Rigid Bodies For Fracture dialog. Make a selection
in the provided list, and then press the Select button to add the objects to the
helper.
Delete Lets you remove objects from the helper. In the Pieces list, highlight
the bodies to remove from the helper and then click this button.

Selected piece
You can assign these properties to pieces highlighted in the Pieces list.
Broken This read-only check box shows whether any of the highlighted pieces
have broken off at the current frame. For example, say you've created an
animation from frame 0 to frame 50 using Fracture, where piece A broke off
at frame 10. Highlighting piece A and moving the time slider to frame 10 or
after automatically turns on Broken. Moving the time slider to frame 9 or
before turns off Broken. This is because reactor keeps track of the times pieces
break off. That way, if you continue the animation at frame 50, reactor knows
it shouldn't add piece A to the fracture object, so it keeps moving
independently. You can restore a highlighted piece to its "unbroken" state
with the Reset button (see following).
Reset This button is available if any of the pieces broke off during a previous
animation (reactor stores the times when pieces broke off). Clicking this button
tells reactor to ignore the times they broke off in the previous animation.
Choose the behavior for highlighted pieces:
■

NormalThe default behavior option for a fracture piece.

■

UnbreakableThe highlighted piece never breaks away from the Fracture
object, even if it experiences an intense collision.

■

KeystoneIf this piece breaks, then all pieces break.

■

Break At Time The selected piece breaks at the time you specify. For this
kind of piece the Broken check box reflects the state of the piece at the

4392 | Chapter 14 reactor

current frame. Thus, if you set a piece to break at frame 5, the Broken check
box is on at frame 5 and later, and off at frames before 5.
Use Connectivity When on, groups of pieces that are connected to each
other move independently of pieces that they are not connected to. This is
like having multiple fracture objects contained in one fracture helper. The
collision detector determines that two pieces are connected to each other if
their distance from each other is less than the world's Collision Tolerance on
page 4466.

Break on
Choose the method by which reactor determines whether fracturing should
occur:
■

ImpulseWhen a piece of the fracture object experiences a collision where
the impulse is greater than the threshold specified, it breaks off from the
fracture object. The impulse of the collision is proportional to both the
relative velocity of the collision and the mass of the objects involved in
the collision. The higher the mass of the object that hit the piece, the larger
the impulse.

■

VelocityWhen a piece of the fracture object experiences a collision where
the relative velocity is greater than the threshold specified, it breaks off
from the fracture object. The size or mass of the object is not be taken into
account.

Energy Loss The amount of extra kinetic energy is lost in the collision due
to the breaking of the fracture bonds. This has the effect of dampening the
collision somewhat and also transferring energy to the remaining, unbroken
pieces of the fracture object. To simulate a brittle object, with maximum
shatter effect, keep this value low. To simulate breakage of a material more
like wood or concrete, use a high Energy Loss value.
TIP Increasing this value can improve the performance and stability of the
simulation.
Display: Show Bounding Box When on, the viewports display a box that
contains all the pieces of the fracture object.
Disabled When on, the Fracture helper has no influence on the rigid bodies
that are part of it.
Reset Default Values Returns the settings to their default values.

reactor Objects | 4393

World rollout > Fracture Penetrations group
Several additional values govern fracture behavior. These are global in that
they apply to every rigid body added to a Fracture object, and are found in
the Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ World rollout.
These values control the behavior of penetration depth collision detection
and response, and apply only to objects that are included in a Fracture helper.

Separation Time Forces are applied to penetrating bodies that are strong
enough so the bodies become separated within the time specified. To simulate
an explosion effect, make this value very small and reduce the Velocity Cap
value.
Velocity Cap reactor won't apply penetration recovery forces if they cause
the relative velocity between two penetrating bodies to exceed the specified
value.
Scale Tolerance The collision tolerance for bodies that use the penetration
depth algorithm is determined by multiplying the Collision Tolerance value
on page 4466 by the value specified. If this value is negative, the collision
tolerance will extend inside the bodies, effectively shrinking the collision
geometry.
For more information about using these values, see the Fracture Tips on page
4394 topic.

Fracture Tips
This topic provides some tips on how to control fractures.
After you procedurally slice up an object for fracture, the new pieces fit snugly
among each other. When one piece breaks loose after a fracture event, it might
be in contact with other pieces that are still part of the non-fractured body.
This can throw the broken piece into unstable oscillations against two or more
opposing pieces. The result is a chain-reaction throughout the fracture body,
with all the pieces flying off into space. It might appear as though some of
the pieces simply wink out of existence. Unlike normal rigid bodies in reactor,

4394 | Chapter 14 reactor

Fracture pieces are allowed to exist in a state of interpenetration, where
restoring forces are applied to separate them. Many objects sitting in
penetrating states next to each other can result in an unstable system.
To make the system more stable and less prone to exploding:
Try one or more of the following:
■

Reduce the Scale Tolerance value on page 4394 in the Fracture Penetrations
group of the reactor utility World rollout. This value can be as low as –1.0,
but –0.1 should suffice in most cases. This scales the Collision Tolerance
on page 4464 for pieces of a fracture object. A negative Scale Tolerance value
effectively shrinks the object as it is perceived by the collision-detection
system. Pieces that were snug against each other now have a comfortable
safety zone where no collisions take place. This is tied to the Collision
Tolerance value, so changing Collision Tolerance changes the effective
tolerance used when fracture pieces collide with other fracture pieces. It
dramatically reduces unstable oscillations. This is the most effective thing
to try when you wish to avoid explosions.

■

Manually offset the pieces from each other, leaving a physical gap between
all pieces. The gap should be as big as Collision Tolerance * Scale Tolerance.

■

Increase the Energy Loss value on the Fracture object's Properties rollout.
This is the percent of energy that can be "lost" in the fracture event by
transferring momentum from the broken piece to the unbroken Fracture
object. Increasing it increases the relative velocity between the newly
fractured piece and the remaining unfractured pieces. Ultimately this
reduces the chances of a chain-reaction of unstable oscillations.

■

Increase the Separation Time value and/or decrease the Velocity Cap in
the Fracture Penetrations on page 4394 group of the World rollout. This
controls how aggressively reactor pushes the pieces out of a state of
interpenetration. After doing this you may notice visible interpenetrations.

■

Slice up your object in a different configuration. Avoid creating very small
pieces, especially if they are right next to very large pieces.

■

Turn on the Use Connectivity check box on the Properties rollout of the
Fracture helper. When connectivity is enabled, clumps of pieces that are
disconnected from other clumps but still internally glued to each other
are set free to move independent of the other clumps. This serves to create
gaps between fractured pieces earlier, so unstable oscillations won’t happen.

reactor Objects | 4395

Storing and Accessing Collisions
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Collisions rollout
reactor lets you store information about all rigid body collisions that occur
during the simulation. You can access this information via MAXScript or save
it to a text file. The information includes the objects involved, the point of
collision, and the relative velocity during collision. You can then use it to
generate particles or other effects in your animation when objects collide,
trigger sounds, and so on.
You can activate and configure collision storing using the reactor utility's
Collisions rollout on page 4468.

Interface
Store Collisions group

Store Collisions Use these options to store collision information when creating
an animation. For each collision that occurs during the simulation, reactor

4396 | Chapter 14 reactor

can record the simulation time at which the collision occured, the objects
involved, the point of collision, and the relative velocity during the collision.
■

Do not storereactor stores no collision data.

■

Store oncereactor stores collision data next time an animation is created.

■

Always storereactor always stores collision data when creating an animation.

# collisions stored This read-only field reports how many collisions were
stored in reactor last time an animation was created.
View Opens the Stored Collisions dialog on page 4398, which shows all the
currently stored collision information.
Clear Deletes all stored collision information.

Filter Before Storing
These options let you provide more specific details about the collision
information you want to record.
Objects When on, lets you store only collisions involving particular objects.
Use the Objects button to designate those objects.
Click this button to open the Filter Bodies In Collisions dialog on page 4400.
This allows you to select the pairs of objects whose collisions interest you.
Only collisions involving those pairs of objects are stored.
Velocity When on, reactor stores only collisions that occur above a certain
velocity. You can specify the threshold velocity using the provided field.
reactor ignores this filter for phantom collisions on page 4286.
Define Collision Pairs Allows you to enable or disable collision detection
between specified pairs of objects. You can find out more about this in the
Collisions Rollout on page 4468 topic.

Storing and Accessing Collisions | 4397

Stored Collisions Dialog

Collisions List Box This list box shows all the information stored about the
collisions ocurred during the last animation. The information is organized in
different columns:
■

TicksThe time, in ticks (1/4800th of a second) when the collision happened.

■

Frame / SMPTE / MM:SS:TicksThe time, in the current time units (which
can be frames, ticks, SMPTE, etc.), when the collision happened.

■

Object AThe first rigid body involved in the collision.

■

Object BThe second rigid body involved in the collision.

■

PointThe location of the collision, in world coordinates.

■

NormalThe unit normal of the collision, specified from B to A.

■

SpeedThe relative velocity of the two objects along the specified normal
direction.

■

PhantomSpecific information generated by phantom rigid bodies on page
4286. There are three possible values:
■

Not PhantomThis collision wasn't generated by a phantom rigid body.

■

EnteringThe time the phantom rigid body started penetrating (entered)
the other rigid body.

■

LeavingThe time the phantom rigid body finished penetrating (exited)
the other rigid body.

4398 | Chapter 14 reactor

Close Closes the dialog.
Save Allows you to save the stored information in a text file. This is an example
of the format:
....
Time : 4175
A : Box01
B : Teapot01
Point : ( 3.25862 -56.7632 10.0549 )
Normal : ( 1.28512e-007 3.18186e-007 -1 )
NRV : 53.4184
Phantom : Not Phantom
Time : 4415
A : Phantom
B : Box01
Point : ( 0 0 0 )
Normal : ( 0 0 0 )
NRV : 0
Phantom : Entering
Time : 4495
A : GeoSphere01
B : Box01
Point : ( -6.02472 18.1558 10.1478 )
Normal : ( -2.48431e-006 1.51463e-006 1 )
NRV : 21.6887
Phantom : Not Phantom
....

Storing and Accessing Collisions | 4399

Filter Bodies In Collisions dialog

Bodies Lists the names of the reactor bodies in the scene. Highlighting an
object populates the Store Collisions and Do Not Store Collisions lists for that
object with respect to the other bodies in the scene. If you highlight more
than one object in this list, how the lists are populated depends on the value
of Common Collisions.
Common Collisions When on, if more than one rigid body is highlighted in
the Bodies list, the Store and Do Not Store lists are populated from the list of
possible pairs that can be made using only your selected objects. When off,
the lists contain all possible pairs from the scene that contain at least one of
your selected objects.
For example, take a scene containing four rigid bodies: Box01, Box02, Box03
and Box04. If Common Collisions is on, and you highlight Box01 and Box02
in the Bodies list, then the only possible pair that includes only your selected
objects is Box01<- ➤ Box02.
If you highlight Box01, Box02, and Box03, then the possible pairs using these
objects are Box01<->Box02, Box02<->Box03, and Box01<->Box03. If highlight
the same objects with Common Collisions off, then the lists also include the
highlighted objects paired with the remaining objects in the collection. This
means that the available pairs would also now include Box01<->Box04,
Box02<->Box04 and Box03<->Box04.
This option is selected by default.
Store Collisions Collision data is stored for any pairs of objects in this list.
Do Not Store Collisions Collision data is not stored for these pairs of objects.

4400 | Chapter 14 reactor

> Moves the pairs that are highlighted in the Store list to the Do Not Store
list.
>> Moves all the pairs in the Store list to the Do Not Store list.
< Moves the pairs that are highlighted in the Do Not Store list to the Store
list.
<< Moves all the pairs in the Do Not Store list to the Store list.
OK Closes the dialog, saving any changes.
Cancel Closes the dialog without saving your changes.

Deformable Bodies
You can use rigid bodies on page 4282 in reactor to model any real-world object
whose shape doesn't change over time. However, what if you want to simulate
an object whose geometry does change over the course of the simulation, such
as a cloak, hair, foam bricks, or perhaps a slithering tentacle? reactor allows
you to model these with a second category of objects, called deformable bodies.
The geometry (vertices) of deformable bodies can change over time, driven
either by reactor during the simulation or by existing animation in 3ds Max,
allowing the objects to bend, flex, and stretch while affecting and being
affected by the rest of objects in the world simulation.
IMPORTANT The Havok 3 engine does not support deformable bodies in reactor;
you can use these only with the Havok 1 engine.
In addition to creating entirely deformable objects, you can combine
deformable bodies with rigid bodies, for instance to add secondary motion to
a simulated character. Secondary motion could include swirling clothing,
wobbling flesh, or a swinging tail. Deformable objects are also useful for
environmental effects such as swinging ropes and chains, curtains, and flags
with dynamic wind.
Generally, you create a deformable body in reactor by first creating a mesh or
spline that models the object's basic shape, and then applying a special
modifier. You can then specify additional physical properties for the object.
reactor includes four main types of deformable bodies, each of which is dealt
with in its own section:
■

Cloth on page 4402, a deformable two-dimensional triangular mesh

■

Soft Body on page 4413, a deformable three-dimensional closed triangular
mesh

Deformable Bodies | 4401

■

Rope on page 4425, a deformable one-dimensional chain of vertices.

■

Deforming Mesh on page 4433, a deformable mesh whose vertices have
already been animated, for instance the skin on a character rig.

As with rigid bodies, you must add deformable bodies to a collection in order
to be added to the simulation. Each deformable body type has its own
corresponding collection type.
Also like rigid bodies, you can constrain the possible movement of deformable
bodies: see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4437.
NOTE Deformable bodies are more complex than rigid bodies on page 4282, so
reactor requires more time to simulate them.

Working with Deformable-Body Vertices
reactor includes several tools for working with individual vertices in deformable
bodies. The topics covering these are:
■

Fixing Vertices in World Space on page 4440

■

Keyframing Vertices on page 4441

■

Attaching Vertices to a Rigid Body on page 4443

■

Attaching Vertices to Deforming Meshes (Skin) on page 4445

■

Soft Selection on page 4447

Cloth
Cloth objects in reactor are two-dimensional deformable bodies. Using cloth
objects you can simulate flags, curtains, clothing (skirts, capes, shirts), banners
and even materials like paper and sheet metal.

4402 | Chapter 14 reactor

A character’s cape and kilt are modeled as cloth.

Cloth Modifier
Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Apply Modifier ➤ Cloth Modifier

reactor toolbar ➤

(Apply Cloth Modifier)

The Cloth modifier lets you to turn any geometry into a deformable mesh,
allowing you to simulate the behavior of objects such as curtains, clothes,
metal sheets, and flags. You can specify a number of special properties for
cloth objects, including stiffness and how the object folds.
To add a cloth object to the simulation, you need to add it to a Cloth
Collection on page 4411.

Cloth | 4403

Procedures
To create a Cloth object:
1 Create the mesh object that you would like to simulate as cloth.
NOTE In reactor the underlying topology of this object can influence the
cloth's behavior. For instance, cloth tends to fold along contiguous edges;
highly tessellated meshes also stretch more, etc. Irregular triangulations (for
example, a Delaunay triangulation of a 3ds Max NURBS surface) results in
isotropic behavior (same behavior across all directions), avoiding artificial
creases and folds around specific directions; it can therefore produce more
realistic-looking results for pieces of clothing. Regular triangulations (like that
of a standard 3ds Max plane) lead to anisotropic behavior (tendency to folding
and creasing is different depending on the direction), this of course might
be irrelevant or even desirable in some situations.
TIP A quick, easy way to create a Delaunay mesh for reactor Cloth is to apply
the Garment Maker modifier on page 1206 to a shape.

4404 | Chapter 14 reactor

Different tessellation produces different cloth behavior.

2 With the object selected, choose one of the above options.
The Cloth modifier appears in the object's modifier stack.
To edit a cloth object's physical properties:

1

Select the appropriate object in the scene.

2 On the
Modify panel, ensure that the reactor Cloth modifier is
highlighted in the modifier stack.

Cloth | 4405

3 Use the Properties rollout to edit the properties, which are described in
the Interface section, following.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Vertex Allows you to select individual vertices of the cloth object to apply
and modify deformable constraints on page 4437.

4406 | Chapter 14 reactor

Cloth Properties rollout

Mass The Cloth object's mass in kilograms. This affects the behavior during
collisions with other objects, and also the stretching caused by attached rigid

Cloth | 4407

bodies on page 4443: the higher the mass of the cloth, the less stretching induced
by the rigid body.
Friction The coefficient of friction for the cloth's surface. As with rigid bodies,
this affects how smoothly the cloth moves relative to surfaces it contacts. The
Friction values for both objects in contact combine to produce a coefficient
for the interaction.
Rel Density Cloth has no volume, so reactor cannot calculate its density.
Instead, reactor provides a buoyancy property for Cloth objects, which reflects
its relative density. The default value is 1.0, the density of water. This value
is important only if you are going to float or immerse the cloth in water.
Air Resistance The extent to which the cloth loses energy as it moves.
Force Model Choose the way forces in the simulation affect your cloth object:
■

■

Simple Force ModelThis default method is suitable for most situations.
■

StiffnessThe stiffness of the cloth.

■

DampingHow quickly the cloth dissipates energy as it changes shape.

Complex Force ModelThis more-accurate model of cloth dynamics is more
computationally expensive to simulate. It provides parameters to specify
the shear and stretch stiffness separately, as well as a physically accurate
out-of-plane bend property.
■

StretchThe cloth resistance to stretching.

■

BendThe cloth resistance to bending.

■

ShearThe cloth resistance to shearing.

■

DampingHow quickly the cloth dissipates energy as it changes shape.

Fold Stiffness Fold stiffness governs the cloth resistance to folding.
■

NoneBy default, Cloth objects have no fold stiffness, and behave like a
loose material such as silk.

■

Uniform ModelThis model adds fold stiffness uniformly across the surface
of the cloth, regardless of its topology.
■

StiffnessThe fold stiffness value.

4408 | Chapter 14 reactor

■

Spatial ModelThis more-complex model of fold stiffness can be useful if
you are simulating a complicated piece of cloth, such as a dress. It allows
you, for instance, to add fold stiffness only to sections of the cloth that
are flat.
■

StiffnessThe fold stiffness value.

■

DistanceThe degree of fold stiffness per unit area. A Distance value of
2 refers to twice the average triangle edge length in the cloth, so a large
Distance value results in a large concentration of fold stiffness per unit
area.

■

Spread AngleControls the degree to which fold stiffness is added to
cloth when it has a non-flat shape. The angle relates to the threshold
angle between two parts of the cloth, below which stiffness is added.
If this value is 0.0, fold stiffness is added only to flat parts of the cloth.

■

Split AngleThe degree to which fold stiffness is added; specifically, how
fold stiffness is concentrated along the grid lines of the cloth's original
mesh.

Avoid Self-Intersections When on, the cloth will not intersect with itself
during the simulation. This results in a more realistic-looking simulation, but
can increase simulation time.
Constrain Deformation When on, limits the extent to which the cloth can
stretch.
■

MaxA percentage value that indicates how stretchy the cloth is: The lower
the value, the less stretching reactor allows.

Start With Current State When on, the Cloth object starts the simulation
using the current state stored in the modifier. This can be useful if you have,
for example, draped the cloth around something in the Preview Window and
then updated the viewport using Update MAX. When off, the cloth starts with
the state it had originally, below the modifier. Available only when keyframes
are stored.
# Keyframes Stored This read-only shows the number of keyframes, if any,
stored for the Cloth object. reactor stores keyframes for the object if you create
a reactor animation, or if you use Update MAX in the Preview Window.
Clear Keyframes Deletes any stored keyframes for the Cloth object.

Cloth | 4409

Use Soft Selection Allows you to use soft selection to smooth the transition
between keyframed and simulated vertices for this deformable object. For
more information, see Soft Selection on page 4447.
Reset Default Values Resets the values for the Cloth object to their defaults.

Constraints rollout

These options allow you to create different types of deformable constraints
for the body. For more information, see Constraining Deformable Bodies on
page 4437.

4410 | Chapter 14 reactor

Cloth Collection
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ CLCollection

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Cloth Collection

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Cloth Collection)

The Cloth Collection is a reactor helper object that acts as a container for
Cloth objects. Once you have added a Cloth Collection to your scene, you
can add Cloth objects (object with a Cloth modifier on page 4403) in the scene
to the collection.
When you run the simulation, reactor examines the cloth collections in the
scene, and, provided that the collections are not disabled, adds the cloth
objects they contain to the simulation.

Procedures
To create and use a Cloth Collection:
1 Create some Cloth objects by applying the reactor Cloth modifier to
standard objects.
2 Choose one of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to
add the Cloth Collection.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the collection’s behavior.
The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add Cloth objects to
the collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list.
3 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods:
■

On the Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and then in the
viewport click an object to add.

■

On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the
Select Cloths dialog to specify one or more objects to add.

Cloth | 4411

To create the collection and add objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

Interface
Cloth Collection Properties rollout

Highlight Causes the objects in the collection to flash momentarily in the
viewports.
Cloth Entities Lists the names of the objects currently in the Cloth Collection.
Pick Adds an object to the cloth collection. Click this button, then in the
viewport move the cursor over an object to add to the collection. If it is a
Cloth object, the cursor changes from an arrow to a cross and you can select
the object to add it to the collection.
Add Adds one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click the
button to open the Select Cloths dialog. Highlight one or more entries in the
list, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the collection.
Delete Removes objects from the collection. In the Cloth Entities list, highlight
the bodies to remove from the collection and click this button.

4412 | Chapter 14 reactor

Disabled When on, the collection and the bodies it contains are not added
to the simulation.

Advanced rollout

Internal Steps Because deformable objects are more complex to simulate, it
is usually necessary to perform more simulation steps on page 4266 to increase
stability. This parameter specifies the number of steps reactor performs
internally to simulate objects in this collection for each simulation substep
taken globally during the simulation. For example, at 60 fps, simulating at
one keyframe (step) per frame, 10 substeps, at three internal substeps for this
collection, reactor simulates the objects in this collection using 60x10x3=1,800
steps per second, while the simulation in general uses 60x10=600 steps every
second. This allows the objects in this collection to be simulated more
accurately without slowing down the rest of the simulation. In general terms,
you can think of it in this way:
■

Precision (stability) of overall simulation=Number of Substeps (as specified
on the Preview and Animation rollout on page 4462)

■

Precision (stability) of objects in this collection=(Precision of overall
simulation)x(Internal Substeps)

Reset Default Values Restores Internal Steps to its default value.

Soft Bodies
Soft bodies are three-dimensional deformable bodies on page 4401. Like Cloth
on page 4402 objects, they modify meshes. The main difference between cloth
as soft bodies is that soft bodies have a notion of shape : a soft body tries, to
some extent, to keep its original shape.

Soft Bodies | 4413

Soft bodies in various stages of deformation

You can use soft bodies to simulate squashy objects like a partially deflated
beach ball, a water bottle, jelly, or fruit. They are also useful for adding realistic
secondary motion to your objects and characters: floppy ears, noses, tails, etc.
reactor provides two methods for simulating soft bodies:
■

The mesh-based method uses the vertices in the mesh to operate (as with
cloth and rope).

■

FFD soft bodies on page 4419 manipulate the control points in an FFD grid
instead.

Depending on the complexity of your objects and the desired effect, you can
use either method.

4414 | Chapter 14 reactor

Soft Body Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ reactor SoftBody
Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Apply Modifier ➤ Soft Body Modifier

reactor toolbar ➤

(Apply Soft Body Modifier)

The Soft Body modifier lets you turn a rigid body into a closed, deformable,
3D triangular mesh, thus creating objects that can be flexed, bent, and
squashed during the simulation. You can specify physical properties for soft
bodies, including stiffness, mass, and friction.
reactor provides two types of soft body: mesh-based soft bodies, where reactor
deforms the underlying mesh directly; and Freeform Deformation (FFD) bodies,
in which reactor encases the original mesh in a simpler lattice that it uses to
update the mesh. For more information about creating FFD bodies, see FFD
Soft Bodies on page 4419.
To add a soft body to the simulation, you need to add it to a Soft Body
Collection on page 4423.

Procedures
To create a soft body:
1 Create the mesh to use as the basic, non-deformed state of your soft body.
You can turn any mesh with a fixed number of vertices into a soft body.
2 With the object selected, choose one of the above commands.
The reactor SoftBody modifier appears in the object's modifier stack.
To edit a soft body's physical properties:
1 Select an appropriate object in the scene.

2 On the
Modify panel, ensure that the reactor SoftBody modifier
is highlighted in the modifier stack.

Soft Bodies | 4415

3 Use the Properties rollout to edit the properties, which are described in
the Interface section, following.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Vertex Allows you to select individual vertices of the soft body to which to
apply and modify deformable constraints on page 4437.

4416 | Chapter 14 reactor

Soft Body Properties rollout

Mass The mass of the soft body in kilograms. This affects the soft body
behavior upon colliding with other objects, its buoyancy when interacting
with water, and the stretching caused by attached rigid bodies on page 4443:
the higher the mass of the soft body, the less stretch induced by the rigid
body.

Soft Bodies | 4417

Stiffness The stiffness of the soft body: the stiffer it is, the harder it is to
deform.
Damping The damping coefficient for the oscillation of the soft body's
compression and expansion.
Friction The coefficient of friction for the soft body's surface. As with rigid
bodies, this affects how smoothly the soft body will move relative to surfaces
it’s in contact with. The friction values for both objects are combined to
produce a coefficient for the interaction.
Avoid Self-Intersections When on, the soft body does not intersect with itself
during the simulation. This results in a more realistic simulation, but can
increase simulation time.
[soft body type]
■

■

Mesh-BasedBy default, soft bodies are mesh-based - the modifier directly
modifies the underlying mesh. This option is suitable for most simple
objects, such as balls and bricks. For more complex meshes (greater than
200 triangles), however, this approach can be time-consuming and may
slow down the simulation. A good alternative is to use FFD soft bodies on
page 4419.
■

# keyframes storedThis indicates the number of keyframes stored for
the soft body, if any. reactor stores keyframes for the object if you create
a reactor animation, or use Update MAX in the Preview Window.

■

Clear KeyframesClears any stored keyframes for this soft body.

■

Start With Current StateThe soft body starts the simulation using the
current state stored in the modifier. This can be useful if you have, for
example, deformed the soft body in the Preview Window and then
updated the viewport using Update MAX. When off, the soft body will
start with the state it had originally (below the modifier).

■

Use Soft SelectionAllows you to use soft selection to smooth the
transition between keyframed and simulated vertices for this deformable
object. For more information, see Soft Selection on page 4447.

FFD-BasedUses the FFD version of the Soft Body modifier. For more
information about FFD bodies, including descriptions of these parameters,
see FFD Soft Bodies on page 4419.

Reset Default Values Restores the default values for parameters in the modifier.

4418 | Chapter 14 reactor

Constraints rollout

These options let you create different types of deformable constraint for the
body. For more information, see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4437.

FFD Soft Bodies
reactor provides two different types of soft body: mesh-based soft bodies,
where the underlying mesh is directly deformed, and Freeform Deformation
(FFD) bodies. With an FFD body, reactor encases the original shape in a simpler
FFD lattice. Then the simulation uses the lattice, rather than the object itself,

Soft Bodies | 4419

as the soft body's shape. As the lattice deforms, it updates the original shape
so that it, too, appears to deform.

FFD soft body deformation applied to a character’s nose

FFD bodies are less accurately modeled than mesh-based soft bodies, but also
less computationally expensive to simulate. Because of this, it's generally
advisable to use an FFD-based soft body when deforming a complex mesh. As
a general rule of thumb, if a mesh has more than 200 triangles, it's probably
a good idea to use an FFD-based soft body.
NOTE When you view an FFD soft body in the Preview Window, you will see the
FFD rather than the underlying shape. This should still give you some idea as to
how the body will behave in your final animation.

4420 | Chapter 14 reactor

Procedures
To create an FFD soft body:
1 Create the mesh to use as the basic, non-deformed state of your soft body.
2 Apply an FFD modifier: the FFD 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4 on page 1375 or
FFD(box) on page 1380 modifier.
Different FFD dimensions produce different behavior. When using
FFD(box), set the dimensions to a number that leaves the FFD vertices
evenly distributed over the lattice. You can also use the Conform To
Shape command to make the FFD lattice better represent the underlying
geometry.
3 Apply the reactor Soft Body modifier on page 4415 on top of the FFD
modifier.
4 in the Properties rollout of the Soft Body modifier, choose FFD-Based.
You can now add the body to a soft body collection on page 4423 and
simulate it as an FFD soft body.

Interface
FFD Options

FFD-based Specifies that you want to simulate this body as an FFD soft body.

Soft Bodies | 4421

Stable Configuration Here you can specify which configuration (position of
vertices) reactor considers to be the stable (non-deformed) configuration. The
FFD soft body will tend to maintain that configuration.
■

Original BoxThe stable configuration for an FFD soft body is the original,
non-deformed FFD box; any animation or modification of the lattice is
ignored. This is the default option.

■

FrameLets you specify the state of the FFD state at a particular keyframe
as the stable configuration for the object.

Animate Transform When on, reactor animates both the FFD lattice and the
transformation of the object. In some situations, the deformation calculated
by the FFD modifier is more consistent if the object transformation follows
the FFD lattice.
IMPORTANT Use this option only when the FFD encloses the entire mesh of the
object, as the transformation applies to the whole mesh; that is, the whole object
will be transformed.

Not animating the object transform can cause the FFD modifier to apply strange
deformations.

4422 | Chapter 14 reactor

Animating the object transform (turning on Animate Transform) fixes the problem.

Soft Body Collection
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ SBCollection

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Soft Body Collection

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Soft Body Collection)

The Soft Body Collection is a reactor helper object that acts as a container for
soft bodies. Once you have created a Soft Body Collection, you can add any
soft bodies in the scene to the collection. For more information about soft
bodies, see Soft Body Modifier on page 4415.
When you run the simulation, the soft body collections in the scene are
examined, and, provided the collections are not disabled, reactor adds the
soft bodies they contain to the simulation.

Procedures
To create and use a Soft Body Collection:
1 Create some soft bodies by applying the reactor SoftBody modifier to
standard objects.
2 Choose any of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to
add the Soft Body Collection.

Soft Bodies | 4423

NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the collection’s behavior.
The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add soft bodies to the
collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list.
3 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods:
■

On the Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and then in the
viewport click an object to add.

■

On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the
Select Soft Bodies dialog to specify one or more objects to add.

To create the collection and add objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

Interface
Soft Body Collection Properties rollout

Highlight Click this button to cause the objects in the Soft Bodies list to
momentarily display as if selected.

4424 | Chapter 14 reactor

Soft Bodies Lists the names of the objects currently in the Soft Body Collection.
Pick Adds an object to the Soft Body Collection. Click this button, and then
in the viewport move the cursor over the object to add to the collection. If it
is a soft body, the cursor will change from an arrow to a cross and you can
select the object to add it to the collection.
Add Adds one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click the
button to open the Select Soft Bodies dialog. Highlight one or more items in
the list, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the collection.
Delete Removes objects from the collection. In the Soft Bodies list, highlight
the bodies to remove from the collection and click this button.
Disabled When on, the collection and in turn the bodies it contains are not
added to the simulation.

Advanced rollout

Internal Steps Specifies how many substeps per keyframe are used to simulate
the collection. Deformable bodies often require a higher level of simulation
accuracy than rigid bodies, so you might need to tweak this value to get realistic
results.
Reset Default Values Resets Internal Steps to its default value.

Rope
The reactor Rope is a one-dimensional deformable body on page 4401. You can
use it to simulate rope, string, hair, and so on. Only shapes on page 506 can
be simulated as ropes.

Rope | 4425

Weighted ball at the end of a rope

Rope Modifier
Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ reactor Rope
Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Apply Modifier ➤ Rope Modifier

reactor toolbar ➤

(Apply Rope Modifier)

You can create a reactor Rope using any spline object in 3ds Max. The Rope
modifier turns the object into a deforming, one-dimensional chain of vertices.
You can use rope objects to simulate ropes, as well as hair, chains, fringing,
and other rope-like objects.
A rope must be added to a rope collection on page 4431 in order to be simulated.

4426 | Chapter 14 reactor

Procedures
To create a rope:
1 Create the spline-based shape to use to create the rope. As with all
deformable bodies on page 4401, the underlying topology of this object
will influence the rope's behavior. If the spline contains only two vertices,
then the rope simulation geometry will have only a single section and
will behave in a particularly un-rope-like fashion as a result. More vertices
will allow the rope to bend easily and behave more realistically.
2 With the object selected, choose one of the commands listed above.
The Rope modifier appears in the object's modifier stack.
To edit a Rope's physical properties:
1 Select the Rope object.

2 On the
Modify panel, ensure that the reactor Rope modifier is
selected in the modifier stack.
3 Use the Properties rollout to edit the properties, which are described in
the Interface section, following.

Interface
Modifier Stack

Vertex Allows you to select individual vertices of the rope to apply and modify
deformable constraints on page 4437.

Rope | 4427

Rope Properties rollout

Mass The rope's mass in kilograms. This affects the rope behavior on collisions
against other objects, its buoyancy when interacting with water, and the
stretching caused by attached rigid bodies on page 4443: the higher the mass of
the rope, the less stretching induced by the rigid body.

4428 | Chapter 14 reactor

Thickness Lets you specify a thickness for the simulated rope, as the shape
used to create the rope has no inherent thickness. A rope with a thickness of
0.0 will not be visible in the simulation.
Friction The coefficient of friction for the rope's surface. As with rigid bodies,
this affects how smoothly the rope will move relative to surfaces it’s in contact
with. The Friction values for both objects are combined to produce a coefficient
for the interaction.
Air Resistance The extent to which the rope loses energy as it moves.
Rope Type
■

■

SpringThe default rope type.
■

StiffnessHow much the rope can stretch.

■

DampingHow quickly oscillations settle down when the rope is
compressed or expands.

■

Num WeavesThe extent to which the rope's inflexibility extends across
vertices. For example, a value of 3 ensures that all vertices separated by
three or fewer sections are subject to extra forces to stop bending. Large
Num Weaves values produce an inflexible rope, whereas small values
mean that only sections very close to each other will have restricted
relative movement.

■

Keep ShapeWhen on, the rope tries to keep its original shape, such as
a spiral, rather than returning to a straight line. The effectiveness of
this depends on the number of weaves (the higher of number of weaves,
the stronger the shape-keeping forces).

ConstraintUses a simpler, and hence less computationally expensive, model
to simulate the rope. Ropes of this type are quite stiff, and cannot be
configured in the same way as ropes with a Spring type.

Avoid Self-Intersections When on, the rope will not intersect with itself
during the simulation. This results in a more realistic simulation, but can
increase simulation time.
Start With Current State The rope starts the simulation using the current
state stored in the modifier. This can be useful if you have, for example, draped
the rope around something in the Preview Window and then updated the
viewport using Update MAX. When off, the rope starts with the state it had
originally, below the modifier in the stack.

Rope | 4429

# Stored Keyframes The number of keyframes, if any, stored for the rope.
reactor stores keyframes for the rope if you create an animation, or if you use
Update MAX in the Preview Window.
Clear Keyframes Clears any stored keyframes for this rope.
Use Soft Selection Allows you to use Soft Selection to smooth the transition
between keyframed and simulated vertices for this deformable object. For
more information, see Soft Selection on page 4447.
Reset Default Values Resets the values for this rope to their defaults.

Constraints rollout

4430 | Chapter 14 reactor

These options let you create a different types of deformable constraint for the
body. For more information, see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4437.

Rope Collection
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ RPCollection

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Rope Collection

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Rope Collection)

The Rope Collection is a reactor helper object that serves as a container for
ropes. Once you have placed a Rope Collection in your scene, you can add
any ropes in the scene to the collection. You can find out more about ropes
in the Rope Modifier on page 4426 topic.
When you run the simulation, the rope collections in the scene are examined,
and, provided that the collections are not disabled, the ropes they contain are
added to the simulation.

Procedures
To create and use a Rope Collection:
1 Choose any of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to
add the Rigid Body Collection.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the collection’s behavior.
The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add rigid bodies to the
collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list.
2 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods:
■

On the Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and then in the
viewport click an object to add.

■

On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the
Select Rigid Bodies dialog to specify one or more objects to add.

Rope | 4431

To create the collection and add objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

Interface
Rope Collection Properties rollout

Highlight Causes the objects in the collection to flash momentarily in the
viewports.
Rope Entities Lists the names of the objects currently in the Rope Collection.
Pick Adds an object to the Rope Collection. Click this button, and then in
the viewport move the cursor over an object. If it is a Rope object, the cursor
changes from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to
the collection.
Add Adds one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click the
button to open the Select Ropes dialog. Highlight one or more objects in the
list, then click the Select button to add the objects to the collection.
Delete Removes objects from the collection. In the Rope Entities list, highlight
the bodies to remove from the collection and click this button.

4432 | Chapter 14 reactor

Disabled When on, the collection and the bodies it contains are not added
to the simulation.

Advanced rollout

Internal Steps Because deformable objects are more complex to simulate, it
is usually necessary to perform more simulation steps on page 4266 to increase
stability. This parameter specifies how many steps will be taken internally to
simulate objects in this collection for each simulation substep taken globally
during the simulation. For example, at 60 fps, simulating at one keyframe
(step) per frame, 10 substeps, at three internal substeps for this collection, the
objects in this collection will be simulated using 60x10x3=1,800 steps every
second , while the simulation in general uses 60x10=600 steps per second.
This allows the objects in this collection to be simulated more accurately
without slowing down the rest of the simulation. In general terms, you can
think of it this way:
■

Precision (stability) of overall simulation=Number of Substeps (as specified
in the Preview and Animation rollout on page 4462)

■

Precision (stability) of objects in this collection=Precision of overall
simulation x (multiplied by) Internal Substeps

Reset Default Values Resets Internal Steps to its default value.

Deforming Meshes (Skin)
A deforming mesh is a mesh whose vertices' behavior has been keyframed.
The skin of a skinned character, where any deformation comes from the
underlying animated character rig, could be used as a deforming mesh in
reactor.

Deforming Meshes (Skin) | 4433

Deforming mesh provides a gorilla’s skin.

Why use deforming meshes? Firstly, rigid bodies on page 4282 and deformable
bodies on page 4401 can collide with a deforming mesh as if it was another
reactor body. The deforming mesh won't be affected by the collision, but the
rigid body/deformable body will. So, for instance, you can create deformable
clothes for a deforming mesh that you can drape realistically around his body,
or you can cause environmental objects to react to the deforming mesh.
You can also attach deformable bodies to deforming meshes. This allows you,
for example, to attach physically-simulated hair, garments, or tentacles to a
keyframed character. When the character moves, its simulated elements swirl,
swing, or slither (as appropriate) along with it. This is known as secondary
motion, and is an easy way to add realism to your characters without having
to animate the behavior by hand.
Unlike the other reactor deformable body types, you do not need to apply a
special modifier to a deforming mesh or set physical properties for it. You just
have to add the shape to a Deforming Mesh Collection on page 4435. This is
because reactor itself does not deform the mesh's vertices during the simulation:
The deforming mesh is simply controlled by its current animation.

4434 | Chapter 14 reactor

For information about how to attach objects to deforming meshes , see
Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4437.

Deforming Mesh Collection
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ DMCollection

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Deforming Mesh Collection

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Deforming Mesh Collection)

The Deforming Mesh Collection is a reactor helper object that acts as a
container for deforming meshes on page 4433. Once you have placed a
Deforming Mesh Collection in your scene, you can add any deforming meshes
in the scene to the collection. For more information about deforming meshes,
see Deforming Meshes (Skin) on page 4433.
When you run the simulation, reactor examines the deforming mesh
collections in the scene, and, provided the collections are not disabled, adds
the deforming meshes they contain to the simulation.

Procedures
To create and use a Deforming Mesh Collection:
1 Create some objects to use as deforming meshes.
2 Choose any of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to
add the Deforming Mesh Collection.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the collection’s behavior.
The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add deforming meshes
to the collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list.
3 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods:
■

On the Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and then in the
viewport click an object to add.

■

On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the
dialog to specify one or more objects to add.

Deforming Meshes (Skin) | 4435

To create the collection and add objects in a single step:
■

See the Scripts and Tools on page 4481 topic.

Interface
Deforming Mesh Collection Properties rollout

Highlight Click this button to cause the objects in the collection to flash
momentarily in the viewports.
Deforming Meshes Lists the names of the objects in the deforming mesh
collection.
Pick Adds an object to the deforming mesh collection. Click this button, and
then in the viewport move the cursor over an object to add to the collection.
If it can be used as a deforming mesh, the cursor will change from an arrow
to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the collection.
Add Adds one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click the
button to open the Select Deforming Meshes dialog. Highlight one or more
objects in the list, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the
collection.

4436 | Chapter 14 reactor

Delete Removes objects from the collection. In the Deforming Meshes list,
select the bodies to remove from the collection and then click this button.
Disabled When on, the collection and the bodies it contains are not added
to the simulation.

Advanced rollout

Freeze When on, the deforming meshes in this collection do not follow their
animation during the simulation but instead remain static. This is useful, for
instance, if you want to drape clothes around a deforming-mesh-skinned
character in the Preview window on page 4476 before using Update MAX - it's
much easier to dress a character that isn't still walking around!
Reset Default Values Resets the Freeze value to its default.

Constraining Deformable Bodies
reactor modifier (Cloth/Soft Body/Rope) ➤ Constraints rollout
As with rigid bodies, you might want to constrain the possible movement of
your deformable bodies. For instance, you might want to fix cloth draperies
to a position in world space, or attach deformable clothing and hair to a
moveable character. However, because deformable bodies can change their
shape over the course of the simulation, you can't just specify attachment
points in the object's local space as you do with rigid bodies.
Instead, when you work with deformable bodies, you need to specify the
vertices to constrain in the deformable mesh. You can then constrain the
vertices using one of four deformable constraint types, which you can choose
from the deformable body's deformable Constraints rollout.
This section has separate topics for each of the following deformable constraint
types:
■

Fixing Vertices in World Space on page 4440

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4437

■

Keyframing Vertices on page 4441

■

Attaching Vertices to a Rigid Body on page 4443

■

Attaching Vertices to Deforming Meshes (Skin) on page 4445

For information about using the Soft Selection option to smooth the transition
between simulated and keyframed vertices for deformable bodies, see Soft
Selection on page 4447.
NOTE You can constrain deformable bodies only to points in world space, rigid
bodies, or deforming meshes. You can't attach deformable bodies to "live"
deformable bodies. You can, however, attach deformable bodies to other
deformable bodies once they have been simulated. For example, after simulating
a piece of cloth, you can remove it from the Cloth Collection and add it to a
Deforming Mesh Collection on page 4435. You can then attach any deformable
body (cloth, soft or rope) to it using the Attach to Deforming Mesh constraint on
page 4445.

Procedures
The procedure for each deformable constraint type is described in its own
topic.

4438 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Constraints rollout

Fix Vertices Creates a Fix Vertices to World constraint on page 4440 that fixes
the chosen vertices to their current position in world space.
Keyframe Vertices Creates a Keyframe constraint on page 4441 that makes the
chosen vertices follow their current animation in 3ds Max.
Attach to Rigid Body Creates an Attach to Rigid Body constraint on page 4443
between the chosen vertices and a rigid body. The vertices follow the animation
(changes in position and rotation) of the rigid body on page 4282.

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4439

Attach to DefMesh Creates an Attach to Deforming Mesh constraint on page
4445 between the chosen vertices and a deforming mesh. The vertices will follow
the animation (deformations) of the deforming mesh on page 4433.
[constraints list] Displays a list of the deformable constraints for the
deformable body. To highlight a constraint for changing its parameters or
deleting it, click its name in the list.
Delete Constraint Deletes the highlighted constraint in the list.

Fixing Vertices in World Space
reactor modifier (Cloth/Soft Body/Rope) ➤ Constraints rollout
The Fix Vertices constraint lets you fix vertices in a deformable body to their
current positions in world space.

A row of vertices fixes the curtain to the wall.

4440 | Chapter 14 reactor

Procedures
To fix points in a deformable body in world space:

1 On the
Modify panel, click Vertex in the deformable body
modifier's sub-object list.
This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body.
2 On the Constraints rollout, click Fix Vertices.
A new Constrain To World constraint appears in the constraints list.
3 Ensure the constraint is highlighted in the constraints list.

4

Select the vertices to constrain.
These vertices remain fixed in place during the simulation, while the rest
of the mesh is subject to physical forces and deformation as usual.

5 When you are finished choosing vertices, it's advisable to exit the Vertex
sub-object level. This prevents you accidentally deselecting some of the
constrained vertices before simulating.
6 To change the set of fixed vertices, select the object, access the modifier's
Vertex sub-object level, highlight its Constrain To World constraint in
the list, and then select a different set of vertices.

Keyframing Vertices
reactor modifier (Cloth/Soft Body/Rope) ➤ Constraints rollout
This constraint allows you to make the deformable body's chosen vertices
follow their current animation.

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4441

Vertices keyframed to pull a curtain across a projection screen

Procedures
To keyframe points for a deformable body:

1 On the
Modify panel, click Vertex in the deformable body
modifier's sub-object list.
This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body.
2 On the Constraints rollout, click Keyframe Vertices.
A new Keyframe constraint appears in the constraints list.
3 Ensure the constraint is highlighted in the constraints list; this makes
the Keyframe rollout available.

4

Select the vertices to constrain in the deformable body. During
the simulation, these vertices follow the deformable body's current

4442 | Chapter 14 reactor

animation, while the rest of the body is affected by the physical simulation
as usual.
5 When finished, it's advisable to exit the Vertex sub-object level. This
prevents you accidentally deselecting some of the constrained vertices
before simulating.

Interface
Keyframe rollout

Use Current Stored Keys When on, the animation used for these vertices is
that after the reactor modifier is applied. In other words, if the modifier
contains any keyframes, reactor uses those for the animation. When off, reactor
evaluates the animation before the reactor modifier is applied, thus ignoring
any stored keyframes.

Attaching Vertices to a Rigid Body
reactor modifier (Cloth/Soft Body/Rope) ➤ Constraints rollout
The Attach To Rigid Body constraint allows you to fix vertices in a deformable
body to a particular rigid body.

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4443

Vertices attach the sails to the mast and booms.

Procedures
To fix vertices in a deformable body to a rigid body:

1 On the
Modify panel, click Vertex in the deformable body
modifier's sub-object list.
This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body.
2 On the Constraints rollout, click Attach To Rigid Body.
The new constraint appears in the Constraints list.
3 Ensure the constraint is selected in the Constraints list; this makes the
Attach To RigidBody rollout available.
4 On the Attach To RigidBody rollout, click the Rigid Body pick button
and then select the body to which to constrain the vertices.

4444 | Chapter 14 reactor

5

Select the vertices to constrain in the deformable body.
During the simulation, these vertices maintain their positions relative to
the rigid body.

6 When finished, it's advisable to exit the Vertex sub-object level, to keep
from accidentally deselecting some of the constrained vertices before
simulating.

Interface
Attach To Rigid Body rollout

Rigid Body Displays the name of the rigid body to which the vertices are
constrained. Choose a rigid body by clicking this button and then selecting
a rigid body in one of the viewports.
Do not affect rigid body When on, the attached deformable body does not
affect the behavior of the rigid body in the simulation. In other words, the
points in the deformable body will follow the rigid body, but no force is applied
to the rigid body from the deformable.
Ignore Collisions When on, disables collision detection between the rigid
body and the deformable body.

Attaching Vertices to Deforming Meshes (Skin)
reactor modifier (Cloth/Soft Body/Rope) ➤ Constraints rollout

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4445

The Attach To Deforming Mesh constraint allows you to fix vertices in a
deformable body to a particular deforming mesh on page 4433. This option is
useful for adding physically simulated elements such as hair and clothing to
an skinned character.

Vertices attach a skirt (or kilt) to the waist of a character mesh.

Procedures
To fix vertices in a deformable body to a deforming mesh:

1 On the
Modify panel, access the Vertex sub-object level of the
deformable body's modifier.
This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body.
2 On the Constraints rollout, click Attach To DefMesh .
The new constraint appears in the Constraints list.
3 Ensure the constraint is selected in the Constraints list; this makes the
Attach To DefMesh rollout available.

4446 | Chapter 14 reactor

4 On the Attach To DefMesh rollout, click the Deformable Mesh pick button
and then select the body to which to constrain the vertices.

5

Select the vertices to constrain in the deformable body.
During the simulation, these vertices will maintain their position relative
to the deforming mesh.

6 When finished, it's advisable to exit the Vertex sub-object level, to keep
from accidentally deselecting some of the constrained vertices before
simulating.

Interface
Attach To DefMesh rollout

Deformable Mesh Displays the name of the deforming mesh to which the
vertices are constrained. Choose a deforming mesh by clicking this button
and then selecting the object in one of the viewports.
Ignore Collisions When on, disables collision detection between the
deforming mesh and the deformable body.

Soft Selection
You can use deformable constraints to specify that you want certain vertices
of a deformable object to follow a user-specified animation, such as skinning,
while the rest of the object is fully physically simulated. However, sometimes
this can result in a visible "join" between the animated and simulated parts
of a piece of cloth, soft body or rope.

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4447

To deal with this, the Cloth on page 4403, Soft Body on page 4415, and Rope on
page 4426 modifiers have a Use Soft Selection option. The option can help
smooth transitions between the keyframed and simulated vertices.
The following illustration shows the effect of using this option. The cloth tube
on the left has a keyframed top and a simulated bottom, with a visible join.
The cloth on the right uses soft selection to blur the line between the two.

Soft selection dampens the deformation

Procedures
To use soft selection when animating a deformable body:
1 Before you apply the reactor modifier to a deformable body, apply a
modifier that has a Soft Selection option to your object, such as Edit Mesh
on page 1263 or Mesh Select on page 1445.
You can also apply this modifier to the body later, but it's important that
it be below the reactor modifier in the object's modifier stack.
2 Follow the instructions in Keyframing Vertices on page 4441 to keyframe
selected points for the deformable body, then create your reactor
animation.

4448 | Chapter 14 reactor

3 With the body selected, open the selection modifier in the modifier stack,
and access the Vertex sub-object level.
4 Select the vertices that should appear fully physically simulated. For
instance, for a piece of cloth where the top section is keyframed, you
might want only the bottom vertices to appear to be fully affected by the
physical simulation.
5 On the Soft Selection rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection.

6 Set the Falloff value to specify a smooth falloff from the selected vertices
to the unselected ones.
This is represented visually in the viewport.
7 Now open the reactor modifier and turn on Use Soft Selection.
When you run the animation, your specified falloff will be used to blend
smoothly between the keyframed and simulated vertices.

Constraining Deformable Bodies | 4449

Water Simulation
The reactor Water object allows you to simulate the behavior of a water surface.
Objects can interact with the water in physically realistic ways, creating waves
and ripples. reactor calculates a buoyancy value for any objects that fall into
the water using their mass and size, so that some objects sink and others float.
You can even change the density of a water object, which affects how objects
float in it.

A rag-doll mannequin floats on simulated water.

Water in reactor is a space warp on page 9312 that is simulated as water. Space
warps don't render, so you need to provide reactor with a geometrical

4450 | Chapter 14 reactor

representation of the water if you want it to appear in your final animation.
You do this by binding a plane or other geometry to the space warp. Note
that a representation of the water still appears in the Preview Window even
if you haven't done this.

Water Space Warp
Create panel ➤

(Space Warps) ➤ reactor ➤ Water

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Water

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Water)

You can use the Water space warp to simulate the behavior of a liquid surface
in your reactor scene. You can specify a size for the water, and physical
properties such as density, wave speed, and viscosity.
You don't need to add the water to a collection for it to take part in the
simulation. However, while it will appear in the Preview Window, it will not
appear in a rendered animation unless you bind the space warp to a plane or
other geometry. You can find out how to do this in Rendering Water on page
4454.

Procedures
To create a Water space warp:
1 Choose one of the above commands, and then in any viewport drag out
a Water object.
TIP For horizontal water, create the space warp in a Perspective or Top
viewport.

2

Move and
rotate the object as necessary using standard
commands. For changing other properties, see the next procedure.

Water Space Warp | 4451

To edit the properties of a Water object:

1

Select the object in the scene.

2 On the

Modify panel, open the Properties rollout.

3 Use the rollout to specify properties, as described in the Interface section.

4452 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface
Water Properties rollout

Water Space Warp | 4453

Size X/Y The dimensions for the water object.
Subdivisions X/Y The tessellation for the water's mesh.
Landscape button Although water is defined using a rectangular area, you
can simulate non-rectangular surfaces and obstacles inside the water by
defining a landscape geometry. Once you designate landscape geometry, any
vertex in the Water space warp that are contained in the landscape are fixed
during the simulation and waves and ripples will be reflected at those points.
Wave Speed The speed at which wave crests propagate across the surface of
the water.
Min/Max Ripple Limits on the size of the waves generated in the water.
Density The relative density of the liquid. This determines which objects will
sink into the water, and at what height objects of a lesser density will float.
The density is specified relative to the density of water (1.0=1,000 kg/m3).
Viscosity Resistance to flow: how difficult it is for objects to move through
the liquid. A high value means that the motion of objects through the water
is highly damped.
Depth The depth of the water. Buoyancy is applied only to objects inside the
water.
Use Current State When on, the simulation uses the current animation to
calculate the starting state. So if you have, for example, updated the water
during the preview on page 4476 using the Update MAX command, the stored
state is used as the initial state.
Disabled Removes the water from the simulation.
# Stored Keyframes This indicates if there are any keyframes stored for the
water. Keyframes are stored for the water if you create a reactor animation in
3ds Max, or if you use Update MAX in the Preview Window.
Clear Keyframes Clears any stored keyframes for this water.
Show Text When off, the label "Water" doesn't appear next to the space warp
in the viewports.
Reset Default Values Restores the default values for the object.

Rendering Water
Water in reactor is defined using a space warp. Space warps don't render, so
if you want the water to appear in your final animation, you need to provide

4454 | Chapter 14 reactor

reactor with a geometrical representation of the water. To do this, you need
to bind a plane or any other planar geometry to the water. The plane will
deform according to the Water space warp on page 4451, and you can then
render it as part of your scene.
Binding an object to the water applies a modifier to that object, which lets
you set a scale strength for the deformation. For example, if you set this scale
value to 2.0, any water deformation is doubled for the vertices in the object.

Procedures
To bind a plane to reactor Water:
1 Draw a plane the same size as your water in the viewport. Put it in a
different place so you can easily link the two.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Bind To Space Warp).

3 In the viewport, drag from the plane to the water space warp, or vice-versa.
The reactor Water (WSM) modifier appears in the plane's modifier stack.

4

Move the plane to the same position and orientation as the
space warp (or vice versa).

Interface
Water WS Modifier Properties rollout

Rendering Water | 4455

Scale Strength Acts as a multiplier for the geometry's deformation by the
water. Increases or decreases the deformation applied by the Water space warp
on page 4451.
Reset Default Values Returns Scale Strength to its default value: 1.0.

Wind
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ reactor ➤ Wind

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Create Object ➤ Wind

reactor toolbar ➤

(Create Wind)

The Wind helper object lets you add wind effects to reactor scenes, allowing
you, for instance, to make curtains flap in the breeze.
After adding the Wind helper to your scene, you can configure various
properties for the effect such as its speed, gusts, and whether objects in your
scene can be sheltered from the wind. You can animate most of these
parameters. The orientation of the helper icon indicates the direction of the
wind: It blows in the direction of the weathervane arrow. You can also animate
this direction by animating the icon's orientation.

4456 | Chapter 14 reactor

A curtain billows in wind.

Procedures
To add wind to a scene:
1 Choose one of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to
add the Wind helper.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the wind's behavior unless you
activate the Use Range option.

2 Use the

Rotate tool to rotate the icon and set the wind direction.

The wind blows in the direction indicated by the weathervane arrow.

Wind | 4457

Interface
Wind Properties rollout

4458 | Chapter 14 reactor

Wind On [Animatable] Defines whether the wind forces are applied or not.
Wind Speed [Animatable] The strength of the wind force. The direction is
specified by the icon's orientation, which is also animatable.
Perturb Speed When on, the strength of the wind varies over time, using the
following parameters.
■

VarianceThe maximum amount of change in the speed.

■

Time ScaleHow quickly speed change occurs, with small values producing
slow changes, and large values producing rapid changes.

Ripple [Animatable] When on, the wind direction becomes a function of
space and time, allowing you to add rippling effects to cloth objects affected
by the wind. This effect can occur in the Left/Right, Up/Down, or Back/Forward
directions, where Forward is the wind direction and Up is the up-axis of the
wind icon.
■

MagnitudeThe directional variance for the ripples.

■

FrequencyThe regularity of ripple formation.

■

Perturb TimeWhen in, the spatial perturbation is itself perturbed over time,
meaning that the ripples move back and forth. The Perturb Time feature
has its own Magnitude and Frequency parameters. When off, the rippling
cloth should eventually come to rest, unless Perturb Speed is on.

Use Range [Animatable] When on, the wind effect has the specified range of
action, starting from the icon. The range limit is displayed in the viewport,
as depicted in the following illustration.

Wind | 4459

■

Fall OffThe extent to which the wind effect falls off towards its range limit.
You can choose from None, Inv (strength decreases proportionally to
distance), and Inv Sq (strength decreases proportionally to the square of
the distance).

Enable Sheltering [Animatable] When on, objects can be sheltered from the
wind by other objects.
Applies To These check boxes allow you to specify the types of objects that
are affected by the wind. You can choose from Rigid Bodies, Cloth, Soft Bodies,
and Ropes.
Disabled Removes the wind from the simulation.
Display The size of the wind icon in the viewports.
Reset Default Values Resets the default property values for this Wind helper.

The reactor Utility
Utility panel ➤ reactor
You can access much of reactor's functionality through the reactor utility. It
lets you preview the simulation, change world and display parameters, and
analyze the convexity of objects. It also lets you see and edit the rigid body
properties associated with objects in the scene. Perhaps most important, it
lets you switch between the Havok 1 and Havok 3 engines.

4460 | Chapter 14 reactor

The utility is divided into a number of rollouts. For more information, follow
the links. More information about the two different Havok versions is available
later in this topic, in Differences between Havok 1 and Havok 3 on page 4461.
■

About: Choose Havok 1 or Havok 3 solver

■

Preview and Animation on page 4462

■

Havok 1 World/Havok 3 World on page 4464

■

Collisions on page 4468

■

Display on page 4470

■

Utils on page 4472

■

Properties on page 4475

Differences between Havok 1 and Havok 3
You can use either of two different dynamics solvers in reactor: Havok 1 or
Havok 3. To switch between them, choose the desired solver from the
drop-down list on the About rollout. The active solver is saved with the scene
file.

The difference between the two, in a nutshell, is that Havok 1 provides a
broader range of functionality, but Havok 3 is faster and more accurate. If
your simulation requires only rigid bodies, you'll generally get better results
with Havok 3.

The reactor Utility | 4461

Following is a more detailed list of differences:
Feature

Havok 1

Havok 3

Simulation

Discrete only

Discrete or Continuous on page 4467with
extra parameters

Supported bodies

Rigid/Cloth/Soft/Rope/Deforming
Mesh/Water

Rigid only

Rigid Body Properties on page 4284

Standard

Standard + Shell/Penetration/Quality on
page 4286

Cooperative Constraints ➤ Breakable
Constraints on page 4318

Linear, Angular

Threshold

Cooperative Constraints ➤ Strength settings on page 4318

Strength, Tau

Strength only

Preview Window: display

Textures, smoothing, actual geometry

Simulation geometry only

Preview Window: interaction during preview

right-button drag

hold Spacebar and move mouse

Toy Car on page 4380

Standard

Additional parameters

NOTE If you preview a simulation or create an animation using Havok 3 and the
scene contains non-supported entities such as soft bodies, reactor simply ignores
these entities and excludes them from the simulation.

Preview & Animation Rollout
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Preview & Animation rollout
This rollout lets you run and preview your reactor simulation, as well as
specifying timing parameters for the simulation.

4462 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface

Start Frame When creating a world to be simulated or previewed, reactor
needs to access the objects in 3ds Max at a fixed point in time. This parameter
defines this point in time (in 3ds Max frames). Initial shapes, positions and
velocities are taken from the actual shapes, positions and velocities of the
objects in the scene at this particular frame. When creating an animation,
keyframes are created starting from this frame to the End Frame time.
End Frame The last frame to simulate. When reactor creates an animation,
it generates keyframes from the Start Frame time to this frame.
Frames/Key The number of frames for every keyframe that reactor creates
(time step). For example, a value of 2 will create a keyframe every other frame.
Increasing this value forces reactor to take bigger time steps, potentially
reducing the accuracy of the simulation; you might need to then update the
Substeps/Key setting accordingly (see following).

Preview & Animation Rollout | 4463

Substeps/Key The number of reactor simulation substeps per keyframe (that
is, per time step). The higher this value, the more accurate the simulation will
be, although it will also require more computation to simulate. For information
about time steps and substeps, see Time Steps on page 4266.
Time Scale This parameter maps between time in the simulation and time in
3ds Max. Changing the value lets you slow down or speed up the animation.
Values less than 1.0 produce slow-motion animations, while values greater
than 1.0 produce sped-up animations.
Create Animation Runs the simulation and creates keyframes, starting at
Start Frame and ending at End Frame.
Update Viewports When on, updates the scene in the viewports as the
animation is created.
Create List/Layer When on, creates a List controller on page 3528 (unless one
is already present) for the position and rotation tracks of those rigid bodies
using Position/Rotation/Scale transform controllers. A new subcontroller is
added to the List controller to hold the keys created by reactor. This new
controller is weighted to 100, while the previous controllers are weighted to
0. In the special case of rigid bodies belonging to a character studio Biped on
page 4822, a new biped layer is created every time a reactor animation is
generated.
Preview Animation Previews the simulated scene in the Preview Window on
page 4476.

Havok 1 World / Havok 3 World Rollout
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Havok 1 World/Havok 3 World rollout
This rollout lets you set some general parameters for your simulated world,
such as the strength and direction of gravity, the scale of the world, and how
easily objects can collide with each other. When Choose Solver is set to Havok
1, the rollout name is Havok 1 World, and when Choose Solver is set to Havok
3, the name is Havok 3 World.

Interface
The only difference between the two different versions of the Havok World
rollout is that the Havok 3 World rollout contains an extra group of parameters

4464 | Chapter 14 reactor

at the end, named Simulation. The following illustration shows the Havok 3
version of the rollout.

Gravity The acceleration, in world units, the objects in a scene have due to
gravity. It is an important value because it affects the overall feeling of scale
in a dynamics simulation.
reactor will generate a warning if you specify a non-standard Gravity value
compared to World Scale (see following); that is, if you set the value much
higher or lower than –9.8 m/s2, where m is World Scale’s representation of
one meter. The warnings are provided for guidance and can be safely ignored
if you are happy with the behavior of your animation. The default Gravity
value reflects "real-world" gravity: –9.8 m/s2 (–386.22 inches/s2) on the Z axis.
For more information, see Scale on page 4269.
World Scale The distance in 3ds Max world units, that represents one meter
in the reactor world, and hence determines the size of every object in your
simulation.
NOTE Changing the World Scale value can drastically alter simulated objects'
behavior. For more information, see Scale on page 4269.

Havok 1 World / Havok 3 World Rollout | 4465

Col. Tolerance (Collision Tolerance) One of the tasks that reactor performs
at each simulation step is detection of whether any objects in the scene are
colliding, and then updating the scene accordingly. If objects are closer
together than the Collision Tolerance value, reactor considers them to be
colliding. A high Collision Tolerance value results in a stable simulation, but
it can also cause gaps between "colliding" objects.
The default value is 1/10th of World Scale (10 cm if you are modeling using
real-world sizes), and it is a good rule of thumb to always keep it above 1/40th
(4 mm), due to floating point precision limits in the processor. For standard
scenes and object sizes, the default parameters for world scale and tolerance
should be adequate. If you are simulating very small objects where the
tolerance is still to visible, try reducing the World Scale value and the Collision
Tolerance and Gravity accordingly. For more information, see Scale on page
4269.
Add Deactivator When on, reactor adds a deactivator to the simulation.
The deactivator keeps track of the objects in the simulation and deactivates
(stops simulating) objects that it determines are at rest. This keeps reactor
from wasting system resources simulating objects that aren't doing anything.
When Add Deactivator is on, you have access to two distance parameters for
determining whether an object is moving or not. The reason that there are
two properties rather than just one is for bodies that vibrate. It's possible that
a body can end up vibrating after a collision or some other occurrence. A
vibrating body might vibrate a few millimeters in distance, which would keep
it active for a typical Short Frequency test. However, the object is not really
moving anywhere, so keeping it active wastes CPU time. However, if it vibrates
in place, it fails the Long Frequency test and is deactivated.
■

Short FrequencyThe minimum distance, usually in millimeters, that an
object must move during each step of a simulation. If an object in a
simulation does not move the specified distance in each step, reactor
deactivates it.

■

Long FrequencyAlso sets a distance, usually larger than the Short Frequency
value. Long Frequency checks every few steps simulation rather than at
every step. Any object that does not move the required Long Frequency
distance is deactivated.

Add Drag Action When on, ensures that rigid bodies are subject to constant
drag. This damps their linear and angular velocities, so they come to rest
sooner. This is useful, for example, where rigid bodies are joined with

4466 | Chapter 14 reactor

constraints on page 4299, as it helps the constrained bodies to come to rest
despite the forces applied by the constraints.
■

LinThe linear damping applied by Add Drag Action.

■

AngThe angular damping applied by Add Drag Action.

Do Not Simulate Friction When on, reactor ignores all Friction values during
the simulation, and objects slide easily across each other.
Fracture Penetrations These parameters let you adjust how reactor simulates
Fracture objects. For details, see World rollout ➤ World rollout > Fracture
Penetrations group on page 4394.

Simulation group
These controls are available only with the Havok 3 engine.
The first lets you choose how reactor computes the simulation:
■

Discretereactor checks for collisions only at the beginning and end of each
simulation step. This is faster but less accurate.

■

Continuousreactor checks for collisions constantly, throughout each step.
This is the default choice, and results in slower but highly accurate
simulations. This option significantly reduces the chances of missed
collisions.

Max Linear Vel. The assumed maximum linear velocity for all bodies.
This does not set objects' linear velocity. If, later on, a rigid body's velocity
significantly exceeds this value, it might tunnel through other objects even
if its Quality property is set to Critical.
The default value is 200 meters/second. This value is used during continuous
simulations by the collision solver to optimize the simulation, so if it can
assume a maximum linear velocity it can discard several cases and get a
solution faster.
Stiffness The hardness of the constraints in the scene.
Use this parameter to configure the dynamics solver. When constraints used
in the scene are very hard or stiff, set this to Hard; the Soft or Medium setting
works most other cases. Setting Stiffness to Soft can lead to unstable solutions
if the constraints are too stiff.
TIP Another way to reduce the stiffness of the simulation is by lowering the
Strength value of constraints, thus relaxing the constraints.

Havok 1 World / Havok 3 World Rollout | 4467

Collisions Rollout
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Collisions rollout
These settings let you store collision details from your scene, and enable and
disable collision detection for specific pairs of objects. Pairs of objects with
collisions disabled pass through each other during the simulation.
Disabling collisions can be useful when you have objects that are attached
together, such as the wheels of a car and its chassis. This means reactor doesn't
check for every small collision between the objects, which can slow down the
simulation.

Interface
Collisions rollout

Store Collisions See Storing and Accessing Collisions on page 4396.
Filter Before Storing See Storing and Accessing Collisions on page 4396.
Define Collision Pairs Opens the Define Collisions dialog on page 4469 . This
allows you to toggle collision detection between specified pairs of objects.
Pairs of objects with disabled collisions pass through each other during the
simulation.
Selected Pair: Enable Lets you quickly enable collisions between the selected
pair of objects. This button is available only when both objects are part of a

4468 | Chapter 14 reactor

collection (not necessarily the same collection) and their collisions are currently
disabled.
Selected Pair: Disable Click this button to quickly disable collisions between
the selected pair of objects. This button is available only when both objects
are part of a collection (not necessarily the same collection) and their collisions
are currently enabled (the default condition).

Define Collisions Dialog

Entities Lists the names of the reactor bodies in the scene (any object added
to a collection). Highlighting one object populates the Enabled Collisions and
Disabled Collisions lists for that object with respect to the other bodies in the
scene. If you select more than one object in this list, how the Enabled/Disabled
lists are populated depends on the value of Common Collisions.
Common Collisions When on, if more than one object is highlighted in the
Entities list, the Enabled and Disabled lists are populated from the list of
possible pairs that can be made using only the highlighted objects. When off,
the lists contain all possible pairs from the scene that contain at least one of
your selected objects.
For example, take a scene containing four bodies: Box01, Box02, Box03, and
Box04. If Common Collisions is on, and you then highlight Box01 and Box02
in the Entities list, then the only possible pair that just includes your selected
objects is Box01<->Box02.
If you highlight Box01, Box02, and Box03, the possible pairs using these
objects are Box01<->Box02, Box02<->Box03 and Box01<->Box03. If you
highlight the same objects with Common Collisions off, then the lists also
include the highlighted objects paired with the remaining objects in the

Collisions Rollout | 4469

collection. This means that the available pairs would now include
Box01<->Box04, Box02<->Box04 and Box03<->Box04.
This option is on by default.
Enabled Collisions Lists pairs with collisions enabled.
Disabled Collisions Lists pairs with collisions disabled.
Disable Selection (Right Arrow) Moves pairs highlighted in the Enabled list
to the Disabled list.
Disable All (Double Right Arrow) Moves all pairs in the Enabled list to the
Disabled list.
Enable Selection (Left Arrow) Moves the pairs highlighted in the Disabled
list to the Enabled list.
Enable All (Double Left Arrow) Moves all pairs in the Disabled list to the
Enabled list.
OK Closes the dialog, saving any changes carried out while the dialog was
open.
Cancel Closes the dialog without saving changes.

Display Rollout
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Display rollout
This rollout lets you specify display options for previewing on page 4476 your
simulation, including cameras and lighting. These options have no effect on
the actual behavior of the final animation; they affect only the appearance of
the preview window on page 4476.

4470 | Chapter 14 reactor

Interface

Camera Click this button and then pick a camera from the viewports to use
as the initial view for the display. Your chosen camera’s name appears on the
button. If you don’t assign a camera, the settings on the current Perspective
viewport (if any) are used initially in the Preview Window.

Display Rollout | 4471

Camera Clipping Planes If a camera is assigned, the display tries to use the
camera to generate clipping planes. If no camera is assigned, reactor uses
default values for the clipping planes in the display.
Use Defaults It is possible that the clipping planes for your specified camera
are not sufficient to display everything in the scene. Rather than having to
change these values in the window every time the simulation is run, you can
turn off Use Defaults and then specify your own clipping planes using the
Near Plane and Far Plane values.
■

Near PlaneThe near plane to be used when Use Defaults is off.

■

Far PlaneThe far plane to be used when Use Defaults is off.

Lights Lists the scene lights reactor uses for the preview. When the list is
empty, reactor creates and uses a flashlight at the camera position; you can
toggle this light from the Preview Window World rollout ➤ Display menu.
You can combine up to six omni lights or spotlights to create the preview
lighting. Choose lights from the scene one at a time with the Pick button, or
add from a list of the available lights in the scene using the Add button. To
remove a light from this list, highlight it in the list and then click Delete.
Texture Quality The size (NxN pixels) of the textures generated for use in the
display. A smaller value uses less memory.
Mouse Spring These options allow you to configure the spring used when
you select objects with the right mouse button (Havok 1) or Spacebar (Havok
3) in the preview window on page 4476.
■

StiffnessThe stiffness of the mouse spring. If the mouse spring is too strong
you might be able to pull objects through each other; this won’t cause
errors, but it can create an undesirable state. Default=30.0.

■

Rest LengthThe rest length of the mouse spring. Default=0.0.

■

DampingThe damping value for the mouse spring. Default=1.0.

Use DirectX When on, the 3D rendering in the preview window uses the
DirectX system. When off, the window uses OpenGL.

reactor Utilities
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Utils rollout

4472 | Chapter 14 reactor

Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Utilities
reactor provides a number of helpful utilities that you can use to analyze and
optimize your simulation. For instance, you can check your reactor world for
the presence of any unusual physical states that might cause problems with
the simulation, such as excessive gravity, and you can remove redundant
keyframes from a generated animation.
You can also access these utilities from the reactor menu.

Interface

reactor Utilities | 4473

Analyze World
This utility begins by creating a simulation. If it finds
any errors while constructing the simulation, such as invalid numbers of
objects in systems or invalid meshes that would stop the simulation from
running, it reports these in a dialog. These error checks are always carried out
when creating a simulation, and if any of the tests fail the simulation cannot
continue.
If your simulation passes the initial error checks, the world analysis begins.
This checks for unusual physical states that could cause issues in simulation,
such as interpenetrating objects or extreme values for gravity or object density.
If any such states are found, the utility reports them in a window. Options
include the ability to show errors and warnings, and to clear the window
automatically before generating another analysis report.

Analyze Before Simulation When on, reactor always calls Analyze World
before previewing or running the simulation. Default=on.
Stop Simulation on Warnings When on, prevents reactor from creating an
animation if any warnings occur during analysis. For example, if the analysis
finds that a body's property such as Friction exceeds the bounds of real-world
values, it halts generation of the animation. Has no effect on the Preview
process. Default=off.
Report Problems After Simulation When on, reactor reports problems
detected during the simulation after it's finished. Default=on.
Analyze on Solver Switch When on, reactor automatically calls Analyze
World when you change the solver from the About rollout. Default=on.
Save Before Simulation When on, reactor saves your scene before simulating.

4474 | Chapter 14 reactor

Suppress Animation Warning When off, and you click Create Animation,
reactor opens an alert warning you that animation creation cannot be undone,
and asking you to confirm. When off, reactor simply creates the animation
without warning you. Default=off.

Key Management group
After generating an animation with reactor, you often end up with a number
of redundant keyframes. For instance, in a scene with a rolling rigid body,
creating the initial animation might result in a keyframe for every frame.
However, you can actually specify the body's animation with keys at just a
few frames (perhaps frames 0, 25, and 90), allowing 3ds Max to interpolate
frames between them. This utility allows you to remove any redundant
keyframes for specified objects, thus saving memory. This functionality applies
only to rigid bodies.
Reduction Threshold Specifies how aggressive the key reduction is. Increasing
this value causes more keys to be deleted, but the animation might lose fidelity.
Lowering it retains more keys with greater accuracy, at the cost of memory.
Default=0.5.
Reduce After Simulation When on, reactor automatically applies keyframe
reduction each time you simulate.
Reduce Now Reduces keyframes for all the rigid bodies in the simulation.
Delete All Keys Deletes all keyframes for all the rigid bodies in the simulation.

Selection group
Test Convexity Performs a convexity test on the object currently selected in
the viewport, allowing you to check whether the object is convex or concave
on page 4288 before choosing a simulation geometry on page 4287.
Delete Keys Deletes all keyframes for the objects currently selected in the
viewport.
Reduce Keys Reduces keyframes for the objects currently selected in the
viewport.

Properties Rollout
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Properties rollout

Properties Rollout | 4475

reactor toolbar World rollout ➤ Open Property Editor
For details of this rollout, see Rigid Body Properties on page 4284.

The Real-Time Preview
Utility panel ➤ reactor ➤ Preview And Animation rollout ➤
Preview In Window button
Animation menu ➤ reactor ➤ Preview Animation

reactor toolbar ➤

(Preview Animation)

It's useful to be able to preview reactor simulations from within 3ds Max. The
Preview Window lets you view and interact with a simulation in real time.
You can run the simulation, interact with the objects in the scene using the
mouse, and even update your objects in 3ds Max with their current state in
the preview.

Procedures
To preview a simulation in the Preview Window:
1 Choose one of the above commands.
2 If no errors are found in your current scene setup, the Preview Window
opens with your scene.
3 Press P to start the simulation.
At any time during the simulation, you can orbit around the scene by
left-button dragging the mouse within the Preview Window. With Havok
1 and Havok 3, you can pan the window by middle-button dragging;
with Havok 3, you can also pan the window by right-button dragging.
To interact with objects in the Preview Window :
1 Position the mouse cursor over the object you want to interact with, and
then press and hold the right mouse button (Havok 1) or the Spacebar
(Havok 3).

4476 | Chapter 14 reactor

This creates a reactor spring between the mouse cursor and your chosen
object.
2 While holding the right mouse button (Havok 1) or the Spacebar (Havok
3), move the mouse.
This drags the object, letting you pull it around, unless it's a fixed object,
or attached to one, and interact with other objects in the scene.
3 To release the object, release the right mouse button (Havok 1) or the
Spacebar (Havok 3).
To update 3ds Max from the Preview Window:
1 Preview the simulation as described above.
2 When the scene is in your chosen state (for instance, you might want to
drape some clothing over a figure, or let some objects fall and roll on the
ground), open the MAX menu and choose Update MAX.
NOTE The scene in 3ds Max will not be refreshed until you close the Preview
Window.

The Real-Time Preview | 4477

Interface
Preview Window Menus

Timing
At the bottom of the window, profiling and timing information is shown :

The information presented is:
■

The current time step (simulation step) on page 4266 used for the simulation.
This value is initially taken from the Preview & Animation rollout on page
4462 but can also be changed by using the Performance menu on page 4480.

■

The number of substeps on page 4266 used for the simulation. Again, this
value is initially taken from the Preview & Animation rollout on page 4462
but can also be changed by using the Performance menu on page 4480.

■

The current simulation time; that is, the time that the current image in
the preview represents in the final animation.

4478 | Chapter 14 reactor

During the preview, reactor tries to run the simulation in real time. In other
words, if a simulation step of one second takes only 0.7 second of CPU to
simulate, reactor "waits" 0.3 second before simulating the next step. That way,
the animation is presented in the window at the same speed as the final
animation in 3ds Max.
However, for complex scenes or slow CPUs, simulating a particular period of
time can take actually more CPU time than the specified period. For example,
a simulation step of one second might actually take two seconds to calculate.
In that case, it is not possible to present the animation in real time, and the
animation is therefore presented during the preview at a slower speed that
the final animation will have once it has been created. When this happens,
the preview reports it by appending an asterisk (*) to the current time:

Simulation menu
Play/Pause (P) Starts and pauses the simulation. If the simulation is paused,
the display remains active and you can still pan, rotate, and zoom the camera,
but the physics world remains still.
Reset (R) Resets the simulation, returning objects to their initial positions.

Display menu
IMPORTANT When About rollout World rollout ➤ Choose Solver is set to Havok
3, only Camera Settings is available from this menu.
Camera Settings Opens a dialog that allows you to specify the near and far
clipping planes for the camera, and to change the camera’s field of view
(F.O.V.). The clipping planes can also be set externally from the reactor utility
Display rollout.
Faces When on, the faces (and not the edges) of the display bodies are
rendered.
Wireframe When on, the edges (and not the faces) of the display bodies are
rendered.
Sim Edges When on, the edges of the physically simulated geometry (the
simulation geometry for each body) are rendered in the preview window. This
is useful for seeing what’s physically happening in a simulation.
Grid When on, three 2D grids are displayed in the XY, YZ and ZX planes.

The Real-Time Preview | 4479

Origin When on, the X (in red), Y (in green) and Z (in blue) axis are displayed
at the origin (0,0,0).
Flashlight On/Off When on, a flashlight located behind the camera lights
the scene. When off, lights defined on the Display rollout of the utility are
used. If no lights are defined, the preview uses a single fixed light.

Performance menu
Fixed Step (60,50,40,30 fps) Choosing one of these options changes the
frequency of the simulation to the given value; a frequency of 30 fps yields a
time step of 1/30 (0.0666) second, 50 fps means a time step of 1/50 (0.02)
second, etc.
Substeps (1-100 substeps) Choosing of these options sets the number of
substeps taken in every simulation step.

Mouse menu
This menu is available only when using the Havok 1 engine.
Pick at C.O.M. During the preview, you can pick and drag objects (see To
interact with objects in the Preview Window : on page 4476. A spring is the
attached between the mouse cursor in the screen and the object. When this
option is on, the spring is attached to the center of mass of the object.
Otherwise the spring is attached to the point on the object where you first
right-clicked.
Mouse Help This option shows some help regarding the use of the mouse to
control the camera and mouse picking.

MAX
Update MAX Takes the position and rotation of the objects in the simulation
and uses them to update the objects in 3ds Max.
Use MAX parameters Resets the substeps and time step (FPS) values to the
values set in the reactor utility's Preview and Animation on page 4462 rollout.

Display rollout
The Display rollout of the reactor utility lets you configure various display
options for the Preview Window, including cameras and lighting. For more
information, see Display Rollout on page 4470.

4480 | Chapter 14 reactor

Scripts and Tools
This topic describes some useful scripts and tools that you can use to speed
up your creation of reactor scenes.
If you are interested in creating your own scripts, see the MAXScript Help,
available from the 3ds Max Help menu.

Setup Scripts
These scripts allow you to quickly set up constraints and collections. They are
run automatically when you follow the specified procedures.

Constraint Creation
This applies to all the reactor constraint on page 4299 types, except the
Point-to-path constraint on page 4371.
To create a constraint and attach objects in a single step:
This method works with two or more objects only; it doesn't work with a
single-body constraint setup such as Spring with a child only.
1 Create the object(s) to constrain, and then ensure they are both selected.
If you select more than two objects, reactor will create constraints between
them. If you link the objects together hierarchically in 3ds Max before
creating the constraints, reactor will create constraints between link
parents and children. Otherwise, reactor will examine the scene and try
to choose appropriate pairs of objects.
2 Create the constraint(s) by using the reactor toolbar, menu or quad menu.
The constraint automatically appears in the viewport, and as you will see
in the constraint's Properties rollout, your objects are now attached to
the constraint.
If the objects are linked in 3ds Max, reactor will automatically make the
link's child object the constraint child and the link parent the constraint
parent. Otherwise, reactor will examine the scene and try to choose an
appropriate parent and child.
In addition, if the constrained objects are already added to a collection,
reactor will disable collisions between them (except in the case of springs
on page 4304).

Scripts and Tools | 4481

Collection Creation
This applies to all the reactor collection types: rigid body collections on page
4296, soft body collections on page 4423, cloth collections on page 4411, and rope
collections on page 4431. It also applies to the Fracture on page 4387 and Constraint
Solver on page 4319 helpers.
To create a collection and add bodies in a single step:
1 Create the object(s) to add to the collection, then ensure that they are
all selected.
2 Create the collection by using the reactor toolbar, menu or quad menu.
The collection automatically appears in the viewport, and as you will see
in the collection's Properties rollout, your objects are now added to the
collection.

The Rag Doll Utility
This utility lets you quickly set up a simple humanoid character, using a
mixture of Rag Doll on page 4322 and Hinge on page 4344 constraints to limit the
movement of the character’s limbs. You can use the sample humanoid, or
create your own character using the provided naming conventions and the
script will set up its constraints. Alternatively, you can use the script as a basis
for creating your own custom rag doll script.

Procedures
To create the sample rag doll:
1 From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface. Click the
Toolbars tab, and from the Category list, choose reactor. Scroll the list to
the Rag Doll Utility action, and then drag the action to a toolbar.
This creates a “Rag Doll” button. Alternatively, you can use a similar
method to create a custom keyboard shortcut or menu/quad entry for
the same action.
2 Click the Rag Doll button or otherwise activate the utility, depending on
the CUI method you’ve chosen.
The Ragdoll dialog opens, with two rollouts: Create Humanoid and
Constrain Humanoid.
3 On the Create Humanoid rollout, ensure that your chosen creation
options are on, and then click Create Humanoid. A humanoid figure
appears in the viewport.

4482 | Chapter 14 reactor

4 To set up the humanoid's constraints, ensure that your new humanoid
is highlighted in the Humanoids list on the Constrain Humanoid rollout
(by default, it's called Ragdoll) and that your chosen options are active
on the rollout.
5 Click Constrain Humanoid.
The script creates Rag Doll constraints and Hinge joints with appropriate
limits for the humanoid. In addition, if Create RBCollection and Create
CSolver are on, the script creates these helpers and adds the bodies and
constraints to them.
To turn your own humanoid figure into a constrained rag doll:
1 Create your figure using the naming conventions described in How It
Works on page 4486.
2 Run the script as described above.
The script searches the scene for geometry that follows the naming
conventions and adds your figure to the Humanoids list.
3 Ensure your figure is highlighted in the list and then click Constrain
Humanoid.

Scripts and Tools | 4483

Interface
Create Humanoid rollout

Name Root This text box stores the root name for the objects to be created.
For example, the Name Root "RagDoll" generates objects with names such as
RagDoll Pelvis and RagDoll R UpperArm.
Height The height of humanoid to be created.
Vertebra The number of vertebra to be created in the character's spine.
Add Hands When on, reactor creates boxes for the character's hands.
Add Feet When on, reactor creates boxes for the character's feet.
Link Parts When on, reactor links the created parts as a 3ds Max hierarchy.
Create Humanoid Click to create the humanoid objects and add them to the
scene.

4484 | Chapter 14 reactor

Constrain Humanoid rollout

Humanoids Displays a list of potential humanoids found in the current scene
that could be used for creating rag dolls. In generating this list only the root
node is examined so it is, in effect, a list of valid root nodes in the scene. If
the rest of the hierarchy does not exist for a given root, when you use the root
to create a rag doll 3ds Max writes errors to the MAXScript listener.

Scripts and Tools | 4485

Vertebra The maximum number of Rag Doll constraints that the script creates
for the character's spine. If this value exceeds the number of valid vertebrae
in the selected humanoid, the script won't create the excess constraints.
Create RBCollection When on, the tool creates a Rigid Body Collection on
page 4296 and places all the parts of the newly created rag doll character into
it.
Create CSolver When on, the script adds a Constraint Solver on page 4319 to
the scene, which is then associated with the freshly created Rigid Body
Collection. All the hinges and rag doll constraints that are created for the
selected humanoid are added to this. This option is available only if you have
chosen to create a Rigid Body Collection.
Add Hands When on, if the selected humanoid has hands, the script creates
constraints to connect the humanoid's hands to the rest of the body.
Add Feet When on, if the selected humanoid has feet, the script creates
constraints to connect the humanoid's feet to the rest of the body.
Snapshot Parts When on, the script creates a separate geometry object for
each object to be attached to a constraint. It is the newly created snapshot
that is then used in the constraint and added to the collection (if a collection
is being created).
Link To Original When on, the newly created snapshot geometries are linked
to the original geometries. Available only when Snapshot Parts is on.
Change Name When on, each geometric component of the new rag doll is
prefixed with the text in the New Name field. Available only when Snapshot
Parts is on.
New Name When on, each geometric component of the new rag doll is
prefixed with the text in the New Name field.
Constrain Humanoid Click to create the Rag Doll constraints and, depending
on the active options, also create a copy of the source objects, a Rigid Body
Collection, and a Constraint Solver.

How It Works
The script works by assuming that you've used the following naming
conventions for the rag doll parts. This naming convention follows that used
by the character studio Biped object to name the limbs. However, as long as
they are named as following, you can use any geometry created in 3ds Max.

4486 | Chapter 14 reactor

The script scans the selection for geometry with names that include one of
the following:
■

_R_UpperArm

■

_R_ForeArm

■

_L_UpperArm

■

_L_ForeArm

■

_R_Thigh

■

_R_Calf

■

_L_Thigh

■

_L_Calf

■

_Pelvis

■

_Spine

■

_Head

The script assumes that there is only one of each type of part, except in the
case of the spine, which can have up to five parts.
At this point the adjoining parts are connected, using mostly Rag Doll
constraints on page 4322. However, the script also uses Hinges on page 4344 for
the elbow and knee joints, as using Rag Doll constraints would be overkill to
achieve the simple constrained motion found in an elbow joint. The script
also sets suitable limits for each constraint.
In addition, the script sets the mass of each rigid body in the character to 10.0
kilograms, and the simulation geometry to be a bounding box. It also disables
collisions between constrained pairs of bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions
This topic answers some frequently asked questions about reactor.

Frequently Asked Questions | 4487

A figure floats on water.

See also: Troubleshooting on page 4492

Can I assign initial velocities to objects? How?
Yes. At the start of the simulation, reactor assigns to each object the velocity
it currently has in 3ds Max. In other words, if an object is moving during the
frame range A to B, and you start the reactor animation setting Start Frame
on page 4462 in between A and B, the object will start with the velocity it had
in your animation.
WARNING Make sure the object has the desired velocity at the exact frame where
reactor starts the simulation (Start Frame). Since 3ds Max usually decelerates an
object when animating its movement using keys at time A and B, starting the
reactor animation at time B won't add any velocity to the reactor simulation. In
order to have initial velocity in the reactor animation, start at a frame between A
and B.

Is it possible to modify the animation in Cloth/Soft/Rope/Water?
The animation for Cloth, Soft (mesh), and Rope is internally stored in the
respective modifier using a memory-optimized format. Unfortunately, there

4488 | Chapter 14 reactor

is no direct access to those keyframes. However, you can use the Point Cache
modifier on page 1521 to do some manipulations.
There is some MAXScript access to Water keyframes. For details on MAXScript,
choose Help World rollout ➤ MAXScript Help.

What happened to Point-Nail constraint?
The Point-Nail constraint from reactor 1 has been superseded by generalizing
the Point-Point constraint on page 4351. The old Point-Nail constraint is
equivalent to a-single bodied Point-Point constraint

Can I apply the Cloth/Soft/Rope modifier to part of a mesh?
While the Soft, Cloth, and Rope on page 4401 modifiers apply to all the vertices,
you can fix or keyframe vertices of the mesh or spline by using deformable
constraints on page 4437. Fixed or keyframed vertices will not be simulated
physically

Can I apply the Cloth/Soft/Rope modifier to more than one object?
In general, no, because the animation is stored explicitly in a single modifier.
The only exception is the FFD soft body on page 4419: If you have an FFD
modifier applied to more than one object, you can apply a reactor Soft Body
modifier on page 4415 to any (or many) of the bodies. You should still add only
one of the objects to the Soft Body Collection on page 4423.

Which parameters can I animate?
Only Wind on page 4456 parameters are animatable.

Can a keyframed object participate in the simulation?
Yes. For objects that don't change shape, and for which reactor should not
create keyframes, use unyielding on page 4286 rigid bodies. For objects that
change shape (deform), use deforming meshes on page 4433 .
NOTE Unyielding rigid bodies are much faster and simpler to simulate than
deforming meshes.

Can reactor store collisions for deformable bodies (Soft, Cloth, Rope)?
No. The storing collisions on page 4396 functionality applies only to rigid bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions | 4489

What are the limitations of Water on page 4450 in reactor?
Water in reactor is simulated as a height field (points are displaced vertically
only). This can produce effects like ripples and waves, but it cannot reproduce
certain other effects:
■

Wakes

■

Splashes. You can, though, use the information exposed through MAXScript
to generate particles or other effects.

■

Flowing fluids (like water flowing through a pipe or pouring from a tap).

Can I move the center of mass of my objects? How?
You can't explicitly set the center of mass of an object. However, you can use
compound rigid bodies where different pieces have different masses to simulate
uneven mass distribution. For example, you can simulate an object with a low
center of gravity by dividing the object into two pieces (primitives), top and
bottom, where the bottom piece is heavy and the top piece is light;
alternatively, you leave the original piece intact, with low mass, and add a
small, heavy primitive at the point of the desired center of mass. For more
information, see Compound Rigid Bodies on page 4294.

4490 | Chapter 14 reactor

Rocking toy with center of mass at the bottom of the globe

Can I attach Cloth/Rope/Soft Bodies to other Cloth/Rope/Soft Bodies?
No. However, once a piece of, say, cloth has been simulated, you can take it
out of its Cloth Collection and add it to a Deforming Mesh Collection on page
4435. By doing so, the cloth will still be part of the simulation the next time,
but reactor won't recalculate its animation. You can then attach other pieces
of Cloth/Soft/Rope to it by using the Attach To Deforming Mesh on page 4445
constraint.

How can I make a rigid body not move until a collision happens?
You can use the Inactive on page 4286 property for the rigid body.

How can I animate a floating object, like a balloon?
There are many alternatives you can try:
■

Use water on page 4450. The buoyancy of a balloon in the air follows the
same rules as the buoyancy of a light object inside a fluid. You will need
to place the water surface well above the scene so the objects are not visible
when they reach it.

Frequently Asked Questions | 4491

■

Use very low mass for the objects, and add wind on page 4456 blowing in
the up direction. You might want to also decrease the strength of gravity.

Troubleshooting
This topic provides solutions to some problems with reactor simulations that
you might encounter.

A character collides with a fracturing window.

Check also : Frequently Asked Questions on page 4487

General Troubleshooting
Analyzing the World
Whenever you get unexpected behavior from reactor, it is advisable to perform
a world analysis on page 4474 to get a report of anything detected by reactor as
suspicious, unexpected, or prone to error in your scene. For more information,
see reactor Utilities on page 4472.

4492 | Chapter 14 reactor

Discussion Forums
The Area provides you with a moderated community to discuss, learn, and
share techniques and ideas with other 3D professionals. Need to know how
to do something? Having a problem? Just want to show off your work? Post
your questions to the appropriate forums.

Simulation takes too long.
General tip:
■

Before performing a CPU-intensive operation such as Create Animation
or Reduce Keys, make sure you don't have any object selected in the scene.
Having an object selected during some calculations can force 3ds Max to
evaluate the selected object many times in order to update its UI, slowing
down the calculations.
If the scene is complex but contains independent parts that don't interact
with each other, try adding the objects involved to different collections
and solvers and create the animations independently for each subset,
enabling and disabling the collections and solvers accordingly.

If you are using Soft Bodies, Cloth, or Rope on page 4401:
■

Try to reduce the complexity of the mesh that flows to the reactor modifier.
For example, you can apply a MeshSmooth modifier on top of the reactor
modifier to render a smooth surface while simulating a simpler one.

■

For soft bodies with complex meshes, using FFD soft bodies on page 4419
can offer better results and decrease the computation time.

■

Unless necessary, do not use the Avoid Self-Intersections option, because
it increases computation time and memory usage significantly.

■

Try to reduce the number of substeps on page 4462 used in the simulation.
Also try to decrease the number of Internal Steps used by the
Cloth/Soft/Rope collection.
NOTE These steps also reduce the accuracy of the simulation, and can therefore
cause instability.

If you are using rigid bodies on page 4282:
■

For best results when using rigid bodies only, set Utilities panel World
rollout ➤ reactor World rollout ➤ About rollout World rollout ➤ Choose
Solver to Havok 3.

Troubleshooting | 4493

■

Reduce the complexity of the geometry used for the rigid bodies. Try using
bounding boxes or sphere, and avoid using non-fixed concave objects. Use
simpler geometry as a geometry proxy on page 4287 for the object.

■

If you are using Fracture, slowdowns can be caused by reactor trying to
avoid instability. Follow some of these tips on page 4394 to help reduce the
chances of instability happening

■

Try decreasing the number of substeps on page 4462 used in the simulation.
Be aware that this will reduce the accuracy of the solution and therefore
may cause instability.

Water doesn't render.
The reactor Water on page 4450 is a world-space modifier and therefore it is not
a renderable object. You can bind renderable object (like planes) to the water
WSM in order to render a water animation. See Rendering Water on page 4454.

Cloth/Soft/Rope becomes unstable and explodes.
■

Check whether any unyielding rigid body or DefMesh on page 4433 is forcing
the Cloth/Soft/Rope into a penetration.

■

If you are attaching to a rigid body on page 4443, make sure that the points
of attachment are outside the rigid body; otherwise, make sure Ignore
Collision is on.

■

If your Cloth/Soft/Rope is attached to a rigid body on page 4443, use
Runge-Kutta as the ODE Solver for the Rigid Body Collection on page 4296
of the attached rigid body

■

Try increasing the amount of internal steps in the Cloth/Soft/Rope
collection (Advanced rollout).

Rigid bodies become unstable/explode/fly to infinity.
In rare situations, simulation can become unstable and objects can "explode.”
This typically happens only when using complex systems of objects, like
Fracture on page 4387, or using simple constraints on page 4303 like springs or
dashpots.
■

For best results when using rigid bodies only, set Utilities panel World
rollout ➤ reactor World rollout ➤ About rollout World rollout ➤ Choose
Solver to Havok 3.

4494 | Chapter 14 reactor

■

If you are using many simple constraints on page 4303 (spring, dashpots)
working together, switching the ODE Solver in the Rigid Body Collection
on page 4296 to Runge-Kutta can improve the results.

■

Usually, increasing the number of substeps on page 4462 in the simulation
improves the stability of the simulation.

■

Also for springs and dashpots, avoid attaching objects with very different
masses. Using a Strength value similar to the mass of the objects attached,
and a Damping value of 1/10th of that Strength usually give good results.

■

If you are using constraints on page 4299, make sure you have aligned the
constraint spaces on page 4300 properly.

■

If many objects start the simulation too close too each other (inside
collision tolerance on page 4466), reactor will try to push them apart at the
beginning of the simulation. Try increasing the space between them, or
reducing the collision tolerance.

■

If you have constrained two rigid bodies so they are in continuous
contact/penetration (like an upper arm and a forearm), be sure to disable
collisions on page 4468 between those bodies.

■

Adding drag action on page 4466 can help damp the overall simulation. Try
increasing the linear drag in the scene.

■

If you are working with Fracture, the Fracture Tips on page 4394 section
provides information on how to avoid instability.

Cloth/Soft/Rope object stretches too much
If you have attached (using the Attach to RB Constraint on page 4443) it to a
falling object, be sure to turn off Do Not Affect Rigid Body. If the problem
remains, increase the mass of the Cloth/Soft/Rope, or decrease the mass of
the attached rigid body. Increasing the strength and damping of the
Cloth/Soft/Rope should also improve the situation.

Objects seem to move very slowly
Make sure you are using the proper World Scale on page 4464 in the scene. A
10cm box falling from a 1m height doesn't behave the same as a 1km box
falling from a height of 10km: The second one will reach the ground much
later). Use real-world units or have a proper mapping between 3ds Max units
and simulation units (World Scale on page 4464).

Troubleshooting | 4495

Why, after simulation, do I get warnings regarding "topology changes"?
The term “topology” refers to the internal connections of the vertices, edges
and faces of a mesh. If you change the number of vertices in a mesh, you are
changing its topology. While 3ds Max lets you animate the topology of objects
(e.g., change the number of vertices or faces over time), reactor can simulate
only objects with fixed numbers of vertices. If, during a simulation, reactor
detects a topology change, it ignores the object in question and reports the
problem as a warning.

Objects interpenetrate.
There can be different reasons for this:
■

Check that you haven't disabled collisions for those bodies. You can disable
collisions either globally on page 4468 for pairs of objects, or for the object
in particular (Rigid Body Properties on page 4284).

■

If the objects are attached using deformable constraints on page 4437, make
sure you haven't disabled collisions in the constraint parameters.

■

Make sure Collision Tolerance on page 4466 is set to a value that makes sense
for the sizes of the objects.

■

Try increasing the number of substeps on page 4462 in the simulation.

Cloth/Soft/Rope intersects itself.
Make sure you have turned on the Avoid Self-Intersections option in the
modifier on page 4401.

I can't add an object to a Cloth/Soft/Rope Collection.
Only an object that has the proper reactor modifier applied can be added to
one of these collections. Make sure you have applied a reactor Cloth on page
4403, Soft Body on page 4415, or Rope on page 4425 modifier to the object.

I can't add an object to a Rigid Body Collection.
If you are using compound bodies on page 4294, make sure the group is open,
as only the group parent can be added to a Rigid Body Collection on page 4296.

Mass and other properties are disabled.
Make sure you have selected only one object, and that this object is
geometrical. The most common cause for this is the use of groups. You can
use groups to create compound rigid bodies on page 4294, but in order to change

4496 | Chapter 14 reactor

the properties of the primitives inside the group, you'll need to open it and
selected the individual primitives inside it.

Rigid bodies don't bounce enough.
Increase the Elasticity property on page 4284 of the object. Try also increasing
the Elasticity of the other object involved in the collisions, as the elasticity of
a collisions is a function of the elasticity property on page 4284 of the two objects
involved.

Objects stop moving unexpectedly in the middle of a simulation.
This can be caused by objects being deactivated. There are two ways objects
can be deactivated: through the world on page 4464 deactivation or, if the object
belongs to a constrained system, through the Constraint Solver on page 4319
deactivation parameters
In both cases, try modifying the deactivation parameters for a less-aggressive
deactivation, or disable deactivation in general.

An object doesn't move during the simulation.
Make sure that you've added the object to a RBCollection on page 4296 and that
it has a mass on page 4284 other than 0.0 (objects with mass 0.0 are fixed). If
you are using Fracture on page 4387, make sure none of the pieces is fixed (has
mass 0.0).

A keyframed object doesn't move during the simulation.
Make sure that you enabled the unyielding on page 4284 property for that rigid
body.

My old scripts don't work.
reactor exposes parameters and functionality to MAXScript in a much more
consistent and complete way than previously. For the update, some reactor
MAXScript interfaces had to be renamed, but all functionality exposed in
previous versions is still available, and a lot more functionality has been
exposed. While this means that some reactor-specific scripts need to be
updated, it also means that a great deal more flexibility and power is now
achievable using MAXScript with reactor. For more information, see the
MAXScript Help, available from the Help menu.

Troubleshooting | 4497

I can't disable collisions between two bodies.
If your objects don't appear in the Define Collisions dialog on page 4469, make
sure you've added the two bodies to a collection; only objects in collections
are shown in that dialog.

Rigid bodies don't sink/don't float in the water.
Objects sink or float depending on their density and the density of the water.
You define water density explicitly in the Water space warp on page 4450. The
density of a rigid body is defined as its mass divided by its volume.
■

Check that your objects have real-world sizes (or adjust the world scale on
page 4464) and masses on page 4284.

If your bodies still don't sink enough for your liking, try the following:
■

Increase the mass of the bodies.

■

Decrease the density of the water.

■

Decrease the viscosity of the water, this can slow down the sinking.

Follow the opposite steps if you're trying to make your objects float more.

Water doesn't ripple enough
You can either increase the Max Ripple value in the Water space warp on page
4451, or you can scale the effect of the space warp on a particular object that
you've bound to the space warp by modifying the Scale Strength value in the
Water world-space modifier on page 4454. The first option (increasing the Max
Ripple value) is preferable, but you need to re-create the animation in order
to see the effect. The second option (increase the Scale Strength parameter in
the modifier) affects only the object bound to the Water space warp. It can
thus produce inconsistent results if you have objects floating in the water,
because they won't be affected by the change.

I can't see any stored collisions.
Make sure you've set reactor to store collisions on page 4396 during the
simulation. Collisions are stored only for rigid bodies; not for Cloth, Soft
Bodies, or Rope.

4498 | Chapter 14 reactor

Constrained objects snap at the beginning of the simulation.
During a simulation, reactor tries to match the two constraint spaces
(sub-objects) defined in the constraint (see Constraint Concepts on page 4300
for more info). When you create a constraint those spaces are aligned by
default. After setup, each space moves with the corresponding attached object.
If you have moved the objects and wish to realign the constraint spaces, there
are tools in the helper to do so (see Working With Constraint Spaces on page
4302 for more info).

File size increases dramatically.
■

If you are using rigid bodies, try the Reduce Keys on page 4472 utility to
reduce the number of keyframes created for each rigid body.

■

FFD-based soft bodies on page 4419 can also create a large number of keys
in the FFD modifier (one for each vertex for each frame). Although the
Reduce Keys on page 4472 functionality in reactor applies only to rigid bodies,
you can reduce keys in the FFD modifier using the 3ds Max Reduce Keys
tool, available from Track View on page 3827.

reactor runs out of memory during simulation.
Reduce the complexity of the objects simulated:
■

For rigid bodies, use a simpler geometry or proxy on page 4287 to simulate
the object.

■

For Cloth and Soft Bodies, try to use a coarse mesh for the simulation, then
apply a MeshSmooth modifier on top of the reactor modifier to smooth
the final result.

■

For Soft Bodies, try to use FFD-based Soft Bodies on page 4419 instead of
mesh-based soft bodies.

For any deformable body, the Avoid Self-Intersection option is particularly
memory-intensive. Avoid using this option if you are having problems
regarding memory.

Using FFD-Based Soft Bodies to animate a part of a mesh, the whole object
seems to be rotated by the simulation.
If you are using FFD Soft Bodies on page 4419 to animate just a subpart of a
mesh, make sure the Animate Transform on page 4422 check box is off, as this
option works only for FFD animating the whole mesh.

Troubleshooting | 4499

Using FFD-Based Soft Bodies to animate a whole mesh, some weird squashing
happens on occasion.
If you are using FFD Soft Bodies on page 4419 to animate the whole mesh,
sometimes the FFD modifier deformation can show artifacts when the lattice
points are rotated. Try switching on the Animate Transform on page 4422 check
box in the modifier to avoid those artifacts.

Picking objects during preview makes them go unstable.
Try reducing the strength and damping of the mouse spring on the Display
rollout on page 4470.

Objects barely move when picking during preview.
Try increasing the strength and damping of the mouse spring on the Display
rollout on page 4470.

I can't see anything in the Preview Window.
It might be caused by the lack of a proper camera; create a camera and select
it in the Display rollout on page 4470. If still doesn't work, try changing the far
and near clipping planes.

The preview shows everything in black.
If the scene uses texture maps but 3ds Max can't find the map files, they're
shown as black. Disable textures by pressing X during the preview on page
4476.

After the simulation I get a warning reporting that objects moved to infinity.
When instability occurs, rigid bodies can reach extreme velocities and therefore
move to infinity. If reactor detects this condition when creating an animation,
it does not create keyframes, but instead reports the problem once the
animation is finished.
Check also the Rigid bodies become unstable on page 4494 section above.

There is a visible gap between rigid bodies in the simulation.
Try reducing the Collision Tolerance on page 4466 of the simulation.

reactor complains about a no longer existing node.
This can happen if you rename an object that is used as geometry or display
proxy on page 4287 for a rigid body; proxies are stored by name, so if you change

4500 | Chapter 14 reactor

the name of the proxy you'll have to manually update the rigid bodies that
use it.

Error : All vertices are coplanar, use concave mesh.
By default, geometries in reactor are simulated by using their convex hull.
reactor can't create a convex hull from geometry in which all the vertices lie
in the same plane, such as a standard 3ds Max plane. Those geometries need
to be simulated as concave. Check the Rigid Body Properties on page 4284 section
for more information.

Rope simulation modifies the smoothness of the spline.
Although reactor simulates cloth as a series of linked vertices, the Rope modifier
on page 4426 tries to produce a smooth curve going through the vertices. In
most cases the curve generated by the modifier is suitable, but in some cases
(for example, if the vertices in the spline are far apart) you might find that
the generated curve is not optimal. In those cases you can:
■

Modify (refine) the spline below the Rope modifier so there is a uniform
distance, not too great, between vertices. You will need to re-create the
animation in order to see the final results.

■

Modify the spline after the Rope modifier using an Edit Spline modifier
on page 1368. This is the most flexible option.

Animation works in the preview, but not in 3ds Max after creating the
animation.
reactor creates the animation for rigid bodies on page 4282 by sending transforms
(new rotation and new position) to the controllers assigned to those bodies.
Some controllers, like procedural controllers (Noise) and some system
controllers (Biped) do not handle these explicit transform updates. To overcome
this, assign a regular keyframable controller such as Euler XYZ or Bezier to the
objects or, if that's not possible or desirable, create a copy or snapshot of the
bodies and make sure that a suitable controller is assigned to the snapshot
copies. Use these copies for the reactor simulation instead.

Rigid bodies in animation flicker and jump when playing the animation but
not when moving the time slider.
This is usually a problem with the subframe interpolation of the Euler (XYZ)
rotation controller. While reactor sends valid transformation keys to the
controller, the conversion from an arbitrary rotation to X,Y and Z Euler angles
may cause non-smooth animations between keyframes (the controller produces

Troubleshooting | 4501

noncontinuous X,Y and Z values). This problem can be solved by using a
quaternion-based rotation controller, such as the TCB controller, for the rigid
bodies.

Preview Animation fails
While the Preview Window on page 4476 should work with most OpenGL and
DirectX compliant hardware, some specific hardware and driver configurations
might cause problems:
■

Update to the latest drivers for your graphics card. Refer to the
manufacturer's Web site for details.

■

Try to use DirectX instead of OpenGL (or vice versa) for the preview. This
setting, independent of what is used for the 3ds Max viewports, can be
changed on the Display rollout on page 4470. If you discover that your card
works only with a particular configuration, you may want to create startup
script (a script in the scripts/startup folder) that calls
reactor.displayUsingDirectX = true/false.

■

Some problems can be caused by lack of display memory. Avoid having
multiple sessions of 3ds Max open at the same time, and reduce the size
of the windows and the display resolution.

■

Try changing the 3ds Max to different drivers: OpenGL, Direct3D or
Software.

Wind doesn't seem to work
■

Make sure the Wind Helper icon is pointing towards the right direction.

■

If the wind should act upon cloth, rigid bodies, etc., make sure the correct
check box is on in the Wind Helper parameters.

■

Try to increase the strength of the wind, or decrease the weight of the
objects it should affect.

4502 | Chapter 14 reactor

Character Animation

15

3ds Max includes two complete, independent subsystems for animating characters: CAT and
character studio. Both provide built-in, ready-to-go but eminently customizable character rigs
that can be skinned with either the Physique on page 5294 or Skin on page 1614 modifier, and
both are compatible with a range of motion-capture file formats. Each is quite powerful in
its own way, but there are significant differences between them.
The best way to determine which is best suited to a particular project you’re working on is to
learn both, and then make the decision based on your experiences. However, if you’re pressed
for time, read the following quick comparison and then look over the help for both systems.
■

CAT, while quite advanced, is the simpler of the two systems, and is better suited for
rigging and animating multi-legged and non-humanoid characters (not to slight its
humanoid-animation capabilities in any way, however). Among its built-in rigs are a
number of multi-limbed creatures such as a dragon with four legs and two wings, a spider,
and a centipede with 18 legs. These can easily be animated along paths with no foot sliding
using the graph-based CATMotion editor. CATMotion is best suited for modifying cyclical
motion in real time by adjusting parameters for body parts such as the pelvis; parameters
include Twist, Roll, Pitch, Lift, and Push.
Another powerful but relatively easy-to-use feature of CAT is the layering system, available
both in CATMotion (for individual body-part cycles) and at the full-rig level, with
keyframed weighting at both levels. The latter context supports color-coding of layers so
it’s easy to see which layer is contributing to the motion at any given moment. CAT also
supports blending between FK and IK for custom control.
Last, CAT provides muscle and muscle strand objects for simulating character musculature.

■

character studio comprises an extensive character-animation toolset that can work with
multi-legged characters but is intended primarily for use with bipedal rigs; hence the name
of its basic rig object: Biped. Also part of character studio is the Physique modifier for
skinning character rigs. Physique can be used with rig objects other than Biped, and offers
features such as user-definable rigid and deforming sections of the skin. The third character
studio component is Crowd, which enables procedural animation of large groups of
characters with behaviors such as avoidance, random motion, and following a surface.
Biped is by far the most advanced and powerful character studio component. Its features
include procedural footstep (walk) creation, freeform animation, a specialized animation
editor called Workbench, and a non-linear animation feature called Motion Mixer (also

4503

available for general animation). Also, the Motion Flow feature offers randomized script
generation, procedural transitions, and more.

CAT
CAT is a character-animation plug-in for 3ds Max. CAT facilitates character
rigging, nonlinear animation, animation layering, motion-capture import,
and muscle simulation.

Useful Links
To view a number of how-to movies that can help you learn to use CAT, visit
CAT Movies.
To learn more about CAT, to post questions and comments, and to take part
in discussions, visit these sites:
■

The 3ds Max CAT forums on The Area:
http://area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-3ds-max/3ds-max-cat/

■

The Tutorials section of The Area: http://area.autodesk.com/tutorials. Enter
“cat” in the Word field and click Search.

■

Other sections of The Area, such as the Blogs section:
http://area.autodesk.com/blogs

4504 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs

Image courtesy of NHNZ

The CATRig is the hierarchy that defines the CAT skeletal animation system.
It is a fast, sophisticated yet flexible character rig that is designed to let you
create the characters you want without having to write scripts.
The flexibility of the CATRig character rig is the result of keeping the structure
as generic as possible. With CAT's modular composition design, a spine can
also be a neck. Instead of pelvises and ribcages from which limbs and other
parts extend, CAT has hubs. You can add and remove different rig elements
to get the exact skeleton you need for your character.
Each rig element combines geometry with special capabilities specific to its
function. For example, each limb has its own, sophisticated IK system; spines
have a powerful procedural spine on page 4565 algorithm; and hubs have a
retargeting system.
Each rig also has its own layered animation on page 4622 system, procedural
walk-cycle system, and clip/pose system. In addition, CAT includes utilities
for mixing poses, resizing rigs and animation, transferring animation
automatically from one rig to another, and more.

Creating a CATRig
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Choose CAT Objects from the
drop-down list. ➤ CATParent ➤ CATRig Load Save rollout ➤ Add a CATRig
to the scene.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4505

Select a CATParent ➤

Modify panel

A CATRig can take any form you require. It can have as many spines, heads,
pelvises, limbs, fingers, toes and tails as you need; it can even have extra bones.
CAT comes with a library of preset rigs for humans, animals, bugs, robots, and
more.
You can create a CATRig from scratch, but usually it is easiest to load in the
rig closest to your requirements and edit from there.
At any point you can save a custom CATRig as a new preset for subsequent
reuse. This approach is available throughout CAT; load the preset closest to
your requirements, edit it to suit your purposes, and then save the result as a
new preset.
Using CAT you can create the rig you need quickly. CATRigs include built-in
IK as well as easy-to-manipulate spines and tails. Advanced digit controls make
it easy to position fingers and toes. By default, legs are created with IK, and
arms with FK. All limb bones can be segmented for twisting bones.
Segment-twist weights are spline controlled.
Even in setup mode (as opposed to animation mode), the rig is set up so that
it can be manipulated intuitively. You can arrange arms using FK and legs
with IK. You can move and rotate the pelvis, ribcage, and head intuitively.
During setup you can resize CATRigs without breaking the IK setup, which is
useful when merging files. Once an animation layer is created, resizing is no
longer possible, thus preventing problems with existing animation.

Procedures
To load a CATRig preset:

1 Open the

Create panel and click

(Helpers).

2 Open the drop-down list at the top of the panel and choose CAT Objects.
3 Click the CATParent button.
4 Choose a preset rig from the list on the CATRig Load Save rollout.

4506 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 Click or drag in the viewport to add the preset to the scene.
NOTE Preset rigs that use the RG3 format can be added to the scene only
by clicking. You can resize the rig subsequently by changing the CAT Units
Scale value.
The rig appears in the viewport.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4507

Marama CATRig preset

On the Create panel, the CATRig Parameters rollout shows the rig’s basic
parameters. You can change the parameters during creation; otherwise,
like other 3ds Max objects, you can edit the creation parameters later by
selecting the CATParent object and opening the Modify panel.
NOTE If a CATRig has an animation layer, you cannot change the CAT Units Scale
and Bone Length Axis settings.
To create a CATRig from scratch:

1 Open the

Create panel and click

4508 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Helpers).

2 Open the drop-down list at the top of the panel and choose CAT Objects.
3 Click the CATParent button.
4 In the list on the CATRig Load Save rollout, make sure  is
highlighted, and then drag in the Perspective or Top viewport to add the
CATParent object.

5 With the CATParent selected go to the Modify Panel.
6 At the bottom of the CATRig Load Save rollout, click Create Pelvis.
The pelvis appears in the viewport, centered over the CATParent.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4509

7

Select the pelvis.
The pelvis is an example of a hub, and when you select it, the Hub Setup
rollout appears on the Modify panel. From this rollout you can add legs,
arms, spines, tails, extra bones, and additional rigging objects (props,
spare parts, etc.). For more information about the Hub Setup parameters,
see Hubs on page 4558

8 On the Hub Setup rollout, click Add Leg twice.
Two legs are added on opposite sides of the pelvis.

4510 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

9 Click Add Spine.
A spine, consisting of a number of bones and another hub, appears on
top of the pelvis. In effect, the second hub is a ribcage.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4511

10

Select the hub at the top of the spine and click Add Arm twice.
Arms are added to either side of the ribcage.

4512 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

11 Click Add Spine.
A new spine and a third hub appear atop the ribcage. This third hub can
act as a head.

12

Move the head hub downward and slightly forward, to produce
a more human-like structure.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4513

You now have a basic CATRig. All of the example cATRigs were created
using variations of this method, so you can see that it’s possible to create
a vast variety of CATRigs with a few basic tools.
See also:
■

CATParent on page 4543

■

Editing a Rig Interactively in the Viewport on page 4541

■

Removing Parts of the CATRig on page 4517

4514 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Customizing the Geometry on CATBones
Select a rig bone. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Use Custom Mesh

You can customize the geometry of all bones in CAT and then bake these edits
into the bone mesh. These edits are also saved to your rig preset, thus enabling
you to define complex rigs with customized geometry and load these presets
into new scenes.

CATRigs with customized geometry

To edit the geometry of a CATBone, simply apply a modifer such as Edit Poly
to the bone and begin editing. You can change the topology of the mesh, or
even delete the mesh and assign a different one using the Attach function in
Edit Poly or Edit Mesh.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4515

Once you have finished editing the mesh, you can simply collapse the stack
using the Modify panel or the right-click menu.

Customizing a bone’s mesh automatically turns on Use Custom Mesh on the
bone’s Setup rollout.

4516 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP To revert to the original mesh, turn off Use Custom Mesh.

Removing Parts of the CATRig
To remove an element, simply select it and press Delete. Deleting an element
also removes all bones that are part of its local weights group. For example,
if you delete any bone in a limb, this also deletes all the bones in the limb,
the IK target, and any extra bones that have been added to the rig, regardless
of whether they have ben relinked to other parts of the hierarchy.
NOTE You can delete individual rig elements only in Setup mode. Deleting any
part of the rig in Animation Mode deletes the entire rig.

Procedures
To delete an entire CATRig, do one of the following:
■

Delete the CATParent.

■

Delete the pelvis (root object).

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4517

To remove a limb:

■

Select any bone in the limb and delete it.

To remove an upper body:
■

Delete the spine or the ribcage.

To remove a digit (such as a finger):

■

Select any part of the digit and delete.

Using CAT's Naming System
CAT does not mandate any particular naming convention; instead, each rig
preset contains a different naming scheme. You can easily modify the naming
scheme to suit your requirements.
Each bone’s name is defined by the combination of the CATRig’s name and
name of any group the bone belongs to and also the bone’s local name. Of
course, you can clear a name field and then this field will have no effect on
the final name.
+++

The default names given to bones when you create a rig from scratch are
intended only as a basis for you to modify and define your own naming sceme.

Naming the CATRig
Each preset CATRig is created with its assigned name. If you want to have
more than one of the same CATRig preset in a scene, it is a good idea to give
it a unique name.
To change a CATRig name, select the CATParent, go to the Modify panel and
enter a new name in the Name field on the CATRig Parameters rollout. Doing
so renames the CATParent, and the entire CATRig hierarchy inherits the new
name.

4518 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Naming Hubs
Each hub name derives from this simple formula:
+

So, for example, in the Alien rig, the hub names are AlienHead and AlienPelvis.

Naming Limbs
Each limb has a name parameter that you may wish to fill in with an
appropriate name.
For example, when you add an arm, the new arm’s default limb name
parameter is "LArm" or “RArm,” depending on which side you add it to.

Naming Limb Bones
Limb bones can be divided into segments, and each segment should have a
uniqe name.
Each bone is assigned a name according to the following scheme.
+++

For example, to name a character’s right upper-arm bone "FredLUpperarm,"
name the CATRig "Fred," enter "L" in the Limb Name field, and enter
"Upperarm" in the Bone Name field.
When the names are added together, the following is the result:
"Fred"+"L"+"Upperarm"=FredLUpperarm

Each bone segment can have a customized name as well. The Bone Seg Names
become valid only when you have more than one bone segment. The bone
seg names default to “1,” “2,” “3,” and so on, but you could change this to
anything else, such as “A,” “B,” “C,” etc.

Naming Palms and Ankles
The palm or ankle stores a local name that is added to the CATRig name and
the Limb name:
$++

Naming Digits
Digits are made up of a hierarchy of bones that are all connected together
with one digit controller. This is much the same way that limbs work. The

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4519

digit controller stores a name for the entire digit, and each bone in the digit
also stores its own local name.
$+++

Naming Tails
The tail is made up of a hierarchy of bones that are all connected together
with one tail controller. This is much the same way that limbs work. The tail
controller stores a name for the entire tail, and each bone in the tail also store
its own local name. Each bone’s name is the result of concatenating the CATRig
name and the tail name and the bone name.
$++

Naming Extra Bones
Extra bone names are simpler than other body parts. Each extra bone stores
its own name, which added on to the CATRig name.
$+

Naming Spines
The spine is made up of a hierarchy of bones that are connected together with
one spine controller. The spine controller stores a name for the entire spine,
and each bone in the spine also stores its own local name. Each bone’s name
is the result of concatenating the CATRig name and the spine name and the
bone name.
$++

Copying and Pasting Rig Parts
Select a rig part. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout

The Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored buttons are available on the Setup rollout for
all body parts. You can copy any body part on a CATRig and then paste it to
another of the same type on the same or a different rig. For example, you can
paste a copied bone to another bone, but not to a hub.

4520 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Copy
Click to copy the settings of selected body part ready for pasting. When
the copy buffer is empty, or contains data from a different type of body part,
this is the only available button.

Paste
Click to apply the settings of the copied body part to the selected body
part.

Paste Mirrored
Click to apply the settings of the copied body part to the selected body
part while mirroring (flipping) the pasted settings.
NOTE The Paste Mirrored function is particularly important in setting up a face
rig for use with the Pose Mixer on page 4711 feature.

Applying Manipulation Gizmos
Select a rig bone. ➤ Right-click ➤ Add Gizmo
Manipulation gizmos provide a cleaner interface for working with your
character. Often the CATBones are hidden under the skin mesh, so selecting
and editing the bones can be difficult. The gizmo, which can be any of five
different spline shapes (or a custom object), surrounds the bone so it’s easier
to grab for applying transforms interactively.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4521

Once you apply a gizmo to a CATRig part, selecting the gizmo provides access
to the same interface elements as selecting the body part itself. Similarly,
keyframes from animating the CATRig show up on the track bar when you
select the gizmo. Even MAXScript calls work on the gizmo. When you
right-click a gizmo, you get the same right-click menus as with the CATBone.

Applying a Gizmo
When the CATRig is in Setup mode and you right-click on any CATBone, the
Tools2 quadrant includes the Add Gizmo command.

4522 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Choosing Add Gizmo opens a dialog with a list of preset gizmo shapes.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4523

You can edit the gizmo settings to fit the size and shape of your character skin
mesh. To do so, select the gizmo and go to the Modify panel. These settings
are the same as for the equivalent spline objects in 3ds Max; see the main help
for details.

4524 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

As you modify the spline settings, the changes appear immediately in the
viewports.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4525

Tips
■

Deleting gizmosTo delete a gizmo, select it and press Delete. This doesn’t
affect the CATBones was manipulating.

■

Creating custom gizmo hierarchiesIt is not necessary to link gizmo objects
to every part of the CATRig, although it is possible and doesn’t cause any
problems.
In some cases it can actually be useful to link gizmos together. You can
create hierarchies of gizmos that help you to navigate the rig, rather than
use the actual hierarchies of the CATRig. For example, you could link the
ribcage gizmo directly to the pelvis gizmo and then navigate the rig rapidly
with the Page Up and Page Down keys.

■

Defying the laws of circular dependencyYou can link gizmos in ways that
would normally cause a circular dependency in 3ds Max. You can, for
example, link the gizmo for a leg platform (IK target) directly to the ankle
gizmo without causing a circular dependancy.

4526 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Adding to the list of gizmosThe list of gizmos that is displayed in the
Gizmos dialog comes from a file called Gizmos.max, found in the system
path under \plugcfg\CAT\Gizmos. (The full path, by default, is
C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Local Settings\Application
Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\[program version]\enu\plugcfg\CAT\Gizmos.)
If you open this file, you can see the shape objects that comprise the list.
To add to the list of predefined gizmo shapes, add your own gizmos to this
file and resave it. You can use any type of object as a gizmo.

■

Removing unwanted right-click menusCAT uses the right-click menu
system in 3ds Max to augment its workflow. If you assign a gizmo to CAT
that has an Edit Spline/Poly/Mesh modifier at the top of the stack or is an
editable spline or other object with object-specific quad menus, you will
find additional, unnecessary options whenever you right-click your gizmo.
The simplest solution is to assign a Push modifier or other modifer with
no right-click menu options to the top of the stack. Thereafter, when you
right-click the gizmo, you get only the CAT menus.

Hierarchy Panel
Select a CATBone. ➤
Hierarchy rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Link Info ➤ Bone

Every bone in the CATRig has an array of controls that defines how it can be
manipulated and how it inherits motion. These controls are available on the
Hierarchy panel.
The Hierarchy panel settings allow you to configure a rig to be safer and more
robust while animating. You can prevent an animator from moving and editing
bones in ways that are undesirable for the rig by changing settings. For some
examples of how these settings affect the ways bones can be manipulaed,
examine the settings on different bones in the preset CATRigs.

Joint Limits
You can set up joint limits using CAT that are independent of the layers. The
benefit of using the CAT limit system is that you can limit any kind of
controller; for example, you can limit constraints. You could assign a Look At
constraint on page 3619 for a character’s eye controllers on its setup controller,
and then limit its motion so that it doesn’t turn too far. You can limit TCB
Rotation controllers, or any kind of controller that you cannot limit using the
standard Limit systems.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4527

Procedure
Example: To use the Hierarchy panel settings:
This example uses a simple hierarchy of three Extra Bones on page 4593, as
shown following:

1

Select the green bone and move it on the X axis.
It moves as you might expect, based on standard rules of transforming
hierarchy members.

4528 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

2

Undo any changes from step 1.

3 To lock the bone, go to the
Hierarchy panel, click Link Info, and
then in the Bone Hierarchy rollout ➤ SetupMode group, turn on Lock
Local Position.
Now, when you try to move the bone, nothing happens, because the
position is locked.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4529

4 On the Hierarchy panel, turn on Manipulation Affects Neighbors In
Hierarchy.
5 Now, when you move the green bone, its local position doesn't change,
but it rotates its parent (the red bone), and also rotates itself to look at
its child (the blue bone).

4530 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

6

Select the red bone, and in the Setup Mode group, turn on
Manipulation Causes Stretching.
Now, when you move the green bone the red bone stretches to reach the
position of the green bone.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4531

7

Select the green bone, and in the Setup Mode group, turn on
Manipulation Causes Stretching.
Now, when you move the green bone, both the red and green bones
stretch to reach the position of the green bone.

4532 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4533

Interface

Apply Transforms Determines whether this bone is affected by direct
transforms (that is, manipulation of its transform gizmo). If a bone has no
parent, it usually needs to have this option enabled, while a bone that is a
child of another CATBone should have this option off.
Typically, the only bone that needs Apply Transforms to be on is the root hub
(the pelvis), and the IK targets need it on as well. When you transform the
animation of a layer, child bones in the hierarchy do not need to be
transformed separately because they inherit the transformation from their
parents. See Layer Transform Gizmo on page 4637.
Display Onion Skins You can turn this on for any CATBone. This makes the
CATBone display animation phases the same way the Views menu ➤ Ghosting
feature works. The main difference is that the ghosting displays before and
after the current frame by default.
NOTE The ghosting is visible only in Animation mode.

4534 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Inheritance group
Setup Mode Inheritance
Position When on, the bone inherits its position from its parent in Setup
mode; when off, from the CATParent.
Rotation When on, the bone inherits its rotation from its parent in Setup
mode; when off, from the CATParent.

Animation Mode Inheritance
Position When on, the bone inherits its position from its parent in Animation
mode; when off, from the CATParent.
When on, the bone inherits its rotation from its parent in Animation mode;
when off, from the CATParent.
Scale When on, the bone inherits its scale from its parent in Animation mode;
when off, from the CATParent.
Manipulation Affects Neighbors in Hierarchy When on, this bone affects
neighboring bones in the hierarchy.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4535

Setup Mode group

Lock Local Position When on, the position of this bone is locked in Setup
mode. If you try to move it, it will not move, but try to move its neighbors if
Manipulation Affects Neighbors In Hierarchy is on.
Lock Local Rotation When on, the rotation of this bone is locked in Setup
mode. If you try to rotate it, it will not rotate.
Lock Local Scale When on, the size of this bone is locked in Setup mode. If
you try to scale it, it will not resize.
Manipulation Causes Stretching When on, moving this bone in Setup mode
causes it to stretch. When off, moving the bone moves its children.
Static Matrix Value/Animation Controller Choose either of the following
to determine the character pose in Setup mode (when returning from
Animation mode):
■

Static Matrix ValueBy default, Setup mode is completely static, and the
pose that the character returns to in Setup mode is defined by this matrix.

■

Animation ControllerAlternatively, you can set a bone to use an animation
controller to define the character pose in Setup mode.
By default, CATBones use a static transform value called SetupTM, which
is not visible in the animation editor (because it can't be animated), and
is accessible only via MAXScript.
The idea of the setup pose is that it cannot be animated, so no setup
animation controller is available by default. When you choose the
Animation Controller option, you get a Setup animation controller, as a
child of the LayerTrans (Layer Transform) track, that you can view and
edit in Track View.

4536 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Track View hierarchy of CATbone with Setup Mode set to:
Left: Static Matrix Value
Right: Animation Controller

The reason you might want an animation controller in setup mode is to
take advantage of the feature Additive to Setup Pose on page 4539. You can
apply your own procedural animation controller setup to the setup
controller, and then make the layer system relative to that controller.
You might want to use this capability to customize the inheritance of the
arms or head of your character. You can simply assign a constraint to the
setup mode controller to define the base value for the animation controllers
to animate from. For example, you could make the hands face downward,
but apply a LookAt constraint to the setup Rotation track, assigning an
object high in the air as the LookAt target, and the ribcage as the Upnode.
You could then create a new object, applying an Orientation constraint
that targets the ribcage and pelvis, and use this object to drive the setup

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4537

orientation of your limbs. This would give you flexible control over the
way your limbs behave instead of simply ineriting rotation from the ribcage.
You can constrain the tail of your character to a spline, or an IK chain to
use spline IK on a tail. In fact, the Apply Max IK utility on page 4790 on the
Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu does exactly this. If you
set the utilitys Pick Layer option to Use Setup Controller, then the CATBone
chain is constrained to an IK chain using the Setup mode layer.
If you’re setting up a face rig, you could also write a script to generate
automatic eye blinks, or slightly inherit rotations from the eyeball
movement. This would give you procedural motion, but with the benefit
of CAT's layering system overlaid so you could easily add touches of hand
animation on top of the procedural animation.
Why not just put these procedural controllers into a layer, and then apply
an additive layer on top for the hand keyframe touches?
The layer system does not get saved with the rig preset, so if you were to
save a rig preset, you would lose your work. The layer system is designed
to hold keyframe controllers; when you want to build a complex controller
configuration, it is often better to put it in the setup controller so that it
is embedded in the rig, not restricted to a particular layer.
Layers are specific to the scene. If you put a modification into a layer, it
should apply strictly to that scene, rather than to the general rig setup. If
you want to add a feature to the rig, then the setup controller is the place
to do it.

Animation Mode group

4538 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Lock Local Position When on, the position of this bone is locked in
Animation mode. If you try to move it, it will not move, but try to move its
neighbors if Manipulation Affects Neighbors In Hierarchy is on.
Turn this lock on for bones that you do not wish to move during animation.
Then, if an animator tries to move the bone, it will not allow the movement.
This setting also affects the Capture Animation on page 4760 tool and the way
it maps animation onto this bone.
Lock Local Rotation When on, the rotation of this bone is locked in
Animation mode. If you try to rotate it, it will not rotate.
Lock Local Scale When on, the size of this bone is locked in Animation mode.
If you try to scale it, it will not resize.
It’s recommended that you lock the scale of bones that you prefer not to be
scaled during animation. Then, if an animator accidentally scales the bone,
CAT will ignore the stretching.
Manipulation Causes Stretching When on, moving this bone in Animation
mode causes it to stretch. When off, moving the bone moves its children.

Layer Settings group
Additive to Setup Pose When on, all layers in the layer stack work relative
to the Setup pose. During evaluation, the following occurs:
Bone Pose=Setup Mode Pose+Layer Values
Remember Layer Settings Click this button to save the current layer
configuration to the bone. If you want a bone to use a particular combination
of controllers, you can simply setup the desired configuration, and then click
this button. The bone then saves that configuration, and then whenever a
new layer is added, the bone reloads that configuration.
NOTE Remember Layer Settings works only on Absolute layers.
Also, Remember Layer Settings does not work with Reaction controllers. Reaction
controllers are not accessible via the SDK, so it is not possible to save and load
them using CAT's animation saver and loader. If you wish so set up Reaction
controllers, do so using the Animation Controller option in the Setup Mode group
(see preceding). You can set up a Reaction controller on the Setup Controller, and
then turn on the Additive To Setup Mode option in the Layer Settings group (see
preceding). The RG3 file format can save and load the Reaction controllers with
the rig.
Last, you can set up limits using the Limit controller. You can limit your values
manually and then click Remember Layer Settings to make the bone remember
these limits values and reapply them each time you add a new Absolute layer.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4539

Joint Limits group

Position When on, use the X/Y/Z settings to specify permissible position-offset
ranges for for the selected bone on the corresponding axes. A wireframe box
superimposed on the bone depicts the position limits.

Rotation When on, use the X/Y/Z settings to specify permissible rotation-offset
ranges for the selected bone on the corresponding axes. Orange lines
superimposed on the Rotation gizmo depict the rotation limits.

4540 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing a Rig Interactively in the Viewport
The quickest and easiest way to edit your rig is in the viewport, in Setup mode
on page 4632. Edit the proportions of the rig simply by dragging the elements
around.
To edit the spine length, move the child hub. The spine stretches to fit.
With limbs it is much the same: Move the child element to edit the length
and rotation of the element above it in the hierarchy.
Element dimensions can be edited with the 3ds Max Scale function (in general,
for best results use Non-uniform Scale for this). In Setup mode the rig elements
are not scaled, but rather resized.
Using the preceding methods it is possible to set up the majority of your rig
simply by placing the joints correctly into your model; this is much faster
then the alternative of incrementally editing the length and orientation of
each element in turn.

Procedure
To adjust arm dimensions using stretchy bones:

1

Select the bone below the joint you wish to edit (in the case,
the forearm).

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4541

2

Move the arm joint as required.
The arm bones resize to suit.

4542 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing Bone Pivot Positions
Sometimes you need to edit bone pivot positions. This is achieved by
positioning your CATBone relative to its pivot point.
The best way to do this is with the XForm modifier. Simply apply the XForm
modifier and reposition the bone as required.
Once your changes have been finalized, you can collapse the Modifier Stack
to bake the changes into the bone, as with any other CATRig Mesh edits.

See also
Customizing the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515

CATParent
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Choose CAT Objects from the
drop-down list ➤ CATRig Load Save rollout ➤ Add a CATRig to the scene.

Select a CATParent ➤

Modify panel

Every CATRig has one CATParent. The CATParent, which is the triangle+arrow
symbol seen under each rig as it is created, can be considered the character
node of the rig.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4543

CATParent with no rig

All of the elements of the rig are associated with the CATParent. It holds basic
information about the whole rig, including its name, size and other basic data.
It also holds the Rig Preset Manager, which allows you to load and save CATRig
presets.
The rig is not linked to the CATParent but can be transformed by it when in
Setup mode. The rig inherits scale transforms from the CATParent in both
Setup and Animation modes.

Procedure
To create a CATParent:

1 Open the

Create panel and click

(Helpers).

2 Open the drop-down list at the top of the panel and choose CAT Objects.
3 Click the CATParent button.
4 Do either of the following:
■

Click or drag in the viewport to add a CATParent without a rig.

4544 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Choose a preset rig from the list on the CATRig Load Save rollout,
and then click or drag in the viewport to add the preset to the scene.

The CATParent or rig appears in the viewport.
To save a new CATRig preset:

1 Click

(Save Preset Rig).

2 Navigate to the desired folder.
3 Enter the rig name.
4 Click Save.

Interface
CATRig Parameters Rollout

Name Shows and lets you edit the name CAT uses to prefix all bones in the
CATRig. See Using CAT's Naming System on page 4518.
CatUnits Ratio The scaling ratio for the CATRig. All size parameters on the
CATRig that define such things as bone length width and height are in
CATUnits. See Understanding CATUnits on page 4755.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4545

Track Display Choose the method CAT uses for displaying the layers and
keyframes on this CATRig in Track View. See Track Display Modes on page
4551.
Bone Length Axis Choose the axis (X or Z) that the CATRig uses as the length
axis. See Understanding the Bone Length Axis on page 4554.
Motion Extraction Node Toggles the Motion Extraction Node on page 4548.
About CAT Displays information about CAT, including the version number.

CATRig Load Save Rollout
The CATRig Load Save rollout displays a list of existing CATRig presets and
provides controls for working with presets.
NOTE The controls under the list are available only on the Modify panel.

[CATRig preset list] Lists all available CATRig presets. To load a preset, click
it in the list and then click or drag in the viewport.

4546 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE On the Modify panel, the preset list shows only rigs in the RG3 format in
the default location, with which you can replace the current rig by highlighting
one and then clicking Reload (see following).

Open Preset Rig Opens a file dialog for loading a CATRig
preset (RG3 format only) onto the selected CATParent. Use this to load a preset
from a location other than the default ([system path]\plugcfg\CAT\CATRigs\).

Save Preset Rig Saves the selected CATRig to a preset file. If
you use the default location (see preceding), the preset then appears on the
list, making it easy to add to your scenes.
NOTE You can save the preset in the RIG or RG3 format. The latter, which is the
default format, is more recent and has more features, so is the recommended
choice. An RG3 file contains the CATRig for one character, including the skin,
muscles, etc. that make up the character if added with Add Rigging (see following).
However, neither format contains the animation for that character.
Create Pelvis/Reload The button label, function, and availability depend on
the context.
If no pelvis exists in the rig, the button label is Create Pelvis, and clicking it
adds a pelvis that you can use as the basis for a custom rig on page 4508.
If the rig contains a pelvis and was loaded from or saved as an RG3 preset, the
Reload button label appears, and clicking it loads the current preset file.
Use this to restore an RG3 rig to its as-saved state after editing. Reload works
only with rigs in the RG3 format.
TIP You can apply the current rig’s animation to a different preset rig by using
Open Preset Rig (see preceding) with the animated rig.
Add Rigging Allows you to add objects in the scene to the rig at the CATParent
level. For details, see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.
TIP The Extra Parts function is useful for saving complete character setups (except
for animation) in the rig preset. For instance, you can save skin meshes, props,
and even ancillary rigs as part of the preset.
For a good example of how to use Add Rigging, see the Marama preset included
with CAT. Add the Marama preset, then go to the Modify panel and click Add
Rigging. The Extra Rig Nodes dialog that opens lists the various included skin-mesh
objects as well as the additional MaramaFace facial rig.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4547

Update Rig From Preset When on and you load a scene, the scene file retains
the original character, but CAT automatically replaces the character with
updated data (saved in the preset). CAT automatically applies the original
character's animation to the new character. The more similar the characters,
the better the transferred animation.

See Also
Creating a CATRig on page 4505
Using CAT's Naming System on page 4518

Motion Extraction Node
Game developers often need to create one node to sit at the root of a character's
CATRig. Uses for this node include:
■

As a simple marker for the character's motion in a 3D world, for collision
detection and similar purposes. For example, you can move the character
from one position to another by moving its root node.

■

As the node to which the position of all other parts of the character's rig
are relative. This allows you to, for example, separate the motion of the
character's arms and legs from the motion of the character itself within its
world.

In CAT, this feature is called the motion extraction node.

Creating a Motion Extraction Node
You can create a motion extraction node any time after you have created a
CATParent node or loaded a CATRig preset.
Here, for example, is Alien, one of the included CATRigs.

4548 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Before creating the motion extraction node

The object under the alien, comprising a triangle and arrow, is its CATParent
node.
To create a motion-capture node:

1

Select the CATParent node.

2 Go to the

Modify panel.

3 Click Motion Extraction Node.
The arrow at the center of the CATParent appears to grow larger:

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4549

After creating the motion extraction node

But this is misleading: Hiding the CATParent's arrow is a larger, separate arrow
that represents the motion capture node.
If you select the CATparent node, go to the Display panel, and click Hide
Selected, you will still see the large arrow representing the motion extraction
node.
Or, if you animate the motion extraction node so that alien moves in its world,
you will see both the CATParent's arrow and the motion extraction node's
arrow.

Animating the Character
Once you have animated the character, you can see the difference in the two
arrows:
■

The CATParent's smaller arrow represents Alien's original position in the
world coordinate system.

■

The larger arrow represents Alien's current position in the world, which is
also the origin of Alien's local coordinate system.

And now we can distinguish between two kinds of motion:
■

The displacement (in the world coordinate system) between the two arrows
represents Alien's motion in the world.

4550 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

The displacement (in Alien's local coordinate system) of Alien's legs relative
to the motion extraction node.

Track Display Modes
To simplify the workspace, CAT displays only the controllers and keyframes
for the active layer by default. As you are working on a layer, it is easier to
understand the work you are doing if you can see the keyframes for the active
layer only.
You can find the Track Display settings for the CATParent on the Modify panel
➤ CATRig Parameters rollout.

Active Layer
Only the active layer is visible in the 'Assign Controller' rollout tree view, or
in Track View. The other layers are not displayed and instead a dummy
controller is displayed.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4551

Contributing Layers
Only layers that are currently contributing to the pose and animation of the
CATRig are displayed.

4552 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

All Layers
All layers in the layer stack are displayed in full. All keyframes for all layers
are displayed on the timeline, and you are able to do things like copy and
paste controllers between layers in Track View.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4553

Understanding the Bone Length Axis
By default, CAT uses the X axis as the length axis for all bones. This means
that if you select a bone and activate Move transform mode and set the
coordinate system to Local, the axis designated as the length axis is aligned
with the length of the bone.

4554 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bone Length Axis set to X Axis

Setting the bone length axis
If you select the CATParent and go to the Modify panel you will find the Bone
Length Axis group. If you change this setting from X to Z, you will see that
your bones are now aligned to the Z axis.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4555

4556 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bone Length Axis set to Z Axis

Why do we have the X-aligned mode?
Initially CAT was designed to use the Z axis, which seemed logical at the time.
However, many game developers requested that the software change from
using Z to X. Most exporters are designed around exporting 3ds Max bones
and biped, or Motion Builder characters, all of which use X. Often game physics
engines would not work if the bone alignment was not X.
So the X-aligned mode was added to accomodate engines that were designed
around specific character rigs.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4557

Why does everyone use X for their bones?
One day, two famous roboticists decided that everyone needed to agree on a
coordinate system for robotics, so they developed the Denavit-Hartenberg
coordinate system, which defines X as the length axis for any bone. The rest
is history. Most animation systems have since been developed around using
the Z axis, despite problems being caused by gimbal lock.

Hubs
Select or add a hub object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout

A hub is a special type of CATBone that serves as an organizing device in the
CATRig. Typically it’s a centerpoint from which spines on page 4565, arms on
page 4576, legs on page 4576, tails on page 4590, and extra bones on page 4593 sprout.
A hub can be a pelvis, ribcage, thorax, or head, depending on its function.
The first hub created is the root object for the rig. In an upright, two-legged
creature such as a human or a four-legged creature such as a horse this would
be the pelvis.

4558 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Basic CATRig with CATParent below and hub (pelvis) above

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4559

Hubs on different CATRigs

See also:
■

Manipulating Hubs on page 4666

■

Hub Hierarchy Controls on page 4687

Procedures
To create a hub, do one of the following:

■

Create the first hub of your character by

and, on the
Create Pelvis.

selecting the CATParent,

Modify panel ➤ CATRig Load Save rollout, click

4560 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Add a spine on page 4565 to a hub; this automatically creates an additional
hub at the end of the spine.

■

To add limbs to a hub:
NOTE When you add two limbs of the same type to a hub, the first limb is always
the left and the second is automatically the right.

1

Select the hub to add a limb to.

2 To add a leg, do either of the following:

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout, click Add Leg.

■

On the

■

In the viewport, right-click the hub, and from the lower-left quadrant
of the quad menu, choose Add Leg.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4561

3 To add an arm, do either of the following:

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout, click Add Arm.

■

On the

■

In the viewport, right-click the hub, and from the lower-left quadrant
of the quad menu, choose Add Arm.

4562 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To add rigging objects:
You can specify additional objects such as skin meshes, helpers, and so on, to
be included in a custom rig when you add it from the CATRig Load Save
rollout. This is particularly useful when you need props that a character carries,
such as a sword or a book.
1 Add the rigging objects to the scene.

2

Select the hub and then click Add Rigging.
This opens the Extra Rig Nodes dialog.

3 Click the Add button.
This opens a version of the Select From Scene dialog labeled Pick Extra
Nodes.
4 Highlight the objects to add and then click Pick Nodes.
The highlighted objects appear in the Extra Rig Nodes list.
5 Close the Extra Rig Nodes dialog by clicking the Close (X) button in the
top-right corner.

6

Select the CATParent and on the CATRig Load Save
rollout, click the Save button. Give the rig a name and click Save.
The custom rig is added to the CATRig list. Now, when you add this rig,
the additional objects are added as well.
IMPORTANT To retain the added parts in the saved rigging, you must use
the default CAT3 Rig Preset(*.rg3) file format. The alternative format, CAT
Rig Preset(*.rig), does not support extra parts.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4563

Interface

Name The name of this hub. See Using CAT's Naming System on page 4518.

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Buttons for copying and pasting
the hub settings to or from other hubs. See Copying and Pasting Rig Parts on
page 4520.
Use Custom Mesh Toggles the custom mesh for this hub bone. See
Customizing the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515.
Length/Width/Height Define the size of the hub in CATUnits.
Add Leg/Add Arm Add new limbs on page 4576 to the hub.
Add Spine Adds a spine on page 4565 to the hub.
Add Tail Adds a tail on page 4590 to the hub.
Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593 to the hub.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the hub. For details,
see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

4564 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

HubGroups
A HubGroup is not an element in its own right, but rather a subset of the rig
used for organizing rig components. A HubGroup comprises a hub, its limbs,
and any tails.
You see HubGroups wherever the CATRig hierarchy appears, such as the
CATMotion Editor on page 4716. The HubGroup name starts with the name of
the hub followed by “Group”; for example, RibcageGroup.

The PelvisGroup on the Panther rig

See also:
■

Hubs on page 4558

■

Limbs on page 4576

■

Tails on page 4590

Spines
Select or add a hub object ➤
➤ Add Spine

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4565

Spines are used in CAT to connect two hubs on page 4558 together. Spines
provide special features that speed up your workflow, enable sharing of
animation data among a diverse range of rigs, and allow sophisticated IK tools.

See also:
Manipulating Spines on page 4656

■

Procedure
To create a spine:

1

Select a hub on page 4558 to which to attach the spine.

2 Do either of the following:

■

On the
Spine button.

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout, click the Add

4566 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

In the viewport, right-click the hub and from the lower-left quadrant
of the quad menu, choose Add Spine.

Editing Spines
Select or add a spine object ➤

Modify panel ➤ Spine Setup rollout

To edit a CAT spine, use the Spine Setup rollout on the Modify panel.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4567

Interface

Spine Name The name of the spine. See Naming Spines on page 4520.
Num Bones The number of bones in the spine.
Length The length of the spine.
NOTE This value represents the combined lengths of all the spine bones. When
you change this value, the lengths of all spine bones are affected. A specific “Spine
Length” value is not stored in the spine.
Size The average size of the spine bones. You can use this value to quickly
resize all the spine bones, or you can edit each individually on the Bone Setup
rollout.
Procedural/Keyframed Choose whether this spine uses the built-in
procedural-spine algorithm, or standard forward kinematics (FK).

4568 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedural Spines
When you set a spine to be Procedural, the motion of all the spine bones is
defined by an algorithm. The CAT spine algorithm always tries to bend the
spine in a way that makes sense for that spine. The bend amount for each
bone is defined by the Spine Curvature graph.
Benefits of using procedural spines include:
■

You do not need to keyframe each spine bone. This reduces the number
of keyframes necessary to produce animation, thus keeping your scenes
simpler.

■

It is easy to share animation between characters with different numbers
of spine bones because there are no keyframes on each spine bone.

■

You avoid unsightly kinks in your spine.

Absolute/Relative

If you select a bone in a procedural spine and go to the Motion panel, you see
a small Spine Motion rollout. The single slider on this rollout defines the
Absolute/Relative behavior of the spine.
A Relative spine produces a smooth C-shaped curve, while an Absolute spine
creates an S-shaped curve.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4569

Left: Relative spine
Right: Absolute spine

Relative Spines
When you rotate the tip hub of a Relative spine, the hub moves in an arc
around the base of the spine.
You typically use a Relative spine when the curvature of the spine is more
importnant than the exact locaion of the tip hub. This is why the default
setting for necks in CAT is Relative. The position of the head is usually less
important than the curvature of the neck.

Absolute Spines
When you rotate the tip hub on an Absolute spine, the hub stays approximately
stationary.
Use an Absolute spine when the position of the ribcage is important. For
example, with a quadruped, the ribcage position is usually more important
than it is with a biped. This is because the front legs of the quadruped are
usually on the ground, so the position of the ribcage defines how straight the
legs are. In this situation, even a small movement of the ribcage can change
the shape of the legs and the weighting of your character.

4570 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Of course, in CAT the Absolute Relative value is animatable, so you can specify
throughout an animation how the spine should behave at any given moment.
In many cases, you might need to animate the spine settings to get the desired
results.
NOTE When animating with an Absolute spine, to get the ribcage into the correct
location, move the ribcage and rotate it. The ribcage does not move when you
rotate it.

Spine Curvature Graph rollout

The Spine Curvature rollout settings control the extent to which spine links
rotate relative to each other. In other words, it controls how the rotation
between the hubs is distributed along the spine.
You edit the spline by adjusting the Tangent and Value settings at the bottom
of the rollout.
Tangent The Tangent settings control the shape of the curve at its left and
right ends, respectively.
Value The Value settings control the start and end values of the rotation
weights.
By default, the spine bends evenly along its length. As you rotate the tip hub,
the spine interpolates the rotation throughout the spine nodes according to
the curvature of the graph.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4571

Default graph settings

The default curvature is evenly distributed among the spine bones.

The following examples use a spine with the Absolute Relative value set to 1,
meaning that it is a Relative spine.
If you adjust the graph to be flatter at the start and bend up sharply at the
end, then the spine will also bend sharply at the end.

4572 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

You can also configure the spine to bend more at its base.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4573

TIP The graph influences all rotations, including twisting.
TIP The spine color blends from the color of the pelvis to the color of the ribcage.
The blend of the color reflects the falloff on the Spine Curvature graph.

4574 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Spine Direction Vector

The Spine Direction vector is a line that determines the default direction for
the spine. In other words, when the spine is at rest, it should project along
this vector. By default, the Spine Direction vector points along the base hub’s
length axis: Z for Z axis-aligned rigs and X for X-aligned rigs. See Understanding
the Bone Length Axis on page 4554.
You will get better results if you ensure that the blue line runs close to default
curvature of the spine.
TIP When creating a curved spine, edit the individual spine bones into position,
leaving the hubs (ribcage and pelvis) aligned vertically, instead of rotating the
hubs to create the curve.

Procedure
To edit the direction of a procedural spine:

1

Select any bone in the spine and go to the

Motion

panel.
2 Click the Sub-Object button. The Spine Direction vector becomes selected
and you can reorient the spine by rotating the vector.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4575

NOTE You cannot animate the direction of the vector.

FK Spines
FK (keyframed) spines behave like a standard hierarchy of bones in CAT. Each
bone has its own Layer controller for controlling its transform and can be
keyframed independently, giving you precise control. You can then do things
like dislocate spine bones by animating the positions.
NOTE It is not possible to convert animation from an FK spine to a Procedural
spine.
Also, FK Spines do not support the CAT retargeting features.

Limbs
Select or add a hub object ➤
➤ Add Leg/Arm

4576 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout

You can use a limb as an arm, leg, wing, and so on. Arms and legs are mostly
similar in that they use the same IK system on page 4606 and have identical
user interfaces.
There are two differences between legs and arms in CAT:
■

Legs are assigned FootPlatforms, which include CAT's foot pivot system.

■

Arms and legs are treated differently by CATMotion on page 4715.

A limb can contain up to 20 bones, each of which can comprise up to 20
segments. Any limb can have a collarbone or palm, as appropriate.
You can set up limb bones in any configuration. IK setup involves simply
rotating the bones in Setup mode.
Bone segments rotate only around the center of their bone. They allow for
features such as twisting forearms. You control their relative rotations with
the Bone Twist Weight graph (see Editing Limb Bones on page 4581).
The Palm, which by default is automatically placed at the end of the arm,
holds the arm controls for blending the arm between IK and FK. It also allows
for the creation of an IK target for the arm, keying of all the rotations on a
limb, and holds the master controls for the digits (fingers).
CAT supports seamless blending between IK and FK.
Each palm can have up to 100 digits and each digit up to 20 bones. Digits are
set up with FK controls only. Digit controls include a weightable Digit Pose
Manager and Digit modifiers for manipulating groups of digits.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4577

The front leg of the Panther rig

Procedure
To add a limb:

1

Select a hub on page 4558 to which to attach the limb.

2 Do one of the following, depending on the type of limb to add:
■

To add an arm, do either of the following:

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout, click Add

■

On the
Arm.

■

In the viewport, right-click the hub and from the Tools 2 quadrant,
choose Add Arm.

4578 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

To add a leg, do either of the following:

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout, click Add

■

On the
Leg.

■

In the viewport, right-click the hub and from the Tools 2 quadrant,
choose Add Leg.

Editing Limbs
Select a limb bone. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Limb Setup rollout

Editing arms and legs is mostly the same, with a few minor differences that
are covered in this topic.

The Difference Between Arms and Legs
There is no Create Limb button, but rather the option of creating an arm or
leg. However, the differences between arms and legs are fairly trivial. Legs get
a foot platform (a rectangular IK target on page 4583) by default, and you can
change an arm to use a foot platform rather than a cross-shaped IK target if
you like.
An arm inherits motion from the hub differently than a leg. The arm inherits
the rotation off the ribcage but rotates it over so it points sideways and a leg
flips over completely so that is points downwards by default. You can see this
by adding a new layer and then setting the limb to FK and all the rotation
values to 0. You can see that the leg’s rotation is 180 degrees different from
the hub it is attached to and the arm is 90 degrees different

Interface
Limbs are made up of a number of possible sub-elements. These include a
collarbone, limb bones, and palms. Master parameters for the limb are held
in the Limb Setup rollout.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4579

Name Edit the name of the limb in the field box. See Using CAT's Naming
System on page 4518.
Color swatch Click to change the limb color.
L/M/R Choose whether the limb functions as a left, middle, or right arm or
leg. Middle limbs are useful in a tripodal structure.

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Use these buttons for copying
and pasting the limb settings to or from other limbs. See Copying and Pasting
Rig Parts on page 4520.
Collarbone When on, the limb incorporates a collarbone on page 4584, which
is an extra bone between it and the hub. The collarbone is not part of the
limb’s IK chain.
By default, an arm has the Collarbone option on, while a leg has it off.
Palm/Ankle When on, an arm has a palm at the end, while a leg has an ankle.
See Palms, Ankles, and Digits on page 4585.
Num Bones The number of bones in the limb. Range=1 to 20.
Use Up Node When on, the software creates an upnode as an IK target: a
cross-shaped Point helper on the limb axis. This now defines the upvector of
the limb, and constrains the motion a bit more than the default. The upnode
is particularly helpful when using the LookAt constraint, to define which
direction is “up.”

4580 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing Limb Bones
Select a limb bone. ➤
Weight rollouts

Modify panel ➤ Bone Setup and Bone Twist

A limb (arm or leg) can be made up of between 1 and 20 arm bones, each of
which can contain up to 20 segments for creating twist effects.

Interface
The interface for editing limb bones comprises two rollouts: Bone Setup and
Bone Twist Weight.

Bone Setup rollout
Access the setup parameters for a particular bone or segment by selecting it
in the viewport.

Name View and edit the name of the bone. See Naming Limbs on page 4519.
Seg Name View and edit the name of the bone segment. This applies only to
bones with more than one segment (Num Segs; see following). See Naming
Limbs on page 4519.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4581

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Buttons for copying and pasting
the bone settings to or from other bones. See Copying and Pasting Rig Parts
on page 4520.
Use Custom Mesh Use this when you’ve baked bone mesh edits into the bone
(see Customizing the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515). When on, the
bone displays as the edited mesh. When off, the bone displays in its original,
unedited form, as a simple box.
Num Segs The number of bone segments in the bone.
Segments are useful for effects such as twisting forearms.
Length/Width/Depth The size of the bone in three dimensions.
Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593, linked to the selected bone. The
extra bone is created at the origin of the bone, at its endpoint.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the limb. For
details, see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

Bone Twist Weight rollout
This graph controls the amount each segment twists relative to those around
it.

You edit the spline by adjusting the Tangent and Value settings at the bottom
of the rollout. For more information, see Spine Curvature Graph rollout on
page 4571.
Tangent The Tangent settings control the shape of the curve at its left and
right ends, respectively.

4582 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Value The Value settings control the start and end values of the rotation
weights.

Limb IK Targets
Every limb in CAT has an IK target built in. By default, in the case of legs, the
IK target is displayed as a rectangular outline called the FootPlatform; on arms
it is a cross-shaped Point helper. The latter is not present by default; it must
be added with the Create IK Target on page 4673 command.
Because of their function, IK targets are not linked to the rig, though they are
transformed by the Layer Transform gizmo on page 4637.
The only difference between the FootPlatform and the IK target for the arm
is that, while keyframing, the FootPlatform allows you to animate the pivot
position manually with the Foot Pivot system on page 4684.
CATMotion on page 4715 has controls to animate the position of the pivot
throughout the motion cycle. Normally you would want it at the toe as the
foot lifts and at the heel as it plants, but the ultimate decision lies with you.
By default, the local Y axis of the FootPlatform points forward and the local
X axis points up.

The FootPlatform on the Base Human rig (toes added)

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4583

Editing Limb IK Targets
IK targets are available on all limbs. The IK target for legs is called the
FootPlatform; it differs from the arm IK target (a cross-shaped Point helper)
in that it has foot-pivot controls.

Interface

Length On platforms, controls the length of the platform. This setting has
no effect on cross-shaped IK targets.
Width The width of the FootPlatform, or size of the cross.
Platform/Cross Displays the IK target as a wireframe rectangle (Platform) or
a cross (Point helper).

See also
Editing Limbs on page 4579

Collarbones
Select a limb bone. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Limb Setup rollout ➤ Turn
on Collarbone. ➤ Select a collarbone bone.
The collarbone is a special type of bone that can be added to limbs on page
4576. It appears between the limb and the hub to which it’s attached. The limb
does not inherit rotations of the collarbone.
See also:
■

Manipulating Collarbones on page 4668

■

Editing Limbs on page 4579

4584 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Editing Limb Bones on page 4581

Interface

Name The name of the collarbone. See Using CAT's Naming System on page
4518.

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Buttons for copying and pasting
the collarbone settings to or from other bones. See Copying and Pasting Rig
Parts on page 4520.
Use Custom Mesh Toggles the custom mesh for this collarbone. See
Customizing the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515.
X/Y/Z The size of the collarbone in the respective dimension, measured in
CATUnits.
Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593 to the collarbone.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the collarbone.
For details, see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

Palms, Ankles, and Digits
Limbs can have palms, which are used as palms on arms, ankles on legs, and
so on.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4585

In IK Mode the palm can be aligned to the target or to the previous bone, such
as the forearm, as required.
Each palm can have up to 100 digits and each digit up to 20 bones. Digits do
not have IK and can be transformed only in FK. Digit controls include a Digit
Manager on page 4677 and powerful digit modifiers for manipulating groups of
digits.
By default, both palms and digits are aligned to the X axis.

Editing Palms and Ankles
Select a limb bone. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Limb Setup rollout ➤ Turn
on Palm (for arm) or Ankle (for leg). ➤ Select palm or ankle bone.
Palm parameters include dimensions and a list box for adding and remove
digits. The Ankle Setup rollout is identical.

4586 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Name The name of the palm. See Using CAT's Naming System on page 4518

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Buttons for copying and pasting
the palm settings to or from other palms. See Copying and Pasting Rig Parts
on page 4520.
Use Custom Mesh Toggles the custom mesh for this palm. See Customizing
the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515.
Length/Width/Height The size of the palm in the respective dimension,
measured in CATUnits.
Num Digits The number of digits (fingers or toes) the palm has. Range=0 to
100.
After you add digits, you can edit them and their bones by selecting a digit
bone. See Editing Digits on page 4588.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4587

NOTE As you add and remove digits, the fingers distribute themselves automatically
along the end of the palm. By default, Digit 1 is the thumb.
Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593 to the palm.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the palm. For
details, see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

Editing Digits
Select a palm or ankle bone. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Palm/Ankle Setup
rollout ➤ Set Num Digits to a non-zero value. ➤ Select a digit bone.
You can edit digits at the digit level as well as at the level of each bone in a
digit.

Interface
Digit Setup rollout
Access the Digit Setup rollout by selecting a digit bone in the viewport. These
settings affect the entire digit to which the bone belongs.

Name The name of the digit. See Using CAT's Naming System on page 4518

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Buttons for copying and pasting
the digit settings to or from other digits. See Copying and Pasting Rig Parts
on page 4520.

4588 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Num Bones The number of bones the digit has. Range=0 to 20.
NOTE Each new bone created will default to the same dimensions as the bone at
the end of the digit.
Width/Depth The size of the digit in the respective dimension, measured in
CATUnits.

Digit Bone Setup rollout
This rollout has the settings for the selected digit bone.

Name The name of the digit bone. See Using CAT's Naming System on page
4518
Use Custom Mesh Toggles the custom mesh for this digit bone. See
Customizing the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515.
Length The length of the digit bone, measured in CATUnits.
Curl Weight Controls how much the DigitCurl on page 4743 values in
CATMotion on page 4715 affect the digit bone. A value of 1.0 means that
CATMotion has 100% effect. A value of 0.0 turns CATMotion off for the
selected digit. A value of -0.5 would mean that DigitCurl would have half the
effect in the opposite direction.
Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593 to the digit bone.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the digit bone.
For details, see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

See also
Palms, Ankles, and Digits on page 4585

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4589

Editing Palms and Ankles on page 4586

Tails
Select or add a hub object. ➤
➤ Add Tail

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout

A tail in CAT is basically a long bone chain with a few special features built
in to make it useful as a tail.

The tail is similar to the spine except that it does not end in another hub and
has additional controls. A tail applied to a head could also act as a dreadlock,
ponytail, horn, and so on.
A tail can have from one to 100 links. Tail stiffness is edited with the Tail
Stiffness graph on page 4593.
See also:
■

Manipulating Tails on page 4666

4590 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedure
To add a tail:

1

Select the hub on page 4558 to which to add a tail.

2 Do either of the following:

Modify panel ➤ Hub Setup rollout, click the Add

■

On the
Tail button.

■

In the viewport, right-click the hub and from the lower-left quadrant
of the quad menu, choose Add Tail.

Editing Tails
Select a tail bone. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Tail Setup or Tail Stiffness

Edit tails using the Tail Setup and Tail Stiffness rollouts.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4591

See also:
■

Manipulating Tails on page 4666

Interface
Tail Setup rollout

Name Edit the name of the tail in the field box. See Using CAT's Naming
System on page 4518.
Color swatch Click to change the tail color.
The tail bones range in color from the hub color at the base to this color at
the tip.

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Use these buttons for copying
and pasting the tail settings to or from other tails. See Copying and Pasting
Rig Parts on page 4520.
Num Links The number of bones in the tail.
Length/Width/Height The overall size of the tail in the respective dimension.

4592 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Taper The rate at which the tail changes size over its length. Following are
examples of the effects of different Taper values:
■

>1.0The tail gets smaller from the base to partway along its length, and
then gets larger farther along.

■

1.0The tail tapers to a point at the tip.

■

0.0No tapering occurs.

■

<0.0 (negative value)Reverse taper: The tail gets larger from the base to the
tip.

Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593 to the tail, linked to the selected
bone.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the tail. For details,
see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

Tail Stiffness rollout

This graph controls the relative stiffness of the tail along its length.
Tangent The left and right Tangent settings control the rate of change in
stiffness over the length of the tail, from base to tip, respectively.
Value The left and right Value settings control the stiffness amount over the
length of the tail, from base to tip, respectively.

Extra Bones
Select a rig bone. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Add Bone

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4593

Exta bones are bones you can add to any bone in CAT for any reason. You
can use extra bones for armor, breathing and facial animation, weapons,
walking sticks, and so on.

4594 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedure
To add an extra bone:

1

Select the hub or bone to which to add the bone.

2 Do either of the following:

Modify panel ➤ Bone Setup rollout, click Add Bone.

■

On the

■

In the viewport, right-click the bone or hub and from the Tools 2
quadrant, choose Add Extra Bone.

Getting Started: Rigging with CATRigs | 4595

Editing Extra Bones
Select an extra bone. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Bone Setup rollout

Editing an extra bone is similar to editing any other bone.

Name The local name of this bone. See Using CAT's Naming System on page
4518.

Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored Buttons for copying and pasting
the bone settings to or from other bones. See Copying and Pasting Rig Parts
on page 4520.
Use Custom Mesh Toggles the custom mesh for this bone. See Customizing
the Geometry on CATBones on page 4515.
X/Y/Z The size of the bone in the respective dimension, measured in
CATUnits.
Add Bone Adds an extra bone on page 4593 to the bone.
Add Rigging Adds special rigging objects, such as props, to the bone. For
details, see To add rigging objects: on page 4563.

4596 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animating with CAT
CAT's FK/IK rig-manipulation system lets you simply push and pull the rig
parts into the pose you want, whether in IK or FK. For walk-cycle sequences,
CATMotion allows you to create a fully customized walk cycle and then direct
the character around the scene without the need to place individual footsteps.
Footprint collision detection provides the icing on the cake.
Animation is created in CAT's non-linear animation (NLA) system, the heart
of which is the Layer Manager. One of the big advantages of CAT's NLA system
is that you can work directly in an animation layer without having to go back
out and tweak the source animation elsewhere.

Image courtesy of Deck13, from the game 'Jack Keane'

Animating with CAT | 4597

See also:
■

Working With Motion-Capture Data on page 4756

■

CATMotion on page 4715

Introduction to Keyframe Animation
CAT uses a layer-based animation system on page 4622, which means that all
keyframes are created in layers. There are two types of layers for keyframe
animation: Absolute on page 4599 and Adjustment on page 4602 (relative).
Absolute layers are used to create new animation. Standard animation
controllers store all transforms in the same way as when you animate other
objects.
Adjustment layers are used to tweak existing animation. Keyframes in an
adjustment layer offset existing layers below them in the stack, including
CATMotion on page 4715.
IMPORTANT Before you can begin animating you must be in an active layer and
out of Setup mode on page 4632.
Keyframe animation in CAT is as simple as selecting the element you wish to
animate and transforming it in the viewport. A CATRig is set up so that you
can just push it around into the pose you require on page 4652.
Because your animation is stored in standard 3ds Max animation controllers
you can create and edit your animation as you are used to. Keyframes can be
edited in Track View as normal on page 4693.
How various rig elements and sub-elements relate to each other is dictated by
their setup parameters, accessed in the Modify panel. Some rig elements have
extra animation parameters too; most notably the limbs on page 4669, palms,
and ankles on page 4675.
TIP Before you skin your rig, it’s a good idea to make a few trial animations to
ensure the rig behaves the way you want it to.
See also:
■

CAT's IK System on page 4606

■

Palm Animation Controls on page 4675

■

Digit Manager on page 4677

4598 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Limb Animation Controls on page 4669

■

Foot-Pivot System on page 4684

Starting a New Animation
You create new animation in Absolute layers. Absolute layers include
CATMotion and absolute (keyframe animation) layers, as well as imported
motion data, which you load into an absolute layer.
Before you can start animating you need an absolute layer to create your
animation in.
To create an Absolute layer:

1

2 On the

Select any part of your CATRig.

Motion panel, go to the Layer Manager rollout.

Animating with CAT | 4599

3 Click and hold on
(Abs) so the flyout opens, and then drag down
to the second Abs button.

4600 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

An Absolute Layer is created in the Layer Manager list.

4 Above the list, click

(Mode) to switch to Animation mode.

You are now ready to start keyframing.
Assign new animation layers as you need them. It is useful to break your
animations down into manageable segments.
See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Editing Animation on page 4602

■

Blending Between Layers on page 4634

■

Ranges View on page 4645

■

Layer Transform Gizmo on page 4637

Animating with CAT | 4601

Editing Animation
You can edit existing animation non-destructively with adjustment layers in
the Layer Manager. Animation that can be affected with adjustment layers
includes CATMotion, absolute keyframe animation, motion capture data, and
even other adjustment layers.
Keyframes in an adjustment layer offset the existing animation. For example,
you could use an adjustment layer to control the head movements of a rig
walking with CATMotion on page 4715. The head animation is applied on top
of the existing CATMotion animation.
CAT offers two types of adjustment layers: local and world. Local adjustment
layers are useful for offsetting the rig element relative the to rig (for example,
inclining the head). World adjustment layers are useful for offsetting IK targets,
such as for a foot, in a motion-capture sequence.

Local Adjustment Layers
A Local Adjustment layer offsets animation in the local coordinate space of
the rig.
To create a Local Adjustment layer:

1

Select any part of the rig.

2 On the

Motion panel, go to the Layer Manager rollout.

In the layers list, highlight the Available item if necessary.

4602 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

3 Click and hold on
down to

(Abs) until the flyout opens, and then drag

(Add Local Adjustment Layer) and release the mouse.

3ds Max creates a new layer below the existing layer.

Animating with CAT | 4603

This new layer is active and is weighted to 100%, meaning that you can
start tweaking your animation immediately.

World Adjustment Layers
The World Adjustment layer offsets the animation in world space.
TIP World Adjustment layers are especially useful when offsetting limb IK targets,
for example, from motion-capture data.
To create a World Adjustment Layer:

1

Select any part of the rig.

2 On the

Motion panel, go to the Layer Manager rollout.

Make sure Available is highlighted in the Layers list.

4604 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

3 Click and hold on
down to

(Abs) until the flyout opens, and then drag

(Add World Adjustment Layer) and release the mouse.

3ds Max creates a new World Adjustment layer below the existing layer.

Animating with CAT | 4605

This new layer is selected and weighted to 100%, meaning that you can
start tweaking your animation immediately.
See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Starting a New Animation on page 4599

■

Blending Between Layers on page 4634

■

Ranges View on page 4645

■

Layer Transform Gizmo on page 4637

CAT's IK System
The goal of the inverse kinematics system in CAT, called FK-driven IK, is to let
you interact with your character rig intuitively, without having to think too
much about IK and FK at all.
The system takes the current FK rotations of a limb and then fits them to the
IK target. This flexible approach includes support for IK chains that rotate on
any axis, not just one as with other IK systems. It is also easy to build in custom
components, such as constraints, to customize how the system works.

Configuring the IK Chain
To set up the bones in the IK chain, just move and rotate the bones into the
configuration you require. There is no limit on the direction you rotate the
bones.
The fact that the IK solution is derived from the FK solution means that in
Setup mode it is important to keep the FK and IK configurations as close as
possible. A good trick is to click the Match FK To IK button before you start
to edit the limb in IK. For complex limbs, such as a spider’s, it is recommended
that you position the limb in FK, turning on IK only when you are finished.

4606 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

With complex limbs, rotate the bones in FK so that they sit on the footplatform.

Animating with CAT | 4607

Because you can rotate the limb bones on any axis, you can have bowlegged IK
chains for gunslinging cowboys.

The Difference Between Working in IK and FK
The difference between IK and FK in CAT is minor. The way a limb behaves
when manipulated is much the same whether in IK or FK. The difference is
that in IK the child end of the limb, for example the palm, always tries to
follow the IK target. In FK the limb doesn't have this restriction.

4608 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animating with CAT | 4609

When the ribcage is moved from side to side with the arms in FK the arms
simply move with the rigcage.

4610 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animating with CAT | 4611

With the arms in IK the hands stay put while the ribcage is transformed.

When to Use IK
Use IK when a limb must have a fixed end position. The most common
example of this is animating legs walking, where feet must be planted on the
ground without sliding around as you rotate the leg bones. Other examples
would be arms holding onto other objects, such as guns or steering wheels.

How to expect CAT's IK system to behave
Moving the IK target
As you would expect from any IK system, when you move the IK target, the
IK chain retains its original configuration as closely as possible.

4612 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animating with CAT | 4613

As the leg IK target moves out the limb maintains the basic leg setup as much
as possible.

Rotating the IK target
You might be surprised to find that rotating the IK target does not rotate the
limb. While in the first instance this may seem strange, it actually makes CAT's
IK system more flexible and isn't a problem.

4614 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When you rotate the IK target it only rotates the ankle. The rest of the limb
remains unaffected.
One simple way to deal with this is simply to rotate the upper leg bone
separately (see Tweaking the Limb Bone Rotations While Animating, below).
Another alternative is to constrain the upper leg rotations to the Footplatform.

Tweaking the Limb Bone Rotations While Animating
As you animate the IK target around you might want to tweak the exact
orientation of the bones in the IK chain. With CAT you just rotate the bones
in the viewport as required.

Animating with CAT | 4615

4616 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The hand has been moved over but the elbow is too low, so we just pull the
elbow up on page 4652.

Target Align
The Target Align value lets you control whether the palm inherits the rotations
of the IK target or not.
When the Target Align value is set to 0.0 the palm will move with the IK target
but will stay aligned to the last bone on the limb (forearm on a human).
See also:
■

Limb Animation Controls on page 4669

■

Palm Animation Controls on page 4675

■

Retargeting on page 4690

■

Manipulating the Rig on page 4652

Animating with CAT | 4617

Animating with Stretchy Bones
To allow a bone to stretch during animation, select, go to the Hierarchy panel,
click Link Info, and in the Animation Mode group, turn on Manipulation
Causes Stretching on page 4536. This feature lets you create bounce-and-stretch
animation interactively in the viewport simply by moving the rig elements
around.

Alien rig

4618 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Pulling the elbow stretches adjacent bones.

Animating with CAT | 4619

Dragging the ribcage stretches the spine.

As you make the changes with Auto Key on, the animation is stored as Scale
keys in the rig bone's PRS controllers. You can access these keys can in the
Curve Editor, as with any other keys.

Stretching Limbs
To stretch put a limb, simply drag the palm.

4620 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Palm selected

Moving the palm stretches the limb.

See also:
■

CATModes on page 4632

Animating with CAT | 4621

■

Hierarchy Panel on page 4527

■

Manipulating Spines on page 4656

Animation Layering
CAT's animation layering system has been a fundamental part of the software
since day one. All layer management is performed using a simple rollout called
the Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624.

Layering Concepts in CAT
The Layer Manager on page 4624 rollout is available for every bone in a CATRig.
To access it, select any bone in the rig and go to the Motion panel.

4622 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Layers are Applied to an Entire CATRig
With CAT's layering system, whenever you add a new layer is added, that new
layer applies to every bone in the CATRig. There’s no such thing as an arm
layer or hand layer. When you add a new layer, every bone gets that new
layer, and you can choose the parts of the CATRig that should not use the
new layer. This process is called Feathered Weighting on page 4637.

All Basic Layers Contain Standard Max Controllers
The layer system in CAT is simply a mechanism for holding and managing
animation controllers. It supports all 3ds Max animation controllers, including
all the various keyframe controllers such as Bezier, TCB, Linear, Quaternion,

Animating with CAT | 4623

and Euler, as well as the procedural controllers such as script and expression
controllers and constraints.

Layer Manager (CAT)
Select rig part. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout

The Layer manager is the interface to the CATLayer system. As you animate
with CAT, you this rollout serves as the center of your layering workflow. Here
you can add, remove, move layers up and down , adjust and animate global
or local layer weightings, and more.

Procedure
To access the Layer Manager rollout:

1

Select any part of the rig.

2 Go to the

Motion panel.

3 Go to the Layer Manager rollout.
See also:
■

CATModes on page 4632

■

Ranges View on page 4645

■

Layer Types on page 4628

■

Collapsing Animation Layers on page 4651

■

Layer Transform Gizmo on page 4637

4624 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Setup/Animation Mode Toggle Switches between CATModes on
page 4632: Animation and Setup.

Rig Coloring Mode Sets the coloring mode for the rig: Choose
the mode from the flyout. Available only in Animation mode (see preceding).

Animating with CAT | 4625

By default, the rig displays with the colors assigned to the individual bones.
In Layer Color mode, however, the overall rig color is determined by the active
layer and modified by underlying, blended layers.

Dope Sheet: Layer Ranges Opens Track View in Dope Sheet mode to
display the ranges for all layers. See Ranges View on page 4645.
[layer stack] Lists all animation layers for the current rig, along with the type,
color (if applicable), and Global Weight value for each. To highlight a layer,
click its name in the list.

Add Layer Adds a new layer to the layer stack. Click and hold on
the Abs button to open the flyout, drag down to the layer type to add, and
release to create the layer. See Layer Types on page 4628.
NOTE The new layer is inserted above the highlighted stack entry. To add a layer
at the end of the list (that is, the top of the stack), make sure the (Available) entry
is highlighted.

Remove Layer Removes the highlighted layer from the layer stack.
Copy Layer Copies the highlighted layer ready for pasting.
Paste Layer Paste the copied layer into the layer stack.
This tool is useful for quickly duplicating layers on one CATRig, or for copying
animation from one rig to another in the same scene. It is better than using
the animation saving and loading on page 4694 tools because some types of
controllers, such as Reaction, cannot be saved using the Clip file saver.

Collapse Layers Collapses a time range of your animation to an existing
or new layer. See Collapsing Animation Layers on page 4651.

4626 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Name Shows the name of the highlighted layer. To change the name, edit
this text field.
IMPORTANT After editing a track name, press Enter to register the new name.
[color swatch] The layer color. This determines the color of the layer’s
transform gizmo (see following), as well as the rig color in Layer Color mode
on page 4625. Click to change the color using the Color Selector dialog.

Display Layer Transform Gizmo Creates a transform gizmo for the
current layer in the layer stack. Transform gizmos are available for absolute
layers only. See Layer Transform Gizmo on page 4637.
NOTE When a CATMotion layer is active, this button changes to CATMotion Editor
(see following).

CATMotion Editor Opens the CATMotion on page 4715 Editor.
Available only when a CATMotion layer is active.

Key Pose To Layer Keys the current pose of the character into the
selected layer when Auto Key on page 3403 is on or offsets the current pose of
the character into the selected layer when Auto Key is off.

Move Layer Up/Down Click the upper or lower button to move the
highlighted layer up or down one position, respectively, in the layer stack.

Weight group
These controls determine how the highlighted layer interacts with those before
it in the layer stack; that is, those preceding it in the list. Except for Solo and
Time Warp, the controls are unavailable for the first layer in the stack.

Animating with CAT | 4627

Ignore When on, the highlighted layer’s animation is not applied to the rig.
NOTE Setting a layer to Ignore causes its stack entry to be grayed out, indicating
its inactive status.
Solo When on, only the highlighted layer’s animation is applied to the rig;
other layers are ignored.
NOTE Activating Solo for a layer sets all other layers to Ignore status (see
preceding).
Global Weight The extent to which the highlighted layer affects the overall
animation. For details, see Blending Between Layers on page 4634.
To edit the animation curve for a layer’s Global Weight value, click
Editor: Global Weights.

Curve

Local Weight The extent to which animation in the highlighted layer for
selected bones affects the overall animation. For details, see Feathered Weighting
on page 4637.
To edit the animation curve for a layer’s Global Weight value, click
Editor: Local Weights.

Curve

Time Warp Enables control of the velocity of an animation layer. This value
is typically animated. For details, see Layer Time Warps on page 4650.
To edit the animation curve for a layer’s Time Warp value, click
Editor: Time Warps.

Curve

Layer Types
Select rig part. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout

4628 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The versatility of CAT's layering system is based on its support for a variety
of different layer types. Each layer type has different features and serves
different purposes.

Layer Stack Evaluation
As the layer stack evaluates from top to bottom, each of the layers is applied,
one after the other. The layer types are as follows:

Absolute
By default, an Absolute layer overwrites the previous layer's animation with
a new animation. This means that, with two Absolute layers on the stack, only
the second layer has any effect. The Absolute layer is the basic animation layer
type that you work on most of the time.

Relative Local
The Relative Local layer is additive and local to preceding layers in the layer
stack. Sometimes referred to as an adjustment layer, the Relative Local type is
for editing the pose of your character, or applying adjustments to your
animation. It applies its effect on top of the result of the previous layer. The
effect of the Relative Local layer is always affected by the previous layer in the
layer stack.
For example, if you apply a rotation offset on the X axis on a relative local
layer, then as the animation of the previous layer moves and rotate the head,
the head will always be rotated according to its own local axes. To visualize
the way this layer works, suppose you have two objects linked together in 3ds
Max. The Relative Local layer has the same effect as the child object. If you
rotate the parent, the child moves in a circle around the parent. The child’s
offset is always in the coordinate space of the parent, which is how the Relative
Local layer works.

Relative World
Sometimes referred to as an adjustment world layer, Relative World is useful for
applying adjustments, always applies its adjustments in world space. That is,
it ignores the results of the previous layers and always apply its effects the
same way.

Animating with CAT | 4629

For example, Relative World is useful for editing the exact location of a foot
plant during a walk sequence. If you used a Relative Local layer to adjust the
position of a foot plant and then later rotated the foot slightly on the Absolute
layer, then the foot location would change because the Relative Local offset
would be rotated also. In such a situation, it would be more effective to use a
Relative World layer.
The best way to learn which type of layer to use in a particular situation is by
experimenting. In some cases a local space adjustment is suitable, while others
are best suited to a world space adjustment. Learning these layering tools by
working with them will allow you to make the most of the layering tools in
CAT.

CATMotion
The CATMotion on page 4715 layer is used to create walk-cycle animation.

Assigning Controllers to Layers
CAT does not impose any particular keyframe interpolation scheme; rather,
it allows you to use any 3ds Max animation controller.
With any of the basic layer types (Abs, +L, +W), you can assign new controllers
to any bone to change the behaviour of the bone, or to change the
interpolation of the keyframes.

Changing Rotation Interpolation from Euler to Quaternion
Because the Biped character-animation system in 3ds Max uses quaternion
interpolation, some artists have developed workflows based around TCB
keyframing. Also, some game exporters have been written with the assumption
that you are using Biped, and that keyframe interpolation is TCB.
TCB quaternion interpolation provides better rotation interpolation in many
cases and is therefore often regarded as a superior tool for character animation.
The downside to using TCB quaternion interpolation is that you are unable
to view the animation in the form of curves in a curve editor.

4630 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedure
To convert a bone from Euler to quaternion:

1

Select the bone to which to assign a TCB Rotation controller.

2 On the
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout, highlight the
layer to which to assign the TCB controller.

3 In the Assign Controller rollout list, navigate to the branch in the
controller hierarchy that represents the selected layer, and highlight the
Rotation channel.

4 Click
(Assign Controller) and then choose the TCB Rotation
controller from the list of available controllers.

Animating with CAT | 4631

Now the CATBone will use TCB interpolation for that layer.

CATModes
Select a rig bone. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤
Setup/Animation Mode Toggle button

4632 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CAT provides two basic modes of operation: Setup and Animation:

■

Setup Mode: In Setup Mode you create and modify your CAT rig.
You can also add or remove bones later, even after animating the character.
If your character is already skinned and you want to adjust bones, first go
to frame 0 and on the Skin modifier ➤ Advanced Parameters rollout, turn
off Always Deform. That way you can edit bones without affecting the
mesh.

■

Animation Mode: In Animation Mode you animate your character.
NOTE By default, bones don’t stretch when you manipulate them in Animation
mode. However, if your animation requires it, you can enable a bone to change
its length when manipulating it or its parent bone by selecting it, going to the
Hierarchy panel, clicking Link Info, and turning on Animation Mode group ➤
Manipulation Causes Stretching. So, for example, if you enable this for the
spine bones, then moving the ribcage mode will cause the top spine bone to
stretch.

Procedures
To access Animation mode:
1 Select a rig bone or the CATParent, go to the Motion panel, and access
the Layer Manager rollout.

2 Create an

Absolute layer in which to animate.

NOTE You can switch from Setup mode to Animation mode only if an
animation layer is present.

3 Click

(Setup Mode).

The button image switches to Animation mode.

You are now ready to start keyframing.

Animating with CAT | 4633

NOTE The CATRig’s mode is saved with the scene, so if you save a scene
containing a rig in Animation mode and then later open it, the rig is still in
Animation mode.

To access Setup mode:
When you first create a CATRig, it’s in Setup mode, so you can copy and paste
parts, apply manipulation gizmos, and so on. After you access Animation
mode, you can switch back at any time by clicking the same button.

➤

Click

(Setup/Animation Mode Toggle).

The button image switches to Setup mode.

You can now modify the rig setup.

Blending Between Layers
Select a rig part. ➤
Global Weight setting

Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤

Blending between layers is often as simple as animating the Global Weight
value for the top layer. Sometimes, however, you might want to blend between
individual limbs or turn off some elements (for example, the legs) to use the
animation from another layer, below the current layer on the stack. This is
called feathered weighting on page 4637. One example of this would be where
you are using keyframe animation for the upper body and CATMotion for the
legs.
You manage global weights with the Global Weight setting and the Curve
Editor. Local weights have their own setting and Curve Editor.
Weights View is stored on the CATParent. However you can also access the
global and local weights directly.

4634 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To navigate directly to the Global Weight Curve Editor:

➤

On the
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout, click
Editor: Global Weights).

(Curve

Track View opens to display the layers in the layer stack. You can now
view and edit the curves controlling the layer weights for the selected
layer.

To blend on an absolute layer:
1 Go to the frame to blend to, and on the Layer Manager rollout, add an
Absolute layer.
The Absolute layer overrides existing animation layers and the rig remains
stationary on the frame that the layer is created.
2 Rename the layer if you like.
3 On the Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout, click
Global Weights).

(Curve Editor:

The Curve Editor opens to the Global Layer Weights view, showing the
existing layers for the rig. The following illustration shows three layers:
PreHit, Reactor and GetsUp.

Animating with CAT | 4635

4 Use
(Add Keys) on page 3991 to create a key at the frame to blend
from and set the weight to 0.0.
5 Create another key at the frame to blend to and set the weight to 1.0.
The layer will now blend on and the character will be controlled by the
new layer.

To navigate directly to the Local Weight Curve Editor:

➤

Select the rig element for which you want to edit the local
weight, and on the Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout, click
(Local Weight Curve Editor) . Track View opens to display the layers in
the layer stack. You can now view and edit the curves that control the
layer weights for the selected object in the highlighted layer.

See Also
Feathered Weighting on page 4637

4636 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Feathered Weighting
Select a rig part. ➤
Weight setting

Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤ Local

When you add a new layer, every bone gets that new layer, and you can choose
the parts of the CATRig that you do not wish to use the new layer. This process
is called feathered weighting. Feathered weighting is achieved by editing the
local weights of individual rig elements.
Example: To turn down the weight on the left arm only (feathering layer
weights):

1

Select the left arm.

2 Set the Local Weight value to 0.0 (right-click the spinner).
The arm is no longer affected by the current layer.

See Also
Blending Between Layers on page 4634

Layer Transform Gizmo
Select a CATRig part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤
Create or highlight an Absolute animation layer. ➤ Click Display Layer
Transform Gizmo. ➤ Select the transform gizmo. ➤ Layer Transform rollout
You use a layer transform gizmo to transform an animation in space. You can
move and rotate the transform gizmo to change the position and direction
of an animation clip. It appears as if the character is linked to the transform
gizmo, but it is not. In fact, each layer has its own transform gizmo. The
transform gizmo’s main purpose is to allow you to reuse animations by moving
and rotating them in space.

Animating with CAT | 4637

The name of the transform gizmo is "[current animation layer
name]Transform". After you rename an animation layer, update the name of
the transform gizmo by toggling the Display Layer Transform Gizmo button.
Transform gizmos are available for Absolute layers only, and each Absolute
layer can have its own transform gizmo.
While you can animate the transform gizmo, it does not support custom
controller assignments and cannot be linked to other objects. If you wish to
animate a transform gizmo, it is recommended that you not animate the
rotation. Apply basic animation only. This it not a method for general
animation.

Creating the Transform Gizmo
There are three different ways to create a transform gizmo:

■

Transform gizmo beneath the pelvis:
Click the Display Layer
Transform Gizmo button. This creates a transform gizmo with a specific
offset from the pelvis, defined by the pose in the Setup mode. The distance
between the origin and the pelvis defines the offset. In Animation mode
this offset is always respected even if you move the pelvis down, so it can
happen that the transform gizmo is created below the feet, for example.

4638 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Transform gizmo at the location of a bone: If you click the Display Layer
Transform Gizmo button while holding Ctrl, CAT creates the transform
gizmo at the position of the selected bone.
For example, if you select the foot of a character, hold Ctrl and click the
transform gizmo button, the node appears exactly at the location of the
foot. You could then highlight a different layer and, again holding Ctrl,
turn on the transform gizmo for that layer. Now you can align the foot
locations on both layers with the Align tool in 3ds Max.

■

Transform gizmo at the origin: If you click the Display Layer Transform
Gizmo button while holding the Alt key, the new node appears at the wolrd
origin (0,0,0). If you then move the node, the Coordinate Display (X/Y/Z
fields near the bottom of the program window) show how much
transformation has been applied to a layer.
For example, you could load a walk cycle loop and move it forwards by
exactly 60 units because this is how long the loop is.

Procedure
You can use the layer transform gizmo to transform your animation layers in
the viewport. This includes moving, rotating, and scaling the data, both
uniformly and non-uniformly. The layer transform gizmo is particularly useful
for lining up clips for blending between them.
To transform your animation layer with the layer transform gizmo:
1 In the Layer Manager list, select the layer to transform.

Animating with CAT | 4639

2 Click

(Display Layer Transform Gizmo).

The gizmo appears in the viewport at its default position: between the
feet of the rig.

4640 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE The transform gizmo is not automatically selected when created, but
is shown selected in the preceding illustration for better visibility.

3

Select the transform gizmo and move it.

Animating with CAT | 4641

The rig and its entire animation move as well.

4642 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

You’ll find the animation keys for the transform gizmo in the Curve
Editor in the Transform branch, on the CATParent under the selected
layer. You can also access the keys quickly with the Ranges View on page
4626 function.

See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Hierarchy Panel on page 4527

Interface
NOTE Only bones with the Apply Transforms option enabled on the Bone Hierarchy
rollout on page 4534 are affected by the transform gizmo.

Animating with CAT | 4643

Display Ghost After creating a transform gizmo, you can use it to display a
ghost of the animation on a particular layer. This is particularly useful if you
are blending between two different layers. The ghost can tell you which
animation is being played back on a layer even if that layer is disabled, or
whether your character is using a completely different animation on a separate
layer.

Animation Looping group
Start Time The frame that the animation loop starts on.

4644 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

End Time The frame that the animation loop ends on.
Remove Displacement When on, the overall displacement of the character
is disabled.
This feature removes the overall movement of your rig. The transform gizmo
measures the movement of your pelvis from the time specified in the start
time, to the time specified in the end time, and then calculates the overall
movement of your rig for this time frame.
It then removes this displacement over the course of your animation. This
feature is equivalent to the In Place Mode in character studio Biped.
This function could described as a walk-in-place for hand animation. It works
by displacing the animation linearly from the start and end points specified.
The idea is that the movement in space is removed so that the character
remains animated on the spot. This tool is mainly for game animators who
are creating walk cycles for game assets.
For example, if you are creating a walk cycle and you need to export it to your
game engine without any overall displacement, then use this feature to remove
the forward motion from your character, leaving only the walking motion.
You can toggle this feature whenever you need to export animation data.

Ranges View
Select a CATRig part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤
Create or highlight an animation layer. ➤ Click Dope Sheet: Layer Ranges
button.
Ranges View is CAT's nonlinear animation (NLA) view; it lets you move and
retime all keyframes in a layer simultaneously. Benefits include the ability to
change the animation timing and speed and trim off the end of the animation.

Animating with CAT | 4645

NOTE All Ranges View features are extensions of the standard 3ds Max Ranges
feature, available in Track View ➤ Dope Sheet mode. To understand these features,
we recommend that you experiment with adjusing the ranges on a single controller
for a simple object. Create a sphere, create some keyframes, and then open Track
View in Dope Sheet mode and start editing the range bar. For more detailed
information on these features, see Edit Ranges on page 3978.
To edit ranges:

1 On the Layer Manager on page 4624 rollout, click
(Dope Sheet:
Layer Ranges). The layers are displayed as individual tracks.

Ranges View

2 The ranges for the layers can then be squashed, stretched, and moved as
usual in 3ds Max. They can also be reversed.
The range for a layer is specified by the first and last keyframes on any track
for any part of the rig. If a range extends before the start or beyond the end
of your animation, one of the rig bones might have rogue keyframes. 3ds Max

4646 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

creates a keyframe at frame 0 whenever you keyframe (using Auto Key) an
object for the first time. This can create an unintended keyframe.
Whenever you use Ranges View to edit the keyframes on a layer, all the
keyframes on the rig are moved. You can see this clearly by selecting a bone
with keyframes and then editing the layer range bar.
NOTE If you have a constraint on a layer, it can cause Ranges View to extend to
infinity. You can still use Ranges View to move keyframes, but it is not possible to
see the start and end times for the layer.

Moving Keyframes in Time
To move all the keyframes on a layer, drag the bar to the left or right.
With a complex character, the movement might be somewhat slow or jerky.
Remember that you are moving many keyframes at once and the entire rig is
updating repeatedly as you drag the keyframes.

Squashing and Stretching Keyframes
You can speed up or slow down an animation by dragging the range bar
endpoints. To slow down the entire animation, make the range bar longer by
moving the end of the bar to the right, or the start to the left.
To speed up your animation make the range bar shorter by moving the start
of the bar to the right, or the end to the left.

Reversing an Animation
To reverse the direction of an animation, drag the start of the range bar past
the end, thus reversing the order of the keyframes.

Setting Looping Options for a Layer
To access the looping options for this layer, click the Parameter Curve
Out-of-Range Types' button.

Animating with CAT | 4647

You might have an animation on a layer that you would like to repeat in some
way. This could be a simple action like a breathing motion on a ribcage, or a
while walk cycle. You can use the ranges view to set the looping options for
the entire layer.
Remember that each controller on the rig loops separately, so to get the whole
layer to loop at the same time, you might want to set the layer time range
manually (see following).

Setting the Layer Time Range Manually
Each controller in the rig has its own time range, which is defined by the first
and last keyframes on that controller. This means, for example, that if you
want your animation to loop, then each controller will loop according to its
own time range. As a result, the whole animation can get out of sync and look
incorrect. If you set the time range manually, you can force all the controllers
on the character to use the same time range, thereby ensuring correct looping.
To use position ranges on an animation layer:
1 In Dope Sheet mode, right-click the toolbar area of Track View.

4648 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

2 From the menu, choose Show Toolbars ➤ Ranges: Dope Sheet.
3ds Max opens the Ranges toolbar.

3 Click

(Position Ranges).

4 Edit the Layer Range as usual.
NOTE Once you have set your layer to manual range adjustment by activating
Position Ranges, you can no longer move the keyframes in time. This is because
when you move the range bar, it is actually moving the loop time for your
controller, not the actual keyframes. If you need to move the keyframes again,
you can recouple the ranges by clicking the Recouple Ranges button (see following).
At some point you might wish to go back to standard range editing. You can

do so by clicking
(Recouple Ranges). This resets all the ranges to their
default behavior where the time range is defined by the first and last keyframes.

Animating with CAT | 4649

See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Layer Time Warps on page 4650

Layer Time Warps
Select a rig part. ➤
Warp setting

Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤ Time

Time Warp curves enable you to control the velocity of an animation layer
with a single spline curve. This lets you, for example, achieve Matrix-style
bullet-time effects easily. The Time Warp curve can be found if you open the
CATParent in the Curve Editor. You can also open it by clicking
Manager ➤ Curve Editor: Time Warps.

Curve Editor showing Time Warp curve

4650 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Layer

See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Ranges View on page 4645

■

Copying and Pasting Animation Layers on page 4651

Copying and Pasting Animation Layers
Select a rig part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤ Copy
Layer/Paste Layer buttons on page 4626
You can copy and paste animation layers, including between rigs. It is also
possible to instance layers which means that different rigs can reference the
same animation layer.
A character with an instanced animation layer can still be retimed, time warped
and transformed. This application is particularly useful for crowd sequences.
See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Layer Transform Gizmo on page 4637

■

Layer Time Warps on page 4650

Collapsing Animation Layers
Select a CATRig part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤
Create or highlight an animation layer. ➤ Click Collapse Layers button.
Use the Collapse Layers button to convert all the current animation in your
layer stack to one layer. CAT will plot all your animation down to one layer
using consistent sampling.

Animating with CAT | 4651

Collapse to Existing/New Layer

If you select an existing layer in the layer manager and click the Collapse
Layers button, all the current animation will be plotted onto the selected layer.
IMPORTANT The selected layer should not contain any animation, as it will be
overridden with new keyframes.
Alternatively, to plot all the animation on your CATRig to a new layer,
highlight the (Available) layer and click Collapse Layers.
See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

Manipulating the Rig
The FK/IK system in CAT lets you simply push your character into the pose
you want without having to worry about the too much about IK and FK. Most
of the control you'd normally associate with IK is also present in FK as well
and vice-versa.
When working with the rig you will find you can achieve a great deal with
the Move tool. Rotation is possible, of course, but often is not necessary.

4652 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The FK/IK system comprises three main features: effect hierarchy, FK-driven
IK, and retargeting. These are complemented by CAT's procedural spine, digit
controls, and foot-pivot system.
One of the features of the CATRig is that if you move a bone in the hierarchy
(regardless of whether you are in IK or FK), the bones on either side rotate to
accommodate the move. This is system allows you to just manipulate the rig
quickly and intuitively. This system is called Effect Hierarchy. Following are
three examples of this.

Bending the Elbow
Moving the elbow (forearm) back bends the arm.

Arm position before edit

Animating with CAT | 4653

Arm position after moving forearm

Tweaking the Fingers
Moving finger parts is likewise intuitive.

4654 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Outstretched fingers

Animating with CAT | 4655

Moving the middle digit bends up the finger.

Manipulating Spines
CATRigs have two types of spines, procedural and FK, both of which you can
work with in much the same way. The main difference is that FK spines have
PRS controllers on every spine bone, which means you can transform them
individually. Be aware that FK spines have limitations as well.
Spines interpolate between the hubs at their extremities, so all you have to
do is transform the hubs as you want.

4656 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Original pose: Select the ribcage.

Animating with CAT | 4657

As you move the ribcage, the spine interpolates with it.

Limitations of FK Spines
While FK spines let you animate each spine bone individually, they have
limitations:
■

FK spines do not work with CATMotion.

■

FK spines do not work with CAT's retargeting system.

NOTE Animation data from a rig created with a procedural spine will not load
correctly onto a rig with a FK spine, and vice-versa.
Last, FK spines require you to manage many more keyframes. Unless you really
need the extra control, it is strongly recommended that you use a procedural
spine.

4658 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Adjusting the Pelvis
Sometimes you want to adjust the pelvis (parent hub) without affecting the
ribcage (child hub). For this purpose CAT has a feature called Pin Bone, which
lets you manipulate the pelvis without affecting the ribcage.

Pelvis selected

Animating with CAT | 4659

As the pelvis is transformed, the ribcage remains stationary.

Manipulating Fingers (Digits)
While you can transform fingers (digits) directly, you might prefer to use the
Digit Manager on page 4677 instead. Its controls give you the ability to edit
selected fingers’ spread, bend, roll, and curl. Digit Manager also has a built-in
digit-pose preset manager.

4660 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Select the palm.

Animating with CAT | 4661

In the Digit Modifiers list, highlight
the digits to edit.

4662 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Drag the Curl spinner and the fingers curl in.

Rotating the Feet
In the Foot Pivot system, the Foot Pivot is a sub-object of the FootPlatform
(the IK target for the foot). You simply position it as required and then rotate
the foot. It is completely animatable.

Animating with CAT | 4663

Select the Footplatform. When you select it you can already see the Foot Pivot.

4664 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Move the pivot to the front of the FootPlatform.

Animating with CAT | 4665

When you rotate the FootPlatform it now rotates from the toe.

As you continue to animate the Foot pivot is simply animated into position
as required.

Manipulating Hubs
When you right-click a selected hub in Animate mode, you’ll find the Pin
Bone command on the Tools 2 quadrant. When this control is on, you can,
for example, edit the base hub (such as the pelvis), without affecting the
position and rotation of the tip hub (such as the ribcage). See Pin Hub on page
4688.

Manipulating the Tail
To manipulate a tail, select several bones in the tail and rotate. All the bones
rotate together to cause the tail to curl nicely.

4666 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Multiple tail links selected

When rotated up the tail curls smoothly

Animating with CAT | 4667

Manipulating Collarbones
Typically, you rotate a collarbone rather than moving it. Also, it’s best not to
twist the collarbone.
An easy way to edit the collarbone rotation is to select the upper arm or
shoulder bone and move it. When you move the upper arm bone, the
collarbone will be rotated according to your movements. Alternatively, select
the collarbone directly and use the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools.

See also:
■

Foot-Pivot System on page 4684

■

Animating with Stretchy Bones on page 4618

■

Hierarchy Panel on page 4527

■

Retargeting on page 4690

4668 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animation Controls
CAT provides dedicated IK controls for animating parts of the rig, including
limbs, hands and fingers, feet, and hubs. This section includes descriptions
of these controls.

Limb Animation Controls
Select a limb bone. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Limb Animation rollout

Limb controls are found on the Limb Animation rollout, which is available
in both Setup and Animation modes on page 4632.

Moving the IK Target Up the Limb
Traditionally the IK target sits at the end of the limb, but sometimes a different
location is necessary. For example, for a crawling character, the IK target should
be positioned at the knee. You can animate the IK target up and down the
limb with the Num IK Bones on page 4674 setting.
Num IK Bones allows you to slide the IK target up and down the limb. The
Num IK Bones value ranges from 0.0 to the number of bones on the limb,
including the palm. For example, with a typical leg setup of two leg bones
and an ankle, the range goes from 0.0 to 3.0.
Lowering the Num IK Bones value moves the IK target (for example, the
Footplatform) up the limb, bone by bone. On a typical leg, the value 1.0 places
the IK target at the knee, while a value of 0.0 places it at the top of the leg:
the pelvis.
As the value changes, the limb is pulled down through the IK target. This is
normal. The part of the limb that is beyond the IK target is in FK.

Animating with CAT | 4669

Num IK Bones=1.0

4670 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

At this setting the lower leg can be rotated in FK.

See also:
■

Manipulating the Rig on page 4652

■

CAT's IK System on page 4606

■

Retargeting on page 4690

Procedures
To access to the Limb Animation rollout:
■

The IK controls for the limb are available for all limb bones. Select the limb

and go to the

Motion panel ➤ Limb Animation rollout.

Animating with CAT | 4671

To blend a limb seamlessly from IK to FK:
1 Make sure an Absolute layer on page 4599 and Animation mode on page
4632 are active.
2 Go to the frame at which to start the blend.
This should be an IK frame, meaning the IK/FK value is 0.0.

3 Turn on

(Auto Key).

4 Click the Match IK And FK button.

5 Tweak the IK/FK slider to create a keyframe.
6 Go to the time at which to end the blend.
7 Move the IK/FK slider to 1.0.
To blend from FK to IK:
As you decrease the IK/FK value, the limb remains in the same place but is
ready to animate in IK.
1 Make sure an Absolute layer on page 4599 and Animation mode on page
4632 are active.
2 Go to the frame at which to start the blend.
This should be an FK frame, meaning the IK/FK value is 1.0.
3 Click the Move IK Target To Palm button.

4 Turn on

(Auto Key).

5 Tweak the IK/FK slider to create a keyframe.
6 Go to the time at which to end the blend.
7 Set IK/FK to 0.0.

4672 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface
The Limb Animation rollout provides access to the IK and FK settings for the
limb.

Create IK Target By default, a rig arm has no IK target. To animate in IK, first
use the Create IK Target function. This creates a special point helper that serves
as the IK target for the arm.
The IK target for a leg is the FootPlatform.
NOTE The Create IK Target function works only with an active Absolute layer.
Select IK Target Selects the IK target for the selected palm or ankle without
having to search for it in the scene.
NOTE Moving the IK target affects the limb only when the IK/FK value (see
following in this topic) is less than the maximum 1.0. Also, when the IK target is
selected, the function and name of this button switch to Select Limb End.
Move IKTarget to Palm Centers the IK target at the end of the palm. Use
this function when you have been animating in FK mode, leaving the IK target
behind, and you want to blend back to IK.

Animating with CAT | 4673

Match IK and FK Creates a seamless blend between IK and FK modes. Click
this button with Auto Key on before you blend to or from IK.
IK/FK Blends between IK and FK on the limb, with 0.0 being IK and 1.0 being
FK.
TIP Normally, you would not leave the value between 0.0 and 1.0 while animating.
The interim values are intended mainly for blending between IK and FK.
Display FK Limb in IK When on, and the limb is in IK, displays a
ghost/wireframe image of the position the limb would be if using FK. This
option is useful when you are animating to see quickly what the FK solution
is doing when in IK, in case you are having issues with the IK solver bending
in the wrong direction.
As you slide the IK/FK slider to the right, the limb gradually assumes the ghost
position.

Left: Limb in IK, with Display FK Limb In IK on
Right: Limb in FK

Num IK Bones Slides the IK target up and down the limb.
The value ranges from 0.0 to the number of bones on the limb, including the
palm. For example, with a typical leg setup of two leg bones and an ankle, the
range is 0.0 to 3.0.
Retargeting This slider blends CAT's retargeting on page 4690 for the selected
limb. At 0.0, retargeting is off, and a value of 1.0 means retargeting is fully
on.

4674 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Palm Animation Controls
Select a palm bone. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Palm Animation rollout

As well as holding the same Limb Animation rollout as the rest of the limb
the Palm has its own, unique functionality. These include the Digit Manager
and the Palm Animation rollout. The same controls are available for ankles.
See also:
■

Digit Manager on page 4677

Interface
The Palm Animation rollout comprises a single slider called Target Align.

Target Align Controls the extent to which the palm inherits rotation of the
IK target.
When Target Align is set to 0.0, the palm moves but does not rotate with the
IK target; instead, it remains aligned with the last bone on the limb. On a
humanoid character, that is the forearm.

Animating with CAT | 4675

E.g. of palm not inheriting IK target rotations

4676 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When the Target Align value is set to 1.0 the palm inherits both positions and
rotations from the IK target.
E.g. of palm inheriting IK target rotations
Digit controls include a digit manager with advanced digit modifiers.

Digit Manager
Select a palm bone with one or more digits. ➤
Palm Animation rollout

Motion panel ➤

The Digit Manager provides controls for posing the digits on a palm
procedurally. The Digit Manager rollout appears on the Motion panel for a
selected palm with one or more digits, although it’s most useful with palms
that have multiple digits.

Animating with CAT | 4677

TIP You are not limited to using CAT’s digit-manipulation controls for posing
hands. You can also select individual digit bones in the viewport and transform
them as normal.
NOTE As elsewhere in this help, any reference to a palm in this topic applies
equally to an ankle.
See also:
Palm Animation Controls on page 4675

■

Procedure
To access the Digit Manager rollout:

1

Select a palm bone on a rig.
By default, a newly created palm has no digits; to use the Digit Manager,
you need to add some.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Palm/Ankle Setup rollout, set Num
Digits to a value greater than 0. For example, with a human character,
youd set it to 5.

3 Go to the
if necessary.

m Motion panel and expand the Digit Manager rollout,

Interface
The Digit Manager rollout includes two groups: Preset Poses and Digit
Modifiers.

Preset Poses group
The Preset Poses list holds digit poses. A digit pose comprises the rotations for
all digit bones on the palm or ankle. With the controls in this group you can
save pose presets and then load them onto any other palm.

4678 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

If the palm to which you apply a pose has fewer digits than those of the pose
preset, the extra digits are ignored. If the palm has more digits, the extra digits
receive no rotation data.
You can weight a pose preset, blending from one pose to another or mixing
poses to create a new preset.

[pose list] Lists saved preset poses.
To apply a preset to the selected palm without blending, double-click its name
in the list.
Weight The amount that the highlighted preset has on the digits.
To blend a preset, select the palm, click a preset pose in the list once to
highlight it, and then adjust the Weight value upward.
NOTE The Weight value is relative, so that if you apply the same value several
times, as long as the highlighted preset pose has been applied only partially, the
blend amount increases.

Store Preset Saves the current digit rotations as a new pose preset.
TIP By default, digit poses are stored in separate files in \[system
folder]\plugcfg\CAT\HandPosePresets\.
You can use the Save As dialog to save poses in a different location, but they won’t
then appear in the Preset Poses list.

Remove Preset Deletes a pose preset from the Preset Poses list.
WARNING Removing a preset deletes the file containing the preset permanently
without prompting you.

Animating with CAT | 4679

Digit Modifiers group
The Digit Modifiers group provides tools to enable you to manipulate the
digits, either singly or as a group. You can transform selected digits
parametrically with the Spread, Bend, Roll, and Curl controls.
NOTE All modifications are relative to the existing rotations.

[digit list] Lists all digits on the selected palm. Before applying controls from
this group, highlight the digits that the controls should affect.
TIP You can highlight multiple contiguous list entries by dragging in the list.
Spread Rotates highlighted digits away/towards each other from the base of
the digit.

4680 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bend Rotates highlighted digits up and down from the base of the digits.

Animating with CAT | 4681

Roll Rotates highlighted digits around their length.

4682 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Curl Rotates bones of highlighted digit7s up and down.

Animating with CAT | 4683

Foot-Pivot System
The CAT foot-pivot system lets you position the rotation point of a foot
anywhere you like. To use it, simply move the pivot where you want it and
rotate the FootPlatform. The foot pivot is animatable, so you simply move it
around with Auto Key on, the same way you animate anything in 3ds Max.

4684 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To work with the foot pivot system:

1 Add or highlight an animation layer and activate
mode on page 4632.

2

Animation

Select the FootPlatform.
With the FootPlatform selected you can see the Foot Pivot: the cross in
the middle of the FootPlatform.

3 On the

Motion panel, turn on Selection Level ➤ Sub-Object.

Animating with CAT | 4685

4

Move the pivot to the front of the FootPlatform.

5 Turn off Selection Level ➤ Sub-Object.

Now, when you

4686 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

rotate the FootPlatform, it rotates from the toe.

6 As you continue to animate, simply animate the Foot pivot position as
required.
See also:
■

Editing Limb IK Targets on page 4584

Hub Hierarchy Controls
Select a hub. ➤
Hierarchy rollout

Hierarchy panel ➤ Click Link Info. ➤ Hub

The Hub Hierarchy rollout provides controls for pinning the hub, remedying
spine pop, and retargeting.

Animating with CAT | 4687

Procedures
To adjust the pelvis without affecting the ribcage:

1

Select the ribcage.

2 Go to the

Hierarchy panel.

3 On the Hub Hierarchy panel check Pin Hub.
See also:
■

Hierarchy Panel on page 4527

Interface

Pin Hub Locks a hub temporarily in position so that its parent can be
transformed without affecting the child hub. This command is also available
as Pin Bone on the Tools 2 quadrant when you right-click a selected hub in
Animation mode on page 4632.
A typical example of this would be pinning the ribcage of a character so that
you can tilt the pelvis without repositioning the upper body. With Pin Hub
on, manipulating the pelvis doesn’t affect the ribcage.
NOTE This option does not work on FK spines.

4688 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The pelvis is selected

Animating with CAT | 4689

As the pelvis is moved the ribcage remains static

Spine Limits Movement Normally, when you try to lift a ribcage up, or push
it too far, the spine restricts the movement of the hub to ensure it stays within
range of the spine. If you find that moving the hub causes it to pop (move
suddenly and unexpectedly), it might be the result of the spine incorrectly
limiting its movement. To see if the spine is causing the problem, try turning
off Spine LImits Movement.
Retargeting - Allow IK Rotations Allow IK Rotations is for retargeting on
page 4690 only. When on, the hub both rotates and moves to find a best fit
between the positions of the limb IK targets and the angles of the limbs. When
off, the hub moves only.

Retargeting
The retargeting system in CAT, available on all limbs, attempts to maintain
the IK solution and the angles of the limb bones by pushing out or pulling in
and rotating the hub. This is in contrast to a conventional IK system, which

4690 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

leaves the root object (hub) in place and moves the IK target only without
taking into account the angle of the limb bones.
Retargeting was originally created to retarget imported motion data, and as a
way to create straight-legged walk cycles in CATMotion. It is not limited to
this, however, and has turned out to be powerful keyframe animation tool as
well.
You blend retargeting in and out with the Retargeting on page 4674 setting on
the Limb Animation rollout.
Also, in CATMotion there’s a comparable Retargeting setting on the Globals
panel on page 4723.

Retargeting in Action
In the examples below both arms have Retargeting set to 100%.

Starting position

Animating with CAT | 4691

The IK target pulled forward

As the right IK target is moved forward the system pulls the ribcage around,
maintaining the angle of the arms until it is no longer possible. This is a much
more natural movement than stretching out the arm and then rotating the
ribcage.

Pulling the IK target out to the side, farther than the arm can reach

4692 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

As the IK target moves out to the side, the ribcage moves over, trying to keep
between the two hands,while still being limited by the length of the spine.
You can limit the hub behavior with the Hub Hierarchy rollout ➤ Allow IK
Rotations on page 4690 check box on the Hierarchy ➤ Link Info panel. When
the switch is on, the hub rotates and moves to fit the retargeting solution.
When off, the hub only moves while maintaining its orientation.

The IK target pulled forward

With Allow IK Rotations off, the hub (ribcage) stays straight while still moving
as far as it can.
See also:
■

Retargeting Motion-Capture Data on page 4768

Editing Keyframes in Track View
As with most types of animation in 3ds Max, animation keys in CAT are stored
in Track View. To access the keys for an element in a CATRig, simply navigate
to the element in Track View.
Below the element’s Transform branch is an extra branch called LayerTrans
(Layer Transform). Below this, the existing layers are visible, each with its
own, individual transform controller.

Animating with CAT | 4693

The animation curves on GameCharRibcage bone ➤ Backflip layer

TIP Using the Selected Objects on page 3925 filter can save a lot of scrolling.
TIP By default, all rotations are driven by a standard Euler XYZ rotation controller.
This controller, although easy to work with, can cause problems such as gimbal
issues. Biped, for example, uses TCB rotation interpolation which avoids this
problem. To use quaternion rotations, you can assign a TCB controller instead of
the Euler XYZ controller.

Working with Poses and Animation
CAT provides tools for working with motion data, including importing,
mapping, retargeting and editing. You can save individual animation layers
and even whole layer stacks for reuse, including on other characters.
You can save and load poses and animation from any body part using quad
menus. Select and then right-click an arm, leg, finger, tail, or any bone in
CAT, and save pose or motion data from the context menu.

4694 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Image courtesy of Adam Walker Film

How Motion Is Scaled to Fit Your Rig
When you save motion or pose data from a CATRig, the CATUnits Ratio on
page 4545 value is included with the file. When reloading, the CATUnits value
from the saved file is compared with the CATUnits value of the rig onto which
you are loading the data. The difference between the two CATUnits values is
used to scale the data.
For example, if you saved an animation from CATRig A with a CATUnits
setting of 2.0, and you load that animation onto CATRig B, which has a
CATUnits setting of 4.0, then the data is scaled by a factor of 4.0/2.0, or 2.0.
So the data will be made twice as big to fit your new rig.
This means that it is important to use CATUnits correctly. With the example
rigs, we try to make sure the CATParent fits underneath the feet of your
character. As long as all your rigs have CATParents which are the same relative
size with respect to the CATRig, then the data will be scaled correctly.
TIP When building rigs of different sizes, it is easier to build one rig and then resize
it using CATUnits before adjusting proportions. This way, you are more likely to
get correctly scaled CATUnits values when transferring animation between your
rigs.
See also:
■

Working With Motion-Capture Data on page 4756

Working with Poses and Animation | 4695

Saving and loading Poses and Animation using Right-Click Menus
Animation mode on page 4632 ➤ Select posable CATRig part (such as a hub or
limb bone). ➤ Right-click. ➤ Save/Load Pose/Anim
With CAT, you can save and load poses and animation from individual body
parts to entire rigs. You can save clip files from any body part; select and then
right-click a rig part such as a finger or facial bone and save the animation.
During loading, you can mirror, transform, and swap poses and animation.

4696 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CATRigs or Components
You can save poses for whole CATRigs, hubs, arms and legs, hands and feet,
fingers, toes, tails, and even sub-bone hieararchies. And you can reuse poses
or animation from any body part.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4697

Interactive Loading
When a pose or animation file is being loaded, all the load parameters are
“live.” You can change the loaded file, the time of the load, or any of the
parameters related to how the pose is loaded. As the artist, you can validate
the loaded pose by scrubbing the time slider and view the results of the loaded
pose or animation data before commiting to the result by clicking OK.

Transformations
During loading, the artist has full interactive control over the transformation
and mirroring of the pose or animation during load.

Ghosting
To help validate the loaded pose, the CATRig displays a ghost of the currently
loaded pose. This lets you see the result of the loaded file as you scrub the
timeline.

Procedures
To save a full-rig pose:
With a hub selected, you can save a pose for an entire rig.

1 With Animation mode active,
a pelvis, ribcage or head object.

select a hub in your rig, such as

2 Right-click the selected hub object or its gizmo, and choose Save Pose
from the bottom-left quadrant.
This opens the Save Hub Pose dialog.

3 On the Save Hub Pose dialog, turn on Save Whole Rig. Change the name
if you like, and then click OK.

4698 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To load a full-rig pose:
With a hub selected, you can load a pose for an entire rig.

1 With Animation mode active,
a pelvis, ribcage or head object.

select a hub in your rig, such as

2 Right-click the selected hub object or its gizmo, and choose Load Pose
from the bottom-left quadrant.
This opens the Load Hub Pose dialog.

The default pose-file name is that of the rig you saved most recently.
3 Turn on Load Whole Rig, if necessary.
4 To change the pose to load, click the ➤ button to the right of the pose
name and then choose a different pose from the list.
5 On the Save Hub Pose dialog, turn on Save Whole Rig. Change the name
if you like, and then click OK.
6 A ghost is displayed for the ghost at the time is it being loaded. Options
include mirroring the pose, and you can use the Load Time setting to
specify the time at which the pose is loaded. Also, if you turn on
Transform Type-in, you can change any of the transformation options
for the loaded file.
7 Click Ok to load the pose.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4699

Interface
Save Pose dialog
The Save Pose dialog defines a file name and path. When using the copy and
paste pose system, CAT saves pose files. The filename and location are
generated automatically, but you can change these.

[name field] The name of the pose file to save. The name of the pose is
generated from the name of the bodypart you are saving and the frame at
which you save the file.
To change the name, edit the field, or to change the name and/or location,
click the “b” button.
b Click to browse for a different save path, and optionally change the file
name.
Save Whole Rig Available only when saving a pose from a hub on page 4558.
When on, the pose is saved for the entire rig rather than just the hub.

Load Pose dialog
Load Pose, like all dialogs in this feature, is non-modal. This means that you
can rotate the viewport, scrub the time slider, and validate your results as you
edit the parameters of the loaded pose. The only exception is that deselecting
the selected bone cancels the load operation.

4700 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

[name field] The name of the pose file to load.
By default, this is the most recently saved file, but you can choose a different
one by clicking the ➤ button.
> Expands the dialog and opens a list that shows all saved poses in the default
location. Choose a different pose from the list or navigate to another location
by double-clicking the <..> entry at the top of the list.
Load Time The time at which the pose will be loaded. You can edit this value
interactively to change the time the animation is loaded.
Mirror Toggles whether the pose is mirrored when loaded.
Mirroring is not available when loading limb, palm, or digit poses.
Load Whole Rig Toggles whether you are loading a rig or a body-part pose.
Available only when loading a hub pose.
Transform Type-in Lets you apply a transformation to the loaded pose. Use
the Pos(ition) and Rot(ation) Offset fields to enter values for the transformation
of the pose data from the saved version. You can, for example, ensure that
the pose is loaded in its exact original location for creating looped motions,
or with a specific translation and rotation offset.
Cancel Cancels the load operation and closes the window.
If you deselect the selected CATBone, the load is automatically canceled.
OK Loads the pose using the current settings.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4701

Animation
Saving and loading animation is similar to saving and loading poses.

Save Animation dialog
The Save Pose dialog defines a file name and path. When using the copy and
paste anim system, CAT saves clip files.

[name field] The name of the animation file to save. The name of the file is
generated from the name of the bodypart you are saving and the frame at
which you save the file.
To change the name, edit the field, or to change the name and/or location,
click the “b” button.
b Click to browse for a different save path, and optionally change the file
name.
Save Whole Rig Available only when saving an animation from a hub on
page 4558. When on, the animation is saved for the entire rig rather than just
the hub.
Start Time The first frame of the range to save.
End Time The last frame of the range to save.

Load Animation
The Load Animation settings are the same as those for Load Pose on page 4700.

4702 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Clip/Pose Manager
Select a CATParent. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Clip Manager rollout

The Clip/Pose Manager provides controls for saving and loading animation
clips and poses. Use the Clip and Pose buttons to switch between the Clip
Manager and the Pose Manager (the rollout name is always “Clip Manager”).

Working with Poses and Animation | 4703

Clip Manager
Select the CATParent. ➤
Click Clip.

Motion panel ➤ Clip Manager rollout ➤

Clip Manager allows you to save the layers in the Layer Manager on page 4622
(excluding CATMotion on page 4715) and load them later, even onto other rigs.
The animation data is stored in CLP text-based files.
A saved clip includes all current animation controllers and their parameters,
so subsequent reloading of the clip restores all motion exactly. However, if
an element’s controller is procedural, such as a LookAt constraint or a Script
controller, the controller is loaded but its settings (for example, the LookAt
target object) are not. In such cases you must reassign the LookAt target
manually.
In addition to CLP files, the Clip Manager can load BVH, HTR, and BIP
motion-capture data.

4704 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To save a clip:
1 Click
(Save Animated Clip). In the Save As dialog, specify
a path and file name, and then click Save.
TIP To have the clip appear in the list, use the default path.
The Save CAT Clip dialog on page 4707 opens.
2 Leave Save Entire Time Range on, or, to save a specific frame range, turn
it off and enter Start and End frame values.
3 Leave Save Entire Layer Stack on, or, to save a specific layer range, turn
it off and choose the Start and End layers from the list.
When you enter a range, CAT saves those layers and any layers between
them in the layer stack.
4 Click the Save button to save the clip.
If you use the default location, the clip then appears in the list.
To load a clip:
1 Double-click a preset in the list or click
file.

(Browse) and open a clip

The Clip Options dialog on page 4707 opens.
2 Set the desired clip options and then click the Load button on the dialog.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4705

Interface

[clip list] Lists clips saved in the default location. To apply a clip to the selected
rig, double-click its list entry. This opens the Clip Options dialog on page 4707.
Save Animated Clip Saves one or more layers as a clip. Clicking
the button opens a file dialog where you can specify the name and location
of the clip; when you click Save, the Save CAT Clip dialog on page 4707 opens.
Browse Opens a file browser to locate a clip in a location other than
the default.
Delete Removes the highlighted clip from the list and deletes its disk
file.

4706 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Save CAT Clip dialog

Save Entire Time Range When on, saves all animation frames. When off,
you can specify a frame range to save with the Start and End parameters.
Start/End The first and last frames of the range to save. To save a subset of
the animation, turn off Save Entire Frame Range (see preceding) and use these
settings.
Save Entire Layer Stack When on, saves all animation layers. When off, you
can specify a range of layers to save with the Start and End settings.
Start/End The first and last animation layers of the range to save. The saved
clip contains these two layers and any intervening layers in the layer stack.
To save a subset of the animation layers, turn off Save Entire Layer Stack (see
preceding) and use these settings.

Clip Options dialog
This dialog opens when loading a saved clip.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4707

Start Time The frame at which the clip will start.
Scale Data When on, the size of the saved data is adjusted to the CATUnits
Ratio setting of the current rig. See Understanding CATUnits on page 4755.
Transform data to current position When on, the animation is offset to start
at the current position of the rig.
Mirror When on, the animation data is mirrored across the chosen coordinate
plane:
■

Character Symmetry Plane The character is mirrored left to right across
itself.

■

World Y Plane The character is mirrored across the World YZ plane.

■

World X Plane The character is mirrored across the World XZ plane.

See also:
■

Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624

■

Pose Manager on page 4708

Pose Manager
Select the CATParent. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Activate or create a layer
and access Animation mode ➤ Clip Manager rollout ➤ Click Pose.

4708 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The Pose Manager allows you to save the current rotations of the rig parts to
a file. The data is stored in PSE text-based files.
NOTE To use Pose Manager, Animation mode on page 4632 must be active.

Procedures
To save a pose:
1 Select the animation layer you wish to save.
2 Go to the frame you wish to store.
3 Click
(Save Pose). 3ds Max stores a keyframe for every
bone in the current layer.
To save a pose that is a combination of all the layers:
1 Create a new Absolute Layer at the top of the stack and give it a weight
of 0.0.
2 Go to the frame at which to save the pose.

3 On the Layer Manager rollout, click
(Create Keyframe). This creates
a pose on the new layer that captures the current pose.
4 Click

(Save Pose).

To load a pose:
1 Select or create the animation layer into which to load the pose.
2 Go to the frame at which to load the pose.
3 Click
(Browse) and open a file or double-click the pose name in the
Pose Manager list.
This opens the Clip Options dialog on page 4707.
4 Set the options and click the Load button.
The pose loads at the current frame.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4709

Interface

[pose list] Lists poses saved in the default location. To apply a pose to the
selected rig, double-click its list entry. This opens the Clip Options dialog on
page 4707.
Save Pose Saves the current pose from the active animation
layer. Clicking the button opens a file dialog where you can specify the name
and location of the pose file; when you click Save, the pose is saved. If you
use the default location, the pose then appears in the pose list.
Browse Opens a file browser to locate a clip in a location other than
the default. After you specify the file and click Open, the Clip Options dialog
on page 4707 opens.
Delete Removes the highlighted pose from the list and deletes its disk
file.

See Also
Layer Manager (CAT) on page 4624
Clip Manager on page 4704

4710 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Pose Mixer
Select a rig part. ➤ Layer Manager ➤ Create or highlight an animation layer.
➤ Animation mode ➤ Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu ➤
Pose Mixer
Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu ➤ Pose Mixer ➤ Click
CATRig. ➤ Select a bone on the rig to work with. ➤ Layer Manager ➤
Create or highlight an animation layer. ➤ Animation mode
The Pose Mixer enables you to save poses and then reload them back onto
your CATRig. You can blend poses Poses can be blended while being loaded.
While you can use Pose Mixer on any part of a CATRig, it is designed
specifically for facial animation, allowing you to save, mix, and and reuse
poses the same way you work with facial shape morphing.

Configuring your Rig
When you copy a bone and then use Paste Mirrored on another bone (see,
for example, Copy/Paste/Paste Mirrored on page 4580), CAT remembers the
symmetrical relationship between these bones. In this way, you build the
“symmetry map” necessary for using Pose Mixer.
For every bone on the left side, use Copy and then Paste Mirrored onto the
equivalent bone on the right side, thereby ensuring that the rig contains a
complete map of left and right bones and how to perform mirroring operations.

Left/Middle/Right Pose Files
When you save a pose file, you specify whether this pose is for the left side of
the body or face, the right side, or the middle. This information is used when
loading the file back in. So if you save a Left pose and then reload it using the
Right spinner, then the pose is mirrored onto the right side of the body when
loading.
For example, you might edit the bones around the left eye to close the eye.
Then select all the left eye bones and click Save. After you specify the file
name, a small dialog opens offering you the choice of Left, Middle, or Right.
Choose Left. Now you can load this pose onto the left or the right eye bones
by adjusting the Left or Right spinner. For any given pose, you need only one
file for both sides of the body.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4711

TIP Tip: When saving poses, you might think that you should save a Left pose for
the character’s left side. However, you might find it easier simply to save all poses
in screen space. For example, when working on the character’s face, you are often
facing the character. Thus you might want to save Left poses for parts of the face
that are on the left side of the screen. This makes it simpler when loading because
you need to think only about which side of the screen you are loading onto, rather
than left and right from the character’s point of view. It’s up to you: Use whichever
approach that fits best into your working methods.

Creating Poses
To create a pose, select bones and click the Save button. Select only the bones
that are used in this pose.
After you click Save, you’re prompted for a file name, and then for whether
to save the pose for the left, middle, or right side (see preceding).

Loading Poses
To load a pose, highlight it in the Pose Mixer list and then adjust one of the
spinners. You needn’t select any bones to load the pose.
If a pose was saved as a Left or Right pose, then when you drag the Left or
Right spinner the pose is loaded onto the left or right side of the body
automatically. If the pose was saved as Middle, then it doesn't matter which
spinner you use: It is loaded back onto the original bones it was saved from.

Subtracting Poses
Normally, you load a pose in an additive sense by dragging the spinner upward,
to produce a positive value. However, you can also drag downward to produce
a negative value, thus “subtracting” the pose. So, for example, if the character’s
mouth is open and you wish to close the mouth, you can highlight the Mouth
Open pose and set the spinner value to -100%.
By default the Left and Right spinners always load poses using relative loading
(see following).

4712 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Relative Pose Loading
You can load a pose in either absolute or relative mode.
Relative mode is the default method; you load the pose by highlighting it in
the list and then adjusting the appropriate spinner. This means, for example,
that if you have a pose of the mouth called Mouth Open and the character
mouth is already open, then loading the pose again by the same amount will
cause the mouth to be opened twice as much.

Absolute Pose Loading
In some cases you wish to load a pose “absolutely,” so the bones go to the
exact positions stored in the pose file.
Relative loading can introduce errors over time. For example, if you open and
close the eyes on your character many times using relative loading, you might
seethe eyelid bones start to accumulate positioning errors. To reset a pose to
the correct values, load the pose in absolute mode by holding down the Alt
key while loading.
You can also double-click a pose in the mixer to load it at exactly 100%.
TIP Save poses of your character’s facial bones in their relaxed or neutral state so
that, if necessary, you can force the character face to return to the relaxed pose
by loading the pose absolutely.

Animating Using the Pose Mixer
Always ensure that the right layer is active in CAT's Layer Manager, and that
Animation mode (not Setup mode) is active.
All pose loading is undoable with standard 3ds Max methods. For example,
if, while loading a pose, you change your mind, you can restore the previous
pose by right-clicking.

Working with Poses and Animation | 4713

Interface

Poses Folder Click to choose a folder for storing poses.
CATRig Click to choose the CATRig that you will be working with. After
clicking the button, click a bone (not the CATParent) in the rig to work with.
If you select a rig part before opening Pose Mixer, the rig name already appears
on this button.
Save After selecting bones that define a pose, click Save to save the pose. For
example, if you are saving a pose for the mouth, select the bones that form
the mouth shape and click Save.
Left/Right Adjust these settings to load the highlighted pose onto the
respective side. You can use the keyboard, but the feature is designed to be
used from the spinners. Dragging upward (positive value) applies the pose in
the direction in which the bones were originally moved from the default
positions, and dragging downward (negative value) applies the pose in the
opposite direction.
Because the spinners apply a relative adjustment, the spinner values reset to
0 after use.
For more information, see the sections in the first part of this topic.

4714 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CATMotion
CATMotion is CAT’s procedural-motion-cycle-generation system. Using
CATMotion you can create motion cycles that adapt to the velocity and
direction of the rig without sliding footsteps, even while moving over an
uneven surface.
For basic motion-cycle creation, CATMotion has a Walk On Spot mode. Then
you can move the rig around the scene by linking it to a Path Node (typically
a dummy or point object) which is animated as normal in 3ds Max. This could
be assigning a Path constraint or linking the dummy to a crowd system.
You can save CATMotion settings as presets and then apply them to any rig
with the same configuration. You can load multiple presets at the same time
and then blend from one to another by animating weights. The blending
occurs without sliding footsteps.
CATMotion works by breaking the motion of the rig down into its component
parts, or controllers. For example, the motion cycle for the pelvis has eight
different controllers, including Twist, Roll, Lift, and Push. You have parametric
control over each component, typically by editing a four-point curve. You
can animate all parameters and assign any kind of standard animation
controller to the parameters.
NOTE CATMotion is intended primarily for basic cycle generation. Typical usage,
rather than animating individual components, is instead to create different cycles
in layers on page 4719 and then blend between them by animating the Weight
values.

CATMotion | 4715

Image courtesy of Cobalt VFX

CATMotion Controls
The CATMotion hierarchy reflects the structure of your rig. CAT has five
fundamental rig elements (Leg, Arm, Spine, Tail, Extra Bone) that define the
control available in CATMotion. CATMotion generates footprints only for the
limbs that are defined as legs. Footprints are unavailable to arms in CATMotion,
although it might make sense in some cases; for example, you could animate
a gorilla that walks with two legs and runs with four. So in general it is
important to think about the motions of your character thoroughly before
you build the rig in order to have all the controls you need when animating.

CATMotion Editor
Select a CATRig part ➤

Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager rollout ➤

Add or highlight a CATMotion layer ➤

4716 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(CATMotion Editor)

The non-modal CATMotion Editor dialog holds all of the controls for
CATMotion. You can open a separate window for each CATRig in your scene
and edit settings at any time without having to reselect the rig. This is
convenient when working with multiple rigs.

A separate editor window for each rig in the scene

To open a CATMotion Editor dialog, click
CATMotion Editor on
the Layer Manager rollout. This button replaces the Display Layer Transform
Gizmo button when a CATMotion layer is highlighted in the layers list.

CATMotion | 4717

The CATMotion Editor button is
available only when a CATMotion
layer is highlighted in the layer stack.

The editor dialog comprises two panels: On the left is the CATRig hierarchy,
which mirrors the rig structure and includes the CATMotion controllers, and
on the right is a control panel for the item currently highlighted in the
hierarchy.
The first three items in the hierarchy list are found in every CATRig:
CATMotion Presets, Globals, and LimbPhases. The remaining hierarchy is
organized by HubGroup.
CATMotion works by first breaking up the rig into its elements (the CATRig
hierarchy) and then assigning each element a series of controllers, each of
which handles one aspect of the motion of that element.
Each aspect of a particular motion (for example, the way the pelvis movees)
has its own spline control. The combination of so many controllers allows for
a wide range of possibilities in creating distinctive character animation.

4718 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

A CATMotion preset comprises the saved settings for all the controllers in the
CATHierarchy in the active CATMotion layer.

CATMotion Presets/Layers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
CATMotion Presets.

Hierarchy panel ➤ Click

A CATMotion preset comprises the settings for all CATMotion controllers for
a particular motion cycle. This data is contained in a CATMotion layer, which
is different from the animation layers found on the Layer Manager rollout.
You can save and load individual layers using text files with the extension
.cmp.

Using CATMotion Layers
Like the CAT Layer Manager, CATMotion has a layers system, only for cyclical
motion rather than for overall, frame-by-frame animation. The similarities
are:
■

The layers are evaluated from the top of the list to the bottom, with layers
lower on the list taking precedence over previous ones. For example, if the
stack contains three layers, named Layer01, Layer02, and Layer03 (in that
order in the list), and they all have Weight values of 100%, then the output
consists exclusively of the animation in Layer03; the other two are ignored.

■

If a layer lower on the list has a Weight value of less than 100%, its motion
is combined with one or more preceding layers. In the previous example,
if the Layer03 weight is 33.3% and the other two remain at 100%, then
one third of the motion comes from Layer03 and two thirds from Layer02;
Layer01 is still ignored.

■

You can animate the Weight values to change how the layers blend
throughout the animation. For example, say you have two layers:
HappyWalk and SadWalk, in that order in the Current Layers list. When
the Weight value for SadWalk is 100%, only that motion cycle is used. But
if you were to turn on Auto Key and then set the Weight value for SadWalk
to 0% at frame 34 (of a 100-frame animation) and then back to 100% at
frame 67, then the first and last thirds of the animation would use SadWalk,
while the middle third would use HappyWalk.

CATMotion | 4719

There are differences, though, especially in the use of the curve graphs in the
CATMotion editor. There is only ever one curve for any particular controller,
no matter how many layers there are; the curve is the weighted, combined
output of all the layers. When you edit the curve, you’re actually editing that
combined output. So, for example, if you drag a point on a curve for a track
weighted at 50%, with the previous track at 100%, the point will move at only
half the rate of the mouse.
Thus, for predictable results when editing curves, set the Weight for the track
you’re editing to 100%; you can lower the value later, if you like, to mix the
track with those lower on the stack.
IMPORTANT You can edit values in a CATMotion layer only when the Weight
value for the layer is over 50.0% (that is, 50.001% or higher). But, again, for
predictable results, always set a layer weight to 100% when editing its components.

Procedures
To load a CATMotion preset:
1 If you want to replace an existing layer with the loaded preset, highlight
the layer to replace in the Current Layers list.
2 In the Available Presets list in the CATMotion Editor, navigate to the
preset to load and double-click its name.
The Options dialog opens.

3 Choose whether to create a new layer or to replace the existing
(highlighted) layer with the new one.
After you load a preset, its name appears in the Current Layers list on the
right-hand side of the dialog. The name is highlighted, and the preset
has a weight of 100%.
The preset is now loaded and in effect.

4720 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To remove a CATMotion layer:
1 In the Current Layers list, highlight the layer to remove.

2 Click

(Remove Layer).

NOTE You cannot remove the first layer.
To save a CATMotion preset:
1 Highlight the layer to save.

2 Click

(Save Preset).

3 Navigate to the desired folder.
4 Enter a new preset name.
5 Click Save.
To blend between CATMotion presets:
■

Animate the Weight value for the highlighted layer.

TIP To create or edit Weight animation, on the CATMotion Presets panel, click
(Weights View).
The rest of the editor window is dedicated to editing the selected layer, whether
it is a loaded preset or a new, default layer.
NOTE Before editing a preset, make sure the Preset layer to edit is highlighted
in the Current Layers list.

Interface
You can load a CATMotion preset successfully onto a rig with any
configuration, but not necessarily with ideal results. For example, loading a
preset for a four-legged creature onto a biped will likely give undesirable results.
It’s important to use sound preset naming conventions.

CATMotion | 4721

As with the Layer Manager, the layer at the top of the stack overrides those
underneath it. Each layer has an animatable weight to allow blending between
presets.

Available Presets This list shows the CATRig presets in the current folder.
You can navigate up to other folders by double-clicking the <..> symbol at
the top of the list.
Current Layers This list shows the currently loaded layers/presets of your
CATMotion layer. If the Current Layers list contains multiple layers, you can
view and edit a layer/preset by clicking on it, so the curves for that layer/preset
will be active in the CATMotion hierarchy, ready for editing.
NOTE The advantage of having multiple layers in the Current Layers list within
a single CATMotion layer is that you can blend seamlessly between different walk
cycles while still controlling the whole walk sequence with a single set of footprints.
This means you have non-sliding footsteps even while blending between different
walk cycles (for example, walk/run/sneak). If you used multiple CATMotion layers
in the Layer Manager instead, blending between the CATMotion layers would
result in sliding footsteps and a lot of unnecessary footprints.
Name The name of the highlighted layer.
Weight The weight of the highlighted layer.

Open CATMotion Preset Click to browse for a preset.

4722 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Save CATMotion Preset Save the settings of the highlighted CATMotion
layer as a new preset.

Add CATMotion Layer Create a new default CATMotion layer to edit.

Delete CATMotion Layer Delete the highlighted layer.

Curve Editor: CATMotion Weights Edit CATMotion Layer Weights in
Track View on page 3827.
Use this function to edit the animation of preset weights, blending between
presets.

Globals
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤

Hierarchy panel ➤ Click Globals.

The Globals panel holds the master settings for the current CATMotion layer.

Interface

CATMotion | 4723

CATMotion Range group
Start/End The frame range that the CATMotion system uses to calculate its
motion and generate footprints.
NOTE The Start frame defines when CATMotion starts calculating all the curves.
This means if you set Start to 0 and a key of a curve in CATMotion is at frame 0,
the timeline represents this key at frame 0, too. So setting Start to 0 makes it easier
to edit a walk cycle or to create a new walk cycle from scratch.
Also, if several characters are walking in a scene with identical walk cycles, you
can quickly offset the walk sequences for different characters by changing the
Start values in CATMotion slightly, so the characters are not walking in lockstep.

Stride Parameters group
Max Step Time The maximum time a step can take, in frames.
Max Stride Length The maximum distance of a stride, measured in CATUnits
on page 4755.
Velocity The current velocity of the character based on the Max Step Time
and Max Stride Length values. If the rig uses a Path Node, the velocity value
displays the actual velocity at which the character moves.
As the Path Node changes speed, the rig automatically varies the stride length,
but it does not exceed the specified Max Step Time and Max Stride Length
values.
Direction When Walk Mode is set to Walk On Spot or Walk On Line, this
value defines the direction in which the character moves. It does not change
the direction that the character is facing.
This setting is useful for prototyping cycles that are walking sideways or
backwards. For example, if you specify a value of 90 degrees, the character
moves sideways, and a value of 180 means the character walks backwards.
If you are defining a cycle for a character walking backwards, start by setting
Direction to 180 so you can see what your character looks like whn walking
backwards. This allows you to see potential problems with the walk cycle.
Gradient When Walk Mode is set to Walk On Spot or Walk On Line, this
value defines the gradient of an imaginary slope on which character is walking.
It does not change the direction that the character is facing.

Walk Mode group
Walk Mode Choose the option that determines whether and how the character
moves through the scene when walking.

4724 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE When Walk Mode is set to Walk On Spot or Walk On Line, the rig’s steps
always match the Max Stride Length and Max Step Time settings.
■

Walk On SpotThe character walks without changing location. This mode
is useful for examining the walk cycle in isolation, without any additional
motion.

■

Walk On LineThe character walks in the direction specified by the Direction
value and at the angle specified by the Gradient value.

■

Walk on Path NodeThe character follows a scene object and uses it to drive
the animation of the rig. Available only after you specify a Path Node using
the Path Node button (see following).

Path Node Click to specify a Path Node object; select the object using any
standard method. After you specify the object, the Path Node object name
appears on the button. To use the Path Node, choose Walk On Path Node if
necessary (see preceding).
TIP You can use any object, such as a Point or Dummy helper, as a Path Node.
Also, you can animate the Path Node using any standard method, such as
keyframing or by assigning it to a Path constraint. You can even drive the Path
Node with a script or with a Delegate helper from the character studio Crowd
system.
In some cases, after choosing the Walk On Path Node option, you might find it
necessary to rotate the Path Node object to establish the proper orientation for
the rig.

Character Motion
Preserve Character Shape Controls how the rig aligns itself to the motion of
the Path Node; that is, along its direction. In general, this is applicable only
when the rig has a horizontal spine, such as a quadruped.
When the Preserve Character Shape value is 0.0, the spine keeps to the
trajectory of the Path Node. When going around tight corners this can lead
to unusual but possibly interesting results.
When the Preserve Character Shape value is 1.0, the spine holds its shape.

CATMotion | 4725

Top: Preserve Character Shape=1.0
Bottom: Preserve Character Shape=0.0

It can be useful to animate the Preserve Character Shape value.

4726 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Retargeting Blends legged motion from IK, at 0.0, to full retargeting on page
4690 at 1.0.

LimbPhases
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
LimbPhases.

Hierarchy panel ➤ Click

The LimbPhases panel provides global settings for the motion of arms and
legs in CATMotion.

Interface
The upper part of the panel contains controls for footprints, while the lower
section contains phase sliders for controlling the relative motions of the limbs.

FootPrints group
Footprints are helper objects that show and let you edit individual foot
placement. As you edit the footprints the pelvis of the rig automatically
repositions itself.

CATMotion | 4727

NOTE You can animate footprints. For instance, you can keyframe the location
of footprints to create actions such as a character slipping as it runs around a
corner. You can also bind footprints to space warps on page 2920, or use the
Attachment constraint on page 3608 to make a character walk over an animated
surface.
TIP The extent to which editing a footprint affect the location of the hub depends
on the number of legs on the hub. For example, if a hub has two legs, the hub
positions itself halfway between its footprints. If a hub has four legs the hub will
move a quarter of the distance towards the footprint.
Step Masks When on, the rig automatically comes to a stop when successive
footprints are layered on top of each other; that is, when the Path Node stops,
and starts walking again when the Path Node starts moving again.
NOTE The cessation and restarting of the walking motion is not immediate. The
rig usually finishes the last step for a few frames after the Path Node stops, and
starts walking again shortly before the Path node begins moving after the stop.
Create Click to show footprints in order to view and edit them.
Delete Removes the footprints. The software remembers the footprints and
any edits, but any footprint animation is lost. Use Create to restore the
footprints
Selected/All This choice determines whether the Reset and Pick Ground
commands (see following) affect only selected footprints or all footprints.
Reset Returns footprints to their original, unedited positions.
Pick Ground Automatically aligns created footprints to a ground surface, such
as a Plane primitive on page 352 with the Ripple modifier on page 1598 applied.
After clicking Pick Ground, select the ground object.
TIP If Auto Key on page 3403 is on, using Pick Ground will key the footprints, so
you can fit the footprints to an animated surface by applying Pick Ground every
fourth or fifth frame. This is a more intuitive way to constrain your footprints to
an animated surface than using an Attachment constraint and constraining each
footstep manually, because the Path Node and changes to Global settings are
respected.

Limb Phase Sliders
Limb phases can also be though of as limb cadence, and affect the timing of
the motion of the limbs.

4728 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The LimbPhases panel contains a slider for each limb on your character. Each
arm and leg is driven by a phase offset. The phase offset defines the overall
offset of the motion of that limb relative to the overall motion of the body.
If several sliders are at the same value, the respective limbs move at the same
time. If the sliders are exactly half a slider length apart in value, then the limbs
will be exactly out of phase. The legs on a biped should be exactly out of phase
so that each leg is taking steps when the other leg is planted on the ground.
TIP Each slider’s label is the limb name, which you can edit in the Modify panel
when a limb bone is selected. See Using CAT's Naming System on page 4518. If you
modify a limb name while the LimbPhases panel is displayed, refresh the panel by
switching to a different panel and back again.

CATMotion Controllers
After Globals on page 4723 and LimbPhases on page 4727, the rig is broken up
hierarchically into the various HubGroups on page 4565.
Each HubGroup and its children are assigned a series of controllers, usually
depicted as graphs, that allow the user to edit the motion cycle. Many of these
controllers are repeated in all areas, while some are specific to a particular
area.
Each CATMotion cycle is 100 frames long by default. The animation is then
compressed or stretched to the right length with a combination of the Globals
on page 4723 controls (Max Step Time and Max Stride Length) and the velocity
of the Path Node. This means that the Time values are best thought of as
percentages of the motion cycle rather than absolutes. For example, a time of
50 is halfway through the cycle.
The light green in the graph background represents the time the feet are on
the ground. The dark green represents the time that the feet are in the air.
All controllers except for the OffsetRot and OffsetPos have graphs to show
the curve for the motion of the selected controller within the motion cycle.
TIP Because each HubGroup has a number of different children, it can be difficult
to tell what each controller does when they’re all working together. To examine
the effect of a single element, such as Pelvis ➤ Twist, set the control point values
for all elements in the HubGroup to zero, and then go to the element youre
interested in and start adjusting its control-point values. Its probably a good idea
to do this in a new CATMotion layer, so you can go back to the original layer
without having to restore all the control-point values.

CATMotion | 4729

Interface
To open the graph/settings panel for a particular controller, click its name in
the hierarchy list in the left panel of the CATMotion editor.
TIP To compare different graphs, hold down the Shift key and click the various
controllers. The last one you click will be editable.

A FootPlatform ➤ Lift controller

/

Make Unique (off/on) Divides the limbs into separate tracks.

Below the Make Unique and Lock (see following) buttons is a box that provides
access to individual limbs when Make Unique is on and Lock is off. In that
context you can choose one of the list entries to make separate settings for
that limb.

Left: Limbs welded (Make Unique off)
Center: Choose limb to adjust (Make Unique on/Lock off)
Right: Limbs locked (Lock on)

4730 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When you have control over the individual limbs, the curve for each limb is
drawn in the same color as the limb itself.

Each curve uses the color of its respective limb.

Also, if you move a point directly on a curve, the respective limb highlights
in the list.

/
Lock (off/on) Instances the settings between the different
tracks. Available only when Make Unique is on.
(Previous)/
(Next) Click through the knots on the spline. You can
also select a spline knot directly by clicking it in the window.
When you select a knot, its Time, Value, Tangent, and tangent Lengths settings
are displayed and are ready for editing.
In some cases, settings are unavailable (grayed out), so cannot be edited.
Copies the settings for the current CATMotion controller.

Pastes settings from another CATMotion controller.
Scale Acts as a percentage multiplier of all non-zero control points and
tangents on the curve. Increasing the value moves all non-zero points away

CATMotion | 4731

from the horizontal axis (Y=0), while decreasing the value moves all non-zero
points closer to the axis.
Offset Moves all control points horizontally, changing their Time values.
Reset Restores the default values for the curve.

All parameters are animatable. The Curve Editor button opens the Track
View to the relevant area to edit animation keys for that controller.
TIP The hierarchy in the CATMotion editor is also available in Track View by
navigating to Objects ➤ (Character Name) ➤ Object ➤ Layers ➤ CATMotion
Layer ➤ CATHierarchyroot. Here you can assign standard animation controllers
to the various parameters.

Zooms the graph to the curve extents.
Time The time of the selected control point (horizontal axis).
Value The value of the selected control point (vertical axis).
Tangent The angle of the tangent to the selected control point. Adjusting
this changes the shape of the curve around that point.
Lengths The lengths of the incoming and outgoing tangent lines. Adjusting
these changes the shape of the respective side of the curve.
NOTE Overall limb phase is controlled on the LimbPhases on page 4727 panel.

How CATMotion Controllers Work
The output of every CATMotion controller is a combination of different factors.
For example, the end result of FootPlatform ➤ Lift is a combination of Max
Step Time, Max Stride Length, the velocity of the Path Node, and the values
you assign to all the individual controllers for the FootPlatform.
The curve you see on the FootPlatform ➤ Lift panel is useful for helping to
create the result you want in the animation for that controller, but you can
also see the actual result in Track View.

4732 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedure
Example: To view the output curves for a FootPlatform:

1

Select the element in the viewport.
This example uses the FootPlatform, but the basic procedure applies to
any element in a CATRig.

2 Right-click the selected FootPlatform in the viewport and choose Curve
Editor.
The Curve Editor opens showing the curve for the CATStepShape track.

3 Click the CATMotionPos track. The information for the selected element
is held in this controller.
Here you can see the graph that represents the trajectory for the selected
Footplatform, as compared to the CATMotion graph for the Footplatform
controller (following).

CATMotion | 4733

CATMotion and Retargeting
CATMotion also integrates CAT's retargeting on page 4690 system, which has
two advantages over standard IK: Retargeting eliminates the problem of
snapping at the knee joint caused by overextension of the IK chain, and
because the leg pushes the pelvis up, the character automatically has “weight.”
Because retargeting enables completely straight legs, you can use it to achieve
walks that would be difficult or impossible using IK.
in CATMotion, retargeting is controlled by a combination of two controllers:
KneeAngle and LegWeight.

KneeAngle
The walk cycle is divided up into four knee angles. Control over the knee
angles is accessed in the KneeAngle controller, under Legs in the CATMotion
editor.
For clarity we call the four knee angles Lift, MidLift, Plant and MidPlant.

4734 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

1. MidPlant
2. Lift
3. MidLift
4. Plant

MidPlant The angle of the knee between Plant and Lift.
Lift The angle of the knee as the foot is about to leave the ground.
MidLift The angle of the knee in the middle of its path through the air.
Plant The angle of the knee as the foot is placed back on the ground.

LegWeight
The other controller important to retargeting is called LegWeight. It can be
found with KneeAngle under Legs in the CATMotion editor.
The LegWeight graph controls the how much the foot platform is being pulled
down onto the ground plane. When LegWeight has a value of 0 increasing
the knee angle will pull the foot higher into the air. When LegWeight has a
value of 1.0 increasing the knee angle will pull the pelvis down.

CATMotion | 4735

LegWeight can also be thought of as Leg Priority. The left side of the graph is
the Lift Priority and the right side is the Plant Priority. This becomes important
when you try to push the angles further than is possible to physically achieve.
Then by adjusting the leg weights so that one is set to and the other to zero
you can control where the error will be most. Usually the planting leg should
get priority.
Error within the system is absorbed in the ankles. If you notice the ankles
tend to go straight up or otherwise behave strangely, try adjusting either
LegWeight or KneeAngle.
Usually the first thing to try is to reduce the Maximum Stride Length or
increase or decrease various knee angles.
If the movement looks a bit clunky it could be the LegWeight graph needs
smoothing out. If the ankles are going too straight as the foot lifts it could be
the LegWeight on the lift part of the graph is too long.

Running and Retargeting
While retargeting is useful for walking, it isn’t an ideal solution for running.
At this point it is pretty much impossible to get a useful blend between where
the leg weights let go and “flight” takes over.
For now we recommend that you use IK for running and jumping.

4736 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animating CATMotion Parameters
Usually it is best not to animate individual CATMotion parameters, but instead
simply to blend between CATMotion layers by animating the Weight value.
This leaves you with far fewer keyframes to manage.
That said, you can animate all parameters in the CATMotion Editor on page
4716 if you like. You do so using standard methods, either by setting keys in the
viewports or with Track View.
In Track View, the CATMotion data is held in is held on the CATParent, in
its respective CATMotion layer.
The controllers mirror the CATMotion editor hierarchy exactly. Each controller
is visible and each preset layer present.

The CATHierarchy in Track View for a standard rig

TIP The easiest way to access the animation parameters for a specific CATMotion
controller is to click on the Track View button on the panel for that controller in
the CATMotion editor.
To animate the Pelvis Lift value for the 2nd Knot:
1 In the CATMotion editor, access PelvisGroup ➤ Pelvis ➤ Lift.

CATMotion | 4737

2 Click
(Curve Editor (Open)). Track View opens to show all
parameters for the selected controller.

3 Expand Key2Val.

4 Insert and edit animation keyframes as required.

4738 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP A key advantage of CAT is that you can assign any Float controller (for
example, a Float List controller) to any parameter.
TIP Animating offset controllers (OffsetRot and OffsetPos) is one way to add in
extra action to your motion cycle while retaining secondary motion such as Head
Lift, etc. Another (usually better) way to do this is to animate directly in an
adjustment layer.

Limb Controllers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ Expand the
HubGroup hierarchy to which the limb belongs. ➤ Expand the limb
hierarchy. ➤ Click the controller to edit.
Animation controllers unique to legs include LiftPlantMod, KneeAngle, and
LegWeight.

LiftPlantMod
LiftPlantMod is available for all limbs, but is relevant only to legs. This graph
controls the ratio of the time the feet are on the ground to the time they are
in the air. The only editable value in this window is the slider under the graph.

CATMotion | 4739

As you move the slider to the left, the curve becomes narrower inside the
dark-green area. This means that the feet are staying on the ground longer,
producing a “walking on Jupiter” effect.
If you move the slider to the right enough that the curve moves out into the
light-green area, then for some of the cycle both feet will be in the air at the
same time, moving them into a run.
You can animate LiftPlantMod for characters that switch between walking
and running during the animation.

KneeAngle
The KneeAngle controller is available only for legs.

The graph controls the knee angle throughout the cycle. See Retargeting on
page 4690 for more information.

LegWeight
The LegWeight graph controls the sharing of weight between each foot when
using Retargeting on page 4690.

4740 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
■

CATMotion Controllers on page 4729

Ankle Controllers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ Expand the
HubGroup hierarchy to which the ankle belongs. ➤ Click the controller to
edit.
Ankle controllers include DigitRollAngle, DigitSpreadAngle, DigitCurlAngle,
TargetAlign, and FootBend.
NOTE The Digit-type controllers described here are available only for rigs whose
ankles have one or more digits at the time the CATMotion layer is created (see
Editing Palms and Ankles on page 4586).

DigitRollAngle
DigitRollAngle controls the amount of digit roll.

CATMotion | 4741

TIP Use DigitRollAngle in conjunction with DigitSpreadAngle.

DigitSpreadAngle
DigitSpreadAngle controls the amount of spreading by the digits during the
cycle.

4742 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP DigitSpreadAngle is useful for simulating heavy creatures that walk on their
toes, like dinosaurs. Animate the spread to drop off as the foot lifts and back on
as the foot plants again.

DigitCurlAngle
The DigitCurl controller controls the amount the digits curl during the cycle.

TIP DigitCurl is especially useful for creatures with long claws like lizards or birds.
TIP To control the curl values of individual digits, edit the Curl Weight on page
4588 in the setup specifications of a selected digit.

TargetAlign
TargetAlign controls the position of the pivot point for the ankle. A value of
0.0 places the pivot point at the ball of the foot (the base of the toes). A value
of 1.0 places the pivot at the ankle joint.

CATMotion | 4743

TIP A human typically has the pivot on the ball of the foot at Lift and at the heel
on Plant.
A creature that walks on its toes, such as most four-legged creatures, typically has
a constant value of 0.0, leaving the pivot point at the ball of the foot.

FootBend
FootBend controls the angle of the ankle.

4744 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP When animating humans, FootBend is not usually required as the ankle lifts
naturally anyway (assuming your TargetAlign settings are correct!).
TIP This is most useful when working with creatures that walk on their toes.
See also:
■

CATMotion Controllers on page 4729

FootPlatform Controllers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ Expand the
HubGroup hierarchy to which the FootPlatform belongs. ➤ Click the
controller to edit.
The FootPlatform is the IK target for the feet. Its motion is critical to the
animation of the legs.

RollPivotPos
A CATRig’s FootPlatform has an animated pivot position to make sure that
the foot always rotates around the correct point. The RollPivotPos controller

CATMotion | 4745

determines the position of the pivot across the X axis of the FootPlatform (or
from one side to the other).

A value of 1.0 represents the outside of the foot and a value of 0.0 the inside
of the foot platform.
NOTE You can animate this setting, but it is usually kept constant throughout
the cycle. For a human, the normal value is 1.0.

Roll
The Roll controller controls the rotation of the FootPlatform along its length.
In the following illustration, the roll starts before the foot leaves the ground
and ends after the foot is on the ground. This is a typical scenario.

4746 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

PitchPivotPos
The FootPlatform has an animated pivot position to make sure the foot always
rotates around the desired point. The PitchPivotPos controls the position of
the pivot along the Y axis of the FootPlatform; that is, along its length.
A value of 0.0 positions the pivot at the heel of the foot platform, and a value
of 1.0 positions the pivot at the toe.
For a human, this setting typically animates between the toe (1.0) for lift and
the heel (0.0) for plant, as shown in the following illustration.

CATMotion | 4747

Pitch
As with the standard Pitch controller, FootPlatform Pitch controls the angle
of the FootPlatform along its length (Y axis). It is used to control the angle of
the foot as it lifts off and slaps down, as shown in the following illustration.

4748 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

FootPush
FootPush is a cyclic positional offset along the Y axis that enables you to throw
the FootPlatform forward during the walk cycle.

Swerve
The Swerve controller is actually the same as the WeightShift controller. It
controls the side-to-side (X axis) positional cycle for the FootPlatform.

CATMotion | 4749

StepShape
The StepShape controller controls the velocity of the FootPlatform as it moves
through the air. In other words, it controls the ease-in and ease-out of the
FootPlatform’s motion.

TIP Slower movements will have bigger ease curves. Quick movement such as
running will have an almost linear StepShape curve.
See also:
■

CATMotion Controllers on page 4729

Arm Controllers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ Expand the
HubGroup hierarchy to which the arm belongs. ➤ Click the controller to
edit.
Arm controllers include CrossSwing, Swing, and Bend.

4750 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CrossSwing
CrossSwing controls the angle of the arm out from the body (arm Y axis). It
is used in conjunction with Twist to tune the way the arm curves around the
body as it swings.

Swing
Swing controls the rotation of the arm backwards and forwards, parallel to
the body.

CATMotion | 4751

Bend
Bend controls how much the arms bend at the elbow.

TIP You will probably need to edit both knots to make sure that the elbow is
bending correctly. For example, with a human, knot 1 could have a value of -64
and knot 2 could have a value of 24.
See also:
■

CATMotion Controllers on page 4729

Collarbone Controllers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ Expand the
HubGroup hierarchy to which the collarbone belongs. ➤ Click the controller
to edit.
Collarbone controllers include MotionX, MotionY, and MotionZ.

Motion X, Y, Z
The MotionX, MotionY, and MotionZ controllers on the collarbone control
their respective rotation cycles.

4752 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
■

CATMotion Controllers on page 4729

Palm Controllers
CATMotion Editor on page 4716 ➤
Hierarchy panel ➤ Expand the
HubGroup hierarchy to which the palm belongs. ➤ Click the controller to
edit.
For the most part, palms have the same controllers as ankles on page 4741. The
exception is HandFlop.

HandFlopX
HandFlop X controls the rotation of the Palm about its X axis.

CATMotion | 4753

TIP HandFlopX works well for secondary motion on cartoon characters.

HandFlopY
HandFlop Y controls the rotation of the Palm about its Y axis.

See also:
■

CATMotion Controllers on page 4729

4754 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Understanding CATUnits
Select CATParent. ➤
➤ CATUnits Ratio

Modify panel ➤ CATRig Parameters rollout

The CATUnits Ratio value is used throughout CAT to scale the character and
its motion to allow sharing between characters. You can adjust it by selecting
the CATParent on page 4543 and going to the Modify panel ➤ CATRig
Parameters rollout on page 4545.
Every bone length in a CATRig is multiplied by CATUnits Ratio. For example,
if a bone length is 3.5 and CATUnits is set to 2.0, then the actual bone length
is 7.0.
Also, CATMotion uses CATUnits Ratio to scale the size of the motion to fit
the rig. The height of the foot lift graph in the CATMotion editor for
CATMotion is also scaled by CATUnits Ratio.
See also:
■

Rig Resizer on page 4788

How to use CATUnits
If you set CATUnits Ratio to 1.0, then all the bone lengths listed on the Modify
panel are actual 3ds Max units and CATUnits Ratio has no effect on them.
Thus you might be tempted to set CATUnits Ratio to 1.0 so bone lengths are
measured in familiar units.
This is not recommended because CATUnits Ratio serves a useful function by
providing an approximate size setting for your character. A bigger character
should have a larger CATUnits Ratio setting than a smaller character.
What this means is that if you need to share animation data between the big
character and the small character, CAT can use CATUnits Ratio to scale the
motion to fit both characters.
When you load an animation clip, an option to scale the data is available.
This scaling is calculated using the CATUnits Ratio values of the two characters.
In most default rigs, the CATPArent fits comfortably underneath the feet of
the character. When building a custom rig, it’s good practice to make the
CATParent approximately the same scale relative to the skeleton of your
character. The easiest way to do this is to use an existing rig and modify it.

CATMotion | 4755

Working With Motion-Capture Data
You load motion-capture data into the Layer Manager in much the same way
as any other keyframe data. Once the motion-capture data is loaded, all the
same keyframe-editing tools are available to transform, edit, duplicate, and
retime the motion data. You can then use all the layering tools to edit the
motion-capture data in a nondestructive way.

CAT supports loading data from BVH and HTR motion-capture file formats,
as well as importing motion from character studio BIP files.
The process has two stages: importing the motion data into a separate hierarchy
in Max, and then mapping the animation data from the hierarchy onto the
CATRig using Capture Animation.
Each format has its own importer. Once the data is imported the mapping is
all handled by the Capture Animation utility, which automatically maps the
data onto your character and allows you to edit the mapping if required.

4756 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Once data is imported you can use the Layer Transform Gizmo to easily
transform the whole clip/layer and Adjustment layers to enable you to tweak
to the animation.
See also:
■

Mapping Motion from Motion-Capture Point Clouds on page 4797

Importing HTR/BVH Files
Right-click a bone in a CATRig. ➤ Tools2 quadrant ➤ FileIO ➤ Import
HTR/Import BVH

Select CATParent. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Clip Manager rollout ➤ Clip
mode ➤ Click Load button. ➤ Set Files of Type to MotionAnalysis HTR(*.htr)
or BioVision BVH(*.bvh).
You can import HTR and BVH motion-capture files into CAT using the same
method. The respective importer opens the file as a hierarchy of Box primitives
with keyframes. You use the Capture Animation on page 4760 tool to map this
motion onto your CATRig.

Working With Motion-Capture Data | 4757

Interface

Load Animation: When on, imports the full animation. When off, imports
only the base pose in the motion-capture file.
Capture Animation When on, automatically captures the animation,
overlaying the new bones onto the CATRig. When off, imports the animation
onto a new set of bones without affecting the CATRig.

4758 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CAM File Click to pick a CAM file if you have already created one.
Start Time The frame at which the imported animation begins.
Scale Factor The scaling applied to the imported hierarchy when it is created.
Relative Bones Size The size of the bones created upon importing.
See also:
■

Capture Animation on page 4760

Importing BIP Files
CAT can import motion from BIP (character studio Biped)files onto CATRigs.
This is not the same as importing the original BIP file. You are not loading in
the original keyframes.
There are no settings for BIP file import. Once you select the BIP file, the
Capture Animation on page 4760 dialog opens right away.

Interface

Biped Height The height of the biped, for scaling purposes. This defaults to
the last value used; in general, set it as close as possible to the original biped
height.
Capture Animation When on, automatically captures the animation,
overlaying the new bones onto the CATRig. When off, imports the animation
onto a new biped object without affecting the CATRig.
CAM File Click to pick a CAM mapping file if you have already created one.

Working With Motion-Capture Data | 4759

Capture Animation
Import on page 4757 a motion-capture file. ➤ Import dialog ➤ Click OK. ➤
Capture Animation dialog
Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu ➤ Capture Animation ➤
Capture Animation dialog
The Capture Animation tool allows you to transfer animation from any
hierarchy or collection of objects in Max onto a CATRig. Its purpose is to
“capture” animation data from any animation hierarchy onto a CATRig. While
Capture Animation is part of the import process, you can use the utility
separately, externally to the motion capture process.
Capture Animation is intended primarily to facilitate importing motion-capture
data, but it can work with any animated hierarchy. After you import motion
data into 3ds Max, the next step is to map the data onto your character with
the Capture Animation utility.

Auto Mapping
The Auto Map feature in Capture Animation is a quick way to generate a
mapping between the source hierarchy and your CATRig. It tries to find bones
in the source hierarchy that correlate to bones in your Skeleton and map them
to each other.
When you use the motion-capture-import process in CAT, the Auto Map
function occurs automatically. However, when you open Capture Animation
as a utility, you must invoke Auto Map explicitly.
NOTE The Auto Map feature can fail if the source hierarchy contains unusual
bone names, or the hierarchy of the source skeleton has alignment issues.
Also, Auto Map uses guesswork in attempting to align the source bones and the
CATRig bones. In some cases, to obtain optimal mapping it’s necessary to refine
the results.

4760 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing Bone Alignment

In many cases you need to edit the alignment of the CATRig bones to correctly
fit the source skeleton. Possible reasons to do so include that the CATBones
use a different up axis as the source skeleton from which you are capturing
animation, or because some software introduces offsets to bone rotations.
Once you have begun the mapping process, you will notice that a new layer
has been added to the bottom of your CATRigs layer list. This layer uses special
controllers that hold 3ds Max animation constraints. It also stores the offset,
and can scale the transferred motion to fit smaller characters.
You can simply select bones and transform them to edit the alignment. Each
bone does not inherit the offsets of its parent. This simplifies the process of
editing your skeleton’s alignment, as you can edit each bone independently.
This edit is stored in the controller that has been assigned to that bone. When
you save a Capture Animation preset file (*.CAM), all the offsets and mapping
are stored also.

Working With Motion-Capture Data | 4761

Mapping Bones and Hierarchy Panel Locks
The Capture animation tool uses settings on the Hierarchy panel on page 4527
➤ Link Info ➤ Bone Hierarchy rollout to determine how bones should be
mapped. If Animation Mode ➤ Lock Local Position is on for a CATBone,
then the Capture Animation tool does not constrain the position of the bone
to the position of the source bone.
Likewise, if Animation Mode ➤ Lock Local Rotation is on for a CATBone,
then Capture Animation does not constrain the rotation of the bone to the
rotation of the source bone.

Troubleshooting
Sometimes you might not get the desired results when you begin the process
of transferring animation data using Capture Animation. This could be because
your source data is not a humanoid skeleton, or it does not follow standard
naming conventions, or there might be rotation offsets in the source skeleton
that cause the Auto Map function not to work.
The following procedure provides some suggestions for correcting mapping
problems:

1 Start by going to the
Motion panel ➤ Layer Manager and
deleting any animation layers created by automatic mapping.
2 Use Capture Animation to map the source pelvis to that of the CATRig,
using the drag-and-drop method.

3

Select the CATRig pelvis and rotate it using the Local coordinate
system so its orientation is correct.

4 Map another major component, such as the ribcage. For this you can use
the right-click menu ➤ Map Bone function, after first selecting the
CATRig ribcage.

5 Again,
orientation.

rotate if necessary on the local axes to correct the

4762 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

6 Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the rest of the hierarchy, starting with the major
components such as the head, and then working your way down the
hierarchy: the limb bones, and then the palm/ankle bones.
TIP In some cases, especially with the leg bones, you’ll be more successful
doing the manual mapping in FK rather than IK. To do so, select the bone,
and on the Motion panel ➤ Limb Animation rollout, drag the IK/FK slider
all the way to the right so the value is 1.0.
However, when mapping an IK target such as a FootPlatform, which,
incidentally, typically goes to the toe or foot of the source hierarchy, you
might need to restore IK to see the correct orientation.

7 When everything looks good, save the mapping in a CAM file so you can
restore it later if necessary.

Procedures
To use Capture Animation with motion-capture data imported directly onto
the CATRig:
1 Access the Capture Animation dialog by importing on page 4757
motion-capture data directly onto the CATRig.
2 On the Capture Animation dialog, expand the CATRig Mapping rollout.
You can see both hierarchies in the Source Nodes and Target CATRig lists.
The Capture Node list, which shows the source nodes whose animation
will be captured by the corresponding CATRig bones, is populated by the
Auto Map function. Auto Map is performed automatically during the
import process.
3 Check the Layer Manager rollout on the Motion panel.
It contains a mapping layer created by Auto Map.
4 Click Capture Animation.
The source rig animation plays while the animation is transferred onto
the CATRig in a new (“Collapsed”) animation layer, which now also
appears in the Layer Manager list.
5 Click the Close button (X) in the top-right corner of the Capture
Animation dialog.

Working With Motion-Capture Data | 4763

If Delete Source On Close is on, a small dialog opens asking whether to
delete the source hierarchy and remove the mapping layer. Click Yes to
do so, or No to keep both. In general, click Yes.
To use Capture Animation with separately imported motion-capture data:
1 Add a CATRig to the scene.
2 Using the standard 3ds Max Import function, import motion-capture
data such as an HTR file into the scene.
3 Locate the root node of the imported motion-capture hierarchy; typically,
this is the topmost parent, visible in the Select From Scene dialog or Scene
Explorer list. In a character studio biped, it’s the Bip01 (default name)
object. In an HTR file, it’s usually a Dummy helper.
4 Open the Capture Animation dialog as a utility from the Animation menu
➤ Animation - CAT submenu.
5 On the Capture Animation dialog, click the Source Objects button and
then select the root node of the imported hierarchy.
6 On the Capture Animation dialog, click the Target Rig button and then
select the CATParent of the rig onto which to transfer the animation.
7 On the Capture Animation dialog, expand the CATRig Mapping rollout.
You can see both hierarchies in the Source Nodes and Target CATRig lists.
No mapping has been done yet; thus, the Capture Node list is empty,
and the Capture Animation button is unavailable.
8 Click the Auto Map button.
After a short pause, the Capture Node list shows the source nodes whose
animation will be captured by the corresponding CATRig bones.
9 Click Capture Animation.
The source rig animation plays while the animation is captured onto the
CATRig in a new animation layer, which appears in the Layer Manager
list.
10 Click the Close button in the top-right corner of the Capture Animation
dialog.
If Delete Source On Close is on, a small dialog opens asking whether to
delete the source hierarchy and remove the mapping layer. Click Yes to
do so, or No to keep both. In general, click Yes.

4764 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To map bones manually:
If Auto Map’s results don’t meet your mapping needs, you can map bones
manually with either of the following methods:
■

From the Source Nodes list, drag a bone to map to the comparable item
in the Target CATRig list. For example, you would drag a source pelvis
bone to the CATRig pelvis bone.
After you release the mouse button, the source bone name appears in the
Capture Node list next to the target bone to which it’s mapped.

■

Select the target bone to map to, right-click it, and from the Tools 2
quadrant, choose Map Bone. Then click the source bone to map to.
IMPORTANT The Map Bone quad menu command appears only after you’ve
mapped at least one bone using the manual method (see preceding).

Working With Motion-Capture Data | 4765

4766 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Source Objects Click to choose the hierarchy from which to capture animation.
During motion-capture import this is the hierarchy created from the
motion-capture data and the objects are selected automatically.
When you use Capture Animation as a utility, rather than as part of the
importation process, the button label is replaced by the name of the root node
of the hierarchy.
Target Rig Click to choose the CATRig to which to map the animation. When
the Capture Animation utility is called as part of the import process, the Target
Rig is the rig you are capturing onto, so it is selected automatically.
Delete Source on Close When on and you exit Capture Animation, a small
dialog appears asking whether to delete the source hierarchy and remove the
mapping layer. Click Yes to do so, or No to keep both.
Start Time/End Time The first and last frames of the capture.
Frequency Determines the number of frames per created key. For example:
1 = one key per frame; 2 = one key every second frame.
Auto Map Generates an approximate mapping of your data onto the CATrig.

Working With Motion-Capture Data | 4767

Automatic mapping is done automatically when importing motion-capture
data via CAT. You need to click this button only if you’re using Capture
Animation as a utility, or have changed or cleared the mapping and want to
restore the automatic mapping.
Load Click to load a mapping arrangement, saved in a CAM file (see Save,
following).
Clear Mapping Removes the current mapping.
Save Saves the current mapping for reuse as a CAM file.
When you save mapping as a CAM file you can avoid reconfiguring the
mapping every time you capture.
Capture Animation Creates keyframes in the frame range specified by the
Start and End Time values. Capturing animation bakes the live mapping onto
keyframes on the CATRig.
Available only after components in the Source Nodes and Target CATRig lists
have been mapped to each other.

CATRig Mapping rollout
The CATRig Mapping rollout comprises two independently scrolling lists.
To map rig components manually, drag an item from the Source Nodes list
to the corresponding item in the Target CATRig list (for instance, Pelvis to
Pelvis). Thereafter, the source node appears in the Capture Node list next to
the CATRig node to which it is assigned.
Alternatively, the software can perform the mapping automatically when
importing motion-capture data via CAT or after importing motion-capture
data with the 3ds Max Import function; see Procedures on page 4763 for details.
Source Nodes Lists the hierarchy from which you’re capturing animation.
Populate this list by clicking the Source Objects button.
Target CATRig Lists the hierarchy to which the captured animation is
transferred.
Capture Node Shows the Source Node list item, if any, whose animation is
to be transferred to the corresponding CATRig hierarchy member.

Retargeting Motion-Capture Data
CAT uses retargeting to calculate pelvis positioning and defaults to FK rotations
for the rest of the body.

4768 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Limbs can be in IK mode, which preserves the original end positions, or in FK
mode, which maintains the bone angles.
Because of the way the motion is retargeted, it is important that the data be
scaled to as close to the size of your rig as possible.
Further tweaking can be achieved with an adjustment layer.
TIP CAT uses retargeting to retarget the legs. This means that you will usually
want retargeting for a leg to be set to 1.0. As an alternative you can leave
retargeting off and reposition the pelvis/FootPlatforms with a World Adjustment
Layer.
TIP If your data describes a character falling over or otherwise leaving the ground,
you would generally blend the legs to FK.
See also:
■

Working With Motion-Capture Data on page 4756

■

Retargeting on page 4690

Working With Muscles
In CAT, muscles are non-rendering helper objects that you can use to create
a skin that looks realistic when stretched and deformed.
For example, the following illustration shows how the Marama rig's shoulder
and upper arm have collapsed after being twisted and pulled in various
directions. (Marama is one of the standard CATRigs included with CAT.)

Working With Muscles | 4769

Marama's shoulder will behave better once we finish applying the CATMuscle to her
CATBones.

That happened because Marama's rigging includes no muscle objects; the skin
shape is determined by the relative positions of the CATBones.
In the illustration, the purple patches are the segments of a CATMuscle that
was created and shaped to use as muscles for her pectorals and shoulder. To
complete the job, you would:
■

Finish parenting the segments to appropriate positions on the CATBones.

■

Drive the skinning with the CATMuscle rather than the CATBones.

4770 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Muscle Types

As the Create panel shows, you can create two kinds of muscles:
■

CATMuscle on page 4772: A planar (by default) helper object that is
multi-segmented on both the U and V axes.

■

Muscle Strand on page 4780: A helper object that acts like a Bezier curve
between two points. By default, the muscle strand is shaped like a cylinder
that is thicker in the center and tapers off in size at the ends.

Usage
The muscle objects in CAT are designed to be used in three ways:
■

As a set of procedural bone deformers. When either muscle object is set to
Bones mode, you can add it to the Skin modifer on page 1614 like any other
bone. It can also be exported to game engines.

■

Both types of muscle objects, when set to Mesh mode, work well with the
Skin Wrap modifier on page 1665. For film and advertising jobs, Skin Wrap
often provides superior performance with high-resolution meshes than
does the Skin modifier.

■

The CATMuscle object is designed to collide quickly and efficiently with
the Muscle Strand, producing a nice skin-sliding effect. You could deform
your mesh using CATMuscles, and then set up Muscle Strands underneath

Working With Muscles | 4771

the CATMuscles, with the latter sliding over the strands. The Muscle Strand
has controls for squash and stretch.

CATMuscle
Create panel ➤
drop-down list ➤ CATMuscle

(Helpers) ➤ Choose CAT Objects from the

A CATMuscle is a non-rendering multi-segmented helper object that is best
used for broad areas, such as the shoulders and pectorals, that need relatively
consistent stretching and deforming.
After creating a CATMuscle, you can modify how it is segmented, its
collision-detection properties, and so on.

Procedure
To use CATMuscle:
1 Create or load a character rig to attach muscles to, and determine where
you’ll attach the muscles.
2 Add a CATMuscle object and position it on the rig.
NOTE The CATMuscle object does not render, so even if it shows through
the skin in the viewport, it won’t affect the final output.

4772 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

3 Set the CATMuscle parameters as desired. In particular, set Type to Bones
if you’ll be using it with the Skin modifer on page 1614, or set it to Mesh
when intended for use with Skin Wrap on page 1665.

4 On the main toolbar, click
(Select And Link), and then drag
from a corner handle on the CATMuscle to the bone to which it should
be attached.
5 Repeat the preceding step for each of the other three corner handles.
6 For any additional muscles, repeat steps 2 - 5. Also, for bulging-type
muscular deformation, add Muscle Strands on page 4780 and set them as
collision objects on page 4778 for the CATMuscles.
7 Skin the character and be sure to include the muscles as bones (with Skin)
or control objects (with Skin Wrap).

Interface
The CATMuscle structure comprises the muscle itself, made up of a rectangular
array of flat panels, as well as handles at each corner, for setting the overall
muscle shape. Each corner handle also has two subsidiary handles, like those
found on knots in Bezier curves, for additional control in shaping the sides.
In addition, you can add middle handles for shaping the muscle interior. You
can select and move all of these handles at the object level; the CATMuscle
has no sub-object levels.

Working With Muscles | 4773

4774 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Type Choose Mesh or Bones. Both types have in common the ability to move
the handles to reshape the muscle, with each handle having its own name
while remaining a part of the muscle. The differences are as follows:
■

MeshThe muscle acts as a single piece, with the panels always fully attached
to each other. This mode is best when used in conjunction with the Skin
Wrap modifier on page 1665 (see Usage on page 4771).

CATMuscle set to Mesh

■

BonesEach panel acts as a separate bone and has its own name, and the
panels can separate somewhat when the muscle is reshaped by moving
the handles. As a result, you can attach a subset of the panels to the Skin
modifer on page 1614 when you don’t need all of them.

Working With Muscles | 4775

CATMuscle set to Bones (Remove Skew off)

NOTE You can select individual panels of a bones-type CATMuscle, but moving
any panel moves the entire muscle.

Remove Skew When Type is set to Bones, the panel corners can form angles
other than 90 degrees when the muscle is deformed by moving the handles.
To force the panel corners to always assume right angles, turn on Remove
Skew. Available only when Type is set to Bones.
This option is intended primarily for exporting to a game engine that does
not support skewed bones.

4776 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CATMuscle set to Bones (Remove Skew on)

Properties group
Name The base name for the muscle components. CAT uses this name as a
basis for the various components
For example, if you name a mesh CATMuscle Lats, the muscle itself is named
LatsM and the corner handles are named LatsM_A, LatsM_B, etc., and the
subsidiary handles (attached to the corner handles) are named LatsM_AB and
so on.
Each panel in the bones-type CATMuscle has its own name, created by
appending the base name with M and a number derived from the panel’s row
and column, with the counts starting at 0. For example, in a 20 x 20 (U Segs
x V Segs) muscle, the tenth panel in the first row would be LatsM09, and the
twelfth panel in row 15 would be LatsM1411. The naming of the handles is
the same as for mesh muscles (see preceding).
Color The color of the muscle and its handles. To change the color, click the
color swatch.
Copies the settings for the selected CATMusclr.

Pastes settings from another CATMuscle.

Working With Muscles | 4777

U Segs / V Segs The number of segments into which the muscle is subdivided
in the horizontal and vertical dimensions, respectively. The greater these
numbers, the more definition available for deforming the muscle.
L/M/R Left/Middle/Right: The side of the rig the muscle is on. For example,
you can set up a muscle on the left side, choosing the L option, and then
mirror the muscle across the center axis and specifying the R option.
Mirror - X/Y/Z The axis along which the muscle lies. This helps the mirroring
system work.

Handles group
Each CATMuscle has a handle at each corner, and each of those handles has
two subsidiary handles that act like handles of Bezier-curve knots. You can
alter the muscle shape by moving these handles, and you can also link on
page 3665 any handle as the child of another object, such as a bone in a character
rig. Thereafter, moving the parent object (the bone) also moves the handle,
causing the muscle to deform accordingly.
Visible Toggles display of the muscle handles.
Normally, handles are depicted in the viewports as wireframe cubes
surrounding the muscle; to disable the display of the handles, turn off Visible.
This can be useful for simplifying the viewport display after connecting the
muscles to their bones, and selecting the handles is no longer necessary.
Middle Handles Toggles display of an additional Bezier-type handle connected
to each corner handle, positioned near the center of the muscle. Use the
handles to further modify the muscle shape.
Handle Size The size of each handle; changing this affects all handles.
Normally, the handles are sized proportionally to the overall muscle size when
you create it; use this setting to make the handles larger or smaller.

Collision Detection group
In addition to being able to shape the CATMuscle by moving its handles, you
can specify collision objects around which the muscle deforms when in
proximity to them. For example, if you use a sphere as a collision object and
move it around while intersecting the CATMuscle, the part of the muscle
nearest the sphere forms a raised section. The deformation is greatest at the
center of the collision object, and falls off toward its exterior. You can specify
collision attributes for each collision object separately.

4778 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CATMuscle reshaped by Muscle Strand and sphere. The sphere is set to See-Through
display so the full deformation is visible.

Pick Collision Object Add a collision object to the list by clicking this button
and then selecting the object.
Remove Highlighted Collision Object After highlighting a list entry, click
this button to remove it from the list.
[list] Lists all collision objects for the current muscle. To remove an object
from the list or change its properties, highlight it in the list and then use the
appropriate controls.
Hardness The extent to which the highlighted list item deforms the muscle.
Default=1.0.
Distortion Adds a roughness to the deformation caused by the collision object.
In general, keep this value below 0.5.
Vertex Normal / Object X Choose the direction of deformation caused by
the collision object. Available only when a collision object is highlighted in
the list.
■

Vertex NormalThis, the default choice, causes deformation in the direction
of the surface normal of the affected area of the muscle; that is,
perpendicular to the surface.

■

Object XCauses deformation in the positive direction of the collision
object’s local X axis. To change the deformation direction, rotate the
collision object.
This setting makes it possible to have a tubular piece of skin, like an arm,
with collision objects inside, and have CATMuscles colliding with them.
At the edge where two CATMuscles meet, you usually want to avoid tearing

Working With Muscles | 4779

due to the points at the joining edges on the muscles moving in different
directions because of distortion. If you choose Object X, the points along
the edges of the two muscles will move in the same direction because both
are being deformed by the same object.
Smooth When on, evens out the deformation caused by a collision object.
Available only when a collision object is highlighted in the list.
Invert Reverses the direction of deformation caused by a collision object.
Available only when a collision object is highlighted in the list.

Muscle Strand
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Choose CAT Objects from the
drop-down list ➤ Muscle Strand
A Muscle Strand is a non-rendering helper object used for skinning characters
that acts like a Bezier curve between two points. Strands provide more precision
than CATMUscles, and give better results when the skin must be twisted.
While CATMuscles are best for skinning shoulders and pectorals, muscle
strands work better for skinning arms and legs.
The following illustration shows a muscle strand intended for use a bicep.

Freshly created muscle strand, suitable for shaping into a bicep

4780 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

While the Create panel is open, you have some ability to shape the Muscle
Strand with your mouse. But the Modify panel is where you set most of its
properties.
Once you are satisfied with your bicep:
■

Attach (parent) one end to the top of the upper arm (that is, to the
CATBone).

■

Attach the other end a bit below the top of the forearm.

■

Use the muscle strand rather than the CATBones to drive the skinning.

Once you are satisfied with the behavior of one arm, you can easily create a
copy of the arm (including all the CATBones, the muscle strands, the skin,
and so forth) that is a mirror of the original.

Procedures
To create a Muscle Strand:
Creating a Muscle Strand requires four clicks (after the initial button click to
start the object):

1 On the
Create panel, click
(Helpers) and then, from the
drop-down list, choose CAT Objects. On the Object Type rollout, click
Muscle Strand.
2 Click in the viewport to set one endpoint, and then move the mouse.
You’re now setting the angle of the first endpoint handle. You can adjust
this later as well.
3 Click to set the handle angle.
4 Move the mouse again.
You’re now setting the overall length of the Muscle Strand, as well as the
size of the handles. You can adjust this later as well.
5 Click to create the second endpoint, thus setting the length.
6 Move the mouse again to set the second endpoint handle angle, and then
click to finish the Muscle Strand.
Thereafter you can adjust the muscle length by moving the endpoint
helpers, and the curvature of the muscle spline by moving the handles.

Working With Muscles | 4781

To use Muscle Strand:
1 Create or load a character rig to attach muscles to, and determine where
you’ll attach the muscles.
2 Add a Muscle Strand object and position it on the rig.
NOTE The Muscle Strand object does not render, so even if it shows through
the skin in the viewport, it won’t affect the final output.
3 Set the Muscle Strand parameters as desired. In particular, set Type to
Bones if you’ll be using it with the Skin modifer on page 1614, or set it to
Mesh when intended for use with Skin Wrap on page 1665.

4 On the main toolbar, click
(Select And Link), and then drag
from an endpoint helper on the Muscle Strand to the bone to which it
should be attached.
5 Repeat the preceding step for the other endpoint helper. Optionally, also
link the endpoint handles to objects whose motion should affect the
muscle curvature.
6 For any additional muscles, repeat steps 2–5.
7 Skin the character and be sure to include the muscles as bones (with Skin)
or control objects (with Skin Wrap).

4782 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Working With Muscles | 4783

Type Choose Mesh or Bones. Both types have in common the ability to move
the handles to reshape the muscle, with each handle having its own name
while remaining a part of the muscle. The differences are as follows:
■

MeshThe muscle acts as a single piece. This mode is best when used in
conjunction with the Skin Wrap modifier on page 1665 (see Usage on page
4771).

■

BonesEach sphere acts as a separate bone and has its own name. As a result,
you can attach a subset of the panels to the Skin modifer on page 1614 when
you don’t need all of them.
NOTE You can select individual spheres of a bones-type Muscle Strand, but
moving any sphere moves the entire muscle.

Muscle Properties group
NOTE Unlike the CATMuscle, the Muscle Strand does not have a Name property.
However, if you rename the object with Type set to Mesh (see preceding), this
acts as a base name for the handles. For example, if you name the object Bicep,
the endpoint helpers are named BicepM_Start and BicepM_End, and their handles
BicepM_StartHdl and BicepM_EndHdl, respectively.
This also applies to a Muscle Strand with Type set to Bones, when you rename the
first sphere (default name: MuscleStrand01). However, renaming the first sphere
does not affect the names of the other spheres, nor does renaming any other
sphere in the Muscle Strand affect the object’s other components.

Copies the settings for the selected Muscle Strand.

Pastes settings from another Muscle Strand.
L/M/R Left/Middle/Right: The side of the rig the muscle is on. For example,
you can set up a muscle on the left side, choosing the L option, and then
mirror the muscle across the center axis and specifying the R option.
Mirror - X/Y/Z The axis along which the muscle lies. This helps the mirroring
system work.

4784 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Handles group
The Muscle Strand has a box-shaped helper at endpoint, and each of those
helpers has a handle that act like a handle of a Bezier-curve knot. You can
alter the muscle shape by moving these handles, and you can also link on
page 3665 any handle as the child of another object, such as a bone in a character
rig. Thereafter, moving the parent object (the bone) also moves the handle,
causing the muscle to deform accordingly.
Visible Toggles display of the muscle handles.
Normally, handles are depicted in the viewports as wireframe cubes
surrounding the muscle; to disable the display of the handles, turn off Visible.
This can be useful for simplifying the viewport display after connecting the
muscles to their bones, and selecting the handles is no longer necessary.
Handle Size The size of each handle; changing this affects all handles.
Normally, the handles are sized proportionally to the overall muscle size when
you create it; use this setting to make the handles larger or smaller.

Sphere Properties group
Num Spheres The number of spheres that make up the Muscle Strand. The
higher this value, the greater the resolution of the muscle.
Show Profile Curve Opens the Muscle Profile Curve dialog containing a graph
that you can edit to control the profile, or outline, of the Muscle Strand. By
default, the muscle is thick in the middle and thin at the ends, but you can
change this by moving the three points on the curve (it’s not possible to add
points to the curve).

Working With Muscles | 4785

To finish editing the curve, close the dialog or click Show Profile Curve again.

Squash/Stretch group
Enable When on, changing the muscle length affects the profile: Shortening
the muscle makes it thicker (squash) while lengthening it makes it thinner
(stretch). When off, the profile is not affected by the length.

4786 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Top: With Squash/Stretch off, Muscle Strand profile stays the same whether the muscle
is shorter (left) or longer (right).
Bottom: With Squash/Stretch enabled, Muscle Strand becomes thicker when short
(left) and thinner when long (right).

Current Scale This read-only field shows the scaling amount of the muscle
based on the relaxed state (see following) and the length as adjusted by moving
the endpoints.
When Current Scale is 1.0, the muscle is in its relaxed state. When Current
Scale is greater than 1.0, the muscle is squashed, and when less than 1.0, the
muscle is stretched.
Multiplier Increases or decreases the amount of squash and stretch. Increase
this value for an exaggerated effect.
Relaxed Length The length of the muscle when relaxed; that is, when Current
Scale = 1.0.
Current This read-only field shows the current length of the muscle.
Set Relaxed State Click to set the relaxed state. This sets Relaxed Length to
the current length, and Current Scale to 1.0.
Thereafter, making the muscle shorter than the Relaxed Length causes
squashing, and making it longer causes stretching.

Working With Muscles | 4787

[sphere settings]
The remaining controls on the Muscle Strand rollout let you set the length of
each sphere in the muscle by adjusting its extent. Set Current Sphere to the
sphere to adjust and then change the U Start and U End values.
Current Sphere The sphere to adjust. This can be any value from 1 to [Num
Spheres] on page 4785.
Radius This read-only field shows the radius of the current sphere.
U Start / U End The extents of the current sphere, measured in relation to
the full length of the sphere, which in this context extends from 0.0 to 1.0.
Essentially, you’re setting the percents along the muscle length at which the
sphere starts and ends.
To make the sphere shorter, increase U Start or decrease U End, and to make
the sphere longer, decrease U Start or increase U End.
For example, to make a sphere start 25 percent along the muscle length and
end at 28 percent, set U Start to 0.25 and set U End to 0.28.

Utilities
CAT includes the following utilities, available from the Animation menu ➤
Animation - CAT submenu.
■

Capture Animation on page 4760 - A tool for transferring animation from
one character or hierarchy to another.

■

Pose Mixer on page 4711 - Specifically designed to provide a flexible workflow
for bones-based facial animation.

■

Rig Resizer on page 4788 - Resize an entire rig and associated entities,
including animation.

■

Apply Max IK on page 4790 - Use IK systems from 3ds Max to animate
CATRigs.

Rig Resizer
Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu ➤ Rig Resizer
Rig Resizer scales all listed items, including rigs, associated objects (such as
meshes), and animation frames by the specified percentage.

4788 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedure
To use Rig Resizer:
1 Add a rig.
2 From the Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu, choose Rig
Resizer.
This opens the Rig Resizer dialog.
3 Click the Add button to open a Pick dialog.
4 Highlight the items to resize and then click the Frame button.
All highlighted items appear in the Objects list, along with the type of
object (for example, Skin Mesh, CATBone). Each listed item has an
associated check box; to disable resizing for an item, turn off its check
box.
5 Set the Scale Factor value.
6 Click Resize.
All listed and enabled objects are scaled by the specified scale factor.

Interface

Utilities | 4789

[objects list] Lists all objects added with the Add function.
To disable removal and resizing for an item, turn off its check box in the list.
Add Opens a Pick dialog that you can use to specify the items to be resized.
Remove Removes all list items whose check boxes are enabled.
Scale Factor The percentage by which each enabled object will be resized
when you click Resize. A value of 200.0 doubles the size, while a value or 50.0
halves the size.
Resize Scales enabled items in the list by the specified Scale Factor value.

Apply Max IK
Animation menu ➤ Animation - CAT submenu ➤ Apply Max IK
The Apply Max IK tool enables you to use the 3ds Max IK systems to animate
CATRigs. You can use splines to control long tails, or HI/IK on digits to give
a character’s fingers and toes IK controls.
The 3ds Max IK Systems can affect only one layer at a time. This gives you
the ability to use IK and FK on the same character at different times in the
animation. Alternatively, you can assign the 3ds Max IK system to a relative
layer at the bottom of the stack to control all layers on your character.

Using Spline IK
When assigning Spine IK, the tool needs a spline to use to control the IK
system. The tool can create a new spline based on the CATBone hierarchy you
have selected.

4790 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP Always make sure the hierarchy to which you assign the spline IK system is
bent before assigning the IK system. Bend the hierarchy in the direction you would
like to see the largest range of motion. For example, when constraining the tail
of a lizard, bend the tail around the body to help configure the IK system for
optimal motion. If the tail is perfectly straight before you assign the IK system,
then the bones in the tail could flip around later, when the tail is animated.

Click Yes and a spline will be created using the shape of the tail as a guide.
You can also choose an existing spline to control your character.

Utilities | 4791

The spline will be created with the number of knots specified on the Apply
IK dialogue. Now you can animate the Point helpers to drive the animation
of the tail.

HI/IK System applied to the toe of the Lizard.

4792 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Pick Hierarchy Select the bones to which to apply the IK system. You can
select arms, legs, fingers, toes, or tails.
Pick IK Solver Choose an IK system to assign from the drop-down list.
For details about the solver choices, see the IK Solvers section of the main 3ds
Max help.
Pick Layer Use an existing layer to hold the IK system, or let the tool create
a new layer.
Num Knots When creating a new spline for a Spline IK system, defines the
number of knots for the spline.
See also:
■

Tails on page 4590

■

Limbs on page 4576

■

Palms, Ankles, and Digits on page 4585

Tips and Tricks
This section offers suggestions for how to better use CAT in production.

Customizing IK Using Constraints
CAT's IK is customizable to the extent that you can use all regular 3ds Max
constraints, and even write scripts to control a limb. Following are descriptions

Tips and Tricks | 4793

of two leg setups that you might find useful: Knee LookAt and Orientation
Constrained.

LookAt Knee
An effective method when applying IK to legs is to have the knee look at a
target. With CAT you can accomplish this by using an extra bone as the target
object.
To set up a LookAt Knee:
1 Make sure there are no animation layers in the Layer Manager and return
to Setup mode.

2

Select the thigh bone (upper leg).

3 Go to the

Modify panel.

4 On the Bone Setup rollout, click Add Bone to create an extra bone.
The extra bone is created at the end of the bone on which it is created.
IMPORTANT Create the extra bone on the limb with which it will be
associated, because even after an extra bone is relinked to the pelvis, it is still
part of the limb group and thus will use the limb weight as its local weight.
This is useful when working with feathered weighting.

5

Move the bone out in front of the knee.
TIP Select the bone in a wireframe viewport.

6

Link the extra bone as a child of the pelvis.
The knee LookAt should control the leg; if it remains linked to the leg it
will follow the leg, not the other way around.

4794 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

7

Select the thigh bone again.

8 Go to the
Motion panel, add an Absolute layer, and then add a
relative layer (Adjustment Local or Adjustment World).
9 Put the rig into Animation mode.
10 Access the Assign Controller rollout and highlight the Rotation track of
the current animation layer.

11 Click

(Assign Controller) and assign a LookAt contraint.

12 Go to the LookAt Constraint rollout.
13 On the LookAt Constraint rollout click Add LookAt Target and choose
the extra bone. Right-click to exit.
14 Put the thigh into FK. (Limb Animation rollout ➤ IK/FK=1.0)
This is useful because you can get a much better idea of what is going
on.
15 On the LookAt Constraint rollout, turn off Select Upnode ➤ World and
assign the FootPlatform as the Upnode.
16 Set Upnode Control to LookAt and pick the footplatform as the target.
17 Set the Source Axis to Y and choose Flip.

Tips and Tricks | 4795

18 Put the limb back into IK.

Orientation Constrained
When you want a leg to inherit motion from both its parent (the pelvis) and
the FootPlatform, use an orientation-constrained setup.
To set up an orientation-constrained leg:

1

Select the upper leg bone.

2 Go to the
Motion panel, add an Absolute layer and activate
Animation mode.
3 Put the limb into FK.
4 Go to the Assign Controller rollout and highlight the Rotation track in
the current animation layer.

5 Click

(Assign Controller) and assign an Orientation constraint.

6 On the Orientation Constraint rollout click Add Orientation Constraint
and select the FootPlatform.
7 Turn on Keep Initial Offset.
8 The Leg should now be standing on the FootPlatform normally.
9 Blend the leg back into IK.
Now when you rotate theFootPlatform the whole leg will rotate with it.
To blend the leg rotation between the FootPlatform and the pelvis:
1 Apply an Orientation constraint and assign the FootPlatform as
orientation target, as described in the preceding procedure.
2 Add a second Orientation constraint, this time assigning the pelvis as
orientation target.
3 Adjust the constraint Weight settings between the two targets as required.

4796 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Saving Constraint Settings
To save your IK constraint settings, set up the configuration in a layer and
then save the layer as a clip file with no keyframes on it. When you want to
add a new Absolute layer with the same configuration simply load in the layer.
NOTE Note: Using these constraint systems makes it impossible to blend to FK
on the same layer. To blend to FK, blend to another animation layer in which the
limb doesn't have this system added.

Mapping Motion from Motion-Capture Point Clouds
If you are working with motion-capture data and would like to bring
point-cloud data into 3ds Max and then map the motion onto a CATRig, this
topic can help. Rather than a tutorial, this is an example of how to solve this
problem.
NOTE No scripting was used to configure this system. It might give you ideas on
how you can solve your own motion-mapping problems.
This is an exercise in configuring constraints to solve a complex integrated
problem. Constraints are directional. In other words, if A is constrained to B,
then B cannot reference A. The inability of constraints to support circular
relationships means that we are forced to take a layered approach to the
problem.
The desired result is a set of bones with correctly animated joint positions and
rotations. One simple way to solve this problem is to break the problem into
two simpler problems, positions and rotations, and solve them separately.
The postion of a bone does not depend on any other bones in the skeleton,
nor does it depend on the rotation of any other bone.
CAT simplifies the solution to this problem.
■

The Capture Animation tool makes it easy to map the CATRig to the bones
rig. Each bone can contain offsets that lets you interactively adjust the
pose of the CATRig while the motion is being mapped onto the rig.

■

The procedural spine makes it unnecessary to specify each bone in the
spine. Given position and orientation data for the pelvis, ribcage, and
head, CAT's procedural spine can interpolate the vertebrae accurately.

■

With CAT's IK system, you can constrain CATRig bones to the imported
rig and let the software handle the IK solution. The retargeting feature
means that even if the legs of the character go very straight and the CATRig

Tips and Tricks | 4797

has legs that are longer or shorter that the original leg, the pose of the
CATRig will be ajusted to fit the data.

Example Scene
The following illustrations depict the process of mapping a CATRig to imported
point-cloud data.

Point Cloud

The original motion-capture data cloud

4798 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Joint Positions

The first layer is for generating joint positions in the cloud using Point
constraints. The joint positions are simply weighted Position constraints, and
therefore relatively easy to set up. The red crosses in the scene file represent
basic joint position helpers.
A group of three Point helpers is used to define the pelvis orientation based
on surrounding markers. An identical setup is used to drive the orientation
of the ribcage and head. These are the blue points in the illustration.

Tips and Tricks | 4799

Box Rig

The second layer is the BoxRig, which defines the joint angles. Boxes are
constrained to the joint positions and LookAt controllers define rotations.
Note that the exact position of many of the bones is not important. For
example, the knee joints move relative to the hip bone, but when this data is
mapped onto the CATRig, the latter’s IK system effectively cleans up the
motion and locks the joint locations.

4800 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

CATRig

The CATRig has been mapped onto the BoxRig using the Capture Animation
tool.
NOTE Retargeting has been turned on for the legs to help adjust the pelvis's
position.

character studio
The character studio functionality in 3ds Max provides professional tools for
animating 3D characters. It is an environment in which you can quickly and
easily build skeletons and then animate them, thus creating motion sequences.
You use the animated skeletons to drive the movement of geometry, thus
creating virtual characters. And you can generate crowds of these characters
using character studio, and animate crowd movement using a system of
delegates and procedural behaviors.

character studio | 4801

Crowd of mannequins in a subway station animated using character studio

character studio comprises three components: Biped, Physique, and Crowd.
■

Biped on page 9106 builds and animates skeletal armatures, ready for character
animation. You can combine different animations into sequential or
overlapping motion scripts, or layer them together. You can also use Biped
to edit motion capture files.
NOTE Biped does not create character mesh objects. Create your character
mesh before using Biped to create a skeleton for it.

■

Physique on page 9268 uses the biped armatures to animate the actual
character mesh, simulating how the mesh flexes and bulges with the
movement of the underlying skeleton.
NOTE You can use Physique with other hierarchies beside the biped skeleton.
And, as an alternative to Physique, you can use the Skin modifier on page 1614
to animate a character mesh with any hierarchy, including a biped.

4802 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Crowd on page 9128 animates groups of 3D objects and characters using a
system of delegates and behaviors. You can create crowds with highly
complex behaviors.

If you are new to 3ds Max, read What You Should Know to Use character
studio on page 4804 and Understanding character studio Workflow on page 4816.
If you are already use 3ds Max, proceed to Understanding Biped on page 4805
to continue.
To find out about Physique, read Understanding Physique on page 4807.
To learn about the Crowd system, read Crowd Animation on page 5456.

What Is character studio?
character studio is a set of components that provides a full set of tools for
animating characters.
character studio lets you create skeletal hierarchies for two-legged characters
(called bipeds) that can be animated quickly using a wide variety of methods.
If your character walks on two legs, character studio provides unique footstep
animation on page 4853 that automatically creates movement based on gravity,
balance, and other factors.
If you want to animate motions manually, you can use freeform animation
on page 4910. This type of animation is also suitable for characters with more
than two legs, or characters that fly or swim. With freeform animation, you
can animate the skeleton with traditional inverse kinematic techniques.
You can also animate a biped skeleton by loading motion capture files on
page 4987. You can convert back and forth between these methods to take
advantage of their several benefits.
character studio also provides tools for skinning a character using the biped
skeleton, or any other type of linked hierarchy.
character studio provides a unique ability to separate the motion of the
animation from the structure of the character. Thus you can animate a giant
walking and apply that motion to a tiny elf. Or you could animate a fat
character and retarget the same motion to thin one. Using a library of motions,
you can animate a character doing hundreds of different actions as easily as
loading a file.
character studio provides a comprehensive range of tools for motion editing.
You use motion scripting to sequence animations with transitions. You can

What Is character studio? | 4803

overlay different animations with layers, or blend them with the nonlinear
Motion Mixer on page 4038.
Function curve editing, available on the track bar and in Track View, as well
as in the Animation Workbench on page 5162, lets you alter animations. The
workbench also provides specialized tools for analyzing and correcting motion
errors. Finally, character studio provides options for creating crowds of bipeds
on page 5456 or other objects with a procedural-animation system that uses
forces and behaviors to drive character motion.
character studio consists of three basic components:
■

Biped® provides tools to create and animate skeletons.

■

The Physique® on page 5294 modifier associates a skeleton with the
character-mesh objects, so you can control the mesh with the skeleton.

■

Crowd provides tools to create and animate crowds of animated objects,
including bipeds.

What You Should Know to Use character studio
character studio provides you with a broad range of tools for animating
virtually any type of character.

A biped being pensive

4804 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To expedite your introduction to the product, be familiar with the following
3ds Max concepts:
■

Creation, transformation, and modification of objects

■

Selection of objects through clicking or dragging in viewports, and by
using the Select From Scene dialog on page 184

■

Navigation in viewports and changing your viewport configuration

■

Use of the Track View - Dope Sheet and Track View - Curve Editor, and
the trackbar to view and edit animation tracks and keys

For information on these areas, consult the remainder of this reference. If you
are not familiar with 3ds Max, do some of the introductory tutorials found
online in Help ➤ Tutorials.

Understanding Biped
Biped on page 4822 is a 3ds Max component that you access from the Create
panel. Once you create a biped, you animate it using the Biped controls on
the Motion panel. Biped provides tools to let you design and animate the
figures and motion of characters.

The Biped
The biped skeleton created with the Biped module is a two-legged figure created
as a linked hierarchy, and designed for animation. The biped skeleton has
special properties that make it instantly ready to animate.

Figure and Keyframe Modes
character studio is designed to interchange motion and characters. In Figure
mode on page 5104, you pose the biped to fit your character model. In Keyframe
mode on page 9199, you animate the skeleton. Motions created for the biped
can be saved and loaded onto other biped skeletons with different physical
characteristics. For example, you could animate a giant ogre, save the
animation, and load it onto a small child. Motion files are saved in the
proprietary character studio BIP format on page 9105.
You can use these files in a variety of ways with Motion Flow, the Motion
Mixer, and the Crowd tools to combine animation or animate multiple
characters.

Understanding Biped | 4805

Animating the Biped
There are two primary methods used in creating biped animation: footsteps
method on page 9168 and freeform method on page 9170. Each method has
advantages. You can convert from one method to the other, or you can use
a combination of both techniques in a single animation. For detailed
information, see the sections that follow: Creating Footstep Animation on
page 4853 and Creating Freeform Animation on page 4910.

Biped Properties
The biped skeleton has some properties designed to help you animate faster
and more accurately.
■

A human structure—Joints on the biped are hinged to follow human
anatomy. By default, the biped resembles a human skeleton and has a
stable inverse kinematics hierarchy. This property means that when you
move a hand or foot, the corresponding elbow or knee orients itself
accordingly, and produces a natural human posture.

■

Customizable for non-human structures—The biped skeleton can easily
be made to work with a four-legged creature or an animal that naturally
leans forward, such as a dinosaur.

■

Natural rotations—When you rotate the biped spine, the arms maintain
their relative angle to the ground, rather than behaving as though fused
to the shoulders. For example, take a biped in a standing position, with
arms hanging at its sides. If you rotate the spine forward, the fingers touch
the ground rather than pointing behind it. This position is more natural
for the hands, which speeds the process of keyframing the biped. This
feature also applies to the biped head. When you rotate the spine forward,
the head maintains a forward-looking orientation.

■

Designed for footsteps—The biped skeleton is specially designed to animate
with character studio footsteps, which help solve the common animation
problem of locking the feet to the ground. Footstep animation also provides
an easy way to rough out animation quickly. See the section Creating
Footstep Animation on page 4853.

See also:
■

Biped on page 4822

■

Biped User Interface on page 5002

4806 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Understanding Physique
Physique is a modifier that, when applied to a mesh, allows the movements
of an underlying skeleton to move the mesh seamlessly, like bones and muscle
under a human skin. Physique works on all point-based objects including
geometric primitives, editable meshes, patch-based objects, NURBS, and even
FFD space warps. For NURBS and FFDs, Physique deforms the control points,
which in turn deform the model. You can attach it to any skeleton structure
including a biped, 3ds Max bones, splines, or any 3ds Max hierarchy. When
you apply Physique to the skin objects and attach the skin to the skeleton,
Physique determines how each component of the skeleton influences each
vertex of the skin, based on settings you specify.

Physique affects a mesh after you click Attach To Node on the Physique rollout
and select a root node in the viewports. During the attach process, Physique
works its way through all of the children in a hierarchy, starting at the object
you select, and creates its own links with associated envelopes on page 5319 for
each link it finds. The links created by Physique are referred to within this
documentation as the Physique deformation spline on page 9132. Vertices that
fall within envelopes are influenced to follow the links and animate the mesh.
Splines and 3ds Max bones can also be added using the Add button in the
Floating Bones rollout on page 5371.

Understanding Physique | 4807

Biped and Physique
When the biped pelvis is selected in the viewports and Attach To Node on
page 5363 is turned on, Physique traces its way from the pelvis down the legs
to the toes. From the pelvis it also traces its way up through the spine and
branches at the collar to the arms, hands, and fingers, and up the neck to the
head. A link and associated envelopes are created for each link found. If any
other objects, including 3ds Max bones, are linked to the biped, Physique
treats them similarly: it creates a link and envelopes.
When you use Physique to attach a mesh to the biped, remember this: If your
character has additional limbs, link 3ds Max bones to the biped for the extra
arms before using Attach To Node to create links and envelopes. When you
apply Physique using Attach To Node, it creates links and envelopes for all
the links in the biped, and for the linked bones. Link non-deformable objects
like a sword after using Attach To Node. That way Physique doesn’t create a
link and envelopes for the sword.

Envelopes and Weighted Vertices
The Physique modifier uses envelopes as its primary tool for controlling skin
deformation. It also provides tendons and bulge angles for fine-tuning mesh
deformation after envelopes are adjusted. All envelopes have an inner and
outer bound (boundary). Vertices falling within the inner bound of a single
link receive a full weight of 1.0 from that link. Those falling outside the outer
bound receive no weight from that link. Vertices falling between the inner
and outer bounds receive a weight from 0 through 1.
Vertices move together with the link that influences them. Where multiple
envelopes encompass a vertex, that vertex receives weight from each envelope
and follows each link to an average position based on these weights. This
weighting from multiple links is considered blending. It is possible that weights
assigned to some vertices don’t reach a total weight of 1.0 or greater. Rather
than leaving these vertices behind, Physique by default normalizes them to
a value of 1.0.
Adjusting falloff, overlap, scale, and other envelope parameters changes vertex
weight distribution across links. This change, in turn, affects the way skin
behaves as the biped moves. By and large, you correct the way skin deforms
on a character by adjusting envelopes.

Deformable and Rigid Envelopes
There are two Envelope types per link: deformable and rigid on page 5319.
Deformable envelopes follow the Physique deformation spline that runs
through the joints in the hierarchy, and can be deformed using bulge angles,

4808 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

tendons, and link parameters. Rigid envelopes determine vertex-link
assignment based upon the linear 3ds Max link and move in an immobile
relationship to the link. Vertices in a rigid envelope, however, are deformed
(blended) in the overlap area of other envelopes.
Typically you use deformable envelopes; however, game developers with
game-engine restrictions might want to use rigid envelopes exclusively. Both
rigid and deformable envelopes can be turned on for the same link. For
example, by scaling both envelopes, you could deform the shoulder with a
rigid envelope and the armpit with a deformable envelope.

The Number of Links That Can Affect a Vertex
Any number of overlapping envelopes (N Links on page 9235) can influence
vertices. Normally, N Links are preferred. For special purposes such as games
requirements, you can limit the number of links (envelopes) that can affect
a vertex. The No Blending parameter is like the method used in version 1 of
Physique: a vertex is assigned to only one link.

Physique Workflow
Before Physique is applied, align the biped to the mesh in Figure mode on
page 5104. Use a pose with the arms outstretched so the hands are away from
the torso. Save a figure file, so it’s easy to return to this pose whenever you
need. Select the mesh and choose Physique in the Modify panel. Turn on
Attach to Node and select the root node in the hierarchy (biped Pelvis or root
node in a bones hierarchy, not the COM). In the Physique Initialization dialog
box, click Initialize to create default envelopes based on the links in the
hierarchy. The remainder of the work is adjusting envelopes and optionally
adding bulge angles and tendons.
Envelope size, overlap, and other parameters are adjusted with the character
in an animated position (with Figure mode turned off). By scrubbing the time
slider back and forth, you can spot problem areas and adjust the envelopes
affecting the problem areas. In Place mode is useful to keep the character
stationary during envelope adjustment.
The finishing touches are link parameters, bulge angles, and tendons. You use
link parameters to control skin sliding, the amount of twist, and crease
blending as a character moves. Bulge angles let you expand areas like the
biceps,and chest relative to the angle created by a link and its child in the
hierarchy. Tendons can span multiple links in the hierarchy to stretch and
pull a character skin.

Understanding Physique | 4809

See also:
■

Physique on page 5294

■

Physique User Interface on page 5363

Understanding Track Editing
There are several places to view your animation represented as tracks in 3ds
Max. These views include the Track Bar on page 8659 and Track View on page
3827. The tracks can be displayed as function curves, or as keys and ranges on
a box graph. character studio makes special use of function curve editing
capabilities with a customized version of the Track View - Curve Editor called
the Animation Workbench on page 4811.

Biped Curve Editing Using the Track Bar
After creating animation of the biped in the viewport using keyframing tools
from the Motion panel, you might need to work on the animation tracks,
either to adjust key interpolation for smooth motion or to adjust ranges and
affect timing. 3ds Max allows for some basic ways to do these tasks for all
scene objects using direct key manipulation.
The simplest and most direct access to keys and ranges can be found on the
track bar. Keys for selected biped objects are immediately visible there. With
some limitations, you can create keys by Shift+dragging in the track bar.
Right-clicking a key displays a menu; choosing from this menu gives quick
access to key properties such as interpolation controls. This Key Properties
dialog is also accessible from a list on the Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller
rollout.
A right-click on the time slider also displays the Create Key dialog, which is
another quick way to set keyframes.
Selecting any two keys displays the range as a bar beneath the keys. You can
reposition this range bar or resize it to adjust the timing of the animation.
You can combine accelerator keys, like Ctrl and Alt, with left, middle, and right
mouse buttons to extend or stretch the range displayed in the track bar.
You can expand the track bar to display the keys on function curves. From
there, you can select and manipulate keys.

4810 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Biped Curve Editing in Track View
The same function-curve editing controls are found in Track View. Track View
has two modes: Curve Editor and Dope Sheet.
character studio displays function curves for biped components in the Track
View - Curve Editor.
Dope Sheet mode displays the footstep tracks and other biped keys as boxes.
Here, you cut, copy, and paste keys to create repeated motion. You can use
Time Editing in Dope Sheet mode, and cut, copy, paste, and insert time
segments, complete with keys, into your animation.
Curve display can help pinpoint troublesome spots in your animation. You
can see where a curve has problems, often corresponding to motion problems
in the viewport animation. You move the keys to compensate for the problems.

Understanding the Workbench
The Workbench is a curve editor customized for use with character studio. It
provides specialized tools for selecting and displaying curves, and also for
locating and fixing errors and discontinuities in motion. It is a visualization
tool that allows you to see and manipulate quaternion function curves
represented as euler angles. Also you can see curves for the position of a biped
body part in any coordinate space.
The Workbench automatically limits selections to biped body parts and scene
objects related to that biped. You can analyze these selections for errors using
a variety of detectors, and correct them using the provided fixers. You can
also apply filters to perform operations on different biped body parts to affect
the overall animation without error identification.
Function Curve editing for Biped is also available in the 3ds Max Track View
- Curve Editor and in the expanded track bar, but without the specialized
Workbench tools.
Especially when working with imported motion-capture data, you might find
that curve editing is difficult using the standard 3ds Max tool set. This difficulty
can arise from the fact that motion-capture data often has a key on every
frame, so curve manipulation becomes cumbersome and awkward. It is difficult
to pinpoint the trouble spots visually. The Animation Workbench offers
automatic functions to reduce keys or apply filters to the motion curves to
smooth animation.

Understanding the Workbench | 4811

The Animation Workbench

See also:
■

Working with the Workbench on page 5162

■

Workbench User Interface on page 5169

Understanding Motion Flow
Motion Flow is a tool that graphically arranges clips (motion files), flowing
from one motion to the next. You can use a Motion Flow graph to set up a
series of clips with transitions between them. The biped then performs the
series of motions in sequence.

4812 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Motion Flow graph with transitions between motion files

You can also create a network of clips on the graph, where each clip has a
transition to two or more clips. With this type of graph, you can tell character
studio to generate the actual motion sequence for you based on random
selection.

Multiple transitions from each clip

Understanding Motion Flow | 4813

A crowd simulation can also be used to generate a motion sequence from this
type of graph. Each biped in the crowd chooses from the motions and
transitions in the graph based on its desired destination and speed. These
factors, in turn, are determined by the crowd parameters you set.
See also:
■

Working with Motion Flow on page 5194

■

Motion Flow Mode on page 5233

■

Motion Flow Rollout on page 5235

Understanding Crowds
The Crowd system in character studio lets you create realistic simulations
using large groups of characters, humanoid and otherwise, that behave and
interact with one another by procedural means. You can use it to easily animate
scenes containing hundreds of people and/or creatures, all with similar or
widely varying sets of behaviors. These can vary dynamically according to
other factors in the scene.

Crowd of mannequins in a subway station animated using character studio

4814 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

At the heart of the system are the Crowd and Delegate helper objects. A single
Crowd object can control any number of delegates, which serve as stand-ins
for crowd members. You can group delegates into teams, and assign behaviors
such as Seek, Avoid, and Wander to individuals or teams. You can combine
behaviors with weighting, so that, for example, a crowd member could seek
a goal while wandering slightly.
Crowd simulations can range in sophistication from simple and straightforward
to highly complex. Aiding at the latter end of the range is the Cognitive
Controller feature, which lets you use the scripts to apply conditional
transitions to sequences of behaviors. For example, you could tell a delegate
to approach a goal until it gets within a certain distance, and then start moving
away. Or you could use a Cognitive Controller to have a delegate move among
a series of goals.
Another means of creating complex, dynamic crowd simulations is motion
synthesis, which can be used in conjunction with the Cognitive Controller.
The Crowd system offers two types of motion synthesis.
■

When working with bipeds, you use the Motion Flow feature to allow
character studio to create scripts for the bipeds that match the delegate
behaviors.

■

When working with non-bipedal characters, such as fish or birds, you use
Clip Controllers that let you apply different animation segments to various
types of motion. For example, a bird flaps its wings quickly while ascending
but slowly while flying level, and stops flapping its wings during descent.

One of the most important requirements of crowd simulations is avoidance;
if characters pass through each other or other objects in the scene, realism
suffers. The Crowd system offers various behaviors to help achieve proper
avoidance. It also provides the Vector Field, a special space warp, which, when
applied to an irregularly shaped object, allows delegates to move around the
object without penetrating it.
Used in combination, the Crowd-system tools described here can produce an
endless variety of interesting, multi-character simulations. The Crowd topics
in this manual provide detailed information about every aspect of crowd
simulation.
See also:
■

Crowd Animation on page 5456

■

Crowd Animation User Interface on page 5505

Understanding Crowds | 4815

Understanding character studio Workflow
Biped, Physique, and the Crowd system work together within 3ds Max to
provide a complete set of character animation tools. Although these
components can be used in a variety of ways, it is helpful to approach character
studio with a basic understanding of how a typical character animation is
created.
The following sections provide a brief summary of the basic workflow and
related benefits to creating a character with Biped and Physique. You might
not use all the following steps, but you’re likely to do them in the following
order.

Create Skin Geometry
Create a basic skin shape for your character using any 3ds Max modeling tools
and surface types. Be sure to place your character skin in a neutral pose with
arms outstretched and legs spaced slightly apart. You might also want to add
sufficient detail to your skin mesh or control points around joints to facilitate
deformation during movement.
NOTE Physique deformations are based on a volume, which means you can refine
your geometry later with minimal impact to skin behavior. Thus, you can create
your animation before building your model, if you like.

Create a Biped Skeleton
Biped automates the creation of bipedal character skeletons. It also lets you
introduce significant changes to the skeleton structure and sizing at any point
during your animation without adversely affecting character motion. As a
result, you can animate your character without knowing if it is short or tall,
skinny, or fat. It also means that if the director changes the character
proportions, the animation still works.
For more detail on posing a biped skeleton, see Biped on page 4822.

Attach the Skin
■

Position the biped character within its modeled skin. Use Figure mode on
page 5104 to scale bone lengths and to orient the skeleton correctly within
the skin volume. Scale bone thickness as desired to achieve a good initial
fit. Then save a figure file, so it’s easy to return to this pose.

■

Use Physique to attach the skin geometry automatically to the biped or a
3ds Max bones hierarchy. The attachment is typically made to the root
node in the hierarchy: the pelvis object on the biped or the root node on

4816 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

a bones hierarchy, not the center of mass. The attached skin is deformed
as the biped or bones hierarchy moves.
■

The links in the bones hierarchy are used to create a system of 3D envelopes
that enclose nearby vertices. Envelopes typically overlap at the parent and
child ends of links. Vertices within overlapping envelopes are blended to
create smooth skin deformation over joints as the character moves.

Adjust Skin Behavior
Adjust Physique parameters and introduce skin behavior effects to achieve
the desired characterization.
■

Change default envelope shapes by adding cross sections and control
points to isolate a more specific volume of vertices for each bone. Use
exclusion lists or per-vertex weighting to apply fine-tuning control over
individual vertices.

■

Introduce bulge angles to change muscle shape based on the angle of a
particular joint. Create tendons to simulate the motion of tendons under
the skin, based on link movements.

■

Adjust link parameters to change skin twisting, sliding, and creasing as
the biped moves. Sliding allows the skin to compress at the biceps and
forearm as the elbow is bent. Twisting controls the amount of skin twisting
across a joint intersection.

■

Create extra links using 3ds Max bones and dummy objects for added
control. You can add links to the abdominal area to control compression,
for example, or to create a link to animate the chest rising and falling as
the character breathes. If a character has extra appendages,you can add
3ds Max bones to animate them. One common usage is to add a bone to
animate the jaw.

For further detail, see Physique on page 5294.

Animate the Biped Skeleton
Once you’ve attached the skin to a biped structure, you can animate the biped
freely and see the skin behavior update automatically, based on the current
pose.
TIP Physique skin deformation can slow down playback of your Biped animation.
To improve performance, you can hide the skin object temporarily or reduce its
resolution in the modifier stack.

Understanding character studio Workflow | 4817

You can also choose to develop Biped animations in a separate scene entirely,
and apply them to your final skinned character when you are satisfied with
your final motion.
A biped on page 4822 character is essentially an integrated hierarchy of bones
that you can position freely using keyframes, IK goals, and footsteps. You can
position a biped character using all the rotation and transformation tools
found in 3ds Max.
Many of the 3ds Max coordinate systems can be used to position the biped.
Local coordinates are useful to move a limb along its axis (the local X axis is
always the axis along the biped limb); world coordinates are handy when
there is any confusion regarding which way is up. You can use world
coordinates as a home base. In 3ds Max, the world Z axis is always up.
NOTE Rotations always occur about the local axis.

Use Freeform Techniques
Biped provides a variety of methods for creating character motion easily. You
can use a purely traditional approach by manually creating keyframes in
freeform mode for different poses, letting the computer interpolate between
joint positions and IK goals.

Use a Footstep-Driven Technique
You can also choose a partially assisted approach by using footsteps and Biped
dynamics to help you create a default walk, run, or jump cycle. You can then
adjust the biped keyframes and footsteps individually.
When using footsteps, biped dynamics on page 9106 helps you by simulating
gravity and balance.
■

Gravity can help in a jumping motion to accelerate a character during the
falling period and to bend the legs naturally on landing.

■

Balance enables retaining the character balance by adjusting its position
when the spine is rotated and keyframed.

■

Dynamics can be turned off on a per-key basis or for the entire animation.
The animator can override center of mass keyframes created using Dynamics
calculation at any time. Simply set the dynamic properties of these keys
or choose Spline Dynamics on page 9315 for keys generated by newly created
footsteps.

4818 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Convert Between Animation Types
Once you are satisfied with a particular footstep animation and its
corresponding dynamic behavior, you can convert it on page 4908 to a freeform
animation consisting of a simple combination of keyframes and IK goals. This
intelligent conversion gives you control of animation behavior at every frame,
for every joint of the character.

Use Layers to Apply Global Changes
Animation layers on page 9092 offer you a powerful tool for introducing global
changes to an existing character animation. For example, you can convert an
upright running motion into a crouched run by adding a layer on top of an
existing run motion. The layer would contain a single keyframe with the
biped's spine rotated forward. You can stack up layered changes, allowing you
to refine your motion composition and eventually collapse your layers into
a standard non-layered keyframe animation.

Use In Place Mode to Control the View
In Place Mode on page 4997 is a tool that lets you keep your biped in view during
animation playback. It offers a convenient way of adjusting and adding
keyframes to a character without constantly changing your view to follow the
character motion.

Import Motion-Capture Files
Motion-capture files can be imported from the BVH or CSM formats, edited,
and saved as BIP files. You can import these files with or without footsteps
and dynamics and combine them in Motion Flow mode with other animations.
You can use the supplied motion-capture samples as is or adjust them to suit
your needs using the collection of animation tools in Biped. The ability to
import motion-capture marker files directly into character studio using the
CSM file eliminates much of the cost of post-processing optical motion capture
data. You can import motion-capture files with an additional prop bone, to
define the motion of an object such as a sword or club.
You can also import HTR/HTR2 motion-capture files on page 8292, as well as
TRC files on page 8294.
Motion-capture files can be imported with key reduction, making for more
manageable tracks for subsequent editing.

Understanding character studio Workflow | 4819

Use Track View for Keyframe Editing
Track View on page 5148 allows you to edit keys and footsteps relative to the
animation time line.
Footstep editing in Track View - Dope Sheet allows you to move footsteps in
time. If you need a character to jump higher between footsteps, move the
landing footsteps further down in time. Dynamics automatically compensate
by making the character jump higher to keep it airborne longer.
You can also specify a freeform period in a footstep animation, using Track
View - Dope Sheet. This allows you to take advantage of footsteps and dynamics
for part of an animation, then switch to manual keyframing during the
freeform period. This approach can be useful in animations where there is a
mix of animation where the feet are on the ground and then off. Examples
of this type of animation include running and diving, or walking and then
sitting down.
Keyframe adjustment tools allow the following:
■

Find the next or previous key for the selected biped body part.

■

Use the Time spinner to slide a key back and forth in time.

■

Change Tension, Continuity, and Bias for a key.

■

Display trajectories.

You can place arms and legs of a character into the coordinate space on page
9126 of another object or the world to simulate interaction with fixed or moving
objects. In Freeform mode, for example, putting the legs into world space on
page 9354 prevents them from sliding or moving when keyframing the center
of mass of the character. Putting a hand in the coordinate space of a ball allows
the hand to move wherever the ball moves.
Many tools in 3ds Max can be leveraged with character studio. For example,
you can use the Select and Link tool to attach objects to the biped.
If you want a character to pick up and carry an object and then put it down,
you can use the Link controller to animate the duration of the attachment.
3ds Max bones can be used to animate character subassemblies, like pistons,
and to create extra links for Physique.

Use the Motion Mixer to Mix Animations
You can use the Motion mixer on page 4038 to combine motions on a biped.
For example, you could combine a walking motion with a cheering motion,
and cause the biped to walk while cheering.

4820 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Use Motion Flow to Combine Animations
After you have created and modified various animation sequences, and stored
them in biped motion files (BIP format), you can use Motion Flow mode on
page 5233 to combine various motion files into longer animations that can be
quickly previewed and edited. Motion Flow mode automatically places the
animations end-to-end, allowing you to mix and match both freeform and
footstep-driven motion files. Transitions between successive motions are
automatically created for you, to provide a first-pass blending between
overlapping frames of animation.
The Motion Flow transitions use velocity interpolation on page 9343 to create
seamless transitions between clips. You can use the Transition Editor on page
5247 to modify a variety of blending parameters, including transition start frame,
length, and angle between clips.

Refining Your Character
Great character animation is the result of many refinements that tune the
overall personality of your character. You will find the need to refine
progressively both the skinning behavior and the animation timing of your
character. Biped and Physique make this iteration process straightforward by
using the 3ds Max modifier stack and undo methods.
In addition, the ability of Biped to map motions between characters makes it
easy to interchange great animations with existing characters, and tune their
behaviors to achieve true integration of motion with character motivation
and personality.

Use Crowds to Animate Groups of Characters
Once you've created animation sequences for characters or other models (such
as a bird flapping its wings), you can replicate the models or characters and
apply the motions to these groups using the Crowd system on page 5456. You
can also combine them with a wide range of supplied behaviors to create
lifelike activities in crowds, such as people streaming through a doorway,
street traffic, or birds and fish flocking and avoiding obstacles. You can use
Motion Flow mode to create motion clip networks. These allow characters to
perform animation sequences appropriate to their current movement and
transition smoothly between sequences. And you can use cognitive controllers
in Crowd to transition between behaviors based on a variety of criteria. For
more on crowd behaviors, see Creating a Crowd System on page 5457.

Understanding character studio Workflow | 4821

Biped
To work most efficiently with bipeds, it is important to follow the general
workflow described in this topic.

Create Skin Geometry
Before you create a skeleton for a character, have a character skin ready to put
the skeleton into.
Create a basic skin shape for your character using any of the 3ds Max modeling
tools and surface types. Be sure to place your character's skin in a neutral pose
with arms outstretched and legs spaced slightly apart. You may also want to
add sufficient detail to your skin's mesh or control points around joints to
facilitate deformation during movement.

Character mesh in a neutral pose

TIP Before adding a biped skeleton, freeze your character mesh. When the mesh
is frozen, you can still see it, but you can't select or alter it, reducing the chance
for error or frustration.

Create a Biped Skeleton
Once you have a character mesh, you can create a biped skeleton to fit inside.
Use Figure mode on page 5104 to set up your biped.

4822 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Before you position the skeleton, use controls on the Structure rollout on page
5108 to alter the biped to match your mesh, setting the number of links for the
spine, arms, neck, or fingers, or adding props to represent weapons or tools.
TIP You can use ponytails to create animated jaws, ears, or horns.
NOTE Certain biped body parts, including fingers, tails, ponytails, props, and
clavicles, can be repositioned in Figure mode to suit different characters.
When you position the biped inside your mesh, start with the center of mass
(COM), which is the parent of all objects in the biped hierarchy. The COM
should be positioned in line with the hips of the mesh character. Scale the
pelvis so that the legs fit properly in the mesh, and then use Move and Scale
on the 3ds Max toolbar to position your biped skeleton.
NOTE In addition to the standard move, rotate, and scale operations, you can
also use modifiers to adjust the parts of the biped.
NOTE Biped body parts cannot be removed, however unwanted parts can be
hidden. If you delete a part the entire biped will be deleted.
The following list includes some tips for positioning your skeleton:
■

Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to cycle through links.

■

Use Rubber Band mode on page 9285 to move and scale the arm and leg
links on your skeleton simultaneously.

■

Use tools from the Bend Links rollout on page 5045, such as Bend Links Mode
on page 9103 and Twist Links Mode on page 9338 to adjust tail, neck, spine,
and ponytail links.

■

The head, toes, and fingertips should extend slightly beyond the mesh
extents to fulfill the requirements of Physique.

■

Use the minimum number of fingers and toes.
You need extra fingers or links only if you are planning on complex hand
or foot animation. If your character is wearing gloves or shoes, then you
probably only need one finger or toe, with one link.

■

To create a biped with knees that bend backwards, rotate the biped calves
or thighs of both legs 180 degrees about their local X-axis (along the length
of the limb). When you exit Figure mode, the biped walks, runs, and jumps
with reversed knees.

Biped | 4823

■

When working with a mesh in a symmetrical pose, pose one side of the
skeleton, and use controls on the Copy/Paste rollout on page 5071 to paste
the posture to the opposite side of the biped.

When you are satisfied with your pose, check the alignment in all viewports to make
sure that the skeleton is positioned correctly in the mesh.

Once you have successfully positioned a skeleton inside your character mesh,
you are ready to attach the mesh with Physique. For more on this workflow,
see Understanding Physique on page 4807.

4824 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Creating a Biped
A biped model is a two-legged figure: human or animal or imaginary. Each
biped is an armature designed for animation, created as a linked hierarchy.
The biped skeleton has special properties that make it instantly ready to
animate. Like humans, bipeds are especially designed to walk upright, although
you can use bipeds to create multi-legged creatures. The joints of the biped
skeleton are limited to match those of the human body. The biped skeleton
is also specially designed to animate with character studio footsteps, which
help solve the common animation problem of locking the feet to the ground.

The parent object of the biped hierarchy is the biped’s center of mass object,
which is named Bip01 by default.

Creating a Biped
A button for creating a Biped appears in the Create panel under Systems. You
create a biped by clicking this button and then dragging in the active viewport.
You define the height of the biped interactively as you move the cursor.
During biped creation, you can change any of the default settings that are
used to define its basic structure. The default settings, for Arms, Neck Links,
Spine Links, and so on, are for a human figure.
If you turn on Most Recent .fig File, the biped you make will use the parameters
stored in the last FIG (figure) file you’ve loaded.

Biped | 4825

Changing Biped Parameters
Like other 3ds Max objects, you can change biped parameters on the Create
panel at creation time. However, to modify or animate a biped, you use
parameters on the Motion panel. For more information on changing biped
parameters, see Structure Rollout on page 5108.

Procedures
To create a biped on a surface:

1 On the
Create panel, click
Type rollout, click Biped.

(Systems), then on the Object

2 Turn on AutoGrid.
3 Move your cursor over any geometry in the viewport.
A Transform gizmo moves with your cursor to indicate the location of
the AutoGrid.
4 Drag out a biped.
The biped feet will be in contact with the geometry.

Understanding Biped Anatomy
The geometry of a biped is a linked hierarchy of objects that by default
resemble those of a human. The parent or root object of the biped is its center
of mass (COM) on page 9115. This object is displayed as a blue octahedron near
the center of the biped's pelvis. Moving the COM positions the entire biped.

4826 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Center of mass object

You can select the center of mass by choosing Bip01 with the Select From Scene
dialog on page 184.
You can also select the center of mass by clicking Body
Horizontal, Body Vertical or Body Rotation on the Track Selection rollout on
page 5029.

Changing the Biped Hierarchy
The biped hierarchy is a little different from a standard 3ds Max hierarchy in
that you can’t delete any of the components of the skeleton. If you try to
delete any part of the biped skeleton, you delete the entire hierarchy. If you
want to create a partial biped, for example a biped with no head, simply hide
the objects you don’t want to use.

Repositioning Biped Body Parts
You can reposition certain biped body parts in Figure mode to suit different
characters. You can move entire arm assemblies by selecting the clavicles and
moving them up or down. You can also reposition the fingers, tail and
ponytails as you like. See Posing the Biped on page 4830.

Biped | 4827

Biped's structure also includes an option to add twist to any and all limbs.
This feature uses a variable number of links to transfer twisting animation
into the biped's associated mesh via Physique or Skin.

Props
The biped structure includes an option to add up to three props. Props appear
next to the biped’s hands and body by default, but can be modified or
animated throughout the scene like any 3ds Max object.

Adding Extra Biped Body Parts
To add extra legs, arms, or other body parts you need to create 3ds Max
geometry for those parts, then link them to the biped hierarchy. You can use
Snapshot to duplicate biped body parts to create these as well. In either case
you will need to animate them with standard 3ds Max rotations, because biped
IK will not be available on these extra parts.

Changing Initial Biped Anatomy
Use the body parameters to change initial biped anatomy. The Body parameters
are in the Create Biped rollout that appears in the Create panel when you
create a biped.
NOTE You can change body parameters in the Create panel immediately only
after creating a biped. Once you leave the Create panel, these settings are still
available, but from the Structure rollout in the Motion panel. The body parameters
in the Structure rollout are enabled when the biped is selected and Figure mode
is active.
See also:
■

Creating a Biped on page 4825

■

Structure Rollout on page 5108

Naming the Biped
If your scene is going to contain more than one biped, it's a good idea to give
the biped a unique name. By default, the first biped in a scene is called Bip01.
Succeeding bipeds have the same name except that the two-digit number is
replaced by another number in sequence: 02, 03, 04, and so on.

4828 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Since the parent of the biped hierarchy is the biped’s center of mass object,
that is also the object selected when you choose Bip01. You can link the biped
center of mass to other objects or dummies for additional animation control.
For more information on the biped’s hierarchy, see Understanding Biped
Anatomy on page 4826.

Procedures
To change the biped name upon creation:
Immediately after creating the biped and before moving to another panel,
enter the new name in the Root Name field in the Create Biped rollout.
The center of mass is renamed and the entire biped hierarchy inherits the
new name.

■

To change the biped name after creation:

1

Select any part of the biped and go to the

Motion panel.

2 In the Biped rollout, click the expander bar to display the Modes and
Display groups.
3 Enter a new name in the Name field and press Enter.
WARNING Do not use the usual Name And Color rollout to rename a biped.
This changes only the name of the biped's root object (its center of mass)
without updating the names of other biped parts in the hierarchy.

To create a Named Selection for the biped center of mass:

1

Select the biped center of mass (the diamond-shaped object at
the pelvis).

2 Type a name in the Named Selection Sets field on the 3ds Max toolbar.
3 Press Enter.
You can now choose this selection if the biped is hidden and you want
to view the biped and edit biped parameters on the Motion panel.

Biped | 4829

TIP Give the center of mass selection the same name as your character in
the Named Selection Sets field, "John," for example. With multiple characters,
you can quickly select the character you want to edit by choosing the
character's name in the Named Selection Sets dropdown.

Posing the Biped
After creating the default biped, you will often need to change the proportions
of the skeleton to fit your model. Use Figure mode to change the biped
structure in its rest pose.
Activating Figure mode returns the biped to its original location and
orientation. With the biped in Figure mode, you can use the transform tools
to change the proportions and positions of body parts. For instance, you might
apply a non-uniform scale to shorten the legs or lengthen the arms.

4830 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Biped | 4831

Biped proportioned to fit inside of Dr. X character geometry

You might rotate the spine objects to create the figure for a hunchback or a
dinosaur. Use the move tool to change the position of the thumb or the arms.
You can even apply modifiers to the biped skeleton pieces, such as using an
FFD on the biped head to adjust its shape.

4832 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

FFD Modifier used to shape spine and head

Once you have a default biped, you’ll need to match its proportions to the
character’s geometry. It is quite typical to find the character’s geometry with
the arms outstretched. The common workflow is to freeze the character and
then in Figure mode, reposition the biped, so the center of mass is at the base
of the torso. The spine objects, legs, and feet are scaled and rotated to fit within
the confines of the mesh, then the arms and hands, neck and head. The tail
and ponytail objects can be used for animating wings, fins, jaws, ears, horns,
or hair.

Biped | 4833

Once your biped proportions are correct, you can save them in a FIG file.
Because Biped saves the character in the FIG file and animation in the BIP
file, you can change the character’s proportions without affecting the
animation.

Changing the Biped Structure
Bipeds don't have to appear human. You can change their elements and form
to create other kinds of characters. Although you can change some initial
aspects of the biped's structure in the Create panel, you use Figure mode to
change all aspects of the biped's structure after its creation.

Bipeds don’t have to be human ...

4834 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

or even walk on two legs.

Any number of bipeds can be in Figure mode at the same time, though you
can only work on one biped at a time. When you select a biped, the Figure
mode button indicates whether or not the biped is in Figure mode.
In Figure mode you can:
■

Specify the number of links in each part of the biped.

■

Define the position of the base of the fingers, toes, clavicles, spine, tail,
ponytails, and props relative to the body.

■

Define the position of the feet relative to the ankles.

■

Define the default pose of the biped before animation is applied to it, for
example define a hunchback.

■

Scale the biped and its various parts.

■

Simultaneously scale and position biped parts using Rubber Band mode
on page 9285. See Rubber-Banding Arms and Legs on page 4843.

■

Create natural links for Physique using Triangle Pelvis.

■

Use forearm links to transfer twisting animation to the biped's associated
mesh.

For more information on adjusting the biped’s proportions, see Scaling Links
on page 4841.

Biped | 4835

Working with Both Arms or Legs
As you pose your biped, there are two different methods for posing both arms
or legs symmetrically.
The first method involves using Symmetrical on the Track Selection rollout
on page 5029 to select both limbs simultaneously. With both limbs selected,
you can rotate and scale the objects, and they will maintain a mirror-image
relationship. You can also move the limbs, however they will not retain a
symmetrical pose (with respect to the body) if you move them laterally.
The second method involves posing only one side of the biped, then copying
the posture to the corresponding limbs on the other side.
NOTE You can scale biped limbs only in Figure mode on page 5104.
See also:
■

Figure Mode on page 5104

■

Biped Rollout on page 5010

■

Creating a Skin on page 5296

Procedures
To work in Figure mode:

1

Select the biped you want to pose, and then go to the
Motion panel.
The Motion panel doesn't show Biped controls unless the biped is selected.

2 On the Biped rollout, click

(Figure Mode).

The button turns blue to indicate a special edit mode.

The biped's pose and location change to the one last specified when the
biped was in Figure mode. If the biped was just created and, therefore,
was never in Figure mode before, it changes to the pose and location it

4836 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

had when you created it. When you turn off Figure mode, the biped
returns to its animated pose and location in the scene.
NOTE Biped disables all keyframe editing tools when Figure mode is active.
Adjustments made in Figure mode are not animatable.

To fit biped legs to the skin:

1 On the Biped rollout, turn on

(Figure Mode).

2 Use the
Scale Transform gizmo to scale the Z-axis of the biped’s
pelvis so the biped’s leg links are centered in each leg of the skin.

3 Select the biped’s two thigh links (LLeg and RLeg) and
scale the
X-axis of the thigh links so they end at the knees of the skin.

4 Select the biped’s two lower leg links (LLeg1 and RLeg1), and
scale the X-axis of the lower leg links so the biped’s ankles are level with
the ankles of the skin.
TIP When the two upper legs are selected, you can press Page Down to select
the lower legs.

5 In a left or right viewport,
scale the biped’s feet so their profile
roughly matches the profile of the feet of the skin.

6

Scale toes or
move them along their local X-axis so
each toe is aligned with the corresponding toe in the skin.
The ends of the final toe links should go through the tips of the skin’s
toes.

Biped | 4837

You might have to change the number of biped toes to match the number
of skin toes. A biped must have at least one toe on each foot. If the skin
has no toes or the character is wearing footgear, the position and number
of biped toes doesn’t matter, but they should still extend beyond the
skin.
TIP During the fitting process, try Freezing the skin object to prevent
accidental selection.

To fit the spine to the skin torso:

1 On the Biped rollout, turn on

(Figure Mode).

2

Select the lowest link of the spine (Bip01 Spine). Click
(Select And Move), constrain movement to the spine link’s local X-axis,
and move the spine link vertically to the waist of the skin, just below the
navel.

3

Scale the other spine links in their local X-axis so they fit the
upper part of the skin’s torso.
The neck link should begin where the skin’s neck begins.
If the torso of the skin curves, you should also rotate spine links about
their local Z-axes, to align the spine with the longitudinal center of the
torso.

4

Scale the biped’s neck along its local X-axis to match the length
of the neck of the skin. The top of the last neck link (also the base of the
head link) should be where you want the head to pivot. This is usually
just below the ears, centered with the spine.
Leave the head in its default position relative to the spine and neck links.

4838 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To fit both arms using copy/paste:

1 On the Biped rollout, turn on

(Figure Mode).

2

Rotate one upper arm (R Arm1 or L Arm1) in its local Y-axis to
center its link in the upper arm of the skin.

3

Scale the upper arm so its link ends at the elbow of the skin.

4

Scale the lower arm (R Arm2 or L Arm2) so its link ends at the
wrist of the skin.
If the skin’s arms are bent, rotate the lower arm to center its link as well.

5

Scale fingers, or
move them along their local X-axis so
each finger is aligned with the corresponding finger of the skin.
The ends of the final finger links should go through the tips of the skin’s
fingers. You might have to change the number of biped fingers to match
the number of skin fingers.

6 When the arm is completely fitted to the skin,

and on the Copy/Paste rollout, click

7 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click
the opposite arm.

select all of it

(Copy Posture).

(Paste Posture Opposite) to pose

Biped | 4839

To pose both arms simultaneously:

1 On the Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

2

(Figure Mode).

Select the biped's left or right hand.

3 On the Track Selection rollout, click

(Symmetrical).

The opposite hand is also selected.

4

Move,
rotate, and
scale the hands until you
have the position and size you want. Use PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN to
select different parts of the arm.
NOTE If you move limbs laterally, they will both move in the same direction,
and will no longer be symmetrical about the body.

To create a symmetrical pose by copying one side of the biped to the other:
1 On the Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on (Figure Mode).

2

3

Move,
rotate, and
scale the left arm and leg
of the biped until you have the position and size you need.

Select all of the bones in the left arm and leg.

4 On the Copy/Paste Rollout, create a collection, then click the Posture
button and click

(Copy Posture).

5 On the Copy/Paste Rollout, click

4840 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Paste Posture Opposite).

The right arm and leg assume the position and scale of their corresponding
bones on the left.

Scaling Links
Use standard 3ds Max scale transforms to adjust a biped's posture by scaling
the size of its links. You must be in Figure mode to scale the biped links. If
you try to scale a biped without going into Figure mode, nothing happens.
As with rotation, when you scale biped links, Biped constrains the transform
to use the link's Local coordinate system. The position of other biped links
can change so they remain attached to the resized link. If you shorten the
thigh, the calf and ankle will maintain their size, but change their position.
To scale a link, select any scale icon from the Scale flyout on the Main Toolbar.
When you select a body part to scale, use the Transform gizmo to scale along
one axis at a time.

Biped | 4841

Use Scale and the Transform gizmo to scale links.

If your character is symmetrical, select body parts in pairs and scale them at
the same time.

4842 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Select one body part and then on the Track Selection rollout, click
(Symmetrical). Now both are selected.
You can also scale one and then on the Copy/Paste rollout, use

Posture) and
in your character.

(Copy

(Paste Posture Opposite). This approach ensures symmetry

TIP Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to move through your hierarchy as you
work. For example, after you scale the thighs, press Page Down to select the calves.
Scaling the biped limbs to fit snugly to the mesh will help when Physique is used
to associate the mesh with the biped. The Bounding Box option uses biped limb
dimensions to size the envelopes. This saves time when you adjust envelopes in
Physique.
See also:
■

Rubber-Banding Arms and Legs on page 4843

Rubber-Banding Arms and Legs
Rubber Band mode provides a way to proportion the arm and leg links
simultaneously. Rubber Band mode works with the Move transform rather
than the Scale transform. When you move an arm or leg with Rubber Band
mode turned on, both the link and its child are scaled in a single step.
Rubber-banding the upper arm rescales the upper and lower arm objects and
moves the elbow link without affecting the position of the shoulder or the
wrist. If you’ve spent a lot of time getting the fingers in the right place, you
can reposition the elbow by rubber-banding, without affecting the hands.

Biped | 4843

Using Rubber Band to resize an arm without changing the hand position

4844 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To rubber band an arm or leg link:

1 On the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

2

(Figure Mode).

Select the arm or leg link you want to rubber band.

3 Click

(Select And Move).

4 On the Biped rollout ➤ Modes group, turn on
Mode).

(Rubber Band

NOTE This button is unavailable if you are not in Figure mode, or if a part
of the biped other than the upper or lower arm or leg, or the center of mass
is selected.
NOTE The Modes group is hidden by default. To display it, click the expansion
bar on the Biped rollout.

5

Move the selected arm or leg link.
As you move the arm or leg link, the hands and feet are stationary as the
knees or elbows are positioned.

To adjust the biped center of mass with Rubber Band:

1 On the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

2

(Figure Mode).

Select the biped’s center-of-mass object (the diamond-shape
object at the pelvis).

Biped | 4845

3 Click

(Select And Move).

4 On the Biped rollout ➤ Modes group, turn on

(Rubber Band Mode).

This button is unavailable if you are not in Figure mode or if a part of
the biped other than the upper or lower arm or leg or if the center of
mass is selected.

5

Move the center of mass.
While Rubber Band mode is active, the center of mass moves
independently from the rest of the biped, which remains in the same
position.
TIP Another way to adjust the biped’s balance is to change the value of
Balance Factor. Balance Factor displays on the Key Info rollout when a Body
Horizontal key is current. Balance Factor can be keyframed.

Biped Display Options
For greater speed in displaying bipeds, or to make your viewports less cluttered
while you edit your scene, Biped lets you turn off the display of some biped
elements. These display controls are found in the Motion panel ➤ Biped
rollout on page 5010 ➤ Display group on page 5015, rather than on the Display
panel.

These controls allow you to quickly turn on and off the biped bones, objects
and footsteps, twist links and leg states, as well as footstep numbers and
trajectories. There is also a Display Preferences dialog accessed from here that
lets you control which bipeds are visible during Biped Playback.
NOTE The Display group is hidden by default. To display the group, click the
expansion bar on the Biped rollout.

4846 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To change biped display:

1 Go to the

Motion panel.

2 On the Biped rollout ➤ Display group, click a button corresponding to
the display choices you want.
NOTE The Display group is hidden by default. To display the group, click
the Modes And Display expansion bar on the Biped rollout.

Deleting a Biped
You can quickly and easily delete an entire biped from a scene.

Procedures
To delete a biped:

1

Select the entire biped or any part of the biped.

2 Press Del or Delete on your keyboard.

Linking Character Body Parts to the Biped
With the Physique component, you can use Biped to animate a deformable
skin, usually a mesh object. However, some animations don't require
deformation. For example, a knight clad entirely in rigid metal armor doesn't
need to deform as skin does. Also, figures seen from a distance don't require
the same degree of realism as figures seen close up.

Biped | 4847

4848 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Jointed character linked with biped skeleton

Characters available commercially often come in two varieties: jointless and
jointed. Jointless characters have a seamless mesh at limb joints. Jointless
characters should be attached to the biped using Physique. A jointed character
has separate objects with ball joint geometry for the limbs, and lends itself to
the linking technique described in this topic.
Linking objects and other geometry to the biped can also be used in cases
such as the following:
■

Link a weapon or a flower to the biped hand.

■

Link eyeballs or teeth to the biped head.

■

Link extra 3ds Max bones or splines to the biped to create extra envelopes
when Physique is applied.

Biped | 4849

■

Link 3ds Max bones to the biped to automate mechanical assemblies when
the biped is keyframed.

■

Link particle emitters to the biped hands or feet to create smoke or dust.
NOTE If you've linked particle emitters or 3ds Max bones (with the IK
controller) to the biped, the Animate button must be on when you reposition
the biped.

See also:
■

Biped Rollout on page 5010

Procedures
To link a mechanical character to the biped (without Physique):
With mechanical or jointed characters, you can simply link objects to the
biped without using the Physique modifier.
1 Load or create a mechanical or jointed model. Body parts in this model
should be separate 3ds Max objects.
2 Create a biped.

3 On the Biped rollout, turn on
fit the biped to your mesh objects.

(Figure Mode), then position and

4 Go through the mesh objects and use
(Select And Link) to link
each object to its corresponding part on the biped.
All of keyframe animation applied to the biped will animate the model.
TIP If you plan to use 3ds Max linking and Physique together, link the body
parts to the biped after applying Physique. In this way, Physique will not
create superfluous links from the biped to the mechanical body parts when
it is applied.

4850 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Saving and Loading FIG Files
Select a biped. ➤
Mode ➤

Select a biped. ➤
Mode ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

Figure

Load File

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

Figure

Save File

Figure files save all information about a biped's anatomy: links, link positions,
twist links, and Figure mode posture, and the scale of geometric elements.
Figure (FIG) files have a .fig file name extension.
Figure files do not contain the actual biped skeleton, or any animation. They
are used strictly for setting or saving a biped's pose in Figure mode.
Figure files are useful for quickly setting poses for similar or identical characters.
Clicking Load File brings the Open dialog, from which you can pick a
FIG file and choose from the following twist poses on page 5039 options:
■

Load Twist Poses: Loads both the twist links on page 5108 and twist poses
data. (Default=on).

■

Don't Load Twist Poses: Loads only the twist links data.
NOTE The pose presets are always available.

■

Load Twist Poses Only: Loads only the twist poses data without the twist
links.
NOTE The Twist and Bias values are not used without twist links. Refer to the
Twist Poses rollout on page 5039 for details.

Biped | 4851

See also:
Figure Mode on page 5104

■

Procedures
To save a biped's figure information to a file:

1

Select the biped to save.

2 On the

Motion panel, turn on

3 On the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, click

(Figure Mode).
(Save File).

4 In the file dialog, enter a name for the figure file, and then click OK.
TIP While you work on creating a biped pose, save your work frequently in
a figure file.

To load a biped figure:

1

2 On the

Select the biped to replace with a saved figure.

Motion panel, turn on

3 On the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, click
4 In the file dialog, choose the figure file to load.

4852 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Figure Mode).
(Load File).

5 Choose one of the three loading options, depending on whether or not
you want to load twist poses, or to load twist poses only.
6 Click OK.
WARNING Loading a figure file replaces the selected biped's pose and base
parameters. If you have created a new pose or a new biped structure, save it in a
figure file before you load a different biped figure.

Footstep Animation
Footstep animation is a central compositional tool in Biped. Footsteps are
biped sub-objects, similar to gizmos on page 9177 in 3ds Max. In viewports,
footsteps look like the diagrams often used to illustrate ballroom dancing.
Each footstep's position and orientation in the scene controls where the biped
steps.

Biped | 4853

Footsteps

The language of footsteps allows you to more directly describe and compose
the complex time and space relationships that are found in different forms
of locomotion.
While the placement of footsteps appears in viewports, the timing appears in
Track View - Dope Sheet Editor. There, each footstep appears as a block of
time, with each block representing the time when the foot is planted in a
footstep.

4854 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Footstep keys in Track View

Footsteps are appropriate for animation where the biped is on the ground or
uses the ground a great deal, such as walking, standing, jumping, running,
dancing, and athletic motion. For movement that does not require the biped
to interact with the ground, such as swimming or flying, freeform animation
on page 4910 is more appropriate.
Footsteps are used to lock the foot to the ground. You can create the same
result in freeform animation by simply creating planted keys on page 5052 for
the feet.

Workflow
In general, you compose a footstep pattern with these actions:

1

Select the biped and go to the

2 Click Biped rollout ➤

Motion panel.

(Footstep Mode).

3 In the Footstep Creation rollout, click
(Walk),
(Run), or
(Jump) to choose the gait (a method or pattern of moving on foot). The
gait sets the initial timing for footsteps you create.
When you first create them, footsteps are inactive. They exist in the scene
but don't yet control the biped's motion.

Biped | 4855

4 Create the footstep pattern in viewports. You can create footsteps in a
few different ways, each available in the Footstep Creation rollout:
■

Automatically create a number of footsteps with
Footsteps), or

■

Individually place each footstep with

(Create Multiple

(Create Footsteps (Append))

or
(Create Footsteps (At Current Frame)). Use Auto Grid to create
footsteps on a surface of a mesh.
5 Edit footstep placement by moving or rotating footstep icons in viewports.
6 Edit footstep timing in the Track View - Dope Sheet mode.
7 Activate the footsteps to create keys for the biped. The biped will now
move through the footsteps using the placement and timing you set up.
8 Play the motion to test it out, looking only at the leg and foot motion
and disregarding the upper body for now. If the footstep motion isn't
right, deactivate the footsteps, make changes to footstep placement or
timing, reactivate the footsteps and play it again. Do this until the foot
and leg motions are correct.
When footsteps are activated, keys are created for each of the tracks of
the figure: the head, spine, pelvis, arms, legs, and, if appropriate, tail and
ponytails. These keys form an initial sketch of your animation. The default
keys, when interpolated on page 9196, form the basic, minimal motion
required to animate the figure according to the footstep pattern. Most
likely you will want to adjust or replace these keys.
9 Edit the animation of the upper body using ordinary 3ds Max animation
methods: Turn on Auto Key and move or rotate the biped parts. You can
also use the character studio Set Key tools on the Key Info rollout on
page 5049.
10 Play the animation again and make any corrections to the upper body
motion.

Footstep Method
In the viewports, footsteps represent support periods in space for the biped
feet. You can move and rotate footsteps in viewports. In Track View, each
footstep appears as a block that represents a support period in time for each

4856 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

of the biped's feet. You can move footsteps in time in Track View. The footstep
position and orientation in the viewport controls where the biped will step.
There are three ways to create footsteps for the biped:
■

Place footsteps individually.

■

Use the footstep tools to automatically create a walking, running or
jumping animation.

■

Import motion-capture data to footsteps.

A key advantage of the footstep method is the natural adaptation of the biped
that occurs when the footsteps are edited in time and space. Editing footsteps
in the viewports allows you to reposition all of the footsteps to move the
entire animation. In Footstep mode, stride, length, width, and direction can
be changed quickly for an entire animation and the biped automatically
adapts.
Using the Footsteps Show/Hide button on the Display rollout, all footsteps
can become visible. Move the footsteps in the viewports to position them for
proper ground collision with the terrain object. For example, if the biped toes
are rotated for the Lift key at the last frame of a footstep (to create more toe
curl as the character walks) the leg automatically repositions itself to maintain
foot contact with the ground (footstep).
These adaptations speed up the process of creating and editing animation for
the biped. If necessary, the animator can prevent biped adaptation by using
the Adapt Locks parameters on page 9083 on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout
on page 5101.

Foot States
Within a footstep animation, there can be four foot states on page 9167: move,
touch, plant, and lift. These correspond to the state of the biped feet in
relationship to the footsteps. Use the foot state displays in the Biped rollout
to determine the state of the biped feet when you are editing the biped foot
or leg keys. The foot states can be displayed in the viewport by turning on
Leg states in the Display group of the expanded Biped rollout. The Foot states
are represented as colored keys in Track View - Dope Sheet.

Footstep Mode
When Footstep mode is active, footstep creation controls appear in
the Motion panel.

Biped | 4857

Footstep controls in Motion panel

4858 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Footsteps displayed in Track View - Dope sheet editor

Using the default keyframes as a starting point, you can interactively insert,
replace, or delete keyframes in order to refine the motion of the biped and fill
in the details of movement that are unique to your animation.
NOTE By default, when Biped Dynamics on page 9106 is turned on in the Dynamics
and Adaptation rollout, gravity (Dynamics Blend) and ballistic tension calculate
the trajectory of the center of mass for all newly created keys in a footstep
animation containing a running or jumping motion. If Spline Dynamics on page
9315 is turned on in the Dynamics and Adaptation rollout before footsteps are created
and activated, the center of mass uses spline dynamics to calculate vertical motion,
which does not take gravity into consideration. Using spline dynamics, you must
set keys for the top of a jumping motion or the dip when the character lands; this
trajectory is automatically calculated with biped dynamics.

Footstep Editing
At any point in the design process, you can choose to interactively edit your
footstep's spatial pattern in the scene or the timing of footsteps in Track View.
The keyframes adapt to each edit: changes to footstep location retain the
details of all your keyframe positions. Keyframe timing remains synchronized

Biped | 4859

with changes to footstep timing, except in cases where default leg keys must
be regenerated to account for timing edits that alter the basic gait pattern,
such as creating a hop in the middle of a walk.
Use Footstep mode to create and edit footsteps. Use Keyframe mode (Footstep
mode off ) to create and edit your character's keys. You can always edit the
timing of both footsteps and keyframes in Track View.
While the biped's feet are airborne, you can animate its legs as you do its upper
body. Biped does not create keys based on physics while the biped is off the
ground, so animating the legs might be necessary to make long leaps realistic.
Alternatively, you might want to make the biped appear to be floating in
midair, or underwater, or have it ride a bicycle. See Freeform Editing Between
Footsteps on page 4904.
You can make the biped interact with other objects in the scene: throwing or
kicking a ball, opening a door, and so on. You do this by attaching a biped
limb to an object in the scene.
An animatable IK Blend parameter lets you store the anchored position and
combine inverse with forward kinematics. After you've set keys, be sure to
remove the anchors.
TIP You can often get good results by loading an existing biped motion and then
varying it. You'll find a set of sample motion files on the program disc in the
\Samples\Motions directory.
NOTE On the time slider or in Track View, you can move one Biped key past
another. See Moving Keys on page 5152.

Creating Footsteps
The topics in this section deal with the creation of footsteps for animating
bipeds.

Planning for Footsteps
Spend a little time planning your footstep animation with pencil and paper
first. This will make the task of setting up footsteps much easier. Answering
the questions below can help orient your planning.

4860 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Planning for Footstep Placement
■

How are the footsteps going to be positioned in viewports? Draw a sketch
of their positions.

■

What is the sequence of the footsteps? This will determine the footstep
numbers.
Footsteps always begin with the number 0. Number them in your diagram
if you can.

■

Is each footstep a left or right footstep?

Planning for Footstep Timing
■

What is the support relationship between left and right footsteps? In other
words, does the timing of the footsteps resemble a walk, run or jump
pattern? A character doing a foxtrot or waltz, for example, is actually
moving with “walk” timing – the character shifts weight from one foot to
the other.

■

How long, in frames, should each footstep be? How long are the biped's
airborne periods?

■

Are there any periods of time where the biped is standing on two feet for
a while?

Biped | 4861

Choosing a Gait
A gait is a method or pattern of moving on foot.
When you create new footsteps, the timing is determined by
the gait you have chosen (Walk, Run, or Jump) and the parameters for that
gait. You must choose the gait before parameters can be set.
Choose the gait that most closely approximates the type of movement you
want to create. You can alter or adjust the gait after footsteps have been created.

Walk Gait
In a walk, at least one foot is always in contact with the ground. A period
where one or both feet are in contact with the ground is called a support period.
If both feet are on the ground, this is known as a double support period.

Turn on Walk before creating footsteps to create this type of gait.
The gait parameters of a walk are:
Walk Footstep The number of frames that each footstep remains on the
ground.
Double Support The number of frames in a double support period, that is,
when both feet are on the ground.

Run Gait
With running, both feet are never on the ground at the same time. Either one
foot is on the ground during the support period, or the body is airborne. While
it is airborne, the body moves forward horizontally at a constant speed. In
general, the longer the body is in the air, the higher it must fly after lifting
off from the supporting foot to stay airborne for the specified period of time.

Turn on Run before creating footsteps to create this type of gait.
The gait parameters of a run are:
Run Footstep The number of frames that each footstep remains on the ground.
Airborne The number of frames that the biped is airborne, that is, when
neither foot is on the ground.

4862 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Jump Gait
Jumping is a special case of running. Both feet are in contact with the ground
at the same time, or airborne at the same time. As with running, forward
motion is horizontal and constant, but vertical motion depends on the length
of the jump.

Turn on Jump before creating footsteps to create this type of gait.
The gait parameters of a jump are:
Feet Down The number of frames in which both feet are on the ground.
Airborne The number of frames that the biped is airborne, that is, when
neither foot is on the ground.
Changing these values changes the biped's jump behavior.

Setting Gait Parameters
Gait parameters can be found in two areas:
■

If creating footsteps automatically with Create Multiple Footsteps,
the gait parameters appear on the Create Multiple Footsteps dialog on page
5128.

■

If creating footsteps manually with Create Footsteps (append)
or Create Footsteps (at current frame), the gait parameters on the Footstep
Creation rollout on page 5120 are used.

Changing these values changes the timing for any footsteps placed after the
values are set.

Changing the Gait After Creating Footsteps
After creating the footsteps, you can change the gait by editing footstep timing
in Track View's Dope Sheet mode. See Editing Footstep Timing on page 4876.
Gait parameters are only one way to define the timing and nature of the
biped's gait. For a more complete description of gaits and other parameters
that alter the nature of the biped's motion, see Adjusting Vertical Motion on
page 4894.

Biped | 4863

Creating Footsteps Automatically
Automatic footstep creation is the easiest way to create a walk or run cycle.
You can use this method to make the biped climb or descend a flight of stairs,
hop repeatedly, and do a variety of motions. Automatic footstep creation
places the footsteps for you, generating perfectly timed and spaced footsteps.
See also:
■

Creating Footsteps Manually on page 4865

■

Adjusting Vertical Motion on page 4894

Procedures
To create footsteps automatically:

1

Select any part of the biped.

2 On the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, click

(Footstep Mode).

You are now in Footstep mode, where you can create, activate, or edit
footsteps.
3 In the Footstep Creation rollout, choose the gait you want to use for the
footsteps:

(Walk),

(Run), or

(Jump).

The selected gait determines the timing pattern of the automatically
placed footsteps.

4 On the Footstep Creation rollout, click

(Create Multiple Footsteps).

The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog on page 5128 appears. This dialog
determines various aspects of the footstep sequence, such as how far each
footstep will be placed from the previous footstep.
5 Set the multiple footstep parameters, and then click OK.
This places footstep icons in the scene. To make the biped move through
the footsteps, you must create keys for the footsteps.

4864 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

6 On the Footstep Operations rollout, click
Footsteps).

(Create Keys For Inactive

Keys have now been created for the footsteps.

7 Click

(Play Animation) to see the animation.

Creating Footsteps Manually
Creating footsteps manually is useful for complicated footwork, such as
dancing. Manual footstep creation allows you to place each new footstep
carefully where you want it.
Multiple footsteps can also be generated automatically. To quickly generate
a simple walking, running, or jumping footstep patterns, see Creating Footsteps
Automatically on page 4864.
There are two ways to create footsteps manually:
■

You can start creating footsteps at the current frame with Create
Footsteps (At Current Frame) in the Footstep Creation rollout on page 5120.
Any footsteps added subsequently will extend in time from the first
footstep. If you attempt to create a footstep at the same time as an existing
footstep on the same side, an alert appears and you are not allowed to
create the footstep.

■

You can also append footsteps onto the end of the existing footsteps
with Create Footsteps (Append) in the Footstep Creation rollout on page
5120. Then Biped computes the frame at which the first footstep should be
created based on the chosen gait and the existing footsteps. This option
is disabled if there are no existing footsteps.

As with all footsteps, any footsteps you create with these methods are
inactive upon creation. You must activate them with Create Keys for Inactive
Footsteps in order to make the biped move through them.

Biped | 4865

Preparing to Create Footsteps Manually
Before placing footsteps, you must choose the gait, then set parameters for
the gait in the Footstep Creation rollout on page 5120.

Footstep creation and gait buttons

When you select the Walk, Run, or Jump gait, parameters for that gait appear
on the Footstep Creation rollout. See Choosing a Gait on page 4862 for
information on gaits and parameters.

Switching Between Left and Right Footsteps
By default, manually placed footsteps alternate left, right, left, right. The
footstep cursor, which appears during individual footstep creation, shows you
whether a left or right footstep will be placed next.
If you want to change the footstep side that will be placed when you next
click, press Q to toggle between them. Pressing Q also changes the cursor,
showing you which footstep side will be placed next.

Automatic Time Extension
During manual footstep creation, your display remains at the current frame.
However, footsteps are created sequentially in time. If the footsteps you create
require more frames than are in the active time segment, the footstep creation
process extends the active time segment, which can create new frames.

Creating New Footsteps Between Existing Footsteps
If inactive footsteps exist, you can only create new, inactive footsteps within
or directly before or after the time of the inactive footsteps. If you need to add
more footsteps near a time where there are only active footsteps, deactivate
all footsteps first, then add footsteps and activate them again. See Deactivating
Footsteps on page 4870.

4866 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
■

Choosing a Gait on page 4862

■

Creating Footsteps Automatically on page 4864

■

Editing Footstep Placement on page 4875

Procedures
To prepare for manual footstep creation:

1 On the
Mode).

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, click

(Footstep

You are now in Footstep mode, and can create, activate, or edit footsteps.
2 In the Footstep Creation rollout, choose the gait you want to use: Walk,
Run, or Jump. See Choosing a Gait on page 4862 for details on gaits and
their parameters.
3 In the Footstep Creation rollout, set parameters for the chosen gait.
To create footsteps beginning at the current frame:
1 Turn on
2 Click

(Footstep Mode).
(Create Footsteps (At Current Frame)).

3 Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Move the cursor and click again
to create another footstep. Repeat until you have created all the footsteps
required.
TIP Use the Top viewport to create the footsteps.
Watch the footstep cursor to see whether a left or right footstep will be
placed next. If you want to place two left or two right footsteps
sequentially, place one footstep, then press Q once before placing the
next one.

Biped | 4867

4

Move and
desired pattern.

5 Click

6 Click

rotate footsteps until you have achieved the

(Create Keys For Inactive Footsteps).

(Play Animation) to see the animation.

To append footsteps onto the existing footsteps:

1 Make sure

(Footstep Mode) is turned on.

2 If the existing footsteps are active, deactivate them first.
all footsteps and click
3 Click

Select

(Deactivate Footsteps).

(Create Footsteps (Append)).

4 Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Move the cursor and continue
clicking to create more footsteps
TIP A Top viewport is usually best when you create footsteps individually.

5

Move and
desired pattern.

6 Click

7 Click

rotate footsteps until you have achieved the

(Create Keys For Inactive Footsteps).

(Play Animation) to see the animation.

4868 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To create footsteps using AutoGrid:
The AutoGrid feature creates objects on a surface other than the default
construction plane. You can use this feature to place footsteps on an irregular
surface.
1 Using any 3ds Max modeling method, create a surface as the terrain for
the biped to step on.

2 On the
Create panel, click
Type rollout, click Biped.

(Systems), then on the Object

3 On the Object Type rollout, turn on AutoGrid.

4 Go to the

Motion panel.

5 On the Biped rollout, turn on

(Footstep Mode).

6 Click
(Create Footsteps (At Current Frame)). Move the cursor over
the terrain. A transform gizmo moves with your cursor to indicate the
location and orientation of the gizmo. Click to place a footstep, then
move the cursor and click again to place more footsteps.
7 When you have finished placing footsteps, click
Inactive Footsteps).

(Create Keys For

Keys have now been created for the footsteps.

8 Click

(Play Animation) to see the animation.

The biped steps on the terrain, following the footsteps.

Activating Footsteps
When footsteps are created, they are inactive. To make the biped move
through the footsteps, you must activate them by clicking Create Keys for
Inactive Footsteps on the Footstep Operations rollout on page 5124.

Biped | 4869

When you activate footsteps, keys are created for the biped's legs and feet,
causing the biped to step through the footsteps. In addition, keys are created
for the spine, arms, hips, and tail (if the biped has one) to make the biped
move naturally through the footsteps. Keys are not created for the head,
ponytails or props.
When keys are created for footsteps, a generic type of motion is generated for
the biped's body based on footstep placement and timing. This movement is
intended as a starting point for your own animation, not as a final setup.
There are times when it is appropriate to deactivate footsteps, make changes,
and activate footsteps again. See Deactivating Footsteps on page 4870.
See also:
■

Creating Footsteps Automatically on page 4864

■

Creating Footsteps Manually on page 4865

Procedures
To activate footsteps:

1 While in
Footstep mode, create footsteps using the automatic
or manual method.

2

Move,

rotate, delete and edit footsteps as desired.

3 On the Footstep Operations rollout, click
Footsteps).

4 Click

(Create Keys For Inactive

(Play Animation) to see the animation.

Deactivating Footsteps
When you change the position or timing of active footsteps, the biped's
animation changes accordingly, causing the biped to step into the footsteps
in their new positions with the new timing.

4870 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Deactivating footsteps temporarily suspends changes to animation when
footsteps are changed. When you move deactivated footsteps or change their
timing, the biped still continues to do the same motion it did before footsteps
were deactivated.
Footsteps should be deactivated when you make substantial changes to footstep
timing or placement.
Footsteps are deactivated by selecting footsteps and clicking
Footsteps) on the Footstep Operations rollout on page 5124.

(Deactivate

After making changes to the footsteps, click
(Create Keys For Inactive
Footsteps) in the Footstep Operations rollout on page 5124. This will recreate
keys for the biped and cause it to follow the footsteps.
Active footsteps are pale in color, while inactive footsteps are brightly colored.
This coloring appears both on footstep icons in viewports and on footstep
keys in the Dope Sheet.
NOTE Deactivating and reactivating footsteps causes all biped keys to be replaced
with default animation keys for the current footstep pattern and timing.

When to Deactivate Footsteps
There are many situations where you will want or need to deactivate footsteps
after activating them.
■

When you move or rotate active footsteps substantially, you might find
that the original keys generated are no longer appropriate for your
animation. If this happens, deactivate footsteps, move the footsteps into
the correct locations, and activate footsteps again.

■

When changing footstep timing in the Curve Editor's Dope Sheet mode,
you might receive an error message stating that what you are trying to do
violates one of the rules of biped key placement. If this occurs, deactivate
footsteps, make timing changes in the Dope Sheet, then activate footsteps
again

■

If you have a large number of active footsteps in the scene, moving
footsteps and making timing changes can cause delays as all keys are
adapted and updated. You might find your work is faster if you deactivate
footsteps while making your changes.

Biped | 4871

■

If you have activated footsteps then changed the default animation, then
find you want to return to the default animation, you can deactivate
footsteps and activate them again to recreate the default animation.

Activation/Deactivation Workflow
The fastest workflow with footsteps is to deactivate footsteps and make
changes, reactivate footsteps and play the animation to check your work, and
repeat this process until the footstep timing and placement are correct.
However, deactivating and reactivating footsteps replaces any biped keys with
the default animation for the current footstep pattern and timing.
For this reason, it is recommended that you work with footsteps exclusively
first, ignoring the upper body animation, and deactivate and reactivate
footsteps as needed. When the motion of the feet is perfect or near-perfect,
only then should you adjust the biped animation manually. Otherwise, you
will lose all your manual animation work every time you deactivate and
reactivate footsteps.
TIP Alternatively, you can use layers on page 5087 to store any upper body
animations you want to preserve while you proceed with changes in your biped's
footsteps.

Rules for Inactive Footsteps
When you click deactivate footsteps, only selected footsteps are deactivated.
If you haven't made any changes to the default animation, it is recommended
that you deactivate all footsteps. However, if you've changed or added
animation keys to part of the animation, you might want to deactivate only
a portion of the footsteps.
When some but not all footsteps are currently deactivated, limitations are
imposed on the changes you can make to footsteps:
■

You cannot set, delete, move, or edit keys in any way; footstep tracks are
disabled in the Dope Sheet.

■

You can create footsteps only when the new footsteps are among and
adjacent to existing inactive footsteps.

■

You can delete only inactive footsteps, and at least one inactive footstep
must remain.

■

You cannot deactivate a set of nonsequential footsteps.

4872 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
Activating Footsteps on page 4869

■

Procedures
To deactivate footsteps:

1

Select the footsteps to deactivate.
The footsteps you select must be in sequence; you cannot deactivate a
nonsequential set of footsteps.

2 On the Footstep Operations rollout, click
Footsteps).

(Deactivate Selected

The footsteps are deactivated. Viewports and the Dope Sheet display them
in bright colors again.

Understanding Footstep and Body Keys
When you activate footsteps, keys are created for biped body parts. Before you
work with footstep placement and timing, it's essential that you understand
the default keys generated and how they relate to footstep editing.

Leg States
A leg moving through a footstep has four states, beginning with the foot on
the ground. Then the foot lifts, moves through the air, and returns to the
ground again. These leg states are labeled by character studio to help you work
with footsteps and leg/foot keys more easily when editing footsteps.
These states are referred to in these topics to aid in understanding more
advanced footstep concepts, so it's important that you become familiar with
them.
■

Touch occurs at the leg keyframe where the foot first touches the footstep,
and always corresponds with the start frame of a footstep in Track View.
The Touch state is always one frame long.

Biped | 4873

■

Plant occurs after touching, and before lifting. It is always in between the
start and end frames of a footstep in Track View. The Plant state is usually
more than one frame long.

■

Lift occurs at the keyframe where the foot lifts off the ground, and always
corresponds with the end frame of a footstep in Track View. The Lift state
is always one frame long.

■

Move occurs while the foot is in the air, and is always in the intervals
between footsteps in Track View. In walking, while one foot moves, the
body is supported by the other leg. In running or jumping, there are periods
where the body is not supported and moves in midair.

For more information on these keys, see Editing Footstep Timing on page 4876.
You can display the current state of each leg by turning on Leg States in
Biped rollout ➤ Display group. The state name appears in viewports near the
foot, corresponding to the state at the current frame.
NOTE State names appear only on footsteps that have been previously activated.
If active footsteps have been deactivated and edited, the state names that appear
will correspond to states the legs were in before deactivation. For this reason, leg
states displayed between deactivation and reactivation might not be accurate.
Regardless of the footstep pattern, activating footsteps will always cause leg
keys to be generated at each lift and touch frame. Although you can alter these
keys to some degree by going to a touch or lift keyframe, turning on Auto Key
and changing the leg positions or rotations, you cannot delete these keys.
To change the foot/leg animation after footsteps are activated, seeAnimating
Legs and Feet on page 4885 and Adjusting Body Keys in Track View on page 4887.

Body Keys
When foosteps are activated, keys are also generated for the center of mass
(COM) object, the blue tetrahedron at the center of the biped's pelvis. The
position and rotation of the COM determines the horizontal and vertical
position of the biped body, as well as its rotation.
Unlike other biped parts or 3ds Max objects, the COM has three separate
animation tracks, two for motion and one for rotation. You select these tracks
by clicking the appropriate button on the Track Selection rollout on page 5029:
■

Body Horizontal

4874 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

■

Body Vertical
Body Rotation (displays keys for the Body Turning track)

Keys for these tracks are generated automatically when you activate footsteps.
You can view the keys for each track on the Track Bar by turning off Footstep
Mode and clicking the corresponding button listed above. These tracks are
also visible in Track View's Dope Sheet mode.
NOTE When you select the COM, only the keys corresponding to the selected
track are displayed. If you select the COM and do not select a track, no keys are
displayed on the Track Bar, even if the COM is animated. You can find out which
COM track is selected by checking the status of the buttons displayed above.
When a button is turned on, the track is selected.
You can animate the COM or change existing keys after footsteps are activated.
To change COM keys after footsteps are activated, seeAnimating the Upper
Body on page 4886 and Adjusting Body Keys in Track View on page 4887.

Editing Footstep Motion
The topics in this section deal with the editing of footstep motion when
animating bipeds.

Editing Footstep Placement
After you've created footsteps, there are several ways to edit their placement
in the scene.
■

You can use standard 3ds Max controls to select, move, rotate, or delete
footsteps.
NOTE The 3ds Max scale transform will not scale the footstep icons themselves;
the size of the icons is set by the size of the biped's feet. The biped foot size is
originally set by the biped's height, then later by any scaling you perform on
the feet in Figure Mode. See Posing the Biped on page 4830.

Biped | 4875

■

You can use the Bend and Scale controls in the Footstep Operations Rollout
on page 5124 to edit the footsteps. The Bend value curves a selection of
footsteps, while Scale changes the distance between selected footsteps.

Selecting Footsteps
To change footstep placement, you must first select the footsteps to change.
When
(Footstep Mode) is turned on, footsteps can be selected with
the same methods used to select 3ds Max objects:
■

Click footstep icons while holding down the Ctrl key.

■

Click and drag to draw a bounding box around footsteps you want to
select.

■

Unselect footsteps by holding down the Alt key and clicking footsteps.

You can also select footsteps in Track View's Dope Sheet mode. See Editing
Footstep Timing on page 4876.

Biped Key Adaptation
When you move, rotate, delete, bend, or scale active footsteps, character studio
automatically alters biped keys to account for changes in balance and motion.
This change is called adaptation on page 9084. For information on how
adaptation occurs, see Editing Active Footsteps on page 4881.

Editing Footstep Timing
You can edit footstep timing in Track View.
Footstep keys have their own display in Track View's Dope Sheet mode.
Footstep keys are displayed as blocks of color, each indicating a period of time
when one of the biped's feet is in a footstep.

4876 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Footsteps in Track View

The footstep key colors match the colors of footstep icons in viewports. Just
as with footstep icons, inactive footsteps are brightly colored, while active
footsteps are displayed with pale colors.
The footstep key display relates directly to the different states on page 4873 the
leg and foot can be in at any given time. The left edge of each footstep key
indicates the foot is in the Touch state, while the right edge indicates the Lift
state. The duration of the footstep key between Touch and Lift indicates the
time the foot is in the Plant state. The space between footstep keys indicates
a time when the foot is completely out of a footstep, a Move state.
You can change footstep timing in Track View by:
■

Moving footstep keys to an earlier or later time.

■

Moving footstep keys to change the time relationships between footsteps.

■

Changing the lengths of footstep keys.

■

Deleting footstep keys.

You must select footstep keys before you can change their timing.

Selecting Footsteps for Time Editing
Selecting footstep keys is the same as selecting footstep icons; when one is
selected, the other is selected as well. Footstep keys can be selected in a number
of ways for editing in Track View.

Biped | 4877

NOTE
■

To select footsteps, you must have Footstep Mode turned on.

Select footsteps in viewports as you would any 3ds Max object. Click a
footstep to select it, and hold down the Ctrl key and click additional
footsteps to select them. You can also draw a selection box around footsteps
to select them.
Selecting footsteps also selects the footsteps in Track View. A selected
footstep in Track View has a white border and a dot on both the left and
right edges of the footstep key.

Footstep key selected in Track View

■

Click the center of a footstep key in Track View to select it. Hold down the
Ctrl key and click the center of additional footstep keys to select multiple
footsteps.

■

To select several footsteps at once, draw a selection box around the footstep
keys in Track View.

■

You can also select one edge of a footstep key by clicking the left or right
edge in Track View. A single white dot appears at the selected edge. You
can change the duration of the footstep by increasing or decreasing the
length of the key on the selected edge.

Left edge of footstep key selected in Track View

■

To select an edge, right-click the footstep track in Track View to display
the Footstep Mode dialog on page 5144. Select one or more footstep keys,
and use the controls in the Footstep Edge Selection group to select an edge.

4878 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing Footstep Timing
Editing the timing of footsteps is a simple matter of moving selected footsteps
or selected edges in time.
Moving an entire footstep changes the time at which it starts and ends, but
not its duration. Moving a footstep edge changes the duration of the footstep.

Restrictions on Footstep Time Editing
The timing for both active and inactive footsteps can be changed. Editing
timing for active footsteps also changes keys for the center of mass and leg
keys, but not the spine, arm or tail keys. This can cause the resulting animation
to look different from the way you intended. For this reason, you might prefer
to deactivate footsteps before editing timing. See Deactivating Footsteps on
page 4870.
When editing footstep timing in Track View, the following limitations apply
to both inactive and active footsteps:
■

There must be at least one frame between footstep keys for the same foot.

■

Footstep keys cannot start in negative frames.

■

Every footstep must be at least two frames long.

■

If you want to add footstep keys, use the tools on the Footstep Creation
rollout. See Creating Footsteps Automatically on page 4864 and Creating
Footsteps Manually on page 4865.

■

Footsteps cannot be cloned.

■

To scale time of footsteps and body keys together, you can use
Scale Time on the Track View toolbar.
WARNING Do not use the Re-scale Time option in the Time Configuration
dialog to scale an animation that contains active footsteps. If you do so, biped
keys might not adapt appropriately. Instead, use Scale Time on the Track View
toolbar.

If you attempt to perform an illegal footstep timing change in Track View, an
error message appears and the footstep timing pattern returns to the state it
was in before you made edits.

Biped | 4879

See also:
■

Adjusting Body Keys in Track View on page 4887

Procedures
To display footstep keys in Track View:
1 Choose Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View - Dope Sheet.
2 If necessary, expand the Objects listing to display footstep keys.
To move selected footsteps in time:
■

In Track View, drag any selected footstep key to drag all selected footstep
keys in time.

To change the duration of a footstep:
1 In Track View, click the left or right edge of a footstep key.
In addition to a white border, a small white dot appears to indicate the
edge is selected.
2 Drag the selected edge to make the footstep key longer or shorter.
You can adjust a selection of multiple footsteps this way.
You can also adjust any combination of left edge, right edge, and center
selections. Dragging in Track View adjusts any combination of edge or
center selection.
To change the display of numbers of footstep keys:
1 In Track View, right-click the footstep track to display the Footstep Mode
Dialog on page 5144.
2 Choose the values to display from the Footstep Number Display group.
To scale keys in time:

1 On the Track View toolbar, click

(Scale Time).

2 In the Track View window, click and drag to indicate the beginning and
end of the time period you want to scale.

4880 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

3 Move the cursor over the selection region until a scale cursor appears.
Drag to the left to reduce time, or drag to the right to increase time.

Editing Active Footsteps
One of the most powerful features of footsteps is the ability to adapt keyframes
automatically to edits you make to your footstep pattern. By analogy, the
footsteps become a kind of gizmo on page 9177 for manipulating the keyframes
of your character's animation. In most cases, edits you make to footsteps act
upon your keys in an intuitive fashion.
In order to understand what happens when active footsteps are edited, you
must first understand what happens to biped keys when footsteps are activated.
See Understanding Footstep and Body Keys on page 4873.

Key Adaptation for Footstep Placement Edits
When you move or rotate active footsteps as described in Editing Footstep
Placement on page 4875, the biped's keys are immediately influenced by the
edit. The following keyframe tracks are influenced in the vicinity of the edited
footsteps:
■

Body Horizontal keys change to step or hop within range of new footstep
locations

■

Body Vertical keys change to match possible changes in stride length, since
the center of mass must move lower to step longer distances

■

Body Turning (Body Rotation) keys change to bank into turns created by
changes in path curvature or body speed

■

Right or left leg keys in a Move state (when the leg is not in a footstep) are
adapted to step between new locations

Other keys are preserved in the adaptation process. For example, if you animate
the body to kneel while turned to the right, altering a nearby footstep will
maintain the biped's height and turning motion as much as possible.

Key Adaptation for Footstep Timing Edits
To edit active footsteps in time, follow the methods described in Editing
Footstep Timing on page 4876. Keyframes affected by the edit are updated
immediately.

Biped | 4881

A fundamental factor in how your keyframes are adapted is whether the
sequence of leg support transitions has changed. Changing the relationship
between opposite leg keys effectively changes the gait, which causes entirely
new keyframes to be generated at that point.
■

If you move footstep keys in such a way that you remove an overlap or
create a new overlap between opposite legs, you have changed the gait,
and new keys will be generated for legs.

■

If you do not change the overlap relationship between opposite legs,
existing legs keys are retained.

WARNING Editing a jumping sequence so that the feet hit or leave the ground
slightly out of phase rather than at the same time introduces a change in the leg
support sequence. Hence, even in this case, the leg keys will be locally replaced
with default keys.
NOTE If you scale the biped's feet in Figure mode after activating footsteps, then
turn off Figure mode, character studio will recalculate the footstep display size
and the footstep dynamics automatically.

Locking Keys
You can lock specified tracks to prevent them from adapting automatically
when you move active footsteps. The controls in the Footstep Adapt Locks
group on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page 5101 lock specified tracks.

Procedures
To prevent keys from changing when active footsteps are edited:

1 In the
Motion panel ➤ Dynamics & Adaptation rollout ➤
Footstep Adapt Locks group, select the types of keys you want to lock.

2

Move,

rotate,

scale, or bend active footsteps.

The tracks you lock are unaffected by footstep editing.

4882 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Splicing Footsteps
You can copy the motion of a biped footstep sequence, and paste it either at
the end or into the middle of another footstep sequence. This technique is
called splicing on page 9314.
You can use splicing to build an extended, or cyclic, motion sequence out of
shorter sequences. You can also copy footsteps from one biped and paste them
onto another biped with this technique.
Splicing footsteps makes use of a footstep buffer to store footstep positions and
keys. The buffer is a temporary area in memory where footsteps are stored.
TIP Use motion splicing when you want to edit segments of a single footstep-based
animation. To build longer animations by connecting finished BIP files, use Motion
Flow on page 5194 or the Motion Mixer on page 4038.
See also:
Footstep Operations Rollout on page 5124

■

Procedures
To copy footsteps to the buffer:
1 Turn on

2

(Footstep Mode).

Select a series of footsteps.

3 On the Footsteps Operations rollout, click

(Copy Footsteps).

To edit the footstep buffer:
You can edit the footstep buffer only when footsteps have been copied to the
buffer, as described in the previous procedure.
1 On the Biped rollout ➤ Modes group, click
(Buffer Mode). This
button is active only when there are footsteps in the buffer.
The viewports now display the footsteps in the footstep buffer, rather
than the footsteps in the currently activated footstep sequence.

Biped | 4883

2 Edit footsteps or motion keys as you normally would – by moving and
rotating footsteps, or turning on Auto Key and moving and rotating parts
of the biped skeleton.
NOTE You can’t splice (copy and paste) footsteps while in Buffer mode.
If you load a BIP file by clicking Load File on the Biped rollout while
Buffer mode is active, the footstep buffer is replaced with the motion in
the BIP file.

3 Click

Buffer Mode to turn it off.

Now you can splice the edited buffer by pasting footsteps.
To splice the footstep buffer:
1 On the Footstep Operations rollout, click

(Paste Footsteps).

The footsteps from the buffer appear in their saturated colors.

2 Click
(Select And Move) to position the first pasted footstep at the
point where you want to splice. When you move the first pasted footstep
over an activated footstep of the same side, right or left, the activated
footstep turns red to indicate splicing is possible.
This step is usually easiest to do in a Top viewport.
NOTE If you deselect the pasted footsteps by clicking elsewhere in a viewport,
no paste occurs and the pasting process ends.
3 When you have moved the buffer footsteps to the desired location, release
the mouse.
The contents of the footstep buffer are placed over the active footsteps.
The first footstep in the buffer replaces the footstep that turned red, and
the rest of the buffer footsteps follow.
4 The footstep that turned red and the remaining original footsteps now
appear in the viewports. They will be near the activated footsteps, in their
saturated colors. They can now be moved and pasted onto the end of the
spliced motion, which will, in effect, perform an insert of the buffer
motion. The red footstep and is following footsteps can also be pasted

4884 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

anywhere in the footstep sequence. If you pasted onto the last footstep,
this step does not occur.
If you don’t want to append the leftover footsteps, simply click anywhere
in the viewport to dismiss them.
WARNING If any footstep in the buffer overlaps in time with a footstep
previous to the one onto that you are pasting, a message appears and the
paste will not be performed.
TIP To create a cycle of a motion with alternating footsteps, you must copy
and paste at least three footsteps.

Animating Legs and Feet
When you activate footsteps, keys are created for the legs and feet according
to the footstep pattern and timing. Leg and foot keys are set at each Touch
and Lift frame, and between footsteps.
Although the parts of the leg (thigh, calf, foot, toes) can move and rotate
separately, one key dot appears on the Track Bar and in Track View for each
leg structure unless you have turned on separate tracks in the Keyframing
Tools rollout on page 5063.
When the foot is not in a footstep, you can move or delete keyframes, and
animate or reposition any part of the leg or foot. Simply turn on Auto Key
and move or rotate the leg or foot to its new position.

Animating Legs and Feet in Footsteps
The leg keys created at either end of each footstep are locked, meaning they
cannot be moved or deleted. You can, however, change the animation at these
frames, or add new keyframes within the timespan of the footstep key.
When the foot is in a footstep, you can animate or reposition the leg and foot
to some degree:
■

You can rotate the foot around its pivot point within the footstep.

■

You can animate the pivot point with the Select Pivot option in Key Info
rollout ➤ IK bar. See Animating Pivots on page 4949.

■

You cannot move a foot out of a footstep. If you do not want the foot to
be in the footstep at a particular frame, change the timespan of the footstep

Biped | 4885

key so it does not include that frame. See Editing Footstep Timing on page
4876.

Animating the Upper Body
When you use footsteps to animate the legs and feet, animating the spine,
neck, head, arms, and other upper body parts is accomplished in the same
way as for freeform animation. Simply turn on Auto Key and start moving
and rotating body parts. See Animating by Moving Links on page 4917 and
Animating by Rotating Links on page 4920.

You can also click the Set Key button on the Key Info rollout on page
5049 to set keys for selected body parts at the current frame. This option allows
you to move body parts as you like, setting keys only when you have decided
to do so.

WARNING
biped.

Do not use the 3ds Max Set Key button to set keys for the

Animation on the center of mass (COM) works differently, depending on
whether the biped is in a footstep at that particular frame.
■

If at least one foot is in a footstep, moving or rotating the COM will
animate the entire body along with the COM, except a foot that is in a
footstep. A foot in a footstep will stay planted in the footstep and the leg
will bend or straighten as the COM is moved up or down.

■

If the biped is airborne (no footsteps at that frame), the COM can be moved
horizontally and can be rotated, but cannot be moved vertically. This is
because character studio automatically calculates how high the biped can
go based on the biped's height and the current gravity setting. To make
the biped jump higher or lower during airborne periods, see Freeform
Animation Between Footsteps on page 4904.

Working with Existing Keys
Because keys are created for the spine, arms, and tail when footsteps are
activated, you will want to take care when creating new keyframes. As with
3ds Max animation, placing keyframes one or two frames apart creates jerking
or popping motions.

4886 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To avoid placing keyframes on upper body parts too close together, you can
do one of the following:

■

Turn on the 3ds Max
(Key Mode Toggle), select the body part, and
use Next Key and Previous Key to move in time from one keyframe to
another. Animate only on existing keyframes.

■

Delete all the body part keys except the key at frame 0, and create entirely
new keys throughout the animation.
WARNING If you delete all keys, including the key at frame 0, be sure to set
a key at frame 0 before animating on other frames. character studio does not
automatically place a key at frame 0 when you animate on frames other than
0, as 3ds Max does.

Interdependencies Between Legs and Upper Body
When footstep animation is used, animation of the upper body and animation
of the legs are interdependent. Any time you change the position of the body's
center of mass, leg positions are automatically updated to ensure the feet still
move from footstep to footstep.
Interdependencies between the upper body and legs are updated after a key
has been set, sometimes causing the appearance of a pop in the leg position.
However, in playing the animation you will find the motion to be smooth.
When you set a leg key while the foot is on the ground, the location of the
foot is automatically recalculated based on the natural roll of the foot from
its point of initial contact with the ground. The pivot points are based on
collisions between the footstep plane, the two corners of the heel, and the
bones that connect the toes' links.
This ability to preserve interdependent relationships allows you easily to
experiment and improvise with motion, since you are assured that edits to
one body part will not corrupt the integrity of other parts.
In general, changes to the center of mass, spine, and pelvis cause the legs to
adjust. Changes to the legs do not affect the center of mass's vertical position.

Adjusting Body Keys in Track View
When you activate footsteps, keys are created for biped body parts. After
activating footsteps, you can also create keys by turning on Auto Key and

Biped | 4887

animating body parts. All these keys can be viewed in Track View – Dope Sheet
mode.
In general, editing biped body keys in Track View is the same as editing keys
of any sort in 3ds Max, with a few restrictions.
Before reading this section, please read Understanding Footstep and Body Keys
on page 4873 for terms and definitions used in this section.
NOTE The information in this section applies only to biped body keys for the arms,
legs, spine, neck, and other parts of the upper body. For rules for editing footstep
keys, see Editing Footstep Timing on page 4876.

Locked Keys
Some biped keys are locked, meaning they cannot be moved in time. Locked
keys are colored red in Track View.
Locked keys for the COM Body Vertical track are created at each footstep's lift
and touch frames. These are the only keys that are locked. These keys can be
moved in time by changing footstep duration in Track View.
Although you cannot move or delete a locked key in Track View, you can
sometimes change the animation on the frame by going to the frame, turning
on Auto Key and manually animating the key.

Restrictions on Biped Body Key Editing
All options available for editing biped body key timing are available only when
Edit Keys on the Track View toolbar is turned on.
The following rules apply to the editing biped body key timing in Track View:
■

You cannot move existing keys outside the area between the first and last
footsteps, or to negative frames.

■

You can use Add Keys to add keys to any biped body track. You cannot
add keys outside the area between the first and last footsteps, or to negative
frames.

■

You can clone keys the same way you clone 3ds Max object keys, by
selecting keys and holding down Shift as you drag them. You can also clone
keys by copying and pasting postures. See Copying and Pasting Postures
and Poses on page 4958.

■

The Track View – Curve Editor can be used to view and edit curves showing
the interpolation between body keys. You can also use the Workbench to

4888 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

analyze, edit and fix biped motion curves. See Working with the
Workbench on page 5162.
■

You can use Scale Keys to scale selected keys, except for locked keys.

TIP If you want to animate a biped performing movements with its upper body
while standing, extend the length of the standing footsteps to cover the length
of the standing animation, then add keys for the upper body.
See also:
■

Animating the Upper Body on page 4886

Shifting the Biped's Balance
After footsteps are activated, you can adjust the biped's overall balance.
There are two ways to adjust the biped’s balance:
■

In the Biped rollout on page 5010, turn on
move the biped's COM, or

(Rubber Band Mode) and

■

Change or animate the Balance Factor parameter in the Key Info rollout
on page 5049.

Rubber-Banding the COM
When Rubber Band mode is active, you can move the biped's center of mass
in relation to the rest of the body, changing the biped's overall balance.
Rubber-banding the center of mass defines your character's balance point in
at-rest pose and in any resulting motion.
When a character is standing at rest, with feet side by side, the center of mass
should be directly above the area where the feet touch the ground. The center
of mass determines the center of your character's distribution of weight. For
most characters, the physical center of mass is located near the pelvis.
Typical placements for the center of mass are:
■

Characters that stand erect, such as humanoids, use the default location
of the center of mass within the pelvis.

Biped | 4889

■

Characters that naturally lean forward, such as some dinosaurs and birds,
should have the center of mass moved slightly forward of the pelvis. This
is also good for robots and droid soldiers.

■

Characters that are holding a heavy weight out in front of them, or
overweight characters, might need their center of mass moved slightly
forward of the pelvis.

■

Characters that are pushing or pulling objects might need their center of
mass moved slightly behind the pelvis.
NOTE If you place the center of mass too far in front of the pelvis, the character
unnaturally compensates for balance. As each step is taken, the legs and body
move in an awkward fashion, as if there was an invisible weight attached to
the front of the character.

4890 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Center of mass moved behind the biped in rubber-band mode

Biped | 4891

Center of mass moved in front of the biped in rubber-band mode

For a tutorial that uses this technique, see “Creating the Illusion of Weight”.

Balance Factor
The balance factor on page 9101 is an animatable parameter that determines
how the biped's hips and spine will compensate when the biped bends forward
or backward.

4892 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The balance factor determines the degree and direction in which the head
and/or hips swing out from their original vertical alignments when the biped
bends over.

Results when balance factor is set to 0.0, 1.0 and 2.0 before the spine is animated to
make the biped bend over.

The Balance Factor parameter can have any value from 0 to 2:
■

When Balance Factor is 1 (the default value) and you rotate the spine
forward, both the hips and head swing out from their original vertical
alignment to a similar degree to compensate for the shift in weight. This
value is suitable for times when the biped leans forward while standing.

■

When Balance Factor is 0 and you rotate the spine forward, the COM keeps
its original vertical alignment, and the head swings forward. There is no
movement in the hips to compensate for the shift in body weight. This
setting is good for animating a sitting biped who leans forward, to prevent
its hips from shifting backward. It can also work well for characters with
tails; the tail provides weight in back of the biped, so the hips don't have
to shift backward to compensate when the character bends over.

■

When Balance Factor is 2 and you rotate the spine forward, the head retains
its original vertical alignment while the COM swings backward. The hips
compensate strongly for the shift in body weight. This setting can be useful
for violent or acrobatic motions.

Biped | 4893

In order to affect the animation, the balance factor must be set before you
animate the biped. The balance factor can be animated to give the biped
different reactions to bending motions over the course of the animation.
The Balance Factor parameter appears in the Key Info rollout ➤ Body section.

Procedures
To set the balance factor:

1 On the
turned on.

Motion panel, turn off

(Footstep Mode) if it is

NOTE The Key Info rollout is accessible only when Footstep Mode is turned
off.
2 Expand the Body bar on the Key Info rollout.
3 Go to the frame where you want to set the Balance Factor.
4 Click

(Body Horizontal) to select this track on page 9330.

5 If no Body Horizontal key exists at the frame where you want to set the
Balance Factor, create one by clicking Key Info rollout ➤

(Set Key).

6 Change the Balance Factor parameter.
There is no need to click Set Key again after setting the Balance Factor
parameter.

7

Rotate the biped's spine.
The biped's hips and/or head shift position based on the Balance Factor
value.

Adjusting Vertical Motion
A ballistic gait is any footstep pattern in which there are periods with no feet
on the ground, causing the biped to become airborne, or ballistic. Running
and jumping are ballistic gaits, while walking is not.

4894 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When Biped Dynamics is turned on in the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout
on page 5101 and you activate footsteps, the Body Vertical keys that are
automatically generated during a ballistic gait period will take gravity and
landing speed into account. The parameters described in this section affect
Body Vertical keys created in this manner.

Airborne Dynamics
With footsteps, each airborne period always begins and ends with Body
Horizontal and Body Vertical keys. These keys define the position of the biped
at lift-off and touchdown.
When the biped is airborne and Biped Dynamics is turned on, the vertical
motion is governed by physically based dynamics. Its airborne trajectory is
based on the current gravity setting, the height of the Body Vertical key at
lift-off and touchdown, and the amount of time in the air.
By default, there is no Body Vertical key at the peak of the biped's trajectory;
the biped's peak airborne height is calculated and enforced automatically. You
cannot, for example, set a Body Vertical key at the peak of an airborne
trajectory and move the biped up or down. If you attempt to do so, the biped
will snap back to its original airborne height. Although this will cause a Body
Vertical key on page 4873to appear on the Track Bar and in Track View, the key
will have no effect on the biped's airborne height.

Gravity and Timing
In reality, the length of time a person, animal or insect stays in the air during
a jump is based on two factors:
■

How high the creature jumps, which in turn is based on how hard the
creature pushes with its legs at the start of the jump. The creature's weight
has no bearing on the height of the jump, except to affect its ability to
give a good push at the start. A very light character might be taken by the
wind and thus stay in the air longer, but that circumstance is not part of
the gravitational equation.

■

The gravitational pull of the planet from which the creature jumps.

From these two factors, you can calculate how long the creature will stay in
the air. You can also perform this calculation backward; if you know how long
the creature was in the air and the gravitational equation for the planet, you
can figure out how high it jumped.

Biped | 4895

Jump height increases with time in air

character studio uses the latter method for calculating the height of a biped's
jump. It knows from footstep timing how long the biped will be in the air,
and it has a method for determining the “gravitational pull” in your scene.
The default gravity setting in character studio is based on the standard equation
for calculating the Earth's gravitational pull, which is an acceleration of
approximately 32 feet/sec/sec. Because this equation depends on an accurate
measure of distance, the biped's height is used as a guide to actual distances
in the scene. For the purpose of gravitational computation, the biped is
considered to be about 5'10” tall, the average height for a male human being.
Of course, some of your characters will not be the same height as the average
man, so airborne periods between footsteps for these characters will appear
inaccurate, with the biped jumping too high or too low for your purposes.

4896 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

There are two solutions to this problem. You can change the amount of time
the character is airborne between footsteps (see Editing Footstep Timing on
page 4876), or you can accelerate gravity with the GravAccel parameter.

Accelerating Gravity
The GravAccel parameter on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page 5101
alters the degree of gravitational pull imposed on the biped during its airborne
periods between active footsteps.
The GravAccel default value is based on the standard calculation for the Earth's
gravity and its effects on a man of average height. When the GravAccel
parameter is increased, the effects of gravity are decreased, and the biped
jumps higher. The GravAccel parameter can be set separately for each biped
in the scene.

Biped | 4897

GravAccel values increase height of jump.
(Left=500, Middle=1000,Right=1500).

You can change GravAccel at any time during the animation process to affect
the biped's vertical airborne motion, both for keys already created and for
animation not yet created. This value cannot be animated; the current
GravAccel value is used throughout the biped's footstep sequence.
Changes to the GravAccel parameter have no effect whatsoever on the amount
of time the biped spends in the air.
TIP If you want to change GravAccel back to its default value but don't remember
what that was, you can find out by creating another biped of the same height
and noting its GravAccel value.

4898 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE If there is not enough gravitational acceleration or time in the air to account
for differences in vertical height (such as a biped falling from footsteps on a ledge
in slow motion), the biped is placed on the ground at the touchdown frame,
causing a discontinuity. You can fix this by either increasing GravAccel or increasing
the amount of time between footsteps in Track View. See Editing Footstep Timing
on page 4876.

Touch and Lift Dynamics
When footsteps are activated for a footstep pattern that includes airborne
periods, Body Vertical keys are set at each Touch and Lift keyframe.
Based on the time in the air and the biped's height, character studio calculates
the height to which the biped will jump. From this, character studio figures
out how hard the biped's legs would have to push at the Lift frame to reach
this height, and how much the legs would have to bend to absorb the force
of the landing at the Touch frame. Body Vertical keys are set at the Lift and
Touch frames accordingly.
You can adjust the timing of touch and lift dynamics by:
■

Changing Body Vertical keys at the Touch and Lift frames.

■

Setting, changing or deleting Body Vertical keys during a footstep.

■

Changing the stiffness or springiness of the biped's legs at Touch and Lift
frames with the Ballistic Tension parameter.

Ballistic Tension
Ballistic tension refers to the stiffness or springiness of the biped's landing at
the end of a jump, or takeoff at the start of a jump. The Ballistic Tension
parameter on page 5049 changes the biped's motion only when it is set for
footsteps immediately preceding or following an airborne period.
You can edit the Ballistic Tension parameter only at Body Vertical keyframes
where the body touches down (a Touch key) or lifts off (a Lift key). On the
Motion panel Track Selection rollout on page 5029, Body Vertical must be selected
and a key must be present at the current frame. With footsteps, a Body Vertical
key is always set automatically at the landing footstep's Touch frame and the
takeoff footstep's Lift frame.
Ballistic Tension can range from 0 to 1, with 0.5 as the default value. Increasing
Ballistic Tension to 1.0 makes the legs stiffer at takeoff or landing. Decreasing
the tension to 0.0 makes the legs springier and less stiff.

Biped | 4899

Ballistic tension determines springiness of landing.
(Left = 0.0, Right = 1.0)

Dynamics Blend
The Dynamics Blend parameter in the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on
page 5101 determines whether biped dynamics or spline dynamics will be used
during airborne periods.
With biped dynamics on page 9106, the height and trajectory of the biped during
airborne periods is determined by gravity calculations and other biped-specific
information.
With spline dynamics on page 9315, the airborne height and trajectory are not
set for you automatically; you must set them manually with keyframes.

4900 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When Dynamics Blend is set to 1, biped dynamics are used. At 0, spline
dynamics are used. You can animate this value to switch between the two
during your animation.

Procedures
To locate vertical center of mass keys:

1

Select any part of the biped and go to the

2 On the Track Selection rollout, click

Motion panel.

(Body Vertical).

3 Use
(Next Key) and
(Previous Key) on the Key Info rollout to jump
to the next or previous center of mass Body Vertical keyframes.
TIP If the selected vertical COM key is a touchdown key from an airborne
period, you can change the Ballistic Tension parameter on the Key Info rollout
to control knee bend. Turn on Trajectories on the Display rollout to view how
changing parameters affects the trajectory.

To set a Body Vertical key:
1 On the Track Selection rollout, click

2 Turn on

(Body Vertical).

(Auto Key).

3 On the main toolbar, click

(Select And Move).

4 Click and drag the center of mass up or down in the viewports.
The biped is repositioned vertically, a key is created in the center of mass
Body Vertical track.
To set ballistic tension:

1 On the Biped rollout, turn off

(Footstep Mode) if it is on.

Biped | 4901

2 On the Track Selection rollout,

click (Body Vertical).

3 Move to the Vertical track keyframe you want to adjust, either a Touch
or Lift key.
The Ballistic Tension parameter is available only on Touch and Lift keys.
4 In the Key Info rollout, expand the Body bar to access the Ballistic Tension
parameter.
5 Adjust the Ballistic Tension value.
Adjusting the ballistic tension changes the amount of crouch before a
jump, and the amount of dampening that occurs after landing.
To change Dynamics Blend for multiple Body Vertical keys:
1 Choose Graphs Editors menu ➤ Track View Dope Sheet.
2 Select all the Body Vertical keys you want to change.
3 Right-click over one of the selected keys to display the TCB dialog.
4 Change the value of Dynamics Blend in the TCB dialog. This changes it
for all selected keys.
NOTE This only affects the biped during airborne periods in a footstep
animation. Changing Dynamics Blend keys in a walk motion does not affect
the motion.

Saving Footstep Animation
After you have animated the biped with footsteps, you can save the data in
either a BIP file or an STP file.
■

A BIP file saves both the footsteps and any animation on the upper body.
You can save the entire footstep sequence, or just a portion of it.

■

An STP file saves just the footstep data. These files, in ASCII format, are
sometimes used by game developers to save just the leg and foot motion
data

To save a either type of file, click
(Save File) on the Biped rollout. Choose
the desired file type from the Save as type pulldown.

4902 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

For more detailed information on these file formats and how to work with
them, see Loading and Saving BIP Animation on page 4978 and Loading and
Saving STP Files on page 4986.

Footstep and Freeform Animation
character studio provides two distinct modes of animation, footstep and
freeform.
Footstep animation on page 9168 was originally designed for bipedal characters,
that is, characters that walk on two legs. It uses a structured system of dynamics
and balance to create secondary motion in the upper body, including arm
swinging and tail swaying that is automatically applied when footsteps are
used. By using default footsteps, you are assured that the biped's foot doesn't
slide or pass through the ground, and that the foot easily rolls from heel to
the ball of the foot as is common in a typical walk.
Freeform animation on page 9170 provides a more traditional method of
animating to those familiar with 3ds Max, or other character animation
systems. Keys are set by using the character studio Set Key tools found in the
Key Info rollout on page 5049, or by turning on Auto Key mode, moving the
time slider and transforming the biped parts.
Freeform animation includes preset key types called planted, sliding, and free
keys; these make it very quick to lock a biped's foot or hand in space and get
results similar to those of footstep animation.
You can add freeform animation to footstep animation during airborne periods,
making it possible to use both footstep and freeform animation on the same
biped.
Freeform animation is particularly useful for:
■

Animating a character with more than two legs.

■

Animating a biped switching between foot-based motion and freeform
motion, such as a biped doing handstands, jumping into a swimming pool,
or leaping up to begin flying through the air.

Freeform animation also provides animated pivot points on the feet and hands.
This makes it possible for you to simulate the roll of a foot from heel to toe,
or create detailed finger animation.
You can convert back and forth between footstep and freeform animation
within some limitations. While it is easy to convert any footstep animation

Biped | 4903

to freeform, there are limitations on the conversion from freeform animation
to footsteps.
Because of these limitations, a common workflow is to use footstep animation
to rough out the animation, then convert to freeform to finalize the motions.
The totally freeform animation is not bound by the rules of the footstep
method, so it's easy to do anything you want, such as add keys at the beginning
or end of the clip.
See also:
■

Footstep Animation on page 4853

■

Freeform Animation on page 4910

Freeform Animation Between Footsteps
For certain types of footstep animation, it is necessary to suspend calculations
of gravitational effects on the biped.
For example, if you want the biped to run, dive into a pool then climb out of
the pool, you would create footsteps for the running and climbing portions
of the animation but not the swimming portion. When you activate footsteps,
the biped will become airborne during the swimming period, jumping high
in the air between the running and climbing footsteps.
If you don't suspend gravity during the airborne period, you won't be able to
change the biped's Body Vertical position to bring it down and place it in the
pool. For more information on how the biped behaves during airborne periods
between footsteps, see Adjusting Vertical Motion on page 4894.
To suspend gravity during an airborne period, you can create a freeform period
in your animation. During a freeform period, you can animate the biped in
freeform mode, which includes positioning the biped anwhere in the scene
regardless of the length of the airborne period.
The Track View - Dope Sheet editor is used to insert a freeform period between
footsteps. During a freeform period, vertical dynamics (gravitational effects)
are suspended, and Body Vertical keys use spline dynamics on page 9315 instead.
See also:
■

Track View (Biped) on page 5148

4904 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To convert an airborne period to freeform mode:
1 Create a footstep animation with at least one airborne period, and activate
the footsteps. For the simplest method of creating a footstep pattern with
an airborne period, see Creating Footsteps Automatically on page 4864.
2 Access Track View by choosing Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View Dope Sheet from the 3ds Max menu.
3 Expand the footstep key display for the biped.
4 Right-click the footstep key display area. The Footstep Mode dialog
appears.

5 In the Footstep Mode dialog, choose the Edit Free Form (no physics)
option.
In each airborne period in Track View, a hollow yellow box appears.

Biped | 4905

6 In the Track View footstep key display, click inside the yellow box for
the airborne period for which you want to suspend gravity. This fills the
yellow box, indicating that vertical dynamics are suspended for that
period.

7

Play the animation. The biped uses vertical dynamics during all
footstep motions except the freeform period.

4906 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Biped | 4907

No vertical dynamics during freeform period, then return to vertical dynamics
during next airborne period.

NOTE If you activate footsteps after a freeform period has been set between
footsteps, the biped might skip footsteps at one end of the freeform period.
For this reason, you should activate footsteps before setting up a freeform
period.
8 During the freeform period, animate the biped and set keyframes as you
like.
To edit footstep timing after creating a freeform period, you must choose
the Edit Footsteps option in the Footstep Mode dialog.

Converting Between Footstep and Freeform Animations
There might be times when you want to convert a footstep animation to a
freeform animation, or vice versa. This can occur when someone gives you

4908 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

an animation file that's animated in one mode, while you prefer to work in
the other.
Animators tend to develop a preference for either freeform or footstep
animation. The ability to convert between the two means you can work in
either format without concern for compatibility with other artists.
Using the Convert tool on the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout on page
5010, you can convert between footstep and freeform animation.
There are no special considerations when converting from footsteps to
freeform; this procedure works for all footstep sequences. However, to convert
successfully from freeform to footstep animation, you must observe certain
rules in order for footsteps to be generated.

Converting from Freeform to Footsteps
When converting from freeform to footsteps, footsteps are generated for a
foot only during periods between two planted keys. In other words, the
conversion process looks for times when a foot has two consecutive, identical
keys with an IK Blend setting of 1 and Object space selected. In this case, a
footstep icon is placed at the foot's location, with the duration of the footstep
set by the time between the two identical keys. This is the only condition
under which foosteps are generated.
If converting freeform animation to footsteps does not create the expected
result, your freeform animation might need adjustment prior to conversion.
See Using IK Keyframe Parameters on page 4937 for information on setting
freeform planted keys.
If your freeform motion hasn't been prepared with planted keys for converting
to footsteps, you can convert it to footsteps by loading it as a motion capture
file and specifying footsteps as the extraction method. This technique uses a
different method to determine footstep location and duration, and so can
sometimes successfully convert to footsteps where the Convert command
cannot. See Importing Motion-Capture Data on page 5266.

Procedures
To convert between footsteps and freeform animation:

1 On the

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, click

(Convert).

Biped | 4909

Depending on which is the current animation method, either the Convert
to Freeform dialog on page 5142 or the Convert to Footsteps dialog on page
5142 appears.
2 Change settings in the dialog as necessary, and click OK.
If you're converting to freeform animation, the footstep patterns are
removed from the viewport, gravity and dynamics are removed, and
footstep mode is disabled. You are now working with a purely freeform
animation.
If you're converting to footsteps, and the operation is successful, footsteps
appear in the viewport, biped dynamics on page 9106 is turned on, and
Footstep mode is enabled.

Freeform Animation
While character studio calculates vertical dynamics and gravity based on its
footstep-driven technology, you don’t always want your character strictly
under these controls. You might want the character to fly, swim, or to do
something improbable in a physical world. For these situations, Biped supports
a comprehensive set of freeform animation controls that allow you to take
total creative control over your character's pose, movement, and timing.

Freeform animation of a biped swimming

character studio gives you the option to animate characters using freeform
mode exclusively, or to create freeform periods during a footstep animation.

4910 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

In freeform mode (without footsteps), you can pose every joint of your
character exactly as you like using traditional keyframe methods. Hands and
feet can be locked down in space by setting planted keys. You can also animate
the pivot points for hands and feet to simulate rolling motion. You can blend
dynamically between forward kinematics and inverse kinematics to introduce
higher-level control.
To use freeform animation in Footstep mode, you create freeform periods
between footsteps using Track View – Dope Sheet. You can convert an existing
footstep animation into a freeform animation and back again. This lets you
mix the use of footstep and freeform methods.
WARNING You can't add a freeform period at the beginning or end of a footstep
animation.
TIP If you want to do this, stretch out the timing for the first or last set of footsteps,
then convert the footstep animation to freeform.

Freeform Method
A freeform animation contains no footsteps; instead it relies on the transforms
of the biped body objects and center of mass. Use Freeform for motions like
swimming or falling where footsteps are not necessary. If you are a familiar
with creating all of your keyframes manually to animate a character, you may
want to use the freeform method exclusively.
To start a freeform animation, turn on Auto Key and start positioning the
biped. You can also leave Auto Key off and use the red set key buttons on the
Key Info rollout on page 5049 to create keyframes.
You can also create freeform animation by importing motion capture data
and choosing freeform rather than footstep.
TIP Take advantage of both methods by combining footsteps and freeform
animation. You can create a freeform period for any airborne period between
footsteps. A freeform period replaces the ballistic motion calculated using the
GravAccel value with a user defined spline motion.
If you are using footstep extraction with motion capture data, you often need
a freeform interval to accommodate falling or tumbling motion in the data.
The Fit to Existing option on the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters
dialog allows for a combination of both methods. Extracting footsteps from
motion capture files eliminates sliding feet, a common problem with motion
capture data.

Biped | 4911

Note that while you can add a freeform period to a footstep animation, you
cannot add a footstep period into a freeform animation. If you want to add a
footstep animation to an existing freeform, you can use the motion flow editor
to create a script that sequences the footstep with the freeform.

Inverse Kinematics
Footstep and freeform animations use the same inverse kinematics on page
9196 constraints and extensions. This means that in a footstep animation, you
can now edit keys to change footstep duration. By definition, a footstep is the
start and end of a sequence of IK constraints in World Space with an IK Blend
value greater than 0. Deleting and inserting keys or changing IK space or IK
blending alters footstep duration.
In cases involving edits that alter the length of ballistic intervals (when a biped
is airborne), character studio ensures that there is a vertical key occurring at
the lift-off and touchdown frames. This calculates the correct ballistic motion,
so vertical keys are automatically inserted if not present.
There are three types of IK keys you can create: planted, sliding and free keys.
■

Planted keys have an IK Blend of 1. They are joined to the Previous IK Key
and are in Object space, rather than Body space. Planted keys lock the foot
or hand to the ground, or to any object.

■

Sliding keys have moving IK constraints. Sliding footsteps are created if
there is a moved IK constraint occurring in the footstep interval. In a
footstep animation this means that the foot can be placed anywhere, even
though there is a footstep icon. Footstep icons can be thought of as gizmos
rather than the absolute location of a foot. Sliding keys have an IK blend
of 1, and are in object space, but are not joined to the previous IK key.

■

Free keys have an IK blend of 0, and are in body space. They are not joined
to the previous IK key. Free keys have no IK constraint.

IK constraints are implemented with a pivot-based system. This allows you to
pivot a hand or foot around a selected pivot. For example, in a walking motion
you can select a pivot on the heel of a foot and rotate the foot around it,. You
can then shift the pivot to the ball of the foot.

Procedures
To create a purely freeform animation:
1 Create a biped.

4912 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

2 Drag the time slider to any given frame, then do one of the following:

■

Turn on
(Auto Key), then
move or
any biped component. This sets a key for that component.

rotate

■

Pose any part of the biped, then on the Key Info rollout, click
(Set Key).

■

Pose the hands and feet and then on the Key Info rollout, click
(Set Planted Key). This will create keys that cause the hands or feet to
stick in space.
For more information on setting keys, see Setting Keys for Feet and
Hands on page 4948.

NOTE character studio doesn't behave the same as 3ds Max when creating
keys. It doesn't automatically create keys at frame 0 when you create your
first set of keys at a later frame. For this reason, it's often useful to select all
the parts of the biped at frame 0, then click Set Key to creating holding keys
for all.

To create a freefrom animation from a footstep animation:
1 Select the biped whose footstep animation you want to convert to
freeform.

2 On the

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, click

(Convert).

A Convert To Freeform dialog is displayed. Click OK.
Don't turn on Generate A Keyframe Per Frame unless you have a good
reason to do so. Having a keyframe on every frame makes animation
editing much more complex. Use this only if you are losing motion
quality through a conversion process.

Biped | 4913

Creating Freeform Animation
The topics in this section deal with the creation of freeform animation for
bipeds.

Selecting Biped Tracks
To animate your character with freeform methods, you need to know how to
select the body part you want to animate, as well as the type of movement
you want to affect for that part of the body.3ds Max and Biped provide a
number of different methods for selecting and moving these animation tracks.
Several involve using the 3ds Max Track View, a powerful environment for
viewing and managing the geometry and motion data in your scene.
For each biped body part, motion data is viewable in Track View or on the
track bar. Once you've selected the biped object, using one of the methods
described below, you can see its associated motion data on the track bar or
displayed in the Transform branch for that object in Track View.
Biped lets you expand and collapse certain animation tracks to give you more
control over your character's movement as you set keyframes. For example,
tracks for body parts in the arms can be animated using five separate tracks
for maximum control.
You can also collapse these tracks for simplicity, and use a single key to pose
the entire arm. Tracks can be expanded or collapsed in this way for the arms,
legs, ponytails, neck, tail, and spine.
In 3ds Max, you have the ability to display the motion data as function curves.
You can see and manipulate function curves either in the Track View – Curve
Editor, or by using the Workbench on page 5169. The Workbench provides
specialized tools for analyzing and fixing motion problems found in the curves.
For fast track selection, you can also use the Track Selection rollout. These
buttons let you quickly select the motion tracks for the horizontal and vertical
movement of the biped center of mass, as well as selection of opposite limbs,
or symmetrical limbs. Biped is unique in the way it separates the tracks for
the center of mass into three tracks (one each for vertical, horizontal, and
rotation).
See also:
■

Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout on page 5101

■

Track Selection Rollout on page 5029

4914 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Track View (Biped) on page 5148

Selecting Tracks from the Track Selection Rollout
The center of mass has three separate animation tracks, two for motion and
one for rotation. These tracks can be selected on the Track Selection rollout
on page 5029:
■

Body Horizontal

■

Body Vertical

■

Body Rotation (selects the Body Turning track)

Selecting Tracks with the Select By Name Tool
You can navigate to and select tracks for a given object using the text-entry
field next to the Zoom Selected Object in Track View. Type the object name
in the text field, using wildcards as necessary, and then press Enter.

Selecting Tracks from the Track View
You can navigate to a given object simply by traversing the Biped hierarchy
in the Track View hierarchy window.
Note that child objects in the hierarchy are nested below parent objects. You
may need to open several parent objects to get to the nested object you want.
The biped tracks are grouped as follows:
■

Center of Mass

■

Footsteps

■

Pelvis (branch1) Spine, Neck (branch), Head, Ponytail.

■

Pelvis (branch2) Thigh, Calf, Foot, Toes.

■

Pelvis (branch3) Tail.

■

Neck (branch 1), Head

■

Neck (branch 2), Clavicle, UpperArm, Forearm, Hand, Fingers.

Biped | 4915

Each of these tracks can be seen in Track View, expanded trackbar and
Workbench.
Note that the hands and fingers are grouped with the arms, and the fingers
and toes are grouped with the legs.
The body's translation keys are separated into vertical and horizontal tracks.

Procedures
To access Track View, do one of the following:

■

On the 3ds Max toolbar, click

(Curve Editor (Open)).

■

Select any biped object, then right-click and choose Curve Editor.
The hierarchy list automatically displays the track of the selected biped
object.

■

Choose Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View - Curve Editor.

To select from the screen:
1 Place the cursor over the biped link whose tracks you want to examine.
Use zoom controls, as necessary.
2 Pause over a part of the biped, and a tool-tip appears, informing you
which object is at the cursor position.
3 Click to select the biped link.
TIP Another feedback device is available once you've made your selection.
The selected object's name is displayed in the topmost field in the Modify,
Hierarchy, Motion, and Display panels.

4 On the Track View, click

(Zoom Selected Object).

The Track View hierarchy window repositions to show the selected object
at the top of the window display. Nested below the object's name are the
animation, or transform, tracks for that object, if any exist for the current
motion.

4916 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE By default, all keys for arm objects are in the Clavicle track, and all
keys for leg objects are in the Thigh track. If you select a biped foot and click
Zoom Selected Object, you may need to scroll up the Track View hierarchy
to view the Thigh track transform keys. These keys also store foot transforms.
TIP Use controls in the Separate Tracks area of the Keyframing Tools rollout
on page 5063 if you prefer transform tracks for individual objects.

To display footstep tracks:
1 Select any biped with footstep animation.

2 On the
Mode).

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

(Footstep

3 Right-click in the viewport and choose Curve Editor.
4 On the Track View menu bar, choose Modes ➤ Dope Sheet.
5 Click any footstep in the viewport and the hierarchy list navigates to the
Footstep track.

Animating by Moving Links
Use the standard 3ds Max Move transform to move biped links.
As shown in the table below, there are two types of movements you can apply
to a biped link:
■

General Move – When you select and move the center of mass object, it
and all of its children move; that is, the entire biped moves. When you
move the center of mass and one or more legs are planted on the ground
with IK constraints (IK Blend=1.0), the Biped tries to maintain the legs'
planted position while the body moves.

■

Inverse Kinematics – Applies to all parts of the arms, legs, fingers, and toes,
except the clavicles. If you attempt to move a hand or foot beyond the
biped's kinematic limit, the arm or leg straightens out and moves as far as
possible in the direction you drag.

Biped | 4917

The pelvis, head, neck, non-base spine links, and non-base tail links cannot
be moved. They can only be rotated, although they move when their parent
moves.
When you select multiple biped parts and move them, the move applies only
to selected biped parts that have no selected ancestors. For example, when
the entire biped is selected, only its center of mass object is moved. When all
of the finger joints are selected, the bases of all the fingers are moved.

4918 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP You can select the children of a hierarchy by double-clicking the parent.
To quickly select and move a biped and its entire animation to a new location in
space, use Move All mode on page 5010.
Biped provides controls to help you give both arms or both legs the same pose.
See Copy/Paste Rollout on page 5071 for more information.
Biped Link

Link Name

Keyframe Mode

Figure Mode

Center of mass

Bip01 (default)

Positions entire
biped

Positions entire
biped

Pelvis

Pelvis

Does not move

Does not move

Head

Head

Does not move

Does not move

Neck

Neck

Does not move

Does not move

Spine Base

Spine

Does not move

Positions upper
body relative to
lower body

Tail Base

Tail

Does not move

Positions tail relative to body

Ponytail

Ponytail1, 11, and
so on

Does not move

Positions ponytail
relative to body

Clavicles

R Clavicle, L
Clavicle

Do not move

Positions arms relative to body

Shoulders (upper
arm)

R UpperArm, L UpperArm

IK from shoulder

IK from shoulder

Elbows (lower arm)

R Forearm, L Forearm

IK from hand

IK from hand

Hands

R Hand, L Hand

IK from hand

IK from hand

Fingers

Finger 0, 01, and
so on

IK from finger

Positions finger relative to hand (if
base selected)

Biped | 4919

Biped Link

Link Name

Keyframe Mode

Figure Mode

Hips (upper leg)

R Thigh, L Thigh

IK from knee

IK from knee

Knees (lower leg)

R Calf, L Calf

IK from foot

IK from foot

Feet

R Foot, L Foot

IK from foot

IK from foot

Toes

Toe 0, 01, and so
on

IK from toe

Positions toe relative to foot (if base
selected)

Animating by Rotating Links
Use the standard 3ds Max Rotate transform to adjust a biped's posture
by rotating its links. Use the main toolbar button, or right-click and choose
Rotate from the quad menu.
To make biped movement appear natural, certain biped joints are limited in
how they can rotate, such as the elbows and knees. When a joint can rotate
in all three axes, X, Y, and Z, it is said to have three degrees of freedom (DOF).
A joint’s DOF can be modified by selecting it and then setting options on the
Locks on page 3824 rollout of the Hierarchy panel.
NOTE Changing a joint’s DOF will not replace its default DOF, meaning a locked
axis by default can not be unlocked manually.
The table below shows the degrees of freedom of each link. Biped allows a bit
greater freedom than most human bodies are capable of. All rotations are
performed in the local coordinate system.
TIP First select the link to rotate, then click Rotate. While the Motion panel is
active, Biped sets the transform managers to reflect the degrees of freedom of
that link. For example, if you select the pelvis and then click Rotate, Biped changes
the coordinate system to Local and turns on the Y axis constraint. (For joints that
have more than one degree of freedom, you might later need to change the axis
constraint setting.)
To rotate the biped pelvis in all three dimensions, refer to Pelvis as Ball Joint
on page 4922.

4920 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Biped Motion Constraints
Some biped parts have special-case conditions that govern how you can
transform them, as described in the table and sections that follow.
Biped Link

Link Name

Free Axes

Comments

Center of mass

Bip01 (default)

X, Y, Z

Rotates entire
biped

Pelvis

Pelvis

X, Y, Z

If feet are planted,
adjusts legs to keep
feet and toes above
ground

Head

Head

X, Y, Z

Neck

Neck

X, Y, Z

Neck orientation
does not affect
head orientation

Spine

Spine, Spine1-4

X, Y, Z

Spine rotation adjusts overall balance

Tail

Tail, Tail1-4

X, Y, Z

Clavicles

R Arm, L Arm

Y, Z

Shoulder orientation does not affect
clavicle orientation

Shoulders (upper
arm)

R UpperArm, L UpperArm

X, Y, Z

Rotating pivots
from shoulder to
wrist

Elbows (lower arm)

R Forearm, L Forearm

X, Z

Hinge plus special
rotation

Hips (upper leg)

R Thigh, L Thigh

X, Y, Z

Rotating pivots
from hip to ankle

Knees (lower leg)

R Calf, L Calf

X, Z

Hinge plus special
rotation

Biped | 4921

Biped Link

Link Name

Free Axes

Comments

Hands

R Hand, L Hand

X, Y, Z

Feet

R Foot, L Foot

X, Y, Z

If feet are planted,
adjusts legs to keep
feet and toes above
ground

Fingers

Finger0, 01, 02
Finger1, 11, 12,
amd so on

X, Y, Z

Finger bases have
three free axes;
other finger joints
have Z only

Toes

Toe0, 01, 02 Toe1,
11, 12, and so on

X, Y, Z

Toe bases have
three free axes;
other toe joints
have Z only

Pelvis as Ball Joint
The pelvis can be rotated in all three axes: X, Y, and Z. This ball joint provides
three degrees of freedom, improving the flexibility of animating with a biped,
because the pelvis gyrations are isolated from the center of mass (COM)
rotation. This causes the COM to assume a smoother trajectory, which also
influences the biped’s head and arms. As a result, they will look more natural
moving in the body’s COM rotational space.
It's important to be aware of the following behavioral changes resulting from
this:
■

The three-DOF pelvis motion is displayed as three separate Euler or
quaternion (TCB) function curves in the Curve Editor and Workbench.

■

Using key reduction on the biped’s spine produces improved results.

■

Rotations on the new pelvic axes (X and Z) are keyable in layers and
supported in MAXScript.

■

The default parametric footstep animation is slightly adjusted to use the
three-DOF pelvis.

■

If a legacy biped asset such as a BIP file is loaded onto the 3ds Max biped,
the pelvis-related data will be adapted to the new DOFs and the new
coordinate space within which the pelvis rotates.

4922 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Using the Motion Mixer or Motion Flow, assets containing new pelvic
rotation tracks will be blended with old assets lacking these tracks.

Special Rotation: Elbows and Knees
Elbows and Knees perform a special rotation when you rotate them about
their X axis. They don't actually rotate around their X axis; this does not make
sense because they have one degree of freedom. Instead, the upper and lower
arm/leg are rotated together about an invisible axis defined by the line
stretching from the shoulder to the wrist, and the hip to the ankle. This special
rotation can be very useful for positioning the arms and legs.
The special rotation can also be useful for creating characters with reverse
knee bends. When the knees are rotated backward, at more than a 90-degree
rotation from the front-facing human knee posture, Biped assumes the
character has backward knees or bird legs, and uses this as a reference position
for all .bip motions.

Rotating the forearm along the X axis rotates the arm elements about an invisible axis
between the shoulder and wrist.

Balance: Spine
Biped uses only the spine, in conjunction with the center of mass, to maintain
the biped's balance. Because of this, rotating all of the spine or any one of its

Biped | 4923

links causes the horizontal position of the body to change relative to its center
of mass. These adjustments are performed in the center of mass's local reference
coordinate system, ensuring that the figure will rotate naturally about its
center of mass; for example, during flips in the air.
On the Motion panel Key Info rollout on page 5049, you can turn this behavior
off by setting Balance Factor to 0.0 for corresponding horizontal center of
mass keys. The Balance Factor control is in the Body group on the rollout.

Independent Orientation: Arms, Head, Feet
Changing the orientation of a clavicle (the root Arm object) changes the
position, but not the orientation, of its corresponding upper arm. In effect,
the clavicles are a support from which the arms are suspended.
Likewise, the orientation of the neck changes the position, but not the
orientation, of the head. Although linked to the neck, the head typically
rotates independently of the neck, and interpolation of these individually set
orientations produces more natural-looking motion.
Similar to the head and arms, changing the orientation of the upper or lower
leg changes the position, but not the orientation, of the corresponding foot.
In this way, the foot orientation remains relative to the ground plane.

Adjusting Keys with TCB Rotation
Rather than creating extra keys to fine-tune the motion of the biped limbs,
you can use the TCB controls to adjust ease in, ease out, and limb trajectory
on keys that already exist.

Visualizing Rotation Animations with Function Curves
Another way to visualize your rotation animation is through the Curve Editor
on page 3841. Each key you add is displayed and connected to other keys,
creating a curve that represents your animation. You can use either the TCB
Rotation Controller on page 3595 or the Euler XYZ Controller on page 3482 (on
the Quaternion/Euler rollout on page 5036) to display your rotation curve as
Quaternion or Euler, respectively. Each controller affects the curve differently
based on separate rotation calculations. To learn more about this, refer to
Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation on page 4971.

4924 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Tangent Euler Rotation curve

Quaternion Rotation curve

Procedures
To change TCB for a biped arm:

1 On the Key Info rollout, turn on

2

(Trajectories).

Select a biped arm.

Biped | 4925

3 Use

(Next Key) or

(Previous Key) to locate an arm key.

4 If the TCB group is not already displayed, click the TCB divider.
5 Change the Tension, Continuity, and Bias spinners.
The trajectory changes to reflect the new parameters. Play the animation
to see the change.
TIP You can also access TCB controls by right-clicking on keys in the trackbar,
Track View – Curve Editor or the Workbench Curve View.

Rotating Multiple Biped Links
You rotate multiple biped links to produce curling effects such as fingers
curling around a glass or a tail curling up and down.

4926 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Selecting and rotating a hand and all its fingers causes the fingers to curl.

You can choose from two methods to rotate multiple links:
■

Select and rotate multiple links manually.

■

Enable
(Bend Links Mode) on page 5045 and then select and rotate any
spine, neck, or tail link to use the character studio technique of naturally
bending the entire spine, neck, or tail.

Selecting and Rotating Multiple Links
When you select and rotate multiple biped links, the rotation is individually
applied to each selected link. This is a convenient way to get fingers to curl,
for example, or to keyframe a biped's arms, legs, multiple-jointed neck, or tail.
To select and rotate multiple links:

■

Select and rotate any number of links.

Biped | 4927

Typically, you select an object and all of its children; for example, the hand
and all of its fingers.

Using Bend Links Mode and Twist Links Mode

You can use Bend Links Mode on page 5045 to rotate multiple links for the
biped's spine, neck, or tail. Bend Links transfers the rotation of one link to
the other links in a natural way. When applied to the spine, it is particularly
useful for positioning the biped's hips.
You can also use Twist Links Mode on the Bend Links rollout to twist multiple
links along the X axis while preserving their relationship with the two other
axes. Combining these two modes opens up a wider range of controls over
your spine, neck or tail.
To rotate all links in the spine, neck, or tail:
1 On the Bend Links rollout, click

2

Select and rotate a single spine, neck, or tail link. The other links
in the spine, neck, or tail rotate to match the single link's rotation.

3 On the Bend Links rollout, click

4

(Bend Links Mode).

(Twist Links Mode).

Rotate the link in local X. The other links in the spine, neck, or
tail twist properly to match the single link's rotation in X.

TIP You can use Bend Links mode either to pose the biped or to animate the spine,
neck, or tail while in Keyframe mode on page 9199.
TIP You can also use the other Twist Links tools in the Bend Links rollout on page
5045 to further control the links' rotation.

4928 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Using Controllers
character studio lets you add 3ds Max controllers to the biped object tracks.
This allows you to mix the biped animation with standard 3ds Max animation
techniques.

Why Add Controllers
Adding controllers to biped body parts lets you create animation that is difficult
to do with character studio alone. For example, you can create “stretchy”
cartoon arm or leg animation by adding a Scale controller to animate the
bipeds arms and legs. You could make a character shaking by using a Noise
controller for its limb rotations or for a Scale controller on the spine objects
to make a character breathing. An Audio controller could be used to
synchronize movement with sound.

Biped SubAnims
Different controllers can be added together, blended or sequenced in a list
called a Biped SubAnim. These are the same as the weighted list controllers
in 3ds Max. By animating the controller weights you can increase or decrease
the effects of the different controllers. You can enable, disable or collapse the
list controller animation tracks. If you collapse the track, you can then bring
them into the Motion Mixer, Motion Flow, or Layer editor or export them to
a game engine.
NOTE Biped SubAnims exhibits different behaviors based on whether you assign
a controller or a constraint as the SubAnim. A SubAnim with a controller assigned
will layer the controller animation with the existing biped animation. If you use a
constraint, however, this will replace the existing Biped Animation.
TIP SubAnims are best used when combined with freeform animation. You can
use them with footstep animations but you may experience unexpected results.
If this happens, simply convert the footstep animation to freeform before applying
the SubAnims.

Assigning SubAnims
Biped SubAnims can be applied several different ways. You can assign
controllers to the Biped SubAnim in the Assign Controller on page 5007 rollout
of the Motion panel.
Controllers can also be added in the Animation Workbench on page 5169 using
the Controller button to display the controller list. Right-click and choose

Biped | 4929

Assign Controller from the right-click menu. You can assign controllers to
multiple objects by using the SubAnims filter.

Procedures
To add a controller to a biped object:

1

Select the biped object that you want to control, and
set a key for that object.

2 O

n the Motion panel, expand the Assign Controller rollout.

The Biped SubAnim entry is displayed in the list window.
3 Expand the Biped SubAnim entry in the Controller window.
List controller entries are displayed for BipScale, BipRotation, and
BipPosition.
4 Expand the list controller you want to add to and highlight the first
Available entry.

(Assign Controller) becomes active.

5 Click

(Assign Controller).

3ds Max opens an Assign Controller dialog.
6 Choose the controller to want to use, and click OK.

7

Play the animation and observe the effect.
You can animate the parameters for the controllers using Track View or
by right-clicking the list entry in the controller window and then choosing
Properties.
Controllers can also be assigned in the Animation Workbench by
displaying the Controllers list, choosing an Available entry, right-clicking
and choosing Assign Controller.

4930 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To collapse a controller:
You can collapse a controller to use the animation in the Motion Mixer, or
with Layers, or to export to a games engine.

1

Select the biped object with the controller; for example an arm
with an added noise rotation controller.

2 On the
Motion panel, in the Assign Controller rollout, click the
Biped SubAnim controller you want to collapse.
3 Right-click the Biped SubAnim and choose Properties.
A dialog appears with the Collapse choices.
If a different dialog appears, you don't have the correct selection in the
list window. Be sure you've selected the Biped SubAnim entry and not
something else.
4 Turn on the tracks you want to collapse in the Enable group.
5 Turn on the options you want to use in the Collapse group.
6 To perform the collapse, click the Collapse button.
The controller tracks are “baked” into the Biped tracks. The new keys will
appear in the track bar, or in the Workbench Curve View if the
Workbench is open.
To add controllers to multiple biped parts at the same time:

1 In the viewport
list controllers.

select the biped parts to which you want to add

2 Open the Workbench.
The selection list in the Select panel has the biped parts highlighted.

3 Click the

Controllers button on the Workbench toolbar.

The controller list appears to the right of the select tab.

Biped | 4931

4 Select the tracks you want to affect.
5 On the Filter panel, locate the part to Filter group. Set it to Selected Parts
if it isn't already.
6 Choose a SubAnims filter from the drop-down list.
7 Adjust any other options you need to in the Filters tab, then click Position,
Rotation, or Scale to add the subanims.
8 Expand the controller list to observe the newly added controllers.
To animate the weights of an added controller:
You can animate the weights of an added controller to determine when the
effect takes place. A weight of 0 will yield no effect, a weight of 100 will provide
the full effect. See the tutorial “Using Controllers with Biped” for an example
of animating the weights.
1 Add a controller to a biped object, using either method outlined above.
2 Immediately after adding the controller select the appropriate BipScaleList,
BipRotationList, or BipPositionList entry in the controller list, and expand
it to see the Weights.
3 Expand the Weights and select Weight 0.

4 On the Motion panel ➤ Keyframing Tools rollout, click
(Manipulate SubAnims).
Three new rollouts appear in the Motion panel: Position List, Scale List
and Rotation List.
5 Navigate to the appropriate List rollout. In the Layer window highlight
the Controller you wish to weight.
The Weight field becomes available

6 Turn on
(Auto Key), move the time slider, and enter values
in that field, or use the spinner to set keys to animate the weights.
WARNING Don't even think about using the 3ds Max Set Key button to
animate the weights. Avoid using this button with character studio as a rule.
Use Auto Key or use the Key Info rollout set key buttons instead.

4932 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Using Props
Props are objects that a biped could be holding or carrying, such as a gun,
sword, or briefcase. They are represented as boxes that are additional links in
the biped hierarchy, an extension of the biped structure you can access at
creation time or in Figure mode. If you are loading motion-capture data that
contains prop information, this will transfer to the biped prop.
Each biped can have up to three props. Prop data will work seamlessly with
other advanced features of character studio: in the Mixer, Motion Flow,
Unification, and Layered edits.

Props are defined in the Structure rollout.

Props appear as boxes in the biped hierarchy. They can be moved, stretched,
and scaled in Figure mode as other biped parts can. Props are supported by
Physique, and are animated using the biped Transform controller in the same
way as other objects. Create your prop and position it in relation to the biped
in Figure mode. Props can be made to follow the motion of either hand by
keyframing the Position and Rotation coordinate space of the prop.

Bipeds with multiple props as swords

Biped | 4933

Animating Prop Linkage
Props can change linked parents (similar to the 3ds Max Link controller) at
any keyframe. This is done using the Position Space and Coordinate Space
lists in the Prop section of the Key Info rollout on page 5049. Once a key is set
on the prop at a given frame, you can set or change the coordinate space in
which it is transformed by choosing a new space from the drop-down list.
You set rotation and position coordinate space independently.

Position and rotation space controls

Importing Motion-Capture Prop Data
If your motion-capture file includes prop data, character studio can read that
data and apply it to a prop object.
Upon loading a CSM file on page 9128, the motion data will be applied to the
prop. If the prop switches from one hand to another, character studio will
automatically determine the switch of the prop's coordinate spaces as the prop
is exchanged between the hands. This can be easily changed once the data is
in the scene: go to the desired frame, choose a new coordinate space (as
described in the previous section), then set a key. When loading a BIP file for
retargeting onto other characters, the props move with each of the hands.

4934 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

character studio ensures that the hands come together at the precise position
on the prop during transfers.
Props can be animated with 3ds Max controllers and that animation can then
be collapsed onto the prop’s transform controller for editing with motion flow
or the mixer.

Procedures
Example: To animate a biped swinging a prop with one hand:
1 Create a biped with a single prop.
The biped appears with a single prop displayed as a box positioned near
the biped's right hand.

2 On the Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

3

(Figure Mode).

Scale the prop so it is the correct size and proportion to be a
sword.

4

Rotate and
move the prop so it is in the correct
orientation in relation to the right hand.

5 Turn off

(Figure Mode).

6 Set a key for the prop at frame 0. To do this, make sure the prop is selected,

then click

(Set Key) on the Key Info rollout.

7 Now animate the biped as you like, or open a BIP file of a character
swinging a sword.

8 Turn on

(Auto Key), then select the prop.

9 Animate the prop using standard 3ds Max transforms.

Biped | 4935

Example: To animate the biped switching the prop to the other hand:
1 Follow the steps in the previous procedure to animate the biped swinging
the prop.
2 Move to the frame where you want the biped to switch the prop the other
hand.

3 Move the biped's other hand so it is in contact with the prop, and
set a key for the hand.

4

Select the prop and

set a key for it.

5 Move the time slider ahead one frame and
the prop.

set another key for

6 On the Key Info rollout, expand the Prop section.
The lists for Position and Rotation coordinate spaces should be available.
Change the Position from the right hand to the left hand, and click Set
Key again.
The prop will now follow the movement of the left hand in the frames
that follow.
NOTE By default, the prop's rotation remains in Body space. Depending on
your animation, you might also want to set keys so the Rotation space is Right
Hand before the switch, and Left Hand after the switch.

To collapse the transforms of a prop:
1 Animate the prop however you like. You can add list controllers to the
prop as you can to any other part of the biped.

2 When the animation is correct,

4936 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

select the prop.

3 In the
Motion panel hierarchy list, select the prop transform list
you want to collapse, and then right-click.
A quad menu appears.
4 Choose Properties from the quad menu.
5 In the dialog that is displayed, make the appropriate choices, and then
click Collapse.
After a short delay, the track bar displays the keys that have been added.
TIP If you see a different Properties dialog that doesn't offer you the Collapse
button, you are too low in the hierarchy. Select the next level up in the
hierarchy and try again.

Freeform and IK
The topics in this section deal with using freeform animation and inverse
kinematics (IK).

Using IK Keyframe Parameters
Biped's inverse kinematics solution has three parameters set at each key of the
arm and leg keyframe tracks.
As the limb moves through each key:
■

IK Blend sets the motion interpolation to be a blend of forward and inverse
kinematics. This allows you to blend swinging motions with hand-or-foot
directed motions. Rotating an arm to move a hand is an example of forward
kinematics. Using the position of the hand to move the arm is an example
of inverse kinematics. The default blend is 0.0, or full forward kinematics.
An IK Blend of 1.0 is full inverse kinematics.

■

Body or Object determines the reference coordinate space of the IK path.
This allows you to move the IK path with your character's body or
temporarily attach the hands or feet to follow other objects. The default
is Body.

■

Join To Prev IK Key determines if the key should be part of the previous
key (and have the same reference position as the previous key).

Biped | 4937

Biped has three automatic ways to set these parameters. Setting planted, sliding,
or free keys creates keys with different combinations of these three parameters.
■

Setting a planted key creates a key with IK Blend set to 1.0, Object and
Join To Prev IK Key turned on.

■

Setting a sliding key creates a key with IK Blend set to 1.0, Object turned
on, and Join To Prev IK Key turned off.

■

Setting a free key creates a key with IK Blend set to 0, and Body turned on.
Join To Prev IK Key is turned off.

IK Blend
The IK Blend control is in the Key Info rollout on page 5049; visible when you
expand the IK divider bar. You set IK Blend while in Keyframe mode .

IK group parameters

IK Blend can be set per key for any arm or leg track. The IK Blend setting
determines whether, at a particular key, an arm or leg is moving through it
using inverse kinematics, forward kinematics, or a blending of the two
kinematic solutions.

4938 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

An IK Blend value of 0.0 means full forward kinematics. The arm (or leg) is
moved by interpolating the rotations of the joints at the keys. The hand (or
foot) tends to move along sweeping circular arcs in this case, and the motion
appears to be motivated by the apparent swinging at the joints.
An IK Blend value of 1.0 means full inverse kinematics with the hand (or foot)
being used as an end-effector. A spline path is computed through the keys of
the hand, and the hand moves along that spline. Joint angles for the rest of
the arm are computed to allow the hand to follow the spline. The motion, in
this case, appears to be directed by the hand (or foot).
An IK Blend value between 0.0 and 1.0 means a combination of inverse and
forward kinematics; when IK Blend is closer to 0.0, forward kinematics are
more heavily weighted in the solution, and when IK Blend is closer to 1.0,
inverse kinematics are more heavily weighted.
It is best to use forward kinematics when you want the arms to swing, such
as when a biped is walking. In the case of a boxer, however, since the hand
should follow a directed path when punching, inverse kinematics should be
used.
To set the IK Blend value of a key:

1

Select a single arm or leg track by selecting one or more parts
of a biped's arm or leg.
The IK Blend spinner and the other controls in the IK area are enabled
only when a single arm or leg track is selected.

2

Set a key if one doesn't already exist.

3 Set the desired value of IK Blend.

Body and Object Options
By default, Biped calculates the kinematics solution using the coordinate
system of the biped figure's center-of-mass, or the Body coordinate system.
This means that the IK path of the hand (or foot) translates and rotates with
your character as it moves. For example, the boxer's hand trajectory always
moves relative to the weaving, bobbing, and turning of the boxer's body.
The Object option is used for animating dynamic links between the limbs and
other objects in the scene.

Biped | 4939

The IK Blend control activates when a biped arm or leg (hand and foot) key
is current.
■

0 with Body turned on is forward kinematics on page 9169, or normal biped
space.

■

1 with Body turned on is inverse kinematics on page 9196, creates more
straight-line motion between biped keys.

■

1 with Object turned on, but no IK object specified, puts the limb fully
into world space. Use this to control foot sliding in a freeform animation.

■

1 with Object turned on and an IK object specified puts the biped limb
into the coordinate space of the selected object; the biped limb follows
the specified object.

Join To Prev IK Key
This IK constraint is used to specify if a footstep is sliding or planted. If Join
To Prev IK Key is on, then the biped foot maintains a reference position to
the previous key, keeping the foot planted. If Join To Prev IK Key is off during
a footstep, then the foot can be moved to a new position creating a sliding
footstep.
Join To Prev IK Key also functions to lock the biped hands in space. Use Set
Planted Key on the biped hands to lock their position in space.
TIP If you are having trouble with a foot or hand popping back to a previous
‘keyed’ position, check to make sure that the Join To Prev IK Key is off, especially
when you're using pivot points.
See also:
■

Key Info Rollout on page 5049

Understanding Walk Cycle Constraints
Walking motions in both freeform and footstep animations should follow the
rules of certain IK constraints. In both freeform and footstep animation, a
footstep interval is the start and end of a sequence of IK constraints in world
space, with IK Blend set to be greater than 0.0. A biped foot in the Move state
should have body space turned on with an IK Blend of 0.0. By using these IK
constraints, you can convert between the two animation methods seamlessly.

4940 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

In a freeform walking animation, typically you need two key types for the
legs:
■

If the foot is planted on the ground, the key must have IK Blend=1.0 with
Object Space and Join To Prev Key turned on.

■

If the foot is in the air between footsteps, then IK Blend=0.0 with Body
Space turned on, and Join To Prev Key turned off.

In the course of creating a walk or run cycle, you need to alternate these IK
constraints for the feet. If the foot is sliding on the ground, then the IK
constraints are IK Blend=1.0 in Object Space with Join To Prev Key tuned off.
All of these IK parameters can be found on the Key Info rollout.
To speed up the process of applying these IK constraints, the Key Info rollout
has three additional set key buttons: Set Planted Key, Set Sliding Key, and Set
Free Key. By clicking one of these buttons, all the necessary IK constraints are
applied automatically. For example, by clicking Set Planted Key, all of the IK
constraints necessary are applied at once; IK Blend=1.0 with object space and
Join To Prev Key turned on.
See also:
■

Key Info Rollout on page 5049

Walking Keys
Let's examine the IK constraints for one footstep. The footstep rolls on the
heel of the foot, then rotates down flat on the ground, then raises up on the
ball of the foot, rotates at the end of the toes, and finally lifts off of the ground.

Biped | 4941

Touch state: pivot planted at heel at frame 14

The foot is touching the ground at the heel. In the Key Info rollout, Set
Planted Key is clicked to set IK Blend=1.0 with object space and Join To Prev
Key turned on. A pivot is selected on the heel of the foot.

4942 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Pivot point shifts to ball of foot at frame 16.

The next keyframe is also a planted key, as the foot is flat on the ground. In
the Key Info rollout, Set Planted Key is clicked. The pivot on the ball of the
foot is selected.

Biped | 4943

Planted key set to lock pivot at frame 17

This key has the pivot on the ball of the foot as well. Click Set Planted Key.
Two consecutive keys with the pivot at the ball of the foot are necessary to
rotate the foot about the ball of the foot.

4944 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Heel lifts, toe remains flat at frame 18

After rotating the foot about the pivot at the ball of the foot, you set another
planted key with the pivot on the toe.

Biped | 4945

Foot rotates off pivot at end of toe at frame 19.

Here is another planted key with a pivot at the end of the toe; the foot rotates
about the tip of the toe.

4946 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Free Key allows foot to travel off the ground at frame 20.

Here, Click Set Free Key to set a free key, the foot is off of the ground.
The cycle is repeated to create a walk or run cycle in a freeform animation.
The pivot points are selected by turning on Select Pivot on the IK Key Info
rollout, selecting a pivot in the viewports, turning off Select Pivot and then
rotating the foot in the viewports.
When Join To Prev is turned on, as it is with all planted footstep keys, the
foot pivots at the previous key's pivot point. If you find that the foot is not
rotating around the visible pivot, remember that it is using the previous key's
pivot. In such a case, you must set two consecutive keys with the pivot at the
same location: then the foot will rotate around the displayed pivot.
If you adhere to these rules in creating footsteps in a freeform animation,
then you can use Convert in the Biped rollout to easily change from a freeform
animation to a footstep animation. Note that IK constraints in a footstep
animation are applied exactly the same way as in a freeform animation. If you
examine a footstep animation, you will notice that the foot IK constraints
follow the same rules as for a freeform animation. Footsteps are simply gizmos

Biped | 4947

that define a foot's coordinate system. A foot can slide and move relative to
the footstep. Also, if you delete or add a key in a footstep animation, the
footstep duration is changed.

Setting Keys for Feet and Hands
You can animate biped's body parts as you do other 3ds Max objects: by setting
keys for postures at keyframes.
character studio provides three different ways to set keys at the current frame:

■

Pose the biped body part, and then click one of the set
key buttons in the Key Info rollout.

■

Turn on the Auto Key button, and then pose the biped part.
You can transform the parts using transform tools, or you can copy and
paste poses and postures to keyframe the biped.

■

Right-click the time slider and use the Create Key dialog to create keys for
selected biped parts.

WARNING Do not use the large Set Key button, found below the viewports, when
animating a biped. Doing so will cause unpredictable results. Instead, always use
the Set Key buttons found on the Key Info rollout.

If you are animating a walk cycle or an intricate hand
animation, then you should make use of the three different types of set key
buttons in the Key Info rollout. Each set key button applies different IK
constraints, depending on whether a foot or finger is in a planted state, a
move state, or a sliding state. For more information on the three set key
buttons, see Key Info Rollout on page 5049.
You can also set keys to make hands and feet follow a stationary or animated
object. See Animating IK Attachments on page 4955.
If a Bones system using the IK controller or a particle emitter is linked to the
biped, the Auto Key button must be on in order to position the biped's limbs.
This is also true for biped objects if you turn on 3ds Max Trajectories at the
top of the Motion panel, or if you choose Views ➤ Show Ghosting.

4948 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The Set Key options on the Key Info rollout have the advantage that
you can easily experiment with different poses for your character without
unintentionally setting keys as a side-effect. Use the Set Key buttons to commit
the changes you make to the pose. The Auto Key mode approach is especially
useful when you make adjustments to keyframes that have already been set,
or if you are used to working with Auto Key in3ds Max and tend to forget to
click the Set Key buttons.
TIP Use Set Key to insert a key on a frame where a key doesn't exist. You'll often
want to refine the motion using controls in the Key Info rollout, without selecting
and moving an object in the viewport.
Keyboard shortcut: Pressing 0 (zero) is equivalent to clicking Set Key on the Key
Info rollout.

To use character studio-specific shortcuts, make sure that the Keyboard
Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 is active.

Ground Plane Collision Detection for the Pelvis and Feet
When one or two feet are planted, and the pelvis or a planted foot is rotated,
character studio detects collisions of the foot and its toes with the ground
plane defined by the planted foot's footstep or pivot point. As the pelvis or
foot is rotated, character studio uses inverse kinematics to alter the rotations
of the leg joints so that the foot and its toes do not go below the plane defined
by the footstep or pivot point.
NOTE A biped foot on a sliding footstep is a special case. The biped foot can be
moved to any position and orientation for the duration of the footstep.
NOTE Changing rotation values for the legs and toes also maintains collision
detection, but the position adjustment is not made until you set a key.

Animating Pivots
In both freeform and footstep animation, pivots allow you to rotate the biped’s
hands and feet around various points.
For example, by activating a pivot on the ball of a foot, you can rotate the
foot around the ball of the foot. The biped’s hands and feet have the same

Biped | 4949

number of pivots, and pivot location is similar. Pivots are active only if the
biped hand or foot is in world or object coordinate space. In a walking motion,
you can pivot on the heel first, then on the ball of the foot, and finally onthe
toes. Pivots are essentially extensions of the IK chain.

By setting a planted key for the hand, the hand is anchored in world space:
you can move the biped or the collarbone and the hand remains planted.
Pivots on the hands make it easy to animate hands and fingers.

4950 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

While pivots are used in both freeform and footstep animation, the pivots are
only visible and accessible when in Freeform mode.

Biped IK
To understand interactive IK limb manipulation using character studio, it is
useful to distinguish two types of limb joints: primary and secondary.
The primary joints are the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knees. Animals use
primary joints to coordinate the positioning of hands and feet, as these joints
have the most influence and flexibility in positioning tasks. Even the placement
of fingers and toes over specific spots is the task of the primary joints.
The secondary joints are the wrists, ankles, toes, and fingers. These joints are
typically used for grasping and support rather than positioning, so they most
frequently exercise independent joint angle control suited to a particular task,
such as rotating the foot to raise the heels during walking, or curling the
fingers around an object. Because these joints have little influence on end
effector position, they are rarely engaged for positioning tasks. For example,
if you want to place your finger on your nose, you will most naturally rotate
only your shoulder and elbow, keeping your wrist stationary.
character studio mimics the IK behavior of "natural" systems. The primary
joints are used for IK positioning, while the secondary joints are independently
and precisely controlled by the animator. The secondary joints will not rotate
unless the animator explicitly selects and rotates them. Therefore, if an IK
pivot is set, and the limb is interactively manipulated, (say, the finger is moved
onto the nose), only the primary joints adjust to satisfy the IK constraint. The
secondary joints remain in place and will never "drift" in an IK solution; they
simply obey the values set by the animator. Because there is no drift for the
secondary joints, the animator does not have to tediously assign "tension"
values to hold them in place.
If an IK pivot point constraint has been set, some by-products of character
studio "natural IK" are that:
■

Interactively rotating a secondary joint will always adjust the primary
joints to hold the IK pivot in place.

■

character studio "special rotations," the forearm/calf X-axis rotations, rotate
the elbow about the axis from the shoulder to the wrist and rotate the
knee about the axis from the hip to the ankle. These rotations give the
animator a direct way to interactively rotate the primary joints while
holding the IK pivot in place.

■

Interactively translating a limb part to move the IK pivot will alter only
the primary joints.

Biped | 4951

■

Interactively rotating a primary joint will move the IK pivot with it.

After an IK pivot has been placed, applying 1) and 2) gives the animator exact
control over all possible IK solutions. The IK pivots can be easily moved by
applying 3) and 4). In general, you don't need to remember these "rules,"
because the system works in an intuitive way. You merely need to position
the pivots as desired, set the IK constraint, and then fine-tune the posture of
the limb, if desired, by rotating the secondary joints and using the special
rotation to adjust the primary joints.
NOTE During animation playback, the Ankle Tension parameter is used to set the
relative importance of the interpolated ankle joint over the interpolated knee joint
for intervals in between keyframes. This is relevant only to interpolation on bipeds.

4952 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Using IK constraints and pivots on the biped hands and feet allows you to animate
quadrupeds.

See also:
Key Info Rollout on page 5049

■

Procedures
To use pivots:

1

Select a biped hand or foot.

2 On the Key Info rollout, click

(Set Key), and then choose Object.

You can also select an object if you like at this point, by selecting a
non-biped object in the viewport.
3 Turn on Select Pivot.

Biped | 4953

4 Select a pivot in the viewports.
Pivots are shown as red dots on the hands and feet. Use wireframe
viewport shading if you have problems seeing the choices.
5 Turn off Select Pivot.

6

Rotate the hand or foot around the selected pivot.
TIP If you find that you are not rotating around the selected pivot, set two
consecutive keys at adjacent keys with the same pivot.

Animating a Quadruped
While character studio was initially designed as an specialized program for
animating two-legged, or bipedal characters, it works quite well for creatures
that walk on four or more legs.
Here are some general rules to follow when animating characters that don't
walk upright on two legs:
■

Use Freeform animation, not Footstep animation, if your character walks
on four legs all the time.

■

Pose the biped to match the mesh in Figure mode, scaling and rotating
body parts so the spine is horizontal, and the arms stretch to reach the
ground.

■

If appropriate for your mesh, set Leg Links to 4 and rotate the legs so the
knees point backwards. You can set this value at creation time in the Create
Biped rollout on the Create panel, or later using the Structure rollout on
page 5108 on the Motion panel.

■

Animate pivot points with planted keys to mimic the rolling of the feet
from heel to toe. Treat the hands the same as the feet. Set planted keys on
the hands and feet, then move the center of mass object to bend the knees
and elbows. See Key Info Rollout on page 5049 for more information on the
three set key buttons.
The ForeFeet option lets you set planted keys for fingers in the same way
you do for toes. This option is located on the Structure rollout on page 5108.

4954 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

You can save 3ds Max objects as part of the BIP file. If you need additional
legs (for a centipede) or extra arms or wings you can use standard bone
objects with IK chains, and save all of it with the BIP file.

■

The Balance Factor in the Key Info rollout Body group, is designed to
synchronize upper body and lower body movement. Set Balance Factor to
0 if you find the movement of spine links is affecting the biped's hip
movements in an undesirable way.

Animating IK Attachments
A biped can interact with other objects in the 3ds Max scene. Links between
objects are usually static, unless you're using the Link controller. In character
studio, such attachments are "animatable" as well; during the course of an
animation, the links between the hands, feet, and objects in the scene can
change as your character interacts with them.
This capability is useful for:
■

Creating freeform motions (without footsteps and gravity) that require
that feet or hands be planted with IK, and then released. Examples are
climbing a ladder, riding a bike, or rowing a boat.

■

Motions that involve the temporary manipulation of objects, such as
bouncing or kicking a ball, opening a door, or touching another biped.

An object to which a hand or foot can be attached is called an IK object. See
the tutorial “Interacting with Objects” for lessons that show you how to make
a biped iron clothing, ride a skateboard, bounce a basketball, climb a ladder,
and pick up a briefcase.

Procedures
To make a hand or foot follow an object:
1 Create the object for the hand or foot to follow.

2

Select the biped's hand or foot.
TIP You can select any part of the biped's arm to set keys for the hand, or
any part of the leg to set keys for the foot.

Biped | 4955

3 In the Key Info rollout on page 5049, expand the IK divider to see the IK
section of the rollout.

4 Click

(Set Key).

Once a key is set, the IK Blend value and other IK parameters become
available.
5 Click
(Select IK Object), and choose the object for the hand or foot
to follow.
The object name appears in the field below the Body and Object radio
buttons.
6 On frames where you want the hand or foot to start following the object,
set a key, set IK Blend to 1.0 and choose the Object option on the Key
Info rollout. You can also click
parameters all at once.

(Set Sliding Key) to set these

NOTE If Object space is turned on with no IK object specified, the IK
constraints will be in World space. In effect, the hand or foot will be attached
to the world, and will not move during the time such a key is set.
Set one key when you want the attachment to begin, and a second key when
you want the attachment to stop. This defines an Object space interval, the
duration of a temporary attachment.

7 On the frame that defines the end of an attachment interval, set IK Blend
to 1.0, choose the Object option, and turn on Join to Prev IK Key. You
can also click

(Set Planted Key) to set these parameters all at once.

8 On frames where you don't want the hand or foot to follow the object,
set a key, set IK Blend to 0.0 and choose the Body option. You can also
click

(Set Free Key) to set these parameters all at once.

4956 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To anchor a hand or foot:
You can use anchoring to temporarily look a hand or foot to a specific point
in space while you are animating IK attachments.
1 Move and rotate the hand or foot into the desired posture.
2 On the Keyframing Tools rollout, click the button for the limb you want

to anchor:

(Anchor Right Arm),

(Anchor Right Leg), or

(Anchor Left Arm),

(Anchor Left Leg).

NOTE The arm or leg you select beforehand does not actually have to be
the same as the arm or leg you are anchoring.
3 Set keys for the arm or leg as described in the previous procedure.
NOTE You can also use anchors to hold a foot or hand in position while you
render the animation. However, be aware that anchors are turned off when
you close the MAX file. If you want to use anchors from one session to the
next, you must turn them on again the next time you open the file.

Editing Freeform Animation
The topics in this section deal with the editing of freeform animation for
bipeds.

Editing Biped Keys
There are a few different ways to move among biped keys and edit them.

You can move back and forth between keys by clicking

(Previous Key)

and
(Next Key) on the Key Info rollout. The fields to the right of these
buttons indicate the key number and frame number.

Biped | 4957

As with other 3ds Max objects, you can also move back and forth between
keys using the general animation controls: Turn on

(Key Mode Toggle),

select an element associated with a given track, and then click

(Previous

Key) and
(Next Key). For example, you can view keys, move between
them, and set keys for a right arm track if any of the right arm's objects
(clavicle, upper arm, lower arm, hand, fingers) are selected. Or use the < and
> keys on the keyboard to move between keys in Key Mode.
To delete a key, click
(Delete Key) on the Key Info rollout. The biped part
that has the key must be selected, and the current frame must be the keyframe
you want to delete. Keys that are locked (appearing in red in Track View)
cannot be deleted.

TIP When you've selected the biped part you want to transform, click
(Selection Lock Toggle) on the 3ds Max prompt line. Now you can transform the
part without accidentally selecting a different part of the biped. The default
keyboard shortcut for Selection Lock Toggle is the spacebar.

Copying and Pasting Postures and Poses
The Copy/Paste rollout on the Motion panel provides controls to help you
copy and paste biped postures, poses, and tracks. A posture on page 9273 is the
rotation and position of any selection of biped objects. A pose on page 9272is
the rotation and position of all the objects in a particular biped. A track on
page 9330 is the animation for any selection of biped parts. For information on
working with tracks, see Copying and Pasting Tracks on page 4989.

4958 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

You can create and store postures, poses, and tracks in multiple buffers accessed
by a drop-down list. You can choose from that list and see a thumbnail image
associated with the selection, then paste that selection onto the same biped
or any other biped in the scene. You can choose between posture, pose, or
track for these operations.
Using these tools lets you work in a traditional pose-to-pose method of
animating. You can create a variety of poses and postures, store them in the
list, then in Auto Key mode, copy them to any biped at any frame to create
animation.
Use the Copy Tracks function to copy the animation of biped parts onto other
parts and other bipeds. You can further manipulate these tracks with the Curve
Editor and Dope Sheet Editor, using all the standard tools found there. Copy
Tracks works with both footstep and freeform animation.
TIP The copy collections on page 5072 feature acts as an additional layer of
organization, allowing your copied postures, poses, and tracks to be grouped
together so you can transfer them between files within a single session. After saving
a collection, you can load it into another scene either by replacing the current
collection or by appending yours to it. If you choose to append, the collection
maintains the copy buffer structure.

Biped | 4959

NOTE You must create a copy collection before you can copy a biped's posture,
pose or track.

Using Paste Posture
The Paste Posture command is useful for copying a posture in one frame of
an animation to another frame of the animation. Copy the posture, then turn
on Auto Key and move to another frame, then paste the posture.
The Paste Posture and Paste Pose commands are also useful for copying a pose
from one biped to another. Copy the pose or posture, select the other biped,
and then paste.
Copying a posture then using Paste Posture Opposite is particularly useful for
copying the posture of an arm or leg or a part of an arm or leg onto the
opposite arm or leg of the same biped.
Both Paste Posture and Paste Posture Opposite work differently in and out of
Figure mode. Out of Figure mode, only the orientation of the copied links is
pasted. In Figure mode, both the orientation and the scale of the copied links
are pasted. Also, when you paste the finger base, toe base, spine base, tail base,
or clavicles in Figure mode, the position of that link relative to the biped's
body is pasted.

Copying the Entire Biped Pose
The Copy Pose functionality allows you to copy the rotation and position of
all the parts of the entire biped at once. It doesn't contain the animation track
data, only the individual keys at that frame, and the buttons to copy tracks
are unavailable when Copy Pose is in use.

4960 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Pose shows the whole biped

You can create animation using Copy Pose by simply copying different poses
to the same biped at different frames, and setting keys for those poses. Copy
Pose works with the character studio Set Key buttons found on the Key Info
rollout on page 5049, and with Auto Key mode.
WARNING Don't use the Set Key Mode toggle or the large Set Keys button next
to Auto Key. These will not produce the correct results.

Keyboard Shortcuts
The following are Biped keyboard shortcuts to the copy and paste posture
commands. Make sure the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 9008 is
active.
Shortcut

Meaning

Alt+C

Copy Posture

Alt+V

Paste Posture

Alt+B

Paste Posture Opposite

Biped | 4961

Procedures
To copy a posture:

1

Select the set of biped parts that defines the part of the biped's
posture you want to copy.

2 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click
the new collection Biped Posture.

(Create Collection) and rename

3 Click
(Posture) to toggle Posture mode and then click Copy Posture.
The thumbnail image appears in the image window below the Copied
Postures drop-down list.
4 Rename the posture by editing the name in the Copied Postures name
field. The posture of the set of selected objects in the biped is copied to
the list. You can retrieve this posture and use it to paste (or paste opposite)
to any biped at any frame.
For hands-on experience using the Copy/Paste rollout functions, see the lesson
called “Creating a Simple Freeform Animation” found in the Animating with
Freeform tutorial.
To paste the posture:
NOTE Turning on the Auto Key button before pasting posture automatically sets
a key for all objects whose posture has changed.
1 Choose the Posture you want from the copied postures drop-down list.

2

Select the biped you want to paste to, or move to another frame
for the same biped.

3 Click

(Paste Posture).

4962 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The copied posture is pasted onto the selected biped. It doesn't matter
which part of the biped is selected; all biped parts whose posture was
saved by the most recent Copy are pasted.
WARNING If you paste a posture while the Auto Key button is off, no key is
set. If you want the pasted posture to set a key, you must click the character
studio Set Key button on the Key Info rollout while objects are still selected.

To paste a limb posture on the opposite limb:
1 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click Posture.

2

Select all of the limb, arm, or leg whose posture you want to
copy.

3 Click

(Copy Posture).

The posture thumbnail image is displayed in the image window, and the
new posture name appears in the named posture field.
4 Rename the posture.
The default names combine the chosen body track with the selected
bodyparts. It's a good idea to replace this with a descriptive name you
can easily identify with the action it represents.

5 Click

(Paste Posture Opposite).

The opposite limb now has the posture of the limb you copied.
To copy the entire pose of a biped:

1

Select any part of the biped whose pose you want to copy.

2 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click
the new collection Biped Pose.

(Create Collection) and rename

Biped | 4963

3 Click

(Copy Pose).

4 Advance to a new frame or select another biped.

5 Turn on

6 Click

(Auto Key).

(Paste Pose) or

(Paste Pose Opposite).

TIP You can use Paste Pose Opposite to create symmetrical runs and walk
cycles.

Mirroring Motion
Mirror, on the Keyframing Tools rollout on page 5063, mirrors the motion
of the biped through both the X and Y axes of the World coordinate system.
The entire biped animation, including all footsteps and keys, is mirrored
symmetrically through an axis that joins the center for the biped to the world
origin. For example, if a biped is walking from the center of the world grid
toward the user, the mirror will change the motion so the biped is now walking
away from the user.

4964 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Original motion

Biped | 4965

Mirrored motion

Use Mirror if you want to create the opposite of a motion you've already
created. For example, if a biped walks to the left and swings its right arm,
mirroring the motion results in a motion where the biped walks to the right
and swings its left arm.
The mirrored motion replaces the existing motion for the biped. If you want
to keep the existing motion and add the mirrored motion, use Paste Opposite
in the Copy/Paste rollout.
NOTE This feature mirrors only those biped tracks that have at least one key. The
position of a keyless object is not mirrored.

Using Layers
Layers allow you to add successive layers of animation above the original
biped animation. This is a powerful way of making global changes to your
character animation.
For example, simply add a layer, and rotate the spine forward at any frame,
and a run cycle becomes a crouched run. The original biped motion is kept
intact, and can be viewed by switching back to the original layer. Layers can

4966 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

be viewed individually, or as a composite of all the animation in all the Layers.
Layers behave like a freeform animation on page 9170: the biped can adopt any
position.
Layers allow you to easily adjust raw motion capture data containing keys at
every frame. Simply add a layer, and keyframe the biped. You can also use
layers to change the global position of the biped in a freeform or footsteps
animation by adding a layer and moving the center of mass.
See also:
■

Layers on page 9201

■

Layers Rollout on page 5087

Procedures
To increment all keys using layers (global offset):

1 On the
Motion panel ➤ Layers rollout, click
(Create Layer)
to create a new layer. Enter a name for the layer in the Layer name field.
2 Create an offset (or "increment") by setting one key. You can either use

Auto Key mode, or click
(Set Key) on the Key Info rollout on page
5049 (you can do this at any frame.)
3 Click

(Collapse) to collapse the layer.

To increment an interval of keys with an envelope (blended offset):
1 Create a new named layer.
2 Create an offset by setting one key. You can use either Auto Key mode,

or click
(Set Key) on the Key Info rollout at the frame where the
increment is to occur.
3 To create the envelope, use
after the incremented range.

(Snap Set Key) to create keys before and

Biped | 4967

4 Click

(Collapse) to collapse the layer.

To increment an interval of keys without an envelope (nonblended offset):
1 Create a new named layer.
2 Create an offset by setting two keys. You can use either Auto Key mode,

or click
(Set Key) on the Key Info rollout. Set one key before the
frame where the increment starts, and another after the frame where the
increment ends.
3 Use
(Snap Set Key) to create keys before and after the incremented
range to clamp the motion to the offset only occurs in the range between
the two keys.
4 Click

(Collapse) to collapse the layer.

Editing Trajectory Keys
By turning on biped trajectories, selecting the center-of-mass track, and turning
on Sub-Object: Trajectories, you can select a key on the trajectory. Then either
use Bend Horizontal in the Keyframing Tools rollout on page 5063 to bend the
trajectory about the selected key, or simply move the key. You can move center
of mass trajectory keys either horizontally or vertically. This allows you to
view the entire trajectory of the center of mass and bend or edit the trajectory.
TIP You can select the center of mass's horizontal or vertical tracks by clicking the
appropriate button in the Track Selection rollout on page 5029.

4968 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Above: Bending the trajectory
Below: Moving a key on the trajectory

WARNING Do not use 3ds Max trajectories (Motion panel ➤ Trajectories text
button) to edit biped trajectories.

Biped | 4969

Procedures
To bend a biped trajectory:

1

Select an animated biped.

2 On the
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, expand the horizontal
bar (click the plus sign at the left) to display the Modes And Display
groups.
3 In the Display group, turn on

(Trajectories).

The trajectory is displayed in the viewport for whatever biped part is
selected.
WARNING Don't click the Trajectories button next to Parameters. That is for
other scene objects, not bipeds.

4 On the Track Selection rollout, click

(Body Horizontal).

3ds Max displays the center-of-mass object.
5 At the top of the panel, below Selection Level, turn on Sub-Object, and
choose Trajectories on the drop-down list if it isn't already displayed.
6 In a viewport, select as many keys as you want on the trajectory.
The selected keys turn red in the viewport.
7 If you want to bend the trajectory open the Keyframing Tools rollout
and locate the Bend Horizontal spinner. Then adjust the Bend Horizontal
values as desired.
To edit keys on the Center of Mass trajectory:
1 Load a freeform animation.

2 On the Key Info rollout, turn on

4970 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Trajectories).

3 On the Track Selection rollout click
(Body Vertical).

(Body Horizontal) or

4 At the top of the Motion panel, turn on the Sub-Object button.
(Sub-Object ➤ Trajectories becomes active).
5 In the viewports, select and move keys on the Center of Mass trajectory.

Working with Biped Animation
The topics in this section deal with some special cases of biped animation.

Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation
You can control a biped's position and orientation using Euler curves in
addition to quaternion curves in the Workbench and Curve Editor. Using the
Euler XYZ controller is an efficient way to animate your biped because you
can use Bezier tangents to change the interpolation of your XYZ curves
(quaternion curves do not have tangents). To learn more about how the Euler
XYZ and TCB Rotation controllers differ from each other, refer to Euler XYZ
Rotation Controller on page 3482.
You can switch between Euler XYZ and TCB Rotation controllers via the
Quaternion/Euler rollout on page 5036. The Curve Editor on page 5169 displays
the animation curves based on the chosen controller. Each curve is labeled
starting with one of the following:
■

“Quaternion Rotation of the ...”

■

“Tangent Euler Rotation of the ...”

■

“TCB Euler Rotation of the ...”

You can animate most biped parts (center of mass, pelvis, spine, head, neck,
arms, legs, and tail) in Euler. However, fingers and toes are considered
differently, as all first base links are controlled as quaternion and any
subsequent links as TCB/Euler. Fingers and toes do not have tangents.
Biped limbs with only one degree of freedom (DOF), such as forearms and
lower legs, are controlled with a single TCB/Euler curve.

Biped | 4971

Tangent Euler Rotation curve

NOTE Props are not supported with the Euler controller.
Rotation curves on a biped (including its center of mass) are always set in local
parent space, whether they are controlled in Euler or quaternion.
The XYZ function curves of an Euler rotation track are locked together. This means
that creating a new key on one axis automatically does so for all axes. Also, moving
a key in time drags all three axes with it.

Displaying Position Curves

Bezier position curves are available only for the biped's hands, feets, and center
of mass (COM). Hands and feets' positions are set in world space while the
COM position is set local to the world.
FK/IK key blending is illustrated as follows:
■

Full lines represent IK periods.

■

Gaps between lines represent FK periods.

■

Vertical dotted lines represent a change in pivot points.

NOTE Keys set to Join to Prev IK Key on page 4937 are locked in value until the next
un-joined key.

4972 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP The Workbench and Curve Editor are synchronized so changing the curve
display from the Workbench toolbar on page 5169 also updates the display from
the Curve Editor, as well as activate the corresponding tool from the Biped Toolbar
on page 3907.

Curve Conversion Between Quaternion and Euler

When an animation converts from one controller to the other, its integrity is
maintained as much as possible. This means that despite variations in key
interpolation results, the keyframed poses are preserved.
If you convert a quaternion rotation curve to Euler, the resulting tangent keys
are set to Smooth. If, on the other hand, you switch an Euler rotation curve
to quaternion, the bezier interpolation from the tangents is maintained as
much as possible. However, if that interpolation is too extreme and can not
be matched by TCB values, it is then reduced to fit under quaternion limits.

Extreme tangents on a Euler rotation curve

Using Euler animations with Layers, Motion Mixer, and Motion Flow
Both Euler tangents and quaternion TCB data are stored in each keyframe.
Therefore, even if you are using the Euler XYZ controller, you can still change
the profile of your curves using quaternion/TCB control values (on the Key
Info rollout on page 5049).
If you add a new layer to an Euler controlled biped part, that layer is converted
into quaternion until it is collapsed back with the original layer. On collapse,
the curve changes back into Euler following the same conversion rules stated
earlier.

Biped | 4973

When clips containing Euler animations are brought into the Motion Mixer,
Euler tangents are preserved in the blending process. However, once they are
mixed together in a mixdown on page 9224, the resulting animation becomes
quaternion.
TIP When creating a mixdown, you can preserve your Euler tangents by turning
on A Keyframe Per Frame in the Mixer Preferences dialog on page 4080.
Motion Flow follows the same rules as the Motion Mixer. If clips brought into
Motion Flow contain Euler animations, their tangents are preserved. However,
creating an unified motion results in a quaternion animation.
TIP Euler tangents can be preserved when creating a unified motion by turning
on A Keyframe Per Frame in the Unify Options dialog (by clicking Create Unified
Motion in the Motion Flow Scripts Group on page 5238).

Turn on A Keyframe Per Frame to preserve Euler tangents.

Copy-Pasting Data between Euler and Quaternion Curves
When you copy a track and paste it onto another, its type (Euler or quaternion)
is pasted as well. This sometimes results in animations switching from
quaternion to Euler and vice-versa.
Euler tangents of copied poses or postures are never copied. If you copy an
Euler track and paste it onto any type of track with Auto Key turned on, the
current TCB or tangent values (depending on the type of track onto which
you pasting) are ignored and instead set to Default .
Following the same rule, pasting a pose or posture on a Euler track with Auto
Key turned on doesn't transfer the TCB values of the copied track. If a new
key is created before pasting the track, the resulting tangent is set to Default.

4974 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Loading and Saving Biped Assets with Euler Curves
When you load an external biped asset file (BIP) onto a biped, they each might
contain different animation controllers (for example, a Euler asset loaded onto
a quaternion biped). When this happens, the biped animations are converted
to match the controller from the biped asset file.
When you save a biped asset file, it stores both Euler tangents and quaternion
TCB control values.
NOTE While this doesn't affect overall performance, it may slightly impact the
biped asset file size.

Working with XRef Bipeds
Using the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977, you can externally reference bipeds
in your scene. This lets you work efficiently in a collaborative environment
because the changes that the artist applies to his source XRef biped updates
your master scene content. See XRef Objects on page 7971 for more information.

Externally Referencing a Biped
When you create an XRef biped, certain modes on the Motion Panel's Biped
rollout on page 5010 become unavailable as XRef data is read-only:
■

Figure Mode on page 5104

■

Footstep Mode on page 5120

■

Motion Flow Mode on page 5233

■

Mixer Mode on page 4140

As a result, you need to go back to the source scene in order to make desired
changes to your biped.

Biped | 4975

Example: Changing the Structure of an Xref Biped
An integrator externally references a biped into his master scene. He discovers
that the biped does not have the right number of spine and neck links, and
that the arm links are too short to reach a specific goal target. Because Figure
Mode is unavailable in the master scene, the artist currently in the source
scene inputs the changes to the biped's structure, and then saves his file. This
update now reflects in the master scene.

Example: Modifying the Footsteps of an Xref Biped
An integrator externally references a biped into his master scene. He sees the
footstep animation but cannot edit it because Footstep Mode is unavailable.
The artist currently in the source scene goes into Footstep Mode and alters
the animation. This update now reflects in the master scene.

XRef Layer
Externally referencing a biped automatically creates a new “XREF LAYER” in
the Layers rollout on page 5087, whether or not the source biped contains any
animation. As a result, the original layer becomes a level one “Local Layer”
which you can use to add animation on top of it.
NOTE If the XRef biped contains multiple animation layers in the source scene,
3ds Max collapses them into one layer before creating the XRef.
NOTE Saving animation on page 4978 from your XRef biped breaks the XRef link.

Loading, Saving, and Displaying Biped Motion
The topics in this section explain how to load, save, and display biped motion.

Working with Biped Motion Files
character studio uses a variety of file formats to save, load, and edit motion.
■

BIP file (.bip)
The native character studio file format for saving biped motion. A BIP file
saves all information about biped motion: footsteps, keyframe settings
including limb rotation, the scale of the biped, the active gravity
(GravAccel) value, and prop animation. IK Blend values for the keys and
Object Space settings are also saved.
See Loading and Saving BIP Animation on page 4978.

4976 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

BVH file (.bvh)
The BioVision motion capture format. Typically, BVH files are obtained
from motion capture hardware that records the movements of a human
performer. Data saved in a BVH file includes both skeletal data, and
information about limb and joint rotations.
NOTE For the BVH file specification, see the BVH.rtf document on the program
disc.

■

CSM file (.csm)
The Character Studio Marker format. This is an alternative format for
recording motion capture data. It stores positional data for various markers
on a biped figure.
See Motion Capture Rollout on page 5273.
NOTE For the CSM file specification, see the CSM.rtf document on the program
disc.

■

MIX file (.mix)
A MIX file contains data from the Motion Mixer, such as trackgroups,
tracks, and transitions.
See Using the Motion Mixer on page 4038.

■

MFE file (.mfe)
The Motion Flow Editor format saves scripts you create in the Motion Flow
Editor, including clip references and transitions.
See Motion Flow Mode on page 5233.

■

MNM file (.mnm)
The Marker Name File format matches custom marker names in a CSM or
BVH file with the standard, preset marker names used by a biped.
NOTE For BVH and CSM file specifications, see the BVH.rtf and CSM.rtf
documents on the program disc.

■

STP file (.stp)
The Step file format saves footstep data. Unlike a BIP file, it does not save
keys for the feet or upper body. STP files are ASCII files. The main purpose
for this format is to enable developers to write programs that generate step
files. Biped can later be used to create keys for the software-generated
footsteps.
See Loading and Saving STP Files on page 4986.

Biped | 4977

Motion File History Lists
The file dialogs for Biped motion files include a history list that lets you quickly
choose directories where you have recently saved or opened files. 3ds Max
maintains a separate history list for each type of motion file.
NOTE When you load or save motion flow snippets, or mixer clips through the
reservoir, if a file is already specified for that snippet or clip, its directory will appear
at the top of the history list, even if that directory was not originally in the history
list. If you cancel the load or save of the snippet or clip, that directory will not be
added to the history. If you go ahead and load or save the snippet or clip, the
directory will be added to the history.

Loading and Saving BIP Animation
Biped motion (BIP) files have a .bip file name extension. They save all
information about biped motion: footsteps, keyframe settings including limb
rotation, the scale of the biped, and the active gravity (GravAccel) value. IK
Blend values for the keys and Object Space settings are also saved.
IK objects, props and other objects in the scene can also be saved with the BIP
file.
There are several ways to create or acquire .bip files:
■

By loading one of the sample animation files that come with 3ds Max.
Refer to the Installation Guide for more details.

■

By creating your own animation with footsteps or freeform methods, and
saving the animation with the
the procedures that follow.

■

Save button in the Biped rollout. See

By loading and filtering a motion capture file, then saving the animation
with the
Save button in the Biped rollout. See Filtering
Motion-Capture and Marker Data on page 5267.

When you save a Motion Mixer on page 4038 (MIX) file or a Motion Flow Editor
on page 5194 (MFE) file, the paths to the referenced BIP files are also saved. If
these paths are broken (for example, if the BIP files have been moved or
renamed), a Missing Motion Mixer Files dialog or Missing Motion Flow Files
dialog, respectively, opens listing the missing files. To rectify this, open the
Asset Tracking dialog on page 8115 and set a new path for the files.

4978 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To load biped motion from an existing BIP file:

1

Select the biped you want to animate, and go to the
Motion panel.

2 On the Biped rollout, make sure you are not in Figure mode, and click
(Load File).
NOTE When Figure mode on page 5104 is active, the Load File option loads
figure (FIG) files. Anything done in Figure mode changes the basic shape and
structure of the biped. When Figure mode is turned off, the Load File tool
loads BIP files, which animate the figure.
3 In the file dialog, choose the BIP motion file to load, and then click OK.
4 The biped repositions itself in the scene, as it assumes the initial position
of the animation file. You might need to use Zoom Extents to see the
biped after it is repositioned.
TIP The Biped keyboard shortcut Alt+R sets the animation range to that of
the currently selected biped. Since the length of the animation can change
after loading a BIP file, this keystroke can be useful. To use it, make sure that
the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is active.

To save animation you have created or imported to a BIP file:
1 Animate the biped with footsteps or freeform animation (or both).

2

Select the biped that has the animation you want to save, and

go to the

Motion panel.

3 On the Biped rollout, make sure you are not in Figure mode, and click
(Save File).

Biped | 4979

4 In the file dialog, enter a name for the motion file, and then click OK.

Importing and Exporting Animation Data
You can use character studio with 3ds Max FBX import/export support to
simplify the animation of 3ds Max bones. To transform an animated biped
into a set of animated bones, export it to FBX on page 8235 and then import
your file.
Click the Help button on the FBX dialog to view the latest 3ds Max FBX Plug-in
Guide.

Motion Mapping: Retargeting Biped Motion
One of the more powerful features of Biped is the ability to retarget or map
the motion of any biped onto any other biped.
If you map the motion of a biped without a tail onto a biped with a tail, default
tail motion for the biped with a tail will be computed. Default motion will
also be computed when mapping the motion of a biped with fewer links in
the legs, spine, or neck onto a biped with more links in the legs, spine, or
neck. There are a few ways to perform motion mapping. You can:
■

Go into Figure mode and change the structure of your biped. When you
exit Figure mode, the new structure of the biped will adapt to the existing
animation.

■

Save a BIP or STP file from one biped, and load it onto another biped of a
different structure and size.

■

Copy footsteps from one biped, and paste them onto the footsteps of a
differently structured and scaled biped.

Scale Stride Mode
Scale Stride mode gives you control over whether or not certain aspects of
motion mapping occur.
If Scale Stride mode is active (the default):
■

When you exit Figure mode after loading a FIG file or changing the biped's
leg length, pelvis width, or height, the locations of the footsteps will be
scaled to match the leg length and pelvis width, and gravity will be changed
to match the new height of the biped.

4980 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

When you load a BIP or STP file, the locations of the footsteps in the file
will be scaled to match the leg length and pelvis width of the existing
biped. Gravity will be adjusted to be proportional to the gravity stored in
the file. (A motion stored in a BIP or STP file has a gravity value associated
with it.)

■

When you paste footsteps copied from one biped onto another biped, the
locations of the footsteps in the buffer will be scaled to match the leg
length and pelvis width of the existing biped. Gravity will be adjusted to
be proportional to the gravity stored in the file. (A motion stored in a BIP
or STP file has a gravity value associated with it.)

If Scale Stride mode is not active, no computations will be performed in any
of the above cases. Then you might see your biped moving over footsteps that
are spaced inappropriately far apart or close together for the size of your biped.
Typically, you should leave Scale Stride mode active, unless you want to
maintain the spatial relationship between the biped and other objects in your
scene.

Procedures
To turn off Scale Stride mode:

1

Select the biped, and go to the

Motion panel.

2 On the Biped rollout, click the bar at the bottom to expand the rollout.

(If the rollout is already expanded, the bar shows a minus sign at the left,
instead of a plus.)
3 In the Modes group, click

(Scale Stride Mode) to turn it off.

The button changes to indicate stride scaling has been turned off.

4 Use

(Figure Mode) to edit the figure.

Biped | 4981

When you return to Keyframe mode or Footstep mode, the biped's stride
length is unchanged, regardless of the biped figure's new proportions.

Merging and Cloning a Character
At some point you might need to use the File ➤ Merge command to merge
a character into your scene. Also, you can use Merge to clone a biped that has
a mesh with the Physique modifier applied, as described in this topic.

Cloning a Character
To clone a character (that is, a biped with a Physique mesh), save a scene that
contains the character, change the original biped's name, and then use File
➤ Merge to merge the copy from the saved file. You can merge from a saved
version of the scene that is currently open. See the procedures for details.

Procedures
To merge a skinned biped:
1 Before you merge, make sure the root name of the biped you want to
import is different from that of bipeds already in your scene. If there is

a name conflict,
select the conflicting biped, go to the
Motion panel, and use the Structure rollout's Root Name field to change
the biped's root name.
If you skip this step, you will get a Duplicate Name dialog for every object
in the merged biped's hierarchy!
2 Choose File ➤ Merge, then choose the MAX file that contains the biped
to import.
3ds Max opens the Merge dialog.
3 In the Merge dialog, click to turn on Select Subtree.
4 Locate and click the biped's center of mass name in the Merge dialog list.
The default name for the biped center of mass is Bip001. If the biped was
renamed on the Structure rollout, find the renamed center of mass in the
list.

4982 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE The center of mass is the root object in the biped hierarchy, if this is
selected with Select Subtree turned on, then all the child links are selected,
including extra bones and the mesh skin (the mesh skin is linked when Attach
To Node is used in Physique).

Selecting a biped while merging a MAX scene

In the illustration, the center of mass object is named Hero. With Select Subtree
active, all the children are also selected when you click Hero, including the
Physique mesh.

Biped | 4983

5 Click OK.
Probably a Duplicate Name dialog is displayed. If it isn't, the merge is
done; if it is, see the following step.
6 On the Duplicate Name dialog, turn on Apply To All Duplicates, and
then click Merge.
NOTE Even when the bipeds in your scene have different root names from
the biped you are merging, the biped finger/toe/head dummies in the file
to be merged can have the same names as other biped dummies in your
scene. This step merges these dummy objects. Dummies with duplicate names
can appear in the Select From Scene dialog, so the duplicate names are not
a problem.
The biped and its animation is merged with the scene.
To hide the finger, toe, and head dummy objects:
The dummy objects for fingers, toes, and the head are visible on the newly
merged biped. Usually these dummies are hidden from sight. They are used
by Physique to create envelopes for all the finger tips, toe tips, and head; these
dummies display when a character is merged. The quickest way to hide them
again is simply to toggle the Objects button in the Biped rollout's Display
group, as described in these steps.

1 With the merged biped still selected, go to the

Motion panel.

Fingertip dummies displayed as blue cubes

The number of biped dummies varies according to how many fingers
and toes the character has.
2 At the bottom of the Biped rollout, click the bar by the plus sign to expand
the rollout.

4984 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(If the rollout is already expanded, the bar shows a minus sign at the left,
instead of a plus.)
3 In the Display group, turn
(Objects) off and then back on again to
hide the biped finger/toe/head dummy objects.
To clone a skinned biped:
1 Save a copy of the scene that contains the biped you want to clone.
2 On the Structure rollout, change the original biped's root name, as
described above.
3 Merge the saved biped, as described in the previous procedure, To merge
a skinned biped on page 4982.
The original biped, with its Physique modifier, is cloned. It appears in
the same location as the original biped.

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

4 On the
Mode).

5 Use
scene.

(Move All

(Select And Move) to move the clone to a new location in the

Combining BIP Motions
character studio provides two main ways of combining BIP files to build more
complex character animations: Motion Flow and the Motion Mixer.
■

Motion Flow on page 5194 uses BIP files as clips in a script. The motion-flow
script joins clips together using transitions. Transitions can be unconditional,
they can be chosen at random, or they can be governed by rules such as
collision detection. You can control when a transition begins and ends.
You can use motion flow to animate a single biped, or a crowd of bipeds.
Motion flow scripts are saved as Motion Flow Editor (MFE) files.

■

The Motion Mixer on page 4038 also uses BIP files and MFE files as clips. In
addition to creating transitions from one BIP animation to another, over

Biped | 4985

time, Mixer scripts can combine the upper-body movement of one biped
with the lower-body movement of another, adjust the timing of
movements, and provide a number of other effects. The Mixer is especially
useful when you work with motion-capture files on page 5264.
Mixer scripts are saved as BIP files or MIX files.

Loading and Saving STP Files
Step (STP) files save footsteps, but don't save body keyframes.
The STP file format is an ASCII format that enables developers to write
programs that generate step files for biped motion. The online document
stp.rtf, provided with character studio in the ..\cstudio\docs directory, describes
the STP format.

Procedures
To load footstep data:

1

Select the biped to animate via saved footsteps, then go to the

Motion panel.
2 On the Biped rollout, make sure you are not in Figure mode, then click
(Load File).
3 In the file dialog, choose Step Files (.STP) as the file type to load.
4 Choose the footstep file to load, and then click OK.
The footsteps are loaded onto the biped, and new default keys are generated
to match the footsteps.

4986 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To save footstep data:

1

Select the biped whose footsteps you want to save, and go to

the

Motion panel.

2 On the Biped rollout, make sure you are not in Figure mode, then click
(Save File).
3 In the file dialog, choose Step Files (.STP) as the file type to save.
4 Enter a name for the footstep file, and then click OK.

Using Motion-Capture Data
Besides animating a biped with footsteps or with keyframing (freeform
animation), you can import a motion-capture file.
The overall workflow for motion capture is straightforward:
■

Import the motion-capture data
See Importing Motion-Capture Data on page 5266.

■

Filter the data
Motion-capture files are typically dense, with keys on every frame. Filtering
the data reduces the number of keys, resulting in an animation with better
performance. You filter the data with the Motion Capture Conversion
Parameters dialog on page 5283. This dialog can reduce large numbers of
keys at once. It is displayed when you use the Motion Capture rollout to
load a BIP, BVH, or CSM file. Once you have loaded a motion-capture file,
you can filter the data further by clicking Convert From Buffer (also on
the Motion Capture rollout), which also displays this dialog.
See Filtering Motion-Capture and Marker Data on page 5267.

■

(Optional) Edit the data
Once you are happy with the converted animation, you can use the
freeform animation tools to make specific changes.
TIP The Motion Mixer on page 4038 provides another way to edit motion-capture
data.

Biped | 4987

Motion-capture files can be one of three file types: the native character studio
BIP format, the BioVision (BVH) format, or the Character Studio Marker (CSM)
format.
For an introduction to using motion capture, see the tutorial “Working with
Motion-Capture Data.”

Correcting Posture
A particular motion file might position a biped body part inappropriately. For
example, the collarbones might be rotated down too far, affecting your mesh
deformation. All you need to do is go into Figure mode, rotate the biped
collarbones up, and then exit Figure mode: this corrects the collarbone position
for the entire animation. The motion references the Figure mode position, if
the biped is adjusted, and this adjustment is reflected in your animation when
you exit Figure mode.
TIP Save a FIG file for the biped pose you used when you applied Physique. Then
you can use the FIG file to reload this position if you need to reapply the Physique
modifier or reinitialize the Physique settings.

How Biped Uses Figure Mode
When you animate the biped, the Biped plug-in maintains the at-rest pose
you have created for these elements of the biped body:
■

Spine

■

Neck

■

Clavicles

■

Tail

■

Ponytails

■

Center of mass position, relative to the body.

When Biped adapts the keyframed motions stored in BIP files to different
characters, the keyframes of the above elements are recreated as an offset from
the at-rest posture associated with each character's figure. The at-rest posture
associated with the arms and legs is always assumed to be a standing posture,
with straight legs.

4988 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Restructuring a Biped to Match a BIP File
When you load a BIP file, there is an option to restructure the biped to match
the file. If you turn this on when you load the file, the biped’s structure will
change to match the figure of the biped in the BIP file.

Talent Figure Mode and Adjust Talent Pose
Talent Figure Mode on page 5281 and Adjust Talent Pose on page 5282 on the
Motion Capture rollout have a purpose similar to that of Figure mode. They
are used to size and position biped body parts to better fit raw motion capture
data. After importing motion capture data, you might discover that certain
biped limbs or the biped scale need a global adjustment in order to provide a
closer match to the figure of the talent who performed the motion.
See also:
■

Motion Capture Rollout on page 5273

Copying and Pasting Tracks
Biped's Copy/Paste rollout on the Motion panel provides controls for copying
and pasting biped tracks from one part of the biped to another, or from one
biped to a different biped. At the top of this rollout are three buttons: Posture,
Pose, and Track.

Biped | 4989

This section covers the copying and pasting of tracks. For information on the
other options on this rollout, see Copying and Pasting Postures and Poses on
page 4958.
To copy and paste biped tracks, turn on Tracks. The remaining controls in the
rollout change to reflect that you are working with tracks:

■

The copy button changes to a Copy Tracks button.

■

The two Paste buttons become Paste Tracks and Paste Tracks
Opposite, respectively.

■

The Paste Horizontal, Paste Vertical, and Paste Rotation
buttons in the Paste Options group on page 5085 become active.

4990 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To copy a track from one biped to another:

1

Select any part of the biped, then go to the

Motion

panel.
2 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click
new collection Biped Track.

(Create Collection). Rename the

3 Click the Track button to use Track mode. Then
parts whose tracks you want to copy.

4 Click

select the biped

(Copy Track).

Biped creates a new track buffer, and adds it to the list as the active buffer.
The buffer's name indicates which biped parts you selected.

5

Select any part of the other biped.

6 In the Paste Options group, enable all three

7 Click

(Paste Track) or

Paste buttons.

(Paste Track Opposite).

The tracks for all biped parts are applied to the other biped regardless of
which parts are selected on the biped.

Repositioning the Biped
The method you should use to reposition a biped depends on which tools
were used to animate the biped.
■

If the biped uses freeform or footstep animation, use Move All mode.
This is also the easiest way to move a biped that is not animated.

Biped | 4991

■

If the biped uses freeform animation and IK attachment (that is, there are
keys where IK Blend is greater than zero), then you need to use a dummy
object.

■

If the biped is animated with motion flow, use the Start Position spinners.

Procedures
NOTE The procedures in this topic assume that you have already selected the
biped and gone to the Motion panel.
To reposition a freeform animation (with no IK attachment) or a footstep
animation:
1 On the Biped rollout, turn on

(Move All Mode).

The biped's center of mass is selected and displayed in a larger-than-usual

size. On the main toolbar,

Select And Move is turned on.

Move All mode is a convenient way to select the biped's center of mass,
and to reposition the biped. Use it when the biped is not yet animated,
when the biped has freeform animation with no IK attachment, or when
it has footstep animation.
NOTE The alternative way to move a biped with footstep animation is to
select all of its footsteps, rather than its center of mass.

2

Move the biped.
The Collapse button on the Move All dialog box allows you to reset the
position and rotation values in the Move All dialog to zero, but does not
change the position of the biped.

3 Turn off

(Move All Mode).

To reposition a biped with limbs attached to an Object Space object (IK
attachment):
1 Create a dummy object and position it near the biped's center of mass.

4992 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

2 On the main toolbar, use
(Select And Link) to link both the Object
Space object and the biped's center of mass to the dummy object.
IMPORTANT Make sure you link both at the same frame.

3

Move the dummy object to reposition the biped.

To reposition a biped with limbs attached to world space (IK attachment):
A biped with limbs in world space has an IK Blend setting of 1.0 for each limb,
with no Object Space object specified. For example, when you plant the feet
of a biped so its knees will bend when you lower its center of mass, or you
plant the hands of a biped doing pushups, typically you do not specify an
Object Space object.
1 Create a dummy object near the biped's center of mass.

2 On the main toolbar, use
(Select And Link) to link both the biped's
center of mass and the biped part with planted keys to the dummy object.
TIP To be on the safe side, you can double-click the upper limb and link all
of the limb to the dummy.
IMPORTANT Make sure you create all links at the same frame.

3

Move the dummy object to reposition the biped.
NOTE Depending on the animation, at some of attached object's keys you
might need to set IK Blend back to 0.0. Otherwise, the limb can get “stuck”
in a posture.

Biped | 4993

To reposition a biped animated with a motion flow script:
By default, the biped's position at the beginning of a motion flow script is the
position specified by the first BIP or STP file in the script.
1 Turn on

(Motion Flow Mode).

2 On the Motion Flow rollout, use Start Position X, Start Position Y, and
Start Position Z to change the XYZ position of the biped.

3 Turn off

(Motion Flow Mode).

To use layers to reposition a biped with freeform animation:
Using layers and Auto Key when you reposition a freeform biped gives you
some editing choices, as described below.

1 On the Layers rollout, click

(Create Layer).

NOTE If the biped uses footstep animation, the
button will become unavailable.

2 Turn on

(Move All Mode)

(Auto Key).

3 Reposition the biped as described in the previous procedure, To reposition
a freeform animation (with no IK attachment) or a footstep animation
on page 4992.

4 Turn off

(Auto Key).

You now have these aids to animation editing:
■

Lower layers show the biped's original position, as does the red stick
figure.

■

Clicking
(Snap Set Key) on the Layers rollout snaps the biped to
its position on the previous layer, and sets a position key. The

4994 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

animation is blended between the biped's new position and its
previous position at frames where the key is set.

Previewing Biped Motion
There are two types of animation playback available within character studio:
the 3ds Max Play Animation button and the Biped Playback button.

■

You can use
(Play Animation) in the viewport playback controls
to play biped animation, the same as you can any other 3ds Max animation.

■

Use
(Biped Playback) on page 5011 on the Biped rollout to play back
the animation with the biped displayed as a stick figure, while hiding
everything else in the scene.

NOTE It is possible to turn on both buttons at once. This is not recommended.
Depending on your system configuration, turning on Play Animation and Biped
Playback at the same time can considerably slow down performance.

Biped Playback
Biped playback previews the motion of all existing, visible bipeds. If you hide
a part or all of biped, the hidden biped or biped part does not appear in the
Biped playback. Objects in the animation that are not bipeds do not appear
in Biped playback. If the 3ds Max home grid is visible, a grid appears at Z=0
in the Biped playback viewport.
While Biped controls are visible in the Motion panel, you can also press V to
start or stop Biped Playback. For this keyboard shortcut to work, the Keyboard
Shortcut Override Toggle must be turned on.
Biped always previews the existing animation range. Biped Playback responds
to the parameters in the 3ds Max Time Configuration dialog. If Real Time
playback is chosen in this dialog, Biped plays back at the current frame rate,
sometimes skipping frames if necessary. If Real Time is turned off, Biped plays
back as fast as it can, depending on the capacity of the graphics card installed
on your system.

Biped | 4995

NOTE Hardware acceleration has no effect on Biped playback. If you are using a
hardware-accelerated display card, you might find 3ds Max playback to be faster
under certain circumstances.

Procedures
To preview biped motion using the Biped playback stick figure:
1 Activate the viewport with the view you want to see.
2 Hide or show the bipeds you want to appear in the playback.

3

Select one of the visible bipeds, and go to the

Motion

panel.
4 On the Biped rollout, click

(Biped Playback).

Stick-figure biped animation plays back in the active viewport. Animation
plays back for all visible bipeds.
To preview biped motion using the full biped model, do one of the following:
■

Drag the time slider.

■

Click

(Play Animation).

Biped animation plays back in the active viewport.
Depending on your system, biped animation might not play back in real time
using 3ds Max viewport playback.
WARNING You might miss critical frames of your animation if Real Time is selected
in the Time Configuration dialog.

4996 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

In Place Mode
Create or select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤ Expand

the rollout. ➤ Modes group ➤ In Place flyout ➤

(In Place)

In Place mode on page 9192 allows you to display biped motion as if it were
occurring on a treadmill. Regardless of the distance the biped covers under
control of the current motion file, the biped stays within the active viewport
when you've turned on In Place Mode.
In Place playback prevents lateral (XY) movement of the biped center of mass
during animation playback; vertical motion along the Z-axis is preserved.
Biped limbs, footsteps, and center of mass keys can be adjusted in this mode.
When the center of mass is moved on the XY axes in this mode, the footsteps
move.
Use this feature to view biped playback without requiring a follow camera. In
this viewing mode, visible footsteps appear to slide under the biped.
For export to games, this feature is valuable, as many game engines intelligently
move the character's center of mass laterally according to game play. In Place
mode makes it easy to view, tune, and export animation in a manner that is
complementary to game engine playback.
NOTE Trajectories do not display using In Place mode.

In Place Mode Options
The In Place Mode button is the default button on a three-button flyout. There
are two further options:

■

In Place X ModeLocks center of mass X-axis motion. Use this for
game export where the character stays in place but the swinging motion
of the hips and upper body along the Y-axis is preserved.

■

In Place Y ModeLocks center of mass Y-axis motion. Use this for
game export where the character stays in place but the swinging motion
of the hips and upper body along the X-axis is preserved.

Biped | 4997

Using In Place Mode to Adjust Keyframes
In Place Mode is a good way to adjust keys on a biped that already has
animation applied to it. Rather than scrolling the view at different frames to
keep a running biped visible, turn on In Place Mode. Now when you scrub
the time slider, or use the Next Key and Previous Key buttons, the biped
remains visible. A key that needs adjustment can be quickly spotted and
corrected.
TIP Judging lateral center-of-mass motion using In Place mode is difficult. In Place
mode limits center-of-mass motion on the XY axes; all sense of body momentum
on these axes is suspended during playback. You might want to turn off In Place
playback to gain a sense of lateral momentum when setting or adjusting horizontal
keys (Body Horizontal Track) for the center of mass.

Procedures
To use In Place mode to adjust keyframes:

1

Select a biped that has animation, and go to the

Motion

panel.
2 On the Biped rollout, click the bar at the bottom to expand the rollout.

(If the rollout is already expanded, the bar shows a minus sign at the left,
instead of a plus.)

3 In the Modes group, click

(In Place Mode) to turn it on.

4 At the bottom of the 3ds Max window, turn on

(Auto Key).

5 Find a frame where the biped needs adjustment, and modify or add keys.

Trajectory Display
When a biped is animated, you can view its motion not only using Biped
Playback, but you can also see the path, or trajectory, the biped (or selected
biped links) follows throughout the motion.

4998 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display of the trajectory of a biped's lower spine

You turn on trajectory display by clicking Trajectories in either of these
user-interface locations:

■

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤ Expand Biped rollout. ➤

Display group ➤

■

(Trajectories)

Motion panel ➤ Key Info rollout ➤

(Trajectories)

TIP Do not use 3ds Max trajectory controls to display or edit biped trajectories.
These include the options accessed with Object Properties ➤ Display Properties
➤ Trajectory on the quad menu, and those under Motion panel ➤ Trajectories
text button.
Trajectories provide useful visual feedback as you edit keys, showing the effects
on the motion path for the parameters you're adjusting. You also can use
trajectory display to compare filtered and unfiltered motion capture data.
Changes to Tension, Continuity, Bias, Dynamics Blend, Ballistic Tension, and
the overall gravity setting GravAccel are reflected in the trajectories.

Biped | 4999

NOTE Trajectories do not display while you play an animation using In Place
mode.
You can customize the trajectory information for the selected biped link by
using the Display Preferences dialog on page 5027. You can choose between
Bone Base and Bone Tip, show an entire trajectory, or a moving range of
frames.
See also:
Biped Color-coded Keys and Trajectories on page 5153

■

Procedures
To edit biped trajectory keys in a viewport:

1

Select an animated biped and go to the

2 On the Track Selection rollout, turn on
(Body Vertical).

Motion panel.

(Body Horizontal) or

3 At the bottom of the Biped rollout, expand the Modes And Display
sub-rollout if necessary by clicking its name.
4 In the Display group, turn on

(Trajectories).

5 Turn on Sub-Object selection level.

6 On the main toolbar, click

(Select And Move).

7 Use the Transform gizmo to move the keys on the trajectory.

Display Preferences
The Display Preferences dialog on page 5027 lets you customize how bipeds are
displayed while you work with them. This topic introduces some of the
commonly used options.

5000 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Use controls on this dialog to change footstep, trajectory, and playback display.
In the Trajectories group, you can choose between the Bone Base or Bone tip
for trajectory display. You can show the entire trajectory, or define a range of
frames for partial trajectory display.
In the Footsteps group, you can choose colors for the left and right footsteps,
and generate various colors or standard colors in the viewport or Track View.
You can also Show or Hide All Footsteps or Footstep Numbers.
In the Playback group, you can define which bipeds will appear in Biped
Playback. (This can be useful for speeding performance if your scene contains
a number of bipeds.)
See also:
■

Display group on page 5015

Biped | 5001

Biped User Interface
The Biped user interface is split up into “modes” of operation. You activate
these modes by selecting the appropriate button in the Biped rollout on the
Motion panel, which is visible when a biped is selected.
Four modes are available:
Figure mode is used to change the biped skeletal structure and to align
the biped to a mesh.
Footstep mode is used to create and edit footstep animation.
Motion Flow mode is used to create scripts that combine motion files
into longer animations.

Mixer mode is used to view, save, and load animation created with
the Motion Mixer.
As with other parts of 3ds Max, the rollouts change depending on the mode
character studio is in. When no modes are active, the following rollouts are
displayed:
■

Assign Controller Rollout (character studio) on page 5007

■

Biped Apps Rollout on page 5009

■

Biped Rollout on page 5010

■

Track Selection Rollout on page 5029

■

Quaternion/Euler Rollout on page 5036

■

Twist Poses Rollout on page 5039

■

Bend Links Rollout on page 5045

■

Key Info Rollout on page 5049

■

Keyframing Tools Rollout on page 5063

■

Copy/Paste Rollout on page 5071

■

Layers Rollout on page 5087

■

Motion Capture Rollout on page 5273

5002 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout on page 5101

The Assign Controller, Biped Apps, and Biped rollouts are displayed during
all modes. The remaining rollouts depend on the mode.
In Figure mode, Structure on page 5108 is the only additional rollout.
In Footstep Mode, the rollouts displayed are: Footstep Creation on page 5120,
Footstep Operations on page 5124, and Dynamics & Adaptation.
In Motion Flow mode, Motion Flow on page 5235 is the only additional rollout
displayed.
In Mixer mode, Mixer on page 4140 is the only rollout displayed.
When no modes are active, you can edit tracks and keys, set IK constraints,
work with layers, and work with motion capture data. You can also create
freeform animation without any of the modes active simply by turning on
the Auto Key button and moving or rotating any part of the biped.

Motion Panel (Biped)
Once you have created a biped, use the Biped controls on the Motion panel
to animate the biped, load and save Biped files, and fit the biped to a mesh
representing your character.
Create a biped if one does not exist, and select any part of the biped to see
the controls on the Motion panel.
Depending on the active mode, the Motion panel contains the following
rollouts:
Assign Controller Rollout (character studio) on page 5007
Biped Apps Rollout on page 5009
Biped Rollout on page 5010
Track Selection Rollout on page 5029
Copy/Paste Rollout on page 5071
Footstep Creation Rollout on page 5120
Footstep Operations Rollout on page 5124
Motion Flow Rollout on page 5235
Mixer Rollout on page 4140

Biped | 5003

Key Info Rollout on page 5049
Keyframing Tools Rollout on page 5063
Display group on page 5015
Layers Rollout on page 5087
Motion Capture Rollout on page 5273
Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout on page 5101
Structure Rollout on page 5108

Center of Mass
The parent object of the biped is its center of mass, which appears as a blue
octahedron near the center of the biped’s pelvis. The name of this object is
the root name of the biped (Bip01 by default).

The Center of Mass (COM) object is the root parent.

The center of mass is sometimes referred to as the COM.

5004 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Center of Mass Animation Tracks
Unlike other objects and biped body parts, the center of mass has three separate
animation tracks:
■

Body Horizontal

■

Body Vertical

■

Body Turning (selected with the Body Rotation button)

You can use these buttons, available on the Track Selection rollout on page
5029, to select each track as well as the COM itself.

Rotating About a Different Pivot Point
You can “decouple” rotation from the COM, and rotate the biped about a
pivot point you choose. For instructions on how to do so, see To rotate the
biped about a pivot that is not the COM on page 5032.

Left: Pivot point moved to be near the biped’s feet.
Right: Rotating the biped after moving the pivot.

Linking the Center of Mass Object
Using the Select And Link tool on page 3666 you can link the center of mass
object to another object if you need to reposition an animation sequence. An
example of this might be a surfer. You could create an animation of a biped

Biped | 5005

running up and down the surfboard, hanging its toes off the end of the
surfboard, and so on, and then link the center of mass object to the board.
When you animate the surfboard, the biped animation would travel with it.

The biped moves with the surfboard because the center of mass is linked to the
surfboard.

Because the COM is the root object in the biped hierarchy, it is the only object
in the biped that you can link directly to other objects in the scene by using
Select And Link. To make other body parts, such as feet and hands, follow
other objects in the scene, use the technique of IK attachment: see Animating
IK Attachments on page 4955.

Center of Mass Shadow
The center of mass shadow object, the circle between the biped’s feet on the
world plane, provides a sense of the position of the character’s center of mass,
relative to the feet. Another use of the center of mass shadow is to link objects
to it. For example, you might link a camera and its target to the shadow object,
to make the camera to follow the character.

5006 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The center of mass shadow between the biped's feet.

Motion Panel Rollouts (Biped)
These topics describe the main Motion panel rollouts for Biped.

Assign Controller Rollout (character studio)
Select a biped's COM. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Assign Controller rollout

The Assign Controller rollout assigns and appends different transform
controllers to individual objects. You can also assign controllers in Track View.
Animation controllers are plug-ins that handle all of the animation tasks in
3ds Max. For a complete list of available Animation controllers, see Assign
Controller on page 3930.

Biped | 5007

Interface

Assign Controller Displays a selectable list of controllers for a selected
track.
Once controllers have been added, right-click the Biped SubAnim entry in the
list and choose Properties to display the SubAnims dialog.

5008 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Enable section
Enable Selectively activates or disables the three list controllers. Choose any
combination of Position, Rotation, and Scale.
Position List When turned on, selects the Position controller to be collapsed
into the Biped SubAnim track.
Rotation List When turned on, selects the Rotation controller to be collapsed
into the Biped SubAnim track.
Scale List When turned on, selects the Scale controller to be collapsed into
the Biped SubAnim track.

Collapse section
Position Collapses the Position controller when you click Collapse.
Rotation Collapses the Rotation controller when you click Collapse.
Don't Delete Prevents the removal of the list controller after collapsing and
hides the controller instead.
Per Frame Creates a key per frame during the collapse, preventing the
controller from collapsing onto the key times of the biped and SubAnim
controller.
Collapse Performs the collapse.

Biped Apps Rollout
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout

The Biped Apps rollout allows you to choose either of two tools for working
with the biped motion.

Interface

Mixer Opens the Motion Mixer, where you can layer animation files to
customize biped motion.

Biped | 5009

See Using the Motion Mixer on page 4038.
Workbench Opens the Workbench, where you can analyze and adjust biped
motion curves.
See Working with the Workbench on page 5162.

Biped Rollout
Select the biped ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout

Use controls on the Biped rollout to put the biped into Figure, Footstep, Motion
Flow, or Mixer modes, and to load and save BIP, STP, MFE, and FIG files. You'll
find other controls on the Biped rollout, as well.
The Modes group on the Biped rollout lets you turn on the Buffer, Bend Links,
Rubber Band, Scale Stride, and In Place mode.
The Display group on the Biped rollout lets you adjust how the biped is
displayed, providing controls to show or hide Objects, Bones, Footsteps, and
Trajectories.
In addition, the Biped rollout provides controls for converting footsteps into
a freeform animation, or a freeform into a footstep animation.
NOTE The Modes group, Display group, and Name field are hidden by default.
Click on the Modes and Display expansion bar to display them.

Interface

Figure Mode Use Figure mode on page 5104 to fit a biped to the mesh
or mesh objects representing your character. Leave Figure mode on when you

5010 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

attach the mesh to the biped with Physique. Figure mode is also used to scale
a biped with a mesh attached, to make biped "fit" adjustments after Physique
is applied, and to correct posture in motion files that need a global posture
change.
The Structure Rollout on page 5108 appears when Figure mode is active.
NOTE When Figure mode is turned on, the biped jumps from its animated position
to its Figure mode pose. Animation is preserved when you exit Figure mode.

Footstep Mode Create and edit footsteps; generate a walk, run, or
jump footstep pattern; edit selected footsteps in space; and append footsteps
using parameters available in Footstep mode.
Two additional rollouts display on the Motion panel when Footstep mode on
page 5120 is active:
■

Footstep Creation rollout on page 5120

■

Footstep Operations rollout on page 5124

Motion Flow Mode Create scripts and use editable transitions to
combine BIP files together to create character animation in Motion Flow mode
on page 5233. After creating a script and editing transitions, use Save Segment
on the Biped rollout to store a script as one long BIP file. Save an MFE file;
this enables you to continue Motion Flow work in progress.
TIP Use Motion Flow mode to cut motion capture files together.
NOTE The Motion Flow rollout on page 5235 appears when Motion Flow mode is
active.

Mixer Mode Activates any current Mixer on page 4038 animation
on the Biped and displays the Mixer rollout on page 4140.

Biped Playback Plays the animation for all bipeds unless they are
excluded on the Display Preferences dialog on page 5027. This playback mode
usually gives real-time playback, which you may not get if you use Play on
the 3ds Max toolbar.

Biped | 5011

NOTE In Biped Playback mode, the biped is displayed as bones only, with no
other scene objects visible.

Load File The Open dialog on page 5021 lets you load .bip, .fig or .stp files.
Save File Opens the Save As dialog on page 5018, where you can save Biped
files (.bip), figure files (.fig), and step files (.stp) files.

Convert Convert a footstep animation to a freeform animation. This
works in both directions. Displays the Convert to Freeform dialog on page 5142
or Convert to Footsteps dialog on page 5142 depending on the direction.
■

Convert uses biped foot IK Blend values to extract footsteps.

■

Use Convert to extract footsteps from an animation saved using Save
Segment in Motion Flow mode.

■

Convert the animation in either direction depending on how you like to
work. Convert to freeform for unrestricted key editing. Convert to footsteps
to take advantage of footsteps.

Move All Mode Allows the biped to be moved and rotated with its
relative animation intact. You can transform the biped interactively in the
viewport or with the dialog box that opens when the button is active.
When this button is active, the biped’s center of mass enlarges to be more
easily selected for translation.
The Collapse button on the Move All dialog box allows you to reset the
position and rotation values in the Move All dialog to zero, but does not
change the position of the biped.

Modes group

NOTE The Modes group is hidden by default. To display it, click on the Modes
& Display expander in the Biped rollout.

Buffer Mode Edit segments of an animation in Buffer mode. Copy
footsteps and associated biped keys into the buffer using Copy Footsteps on

5012 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

the Footstep Operation rollout first, then turn on Buffer mode to view and
edit the copied segment of your animation.
TIP Paste buffered motion back to the original animation repeatedly to create
looping motions.
Edit footstep and biped animation that have been copied into the buffer using
Copy Footsteps on the Footsteps Operation rollout. The changes can be pasted
back by turning off Buffer Mode, turning on Paste Footsteps on the Footstep
Operation rollout, and overlapping the buffered footsteps with the original
footsteps. The buffered motion is spliced into the original animation.
Rubber Band Mode Use this to reposition the biped elbows and knees
without moving the biped hands or feet in Figure mode. Reposition the biped
center of mass to simulate the physics of wind or weight pushing against the
biped. Figure mode must be turned on to enable Rubber Band Mode.
To reposition biped knees and elbows, turn on Figure mode and turn on Rubber
Band mode. Select the Move transform tool, then select and drag a biped
upperarm or thigh in the viewports. Use this as an aid to fitting a biped to a
mesh.
To reposition the biped center of mass relative to the rest of the biped skeleton,
turn on Figure mode and turn on Rubber Band mode. Select the Move
transform tool, then select and drag the center of mass in the viewports. Use
this to account for wind force or pushing against a heavy object. See Shifting
the Biped's Balance on page 4889.

Biped | 5013

Moving the biped center of mass (blue diamond) behind the character, turns this
default walk cycle into a struggle against a high wind.

NOTE Rubber Band mode behaves differently than Non-Uniform Scale. For
example, if you "Rubber-Band" the biped thigh, the thigh and biped calf objects
scale proportionally to keep the biped foot stationary. Using Non-Uniform Scale,
the calf retains its scale and the foot moves.

Scale Stride Mode Footstep stride length and width are scaled to match
the stride length and width of the biped figure. Scale Stride mode is on by
default.
Displays when Scale Stride mode is off.
Scale Stride mode is on by default, so scaling occurs automatically when you
load a .bip, .stp, or .fig file. Scaling occurs when you paste footsteps and when
you scale the biped’s legs or pelvis.
For example, if you load a .bip file that was saved from a larger biped, the
footsteps come into your current scene scaled to match the selected smaller
biped. If Scale Stride mode is off, the footsteps come into the current scene
without being scaled down.
If you turn off Scale Stride mode and then go into Figure mode and scale the
biped up or down, the footstep stride width and length remains the same
when you exit Figure mode.

5014 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

In Place Mode Use In Place mode to keep the biped visible in the
viewports while the animation plays. Use this for biped key editing or adjusting
envelopes with Physique. It prevents XY movement of the biped center of
mass during animation playback; however, motion along the Z axis is
preserved. This is a three-button fly-out. In Place mode is stored with the 3ds
Max file.
In Place X Mode Lock center of mass X-axis motion. Use this for game export
where the character stays in place but the swinging motion of the hips and
upper body along the Y-axis is preserved.

In Place Y Mode Locks center of mass Y-axis motion. Use this for game
export where the character stays in place but the swinging motion of the hips
and upper body along the X-axis is preserved.
Biped keys for limbs, footsteps, and center of mass can be adjusted using In
Place mode. When the center of mass is moved on the XY-axes in this mode,
the footsteps move. View biped playback without requiring a follow camera.
In this viewing mode, visible footsteps “slide” under the biped.
For export to games, this feature is valuable since many game engines
intelligently move the character’s center of mass laterally according to game
play. In Place mode makes it easy to view, tune, and export animation in a
manner that is complimentary to game engine playback.
TIP Another way of following a moving character is to link a camera and camera
target to the center of mass shadow, which is the disc between the biped’s feet.
NOTE Trajectories do not display when In Place mode is active.

Display group

NOTE The Display group is hidden by default. To display it, click on the Modes
and Display expander in the Biped rollout.

Biped | 5015

Display Objects flyout This flyout lets you display bones and objects, together
or independently:
■

ObjectsDisplays biped body objects; these will render if you do not
turn them off before rendering. Hide the biped objects before scene
rendering. You can also hide individual body objects by using the standard
3ds Max Hide controls found in the Display panel and Display Floater.

■

BonesDisplays biped bones. Bones, which do not render, are
represented as the color of the corresponding links. Displaying Bones is
useful for seeing exactly where the joints fall in relation to the biped
objects.

■

Objects and BonesDisplays bones and objects simultaneously.

5016 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display Footsteps flyout This flyout lets you display or hide footsteps and
their numbers:
■

Show Footsteps and NumbersDisplays biped footsteps and footstep
numbers.
Footstep numbers specify the order in which the biped will move along
the path created by the footsteps. Footstep numbers are displayed in white
and do not render, but do appear in preview renderings.

■

Show FootstepsDisplays biped footsteps in the viewport, but no
footstep numbers.
Footsteps are represented as green and blue foot-shaped outlines by default;
these are also visible in preview renderings.

■

Hide FootstepsTurns off footsteps and footstep numbers in the
viewport.

Twist Links Toggles the display of twist links used in biped. Default=on.

Leg States When this button is on, the viewport displays Move, Slide,
and Plant at each foot at the appropriate frame.

Trajectories Displays trajectories for selected biped limbs.

Biped | 5017

TIP You can edit keys on the biped's horizontal and vertical track by turning on
Trajectories, turning on Sub-Object, selecting the horizontal or vertical center of
mass track and transforming keys in the viewports. Use Trajectories when editing
keyframe parameters to visualize their influence, and to compare raw and filtered
motion capture data.

Display Preferences Displays the Display Preferences dialog on page
5027 which is used to change footstep colors, trajectory parameters, and to set
the number of bipeds to be played back when you use Biped Playback on the
Biped rollout. Footstep color preference is a good way to distinguish between
the footsteps of two or more bipeds in a scene.

Name Rollout
The Name rollout lets you change the name of the biped. When you change
the name in the Biped rollout, the center of mass is renamed and the entire
biped hierarchy inherits the new name.

Save As Dialog (Biped)
Select a Biped. ➤
File)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Save

The Save As dialog lets you save biped (BIP), figure (FIG), and step (STP) files.
When saving FIG files (in Figure mode), the Save As dialog is a standard
Windows Save File dialog. However, when you save BIP or STP files, you can
save objects and animation controllers with the file.

5018 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Save As dialog for a FIG, BIP, or STP file

Biped | 5019

History This drop-down list lets you choose directories where you have recently
saved Biped motion files. See Motion File History Lists on page 4978.
File Name The name of your FIG, BIP, or STP file.
Save as type Sets the file type for your saved file.

■

Saves an incremented version of the segment without overwriting
an existing file.

■

Figure file (.FIG)Saves the structure and position of a biped in Figure mode.
After fitting the biped to a mesh in Figure mode, save a figure file. If the
biped is accidentally moved in Figure mode, reload this file.

■

Biped file (.BIP)Saves a biped motion file. A BIP file includes footsteps and
keyframe data. Biped files store the complete movement and allow you to
create libraries of motion. Create your own BIP library by animating the
biped and saving a BIP file.

■

Step file (.STP)Save footstep timing and location data in an ASCII format.
Step files contain no body keys (spine, arms, etc.).

Save Segment Lets you select segments of your animation for your BIP or STP
file.
■

From: Starts saving at this frame of the named animation.

■

To: Stops saving at this frame of the named animation.

■

Active Time Segment: When on, animation in the active time
segment is saved.

■

Edited Transition Interval: Saves frames in a transition only. To
activate this button, select a clip in the Motion Flow rollout ➤ Script list,
open the Transition Editor, and then click Save File and in the Save As
dialog, turn on Save Segment At Current Position And Rotation.
TIP Saving only the motion in the transition can be useful in game
development.

5020 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Biped Animation Period When selected, only time containing biped
animation is saved.

A Keyframe per Frame Saves a key at every frame. Turn this on if you plan
to extract footsteps using Load Motion Capture on the Motion Capture rollout.

Save MAX Objects group
Save MAX Objects When on, any IK, Head Target, or linked object in the
scene is saved with the BIP file.
Object list Each object associated with the biped in the scene is displayed
here along with its object type.
All When on, all associated objects are saved with the BIP file.
Selected When on, only the highlighted objects are saved with the BIP file.

Save List Controllers group
Save List Controllers When on, any animation controllers assigned to the
biped are saved with the BIP file.
Controller List Each animation controller used with the biped in the scene
is displayed here along with the object that it controls.
All When on, all associated animation controllers are saved with the BIP file.
Selected When on, only the highlighted animation controllers are saved with
the BIP file.

Open Dialog (Biped)
Select a biped. ➤
File)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Load

The Open dialog lets you load biped (BIP), figure (FIG), and step (STP) files.
When you load a FIG file (in Figure mode), the Open dialog is a standard
Windows Open File dialog. However, when you load a BIP or STP file, you
can preview the animation and control how much information is loaded into
your biped.

Biped | 5021

NOTE This option is unavailable when you load a BIP file into a clip or onto a
biped that is in Edit Clip mode, because all the clips in the motion flow would
have to be adapted.

5022 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Open dialog for BIP or STP files

Biped | 5023

History This drop-down list lets you choose directories where you have recently
opened Biped motion files. See Motion File History Lists on page 4978.
File Name The name of your FIG, BIP, or STP file.
Files of Type Sets the type of file to load.
■

Figure file (.FIG)Load a Figure file. Figure mode must be active to load a
Figure file. Figure files allow you to apply the structure of one biped to
another. Reload a Figure file if you accidentally lose your biped Figure
mode pose; this pose is the biped fitted to a mesh. s

■

Biped file (.BIP)Load a biped motion file (clip). Motion files include
footsteps, keyframe settings, the biped scale, and the active gravity value
(GravAccel). IK Blend values for keys and IK objects and their animation
are also loaded.
If you select a BIP file saved from a scene whose frame rate differs from
that of the current scene, 3ds Max opens a Frame Rate Change dialog on
page 5026, which prompts you to choose how to adapt the original
animation.
If you select a BIP file saved with a previous version of character studio,
the preview will not be visible. After selecting the file for loading, you will
be notified that the file is obsolete and should be resaved, unless you have
indicated that you no longer want to see this message.

■

Step file (.STP)Load footsteps without body keyframes. Using this ASCII
file format enables developers to write programs that generate step files
for biped motion. Biped will generate body keys for the loaded steps. See
stp.rtf in the cstudio\docs directory for more details on the step file format.

NOTE In Figure mode, you can load only FIG files. In other modes, you can load
BIP and STP files.
Motion Preview Lets you scrub through the animation in a BIP or STP file
manually before opening it.
Restructure biped to match file When on, the structure of the current biped
is changed to match the structure in the BIP file.
Set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (.bip files only) Sets the lowest starting
foot height to Z=0. This is an option in the Load File dialog. Default=On.
In Biped, the height of a motion clip can be retained. This is important if you
want to retain the height of a motion clip for motions adapted to characters
of different sizes. If, for example, the character is jumping off a rock and you
want to retain the Z position of the character, you would turn this option off.
Leave this option off if Motion Flow motions must be blended that begin and

5024 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

end at different heights, such as three clips that have the character mounting
a bicycle, riding the bicycle, and dismounting the bicycle.
Turning off this option can, however, cause a jump in the motion during
motion flow transitions. Turn this on for smooth transitions in Motion Flow
mode. If adaptation takes place, the height is set so that the lowest foot at
frame 0 starts at the Z=0 height. This lines up clips along the Z axis and creates
smooth transitions.
TIP Use Load Motion Capture File on the Motion Capture rollout on page 5273 to
load the raw version of the motion capture BIP files included with 3ds Max. These
files have no footsteps and keys at every frame. Loading files using Load Motion
Capture File allows you to filter the data and extract footsteps.

Load MAX Objects group
Load MAX Objects When on, character studio will import any IK, Head
Target, or linked object saved with the BIP data.
Object list Each object saved with the BIP file is displayed in this list along
with its object type. The only way to eliminate an object from the animation
is to resave the BIP file without it and reload.
NOTE The settings for loading 3ds Max objects are only active if Load MAX Objects
is checked and there are objects in the data.
Prompt for Duplicates Opens a Merge dialog for each object in the BIP file
that has a duplicate in the scene.
In this dialog, you can Merge, Skip, or Delete Old.
If Prompt for Duplicates is off, the objects in your scene will be automatically
overwritten.
Retarget When on, the position of the objects in the BIP file adapt to the size
of the target biped, based on either height or limb sizes.
Scale IK Object's Size When on, the imported objects are scaled in size to
match the target biped.

Load List Controllers group
Load List Controllers When on, and sub-animation controllers saved with
the BIP file are loaded onto your target biped.
Controller list Displays the sub-animation controllers in the BIP file.

Biped | 5025

NOTE The only way to eliminate a controller from the animation is to resave the
BIP file without it and reload.

Frame Rate Change Dialog (Biped)
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
File) ➤ Frame Rate Change dialog

(Load

Biped opens this dialog if you load a BIP file onto a Biped, and the BIP was
saved from a scene with a different frame rate than the current scene.

Interface

QUANTIZE (The default.) Adjusts the animation so that keys occur at frames.
This might alter the timing of the animation.
MAP FRAMES Maps frames at the old rate onto frames at the new rate. The
timing of the animation remains constant, relative to the new frame rate, but
it might become shorter or longer than the original animation.

5026 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display Preferences Dialog (Biped)
Select a biped ➤

➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤ Display group

(Display Preferences)

Use the controls in the Display Preferences dialog to change footstep colors
and trajectory parameters, and to set the number of bipeds to play back when
you use Biped Playback on the Biped rollout.
You access the Display Preferences dialog by clicking the Display Preferences
button on the Display group in the Biped rollout.

Interface

Biped | 5027

Trajectories group
NOTE Trajectories do not display using In Place mode.
Bone base Displays bone base trajectories.
Bone Tip Displays bone tip trajectories (default).
Show Entire Trajectory Displays trajectories for all animated frames.
Before Trajectory Sets the number of frames to display trajectories before the
current frame.
After Trajectory Sets the number of frames to display trajectories after the
current frame. Using Before and After Trajectory will result in a “traveling”
trajectory display that will move with the biped through space.

Footsteps group
Left Selects the color for left footsteps. Click the color swatch next to this
selection to display the Color Selector and set the color for left footsteps.
Right Selects the color for right footsteps. Click the color swatch next to this
selection to display the Color Selector and set the color for right footsteps.
Generate Various Colors Asks whether you want different colors for left and
right footsteps. Based on your response, generates various colors for footsteps
in the viewports. This works with multiple bipeds.
Generate Normal Colors Changes right footsteps to blue and left footsteps
to green, the default. Applies to all bipeds in the viewports.
Viewport Colors in Track View Displays viewport footstep colors in Track
View.
Normal Colors in Track View Displays normal footstep colors in Track View.
Show All Shows all footsteps.
Hide All Hides all footsteps.
Show All Numbers Shows all footstep numbers.
Hide All Numbers Hides all footstep numbers. Show and hide are useful when
there are multiple bipeds in the viewports.

Playback group
Controls in this group limit the number of bipeds to play back when you use
Biped Playback on the Biped rollout on the Motion panel.

5028 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Show Time Displays frame numbers in the viewport during playback.
All Bipeds Lists all bipeds in the scene. Select a biped name in the window
and click the right arrow to move it into the list of bipeds that will be visible
during playback with Biped Playback.
Bipeds Visible in Playback Lists bipeds visible during playback with Biped
Playback. Select a biped name and click the left arrow to exclude it from this
list.

Track Selection Rollout
Select a biped ➤

Motion panel ➤ Track Selection rollout

The Track Selection rollout give you specialized tools for manipulating the
biped center of mass (COM) on page 5004.

The center of mass object is the root of the biped hierarchy, and controls the
entire biped structure. Changing its position and orientation affects the biped
as a whole, which is an important part of posing and animating the biped.
Also available on this rollout are tools for selecting symmetrical and opposite
biped body parts.
You can select the COM in various ways:
■

If the viewport rendering method on page 8963 is set to Wireframe, you can
select the COM in your viewport; it’s an octahedron located near the center
of the biped's pelvis.

■

You can turn on Move All Mode on the Biped rollout on page 5010,
which enlarges the COM in your viewport. This is useful in shaded
viewports where the biped pelvis covers the center of mass.

■

You can open the Select From Scene dialog on page 184, which displays all
visible objects in your scene. The first listed biped item (Bip01, for example)
usually refers to the root; you can select it from there.

■

You have access to three tools on the Track Selection rollout (on the Motion
panel) to edit the COM's position and orientation: Body Horizontal, Body

Biped | 5029

Vertical, and Body Rotation. Choosing one automatically selects the center
of mass.
Once the biped's center of mass is selected, you can move or rotate it using
the Transform gizmo on page 9334. Controlling the COM using the Track
Selection rollout tools is sometimes quicker because selecting the center of
mass in your viewports can be difficult if your biped resides inside a bigger
rigged model. As long as you select your biped by any limb, activating the
COM tools from the Track Selection rollout automatically selects the center
of mass with the proper Transform gizmo:
■

Body Horizontal and Body Vertical enable the Move gizmo.

■

Body Rotation enables the Rotate gizmo.

When you key the COM's position or orientation using Set Key on page 8682
or Auto Key on page 8679, the animation data is stored within the respective
biped transform tracks.

The biped Transform tracks contain the COM keyed data.

See also:
■

Biped Color-coded Keys and Trajectories on page 5153

Procedures
To Edit the COM's position and orientation:
1 Create a biped.

5030 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

2 On the
turn on

Motion panel, expand the Track Selection rollout and
(Body Horizontal).

The Move Transform gizmo appears at the COM's location, highlighting
the X and Y axes because they are referring to the biped Horizontal
Transform track.

The Transform gizmo centered on the biped's COM.

TIP To avoid deselecting the COM inadvertently, you can use Lock Selection
on page 3942 to keep your selection on the center of mass, ignoring all other
objects in your scene.
TIP You can scale the Transform gizmo using the - (hyphen) and = (equal
sign) shortcut keys. Scaling the gizmo makes it easier to use, but does not
affect the transform values.
3 Select the Move gizmo's Z axis.
This turns off Body Horizontal and turns on Body Vertical.
4 On the Track Selection rollout, turn on

(Body Rotation).

3ds Max replaces the Move Transform gizmo with the Rotate Transform
gizmo. You can now change the biped's orientation.

Biped | 5031

To Lock all Biped COM Tools:
This procedure follows the concept from the previous procedure, and centers
on selecting multiple COM tracks at the same time, as well as locking them.
1 On the Track Selection rollout, turn on

2 Turn on

(Body Horizontal).

(Lock COM Keying).

Lock COM Keying allows you to activate all center of mass tracks at the
same time.
3 Turn on both

4

(Body Horizontal) and

(Body Rotation).

Select any other part of your biped.
The COM track controls become inactive. Note that Lock COM Keying
is storing the selected controls.

5 Reselect the biped COM either by selecting the blue octahedron near the
center of the biped's pelvis, or by clicking one of the three COM track
controls.
Lock COM Keying restores the selected controls.
To rotate the biped about a pivot that is not the COM:
This is an example that shows the biped falling over by rotating about its feet.

5032 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE These steps do not work when
this mode always uses World coordinates.

1

(Move All Mode) is active, because

Select both of the biped’s feet, and

set Planted keys for

them.

2

Select the biped’s COM.

3 Click

(Select And Rotate) to activate it, and then from the Use

Center flyout, choose

(Use Transform Coordinate Center).

4 From the Reference Coordinate System drop-down list, choose Pick.
TIP You can also use a Working pivot on page 3800 in place of one you pick.
5 In a viewport, click the pivot point you want to use.
For this example, click a pivot point near the feet.

6 On the Track Selection rollout, click
it on, then turn on all three tracks:
Vertical), and

(Lock COM Keying) to turn
(Body Horizontal),

(Body

(Body Rotation).

IMPORTANT This step is essential if you want to animate the rotation. If the
COM is not locked, and all three tracks are not turned on, then when you
click Set Key, 3ds Max sets keys only on those tracks that are selected. The
resulting animation can be strange and unexpected.

Biped | 5033

7 On the Key Info rollout, click

(Set Key).

WARNING You must use the Biped Set Key. You cannot use Auto Key for
this operation.

8 Move to a new frame, rotate the biped, and click

(Set Key) again.

9 Continue working this way until the rotation is complete. To return to
rotating the biped about its COM, choose World from the Reference
Coordinate System drop-down list.

Interface

Body Track Tools (Center of Mass Tracks)
Body Horizontal and Body Vertical refer to the center of mass's translation
axes while Body Rotation focuses on its rotate axes. Once you turn them on,
you can move or rotate the COM by either using the Transform gizmo, by
entering values in the Coordinate Display area on page 8669.
TIP You can also set COM positions using the Tension, Continuity, and Bias values
on the Key Info rollout on page 5049 (in the TCB group).
When you activate Body Horizontal or Body Vertical, you have access to
advanced Biped Dynamics parameters on page 9106, such as Balance Factor on
page 9101 and Ballistic Tension on page 9102, which you can control from the
Key Info rollout on page 5049 and Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page 5101.
NOTE Tension, Continuity, and Bias affect the COM Body Vertical keys only when
the value of Dynamics Blend on page 9141 is less than 1.0. To turn off gravity at a
vertical center of mass key, set the value of Dynamics Blend to 0.0.
TIP To view the way a parameter change affects the animation, Turn on Trajectories
on page 9334.

5034 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Keyed keys for COM tracks are color coded as follows:
■

Keys containing Body Horizontal tracks are red.

■

Keys containing Body Vertical are yellow.

■

Keys containing Body Rotation are green.
NOTE If a frame contains multiple keyed COM tracks, the key's color code is
divided accordingly.

A key's color reflects its keyed COM tracks.

Body Horizontal Selects the center of mass to edit horizontal biped
motion.
The Body Horizontal track has a Balance Factor on page 4892 parameter that
automatically orients the biped to maintain balance. This saves the animator
from having to reposition the pelvis when the biped leans forward, backwards,
or sideways.
NOTE You can animate Biped Dynamics on page 9106 parameters from no effect
to full effect at each keyframe.

Body Vertical Selects the center of mass to edit vertical biped motion.
The Body Vertical track uses the Dynamics Blend parameter to control gravity
in a footstep animation. A Dynamics Blend value of 1.0 uses the value of
GravAccel on page 9181 (global gravity value) to calculate an airborne trajectory
for the biped. No keyframes are required to position the biped in the air, a
trajectory is calculated automatically. A value of 0.0 uses Spline Dynamics for
the vertical position of the biped; you must create keyframes to position the
biped vertically.
The Body Vertical track also has a Ballistic Tension on page 9102 parameter that
controls how much the biped knees bend when the biped lands from an
airborne period. This means that keys do not need to be created at the lowest
position of the biped after landing; a trajectory is calculated automatically.
NOTE You can create keys manually to override the calculated trajectory during
the landing period. However, vertical keys must have Dynamics Blend=0.0 in order
to override fully the trajectory during the airborne period.

Biped | 5035

Body Rotation Selects the center of mass to edit biped rotational motion.
You can rotate the biped about a pivot point that is different from the COM.
For instructions on how to do so, see the “Procedures” section above.

Lock COM Keying When on, allows you to select multiple COM
tracks at the same time. Once locked, the tracks are stored in memory, and
are remembered every time the COM is selected.
NOTE Locked COM tracks are also honored after a scene reset or a session change.

Symmetrical Selects the matching object on the other side of the biped.
For example, if the right arm is selected, clicking Symmetrical Tracks selects
the left arm too. You can then make changes to both sides of the body at once.
Symmetrical works for single and multiple biped parts.
Opposite Selects the matching object on the other side of the biped, and
deselects the current object. For example, if the right arm is selected, clicking
Opposite Tracks selects the left arm and deselects the right arm. You can use
Opposite Tracks for single or multiple objects.

Quaternion/Euler Rollout
Select the biped ➤

Motion panel ➤ Quaternion/Euler rollout

This rollout contains options to switch between Euler or quaternion controllers
on biped animations. These choices offer alternative ways to control an
animation in the Curve Editor. For more details, refer to Working with Euler
Curves on Biped Animation on page 4971.

Procedures
To switch between quaternion and Euler rotation controllers:
1 Create a biped.

2 Turn on

(Auto Key).

5036 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

3

Rotate the biped's upper arm so it extends forward.

4 Go to frame 20 and

5 Go to frame 40 and
orientation.

rotate the upper arm so it extends sideways.

rotate the upper arm back to its original

From left to right, the biped at frame 0, 20, and 40.

In the
Motion Panel, on the Quaternion/Euler rollout, notice
that the Quaternion option is active by default.
NOTE If you change options for that biped limb, your choice is preserved in
the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file, from which it is restored after a scene reset or
session change.
6 On the Biped Apps rollout, click Workbench to open it.

Biped | 5037

The animation is displayed as three separate TCB rotation curves labeled
“Quaternion Rotation”.

7 On the Quaternion/Euler rollout, choose the Euler option.
The curves have been converted to display Euler controlled rotations.
You now have access to the curve's tangent handles to change the curve's
interpolation.

The animation is displayed as three separate Euler curves labeled “Tangent Euler
Rotation”.

8 Choose a different axis ordering from the Axis Order drop-down list
(under the Euler option).
The curve display changes to reflect the new ordering while preserving
the biped posture.

5038 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

9 Choose the Quaternion option to convert the curves back to a TCB
interpolation.
NOTE Converting a curve from Euler to quaternion can affect its interpolation.
See Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation on page 4971 for details.

Interface

The following options set the rotation controller for biped animations.
■

QuaternionConverts the selected biped animation to quaternion rotation.
If the biped selection has not been animated yet, this starts as the default
option.
If you change options for any biped limb, your choice is preserved in the
3dsmax.ini file, from which it is restored after a scene reset or session
change.

■

EulerConverts the selected biped animation to Euler rotation.
Axis Order
Lets you choose the order in which the Euler rotation curves are calculated.
Available only when Euler is active. Default=YXZ.
Changing the ordering reflects on the curves, which are modified
accordingly. However, this change does not affect the animation itself.
NOTE This setting is independent of the Workbench Axis Order setting.

Twist Poses Rollout
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Twist Poses rollout

The toolset of this rollout lets you create and edit twist poses for a biped's
limbs.
You can either use the rollout's preset poses (which you can modify and
rename), or create your own. When you add a new pose, you establish a

Biped | 5039

reference between the selected's limb relative orientation and the rollout's
Twist value of 0 (which means no twist). When more than one reference pose
are set for a rotated limb, the limb's twisting is calculated based on the nearest
pose.
TIP It is suggested that you add twist poses for all major limb rotated poses. This
ensures that rotating your biped's limb produces well-calibrated twisting.
NOTE You don't technically have to enable twist links on page 5116 to use the Twist
Poses rollout toolset. However, if your biped does not contain twist links, the Twist
and Bias settings are not used.
The Twist Poses rollout tools only affect limbs with three degrees of freedom
(DOF), such as upper arms and thighs, because you can control their twist
links by rotating them. Two-DOF limbs (forearms and calves, for instance)
differ due to the fact that you can only control their twist links if you rotate
their child limb.

The upper arm can twist itself while the forearm needs the wrist to twist it.

5040 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE If you select a two-DOF limb, the only available setting is the Bias value;
you can change it to adjust the rotation distribution along the twist links.

Procedures
Example: To Add and Edit Twist Poses:
This procedure takes into account the concept of adding twist links on page
5116 to biped limbs and concentrates on using the tools from the Twist Poses
rollout to set up basic poses.
1 Prepare a biped with five twist links on each upper arm.
TIP You can use See-Through on page 143 on the biped's limbs to better
distinguish the twist links inside.

2 Exit

3

(Figure Mode), and then expand the Twist Poses rollout.

Select the right upper arm.
The rollout controls are enabled because you selected a three-DOF limb.

4 Use
(Previous Key) and
pose presets.

(Next Key) to cycle through the different

Biped | 5041

TIP You can often use these presets as a starting point for posing your limbs.
5 Choose pose6 from the drop-down list.
The biped's arm extends upwards and shows some twisting.

6 Click Set.
This assigns the Twist value of 0 to the upper arm's twist links.
NOTE A twist change is always reflected on both sides (in this case, both
upper arms).

7

Rotate the upper arm locally around its Y axis so it extends to
the side.

5042 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

8 Click Add to create a new pose. Rename it Arm At Side.
This new pose resets the current Twist value of the twist links.

9

Rotate the upper arm locally around its X axis.
The twisting in the upper arm is calculated based on the limb's proximity
to the saved poses.

Rotate the upper arm to verify the twist links.

Biped | 5043

Interface

Previous/Next Key Scrolls and selects through the list of twist poses.
Twist Poses List Lets you choose a preset or saved pose to apply to the biped's
selected limb. By default, five twist poses are available for each three-DOF
limb: Up, front, lateral, down, and back. You can also rename the current
twist pose.
Twist Sets the amount of twist rotation (in degrees) applied to the twist links
linked to the selected limb. The twist links from the opposite side are so
affected. Default=0. Range=–180 to 180.
NOTE Changing the Twist value automatically resets the current limb's orientation
to the active twist pose.
Bias Sets the distribution of rotation along the twist links. A setting of 1.0
concentrates the twist towards the top link while a setting of 0.0 instead
concentrates it towards the bottom link. The default setting is 0.5, distributing
the rotation evenly throughout the links. The twist links from the opposite
side are so affected.
NOTE Changing the Bias value automatically resets the current limb's orientation
to the active twist pose.
NOTE You can also set a Bias value for Two-DOF limbs.
Add Creates a new twist pose based on the selected limb's orientation and
resets Twist and Bias to their default values.
NOTE Adding a new pose for one limb automatically makes it available for the
limb on the opposite side.
Set Updates the active twist pose with the current Twist and Bias values.
Delete Removes the current twist pose.
Default Replaces all twist poses of all three-DOF limbs with five default preset
poses.

5044 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bend Links Rollout
Select the biped ➤

Motion panel ➤ Bend Links rollout

This toolset combines the Bend Links Mode, previously located on the Biped
rollout, with other tools to allow an easier control over a chain link, such as
a biped spine, neck or tail.

NOTE Activating one of the Bend Links rollout modes deactivates any of the others.
However, clicking Zero Twist or Zero All maintain any mode currently active.
NOTE The Bend Links rollout is displayed in Mixer Mode, Motion Flow Mode or
Footstep Modes.

Procedures
To bend a spine naturally using Bend Links Mode:

1

Select any link in the biped's spine.

Biped | 5045

2

Rotate the spine link. Notice that all chain links rotates the same
way.

3 On the Bend Links rollout, click

4

(Bend Links Mode) to activate it.

Rotate the spine link. The other links in the chain rotates to
match the single link's rotation, creating a natural bend along the spine.

To twist a spine naturally using Twist Links Mode:

1

Select any link in the biped's spine.

2 On the Bend Links rollout, click

3

(Bend Links Mode) to activate it.

Rotate the spine link until you reach a pronounced bend.

5046 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

4

Rotate the spine link in local X. Notice that all chain links rotates
in a weird way due to the fact that they do not maintain their relationship
with the two other axis. Undo the rotation.

5 On the Bend Links rollout, click

6

(Twist Links Mode) to activate it.

Rotate the spine link in local X. The rotation averages up the
spine for all links while the spine maintains its existing profile.

To twist a spine link without affecting the chain using Twist Individual Mode:

1

Select the bottom link in the biped's spine, just above the pelvis.

2 On the Bend Links rollout, click

3

Rotate the link so the spine's shape follows a noticeable
curvature.

4 On the Bends Links rollout, click
it.

5

(Bend Links Mode) to activate it.

(Twist Individual Mode) to activate

Select a link in the middle of the spine and rotate it in local X.
The rotation affects only the selected link.

To smooth out a spine using Smooth Twist Mode:

1

Select the bottom link in the biped's spine.

Biped | 5047

2 On the Bends Links rollout, click
it.

(Twist Individual Mode) to activate

3

Rotate the link 45 degrees in local X.

4

Select and rotate the spine's top link –45 degrees in local X.

5 On the Bends Links rollout, click
it.

6

(Smooth Twist Mode) to activate

Rotate either the bottom or top spine link.
The chain links rotates to smooth out the orientation difference between
the two link extremities. Adjust the Smoothing Bias control to distribute
the chain's rotation towards the base or top link.

Interface

Bend Links Mode This mode can be used to rotate multiple links of a
chain without having to select all of them beforehand. Bend Links Mode
transfers the rotation of one link to the other links, following a natural
curvature.
NOTE Using Bend Links Mode in Auto Key mode or setting a key after twisting
results in keys on all the links of the selected chain. See Separate Tracks on page
5063 for further details.

Twist Links Mode Similar to Bend Links Mode, this mode takes the
rotation in local X applied to the selected link and increment it equally

5048 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

throughout the rest of the chain while maintaining the relationships between
the links in the other two axes.
NOTE Using Twist Links Mode in Auto Key mode or setting a key after twisting
results in keys on all the links of the selected chain. See Separate Tracks on page
5063 for further details.

Twist Individual Mode Similar to Bend Links Mode, this mode allows
a selected chain link to be rotated in local X without affecting its parent or
child. The chain therefore maintains its shape while the individual link is
adjusted.
NOTE Using Twist Individual Mode in Auto Key mode or setting a key after twisting
results in keys on all the links of the selected chain. See Separate Tracks on page
5063 for further details.

Smooth Twist Mode This mode takes into account the orientation in
local X of the chain's first and last links in order to distribute the rotation of
the other links. This results in a smooth rotation between every chain link.
The rotation distribution can be set by adjusting the Smoothing Bias control
or by rotating either the first or last link of the chain.
Smoothing Bias Sets the rotation distribution based on a value between 0.0
and 1.0. 0.0 biases towards the first link and 1.0 towards the last link of the
chain. The chain's smoothness can be interactively set by dragging the bias
setting between those 2 values.
Zero Twist Resets every chain link's rotation to 0 in local X based on
the current orientation of the chain's parent. This does not change the current
shape of the chain.
Zero All Resets every chain link's rotation to 0 in all axes based on the
current orientation of the chain's parent. This adjusts the current shape of the
chain so it becomes parallel to the biped.

Key Info Rollout
Select the biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Key Info rollout

Biped | 5049

These tools are for navigating and editing biped keys.
Tools in the Key Info rollout allow you to do the following:
■

Find the next or previous key for the selected biped body part.

■

Use the Time spinner to slide a key back and forth in time.

■

Change Tension, Continuity, and Bias for a key and display trajectories.

■

Adjust biped dynamics.

■

Set planted, sliding, or free keys.

■

Set IK constraints and pivots for the biped hands and feet.

When the Body Vertical on page 5035 COM (center of mass) track is active, you
can change the vertical dynamics of the motion, on a key-by-key basis. When
the Body Horizontal COM track is active you can change the balance factor
for shifts in weight distribution.
NOTE On the time slider or in Track View, you can move one Biped key past
another. See Moving Keys on page 5152.

Activating Parameters
Groups of the Key Info rollout are unavailable depending on what part of the
biped is selected and if a key is current. Body Vertical on page 5035, Body
Horizontal on page 5035, and Body Rotation on page 5036 refer to the three tracks
used to animate the biped center of mass. Select one of the three center of
mass tracks on the Track Selection rollout, then use Next Key or Previous Key
to find a key to edit.
■

If Body Vertical is active and a key is current, then parameters for Dynamics
Blend, Ballistic Tension, Z Position, Time, and TCB parameters (Tension,
Continuity and Bias) are active. Ballistic Tension is available only at keys
just before or just after an airborne state, as between footsteps in a run or
jump.
NOTE TCB controls are not effective at Body Vertical keys just before and just
after an airborne period, between footsteps, if Dynamics Blend=1. Biped
Dynamics calculates the airborne trajectory; in this case, lower the value of
Dynamics Blend to use the TCB controls. In a walk sequence where footsteps
overlap, Dynamics Blend has no effect you can use and TCB controls.

5050 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

If Body Horizontal is selected and a key is current, the Balance Factor
parameter, XY Position, Time, and TCB parameters are active. Z Position,
Dynamics Blend, Ballistic Tension are unavailable.

■

If Body Rotation is selected and a key is current, only the Time and TCB
parameters are active.

■

If a biped hand is selected and a key is current, then all parameters are
active except parameters in the Body Dynamics group.

■

If a biped foot key is selected and current, then all parameters are active
except for parameters in the Body Dynamics group.

■

If a biped leg is selected and a key is current, then Time and TCB parameters
are active. XYZ Position and Body Dynamics parameters are made
unavailable. In a footstep animation, Time is made unavailable at a Touch
and Lift key.

■

If a biped arm is selected and a key is current, then Time and TCB
parameters are active. XYZ Position and Body Dynamics parameters are
made unavailable.

Interface
The Key Info rollout is divided up into several groups: TCB, IK, Head, Body,
and Prop. You can expand and hide each of these groups by clicking the line
next to its name.

Next Key-Previous Key Find the next or previous keyframe for the
selected biped part.
The field displays the key number.
Time Enter a value to specify when in time the key occurs.

Biped | 5051

Use this to fine tune keyframe timing on a character by moving a key
backwards and forwards in time.

Set Key Creates keys at the current frame when you are moving biped
objects. This is identical to Set Key on the 3ds Max toolbar.
You can experiment with different biped poses without updating the motion
until you find the desired pose. You can also quickly fine tune your motion
by setting a key and adjusting the key parameters on the Key Info rollout
without having to transform the biped in the viewports.
NOTE If a biped key is current, then TCB, XYZ position spinners, and IK Blend
parameters can be updated without using Set Key or having the Auto Key button
turned on.
NOTE If 3ds Max bones using the IK Controller or 3ds Max Particle Emitters are
linked to the biped, or if you are displaying 3ds Max trajectories or ghosting, the
Auto Key button must be on while the biped is positioned. These objects update
their parameters in real time as they are positioned.

Delete Key Deletes the key of the selected object at the current frame.
By default, biped arm, hand, and finger keys are stored in the clavicle track.
If you delete keys for any one of these objects, you lose positions for the rest
of the arm objects at that frame. If you plan on extensive hand animation,
turn on Arms in the Separate Tracks group of the Keyframing Tools rollout.
This creates separate tracks for each biped arm object. Deleting an upper arm
key will preserve hand and finger keys.

Set Planted Key Sets a biped key with IK Blend=1, Join To Previous IK
Key turned on, and Object selected in the IK group.
In a Footstep or Freefrom animation, all footsteps that do not slide should
have Join To Previous IK Key turned on.
TIP Right-click to open the Planted Key Defaults dialog on page ?, which lets
you set new default values for subsequent TCB keys.

Set Sliding Key Sets a biped key with IK Blend=1, Join To Previous IK
Key turned off, and Object selected in the IK group. This creates a sliding
footstep. Sliding footsteps display in the viewports with a line running through

5052 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

the middle of the footstep. Sliding footsteps are understood as footsteps with
moving IK constraints.
In a Footstep or Freeform animation, if the foot slides rather than being
planted, use Set Sliding Key.
TIP Right-click to open the Sliding Key Defaults dialog on page ?, which lets
you set new default values for subsequent TCB keys.

Set Free Key Sets a biped key with IK Blend=0, Join To Previous IK Key
turned off, and Body selected in the IK group.
In a Footstep or Freeform animation, a biped leg in a move state should have
a “free” key.
TIP Right-click to open the Free Key Defaults dialog on page ?, which lets you
set new default values for subsequent TCB keys.
To change the default values for TCB keys, right-click either Set Planted Key,
Set Sliding Key, or Set Free Key to open the respective dialog.

Use When on, subsequent keys set with either Set Planted Key, Set Sliding
Key, or Set Free Key use the TCB values from the respective dialog. Otherwise,
the system uses the default values.
Tension Controls the amount of curvature in the animation curve. Default=25.
Continuity Controls the tangential property of the curve at the key.
Default=25.
Bias Controls where the animation curve occurs with respect to the key.
Default=25.

Trajectories Shows and hides trajectories for the selected biped object.
You can edit keys on the biped's horizontal and vertical track by turning on

Biped | 5053

Trajectories, turning on Sub-Object, selecting the horizontal or vertical center
of mass track, and transforming keys in the viewports.
■

You can bend the horizontal center of mass trajectory around selected
horizontal keys by using the Bend Horizontal spinner in the Keyframing
Tools rollout.

■

Display trajectories to view how parameter changes in the Key Info rollout
affects the biped motion. Changing Tension, Continuity, and Bias in the
Tcb group affects the trajectory around the current key. Changing the
value of IK Blend for a hand or foot will affect the trajectory between keys.

■

Leave Trajectories on and turn on Show Buffer Trajectories on the Motion
Capture rollout to compare a raw motion capture trajectory with the filtered
trajectory on the biped. This assumes a motion capture file has been loaded.

■

Changing Dynamics Blend for a center of mass vertical key or changing
the value of GravAccel will change gravity in a foostep animation and will
therefore affect the trajectory.

TCB group

5054 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

You can use the TCB controls to adjust easing and trajectories on keys that
already exist.
XYZ Position Reposition the selected biped part using these spinners.
A hand or foot can be repositioned in world coordinate XYZ. The biped center
of mass can also be positioned using these spinners.
TCB Graph Charts the effect that changing the controller properties will have
on the animation. The red mark at the top of the curve represents the key.
The marks to the left and right of the curve represent an even division of time
to either side of the key.
The TCB graph is a stylized representation of the animation around a single
key.
Ease To Slows the velocity of the animation curve as it approaches the key.
Default=0.
High Ease To causes the animation to decelerate as it approaches the key.
The default setting causes no extra deceleration.
Ease From Slows the velocity of the animation curve as it leaves the key.
Default=0.
High Ease From causes the animation to start slow and accelerate as it leaves
the key.
The default setting causes no change of the animation curve.
Tension Controls the amount of curvature in the animation curve.
High Tension produces a linear curve. It also has a slight Ease To and Ease
From effect.
Low Tension produces a very wide, rounded, curve. It also has a slight negative
Ease To and Ease From effect.
The default value of 25 produces an even amount of curvature through the
key.
Continuity Controls the tangential property of the curve at the key. The
default setting is the only value that produces a smooth animation curve
through the key. All other values produce a discontinuity in the animation
curve causing an abrupt change in the animation. Default=25.
High Continuity values create curved overshoot on both sides of the key.
Low Continuity values create a linear animation curve. Low continuity creates
a linear curve similar to high tension except without the Ease To and Ease
From side effect.
The default setting creates a smooth continuous curve at the key.

Biped | 5055

Bias Controls where the animation curve occurs with respect to the key.
Default=25.
High Bias pushes the curve beyond the key. This produces a linear curve
coming into the key and an exaggerated curve leaving the key.
Low Bias pulls the curve before the key. This produces an exaggerated curve
coming into the key and a linear curve leaving the key.
The default setting distributes the curve evenly to both sides of the key.

IK group
This group lets you set IK keys and adjust parameters for IK keys.
NOTE You can make and adjust settings for multiple selected IK-capable biped
parts. For example, say at the same frame one foot has a planted key and the other
has a sliding key. This means they both have (by default) IK Blend values of 1.0
and Ankle Tension values of 0.0. If you select both feet, all of the Key buttons near
the top of the Key Info rollout are available, and you can change IK Blend and
Ankle Tension values for both.

IK Blend Determines how character studio mixes forward kinematics and
inverse kinematics to interpolate an intermediate position. An example of
forward kinematics is moving the arm to control the hand. An example of
inverse kinematics is moving the hand to control the arm.
Activates when a biped arm or leg (hand and foot) key is current.
■

0 with Body on page 5058 chosen is normal biped space (forward kinematics).

■

1 with Body on page 5058 chosen is inverse kinematics, which creates more
straight-line motion between biped keys.

■

1 with Object on page 5058 chosen, but no IK Object specified on page 5058,
puts the limb fully into world space.

5056 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

1 with Object on page 5058 chosen and an IK Object specified on page 5058
puts the biped limb into the coordinate space of the selected object; the
biped limb follows the specified object.

Ankle Tension Adjusts the precedence of the ankle joint over the knee joint.
When set to 0, the knee takes precedence. When set to 1, the ankle takes
precedence.
This effect is only visible between keyframes.
Select Pivot Activate to designate pivots around which the biped hands and
feet should rotate. After clicking a pivot in the viewports, turn off Select Pivot
and then rotate the hand or foot.
TIP For better accuracy in setting pivots, use the Pivot Selection dialog (see
following).

Pivot Selection Dialog Opens a small dialog that shows the current pivot
for the selected limb on the limb's respective hand or foot, and lets you change
it. When the chart is green (or blue) and red, indicating that you're on an IK
key, the red dot indicates the current location of the pivot. To designate a
different pivot, click another dot on the chart. This provides an alternative
method to using Select Pivot (see preceding).
The dialog is named according to the displayed hand or foot, depicts the actual
number of digits and joints in use, and resizes itself accordingly. The displayed
chart uses three different schemes, depending on the context:
■

Green/blue and red dots for the right/left hand or foot when on an IK key
(pivot is editable)

■

Gray and white dots when in an IK period but not on a key (pivot is visible
but not editable)

■

No dots if you're in an FK (forward kinematics) period, or no limb or
multiple limbs are selected (dialog disabled; no relevant data exist)

These are shown in the following illustration:

Biped | 5057

NOTE When on an IK key, the left hand and foot charts use a blue/red color
scheme:

When you have turned on Knuckles on page 5114, the hand chart shows all
bones; for example:

Join to Previous IK Key When on, places the biped foot in the coordinate
space of the previous key. Turn off to put the biped foot into a new reference
position.
Turn off and move the biped foot to create a sliding footstep, for example.
Body The biped limb is in biped coordinate space.
Object Object Space: the biped limb is either in World coordinate space or
the coordinate space of the selected IK object. Coordinate space can be blended
between keys.
Select IK Object Chooses an object for the biped's hand or foot to follow
when IK Blend is 1 and Object is selected. The selected object's name is
displayed next to the button.

5058 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

This selection cannot be animated; only one IK object can be active for each
hand and foot throughout the animation.
TIP If you want to change the object the hand or foot follows at different times
in the animation, select a dummy object as the IK object, and assign a Link
Constraint to the dummy object to make it link to different objects at different
times.

Head group

The Head group lets you define a target object for the target to look at.
Target Blend Determines the extent to which the target blends with the head's
existing animation.
A setting of 1.0 causes the head to look directly at the target, 0.5 causes the
head to blend half of its existing animation with looking at the target, and a
setting of 0.0 causes the head to ignore the target, maintaining its existing
animation.
Select Look At Target Click to select an object for the head to look at.
NOTE When an object is selected, its name is displayed next to the button.

Body group

These parameters apply to the biped center of mass and are used by character
studio to calculate the biped’s airborne trajectory based on gravity (GravAccel)
and time between footsteps, the amount of knee bend on landing (Ballistic
Tension) and how the biped objects adapt to maintain balance (Balance Factor).

Biped | 5059

Balance Factor Position the biped's weight anywhere along a line that extends
from the center of mass to the biped’s head. This center of mass (Body
Horizontal track) parameter can be keyframed. To activate Balance Factor
select the Horizontal Track (in the Track Selection rollout), set a key and enter
a value in the Balance Factor field.
For example, to create a sit then walk sequence, you could shift the biped’s
weight (balance) between 0 (the character is supported by the chair) for the
sit key and 1 for the stand key (the character’s pelvis shifts to maintain
balance).
If a character is seated, and reaches across the table, leave Balance Factor at 0;
however the character leans, he will pivot from the center of mass. The pelvis
will not move back to maintain balance.
In a walking motion, a value of 2 will swing the hips and keep the biped head
steady; a value of 0 will keep the hips steady and swing the upper body.

5060 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

A Balance Factor value of 0 in the first image causes the biped not to compensate for
weight.
A Balance Factor value of 2 in the second image causes the biped pelvis to move away
from the Center of Mass to compensate for weight.

The Balance Factor determines how far the biped's hips will shift forward or
backward to compensate for forward or backward bending of the spine. When
the biped has a normal weight distribution between the upper and lower body,
the default value of 1 causes the hips to swing backward as the biped bends
over to compensate for the forward weight.
At times, when the biped leans, you will want the biped's hips to refrain from
shifting to compensate for the forward weight. This would be when the biped
is sitting or falling down. A Balance Factor of 0 (the minimum value) causes
the hips to stay still when the biped leans forward or backward.
A value of 0 places the biped’s weight at the center of mass. A value of 1 places
the biped’s weight above the center of mass. A value of 2 places the biped’s
weight in the head. Click the spinner up arrow to move the biped’s weight
distribution toward the head. Range=0.0 to 2.0; Default=1.
NOTE You can also shift the center of mass by turning on Figure mode, selecting
the center of mass object, and using Rubber Band mode on page 5010 to move the
center of mass to a new position. This method cannot be keyframed, but it allows
you to move the center of mass outside the biped body. For example, you can
simulate pushing a heavy object by moving the center of mass behind the biped.

Biped | 5061

Dynamics Blend Select the Body Vertical track (center of mass vertical track)
and control the amount of gravity in an airborne period, as in a running or
jumping motion. This parameter has no effect on a walking motion where
footsteps overlap.

The vertical center of mass track Dynamics Blend parameter is set to 1 for both keys
(white squares) in the first jump, and to .5 in the second jump.

A value of 1 uses the GravAccel on page 5101 value to calculate gravity. A value
of 0 removes the effects of gravity calculation and flattens a jumping or
airborne motion.
Ballistic Tension Select the Body Vertical track (COM) and control the amount
of spring or tension when the biped lands or takes off from a jump or run
step. The change is subtle.
A walk cycle will not activate this value. The biped has to be airborne, then
the Lift and Touch vertical keys will display a Ballistic Tension value.
If there are more than three vertical keys during a support period, you can
also edit Ballistic Tension for the lift-off key; otherwise Biped uses the same
value for touchdown and lift-off, since it is assumed that there is only one
vertical dip in the motion. Low values are high tension (less dip in the
trajectory). Default=0.5; Range=0 to 1;

Prop group

5062 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The Coordinate Space pulldowns will set the Prop to refer to the World, Body,
Right Hand or Left Hand coordinate space for position and rotation at the
current frame.
Position Space Lets you set the prop position space to World, Body, Right
Hand, or Left Hand.
Rotation Space Lets you set the prop rotation space to World, Body, Right
Hand, or Left Hand.

Keyframing Tools Rollout
Select the biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Keyframing Tools rollout

Use controls on the Keyframing Tools rollout to clear animation on a biped
or selected parts, mirror biped animation, and cause the Neck to rotate in
body space rather than parent space. You can also bend the horizontal center
of mass track around a selected horizontal key.

Separate Tracks
By default, 3ds Max uses an optimized method for key storage. For example,
keys for the fingers, hand, forearm, and upper arm are stored in the Clavicle
transform track. If you prefer instead to have a transform track available for

Biped | 5063

each arm object, use the Separate Tracks group to make these transform tracks
available; transform tracks are displayed in Track View.

When the Separate FK Tracks options
are on for the Arms and Fingers, only
these tracks receive keys.

When the Separate FK Tracks options
are off, all limb tracks receive keys.

5064 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP Separate Tracks are designed to be used with forward-kinematic (FK) rotations.
Using the Move tool to change the position of a biped limb with Separate Tracks
requires that you turn on Set Parents Mode. If Set Parents Mode is off, then the
limb you move is stored relative to its parent objects, and the new parent positions
are not stored. The parent objects will snap back to their originally stored location.
Turning on Set Parents Mode ensures that the position of the entire biped limb is
stored.
NOTE Separate Tracks are intended to be used as a preference. It is better to turn
them on once for the tracks you plan to edit by hand. Turning off Separate Tracks
that are currently on causes a key to be stored for every biped object in the limb
for the frames where any biped keys previously existed.

Interface

Enable Subanims Enables Biped subanims. For more information about
Biped subanims, see Using Controllers on page 4929

Manipulate Subanims Modifies Biped subanims. For more information
about Biped subanims, see Using Controllers on page 4929

Biped | 5065

Clear Selected Tracks Removes all keys and constraints from the selected
objects and tracks.

Clear All Animation Removes all keys and constraints from the biped.

Mirror and Mirror In Place flyout This flyout offers two options.
Both options mirror the animation locally, so that the right side of the biped
now does what the left side does, and vice versa. Also, if the spline leaned to
the left, it now leans to the right. The same goes for the neck, pelvis, head,
and so on.
■

MirrorReflects the animation about the world-space XZ plane. This
option reverses the biped’s position by 180 degrees, so it now faces in the
opposite direction.

■

Mirror in PlaceReflects the animation locally, but at the initial
frame, maintains the world-space position and orientation of the biped.
The biped continues to face in the same direction.

5066 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Original animation: The biped turns to the left as it walks.

Left: When you click Mirror, the animation and the biped turn completely around.
Right: When you click Mirror In Place, the biped still moves forward, but now it turns
to the right.

Set Multiple Keys Select keys using filters or apply a rotational
increment to selected keys. Use this to change periodic motion keys in Track
View. Displays the Set Multiple Keys dialog on page 5069

Biped | 5067

Set Parents Mode When a limb key is created, keys are created for the
parent objects also, provided Set Parents Mode is turned on. Use Set Parents
Mode when you turn on Separate FK Tracks.
Set Parents Mode stores the position of the entire limb when a biped limb is
moved using inverse kinematics instead of rotated using forward kinematics.
For example, if Set Parents Mode is off and Separate Tracks are turned on for
the biped arms, then the arm will snap back to its original position if you
transform the biped hand.
If Separate Tracks are turned on for a biped body part, then turn on Set Parents
Mode. This lets you use the Move transform to position the biped limbs.
NOTE Separate Tracks adds biped object transform tracks.

Anchor Right Arm, Left Arm, Right Leg, Left Leg Let you
temporarily fix the location and orientation of hands and feet. Use anchors
when you are setting up animation with inverse kinematics object space, in
which the arm or leg follows an object in the scene. Anchors ensure that the
arm or leg keeps its alignment until you set the second key that establishes
the object-space sequence.
TIP An alternative to anchors is to use Set Planted Key on the Key Info rollout on
page 5049. When you use Set Planted Key, the limb is positioned to the previous IK
key (Join To Previous IK Key).
Show All in Track View Shows all the curves for the options in the Keyframing
rollout in the track view.

Separate FK Tracks group
By default, character studio stores a finger, hand, forearm, and upper-arm key
in the Clavicle track. The toe, foot, and calf keys are stored in the thigh track.
This optimized approach to key storage works well in most cases. If you need
extra tracks, turn them on for a specific biped body part. For example, turn
on Arms if you plan to create extensive finger-hand animation; if an arm key
is deleted, it will not affect the finger-hand keys.
You must turn on Set Parents Mode for these toggles to take effect.

5068 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Arms Turn on to create separate transform tracks for the finger, hand, forearm,
and upper arm.
By default, there is one finger track per hand. All finger keys are stored in the
Finger0 transform track, the first link of the biped thumb.
Neck Turn on to create separate transform tracks for the neck links.
Legs Turn on to create separate toe, foot, and calf transform tracks.
Tail Turn on to create separate transform tracks for each tail link.
Fingers Turn on to create separate transform tracks for fingers.
Spine Turn on to create separate spine transform tracks.
Toes Turn on to create separate transform tracks for toes.
Ponytail 1 Turn on to create separate ponytail 1 transform tracks.
Ponytail 2 Turn on to create separate ponytail 2 transform tracks.
Xtras Turn on to create separate tracks for an extra tail. See Xtras group on
page 5118.
■

Drop-down listUse this list to choose the specific extra tail for which you’re
creating tracks.

Set Multiple Keys Dialog
Select the Biped ➤

Motion panel ➤ Keyframing Tools rollout ➤

(Set Multiple Keys) ➤ Set Multiple Keys dialog
Keys can be selected manually in Track View or the Track Bar and an increment
applied to the selected keys. State Filters in this dialog select certain biped
keys for you, based on foot states (Touch, Plant, Lift, and Move). Select Left
Leg and the Move state filter, then click Select to select all the left leg keys in
a Move state for example (Move is the leg state between footsteps).

Biped | 5069

Interface

Change Multiple Keys group
These controls allow you to apply to a set of keys the rotation or IK translation
of a limb at the current frame. First select the keys in Track View, then rotate
or move the limb, then click Apply Increment.
Apply Increment Adjusts the rotation and/or position of a limb at the selected
keys. Use this feature when you need to set the position of a limb over multiple
keys.

5070 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Scale Tail Keys Exaggerates or tones down the default motion applied to the
biped’s tail for three types of rotation. To activate all three spinners, select tail
keys in the biped Tail track in Track View.
Forward Sets the amount of forward and backward swing in the tail.
Sideways Sets the amount of side-to-side swing of the tail.
Twist Sets the amount of local X axis rotation of each tail object.

Select Multiple Keys group
These controls allow you to select keys according to the foot state at that
frame. This is very helpful when you want to apply an increment to all keys
of a particular type in a particular track.
■

First, select the tracks you want: Left Leg, Right Leg, Body Horizontal, Body
Vertical.

■

Then select the foot states: Touch, Plant, Lift, Move

■

Then click Select to select all the matching keys. Selected keys are
highlighted in white in Track View.

Copy/Paste Rollout
Create a biped or select one. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Copy/Paste rollout
(not available in Footstep, Motion Flow, or Mixer modes)
Controls on the Copy/Paste rollout let you copy and then paste posture, pose,
or track information from one part of a biped to another, or from one biped
to a different one.
These are the three categories of information you can copy and paste:
■

PostureThe positioning of selected biped objects.

■

PoseThe positioning of the entire biped.

■

TrackThe animation track from the selected biped objects.

NOTE Your copied information will be stored in the current copy collection.

Biped | 5071

Copy Collections
Copy collections are designed to make it easier to manage copied posture,
pose, and track information by grouping it together. This improves the way
copied animation data is organized when it is transferred between files within
a session:
■

You can display smaller sets of poses, postures, and tracks in the list.

■

You can load more than one CPY on page 9127 file into a single scene.

■

You can either append a loaded set to an existing one or replace it entirely.

NOTE You must create a copy collection before you can copy a biped's posture,
pose or track.

Copy/Paste Buffers
In character studio, you can save multiple copy/paste buffers for each of the
three modes: Posture, Pose, and Track. These are available from the Copied
Postures/Poses/Tracks drop-down list; the active buffer that the Paste buttons
use is the one whose name is visible in the field at the top of the list. A
thumbnail view gives a preview of what the active buffer has saved.
Buffers are saved with your MAX scene file, and also remain available in your
3ds Max session, even if you reset.
The default name of a buffer depends on which mode you are in. In the Posture
and Pose modes, the name of the buffer consists of abbreviated names of the
body parts you selected, followed by a sequence number. For example,
RArmRFing1 is the first buffer for the posture or tracks of the biped's right arm
and finger. In Pose mode, the name of the buffer is always “Pose,” followed
by a sequence number. For example, Pose03.
To give a buffer a custom name, make it active, highlight its name in the field
at the top of the buffer list, and then enter a new name.
For hands-on experience using the Copy/Paste rollout, see the lesson called
“Creating a Simple Freeform Animation” found in the tutorial entitled
Animating with Freeform.
TIP When copying poses or postures containing COM data, the Paste Options on
page 5085 are activated.

5072 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Paste and Paste Opposite
For each mode, there are two paste options: Paste, and Paste Opposite. These
are useful in different situations:
■

PasteIn the Posture and Pose modes, Paste is useful for copying positioning
from one biped to a different biped, or for restoring a biped's positioning
at a different frame of an animation. In Track mode, Paste is useful mainly
for copying movement from one biped to a different biped.

■

Paste OppositeIn Posture mode, Paste Opposite is useful for making one
limb assume the posture of the other, either at the same frame or different
frames. In Pose mode, Paste Opposite reverses the biped's pose, or applies
that reverse pose to a different biped. In Track mode, Paste Opposite can
make a biped's limbs move symmetrically, or apply the opposite of the
copied movement to a different biped.

TIP After pasting a pose or tracks to a different biped, often you have to reposition
it. This is easily done with Move All mode.
NOTE If a copied pose, posture or track contains sub-animations, they can be
pasted to another pose, posture or track as long as the same sub-animations
already exist. Otherwise, they are ignored.

Procedures
Example: To load multiple collections between files within a single session:

1 Create a biped and

load some animation onto it.

2 On the Motion panel ➤ Copy/Paste rollout, click
and name the collection Upper.

(Create Collection)

Biped | 5073

3

Select all of the biped's links from the spine up and, after making
sure you're in Posture mode on page 5083, click
this step for every 10 frames of your animation.

4

(Copy Posture). Repeat

Create a new collection and name it Lower.

5 Go to frame 0.
down and

Select all of the biped's links from the pelvis
copy a posture at every 10 frames.

6 Choose the Upper collection from the Copy Collections drop-down list,
and
well.

save it. Then, choose the Lower collection and

5074 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

save it as

7

Save your scene and then reset 3ds Max (
menu ➤ Reset).

8 Create a new biped and

Application

load the Upper collection.

9 For every 10 frames, select
the biped's upper body and
paste
the corresponding posture from the Copied Postures drop-down list.

Set a key for each pasted posture.

10

Load the Lower collection and repeat the last step with the biped's

lower body selected,
11

setting a key for each posture.

Delete the Lower collection.

12 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click

(Max Load Preferences) and in the

dialog, make sure both options are turned on. Close the dialog and
load the saved 3ds Max file.

Biped | 5075

Notice that the Copy Collections drop-down list now contains three
collections: two Upper collections (one from the current file and one from
the incoming) and one Lower collection from the incoming file.
To capture different snapshots:

1 Under the thumbnail snapshot of the Copied Postures group, click
(Capture Snapshot From Viewport).

2

Orbit your current viewport to different user views and
a biped posture.

copy

Notice that your snapshot matches the viewport angle.

3 Click
again.

(Capture Snapshot Automatically) and

copy a posture

Notice that your snapshot is displayed from a frontal view.

4 Click

(No Snapshot) and

copy another posture.

The capture has been replaced by a gray placeholder.
Example: To maintain copied COM data when pasting poses:
1 Create a biped and then
Poses.

5076 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

create a new collection. Name the collection

2 Make sure you're in Pose mode, and at frame 0, click
Then go to frame 30.

(Copy Pose) 0.

3 Using tools from the Track Selection rollout on page 5029, move your biped
away from its current position and rotate it in all three axes.

The biped with offset position and orientation

4 In the Paste Options group on page 5085, enable
buttons.
5 Click

(Paste Pose). The biped resets back to its original position and

orientation since its copied COM data is maintained.
step.

6 Disable

all three Paste

Undo this

(Paste Rotation) but keep the other two buttons enabled.

Biped | 5077

7 Click
(Paste Pose). The biped resets back to its original position but
remains rotated. This is due to the fact that the copied COM orientation
is not maintained on paste.

8 Disable both
enable

Undo the step.

(Paste Horizontal) and

(Paste Rotation) once again. Click

(Paste Vertical) but
(Paste Pose).

This time, the biped's position is maintained but not its orientation.

Paste Rotation is the only enabled button

Example: To maintain COM offsets using By Velocity:
1 Create a biped. Then, on the Track Selection rollout on page 5029, turn on

(Body Horizontal).
2 At frame 0,
set a key. Then make sure Pose mode is active, and
copy your biped's pose.

3 Go to frame 10 and

move the Body COM 50 units in the Y axis.

Set a new key.

4 In the Paste Options group on page 5085, enable
but leave By Velocity turned off.
5 Go to frame 30 and

paste your biped's pose.

The biped jumps to the center of your scene.

5078 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Paste Horizontal)

Undo this step.

6 In the Paste Options group, turn on By Velocity. Then
try pasting
your pose again. Notice how the biped's COM position is now offsetted
by another 50 units in Y.
Example: To set TCB/IK Values when pasting postures:
1 Create a biped and then

2 Select the
page 5049,

create a new collection. Name it Hands.

biped's right hand, and on the Key Info rollout on
set a key.

3 In the TCB group, set Ease To to 10, Ease From to 50, and all three TCB
values to 5.
4 In the IK group, set IK Blend to 0.5. Choose the Object [Object Space[
option. Then

set another key.

5 On the Copy/Paste rollout, make sure you're in Posture mode, then click
(Copy Posture).

Biped | 5079

6 Create a new biped next to the original one. Create a box next to its right
hand.

The original biped (left) and the new biped with box (right)

7 In the IK group, constrain the biped's hand to the box by clicking
(Select IK Object) and then colicking the box in a viewport. Make sure
the Body [Body Space] option is chosen.
8 On the Keyframing Tools rollout on page 5063, turn off Separate FK Tracks
➤ Arms. Then turn on

(Auto Key).

9 In the Paste Options group on page 5085, set the Auto-Key TCB/IK Values
to Default.

5080 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

10 Click

(Paste Posture).

The hand assumes the copied posture and the key's TCB and IK values
are set to default. Keys are also set for the whole arm.
11 Go to frame 30 and turn on Separate FK Tracks ➤ Arms.
12 Set Auto-Key TCB/IK Values to Copied and

paste the posture.

The copied value information is transferred to this new key. The key
values are now 10 and 50 for the Ease To/Ease From, 5 for the TCB, and
0.5 for the IK Blend. The box is still the IK Object and Object Space
remains chosen. Also notice that the hand is the only keyed limb.
13 Go to frame 15, set the Auto-Key TCB/IK Values to Interpolated, and
paste the posture again.
This new key averages up the values based on the previous and next keys,
setting Ease To/Ease From to 5 and 25, TCB to 15, and IK Blend to 0.25.
Also, Body Space is selected from the previous key.

Interface

Biped | 5081

Create Collections Clears the current collection name and the poses,
postures and tracks associated with it.

Load Collections Loads a CPY file and displays its collection name
at the top of the Copy Collections drop-down list, making it active.
Save Collections Saves all the postures, poses and tracks stored within
the active collection of the current session in a CPY file.
Delete Collection Removes the current collection from the scene.
Delete All Collection Removes all collections from the scene.
Max Load Preferences Displays a dialog with options for actions to take
upon Max file open.

Keep Existing Collections When on, sets biped to overwrite the existing
Copy/Paste Buffer upon load. Default=Off.
Load Collections When on, sets biped to load the Copy/Paste buffer from
the incoming file, appending the current buffer. Default=On.

Posture, Pose, and Track Choose one of these buttons to choose which kind
of information you are copying and pasting. The copy/paste buttons change
to indicate the current mode. Default=Pose.
Copy/Paste buttons These buttons change according to the current mode,
as described below in Posture on page 5083, Pose on page 5083 and Track on page
5084.

5082 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Delete Selected Deletes the selected posture, pose, or track buffer. The
selected buffer is the active one; that is, the buffer whose name is currently
displayed in the Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks list.
Delete All Deletes all the buffers in the Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks
list.

Posture mode

Copy Posture Copies the posture of the selected biped objects and
saves it in a new posture buffer.

Paste Posture Pastes the posture of the active buffer onto the biped.

Paste Posture Opposite Pastes the posture of the active buffer onto
the opposite side of the biped.

Pose mode

Copy Pose Copies the current pose of the entire biped and saves it in
a new pose buffer.

Paste Pose Pastes the pose of the active buffer onto the biped.

Paste Pose Opposite Pastes the opposite of the pose of the active
buffer onto the biped.

Biped | 5083

Track mode

Copy Track Copies the tracks for the selected biped objects and creates
a new track buffer.

Paste Track Pastes the track or tracks in the active buffer onto the
biped.

Paste Track Opposite Pastes the track or tracks in the active buffer
onto the opposite side of the biped.

Copied Postures group
Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks list For each of the modes, lists the buffers
you have copied. The active buffer is the one that will be pasted by the paste
buttons. To make a buffer active, choose it from the drop-down list. To change
the name of a buffer, make it active, highlight its name, and enter a new name.
Thumbnail buffer view For Posture and Track mode, displays a schematic
view of the parts of the biped in the active copy buffer. For Pose mode, displays
a schematic view of the entire biped. This can help you preview the effect of
pasting the active buffer.

Thumbnail showing a copied left arm posture

5084 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Thumbnail showing a copied pose

Capture Snapshot from Viewport When chosen, creates a snapshot
of the active 2D or 3D viewport of entire biped.

Capture Snapshot Automatically (The default.) When chosen, creates
a front view snapshot of the isolated body parts.

No Snapshot When chosen, replaces the snapshot with a gray canvas.

Show/Hide Snapshot Toggles display of the snapshot view.

Paste Options group
The Horizontal, Vertical and Rotation copy options found in older versions
of character studio have been replaced by the Paste Options. By default,
copying poses or postures with the COM selected copies all three COM tracks.
Paste Horizontal/Vertical/Rotation buttons When turned on,
the COM's Body Horizontal, Vertical or Rotation data are set to be pasted next
time you perform a paste operation. Choosing to paste COM data maintains
the world space positions and orientation of the copied COM onto the current
data tracks. Otherwise, the COM's current positions and orientation are

Biped | 5085

maintained when the copied data tracks are pasted. See Example: To maintain
copied COM data when pasting poses: on page 5076
TIP This choice can be seen as pasting absolute or relative COM animation. The
former will overwrite the current data with the copied one while the latter will
maintain the current data, ignoring all copied information.
By Velocity When on, determines the values of the active COM tracks based
on the previous trajectory of the COM through the scene. This option is only
enabled when the Paste Horizontal/Vertical/Rotation buttons are active. See
Example: To maintain COM offsets using By Velocity: on page 5078
NOTE If there is no previous trajectory from which to gather the velocity data,
the COM result is considered as absolute.
Auto-Key TCB/IK Values Active only in Auto Key mode on page 8679.
NOTE If part of the copied biped is linked to an IK object, that object it is not
transferable using the copy/paste process. However, the Join to Prev IK Key option
is maintained, as well as they Body or Object options. If a copied pose or posture
contains an IK Object, the data becomes baked into the biped's link while keeping
the key in Object space.
NOTE If part of the pasted biped is linked to an IK object, that object is maintained
even while the new pose or posture is honored. In other words, if an incoming
pose requires a change in an existing link between a biped limb and an IK object,
the link is maintained and adjusted accordingly.
■

DefaultSets (on the Key Info rollout on page 5049) the TCB Ease To and Ease
From to 0, and Tension, Continuity and Bias to 25. These settings are
unrelated to what was copied or where it is pasted. Any IK key values
already set are maintained. Otherwise, values will be obtained from the
position in time between the previous and next keys.

■

CopiedSets the TCB/IK values to match those from the copied data. If a
copied pose or posture is not on a key, the TCB/IK values are based on
interpolation from the previous and next keys.

■

InterpolatedSets the TCB values to an interpolation from the animation
on which you are pasting. If an existing key is being pasted, its TCB values
are maintained. Along the same lines, existing IK values are also maintained
when pasted. If no key is present, the IK values are set from the position
in time between the previous and next keys.

5086 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Layers Rollout
Select the Biped ➤

Motion panel ➤ Layers rollout

Controls on the Layers rollout allow you to add layers of animation above the
original biped animation. This is a powerful way of making global changes to
your character animation.
For example, add a layer to a run cycle and rotate the spine forward at any
frame, and it becomes a crouched run. The original biped motion is kept intact
and can be viewed by switching back to the original layer. You can view layers
individually or as a composite of all the animation in all the layers. Layers
behave like freeform animation; the biped can adopt any position.
TIP You can globally translate both footstep and freeform animation by doing a
layered edit on the center of mass on page 5004. For example, by adding a layer
and moving the center of mass you can move a freeform or footstep animation.
With layers, you can easily adjust raw motion-capture data, which contains
keys at every frame. Simply add a layer and keyframe the biped. The original
layer is displayed as red bones.

Biped | 5087

Honoring IK Constraints Across Layers
You can maintain a biped's IK constraints across layers by retargeting its hands
and feet to the original layer. This assures that the biped's constrained body
parts are honored and locked in place while you make animation changes on
the upper layers.
You can also choose to retarget a biped using another one as reference. This
is useful when you need to precisely match hands and feet positioning between
two animated bipeds with different body proportions.
You can save an animation containing honored constraints across layers in a
BIP on page 9105 file. However, if the layered animation links to another biped
as reference, that link is not saved with the animation.

5088 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
Example: To Maintain IK Constraints Across Layers:
This procedure takes into account the fundamentals of animating across layers
and expands on the concept of honoring IK constraints.
1 Prepare a biped with IK keys on its feet, and its left hand constrained to
an IK object.

2

3

Select your biped and on the
the Layers rollout.

Motion panel, expand

Create a new layer and name it Low center of mass.

The
(Retarget Left Arm) button in the Retargeting group becomes
active, which indicates that the current layer honors the IK constraint of
the base layer for this body part.

Biped | 5089

4 Turn on

Auto Key on page 8679.

5 On the Track Selection rollout, turn on

(Body Vertical).

This selects the biped's center of mass.

6

Lower the center of mass on the Z axis until the biped's head is
under the base layer's head display (represented as a red box).
TIP To avoid deselecting the center of mass, you can lock it by clicking the

(Selection Lock Toggle) on page 8667 (or press the spacebar).

5090 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The entire biped is lowered except its left hand, which remains locked
to the object because the current layer retargets it to match the respective
IK constraint of the base layer.

Only the biped's left hand constraint is honored.

7 In the Retargeting group, turn on both
(Retarget Right Leg). Then click Update.

(Retarget Left Leg) and

The biped's IK feet are adjusted to match those of the base layer. The
animation keys are updated to reflect the current layer's retargeted feet.
TIP If some body parts assume odd positions, simply drag the time slider on
page 8656 a few frames past your current frame, and then drag it back home.

Biped | 5091

Both the biped's feet and left hand constraints are honored.

8 You can continue animating the biped to your liking.
your layers when you are satisfied.

Collapse

Example: To Maintain IK Constraints From a Reference Biped:
This procedure centers on using an animated biped as a retarget reference for
another biped with disproportionate body parts. This method is often used
when a motion is imported from raw data and adapted to bipeds with different
proportions.
1 Prepare an animated biped or load a BIP on page 9105 file onto one.
2 Create a second biped alongside and rename it Disproportionate Biped.

5092 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The animated biped on the left and Disproportionate Biped on the right

3 Select Disproportionate Biped and enter

(Figure Mode) on page 5104.

Now you can change the biped's structure.
4 Scale its upper arms and thighs to make them disproportionate from the
rest of its body.
TIP You can quickly select body parts on both sides of a biped if you first
select the body part, then on the Track Selection rollout on page 5029, click
(Symmetrical).

Biped | 5093

5 Exit

(Figure Mode).

6 Keep Disproportionate Biped selected and expand the Layers rollout.
7 Click
biped.

(Select Reference Biped) and in a viewport, select your original

Disproportionate Biped adopts the animation from the reference biped,
whose name is now displayed next to the
button.

5094 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Select Reference Biped)

8

Add a new layer and name it Retargeted Biped.

9 Turn on both
(Retarget Left Arm) and
Arm), and then click Update.

(Retarget Right

Both hands precisely match those from the reference biped. The animation
keys are updated to reflect the current layer's retargeted hands.

Biped | 5095

Both hands are retargeted to honor the base layer IK constraints.

10 Turn on both
(Retarget Left Leg) and
Leg). Then, click Update.

(Retarget Right

The feet are correctly retargeted to the reference biped, updating the
respective animation keys.

5096 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The feet are retargeted to honor the base layer IK constraints.

11 Use
(Previous Layer) and
(Next Layer) to switch between
the original and Retargeted Biped layers. The base layer displays the
non-targeted motion while Retargeted Biped shows an adjusted motion
that matches both hands and feet from Disproportionate Biped with the
original biped.

12 You can continue animating the biped to your liking.
your layers when you are satisfied.

Collapse

Biped | 5097

Interface

Load and Save buttons
You can load and save individual biped layers as BIP files.

Load Layer Click to display a file selector and open a BIP file for t he
layer that is currently active.
3ds Max objects and list controllers are loaded only at the base layer (0). When
you load into a higher layer, separate tracks are removed, and IK is removed
for any limb.
If Retarget is on for a limb, the limb keys are removed. After you load a layer,
retargetting does not happen automatically: you must click Update after you
load the layer.

5098 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Save Layer Click to display a file selector and save the current layer’s
animation in a BIP file.
3ds Max objects are saved only at the base layer (0).

_____
Previous-Next Layer Navigate through the layers using the up and
down arrows.
Level This field displays the current layer (Level).
Active Toggles the displayed layer on and off.
Name Field Type a name to easily identify a layer.

Create Layer Creates a layer, and the Level field increments.
Position the biped to create keys in a layer.

Delete Layer Deletes the current layer.
All layer numbers ‘above’ the one deleted are decremented by one.

Collapse Layers Collapses all the layers into layer 0.
Legs that stray from the original footsteps in higher layers are "pulled in" to
the original footsteps.

Snap Set Key Snaps the selected biped part to its original position in
layer 0 and creates a key.
Use this in higher layers to return the selected biped part to the original
motion. If a layer has a posture key that bends the character forward at frame
2 and you want to return the biped to its original posture motion at frame
50, use Snap Set Key at frame 50 with a spine object selected. The character
will interpolate from its forward posture position to its original posture position
between frame 2 and 50.

Activate Only Me View the animation in the selected layer.
Choose Play after turning on Activate Only Me to view a layer’s keys in motion.

Biped | 5099

Activate All Activates all the layers.
Playing the animation shows a composite of all the layers.
Visible Before Sets the number of preceding layers to display as stick figures.
Visible After Sets the number of succeeding layers to display as stick figures.
Key Highlight Displays keys by highlighting the stick figures.

Retargeting Group
The tools in this group let you animate a biped across layers while maintaining
the IK constraints of the base layer. You can also choose to use a different
biped in your scene to use as reference for your biped's retargeted hands and
feet.
Biped's Base Layer Choose this method to use the IK constraints from the
selected biped's original layer as retarget reference. Default=active.
Reference Biped Choose this method to use the biped whose name is displayed
next to the Select Reference Biped button as retarget reference.
Select Reference Biped Lets you choose a biped to use as retarget
reference for the selected biped. The chosen biped's name is displayed next
to the button.
Retarget Left Arm When on, the IK constraints of the base layer are
honored for the biped's left arm.
Retarget Right Arm When on, the IK constraints of the base layer are
honored for the biped's right arm.
Retarget Left Leg When on, the IK constraints of the base layer are
honored for the biped's left leg.
Retarget Right Leg When on, the IK constraints of the base layer are
honored for the biped's right leg.
Update Calculates the selected biped's hands and feet positions for every set
key based on the retarget method (Base Layer or Reference Biped), the active
retarget body parts buttons, and the IK Only option.

5100 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

IK Only When on, the biped's constrained hands and feet are retargeted only
during the frames on which they are IK controlled. When off, the hands and
feet are retargeted during both IK and FK keys. Default=off.

Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout
Select the biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Dynamics & Adaptation rollout

The controls on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout let you specify the way
you want to create biped animation. The parameters let you modify gravity
strength, dynamic properties for keys generated by newly created footsteps,
the number of transform tracks available on the biped, and prevent key
adaptation.

Biped Dynamics and Spline Dynamics
These parameters specify how new biped center of mass keys are created and
therefore how you want to work with the biped. Turning on Spline Dynamics
will create center of mass keys, without gravity and balance calculation, for
newly created footsteps. This may feel more familiar to new users who are
already familiar with spline interpolation.
Biped Dynamics calculates biped airborne trajectory, knee bend on landing
and positions the biped to maintain balance when the spine is rotated. When
parameters change, the biped adapts. Turn on Biped Dynamics and use this
adaptation to your advantage.
You can always change from one method to the other on a per-key basis or
for the entire animation at any time.
See also:
■

Adjusting Vertical Motion on page 4894

Biped | 5101

Interface

GravAccel Sets the strength of the gravitational acceleration used to calculate
the biped’s motion.
By default, this parameter is set to accurately simulate Newtonian gravity as
found on the Earth's surface.
At a value of 0, the biped still runs but the feet hardly get off the ground.
Biped Dynamics Creates new center-of-mass keys using Biped Dynamics.
Keys for the center of mass (COM) Balance Factor and Dynamics Blend
parameters are set to a value of 1. Biped calculates airborne trajectories and
biped balance.
NOTE Use Dynamics Blend on the Key Info rollout ➤ Body group to set a vertical
COM key that is a blend between Dynamics and Spline Interpolation; a value of
1 is full Dynamics, a value of 0 is full Spline interpolation.
Spline Dynamics Creates new center-of-mass keys using full spline
interpolation. All new vertical COM keys are created with Dynamics Blend=0,
and all new horizontal COM keys are created with Balance Factor=0.

5102 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Footstep Adapt Locks group
Lock specified tracks to prevent automatic adjustments being made to those
tracks when footsteps are moved in space or edited in time. All the locks except
for Time work for footstep editing in space. Time locks upper body keys when
footsteps are edited in time (Track View). Adapt Locks only applies to a Footstep
animation, not a freeform animation.
When you move a footstep in space or adjust footstep timing, Biped
automatically adapts existing keyframes to match the new footsteps. Adapt
locks allows you to preserve the exact position of already created keys for a
selected track.
Adapt Locks does not need to be on all the time. For example, if you want to
raise all the footsteps along the world Z-axis, without changing the upper
body position, turn on Footstep Adapt Locks group ➤ Body Vertical Keys,
turn on Footstep mode, select all the footsteps and move them up along the
world Z-axis. The footsteps are repositioned, the legs are adapted, but the
upper body retains the same motion rather than being raised with the
footsteps. Now turn off Body Vertical Keys, and the upper body still retains
its original motion.
Use Footstep Adapt Locks ➤ Time to retain upper body motion while editing
footstep duration in Track View. When the duration of a footstep is changed,
the biped leg will adapt by re-timing the touch, plant, and lift keys. The biped
upper body keys will retain their exact motion.
Body Horizontal Keys Turn on to prevent adaptation of body horizontal keys
when footsteps are edited in space.
Body Vertical Keys Turn on to prevent adaptation of body vertical keys when
footsteps are edited in space.
Body Turning Keys Turn on to prevent adaptation of body turning keys when
footsteps are edited in space.
Right Leg Move Keys Turn on to prevent adaptation of right leg move keys
(a leg move key, is a leg key between footsteps) when footsteps are edited in
space.
Left Leg Move Keys Turn on to prevent adaptation of left leg move keys (a
leg move key, is a leg key between footsteps) when footsteps are edited in
space.
Freeform Keys Turn on to prevent adaptation of a freeform period in a footstep
animation. The biped’s position during a freeform period will not move if
footsteps after the freeform period are moved further away.

Biped | 5103

Time Turn on to prevent adaptation of upper body keys when footstep
duration is changed in Track View.
NOTE Leg and foot keys for frames in which the foot is in contact with the ground
are always automatically adapted.

Figure Mode
Select the Biped ➤
Mode)

Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Figure

While Figure mode is active, you can change biped structure and fit that
structure to a character mesh.It can be used for a variety of other procedures
as well.

■

Figure mode is a reference position to fit a biped to a mesh. Use Figure
mode to fit a biped to the mesh representing your character. This "reference"
or Figure mode position, in which the biped is aligned to the mesh, is
necessary when a mesh is linked or attached to the biped with Physique.
After the biped is positioned to fit within a mesh, leave Figure mode on
during the process of attaching a mesh to the biped with Physique, or
when using Select And Link on the 3ds Max toolbar to link the mesh
objects of a character to the biped.
The relationship or "fit" position between the biped and the mesh can
always be restored by turning on Figure mode, regardless of which motion
file happens to be loaded. After fitting a biped to a mesh in Figure mode,

5104 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

use Save on the Biped rollout to save a figure file (.fig). If you accidentally
reposition the biped in Figure mode, load the figure file.
■

Figure mode is used for biped adjustment after a mesh is attached to
correct biped joint location. After using Physique to attach a mesh character
to the biped, you may want to reposition a biped limb relative to the mesh.
For example, if the biped shoulder joint is too far out relative to the mesh
shoulder, then the Physique modifier must be inactivated, the biped limbs
adjusted, and then a Reinitialize in Physique must be performed before
reactivating the Physique modifier.

■

Figure mode is used for biped adjustment after a mesh is attached to
correct posture in a motion file. Figure mode is also used to make
adjustments after a character is attached or linked to the biped. After
loading a .bip motion file, for example, you may find that the character is
hunched too far forward during the entire animation. Rotating the biped's
spine objects in Figure mode will correct the character’s posture for the
entire animation. This is a basic procedure where you simply rotate the
biped limbs in Figure mode and then exit Figure mode; the posture will
be corrected for the entire animation.

■

Figure mode is used to define biped structure. The Structure rollout on
page 5108 is displayed when you work in Figure mode, allowing you to tailor
the biped to your mesh character. After creating a biped, make all of your
biped structure changes on the Structure rollout. For example, you may
want to use one toe with one toe link if your character is wearing shoes or
if your character's toes do not need to be keyframed individually. Set the
biped structure before "fitting" the biped to the your mesh character.

■

Turn Figure mode on to scale a character. Use the height spinner on the
Structure rollout to scale a complete character (a complete character has
a biped and mesh attached with Physique).

■

Reverse-Knee Characters. If your character mesh has reverse knees, rotate
the biped calves or thighs along the local X axis 180 degrees in Figure
mode; the biped local X axis is along the length of the limb. character
studio assumes you want a reverse knees character if the calves or thighs
are rotated past 90 degrees in the local X axis. When Figure mode is turned
off, the biped walks, runs, and jumps with reverse knees.

Moving the Head
While in Figure mode, you can move the head relative to the body. This is
another way to help fit the biped into a character’s skin.

Biped | 5105

You can move a biped’s head in Figure mode.

Notes on Fitting the Biped to a Mesh in Figure Mode
These are quick notes designed to give you a general sense of the issues
involved when a biped is fitted to a mesh.

■

Use the Structure rollout to set the number of toes and fingers; specify the
number of links per finger and toe. One toe with one toe link is often
sufficient if your character wears shoes, or if animating individual toes will
not be necessary.

■

Put the lowest biped spine object at the character’s belt-line.

5106 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Scale the biped fingers to slightly protrude from the character’s hand.

■

Rubber Band mode and scale are used to size the biped limbs to fit the
biped to a mesh.

■

Use the options from the Twist Links group on page 5116 to transfer twisting
animation in the biped's associated mesh.

■

Use Props to represent weapons or tools attached to your character.

■

Use Select And Link on the 3ds Max toolbar to link non-deformable
(mechanical) objects to the biped. Do this after Physique is applied to
prevent Physique from generating extra links (Envelopes). Superflous
envelopes (links) can be turned off in Physique however, so this is not
critical.
NOTE Objects like eyeballs and weapons should be linked to the biped after
Physique is applied; otherwise links (Envelopes) will extend to these objects
when Physique is applied.

■

Reposition and use Ponytails on the Structure rollout to animate a
character’s jaw, ears, hat, hair and ponytails.

■

A saved .fig file can be reloaded if the biped is repositioned in Figure mode
by mistake.

Move the first link on each finger to position the fingers relative to the mesh;
use local and world coordinate systems for this. Scale the finger links to
position the joints. After positioning the thumb, rotate the first thumb link
around the local X-axis until the local Z-axis creates a natural rotation for the
thumb (refer to the image). A User view and toggling back and forth between
a shaded and wireframe display is helpful when fingers are positioned.

Biped | 5107

Structure Rollout
Select the biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤ Turn on

(Figure Mode) ➤ Structure rollout
Turn Figure mode on to enable parameters on the Structure rollout. The
Structure rollout provides parameters for changing the biped’s skeletal structure
to match your character mesh (dinosaur, robot, human, and so on). You can
also add up to three props to your biped, to represent tools or weapons.
After setting parameters to suit your character, use the Height parameter to
scale the biped to the size of the mesh representing your character. This is the
first step in fitting a biped to a mesh in Figure mode.

Procedures
To scale a Biped and a Physique Mesh:

Select the biped, turn on
(Figure Mode), and then change
the biped height on the Structure rollout.
The biped and mesh scale together.

■

To skin a Biped with Twist Links:
This procedure takes into account the process of skinning a character and
expands on the concept of using twist links to better deform a skinned mesh.

1

2

Position a biped within the mesh.

Select the biped and turn on

(Figure Mode).

3 On the Structure rollout, turn on the Twists option.
This enables the input fields for all biped limbs.

5108 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE Horse Link is available only if your biped has four leg links.
4 Set Forearm to 5.
Both forearms have five twist links.
TIP To get a better view of your twist links, you can select the forearms and
turn on See-Through in the Display Properties rollout on page 143 on the
Display panel (or press Alt+X).

See-Through turned on for the right forearm only.

5 Add a Skin modifier on page 1614 to the mesh.
6 Unfreeze all the biped twist bones.

7 On the
Motion panel ➤ Parameters rollout, add all the biped
bones to the skin except the forearms.

8

Select and freeze the twist bones again.

9 On the Parameters rollout, turn on Edit Envelopes.

Biped | 5109

10 Select and adjust the Envelopes of the twist bones until the desired
behavior is achieved, moving and rotating the hand to test.

Interface

Body Type group
The Body Type group lets you select the biped's body type:
■

Skeleton The skeleton body type provides a realistic skeleton which fits
naturally into mesh skins.

5110 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Male The male body type provides a silhouette mold based on basic male
proportions.

■

Female The female body type provides a silhouette mold based on basic
female proportions.

■

Classic The classic body type is the same as the biped object from older
versions of character studio.

_____
Arms Sets whether arms will be generated for the current biped.
Neck Links Sets the number of links in the biped neck. Default=1. Range=1
to 25.
Spine Links Sets the number of links in the biped spine. Default=4. Range=1
to 10.
Leg Links Sets the number of links in the biped legs. Default=3. Range=3 to
4.
Setting Leg Links adds a horse link: an additional, lower leg bone suitable for
animating quadrupeds, or humanoids with animal legs such as the Greek god
Pan.
Tail Links Sets the number of links in the biped tail. A value of 0 specifies no
tail. Default=0. Range=0 to 25.
Ponytail1/2 Links Sets the number of Ponytail Links. Default=0. Range=0 to
25.
You can animate hair with ponytail links. Ponytails are linked to a character’s
head and can be used to animate other appendages. Reposition ponytails in
Figure mode and use them to animate a character’s jaw, ears, nose, or anything
that should move with the head.
Unlike the process of selecting the biped hand and dragging to reposition the
entire arm, ponytails must be keyed using rotational transformations.
Fingers Sets the number of biped fingers. Default=1. Range=0 to 5.
When you turn on Knuckles, 3ds Max sets this value to 5. While Knuckles is
on, you can reduce the number of fingers, depending on the character you
want to animate.
Finger Links Sets the number of links per finger. Default=1. Range=1 to 4.
When you turn on Knuckles, 3ds Max sets this value to 4. While Knuckles is
on, you can reduce the number of finger links, depending on the character
you want to animate.

Biped | 5111

Toes Sets the number of biped toes. Default=1. Range=1 to 5.
Toe Links Sets the number of links per toe. Default=3. Range=1 to 3.
TIP Characters wearing shoes might need only one toe with one link.
Props 1/2/3 Turns on up to three props, which can be used to represent tools
or weapons attached to the biped. By default, prop 1 appears next to the right
hand, prop 2 appears next to the left hand, and prop 3 appears centered
between in front of the torso.
You can animate props throughout the scene, like any object. You can use
3ds Max controllers to animate props and can then collapse animation onto
the prop’s transform controller for use in Mixer, Motion Flow, and Layer
editing.
Ankle Attach Specifies the ankles’ point of attachment along the
corresponding foot block. The ankles can be placed anywhere along the
centerline of the foot block, from the heel to the toe.

Ankle Attach=0.25 and Ankle Attach=0.5

A value of 0 places the ankle attachment point at the heel. A value of 1 places
the ankle attachment point at the toes. Click the spinner up arrow to move
the ankle attach point toward the toes. Range=0 to 1.
Height Sets the height of the current biped.
Use to size the biped to your mesh character before Physique is attached. This
parameter is also used in a procedure to scale your character after Physique is
attached.
Triangle Pelvis Turn on to create links from the upper legs to the lowest biped
spine object when Physique is attached. Normally the legs are linked to the
biped pelvis object.

5112 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The pelvis area can be a problem when the mesh is deformed with Physique.
Triangle Pelvis creates a more natural spline for mesh deformation.

Triangle Pelvis creates two links that extend from the legs to the lowest biped spine
object. A link from the biped pelvis to the lowest spine object is also created. This
provides natural deformation to this area after Physique is applied and the character
is moving. If you are working on a new character, turn this on before applying Physique.
If Bones is turned on in the Display rollout, links from the legs to the lower spine object
are visible.

Triangle Neck When on, links clavicles to the top spine link instead of to the
neck. Default=off.
Like Triangle Pelvis, this feature has no effect on how the biped animates. It
is a convenience when you skin the biped using Physique. Some meshes
deform more naturally with the triangular neck configuration. If you have a
mesh where this is the case, turn on Triangle Neck before you apply Phsyique.

Left: A normal neck. The neck is the parent of each clavicle.

Biped | 5113

Right: Triangle Neck. The top segment of the spine (Spine3) is the parent of each
clavicle.

ForeFeet When on, the biped hands and fingers behave as feet and toes: when
you set Planted keys for a hand, rotating the hand does not affect the position
of the fingers. Default=off.
This option turns the biped into a quadruped. You can think of the name of
this option as also meaning “Four Feet.”
As with feet, the planted behavior applies only to IK periods of biped
animation. After you set a Free key, the fingers rotate as children of the hands,
using FK, until you set another Planted key.
This option is disable when Knuckles is turned on.
Knuckles When on, uses an anatomically correct hand structure, with bones
for each digit. Default=off.

A standard biped hand. This setup doesn’t allow for finely
detailed hand animation.

5114 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

A biped hand with Knuckles turned on. The hand has a small
base and individual bones for all its digits, allowing for detailed
animation.

NOTE As of Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, you always can rotate each bone of each
digit with three degrees of freedom: that is, along any axis. And as with other
biped bones (except for toes), you can use the Quaternion/Euler rollout on page
5036 to choose between quaternion or Euler rotation for bones in the hand.
When you turn on Knuckles, 3ds Max automatically sets the Fingers value to
5 and Finger Links to 4. Depending on the character you are animating, you
can reduce the value of Fingers or Finger Links. Knuckles supports zero to five
fingers on each hand, and from one to four finger links.
This option is disabled when ForeFeet is turned on.
■

Short Thumb When on, the thumb has one less bone that the four for the
other digits. If other digits have four bones, the thumb has three, as in a
human hand. When off, all five digits have the same number of bones.
Default=on while Knuckles is on.
You might want to turn off Short Thumb when you are creating a
nonhuman character.

Biped | 5115

Short Thumb turned off while Finger Links = 4, so that all digits
have four bones.

Twist Links group

The bone twist option, previously limited to the biped's forearm, has been
expanded to include all limbs. These settings allow better mesh deformation
on skinned models (using Physique on page 4807 or Skin on page 1614) when
twisting occurs on animated limbs. Use the Twist Poses rollout on page 5039 for
better control over your twist links.

5116 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE If a limb has twist links, they control skin deformation while the base link
(the biped's forearm, for example) drives the animation. Twist links cannot be
animated.
Twists Enables twist links for biped limbs. When enabled, twist links become
visible but remain frozen. You can unfreeze them using Unfreeze By Name or
Unfreeze By Hit on the Freeze rollout on page 142.
Upper Arm Sets the number of twist links in the upper arms. Default=0.
Range=0 to 10.
Forearm Sets the number of twist links in the forearms. Default=0. Range=0
to 10.
Thigh Sets the number of twist links in the thighs. Default=0. Range=0 to 10.
Calf Sets the number of twist links in the calves. Default=0. Range=0 to 10.
Horse Link Sets the number of twist links in the horse link: the additional,
lower leg bone that appears when you set Leg Links on page 5111 to 4. Default=0.
Range=0 to 10.
NOTE You must set Leg Links to 4 to enable Horse Link.

Biped | 5117

Xtras group
The Xtras group lets you add extra tails to the biped. Extra tails are like
ponytails: they don’t use inverse kinematics, and you must animate them
with forward kinematics such as rotation keys. On the other hand, extra tails
don’t have to be attached to the head.
Animation for extra tails is saved in MAX and BIP files.

Create Xtra Click to create a new Xtra tail. By default, the parent
of the tail is the biped’s root Center Of Mass (COM) object. You can change
this by using the Pick Parent button.

Delete Xtra Click to delete the Xtra tail that is highlighted in the
list.
If you the Xtra tail you delete is parent to another tail, the child tail reverts
to having the COM as its parent, but it is not repositioned.

5118 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Create Opposite Xtra Click to create another Xtra tail on the
opposite side of the biped. First you must use the list to select the original
Xtra tail’s name, and the original must not already have an opposite tail.

Synch Selection When on, any Xtra tail selected in the list is selected
in viewports, and vice versa.

Select Symmetrical When on, selecting one tail selects the tail’s
opposite as well.
Xtra name field Displays the name of the new Xtra tail. Edit this field to
change the default name of the Xtra tail.
List of xtras Lists the biped’s Xtra tails, by name.
Links Sets the number of links in the tail. Default=1.
Parent name field (Motion panel only.) Displays the name of the tail’s parent
object.

Pick Parent (Motion panel only.) Reassigns the parent object. Click
this button to turn it on, then in a viewport, click a different part of the same
biped. The part you pick becomes the tail’s parent.
Reorient to Parent (Motion panel only.) When on, the extra tail moves to
the new parent object, and is oriented to the new parent. When off, assigning
a new parent does not move the tail. Default=on.

Footstep Mode Rollouts
These topics describe the Motion panel rollouts that are open and active while
a biped is in Footstep mode.

Biped | 5119

Footstep Mode
Select a Biped. ➤
(Footstep Mode)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

When Footstep mode is active, you can create or edit footsteps to generate a
walk, run, and jump footstep pattern. You also edit selected footsteps in space
and append footsteps using parameters available in Footstep mode.
If footsteps are extracted during motion capture import, turn on Footstep
mode to edit footsteps in the viewports.
A powerful feature in Biped is the ability to adapt keyframes when footsteps
are edited in space or time. The following tracks are influenced in the vicinity
when a footstep is edited in space:
■

Body Horizontal keys change to step or hop within range of new footstep
locations.

■

Body Vertical keys change to match possible changes in stride length, since
the body must be lower in order to step longer distances.

■

Body Rotation keys change to bank into turns created by changes in path
curvature or body speed.

■

Right or left leg keys in a move state must be adapted to step between new
locations.
NOTE If for some reason you do not want the adaptation to occur, use the
Footstep Adapt Locks settings on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page
5101 to keep the biped from correcting the body position.

Two additional rollouts display when Footstep mode is active: Footstep
Creation rollout on page 5120 and Footstep Operations rollout on page 5124.

Footstep Creation Rollout
Select a Biped with footsteps ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Footstep Mode) ➤ Footstep Creation rollout

5120 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The Footstep Creation rollout, available on the Motion panel when Footstep
mode is on, provides controls for creating and editing footsteps. Create a walk,
run, or jump footstep pattern using these controls.
TIP All footsteps created here are inactive; you activate them using Create Keys
For Multiple Footsteps on the Footstep Operations rollout on page 5124.
The timing parameters at the bottom of the rollout work with Create Footsteps
(append) and Create Footsteps (at current frame) to change timing for newly
created footsteps. These change depending on whether you select Walk, Run, or
Jump mode.

Procedures
To create multiple footsteps:

1 On the Biped rollout, click

(Footstep Mode).

You are now in Footstep mode, and can create, activate, or edit footsteps.
2 On the Footstep Creation rollout, choose the gait you want to create:

(Walk),

3 Click

(Run), or

(Jump).

(Create Multiple Footsteps).

3ds Max opens the Create Multiple Footsteps dialog for the selected gait.
4 Set multiple footstep parameters, and then click OK.
5 To activate the footsteps, on the Footstep Operations rollout, click
(Create Keys For Inactive Footsteps).
To create footsteps manually, beginning at the current frame:

1 On the Footstep Creation rollout, click

(Walk),

(Run), or

(Jump), and set timing parameters for the gait you chose.

Biped | 5121

2 Click

(Create Footsteps (At Current Frame)).

3 Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Continue clicking to create more
footsteps.
4 On the Footstep Operations rollout, click
Footsteps).

5

(Create Keys For Inactive

Play the animation.

To append footsteps onto the existing footsteps:

1 On the Footstep Creation rollout, click

(Create Footsteps (Append)).

2 Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Continue clicking to create more
footsteps
By default, footsteps alternate from foot to foot. The first click creates a
right footstep, the next click creates a left footstep, and so on. Look at
the prompt line and the cursor to see which type of footstep will be
created next.

Interface

Create Footsteps (append) Turn on Create Footstep mode. Manually
place footsteps by clicking in any viewport. Hold the mouse button down
after clicking to move a footstep. Release the mouse button to place the
footstep.
Each new footstep is appended to the end of the biped’s footstep sequence.
Create Footsteps alternates right and left footsteps as you create new ones.
Press Q to toggle between a left and right footstep.

5122 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Newly created footsteps are bright green for right footsteps and bright blue
for left footsteps. Once the footsteps have been activated, the footsteps change
color to pastel green and pastel blue.
Create Footsteps (insert at current frame) Create footsteps at the current
frame. Footstep creation alternates between left and right footsteps.
Create Multiple Footsteps Create a walk, run, or jump footstep pattern
automatically. Select a gait type before using Create Multiple Footsteps.
Displays the Create Multiple Footsteps dialog. The dialog differs slightly
depending on the gait (walk, run, jump) you have selected.
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Walk on page 5128
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Run on page 5134
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump on page 5138

Walk Sets the biped gait to Walk. Any footsteps you add will have walk
characteristics until you change to another mode (run or jump). Each new
footstep will start before the end of the previous footstep on the opposite side.

Run Sets the biped gait to Run. Any footsteps you add will have run
characteristics until you change to another mode (walk or jump). Each new
footstep will start after the end of the previous footstep on the opposite side.

Jump Sets the biped gait to Jump. Any footsteps you add will have jump
characteristics until you change to another mode (walk or run). Each new
footstep will start at the same time as the most recent footstep on the opposite
side. Alternately, it may start after the end of the previous footstep.

Timing parameters

Use these parameters with Create Footsteps (append) or Create Footsteps (at
current frame) to apply timing to newly created footsteps. These parameters
are different for each gait and change as you select a different gait.

Biped | 5123

Walk Footstep (Walk only): Specifies the number of frames a new footstep
will be on the ground during a walk.
Double Support (Walk only): Specifies the number of frames when both feet
will be on the ground at the same time during a walk.
Run Footstep (Run only): Specifies the number of frames a new footstep will
be on the ground during a run.
Airborne (Run and jump only): Specifies the number of frames when the body
will be in the air during a run or a jump.
2 Feet Down (Jump only): Specifies the number of frames when two sequential
footsteps, on opposite sides, will be on the ground during a jump.

Footstep Operations Rollout
Select the Biped ➤
Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Footstep Mode) ➤ Footstep Operations rollout
Once footsteps are created on the Footstep Creation rollout, use parameters
on the Footstep Operations rollout to activate and deactivate footsteps, and
to adjust the footstep path.

Interface

Create Keys for Inactive Footsteps Activates all inactive footsteps.
Activation creates default keys for any footsteps that do not have them. If a
footstep does not have keys, it is displayed as bright green (right foot) or bright

5124 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

blue (left foot). After keys are created for the footsteps, the footsteps change
color to pastel green and pastel blue.

Inactive footsteps on the left and activated footsteps on the right

Deactivate Footsteps Removes the body keys assigned to the selected
footsteps, making those footsteps inactive. The footsteps themselves remain
in the scene.
Delete Footsteps Deletes the selected footsteps.
Copy Footsteps Copies the selected footsteps and biped keys to the
footstep buffer. Biped will only copy a continuous sequence of footsteps
(2,3,4,5...). You can't copy discontinuous footsteps (3,4,7,8...).
If any footsteps exist that have not been activated, the Copy button is grayed.
Activate the footsteps first, then try again.
TIP Turn on Buffer mode on the Biped rollout to view and edit only the buffered
footsteps and biped motion.

Biped | 5125

A pasted footstep is inactive until it overlaps a like foot and turns red. Mouse up to
activate the new footsteps.

Paste Footsteps Pastes footsteps from the footstep buffer into a scene.
The footsteps appear inactive in the scene. Move them so they overlap the
active footsteps. When a footstep turns red, mouse up and the pasted footsteps
will activate.
WARNING If any footstep in the buffer overlaps in time with a footstep previous
to the one onto which you are pasting, a message appears and the paste is not
performed. This can occur if the first footstep you are pasting and the original
footstep you are pasting onto both have double support periods during the same
duration of the footstep. The second pasted footstep and the footstep prior to the
one you are pasting onto may overlap in time.
To correct the problem, you may want to move the right edge of the preceding
footstep from the original scene to the left, or move the left edge of the second
pasted footstep to the right while in buffer mode. Which option you choose
depends on what footstep timing and support relations you want to end up
with.
TIP To create a cycle of a motion with alternating footsteps, you must copy and
paste at least three footsteps. All body keys between the start of the first step and
end of the last step are also copied and pasted.
Bend Bends the path for the selected footsteps. The path is bent to the left or
right as you move the spinner. Other footsteps after the selected footsteps will
be moved to maintain their positions relative to the repositioned footsteps.
The Bend spinner is grayed if inactive footsteps are present.

5126 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bend=0.5

Scale Changes the width or length for the selected footsteps. The selected
footsteps are scaled around the first footstep in the selection.
First select the width or length box (or both), then use the spinner to set the
amount of scaling.
If any footsteps exist that have not been activated, the Scale spinner is grayed
out. Activate the footsteps first, then try again.
Length When Length is selected, the Scale spinner changes the stride length
of the selected footsteps. Length and Width may both be active at the same
time.

Length=1 and Length=2

Width When Width is selected, Scale changes the stride width of the selected
footsteps. Length and Width may both be active at the same time.

Biped | 5127

Width=1 and Width=2

Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Walk
Select the Biped. ➤

Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Footstep Mode) ➤ Footstep Creation rollout ➤
(Walk) ➤
(Create Multiple Footsteps) ➤ Create Multiple Footsteps: Walk dialog
The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog for the walk gait creates a sequence of
walking footsteps using a series of parameters.
This dialog displays when you select the Walk gait on the Motion panel's
Footstep Creation rollout, then click Create Multiple Footsteps.
NOTE The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog appears differently depending on the
gait chosen. For other gaits, see Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Run on page
5134 and Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump on page 5138.

Procedures
To make the biped walk up or down stairs:
■

In the First Step group, set Actual Stride Height to a value other than 0. A
value higher than 0 will cause the biped to step up, while a value below 0
will make it step down.

5128 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To make the biped walk in place:
■

In the First Step group, Set Parametric Stride Length to zero.

To make the biped walk backward:
■

In the First Step group, set Parametric Stride Length to a value less than
zero.
The absolute value of the Parametric Stride Length is still the length of the
stride.

To make the biped speed up as it walks:
1 In the Timing group, click Interpolate.
The controls in the Last Step group are enabled.
2 In the Last Step group, set Time To Next Footstep to be a value less than
Time To Next Footstep in the First Step group.
You can adjust the values in either group, or both. The important thing
is to make the Last Step a shorter time than the First Step.

Interface

Biped | 5129

Start Left Starts the footstep sequence with a left step.
Start Right Starts the footstep sequence with a right step.
Alternate Footsteps will alternate between right and left. Alternate is always
selected when the Walk gait is selected. You can only clear Alternate when
Run or Jump gaits are selected.
Number of Footsteps Determines the number of new footsteps to be created.
Parametric Stride Width Sets the stride width as a percentage of the pelvis
width. A value of 1.0 produces a stride width equal to the pelvis width. A value
of 3.0 produces a wide, waddling stride. Changes to this setting automatically
change the Actual Stride Width.
Parametric describes the parameter in terms of biped anatomy, and Actual
describes the value in 3ds Max units.

Stride Width=1 and Stride Width=3

Actual Stride Width Sets the stride width in modeling units. Changes to this
setting automatically change the Parametric Stride Width.
Total Distance Displays the total distance the footsteps will travel with the
current settings. This value cannot be changed directly.
OK Creates footsteps with the current settings.
Cancel Cancels footstep creation.
Default Resets the values on the dialog to default values.

Timing group
Auto Timing Sets timing parameters automatically. Auto Timing affects the
following timing parameters for the Walk gait:
■

Walk footstep, Double Support

5130 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When Auto Timing is selected, these parameters are automatically adjusted
to reasonable values. Control the footstep sequence by adjusting the Stride
Length and Time To Next Footstep parameters.
When Auto Timing is off, you can control the footstep sequence by
adjusting the gait timing parameters, but you can't change the Time To
Next Footstep parameter.
Interpolate Control acceleration or deceleration of the series of footsteps.
When this box is selected, a second set of step parameters under Last Step is
enabled.
Biped creates footsteps starting with the values of the parameters under First
Step and ending with the values of the parameters under Last Step.
By interpolating between the two, Biped produces a footstep series that changes
over time.
When Interpolate is cleared, the Last Step parameters are grayed out. Biped
creates all the footsteps using only the parameters under First Step.
Start After Last Footstep Appends the newly created footsteps to the end of
the existing footstep sequence.
Start at Current Frame Inserts the newly created footsteps at the current
frame after the existing footstep sequence, allowing you to make a gap in time
before the footsteps start again.

First Step and Last Step groups
Parametric Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps as a
percentage of the length of the biped’s leg. The default value of 0.75 gives an
average stride of normal proportions.
A value of 1.0 will produce a stride length equal to the leg length, which makes
the biped stretch slightly to reach the next step. A value of 0.0 will make the
biped walk in place. A negative stride length will make the biped walk
backwards.
When a biped walks backwards, it does not simply reverse the forward
movement but maintains the correct foot-state sequence with the toe touching
the ground first, followed by the heel.
Adjusting Parametric Stride Length automatically changes the value for Actual
Stride Length.

Biped | 5131

Stride Length=0.75 and Stride Length=1

Actual Stride Length Sets the stride length for new footsteps in 3ds Max units.
The same rules apply as for Parametric Stride Length (described above).
Adjusting Actual Stride Length automatically changes the value for Parametric
Stride Length.
Actual Stride Height Sets the rise or fall between footsteps. You can use this
parameter to create a set of footsteps going up or down a slope or a stairway.
The value for Actual Stride Height is the difference in height in units between
each of the new footsteps. Positive values step up and negative values step
down.

Stride Height=5 units

Time to Next Footstep Specifies the number of frames in each foot movement
cycle. A cycle starts with the frame that a foot touches the ground, continues
as the foot lifts and moves, and ends with the frame before the foot touches
the ground again. This parameter is only enabled if Auto Timing is on.

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Speed Displays the number of units the biped will move per frame. It changes
in response to changes in the other parameters but cannot be adjusted directly.
The following two parameters are only enabled when Auto Timing is off.
You can use these parameters instead of Auto Timing to control the speed of
the forward motion over the series of footsteps. However, because these
parameters both affect the footsteps’ time in contact with the ground, using
them to slow down a walk gives the walk a hesitant, ‘stop-go’ quality.
Walk Footstep Specifies the number of frames each footstep will be on the
ground during a walk.
The higher the number, the longer each biped foot remains in contact with
the ground and, consequently, the slower the speed of the walking motion.

Footsteps 3 through 5 are on the ground for 22 frames each

Double Support Specifies the number of frames both feet will be on the
ground at the same time during a walk.
The higher the number, the longer the period during which both feet remain
in contact with the ground during each walk cycle and, consequently, the
slower the speed of the walking motion.

The dotted line surrounds the double-support period (6 frames)

Biped | 5133

Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Run
Select the Biped ➤

Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Footstep Mode) ➤ Footstep Creation rollout ➤
(Run) ➤
(Create Multiple Footsteps) ➤ Create Multiple Footsteps: Run dialog
The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog for the run gait allows you to create a
sequence of running footsteps by setting a series of parameters. This dialog
will display when Run is selected on the Footstep Creation rollout first, and
then Create Multiple Footsteps is clicked.

Interface
Start Left Starts the footstep sequence with a left step.
Start Right Starts the footstep sequence with a right step.
Alternate Turn on to alternate between right and left footsteps. When this
box is cleared, all of the footsteps will be either right or left, producing the
effect of a hopping run on one foot.
Number of Footsteps Determines the number of new footsteps to be created.
Parametric Stride Width Sets the stride width as a percentage of the pelvis
width.
A value of 1.0 produces a stride width equal to the pelvis width. A value of
3.0 produces a wide, waddling stride. Changes to this setting automatically
change the Actual Stride Width.
Parametric describes the parameter in terms of biped anatomy, and Actual
describes the value in 3ds Max units.

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Stride Width=1 and Stride Width=3

Actual Stride Width Sets the stride width in modeling units. Changes to this
setting automatically change the Parametric Stride Width.

Timing
Auto Timing Sets timing parameters automatically.
Auto Timing affects the following timing parameters for the Run gait:
■

Run footstep, Airborne
When Auto Timing is selected, these parameters are automatically adjusted
to reasonable values. You control the footstep sequence by adjusting the
Stride Length and Time to Next Footstep parameters.
When Auto Timing is off, you can control the footstep sequence by
adjusting the gait timing parameters, but you can't change the Time to
Next Footstep parameter.

Interpolate Control acceleration or deceleration of the series of footsteps.
When this box is selected, a second set of step parameters under Last Step is
enabled.
Biped creates the footsteps starting with the values of the parameters under
First Step and ending with the values of the parameters under Last Step.
By interpolating between the two, Biped produces a footstep series that changes
over time.
When Interpolate is cleared, the Last Step parameters are grayed out. Biped
creates all the footsteps using only the parameters under First Step.
Start After Last Footstep Appends the newly created footsteps to the end of
the existing footstep sequence.

Biped | 5135

Start at Current Frame Inserts the newly created footsteps at the current
frame after the existing footstep sequence allowing you to make a gap in time
before the footsteps start again.

First Step and Last Step
Parametric Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps as a
percentage of the length of the biped’s leg. The default value of 1.5 gives a
typical running stride.
A value of 1.0 will produce a stride length equal to the leg length, which makes
the biped stretch slightly to reach the next step. A value of 0.0 will make the
biped run in place. A negative stride length will make the biped run backwards.
When a biped runs backwards, it does not simply reverse the forward
movement but maintains the correct foot-state sequence with the toe touching
the ground first, followed by the heel.
Adjusting Parametric Stride Length automatically changes the value for Actual
Stride Length.

Stride Length=0.75 and Stride Length=1

Actual Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps in 3ds Max
units.
The same rules apply as for Parametric Stride Length (described above).
Adjusting Actual Stride Length automatically changes the value for Parametric
Stride Length.

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Stride Height=5 units

Actual Stride Height Sets the rise or fall between footsteps. You can use this
parameter to create a set of footsteps going up or down a slope or a stairway.
The value for Actual Stride Height is the difference in height in units between
each of the new footsteps. Positive values step up and negative values step
down.
Time to Next Footstep Specifies the number of frames in each foot movement
cycle. A cycle starts with the frame in which a biped foot touches the ground,
continues as the foot lifts and moves, and ends with the frame before the foot
touches the ground again. This parameter is only enabled if Auto Timing is
on.
Speed Displays the number of units the biped will move per frame. It changes
in response to changes in the other parameters but cannot be adjusted directly.
The following two parameters are only enabled when Auto Timing is off. You
can use these parameters instead of Auto Timing to control the speed of the
forward motion over the series of footsteps.
Run Footstep Specifies the number of frames each footstep will be on the
ground during the run.
The higher the number, the longer the biped foot remains in contact with the
ground and, consequently, the slower the speed of the running motion.

Footsteps 2 and 3 are on the ground for 5 frames each

Biped | 5137

Airborne Specifies the number of frames the body will be in the air between
footsteps.
The higher the number, the longer the biped hangs in the air for each step
and, consequently, the slower the speed of the running motion.

Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump
Select the biped. ➤

Motion Panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Footstep Mode) ➤ Footstep Creation rollout ➤
(Jump) ➤
(Create Multiple Footsteps) ➤ Create Multiple Footsteps: Jump dialog
The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog for the jump gait allows you to create a
sequence of jumps by setting a series of parameters. It displays when you’ve
selected Jump on the Footstep Creation rollout on the Motion panel, and then
click Create Multiple Footsteps.

Interface
Start Left Starts the footstep sequence with a left step.
Start Right Starts the footstep sequence with a right step.
Alternate When this box is selected, the footsteps will alternate between right
and left. When this box is cleared, the footsteps will be either right or left
steps, causing the biped to hop on one foot.
Number of Footsteps Determines the number of new footsteps to be created.
Parametric Stride Width Sets the stride width as a percentage of the pelvis
width. A value of 1.0 produces a stride width equal to the pelvis width. A value
of 3.0 produces a wide, waddling stride. Changes to this setting automatically
change the Actual Stride Width.
Parametric describes the parameter in terms of biped anatomy, and Actual
describes the value in 3ds Max units.

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Stride Width=1 and Stride Width=3

Actual Stride Width Sets the stride width in modeling units. Changes to this
setting automatically change the Parametric Stride Width.

Timing
Auto Timing Sets timing parameters automatically.
Auto Timing affects the following timing parameters for the Jump gait:
■

2 Feet Down, Airborne
When Auto Timing is selected, these parameters are automatically adjusted
to reasonable values. You control the footstep sequence by adjusting the
Stride Length and Time To Next Footstep parameters.
When Auto Timing is off, you can control the footstep sequence by
adjusting the gait timing parameters, but you can't change the Time To
Next Footstep parameter.

Interpolate Allows you to control acceleration or deceleration of the series
of footsteps. When this box is selected, a second set of step parameters under
Last Step is enabled.
Biped creates the footsteps starting with the values of the parameters under
First Step and ending with the values of the parameters under Last Step.
By interpolating between the two, Biped produces a footstep series that changes
over time.
When Interpolate is cleared, the Last Step parameters are grayed out. Biped
creates all the footsteps using only the parameters under First Step.
Start After Last Footstep Appends the newly created footsteps to the end of
the existing footstep sequence.

Biped | 5139

Start at Current Frame Inserts the newly created footsteps at the current
frame after the existing footstep sequence, allowing you to make a gap in time
before the footsteps start again.

First Step and Last Step
Parametric Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps as a
percentage of the length of the biped’s leg. The default value of 2.4 gives a
jumping stride.
A value of 1.0 will produce a jump length equal to the leg length, which makes
the biped stretch slightly to reach the next step. A value of 0.0 will make the
biped jump in place. A negative stride length will make the biped jump
backwards.
When a biped jumps backwards, it does not simply reverse the forward
movement but maintains the correct foot-state sequence with the toe touching
the ground first, followed by the heel.
Adjusting Parametric Stride Length automatically changes the value for Actual
Stride Length.

Stride Length=0.75 and Stride Length=1.0

Actual Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps in 3ds Max
units.
The same rules apply as for Parametric Stride Length (described above).
Adjusting Actual Stride Length automatically changes the value for Parametric
Stride Length.
Actual Stride Height Sets the rise or fall between footsteps. You can use this
parameter to create a set of footsteps going up or down a slope or a stairway.
The value for Actual Stride Height is the difference in height in units between
each of the new footsteps. Positive values step up and negative values step
down.

5140 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Stride Height=5 units

Time to Next Footstep Specifies the number of frames in each foot movement
cycle. A cycle starts with the frame a particular foot touches the ground,
continues as the foot lifts, moves, and ends with the frame before the foot
touches the ground again. This parameter is only enabled if Auto Timing is
on.
Speed Displays the number of units the biped will move per frame. This
changes in response to changes in the other parameters but cannot be adjusted
directly.
The following two parameters are only enabled when Auto Timing is off. You
can use these parameters instead of Auto Timing to control the speed of the
forward motion over the series of footsteps.
2 Feet Down Specifies the number of frames that the left and right footsteps
will be on the ground during the jump. The higher the number, the longer
the pause between each jump and, consequently, the slower the speed of the
jumping motion.

The dotted line surrounds the 2 feet down period (15 frames)

Airborne Specifies the number of frames the body will be in the air during
the jump.
The higher the number, the longer the biped hangs in the air for each jump
and, consequently, the slower the speed of the jumping motion.

Biped | 5141

The dotted line surrounds the airborne period (13 frames)

Convert to Freeform or Footsteps Dialogs
Select the Biped. ➤
(Convert)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

When you click Convert on the Biped rollout of the Motion panel, a Convert
To dialog displays: Convert to Freeform or Convert to Footsteps, depending on the
animation method of the currently loaded motion. Use Convert To Freeform
for unrestricted key editing or Convert To Footsteps to take advatage of
footsteps.
NOTE By default, Jumping or airborne periods between footsteps are calculated
by character studio based on gravity strength (GravAccel) and time between
footsteps. Biped elevation during these jumping and airborne periods will be lost
when converting to freeform from footsteps (unless you create a vertical COM
key in the airborne period in the footstep animation), a freeform animation uses
spline interpolation for the center of mass position and does not account for
gravity. Elevation in airborne periods is restored if you convert back to footsteps.

When to Use Convert
■

Use Convert after using Save Segment in Motion Flow mode to save a script
as a BIP file. Exit Motion Flow mode, load the BIP file and click Convert
to extract footsteps. Save Segment applies IK Blend values of 1 to the biped
foot keys for the keys at footsteps. If a freeform animation is part of the
script in Motion Flow mode, and you want to convert the entire script
motion to footsteps, then use the Save Keys at every Frame option in Save
Segment and use Load Motion Capture File on the Motion Capture rollout.
This will allow you to extract footsteps using the proximity method.

5142 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Use Convert if you are working on a footstep animation and want to switch
to a freeform animation.

■

Use Convert if you have started a freeform animation and want to convert
to a footstep animation. In order to convert a freeform animation to a
footstep animation, the file must be properly set up by locking the feet to
world space using IK Blend before converting to footsteps. When creating
freeform animations, you should set your leg keys to IK Blend=1.0 during
the periods you want the feet to be planted, and set the move keys to IK
Blend=0.0. This will insure that the feet are locked and rid of unnecessary
foot sliding as the body is moved. When converting, if the leg keys have
been set up this way, Biped will extract footsteps during any duration
where IK Blend=1.0.

Interface
Convert to Freeform dialog

Generate a keyframe per frame Creates keys at every frame.
NOTE Converting footsteps to freeform creates foot IK Blend values of 1 for the
biped feet for the original footstep keys. This simplifies keyframing by putting the
feet into world coordinate space, which prevents them from sliding when the
biped is moved. These foot IK Blend values are also used when you click Convert
(on the Biped rollout) to convert back to footsteps.

Biped | 5143

Convert to Footsteps dialog

Generate a key per frame Creates a key at every frame, and extracts footsteps
based on foot IK Blend values equal to 1. Save Segment in Motion Flow mode
stores the active script as a BIP file without footsteps. The biped foot keys are
assigned IK Blend values of 1 for the original footstep keys. After loading a
BIP file saved using Save Segment in Motion Flow mode, use Convert (on the
Biped rollout) to extract footsteps.
Convert is also useful if you have already converted from footsteps to freeform
in which case the feet are assigned an IK Blend value of 1 for the keys that
represented footsteps.
Flatten Footsteps to Z=0 The entire biped is repositioned to place the footsteps
at Z=0.
NOTE An IK Blend value of 1 for the feet puts them into world coordinate space
and prevents them from slipping while setting biped keys in a freeform animation.

Footstep Mode Dialog
Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View Dope Sheet ➤ Right-click on a footstep
track.
Right-click anywhere in the Footstep track in Track View (Dope Sheet) to
display the Footstep Mode dialog. This is a modeless dialog and can remain
visible while you continue to work in Track View.
This dialog allows you to:
■

Control the duration information displayed with the footsteps.

■

Create a freeform period between footsteps.

■

Select the right or left edges of footstep blocks or the whole block.

5144 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Edit Footsteps In this mode (which is the default), you can edit the biped’s
footsteps to change their duration; start and end frames; airborne duration;
and so on.
Edit Free Form (no physics) In this mode, you can edit the biped’s body keys
for the frames at which the biped is airborne.
Free Form suspends the physically based dynamics that normally control biped
motion. This is essential when you want to make the biped fly, or sit down,
or fall over. Note that the freeform period must be between footsteps.

The freeform area appears as a yellow block between the footsteps.

Biped | 5145

Footstep Number Display group
The footstep blocks can have any one of four time settings displayed for them.
You can only show one of these at a time.
The footstep step number is always displayed on the footstep blocks (in
boldface).
Start and End Frame Displays the start and end frames of the footstep (from
Touch to Lift). Biped displays just the start frame if the footstep block is too
small to show both. Zoom in to see both start and end numbers.

Both footsteps 0 and 1 begin at frame 0 and end at frame 19.

Start Frame Displays just the start frame number (Touch).

Both footsteps 0 and 1 begin at frame 0.

Duration Displays the number of frames that the foot is in contact with the
ground (from Touch to Lift).

Both footsteps 0 and 1 are in contact with the ground for 20 frames.

Double Support Displays the number of overlapping frames in which both
feet are in contact with the ground.

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You can also turn on the following two numbers for the intervals between
the footsteps. You can display both numbers at the same time by selecting
both boxes.

Footsteps 0 and 1 share a double-support period of 20 frames.

No Support Displays the number of frames that the whole biped is airborne;
that is, the frames in which neither of the feet have any contact with the
ground.

The no-support period between frames 3 and 4 and 4 and 5 is 12 frames.

Foot Air Duration Displays the number of frames that each foot has no contact
with the ground.

The foot air duration for the left footstep track between frames 3 and 5 is 31 frames.

Biped | 5147

Footstep Edge Selection group

Select Start of Footstep Selects the leftmost key for the current footstep
selection.

Select Entire Footstep Selects the entire footstep.

Select End of Footstep Selects rightmost key for the current footstep
selection.

Track View (Biped)
Graph Editors menu ➤ Track View - Dope Sheet or Track View - Curve Editor
You can use the Dope Sheet to create and adjust biped keyframes, edit biped
footsteps, and specify freeform periods. Biped keys display as dots on the
tracks. Footsteps display as squares that can be moved in time. Biped dynamics
and footsteps work together; if footsteps are moved in time, Biped adapts leg
keys and vertical positions to account for the editing. There are a couple of
restrictions: you can’t overlap footsteps on the same track, or move footsteps
into negative time.

In this Track View - Dope Sheet view of a walking motion, footsteps are represented
by colored squares, footstep numbers appear in boldface inside the squares, in between
the start and end frames of the footstep. The numbers between the colored boxes
represent foot-air duration.

5148 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The Curve Editor can be used to make adjustments to biped keyframe
animation. The Curve Editor is a Track View mode that allows you to work
with motion expressed as function curves on a graph. It lets you visualize the
interpolation of the motion, the object transformations that character studio
creates between the keyframes. You can see and control the motion and
animation of the objects in the scene using the keys found on the curves. You
can even draw curves directly on the graph.

Footsteps in Track View - Dope Sheet
By default, left leg footsteps are blue and right leg footsteps are green. Inactive
footsteps are more saturated values of blue and green, active footsteps are pale
blue and green. The left edge of each footstep block indicates when a foot
touches a footstep (Touch State). The right edge of each footstep block indicates
the last frame the foot is on a footstep (Lift State). The space between two
footsteps indicates an airborne state for the foot (Move State). The period
between the Touch and Lift States is the Plant State.

Editing Biped Keys in Track View
Track View is often used to change multiple keys simultaneously. For example,
to change Dynamics Blend for all the vertical centers of mass keys, select all
the vertical keys, display the TCB (Tension, Continuity, and Bias) dialog by
right-clicking over the selected keys and change the Dynamics Blend parameter.

Right-click a key in Track View to display the TCB dialog.

Biped | 5149

Separate Tracks
By default, Biped stores all of the toe, foot, and calf keys in the thigh track.
The finger, hand, forearms, and upper-arm keys are stored in the clavicle track.
All the spine keys are stored in the spine 01 track. Although you can see all
of these objects in the Track View hierarchy, they have no transform track,
unless you enable them in the Separate Tracks group of the Keyframing Tools
rollout on page 5063.
For example, if you rotate a biped foot, a key is created in the biped thigh
track. This optimized approach works well in many cases. If your animation
requires extensive hand and finger keyframing, turn on Arms on the
Keyframing Tools rollout; all of the arm transform tracks are now enabled,
down to the first finger link on each finger. Now if you delete an upper arm
key, your finger-hand animation is preserved.

How Dynamics and Footsteps Relate
When footsteps are created, a footstep track displays in Track View – Dope
Sheet. Footsteps appear as blue and green blocks, laid out to show their exact
placement in time. If you compare the center of mass tracks to the footsteps,
you will notice that frames where leading and trailing edges of the footsteps
occur also have keys for the center of mass Body Vertical and Horizontal tracks.
These keys contain dynamics information used by character studio to calculate
airborne body position relative to gravity, and leg bend on landing and balance.
Biped Dynamics is the reason you do not need a vertical center of mass key
at the top of a jumping motion or at the bottom of dip when the biped lands
from an airborne period.
Click and drag the middle of a footstep to move it in time. Click and drag one
edge of a footstep to stretch the footstep in time.
NOTE Changing the duration of footsteps or moving them relative to one another
may change the “support relationships” of the footsteps. Whenever the support
relationships change, Biped generates new keys and deletes any existing leg keys
in the airborne period between the edited footsteps.

5150 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Because of Biped Dynamics, no keys are necessary for the highest part of this jumping
motion or for the dip when the biped lands; character studio calculates the trajectory
of the Body. This image shows the center of mass trajectory. Keyframes are white
squares on the trajectory.

Simply change gravity (GravAccel on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout), and the
jumping motion is flattened. The biped looks like it’s hopping on the moon.

By selecting half the footsteps in Track View - Dope Sheet and moving them to the
right in time, the biped has to jump higher to account for the added time to the next
footstep. Notice that the yellow dots, representing frames, are tightly bunched together;
there are more frames in this airborne period.

Biped | 5151

Here, the center of mass is moved in the Z plane. Now the biped heel never hits the
ground; the biped appears to do a jump using just its toes. Here, character studio
understands that you want to override the calculated trajectory and position the
keyframe yourself.

Moving Keys
You can use the time slider to move one Biped key past another. The result is
as if the original key were deleted from its original frame and copied to the
new frame. Simply drag the key to the new frame, then release the mouse to
complete the move. The key's various Biped properties (ease values, TCB values,
IK blend, and so on) are not changed.
You can move a key past either the following key or the previous one. You
can also move it past multiple keys. If you move a key onto a frame where a
key is already present, it replaces the original key.
In Track View, you can move a key past another using the transform track.
You can also scale keys forward in time such that some keys are now past the
keys that weren't scaled. If keys move into negative time, a warning reminds
you that keys in negative frames can't be used for footstep animation: a
workaround is to set new keys in the negative frames, instead of moving
existing ones.
If you change the key to Euler control (on the Quaternion/Euler rollout) and
then drag it past another, the key's tangent type is maintained.
If you add a layer (on the Layers rollout), set two keys, and then move the
first one past the second one, this also works.

Freeform Animation
It is left to you to create all the keys in a freeform animation; Biped Dynamics
is not active and does not recalculate body position. Balance Factor is active
in a freeform animation. A completely freeform animation contains no
footsteps.

5152 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To start an entirely freeform animation, simply create a biped and begin
keyframing.
NOTE Once you initiate a freeform animation, you cannot add footsteps to it in
Footstep mode. You can, however, convert your freeform animation to a footstep
animation using Convert on the Biped rollout.
You will often want a freeform period in a footstep sequence; for a walk then
fall type of motion for example. In cases like this, a freeform period is specified
between footsteps in Track View using the Footstep Mode dialog on page 5144.
A combination of footsteps and freeform is often required when motion
capture data is imported. A freeform period is created using controls in the
Footstep Mode dialog and display as a yellow boxes between footsteps in Track
View.
Right-click the footstep track to display the Footstep Mode dialog; here you
specify a freeform period, select multiple footstep edges, and set footstep
numbering display options.

Biped Color-coded Keys and Trajectories
Biped uses color coding for IK keys in three places: Track View, Track Bar, and
when trajectories are displayed in the viewports. Also, depending on the types
of keys, trajectories themselves can be color coded. The color coding helps
you visualize when IK and FK are in use, and the transitions between them.
This topic describes color coding of non-COM on page 9115 tracks. For
information about COM key color coding, check here on page 5035.

Color-coded Keys in Track View and on the Track Bar
Biped IK keys as displayed in Track View and on the track bar use the following
color scheme:
■

orange for planted keys

■

yellow for sliding keys

■

blue for body-space IK keys with a non-zero value for IK Blend

All other keys use the default color: gray.

Biped | 5153

Color-coded biped keys in Track View and on the track bar

Visualizing Pivot Trajectories and Keys
To view trajectories for Biped parts in the viewports, go to the Motion panel
and on the Biped rollout ➤ Modes And Display sub-rollout, or on the Key
Info rollout, turn on Trajectories.

Trajectories Shows and hides trajectories for the selected biped object.
You can edit keys on the biped's horizontal and vertical track by turning on
Trajectories, turning on Sub-Object, selecting the horizontal or vertical center
of mass track, and transforming keys in the viewports.
■

You can bend the horizontal center of mass trajectory around selected
horizontal keys by using the Bend Horizontal spinner in the Keyframing
Tools rollout.

■

Display trajectories to view how parameter changes in the Key Info rollout
affects the biped motion. Changing Tension, Continuity, and Bias in the
Tcb group affects the trajectory around the current key. Changing the
value of IK Blend for a hand or foot will affect the trajectory between keys.

■

Leave Trajectories on and turn on Show Buffer Trajectories on the Motion
Capture rollout to compare a raw motion capture trajectory with the filtered
trajectory on the biped. This assumes a motion capture file has been loaded.

■

Changing Dynamics Blend for a center of mass vertical key or changing
the value of GravAccel will change gravity in a foostep animation and will
therefore affect the trajectory.

5154 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To make Biped pivots easier to interpret and manipulate, Pivot trajectories
and their keys are represented in the viewport during IK periods and display
in the color of the associated key type:

■

orange for planted keys

■

yellow for sliding keys

■

blue for body-space IK keys

TIP One way to create a body-space IK key is to set a regular IK planted or sliding
key, and then, at that frame, on the Key Info follout ➤ IK section, choose Body.
Or you can convert an FK key that's already set to Body by increasing its IK Blend
value above 0.0.
During FK periods the node trajectory and its keys display in purple (the same
keys are gray on the track bar).
During FK/IK blend periods the trajectory of the resulting blend is displayed
and its color is determined by the amount of the blend; for example, a blend
of 0.5 to a sliding key results in a trajectory that is a 50:50 blend of yellow
and purple.
Because pivots are located in all extremes of the hands and feet, their
trajectories discontinuous when both FK and IK periods are employed. The
following figure shows a simple example of this. During the planted IK periods,
the pivot trajectories show just the keys on the heel and toe (because the keys
are planted, each pivot stays in place), and during the FK periods the
trajectories are derived from the foot’s node pivot location. This gives you
more-detailed information about the animation that is driving the foot.

Footstep trajectory

Biped | 5155

In following illustration, while the biped walks, the right hand reaches up to
touch something in IK, as shown by the yellow trajectory, made by two sliding
IK keys. Later, the biped touches its own face, using body space IK, as shown
by the bright blue keys. The color transition in the trajectory from purple to
blue indicates a changing blend from FK to body-space IK, showing the
interpolated value of the IK Blend parameter.

Hand trajectory

Following is a chart showing the result of going from one key type to another.
the last three rows of the chart show transitions between object and body
space that produce pure FK. In the past, it was hard to know what type of
trajectory these combinations produced. The new trajectory colors clarify the
result.
In the chart, the letters have the following meanings:
■

O: object space

■

B: body space

5156 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

IK: a key where IK Blend ➤ 0. It is always accompanied by the space: O
or B.

■

FK: a key where IK Blend = 0, no matter what space it’s in

From -> To

Result

Trajectory Drawn

Trajectory Color

OIK -> OIK

OIK

Pivot

Yellow

BIK -> BIK

BIK

Node

Blue

FK -> FK

FK

Node

Purple

BIK -> BFK

BIK/BFK blend

Node

Blue -> Purple

OIK -> OFK

OIK/OFK blend

Node

Yellow -> Purple

OIK -> BIK

FK

Node

Purple

OIK -> BFK

FK

Node

Purple

BIK -> OFK

FK

Node

Purple

NOTE When separate tracks exist for either a limb or its digits, the FK trajectory
of the bone base is always drawn, regardless of whether the trajectory display is
set to Bone Base or Bone Tip on the Display Preferences dialog on page 5027.

Biped Shortcuts
The table in this topic shows the default keyboard shortcuts for character
studio.

Use the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008 on the main
toolbar to enable the character studio keyboard shortcuts.
All character studio keyboard shortcuts activate when the Motion panel is
active and the Keyboard Shortcut Override button is active.
To customize your shortcuts, use the Customize User Interface dialog on page
8837.

Biped | 5157

See also:
■

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007

■

Keyboard Panel on page 8837

■

Customize User Interface Dialog on page 8837

Action

Shortcut

Description

Activate Layer (Toggle)
Bend Links Mode
Body Horizontal

Selects the center of mass
to edit horizontal biped
motion

Body Rotation

Selects the center of mass
to edit biped rotational
motion

Body Vertical

Selects the center of mass
to edit vertical biped motion

Buffer Mode
Change Leg State

Alt+Ctrl+S

Clear All Animation
Clear Selected Tracks
Collapse Layer
Collapse Move All Mode
Changes

Alt+M

5158 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Toggles foot states of the
selected leg at the current
frame. View the state
change in the leg states
displayed on the Biped rollout.

Action

Shortcut

Description

Copy Posture

Alt+C

Copies the posture of the
selected biped objects to
the clipboard.

Alt+Ctrl+F

Searches for any problem
in the motion and prompts
you whether or not to fix
problems it encounters.
Problems it looks for include overlapping keys,
keys past the end of the
footstep range, keys at
negative frames, or illegal
footstep timing. Click OK
when prompted to fix
these problems automatically.

Create Layer
Delete Layer
Display Biped Trajectory
Display Bones
Display Footstep Number
Display Footsteps
Enable Subanims
Figure Mode
Fix Graphs

Footstep Mode
Free Mode
In Place Mode
In Place X Mode

Biped | 5159

Action

Shortcut

Description

Alt+Ctrl+L

Toggles locked keys (red)
on and off for the selected
leg or vertical track key at
the current frame. In Track
View, you can watch the
key turn from red to gray,
and back again, as you lock
and unlock it.

Paste Posture

Alt+V

Pastes the posture from the
clipboard onto the currently selected biped.

Paste Posture Opposite

Alt+B

Pastes Posture Opposite for
the currently selected
biped.

Play Biped

V

Toggles Biped playback.

In Place Y Mode
Load .bip File
Lock Selected Keys (toggle)

Manipulate Subanims
Mirror
Mixer Mode
Motion Flow Mode
Move All Mode
Next Layer

Previous Layer
Reset all limb keys

Alt+K

Rubber Band Mode

5160 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Action

Shortcut

Description

Alt+Ctrl+E

This toggle strips the scale
from the biped. Developers
should use this when exporting biped objects as
regular 3ds Max links
through the 3ds Max SDK.
Animators should not use
this shortcut.

0

Sets a biped key.

Alt+R

Resets the total animation
length to the length of the
current biped footstep
range.

Save .bip File
Scale In Transform (toggle)

Scale Stride Mode
Set Free Key
Set Key
Set Layer Snap Key
Set Multiple Keys
Set Planted Key
Set Range

Set Sliding Key
Smooth Twist Mode
Toggle Biped Keys in Track
Bar

Alt+T

Track View Select end of
footstep

Alt+D

Selects all right edges of
the selected footsteps in
Track View.

Biped | 5161

Action

Shortcut

Description

Track View Select entire
footstep

Alt+S

Selects both edges of the
selected footsteps in Track
View.

Track View Select start of
footstep

Alt+A

Selects all left edges of the
selected footsteps in Track
View.

Twist Links Mode

* Not available for customization in the Customize User Interface dialog.

Working with the Workbench
The Workbench is a customized version of Track View that you use for
correcting and improving biped animation. It extends the functionality of
existing curve editors by giving you different options for visualizing and
manipulating curves, and provides filters to perform general rotation, position
and other biped-specific operations.
With the Workbench, you can analyze curves for error conditions and apply
filters to the identified keyframes, or filter selected biped tracks to generally
improve the motion of a track without errors.
See also:
■

Navigating the Workbench on page 5164

Workbench Workflow
Here are the overall steps you would follow to use the Workbench to analyze
and fix a biped for problems:
1 Create your animation and play it. Note visually anything that jumps
out at you as being wrong or incorrect.
2 With the biped selected in the viewport, open the Workbench by clicking
the Workbench button in the Biped Apps rollout on the Motion panel.
3 Select the biped body part that seems to have the problem. You can select
it in the viewport, or from the list in the Select panel.

5162 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Be aware that some biped objects share tracks. For example, all the objects
in a leg or an arm share a single track.
4 On the Analyze panel, choose an analyzer from the drop-down list. Set
the analysis conditions, then click Analyze. Any errors the analyzer
encounters will be displayed in a list at the bottom of the Analyze panel.
The Curve view also indicates the problem area by displaying a vertical
bar.
5 On the Fix panel, select the errors you want to fix. Select the filter for the
fix, adjust its parameters, and then click Fix Selected. You can select the
errors one at a time, or in any combination. You can sort the errors by
time or body part, depending on what kind of fix is needed.

Errors displayed as yellow lines in Curve View

If the results aren't satisfactory, try changing the parameters and fixing
again. Repeat the process until you find the combination of parameters
that correct the movement. Or try a different fixer or filter (these are
described later in this topic).

Animation Workbench Tools
The Animation Workbench provides three types of tools to use with biped
animation: analyzers, fixers, and filters.

Biped | 5163

Analyzers
These are used to find out-of-the ordinary properties in your animation. Certain
analyzers parse the waveform of your motion tracks and detect variation from
the curves. There are two detectors available that do this; Noise and Spike.
There are also analyzers for finding and fixing knee conditions, specifically
knee wobble and extension.
For more information, see Analyze Panel on page 5178.

Fixers
Fixers address problems found by the analyzer. The fixers work by running a
specified operation over just the analyzer result. They don't change the
complete animation, just areas around the problem.
For more information, see Fix Panel on page 5184.

Filters
Filters are operations that are performed on the specified animation tracks.
Unlike fixers, they affect the complete specified time interval, not just the
analyzer result.
The Rot Smoothing, Rot Blurring, Rot Boosting, Adv Rot Smoothing, Pos
Smoothing, Pos Blurring and Pos Boosting filters are all variants of one type
of filter. They all share the same parameters: Width and Damping.
For more information on these filter types, see Filters Panel on page 5189.

Navigating the Workbench
The Animation Workbench, a customized version of Track View, uses some
of the standard Track View controls, and adds new ones of its own.
The areas of the Workbench interface include:
■

The Tab panels: Select, Analyze, Fix, and Filter

■

The Curve view, with Track View toolbars for key selection, manipulation,
and view navigation.

■

The Workbench toolbar, with tools for choosing Coordinate space, display
of sub-animations, and tools to hide the Tab area and controller list.

Each section of the Workbench User has specific navigation techniques.

5164 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
■

Selecting Workbench Tracks on page 5167

Navigating the Tab Panel

Simply click the tabs to move from
one panel to another. The tools displayed change with each panel. The overall
workflow is left to right for the tabs, and top to bottom within each panel.
Selections are displayed in lists: clicking a name in a list selects that entry.
Operations are usually performed by clicking a button at the bottom of the
panel.

TIP
The Tab panels can be hidden once the operations are
performed and you don't need to see the panels any more. Click the Tab button
in the Workbench toolbar to hide the panel display.

Displaying the Controller List
Click the Controllers button in the Workbench toolbar to display the
Controller List. When the controller list is displayed you can select multiple
tracks as you like, right-click them and assign controllers using the pop-up
menu. You can also get to properties for controllers such as Noise that don't
have keyframes.

Click the Controllers button in the Workbench toolbar to
display the embedded curve editor's Controller window. The biped body tracks
shown are in the list are the ones that are selected in the Select panel on page
5175, in addition to any scene objects that are attached to those body parts or
are used as IK objects for those body parts. The controller list is similar to the
one in the curve editor.

Biped | 5165

Controller list displayed

Navigating the Curve View
Use the standard 3ds Max Track View navigation tools to adjust the view of
curves in the Curve view window. Zoom, Zoom Extents Horizontal and
Vertical, and Pan are often used to get a better view of an entire curve, or a
portion of a curve. As a default, the curve view automatically displays the
curve of whatever biped object is selected in the viewport.
The Workbench window can be resized to make it easier to work with curves.
You can float or hide toolbars to give you even more room. You can dock
toolbars left and right as well.

Docking the Workbench
You can dock the Workbench in a viewport. With the Workbench open, click
or right-click the Point-Of-View viewport label, then from the POV viewport
label menu on page 8712 choose Extended ➤ Biped AnimationWorkbench.
The open workbench docks in the viewport.
TIP This works best if you change your layout so there is at least one horizontal
viewport.

5166 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE Unlike the 3ds Max Track View – Dope Sheet and Curve Editor, the
Workbench cannot be docked below the viewport trackbar.

Show Layered Edit
You can affect a layered range of keys by turning on Show Layered Edit.
This is a special Workbench mode that extends the edit to affect keys
surrounding the one you are editing. It works like soft selection in 3ds Max
but gives you greater control over the displacement. It can help you blend
your edits into existing motion.

Selecting Workbench Tracks
As a default behavior, whatever biped part is selected in the viewport will have
its curves displayed in the Curve view. You can also use the Select panel on
page 5175 to select biped parts by name. The functionality of the Select panel
is derived from the Selection Floater on page 187; you can invert the selection
set or enter a name into the Selection field to find a track.

Biped | 5167

You can also use the controller window as a selection
mechanism. With the Controllers list visible you can click on track entries
there to work on the curves.
NOTE Sometimes a curve will not appear in the display at first. Click Zoom Extents
Horizontal and Zoom Extents Vertical to make sure the curve can be seen.
The Workbench toolbar lets you choose the type of curve to display and the
coordinate space in which it is displayed. For example, if you know you are
dealing with rotational errors, choose an Rot or Quat type curve. If it is an error
of positional data, choose Pos.
If you open the Track View – Curve Editor or expand the track bar while you
have the Workbench open, you will see a simultaneous display. The views are
all synchronized, so selecting a track in one graph editor selects it in all.
When using footstep animation, you can see the footstep keys by opening a
Track View – Dope Sheet window.

Analyzing Curves
Once you have selected curves, you can analyze them to discover error
conditions.
You choose between four kinds of detectors; Noise, Spike, Knee Wobble or
Knee Extension. You can also select only a the portion of a curve to analyze.
Perform the analysis by clicking the Analyze button. The errors are found
based on the detector's parameter settings. If no errors are found, try adjusting
the parameters and clicking Analyze again. Lowering the Standard Deviation
value will yield more errors.
When an error has been detected, the biped part name appears in the Analyze
Results list. If multiple errors are detected, the entry displays a number that
tells how many errors were found. Errors are also displayed in the Curve View
as vertical brown lines.
Once errors have been located, you can use the tools on the Fix panel to correct
those keys and the keys around them. Or you can use the error location merely
to identify the keys, then manually make changes using standard interpolation
techniques. Right-clicking a key in the Curve view will display the properties
dialog that allows for such adjustments.

5168 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Results of the Analyze operation can be loaded or saved as a file
using the Load or Save buttons at the bottom of the interface.
Results of the last analysis can be cleared using the Clear button, also
found at the bottom of the panel.

Fixing Curves
After you have selected curves and analyzed them for error, you can use the
tools found on the Fix panel to process the curves and reduce the errors.
The fixes are determined by which type of fixer you choose, and the parameters
you set for that fixer. Clicking Fix Selected or Fix All at the bottom of the
panel performs the Fix operation.
In general, fixes are made either by changing the position or value of a key,
or by removing the key. The basic fixing techniques involve smoothing,
blurring, boosting, or key deletion. This is similar to audio-editing software,
where you view music as a waveform, and then edit the waves in various ways
to alter the sound. Similarly, the motion of the biped body parts, as defined
by position and rotation tracks, can be evaluated for error conditions regarding
speed, angle, acceleration, or change of direction.
Of course, you can also fix curves manually. You can select the key on the
curve and move it, using the standard Track View key buttons duplicated in
the Workbench, such as Move, Slide, Scale or Delete Keys.
You can achieve a layered range of keys by turning on Show Layered
Edit. This is a special Workbench mode that extends the edit to affect keys
surrounding the one you are editing. It works like soft selection in 3ds Max
but gives you greater control over the displacement. It can help you blend
your edits into existing motion.

Workbench User Interface
Select a biped body part. ➤
Workbench button

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps ➤

Biped | 5169

The Animation Workbench is a tool for working with biped function curves.
It is a customized version of Track View, with many of the same toolbars and
buttons, plus some new ones.
In addition to the standard Track View features, the workbench has tools to
help you select curves, analyze them for errors, and automatically fix those
errors based on various settings. This is especially useful when working with
motion-capture data, or other animation that has many keys.
Of course, you can also display and manipulate function curves for bipeds in
the standard 3ds Max Track View and expanded track bar, as well. However,
you have access to the automatic error-analysis tools only in the Workbench
NOTE On the time slider or in Track View, you can move one Biped key past
another. See Moving Keys on page 5152.
The Animation Workbench displays rotation curves in local biped space for
both quaternion and euler rotations. This improves the speed of curve
manipulation since the whole biped doesn't need to be calculated in order to
draw a single curve.
NOTE This does not affect position curves, which are still evaluated in world space.
NOTE Curve display will only change for certain objects in COM space: base of
spine, neck, clavicles, upper arms, upper thighs, and feet.
See also:
Working with the Workbench on page 5162

■

Procedures
To display the local rotation curve of an animated spine link:

1 Create a biped and
2

Set a key at frame 0.

5170 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

select its upper spine link.

3 Go to frame 10,
axis, then

rotate the spine link 30 degrees in the local Z

set a key.

4 Open the Animation Workbench.

Only one curve is displayed because the upper spine rotates in local space
by default.

5

Select the biped's head.

Notice how there are no curves in the workbench because the head doesn't
inherit the spine link's rotation and doesn't have an internal rotation of
its own.

Biped | 5171

Interface

1. Tab panels (Select, Analyze, Fix, and Filter).
2. Display Tab panels
3. Display Controllers list
4. Workbench toolbar
5. Curve View
6. Curve View toolbars (same as Track View toolbars).

Animation Workbench Tab Panel
The Animation Workbench Tab panel consists of four panels:
■

Select panelProvides tools to select curves for biped body parts. For more
information on the Select panel user interface, see Select Panel on page
5175.

■

Analyze panelEvaluates the curves for error conditions. For more
information on the Analyze panel user interface, see Analyze Panel on
page 5178.

■

Fix panelProvides a variety of methods to be applied to the errors located
by the analysis. For more information on the Fix tab user interface, see Fix
Panel on page 5184.

■

Filters panelThese are a special type of fixer that perform an operation over
each key that is selected. When no keys are selected it performs the
operation over the whole curve rather than using the results of the last
error analysis. Use this when you have errors visible in the motion, but
the fixer refuses to find them. For more information on the Filter panel
user interface, see Filters Panel on page 5189.

Use the Tab button on the Workbench toolbar to display and hide the Tab
panel.

5172 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Curve View
To the right of the Tab area is the Curve View, where keys and curves for the
selected biped parts are displayed. This is the same as the Track View Key
window.

Curve View Toolbars
Directly above and below the Curve View are some of the standard 3ds Max
Track View toolbars. They give access to tools used to navigate the view and
manipulate the keys. The toolbars below the Curve View are used for selection
and navigation; toolbars above the Curve View are used to move, slide, and
scale keys; to scale values; and to add new keys.

Animation Workbench Toolbar
The Workbench toolbar extends the toolset found in the 3ds Max Track View.
The Workbench toolbar includes:
■

TabHides or displays the Workbench Tab panel, which contains the tools
for automated error analysis and correction fixers and filters.

■

ControllersHides or displays a controller-window hierarchy list. This is the
same list you see in standard Track View with the same right-click menus
used to assign controllers.

■

Curve TypeDetermines which curves are displayed for the selected object.
Rot Curve, Rot Speed, Rot Accel, and Rot Jerk curves represent rotation.
Pos Curve, Pos Speed, Pos Accel and Pos Jerk curves represent position.
NOTE Choosing Rot Curve or Pos Curve turns on Show Biped Rotation Curves
or Show Biped, Position Curves, respectively, in the Biped toolbar of the Curve
Editor on page 3907.
Noise curves represent random position and rotation.
Each biped part can show any of these curves, except for the Horizontal
and Vertical tracks, which show only positional curves, and the Turning
track, which shows only angular curves.

The Axis order drop-down lets you choose the order in which the
rotation curves are calculated. The ordering follows the same rules as the Euler
Axis Order on the Quaternion/Euler rollout on page 5036.

Biped | 5173

When manipulating
position curves, the Workbench allows the curves to be displayed relative to
the World, the Biped Root, or any object in the scene as picked via the arrow
button.
World Displays curves relative to the World.
Biped Root Displays curves relative to the biped root object (COM) .
Scene Root Displays the curves relative to a selected object. Turn on the arrow
button, then click the object in a viewport. The name of the object will be
displayed on the button.
The X, Y, and Z buttons Choose which curves of the selected object are
displayed in the Workbench.
NOTE Toggling X, Y, or Z also toggles the corresponding Biped toolbar button
of the Curve Editor on page 3907.

The 180 limit Sets the Quat Curve to display as “clamped” between 180
and –180 degrees, instead of accumulated. Default=off.
Draw While Moving Sets the Workbench to update the curves as you
move keys. When off, curves display as optimized lines until you release the
mouse after moving or changing a key. Default=on.
Show Layered Edit When on, displays a graphic tool for adjusting sets
of keys along a curve within a range.
To set the range, click to highlight one of the square handles, and then drag
it. As you drag, the handle follows the curve.

5174 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Handle follows curve.

To set a layered offset, click to highlight the circular handle, and then drag it
to the desired position. The circular handle follows the curve unless you hold
down the Esc key. If you drag while holding down Esc, you can move the
handle off the curve, which scales the keys within the range.
Enable Sub Anims When on, sets the Workbench to display the curves
of the selected part’s subanim in combination with the position or rotation
curves. Subanims are list controllers which can be added to provide additional
animation controls to biped body parts. Default=off.

Biped Key Manipulation
Interactive key manipulation behaves in the Workbench much as it does in
Track View. The difference is that you can't move keys beyond other keys.
This has always been a restriction of biped animation.

Select Panel
Select a biped body part. ➤
Workbench button ➤ Select panel

Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps ➤

The Select panel of the Animation Workbench provides tools for selecting
bipeds or biped components. You can manipulate the selected biped part's
animation tracks via curves displayed in the Workbench, or by using the
Analyze, Fix, and Filter panels to automatically identify errors and fix them.

Biped | 5175

The objects whose curves might be displayed are set using the selection
drop-down list. To change the curves that are displayed go into the Controller
window and select the curves you want to see

Once you’ve made a selection, you can hide the entire Tab
area by clicking the Tab button on the Workbench toolbar. This gives you
more room to work on the curves in Curve View.
The functionality of the Select panel is similar to the standard 3ds Max
Selection Floater on page 187.
See also:
■

Analyze Panel on page 5178

Procedures
To display a biped body part curve in the Workbench, do one of the following:
1 On the Select panel, make sure Select From Scene is turned on, then in
a viewport, click any biped object.
The object's curve is displayed in the Workbench Curve window.
2 On the Select panel of the Animation Workbench, click to highlight the
name of the body part in the scrollable Selection list.
3 On the Workbench toolbar, turn on Controllers. In the hierarchy list,
highlight the body part track whose curve you want to see.
To hide or unhide the Tab panel:
1 Click the Tab button on the Workbench toolbar.
The Tab panel disappears from view.
2 Click the Tab button again.
The Tab panel returns to view.

5176 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Selection field Enter the name of the biped part you want to locate. That
name (if found) will be highlighted in the Selection list. This is useful when
you can't find an entry by scanning the list.

Biped | 5177

You can use the question mark and asterisk characters as wildcards, in order
to select multiple objects at once.
Selection list The Selection list displays all the body parts of all the bipeds in
the scene.
You can use the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys to build selection sets, as in the rest of
3ds Max.
All Selects every entry in the list.
None Clears the selection so nothing is highlighted.
Invert Selects everything not highlighted in the list.

Subtree group
Display Indents the list to show the biped hierarchy. Default=off.
Select When on, selecting one biped part selects both it and all of its children.
Default=off.

_____
Named selection list When you create a named selection in the scene, the
named selection becomes available.
Select From Viewport When Select From Viewport is on, you can click the
biped body parts directly in the viewport, rather than from the list. The curves
are immediately displayed in the Workbench Curve View. This is handy if
you don't know the name of the part you need to select.

Analyze Panel
Select a biped body part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout
➤ Workbench button ➤ Analyze panel
The Analyze panel provides tools to evaluate the curves for the selected biped
parts, and review them for certain error conditions. It can spot spikes and
noise in the curves, and locate specific keyframes that are responsible for
discontinuous motion.
The errors are displayed as brown lines over the curves, and are also listed at
the bottom of the Analyze panel. You can then use the Fix panel to
automatically fix errors, or you can fix errors by manually adjusting keys and
curves in Curve view.

5178 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Brown lines on the curve show the errors.

See also:
■

Fix Panel on page 5184

Procedures
To analyze a curve:
1 On the Select panel, choose the biped object whose curve you want to
correct.
You can select the object from the Select list, in a viewport, or from the
Controllers hierarchy.
2 Click the Analyze tab, then on the Analyze panel, choose the analyzer
you want to use from the drop-down list.
By default, there are two choices: Noise Detector and Spike Detector.

Biped | 5179

3 If you chose Noise Detector, choose the appropriate Property from the
Property drop-down list.
4 Click Analyze.
Any errors found are displayed in the error result list at the bottom of
the panel. The errors also appear in Curve View as brown lines.
5 If no errors are found, try lowering the standard deviation value or make
sure you have used the appropriate property when using the noise
detector. For example, if you have a problem with the rotation of a leg,
but you choose a Pos property, that error will not be detected.

5180 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Parts to Analyze These options choose which parts to analyze:
■

Display Curve PartWhen this is turned on, the curve displayed is analyzed.

Biped | 5181

■

Selected PartsWhen this is turned on, the parts selected in the list or
viewport are analyzed. Use this when you want to analyze an entire biped
without displaying all of the curves in Curve View.

Time to Analyze Sets the range to be analyzed. You can choose either:
■

Entire AnimationAnalyzes the entire animation.
NOTE This is independent of the active 3ds Max time segment.

■

Active Time SegmentChoose this to use the active time segment, as set by
the 3ds Max Time Configuration dialog.

■

From / ToThese values let you specify a range with a particular start and
end frame.

Analyzers group
Analyzers drop-down list Lets you choose which analyzer will be used to
evaluate the curves. Each analyzer can present its own individual settings. The
default choices are Noise Detector and Spike Detector.
■

Noise DetectorFinds any large change in the animation, either rotational
or positional as determined by the standard deviation value. Can operate
on specific curves as determined by the selection in the Property drop-down
list, regardless of what’s currently visible in the Workbench.
NOTE It's important to understand that noise isn't always bad. For example,
in an animation of a person waving his hand, then suddenly punching: the
movement from the wave to the punch, plus the pullback from the punch
might be analyzed as noise, but it is noise that you want. The Workbench will
identify the magnitude of these changes by showing you the acceleration and
the jerk curves. By being selective with the fixers, you can smooth out only
what you want to improve, and maintain the rest.

■

Spike DetectorFinds any large change in the animation that also contains
a change in direction (in quaternion space or position space). Can operate
on all curves in the animation, regardless of what’s currently visible in the
Workbench. The analysis can be adjusted for Standard Deviation, which
is the degree to which the animation departs from its overall pattern.

■

Knee Wobble Finds knees that wobble or shake when a foot is planted.
Uses Frame and Fluctuation parameters to determine what is a wobble
error.

5182 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Knee ExtensionFinds knees that overextend when a foot is planted. Uses
a Knee Angle parameter to determine extension errors.

Property drop-down list Lets you choose the criterion that the Noise detector
uses to evaluate the curves errors. Use Rotational (Rot) properties to analyze
rotational errors; use Position (Pos) properties to analyze move transform
errors.
NOTE This control is not available when using the Spike detector.
Options in this drop-down list include:
■

Rot SpeedLooks for noise in the speed of the rotational angle.

■

Rot Accel Looks for noise in the acceleration of the rotational angle.

■

Rot JerkLooks for noise in the jerk of the rotational angle.

■

Pos SpeedLooks for noise in the speed of the position.

■

Pos AccelLooks for noise in the acceleration of the position.

■

Pos JerkLooks for noise in the jerk of the position.

Standard Deviation Lets you set the degree to which the animation can
depart from its overall pattern. For example, in data that is somewhat noisy
by design, the Noise detector can look for instances that are noisier. Lower
deviation numbers mean higher sensitivity, and thus more errors found.

_____
Error results list Displays all errors that the analyzer finds. Each entry lists
the name of the body part, and the number of errors found.
Errors are also graphically highlighted with a vertical brown line in Curve
View. Clicking an error entry in the list highlights that error in Curve View.
Analyze Click to perform the analysis.
Clear Results Deletes the results of the latest analysis.
Load Analysis File Loads the results of a previous analysis.
Save Analysis Saves the results of the latest analysis.

Biped | 5183

Fix Panel
Select a biped body part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout
➤ Workbench button ➤ Fix panel
The Fix panel provides access to the tools that can be used to automatically
fix the errors found by the Analyze panel on page 5178.
A variety of methods is available to automatically correct errors found in the
curves. Smoothing, blurring, and removing keys are all options. Or, if you
prefer, you can correct the error manually by adjusting the interpolation per
key, using standard 3ds Max methods. You can move the key on the curve,
or right-click the key to access interpolation controls.
A fix is performed as a specific operation on a particular biped body part or
set of parts, at a particular time. In general, fixes either change the value of a
key or remove keys to produce corrected motion.
The results of last analysis are displayed in the Analyze Results list. Clicking
an error in the list once displays the error as a yellow line over the curve;
clicking the error twice updates the viewport scene, making the error the
current frame. Errors can be sorted by Part or by Time.
Fixes can be applied to individual errors, selected errors, or to all errors at
once.
See also:
■

Filters Panel on page 5189

Procedures
To fix an individual error:
1 Click to highlight the error in the Analyze Results list.
2 Choose the Fixer type you want to use to automatically correct the
problem.
3 Click Fix Selected.
4 Observe the change in the Curve View.

5184 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5

Play the animation to see if the error has been corrected.

6 If the error is still visible, try changing the parameters for the fixer, or
choosing a different fixer. The Rot and Pos fixers attempt to solve the
problem by changing the values of the keys; if they don't give good results,
it might be more useful to use the Remove Keys fixer.
To fix multiple errors:
1 Highlight all the errors in the Analyze Results list.
You can use the Ctrl and Shift keys to add to your selection.
2 Choose the Fixer type you want to use to automatically correct the
problem.
3 Click Fix All.
4 Check your results as you would if you were fixing a single error (see the
previous procedure).
To remove keys from curves automatically:
1 On the Select panel, highlight the biped part in the list.
TIP If you don't know the name of the part, you can click it in a viewport.
2 On the Analyze panel, choose the appropriate Analyzer type and
properties.
3 Click Analyze.
The errors are listed in the error result list at the bottom of the panel.
4 On the Fix panel, choose the errors you want to fix.
5 In the Fixers drop-down list, choose Remove Keys.
6 Click Fix Selected.
The removed keys will disappear from the list and the curves.
TIP You can use the Delete Keys option and Interval Width to create a
threshold for deleting keys. If you turn on Delete Keys, the Interval Width will
disallow the deletion of keys based on that value. Use this if too many keys
are being deleted when you use Remove Keys.

Biped | 5185

Interface

Analyze Results error list Displays all the errors the analyzer found for the
selected body parts. The name of the Biped object is preceded by the frame
number of the error. Clicking the error once displays a yellow line at that

5186 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

frame in the Curve View. Clicking it twice moves the current frame to match
the error frame number: the viewports display that frame as well.
Sort by: Lets you change the display of the error analysis results.
■

Part: Displays all the errors for each part listed together.

■

TimeDisplays all the errors sequentially, by frame.

Fixers Determines the method used to attempt to correct the errors found by
the analyzer. In general, try to match the fixer to the analyzer property. For
example, if you have selected a Noise detector with Rot Speed, then choose a
Fixer with Rot in the name as well. The exception to this would be when it is
obvious that you'd prefer to remove the keys rather than modify them. In
that case, choose a Remove Keys fixer.
Fixer options include:
■

Rot SmoothingCorrects rotational errors by smoothing the curve. Can be
repeated on the same track for greater effect. Slower than blurring, but
keeps more detail of the curve.

■

Rot BlurringCorrects rotational errors by blurring the curve. Good if you
just want to keep the general shape of the animation, but don't want to
keep the details. May remove too much detail in the animation.

■

Adv Rot SmoothingWorks even better than the normal smoothing filter
when it comes to only modifying large changes. Can be repeated on the
same track for greater effect. It is the slowest filter, great at keeping minute
details, which can be very important, especially with motion-capture data
when you want to keep nuances.

■

Pos Smoothing Corrects move transform problems by smoothing the curve.
Can be repeated on the same track for greater effect. Slower than blurring,
but keeps more detail of the curve.

■

Pos BlurringCorrects positional problems by blurring the curve. Good if
you just want to keep the general shape of the animation, but don't want
to keep the details. May remove too much detail in the animation.

■

Remove KeysFixes errors by deleting keys based on an interval setting.

■

Knee Wobble Fixes knees that wobble or shake when a foot is planted.
Uses a Knee Angle value as criteria for error status.

■

Knee ExtensionFixes knees that overextend when a foot is planted. Uses
a Fluctuation value as criteria for error status.

Biped | 5187

Fixer parameters
Individual fixers display different parameters. These include:
■

WidthDetermines how much of the curve is affected around the keyframe.
All the Fixers except for Remove Keys display this parameter.

■

DampingDetermines how the fix is blended into the existing curve.
Changes how effective the fixer should be. A higher value, the more
dramatic the change. A damping value of 1.0 is normal behavior
All the Fixers except for Remove Keys display this parameter.

■

Delete KeysAllows for selective key removal based on Interval Width. When
Delete Keys is used, keys are removed only within the Interval Width.
When Delete Keys is not turned on, Remove Keys will remove the selected
keys without considering the Interval Width.
This parameter is available only when Remove Keys is the fixer.

■

Interval WidthDetermines the number of frames around the error to
consider when deleting keys.
This parameter is available only when Remove Keys is the fixer.

■

Knee Angle Sets the rotation angle to determine what constitutes knee
extension errors.
If the knee is planted and its angle is less than or equal to the knee limit
angle, then the center-of-mass object is adjusted so that the knee angle
doesn't exceed the limit.
This parameter is available only when Knee Extension is the fixer.

■

Frames Determines the interval to consider for fluctuation evaluation.
This parameter is available only when Knee Wobble is the fixer.

■

Fluctuation Establishes the amount of change allowed before knee wobble
is identified.
This parameter is available only when Knee Wobble is the fixer.
If the knee angle fluctuates greater than the fluctuation threshold for 2
knee angles within the frame interval threshold, then the knee's angle is
changed, so that the wobble is eliminated.

_____
Fix Selected Applies the Fixer operation to the selection in the Analyze Results
error list.
Fix All Applies the Fixer operation to all the errors, whether they are selected
in the Analyze Results error list, or not.

5188 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Filters Panel
Select a biped part. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped Apps rollout ➤
Workbench button ➤ Filters panel
Filters are simply operations that can be performed to different biped body
parts. They are similar to fixers, but they operate over an interval of time rather
than on the results of the last analysis. Thus, you can use a filter without
analyzing.
Certain filters share parameter types and functionality as fixers, though the
values are not shared and are distinct for each filter. Use a filter whenever you
want to perform a general operation over a body parts motion, like smooth
out or boost up some noise."

Procedures
To filter a track:
1 Choose the parts you want to filter: either just a particular curve, or an
entire selection.
2 Choose the time range you want to filter: either the entire biped
animation, the active time segment, or a custom range.
3 Choose the filter you want to apply. Adjust its individual parameter as
required.
4 Click Filter at the bottom of the panel.
5 Observe the effect on the graph in the Curve view.

6

Play the animation and observe the difference, if any.

Click

Undo if the results are unexpected or incorrect.

Biped | 5189

Interface

Parts to Filter Sets the filter to act on either the display object or the entire
selection of objects.
■

Display Curve Part Sets the filter to act on the displayed object curves.

5190 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Selected PartsSets the filter to act on the active selection. Especially useful
when working on the whole biped.

Time to Filter Sets the range to be filtered to either the entire biped animation,
the active time segment, or a custom range of frames.
■

Entire AnimationSets the time to filter to be the complete biped animation
(disregarding the active time segment).

■

Active Time SegmentSets the time to filter to be the scene active time
segment. You set the active time segment in the 3ds Max Time
Configuration dialog.

■

From / To:Sets the time to filter to a custom range of frames.

Filters group
Filters list Choose the filter to use from this drop-down list.
The available filter types include smoothing, blurring, boosting, key reduction,
and subanims.
■

Rot filters work in quaternion rotation space, and modify the quaternions
of the specified animation tracks.

■

Pos filters work in the specified positional coordinate system, and modify
the positions of the animation tracks.

■

BlurringUses basic Gaussian filters that take a weighted average over the
width. Blurring filters are good for smoothing out noise, but can also
over-smooth areas that aren't noisy.
See Blurring, Smoothing, and Boosting parameters on page 5192, below.

■

Smoothing filters, on the other hand, are much better than blurring filters
for keeping the general shape of the track or curve. They affect only areas
that have big changes. The drawback of the smoothing filters is that they
don't change the curve as dramatically as the blurring filters do, so
sometimes you'll need to run the smoothing filter multiple times to smooth
out a particularly noisy area.

■

Adv Rot Smoothing works even better than the normal angular smoothing
filter when it comes to modifying only large changes and not small ones.
See Blurring, Smoothing, and Boosting parameters on page 5192.
(There is no comparable “advanced position” fixer or filter.)

Biped | 5191

■

BoostingBoosting filters are the opposite of blurring filters. They increase,
rather than decrease, changes in the track. Boosting filters are helpful if
you want to make a track have more exaggeration or a little more jerkiness.
See Blurring, Smoothing, and Boosting parameters on page 5192.

■

Sub AnimsThe Sub Anims filter manages sub-animation of biped objects.
Clicking a button that corresponds to a transform (Position, Rotation, or
Scale) displays a dialog that lets you assign a controller to that transform.
Assigning a controller in this way assigns it only to the selected biped parts.
This is very handy for adding controllers to multiple biped parts all at once.
Also includes the ability to enable or disable the three list controllers
selectively, and avoids creating SubAnims, where they already exist.
See Sub Anim parameters on page 5193.

■

Key Reducer Creates tracks with fewer keys, by removing certain keys based
on tolerance and key spacing parameters. This works similarly to how key
reduction works during motion-capture import.
See Key Reducer parameters on page 5193.

■

Knee Wobble Corrects knees that wobble or shake when a foot is planted.
If the knee is determined to wobble by the filter, the center of mass object
is adjusted to eliminate the wobble.

■

Knee ExtensionCorrects knees that overextend when a foot is planted. If
the knee extension is identified by the filter, the center of mass object is
adjusted to eliminate the extension.

Blurring, Smoothing, and Boosting parameters
Width Width is the size of the filter kernel width in frames. It tells you how
much of the animation is taken into effect when filtering a specified keyframe.
Damping The Damping value changes how effective the filter should be. A
higher value, the more dramatic the change. A damping value of 1.0 is normal
filter behavior

5192 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Sub Anim parameters

Enable Turns Position, Rotation, and Scale subanims on and off for the selected
biped parts.
Collapse Adds the subanim animation of the selected biped part to that part’s
Transform controller.
NOTE When you choose the Sub Anims filter, the Filter button at the bottom of
the panel disappears. That's because the operations of this filter are immediate.
Don’t Delete Maintains the subanim in the list as it’s collapsed onto the biped.
Per Frame Sets keys at every frame of the collapsed controller.
The Sub Anims filter tools are also available from the Motion panel. You can
assign controllers to a biped subanim, and then collapse it by right-clicking
and choosing Properties. The difference between using this in the Motion
panel and in the Workbench is that you can apply subanims to multiple biped
objects in one step when using the Workbench filter.

Key Reducer parameters
Create Key Per Frame When on, the filter creates a key per frame for every
selected track. Default=off.

Biped | 5193

Tolerance Sets the maximum angular or positional deviation for a track (other
than a COM track). Default=3.0.
Values are in units of translation for position tracks, and in degrees for rotation
tracks.
Key Spacing Sets the minimum number of frames between keys (other than
COM keys).
Tolerance is computed first, then Minimum Key Spacing computes further
key reduction.
COM Parameters These Tolerance and Key Spacing settings affect key
reduction only on specified center-of-mass (COM) tracks (horizontal, vertical,
or rotational).
Filter Click to apply the active filter to the selected tracks.

Working with Motion Flow
Select a biped ➤
(Motion Flow Mode)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

Motion flow mode provides an area to graphically arrange clips into a network
and tools to create and edit transitions between clips. You can use Motion
flow mode to organize clips into a network to animate one or more bipeds.
The network of clips are joined together by transitions.
A motion flow script associates the network of clips with the biped. To animate
one biped, you create a single motion flow script that uses a list of clips to
animate the biped. To animate multiple bipeds or a crowd of bipeds, you can
either use the random method of clip selection or a delegate–driven approach.

5194 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The random method simply picks clips at random and creates random scripts
for each biped. This approach works well if the bipeds are standing still or are
far apart and don’t require collision detection: a crowd of cheering fans at a
ball game, for example. Clip and transition percentages are set with the Create
Random Motion on page 5255 command during motion synthesis.
When dealing with a crowd, or multiple bipeds that are close together, the
delegate driven approach is the best solution. This approach uses many
parameters to simulate moving crowds and incorporates collision detection,
surface follow and other parameters. The delegate–driven method uses a
network of clips, but instead of random selection. it bases clip selection on a
delegate's speed and heading. In a delegate–driven crowd simulation, clips are
arranged to follow a logical sequence. For example, the first clip could be a
start walk clip, then a walk loop, then a branch to a turn right and turn left
clip, then a slow to stop clip and so on. During motion synthesis, this
arrangement is used to pick clips. If character studio senses a collision ahead,
the slow to stop clip is selected, or a veer to avoid clip is chosen. For a detailed
breakdown of delegate driven crowd behavior, see Crowd Animation on page
5456.

Placing Motions on the Motion Flow Graph
The Motion Flow Graph on page 5242 contains the tools you'll use to add clips
to the dialog window, calculate optimized transitions, set random script

Biped | 5195

transition values, move and delete clips, and display clip dependencies. Clips
display as icons and transitions appear as arrows in the Motion Flow Graph.
The Motion Flow Graph displays when you click Show Graph on the Motion
Flow rollout on page 5235 on the Motion panel.

Motion Flow Graph

The first step in Motion Flow mode is to add clips in the Motion Flow Graph
for use in scripts. Clips represent all or part of a BIP file. Transitions represent
different paths through the clips in the Motion Flow Graph. A transition
looping back to the same clip represents a cycle or loop.
If a biped is using a shared motion flow, then the title of the graph dialog says
"Shared Motion Flow Graph", followed by the name of the shared motion
flow. Shared Motion Flows are used to control multiple bipeds with one shared
motion flow.
There are two ways to create clips in the Motion Flow Graph on page 5242. The
first method lets you create a blank clip to which you later assign a BIP file.
The second method lets you create multiple clips at once by choosing a several
BIP files at once.

5196 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To create clips in the Motion Flow Graph:

1

Select a biped

2 Go to the

Motion panel.

3 On the Biped rollout, click

(Motion Flow Mode).

4 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
Flow Graph.

(Show Graph) to open the Motion

5 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Create Clip).

6 Click a few times inside the Motion Flow Graph dialog.
Clip icons will appear in the Motion Flow Graph on page 5242 that are
named clip1, clip2 and so on.
7 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Select Clip/Transition).

8 Right-click over a clip in the window.
3ds Max opens a clip dialog.

9 In the clip dialog, click Browse. Use the file dialog to choose a BIP file.
10 Optionally, set the Start Frame and End Frame values.

Biped | 5197

11 Click OK.
The selected icon displays the clip name in the Motion Flow Graph on
page 5242; this clip can now be used for script creation.

12 Click
(Select Clip/Transition) again and load BIP files for the other
clips you created.
To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph:
1 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
Flow Graph.

(Show Graph) to open the Motion

2 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Create Multiple Clips).

Use the file dialog to choose the location of your BIP files.
3 While holding down the Ctrl key, choose multiple clips in the file dialog.
Once processed, multiple clips appear in the Motion Flow Graph on page
5242 window.

5198 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE The number of clips you can load depends on the amount of memory you
have in your system.

Creating Transitions
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤
Motion Flow Graph dialog

(Show Graph) ➤

Transitions, shown as arrows, link motion files (clips) together to create longer
character animation and crowd simulations. Transitions can be created
manually with the Transition Editor on page 5247 or automatically by character
studio.

Biped | 5199

Transitions can also be optimized for better flow. To create optimized
transitions, use the Optimize Selected Transition on the Motion Flow Graph
toolbar or Optimize Transition in the Transition Editor. By default, minimum
motion loss is used to compute transitions. Optimized transitions use an
algorithm that minimizes foot sliding. Optimized transitions take longer to
compute but yield very fluid results.
Crowd simulations can use dozens of motion clips so automatic creation of
optimized transitions can be a big time saver. Whether you plan on animating
one or many bipeds using Motion Flow mode you’ll need transitions between
the clips in the Motion Flow Graph.

Procedures
To create transitions using the From > To or To < From method:
1 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
Flow Graph.

(Show Graph) to open the Motion

2 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Create Multiple Clips).

Use the file dialog to choose the location of your BIP files.
3 While holding down the Ctrl key, choose multiple clips in the file dialog.
Once processed, multiple clips appear in Motion Flow Graph on page 5242.

5200 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

4 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, turn on either

(Create Transition

From -> To) or
(Create Transition To <- From) and then drag from
one clip to another clip.

The top set of clips are linked using Create Transition From->To. The bottom set
of clips are linked using Create Transition To<-From.

To create transitions using Create All Transitions:
1 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
Flow Graph.

(Show Graph) to open the Motion

2 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Create Multiple Clips)

Use the file dialog to choose the location of your .bip files.
3 While holding down the Ctrl key, choose multiple clips in the file dialog.
Once processed, multiple clips appear in the Motion Flow Graph dialog.
4 Click

(Select Clip/Transition) and select all the clips you added.

Biped | 5201

5 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, turn on

(Create All Transitions).

6 3ds Max opens a Biped dialog. In the dialog, click Yes to create transitions
from each selected clip to itself.
3ds Max creates transitions between all the clips, including from each
clip to itself.

Possible transitions from one clip to the next are automatically generated.

To optimize transitions in the Motion Flow Graph:
1 After adding several clips and transitions, click
(Select
Clip/Transition) and select one or more transitions.

5202 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Selected transitions display in white

2 On the Motion Flow toolbar, click

(Optimize Selected Transitions).

The Transition Optimization dialog is displayed.

3 Click OK.
While the optimizations are being processed, a processing bar scrolls
across the top of the Motion Flow Graph window on page 5242.

Biped | 5203

Creating a Motion Flow Script
Select a biped. ➤
(Motion Flow Mode)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

A script is a list of clips (BIP files) that control the character you are animating.
To create a script, add clips to the Motion Flow Graph on page 5242, then click
Define Script in the Scripts section of the Motion Flow rollout on page 5235,
and click a sequence of clips in the Motion Flow Graph. Default transitions
are assigned if no transitions exist between the clips. The clip names and
starting frame numbers display in the list on the Motion Flow Script list.

A sample script as it appears in the Scripts group on the Motion Flow rollout

Random scripts vary the order of the clips found in the Motion Flow Graph.
Scripts are run in a top-down order to animate the character. Click Play to
view scripted motions on the biped.

5204 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP As the length of a script varies, use Alt+R to set the Active Time in 3ds Max
to the length of the script.
Once a script is put together, you have additional controls that let you adjust
the starting frame, the starting X, Y, or Z locations and the starting rotation
of the animation.

Procedures
To create a Motion Flow script:
1 Create a motion flow graph with three or more motion files.
For information on how to set up the graph, see To create multiple clips
in the Motion Flow Graph on page 5198.
2 In the Motion Flow rollout ➤ Scripts group, click
(Define Script),
and then select a sequence of clips from the Motion Flow Graph dialog
on page 5242.
As you select the clips in the Motion Flow Graph dialog, they are added
to the script list.

Biped | 5205

NOTE Transitions are automatically made in the Motion Flow Graph as you
add clips to the script.
3 Give the script a new, descriptive name.
Adding a descriptive name is less confusing if you ever append Motion
Flow Editor files together.

4 Click

(Play Animation) to see the biped move to the scripted clips.

5206 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 Click
(Stop Animation). Change the Start Frame setting to 25 and
move the frame slider.
Now the biped will hold its start position until frame 25, then start
moving.
6 Change the Start Position X:, Y,: or Z: setting.
These settings let you control the position of the footsteps that the
character follows.
7 Change the Start Rotation setting to 90.
Often, the footsteps in a BIP file are not oriented in the direction you
want. This setting lets you adjust which direction the character faces.
NOTE Each Start setting affects the entire animation. You cannot select a single
entry in the script and make a change to affect only that clip.

Biped | 5207

Saving, Loading, and Appending Motion Flow Graphs
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout
Scripts, transitions, and clip references are saved in a Motion Flow Editor MFE,
file, for later editing. This format lets you save a Motion Flow and script from
one biped and load it onto another biped.
You save, load, and append MFE files from the Motion Flow rollout.

Procedures
To save Motion Flow Editor files:
1 Create a Motion Flow Graph with three or more motion files.
For information on how to set up the graph, see To create multiple clips
in the Motion Flow Graph on page 5198.

2 Create a script using the clips in the Motion Flow Graph.
For information on how to create a script, see To create Motion Flow
Scripts on page 5205.

5208 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

A sample script called Kicking Script containing four clips

3 Click

(Save File) to save a Motion Flow Editor MFE file.

3ds Max opens the Save As dialog.

Biped | 5209

4 Specify a folder on your hard drive where you plan to store your Motion
Flow Editor files.
To load Motion Flow Editor files:

1

Select a biped.

2 Go to the

Motion panel.

3 On the Biped rollout, click
4 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
3ds Max opens a file dialog.

5210 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Motion Flow Mode).
(Load File).

5 Navigate to the folder where your MFE files are stored.
6 Choose the file to load.

7 Click

(Play Animation) to see the biped move to the scripted clips.

To append Motion Flow Editor files:

1

Select a biped.

2 Go to the

Motion panel.

3 On the Biped rollout, click
4 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Motion Flow Mode).
(Load File).

3ds Max opens a file dialog.

Biped | 5211

5 Select an MFE file from the folder where your Motion Flow Editor files
are stored.
6 Click

(Append File).

3ds Max opens a file dialog again.
7 Choose a different MFE file.
A new script appears in the script drop–down list and the appended
sequence of clips appears directly below the original sequence of clips in
the Motion Flow Graph dialog. You might have to scroll down to see it.

Customizing Transitions
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout
A good transition links two clips together seamlessly. The motion through
the transition should appear natural, as though the motion was captured as
one long motion sequence. If clips do not transition smoothly, you might
find it necessary to edit or customize your transitions.

5212 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

There are two ways to manually edit transitions:
■

In the Motion Flow Graph, you can right click a transition arrow.

■

If you have defined a script, highlight a clip and click the Edit Transition
button.

Transitions can be edited automatically by using the Optimize Transition
features. When you create a script, default transitions are set between the clips.
Default transitions use minimum motion loss and are quick to compute.
However, the best quality transitions are the optimized transitions. Optimized
transitions use a minimum foot sliding algorithm to compute the transition
and yield very good results.

Procedures
To manually customize transitions between two clips:

1

Select a biped. On the Biped rollout, turn on
Flow Mode).

(Motion

2 Create or load a script with at least two clips.
For information on how to create a script, see To create Motion Flow
Scripts on page 5205
3 Choose the first clip in the clip list in the Scripts section on the Motion
Flow rollout.
4 Click
(Edit Transition) to display the Transition Editor for the selected
clip and the clip following it in the list.
5 Scrub the Frame spinners in the Ghost areas of the Source Clip and
Destination Clip, to find a place in both clips to start the transition.
Two stick figures appear to help you find an appropriate start frame. The
yellow figure represents the Source Clip and the red figure represents the
Destination Clip.
The stick figures can be positioned far apart during this process. Look for
body motions in the two clips that will transition well.
6 In both Ghost groups, click
Start Frame.

(Set Start Frame) when you locate a good

Biped | 5213

character studio repositions the destination clip for a best body fit
between the two clips.
7 Set the transition duration in the Length field.
A transition duration of 10 to 25 frames is normal.
8 Click OK.

9 Click
transition.

(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to view the

To automatically customize transitions between two clips:

1

Select a biped. On the Biped rollout, turn on
Flow Mode).

(Motion

2 Create or load a script with at least two clips.
For information on how to create a script, see To create Motion Flow
Scripts on page 5205
3 Choose the first clip in the clip list in the Scripts section on the Motion
Flow rollout.
4 Click
(Edit Transition) to display the Transition Editor for the selected
clip and the clip following it in the list.
5 At the upper-left corner of the Transition Editor, click
Transition In Script).
6 Click

(Optimize Transition).3ds Max opens

the Transition Optimization dialog.

5214 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Next

7 Choose either Search Entire Clip or Search Near Existing Transition, and
click OK.
8 Click OK on the Transition Editor dialog.

9 Click
transition.

(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to view the

Creating Random Motion
You can randomly traverse clips in a motion flow graph to animate one or
more bipeds using controls in the Create Random Motion dialog. You set
parameters for random motion in the Motion Flow Graph, in the clip and
transition dialogs, as well as in the Create Random Motion dialog.
You create random motion by first adding clips to the Motion Flow Graph
and adding transitions between the clips. Clips and transitions are then given
percentages, which are used to create random motion for one or more bipeds.
You can manually control the “weighting” for a possible start clip, transitions,
and frame range. This allows you to animate multiple bipeds in a crowd scene
for example. A different script is created for each biped.

Biped | 5215

NOTE If you want to create random motion for multiple bipeds, they must be
sharing a motion flow.

Details of Random Motions
When choreographing a random motion for your biped, the default
“weighting” for all clips and transitions is set to 100. This ensures that all clips
and transitions have an equal chance of being chosen. You can adjust the
weighting of transitions in the Motion Flow Graph or Transition Editor to
give transitions a higher probability of being selected. You can also set a specific
start clip for your biped to use while the remainder of the clips in the script
are randomly chosen from the Motion Flow Graph.
To customize transition “weighting” and setting a start clip:

1

Select a biped. On the Biped rollout, turn on
Flow Mode).

5216 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Motion

2 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Show Graph).

This displays the Motion Flow Graph.
3 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Load File)

3ds Max opens a file dialog.

4 Choose an MFE file from the folder where your Motion Flow Editor files
are stored.
The clips and transitions appear in the Motion Flow Graph. Each
transition displays its “weighting” value, 100 by default.
5 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click
(Select Clip/Transition),
and right-click a transition that you want to adjust.
3ds Max opens the Transition Editor dialog.
6 Adjust the Probability setting to give the transition a higher or lower
probability of being randomly chosen for the motion flow script.
NOTE The Probability range is 0 to 100.

7 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Select Random Start Clips).

Biped | 5217

8 Select the clip you want used as the start clip.
The clip turns purple and is assigned a weighting of 100. The selected
clip will be used first by any biped using the random motion script.
9 In the Scripts section on the Motion Flow rollout, click
Random Motion).

(Create

10 On the Create Random Motion dialog, set a value for Minimum
Animation Length.
This should be long enough to include the clips you want in the
animation.
11 Click Create.
A random script is created based on clips in the Motion Flow Graph and
the Minimum Animation Length.

12 Click
transition.

(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to view the

Procedures
To create a random script for one biped:

1

Select a biped. On the Biped rollout, turn on
Flow Mode).

2 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Motion

(Show Graph).

This displays the Motion Flow Graph.
3 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Create Multiple Clips).

3ds Max opens a file dialog, where you can choose the location of your
BIP files.
4 After adding several clips and transitions, click
Clip/Transition) and select all the clips.

5218 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Select

5 On the Motion Flow Graph, click
(Create All Transitions). Click Yes
when asked if you want to create a transition from each selected clip to
itself.

6 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Select Random Start Clips).

All the transitions linking clips are weighted at 100, meaning all the
transitions have a even chance of starting first.
7 Region-select all the clips in the Motion Flow Graph.
The clips all turn purple and each is assigned a weighting of 100. All the
clips have an even chance of starting first.

Biped | 5219

8 In the Motion Flow rollout ➤ Scripts group, click
Motion).

(Create Random

9 On the Create Random Motion dialog, set a value for Minimum
Animation Length.
This should be long enough to include the clips you want in the
animation.
10 Click Create.
3ds Max creates a random script based on clips in the Motion Flow Graph.
You can vary clip and transition percentages in the clip dialog or
Transition Editor to favor a clip or transition if you like.

11 Click
script.

(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to view the random

Unifying Motion
The Create Unified Motion command allows you to create one motion from
a script. The entire unified motion is then available when you exit Motion
Flow mode.

5220 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Create Unified Motion converts a script into a freeform unified motion. The
created motion replaces animation present when the Motion Flow Mode
button is turned off. This is useful if you want to make changes to the biped
like raising its arms or turning its head.

Procedures
Example: To create a unified motion:
1 Create a biped.
2 On the Biped rollout, turn on

(Motion Flow Mode).

3 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Show Graph).

This displays the Motion Flow Graph.
4 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
file.
5 Click

(Load File), then open an MFE

(Create Unified Motion).

6 On the Biped rollout, turn off
7 Open the Layers rollout and click

(Motion Flow Mode).
(Create Layer).

A new layer is created and you see a red skeleton appear on your biped.

Biped | 5221

8 Activate the Front viewport and turn on

9 At frame 0,
the Y axis.

(Auto Key).

select and rotate the biped's upper left arm about

5222 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

10 Turn off

(Auto Key) and click

(Play Animation).

Sharing Motion Flow
Shared Motion Flow on page 5258 allows you to assign one motion flow to
multiple bipeds or crowds. Rather than building a motion flow network of
clips for each biped, you can create a motion flow with all the clips and
transitions to animate multiple bipeds. Random motion creation will use each
biped's own motion flow. If a biped’s motion flow happens to be a shared
motion flow, then the shared motion flow will be used to compute random
motion.
A biped that shares a motion flow shares only the clips you have added to the
Motion Flow Graph. Scripts are unique to each biped, although the scripts
point to the clips of the shared motion flow. You can manipulate each biped's
motion flow and scripts in the usual ways. You can create random motion on
a biped that shares a motion flow, or create a motion flow script using the
crowd system.

Biped | 5223

There are a few indicators in the user interface that show if a biped is using a
shared motion flow. If it is, a white circle surrounds the Shared Motion Flow
button when you edit that biped. If you edit that biped's motion flow graph,
the title of the graph dialog will say "Shared Motion Flow Graph", followed
by the name of the shared motion flow.
NOTE All bipeds in a shared motion flow should have the same leg scale and
structure. Adaptation for differently sized bipeds does not occur in a shared motion
flow. If you want differently sized bipeds in a crowd, then create a shared motion
flow for each size.
TIP The only way to save a shared motion flow, along with the bipeds sharing it,
and keep everything hooked up correctly is to save it all in a .max file.

Procedures
Example: To share a random motion flow among multiple bipeds:
1 Create three bipeds.
2 On the Biped rollout, turn on
3 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Motion Flow Mode).
(Shared Motion Flow).

3ds Max opens the Shared Motion Flow dialog.
4 On the Shared Motion Flow dialog, click New.
3ds Max creates a new shared motion flow.

5224 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 In the Shared Motion Flow dialog ➤ Parameters group, click Add.
6 On the Select dialog, choose all the bipeds.
The bipeds are added to the list. If you add clips to the motion flow graph
they will be shared by the bipeds.
7 Click OK to close the Shared Motion Flow dialog.
8 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

(Show Graph).

Biped | 5225

This displays the Motion Flow Graph.
9 Click
(Create Multiple Clips) and add three or four clips (or more)
to the Motion Flow Graph.
3ds Max opens a file dialog, where you can choose the location of your
BIP files.
10 After adding the clips, click
(Move Clips) and arrange the clips so
they are not so close to one another. This will make it easier to see the
transitions later.

11 Click

(Select Clip/Transition) and region-select all the clips.

12 On the Motion Flow Graph, click
(Create All Transitions), and click
Yes when asked if you want to create a transition from each selected clip
to itself.

5226 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

13 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, turn on
Clips).

(Select Random Start

All the transitions linking clips are weighted at 100, meaning all the
transitions have a even chance of being chosen randomly.
14 Region-select all the clips in the Motion Flow Graph dialog.
The clips all turn purple and each is assigned a weighting of 100. Now
all the clips have an even chance of starting first.

Biped | 5227

15 In the Motion Flow rollout ➤ Scripts group, click
Motion).3ds Max opens

(Create Random

the Create Random Motion dialog.
16 On the Create Random Motion dialog, change the second value that
follows Random Start Range to 10 or 20.
This will stagger the beginning of each biped’s movement.
17 Turn on Create Motion For All Bipeds Sharing This Motion Flow.
Failure to do this will result in the motion flow being added only to the
selected biped.
18 Click Create.
A Unify Options dialog appears once for each of the bipeds in the scene.
Click OK to accept the defaults.
After the Unify Options dialogs, an alert dialog asks if you want to put
all the bipeds into Motion Flow mode. Click Yes.
3ds Max creates a random script for each of the bipeds that shar the
motion flow. Footsteps appear in the viewports, and the bipeds’ initial
poses might change.

5228 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

19 Click
(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to view the effect
of the randomized script.
To apply a shared motion flow to a different group of bipeds:
character studio can save and load shared motion flow setups. With this
facility, you can create and refine a crowd simulation using bipeds that don't
have meshes attached, thus avoiding the computational overhead that
Physique requires. Once the simulation is ready, you can save the shared
motion flow setup, apply it to a similar set of bipeds with Physique applied,
and then render the final animation with no further crowd setup required.
For best results, the two sets of bipeds should have the same number of
members and be of comparable structure and size, and the biped structures
should have the same root names.
1 Create a biped/crowd simulation using a shared motion flow.
For details, see Using bipeds in a crowd simulation on page 5495.
2 On the Shared Motion Flow dialog, click Save and save the shared motion
flow in SMF format.
3 Set up a new scene containing the same number of bipeds, each with a
character mesh with Physique applied. The easiest way to do this is to
set up one such character and then clone it.
Make sure the bipeds have the same root names (for example, Bip001,
Bip002) as those in the original setup.

4

Select one of the bipeds. On the
(Motion Flow Mode), and then click

Motion panel, turn on
(Shared Motion Flow).

5 On the Shared Motion Flow dialog, click New, and then click Load and
load the shared motion flow from step 2.
The shared motion flow is loaded and applied to the new set of bipeds.
The biped names appear in the dialog list. If “(wrong scale)” appears after
any biped names, use the Reset Wrong Scales buttons to correct the scales.

Biped | 5229

6 Click
(Put Multiple Bipeds In Motion Flow) to place all of the
bipeds in the list in Motion Flow mode, and then click OK to exit the
dialog.

7

Play the animation to ensure that it's correct, and then render.

Refer to Working with Crowd Animation on page 5456 for information regarding
crowd animation.

Setting Up Paths for Motion Flow Files
On a Motion Flow Graph, the location of the referenced BIP files is saved in
the MFE file. If a BIP file cannot be found, 3ds Max looks in the Animations
directory specified by Configure User Paths ➤ File I/O on page 8875.
If a BIP file is not found in the Animations directory, then 3ds Max looks for
the file in the same location as the currently loaded MAX file. If it is still not
found, 3ds Max appends the local path of the referenced file to the path to
the current MAX file. The file is saved back to the same location in which it
is found.
If a referenced BIP file cannot be found in its current location, there are two
ways to resolve this.
■

From the Reset Unfound Motion Flow Files dialog, direct 3ds Max to the
folder where the missing BIP file resides.

5230 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Find and move the missing BIP file to the specified Motion Flow folder.

NOTE When you find the BIP file, you can turn on the Add Directory To .INI File
option and the directory is automatically added to your biped.ini file. Since the
biped.ini file accepts multiple search paths, the new directory is added as another
MoFloDir= line. 3ds Max will search the directories in the order they appear and
will use the first instance of the file that it finds. When network rendering, the file
names need to be UNC–compatible.

Procedures
To load a Motion Flow scene from another system:
1 Open a Motion Flow scene that was created on a different system.
If referenced BIP files cannot be found, the Reset Unfound Motion Flow
File dialog is displayed.

Biped | 5231

2 If any of the referenced BIP files are on your local drive, navigate to the
folder where they reside and select the BIP file.
3 Turn on the “Add Directory To .ini File” option, and click Open.
Turning on the Add Directory To .ini File option automatically adds
another MoFlowDir= line to your biped.ini file.

NOTE Turn on Add Directory to Search if you want to search for referenced
BIP files during your current session, but do not want to add the directories
to the biped.ini file.

4 Click
(Play Animation) after paths for all the referenced BIP files
are properly set.

5232 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Motion Flow Mode
Select a biped. ➤
(Motion Flow Mode)

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

In Motion Flow mode, you combine BIP files, using either velocity-interpolated
transitions or optimized transitions that compute minimum foot sliding, to
create longer character animations.
First you add clips and reference them to BIP files in the Motion Flow Graph.
You then use these to create a script in the Motion Flow Script list. You adjust
transitions between BIP files with the Transition Editor. You save scripts,
transitions, and clip references in a Motion Flow Editor file (MFE) for later
editing.

The Transition Editor uses ghosts to represent the source (yellow) and destination
(red) clips. Use these stick-figure ghosts to judge body position and set a likely start
frame in both clips for the transition.

Random Motion and Crowds
You can generate random motions for one or more bipeds using the Create
Random Motion command. For example, you can use these to animate a

Biped | 5233

crowd of bipeds. For a crowd, you must share one motion flow script among
many bipeds.
If you are driving a crowd using delegates and behaviors, then rather than a
completely random motion, character studio picks appropriate clips based on
the delegate's speed and direction. If the delegate slows to a stop, character
studio will find and use a clip that slows to a stop, if one exists.
In all crowd simulations you must load clips and create transitions before
synthesizing the crowd motion. Often, many clips are used to synthesize
crowds. Automatic transitions relieve you of having to create transitions
between clips manually.
One additional rollout displays in Motion Flow mode: The Motion Flow rollout
on page 5235 provides access to the Motion Flow Graph and lets you load and
save motion flow files (MFE). The rollout also contains a Scripts section where
you can create scripts, edit transitions, create a unified motion, and create
random motions for the bipeds.
NOTE In Motion Flow mode, some character studio controls are disabled.

Workflow: Getting Started with Clips and Transitions in Motion Flow Mode
Create your own library of BIP files from imported and converted
motion-capture data and from your own character animation. With a biped
selected, turn on Motion Flow mode. On the Motion Flow rollout, turn on
Show Graph to open the Motion Flow Graph. On the Motion Flow Graph,
click Create Clip, and add clips in the Motion Flow dialog. Associate the clips
to BIP files by first turning on Select Clips-Transitions on the Motion Flow
Graph toolbar and then right-clicking a clip icon; a clip dialog appears,
allowing you to browse for a clip.
Click Define Script on the Motion Flow rollout, then select a series of clips on
the Motion Flow Graph. By left-clicking on a clip it will appear in the Scripts
list. The clips are connected visually in the Motion Flow Graph with red arrows
(active script) representing default transitions (Minimum Motion Loss). The
default duration for a transition is 25 frames, which provides good results in
many cases. Transitions, by default, use velocity interpolation between clips.
Use Edit Transition in the Scripts section to fine-tune the transitions between
clips. Select a clip in the Scripts list, then from the Scripts commands, click
Edit Transition; the Transition Editor on page 5247 displays, and the source and
destination clip names are displayed at the top of the Transition Editor.
In the Source Clip area, Start Frame represents the frame in the source file
where the transition starts. For example, if Source Clip Start Frame is 60, the

5234 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

transition from the source clip starts at frame 60. The duration of the transition
is set in the Length field at the upper left; Length values are in frames. In this
example, if Length is set to 10, the transition to the destination clip takes 10
frames. In the Destination Clip area, Start Frame represents the frame in the
destination clip that the transition starts; a value of 80, for example, starts the
transition at frame 80 of the destination clip. In this example, the source clip
plays from 0 to 60, there is a 10 frame transition from frame 60 of the source
clip to frame 90 of the destination clip (frames 80 to 90 cover the destination
clip transition period), then the rest of the destination clip plays.
When the Transition Editor displays, the first things to try, before manually
editing the transition, are the Optimized Transitions. Optimized transitions
use a minimum foot sliding algorithm. The top right-hand corner of the
Transition Editor dialog is the icon for optimized transitions. If the optimized
transition is not satisfactory, try editing the transition manually.
Manual transition editing offers the most control; the Frame spinners in the
Ghost areas of the Transition Editor allow you to scrub the source and
destination clips while viewing two stick figures. Find a good start frame in
both clips using the Frame spinners. Things to look for in both clips are similar
supporting feet, body momentum that will appear natural, and arm motion
similarities. If velocity changes between the clips are too abrupt, use the Length
field to adjust the duration of the transition.
On the Motion Flow rollout, click Save File to save your work as an MFE file;
transitions and scripts are saved. These BIP files contain no footsteps. Biped
foot keys are saved with an IK Blend value of 1 for footsteps. To extract
footsteps, exit Motion Flow mode, use Load File on the Biped rollout, and
then click Convert. Convert looks at foot IK Blend values of 1 to extract
footsteps.
TIP The location of any referenced BIP file is saved in the MFE file. If the BIP file
cannot be found, a Missing Motion Flow Files dialog opens up respectively, in
which the missing files are listed. To rectify this, open the Asset Tracking dialog
on page 8115 and set a new path of the missing files.

Motion Flow Rollout
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout

Biped | 5235

The Motion Flow rollout displays when Motion Flow mode is active on the
Biped rollout. You can load, append, and save motion flow editor files (MFE),
and open the Motion Flow Graph on page 5242 and Shared Motion Flow dialogs
using controls on this rollout.
To load, append, or save a Motion Flow Editor (MFE) file, refer to the following
procedures:
■

To load Motion Flow Editor files on page 5210

■

To append Motion Flow Editor files on page 5211

■

To save Motion Flow Editor files on page 5208

Interface

5236 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Motion Flow buttons

Load File Load a Motion Flow Editor file (MFE). Motion Flow Editor files
include:
■

ClipsReferences to biped animation files.

■

TransitionsNames, attributes, and connections between clips.

■

ScriptsDifferent paths through a set of connected clips and transitions.

TIP The location of the referenced BIP files is saved in the MFE file. If the BIP file
cannot be found, 3ds Max looks in the Animations directory specified by Configure
User Paths ➤ File I/O on page 8875.
If you load an MFE file onto a biped using a shared motion flow, you will get
a warning and the biped will be removed from the shared motion flow. The
biped will get the newly loaded motion flow and all its scripts.
Append File Append a Motion Flow Editor (MFE) file to the MFE that
is already loaded. Displays a load file dialog.
The appended graph will appear directly below the bottom of the existing
graph in the graph window, so you may have to scroll down to see it.
Save File Save a Motion Flow Editor (MFE) file.
Saving an MFE file from a biped having a shared motion flow will save the
motion flow and its scripts as if it were not shared. It will be a normal MFE
file.
NOTE To save a script as a BIP file, use Unified motion to have the scripted motion
available when you exit Motion Flow mode.

Show Graph Opens the Motion Flow Graph on page 5242. The first step
in script creation is to add clips to the Motion Flow Graph.
Shared Motion Flow Displays the Shared Motion Flows dialog on page
5258. Allows you to create, delete, and modify shared motion flows. Shared
motion flows are used to animate one or more bipeds to simulate a crowd.

Biped | 5237

If the selected biped is using a shared motion flow, then the icon has
a white circle around it.

Scripts group
See Motion Flow Scripts Group on page 5238.

Motion Flow Scripts Group
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤ Scripts group
Create and delete scripts, name scripts, edit transitions, edit clips, and position
the entire animation using tools in the Scripts group. Create random motion
for one or more bipeds using controls in this rollout. The Scripts group on the
Motion Flow rollout is available only when Motion Flow mode on page 5233 is
active.

Scripts
A Script is a list of clips (BIP files) that you constructed and are executed as
you designed to animate a character. To create a script, add clips to the Motion
Flow Graph, then select Define Script in the Scripts group and click a sequence
of clips from the Motion Flow Graph window. Default transitions are assigned
if no transitions exist between the clips. The clip names and starting frame
numbers display in the list in the Scripts group.
Different scripts vary the order of the clips found in the Motion Flow Graph.
Scripts are run in a top-down order to animate the character. Click Play to
view script motion on the biped.
TIP As the length of a script varies, use Alt+R to set the Active Time in 3ds Max
to the length of the script. Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on
the main toolbar to enable Biped shortcuts.

Transitions Between Clips
By default, when a script is created, Minimum Motion Loss is used to find
likely start frames for the source and destination clips.

5238 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing transitions using the Transition Editor on page 5247 allows you to
determine where a transition occurs in the source and destination clip.
Transition duration and the orientation of the destination clip can also be
adjusted in the Transition Editor.

Random Motion
The Create Random Motion command traverses clips in the Motion Flow
Graph based on transition percentages. Transitions are given percentages, and
character studio creates random scripts based on the transition percentages.
This is a quick way to create crowd scenes or to try out different scripts on a
single biped. For example, if five clips are present in the Motion Flow Graph
and transitions exist between all the clips and each clip has a percentage or
probability of being used, you can use Create Random Motion to create a
script that is comprised of the five clips that are selected at random.

Position the Entire Animation
Use the Position, Rotation, and Start Frame controls to position the entire
animation. If you are editing the script for a character in a scene with other
objects or characters, use these controls to position the animation relative to
the rest of the scene.
For more information regarding scripts, refer to Creating a Motion Flow Script
on page 5204.

Biped | 5239

Interface

Define Script Displays the Biped Motion Flow Script dialog (no dialog
displays if there are no scripts; in this case, simply select clips in the Motion
Flow Graph).
The Biped Motion Flow Script dialog has the following options:
■

Create New ScriptNames a new script. Select clips in Motion Flow Graph
to create the clip list for the new script.

■

Redefine ScriptKeeps the script name and removes clips in the list. Select
clips in Motion Flow Graph to create a new clip list.

■

Insert Above Selected Clip itemInserts a clip above the selected clip in the
list.
First select a clip in the list, choose Insert Above Selected Clip item, and
then click a clip in the Motion Flow Graph.

■

Insert Below Selected Clip itemInserts a clip below the selected clip in the
list.

■

Append to End of ScriptAppends a clip to the end of the clip list.

5240 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Create Random Motion Displays the Create Random Motion on page
5255 dialog.
Controls in the Create Random Motion dialog allow you to create random
scripts to animate one or more bipeds. Random motion on multiple bipeds
can be used to create a crowd scene.
Delete Script Deletes the current script; displays the previous script if
one is present.
Create Unified Motion Converts a script into a Freeform unified motion.
The created motion replaces animation present when Motion Flow Mode is
turned off.
Go to Frame Make the first frame of the selected clip the current frame.
Cut Removes the selected clip from the script list and creates a default
transition to the next clip on the list.
Copy Copy the selected clip to the clipboard.
Paste Paste a clip from the clipboard.
Clip Mode Edit biped footsteps and limbs for the selected clip. Use Set
Key on the Keyframing rollout to set biped limb keys.
Edit Clip Displays the Clip Properties dialog on page 5263. Change the
start and end frame for the current clip, or replace the current clip with another
one. You can also set the Random Start Probability here. Random Start
Probability is used when multiple clips are selected as possible start clips when
you generate a random motion flow.
The clip name in the script list and the icon in the graph window are updated
if the clip is replaced.
Edit Transition Displays the Transition Editor on page 5247 for the selected
clip.
Edit the transition for the selected clip and the clip following it. By default,
when a script is created, Minimum Motion Loss is used to find start frames

Biped | 5241

for the source and destination clips. Use Edit Transition to select your own
start frames or to try out optimized transitions.
NOTE Right-clicking a transition “arrow” in the Motion Flow Graph also displays
the Transition Editor, but it will only give you the basic transition editing tools. To
edit the transition’s Source Clip-Frame Start and the Destination Clip, use the Edit
Transition button.

Move the Entire Animation
Start Frame Set the start frame for the first clip in the script.
Start Position X Move the entire script along a world X-axis.
Start Position Y Move the entire script along a world Y-axis.
Start Position Z Move the entire script along a world Z-axis.
Start Rotation Rotate the entire script around the world Z-axis.
All transformation and rotation is based on the original position and affect
the entire script.

Motion Flow Graph Dialog
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤
Motion Flow Graph dialog

(Show Graph) ➤

Use tools in the Motion Flow Graph to add clips to the graph, calculate
optimized transitions, set random script transition values, move and delete
clips, and display clip dependencies. Clips and transitions display as icons in
the Motion Flow Graph dialog.
The Motion Flow Graph displays when you click Show Graph on the Motion
Flow rollout on page 5235 on the Motion panel.
The first step in Motion Flow mode is to add clips in the Motion Flow Graph
for use in scripts. Clips represent all or part of a BIP file. Scripts represent
different paths through the clips in the Motion Flow Graph. The first clip in
the current script is red. Transitions are shown as arrows between clips, red

5242 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

arrows represent the path through the active script. Black transition arrows
indicate unloaded scripts. A transition looping back to the same clip represents
a cycle or loop.
If the biped is using a shared motion flow, then the title of the graph window
will say "*SHARED* Motion Flow Graph", followed by the name of the shared
motion flow. Shared Motion Flows are used to control multiple bipeds with
one shared motion flow.
By default, minimum motion loss is used to compute transitions. Optimized
transitions use an algorithm that uses minimum foot sliding. Optimized
transitions take longer to compute but yield very high quality results.

Random Scripts for One or More Bipeds
You can create random scripts by using the Create Random Motion command
in the Script group on the Motion Flow rollout. Random scripts are created
by randomly traversing clips in a motion flow graph. To use Create Random
Motion, each biped must be in the same shared motion flow.
To use a shared motion flow to create random scripts for multiple bipeds, the
first step is to click Shared Motion Flow on the Motion Flow rollout, and then
add bipeds that will share one shared motion flow. On the Motion Flow Graph,
clips are added and transitions are created between all the clips. Then Create
Random Motion is used to compute a random motion for all the bipeds.
Clips and transitions are given percentages that are used by character studio
to generate random scripts. Percentages for clips and transitions are set in the
clip dialogs and in the Transition Editor dialog.
You can load many clips and use Create All Transitions to create all possible
transitions between the clips. You can then use Optimize Selected Transitions
to create optimized transitions. Once the transitions are created, you can
quickly create scripts with optimized transitions or generate random motions
for a crowd of bipeds.
The MFE file stores pointers to the clips, transition parameters, and scripts.
See Placing Motions on the Motion Flow Graph on page 5195 to add clips to
the graph, or Creating Random Motion on page 5215 to create a random script
and transitions.

Biped | 5243

Interface

Create Clip Select and click in the dialog window to create clips.
The clips are empty. Right-click a clip using the Select Clip tool to display the
Clip Properties dialog on page 5263; then select a BIP file and set its duration in
the Clip Properties dialog. You can also set the Random Start Probability here.
Random Start Probability is used when multiple clips are selected as possible
start clips when you generate a random motion flow.
NOTE Setting clip duration is not critical for transitions; the Transition Editor on
page 5247 allows you to start and end a transition on any frame of a clip.

Create Multiple Clips Load multiple motion files.
Displays an open file dialog. Select multiple files and click OK; multiple files
are loaded into the Motion Flow Graph window.
Set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (BIP files only) Sets the lowest starting
foot height to Z=0. This is an option in the Load File dialog. Default=On.
In Biped, the height of a motion clip can be retained. This is important if you
want to retain the height of a motion clip for motions adapted to characters

5244 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

of different sizes. If, for example, the character is jumping off a rock and you
want to retain the Z position of the character, you would turn this option off.
Leave this option off if Motion Flow motions must be blended that begin and
end at different heights, such as three clips that have the character mounting
a bicycle, riding the bicycle, and dismounting the bicycle.
Turning off this option can, however, cause a jump in the motion during
motion flow transitions. Turn this on for smooth transitions in Motion Flow
mode. If adaptation takes place, the height is set so that the lowest foot at
frame 0 starts at the Z=0 height. This lines up clips along the Z axis and creates
smooth transitions.
Create Transition From –> To Create a transition between two clips.
Click+drag from one clip to another in the Motion Flow Graph dialog. Click
on a single clip and then mouse up to create a loop transition. It is necessary
to have this capability in order to create random scripts. You can create
transitions which are not included in a script.

Create Transition To –> From Create a transition between two clips.
Click+drag to one clip from another in the Motion Flow Graph dialog. Click
on a single clip and then mouse up to create a loop transition. It is necessary
to have this capability in order to create random scripts. You can create
transitions which are not included in a script.
Create All Transitions Creates transitions between every clip, including
loop transitions. Select all the clips that require transitions, then click Create
All Transitions. The transitions are not optimized. Use Optimize Selected
Transitions to optimize the transitions. Optimized transitions take time to
compute but are high quality.
Delete Clip/Transition Deletes a clip or transition.
If a script is dependent on the clip, a dialog displays a warning; clicking OK
on the dialog deletes the clip and the script that is dependent on it.
If you delete the selected clips and transitions from a shared motion flow, it
will delete all the scripts from all the bipeds sharing that motion flow which
are dependent on those clips and transitions.
Select Clip/Transition Selects a motion clip or transition.

Biped | 5245

Right-click a clip to display the Clip Properties dialog on page 5263. Right-click
a transition to display the Transition Editor dialog on page 5247.
Move Clip Moves clips within the Motion Flow Graph. This does not
affect the animation.

Pan Pans the layout of the clips.

Zoom Adjusts the view magnification of the Motion Flow window.
Drag up to increase magnification. Drag down to decrease magnification.

Zoom Region Click Zoom Region mode to drag a rectangular region
and magnify that region to fill the Motion Flow Graph window.

Fit to Window Re-sizes the contents to fit the size of the Motion Flow
Graph window.
Save Clip Files Lets you set a path where selected clip files can be stored.
Clip Mode Edit biped footsteps and limbs for the selected clip. Use Set
Key on the Keyframing rollout to set biped limb keys. Clips turn green in the
Motion Flow Graph window in Clip Mode.
Show Script Dependencies Displays the scripts that use the selected
clip.
If you push the Show Script Dependencies button on a shared motion flow
graph, it will check all the bipeds sharing that motion flow for scripts
dependent on the selected clips and transitions.
Select Random Start Clips Turn on and select clips in the Motion Flow
Graph window.
Press Ctrl+click to add clips. Selected clips are used by Create Random Motion
in the Scripts group to start on one of the selected clips based on percentage.
If three clips are selected using the default weighting of 100, then each clip
has an equal chance of being the start clip.

5246 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Show Random Percentages Displays clip and transition percentages in
the Motion Flow Graph window.
Random start clips display in purple and display their probability of starting
a random script. This also shows the probability (0 - 100) that each transition
will be chosen. Create Random Motion in the Scripts group uses clip and
transition percentages to generate random scripts.
Optimize Selected Transitions Select one or more transitions and then
click Optimize Selected Transition to optimize them. Displays the Transition
Optimization dialog on page 5261 to set the location of the transition.
Optimized transitions take time to compute. A progress bar is displayed when
you use this feature. Minimum foot sliding is the method used to compute
an optimized transition.
Show Optimal Transition Costs Displays costs in the Motion Flow
Graph window. The lower the number the better the transition.
Check All Transitions Checks the graph for overlapping transitions and
transitions whose length is too long for the clip. It informs you of any
problems, or tells you that none have been found.

Auto Clip Names Names the clip based on
the name of the motion file.
Turn off to name a clip yourself.

Transition Editor
Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Scripts group ➤ Select a clip in the script list. ➤

Click

(Edit Transition). ➤ Transition Editor

Biped | 5247

Display the Transition Editor by selecting a clip in the list of the Scripts group
and clicking Edit Transition in the same group or right-clicking a transition
arrow in the Motion Flow Graph.

Transitions
A good transition links two clips together seamlessly; the motion through the
transition should appear natural, as though the motion was captured as one
long motion sequence. Like an AB roll transition in video editing, an
appropriate section in both clips is selected for the transition (dissolve) from
the source clip to the destination clip. Velocity differences between the source
and destination clips are matched during the period of transition producing
a seamless result. By default, Minimum Motion Loss is used to find likely start
frames in the source and destination clips when clips are appended to a script.
Optimized transitions can be computed by using Optimize Transition in the
upper right-hand corner of the Transition Editor dialog. Optimized transitions
use a minimum foot sliding method to compute transitions. Optimized
transitions take longer to compute, but produces very smooth motions.
Although only one arrow is used to represent a transition between two clips
in the Motion Flow Graph, any number of transitions can be named and
stored in the Transition Editor representing that transition. If, for example,
you create 5 different transitions between two clips for one script, all of these
transitions are available in a new script that uses the same two clips. Think of
Motion Flow Graph as a data storage area; if all of the scripts are deleted, the
transitions are preserved and can be stored in an MFE file.

Automatic Transitions
When you create a script, default transitions are used between the clips. Default
transitions use minimum motion loss and are quick to compute. However,
the best quality transitions are the optimized transitions. Once the Transition
Editor is open, the first thing to try, before manual editing, are the optimized
transitions (upper-right corner of the dialog).

Length (Transition Duration)
Set the duration of a transition in the Length field. A value of 10, for example,
creates a transition of 10 frames between the source and destination clips.
During the period of transition, the velocity of the source clip is interpolated
to the velocity of the destination clip. If the transition takes place at the last
frame of the source clip and the first frame of the destination clip, and Length
is set to 10, then the last frame of the source clip is interpolated with the first
10 frames of the destination clip.

5248 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Editing Transitions Manually (Ghosts)
Manually setting the Start Frame for the source and destination clips offers
the most control. Unwanted motion in either clip can be avoided and judging
the best Start Frames for both clips is left to you.
The Ghost area Frame spinners allow you to view and scrub the source and
destination clips by displaying stick figures (ghosts); yellow and red stick
figures represent the source and destination clips. When a suitable Start Frame
is located for both clips, use Set Start Frame in the Ghost area to copy the
Frame values to the Start Frame fields in the Source and Destination Clip areas.
Scrubbing the time slider over the transition period enables you to view the
biped's transition from the yellow stick figure (source) to the red stick figure
(destination).

Other Transition Editor Features
Rolling and Fixed specify whether a clip is rolling (in motion) or fixed (single
frame) during the transition. Change the direction of the destination clip
using the Angle field.
Other parameters in the Transition Editor allow you to create and name new
transitions, scroll through the saved transitions, jump to the transition-starting
frame, set automatic transition parameters, and go to the next transition in
the script
You can save all transitions and their attributes in an MFE file.
See Customizing Transitions on page 5212 to manually and automatically
customize transitions.

Biped | 5249

Interface

Length Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition.
Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out
abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions.
Ease In Ease-in value for the source clip.
Ease Out Ease-out value for the destination clip.
Transition Focus Lets you specify a focus point on the biped where the
transition takes place. The Mixer will attempt to match movement based on
this selection. For example, if Left Foot is selected, the transition will use the
left foot as a focal point during the transition, aligning the motion of the left
foot in both clips as much as possible during the transition. Default=Auto.
■

AutoThe transition focus is calculated by averaging the overall position of
the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.

5250 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Center Of MassThe transition focus is based on the center of mass position
of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.

■

Left FootThe transition focus is based on the left foot position of the biped
as it transitions from one clip to the next.

■

Right FootThe transition focus is based on the right foot position of the
biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.

■

Both FeetThe transition focus is based on an averaged foot position of both
of the biped's feet as it transitions from one clip to the next.

NOTE The best way to see the differences between the transition foci is by
watching the yellow and red ghosts.
Angle Sets the direction of the destination clip.
The angle of the destination clip is automatically set for best body fit between
the two clips when the Start Frame values change. Use Angle to change the
direction of the destination clip.
Probability Set a probability value for random transitions. This is used by
Create Random Motion when a random script is generated.

Previous/Next Transition buttons, Start Frame controls, and Optimize
button

Previous Transition Go to the previous transition in the transition
track.
Displays the previous transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider
to the start frame of the previous transition and highlights the previous clip
in the transition track.

Next Transition Go to the next transition in the transition track.

Biped | 5251

Displays the next transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider to
the start frame of the next transition and highlights the next clip in the Scripts
list.
Start Frame This text field displays the number of the first frame of the
transition.

Go To Start Frame Moves the time slider to the first frame of the
transition.

Optimize Transition Displays the Transition Optimization dialog on
page 4117.
Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to search for the
range over which the optimizer searches for the transition.

Source Clip and Destination Cip groups

Clip range This text field displays the range of the source or destination clip.
The ranges are relative to the clip itself, not to the frame range of the full
animation.
Start Frame Sets the transition start frame for the source or destination clip.
The start frame is relative to the clip itself, not to the frame range of the full
animation.
Transition options These choices control how the transition is interpolated.
■

RollingRetains the clip motion during the transition.

■

FixedFor the source clip, this option freezes the biped at the Start Frame
position during the transition. For the destination clip, this option freezes
the biped at the End Frame position. If Fixed is chosen for both the source
and destination clips, the transition is a gradual interpolation from one
frozen pose to another.

5252 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Ghost subgroups (Source and Destination clips)

The Ghost group Frame spinners allow you to view and scrub the source and
destination clips by displaying stick figures (ghosts); yellow and red stick
figures represent the source and destination clips. The source and destination
bipeds might not be near each other during this scrubbing process; the
destination clip will be repositioned when you click Set Start Frame is clicked.
When you locate a suitable start frame, click Set Start Frame to copy the values
in the Frame field to the Start Frame field. Monitor foot position status in the
field provided.

Set Start Frame Copy the value in the Frame field of the Ghost area
to the Start Frame field in the Clip area. The position of the destination clip
changes to match the biped body in the destination clip to the biped body in
the source clip.

Biped | 5253

Locate an appropriate start frame for the source and destination clips by using
the Frame spinner and viewing the positions of both stick figures, then click
Set Start Frame.
The destination clip is rotated and positioned to match both bipeds. Use the
Angle spinner to reorient the destination clip.
Frame Use the Frame spinner to scrub a stick figure back and forth, which
allows you to determine a start frame for the source and destination clips.
Visual feedback of the stick figures is a good way to judge which start frames
are needed for the source and destination clips.

Playback group

These controls let you play back the transition from the Transition Editor
dialog.

Play Transition Click to play the transition. Click again to stop
playback.
Speed Chooses the playback speed.
■

1/4 x Plays at one-quarter of real time.

■

1/2 x Plays at half real time.

■

1 x (The default.) Plays at real time (full speed).

Frames Before/Frames After Set the number of frames to play before and
after the transition period.
Selected Only When on, plays back only the selected biped. Default=off.
Play Ghosts When on, shows transition ghosts during playback. Default=off.

_____

5254 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Create Transition Click to create a new transition. The transition
number field increments. Any number of transitions can be stored.
NOTE Clicking OK saves the displayed transition. Create Transition is used only
if you want to work on a new transition.

Delete Transition Click to delete a transition.

Previous Transition Go to the previous stored transition. This button
is grayed if no previous transition exists.

Next Transition Go to the next stored transition. This button is grayed
if no next transition exists.
Active transition Displays the number of the transition that is currently
active.
Name field In this field, you can enter a name or a comment for the current
transition. On the Motion Flow rollout, the text you enter here appears to the
right of the original clip name.
OK Store transitions and exit the dialog.

Create Random Motion Dialog
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤ Scripts group ➤
(Create Random Motion) ➤ Create Random Motion dialog
You can randomly traverse clips in a motion flow graph to animate one or
more bipeds using controls in the Create Random Motion dialog. Parameters

Biped | 5255

for random motion are set in the Motion Flow Graph, in the clip and transition
dialogs, as well as in the Create Random Motion dialog.
Random motion is created by first adding clips to the Motion Flow Graph
window and adding transitions between the clips. Clips and transitions are
then given percentages, which are used to create random motion for one or
more bipeds. You can manually control the “weighting” for possible start clip,
transitions, and frame range. This allows you to animate multiple bipeds in
a crowd scene, for example. A different script is created for each biped.
If you want to create random motion for multiple bipeds, they must be sharing
a motion flow. For more information about using random motions and
transitions, refer to Creating Random Motion on page 5215.

Interface

Script Name Type a name for the script to be generated.
Random Start Range Set the start and end frame range over which the new
script(s) will start.
Minimum Animation Length Set the minimum animation length.

5256 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When a random motion is created, it is done by making a motion flow script
which traverses the clips in the Motion Flow Graph, adding clips based on
random calculations. It will add clips until the length of the script is greater
than or equal to the minimum animation length, specified here.
first clip in script Gets the start position and rotation from the first clip.
biped’s current position/rotation Uses the biped’s current position to start
the script.
Create motion flow script Creates a script after computing the motion.
If this is on, a motion flow script will be created. If not, a script will still be
created internally in order to generate the random motion, but it will be
deleted after the random motion is generated.
Append to existing script Appends random motion to the existing script.
Create unified motion Creates a unified motion. The generated motion will
be available when you exit Motion Flow mode.
If multiple bipeds are in the random calculation, then the motion is unified
for each biped.
Store as .bip file Stores the random motion as a BIP file.
If multiple bipeds are in the random calculation, they are saved separately
with incrementing numbers.
File Name Type a name for the BIP file.
The .bip extension is added automatically.
Directory Type a directory path or browse for the path.
Browse Browse to a directory.
Create motion for all bipeds sharing this motion flow Turn on to create a
random script for each biped sharing the current biped’s motion flow.
You can create a shared motion flow by using the Shared Motion Flow
command on the Motion Flow rollout and adding bipeds in the Shared Motion
Flow dialog.
Create Creates random motion for the selected biped or all the bipeds in the
shared motion flow.
Cancel Cancel and close the dialog.

Biped | 5257

Shared Motion Flow Dialog
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤
Flow) ➤ Shared Motion Flow dialog

(Shared Motion

Controls in the Shared Motion Flow dialog allow you to assign one motion
flow to multiple bipeds. Instead of choreographing a motion flow script for
individual bipeds, you can create a motion flow with all the clips and
transitions to create a script to animate multiple bipeds.
Random motion creation will use each bipeds' own motion flow. If a biped’s
motion flow happens to be a shared motion flow, then the shared motion
flow will be used to compute random motion.
A biped that shares a motion flow shares only the graph. Its scripts are unique
to that biped, although the scripts point to the clips of the shared motion
flow. You can manipulate that biped's motion flow and scripts. You can create
random motion on a biped that shares a motion flow, or create a motion flow
script via the crowd system.
A white circle around the Shared Motion Flow icon indicates that a biped is
using a shared motion flow. If you edit that biped's motion flow graph, the
title of the graph dialog will say "Shared Motion Flow Graph", followed by the
name of the shared motion flow.
Bipeds in a shared motion flow should have the same lower body scale and
structure. Adaptation for differently sized bipeds does not occur in a shared
motion flow. If you want differently sized bipeds in a crowd, then create a
shared motion flow for each size.
See Sharing Motion Flow on page 5223 for more details about setting up a shared
motion flow.

5258 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Shared Motion Flows list Lists shared motion flows.
New Creates a new shared motion flow.
Delete Deletes the current shared motion flow.
The scripts of the bipeds sharing the deleted motion flow will be deleted.
Those bipeds will have an empty motion flow graph and no scripts.
Load Loads a shared motion flow (SMF) file.

Biped | 5259

This file is created with the Save command (see following). The file contains
the shared motion flow graph as well as the scripts for all bipeds sharing the
motion flow.
Save Saves a shared motion flow (SMF) file.
The file contains the shared motion flow graph as well as the scripts for all
bipeds sharing the motion flow.
Use this facility to speed biped/crowd-simulation setup. Create and refine the
crowd simulation with bipeds that don't use Physique, save the shared motion
flow, load or create your final crowd members that use Physique, and then
load the shared motion flow. For a procedure, see To apply a shared motion
flow to a different group of bipeds: on page 5229.
Load .mfe Displays a load file dialog. Load an MFE file into the shared motion
flow.
NOTE If you load aN MFE file, via the Motion Flow rollout, into a biped using a
shared motion flow, you will get a warning and the biped will be removed from
the shared motion flow. The biped will get the newly loaded motion flow and all
its scripts. The shared motion flow will remain the same.
Bipeds Sharing this Motion Flow list Lists the bipeds that share this motion
flow.
Add Displays a dialog where you can choose bipeds to add to the motion flow
list.
Add bipeds to the list of bipeds that share a motion flow. When you add a
biped, its current motion flow graph and motion flow scripts will be deleted.
It will now have the shared motion flow graph. A biped can only share one
motion flow graph. You must remove a biped from its shared motion flow in
order to add it to a different shared motion flow.
Remove Removes the selected bipeds in the list from the current shared motion
flow.
These bipeds' scripts will be deleted. They will have an empty motion flow
graph.

Put Multiple Bipeds in Motion Flow Put the bipeds in the list into
Motion Flow mode.
The crowd system needs Motion Flow mode to be turned on to perform
calculations for motion. This is a convenient way of turning on Motion Flow
mode for multiple bipeds.

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Take Multiple Bipeds out of Motion Flow Take the bipeds in the list
out of Motion Flow mode.
Set Shared Moflow Leg Scale Adapts the shared motion flow to the scale of
the biped currently selected in the list. After this operation, the selected biped
will have the correct leg scale, although other bipeds may not.
Reset Wrong Scales Just Legs: Reset the leg scale only of the bipeds that have
the wrong scale, so that they adapt appropriately to the shared motion flow.
Reset Wrong Scales Entire Figure: Resets the entire figure structure of the
bipeds that have the wrong scale, to match the figure structure of the correctly
scaled biped.
When you add the first biped to the shared motion flow, the system adapts
to the size of that biped. If the leg scale of a biped you add subsequently doesn't
match that of the first biped, it will be marked in the list with "wrong scale"
after it.
All the bipeds you plan on using in a shared motion flow must have the same
lower body structure and scale.

Transition Optimization Dialog
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤
(Show Graph) ➤
Motion Flow Graph dialog ➤ Select transitions in the graph window. ➤

(Optimize Selected Transitions) ➤ Transition Optimization dialog

Select a biped. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤
(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤ Scripts group ➤ Select a

Biped | 5261

clip in the Script list. ➤

(Edit Transition) ➤ Transition Editor ➤

(Optimize Transition) ➤ Transition Optimization dialog
Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to select the range
over which the optimize algorithm will search for the transition. It can search
either the whole clip, or it can search near the existing transition. You must
specify the preferred length of the optimized transition. character studio will
try to get as close to that length as possible, still opting to give you the best
length.
If it searches about the existing transition, you must specify the number of
frames about which it will search before and after the existing transition.
Optimized transitions compute for minimum foot sliding over the range of
the transition. This method yields very high quality results.

Interface

Preferred Transition Length Specify the length of the optimized transition.
Search Entire Clip Search the entire clip for an optimized transition start
frame.

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Search Near Existing Transition Create an optimized transition near the
existing transition. You may search the range about the existing transitions
by setting before and after frame values.

Clip Properties Dialog
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout ➤

(Motion Flow Mode) ➤ Motion Flow rollout ➤
(Show Graph) ➤
Motion Flow Graph dialog ➤ Right-click a clip in the Motion Flow Graph
window. ➤ Clip Properties dialog
Motion Flow Mode ➤ Motion Flow script rollout ➤ Select a clip in the list.
➤ Edit Clip ➤ Clip Properties dialog
Parameters in the Clip Properties dialog allow you to browse for a clip, set a
start and end frame for the clip and set a random start probability for the clip.
Random start probability is used when you use Create Random Motion to
generate a random script for a biped.

Interface

Clip Name The clip name as it appears in the Motion Flow Graph.
File Name The path and file name of the motion clip.
Length The length of the clip in frames.

Biped | 5263

Browse Displays a load file dialog. Browse for a motion file.
Set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (.bip files only) Sets the lowest starting
foot height to Z=0. This is an option in the Load File dialog. Default=On.
In character studio the height of a motion clip can be retained. This is
important if you want to retain the height of a motion clip for motions adapted
to characters of different sizes. If, for example, the character is jumping off a
rock and you want to retain the Z position of the character, you would turn
this option off. Leave this option off if Motion Flow motions must be blended
that begin and end at different heights, such as three clips that have the
character mounting a bicycle, riding the bicycle, and dismounting the bicycle.
Turning off this option can, however, cause a jump in the motion during
motion flow transitions. Turn this on for smooth transitions in Motion Flow
mode. If adaptation takes place, the height is set so that the lowest foot at
frame 0 starts at the Z=0 height. This lines up clips along the Z axis and creates
smooth transitions.
Start Frame Sets the start frame for the clip.
End Frame Sets the end frame for the clip.
Active Activates the clip. Inactive clips display as a green color in the Motion
Flow Graph.
Random Start Probability Set a percentage for random start probability. This
is used when multiple clips are selected as possible starting clips in a random
motion flow. The Create Random Motion command allows you to generate
random motion for one or more bipeds.

Working with Motion-Capture Data
Motion capture is the practice of getting motion data from live actors
performing various actions. The motion data is captured (retrieved) via sensors
placed at the actors' joints and extremities.
3ds Max does not perform motion capture, but it accepts motion-capture data
in the most commonly used formats. This data can be imported to the biped
and used as is, or combined with other motions with Motion Flow on page
5194 or the Motion Mixer on page 4038.
Motion-capture data typically needs some adjustment before it fits your biped
or animation perfectly. When motion-capture data is imported to 3ds Max,
it can be filtered to:
■

Use fewer keyframes

5264 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Create footstep motion

■

Use props in the scene

In addition, some motion-capture files come with a separate marker file, which
can be used to match the biped posture to the motion-capture actor.

How Motion-Capture Data is Acquired
Motion-capture data is typically acquired by one of several means:
■

Optical sensing technology
Optical systems have become quite popular over the last couple of years.
These systems can offer the performer the most freedom of movement
since they do not require any cabling. Optical systems incorporate
directionally reflective balls, referred to as markers on page 9216, that attach
to the performer. Optical systems require at least three video cameras, each
of which is equipped with a light source that is aligned to illuminate the
field of view for that camera. Each camera is in turn connected to a
synchronized frame buffer. The computer is presented with each camera
view in order to calculate a 3D position of each marker; the resulting data
stream therefore consists of 3D position data for each marker. This data is
typically applied to an inverse kinematics system, to animate a skeleton.

■

Electro-magnetic sensing technology
This is a popular method used for performance capture. Magnetic capture
involves the use of a centrally located transmitter, and a set of receivers
that are strapped on to various parts of the performer’s body. These receivers
are capable of measuring their spatial relationship to the transmitter. Each
receiver is connected to an interface that can be synchronized to prevent
data skew. The resulting data stream consists of 3D positions and
orientations for each receiver. This data is typically applied to an inverse
kinematics system to drive an animated skeleton. This magnetic approach
shares the same lack of occlusion problems with the audio method, but it
also shares the same negative factors, such as the hindrance of cables, lack
of sufficient receivers, and the limited capture area. In addition, being
magnetic, the system is affected by any sizable areas of metal in the vicinity
of the capture area, such as girders, posts, and so on

■

Prosthetic sensing technology
This is one of the early methods for capturing the motion from various
parts of human anatomy. These methods include simple "on/off" type of
motion-detection systems as well as complex motion-tracking systems.
The latter type of prosthetic motion capture would be an ideal approach
if it weren’t for the complex mechanical requirements and the

Biped | 5265

performance-inhibiting qualities generally associated with such designs.
However, the type of data provided can be clean, rotational data collected
in real time without any occlusion problems. This method is based on a
set of armatures that must be attached all over the performer’s body. The
armatures are then connected to each other by using a series of rotational
and linear encoders. These encoders are then connected to an interface
that can simultaneously read all the encoders in order to prevent data
skewing. Finally, through a set of trigonometry functions, the performer’s
motion can be analyzed. These design restrictions seem to be quite difficult
to overcome, and will probably limit the use of this type of device for
character animation.
■

Acoustic sensing technology
Acoustic capture is another method currently used for performance capture.
This method involves the use of a triad of audio receivers. An array of audio
transmitters are strapped to various parts of the performer's body. The
transmitters are sequentially triggered to output a "click" and each receiver
measures the time it takes for the sound to travel from each transmitter.
The calculated distance of the three receivers is triangulated to provide a
point in 3D space. An inherent issue with this approach is the sequential
nature of the position data it creates. In general, one would like to see a
"snap shot" of the performer’s skeletal position rather than a time-skewed
data stream. This position data is typically applied to an inverse kinematics
system, which in turn drives an animated skeleton.

Importing Motion-Capture Data
In character studio, you can import both rotation and position type
motion-capture files.
■

BioVision (.bvh) files contain limb and joint rotation data.

■

character studio marker files (.csm) contain raw marker position data
generated by a motion-capture device: markers are attached to an actor
during a motion-capture performance.
Marker files typically require some calibration. If necessary, the biped is
sized to fit the markers first, then the biped limbs are oriented to align
them to the markers. Marker files should be loaded with keys at every
frame and no footstep extraction; this is required for calibration, and also
enables the calibration controls. Calibration controls are the second row
of buttons on the Motion Capture rollout.
In character studio, the .csm marker file format supports a prop bone in
either or both hands. See Prop Bone on page 5272.

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Key reduction, track selection, footstep extraction, and clip looping are some
of the options available using the Motion Capture import filter. Key reduction
makes it easy to manipulate the biped and personalize the imported
motion-capture data. Extracting footsteps from motion-capture data prevents
inappropriate sliding feet, which are a common problem with motion-capture
data.
Typically you do not use an entire motion-capture clip as is, unless you capture
motions at a studio for your own production. You should become familiar
with the body motion in the files you have, then use Motion Flow mode to
cut portions of these files together to create animation. For example, take a
stretch motion in one clip, and combine it with the walking motion in another
clip. You can then save the edited script as a BIP file using the Save Segment
command on the Biped rollout. Load this BIP file for standard motion editing.
This provides a good starting place for you to edit the result to your liking.
All motion-capture controls are on the Motion Capture rollout on page 5273.

Filtering Motion-Capture and Marker Data
Select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout ➤ Click

(Load Motion Capture File).
Motion-capture and marker data typically have keys at every frame. Filtering
motion-capture data reduces keys, simplifying the job of altering or
personalizing the motion data.
Biped lets you filter the data of each track with its own filtering settings, so
you have control over which nuances of motion you want to pick up without
filling the rest of the tracks with unwanted keys. Filtering is done using the
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters rollout.
Other filtering options include footstep filtering and extraction, looping the
data, and importing a portion of the motion-capture file.
3ds Max ships with a variety of raw (unfiltered) motion-capture data files, in
BIP, CSM, and BVH formats. Some of the same data is available in filtered
versions, either with footsteps or freeform. Try your own filtering adjustments
on the raw versions of this data. Importing the raw data displays the original
motion very accurately when you select Show Buffer on the Motion Capture

Biped | 5267

rollout. Use the Motion Capture buffer as a guide when adjusting and refining
the filtered data. Several tools are available in the Motion Capture rollout to
aid you in this process.
Create your own library of imported and optimized motion capture data by
saving BIP files for use with other characters, or as part of a longer script in
Motion Flow mode. Use a biped that has no mesh attached with Physique.
TIP Overall, you import the data, adjust it to your liking, and save it as a BIP file.
You can also run standard BIP files through this filtering process to create loops
or to extract footsteps from a freeform animation.
NOTE Marker files, such as CSM, contain position data. Hierarchical motion-capture
files, such as BVH, contain joint rotation data.

Motion Capture rollout

character studio Marker Files
The .csm on page 9128 format is an ASCII file used to import positional marker
data from motion-capture systems onto a biped.

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The Show Markers command displays marker positions and names.

Procedures
To import a motion-capture file:

1

Select a biped.

2 On the Motion Capture rollout, click

(Load Motion Capture File).

3 Choose the file type: BVH, BIP, or CSM.
TIP CSM marker files, loaded for the first time, should be imported with no
key reduction and no footstep extraction. This enables the calibration buttons.
Marker files typically need some calibration.
4 Choose a file and click Open.
3ds Max opens the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog (see
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog on page 5283).
5 Select the filter options you want and click OK.
The biped adapts itself to the motion data. If Footstep Extraction is turned
on, footsteps appear.
TIP Use a biped that does not have a mesh attached with Physique. Import
motion-capture data with the idea of then saving a BIP file that can be used
for any character. If skeletal scale information is loaded from a motion-capture
file, a mesh with a Physique modifier might deform unnaturally.

To import a marker file:
Typically, when a marker file is loaded for the first time, it requires scale and
position calibration. A raw marker file must be loaded, with no key reduction
or footstep extraction, to enable the calibration functions. After calibration
is performed, use Convert From Buffer to extract footsteps and reduce keys.

1

Select a biped.

Biped | 5269

2 On the Motion Capture rollout, click
to load a marker name file (.mnm).

(Load Marker Name File)

This step is not required if the marker names in the marker file adhere
to the Biped marker naming convention.
3 On the Marker Name File dialog, click Load CSM Marker File, and choose
the MNM file from the file open dialog that appears.
4 On the Motion Capture rollout, click
and choose a CSM marker file.

(Load Motion Capture File)

3ds Max opens the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog (see
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog on page 5283).
5 Adjust the filter parameters and click OK.
NOTE Load raw marker data (No Key Reduction, Freeform) to enable the
marker calibration buttons.
The biped adapts itself to the marker data.

6 On the Motion Capture rollout, click
(Show Markers). On the Marker
Display dialog, turn on Show Recognized Markers and the option for On
All Objects.
7 Now, on the Motion Capture rollout, click

(Talent Figure Mode).

Use
(Select And Non-Uniform Scale) or Biped rollout ➤
(Rubber Band Mode) to size the biped to the displayed markers.
NOTE This step is optional and should be used if you need to correct for
slight differences in limb scale between the original talent who performed
the motion and the scale of the biped after the data is imported. For example,
if the leg is too short, scale the length of the leg in Talent Figure mode to
adjust the knee position.

8 Click

(Talent Figure Mode) again to exit the mode.

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Key adaptation takes place when you exit Talent Figure mode. Now biped
limb positions relative to the markers can be adjusted.
9 Align the biped limbs to the markers if necessary, then click Adjust Talent
Pose to compute the offset for the entire animation.

10 Use
(Save Talent Figure Structure) to save the structure as a FIG
file, and (Save Talent Pose Adjustment) to save the pose as a CAL file.
11 Load these files in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog
when similar marker files are imported in the future.

At this point, you can use
(Convert From Buffer) to extract
footsteps and reduce keyframes. Both scale and position adjustments will
be incorporated. Save the motion as an optimized BIP file.

Sliding Footsteps
Motion-capture and marker data typically have keys at every frame. Filtering
motion-capture data reduces keys, making the job of altering or personalizing
the motion data much simpler. You can create your own library of imported
and optimized motion-capture data by saving BIP files for use with other
characters or as part of a longer script in Motion Flow mode. Use a biped that
has no mesh attached to it with Physique. You import the data, adjust it to
your liking, and save it as a BIP file. You can also run standard BIP files through
this filtering process to create loops or to extract footsteps from a freeform
animation.

Motion Capture Import
Footstep motion capture is enabled automatically when importing motion
capture data using the Sliding Tolerance and Sliding Angle controls in the
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog on page 5283.

Footstep Extraction group
The following options are active when Footstep Extraction is on during motion
capture conversion.
Extraction Tolerance Sets the sensitivity of footstep extraction. Biped
determines if the footstep is there by checking that the foot does not move

Biped | 5271

beyond the distance determined by the Extraction Tolerance value. Smaller
numbers are more sensitive and extract more footsteps. The value is a
percentage of foot length.
The default value is 0.15. Increase this value to 0.2 or 0.25 if too many footsteps
are generated.
Sliding Distance Creates a sliding footstep when positional tolerance is
reached. This value is a percentage of foot length. By default the foot must
slide its own distance (100), before a sliding footstep is created.
Use this with motion-capture files that contain sliding feet. A sliding footstep
can be created manually by setting IK Blend ➤ 0 for a biped foot at a "touch"
state key (biped foot first touches a footstep).
NOTE Sliding footsteps display as a footstep with a line through the center.
Sliding Angle Creates a sliding footstep when rotational tolerance is reached.
This value is in degrees. The default is set high (360 degrees), the foot must
make a complete turn before a sliding footstep is created.
Use this with motion-capture files that contain feet that pivot, as in a dance
motion.
NOTE Sliding footsteps display as a footstep with a line through the center.
Only Extract Footsteps Within Tolerance Turns on Z -axis Tolerance. These
controls filter out footsteps that do not fall within a given range of the ground
plane. Use this when filtering motions, such as hopping or pitching a baseball,
in which a foot might come off the ground and remain stationary, but its
position is not intended as a footstep.
■

ToleranceValue is a percentage of leg length.

■

From Z LevelSet a Z value (ground).

Flatten Footsteps to Z=0 Moves extracted footsteps to Z=0. Use this to flatten
out minor differences in the height of the extracted footsteps.

Prop Bone
In 3ds Max, the CSM marker file format supports a prop bone in either or
both hands (left, right, or middle). There are nine additional markers for the
top, bottom, and middle of the three prop types. If character studio detects
these tracks, it creates a dummy helper on page 2871 object.

5272 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The length of the prop is the average distance between the top and bottom
prop marker during animation. The prop will be oriented in the plane of the
three prop markers, and its origin will be at the bottom prop marker.
The dummies are named bip01prop, bip02prop, and so on. If a prop of that
name already exists, its animation and size is reset upon loading the CSM file.
The Marker Display dialog contains a check box for toggling display of the
prop markers. The prop track names are LPRPB, LPRPM, LPRPT, MPRPB,
MPRPM, MPRPT, RPRPB, RPRPM, and RPRPT. These stand, respectively, for
left prop bottom, left prop middle, left prop top, middle prop bottom, middle
prop middle, middle prop top, right prop bottom, right prop middle, and
right prop top. You can change the track names by editing the MNM file.
The props don't necessarily have a relation to the left and right hands. For
example, a prop could be a hat.

Motion Capture Rollout
Create or select a biped. ➤

Motion panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout

The tools on the Motion Capture rollout on the Motion panel are typically
used for working with raw motion-capture data. You can also load standard

Biped | 5273

BIP files using Load Motion Capture File. For example, you might do this if
you want to loop the motion.
This rollout includes tools for:
■

Batch conversion of motion-capture files.

■

Converting the motion-capture file stored in the motion capture buffer.

■

Pasting one frame of motion-capture data from memory to selected biped
limbs.

■

Displaying raw motion-capture data as a stick figure.

■

Displaying raw motion-capture trajectories.

The buttons in the bottom row are used mainly with marker files, although
the calibration controls also work with raw BVH files. Import, calibrate, and
filter marker files (CSM) using tools on the Motion Capture rollout. Markers
are placed on an actor during motion capture to identify joints; calibration
lets you adjust the biped relative to the original marker positions if necessary.
Load only raw marker files with no key reduction or footsteps to enable marker
calibration controls.
NOTE For BVH and CSM file specifications, see the BVH.rtf and CSM.rtf documents
on the program disc.

Motion-Capture Buffer
Raw motion data is automatically stored in the motion-capture buffer when
files (CSM, BVH, and BIP) are loaded using Load Motion Capture File on page
5279. This buffered raw motion data is independent of the biped motion in your
scene, and can be used in various ways:
■

Use Convert From Buffer on page 5280 to try alternate filter settings quickly;
this saves you from having to browse for the same file.

■

After importing a BVH or BIP file using footstep extraction and key
reduction, you can use Paste From Buffer on page 5280 on selected biped
limbs (and COM) to paste keys from the raw motion-capture data to the
filtered data; do this if critical motion has been lost in the filtering process.

■

If you specify Load Buffer Only in the Motion Capture Conversion
Parameters dialog on page 5283, the motion file is loaded into the
motion-capture buffer without altering the biped animation. Use this to
paste posture and limb keys from any file onto the biped animation in
your scene.

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When you load a motion-capture file, the motion-capture buffer is loaded
with motion-capture data from that file. This buffer is altered during
calibration. It is also used to show the motion-capture markers and trajectories.
Internally, there is only one motion-capture buffer. It is often large, so its
contents are not saved before a file load or a calibration. Therefore, if you
undo a motion-capture file load, the contents of the motion-capture buffer
do not change. That's why you'll still see old markers and trajectories. It is not
possible to undo calibration.

Marker Files
Unlike a BIP or BVH file that contains limb rotation data, a CSM marker file
on page 9216 contains only marker position data. When a raw marker file is
imported, only marker position data is buffered in the motion-capture buffer.
3ds Max uses the marker data to extract limb rotation data to position the
biped. After using the calibration controls on the Motion Capture rollout to
correct biped scale and posture relative to the markers, use Convert From
Buffer on page 5280 to filter the raw marker data to key reduce and extract
footsteps.
NOTE A CSM marker file is an ASCII file.
See also:
■

Importing Motion-Capture Data on page 5266

■

Marker Files on page 9216

Procedures
To use Convert From Buffer:
A motion-capture file should already be in memory. Use Load Motion Capture
File on the Motion Capture rollout to import a motion-capture file if one is
not already be in memory.

1

Select a biped.

2 On the Motion Capture rollout, click
(Convert From Buffer) to
display the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog.

Biped | 5275

3 Adjust parameters, then click OK.
To compare raw and filtered trajectories:

1

Select a biped and on the Motion Capture rollout, turn on
(Show Buffer Trajectory).

2 On the Display rollout, click

(Trajectories).

As you select various biped parts, two trajectories are displayed. The yellow
trajectory represents raw motion-capture data in the motion-capture
buffer; the purple trajectory represents the filtered data.
To use Show Buffer:
1 Create a biped.

2 On the Motion Capture rollout, click
to import a motion-capture file.

3 On the Motion Capture rollout, turn on

(Load Motion Capture File)

(Show Buffer).

A red stick figure appears, representing the raw motion-capture data.

4

Play the animation.
The biped, which represents filtered motion-capture data, and the red
stick figure, which represents the raw data, play back together.
TIP For a very accurate visual comparison between raw motion capture data
and filtered data, toggle Show/Hide Objects on the Display rollout to hide
the biped. Toggle Show/Hide Bones in the same rollout to display only biped
bones (the yellow stick figure), then play the animation with Show Buffer
turned on. The two stick figures move together, and any discrepancies are
easily spotted. To learn how to use Show Buffer with the Fit To Existing
parameter in Motion Capture Conversion Parameters rollout, see To use Fit
To Existing to import a motion capture file on page 5284.

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To import a motion-capture file:

1

Select a biped.

2 If necessary, on the Motion Capture rollout, click
Name File). (See MNM Files on page 9224).

(Load Marker

NOTE This step is not required if the marker or joint names in the
motion-capture file adhere to the character studio marker naming
convention.

3 Click

(Load Motion Capture File).

3ds Max opens a file dialog.
4 Choose a file type: BVH, BIP, or CSM.
5 Choose a file and click Open.
3ds Max opens the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog on
page 5283.
6 Select the filter options you want, then click OK.
The biped adapts itself to the motion data. If Footstep Extraction is turned
on, footsteps appear.
NOTE Load raw marker data (No Key Reduction, Freeform) to enable the
marker calibration buttons.
TIP Use a biped that does not have a mesh attached to it with Physique.
Import motion-capture data with the idea of then saving a BIP file that can
be used for any character. If skeletal scale information is loaded from a
motion-capture file, a mesh with the Physique modifier applied might deform
unnaturally.

7 If a marker file was loaded, turn on
aid for biped scale and limb correction.

(Show Markers) as a visual

If correction is necessary, adjust biped scale first. Keyframe adaptation
takes place in order to accommodate a biped scale change.

Biped | 5277

The remaining steps in this procedure are optional, unless you need to
calibrate motion-capture files.

8 Click

(Talent Figure Mode) and use

Non-Uniform Scale) or Biped rollout ➤
size the biped to the displayed markers.

9 Click

(Select And

(Rubber Band Mode) to

(Talent Figure Mode) again to exit the mode.

Key Adaptation takes place when you exit Talent Figure mode. Now,
biped limb positions relative to the markers can be adjusted.
10 Align the biped limbs to the markers, if necessary, and then click Adjust
Talent Pose to compute the offset for the entire animation.

11 Use
(Save Talent Figure Structure) to save the structure as a FIG
file, and (Save Talent Pose Adjustment) to save the pose as a CAL file.
Load these files in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog
when you import similar marker files in the future.

At this point, you can use
(Convert From Buffer) to extract
footsteps and reduce keyframes. Both scale and position adjustments will
be incorporated. Save the motion as an optimized BIP file.

Interface

5278 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Load Motion Capture File Key reduce and extract footsteps from raw
motion-capture data. Load BIP, CSM, or BVH files. After you open a file, the
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog on page 5283 opens. Following
are descriptions of settings in the Open dialog.
Files of type
■

BIPFilters the raw version of the motion-capture data that ships with 3ds
Max. These are in a BIP format. Filter standard BIP files to convert footstep
animation to a freeform animation; extract footsteps from a freeform
animation; and to loop a BIP file.

■

BVHBioVision motion-capture data file. Contains the “actor’s” skeletal
and motion information. Once the motion-capture data is filtered and
adjusted, save it as a BIP file for later use.

■

CSMImports a character studio marker file (ASCII format file). Optionally,
load a Marker Name file (MNM), a Talent Structure file (FIG), and a Talent
Pose file (CAL) before loading a CSM file. Marker files should be loaded
with no key reduction and no footstep extraction to enable the calibration
controls.

Restructure biped to match file (BIP files only) Turn on to change the biped
structure to match the structure stored in the BIP file. The file loads with the
stored biped structure. This is an Open dialog option.
This option is unavailable when you load a BIP file into a clip or onto a biped
that is in Edit Clip mode, because all the clips in the motion flow would have
to be adapted.
NOTE CSM and BVH files always load with the biped structure stored in the file.
Set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (BIP files only) Sets the lowest starting
foot height to Z=0. This is an Open dialog option. Default=on.
In 3ds Max, the height of a motion clip can be retained. This is important if
you want to retain the height of a motion clip for motions adapted to
characters of different sizes. If, for example, the character is jumping off a
rock, and you want to retain the Z position of the character, you would turn
this option off. Leave this option off if Motion Flow motions must be blended
that begin and end at different heights, such as three clips that have the
character mounting a bicycle, riding the bicycle, and dismounting the bicycle.
Turning off this option can, however, cause a jump in the motion during
motion flow transitions. Turn this on for smooth transitions in Motion Flow
mode. If adaptation takes place, the height is set so that the lowest foot at

Biped | 5279

frame 0 starts at the Z=0 height. This lines up clips along the Z-axis and creates
smooth transitions.
First load raw marker data and turn on Show Markers to help you decide if
calibration is necessary. If both scale and position calibration are necessary,
calibrate scale first (Talent Figure mode) and then calibrate limb position. 3ds
Max adapts biped keys after biped scale is changed in Talent Figure mode.
Orient the biped limbs relative to the markers and click Adjust Talent Pose to
apply this offset to the entire animation. Save Talent Figure Structure and
Talent Pose to a FIG and a CAL file, respectively. Load a FIG and a CAL before
loading a marker file that requires the scale and position offsets contained in
these files.
NOTE Calibration files can be loaded in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters
dialog before filtering marker files.

Convert from Buffer Filters the most recently loaded motion-capture
data. This data is stored in the motion-capture buffer. Displays the Motion
Capture Conversion Parameters dialog.
The most recently imported motion-capture file is stored in its raw form in
the motion-capture buffer. Convert From Buffer provides a quick way to try
new conversion parameters in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters
dialog.
Paste from Buffer Pastes a frame of raw motion-capture data to the
selected parts of the biped.
After importing a motion-capture file, you might discover a subtle movement
has been lost in the process of reducing keyframes. Paste From Buffer can add
a keyframe from the raw motion-capture data to a selected biped body part
to restore this motion. Turn on Auto Key before using Paste From Buffer, or
click Set Key after using Paste From Buffer to store the new position in a key.
Show Buffer Displays raw motion-capture data as a red stick figure.
Use Show Buffer to compare raw and filtered motion-capture data. Ideally,
the motion of the biped and the red stick figure are very similar. If this is not
the case, alter the filter parameters and import the motion-capture file again,
or select a biped object and use Paste From Buffer at selected frames to restore
the lost motion.
Raw motion-capture data is buffered for the currently loaded or most recently
imported motion-capture file, allowing easy comparison of the raw and filtered

5280 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

motion data. Show Buffer displays a red stick figure representing the raw
buffered data; compare this to the filtered motion of the biped during playback.
Show Buffer Trajectory Displays buffered raw motion-capture data as
yellow trajectories for the selected biped body parts.
Use Show Buffer Trajectory to display a trajectory based on the buffered raw
motion-capture data for any biped body part. Use this in combination with
Show/Hide Trajectories on the Display rollout to see how closely the raw and
filtered data match.
This assumes a motion-capture file has been imported.

Batch File Conversion Converts one or more CSM or BVH
motion-capture files to filtered BIP format. Displays the Motion Capture Batch
File Conversion dialog on page 5292.
Talent Figure Mode After loading a raw marker file, turn on Talent Figure
mode to scale the biped relative to the markers. Calibration for the entire
marker file takes place when you exit Talent Figure mode.
Keyframe adaptation takes place in order to accommodate the new biped scale;
because of this, you should adjust the biped scale before adjusting the biped
position relative to the markers.
Use Rubber Band mode on the Biped rollout and Non-Uniform Scale to size
the biped in Talent Figure mode.
Ideally, you will not need to use this feature. When loading a motion-capture
file, 3ds Max attempts to extract the appropriate figure scale from the given
data. Use Talent Figure mode only if the extracted scale of the biped doesn’t
match the scale of the original talent. Even minor differences in scale will
alter the motion.
NOTE Calibration controls are enabled only when a marker or BVH file is imported
in its raw form. Do not use key reduction or extract footsteps when you import a
marker file for the first time.

Save Talent Figure Structure After changing the biped scale in Talent
Figure mode, you can store the changes into a FIG file. Use this file in the
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog to adjust marker files created
by the same actor.

Biped | 5281

Adjust Talent Pose After loading a marker file, use Adjust Talent Pose
to correct the biped position relative to the markers. Align the biped limbs to
the markers, then click Adjust Talent Pose to compute this offset for all the
loaded marker data.
NOTE Calibration controls are enabled only when a marker or BVH file is imported
in its raw form. Do not use key reduction or extract footsteps when you import a
marker file for the first time.
Save Talent Pose Adjustment Saves a Talent Pose adjustment as a CAL file.
Save a CAL file after adjusting the biped relative to the markers. A CAL file is
used for processing marker files that require the same adjustment. A CAL file
can be loaded in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog during
marker file importation.
Load Marker Name File Loads a Marker Name (MNM) file to map
incoming marker names in motion-capture files (BVH or CSM) to the character
studio marker naming convention. Displays the Marker Name File dialog.
Load a CSM marker file Browses for a marker file for use with a CSM file.
Load a BVH marker file Browses for a marker file for use with a BVH file.
When a BVH file is loaded, checks for and reports unknown track names, but
loads the file anyway. Reports if any required tracks were not in the file and
if so aborts the file load
Use Uses the marker name file when importing motion capture files
If necessary, load a Marker Name File before loading a BVH or CSM file. Edit
these ASCII files if the marker files you have use unique names for markers.
NOTE For BVH and CSM file specifications, see the BVH.rtf and CSM.rtf documents
on the program disc.

Show Markers Opens the Marker Display dialog on page 5293, with settings
for specifying how markers are displayed.
Marker and marker names are displayed around the biped. You can use these
to spot and adjust discrepancies; for example, the biped elbow position relative
to the elbow marker. For information on how to correct these discrepancies,
see Talent Figure mode on page 5281 and Adjust Talent Pose on page 5282.

5282 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog
Create or select a biped. ➤

➤

Motion panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout

(Load Motion Capture File) ➤ Open a file. ➤

panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout ➤
Capture Conversion Parameters dialog

Motion

(Convert From Buffer) ➤ Motion

Motion-capture and marker data typically have keys at every frame. Filtering
motion-capture data reduces keys, making the job of altering or personalizing
the motion data much simpler. Other filtering options include footstep
extraction, applying the skeletal structure stored in the motion-capture file
to the biped, looping the data, importing a portion of the motion-capture file,
and selecting tracks to load.

Motion-Capture Buffer
Any file imported using Load Motion Capture File is stored in its raw
(nonfiltered) form in the motion-capture buffer. This buffer is used to try new
filtering options with the Convert From Buffer command, and to paste keys
from the raw motion-capture data to the biped using Paste From Buffer on
the Motion Capture rollout. The Show Buffer command displays a stick figure
that represents the buffered data.
You can create your own library of imported and optimized motion-capture
data by saving .bip files for use with other characters or as part of a longer
script in Motion Flow mode. Use a biped that has no mesh attached to it with
Physique. You import the data, adjust it to your liking, and save it as a .bip
file. You can also run standard .bip files through this filtering process to create
loops or to extract footsteps from a freeform animation.
NOTE Marker files contain position data. Regular motion-capture files contain joint
rotation data.

Biped | 5283

biped.ini Parameters
The biped.ini text file in the \plugcfg directory has parameters for smoothing
the values of motion-capture joint angles for the body's center of mass, the
spine, and the head during import. The lines appear as below:
MocapHeightSmoothing=0
MocapBodyHorzSmoothing=0
MocapBodyRotSmoothing=0
MocapSpineSmoothing=0
MocapHeadSmoothing=0

Higher values of smoothing will cause the importer to filter and "smooth out"
the data using a gaussian filter, taking out spikes and jerks in the motion.
These values must be integers, and can range from 0 to any high number, but
practical values would probably always be less than 10. For most cases,
smoothing is not needed, so the default values are set to zero.

Procedures
To use Fit To Existing to import a motion-capture file:
Use a motion-capture file that contains footsteps and other motion. A
handspring motion would be ideal for this example.

1

Select a biped.

2 Click Motion panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout ➤
Capture File).

(Load Motion

3 Choose a motion-capture file.
The Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog displays.
4 Set Footstep Extraction to On, then click OK.
The motion-capture file loads.

5 Click Motion Capture rollout ➤

(Show Buffer) to display raw

motion-capture data as a red stick figure, then click

5284 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Play.

During the “hand spring” period of the playback, the hands on the red
stick figure representing the raw motion data touch the ground. The
biped, using the filtered data, is positioned higher and cannot reach the
ground.
Dynamics calculates the biped higher than the raw motion data because
the footsteps before and after the handspring are so far apart in time.
Creating a freeform period in Track View — Dope Sheet and reloading
the same file using the Fit To Existing option will match the biped's
position to the motion-capture position during the handspring.
6 In Track View, find the Footsteps track for the biped.
7 Right-click the footsteps area of the Track View Edit window, then select
Edit Free Form (No Physics) in the Footstep Mode dialog.
8 Click the “handspring” area between the footsteps. It turns to a solid
yellow.
Motion-capture data will replace the keys in this freeform period.

9

Reload the same motion-capture file using the Fit To Existing
option on the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog.
The freeform area created in Track View is replaced with motion-capture
data. The biped closely matches the red stick figure during the handspring
part of the playback.

Biped | 5285

Interface

Motion Capture File Displays the file to be imported.
Footstep Extraction Motion capture data can be applied to the biped in one
of three ways:
■

None: FreeformNo footsteps are extracted.
For swimming or flying motion data, footstep extraction is not necessary.
For a traditional approach to character keyframing, use this option to
keyframe the biped without footsteps or Biped Dynamics; this is essentially
a freeform animation.

5286 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

OnExtracts footsteps.
Direction and style of the motion-capture data are easily edited.
Allows changes to the toe structure of the biped after import; footsteps
will readjust the character’s motion to maintain correct foot-toe-ground
contact at all times, a common problem associated with motion-capture
import.
Inappropriate “sliding feet” in the motion data are corrected.

■

Fit to ExistingFits to existing footsteps.
Use with motion data that has both footstep motion and flying, swimming,
falling, or tumbling motions.
First load the motion data using Perform Footstep Extraction. Create a
freeform period for the flying, swimming, or falling portion of the data in
Track View, and then reload the same motion capture file using the Fit to
Existing option. The freeform area is loaded with data from the motion
capture file without the influence of biped dynamics.

Conversion Chooses the type of key processing.
■

Use Key ReductionReduces keys for simpler key editing.

■

No Key ReductionDoes not reduce keys. Use this on files that are already
key reduced or if you want to work with all the data in a raw
motion-capture file.
NOTE Marker files imported for the first time should be loaded with no key
reduction or footstep extraction to enable the calibration controls on the
Motion Capture rollout.

■

Load Buffer OnlyDoes not apply the data to the biped, but loads the data
to the motion-capture buffer only. Use this either to compare your edited
version with the original or to paste postures from the motion-capture
buffer to the biped in the scene.
TIP To compare the filtered data with raw motion-capture data, use Show
Buffer on the Motion Capture rollout on page 5273 rather than turning off key
reduction.

Up Vector Sets the vertical axis used in the motion-capture data.
Scale Factor Multiplies the stored talent size by this value and size the biped
accordingly.

Biped | 5287

Footstep Extraction group
Options here are active when Footstep Extraction is on.
Extraction Tolerance Sets the sensitivity of footstep extraction. character
studio determines if the footstep is there by checking that the foot does not
move beyond the distance determined by the Extraction Tolerance value.
Smaller numbers are more sensitive and extract more footsteps. The value is
a percentage of foot length.
The default value is 0.15. Increase this value to 0.2 or 0.25 if too many footsteps
are generated.
Sliding Distance Creates a sliding footstep on page 5271 when positional
tolerance is reached. This value is a percentage of foot length. By default, the
foot must slide its own distance (100), before a sliding footstep is created.
Use this with motion-capture files that contain sliding feet. A sliding footstep
can be created manually by setting IK Blend ➤ 0 for a biped foot at a "touch"
state key (biped foot first touches a footstep).
NOTE Sliding footsteps display as a footstep with a line through the center.
Sliding Angle Creates a sliding footstep on page 5271 when rotational tolerance
is reached. This value is in degrees; the default is set high (360 degrees). The
foot must make a complete turn before a sliding footstep is created.
Use this with motion-capture files that contain feet that pivot, as in a dance
motion.
NOTE Sliding footsteps display as a footstep with a line through the center.
Only Extract Footsteps Within Tolerance Turns on Z -axis Tolerance. These
controls filter out footsteps that do not fall within a given range of the ground
plane. Use this when filtering motions, such as hopping or pitching a baseball,
in which a foot might come off the ground and remain stationary, but its
position is not intended as a footstep.
■

ToleranceValue is a percentage of leg length.

■

From Z LevelSet a Z value (ground).

Flatten Footsteps to Z=0 Moves extracted footsteps to Z=0. Use this to flatten
out minor differences in the height of the extracted footsteps.

5288 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Load Frames group

Start Start importing at this frame. Default is frame 0, the first frame.
End Stop importing at this frame. Default is the last frame of the clip.
Loop Loop the data by the value set here.
This is relative. Succeeding loops start where the previous loop left off. The
clips are not blended and may require editing unless the original clip was
designed to loop.
Use this for clips designed to loop.
NOTE This often works best if Footstep Extraction is tuned off.

Key Reduction Settings group
Key reduction keeps the original motion intact and intelligently filters out
more than 80 percent of the keys in the motion-capture file, making the
process of altering the biped animation much simpler.
Use the Tolerance and Minimum Key Spacing settings to fine-tune key
reduction for a specific track (body part). Specify whether or not to filter a
track in the Filter column.
These settings are available only if Conversion is set to Use Key Reduction.

Biped | 5289

Tolerance Sets the maximum angular or positional deviation for a track.
Values are in units of translation for position tracks, and in degrees for rotation
tracks.
Minimum Key Spacing Sets the minimum number of frames between keys.
Tolerance is computed first, then Minimum Key Spacing computes further
key reduction.
A Minimum Key Spacing value of 10 for the head track ensures that no two
keys are closer than 10 frames for this track.
Filter Turn off to prevent filtering of the motion capture data into a track.
When this is off, there is no key reduction for the track.
Set All Forces all tracks to the values set in these fields.

5290 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Higher values here can determine how much key reduction is possible while
preserving the original motion.

Limb Orientation group
The biped elbow and knee hinge joints are perpendicular to the triangles
formed by the shoulder-elbow-wrist and hip-knee-ankle respectively. Resolve
errors in the motion-capture data that break this rule by using either the angle
or point method.

Angle Moves the knee or elbow position to create the biped joint key.
Point Rotates the shoulder-elbow-wrist or hip-knee-ankle to create the biped
joint key.
Auto Auto reads exact hand and foot positions from the motion-capture data;
character studio then places the knees and elbows in a natural position. For
marker files involving running and walking, this option can clean up the data
nearly instantly, regardless of how many markers were used and where they
were placed.

Talent Definition group

Loads a Figure Structure File (.fig) and a Pose Adjustment file (.cal) prior to
importing a marker file. Typically you correct a marker file by importing it
and adjusting the biped scale and limb positions relative to the markers, then
saving a .fig and a .cal file using Save Talent Figure Stucture and Save Talent
Pose Adjustment on the Motion Capture rollout. These files can then be loaded
in the Talent Definition area when importing marker files created by the same
actor in a motion capture session.
Figure Structure Loads a .fig file.

Biped | 5291

Pose Adjustment Loads a .cal file.
Browse Browses for a .fig or .cal file.
Use Use either or both the .fig and .cal files to adjust marker files during a
marker file import procedure.
Load Parameters Loads a motion capture parameter file (.moc).
Save Parameters Saves a motion capture parameter file (.moc).

Motion Capture Batch File Conversion Dialog
Create or select a biped. ➤

➤
dialog

Motion panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout

(Batch File Conversion) ➤ Motion Capture Batch File Conversion

Converts one or more CSM or BVH motion-capture files to filtered BIP format.

Interface

Source File Selection Opens a dialog where you can specify motion-capture
files to convert. Use Shift+click to select all files between two that you click.
Use Ctrl+click to add individual files to the selection.
Destination Directory Specifies the directory in which to store the filtered
files.

5292 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Specify Conversion Parameters ... Lets you choose how to specify conversion
parameters:
■

Specify Conversion Parameters OnceImported files use a single set of
conversion parameters.

■

Specify Parameters For Each FileYou specify conversion parameters for
each file.

Marker Display Dialog
Create or select a biped. ➤

➤

Motion panel ➤ Motion Capture rollout

(Show Markers)

The Marker Display dialog lets you specify how markers from .csm files are
displayed in the viewports.
For further information on markers and .csm files, see Character Studio Marker
Files on page 9116.

Biped | 5293

Interface

Show Recognized Markers When on, displays the markers that character
studio recognizes.
■

On Selected ObjectsDisplays the markers on selected objects only.

■

On All ObjectsDisplays the markers on all objects.

Show Prop Markers Enables the display of markers on prop bones on page
5272.
Show Unrecognized Markers Displays the markers that character studio does
not recognize.

Physique
Use the Physique modifier to attach a skin to a skeleton structure such as a
biped. The skin is a 3ds Max object: it can be any deformable, vertex-based
object such as a mesh, a patch, or a shape. When you animate the skeleton
with skin attached, Physique deforms the skin to match the skeleton's
movement.

5294 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animating the underlying skeleton enables you to animate a single contiguous
model of a character that bends, creases, and bulges about an arbitrary number
of joints within the attached skeleton.
With Physique, you can define how the skin behaves when it deforms. For
example:
■

You can make portions of the skin solid, excluding them from Physique's
deformation, though solid portions still move along with the root node

Physique | 5295

of the skeleton they are attached to. These solid portions are said to be
root vertices.
■

You can make portions of the skin deformable. They move with the
deformation spline, the smooth curve running through the links of the
skeleton they are attached to.

■

You can make portions of the skin rigid, directly moving along with the
skeleton they're attached to.

■

You can add bulges to simulate bulging muscles. Bulges are controlled by
editable cross sections of the skin, and by bulge angles that you set.

■

You can add tendons to distribute the effect of one bone's motion to areas
of the skin other than those around the bone itself.

■

You can save Physique data to a Physique (.phy) file, preserving data
common to all objects sharing a given Physique modifier. Later, you can
reload the data file, either to restore the data that belongs to a particular
skin or portion of skin.

Physique works with bipeds created and animated using the Biped plug-in,
and with 3ds Max hierarchies, including the Bones systems. Physique also
works with bones that are not in a hierarchy and splines.
See also:
■

Posing the Biped on page 4830

Using Physique
Topics in this section provide an overall introduction to using Physique.

Creating a Skin
A mesh deformed by a skeletal structure is called a skin. In character studio,
Physique is a modifier you apply to a skin to make it deformable by the biped,
or by another skeletal structure. The images below show meshes for different
skeletons.

5296 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Physique | 5297

Meshes for Physique
A skin used with Physique can be any 3ds Max object that has vertices or
control points. Specifically, a skin can be:
■

An editable mesh or editable poly object. This is the most commonly used
type of object for Physique. Often, it has been collapsed from an object
with modifiers, or a compound object.

■

An uncollapsed object with modifiers or a compound object.

■

A parametric geometry primitive such as a cylinder.
Geometric primitives are useful mainly for simple applications of Physique;
for example, a cylinder with two bone links to depict an arm.

■

A patch object.

■

A spline or text shape.

■

A NURBS object.

■

A Free-Form Deformation (FFD) modifier.

5298 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

A mesh object you import from another application such as AutoCAD®.

TIP Although you can apply Physique to a compound object or an object with
modifiers, you should collapse the stack before applying Physique, if possible. This
will maximize performance and reduce the amount of work you'll need to do to
get Physique working properly. An exception is the Optimize modifier, which can
be useful for improving performance when applied below Physique on the stack.
WARNING After you collapse a compound or modified object, you can no longer
edit it parametrically. If you work extensively with complex meshes of this sort,
you can save two .max files: one to contain the original, editable objects and
modifiers, and the other to contain only the collapsed mesh.
You can create a figure’s skin out of several objects. For example, you could
have separate objects for the torso, legs and arms. In this case, select all the
objects and apply Physique to all of them at once.

Posing the Skin
When you create a skin to use with a biped figure, you should pose the arms
and legs of the skin in a standard reference pose.

Physique | 5299

Mesh in reference pose for use with bipeds

Use the following positions when you create the reference pose:
■

Spread the legs somewhat apart, at a parade rest position.

■

Spread the arms wide, level with shoulder height. The hands should be
level with the arms, not dangling: palms facing down, fingers straight and
slightly spread apart.

■

Position the head so it will face in the correct direction when you load the
biped's at-rest standing pose. If the skin and biped are for a figure that
stands erect, position the head normally. If the character stoops forward,
for example, a chimpanzee, make the head face upward so that it will face
forward after the spine is bent.

5300 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

As a general rule, create a reference pose that has the limbs outstretched, but
otherwise represents the character's natural at-rest posture.

Skin Simplicity
The degree of detail on the model makes a difference in how well it works for
skinning. On one hand, your skin must have a sufficient number of vertices
so Physique can deform it smoothly. On the other hand, the fewer vertices
the mesh has, the easier it will be for you to adjust Physique for the mesh. In
addition, a highly complex mesh can slow your system's performance when
working with Physique.
If you plan to use an Editable Poly mesh, create the mesh with evenly-sized,
rectangular polygons. Avoid using long, triangular polygons, as these do not
deform smoothly with Physique. These attributes are particularly important
around the hip and shoulder areas.

Models with evenly-sized rectangular polygons

A common workflow is to create the simplest possible version of the mesh,
apply Physique to it, and apply the MeshSmooth modifier above Physique on
the stack. This makes Physique as easy as possible to work with, but retains
mesh smoothness for rendering.

Physique | 5301

Same models rendered with MeshSmooth applied

If you want to use a particular mesh but its polygons violate these guidelines,
use 3ds Max to add or delete edges and polygons as needed before applying
Physique to the mesh. Usually, these rules are not so important for the facial
area of the model, where little deformation will take place with Physique.
For example, the character shown below was originally modeled as designed,
but with no regard for the best polygon distribution for Physique. The
numerous odd-shaped polygons (especially around the hips), and the pose
with the legs too close together, would have made this model difficult to work
with after Physique was applied.

5302 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The model was altered to work better with Physique by deleting edges and
vertices, and reshaping many of the polygons in the hip area. The model was
also altered to make the character assume the reference pose.

Physique | 5303

After MeshSmooth is applied to the simplified mesh, renderings of the two
models look identical. However, the second model works much better with
Physique.

5304 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Using Physique with a Biped
The skeleton to which you attach a skin using Physique can be a 3ds Max
hierarchy, bones in a hierarchy, bones not in a hierarchy, and splines. Physique
deforms the skin based on the relative position of the bone or links in the
hierarchy. Specifically, it uses the length of each link and the angle between
two connected links; it can also use the scale of a link.
The skeleton hierarchy can also be a 3ds Max system object that defines a
behavior as well as a hierarchy. Three kinds of objects that are especially useful
with Physique:
■

Bipeds are provided by character studio.

■

Bones are a standard Systems object provided with 3ds Max.

■

Splines can be used rather than a “bones” hierarchy.

You create both bones and bipeds using the Systems object category on
the Create panel.
Bones are useful for facial animation, a face with moving lips for example, or
for non-bipedal characters. Bipeds are the system of choice for humanoid and
other bipedal characters.
Usually you create the Physique skin before you create the skeleton, because
you must adapt the skeleton's dimensions to the dimensions of the skin, in
order to optimize vertex assignment to the links in the hierarchy.

Physique | 5305

This Physique hierarchy is created with dummy objects linked to each other.

Physique mesh with a biped skeleton.

5306 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Physique can use a spline to defrom the mesh.

Using Physique with 3ds Max Bones
3ds Max bones with or without the IK Controller can be used with the biped
for various effects. They can be used with Physique to add extra links and
envelopes for any character, or to animate assemblies on a robot or mechanical
character. Bones can also be added to animate extra appendages, a hat, a jaw
and so on.
NOTE If 3ds Max bones using the IK Controller are linked to the biped, the Auto
Key button must be left on while the biped is positioned.

Physique | 5307

Two examples of compressible bones.

In the top image, 3ds Max bones are used to animate the linked piston
assemblies. The bottom image shows 3ds Max bones used for added control
when Physique is applied. In both cases the bones compress automatically as
the biped is positioned.

5308 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bones That Compress

One way to use bones with the biped is to use the Select And Link tool
on the 3ds Max toolbar to link the root of the bone to one part of the biped
and have the bone End Effector follow another part of the biped. As the biped
moves these bones compress and expand.
In the image of the mechanical leg, piston objects are linked to the bones. As
the bones compress and expand, they also animate the linked piston assembly.
As the bones compress and expand in the abdominal area in the bottom image,
the envelopes created by Physique for the bones compress and expand to
animate this area on the mesh.

IK Solution
In the IK Controller Parameters rollout, you specify the accuracy of the IK
solution and the frame duration of the solution. For bones that compress, you
generally want an accurate solution to ensure that the bone follows the end
effector perfectly, without any drift. In the image of the rollout Position has
a value of 0, the least amount of allowable distance (Rotation is at its default
value of 1, the Rotation End Effector is not used in this example). Iterations
is set high, ensuring that that the solution is accurate, even if the character is
scaled down a great deal. Start and End Time should span the animation.

There are many ways to use bones with the biped. You could automatically
animate the bending of a hose that is attached to a character’s shoulder and
mouth when the biped head rotates, for example. Bones attached to the biped

Physique | 5309

create links and envelopes when Physique is applied; these extra Physique
links offer localized skin control if necessary.

Procedures
To make compressible bones (bones with end effectors):
1 Create a bones system with end effectors.

2

3 On the

4

5 On the

Link the root of the bone to the appropriate biped object.

Motion Panel, specify an End Effector Parent.

Select another part of the bones system.

Motion Panel, set the Position Threshold to 0.

6 On the
Hierarchy panel ➤ IK ➤ Sliding Joints rollout, turn on
all the sliding parameters.

5310 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

7 Animate the bones system.
The bones expand and compress with the motion of the character.
To add a bone after Physique is applied using Reinitialize:

1 Turn on

(Figure Mode).

2 Add a bone where it is needed.

3

Link the root node of the bone to the biped.

4 On the Physique rollout, click

(Reinitialize).

5 On the Physique Initialization dialog, click Initial Skeleton Pose and then
click Include New Bones.
Vertex Link Assignment turns on also.
6 Click Initialize.
7 Adjust envelopes in Sub-Object Envelope.

8 Turn off

(Figure Mode).

If you want the end of the bone to follow the biped, select the bone and
delete the bone end effector in the Motion Panel

Physique | 5311

This bone is used to animate the character's nose.

To add a bone after Physique is applied using Add (Add Bone):

1 Turn on

(Figure Mode).

2 Add a bone where it is needed.

3

Link the root node of the bone to the biped.

4 On the Physique ➤ Floating Bones rollout, click Add.
5 In the viewports, click a bone.
Repeat until all bones are added.
6 Adjust envelopes.

7 Turn off

(Figure Mode).

5312 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Using Physique with 3ds Max Objects
The skeleton to which you attach a skin using Physique can be a 3ds Max
hierarchy, bones in a hierarchy, bones not in a hierarchy, and splines. Physique
deforms the skin based on the relative position of the bone or links in the
hierarchy. Specifically, it uses the length of each link and the angle between
two connected links; it can also use the scale of a link.
The skeleton hierarchy can also be a 3ds Max system object that defines a
behavior as well as a hierarchy. There are two kinds of objects that are
especially useful with Physique:
■

Bones are a standard Systems object provided with 3ds Max. Bones can
either be hierarchically linked or floating.

■

Splines can be used rather than a “bones” hierarchy.

You create bones using the Systems object category on the Create panel.
Bones are useful for facial animation, a face with moving lips for example, or
for non-bipedal characters.
Usually you create the Physique skin before you create the skeleton, because
you must adapt the skeleton's dimensions to the dimensions of the skin, in
order to optimize vertex assignment to the links in the hierarchy.

This Physique hierarchy is created with dummy objects linked to each other.

Physique | 5313

Floating Bones
Floating bones are bones that are not linked together and know nothing about
each other. By adding floating bones to Physique, you can deform the mesh
by animating the bones. This is in contrast to using Attach To Node and
clicking the root of a hierarchy, like the biped pelvis. For Attach To Node to
work all the bones should be linked together.

Spline-Based Physique Deformation
In addition to the biped and 3ds Max bones, Physique supports spline and
NURBS curves for mesh deformation. By animating vertices on a spline, you
can animate the mesh. You can use this technique for facial animation or to
deform any mesh.
To control a mesh with a spline:
1 Place a spline inside a mesh.

2

Select the mesh and apply the Physique modifier.

5314 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

3 In the Physique ➤ Floating Bones rollout, click Add and in a viewport,
pick the spline.

4

Select the spline, go to the Vertex sub-object level, and
move the spline vertices to animate the mesh.

See also:
■

Using Physique with a Biped on page 5305

Physique | 5315

Applying and Initializing Physique
After you have created a skin and a skeleton, and fitted the skeleton to the
skin, you apply the Physique modifier to the skin.
The process entails these steps:
■

Selecting the mesh

■

Turning on Figure mode (if a biped is used)

■

Adding the Physique modifier to the stack

■

Attaching the Physique skin to the skeleton

■

Initializing Physique

See also:
Physique Rollout on page 5363

■

Procedures
To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique:

1

Select or create a bones hierarchy.

2

Position the bones hierarchy inside the mesh.
TIP When you use a bones hierarchy with Physique, use frame 0 as your
"figure mode." Don't include frame 0 in your animation. Use it as the place
where you position the bones and fit them to the mesh.

3

Select the mesh.

4 Go to the
to the mesh.

Modify panel. Use the Modifier List to apply Physique

5316 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 Click to turn on
(Attach To Node). In a viewport, pick the root bone
of the bones hierarchy.
The Physique Initialization dialog on page 5374 is displayed.
6 Click Initialize, accepting the default settings.
When you use
(Attach To Node) to attach a Physique skin to a
hierarchy, the Physique Initialization dialog appears.
NOTE This dialog also appears when you want to reset Physique settings by
clicking Reinitialize in the Physique rollout.
Physique initialization settings affect how envelopes are created and
blending is handled. The Link Settings, Joint Intersections, and Cross
Sections rollouts are used later to change default settings globally. For
this reason, the Vertex-Link rollout is open when the dialog appears. This
is where you determine the following default settings:
■

Whether envelopes should be used to manage the vertex-to-link
assignments

■

Whether Physique uses deformable or rigid envelopes to manage the
vertex-to-link assignments

■

Number of links considered for blending

Previewing Motion
After you have attached the skin to the skeleton, Physique deforms the skin
when the skeleton is animated. From this point on, you can preview animation
to see how the Physique skin deforms and whether you can use it in a finished
animation or need to correct and refine it further.
Very likely, you'll need to adjust some of the default envelope settings to
ensure all vertices are being properly handled. It's by moving the skinned
character in the viewports that you'll see vertex assignment problems.

Physique | 5317

A stray vertex on the right elbow not encompassed by an envelope.

See the Envelope Sub-Object on page 5411 topic for procedures and interface.
TIP Physique skins are usually too large for 3ds Max to play them back in real time
at 30 frames per second. However, speed improvements in character studio will
allow fluid motions of many skinned meshes. When you attempt to play back at
30 fps, 3ds Max may drop frames during playback, which makes it hard to see
how Physique has animated the skin. Use the Time Configuration dialog to turn
off real time playback. The animation plays back more slowly than usual, but it
plays every frame.
TIP You can also specify which elements of the characters not to display in the
viewports, and thereby speed up redraw. See Physique Level of Detail Rollout on
page 5368.
For a skin attached to a complicated skeleton such as a biped, you will almost
always need to correct some vertex assignments before the skin animates correctly.
Most often, you'll do so simply by adjusting the envelope's shape. See .

5318 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Envelopes
Envelopes are Physique's primary tool to control skin deformation. Envelopes
define an area of influence about a single link in the hierarchy and can be set
to overlap adjacent links. Vertices that fall in the overlap area of the envelopes
are weighted to produce smooth blending at joint intersections. Each envelope
comprises a pair of inner and outer bounds, each with four cross sections.

Envelopes

Deformable and Rigid Envelopes
There are two envelope types: deformable and rigid.
■

Deformable envelopes influence vertices they encompass to follow the
deformation spline created through the hierarchy. Only the vertices
encompassed by deformable envelopes can be affected by bulge angles or
tendons.

■

Vertices in a rigid envelope are linked to the node (the bone) and move
in an immobile relationship to the link. Vertices in a rigid envelope,
however, are deformed (blended) in the overlap area of other envelopes.
There is a twist parameter in Link Sub-Object that can be enabled in a rigid

Physique | 5319

envelope. This allows the rigid envelope to twist along the length of the
link.

5320 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Deformable envelopes (above); Rigid envelopes (below)

Typically, you use deformable envelopes when you attach a mesh to the biped
pelvis to produce a soft, flexible skin. Later you reassign certain links, such as
the character's head, to the rigid envelope to minimize the deformation. For
special cases, you can turn on both deformable and rigid envelopes for the
same link. This advanced feature allows you to average the effect of the two
types of skin deformation for additional firmness in the skin. The forearms
and legs are sometimes good candidates for this.

Physique | 5321

Blending Between Links

Blending between envelopes controls deformation.

Blending controls specify the influence of overlapping envelopes on vertices
contained within the overlap area. By the actual shape of adjacent envelopes,
you can control the degree of influence each has on blending at the overlap
area.
You can further control the number of envelopes that participate in the
blending effect, or whether no blending takes place at all. Where you specify
no blending, a vertex in an overlap area is influenced by a single link only.

5322 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Inner and Outer Bounds

Inner and outer bounds

Where a vertex falls within the inner and outer bounds determines the percent
of influence of the attached link(s). Vertices that fall within the inner bound
have a weight of 1. Vertices that fall between the inner and outer bound have
a weighted value that falls off to 0 at the outer bound.
Vertices are color-coded in the viewports according to their weight; the color
is based on parameters you specify in the Blending Envelope Display Options
Dialog on page 5400.
See also:
■

Envelope Sub-Object on page 5411

Adjusting Default Envelope Shape
When you want to address vertex-linking anomalies, the first step is to resize
or reposition the envelope about the problem link. Most often, the problem

Physique | 5323

is an envelope that is too small to surround, and thereby influence, certain
vertices.
This can happen because your biped character misaligns slightly with the
mesh, or the link lengths used to create envelopes with unbounded bones
systems links were insufficient to surround all vertices attached to the link.
Another potential source of problems is overlapping inner bounds. This can
sometimes create too strong a deformation at the joint.
You'll note problems with vertices as you preview motion. It sometimes looks
like vertices got left behind when the link they were supposed to be attached
to moves in 3D space. In fact, that's just what is happening: they weren't
assigned to any link at all, and remain where they were at the initial skeletal
pose: the pose of the mesh and its skeleton at the time Physique was applied
and initialized.
The other case would be vertices being moved too much, resulting in a dent
in the mesh. You'd fix this by decreasing the overlap of the envelopes affecting
a joint.

5324 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Stray vertices (above) reassigned to correct link(s) by modifying envelope shape (below).

See also:
■

Envelope Sub-Object on page 5411

■

Fine-Tuning Envelopes on page 5328

Procedures
To adjust the default envelope shape:

1 In the Blending Envelopes rollout ➤ Selection Level group, activate
(Link). In a viewport, pick any link.
2 In the Parameters group, turn on the Inner, Outer or Both option and
then increase the value of Radial Scale until the outer envelope just
surrounds the character mesh.
NOTE With Both turned on, both the inner and outer bounds scale together.

Physique | 5325

3 Increase the Parent Overlap value until the inner (red) envelope appears
through the mesh.
4 If necessary, decrease the Falloff value to strengthen this envelope.
To adjust envelopes around the biped’s pelvis:

The Biped Triangle Pelvis option was used in this model. Triangle Pelvis creates
additional links from the legs to the lower spine.
Top: The default envelope from the pelvis to the lower spine object is too small.
Middle: Mesh appears “scrambled” because the pelvis doesn't control all the vertices
that surround it.

5326 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Bottom: Increasing the envelope size corrects the mesh problem in the pelvis area.

1 In the Selection Level group, activate
middle link.

(Link). In a viewport, pick the

2 In the Parameters group, turn on Both, and then increase the value of
Radial Scale until the outer envelope just surrounds the mesh in pelvis
area.
NOTE With Both turned on, both the inner and outer bounds scale together.
3 Increase the Parent Overlap value until the inner (red) envelope appears
through the mesh.
4 If necessary, decrease the Falloff value to strengthen this envelope.
5 To finish correcting the pelvis area, adjust the Overlap of the thigh and
buttock envelopes.
To select and edit cross sections:

1 In the Selection Level group, activate

(Cross Section).

2 In the Envelope Parameters group, turn on Inner or Outer if you want to
work with cross sections solely in that part of the envelope. Turn on Both
to be able to work on both Inner and Outer cross sections at the same
time.

3 On the main toolbar, click
the cross section you want.

(Select Object), and in a viewport, click

As you move the cursor over a selectable cross section, it changes to a
plus shape, letting you know the object at that location is selectable.
By default, selected cross sections are yellow. (You can customize this
color with the Blending Envelope Display Options dialog on page 5400.)
You can use Ctrl+click to add other cross sections to the selection set.
4 Use Radial Scale to resize the selected cross section, and the transform
tools to move, rotate, and scale it.

Physique | 5327

5 To move to the adjacent cross section within the current bound, click

(Next) or

(Previous).

TIP You can also use the
cross section control points.

(Control Point) level to individually transform

To copy an envelope and its settings to a mirrored link (for example, from
one thigh to the other):

1

Select the source link.

2 In the Edit Commands group, click Copy.
The envelope settings are saved in a buffer.

3

Select the mirror link, and then in the Edit Commands group,
click Paste.
The envelope is applied to the opposite link, but without mirroring. It is
now the currently selected envelope.

4 In the Edit Commands group, click Mirror.
The selection flips about the mirror axis.

5 Use the
orientation.

Rotate transform to rotate the selection to its final

Fine-Tuning Envelopes
Once you have adjusted inner and outer bounds of envelopes at
the Envelope Sub-Object level, you may find you need still finer control:

5328 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

choose either the Cross Section or Control Point selection level in the Blending
Envelopes rollout.

Using Cross Sections
Both inner and outer envelope bounds are like hulls about ribs, the cross
sections. For each envelope, there are by default four cross sections you can
use to alter the envelope's shape.

Physique | 5329

Envelope cross sections can be scaled and moved.

Using Control Points
By default, each cross section consists of four control points. You can use these
control points to alter the shape of a single cross section. The control points
define the shape (perimeter) of the section. Moving one point affects the shape
between itself and its neighbors on each side.

Rotating and Scaling
Control points are internally positioned using cylindrical coordinates, that is
a distance from the link at some angle around the link. To move a control
point, you must scale it to the correct distance from the link and then rotate
it into the orientation you desire. The move tool actually serves the dual
function of rotating and scaling at the same time.

5330 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

By moving a control point the envelope is also scaled.

Physique | 5331

See also:
■

Envelope Sub-Object on page 5411

Customizing Vertex Assignments
Use Vertex sub-object controls to customize vertex assignments.
There are a few different reasons you might want to customize vertex
assignments:
■

Override vertex-link assignments currently in effect.

■

Change the blending type and weight.

■

Assign vertices to their links yourself, bypassing Physique's envelope
method for vertex-link assignment.

You might want to reassign link assignments in effect about adjacent fingers,
for example, even after working to reshape envelope size and position. You
may find that you need greater control in areas where adjacent envelopes
overlap: perhaps movement in the ring finger is causing unwanted movement
in some vertices for the middle finger. You'd use Vertex sub-object controls
to remove ring-finger vertices from the middle finger links, in effect reassigning
them solely to the ring-finger links.
When you choose Vertex as the sub-object to edit in the Physique modifier,
the Physique Selection Status and Vertex-Link Assignment on page 5447 rollouts
appear.

Envelope Display Options
This topic describes some options for controlling how envelopes display in
the viewports.

Interactive Redraw
By default, Interactive Redraw, an option in the Envelope and Bulge sub-object
levels, is turned off. After you change an envelope, the mesh is refreshed when
you release the mouse button. Turn this option on for interactive viewing of
how envelopes and bulges are affecting vertices. As you adjust the envelopes,
the vertices move to show the effects of the resized envelopes

5332 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Changing Display Options
You can change the display settings for envelopes and their component parts.
Click the associated color sample to open the Color Selector and change color
setting for:
■

Inner and outer bounds on both deformable and rigid envelope types.

■

Differently weighted vertices, as they fall within the inner bound, or
between it and the outer bound.

■

Selected cross sections and control points.

■

Turn on or off the associated check box to determine whether any of the
above envelope components are displayed.

■

Number of sides for inner and outer bounds. The default is 4.

Choose Initial Skeletal Pose on page 5349 if you want to work in the position
of the mesh and its skeleton at the time Physique was applied. Returning to
this pose can be useful if the display becomes confused with the effects of
unassigned vertices when the character moves through an animation.
See also:
■

Fine-Tuning Envelopes on page 5328

Working with Deformable Envelopes
Once you've got the deformable envelopes working the way you want to
control overall skin deformation, you might want to adjust the finer aspects
of skin control.
Several different sub-object levels can help you fine-tune skin behavior:
■

Skin bending, twisting, sliding, and scaling about single links are controlled
at the Link sub-object level. See Adjusting Link Parameters on page 5335.

■

Link sub-object primarily controls the deformation spline on page 9132. You
use Link sub-object options to affect the shape of the spline and the
smoothness of the skin. See Adjusting Link Parameters on page 5335.

■

Crease behavior where links meet and bend is controlled at the Link
sub-object level with Joint Intersection on page 5428 parameters.

Physique | 5333

■

Muscle bulges as your character's limbs move through a range of motion
are controlled at the Bulge sub-object level. See Creating Bulges on page
5340.

■

Skin stretching, generally between non-contiguous links, is controlled at
the Tendon sub-object level. Tendons provide a secondary movement (a
pulling or stretching) based on links farther up or down the skeleton. See
Creating Tendons on page 5344.

See also:
■

Link Sub-Object on page 5419

■

Bulge Sub-Object on page 5431

■

Tendons Sub-Object on page 5441

Working with Rigid Envelopes
Vertices influenced by a rigid envelope follow the link itself rather than the
deformation spline, as deformable vertices do. Low vertex-count models used
for games are typically connected to the skeletons with rigid envelopes to
simplify export to game engines. In such a case, each vertex can be simply
described as assigned to a specific link. It can be located by giving a length
along the link, a distance from the center of the link, and an angle around
the link. As the link is transformed, all the vertices assigned to the vertex are
uniformly transformed. This makes it simple for game engines to move the
character's skin.
The vertices move equally with the controlling link, so the skin appears rigid.
For instance, in the case of a flexing arm, the skin between the wrist and elbow
tightly follows the movement of the forearm, with no change in the spacing
between vertices. The skin between the elbow and shoulder tightly follows
the upper arm. Vertices around the elbow influenced by both links, smoothly
blend to an average position between the two changed links.
Rigid and deformable envelopes can be mixed on a given character. You might,
for instance, use deformable envelopes for most of the character, but choose
rigid for the head and for a suit of armor around the torso.
NOTE In Link sub-object, you can turn on twisting for rigid envelopes. As the wrist
twists the vertices on the forearm will twist also.

5334 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
■

Envelope Sub-Object on page 5411

Working with Both Deformable and Rigid Envelopes
You can assign both Deformable and Rigid to a given link. For example, you
might assign both to the shins, and size the envelopes differently to gain the
benefits of both.
First, size the deformable envelope to affect the whole lower leg area and
smoothly transition into the thigh and ankle areas. Next, you define a smaller
rigid envelope to encompass the stiff unbendable section of the shin. Increase
the weight of the rigid envelope to balance its effect against that of the
deformable envelope.
Some users might use both envelopes as a way to have a bone affect two
completely separate regions of a mesh. The envelopes are scaled so that the
deformable envelope influences certain vertices on one side of the link and
the rigid envelope affects the other side.
See also:
■

Envelope Sub-Object on page 5411

Adjusting Link Parameters
Physique creates a continuous spline through each of the joints in the
hierarchy. The spline is represented by an orange line within the object. It
maintains continuity through each joint: as a joint angle changes, the spline
passing through the joint remains a smooth curve. Physique relies on the
deformation spline to obtain smooth bends of the skin object. Physique offers
bias and tension controls to adjust the shape of the deformation spline.

Physique | 5335

Links depicted by deformable spline.

You can use controls at the Link sub-object level on page 5419 to adjust the skin
behavior about a given link. These link parameters define how the skin
deformation behaves, relative to the motion of the underlying skeleton.
There are four kinds of link parameters on page 5421:
■

Bend parameters affect the curvature of the deformation spline through
the joint at a given link. As a result the skin deformation can range from
more angular at the joint to more like a stiff rubber tube.

5336 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Twist parameters control how the skin deforms when a joint rotates along
its length, as in turning a doorknob. Consider, for example, winding up
the rubber band on a toy airplane propeller; Twist parameters determine
how the twist is distributed along the link and across the joint.
Twist parameters apply to link rotation whose axis is the same as the axis
along the length of the link.

■

Sliding parameters control how the skin moves along the length of a link
as a joint rotates. On the outside, the side where the angle is greater than
180 degrees, the skin moves toward the joint. On the inside, the side where
the joint angle is less than 180 degrees, the skin moves away from the
joint.
The sliding effect tightens the outside to keep detail at the joint and prevent
the facets of the mesh from moving apart. It relaxes the inside to prevent
the mesh from bunching up at the joint.

■

Radial Scale parameters affect the influence on the skin caused by scaling
links of the skeleton. Certain settings, such as Breathe and Stretch, react
to scaling of the skeleton, but only with standard 3ds Max bones or a 3ds
Max hierarchy.
NOTE Bipeds and 3ds Max IK controllers don't support scaling.
Link Scale provides a way to globally scale all the vertices influenced by
the link. CS Amplitude scales the effect of bulge cross sections across the
entire link. It can be used for animated scaling of the bones or for general
mesh adjustments. The intent is not to edit the character itself, but rather
the effect the bones have on it.

You set Link parameters at the sub-object level, in the Physique Link Settings
rollout on page 5421.

Partial Blending and Weight Assignments
Most often, you will want to use envelopes to correct the way skin behaves
as the biped moves. However, you can override envelopes by manually
assigning vertex properties.
For example, you can remove the influence of inappropriate links from selected
vertices. You can also change the weight distribution between links for a single
vertex by using type-in weights.

Physique | 5337

In Cases where No Envelopes Use Partial Blending (the Default)
Vertex v is assigned to links l1, l2, and l3, and the weights for these links are:
w1 = 0.2, w2 = 0.3, and w3 = 0.4.
In a non-partial blended case, the sum of these vertex weights is w1 + w2 +
w3 = 0.9 (less than 1.0).
With partial blending off, Physique will normalize the weights so they sum
to 1.0. For example:
w1' = w1 / w1+w2+w3 = 0.2/0.9 = .2222222...
w2' = w2 / w1+w2+w3 = 0.3/0.9 = .3333333...
w3' = w3 / w1+w2+w3 = 0.4/0.9 = .4444444...

so
w1'+w2'+w3' = 1.0

In Cases where All Envelopes Use Partial Blending
The weight fill-in for vertices with a weight less than 1 will always fill with
the weight of the root. Whenever a vertex is assigned to a group of links, all
of which are partially blended, then the remaining weight will be assigned
and blended with the root link.
This works well for a case where you want partial deformation falling off to
no deformation. An example would be a static head, where you are deforming
the head for facial expressions, but the head itself remains in place.
For example: vertex v is assigned to links l1, l2, and l3. The weights for these
links are: w1 = 0.2, w2 = 0.3, and w3 = 0.4.
The sum of these vertex weights is w1 + w2 + w3 = 0.9 (less than 1.0). We need
an additional fill-in weight (wf). The fill-in weight is determined by 1.0 (w1+w2+w3) = 0.1, or 10%. Physique fills in with weight wf from the root
(leaving the vertex partially undeformed).
The resulting deformation will be w1*l1 + w2*l2 + w3*l3 + wf*root. The root
portion of this deformation is essentially an undeformed portion that simply
follows the root of the skeleton.

In Cases where Some Envelopes Use Partial Blending and Some Do Not
The vertex weight fill-in in overlap areas will be based on the percentage of
partial and non partial weights. For example, If the total weight of non partial
links is 80% of the total summed partial and non partial weight, then 80% of
the fill-in will be more of the non partial deformation. The remaining 20%
fill-in will come from the root.

5338 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Example: If Vertex v is assigned to links l1, l2, and l3, the weights for these
links are: w1 = 0.2, w2 = 0.3, and w3 = 0.4.
Let's assume l1 and l2 are nonpartial, and l3 is partial. The nonpartial weight
is w1 + w2 = 0.5; the partial weight is w3 = 0.4; the nonpartial weight is
0.5/(0.5+0.4) = .555555, or 56%; and the fill-in weight is still (1.0 - .9) or wf =
0.1.
Physique fills in with 56% of wf with more of the nonpartial blended links.
The remaining 44% of wf is filled in with the root as in the partial blended
case. This provides a smooth transition between the partial and nonpartial
links.

Bulges
For some animations, simply attaching the skin and correcting its vertex
assignments results in an animated skin you can use in final renderings. For
other animations, you might need to give the skin more realistic movement:
for example, muscles that bulge.
Physique lets you simulate an underlying musculature for the skin by adding
tendons on page 5344 and bulges:
■

Bulges change the skin's profile to simulate bulging muscles. You create
the bulge by establishing bulge angles, relationships between cross-sectional
slices of the skin and specific poses of the skeleton joint. Imagine a cross
section to be a slice through the skin's mesh, perpendicular to the link. By
making changes to cross sections, you in turn distort the shape of the
mesh. Bulges in your character can be constructed by associating certain
poses with related changes to the cross sections, in other words by defining
bulge angles.
At any joint angle, you can define a bulge angle, and you may define as
many bulge angles as needed. The bulge angle consists of the current
orientation of the joint together with any defined cross sections. In
addition, you can adjust the influence of a bulge angle. Physique considers
all the bulge angles as the character moves. The resulting bulge is created
by interpolating the effects of the various bulge angles having some
influence at the current joint angle.
For example, to create a bulging biceps muscle, in Bulge sub-object level,
on a selected link, insert a cross section near the center of the upper arm.
Pose the arm into a flexed position, with the angle between upper and
lower arms at 90 degrees or less. Insert a bulge angle and adjust the cross
section so that it distorts the mesh appropriately. In the viewports and in
the Bulge Editor on page 5379, you can edit the shape of the bulge to look

Physique | 5339

like a flexed biceps muscle: higher and wider above the bone than below
it. Now as the elbow bends from a straight orientation up and toward the
shoulder, Physique bulges the biceps appropriately.
see Creating Bulges on page 5340 for more information about creating bulges.
Because bulges are optional, you can approach Physique animation in a couple
of ways:
■

Apply only as much detail as you need to get the effect you want for a
particular scene in your animation. This is probably the best approach
when the Physique animation is meant to be used only once, or is not the
main focus of the animation.

■

Define a fully deformable character, with bulges for its entire range of
motion. This is probably the best approach when you intend to reuse the
Physique character in an ongoing series of animations, for example, or in
a video game that has a variety of character action.

See also:
■

Bulge Sub-Object on page 5431

Creating Bulges
Bulges simulate bulging muscles. Physique creates bulges based on bulge angles
and cross section shapes you specify, not on keyframe settings.
You create a bulge by:
■

Reposing the character to a position where the bulge will have its greatest
effect. This can just be a matter of using the time slider to scrub to that
place in a loaded motion file.

■

Setting a bulge angle between two links, the currently selected link and its
child link in the hierarchy. The bulge angle is the angle of the joint where
the bulge has its full effect. When the joint has a different angle, Physique
interpolates so the bulge can grow as the joint flexes toward that angle.
See Setting Bulge Angles on page 5342 for more information.

5340 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE The resulting bulge for any given frame in an animation is determined
by the interpolated effects of all bulge angles for the link, based on the
relationship of each bulge angle to the current joint angle. Bulge angles are
not directly associated with keyframe parameters, but are relative to the
skeleton's behavior.

Bulge shape is interpolated as joint movement approaches a bulge angle.

■

Creating and shaping the cross sections associated with the bulge angle.
A link's cross sections and its profile are spline controls of the shape of the
skin. To create and shape cross sections, see Shaping the Bulge on page
5343.
Each bulge angle affects both neighboring links. Therefore, each link
contains a set of cross sections for each bulge at both its parent and child
joint angles. For example, the forearm link can be deformed by bulge angles
associated with both the elbow and wrist joints.

Physique | 5341

■

Adjusting bulge parameters, including the joint intersection parameters.
Bulge parameters control the smoothness and the strength of the bulge
and are found at the Bulge sub-object level.
Joint intersection parameters control how the skin behaves when bulges
would overlap each other if there were no collision detection for skin
vertices. They are in a Physique rollout for Link sub-objects. See
Reinitializing Physique Settings on page 5347.

See also:
■

Bulge Sub-Object on page 5431

Setting Bulge Angles
A bulge angle associates an angle value and a name. By default, each link has
one bulge angle whose default name is the name of the link followed by "Bulge
0". The default bulge angle's initial angle value is the angle between the link
and its child when you first attach Physique to the skeleton.
Bulges are effective because they grow and shrink as the joint moves. The
initial bulge angle defines one shape that the skin can deform to; this would
normally be like a default musculature. With no other bulge angles defined,
the skin would always look like the first bulge angle, regardless of pose.
Additional bulge angles provide the other shapes the mesh can deform to.
In the simple case of a flexing biceps muscle, one bulge angle defines the
relaxed position and another defines the muscle in its flexed pose. Both are
exposed so you can add definition to the default character. As in a biceps
muscle, a heavily-muscled character might have some shape even in a relaxed
pose. This lets you change the baseline without disturbing the original mesh.
You can actually use Physique bulge cross sections to model your character.
The cross section deformation for a given link is determined by interpolating
between the contributions of all bulge angles that affect the link. This includes
bulge angles for both the link's parent joint angle and its own (child) joint
angle. Each bulge angle's contribution is determined by:
■

Influence (how far away the bulge angle is from the current joint angle
rotation)

■

Power (an ease based on the influence of the angle)

■

Weight (the relative strength of the bulge angle)

5342 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Keep in mind that bulge angles can be set for arbitrary rotations, and are not
limited to single-axis hinge joints.
See also:
■

Bulge Sub-Object on page 5431

Fine-Tuning Bulges
The Bulge Editor on page 5379 duplicates many of the controls available at the
Bulge sub-object level. It gives you a focused, two-dimensional view of the
current bulge settings.

Shaping the Bulge
Once you've inserted the bulge angle, and recorded the angle setting, you
then shape the bulge by inserting and adjusting cross sections. You can either
move and scale the cross sections, or adjust each one's shape using control
points.

Adding More Poses to Your Character
For more complex body movements, you may need to add bulges for different
positions. Overall, you might want to build a generic character that works in
a number of situations, regardless of the type of motion.
Some examples are:
■

Moving the character into several extreme poses.

■

Putting the arms high over the head and bending them into different
positions.

■

Making the character squat and lifting the legs into various positions.

■

Adding bulge angles to the links at places where real muscles would bulge.

Once the skin reacts well to the full range of motions, you can then place the
character into a less demanding pose and it should work perfectly.

Physique | 5343

Tendons
Tendons tie links together, extending the effect of moving one link to another
link where the tendon is based. Their effect is similar to that of tendons in a
body.
For example, raising an arm usually stretches the skin along the same side of
the body. To get this effect using Physique, you could base a tendon on a
spine link, then attach it to the upper arm or collarbone, so when the arm
lifts, the skin around the torso stretches as well.
see Creating Tendons on page 5344 for more information about creating tendons.
See also:
■

Tendons Sub-Object on page 5441

Creating Tendons
Like tendons in an actual body, tendons in Physique on page 5441 link one bone
to another. They spread the effect of moving one link to the skin around a
different link. Tendons can improve the realism of skin movement when it is
animated by Physique.
Basically, a tendon consists of base points that live on a cross section near the
skin. A base point is attached to another link on the skeleton that pulls it. As
the tendon base point is pulled, it deforms the skin around it. Several
parameters control how much the point is pulled in each direction.
You insert the tendon cross section at the location where you want the skin
to stretch. You then attach it to the link that influences the movement.
Each link can contain several tendon cross sections, and each control point
may be attached to a separate link. In a practical application, however, such
as in the area below the armpits, you might have two control points attached
to each of the left and right clavicles.

Procedures
To create and attach a tendon:
1 Go to the Tendons sub-object level. In the Tendons rollout ➤ Selection
Level group, activate

5344 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Link).

2 In a viewport, select a link.
3 In the Insert Settings group, click to turn on Insert.
4 In a viewport, position the cursor over the link.
The cursor changes to a small star.
5 Click to create cross sections on the link.
6 Click to turn off Insert.
TIP You can also right-click in a viewport to turn off tendon creation.

7 In the Selection Level group, turn on

(Cross Section).

8 Use the
Rotate tool to rotate the cross section so the control
points are positioned in useful places.
9 In the Tendon Parameters group, use the Radius spinner to scale the cross
section radially so the control points fall close to the surface of the skin.

10 In the Selection Level group, activate
(Control Point), then in a
viewport, select one or more control points.
11 In the Edit Commands group, turn on Attach, then in a viewport, click
a different link.
Tendons span the area between the links.
12 Adjust the Pinch, Pull, and Stretch settings to adjust the skin behavior.
13 Adjust the Upper and Lower Boundary settings to control the extent of
the effect on neighboring links.
To attach a tendon to another link:

1 In the Tendons rollout ➤ Selection Level group, activate
Point) to make it the active selection level.

(Control

2 In a viewport, select one or more of the tendon's attach points.

Physique | 5345

Click a point to select it; use Ctrl+click to add points to the selection; or
drag a rectangular region to select multiple points.
3 In the Edit Commands group, turn on Attach.
4 In a viewport, click the link to which you want to attach the tendon.
In the viewports, red lines appear showing the tendon's connection from
its base to the other link. The skin mesh might also deform as a result of
attaching the tendon.
TIP The tendon can have fixed attach points that are not connected to
another link. These are useful for giving some rigidity to the skin, as when
(in an actual body) a bone lies close to the skin's surface. For example, you
might leave two fixed attach points on either side of a character's chest area,
to simulate the effect of the sternum. When all tendons are attached to other
links, the skin over the base link can have a "squishy" appearance when it is
animated. This is appropriate for some animated characters, but not for
others.

To delete a tendon:

1 At the Tendons sub-object ➤
(Link) selection level, select the link
that has the tendon you want to remove.
2 In the Insert Settings group, click Delete.

Saving and Loading Physique Data
You can save Physique data to a Physique (.phy) file to save data common to
all objects that share a given Physique modifier
Later, you can reload the data file, either to restore the data that belongs to a
particular skin or portion of skin, or to transfer the Physique of one skin (or
portion) to a different one.
See also:
■

Physique Rollout on page 5363

■

Physique Load Specification Dialog on page 5394

5346 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Reinitializing Physique Settings
When you need to reset vertex, envelope, and other skin parameters on a
Physique mesh, click Reinitialize to display the Physique Initialization dialog.
Using controls in this dialog, select the category to update, and apply the new
global settings.
For example, if you've added a new bone to the hierarchy and want it included
and influenced by the Physique modifier, use the reinitialization mechanism
to effect its inclusion. Or maybe you've repositioned the biped structure relative
to the mesh, you'd need to reinitialize Physique settings to recognize those
changes.
Reinitializing with changed settings applies them as new defaults in the areas
you choose. Reinitializing without changing settings on the Physique
Initialization dialog is a method of erasing unsatisfactory changes you've made
to the Physique settings, again in those areas you specify.

Physique | 5347

Reinitialization mode of Initialization dialog

Initialization Group
The Initialization group in the Physique Initialization dialog is where you
name the category of settings to reset. (When you applied Physique to the
mesh initially, these settings appeared unavailable; in fact, all settings are set
at Initialization.)

5348 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

WARNING Select only the check boxes for those settings you need to reset. If
you select everything, your model is returned to the state it was in immediately
after applying Physique. That's a quick way to discard changes that aren't working;
just make sure that's what you want to do. If you change settings in rollouts on
this dialog and fail to select the corresponding check box, those rollout settings
are ignored and initial defaults are reestablished.
See also:
Reinitialize Physique on page 5376

■

Working with an Initial Pose
At times, you'll need to alter the fit of the hierarchy in the Physique mesh, or
change its structure. To do so, you change the default, initial pose, which
Physique uses as a reference for various operations, including reinitializing.
■

For a biped, you change the structure in Figure mode, then reinitialize the
Initial Skeleton Pose.

■

For a Bones system with the HD IK solver, there is a Show Initial State
check box in the Motion panel, on the IK Controller Parameters rollout.

■

For any other hierarchy, use frame 0 for the initial pose. Be sure your
animation does not affect the position of the skeleton in frame 0.

See also:
Figure Mode on page 5104

■

Procedures
To load a file created with different system units:
NOTE If the System Unit Scale has a value that is different from that of the file
you are loading, 3ds Max prompts you to rescale the scene. If you do so, any
objects that have a Physique modifier exhibit a double scaling. Do the following:

1

Select the object.

Physique | 5349

2

Reinitialize with both Initial Skeletal Pose and Vertex Settings
(the last check box) turned on.

Improving Interactive Performance
This topic presents some ways to improve the interactive performance of
Physique.
Physique is multithreaded, and optimized for modifier stack changes below
the Physique modifier.

Level of Detail Controls
The controls in the Physique Level of Detail rollout on page 5368 help you
optimize performance while working with Physique, by letting you specify
which skin deformations are refreshed automatically in viewports. The more
complex the skin object, the more effective these controls can be at speeding
up your work.
NOTE The 3ds Max renderer also heeds Level of Detail settings. Don't forget to
reset these controls before the final render.

Turning Blending On and Off
When Physique is first initialized, the Blending Between Links parameter in
the Physique Initialization dialog on page 5374 is set to N Links on page 9235.
This means that every envelope must be considered when determining the
influence on any vertex on page 5396. You can reinitialize with No Blending
(or only 2, 3, or 4 links) to reduce this calculation permanently, although at
the cost of losing some or all blending at the joints.
NOTE Setting to No Blending is advised only for those developing characters to
be used by real-time game engines.
You can also set No Blending at the Vertex sub-object level. You can
temporarily disable Link Blending on the Physique Level of Detail rollout, on
the Modify panel.

Using the Optimize Modifier with Physique
The standard 3ds Max Optimize modifier allows you to reduce the level of
mesh detail in order to increase display performance and speed up screen

5350 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

refreshes. Optimize can be helpful with Physique when you work with
complicated skin objects such as detailed biped figures.
There are stack update options that determine how the stack is updated. See
the Physique Level of Detail rollout on page 5368 for a reference on the stack
update options.
WARNING If the current stack update option is Reassign Globally, any modifier
in the stack below Physique causes Physique to reevaluate vertex assignments each
time the stack is changed. While this technique will improve performance in one
way, it will hurt performance if you need repeatedly to make changes down in
the stack.

Procedures
To optimize skin objects:

1

Select the skin.
If the skin consists of multiple objects, select all of its component objects.

2 Apply an Optimize modifier to the skin.
The Optimize modifier's Parameters rollout appears on the Modify panel.
3 In the Optimize group of the Parameters rollout, increase the value of
Face Threshold.
As you increase Face Threshold, Optimize reduces the number of faces
in the mesh.
The optimized mesh displays more quickly and speeds up your work with
Physique. However, it doesn't show full detail, and sometimes an optimized
skin does not animate correctly, because of the reduced number of vertices.
TIP Always turn off Optimize before you render the animated skin.

Scaling a Character
Using standard 3ds Max scale transform tools, you can adjust a biped's posture
by scaling the size of its links. You must be in Figure mode to scale the biped
links. If you try to scale a biped without going into Figure mode, nothing
happens.

Physique | 5351

Procedures
To scale a biped that has a mesh attached to it by using Physique:

1

Select the biped.

Motion panel ➤ Biped rollout, turn on

2 On the
Mode).

(Figure

3 On the Structure rollout, change the biped's height.
The biped and mesh scale together.
To reinitialize a scaled mesh:
Reinitializing a scaled mesh might be necessary if you use Initial Skeleton Pose
in Physique. In this case, the mesh appears at its size before scaling. To correct
for this, perform the following steps:

1 On the
Modify panel, either make Physique inactive, or highlight
the skin object so the active level is below the Physique modifier in the
stack.

2

Scale and

move the mesh until it matches the biped

or bones.
3 Re-enable Physique, or highlight its name once more in the stack display.
The mesh will get large because it is doubly scaled.

4

Reinitialize with Initial Skeleton Pose turned on.
The mesh will shrink to the size you set during scaling.

5352 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Facial Animation
You can use Physique for facial animation, as an alternative to morphing. To
do so, you must set up the face of a character with extra links. By setting up
3ds Max bones or other objects at appropriate locations on the mesh head,
you can define a skeletal structure for moving the facial features.

Boxes form the facial skeletal structure.

You can also use splines linked to the biped head to deform the mesh. You
can add a spline to a character that already has Physique applied by using Add
in the Physique Bones rollout and clicking the spline in a viewport.

Physique | 5353

Splines used for detailed facial animation.

Facial Bone Structure
A common skeletal structure for the face includes:
■

Bones to make the upper and lower lips open and close.

■

Bones to push the outer corners of the mouth, as for a smile.

■

Bones to make the eyes open and close.

■

A bone to control the jaw opening and closing.

■

The main head bone going straight up from the neck to the top of the
head. This bone controls the head overall, and any vertices not affected
by bones on the eyes, mouth and jaw. Use this bone to bend the head
forward or backward.

5354 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP If you've never set up a facial bone structure before, refer to a text on character
animation for information on the facial bones needed to create various expressions.
In general, the lower lip bones should be linked to the jaw, and upper lip, jaw
and eye bones should be linked to the main head bone.

Facial bone linkage

If you use objects other than 3ds Max bones, you must create dummy objects
at the end of each object used as a bone, and link each one to its corresponding
bone before applying Physique. This is necessary because Physique extends
links to the end of the second-to-last object in the hierarchy, not the last. In
other words, if you don't create and link the dummy objects to the bones,
Physique will not extend links to the ends of the bones.

Physique | 5355

Dummy objects at ends of bones

Mesh objects that are to be animated along with the face, such as the eyes
and hair, should not be linked to the bone structure until after Physique is
applied. If you link them beforehand, Physique will treat them like bones.
You can link these objects to the main head bone after you apply Physique.

Separate or Connected Head
There a two ways a setup like this could be used with a character body: The
head could be attached to the body mesh, or it could be separate.
If possible, use a head that is separate from the body mesh. For human
characters, this often works fine; most character animation doesn't provide a
view of the underside of the neck, so your viewers will most likely never notice
that they're separated. If you use a separate head, it will be easier to control
the facial animation.
If you use a separate head, apply Physique to the head mesh alone. Click
Attach to Node and pick the main head bone. Check the links to make sure
they extend to the ends of the bones. Then, link the main head bone to the
biped head.

5356 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

If the character's head is connected to the mesh, link the main head bone to
the biped head before applying Physique. Alternately, you can use the biped's
head as the main head bone, linking the facial bones directly to the biped's
head. When you apply Physique and click Attach to Node, pick the biped's
COM as usual.
After applying Physique to the head or the entire structure, you can adjust
envelopes and vertex assignments for the facial bones as you would for any
biped bone.

Animating the Facial Structure
After you apply Physique to the structure, you can animate it by rotating or
moving bones. 3ds Max manipulators on page 2892 are useful for setting up a
custom user interface for bone animation.

Physique | 5357

Facial expressions animated with Physique and facial bones.

TIP Hierarchies other than bipeds can't use Figure mode, so special consideration
is needed to establish the initial skeletal pose. Position the facial bones in the “at
rest” position at frame 0, and start keyframing the face at frame 1 or later.
You can perform lip synch animation by loading a sound track in Track View.
By scrubbing the time slider, you can locate a sound and keyframe the dummies
to appropriate positions.

5358 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To isolate lip vertices from influence by inappropriate links:
When working with a complicated facial bone structure, envelopes for the
lower lip are bound to affect vertices in the upper lip, and vice versa. In general,
this can be corrected in at the Vertex sub-object level:

1

Select the head. On the
sub-object level.

Modify panel, go to the Vertex

2 Turn on Initial Skeletal Pose (the check box at the bottom of the Vertex
- Link Assignment rollout).
3 Turn on Select, region-select vertices of the lower lip, then click Remove
From Link.
4 Select the links of the upper lip, and click Lock Assignments.

5

Region-select vertices of the upper lip, and click Remove From
Link.

6 Select links of the lower lip, and click Lock Assignments.

Combining Physique with Other Modifiers
Although you can apply Physique to an object with modifiers, this can affect
performance. If you use other animated modifiers in combination with
Physique, this reduction is unavoidable. If the other modifiers are not
animated, you can collapse the stack to remove modifiers prior to Physique.
This can significantly improve performance.
How Physique reevaluates vertices coming up the stack depends on the stack
update options.

Stack Update Options
In Physique, there are three stack update options available from the Physique
Level of Detail rollout on page 5368 to determine how Physique handles
animated vertices coming up the modifier stack.

Physique | 5359

Add Change
Add Change adds in the changes from the stack and then applies mesh
deformation. No vertex remapping or reassigning is done. This is the default
option, and usually will give you the deformation that you want. There is no
performance degradation from Physique.

Remap Locally
Remap Locally resets vertex position on the spline used for bending and the
link position used to interpolate twist. Use this option when vertices are sliding
along the length of the spline, and you want them to bend and twist based
on the spline position but don't want the weights to change.

Reassign Globally
Reassign Globally does a complete vertex reassign for each frame. Use this
option when vertices are moving to different envelopes and you want them
reassigned to the new envelopes. This option should rarely be used. The only
reason would be if vertices are sliding along a link and you want the twist to
be interpolated based on the new position.

Using Physique with Changing Geometry
Physique can effectively handle dynamically changing geometry. That is, if
the geometry coming through the modifier stack to Physique changes,
Physique dynamically adjusts to accommodate the changes to the geometry,
while maintaining its own parameter settings, including manual vertex
assignments. This is why, when using Optimize, you can effectively change
the resolution of the geometry deformed by Physique.
Only in situations where the changes dramatically increase the density of data
is there ever a need to manually adjust vertex assignments. Physique
remembers your manual vertex assignments, and uses these assignments to
reassign vertices when the geometry changes.

Physique and Free-Form Deformations (FFDs)
You can apply Physique to a Free-Form Deformation (FFD) space warp, which
in turn can animate a mesh that is bound to the FFD. For example, you could
use this technique to animate a credit card or a box of cereal.

5360 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To apply Physique to an FFD to animate the entire mesh:
1 Place an FFD (Box) space warp around the mesh to deform.
The box should be large enough to encompass the mesh. The number of
control points you use for the FFD can be fine-tuned later by going back
down in the stack to the FFD to adjust the number of control points.

2

Select the FFD and apply the Physique modifier.

3 Click
(Attach To Node), and then click the biped pelvis or the root
node of your bone structure.
4 If necessary, select the FFD space warp and adjust the vertex assignments
of the control points so they are assigned to the proper links.
This can be done in the same way as done using Physique with a mesh,
only there are fewer assignments to deal with. Although fewer assignments
provide smoother surface deformation with the FFD, control points and
their link assignments must be thoughtfully placed.

5 Use

6

(Bind To Space Warp) to bind the mesh to the FFD space warp.

Link the mesh to the biped pelvis, or the root node of the bone
structure, so it follows the skeleton and FFD as they move around the
scene.

To use an FFD to complement the effects of Physique on a portion of a
character mesh:
TIP You can use this procedure to animate clothes or amorphous shapes.
1 Place an FFD (Box) space warp around the mesh to deform.
The box should be large enough to encompass the mesh. The number of
control points you use for the FFD can be fine-tuned later by going back
down in the stack to the FFD to adjust the number of control points.

Physique | 5361

2

Select the FFD and the mesh and apply a Physique modifier to
both.

3 Click

4

(Attach To Node) and in a viewport, click the biped pelvis.

Select the mesh only, and add a Mesh Select modifier to the
mesh above Physique in the modifier stack.
NOTE If you are using a NURBS model, use the NSurf Sel modifier (rather
than Mesh Select) to select sub-object control vertices that lie inside the FFD
lattice.

5 Go to the Vertex sub-object level (or Control Vertex), and
select
the set of vertices (or CVs) that lie inside the FFD space warp you are
using.

6 While in the Vertex sub-object level,
bind the mesh to the FFD
space warp. Now only the selected vertices or CVs will be affected by the
FFD.
7 With the mesh selected, highlight the Physique level in the stack, and
assign all vertices or CVs affected by the space warp as blue (rigid). These
should be the same vertices or CVs selected in step 5, above.
8 Assign the rest of the vertices or CVs that fall outside the FFD as
deformable, in the same way you normally assign vertices to links on
page 5447 with Physique.

9

Select the FFD space warp. If necessary, adjust the vertex
assignments of the control points so they are assigned to the proper links.
You do this in the same way as you do when using Physique with a mesh,
except there are fewer assignments to deal with. Although fewer

5362 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

assignments provide smoother surface deformation with the FFD, control
points and their link assignments must be thoughtfully placed.

Physique User Interface
Select a mesh. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Modifier List ➤ Physique.

Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Floating Bones, Physique, and Physique Level of Detail rollouts
The main controls for the Physique modifier include the Physique and Floating
Bones rollouts for attaching the mesh to the biped, splines, or bones. Additional
controls in the Physique Level Of Detail rollout are for troubleshooting
envelopes, bulges, and tendons. The sub-object controls are for fine-tuning
envelopes, creating and adjusting tendons and bulges, and for vertex editing.
See also:
Physique on page 5294

■

Physique Rollout
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout
You use the buttons on the Physique rollout to link a mesh to a biped, a bones
hierarchy, or a spline; to reinitialize the Physique parameters on a mesh; to
open the Bulge Editor on page 5379; and to load or save Physique (PHY) files.

Procedures
To attach a mesh to a biped using Physique:

1

Select or create a biped.

Physique | 5363

2 Go to the

Motion panel. On the Biped rollout, click to turn on

(Figure Mode).

3

Position the biped inside your character mesh.

4

Select the mesh.
IMPORTANT If the mesh is made of multiple objects, select all of them.

5 Go to the
to the mesh.

Modify panel. Use the Modifier List to apply Physique

6 On the Physique rollout, click to turn on
viewport, pick the biped's pelvis object.

(Attach To Node). In a

3ds Max opens the Physique Initialization dialog on page 5374.
7 Click Initialize, accepting the default settings.
By default, the Object Bounding Box option is selected: Physique sizes
envelopes to approximate the biped limbs.
8 Experiment with animating the biped, and adjust envelopes around
problem areas. Use the Envelope sub-object level to edit the newly created
envelopes.
To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique:

1

Select or create a bones hierarchy.

2

Position the bones hierarchy inside the mesh.

5364 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP When you use a bones hierarchy with Physique, use frame 0 as your
"figure mode." Don't include frame 0 in your animation. Use it as a place
where you position the bones and fit them to the mesh.

3

Select the mesh.

4 Go to the
to the mesh.

Modify panel. Use the Modifier List to apply Physique

5 Click to turn on
(Attach To Node). In a viewport, pick the root bone
in the bones hierarchy.
3ds Max opens the Physique Initialization dialog.
6 Click Initialize, accepting the default settings.
7 Experiment with animating the bones, and adjust envelopes around
problem areas. Use the Envelope sub-object level to edit the newly created
envelopes.
To add a bone after you've already used Attach To Node:

1

Link the bone to the biped, then click

2

Select the mesh, then go to the

Physique rollout, click

(Reinitialize).

Modify panel. On the

(Reinitialize).3ds Max opens

the Physique Initialization dialog.
3 On the dialog, in the Initialize group at the upper left, click to turn on
Initial Skeleton Pose. The toggle Include New Bone becomes available.
Click to turn on Include New Bone, and then click Initialize.

Physique | 5365

To save Physique data:

1 On the
Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout, click
Physique File).

(Save

3ds Max opens a file save dialog.
2 Enter a name for the new Physique file, and then click Save.
To load Physique data:

1 On the
Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout, click
Physique File).

(Open

3ds Max opens a file open dialog.
2 Choose the Physique (PHY) file to open, and then click Open.
3ds Max opens a Physique Load Specification dialog.
3 Use the dialog to choose the kind of data to load, and then use the lists
to match links in the PHY file with links in the scene.
IMPORTANT The number of links selected from the file (left column) must
match the number of links in the active Physique modifier (right column).
4 Click OK.
Physique updates the links you chose with the data that was saved.

Interface

Attach to Node Attaches the mesh objects to the biped or to a bones
hierarchy.
IMPORTANT Put the biped in Figure mode and fit it to the mesh character before
you click Attach To Node.

5366 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Turn on Attach To Node, then in a viewport, click the biped's pelvis or the
root node of a bones hierarchy.
NOTE If you click a biped's center of mass instead of its vertex, Physique corrects
this by attaching to the pelvis instead.
After you select a node in the viewports, the Physique Initialization dialog on
page 5374 is displayed. Accept the default values in this dialog, then click
Initialize. Physique traverses the biped or bone hierarchy, and creates an
envelope on page 5411 for each link it finds. (It can include additional bones
that are linked to the biped.) The envelopes control Physique's influence on
the vertices of the mesh. When the hierarchy is animated, the mesh vertices
move along with it.

Reinitialize Displays the Physique Initialization dialog and resets any
or all of the Physique attributes to the default values. For example, reinitializing
on page 5376 with the Vertex Settings option selected reestablishes the
relationship of a vertex and its original position relative to the Physique
deformation spline. Settings for vertex-link assignments, bulges, and tendons
can be reset from this dialog.
Bulge Editor Displays the Bulge Editor on page 5379, which is a graphical
alternative to the Bulge sub-object level for creating and editing bulge angles.

Open Physique File Loads a saved Physique (.phy) file, which stores
envelope, bulge angle, link, tendon, and vertex settings.
When you click Open Physique File to load a .phy file, the Physique Load
Specification dialog on page 5394 is displayed. Select the links you want to
import in the list on the left of the dialog, and apply them to the links you
select in the list on the right of the dialog.
Any aspect of your Physique work can be loaded into any other character.
You can choose from Link Settings, Bulges, Tendons, and Envelopes. You can
also apply links from the file to differently named links in the current scene.
For example, save and reload a .phy file to copy a bulge angle created on one
character to a link on another character.
TIP A bulge created on a bones hierarchy can be loaded and applied to Physique
links created using a biped.

Physique | 5367

NOTE Loading a .phy file will not overwrite locked vertices. If you want to overwrite
them, you must either go to the Vertex sub-object level and unlock them, or
reinitialize and turn on the option Vertex - Link Assignments.

Save Physique File Saves a Physique (.phy) file, which contains
envelope, bulge angle, link, and tendon settings.

Physique Level of Detail Rollout
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Physique Level of Detail rollout
Controls in the Physique Level Of Detail rollout not only optimize the
viewports, but also affect the rendered result. The primary purpose of this
rollout is for troubleshooting.
After you create bulge angles and tendons, you can turn off their influence to
see exactly what they add to the deformation of the skin. This rollout also has
controls for how changes in the modifier stack below Physique are handled.
TIP Choose Deformable and turn on all its parameters during editing; this allows
you to spot problem areas. Choose Rigid for the fastest viewport redraw.

Procedures
To troubleshoot bulges and tendons:

1

Select the mesh of a character that has bulges or tendons.

2 Go to the

Modify panel.

3 On the Physique Level Of Detail rollout, in the Skin Update group, make
sure Deformable is chosen.
4 Turn Bulges off, then on. Do the same with Tendons.
Examine the mesh with and without the influence of bulges and tendons.

5368 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 Use the Bulge Editor or the sub-object levels to adjust bulge and tendon
settings.

Interface

Renderer When chosen, settings in the Skin Update group affect rendered
images.
Viewports When chosen, settings in the Skin Update gropu affect viewports.

Physique | 5369

Skin Update group
Deformable When chosen, Physique deformation is active. Deformable yields
the highest-quality rendering. The Deformable toggles are unavailable unless
Deformable is chosen.
■

Joint IntersectionsTurn off to remove joint intersection influence. Joint
intersection influence allows the mesh to overlap itself; for example, at
the elbow and knee joints. Default=on.

■

BulgesTurn off to remove any bulge angle influence. Default=on.

■

TendonsTurn off to remove any tendon influence. Default=on.

■

Skin SlidingTurn off to remove skin sliding influence. Default=on.

■

Link BlendingTurn off to remove the influence of link blending.
Default=on.

Rigid When chosen, forces all vertices to use Rigid assignments rather than
Deformable. This is an easy way to isolate deformation problems. It also
provides the quickest viewport redraw speed. You might choose this option
while adjusting the animation of your skeleton.
■

Link BlendingTurn off to remove the influence of blending on rigid links.
This toggle is unavailable unless Rigid is chosen. Default=on.

Stack Updates group
The controls in this group handle changes to vertex count that arise from
(nonanimated) changes to the modifier stack.
If the vertex count changes, vertices are reassigned globally. Add Change adds
in changes based on the vertices' initial position. The other options reset the
initial position at each frame to do the remapping and reassigning. For this
reason, turning on Add Change or making nonanimated stack changes should
always be done at the initial position (Figure mode or frame 0).
Add Change Adds in changes from the stack and then applies Physique
deformation. No vertex remapping or reassigning is performed. Default=on.
This option will generally give you the deformation you want. There is no
performance penalty (from Physique) when this option is used.
Remap Locally For deformable vertices, this resets the vertex position on the
Physique deformation spline used for bending, as well as the link position
used to interpolate twist. For rigid vertices, this option resets the link position
used to interpolate twist. Default=off.

5370 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When vertices are sliding along the length of the spline and you want them
to bend and twist based on the spline position, but don't want vertex weights
to change, turn this option on.
Reassign Globally Re-weights, and resets the position on the spline used for
bending for moved vertices globally. The vertex link assignment, weighting,
and spline position are reset for all moving points on every frame. (This is
equivalent to Physique 2.2.) This option is like reinitializing on every frame.
Default=off.
When vertices are moving to different envelopes and you want them reassigned
to the new envelopes, use this option.
Hide Attached Nodes Toggles the display of the underlying skeletal system.
This allows you to hide and unhide the biped, for example.

Floating Bones Rollout
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Floating Bones rollout
“Floating” bones provide a way to use Physique without using a biped
character. The Floating Bones rollout specifies the splines, bones hierarchy,
or unattached bones you are using to deform a mesh. For example, Physique
lets you animate a mesh by animating spline vertices or a bones system. When
you attach the spline or parent bone to Physique, it creates envelopes for the
selected spline or bones.

Procedures
To have a spline influence a mesh:
1 Create a spline and place it within a mesh that has Physique applied.

2

Select the mesh, and go to the

Modify panel.

3 On the Floating Bones rollout, click Add.
3ds Max opens a Select Bones dialog.
4 Use the Select Bones dialog to select the spline.

Physique | 5371

5 Animate the spline vertices to animate the mesh.
TIP If you want to control the mesh by animating bones, follow the previous steps
using bones instead of a spline.

Interface

Add Displays a Select Bones dialog so you can select splines or bones to use
with Physique.
Reset Resets splines or bones in their initial position: Reset reassigns vertices,
but leaves envelopes as is.
Delete To delete a spline or bone, click to highlight its name in the list, and
then click Delete.

Physique Shortcuts
This topic summarizes the keyboard shortcuts for Physique.

Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008 to enable
the character studio keyboard shortcuts.

5372 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

All character studio keyboard shortcuts activate when the Motion panel is
active and the Keyboard Shortcut Override button is active.
See also:
■

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007

■

Keyboard Panel on page 8837

■

Customize User Interface Dialog on page 8837

Action

Shortcut

Copy Envelope

Ctrl+C

Delete

Ctrl+D

Next

PageDown

Next Selection Level

I

Paste Envelope

Ctrl+V

Previous

Page Up

Previous Selection Level

Shift+I

Reset Envelopes

Ctrl+E

Description

Resets envelopes for selected links to their default
values.

* Not available for customization in the Customize User Interface dialog.

Physique Dialogs
The topics in this section describe the support dialogs for Physique.

Physique | 5373

Physique Initialization Dialog
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click
(Attach To Node). ➤
Pick a root object in a viewport. ➤ Physique Initialization dialog
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤ Modify panel
➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click Reinitialize. ➤ Physique Initialization dialog.
Use the Physique Initialization dialog to specify link parameters and the type
and size of envelopes to create for Physique links.
This dialog is displayed under two circumstances:
■

■

When you apply Physique initially, using Attach To Node on the
Physique rollout on page 5363 on the Modify panel.

When you click Reinitialize on the Physique rollout.

Creating Physique Links and Envelopes for the First Time
When you use Attach To Node to attach the mesh to a skeleton for the first
time, you can use parameters on the Vertex-Link Assignment rollout on page
5396 to specify envelope parameters. In most cases, the default parameters on
the Vertex-Link Assignment rollout work well as a starting point for envelope
type, envelope sizing, and blending between links.
Normally, you want deformable envelopes. Blending Between Links is set to
N Links (a vertex can be influenced by all envelopes that overlap it). The
Object Bounding Box option is chosen by default, and bases the size of the
envelopes on the size of biped limbs or bone diameters.

Link Settings, Joint Intersections, and Cross Section Rollouts
Controls on these rollouts match those found in bulge sub-object on page 5431
and link sub-object on page 5419 and are used here to set default values. Unless
you want to change the default settings for all link parameters and bulges, you
do not need to change the settings in these rollouts.

5374 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Initialization group
The Initialization check boxes are normally unavailable and not changeable
during initialization. Although these options are unavailable, they are all
turned on by default (except Include New Bones) for initialization, since all
these settings are new when you use Attach To Node for the first time.
These check boxes become available when you click Reinitialize on the
Physique rollout.
See Reinitialize Physique on page 5376 for a description of the controls in this
group.

Physique | 5375

Link Settings rollout
The Link Settings rollout contains the default link values that will be assigned
to all links. See Link Sub-Object on page 5419 for a command reference.

Joint Intersections rollout
The Joint Intersections rollout contains default joint intersection values that
will be assigned to all links. See Link Sub-Object on page 5419 for a command
reference.

Cross Sections rollout
The Cross Sections rollout on page 5398 sets the default Bulge Angle parameter
settings for new bulges.

Vertex-Link Assignment Rollout
On the Vertex-Link Assignment rollout on page 5396 you can choose to create
new envelopes and pick the type of blending between links.

Reinitialize Physique
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click

(Reinitialize).

The Reinitialize button on the Physique rollout is used mainly for resetting a
particular attribute of your character's skin behavior. Among common uses
are resetting bulges, deleting tendons, reassigning vertex-link assignments, or
repositioning the biped relative to the attached mesh. Essentially, you can
reinitialize to reset any single item in the Initialization group, or all items.
The toggles in the Initialization group of the Physique Initialization dialog
are available only when you click Reinitialize.

Reinitializing Old Files
Files from versions of character studio prior to character studio go through a
semi-automatic Physique reinitialization process. When you load an old file
that uses Physique, you’re prompted to put the biped or bones system into

5376 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Figure mode or in the initial position, and then reinitialize. To reinitialize,
select the mesh, open the Modify panel, and click Reinitialize. A dialog warns
you to put the skeleton into the initial position. Click OK to reinitialize, and
save the file after you have done so.
See also:
■

Physique Initialization Dialog on page 5374

Interface

Physique | 5377

Initialization group
Initial Skeleton Pose Uses the current hierarchy position (for example, the
biped pose) as the default pose for defining how the skeleton fits inside the
skin. The current pose becomes the new initial pose, replacing the pose used
when you first attached the mesh to the biped. Default=off.
NOTE This toggle does not reassign vertices that you reassigned manually unless
you also turn on Vertex-Link Assignments.
When using Physique with a biped, turn on Initial Skeleton Pose if you want
to use Figure mode to reposition the biped relative to the mesh; for example,
to reposition the biped shoulder joints. It is helpful first to turn off the
Physique modifier, using the lightbulb icon in the modifier stack display. This
lets you use Figure mode to scale and rotate the biped limbs independent of
the mesh skin. Use this option after you scale a character (see Scaling a
Character on page 5351).
■

Include New BonesCreates new links for any new object (bone) linked to
the biped. Use this to add a bone to a mesh that has the Physique modifier
applied. This toggle is unavailable unless Initial Skeleton Pose is on.
Default=off.

Link and Joint Settings Resets link parameters and joint intersection
parameters to their default values. Link parameters include Bend, Twist, Sliding,
and Radial Scale values. For Radial Scale, this includes Scale, Amplitude, Stretch,
and Breath. Default=off.
When this option is on, you can set new default values in the Link Settings
rollout on page 5421 and the Joint Intersections rollout on page 5428.
Bulges Resets bulge angles to the default values. By default, one bulge angle
is created per link. Turning on Bulges deletes any new bulge angles you might
have created. Default=off.
When this option is on, you can set new default values for cross sections in
the Cross Sections rollout on page 5398.
Tendons Resets tendons to the default values. Turning on Tendons deletes
any tendons you might have created. Default=off.
Vertex-Link Assignments Re-evaluates which vertices fall within each
envelope. (This can vary from the original default settings, depending on
whether you have made changes to the envelopes.) Turning on Vertex-Link
assignments also removes any custom vertex assignments. Turn on Vertex-Link
Assignments if you want to replace all manual vertex reassignments with the
default vertex assignments. Default=off.

5378 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When this option is on, you can set new default values in the Vertex-Link
Assignment rollout on page 5396.
Vertex Settings Recalculates vertex parameters at the link to which each vertex
is assigned. Turning on Vertex Settings does not reassign manually reassigned
vertices. Use this option when you have changed the link parameters and
want to recompute the vertex parameters based on these changes. This check
box is automatically turned on if you turn on either Initial Skeleton Pose or
Vertex-Link Assignments. Default=on.

Bulge Editor
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click

(Bulge Editor).

Creating and editing cross sections allows you to "bulge" the mesh. The Bulge
Editor is an alternative to using the Bulge sub-object level to create and edit
bulge angles. The difference is that the Bulge Editor allows you to create, select,
and edit cross sections in schematic Cross Section and Profile views. Using
the Bulge sub-object level, creating and editing bulge angles takes place in the
viewports. All of the parameter changes you make in the Bulge Editor are also
reflected on the mesh in the viewports.
On the Modify panel, you access the Bulge Editor from the Physique rollout
on page 5363, from the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level on page 5431,
or from the Link Settings rollout at the Link sub-object level.
NOTE The Bulge Editor works exclusively with bulge angles. To create and edit
Tendons, use the Tendons sub-object level on page 5441.

Using an Animation to Preview Limb Orientations
For easier creation of bulge angles, you should create a simple animation that
moves the limb into extreme orientations. In the case of the human arm, you
might set keyframes with the arms down against the body; extended to the
sides; bent at the elbows; and finally, more relaxed with the hands touching
the shoulders. By scrubbing the time slider, you can easily choose one of many
intermediate or extreme orientations. This saves time when you create Bulge
Angles, because you won't need to exit Physique to manipulate the skeleton

Physique | 5379

to change the orientation of the mesh. You can create and set multiple Bulge
Angles without ever leaving the Bulge Editor or Bulge sub-object level.

Procedures
To create a new bulge angle using the Bulge Editor:
1 Click
(Bulge Editor) at the top level of the Physique modifier, or at
the Link or Bulge sub-object level.
3ds Max opens the Bulge Editor.
TIP Accessing the Bulge Editor at the Bulge sub-object level provides the
added benefit of letting you work in either the Bulge Editor or the Bulge
rollout interchangeably.

2 In a viewport,

click to select a link.

3 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Insert Bulge Angle).

Physique creates a new bulge angle. The number of the bulge angle name
in the Current Bulge Angle field increments.
4 Type a descriptive name in the Current Bulge Angle field.
TIP It is a good idea to change the color of the newly created bulge angle.
Do this by clicking Bulge Angle Color at the Bulge sub-object level, and
selecting a color with the Color Selector.
5 If no appropriate cross sections exist, then on the Bulge Editor toolbar,
click
(Insert CS Slice). Click the Profile view to create and position
a cross section.
The cross section is created at the location you clicked.

6 In the viewports,

rotate the joint to the desired angle.

This is most easily done by creating a preview animation, as described in
Using an Animation to Preview Limb Orientations on page 5379: just move

5380 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

the time slider to a frame that has the angle you want. Otherwise, you
will have to exit the Bulge sub-object level, select the appropriate limb,
and rotate it. For example, to bulge the biceps on a biped, you might
rotate the biped forearm to ninety degrees.
7 “Bulge” the mesh by editing cross section control points using the Bulge
Editor's Cross Section view.
As you scale or move control points in the Cross Section view, the mesh
"bulges" in the viewports.
8 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Set Bulge Angle).

Physique saves the current angle of the joint.
When the joint angle is reached, the mesh bulges. By default, Physique
creates one bulge angle when it is first attached to the mesh. So to make
an arm or leg that bulges when biped joints are rotated, you need to
create and set only one additional bulge angle.
To change a bulge angle value:
1 On the Bulge Editor, make sure the bulge angle you want to reset is
displayed in the Current Bulge Angle field.
2 In a viewport, change the angle between the active link and its child link.

Rotate a biped limb or use the time slider to move to a frame
that has the limb rotated correctly.
3 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Set Bulge Angle).

The angle of the joint is set for the displayed bulge angle. When the biped
limb rotates to this angle, the mesh bulge effect is at full strength.
To choose a specific bulge angle for editing:
1 Expand the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list (click the downward
pointing arrow at its right).
The full list of bulge angle names appears.
2 Click the name of the bulge angle you want to edit.

Physique | 5381

The Bulge Editor’s Cross Section and Profile views update to show the
cross sections associated with the newly selected bulge angle.
To delete a bulge angle:
1 Expand the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list (click the downward
pointing arrow at its right).
The full list of bulge angle names appears.
2 Click the name of the bulge angle you want to delete.
3 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Delete Bulge Angle).

NOTE You can’t delete the default bulge angle: a link must always have at
least one bulge angle defined.

To add a cross section:
1 On the Bulge Editor, make sure that the bulge angle you want to edit is
displayed in the Current Bulge Angle field.
2 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, turn on

(Insert CS Slice).

3 In the Profile view, click the link at the point where you want the cross
section to be added.
The cross section is created at the location you clicked.
TIP You can also add cross sections to the child link.

To delete a cross section:
1 In the Profile view, click to select a cross section.
The selected cross section turns red.
2 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Delete CS Slice).

NOTE You cannot delete the default cross section at the joint between the
link and its child.

5382 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To make a cross section the active cross section:
■

In Profile view, click a cross section to select it.
The selected cross section displays in Cross Section view. You can change
its shape by selecting and editing control points in Cross Section view.
This will bulge the mesh at the location of the cross section.

To select multiple cross sections:
You can change parameters for multiple cross sections by selecting them and
then adjusting parameters in the Cross Sections panel on page 5392.

1 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, turn on

(Select And Translate CS).

2 In Profile view, click to select a cross section.
3 Select additional cross sections by doing one of the following:
■

Use Ctrl+click to add cross sections to the selection.

■

Drag a rectangular region in the Profile view. All cross sections that
the region surrounds or crosses are selected.

TIP Use Alt+click to remove a cross section from the selection.

To move cross sections along the link:
Moving a cross section repositions where on the mesh a bulge occurs.
1 Select the cross sections to move.

2 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Select And Translate CS).

TIP If you are moving a single cross section, you can skip step 1 and click
the cross section after you click Select And Translate CS Slice.
3 Drag left or right in the Profile view to move the cross section (or cross
sections) left or right.
NOTE You cannot move cross sections through each other.

Physique | 5383

To copy and paste cross sections:
1 Select the cross section to copy.
2 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Copy Selected CS).

3 Select a cross section to paste over.
4 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click

(Paste Selected CS).

The cross section you pasted now has the shape of the cross section you
copied.
NOTE You can copy a cross section and paste it to a similar cross section on
another link. Create a bulge angle and an appropriate cross section on the
target link before pasting. If necessary, use Mirror Selected CS after pasting.

To change the shape of a cross section:
1 In the Profile view, click to select a cross section.

2 In the Cross Section view, use the transform tools to
scale, or

move,

rotate the cross section's control points.

You can also
You can also use

add or

delete cross section control points.

freehand drawing to add control points.

To change the Profile view orientation:
1 In the Cross Section view, move the cursor to the outer end of the
orientation bar.
The cursor changes to a shape like the Cross Section view.
2 Drag to rotate the orientation bar.
When you release the mouse, the Profile view updates to show the profile
at the angle of the orientation bar.

5384 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Toolbar
Select, Scale, and Rotate Control Points Lets you select, scale, and
rotate control points of a cross section in the Cross Section view.
This is comparable to using the Move transform on geometry in viewports.
Control points are simultaneously scaled and rotated around the link, which
in effect "moves" them.
Select a cross section in the Profile view first. Then select and move control
points in the Cross Section view to change the bulge.

Select and Rotate Control Points Lets you select and rotate control
points in and around the center of the link in Cross Section view.
This does not twist the mesh. If the cross section is not a circle, a bulge migrates
around the mesh.

Select and Scale Control Points Lets you select and scale control points
about the link's center in the Cross Section view.
If all cross section control points are scaled, the mesh bulges uniformly.
Draw Control Points Lets you add control points by drawing freehand
in the Cross Section view. The shape of the bulge changes based on the shape
you draw.
In the Cross Section view, you can draw the cross section interactively, placing
control points at each resolution step. You can freeze existing control points

Physique | 5385

by selecting them in the Cross Section view and holding down the Ctrl key as
you draw.
NOTE The number of control points created depends on the cross section
Resolution (see Cross Sections panel on page 5392).
TIP You can also use this too In Profile view. When you draw in Profile view, you
change the profile of the bulge while placing a control point on each cross section
of the bulge angle. This is useful mainly when the bulge angle uses multiple cross
sections. You can rotate the orientation bar to draw whichever profile you desire.
(Imagine the Cross Section view being like drawing around the arm, and the Profile
view like drawing along the length of the arm.)

Insert Control Points Lets you insert control points by clicking the cross
section in the Cross Section view. A single control point is created each time
you click.
Adding control points and changing their position lets you sculpt the cross
section and control exactly where a bulge occurs on the mesh.
Delete Control Points Deletes control points. First select the control
points in the Cross Section view, and then click this button.

Previous Link and Next Link Move to the next or previous
link in the hierarchy. The Cross Section and Profile views update to display
the appropriate bulge geometry.
IMPORTANT Profile view displays the parent link on the left and the child link on
the right.

Mirror Selected CS Mirror the cross section across the vertical plane
running between the green profile reference points at the top and bottom of
Cross Section view. In other words, clicking this button causes the bulge to
appear on the opposite side of the link.

Select and Translate CS Lets you select and move a cross section along
its link. The bulge on the mesh migrates up and down the link as the cross
section is moved.

5386 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Insert Cross Section Slice Lets you insert a cross section by clicking
Profile view in the location you want the cross section to appear. A new cross
section is created where you clicked, on either the parent or the child link.
Extra cross sections give you more control of how and where the mesh bulges.
Delete Cross Section Slice Deletes the currently selected cross section.
First, select the cross section in Profile view.
Copy Selected CS Copies the selected cross section.
You can copy a cross section from one link to another link. Create a new bulge
angle with an appropriate cross section in the target link first, then copy the
cross section parameters form the source cross section, select the target cross
section, and click Paste Selected CS.
Paste Selected CS Pastes copied cross section parameters onto another
cross section.
First, select a cross section in Profile view, and click Copy. Then select another
cross section in the Profile view, and click Paste.
Set Bulge Angle Associates the effect of the current bulge angle with the
skeleton's current joint angle.
First, set the joint to the orientation at which you want the bulge to appear,
then click this button. During animation, whenever the joint rotates near this
angle, the mesh will bulge.

Insert Bulge Angle Adds a new bulge angle for the selected link.
The Current Bulge Angle field displays a bulge angle name with the number
incremented. You can enter a descriptive name for any new bulge angle; for
example, Arm at 90.
By default, one initial bulge angle is created when Physique creates links. Only
one additional bulge angle will allow you to bulge the mesh. You can create
more bulge angles for further control, if you like.
Delete Bulge Angle Deletes the current bulge angle. The current bulge
angle displays in the Current Bulge Angle field.

Physique | 5387

First select a bulge angle in the Current Bulge Angle dropdown, and then click
Delete Bulge Angle.
Select Nearest Bulge Angle When on, selects the bulge angle nearest to
the current joint angle.
If a joint bends over time, you can use this button in conjunction with the
time slider to select a bulge angle. If you play the animation, you can see the
Current Bulge Angle field change to reflect the bulge angle nearest to the
current angle of the selected link and its child (if two or more bulge angles
for the limb exist).

Current Bulge Angle field and
drop-down list Displays the current bulge angle. You can choose a bulge
angle from the drop-down list to edit the bulge or change its name. To change
the name, simply enter a new one in the edit field.
TIP When you create a bulge angle, give it a descriptive name.
When you create a new bulge angle by clicking Insert Bulge Angle, this field
displays the default bulge angle name, which is the previous name with its
sequence number incremented.

Cross Section view
Cross Section view displays an outline of the active cross section. In Profile
view on page 5390, the active cross section is shown in a bright red color. In
Cross Section view, you can edit cross sections to bulge the mesh.
NOTE It is possible to select multiple cross sections in Profile view using either a
rectangular selection region or Ctrl+click. This allows you to enter settings on the
Cross Sections panel on page 5392 for all selected cross sections at once. Only one
active cross section, however, can be viewed and edited in Cross Section view.
(Selected but inactive cross sections are shown in a dark red color in the Cross
Section and Profile views.)

5388 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

These are the elements of the cross section display:
Gray square at center Represents the link at the center of the cross section.
Control points When unselected, are shown as small black crosses on the
control spline. When selected, they are shown as black squares with a white
center.
Resolution lines Display as gray lines that surround the link radially. Control
points snap to these lines as they are positioned.
You can increase or decrease the resolution by changing the Resolution setting.
This control is on the Bulge rollout in Bulge Sub-Object. The Cross Section
view, however, always displays 36 resolution lines.
Red line The control spline for the active cross section.
The shape of the spline determines where mesh deformation occurs.
Green line Represents actual mesh deformation. (Typically this is less
exaggerated than the control spline.)
When you drag the time slider or play an animation, this updates according
to the angle of the limb and the bulge angle parameters.
Orientation bar The bright yellow radius indicates the orientation of the
“slice” shown in profile view. Profile view always shows a vertical profile of
Cross Section view, indicated by the green dots at the top and bottom of the

Physique | 5389

view, just outside the circle that contains the resolution lines. By default, the
orientation bar is level at 3 o'clock. You can change the Profile view orientation
by dragging the end of the orientation bar (the cursor changes to a miniature
cross section). This lets you view different angles of the bulge in Profile view.

Profile view
Use Profile view to select, move, and copy cross sections on the selected link
and its child. Highlight a cross section in Profile view to display and edit it in
Cross Section view on page 5388.

Profile view is a schematic profile of two links. The currently selected link is
on the left, and its child link is on the right. If the selected link is an end link,
the outline of the right half of the Profile view turns gray.
Cross sections are shown as vertical bars across the profile. The active cross
section is red. Unselected cross sections are white. Cross sections that are
selected but not active are dark red.
You can use a rectangular selection region or Ctrl+click to select multiple cross
sections. Although only one cross section at a time is active in Cross Section
view, you can use the Cross Sections panel on page 5392 to change parameters
for multiple cross sections.
Profile view shows a profile of the bulges you create. As in Cross Section view,
the control spline is red and the deformation spline is green.

5390 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The profile is always a vertical profile of the Cross Section view. You can drag
the orientation bar in Cross Section view to change the angle of the profile.
To insert a new cross section, turn on Create CS Slice and then click
Profile view to set the cross section's location.
You can use the Draw tool in Profile view to change the control spline
by freehand drawing. Drawing updates the cross section shapes.

Bulge Angles panel
At the right of the Bulge Editor are two panels for setting parameters. Use the
Bulge Angles panel to change bulge settings for the currently active bulge
angle.
NOTE These parameters are the same as those in the Bulge Angle Parameters
group on the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level. Changing a value in one
location changes it in the other.

Bulge Angles Click to display the Bulge Angles panel.
Influence The range of angles through which the bulge influences the skin.
Range=0 to 180. Default=90 degrees.

Physique | 5391

For example, if you’ve set a bulge angle for the joint at 90 degrees, an Influence
value of 40 means that the bulge effect begins to appear when the rotating
joint reaches 50 degrees (90 minus 40) or 130 degrees (90 plus 40).
Power Controls how smoothly or abruptly the bulge takes effect.
At 0, the bulge takes effect immediately, without interpolated easing. As values
increase, the bulge eases in gradually. A value of 10 will bulge the mesh
abruptly when the set angle is reached. Range=0 to 10. Default=2.5.
Weight Increases the effect of the current bulge angle relative to the effect of
any other bulges. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=1.0.

Cross Sections panel
At the right of the Bulge Editor are two panels for setting parameters. Use the
Cross Sections panel to change the cross section settings for a particular link.
NOTE These parameters are the same as those in the Cross Section Parameters
group on the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level. Changing a value in one
location changes it in the other.

Cross Sections Click to display the Cross Sections panel.
Sections Sets the number of cross sections for the selected link.

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TIP Rather than manually inserting cross sections in Profile view, use Sections to
create cross sections. For a thigh or biceps bulge, you might need only one
additional cross section in the middle of the link.

Above: Sections=1
Below: Sections=8

Divisions Sets the number of control points on the selected cross sections.
By default, control points are evenly distributed around the cross section
control spline.

Above: Divisions=4
Below: Divisions=8

Resolution Sets the number of radial divisions around the cross section.
Control points snap to the nearest resolution line.
Entire Link When on, selects all cross sections for all bulge angles in the
selected link. Use this to globally change parameters for all cross sections on
a link.

Physique | 5393

Entire Link also affects Copy Selected CS and Paste Selected CS. While Entire
Link is on, Copy Selected CS copies all cross sections for all bulges, and Paste
Selected CS pastes all cross sections for all bulges. Entire Link is useful for
copying all the bulges from one arm or leg to another.
NOTE When you turn on Entire Link, a number of toolbar controls, including the
Current Bulge Angle name field, become unavailable. On the Bulge rollout at the
Bulge sub-object level, the Current Bulge Angle changes to read “Entire Link.”

Physique Load Specification Dialog
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click
(Open Physique (.phy)
File). ➤ Choose a file. ➤ Physique Load Specification dialog
This dialog appears after you have chosen a Physique (.phy) file to load. It lets
you specify which information you want to obtain from the file.

5394 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

At the upper left of the dialog are check boxes that let you specify which kind
of data to load. Turn off a check box to avoid loading that kind of data.
Link Settings Loads link parameters. Default=on.
Bulges Loads cross sections and bulge angles. Default=on.
Tendons Loads tendons. Default=on.
Envelopes Loads envelopes. Default=on.
Locked Vertices Loads locked vertices.
All Links Selects all links to load.
This button is enabled only if the number of saved links equals the number
of open links. Click to select all links in both lists. If All Links is disabled, you
must choose links by hand. Click the name of a link in a list to select it. Before
you click OK, the number of links to load must equal the number of links to
update.

Physique | 5395

No Links Deselects all links in both lists.
After deselecting all links, you must select the links to load and to update,
before you click OK.
Selected Links From File and Selected Links In Modifier At the left of the
dialog is a list of the links that were saved in the file, and at the right is a list
of links in the currently open Physique skin and skeleton. You can choose
which links to update with the saved data.

Physique Initialization Rollouts
The topics in this section describe rollouts that appear on the Physique
Initialization dialog.

Vertex-Link Assignment Rollout
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click
(Attach To Node). ➤
Pick a root object in a viewport. ➤ Physique Initialization dialog ➤
Vertex-Link Assignment rollout

Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click
(Reinitialize). ➤ Physique
Initialization dialog ➤ Vertex-Link Assignment rollout
On the Vertex-Link Assignment rollout, you can choose to create new
envelopes and pick the type of blending between links.

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Interface

Deformable Creates deformable envelopes for the links. Default=chosen.
Deformable envelopes determine vertex-link assignment based on the
deformation spline that Physique creates through the links.
Rigid Creates rigid envelopes for the links. Default=not chosen.
Rigid envelopes determine vertex-link assignment based upon the linear links
in the hierarchy.
Blending Between Links This drop-down list lets you choose how links are
initially blended. Default=N Links.
TIP Typically, you should leave this set to the default of N Links.
■

N LinksVertices are influenced by all overlapping envelopes.

Physique | 5397

■

No BlendingVertices are influenced by only one (1) link. This allows a
mesh with the Physique modifier applied in character studio 1 to work
with character studio 3. Choose No Blending if you are developing
characters for a game engine that doesn't support blending, or if you intend
to use strictly character studio 1-style vertex-link assignments.

■

2, 3, or 4 LinksVertices are influenced by more than one link, but the
number of links is limited to 2, 3, or 4, depending on your choice. Choose
one of these options if you are developing characters for a game engine
whose support of blending is limited.

Radial Falloff Envelopes group
Create Envelopes When on, creates envelopes for the links. When off,
envelopes are not created. Default=on.
NOTE With no envelopes, you have to use hand-weighting for vertices. If you
want to add envelopes when a model has none, reinitialize Physique.
■

Object Bounding BoxEnvelope size is based on the size of objects in the
hierarchy, such as biped limbs, or bones.

■

Link LengthEach envelope has a Radial Scale that is one-third of the length
of the link.

Overlap Sets how far the envelopes overlap. Default=0.1.
Smooth Sets the distance between the inner and outer bounds of an envelope
by scaling the outer boundary. Range=0.0 to 10.0. Default=0.75.
Falloff Sets the rate of falloff between the inner and outer boundary of an
envelope. The falloff rate is a Bezier function. Range=0 to 10. Default=0.5.

Cross Sections Rollout
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click
(Attach To Node). ➤
Select a root object in a viewport. ➤ Physique Initialization dialog ➤ Cross
Sections rollout

5398 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Physique rollout ➤ Click
Initialization dialog ➤ Cross Sections rollout

(Reinitialize). ➤ Physique

The Cross Sections rollout lets you globally set how cross sections are
initialized.

Interface

Number Sets the initial number of cross sections per link. Default=2.
Control Points Sets the initial number of control points per cross section.
Default=4.
Radial Snap Sets the initial number of snap positions per cross section (this
is the value labeled “Resolution” in the Bulge Editor on page 5379 and at the
Bulge sub-object level on page 5431.

Sub-Object Options Dialogs
The topics in this section describe support dialogs for Physique sub-object
levels.

Physique | 5399

Blending Envelope Display Options Dialog
Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Envelope sub-object level ➤ Blending Envelopes rollout ➤ Display
group ➤ Click Display Options.
This dialog lets you customize how Physique displays envelope blending at
the Envelope sub-object level.

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Interface

NOTE All check box settings except Control Points are on by default.

Selected Deformable Envelope and Selected Rigid Envelope groups
These two groups have the same controls. By default, deformable envelopes
are shown in red, and rigid envelopes are shown in green.

Physique | 5401

Inner Envelope The check box toggles viewport display of inner envelopes.
Click the color swatch to change the viewport color of the inner envelope
boundary.
■

SidesSets the number of inner envelope sides shown in the viewport display.

Outer Envelope The check box toggles viewport display of outer envelopes.
Click the color swatch to change the viewport colors of the outer envelope
boundary.
■

SidesSets the number of outer envelope sides shown in the viewport display.

Weighted Vertices The check box toggles viewport display of weighted
vertices. Click a color swatch to change viewport colors of weighted vertices
in a particular percentage range.

Selected Envelope Cross Sections group
Cross Sections Toggles viewport display of cross sections. Click the color
swatch to change the viewport color of selected cross sections.
Control Points Toggles viewport display of control points. Click the color
swatch to change the viewport color of selected control points.

_____
Bezier Patch Handles Click to set the viewport color of Bezier patch handles.

Exclude Envelopes Dialog
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Envelopes sub-object level ➤ Select an envelope. ➤
Blending Envelopes rollout ➤ Edit Commands group ➤ Click Exclude.
At the Envelope sub-object level on page 5411, this dialog lets you exclude links
from influencing other links. For example, you can exclude the right thigh
link from influencing the left thigh link. Or, rather than scale the index finger
envelopes to avoid influencing middle finger vertices, you might exclude the
middle finger links from the index finger links.
TIP You can leave this modeless dialog open while you choose links in the
viewports.

5402 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE If you have a Physique model created with character studio 1 or 2,
excluding links will not work until you reinitialize Physique on page 5376 using the
initial skeleton pose. In the Physique Initialization dialog, make sure Vertex-Link
Assignments is turned on.

Interface

Link Envelopes list (left side) Displays the links available for exclusion.
Selected links are not in this list.
Exclude Envelopes for Selected Link list (right side) Displays envelopes to
exclude from the current link selection. The text field displays the name of
the selected link, or “Multiple Links Selected.”
Right arrow Select links in the Link Envelopes List on the left, then click the
right arrow to add them to the Exclude Envelopes For Selected Link list on
the right.

Physique | 5403

Left arrow Select links in the Exclude Envelopes For Selected Links list on the
right, then click the left arrow to remove them from the exclusion list.
Display Subtree When on, the Link Envelopes list increments links according
to their level in the hierarchy. This visual aid can help you to find and select
links. Default=off.
Clear Clears all links from the Exclude Envelopes For Selected Link list.

Bulge Angle Display Properties Dialog
Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Bulge sub-object level ➤ Bulge rollout ➤ Display group ➤ Click
Display Options.
This dialog lets you customize how Physique displays bulge angles at the Bulge
sub-object level.

5404 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Bulge Angle Display group
Sides Specifies the number of sides the bulge angle envelope displays in the
viewports. Default=4.
Scale Specifies the scale of envelope display in the viewports. Default=1.1.
Default Color Click to change the bulge angle envelope color in viewports.

Active Viewport Display group
Selected Cross Sections The check box toggles the display of selected cross
sections. Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of selected cross sections displayed
in viewports.

Physique | 5405

Selected Control Points The check box toggles the display of selected control
points. Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of selected control points displayed
in viewports.
Orientation Bar The check box toggles the display of the orientation bar on
page 5389. Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of the orientation bar displayed in
viewports.
NOTE The orientation bar is displayed in the viewports when the Bulge Editor is
open.
Profile The check box toggles the display of the profile on page 5390. Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of the profile displayed in viewports.
NOTE The bulge profile displays in the viewports when the Bulge Editor is open.

Tendon Display Options Dialog
Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Tendons sub-object level ➤ Tendons rollout ➤ Display group ➤
Click Display Options.
This dialog lets you customize how Physique displays tendons at the Tendons
sub-object level.

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Interface

Tendon Cross Sections The check box toggles the display of tendon cross
sections. Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of tendon cross sections displayed
in viewports.
Tendon Attach Points The check box toggles the display of tendon attach
points. Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of attach points displayed in
viewports.
Tendon Attached Links The check box toggles the display of attached links.
Default=on.
Click the color swatch to change the color of attached links displayed in
viewports.

Selected Tendon Elements group
Cross Sections Click to change the viewport color of selected cross section.
Attach Points Click to change the viewport color of selected attach points.

Physique | 5407

Attached Links Click to change the viewport color of selected attached links.

Type-In Weights Dialog
Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify
panel ➤ Vertex sub-object level ➤ Vertex-Link Assignment rollout ➤ Vertex
Operations group ➤ Click Select By Link. ➤ Click a link in a viewport. ➤
Lock Assignments ➤ Click Type-In Weights.
Lets you enter a weight for selected locked vertices. To use this dialog, select
one or more vertices, then lock them, click Type-In Weights to display the
Type-In Weights dialog, use the lists in the dialog to select a link, and then
change the weight to that link in order to position the vertices (vertex positions
update in viewports as the weight changes).
NOTE You'll primarily use Type-In Weights to correct flaws on low- to
medium-resolution meshes. On a high-resolution mesh, adjusting envelopes should
be used to correct deformation.
TIP Adjust weights for stubborn vertices that fall in blended regions between two
or more envelopes. Subtle adjustments can be made to the vertex weights of
specific links that would be difficult to achieve by adjusting envelopes alone.

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Interface

Link Name Use the drop-down list to select a link and display the vertex
weight to that link.
Currently Assigned Links Only When chosen, displays only those links that
presently influence the selected vertices.
All Links When chosen, displays all available links.
Weight Displays the vertex weight for the active link (the link currently
displayed by the Link Name list). Use the spinner to change the weight value,
if necessary.
Absolute Uses an absolute value for vertex weight.
Normalized This option is unavailable in character studio.
Relative Scale Uses relative values for vertex weights.

Physique | 5409

This is the mode of choice when you work on multiple vertices. If a particular
link is not having a strong enough effect on the selected vertices, you should
lock them, open the Type-In Weights dialog, select the link, and choose
Relative Scale. Then you can enter relative values in the Weight field. For
example, entering 1.0 leaves weights the same, while entering 2.0 would
double the effect of the selected link on the selected vertices.
List of links Displays a list of links, with weight values at the right. The weight
field is blank when it displays absolute weights. (When more than one vertex
is selected, each is likely to have a slightly different weight.) Click a link in
this list to select it.

Physique Sub-Objects
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ In the modifier stack display, expand the Physique sub-object
hierarchy.
The Physique modifier has five different sub-object levels. Each kind of
sub-object has various controls.

■

Envelope on page 5411
Envelopes define a link's area of influence on mesh vertices.

■

Link on page 5419
Links are the segments of the Physique deformation spline on page 5420.
Link sub-object controls adjust the way link movement affects the mesh.

■

Bulge on page 5431
Bulge controls are for creating flexing muscles.

■

Tendons on page 5441
Tendons provide a way for multiple links to affect an area of the mesh.

5410 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

■

Vertex on page 5447
For Physique, Vertex controls let you fine-tune the influence of envelopes.

Physique Selection Status Rollout

This rollout appears for all of the Physique sub-object levels. For all levels
except Vertex, it shows the name of the hierarchy object associated with the
active link. For the Vertex sub-object level, it prompts you to “Select Vertices”
unless Select By Link or Assign To Link is active, in which case it displays the
name of the hierarchy object associated with the active link, as it does at other
sub-object levels.

Envelope Sub-Object
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Bulge sub-object level
Use Envelope sub-objects to adjust the way skin behaves. Each link has an
envelope, and the shape of the envelope determines which vertices are affected
by the link's movement. An envelope has an inner and an outer bound: outside
these bounds, vertices are not effected. Inside these bounds, the envelope's
influence is strongest at the inner bound. A Falloff setting lets you control
how quickly influence falls as it approaches the outer bound.
Envelopes also control blending: they provide smooth deformation of the
skin across joints. Vertices that fall between overlapping envelopes receive
influence from each, thus creating a smoothly blended transition. The outer
bounds of the envelopes of adjacent links should overlap enough to provide
a smooth blend at the joints. You can adjust the relative strength of envelopes,
giving one link's envelope more influence than another.
At the Envelope sub-object level, in addition to the settings already mentioned,
you can adjust an envelope's Radial Scale. This is useful for making sure the
envelope encloses vertices along the length of the link. The settings for
Strength, Falloff, Radial Scale, and Overlap are grouped under Envelope
Parameters on page 5416.

Physique | 5411

Envelopes have cross sections. You can add cross sections to refine the shape
of an envelope, and you can move or scale a cross section's control points to
change the cross section's shape. (Cross sections are also used to create bulges
on page 5431.)
TIP You can also use tools on the Main toolbar to adjust envelopes. For example,
you can use Non-Uniform Scale on envelopes and cross sections, or use Select
And Move to move envelopes, cross sections, or control points on cross sections.

Workflow
The goal is to modify the envelopes so each vertex in the mesh is encompassed
by at least one link's envelope.
Usually the first adjustment is to assign a rigid envelope to the character's
head. A rigid envelope blends with other envelopes but retains the shape of
the mesh. The head should not deform with the deformation spline.
With Initial Skeletal Pose turned on, check that the envelopes enclose all areas
of the mesh. If you turn off Initial Skeletal Pose, the character adopts its
animated position at the current frame. Use an animation that stretches the
character around, such as a run or dance motion. Find a frame where the
envelopes need adjusting, and edit the envelope parameters. Changing the
envelopes with the character in an animated position will always reference
the Initial Skeletal Pose.
These are some frequently encountered problems with the default vertex
assignment:
■

Vertices that don’t follow the skeleton.
To correct this, increase the Radial Scale of an envelope's outer boundary.

■

Vertices at joints get pushed or dented in.
Too many envelopes might be affecting these vertices. Try reducing the
Radial Scale of the inner bound, and reduce the Overlap values of the links
on both sides of the joint.

■

Bending appears too linear or broken at the joint.
Increase the envelope’s outer Overlap value toward the link on the other
side of the joint.

Some further adjustments are described in the “Procedures” section that
follows.

5412 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

NOTE An envelope does not need to enclose Patch tangent handles. It needs to
enclose only the patch vertices. This relieves you from having to scale the envelopes
to a large size to encompass tangent handles.

Procedures
See Adjusting Default Envelope Shape on page 5323

Interface
Controls for Envelope sub-objects are on the Blending Envelopes rollout.

Physique | 5413

Selection Level group

Link Turn on to select links in the viewports and edit the selected link's
envelope parameters.
For example, you might turn on Link, select a biceps link, Ctrl+click to add
the opposite bicep to the selection, then edit envelope parameters for both
links at the same time.

Cross Section Turn on to edit envelope cross sections, changing the
envelope's shape and thus its area of influence.
For example, you might turn on Cross Section, select a cross section on the
inner or outer boundary of an envelope, and then move or scale it. You might
Non-Uniform Scale the cross section of a collar envelope so it avoids vertices
in the chest area.

Control Point Turn on to edit the control points on a cross section.
For example, you might turn on Control Point, select a point on a cross section
of an envelope, and move the point to change the envelope's shape and area
of influence.

Previous and Next Click to move to the next or previous link,
cross section, or control point, depending on which selection level is active.

Active Blending group

5414 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Deformable When on, enables a deformable envelope for the selected links.
Default=on.
By default, deformable envelopes are shown in red.
Rigid When on, enables a rigid envelope for the selected links. Default=off.
By default, rigid envelopes are shown in green.
IMPORTANT You can have both a deformable and a rigid envelope turned on
for the same link. Normally, you use one or the other. By non-uniform scaling the
rigid and deformable envelopes for one link, you can position one envelope on
top of the other. For example, you could control the shoulder with a rigid envelope
and the armpit with a deformable envelope. Both envelopes can also be turned
off for a link.
Partial Blending Turns on partial blending for the selected links. Leave either
a deformable or rigid envelope on, and then turn on Partial Blending. Physique
calculates the weights of each link on a given vertex. If Partial Blending is off,
and the total weight is less than 1, Physique normalizes the combined weight
to 1. If Partial Blending is on, the weights are allowed to remain at a value of
less than 1. The remainder is filled in by the root node, the equivalent of no
influence. See Partial Blending and Weight Assignments on page 5337 for a
detailed explanation of how Physique calculates these values.

Physique | 5415

Partial Blending on all the deformable envelopes for the bones in this character’s jaw
allows smooth mesh deformation when the bones are moved.

Envelope Parameters group

Envelope type drop-down list Shows the type of the selected envelope. If
the link has both a rigid and a deformable envelope, you can use this list to
choose which envelope's parameters you are adjusting.

5416 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Strength Changes the strength of the envelopes. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
Default=1.0.
Strength applies to both the inner and outer envelope bounds.
Used primarily for areas where envelopes overlap, and you want one to be
more influential than the other.
Falloff Changes the rate of falloff between the inner and outer bounds of an
envelope. This is a Bezier curve function. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.1.
Vertices within the inner bound are fully influenced (weight=1.0) and those
beyond the outer bound get no influence from the link (weight=0.0). Falloff
determines the rate at which the influence falls off from 1.0 to 0.0.
The Inner, Outer, and Both buttons determine whether the controls that
follow, Radial Scale, Parent Overlap, and Child Overlap, apply to the envelope's
inner bound, its outer bound, or both at once. First, use the buttons to choose
which bounds to adjust, then change values in the spinners.
Inner Turn on to change the values of the inner bound.
Outer Turn on to change the values of the outer bound.
Both Turn on to change the values for both inner and outer bounds at the
same time.
When Both is selected, the values displayed for Radial Scale and Parent and
Child Overlap reflect the values for the inner bound.
Radial Scale Radially scales the envelope bounds. Range=0.0 to 100.0.
Default=1.0.
Parent Overlap Changes the envelope's overlap with the parent link in the
hierarchy. Range= -1.0 to 10.0. Default=0.1.
A value of 0.0 causes the end of the envelope to fall on the joint. Values less
than 0.0 bring the envelope inside the link, and values above 0.0 will overlap
onto the adjoining link.
Child Overlap Changes the envelope's overlap with the child link in the
hierarchy. Range= -1.0 to 10.0. Default=0.1.
A value of 0.0 causes the end of the envelope to fall on the joint. Values less
than 0.0 bring the envelope inside the link, and values above 0.0 will overlap
onto the adjoining link.

Physique | 5417

Edit Commands group

NOTE Which buttons are available in this group will vary, depending on whether
Links, Cross Sections, or Control Points is the active selection level.
Insert Inserts a cross section or control point on a cross section.
Delete Deletes a cross section or control point.
Copy Copies an envelope or cross section.
Paste Pastes an envelope or cross section.
Exclude Clicking this button displays the Exclude Envelopes dialog on page
5402. You can exclude a link from influencing another link. For example, you
can exclude the right thigh link from influencing the left thigh link. Or, rather
than scale the index finger envelopes to avoid influencing middle finger
vertices, exclude the middle finger links from the index finger links.
Mirror Mirrors the envelopes on a selected link, or mirrors selected cross
sections in an envelope.
After a Mirror operation, you can adjust the orientation by clicking Rotate on
the Main toolbar, choosing Local coordinates, and then clicking and dragging
the link or cross section.
TIP To copy an envelope to its mirror, the sequence should be Copy, select the
opposite link, Paste, then Mirror.

5418 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display group

Interactive Redraw When on, Physique dynamically updates the mesh while
you adjust envelopes. When off, the mesh updates only when you enter a
final value (you press Enter or Tab, or release the mouse). Default=on.
Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh character in the pose it was in
just before Physique was applied. Default=off.
Display Options Clicking this button displays the Blending Envelope Display
Options dialog on page 5400, which lets you customize envelope display.
Shaded Toggles shaded display of vertex weights in the viewports. Default=off.

Link Sub-Object
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Link sub-object level
Use parameters at the Link sub-object level to change how deformation around
joints occurs. When a joint in the skeleton bends or rotates, Physique, by
default, deforms vertices uniformly on either side of a joint. You can change
these defaults by using the tools at the Link sub-object level. For example, you
can adjust the amount of skin sliding that occurs along a limb as the limb
bends, or change the angle of the crease between the upper arm and chest.

Physique | 5419

The Physique Deformation Spline

The deformation spline displays as a yellow curve that runs through the mesh.

Like a spline object, the deformation spline created by Physique is a continuous
curve through several points. While a spline object runs continuously from

5420 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

vertex to vertex, the deformation spline is a smooth curve running from joint
to joint. The Bend, Bias, and Tension spinners can change the shape of the
curve, much as you can rotate or scale the handles at a spline vertex.
The deformation spline also takes into consideration twisting and scaling of
the skeleton’s links. At the Link sub-object level, you take control of the
behavior of the deformation spline, and subsequently gain full control of the
skin’s behavior relative to the skeleton’s movement.

Link Settings Rollout
Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
panel ➤ Link sub-object level ➤ Link Settings rollout

Modify

Controls on the Link Settings rollout let you adjust the behavior of the selected
link.
See also:
■

Joint Intersections Rollout on page 5428

Physique | 5421

Interface

Active When on, activates the selected link. Default=on.
Turning off Active makes the link unavailable for vertex assignment, meaning
that the link has no influence on any vertices. Vertices within range of this

5422 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

link are not influenced by it, and can be “picked up” by other nearby
envelopes, or can be manually assigned (without blending) to any other link.
Turning off Active makes Physique ignore the link as if it were never part of
the skeleton.
Continuity Maintains a smooth transition across the joint from the parent
link to the current link. Default=on.
When Continuity is on, the effect of the link parameters passes smoothly
across the joint to the connected link. When Continuity is off, Bend, Twist,
and Radial Scale settings are limited to the current link, which produces an
abrupt transition across the joint. This is analogous to breaking the spline
handles on a spline shape.
Bulge Editor Displays the Bulge Editor on page 5379. The Bulge Editor
displays bulge cross sections schematically, letting you create and edit bulge
controls.

Reinitialize Selected Links Reinitializes the link and its vertex
parameters based on the current link parameter settings. Clicking Reinitialize
Selected Links does not change vertex assignments or manual reassignments.
For example, increasing the tension of a link can cause the spacing to change
for the link’s cross sections. Reinitialize Selected Links smoothes the spline,
and makes cross section spacing even again.
Think of the skin being snugly stuck to the link. As the link parameters change,
the vertices can bunch up or stretch out. Clicking Reinitialize lets the skin
“slip” to its original shape, establishing a new relationship to the deformation
spline.

Bend group

Tension Sets the smoothness of a joint. Tension affects the curvature of the
deformation spline through the joint. A low value, near 0.0, makes the spline
linear and creates a sharp angle at the joint, like bending a hinge. High values,
near 2.0, make the spline smooth through the joint, creating a rounded joint,
like bending a firm hose. Range=0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.5.

Physique | 5423

Bias Displaces the pivot point about which vertices are bent. Bias pushes the
effect along the spline toward one side of the joint or the other. The default
value of 0.5 centers the bend at the joint. Values lower than 0.5 move the
pivot onto the child link. At 0.0, the bend effect is limited to the selected link.
Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5.

Twist group

Twist parameters control the way the skin deforms when a joint rotates along
its length, as in turning a doorknob.
Use Twist for Rigid When on, twist is used for rigid as well as deformable
envelopes. Default=off.
Turn off for the rigid envelope for a character's head: the head should not
twist along the length of the link. You might want to turn this on for the
forearm or upper-arm link if you’re using rigid envelopes.
Tension Values lower than 1.0 concentrate the effect closer to the joint. Values
higher than 1.0 move the effect away from the joint. Range=0.0 to 2.0.
Default=1.0.
Bias Shifts the distribution of the twist from one side of the joint to the other.
The default value of 0.5 twists the selected link and the child link equally.
Values greater than 0.5 shift the twist to the child link. Range= 0.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.5

Sliding group

5424 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Skin sliding parameters control the amount of skin sliding that occurs when
a joint rotates. Without skin sliding, vertices closest to the joint tend to
compress on the inside and stretch apart on the outside, generally revealing
the segments of the mesh. Outside sliding causes the vertices around the joint
to move toward the joint, preventing localized stretching on the side that is
greater than 180 degrees. Inside sliding causes the vertices to relax and slip
away from the joint, preventing bunching of vertices on the side having an
angle less than 180 degrees.
TIP Use sliding for knees and elbows.
Inside As values increase, skin moves away from the joint. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.0 (no inside sliding).
Outside As values increase, skin moves toward the joint. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.0 (no outside sliding).

Above: Inside and Outside set to 0.0 (no sliding)
Below: Inside and Outside set to 0.25 (sliding creates a smoother bend)

Physique | 5425

FallOff As values increase, the effect is localized to the joint. Range=0.0 to
1.0. Default=0.5.

Radial Scale group

Radial Scale parameters expand or contract the skin by scaling the radial
distance perpendicular to the link. They apply to any combination of
user-definable scale, bulge settings, or link length.
Tension Values between 0.0 and 1.0 concentrate the effect closer to the joint.
The effect is closest to the joint when Tension is 0.0. Values greater than 1.0
move the effect away from the joint. Range=0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.5.
Bias Shifts the effect of radial scaling. At the default value of 0.5, scaling affects
both the selected link and the child link. Values lower than 0.5 shift the scaling
effect onto the selected link, and values greater than 0.5 shift scaling onto the
child link. At 0.0, expansion and contraction are limited to the selected link.
At 1.0, expansion and contraction are limited to the child link. Range=0.0 to
1.0. Default=0.5.
Link Scale Scales the entire link radially, independent of the effect of any
cross sections. At 1.0, the link is “actual size” and this setting has no effect.
Other values increase or decrease the radial scale of the link. Range=0.0 to
10.0. Default=1.0.
CS Amplitude Cross section amplitude has no effect unless the link has bulge
angle cross sections. At 0.0, cross section deformation is turned off. Values
greater than 1.0, up to the maximum of 10.0, exaggerate the effect of cross
sections. Default=1.0.
Stretch When on, preserves the volume of the link’s skin when the length of
the link changes. The effect is similar to stretching or squeezing a material
that is only partly elastic, such as a tough rubber hose. Default=off.

5426 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Above: Stretch is turned on.
Below: Stretch is turned off.
As the bones change in length, the mesh expands and contracts when Stretch is on.

Breathe When on, scaling a skeleton node changes the radial scale of the
link’s skin. When off, scaling a node has no effect on the scale of the skin.
Default=off.

Physique | 5427

Above: Breathe is turned on: the mesh is scaled as the object is scaled.
Below Breathe is turned off: object scaling doesn't effect the mesh.
The linked objects are shown in white. The lowest, largest object is the one that has
been scaled. These linked objects were used as the hierarchy for Physique.

Joint Intersections Rollout
Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
panel ➤ Link sub-object level ➤ Joint Intersections rollout

Modify

When a joint bends, the skin can "collide." Without collision detection, it can
overlap unrealistically. This is especially likely when one or both of the links
have bulges. The joint intersection controls can detect skin collisions and
correct overlap by creasing the skin.
By default, Physique draws a crease plane that bisects the joint and prevents
vertices from each link from crossing the crease plane. The result can be a
somewhat unnatural flattening of the bulges along the plane. Physique
therefore provides controls that let you modify the effect of the crease plane.

Properly adjusted crease plane

5428 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

You can modify the effect of the joint creases at both ends of the selected link.
These joints are the parent’s joint and the link’s joint. Blend From and Blend To
points define the distance along the link that is affected by the crease plane.
■

The parent’s joint is between the selected link and its parent. The parent’s
joint is numbered 0.
For the parent joint, the joint is at 0.0 and the crease plane has an effect
from the joint to the Blend From point. Between Blend From and Blend
To, the crease plane has a partial effect, adjusted by the Bias setting. Vertices
at locations greater than the Blend To point are not affected by the crease
plane.

■

The link’s joint is between the selected link and its child. The link’s joint
is numbered 1.
For the link’s joint, the joint is at 1.0 and the crease plane has an effect
from the joint to the Blend To point. Between Blend To and Blend From,
the crease plane has a partial effect, adjusted by the Bias setting. Vertices
at locations less than the Blend From point are not affected by the crease
plane.

Procedures
To adjust joint intersection parameters:

1 With Physique active on the
sub-object level.

Modify panel, go to the Link

2 In a viewport, click the link you want to work with.
3 Select Active for the crease you want to manipulate: choose Crease At
Parent's Joint or Crease At Link's Joint.
4 Change settings on the Physique Joint Intersections rollout.
5 Select the opposite link and adjust the opposite set of joint intersection
parameters.
For example, if you are working with the joint between the selected link and
its child (such as the biceps link), turn on Active for Crease At Link's Joint and
change settings. Then select the child link (the forearm) and activate its Crease
At Parent's Joint. Adjustments to the Parent's Joint for this link affect the other
side of the same crease.

Physique | 5429

Interface

Both the parent's and the link's joint have the same controls:
Active Turns off the effects of the joint intersection controls. When this box
is cleared, Physique makes no compensation for overlapping bulges.
Default=off.
Blend From The area between Blend From and Blend To contains vertices
that are partially affected by the crease plane. These vertices will be shifted,
but not as much as those between the crease plane and the point where this
joint begins to blend (Blend From in the parent's case, Blend To in the link's
case). The distance of the vertices from the crease plane determines the exact
amount of shifting. Vertices within the blend region that are closer to the
intersection plane are shifted more than the vertices further away from it.
Default=0.0.
Blend To Indicates the distance beyond which the crease plane has no effect.
Default=1.0.
Bias Sets the strength of the crease plane effect within the blended region. A
value of 0.0 means that the intersection plane will have no effect within the

5430 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

blended region; a value of 1.0 means that it will have a full effect within the
blended region. Default=0.25.

Bulge Sub-Object
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Bulge sub-object level
After you have edited envelope sub-objects on page 5411 for good overall mesh
deformation, you can create bulges to simulate muscle contraction and
expansion when a character’s joint rotates.
A bulge angle requires two links: the selected link, and the child link of that
selection (for example, an upper arm and forearm). The joint that separates
the two is referred to as the bulge joint. Any rotation applied to this joint
becomes the angle used to center the effect of a bulge angle.
Physique creates a single default bulge angle for each bulge joint in the attached
skeleton. The angle of this joint is that of the initial skeleton pose. This is the
pose the skeleton had when the Physique modifier was applied to the skeleton,
or when you use Reinitialize on page 5376 and turn on Initial Skeleton Pose in
the Physique Initialization dialog. To create a bulge, you need to add only a
single additional bulge angle. You can add further bulge angles to refine the
bulge effect.

Workflow to Create a Biceps Bulge
The overall steps for creating a biceps bulge are:
■

Insert a new bulge angle.
Give the new bulge angle a custom name and color.

■

Set the bulge angle at a point where the joint is flexed; for example, at 90
degrees.

■

Insert a cross section on the upper arm.

■

Use control points (or the Bulge editor on page 5379) to shape the bicep
bulge.

The following paragraphs elaborate these steps.

Physique | 5431

Above: Default bulge angle at the initial pose.
Below: Bicep bulges at the custom bulge angle of 90 degrees.
The new bulge angle has been assigned a red color.

To create a biceps bulge angle, go to the Bulge sub-object level. In the Selection
Level group, turn on Link. Select the upper arm link, then click Insert Bulge
Angle; the bulge angle name increments from 0 to 1 in the Current Bulge
Angle field, indicating that a new bulge angle has been created. Type a
descriptive name for the new bulge angle in the Current Bulge Angle field;
for example, Arm at 90.
Click Bulge Angle Color and select a color for the newly created bulge angle.
When Select Nearest Bulge Angle is active, the bulge angle color changes as
the joint bends; this is a good visual indicator of which angle has the most
influence at any given frame.
Scrub the time slider to a frame where the arm is bent to 90 degrees, then click
Set Bulge Angle (you can also rotate the joint).
NOTE The Set Bulge Angle command records only the angle between the biceps
and forearm, not the frame number where that angle occurs. The bulge will occur
at any frame where the elbow is at the bulge angle.
In the Selection Level group, click Cross Section. Then in the Cross Section
Parameters rollout, click Insert. In a viewport, position the cursor over the
upper arm link, and click to place the new cross section for the biceps.

5432 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

On the Selection Level rollout, click Control Point. To shape the cross section,
move the cross section control points in the viewports, creating a bulge. Click
Play. The biceps should grow as the angle of the character’s arm approaches
90 degrees. If Select Nearest Bulge Angle is active, the bulge angle gizmos
change colors, depending on which angle has the greatest influence.
Go to the Link selection level and use Copy, Paste, and Mirror to create an
identical bulge angle for the opposite arm.
TIP When you use Physique with a biped, load a .bip file that will rotate the
character’s limbs. Turn on In Place mode before you scrub the time slider to locate
appropriate limb angles. This keeps the character (the biped) in the viewports.

Bulge Editor
The Bulge Editor on page 5379 duplicates many of the controls at the Bulge
sub-object level. The benefit of using the Bulge Editor is that bulge angle data
is represented graphically, and provides an alternative way of creating,
selecting, and editing cross sections. Rather than editing cross section control
points in the viewports to "bulge" the mesh, you might prefer to open the
Bulge Editor and move control points in the Bulge Editor’s Cross Section view.

Procedures
To create a new bulge angle on a selected link:

1 With the Bulge sub-object level active, click
Level group.

(Link) in the Selection

2 Select a link in a viewport.

3 Click

(Insert Bulge Angle).

This creates a new bulge angle. The name in the Current Bulge Angle
field increments.
NOTE By default, one bulge angle is created by Physique in the initial skeletal
pose; the arm is usually straight in this pose.
4 In the Current Bulge Angle field, enter a name, such as Arm at 90.
5 Click the Bulge Angle Color swatch and choose a color in the color
selector. This makes identification easier.

Physique | 5433

Now you need to set a joint angle for the newly created bulge angle.
6 Drag the time slider until the joint is at the desired angle.
If the skeleton is not yet animated, you can exit the Bulge sub-object

level,
rotate the skeleton's joint until it is at the desired angle,
then return to the Bulge sub-object level.
7 Click
(Set Bulge Angle). The joint angle between the link and its
child is recorded (for example, if a biped's upper arm link is selected, Set
Bulge Angle records the angle created by the upper arm and the forearm.)

8 In the Selection Level group, click
(Cross Section). Then in the Cross
Section group, click Insert. In a viewport, click the link at the point where
you want the new cross section to be.

9

Scale the cross section or move its control points to create the
bulge.
To move individual control points, use the
level.

(Control Point) selection

10 Enter 80.0 in the Influence field.
If the bulge angle is for a biceps bulge when the forearm and upper arm
create a 90-degree angle, the bulge begins to appear at 10 degrees.
To copy all Bulge angles from one link to its opposite:
1 Go to the Bulge sub-object level.

2 In the Selection Level group, click
select a link to copy.

(Link). In a viewport,

3 Choose Entire Link from the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list.
4 In the Cross Section Parameters rollout, click Copy.

5434 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 In a viewport,

select the opposite link.

6 In the Cross Section Parameters rollout, click Paste, and then click Mirror.
All the bulge angles from the first link are pasted to the opposite link,
then mirrored.
To choose a specific bulge angle for editing:
1 Click the arrow of the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list.
The full list of bulge angle names appears for the current link.
2 Click the name of the bulge angle you want to edit.
The viewports update to show the cross sections associated with the newly
selected bulge angle.
To change a bulge angle value:
1 Make sure the bulge angle's name is displayed in the Current Bulge Angle
drop-down list.
2 Drag the time slider to a frame that displays the angle you want to record,
or use transforms to change the angle between the active link and its
child link.
3 In the Bulge Angle Parameters group, click

(Set Bulge Angle).

To delete a bulge angle:
1 Click the arrow of the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list.
The full list of bulge angle names is displayed.
2 Click the name of the bulge angle you want to delete.
3 Click

(Delete Bulge Angle).

You can’t delete the default bulge angle: a link must always have at least
one bulge angle defined.

Physique | 5435

To use Select Nearest Bulge Angle:
The Select Nearest Bulge Angle button can help you identify the bulge angle
that has the greatest effect at the current pose.
1 In the Selection Level group, click

2 Scrub the time slider or

(Select Nearest Bulge Angle).

rotate the joint.

The bulge angle named in the drop-down list changes to show the most
influential bulge at each skeleton pose.

Interface
Controls for the Bulge sub-object level are on the Bulge rollout.

5436 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Selection Level group

Link Turn on to select links in the viewports. The Copy, Paste, and
Mirror commands are enabled for links.

Cross Section Turn on to select and edit cross sections in order to "bulge"
the mesh. The Insert, Delete, Copy, Paste, and Mirror commands are enabled
for cross sections.

Control Point Turn on to edit cross section control points.

Previous and Next Click to select the next or previous link, cross
section, or control point, depending on the selection level.
Bulge Editor Click to display the Bulge Editor on page 5379, which lets
you create and edit bulge angles using the schematic Cross Section and Profile
views
Select Nearest Bulge Angle Turn on to select the bulge angle nearest to
the current joint angle. If a joint bends over time, this lets you use the time
slider to select a bulge angle. If you click Play, you can see the Current Bulge
Angle field change to reflect the nearest bulge angle to the current angle of
the selected link and its child (if two or more bulge angles for the limb exist).

Current Bulge Angle (field and
drop-down list) Displays the current bulge angle. You can enter a descriptive

Physique | 5437

name for a newly created bulge angle. When you click Insert Bulge Angle, this
field displays the new bulge angle name. Use the drop-down list to select other
bulge angles.
Entire Link This choice in the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list selects all
cross sections for all bulge angles in the active link. Use this to change cross
section settings globally for a link. This also affects the Copy and Paste
commands. While Entire Link is chosen, Copy Cross Section copies all cross
sections for all bulges, and Paste Cross Section pastes all cross sections for all
bulges.
TIP Entire Link is useful for copying all the bulges from one arm or leg to another.
Bulge Angle Color Click the color swatch to change the color of the current
bulge angle. Giving each bulge angle a different color is a convenient way to
distinguish between them.

Bulge Angle Parameters group

Set Bulge Angle Changes the angle value to the skeleton’s current joint
angle on the current bulge angle (visible in the Current Bulge Angle field in
the Selection Level group). First use Move or Rotate in a viewport to change
the angle between the selected link and its child, then click Set Bulge Angle.

Insert Bulge Angle Adds a new bulge angle for the selected link. The
Current Bulge Angle field displays a bulge angle name with the number
incremented. You can enter a descriptive name for a new bulge angle, such
as Arm at 90.

5438 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

By default, one Bulge Angle is created in the Figure mode pose when Physique
creates links. Only one additional bulge angle is needed to bulge the mesh.
You can create more bulge angles for further control, if you want.
Delete Bulge Angle Removes the current bulge angle from the selected
link.
You cannot delete the default bulge angle.
Influence The range of angles through which the bulge influences the skin.
Range =0 to 180. Default=90 degrees.
For example, if you’ve set a bulge angle for the joint at 90 degrees, an Influence
value of 40 means that the bulge effect begins to appear when the rotating
joint reaches 50 degrees (90 minus 40) or 130 degrees (90 plus 40).
Power Controls how smoothly or abruptly the bulge takes effect. At 0.0, the
bulge takes effect immediately, without interpolated easing. As values increase,
the bulge eases in gradually. A value of 10.0 will bulge the mesh abruptly
when the set angle is reached. Range=0 to 10.0. Default=2.5.
Weight Increases the effect of the current bulge angle relative to the effect of
any other bulges. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=1.0.

Cross Section Parameters group

Sections Sets the number of cross sections for the selected link.

Physique | 5439

Divisions Sets the number of control points around the cross section. By
default, control points are evenly distributed around the circumference of the
cross section.
Resolution Sets the number of radial divisions around the cross section.
Control points snap to the nearest resolution line.
NOTE The buttons that follow, Insert, Delete, Copy, Paste, and Mirror, work
according to which level is active in the Selection Level group.
Insert Creates a new cross section or control point.
Delete Deletes the active cross section or control point.
Copy Copies the active link (with its bulge angles) or cross section.
Paste Pastes a link (with its bulge angles) or cross section.
To copy and paste all the bulge angles from one link, choose Entire Link from
the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list, and then click Copy. Select the
opposite link and click Paste. Click Mirror to mirror the pasted link parameters.
Mirror Mirrors bulge angles and cross sections on bulge angles. If necessary,
you can then use Select And Rotate to orient the bulge angles and cross
sections.

Display group

Interactive Redraw Turn on to deform the mesh in real time while you edit
cross sections in the viewports. Turn off to update the mesh only when you
release the mouse. Default=on.
TIP Turn off Interactive Redraw when working on a slow system, or with a dense
mesh that takes a long time to compute.
Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is,
the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off.

5440 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display Options Click to display the Bulge Angle Display Properties dialog
on page 5404, which lets you customize the viewport display of bulges.

Tendons Sub-Object
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Tendons sub-object level
While envelopes provide smooth skin deformations, tendons provide
additional stretching in much the same way that actual human tendons do.
For example, you might create pulling in the wrist (several joints away) when
the fingers are moved. After adjusting the envelope sub-objects on page 5411
for good mesh deformation, you can use tendons to control the amount of
skin stretching across multiple links.

Workflow Example
To create a tendon from the spine to the upper arm, go to the Tendon
sub-object level. Select a spine link. In the Insert Settings group, click to turn
on Insert, and then click the selected link to position the tendons. A tendon
cross section is added to the link. Turn off Insert.
In the Selection Level group, turn on Cross Section. Using the Rotate tool (on
the Main toolbar), rotate the cross section so its control points are in useful
locations. In the Tendon Parameters group, use the Radius spinner to scale
the cross section radius so the control points fall close to the surface of the
skin.
In the Selection Level group, turn on Control Point. Select a control point on
the spine tendon's cross section, click Attach, and then click the arm link. A
tendon stretches from the spine to the arm.
Finally, adjust the values of Pull, Pinch, and Stretch to refine the movement
of the skin.

Physique | 5441

Tendons connecting upper chest to arms

Procedures
See Creating Tendons on page 5344

Interface
Controls for Tendon sub-objects are on the Tendons rollout.

5442 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Selection Level group

Link Click to select a link.

Cross Section Click to select and edit tendon cross sections.

Control Point Click to edit control points on tendon cross sections.

Previous and Next Click to go to the previous or next link, tendon
cross section, or control point (depending on the active selection level).

Insert Settings group

Sections Sets the number of base cross sections for the tendon. Default=1.
Attach Points Sets the number of attach points around the tendon’s base
cross section. Default=6.
Resolution Sets the radial resolution around the base cross section. Attach
points are constrained to one of the radial resolution lines. Default=60.
Insert Turn on to insert a new cross section on the selected link, or to insert
a control point on a cross section. The action depends on the active selection
level: Link, Cross Section, or Control Point.
Delete Click to delete the selected cross section or control point.

Physique | 5443

The action depends on the active selection level: Link, Cross Section, or Control
Point.

Tendon Parameters group

Radius Scales attach points relative to the center of the cross section.
Default=The average circumference of the skin where the tendon base is
located.
Pull Defines the strength of pull along the length of the link. Default=1.0.
Pinch Defines the amount of pinch around the link circumference of the tendon
base. Default=1.0.
Stretch Defines the amount of stretch toward the attached link. Default=1.0.
The Pull, Pinch, and Stretch values work together to control, along a particular
dimension, the strength of the one link (the attached link; call it link B) on
vertices assigned to another link (the link where the tendon cross sections are
inserted; call it link A). Vertices on link A behave as if they were under the
influence of link B.
Pull, Pinch, and Stretch can all range from -2.0 to 2.0. At the default value of
1.0, the tendon's effect is full strength. Reducing the value of these parameters
to a value between 0.0 and 1.0 reduces the strength of the tendon's effect. At
values below 0.0, the tendon deforms the skin in the opposite direction. Pull,
Pinch, and Stretch values between 1.0 and 2.0 cause an exaggerated effect,
which is not usually needed for realistic effects.
TIP Setting Stretch less than 0.0 can be useful in regions where movement typically
pulls the skin inwards, as in the collarbone area or the buttocks.

5444 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP As a general rule, leave the tendon values at 1.0 when the tendon is attached
to a nearby link. For example, leave them at 1.0 between the upper spine (at the
chest) and the arms. Reduce the Pull, Pinch, and Stretch values to reduce the
tendon's effect when the tendon is attached to a more distant link. For example,
reduce them between a lower part of the spine and the arms.

Edit Commands group

Attach To attach a point, select the point, click to turn on Attach, then in a
viewport, click a different link.
Detach At the Control Point selection level, detaches the tendon of the selected
control point. At the Cross Section selection level, detaches all of the cross
section's attached tendons. At the Link selection level, detaches all attached
tendons on all cross sections of the selected link.

Upper Boundary Conditions group

Connect to Child Link When on, allows tendons to affect the child link.
This lets you connect tendons across several links. Otherwise, there is a
boundary between the links where no tendon effect occurs. Default=off.
Upper Bound Sets the upper boundary overlap. Upper Boundary values greater
than 1.0 affect the child link. Default=1.0.

Physique | 5445

WARNING Tendons that span several links can conflict with joint intersection
parameters. In these cases, go to the Link sub-object level on page 5419, and turn
off Active to deactivate the joint intersection parameters for the joints that the
tendon spans. (These controls are in the Joint Intersections rollout on page 5428.)
Pull Bias, Pinch Bias, Stretch Bias Set the upper boundary falloff effect for
these tendon parameters. Values of 0.0 have no effect. Increasing the value
shifts the Pull, Pinch, or Stretch effect toward the child. Default=0.5.

Lower Boundary Conditions group

Connect to Parent Link When on, allows tendons to affect the parent link.
This lets you connect tendons across several links. Otherwise, there is a
boundary between the links where no tendon effect occurs. Default=off.
Lower Bound Sets the lower boundary overlap. Lower Boundary values less
than 0.0 affect the parent link. Default=0.0.
WARNING Tendons that span several links can conflict with joint intersection
parameters. In these cases, go to the Link sub-object level on page 5419, and turn
off Active to deactivate the joint intersection parameters for the joints that the
tendon spans. (These controls are in the Joint Intersections rollout on page 5428.)
Pull Bias, Pinch Bias, Stretch Bias Set the lower boundary falloff effect for
these tendon parameters. Values of 0.0 have no effect. Increasing the value
shifts the Pull, Pinch, or Stretch effect toward the parent. Default=0.5.

5446 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display group

Interactive Redraw Turn on to deform the mesh in real time while you edit
cross sections in the viewports. Turn off to update the mesh only when you
release the mouse. Default=on.
TIP Turn off Interactive Redraw when working on a slow system, or with a dense
mesh that takes a long time to compute.
Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is,
the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off.
Display Options Click to display the Tendon Display Options dialog on page
5406, which lets you customize the viewport display of tendons.

Vertex Sub-Object (Physique)
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Vertex sub-object level
Most often, you will want to use envelopes to correct the way skin behaves
as the biped moves. However, you can override envelopes by manually
assigning vertex properties. For example, you can remove the influence of
inappropriate links from selected vertices. You can also change the weight
distribution between links for a single vertex by using type-in weights.

Procedures
TIP You don't have to work locally, one link at a time. You can use region selection
to select groups of vertices or groups of links, working with areas of the body and
its skeleton all at once.

Physique | 5447

To check vertex assignments:
1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level.
2 In the Vertex Operations group, click to turn on Select By Link.

3 Make sure all three

Vertex Type buttons are on.

4 In a viewport, click a link.
Physique displays the vertices assigned to that link. If any vertices assigned
to the link are out of place, reassign them to a different link, as described
in the procedures that follow.
5 Repeat step 4 for other links in the skeleton.
To remove a link's influence on vertices:
For example, you might want to remove the influence of the index finger
links from the vertices of the middle finger.
1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level.

2 Activate

(Select Object) and select vertices in the viewports.

3 In the Vertex Operations group, turn on Remove From Link.
4 Click a link in a viewport.
The vertices are removed from that link's influence.
NOTE You can click additional links to remove their influence as well.
5 In the Vertex Operations group, turn on Lock Assignments.
You must use Lock Assignments to ensure that these envelopes will not
influence these vertices if envelope parameters are adjusted later.
To remove deformable vertices from a link's influence:
1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level.

2 Make sure all three
Vertex Type buttons are on, and
then in the Vertex Operations group, click to turn on Select By Link.

5448 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Observe the assignments and determine which vertices are incorrectly
influenced. Also note if the vertices are red (deformable) or green (rigid).
NOTE Blue vertices do not fall within the influence of any link and are thus
assigned to the root.

3 Activate
(Select Object), and in a viewport, select only the
out-of-place vertices.
NOTE Alternatively, you can use Alt+click to deselect the vertices that are in
the correct place.

4 In the Vertex Type group, click to turn off

(Root Vertices). Leave

(Rigid Vertices) and

(Deformable Vertices) on.

5 In the Vertex Operations group, click Remove From Link.
6 In the viewports, click each link that you want no longer to influence
the selected deformable vertices.
To override vertex assignments manually:
This technique is used when envelope assignments are inappropriate, and you
want to have specific vertices influenced by a specific link.
1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level.

2 Make sure all three
Vertex Type buttons are on, and
then select the vertices you want to reassign.
3 In the Vertex Operations group, click to turn on Assign To Link.
4 In the Vertex Type group, choose only the type of vertex assignment you
want to use:

deformable (red) or

rigid (green.)

Physique | 5449

5 Choose No Blending from the Blending Between Links drop-down list.
This setting will disregard the effects of blending envelopes and vertex
weights, and let you assign the selection to any link manually.
6 In a viewport, click the link you want to influence the vertex.
NOTE When you assign deformable vertices, some vertices might turn blue;
they are assigned to the root instead of the link you clicked. To assign these
vertices as correctly deformable vertices, simply use Ctrl+click with the
neighboring parent or child link. If the blue vertices now turn red, they are
deformable.
7 In the Vertex Operations group, click Lock Assignments to preserve the
manual assignment.
To make vertices rigid:
1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level.

2 Activate
(Select Object), and in a viewport, select the vertices you
want to make rigid.
3 In the Vertex Operations group, click to turn on Assign To Link.

4 In the Vertex Type group, turn on

(Deformable Vertices) and

(Rigid Vertices), and turn off

(Root Vertices).

5 Choose No Blending from the Blending Between Links drop-down list.
This setting will disregard the effects of blending envelopes and vertex
weights, and let you assign the selection to any link manually.
6 In a viewport, click the link these vertices are to be assigned to.
7 In the Vertex Operations group, click Lock Assignments.
Small squares around the selected vertices indicate that the vertices are
locked.

5450 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface
Controls for vertices in a mesh controlled by Physique are on the Vertex-Link
Assignment rollout.
NOTE This is not the same as the rollout used by the Physique Initialization dialog.

Physique | 5451

5452 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Vertex Type group

There are three vertex types, differentiated by color:

■

RedDeformable vertices that follow Physique’s deformation spline.

■

GreenRigid vertices that do not deform but just follow the link they
are assigned to.

■

BlueVertices attached to the root node. Physique uses this color
when it isn’t sure which link to assign the vertices to. These vertices don’t
deform but follow the center of mass object. You should reassign blue
vertices to be either rigid or deformable.

While a button of the appropriate color is turned on, you can select vertices
of that color. Turn off a button to avoid selecting vertices of that color. You
can't turn off all three buttons at once.

Blending Between Links drop-down list
This list provides several options:
■

N LinksVertices within all overlapping envelopes are influenced.
While this option is active, vertices can be assigned only to the envelopes
they fall within. Envelopes are used by Physique in this case to define the
blended weight of each vertex.

■

No BlendingVertices are influenced by only one link, as in character studio
1.
This is useful as a general default if you are developing characters for a
game engine that doesn't support blending. At the Vertex sub-object level
it is useful to override blending weights defined by envelopes, and assign
vertices to links as either Rigid or Deformable. For example, after selecting
vertices of the skull and face, turn on No Blending, turn on Rigid vertices,
turn on Assign To Link, and then click the head link. This will override

Physique | 5453

the head envelope vertex assignments and assign these vertices as rigid to
the head link. Use Lock Assignments to lock any changes (see below).
■

2, 3, 4 LinksVertices are influenced only by the specified number of closest
links. This is useful when developing characters for a game engine with
limited blending.

Vertex Operations group

Select Selects vertices using the selection tools on the main toolbar.
Select by Link Selects vertices by link.
Assign to Link Assigns the selected vertices to a link.
To assign the currently selected vertices to a link, turn on Assign To Link and
then click the link.
Assign To Link has a dependency on the envelopes defined for each link, and
you must set Blending Between Links to "No Blending" to override this. After

5454 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

vertices are assigned manually in this way, use Lock Assignments to keep them
from being reassigned inadvertently during subsequent operations.
NOTE You must select or assign a link by clicking the link; you can't use the Select
From Scene dialog to select or assign a link while you use Physique to work with
vertices.
Remove from Link Remove the selected vertices from a link.
NOTE Select, Select By Link, Assign To Link, and Remove From Link will act only
on vertices specified by the red, green, and blue Vertex Type (“+”) buttons.
Lock Assignments Locks vertex assignments.
Lock will prevent any changes from being made to the weights and blending
presently assigned to the selected vertices. After any manual assignment of
vertices, they should be locked. Before using type-in weights, vertices must
be locked. When manipulating envelopes in difficult areas of the character,
you might choose to lock vertices that are working well before changing the
envelopes to affect other vertices.
NOTE If additional data, such as more vertices, comes up the modifier stack,
Physique notes the proximity of new vertices to the locked vertices. It then locks
the new vertices based on proximity. Already locked vertices will not be unlocked.
Unlock Assignments Unlocks vertex assignments.
Click Unlock Assignments on selected locked vertices prior to reassigning
them to another link, or changing their blending settings.
Type-In Weights Displays the Type-In Weights dialog on page 5408, which you
use to enter a weight for selected locked vertices; only the weight for locked
vertices can be changed.
To use this feature: select one or more vertices, then lock them. Click this
button to display the Type-In Weights dialog, select a link from the drop-down
list, and change the weight of that link to position the vertices (vertex positions
update in the viewports as the weight changes).
You can use type-in weights for stubborn vertices that fall in blended regions
between two or more envelopes. Subtle adjustments can be made to the vertex
weights of specific links that would be difficult to achieve by adjusting
envelopes alone.
TIP Type-In Weights is useful mainly for correcting flaws in low- to
medium-resolution meshes. On a high-resolution mesh, adjusting envelopes should
be used to correct deformation.

Physique | 5455

Hide Hides the selected vertices
Unhide All Unhides all vertices.
Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is,
the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off.

Crowd Animation
The crowd-animation system in character studio is designed to simulate the
behavior of real-life crowds. A crowd simulation emulates real-life situations
by animating delegates on page 9134 (helper objects that act as representatives).
You give the delegates overall guidelines on how to behave, and the crowd
simulation calculates their motion.

A crowd of bipeds

You set these guidelines by assigning behaviors on page 9103 to delegates. A
behavior specifies a particular type of activity, such as moving toward an
object in the scene, avoiding obstacles, following a path or surface, and so
forth. You can combine multiple behaviors to create a rich and complex crowd
simulation automatically. You can then link objects to delegates to complete
the animation.

5456 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

A crowd simulation can be used to animate bipeds, or to drive the use of mesh
animation on objects linked to delegates. In addition, you can use cognitive
controllers on page 9118 to tell delegates how to behave in varying circumstances.
See also:
■

Biped Crowds on page 5489

■

Non-Biped Crowds on page 5501

Creating a Crowd System
This topic shows a basic procedure for creating and using a crowd system.
1 Add a Crowd helper on page 5462 object.

The crowd helper is the controlling object for the entire crowd simulation.
2 Create a Delegate helper on page 5462 object.

Crowd Animation | 5457

This is a prototype for your crowd; a representative member.

3 On the
Modify panel ➤ Motion rollout on page 5509, set
appropriate speed and turning limits for the delegate.

5458 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

This is analogous to defining how a particular animal or object moves.
Is it a bird, a fish, a slug, or an airplane?
4 Make clones of the delegate, either with 3ds Max clone tools, or by
scattering delegates on page 5462.

Crowd Animation | 5459

5 Create 3ds Max objects to be used with behaviors, such as grids or objects
to seek or avoid. These objects often correspond to objects in your scene.
For example, you could create a grid in an open doorway to attract
delegates, or a box at an obstacle to repel delegates.

5460 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

6 Add one or more behaviors on page 5467. Modify each behavior's settings
to be appropriate for the members of your crowd.

7 Solve the simulation.

Crowd Animation | 5461

8 Watch the solved simulation. If it needs correction, make changes to
behaviors or delegate parameters. Solve again, and continue until the
simulation works as intended.
9 Create the objects that will follow the delegates, and align and link them
to delegates on page 5483.

Creating Complex Simulations
The process described above creates a simple crowd simulation. You can also
use other tools to further control the simulation:
■

Use cognitive controllers on page 5486 to cause delegates to switch behaviors
based on their proximity to objects in the scene, time elapsed in the
simulation, and other factors.

■

Use motion synthesis on page 5501 to cause different portions of the linked
object's animation to be used based on delegate speed, rotation, and other
factors.

■

Use bipeds and a motion flow network to animate the bipeds with
delegates. See Biped Crowds on page 5489.

Creating Crowd Helpers
The crowd system in character studio uses two helper objects: Crowd and
Delegate. The first step in creating a crowd simulation is the creation of these
helpers. The crowd helper serves as the command center for setting up and
solving crowd simulations, while delegates provide stand-ins for animated
objects. The crowd helper controls are used to animate the delegates, then
later you link objects to delegates to create the finished scene.

Crowd Helper
A crowd helper object appears in viewports as blue tetrahedron. The location
and size of the crowd helper does not affect the simulation. For the easiest
workflow, create the crowd helper with a relatively large size, and place it
where you can easily select it. You'll rarely need more than one Crowd helper
object per scene.

5462 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

After you create delegates, you use the crowd helper to clone delegates and
distribute the clones, add behaviors, apply behaviors to delegates, link delegates
to animated objects, and much more.

Crowd Animation | 5463

Delegate Helpers

The Crowd system in character studio uses Delegate helper objects as
intermediaries between the crowd simulation and the influenced objects. A
delegate is a non-rendering pyramid-shaped object. Its apex points in the
direction the crowd system uses as “forward” when it moves the delegate
around.
Use one delegate per object to be animated by the crowd system. You can add
delegates one by one, or use any of the standard 3ds Max methods for cloning
objects, including Shift+clone and the Array function. However, the Crowd
object offers a convenient Scatter Objects on page 5518 function that lets you
clone delegates and distribute the clones over a surface or within a volume,
with options for orientation and scaling.
See also:
■

Delegate Helper Object on page 5507

■

Crowd Helper Object on page 5515

5464 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Procedures
To create a Crowd helper object:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Helpers).

2 Click Crowd, and drag the helper object to a convenient size.
TIP Make the crowd helper object large enough so you can easily select it
in two or more viewports. The size of the helper does not affect the crowd
simulation in any way.

To create a Delegate helper object:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Helpers).

2 Click Delegate. Drag in a viewport to set the delegate’s position and its
size.
TIP The delegate always points "up" in the viewport where you create it. So
if you want it to point "forward," that is, toward the positive Y direction in
the World coordinate system, you should create it in the Top viewport.

To clone and scatter delegates:
1 Create a Crowd helper and a Delegate helper.
2 Decide how to distribute the delegate clones, and create an object to
define how the clones are to be positioned: a grid object, a primitive box
or sphere, a shape, or any object to serve as a surface. Alternatively, you
can choose to distribute clones in a circular area without the use of a
distribution object.

3

4 Click
5518.

Select the Crowd object and go to the

Modify panel.

(Scatter Objects) to open the Scatter Objects dialog on page

Crowd Animation | 5465

5 On the Clone tab, set the number of clones to create, and select the object
to clone.
6 Click Generate Clones.
This produces the specified number of clones in the same location. To
vary positions, orientations, and/or sizes, proceed with the following
steps.
7 On the Position tab ➤ Placement Relative To Object group, choose a
distribution option. Click the None button, and then select the
distribution object you created earlier.
Alternatively, to distribute delegates in a circular area, choose Placement
In Area group ➤ In Radial Area and set a center and radius.
8 Click Generate Locations.
This distributes the clones.
9 On the Rotation tab, choose which of the cloned object's local axes are
to look forward and up. Optionally, specify source and target objects for
the clones' orientations, as well as limits for randomized deviations from
the calculated orientation.
10 Click Generate Orientations.
11 On the Scale tab, for each axis, specify Average, Deviation, and, optionally,
Same As settings and a random seed.
12 Click Generate Scales.
At this point, you're basically finished. However, to create a series of
randomized positions, orientations, and/or sizes for clones, follow the
next two steps and repeat as necessary.
13 On the All Ops, turn on Positions, Rotations, and/or Scales. To vary the
randomized positions, rotations, and/or scales, turn on the corresponding
Inc Seed check boxes.
14 Click the Scatter button.
You can combine the cloning, position, rotation, and scale functions in
one operation by setting the options on their respective tabs without
clicking the Generate buttons, and then using the All Ops tab to apply
any or all scatter operations simultaneously. Also, you can use the All
Ops tab ➤ Select Objects To Transform to specify any objects to scatter;
not just clones.

5466 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Adjusting Delegate Parameters
Delegate parameters define the nature of the delegate motion.
You can change delegate parameters in one of two ways:
■

To adjust parameters for an individual delegate, select the delegate, access
the Modify panel, and adjust parameters. For descriptions of parameters,
see Delegate Helper Object on page 5507.

■

To adjust parameters for several delegates at once, select the crowd helper
object, access the Modify panel, and click
(Multiple Delegate Editing)
to access the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog on page 5535.

The speed parameters let you describe a delegate’s average speed and maximum
acceleration. You can also define how much a delegate slows down as it turns
or goes upward, and how much it speeds up when it goes down.
Turning parameters let you indicate how quickly a delegate can turn, and how
much it can turn upward and downward. And banking parameters describe
how much and how quickly a delegate banks and its banking limit.
All of these parameters work together to describe different types of creatures.
A small fish, for instance, can turn more quickly than a large bird. A fish’s
speed would not be effected when the fish traveled up or down, but a bird’s
speed might be altered by its upward or downward direction.
See also:
■

Crowd Helper Object on page 5515

■

Delegate Helper Object on page 5507

Assigning Behaviors
In the real world, different crowds exhibit diverse behaviors, and even members
of the same crowd can conduct themselves in various ways. Included with
the character studio Crowd system is an assortment of behaviors that let you
simulate a range of crowd activities.
Behaviors let you assign procedural activity types to delegates on page 5507,
which, in turn, affect objects linked to delegates. You can associate any number
of behaviors with each crowd object on page 5515, and then link delegates and

Crowd Animation | 5467

teams of delegates to each behavior. A specific behavior assigned to a Crowd
object belongs only to that crowd; it cannot be assigned to any other crowds.
Following is a list of available behaviors:
■

Avoid Behavior on page 5564: Prevents delegates from colliding with objects
in the scene, or with each other. Avoidance can use any combination of
turning, braking/stopping, repelling, and vector field.

■

Orientation Behavior on page 5569: Applies a fixed orientation or orientation
range to delegates, so they face a specific direction instead of toward the
destination. You can specify orientation in absolute terms, or relative to
the direction the delegate currently faces.

■

Path Follow Behavior on page 5573: Restricts motion to a spline or NURBS
curve; options include back-and-forth patrol-type movement.

■

Repel Behavior on page 5577: Forces delegates to move away from a target.

■

Scripted Behavior on page 5580: Uses MAXScript to specify behavior.

■

Seek Behavior on page 5581: Moves delegates toward a target or targets.

■

Space Warp Behavior on page 5584: Uses any dynamics-oriented space warp
to control movement, including wind and gravity. Vector Field, a
crowd-specific space warp that lets delegates avoid irregularly shaped objects
while following their contours, is included with character studio.

■

Speed Vary Behavior on page 5585: Lets delegates change speed for more
realistic movement.

■

Surface Arrive Behavior on page 5587: Lets delegates move toward and land
on a surface, with custom speed and acceleration parameters.

■

Surface Follow Behavior on page 5592: Delegates move along a surface, which
can be animated. Also, you can specify whether the delegates are to move
straight ahead or skirt hills and depressions.

■

Wall Repel Behavior on page 5595: Uses a grid to repel delegates; ideal for
keeping objects inside an enclosed, straight-sided room.

■

WallSeek Behavior on page 5598: Uses a grid to attract delegates. You can
use this as a doorway for crowd-controlled bipeds to walk through.

■

Wander Behavior on page 5601: Induces a realistic semi-random movement
for characters such as shoppers at a mall.

TIP If you need custom behaviors, you can create your own with scripting.

5468 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The first time you add a behavior to the scene, a new rollout appears for the
behavior below the Setup rollout. This rollout lets you change settings for the
behavior. Certain behaviors, such as Seek and Avoid, let you specify "target"
objects.
TIP Behaviors are assigned generic names by default. It's a good idea to rename
them with more meaningful descriptors; for example, "Seek Ball" or "Avoid Fire".
To display the rollout for a different behavior in the scene, choose it from the
drop-down list in the Behaviors group. To see the controls available in the
rollout for a behavior type, follow the link from its entry in the above list.
In addition to the controls available in behavior rollouts, you can use the
Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 5542 to turn behaviors on and
off (with the Active check box), and for all behaviors except Avoid, Orientation,
and Surface Follow, you can set and animate Weight. The Active status is
animatable for all behaviors.

Using Behaviors
To use a behavior, you apply it to a delegate or a team of delegates using the
Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 5542. In this dialog, each
assignment of a behavior to a delegate is given a weight. You can modify
and/or animate these weights to influence the simulation.
Behavior assignment weights can profoundly effect a simulation. When
applying two or more behaviors to the same delegate, the weights define the
relationship between the behaviors, making one more or less powerful than
the other. One way to visualize a behavior assignment weight is to examine
the behavior’s force vector during a crowd simulation. The vector’s length
indicates the behavior’s weight upon the delegate.
Each behavior has its own parameters which appear in the Behavior rollout,
available in the Crowd object’s Modify panel. These parameters describe how
the behavior works, and can sometimes contribute to the behavior’s strength
as well. For instance, Seek, Repel, Wall Seek, and Wall Repel, all have specific
volumes of influence. Outside these volumes they have no effect and essentially
have a weight of zero. This rollout lets you specify whether or not you wish
to see behavior’s force vector dynamically displayed during a Crowd
simulation, and what color that vector should be.
When working with the Crowd system, it is critical to play with behavior
assignment weights, as well as each behaviors’ parameters. Typically, you run
the simulation repeatedly, changing the weights and parameters to get the
desired result.

Crowd Animation | 5469

A few behaviors cannot be weighted. These are Avoid, Surface Follow, and
Orientation. Avoid and Surface Follow take over after all of the other behaviors
have been applied to a delegate. They can take stringent measures to affect
the delegate, possibly overpowering other behaviors in order to meet their
constraints. Orientation simply sets the delegate's facing direction. It cannot
be weighted and does not apply a force.

Behavior Tips
A few helpful things to know about behaviors in character studio:
■

You can create conditional behavioral systems with Crowd's Cognitive
Controller feature. This uses the MAXScript scripting language to determine
when to effect a transition from one behavior to another; we've provided
a number of sample scripts for you to learn from and adopt to your own
simulations in Cognitive Controller Editor on page 5554 and State Transition
Dialog on page 5558.

■

The Behavior rollout appears immediately after the Crowd object ➤ Setup
rollout in the Modify panel. However, it doesn't show up until you've
added at least one behavior to the crowd object.

■

The Crowd panel displays only one Behavior rollout at a time. To access
a different one, choose its name from the drop-down list at the bottom of
the Crowd object's Setup rollout.

■

As with most scene entities in 3ds Max, it's a good idea to give behaviors
custom names, such as "Seek Doorway" or "Follow Hilly Surface." You do
this by clicking the behavior's name in the Setup rollout and entering a
new one from the keyboard.

■

The default behavior settings may not always give the ideal results. The
optimal settings depend vary with the particulars of your simulation setup;
in many cases, if not most, you'll need to experiment with the settings to
get the results you want. In some cases, you might need to animate settings
as well.
One particularly useful feature of the delegate is its ability to display, using
colored vectors, the strength and direction of the various forces acting
upon it during solution of the crowd simulation. Each force can have a
unique, identifying color. For example, the Seek behavior uses green by
default, while the Wander behavior uses aqua. You can change these colors
to any you like.
If a simulation isn't proceeding as expected, you can debug it by observing
the vectors during the solution. And if the solution occurs too quickly,

5470 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

you can use the Step Solve feature to solve the simulation one frame at a
time.

Procedures
Example: To use assign behaviors to delegates:
This example shows how to create a basic crowd simulation with delegates
and behaviors.
1 Start 3ds Max or reset 3ds Max.
2 Add a Crowd object and one or more Delegate objects on page 5507 to the
scene. In general, add delegates in the Top viewport so that they point
forward. The Crowd object's location is immaterial.

3

Select the Crowd object and go to the

Modify panel.

4 On the Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group, click the New button.
5 In the Select Behavior Type dialog, click a behavior and then click OK to
close the dialog.
A Behavior rollout appears for the behavior you chose.
6 If the behavior requires a target object or objects, such as Seek, click the
None button and then select an object, or click Multiple Selection and
select several objects.
7 Change other behavior settings as necessary.
8 Create and modify additional behaviors as necessary.
9 On the Setup rollout, click (Behavior Assignment).
10 In the Assignment Design group, the two upper lists should each contain
a single entry: the delegate on the left, and the behavior on the right.
Select both items.
11 Click the New Assignment button to the right of the Assignment Design
group. It's a vertical button with five right-pointing arrows.
This adds the new assignment to the list in the Behavior Assignments
group.
12 Accept the changes and the OK button to close the Behavior Assignments
and Teams dialog.

Crowd Animation | 5471

13 On the
Modify panel, scroll down to the Solve rollout and click
the Solve button.
Keys are created as follows: The delegate turns to point toward the sphere,
banking as it turns, and then moves directly toward the sphere. When it
reaches its target, it moves slightly beyond the sphere, and then repeats
the turn-and-move motion until the end of the simulation. To prevent
this, try starting with the two objects farther apart, or animating the
sphere's position.

Directing Delegates
One of the purposes of behaviors is to move delegates in a particular direction
over the course of the simulation.
The following behaviors can be used to direct delegates:
■

The Seek behavior on page 5581 is one of the most commonly used behaviors
in the crowd system. With this behavior, you can cause delegates to move
toward a specific object. The seek object can be animated, and the delegates
will follow it.

■

The Wall Seek behavior on page 5598causes delegates to seek a rectangular
area. Compare with the Seek behavior, which causes delegates to seek an
object's pivot point.

■

The Path Follow behavior on page 5573 is also useful for pushing delegates
in a specified direction. With this behavior, delegates follow a path but
can “stray” from the path by a specified distance, creating slightly random
motion along the path.

■

With the Surface Arrive behavior on page 5587, delegates seek one or more
objects as they do with the Seek behavior, but you can cause delegates to
stop when they reach a target.

■

You can use the Surface Follow behavior on page 5592 to cause delegates to
move along a surface.

■

With the Space Warp behavior on page 5584, you can use a vector field to
push delegates around the field to avoid obstacles. See Obstacle Avoidance
on page 5475.

5472 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

After setting up a behavior, you must use Behavior Assignments on page 5542
to assign the behavior to a delegate or team.

Procedures
To use the Seek behavior:

1

Select the Crowd helper and go to the

Modify panel.

2 In the Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group, click New. Choose Seek Behavior.
The Seek Behavior rollout appears below the Setup rollout.
3 On the Seek Behavior rollout on page 5581, click None to add one seek
object, or click
(Multiple Selection) to designate more than one
object for the delegates to seek.
4 Change the default settings as desired.
To use the Wall Seek behavior:

1 On the
Create panel, click
Create a grid in the scene.

(Helpers), and click Grid.

TIP For best results, do not use Mirror to copy a grid to be used with
behaviors. Use Shift+Clone instead.

2

Move and

rotate the grid to position it.

TIP The Wall Seek behavior attracts delegates to the grid in the direction of
grid's local Z axis. With the grid still selected, use the Local coordinate system
to see the direction of the Z axis in viewports; the axis arrow points in the
direction of the positive Z axis. Checking the Z-axis direction will speed the
process of setting up the behavior.

Crowd Animation | 5473

3

Select the Crowd object, and add a Wall Seek behavior.

4 In the Wall Seek Behavior rollout, click None, and pick the grid.
5 Choose Positive Axis to cause the delegates to be attracted to the Z-axis
side of the grid. You can also choose Negative Axis to atrract delegates
to the opposite side of the grid, or Both to attract them to both sides.
6 If you want delegates to be attracted to the grid only when they are within
a specified area in front of the grid (rather than when they are anywhere
in the scene), turn on Use Distance. Use the Inner Distance and Outer
Distance parameters to set the area in which delegates will be attracted
to the grid. Turn on Display Distance to see the distance in viewports.
To use the Path Follow behavior:

1 On the
Create panel, click
be used as a path for delegates.

(Shapes). Create a shape to

2 Add a Path Follow behavior to the Crowd object.
3 In the Path Follow Behavior rollout, click the None button and pick the
shape for the delegates to follow.
4 Set the Radius parameter to the number of units by which delegates can
stray from the path. Change other settings as desired.
To use the Surface Arrive behavior:
1 Add a Surface Arrive behavior to the Crowd object.
2 Add an object or objects to serve as the target surface to the scene.
NOTE If you use multiple objects, delegates will arrive at the surface of the
closest object.

3 In the Surface Arrive Behavior rollout, click None or
Selection) to designate the one or more target objects.

(Multiple

4 Use the settings in the Location group to determine where the delegate
will stop when it reaches a target object.

5474 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 Use the settings in the Approach group to determine how the delegate
will behave when it approaches the target.
To use the Surface Follow behavior:
1 Add a Surface Follow behavior to the Crowd object.
2 Add an object or objects to serve as the follow surface to the scene.
NOTE If you use multiple objects, they must intersect to form a contiguous
surface. Each delegate will move to the closest surface, follow it to the next
closest that it encounters, and then start following that one, and so on.

3 In the Surface Follow Behavior rollout, click None or
(Multiple
Selection) to designate the object or objects whose surfaces the assignees
are to follow.
4 If you like, use the settings in the Projection Vector group to force
delegates to move in a specific direction.

Obstacle Avoidance
An important part of crowd behavior is avoidance of obstacles. Think of an
obstacle as anything that impedes a crowd member's progress. Examples of
obstacles include walls, telephone poles, and fences, as well as other crowd
members. Encountering such objects can cause avoidance behavior, which
consists of any combination of slowing down, turning, and stopping.
There are several ways to implement avoidance in character studio, including:
■

The Avoid behavior on page 5564 is one of the most commonly used
behaviors. Use this behavior to cause crowd members to avoid other crowd
members, or spherical objects in the scene. It works by creating a spherical
volume of avoidance around the avoided object, so it doesn’t accommodate
irregular objects.
The Avoid behavior is unlike any other behavior in Crowd. After all the
other behaviors exert their forces on the delegates, Avoid takes over and
has the power to turn, slow down, and even stop a delegate in order to
make it avoid an obstacle.

■

Use the Wall Repel behavior on page 5595 to cause crowd members to avoid
broad, flat objects such as walls and fences. You can set a maximum

Crowd Animation | 5475

distance for the repel effect, and describe the rate at which the force away
from the wall increases as a delegate approaches the wall.
Unlike the Avoid behavior, which can stop or slow down a delegate, Wall
Repel simply exerts a force on the delegate to turn it away from the wall.
It does not guarantee wall avoidance. You must work with it’s distance
and falloff parameters, as well as its weight in the Assignments and Teams
dialog, to control its strength.
■

Use the Repel behavior on page 5577 to cause crowd members to turn away
from an object. It works exactly like Wall Repel except that it uses a
spherical volume rather than a plane. You can set a maximum distance
for the repel effect, and describe the rate at which the repel force increases
as the delegate approaches the obstacle.
Repel exerts a force on the delegate to turn it away from the obstacle. It
does not guarantee avoidance. You must work with its Distance and Falloff
parameters, as well as its weight in the Behavior Assignments and Teams
dialog on page 5542, to control its strength. Repel can be used instead of the
Avoid behavior as a simple avoidance technique for non-terrestrial creatures
such as fish or birds.

■

Use a Vector Field on page 5619. This is a special type of space warp that
crowd members can use to move around irregular objects such as a curved,
concave surface. You can use the Vector Field space warp in conjunction
with the Avoid behavior to make delegates slow down when they approach
a complex object, and then go around it. This guarantees that the delegate
will not pass through the obstacle’s surface.
You can also use the Vector Field space warp in conjunction with the Space
Warp behavior on page 5584. This simply exerts a force on the delegate that
mimics the contours of the object. It does not assure that the delegate will
not pass through the surface of the obstacle. You can use a Vector Field
with both the Space Warp and Avoid behaviors to combine their effects.

Procedures
To use the Avoid behavior:
1 Add an Avoid behavior to the Crowd object.
2 In the Avoid Behavior rollout, use the None button or
(Multiple
Selection) to designate the target object or objects to avoid.

5476 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP To make an entire team of delegates avoid each other, choose all
delegates in the team. The crowd system will cause each delegate to avoid
all others except itself.
3 Turn on Display Hard Radius to see the radial avoidance area in viewports.
Adjust the Hard Radius to the appropriate size for your delegates.
4 Adjust the Brake Pressure to determine whether a delegate will slow down
when it encounters an avoided object.
5 Adjust the Look Ahead parameter to determine how many frames ahead
each delegate will look to determine the best way to avoid others.
6 Use Behavior Assignments on page 5542 to assign the behavior to a delegate
or team.
To use the Wall Repel behavior:

1 On the
Create panel, click
Create a grid in the scene.

(Helpers), then click Grid.

TIP For best results, do not use Mirror to copy a grid to be used with
behaviors. Use Shift+Clone instead.

2

Move and

rotate the grid to position it.

TIP The Wall Repel behavior repels delegates from the grid in the direction
of grid's local Z axis. With the grid still selected, use the Local coordinate
system to see the direction of the Z axis in viewports; the axis arrow points
in the direction of the positive Z axis. Checking the Z-axis direction will speed
the process of setting up the behavior.

3

Select the Crowd object, and add a Wall Repel behavior.

4 In the Wall Repel Behavior rollout, click None, and pick the grid.

Crowd Animation | 5477

5 Choose Positive Axis to cause the delegates to be repelled from the Z-axis
side of the grid. You can also choose Negative Axis to repel delegates from
the opposite side of the grid, or Both to repel them from both sides.
6 If you want delegates to be attracted to the grid only when they are within
a specified area in front of the grid (rather than when they are anywhere
in the scene), turn on Use Distance. Use the Inner Distance and Outer
Distance parameters to set the area in which delegates will be attracted
to the grid. Turn on Display Distance to see the distance in viewports.
7 Use Behavior Assignments on page 5542 to assign the behavior to a delegate
or team.
To use the Repel behavior:
1 Add a Repel behavior to the Crowd object.
2 In the Repel Behavior rollout, use the None button or
(Multiple
Selection) to designate the object or objects that are to repel delegates.
3 Change the default settings as desired.
4 Use Behavior Assignments on page 5542 to assign the behavior to a delegate
or team.
To add a Vector Field space warp:
Adding a Vector Field space warp object works the same as adding a Box
geometry primitive.
1 On the Object Type rollout, click Vector Field.
2 Drag in a viewport to set the initial dimensions.
■

If using the Cube creation method, this sets all three dimensions
simultaneously.

■

If using the Box creation method, release the mouse button, and then
move the mouse vertically to set the height.

3 Click to create the space warp.

5478 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To use a Vector Field space warp with delegates:
This procedure presents general guidelines for using the Vector Field space
warp with delegates in a crowd simulation.
1 Create an object to serve as an obstacle. This object must be an editable
mesh or geometric primitive; it can have modifiers.
2 Add a Vector Field space warp.
3 Position and scale the space warp lattice so that it encloses the obstacle
object.
The lattice should be significantly larger than the object. The object
should be located roughly at the lattice center.
4 In the Lattice Parameters rollout, increase the Length Segs/Width
Segs/Height Segs settings so that the lattice segments intersect the object
at reasonable intervals.
To determine appropriate Segs settings for your obstacle objects, first
examine the object complexity. If the obstacle has a lot of detail, and
you want that detail reflected in the vector field, then you need a relatively
high lattice resolution.
5 Click the Obstacle Parameters rollout ➤ Compute Vectors group ➤
Vector Field Object button (initially labeled None), and then in a viewport,
click the object that will act as an obstacle in the crowd simulation.
This specifies the obstacle object. The range volume grid appears on the
object's surface as an olive-colored wireframe.
6 Increase the Obstacle Parameters rollout ➤ Compute Vectors group ➤
Range setting.
As you increase this setting, you'll see the range volume grid expand. The
range volume should enclose the space in which crowd members need
to start turning in order to avoid the object.
7 Turn off Display group ➤ Show Lattice and Show Range so that the
vector field will be more easily visible when generated.
8 Turn on Display group ➤ Show Vector Field.
9 In the Compute Vectors group, click the Compute button. This generates
the vector field.

Crowd Animation | 5479

TIP To make the vector lines more evident, increase the Display group ➤
VectorScale setting.
The vectors appear as blue lines surrounding the obstacle object. One vector
is computed for each lattice intersection within the range volume grid. Each
vector matches the normal of the object at the point on the object's surface
closest to the lattice point.
The vector force falls off with distance from the object, as shown by the
progressively shorter vector lines toward the grid perimeter.

10 Add Crowd on page 5515 and Delegate on page 5507 helper objects.
11 Select the Crowd object and open the Modify panel.
12 In the Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group, click New.
13 In the Select Behavior Type dialog that is displayed, choose Space Warp
Behavior, and then click OK.
14 In the Space Warp Behavior rollout that appears, click the button (initially
labeled “None”), and then in a viewport, click the Vector Field space
warp.
TIP You might find it easier to use Select By Name to select the space warp.
15 In the Setup rollout, click the Behavior Assignments button, and use the
Behavior Assignments And Teams dialog on page 5542 to assign your
delegate or delegates to the space warp behavior.
16 Add any other objects or behaviors appropriate to the simulation.

17

Select the Crowd object, and then solve the simulation by
clicking the Solve rollout ➤ Solve button.

18 Fine tune the behavior associated with the Vector Field space warp by
adjusting the Lattice parameters on page 5620 and Obstacle parameters on
page 5621.
19 Continue computing the vector field and then solving the simulation
after each adjustment. In certain cases you might need to animate the
vector field parameters to keep objects within the field.

5480 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Changing Delegate Orientation and Speed
You can use the Orientation behavior on page 5569 to change the direction in
which a delegate moves, and the Speed Vary behavior on page 5585 to vary
delegates' speed or make them stop moving altogether.
After setting up a behavior, you must use Behavior Assignments on page 5542
to assign the behavior to a delegate or team.

Procedures
To use the Orientation behavior:

1

Select the Crowd helper and go to the

Modify panel.

2 In the Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group, click New. Choose Orientation
Behavior from the pop-up list.
The Orientation Behavior rollout appears below the Setup rollout.
3 To restrict the heading orientation with respect to the delegate's current
heading, turn on Heading group ➤ Relative. To restrict the heading to
a specific direction or range, leave Relative off.
4 To restrict the pitch orientation with respect to the delegate's current
pitch, turn on Pitch group ➤ Relative. To restrict the pitch to a specific
direction or range, leave Relative off.
5 Change the other default settings as desired.
To use the Speed Vary behavior:
1 Add a Speed Vary behavior to the Crowd object.
2 Adjust the Center and Deviation as needed to control delegate speed.
Change other settings as desired.

Solving the Simulation
After you have set up behaviors for delegates, you must solve the simulation
to generate keyframes on delegates. You solve the simulation by selecting the
crowd object and clicking Solve in the Solve rollout on page 5603.

Crowd Animation | 5481

In order to generate the simulation as quickly as possible, delegate keys are
saved after the solution is run, so there might be a pause between the end of
the solution and return of control of 3ds Max to you. Also, any objects linked
to delegates are hidden during the simulation.
You will most likely have to solve a simulation several times before it is correct.
Watch the animation after the solution is calculated, correct behaviors or
delegate parameters as necessary, then solve again.
You can speed up the solution calculation time by decreasing the frequency
of keyframes or screen updates. You can also view the solution one frame at
a time to help pinpoint trouble areas.

Procedures
To solve a simulation:
1 Set up a crowd simulation with a crowd helper, delegates and behaviors.
See Assigning Behaviors on page 5467.

2

Select the Crowd helper.

3 On the
Modify panel, in the Solve rollout, set the Start Solve
and End Solve parameters to set the start and end frames for the solution.
4 Click Solve.

TIP
To use the keyboard shortcut for the Solve button, turn on
the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle and then press the S key to run a
solution.
Wait a few moments while the solution is calculated. The progress bar
at the bottom of the screen tells you the status of the solution process.
To speed up the solution time:
1 Under Save every Nth Key, set the Positions and Rotations parameters to
a higher number, such as 5.

5482 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

This causes the simulation to set delegate keyframes every five frames
rather than at every frame.
2 Increase the Solve rollout ➤ Display During Solve group ➤ Frequency
setting to a higher number, such as 100 .
This will cause the display to update with the new delegate locations only
every 100 frames.
To troubleshoot the simulation:
In a crowd simulation, it is not uncommon for a short portion of the animation
to have a unique problem that doesn't appear on other frames. Use Step Solve
to analyze short portions of your simulation when things don't go as expected.
1 Drag the time slider to the frame at which you want to start solving one
frame at a time.
2 Click Step Solve.

To use the keyboard shortcut for the Step Solve button, turn
on the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle and then press the T key to
run a solution in step mode.
You can start at any frame. Zoom in to examine the vectors of
misbehaving delegates.
3 Press the spacebar to solve the simulation one frame at a time.
4 Press Esc to exit Step Solve mode.

Linking Objects to Delegates
You can link objects or bipeds to delegates to make them follow the simulated
animation.
You can link objects to delegates with 3ds Max linking. Alternatively, the
crowd system has a tool for automatically aligning and linking objects with
delegates.
When you want to use bipeds with delegates, you associate bipeds with
delegates rather than link them. This approach enables the bipeds to use a
motion flow network to determine their motion during the simulation. For

Crowd Animation | 5483

an explanation of how to set up a biped crowd simulation, see Biped Crowds
on page 5489.

Procedures
To link objects to delegates:
1 Set up a crowd simulation with a crowd helper and delegates. See Creating
Crowd Helpers on page 5462.
2 Create a series of objects to follow the delegates.
TIP In a later step, you will align each object's local Y axis to point in its
corresponding delegate's forward direction. For this reason, you should take
care to make sure your objects' local Y axes point in the direction you consider
to be “forward”. The easiest way to do this is to set up one object with its Y
axis pointing in the forward direction, then clone the object.

3

Select the Crowd helper, and go to the

4 On the Setup rollout on page 5516, click
Associations).

Modify panel.

(Object/Delegate

The Object/Delegate Associations dialog on page 5532 appears.
5 Under the Objects list, click Add to add objects to link with delegates.
6 Under the Delegates list, click Add to add delegates to link with the objects
you added in the previous step.
Each object in the Objects list will be associated with the delegate in the
same position in the Delegates list. If necessary, reorder either list
manually by highlighting entries and using the Shift Up/Shift Down
buttons; these are the arrow buttons between the two lists.
7 Click Align Objects with Delegates to align each object with its
corresponding delegate.
The objects on the Objects list are moved and rotated to align with
delegates. Each object's local Y axis points in the delegate's forward
direction.
8 Click Link Objects to Delegates.

5484 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

9 Click OK to exit.
To associate bipeds with delegates:
1 Set up a crowd simulation with a crowd helper and delegates.
2 Create several bipeds, one for each delegate.

3

Select the Crowd helper, and go to the

4 On the Setup rollout on page 5516, click
Associations).

Modify panel.

(Biped/Delegate

The Associate Bipeds with Delegates on page 5539 dialog appears.
5 Under the Bipeds list, click Add, and choose the bipeds to add to the list.
6 Under the Delegates list, click Add, and choose the delegates to associate
the bipeds with.
7 Turn on Set Delegates To Use Biped.
This will turn on the Use Biped option for each delegate, which is a
requirement for biped crowd simulations.
8 Choose Make Specified Associations to associate each biped with its
corresponding delegate listed on the dialog. Alternatively, choose Associate
Delegates With Closest Biped to associate each delegate with the biped
nearest to it in the scene.
9 Click Associate to make the associations, and click Close.
Unlike regular objects, bipeds are not aligned with delegates immediately.
Each biped will align with its respective delegate when the simulation is
solved.
NOTE In order for a biped crowd simulation to solve correctly, it must have
a motion flow network for the bipeds to follow. See Biped Crowds on page
5489.

Crowd Animation | 5485

Cognitive Controllers
You can use the cognitive controller feature to cause crowd members to change
behaviors during a simulation depending on the circumstances. For example,
a character could wander randomly until it comes within a certain distance
of a target, at which point it could head straight for the target.
In technical terms, cognitive controllers let you influence crowd simulations
with scripted conditionals, effectively implementing a form of artificial
intelligence. You use the Cognitive Controller editor on page 5554, a
flowchart-style editor (much like the Motion Flow Graph dialog on page 5242)
to set up a network of behaviors and behavior combinations, known as states.
Then you then apply MAXScript-based transitions that specify when delegates
are to move from one state to another. Even with a relatively simple setup,
you can create simulations that make your characters appear to be living,
conscious beings, making decisions as they move through the scene.
You can find procedures describing various examples of cognitive-controller
transitions in the State Dialog on page 5557 topic:
Testing a particle system parameter on page 5560
Testing an object position
Testing an atmospheric property on page 5560
Testing the distance between two objects
Testing a modifier parameter
Testing another delegate's behavior on page 5560
See also:
■

Cognitive Controller Editor on page 5554

■

State Dialog on page 5557

■

State Transition Dialog on page 5558

Procedures
To set up and use a cognitive controller:
This procedure describes a typical setup routine for creating and using a
cognitive controller. The procedure assumes basic knowledge of crowd

5486 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

simulation setup. For more information about crowd setup, see Crowd Helper
Object on page 5515 and Setup Rollout on page 5516.
1 Create a scene containing a crowd object and one or more delegates. See
Creating Crowd Helpers on page 5462.
2 Create at least two behaviors. See Assigning Behaviors on page 5467.

3

Open the Cognitive Controller editor on page 5554.

4 Click the New button to create a cognitive controller.
character studio gives the controller the default name of “Cognitive
Controller.” It's recommended that you give more descriptive names to
cognitive controllers, such as "Seek/Wander". Do this by clicking on the
name in the text box and editing it from the keyboard.

Creating a new cognitive controller automatically places you in
Create State mode.
5 Click in the editor window to create and place a state. Continue clicking
in different places to add as many states as necessary.
6 Right-click a state to open the State dialog on page 5557.
7 Again, it's recommended that you give more descriptive names to states,
which you can do in the State dialog. Click the name (State or State#) in
the text box and edit it from the keyboard.
Next, define a behavior or behaviors for each state.
8 Click the Add button.
9 In the Select Behaviors dialog, choose one or more behaviors.
If you choose multiple behaviors, you can specify different weights for
each in the State editor. For example, you can combine a Seek behavior
at full weight with a Wander behavior at half weight, so that the delegate
will meander slightly as it seeks the target.
10 Close the Select Behaviors dialog, and then close the State editor.
11 Repeat steps 6–10 as necessary to define behaviors for the other states in
the controller.
Next, use Create Transition to define the sequence of states during the
simulation.

Crowd Animation | 5487

12 Decide on the sequence in which the states are to occur.

13 Click

(Create Transition).

14 Drag a line from one state to the next in the order that they are to execute.
Click a state to create a transition from itself to itself.
A transition arrow appears, pointing from the "source" state to the
"destination" state.
Each state can have any number of incoming and outgoing transitions.
Specify different transition conditions for each to create as complex a
state diagram as necessary.
Next, use the State Transition dialog to define a conditional for each
transition.
15 Right-click a transition line.
16 In the State Transition dialog on page 5558, enter the name of the transition
condition, and then click the Edit MAXScript button.
17 Use the MAXScript editor window to enter or load a script that defines
the condition or conditions under which the transition is to occur.
Typically, this is a function that tests a condition and returns 1 (if true)
or 0 (if false).
NOTE See this topic in the online User Reference for sample MAXScript code
for this function.
■

fn - What follows is a MAXScript function.

■

test1 - The function name; this should also appear in the Transition
dialog, as the transition condition. This function is executed first
when the transition is tested. The script may contain any number of
additional functions to be called from within a function in the script.

■

del - Refers to the delegate to which the script is currently being
applied. The transition script is executed once per frame for each
delegate/team member the cognitive controller is assigned to. Thus,
if you use "del" in the script rather than the name of a specific delegate,
all delegates to which the cognitive controller is assigned are tested.

■

t - The current time (frame number) in the simulation.

■

del.simpos.x - The delegate's current position on the X-axis. The special
function "simpos" is used to determine a delegate position during a

5488 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

simulation solution. This is necessary because delegate positions aren't
available to MAXScript using the standard "[node].pos" function during
a simulation.
■

del.duration - The number of frames the delegate has been in the
current state.
You can see a complete list of delegate-specific parameters that can
be checked in the script by opening a MAXScript Listener window
(press function key F11) and entering:
ShowProperties $delegate01
And because the delegate is a node, it also responds to standard
MAXScript node-related functions, with the exception of "simpos,"
as noted above. Also, for information on how to access the transition
properties, such as duration and priority, see the MAXScript Help.
For more examples of MAXScript conditionals that can be used with
cognitive controllers, see State Transition Dialog on page 5558.

18 Use the State Transition dialog to set other parameters such as priority
and duration.
19 Use the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 5542 to assign
the cognitive controller to delegates or teams.
NOTE Crowd doesn't let you use multiple cognitive controllers with a
delegate. You can assign them, but when you solve, character studio notifies
you that it will use only the first assigned cognitive controller.

Using Motion Synthesis
You can create advanced, complex crowd simulations in character studio with
motion synthesis, which lets character studio adjust the simulation results
dynamically to account for differing conditions. Two different forms of motion
synthesis are available: one for non-bipedal crowds, and a second for the more
exacting requirements of biped crowds.

Biped Crowds
The biped crowd is a special case of crowd simulation necessitated by the
complex nature of legged animal movement. Biped locomotion exhibits
intricate dynamics and exacting IK foot constraints. As such, the smoothly
curving trajectories computed from delegate motion parameters, while suitable

Crowd Animation | 5489

for birds, fish, insects, and snakes, are not rich enough to animate the
microstructure of bipedal motion. Therefore, several features in Crowd are
focused on the special needs of bipeds.
In order to generate the required level of nuance, animated motion clips form
the basis for the repertoire of biped movements. In other words, during a
Biped/Crowd simulation, the delegates have no effect over the motion of the
Biped, they only set goals to be achieved using clips available in the Motion
Flow graph. With this approach, known as motion synthesis, the animator can
precisely control details in the motion either by using hand animation or
employing motion capture to produce a set of clips that describe how a member
in the crowd behaves.
For example, if you wanted to animate a crowd of marathon runners making
their way through the streets of a city, you would need motion clips for various
kinds of walking, running, jogging, resting, drinking water, cheering, etc. In
effect, each of the motions you might expect to see in a marathon race could
be represented as a clip. But motion must be more than a fragmented collection
of clips. You must also consider how motions might be sequenced. Which
motion transitions are possible from a given motion clip?
To best understand this process, study this topic and follow the procedure
Using bipeds in a crowd simulation on page 5495.

Motion Flow Network and Possible Scripts
Biped's Motion Flow on page 5233 functionality provides the mechanism for
defining how separate motions fit together into a fluid animation. In effect,
the motion flow network describes which motions can follow from other
motions. Once the motion flow network is defined, a broad set of animated
actions is possible by following different paths through the network. In Biped,
a path through the network is called a motion flow script.
For example, shown below is a motion flow network used in the sample file
walkers.max. You can find this file in the cstudio\tutorials\biped_crowds folder
in your 3ds Max path. This folder also contains the BIP files used in the motion
flow network. You can access these files only if you have installed tutorials
on your hard disk. For information on installing tutorials, see the Installation
Guide.

5490 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

This is a fairly simple network of possible motions, because the characters can
only start, stop, turn at 90 degree angles left and right (walk_L90 and walk_R90),
and do an about-face (walk_180). However, for more natural crowd interaction,
it's advisable to expand the motion flow network to include shorter, more
finely tuned variations such as turning at 45 degree increments, moving in
different directions while facing the same way, loitering motions, and moving
at different speeds. The Biped Motion Library has a comprehensive list of clips
for you to experiment with.
TIP You can create motion clips that curve slightly to the left and right by applying
Biped's footstep-bending operation to straight-line motion clips. If the clips are
motion captured, you should employ footstep extraction during import in
preparation for the bending operation. Adding clips that turn slightly will let the
biped crowd simulation make minute corrections in heading in order to achieve
goal locations more precisely.
Motion flow graphs that work best incorporate fine-tuned transitions. A good
way to check your motion-flow transitions is by building test scripts as you
build the graph: Add clips to the graph, add the necessary transitions, and
optimize the transitions. Optimizing transitions works well as a starting point
and, more often than not, produces the smoothest transitions. Next, make a
new script that uses your transitions, and use the script to tweak the motion
flow until the feet don't slide.

Crowd Animation | 5491

The Shared Motion Flow Networks feature lets many bipeds use a single
motion-flow network. Therefore, it’s practical to make motion-flow networks
large without taxing your computer's memory.

Delegate-Directed Behavioral Goals
You can give a biped a behavioral goal by associating it with a delegate in the
Crowd system, and then assigning behaviors to the delegate.
For example, in the walkers.max sample, the behavioral goals of each of the
biped's delegates are to:
■

Move toward the sphere using the Seek behavior.

■

Avoid hitting each other using the Avoid behavior.

During a biped crowd simulation, character studio attempts to compute the
best motion flow script for each biped member of the crowd that satisfies the
behavioral goals of its associated delegate. In other words:
■

The biped’s crowd delegate defines the behavioral goals of the biped.

■

The possible motions to reach those goals are defined by the biped's motion
flow network.

■

The Crowd object's Solve operation computes the script, or path through
the motion flow network, that best meets the goals of the biped's delegate.

So in the walkers.max sample, the simulation will always choose the best
available walking clip in the network that directs the biped's delegate toward
the sphere. Each biped's script evolves as the crowd "Solve" computes. This is
somewhat like a real-time "game engine" in that the crowd solver’s choice of
the next best clip for a given biped is restricted by that biped's currently active
clip.

Biped Crowd Avoidance, Priority, and Backtracking
Because bipeds in crowds are always following motion flow scripts, the
avoidance behavior for bipeds works differently. Unlike ordinary delegates,
biped delegates can move only along motion flow-scripted paths, so if a
collision takes place, character studio will backtrack on page 5607 to the previous
clip in the current script and find another path. This may take some time to
compute when complex crowd interactions are present since a single backtrack
may not be enough. The computation will explore all paths from a given
backtracking clip, and if that fails, it will backtrack to the previous clip, and
so on, until a solution is found.

5492 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

In the example, if the current script of a biped is:
walk_start
walk
walk_L90

and a collision is encountered during the walk_L90 clip, the biped will backtrack
to the end of the walk clip and attempt to try a different clip in place of the
failed left turn. If that fails, it will try the next best choice, and so on.
TIP The inclusion of stopping and loitering motions in the motion flow network
is sometimes helpful in preventing excessive backtracking since stopping is always
an effective way to avoid collisions in a tight situation. In general, the more variation
in speed and direction that is possible, the more quickly the backtracking feature
will find a solution.
In order to make the backtracking computationally manageable, the biped
crowd members are computed one at a time, in order of priority on page 5607.
Thus, the crowd interaction is accumulated with each successive biped added
to the animation. In other words, each waits its turn to compute its complete
animation, which entails avoiding the bipeds that have been computed before
it. It follows that bipeds with the lowest priorities generally encounter the
most collisions, since they must steer around all the bipeds that have higher
priorities.

Preparing Characters for a Biped Crowd
To create a biped crowd simulation, you will need several bipeds. Because the
crowd simulation factors in each biped's leg length when applying clips to
the biped, your simulation will be more accurate if your bipeds are the correct
size from the start.
One straightforward workflow would be:
■

In a separate file, create or acquire a few character models for your scene.

■

Skin the characters with Physique or with another method, such as the
3ds Max Skin modifier.

■

Clone the characters and change something about each one, such as the
color of clothing or hair, and the character's height. See Scaling a Character
on page 5351.

■

Give each character a unique name that will allow you to identify it in the
simulation to some degree. Example: BigMan02, LittleGirl03. See Naming
the Biped on page 4828.

Crowd Animation | 5493

■

For each character, disable the MeshSmooth modifier or other modifiers
above Physique that add polygons.

■

Hide the character meshes and leave the bipeds visible.

This setup makes it easy to merge the characters into the crowd scene. When
characters are merged, the meshes themselves will be hidden, which will
improve system performance.

Preparing Motions for a Biped Crowd
The clips you use for a biped crowd simulation can be loaded from the CD
that comes with character studio, imported from motion capture files, or
created from scratch.
The integrity of transitions between clips in the motion flow network is very
important when creating a biped crowd simulation. When creating transitions
for a single biped, it's a simple matter to correct individual transitions after
the motion flow script has been created. With a crowd, having to correct
transitions for each biped after the simulation is complete would be extremely
time-consuming. It is much more efficient to ensure your transitions are correct
before starting to solve the simulation.
One way to make this process easier is to set up all motions so each has an
ideal transition of exactly the same number of frames, such as 10 or 15. Then
you can optimize transitions for this length, and all or most transitions will
work flawlessly.
To check transitions, create a simple script for one biped using several
transitions in the graph. Check the motion and work with transitions
individually until they look right. You might not catch all bad transitions
with this method, but you'll catch most of them. A “bad” transition would
be one where the feet skip or hop when they should be walking, or any other
undesirable change that occurs during a transition. See Customizing Transitions
on page 5212.
After solving the biped crowd simulation the first few times, check again for
bad transitions you might have missed the first time around. After a few
simulations, most likely you will have found all or nearly all the bad
transitions.

5494 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Restrictions
Some features of the crowd system are not designed to work with biped crowds.
These behaviors and parameters have no effect on the crowd's movements
when bipeds are used with the simulation.
■

Vector fields

■

The Look Ahead parameter in the Avoid behavior

Procedures: Using Bipeds in a Crowd Simulation
The following sequence of procedures gives the basic steps for creating and
saving a motion flow graph, assigning several bipeds to delegates, and then
sharing the motion flow graph among the bipeds so that character studio
automatically creates separate motion flow scripts for each biped, based on
the behaviors assigned to its delegate.
NOTE These procedures assume you know how to animate bipeds with footsteps
and keyframe methods, and save the animations as BIP files. To prepare for using
Shared Motion Flow, you should create and save a range of biped motions such
as start, walk, turn right, turn left, stop, and wait. See Loading and Saving BIP
Animation on page 4978.
The first step is to create an appropriate motion flow graph and save it to disk.
To create the shared motion flow:

1 Add a biped, and then go to the

2 On the Biped rollout, click

3 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

Motion panel.

(Motion Flow Mode).

(Show Graph).

4 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click

(Create Multiple Clips).

This displays an Open dialog that lets you select any number of BIP files
from the same directory to add simultaneously to the motion flow graph.
Use Click+Shift+click (click, and then Shift+click) to choose several
contiguous files, and Ctrl+click to choose non-contiguous files.

Crowd Animation | 5495

5 Choose the BIP files you want character studio to use for motion
synthesis, and then click the OK button.
The files are added to the graph as clips. Each clip is automatically named
after the file from which it's derived.
NOTE For best results, especially with simulations in which bipeds are to turn
at different angles, use as many different turning clips as possible. A minimal
setup would include separate left-turn and right-turn walks at angles of 45,
90, 135, and 180 degrees.
The next step is to add transitions among the clips so character studio
knows which actions can proceed to and from other actions. You can do
this manually for greater control, but for initial testing, you can save time
by letting character studio add and optimize transitions automatically.

6 Click
(Synthesize Motion Flow Graph). This uses the first 30 percent
and the last 30 percent of each motion to create transitions.
The graph now shows arrows to and from each clip, as well as from each
clip to itself. If you like, delete transitions that obviously don't belong,
such as the ones from the stop and start clips to themselves.

Alternatively, you can use
graph.

7

(Create Transition) to set up a custom

Optimize the transitions. See Transition Optimization Dialog on
page 5261.
When you solve the simulation, Crowd automatically generates a motion
flow script for the biped, based on this graph. When you have a graph
with multiple clips, as in this case, it chooses the starting clip for the
script from one or more clips you designate as random start clips.
If you want to check the integrity of transitions before continuing, do so
now. See Customizing Transitions on page 5212.

8 Click

(Select Random Start Clips), and then click a clip.

This tells character studio to start the script with this clip, and uses the
default probability of 100 percent that the clip will be chosen.

5496 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

If you want the various bipeds to start with different clips, select multiple
random start clips by pressing and holding the Ctrl key as you click. The
default Random Start Probability setting of 100 for all clips means that
character studio will choose randomly among them for a starting clip
for each biped's script.
To change the likelihood of starting with specific clips, right-click a clip
and modify its Random Start Probability setting. For example, say you
want to start each biped's script with any of three clips: clips A, B, and
C. You want clip A to be chosen twice as often as clip B or C. In that case,
using the Random Start Clips tool, you'd first click clip A, and then
Ctrl+click clips B and C. Then you'd right-click each in turn, assigning a
Random Start Probability of 60 to clip A, and 30 to both clips B and C.
NOTE The Probability values are arbitrary; what counts is their ratios. For
example, values of 80/40/40 or 20/10/10 would work the same.
NOTE You can also set and change random starting clips and start
probabilities in the Motion Flow graph after loading the MFE file into the
Shared Motion Flow dialog, described later in this procedure.
NOTE If a motion flow script already exists for a biped, for example after
you've solved a crowd simulation, character studio can use the first clip in
the script for subsequent solutions.

9 On the Motion Flow rollout, click
in the MFE format.

(Save File), and save the graph

The next step in using bipeds in a crowd simulation is to create the
simulation.
To set up the crowd simulation:
1 Reset 3ds Max.
2 Set up a crowd simulation with any number of delegates, using behaviors
appropriate to the crowd scene you want to create. Do not use bipeds at
first; work with delegates only to rough out the motion of the crowd
members.
TIP When first starting out with motion synthesis, use smaller crowds of eight
or so delegates.

Crowd Animation | 5497

3 Solve the simulation and adjust the settings as necessary to obtain the
desired motion.
4 Merge bipeds and characters into the scene, and associate each delegate
with a different biped using the delegate's Motion Parameters rollout on
page 5509 ➤ Biped group settings.
You must select the biped's center of mass (COM) object (typically named
Bip0#), as indicated by the mouse cursor turning into a crosshairs icon
when it's over the COM in the active viewport.
5 Turn on Use Biped for each delegate.
TIP To link up any number of delegates with bipeds, all at the same time,
select the Crowd helper object and click the Setup rollout ➤
(Biped/Delegate Associations) on page 5539. Use the dialog to connect the
pairs and turn on Use Biped for each delegate. See Linking Objects to
Delegates on page 5483.
6 Set the biped/delegates to use a random start clip as the first clip. You
can set this simultaneously for multiple delegates with the Edit Multiple
Delegates dialog on page 5535.
To apply the shared motion flow:
Next, you use the Shared Motion Flow function to apply the saved motion
flow graph to the bipeds.

1

Select any biped and go to the

2 On the Biped rollout, click

3 On the Motion Flow rollout, click

Motion panel.

(Motion Flow Mode).

(Shared Motion Flow).

4 In the Shared Motion Flow dialog, click the New button.
This creates a new shared motion flow and assigns it a default name. You
can change the name if you like.
Next, load a motion flow file.

5498 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

5 Click the Parameters group ➤ Load .mfe button, and use the Open dialog
to load a motion flow file. Typically, this would be the one you saved
earlier in the procedure.
Next, specify the bipeds that will share this motion flow.
6 In the Parameters group, click the Add button, and use the Select dialog
to specify the bipeds that will share the motion flow.
For your convenience, the Select dialog shows only center of mass objects
for the bipeds in the scene.
After you click the Select button, the bipeds appear in the dialog, in the
list under "Bipeds Sharing this Motion Flow."
7 To correctly share a motion flow, bipeds' legs must be scaled the same.
If any of the bipeds are scaled differently than the one you started with,
an alert appears, and then, when you click the OK button in the alert
box, the wrong-scale bipeds are noted as such in the list. At this point,
you can select one of the bipeds in the list, and then click the Set Shared
Motion Flow Scale button to match the others' scale to that biped. Or
you can click one of the Reset Wrong Scales buttons to rescale the
wrong-scale bipeds or just their legs. Be sure to take one of these measures
before proceeding.
One more step in the Shared Motion Flow dialog is necessary: You must
activate Motion Flow mode for all the bipeds sharing the motion flow.
A special button in the dialog lets you perform that action in one step.

8 Click

(Put Multiple Bipeds In Motion Flow).

This activates Motion Flow mode for all the bipeds sharing the motion
flow.
9 Click the OK button to exit the dialog.
To offset the delegates and test the simulation:
Delegate-controlled bipeds can begin their animation with their motion flow
scripts' first clip, if it exists, or with a random motion clip. But when you load
a motion flow file into the Shared Motion Flow dialog, any scripts in the file
are ignored. Thus, delegate-associated bipeds using motion flow in an unsolved
crowd simulation have no existing scripts, and you must specify that they use

Crowd Animation | 5499

the random start clip that you set in the motion flow. You do this via the
delegates.
1 Use the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog ➤ Biped group to specify Random
Start Clip for all the delegates.
Solve the simulation.

2

Select the Crowd object, and go to the

Modify panel.

3 In the Solve rollout, set the desired End Solve frame.
4 Click Solve to run the simulation.
Crowd solves the simulation.
5 Check the solved simulation by dragging the frame slider and/or playing
back the animation.
To fine-tune the simulation:
Chances are good that adjustments will be required. You can resolve problems
in a number of different ways: Change the behavior and/or motion flow setups,
change delegate parameters, and so on.
If you find that bipeds are colliding and interpenetrating, you can take
advantage of Crowd's special Priorities and Backtracking features. In fact, it is
strongly recommended that you use both options for most Crowd/Biped
simulations.
1 Use the Priority rollout on page 5607 controls for assigning different
priorities to your delegates. Typically, delegates at the head of the crowd
should have the highest priorities (that is, the lowest Priority settings).
2 In the Solve rollout ➤ Bipeds group, turn on Biped/Delegates Only, then
turn on Use Priorities, and then turn on Backtracking. If you've solved
previously, it's a good idea to turn on Delete Keys Before Solve as well.
Now, when it solves the simulation, Crowd solves for one biped/delegate
at a time, starting with the lowest-priority biped/delegate. As it solves for
each subsequent biped/delegate, it looks for collisions, and when the
occur, it backs up the solution to the end of the previous clip, and if
necessary, previous clips, and then tries different paths through the
motion flow graph. This method can take longer, which is why
Backtracking is off by default, but it's often the best way to resolve
problems with colliding bipeds.

5500 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Non-Biped Crowds
Motion synthesis in character studio lets character studio derive character
motion from a combination of crowd behaviors and either motion flow
networks, when animating bipeds (see Biped Crowds on page 5489), or clip
controllers, when working with non-bipedal creatures. In the latter case, using
the Global Motion Clip and Master Motion Clip controllers, you can animate
groups of creatures such as birds, butterflies, schools of fish, and insects. You
can create clip controllers either as block controllers in Track View, or, more
directly, with the Crowd helper controls on the Global Clip Controllers rollout.

Two Approaches to Animation
You can animate your creature either in place with looping animation but no
transformational motion (such as a bird flapping its wings), or you can
incorporate transformational motion into the animation as well (the bird
moves upward while flapping its wings). In-place cyclic motion lends itself to
flying or swimming motions like birds and fish, while adding lateral motion
lends itself to crawling type animation where feet should be planted on the
ground and not sliding. Depending on which you use, you toggle options on
the Motion Clips tab of the Synthesis dialog. In both cases, you use crowd
delegates driven by behaviors to motivate the creatures, which are linked to
those delegates.
NOTE To animate a model for motion synthesis, apply modifiers to the model
and animate their parameters. Modifiers such as Bend, Taper, Wave, and Xform
produce animation you can use with motion synthesis. Do not use sub-object
animation, such as animation of vertices on an Editable Mesh object.

Cyclic In-Place Animation
First you create a creature with a few short loop cycles, like the beating of
wings, gliding, turning left and turning right. This creature is assigned as the
Global Object or the master object from which the motion clips will be derived.
Then clones of the original creature are created. The clones are positioned and
linked to delegates. States are created to select which clips will play based on
a state.
For example, if a bird (delegate) is pitching up or accelerating, the fast-beating
clip is used; if the bird (delegate) slows to a stop, the wings-at-rest clip is used,
and so on. During synthesis, character studio determines which state should
be active depending on the speed and direction of the delegates. An active
state determines which clip should be applied to the clones of the original
object. Clips are blended together to create the animation. Available states

Crowd Animation | 5501

are speed, acceleration, pitch, pitch velocity, heading velocity, or script
(MAXScript).

Animation with Lateral Motion
For multi-legged creatures that walk, you can animate lateral motion as well
as the cyclic motion of the legs moving. This is done to ensure that the
creatures' feet do not slide as they move. character studio then uses the lateral
motion information to create a state that perfectly matches the actual motion.
character studio then strips the actual motion out. When a delegate approaches
the speed and heading recorded in that state, the appropriate motion clip is
triggered. This technique minimizes sliding feet.
Use the character studio crowd tools to create the initial motion for the
delegates. Use a seek or avoid behavior to steer birds, for example. Your object
with the loop animation is then copied and the copies are linked to the
delegates to create the complete animation. The delegate handles the path
and the clip controllers handle the looped animation.
You can create Master Motion Clip and Global Motion Clip in Track View by
assigning a controller to the available controller under Block Control. It is,
however, simpler to use the Crowd helper controls on the Global Clip
Controller rollout to apply and use the clip controllers.
See also:
■

Synthesis Dialog on page 5627

■

ClipState Dialog on page 5639

Global Motion Clip
Global Motion Clips store the clips to be shared among multiple Master Motion
Clips, which are assigned to the cloned objects during synthesis. Global Motion
Clips also contain the logic for performing motion synthesis on a collection
of objects with trajectories and states associated with clips. Controls for motion
synthesis are found in the Synthesis dialog.
The way the motion clip keys are scaled and ordered depends upon
user-defined states. Each state contains one or more motion clips that will be
played when the state is active.

Master Motion Clip
Master Motion Clips are controllers that contain motion clips, or individual
clips of animation. These motion clips are sequenced to create animation, and

5502 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

overlap slightly with automatic blending to smooth the transitions between
clips.

Procedures
To use Motion Synthesis with non-bipedal creatures:
All of the work involved in copying and synthesizing clips takes place using
controls in the Synthesis dialog on page 5627. This dialog has three tabs: Motion
Clips, State, and Synthesis.
This procedure assumes that the global object is static and has animation that
loops. For creatures with many legs, you can animate lateral motion on the
global object and then strip out the lateral motion with the Synthesis dialog.
This latter approach serves to minimize foot sliding in a multi-legged creature.
1 Animate an object.
Create animation in one position, like a bird's beating wings. Create a
variety of animation like a gliding motion (wings still), wings beating
slowly, and so on. To animate the object, apply modifiers and animate
their parameters.
This will be the Global object, from which animation clips will be derived.

2 Using the
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type
rollout, add a Crowd object and a Delegate object.
Create the objects in the Top or Perspective viewport.

3 Use the Crowd object
(Scatter Objects) on page 5518 tool to clone
the delegate and optionally distribute the clones (you can also distribute
them manually).
Make sure you end up with an equal number of delegates and animated
object clones.
Next, associate and link the objects to the delegates.

4 On the Setup rollout, click

(Object/Delegate Associations).

The Object/Delegate Associations dialog on page 5532 appears.
5 Add the objects and delegates into their respective columns.

Crowd Animation | 5503

6 Click Align Objects With Delegates, and then click Link Objects To
Delegates, and then click OK to exit the dialog.
The objects align themselves with the delegates and are linked to the
delegates.
Next, animate the delegates with behaviors. See Assigning Behaviors on
page 5467 for information on using behaviors.
When you solve the simulation, the cloned objects follow the delegates,
which are guided by behaviors. You then generate motion synthesis based
on the delegate movement.

7

Select the Crowd object. On the
Modify panel ➤ Global
Clip Controllers rollout, click New, and use the Select dialog to select the
Global object from step 1.
The object appears in the Global Clip Controllers rollout list.

8 In the list, click the object, and then click the Edit button.
The Synthesis dialog displays. Its name is that of the object.
9 On the Motion Clips panel, turn off all check boxes in the From Global
Object and Remove Local groups.
Use these options only if your original object has lateral motion to
coordinate with footsteps.
10 On the Motion Clips panel, click New.
This opens the MotionClip Parameters dialog, which lets you set the
name, color, and frame range for a motion clip.
11 Choose a descriptive name and a frame range for the motion clip.
For example, frames 0 through 10 might be your glide animation.
12 Continue to define clips using different frame ranges from the Global
object's animation. Give the clips descriptive names.
Next, you define states whose parameters determine when motion
synthesis is to use each clip.
13 Click the State tab, and then click New State.
A new state is added to the drop-down list at the top of the Synthesis
States group. Give the state a descriptive name. In many cases, the state
can use the same name as the motion clip that's to be associated with it.

5504 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Next, you specify the state's parameters; that is, how the delegate should
be moving when the associated object is to use its motion clip. For
example, your glide motion should be active only if acceleration is less
than 0.
14 Click Edit Properties and define how character studio should activate the
clip, based on any combination of speed, acceleration, and so on. Click
each appropriate tab, turn on its Use ... check box, and set parameters.
Click Exit to exit the dialog.
When using a range, make sure the Min setting is lower than the Max
setting. For example, when using a negative range such as -180 to -10,
enter the number with the higher absolute value (-180) as the Min setting.
You should already have several motion clips. Now you need to associate
a clip with this state. For example, if you've defined a state whose
acceleration is less than 0, you might associate the Glide clip with it.
15 In the MotionClips group, click Add Clip, and in the Select MotionClip
dialog, highlight a clip and click OK.
16 Repeat steps 14 and 15 for each state to be used in motion synthesis.
17 Go to the Synthesis panel, click New Master Motion Clip, and add all of
the cloned objects.
18 Click Auto Blend All and then click Synthesize All.
The synthesis occurs as a progress bar displays. When the synthesis is
completed, the Synthesis dialog reappears. You can now view the ClipState
parameters' ranges and average values by clicking State panel ➤ Edit
properties. This is useful in fine-tuning state properties.
Click OK to exit the Synthesis dialog.

19 Click
(Play Animation). It's not necessary to re-solve the
simulation.
The objects follow the delegates and are animated using clips that are
activated according to delegate motion and the states you created.

Crowd Animation User Interface
Crowd animation lets you simulate the behavior of crowds of people, animals,
or other beings parametrically, using several different types of objects. The
topics that follow describe the user interface for setting up a crowd simulation.

Crowd Animation | 5505

Crowd of mannequins in a subway station animated using character studio
■

The Crowd helper object on page 5515 includes facilities for replicating and
grouping objects and assigning behaviors on page 5542 to objects and groups.
The Crowd object works directly on Delegate helper objects on page 5507,
and indirectly on bipeds and other objects via delegates.

■

Cognitive controllers on page 5554 can change delegate behavior based on
circumstances in the simulation.

■

Motion synthesis on page 5619 uses animation from the linked object based
on delegate orientation, speed and other factors.

Crowd Shortcuts
This topic summarizes the keyboard shortcuts available for crowd animation.

To enable the character studio keyboard shortcuts, turn on the
Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008.

5506 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

All character studio keyboard shortcuts activate when the Motion panel is
active and the Keyboard Shortcut Override button is active.
See also:
■

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 9007

■

Keyboard Panel on page 8837

■

Customize User Interface Dialog on page 8837

Action

Shortcut

Description

Solve

S

Solves crowd simulation.

Step Solve

Step-solves crowd simulation.

Delegate Helper Object
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Delegate

The Delegate is a special helper object used in crowd animation. It serves as
an agent for motion created by a Crowd object on page 5515 and its behaviors.
The Crowd object controls a delegate or delegates, whose motion can then be
imparted to a biped or other object. Delegates cannot be rendered.

Crowd Animation | 5507

The delegate object is shaped like a pyramid. By default, the point of the
pyramid indicates the forward direction, the delegate's local Y axis.
The delegate object has two rollouts, described in the topics that follow. Also,
you can set parameters for multiple delegates simultaneously, optionally with
random variation, using the Crowd object's Edit Multiple Delegates dialog on
page 5535.
See also:
■

Creating Crowd Helpers on page 5462

■

Crowd Helper Object on page 5515

Geometry Parameters Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Delegate
➤ Geometry Parameters rollout

5508 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Select a Delegate object. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Geometry Parameters

Use these parameters to modify the delegate object's size.

Interface

Width, Depth, Height Sets the width, depth, and height of the Delegate
object. These fields also act as readouts when you create the delegate.
NOTE The Delegate is a helper object, and thus cannot be rendered. Thus the
size of the Delegate object is primarily for use in scene setup, and for determining
bounding box extents.

Motion Parameters Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Delegate
➤ Motion Parameters rollout

Select a Delegate object. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Motion Parameters

The Motion Parameters rollout lets you specify a Delegate object's
characteristics, including speed, acceleration, and other factors. It also lets
you associate the delegate with a biped.
IMPORTANT When using delegates with bipeds, only the settings in the Biped
group have any effect in the simulation, because Biped gets all its speed and
turning information from motion flow clips and behaviors.

Crowd Animation | 5509

NOTE You can set any or all motion parameters simultaneously for a number of
delegates with the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog on page 5535.

Interface

Velocity Color When Show Velocity is on, uses the specified color to draw a
vector in the delegate's center during the simulation solution. The vector
length indicates the delegate's relative speed. Default=black.
Active The delegate object is subject to control by a Crowd object. Default=on.
Show Forces The forces being applied to a delegate by any applicable behaviors
are drawn as vectors whose length indicates the extent of the forces and whose
orientation shows the direction in which the behavior is influencing the
delegate to move. Default=on.
For example, if the delegate is affected by a Space Warp behavior on page 5584
and a Wander behavior on page 5601, the vectors (using default colors) are
yellow and blue-green, respectively. These vectors are visible only during
solution of the crowd simulation.
Show Velocity Uses the Velocity Color (see above) to draw a vector whose
length depicts the delegate's relative speed. This vector is visible only during
the solution of the crowd simulation. Default=off.
Show Cog Control States During a solution, a text label appears next to the
delegate showing the name of the cognitive controller on page 5486 state or
transition that currently directs its behavior, if any. Default=on.
Constrain to XY Plane The delegate remains at its initial height (position on
the world Z axis) throughout the simulation. When off, the delegate's height
can change during the simulation, for example when seeking an object at a
different height. Default=on.
Bound Box of Hierarchy When on, the Avoid behavior on page 5564 uses the
bounding box of the delegate and all of its children to perform its behavior.
Default=on.

5510 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Speed group

Average Speed Specifies the delegate's baseline velocity in 3ds Max units (or
the current unit type) per frame. Default=5.0.
The delegate's speed can be modified during the simulation by a variety of
factors, such as a linked biped's built-in speed and Deviation settings in a
behavior.
Max Accel(eration) Multiplied times Average Speed to determine the
maximum acceleration. Default=0.1.
For example, given the defaults of 5.0 for Average Speed and 0.1 for Max Accel,
the acceleration or deceleration at any moment can be no greater than 0.5
units/frame/frame.
Decel(eration) Weight Specifies how much a delegate should slow down
when turning.
The higher this setting, the more the delegate slows down when it reaches
the turn angle (see following parameter). A value of 0 specifies no slowdown;
a value of 1 tells the delegate to stop. Default=0.3.
The algorithm computes a value, d, which goes linearly from 0 to (1 - Decel
Weight) as the turn angle of the delegate goes from 0 to the Turn Angle
specified by the user. The speed of the delegate is then multiplied by d. For
example, when the delegate turns at the Turn Angle or greater, its speed will
be multiplied by (1 - Decel Weight), slowing it down as much as possible based
on this parameter. When the delegate is not turning at all, its speed is not
affected by the Decel Weight. When the delegate is turning at half the specified
Turn Angle, d = Decel Weight / 2, so its speed will be multiplied by (1 - Decel
Weight / 2).
As a practical example, take a delegate traveling at 10 units/frame. Decel
Weight is set to 0.4, and At Turn Angle is set to 30. When the delegate has
turned 15 degrees (half the At Turn Angle), the effective deceleration weight

Crowd Animation | 5511

is 0.2. Subtract that quantity from 1 to get 0.8, and then multiply that times
the delegate's speed to get 8 units per second halfway into the turn. At the
full turn (30 degrees), the delegate travels at 6 units per frame.
At Turn Angle Specifies the turn angle at which Decel Weight's full slowdown
effect is applied. Default=10.0.
If the current turn angle is less than At Turn Angle, the algorithm divides the
latter by the former, and then divides the Decel Weight setting by the result
to derive the effective deceleration weight.
Decel(eration) Weight Specifies how much the delegate should slow down
when moving at an upward slant. Default=0.1.
See Decel Weight on page 5511 for a full explanation.
At Incline Angle Specifies the upward slant angle at which Decel Weight's
full slowdown effect is applied. Default=90.0.
Accel(eration) Weight Specifies how much the delegate should speed up
when moving at a downward slant. Default=0.1.
See Decel Weight on page 5511 for a full explanation, taking into account that
Accel Weight produces a speedup effect rather than a slowdown. Thus, the
effective acceleration weight is added to 1, not subtracted from it.
At Decline Angle Specifies the downward slant angle at which Accel Weight's
full speedup effect is applied. Default=90.0.

Turning group

These parameters affect the delegate's turning behavior; that is, how it changes
direction in response to forces applied by crowd behaviors.
You can use the Orientation behavior on page 5569 to affect how a delegate
turns and banks, independently of the actual path taken.
Turning applies to objects moving both on the ground and in the air.
Max Turn Velocity Specifies the maximum number of degrees a delegate can
turn per frame. Applies both to heading and pitch. Default=30.0.

5512 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Max Turn Accel Specifies how much the delegate's heading or pitch angle
can change per frame. This controls angular acceleration and deceleration.
For smooth turns, keep it relatively low. Default=3.0.
TIP If a delegate exhibits sluggish turning behavior during a simulation, try
increasing Max Turn Velocity, Max Turn Accel, or both.
Max Incline Specifies the maximum number of degrees a delegate can turn
upward at any given frame. For example, most birds can't fly straight up, so
you might set this to 45 for a bird. Default=90.0.
Max Decline Specifies the maximum number of degrees a delegate can turn
downward at any given frame. Default=90.0.
For example, for a bird that can't fly straight up but can fly straight down,
you might set to Max Incline to 45 and Max Decline to 90.

Banking group

These parameters affect the delegate's banking behavior; that is, how it tilts
around its front-back axis as it changes direction while moving. Banking
typically applies to objects moving in the air or on water, but can also apply
to ground-based objects such as one- or two-wheeled vehicles.
Max Bank Specifies the maximum number of degrees a delegate can bank.
Default=30.0.
Max Bank Velocity Specifies the maximum number of degrees a delegate can
bank per frame. Default=3.0.
Bank per Turn The number of degrees the delegate will bank as a function
of the turn angle at the current frame. For example, if Bank Per Turn=1, the
delegate will bank one degree for every degree it is turning at a given frame.
Default=1.0.

Crowd Animation | 5513

Biped group

These parameters relate to the use of bipeds associated with delegates. In order
to have a biped exhibit character animation as it follows the delegate's course,
you must use motion flow methods. For a procedure, see To use bipeds in a
crowd simulation on page 5495.
Use Biped Associates the delegate with a biped (specified with the None
button), and causes the delegate's speed to be determined by that of the biped's
existing motion. Its behavior (for example, seeking another object) remains
defined by a crowd object.
NOTE This button is not available until a biped is designated via the None button.
None (label) Click this button and then select a biped to be associated with
the delegate's motion.
You can select a biped by clicking its center of mass object (e.g., Bip01) in a
viewport, or with the Pick Object dialog, which you can open by pressing H
or by clicking the toolbar button Select By Name (you cannot use the Selection
Floater). Thereafter, the name of the biped object appears on the button.
TIP When using the viewport, the mouse cursor changes to a crosshairs when
positioned over a biped's center of mass.
Start Frame Specifies the frame at which the biped's first clip will begin to
play.
If, when several bipeds share the same starting clip, you vary this setting per
biped, they won't walk in lockstep formation. This is most useful when you
take advantage of the ability of the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog on page 5535
to randomize the start frame for each delegate.
Priority Sets the delegate priority, which determines the order of solution in
biped/delegate simulations.

5514 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

For details, see Priority Rollout on page 5607.
First clip choice method Determines which motion clip in the shared motion
flow graph Crowd initially uses to animate the biped linked with the delegate.
■

First clip of current scriptUses the first clip in the biped's motion flow
script, if a script exists. If this option is chosen, but there is no script, an
error message is generated.

■

Random start clipUses the random start clip or clips specified in the shared
motion flow graph, if random start clips have been designated. If this
option is chosen, but no random start clips have been designated, an error
message is generated.

Crowd Helper Object
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

The Crowd helper object acts as the command center for controlling crowd
simulations in character studio. In most cases, you won't need more than one
Crowd object per scene.

Crowd Behaviors
The Crowd object also lets you add behaviors to the scene, choose the current
behavior from a list, and provides a rollout for modifying that behavior.
Behaviors provided with character studio include:
Avoid Behavior on page 5564
Orientation Behavior on page 5569
Path Follow Behavior on page 5573
Repel Behavior on page 5577
Scripted Behavior on page 5580
Seek Behavior on page 5581
Space Warp Behavior on page 5584
Speed Vary Behavior on page 5585
Surface Arrive Behavior on page 5587
Surface Follow Behavior on page 5592

Crowd Animation | 5515

Wall Repel Behavior on page 5595
Wall Seek Behavior on page 5598
Wander Behavior on page 5601
See also:
■

Creating Crowd Helpers on page 5462

■

Delegate Helper Object on page 5507

Setup Rollout
Create panel ➤
➤ Setup rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout

The Setup rollout of the Crowd helper object contains controls for setting up
crowd functions.

Interface

A number of functions are available from a row of buttons at the top of the
Setup rollout:

Scatter Opens the Scatter Objects Dialog on page 5518.

5516 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Objects/Delegate Associations Opens the Object/Delegate Associations
dialog on page 5532.

Biped/Delegate Associations Opens the Associate Bipeds With Delegates
dialog on page 5539.

Multiple Delegate Editing Opens the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog
on page 5535.

Behavior Assignments Displays the Behavior Assignments and Teams
dialog on page 5542.

Cognitive Controllers Displays the Cognitive Controller editor on page
5554.

Behaviors group
Use these controls for adding, removing, and renaming behaviors.
New Launches the Select Behavior Type dialog on page 5550. Choose a behavior
and then click OK to add the behavior to the scene. Then use the Behavior
Assignments and Teams dialog on page 5542 to assign the behavior to a delegate
or delegates in the scene.
The first time you add a behavior to the scene using this command panel, a
new rollout appears for this behavior below the Setup rollout. This rollout lets
you change settings for the behavior. To display the rollout for a different
behavior in the scene, choose it from the drop-down list in the Behaviors
group.
Following is a list of available behaviors:
Avoid Behavior on page 5564
Orientation Behavior on page 5569
Path Follow Behavior on page 5573
Repel Behavior on page 5577
Scripted Behavior on page 5580
Seek Behavior on page 5581
Space Warp Behavior on page 5584

Crowd Animation | 5517

Speed Vary Behavior on page 5585
Surface Arrive Behavior on page 5587
Surface Follow Behavior on page 5592
Wall Repel Behavior on page 5595
Wall Seek Behavior on page 5598
Wander Behavior on page 5601
Delete Deletes the current behavior.
If the behavior is currently in use, that is, it's assigned to a delegate or team,
either directly in the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 5542 or
indirectly through a cognitive controller, a small dialog appears asking you
to confirm the deletion. If you delete a directly assigned behavior, its
assignment is removed from the scene. If you delete a behavior used in a
cognitive controller, it is removed from the state to which it was assigned.
Behaviors List Lists all behaviors in the current scene (added with New). Select
a behavior from the list to have its rollout appear below the Setup rollout.
Note that behaviors that appear in this list aren't necessarily assigned to any
delegates active in the crowd simulation. Likewise, a behavior whose rollout
appears below the Setup rollout isn't necessarily active or assigned. To assign
delegates and/or activate behaviors, use the Behavior Assignments and Teams
dialog on page 5542.
You can rename a behavior by first selecting it from the list, and then clicking
its name and entering a new one from the keyboard. It's a good idea to give
descriptive names to behaviors; for example, Avoid Red Team.
NOTE If you add the first behavior in the scene from the Behavior Assignments
and Teams dialog on page 5542, the text box remains empty and no rollout for the
behavior appears. To edit the behavior, choose it from the list.

Scatter Objects Dialog
Create panel ➤

➤ Setup rollout ➤

5518 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

(Scatter)

Select a Crowd object. ➤
(Scatter)

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤

The Scatter Objects dialog of the Crowd helper object includes facilities for
creating crowds by cloning objects, such as delegates. It also lets you distribute
the clones and other objects within a radial area, along a shape, across a grid
object or surface, or within a box or sphere. You can also specify various
orientation and scaling options for scatter objects.
See also:
■

Creating Crowd Helpers on page 5462

Crowd Animation | 5519

Interface
Clone panel

Contains the basic options for cloning an object.
Object to Clone (None) Click this button, and then select an object in the
scene to be cloned.

5520 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

How Many Specifies the number of clones to be generated.
Copy/Instance/Reference Lets you specify how the object is cloned. It can
be cloned as a copy, an instance on page 9195, or a reference on page 9282.
Clone Hierarchy When on, all objects linked to the selected object are cloned
as well, with the hierarchical structure retained intact for each clone.
Clone Controllers When on, any controllers (that is, animation) associated
with the selected object are cloned as well.
Generate Clones Click this button to create the specified number of clones
of the object whose name appears on the Object To Clone button.
Cloned objects are all created in the same location; to distribute them, you
must set distribution options on the Position panel, and then click the Generate
Locations button.
After you generate clones, the original object and its newly created clones are
scatter objects; that is, they're selected in the list in the All Ops panel (Select
Objects To Transform), and are thus subject to subsequent operations on the
Position, Rotation, and Scale panels. You can change this selection via the All
Ops panel ➤ Select Objects to Transform on page 5531 function or by generating
clones again.

Crowd Animation | 5521

Position panel

Contains options for positioning objects using a reference (distribution) object.
You can distribute objects randomly over the surface of a grid or other object,
along a shape, or within the volume of a box or a sphere. You can choose only
one option from the first two group boxes.

5522 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Placement Relative to Object group
On Grid/Inside Sphere/Inside Box/On Surface/On Shape Choose the
appropriate item before selecting the reference object.
■

On Grid distributes the scatter objects over the surface of a grid object.

■

Inside Box and Inside Sphere distribute the scatter objects within the
volume of a primitive box or sphere object, respectively.

■

On Surface distributes the scatter objects over the surface of any renderable
object. For example, you can create a landscape object for use as a
distribution surface by applying a Noise modifier to a patch grid.

■

On Shape distributes the scatter objects along a shape object: a spline or
NURBS curve. If the shape consists of more than one curve, Scatter uses
the lowest-numbered curve (typically the first one added).

Offset When using On Surface, specifies a consistent distance above the surface
(using surface normals) for distribution. Available only when On Surface is
chosen.
Grid/Box/Sphere/Surface/Shape (None) Click this button, and then select
an object in the scene to be used as a reference object. Listed objects are limited
to the chosen category.
NOTE With the Grid, Box, and Sphere choices, you can use only a grid helper
object, a primitive sphere, or a primitive box as a reference object. A primitive
sphere or box that has been converted to a editable mesh object can't be used as
a reference object. Also, the appropriate radio button (see the first item in this
group) must be chosen before you select a reference object.

Placement in Area group
Contains options for positioning scatter objects in a radial area, without using
a reference object.
In Radial Area Distributes the scatter objects randomly in a spherical or
circular arrangement, using the remaining controls in this group box.
Center Specifies the center of the distribution in world coordinates.
Radius Specifies the maximum distance from the center within which objects
are to be positioned.
In XY Plane Specifies that objects are to be distributed on the world XY plane
only, resulting in a disc-like array.

Crowd Animation | 5523

Spacing group
Include children's bounding boxes in spacing calculations When on, all
of a hierarchical scatter object's sub-objects are considered when determining
spacing. When off, only the selected object is considered.
Spacing Specifies the minimum distance between scatter objects. The Spacing
setting is multiplied by the size of the object's bounding sphere to determine
how close objects can get. If Spacing is left at 1.0, the default, objects normally
cannot be positioned within each others' bounding spheres. If Spacing is set
to 2.0, objects are separated by a distance equal to or greater than the size of
the bounding sphere.

_____
Rand Seed Specifies a seed value for randomizing scatter objects' locations.
If, for example, you use the same value for clones of a delegate and then a
master object, each pair ends up in the same place. If a scene has more than
one crowd, each should use a different seed to avoid having identical
configurations.
Generate Locations Click this button to produce a set of locations for all
scatter objects; that is, cloned objects or objects selected with the Select Objects
to Transform on page 5531 button.
Inc(rement) Seed When on, and you click the Generate Locations button,
Scatter adds 1 to the Rand Seed value, and redistributes the objects using the
new random seed. Default=on.

5524 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Rotation panel

Contains options for orienting scatter objects. You can specify alternative
forward and up axes, plus a target object toward which the objects will point.
In addition, you can specify a source object; when using both source and
target objects, the objects are rotated so they're parallel to the line between
the two.

Crowd Animation | 5525

Local Axes group
Use these settings to designate alternative forward and up axes. The default
settings match the delegate axes.
Forward +/-/X/Y/Z: Specifies which axis of the objects points forward, for use
with the Look At Target option. When the + button is active, the default
condition, the positive chosen axis is used. Click the + button to use the
negative axis.
Up +/-/X/Y/Z: Specifies which axis of the objects points upward; this axis is
aligned with the world Z-axis. When the + button is active, the default
condition, the positive chosen axis is used. Click the + button to use the
negative axis.
NOTE You cannot specify the same axis as Local Forward and Local Up
simultaneously. If you choose an axis for one that's already chosen for the other,
character studio switches the other to a different axis.

Look From group
Self/Selected Object Determines the direction from which the objects look.
By default, each object looks from its own position (Self), so that when several
objects are looking at a single target, each is oriented differently. To orient
each object so that it's parallel to an imaginary line between two objects (the
"from" object and the "to" object), choose Selected Object and specify the
object with the (None) button.
None (label) When choosing Selected Object as the Look From object, use
this button to specify the "from" direction. Click the button, and then select
an object from which the objects are to look.

Look At Target group
Current Orientation/Selected Object Determines the direction toward which
the scatter objects look. By default, each object retains its current orientation.
To orient each scatter object so that it's parallel to an imaginary line between
two objects (the "look from" object and the "look at target" object), choose
Selected Object and specify the object with the (None) button.
None (label) Use this button to specify the "to" direction. Click the button,
and then select an object toward which the scatter objects are to look.
Sideways Deviation Sets a maximum deviation angle in degrees for the objects'
sideways orientation. If the scatter objects should look in an object's general
direction but may look at a spot to either side of the target, use Sideways
Deviation to set the maximum amount by which they can deviate from the

5526 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

calculated angle. The actual deviation amount for each object is calculated at
random, based on the Deviation settings and the Rand Seed setting. Range=0.0
to 180.0.
Up/Down Deviation Sets a maximum deviation angle in degrees for the
objects' up/down orientation.
If scatter objects should look in an object's general direction but may look at
a spot above or below the target, use Up/Down Deviation to set the maximum
amount by which they can deviate from the calculated angle. The actual
deviation amount for each scatter object is calculated at random, based on
the Deviation settings and the Rand Seed setting. Range=0.0 to 180.0.

_____
Rand Seed Specifies a seed value for randomizing the scatter objects'
orientations, based on the Deviation settings.
If you use the same value for clones of a delegate and then a master object,
each pair ends up with the same orientation. If a scene has more than one
crowd, each should use a different seed to avoid having identical
configurations.
Generate Orientations Click this button to produce a set of orientations for
all scatter objects; that is, cloned objects or objects selected with the Select
Objects to Transform on page 5531 button.
Inc(rement) Seed When on, and you click the Generate Orientations button,
Scatter adds 1 to the Rand Seed value, and reorients the scatter objects using
the new random seed. Default=on.

Crowd Animation | 5527

Scale panel

Contains options for scaling scatter objects. You can apply uniform or
non-uniform scaling, with optional per-axis deviation for scaling variation.
Each axis group has a "Same As" option that lets you scale that axis by the
same amount as another. To prevent non-uniform scaling, set two axes to be

5528 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

the same as the third. For example, set scaling in the X group, and then in
the Y and Z groups, turn on Same as X.
WARNING These controls can apply non-uniform scaling to objects, which may
produce unexpected results when performing other operations within 3ds Max.

X group
Scale Sets scaling on the X-axis as a multiplier. Default=1.0.
Deviation Sets the maximum factor for randomization of scaling. For each
scatter object, Deviation is multiplied by a random number between 0.0 and
1.0, and then added to the Scale multiplier.
Same As Y/Z Lets you use the same scaling as on the Y- or Z-axis, whether
explicit or randomized. When you specify an axis, the parameters group for
that axis becomes unavailable.

Y group
Scale Sets scaling on the Y-axis as a multiplier. Default=1.0.
Deviation Sets the maximum factor for randomization of scaling. For each
scatter object, Deviation is multiplied by a random number between 0.0 and
1.0, and then added to the Scale multiplier.
Same As X/Z Lets you use the same scaling as on the X- or Z-axis, whether
explicit or randomized. When you specify an axis, the parameters group for
that axis becomes unavailable.

Z group
Scale Sets scaling on the Z-axis as a multiplier. Default=1.0.
Deviation Sets the maximum factor for randomization of scaling. For each
scatter object, Deviation is multiplied by a random number between 0.0 and
1.0, and then added to the Scale multiplier.
Same As X/Y Lets you use the same scaling as on the X- or Y-axis, whether
explicit or randomized. When you specify an axis, the parameters group for
that axis becomes unavailable.

_____
Rand Seed Specifies a seed value for randomizing the clones' scales, based on
the Deviation settings. If you use the same value for clones of a delegate and
then a master object, each pair ends up with the same scaling factor.

Crowd Animation | 5529

Generate Scales Click this button to scale all scatter objects; that is, cloned
objects or objects selected with the Select Objects to Transform on page 5531
button.
Inc(rement) Seed When on, and you click the Generate Scales button, Scatter
adds 1 to the Rand Seed value, and re-scales the scatter objects using the new
random seed. Default=on.

All Ops panel

This panel lets you perform various permutations of cloning and transform
operations in a single step, with or without successive randomization.

Operations group
Compute Clones Turn on to clone the object chosen with the Object to Clone
button on page 5520. When you click the Scatter button, the object is cloned,
and then any specified transforms are applied to the clones.
Turning on Clones makes the Select Objects To Transform button unavailable.
The object to clone and cloning parameters must be specified on the Clone
panel on page 5520.

5530 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Compute Positions/Rotations/Scales Any options in this column that are
turned on when you click the Scatter button cause the respective transforms
to be applied to the current selection (see Select Objects To Transform, below)
according to the settings in the Position panel on page 5522, Rotation panel on
page 5525, and Scale panel on page 5528.
Inc(rement) Seed Positions/Rotations/Scales Any options in this column
that are turned on cause the respective Rand Seed settings to be incremented
by 1 each time you click the Scatter button.
Use this option to experiment with various randomized transform
combinations for your clones.
Select Objects to Transform Lets you designate objects to be affected by
clicking the Scatter button.
Clicking this button opens a version of the Select dialog that's unique to Scatter
Objects functionality. If you've performed one or more cloning operations
during the current session, the results of the most recent cloning are selected
by default, including the original cloned object. For example, if you created
10 clones, 11 objects are selected. You can use the Select dialog to alter or
replace this selection.
NOTE The results of the most recent cloning operation remain selected even if
you close and later reopen the Scatter Objects dialog.
Scatter Performs any cloning and/or transforms that are turned on.
OK Retains all changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Forgets any changes and closes the dialog.

Random Placement Difficulty Dialog
This dialog appears when character studio encounters difficulty placing cloned
objects without overlapping using the Scatter Objects dialog on page 5518. The
dialog text tells you how many attempts character studio has made to place
a specific object, and asks you if you want to try again.

Crowd Animation | 5531

Interface

Try Again Click this button to force character studio to make N more attempts,
where N is set in the How Many More Attempts field.
Skip This One Instructs character studio to stop trying to place the current
object and proceed to the next.
Quit Trying Aborts the Generate Locations process; no more objects will be
placed.

Object/Delegate Associations Dialog
Create panel ➤

➤ Setup rollout ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

(Object/Delegate Associations)

Select a Crowd object. ➤
(Object/Delegate Associations)

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤

You can use this dialog to link any number of delegate-object pairs. You can
also use this dialog to align objects with delegates, optionally matching scaling

5532 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

factors as well. Lastly, you can specify that the objects use the delegates'
controllers.

Interface

Objects Lists objects available for linking, specified using the Add function
(see following item). You can select any number of objects from this list for
subsequent removal.
Add Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all
objects in the scene, including delegates. Make your selection, and then click
the Select button to add the objects to the Objects list.
Remove Deletes the highlighted object or objects from the list.
Shift Up/Shift Down Use the arrow buttons between the two lists to move
highlighted items higher or lower in the list.
When you click Align Objects With Delegates, Link Objects To Delegates, or
Assign Delegate Controllers To Objects, character studio creates associations
between pairs of items at matching positions in the lists.

Crowd Animation | 5533

Delegates Lists delegates available for linking, specified using the Add function
(see following item). You can select any number of delegates from this list for
subsequent removal.
Add Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all
delegates in the scene. Make your selection, and then click the Select button
to add the delegates to the Delegates list.
Remove Deletes the highlighted delegate or delegates from the list.

Association via Linking group
Align Objects with Delegates Aligns each object with its corresponding
delegate by moving and rotating the object on its local axes. Each delegate's
local Y axis points in the forward direction, so aligned objects will be rotated
so their Y axes point in the forward direction as well. This option works much
like the 3ds Max Align feature.
Align Scale When on, clicking Align Objects with Delegates sets each object's
absolute scaling factor to that of its corresponding delegates. This is useful if,
for example, you've randomized delegates' sizes with the Scatter Objects Scale
panel on page 5528, and want the associated objects to match.
Link Objects to Delegates Creates a hierarchy for each object-delegate pair,
with the delegate as parent.

Association via Animation Replacement group
Assign Delegate Controllers to Objects Copies each delegate's controllers to
the paired objects as an instance.
This is the same as using Track View ➤ Copy Controller from the delegate,
and then pasting the controller as an instance to the object. Does not link
objects hierarchically with delegates.
Once you've set up the delegate animation the way you want it, if you then
want to apply the animation to an object or objects en masse, use this function.
You can then delete the delegates if you like.

_____
OK Implements any changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Eliminates any changes and closes the dialog.
NOTE Clicking OK has no intrinsic effect; in order to implement any of the dialog
functions, you must first click at least one of the Align/Link/Assign buttons.

5534 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Edit Multiple Delegates Dialog
Create panel ➤

➤ Setup rollout ➤

Select a Crowd object. ➤
(Multiple Delegate Editing)

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

(Multiple Delegate Editing)

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤

The Edit Multiple Delegates dialog lets you define groups of delegates and set
parameters for them. You can create and store up to 10 different configurations
or settings combinations; each consists of one or more delegates and settings
for the delegates.
The parameters are mostly the same as those found in the delegate object's
Motion Parameters rollout on page 5509, with the following exceptions and
additions:
■

Each setting has an associated SET check box, which lets you determine
whether the setting has any effect. When off (the default), the setting has
no effect. When on, the setting affects the specified delegate or delegates
when you click the Apply Edit button.

■

Each numeric parameter has two Value settings and an associated Random
check box, which lets you specify a random value within a specified range
for each member of the group. By default, Random is off, and the Value 1
setting is applied for all parameters with SET turned on. If you turn on
Random for a parameter, its Value 2 setting becomes available. If you then
specify a different setting for Value 2, character studio calculates a different
random number between Value 1 and Value 2 for each delegate in the
group.

TIP To reset a parameter to a specific value for all delegates in a group after it's
been set to a random value within a range, turn off Random and turn on SET for
the parameter, then set Value1 to the desired value, and then click OK.

Crowd Animation | 5535

Procedures
To edit multiple delegates:

1

Select the Crowd object and go to the

2 On the Setup rollout, click

Modify panel.

(Multiple Delegate Editing).

This opens the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog.
3 Optionally, in the dialog (bottom-left corner), choose a stored dialog
setting to use from the 10 available settings.
4 If necessary, use the Delegates To Edit group box controls to add delegates
to or remove them from the current setting.
5 Modify the remaining parameters as necessary. Be sure to turn on the
SET check box for any parameters that are to change.
6 Click the Apply Edit button to make the changes and exit the dialog.

5536 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Delegates to Edit group
This group shows delegates belonging to the current settings combination in
a list box and lets you add and delete members.
Add Click this button, and then choose delegates to add from the Select dialog.
Remove To remove delegates from the list, first choose the names of those to
delete in the list box (drag to choose two or more contiguous names, or use
Ctrl-click to choose non-contiguous names), and then click Remove.

Crowd Animation | 5537

Set Parameters from Animation group
Use this function to obtain motion parameters from an animated object and
apply them to all specified delegates. It affects only Average Speed, Max Accel,
and the Turning parameters.
Because this one animation will set most of the parameters of the delegate, it
should be representative of a whole range of motion of the delegate. For
example, the object should turn and accelerate. The animation should be
somewhat lengthy so that averages are calculated correctly.
Animated Object Specifies an animated object. Click this button, and then
choose the object from the list in the Select dialog.
Set After specifying the animated object, click this button to apply its
parameters to the delegate settings. Also turns on the SET check box for any
affected parameters.

General group
Rather than numeric values, the settings in this group are on-off switches,
except for the first, Velocity Color. To change Velocity Color, click the color
swatch, use the Color Selector dialog to pick a new color, and then turn on
the Velocity Color SET check box. To change any other setting in the General
group, click the check box to the right of the setting, and then turn on the
setting's SET check box.
These settings are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion
Parameters rollout on page 5509.

Speed group
These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion
Parameters rollout on page 5509. For an explanation of the Random and SET
check boxes, see the introduction to this topic.

Turning group
These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion
Parameters rollout on page 5509. For an explanation of the Random and SET
check boxes, see the introduction to this topic.

Banking group
These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion
Parameters rollout on page 5509. For an explanation of the Random and SET
check boxes, see the introduction to this topic.

5538 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Biped group
These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion
Parameters rollout on page 5509. For an explanation of the Random and SET
check boxes, see the introduction to this topic.
Stored Dialog Settings Use this list to specify up to 10 different combinations
of delegates and settings. To store a combination, choose a name from the
list, and then specify the delegates and settings. To recall a combination,
choose its name from the list. To rename a combination, choose its name
from the list, and then highlight the name and edit it using the keyboard.
Check All Sets Click this button to turn on all SET check boxes. This ensures
that any changes you make in the dialog take effect when you click the Apply
Edit button.
Apply Edit Click Apply Edit to implement all changed settings and exit the
dialog.
Close Click Close to remember, but not implement, all changed settings and
exit the dialog.
Cancel Click Cancel to forget all changed settings and exit the dialog.

Associate Bipeds With Delegates Dialog
Create panel ➤

➤ Setup rollout ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

(Biped/Delegate Associations)

Select a Crowd object. ➤
(Biped/Delegate Associations)

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤

Use this dialog to associate any number of delegates with an equal number
of bipeds. Add delegates and bipeds to the two lists, and order them so the
desired pairs are across from each other. Then choose Make Specified
Associations and click the Associate button. Alternatively, you can remove
existing delegate-biped associations, or simply associate each delegate with
the biped nearest it in the scene.

Crowd Animation | 5539

Interface

Bipeds Lists bipeds available for linking, specified using the Add function (see
following item). You can select any number of objects from this list for shifting
up or down, or deleting.
To clear highlighted items, control-click them.
Add Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all
bipeds in the scene that are not currently listed in the Associate Bipeds with
Delegates dialog. Make your selection, and then click the Select button to add
the delegates to the Objects list.
Remove Removes the highlighted biped or bipeds from the list.
Shift Up/Shift Down Use the arrows between the two lists to move highlighted
items higher or lower in the lists.
When Make Specified Associations is chosen and you click the Associate
button, character studio creates associations between pairs of items at matching
positions in the lists.
Delegates Lists delegates available for linking, specified using the Add function
(see following item).

5540 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

You can highlight any number of objects from this list for shifting up or down,
or deleting.
To clear highlighted items, control-click them.
Add Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all
delegates in the scene that are not currently listed in the Associate Bipeds
With Delegates dialog. Make your selection, and then click the Select button
to add the delegates to the Delegates list.
Remove Removes the selected delegate or delegates from the list.
Clear Associations When this is on, and you click the Disassociate button,
character studio eliminates any delegate-biped associations. Makes the Bipeds
list and buttons unavailable.
Make Specified Associations When chosen, and you click the Associate
button, character studio associates each parallel delegate-biped pair in the
two lists. That is, the first delegate is associated with the first biped, the second
delegate with the second biped, and so on.
Associate Delegates With Closest Biped When chosen, and you click the
Associate button, character studio calculates the biped nearest each delegate
in the scene and links the two together.
Set Delegates to Use Biped When on, and you click the Associate button,
character studio turns on the Use Biped on page 5514 option for all delegates
listed in the dialog.

_____
Associate/Disassociate Implements specified changes, calculates any random
values, and closes the dialog. Button text changes to "Disassociate" when the
Clear Associations option is chosen.
Close Remembers any changed settings and closes the dialog. No new delegate
settings are calculated or applied.
Cancel Ignores any changes and closes the dialog.

Crowd Animation | 5541

Behavior Assignments and Teams Dialog
Create panel ➤

➤ Setup rollout ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

(Behavior Assignments)

Select a Crowd object. ➤
(Behavior Assignments)

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤

The Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog lets you group delegates on page
5507 into teams on page 5549, and assign behaviors on page 5518 and cognitive
controllers on page 5554 to individual delegates and teams. It also lets you
modify existing assignments.
The dialog is modeless; while it's open, you can use the Modify panel to adjust
behaviors and set up new behaviors, as well as animate assignments' Weight
settings.
NOTE Crowd doesn't let you use multiple cognitive controllers with a delegate.
You can assign them, but when you solve, character studio notifies you that it
will use only the first assigned cognitive controller.
NOTE The Enable Flashing option helps you see which delegates are affected by
different actions in this dialog. When it's turned on, and you perform any of the
following, the relevant delegates "flash" (highlight briefly) in the viewports:
■

Click a delegate or team in the Assignment Design group

■

Click an assignment in the Behavior Assignments group

■

Add members to a team in the Teams group

■

Remove members from a team in the Teams group

Procedures
To group delegates into a team:
1 In the Teams group, click the New Team button.

5542 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

2 Use the Select Delegates dialog to designate the delegates in the team,
and then click the OK button.
3 To change a team name, choose it from the drop-down list at the top of
the Teams group, click on its name, and then use the keyboard to edit
the text.
4 To remove team members, choose the team from the drop-down list at
the top of the Teams group, select the members to remove from the lower
list, and then click the Remove Members button.
5 To add team members, choose the team from the drop-down list at the
top of the Teams group, click the Add Members button, and then use the
Select Delegates dialog to designate the delegates to add.
To create a new behavior assignment:
This procedure gives the basic method for assigning a behavior or cognitive
controller to a delegate or team.
1 If you want to assign the same behavior to more than one delegate, use
the Teams group on page 5549 to collect delegates into teams.
NOTE You can still assign behaviors to an individual delegate, even if it
belongs to one or more teams.
2 Make sure no existing assignments in the Behavior Assignments group
are highlighted. If any are, Ctrl+click them to clear the selections.
If assignments are highlighted, character studio assumes you want to
modify the existing assignments
3 In the Assignment Design group, select one delegate or team, and one or
more behaviors or one cognitive controller.
You can select only one item from either side of this group, with the
exception of behaviors. If you choose multiple behaviors, character studio
creates a separate assignment for each.
NOTE When you select a delegate or team, it briefly highlights in the
viewports to indicate the affected delegates.
4 Click the New Assignment button. This is the vertical button to the right
of the assignment Design group, with five right-pointing arrows.
This adds the assignments to the list in the Behavior Assignments group.

Crowd Animation | 5543

5 At this point, you can highlight an assignment, and then change its
Weight setting, its Active status, delete it, or change the assignee and/or
behavior/cognitive controller.
6 Click OK to accept the changes and close the dialog.
To modify an existing behavior assignment or assignments:
1 In the Behavior Assignments group, select the assignment or assignments
to change.
You can select multiple assignments by Ctrl+clicking for non-contiguous
items or Shift+clicking for contiguous items, and then change the assignees
or behaviors for all of them at once.
2 To change assignees, in the Assignment Design group, select a delegate
or team.
3 To change the assigned behaviors, in the Assignment Design group, select
a behavior or cognitive controller.
4 Click the Reset Assignment button. This is the vertical button to the right
of the assignment Design group, with five right-pointing arrows.
5 Change the Weight setting and Active status as necessary.
6 Click OK to accept the changes and close the dialog.

Interface

5544 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Assignment Design group

Lets you set up assignments by choosing a behavior or cognitive controller
and a delegate or team to assign it to. Choose one item from the left side
(upper or lower list), and one item from right side (upper or lower list). Then
click the New/Reset Assignment button immediately to the right of the
Assignment Design group (vertical button with five right-pointing arrows).
TIP With the exception of Behaviors, you can choose only one item from either
side of this group. To assign the same behavior to more than one delegate, the
most efficient method is to use the Teams group on page 5549 to gather delegates
into teams.
You can select multiple behaviors for a new assignment to a delegate or team.
When you click New Assignment, character studio creates a separate
assignment for each highlighted behavior. For changing assignments, you're
still restricted to choosing one behavior at a time. If you choose an existing
assignment and multiple behaviors, the Reset Assignment button becomes
unavailable.
Delegates Lists delegates in the scene.
Behaviors Lists existing behaviors.

Crowd Animation | 5545

To use a behavior that hasn't been added to the scene yet, click the New
Behavior button at the bottom of this group.
Teams Lists teams in the scene.
To create a new team, use the controls in Teams group box.
Cognitive Controllers Lists existing cognitive controllers.
To create a new controller, click the Setup rollout ➤ Cognitive Controllers
on page 5554 button. You needn't first exit the Behavior Assignments and Teams
dialog; when you close the editor, the new controllers are added to the
Cognitive Controllers list.
Clear Selections Deselects all highlighted items in the Assignment Design
and Behavior Assignments groups.
Use this before modifying an assignment, to avoid possible confusion.
New Behavior Opens the Select Behavior Type dialog on page 5550, which lets
you add a behavior to the scene for use in an assignment.
To modify a new behavior, use the facilities available in the Crowd object's
rollouts.
NOTE If you add the first behavior in the scene from this dialog, the text box in
the Crowd object ➤ Setup rollout remains empty, and no rollout for the behavior
appears. To edit the behavior, choose it from the list.
New Assignment/Reset Assignment Click to assign a behavior or behaviors
or a cognitive controller to a delegate or team.

5546 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

This vertical button with five right-pointing arrows on it is situated between
the Assignment Design and Behavior Assignments group. It's available only
when two items in the Assignment Design group are highlighted (exception:
Multiple behaviors can be highlighted). If no item in the Behavior Assignments
group is highlighted, clicking the button creates a new assignment and adds
it to the assignments list. If one or more items in the Behavior Assignments
group are highlighted, clicking the button sets the highlighted assignments
to use the highlighted delegate/team and behavior/cognitive controller
combination.

Behavior Assignments group

Lets you create and modify behavior assignments.
List box Displays all current behavior assignments, including team or delegate
name, assigned behavior or cognitive controller, weight setting, and active
status.

Crowd Animation | 5547

Items are sorted in alphabetical first by Delegate/Team name, and then by
Behavior/Cog name. A dashed line appears before a list entry if it's the first
item for that delegate or team.
To modify or delete an assignment, choose it from the list, whereupon
character studio highlights the assigned components in the Assignment Design
group. Make the changes using the remaining controls in this dialog.
NOTE You can select multiple assignments from the list by Ctrl+clicking for
non-contiguous items or Shift+clicking for contiguous items. To clear an item,
Ctrl+click it.
Weight The relative effect of the assigned behavior or cognitive controller.
The higher an assignment's Weight setting is than others', the greater relative
effect it will have. This setting is animatable. Default=1.0.
In most cases, you should keep Weight within a range of 0.0 to 1.0. Higher
settings are available but shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary.
NOTE The Weight setting is not relevant to the Avoid on page 5564, Orientation
on page 5569, or the Surface Follow on page 5592 behavior, and is thus unavailable
for assignments using any of those three.
Active When on, the assignment is currently in effect. When off, the
assignment has no effect. This check box is animatable. Default=on.
Delete Deletes the highlighted behavior assignment.

5548 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Teams group

Lets you define, modify, and delete teams of delegates.
NOTE You can toggle the display of this group box with the No Teams/Teams
button below the Behavior Assignments group.
Drop-down list Displays the name of the current team.
To view a different team, choose it from the list. To change a team name, click
in the box and then use the keyboard to edit the text.
List box Displays delegates in the current team.

Crowd Animation | 5549

New Team Adds a team to the list, and opens the Select Delegates dialog on
page 5552 to let you specify new team members.
The default team name is "Team," followed by a number, starting with "0" and
counting up.
Delete Team Deletes the current team.
Team members are not deleted from the scene.
Add Members Lets you add members to the current team. Use the Select
Delegates dialog on page 5552 to specify new team members.
Remove Members Removes selected members from the team.
Removed members are not deleted from the scene.
Create/Change Selection Set Adds the current team to the list of selection
sets, accessible from the Named Selection Sets list on the Main toolbar.
If the current team already is a selection set, and you subsequently changed
the team's makeup, click this button to update the members in the Named
Selection Sets list.
Enable Flashing When on, and you click a list item in the dialog or
create/modify a team, the relevant objects highlight briefly in the viewports
to indicate which are affected. Default=on.
See the introductory note on page 5542 for details.
OK Click this button to accept all changes and close the dialog.
No Teams/Teams Toggles display of the Teams group box.
By default, the Teams group is displayed; click the No Teams button to turn
it off. When it's off, click the Teams button to turn it on. The state of the
toggle persists only during the current session.

Select Behavior Type Dialog
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button.

5550 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

➤ Setup rollout ➤
(Behavior Assignments) ➤ Behavior Assignment
And Teams dialog ➤ Click the New Behavior button.

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button.

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤
(Behavior Assignments) ➤ Behavior Assignment And Teams dialog ➤ Click
the New Behavior button.
Use this dialog to select the type of behavior to be added to a Crowd object.

Interface

The choices are:
Avoid Behavior on page 5564

Crowd Animation | 5551

Orientation Behavior on page 5569
Path Follow Behavior on page 5573
Repel Behavior on page 5577
Scripted Behavior on page 5580
Seek Behavior on page 5581
Space Warp Behavior on page 5584
Speed Vary Behavior on page 5585
Surface Arrive Behavior on page 5587
Surface Follow Behavior on page 5592
Wall Repel Behavior on page 5595
Wall Seek Behavior on page 5598
Wander Behavior on page 5601

Select Delegates Dialog
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

➤ Setup rollout ➤
(Behavior Assignments) ➤ Behavior Assignments
And Teams dialog ➤ Click New Team or Add Members.

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤
(Behavior Assignments) ➤ Behavior Assignments And Teams dialog ➤ Click
New Team or Add Members.
The Select Delegates dialog lets you designate delegates to be assigned to teams
using the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 5542 for assigning
crowd behaviors.

5552 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

List box Lists all delegates in the scene.
All Selects all delegates in the list.
None Deselects all delegates.
Invert Inverts the current selection.
Selection Sets Choose an item from this to select all members of the selection
set. You must first have created a selection set from one or more delegates.
OK Closes the dialog and implements changes.
Cancel Closes the dialog and ignores changes.

Crowd Animation | 5553

Cognitive Controller Editor
Create panel ➤

➤ Setup rollout ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

(Cognitive Controllers)

Select a Crowd object. ➤
(Cognitive Controllers)

Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤

The Cognitive Controller editor lets you combine behaviors into states. More
important, it lets you sequence different behaviors on page 5467 and behavior
combinations using state diagrams, where conditionals written in MAXScript
impose changes in behavior.
For example, you can specify that a character or object is to wander aimlessly
until it comes within a certain distance of another object, whereupon it heads
straight for that object. Or you can specify that one character is to avoid
another only when the second character is avoiding the first.
NOTE The MAXScript conditionals used in the cognitive controller typically consist
of a single line of code. You can load and save them separately as .ms files, but
they are also stored within the .max scene file in which they reside.
The editor interface consists of an icon-based toolbar above a window that
contains the state diagram. When you first open the editor, no state diagrams
exist. Begin by clicking the New button to create a new state diagram.
TIP If you find yourself consistently assigning two or more behaviors to delegates
or teams, you can save time by combining the behaviors into a single-state
cognitive controller, or "behavior module," and assigning that instead. The only
disadvantage is that you can't animate the weights of behaviors used in the
cognitive controller, but you can work around that by using transitions.
NOTE Crowd doesn't let you use multiple cognitive controllers with a delegate.
You can assign them, but when you solve, character studio notifies you that it
will use only the first assigned cognitive controller.

5554 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

See also:
■

State Dialog on page 5557

■

State Transition Dialog on page 5558

Interface

Create State Lets you create new states in the diagram. Click this button,
and then click in the state diagram area to add states. A state appears as a
rectangular box containing the name of the state.
The first state you add is, by default, the first state in the controller that
executes when the simulation is run. This is indicated by its red color; states
you add subsequently are colored blue. To set a different state to execute first,
use the Set Start State function.
You specify a state's name and behaviors by editing the state. To edit a state,
right-click it. This opens the State dialog on page 5557.

Create Transition Lets you link states with transitions. Click this button,
and then drag between two states to create the transition, starting with the
earlier state. The transition appears as a black arrow pointing from the first

Crowd Animation | 5555

state to the second. Alternatively, if you click a state with the Create Transition
tool active, you create a transition that loops back to the state itself.
Right-click a transition to specify its characteristics and conditions by editing
the transition. This opens the State Transition dialog on page 5558.

Set Start State Normally the state that executes first in a cognitive
controller is the one that was added first. Use this tool to choose a different
state to execute first. The start state is red; the rest are blue.
Typically you would use this when you have a circular sequence of states, and
you want to change which state executes initially.

Move State Lets you move states around in the window by dragging
them.

Select State/Transition Lets you select states and transitions for
subsequent deletion. Selected states have white outlines, and selected transition
lines are white.
You can select multiple states by dragging a box around them. You can select
multiple states and transitions by holding the Ctrl key as you click.

Delete State/Transition Lets you delete one or more states or transitions.
First select any combination of states and transitions to delete, and then click
this button.
(Name) Shows the name of the current state diagram. To display and/or edit
another, choose it from the list.
To change a state diagram's name, click the name in the box and use the
keyboard to edit the text.
New Adds a new cognitive controller. By default, cognitive controllers are
named “Cognitive Controller” followed by a number, but you can change
this to anything you like.
Delete Deletes the current cognitive controller. This is an undoable operation.

5556 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

State Dialog
Create panel ➤ (Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd ➤

Setup rollout ➤
(Cognitive Controllers) ➤ Cognitive Controller
Editor ➤ Right-click a state icon.

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤
(Cognitive Controllers) ➤ Cognitive Controller Editor ➤ Right-click a state
icon.
The State dialog lets you add behaviors to, and remove them from, a cognitive
controller state in a crowd simulation, and specify weights for each behavior.

Interface

Crowd Animation | 5557

State name Displays the name of the state.
To change the name, click this text and edit from the keyboard.
List Displays the names of all behaviors associated with the state.
To remove a behavior or change its weight, click the behavior's name, and
then make the appropriate changes using the controls below the list.
NOTE The order of behaviors in this list is immaterial; all behaviors execute
simultaneously.
Add Opens the Select Behavior dialog, which displays the names of all
behaviors on page 5563 in the current Crowd object that are not associated with
the current state. Select a behavior (use Shift and/or Ctrl to choose multiple
behaviors), and then click OK.
Remove Eliminates the highlighted behavior from the state.
Weight Specifies the selected behavior's relative influence in the state.
Default=1.0.
The higher the weight in relation to other behaviors' weights, the more evident
the results of the behavior in the state. In most cases, you should keep Weight
within a range of 0.0 to 1.0. Higher settings are available but shouldn't be
used unless absolutely necessary.

_____
OK Closes the dialog and implements changes.
Cancel Closes the dialog and ignores changes.

State Transition Dialog
Create panel ➤ (Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd ➤

Setup rollout ➤
(Cognitive Controllers) ➤ Cognitive Controller
Editor ➤ Right-click a transition line.

5558 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤
(Cognitive Controllers) ➤ Cognitive Controller Editor ➤ Right-click a
transition line.
These settings control how character studio effects a transition from one state
to another when using a cognitive controller on page 5554. For more detailed
information, see To set up and use a cognitive controller on page 5486.

The Transition Script
The most important element of the transition is the MAXScript conditional
script. This is a script associated with the controller that is executed once per
frame, and can test any aspect or aspects of the scene and cause a transition
or not, depending on whether the result of the test is successful (true, or 1)
or unsuccessful (false, or 0).
character studio executes scripts once per frame per assigned delegate, so
objects and effects can be animated and still let delegates react with accuracy.
All scripts used in transitions use the following structure:
fn [FunctionName] del t = (
[MAXScript code]
if [MAXScript conditional]
then 1
else 0 )

The opening section contains "fn" (function) followed by the function name,
which also must appear in the State Transition dialog, and then the input
parameters "del t", and lastly "= (". Following this there can be any MAXScript
code, or none.
The closing section contains a necessary MAXScript conditional, and then
"then 1 else 0". This means: If the result of the conditional is true, then return
1 (that is, the transition is to take place), or if the result of the conditional is
false, then return 0 (that is, the transition is not to take place). You could
reverse the order of the numbers 1 and 0 ("then 0 else 1") so that the
conditional being true would cause no transition to take place, and vice-versa.
Lastly, the function must end with a close parenthesis: ")".
Following are some examples of scripts that can be used in cognitive
controllers, along with brief explanations. These are presented for you to
modify and use in your own scenes.

Crowd Animation | 5559

NOTE See this topic in the online User Reference for sample code to test an object
position, test the distance between two objects, and test a modifier parameter.

Testing a Particle System Parameter
This sample script tests the number of particles emitted by particle system
Spray01, and returns positive if the number equals 100.
fn TestParticles del t = (
if (particleCount $Spray01) == 100
then 1 else 0 )

Testing an Atmospheric Property
This sample script tests the Density parameter of a fog effect, and returns
positive if it equals 50.
fn TestAtmos del t = (
atmos_fog = getAtmospheric 1
print atmos_fog.density -- to:debug
if (atmos_fog.density == 50)
then 1 else 0 )

Note the second line, which assigns the fog atmospheric to a variable named
"atmos_fog". This is necessary only for atmospheric effects; with most standard
objects, you simply use the object name preceded by a $, as in the two previous
examples. The "1" following the getAtmospheric command refers to the
atmospheric's position in the Rendering Effects dialog ➤ Effects list.
Once you've executed this assignment, you can obtain a list of the
atmospheric's properties by entering this command in the MAXScript Listener:
ShowProperties atmos_fog

Also, the third line in the sample script isn't necessary for the cognitive
controller; it simply prints the result of the test in the Listener window for
debugging purposes.

Testing Another Delegate's Behavior
You might want to determine in a transition script which behavior is currently
influencing a certain delegate. Crowd provides a MAXScript-based method
for doing this. You can even check whether a particular delegate is specified
as a target within that behavior. An example would be a cocktail party scene
in which Betty avoids Harry if Harry is seeking Sally. But if Harry is avoiding
Sally, then Betty will seek Harry.

5560 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The following example script is taken from the sample file party.max, which
you can find in the Biped download available on this page, under 3ds Max 8
Tutorials – Scene and Support Files ➤ Specialized. The scene uses a more
complex scenario than the example described in the previous paragraph.
Following is an overview, but to fully understand the setup, you should
examine the scene. Study, in particular, the behavior assignments and cognitive
controllers, which use a total of eight different transition scripts.
Six delegates are confined in a "room" defined by four grids, using a Wall Repel
behavior. Delegates 1, 2, 3, and 5 simply wander at random during the
simulation. However, delegate 4 uses a cognitive controller (cc1) that tells it
to start wandering, and then switch to one of three Avoid behaviors if members
of one of three arbitrary pairs of delegates come within 50 units of each other.
Each of the Avoid behaviors targets a different group of three delegates, two
of which include delegate 2. Delegate 6 is assigned a second cognitive controller
(cc2) that uses the following script to tell it to switch to an Avoid behavior if
delegate 4 is avoiding delegate 2. The heart of the script is this line in function
transfunc4:
NOTE See the online User Reference for this sample code.
Load the file, press F11 to open the Listener window, and then solve. The
Listener window displays a message whenever delegate 4 is found to be
avoiding delegate 2.
You can use this script as is in your own simulations to check for whether one
delegate is avoiding a second by substituting the delegates' names in the above
line, and also substituting the names of your Avoid behaviors in the list in
transfunc4, adding or deleting lines as necessary.
The example script illustrates a second important point: Cognitive controller
transition scripts can contain multiple functions. Crowd first executes the
function specified in the State Transition dialog ➤ Transition Condition
field, and that function calls one or more additional functions in the script,
which, of course, can also call functions. In this case, transfunc4 calls the first
function, isDelegateAvoiding, passing it three parameters.
Lastly, the script contains a special function, getBehaviorType, that compares
an input behavior against a list of known behaviors, and on a match, returns
the known behavior. In this case, transfunc4 runs through the list of behaviors
currently influencing Delegate04, testing each with getBehaviorType, and if an
Avoid behavior is in effect, proceeds to check whether Delegate02 is an obstacle
of that Avoid behavior. Use of this function is more efficient and flexible than
testing for specific behaviors, especially if your scene contains many behaviors
of the same type, or you're constantly editing behavior settings. You can see

Crowd Animation | 5561

the returned behaviors by removing the comment (double hyphen) from the
beginning of the following line in transfunc4.
NOTE See the online User Reference for this sample code.

Interface

Priority Sets the transition's precedence.
When more than one transition tests true, character studio uses the Priority
setting to determine which transition occurs. It performs the transition with
the lowest Priority setting. Thus, for example, a transition with a Priority
setting of 0 takes precedence over one with Priority 1, and so on.
Duration The number of frames character studio takes to effect the transition
between states.
Ease In The rate at which the transition begins. Default=0.5. Range=0 to 1.0.
Lower values cause a more abrupt transition, while higher values cause a more
gradual transition.
Ease Out The rate at which the transition ends. Default=0.5. Range=0 to 1.0.

5562 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Lower values cause a more abrupt transition, while higher values cause a more
gradual transition.
NOTE The sum of the values for Ease In and Ease Out must be less than or equal
to 1.0. character studio won't let you set a value for either parameter that would
cause the sum to exceed 1.0. To increase the value of one parameter when its
value equals 1.0 minus the other parameter, decrease the other parameter first.
Transition Condition The name of the MAXScript function that specifies
when/how the transition is to occur.
This name must also appear at the beginning of the main function in the
script, after "fn". The script can contain additional functions that are called
by the main function and each other.
Edit MAXScript Opens an editor window for editing, saving, and loading the
transition's MAXScript script.

_____
OK Closes the dialog and implements changes.
Cancel Closes the dialog and ignores changes.

Behavior Rollouts
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose a behavior from the drop-down list.
The Behavior rollout appears on the Crowd object command panel after you
first add a behavior to the scene using the Setup rollout.

Crowd Animation | 5563

The rollout's full name (for example: Avoid Behavior or Seek Behavior) depends
on the current behavior, displayed in the text box in the Setup rollout. To
display the rollout for a different behavior, choose the behavior from the
drop-down list.
NOTE If you add the first behavior to the scene from the Behavior Assignments
and Teams Dialog on page 5542, a behavior rollout does not automatically appear
in the Crowd command panel. You must first choose the behavior from the
drop-down list at the bottom of the Setup rollout.
For a detailed description of specific behaviors, refer to the topics that follow.
For an overall look at behaviors, see Assigning Behaviors on page 5467.

Avoid Behavior
Create panel ➤ Helpers ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd ➤ Setup rollout
➤ New button ➤ Avoid Behavior
Select a Crowd object. ➤ Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ New button ➤
Avoid Behavior

Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Avoid Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Avoid
Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Avoid from the drop-down list.
The Avoid behavior lets you specify any object or objects that delegates must
keep away from. As delegates approach designated objects during the crowd
simulation, they steer clear of them while turning and/or braking as necessary.
This behavior uses three different methods to let delegates avoid each other
and other objects: Steer To Avoid, Repel, and Vector Field.

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Steer to Avoid behavior is best used for animals that steer around each other
at close proximity. Earthbound animals and fish typically do this. Steering
motion may be sudden since its action is often engaged for relatively short
periods of time.
By contrast, Repel avoidance behavior mimics the continuous action of a
repellent magnetic field. Birds, bats and flying insects are best animated with
large Repel fields so that they can smoothly avoid each other while maintaining
a comfortable margin of error. Repel forces prevent intrusion from all sides,
regardless of the direction of travel. Thus even animals that rely mainly on
Steer to Avoid will also need some degree of Repel avoidance to maintain
spatial separation when they are moving through dense traffic. The forces of
Repel avoidance are always directed uniformly outward in a spherical shape.
Use Vector Field avoidance for cases where crowd members must avoid hitting
the more complex shapes of arbitrary 3ds Max objects. The outward forces of
the Vector Field avoidance can constructed to form the shape of any object.
For example, suppose you want to animate a school of fish swimming around
a sunken ship. In this case, a vector field can be created so that it extends the
shape of the ship into the surrounding space. The field is computed by scan
converting the ship's surface normals into a 3D lattice that surrounds the ship.
These normals will extend into space as "beacons" in the 3D lattice, telling
the fish how to best swim away from the shape of the ship. As the fish enter
the space of the vector field lattice, they can be precisely repelled along an
avoidance force directed away from ship's surface.
NOTE In the explanations that follow, the word "target" is used to refer to the
object or objects to be avoided.

Crowd Animation | 5565

Interface

None (label) Specifies a single target. Click this button, and then click the
target object in the viewport. The target name then appears on the button.
If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item),
the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated
as targets, click the Multiple Selection button.
Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple
targets. When you have more than one target, you can set delegates to move
toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the target
positions.

5566 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Look Ahead The number of frames in advance of the current frame that
character studio looks for potential collisions. Default=30.
Hard Radius Distance from the target's pivot point, in multiples of the
delegate's bounding sphere, where no penetration should occur. Default=1.0.
TIP Because the hard radius' center is the pivot point, Avoid may not work as
expected with target objects whose pivot point is not centered, such as the box
primitive. For best results, use the Hierarchy panel ➤ Adjust Pivot rollout controls
to center the pivot to the object.
Display Hard Radius Enables display of a wireframe sphere that depicts the
extent of the Hard Radius setting. Default=off.

Steer To Avoid group
Steer To Avoid is used by delegates to steer precisely around anticipated future
collisions based on the delegates' current speed and direction. Delegates using
this approach can pass very close to one another.
Detour Angle Maximum necessary turning angle relative to the direction of
delegate's goal that delegate will steer to avoid rather than slow down and
wait. Default=360. Range=0-360.
TIP To disable turning for avoidance, thus allowing only braking, set Detour Angle
to 0. This forces delegates to remain directed toward their goal so that they must
slow down and wait until there is a clearing in front of them, much like an audience
queuing to leave through an exit after a concert.
Brake Pressure Determines how strongly a delegate will react when it
encounters an avoided object. Higher values make the delegate more likely
to slow down or stop. Lower values will cause delegates to look for a way
around the obstacle so they can keep going, sometimes causing delegates to
veer off in unexpected directions. Default=2.0.

Repel group
Repel is a general separation force that is based only on the spatial position.
Delegates use this to keep from getting into situations where they might
side-swipe each other or where they might get so close that Steer To Avoid is
too difficult to achieve.
Strength Determines the strength of the repelling force; higher values result
in greater repulsion force. Default=0.2. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

Crowd Animation | 5567

Radius Maximum distance from delegate's bounding sphere within which
"repel" avoidance is sensed and carried out. Default=3.0.
Falloff The rate at which the strength diminishes between the Repel radius
and the hard radius. A value of 1.0 indicates a linear falloff. Higher values
cause the strength to fall off to zero more rapidly with distance, thus focusing
its effect closer to the delegate's hard radius. Lower values reduce the rate of
diminishment, with a Falloff setting of 0.0 indicating that the strength is the
same at the Radius distance as it is at the Hard Radius. Default=3.0.
Display Repel Radius Enables display of a wireframe sphere that depicts the
extent of the Repel setting. Default=off.

Vector Field group
If you've applied a Vector Field space warp on page 5619 to an object in your
scene, you can specify the vector field as an object to avoid. The distinction
is this: When used with the Space Warp behavior on page 5584, delegates use
the vector field to steer around the object by being guided to travel
perpendicular to the field's vectors. When used with the Avoid behavior, the
delegate simply moves away in the direction of the vectors.
TIP Sometimes when using Avoid with a vector field, the behavior might seem
to be "fighting" with other behaviors (such as Seek) over delegate movement,
causing a halting and/or wavering motion. In such cases, try reducing Brake
Strength and/or increasing Falloff.
Strength Higher values result in more powerful influence. Delegates will be
directed to move perpendicular to the field. Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Falloff Higher values cause vector field influence to fall off to zero more rapidly
with distance, thus focusing its effect closer to the delegate's hard radius.
Default=8.0.

Display During Solve group
Use these switches for debugging a crowd simulation. During the solve, they
display information about the simulation using graphical metaphors for
different aspects of the Avoid behavior.
Potential Collisions Displays a green line from the delegate to the location
of a potential collision. Default=off.
Repel Activity Displays a white line between the delegate and target when
the repel force is in effect. Default=off.

5568 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Look Ahead Radius Displays a sphere that shows the current distance used
to check for potential collisions.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Avoid force vector during
the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=red.
Force When on, force exerted on one or more delegates by the Avoid behavior
is drawn in the viewports as a colored line during the simulation solution.
Default=on.

Orientation Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Orientation Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤
Orientation Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Orientation from the drop-down list.
The Orientation behavior lets you control whether and how delegates rotate,
independent of their direction of motion. Normally, a delegate always faces
in the direction it is moving. You can use the Orientation behavior to specify
limits to the delegate's rotational activity without affecting its path, which is
generated by other behaviors. Use these settings, for example, to keep delegates
facing in one direction while moving in another.
NOTE These settings do not affect the path a delegate takes, which is produced
by other behaviors such as Seek and Avoid. They influence only the direction it
faces as it traverses the path.

Crowd Animation | 5569

Interface

Heading group
Use these controls to affect how delegates turn on the vertical axis. By default,
heading is absolute, with 0 specifying the positive X axis in World coordinates.
Thus, -90 would specify the negative Y axis, 90 the positive Y axis, and 180
or -180 the negative X axis.

5570 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Absolute heading as viewed from the top

For example, if you wanted a delegate to be able to turn between the positive
X axis and the positive Y axis, you would set Max Heading to 0 and Min
Heading to 90.
You can also specify heading limits in amounts relative to the delegate's
heading at the time that the Orientation behavior takes effect by turning on
the Relative check box.
Relative When on, Heading settings are applied relative to the delegate's
heading at the time the behavior takes effect. When off, settings are absolute.
Default=off.
Min Heading The minimum permissible heading. This number should be
lower than the Max Heading value. Default=180. Range=-180 to 180.
Max Heading The maximum permissible heading. This number should be
higher than the Min Heading value. Default=180. Range=-180 to 180.

Crowd Animation | 5571

Max Heading Vel(ocity) Specifies how much the delegate's heading can
change per frame. This controls angular acceleration and deceleration.
Default=180.
Head. Response Determines how quickly the heading follows the direction
the object is moving in. A value of 1.0 indicates maximum responsiveness,
and will point in the direction the delegate is moving (within the limits) while
a lower value means that it is less responsive. Default=1. Range=0 to 1.

Pitch group
Use these controls to affect how delegates turn on the left-right axis.
Relative When on, Pitch settings are applied relative to the delegate's pitch
at the time the behavior takes effect. When off, settings are absolute.
Default=off.
Min Pitch The minimum number of degrees a delegate can incline or decline.
This number should be lower than the Max Pitch value. Default=-180.
Range=-180 to 180.
Max Pitch The maximum number of degrees a delegate can incline or decline.
This number should be higher than the Min Pitch value. Default=180.
Range=-180 to 180.
Max Pitch Velocity Specifies how much the delegate's pitch can change per
frame. This controls angular acceleration and deceleration. Default=180.
Pitch Response Determines how quickly the pitch follows the direction the
object is moving in. A value of 1.0 indicates maximum responsiveness, so that
will point in the direction the delegate is moving (within the limits) while a
lower value means that it is less responsive. Default=1. Range=0 to 1.

Banking group
Use these controls to affect how delegates turn on the in-out axis. Banking is
primarily a result of heading changes.
Max Bank The maximum number of degrees the delegate can bank.
Default=30.0.
Max Bank Velocity The maximum number of degrees the delegate's bank
angle can change per frame. This controls angular acceleration and
deceleration. Default=3.0.
Bank per Turn The number of degrees the delegate will bank as a function
of the turn angle at the current frame. For example, if Bank per Turn=1, the

5572 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

delegate will bank one degree for every degree it is turning at a given frame.
Default=1.0.

Path Follow Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Path Follow Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Path
Follow Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Path Follow from the drop-down list.
The Path Follow behavior lets you direct delegates to traverse a specified path
during a crowd simulation. Delegates can move forward or backward along
paths, and when they reach the end, they can loop back to the start or reverse
direction, or even continue in the same general direction.
If the delegate's start position isn't on the path at the start of the simulation,
it moves to the path before following the path. During the solution, character
studio intermittently displays an optional target icon to show the delegate's
immediate goal; this changes as the simulation proceeds.

Crowd Animation | 5573

Interface

None (label) Click this button, then select a path object. Suitable path objects
include splines and NURBS curves. If a path object contains more than one
spline or curve, character studio uses the lowest-numbered element (usually
the earliest created one).
NOTE You can assign a path object only from the Modify panel.
Radius The radial distance from the path, in units, within which the delegate
stays while traversing the path. Default=20.0. Range=0.0 to 9,999,999.0.

5574 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Turning group
These parameters determine how delegates turn while following the path.
Awareness determines how well a delegate anticipates turns in the path as it
moves; you can apply random variation to Awareness with the Deviation
setting.
Awareness Specifies how "intelligent" the delegate is while traversing this
path. A high Awareness setting means that it takes into account the curve of
the path while moving and will try to anticipate changes. A low value for
Awareness, on the other hand, means that the delegate notices the path only
when leaving it. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
NOTE You can randomize awareness behavior with the Deviation and Seed
settings.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Awareness should vary.
character studio takes a random number between the negative and positive
values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the Awareness setting, and
adds the result to Awareness. Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
NOTE You can vary behaviors among different Path Follow behaviors that use the
same Awareness and Deviation settings by changing the Seed value.

Starting Point
Determines where on the path the delegate begins to follow the path. The
default choice is Beginning of Path.
Hint: To see a selected spline path's start point, open the Modify panel and
turn on any sub-object level; the start point is represented with a unique
indicator. Also in the Modify panel, with closed curves, you can see the vertex
ordering at any sub-object level by turning on Selection rollout ➤ Display
group ➤ Show Vertex Numbers. To see a NURBS curve's start point, go to
the Curve sub-object level; the start point is indicated by a small green circle.
Beginning of Path The delegate first moves to the start of the path before
following it.
End of Path The delegate first moves to the end of the path before following
it. With closed curves, this is the same point as the beginning of the path.
Nearest Point The delegate first moves to the closest point on the path and
then follows the path from there.

Crowd Animation | 5575

Direction
Determines the direction the delegate takes initially when following the path.
The default choice is Forwards.
Forwards The delegate moves along path vertices in ascending order.
Backwards The delegate moves along path vertices in descending order.

Action at End of Path
Determines what the delegate does when it reaches the path end. The default
choice is Loop.
Loop The delegate loops around the path, even if it isn't closed. If Beginning
of Path or End of Path is chosen, it returns to the path's start or end point
each time it finishes traversing the path. If Nearest Point is chosen, it returns
to an arbitrary point determined by its position and the path shape.
Reverse The delegate reverses direction at the end of the path. Use this choice
to simulate a back-and-forth "patrol" behavior.
Continue The delegate continues moving in the same direction it faced at
the end of the path until the simulation ends or it's acted upon by another
force or behavior.

_____
Seed Specifies a seed value for randomizing Awareness. Default=1.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Path Follow force vector
during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=blue.
Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegate(s) by the Path Follow
behavior is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution.
Default=on.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the target icon. Default=dark
blue.
Display Target Enables display of the target icon, which appears during the
solution when a new interim goal is calculated for the delegate. Default=on.
Target Scale Specifies the overall size of the target icon. Default=5.0.

5576 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Repel Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Repel Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Repel
Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Repel from the drop-down list.
The Repel behavior lets you specify any object or objects (sources) that will
force delegates to move away from them. This is basically the opposite of the
Seek behavior on page 5581. If you want delegates to back away from an object,
as opposed to turning to face the direction they're moving, use Repel in
conjunction with the Orientation behavior on page 5569.
NOTE Repel is set by default to work only within a specific radius around the
source. If you want it to work at any distance, turn off Radius group ➤ Use Radii.

Crowd Animation | 5577

Interface

None (label) Specifies a single source. Click this button, and then click the
target object in the viewport. The target name then appears on the button.
If you've selected multiple sources using Multiple Selection (see next item),
the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated
as sources, click the Multiple Selection button.
Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple
sources. When you have more than one source, you can set delegates to move
toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the source
positions.

Source of Repulsion group
Determines repel activity when the behavior uses multiple sources. The default
choice is Closest Source Only.
Closest Source Only Each delegate is repelled by the closest of the assigned
sources. Use this to have delegates assigned a single Repel behavior move away
from sources in different directions.

5578 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Average Of Sources All delegates move away from a common point
determined by averaging all sources' locations.

Method group
Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is
calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Force.
Angle Applies a force to the delegate based on the angle between the delegate's
current direction and the direction it would need to take in order to be moving
directly away from the source.
The magnitude of the force is greatest when the delegate is moving directly
towards the source, and needs to turn around. It can be as little as 0 when the
delegate is moving directly away from the source.
Force Always applies a force directly away from the source. The magnitude
of the force is constant.

Radius group
Use the Radius settings to activate the Repel behavior only when the delegates
are within a specific distance from the target. The relative strength of the force
increases from 0 percent at the outer radius to 100 percent at the inner radius.
Use Radii When on, the behavior applies only to delegates closer to the target
than the Outer Distance value. Default=on.
Inner Radius The distance from the target at which the force is applied at full
strength. Default=0.0.
Outer Radius The distance from the target at which the force begins to be
applied. Default=10.0.
Falloff Default=2.0.
Display Radii The radii are displayed when the force is active.

_____
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Repel force vector during the
solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=violet.
Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegate(s) by the Repel behavior
is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution.

Crowd Animation | 5579

Scripted Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Scripted Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Scripted
Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Scripted from the drop-down list.
The Scripted behavior lets you create custom behaviors using MAXScript. A
scripted behavior can incorporate one of three behavior types: Force,
Constraint, or Orientation.
For detailed information on scripting behaviors, see the MAXScript Help,
available from the Help menu.

Interface

Behavior Type Choose Force, Constraint, or Orientation.
Script Context Name Specify a name for the script.
Edit MAXScript Click to open an editor window.

5580 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Seek Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Seek Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Seek
Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Seek from the drop-down list.
The Seek behavior lets you specify any object or objects as a stationary or
moving target for delegates. Delegates move toward the target during the
crowd simulation while turning as necessary.

Crowd Animation | 5581

Interface

None (label) Specifies a single target. Click this button, and then click the
target object in the viewport. The target name then appears on the button.
If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item),
the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated
as targets, click the Multiple Selection button.

Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple
targets. When you have more than one target, you can set delegates to move
toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the target
positions.

Seek Target group
Determines seek activity when the behavior uses multiple targets.
Closest Target Only Each delegate seeks the closest of the assigned targets.
Use this to have delegates assigned a single Seek behavior move in different
directions.

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Average Of Targets All delegates move toward a common point determined
by averaging all targets' locations.

Method group
Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is
calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Angle.
Angle Applies a force to the delegate based on the angle between the delegate's
current direction and the direction it would need to take in order to be moving
directly toward the target.
The magnitude of the force is greatest when the delegate is moving away from
the target, and needs to turn around. It can be as little as 0 when the delegate
is directly approaching the target.
Force Always applies a force directly towards the target. The magnitude of the
force is constant.

Radius group
Use the optional radius settings to activate the Seek behavior only when the
delegates are within a specific distance from the target. The relative strength
of the Seek behavior increases from 0 percent beyond the outer radius to 100
percent at the inner radius.
Use Radii When on, the Seek behavior applies only to delegates less than the
Outer Radius distance from the target. Default=off.
Inner Radius The distance from the target at which Seek is applied at full
strength. Default=0.0.
Outer Radius The distance from the target at which Seek begins to be applied.
Default=10.0.
Falloff Default=2.0.
Display Radii The radii are displayed when the force is active.

_____
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Seek force vector during the
solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=green.
Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegate(s) by the Seek behavior
is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution. If Use
Radii is turned on, the radii are also displayed when the force is active.

Crowd Animation | 5583

Space Warp Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Space Warp Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Space
Warp Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Space Warp from the drop-down list.
The Space Warp behavior lets space warps, such as wind or gravity, influence
a crowd simulation. You can use it to apply space warps in the Forces and
Particles & Dynamics categories to crowd members.
In particular, use the Space Warp behavior to tie delegates to a Vector Field
space warp on page 5619, so that they avoid penetrating an irregularly shaped
object while following its contours.

Interface

None (label) Click this button, then select a space warp object.
Color Swatch shows the color used to draw the Space Warp force vector
during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color.
Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegate(s) by the Space Warp
behavior is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution.

5584 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Speed Vary Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Speed Vary Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Speed
Vary Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Speed Vary from the drop-down list.
The Speed Vary behavior is useful for objects whose velocity changes at random
as they move, such as sightseeing tourists. Its parameters let you specify how
often a delegate should change speed, what speed range it should look at for
a new speed, and how long it should accelerate to get to that new speed.

Crowd Animation | 5585

Interface

Time group
Period Specifies how many frames should elapse before a new speed is chosen.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Period should vary.
Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between
the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the
Period setting, and adds the result to Period. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

Speed group
The mathematical formula for the new speed is as follows: new speed =
(delegate's Average Speed*Center)*(1 + RN*Center Deviation), where RN is a
random number between –1 and 1.
Center Specifies the speed the delegate should change to. Center is a multiplier:
A value of 0.0 means to stop, a value of 1.0 means to move at its average speed
on page 5511, and a value greater than 1.0 means to move faster than its average
speed. Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 99,999.0.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which the delegate's calculated
speed (Average Speed*Center) should vary.

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Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between
the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the
calculated speed, and adds the result to the calculated speed. Default=0.25.
Range=0.0 to 99,999.0.
Accel Period Specifies the rate at which the delegate's speed should change
in relation to the period length.
A value of 0.0 means that the transition to the new speed will proceed as
quickly as possible, and a value of 0.5 means the transition will take half the
period. A value of 1.0 means the transition will take the entire period.
Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which acceleration should vary.
Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between
the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the
Acceleration setting, and adds the result to Acceleration. Default=0.5.
Range=0.0 to 1.0.

_____
Seed Specifies a value for randomizing the Speed Vary behavior.

Surface Arrive Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Surface Arrive Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Surface
Arrive Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Surface Arrive from the drop-down list.
The Surface Arrive behavior is similar to the Seek behavior on page 5581 in that
it lets you specify an object or objects as a stationary or moving target for
delegates. The principal difference is that Surface Arrive can cause delegates
to stop when they reach the target. You can also specify, to some degree, where

Crowd Animation | 5587

the delegate will stop on the object, and how it will approach the target before
stopping.
An example of a use for this behavior would be birds flying over a row of
telephone poles, then each one landing on top of a different pole.

5588 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Crowd Animation | 5589

None (label) Specifies a single target. Click this button, and then click the
target object in the viewport. The target name then appears on the button.
If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item),
the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated
as targets, click the Multiple Selection button.
Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple
targets.
When you have more than one target, you can set delegates to move toward
the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the target positions.

Arrival group
Specifies three aspects of the Surface Arrive behavior: Rate, Speed, and Distance.
Disable After Arriving When on, turns off the Surface Arrive behavior after
the delegate arrives at the surface. Default=on.
Rate A multiple of the delegate's Max Accel on page 5511 setting that specifies
the acceleration with which it will try to arrive. A value of 1.0 means to use
the full acceleration of the delegate. Default=0.5.
Deviation Adds random variation to the to the Rate setting.
The actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation setting by a
random number between -1 and 1, and then multiplying the result by the
Rate setting. Default=0.0.
Speed The speed at which to arrive, relative to the speed of the target.
Default=0.0.
Deviation Adds random variation to the Speed setting. Default=0.0.
The actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation setting by a
random number between -1 and 1, and then multiplying the result by the
Speed setting.
Distance The maximum radial distance from the target within which the
behavior will be active. Default=9999999.0.
Until the delegate is within this radius, the behavior has no influence.
Deviation Adds random variation to the to the Distance setting.
The actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation setting by a
random number between -1 and 1, and then multiplying the result by the
Distance setting. Default=0.0.

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Location group
Offset Specifies a consistent distance from the calculated arrival point, based
on the surface normal, for the delegate to use. Default=0.0.
Facing When on, the delegate will try to arrive only at points on triangles on
the surface that are facing it. Default=off.
Random character studio chooses a random point on the target surface as
the arrival point.
When using the Random option, character studio chooses arrival points for
delegates once, at the beginning of the simulation. This is the default choice
Closest character studio chooses the closest point on the target surface as the
arrival point.
If Closest is chosen, but Every Frame is off, character studio chooses arrival
points for delegates once, at the beginning of the simulation.
Every Frame When on, character studio chooses arrival points for delegates
at every frame. Available only when Closest is chosen. Default=off.
Every Frame is useful when the target object is rotating during the animation,
but requires more time for calculation.
Display Offset When on, shows the Offset distance as lines emanating from
each vertex in the surface object, perpendicular to the surface.

Approach group
The Height and Descent settings together specify the path the delegate will
take for its arrival. They allow for a wide range of behavior, from soft, gradual
landings to direct helicopter-type descents.
In both cases, the actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation
setting by a random number between -1 and 1, and multiplying the result by
the relevant value.
Height Specifies a distance from the arrival point along its face normal.
This is the point that the delegate will go to first before descending to the
arrival point.
Deviation Adds random variation to the to the Height setting.
The actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation setting by a
random number between -1 and 1, and then multiplying the result by the
Height setting.
Descent Start Specifies the distance between the delegate and the arrival point
at which the descent should start.

Crowd Animation | 5591

NOTE Be careful that Descent Start is set high enough that the delegate won't
overshoot when descending because its speed is too high and deceleration too
low, compared to when it should start descending.
Deviation Adds random variation to the to the Descent Start setting.
The actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation setting by a
random number between -1 and 1, and then multiplying the result by the
Descent Start setting.
Off This Normal When on, lets you set an approach vector to specify the
angle at which the final approach occurs. Default=off.
X/Y/Z Use these settings to specify the final approach vector in world
coordinates. For example, the vector specified by the default settings of X=0,
Y=0, Z=1 means that the delegates will approach the target along the vertical
world axis.

_____
Seed Affects the random numbers used to calculate the Deviation settings.
For similar randomization among different Surface Arrive behaviors, use the
same Seed value.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the target icon. Default=dark
blue.
Display Target Enables display of the target icon, which appears during the
solution when a new interim goal is calculated for the delegate. Interim goals
are created when using the Approach group settings. Default=on.
Target Scale Specifies the overall size of the target icon. Default=5.0.

Surface Follow Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Surface Follow Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Surface
Follow Behavior

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Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Surface Follow from the drop-down list.
The Surface Follow behavior moves delegates with respect to object surfaces,
which can be still or animated. For example, you can apply an animated Noise
modifier to a patch grid to simulate a choppy water surface, and objects guided
by Surface Follow will stay on top.
NOTE By default, a delegate influenced by Surface Follow picks a direction to
move in at any given frame based on its current facing and the plane of the face
it's currently over. Thus objects moving up a hill, while seeking a point at the
bottom of the other side of the hill, tend to turn left or right to skirt the hill, rather
than following the upward slope. You can override this with the Projection Vector
option.

Interface

None (label) Specifies a single "target" object to use as a surface. Click this
button, and then click the target object in the viewport. The target name then
appears on the button.
If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item),
the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated

Crowd Animation | 5593

as targets, click the Multiple Selection button. The Select dialog appears with
designated targets highlighted.
Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple
targets.
When you have more than one target, delegates initially move toward the
closest target in the group, and then move over its surface until they encounter
another target, at which point they switch to its surface, and so on.

Projection Vector group
These controls let you override the default direction calculated by the Surface
Follow behavior by describing a virtual plane along which the delegate is to
move. You do this by specifying a vector, in world coordinates, that's
perpendicular to the desired virtual plane.
For example, if you want the delegate, when it encounters a hill, to keep
moving forward, straight up and over the hill, instead of skirting it, you would
use the default Projection Vector settings: X=Y=0, Z=1. This vector is aligned
with the world Z (vertical) axis, so it specifies a plane parallel to the world XY
plane. Thus, the delegate always moves straight ahead while following the
surface.
Use Projection When on, Surface Follow calculates delegate direction from
the specified vector, rather than using the default.
X/Y/Z Specifies a vector using world coordinates. Default=X=Y=0, Z=1.
Range=-1.0 to 1.0.
If only one of these settings is not 0, then the projection vector is aligned with
the non-zero axis. Combine non-zero settings to create angled planes for
Surface Follow. For example, to create a virtual plane that's rotated 45 degrees
clockwise about world Y axis, set X=Z=1 and Y=0. Also, while you can set all
three axes to 0, that specifies no vector, and so effectively turns off Use
Projection.

Position on Surface group
Offset Specifies the delegate's distance above the surface, using the surface
normal. Recalculated at each frame.
Display Offset When on, shows the Offset distance as lines emanating from
each vertex in the surface object, perpendicular to the surface.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Surface Follow target (see
Display Target, next) during the solution. Click the box to choose a different
color.

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Display Target When on, the interim goal for each delegate influenced by
the Surface Follow behavior is drawn in the viewports as a wireframe sphere
during the simulation solution.
If the delegate starts out away from the surface to be followed, the target is
most visible before the delegate reaches the surface; the target is then
positioned along the surface edge. While the delegate is actually following
the surface, the target is usually coincident with the delegate, because Surface
follow sets a new destination only a frame or two ahead.
Target Scale Sets the target size.

Wall Repel Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Wall Repel Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Wall
Repel Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Wall Repel from the drop-down list.
The Wall Repel behavior uses one or more grid objects to repel delegates.
When influenced by the Wall Repel force, delegates turn until they're heading
away from the grid. It's useful for keeping objects inside a straight-sided
enclosure, such as a room in a building.
You can set the grids to repel from either side or both sides, and optionally
specify a maximum distance for repelling. You can also set the behavior to
act as though each grid extends infinitely along its plane.
NOTE The Wall Repel behavior simply applies a force on the delegate in the
direction opposite the wall; it does not guarantee that the delegate won't go
through the wall. If the delegate does go through the wall, adjust settings such
as Inner and Outer Distance, and, in particular, try reducing Falloff.

Crowd Animation | 5595

Interface

Grid from which to repel Set a repelling grid ("source") by clicking the None
button and then selecting the grid. Thereafter, the grid's name appears on the
button.
To set multiple source grids, click Multiple Selection and use the Select dialog.
With multiple source grids, the word "Multiple" appears on the large button.

Method group
Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is
calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Force.
Angle Applies a force to the delegate based on the angle between the delegate's
current direction and the direction it would need to take in order to be moving
directly away from the source.

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The magnitude of the force is greatest when the delegate is moving directly
towards the source, and needs to turn around. It can be as little as 0 when the
delegate is moving directly away from the source.
Force Always applies a force directly away from the source. The magnitude
of the force is constant.

Direction group
Determines whether the grid repels from its positive-axis side, its negative-axis
side, or both.
To determine which is the positive-axis side, select the grid, and then set the
reference coordinate system to Local (the default system is View). Look at the
grid in a viewport in which it appears edge-on. The side with the axis sticking
out is the positive-axis side, and the opposite side is the negative-axis side.
TIP For ease of setup, when building a "room" from grids, make sure they all point
inward (or outward).
Positive Axis The grid repels only from the positive-axis side.
Negative Axis The grid repels only from the negative-axis side.
Both Axes The grid repels from both sides.

Distance group
Use the distance settings to activate the Wall Repel behavior only when the
delegates are within a specific distance from the target. The relative strength
of the behavior increases from 0 percent at the outer radius to 100 percent at
the inner radius.
Use Distance When on, the behavior applies only to delegates closer to the
target than the Outer Distance value. Default=on.
Inner Distance The distance from the target at which the force is applied at
full strength. Default=0.0.
Outer Distance The distance from the target at which the force begins to be
applied. Default=10.0.
Falloff The rate at which the repelling force diminishes between the Inner
Distance and the Outer Distance. Default=2.0.
A value of 1.0 indicates a linear falloff. Higher values cause the strength to
fall off to zero more rapidly with distance, thus focusing its effect closer to
the Inner Distance. Lower values reduce the rate of diminishment, with a

Crowd Animation | 5597

Falloff setting of 0.0 indicating that the strength is the same at the Outer
Distance as it is at the Inner Distance.
Display Distance Shows the inner and outer distance settings as grids offset
from the target grid in the viewports. The Inner Distance grid is light blue,
while the Outer Distance grid is blue-white. Default=on.
Grid Spacing Alters the spacing of grid lines used to draw the Inner/Outer
Distance grids. The lower the value, the closer the spacing. Default=500.
End force at grid edges When on, the force emanates only from the grid
object. When off, the force emanates from an imaginary infinite grid created
by extending the grid plane in all directions.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Wall Repel force during the
solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=violet.
Display Force The force, when activated, is drawn in the viewports as a
wireframe rectangle during the simulation solution. Default=on.

Wall Seek Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Wall Seek Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Wall Seek
Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Wall Seek from the drop-down list.
The Wall Seek behavior uses a grid object to attract delegates. When influenced
by the Wall Seek force, delegates turn until they're heading toward the grid.
It's useful for moving objects toward a rectangular area, such as a doorway.
You can set the grid to attract from either side or both sides, and optionally
specify a maximum distance for attraction. You can also set the behavior to
act as though the grid extends infinitely along its plane.

5598 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Grid to seek Set the target grid by clicking the button (initially labeled “None”)
and then selecting the grid. Thereafter, the grid's name appears on the button.

Method group
Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is
calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Angle.
Angle Applies a force to the delegate based on the angle between the delegate's
current direction and the direction it would need to take in order to be moving
directly toward the target.
The magnitude of the force is greatest when the delegate is moving away from
the target, and needs to turn around. It can be as little as 0 when the delegate
is directly approaching the target.

Crowd Animation | 5599

Force Always applies a force directly towards the target. The magnitude of the
force is constant.

Direction group
Determines whether the grid attracts from its positive-axis side, its negative-axis
side, or both.
To determine which is the positive-axis side, select the grid, and then set the
reference coordinate system to Local (the default system is View). Look at the
grid in a viewport and check the direction of the Z-axis arrow. This arrow
determines the positive-axis direction. The opposite direction is the
negative-axis direction.
Positive Axis The grid attracts only from the positive-axis side.
Negative Axis The grid attracts only from the negative-axis side.
Both Axes The grid attracts from both sides.

Distance group
Use the distance settings to activate the Wall Seek behavior only when the
delegates are within a specific distance from the target. The relative strength
of the behavior increases from 0 percent at the outer distance to 100 percent
at the inner distance.
Use Distance When on, the behavior applies only to delegates closer to the
target than the Outer Distance value. Default=on.
Inner Distance The distance from the target at which the force is applied at
full strength. Default=0.0.
Outer Distance The distance from the target at which the force begins to be
applied. Default=10.0.
Falloff The rate at which the attracting force diminishes between the Inner
Distance and the Outer Distance. Default=2.0.
A value of 1.0 indicates a linear falloff. Higher values cause the strength to
fall off to zero more rapidly with distance, thus focusing its effect closer to
the Inner Distance. Lower values reduce the rate of diminishment, with a
Falloff setting of 0.0 indicating that the strength is the same at the Outer
Distance as it is at the Inner Distance.
Display Distance Shows the inner and outer distance settings as grids offset
from the target grid in the viewports. The Inner Distance grid is light blue,
while the Outer Distance grid is blue-white. Default=on.

5600 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Grid Spacing Alters the spacing of grid lines used to draw the Inner/Outer
Distance grids. The lower the value, the closer the spacing. Default=500.

_____
End force at grid edges When on, the force emanates only from the grid
object. When off, the force emanates from an imaginary infinite grid created
by extending the grid plane in all directions.
Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Seek force vector (and, if used,
the radii) during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color.
Default=violet.
Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegates by the Seek behavior
is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution. If Use
Radii is turned on, the radii are also displayed when the force is active.

Wander Behavior
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select
Behavior Type dialog ➤ Wander Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Click the New button. ➤ Select Behavior Type dialog ➤ Wander
Behavior

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Setup rollout ➤ Behaviors
group ➤ Choose Wander from the drop-down list.
The Wander behavior imparts a random motion to delegates, letting you
simulate meandering activity in which delegates move and turn in a haphazard
manner. It works by randomly picking a new direction, and then turning and
moving in that direction. You can specify how often to pick a new direction,
how far to turn, and how fast or slow to turn while moving.

Crowd Animation | 5601

TIP The trajectory calculated by the Wander behavior varies significantly for each
object to which it's applied. To create a group of wandering delegates all using
the same trajectory, apply the Wander behavior to a delegate, solve the simulation,
and then replicate the delegate using the Scatter Objects on page 5518 facility with
Clone Controllers turned on.

Procedures
To use the Wander behavior:
1 Add a Wander behavior to the Crowd object.
2 Change the default settings as desired. Probably the most important is
Period, which sets the number of frames between changes of direction.
3 Use Behavior Assignments on page 5542 to assign the behavior to a delegate
or team.

Interface

Time group
Period Specifies how many frames should elapse before a new direction is
chosen. Default=10.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Period should vary. Each
time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the
negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the
Period setting, and adds the result to Period. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

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Turning group
Angle Specifies how far to turn when changing direction. A small value means
to change direction by only a small amount, while as the value approaches
1.0 the delegate will turn randomly in any direction. Default=0.5. Range=0.5
to 1.0.
Turn Period Specifies how long over the current period it takes to turn. A
value of 0.0 means that the delegate will rotate as quickly as possible to face
a direction and then travel in that direction, while a value of 1.0 means the
delegate will take the entire period to rotate in that direction. Default=0.5.
Range=0.5 to 1.0.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Angle should vary. Each
time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the
negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the Angle
setting, and adds the result to Angle. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

_____
Seed Specifies a seed value for randomizing the Wander behavior.
Color swatch Shows the color used to draw the Wander force vector during
the solution. Click the box to choose a different color.
Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegates by the Wander
behavior is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution.

Solve Rollout
Create panel ➤
➤ Solve rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

Modify panel ➤ Solve rollout

Once you've set up the crowd simulation, use this rollout to set solution
parameters and to solve the simulation. You can solve continuously or a frame
at a time, starting at any frame.

Crowd Animation | 5603

Interface

Solve Runs the crowd simulation continuously, applying all specified behaviors
to delegates to which they are assigned. Solving a simulation overwrites any
previous solutions.
To abort a solution in progress and save all keys generated up to that point,
press the Esc key. Alternatively, with complex simulations, you can save time
by pressing Shift+Esc to abort a solution without saving keys.
Step Solve Runs the crowd simulation one frame at a time, starting at the
current frame as specified by the time slider position. Press the spacebar to
advance one frame.

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To abort a solution in progress and save all keys generated up to that point,
press the Esc key. When you do so, character studio disregards any non-default
settings for Save Every Nth Key. Alternatively, with complex simulations, you
can save time by pressing Shift+Esc to abort a solution without saving keys.
NOTE Step Solve always starts at the current frame; it disregards the Simulation
Start setting.
Simulation Start The first frame of the simulation. Default=0.
To make the solution repeatable, set this and keep it the same.
Start Solve The frame at which you begin solving. Default=0.
This value must be greater than or equal to that of Simulation Start. If greater,
the solve will begin in the middle of the simulation.
Start Solve should equal Simulation Start the first time you solve, so that when
you set Start Solve to start in the middle of the simulation, the simulation up
to that point will be correct.
NOTE If you set Start Solve to a frame number lower than the first frame of the
active time segment, character studio changes the first frame of the time segment
to the Start Time value.
End Solve Specifies the last frame considered for the solution. Default=100.
NOTE If you set End Solve to a frame number higher than the last frame of the
active time segment, character studio changes the last frame of the time segment
to the End Solve value.
Delete Keys before Solve Deletes the keys of active delegates in the range
over which the solution takes place. Default=off.
This option leaves the first two keys so that the delegate doesn't end up with
no keys and then pop to its current position. This is a useful feature for biped
crowds; it lets you watch each biped compute, one after another, without the
ones not yet computed still performing their old animation.
Save every Nth Key Lets you specify the number of position and rotation
keys saved after the solution.
Positions/Rotations The frequency with which keys are saved for delegate
positions and rotations. If 0, no keys are saved. If 1, a key is saved every frame.
If 2, a key is saved every other frame, and so on. Defaults=1.

Crowd Animation | 5605

Display During Solve group
Update display When on, motion produced during solution of a crowd
simulation appears in the viewports. Default=on.
Frequency How often the display is updated during the solution. If 1, the
update occurs every frame. If 2, the update occurs every other frame, and so
on. Default=1.
Vector Scale Globally scales all force and velocity vectors that are displayed
during the simulation. Default=10.0.
Scaling vectors up helps to see them better when they are very small. It does
not effect the simulation.

MAXScript group
This feature lets you execute a MAXScript script at each frame. Its primary
purpose is for working with bipeds; specifically, to take advantage of available
MAXScript calls to Biped that let you specify which clip the biped will be likely
to choose next when using the shared motion flow feature. With this feature,
you can write a script that dynamically selects the biped's next clip during
the Crowd simulation, based on which clip is currently being used, the frame
number, the proximity of other bipeds, or anything else that you can find out
in a script. Of course, this scripting feature can be used for other purposes as
well.
Use MAXScript When on, a user-specified script is executed at each frame
during the solution. Default=off.
Function Name The name of the function to be executed. This name must
also specified in the script.
Edit MAXScript Click this button to open a MAXScript window for displaying
and modifying the script.

Bipeds group
When solving simulations that use bipeds linked to delegates, it is strongly
recommended that you use all three options in this group.
Biped/Delegates Only When on, only biped/delegates are included in the
computation. Also, the options to use priorities and backtracking become
available. These options are available only for biped-only computations.
Default=off.

5606 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Use Priorities When on, biped/delegates are computed one delegate at a time,
in order of their Priority values, from lowest to highest. Also, backtracking
becomes available, and Step Solve becomes unavailable. Default=off.
Backtracking Turns on backtracking functionality when solving a crowd
simulation that uses bipeds. Default=off.
When Backtracking is on during the solution, in the case of an impending
collision between bipeds, the Crowd system will back up the simulation to
the beginning of the current clip, and then try a different traversal of the
lower-priority delegate/biped's motion flow graph. If necessary, the system
will back up two or more clips.

Priority Rollout
Create panel ➤
➤ Priority rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

Modify panel ➤ Priority rollout

The Crowd system uses the Priority rollout settings when solving a simulation
involving bipeds associated with delegates.
The Priority parameter is a positive integer assigned by the user to a delegate.
When priorities are used, the Crowd simulation computes one biped at a time,
based on its priority setting from lowest to highest; that is, a lower Priority setting
means a higher priority. If the priorities of two biped/delegates are the same,
the computation order of those two biped/delegates is randomly determined.
This topic describes the six different ways of setting a delegate's priority, and
how priorities might be put to use in different situations.

Using Priorities
If you have a large crowd all going in one direction, you would typically want
the delegates in front to solve first. In that case, using Proximity To An Object
or Proximity To A Grid would be useful in setting priorities.
In a case where you start with a circle of bipeds, and you want them all to
wander and mingle, you might not care about the bipeds' priorities. You could
let them all have the same priority and let the system decide which goes first.
However, it might be better to assign random priorities or make priorities

Crowd Animation | 5607

unique, so that you are guaranteed the same order each time, and you can
read the priority numbers to know what will happen next. This also lets you
change the order if you need to.
Suppose you have two groups of bipeds, all of which are assigned random
priorities. If you wanted to keep the priority relationships within each group,
but make one group start after or before the other, you could use Increment
Priorities to increment or decrement all the priorities in one group.
If none of the algorithms applies to your situation, you need some way to set
the priorities by hand. It's useful to be able to set them visually. That's what
the Assign By Picking method is for.

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Interface

Start Priority Sets the initial priority value. Applies to the first four methods
of setting priorities: Assign By Picking, Proximity To An Object, Proximity To
A Grid, and Assign Random Priorities. Default=0.
NOTE Priority is assigned in increasing order. Thus, a delegate with Priority value
0 goes before a delegate with Priority 1, 1 goes before 2, and so on.

Assign by Picking group
Pick/Assign Lets you assign successively higher Priority values to any number
of delegates by selecting each in turn in the viewport. The first delegate you

Crowd Animation | 5609

select is assigned the Start Priority value. The Priority value assigned to each
succeeding delegate you select is incremented by one.
To stop assigning priorities, right-click in a viewport or click the Pick/Assign
button again.
Delegate priorities appear in viewports as black numerals attached to each
delegate; they're usually most easily seen in Wireframe views.
NOTE You can undo and/or redo assignments during the process.
TIP It's possible to assign two or more delegates the same priority value using this
method. In such a case, for more predictable behavior, use Make Priorities Unique
so that delegates don't share priorities.

Assign by Computation group
This group provides five different methods for assigning priorities to delegates,
plus a button for selecting delegates to be affected by these methods.
Delegates to Prioritize Lets you use the Select dialog to specify delegates to
be affected by subsequent use of other controls within this group. Select the
delegates with the Select dialog, and then click Select to exit the dialog. This
selection applies only to Proximity assignments (that is, Proximity To An
Object and Proximity To A Grid).
Proximity to an Object Lets you assign priorities based on delegates' distance
from a specific object. To specify the object, click the None button, and then
select the object on which priorities are to be based. Lastly, click the Assign
button to compute and assign priorities. The delegate closest to the object is
assigned the Start Priority value, and each successively farther delegate is
assigned the next highest priority.
For any delegates that are equidistant from the object, character studio assigns
priorities randomly.
Proximity to a Grid Lets you assign priorities based on delegates' distance
from an infinite plane defined by a specific grid object. To specify the grid
object, click the None button, and then select the grid object on which
priorities are to be based. Lastly, click the Assign button to compute and assign
priorities. The delegate closest to the grid object is assigned the Start Priority
value, and each successively farther delegate is assigned the next highest
priority.
For any delegates that are equidistant from the plane, character studio assigns
priorities randomly.

5610 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Assign Random Priorities Assigns random priorities to the selected delegates.
The range of priority values assigned lies between the Start Priority value and
that value plus the number of selected delegates.
Make Priorities Unique Ensures that all delegates have unique priority values.
If two delegates share the same priority, one of them will be given a new
priority value that differs from the rest.
Increment Priorities Increments the priorities of all selected delegates by the
Increment value.
Increment Sets the value by which the Increment Priorities button adjusts
delegate priorities. Use a negative Increment value to decrement priorities.
Default=0.

_____
Set Start Frames Opens the Set Start Frames dialog on page 5611, for setting
start frames based on assigned priorities.
Display Priorities Enables the display of assigned priority values as black
numerals attached to the delegates. Default=off.
Display Start Frames Enables the display of assigned start frame values as
black numerals attached to the delegates. Default=off.
When both Display Priorities and Display Start Frames are on, the two values
are displayed side by side, separated by a slash symbol (/). The priority appears
to the left of the slash and the start frame appears to the right.

Set Start Frames Dialog
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Priority rollout ➤ Set Start Frames button

Select a Crowd object. ➤
Start Frames button

Modify panel ➤ Priority rollout ➤ Set

When you include bipeds in a crowd simulation using a shared motion flow,
you usually don't want them all walking in lockstep formation. You can avoid
this by setting different start frames to vary the animation frame at which
each biped starts moving using its initial motion clip. In most cases, you would
set start frames in the same order as priority, so you don't get bipeds with

Crowd Animation | 5611

earlier start frames stuck behind bipeds with later start frames. The Set Start
Frames dialog lets you automatically assign start frames to delegates in the
same order as priority.
This dialog assigns start frames to the delegates selected via the Delegates To
Prioritize on page 5610 control. In general, you should first use a non-random
method to assign priorities in the Priority rollout on page 5607, such as the
Pick/Assign button or one of the Proximity options, and then assign start
frames with this dialog. You can use the dialog to set a start frame for the
highest-priority delegate (that is, the delegate with the lowest Priority setting),
and then have start frames incremented randomly between two limits for the
remaining delegates, based on priority order.
For instance, if you set Lowest Start Frame to 0, Minimum Number ... to 1,
and Maximum Number to 3, you could get a start frame sequence like this:
0, 2, 5, 6, 8, and so on. If you want more regularly staggered start frames, set
Minimum and Maximum to the same value. For example, with Lowest Frame=0
and Minimum/Maximum both set to 2, you'd get: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.

Interface

Lowest Start Frame Sets the start frame assigned to the delegate with the
lowest Priority setting.
Minimum number of frames between consecutive start frames The smallest
value character studio will use to increment assigned start frames.
Maximum number of frames between consecutive start frames The largest
value character studio will use to increment assigned start frames.
Delegates with the same priority get the same start frame character studio
assigns the same start frame to any delegates with identical Priority settings.

5612 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

When off, character studio randomizes the order of same-priority delegates'
start frames. Default=on.
OK Assigns start frame values to selected delegates based on the dialog settings
and priority order and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without changing start frame values.

Smoothing Rollout
Create panel ➤
➤ Smoothing rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

Modify panel ➤ Smoothing rollout

Smoothing works on existing animation keys (that is, a solved simulation) to
create more natural-looking animation. Use these controls if solving a crowd
simulation results in abrupt position or rotation changes of animated objects.
By default, smoothing works by reducing keys. As an option, it can also filter
(average) existing animation keys to make changes more gradual, resulting in
more natural motion.

Crowd Animation | 5613

Interface

Select Objects to Smooth Opens the Select dialog, which lets you specify
which objects' positions and/or rotations to smooth.
Filter delegate selection When on, the Select dialog opened by the Select
Objects To Smooth button shows only delegates. When off, it shows all scene
objects. Default=on.
Whole Animation Smoothes all animation frames. This is the default option.
Animation Segment Smoothes only the frame ranges specified in the From
and To fields.
From When Animation Segment is chosen, specifies the first animation frame
for smoothing.

5614 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To When Animation Segment is chosen, specifies the last animation frame
for smoothing.
Positions When on, selected objects' animation paths generated via the
simulation are smoothed after the simulation has finished. Default=on.
Rotations When on, selected objects' rotations generated via the simulation
are smoothed after the simulation has finished. Default=on.

Reduction group
Reduce Reduces the number of keys by keeping only every Nth key.
Keep every Nth key N: Limits the amount of smoothing by keeping every
other key (N=2), or every third key (N=3), and so on. Default=2.

Filtering group
Smoothing works by averaging the delegate's current position and/or
orientation with those several keyframes ahead and behind. All keyframes
used in the calculation can be affected. These settings let you control the
number of keyframes used and the extent of smoothing performed.
Filter When on, smoothing is performed using the remaining settings in this
group.
Past Keys The number of keys prior to the current frame used for averaging
position and/or rotation. Default=2.
Future Keys The number of keys after the current frame used for averaging
position and/or rotation. Default=2.
Smoothness Determines the degree to which smoothing is performed. The
higher the setting, the closer all keys involved in the calculation are moved
toward the average value. Default=4.
The highest available Smoothness value is always 6. The lowest available value
depends on the Past Keys and Future Keys settings.

_____
Perform Smoothing Click this button to carry out the smoothing operation.
NOTE If neither the Reduce nor the Filter check box is turned on, no smoothing
is performed.

Crowd Animation | 5615

Collisions Rollout
Create panel ➤
➤ Collisions rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

Modify panel ➤ Collisions rollout

During a crowd simulation, you can use this rollout to keep track of collisions
defined by Avoid behaviors. A delegate whose hard radius as defined by the
Avoid behavior intersects with the hard radius of anything it is avoiding is
marked as having collided at that frame. If too many collisions occur, the
simulation might not provide satisfactory results; in such cases, you might
want to alter the simulation setup.

Interface

Hilite Colliding Delegates When on, delegates that collide are highlighted
in the collision color.
Only during collisions Colliding delegates are highlighted only in frames in
which they actually collide.
Always Colliding delegates are highlighted in frames in which they collide
and all subsequent frames.
Collision Color The color swatch indicates the color used to highlight colliding
delegates. To change the color, click the swatch and use the Color Selector
dialog to set a new color.
Clear Collisions Clears collision information from all delegates.

5616 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

If you re-solve part of the simulation, new collision information for the
recomputed frames will be computed. However, if you move a delegate
manually, its collision information will remain the same, and may be incorrect.
In such cases, use Clear Collisions to correct the collision information.

Geometry Rollout
Create panel ➤
➤ Geometry rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd

Modify panel ➤ Geometry rollout

Use this parameter to modify the crowd object's size.

Interface

Icon Size Determines the size of the Crowd helper object's icon.
This setting is primarily for visibility; it has no effect on the crowd simulation.

Global Clip Controllers Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Object Type rollout ➤ Crowd
➤ Global Clip Controllers rollout

Select a Crowd object. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers

Use global clip controllers when assigning a non-biped animated object (such
as a bird flapping its wings) to a delegate in a crowd simulation. Applications
include synthesis of animation activity based on a variety of criteria, such as
an object's speed, acceleration, and pitch.

Crowd Animation | 5617

This group of controls replicates the Track View controls for the same
functionality. For an in-depth discussion of global clip controllers and related
topics, see:
Non-Biped Crowds on page 5501
Synthesis Dialog on page 5627
ClipState Dialog on page 5639
For a procedure covering clip controller usage, see:
To use Motion Synthesis with non-bipedal creatures: on page 5503

Interface

(List) Lists objects designated as Global Objects, whose controllers can be used
as animation clips to control other objects (typically clones).
To designate an object as a Global Object, click the New button, and then
select the object in the Select dialog.
New To designate a Global Object and add it to the list, click this button, and
then select the object in the Select dialog.
Edit To modify a Global Object's properties, click its name in the list, and
then click this button. This opens the Synthesis dialog on page 5627.
Load Loads a previously saved Global Motion Clip (.ant) file from disk.
Save Stores the current Global Motion Clip settings on disk in the .ant file
format.

5618 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Vector Field Space Warp
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Particles & Dynamics ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Vector Field
A vector field is a special type of space warp that crowd members use to move
around irregular objects such as curved, concave surfaces. The Vector Field
gizmo, a box-shaped lattice, is placed and sized so that it surrounds the object
to be avoided. The vectors are generated from the lattice intersections. These
vectors are, by default, perpendicular to the surface of the object to which the
field is applied; if necessary, you can smooth them out with a blending
function. The crowd members move around the object by traveling
perpendicular to the vectors.

You can use the vector field as a Space Warp behavior on page 5584, as the source
object for an Avoid behavior on page 5564, or both. When used together,
delegates slow down when they approach a complex object, and then go
around it. This guarantees that delegates will not pass through the obstacle’s
surface.

Crowd Animation | 5619

The vector field includes settings for strength, falloff, and a push/pull effect,
as well as options to display the lattice, the effective range, and the vectors.

Create Method Rollout (Vector Field Space Warp)
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Particles & Dynamics ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Vector Field ➤ Create Method rollout
The Create Method rollout for the Vector Field space warp lets you specify
whether to create the vector field using the cube or box method.

Interface

Cube Forces length, width, and height to be equal.
Creating a cube-shaped space warp is a one-step operation. Starting at the
center of the cube, drag in a viewport to set all three dimensions
simultaneously. You can change the individual dimensions in the Lattice
Parameters rollout.
Box Creates a standard box-shaped space warp from one corner to the
diagonally opposite corner, with different settings for length, width, and
height.

Lattice Parameters Rollout (Vector Field Space Warp)
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Particles & Dynamics ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Vector Field ➤ Lattice Parameters rollout

Select a Vector Field space warp. ➤
Parameters rollout

Modify panel ➤ Lattice

Use these parameters to specify the Vector Field lattice size and number of
segments.

5620 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Length/Width/Height Specify the dimensions of the lattice. The lattice should
be larger than the Vector Field object.
Length Segs / Width Segs / Height Segs Specify the resolution of the Vector
Field lattice. The greater the resolution, the higher the accuracy of the
simulation.

Obstacle Parameters Rollout (Vector Field Space Warp)
Create panel ➤
(Space Warps) ➤ Particles & Dynamics ➤
Object Type rollout ➤ Vector Field ➤ Obstacle Parameters rollout

Select a Vector Field space warp. ➤
Parameters rollout

Modify panel ➤ Obstacle

A vector field on page 5619, generated around an obstacle object, allows crowd
on page 5515 members to avoid that object in a scene. The field consists of a
three-dimensional array of vectors which guide delegates or other objects
around the obstacle. The settings in this rollout help determine how the
vectors are generated and displayed, and how they affect other objects.
NOTE Objects are subject to a vector field's forces only if they are bound to the
field with a Crowd object. For general usage guidelines, see To use a Vector Field
space warp on page 5478.

Crowd Animation | 5621

Interface

5622 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Display group

The check boxes in this group let you enable and disable display of four
different elements of the Vector Field space warp.
NOTE You can select a Vector Field space warp in the viewport by clicking any of
its visible elements except the range representation. If you've turned off display of
all four elements, you can still select the space warp by clicking its gizmo, which,
when viewed from the "top" (the orthographic viewport in which the warp was
created), resembles a pair of crossed double-headed arrows in the shape of an X.
Show Lattice Displays the vector field lattice, a yellow wireframe box.
Default=on.
The vectors are generated at lattice intersections inside the vector field range.
Show Range Displays the volume about the obstacle object within which
vectors are generated, as an olive-colored wireframe. Default=on.
The range starts out the same shape and size as the obstacle object, and is
typically enlarged with the Compute Vectors group ➤ Range setting.
Show Vector Field Displays vectors, which appear as blue lines emanating
outward from lattice intersections within the range volume. Default=off.
Show Surface Samples Displays short green lines emanating from sample
points on the surface of the obstacle object. Default=off.
These appear only after you've computed on page 5626 the vector field. See
Sample Resolution on page 5626 for more information.
VectorScale Scales the vectors so they're more visible or less obtrusive.
Default=1.0.
NOTE This setting does not affect the strength of the vectors; only their visibility.

Crowd Animation | 5623

Icon Size Adjusts the size of the Vector Field space warp icon, a pair of crossed
double-headed arrows. Increase the size for easier viewport selection.
Default=size originally drawn in viewport.

Force group

These parameters determine how the vector field affects objects within its
volume.
Changing any of the Force group settings does not require that you recalculate
the vector field.
NOTE Using a vector field does not guarantee that delegates or particles remain
at a particular distance from the obstacle. In some cases you might have to animate
the Strength, Falloff, and/or Pull settings to keep delegates within the vector field.
Strength Sets the degree of effect the vectors have on the movement of an
object entering the vector field. If Show Vector Field on page 5623 is on as you
adjust Strength, you can see the vector lines change size in the viewports in
real time. Default=1.0.
NOTE Sometimes, after changing strength, vectors will be too large or too small.
In such cases, adjust the VectorScale on page 5623 parameter so that they display
properly.
Falloff Determines the rate at which the strength of the vectors falls off with
distance from the surface of the object. Default=2.0.
A value of 0 will make all the vectors the same size. A value greater than 0 will
make them get smaller as they get farther away from the object surface. A
value less then 0 will make them get larger as they get farther away.
Parallel/Perpendicular Sets whether the force generated by the vectors works
parallel or perpendicular to the vector field. Default=Perpendicular.
Because the vectors are perpendicular to the object surface, and you typically
would want delegates to travel parallel to the surface, you would normally
use a perpendicular force.

5624 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Pull Adjusts objects' position relative to the field. Available only when
Perpendicular is chosen. Default=0.0. Range=-1.0 to 1.0.
Objects moving perpendicular to a vector field sometimes tend to drift away
from it, due to lack of subsampling. The Pull parameter helps to pull objects
back. Pull values greater than 0 create a pulling force towards the source of
the vector field vector. Values less than 0 pull the force towards the direction
in which the vector field's vector is pointing. A value of 0.0 produces a force
perfectly perpendicular to the vector field's vector.

Compute Vectors group

Vector Field Object Lets you designate the obstacle object. Click this button,
and then select the object around which the vector field is to be generated.
Thereafter the object's name appears on the button (which is intially labeled
“None”).
NOTE You can only use primitives and unmodified editable mesh objects as
obstacles. Also, the object should be fully enclosed in the Vector Field lattice.
Range Determines the volume within which vectors are generated. Default=1.0.
The range is represented in viewports as an olive-colored wireframe that starts
out the same size and shape as the obstacle object. Increasing the Range setting
moves the wireframe away from the obstacle object in the direction of its
surface normals.
In crowd simulations, the Range outline is where the delegates start to "see"
the obstacle object, and begin to turn to avoid it. If your crowd members are
penetrating the obstacle, or even just coming too close to it before turning,
increase the Range setting. Also try increasing the Vector Field lattice resolution
and/or the Sample Res setting.

Crowd Animation | 5625

Sample Res(olution) Acts as a multiplier of the effective sampling rate used
on the obstacle object's surface to calculate vector directions in the field.
Default=1.
The basic sampling rate is determined by 3ds Max from the size of the lattice
and the size of each polygon.
Use Flipped Faces Causes flipped normals to be used during the computation
of the vector field. Default=off.
By default, vectors are generated in the same direction as the obstacle object's
face normals, so that assuming these face normals point outward, objects
move around its exterior in a crowd simulation. However, if you want objects
to remain within an object's interior, turn on Use Flipped Faces.
TIP If you run a crowd simulation inside an object that is also being viewed from
the inside, such as a room, you'll probably want the object's faces to point inward.
In that case, use Editable Mesh/Edit Mesh ➤ Surface Properties to flip the normals,
and don't turn on Use Flipped Faces.
Compute Calculates the vector field.
Always recalculate the vector field after changing any parameters except those
in the Force group.

Blend Vectors group

Use the Blend Vectors parameters to reduce abrupt changes in the angles of
neighboring vectors. For example, if you have a wavy surface, you might get
wavy vectors very far out from the surface, which could adversely affect the
simulation. Use Blend Vectors to correct this condition.
Start Dist The distance from the object at which you want to start blending
the vectors. Default=0.0.
Falloff The falloff of the blend of the surrounding vectors. Default=2.0.

5626 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Blend segs X The number of adjacent lattice points to blend on the X-axis.
Default=1.
Blend segs Y The number of adjacent lattice points to blend on the Y-axis.
Default=1.
Blend segs Z The number of adjacent lattice points to blend on the Z-axis.
Default=1.
Blend Click this button to implement the blending.

Motion Synthesis
The Crowd system in character studio can use two different types of motion
synthesis, which lets character studio adjust the simulation results dynamically
to account for differing conditions. This section deals with the application of
motion synthesis to non-bipedal crowds, such as a flock of birds.
For information on using motion synthesis with bipeds, see Biped Crowds on
page 5489.

Synthesis Dialog
Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose a GlobalClip object. ➤ Select the object in the
list. ➤ Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog
Open Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global
Clip Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog
The Synthesis dialog is where you set up motion synthesis for non-bipedal
crowd members. It uses three panels to split up the workflow. On the Motion
Clips panel, you specify the global object from which the motion clips are to
be derived; you also set up the motion clips here. Controls on the State panel
let you set up states and link clips to states. The Synthesis panel controls let
you blend clips and synthesize the motion for some or all crowd members.
Usage of the Synthesis dialog is closely associated with usage of the ClipState
dialog. For a procedure that combines both, see To use Motion Synthesis with
non-bipedal creatures: on page 5503.

Crowd Animation | 5627

See also:
■

ClipState Dialog on page 5639

Motion Clips Panel
Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose a GlobalClip object. ➤ Select the object in the
list. ➤ Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel
Open Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global
Clip Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel
On the Motion Clips panel, you specify the global object from which the
motion clips are to be derived. You also set up the motion clips here.
See also:
■

Synthesis Dialog on page 5627

■

State Panel on page 5631

■

Synthesis Panel on page 5634

5628 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Global Object Click Global Object and pick the object that contains the
animation (all the clips) in the Select Global Objects To Copy dialog.

Global Motion Clips group
List Window The list of motion clips. The clips that you create appear in this
list.

Crowd Animation | 5629

Edit Window Rename or change the color for the selected motion clip.

From Global Object group
Create State Create a new state with parameters specific to the motion clip,
such as speed, heading, acceleration, and so on.
character studio evaluates the motion and orientation of the object and creates
a new state with parameters set accordingly.
Remove Local X, Y, Z, Orientation Turn on any or all of these options to
strip out transformation and orientation data from the motion clip.
The idea is to animate the global object with full lateral motion. character
studio then creates states based on the actual motion of the global object.
After the states are created, the animation is stripped from the object. When
delegates linked to clones of the global object come close to the actual motion
recorded in the state, then the appropriate state is used to trigger the motion
clip.
This technique is used to minimize sliding feet. If you animate a creature with
many legs, you should animate lateral motion as well a leg motion. Then you
create clips that record and then strip out the lateral motion that you created.
When the delegate approaches the speed and direction you created originally
on the global object, then the leg motion clip will be activated by the state;
leg motion will be accurate relative to speed, preventing sliding feet.
New Lets you set up a new motion clip. Displays the MotionClip Parameters
dialog on page 5637 where you can specify the name and duration of the clip.
This selects all active controllers.
Modify Lets you modify a motion clip's parameters. Highlight the clip to
modify, and then click Modify. Displays the MotionClip Parameters dialog
on page 5637, where you can specify the name and duration of the clip.
Also, if you've changed the animation on the Global Object, you can re-apply
it to a clip simply by clicking Modify and then clicking OK to close the dialog.
The change will affect all the objects being synthesized.
Copy to Object The keys from the highlighted motion clip are copied back
to the Global Object. Deletes any existing animation keys in that part of the
Global Object's animation.
You can use this function in several ways. First, if you've changed the
animation on the Global Object, you can restore it from a stored motion clip
with Copy To Object. Also, if you've edited the clip in Track View (Global
Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Motion Clip:: ...), you can apply it to the
Global Object with Copy To Object.

5630 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

From Track View group
New Lets you create a motion clip from an animation track in Track View.
Specify a track in the Track View Pick dialog on page 5638. The MotionClip
Parameters dialog on page 5637 displays upon exiting the Track View Pick dialog.
Modify Lets you modify a motion clip in the list by changing the Track View
track from which it's derived, as well as the name and duration.
Specify a track in the Track View Pick dialog on page 5638. The MotionClip
Parameters dialog on page 5637 displays upon exiting the Track View Pick dialog.
Add Selected Creates a motion clip from only the selected tracks in Track
View.

_____
Delete Deletes the highlighted clip in the list.
Load Loads a motion clip file (.clp). Displays the Load Motion Clip dialog.
Use the Save command to create a .clp file.
Save Saves a motion clip into a .clp file. Displays the Save Motion Clip dialog.

_____
OK Accepts changes and closes the dialog.

State Panel
Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose a GlobalClip object. ➤ Select the object in the
list. ➤ Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel
Open Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global
Clip Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel
Controls on the State panel let you set up states for non-bipedal motion
synthesis and link motion clips to states.
See also:
■

Synthesis Dialog on page 5627

■

Motion Clips Panel on page 5628

Crowd Animation | 5631

■

Synthesis Panel on page 5634

Interface

Synthesis States drop-down list Displays the current state. Choose a state to
modify from the list. You can change the state name by editing the text in
the list window.
New State Creates a new state and adds it to the list.

5632 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

The default name is “ClipState,” optionally followed by a number. You can
change the state name by editing the text in the window.
Delete State Deletes the current state. This is undoable.
Edit Properties Lets you modify the current state. Displays the ClipState dialog
on page 5639 for the current state.
Clear Properties Returns the state to the default settings and removes clips
from the MotionClips window.

MotionClips group
MotionClips window Displays motion clips used by the current state.
Use Add Clip to associate clips with the state. If you assign more than one
clip to a state, character studio picks the clips randomly during synthesis based
on their respective weights.
MotionClip Weight Determines the chance that a clip will be chosen during
synthesis. Range=0 to 1000.
Highlight the clip in the list, and then set its weight. A higher weight means
that a clip is more likely to be chosen.
Add Clip Displays the Select MotionClip dialog. Highlight a clip and click
OK to add a clip to the current state.
Remove Clip Removes the highlighted clip from the current state.

_____
Precedence Sets the precedence for the current state. Range=0 to 1000.
If multiple states qualify for activation based on their properties, character
studio uses the clip associated with the one with the higher precedence first.
If more than one state has the same precedence, then the one with the greater
weight is played first.
Weight Specifies a weight value for a state.
If two states have the same precedence, the state with a greater weight will be
give higher priority considered during random selection.
Animation Start Percent Specifies where in the clip's animation you want it
to start playing when the state is active.
At the default value of 0, the animation will start once the state is active. If
the value is 66, the animation will start playing two-thirds of the way in once
the state becomes active. You can also randomize where the animation starts
by specifying a Animation Start Deviation value other than 0.

Crowd Animation | 5633

Animation Start Deviation You can randomize where the animation starts
by specifying a Animation Start Deviation value other than 0. Range=0.0 to
1.0.
State Active Percent Specifies the percentage of time the state needs to be
valid over its interval in order for it to be selected. Range=0 to 100. Default=50.
Clip Select Seed Changes how the random selections occur.
If the value stays the same, you are guaranteed to get the same random
selections for that state.

_____
OK Accepts changes and closes the dialog.

Synthesis Panel
Select a Crowd object. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose a GlobalClip object. ➤ Select the object in the
list. ➤ Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Synthesis panel
Open Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global
Clip Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Synthesis panel
Controls in the Synthesis panel are for adding objects to be synthesized,
selecting blend transition points, and performing the synthesis. When you
synthesize, different sequences of motion clips are applied to each specified
object based on the behavioral motion of its delegate.
See also:
■

Synthesis Dialog on page 5627

■

Motion Clips Panel on page 5628

■

State Panel on page 5631

5634 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Master Motion Clips list Displays the objects to which the synthesized motion
will be applied.
You can highlight any of these by clicking them, and select multiple items
with Ctrl+click and Shift+click. Highlight all objects with the Select All button.
New Master Motion Clip Displays the Select Object To Copy dialog. Use this
to specify the objects to which the synthesized motion will be applied.

Crowd Animation | 5635

These objects must all be structurally identical to the Global Object. In effect,
they should be clones.
Remove Animation Strips the animation from the clones.
After making clones of the original animated object, you can strip the
animation from the clones. During synthesis, motion is applied based on
which state is active.
Collapse Selected Collapses motion clips to keys on the highlighted objects.
This deletes the Master Motion Clip for that object. You can then edit keys
and make changes to the animation manually in the scene.
Synthesize Selected Analyzes the motion of the delegates linked to the
highlighted objects in the Master Motion Clips list, determines which state
definitions fit that motion throughout the animation, and applies the
corresponding motion clips.
Select All Selects all of the objects in the Master Motion Clips list.
Synthesize All Analyzes the motion of the delegates linked to all objects in
the Master Motion Clips list, determines which state definitions fit that motion
throughout the animation, and applies the corresponding motion clips.
A progress bar displays during synthesis. When synthesis is completed, the
Synthesis dialog reappears, and you can view the calculated minimum,
maximum, and average values of delegate motion for the different state
properties in the ClipState dialog. You can use these values to fine-tune the
state properties.
State Select Seed Sets a seed value for random state selection.
During synthesis, it's possible that several states qualify for activation at the
same time, in which case one state is chosen at random. The seed is used to
modify the random value selected when determining which state to select.

Synthesis Blend Parameters group
During synthesis, clips aren't sequenced from end to end; instead, they partially
overlap, with key blending or averaging occuring during the overlap intervals.
This allows for smooth transitions between clips. During the blending or
overlap period, weighting gradually shifts between the “from” and “to” clips,
so the former's keys predominate at the beginning of the blend, and the latter's
at the end.
You can specify explicitly how blending occurs between clips, or you can let
character studio calculate blending parameters automatically. To specify
blending, use the drop-down lists to choose a pair of clips to blend between,
and then set Blend Start to the frame in the “from” clip at which blending

5636 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

should begin. Alternatively, use Auto Blend or Auto Blend All to have character
studio determine the best blend points.
If you use Auto Blend, you can then see the calculated blend start point for
each pair of clips by choosing the clips from the drop-down lists.
From Clip list Lets you select the starting clip to blend; the clip to blend from.
To Clip list Lets you select the ending clip to blend; the clip to blend to.
Blend Start Displays the frame in the From clip at which the transition is to
begin, whether the default, calculated, or set manually, and lets you change
the start frame.
Auto Blend Automatically sets the Blend Start frame for the current From and
To clips.
Auto Blend All Automatically sets the Blend Start frames for all possible pairs
of clips.
OK Accepts changes and closes the dialog.

MotionClip Parameters Dialog
Open Track View. ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global
Clip Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel ➤
Click New (in the From Global Object group). ➤ Motion Clip Parameters
dialog

Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose a GlobalClip object. ➤ Select the object in the
list. ➤ Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel ➤ Click New (in
the From Global Object group). ➤ Motion Clip Parameters dialog
When setting up a crowd simulation with non-bipedal characters using motion
synthesis, use this dialog, accessed from the Synthesis Dialog on page 5627, to
define motion clips from the Global Object's animation.
Enter a clip name, frame range, and color using controls in the MotionClip
Parameters dialog. character studio determines which clips to trigger by states
that you define on the State panel on page 5631.

Crowd Animation | 5637

Interface

Name Enter a name for the new motion clip.
Start Specifies the first frame of the animation clip from the Global Object.
End Specifies the last frame of the animation clip from the Global Object.
Color Click the color swatch and choose a color in the color picker. This color
is used in Track View when displaying the clip.

Track View Pick Dialog
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose a GlobalClip object. ➤ Select the object in the
list. ➤ Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel ➤ Track View group
➤ New ➤ Track View Pick dialog
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel ➤ Track
View group ➤ New ➤ Track View Pick dialog
Open the hierarchy and pick a track to use in the motion clip.

5638 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

ClipState Dialog
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog
In character studio, in crowd animation with non-bipedal motion synthesis,
a state is a particular property or set of properties of a delegate's animation;
for example, the period during which it is pitched upwards and is decelerating.
After determining the delegate's state, the motion synthesis engine chooses
a motion clip for animating the object, or character, linked to the delegate;
for example, a bird. When preparing a simulation that uses motion synthesis,

Crowd Animation | 5639

you use the ClipState dialog to define states and associate states with motion
clips.
You can define a state with any combination of these properties: speed,
acceleration, pitch, pitch velocity, and heading velocity (plus a script). For
each active property, you can specify a range or a unique value that triggers
the clip for its respective state.
When you use a range, be sure to set the Min setting lower than the Max
setting. For example, when using a negative range such as –180 to –10, enter
the number with the larger absolute value (–180) as the Min setting.
You can see the delegates' actual ranges and average values for all properties
after synthesizing on page 5636 the clips.
The dialog has several panels, described in the topics that follow.
NOTE The dialog contains more tabs than can fit across its top. To see additional
tabs, click the left or right arrow button near the upper-right corner of the dialog.
You can enable and disable each state property individually. For example, you
can tell the motion synthesis to consider only speed and pitch when analyzing
delegate motion. For each of a state's active properties, you can designate a
range of values between which a state can be activated.
Alternatively, you can specify a single, unique motion value to be used when
a state is active, such as a speed of 50 units per frame. In addition, you specify
the In and Out values of the parameter as it approaches and then passes
through that unique value. These values are analogous to the tangents of a
curve. For each, you can pick Anything, Decreasing, Increasing, or Constant.
For example, an animation of an object that has just landed after flying might
have a Unique speed value of 0.0 (the object isn't moving laterally), a
decreasing In value (the object decelerated before landing) and a constant Out
value (the object remains stationary). Taking off, on the other hand, would
have an increasing Out value.
If you don't specify state parameters, the state is a default state. For example,
if you want the motion synthesis engine to choose random motion clips for
an object, and you don’t care about what the speed or pitch is, you create
default states, and the synthesis engine will randomly pick which clip is active.

5640 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

TIP When setting up states, it's useful to know the extents of state property values
for delegate motion in the scene, such as maximum and minimum speed. To
determine these, set up the clips and states you want to use, set the ranges to any
values, and then synthesize (see the procedure below). After you synthesize, the
different property panels of the ClipState dialog will show the actual ranges and
average values of delegate motion. These values are saved with the scene.
NOTE The default name of this dialog is "ClipState" because that's the default
name of the first state created on the Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel. It's the
dialog invoked by clicking the Edit Properties button. If you rename the state, the
dialog assumes the changed name.

Automatic State Creation
character studio can create states automatically if you turn on Create State
on the Synthesis dialog ➤ Motion Clips panel. You can use this feature if
you created a creature that contains lateral motion as well as looping motion.
If you turn on all the options in the Motion Clips panel ➤ Remove Local
group, then character studio creates a state that reflects the actual heading,
speed, and acceleration of your creature. When a delegate approaches the
heading and speed contained in this state, it triggers the appropriate motion
clip. This method prevents sliding feet when animating multi-legged creatures.
See also:
■

Synthesis Dialog on page 5627

Speed Panel
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog ➤ Speed Panel
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog ➤ Speed Panel
To have delegate speed considered for motion synthesis, turn on Use Speed,
choose Range or Unique, and then make the appropriate settings.

Crowd Animation | 5641

Speed is measured in units per animation frame, where the unit is the current
3ds Max system unit. By default, this is Generic Units.

Interface

Use Speed Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider delegate
velocity in determining whether to use the clip.

5642 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

_____
Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's speed falls inside the specified range.
Range Display After you synthesize on page 5636 the Master Motion Clips,
displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum speed.
Min Set the minimum speed value for the range.
Max Set the maximum speed value for the range.

_____
Unique Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's speed matches a specific value, optionally with a rising,
falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Value Set a unique speed value.
In/Out These radio buttons let you specify the behavior of the parameter
before and after the unique value is met. For example, with a flying object,
to trigger a landing animation clip you might set the unique value to 0, the
In setting to Decreasing, and the Out setting to Constant. This means that
the object has slowed down and then stopped, and is now stationary.
■

AnythingSpeed before or after the target value is not relevant.

■

DecreasingSpeed decreases before or after it reaches the target value.

■

ConstantSpeed before or after the target value is constant.

■

IncreasingSpeed increases before or after it reaches the target value.

Scale Playback Speed group
These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played depending
upon the speed of the delegate. By default, when Scale Animation is off, the
object animation will always play at its normal rate. If you turn it on, you can
then set a Base Speed, at which the animation should play at its normal rate,
plus a percentage to specify how much the animation rate is modified by the
actual delegate speed.
Scale Animation Scales the clip's animation based on speed.
For example, as a bird increases its velocity, its wings beat more rapidly. Scaling
an animation scales the keys of the animation.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the
difference between the delegate's speed and the Base Speed setting.

Crowd Animation | 5643

The formula used is this:
Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Speed – 1) x Percentage %
For example, if a delegate is moving 50 percent faster than the base speed,
and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled up by
25 percent.
Base Speed Specifies the delegate speed at which the animation should be
played back at its normal rate.

Acceleration Panel
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog ➤ Acceleration Panel
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog ➤ Acceleration Panel
To have delegate acceleration considered for motion synthesis, turn on Use
Acceleration, choose Range or Unique, and then make the appropriate settings.

Interface
Acceleration is measured in units per frame per frame, where the unit is the
current 3ds Max system unit. That is, the acceleration is determined by the
rate at which the speed changes per frame.

5644 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Use Acceleration Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider
delegate acceleration in determining whether to activate the state.

_____
Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's acceleration falls inside the specified range.

Crowd Animation | 5645

Range Display After you synthesize on page 5636 the Master Motion Clips,
displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum acceleration.
Min Set a minimum acceleration value for the range.
Max Set a maximum acceleration value for the range.

_____
Unique Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's acceleration matches a specific value, optionally with a
rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Value Set a unique acceleration value.
In/Out
These radio buttons let you specify the behavior of the parameter before and
after the unique value is met.
Anything Acceleration before or after the target value is not relevant.
Decreasing Acceleration decreases before or after it reaches the target value.
Constant Acceleration before or after the target value is constant.
Increasing Acceleration increases before or after it reaches the target value.

Scale Playback Speed group
These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played,
depending upon the acceleration of the delegate. By default, when Scale
Animation is off, the object animation will always play at its normal rate. If
you turn it on, you can then set a Base Acceleration, at which the animation
should play at its normal rate, plus a percentage to specify how much the
animation rate is modified by the actual delegate acceleration.
Scale Animation Scale the clip's animation based on acceleration.
For example, as a bird accelerates, its wings beat more rapidly. Scaling an
animation scales the keys of the animation.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the
difference between the delegate's acceleration and the Base Acceleration setting.
The formula used is this:
Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Acceleration – 1) x Percentage
%

5646 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

For example, if a delegate is accelerating 50 percent faster than the base
acceleration, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is
scaled up by 25 percent.
Base Acceleration Specifies the delegate acceleration at which the animation
should be played back at its normal rate.

Pitch Panel
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog ➤ Pitch Panel
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog ➤ Pitch Panel
To have delegate pitch considered for motion synthesis, turn on Use Pitch,
choose Range or Unique, and then make the appropriate settings.
Pitch is determined by the angle in degrees of the delegate about the world
X-axis. In world coordinates, the delegate's pitch is positive when it's aimed
upward, negative when it's aimed downward, and 0 when it's aimed parallel
to the home grid.

Crowd Animation | 5647

Interface

Use Pitch Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider delegate
pitch in determining whether to activate the state.

5648 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

_____
Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's pitch falls inside the specified range.
Range Display After you synthesize on page 5636 the Master Motion Clips,
displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum pitch.
Min Set a minimum pitch for the range.
Max Set a maximum pitch for the range.

_____
Unique Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's pitch matches a specific value, optionally with a rising,
falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Value Set a unique pitch value
In/Out These radio buttons let you specify the behavior of the parameter
before and after the unique value is met.
■

AnythingPitch before or after the target value is not relevant.

■

DecreasingPitch decreases before or after it reaches the target value.

■

ConstantPitch before or after the target value is constant.

■

IncreasingPitch increases before or after it reaches the target value.

Scale Pitch Orientation group
These settings let you scale the pitch at which the animation is played,
depending upon the pitch of the delegate. By default, when Scale Pitch is off,
the animated object will pitch normally. If you turn it on, you can then set a
Base Pitch at which the animation should play, plus a percentage to specify
how much the Base Pitch is modified by the actual delegate pitch. If the
Percentage is 100, then only the Base Pitch will be used; anything else will
scale between the base pitch and the delegate pitch. This is useful for when
birds and other objects elevate, but don’t pitch up.
Scale Animation Scales the clip's pitch based on delegate pitch.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the pitch based upon the difference
between the delegate's pitch and the Base Pitch setting.
The formula used is this:
Pitch change % = (current pitch/Base Pitch – 1) x Percentage %

Crowd Animation | 5649

Base Pitch Specifies the delegate pitch at which the animation should be
played back at its normal rate.

Scale Playback Speed group
These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played,
depending upon the pitch of the delegate. By default, when Scale Animation
is off, the object animation will always play at its normal rate. If you turn it
on, you can then set a Base Pitch, at which the animation should play at its
normal rate, plus a percentage to specify how much the animation rate is
modified by the actual delegate pitch.
Scale Animation Scales the clip's animation based on pitch.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the
difference between the delegate's pitch and the Base Pitch setting.
The formula used is this:
Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Pitch – 1) x Percentage %
For example, if a delegate's pitch velocity is 50 percent above its base pitch
rate, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled
up by 25 percent.
Base Pitch Specifies the delegate pitch at which the animation should be
played back at its normal rate.

Pitch Velocity Panel
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog ➤ Pitch Velocity Panel
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog ➤ Pitch Velocity Panel
To have delegate pitch velocity considered for motion synthesis, turn on Use
Pitch Velocity, choose Range or Unique, and then make the appropriate
settings.

5650 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Pitch velocity is determined by the rate of change in degrees per frame of the
angle of the delegate about the world X-axis. In other words, pitch velocity
measures how fast the delegate is changing its pitch on page 5647.

Interface

Crowd Animation | 5651

Use Pitch Velocity Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider
pitch velocity in determining whether to activate the state.

_____
Range The motion synthesis engine activates the clip when the delegate's
pitch velocity falls inside the specified range.
Range Display After you synthesize on page 5636 the Master Motion Clips,
displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum pitch velocity.
Min Set a minimum pitch velocity for the range.
Max Set a maximum pitch velocity for the range.

_____
Unique Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's pitch velocity matches a specific value, optionally with
a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Value Set a unique pitch velocity value.
In/Out These radio buttons let you specify the behavior of the parameter
before and after the unique value is met.
■

AnythingPitch velocity before or after the target value is not relevant.

■

DecreasingPitch velocity decreases before or after it reaches the target value.

■

ConstantPitch velocity before or after the target value is constant.

■

IncreasingPitch velocity increases before or after it reaches the target value.

Scale Playback Speed group
These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played,
depending upon the pitch velocity of the delegate. By default, when Scale
Animation is off, the object animation will always play at its normal rate. If
you turn it on, you can then set a Base Pitch Rate, at which the animation
should play at its normal rate, plus a percentage to specify how much the
animation rate is modified by the actual delegate pitch velocity.
Scale Animation Scales the clip's animation based on pitch velocity.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the
difference between the delegate's pitch velocity and the Base Pitch Rate setting.
The formula used is this:

5652 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Pitch Rate – 1) x Percentage
%
For example, if a delegate's pitch velocity is 50 percent above its base heading
rate, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled
up by 25 percent.
Base Pitch Rate Specifies the delegate pitch velocity at which the animation
should be played back at its normal rate.

Heading Velocity Panel
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog ➤ Heading Velocity Panel
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog ➤ Heading Velocity Panel
To have delegate heading velocity considered for motion synthesis, turn on
Use Heading Velocity, choose Range or Unique, and then make the appropriate
settings.
Heading velocity is determined by the rate of change in degrees per frame of
the angle of the delegate about the world Z-axis. In other words, heading
velocity measures how fast the delegate is changing its heading.

Crowd Animation | 5653

Interface

Use Heading Velocity Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider
heading velocity in determining whether to activate the state.

5654 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

_____
Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's heading velocity falls inside the specified range.
Range Display After you synthesize on page 5636 the Master Motion Clips,
displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum heading velocity.
Min Set a minimum heading rate value for the range.
Max Set a maximum heading rate value for the range.

_____
Unique Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip
when the delegate's heading rate matches a specific value, optionally with a
rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Value Set a unique heading rate value.
In/Out These radio buttons let you specify the behavior of the parameter
before and after the unique value is met.
■

AnythingHeading velocity before or after the target value is not relevant.

■

DecreasingHeading velocity decreases before or after it reaches the target
value.

■

ConstantHeading velocity before or after the target value is constant.

■

IncreasingHeading velocity increases before or after it reaches the target
value.

Scale Playback Speed group
These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played,
depending upon the heading velocity of the delegate. By default, when Scale
Animation is off, the object animation will always play at its normal rate. If
you turn it on, you can then set a Base Heading Rate, at which the animation
should play at its normal rate, plus a percentage to specify how much the
animation rate is modified by the actual delegate heading velocity.
Scale Animation Scales the clip's animation based on heading velocity.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the
difference between the delegate's heading velocity and the Base Heading Rate
setting.
The formula used is this:

Crowd Animation | 5655

Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Heading Rate – 1) x
Percentage %
For example, if a delegate's heading velocity is 50 percent above its base
heading rate, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is
scaled up by 25 percent.
Base Heading Rate Specifies the delegate heading velocity at which the
animation should be played back at its normal rate.

Script Panel
Select a Crowd helper. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Global Clip Controllers
rollout ➤ New ➤ Choose GlobalClip object. ➤ Select object in list. ➤
Edit ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤ Edit Properties ➤
Clip State dialog ➤ Script Panel
Track View ➤ Hierarchy ➤ Global Tracks ➤ Block Control ➤ Global Clip
Properties (right-click) ➤ Synthesis dialog ➤ State panel ➤ New State ➤
Edit Properties ➤ ClipState dialog ➤ Script Panel
The script state option lets you create a MAXScript script that takes two
parameters: node and time. The script typically tests one or more values, and
then returns 1 if the condition (the result of the test) is true or 0 if it’s false.
This result determines whether or not the state is to be activated.
Scripts used by the clip controller are similar to those used by the cognitive
controller on page 5554, with the exception that a special time-related statement
is required.
In the following sample script, "del" is the delegate's node, and "t" is the time.
The name of the scripted function, "stoppedScript," would also need to be
entered into the name field in the Script panel of the ClipState dialog. Unlike
cognitive controller scripts, the statement "at time t" needs to be invoked
because the animation is not running when the synthesis takes place.
fn stoppedScript del t = (
at time t
if del.pos.z < 65 then 1 else 0
)

5656 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Interface

Use Script Turn this on to use a MAXScript script to control a clip.
Script Enter the name of the function defined by the script, also found at the
start of the script.

Crowd Animation | 5657

Edit Script Opens a MAXScript editor window that lets you edit the script.

character studio File Formats and Index of character
studio Procedures
There are two topics in this section: a summary of the file formats used by
character studio, and an index to the procedures in the character studio,
topics.

character studio File Formats
character studio uses several proprietary file formats for various functions.
BIP Motion file. Includes biped motion and the size of the original biped so
motion can be accurately loaded to other bipeds. Can be loaded directly onto
a biped, or used to combine motions with Motion Flow or the Motion Mixer.
See Loading and Saving BIP Animation on page 4978.
FIG Figure file. Contains the sizes and poses of each biped body part, and
overall biped size. Use this file to save and load a biped pose in Figure mode.
See Saving and Loading FIG Files on page 4851.
CPY Copy file. Contains postures, poses and tracks you have copied with the
Copy/Paste rollout. See Copying and Pasting Postures and Poses on page 4958
and Copying and Pasting Tracks on page 4989.
MFE Motion Flow Graph file. Contains the motion flow graph, and a motion
flow script if one was present for the biped upon saving. See Saving, Loading,
and Appending Motion Flow Graphs on page 5208.
MIX Motion Mixer file. Contains clip data, tracks and trackgroups, transitions
between clips, track/clip weights, and scale, trim and time warp information
for edited clips. See Exporting Animation to the Biped on page 4080.
PHY Physique file. Contains information on envelope sizes and vertex weights
set up with the Physique modifier. See Saving and Loading Physique Data on
page 5346.
STP Step file. Contains footstep data. See Loading and Saving STP Files on
page 4986.
BVH, CSM, MNM These file formats contain motion-capture data. They are
not specific to character studio. See BVH File on page 9114, CSM File on page
9128, or MNM File on page 9224 in the glossary.

5658 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Index of character studio Procedures
These procedures appear elsewhere in this User Reference, in their associated
topics. Here, they are organized by feature.

Biped and Physique
Creating a Biped
To delete a biped: on page 4847
To change the biped name upon creation: on page 4829
To change the biped name after creation: on page 4829
To create a Named Selection for the biped center of mass: on page 4829

Loading and Viewing Motion
To save animation you have created or imported to a BIP file: on page 4979
To load biped motion from an existing BIP file: on page 4979
To preview biped motion using the Biped playback stick figure: on page 4996
To preview biped motion using the full biped model, do one of the following:
on page 4996

Animating the Biped with Freeform
To use pivots: on page 4953
To make a hand or foot follow an object: on page 4955
To anchor a hand or foot: on page 4957

Animating the Biped with Footsteps
To create footsteps automatically: on page 4864
To create multiple footsteps: on page 5121
To create footsteps beginning at the current frame: on page 4867
To make the biped walk up or down stairs: on page 5128
To make the biped walk in place: on page 5129
To make the biped walk backward: on page 5129
To prepare for manual footstep creation: on page 4867

character studio File Formats and Index of character studio Procedures | 5659

To create footsteps manually, beginning at the current frame: on page 5121
To append footsteps onto the existing footsteps: on page 5122
To create footsteps using AutoGrid: on page 4869
To make the biped speed up as it walks: on page 5129
To activate footsteps: on page 4870
To deactivate footsteps: on page 4873

Editing Footsteps
To save footstep data: on page 4987
To move selected footsteps in time: on page 4880
To change the duration of a footstep: on page 4880
To scale keys in time: on page 4880
To prevent keys from changing when active footsteps are edited: on page 4882
To turn off Scale Stride mode: on page 4981
To display footstep tracks: on page 4917
To display footstep keys in Track View: on page 4880
To change the display of numbers of footstep keys: on page 4880
To convert an airborne period to freeform mode: on page 4905
To convert between footsteps and freeform animation: on page 4909
To create a purely freeform animation: on page 4912
To create a freefrom animation from a footstep animation: on page 4913
To save footstep data: on page 4987
To copy footsteps to the buffer: on page 4883
To edit the footstep buffer: on page 4883
To splice the footstep buffer: on page 4884

Editing Biped Keys
To use In Place mode to adjust keyframes: on page 4998
To set the balance factor: on page 4894
To set ballistic tension: on page 4901

5660 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To set the IK Blend value of a key: on page 4939
To locate vertical center of mass keys: on page 4901
To set a Body Vertical key: on page 4901
To change TCB for a biped arm: on page 4925
To select and rotate multiple links: on page 4927
To rotate all links in the spine, neck, or tail: on page 4928
To change Dynamics Blend for multiple Body Vertical keys: on page 4902
To bend a biped trajectory: on page 4970
To edit keys on the Center of Mass trajectory: on page 4970
To edit biped trajectory keys in a viewport: on page 5000
To use In Place mode to adjust keyframes: on page 4998

Motion-Capture Data
To import a motion-capture file: on page 5277
To import a marker file: on page 5269
To use Fit To Existing to import a motion-capture file: on page 5284
To use Convert From Buffer: on page 5275
To compare raw and filtered trajectories: on page 5276
To use Show Buffer: on page 5276

Motion Flow
To create clips in the Motion Flow Graph: on page 5197
To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph: on page 5198
To create transitions using the From > To or To < From method: on page 5200
To create transitions using Create All Transitions: on page 5201
To optimize transitions in the Motion Flow Graph: on page 5202
To create a Motion Flow script: on page 5205
To save Motion Flow Editor files: on page 5208
To load Motion Flow Editor files: on page 5210
To append Motion Flow Editor files: on page 5211

character studio File Formats and Index of character studio Procedures | 5661

To manually customize transitions between two clips: on page 5213
To automatically customize transitions between two clips: on page 5214
To create a random script for one biped: on page 5218
To customize transition “weighting” and setting a start clip: on page 5216
Example: To create a unified motion: on page 5221
Example: To share a random motion flow among multiple bipeds: on page
5224
To apply a shared motion flow to a different group of bipeds: on page 5229
To load a Motion Flow scene from another system: on page 5231

Posing the Biped
To link a mechanical character to the biped (without Physique): on page 4850
To fit biped legs to the skin: on page 4837
To fit the spine to the skin torso: on page 4838
To fit both arms using copy/paste: on page 4839
To pose both arms simultaneously: on page 4840
To create a symmetrical pose by copying one side of the biped to the other:
on page 4840
To copy a posture: on page 4962
To paste the posture: on page 4962
To copy a track from one biped to another: on page 4991
To copy the entire pose of a biped: on page 4963
To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique: on page 5364

Applying Physique
To attach a mesh to a biped using Physique: on page 5363
To adjust the default envelope shape: on page 5325
To adjust envelopes around the biped’s pelvis: on page 5326
To add a bone after you've already used Attach To Node: on page 5365
To troubleshoot bulges and tendons: on page 5368
To select and edit cross sections: on page 5327

5662 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To copy an envelope and its settings to a mirrored link (for example, from
one thigh to the other): on page 5328
To copy all Bulge angles from one link to its opposite: on page 5434
To use Select Nearest Bulge Angle: on page 5436
To remove a link's influence on vertices: on page 5448
To check vertex assignments: on page 5448
To remove deformable vertices from a link's influence: on page 5448
To override vertex assignments manually: on page 5449
To make vertices rigid: on page 5450
To have a spline influence a mesh: on page 5371
To apply Physique to an FFD to animate the entire mesh: on page 5361
To use an FFD to complement the effects of Physique on a portion of a
character mesh: on page 5361
To make compressible bones (bones with end effectors): on page 5310
To add a bone after Physique is applied using Reinitialize: on page 5311
To add a bone after Physique is applied using Add (Add Bone): on page 5312
To optimize skin objects: on page 5351
To reinitialize a scaled mesh: on page 5352

Bulges
To create a new bulge angle using the Bulge Editor: on page 5380
To create a new bulge angle on a selected link: on page 5433
To add a cross section: on page 5382
To change the shape of a cross section: on page 5384
To make a cross section the active cross section: on page 5383
To choose a specific bulge angle for editing: on page 5381
To change a bulge angle value: on page 5381
To select multiple cross sections: on page 5383
To move cross sections along the link: on page 5383
To copy and paste cross sections: on page 5384

character studio File Formats and Index of character studio Procedures | 5663

To change the Profile view orientation: on page 5384
To delete a bulge angle: on page 5382
To delete a cross section: on page 5382

Links and Tendons
To adjust joint intersection parameters: on page 5429
To create and attach a tendon: on page 5344
To attach a tendon to another link: on page 5345
To delete a tendon: on page 5346

Saving and Reusing Physique Information
To save Physique data: on page 5366
To load Physique data: on page 5366
To merge a skinned biped: on page 4982
To clone a skinned biped: on page 4985

Figure Mode
To work in Figure mode: on page 4836
To adjust the biped center of mass with Rubber Band: on page 4845
To rubber band an arm or leg link: on page 4845
To scale a Biped and a Physique Mesh: on page 5108
To save a biped's figure information to a file: on page 4852
To load a biped figure: on page 4852

Layers
To increment all keys using layers (global offset): on page 4967
To increment an interval of keys with an envelope (blended offset): on page
4967
To increment an interval of keys without an envelope (nonblended offset):
on page 4968
To use layers to reposition a biped with freeform animation: on page 4994

5664 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Props
Example: To animate a biped swinging a prop with one hand: on page 4935
Example: To animate the biped switching the prop to the other hand: on page
4936
To collapse the transforms of a prop: on page 4936

Controllers and Biped
To add a controller to a biped object: on page 4930
To collapse a controller: on page 4931
To add controllers to multiple biped parts at the same time: on page 4931
To animate the weights of an added controller: on page 4932

Miscellaneous
To load a file created with different system units: on page 5349
To hide the finger, toe, and head dummy objects: on page 4984
To change biped display: on page 4847
To select from the screen: on page 4916
To reposition a freeform animation (with no IK attachment) or a footstep
animation: on page 4992
To reposition a biped with limbs attached to an Object Space object (IK
attachment): on page 4992
To reposition a biped with limbs attached to world space (IK attachment): on
page 4993
To reposition a biped animated with a motion flow script: on page 4994
To scale a biped that has a mesh attached to it by using Physique: on page 5352
Facial Animation on page 5353
To isolate lip vertices from influence by inappropriate links: on page 5359

Crowd System
Crowd and Delegate Helpers
To create a Crowd helper object: on page 5465
To create a Delegate helper object: on page 5465

character studio File Formats and Index of character studio Procedures | 5665

To clone and scatter delegates: on page 5465
To link objects to delegates: on page 5484
To associate bipeds with delegates: on page 5485
To edit multiple delegates: on page 5536
To group delegates into a team: on page 5542

Behaviors
To create a new behavior assignment: on page 5543
Example: To use assign behaviors to delegates: on page 5471
To modify an existing behavior assignment or assignments: on page 5544
To use the Avoid behavior: on page 5476
To use the Orientation behavior: on page 5481
To use the Path Follow behavior: on page 5474
To use the Repel behavior: on page 5478
To use the Seek behavior: on page 5473
To add a Vector Field space warp: on page 5478
To use a Vector Field space warp with delegates: on page 5479
To use the Speed Vary behavior: on page 5481
To use the Surface Arrive behavior: on page 5474
To use the Surface Follow behavior: on page 5475
To use the Wall Repel behavior: on page 5477
To use the Wall Seek behavior: on page 5473
To use the Wander behavior: on page 5602

Solving a Crowd Simulation
To solve a simulation: on page 5482
To speed up the solution time: on page 5482
To troubleshoot the simulation: on page 5483

Cognitive Controllers
To set up and use a cognitive controller: on page 5486

5666 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

Testing a Modifier Parameter
Testing a Particle System Parameter on page 5560
Testing an Atmospheric Property on page 5560
Testing an Object Position
Testing Another Delegate's Behavior on page 5560
Testing the Distance Between Two Objects

Motion Synthesis
To use Motion Synthesis with non-bipedal creatures: on page 5503
Procedures: Using Bipeds in a Crowd Simulation on page 5495

Motion Mixer
General
To access the Motion Mixer from the Motion panel: on page 4042
To display the Motion Mixer in a viewport: on page 4043
To remove the Motion Mixer from a viewport: on page 4043
To add a biped to the Motion Mixer: on page 4047
To add a non-biped object to the Motion Mixer: on page 4047
To see the motions in the Motion Mixer on the biped in the scene: on page
4052

Loading Clips
To import BIP clips from a file: on page 4050
To import clips from the Reservoir: on page 4051
To import clips from a motion flow script: on page 4051
To replace one clip with another: on page 4053
To replace a clip with motion from a biped in the scene: on page 4054
To clone a clip: on page 4054

Clip Timing
To move a clip in time within a track: on page 4052

character studio File Formats and Index of character studio Procedures | 5667

To move all clips horizontally on one track: on page 4053
To move a clip to another track: on page 4053
To change the length of a clip without changing its speed: on page 4061
To change the speed of an entire clip: on page 4062
To prepare to warp a clip's time: on page 4072
To warp a clip's time: on page 4073
To add multiple time warps to a clip: on page 4075

Trackgroups
To add a new trackgroup for the biped: on page 4057
To filter and name a trackgroup: on page 4058
To convert a clip track from one type to another: on page 4046
To add a Transition or Layer track to a trackgroup: on page 4046

Transitions
To create a transition between two clips: on page 4067
To change the focus on a foot-based transition with Biped animation: on page
4068
To adjust a weight curve: on page 4070

Biped Balance
To adjust balance using the balance track: on page 4077
To fine-tune balance compensation on the pelvis and spine: on page 4079

Saving Mixer Data
To perform a mixdown and copy it to the biped: on page 4082
To save Motion Mixer data to a MIX file: on page 4083

Reservoir
To access the Reservoir: on page 4086
To add clips to the Reservoir: on page 4086
To replace a clip in the Reservoir: on page 4087

5668 | Chapter 15 Character Animation

To save an instanced clip to a new clip: on page 4087
To save multiple instanced clips from the Reservoir: on page 4088
To remove clips not used in the Motion Mixer from the Reservoir: on page 4088

Workbench
General
To display a biped body part curve in the Workbench, do one of the following:
on page 5176
To hide or unhide the Tab panel: on page 5176

Workbench Panels
To analyze a curve: on page 5179
To fix an individual error: on page 5184
To fix multiple errors: on page 5185
To remove keys from curves automatically: on page 5185
To filter a track: on page 5189

character studio File Formats and Index of character studio Procedures | 5669

5670

Lights and Cameras

16

Lights and cameras are scene objects that simulate their real-world counterparts.

“Little Village Far, Far Away”
Copyright © 2000 Eni Oken

Lights provide illumination for the geometry of a scene: they can light the scene from
“offstage,” or, with a little extra work, they can appear within the scene itself. Standard lights
are simple and easy to use. Photometric lights are more complex, but provide a physically
accurate model of real-world lighting. The Daylight and Sunlight systems create outdoor

5671

lighting that simulates sunlight based on location and time of day, month and year. You
can animate the time of day to create shadow studies.
Cameras frame the scene, providing a controllable point of view. You can animate camera
movement. Cameras can simulate some aspects of real-world photography, such as
depth-of-field and motion blur.

Lights
Create panel ➤

(Lights)

Create menu ➤ Lights
Lights are objects that simulate real lights such as household or office lamps,
the light instruments used in stage and film work, and the sun itself. Different
kinds of light objects cast light in different ways, emulating different kinds of
real-world light sources.

Airport Lounge
An architectural scene with realistic lighting created by photometric lights
Stephen Jager, JCJ Architecture
Copyright © 2008

5672 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

www.jcj.com

When there are no lights in a scene, the scene is shaded or rendered with
default lighting. You add lights to give the scene a more realistic appearance.
Lighting enhances the clarity and three-dimensionality of a scene. In addition
to general lighting effects, lights can be used to project images. (See Advanced
Effects Rollout on page 5817.)
Light objects replace the default lighting. As soon as you create a light, the
default lighting is turned off. If you delete all the lights in the scene, default
lighting is turned back on. The default lighting consists of two invisible lights:
one is above and to the left of the scene, and the other is below and to the
right.
TIP One way to begin your work on lighting a scene is to convert the default
lighting into light objects by using the command Add Default Lights To Scene on
page 131.
NOTE A scene's lighting is also affected by the Ambient Light setting on the
Environment And Effects dialog ➤ Environment panel on page 7621.

Types of Lights
3ds Max provides two types of lights: photometric and standard. All types are
displayed in viewports as light objects. They share many of the same
parameters, including shadow generators.

Photometric Lights
Photometric lights on page 5707 use photometric on page 9266 (light energy)
values that enable you to more accurately define lights as they would be in
the real world. You can set their distribution, intensity, color temperature,
and other characteristics of real-world lights. You can also import specific
photometric files available from lighting manufacturers to design lighting
based on commercially available lights.
TIP For the most physically accurate, photorealistic lighting, use Photometric lights
and the mental ray renderer on page 7129. When you render with mental ray, use
Final Gather on page 7213 and the mental ray Photographic exposure control on
page 7677. With this setup, you also can do lighting analysis of your model.

Standard Lights
Standard lights on page 5757 are computer-based objects that simulate lights
such as household or office lamps, the light instruments used in stage and

Lights | 5673

film work, and the sun itself. Different kinds of light objects cast light in
different ways, simulating different kinds of light sources. Unlike photometric
lights, Standard lights do not have physically-based intensity values.

A nighttime scene that uses standard lights for atmosphere rather than realism

Tips
■

You can animate not only the location of a light, but also its color, intensity
and some other creation parameters. See Animating Lights on page 5697.

■

You can use the Place Highlight on page 915 command to change a light's
position. See the Procedures in Working with Lights on page 5677.

■

A Light viewport on page 8753 can be a useful way to adjust lights other than
omni lights.

■

To simulate sunlight, use a daylight or sunlight system on page 5852, which
allows you to set the date, time, and geographic location of your model.
The daylight system is photometric, while the sunlight system uses a
standard directional light.
NOTE The standard Skylight on page 5771 light is distinct from the photometric
daylight lights. The Skylight light is for use with light tracing on page 7055.

5674 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Name and Color Rollout (Lights)
Create panel ➤
Color rollout

(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ Name and

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights or Standard Lights ➤ Create

a light. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Name and Color rollout

Create a light. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Name and Color rollout

The Name And Color rollout lets you change the name and geometry color
of a light. Changing the color of the light geometry can be useful when
working with many lights. For example, in a scene with many different types
of lights, you could make all spotlights red, and all omni lights blue to easily
distinguish them.
Changing a light's geometry color has no effect on the color of the light itself.
You can set the color the light emits on its Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout
on page 5738for photometric lights, or the Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout
on page 5790 for standard lights.

Procedures
To change the color of a light’s geometry:

1

Create or

select a light in your scene.

2 On the Name And Color rollout, click the color swatch to open a Color
Selector on page 304.
3 Choose a new color and click OK.
To change the name of a light:

1

Create or

select a light in your scene.

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) | 5675

2 On the Name And Color rollout, click the name field and enter the new
name, then press the Enter key.
The light's name has changed.

Interface

Name The name of the selected light.
NOTE When you rename a target-type light, the target object will be renamed
to match the light.
Color The color of the light’s geometry. This has no effect on the color the
light emits.

Using Lights
These topics provide a general introduction to using lights in 3ds Max.
In general, these are the reasons to use light objects:
■

To improve the illumination of a scene.
The default illumination in viewports might not be bright enough, or it
might not illuminate all faces of a complicated object.

■

To enhance a scene's realism through realistic lighting effects.
Guidelines for Lighting on page 5688 has suggestions about making lighting
appear realistic.

■

To enhance a scene's realism by having lights cast shadows.
All kinds of lights can cast shadows. Also, you can selectively control
whether an object casts or receives shadows. See Shadow Parameters on
page 5808.

■

To cast projections in a scene.
All kinds of lights can project still or animated maps. See the Projector
Map group in the Advanced Effects rollout on page 5817.

■

To help model a source of illumination in the scene, such as a flashlight.

5676 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Light objects don't render, so to model a source of illumination, you also
need to create geometry that corresponds to the light source. Use a
self-illuminating on page 9300 material to make the geometry appear as if
it's emitting light.
■

To create lighting scenes using manufacturers' IES on page 5735, CIBSE on
page 9116, or LTLI on page 9209 files.
You can visualize commercially available lighting in your model by creating
photometric lights on page 5707 based on manufacturer's photometric data
files. By experimenting with different fixtures, and varying the light
intensity and color temperature, you can design a lighting system that
produces the results you want. See Photometric Lights: Web Distribution
on page 5730.

Working with Lights
The procedures in this topic apply to both standard and photometric lights.
Here are some general tips about working with lights:
■

One simple way to light a scene is to convert the default lighting into light
objects by using the command Add Default Lights To Scene on page 131.
NOTE Add Default Lights To Scene works only if you have used the Viewport
Configuration dialog on page 8963 to have the scene use two default lights.

■

You can turn the display of light objects on and off with an option in the
Display panel on page 8805. See the “Procedures” section, below.

■

You can change the renderability of lights in your scene using the
Renderable option on the General panel on page 221 of the Object Properties
dialog.

■

You can change the renderability of a group of lights in your scene using
the Layer Manager on page 8537.
NOTE In order to be turned on/off through the Layer Manager, lights must
have their Render Options set to ByLayer in the General panel on page 221 of
the Object Properties dialog.
TIP To automatically set new lights as renderable ByLayer, turn on New Lights
Renderable By Layer on the General panel on page 8887 of the Preferences dialog.

Using Lights | 5677

■

You can use the Place Highlight on page 915 button to change a light's
position. See the “Procedures” section, below.

■

A Light viewport on page 8753can be a useful way to adjust spotlights in
your scene.

Procedures
To create a light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Photometric or Standard from the drop-down list. (Photometric
is the default.)
3 On the Object Type rollout, click the type of light you want to create.
4 Click a viewport to create the light. This step varies slightly depending
on the type of light. For example, if the light has a target, you drag and
click to set the target’s location.
Light objects replace the default lighting. As soon as you create a light,
the default lighting is turned off. If you delete all lights in the scene, the
default lighting is restored.
5 Set the creation parameters.
Like all objects, lights have a name, a color, and a General Parameters
rollout.
To create shadows, do one of the following:
1 In the General Parameters rollout, make sure On is checked in the
Shadows group. Adjust shadow parameters in the Shadow Parameters
rollout and the additional (Shadow Map on page 5846, Advanced Ray-traced
on page 5828, Area Shadows, on page 5832 or Ray Traced Shadows on page
5844) shadow rollouts.
2 Right-click the light, and turn on Cast Shadows in the Tools 1 (upper-left)
quadrant of the quad menu.
Turning on Cast Shadows also turns on the On toggle in the Shadows
group of the General Parameters rollout, and vice versa.
Shadows are visible only when rendered, either in a full rendering on
page 6955, in a viewport on page 5692, or with ActiveShade on page 7001.

5678 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

TIP To turn shadows on or off for multiple lights, select the lights and then
use the Light Lister on page 5701.
You can set an object to not cast or not receive shadows. By default, objects
do both. See Object Properties on page 221.

To control the display of light objects:

On the
Display panel, on the Hide By Category rollout, turn on
Lights.
All light objects in the scene disappear, but the lighting itself is unchanged.

■

Light objects can cast light whether or not their display is turned off. The
Zoom Extents commands are affected by whether light icons are displayed
or not. When lights are displayed, Zoom Extents on page 8733 and Zoom
Extents All on page 8726 includes the lights in the zoom.
TIP To control whether a light casts light in the scene, you can use its On
toggle, or you can toggle its Renderable property on the light's Object
Properties dialog on page 221.

To change a light's parameters:

1

Select the light.
TIP Lights can be hard to select by clicking. You can use the keyboard shortcut
H to select the light by name.

2 Open the

Modify panel.

3 Change the light's parameters in the General Parameters rollout and other
rollouts available for that light.
To position a light so it highlights a face:
1 Make sure the viewport you plan to render is active, and that the object
you want to highlight is visible in it.

Using Lights | 5679

The result of Place Highlight depends on what is visible in the viewport.

2

Select a light object.

3 On the main toolbar, choose
flyout on page 905.

(Place Highlight) from the Align

You can also choose Tools menu ➤ Place Highlight.
4 Drag over the object to place the highlight.
When you place an omni light on page 5769, free direct light on page 5767,
or a photometric Free Light on page 5712, 3ds Max displays a face normal
for the face the mouse indicates.
When you place a target direct light on page 5764 or photometric Target
Light on page 5709, 3ds Max displays the light’s target and the base of its
cone.
5 Release the mouse when the normal or target display indicates the face
you want to highlight.
The light now has a new position and orientation. You can see the
highlight illumination in shaded viewports that show the face you chose,
and when you render those views.
Place Highlight on page 915 works with any kind of selected object. You
can also use Place Highlight with a selection set of multiple objects. All
objects maintain their initial distance from the face.
NOTE For materials, highlight rendering depends on the material's specular
properties and the type of rendering you use.

Properties of Light
This topic describes light in the real world. When you light a scene, it can be
helpful to know how light naturally behaves.
When light rays strike a surface, the surface reflects them, or at least some of
them, enabling us to see the surface. The appearance of a surface depends on
the light that strikes it combined with the properties of the surface material,
such as color, smoothness, and opacity.

5680 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Materials on page 5982 let you specify the visual properties of surfaces.

Intensity
The intensity of light at its point of origin affects how brightly the light
illuminates an object. A dim light cast on a brightly colored object shows only
dim colors.

Left: A room lit by candles, which are a low-intensity source.
Right: The same room lit by a higher-intensity light bulb.

Angle of Incidence
The more a surface inclines away from a light source, the less light it receives
and the darker it appears. The angle of the surface normal relative to the light
source is known as the angle of incidence.
When the angle of incidence is 0 degrees (that is, the light source strikes the
surface perpendicularly), the surface is illuminated with the full intensity of
the light source. As the angle of incidence increases, the intensity of
illumination decreases.

Using Lights | 5681

Angle of incidence affects intensity.

Attenuation
In the real world, light diminishes over distance. Objects far from the light
source appear darker; objects near the source appear brighter. This effect is
known as attenuation.
In nature, light attenuates at an inverse square rate. That is, its intensity
diminishes in proportion to the square of the distance from the light source.
It is common for attenuation to be even greater when light is dispersed by
the atmosphere, especially when there are dust particles in the atmosphere,
or fog or clouds.

5682 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

A. Inverse decay
B. Inverse square decay
The graphs show the decay curves.

Reflected Light and Ambient Light
The light an object reflects can illuminate other objects. The more light a
surface reflects, the more light it contributes to illuminating other objects in
its environment.
Reflected light creates ambient light. Ambient light has a uniform intensity and
is uniformly diffuse. It has no discernible source and no discernible direction.

Using Lights | 5683

A. Direct light
B. Reflected light
C. Resulting ambient light

Color and Light
The color of light depends partly on the process that generates the light. For
example, a tungsten lamp casts orange-yellow light, a mercury vapor lamp
casts cold blue-white light, and sunlight is yellow-white. Light color also
depends on the medium the light passes through. For example, clouds in the
atmosphere tint daylight blue, and stained glass can tint light a highly
saturated color.
Light colors are additive colors; the primary light colors are red, green, and blue
(RGB). As multiple colored lights mix together, the total light in the scene
gets lighter and eventually turns white.

5684 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Additive mixing of colored lights

Color Temperature
Color temperature describes a color in terms of degrees Kelvin (K). This is useful
for describing the color of light sources and other color values that are close
to white. The following table shows color temperatures for some common
types of light, with the equivalent hue number (from the HSV color
description).
If you use these hue numbers for lights in a scene, set the value to full (255)
and then adjust the saturation to meet the needs of your scene. Mentally we
tend to correct light color so that objects appear to be lit by white light; usually
the effect of color temperature in a scene should be subtle.
Light source

Color Temper- Hue
ature

Overcast daylight

6000 K

130

Noontime sunlight

5000 K

58

White fluorescent

4000 K

27

Tungsten/halogen lamp

3300 K

20

Using Lights | 5685

Light source

Color Temper- Hue
ature

Incandescent lamp (100 to
200 W)

2900 K

16

Incandescent lamp (25 W)

2500 K

12

Sunlight at sunset or sunrise

2000 K

7

Candle flame

1750 K

5

Lighting in 3ds Max
Lighting in 3ds Max simulates natural lighting. However, standard lights are
simpler than natural lighting. Using photometric lights on page 5707 with a
radiosity solution on page 7068 with your lights provides a better model of the
real world.

Intensity
The intensity of a standard light is its HSV Value. At full value (255), the light
is at its brightest; at 0, the light is completely dark.
NOTE See Designing Materials on page 5982 for more information about material
color and how it interacts with light intensity.
The intensity of a photometric light is set by a real-world intensity value,
measured in either lumens, candelas, or lux. See Intensity/Color/Attenuation
Rollout (Photometric Lights) on page 5738.

Angle of Incidence
3ds Max uses a vector from the light object to the face, along with the face
normal, to calculate the angle of incidence.
A surface is fully illuminated when the angle of incidence is 0 degrees (that
is, the light source strikes the surface perpendicularly). If the angle of incidence
increases, attenuation is in effect, or if the light has a color, the surface
intensity can be reduced.
In other words, the position and orientation of the light, relative to the object,
are what control the angle of incidence in a scene. The Place Highlight
command on page 915 is one way to fine-tune the location of a light.

5686 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Attenuation
For standard lights, attenuation on page 9098 is turned off by default. To shade
or render a scene with attenuation, you turn it on for one or more lights. All
types of standard lights support attenuation. You can set explicitly where
attenuation begins and where it ends. This is partly so you don’t have to worry
about setting up strictly realistic distances between light objects and the objects
they illuminate. More importantly, this feature lets you fine-tune the effect
of attenuation.
In outdoor scenes, attenuation can enhance the effect of distance. (Another
way to model environmental effects is to use the atmospheric settings when
you render. See Environment and Atmosphere Effects on page 7620.) In an
indoor setting, attenuation is useful for low-intensity light sources such as
candles.
Photometric lights always attenuate, using an inverse-square falloff, as in
nature. (In the case of the IES Sun Light, its great intensity makes its
attenuation hardly apparent.)

Reflected Light and Ambient Light
Rendering with the default renderer and standard lights does not calculate
the effect of lights reflected from objects in the scene. Because of this, lighting
a scene with standard lights often requires you to add more light objects than
would be needed in real life. You can, however, use radiosity on page 7068 to
show the results of reflected light.
When you do not use a radiosity solution, you can use the Environment panel
on page 7621 to adjust the color and intensity of ambient light. Ambient light
affects contrast. The higher the intensity of ambient light, the lower the
contrast in the scene. The color of ambient light tints the scene. Sometimes
ambient light is bounced light that gets its color from other objects in the
scene. Most of the time, however, the color of ambient light should be the
complement of the color of the principal light source for the scene.
TIP To better simulate reflected light and variations in it due to the varying
reflectivity of objects in the scene, you can add more lights to a scene and set
them to exclude the objects you don’t want them to affect. You can also set up
lights to affect only the ambient component of surfaces. See General Lighting
Parameters on page 5783.

Color
You can set the color of 3ds Max lights. You can use the RGB values for color
temperatures as a guide for the principal lighting of a scene; see Properties of

Using Lights | 5687

Light on page 5680. Be aware, however, that we tend to perceive scenes as always
being lit by white light (this is a perceptual phenomenon known as color
constancy), so accurately reproducing the color of a light source can make the
rendered scene appear to be tinted oddly. Use the light source values as a
general guideline only.

Guidelines for Lighting
The guidelines for lighting used by photographers, filmmakers, and stage
designers can also help you set up the lighting for scenes in 3ds Max.
Your choice of lighting depends on whether your scene simulates natural or
artificial illumination. Naturally lit scenes, such as daylight or moonlight, get
their most important illumination from a single light source. Artificially lit
scenes, on the other hand, often have multiple light sources of similar
intensity.
NOTE If you use standard instead of photometric lights, both kinds of scenes
require multiple secondary light sources for effective illumination.
Whether a scene is indoors or outdoors can also affect your choice of material
colors. See Designing Materials on page 5982.

Natural Light

Outdoor scene with natural sunlight

5688 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

At ground level, for practical purposes, sunlight has parallel rays coming from
a single direction. The direction and angle vary depending on the time of day,
the latitude, and the season.
In clear weather, the color of sunlight is a pale yellow: for example, RGB values
of 250, 255, 175 (HSV 45, 80, 255). Cloudy weather can tint sunlight blue,
shading into dark gray for stormy weather. Particles in the air can give sunlight
an orange or brownish tint. At sunrise and sunset, the color can be more
orange or red than yellow.
3ds Max provides several daylight systems to simulate the sun. See Sunlight and
Daylight Systems on page 5852. A single daylight system is appropriate as the
main light source for sunlit scenes.
When rendering with mental ray, you can gather skylight from a daylight
system efficiently into an interior with the mr Sky Portal on page 5898.
Shadows are more distinct the clearer the day is, and can be essential for
bringing out the three-dimensionality of a naturally lit scene.
A directional light can also simulate moonlight, which is white but dim
compared to the sun.

Artificial Light

Outdoor scene with natural twilight and one streetlight

Using Lights | 5689

Artificial light, whether used indoors or outdoors at night, uses multiple lights.
The following guidelines are for creating normally lit, easily legible scenes.
You don’t have to follow the guidelines, of course, but then you call attention
to the lighting itself, rather than to the subject of the scene.
The subject of a scene should be lit by a single bright light, known as the key
light. Position the key light in front of the subject and slightly above.
In addition to the key light, position one or more other lights to illuminate
the background and the side of the subject. These are known as fill lights. Fill
lights are less bright than the key light.
When you use only one fill light, the angle at ground level between it, the
subject, and the key light should be approximately 90 degrees.
Key-and-fill lighting emphasizes the subject of a scene. It also emphasizes the
three-dimensionality of the scene.
In 3ds Max, a spotlight is usually best for the key light, and either spotlights
or omni lights are good for creating the fill lighting. See Target Spot on page
5758, Free Spot on page 5761, and Omni on page 5769. Ambient light can be another
element of your fill lighting.
You can also add lights to emphasize secondary subjects in a scene. In stage
terminology, these lights are known as specials. Special lights are usually
brighter than the fill light but less bright than the main key light.
To design using physically based energy values, distributions, and color
temperature, you can create photometric lights on page 5707.

Ambient Light

Left: No ambient light
Middle: Default ambient light
Right: User-adjusted ambient light

5690 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Ambient light in 3ds Max simulates the general illumination from light
reflecting off diffuse surfaces. Ambient settings determine the illumination
level of surfaces in shadow, or those not receiving direct illumination from
light sources. The Ambient level on the Environment dialog establishes the
scene’s basic illumination level before any light sources are taken into account,
and is the dimmest any portion of the scene can ever become.
Ambient light is most often used for exterior scenes, when the sky’s broad
lighting produces an even distribution of reflected light to surfaces not in
direct sun. A common technique for deepening the shadows is to tint the
ambient light color to be the complement of the scene’s key light.
Unlike the outside, interior scenes typically have numerous lights, and a
general ambient light level is not ideal for simulating the diffuse reflection of
local light sources. For interiors, it’s common to set the scene’s environment
ambient level to black, and use lights that effect ambient only to simulate the
regional areas of diffuse reflection.
You set the scene’s ambient light using the Environment And Effects dialog
➤ Environment panel on page 7621. You set a light to affect only ambient
illumination with its Advanced Effects rollout on page 5817 ➤ Ambient Only
check box.

Positioning Light Objects
Once you have placed lights in your scene, you can use transforms to change
a light's position or orientation.

Transforming Lights
Use transforms on light objects as follows:

Move: Use Move on page 851 to change the position of lights. You can
also use it to change the position of light targets.

Rotate: Use Rotate on page 852 to change the orientation of lights.
NOTE You can't rotate a target light about its local X or Y axes. Instead, use Move
to move the light or its target. Rotating the light about its local Z axis can be useful
if the light uses a rectangular beam or projects a bitmap.

Using Lights | 5691

Rotating a plain omni light or a photometric light with spherical distribution
has no effect, as these lights cast light uniformly in all directions. However,
rotating an omni light or a spherical light with projection causes the projected
image to rotate.

Scale: Scaling Point, Linear, or Area lights has no effect. Using Scale on
page 855 with spotlights and directional lights changes the size of their light
beam and attenuation ranges. Scaling omni lights changes only the attenuation
ranges. Scaling photometric lights changes their attenuation rate.
Light viewports on page 8753 are another convenient way to transform and
change parameters of spotlights and directional lights.
TIP When you adjust lights, it can be useful to turn off Adaptive Degradation on
page 104. If Adaptive Degradation is on and shaded viewports begin to display in
wireframe, you won't see the result of the changes you make to lights.

Placing Highlights
You use Place Highlight on page 915 to position a light to create a specular
highlight at a designated point on an object. Place Highlight is one of the
buttons on the Align flyout. Place Highlight moves or rotates the selected
light object to aim it at a face on an object you pick. The light maintains its
original distance from the face. Place Highlight works with any kind of selected
object. You can also use Place Highlight with a selection set that contains
more than one object. All objects maintain their initial distance from the face.

Previewing Shadows and Other Lighting in Viewports
You can preview shadows in shaded viewports. To do so, you must be using
the Direct3D driver (see Graphics Driver Setup Dialog on page 8901) and your
system must have a graphics card that supports the SM (Shader Model) 2.0 or
3.0 standard.
TIP You can check whether your system supports interactive shadows by choosing
Help menu ➤ Diagnose Video Hardware on page 135.
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, with SM3.0 hardware shading, viewports can
preview soft-edged shadows as well as hard-edged shadows. They can also
preview ambient occlusion on page 6308 and exposure control on page 7665 as
well as lighting and shadows. See Lighting and Shadows on page 8980 for more
information.

5692 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Shaded viewport with no shadows, no exposure control

Shaded viewport with exposure control and hard-edged shadows

Using Lights | 5693

Shaded viewport with exposure control and soft-edged shadows

If the light is a photometric light that uses an area for shadow casting, the
viewport preview can show area shadows. Area shadows are not on by default:
to enable them, enter the following line in the MAXScript Listener on page
8817:
viewportSSB.AreaShadow = True

NOTE For area shadows to display, Soft Shadow must be enabled in the Viewport
Configuration ➤ Lighting And Shadows panel on page 8980. Soft Shadow requires
SM3.0-level hardware shading.

5694 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Viewport shadows cast by a light with a disc-shaped area

Viewport display of area shadows is not necessarily accurate. In general,
lighting and shadow previews in viewports are a convenience. These settings
and the viewport appearance don’t necessarily match what will happen when
you render.
Shadows don’t appear in a viewport if they wouldn’t appear in a rendering;
for example, if an object is set to not cast or receive shadows, it won’t do so
in viewports, and if a light is turned off or is not shadow casting, then it has
no effect on the viewport display.

Using Lights | 5695

Hardware-shaded viewport with shadows but no Ambient Occlusion

Hardware-shaded viewport with shadows and Ambient Occlusion
With AO, shadows appear denser and more realistic.
Roboball animation: Tyson Ibele
www.tysonibele.com

Procedures
To set up viewports for previewing shadows, enable hardware shading by
doing one of the following:
■

Click or right-click the Shading viewport menu label. From the Shading
viewport label menu on page 8719, choose Lighting And Shadows ➤ Enable
Hardware Shading (if it is not turned on already).

5696 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

■

In the Viewport Configuration dialog ➤ Lighting And Shadows panel on
page 8980 ➤ Illuminate Scene With group, turn on Enable Hardware
Shading.
Also on the Lighting And Shadows panel, in the Quality / Hardware Support
group, you can choose the hardware shading level: either Good or Best.
Good displays shadows using SM2.0, and Best displays shadows using
SM3.0.

To view shadows in a viewport:
1 Click or right-click the Shading viewport menu label. From the Shading
viewport label menu on page 8719, choose Lighting And Shadows ➤ Enable
Shadows to turn it on.
2 Select a light.
3 Right-click a viewport, and on the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the
quad menu on page 8651, choose Cast Shadows to turn on shadows.
To turn on shadows for multiple lights:
1 On the main menu. choose Tools ➤ Light Lister on page 5701.
2 In the Light Lister dialog, turn on the Shadows toggle for each light object
you want to cast shadows.
If you have already enabled shadows in a viewport, their display updates
immediately.

Animating Lights
You animate lights by using transforms or changing creation parameters on
different keyframes while the Auto Key button on page 8679 is on. During
animation, light transforms and parameter values are interpolated between
keyframes.

Moving and Rotating Light Objects
You can use the following methods to move and rotate light objects.
■

Move an omni light on page 5769 when it’s a "practical" light within a scene
(a light that appears in the scene itself). Combine the light with a
self-illuminating geometric object. If you want to move a target type of
light, select both the light and its target to animate them together.

Using Lights | 5697

■

Move a Photometric Preset light, or a Free or target light when it’s a
"practical" light within a scene (a light that appears in the scene itself).
Combine the light with a self-illuminating geometric object. If you want
to move a target type of light, select both the light and its target to animate
them together.

■

Use a free spotlight on page 5761 when a spotlight is to move within the
scene. Free spotlights are especially intended to be animated along a path,
using a Path constraint on page 3629. Unlike target spotlights, free spotlights
can bank as they travel. Use target spotlights on page 5758 when the light
position is fixed.

■

If you do need to move a target spotlight, link both the light and its target
to a dummy object on page 2871, then assign the path constraint to the
dummy object.

■

Use a LookAt Constraint on page 3619 to have a spotlight track a moving
object.
If the spotlight is a target spotlight, its previous target is ignored.
If the spotlight is a free spotlight, it effectively becomes a target spotlight,
with the looked-at object the target.

■

Change the parameters of a daylight system on page 5852 or sunlight system
to simulate different times of day or year.

Animating Light Creation Parameters
The following techniques can be used to animate Modify panel parameters
for lights.
■

To dim or brighten a light over time, animate its Multiplier parameter.

■

To dim or brighten a standard light over time, animate its Multiplier value
or Filter Color parameter.

■

To change the color of a light over time, animate its color parameters. Use
a smooth tangent on page 3449 for color change keys unless you want the
color to change abruptly.

■

To make a standard light flash on and off, set its Multiplier to 0 in repeated
keyframes, and assign a step tangent on page 3449 to this parameter.

5698 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Light Include/Exclude Tool
By default, the Light Include/Exclude tool is unavailable in the 3ds Max user
interface. You can add it as a custom keyboard shortcut, quad or menu item,
or toolbar button by using the Customize User Interface dialog on page 8837.
The Light Include/Exclude tool is a modeless dialog that lets you include or
exclude objects on a light-by-light basis. When excluded, an object is not
illuminated by the selected light and receives no shadows.
This dialog requires at least one light object in your scene. For a selected light,
this dialog is a shortcut to the same functionality available on the
Exclude/Include dialog on page 5805.
Although light exclusion does not occur in nature, this feature is useful when
you need exact control over the lighting in your scene. Sometimes, for example,
you'll want to add lights specifically to illuminate a single object but not its
surroundings, or you'll want a light to cast shadows from one object but not
from another.
NOTE By default, no objects are excluded for a new light. It’s necessary only to
include objects that have previously been excluded.
See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

■

Light Lister on page 5701

Procedures
To exclude an object from receiving light:

1 In the scene,

select the object or objects to exclude.

2 Open the Light Incl/Exl dialog.
See the path annotation, above. To use the Light Include/Exclude tool,
you have to create a custom keyboard shortcut, quad or menu item, or
toolbar button.
3 In the Geometry group, choose Exclude.
4 Click the Assign To Light button.

Using Lights | 5699

5 In the scene, click a light. If the light is hard to locate, use the Pick Object
dialog on page 184(keyboard shortcut H) to pick the light.
The object is now excluded from the light. The Objects list at the bottom
of the dialog lists the object.

6

Render to see the effect.

Interface

5700 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Geometry group
Include, Exclude Toggles the state of a selected object to receive light from
a particular light object. Default=include.
Assign to Light Activates selection so you can choose the light you want to
use. You can only choose one light at a time.

List Light Properties group
These controls let you view and edit the include/exclude status of objects on
a light-by-light basis.
Current displayed light Names the currently selected light.
Choose Light Activates selection so you can choose another light.
Clear Light Empties the Objects list, removing any included or excluded
objects assigned to the currently displayed light.
Include, Exclude Reverses the state of included or excluded objects to receive
light from the currently displayed light.
Objects Lists objects selected for inclusion or exclusion by the currently
displayed light.
Help Provides a quick reminder of procedures.

Light Lister
Tools menu ➤ Light Lister
The Light Lister is a modeless dialog that lets you control a number of features
for each light. You can also make global settings that affect every light in your
scene.
To display information, this dialog requires at least one light object in your
scene. For a selected light, this dialog is a shortcut to the same functionality
available on the Modify panel ➤ Parameters rollout. Global settings are
duplicated on the Environment panel on page 7621.
NOTE The Light Lister cannot control more than 150 unique light objects at a
time (instances of a light don't count). If there are more than 150 unique lights
in your scene, the Lister displays controls for the first 150 it finds, and a warning
that you should select fewer lights. Select fewer lights and then use the Selected
Lights configuration.

Using Lights | 5701

See also:
■

Light Include/Exclude Tool on page 5699

Procedures
To use global settings:
1 On the Light Lister dialog, on the Configuration rollout, choose General
Settings.
The General Settings rollout appears.
2 Make changes to the settings. See Interface, below.
To set individual lights:
1 On the Configuration rollout, choose All Lights. The Lights rollout
displays settings for all the scene lights (subject to the limit of 150 lights
described above). Alternatively, you can select the lights to adjust, and
then on the Configuration rollout choose Selected Lights.
TIP If you change the light selection, the Light Lister does not update
interactively. Click Refresh to update the list.
2 On the Lights rollout, change the settings for any light on the list. See
Interface, below.
Some changes show up immediately in the viewport.

Interface
Configuration rollout

Chooses which lights and controls to affect, and lets you update light settings.
All Lights The Lights rollout shows all lights in the scene (subject to the
150-light restriction, described above).
Selected Lights The Lights rollout shows only selected lights.
General Settings Displays the General Settings rollout.

5702 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Refresh Updates the list of lights to use the current light selection (if Selected
Lights is active) and current scene settings.
NOTE When the Light Lister needs to be updated, the Refresh button is highlighted
in yellow.

General Settings rollout

These controls are for general lighting settings.
■

Selected LightsWhen chosen, general settings affect only selected lights.

■

All LightsWhen chosen, general settings affect all lights in the scene (subject
to the 150-light restriction, described above).

On When on, affected lights are active in the scene. When off, affected lights
go dark in the viewports and renderings.
Multiplier Increases or decreases the light intensity of standard lights. See
General Lighting Parameters on page 5783 for standard lights.
Color By default, the color of all standard lights is white. Click to display the
Color Selector on page 304 and change the light color for affected lights.
WARNING For photometric lights, this changes the filter color, not the color
temperature.
Shadows When on, affected lights cast shadows. When off, they don't cast
shadows.
Shadow type drop-down list Selects the shadow type for affected lights.
Map Size Sets the size (in pixels squared) of the shadow map used by affected
lights.
Bias Setting depends on which shadow type is selected. In general, bias moves
the shadow toward or away from the shadow-casting object. For specific effects,
see Shadow Map Parameters on page 5846 and Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters
on page 5844.

Using Lights | 5703

Sm. Range (Sample Range) For shadow-mapped shadows, sets the Sample
Range value. See Shadow Map Parameters on page 5846. This value has no effect
for ray-traced or area shadows.
Transp. (Transparency) When on, turns on transparency for advanced
ray-traced and area shadows. Has no effect on shadow-mapped or standard
ray-traced shadows. Default=off.
Int. (Integrity) For advanced ray-traced shadows or area shadows, sets the
Shadow Integrity. See Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5828
or Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832.
Qual. (Quality) For advanced ray-traced shadows or area shadows, sets the
Shadow Quality. See Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5828 or
Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832.
Decay (For standard lights.) Sets the type of decay: None, Inverse, or Inverse
Square. See Intensity/Color/Attenuation Parameters on page 5790.
Start (For standard lights.) Sets the start range for decay. See
Intensity/Color/Attenuation Parameters on page 5790.
Length (For photometric lights.) Sets the Length value for Line and Rectangle
lights. See Shape/Area Shadows Rollout on page 5748.
Width (For photometric lights.) Sets the Width value for Rectangle lights. See
Shape/Area Shadows Rollout on page 5748.

_____
Global Tint Adds a color tint to all lights in the scene except ambient light.
Click to use the Color Selector on page 304. The tint is in addition to the global
light color, or the color of individual lights. The default setting, white, has no
tinting effect.
Global Level Increases or decreases the overall lighting level for Standard
lights. Default=1.0.
NOTE This setting, designed for standard lights, reduces the level of photometric
lights to near darkness. If you have photometric lights in your scene, leave this
setting at the default.
Ambient Color Changes the ambient color on page 9089, the color seen in
shadows. Click to use the Color Selector on page 304.

5704 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Lights rollout

This rollout is visible while All Lights or Selected Lights is active on the
Configuration rollout. Its controls are for individual light objects. This rollout
displays two lists: one for standard lights, and another for photometric lights.
Blank gray button (Select) Click to select the named light. This button turns
white for selected lights. Selecting a light opens the Modify panel for that
light. This button has a gray box in the middle for the light that appears in
the Modify panel. The gray box appears whether the light is selected or not.
Clicking Select deselects all other lights. If the entry is for an instanced light,
clicking Select selects all instances (see the description of the Name field that
follows). If the light is part of a group, the entire group is selected. If you are
in Selected Lights mode (on the Configuration rollout), the list of selected
lights is not refreshed automatically.
NOTE You can set the controls for a light without selecting it.
Check box Turns the light on or off. Default=on.
Name Shows the name of the light object.
If there are multiple instances of a light, only one entry appears in the Light
Lister, and the Name field becomes a drop-down list. The list lets you see the
names of all instances, but it has no other effect: parameter changes made in
the Light Lister affect all instances of the light.
Multiplier (Standard lights only.) Increases or decreases the intensity of the
light. Default=1.0.
NOTE This control is unavailable if the light has a procedural controller.
Intensity (Photometric lights only.) Sets the light intensity, in candelas.
Default=1500.0.
NOTE This control is unavailable if the light has a procedural controller.
Color Click to display the Color Selector on page 304 and change the light
color. Default=white.

Using Lights | 5705

WARNING For photometric lights, this changes the filter color, not the color
temperature.
Shadows Turns shadow casting on or off. Default=on.
Shadow type drop-down list Selects the shadow type for the light.
Map Size Available only when shadow map shadows is on. Sets the size (in
pixels squared) of the shadow map used by all lights.
Bias Setting depends on which shadow type is selected. In general, bias moves
the shadow toward or away from the shadow-casting object. See Shadow Map
Parameters on page 5846 and Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters on page 5844 for
specific effects.
Sm. Range For shadow-mapped shadows, sets the Sample Range value. See
Shadow Map Parameters on page 5846. This value has no effect for ray-traced
shadows. Default=4.0.
Transp. (Transparency) When on, turns on transparency for advanced
ray-traced and area shadows. Has no effect on shadow-mapped or standard
ray-traced shadows. Default=off.
The shadow transparency control is on the Optimizations rollout on page 5839.
Int. (Integrity) For advanced ray-traced shadows or area shadows, sets the
Shadow Integrity. See Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5828
or Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832. Default=1.
Qual. (Quality) For advanced ray-traced shadows or area shadows, sets the
Shadow Quality. See Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5828 or
Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832. Default=2.
Decay (Standard Lights only.) Sets the type of decay: None, Inverse, or Inverse
Square. See Attenuation Parameters on page 5790. Default=None.
Start (Standard lights only.) Sets the start range for decay. See Attenuation
Parameters on page 5790. Default=0.0.
Length (Photometric lights only.) Sets the Length value for Line and Rectangle
photometric lights. See Shape/Area Shadows Rollout on page 5748.
Width (Photometric lights only.) Sets the Width value for Rectangle
photometric lights. See Shape/Area Shadows Rollout on page 5748 .

5706 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Photometric Lights
Photometric lights use photometric on page 9266 (light energy) values that
enable you to more accurately define lights as they would be in the real world.
You can create lights with various distribution and color characteristics, or
import specific photometric files available from lighting manufacturers.
NOTE Photometric lights always attenuate using an inverse-square falloff, and
rely on your scene using realistic units.
When you create lights from the Create panel, photometric lights appear as
the default.

3ds Max includes the following types of photometric light objects:
Target Light (Photometric) on page 5709
Free Light (Photometric) on page 5712
mr Sky Portal on page 5898
NOTE The remainder of this section discusses standard photometric lights, target
and free. It does not discuss the mr Sky Portal on page 5898. Additional photometric
light types are provided as part of the Daylight system; see Sunlight and Daylight
Systems on page 5852.

Distribution Capabilities of Photometric Lights
You can choose how a photometric light is distributed. This can model how
the light is generated and how it is mounted. There are four options:
■

Uniform Spherical on page 5726

■

Uniform Diffuse on page 5727

■

Spotlight on page 5728

■

Photometric Web on page 5730

Photometric Lights | 5707

The drop-down list that lets you choose the distribution type appears on the
General Parameters rollout on page 5720 for photometric lights. In viewports,
Uniform distribution is represented by a small sphere (the position of the
sphere indicates whether the distribution is Spherical or Hemispherical),
Spotlight distribution is represented by a cone, and Web distribution is
represented as the shape of the web.

Light Shapes for Shadow Generation
While your distribution choice affects how light is spread throughout the
scene, the light shape affects the way objects cast shadows. This setting is an
independent choice. In general, larger areas cast softer shadows. There are six
options:
■

Point
Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a single geometric
point, like a naked lightbulb.

■

Line
Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a line, like a
fluorescent tube.

■

Rectangle
Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a rectangular area,
like a skylight.

■

Disc
Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a disc, like a circular
porthole.

■

Sphere
Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a sphere, like a
globular lighting fixture.

■

Cylinder
Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a cylinder, like a
tubular lighting fixture.

You choose the light shape on the Shape/Area Shadows rollout on page 5748.

Lights from Older Scenes
Prior to 3ds Max 2009, there were several types of photometric light, based
on the light shape for shadow calculation. There are now just the two types
of photometric light, Target and Free, and you choose the shape for shadow
casting independently of the light type.

5708 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

When you open a scene created in an earlier version of 3ds Max, the scene’s
photometric lights are converted to their equivalent in the new scheme. For
example, a Target Linear Light with Isometric distribution becomes a Target
Light with Line shadows and Uniform Spherical distribution. No information
is lost, and the light behaves as it did in prior releases.

Parameters for Photometric Lights
The parameters specific to photometric lights are described in Rollouts for
Photometric Lights on page 5714. Other photometric light parameters are shared
with standard lights, and are described in the following topics:
Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675
Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs on page 5805
Shadow Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825

Notes
■

A scene's lighting can also be affected by the Ambient Light setting on the
Environment panel on page 7621.

■

You can use the Place Highlight on page 915 command to change a light's
position.

■

You can use templates on page 5714 to create lights that have the properties
of common lamp types.

Target Light (Photometric)
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Target Light

button
Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Target Light.
A target light has a target sub-object that you can use to aim the light.

Photometric Lights | 5709

Viewport representations of Target lights with spherical, spotlight, and web distribution

NOTE When you add a Target light, 3ds Max automatically assigns a Look At
controller on page 3533 to it, with the light's target object assigned as the Look At
target. You can use the controller settings on the Motion panel to assign any other
object in the scene as the Look At target.
NOTE When you rename a Target Point light, the target is automatically renamed
to match. For example, renaming TPhotometricLight01 to Klieg causes
TPhotometricLight01.Target to become Klieg.Target. The target's name must have
the extension .Target. Renaming the target object does not rename the light object.

Procedures
To create a Target light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Photometric from the drop-down list. (This is the default.)
3 In the Object Type rollout, click Target Light.
4 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
light, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the
target.
The light is now part of the scene.
5 Set the creation parameters.
You can use the Move transform to adjust the light’s position and
direction.

5710 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To select the target:
The target, displayed as a small square, is often in the same area as objects
that you want to illuminate. It can be difficult to select it by clicking.

1 First,

select the target point light.

2 Right-click the light and from the quad menu on page 8640, choose Select
Target.
You can also choose Lights from the Selection Filters list on the main
toolbar, and then click the target. Clicking the line that connects the
light and its target selects both objects.
To adjust the light and target position:

1

Select the light or target or both.

2 On the main toolbar, turn on
to adjust the light.

(Select And Move). Drag the selection

You can also right-click the light and choose Move from the quad menu
➤ Transform quadrant.
Because the light is always aimed at its target, you can't rotate it about its local
X or Y axes. However, you can select and move the target object as well as the
light itself. When you move either the light or the target, the light's orientation
changes so it always points at the target.
You can use the Place Highlight on page 915 command to change a light's
position.
For target lights with spotlight distributions, you can also adjust the light
using a Light viewport on page 8753.
To change a viewport to a light view:
NOTE The viewport can only be set to a light view when the target light’s
distribution is spotlight.
1 Click or right-click the Point-Of-View viewport label.

Photometric Lights | 5711

3ds Max opens the POV viewport label menu on page 8712.
2 Choose Lights.
3ds Max opens a submenu that shows the name of each light. By default,
Target lights are named TPhotometricLight01, TPhotometricLight02, and so
on.
3 Choose the name of the light you want.
The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light
viewport on page 8753 controls to adjust the light.
TIP The default keyboard shortcut for Light viewports is $.

Free Light (Photometric)
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Free Light button

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Free Light.
A free light has no target sub-object. You can aim it by using transforms.

Viewport representations of a Free light with spherical, spotlight, and web distribution

Procedures
To create a Free light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Photometric from the drop-down list. (This is the default.)
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Free Light.

5712 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

4 Click the viewport location where you want the light to be.
The light is now part of the scene. Initially it points away from you in
the viewport you clicked (down the negative Z-axis of the viewport).
5 Set the creation parameters.
You can position the light on page 5691 and adjust its direction with the
transform tools or by using a Light viewport. You can also adjust the
light's position with the Place Highlights on page 915 command.
To adjust the light position:
1 Select the light.

2 On the main toolbar, turn on
(Select And Move) or
(Select And Rotate). Drag the selection to adjust the light.
You can also right-click the light and choose Move or Rotate from the
quad menu ➤ Transform quadrant.
TIP You can also adjust the light's position with the Place Highlight on page
915 command.

To change a viewport to a light view:
NOTE This is available only for lights with Spot distribution.
1 Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label.
3ds Max opens the POV viewport label menu on page 8712.
2 Choose Lights.
3ds Max opens a submenu that shows the name of each light. By default,
Free Point lights are named PhotometricLight01, PhotometricLight02, and so
on.
3 Choose the name of the light you want.
The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light
Viewport Controls on page 8753 to adjust the light.
TIP The default keyboard shortcut for Light viewports is $.

Photometric Lights | 5713

Rollouts for Photometric Lights
The topics in this section describe rollouts whose controls are specific to
photometric lights.
See also:
■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs on page 5805

■

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825

Templates Rollout
Create panel ➤

➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Create a light.

Modify panel ➤ Templates rollout

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Create a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Templates rollout
The Templates rollout lets you choose from among a variety of preset light
types.
In general, when you create lights for a new scene (as opposed to using an
existing 3ds Max scene), we recommend that you do one of the following:
■

Choose a light from the template list.

■

Download a light description from a lighting manufacturer’s Web site. See
Web Distribution (Photometric Lights) on page 5730.

■

Use the lights provided with the model that was created in AutoCAD,
Revit, or another application that provides photometric lights.

5714 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

Select a Template Use this drop-down list to choose the kind of light you
want to use. 3ds Max offers these selections:
■

40 Watt (W) bulb

■

60W bulb

■

75W bulb

■

100W bulb

■

Halogen spotlight

■

21W halogen bulb

■

35W halogen bulb

■

50W halogen bulb

■

75W halogen bulb

■

80W halogen bulb

■

100W halogen bulb

■

Recessed 75W lamp (web)

■

Recessed 75W wallwash (web)

■

Recessed 250W wallwash (web)

■

4 ft. pendant fluorescent (web)

■

4 ft. cove fluorescent (web)

■

Street 400W lamp (web)

■

Stadium 1000W lamp (web)

Photometric Lights | 5715

When you choose a template, the parameters of the light update to use the
values of that light, and the text area above the list displays a description of
the light. If you choose a category heading instead of a light type, the text
area prompts you to choose an actual light.

Common Lamp Values for Photometric Lights
The tables in this topic list some commonly used lamps values that you can
use as a guide for defining photometric lights.
The information in the tables is approximate; however, you can refer to
manufacturer’s documentation for more precise photometric data for these
lamps.

General-Purpose Lamps
NOTE In the tables below, “Class.” stands for “Classification”; the values under
“Intensity” are expressed in candelas.

Class.

Watts Type

Intensity

A-19/
Med

60

Point

70

A-19/
Med

75

Point

95

A-19/
Med

100

Point

139

5716 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Beam Field

M16 Low Voltage Lamps

Class.

Watts Type Intensity Beam Field

Narrow
Beam

20

Spot

3300

6

12

Narrow
Beam

50

Spot

9150

12

25

Medium
Beam

50

Spot

3000

25

50

Wide
Beam

20

Spot

460

38

75

Wide
Beam

50

Spot

1500

38

75

Par36 Low Voltage Lamps

Class.

Watts Type Intensity Beam

Field

Narrow
Beam

25

Spot

4200

9

15

Narrow
Beam

50

Spot

8900

10

15

Photometric Lights | 5717

Class.

Watts Type Intensity Beam

Field

Medium
Beam

50

Spot

1300

30

60

Wide
Beam

25

Spot

250

36

75

Wide
Beam

50

Spot

600

39

75

Par56 Line Voltage Lamps

Class.

Watts Type Intensity Beam Field

Narrow
Beam

300

Spot

68000

9

15

Narrow
Beam

500

Spot

95000

9

15

Medium
Beam

300

Spot

24000

18

36

Medium
Beam

500

Spot

47500

18

36

Wide
Beam

300

Spot

10000

30

60

Wide
Beam

500

Spot

18000

30

60

5718 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Par38 Line Voltage Lamps

Class.

Watts Type

Intensity Beam

Field

Narrow
Beam

45

Spot

4700

14

28

Narrow
Beam

75

Spot

5200

12

25

Narrow
Beam

150

Spot

10500

14

28

Medium
Beam

45

Spot

1700

28

60

Medium
Beam

75

Spot

1860

30

60

Medium
Beam

150

Spot

4000

30

60

Photometric Lights | 5719

R40 Line Voltage Lamps

Class.

Watts Type

Intensity

Beam

Field

Narrow
Beam

150

Spot

5400

22

50

Wide
Beam

150

Spot

1040

76

130

Wide
Beam

300

Spot

1950

76

130

General Parameters Rollout (Photometric Lights)
Create panel ➤

➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Create a light.

Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout.

Create menu ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Create a light. ➤
panel ➤ General Parameters rollout.

Modify

This General Parameters rollout is displayed for photometric lights. These
controls turn a light on and off, and exclude or include objects in the scene.
They also let you set the type of light distribution.
On the Modify panel, the General Parameters rollout also lets you control the
light’s target object and change the light from one type to another.
The General Parameters rollout also lets you turn shadow-casting on or off
for the light, and choose which type of shadow the light uses. See Shadow
Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825 and Shadow Parameters on page 5808.

5720 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Procedures
To turn a light on and off:
■

Turn the On toggle on or off.
Default=on.

To have a light cast shadows:
■

In the General Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group, make sure On is
selected.

The light will now cast shadows when you render the scene.

Left: With Spotlight distribution, the projection cone can truncate shadows.
Right: With Uniform Spherical distribution, the light casts complete shadows.

To have a light use the global settings for shadows:
■

On the General Parameters rollout, in the Shadow Parameters group, turn
on Use Global Settings.
When Use Global Settings is on, the other shadow controls are set to the
values used by all other shadow-casting lights in the scene that have Use
Global Settings set.
Changing the affected parameters for one light with Use Global Settings
set, changes them for all lights with Use Global Settings set.

To set a light's shadow parameters individually:
■

On the General Parameters rollout, turn off Use Global Settings.
The settings revert to the individual settings for the light.

Photometric Lights | 5721

By default, Shadow Map is the active shadow type. In the Shadow Map
Params rollout on page 5846, the default settings are: Map Bias=1; Size=512;
Sample Range=4.0; Absolute Map Bias=Off.

Scene with shadow-mapped shadows
Shadows rendered using default parameter settings

TIP When you render a scene, you can turn rendering of shadows on or off.
To cast area shadows:
■

On the General Parameters rollout, choose Area Shadows from the
drop-down list.
Use controls on the Area Shadows rollout on page 5832 to adjust the shadow
properties.

To cast advanced ray-traced shadows:
Advanced ray-traced shadows are similar to ray-traced shadows, however they
provide control over antialiasing on page 9087, letting you fine-tune how
shadows are generated.
■

On the General Parameters rollout, choose Advanced Ray-traced Shadows
from the drop-down list.
Use controls on the Advanced Ray-traced Params rollout on page 5828 to
adjust the shadow properties.

5722 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To cast shadow-mapped shadows:
1 On the General Parameters rollout, choose Shadow Maps from the
drop-down list.
2 Go to the Shadow Map Params rollout on page 5846.
■

Use the Size spinner to set the size of the shadow map.

■

Use the Bias spinner to adjust the shadow offset, if necessary.

■

Use the Sample Range spinner to create a soft-edged shadow.

To cast ray-traced shadows:
Ray-traced shadows on page 9279 are generated by tracing the path of rays
sampled from a light source. Ray-traced shadows are more accurate than
shadow-mapped shadows.
1 On the General Parameters rollout, in the Shadows groupo, choose
Ray-Traced Shadows from the drop-down list.
2 Use controls on the Ray Traced Shadow Params rollout on page 5844 to
adjust the shadow offset, if necessary.
To keep an object from casting shadows:

1

Select the object.

2 Right-click the object to display the quad menu, then choose Properties
from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant.
The Object Properties dialog on page 221 is displayed.
3 Turn off Cast Shadows, and then click OK.
Now when you render the scene, the object casts no shadows.
To make an object not receive shadows:

1

Select the object.

2 Right-click the object to display the quad menu, then choose Properties
from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant.

Photometric Lights | 5723

The Object Properties dialog on page 221 is displayed.
3 Turn off Receive Shadows, and then click OK.
Now when you render the scene, the object receives no shadows.
NOTE You can also prevent objects from casting shadows by excluding them
from a light.

Interface

Light Properties group
On (Both Create panel and Modify panel) Turns the light on and off. When
On is on, shading and rendering use the light to illuminate the scene. When
On is off, the light is not used in shading or rendering. Default=on.
In viewports, the interactive renderer shows the effect of turning lights on or
off.
Targeted When on, the light has a target. When off, you aim the light using
transforms. This toggle lets you change the light from a target light to a free
light, or vice versa.
Target Distance Shows the target distance. For a target light, this field simply
displays the distance. For a free light, you can enter a value to change the
distance.

5724 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Shadows group
On Determines whether the current light casts shadows or not. Default=on.
Shadow Method drop-down list Determines whether the renderer uses
shadow maps on page 9305, ray-traced shadows on page 9279, advanced ray-traced
shadows on page 9279, or area shadows on page 9095, to generate shadows for
this light.
The “mental ray Shadow Map” type is provided for use with the mental ray
renderer on page 7129. When you choose this shadow type and enable shadow
maps (on the Shadows & Displacement rollout on page 7209 of the Render Setup
dialog), shadows use the mental ray shadow-map algorithm. If this type is
chosen but you render with the default scanline renderer, no shadows appear
in the rendering.
NOTE When shadow maps are enabled and the shadow map type is Shadow
Map, the mental ray renderer attempts to translate the shadow map settings into
comparable settings for mental ray shadow maps. (The results might not be what
you expected.) In all other cases, the mental ray renderer generates ray-traced
shadows.
Each shadow type has its particular controls:
■

Advanced ray-traced shadowsSee Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout
on page 5828 and Optimizations Rollout on page 5839.

■

Area shadowsSee Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832 and Optimizations
Rollout on page 5839.

■

mental ray shadow mapsSee mental ray Shadow Map Rollout on page 5842.

■

Ray-traced shadowsSee Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout on page
5844.

■

Shadow mapsSee Shadow Map Parameters Rollout on page 5846.

TIP Use ray-traced or advanced ray-traced shadows when you want shadows cast
by opacity-mapped objects. Shadow-mapped shadows don't recognize the
transparent portions of the mapping, and as a result they don't look convincing.
Use Global Settings Turn on to use global settings for shadows cast by this
light. Turn off to enable individual control of the shadows. If you choose not
to use the global settings, you must choose which method the renderer will
use to generate shadows for this particular light.
When Use Global Settings is on, the shadow parameters switch over to show
you what the global settings are. This data is shared by every other light of

Photometric Lights | 5725

this class. When Use Global Settings is off, the shadow parameters are specific
to that particular light.
Exclude button Excludes selected objects from the effects of the light. Click
this button to display the Exclude/Include dialog on page 5805.
Excluded objects still appear lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect
only when you render the scene.

Light Distribution (Type) group
Drop-down list The light distribution drop-down list lets you choose the type
of light distribution. There are four options:
■

Photometric Web on page 5730
When you choose this option, the Distribution (Photometric File) rollout
on page 5752 opens on the command panel.

■

Spotlight on page 5728
When you choose this option, the Distribution (Spotlight) rollout on page
5753 opens on the command panel.

■

Uniform Diffuse on page 5727

■

Uniform Spherical on page 5726
Uniform distribution, whether diffuse or spherical, has no additional
settings, so these choices don’t display a special Distribution rollout.

Uniform Spherical Distribution (Photometric Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Click Target
Light or Free Light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Light Distribution
(Type) group ➤ Choose Uniform Spherical from the drop-down list.
Uniform spherical distribution, as its name implies, casts light equally in all
directions.

5726 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Uniform spherical light distribution

Viewport representation of a Target light with
uniform spherical distribution

Uniform Diffuse Distribution (Photometric Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Click Target
Light or Free Light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Light Distribution
(Type) group ➤ Choose Uniform Diffuse from the drop-down list.
Uniform diffuse distribution casts diffuse light in one hemisphere only, as if
the light were emitted from a surface.
Uniform diffuse distribution obeys Lambert’s cosine law: the light has the
same apparent intensity when viewed from any angle.

Photometric Lights | 5727

Uniform diffuse light distribution

NOTE Uniform Diffuse distribution was known simply as Diffuse distribution in
releases prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011.

Spotlight Distribution (Photometric Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Click Target
Light or Free Light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Light Distribution
(Type) group ➤ Choose Spotlight from the drop-down list.
Spotlight distribution casts a focused beam of light like a flashlight, a follow
spot in a theater, or a headlight. The light's beam angle controls the main
strength of the beam, and the field angle controls the “spill” of light outside
the main beam.

5728 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

NOTE Be aware that the scanline renderer and the mental ray renderer treat the
beam angle and field angle differently. With the scanline renderer, the beam casts
light at full intensity, and the field angle limits the area where the beam is cast.
With the mental ray renderer, the center of the beam is at 100 percent, but it
fades to 50 per cent at the beam angle, and to a value near 0 at the field angle;
however, some light might be cast outside the field angle as well.

Spotlight distribution

Viewport representation of a Target light with
spotlight distribution

Spotlight settings appear on the Distribution (Spotlight) rollout on page 5753.

Photometric Lights | 5729

Photometric Web Distribution (Photometric Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Click
Target Light or Free Light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Light Distribution
(Type) group ➤ Choose Photometric Web from the drop-down list.
Photometric Web distribution uses a photometric web definition on page 5731
to distribute the light. A photometric web is a 3D representation of the light
intensity distribution of a light source. Web definitions are stored in files.
Many lighting manufacturers provide web files that model their products;
these are often available on the Internet.
A web file can be in the IES on page 5735, LTLI on page 9209, or CIBSE on page
9116 format. Controls for assigning the web file are on the Distribution
(Photometric File) rollout on page 5752.

Example of web distribution

5730 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Viewport representations of lights with various web distributions

Photometric web file settings appear on the Distribution (Photometric File)
rollout on page 5752.

Procedure
To create a light from a manufacturer's IES file:

1

Create a Target or Free photometric light.

2 In the General Parameters rollout ➤ Light Distribution (Type) group,
choose Photometric Web File from the Distribution list.
A Distribution (Photometric File) rollout opens on the command panel.
3 In the Distribution (Photometric File) rollout, click the button labelled
Choose Photometric File.
A file selection dialog appears. Choose the IES file that you want to use.

Photometric Webs
A photometric web is a 3D representation of the light intensity distribution
of a light source. This directional light distribution information is stored in a
photometric data file in the IES format using the IES LM-63-1991 standard
file format on page 5735, or in the LTLI or CIBSE formats for photometric data.
You can load photometric data files provided by various manufacturers as web
parameters. In viewports, the light object changes to the shape of the
photometric web you choose.
To describe the directional distribution of the light emitted by a source, 3ds
Max approximates the source by a point light placed at its photometric center.
With this approximation, the distribution is characterized as a function of
the outgoing direction only. The luminous intensity of the source for a
predetermined set of horizontal and vertical angles is provided, and 3ds Max
computes the luminous intensity along an arbitrary direction by interpolation.

Photometric Lights | 5731

Web Diagrams
Photometric data is often depicted using a diagram. Diagrams that show
rotation about an axis are known as goniometric.

Goniometric diagram of a web distribution

This type of diagram visually represents how the luminous intensity of a source
varies with the vertical angle. However, the horizontal angle is fixed and,
unless the distribution is axially symmetric, more than one goniometric
diagram may be needed to describe the complete distribution.
In the 3ds Max user interface, web files are displayed as thumbnail diagrams.

5732 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Thumbnails of photometric web files
The bright red outline shows the beam. For some webs, a darker red outline shows
the (less bright) field.

Photometric Web
The photometric web is a three-dimensional representation of the light
distribution. It extends the goniometric diagram to three dimensions, so that
the dependencies of the luminous intensity on both the vertical and horizontal
angles can be examined simultaneously. The center of the photometric web
represents the center of the light object.
The luminous intensity in any given direction is proportional to the distance
between this web and the photometric center, measured along a line leaving
the center in the specified direction.

Photometric Lights | 5733

Example 1: Uniform Spherical Distribution

Example of uniform spherical distribution

A sphere centered around the origin is a representation of uniform spherical
distribution, also known as isotropic distribution. All the points in the diagram
are equidistant from the center and therefore light is emitted equally in all
directions.

5734 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Example 2: Ellipsoidal Distribution

Example of ellipsoidal distribution

In this example, the points in the negative Z direction are the same distance
from the origin as the corresponding points in the positive Z direction, so the
same amount of light shines upward and downward. No point has a very large
X or Y component, either positive or negative, so less light is cast laterally
from the light source.

IES Standard File Format
You can create a photometric data file in the IES format using the IES
LM-63-1991 standard file format for photometric data. (IES stands for
Illuminating Engineering Society.)
This topic describes only the information relevant to 3ds Max. For a complete
description of the IES standard file format, see IES Standard File Format for

Photometric Lights | 5735

Electronic Transfer of Photometric Data and Related Information, prepared by the
IES Computer Committee (http://www.iesna.org).
The luminous intensity distribution (LID) of a luminaire is measured at the
nodes of a photometric web for a fixed set of horizontal and vertical angles.
The poles of the web lie along the vertical axis, with the nadir corresponding
to a vertical angle of zero degrees. The horizontal axis corresponds to a
horizontal angle of zero degrees and is oriented parallel to the length of the
luminaire. This type of photometric web is generated by a Type C goniometer
and is the most popular in North America; other types of goniometry are
supported by the IES standard file format but are not discussed here.
The photometric data is stored in an ASCII file. Each line in the file must be
less than 132 characters long and must be terminated by a
carriage-return/line-feed character sequence. Longer lines can be continued
by inserting a carriage-return/line-feed character sequence. Each field in the
file must begin on a new line and must appear exactly in the following
sequence:
1 IESNA91
2 [TEST] the test report number of your data
3 [MANUFAC] the manufacturer of the luminaire
4 TILT=NONE
5 1
6 The initial rated lumens for the lamp used in the test or -1 if absolute
photometry is used and the intensity values do not depend on different
lamp ratings.
7 A multiplying factor for all the candela values in the file. This makes it
possible to easily scale all the candela values in the file when the
measuring device operates in unusual units—for example, when you
obtain the photometric values from a catalog using a ruler on a
goniometric diagram. Normally the multiplying factor is 1.
8 The number of vertical angles in the photometric web.
9 The number of horizontal angles in the photometric web.
10 1
11 The type of unit used to measure the dimensions of the luminous opening.
Use 1 for feet or 2 for meters.

5736 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

12 The width, length, and height of the luminous opening. Currently,
Lightscape ignores these dimensions because you can associate a given
luminous intensity distribution with any of the luminaire geometric
entities supported by Lightscape. It is normally given as 0 0 0.
13 1.0 1.0 0.0
14 The set of vertical angles, listed in increasing order. If the distribution
lies completely in the bottom hemisphere, the first and last angles must
be 0° and 90°, respectively. If the distribution lies completely in the top
hemisphere, the first and last angles must be 90° and 180°, respectively.
Otherwise, they must be 0° and 180°, respectively.
15 The set of horizontal angles, listed in increasing order. The first angle
must be 0°. The last angle determines the degree of lateral symmetry
displayed by the intensity distribution. If it is 0°, the distribution is axially
symmetric. If it is 90°, the distribution is symmetric in each quadrant. If
it is 180°, the distribution is symmetric about a vertical plane. If it is
greater than 180° and less than or equal to 360°, the distribution exhibits
no lateral symmetries. All other values are invalid.
16 The set of candela values. First all the candela values corresponding to
the first horizontal angle are listed, starting with the value corresponding
to the smallest vertical angle and moving up the associated vertical plane.
Then the candela values corresponding to the vertical plane through the
second horizontal angle are listed, and so on until the last horizontal
angle. Each vertical slice of values must start on a new line. Long lines
may be broken between values as needed by following the instructions
given earlier.
Here is an example of a photometric data file on page 5737.

Example of a Photometric Data File
This topic shows an example of a photometric data file.
See also:
■

IES Standard File Format on page 5735

Photometric Lights | 5737

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Photometric Lights)
Create panel ➤

➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Create a light.

Modify panel ➤ Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Create a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout
The Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout lets you set the color and intensity
of the light. You can also, optionally, set a limit for its attenuation.

Interface

5738 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Color group
Light Pick a common lamp specification to approximate the spectral character
of your light. The color swatch next to the Kelvin parameter is updated to
reflect the light you select.
These are the options when you specify color using the Light drop-down list
(HID stands for high-intensity discharge):
■

D50 Illuminant (Reference White)

■

D65 Illuminant (Reference White) (the default)

■

Fluorescent (Cool White)

■

Fluorescent (Daylight)

■

Fluorescent (Lite White)

■

Fluorescent (Warm White)

■

Fluorescent (White)

■

Halogen

■

Halogen (Cool)

■

Halogen (Warm)

■

HID Ceramic Metal Halide (Cool)

■

HID Ceramic Metal Halide (Warm)

■

HID High Pressure Sodium

■

HID Low Pressure Sodium

■

HID Mercury

■

HID Phosphor Mercury

■

HID Quartz Metal Halide

■

HID Quartz Metal Halide (Cool)

■

HID Quartz Metal Halide (Warm)

■

HID Xenon

■

Incandescent filament lamp

Photometric Lights | 5739

NOTE The default choice, D65 Illuminant (Reference White), approximates a
midday sun in western or northern Europe. “D65” is a white value defined by the
Comission Internationale de l’Éclairage (CIE), the International Lighting Commission.

5740 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Different lamp types used for the foreground light:

Photometric Lights | 5741

Top: D50 Illuminant (Reference White)
Middle: Fluorescent (Cool White)
Bottom: HID High Pressure Sodium

Kelvin Set the color of the light by adjusting the color temperature on page
5685 spinners. The color temperature is displayed in degrees Kelvin. The
corresponding color is visible in the color swatch next to the temperature
spinners.
Filter Color Use a color filter to simulate the effect of a color filter placed over
the light source. For example, a red filter over a white light source casts red
light. Set the filter color by clicking the color swatch to display the Color
Selector on page 304. Default=white (RGB=255,255,255; HSV=0,0,255).

Foreground light given a dark green filter color

Intensity group
These controls specify the strength or brightness of photometric lights in
physically based quantities.

5742 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

You set the intensity of a light source using one of the following units:
■

lm (lumen)Measures the overall output power of the light (luminous flux
on page 9209). A 100-watt general purpose light bulb has a luminous flux of
about 1750 lm.

■

cd (candela)Measures the maximum luminous intensity on page 9209 of the
light, usually along the direction of aim. a 100-watt general purpose light
bulb has a luminous intensity of about 139 cd.

■

lx at (lux)Measures illuminance on page 9190 caused by the light shining on
a surface at a certain distance and facing in the direction of the source.
The lux is the International Scene unit, which is equivalent to 1 lumen
per square meter. The AS unit for illuminance is the footcandle (fc) which
is equivalent to 1 lumen per square foot. To convert from footcandles to
lux, multiply by 10.76. For example, to specify an illuminance of 35 fc,
set illuminance to 376.6 lx.
To specify the illuminance of a light, set the lx value on the left, and then
in the second value field, enter the distance at which that illuminance is
measured.

NOTE You can obtain these values directly from lighting manufacturers. A table
of some common lamp types is provided in Photometric Lights: Common Lamp
Values on page 5716.

Dimming group
Resulting Intensity Displays the intensity caused by the dimming, using the
same units as the Intensity group.
Dimming percentage When the toggle is on, the value specifies a “multiplier”
that dims the intensity of the light. At 100 percent, the light has its full
intensity. At lower percentages, the light is dimmed.

Photometric Lights | 5743

Incandescent light in the foreground

5744 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Foreground light dimmed to 10 percent

Incandescent lamp color shift when dimming When on, the light simulates
an incandescent light by turning more yellow in color as it is dimmed.

Photometric Lights | 5745

Dimmed foreground light with color shift turned on

Far Attenuation group
You can set the attenuation range for a photometric light. Strictly speaking,
this is not how real-world lights behave, but setting an attenuation range can
help improve rendering time dramatically.
TIP If your scene has a large number of lights, use Far Attenuation to limit the
portion of the scene each light illuminates. For example, if an office area has rows
of overhead lights, you could set Far Attenuation ranges to keep the lights’
illumination from being calculated when you render the reception area instead of
the main office. As another example, a staircase might have recessed lights on
each stair, as many theaters do. Setting a small Far Attenuation value for these
lights can prevent their (negligible) illumination from being calculated when you
render the theater as a whole.
Far attenuation works only with the mental ray renderer on page 7129.

5746 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Far Attenuation applied to the foreground light

IMPORTANT Unlike the attenuation ranges for standard lights, the attenuation
range for photometric lights does not change the attenuation rate, which is always
inverse square. The attenuation range is simply a way of limiting which parts of
the scene are illuminated by the light, in order to reduce the amount of calculation
required to render the scene.
Use Enables far attenuation for the light.
Show Displays the far attenuation range settings in viewports. For spotlight
distribution, attenuation ranges appear as lens-shaped sections of the cone.
For other distributions, the ranges appear as spheres. By default, Far Start is
light brown and Far End is dark brown.
NOTE The attenuation ranges are always visible when a light is selected, so turning
off this check box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light.
Start Sets the distance at which the light begins to fade out.
End Sets the distance at which the light has faded to zero.

Photometric Lights | 5747

Shape/Area Shadows Rollout
Create panel ➤

➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Create a light.

Modify panel ➤ Shape/Area Shadows rollout

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Create a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Shape/Area Shadows rollout
The Shape/Area Shadows rollout lets you choose the light shape used to
generate shadows.
NOTE These controls work only with the mental ray renderer on page 7129. The
scanline renderer on page 7041 does not calculate photometric area shadows
(although with the scanline renderer you can use Area shadows on page 5832 to
get a similar effect). Also, the scanline renderer does not render a photometric
area light as self illuminating, or display its shape in renderings.

Interface

5748 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Emit Light From (Shape) group
Drop-down list Use the list to choose the shadow-generating shape. When
you choose a shape other than Point, dimension controls appear in the Emit
Light group, and a Shadow Samples control appears in the Rendering group.
■

PointCalculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a point.
The Point shape has no other controls.

■

LineCalculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a line.
The Linear shape has a Length control.

■

RectangleCalculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a rectangular
area.
The Area shape has Length and Width controls.

■

DiscCalculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a disc.
The Disc shape has a Radius control.

■

SphereCalculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a sphere.
The Sphere shape has a Radius control.

■

CylinderCalculates shadows as if the line were emitted from a cylinder.
The Cylinder shape has Length and Radius controls.

Rendering group
Light Shape Visible in Rendering When on, the shape of the light is visible
in renderings as a self-illuminated (glowing) shape, provided the light object
is within the field of view. When off, the light’s shape is not rendered, only
the light it casts. Default=off.
See Self-Illuminating Photometric Lights on page 5749 for more information
about this option.
Shadow Samples Sets the overall quality of shadows for lights that have an
area. If the rendered image appears grainy, increase this value. If rendering is
too time consuming, decrease it. Default=32.
This setting doesn’t appear in the interface when Point is chosen as the shadow
shape.

Self-Illuminating Photometric Lights
You can make a photometric light self illuminating by turning on the Light
Shape Visible In Rendering option in the Shape/Area Shadows rollout on page
5748.

Photometric Lights | 5749

When you turn on Light Shape Visible In Rendering, by default 3ds Max turns
off Specular in the Advanced Effects rollout on page 5817. This prevents
unwanted effects if the area of the photometric light is small. Small lights
have a high luminance, and also are hard for specular rays to find: the result
can be overly bright spots in your rendering.
■

If the self-illuminating photometric light has a small area, leave Specular
turned off.

■

If the self-illuminating light has a large area (for example, a skylight or a
fluorescent tube), turn Specular back on for the most realistic effect.

Combining Self-Illuminating Photometric Lights and Self-Illuminating
Materials
To make a light fixture visible to the renderer, we recommend modeling the
light fixture with actual geometry that has a self-illuminating material applied
to it.

The square white surface is geometry representing the light.
A photometric light is placed at the same location.

This doesn’t pose a problem unless you create a radiosity solution on page 7068
that uses Final Gather. Final Gather treats the self-illuminated material as an
additional diffuse light source, and the resulting rendering is too bright.

5750 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The intended effect of the light alone.

The light plus Final Gather creates illumination that is too bright.

If this problem arises, do one or both of the following:
■

Turn off Specular for the photometric light.

■

Turn off Object Properties ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Geometric Object
Radiosity Properties ➤ Radiosity-only Properties ➤ Diffuse (reflective &
translucent) for objects with surfaces affected by this problem.

Photometric Lights | 5751

Distribution (Photometric File) Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Create a
photometric light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Choose Photometric
Web File as the distribution type. ➤ Distribution (Photometric File) rollout
Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Create a photometric light.
➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Choose Photometric Web File as the
distribution type. ➤ Distribution (Photometric File) rollout
The Distribution (Photometric File) rollout appears on the Modify panel when
you create or select a photometric light with a photometric web distribution
on page 5730. Use these parameters to select a photometric web file and to adjust
the orientation of the web.

Interface

Web diagram After you choose a photometric file, this thumbnail shows a
schematic diagram of the light’s distribution pattern.

5752 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Thumbnails of photometric web files
The bright red outline shows the beam. For some webs, a darker red outline shows
the (less bright) field.

Choose Photometric File Click to select a file to use as a photometric web.
The file can be in the IES, LTLI, or CIBSE format. Once you have chosen a file,
this button displays the file name (without the .ies, .ltli, or .cibse name
extension).
While you browse for a photometric web file, the file dialog also shows the
thumbnail for the highlighted file.
X Rotation Rotates the photometric web about the X axis. The center of
rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=–180 degrees to 180
degrees.
Y Rotation Rotates the photometric web about the Y axis. The center of
rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=–180 degrees to 180
degrees.
Z Rotation Rotates the photometric web about the Z axis. The center of
rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=–180 degrees to 180
degrees.

Distribution (Spotlight) Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ Create a
photometric light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Choose Spotlight as the
distribution type. ➤ Distribution (Spotlight) rollout
Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Create a photometric light.
➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Choose Spotlight as the distribution type.
➤ Distribution (Spotlight) rollout

Photometric Lights | 5753

The Distribution (Spotlight) rollout appears on the Modify panel when you
create or select a photometric light with spotlight distribution on page 5728.
These parameters control hotspots and falloff on page 9187 for spotlights.

Procedures
To see the spotlight cone in viewports:
The cone is always visible while the light is selected. This setting keeps the
cone visible when the light is unselected.

1

Select the spotlight.

2 In the Distribution (Spotlight) rollout, turn on Cone Visible In Viewport
When Unselected.

3

Select another object to deselect the light.
A wireframe outline of the light cone appears. The beam angle region is
outlined in light blue, and the field angle region is outlined in dark gray.

5754 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Spotlight cone displayed in a viewport

To adjust the beam angle and field angle, do one of the following:
■

Use the Hotspot/Beam and Falloff/Field spinners to increase or decrease
the size of the beam angle and field angle regions. For spotlights, these
angles are expressed in degrees.

■

Use manipulators to adjust beam angle and field angle by dragging in a
viewport, as described in the procedure that follows.

By default, the field angle is always constrained to be at least two degrees or
two units greater than the beam angle. The size of this constraint is a preference
that you can change in the Rendering panel on page 8929 of the Preferences
dialog. The falloff value can range from 0 to 10,000 units.
When the beam angle and field angle values are close in value, the light casts
a hard-edged beam.

Photometric Lights | 5755

To use manipulators to control beam angle and field angle:

1

Select the spotlight.
TIP When you select multiple spotlights, all their manipulators are accessible.

2 On the main toolbar, click to turn on

(Select And Manipulate.

Now when you move the mouse over the beam angle or field angle circle,
the circle turns red to show you can adjust it by dragging. Also, a tooltip
displays the spotlight name, the parameter, and its value.
3 Drag the beam angle or field angle circle to adjust the value.
The beam angle and field angle constrain each other, as their spinner
controls do.
Spotlight manipulators are described at the end of this topic.

Interface

Cone visible in viewport when unselected Turns display of the cone on or
off.
NOTE The cone is always visible when a light is selected, so turning off this check
box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light.
Hotspot/Beam Adjusts the angle of the cone of a light. The Beam value is
measured in degrees. For photometric lights, the Beam angle is the angle at
which the light's intensity has fallen to 50 per cent of its full intensity.
Default=30.0.

5756 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Falloff/Field Adjusts the angle of a light's Field. The Field value is measured
in degrees.
For photometric lights, the Field angle is the angle at which the light's intensity
has fallen close to zero. Default=60.0.
NOTE The beam angle is similar to the hotspot angle for standard lights, but all
of a hotspot is at 100 per cent intensity. The field angle is similar to the falloff
angle for standard lights, but at the falloff angle, intensity fades to zero;
photometric lights use a smoother curve, so some light might be cast outside the
field angle.
You can manipulate the beam angle and field angle by dragging manipulators
in viewports, as described in the previous procedures, and the later section
"Manipulators for Spotlights."
You can also adjust beam and field angles in a Light viewport (looking at the
scene from the point of view of the spotlight).

Manipulators for Spotlights

Manipulators are visible and usable while the Select And Manipulate
button on page 2868 is turned on. This button is on the default main toolbar
on page 8623. When you move the mouse over a manipulator, the manipulator
turns red to show that dragging or clicking it will have an effect. Also, a tooltip
appears, showing the name of the object, the parameter, and its value.
TIP When you select multiple spotlights, all their manipulators are accessible.
For more information on using the spotlight manipulators, see the Procedures
section at the top of this topic.
Beam manipulator: In a viewport, drag the beam circle to adjust the beam
value.
Field manipulator: In a viewport, drag the field circle to adjust the field value.
The beam and field angles constrain each other, as their spinner controls do.

Standard Lights
Standard lights are computer-based objects that simulate lights such as
household or office lamps, the light instruments used in stage and film work,
and the sun itself. Different kinds of light objects cast light in different ways,
simulating different kinds of real-world light sources. Unlike photometric

Standard Lights | 5757

lights on page 5707, standard lights do not have physically-based intensity
values.

For parameters specific to a particular kind of light, see the description of that
light type. Parameters specific to standard lights in general, as well as rollouts
specific to spotlights and directional lights, are described in Rollouts for
Standard Lights on page 5783.
See also:
■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs on page 5805

■

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825

Target Spotlight
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Target Spot button

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Target Spotlight
A spotlight casts a focused beam of light like a flashlight, a follow spot in a
theater, or a headlight. A target spotlight uses a target object to aim the camera.

5758 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Top: Top view of a target spotlight
Bottom: Perspective view of the same light

NOTE When you add a target spotlight, 3ds Max automatically assigns a Look At
controller on page 3533 to it, with the light's target object assigned as the Look At
target. You can use the controller settings on the Motion panel to assign any other
object in the scene as the Look At target.
See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5783

Standard Lights | 5759

■

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5790

■

Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817

■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

■

Spotlight Parameters on page 5799

Procedures
To create a target spotlight:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Target Spot.
4 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
spotlight, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of
the target.
The light is now part of the scene.
5 Set the creation parameters.
To adjust a target spotlight:
1 Select the light.

2 On the main toolbar, turn on
(Select And Move), or right-click
the light and from the quad menu, choose Move. Move the light to adjust
its aim.
Because the spotlight is always aimed at its target, you can't rotate it about
its local X or Y axis. However, you can select and move the target object
as well as the light itself. When you move either the light or the target,
the light's orientation changes so it always points at the target.
NOTE The target’s distance from the light does not affect the attenuation
or brightness of the light.

5760 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To select the target:
The target, displayed as a small square, is often in the same area as objects
that you want to illuminate. It can be difficult to select it by clicking.

1

Select the spotlight itself.

2 Right-click the light, and from the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the
quad menu, choose Select Target.
Clicking the line that connects the light and its target selects both objects.
However, region selection doesn't recognize the link line.
Another way to adjust a spotlight is to use a Light viewport on page 5799.
To change a viewport to a Light view:
1 Click or right-click the POV viewport label.
3ds Max opens the Point-Of- View viewport label menu. on page 8712.
2 Choose Lights.
The Lights submenu shows the name of each spotlight or directional
light in the scene.
3 Choose the name of the light you want.
The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light
viewport on page 8753 to adjust the light.
The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.

Interface
When you rename a target spotlight, the target is automatically renamed to
match. For example, renaming Light01 to Klieg causes Light01.Target to become
Klieg.Target. The target's name must have the extension .Target. Renaming the
target object does not rename the light object.

Free Spotlight
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Free Spot button

Standard Lights | 5761

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Free Spotlight
A spotlight casts a focused beam of light like a flashlight, a follow spot in a
theater, or a headlight. Unlike a targeted spotlight, a Free Spot has no target
object. You can move and rotate the free spot to aim it in any direction.

Top: Perspective view of a free spotlight
Bottom: Top view of the same light

See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5783

5762 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

■

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5790

■

Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817

■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

■

Spotlight Parameters on page 5799

Procedures
To create a free spotlight:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Free Spot.
4 Click the viewport location where you want the light to be.
The light is now part of the scene. It points away from you in the viewport
you clicked.

You can adjust the light's direction with
(Move) and
(Rotate) or by using a Light viewport on page 8753.
5 Set the creation parameters.
To change a viewport to a Light view:
1 Click or right-click the POV viewport label.
3ds Max opens the Point-Of- View viewport label menu. on page 8712.
2 Choose Lights.
The Lights submenu shows the name of each spotlight or directional
light in the scene.
3 Choose the name of the light you want.
The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light
Viewport Controls on page 8753 to adjust the light.
The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.

Standard Lights | 5763

Interface
You aim a free spotlight by adjusting its orientation in a scene using Move
and Rotate.
The free spotlight is useful when you want a spotlight to follow a path and
either don't want to bother with linking a spotlight and target to a dummy
object on page 9139, or you need banking along the path.

General Parameters rollout
When you create a Free Spot light, the Targeted parameter is adjustable on
the General Parameters rollout on page 5783. This is a fixed value for target
lights.
Targeted When on, 3ds Max sets a point to use as an invisible target about
which the Free Spot can orbit. The spinner adjusts the distance to the target.
The target distance is animatable.

Target Directional Light
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Target Direct button

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Target Directional Light
Directional lights cast parallel light rays in a single direction, as the sun does
(for all practical purposes) at the surface of the earth. Directional lights are
primarily used to simulate sunlight. You can adjust the color of the light and
position and rotate the light in 3D space.

5764 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Top: Top view of a target directional light
Bottom: Perspective view of the same light

A target directional light uses a target object to aim the light.
Because directional rays are parallel, directional lights have a beam in the
shape of a circular or rectangular prism instead of a "cone."
NOTE When you add a target directional light, 3ds Max automatically assigns a
Look At controller on page 3533 to it, with the light's target object assigned as the
Look At target. You can use the controller settings on the Motion panel to assign
any other object in the scene as the Look At target.
NOTE Direct lights are supported in a radiosity solution on page 7068 only if they
are pointed downwards, outside the boundary box of the scene geometry.
See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5783

■

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5790

■

Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817

■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

■

Directional Parameters on page 5796

Standard Lights | 5765

Procedures
To create a target direct light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Target Direct.
4 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
light, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the
target.
The light is now part of the scene.
5 Set the creation parameters.
To adjust the light's direction, move the target object.
To change a viewport to a Light view:
1 Click or right-click the POV viewport label.
3ds Max opens the Point-Of- View viewport label menu. on page 8712.
2 Choose Lights.
The Lights submenu shows the name of each spotlight or directional
light in the scene.
3 Choose the name of the light you want.
The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light
Viewport Controls on page 8753 to adjust the light.
The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.

Interface
Clicking the line that connects the light and its target selects both objects.
However, region selection doesn't recognize the link line.
When you rename a target directional light, the target is automatically renamed
to match. For example, renaming Light01 to Sol causes Light01.Target to become
Sol.Target. The target's name must have the extension .Target. Renaming the
target object does not rename the light object.

5766 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Free Directional Light
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Free Direct button

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Directional Light
Directional lights cast parallel light rays in a single direction, as the sun does
(for all practical purposes) at the surface of the earth. Directional lights are
primarily used to simulate sunlight. You can adjust the color of the light and
position and rotate the light in 3D space.

Top: Perspective view of a free directional light
Bottom: Top view of the same light

Standard Lights | 5767

Unlike a targeted directional light, a Free Direct light has no target object. You
can move and rotate the light object to aim it in any direction.
A Free Direct light is used when you select a Standard sun in your Daylight
system on page 5852.
Because directional rays are parallel, directional lights have a beam in the
shape of a circular or rectangular prism instead of a "cone."
NOTE Direct lights are supported in a radiosity solution on page 7068 only if they
are pointed downwards, outside the boundary box of the scene geometry.
See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5783

■

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5790

■

Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817

■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

■

Directional Parameters on page 5796

Procedures
To create a free direct light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Free Direct.
4 Click a viewport.
The light is now part of the scene. It points away from you in the viewport
you clicked.
5 Set the creation parameters.
To adjust the light's direction, you can rotate it as you would any object.

5768 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To change a viewport to a Light view:
1 Click or right-click the POV viewport label.
3ds Max opens the Point-Of- View viewport label menu. on page 8712.
2 Choose Lights.
The Lights submenu shows the name of each spotlight or directional
light in the scene.
3 Choose the name of the light you want.
The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light
Viewport Controls on page 8753 to adjust the light.
The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.

Interface
Directional Parameters rollout
When you create a Free Direct light, the Targeted parameter is adjustable on
the General Parameters rollout on page 5783. This is a fixed value for target
lights.
Targeted When on, 3ds Max sets a point to use as an invisible target about
which the Free Direct light can orbit. The spinner adjusts the distance to the
target.
This parameter also affects the length of the light's cone display.

Omni Light
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Omni button

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Omni Light
An Omni light casts rays in all directions from a single source. Omni lights
are useful for adding "fill lighting" to your scene, or simulating point source
lights.

Standard Lights | 5769

Top: Top view of an omni light
Bottom: Perspective view of the same light

Omni lights can cast shadows and projections. A single shadow-casting omni
light is the equivalent of six shadow-casting spotlights, pointing outward from
the center.
When you set a map projected by an Omni light to be projected using the
Spherical, Cylindrical, or Shrink Wrap Environment coordinates, the map is
projected in the same way as it would be mapped to the environment. When
you use the Screen Environment coordinates or Explicit Map Channel Texture
coordinates, six copies of the map are projected radially.
TIP Omni lights can generate up to six quadtrees on page 9277, so they generate
ray-traced shadows more slowly than spotlights. Avoid using ray-traced shadows
with omni lights unless your scene requires this.

5770 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5783

■

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5790

■

Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817

■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

Procedures
To create an omni light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Omni.
4 Click the viewport location where you want the light to be. If you drag
the mouse, you can move the light around before releasing the mouse
to fix its position.
The light is now part of the scene.
5 Set the creation parameters.
To adjust the light's effect, you can move it as you would any object.

Skylight
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Skylight button

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Skylight
The Skylight light models daylight. It is meant for use with the Light Tracer
on page 7055. You can set the color of the sky or assign it a map. The sky is
modeled as a dome above the scene.

Standard Lights | 5771

Model rendered with a single skylight, and light tracing

When you render with the default scanline renderer on page 7042, Skylight
works best with advanced lighting: either the Light Tracer, or radiosity on
page 7068.
WARNING When you render with the mental ray renderer on page 7129, objects
illuminated by a Skylight appear dark unless you turn on Final Gathering on page
9160. The toggle for Final Gathering is on the Final Gather rollout on page 7213 of the
Render Setup dialog.

5772 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

A skylight is modeled as a dome above the scene.

TIP There are several ways to model daylight in 3ds Max, but if you use the Light
Tracer, a Skylight often gives the best results.
TIP If you encounter visual anomalies when rendering a bump-mapped material
with a Skylight, convert the material to an Advanced Lighting Override material
on page 6588 and then reduce the Indirect Light Bump Scale value.

Using a Map with the Skylight
If you use a map with a Skylight, the following guidelines can improve its
effect:
■

Make sure that the mapping coordinates are spherical or cylindrical.

■

For light tracing, make sure you use sufficient samples. A good rule of
thumb is to use at least 1,000 samples: set Initial Sample Spacing to 8x8
or 4x4, and increase the value of Filter Size to 2.0.

■

Use an image-processing application to blur the map before you use it.
With a blurred map, you can use fewer samples to obtain good results.
When used with Skylight, a blurred map will still render well.

Be aware that using sufficient samples with a mapped Skylight will take longer
to render than if the light were not mapped.

Standard Lights | 5773

Skylight and Radiosity in Architectural Design
In order for radiosity to be processed correctly when a Skylight is added to
the scene, you need to make sure that walls have closed corners and floors
and ceilings have thickness under and over the walls. In essence, your 3D
model should be built just like the real-world structure is built.
If you build your model with walls that meet along a single edge or floors and
ceilings are simple planes, when you process radiosity after adding a Skylight,
you can end up with “light leaks” along those edges.
Some of the ways to repair a model so light leaks do not occur are as follows:
■

Make sure floors and ceilings have thickness.
You can fix this by extruding those surfaces at a sub-object level or by
applying modifiers like Shell on page 1603 or Extrude on page 1369.

■

Use the Wall command on page 425 to create walls.
The Wall command is programmed to make sure corners are constructed
of solid objects instead of leaving a single, thin edge.

■

Ensure that floor and ceiling objects extend beyond walls.
Floor objects need to extend under walls and ceilings need to extend over
walls.

By building your 3D model using these guidelines, light leaks will not occur
when you process radiosity after adding a Skylight to the scene.

Using Render Elements with a Skylight
If you use Render Elements on page 7269 to output the lighting element on page
7290 of a skylight in a scene using either radiosity or the light tracer, you cannot
separate the direct, indirect, and shadow channels of the light. All three
elements of the skylight lighting are output to the Indirect Light channel.

Procedures
To create a Skylight:

1 On the

Create panel, click

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click Skylight.

5774 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

(Lights).

4 Click a viewport.
The light is now part of the scene.
NOTE The position of the Skylight, and its distance from objects, has no
effect. The Skylight object is simply a helper. Skylight always comes from
“overhead.”
5 Set the creation parameters.

Interface

On Turns the light on and off. When On is on, shading and rendering use
the light to illuminate the scene. When off, the light is not used in shading
or rendering. Default=on.
Multiplier Amplifies the power of the light by a positive or negative amount.
For example, if you set the multiplier on page 9233 to 2, the light will be twice
as bright. Default=1.0.

Standard Lights | 5775

Using this parameter to increase intensity can cause colors to appear "burned
out." It can also generate colors not usable in videos. In general, leave Multiplier
set to its default of 1.0 except for special effects and special cases.

Sky Color group
Use Scene Environment Colors the light using the environment set up on
the Environment panel on page 7621.
This setting has no effect unless light tracing is active.
Sky Color Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 304 and
choose a tint for the Skylight.

Map controls These let you use a map to affect Skylight color. The button
assigns a map, the toggle sets whether the map is active, and the spinner sets
the percentage of the map to use (when the value is less than 100%, map
colors are mixed with the Sky Color).
TIP For best results, use an HDR File on page 8448 for illumination.
The map has no effect unless light tracing is active.

Render group
NOTE If the renderer is not set to Default Scanline, or if the Light Tracer is active,
these controls are disabled.
Cast Shadows Causes the skylight to cast shadows. Default=off.
NOTE The Cast Shadows toggle has no effect when using radiosity or the light
tracer.
NOTE Skylight objects will not cast shadows in an ActiveShade rendering on page
7001.
Rays per Sample The number of rays used to calculate skylight falling on a
given point in the scene. For animation, you should set this to a high value
to eliminate flickering. A value of around 30 should eliminate flickering.

5776 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Increasing the number of rays increases the quality of your image. However, it also
increases rendering time.

Ray Bias The closest distance at which objects can cast shadows on a given
point in the scene. Setting this value to 0 can cause the point to cast shadows
upon itself, and setting it to a large value can prevent objects close to a point
from casting shadows on the point.

mr Area Omni Light
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ mr Area Omni
button ➤ Area Light Parameters rollout
When you render a scene using the mental ray renderer on page 7129, an area
omni light emits light from a spherical or cylindrical volume, rather than
from a point source. With the default scanline renderer, the area omni light
behaves like any other standard omni light.
NOTE In 3ds Max, area omni lights are created and supported by a MAXScript
script. Only the mental ray renderer uses the parameters on the Area Light
Parameters rollout. See Enhancements to Standard Features on page 7140 for more
details.

Standard Lights | 5777

TIP Area lights take longer to render than point lights. To create a quick test (or
draft) rendering, you can use the Area/Linear Lights as Point Lights toggle in the
Common Parameters rollout on page 7020 of the Render Setup dialog to speed up
your rendering.
See also:
mr Area Spotlight on page 5780

■

Procedures
To create an area omni light:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click mr Area Omni.
4 Click in a viewport.
5 Set the shape and size of the area light in the Area Light Parameters
rollout.
While you use the spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo
(yellow by default) appears in viewports to show the adjusted size. This
gizmo disappears once you finish adjusting the value.

TIP You can use
(Rotate) to adjust the orientation of a cylindrical
area omni light. However, no gizmo appears while you rotate the light.

To convert a standard 3ds Max light to an area light:

1

Select one or more lights.

2 Go to the

Utilities panel.

5778 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

3 On the Utilities rollout, click MAXScript.
The MAXScript rollout is displayed.
4 On the MAXScript rollout, choose “Convert To mr Area Lights” from the
Utilities drop-down list.
The “Convert To mr Area Lights” rollout is displayed.
5 On the “Convert To mr Area Lights” rollout, click Convert Selected Lights.
A MAXScript alert is displayed, that says "Delete Old Lights?" Click Yes
to delete the original light and replace it with the area light. Click No to
leave the original light in place. If you click No there are now two lights
in the scene: the original light, and the area light based on it.
6 Click Close to dismiss the “Convert To mr Area Lights” and MAXScript
rollouts.

Interface

On Turns the area light on and off. When On is on, the mental ray renderer
uses the light to illuminate the scene. When On is off, the mental ray renderer
doesn’t use the light. Default=on.
Show Icon in Renderer When on, the mental ray renderer renders a dark
shape at the light's location. When off, the area light doesn't render.
Default=off.
Type Changes the shape of the area light. The choices are Sphere, for a
spherical volume, and Cylinder, for a cylindrical volume. Default=Sphere.

Standard Lights | 5779

TIP You can use Rotate to adjust the orientation of a cylindrical area omni light.
However, no gizmo appears while you rotate the light.
Radius Sets the radius of the sphere or cylinder, in 3ds Max units. Default=20.0.
Height Available only when Cylinder is the active type of area light. Sets the
height of the cylinder, in 3ds Max units. Default=20.0.
As you use these spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo appears
in viewports to show the adjusted size. This gizmo disappears once you finish
adjusting the value.

Samples group
U and V Adjust the quality of shadows cast by the area light. These values
specify how many samples to take within the light’s area. Higher values can
improve rendering quality at a cost of rendering time. For a spherical light, U
specifies the number of subdivisions along the radius, and V specifies the
number of angular subdivisions. For a cylindrical light, U specifies the number
of sampled subdivisions along the height, and V specifies the number of
angular subdivisions. Default=5 for both U and V.

mr Area Spotlight
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ mr Area Spot button
➤ Area Light Parameters rollout
When you render a scene using the mental ray renderer on page 7129, an area
spotlight emits light from a rectangular or disc-shaped area, rather than from
a point source. With the default scanline renderer, the area spotlight behaves
like any other standard spotlight.
NOTE In 3ds Max, area spotlights are created and supported by a MAXScript
script. Only the mental ray renderer uses the parameters in the Area Light
Parameters rollout. See Enhancements to Standard Features on page 7140 for more
details.
TIP Area lights take longer to render than point lights. To create a quick test (or
draft) rendering, you can use the Area/Linear Lights as Point Lights toggle on the
Common Parameters rollout on page 7020 of the Render Setup dialog to speed up
your rendering.

5780 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

See also:
mr Area Omni Light on page 5777

■

Procedures
To create an area spotlight:

1 Go to the

Create panel and click

(Lights).

2 Choose Standard from the drop-down list.
3 On the Object Type rollout, click mr Area Spot.
4 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
light, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the
target.
The mental ray renderer will ignore the spotlight cone, but the location
of the spotlight target determines the orientation of the plane of the area
light, and the direction in which it’s projected.
5 Set the shape and size of the area light in the Area Light Parameters
rollout.
While you use the spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo
(yellow by default) appears in viewports to show the adjusted size. This
gizmo disappears once you finish adjusting the value.
To convert a standard 3ds Max light to an area light:

1

Select one or more lights.

2 Go to the

Utilities panel.

3 On the Utilities rollout, click MAXScript.
The MAXScript rollout is displayed.
4 On the MAXScript rollout, choose Convert To Area Lights from the
Utilities drop-down list.
The Convert To Area Lights rollout is displayed.

Standard Lights | 5781

5 On the Convert To Area Lights rollout, click Convert Selected Lights. A
MAXScript alert is displayed, that says "Delete Converted Lights?" Click
Yes to delete the original light and replace it with the area light. Click
No to leave the original light in place. If you click No there are now two
lights in the scene: the original light, and the area light based on it.
6 Click Close to dismiss the Convert To Area Lights and MAXScript rollouts.

Interface

On Turns the area light on and off. When On is on, the mental ray renderer
uses the light to illuminate the scene. When On is off, the mental ray renderer
doesn’t use the light. Default=on.
Show Icon in Renderer When on, the mental ray renderer renders a dark
shape where the area light is. When off, the area light is invisible. Default=off.
Type Changes the shape of the area light. Can be either Rectangle, for a
rectangular area, or Disc, for a circular area. Default=Rectangle.
Radius Available only when Disc is the active type of area light. Sets the radius
of the circular light area, in 3ds Max units. Default=20.0.
Height and Width Available only when Rectangle is the active type of area
light. Set the height and width of the rectangular light area, in 3ds Max units.
Default=20.0 for both Height and Width.
While you use these spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo
(yellow by default) appears in viewports to show the adjusted size. This gizmo
disappears once you finish adjusting the value.

5782 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Samples group
U and V Adjust the quality of shadows cast by the area light. These values
specify how many samples to take within the light’s area. Higher values can
improve rendering quality at a cost of rendering time. For a rectangular light,
U specifies the number of sampled subdivisions in one local dimension, and
V the number of subdivisions in the other local dimension. For a circular (disc)
light, U specifies the number of subdivisions along the radius, and V specifies
the number of angular subdivisions. Default=5 for both U and V.

Rollouts for Standard Lights
The topics in this section describe rollouts whose controls are specific to
standard lights.
See also:
■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs on page 5805

■

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Create a standard
light. ➤ General Parameters rollout
Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Create a standard light. ➤
General Parameters rollout
This General Parameters rollout is displayed for standard lights. These controls
turn a light on and off, and exclude or include objects in the scene.
On the Modify panel, the General Parameters rollout also lets you control the
light’s target object and change the light from one type to another.
The General Parameters rollout also lets you turn shadow-casting on or off
for the light, and choose which type of shadow the light uses. See Shadow
Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825 and Shadow Parameters on page 5808.

Standard Lights | 5783

Procedures
To turn a light on and off:
■

Turn the On toggle on or off.
Default=on.
TIP To make a standard light flash on and off, set its Multiplier parameter to
0 in repeated keyframes, and assign a step tangent on page 3449 to this
parameter.

To have a light cast shadows:
■

In the General Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group, make sure On is
selected.

The light will now cast shadows when you render the scene.

Left: A spotlight's projection cone truncates shadows.
Right: An omni light casts complete shadows.

NOTE With Overshoot turned on, standard spotlights cast light in all directions
but cast shadows only within the falloff cone; standard directional lights cast light
throughout the scene, but cast shadows only within the falloff area.
To have a light use the global settings for shadows:
■

On the General Parameters rollout, turn on Use Global Settings.
When Use Global Settings is on, the other shadow controls are set to the
values used by all other shadow-casting lights in the scene that have Use
Global Settings set.
Changing the affected parameters for one light with Use Global Settings
set, changes them for all lights with Use Global Settings set.

5784 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To set a light's shadow parameters individually:
■

On the General Parameters rollout, turn off Use Global Settings.
The settings revert to the individual settings for the light.
By default, Shadow Map is the active shadow type. In the Shadow Map
Params rollout on page 5846, the default settings are: Map Bias=1; Size=512;
Sample Range=4.0; Absolute Map Bias=Off.

Scene with shadow-mapped shadows
Shadows rendered using default parameter settings

NOTE When you render a scene, you can turn rendering of shadows on or off.
To cast area shadows:
■

On the General Parameters rollout, choose Area Shadows from the
drop-down list.
Use controls on the Area Shadows rollout on page 5832 to adjust the shadow
properties.

To cast advanced ray-traced shadows:
Advanced ray-traced shadows are similar to ray-traced shadows, however they
provide control over antialiasing on page 9087, letting you fine-tune how
shadows are generated.
■

On the General Parameters rollout, choose Advanced Ray-traced Shadows
from the drop-down list.

Standard Lights | 5785

Use controls on the Advanced Ray-traced Params rollout on page 5828 to
adjust the shadow properties.
To cast shadow-mapped shadows:
1 On the General Parameters rollout, choose Shadow Maps from the
drop-down list.
2 Go to the Shadow Map Params rollout on page 5846.
■

Use the Size spinner to set the size of the shadow map.

■

Use the Bias spinner to adjust the shadow offset, if necessary.

■

Use the Sample Range spinner to create a soft-edged shadow.

To cast ray-traced shadows:
Ray-traced shadows on page 9279 are generated by tracing the path of rays
sampled from a light source. Ray-traced shadows are more accurate than
shadow-mapped shadows.
1 On the General Parameters rollout, choose Ray-Traced Shadows from the
drop-down list.
2 Use controls on the Ray Traced Shadow Params rollout on page 5844 to
adjust the shadow offset, if necessary.
To keep an object from casting shadows:

1

Select the object.

2 Right-click the object to display the quad menu, then from the Transform
(lower-right) quadrant, choose Properties.
3ds Max opens the Object Properties dialog on page 221.
3 Turn off Cast Shadows, and then click OK.
Now when you render the scene, the object casts no shadows.

5786 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To make an object not receive shadows:

1

Select the object.

2 Right-click the object to display the quad menu, then from the Transform
(lower-right) quadrant, choose Properties.
3ds Max opens the Object Properties dialog on page 221.
3 Turn off Receive Shadows, and then click OK.
Now when you render the scene, the object receives no shadows.
NOTE You can also prevent objects from casting shadows by excluding them
from a light.

Interface

Light Type group (Modify panel)
On (Both Create panel and Modify panel) Turns the light on and off. When
On is on, shading and rendering use the light to illuminate the scene. When
On is off, the light is not used in shading or rendering. Default=on.
In viewports, the interactive renderer shows the effect of turning lights on or
off.

Standard Lights | 5787

Light Type List Changes the type of the light. If you have selected a standard
light type on page 5757, the light can be changed to an omni, spot, or directional
light. If you have selected a photometric light type on page 5707, you can change
the light to a point, linear, or area light.
This parameter is available only in the Modify panel.
Targeted When on, the light is targeted. The distance between the light and
its target is displayed to the right of the check box. For a free light, you can
set this value. For target lights, you can change it by turning off the check
box, or by moving the light or the light's target object.

Shadows group
On Determines whether the current light casts shadows or not. Default=on.
Shadow Method drop-down list Determines whether the renderer uses
shadow maps on page 9305, ray-traced shadows on page 9279, advanced ray-traced
shadows on page 9279, or area shadows on page 9095, to generate shadows for
this light.
The “mental ray Shadow Map” type is provided for use with the mental ray
renderer on page 7129. When you choose this shadow type and enable shadow
maps (on the Shadows & Displacement rollout on page 7209 of the Render Setup
dialog), shadows use the mental ray shadow-map algorithm. If this type is
chosen but you render with the default scanline renderer, no shadows appear
in the rendering.
NOTE When shadow maps are enabled and the shadow map type is Shadow
Map, the mental ray renderer attempts to translate the shadow map settings into
comparable settings for mental ray shadow maps. (The results might not be what
you expected.) In all other cases, the mental ray renderer generates ray-traced
shadows.
Each shadow type has its particular controls:
■

Advanced ray-traced shadowsSee Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout
on page 5828 and Optimizations Rollout on page 5839.

■

Area shadowsSee Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832 and Optimizations
Rollout on page 5839.

■

mental ray shadow mapsSee mental ray Shadow Map Rollout on page 5842.

■

Ray-traced shadowsSee Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout on page
5844.

■

Shadow mapsSee Shadow Map Parameters Rollout on page 5846.

5788 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

TIP Use ray-traced or advanced ray-traced shadows when you want shadows cast
by opacity-mapped objects. Shadow-mapped shadows don't recognize the
transparent portions of the mapping, and as a result they don't look convincing.
Use Global Settings Turn on to use global settings for shadows cast by this
light. Turn off to enable individual control of the shadows. If you choose not
to use the global settings, you must choose which method the renderer will
use to generate shadows for this particular light.
When Use Global Settings is on, the shadow parameters switch over to show
you what the global settings are. This data is shared by every other light of
this class. When Use Global Settings is off, the shadow parameters are specific
to that particular light.
Exclude button Excludes selected objects from the effects of the light. Click
this button to display the Exclude/Include dialog on page 5805.
Excluded objects still appear lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect
only when you render the scene.

Roll Angle Manipulator
To change the roll angle of a target light, you can use a manipulator. This can
be useful if the light does not cast a round beam, or if it is a projector light
(see Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817). To display the manipulator, select
the light, right-click it, and then click Roll Angle Manipulator Toggle on the
Tools 2 (lower left) quadrant of the quad menu.

Standard Lights | 5789

Roll angle manipulator on a target light

Drag the circular portion of the manipulator to rotate the light by an arbitrary
number of degrees. Click one of the red or green “clock hands” of the
manipulator to rotate the light in 90-degree increments.

NOTE
You can also access the roll angle manipulator by selecting the light
object and then turning on Select And Manipulate on page 2868 on the main toolbar.

Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Standard ➤ Create a Standard
light. ➤ Attenuation Parameters rollout
The Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout allows you to set the color and
intensity of your light. You can also define the attenuation of your light.

5790 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Attenuation settings cause distant objects to be dimmer.

Attenuation on page 9098 is the effect of light diminishing over distance. In 3ds
Max, you can set attenuation values explicitly. The effects can vary from
real-world lights, giving you more direct control over how lights fade in or
fade out.
NOTE With no attenuation, an object can paradoxically appear to grow brighter
as it moves away from the light source. This is because the angle of incidence
more closely approaches 0 degrees for more of the object's faces.
Two sets of values control attenuation for objects. The Far attenuation value
sets the distance at which the light drops off to zero. The Near attenuation
value sets the distance at which the light "fades in." Both these controls are
turned on and off by a toggle called Use.
When Use is set for far attenuation, the light at its source uses the value
specified by its color and multiplier controls. It remains at this value from the
source to the distance specified by Start, then its value drops off to zero at the
distance specified by End.

Standard Lights | 5791

Adding attenuation to a scene

When Use is set for Near attenuation, the light value remains at zero up to
the distance specified by Start. From Start to the distance specified by End, its
value increases. Beyond End, the light remains at the value specified by the
color and multiplier controls, unless far attenuation is also active.
You can't set the Near and Far attenuation distances so they overlap.
The Decay controls are an additional way to make a light fade out.
TIP When lights are attenuated, the light might be too bright on near surfaces or
too dim on far surfaces. If you see this in renderings, exposure control can help
correct the problem. It adjusts the larger dynamic range of the (simulated) physical
scene, into the smaller dynamic range of the display. See Environment Panel on
page 7621 for additional information on exposure control.

Procedures
To choose the color of a light using the color selector:
1 Click the color swatch next to the On check box.
A modal Color Selector on page 304 is displayed.
2 Use the Color Selector to choose a new color, and then click OK.
Shaded viewports update to show the new light color, which also appears
in renderings.
To change a light's intensity:
■

Increase the light's Multiplier value.

5792 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To use attenuation:
1 Set the Start and End values.
2 Turn on Use.
Attenuation is now in effect for this light when the scene is shaded or
rendered.
NOTE You can also change the decay type (and values) to reduce the light’s
intensity over distance.

To see the attenuation range in viewports:
■

Set Show for far or near attenuation.
You can preview the effect of attenuation in shaded viewports only if you
turn this on as an option in viewport preferences on page 8896.

Interface

Multiplier Amplifies the power of the light by a positive or negative amount.
For example, if you set the multiplier on page 9233 to 2, the light will be twice

Standard Lights | 5793

as bright. A negative value subtracts light and thus is useful for selectively
placing dark areas in the scene. Default=1.0.
Using this parameter to increase intensity can cause colors to appear "burned
out." It can also generate colors not usable in videos. In general, leave Multiplier
set to its default of 1.0 except for special effects and special cases.
High Multiplier values wash out colors. For example, if you set a spotlight to
be red but then increase its Multiplier to 10, the light is white in the hotspot
and red only in the falloff area, where the Multiplier isn't applied.
Negative Multiplier values result in "dark light." That is, the light darkens
objects instead of illuminating them.
Color Swatch Shows the color of the light. Clicking the color swatch displays
the Color Selector on page 304 so you can choose a color for the light.

Decay group
Decay is an additional way to make a light's intensity reduce over distance.
Type Sets the type of decay to use. There are three types to choose from.
■

None(The default.) Applies no decay. The light maintains full strength
from its source to infinity, unless you turn on far attenuation.

■

InverseApplies inverse decay. The formula is luminance=R0 /R, where R0
is the radial source of the light if no attenuation is used, or the Near End
value of the light if attenuation is used. R is the radial distance of the
illuminated surface from R0.

■

Inverse SquareApplies inverse-square decay. The formula for this is (R0
/R)2. This is actually the "real-world" decay of light, but you might find it
too dim in the world of computer graphics.
This is the decay formula used by photometric lights on page 5707.
TIP If Inverse Square decay makes the scene too dim, you can try using the
Environment Panel on page 7621 to increase the Global Lighting Level value.

The point at which decay begins depends on whether or not you use
attenuation:
■

With no attenuation, decay begins at the source of the light.

■

With near attenuation, the decay begins at the Near End position.

Once the beginning point is established, the decay follows its formula to
infinity, or until the light itself is cut off by the Far End distance. In other

5794 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

words, the distance between Near End and Far End does not scale, or otherwise
affect, the apparent ramp of decaying light.
TIP Because decay continues to calculate dimmer and dimmer values as the
distance of the light throw increases, it's a good idea to set at least the Far End of
attenuation to eliminate unnecessary calculations.

Near Attenuation group
Start Sets the distance at which the light begins to fade in.
End Sets the distance at which the light reaches its full value.
Use Enables near attenuation for the light.
Show Displays the near attenuation range settings in viewports. For spotlights,
attenuation ranges appear as lens-shaped sections of the cone. For directional
lights, the ranges appear as circular sections of the cone. For omni lights and
spot or directional lights with Overshoot turned on, the ranges appear as
spheres. By default, Near Start is dark blue and Near End is light blue.
NOTE The attenuation ranges are always visible when a light is selected, so turning
off this check box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light.

Far Attenuation group
Setting a Far Attenuation range can help improve rendering time dramatically.
TIP If your scene has a large number of lights, use Far Attenuation to limit the
portion of the scene each light illuminates. For example, if an office area has rows
of overhead lights, you could set Far Attenuation ranges to keep the lights’
illumination from being calculated when you render the reception area instead of
the main office. As another example, a staircase might have recessed lights on
each stair, as many theaters do. Setting a small Far Attenuation value for these
lights can prevent their (negligible) illumination from being calculated when you
render the theater as a whole.
Start Sets the distance at which the light begins to fade out.
End Sets the distance at which the light has faded to zero.
Use Enables far attenuation for the light.
Show Displays the far attenuation range settings in viewports. For spotlights,
attenuation ranges appear as lens-shaped sections of the cone. For directional
lights, the ranges appear as circular sections of the cone. For omni lights and

Standard Lights | 5795

spot or directional lights with Overshoot turned on, the ranges appear as
spheres. By default, Far Start is light brown and Far End is dark brown.
NOTE The attenuation ranges are always visible when a light is selected, so turning
off this check box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light.

Directional Parameters
Create a standard Target Direct or Free Direct light. ➤ Directional Parameters
rollout
The Directional Parameters rollout appears when you create or select a target
direct on page 5764 or free direct on page 5767 light. These parameters control
hotspots on page 9187 and falloff on page 9187.

Procedures
To see the directional cone in viewports:
The cone is always visible while the light is selected. This setting keeps the
cone visible when the light is unselected.

1

Select the spotlight.

2 In the Directional Parameters rollout ➤ Light Cone group, turn on Show
Cone.
3 Select another object, deselecting the light.
A wireframe outline of the light's cone appears. The hotspot region is
outlined in light blue, and the falloff region is outlined in dark gray.
The cone is always visible while the light is selected.
TIP The hotspot and falloff borders are not visible in shaded viewports. Use
the cone values to adjust hotspot and falloff in the viewport. Render the scene
to see the full effect of the light's border.

5796 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To adjust the hotspot and falloff:
■

Use the Hotspot and Falloff spinners to increase or decrease the size of the
hotspot and falloff regions. For directional lights, Hotspot and Falloff are
expressed in units.
By default, the falloff value is always constrained to be at least two degrees
or two units greater than the hotspot value. The size of this constraint is
a preference that you can change in the Rendering panel on page 8929 of
the Preferences dialog. The falloff value can range from 0 to 10,000 units.
When the hotspot and falloff values are equal, the light casts a hard-edged
beam.

To set the shape of the light beam:
1 Choose either Rectangle or Circle.
The shape of the light's cone changes to reflect the shape you chose.
2 If you chose Circle, you are done. If you chose Rectangle, you can now
adjust the aspect ratio on page 9096 of the rectangular light using the
spinner labeled Aspect.
To change a rectangular light's aspect ratio:
1 Choose Rectangle, as described above.
2 Change the Aspect value to the aspect ratio that you want.
The Bitmap Fit button is another way to set the aspect ratio. It is mainly
used with projections.

Standard Lights | 5797

Interface

Light Cone group
These parameters control hotspots on page 9187 and falloff on page 9187 for
spotlights.
Show Cone Turns display of the cone on or off.
NOTE The cone is always visible when a light is selected, so clearing this check
box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light.
Overshoot When Overshoot on page 9255 is set, the light casts light in all
directions. However, projections and shadows occur only within its falloff
cone.
Hotspot/Beam Adjusts the size of a light's cone. The Hotspot value is measured
in 3ds Max units. Default=43.0.
Falloff/Field Adjusts the size of a light's falloff. The Falloff value is measured
in 3ds Max units. Default=45.0.
You can also adjust hotspot and falloff angles in a Light viewport on page 5799
(looking at the scene from the point of view of the spotlight).
Circle/Rectangle Determine the shape of the falloff and hotspot areas. Set
Circle when you want a standard, circular light. Set Rectangle when you want
a rectangular beam of light, such as light cast through a window or doorway.
Aspect Sets the aspect ratio on page 9096 for the rectangular light beam. The
Bitmap Fit button lets you make the aspect ratio match a specified bitmap.
Default=1.0.

5798 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Bitmap Fit If the light's projection aspect is rectangular, sets the aspect ratio
to match a particular bitmap. This is useful when you are using the light as a
projector light on page 9276.

Spotlight Parameters
Create a standard Target Spotlight or Free Spotlight. ➤ Spotlight Parameters
rollout
The Spotlight Parameters rollout appears when you create or select a Target
Spot on page 5758 or Free Spot on page 5761.

Procedures
To see the spotlight cone in viewports:
The cone is always visible while the light is selected. This setting keeps the
cone visible when the light is unselected.

1

Select the spotlight.

2 In the Spotlight Parameters rollout ➤ Light Cone group, turn on Show
Cone.

3

Select another object to deselect.
A wireframe outline of the light's cone appears. The hotspot region is
outlined in light blue, and the falloff region is outlined in dark gray.

Standard Lights | 5799

Spotlight cone displayed in a viewport

To adjust the hotspot and falloff, do one of the following:
■

Use the Hotspot and Falloff spinners to increase or decrease the size of the
hotspot and falloff regions. For spotlights, Hotspot and Falloff are expressed
in degrees.

■

Use manipulators to adjust hotspot and falloff by dragging in a viewport,
as described in the procedure that follows.

By default, falloff value is always constrained to be at least two degrees or two
units greater than the hotspot value. The size of this constraint is a preference
that you can change in the Rendering panel on page 8929 of the Preferences
dialog. The falloff value can range from 0 to 10,000 units.
When the hotspot and falloff values are close in value, the light casts a
hard-edged beam.

5800 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To use manipulators to control hotspot and falloff:

1

Select the spotlight.
TIP When you select multiple spotlights, all their manipulators are accessible.

2 On the main toolbar, click to turn on

(Select And Manipulate).

Now when you move the mouse over the hotspot or falloff circle, the
circle turns red to show you can adjust it by dragging. Also, a tooltip
displays the spotlight name, the parameter, and its value.
3 Drag the hotspot or falloff circle to adjust the value.
The hotspot and falloff constrain each other, as their spinner controls
do.
Spotlight manipulators are described at the end of this topic.
To set the shape of the light beam:
1 Choose either Rectangle or Circle.
The shape of the light's cone changes to reflect the shape you chose.
2 If you chose Circle, you are done. If you chose Rectangle, you can now
adjust the aspect ratio on page 9096 of the rectangular light in the Aspect
field.
To change a rectangular light's aspect ratio:
1 Choose Rectangle, as described above.
2 Change the Aspect value to the aspect ratio that you want.
The Bitmap Fit button is another way to set the aspect ratio. It is mainly
used with projections.

Standard Lights | 5801

Interface

Light Cone group
These parameters control hotspots and falloff on page 9187 for spotlights.
Show Cone Turns display of the cone on or off.
NOTE The cone is always visible when a light is selected, so turning off this check
box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light.
Overshoot When Overshoot on page 9255 is on, the light casts light in all
directions. However, projections and shadows occur only within its falloff
cone.
Hotspot/Beam Adjusts the angle of a light's cone. The Hotspot value is
measured in degrees. Default=43.0.
Falloff/Field Adjusts the angle of a light's falloff. The Falloff value is measured
in degrees. Default=45.0.
For photometric lights, the Field angle is comparable to the Falloff angle. It
is the angle at which the light's intensity has fallen to zero.
You can manipulate the hotspot and falloff by dragging manipulators in
viewports, as described in the previous procedures, and the later section
"Manipulators for Spotlights."
You can also adjust hotspot and falloff angles in a Light viewport (looking at
the scene from the point of view of the spotlight).

5802 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Circle/Rectangle Determine the shape of the falloff and hotspot areas. Set
Circle when you want a standard, circular light. Set Rectangle when you want
a rectangular beam of light, such as light cast through a window or doorway.
Aspect Sets the aspect ratio on page 9096 for the rectangular light beam. The
Bitmap Fit button lets you make the aspect ratio match a specified bitmap.
Default=1.0.
Bitmap Fit If the light's projection aspect is rectangular, sets the aspect ratio
to match a particular bitmap. This is useful when you are using the light as a
projector light on page 9276.

Manipulators for Spotlights

Manipulators are visible and usable while the Select And Manipulate
button on page 2868 is turned on. This button is on the default main toolbar
on page 8623. When you move the mouse over a manipulator, the manipulator
turns red to show that dragging or clicking it will have an effect. Also, a tooltip
appears, showing the name of the object, the parameter, and its value.
TIP When you select multiple spotlights, all their manipulators are accessible.
For more information on using the spotlight manipulators, see the Procedures
section at the top of this topic.
Hotspot manipulator: In a viewport, drag the hotspot circle to adjust the
hotspot value.
Falloff manipulator: In a viewport, drag the falloff to adjust the falloff value.
The hotspot and falloff constrain each other, as their spinner controls do.

Hair Light Attr(ibutes) Rollout
Create a supported light. ➤ Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier
applied. ➤ Render Settings ➤ Effects panel ➤ In a viewport, select the
light. ➤ Hair And Fur rollout ➤ Lighting group ➤ Click Add Hair Properties.

➤

Modify panel ➤ Hair Light Attr rollout

Add a supported light and an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied.
➤ Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Highlight the Hair And Fur render effect.
➤ Hair And Fur rollout ➤ Lighting group ➤ Select the light (in a viewport).

Standard Lights | 5803

➤ Click Add Hair Properties. ➤
rollout

Modify panel ➤ Hair Light Attr

The Hair Light Attr(ibutes) rollout lets you adjust properties for the hair shadow
map generated by the light. This rollout appears for supported lights at render
time. If you want to adjust a light's hair settings before render time, you can
display it explicitly by following the steps shown in the path annotations at
the beginning of this topic.
You specify which lights to use in the Hair And Fur render effect on page 7520.
By default, Use All Lights At Render Time on page 7525 is on, so all supported
lights in the scene can illuminate hair. Use this rollout to set hair-specific
shadow-map values. Hair shadows ignore the light's ordinary shadow-map
settings (for other 3ds Max objects).
IMPORTANT The settings on this rollout apply only to “buffer”-rendered hair (the
default rendering method, set in the Hair And Fur render effect). The “geometry”
and “mr prim” methods use the light's ordinary shadow settings.

Interface

Light hair When on, the light can illuminate and cast shadows from the hair.
NOTE The light must also be set to cast shadows (General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows ➤ On).
Resolution Sets the size (in pixels squared) of the shadow map that's computed
for the light.
The shadow map size specifies the amount of subdivisions for the map. The
higher the value, the more detailed the map will be, but the more memory is
required.
Fuzz Sets the softness of the shadow edges. See Sample Range on page 9287.

5804 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Left: Fuzz=0.0
Center: Fuzz=5.0
Right: Fuzz=10.0
The arrow points to the shadow cast by the hair on the underlying surface.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs
The topics in this section describe rollouts and dialogs whose controls are
common to both photometric and standard lights.
See also:
■

Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 5675

■

Rollouts for Photometric Lights on page 5714

■

Rollouts for Standard Lights on page 5783

■

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls on page 5825

Exclude/Include Dialog
Create a light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Exclude button
Rendering menu ➤ Render ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Select an existing Matte element in the list. ➤ Matte Texture Element
rollout ➤ Include button
The Exclude/Include dialog determines which objects are not illuminated by
a selected light, or which objects are considered in a Matte render element on
page 7269.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5805

Although light exclusion does not occur in nature, this feature is useful when
you need exact control over the lighting in your scene. Sometimes, for example,
you'll want to add lights specifically to illuminate a single object but not its
surroundings, or you'll want a light to cast shadows from one object but not
from another.

Procedures
To exclude objects from a light:
1 On the General Parameters rollout, click Exclude.
The Exclude/Include dialog is displayed.
2 Make sure Exclude is on.
3 Choose to exclude objects from Illumination, Shadow Casting, or Both.
4 In the list of object names on the left, highlight the objects you want to
exclude.
5 Click the arrow pointing to the right to move the selected object names
into the right-hand list.
Objects in the right-hand list will be excluded. To remove an object from
this list, highlight its name and click the arrow pointing to the left. To
remove all objects from this list, click Clear.
6 Click OK.
Now when you shade or render the scene, the light will have no effect
on the objects you chose.
The object still appears lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect
only when you render the scene.
To include objects that were excluded:
1 Click Exclude.
3ds Max opens the Exclude/Include dialog
2 Select the names of objects in the right-hand list, and then click the arrow
pointing to the left.
3 Click OK.
To include all excluded objects at once:
1 Click Exclude or Include.

5806 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

3ds Max opens the Exclude/Include dialog.
2 Click Clear.
3 Click OK.

Interface

The Exclude/Include dialog contains the following controls:
Exclude/Include Determines whether the light (or Matte render element)
will exclude or include the objects named in the list on the right.
Illumination Excludes or includes illumination of the object's surface.
NOTE This control has no effect on the matte render element.
Shadow Casting Excludes or includes creation of the object's shadow.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5807

NOTE This control is not available with the matte render element.
Both Excludes or includes both of the above.
NOTE This control is not available with the matte render element.
Scene Objects Select objects from the Scene Objects list on the left, then use
the arrow buttons to add them to the exclusion list on the right.
The Exclude/Include dialog treats a group as an object. You can exclude or
include all objects in a group by selecting the group's name in the Scene
Objects list. If a group is nested within another group, it isn't visible in the
Scene Objects list. To exclude a nested group or individual objects within the
group, you have to ungroup them before you use this dialog.
Search field The edit box below the Scene Objects list searches for objects by
name. You can enter names that use wildcards.
Display Subtree Indents the Scene Objects list according to the object
hierarchy.
Case Sensitive Uses case sensitivity when searching object names.
Selection Sets Displays a list of named selection sets on page 204. Choosing a
selection set from this list selects those objects in the Scene Objects list.
Clear Clears all entries from the Exclude/Include list on the right.

Shadow Parameters
Create panel ➤
Parameters rollout

(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ Shadow

The Shadow Parameters rollout is displayed for all light types except Skylight
and IES Sky, and for all shadow types. It lets you set shadow colors and other
general shadow properties.

5808 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

A bridge's shadow cast by sunlight

The controls also let atmospheric effects cast shadows.
See also:
■

Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5828

■

Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832

■

mental ray Shadow Map Rollout on page 5842

■

Optimizations Rollout on page 5839

■

Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout on page 5844

■

Shadow Map Parameters Rollout on page 5846

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5809

Interface

Color Displays a Color Selector on page 304 to choose a color for the shadows
cast by this light. Default=black.
You can animate the shadow color.
Dens. (density) Adjusts the density of shadows.

5810 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The shadow density increases from right to left.

Increasing the Density value increases the density (darkness) of shadows.
Decreasing Density makes shadows less dense. Default=1.0.
Density can have a negative value, which can help simulate the effect of
reflected light. A white shadow color and negative Density render dark
shadows, though the quality of these is not as good as a dark shadow color
and positive Density.
You can animate the Density value.
Map check box Turn on to use the map assigned with the Map button.
Default=off.
Map Assigns a map to the shadows. The map's colors are blended with the
shadow color. Default=none.
Light Affects Shadow Color When on, blends the light's color with the
shadow color (or shadow colors, if the shadow is mapped). Default=off.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5811

A checker map is used to alter the shadow cast by the piano.

Atmosphere Shadows group
These controls let atmospheric effects such as Volume Fog on page 7646 cast
shadows.
On When on, atmospheric effects cast shadows as the light passes through
them. Default=off.
NOTE This control is independent of the On toggle for normal Object Shadows.
A light can cast atmospheric shadows but not normal shadows, or vice versa. It
can cast both kinds of shadows, or neither.
Opacity Adjusts the opacity of the shadows. This value is a percentage.
Default=100.0.
Color Amount Adjusts the amount that the atmosphere's color is blended
with the shadow color. This value is a percentage. Default=100.0.

5812 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

A Volume Fog cloud casts a colored shadow on the city.

Atmospheres and Effects for Lights
Modify panel ➤ Select a light object. ➤ Atmospheres & Effects
rollout
The Atmospheres & Effects rollout lets you assign, delete, and set up parameters
for atmospheres and rendering effects associated with the light. This rollout
appears only in the Modify panel; it doesn't appear at creation time.
Adding an atmosphere or effect associates that atmosphere or effect with the
light object. This rollout is a shortcut to either the Environment panel on
page 7621 or the Effects panel on page 7517 on the Environment And Effects dialog.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5813

Procedures
To add a new atmosphere or rendering effect:
1 On the Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click Add. 3ds Max opens the Add
Atmosphere or Effect dialog on page 5815.
2 On the dialog, choose Atmosphere, Effect, or All. Choose New.
3 Choose an atmosphere or effect in the list, then click OK.
This associates a new atmosphere or rendering effect with the light.
To add an existing atmosphere or rendering effect:
1 On the Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click Add. 3ds Max displays the
Add Atmosphere or Effect dialog on page 5815.
2 On the dialog, choose Existing.
3 Choose an atmosphere or effect in the list, then click OK.
This creates a duplicate atmosphere or rendering effect for the light. Its
settings are initially identical to the atmosphere or effect you chose. You
can adjust them using Setup.
To delete an atmosphere or rendering effect:
■

In the Atmospheres & Effects rollout, choose the name of an atmosphere
or effect in the list, then click Delete.

To set up the parameters for an atmosphere or rendering effect:
■

In the Atmospheres & Effects rollout, choose the name of an atmosphere
or effect in the list, then click Setup.
If you chose an atmosphere, clicking Setup displays the Environment panel
on page 7621. If you chose an effect, clicking Setup displays the Effects panel
on page 7517.

Interface
These controls are displayed for all light types.

5814 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Add Displays the Add Atmosphere or Effect dialog on page 5815, which lets you
add an atmosphere or a rendering effect to the light.
Delete Deletes the atmosphere or effect you have selected in the list.
List of atmospheres and effects Displays the names of all atmospheres or
effects you have assigned to this light.
Setup Lets you set up the atmosphere or rendering effect you have selected
in the list. If the item is an atmosphere, clicking Setup displays the
Environment panel on page 7621. If the item is an effect, clicking Setup displays
the Effects panel on page 7517.

Add Atmosphere or Effect Dialog
Modify panel ➤ Select a light object. ➤ Atmospheres & Effects
rollout ➤ Add button
The Add Atmosphere Or Effect dialog lets you associate an atmosphere or a
rendering effect with the light. The list shows either atmospheres, rendering
effects, or both. It shows only atmospheres and effects that can be associated
with light objects, or that use light objects as their apparatus.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5815

Interface

List of atmospheres and effects Displays the atmospheres or effects that you
can associate with the light.

List filter group
These radio buttons choose what to show in the list.
Atmosphere Lists only atmospheres.
Effect Lists only rendering effects.
All Lists both atmospheres and rendering effects.

New or existing group
These radio buttons choose between new or existing effects.
New Lists only new atmospheres or effects.
Existing Lists only atmospheres or effects that have been already assigned to
the light.
Adding an existing atmosphere or effect creates a new atmosphere or effect
whose settings are initially identical to the previous one.

5816 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Advanced Effects Rollout
Create panel ➤
Effects rollout

(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ Advanced

The Advanced Effects rollout provides controls that affect how lights affect
surfaces, and also includes a number of fine adjustments and setting for
projector lights.
You can make a light object on page 5672 into a projector by choosing a map
for the light to project. A projected map can be a still image or an animation.

Casting a projection with a light

NOTE If your scene includes animated bitmaps, including materials, projector
lights, environments, and so on, the animation file is reloaded once per frame. If
your scene uses multiple animations, or if the animations are large files, this can
slow down rendering performance.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5817

Procedures
To make a light a projector:

1 Open the

Material Editor on page 6020.

The Material Editor is where you adjust the map's parameters.
2 Use an unused sample slot to display a map.
3 Drag the map from the Material Editor to the light's Map button in the
Advanced Effects rollout. A dialog asks if the projection map should be
a copy or an instance. Choose Instance. If you choose Copy, adjusting
the map in the Material Editor has no effect on the projected map.
You can also drag from any other used map button, as in the Environment
dialog.
Assigning the map displays the map name in the button, and turns on
the Projector toggle. After you have set up the map, you can turn off
Projector to test rendering the scene without the projected image.
An alternative is to click the Map button. This displays the Material/Map
Browser on page 6167, which lets you choose the map type. At this point,
the light behaves as a projector. To assign a map or adjust its parameters,
you need to use the Material Editor.
NOTE Lights project maps only within their cone, even if Overshoot is turned
on.

To put the map in the Material Editor:
■

Drag from the light's Map button to an unused sample slot in the Material
Editor.
NOTE Sample slots with white triangles in the corners indicate materials that
are used in the current scene.
You can adjust the map in the Material Editor by changing the map's
parameters.

To blur a projection map:
■

Increase the value of Blur Offset in the map's Coordinates rollout in the
Material Editor.

5818 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

You can animate Blur Offset to have a projected map go in or out of focus.
To make the shape of the light fit the projected bitmap:
NOTE This procedure applies to Standard spot and direct lights only.
1 Choose a bitmap to project, as described in the preceding procedures.
2 Make sure the light's shape is set to Rectangular, and then click Bitmap
Fit.
3ds Max opens a file selection dialog.
3 Choose the same bitmap you chose for the standalone map, and then
click OK.
You can also choose a bitmap other than the one the light projects.

Interface

Affect Surfaces group
Contrast Adjusts the contrast between the diffuse and ambient areas of the
surface. Leave this set to 0 for normal contrast. Increase the value to increase
the contrast for special effects: for example, the harsh light of outer space.
Default=0.0.
Soften Diffuse Edge Increasing the value of Soften Diffuse Edge softens the
edge between the diffuse and ambient portions of a surface. This helps
eliminate edges that can appear on a surface under certain circumstances.
Default=50.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5819

NOTE Soften Diffuse Edge reduces the amount of light, slightly. You can counter
this, to some extent, by increasing the Multiplier value.
Diffuse When on, the light affects the diffuse properties of an object's surface.
When off, the light has no effect on the diffuse surface. Default=on.
Specular When on, the light affects the specular properties of an object's
surface. When off, the light has no effect on the specular properties.
Default=on.
For example, by using the Diffuse and Specular check boxes you can have one
light color the specular highlights of an object, while not coloring its diffuse
area, and then have a second light color the diffuse portion of the surface
while not creating specular highlights.
Ambient Only When on, the light affects only the ambient component of
the illumination. This gives you more detailed control over the ambient
illumination in your scene. When Ambient Only is on, Contrast, Soften Diffuse
Edge, Diffuse, and Specular are unavailable. Default=off.
The effect of Ambient Only isn't visible in viewports. It appears only when
you render the scene.

A: Affect specular only
B: Affect diffuse only
C: Affect ambient only

Projector Map group
These controls make the photometric light a projector.

5820 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Check box Turn on to project the map selected by the Map button. Turn off
to turn off projection.
Map Names the map used for the projection. You can drag from any map
specified in the Material Editor, or any other map button (as on the
Environment panel), and drop that map on the light's Map button. Clicking
Map displays the Material/Map Browser. You can choose the map type using
the Browser, then drag the button to the Material Editor, and use the Material
Editor to select and adjust the map.

mental ray Indirect Illumination Rollout (for Lights)
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤
panel ➤ mental ray Indirect Illumination rollout

Modify

NOTE This rollout does not appear on the Create panel.
The mental Indirect Illumination rollout provides controls for light behavior
with the mental ray renderer on page 7129. The settings on this rollout have no
effect on rendering with the default scanline renderer, or on advanced lighting
(the light tracer or a radiosity solution). These settings control how the light
behaves when it generates indirect illumination; that is, caustics on page 7154
and global illumination on page 7160.
TIP By default, each light uses the global settings found in the Light Properties
group on the Render Setup Dialog ➤ Indirect Illumination panel ➤ Caustics
and Global Illumination rollout on page 7224. It is more convenient to adjust all
lights in the scene at once. If you need to adjust a specific light, you can use the
multiplier controls for energy and photons. In general, you should rarely, if ever,
need to turn off Use Global Settings and specify local light settings for indirect
illumination.
IMPORTANT In addition to the values specified here, the light must also be set
to generate caustics, global illumination, or both. These controls are on the mental
ray panel on page 236 of the Object Properties dialog. You also need to turn on
Caustics, Global Illumination, or both, on the Render Setup Dialog ➤ Indirect
Illumination panel ➤ Caustics and Global Illumination Rollout (mental ray
Renderer) on page 7224.

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5821

Interface

Automatically Calculate Energy and Photons When on, the light uses the
global light settings for indirect illumination, rather than local settings.
Default=on.
When this toggle is on, only the controls in the Global Multipliers group are
available.

Global Multipliers group
Energy Multiplies the global Energy value to increase or decrease the energy
of this particular light. Default=1.0.
Caustic Photons Multiplies the global Caustic Photons value to increase or
decrease the count of photons used to generate caustics by this particular light.
Default=1.0.
GI Photons Multiplies the global GI Photons value to increase or decrease the
count of photons used to generate global illumination by this particular light.
Default=1.0.

5822 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Manual Settings group
When Automatically Calculate is off, the Global Multipliers group becomes
unavailable, and the manual settings for indirect illumination become
available.

On When on, the light can generate indirect illumination effects. Default=off.
Filter color Click to display a Color Selector on page 304 and choose a color
that filters the light energy. Default=white.
Energy Sets the energy of the light. Energy, or "flux," is the amount of light
used in indirect illumination. Each photon carries a fraction of the light’s
energy. This value is independent of the light intensity determined by the
light’s color and Multiplier, so you can use the Energy value to fine-tune
indirect illumination effects without changing the light’s other effects in a
scene (such as providing diffuse illumination). Default=50000.0.
Decay Specifies how photon energy decays as it moves away from the light
source. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=2.0 (inverse square; physically correct
falloff).
This value is applied as an exponent to the distance (r) between the light
source and each indirectly illuminated point to determine the energy at that
point, in the formula 1/r[Decay]), and is intended for tweaking the GI solution.
The most commonly used values are:
■

0.0 (no decay)The energy doesn't decay, and photons provide equal indirect
illumination throughout the scene.

■

1.0 (inverse)The energy decays proportionally to its distance from the light,
with linear falloff. That is, a photon's energy is 1/r, where r is the distance
from the light source.

■

2.0 (inverse square)The energy decays at an inverse square rate. That is, a
photon's energy is the inverse of the square of the distance (r) from the
light source (1/r2).

Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs | 5823

In the real world, light decays at the inverse square rate, but this gives strictly
realistic results only if you provide a realistic value for the energy of the light.
You can use other values to help adjust indirect illumination without worrying
about physical accuracy.
Caustic Photons Sets the number of photons emitted by the light for use in
caustics. This is the number of photons in the photon map on page 9267 used
for caustics. Increasing this value increases the accuracy of caustics, but also
increases the amount of memory used and the length of render time.
Decreasing this value improves memory usage and render time, and can be
useful for previewing caustic effects. Default=10000.
GI Photons Sets the number of photons emitted by the light for use in global
illumination. This is the number of photons in the photon map used for global
illumination. Increasing this value increases the accuracy of global
illumination, but also increases the amount of memory used and the length
of render time. Decreasing this value improves memory usage and render time,
and can be useful for previewing global-illumination effects. Default=10000.

mental ray Light Shader Rollout
Select a light. ➤

Modify panel ➤ mental ray Light Shader rollout

Note: This rollout appears only if you have enabled the mental ray extensions
by using the mental ray Preferences panel.
NOTE This rollout does not appear on the Create panel; only on the Modify panel.
The mental ray Light Shader rollout lets you add mental ray shaders on page
6806 to lights. When you render with the mental ray renderer on page 7129, light
shaders can alter or adjust the light's effect.
To adjust the settings for a light shader, drag the shader's button to an unused
Material Editor sample slot. If 3ds Max prompts you to choose Instance or
Copy, be sure to choose Instance. (If you edit a copy of the shader, you will
have to drag the sample slot back to the shader button on the Light Shader
rollout before any changes take effect.)

5824 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

Enable When on, rendering uses the light shaders you have assigned to this
light. When off, the shaders have no effect on rendering. Default=off.
Light Shader Click the button to display a Material/Map Browser on page 6167
and choose a light shader. Once you have chosen a shader, its name appears
on the button.
These are the light shaders provided with 3ds Max:
Shader

Library

Ambient/Reflective Occlusion

base

Light Infinite

base

Light Point

base

Light Spot

base

Photon Emitter Shader Click the button to display a Material/Map Browser
on page 6167 and choose a shader. Once you have chosen a shader, its name
appears on the button.
NOTE No photon emitter shaders are provided with 3ds Max. This option is for
users who have access to light map shaders via other shader libraries or custom
shader code.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ General
Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤ Shadow type

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5825

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Create a light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Shadow type

Select a light ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Shadow type
The General Parameters rollout for both photometric and standard lights lets
you turn shadow-casting on or off for the light, and choose which type of
shadow the light uses.
The following table describes the advantages and disadvantages of each shadow
type:
Shadow Type Advantages

Disadvantages

Advanced RayTraced

Supports transparency and
opacity mapping.
Uses less RAM
than standard
ray-traced shadows.
Recommended
for complex
scenes with
many lights or
faces.

Slower than
shadow maps.
Does not support soft shadows.
Processes at
every frame.

Area Shadows

Supports transparency and
opacity mapping.
Uses very little
RAM.
Recommended
for complex
scenes with
many lights or
faces.
Supports different formats for
area shadows.

Slower than
shadow maps.
Processes at
every frame.

5826 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Shadow Type Advantages

Disadvantages

mental ray
Shadow Maps

Can be quicker
than ray-traced
shadows with
the mental ray
renderer.

Not as accurate
as ray-traced
shadows.

Ray-traced
Shadows

Supports transparency and
opacity mapping.
Processes only
once if there are
no animated
objects.

Can be slower
than shadow
maps.
Does not support soft shadows.

Shadow Maps

Produces soft
shadows.
Processes only
once if there are
no animated
objects.
Fastest shadow
type.

Uses a lot of
RAM. Does not
support objects
with transparency or opacity
maps.

NOTE When using photometric lights with shadow maps, a hemispherical shadow
map is created for the entire light sphere. To capture sufficient detail with complex
scenes, the map resolution must be very large. For best results with photometric
lights, use ray-traced shadows instead of shadow maps.

Shadow Types and the Active Renderer
The renderer you use also affects your choice of a shadow type. The scanline
renderer on page 7041 does not generate mental ray Shadow Map shadows,
while the mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support Advanced
Ray-Traced or Area shadows.
Shadow type

Scanline renderer

mental ray renderer

Advanced Ray-Traced

Yes

No

mental ray Shadow Map

No

Yes

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5827

Shadow type

Scanline renderer

mental ray renderer

Area

Yes

No

Shadow Map

Yes

Yes

Ray-Traced

Yes

Yes

Notes:
■

When the scanline renderer encounters a light set to “mental ray Shadow
Map” shadows, the scanline renderer does not generate shadows for that
light.

■

When the mental ray renderer encounters a light set to Advanced
Ray-Traced or Area shadows, it generates ray-traced shadows instead. (And
it displays a warning to this effect.)

■

While the mental ray renderer does not use the Area shadow type, it can
generate area shadows: use a photometric light set to a light shape other
than Point. See Shape/Area Shadows Rollout on page 5748.

See also:
■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ General
Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤ Shadow type ➤ Advanced
Ray-traced Shadows

Select a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Shadow type ➤ Advanced Ray-traced Shadows
Advanced Ray-traced shadows are similar to ray-traced shadows on page 9279;
however, they give you more control over shadow behavior. Additional
controls are available in the Optimizations rollout on page 5839.

5828 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support Advanced Ray-Traced
shadows. When it encounters a light with this shadow type, it generates
ray-traced shadows instead, and displays a warning to that effect.

Advanced ray-traced shadows cast by an area light.

Interface

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5829

Basic Options group
Mode Selects the type of raytracing for generating shadows:
■

SimpleCasts a single ray of light toward the surface. No antialiasing on
page 9087 is performed.

■

1-Pass AntialiasCasts a bundle of rays. The same number of rays is cast
from each illuminated surface. The number of rays is set using the Shadow
Integrity spinner.

■

2-Pass Antialias(The default.) Casts two bundles of rays. The first batch of
rays determines if the point in question is fully illuminated, shadowed, or
in the penumbra (soft area) of the shadow. If the point is in the penumbra,
a secondary batch of rays is cast to further refine the edge. The number of
initial rays is specified using the Shadow Integrity spinner. The number of
secondary rays is specified using the Shadow Quality spinner.

2 Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating
shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside.
This costs a bit more render time. When off, backfaces are ignored. Rendering
is quicker, but outside lights illuminate object interiors. Default=off.

The faces inside the sliced sphere do not cast shadows if 2-Sided Shadows is not
selected.

Antialiasing Options group
Shadow Integrity The number of rays cast from an illuminated surface. This
is disabled when the raytracing mode is Simple.

5830 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Shadow Quality The number of secondary rays cast from an illuminated
surface. This is disabled when the raytracing mode is Simple or 1-Pass Antialias.
Shadow Spread The radius, in pixels, to blur the antialiased edge. This is
disabled when the raytracing mode is Simple.

Increasing the Shadow Spread value softens shadow edges.

NOTE As this value increases, so does the quality of the blur. However, increasing
this value also increases the likelihood of missing small objects. To avoid this
problem, increase the value of Pass 1 Quality.
Shadow Bias Shadow bias on page 9304 is the minimum distance from the
point being shaded that an object must be to cast a shadow. This prevents
blurred shadows from affecting surfaces they shouldn't.
NOTE As you increase the blur value, you should also increase the bias.
Jitter Amount Adds randomness to the ray positions. The rays are initially in
a very regular pattern, which can show up in the blurry part of the shadow
as regular artifacts. Jittering will convert these artifacts to noise, which is
generally less noticeable to the eye. Recommended values are 0.25 to 1.0.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5831

However, very blurry shadows will require more jitter. This is disabled when
the raytracing mode is Simple.

Area Shadows Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ General
Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤ Shadow type ➤ ➤ Area Shadows
➤ Area Shadows rollout

Select a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Shadow type ➤ Area Shadows ➤ Area Shadows rollout
The Area Shadow generator can be applied to any light type to achieve the
effect of an area shadow effect. In order to create an area shadow, the user
needs to specify the dimensions of a virtual light created to "fake" an area
shadow.
The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support Area shadows. When it
encounters a light with this shadow type, it generates ray-traced shadows
instead, and displays a warning to that effect. While the mental ray renderer
does not use the Area shadow type, it can generate area shadows: use a
photometric light set to a light shape other than Point. See Shape/Area Shadows
Rollout on page 5748.
NOTE When you use area lights, try to make the properties of the light match
the properties in the Area Light Dimensions group of the Area Shadows rollout.
TIP Area shadows can take a fair amount of time to render. If you want to create
a quick test (or draft) rendering, you can use the Area/Linear Lights as Point Lights
toggle in the Common Parameters rollout on page 7020 of the Render Setup dialog
to speed up your rendering. When this toggle is on, the shadows are processed
as if the light object is a point source.

5832 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Area shadows create a soft edge that becomes more noticeable as the distance between
the object and the shadow increases.
A: Penumbra (soft area)
B: Shadow

Area shadow cast by a point light

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5833

Interface

Basic Options group
Mode Selects the way the area shadows are generated:
■

SimpleCasts a single ray from the light toward the surface. No antialiasing
on page 9087 or area light calculation is performed.

■

Rectangle LightCasts rays from the light in a rectangular array.

■

Disc LightCasts rays from the light in a circular array.

■

Box LightCasts rays from the light as if it were a box.

■

Sphere LightCasts rays from the light as if it were a sphere.

5834 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The shape of the area shadow array affects how shadows are cast.
Left: Rectangle
Right: Box

2-Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating
shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside.
This costs a bit more render time. When off, backfaces are ignored. Rendering
is quicker, but outside lights illuminate object interiors.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5835

The faces inside the sliced sphere do not cast shadows if 2-Sided Shadows is off.

Antialiasing Options group
Shadow Integrity Sets the number of rays in the initial bundle of rays cast.
These rays are projected from every surface that receives light from the light
source.
The number of rays is as follows:
1=4 rays
2=5 rays
3 to N=NxN rays.
For example, setting Shadow Integrity to 5 generates 25 rays.
This is the primary control for “finding” small objects and thin spaces between
objects. If the shadows are missing a small object in your scene, try increasing
Shadow Integrity one step at a time. Also, if the penumbra (soft area) is blotchy,
try increasing this setting.

5836 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Increasing the Shadow Integrity value creates more accurate shadow contour and
detail.

Shadow Quality Sets the total number of rays cast in the penumbra (soft area)
region, including the rays fired in the first pass.
These rays are projected from every point that is in the penumbra, or
antialiased edge of the shadow, to smooth it out.
The number of rays is as follows:
■

2=5 rays

■

3 to N = NxN

For example, setting Shadow Quality to 5 generates 25 rays.
The Shadow Quality value should always be greater than the Shadow Integrity
value. This is because 3ds Max overlays the secondary rays atop the first pass's
rays using the same algorithm.
Increase Shadow Quality to fix banding in the penumbra, and eliminate the
noise pattern from jittering.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5837

Increasing the Shadow Quality value produces a more accurate penumbra (soft area)
within the contour defined by the Shadow Integrity value.

Sample Spread The radius, in pixels, to blur the antialiased edge.
NOTE As this value increases, so does the quality of the blur. However, increasing
this value also increases the likelihood of missing small objects. To avoid this
problem, increase the value of Shadow Integrity.
Shadow Bias Shadow bias on page 9304 is the minimum distance that an object
must be from the point being shaded in order to cast a shadow. This prevents
blurred shadows from affecting surfaces they shouldn't.
NOTE As you increase the blur value, you should also increase the bias.
Jitter Amount Adds randomness to the ray positions. The rays are initially in
a very regular pattern, which can show up in the blurry part of the shadow
as regular artifacts. Jittering will convert these artifacts to noise, which is
generally less noticeable to the eye. Recommended values are 0.25 to 1.0.
However, very blurry shadows require more jitter.

5838 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Increasing jitter blends the individual shadow samples.

Area Light Dimensions group
3ds Max uses these dimensions to compute the area shadowing. They do not
affect the actual light object.
Length Sets the length of the area shadow.
Width Sets the width of the area shadow.
Height Sets the height of the area shadow.

Optimizations Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ General
Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤ Choose Advanced Ray-traced
Shadows or Area Shadows. ➤ Optimizations rollout

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5839

Select a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Choose Advanced Ray-traced Shadows or Area Shadows.
➤ Optimizations rollout
The Optimizations rollout provides additional controls for Advanced Ray-traced
Shadow on page 9279 and Area Shadow on page 9095 generation.
See also:
■

General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5783

■

Shadow Parameters on page 5808

■

Area Shadows Rollout on page 5832

■

Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5828

Interface

Transparent Shadows group
On When checked, transparent surfaces will cast a colored shadow. Otherwise,
all shadows are black.

5840 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

NOTE Shadows will generate faster with this value turned off.

A stained glass appears solid with the transparency optimization turned off.

Antialiasing Threshold The maximum color difference allowed between
transparent object samples before antialiasing on page 9087 is triggered.
Increasing the value of this color will make the shadow less sensitive to aliasing
artifacts and improve speed, decreasing the value will increase the sensitivity,
improving quality.

Antialias Suppression group
Supersampled Material When on, only pass 1 is used during 2-pass
antialiasing when shading a supersampled on page 9322 material.
NOTE When off, rendering time can increase without resulting in a better image.
Reflect/Refract When on only pass 1 is used during 2-pass antialiasing when
shading reflections or refractions.
NOTE When off, rendering time can increase without resulting in a better image.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5841

Coplanar Face Culling group
Skip Coplanar Faces Prevents adjacent faces from shadowing each other.
This is of particular concern at the terminator on curved surfaces such as
spheres.
Threshold The angle between adjacent faces.
Range = 0.0 (perpendicular) to 1.0 (parallel).

mental ray Shadow Map Rollout
Create panel ➤
(Lights) ➤ Create a light. ➤ General
Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤ Choose “mental ray Shadow Map.”
➤ mental ray Shadow Map rollout

Select a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Choose mental ray Shadow Map. ➤ mental ray Shadow
Map rollout
Choosing “mental ray Shadow Map” as the shadow type tells the mental ray
renderer on page 7129 to generate shadows using the mental ray shadow-map
algorithm.
The scanline renderer on page 7042 does not support “mental ray Shadow Map”
shadows. When it encounters a light with this shadow type, it doesn’t generate
shadows for this light.
NOTE mental ray shadow-mapped shadows are always “2-sided”; in other words,
mental ray shadow-mapped shadows do not take face normals into account while
rendering.

5842 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

Map Size Sets the resolution of the shadow map. The size of the map is the
square of this value. Greater resolutions require more time to process, but
produce more accurate shadows. Default=512.
Sample Range When greater than zero, generates soft-edged shadows. This
value specifies the area of the map to soften, by removing portions of the map
as specified by Samples. Default=0.0.
If you set Sample Range to be greater than zero, you must also set Samples to
be greater than zero, to obtain a soft shadow effect.
Directional lights require Sample Range to have a greater value than spotlights
require.
Samples Sets the number of samples to remove from a shadow map when
generating soft shadows. Default=1.
Use Bias When on, changes the shadow bias on page 9304. Increasing the value
moves the shadow farther away from the shadow casting object. Default=10.

Transparent Shadows group
Enable When on, shadow maps are saved with multiple Z-layers, and can
have transparency. Default=off.
Color When on, surface color affects the color of the shadow. Default=on.
Turning off Color saves memory at rendering time.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5843

Merge Dist. The minimum distance between two surfaces for them to be
considered “distinct.” If two surfaces are closer than this value, the shadow
map treats them as a single surface. When set to 0.0, the mental ray renderer
automatically calculates a distance value to use. Default=0.0 (automatic).
Larger Merge Distance values reduce memory consumption, but can reduce
shadow quality. Low Merge Distance values increase memory consumption
and slow down rendering speed.
Samp./Pixel The number of samples used to generate a pixel in the shadow
map. Higher values increase the quality and detail of the shadow, at a cost of
render time. Default=5.
If a mapped shadow appears to be aliased on page 9087, increase the value of
Samples/Pixel. This setting is especially useful when shadows are cast by finely
detailed geometry.

Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout
Create a light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤
Choose Ray Traced Shadows. ➤ Ray Traced Shadow Params rollout

Select a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Choose Ray Traced Shadows. ➤ Ray Traced Shadow
Params rollout
The Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters rollout appears when you have chosen
raytracing as the shadow-generation technique for a light. You select this in
the General Parameters rollout on page 5783.
Both the scanline renderer on page 7042 and the mental ray renderer on page
7129 support Ray-Traced shadows.
TIP If you are using the scanline renderer, Advanced Ray-Traced Shadows on page
5828 give you greater control over the appearance of shadows.

5844 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Ray-traced shadows

Interface

Ray Bias Shadow bias on page 9304 moves the shadow toward or away from
the shadow-casting object (or objects).
If the Bias value is too low, shadows can "leak" through places they shouldn't,
producing moire patterns or making out-of-place dark areas on meshes. If Bias
is too high, shadows can "detach" from an object. If the Bias value is too
extreme in either direction, shadows might not be rendered at all.
2-Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating
shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5845

This costs a bit more render time. When off, backfaces are ignored. Rendering
is quicker, but outside lights illuminate object interiors. Default=on.

The faces inside the sliced sphere do not cast shadows if 2-Sided Shadows is not
selected.

NOTE The mental ray renderer disregards this setting, and always renders 2-sided
shadows.
Max Quadtree Depth Adjusts the depth of the quadtree on page 9277 used by
the ray-tracer. Greater quadtree depth values can improve ray-tracing time at
the cost of memory use. However, there is a depth value where the performance
improvement is offset by the time it takes to generate the quadtree itself. This
depends on the geometry of the scene. Default=7.
TIP An Omni light can generate up to six quadtrees, so it generates ray-traced
shadows more slowly than spotlights. Avoid using ray-traced shadows with omni
lights unless your scene requires this.

Shadow Map Parameters Rollout
Create a light. ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤ Shadows group ➤
Choose Shadow Map. ➤ Shadow Map Params rollout

5846 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Select a light. ➤
Modify panel ➤ General Parameters rollout ➤
Shadows group ➤ Choose Shadow Map ➤ Shadow Map Params rollout
The Shadow Map Parameters rollout is displayed when you have chosen
shadow mapping as the shadow-generation technique for a light. You select
this in the General Parameters rollout on page 5783.
Both the scanline renderer on page 7042 and the mental ray renderer on page
7129 support Shadow Map shadows.
NOTE When using photometric lights with shadow maps, a hemispherical shadow
map is created for the entire light sphere. To capture sufficient detail with complex
scenes, the map resolution must be very large. For best results with photometric
lights, use ray-traced shadows instead of shadow maps.

Interface

Bias Shadow bias on page 9304 moves the shadow toward or away from the
shadow-casting object (or objects).

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5847

Left: Default shadows
Right: Increasing the Bias value separates the shadow from the object.

If the Bias value is too low, shadows can "leak" through places they shouldn't,
produce moire patterns or making out-of-place dark areas on meshes. If Bias
is too high, shadows can "detach" from an object. If the Bias value is too
extreme in either direction, shadows might not be rendered at all.
This value depends on whether Absolute Map Bias is on or off:
■

When Absolute is off (the default), Bias is calculated based on the scene
extents, and then normalized to one. This provides similar default shadow
results, regardless of scene size. User adjustments to Bias are typically low
decimal values near 1.0 (for example, 1.2).

■

When Absolute is on, Bias is a value in 3ds Max units. User adjustments
to Bias depend on the size of the scene, and can range from values close
to zero to values in the hundreds (see the Tip at the end of this topic).

5848 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Left: Too small a Bias value causes shadow “leaks.”
Right: Increasing the Bias value fixes the problem.

Size Sets the size (in pixels squared) of the shadow map that's computed for
the light.

The shadow map size specifies the amount of subdivisions for the map. The greater
the value, the more detailed the map will be.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5849

Left: Size set to 32.
Right: Size set to 256.

Sample Range The sample range on page 9287 determines how much area
within the shadow is averaged. This affects how soft the edge of the shadow
is. Range=0.01 to 50.0.

Increasing the Sample Range blends the shadow edges and creates a smooth effect,
hiding the granularity of the map.

Absolute Map Bias When on, the bias for the shadow map is not normalized,
but is instead based on a fixed scale expressed in 3ds Max units. This value

5850 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

does not change during an animation. You must choose the value, based on
the size of the scene extents.
When off, the bias is computed relative to the rest of the scene, and then
normalized to 1.0. This provides a common starting bias value in scenes of
any size. If the scene extents change, this internal normalization can vary
from frame to frame. Default=off.
TIP Leaving Absolute Map Bias off gives good results in most situations, because
the bias is internally balanced to match the scene size. In animations, however, if
moving objects cause a large change in the scene extents (or if objects are
unhidden, and so on), the normalized bias value might become inappropriate,
causing shadows to flicker or disappear. If this happens, turn on Absolute Map
Bias. You will have to set the Bias control to a value appropriate for the scene. As
a rule of thumb, try a Bias value that is the distance between the light and the
target object, divided by 100.
2-Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating
shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside.
When off, backfaces are ignored, which can cause outside lights to illuminate
object interiors. Default=on.

The faces inside the sliced sphere do not cast shadows if 2-Sided Shadows is not
selected.

NOTE The mental ray renderer disregards this setting, and always renders 2-sided
shadows.

Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5851

Sunlight and Daylight Systems
Create panel ➤
the Daylight button.

(Systems) ➤ Click the Sunlight button or

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Daylight System
Create menu ➤ Systems ➤ Daylight System
The Sunlight and Daylight systems use light in a system that follows the
geographically correct angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a
given location. You can choose location, date, time, and compass orientation.
You can also animate the date and time. This system is suitable for shadow
studies of proposed and existing structures. In addition, you can animate
Latitude, Longitude, North Direction, and Orbital Scale.
Sunlight and Daylight have a similar user interface. The difference is that:
■

Sunlight uses a directional light on page 5767.

■

Daylight combines Sunlight on page 9321 and Skylight on page 9309. The
Sunlight component can be an IES Sun light on page 5866, an mr Sun light
on page 5885, or a standard light (a target direct light on page 5764). The
Skylight component can be an IES Sky light on page 5870, an mr Sky light
on page 5888, or a Skylight on page 5771.
■

The IES Sun and IES Sky lights are photometric lights. It is appropriate
to use them if you are creating a rendering that uses radiosity on page
7068 with exposure control on page 7665.

■

The mr Sun and mr Sky lights are also photometric, but are intended
for use with the mental ray Sun & Sky on page 5874 solution.

■

The Standard light and Skylight are not photometric. It is appropriate
to use them if your scene uses standard lighting (Sunlight with its
Directional light works for this, too), or if you are using light tracing
on page 7055.

When you first create a Daylight system, the default creation parameters are
set to midday (noon) on the summer solstice (June 21). Use the Get Location
button in the Control Parameters rollout (see below) to choose the correct
geographic location. If the rollout is not available, select the Daylight01 object
in the viewport to gain access.

5852 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

NOTE When you create a Daylight system, if no exposure control is in effect, the
program prompts you to use the Logarithmic Exposure Control on page 7673 if the
renderer is set to Default Scanline, or the mr Photographic Exposure Control on
page 7677 if the renderer is set to mental ray. It is recommended that you click Yes
to effect this change.

Large view shows compass and light in a viewport. The resulting rendered images are
seen above it.

NOTE When you create a Sunlight system or a Daylight system that uses a target
direct light for the sun, the directional light's hotspot is set to encompass all
geometry in the scene, so that shadows will render correctly. Specifically, the
diameter of the hotspot is set to 65 per cent of the longest diagonal length of the
scene extents on page 9293.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5853

Procedures
To create a Sunlight or Daylight system:

1 On the
or Daylight.

Create panel, click

(Systems), then click Sunlight

Alternatively, you can create a Daylight system from the Create menu
➤ Lights or Systems submenu.
Whichever method you use, if you add a Daylight system while no
exposure control method is in effect, 3ds Max automatically prompts
you to apply an appropriate exposure control. Always use the exposure
control that’s best suited to the current renderer:
Renderer

Recommended Exposure Control

Default Scanline

Logarithmic

mental ray

mr Photographic

2 Choose a viewport in which to create a compass rose (the compass
direction of your "world"). This should be a Top or Perspective/Camera
view.
3 Drag to create the radius of a compass rose (the radius is for display
purposes only), and then release the mouse button and move the mouse
to set the orbital scale of the sun light over the compass rose. This can be
any distance you find convenient, since directional and IES Sun lights
produce parallel illumination regardless of where their icon is located.
Click to finish.
Upon creation you have two objects in your scene:
■

The compass rose on page 2891, which is a helper object that provides
the world direction for your sun.

■

The light itself, which is a child of the compass rose, and is
permanently targeted on the center of the compass rose.
If you created a Daylight system, the Daylight Parameters rollout on
the Modify panel lets you choose the type of sunlight and skylight.
The Sunlight drop-down list lets you choose IES Sun, mr Sun, or
Standard (directional). The Skylight drop-down list lets you choose
IES Sky, mr Sky, or Skylight. These lists also offer you the options of
choosing no sunlight or no skylight.

5854 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Controls for the geographic location and time of day are on the Motion
panel. The default time is noon, and the default date and time zone are
based on your computer's local settings. The default location is San
Francisco, CA.
The directional light created by the system is managed by two special
controllers: Solar Date and Solar Time. After you create your system, you
can access its creation parameters (time and date, location, and orbital
scale) in the Motion panel for the directional light. The parameters are
interrelated, so you can adjust them in any order. Generally, it's easiest
to choose a location first, and then adjust the date and time. You can
access the parameters for selected sunlight or skylight objects in the
Modify panel. The radius of the compass rose is also editable from the
Modify panel, after selecting the compass rose object.
If Date/Time position is selected the Sun and Sky multipliers are
automatically set and animated according to their position. They can be
edited only by using the Manual Position override.
TIP If your scene rendering with Daylight is too bright or too dark, use an
exposure control on page 7665.

Example: To create a shadow study:
1 Choose Create menu ➤ Daylight System, and when prompted to add
an exposure control, click Yes. Add the Daylight system in a viewport.

2 On the

Modify panel, set the date and location.

NOTE Once you’ve created the Daylight system, you’ll find these controls

on the

3 Turn on

Motion panel.

(Auto Key).

4 In the Control Parameters ➤ Time group, adjust the Hours setting to a
start time in early morning, such as 6.

5 Click

(Go To End).

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5855

6 Set Hours to a time in the late afternoon, such as 18.
7 For a complete view of your environment and its shadows, render an
animation from a Top viewport or a view above your scene.

Interface
Daylight Parameters rollout (Daylight system only)
The Daylight Parameters rollout lets you define the daylight system's sun
object. You can set the sunlight and skylight behaviors.
This rollout appears on the Modify panel when the light component of the
Daylight system is selected.

Sunlight Choose an option for sunlight in your scene:
■

IES SunUses an IES Sun object on page 5866 to simulate the sun.

■

mr SunUses the mr Sun light on page 5885 to simulate the sun.

■

StandardUses a Target Direct light on page 5764 to simulate the sun.

■

No SunlightNo sunlight is simulated.

Active Turns sunlight on and off in the viewport.

5856 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Skylight Choose an option for skylight in your scene:
■

IES SkyUses an IES Sky on page 5870 object to simulate skylight.

■

mr SkyUses the mr Sky light on page 5888 to simulate the sun.

■

SkylightUses a Skylight on page 5771 object to simulate skylight.

■

No SkylightNo skylight is simulated.

Active Turns skylight on and off in the viewport.

Position group
Manual When chosen, you can manually adjust the location of the daylight
assembly head object in your scene, as well as the intensity value of the
sunlight.
Date, Time and Location When chosen, daylight uses the geographically
correct angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a given location.
NOTE When Date, Time And Location is active, adjusting the light's intensity has
no effect.
Weather Data File When chosen, daylight derives the angle and intensity of
the sun from a weather data (EPW) file.
Setup When Manual or Date, Time And Location is chosen, opens the Motion
panel on page 8802, allowing you to adjust the time, location, and site of your
daylight system.
When Weather Data File is chosen, opens a Configure Weather Data dialog
on page 5860 so you can choose which weather data you want the daylight
system to use.

Control Parameters rollout
This rollout appears on the Create panel, and on the Motion panel when the
light component of the Daylight or Sunlight system is selected.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5857

Control source radio buttons (Daylight system only)
Manual When chosen, you can manually adjust the location of the sun object
in your scene, as well as the intensity value of the sun object.
Date, Time and Location When chosen, daylight uses the geographically
correct angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a given location.
NOTE When Date, Time And Location is active, adjusting the light's intensity has
no effect.

5858 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Weather Data File When chosen, daylight derives the angle and intensity of
the sun from a weather data (EPW) file.

Click the button to open a Configure Weather Data dialog on page 5860,
where you can specify the EPW file and choose which weather data you want
the daylight system to use.

Azimuth and Altitude
Azimuth/Altitude Displays the azimuth and altitude of the sun. Azimuth is
the compass direction of the sun in degrees (North=0, East=90). Altitude is
the height of the sun above the horizon in degrees (Sunrise or Sunset=0).

Time group
Provides settings for the time, date, and time zone.
If the location you choose uses Daylight Savings Time, turn on the Daylight
Saving Time checkbox. The Sunlight system adjusts the sun's azimuth and
altitude accordingly during the summer months.
Hours/Mins/Secs Specify the time of day.
Month/Day/Year Specify the date.
Time Zone Time zones range from –12 to 12. If you're uncertain about a time
zone, you can look them up in Window's Date ➤ Time Properties dialog
(available through My Computer ➤ Control Panel ➤ Date ➤ Time). Click
the Time Zone tab, and then display the list of world locations and their time
zones.
Daylight Savings Time When on, calculates daylight savings by adjusting
azimuth and altitude during the summer months.

Location group
Provides controls for setting the location of your scene in the world.
Get Location Displays the Geographic Location dialog on page 5864, which lets
you set the latitude and longitude values by selecting a location from a map
or a list of cities.
NOTE For precise locations, enter exact coordinates using Latitude/Longitude.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5859

[city name text box] Displays the name of the city you choose from the
Geographic Location dialog. If you adjust the Latitude or Longitude spinners
after choosing a location, this area becomes blank.
Latitude/Longitude Specify the location based on the latitude and longitude.
NOTE Negative longitude values are west of the Greenwich meridian; positive
values are to the east of the meridian. This differs from versions prior to Autodesk
3ds Max 2011, in which the polarity of longitude values was incorrectly reversed.
North Direction Sets the rotational direction of the compass rose in the scene.
This is the geographical orientation of the compass rose. By default, north is
0 and points along the positive Y axis of the ground plane. Positive X (East)
is 90 degrees. Adjust the North Direction to correspond to your site. Accuracy
of the system depends on this correspondence.

Model Scale group
Orbital Scale Sets the distance of the sun (the directional light) from the
compass rose. Because a directional light casts parallel beams, this distance
has no effect on the accuracy of the sunlight. However, the light must point
toward your model (not away from it), and the light's hotspot and falloff do
have an effect.
The best way to ensure that the light is set up correctly is to change one
viewport to the light's view (for example, Sun 01). Then adjust the light's
location using Dolly on page 8755, and set the hotspot so it illuminates the
whole model, with no falloff.

Daylight System Dialogs
The topics in this section describe dialogs that support the daylight and
sunlight systems.

Configure Weather Data Dialog
Create a Daylight system. ➤
Create panel or
Modify panel
➤ Daylight Parameters rollout ➤ Position group ➤ Choose Weather Data
File. ➤ Click Setup. ➤ Configure Weather Data dialog

5860 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Create a Daylight system. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Control Parameters
rollout ➤ Choose Weather Data File. ➤ Click setup button. ➤ Configure
Weather Data dialog
The Configure Weather Data dialog lets you choose which contents of a
weather data (EPW) file you want to use.

Interface

Load Weather Data Click to load a weather data (EPW) file. When you have
loaded a file, the name field shows its name and path.

Click the X button to unload a file you have loaded.
Location and time fields When a weather data file is loaded, these fields
show the location where the file was recorded, the start and end dates, how
often the data was recorded (Data Period), and the total number of periods
saved in the file.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5861

Use Weather Data group
Use Specific Date/Time (The default.) Chooses a specific date and time to
use. By default, this is the first entry in the weather data file.
Change Time Period Click to open a Select A Time Period From Weather Data
dialog on page 5862 and choose the period you want to use.
Display Data as Animation Animates the daylight system based on multiple
periods contained in the weather data file.
Start The period where the animation begins. Click Change Time Period to
open a Select A Time Period From Weather Data dialog on page 5862 and choose
the period you want to use.
End The period where the animation ends. Click Change Time Period to open
a Select A Time Period From Weather Data dialog on page 5862 and choose the
period you want to use.
Skip Hours When on, omits the hours between the two values, using a 24-hour
clock. Default=off.
Skip Weekends When on, skips weekends. Default=off.
One Frame Per Choose the time unit by which the animation is subdivided.
The options are:
■

Period

■

Day

■

Week

■

Month

■

Season

Default=Period.
Total Frames Displays the total number of frames that 3ds Max will generate,
based on the period settings you have chosen.
Match Timeline Click to set the end of the active animation time segment
equal to the last keyframe generated by the weather data.

Select a Time Period from Weather Data Dialog
Create a Daylight system. ➤
Create panel or
Modify panel
➤ Daylight Parameters rollout ➤ Position group ➤ Choose Weather Data

5862 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

File. ➤ Click Setup. ➤ Configure Weather Data dialog ➤ Click Change
Time Period. ➤ Select a Time Period from Weather Data dialog

Create a Daylight system. ➤
Motion panel ➤ Control Parameters
rollout ➤ Choose Weather Data File. ➤ Click setup button. ➤ Configure
Weather Data dialog ➤ Click Change Time Period. ➤ Select a Time Period
from Weather Data dialog
The Select A Time Period From Weather Data dialog works in conjunction
with the Configure Weather Data dialog on page 5860. It lets you choose a single
time period from the weather data (EPW) file.

Interface

Selected Time Period Displays the currently selected time period. Default=The
first period in the weather data file.

Select from the range of Time Periods in the Weather Data File group
Period Selector Drag this slider to browse the time periods available in the
file.
Increment Period Selector by Use the Months, Days, Hours, or Minutes
spinner controls to move the Period Selector by the corresponding unit of
time. If the file does not contain increments at that time level, the spinner
has no effect.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5863

Geographic Location Dialog
Select a Sunlight or Daylight system. ➤
group ➤ Get Location button

Motion panel ➤ Location

The Geographic Location dialog is part of the Sunlight and Daylight systems'
on page 5852 interface. It lets you set the latitude and longitude values by
selecting a location from a map or a list of cities. The dialog displays a list of
cities at left, and a map on the right.

Procedures
To use a map:
1 In the Location group on the Control Parameters rollout, click the Get
Location button.
2 On the Geographic Location dialog, choose a map from the Map list.
3 Click in the map to specify a location.
3ds Max displays a small cross at the location you picked. If Nearest Big
City is on, it places the cross at the nearest large city on the list, and
highlights the city's name in the list.
4 Click OK to set the Latitude and Longitude to the location of the cross.
To choose a city by name:
1 Choose a map from the Map list.
The City list updates to show cities in the region of the map.
2 Choose the name of a city from the list.
3 Click OK to set the Latitude and Longitude to the location of the city.

5864 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

City Displays a list of cities within the selected Map region. As an alternative
to selecting a location by clicking the map, you can select a city directly from
this list. The cross on the map moves to the location of the selected city.
Map Lets you choose a map for a portion of the world, or you can choose the
World map, which includes the entire world.
Nearest Big City When on, clicking the map moves the cross to the nearest
listed city, which becomes highlighted in the list. When off, clicking the map
places the cross exactly where you clicked, and its position generates the
Latitude and Longitude values for that position, regardless of any cities that
might be nearby.

IES Sun and Sky
The IES Sun and IES Sky objects are photometric light objects that simulate
the sun and sky. IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society; see IES
Standard File Format on page 5735.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5865

IES Sun Light (Photometric)
Create panel ➤

(Systems) ➤ Create a Daylight system in

your scene. ➤
Modify panel ➤ Daylight Parameters rollout ➤
Sunlight ➤ Choose IES Sun.
IES Sun is a physically-based light object that simulates sunlight on page 9321.
When used in conjunction with a daylight system on page 5852, its values are
set automatically based on geographic location, time, and date. (IES stands
for Illuminating Engineering Society; see IES Standard File Format on page
5735.)

5866 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Outdoor scene illuminated by the IES Sun light

The mental ray renderer gives physically accurate results for IES Sun, and
renderings that use it will appear similar to renderings done with the default
scanline renderer. You do not need to turn on Final Gather for light from IES
Sun to render.
The Daylight system on page 5852 combines the two daylight components of
sun and sky in a unified interface.
TIP If you use the IES sun or sky with the Logarithmic Exposure Control on page
7673, turn on both the Daylight and Exterior options. This will provide greater control
for properly mapping the higher energy levels to RGB colors. In addition, it is
important to set the Physical Scale to the brightest light source in your scene. If
the IES Sun is used, set the Physical Scale to 90000 cd.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5867

Interface

On Turns sunlight on and off in the viewport.
Targeted Applicable only when you add the IES Sun light directly, rather than
as part of a Daylight system on page 5852. When on, the light is targeted and
you can change the target distance by moving the target. The distance between
the light and its target is displayed to the right of the check box. When off,
you can set this value directly.
Cast Shadows Sets whether the sunlight casts shadows or not.
Intensity The intensity of the sunlight. The color swatch to the right of the
spinner opens the Color Selector on page 304 to set the color of the light.
Typical intensities in a clear sky are around 90,000 lux.
NOTE Intensity is set automatically and cannot be set manually if the sun is under
the control of a daylight system.

Shadows group
On Determines whether the sunlight casts shadows or not.
Shadow Method drop-down list Determines whether the renderer uses
shadow maps on page 9305, ray-traced shadows on page 9279, advanced ray-traced
shadows on page 9279, mental ray shadow maps on page 5842, or area shadows
on page 9095 to generate shadows for this light.
Each shadow type has a rollout with its associated controls.
TIP When you use the mental ray renderer and mental ray shadow maps, you
can set up soft-edged shadows.

5868 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Use Global Settings Turn on to use global settings for shadows cast by this
light. Turn off to enable individual control of the shadows. If you choose not
to use the global settings, you must choose which method the renderer will
use to generate shadows for this particular light.
When Use Global Settings is on, the shadow parameters switch over to show
you what the current global setting is. This data is shared by every other light
of this class. When Use Global Settings is off, the shadow parameters are
specific to that particular light.
Exclude Excludes selected objects from the effects of the light. Click this
button to display the Exclude/Include dialog on page 5805.
Excluded objects still appear lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect
only when you render the scene.

Advanced Effects Rollout

Contrast Adjusts the contrast between the diffuse and ambient areas of the
surface. Leave this set to 0 for normal contrast. Increase the value to increase
the contrast for special effects: for example, the harsh light of outer space.
Default=0.0.
Soften Diffuse Edge Increasing the value of Soften Diffuse Edge softens the
edge between the diffuse and ambient portions of a surface. This helps
eliminate edges that can appear on a surface under certain circumstances.
Default=50.
NOTE Soften Diffuse Edge slightly reduces the intensity of the light. You can
counter this, to some extent, by increasing the Multiplier value.
Diffuse When on, the light affects the diffuse properties of an object's surface.
When off, the light has no effect on the diffuse surface. Default=on.
Specular When on, the light affects the specular properties of an object's
surface. When off, the light has no effect on the specular properties.
Default=on.
For example, by using the Diffuse and Specular check boxes you can have one
light color the specular highlights of an object, while not coloring its diffuse

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5869

component, and then have a second light color the diffuse component of the
surface while not creating specular highlights.

Optimizations rollout
This rollout is identical to the Optimizations rollout on page 5839 for advanced
ray-traced and area shadows.

IES Sky Light (Photometric)
Create panel ➤

your scene. ➤
Skylight ➤ IES Sky

(Systems) ➤ Create a Daylight system in

Modify panel ➤ Daylight Parameters rollout ➤

IES Sky is a physically-based light object that simulates atmospheric effects
on skylight on page 9309. (IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society; see
IES Standard File Format on page 5735.)

5870 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Outdoor scene lit by the IES sky light

The Daylight system on page 5852 combines the two daylight components of
sun and sky in a unified interface. It allows you to set date and time positions
with the light type you want to use.
IES Sky works correctly only when the sky object is pointing down from the
Z axis, meaning that it points down when looking from the Top view.
When using the default scanline renderer, IES Sky produces the best results
when used in conjunction with one of the advanced lighting options on page
7054: radiosity or light tracing.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5871

WARNING When you render with the mental ray renderer on page 7129, objects
illuminated by IES Sky appear dark unless you turn on Final Gathering on page
9160. The toggle for Final Gathering is on the Final Gather rollout on page 7213 of the
Render Setup dialog.

Using Render Elements with an IES Sky Light
If you use Render Elements on page 7269 to output the lighting element on page
7290 of an IES Sky light in a scene using either radiosity or the light tracer, you
cannot separate the direct, indirect, and shadow channels of the light. All
three elements of the IES Sky lighting are output to the Indirect Light channel.
See also:
■

IES Sun Light (Photometric) on page 5866

Interface

On Turns the sky light on and off in the viewport.
Multiplier Adjusts the intensity of the skylight.
When this is set to 1.0, the intensity will be physically accurate based on angle.
You can, however, override this by changing the value. This is useful for doing
night shots with artificial lighting.
Sky Color The color swatch opens the Color Selector on page 304, which lets
you set the color of the sky.

5872 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Coverage group
Clear, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy This choice determines the extent to which
light is scattered through the sky. Use the slider to set the control to one of
the named settings or anywhere in between.

Render group
NOTE These controls are unavailable when the mental ray renderer is active.
Cast Shadows Causes the sky light to cast shadows.
A great deal of processing is dedicated to the calculation of the subtle shadows
cast by skylight on page 9309. If shadows are not important in your model, you
can disable them and save substantial amounts of processing time. However,
the results will not be as realistic.
NOTE The Cast Shadows toggle has no effect when using radiosity or the light
tracer.
NOTE IES Sky objects will not cast shadows in an ActiveShade rendering on page
7001.
Rays per Sample The number of rays used to calculate skylight falling on a
given point in the scene. For animation you should set this to a high value
to eliminate flickering. A value of around 30 should eliminate flickering.

Increasing the number of rays increases the quality of your image. However, it also
increases rendering time.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5873

Ray Bias The closest distance at which objects can cast shadows on a given
point in the scene. Setting this value to 0 can cause the point to cast shadows
upon itself, and setting it to a large value can prevent objects close to a point
from casting shadows on the point.

mental ray Sun & Sky
Daylight system ➤
Modify panel ➤ Daylight Parameters rollout
➤ Sunlight/Skylight drop-down lists ➤ mr Sun / mr Sky
The mental ray Sun & Sky solution is designed to enable physically plausible
daylight simulations and accurate renderings of daylight scenarios.
In 3ds Max, this is achieved through the use of two special photometric lights
and an environment shader that all work together:
■

The mr Sun photometric light is responsible for the sunlight; the direct
light from the sun.

The scene is lit by mr Sun only.

5874 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

■

The mr Sky photometric light is responsible for the skylight; it simulates
the real-world phenomenon of indirect light created by the scattering of
sunlight in the atmosphere.

The scene is lit by mr Sky only.

■

The mr Physical Sky environment shader is responsible for the visible
representation of the sun disk and the sky, both to the camera and in
reflections and refraction, as well as for the virtual ground plane (gray in the
following illustration).

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5875

mr Physical Sky is visible, but no lighting is present in the scene.

These lights are meant to be used together: mr Sun and mr Sky appear within
the 3ds Max Daylight system on page 5852. When used in combination, this
solution is called Sun & Sky.
TIP You can view the Sun & Sky combination in a viewport, which makes adjusting
parameters fully interactive. For details, see this procedure on page 5880.
NOTE Sun & Sky is a true high-dynamic range photometric lighting system that
requires the mr Photographic Exposure Control on page 7677 to be enabled. In
some of the mental ray rendering presets on page 7013, such as those starting with
“mental.ray.daylight,” this is done automatically. Also, when you add a Daylight
System from the Create menu, you have the option to activate the exposure control
automatically.

Using Sun & Sky with SSS Materials
To use a mental ray fast SSS material on page 6365 together with the
high-dynamic range Sun & Sky solution, be sure to turn on Scatter Indirect
Illumination on the material's Advanced Options rollout so that the material
can scatter the skylight, which is considered indirect.

5876 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Also, turn off Screen (Soft) Compositing Of Layers, also on the Advanced
Options rollout; otherwise the output of the SSS shaders is clamped to a low
dynamic range and will appear to render black.

Common Parameters
Certain parameters do the same things in mr Sun, mr Sky, and mr Physical
Sky. For physical correctness, it is necessary to keep these parameters in sync
with each other in all three elements. For example, a sun with a different Haze
value than the sky cannot be guaranteed to be physically plausible.
For this reason the concept of parameter inheritance is included. Both the mr
Sun light and the mr Physical Sky shader have check boxes labeled “Inherit
from mr Sky” that are on by default. When these are on, the common
parameters are all guided by the mr Sky light, which is the central point of
control.
With parameter inheritance, you can concentrate on tweaking the parameters
in one spot (mr Sky) and, as long as Inherit From mr Sky is on for both mr
Sun and mr Physical Sky, you're sure to obtain consistent results.

Procedures
To use mental ray Sun & Sky:
1 Make sure mental ray on page 7129 is the active renderer.
2 From the Create menu, choose Lights ➤ Daylight System.
You can also find Daylight System on the Create menu under Systems,

and from

Create panel ➤ Systems.

3 You're prompted to use the mr Photographic Exposure Control on page
7677. Click Yes to do so automatically.
4 Create a Daylight system in the Perspective (or a Camera) viewport: Drag
and release to create the compass rose, move the mouse to position the
light, and then click to place the light and finish creating the system.

5

Go to the
Modify panel, and on the Daylight Parameters
rollout, set Sunlight to mr Sun and Skylight to mr Sky.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5877

6 When you choose mr Sky, you're prompted to add a mr Physical Sky
environment map. Click Yes to do so.
The parameters rollouts for mr Sun and mr Sky now appear on the Modify
panel.
7 Open the Environment dialog on page 7621 (press 8) and make sure
Common Parameters ➤ Environment Map is set to mr Physical Sky,
Exposure Control on page 7665 is set to mr Photographic Exposure Control.

5878 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

TIP Should you wish to edit the mr Physical Sky parameters, an easy way to
access them is to open the Material Editor (press M) and then drag the
Environment Map button from the Environment panel ➤ Common
Parameters rollout to a material slot (sample sphere) in the Material Editor.
When prompted for the copy method, choose Instance.
8 Open the Render Setup dialog on page 6956 (F10) to the Indirect
Illumination panel and make sure Enable Final Gather is on. Choose the
Draft preset as a starting point; this is the leftmost position of the FG
Precision Presets slider.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5879

IMPORTANT When using Sun & Sky, make sure Enable Final Gather is on.
Because the skylight is a form of indirect light, it can be rendered only with
the help of Final Gather. Without final gathering, Sun shadows render as
unnaturally dark or black rather than bluish, as they are in the real world.
9 Render with Sun & Sky. To specify different times, dates, and locations
in the Daylight system for different effects, use the Motion panel ➤
Control Parameters settings or turn on Manual Override to place the sun
by hand.
TIP For a more pleasing image, adjust the mr Photographic Exposure Control
settings.

To see the sun and sky in the viewport:
The ability to display the mental ray Sun & Sky solution in the viewport lets
you adjust parameters interactively, so that you can visualize the results
immediately without having to render. Keep in mind, though, that the
viewport representation is an approximation of the final result, so you’ll still
need to render while fine-tuning the settings.
NOTE To use this feature, the display driver must be set to Direct3D (see Graphics
Driver Setup Dialog on page 8901).
1 Follow the above procedure on page 5877 for adding mental ray Sun & Sky
to your scene.
2 Open the Viewport Background dialog: Views menu ➤ Viewport
Background.

5880 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

3 In the Background Source group, turn on Use Environment Background.
4 At the bottom of the dialog, make sure Viewport is set to Perspective, and
then turn on Display Background in the lower-right group of controls.

5 Click OK.
After a moment, the viewport background changes to show the
environment.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5881

6 If necessary, orbit the Perspective viewport so you get a view of the
horizon.

7 Go to the Motion panel, select the Daylight object if necessary, and then
change the Time group ➤ Hours or Month setting using the spinner
control.
As you adjust the setting, the sky light reflects the change.
8 Adjust the hour so the sun is near the horizon, and then, if necessary,
orbit the viewport so the sun is visible.

5882 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

9 Go back to the
Modify panel and adjust the settings on the mr
Sky Parameters rollouts such as Multiplier and Red/Blue Tint.
As you adjust the settings, the viewport shows the changes.

Interface
Interface (common parameters)
The most important common parameters are those that drive the entire
shading and colorization model.
NOTE mr Sun and mr Physical Sky can inherit parameters from mr Sky even if the
latter is off.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5883

Multiplier A scalar multiplier for the light output. Default=1.0.
Haze In mr Physical Sky, the Haze setting corresponds to the Haze setting
used by the Haze-Driven sky model on page 5890.
Horizon Height The vertical position of the horizon.
The default value, 0.0, places the horizon at a standard height. However,
because the horizon is infinitely far away, this can cause trouble joining up
with any finite geometry that is supposed to represent the ground. It can also
cause issues rendering locations that are supposed to be at a high altitude, like
mountain tops or the top of New York skyscrapers where the horizon really
is visibly “below” the viewer.
This parameter allows tuning the position of the horizon. Note that this
horizon doesn’t actually exist at a specific height in 3D space; it is a shading
effect for rays that go below a certain angle. This parameter tweaks that angle.
The total range available range is somewhat extreme, reaching from -10.0 (the
horizon is “straight down”) to 10.0 (the horizon is at the zenith). In practice,
only much smaller values are actually useful. For example, to push the horizon
down just below the edge of a finite visible ground plane, use –0.2.
NOTE The Horizon height affects not only the visual representation of the horizon
in the mr Sky light, but also the color of the mr Sun itself. In other words, the
point where the sun “sets” will change for a Horizon height settings other than
0.0.

5884 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Horizon Blur The “blurriness” with which the horizon is rendered.
At 0.0 the horizon is completely sharp. Generally only values lower than 0.5
are useful, but the full range is up to 10.0 for a horizon that consists of blur
only, with no actual horizon at all.
Ground Color The color of the virtual ground plane. Note that this is a diffuse
reflectance value (that is, albedo). The ground appears as a Lambertian reflector
with this diffuse color, lit by the sun and sky only, and does not receive any
shadows.
TIP Some sky models neglect the influence of bounce light from the ground,
assuming only the sky is illuminating the scene. To compare the output of mr Sky
with, for example, the IES Sky light, set Ground Color to black.
Night Color The minimum color of the sky: The sky will never become darker
than this value. It can be useful for adding things like moon, stars, high-altitude
cirrus clouds that remain lit long after sunset, etc. As the sun sets and the sky
darkens, the contribution from Night Color is unaffected and remains as the
base light level.
Red/Blue Tint Gives artistic control over the redness of the light. The default
value of 0.0 is the physically correct value (calculated for a 6500K whitepoint),
but can be changed with this parameter, which ranges from –1.0 (extremely
blue) to 1.0 (extremely red).
Saturation Also an artistic control, where 1.0 is the physically calculated
saturation level. The parameter ranges from 0.0 (black and white) to 2.0
(extremely boosted saturation).

mr Sun
Daylight system ➤
Modify panel ➤ Daylight Parameters rollout
➤ Sunlight drop-down list ➤ mr Sun
The mr Sun light is intended for use in the mental ray Sun & Sky combination.
This topic mainly provides information on parameters unique to this
component. A number of mr Sky parameters are common to all three Sun &
Sky components. For some of those parameters, this topic provides a brief
explanation plus a link to the main topic with additional details.
TIP You can view the Sun & Sky combination in a viewport, which makes adjusting
parameters fully interactive. For details, see this procedure on page 5880.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5885

See also:
■

mental ray Sun & Sky on page 5874

■

mr Sky on page 5888

■

mr Physical Sky on page 5893

Interface
mr Sun Basic Parameters rollout

On Turns the mr Sun light on and off. Default=on.
Multiplier A scalar multiplier for the light output. Default=1.0.
Targeted Applicable only when you add an mr Sun light directly to the scene
via Create panel ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric, rather than as part of a Daylight
system on page 5852. When on, the light is targeted and you can change the
target distance by moving the target. The distance between the light and its
target is displayed to the right of the check box. When off, you can set this
value directly. Default=on.

Shadows group
On Toggles shadowing for the light. Default=on.
Softness The softness of shadow edges. The default value of 1.0 accurately
matches the softness of real solar shadows. Lower values make the shadows
sharper and higher values make them softer.

5886 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Softness The number of shadow samples for the soft shadows. If it is set to 0,
no soft shadows are generated. Default=8.

Inherit from mr Sky group
NOTE mr Sun can inherit parameters from mr Sky even if the latter is off.
Inherit from mr Sky Uses the equivalent settings from the mr Sky Parameters
rollout for the remaining mr Sun Parameters rollout settings. Default=on.
For further information, see Common Parameters on page 5877.

Nonphysical Tuning group
These controls are available only when “Inherit From mr Sky” is off.
Red/Blue Tint Provides artistic control over the redness of the sky light. The
default value of 0.0 is the physically correct value (calculated for a 6500K
whitepoint), but can be changed with this parameter, which ranges from –1.0
(extremely blue) to 1.0 (extremely red).
Saturation Provides artistic control over saturation of the sky light. The default
value of 1.0 is the physically calculated saturation level. Possible values range
from 0.0 (black and white) to 2.0 (extremely high saturation).

mr Sun Photons rollout
Use these settings to focus global-illumination photons on an area of interest.
For example, if you’ve modeled a huge city as a backdrop, but are rendering
only a room interior, you probably don’t want mental ray to shoot photons
over the entire city, with the result that only a few will find their way into
the room.

Use Photon Target When on, uses the Radius setting with respect to the light
target.
Radius Sets the radial distance from the target in which the mr Sun casts GI
photons.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5887

mr Sky
Daylight system ➤
Modify panel ➤ Daylight Parameters rollout
➤ Skylight drop-down list ➤ mr Sky
The mr Sky light is intended for use in the mental ray Sun & Sky combination.
This topic mainly provides information on parameters unique to this
component. A number of mr Sky parameters are common to all three Sun &
Sky components. For some of those parameters, this topic provides a brief
explanation plus a link to the main topic with additional details.
TIP You can view the Sun & Sky combination in a viewport, which makes adjusting
parameters fully interactive. For details, see this procedure on page 5880.
See also:
■

mental ray Sun & Sky on page 5874

■

mr Sun on page 5885

■

mr Physical Sky on page 5893

Interface
mr Sky Parameters rollout

On Turns the light on and off.
Multiplier A scalar multiplier for the light output. Default=1.0.
Ground Color The color of the virtual ground plane. Note that this is a diffuse
reflectance value (that is, albedo). The ground appears as a Lambertian reflector

5888 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

with this diffuse color, lit by the sun and sky only, and does not receive any
shadows.
TIP Some sky models neglect the influence of bounce light from the ground,
assuming only the sky is illuminating the scene. To compare the output of mr Sky
with, for example, the IES Sky model, set Ground Color to black.
Sky Model Lets you choose the sky model to use. There are three choices:
■

Haze Driven on page 5890

■

Perez All Weather on page 5891

■

CIE on page 5892

Use the Perez or CIE model when you want light from the sky to be physically
accurate.

mr Sky Advanced Parameters rollout

Horizon group
Height The vertical position of the horizon. Default=0.0.
For details, see Horizon Height on page 5884.
Blur The “blurriness” with which the horizon is rendered. Default=0.1.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5889

At 0.0 the horizon is completely sharp. Generally only values lower than 0.5
are useful, but the full range is up to 10.0 for a horizon that consists of blur
only, with no actual horizon at all.

Night Color
Night Color The minimum color of the sky: the sky will never become darker
than this value. This adjustment can be useful for adding things like the moon,
stars, high-altitude cirrus clouds that remain lit long after sunset, and so on.
As the sun sets and the sky darkens, the contribution from Night Color is
unaffected and remains as the base light level.

Non-Physical Tuning group
Red/Blue Tint Provides artistic control over the redness of the sky light. The
default value of 0.0 is the physically correct value (calculated for a 6500K
whitepoint), but can be changed with this parameter, which ranges from –1.0
(extremely blue) to 1.0 (extremely red).
Saturation Provides artistic control over saturation of the sky light. The default
value of 1.0 is the physically calculated saturation level. Possible values range
from 0.0 (black and white) to 2.0 (extremely high saturation).

Aerial Perspective group
Aerial Perspective toggle When on, enables the Visibility Distance setting.
When off, disables the effect of Visibility Distance. Default=on.
Visibility Distance Aerial Perspective is a term used by painters to convey
how distant objects are perceived as hazier and tinted towards the blue end
of the spectrum. mr Sky emulates this with the Visibilty Distance parameter.
When nonzero, it defines the “10% distance”, that is, the distance at which
approximately 10% of haze is visible at a Haze level of 0.0.

Haze-Driven Sky Model
Create a Daylight system. ➤ Choose mr Sky as the sky light. ➤
Choose Haze Driven as the sky model. ➤ mr Sky: Haze Driven rollout
This sky model uses a Haze value to specify the amount of water vapor or
other particulate matter in the air. Possible values range from 0.0 (a completely
clear day) to 15.0 (extremely overcast, or a sandstorm in the Sahara). The Haze
value influences the intensity and color of the sky and horizon, the intensity

5890 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

and color of sunlight, the softness of the sun’s shadows, the softness of the
glow around the sun, and the strength of the aerial perspective.
NOTE The Haze-Driven sky model was the only sky model available in versions
prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011.

Interface

Haze The amount of particulate matter in the air. Possible values range from
0.0 (a completely clear day) to 15.0 (extremely overcast, or a sandstorm in the
Sahara). Default=0.0.
You can animate this value.

Perez All-Weather Sky Model
Create a Daylight system. ➤ Choose mr Sky as the sky light. ➤
Choose Perez All Weather as the sky model. ➤ mr Sky: Perez Parameters
rollout
The Perez All-Weather sky model is a physically accurate sky model recognized
as an industry standard. It is controlled by two illuminance on page 9190 values.
NOTE The Perez model is suitable for daytime, but not for twilight or night scenes.
For scenes where the sun is low or absent, use the Haze model, or the CIE model
if you are concerned with photometric accuracy.
When you render while the Perez sky model is active, the sky color derives
from the Haze value in the mr Physical Sky shader on page 5893. By default this
is 0.0 (a clear sky, blue in the daytime), but you can use the shader to change
the Haze value.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5891

Interface

Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance The illuminance of the sky measured by a
luminance meter placed horizontally, outdoors, excluding the contribution
from the sun. Default=10000.0 lx.
You can animate this value.
Direct Normal Illuminance The illuminance of the sun measured by a
luminance meter aimed directly at the sun. Default=10000.0 lx.
You can animate this value.
NOTE If you have chosen American units as the active lighting units, the
illuminance values appear as footcandles (fc) rather than lux (lx).

CIE Sky Model
Create a Daylight system. ➤ Choose mr Sky as the sky light. ➤
Choose CIE as the sky model. ➤ mr Sky: CIE Parameters rollout
The CIE sky model is a physically accurate sky model recognized as an industry
standard. (CIE stands for Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage: the
International Lighting Commission.) It is controlled by two illuminance on
page 9190 values, and you can choose either an overcast or a clear sky.
When you render while the CIE sky model is active, the sky color derives from
the Haze value in the mr Physical Sky shader on page 5893. By default this is
0.0 (a clear sky, blue in the daytime), but you can use the shader to change
the Haze value.

5892 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance The illuminance of the sky measured by a
luminance meter placed horizontally, outdoors, excluding the contribution
from the sun. Default=10000.0 lx.
You can animate this value.
Direct Normal Illuminance The illuminance of the sun measured by a
luminance meter aimed directly at the sun. Default=10000.0 lx.
You can animate this value.
Overcast Sky (The default.) Specifies an overcast sky.
Clear Sky Specifies a clear sky.
NOTE If you have chosen American units as the active lighting units, the
illuminance values appear as footcandles (fc) rather than lux (lx).

mr Physical Sky
Daylight system ➤
Modify panel ➤ Daylight Parameters rollout
➤ Skylight drop-down list ➤ mr Sky ➤ Confirm prompt.
The mr Physical Sky shader is intended primarily for use in the mental ray
Sun & Sky combination. This topic mainly provides information on parameters
unique to this component. A number of mr Physical Sky parameters are
common to all three Sun & Sky components. For some of those parameters,
this topic provides a brief explanation plus a link to the main topic with
additional details.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5893

TIP You can view the Sun & Sky combination in a viewport, which makes adjusting
parameters fully interactive. For details, see this procedure on page 5880.
See also:
■

mental ray Sun & Sky on page 5874

■

mr Sky on page 5888

■

mr Sun on page 5885

Procedures
The main difference between the mr Physical Sky Parameters rollout described
here and the mr Sky Parameters rollout on page 5888 on the command panel is
that this rollout lets you apply maps or shaders to the various parameters.
However, this version of the rollout isn't quite as accessible; you must use the
Material Editor to get at the controls.
To access the mr Physical Sky rollout:
1 Add an mr Sky on page 5888 component to the Daylight system on page
5852 (and confirm the addition of the mr Physical Sky environment map),
or apply an mr Physical Sky shader as an environment map on page 7621
or in the Camera Shaders group of the Camera Effects rollout on page
7201.

2 Open the

3 Click

Material Editor on page 6020 and choose a sample slot.

(Get Material).

This opens the Material/Map Browser dialog on page 6167.
4 On the Material/Map Browser, in the Browse From group on the left side,
choose Scene.
The Browser lists maps and materials in the scene.
5 Find the mr Physical Sky map and double-click it to load it into the active
sample slot.
You can now edit the shader parameters and apply maps and shaders on
the mr Physical Sky Parameters rollout.

5894 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

TIP Alternatively, you can simply drag the map button from the Environment
panel or Camera Effects rollout to a sample slot in the Material Editor.

Interface
NOTE This rollout is available only in the Material Editor. To access the rollout,
follow the above procedure.

Sun Disk Appearance group
Use these settings to adjust the visible appearance of the sun in the sky.
Disk Intensity The brightness of the sun.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5895

Glow Intensity The brightness of the glow surrounding the sun.
Scale The size of the sun disk.

_____
Use Custom Background Map When on but no background map is specified,
the background of the rendering is transparent black, suitable for external
compositing. If you supply a background shader by clicking the button and
then specifying a map or shader, the background of the rendering will come
from that shader (for example, a texture map that uses a background
photograph). In either case the mr Physical Sky will still be visible in reflections
and refraction.
To apply a map or shader to this parameter, click the None button.
NOTE The background area in the rendered image's alpha channel is always fully
transparent, as is the case in general in 3ds Max.
Inherit from mr Sky Uses the equivalent settings from the mr Sky Parameters
rollout for the remaining mr Physical Sky Parameters rollout settings, except
for Aerial Perspective. Default=on.
For further information, see Common Parameters on page 5877.
Haze The amount of particulate matter in the air. Possible values range from
0.0 (a completely clear day) to 15.0 (extremely overcast, or a sandstorm in the
Sahara). Default=0.0.
For details, see Haze on page 5884.
To apply a map or shader to this parameter, click the None button.

Horizon and Ground group
Horizon Height The vertical position of the horizon. Default=0.0.
For details, see Horizon Height on page 5884.
Blur The “blurriness” with which the horizon is rendered. Default=0.1.
At 0.0 the horizon is completely sharp. Generally only values lower than 0.5
are useful, but the full range is up to 10.0 for a horizon that consists of blur
only, with no actual horizon at all.
Ground Color The color of the virtual ground plane. Note that this is a diffuse
reflectance value (that is, albedo). The ground appears as a Lambertian reflector
with this diffuse color, lit by the sun and sky only, and does not receive any
shadows.
To apply a map or shader to this parameter, click the None button.

5896 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

TIP Some sky models neglect the influence of bounce light from the ground,
assuming only the sky is illuminating the scene. To compare the output of mr Sky
with, for example, the IES Sky model, one must therefore set Ground Color to
black.

After Dark group
Night Color The minimum color of the sky: The sky will never become darker
than this value. It can be useful for adding things like moon, stars, high-altitude
cirrus clouds that remain lit long after sunset, etc. As the sun sets and the sky
darkens, the contribution from Night Color is unaffected and remains as the
base light level.
To apply a map or shader to this parameter, click the None button.

Non-Physical Tuning group
Red/Blue Tint Provides artistic control over the redness of the sky light. The
default value of 0.0 is the physically correct value (calculated for a 6500K
whitepoint), but can be changed with this parameter, which ranges from -1.0
(extremely blue) to 1.0 (extremely red).
To apply a map or shader to this parameter, click the None button.
Saturation Provides artistic control over saturation of the sky light. The default
value of 1.0 is the physically calculated saturation level. Possible values range
from 0.0 (black and white) to 2.0 (extremely high saturation).
To apply a map or shader to this parameter, click the None button.

Aerial Perspective group
NOTE This parameter is for advanced users, and functions only when you use mr
Physical Sky is used as a lens shader or volume shader. When used as a lens shader,
the aerial perspective “mist” applies to primary rays only; it doesn't appear in
reflections. When used as a volume shader, it applies to the entire scene and every
ray in it, including reflections and refraction.
Visibility Distance Aerial Perspective is a term used by painters to convey
how distant objects are perceived as hazier and tinted towards the blue end
of the spectrum. mr Sky emulates this with the Visibilty Distance parameter.
When nonzero, it defines the “10% distance”, that is, the distance at which
approximately 10% of haze is visible at a Haze level of 0.0.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5897

mr Sky Portal
Create panel ➤

(Lights) ➤ Photometric ➤ mr Sky Portal

Create menu ➤ Lights ➤ Photometric ➤ mr Sky Portal
The mr (mental ray) Sky Portal object provides an efficient method of
“gathering” existing sky lighting in interior scenes without requiring high
final gather or global illumination settings that would result in excessively
long render times. In effect, a portal acts as an area light that derives its
brightness and coloring from the environment.
IMPORTANT For mr Sky Portal to work correctly, the scene must contain a Skylight
component. This can be an IES Sky light on page 5870, an mr Sky light on page 5888,
or a Skylight on page 5771.

Procedures
Example: To use the mr Sky Portal object:
1 Make sure mental ray is the active production renderer on page 7034.
2 Create a scene with a windowed interior. Set up a camera in the interior
and set a viewport to show the camera view.

5898 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

3 Add a Daylight system to the scene:
1 Create menu ➤ Systems ➤ Daylight System. When prompted to
use the mr Photographic Exposure Control, click Yes.
2 On the mr Photographic Exposure Control rollout on page 7677, set
Preset to Physically Based Lighting, Indoor Daylight.
This changes the exposure value to 10.0.

3 Change the Sunlight object to mr Sun and the Skylight object to mr
Sky. (see mental ray Sun & Sky on page 5874)
For best results, position the sun so it’s not shining directly into the
interior, or turn it off. Otherwise, the direct lighting could overwhelm
the indirect lighting from the portal: especially when you use final
gathering or global illumination.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5899

4 For each window, add an mr Skylight Portal object. The portal object is
a wireframe rectangle with a central, perpendicular arrow showing the
direction of light flow, or flux. Make each portal slightly larger than its
respective opening, and position it immediately outside or inside the
opening.

TIP To help place the portal object as close as possible to the outside surface,
use AutoGrid on page 2819. Also, make sure portals do not overlap; this would
cause the illumination from the overlapping area to be doubled.

5900 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Adding the Sky Portal object with AutoGrid on. Note the Light Flux Direction
arrow pointing outward.

5 Make sure all the portals’ arrows are pointing inside. If a portal’s arrow
points outside, toggle its Flip Light Flux Direction check box on the mr
Skylight Portal Parameters rollout.

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5901

With Flip Light Flux Direction on, the arrow points inward.

6 Turn on Final Gather on page 7213 and
render the scene. If the
image looks grainy, increase the Shadow Samples setting on the mr
Skylight Portal Parameters rollout.

5902 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Scene lit by mr Sky Portal with final gather at Draft preset, no diffuse bounces

Interface
mr Skylight Portal Parameters rollout

Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5903

On Toggles the illumination from the portal. When off, the portal has no
effect on scene lighting.
Multiplier Amplifies the power of the light. For example, if you set the value
to 2.0, the light will be twice as bright.
Filter Color Tints the coloring coming in from the outside.
Dimensions Set the Length and Width using these controls.
TIP To change the arrow size, use the Preferences ➤ Viewports panel ➤ Viewport
Parameters group on page 8897 ➤ Non-Scaling Object Size setting.
Flip Light Flux Direction Determines the direction in which light flows
through the portal. The arrow must point toward the interior for the portal
to cast light from the sky or environment. If it points outside, toggle this
setting.

Shadows
On Toggles shadow casting by the light from the portal.
By default, the portal casts shadows only from objects inside the portal; that
is, on the arrow side.
From “Outdoors” When on, casts shadows from objects outside the portal;
that is, on the side away from the arrow icon. This is off by default, because
turning it on can significantly increase render times.
Shadow Samples The overall quality of shadows cast by the portal. If the
rendered image is grainy, increase this value.

Advanced Parameters rollout

5904 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Visible to Renderer When on, the mr Sky Portal Object appears in the rendered
image. Turn this on to prevent outside objects from appearing in the window.
Transparency Filters the view outside the window. Changing this color doesn’t
change the light coming in, but has the effect of darkening outside objects,
which can help if they’re overexposed. To avoid recoloring the outside view,
use a shade of gray, such as R=G=B=0.5.
Color Source Sets the source of the light from which the mr Sky Portal derives
its illumination.
■

Use existing SkylightUses the skylight. By default, with the mr Sky light
using the mr Physical Sky environment map at their default values, this
tends to give a bluish illumination, as with real-world skylight.

■

Use Scene EnvironmentUses the environment map for illumination color.
Use this if your sky light and environment map are different colors, and
you wish to use the latter for the interior illumination.

■

CustomLets you use any map for the illumination coloring. Choose
Custom, and then click the button (“None”) to open the Material/Map
Browser. Choose a map and click OK.

Cameras
Create panel ➤

(Cameras)

Create menu ➤ Cameras
Cameras present a scene from a particular point of view. Camera objects
simulate still-image, motion picture, or video cameras in the real world.
With a Camera viewport on page 8742 you can adjust the camera as if you were
looking through its lens. Camera viewports can be useful for editing geometry
as well as setting up a scene for rendering. Multiple cameras can give different
views of the same scene.
The Camera Correction modifier on page 5968 lets you correct a camera view
to 2-point perspective, in which vertical lines remain vertical.
If you want to animate the point of view, you can create a camera and animate
its position. For example, you might want to fly over a landscape or walk
through a building. You can animate other camera parameters as well. For

Cameras | 5905

example, you can animate the camera's field of view to give the effect of
zooming in on a scene.
The Display panel's Hide By Category on page 138 rollout has a toggle that lets
you turn the display of camera objects on and off.
A convenient way to control the display of camera objects is to create them
on a separate layer on page 8534. You can hide them quickly by turning off the
layer.
TIP The Camera Match utility on page 5970 allows you to start with a background
photograph and create a camera object that has the same point of view. This is
useful for site-specific scenes.
There are two kinds of camera objects:
■

A Target camera on page 5917 views the area around a target object. When
you create a target camera, you see a two-part icon representing the camera
and its target (a white box). The camera and the camera target can be
animated independently, so target cameras are easier to use when the
camera does not move along a path.

■

A Free camera on page 5915 views the area in the direction the camera is
aimed. When you create a free camera, you see a single icon representing
the camera and its field of view. The camera icon appears the same as a
target camera icon, but there is no separate target icon to animate. Free
cameras are easier to use when the camera's position is animated along a
path.

5906 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

An example of a camera in a scene.

Cameras | 5907

The result after rendering through the camera.

You can create cameras from the Create menu ➤ Cameras submenu, or by
clicking the Cameras button on the Create panel. You can also create a camera
by activating a Perspective viewport, and then choosing Views menu ➤
Create Camera From View.
After you have created a camera, you can change viewports to display the
camera's point of view. While a camera viewport is active, the navigation
buttons change to camera navigation buttons on page 8742. You use the Modify
panel in conjunction with a camera viewport to change the camera's settings.
While you use the navigation controls for a camera viewport, you can constrain
Truck, Pan, and Orbit movement to be vertical or horizontal only with the
Shift key.
You can move a selected camera so its view matches that of a Perspective,
Spotlight, or another Camera view.

Choosing a Camera for Vertical Views
If you need an animated camera to look vertically upward or downward, use
a free camera. If you use a target camera you might run into a problem of
unexpected movement. 3ds Max constrains a target camera's up-vector (its

5908 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

local positive Y axis) to be as close as possible to the world positive Z axis.
This is no problem when you are working with a static camera. However, if
you animate the camera and put it in a nearly vertical position, either up or
down, 3ds Max flips the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from becoming
undefined. This creates sudden changes of view.

Camera Object Icons
Camera objects are visible in viewports unless you choose not to display them.
However, the geometry that appears in the viewport is only an icon meant to
show you where the camera is located and how it is oriented.
Target cameras on page 5917 create a double icon, representing the camera (a
blue box intersecting a blue triangle) and the camera target (a blue box). Free
cameras on page 5915 create a single icon, representing the camera and its field
of view.

A free camera has no target. A target camera has a target sub-object.

You cannot shade camera objects. However, you can render their icons using
Animation menu ➤ Make Preview and turning on Cameras in the Display
In Preview group.
The display of camera object icons is not scaled when you change the scale
of the viewport. When you zoom in on a camera, for example, the icon size
does not change. To change the size of camera object icons, you can use the
Viewports panel on page 8896 of the Preferences dialog, and change the value
of Non-Scaling Object Size.

Cameras | 5909

Scale transforms have the following effects on a camera object:
■

Uniform Scale has no effect on a target camera, but does change the free
camera's Target Distance setting.

■

Non-Uniform Scale and Squash change the size and shape of the free
camera's FOV cone. You see the effect in the viewport, but the camera's
parameters do not update. Non-Uniform Scale and Squash will change the
size and shape of a target camera’s icon, but have no visible effect in the
viewport.

mental ray Camera Shaders
When you use the mental ray renderer on page 7129, you can apply shaders to
the camera used to render the scene. Specifically, you can assign shaders to
modify the camera's lens, its output, or its volume (effectively making a volume
out of the entire scene).

A dimly lit scene

5910 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The scene's colors desaturated using the Night shader
Lens shader: lume Night shader with Multiplier set to 0.5

You assign camera shaders using the Render Setup dialog ➤ Camera Effects
rollout on page 7201 while the mental ray renderer is active.
NOTE No camera output shaders are provided with 3ds Max. You might have
access to light map shaders if you have obtained them from other shader libraries
or custom shader code.
See also:
■

Common Camera Parameters on page 5931

■

Characteristics of Cameras on page 5919

■

Using Transforms to Aim a Camera on page 5942

■

Using Clipping Planes to Exclude Geometry on page 5943

■

Using the Horizon to Match Perspective on page 5944

■

Animating Cameras on page 5946

Cameras | 5911

Procedures
To render a scene using a camera:
1 Create the camera and aim it at the geometry you want to be the subject
of your scene. To aim a target camera, drag the target in the direction
you want the camera to look. To aim a free camera, rotate and move the
camera icon.
2 With one camera selected, or if only one exists in the scene, set a Camera
viewport for that camera by activating the viewport, then press C. If
multiple cameras exist and none or more than one are selected, 3ds Max
prompts you to choose which camera to use.
You can also change to a Camera viewport by clicking or right-clicking
the Point-Of-View viewport label, and then from the POV viewport label
menu on page 8712 choosing Cameras ➤ the name of the camera of choice.
3 Adjust the camera's position, rotation, and parameters using the Camera
viewport’s navigation controls. Simply activate the viewport, then use
the Truck, Orbit, and Dolly Camera buttons. Alternately you can select
the camera components in another viewport and use the move or rotate
icons.
If you do this while the Auto Key button on page 8679 is on, you animate
the camera.
4 Render the camera viewport.
To change a viewport to a Camera view:
1 Click or right-click the POV viewport label.
3ds Max opens the Point-Of- View viewport label menu. on page 8712.
2 Choose Cameras.
The Cameras submenu shows the name of each spotlight or directional
light in the scene.
3 Choose the name of the camera you want.
The viewport now shows the camera's point of view.
The default keyboard shortcut for camera viewports is C.
Making a camera viewport active does not automatically select the camera.
To adjust a camera by using its viewport and the Modify panel at the
same time, select the camera and then make the Camera viewport active.

5912 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

As in other viewports, in Camera viewports you can opt to see a display of
safe frame areas to help you compose the final rendered output.
To control the display of camera objects, do one of the following:

■

Go to the
Display panel and in the Hide By Category rollout, turn
Cameras on or off.

■

Choose Tools menu ➤ Display Floater, and on the Object Level tab, turn
Cameras on or off.
When Hide ➤ Cameras is off, cameras appear in viewports; when Hide
➤ Cameras is on, they don't appear.
When camera icons are displayed, the Zoom Extents commands on page
8726 include them in views. When camera icons are not displayed, the Zoom
Extents commands ignore them.

To change the display size of camera icons:
■

Choose Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ Viewports, and set Non-Scaling
Object Size (default=1.0 in current units).
NOTE This also changes the size of light icons, helper objects, and other
non-scaling objects in the scene.

To use the Modify panel in conjunction with a Camera viewport:

1 In any viewport,

select the camera.

2 Right-click the Camera viewport to activate the viewport without
deselecting the camera.
The Camera viewport becomes active, but the camera is still selected in
the other viewports.

3 Adjust the camera using its Parameters rollout on the
panel, or the viewport navigation buttons.

Modify

The Camera viewport updates as the parameters are changed.

Cameras | 5913

To constrain Pan and Orbit to be vertical or horizontal:
■

Hold down Shift as you drag in the viewport.
The initial direction of the drag sets the constraint. If you drag vertically
at first, the pan or orbit is constrained to be vertical; if you drag horizontally
at first, the constraint is horizontal.

The Zoom Extents All flyout and the Min/Max toggles remain visible. These
controls aren't specific to camera views. Clicking Zoom Extents All affects
other kinds of viewports, but does not affect Camera viewports.
To see the safe frame:
■

Click or right-click the Point-Of-View viewport label. From the POV
viewport label menu on page 8712, choose Show Safe Frame.
The safe frames on page 9285 are displayed in three concentric boxes. The
outermost safe frame matches the render output resolution.
The safe frame on page 9285 matches the render output resolution.

Boxes in the viewport indicate safe frames.

5914 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To match a camera to a viewport:

1 (Optional)

Select a camera.

2 Activate a Perspective viewport.
3 If no camera was selected, 3ds Max creates a new target camera whose
field of view matches the viewport. If you first selected a camera, the
camera is moved to match the Perspective view. 3ds Max also changes
the viewport to a camera viewport for the camera object, and makes the
camera the currently selected object.

Free Camera
Create panel ➤

(Cameras) ➤ Free

Create menu ➤ Cameras ➤ Free Camera
Free cameras view the area in the direction where the camera is aimed. Unlike
target cameras, which have two independent icons for the target and the
camera, free cameras are represented by a single icon, making them easier to
animate. Free cameras can be used when the camera's position is animated
along a trajectory on page 9332, as in a walkthrough of a building or when the
camera is attached to a moving vehicle. The free camera can bank as it travels
along the path. If the camera needs to be directly overhead in a scene, use a
free camera to prevent it from spinning.

Free Camera | 5915

A free camera can move and be oriented without restrictions.

Initial Direction of a Free Camera
A free camera’s initial direction is along the negative Z axis of the active
construction grid of the viewport you click.
In other words, if you click in an orthographic viewport, the initial camera
direction is directly away from you. Clicking the Top viewport aims the camera
downward, clicking the Front viewport aims the camera at the scene from the
front, and so on.
Clicking in a Perspective, User, Light, or Camera viewport aims the free camera
downward, along the negative Z axis of the World Coordinate System.
Because the camera is created on the active construction plane, where you
also create geometry, you might have to move the camera before you can see
objects in its Camera viewport. Check the camera’s position from several
viewports to correct.

5916 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Procedures
To create a free camera:
1 Do one of the following:
■

Choose Create menu ➤ Cameras ➤ Free Camera.

■

On the
Create panel, click
Object Type rollout, turn on Free.

(Cameras), then on the

2 Click the viewport location where you want the camera to be.
The kind of viewport you click determines the free camera's initial
direction: the initial direction is along the negative Z axis of the active
construction grid of the viewport you click.
The camera is now part of the scene.
3 Set the creation parameters.

4

Rotate and

move the camera to adjust the point of

view.

Interface
See Common Camera Parameters on page 5931.

Target Camera
Create panel ➤

(Cameras) ➤ Target

Create menu ➤ Cameras ➤ Target Camera
A target camera “views” the area around the target icon that you place when
you create the camera. A target camera is easier to aim than a free camera
because you simply position the target object at the center of interest.
You can animate both the target camera and its target to create interesting
effects. To animate both the target and camera along a path, it is best to link
them both to a dummy object, then animate the dummy.

Target Camera | 5917

NOTE When you add a target camera, 3ds Max automatically assigns a Look At
controller on page 3533 to it, with the camera's target object assigned as the Look
At target. You can use the controller settings on the Motion panel to assign any
other object in the scene as the Look At target.

Target cameras always face their target.

Procedures
To create a target camera:
1 Do one of the following:

■

On the
Create panel, click
Object Type rollout, turn on Target.

(Cameras), then on the

■

Choose Create menu ➤ Cameras ➤ Target Camera.

2 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
camera, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the
target.

5918 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The camera is now part of the scene. It is aimed at the target, which is a
separate object.
3 Set the creation parameters.

Interface
See Common Camera Parameters on page 5931 for a description of the common
camera parameters.
The distance from the camera to the target is displayed at the bottom of the
Parameters rollout. You can animate this parameter, or directly animate the
target object's location.
When you rename a target camera, the target is automatically renamed to
match. For example, renaming Camera01 to Rolli causes Camera01.Target to
become Rolli.Target. The target's name must have the extension .Target.
Renaming the target object does not rename the camera object.
Clicking the line that connects the camera and its target selects both objects.
However, region selection doesn't recognize the link line.
If a target camera is already selected, you add its target to the selection by
right-clicking the camera, and then choosing Select Target from the quad
menu ➤ Tools1 quadrant. Or you can hold down the Ctrl key and click the
target to add it to the selection set.

Using Cameras
These topics provide a general introduction to using cameras in 3ds Max.

Characteristics of Cameras
Real-world cameras use lenses to focus the light reflected by a scene onto a
focal plane that has a light-sensitive surface.

Using Cameras | 5919

Real-world camera measurements.
A: Focal length
B: Field of view (FOV)

Focal Length
The distance between the lens and the light-sensitive surface, whether film
or video electronics, is called the focal length of the lens. Focal length affects
how much of the subject appears in the picture. Lower focal lengths include
more of the scene in the picture. Higher focal lengths include less of the scene
but show greater detail of more distant objects.
Focal length is always measured in millimeters. A 50mm lens is a common
standard for photography. A lens with a focal length less than 50mm is called
a short or wide-angle lens. A lens with a focal length longer than 50mm is called
a long or telephoto lens.

Field of View (FOV)
The field of view (FOV) controls how much of the scene is visible. The FOV
is measured in degrees of the horizon. It is directly related to the focal length
of the lens. For example, a 50mm lens shows 46 degrees of the horizon. The

5920 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

longer the lens, the narrower the FOV. The shorter the lens, the wider the
FOV.

Relationship Between FOV and Perspective
Short focal lengths (wide FOV) emphasize the distortions of perspective,
making objects seem in-depth, looming toward the viewer.
Long focal lengths (narrow FOV) reduce perspective distortion, making objects
appear flattened and parallel to the viewer.

Upper left: Long focal length, narrow FOV
Lower right: Short focal length, wide FOV

The perspective associated with 50 mm lenses appears normal, partly because
it is close to what the eye sees, and partly because such lenses are so widely
used for snapshots, news photos, cinema, and so on.

Differences Between Camera Objects and Real-World Cameras
Many other controls on real-world cameras (such as those for focusing a lens,
and advancing film) aren’t needed for computer rendering and have no
counterpart in the camera objects.

Using Cameras | 5921

3ds Max does have counterparts for the camera movements used in movie
making, such as truck, dolly, and pan. See Camera Viewport Controls on page
8742.

Procedures
To match a real-world camera frame proportion:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Render Setup.
The Render Setup dialog opens.
2 In the Output Size group, click the arrow to display the list of real world
output sizes.
3 Select the type you want (both film and video output sizes are available).
4 Right-click the Camera viewport label, and turn on Show Safe Frame.
The Safe Frame proportions will match those of the selected output size.

Exposure Control in Real-World Cameras
3ds Max uses concepts from the photographic world to help you design proper
lighting conditions. Shutter speed and aperture are particularly important
concepts to understand. They are used to control the amount of light in a
scene. They also control focus effects.
If you are not familiar with how camera shutter speed and aperture can affect
scene lighting and focus, read on. Otherwise, skip this section.

5922 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Aperture
In photography, the aperture controls the amount of light passing through a
camera lens. Most often, an iris diaphragm is used to control the opening.
The various settings are called f-stops. The smaller the f-stop, the larger the
opening. Standard f-stop values are f1.8, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11 and f16.

Figure A = f1.8
Figure B = f5.6

Using Cameras | 5923

Figure C = f11
Aperture can also be used to control depth of field. Depth of field is a technique
used to focus on a fixed point in a scene, called a focal plane. The area around
the focal plane remains in focus, while the rest of the image is blurred. More
blurring occurs when the aperture is wider (set to a smaller f-stop).
The next illustration shows the effect of depth of field in a scene. The focal
plane is set short, so that the chair is in focus, leaving the background blurred.

Shutter Speed Control
A camera shutter is set to various speeds, each of which determine the length
of time a film is exposed. Shutter mechanisms are commonly blinds-like
components that open progressively. Most often, they open up vertically,
althought they can also open up horizontally. Some devices, especially
motion-picture cameras, have rotating shutters.
If the blades move slowly, a bigger slit opens and more light comes in. This
is useful for dark environments or ones where there isn’t a lot of motion.
(Fast-moving objects, like a car racing by, blur when shutter speed is set too
low.)

5924 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

If the blades move fast, the slit is smaller and less light travels through the
lens. This is useful for fast-moving action or bright environments with sun,
snow, and sand.

Using Cameras | 5925

Aperture and Shutter Speed
The following graphic illustrates the amount of light going through a lens set
to an aperture opening of f11. In Figure A, shutter speed is fast and only a
small amount of light travels through. In Figure B, shutter speed is slow and
more light travels through.

5926 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Usually, you need to adjust both the shutter speed and aperture value to ensure
that an optimum amount of light enters the camera.
In an exterior setting on a sunny day, for example, you would combine a
faster shutter speed with a small aperture to compensate for the bright
environment.

If the day is cloudy, however, you might want to reduce the speed so that
more light travels through the lens. Otherwise, your shot will be underexposed
and appear too dark.

If your environment includes fast-moving objects, you may choose to use a
faster shutter speed to prevent blurring. To compensate for the faster shutter
speed, you would also need to open the aperture to let in more light.

Using Cameras | 5927

The challenge is to strike an effective balance between shutter speed and
aperture. A setting that works well in one situation might not necessarily work
well in another.

Summary
As you develop your scenes in 3ds Max, you will need to experiment with
various aperture and shutter-speed settings to obtain the right lighting
conditiond.
3ds Max provides you with a variety of exposure presets formulated to suit
specific environmental conditions. You can then fine-tune your exposure by
manually adjusting shutter speed and f-stops as needed.

5928 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

The next three illustrations show the effects different exposure settings can
have on an identical scene.

Properly exposed scene: shutter speeed 1/500s at f8.

Using Cameras | 5929

Underexposed scene: shutter speeed 1/1000s at f16.

5930 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Overexposed scene: shutter speeed 1/100s at f5.6.

Common Camera Parameters
Create panel ➤ Cameras ➤ Target button or Free button ➤
Parameters rollout
Most of the camera controls are common to both kinds of cameras. This topic
describes those controls.

Procedures
To view a wider area, do either of the following:
1 Use the FOV spinner to increase the camera's field of view.
2 Click a button with a shorter focal length. Use the Lens spinner to give
the focal length a value other than the preset "stock" values on the
buttons.

Using Cameras | 5931

To view a narrower area, do either of the following:
1 Change the FOV parameter to decrease the camera's field of view.
2 Click a button with a longer focal length. Use the Lens parameter to give
the focal length a value other than the preset "stock" values on the
buttons.
In a camera viewport, the FOV button lets you adjust the field of view
interactively.
The camera viewport Perspective button also changes the FOV in
conjunction with dollying the camera.
NOTE Only the FOV value is saved with the camera. The focal length value
is merely an alternative way to express and select the FOV.

To set the camera lens size:
1 In the Stock Lenses group, click a button to choose a stock focal length.
2 Set the Lens spinner to a custom focal length.
TIP If you want to maintain the same lens, avoid using the FOV or Perspective
controls among the navigation icon buttons, and don't change the FOV
spinner.
IMPORTANT When a camera viewport is active, changing the Output Size
or (custom) Aperture Width in the Render Setup dialog on page 6956 will
change the camera's Lens setting.

To match a camera to a film or video format:

1 On the
Render Setup dialog, in the Output Size group Output
Size group on page 7023, choose the type of output you want. Use either
of the following methods.
■

Choose a preset, such as HDTV (video), from the drop-down list. The
Aperture Width is locked to the preset's values.

■

Choose Custom, and then set the desired Aperture Width value. (You
can adjust the other output values at any later time. They have no

5932 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

affect on the camera lens settings, although they do affect the cropping
of the scene.)
2 After setting Aperture Width, set the Lens value for the camera to the
type of camera lens you want to emulate (for example, 50mm).
To maintain the same lens, avoid using the FOV or Perspective controls
among the navigation icon buttons.
To find a lens's focal length:
■

To find the focal length of a lens based on changes in aperture width, open
the Render Setup dialog on page 6956, choose Custom from the Output Size
drop-down list, and specify a value in the Aperture Width spinner. The
new value of the camera's Lens parameter is based on the new Aperture
Width value.

To display a camera's cone:
■

Turn on Show Cone.
The camera's field-of-view cone appears outlined in light blue.
NOTE A camera's cone is always visible while the camera object is selected,
regardless of the Show Cone setting.

To display a camera's horizon line:
■

Turn on Show Horizon.

Using Cameras | 5933

A dark gray line appears at the level of the horizon in the camera's viewport.

The horizon line shown in the viewport.
The horizon line might not be visible if the horizon is beyond the camera's field of
view, or if the camera is tilted very high or low.

To change the environment range:
■

Adjust the value of Near Range or Far Range.
By default, the Near Range=0.0 and the Far Range equals the Far clipping
plane value.
Environment ranges determine the near and far range limits for
atmospheric effects you set in the Environment dialog.

To see the environment ranges in viewports:
■

Turn on Show.
The environment range displays as two planes. The plane closest to the
camera is the near range and the one farthest from the camera is the far
range.

5934 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To set clipping planes:
1 Turn on Clip Manually.
When Clip Manually is off, the camera ignores the location of the Near
and Far clipping planes, and their controls are unavailable. The camera
renders all geometry within its field of view.
2 Set the Near Clip value to position the near clipping plane.
Objects closer to the camera than the Near distance are not visible to the
camera and aren't rendered.
3 Set the Far Clip value to position the far clipping plane.
Objects farther from the camera than the Far distance are not visible to
the camera and aren't rendered.
You can set the Near clipping plane close to the camera so that it doesn't
exclude any geometry, and still use the Far plane to exclude objects.
Similarly, you can set the Far clipping plane far enough from the camera
that it doesn't exclude any geometry, and still use the Near plane to
exclude objects.
The Near value is constrained to be less than the Far value.
If the clipping plane intersects an object, it cuts through that object,
creating a cutaway view.

Using Cameras | 5935

The effect of clipping planes

To apply a multi-pass rendering effect to a scene:
1 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn on Enable and choose either Depth
Of Field or Motion Blur.
2 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn on Enable.
Depth Of Field is the only multi-pass effect that is provided with 3ds Max
by default.
3 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn on Enable and choose Depth Of Field.
4 Use the Depth Of Field Parameters rollout on page 5951 or the Motion Blur
Parameters rollout on page 5955 to set the values for the effect you chose.
5 Activate a camera viewport.
6 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, click Preview to preview the effect in the
camera viewport.
The Preview button has no effect if a camera viewport isn't active.
7 Render the scene or animation.

5936 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

Lens Sets the camera's focal length in millimeters. Use the Lens spinner to
give the focal length a value other than the preset "stock" values on the buttons
in the Stock Lenses group box.

Using Cameras | 5937

Changing the Aperture Width value on the Render Setup dialog also changes
the value in the Lens spinner field. This doesn't change the view through the
camera, but it does change the relationship between the Lens value and the
FOV value, as well as the aspect ratio of the camera's cone.
FOV Direction flyout Lets you choose how to apply the field of view (FOV)
value:
■

■
■

Horizontal(The default.) Applies the FOV horizontally. This is the
standard way to set and measure the FOV.
VerticalApplies the FOV vertically.
DiagonalApplies the FOV diagonally, from one corner of the viewport
to the other.

FOV Determines how wide an area the camera views (field of view on page
9153). When FOV Direction is horizontal (the default), the FOV parameter
directly sets the arc of the camera's horizon on page 9185, measured in degrees.
You can also set the FOV Direction to measure FOV vertically or diagonally.
You can also adjust the field of view interactively in a camera viewport on
page 8742 by using the FOV button.
Orthographic Projection When on, the camera view looks just like a User
view. When off, the camera view is the standard perspective-like view. While
Orthographic Projection is in effect, the viewport navigation buttons behave
as they ordinarily do, except for Perspective. Perspective function still moves
the camera and changes the FOV, but the Orthographic Projection cancels
the two out, so you don't see any change until you turn off Orthographic
Projection.

Stock Lenses group
15mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm,
200mm These preset values set the camera's focal length in millimeters.
Type Changes the camera's type from a Target camera on page 5917 to a Free
camera on page 5915, and vice versa.
NOTE When you switch from a target camera to a free camera, any animation
applied to the camera's target is lost, because the target object goes away.

5938 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Show Cone Displays the cone (actually a pyramid) defined by a camera's field
of view. The cone appears in the other viewports but does not appear in a
camera viewport.
Show Horizon Displays the horizon line. A dark gray line appears at the level
of the horizon in the camera's viewport.

Environment Ranges group
Near Range and Far Range Determine the near and far range limits for the
atmospheric effects set on the Environment panel on page 7621. Objects between
the two limits fade between the Far % and Near % values.
Show Displays rectangles within the camera's cone to show the Near and Far
range settings.

Using Cameras | 5939

Top: Conceptual image of the Near and Far ranges.
Bottom: Result after rendering.

Clipping Planes group
Sets options to define clipping planes on page 9117. In viewports, clipping planes
are displayed as red rectangles (with diagonals) within the camera's cone.
Clip Manually Turn on to define clipping planes.
When Clip Manually is off, geometry closer to the camera than 3 units is not
displayed. To override this, use Clip Manually.
Near Clip and Far Clip Sets near and far planes. Objects closer than the near
clipping plane or farther than the far clipping plane are invisible to the camera.
The limit of the Far Clip value is 10 to the power of 32.
With manual clipping on, the near clipping plane can be as close to the camera
as 0.1 unit.
WARNING Extremely large Far Clip values can produce floating-point error, which
can cause Z-buffer problems in the viewport, such as objects appearing in front
of other objects when they shouldn't.

5940 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Conceptual image of Near and Far clipping planes.

Multi-Pass Effect group
These controls let you assign a depth-of-field or motion blur effect to the
camera. When generated by a camera, these effects generate blurring by
rendering the scene in multiple passes, with offsets. They increase rendering
time.
TIP The depth-of-field and motion blur effects are mutually exclusive. Because
they rely on multiple rendering passes, applying both to the same camera could
be prohibitively slow. If you want to use both depth-of-field and motion blurring
in the same scene, use multi-pass depth-of-field (using these camera parameters)
and combine it with object motion blur on page 9242.
Enable When on, previewing or rendering uses the effect. When off, the effect
is not rendered.
Preview Click to preview the effect in an active camera viewport. This button
has no effect if the active viewport is not a camera view.

Using Cameras | 5941

Effect drop-down list Lets you choose which multi-pass effect to generate,
Depth Of Field on page 5951 or Motion Blur on page 5955. These effects are
mutually exclusive. Default=Depth Of Field.
This list also lets you choose Depth of Field (mental ray) on page 5950, which
lets you use the mental ray renderer's depth of field effect.
NOTE The rollout for the chosen effect appears, by default, after the Parameters
rollout.
Render Effects Per Pass When on, applies rendering effects on page 7515, if
any are assigned, to each pass of the multi-pass effect (depth of field or motion
blur). When off, applies rendering effects only after the passes that generate
the multi-pass effect. Default=off.
Turning off Render Effects Per Pass can improve the render time for multi-pass
effects.
Target Distance With a free camera, sets a point to use as an invisible target
so that you can orbit a camera around that point. With a target camera,
indicates the distance between the camera and its target.

Using Transforms to Aim a Camera
You can use transforms to aim a camera and change its orientation in the
scene.

Move on page 851 adjusts the position of the camera object or the
position of a target camera’s target on page 5917.
Because the target is displayed as a small square, and because it is often in the
same area as objects that are the subject of the camera, it can be hard to select
by clicking. Select the camera object, right-click, then choose Select Target
from the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu. You can also choose
Cameras from the Selection Filters list on the toolbar, and then click the target.

Rotate on page 852 adjusts the orientation of the camera object. This
transform is most useful with free cameras on page 5915.
You can’t rotate a Target camera about its local X and Y axes, because it is
constrained to aim at its target. Use Move to move the camera or its target.
Also, if you rotate a Target camera to a nearly vertical position, either up or
down, 3ds Max must flip the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from

5942 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

becoming undefined. If you need a camera to look vertically upward or
downward, use a Free camera.
In a Camera viewport, you can also use the navigation buttons on page 8742 to
adjust the camera interactively. Some navigation buttons, such as Dolly and
Orbit actually move the camera or its target.

Using Clipping Planes to Exclude Geometry
Clipping planes let you exclude some of a scene’s geometry and view or render
only certain portions of the scene. Each camera object has a near and a far
clipping plane. Objects closer than the near clipping plane or farther than the
far clipping plane are invisible to the camera.
Clipping planes are useful for rendering selected portions of a scene that has
a lot of complex geometry. They can also help you create cutaway views.

Left: Clipping plane excludes the foreground chair and the front of the table.
Right: Clipping plane excludes the background chair and the rear of the table.

Clipping plane settings are part of the camera’s parameters on page 5931. The
location of each clipping plane is measured along the camera’s line of sight
(its local Z axis) in the current units for the scene.

Using Cameras | 5943

You can set the near clipping plane close to the camera so that it doesn’t
exclude any geometry, and still use the far plane to exclude objects. Similarly,
you can set the far clipping plane far enough from the camera that it doesn’t
exclude any geometry, and still use the near plane to exclude objects.
The near value is constrained to be less than the far value.
If the clipping plane intersects an object, it cuts through that object, creating
a cutaway view. (How much of the cutaway object is visible depends on
whether the object’s material is two-sided or not.)
You can also use clipping planes in non-camera viewports. Simply click or
right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label, and from the POV viewport
label menu on page 8712, choose Viewport Clipping on page 8707.
WARNING If you use the mental ray renderer on page 7129, geometry outside the
clipping planes might still appear in renderings.

Using the Horizon to Match Perspective
The horizon of a scene is the edge of vision at the height of the camera, parallel
with the world coordinate plane. You can view the horizon in camera
viewports.

5944 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Horizon line displayed in a camera viewport

A camera is level when it and its target are the same height from the world
coordinate plane. In other words, the camera’s local Z axis is parallel to the
world plane. When the camera is level, the horizon line is centered in the
viewport. As the camera tilts up, the horizon line lowers; as it tilts down, the
horizon line raises.
The horizon line control is in the camera’s Parameters rollout on page 5931.
The horizon line can help you match the perspective of your scene to the
perspective of a still image. In general, matching perspective involves the
following steps:
1 Display the horizon line. Use it to help you adjust the camera and target
so they are level.
2 Display the image in the camera viewport. Use Views ➤ Viewport
Background and choose Files in the Background Source group.
If the image's horizon and the camera horizon don't match, you have to
offset the image, perhaps by using a paint program.

Using Cameras | 5945

3 Use
(Orbit) on page 8750 to move the camera until the perspective
of the scene roughly matches that of the still image.

4 Adjust the camera's
perspective match.

perspective on page 8746 to fine-tune the

5 Use
(Move) on page 851 with the camera or target to position
the scene against the background.
If you raise or lower the camera, raise or lower the target by an equal
amount, in order to keep them level and maintain the horizon.
You can also use the Camera Match utility on page 5970 to match the
perspective of a camera to a photograph. You will need accurate scene
measurements to do so.

Animating Cameras
You animate a camera by using transforms or changing its creation parameters
in different keyframes while the Set Key or Auto Key button is on. 3ds Max
interpolates camera transforms and parameter values between keyframes, as
it does for object geometry.
See Auto Key Animation Mode on page 8679 and Track View on page 3827 for
further descriptions of animation. This topic summarizes some possibilities
and suggests some techniques.
In general, it’s best to use a free camera on page 5915 when the camera is to
move within the scene; use a target camera on page 5917 when camera position
is fixed.

Moving a Camera Along a Path
Having a camera follow a path is a common way to create architectural
walkthroughs, roller coaster rides, and so on.
■

If the camera must bank or tilt close to the vertical (as on a roller coaster),
use a free camera. Assign the Path constraint on page 3629 directly to the
camera object. The camera follows the path, and you can adjust its point

5946 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

of view by adding pans or rotate transforms. This is comparable to filming
with a hand-held camera.
■

For a target camera, link both the camera and its target to a dummy object
on page 2871, then assign the path constraint to the dummy object. This is
comparable to mounting the camera on a tripod on a dolly. It is easier to
manage than having, for example, separate paths for the camera and its
target.

Following a Moving Object
You can use a LookAt constraint on page 3619 to have the camera automatically
follow a moving object.
■

The LookAt constraint makes the object replace the camera’s target.
If the camera is a target camera, its previous target is ignored.
If the camera is a free camera, it effectively becomes a target camera. While
the LookAt constraint assignment is in effect, the free camera cannot rotate
around its local X and Y axes, and can’t be aimed vertically because of the
up-vector constraint.

■

An alternative is to link on page 3666 a target camera’s target to the object.

Panning
You can animate the pan of any camera very easily by following these steps:
1 Select the camera.
2 Activate the Camera viewport.

3 Turn on

(Auto Key), and advance the time slider to any frame.

4 Turn on
(Pan), in the viewport navigation tools, the drag the mouse
to pan the camera.

Orbiting
You can animate the orbiting of any camera very easily by following these
steps:
1 Select the camera.

Using Cameras | 5947

2 Activate the Camera viewport.

3 Turn on

(Auto Key), and advance the time slider to any frame.

4 Use
(Orbit), in the viewport navigation tools, then drag the mouse
to orbit the camera.
The target camera revolves around its target; the Free camera revolves
around its target distance.

Zooming
Zooming moves toward or away from the camera’s subject matter by changing
the focal length of the lens. It differs from dollying, which physically moves
the camera but leaves the focal length unchanged. You can zoom by animating
the value of the camera’s FOV parameter on page 5931.

Creating Animated Cutaway Views
You can animate the creation of a cutaway view by animating the location of
the near or far clipping planes on page 5943, or both.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects
Create panel ➤
(Cameras) ➤ Target or Free ➤ Parameters
rollout ➤ Multi-Pass Effect group
Cameras can create two kinds of rendering effects: depth of field and motion
blur.

5948 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Motion blur applied to wings of the flying dragon

Multi-pass rendering effects use multiple renderings of the same frame, with
slight camera movement between each rendering. The multiple passes simulate
the blurring that film in a camera would register under certain conditions.
Although it is not a multi-pass effect, the choices in the drop-down list also
let you specify the depth-of-field value for the mental ray renderer on page
7129. See Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer) on page 5950.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects | 5949

Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer)
Create panel ➤
(Cameras) ➤ Target button or Free button
➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Multi-Pass Effect group. ➤ Turn on Enable and
choose Depth Of Field (mental ray). ➤ Depth of Field Parameters rollout
On the Parameters rollout on page 5931, a “Depth Of Field (mental ray)” choice
supports the mental ray renderer's depth-of-field effects. To use this, turn on
Enable in the camera's Multi-Pass Effect group. Also turn on Depth Of Field
on the Camera Effects rollout of the Render Setup dialog on page 6956.
The mental ray depth-of-field is exclusive of the multi-pass version of the
depth-of-field effect. The mental ray renderer also supports motion blur for
cameras, but the controls are not on the camera's Parameters rollout: use the
Motion Blur toggle on the Object Properties dialog for camera objects. This
setting has no effect on the default 3ds Max scanline renderer.
NOTE When you use the mental ray renderer, reflected or refracted light rays do
not always respect a camera's clipping planes (set in the Clipping Planes group of
the Parameters rollout). Also, large clipping-plane values can cause poor quality
in the rendering of shadow maps. To fix this, narrow the clipping range or use
ray-traced shadows.

Interface

f-Stop Sets the camera's f-Stop. Increasing the f-Stop value narrows the depth
of field, and decreasing the f-Stop value broadens the depth of field.
Default=2.0.
The f-Stop can have a value less than 1.0. This is not realistic in terms of an
actual camera, but it can help you adjust the depth of field for scenes whose
scale does not use realistic units.

5950 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Multi-Pass Depth of Field Parameters for Cameras
Create panel ➤
(Cameras) ➤ Target button or Free button
➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Multi-Pass Effect group ➤ Choose Depth Of Field
effect. ➤ Depth of Field Parameters rollout
Cameras can generate depth-of-field effects. Depth of field is a multi-pass
effect on page 7126. You turn it on in the Parameters rollout on page 5931 for
cameras. Depth of field simulates a camera's depth of field by blurring areas
of the frame at a distance from the camera's focal point (that is, its target or
target distance).

Multi-pass depth of field
Top: Focus is in the middle distance, near and far objects are blurred.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects | 5951

Bottom left: Focus on near objects, far objects are blurred.
Bottom right: Focus on far objects, near objects are blurred.

You can preview depth of field in viewports.

Previewing multi-pass depth of field in a shaded and a wireframe viewport

IMPORTANT This effect is for the default scanline renderer. The mental ray
renderer on page 7129 has its own depth-of-field effect. See Depth of Field Parameter
(mental ray Renderer) on page 5950.
TIP To reduce the visible effect of multiple camera passes, try setting the
antialiasing filter to Blend, with a Width value in the range 4.0 to 5.0, and a Blend
value in the neighborhood of 0.1. (You choose the antialiasing filter and adjust its
settings in the Default Scanline Renderer rollout on page 7042.) Also, try reducing
the Dither Strength value, in the effect's Pass Blending group, to the neighborhood
of 0.2.
NOTE There is also a depth-of-field rendering effect on page 7617.
See also:
■

Multi-Pass Motion Blur Parameters for Cameras on page 5955

5952 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Interface

NOTE The multi-pass depth-of-field parameters are animatable.

Focal Depth group
Use Target Distance When on, uses the camera's target distance as the point
about which to offset the camera for each pass. When off, uses the Focal Depth
value to offset the camera. Default=on.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects | 5953

Focal Depth When Use Target Distance is off, sets the depth from which the
camera is offset. Can range from 0.0 to 100.0, where 0.0 is at the camera's
location and 100.0 is in the extreme distance (effectively, infinity).
Default=100.0.
Low values of the Focal Depth give wildly blurry results. High Focal Depth
values blur the distant portions of the scene. In general, using Focal Depth
instead of the camera's Target Distance tends to blur the entire scene.

Sampling group
Display Passes When on, the rendered frame window displays the multiple
rendering passes. When off, the frame window displays only the final result.
This control has no effect on previewing depth of field in camera viewports.
Default=on.
Use Original Location When on, the first rendering pass is in the camera's
original location. When off, the first rendering pass is offset like all subsequent
passes. Default=on.
Total Passes The number of passes used to generate the effect. Increasing this
value can increase the effect's accuracy, but at a cost of rendering time.
Default=12.
Sample Radius The radius by which the scene is shifted to generate blurriness.
Increasing this value increases the overall blurriness of the effect. Decreasing
it reduces the blurriness. Default=1.0.
Sample Bias Weights the blurring toward or away from the Sample Radius.
Increasing this value increases the magnitude of depth-of-field blurring, giving
a more even effect. Decreasing it decreases the magnitude, giving a more
random effect. Can range from 0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5.

Pass Blending group
The multiple depth-of-field passes are blended by dithering, which you can
control by the parameters in this group.
These controls apply only to renderings of the depth-of-field effect, not to
previews in viewports.
Normalize Weights Passes are blended with random weighting to avoid
artifacts such as streaking. When Normalize Weights is on, the weights are
normalized, giving a smoother result. When off, the effect is a bit sharper but
usually grainier. Default=on.

5954 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Dither Strength Controls how much dithering is applied to the rendered
passes. Increasing this value increases the amount of dithering, and can make
the effect grainier, especially at the edges of objects. Default=0.4.
Tile Size Sets the size of the pattern used in dithering. This value is a
percentage, where 0 is the smallest tile, and 100 is the largest. Default=32.

Scanline Renderer Params group
These controls let you disable antialiasing or antialias filtering when you
render the multi-pass scene. Disabling these rendering passes can improve
render time.
These controls apply only to renderings of the depth-of-field effect, not to
previews in viewports.
Disable Filtering When on, disables the filtering pass. Default=off.
Disable Antialiasing When on, disables antialiasing. Default=off.

Multi-Pass Motion Blur Parameters for Cameras
Create panel ➤
(Cameras) ➤ Target button or Free button
➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Multi-Pass Effect group ➤ Choose Motion Blur
effect. ➤ Motion Blur Parameters rollout
Cameras can generate motion blur effects. Motion blur is a multi-pass effect
on page 7126. You turn it on in the Parameters rollout on page 5931 for cameras.
Motion blur simulates the motion blur of a camera by offsetting rendering
passes based on movement in the scene.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects | 5955

Above: Motion blur applied to wings of the flying dragon
Below: Multiple passes appear in successive refreshes of the rendered frame window.

You can preview motion blur in viewports.

5956 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Previewing multi-pass motion blur in a wireframe and a shaded viewport

IMPORTANT This effect is for the default scanline renderer. The mental ray
renderer on page 7129 has its own depth-of-field effect. See Motion Blur with the
mental ray Renderer on page 7147.
TIP To reduce the visible effect of multiple camera passes, try setting the
antialiasing filter to Blend, with a Width value in the range 4.0 to 5.0, and a Blend
value in the neighborhood of 0.1. (You choose the antialiasing filter and adjust its
settings on the Default Scanline Renderer rollout on page 7042.) Also, try reducing
the Dither Strength value, in the effect's Pass Blending group, to the neighborhood
of 0.2.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects | 5957

Interface

NOTE The multi-pass motion blur parameters are animatable.

Sampling group
Display Passes When on, the rendered frame window displays the multiple
rendering passes. When off, the frame window displays only the final result.
This control has no effect on previewing motion blur in camera viewports.
Default=on.
Total Passes The number of passes used to generate the effect. Increasing this
value can increase the effect's accuracy, but at a cost of rendering time.
Default=12.
Duration (frames) The number of frames in the animation to which the
motion blur effect will be applied. Default=1.0.

5958 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Bias Changes the blurring so that it appears to derive more from frames before
or after the current frame. Range=0.01 to 0.99. Default=0.5.
By default, the blurring comes equally from frames before and after the current
frame; that is, a blurred object appears at the center of the blurred area. This
is the closest to what an actual camera would capture. Increasing the Bias
value moves the blurring behind the blurred object, in relation to its direction
of motion. Decreasing it moves the blurring in front of the blurred object.
Extreme values move most of the blurring very close to the blurred object,
which makes it difficult to see. For best results, use intermediate Bias values
in the range 0.25 to 0.75.

Pass Blending group
The multiple motion blur passes are blended by dithering, which you can
control by the parameters in this group.
These controls apply only to renderings of the motion blur effect, not to
previews in viewports.
Normalize Weights Passes are blended with random weighting to avoid
artifacts such as streaking. When Normalize Weights is on, the weights are
normalized, giving a smoother result. When off, the effect is a bit sharper but
usually grainier. Default=on.
Dither Strength Controls how much dithering is applied to the rendered
passes. Increasing this value increases the amount of dithering, and can make
the effect grainier, especially at the edges of objects. Default=0.4.
Tile Size Sets the size of the pattern used in dithering. This value is a
percentage, where 0 is the smallest tile, and 100 is the largest. Default=32.

Scanline Renderer Params group
These controls let you disable antialiasing or antialias filtering when you
render the multi-pass scene. Disabling these rendering passes can improve
render time.
These controls apply only to renderings of the motion blur effect, not to
previews in viewports.
Disable Filtering When on, disables the filtering pass. Default=off.
Disable Antialiasing When on, disables antialiasing. Default=off.

Multi-Pass Rendering Effects | 5959

Walkthrough Assistant
Animation menu ➤ Walkthrough Assistant
The Walkthrough Assistant lets you easily create a predefined walkthrough
animation of your scene by placing a camera on a path and setting the height,
turning the camera and viewing a preview. This feature is available from the
Animation Menu.

Procedures
To create a Walkthrough camera:
1 On the Animation menu, choose Walkthrough Assistant.
The Walkthrough Assistant floater is displayed.
2 On the Main Controls rollout, click the Create New Camera button.
3ds Max creates a free camera named Walkthrough_Cam01, and displays
the new camera in the viewports. The camera is also listed by name in
the Cameras list.

If the camera is not visible in a viewport, you might need to
out to see it.

zoom

Additional rollouts are also displayed in the floater.

NOTE You can use the
descriptive name.

Modify panel to give the camera a more

To set the camera path:
1 After 3ds Max creates the camera, create a path in the scene using a spline
shape or a NURBS curve.
NOTE Text and Section are not generally useful shapes for creating a camera
path.
TIP You will have smoother camera movement if you set the Creation Method
for the spline shape to Smooth or Bezier instead of Corner.

5960 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

2 In the Path Control group, click Pick Path, then click the path you created.

3 Click
(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to see the camera
move along the path.
4 Activate the Perspective viewport, then in the Cameras group, click the
Set Viewport to Camera button.
Now you can see what the camera sees.
You will probably need to adjust the camera height and tilt at this point.
To adjust the camera height and tilt:
1 In the Path Control group, turn on Move Path To Eye Level. 3ds Max sets
the path to the height specified for Eye Level.
2 Use the numerical height spinner to set the desired height. The path
moves in the viewports in real time.

You can use
(Select And Move) to place the path at the desired
height, if you find this more convenient than entering a value.
3 Activate the Top viewport. On the View Controls rollout, move the slider
in the Turn Head group to turn the camera toward an object in the scene
that you want the camera to view.
4 Use the numerical spinner for Head Tilt Angle to change the angle of the
camera.
TIP You can also use Select and Rotate to position the camera head.

5

Play the animation or scrub the time slider to see how the camera
presents the scene.

To adjust the camera controls:
1 In the Advanced Controls rollout, use the numerical spinner to change
the Field Of View.

Walkthrough Assistant | 5961

If you want less of the scene to be seen, decrease the Field Of View setting.
Conversely, increase the Field Of View if you want more of the scene to
appear.
2 Set the Target Distance to the range at which you want objects to be seen
clearly in focus.
To animate the camera tilting and turning:
1 Move the time slider to Frame 0.

2 Turn on

(Auto Key).

3 Slide the Turn Head control to turn the camera left, center, or right. If
desired, adjust the Head Tilt Angle control up or down.
4 Use the time slider to advance the camera to the next place where you
want to turn or tilt the camera differently.

5 When you've completed setting rotation keys for the camera,
the animation.

play

6 If you are not pleased with the results, click the Views Control rollout
➤ Remove All Head Animation button to quickly delete all the
head-movement keys. To quickly reset the camera head position, click
the Reset Eyes Level button.
NOTE The Walkthrough Assistant uses a Bezier controller for the camera
rotation. If you set too many keys or put keys too close together, you might
experience unexpected results such as “spinning” where the camera
completely rotates about its Z axis. To correct this, go to Track View and
adjust the rotation keys for the camera.

To render a preview:
■

On the Render Preview rollout, click the Render Preview button to see a
preview of what the camera sees.
NOTE The current renderer settings, such as mapping and shadows, will affect
the preview.

5962 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

To create a targeted camera:
1 On the Main Controls rollout, select Targeted.
2 Click the Create New Camera button. A camera and its target are placed
in the scene. The camera is named incrementally and added to the Camera
list.
The Targeted toggled is also turned on in the Cameras group.
NOTE You can also change an existing free camera into a target camera by
turning on Targeted.
3 Click the Pick Path button and select a spline.
4 In the Look-At-Camera rollout, click Object.
5 Click the Pick Target Object button, and select an object on which you
want the camera to focus.
The target is moved to the object. If you had selected a path, the target
would move to the path.
6 Click the Set Viewport to Camera button. The viewport label changes to
reflect the current camera name and displays what the Targeted camera
sees.

7 Click
animation.

(Play Animation) or scrub the time slider to view the

Walkthrough Assistant | 5963

Interface
Main Controls rollout

Camera Creation group
Create New Camera Automatically creates a free or targeted camera in the
scene. Cameras are named Walkthrough_Cam followed by a sequence number.
■

Free (The default.) When chosen, the new camera is a free camera.

■

Targeted When chosen, the new camera is a target camera.

5964 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Cameras group
Cameras list Lists cameras in the scene by name.
Targeted Controls whether a selected camera in the Camera list is targeted
or free. Turning on Targeted for a free camera will change it to targeted; turning
it off for a targeted camera will change it to a free camera. Default=off.
Set Viewport to Camera Changes the active viewport to a camera viewport.

Path Control group
Pick Path Click this button to select a path in the scene. After you select a
path, the button label changes to the object's name. Click the Clear Path
button to disassociate the camera from the selected path.
Move Path to Eye Level When turned on, moves the path to the height set
for Eye Level. When turned off, it moves the path to its original height when
created.
Eye Level Allows you to specify a precise height of the path that either raises
or lowers the camera view.

Render Preview rollout

Click to Render Preview Renders a preview. The preview appears in the small
window in the Walkthrough Assistant floater.

Walkthrough Assistant | 5965

View Controls rollout

This rollout only displays if a free camera is created or selected.
Turn Head group
Turn Head Slider Rotates the camera head as it moves along the path. This
allows you to create the illusion that you are turning your head as you walk
through the scene. Choices are Left, Center, Right. To animate the head
turning, use the Auto Key button. This creates Z Rotation keys that can be
adjusted in Track View.
Head Tilt Angle Rotates the camera as it moves along the path. This creates
the illusion that you are tilting your head up or down as you walk through
the scene. To animate, use the Auto Key button. This creates X Rotation keys
that can be adjusted in Track View.
NOTE The Turn Head and Head Tilt Angle controls use a Bezier controller for
rotation of the walkthrough camera. If you create too many keys, or place them
too closely together you can experience unexpected results. For best results, start
at the beginning and add keys as you move to the end, creating as few keys as
possible.
Reset Eyes Level Constrains the head tilt to be level with the path.
Remove All Head Animation Deletes all key frames created when the Auto
Key was enabled.

5966 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Look-At-Camera rollout

This rollout only displays if a targeted camera is created or selected.
Look-At-Camera group
Path When selected, allows you to select a path the camera's target will use.
Object When selected, allows you to select an object the camera's target will
use.
Pick Target Path Press this button to select a path or object in the scene. Click
the Clear Path button to disassociate the camera's target from the selected
path or object.

Advanced Controls rollout

Camera Controls group
Field of View Adjusts the amount of the scene visible in the viewport and
the perspective flare. Extreme values will create distortion in the viewport.
Target Distance Sets the distance the target is from the camera. This controls
the size of the camera icon in the viewport. In a free camera, the point the
camera orbits around is controlled by the target distance.
Path Controls group

Walkthrough Assistant | 5967

Constant Speed Turn this on to maintain a constant speed along a path.
When off, the velocity of the object along the path varies depending on the
distance between the vertices on the path.
Follow Path When this is turned on, the camera stays perpendicular to the
path. When this is turned off, the camera does not turn as it follows along
the path.

Camera Correction Modifier
Select a camera. ➤ Right-click. ➤ Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad
menu ➤ Apply Camera Correction Modifier
Select a camera. ➤ Modifiers Menu ➤ Cameras ➤ Camera Correction
The Camera Correction modifier applies two-point perspective to a camera
view. By default, camera views use three-point perspective, in which vertical
lines appear to converge with height. In two-point perspective, vertical lines
remain vertical.
The amount of correction you need to use depends on how steeply the camera
tilts. For example, a camera that looks up from ground level to the top of a
high building will need more correction than a camera that looks toward the
horizon.
NOTE This modifier doesn’t appear on the Modify panel’s Modifier List.

5968 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Normal camera view (left) and corrected camera view (right)

Procedures
To apply two-point perspective to a camera:

1

Select a camera.
TIP For best results, set a viewport to this camera’s view. The change in
perspective appears both in the viewport and when you render this view.

2 Apply the Camera Correction modifier.
3 On the 2-Point Perspective Correction rollout, click Guess.
The Camera Correction modifier creates a first-guess Amount value for
the two-point perspective.
4 Adjust the Amount and Direction to get the effect you want.
In the viewports, the camera’s field-of-view “cone” distorts or moves to
show the perspective adjustments.

Camera Correction Modifier | 5969

5

Render the view.

Interface

Amount Sets the amount of correction for two-point perspective. Default=0.0.
Direction Biases the correction. Default=90.0.
Setting Direction greater than 90.0 biases the correction to the left. Setting it
less than 90.0 biases it to the right.
Guess Click to have the Camera Correction modifier set a first-guess Amount
value.

Camera Match Utility
Tools menu ➤ Camera Match

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Camera Match button
The Camera Match utility uses a bitmap background photo and five or more
special "CamPoint" objects to create or modify a camera so that its position,
orientation, and field-of-view matches that of the camera that originally
created the photo.

5970 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Procedures
The general process to follow in using Camera Match is described in the
following procedures.
To use camera matching:
1 Load a bitmap as a background for the renderer.
2 Load a bitmap as a background for the viewport.
3 Identify on the bitmap at least five features that will be used for the
match. These should be objects or corners of objects in the scene that
can be identified and tracked. They should remain visually throughout
the scene, and should not change their shape too much or they won’t
work.
4 Create CameraPoints, which are helper objects found in these locations:

Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Camera Match ➤ Object
Type rollout ➤ CamPoint, and Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Camera
Point.
You must have accurate measurements of distances between at least five
features in your scene, which can’t be all on a single plane. Try to use
points that are distributed throughout the scene rather than features that
are all clustered in the front or back. This will give the most accurate
results.
5 Position these CameraPoints to correspond to points in your photo. You
can use the Transform Type-In on page 835 to position the points in the
correct locations in 3D space.
6 Use the Camera Match utility to assign the CameraPoints to pixel
locations on the bitmap.
7 Choose Create Camera and a camera is created to match the one that
took the picture.
If there are errors and the camera cannot be created, readjust the point
positions in 3D space, and reassign them to the bitmap. It’s easy to make
a mistake doing either, but once you get it right the match should work.
To establish the bitmap background for the renderer:
1 Reset 3ds Max, and enlarge the Perspective viewport to full screen.

Camera Match Utility | 5971

2 From the Rendering menu. choose Environment.
3 In the Common Parameters rollout, under Environment Map, click the
gray box marked None. This launches the Material/Map Browser.
4 Be sure to set Browse From to New; if it isn’t set already, then choose
Bitmap from the list and click OK. The Select Bitmap Image File dialog
appears.
5 Navigate and select the appropriate bitmap and then choose Open.
Use Map is turned on automatically.
6 Render the viewport to verify that the background appears in the
rendering. Press Shift+Q to render.
To establish the bitmap background to display in the viewport:
1 Choose Views menu ➤ Viewport Background on page 108.
This opens the Viewport Background dialog
2 In the Background Source group, click Files. This launches the Select
Background Image dialog.
3 Navigate and select the appropriate bitmap and then choose Open.
4 Set Aspect Ratio to Match Bitmap.
5 Make sure Display Background is turned on, and then choose OK.
The background appears in the viewport.
NOTE You can click the Use Environment Background button, but then you
don’t have the Aspect Ratio controls.

To create CamPoint objects:
1 Do one of the following:

■

On the
Create panel, turn on
(Helpers), choose
Camera Match from the drop-down list, then on the Object Type
rollout, turn on CamPoint.

■

Choose Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ CamPoint.

5972 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

2 Create your CamPoint objects anywhere in the scene, and reselect each
of them to enter their absolute coordinates using the Transform Type-In.
3 Open the Keyboard Entry rollout.
4 Enter the coordinates of the first CamPoint object (0,0,0), click the Create
button, and then enter the name in the name field.
TIP To use the keyboard, first click in the X field, enter its value, and then
press Tab to move to the next field and enter its value. Continue this until
you tab to the Create button, and then press Enter to create the CamPoint,
followed by Tab to move back to the X field, where you can start again. You
can create all the CamPoint objects with default names, and then use the
Select By Name floater (Tools ➤ Selection Floater) to select and rename the
six pointers.
5 Repeat the above steps for the remaining CamPoint objects.
NOTE An alternative method is to create the CamPoint objects anywhere in
the scene, and then reselect each of them and enter their absolute coordinates
using the Transform Type-In.

You now have the CamPoint objects occupying real-world coordinate positions
that correspond to the structure in the bitmap image. The last sequence of
steps involves using the Camera Match utility to specify the screen coordinate
points, one for each CamPoint object, and generating a camera position based
on the data.
To use the Camera Match utility:

1 On the

Utilities panel, click the Camera Match button.

The Camera Match utility appears, listing the CamPoint objects.
2 Select the first CamPoint object and click the Assign Position button.
3 Place the cursor over the corresponding feature in the bitmap and click.
A small, red cross appears.
4 If the dot is not in the right position, you can either click again with the
mouse or adjust the Input Screen Coordinates to tweak its position.
5 Select the second object in the list, and repeat steps 3 and 4.

Camera Match Utility | 5973

6 Repeat for all the points. By setting the red crosses, you’ve indicated the
X and Y pixel position on the bitmap and correlated it with each
CamPoint as it exists in 3D space.
7 Once you have all of the points set, click the Create Camera button.
A camera is created in the scene based on the location of the CamPoint
objects and the specifications of the screen coordinates points.
NOTE If the Current Camera Error reading is greater than five, at least one
of your screen coordinate points is placed wrong. Check each of them, and
review the description following step 5. After reassigning the points, select
the existing camera and click the Modify Camera button to recalculate the
camera position.
8 Press C to switch the Perspective view to that of the new camera.

Interface
CamPoint Info rollout

List window Displays a list of the CamPoint helper objects in the scene. You
select the CamPoint objects from this list to assign screen coordinate points.
Note that if you select a CamPoint object in the viewport, it‘s highlighted in
this list as well.

5974 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Input Screen Coordinates
X/Y Fine-tunes the position of the screen coordinate points in 2D space.
Use This Point Turns off a specific coordinate point without deleting it. Select
the corresponding CamPoint in the list, and then turn off Use This Point. This
feature is typically used for troubleshooting when the Current Camera Error
is too high (greater than five, for example).
Assign Position Click a location on the viewport bitmap to place a screen
coordinate point visually against the background image. The point you place
corresponds to the currently selected CamPoint object. After activating the
Assign Position button, select a CamPoint object from the list, and then click
in the viewport at a position on the bitmap background that corresponds with
where the associate CamPoint object should be in the 3D scene. After repeating
this process with each CamPoint object in the list, you can click the Create
Camera button to create a camera that matches the placed coordinates with
their associate CamPoint objects.

Camera Match rollout

Create Camera Creates a camera in the scene whose position, orientation,
and field of view is based on the current location of the CamPoint helpers
and the assigned screen coordinate points.
Modify Camera Modifies the position, orientation and FOV of an existing,
selected camera based on the CamPoint helpers and assigned screen coordinate
points.

Camera Match Utility | 5975

Iterations Maximum number of iterations used to calculate the camera
position. Default is 500, though a stable solution is usually found in less than
100 iterations.
Freeze FOV Prevents the FOV (field of view) of the camera from being changed
when using the Create Camera or Modify Camera buttons. Use if the FOV of
the camera that took the photograph is known and you want to preserve it.
Current Camera Error Displays the total error that remains between the
placed screen coordinate points, the CamPoint helpers, and the camera position
after the final computation. The calculations involved in the camera match
are seldom perfect. A good error range is about 0 to 1.5.
Close Exits the Camera Match utility.

CamPoint Helper
Create panel ➤

(Helpers) ➤ Camera Match ➤ CamPoint

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Camera Point
CamPoint helper objects are used by the Camera Match utility on page 5970 to
reproduce in a camera the same settings (position, roll, and FOV) that were
used by a real-world camera to shoot a background image. This allows you to
view your scene from the same perspective as the background image, which
is a key step to mixing computer-generated and photographically-generated
images in a single composited shot.
Place CamPoint objects in the scene at locations that will be visible in the
background photograph. By comparing the X/Y/Z position of several camera
point objects to their analogous positions in a background image, the Camera
Match utility is able to determine the real-world camera’s settings, and use
these settings to either create a new camera or move/reset an existing camera
to match them.
Clicking CamPoint displays the Keyboard Entry and Camera Match Point
rollouts, which you use to create and name the camera points.

5976 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Procedures
To create a camera match point:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Helpers).

2 Choose Camera Match from the drop-down list, then on the Object Type
rollout, turn on CamPoint.
You are now ready to create a camera point.
3 Click in the viewport to create a CamPoint helper object. Alternatively,
you can use the keyboard to create a CamPoint object by expanding the
Keyboard Entry rollout, entering values in the fields, and then clicking
Create.
To position camera match points in your scene, do one of the following:
1 Create your camera match points using keyboard entry. Use this if you
have accurate actual measurements of the locations of the points.
2 Build geometry that matches your scene geometry, and then snap the
points to the geometry using snaps. Use this technique when you don’t
have measurements and can approximate the geometry.
3 Create your camera match points interactively, and then use Transform
Type-In to move them to the correct locations.

Camera Match Utility | 5977

Interface

Name and Color rollout
Lets you name the CamPoint object before you create it. If you want to name
it after you create it, change its name in the Modify panel.

Keyboard Entry rollout
X, Y, Z Let you enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates where a CamPoint object
will be inserted. Field values reflect the current Unit setup.

5978 | Chapter 16 Lights and Cameras

Create Inserts the CamPoint object into the scene.

Camera Match Point rollout
Show Axis Tripod Controls whether an axis tripod is displayed with the
Camera point object. Default=on.
Axis Length Controls the length of the axis tripod. When Show Axis Tripod
is on you can watch the tripod change length in the viewport while you adjust
the spinner arrows. When Show Axis Tripod is off, you can still make
adjustments the Axis Length value, but the axis tripod won't be displayed.

Camera Match Utility | 5979

5980

Material Editor, Materials,
and Maps

17

Materials describe how an object reflects or transmits light. Within a material, maps can
simulate textures, applied designs, reflections, refractions, and other effects. (Maps can also
serve as environments and projections from lights.) The Material Editor is the dialog you use
to create, alter, and apply the materials in your scene.

Image by Michael McCarthy

5981

Designing Materials
3ds Max gives you a wide variety of options for designing materials. If you’re
new to designing and using materials, read these topics for a general idea
about working with materials, and what the most important options are.

Materials make objects look more convincing.

For more details, follow the links in the workflow outline.

Workflow Outline
In general, when you create a new material and apply it to an object, you
follow these steps:
1 Choose the renderer you plan to use, and make it the active renderer: see
Assign Renderer Rollout on page 7034.
It is a good idea to design materials with a particular renderer in mind.
The mental ray renderer on page 7129 is the best choice when you need to
model physically accurate lighting. The default scanline renderer on page
7041 does not demand precise lighting, and it supports some effects that
the mental ray renderer does not.

5982 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE The mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215 lets you add features
unique to the mental ray renderer to basic 3ds Max materials.
2 Choose the material type on page 5987.
For mental ray rendering, we recommend that you use materials from
the Autodesk Materials grouop on page 6224. These are commonly used
materials (ceramic, concrete, hardwood, and so on) that have accurate
real-world properties. Autodesk Materials are based on the Arch & Design
material on page 6269. Arch & Design is a general-purpose material that
also has real-world properties, and a large number of options. When you
grow familiar with mental ray rendering, you might choose to use the
Arch & Design material itself, or some of the special-purpose on page 6342
mental ray materials that are also available.
For scanline rendering, the most general-purpose material types are
Standard and Raytrace. For both of these material types, you must also
choose a shading type on page 6380.
3 When you have decided on a material type, open the Slate Material Editor
on page 6083.

Slate Material Editor window

Designing Materials | 5983

Left: Material/Map Browser panel
Middle: The active View (you can set up more than one View)
Lower right: Parameter Editor panel

4 Drag a material of the type you want from the Material/Map Browser
panel on page 6167 to the active View on page 6137.
3ds Max displays the material as a node in the active View.

Example of a material node

5 Double-click the material node to display its parameters in the Parameter
Editor panel.
6 Use the Parameter Editor on page 6135 to enter settings for the various
material components on page 5988: diffuse color, glossiness, opacity, and
so on.

5984 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material parameters in the Parameter Editor
(Double-click a node to display the node’s parameters)

NOTE Lights and Shading on page 5988 describes how lights affect the
appearance of a material. Choosing Colors for Realism on page 6385 gives
guidelines on getting good results from non-physical materials such as the
Standard material.
7 Assign maps on page 5990 to the components you want to map, and adjust
the map parameters.

Designing Materials | 5985

You assign a map to a material by “wiring” the map and material nodes together.

See Using Maps to Enhance a Material on page 5990 for an introduction to
mapping, and Wiring Nodes on page 6097 for detailed information about
wiring nodes in the active View.

8 On the Slate Material Editor toolbar, click
(Assign Material To
Selection) to apply on page 5989 the material to the object.
9 If necessary, adjust the UV mapping coordinates on page 6005 in order to
orient maps with objects correctly.
10 Save on page 6015 the material.

5986 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Choosing a Material Type
Every material has a type. In general, you choose a material type based on
what you are trying to model, and how accurate (in terms of real-world,
physical lighting) you want your model to be.
3ds Max provides two renderers: the default scanline renderer on page 7042 and
the mental ray renderer on page 7129, each with distinctive capabilities.

NOTE
There is also the Quicksilver Hardware renderer on page 7258. This
renderer is most useful for making quick previews. For the purposes of material
design, it is comparable to the mental ray renderer.
It is a good idea to design materials with a particular renderer in mind. The
main choice is whether you want your rendering to be physically accurate.
■

If physical accuracy is not a concern, you can use the scanline renderer
and the Standard material on page 6380 along with other non-photometric
materials. These give you a wide variety of physical effects.

■

You can also use the scanline renderer to create accurate lighting by using
radiosity on page 7068. In this case, we recommend you use the Architectural
material on page 6570.
An alternative when you use radiosity is to set up the scene with standard
materials, but then apply physical characteristics to them with the
Advanced Lighting Override material. on page 6588.

■

The mental ray renderer assumes that lighting is physically accurate. It
can also generate some effects the scanline renderer cannot. The mental
ray renderer provides the best results when you model a scene with accurate
units, photometric lights on page 5707, and mental ray materials on page
6224.
TIP For mental ray rendering, we recommend that you use materials from the
Autodesk Materials grouop on page 6224. These are commonly used materials
(ceramic, concrete, hardwood, and so on) that have accurate real-world
properties. Autodesk Materials are based on the Arch & Design material on
page 6269. Arch & Design is a general-purpose material that also has real-world
properties, and a large number of options. When you grow familiar with mental
ray rendering, you might choose to use the Arch & Design material itself, or
some of the special-purpose on page 6342 mental ray materials that are also
available.

Choosing a Material Type | 5987

Material Components
A material's components describe its visual and optical properties. The
components in the Architectural material on page 6570 are based on physical
qualities; for example, diffuse color, shininess, transparency, and so on. The
components in a Standard material on page 6382 include color components,
highlight controls, self-illumination, and opacity. Like the Standard material,
the Raytrace material on page 6486 uses a nonphysical model to describe surfaces.
(Standard and Raytrace material components also vary depending on which
shader on page 6380 you use.)
Material components correspond to “slots” in the Slate Material Editor’s display
of material nodes.

The mappable Base Hardwood component (on the left) appears as a Base Hardwood
slot in the material node (on the right).

Like the Architectural material, the components of mental ray materials on
page 6224 always model physical properties.
You can assign maps to many components, including color components such
as Diffuse, and value components such as Transparency or Opacity. Maps can
increase the complexity and realism of the material's appearance.

Lights and Shading
Materials work in combination with lights on page 5672. The intensity of light
that falls on a surface determines the intensity of color to display.
Three factors contribute to the intensity of light where it falls on an object:
■

Light intensity: A light's original intensity at its point of origin.

■

Angle of incidence: The more a surface inclines away from the light source,
the less light it receives and the darker it appears. The angle between a ray

5988 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

of light and the face normal on page 9237 of a surface is the angle of incidence
for that face.
When the angle of incidence is 0 degrees (that is, the light strikes the face
perpendicularly), the face is illuminated at full intensity unless the light
is attenuated. Full intensity is the light's Multiplier value times the value
of the face's surface color. The Multiplier value is 1.0 by default; the surface
value is the Value component of the surface color's HSV description on
page 9280. As the angle of incidence increases, the intensity of the face
illumination decreases.

Angle of incidence affects intensity.

■

Distance: Light diminishes over distance. This effect is known as
attenuation on page 9098.
Photometric lights on page 5707 always attenuate at the real-world inverse
square rate.
By default, standard lights on page 5757 do not attenuate, but you can turn
on attenuation and specify the attenuation rate and the distance over
which it operates.

Applying a Material to an Object
You use the Material Editor to apply a material to objects.

Applying a Material to an Object | 5989

To apply a material to an object, do one of the following:
■

If the material is selected in the Material Editor (either the Slate or the

Compact interface) and the object is selected in the scene, click
(Assign Material to Selection on page 6154).
■

In the Slate Material Editor, drag from the material node’s output socket
into a viewport, and drop the wire over the object. See To apply a material
to objects in a scene on page 6093.

■

Drag a material from a library in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167
and drop it on the object.

Applying a material overrides any previous material assignment the object
might have had. Once the material is applied, while the sample slot is active,
the material is "hot" and changes you make to it affect the object automatically.
See Hot and Cool Materials on page 6090 for more information about hot and
cool materials.
The Undo command on page 217 works for material assignment.
You can apply only one material to an object. To overcome this restriction,
use a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542. This is a container for various
sub-materials that correspond to specified sub-objects such as different faces
in a mesh, NURBS surfaces in a NURBS model, and so on.
You can apply the same material to multiple objects in the scene.
See also:
■

Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials on page 6161

■

Drag and Drop Sub-Object Material Assignment on page 6165

Using Maps to Enhance a Material
Maps provide images, patterns, color adjustments, and other effects you can
apply to the visual/optical components of a material. Without maps, material
design in 3ds Max is limited. Maps give the Material Editor its full flexibility,
and can give you dramatic results.

5990 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Spheres with various maps applied to them (as well as a reflection map applied to the
surface beneath them)

The simplest use of a map is to assign a pattern to a material's Diffuse color.
Diffuse mapping on page 6453 is also known as "texture mapping." It applies an
image or pattern to geometry the material is applied to.
WARNING When you change the shading type on page 6380 of a standard material,
you lose the settings (including map assignments) for any parameters that the
new shader does not support. If you want to experiment with different shaders
for a material with the same general parameters, make a copy of the material
before you change its shading type. That way, you can still use the original material
if the new shader doesn't give you the effect you want. (To make a copy of a
material, Shift+drag the material node in the active View of the Slate Material
Editor.)

Example of Using Maps
1 Start with a plain material.

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 5991

Building with default materials

5992 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Node for a single, Standard material

2 Apply a bitmap to the material’s Diffuse component (texture mapping).

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 5993

Planks bitmap for the wall texture

5994 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A Bitmap node added to the active View

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 5995

Dragging from the output socket of the Bitmap node creates a wire.

5996 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Dropping the wire on the Diffuse Color input socket applies that map to the material’s
diffuse color component.
(The Slate Material Editor also adds a Controller node for the map’s Amount value.)

3 Select the walls of the building, then
walls.

apply the material to the

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 5997

Texture applied to the walls, but not aligned properly

4 If the texture alignment needs adjusting, use a UVW Map modifier on
page 1883.

5998 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Texture map aligned to fit the geometry

5 Apply a map to the material’s Bump component (bump mapping).

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 5999

Bitmap for adding bumps to the plank material
(This is simply the same image saved as black-and-white.)

6000 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Bump map added to the material tree

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 6001

Building with both texture and bump mapping applied to the walls

6 Increase the Amount of the Bump map to increase the bump map effect.

Use the Parameter Editor at the right of the window to increase the
Bump amount.

6002 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Bump Amount increased to make the walls appear more weathered

Map Terminology
The term "material map" is sometimes used to describe a map assigned in the
Slate Material Editor. A material map applies a color or pattern to a surface.
“Material map” distinguishes this use from maps used for displacement
mapping with the Displace modifier on page 1255, environment mapping for
backgrounds, or projection mapping from lights.
The term "texture map" is sometimes used as well. It is interchangeable with
"diffuse map"; that is, with a map that applies colors to geometry, as opposed
to a map that create reflections, bumps, and so on.
The names of individual map types describe the pattern or effect they create,
such as Checker map, Bitmap, Gradient, Flat Reflection, and so on.
NOTE In some cases the user interface also uses "map" to describe not the map
type, but the visual component being mapped. For example, a "diffuse map"
means a map of any type applied to a material's diffuse component. This is an
ambiguity in the use of "map" that can be a bit confusing when you first encounter
it.

Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 6003

Assigning Maps
For a standard material on page 6382, you can assign maps using the Maps
rollout. Click the Map button in line with the name of the visual component
you want to map. 3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser on page 6167. Select
the map type (for example, Bitmap) from the list of maps, and then click OK.
Double-clicking the map's name in the Browser also assigns the map type.
In the Slate Material Editor you can assign maps by wiring nodes, as shown
earlier in this topic.
Many material rollouts have shortcut buttons for assigning a map to some of
the material's visual components. These small buttons are equivalent to the
buttons in the Maps rollout. Assigning a map to a button in one rollout
changes the corresponding button in the other.

Shortcut map button in a material’s Parameters rollout

Each type of map has its own set of parameters and controls. If the map is a
Checker map, for example, you can choose the colors of the checkers, and
whether a checker color has a map of its own. You can change tiling values
to affect the scale of the checkers, adjust noise parameters to make the checkers
irregular, and so on.
NOTE To save loading time, if a map with the same name is in two different
locations (in two different paths), it is loaded only once. This poses a problem only
if your scene includes two maps that have different content but the same name.
In this case, only the first map encountered will appear in the scene.

Navigating the Material/Map Tree
When you build a material of any complexity, you are building a material/map
tree. The root of the tree is the material itself. The branches or “children” are
the maps you have assigned to the material's components. Some maps can
themselves contain maps (for example, a map applied to one color of a Checker
map on page 6650), so the tree can be more than two levels deep, and can
actually be as deep as you need it to be.

6004 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mapping Coordinates
An object assigned a 2D mapped material (or a material that contains 2D
maps) must have mapping coordinates. These coordinates specify how the
map is projected onto the material, and whether it is projected as a "decal,"
or is tiled or mirrored. Mapping coordinates are also known as UV or UVW
coordinates on page 9340. These letters refer to coordinates in the object's own
space, as opposed to the XYZ coordinates that describe the scene as a whole.

Mapping coordinates shown as U and V axes local to a surface.

Most renderable objects have a Generate Mapping Coordinates parameter.
This is on by default, but if it is off and the object uses a mapped material,
3ds Max displays a warning when you try to render.
Some objects, such as editable meshes, don't have automatic mapping
coordinates. For these types of objects, you can assign coordinates by applying
a UVW Map Modifier on page 1883.
If the material appears the way you want it with the default mapping, you
don't need to adjust the mapping. If you need to adjust it, use the map's
Coordinates rollout. There are two typical sets of coordinates parameters: one
for 2D maps such as Bitmaps on page 6636, and another for 3D maps such as

Mapping Coordinates | 6005

Noise on page 6723. See Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622 and Coordinates
Rollout (3D) on page 6698.
NOTE The UVW Remove utility on page 6621 provides a way to remove mapping
coordinates or an entire material from selected objects.

Showing Maps in Viewports
(Material Editor): Slate ➤ Slate Material Editor toolbar ➤ Show
Standard/Hardware Map in Viewport flyout

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Show Standard/Hardware Map in
Viewport flyout
Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Show Materials in
Viewport As on page 134
Main 3ds Max menu ➤ Views menu ➤ Show Materials in Viewport As on
page 134
You can use either 3ds Max software or your hardware driver (DirectX 9.0c
and above) to display mapped materials on the surfaces of objects in shaded
viewports with the interactive renderer on page 9343.

6006 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: Map shown on sample cube
Right: Map shown in a viewport

The control for showing maps in viewports is a flyout with four possible states:

■

Show Standard Map in Viewport [off]: Uses the 3ds Max software
display and disables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Standard Map in Viewport [on]: Uses the 3ds Max software
display and enables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Hardware Map in Viewport [off]: Uses the hardware display
and disables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Hardware Map in Viewport [on]: Uses the hardware display
and enables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

Comparison of Standard and Hardware Displays
The ability to render materials in the viewports using a hardware-based display
mode lets you view and adjust certain parameters interactively without having
to generate a final render; this can save time when you are editing materials.
However, the hardware display does not fully support all material parameters.

Showing Maps in Viewports | 6007

When considering which display mode to use for a material, take these points
into consideration:
Software Display

Hardware Display

Supports all materials

Supports only Standard, Arch & Design,
and Autodesk materials

Supports Diffuse maps only

Supports Diffuse, Specular, and Bump
maps, as well as Anisotropy and BRDF settings

No reflection

Reflects the sky shader on page 5893

Calculates specularity on per-face basis

Calculates specularity on per-pixel basis

Faster, no special hardware requirements

Slower but more accurate, requires a DirectX9.0c-compliant video card

Renders faceted display modes correctly

Renders faceted display modes as
smoothed

The following image, taken from the 3ds Max viewport, shows two spheres
to which are applied two copies of an Arch & Design material with identical
settings, including texture-mapped diffuse color and bump mapping, a high
reflectivity level, and a Checker map applied to the Anisotropy channel. The
scene also includes a Daylight system with mr Sun and Sky, with the
Environment Map set to mr Physical Sky. The only difference is that the
material on the left-hand sphere is set to Show Standard Map in Viewport,
while the material on the right-hand sphere is set to Show Hardware Map in
Viewport. The latter shows the bump mapping, reflection of the sky, and the
checkered anisotropy in the specular highlight. When rendered, the spheres
appear identical, and look similar to the right-hand sphere.

6008 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Usage Notes
Please observe the following important aspects of using these controls:
■

The hardware display applies only to the Standard on page 6382 and Arch
& Design on page 6269 and Autodesk on page 6224 materials; when it’s active,
3ds Max still uses 3ds Max display to render all other materials.

■

Choosing the alternate flyout button does not toggle its state. For example,
if Show Standard Map In Viewport is off for the active material, choosing
Show Hardware Map In Viewport simply switches the material to hardware
display mode; it does not turn on the maps. You must toggle the control
explicitly.

■

This control is also available at the map level, where it functions only as
a toggle for the option set at the material level, and applies only to the
active map. So, for example, with the hardware display you could enable
viewport display of the bump map while disabling display the diffuse map,
although both would appear in the final rendered image. Changing the
setting at the material level overrides any map-level settings.
NOTE If the toggle is unavailable at a map level, it means viewport display of
the map is unsupported. One possible reason is that the map is nested too
deep in the material tree.

Showing Maps in Viewports | 6009

■

Hardware viewport rendering requires a DirectX9.0c-compliant video card.
Also, hardware viewport rendering is supported only by the Direct3D
display driver on page 8912.

■

These options do not apply to XRef materials on page 6605, including
materials from XRef objects on page 7971 and XRef scenes on page 7999

■

Displaying mapped materials in a viewport can slow performance. If you
don't need to view the map, turn off its viewport display.

■

In the Compact Material Editor on page 6020, you can toggle Show
Standard/Hardware Map In Viewport for all materials by choosing Views
menu ➤ Show Materials in Viewport As on page 134.

■

The state of this button is saved with the material in the library. When
you apply a mapped material while Show Map In Viewport is active, the
object's Generate Mapping Coords. check box is turned on. This means
that you can drag mapped materials from the Material Library in the
Browser over objects in your scene, and have the mapped material appear
in the viewports.

Requirements
For mapped materials to display in the viewport, the following conditions
must be met:
■

Mapping coordinates on page 9212 must be applied to the object. This is
already the case with most primitive objects, which by default have
Generate Mapping Coords on at creation. If an object doesn't have mapping
coordinates, you can turn this on, or apply a mapped material to the object
(if it has a Generate Mapping Coords check box), or apply a UVW Map
modifier on page 1883 or an Unwrap UVW modifier on page 1787.

■

A mapped material must be applied to the object.

■

Show Map In Viewport must be on, either at the level of the material that
contains the map on page 9215, or at the top level of the material.
NOTE With the software display driver on page 8905, viewports don't accurately
display a map with transparency that has UV tiling or mirroring. Also, this driver
cannot display a map on a faceted material.

3D Maps in Viewports
Show Map In Viewport works for 3D procedural maps as well as 2D maps.

6010 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3D map display in viewports is not necessarily accurate. To improve the 3D
preview, in the Compact Material Editor on page 6020 you can use the Material
Editor Options dialog on page 6059 to set the 3D Map Sample Scale to equal a
main dimension of the object you are applying the map to. For example, if
you want to use the planet map on a sphere with a radius of 20, change the
map scale from 100 (the default) to 20.
Particle Age and Particle MBlur maps do not preview in viewports.

Multiple Maps in Viewports
Viewports can display multiple maps. For multiple map display, the display
driver must be OpenGL on page 8906 or Direct3D on page 8912. The software
display driver on page 8905 does not support multiple map display.
The composite map on page 6751 and mix map on page 6759 support multiple
map display.
In addition, turning on Show Map In Viewport at the top level of a standard
material on page 6382 lets you view maps on both the diffuse and opacity
components (though not on other mapped components).

Procedures
To view maps interactively:

1

Select an object.

2 In the object's parameters, make sure that Generate Mapping Coords. is
on. (If this option isn't enabled, the object can't be mapped.)
If the object type does not have a mapping coordinates check box, apply
a UVW Map modifier on page 1883.
3 In the Material Editor, apply the mapped material to the object.

4 Turn on

(Show Standard Map In Viewport), or with a Standard,

Arch & Design, or Autodesk material, turn on
Map In Viewport).

(Show Hardware

Showing Maps in Viewports | 6011

The map appears on objects assigned the material in all shaded viewports.
Now when you adjust a map, the viewports update to display the
adjustments.
To turn off interactive texture display:

■

Turn off
(Show Standard/Hardware Map In Viewport).
The object is shaded but the map no longer appears.

Animating Materials
This topic provides some suggestions about how to animate materials.

Animating Basic Materials
In general, you animate a basic material by changing its parameters in different
keyframes while Auto Key is active. 3ds Max interpolates values between
keyframes, as it does when you animate transforms and modifiers.
Be aware that the tracks for a material assigned to an object are distinct from
the material tracks that belong to the Material Editor: animating a material
in the Material Editor affects the scene only if the material is hot on page 9186.

Animating Mapped Materials
As with basic materials, you can create animation keys for map parameters.
The noise parameters and the Noise map on page 6723 itself provide the Phase
parameter specifically for animating the noise function.
You can also produce an animated material by applying an animated bitmap
as a map. This automated bitmap can be an AVI on page 8412 or MOV on page
8428 file, or an image sequence in the form of an IFL on page 8420 file.

Changing One Material into Another
Probably the easiest way to animate the change of one material into another
is to create a Blend material on page 6529, make the two other materials its
sub-materials, and then animate its Mix Amount parameter.

6012 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Preview and Playback
When you animate a material, or use an animated bitmap in a material, you
can create and view a preview of this material before you decide to use it in
a fully rendered animation.

Creating and Playing Animated Material Previews
You can create a preview movie of an animated material. Use Make Preview
on page 6055 in the Compact Material Editor. Clicking this button displays the
Create Material Preview dialog on page 6057, which like the Renderer has controls
for which frames to render, playback speed, and output size.
The preview movie is saved in the \previews subdirectory in a file called
_medit.avi. Each time you create a new preview, the Material Editor overwrites
this file. To keep a preview movie on hand, save it under a different name by
using the Save Preview button on the same flyout as Make Preview.

Procedures
To create a preview of an animated material:

1 Choose

(Make Preview) from the flyout.

2 In the Create Material Preview dialog, set the preview conditions you
want, and then click OK.
The Material Editor creates the preview.
To play back a preview of an animated material:

1 Choose

(Play Preview) from the flyout.

The Material Editor starts the Windows Media Player with the active
preview movie loaded.
2 Click Play to view the preview movie.

Animating Materials | 6013

To save a preview movie under a different name:

1 Choose

(Save Preview) from the flyout.

The Material Editor displays a file save dialog.
2 Enter a new name for the preview, and then click OK.

Synchronizing an Animated Bitmap with the Scene

Material editor ➤ Bitmap map ➤ Time rollout
Bitmaps on page 6636 have a Time rollout with controls that let you synchronize
an animated bitmap with scene animation.

Interface

Start Frame The frame number of the 3ds Max scene at which the bitmap
animation begins to play.
Playback Rate Sets the bitmap's playback rate. This value is a multiplier: 1.0
is one bitmap frame per scene frame, 2.0 is twice as fast, 3.33 is 1/3 as fast,
and so on. Default=1.0.
Sync Frames to Particle Age When on, 3ds Max synchronizes the frames of
a bitmap sequence to the age of particles to which the map is applied. With
this effect, each particle displays the sequence from the start when it is born,
rather than being assigned whichever frame is current. Default=off.

6014 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

When using Particle Flow, assign the material containing the Bitmap map to
a Material Dynamic operator. For more details and a procedure, see Material
Dynamic Operator on page 3202.
NOTE This functionality is not supported by the mental ray renderer.

End Condition group
Determines what happens after the last frame of the bitmap animation if the
animation is shorter than the scene.
Loop Causes the animation to repeat over and over again from the beginning.
Ping-Pong Causes the animation to be played forward and then backward
repeatedly, making every animated sequence "loop smoothly."
Hold Freezes on the last frame of the bitmap animation.

Saving a Material
While a material is applied to an object, it is part of the scene, and is saved
with the scene. You can also save a material by putting it into a material
library.
Material libraries have a .mat file name extension. Some libraries are provided
in the \materiallibraries subdirectory of the 3ds Max root directory. The file
3dsmax.mat is the default library. You can add your material to this library, or
create your own libraries.

Procedures
To save a material in a library:
1 In the Slate Material Editor, right-click the Material/Map Browser on page
6167 and choose Open Material Library.
3ds Max opens a file dialog so you can choose the library (MAT file) where
you will save the material.
After you choose a library, that library appears in the Material/Map
Browser panel.
2 Also in the Material/Map Browser, drag the material from the Scene
Materials group to the entry for the library file.
The material becomes part of the library as well.

Saving a Material | 6015

3 In the Material/Map Browser panel, right-click the library file entry and
choose Close Material Library.
3ds Max asks if you want to save changes to the library. Click Yes.

Material XML Exporter Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Material XML Export
You can export materials you create in 3ds Max to XML files, which can then
be shared with other 3ds Max users or used in AutoCAD Architecture (formerly
Autodesk Architectural Desktop) to modify material definitions.
NOTE You can add an exported XML material to your 3ds Max scene by dragging
and dropping from a Web site or Windows Explorer onto an object in your scene,
or by importing it directly onto objects.

6016 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Selection Method group
The Selection Method group lets you set the method for selecting the materials
you wish to export.
Material/Map Browser Lets you select a material to export from the
Material/Map browser on page 6167.
Object List Lets you specify objects using the Select Object For Material
Modifier Export dialog, which works like the Select From Scene dialog on page
184. All materials assigned to the selected objects are exported.
Pick Object in Scene Lets you select an object from your scene. Any materials
assigned to the selected object are exported.
All Objects in Scene Exports all of the assigned materials in your scene.

Material XML Exporter Utility | 6017

Output Format group
The Output Format group defines the format of the XML Material output.
Native XML (vizML) Materials are exported as raw XML.
TIP Use this format for sharing XML material files within 3ds Max.
Tool Catalog Materials are exported to the ATC (Autodesk Tool Catalog)
format.
This file type is suitable for display in the AutoCAD Content Browser and the
Autodesk VIZ Content Browser.
NOTE This file type cannot be imported to 3ds Max unless you also have Autodesk
VIZ Render installed on the same system.
Specify XSLT This option lets you apply your own XSL transform to the XML
output.

Export group
The Export group lets you define the parts of the material assignments to
export.
Material Exports the material definitions.
Create Thumbnails Exports thumbnails for each material.
NOTE Thumbnail images are referenced by the ATC and displayed in the AutoCAD
Content Browser and Autodesk VIZ Content Browser.
Mapping Modifiers Exports the mapping modifiers applied to specific objects.

_____
Export This button begins the XML export process, using the defined selection
method, output format, and export parameters.
Upon clicking Export, you are prompted to set the path or URL to store in the
XML file as the path to any referenced bitmap files. The default is an empty
string, which means no path will be prepended to the bitmap file names when
written to XML. When the material is later imported, it will be assumed that
the referenced bitmap file can be found in the bitmap search path.
If you have elected to export thumbnails or to apply your own XSL transform,
you are then prompted to set a path to store the thumbnail files and to locate
your XSLT file, respectively.

6018 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material Editor
Main toolbar ➤ Material Editor flyout ➤

Main toolbar ➤ Material Editor flyout ➤

(Material Editor): Compact

(Material Editor): Slate

Rendering menu ➤ Material Editor ➤ Compact Material Editor
Rendering menu ➤ Material Editor ➤ Slate Material Editor
Keyboard ➤ M displays the version of the Material Editor (Compact or Slate)
that you last opened.
The Material Editor provides functions to create and edit materials on page
9219 and maps on page 9215.
Materials create greater realism in a scene. A material describes how an object
reflects or transmits light. Material properties work hand-in-hand with light
properties; shading or rendering combine the two, simulating how the object
would look in a real-world setting.
You apply materials to individual objects or selection sets; a single scene can
contain many different materials.
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, there are two interfaces to the Material Editor:
■

Compact Material Editor:If you have used 3ds Max prior to the release of
Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, the Compact Material Editor on page 6020 is the
interface you are familiar with. It is a comparitively small dialog with quick
previews of various materials. If you are assigning materials that have
already been designed, the Compact Material Editor is still a convenient
interface.

■

Slate Material Editor:The Slate Material Editor on page 6083 is new
to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011. It is a larger dialog in which materials and
maps appear as nodes that you can wire together to create material trees,
including phenomena built out of MetaSL shaders on page 6858. If you are
designing new materials, the Slate Material Editor is especially powerful,

Material Editor | 6019

and it includes search tools to help you manage scenes that have a large
number of materials.

Compact Material Editor
Main toolbar ➤ Material Editor flyout ➤

(Material Editor): Compact

Rendering menu ➤ Material Editor
The Compact Material Editor is a material editor interface that uses a smaller
dialog than the Slate Material Editor. on page 6083
In general, the Slate interface is more versatile when you are designing
materials, while the Compact interface is more convenient when you just
need to apply materials that have already been designed.

6020 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Compact Material Editor does have a few options that the Slate Material
Editor does not; in particular:
■

Make Preview, Play Preview, Save Preview on page 6055

■

Video Color Check on page 6053

■

Custom Sample objects on page 6047 for material previews

Procedures
To view the Compact Material Editor:

■

On the main toolbar, choose
(Material Editor) (the Compact
version).
The Compact Material Editor has sample slots on page 6025 for viewing
previews of materials. When you first view the Material Editor, the material
previews have a uniform default color.

To give a material a different name:
■

Edit the name field that appears below the Compact Material Editor toolbar.
The name of the active material appears in the title bar of the Compact
Material Editor dialog. The name of the material is not a file name: it can
contain spaces, numbers, and special characters.
The name field displays only 16 characters, but a material name can be
longer than that.

To make a copy of a preview material:

■

On the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click
on page 6072).

(Make Material Copy

To get a material from a scene:
If a material that you want to change has been saved in the scene, but not in
the Compact Material Editor, you can load the material by getting it from the
scene.
1 Click a sample slot to make it active.

Compact Material Editor | 6021

Be careful not to click the sample slot of a material you want to use later.

2 On the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click
page 6068.

(Get Material) on

A modeless Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
3 In the Browse From group box at the upper left, make sure that either
Selected or Scene is chosen.
The Selected option lists only materials in the current selection. If no
objects are selected, the list of materials is blank.
The Scene option lists all the materials currently in the scene.
4 In the list of materials, double-click the name of the material you want.
You can also drag the material name to the sample slot.
The material you chose replaces the previous material in the active sample
slot.
WARNING When you get a material from a scene, it is initially a hot material on
page 9186.
To apply a material to objects in a scene:
■

Drag the sample slot that contains the material you want to apply to an
object in the scene.
If the object isn't selected, or if it's the only object selected in the scene,
the material is applied immediately. If the object is one of several selected
objects in the scene, 3ds Max prompts you to choose whether to apply the
material to the single object only or to the whole selection (the latter is
the default choice).

You can also apply materials to a selection by clicking
(Assign
Material To Selection on page 6070) on the Compact Material Editor toolbar.
NOTE When you apply a material to an object or selection, that material becomes
a hot material on page 9186 (its sample slot is displayed with white corner brackets).
When you change the properties of a hot material, the scene immediately updates
to reflect those changes. Every object with that material changes its appearance,
not just the objects in the current selection.

6022 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To remove a material from an object:

1

Select the object.

2 In the MAXScript Listener on page 8817, enter $.material=undefined.
To put a material back into a scene:

■

On the Material Editor toolbar, click
(Put Material To Scene on
page 6069).
The material in the active sample slot is now a hot material on page 9186.
The Put Material button is available only when (1) the material in the
active sample slot has the same name as a material in a scene, and (2) the
material in the active sample slot is not hot. In other words, this command
is meant to fit into the following overall sequence of handling materials:
■

You create a hot material either by applying it to objects in the scene
or by getting it from the scene.

■

You make a copy of the material.

■

You make changes to the copy of the material.

■

You update the scene by putting the changed material back into the
scene.
These steps are not as immediate as changing a material while it is hot,
but they help you avoid changing the scene's materials unintentionally
or in unexpected ways.
When a material in the Material Editor is applied to objects in the scene,
you can select the objects from the Material Editor.

To select objects that have the same material applied:
When a material in the Material Editor is applied to objects in the scene, you
can select the objects from the Material Editor.
1 Click a sample slot that contains a material in the scene.
White corner brackets indicate materials that are in the scene.

Compact Material Editor | 6023

2 Click

(Select By Material on page 6064).

This button is unavailable unless the active sample slot contains a material
in the scene.
The Select Objects dialog on page 184 opens. The names of objects with
the active material applied are highlighted when the dialog appears.
3 Click Select to select objects that have the active material applied to them.
You can also change the selection by choosing other objects. If you change
the selection, you can then apply the active material to newly selected

objects by clicking

(Assign Material To Selection) on page 6070.

To get a material from a library:

1 On the Material Editor toolbar, click

(Get Material on page 6068).

3ds Max opens a modeless Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
2 Open a library group.
3 In the list of library materials, double-click the name of the material you
want.
The material you chose replaces the previous material in the active sample
slot.
To save a material in a library:
1 Click the sample slot that has the material you want to save.

2 On the Material Editor toolbar, click

(Put To Library on page 6074.

3 3ds Max opens a Put To Library dialog on page 6075).
4 Change the material name or leave it as is, and then click OK.
The material is saved in the currently open library. If no library is open,
a new library is created. You can save the new library as a file using the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 controls.

6024 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
The Material Editor interface consists of a menu bar at the top, sample slots
(the spheres) below the menu bar, and toolbars along the bottom and side of
the sample slots. For links to topics describing these interface elements as well
as overviews of materials and maps, see the end of this section.
The Material Editor interface also includes a number of rollouts whose contents
depend on the active material (click a material's sample slot to make it active).
Each rollout contains standard controls such as drop-down lists, check boxes,
numeric fields with spinners, and color swatches.
In many cases, associated with a control (typically to its right) is a map shortcut
button: a small, square, blank button, which you can click to apply a map to
the control. If you have assigned a map to a control, the button displays the
letter M. An uppercase M means that the corresponding map is assigned and
active. A lowercase m means that the map is assigned but inactive (turned
off). You turn maps on and off with the check boxes on the Maps rollout on
page 6443 (see this procedure on page ? and the one following it). You can
also right-click the map shortcut button to access functions such as copy and
paste (see Copying and Pasting Materials, Maps, Bitmaps, and Colors on page
6158).
For choosing materials, see Material/Map Browser on page 6167. For applying
materials using drag and drop techniques, see Dragging and Dropping Maps
and Materials on page 6161.
For an overview of how to use the Material Editor, see Designing Materials on
page 5982.

Sample Slots

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Sample slots display
The sample slots let you maintain and preview materials on page 9219 and maps.
on page 9215 Each slot previews a single. You can change the material by using
the Compact Material Editor controls, and you can apply the material to
objects in the scene. The easiest way to do this is to drag the material from
the sample slot to objects in viewports. See Dragging and Dropping Maps and
Materials on page 6161.

Compact Material Editor | 6025

NOTE The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 includes a Sample Slots group that
is comparable to the sample slots in the Compact Material Editor.
IMPORTANT While the Compact Material Editor can edit no more than 24
materials at a time, a scene can contain an unlimited number of materials. When
you are through editing one material, and have applied it to objects in the scene,
you can use that sample slot to get on page 6068 a different material from the scene
(or create a new one) and then edit it.
You can display a sample slot in a window of its own. This magnifies the
sample slot, which can make it easier to preview the material. You can resize
the magnified window to make it even larger. To magnify a sample slot,
double-click it, or right-click and choose Magnify from the pop-up menu. See
Sample Slot Right-Click Menu on page 6029.
The Material Editor has 24 sample slots. You can view them all at once, six at
a time (the default), or 15 at a time. When you view fewer than 24 slots at
once, scroll bars let you move among them. See Material Editor Options on
page 6059 and get on page 6068.
A material in a slot is shown on a sample object. By default, the object is a
sphere. Use the Sample Type flyout on page 6046 to change the sample object.

6026 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Sample slot showing a material

By default, a standalone map in a slot fills the whole slot. This is when the
slot shows only a map; for example, when you drag the map onto the slot from
elsewhere in the 3ds Max interface. When a map is assigned to a material, the
slot shows it as part of the material, mapped to the sample object. See Get
Material on page 6068 and Material Editor Options on page 6059.

Sample slot showing a
map

Hot and Cool Materials
A sample slot is "hot" on page 9186 when the material in the slot is assigned to
one or more surfaces in the scene. When you use the Compact Material Editor
to adjust a hot sample slot, the material in the scene changes at the same time.
The corners of a sample slot indicate whether the material is a hot material:
■

No triangle: The material is not used in the scene.

■

Outlined white triangle: The material is hot. In other words, it's instanced
in the scene. Changes you make to the material in the sample slot will
change the material displayed in the scene.

■

Solid white triangle: The material is not only hot, but is applied to the
currently selected object.

Compact Material Editor | 6027

Left: "Hot" material applied to currently selected object.
Middle: "Hot" material assigned to scene but not to currently selected object.
Right: "Cool" material: active but not assigned to scene.

A material is "cool" on page 9126 if it is not applied to any object in the scene.
To make a hot sample slot cool, click Make Material Copy on page 6072. This
copies the material in the sample slot on top of itself so that it's no longer
used in the scene.
You can have the same material (with the same name) in more than one
sample slot, but only one slot containing that material can be hot. You can
have more than one hot sample slot, as long as each has a different material.
If you drag to copy a material from a hot slot to another slot, the destination
slot is cool, and the original slot remains hot.
See also:
■

Sample Slot Right-Click Menu on page 6029

■

Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials on page 6161

■

Creating a Custom Sample Object on page 6047

Procedures
To use a sample slot:
■

Click the sample slot to make it active.
The active sample slot is displayed with a white border around it.
The sample slot shows a sample object shaded with a material. (By default,
the sample object is a sphere.) The sample object is lit by a light source
above it and slightly toward the viewer. For the sphere, the highlight is in
the upper-left quadrant. The diffuse color shows most clearly above and

6028 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

to the left of the highlight, shading toward the ambient color at the sphere's
lower right.
To change the preview shape:
1 Make sure the sample slot of the material you want to view is active.
2 Use the Sample Type flyout on page 6046 to choose the shape you want to
view. The flyout gives you three options: sphere (the default), cylinder,
or box.
The new shape is displayed in the sample slot, with the material mapped
to it.
To render the current mapping level:
1 Move to the level of the map hierarchy that you want to render.
2 Right-click in the sample slot, and choose Render Map from the pop-up
menu.
3ds Max opens the Render Map Dialog on page 6032.
3 Choose Single or the range of frames you want to render.
4 In the Dimensions group box, specify the pixel resolution of the map.
5 Click the Files button, and specify a path and file name for the file. Make
sure Save To File is on unless you want to see the image only in a Rendered
Frame Window on page 6963.
6 Click Render.
A Rendered Frame Window appears displaying the map. If Save To File
is on, the image is also saved to disk.

Sample Slot Right-Click Menu

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Right-click the active sample slot.
When you right-click the active sample slot, a pop-up menu is displayed. For
other sample slots, click or right-click once to select them, then right-click to
use the pop-up menu.

Compact Material Editor | 6029

The pop-up menu is available in magnified sample slot windows. See the
"Magnify" option, below.

Interface

The pop-up menu has these options:
Drag/Copy Sets dragging a sample slot to copy mode. When on, dragging a
sample slot copies the material from one sample slot to another, or from the
sample slot to an object in the scene or a material button.
Drag/Rotate Sets dragging a sample slot to rotate mode. When on, dragging
in the sample slot rotates the sample object. This helps you preview the
material. Drag over the object to rotate it about its X or Y axis; drag in the
corners of the sample slot to rotate the object about its Z axis. In addition, if
you press Shift before dragging in the center, the rotation is constrained to
the vertical or horizontal axis, depending on your initial drag direction.
If you have a three-button mouse and are using Windows NT, the middle
mouse button rotates the sample object while Drag/Copy mode is active.
Reset Rotation Resets the sample object to its default orientation.
Render Map Renders the current map, creating a bitmap or an AVI file (if the
map is animated). Only the current map level renders. That is, the rendering
shows the image displayed when Show End Result is turned off.
If you're at a material level instead of a map level, this menu item is disabled.
Options Displays the Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059. This is an
alternative to clicking the Options button.

6030 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Magnify Generates a magnified view of the current sample slot. The magnified
sample is displayed in its own, floating (modeless) window. You can display
up to 24 magnified windows, but you can't display the same sample slot in
more than one magnified window at a time. You can resize magnify windows.
Clicking a magnify window activates the sample slot, and vice versa.
Shortcut Double-click a sample slot to display the magnified window.
The magnify window's title bar displays the contents of the editable material
name field on page 6080. It varies depending on which level of the material is
active.

Auto Turn off to prevent the magnified window from updating automatically.
This can save rendering time, especially when you have resized the magnified
window to make it larger. Default=on.
Update Click to update the magnified window. This button is unavailable
unless Auto is turned off.
Dragging a different sample slot to the magnify window changes the contents
of the magnify window.

_____
Select By Material Selects objects based on the material in the sample slot.
This choice is unavailable unless the active sample slot contains a material
used in the scene.
Highlight Assets in ATS Dialog If the active material uses maps that are
tracked assets on page 8114 (typically bitmap textures), opens the Asset Tracking
dialog with the assets highlighted.

Compact Material Editor | 6031

This choice is unavailable if the material has no maps, or the maps it uses are
not tracked.

Sample Windows options
The Material Editor always has 24 sample slots available. You can choose to
display fewer sample slots at a larger size. When you do, scroll bars let you
move around among the sample slots.
3 X 2 Sample Windows Displays a 3 x 2 array of sample slots. (The default:
6 windows.)
5 X 3 Sample Windows Displays a 5 X 3 array of sample slots. (15 windows.)
6 X 4 Sample Windows Displays a 6 X 4 array of sample slots. (24 windows.)

Render Map Dialog
Compact Material Editor ➤ Right-click a sample slot. ➤ Render Map ➤
Render Map dialog
3ds Max opens the Render Map dialog when you use Render Map on the
sample slot right-click menu on page 6029 to render the map displayed in a
sample slot

6032 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Time Output group
These controls specify how many frames to render.
Single Renders a single frame.
Every Nth Frame Renders a regular sampling of the animation. For example,
a value of 8 includes only every eighth frame in the preview. Default=1 (every
frame).
Active Time Segment Renders the active time segment on page 9082.
Range Renders a custom range from the start to the end frame you specify in
the spinners below.

Dimensions group
These controls specify the size of the rendered frames, in pixels.
Width Specifies the frame width, in pixels.
Height Specifies the frame height, in pixels.

Compact Material Editor | 6033

Output group
These controls let you save the rendered map to a file.
Files Click to display a file dialog that lets you specify where to save the
rendered map.
When you click Save in the file dialog, you might see an additional dialog
that gives you options specific to the file type you chose.
Save to File When on, the rendered map is saved to a file. When off, the map
is rendered only to a Rendered Frame Window on page 6963. This check box is
unavailable unless you use Files to specify a file name, when it defaults to on.
File name field Displays the name of the file you chose.
Render Renders the map to a feature-reduced version of the Rendered Frame
Window on page 6963, and to a file if you chose one.

Compact Material Editor Tools

Main toolbar ➤

(Material Editor): Compact

Above the Material Editor sample slots on page 6025 is the menu bar. Below and
to the right of the sample slots are buttons and other controls that you use to
manage and change maps and materials.

6034 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material Editor tools below and to the right of the sample slots

Material Editor Menu Bar on page 6038
Reflectance and Transmittance Display on page 6042
NOTE These fields are not displayed unless you change a toggle in Preferences
➤ Advanced Lighting.
Buttons below the sample slots (the "toolbar")

Get Material on page 6068

Put Material to Scene on page 6069

Assign Material to Selection on page 6070

Compact Material Editor | 6035

Reset Map/Mtl to Default Settings on page 6071

Make Material Copy on page 6072

Make Unique on page 6072

Put to Library on page 6074

Material ID Channel on page 6075

Show Standard/Hardware Map in Viewport on page 6077

Show End Result on page 6078

Go to Parent on page 6078

Go Forward to Sibling on page 6079
Buttons to the right of the sample slots

Sample Type on page 6046

Backlight on page 6050

Sample Slot Background on page 6051

6036 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Sample UV Tiling on page 6052

Video Color Check on page 6053

Make Preview, Play Preview, Save Preview on page 6055

Material Editor Options on page 6059

Select By Material on page 6064

Material/Map Navigator on page 6065
Controls below the toolbar

Pick Material From Object (Eyedropper) on page 6079
Name Field (Materials and Maps) on page 6080
Type Button (Materials and Maps) on page 6081

Procedures
To use the Material Editor Options dialog:

1 Click

(Options) on page 6059 to the right of the sample slots.

2 Set the options as you want, and then click OK.
To change the preview shape:
1 Activate the sample slot of the material you want to view.

Compact Material Editor | 6037

2 Use the Sample Type flyout on page 6046 to choose the shape you want to
view.
The new shape is displayed in the sample slot, with the material mapped
to it.
The flyout gives you three options: sphere (the default), cylinder, or box.
An additional custom object option is available if you define a custom
object as described in Creating a Custom Sample Object on page 6047.

Material Editor Menu Bar

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Menu bar
The Material Editor menu bar appears at the top of the Material Editor window.
It provides another way to invoke the various Material Editor tools.

Modes Menu
Lets you choose which Material Editor interface is active.
■

Compact Material Editor on page 6020 displays the Compact interface.

■

Slate Material Editor on page 6083 displays the Slate interface.

Material Menu
The Material menu provides the most commonly used Material Editor tools.
■

Get Material on page 6068

■

Pick from Object on page 6079

■

Select by Material on page 6064

■

Highlight Assets in ATS Dialog If the active material uses maps that are
tracked assets on page 8114 (typically bitmap textures), opens the Asset
Tracking dialog with the assets highlighted.

■

Assign to Selection on page 6070

■

Put to Scene on page 6069

■

Put to Library on page 6074

6038 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Change Material/Map TypeEquivalent to clicking the Material/Map Type
button on page 6081.

■

Make Material Copy on page 6072

■

Launch Magnify WindowEquivalent to double-clicking the active sample
slot on page 6025, or choosing Magnify on its right-click menu on page 6029.

■

Save as .FX FileSee DirectX Manager Rollout on page 6222.

■

Make Preview on page 6055

■

View Preview on page 6055

■

Save Preview on page 6055

■

Show End Result on page 6078

■

Show Materials in Viewport As on page 134

■

Reset Sample Slot RotationReturns the active sample slot's object to its
default orientation; equivalent to choosing Reset Rotation on the sample
slot right-click menu on page 6029.

■

Update Active MaterialIf the Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059
➤ Update Active Only setting is on, choosing this updates the active
material in its sample slot.

Navigation Menu
The Navigation menu provides tools that navigate a material's hierarchy.
■

Go to Parent on page 6078

■

Go Forward to Sibling on page 6079

■

Go Backward to SiblingLike Go Forward To Sibling, but navigates to the
preceding sibling map in the tree instead of the succeeding one.

Options Menu
The Options menu provides some additional tools and display choices.
■

Propagate Materials to Instances on page 6041

■

Manual Update ToggleEquivalent to the Manual Update toggle in the
Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059.

Compact Material Editor | 6039

■

Copy/Rotate Drag Mode ToggleEquivalent to choosing either Drag/Copy
or Drag/Rotate on the sample slot right-click menu on page 6029.

■

Background on page 6051

■

Custom Background ToggleIf you have used the Material Editor Options
dialog on page 6059 to assign a custom background, this toggles its display.

■

Backlight on page 6050

■

Cycle 3X2, 5X3, 6X4 Sample SlotsCycles through the equivalent choices
on the sample slot right-click menu on page 6029.

■

OptionsOpens the Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059.

Utilities Menu
The Utilities menu provides map rendering and selecting objects by material.
■

Render MapEquivalent to choosing Render Map on the sample slot
right-click menu on page 6029.

■

Select Objects by Material on page 6064

■

Clean MultiMaterial on page 6942

■

Instance Duplicate Map on page 6947

■

Reset Material Editor SlotsReplaces all materials in the Material Editor with
the default material type. This action is not undoable, but you can restore
the previous state of the Material Editor with the Restore Material Editor
Slots command (see below).

■

Condense Material Editor SlotsSets all unused materials in the Material
Editor to the default type, retaining only materials in the scene and moving
those materials to the first slots in the editor. This action is not undoable,
but you can restore the previous state of the Material Editor with the Restore
Material Editor Slots command (see below).

■

Restore Material Editor SlotsWhen you use either of the two previous
commands, 3ds Max saves the current state of the Material Editor in a
buffer; using this command restores the state of the editor using the buffer
contents.

6040 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP The buffer that holds the material definitions survives the Application menu
on page 8579 ➤ Reset command. Thus, if you use either the Reset Material
Editor Slots or the Condense Material Editor Slots function, and then reset 3ds
Max, you can then use Restore Material Editor Slots to bring all materials back
into the Material Editor. This makes it easy to use the same materials in different
projects.
For best results, follow this procedure:
1 Save your scene.
2 Use the Reset Material Editor Slots or Condense Material Editor Slots
function.
3 Reset 3ds Max. When prompted to save the scene, click No. Otherwise,
you might lose material definitions in the Material Editor that were
saved with the scene.
4 Open the Material Editor and choose Utilities menu ➤ Restore
Material Editor Slots.
The Material Editor status before step 2 is restored.

Propagate Materials to Instances

Material Editor (Slate or Compact) ➤ Options menu ➤
Propagate Materials to Instances
When Propagate Materials To Instances is on, any material assignment you
make will be propagated to all instances on page 9195 of the object in your
scene, including imported AutoCAD blocks and ADT style-based objects; these
object types are common in DRF files on page 8178. Assignments are also
propagated to instances of Revit objects and of other instances that you've
made in the current scene.
When Propagate Materials To Instances is off, materials are assigned in
traditional 3ds Max fashion; each object has a unique material assignment.

Compact Material Editor | 6041

Reflectance and Transmittance Display

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Reflectance and Transmittance fields
(below the sample slots)
These fields show the reflectance and transmittance of the active material.
Both the average value and the maximum value are shown.
NOTE These fields appear only when you turn on Material Editor ➤ Display
Reflectance & Transmittance Information on the Radiosity panel on page 8948 of
the Preferences dialog.

These fields can change according to the current Show End Result setting on
page 6078. When Show End Result is off, the reflectance and transmittance show
the properties of the current element in the material hierarchy, not the
properties of the material overall.
The reflectance and transmittance values of a material are particularly
important when you are preparing a radiosity solution on page 7068 to obtain
a physically accurate lighting simulation. If a material’s reflectance or
transmittance values are not what your scene needs, you need to adjust these
values.

6042 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Materials and Radiosity

Upper left: Washed-out walls due to high reflectance.
Right: Better radiosity achieved by reducing the HSV Value (V) of materials in the scene.

To get good radiosity results, keep these points in mind as you design materials:
■

Before you generate a radiosity solution, check the reflectance value of all
materials in the scene, to make sure it is not too high. The reflectance of
a material determines how much of the light energy it receives is
subsequently used in the radiosity calculation. Keep this value within the
range of the physical materials you are simulating. (See the table in the
description of “Reflectance,” below.)

■

Don’t be concerned if a material preview seems too dark. For example, a
white wall with the maximum recommended reflectance of 80% appears
gray. The color balance will be adjusted correctly by the exposure control
on page 7665 in the final rendering.

■

Bitmaps used as diffuse textures have already been illuminated by the
scanner, digital camera, or paint program in which you created them. To
bring them into the proper reflectance range, you might have to dim them

Compact Material Editor | 6043

by reducing the RGB Level value in the bitmap’s Output rollout on page
6613.

Left: Wood grain bitmap as originally photographed has too high a reflectance.
Right: Reducing the RGB Level value reduces the map’s reflectance.

Interface
Reflectance Reflectance is the percentage of diffuse light energy that is
reflected from a material. When you increase a material’s HSV value (V), the
material reflects more diffuse light. Decreasing a material’s Opacity also
decreases its reflectance.
Typically, the reflectance of a material should never be greater than 85%. this
is an unusually high value that will lead to poor-quality renderings. In the
real world, even the whitest wall reflects no more than 80% of the light it
receives.
One source of high reflectance can be a map assigned to the material’s diffuse
component. For example, a white tile bitmap might create high reflectance.
In this case, you can reduce reflectance by reducing the RGB Level in the
bitmap’s Output rollout.
An alternate way to reduce a bitmapped material’s reflectance is to set the
diffuse color of the material to black, and then reduce the diffuse map’s
Amount (in the parent material’s Maps rollout on page 6443). You can use this
method to reduce the reflectance of 3D procedural maps on page 6698 as well.

6044 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Here are some typical reflectance ranges for common materials:
Material

Minimum

Maximum

Ceramic

20%

70%

Fabric

20%

70%

Masonry

20%

50%

Metal

30%

90%

Paint

30%

80%

Paper

30%

70%

Plastic

20%

80%

Stone

20%

70%

Wood

20%

50%

Transmittance Transmittance is the amount of light energy transmitted
through a material. A completely opaque material has 0% transmittance.
When the material is transparent (like clear glass), the energy transmitted is
specular, and light passes directly through the material (subject to refraction).
The value of specular transmittance is an interaction between the material’s
Opacity value on page 6418 and its filter color on page 9157. When the filter color
is pure white, specular transmittance is the inverse of Opacity.
When the material is translucent (like frosted glass), the energy transmitted
is diffuse, and scattered in all directions. The value of diffuse transmittance is
based on the HSV value (V) of the translucent color on page 6424. Diffuse
transmittance happens only for materials that use the Translucent shader on
page 6409, or Raytrace materials on page 6486, that specify translucency.
Usually, when a material has high transmittance, it has low reflectance, and
the other way around.

Compact Material Editor | 6045

Sample Type

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Sample Type)

(Slate Material Editor: Right-click a material node and choose Preview Object
Type.)
The Sample Type flyout lets you choose which geometry to display in the
active sample slot on page 6025.

This flyout has three or four buttons:

■

Sphere (the default)Displays the material on a sphere.

■

CylinderDisplays the material on a cylinder.

■

CubeDisplays the material on a cube.

■

CustomDisplays the material on a custom object.
This button appears only if you have used the Material Editor Options
dialog on page 6059 to specify a custom object for sample slots. See Creating
a Custom Sample Object on page 6047.

6046 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Creating a Custom Sample Object

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Right-click the active sample slot. ➤
Right-click menu ➤ Options ➤ Material Editor Options dialog

Compact Material Editor ➤
Editor Options dialog

(Material Editor Options) ➤ Material

By default, the sample object in a sample slot is a sphere. You can use the
Sample Type flyout on page 6046 to change this to a cube or a cylinder. You can
also create a custom sample object by creating a 3ds Max scene that shows
the object.

Custom sample object fits within a 100-unit cube

Compact Material Editor | 6047

Overview of Using a Custom Sample Object
See Procedures for more details.
The scene you create should contain a single object that fits into an imaginary
cube that is 100 units on each side. The object must be at the root level of the
scene: it can't be linked to other objects. If more than one object is in the
scene, only the first object listed in the Track View hierarchy is used as the
sample object.
If the object is of a type that doesn't have a Generate Mapping Coords check
box, apply a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 to it.
After you have saved the single-object scene as a MAX file, use the Custom
Sample Object group in the Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059 to
specify the file. When you specify the file, a new button is displayed at the
right of the Sample Type flyout. This button, which shows an object with a
question mark, displays the sample object file you chose.
If the sample object scene contains only the object, sample slots display it
with default lighting. If the scene also contains a camera and lights, you can
use the camera to specify the view, and the lights to light the object as you
choose. Turn on Load Camera and/or Lights in the Custom Sample Object
group.

Procedures
To set up a custom sample object:
1 Create a scene with a single object, such as a pyramid.
The object should fit into an imaginary cube that is 100 units on each
side. Also, the object must be at the root level of the scene: it can't be
linked to other objects.
If more than one object is in the scene, the Material Editor uses the first
object listed in the Track View hierarchy.
2 If the object does not have built-in mapping coordinates (via a Generate
Mapping Coords check box), then assign a UVW Map modifier on page
1883 to it to provide mapping coordinates.
If the object has a Generate Mapping Coords check box, it's on by default,
and the Material Editor uses those coordinates. If you want to use
coordinates other than those built into the object, assign a UVW Map
modifier and set up your own coordinates.
3 Save the scene as a MAX file.

6048 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

4 In the Material Editor Options dialog, click the File Name button in the
Custom Sample Object group box, and choose the file that contains your
object.
5 Activate the sample slot in which you want to see the custom object,
then choose the button at the far right of the Sample Type flyout.
Your custom object is displayed in the sample slot.
If the size of your object is not quite right for the sample slot, adjust its
size and save the scene again. To update the sample slot so it uses the
newly saved MAX file, open the Material Editor Options dialog, and then
click OK.
To use a camera and lights with the custom sample object:
1 Create a camera in the scene that contains your sample object, and then
adjust the camera to show the object as you want it seen in sample slots.
TIP Viewports have a different aspect ratio than sample slots, so using Zoom
Extents on page 8733 on the sample object usually results in the object
appearing smaller in a sample slot. Perform Zoom Extents on the object, and
then before you save the file, zoom in a little farther so the object more than
fills the viewport. The sample slot projection is based on the width of the
sample object's geometry, not on the image in the viewport.
If more than one camera is in the scene, the Material Editor uses the first
camera listed in the Track View hierarchy.
2 If you want to use your own lighting rather than the default sample-slot
lighting, set up as many lights as you need. If you want to use the
sample-slot lighting, do not add any lights to the scene.
3 Save the MAX file.
4 In the Material Editor Options dialog, specify the file as the Custom
Sample Object file.
5 Turn on Load Camera and/or Lights.
Sample Slots set to use the custom object now display the object as seen
through the camera. If lights are in the scene, those lights are used in the
sample slot instead of the default lights.

Compact Material Editor | 6049

Backlight

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Backlight)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Options menu ➤ Backlight
(Slate Material Editor: Right-click a material node and choose Show Backlight.)
Turning on Backlight adds a backlight to the active sample slot. This button
is on by default.

Left: Backlight on
Right: Backlight off

The effect is most easily seen with the sample spheres, where the backlight
highlights the lower-right edge of the sphere.
Backlight is especially useful whenever you're creating metal on page 6400 and
Strauss on page 6405 materials. Backlight lets you see and adjust the specular
highlight created by glancing light, which is much brighter on metals.

6050 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Sample Slot Background

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Background)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Options menu ➤ Background
(Slate Material Editor: Right-click a material node and choose Show Background
In Preview.)
Turning on Background adds a multicolored checkered background to the
active sample slot. The pattern background is helpful when you want to see
effects of opacity and transparency.

Left: Background on
Right: Background off

The Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059 also lets you assign a bitmap
to use as a custom background.

Compact Material Editor | 6051

Sample UV Tiling

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Sample UV Tiling) flyout

(Slate Material Editor: Right-click a material node and choose Preview UV
Tiling.)
The buttons on the Sample UV Tiling flyout adjust the repetition of the map
on page 9215 pattern on the sample object in the active sample slot.

1x1, 2x2, and 3x3 sample tiling

The tiling pattern you set with this option affects only the sample slot. It has
no effect on the tiling on the geometry in the scene, which you control with
parameters in the map's own coordinates rollout.

■

1 x 1 (the default)Tile once in the U dimension and once in V. This
is equivalent to no tiling at all.

6052 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

2 x 2Tile twice in U and twice in V.

■

3 x 3Tile three times in U and three times in V.

■

4 x 4Tile four times in U and four times in V.

The buttons specify the number of times the pattern repeats over the surface
of the sample object. Because maps are mapped spherically around the sample
sphere, the tiling on page 9328 repetition covers the entire surface of the sphere.
The sample cylinder maps cylindrically. The sample cube uses box mapping:
the tiling appears on each side of the cube. Custom sample objects use the
default mapping coordinates for that kind of object, unless the object has a
UVW Map modifier on page 1883 applied to it, in which case the modifier
controls the mapping.
This flyout is unavailable when the sample slot displays a standalone (top-level)
map.
See also:
■

Creating a Custom Sample Object on page 6047

Video Color Check

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Video Color Check)

Video Color Check checks the material on the sample object for colors that
are beyond the safe NTSC on page 9238 or PAL on page 9257 threshold.

Compact Material Editor | 6053

Left: Material with oversaturated colors
Right: Video color check shows black areas that are beyond the video threshold

Such colors tend to blur or fuzz when transferred from computer to video.
Pixels containing these "illegal" or "hot" colors are flagged on the sample object.
You can have 3ds Max correct illegal colors automatically when you render,
depending on the settings in the Rendering tab on page 8929 of the
Customize/Preferences dialog on page 8886.
Use this option as a guide only. The colors in a rendered scene depend not
only on the material color but also on the intensity and color of the lighting.
A material that shows as safe in the sample slot might become illegal if
rendered under several bright lights. A safe practice for video is to use colors
whose saturation is less than 80 to 85 percent.

Procedures
To check for illegal video colors:

1 On the Material Editor, turn on

(Video Color Check).

The active sample slot now renders "illegal" pixels as black. Illegal pixels
have a color that is beyond the safe video threshold.
If Video Color Check detects illegal colors, try reducing the saturation of
the material colors in question.
2 You can also check for legal video colors when you render a scene.

6054 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To change the video system:
NTSC on page 9238 is the default video system to check. You can change the
video checking to PAL on page 9257.
■

In the Tools menu ➤ Options ➤ Options dialog ➤ Rendering panel on
page 8929 ➤ Video Color Check group, change the setting to PAL.
The sample slot does not automatically update when you change the video
system preference. Turn video checking off and back on to see the change.
NOTE The Rendering panel also shows options for choosing alternate ways
to display illegal pixels. These apply to renderings only, not to the sample slots
in the Material Editor.

Make Preview, Play Preview, Save Preview

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Make/Play/Save Preview flyout
Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Make Preview, View
Preview, or Save Preview
You can use animated maps to add movement to a scene. For example, to
simulate a sky view, you could map an animation of moving clouds to a
clerestory window. The Make Preview options let you experiment with the
effect in the Material Editor before you apply it to your scene.
The buttons on the Make Preview, Play Preview, Save Preview flyout let you
preview the effect of an animated map on the object in a sample slot (see
Sample Type on page 6046 for alternatives to the default sphere.) You can use
an AVI file on page 8412, or IFL file on page 8420 as a source for the animation.
The finished preview is saved as a new AVI file and automatically played back.
You can also view the preview in a sample slot by dragging the time slider.
This flyout has three options:

■

Make PreviewDisplays a Create Material Preview dialog on page
6057 to create an AVI file of the animated material.

Compact Material Editor | 6055

When the preview is complete, it is saved as _medit.avi in the \previews
subdirectory. The file is then opened in the Windows Media Player and
played back.
Without this option, the only other way to preview a complex animated
material in real time is to use the renderer on page 7020 to render an animated
sequence and save it to an AVI file, a digital disk recorder, or a video tape
recorder.

■

Play PreviewUses the Windows Media Player to play the current
_medit.avi preview file in the \previews subdirectory.

■

Save PreviewSaves the _medit.avi preview to an AVI file of a different
name in the \previews subdirectory.

Procedures
To create a preview of an animated material:

1 Choose

(Make Preview) from the flyout.

2 In the Create Material Preview dialog, set the preview conditions you
want, and then click OK.
The preview is created, and then plays.
To play back a preview of an animated material:

■

Choose
(Play Preview) from the flyout.
The Material Editor starts the Windows Media Player. The Player then loads
the current _medit.avi preview file in the \previews subdirectory and plays
it in a separate window.

To view an animated material in a sample slot:
■

Drag the time slider through the range of frames.
By default, all sample slots with animated maps update at the same time.
To change this, see Material Editor Options on page 6059.

6056 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To save a preview under a different name:

1 Choose

(Save Preview) from the flyout.

The Material Editor displays a File Save dialog.
2 Enter a new name for the preview, and then click OK to save the file in
the \previews subdirectory.
To play a renamed preview:
1 Choose Rendering menu ➤ View Image Image.
2 In the View File dialog, change to the \previews subdirectory.
3 Select the renamed preview file and click Open.
The preview is played in a separate window.

Create Material Preview Dialog

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Make/Play/Save Preview flyout ➤

(Make Preview)
The Create Material Preview dialog is displayed when you click Make Preview
on page 6055 to preview an animated material. By default, the preview is saved
in the \previews subdirectory with the name _medit.avi. You can use Save
Preview to give the preview a different name so it won't be overwritten the
next time you use Make Preview.

Compact Material Editor | 6057

Interface

Preview Range group
Active Time Segment Renders the active time segment on page 9082.
Custom Range Renders a custom range from the start to the end frame you
specify in the spinners below.

Frame Rate group
These controls specify the playback rate.
Every Nth Frame Renders a regular sampling of the animation. For example,
a value of 8 includes only every eighth frame in the preview. Default=1 (every
frame).
Playback FPS Specifies the playback rate in frames per second. Default=30
(full speed).

6058 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Image Size group
Percent of Output Specifies the resolution of the preview. This value is a
percentage; 100 percent has a resolution of 101 x 99 pixels (the size of a sample
slot in the 3 x 2 array). Default=100.

Material Editor Options

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Material Editor Options)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Options menu ➤ Options
This button displays the Material Editor Options dialog to let help you control
how materials and maps are displayed in the sample slots on page 6025.
These settings are “sticky”; they survive a reset, and even quitting and restarting
3ds Max.
NOTE The controls to assign a renderer for the sample slots are on the Assign
Renderer rollout on page 7034.

Compact Material Editor | 6059

Interface

6060 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Manual Update When on, the sample slots don't update their contents until
you click them. This option affects only the updating of the sample slots; it
doesn't affect the icon displays in the Browser. Default=off.
Don't Animate When on, animated maps are not updated in the sample slots
while you play an animation or drag the time slider. However, the animation
is updated to the current frame when you stop the animation or release the
time slider. An animated map can use an AVI file on page 8412 or IFL file on
page 8420as a source. Default=off.
Animate Active Only When on, only the active sample slot is animated when
you play an animation or drag the time slider. This option is good for situations
where you have multiple animated materials in the Material Editor, but you
only need to see one at a time. This check box is unavailable when Don’t
Animate is on. Default=off.
Update Active Only When on, sample slots do not load or generate maps
until you make one sample slot active. This can save time while you use the
Material Editor, especially when your scene uses a lot of materials with maps.
Default=off.
Antialias Turns on antialiasing on page 9087 in the sample slots. Default=off.
Progressive Refinement Turns on progressive refinement in the sample slots.
When on, samples are rendered quickly, with large pixels, then rendered a
second time in greater detail. Default=off.
Simple Multi Display Below Top Level When on, the sample sphere for a
Multi/Sub-Object material displays the multiple patches only at the top level
of the material. The sub-materials are displayed over the entire sphere. When
you use nested Multi/Sub-Object materials, the multiple patches again appear
at the top level of the nested material, but the sample sphere is again whole
when displaying any of the sub-materials. Default=on.
Display Maps as 2D When on, sample slots display maps, including standalone
maps, in 2D. The map fills the entire slot. When off, maps are displayed on
the sample object, as materials are. Default=on.
Custom Background Lets you specify a custom background for the sample
slots, instead of the default checkers background. Click the file-assignment
button to display a file dialog from which you can select the custom
background. This can be any bitmap format supported by 3ds Max. Turn on
Custom Background to use the new background instead of the checkered
background. The custom background is stored in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42
file, so it is available from session to session. Default=off.

Compact Material Editor | 6061

Display Multi/Sub-Object Material Propagation Warning Toggles display
of warning dialog when you apply a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542 to
an instanced ADT style-based object.
Auto-Select Texture Map Size When on, and you have a material that uses
a texture map set to Use Real-World Scale, ensures that the map will be
displayed correctly on the sample sphere. Turn off to be able to enable Use
Real-World Map Size For Geometry Samples (see following).
NOTE If a material uses several texture maps at different levels, and only one is
set to Use Real-World Scale, the sample sphere will render with real-world size
coordinates.
Use Real-World Map Size For Geometry Samples This is a global setting that
allows you to manually choose which style of texture coordinates are used.
When on, real-world coordinates are used for the sample slot display.
Otherwise, the old style of 3ds Max mapping coordinates is active. When off,
you must turn on Use Real-World Scale on the map's Coordinates rollout to
see the sample sphere as you'd expect. Available only when Auto-Select Texture
Map Size (above) is off. Default=off.

_____
Top Light color / Back Light color Specify the two lights used in the sample
slots. Click the color swatch to alter the color of either light. Adjust the
Multiplier spinners to multiply the values (intensity) of the lights.
Use the Default buttons to return to the initial settings.
Ambient Light Shows the color of ambient light on page 9089 used in the
sample slots. Click the color swatch to change the color. When the lock button
is on, changing the Ambient Light color here or on the Environment panel
on page 7621 changes both; when off, changing one setting does not affect the
other.
Use the Default button to return to the initial setting.
Background Intensity Sets the background intensity in the sample slots. The
range is from 0 (black) to 1 (white). Default=0.2.
Use the Default button to return to the initial setting.
Render Sample Size Sets the scale of the sample sphere to any size, making
it consistent with the object or objects in the scene that have the texture on
them. This setting affects how 2D and 3D maps are displayed providing that
the sample spheres are set to display real-world scale.
NOTE The size is scaled to use the current units.

6062 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

This is a global option that affects all the sample slots. Default=100.0 (Imperial
units) and 2.54m (Metric units).
Use the Default button to return to the initial setting.
Default Texture Size Controls the initial size (both height and width) of a
newly created real-world texture. You see the result of changing this option
only when you create a new texture in a material; the change appears in the
Coordinates rollout on page 6622. Default=48.0 (Imperial units) and 1.219m
(Metric units).
NOTE This setting applies to real-world textures only. For the default size to be
applied to newly created textures, the Preferences dialog ➤ General panel ➤
Use Real-World Texture Coordinates check box must be on.
Use the Default button to return to the initial setting.

DirectX Shader group
These options affect the viewport behavior of the DirectX Shader material on
page 6597.
Force Software Rendering When on, forces DirectX Shader materials to use
the selected software render style for viewports. When off, the FX file specified
in the DirectX Shader is used unless the material's local Force Software
Rendering toggle is on. Default=off.
Shade Selected When Force Software Rendering is on, selected objects, and
only selected objects, are shaded by the DirectX Shader material. This toggle
is unavailable unless Force Software Rendering is on. Default=off.

Custom Sample Object group
Controls in this group let you specify a custom sample object on page 6047 to
use in the sample slots on page 6025.
File Name Selects the MAX scene file.
The scene should contain a single unlinked object that fits in an imaginary
cube 100 units on a side. The object must be either a primitive with a Generate
Mapping Coords. check box, or have a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 applied
to it. The scene can contain a camera and lights.
Load Camera and/or Lights Turn on to have sample slots use the camera
and lights in the scene, instead of the default sample slot lighting.

Compact Material Editor | 6063

Slots group
These options let you choose how many sample slots to display at a time.
The Material Editor always has 24 sample slots available. You can choose to
display fewer sample slots at a larger size. When you do, scroll bars let you
move around among the sample slots.
3 X 2 Specifies a 3 x 2 array of sample slots. (The default: 6 windows.)
5 X 3 Specifies a 5 X 3 array of sample slots. (15 windows.)
6 X 4 Specifies a 6 X 4 array of sample slots. (24 windows.)

_____
Apply Applies the current settings, except for changes to the Slots group,
without leaving the Material Editor Options dialog. This is useful when you
adjust lighting values for the sample slots.
OK Closes the dialog and applies any changes you made.
Cancel Closes the dialog and cancels any changes you made, including changes
you applied with the Apply button.

Select By Material

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Select By Material)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Select by Material
Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Select Objects by
Material
Select By Material allows you to select objects based on the active material in
the Material Editor. This command is unavailable unless the active sample
slot contains a material used in the scene.
Choosing this command opens the Select Objects dialog, which works like
Select From Scene on page 184. All objects that have the selected material
applied to them are highlighted in the list.

6064 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE Hidden objects don't appear in this list, even if the material is applied to
them. However, in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, you can choose Browse
From: Scene, turn on By Object, and then browse from the scene. This lists all
objects in the scene, hidden and unhidden, along with their assigned materials.

Procedures
To select objects that have the same material applied:
1 Click a sample slot that contains a material in the scene.
White corner brackets indicate materials that are in the scene.

2 In the Material Editor, click

(Select By Material).

This button is unavailable unless the active sample slot contains a material
in the scene.
The Select Objects dialog on page 184 opens. The names of objects with
the active material applied are highlighted.
3 Click Select to select objects with the active material applied.
You can also change the selection by choosing other objects. If you change

the selection, you must then click
(Assign Material To Selection)
on page 6070 to apply the active material to newly selected objects.

Material/Map Navigator

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Material/Map Navigator)

The Material/Map Navigator is a modeless dialog that provides quick navigation
through the hierarchy of maps on page 9215 in a material on page 9219, or of
sub-materials in a compound material on page 9119.
The Navigator displays the material and maps in the currently active sample
slot. You can navigate the hierarchy of the current material by clicking the
material or map listed in the Navigator. Conversely, as you navigate the

Compact Material Editor | 6065

material in the Material Editor, the current level is highlighted in the Navigator.
The selected material or map becomes active in the sample slot, while the
rollouts for the selected material or map are displayed below.
You can also drag from the Navigator to any valid sample slot or button in
the user interface.
Use the view buttons at the top to change the display. The list displayed in
the Navigator is similar to the one displayed in the Track View hierarchy.
See also:
■

Material/Map Browser on page 6167

Interface

NOTE Icons of materials and maps for which Show Standard/Hardware Map in
Viewport on page 6077 is on are red.
Also, the names of instanced on page 9195 materials and maps appear in boldface.
Both of these effects are shown in the following illustration:

6066 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The view buttons are as follows:

View List Displays the materials and maps in list format. Blue spheres
are materials. Green parallelograms are maps. The green parallelograms turn
red if Show Map in Viewport is on for a material.

View List + Icons Displays the materials and maps as small icons in a
list.

View Small Icons Displays the materials and maps as small icons. As
you move the mouse over the icons, tooltip labels show you the name of the
material or map.

View Large Icons Displays the materials and maps as large icons. As
you move the mouse over the icons, tooltip labels show you the name of the
material or map.
The large icons are labeled with the name of the material or map and are
displayed using progressive refinement. That is, samples are rendered quickly,
with large pixels, then rendered a second time in greater detail.

Compact Material Editor | 6067

Get Material

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Get Material)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Get Material
Get Material displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 to allow you to
choose a material on page 9219 or map on page 9215.

Procedures
To get a material from a scene:
1 Click a sample slot to make it active.
Be careful not to click the sample slot of a material you want to use later.

2 On the Material Editor toolbar, click

(Get Material).

3ds Max opens a modeless Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
3 In the list of materials, double-click the name of the material you want
to get.
The material you chose replaces the previous material in the active sample
slot.
WARNING When you get a material from a scene, initially it is a hot on page 9186
material.
To get a material from a library:

1 On the Material Editor toolbar, click

(Get Material).

3ds Max opens a modeless Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
2 In the Browser, open a library group.
3 In the list of materials, double-click the name of the material you want
to get.

6068 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The material you chose replaces the previous material in the active sample
slot.

Put Material to Scene

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Put Material to Scene)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Put to Scene
Put Material To Scene updates a material in the scene after you edit the
material.
Put Material To Scene is available only when:
■

The material in the active sample slot has the same name as a material in
a scene.

■

The material in the active sample slot is not hot.

In other words, this command is intended to fit into the overall sequence of
handling materials:
■

You create a hot material either by applying it to objects in the scene or
by getting it from the scene.

■

You make a copy of the material.

■

You make changes to the copy of the material.

■

You update the scene by putting the changed material back into the scene.

Notes
■

If you apply a mapped material to a parametric object whose Generate
Mapping Coords option is off, 3ds Max automatically turns on mapping
coordinates at render time. In addition, if you apply a mapped material
with Show Map in Viewport active to an object, that object's Generate
Mapping Coords option is turned on if necessary.

Compact Material Editor | 6069

■

The Show Map In Viewport flag is now saved with individual materials,
so you can drag mapped materials from the modeless Browser onto objects
in your scene, and the mapping appears in the viewports.

Procedures
To put a material back into a scene:

■

On the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click
(Put Material To
Scene).
The material in the active sample slot is now a hot material on page 9186.

Assign Material to Selection

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Assign Material to Selection)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Assign to Selection

(Slate Material Editor: Toolbar ➤

(Assign Material to Selection).)

Assign Material to Selection applies the material in the active sample slot to
the currently selected object or objects in the scene. At the same time, the
sample slot becomes hot on page 9186.
If you apply a mapped material to a parametric object whose Generate Mapping
Coords option is off, 3ds Max automatically turns on mapping coordinates
at render time. In addition, if you apply a mapped material with Show
Standard/Hardware Map In Viewport on page 6077 active to a parametric object,
that object's Generate Mapping Coords option is turned on if necessary.
The Show Map In Viewport flag is saved with individual materials, so when
you drag mapped materials from the modeless Browser on page 6167 onto objects
in your scene, the mapping appears in the viewports.
The Undo command works for material assignment.

6070 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To apply a material to objects in a scene:
1 Select the sample slot that contains the material you want to apply.
2 Select the objects you want to apply the material to.
3 Do one of the following:
■

Drag from the sample slot to the objects. If more than one object is
selected, 3ds Max asks whether you want to apply to the single object
or to the whole selection.

■

On the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click
To Selection).

(Assign Material

WARNING When you apply a material to an object or selection, that material
becomes a hot material on page 9186. When you change the material's properties,
the scene immediately updates to reflect those changes. Any object with that
material will change its appearance, not just the objects in the current selection.
When a material is hot, its sample slot is displayed with white corner brackets.

To make a material no longer hot so it doesn't change the current
scene, click Make Material Copy on page 6072.

Reset Map/Mtl to Default Settings

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Reset Map/Mtl to Default

Settings)
Reset Map/Mtl to Default Settings resets the values for the map or material in
the active sample slot.
The material colors are removed and set to shades of gray. Glossiness, opacity,
and so on are reset to their default values. Maps assigned to the material are
removed.

Compact Material Editor | 6071

If you are at a map level, this button resets the map to default values.
Reset changes the material name on page 6080 only when this field names a
material used in the scene.

Make Material Copy

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Make Material Copy)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Make Material Copy
Make Material Copy "cools" on page 9126 the current hot on page 9186 sample
slot by copying the material to itself.
The sample slot is no longer hot, but the material retains its properties and
name. You can adjust the material without affecting it in the scene. Once
you've got what you want, you can click Put Material to Scene on page 6069 to
update the material in the scene and change the sample slot to hot again.

Make Unique (Compact Material Editor)

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Make Unique)

Make Unique makes a map instance on page 9195 into a unique copy. It also
makes an instanced sub-material into a unique, standalone sub-material. It
gives the sub-material a new material name. A sub-material is a material within
a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542.
Using Make Unique prevents changes to the top-level material instance from
affecting the sub-material instance within the Multi/Sub-Object material.
You can also use Make Unique at the map level, when a map is instanced to
different components of the same material.

6072 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE If you drag an instanced map to a Material Editor sample slot, the Make
Unique button will not be available, because it is not clear from the context what
it would be unique relative to. Instead, you need to bring one of the parent maps
or materials into the Material Editor, browse down into the map, and then make
the map unique relative to that parent.

Procedures
Example: Create an instanced sub-material:

1

Create a box and a sphere.

2 Open the

Compact Material Editor.

3 Choose a sample slot, click the Material Type button, choose
Multi/Sub-Object in the Material/Map Browser, and then click OK.

4

Select the box, and then
material to it.

apply the new Multi/Sub-Object

5 Drag one of the Sub-Material buttons from the Material Editor to the
sphere.

6 Choose a different sample slot, and use
(Pick Material From Object)
to get the sub-material applied to the sphere.
At this point, the material applied to the sphere and the sub-material are
instances of each other.
7 Go to the parameters for the instanced sub-material by clicking its
Sub-Material button.

8

(Make Unique) is now available. Click it to make the sub-material
unique again, and assign it a new material name.
Make Unique is not available for the top-level instance of the sub-material.

Compact Material Editor | 6073

Put to Library

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Put to Library)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Put to Library

(Slate Material Editor:
(Material/Map Browser Options) ➤ Choose Open
Material Library. ➤ In the Browser, right-click a finished material (from the
Autodesk Materials, Scene Materials, Sample Slots group, or from a custom
group or library). ➤ Choose Copy To ➤ .)
Put To Library adds the selected material to the current library.
3ds Max opens a Put To Library dialog on page 6075, which lets you enter a
name for the material that’s different from the one you used in the Material
Editor.
The material becomes visible in the material library display in the Material/Map
Browser on page 6167. The material is saved to the library file on disk. (You can
also save a library by using the Save button in the Material/Map Browser.)

Procedures
To save a material in a library:
1 Click to select the sample slot that has the material you want to save.

2 On the Material Editor toolbar, click

(Put To Library).

3 3ds Max opens a Put To Library dialog on page 6075.
4 Either change the material name or leave it as is, and then click OK.
The material is saved in the currently open library. If no library is open,
a new library is created. You can save the new library as a file using the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 file controls.

6074 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Put to Library Dialog
Compact Material Editor ➤

(Put To Library)

The Put To Library dialog is displayed when you want to save the material in
an active sample slot on page 6025 into a material library file. It lets you change
the material's name before you save it.

Interface

Name Shows the name of the material to save. You can edit this name to save
it under a different name.

Material ID Channel Flyout

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Material ID Channel flyout
(Slate Material Editor: Right-click a material node. ➤ Choose Material ID
Channel.)
The buttons on the Material ID Channel flyout tag a material as a target for
a Video Post on page 7707 effect or a rendering effect on page 7515, or for storing
with a rendered image saved in RLA on page 8453 or RPF on page 8455 file format
(so that the channel value can be used in a post-processing application). The
material ID value is the counterpart of a G-buffer value on page 9173 for objects.

Compact Material Editor | 6075

Zero (0), the default, indicates that no material ID channel is assigned.
A value from 1 to 15 means to apply a Video Post or rendering effect that uses
this channel ID to this material.
For example, you might want a material to glow wherever it appears in the
scene. The material is in the Material Editor and the glow comes from a
rendering effect. First, you add a Glow rendering effect on page 7531 and set it
up so that it operates on ID 1. Use Material ID Channel to give the material
an ID number of 1, then apply the material to objects in the scene in the usual
way.
To save the channel data with the rendering, use the RLA or RPF format.
WARNING The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not recognize Z-depth with
G-buffers. G-buffer data is saved on a single layer. Also, the mental ray renderer
does not support the following effects:
■

Glow lens effect on page 7531 (rendering effect)

■

Ring lens effect on page 7538 (rendering effect)

■

Lens effects Focus filter on page 7801 (Video Post)

Procedures
To assign a material ID channel to a material:

■

Choose a channel number from the

Material ID Channel flyout.

NOTE Giving a material a nonzero ID channel number tells the renderer to
generate a material ID channel containing that value. This information is stored
in images only if you save the rendered scene in RLA or RPF format. However,
the ID channel data is available to rendering effects at render time.

6076 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Show Standard/Hardware Map in Viewport

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Show Standard/Hardware Map in
Viewport flyout
Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Show Materials in
Viewport As on page 134
Main 3ds Max menu ➤ Views menu ➤ Show Materials in Viewport As on
page 134
(Slate Material Editor: Toolbar ➤ Show Standard/Hardware Map in Viewport
flyout.)
This control lets you switch between using software and hardware (DirectX
9.0c and above) for the viewport display, and also toggles the display of
mapped materials on the surfaces of objects in shaded viewports with the
interactive renderer on page 9343.
The control for showing maps in viewports is a flyout with four possible states:

■

Show Standard Map in Viewport [off]: Uses the 3ds Max software
display and disables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Standard Map in Viewport [on]: Uses the 3ds Max software
display and enables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Hardware Map in Viewport [off]: Uses the hardware display
and disables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Hardware Map in Viewport [on]: Uses the hardware display
and enables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

For details, see Showing Maps in Viewports on page 6006.

Compact Material Editor | 6077

Show End Result

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Show End Result)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Show End Result
(Slate Material Editor: Right-click a material node. ➤ Choose Open Preview

Window. ➤ Preview window ➤

(Show End Result).)

Show End Result lets you look at the material at the level you're on instead
of looking at the end result of all the other maps on page 9215 and settings.

When this button is on, the sample slot shows the “end result”: the
combination of all maps and shaders in the material tree.

When this button is off, the sample slot shows only the current level
of the material. This tool is useful when you are working with compound
materials on page 9119. It would be difficult to see exactly what effect you're
creating on a particular level if you didn't have the ability to turn off the
display of the other levels.

Go to Parent

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Go to Parent)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Navigation menu ➤ Go to Parent
Go To Parent moves up one level in the current material.
This button is available only when you are not at the top level of a compound
material on page 9119. You can tell you're at the top level when this button is

6078 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

unavailable and the name in the edit field matches the name in the Material
Editor title bar.
A typical situation is one in which you have a material with a Diffuse map.
The Material level is the parent and the Diffuse map is the child. The Go To
Parent button becomes available at the level of the Diffuse map.
TIP You can also navigate through the levels of a material with the Material/Map
Navigator on page 6065.

Go Forward to Sibling

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Go Forward to Sibling)

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Navigation menu ➤ Go Forward to
Sibling
Go Forward To Sibling moves to the next map or material at the same level
in the current material.
This button is available only when you are not at the top level of a compound
material on page 9119, and there is more than one map or material at the current
level.
A typical situation is one in which you have a material with a Diffuse map, a
Bump map, and a Glossiness map. The Material level is the parent and the
Diffuse map, Bump map, and Glossiness map are its children. Go Forward To
Sibling becomes available at the level of the children and allows you to go
from one to another.
You can also navigate through the levels of a material with the Material/Map
Navigator on page 6065.

Pick Material From Object (Eyedropper)

(Material Editor): Compact ➤

(Pick Material From Object)

Compact Material Editor | 6079

Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Pick from Object

(Slate Material Editor: Toolbar ➤

(Pick Material From Object).)

Pick Material From Object lets you select a material from an object in the
scene. Click the eyedropper button, and then move the eyedropper cursor
over the objects in the scene. When the eyedropper cursor is over an object
containing a material, it fills with "ink" and a tooltip with the name of the
object pops up. Click the object. The material is placed in the active sample
slot.
If the material is already in the active sample slot, the eyedropper has no effect.
If the eyedropper cursor is over an editable mesh on page 2190 with faces selected
at the sub-object level, and the mesh has a Multi/Sub-Object material on page
6542 applied to it, then the eyedropper picks up the sub-material. However, if
the selected faces have more than one sub-material assigned to them, then
the eyedropper picks up the entire Multi/Sub-Object material.

Name Field (Materials and Maps)

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Material Name field
(Slate Material Editor: Double-click a material or map node. ➤ Parameter
Editor panel ➤ Name field)
The Name field displays the name of the material or map. Default material
names are "01 − Default," and so on, the number changing to reflect the
material's sample slot. Maps are named "Map #1," and so on.

You can edit this field to change the name of the material in the active sample
slot. You can also edit the names of maps and sub-materials assigned at lower
levels of the map or material hierarchy.
The name of the material is not a file name: it can contain spaces, numbers,
and special characters. It can be of any length.
This field also functions as a drop-down list. At the top level, it shows only
the material or map name. At lower levels of the hierarchy, drop the list down
to see the names of ancestors to the map or material. The top level is at the

6080 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

top of the list, the current level is at the bottom, and intermediate levels appear
between them.

Procedures
To give a material a different name:
■

Edit the name field that appears below the Material Editor toolbar.
The name of the active material appears in the title bar of the Material
Editor dialog.

Type Button (Materials and Maps)

(Material Editor): Compact ➤ Type button
Compact Material Editor menu bar ➤ Material menu ➤ Change
Material/Map Type
Click the Type button to display the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and
choose which material type or map type to use.

Type button is at the right of the Material Editor, below the
horizontal toolbar.

When changing a material's type, the original material type is replaced unless
you choose a compound material on page 9119, in which case 3ds Max opens
a Replace Material dialog on page 6082. The Replace Material dialog lets you
choose between discarding the original material or using it as a sub-material
within the new material.
For a standalone map (a map at the top level), clicking the Type button lets
you change the map type instead of the material type. However, you can't use
this button to make a map standalone. To make a standalone map, click Get
Material on page 6068 and choose a map from the Browser it displays.
When you change the type of a standalone map, 3ds Max opens a Replace
Map dialog on page 6082. The Replace Map dialog lets you choose between
discarding the original map or using it as a sub-map within the new map.

Compact Material Editor | 6081

Replace Map Dialog
Compact Material Editor ➤ Go to a map level or a standalone map. ➤ Type
button ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Choose a compound map.
The Replace Map dialog is displayed when you change a map type to any type
of map that can have sub-maps. It gives you the choice of replacing the original
("old") map completely, or using the original map as a sub-map of the new
map.

Interface

Discard old map Discards the old map.
Keep old map as sub-map Retains the old map as a sub-map.

Replace Material Dialog
Compact Material Editor ➤ Type button ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Choose
a compound material.
The Replace Material dialog is displayed when you change a material type to
one of the compound material types on page 6529. It gives you the choice of
replacing the original ("old") material completely, or using the original material
as a sub-material of the new material.

6082 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Discard old material Discards the old material.
Keep old material as sub-material Retains the old material as a sub-material.

Slate Material Editor
The Slate Material Editor is a material editor interface that uses nodes and
wiring to graphically display the structure of materials while you design and
edit them. It is an alternative to the Compact Material Editor on page 6020.
In general, the Slate interface is more versatile when you are designing
materials, while the Compact interface is more convenient when you just
need to apply materials that have already been designed.
The Slate interface is a graphical interface with several elements. Most
prominent are the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, where you can browse
for materials, maps, and base material and map types on page 6168; the currently
active View, where you can combine materials and maps; and the Parameter
Editor, where you can change material and map settings.

Slate Material Editor | 6083

1. Menu bar
2. Toolbar
3. Material/Map Browser
4. Status
5. Active View
6. View navigation
7. Parameter Editor
8. Navigator

The main visual elements of this interface are where you do most of your
work.
■

Material/Map Browser
This panel is a modeless on page 9224 version of the Material/Map Browser
on page 6167. To edit a material, drag it from the Material/Map Browser panel
to the View. To create a new material or map, drag it from the Materials
group or the Maps group.

■

Active View

6084 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The currently active View is where you construct material trees by wiring
maps or controllers to material components. See Material and Map Nodes
in the Active View on page 6086.
You can create a number of Views for the materials in your scene, and
choose the active View from among them. See Creating and Managing
Named Views on page 6142.
■

Parameter Editor
The Parameter Editor is where you adjust detailed settings for maps and
materials. See The Parameter Editor: Changing Material and Map Settings
on page 6135.

Floating or Docking Slate Material Editor Windows
You can float Slate Material Editor windows, except for the View.
To float a window such as the Material/Map Browser, Navigator, or Parameter
Editor:
■

Drag the window’s title bar away from the window’s default location.

To dock a floating window in its default location:
■

Double-click the window’s title bar.
3ds Max docks the window back in its default location, as shown in the
illustration above.

By default, each Preview window on page 6095 opens as a floating window.
When you dock a preview window, it docks at the upper left of the Slate
Material Editor dialog.

Custom Configuration Files
When you customize the Slate Material Editor interface, changes persist
between sessions of 3ds Max. Material/Map Browser interface files have a MPL
file name extension; for example, our_mental_ray_layout.mpl. Slate Material
Editor layout is saved in the file docking.cfg. These files are saved in the
application data folder; for example,
\users\\appdata\local\autodesk\3dsmax\2011 - 32bit\enu\sme\.
To reset the appearance of the Material/Map Browser, you also can open the
Options menu and choose Additional Options ➤ Reset Material/Map Browser.

Slate Material Editor | 6085

NOTE The rendering in a Preview window does not remain valid between sessions
of 3ds Max, or when you open a new scene.

Procedure
To view the Slate Material Editor:

■

On the main toolbar, click

(Material Editor):Slate, or press M.

Material and Map Nodes in the Active View
When you edit materials and maps, these appear in the active View as “nodes”
that you can wire together.

Example of a material node

To place a material or map node in the active View:
■

Find the material or map you want on the Material/Map Browser panel on
page 6167, then drag its name or icon from the Material Pool into the active
View.

There are several components to a node:
■

The title bar shows a small preview icon, followed by the name of the
material or map, and then the material or map type.

■

Below the title bar are “slots” that show components of the material or
map.
By default, the Slate Material Editor displays only slots that you can map.

6086 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

To the left side of each slot, a circular “socket” is for input.

■

To the right of the entire node, a circular “socket” is for output.

Input and output sockets
1. Input sockets to the material’s slots
2. Output socket for the entire material

You can “collapse” a node to hide its slots, or “expand” it to show the slots.
You can also resize a node horizontally, so the slot names are easier to read.

Node display controls
1. Collapse/expand the node.
2. Resize the node.

Slate Material Editor | 6087

Left: An open node (the open/close icon is a minus sign)
Right: The same node after closing it (the open/close icon changes to a plus sign)

Left: An open node
Right: The same node after resizing it by dragging the resize icon

You can enlarge the size of the preview in a node’s title bar by double-clicking
the preview. To reduce the preview size, double-click the preview again.

6088 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: A node with the default preview size
Right: The preview has been enlarged by double-clicking it. (A second double-click
returns to the small size.)

Selecting, Moving, and Laying Out Nodes
When a node is selected in the View, it shows a white border. When it is not
selected, the border is gray.

To select a node, make sure the Select tool on page 6154 is active, then
click the node. To select multiple nodes, use Ctrl+click (Alt+click removes a
node from the current selection), or drag a selection rectangle around the
nodes. The Select menu on page 6146 has options for modifying the current
selection.

To deselect nodes, make sure the Select tool is active, then click a blank
area of the View.
Dragging a selected node moves it in the View.
Shift+dragging a selected node clones that node. Ctrl+Shift+dragging a node
clones the node and all the node’s children. These cloning methods also work
for multiple selections.

Slate Material Editor | 6089

There are a number of options for moving and laying out nodes:

■

Move Children (Options menu ➤ Move Children on page 6150)
When this is on, moving a node moves its child nodes along with it. When
it is off, moving a node moves only that node.
Temporary shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+drag moves a node with its children, but
doesn’t turn on the Move Children toggle.

■

Layout All - Vertical and Layout All - Horizontal (View menu
➤ Layout All on page 6149) Arrange all nodes in an automatic layout, along
either a vertical or a horizontal axis.

■

Layout Children (View menu ➤ Layout Children on page 6149)
Automatically lays out the children of the selected node.

Hot and Cool Materials
A material node is "hot" on page 9186 when the material in the node is assigned
to one or more surfaces in the scene. When you use the Slate Material Editor
to adjust a hot material node, the material in the scene changes at the same
time.
In the title bar of the node, the corners of the material preview indicate
whether the material is a hot material:

■

■

No triangles: The material is not used in the scene.

Outlined white triangles: The material is hot. In other words,
it is instanced in the scene. Changes you make to the material in the Slate
Material Editor will change the material displayed in the scene.

6090 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Solid white triangles: The material is not only hot, but is
applied to the currently selected object.

A material is "cool" on page 9126 if it is not applied to any object in the scene.
To make a hot material node cool, clone it by using Shift+drag or
Ctrl+Shift+drag. This makes a copy of the material (or of the material plus its
maps) that is not used in the scene.

Procedures
To give a material or map a different name, do one of the following:
■

In the Material/Map Browser ➤ Scene Materials group, or any library,
right-click the name of the material and choose Rename.

■

In the active View, right-click the material node, and choose Rename.

3ds Max opens a Rename dialog, which lets you enter a new name for the
material.

The name of a material is not a file name: it can contain spaces, numbers, and
special characters.
To edit a material:
■

Drag the material from the Material/Map Browser ➤ Scene Materials group
(or any library) to the active View.
3ds Max opens an Instance (Copy) dialog. Choose Instance, and then click
OK.

Slate Material Editor | 6091

To edit the settings of a material or map:
■

Double-click the node whose settings you want to edit.
The rollouts for the material or map appear in the Parameter Editor, where
you can change settings.

To create a new material:
■

Drag the material from the Material/Map Browser ➤ Material group to
the active View.
3ds Max places a node for the material in the active View.
TIP When you create a new material, it is a good idea to give it a new name
immediately.

To make a copy of a material:
■

Drag the material from the Material/Map Browser ➤ Scene Materials group
(or any library) to the active View.
3ds Max opens an Instance (Copy) dialog. Choose Copy, and then click
OK.

6092 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP When you create a copy of a material, it is a good idea to give it a new
name immediately.

To get a material from the scene:

1 On the Slate Material Editor toolbar,
Object on page 6154).

click (Pick Material From

2 In a viewport, click the object with the material you want to get.
TIP In the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, the Scene Materials group
always contains all the materials used in the scene.

To apply a material to objects in a scene:
■

In the Slate Material Editor, drag from the material node’s output socket
into a viewport, and drop the wire over the object.
As you drag in the viewport, a tooltip appears over each object beneath
the mouse, showing the object's name. You can apply the material whether
the object is selected or not. Release the mouse to apply the material.

Slate Material Editor | 6093

Dragging from a material node’s output socket to an object in the scene
(The wire itself is not displayed in the viewport.)

If the object isn't selected, or if it's the only object selected in the scene,
the material is applied immediately. If the object is one of several selected
objects in the scene, 3ds Max prompts you to choose whether to apply the
material to the single object only or to the whole selection (the latter is
the default choice).

You can also apply a material to a selection by making a selection of scene
objects, selecting the material node in the active View, then clicking
(Assign Material to Selection on page 6154) on the Slate Material Editor
toolbar.

6094 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To remove a material from an object:

1

Select the object.

2 In the MAXScript Listener on page 8817, enter $.material=undefined.
To select objects that have the same material applied:
When a material in the Slate Material Editor is applied to objects in the scene,
you can use the Slate Material Editor to select the objects.
1 In the active View, right-click the material node, then choose Select ➤
Select By Material.
3ds Max opens a Select Objects dialog on page 184. In the list of objects,
all objects with this material assigned are highlighted.
2 Click Select to select those objects and close the Select Objects dialog.
To add a map to the active View:
■

Drag the map from the Material/Map Browser ➤ Maps group, or any other
group, to the active View.
3ds Max places a node for the map in the active View.

Preview Window for Maps and Materials
Slate Material Editor ➤ current View ➤ Right-click a material or map node.
➤ Open Preview Window.
The Preview window for materials and maps helps you visualize how the
material or map will appear in the scene.
You can open any number of Preview windows. You can also use a single
Preview window to display previews for all nodes in the active View, by using
the drop-down list at the bottom of the Preview window.

Procedures
To display a Preview window:
■

Right-click the node, and from the pop-up menu, choose Open Preview
Window.

Slate Material Editor | 6095

To close a Preview window:
■

Click the X button in the upper-right corner of the window.

To change the sample geometry used in the preview window:
■

Right-click a material node, and choose Preview Object Type ➤ Sphere
(the default), Cylinder, or Box.

Interface
NOTE When you open a new scene, the Preview window remains on display, but
it might not correspond to any material in the new scene: It is best if you close
old previews before you choose New.
When you close 3ds Max, all Preview windows are closed: They are not saved with
the scene.

Auto toggle / Update button When the Auto toggle is on, 3ds Max
automatically renders the preview again when you make changes to the
material or map settings. Default=on.
When the Auto toggle is off, the Update button is enabled. Click Update to
render the preview again, in order to see changes made to the material or map
settings.

6096 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Show End Result This button is enabled when the Preview window displays
a map.

When the button is off, the preview shows only the map itself.

When the button is on, the preview shows the end result: that is, the
map as it is used by the material.
Preview rendering The main part of the Preview window is a rendering of
the material or map, applied to a sample object. (You can change the sample
object type: see Preview Object Type on page 6118.)
You can resize the Preview window by dragging its edges or corners like any
Windows window. Making the Preview window larger can help you visualize
how a material will appear in the scene. However, larger windows take longer
to render.
Material/Map drop-down list The drop-down list at the bottom of the Preview
window lets you choose any material or map that is currently in the View.
Changing this selection changes the preview.
The choice Follow Current Selection lets the preview show any material or
map in the current View: As you click in the View to select material or map
nodes, the preview shows the node you selected most recently. (If you select
multiple nodes, the preview shows only the last node you selected before
making a multiple selection.)

Wiring Nodes
To map a material component, you wire a map node to the input socket for
that component’s slot. Drag from the map socket to the material socket.

Slate Material Editor | 6097

A map node and a material node in the View

6098 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Dragging from the map node’s output socket creates a wire.

Slate Material Editor | 6099

Dropping the end of the wire on a slot’s input socket completes the wiring.
Notice that the preview icon in the material node’s title bar now shows a texture map.
The Slate Material Editor also adds a Bezier Float controller node to control the map
Amount.

While the Select tool is active, you can select a wire by clicking it, just
as you select a node. The selected wire turns white.
3ds Max gives you a great variety in the way you can combine maps, so the
map tree as it appears in the view can take various forms.

6100 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A material with one map for diffuse color, and another for bump mapping

Slate Material Editor | 6101

A material with a single map used for both diffuse and bump mapping

Because some maps combine other maps, a material tree can have more than
two levels.

A four-level tree that uses Multi/Sub maps and a Composite map

6102 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To apply a map to a material component:
■

Drag to create a wire between the map’s output socket and the input socket
for the component slot.

To remove a mapping, do one of the following:

■

In the View,
click a map node to select the map, then click
(Delete Selected) or press Delete.
To replace the map, you will need to drag another map from the
Material/Map Browser panel.

Slate Material Editor | 6103

Before and after deleting a map

■

In the View,

click the wire between the map and the material, then

click
(Delete Selected) or press Delete.
The map node remains in the View, where you can reuse it.

6104 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Before and after deleting a wire

■

Drag the wire away from the input socket where it has been connected.
The map node remains in the View, where you can reuse it.

Slate Material Editor | 6105

Before and after disconnecting a wire

■

Select an object, then in the MAXScript Listener on page 8817, enter
$.material.diffusemap=undefined (the names of the map components vary
with the material type: See the MAXScript Help for details).
To replace the map, you will need to drag another map from the
Material/Map Browser panel.

Alternative Wiring Methods
The Slate Material Editor gives you some alternative ways to wire a material
tree.
■

You can drag from the parent to the child (that is, from the material slot
to the map) as well as from the child to the parent.

■

Another way to create a child node is to double-click an unused input
socket. This displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, which lets you
choose a material or map type, as appropriate. The material or map you
choose in the Browser becomes a new node in the Slate Material Editor.

■

If you drag to create a wire, but then release the mouse over an empty area
of the View, 3ds Max displays a shortcut “context” menu on page 6170 that
lets you create a new node of the appropriate type.

6106 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Releasing a new wire over an empty part of the view opens a menu for creating a new
node.

(This version of the context menu does not include the Hide/Unhide
Children choices that appear when you are not creating a wire.)
TIP You can drag backward from an input socket as well as forward from an
output socket.
■

If you drag the wire to the title bar of the target node, a pop-up menu lets
you choose which component slot to wire.

If the target node has only one socket appropriate to that material or map,
3ds Max doesn’t display the pop-up menu. Instead, it creates the wire
immediately.

Slate Material Editor | 6107

■

If you drag the wire to a closed node, or a node that has hidden unused
slots, 3ds Max temporarily opens the node so you can choose the socket
to wire. After wiring is completed, 3ds Max closes the node again.

■

To replace one map with another, drag from the new map’s output socket
to the output socket of the original map. This has the advantage that you
don’t need to rewire all the input sockets that might be in use.

■

To insert a node into an existing wire, drag the node from the Material/Map
Browser panel and drop it on the wire. The cursor changes to let you know
you are inserting the node.

Two nodes wired together

6108 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The cursor indicates that the node you are dropping will be inserted into the wire.

Slate Material Editor | 6109

A pop-up menu appears so you can choose which input socket to wire.

6110 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The new node has been inserted into the wire.
(Layout adjusted a bit for clarity)

NOTE If you drag and drop a material in this way, it is not inserted into the
wire. Instead, 3ds Max wires the map as an input to the material, and the
material’s output socket remains free (not wired).
Another way to insert a node is to drag from one of the node’s input sockets
to the wire.

Slate Material Editor | 6111

Two nodes wired together, and a “free” node to insert

6112 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Dragging an input socket to the wire inserts the node.

Slate Material Editor | 6113

After insertion

A third way to do this is simply to drag the new node over the wire, and
drop it when the insertion cursor appears. If the map could apply to more
than one input slot, a pop-up menu prompts you to choose the slot you
want.
■

To disconnect an inserted node, drag it, and then press the Alt key. If more
than one of the inserted node’s input sockets is connected, a pop-up menu
lets you choose which input socket to disconnect.

Right-Click Menu for Material and Map Nodes
Slate Material Editor ➤ current View ➤ Right-click a material or map node.
➤ Right-click menu
Right-clicking a material or map node displays a menu that has a variety of
options for displaying and managing the material or map.

6114 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To assign a material ID channel to a material:
■

In the View, right-click a material node, and choose a channel number
from the Material ID Channel submenu.
NOTE Giving a material a nonzero ID channel number tells the renderer to
generate a material ID channel containing that value. This information is stored
in images only if you save the rendered scene in RLA or RPF format. However,
the ID channel data is available to rendering effects at render time.

Slate Material Editor | 6115

Interface

Left: Right-click menu for a material
Right: Right-click menu for a map

Assign Material to Selection This choice appears only for material nodes.
Assigns the current material to all objects in the current selection.
Keyboard shortcut: A
Menu choice: Material menu ➤ Assign Material to Selection

Toolbar button:

(Assign Material to Selection)

6116 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Rename Opens a dialog that lets you rename the material or map.

Edit Bitmap This choice appears only for map nodes that are Bitmaps on page
6636.
If you have specified a bitmap editor such as Paint or Photoshop, choosing
Edit Bitmap launches that editor and opens the current bitmap in the editor.
You can specify a bitmap editor in the Slate Material Editor Options dialog
on page 6150.

_____
Open Preview Window Opens a Preview window on page 6095.
Update Preview When Auto Update Preview is off, use this to update the
preview in the title bar of the node.
NOTE This choice affects only the title bar of the node. Open Preview windows
have their own Auto/Update controls, which are independent of the node display.
Auto Update Preview When on, changes to material settings automatically
update the preview in the title bar of the node. Default=on.
NOTE This toggle affects only the title bar of the node. Open Preview windows
have their own Auto/Update controls, which are independent of the node display.
When Auto Update Preview is turned off, a small “not” icon appears in the
preview on the title bar of the node.

Slate Material Editor | 6117

Preview icon
when Auto
Update is
turned off

Preview Object Type This choice appears only for material nodes.
Lets you choose the sample object that appears in previews on page 6095:
■

Sphere (The default.)

■

Cylinder

■

Box

NOTE This choice applies to both open Preview windows and the title bar of the
material node.
Show Background in Preview This choice appears only for material nodes.
Turning on Show Background In Preview adds a multicolored checkered
background to the Preview window on page 6095 for that material. The pattern
background is helpful when you want to see effects of opacity and
transparency. Default=off.
NOTE This choice applies to both open Preview windows and the title bar of the
material node.

6118 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: Background on
Right: Background off

Toolbar button:

(Show Background in Preview)

Show Backlight This choice appears only for material nodes.
When on, previews on page 6095 show a backlight. When off, the backlight is
turned off. Default=on.
NOTE This choice applies to both open Preview windows and the title bar of the
material node.

Slate Material Editor | 6119

Left: Backlight on
Right: Backlight off

The effect is most easily seen with the sample spheres, where the backlight
highlights the lower-right edge of the sphere.
Backlight is especially useful whenever you're creating metal on page 6400 and
Strauss on page 6405 materials. Backlight lets you see and adjust the specular
highlight created by glancing light, which is much brighter on metals.
Preview UV Tiling This choice appears only for material nodes.
Adjusts the repetition of the map on page 9215 pattern on the sample object in
previews on page 6095.
NOTE This choice applies to both open Preview windows and the title bar of the
material node.

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1x1, 2x2, and 3x3 sample tiling

The tiling pattern you set with this option affects only previews. It has no effect
on the tiling on the geometry in the scene, which you control with parameters
in the map's own coordinates rollout.
■

1x (The default.) Tile once in both the U and V dimensions. This is
equivalent to no tiling at all.

■

2x Tile twice in U and V.

■

3x Tile three times in U and V.

The choices specify the number of times the pattern repeats over the surface
of the sample object. Because maps are mapped spherically around the sample
sphere, the tiling on page 9328 repetition covers the entire surface of the sphere.
The sample cylinder maps cylindrically. The sample box uses box mapping:
The tiling appears on each side of the cube.

_____
Show Standard Map in Viewport This choice appears only for map nodes.
When on, 3ds Max displays the map in viewports. When off, viewports don’t
show the map, and display only the material’s underlying color. Default=off.

Toolbar button:

(Show Map in Viewport)

Show Hardware Map in Viewport Uses the hardware display and enables
viewport display of all maps for the active material. Default=off.

Slate Material Editor | 6121

Material ID Channel The choices on this submenu tag a material as a target
for a Video Post on page 7707 effect or a rendering effect on page 7515, or for
storing with a rendered image saved in RLA on page 8453 or RPF on page 8455 file
format (so that the channel value can be used in a post-processing application).
The material ID value is the counterpart of a G-buffer value on page 9173 for
objects.
Zero (#0), the default, indicates that no material ID channel is assigned.
A value from #1 to #15 means to apply a Video Post or rendering effect that
uses this channel ID to this material.
For example, you might want a material to glow wherever it appears in the
scene. The material is in the Material Editor and the glow comes from a
rendering effect. First, you add a Glow rendering effect on page 7531 and set it
up so that it operates on ID #1. Use Material ID Channel to give the material
an ID number of #1, then apply the material to objects in the scene in the
usual way.
To save the channel data with the rendering, use the RLA or RPF format.
WARNING The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not recognize Z-depth with
G-buffers. G-buffer data is saved on a single layer. Also, the mental ray renderer
does not support the following effects:
■

Glow lens effect on page 7531 (rendering effect)

■

Ring lens effect on page 7538 (rendering effect)

■

Lens effects Focus filter on page 7801 (Video Post)

_____
Select
■

Select Children Selects the children of the node you right-clicked.

■

Deselect Children Deselects the children of the node you right-clicked.

■

Select Tree Selects all nodes that belong to the tree whose node you
right-clicked.

■

Select by Material (This choice appears only for material nodes.)
Select By Material allows you to select objects based on the active material
in the Material Editor. Choosing this command opens the Select Objects
dialog, which works like Select From Scene on page 184. All objects that
have the selected material applied to them are highlighted in the list.

6122 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE Hidden objects don't appear in this list, even if the material is applied
to them. However, in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, you can choose
Browse From: Scene, turn on By Object, and then browse from the scene. This
lists all objects in the scene, hidden and unhidden, along with their assigned
materials.

Toolbar button:

(Select by Material)

Layout Children Automatically arranges the layout of the children of the
currently selected node.
Keyboard shortcut: C
Menu choice: View ➤ Layout Children

Toolbar button:

(Layout Children)

Hide Child Tree When on, the View hides children of the currently selected
node. When off, child nodes are displayed. Default=off.
When child nodes are hidden, you can tell which slots have maps, because
their sockets are displayed in green instead of blue.

Slate Material Editor | 6123

Green-colored sockets indicate that even though child
nodes are hidden, the first two slots of this material
have a map.

_____
Hide Unused Nodeslots For a selected node, toggles display of the unused
slots when the node is open.
Keyboard shortcut: H
Menu choice: View ➤ Hide Unused Nodeslots

6124 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Toolbar button:

(Hide Unused Nodeslots)

Hide/Show All Maps Hides or shows all map slots for this node.
Hide/Show All Additional Params Hides or shows the Additional Param[eter]s
section for this node.
Hide/Show All mr Connection Hides or shows the mr Connection on page
6215 section for this node.
Show/Hide Slots Displays submenus that let you choose which material or
map components to display as node slots.
■

Maps (Appears only for materials, and for maps that have mappable
components themselves.) This submenu lists the individual mappable
components of the material or map. Choose a component to either hide
it or display it.

■

Additional Params This submenu lists the additional, nonmappable settings
for the material or map. Choose a component to either hide it or display
it.

■

mr Connection This submenu lists the additional mental ray connection
on page 6215 settings for the material.

When Additional Parameters or mr Connection settings are displayed, they
have their own Open/Close (+/–) icon, like the node itself.

Slate Material Editor | 6125

A node with the Additional Params displayed but closed

6126 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The same node with the list of Additional Params
➤ Shader Basic Params group opened

Slate Material Editor | 6127

NOTE You can edit the value of additional parameters in the node display itself.
In general, though, it is easier to edit parameters using the The Parameter Editor:
Changing Material and Map Settings on page 6135.
Both the Maps and Additional Params submenus have two choices that follow
the individual component entries:
■

Show All Shows all maps or additional parameters.

■

Hide All Hides all maps or additional parameters.

_____
Curve Editor Opens the Curve Editor on page 3986. If the material or map has
animation, the animated track is displayed. If the material or map has multiple
animated tracks, only the first is displayed, and you must navigate in the
Controller window on page 3833 to find the others.
Dope Sheet Opens the Dope Sheet on page 3842. If the material or map has
animation, the animated track is displayed. If the material or map has multiple
animated tracks, only the first is displayed, and you must navigate in the
Controller window on page 3833 to find the others.

Controller Nodes
In addition to materials and maps, the Material/Map Browser panel has entries
for controllers, allowing you to animate materials.

Example of a controller node

NOTE The Create Controllers group in the Material/Map Browser doesn’t appear
when you open a modal Browser from the Compact Material Editor on page 6020
or the Environment And Effects dialog on page 7514.

6128 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To use a controller node, add it to the active View by dragging it from the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167. Then wire the controller to the material
or map parameter that you want to animate. Although by default the Slate
Material Editor doesn’t show “additional parameters that can’t be mapped,
when you use controllers, you probably want to display these: see Show/Hide
Slots on page 6125.
The Slate Material Editor automatically adds controller nodes when you add
certain map types. For example, when you wire a Bitmap to a material, a Bezier
Float controller for the map Amount parameter also appears.

Controller node wired to a (nonmappable) scalar parameter

When you wire nodes, and the input socket you choose isn’t appropriate for
the output being wired, 3ds Max displays the socket in red, and doesn’t
complete the wiring. This can happen with maps as well, but it happens more
often for controllers. In the illustration, for example, the controller generates
a single scalar value, so you can’t use it to control a three-value setting such
as a color.

Slate Material Editor | 6129

Attempting to wire a 1-value output to a 3-value input

Animating Controller Values
Controllers provide a number of ways to animate the settings of a material or
map. Most of these methods are standard 3ds Max techniques:

■

Turn on
controller value.

(Auto Key) then at various frames, change the

6130 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE Unless the material is applied to an object in the scene that is currently
selected, you won’t see the new keys on the track bar.

■

Turn on
(Set Key), then at various frames, change the controller
value and then right-click the node and choose Add Key to create a key
for the controller value.

With this method, you use right-click ➤ Add Key instead of
(Set Keys), because by default, the button sets only transform keys.
NOTE Unless the material is applied to an object in the scene that is currently
selected, you won’t see the new keys on the track bar.
■

Use the controller’s properties dialog, if it has one, to set up animation.
TIP To see the properties dialog, right-click the controller node.

■

Use Track View on page 3827 to adjust the animation.
TIP You can launch either the Curve Editor or the Dope Sheet by right-clicking
the controller node and choosing which version of Track View to display.

Right-Click Menu for Controller Nodes
The right-click menu for controller nodes is similar to the right-click menu
for material and map nodes, but it has some additional choices for creating
animation.

Slate Material Editor | 6131

Interface

Rename Opens a dialog that lets you rename the controller.

_____
Add Key Adds a key for the controller value at the current frame. The
(Set Key) button should be active.
As elsewhere in the 3ds Max interface, an animated value is shown with red
brackets around it.
Properties If the controller has an associated properties dialog, this choice
displays that dialog. If it does not, this choice is unavailable.

6132 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

This choice is also available for controllers without a properties dialog, if there
is a key at the current frame. In this case, 3ds Max opens a Key Info dialog for
the current key.

For information about the controls on this dialog, see Key Info (Basic)
Rollout/Dialog on page 3447 and Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog on page
3451.
Shortcut: Double-click the controller node to open the properties dialog.
Delete Key If the value has a key at the current frame, you can choose Delete
Key to remove the key. If there is no key at the current frame, this choice is
not available.

_____
Select
■

Select Children Selects children of the node you right-clicked.

■

Deselect Children Deselects children of the node you right-clicked.

■

Select Tree Selects all nodes that belong to the tree whose node you
right-clicked.

■

Select by Material (This choice appears only for material nodes.)
Select By Material allows you to select objects based on the active material
in the Material Editor. Choosing this command opens the Select Objects
dialog, which works like Select From Scene on page 184. All objects that
have the selected material applied to them are highlighted in the list.

Slate Material Editor | 6133

NOTE Hidden objects don't appear in this list, even if the material is applied
to them. However, in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, you can choose
Browse From: Scene, turn on By Object, and then browse from the scene. This
lists all objects in the scene, hidden and unhidden, along with their assigned
materials.

Toolbar button: Select by Material
Layout Children Automatically lays out the children of the currently selected
node. This does not change the position of the parent node.
Keyboard shortcut: C
Menu choice: View ➤ Layout Children

Toolbar button: Layout Children
Hide Child Tree When on, the View hides children of the currently selected
node. When off, child nodes are displayed. Default=off.
When child nodes are hidden, you can tell which slots have maps, because
their sockets are displayed in green instead of blue.

_____
Hide Unused Nodeslots For a selected node, toggles display of the unused
slots when the node is open.
Keyboard shortcut: H
Menu choice: View ➤ Hide Unused Nodeslots

Toolbar button: Hide Unused Nodeslots
Hide/Show All Params Hides or shows the parameters for the controller node.
Show/Hide Slots Displays submenus that let you choose which material or
map components to display as node slots.
■

Params For controller nodes, this submenu lists the parameters that the
controller generates. Choose a parameter to either hide it or display it.

6134 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Params submenu has two choices that follow the individual parameter
entries:
■

Show All Shows all parameters.

■

Hide All Hides all parameters.

_____
Move Tree to View Moves the material tree to which the controller belongs
to the named View on page 6142 you choose from the submenu.
If there is only one view, this option doesn’t appear on the menu.

_____
Curve Editor Opens the Curve Editor on page 3986 with the controller node’s
output parameter displayed.
Dope Sheet Opens the Dope Sheet on page 3842 with the controller node’s
output parameter displayed.

The Parameter Editor: Changing Material and Map Settings
Materials and maps have various parameters you can adjust. To see the
parameters for a bitmap or node, double-click the node. The parameters appear
in the Parameter Editor.
The parameters appear on rollouts on page 8569 in the Parameter Editor.

Slate Material Editor | 6135

Left: Controls for a material node in the Parameter Editor
Right: Controls for a Bitmap node in the Parameter Editor

Another way to see the parameters of a child node is to double-click the input
socket to which the child node is wired.

You can toggle display of the Parameter Editor, so when you want to
change material or map settings, look at the toolbar to make sure the Parameter
Editor toggle is on.
NOTE You can also edit parameters directly in the node display itself. See
Show/Hide Slots on page 6125. In general, the Parameter Editor interface is easier
to read and to use. By default, nonmappable components are hidden in the node
display.

6136 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Navigating the Active View
The controls for navigating the active View in the Slate Material Editor are
similar to those for navigating geometry in 3ds Max viewports.
See also:
■

View Menu on page 6147

■

Slate Material Editor Toolbar on page 6154

Mouse Options
If your mouse has a middle mouse button or a wheel, you can use these
controls to navigate the active View, even while the Select tool on page 6147 is
active:
■

Dragging with the middle mouse button temporarily pans the view.

■

Ctrl+Alt+drag with the middle mouse button temporarily zooms the view.

■

Using the wheel temporarily zooms the view.

TIP While you use one of the modal on page 9224 navigation tools (Pan on page
6140, Zoom on page 6140, or Zoom Region on page 6140), you can right-click to return
to the Select tool on page 6147.

Navigator Window
The Navigator window appears by default in the upper-right corner of the
Slate Material Editor dialog. It shows you a map of the active View.

The Navigator showing a centered layout

Slate Material Editor | 6137

The corresponding layout in the active View

The red rectangle in the Navigator shows the border of the active View.
Dragging the rectangle in the Navigator changes the View layout.

Moving the View border in the Navigator to change the layout

6138 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The corresponding layout change in the active View

The Navigator is most useful when you have a lot of material trees displayed
in the active View. You can toggle display of the Navigator by a choice on the
Tools menu on page 6153.

Navigation Buttons
The navigation buttons appear at the extreme lower right of the Slate Material
Editor dialog, on the status bar.

NOTE
To use the Slate Material Editor keyboard shortcuts for menu,
toolbar, and navigation commands, the main toolbar ➤ Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle must be turned on.

Zoom percentage drop-down list The text field at the top of this
list shows the current zoom level as a percentage. You can choose a value from

Slate Material Editor | 6139

the list to change the zoom level. If you want a zoom level not shown in the
list, you also can type a zoom level value in the text field.
When you use other navigation tools such as Zoom or Zoom Extents, the
value in the text field updates to show the current zoom level.

Pan Tool Turns on the Pan tool so dragging in the current View pans
the View.
The Pan tool remains active until you choose another modal on page 9224
navigation tool, or turn the Select tool on page 6147 on again.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+P
Menu choice: View ➤ Pan Tool

Zoom Tool Turns on the Zoom tool so dragging in the current View
zooms the View.
The Zoom tool remains active until you choose another modal on page 9224
navigation tool, or turn the Select tool on page 6147 on again.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+Z
Menu choice: View ➤ Zoom Tool

Zoom Region Tool Turns on the Zoom Region tool so you can drag
a rectangular region in the View to zoom in on that region.
The Zoom Region tool remains active until you choose another modal on
page 9224 navigation tool, or turn the Select tool on page 6147 on again.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+W
Menu choice: View ➤ Zoom Region Tool

Zoom Extents Zooms the View so all nodes in the view are visible and
centered.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+Z
Menu choice: View ➤ Zoom Extents

Zoom Extents Selected Zooms the View so all selected nodes in the
view are visible and centered.

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Keyboard shortcut: Z
Menu choice: Zoom Extents Selected

Pan to Selected Pans the View to the currently selected node.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+P
Menu choice: View ➤ Pan to Selected

Searching the Active View
The active View contains a search tool to help you find material, map, and
controller nodes.

At the lower-left corner of the active View is a button,
Nodes). Click this button to expand the search tool.

(Search For

In the text field, enter the name of a node you want to find. The View Search
tool locates names that begin with the characters you type. The search is not
case-sensitive.
When the Search tool locates a name, the text in the text field becomes bold,

and the

(Zoom To Results) button becomes active:

.

Click
(Zoom To Results) to zoom to the node or nodes that the Search
tool has found.
If you no longer need to use the Search tool, you can collapse it back to the

(Search For Nodes) button by clicking the
the right of the Search tool.

(Close) button at

Slate Material Editor | 6141

Creating and Managing Named Views
You can create a number of different Views for the materials in your scene,
and choose the active View from among them. This can be convenient if you
have a complex scene, or complex materials in the scene.
When you open the Slate Material Editor in a new scene, there is a single View
named View1. You can rename this view, or create others.
NOTE A View name must begin with a letter, but otherwise it can contain numbers,
spaces, and punctuation.
Each named View has a tab, and you can click the tabs to move among the
Views.

NOTE On each tab, the name might be abbreviated, but the full name appears
in a tooltip when you move the mouse over the tab.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Tab cycles among the current named Views.
If you drag nodes while using Ctrl+Tab, the material tree you are dragging is
placed in the View that is active when you release the mouse.
To manage Views, right-click one of the tabs, and use the pop-up menu on
page 6142 that appears.
Another way to move among Views is to choose one from the drop-down list
at the far right of the Slate Material Editor toolbar on page 6154.

View Tab Right-Click Menu
To manage named Views, right-click one of the View tabs. 3ds Max opens a
pop-up menu with choices for managing Views.

6142 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

If you right-click the blank area to the right of the named View tabs, the
pop-up menu has only a single choice: Create New View.

Interface

Rename View Opens a dialog that lets you rename the View.

NOTE A View name must begin with a letter, but otherwise it can contain numbers,
spaces, and punctuation.
Delete View Deletes the active named View. 3ds Max displays a warning that
asks if you really want to do this.

_____
Move Tab Left Moves the tab for the View on page 6142 one position to the
left.
Shortcut: Drag a tab along the tab bar to reposition that tab.
Move Tab Right Moves the tab for the View on page 6142 one position to the
right.
Shortcut: Drag a tab along the tab bar to reposition that tab.

Slate Material Editor | 6143

_____
Create New View Opens a dialog that lets you create a new named View.

NOTE A View name must begin with a letter, but otherwise it can contain numbers,
spaces, and punctuation.

Slate Material Editor Menu Bar
The Slate Material Editor menu bar contains menus with various choices for
creating and managing the materials in your scene.
Many of the menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation
buttons, so these topics show the button alternative along with the menu
choice.

NOTE
To use the Slate Material Editor keyboard shortcuts for menu,
toolbar, and navigation commands, the main toolbar ➤ Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle must be turned on.

Modes Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Modes menu
Lets you choose which Material Editor interface is active.

6144 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Compact Material Editor Displays the Compact Material Editor interface on
page 6020.
Slate Material Editor Displays the Slate Material Editor interface on page 6083.

Material Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Material menu
The Material menu lets you create a material, choose an existing material, or
assign a material to objects.
Some menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation buttons, so
this topic shows the button alternative along with the menu choice.

Interface

Pick from Object After you choose this option, 3ds Max displays an
eyedropper cursor. Click an object in a viewport to display its material in the
current View.
Get All Scene Materials Displays all scene materials in the current View.

_____

Assign Material to Selection Assigns the current material to all objects
in the current selection.
NOTE You can also drag from the material node’s output socket and drop it on
an object or a selection of objects. See To apply a material to objects in a scene
on page 6093.
Keyboard shortcut: A
Export MetaSL Material Opens a file dialog that lets you export the current
material to a MetaSL (XMSL) file on page 9356. This option is enabled only when
you have selected a Map To Material Conversion node on page 6378: Typically,
this node will be the parent of a shader tree whose children are MetaSL shaders.

Slate Material Editor | 6145

Edit Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Edit menu
The Edit menu has commands for editing the currently active View on page
6084, and for updating material Preview windows on page 6095.
Some menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation buttons, so
this topic shows the button alternative along with the menu choice.

Interface

Delete Selected In the active View, deletes the selected nodes or wires.
Keyboard shortcut: Del
Clear View Deletes all nodes and wires in the active View. 3ds Max displays
a warning that asks if you really want to do this.

_____
Update Selected Previews When Auto Update is off, choose this to update
the Preview windows on page 6095 for selected nodes.
Keyboard shortcut: U
Auto Update Selected Previews Toggles automatic update of the selected
Preview windows on page 6095.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+U

Select Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Select menu
The Select menu is for managing the selection in the current View.
Some menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation buttons, so
this topic shows the button alternative along with the menu choice.

6146 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Select Tool Activates the Select tool. While Select is active, this menu
choice has a check mark by it. (Select is always active unless you have chosen
one of the modal on page 9224 navigation tools such as Zoom or Pan.)
Keyboard shortcut: S

_____
Select All Selects all nodes in the current View.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+A
Select None Deselects all nodes in the current View.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+D
Select Invert Inverts the current selection: selected nodes are deselected, and
those that weren’t, are now selected.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+I

_____
Select Children Selects all child nodes of the currently selected nodes.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+C
Deselect Children Deselects all child nodes of the currently selected node.
Select Tree Selects all nodes in the current tree.
If the initial selection is a material node, this choice is equivalent to choosing
Select Children. You can also initially select a map node, and then use Select
Tree to select the whole material tree.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+T

View Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ View menu
The View menu is for navigating the current View.
Some menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation buttons, so
this topic shows the button alternative along with the menu choice.

Slate Material Editor | 6147

Interface

Pan Tool Turns on the Pan tool so dragging in the current View pans
the View.
The Pan tool remains active until you choose another modal on page 9224
navigation tool, or turn the Select tool on page 6147 on again.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+P

Pan to Selected Pans the View to the currently selected node.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+P

_____

Zoom Tool Turns on the Zoom tool so dragging in the current View
zooms the View.
The Zoom tool remains active until you choose another modal on page 9224
navigation tool, or turn the Select tool on page 6147 on again.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+Z

Zoom Region Tool Turns on the Zoom Region tool so you can drag
a rectangular region in the View to zoom in on that region.
The Zoom Region tool remains active until you choose another modal on
page 9224 navigation tool, or turn the Select tool on page 6147 on again.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+W

Zoom Extents Zooms the View so all nodes in the view are visible and
centered.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+Z

Zoom Extents Selected Zooms the View so all selected nodes in the
view are visible and centered.
Keyboard shortcut: Z

6148 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

_____
Show Grid Toggles display of a grid as the View background. Default=on.
Keyboard shortcut: G
Show Scrollbars Toggles display of scrollbars at the right side and bottom of
the View, as needed. Default=off.
Layout All Automatically arranges the layout of all nodes in the View.
The layout can be either horizontal or vertical, depending on the current
layout choice on page 6157 on the toolbar.
Keyboard shortcut: L

Layout Children Automatically arranges the layout of the children
of the currently selected node. This does not change the position of the parent
node.
Keyboard shortcut: C

_____
Open / Close Selected Nodes Opens (expands) or closes (collapses) the selected
nodes.
Auto Open Nodeslots When on, all newly created nodes are open (expanded).
When off, newly created nodes are closed (collapsed). Default=on.

Hide Unused Nodeslots For a selected node, toggles display of the
unused slots when the node is open.
Keyboard shortcut: H

Options Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Options menu
The Options menu has further choices for managing the Slate Material Editor.
Some menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation buttons, so
this topic shows the button alternative along with the menu choice.

Slate Material Editor | 6149

Interface

Move Children When on, moving a parent node moves the child
nodes along with the parent. When off, moving a parent node doesn’t change
the children’s position. Default=off.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+C
Temporary shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+drag moves a node with its children, but doesn’t
turn on the Move Children toggle.
Propagate Materials to Instances When on, any material assignment you
make is propagated to all instances on page 9195 of the object in your scene,
including imported AutoCAD blocks and ADT style-based objects; these object
types are common in DRF files on page 8178. Assignments are also propagated
to instances of Revit objects and of other instances that you've made in the
current scene. When Propagate Materials To Instances is off, materials are
assigned in traditional 3ds Max fashion: each object has a unique material
assignment. Default=off.
Enable Global Rendering Toggles the rendering of bitmaps in Preview
windows on page 6095. Default=on.
For example, when this option is on, a Preview window is rendered
automatically when you resize it. Turning this option off turns off automatic
rendering. This can save some time when you’re working with a large number
of materials.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+U

_____
Preferences Opens the Slate Material Editor Options dialog on page 6150.

Options Dialog (Slate Material Editor)

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Options menu ➤ Preferences
The Options dialog for the Slate Material Editor lets you set some global
preferences about the editor’s behavior.

6150 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Node Layout Direction group
The layout direction affects the overall layout of each material tree.
■

left -> right (The default.) When chosen, the input sockets of a node are
on the left, and the node’s output socket is on the right.

■

right -> left When chosen, the input sockets of a node are on the right,
and the node’s output socket is on the left.

Node Options group
Show Additional Parameters When on, by default an open node shows
“additional” parameters. When off, by default an open node shows only
mappable parameters. Default=off.

Slate Material Editor | 6151

You can use a node’s right-click menu to display or hide additional parameters
for that individual node.
Show MR-Connection When on, by default an open node shows mental ray
Connection parameters on page 6215. Default=on.
You can use a node’s right-click menu to display or hide mental ray Connection
parameters for that individual node.

General Options group
Use Antialiased Fonts When on, headings and parameter names in a node
are displayed using antialiased fonts. When off, headings and parameters
names in a node are displayed using hard-edged fonts, which are slightly
smaller than the antialiased version. Default=off.

Multi/Sub Material Options group
Number of Sub-Materials Sets the default number of sub-materials for a new
Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542. Default=10.
You can use the Set Material button to change the number of sub-materials
in an individual Multi/Sub-Object material node.
Empty Sub-Material Slots When off, creating a new Multi/Sub-Object material
on page 6542 also creates a new Standard material on page 6382 for each default
sub-material. When on, no new sub-materials are created. Default=off.
Turning off this option can be convenient when you want the sub-materials
to consist of individual materials you have already created.

Grid Options group
Grid Size Sets the grid size, in units that are local to the Slate Material Editor.
Default=20.
Snap Post to Grid When on, moving a node snaps the node to the nearest
grid corner. When off, the node does not snap. Default=on.
Snap Size to Grid When on, resizing a node snaps the node size to the nearest
grid corner. When off, the node size does not snap. Default=on.

Bitmap Editor Path group
These controls let you specify a bitmap editor, such as Paint or Photoshop, to
use when you edit bitmaps in your scene.
■

Use the text field to type in the path and name of the bitmap editing
application.

6152 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Click the
button with an ellipsis to open a file dialog that lets
you browse to the application you want to use.

To edit a bitmap, right-click the Bitmap node on page 6636, and choose Edit
Bitmap.

_____
Use Compatibility Display Mode (for display problems with older graphic
card drivers) If you notice problems with the Slate Material Editor display,
and your system uses an older graphics card, turn on this option to improve
the Slate Material Editor appearance. Default=off.

Tools Menu

Slate Material Editor ➤ Menu bar ➤ Tools menu
The Tools menu toggles display of some of the Slate Material Editor interface
components.
Some menu choices are also accessible from toolbar or navigation buttons, so
this topic shows the button alternative along with the menu choice.

Interface

Material/Map Browser Toggles display of the Material/Map Browser
on page 6167. Default=on.
Keyboard shortcut: O

Parameter Editor Toggles display of the Parameter Editor on page 6135.
Default=on.
Keyboard shortcut: P
Navigator Toggles display of the Navigator on page 6137. Default=on.
Keyboard shortcut: N

Slate Material Editor | 6153

Slate Material Editor Toolbar
The Slate Material Editor toolbar gives quick access to a number of commands.
Some of the commands are also available from the Slate Material Editor menus.
The toolbar also has a drop-down list that lets you choose among named
Views.

NOTE
To use the Slate Material Editor keyboard shortcuts for menu,
toolbar, and navigation commands, the main toolbar ➤ Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle must be turned on.

Interface

Select Tool Activates the Select tool. (Select is always active unless
you have chosen one of the modal on page 9224 navigation tools such as Zoom
or Pan.)
Keyboard shortcut: S
Menu choice: Select ➤ Select Tool

Pick Material from Object After you click this button, 3ds Max displays
an eyedropper cursor. Click an object in a viewport to display its material in
the current View.
Menu choice: Material ➤ Pick from Object

Assign Material to Selection Assigns the current material to all objects
in the current selection. See To apply a material to objects in a scene on page
6093.
Keyboard shortcut: A
Menu choice: Material ➤ Assign Material to Selection

6154 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Delect Selected In the active View, deletes the selected nodes or wires.
Keyboard shortcut: Del
Menu choice: Edit ➤ Delete Selected

Move Children When on, moving a parent node moves the child
nodes along with the parent. When off, moving a parent node doesn’t change
the children’s position. Default=off.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt+C
Temporary shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+drag moves a node with its children, but doesn’t
turn on the Move Children toggle.
Menu choice: Options ➤ Move Children

Hide Unused Nodeslots For a selected node, toggles display of the

unused slots when the node is open. When
are hidden. Default=off.

on, unused nodes slots

Keyboard shortcut: H
Menu choice: View ➤ Hide Unused Nodeslots

Show Map in Viewport The control for showing maps in viewports
is a flyout with four possible states:

■

Show Standard Map in Viewport [off]: Uses the 3ds Max software
display and disables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Standard Map in Viewport [on]: Uses the 3ds Max software
display and enables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

■

Show Hardware Map in Viewport [off]: Uses the hardware display
and disables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

Slate Material Editor | 6155

■

Show Hardware Map in Viewport [on]: Uses the hardware display
and enables viewport display of all maps for the active material.

For details, see Showing Maps in Viewports on page 6006.
If a map node is active when you click this button, and the map is assigned
to more than one material (or more than one component of the same material),
the Slate Material Editor opens a pop-up menu that lets you choose the material
for which the map will be displayed or hidden in viewports.

Show Background in Preview This button is enabled only when you
have selected a single material node.
Turning on Show Background In Preview adds a multicolored checkered
background to the Preview window on page 6095 for that material. The pattern
background is helpful when you want to see effects of opacity and
transparency.

Left: Background on
Right: Background off

6156 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Layout flyout This flyout lets you choose the orientation of automatic
layout in the active View.

■

Layout All - Vertical (The default.) Click to lay out all nodes
automatically in a vertical pattern.

■

Layout All - Horizontal Click to lay out all nodes automatically in
a horizontal pattern.

Menu choice: View ➤ Layout All (The orientation used by the menu choice
depends on which button is active on this flyout.)

Layout Children Automatically lays out the children of the currently
selected node. This does not change the position of the parent node.
Keyboard shortcut: C
Menu choice: View ➤ Layout Children

Material/Map Browser Toggles display of the Material/Map Browser
on page 6167. Default=on.
Keyboard shortcut: O
Menu choice: Tools ➤ Material/Map Browser

Parameter Editor Toggles display of the Parameter Editor on page 6135.
Default=on.
Keyboard shortcut: P
Menu choice: Tools ➤ Parameter Editor

Slate Material Editor | 6157

Select by Material This button is enabled only when you have selected
a single material node.
Select By Material allows you to select objects based on the active material in
the Material Editor. Choosing this command opens the Select Objects dialog,
which works like Select From Scene on page 184. All objects that have the
selected material applied to them are highlighted in the list.
NOTE Hidden objects don't appear in this list, even if the material is applied to
them. However, in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, you can choose Browse
From: Scene, turn on By Object, and then browse from the scene. This lists all
objects in the scene, hidden and unhidden, along with their assigned materials.
Named View drop-down list

This drop-down list lets you choose the active View from a list of named Views
on page 6142.

Moving Materials, Maps, and Colors About the Scene
In addition to editing materials and maps with Material Editor, 3ds Max
provides a variety of ways to copy or move materials, maps, and colors about
the scene.

Copying and Pasting Materials, Maps, Bitmaps, and Colors

Material Editor ➤ Right-click a sub-material button, map
button, bitmap button, or color swatch.
Elsewhere in the user interface ➤ Right-click a map button or color swatch.
A set of right-click pop-up menus in the Material Editor (and elsewhere in the
3ds Max interface) lets you copy and paste, and otherwise manage materials,
maps, bitmaps, and colors.

6158 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

You see these menus only if copy and paste actions are appropriate. For
example, if you copy a material and then right-click a map button, nothing
happens.

Material Right-Click Menu
When you right-click a button that represents a material, this menu appears.
This includes the Type button on page 6081 button for a material, and
sub-material buttons that you find in the Multi/Sub-Object material on page
6542, the Blend material on page 6529, and others.

Cut Makes a copy of the material and removes the material from that
sub-material component.
Copy Makes a copy of the material.
Paste (Copy) Pastes a copy from the copy buffer.
This item doesn't appear if you haven't yet copied a material.
Paste (Instance) Pastes an instance from the copy buffer.
This item doesn't appear if you haven't yet copied a material.
Clear If you right-click a sub-material button, Clear removes the material from
that sub-material component without making a copy of it.

Map Right-Click Menu
When you right-click the button for a map component (a “map slot”), the
menu you see depends on whether a map has been assigned yet.

When a Map Has Been Assigned
The following menu appears if a map has been assigned:

Moving Materials, Maps, and Colors About the Scene | 6159

Cut Removes the assigned map, and puts a copy of it in the copy buffer.
Copy Copies the map without removing it.
Paste (Copy) Pastes a copy from the copy buffer.
This item doesn't appear if you haven't yet copied a map.
Clear Removes the assigned map without copying it.
Open For bitmaps on page 6636, launches whichever application is associated
with the currently assigned 2D map.
This item does not appear for other map types such as procedural maps.
Reveal Location in Explorer Launches a copy of Windows Explorer to display
the folder where the map is saved.

When No Map Has Been Assigned
If no map has been assigned, all you can do is paste another:

Paste (Copy) Pastes a copy from the copy buffer.
Paste (Instance) Pastes an instance from the copy buffer.

When No Map Has Been Either Assigned or Copied
If no map has been assigned and you haven't copied a map yet, then no
right-click menu appears at all.

6160 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Bitmap Right-Click Menu
This menu appears when you click a button that specifies an external bitmap
on page 9108. See Bitmap 2D Map on page 6636.

Copy Copies the bitmap.
Paste Pastes the bitmap from the copy buffer.
Open Launches whichever application is associated with the bitmap.
Reveal Location in Explorer Launches a copy of Windows Explorer to display
the folder where the bitmap is saved.

Color Swatch Right-Click Menu
This menu appears when you right-click a color swatch.
NOTE This menu does not apply to the VertexPaint modifier's Color Palette on
page 1935, which has its own right-click menu.

Copy Copies the color.
Pastes Pastes a color from the copy buffer.

Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials
You can move materials from the Material Editor to objects using a
drag-and-drop operation. You can also drag to and from map and material
buttons.
When dragging materials, use the Undo command on page 217 to cancel
material assignments.

Moving Materials, Maps, and Colors About the Scene | 6161

See the following lists to determine where in the interface you can drag from
and drag to.
TIP In the Slate Material Editor, you also can drag one color swatch to another.
See Copy or Swap Colors Dialog on page 6165.

Where You Can Drag From
■

Sample Slots on page 6025 (Compact interface)
The content you drag from a sample slot is always at the top level of the
sample slot, regardless of which level is currently displayed. If the sample
slot contains a material, you can’t drag from the sample slot to a map
button, even if you’re at a map level of the material.

■

The Material Editor Type button on page 6081 (Compact interface)

■

Material nodes on page 6086 (Slate interface)
Drag from a material node’s output socket to an object or selection in the
scene. See To apply a material to objects in a scene on page 6093.

■

Material and map preview_windows on page 6095.

■

Material/Map Browser on page 6167 lists (text or icon lists)
You can't drag from the modal on page 9224 version of the Browser (when
OK and Cancel buttons are present).

■

Material map buttons (see below)

■

A projector light map button (see Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5817)

■

The Environment Background on page 7621 map button

■

Fog on page 7640 Color and Opacity map buttons

■

Displace modifier on page 1255 map buttons

Material and Map Buttons
The material and map buttons you can drag from include:
■

The buttons in the Maps rollout on page 6443

■

The small shortcut map buttons on the Basic Parameters rollouts on page
6410.

■

Any map buttons at any level.

6162 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Sub-material buttons, such as those found in the Multi/Sub-Object material
on page 6542.

Where You Can Drag To
■

All of the items in the previous list.

■

Objects in viewports.
Drag from a material button or Browser listing into the viewport and over
an object. When you release the mouse, the material is applied.
Slate interface: To drag from a material node in the active View, drag from
the node’s output socket: See To apply a material to objects in a scene on
page ?.
If you drag a material over two or more selected objects, an alert message
asks if you want to apply the material to the object or to the selection.
Choose the option you want, and click OK.

■

Compact interface: The Material Editor Type button on page 6081
You can drag to the Type button only from the Browser. If the Type button
shows a standalone map, you can drag only a map to it. If it shows a
material type, you can drag only a material to it.

■

All of the items in the previous list, except that you can drag to Browser
only when it displays a material library.

■

A Face, Polygon, Patch, or Element sub-object selection of an editable
surface object (mesh, patch, or poly).

■

A Face, Polygon, Patch, or Element sub-object selection created by the Edit
Mesh modifier on page 1263 or Edit Patch on page 1271; or by one of these
selection modifiers: Mesh Select on page 1445, Patch Select on page 1509, or
Poly Select on page 1529.

See also:
■

Applying a Material to an Object on page 5989

■

Drag and Drop Sub-Object Material Assignment on page 6165

Moving Materials, Maps, and Colors About the Scene | 6163

Copy (Instance) Map Dialog

Material Editor ➤ Parameters rollout or node display ➤
Drag one map button to another.
The Copy (Instance) Map dialog is displayed when you copy a map by dragging
and dropping a map button. It gives you the choice of copying the map,
making the newly assigned map an instance of the one you dragged, or
swapping maps.
You can drag map buttons in the Maps rollout, in the Basic Parameters rollout,
or from one rollout to the other.
TIP When you use the same map for multiple parameters, such as both
self-illumination and opacity, it is usually easier to work with an instance rather
than a copy.

Interface

Instance Makes an instance of the map you dragged. The newly assigned map
is not independent. Adjusting the parameters of one map or the other changes
both of them.
Copy Copies the map you dragged. The newly assigned map is a copy whose
parameters you can adjust independently.

6164 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Swap Swaps the maps. This option isn't displayed when you drag from one
rollout to another.

Copy or Swap Colors Dialog

Material Editor ➤ Parameters rollout or node display ➤
Drag one color swatch to another.
The Copy or Swap Colors dialog is displayed when you copy a color by dragging
and dropping a color swatch. It gives you the choice of copying the color or
swapping the colors, trading one for the other.

Interface

Swap Swaps the colors.
Copy Copies the color you dragged.

Drag and Drop Sub-Object Material Assignment
You can apply a material to a selection of renderable sub-objects, such as faces
in a mesh. In the Material Editor, you can use Assign Material to Selection on
page 6154. You can also drag the material from the Material Editor or the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 to the selected faces. This can create a new
Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542 on the fly.
You can disable drag-and-drop of materials to sub-objects. To do so, go to the
General tab on page 8887 of the Preferences dialog on page 8886, and in the
Sub-Materials group, turn off Assign Automatically. This check box is on by
default.

Moving Materials, Maps, and Colors About the Scene | 6165

How the Multi/Sub-Object Material Is Created
The Multi/Sub-Object material is created in one of three ways, depending on
what material is already applied to the selected sub-objects:
■

No material applied
If the selected faces have no material applied, a new Multi/Sub-Object
material is created. The dragged material becomes a sub-material in the
new material. If material IDs already exist, they are preserved.

■

Existing material applied (other than Multi/Sub-Object material)
A new Multi/Sub-Object material is created and applied to the selected
faces. The existing material is moved into the Multi/Sub-Object material
and becomes the first sub-material. Unselected faces get material ID #1,
the selected faces get material ID #2, and the dragged material becomes
part of the Multi/Sub-Object material. Existing material IDs are not
preserved.

■

Multi/sub-object material applied
If the existing Multi/Sub-Object material is already applied more than once
in the scene, the material is copied and the new copy is applied to the
selected faces.
If the Multi/Sub-Object material is only applied once in the scene, then
the existing material is used. The dragged material is added to the existing
Multi/Sub-Object material.
If the dragged material already is a part of the Multi/Sub-Object material,
then the selected faces receive the corresponding material ID number. If
the selected faces all have the same material ID number, and no unselected
faces are already using this number, then this number is used and the new
material replaces the old sub-material at this ID. Otherwise, a new material
ID number is assigned to the faces, and used for the dragged material. In
this case, any existing material IDs are preserved.

Procedures
To drag materials onto sub-object selections:
1 In the Modify panel ➤ modifier stack, choose Face as the sub-object
level.
2 Select faces of an editable mesh object.
3 Drag a material’s output socket from the Slate Material Editor active View
to the selected faces, or from a sample slot in the traditional interface.

6166 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

4 In the modifier stack, click to turn off Sub-Object and return to the object
level.
5 On the Material Editor, click
(Pick Material From Object), then use
the eyedropper cursor to get the material from the object.
The new Multi/Sub-Object material appears in the active View.

Material/Map Browser
Compact Material Editor ➤

(Get Material)

Compact Material Editor ➤ Type button

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser panel
Rendering menu ➤ Material/Map Browser

Material Editor (either interface) ➤ Parameter rollout ➤
Click a map button.
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment And Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout ➤ Background group
➤ Environment Map button
The Material/Map Browser lets you choose a material on page 9219, map on
page 9215, or mental ray shader on page 6806.
In the Compact Material Editor on page 6020, a modal on page 9224 version of
the Material/Map Browser opens when you click
button, or any map button.

(Get Material), the Type

In the Slate Material Editor on page 6083, the Material/Map Browser appears as
a panel that by default is always displayed.

Material/Map Browser | 6167

Groups in the Material/Map Browser
Most of the Material/Map Browser interface is simply a list of materials, maps,
and controllers, organized by libraries and groups. Each library and group has
a title bar with an open/close (+/-) icon that you can use to expand or contract
the list. Groups can have subgroups with title bars of their own, and some of
these subgroups can have further subgroups.
In the modal version of the Browser, if you are assigning a material type, then
only materials appear, and if you are assigning a map, then only maps appear.
IMPORTANT By default, the Material/Map Browser displays only materials and
maps that are compatible with the currently active renderer on page 7037.
Most of the commands for managing libraries and groups in the Material/Map
Browser are found on the right-click menus: See Material/Map Browser Options
Menu on page 6176, Custom Library Options on page 6181, Autodesk Material
Library Options on page 6184, and Custom Group Options on page 6183.

Base Materials and Maps
The Slate Material Editor uses “base material” or “base map” to describe the
raw types you use to create materials or maps. These are essentially templates:
They might have default values that will render, but in general you need to
change their settings and mappings to get a good effect.
In the Material/Map Browser, libraries contain materials that you have edited,
while groups contain base materials or maps: This includes the default, generic
groups Materials and Maps.
When you drag a base material or map from the Browser into the active View,
the Slate Material Editor creates a copy of the base material or map. When
you drag an edited material or map into the active View, the Slate Material
Editor asks whether you want to work on an instance of the material/map, or
a copy.

6168 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Materials Group and Maps Group
The groups Materials and Maps show base material and map types that you
can use to create new custom materials and maps. These are “base” types: they
might have default values, but they really are templates for you to customize.

Controllers Group
The Controllers group shows animation controllers that you can use to animate
materials.
NOTE The Controllers group appears only in the modeless Browser panel when
you use the Slate Material Editor. It does not appear in the modal version of the
Browser; for example, when you’re using the Compact Material Editor.

Scene Materials Group
The Scene Materials group lists materials (and sometimes maps) that are used
in the scene. By default, it is always updated so it shows the current scene
state.

Custom Libraries
You can open and use libraries. There are two ways to do so:
■

Open the Material/Map Browser Options menu, choose Open Material
Library, and choose a material library MAT file.

■

Right-click the Material/Map Browser, choose New Material Library, and
give the library a name.
When you create a library this way, it is a temporary library with a name
assigned by the Material/Map Browser. This name does not match the name

Material/Map Browser | 6169

that appears in the Material/Map Browser. To save the library with a
memorable name, in a location you want, right-click the library’s title,
choose  ➤ Save As, then browse to the folder where you want
to save the MAT file, and enter a new name for the library.
By default, 3ds Max saves new libraries in the folder <3ds Max program
folder>\sme\libs.

Custom Groups
You can create custom groups; for example, to contain “base” material or map
types that you use frequently.
Groups are not saved as independent files, but they are saved with the Slate
Material Editor layout. See Custom Configuration Files on page 6085.

Autodesk Material Library
The Autodesk Material Library is a library of Autodesk Materials on page 6224
that are shared between Autodesk appplications; in particular, AutoCAD, Revit
Architecture, and Inventor as well as 3ds Max.
NOTE By default, the Autodesk Material Library does not appear in the
Material/Map Browser unless the mental ray renderer or Quicksilver Hardware
renderer is active.

Sample Slots
The sample slots group is a small version of the sample slots on page 6025 used
by the Compact Material Editor. This is a sort of “scratch pad” area where you
can work on materials that are not yet part of the scene.

Shortcut “Context” Menu to the Material/Map Browser
When you right-click an empty area of the active View, the Slate Material
Editor displays a shortcut menu that lets you choose items in the Browser.

6170 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The first section of the menu is a shortcut to the Browser. Choosing a material
or map from the menu places a node for that material or m ap in the active
View.
You can customize the contents and appearance of this section of the menu
by using the Context Menu Options on page 6176.

_____
Unhide All Children Unhides all child nodes in the active View.
Hide All Children Hides all child nodes in the active View.

Procedures
To get a material from a library:
1 In the Material/Map Browser, open the Options menu and choose Open
Material Library.
3ds Max opens a file dialog so you can choose the library (MAT file) to
open.
After you choose a library, that library appears in the Material/Map
Browser.
2 Drag the material you want from the library file entry in the Material/Map
Browser to the active View.
To save a material in a library:
1 In the Material/Map Browser, open the Options menu and choose Open
Material Library.
3ds Max opens a file dialog so you can choose the library (MAT file) where
you will save the material.

Material/Map Browser | 6171

After you choose a library, that library appears in the Material/Map
Browser.
2 Also in the Material/Map Browser, drag the material from the Scene
Materials group to the entry for the library file.
The material becomes part of the library as well.
3 In the Material/Map Browser, right-click the library file entry and choose
Close Material Library.
3ds Max asks if you want to save changes to the library. Click Yes.

To create a new library:
■

In Material/Map Browser, open the Options menu and choose New Material
Library.
3ds Max prompts you for a name for the new library.

The new library appears in the Material/Map Browser.

6172 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

WARNING When you create a library this way, it is a temporary library with
a name assigned by the Material/Map Browser. This name does not match the
name that appears in the Material/Map Browser. To save the library with a
memorable name, in a location you want, right-click the library’s title, choose
 ➤ Save As, then browse to the folder where you want to save
the MAT file, and enter a new name for the library.

To create a custom group:
1 Open the Material/Map Browser Options menu and choose New Group.
3ds Max opens a dialog so you can give the new group a name.

2 Enter a name for the group, then click OK.
A title bar for the group appears in the Material/Map Browser.
3 Drag base materials or maps from the Materials group, the Map group,
or custom groups, and drop them on the new group.
The items you drop are added to the group.

Material/Map Browser | 6173

Interface

The Material/Map Browser contains the following controls:

6174 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material/Map Browser Options button Click to display the
Material/Map Browser Options menu on page 6176.
Search by Name Enter text in this field to search for materials and maps
whose name begins with the characters you type. The search is not
case-sensitive.
Found materials and maps appear in a list below the search field.

[Material/Map list] The main part of the Material/Map Browser dialog is a
scrollable list of materials and maps. This list is organized into groups that
you can expand or collapse.

Material/Map Browser Menus
The Material/Map Browser menus provide most of the options for managing
libraries, groups, and the Browser itself.

You access the main Material/Map Browser Options menu by clicking
(Material/Map Browser Options) or right-clicking an empty portion of the
Material/Map Browser. When you right-click the title bar of a group in the
Browser, you see the options for that particular kind of group.

Options for All Groups
These display and menu options appear for all groups.
Edit Group Color Displays a Color Selector Dialog on page 304 so you can
choose a custom color for the group.

Material/Map Browser Menus | 6175

Display Group As Chooses how to display entries in the group. There are
three choices for icon size:
■

Small Icons(The default.)

■

Medium Icons

■

Large Icons

You can also choose not to display icons (this is quicker).
■

Icons and Text(The default.) Displays icons and text.

■

Text Displays only text.

Context Menu Options These options affect the shortcut, “context” menu
that appears when you right-click an empty area of the View.
■

Show Group Shows this group in the context menu. Default = on for the
Materials and Maps groups, off for the Scene Materials group.

The two options that follow are available only when Show Group is turned
on:
■

Flatten Hierarchy When off, the library or group name introduces a
submenu, and library or group contents appear in the submenu. When
on, the library or group name doesn’t appear in the context menu, and
contents of the library or group are listed right in the menu at the
appropriate level. Default=off.

■

Display Icons When on, the context menu shows materials and maps with
a small icon by their name. When off, it does not. Default=off.

Material/Map Browser Options Menu
Material/Map Browser ➤ Click

(Material/Map Browser Options).

Material/Map Browser ➤ Right-click an empty portion of the Material/Map
list.
Shows general options for managing the Material/Map Browser

6176 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

New Group Opens a dialog so you can create a new custom group.

_____
New Material Library Opens a dialog so you can create a new custom library.

Material/Map Browser Menus | 6177

WARNING When you create a library this way, it is a temporary library with a
name assigned by the Material/Map Browser. This name does not match the name
that appears in the Material Pool. To save the library with a memorable name, in
a location you want, right-click the library’s title, choose  ➤ Save As,
then browse to the folder where you want to save the MAT file, and enter a new
name for the library.
Open Material Library Opens a file dialog so you can open an existing
material library MAT file.

_____
Materials Toggles display of the Materials group. Default=on.
Maps Toggles display of the Maps group. Default=on.
Controllers Toggles display of the Controllers group. Default=on.
Autodesk Material Library Toggles display of the Autodesk Material Library.
Default=on.
Scene Materials Toggles display of the Scene Materials group. Default=on.
Sample Slots Toggles display of the Sample Slots group. Default=on.

_____
Show Incompatible When on, the Material/Map list shows entries that are
not compatible with the currently active renderer. Default=off.
Show Empty Groups When on, shows groups even if they are empty.
Default=on.

6178 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

_____
Additional Options Shows a submenu with four options:
■

Reset Material/Map Browser Resets the Material/Map Browser to its default
appearance. 3ds Max opens a message that asks if you really want to do
this.

■

Clear Preview Thumbnail Cache Clears all cached preview bitmaps and
renders them again. This can take a bit of time. 3ds Max opens a message
that asks if you really want to do this.

■

Load LayoutOpens a file dialog that lets you save the Material/Map Browser
layout. Browser layout files have the file name extension MPL.

■

Save Layout AsOpens a file dialog that lets you save the current
Material/Map Browser layout. Browser layout files have the file name
extension MPL.
By default, 3ds Max saves Material/Map Browser layout files in the
\sceneassets\images folder of the current Project folder.

Materials, Maps, Controllers Group Options
Right-click the title bar of the Materials, Maps, or Controllers group, or one
of their subgroups.
The menus for the Materials, Maps, and Controllers groups, and their
subgroups, all have the same options.

Interface

Edit Group Color See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Rename Group Not available.

Material/Map Browser Menus | 6179

_____
Display Group (and Subgroups) As See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Context Menu Options See Options for All Groups on page 6175.

_____
Delete Group Not available.

Scene Materials Options
Right-click the title bar of the Scene Materials group.
This menu manages the Scene Materials group on page 6169.

Interface

Edit Group Color See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Update Click to update the list of materials and maps in the Scene Materials
group.
This choice has no effect if Auto Update is on.
Auto Update When on, 3ds Max automatically updates the list of materials
and maps in the Scene Materials group. Default=on.
Filter Selected Objects When on, the Scene Materials group shows only
materials assigned to currently selected objects. (If no object is selected, or no
selected object has a materal, the Scene Materials group appears empty.) When
off, the Scene Materials group shows all materials used in the scene.
Default=off.

6180 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Inspect The choices on this submenu specify which 3ds Max areas to inspect
when updating the material/map list in the Scene Materials group. All three
are on by default:
■

World Includes materials and maps used in the scene.

■

Environment Includes materials and maps used by the environment and
effects.

■

Renderer Includes materials and maps used by the renderer.

Rename Group Not available.

_____
Show Subtree When on, expands the group display to show all materials,
sub-materials, and maps in the group. When off, shows only top-level
materials. Default=off.
Display Group (and Subgroups) As See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Context Menu Options See Options for All Groups on page 6175.

Custom Library Options
Right-click the title bar of a library group (other than Autodesk Material
Library).
This menu manages library groups on page 6169.

Material/Map Browser Menus | 6181

Interface

[file name and path] Displays a submenu for handling the library MAT file.
■

Reload Reloads the library. This can be useful if you or a colloague has
updated the library in some way.

■

Save Saves the library.

■

Save As Opens a file dialog so you can save the library under a different
name.

_____
Edit Group Color See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Rename Group Opens a dialog that lets you rename the library.

_____
Sort Alphabetically Sorts the list of materials by material name.

6182 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

_____
Show Subtree When on, expands the group display to show all materials,
sub-materials, and maps in the group. When off, shows only top-level
materials. Default=off.
Display Group (and Subgroups) As See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Context Menu Options See Options for All Groups on page 6175.

_____
Close Material Library Closes the material library.
You can display the library again by using the Material/Map Browser Options
menu on page 6176.

Custom Group Options
Right-click the title bar of a custom group.
This menu manages custom groups on page 6170.

Interface

Edit Group Color See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Rename Group Opens a dialog that lets you rename the group.

Material/Map Browser Menus | 6183

_____
Display Group (and Subgroups) As See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Context Menu Options See Options for All Groups on page 6175.

_____
Delete Group Deletes the group from the Material/Map Browser. 3ds Max
displays a message that asks if you really want to do this.

Autodesk Material Library Options
Right-click the title bar of the Autodesk Material Library group, or one of its
subgroups.
This menu manages the Autodesk Material Library group on page 6170.

Interface

Edit Group Color See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Rename Group Not available.

6184 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

_____
Display Group (and Subgroups) As See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Context Menu Options See Options for All Groups on page 6175.

_____
Delete Group Not available.

Sample Slots Group Options
Right-click the title bar of the Sample Slots group.
This menu manages the Sample Slots group on page 6170.

Interface

Edit Group Color See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Show Subtree Not available.

_____
Display Group (and Subgroups) As See Options for All Groups on page 6175.
Context Menu Options See Options for All Groups on page 6175.

Options for Individual Materials, Maps, and Controllers
Right-click an individual material or map entry within a group.
This menu manages individual materials, maps, or controllers.

Material/Map Browser Menus | 6185

Interface

Rename Opens a dialog that lets you rename the material.

For some groups, such as Materials and the Autodesk Material Library, this
option does not appear.
Remove from Lib (or Remove from Group) Removes the material or map
from the library or group.
For some groups, such as Materials and the Autodesk Material Library, this
option is unavailable.

_____
Copy to Displays a submenu that lists the other Material/Map Browser groups
to which you can copy this material, map, or controller.
You can copy a base material, map, or controller to the Temporary Library or
to a custom group. You can copy an edited material or map to the Temporary
Library or to a custom library.
The Temporary Library is saved with your 3ds Max scene, but it is not saved
elsewhere unless you save it as a MAT file, under a different name.

Material Explorer
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer

6186 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Material Explorer lets you browse and manage all the materials in a scene.
While the Material Editor lets you set the properties of individual materials,
it is limited in the number of materials it can display at any one time. With
the Material Explorer, you can browse all the materials in a scene, see the
objects to which a material is applied, change material assignment, and manage
materials in other ways.

Material Explorer | 6187

Interface

The Material Explorer interface has two panels: the upper Scene panel and
the lower Material panel. The Scene panel is similar to the Scene Explorer on
page 8469, in that it lets you browse and manage all the materials in the scene,

6188 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

while the Material panel lets you browse and manage the components of a
single material.

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel
The upper Scene panel of the Material Explorer lets you browse and manage
all the materials in a scene.
Some of the things you can accomplish using the Scene panel of the Material
Explorer are:
■

Browsing the materials in the scene

■

Finding which maps materials use

■

Seeing which materials are applied to which objects

■

Changing material assignment

■

Changing map assignment

■

Changing material, map, or object names

Procedure
To change a material assignment, do one of the following:
■

Drag a material’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) from the
Material Explorer Scene panel onto an object in a viewport.

■

Select multiple objects, and then drag a material’s thumbnail or icon (to
the left of its name) from the Material Explorer Scene panel onto one of
the objects.
3ds Max asks whether you want to assign the material to the object or to
the entire selection.

■

Drag a material’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) from the
Material Explorer Scene panel onto the name of a geometry object in the
Scene Explorer on page 8469.

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6189

To change a map assignment:
■

Drag the map’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) from one entry
in the Material Explorer to another map thumbnail or icon in the Material
Explorer (either panel).
3ds Max opens a Copy (Instance) Map dialog on page 6164 so you can choose
whether to swap the two maps, or make the updated map either a copy or
an instance of the original.

To edit a material:
■

Drag the material’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) to an unused
sample slot in the Material Editor on page 6019.
If the material is already in a sample slot, 3ds Max won’t let you drop it
on the new sample slot.

To change a material type:
■

Drag a material type from the Material Browser onto the name or thumbnail
of a material in the Material Explorer.

6190 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

The main window of the Material Explorer Scene panel shows several columns
with information about the materials in the scene. At the left side of this
window is a hierarchy of maps and objects; by default, the hierarchy shows
thumbnails for the various materials. Other controls include a menu bar,
toolbar, and to the left of the main window, various display buttons.
The main window lets you edit certain cells, to change material, map, or object
names, or certain properties of a material or map. See Columns (Material
Explorer Scene Panel) on page 6199 for details.

Viewing Objects and Maps
To see the objects assigned to a material, click the plus-sign (+) icon to expand
that material’s hierarchy.

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6191

Hierarchy of a material applied to four objects

If you turn on Display ➤ Display Sub-Materials/Maps, the hierarchy of a
material also shows the maps used by that material. The maps appear above
the objects that use the material.

Maps displayed as part of the material hierarchy

The hierarchy can grow more complex if a material is a Multi/Sub-Object
material whose sub-materials might use maps,and so on.

6192 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A multi/sub-object material, one of whose sub-materials uses a map

Menu Bar (Material Explorer Scene Panel)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Scene upper) panel ➤ Menu bar
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel ➤ Menu bar
The Scene panel menu bar contains various options for managing materials
and the display of the window in the upper Scene panel.

Select Menu
Some of these choices correspond to buttons on the Selection toolbar on page
6197.
Select All Selects all entries in the scene.
Select All Materials Selects all materials in the scene.
Select All Maps Selects all maps in the scene.
NOTE For most scenes, the effect of this choice isn’t apparent unless you also turn
on Display Sub-Materials/Maps.
Select None Deselects all entries.
Select Invert Inverts the current selection: all selected entries become
deselected, and all entries not selected become selected.
Select Children This choice is a toggle. When on, selecting a material or object
also selects the children of that entry. Default=off.

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6193

_____
These choices are toggles that affect the behavior of the Find field on the Find
toolbar on page 6196.
Find Case Sensitive When on, the search string is case sensitive: “house” is
not the same as “House”. Default=off.
Find Using Wildcards When on, the search string can use wildcard characters
such as * and ?. Default=on.
Find Using Regular Expressions When on, the search string can use ; for
example, “gr(a|e)y”. Default=off.

Display Menu
These choices correspond to the Display buttons on page 6198.
NOTE The Display menu also appears as a pop-up menu when you right-click a
cell in the upper window.
Display Thumbnails When on, the hierarchy displays a thumbnail for each
material and map. When off, it displays a generic icon materials and maps.
Default=on.
Display Materials When on, the hierarchy includes materials. When off, it
does not show materials at all. Default=on.
Display Maps When on, the hierarchy of each material includes includes the
maps used by that material. Default=on.
NOTE For most scenes, the effect of this isn’t apparent unless you also turn on
Display Sub-Materials/Maps.
Display Objects When on, the hierarchy of each material includes the objects
to which that material is applied. Default=on.
Display Sub-Materials/Maps When on, the hierarchy includes sub-materials
and maps applied to material channels. Default=off.
Display Unused Map Channels When on, the hierarchy display includes
unused map channels. Default=off.

_____
These two sorting options are mutually exclusive. They correspond to a pair
of Display buttons on page 6198.

6194 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Sort By Material (The default.) While active, the hierarchy is sorted by material
name.
Sort By Object While active, the hierarchy is sorted by object.

_____
These choices control the hierarchy display.
Expand All Expands the hierarchy to display all entries.
Expand Selected Expands the hierarchy of selected entries.
Expand Objects Expands the hierarchy of all objects.
Collapse All Collapses the entire hierarchy.
Collapse Selected Collapses the hierarchy of selected entries.
Collapse Materials Collapses the hierarchy of all materials.
Collapse Objects Collapses the hierarchy of all objects.

Tools Menu
Save Material As Material Library Opens a file dialog that lets you save the
materials in the scene as a material library (.mat) file.
Select Object By Material Opens a Select Objects dialog on page 184. The
names of objects with the active material applied are highlighted. Click to
select the objects that have had this material applied.
This choice is unavailable if no materials are selected in the Explorer, or if
multiple materials are selected.
Bitmap/Photometric Paths Opens the Bitmap / Photometric Path Editor
dialog on page 8159, which lets you manage the paths of bitmaps in the scene.
Proxies Setup Opens the Global Settings And Defaults For Bitmap Proxies
dialog on page 8130, which lets you manage how 3ds Max creates and uses proxy
versions of bitmaps incorporated in materials. This dialog is a feature of Asset
Tracking on page 8114.

_____
Delete Sub-Materials/Maps When one or more sub-materials or maps applied
to a material are selected, deletes the selected sub-materials or maps.
Lock Cell Editing When on, prevents you from editing cells in the Explorer:
clicking a cell has no effect, other than to highlight and select the row it is
in. Default=off.

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6195

Customize Menu
Configure Columns Opens the Configure Columns dialog so you can add
columns to the Scene (upper) window. See Columns (Material Explorer Scene
Panel) on page 6199.
Toolbars Displays a submenu that lets you choose which of the Material
Explorer toolbars appear.
■

Find Toggles display of the Find toolbar.

■

Selection Toggles display of the Selection toolbar.

■

Tools Toggles display of the Tools toolbar.

Save Current Layout as Default Saves the current Material Explorer layout
so that it appears this way in your next session with 3ds Max.
The layout file for the Material Explorer is called defaultmmaterialexplorer.ini.
It is saved in C:\documents and settings\\local settings\application
data\autodesk\3ds max\\enu\plugcfg\explorerconfig\material explorer\.
You can revert to the default layout by deleting this file and restarting 3ds
Max.

Toolbar (Material Explorer Scene Panel)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel ➤ Toolbar
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel ➤ Toolbar
The upper Scene panel of the Material Explorer has a toolbar with various
search, selection, and other controls.

Interface

The toolbar actually consists of three smaller toolbars: Find, Selection, and
Tools. You can toggle the display of these smaller toolbars by using the Toolbars
options on the Customize menu on page 6196.

Find toolbar

6196 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Find Enter text in this field to search for that text in the Name column. As
you type, the Material Explorer highlights materials or objects whose name
matches the search string.
If Sync to Material Explorer on page 6198 is on, the Material (lower) panel also
displays the first material that is found. If the Material Explorer finds an object
rather than a material, the Material (lower) panel shows the material that is
applied to that object.
Some options on the Select menu on page 6193 control how the Explorer
performs the search.

Selection toolbar

Some of these buttons correspond to choices on the Select menu on page 6193.

Select All Materials Selects all materials in the scene.

Select All Maps Selects all maps in the scene.
NOTE For most scenes, the effect of this choice isn’t apparent unless you also turn
on Display Sub-Materials/Maps.

Select All Selects all entries in the scene.

Select None Deselects all entries in the scene.

Select Invert Inverts the current selection: all selected entries become
deselected, and all entries not selected become selected.

Tools toolbar

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6197

Lock cell editing When on, prevents you from editing cells in the
Explorer: clicking a cell has no effect, other than to highlight and select the
row it is in. Default=off.

Sync to Material Explorer When on, synchronizes selections in the
Material (lower) panel with the Scene (upper) panel. When off, changing the
selection in the Scene panel doesn’t change the Material panel, which
continues to show the last material you selected before turning off Sync To
Material Explorer. Default=on.

Sync to Material Level When on, the lower Material panel always
shows the full hierarchy of the material highlighted in the upper Scene panel,
even if only a component of the material is highlighted. When off, the lower
Material panel shows only the hierarchy of the individual material component
that is highlighted in the upper Scene panel. Default=on.

Display Buttons (Material Explorer Scene Panel)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel ➤ Display
buttons (left side of the panel)
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper panel ➤ Display buttons (left side of the
panel)
The display buttons appear to the left of the main window of the upper Scene
panel. They control display of the hierarchy in the window.
These buttons correspond to choices on the Display menu on page 6194.

Interface
Display Thumbnails When on, the hierarchy displays thumbnails.
Default=on.

6198 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Display Materials When on, the hierarchy includes materials.
Default=on.

Display Maps When on, the hierarchy includes maps. Default=on.
NOTE For most scenes, the effect of this isn’t apparent unless you also turn on
Display Sub-Materials/Maps.

Display Objects When on, the hierarchy includes objects. Default=on.

Display Sub-Materials/Maps When on, the hierarchy includes
sub-materials and maps applied to material channels. Default=off.

Display Unused Map Channels When on, the hierarchy includes
unused map channels. Default=off.

Sort By Object / Sort By Materials These two options toggle
each other.

■

■

Sort By Object While this is active, the Name list is sorted by object.

Sort By Material (The default.) While this is active, the Name list
is sorted by material name.

Columns (Material Explorer Scene Panel)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Scene (upper) panel

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6199

The main window of the Material Explorer upper Scene panel can contain
several columns with information about materials in the scene. Some kinds
of columns contain editable cells.

Right-Click Menu for Column Labels
When you right-click the label of a column in the Material Explorer Scene
panel, 3ds Max opens a menu that has several options to control column
display:
■

Sorting choices Let you choose how the column is sorted.
Also, you can cycle through these options by clicking the column label.

■

Configure Columns Displays a dialog that lets you configure which columns
appear in the window. See the procedure To add columns to the table on
page 6201.

■

Best Fit options Choose Best Fit to resize the column whose label you
right-clicked, or choose Best Fit (All Columns) to resize all columns.
Columns are resized to fit the width of their contents.

TIP Right-clicking a column label and choosing Best Fit (All Columns) is a good
way to see the information in your current window layout.

Default column layout

6200 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Column layout after right-clicking a column label and choosing Best Fit (All Columns)

Procedures
To add columns to the table:
1 Right-click a column label and then choose Configure Columns from the
context menu.
This opens the Configure Columns dialog.

TIP Another way to access Configure Columns is from the Customize menu.
2 Drag a column label from the Configure Columns dialog to one of the
Material Explorer column labels.
The new column is inserted to the left of the existing column.

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6201

3 Continue adding columns as desired. When finished, close the Configure
Columns dialog.
To remove a column from the table:
1 Drag the column label downward until the mouse cursor changes to an
X icon.
2 Release the mouse button.
NOTE Even if you remove the Name column, the hierarchy remains at the
left side of the window.

To sort the list based on a column or columns:
1 Click a column label.
This performs a single-level sort based on the column contents, in
ascending order, as indicated by an up arrow on the right side of the
label. For example, clicking the Name label sorts the table in ASCII order,
starting with punctuation, then numbers, then letters.
NOTE Object hierarchies remain together when the list is sorted. Child objects
at the same level are sorted only with respect to one another, not objects on
other hierarchical levels.
2 To reverse the sort order, click the same column label again.
Alternatively, right-click a column label and choose Sort Ascending or
Sort Descending. You can sort any number of different columns this way
to perform a multi-level sort.
To remove sorting:
■

Right-click the column label and choose Clear Sort State.

To rearrange columns:
■

Drag a column label on top of another one. This moves the column to the
left of the target column.

To resize a column:
■

Drag the divider on the right side of the column label.

6202 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Alternatively, to auto-resize a column, double-click the divider on the right
side of the label.

Interface
This section lists the available columns, briefly describes each column’s
function, and notes whether the column appears by default in the Material
Explorer.
Name Shows the names of materials, objects, maps, and sub-materials. You
can edit cells in this column: click a cell, then click or drag on it again to
highlight text, and type a new name for the material, object, or map.
Default column.
NOTE Even if you hide the Name column, the hierarchy always appears on the
left-hand side of the upper panel window.
Type Shows the type of material, map, or submaterial.
For objects, cells in this column are blank.
Default column.
Show In Viewport For materials and maps, shows whether Showing Maps in
Viewports on page 6006 is active. If you are using standard (software) display
and Show Map In Viewport is on, the cell says “Standard : Maps”; if Show
Map In Viewport is off, the cell says “Standard : No Maps.” If you are using
hardware shading (hardware display) and Show Map In Viewport is on, the
cell says “Hardware : Maps”; if Show Map In Viewport is off, the cell says
“Hardware : No Maps.”
For objects, this cell says “None.”
You can edit cells in this column: click the cell to display a drop-down list
that lets you toggle the Show Map In Viewport state.
NOTE With standard (software) shading, only one map at a time can be shown
in the viewport, but with hardware shading, multiple maps can be shown.
Default column.
Material ID For materials, shows the Material ID on page 6075. You can edit
cells in this column: click a cell, then drag across the value. While the value
is highlighted, you can type a new Material ID value, or you can click the
spinner arrows that appear in the cell to change the Material ID. (You can also
drag on the spinner’s up-arrow or down-arrow button to change the value
more rapidly.)

Scene (Upper) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6203

For objects and maps, the cells in this column are blank.
Default column.
Texture Size For bitmaps, shows the dimensions of the map; for example,
“512*512”.
For materials, objects, and procedural maps (whether 2D or 3D), the cells in
this column are blank.

Material (Lower) Panel (Material Explorer)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Material (lower) panel
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Material (lower) panel
The lower Material panel of the Material Explorer lets you browse and manage
a single material.
Some of the things you can accomplish using the Material panel of the Material
Explorer are:
■

Browsing the maps assigned to a material

■

Replacing a map in a material

■

“Cleaning” materials by changing duplicate maps to instances, and by
removing unused sub-materials

When you select a material in the upper Scene panel, it appears in the lower
Material panel. When you select multiple materials in the upper Scene panel,
in general the first material you select is the one that appears in the lower
Material panel.

Procedure
To change a material assignment, do one of the following:
■

Drag the material’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) from the
Material Explorer Material panel onto an object in a viewport.

■

Select multiple objects, and then drag the material’s thumbnail or icon (to
the left of its name) from the Material Explorer Material panel onto one
of the objects.
3ds Max asks whether you want to assign the material to the object or to
the entire selection.

6204 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Drag the material’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) from the
Material Explorer Material panel onto the name of a geometry object in
the Scene Explorer on page 8469.

To change a map assignment:
■

Drag the map’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) from one entry
in the Material Explorer to another map thumbnail or icon in the Material
Explorer (either panel).
3ds Max opens a Copy (Instance) Map dialog on page 6164 so you can choose
whether to swap the two maps, or make the updated map either a copy or
an instance of the original.

To edit a material:
■

Drag the material’s thumbnail or icon (to the left of its name) to an unused
sample slot in the Material Editor on page 6019.
If the material is already in a sample slot, 3ds Max won’t let you drop it
on the new sample slot.

Interface

The Material panel is similar to the Scene panel: there is a window with
columns and a menu bar. The main difference is that the lower Material panel
shows only one material at a time. (You can use Display buttons for this panel
as well, but they aren’t visible by default.)
Like the upper Scene panel, the main portion of the lower Material panel is a
window with columns that describe map and material properties. The Material
Explorer lets you edit some of the properties in these columns. Columns in

Material (Lower) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6205

the Material panel differ from those in the Scene panel: see Columns (Material
Explorer Material Panel) on page 6207.

Menu Bar (Material Explorer Material Panel)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Material (lower) panel ➤ Menu
bar
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Material (lower) panel ➤ Menu bar
The lower Material panel menu bar contains various options for managing
materials and the display of the lower panel window.

Select Menu
The choices here are the same as for the upper Scene panel Select menu on
page 6193, except that the choices to control name searching aren’t present.

Display Menu
Most of the choices here are the same as for the upper Scene panel Display
Menu on page 6194, except that the choices about object display aren’t present.
Sync to Material Level Synchronizes selection of map and sub-material levels
in the Scene (upper) and Material (lower) panels. When both this choice and
Sync To Material Explorer are on, selecting a material, map, or sub-material
in the upper Scene panel displays the entire material tree in the lower Material
panel. When Sync To Material Explorer is on but Sync To Material Level is
off, selecting a map or sub-material in the upper Scene panel displays only
that map or sub-material in the lower Material panel. Default=on.

Tools Menu
Render Map Opens a Render Map dialog on page 6032 so you can render the
selected map.
This choice is unavailable if you’ve selected a material instead of a map.
Clean MultiMaterials Opens the Clean MultiMaterial utility on page 6942 so
you can remove unused sub-materials..
Instance Duplicate Maps Opens the Instance Duplicate Maps utility on page
6947, so you can improve scene and rendering performance by turning duplicate
maps into instances.

6206 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Change Material/Map Type Opens the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so
you can change the material or map type.
Delete Sub-Materials/Maps When one or more sub-materials or maps applied
to a material are selected, deletes the selected sub-materials or maps.

Customize Menu
Toolbars Opens a submenu with one choice, “Display,” that toggles display
buttons to the left of the lower panel main window. These buttons mostly
correspond to entries on the lower panel Display menu on page 6206.
Thumbnail Size Displays a submenu with two choices for thumbnail size in
the lower window: Medium (the default), or Large.

_____
Sync to Material Explorer When on, synchronizes selections in the lower
Material panel with the upper Scene panel. When off, changing the selection
in the Scene panel doesn’t change the Material panel, which continues to
show the last material you selected before turning off Sync To Material
Explorer. Default=on.

Columns (Material Explorer Material Panel)
Rendering menu ➤ Material Explorer ➤ Material (lower) panel
Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on page 8712 ➤ Extended ➤
Material Explorer ➤ Material (lower) panel
The main window of the Material Explorer lower Material panel can contain
several columns with information about the currently selected material. Some
kinds of columns contain editable cells.

Right-Click Menu for Column Labels
When you right-click the label of a column in the Material Explorer lower
panel, 3ds Max opens a menu that has several options to control column
display:
■

Sorting choices Let you choose how the column is sorted.
Also, you can cycle through these options by clicking the column label.

■

Configure Columns Displays a dialog that lets you configure which columns
appear in the window. See the procedure To add columns to the table on
page 6208.

Material (Lower) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6207

■

Best Fit options Choose Best Fit to resize the column whose label you
right-clicked, or choose Best Fit (All Columns) to resize all columns.
Columns are resized to fit the width of their contents.

TIP Right-clicking a column label and choosing Best Fit (All Columns) is a good
way to see the information in your current window layout.

Procedures
To add columns to the table:
1 Right-click a column label and then choose Configure Columns from the
context menu.
This opens the Configure Columns dialog.

2 Drag a column label from the Chooser dialog to one of the Material
Explorer column labels.
The new column is inserted to the left of the existing column.
3 Continue adding columns as desired. When finished, close the Configure
Columns dialog.
To remove a column from the table:
1 Drag the column label downward until the mouse cursor changes to an
X icon.
2 Release the mouse button.
NOTE Even if you remove the Name column, the hierarchy remains at the
left side of the window.

6208 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To sort the list based on a column or columns:
1 Click a column label.
This performs a single-level sort based on the column contents, in
ascending order, as indicated by an up arrow on the right side of the
label. For example, clicking the Name column label sorts the table in
ASCII order, starting with punctuation, then numbers, then letters.
NOTE Object hierarchies remain together when the list is sorted. Child objects
at the same level are sorted only with respect to one another, not objects on
other hierarchical levels.
2 To reverse the sort order, click the same column label again.
Alternatively, right-click a column label and choose Sort Ascending or
Sort Descending. You can sort any number of different columns this way
to perform a multi-level sort.
To remove sorting:
■

Right-click the column label and choose Clear Sort State.

To rearrange columns:
■

Drag a column label on top of another one. This moves the column to the
left of the target column.

To resize a column:
■

Drag the divider on the right side of the column label.
Alternatively, to auto-resize a column, double-click the divider on the right
side of the label.

Interface
Name Shows the names of materials, maps, and sub-materials. You can edit
cells in this column: click a cell, then click or drag on it again to highlight
text, and type a new name for the material or map.
NOTE Even if you hide the Name column, the hierarchy always appears on the
left-hand side of the lower panel window.
Default column.

Material (Lower) Panel (Material Explorer) | 6209

Property For maps, shows the name of the material channel to which the
map has been assigned. For example, “Diffuse Color (Reflectance).”
For materials, cells in this column are blank.
Default column.
Texture Size For bitmaps, shows the dimensions of the map; for example,
“512*512”.
For materials and procedural maps (whether 2D or 3D), the cells in this column
are blank.
Default column.
UV Coordinates For 2D maps, cells in this column correspond to the Mapping
List on the Coordinates rollout for 2D maps on page 6622. You can edit these
cells: click the cell to display a drop-down list that lets you choose among
mapping types.
For materials and 3D procedural maps, the cells in this column show “None.”
Mapping Channel For 2D and 3D maps, cells in this column show the Map
Channel value on page 9210. You can edit cells in this column: click a cell, then
drag across the value. While the value is highlighted, you can type a new Map
Channel value, or you can click the spinner arrows that appear in the cell to
change the Map Channel value. (You can also drag on the spinner’s up-arrow
or down-arrow button to change the value more rapidly.)
For 3D procedural maps, the Mapping Channel value doesn’t appear unless
the Coordinates ➤ Source value is set to Explicit Mapping Channel. See
Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698.
For materials, the cells in this column are blank.

Types of Materials
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Create New Material / Map (by Name)
group ➤ Material group
Materials create greater realism in a scene. A material describes how an object
reflects or transmits light. You assign materials to individual objects or selection
sets; a single scene can contain many different materials. Different materials
have different uses.

6210 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To get a material, do one of the following:
■

In the Slate Material Editor on page 6083, locate the material in the Browser
panel, and drag it to the active View.

■

On the Compact Material Editor on page 6020 ➤ toolbar, click
(Get
Material). 3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
Double-click a material type or drag the material to a sample slot, then
close the Browser.

To change a material type in the Compact Material Editor on page 6020:
1 At the level of a material, click the Type button below the Material Editor
toolbar.
3ds Max opens a modal Material/Map Browser on page 6167. If you were
at a material when you clicked Type, the Browser lists only materials (if
you were at a map, it lists only maps).
2 Choose a material from the list, and then click OK.
If you choose a compound material, 3ds Max opens a Replace Material
dialog on page 6082. This dialog lets you choose whether to keep or discard
the original material.
The Material Editor now displays controls for the new material.

SuperSampling Rollout
Architectural material on page 6570 ➤ SuperSampling rollout
Raytrace material on page 6486 ➤ SuperSampling rollout
Standard material on page 6382 ➤ SuperSampling rollout
The SuperSampling rollout is used by the Architectural, Raytrace, and Standard
materials. It lets you choose a supersampling method on page 9322.
Supersampling performs an additional antialiasing on page 9087 pass on the
material. This requires more time but can improve image quality.
Supersampling is especially helpful when you need to render very smooth
specular highlights, subtle bump mapping, or high resolutions.
In 3ds Max the default is to apply a single supersampling method to all
materials in the scene. This feature gives you more control over your scenes,

SuperSampling Rollout | 6211

especially larger models that make use of many materials, by letting you
control the supersampling at a global level from the Rendering dialog. You
can override this locally by turning off Use Global Settings. It also gives you
file compatibility and workflow replication with DRF files imported from VIZ
Render.
NOTE SuperSampling settings are ignored by the mental ray Renderer on page
7129, which has its own sampling method.
Use supersampling when you notice artifacts in your final renderings. For
example, a thin bump map might produce scintillating, jagged bumps that
supersampling can correct. Supersampling requires considerably more time
to render, although it does not necessarily require any additional RAM.
NOTE Supersampling is not processed when you turn off Antialiasing in the
production renderer on page 7020. You can also globally disable supersampling for
all materials using the parameters for the default scanline renderer on page 7042.
Globally disabling supersampling can speed up test renderings.

Supersampling uses smaller sampling points, and returns averaged values to increase
the antialiasing effect.

6212 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Supersampling and Antialiasing
Supersampling is one of several antialiasing techniques. Textures, shadows,
highlights, and raytraced reflections and refractions all have their own
preliminary antialiasing strategies. Supersampling is an additional step that
provides a "best guess" color for each rendered pixel. The supersampler's output
is then passed on to the renderer, which performs a final antialiasing pass.
A single rendered pixel represents an area of the scene's geometry. The pixel
can stand in for multiple colors, especially when it appears at the edge of an
object or a region of color. This is where aliasing effects occur.
When supersampling is turned off, 3ds Max simply looks at the center of the
geometry covered by the pixel, and uses that for the pixel color.
When you turn on supersampling, a supersampler performs an additional
antialiasing pass on the material. You can choose one of four supersamplers.
As the name implies, a supersampler takes additional samples of geometry
color in or near each pixel, in order to obtain a more accurate pixel color that
is less prone to aliasing error.
These are the supersampling methods:
Name

Description

Adaptive
Halton

Spaces samples along both X and Y
axes according to a scattered, "quasi
random" pattern. Depending on
Quality, the number of samples can
range from 4 to 40. This method is
adaptive, as described below.

Adaptive Uniform

Spaces samples regularly, from a
minimum quality of 4 samples to a
maximum of 36. The pattern is not
square, but skewed slightly to improve accuracy in the vertical and
horizontal axes. This method is adaptive, as described below.

Hammersley

Spaces samples regularly along the
X axis, but along the Y axis it spaces
them according to a scattered, "quasi
random" pattern. Depending on
Quality, the number of samples can

SuperSampling Rollout | 6213

Name

Description
range from 4 to 40. This method is
not adaptive.

MAX 2.5 Star

The sample at the center of the pixel
is averaged with four samples surrounding it. The pattern is like the
fives on dice. This is the supersampling method that was available
in 3ds Max 2.5.

Regular sampling, as performed by the Adaptive Uniform and MAX 2.5 Star
methods, is more prone to aliasing than the irregular patterns performed by
the Adaptive Halton and Hammersley methods.
You can set a variable Quality value for the Adaptive Halton, Adaptive Uniform,
and Hammersley methods. Quality can range from 0.0 to 1.0. A quality of 0.0
is minimal, with about four samples per pixel. A quality of 1.0 is the highest
possible, with between 36 and 40 samples per pixel. High-quality
supersampling is very time consuming.
Another setting for the Adaptive Halton and Adaptive Uniform supersamplers
is the Adaptive toggle, which works in conjunction with the Threshold spinner.
When Adaptive is on, these methods take fewer samples unless a change in
color is greater than the Threshold value. In that case, they take the full number
of samples specified by the Quality. To reduce the amount of time the
supersampler spends, leave the Adaptive check box on.

Interface

Use Global Settings When on, the material uses the supersampling options
set in the Default Scanline Renderer rollout on page 7042. Default=on.

6214 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Enable Local Supersampling When on, applies supersampling to the material.
Default=off
Sampler drop-down list Lets you choose which supersampling method to
apply. The list is not active unless Use Global Settings is turned off.
Default=Max 2.5 Star.
Supersample Maps When on, the maps applied to the material are
supersampled as well. When off, the supersampler uses pixel averages for maps.
This switch is active only when Use Global Settings is turned off. Default=on.
Quality Adjusts the quality of supersampling by controlling the number of
samples used for each pixel. At the minimum value, 0.0, four samples are
taken per pixel. At the maximum value, 1.0, about 40 samples are taken per
pixel (the value varies depending on which shader is active). Range=0.0 to
1.0. Default=0.5.
This spinner is unavailable for the Max 2.5 Star method.
Adaptive Visible only for the Adaptive Halton and Adaptive Uniform methods.
When on, these methods take fewer samples than the Quality specifies unless
samples show a change in color greater than the Threshold value. In that case,
they take all the samples specified by the Quality. Turning on Adaptive On
can reduce the amount of time required to supersample. Default=on.
Threshold Controls the Adaptive methods. Visible only for the Adaptive
Halton and Adaptive Uniform methods. A change in color greater than the
Threshold value causes the adaptive methods to take the full number of
samples specified by the Quality. If the color does not change as much, the
adaptive method takes fewer samples and does not require as much processing
time. Can range from 0.0 to 1.0. Setting Threshold to 0.0 has the same effect
as turning off Adaptive On. Default=0.1.

mental ray Connection Rollout
Material Editor ➤ Display the controls for a material other
than a Multi/Sub-Object or a mental ray material. ➤ mental ray Connection
rollout
The mental ray Connection rollout is available for all types of materials except
the Multi/Sub-Object material and the mental ray materials themselves (for
which it would be redundant). With this rollout you can add mental ray

mental ray Connection Rollout | 6215

shading to conventional 3ds Max materials. These effects are visible only when
you use the mental ray renderer on page 7129.
IMPORTANT The mental ray Connection rollout does not appear unless you have
enabled the mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel on
page 8950. In addition, you can't assign shaders to the options in this rollout unless
the mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer.

Interface

For each kind of shader on this rollout, there is a toggle and a button.
■

The toggle controls whether the assigned shader is active or not.
If no shader is assigned, the toggle has no effect.

6216 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

The button lets you assign a shader to the component type. Clicking it
displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167: assigning a shader is just
like assigning a map to a component of a standard material.
While a shader is assigned, its name appears on the button.

■

In addition to the toggle and button, some of the shader types have
a lock button to the right. When button is on, the component is inherited
from the base material, and you can't assign a shader. For example, by
default the Surface component is locked, and the surface is shaded using
the settings of the 3ds Max material (basic parameters, maps, and so on).
Turn off this button to replace the base material's settings with a mental
ray shader.
NOTE Using a shader for the Surface component can result in a material whose
appearance in mental ray renderings is completely different from the
appearance it has in the sample slot, viewports, and scanline renderings.

Basic Shaders group
Surface Shades the surface of objects that have this material. Default=locked
to parent material.
In addition to any of the usual 3ds Max materials, the surface component can
be assigned the following mental ray materials or shaders:
Shader

Library

Bump on page 6816

3ds Max

DGS Material on page 6818

3ds Max

Dielectric

base

Dielectric Material on

3ds Max

page 6823
Edge

lume

Facade

lume

Glass

lume

mental ray Connection Rollout | 6217

Shader

Library

Glow

lume

Landscape

lume

Material to Shader on

3ds Max

page 6832
Metal

lume

Ocean

lume

Opacity

base

Reflect

base

Refract

base

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Stain

lume

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Transparency

base

Two Sided

base

Water Surface

lume

Wet-Dry Mixer

lume

NOTE Unlike a standard 3ds Max material, if you assign the Surface component
a bitmap with tiling turned off, the original surface color does not “show through.”
In renderings, you see only the untiled map, and none of the rest of the object.
Shadow Assigns a shadow shader. Default=locked to parent material.

6218 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The shadow component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Edge Shadow

lume

Facade

lume

Glass

lume

Glow

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Metal

lume

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Shadow Transparency

base

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Water Surface Shadow

lume

Caustics and GI group
Photon Assigns a photon shader. Photon shaders affect how object surfaces
respond to photons; that is, they control how the surfaces behave when
generating caustics and global illumination. Default=locked to parent material.
The photon component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

DGS Material on page 6818

3ds Max

Dielectric Material Photon on page 6823

3ds Max

Edge

lume

Glow

lume

mental ray Connection Rollout | 6219

Shader

Library

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Metal

lume

Photon Basic

base

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Photon Volume Assigns a photon volume shader. Photon volume shaders
affect how an object's volume responds to photons; that is, they control how
the volume behaves when generating caustics and global illumination.
The photon volume component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Parti Volume Photon

physics

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Extended Shaders group
Displacement Assigns a displacement shader on page 7167. Default=locked to
parent material.
The displacement component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

3D Displacement on page 6813

3ds Max

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Ocean

lume

Volume Assigns a volume shader on page 7164.

6220 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The volume component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Beam

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Mist

lume

Parti Volume Photon

physics

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Submerge

lume

Environment Assigns an environment shader. The environment shader
provides an environment local to the material. It is visible if the material is
reflective or transparent.
The environment component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Environment on page 6825

3ds Max

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Advanced Shaders group
Contour Assigns a contour shader on page 7168.
The contour component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Combi

contour

Curvature

contour

Depth Fade

contour

Factor Color

contour

mental ray Connection Rollout | 6221

Shader

Library

Layer Thinner

contour

Simple

contour

Width From Color

contour

Width From Light

contour

Width From Light Dir

contour

Light Map Assigns a light map shader.
WARNING No light map shaders are provided with 3ds Max. This option is for
users who have access to light map shaders via other shader libraries or custom
shader code.

Optimization group
Flag Material as Opaque When on, indicates that the material is fully opaque.
This tells the mental ray renderer that it doesn't need to process transparency
for this material, or to use the shadow shader. This can improve rendering
time. Default=off.

DirectX Manager Rollout
Material Editor ➤ DirectX Manager rollout
Lets you select a DirectX viewport shader for viewing Direct3D hardware
shaders. DirectX shaders require the Direct3D graphics driver on page 8912,
which uses DirectX. With DirectX shading, materials in a viewport more
accurately represent how the material will appear in another application, or
on other hardware such as a game engine.
DirectX viewport shaders are especially useful for previewing texture-baked
materials on page 7307.

6222 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP
To display a material using a DirectX shader, rather than 3ds Max
software, choose Show Hardware Map In Viewport from the Show
Standard/Hardware Map In Viewport flyout, then click this button to turn it on.
Hardware viewport rendering requires a DirectX9.0c-compliant video card. Also,
hardware viewport rendering is supported only by the Direct3D display driver on
page 8912. See Showing Maps in Viewports on page 6006 for more information.
3ds Max provides two DirectX shaders:
■

LightMap shader on page 6601

■

Metal Bump shader on page 6602

NOTE This rollout does not appear for Multi/Sub-Object and Shell materials, which
are simply containers of other materials.
See also:
■

DirectX Shader Material on page 6597

Interface

Save as .FX File Click to display a Save Effect File dialog that lets you save the
active material as an FX file on page 9172.
Enable Plugin Material Turn on to use the chosen DirectX shader in shaded
viewports. Default=off.
When not enabled, viewports continue to use the default viewport (interactive)
renderer on page 9343 (or the ActiveShade renderer on page 7001, if that has been
chosen).
This toggle is unavailable if no shader plug-in has been chosen from the
drop-down list, and when DX Display Of Standard Material is on.

DirectX Manager Rollout | 6223

Plug-in drop-down list Use the drop-down list to choose a DirectX viewport
shader.
The list is unavailable when DX Display Of Standard Material is on.

mental ray Materials
3ds Max comes with several materials created specifically for use with the
mental ray renderer on page 7129. These materials are visible in the Material/Map
Browser on page 6167 when mental ray is the active renderer.
NOTE When you wire the parameters of an object with a mental ray material
assigned, the names of material parameters might differ from those in the Material
Editor interface. Also, parameters not supported by 3ds Max might appear as
blanks in the wiring menu.

Autodesk Materials
Autodesk Materials are mental ray materials that model materials commonly
used in construction, design, and the environment. They correspond to
Autodesk Revit materials, as well as materials in AutoCAD and Autodesk
Inventor, so they provide a way to share surface and material information if
you also use those applications.

6224 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A scene that uses Autodesk Materials

Autodesk Materials are based on the Arch & Design material on page 6269. Like
that material, they work best when used with physically accurate (photometric)
lights, and geometry that is modeled in real-world units. On the other hand,
the interface of each Autodesk Material is much simpler than the Arch &
Design material interface, and lets you achieve realistic, physically correct
results with comparatively little effort.
NOTE The Autodesk Material Library is a set of mental ray material libraries based
on manufacturing-supplied data and professional images. This includes building
and design materials such as professional wall paint with glossy or matte finishes,
solid glass, and concrete. These materials provide a convenient way of creating
realistic textures.

Autodesk Bitmaps
Many Autodesk Material types have one or more Autodesk Bitmaps on page
6635 already assigned to them. To change the default bitmap assignment (if
there is one), view the parameters for either the Autodesk Bitmap itself, or the
parent material, and then click the map button. 3ds Max opens a file dialog
so you can specify an image file. On the Parameters rollout for the Autodesk

mental ray Materials | 6225

Bitmap type, the button is labeled Source; in the settings for the parent
material, usually the button is labeled Image.
WARNING 3ds Max allows you to disconnect a bitmap from an Autodesk Material,
or to replace it with some other kind of map. However, if you do that other
Autodesk applications such as AutoCAD won’t be able to read the Autodesk
Material, so we recommend that you always leave the Autodesk Material bitmap
nodes as they are. You can change the texture file that they call, or adjust their
settings, but don’t disconnect them or replace them with a map type that is
supported only by 3ds Max.

Uninstalling Autodesk Materials
WARNING If you uninstall or remove an Autodesk Material library, the library is
no longer available to other Autodesk products such as AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit,
or Autodesk Inventor. Uninstalling also means you will be unable to view or render
3ds Max scenes that have Autodesk Materials currently in them.
For detailed information about installing or uninstalling Autodesk Material
libraries, and how to reinstall them, see the section “Installing Autodesk
Material Libraries” in the Installation Guide.

Autodesk Ceramic
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Ceramic.
Note: The Ceramic material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of glazed ceramic, including porcelain.

6226 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Autodesk Ceramic applied to the plate and bowl

Interface

mental ray Materials | 6227

Ceramic rollout

Type Sets the surface type.
■

Ceramic(The default.) Has the look of earthenware.

■

PorcelainHas the look of porcelain.

Color Sets how the color is specified.
■

Use Color(The default.) When this is active, a color swatch lets you choose
the material color.

■

Use MapWhen this is active, a map button lets you choose the map.

Finish Sets the surface finish (and reflectivity) of the material.
■

High Gloss/Glazed(The default.)

■

Satin

■

Matte

Finish Bumps rollout
Finish Bumps are meant to model patterns that appear in the glaze during
firing.

6228 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Enable When on, the material shows low-frequency waves or other patterns.
Default=off.
Type Sets the type of finish pattern.
■

Wavy(The default.) When chosen, the surface shows low-frequency waves.

■

Stamped/CustomWhen chosen, the surface uses a map to specify the finish
pattern. The Image button is available so you can choose the map.

Amount Controls the amount of the pattern to apply. Range: 0.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.05.

Relief Pattern rollout
A relief pattern is meant to model a pattern stamped into the clay.

Enable When on, applies a relief pattern to the material. Default=on.
Image Click to specify a bitmap for the relief pattern.
Amount Controls the height of the relief. Range: 0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.25.

Autodesk Concrete
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Concrete.
Note: The Concrete material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of concrete.

mental ray Materials | 6229

Autodesk Concrete with Smooth finish applied to the building
Autodesk Concrete with Broom Curved finish and Weathering applied to the pavement

Interface

6230 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Concrete rollout

Color Sets how the color is specified.
■

Use Color(The default.) When this is active, a color swatch lets you choose
the material color.

■

Use MapWhen this is active, a map button lets you choose the map.

Sealant Controls the reflectiveness of the surface.
■

None(The default.) Doesn’t alter the surface finish.

■

EpoxyAdds a glossy reflective coating.

■

AcrilycAdds a matte reflective coating.

Finish Bumps rollout

Finish Bumps Controls the surface texture of the concrete.
■

Broom Straight(The default.) Uses a straight broom pattern.

■

Broom CurvedUses a curving broom pattern.

■

SmoothUses a smooth pattern with speckled irregularities.

■

PolishedUses a completely smooth pattern.

■

Stamped/CustomUses a custom bitmap.

mental ray Materials | 6231

When this option is active, the Image button lets you specify the bitmap,
and the Amount slider controls the height of the finish bumps.

Weathering rollout
Weathering applies slight variations in brightness to the surface of the concrete.

Enable When on, applies weathering to the surface. Default=off.
Type
■

Automatic(The default.) Applies weathering automatically.

■

CustomUses a bitmap to specify the weathering pattern.
When this option is active, the Image button lets you choose the bitmap.

Autodesk Generic
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Generic.
Note: The Generic material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material is a generic interface for creating a custom appearance.

6232 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Generic rollout

Color Click to set the base color of the material.
Image Click to choose a map to apply to the material.

mental ray Materials | 6233

Typically a texture map will hide the base color, unless you use the map as a
decal (no tiling).
Image Fade Controls the compositing between the base color and the texture
map. At 100.0 percent, the texture map is completely opaque. Range: 0.0 to
100.0. Default=100.0.
NOTE Viewports don’t show the effect of Image Fade.
Glossiness Controls the glossiness of the surface.
■

Use Slider(The default.) When active, glossiness is controlled by a slider.

■

Use MapWhen active, the slider is replaced by a map button you can click
to choose a map for the glossiness pattern.

Highlights When on, uses metallic specular highlights for the material. When
off, uses nonmetallic highlights. Default=off.

Reflectivity rollout
These controls affect the reflectivity of the surface and the intensity of specular
highlights.

Direct Controls the reflectivity of the surface under direct light.
■

Use Slider(The default.) When active, direct reflectivity is controlled by a
slider.

■

Use MapWhen active, the slider is replaced by a map button you can click
to choose a map that controls direct reflectivity.

Oblique Controls the reflectivity of the surface under oblique light.
■

Use Slider(The default.) When active, oblique reflectivity is controlled by
a slider.

6234 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Use MapWhen active, the slider is replaced by a map button you can click
to choose a map that controls oblique reflectivity.

Transparency rollout

Enable When on, the material is transparent, or partially so. Default=off.
Amount Controls the overall transparency. Range: 0.0 to 100.0. Default=30.0.
Image Click to choose a map that controls reflectivity in combination with
the overall Amount.
Image Fade Controls the compositing of the overall Amount and the effect
of the image map.
■

Use Slider(The default.) When actives, uses a slider to control the image
fade.

■

Use MapWhen active, uses a map to control the image fade. The slider is
replaced by a map button.

Translucency When the overall Amount is greater than zero, controls how
much of that amount is translucent.
■

Use Slider(The default.) When actives, uses a slider to control the
translucency.

■

Use MapWhen active, uses a map to control the translucency. The slider
is replaced by a map button.

mental ray Materials | 6235

Refraction Lets you set the Index of Refraction (IOR) of the m aterial.
■

AirHas an IOR of 1.0.

■

WaterHas an IOR of 1.33.

■

AlcoholHas an IOR of 1.36.

■

QuartzHas an IOR of 1.46.

■

Glass(The default.) Has an IOR of 1.52.

■

DiamondHas an IOR of 2.3.

■

CustomLets you set an arbitrary value for the IOR. Range: 0.001 to 5.0.

Cut-outs rollout

Enable When on, enables cut-out mapping on page 6586 for the material.
Default=off
Image Click to choose a map to use for the cut-out mapping.

Self Illumination rollout

Enable When on, makes the material self illuminating. Default=off.

6236 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Luminance Sets the brightness of the glow, measured in candelas per square
meter.
■

Dim glow(The default.) Has a value of 10.0 cd/m2.

■

LED panelHas a value of 100.0 cd/m2

■

LED screenHas a value of 140.0 cd/m2

■

Cell phone screenHas a value of 200.0 cd/m2

■

CRT TelevisionHas a value of 250.0 cd/m2

■

Lamp shade exteriorHas a value of 1300.0 cd/m2

■

Lamp shade interiorHas a value of 2500.0 cd/m2

■

Desk Lamp LensHas a value of 10000.0 cd/m2

■

Halogen Lamp LensHas a value of 10000.0 cd/m2

■

Frosted BulbHas a value of 21000.0 cd/m2

■

CustomLets you set an arbitrary value for the glow.

Color Temperature Sets the color of the glow in degrees Kelvin.
■

CandleHas a value of 1850.0K.

■

Incandescent BulbHas a value of 2800.0K.

■

FloodlightHas a value of 3400.0K.

■

MoonlightHas a value of 4100.0K.

■

Daylight - WarmHas a value of 5000.0K.

■

Daylight - CoolHas a value of 6000.0K.

■

Xenon Arc LampHas a value of 6420.0K.

■

TV ScreenHas a value of 9320.0K.

■

Custom(The default.) Lets you set an arbitrary value for the color
temperature.

Filter Color Creates the effect of a colored filter over the illuminated surface.
■

Use Color(The default.) When this is active, a color swatch lets you choose
the filter color.

mental ray Materials | 6237

■

Use MapWhen this is active, a map button lets you choose the map for
the filter color.

Bump rollout

Enable When on, enables bump mapping on page 6472 for the material.
Default=off.
Image Click to choose an image to use for bump mapping.
Amount Controls the amount of the bump mapping.
■

Use Slider(The default.) When active, the bump amount is controlled by
a slider.

■

Use MapWhen active, the slider is replaced by a map button you can click
to choose a map for the bump mapping amount.

Autodesk Glazing
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Glazing.
Note: The Glazing material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material is for thin, transparent surfaces such as glazing in windows and
doors.

6238 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

In a daytime scene, Autodesk Glazing admits light through the glazed panels of the
doors.

mental ray Materials | 6239

In a twilight scene, Autodesk Glazing also generates reflections
(Reflectance increased to 30.0.)

Interface

6240 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Glazing rollout

Color Lets you choose a color for the sheets of glass.
■

Clear(The default.)

■

Green

■

Gray

■

Blue

■

Blue Green

■

Bronze

■

CustomWhen Custom is active, the Custom Color controls let you set your
own color: You can use either a simple color swatch, or a texture map.

Reflectance Controls the reflectivity of the sheets of glass. Range: 0.0 to 50.0.
Default=10.0.
Sheets of glass Sets the number of sheets of glass in a single object. The more
sheets of glass, the greater the refractivity. Range: 1 to 6. Default=2.

Autodesk Hardwood
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Hardwood.
Note: The Hardwood material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
The Hardwood material has the appearance of wood.

mental ray Materials | 6241

Autodesk Hardwood applied to the table as Furniture use, and to the floor as Flooring
use

Interface

6242 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Wood rollout

Image Specifies the bitmap to be used for the hardwood pattern
Stain Lets you choose a stain to add to the base hardwood pattern.
■

NoneWhen active, there is no stain.

■

ColorWhen active, the Stain Color swatch lets you choose the color of the
stain.

Finish Lets you choose the surface finish of the hardwood.
■

Glossy Varnish(The default.)

■

Semi-Gloss Varnish

■

Satin Varnish

■

Unfinished

Used For Lets you choose how the wood is used.
■

FlooringWhen active, the material uses an Ocean shader (see Shaders in
the LumeTools Collection on page 6811) to add a slight warp to large surfaces,
improving their realism. (You can still use the Relief Pattern map as well.)

■

FurnitureSurfaces are not warped, though you can still use the Relief Pattern
for other surface effects.

mental ray Materials | 6243

Relief Pattern rollout

Enable When on, generates a relief pattern, like a bump map, for the wood
surface. Default=on.
Type
■

Based on wood grain(The default.) Generates a relief pattern based on the
Image map used to display the wood pattern.

■

CustomLets you choose a bitmap to use for the relief pattern. While Custom
is active, you can use the Image button to choose the map.

Amount Controls the height of the relief pattern. Range: –10.0 to 10.0.
Default=0.3.

Autodesk Masonry/CMU
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Masonry/CMU.
Note: The Masonry/CMU material appears in the Browser only if mental ray
or Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of masonry or of concrete masonry units
(CMUs).

6244 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Autodesk Masonry/CMU with a brick pattern applied to the flat walls

Interface

mental ray Materials | 6245

Masonry rollout

Type Sets the type of the surface.
■

CMU(The default.)

■

Masonry

Color Sets the color of the surface.
■

Use Color(The default.) When this is active, a color swatch lets you choose
the color.

■

Use MapWhen this is active, a map button lets you choose the map for
the color.

Finish Chooses the surface finish and reflectivity of the masonry.
■

Glossy

■

Matte

■

Unfinished(The default.)

Relief Pattern rollout

Enable When on, applies a relief pattern to the material. Default=on.
Image Click to specify a bitmap for the relief pattern.

6246 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Amount Controls the height of the relief. Range: 0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.25.

Autodesk Metal
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Metal.
Note: The Metal material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of metal.

Autodesk Metal with a type of Stainless Steel applied to the utensils, and with a type
of Brass applied to the framework of the chair

mental ray Materials | 6247

Interface

Metal rollout

Type Sets the base color and texture of the material, and controls which
properties are used.
■

Aluminum(The default.) For Aluminum, you can change the Finish.

■

Anodized AluminumFor Anodized Aluminum, you can change the Color.

■

ChromeFor Chrome, you can change the Finish.

■

CopperFor Copper, you can change the Patina and the Finish.

■

BrassFor Brass, you can change the Finish.

■

BronzeFor Bronze, you can change the Patina and the Finish.

■

Stainless SteelFor Stainless Steel, you can change the Finish.

■

ZincFor Zinc, there are no further options.

6248 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Color Lets you set a custom color for Anodized Aluminum.
Patina Lets you set a patina for Copper or Bronze. The higher the value, the
more the amount of patina. Range: 0 to 1.0. Default=0.0.
Finish Lets you set a surface finish for Aluminum, Chrome, Copper, Brass,
Bronze, or Stainless Steel.
■

Polished(The default.)

■

Semi-polished

■

Satin

■

Brushed

Relief Pattern rollout

Enable When on, applies a relief pattern to the material. Default=off.
Type Lets you choose a predefined relief pattern, or create a custom pattern.
■

Knurl(The default.)

■

Diamond Plate

■

Checker Plate

■

CustomLets you choose a bitmap to control the relief pattern.

Image When Custom is the active Type, click to specify a bitmap for the relief
pattern.
Amount Controls the height of the relief. Range: 0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.3.
Scale Adjusts the scale of the relief pattern. Range: 0.0 to 5.0. Default=1.0.

mental ray Materials | 6249

Cut-outs rollout

Enable When on, enables cut-out mapping on page 6586 for the material.
Default=off
Type Lets you choose a predefined cut-out pattern, or create a custom pattern.
For those cut-out patterns that let you adjust dimensions, the values are set
in inches.
■

Staggered Circles(The default.) For the Staggered Circles pattern, you can
set a Diameter and a Center Spacing distance.

■

Straight CirclesFor the Straight Circles pattern, you can set a Diameter and
a Center Spacing distance.

■

SquaresFor the Squares pattern, you can set a Size and a Center Spacing
distance.

■

GrecianFor the Grecian pattern, there are no additional settings.
The Grecian pattern is 0.625” square, and the squares are separated by
0.125”.

■

CloverleafFor the Cloverleaf pattern, there are no additional settings.
The Cloverleaf height (at the waist of each lobe) is 0.25”, and the width
(from the apex of one lobe to the apex of the opposite lobe) is 0.5”

■

HexagonFor the Hexagon pattern, there are no additional settings.

6250 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Hexagon height (the long dimension) is 0.3125”, and the width (the
narrow dimension) is 0.25”.
■

CustomFor the Custom pattern, the Image button lets you choose a bitmap
that will generate cut-outs.

Autodesk Metallic Paint
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Metallic Paint.
Note: The Metallic Paint material appears in the Browser only if mental ray
or Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of metallic paint, as on an automobile.

Autodesk Metallic Paint, with flakes (“flecks”)

mental ray Materials | 6251

Interface

Metallic Paint rollout

Color Sets the base color for the paint.
Highlight Spread This controls the specular highlights of the base coat: the
blurry, secondary highlights beneath the sharp, primary highlights of the top
coat. Range: 0.0 to 100.0. Default=50.0

Flecks rollout

Enable When on, the metallic paint includes flecks, creating a “metal flake”
appearance. Default=off.
Color Sets the color of the flecks. Default=white.
This value works as a grayscale: When the HSV value is white or 1.0, flecks
show at full strength. When the HSV value is black or 0.0, they don’t appear.
When the HSV value is 50 percent gray, or 0.5, the fleck effect is at 50 percent.

6252 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Size Sets the size of the flecks. This can be useful for scaling them in renderings.
Range: 0.0 to 100.0. Default=12.0.

Pearl rollout

Enable When on, adds a pearly, iridescent effect to the material. Default=off.

White Autodesk Metallic Paint with a Pearl effect

mental ray Materials | 6253

Type
■

Chromatic(The default.) When Chromatic is active, you can adjust the
Amount of the effect.

■

CustomWhen Custom is active, you can choose a complement color for
the pearl effect, and adjust Blend, which ranges from 0.0 to 100.0
(default=20.0), where 0.0 shows only the base color and 100.0 shows only
this complement Color.
With a Custom pearl effect, you can also adjust the Amount.

Top Coat rollout
The Metallic Paint material always has a clear top coat. Settings on this rollout
let you adjust the shininess of the top coat and its texture.

Type
■

Carpaint(The default.) Carpaint has Glossiness = 80.0 and Angle Falloff =
20.0.

■

ChromeChrome has Glossiness = 100.0 and Angle Falloff = 0.0.

■

MatteMatte has Glossiness = Angle Falloff = 0.0.

■

CustomCustom lets you choose your own values for Glossiness and Angle
Falloff.
At a Glossiness value of 0.0, the surface finish is completely matte. At a
Glosiness value of 100.0, the surface finish is completely reflective.
The Angle Falloff controls a Fresnel effect: At 0.0, there is no Fresnel effect
at all; at 100.0 there is a high Fresnel effect, and highlights are reflective
only in a narrow zone at extreme angles.

6254 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Finish Controls the texture of the top coat.
■

Smooth(The default.)

■

Orange Peel The top coat has a pitted surface, like an orange peel.
The Amount slider and numeric field let you control the amount of the
pitting effect.

Autodesk Metallic Paint with an Orange Peel surface finish

Autodesk Mirror
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Mirror.
Note: The Mirror material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material acts as a mirror.

mental ray Materials | 6255

Mirror on the left reflects the room and the statue.

Interface

Mirror rollout

Tint Color Lets you choose a color to tint the glass of the mirror.

6256 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Autodesk Plastic Vinyl
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Plastic Vinyl.
Note: The Plastic Vinyl material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has a synthetic appearance, as of plastic or vinyl.

Solid Autodesk Plastic used for the plate, bowl, and utensils
Clear Autodesk Plastic used for the wine glass
Red Vinyl used for the seat and back of the chair

mental ray Materials | 6257

Interface

Plastic rollout

Type Lets you choose the material type.
■

Plastic (solid)(The default.)

■

Plastic (transparent)

■

Vinyl

Color Sets the color of the material.
■

Use Color(The default.) When this is active, a color swatch lets you choose
the color.

■

Use MapWhen this is active, a map button lets you choose the map for
the color.

6258 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Finish Sets the surface finish and reflectivity of the material.
■

Polished

■

Glossy

■

Matte

Finish Bumps rollout
Finish Bumps adds a bump pattern such as you might find on vinyl siding or
flooring.

Enable When on, the material uses the bump pattern. Default=off.
Image Click to specify a bitmap for the bump pattern.
Amount Controls the height of the finish bumps. Range: 0.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.05.

Relief Pattern rollout

Enable When on, applies a relief pattern to the material. Default=off.
Image Click to specify a bitmap for the relief pattern.
Amount Controls the height of the relief. Range: 0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.25.

mental ray Materials | 6259

Autodesk Solid Glass
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Solid Glass.
Note: The Solid Glass material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of solid glass.

Clear (default) Autodesk Solid Glass used for the wine glass
Blue Autodesk Solid Glass used for the plate and bowl

6260 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Solid Glass rollout

Color Lets you choose a color for the glass.
■

Clear(The default.)

■

Green

■

Gray

■

Blue

■

Blue Green

■

Bronze

■

CustomWhen Custom is active, the Custom Color control becomes active,
and you can specify a color for the glass using either the color swatch or
a map button.

Reflectance Sets the reflectivity of the glass. Range: 0.0 to 100.0. Default=5.0.

mental ray Materials | 6261

Refraction Sets the refractivity (Index of Refraction, or IOR) of the glass.
■

AirThe IOR=1.0.

■

WaterThe IOR=1.33.

■

AlcoholThe IOR=1.36.

■

QuartzThe IOR=1.46.

■

Glass(The default.) The IOR=1.52.

■

DiamondThe IOR=2.3.

NOTE You can also set a custom IOR value by entering a custom value in the
numeric field.
Roughness Sets the roughness of the surface of the glass. Range: 0.0 to 0.1.
Default=0.0.

Relief Pattern rollout

Enable When on, applies a relief pattern to the surface of the glass. Default=off.
Type Lets you choose a predefined relief pattern, or create a custom pattern.
■

Rippled(The default.)

■

Wavy Plate

■

CustomLets you choose a bitmap to control the relief pattern.

Image When Custom is the active Type, click to specify a bitmap for the relief
pattern.
Amount Controls the height of the relief. Range: 0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.3.

6262 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Autodesk Stone
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Stone.
Note: The Stone material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of stone.

Autodesk Stone used as facing for the flat walls of the building

mental ray Materials | 6263

Interface

Stone rollout

Image Click to choose a bitmap that defines the surface appearance of the
stone material.
Finish Sets the finish used for the stone surface.
■

Polished(The default.)

■

Glossy

■

Matte

6264 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Unfinished

Finish Bumps rollout

Enable When on, the material uses a bump pattern for its finish. Default=off.
Type Lets you choose a preset pattern for the bump pattern, or choose a
custom pattern.
■

Polished Granite(The default.)

■

Stone Wall

■

Glossy Marble

■

Custom

Image When Custom is active, click to specify a bitmap for the bump pattern.
Amount Controls the height of the finish bumps. Range: 0.0 to 1.0.
Default=0.05.

Relief Pattern rollout

Enable When on, applies a relief pattern to the material. Default=off.
Image Click to specify a bitmap for the relief pattern.

mental ray Materials | 6265

Amount Controls the height of the relief. Range: 0.0 to 2.0. Default=0.25.

Autodesk Wall Paint
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Wall Paint.
Note: The Wall Paint material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of a painted surface.

Autodesk Wall Paint used for the walls of the room

Interface

6266 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Wall Paint rollout

Color Lets you choose a color for the paint.
Finish Sets the glossiness of the surface finish of the paint.
■

Flat/Matte(The default.)

■

Eggshell

■

Platinum

■

Pearl

■

Semigloss

■

Gloss

Application Sets the texture of the paint, based on how the paint was applied.
■

Roller(The default.)

■

Brush

■

Spray

Autodesk Water
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose Autodesk Water.
Note: The Water material appears in the Browser only if mental ray or
Quicksilver is the active renderer.
This material has the appearance of water.

mental ray Materials | 6267

In the foreground Autodesk Water used for the pool, and set to Swimming Pool
In the background, Autodesk Water used for the sea, and set to Generic Sea/Ocean

Interface

Type Lets you choose the scale and texture of the water.
■

Swimming Pool(The default.)

■

Generic Reflecting Pool

■

Generic Stream/River

■

Generic Pond/Lake

6268 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Generic Sea/Ocean

Color When any Type option other than Swimming Pool is active, you can
choose the color of the water.
■

Tropical(The default.)

■

Algae/Green

■

Murky/Brown

■

Generic Reflecting Pool

■

Generic Stream/River

■

Generic Water/Lake

■

Generic Sea/Ocean

■

CustomWhen this option is active, you can click the Custom Color color
swatch to choose an arbitrary color for the water.

Wave Height Sets the height of wave bumps on the water, in arbitrary units.
Range: 0.0 to 5.0. Default=0.5.

Arch & Design Material (mental ray)
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Arch & Design Material
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
The mental ray Arch (architectural) & Design material improves the image
quality of architectural renderings. It improves workflow and performance in
general, and performance for glossy surfaces (such as floors) in particular.
Special features of the Arch & Design material include self-illumination,
advanced options for reflectivity and transparency, ambient occlusion settings,
and the ability to round off sharp corners and edges as a rendering effect.

mental ray Materials | 6269

A range of material effects available with the Arch & Design material

TIP The Arch & Design material supports hardware-based viewport display for
improved feedback while you edit its parameters. For more infomation, see Showing
Maps in Viewports on page 6006.

6270 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP The Arch & Design material interface has built-in descriptions of all of its
important parameters. To view a tooltip describing a parameter that interests you,
position the mouse cursor over the control's spinner, color swatch, check box,
and so on.

For a variety of suggestions on using the material to create specific effects, see
Arch & Design Material (mental ray): Tips and Tricks on page 6328.

What Is the Arch & Design Material?
The mental ray Arch & Design material is a monolithic material shader
designed to support most materials used in architectural and product-design
renderings. It supports most hard-surface materials such as metal, wood, and
glass. It is especially tuned for fast glossy reflections and refractions (replacing
the DGS material on page 6818) and high-quality glass (replacing the dielectric
material on page 6823).
The major features are:
■

Easy to use, yet flexible: Controls are arranged logically in a most-used-first
fashion.

■

Templates: Allow fast access to settings combinations for common
materials.

■

Physically accurate: The material is energy conserving, making it impossible
to create shaders that break the laws of physics.

■

Glossy performance: Advanced performance boosts including interpolation,
emulated glossiness, and importance sampling.

■

Tweakable BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function): You can
define how reflectivity depends on angle.

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■

Transparency: “Solid” or “thin” materials: transparent objects such as glass
can be treated as either solid (refracting, built out of multiple faces) or thin
(nonrefracting, can use single faces).

■

Round corners: Simulate fillets to allow sharp edges to still catch the light
in a realistic fashion.

■

Indirect Illumination control: Set the final gather accuracy or indirect
illumination level on a per-material basis.

■

Oren-Nayar diffuse: Allows “powdery” surfaces such as clay.

■

Built-in Ambient Occlusion: For contact shadows and enhancing small
details.

■

All-in-one shader: Photon and shadow shader built in.

■

Waxed floors, frosted glass, and brushed metals: All fast and easy to set
up.

Physics and the Display
The Arch & Design material attempts to be physically accurate, so its output
has a high dynamic range. How visually pleasing the material looks depends
on how colors inside the renderer are mapped to colors displayed on the
screen.
When rendering with the Arch & Design material, it is highly recommended
that you operate through a tone mapper (exposure control) such as the mr
Photographic Exposure Control on page 7677 in conjunction with gamma
correction on page 8917; or at the very least, use gamma correction.

A Note on Gamma
Describing all the details of gamma correction is beyond the scope of this
topic; this is just a brief overview.
The color space of a normal, off-the-shelf computer screen is not linear. The
color with RGB value 200 200 200 is not twice as bright as a color with RGB
value 100 100 100, as one might expect.
This is not a bug. Because our eyes see light in a nonlinear way, the former
color is actually perceived to be about twice as bright as the latter. This makes
the color space of a normal computer screen roughly uniform, perceptually.
This is a good thing, and is actually the main reason 24-bit color (with only
8 bits or 256 discrete levels for each of the red, green, and blue components)
looks as good as it does to our eyes.

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The problem is that physically correct computer graphics operates in a true
linear color space where a value represents actual light energy. If one simply
maps the range of colors output to the renderer naively to the 0–255 range of
each RGB color component, the result is incorrect.
The solution is to introduce a mapping of some sort. One of these mapping
methods is called gamma correction.
Most computer screens have a gamma of about 2.2 (known as the sRGB color
space). Lower gamma-correction values tend to make everything look too
dark, especially midtones. The light does not “add up” correctly.
Using a gamma of 2.2, the theoretically correct value, makes the physically
linear light inside the renderer appear in a correct linear manner on screen.
However, because the response of photographic film isn’t linear either, some
users find that this theoretically correct value looks too bright and washed
out. A common compromise is to render to the gamma value of 1.8, making
renderings look more like photographs: that is, as if the image had been shot
on photographic film and then developed. However, when you export and
import images (such as texture maps) to and from an external image-editing
program, for best results you should set all gamma values on Preferences ➤
Gamma and LUT Preferences on page 8917 to 2.2.

Exposure Control (Tone Mapping)
Another method for mapping the physical energies inside the renderer to
visually pleasing pixel values is known as exposure control or tone mapping. You
can accomplish this either by rendering to a floating-point file format and
using external software, or with a plug-in that allows the renderer to do it on
the fly. In 3ds Max such plug-ins are known as exposure controls and are
accessed from the Environment dialog.

Use Final Gathering and Global Illumination
The Arch & Design material is designed to be used in a realistic lighting
environment: one that incorporates full direct and indirect illumination.
mental ray provides two basic methods for generating indirect light: Final
Gathering and Global Illumination. For best results, be sure to use at least one
of these methods.
At the very least, enable Final Gathering, or use Final Gathering combined
with Global Illumination (photons) for quality results. Performance tips for
using Final Gather and Global Illumination can be found here on page 6329.

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If you use an environment for your reflections, make sure the same
environment (or a blurred copy of it) is used to light the scene through Final
Gathering. In 3ds Max this means you should include a Skylight on page 5771
in your scene set to Use Scene Environment, or use Daylight system on page
5852 with Skylight set to mr Sky.

Use Physically Correct Lights
Traditional computer-graphics light sources live in a cartoon universe where
the intensity of the light doesn’t change with the distance. The real world
doesn’t agree with that simplification. Light decays when leaving a light source,
due to the fact that light rays diverge from their source and the intensity of
the light changes over distance. This decay of a point light source is 1/d2; in
other words, light intensity is proportional to the inverse of the square of the
distance to the source.
One of the reasons for this traditional oversimplification is that in the early
days of computer graphics, tone mapping was not used, and problems of colors
blowing out to white in undesirable ways was rampant. (Raw clipping in sRGB
color space is displeasing to the eye, especially if one color channel clips earlier
than the others do. Tone mapping generally solves this by “soft clipping” in
a more suitable color space than sRGB.)
However, as long as only Final Gathering (FG) is used as indirect illumination
method, such traditional simplifications still work. Even light sources with
no decay still create reasonable renderings. This is because FG is concerned
only with the transport of light from one surface to the next, not with the
transport of light from the light source to the surface.
It’s when you work with Global Illumination (GI) (that is, with photons) that
troubles arise.
When GI is enabled, light sources shoot photons. For the Arch & Design
material (or any other mental ray material) to be able to work properly, it is
imperative that the energy of these photons match the direct light cast by
that same light. And since photons model light in a physical manner, decay
is built in.
Hence, when using GI:
■

Light sources must emit photons at the correct energy.

■

The direct light must decay in a physically correct way to match the decay
of the photons.

Therefore it is important to make sure the light shader and the photon emission
shader of the lights work well together.

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In 3ds Max, this is most easily solved by using photometric lights on page 5707.
All of these lights are guaranteed to have their photon energy in sync with
their direct light. It is built in and automatic, and you don’t need to worry
about setting it up.

Performance Features
The Arch & Design material contains a large set of built-in functions for
optimal performance, including but not limited to:
■

Advanced importance sampling with ray rejection thresholds

■

Adaptive glossy sample count

■

Interpolated glossy reflection/refraction with detail enhancements

■

Ultra-fast emulated glossy reflections (Highlights+FG Only mode)

■

The option to ignore internal reflections for glass objects

■

The choice between traditional transparent shadows (suitable for objects
such as window panes) and refractive caustics (suitable for solid glass
objects), on a per-material basis.

Procedures
To create a physically correct, self-illuminated surface:
An example of this application is a realistic halogen pendant luminaire with
a translucent shade, such as frosted glass.
1 Create your geometry and obtain or create a photometric file of the
luminaire. Determine the lamp color and intensity, as measured or
provided by the manufacturer; for example: 1,500 cd/m2 and 3,700
degrees Kelvin. Enable exposure control on page 7665 and global
illumination on page 7160.
2 Create a photometric light (the halogen lamp) and set its color and
intensity.
3 Turn off the light source’s Affect Specular property.
4 Create and place the light-shade geometry and apply an Arch & Design
material to it.
5 On the Self Illumination (Glow) rollout, set the same color and intensity
you applied to the light source. Also, turn off the Illuminates The Scene
(When Using FG) check box in the Glow Options group.

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6

Render the scene.

Templates Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Templates
rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
Provides access to Arch & Design material presets for quickly creating different
types of materials such as wood, glass, and metal.
You can also use templates as starting points for generating customized
materials. Choose a template from the drop-down list; a description of the
material then appears in the left-hand pane.
NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.
See also:
■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

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Interface

Appearance & Attributes
Matte Finish Changes the material to an ideal Lambertian (diffuse) shading
without affecting colors or maps.
Pearl Finish Creates soft blurry reflections without affecting colors or maps.
Glossy Finish Creates strong reflections without affecting colors or maps.

Finishes
Satin Varnished Wood Satin-finish wood with light blurred reflections.
Glossy Varnished Wood Gloss-finish wood with strong reflections slightly
blurred.
Rough Concrete Concrete finished with a brush or broom, giving a very rough
appearance.
Polished Concrete Polished concrete with slightly blurred glossy reflections.
Glazed Ceramic Glazed ceramic with glossy reflections.
Glazed Ceramic Tiles Glazed tiles and grout with glossy reflections.
Glossy Plastic Plastic with glossy reflections.
Matte Plastic Plastic with a matte, rough finish.
Masonry Brick material with bumps and extremely soft reflectivity.
Rubber Dark rubber with soft reflectivity.
Leather Dark brown leather with soft reflectivity.

Transparent Materials
Glass (Thin Geometry) Glass for window panes modeled as single faces. Does
not do any refraction.
Glass (Solid Geometry) Refracting glass for solid objects. Requires entry and
exit surfaces with oriented normals on page 9237.

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Glass (Physical) Refracting glass for solid objects with attenuation of light
inside volumes. For best results, requires caustics on page 7154 or segmented
ray-traced shadows on page 7209.
Frosted Glass (Physical) Frosted glass for solid objects with attenuation of
light inside volumes. Interpolates blurred transparency for faster renderings.
Translucent Plastic Film, Light Blur Translucent plastic modeled as single
faces. Performs a light blur on transparency.
Translucent Plastic Film, Opalescent Translucent plastic modeled as single
faces. Performs a strong blur on transparency, wich opalescent effect.
Water, Reflective surface Water surface for rivers, oceans, and so on. Captures
reflections, but the water itself is not transparent.

Metals
Chrome Highly reflective chrome surface.
Brushed Metal Brushed metallic surface. The grain of the brushed finish is
created by a noise map modulating the reflection.
Satined Metal Satined metallic surface showing a uniform spread for the
reflections.
Copper Copper material.
Patterned Copper Copper material with procedural brush patterns.

Advanced Tools
Enable Details Enhancement Turns on ambient occlusion on page 6304 to
enhance small details and create “connecting” shadows.
Disable Details Enhancement Turns off ambient occlusion for the material.

Main Material Parameters Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Main Material
Parameters rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
Contains the main controls for the appearance of an Arch & Design material.

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NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.

The Shading Model
From a usage perspective, the shading model consists of three components:
■

Diffuse: Diffuse channel, including Oren Nayar “roughness”.

■

Reflections: Glossy anisotropic reflections, with highlights.

■

Refraction: Glossy anisotropic transparency and translucency.

The Arch & Design material shading model

Direct and indirect light from the scene cause diffuse reflections as well as
translucency effects. Direct light sources also create specular highlights.
Ray tracing is used to create reflective and refractive effects, and advanced
importance-driven multi-sampling is used to create glossy reflections and
refraction.
NOTE The rendering speed of the glossy reflections/refractions can further be
enhanced by interpolation as well as “emulated” reflections with the help of Final
Gathering.

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Reflectivity Features
The final surface reflectivity is in reality caused by the sum of three
components:
■

The diffuse effect

■

The actual reflections

■

Specular highlights that simulate the reflection of light sources

Diffuse, reflections, and highlights

In the real world, highlights are just glossy reflections of the light sources. In
computer graphics, it’s more efficient to treat these separately. However, to
maintain physical accuracy, the material automatically keeps highlight
intensity, glossiness, anisotropy, and so on, in sync with the intensity,
glossiness, and anisotropy of reflections. Thus, there are no separate controls
for these, as both are driven by the reflectivity settings.

Conservation of Energy
One of the most important features of the Arch & Design material is that it is
automatically energy conserving. This means that it makes sure that diffuse
+ reflection + refraction <= 1. In other words, no energy is “magically” created,
and the incoming light energy is properly distributed to the diffuse, reflection,
and refraction components in a way that maintains the first law of
thermodynamics.
For example, when adding reflectivity, the energy must be taken from
somewhere; hence, the diffuse level and the transparency will be automatically
reduced accordingly. Similarly, adding transparency happens at the cost of
the diffuse level.
The rules are as follows:
■

Transparency takes energy from diffuse color: that is, at 100% transparency,
there is no diffuse color at all.

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■

Reflectivity takes energy from both diffuse and transparency: that is, at
100 percent reflectivity there is neither diffuse color nor transparency.

■

Translucency is a type of transparency, and the Translucency Weight
parameter defines the percentage of transparency versus translucency.

From left to right: Reflectivity = 0.0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.0

From left to right: Transparency = 0.0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.0

Conservation of energy also means that the level of highlights is linked to the
glossiness of a surface. A high Reflection Glossiness value causes a narrow,
intense highlight, while a lower value causes a wider, less intense highlight.
This is because the energy is now spread out and dissipated over a larger area.

Transparency Features
The material supports full glossy anisotropic transparency and includes a
translucent component.

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Translucency

Solid versus Thin-Walled
The transparency/translucency property can treat objects as either solid or
thin-walled.
If all objects were treated as solids at all times, every window pane in an
architectural model would have to be modeled as two faces: an entry surface
that refracts the light slightly in one direction, and immediately following it
an exit surface, where light is refracted back into the original direction.
Not only does this entail additional modeling work, it is a waste of rendering
power to simulate refraction that has very little net effect on the image. Hence,
the thin-walled option allows you to model the entire window pane as a single
flat plane, foregoing any actual refraction of light.

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Solid versus thin-walled transparency and translucency

In the preceding illustration, the helicopter canopy, the window pane, the
translucent curtain, and the right-hand sphere all use thin-walled transparency
or translucency, whereas the glass goblet, the plastic horse, and the left-hand
sphere all use solid transparency or translucency.

Cutout Opacity
Beyond “physical” transparency, which models an actual property of the
material, the material provides a completely separate, non-physical “cutout
opacity” channel to allow “billboard” objects such as trees, or to cut out objects
such as a chainlink fence with an opacity mask.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

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■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

Interface

Diffuse group
Diffuse Level Diffuse Level on page 6420 controls the brightness of the diffuse
color component. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=1.0.
NOTE Because the material is energy conserving, the actual diffuse level used
depends on the reflectivity and transparency, as discussed in Conservation of
Energy on page 6280.
Color Controls the diffuse color on page 9137. The diffuse color is the color in
direct light. Default=50% gray.
Roughness Roughness on page 6422 controls how quickly the diffuse component
blends into the ambient component. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.0.
The diffuse component uses the Oren-Nayar shading model. When the
Roughness value is 0.0, this is identical to classical Lambertian shading; but

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with higher values, the surface gets a more “powdery” look, as shown in the
following illustration.

Left: Roughness=0.0
Center: 0.5
Right: 1.0

Reflection group
Reflectivity The overall level of reflectivity. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.6.
The Reflectivity and Color values combine to define the level of reflections
as well as the intensity of the traditional highlight, also known as the specular
highlight.
This value is the maximum value; the actual value also depends on the angle
of the surface, and comes from the BRDF curve. This curve (see Interface on
page 6298) lets you define 0–degree reflectivity for surfaces facing the view and
90–degree reflectivity for surfaces perpendicular to the view.

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Left: No reflectivity, with a purely diffuse material
Center: Angle-dependent reflectivity, with 0–degree reflectivity of 0.1 and a 90–degree
reflectivity of 1.0
Right: Constant reflectivity, with both 0–degree reflectivity and 90–degree reflectivity
of 0.9

NOTE In the preceding illustration, the high reflectivity automatically “subtracts”
from the white diffuse color. If this didn’t happen, the material would become
unrealistically overbright, and would break the laws of physics.
Color The overall color of reflected light. Default=white.
Glossiness Defines the surface “glossiness,” ranging from 1.0 (a perfect mirror)
to 0.0 (a diffusely reflective surface). Default=1.0.

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Left: Glossiness=1.0
Center: 0.5
Right: 0.25

Glossy Samples Defines the maximum number of samples (rays) that mental
ray shoots to create glossy reflections. Higher values cause slow rendering but
create a smoother result. Lower values render faster but create a grainier result.
In general, 32 is enough for most renderings.
Available only when Glossiness does not equal 1.0. Because a Glossiness value
of 1.0 creates a “perfect mirror,” it is meaningless to shoot multiple rays for
this case, hence only one reflection ray is shot.
NOTE If you set Glossy Samples to 0, the reflections take the form of a “perfect
mirror” and only one ray is shot, regardless of the actual value of Glossiness. You
can use this to boost performance for surfaces with very weak reflections. The
highlight still respects the Glossiness value.
Glossy reflections need to trace multiple rays to yield a smooth result. This
can affect performance. For this reason, the material includes the following
two special features designed to enhance performance:
Fast (interpolate) When on, a smoothing algorithm allows rays to be reused
and smoothed. The result is faster and smoother glossy reflections at the
expense of accuracy. Interpolation is explained in greater detail in Fast Glossy
Interpolation Rollout on page 6319.
NOTE This method works best on flat surfaces.

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Highlights+FG only When on, mental ray traces no actual reflection rays.
Instead, only the highlights are shown, as well as soft reflections emulated
with the help of using Final Gathering.
The Highlights+FG Only mode takes no additional rendering time compared
to a non-glossy (diffuse) surface, yet can yield surprisingly convincing results.
While it might not be completely convincing for “hero” objects in a scene, it
can work very well for less-essential scene elements. It tends to work best on
materials with weak reflections or extremely glossy (blurred) reflections, as
shown in the following illustration:

The two cups on the left use real reflections, while those on the right use Highlights+FG
Only.

Metal material Metallic objects actually influence the color of their reflection,
whereas other materials do not. For example, a gold bar will have gold-colored
reflections, but a red glass orb does not have red reflections. This is supported
through the Metal Material option:
■

When off, the Reflection Color parameter defines the color, and the
Reflectivity parameter together with the BRDF settings defines the intensity
and colors of reflections.

■

When on, the Diffuse Color parameter defines the color of reflections, and
Reflectivity parameter sets the “weight” between diffuse reflections and
glossy (metallic) reflections.

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Left: Non-metallic reflections (Metal Material is off). Reflections clearly contain the
color of the objects they reflect and are not influenced by the color of the materials.
Center: Metallic reflections (Metal Material is on). Now the color of reflections are
influenced by the color of the object.
Right: A variant of this with Reflectivity=0.5, creating a 50:50 mix between colored
reflections and diffuse reflections

Refraction group
Transparency Defines the level of refraction. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.0.
Due to the material’s energy-conserving nature, the value set in the
Transparency parameter is the maximum value; the actual value depends on
the reflectivity as well as the BRDF curve.
Color Defines the color of refraction. While this color can be used to create
“colored glass.” A slightly more accurate method to do this is described in the
Colored Glass section on page 6331 of the Tips & Tricks topic.
Glossiness Defines the sharpness of the refraction/transparency, ranging from
1.0 (completely clear transparency) to 0.0 (extremely diffuse or blurry
transparency). Default=1.0.

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Left: Refraction Glossiness=1.0
Center: Refraction Glossiness=0.5
Right: Refraction Glossiness=0.25

Glossy refraction needs to trace multiple rays to yield a smooth result. This
can affect performance. For this reason, the material includes the following
special feature designed to enhance performance:
Fast (interpolate) When on, a smoothing algorithm allows rays to be reused
and smoothed. The result is faster and smoother glossy refraction at the
expense of accuracy. Interpolation is explained in greater detail in Fast Glossy
Interpolation Rollout on page 6319.
NOTE This method works best on flat surfaces.
Glossy Samples Defines the maximum number of samples (rays) that mental
ray shoots to create glossy refraction. Higher values cause slow rendering but
create a smoother result. Lower values render faster but create a grainier result,
like frosted glass. In general, 32 is enough for most renderings.
Available only when Glossiness does not equal 1.0. Because a Glossiness value
of 1.0 creates a perfectly clear (non-blurry) transparency, it is meaningless to
shoot multiple rays for this case; hence, only one refraction ray is shot.
NOTE If you set Glossy Samples to 0, the refraction takes the form of a “perfect
lens” and only one ray is shot, regardless of the actual value of Glossiness. You
can use this to boost performance for draft renderings.

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IOR The Index of Refraction, which is a measurement of how much a ray of
light bends when entering a material.
The direction in which light bends depends on whether it is entering or exiting
the object. The Arch & Design material use the direction of the surface normal
as the primary cue for figuring out whether it is entering or exiting. It is
therefore important to model transparent, refractive objects with the surface
normals pointing in the proper direction.
The IOR can also be used to define the BRDF curve, which is what happens
in the class of transparent materials known as “dielectric” materials, and is
illustrated here:

Left: IOR=1.0
Center: IOR=1.2
Right: IOR=1.5

The leftmost cup looks completely unrealistic, and is almost invisible. Because
an IOR of 1.0, which equals that of air, is impossible in solid matter, we get
no change in reflectivity across the material and hence perceive no edges or
changes of any kind. On the other hand, the center and rightmost cups have
realistic changes in reflectivity guided by the IOR.
Instead of basing the reflectivity on the IOR, you can instead use the BRDF
mode to set it manually:

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Different types of transparency

In the previous illustration, the leftmost cup acquires its curve from the index
of refraction. The center cup has a manually defined curve, which has been
set to a 90-degree reflectivity of 1.0 and a 0 degree reflectivity of 0.2; this looks
a bit more like metallized glass. The rightmost cup uses the same BRDF curve,
but instead is set to thin-walled transparency on page 6317. Clearly, this method
is better for making non-refractive objects than simply setting IOR to 1.0, as
we tried in the left-hand example of the illustration before this one.

Translucency group
Translucency is handled as a special case of transparency; in order to use
translucency, there must first exist some level of transparency. The
implementation of translucency in the Arch & Design material is a
simplification concerned solely with the transport of light from the back of
an object to its front faces; it is not a true SSS (subsurface scattering) effect.
You can create an SSS-like effect by using glossy transparency coupled with
translucency, but this is neither as fast nor as powerful as the dedicated SSS
shaders on page 6365.
Translucency When on, the remaining Translucency become available and
take effect when rendering.
Weight Determines how much of the existing transparency is used as
translucency. For example, if Weight=0.0, all of the transparency is used as
transparency. If Weight=0.3, 30 percent of the transparency is used as
translucency.

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All: Transparency=0.75
Left: Weight=0.0
Center: Weight=0.5
Right: Weight=1.0

Translucency is intended for use primarily in thin-walled mode on page 6317
(as in the example above), to model things like curtains, rice paper, and similar
effects. In thin-walled mode it simply allows the shading of the reverse side
of the object to bleed through. The shader also operates in solid mode on page
6317, but, as explained above, the SSS shaders are better suited for such purposes.

Solid translucency with:
Left: Weight=0.0

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Center: Weight=0.5
Right: Weight=1.0

Color The translucency color.

Anisotropy group
Anisotropy Controls the shape of the highlight. At 1.0, the highlight is round:
That is, there is no anisotropy. At 0.01, the highlight is elongated. One axis
of the highlight graph changes to show changes in this parameter. Default=1.0.

Left: Anisotropy=1.0
Center: Anisotropy=4.0
Right: Anisotropy=8.0

Rotation Changes the orientation of the highlight. The sample slot shows
changes in orientation. This value can range from 0.0 to 1.0, with 1.0=360
degrees. So, for example, 0.25=90 degrees and 0.5=180 degrees. Default=0.0.

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Left: Anisotropy Rotation=0.0
Center: Anisotropy Rotation=0.25
Right: Anisotropy Rotation=[texture map]

TIP When using texture-mapped Anisotropy Rotation, make sure the texture is
not antialiased (filtered). You can achieve this by setting the map's Blur parameter
to 0.0. Otherwise, the antialiased pixels cause local vortices in the anisotropy that
appear as seam artifacts.
Automatic/Map Channel Lets you optionally apply anisotropy to a specific
map channel.
If the Map Channel setting is Automatic, the base rotation follows the object’s
local coordinate system. If it is any other value (in other words, a specific map
channel), the space that defines the stretch directions of the highlights is
derived from that channel’s texture space.
WARNING Deriving the anisotropy from the texture space creates only one space
per triangle and can cause visible seams between triangles.
Also see Brushed Metal on page 6340.

BRDF Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ BRDF rollout

mental ray Materials | 6295

Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
BRDF stands for bidirectional reflectance distribution function. These controls let
the material's reflectivity be ultimately guided by the angle from which the
object surface is viewed.

0 degree (green) and 90 degree (red) view angles

NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.

BRDF: How Reflectivity Depends on Angle
In the real world, the reflectivity of a surface is often view-angle dependent.
A fancy term for this is bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). This
is a way to define how much a material reflects when it is seen from various
angles.

6296 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The reflectivity of the wood floor depends on the view angle.

Many materials exhibit this behavior. The most obvious examples are glass,
water, and other dielectric materials with Fresnel effects, where the angular
dependency is guided strictly by the index of refraction (IOR). Layered materials
such as plastic, or varnished wood, display similar characteristics.
The Arch & Design material allows this effect to be defined by the index of
refraction, and also allows an explicit setting for the two reflectivity values
for:
■

0-degree faces (surfaces directly facing the camera)

■

90-degree faces (surfaces 90 degrees to the camera)

See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

mental ray Materials | 6297

Interface

[BRDF method] Lets you choose how the BRDF curve is defined:
■

By IOR (fresnel reflections) When chosen, reflectivity based on angle of
view is guided solely by the material's index of refraction. This is known
as Fresnel reflections, which model the behavior of most dielectric materials
such as water and glass.

■

Custom Reflectivity Function When chosen, the following settings
determine reflectivity based on angle of view.
■

0 deg. refl. Defines the reflectivity for surfaces directly facing the viewer
(or incident ray).

■

90 deg. refl. Defines the reflectivity of surfaces perpendicular to the
viewer.

■

Curve shape Defines the falloff of the BRDF curve.

Use this mode for hybrid materials (such as varnished wood) and for metals.
For most metal surfaces, you can leave the 90-degree reflectivity parameter
set to 1.0, and use the Reflectivity parameter on the Main Material Parameters
Rollout on page 6278 to guide the overall reflectivity. On the other hand, the
0-degree reflectivity value for metals is usually high (0.8–1.0).
Layered materials, such as linoleum and varnished wood, have lower 0-degree
reflectivity values, in the range 0.1–0.3.
For further information, see Quick Guide to Some Common Materials on page
6329.
Reflectivity vs. Angle graph Depicts the combined effect of the Custom
Reflectivity Function settings.

6298 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Self
Illumination (Glow) rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
These parameters let you specify luminous surfaces within the Arch & Design
material; for example, a translucent lamp shade.
NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.
A self-illuminated surface does not actually cast light, but it can optionally
act as a source of indirect light when Final Gather on page 7213 is in effect, so
it can have an impact on scene lighting in the rendered image.
The optimal settings for self-illuminated surfaces depend on the lighting
conditions and desired effects. This table provides recommended initial settings
for lights and the glow options under different circumstances:
Light Object

Self-Illuminated Surface

Affect
Specular

Affect
Diffuse

Visible in
Reflections

Illuminates with
FG

Area
Lights

Off

On

On

Off

Point
Lights

On

On

Off

Off

Glowing Object

not
applicable

not
applicable

On

On

mental ray Materials | 6299

TIP The easiest way to toggle the Affect Specular and Affect Diffuse switches for
a light source is to select the light in a viewport, right-click it, and then use the
Tools 1 quadrant settings. This affects only one light source at a time.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

Interface

Self Illumination (Glow) When on, the material is set to be self-illuminating,
and the remaining rollout settings become available. Default=off.

6300 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Color group
To set the illumination color, choose either option and adjust its parameter:
■

Light Pick a common lamp specification to approximate the spectral
character of the desired illumination.

■

Kelvin Set the color of the self-illuminated surface by adjusting the
color-temperature spinner. The color temperature is displayed in degrees
Kelvin.

Filter Use a color filter to simulate the effect of a color filter placed over the
self-illuminated surface. For example, a red filter over a white luminance source
casts red light. Set the filter color by clicking the color swatch to display the
Color Selector on page 304. Default=white (RGB=255,255,255; HSV=0,0,255).

Luminance group
To set the brightness of the illuminated surface, choose either option and
then adjust the numeric setting:
■

Physical Units Sets the brightness in candelas per square meter. This is a
physical value that takes the physical scale into account.

■

Unitless Uses an arbitrary numeric value to represent the brightness.

[numeric value spinner] When Physical Units is chosen, sets the brightness
in cd/m2. When Unitless is chosen, sets the brightness as an arbitrary value.
The following table shows some representative real-world luminance values.
Object

Brightness in cd/m2

Cathode-ray tube (CRT) television screen

250

Liquid-crystal diode (LCD) television screen

140

Bright light-emitting diode (LED) panel on

100

an electronic device such as a DVD player
Frosted lens in front of a desk lamp

10,000 (average)

Frosted lens in front of a residential re-

10,000 (average)

cessed halogen lamp

mental ray Materials | 6301

Object

Brightness in cd/m2

Exterior of a ceramic lamp shade on a

1300

decorative fixture
Interior of a ceramic lamp shade on a dec-

2500

orative fixture
Frosted incandescent bulb inside a decor-

210,000

ative fixture
Cloudy sky in the afternoon

8,000

White ceiling in a brightly daylit room on

140

a cloudy day, oriented north
Reflection from a cloudy sky on a varnished

875

wooden floor
Dark asphalt on a cloudy afternoon, out-

115

doors

Glow Options group
Visible in Reflections When on, the illumination produced by the settings
on this rollout appears in reflections on other surfaces. When off, the object
is still reflected, but the illumination is not.
Illuminates the Scene (when using FG) When on, and Final Gather on page
7213 is in effect, the self-illuminated surface acts as an indirect light source and
contributes to the Final Gather lighting in the scene. When off, has no effect
on Final Gather.

6302 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Self-illuminated spheres not illuminating the scene

Self-illuminated spheres illuminating the scene

mental ray Materials | 6303

Special Effects Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Special Effects
rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
Provides settings for ambient occlusion (AO) and round corners and edges.
NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.

Built-in Ambient Occlusion
Ambient Occlusion (AO) is a method spearheaded by the film industry for
emulating the look of true global illumination by using shaders that calculate
the extent to which an area is “occluded,” or prevented from receiving
incoming light.
Used alone, an AO shader, such as the separate mental ray Ambient/Reflective
Occlusion shader, creates a grayscale output that is dark in areas light cannot
reach, and bright in areas where it can.
The following image illustrates the main results of AO: dark crevices and areas
where light is blocked by other surfaces, and bright areas that are exposed to
the environment.

6304 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

An example of AO applied to a scene

One important AO control is that you can adjust how far AO it looks for
occluding geometry.

mental ray Materials | 6305

AO looked up within a shorter radius

Specifying a radius creates a localized AO effect: Only surfaces within the given
radius are considered as occluders. This also speeds up rendering. The practical
result is that the AO provides nice “contact shadow” effects and makes small
crevices visible.
The Arch & Design material gives you two ways to use its built-in AO:
■

Traditional AO: Add an omnipresent ambient light that is then attenuated
by the AO to create details.

■

Detail enhancement: Use AO together with another indirect-lighting method
such as Final Gather or photons.

The latter method is especially interesting when you use a highly smoothed
indirect-illumination solution, such as a high photon radius or an extremely
low Final Gather density, which could otherwise lose small details. By applying
the AO with short rays, these details can be brought back.

6306 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Round Corners
Computer-generated imagery tends to look unrealistic, partly because edges
of objects are geometrically sharp, whereas most edges in the real world are
slightly rounded, chamfered, worn, or filleted in some manner. This rounded
edge tends to “catch the light” and create highlights that make edges more
visually convincing.
The Arch & Design material can create the illusion of rounded edges at render
time. This feature is intended primarily to speed up modeling, so that you
don’t need to explicitly fillet or chamfer the edges of objects.

Left: No round corners; Right: Round corners

The function is not a displacement; it is merely a shading effect, like bump
mapping, and is best suited for straight edges and simple geometry, not
advanced, highly curved geometry.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

mental ray Materials | 6307

Interface

Ambient Occlusion group
Ambient occlusion helps emulate the look of global illumination by creating
darker areas where light doesn’t reach, without actually generating shadows.
With the Arch & Design material, you can specify ambient occlusion on a
per-material basis.
The following illustration depicts a model helicopter that is lit almost
exclusively by indirect light. Note how the helicopter does not feel “grounded”
in the left-hand image: The shadows under the landing skids are too vague.
The right-hand image uses AO to “punch out” the details and the shadows
where the landing skids contact the floor.

6308 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: Without AO
Right: With AO

See also: Built-in Ambient Occlusion on page 6304.
Ambient Occlusion When on, enables ambient occlusion (AO) and makes
the remaining group controls available.
Samples The number of samples (rays) shot for creating AO. Higher values
yield smoother results but render more slowly, while lower values render faster
but look grainier. Values in the range 16–64 cover most situations. Default=16.
Max Distance Defines the radius within which mental ray looks for occluding
objects. Smaller values restrict the AO effect to small crevices only, but are
much faster to render. Larger values cover larger areas but render more slowly.
Default=4.0.
The following illustrations show the raw AO contribution with two different
distances:

Left: Higher Max Distance value
Right: Lower Max Distance value

mental ray Materials | 6309

TIP To specify an infinite radius, set Distance to 0.0.
Use Color From Other Materials (Exact AO) When on, derives the AO
coloring from surrounding materials, for more accurate overall results. (This
is also known as color bleeding.) For example, a glowing material would return
a brighter color than a dark material.
NOTE When this parameter is on, the function of the Shadow Color setting (see
following) changes to let you specify the extent of color bleeding from nearby
materials.
In the following pair of illustrations, the first image shows the problem with
the traditional AO: It applies to all indirect illumination and always makes it
darker. The problem is most noticable for the glowing sphere, which has a
dark spot under it, but it can also be perceived on the floor in front of the
cube which is unrealistically dark, even though the cube is strongly lit on the
front. You can also see unconvincing shadows between the legs of the horse,
and below the red ball.
The second image has Use Color From Other Materials on for all materials, so
the floor is lit correctly by the glowing ball, there is a hint of white bounce
light on the floor from the cube, and the shadows of the horse legs and of the
red ball better match the objects that cast them.

Use Color From Other Materials is off

6310 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Use Color From Other Materials is on

If you find that using AO creates a “dirty” look with excessive darkening in
corners, or dark rims around self-illuminated objects, turn on Use Color From
Other Materials for a more accurate result.
Shadow Color When Use Color From Other Materials (see preceding) is off,
sets the darkness of the AO shadows. It is used as the multiplier value for
completely occluded surfaces. In practice, a black color makes the AO effect
very dark; a middle-gray color makes the effect less noticeable (brighter), and
so on.
When Use Color From Other Materials is on, this setting determines the ratio
between the standard AO functionality with Shadow Color set to black and
the color bleeding from other materials. For example, at the default setting,
R=G=B=0.2, 20 percent of the AO shadow color is derived from black, and 80
percent is derived from the color of the nearby material. If you set Shadow
Color to R=G=B=0.0 (black), then 100 percent of the shadow color comes from
nearby materials. If you set Shadow Color to R=G=B=1.0 (white), then 100
percent of the shadow color comes from black; this is the same as turning off
Use Color From Other Materials and setting Shadow Color to black.
Custom/Global Ambient Light Color You can specify a color for the ambient
light used in AO, or use the global color specified on the Environment panel
on page 7621 ➤ Common Parameters rollout.
This parameter is used for doing more traditional AO; that is, supplying an
imagined “ever-present ambient light” that is then attenuated by the AO effect
to create shadows.

mental ray Materials | 6311

While traditional AO is generally used when rendering without other indirect
light, you can also combine it with existing indirect light. Bear in mind that
this “ever-present ambient light” is inherently non-physical, but can possibly
help lighten some troublesome dark corners.

Round Corners group
This effect rounds off corners and straight edges as a rendering effect only; it
has no effect on geometry.
The rounding effect happens to convex corners and surfaces that actually
intersect. Concave corners that merely touch will not display the effect. To
get the effect to work in concave corners, the objects must be pushed into
each other a little. The effect is intended for straight edges, and it is not
guaranteed to work properly for highly curved, complex intersections.
See also: Round Corners on page 6307.
Round Corners When on, rounds off corners and straight edges at render
time.
Fillet Radius Specifies the radius of the filleted corners and edges.
Blend With Other Materials By default, the rounding effect happens only
between surfaces of the same material, but if you turn this on the filleting is
performed against any material.
In the following image, the molten chocolate is rounded off against the
submerged objects even though they use different materials. In actuality, the
molten chocolate is a completely flat plane.

Objects in molten chocolate

6312 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Advanced
Rendering Options rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
The Advamced Rendering parameters define performance-boosting options.
NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

mental ray Materials | 6313

Interface

Reflections group
Max Distance Allows limiting reflections to a certain distance, which both
speeds up rendering and avoids pulling distant objects into extremely glossy
reflections.
Fade to end color When on, reflections fade to this color. When off, reflections
fade to the environment color. The former tends to be more useful for indoor
scenes; the latter, for outdoor scenes.
Available only when Max Distance is on.

6314 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: Full reflections (Max Distance=off)
Center: Max Distance=100mm
Right: Max Distance=25mm

Max Trace Depth When this trace depth is reached, the material behaves as
if the Highlights+FG Only switch is on; that is, it shows only highlights and
“emulated” reflections created with the help of Final Gathering.
Cutoff Threshold The level at which reflections are rejected; that is, not
traced. It’s a relative value: For example, the default setting of 0.01 means that
rays that contribute less than 1 percent to the final pixel are ignored. A setting
of 0.25 means that mental ray discards rays that contribute less than a quarter
of the value of the final pixel.

Refraction group
The optimization settings for refraction (transparency) are nearly identical to
those for reflections. The exception is that of Color At Max Distance, which
behaves differently.
Max Distance Allows limiting refraction to a certain distance.
Color at Max Distance When on, the material simulates physically correct
absorption. At the distance specified by Max Distance, the refracted image
has the color given by Color At Max Distance, but the rays are not limited in
reach. At twice the distance, the influence of Color At Max Distance is double,
at half the distance half, and so on.
When off, transparency rays simply fade to black. This is like smoked glass
and other highly absorbent materials. Transparency just stops at the specified

mental ray Materials | 6315

distance. This has the same performance advantage as using the Max Distance
for reflections: Tracing shorter rays is much faster.
Available only when Max Distance is on.

Left: No limit (Max Distance=off)
Center: Fade to black
Right: Fade to blue

Max Trace Depth When this trace depth is reached, the material refracts
black.
Cutoff Threshold The level at which refraction is rejected; that is, not traced.
It’s a relative value: For example, the default setting of 0.01 means that rays
that contribute less than 1 percent to the final pixel are ignored. A setting of
0.25 means that mental ray discards rays that contribute less than a quarter
of the value of the final pixel.

Advanced Reflectivity Options group
Visible area lights cause no Highlights When on, mental ray area lights
(Omni on page 5777 and Spotlight on page 5780) with the Show Icon In Renderer
property on create no specular highlights. Default=on.
The Show Icon In Renderer check box is found on the light's Area Light
Parameters rollout. When on, the light is visible and reflects in any glossy,
reflective objects. If both the reflection of the visible area light and the
highlight is rendered, the light is added twice, causing an unrealistic
brightening effect. When on, this switch causes visible area lights to lose their
highlights and instead only appear as reflections. Note that this does not apply

6316 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

to the Highlights+FG Only on page 6288 mode, which doesn’t actually reflect
anything.
Skip reflections on inside (except total internal reflection) Most reflections
inside transparent objects are very faint, except in the special case known as
total internal reflection (TIR), which occurs at certain angles. When on, this
option saves rendering time by ignoring the weak reflections completely but
retaining the TIRs. Default=on.
Relative Intensity of Highlights Defines the intensity of specular highlights
versus the intensity of true reflections. When the value is 1.0, the two
intensities are equal. A lower value subdues the intensity of highlights
compared to reflections, while a higher value intensifies the highlights.

Advanced Transparency Options group
The options give you control over some of the deepest details of the Arch &
Design material.
Glass/Translucency treat objects as...
■

Solid The object behaves as if it is made of a solid, transparent substance.

■

Thin-walled The object behaves as if made of wafer-thin sheets of a
transparent material.

For more information, see Solid versus Thin-Walled on page 6282.

Left: Solid
Right: Thin-walled

mental ray Materials | 6317

When Caustics are enabled, transparent objects: When not rendering
caustics, the Arch & Design material uses a shadow shader to create transparent
shadows. For objects such as window panes, this is perfectly adequate, and
actually creates a better result than using caustics, because the direct light is
allowed to pass more or less undisturbed through the glass into a space such
as a room.
Traditionally, enabling caustics in mental ray causes all materials to stop
casting transparent shadows and instead start to generate refractive caustics.
In most architectural scenes this is undesirable: You might want a glass
decoration on a table to generate a caustic effect, but still want the windows
of the room to let in normal direct light. This toggle makes this possible at
the material level.
■

Refract light and generate Caustic effects The material refracts light and
generates caustics.

■

Use Transparent Shadows No caustics are produced; the material and object
simply transmit the light, with greater shadowing in thicker areas.

In the following illustration, the left side shows the result with Use Transparent
Shadows chosen, and the right side shows the result with Refract Light And
Generate Caustic Effects chosen. You can freely mix the two modes in the
same rendering. Photons are automatically treated accordingly by the built-in
photon shader, shooting straight through as direct light in the former case,
and being refracted as caustics in the latter.

Left: Using transparent shadows
Right: Using refractive caustics.

Back Face Culling When on, enables a special mode that makes surfaces
invisible to the camera when seen from the reverse side. You can use this to
create “magic walls” in a room. If all walls are planes with the normals facing
inwards, the Back Face Culling switch allows the room to be rendered from

6318 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

“outside.” The camera can see into the room, but the walls will still exist and
cast shadows, bounce photons, and so on, while being invisible when the
camera goes outside.

Left: Back Face Culling=off
Right: Back Face Culling=on

Transparency propagates Alpha channel Defines how transparent objects
treat any alpha-channel information in the background. When on, refraction
and other transparency effects propagate the alpha of the background
“through” the transparent object. When off, transparent objects have an
opaque alpha.

Indirect Illumination Options group
FG/GI multiplier Allows tweaking of how strongly the material responds to
indirect light.
FG Quality A local multiplier for the number of final gather rays shot by the
material.

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Fast Glossy
Interpolation rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.

mental ray Materials | 6319

Glossy reflections and refraction can be interpolated, which causes them to
render faster and look smoother.
Interpolation works by precalculating glossy reflection in a grid across the
image. The number of samples (rays) taken at each point is govern by the
Reflection ➤ Glossy Samples on page 6287 or Refraction ➤ Glossy Samples
on page 6290 parameters, as in the non-interpolated case.
Note that interpolation can cause artifacts. Because it is done on a
low-resolution grid, it can lose details. And because it blends neighbors of this
low-resolution grid, it can cause oversmoothing. For this reason, it is useful
primarily with flat surfaces. Interpolation does not work well with wavy, highly
detailed surfaces or surfaces that use bump maps.
NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

6320 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Interpolation grid density The resolution of the grid used for interpolating
glossy reflections and refraction. Choose a setting from the drop-down list.
Within the grid, data is stored and shared across the points. Using a lower
grid resolution is faster, but causes greater loss of detail information.

Reflective interpolation group
Neighboring points to look up Defines how many stored grid points (in an
N by N group around the currently rendered point) is looked up to smooth
out reflective glossiness. The default is 2. Higher values will “smear” the
glossiness more, but because of this they are prone to more oversmoothing
artifacts.
In the following illustration, the reflection of the left cup in the floor does
not use interpolation, and some grain is evident (here intentionally
exaggerated). The floor tiles under the other two cups use a half-resolution
interpolation with point lookup set to 2 (center) and 4 (right), respectively.

Left: No interpolation

mental ray Materials | 6321

Center: Looking up two points
Right: Looking up four points.

The preceding image also illustrates one of the consequences of using
interpolation: The foot of the left cup, which is near the floor, is reflected
quite sharply, and only the parts of the cup far from the floor are blurry.
However, the interpolated reflections of the right cups have a base level of
blurriness, due to the smoothing of interpolation, which makes even the
closest parts somewhat blurry. In most scenes with weak glossy reflections
this discrepancy will never be noticed, but in other cases this can make things
like legs of tables and chairs feel “unconnected” with a glossy floor, if the
reflectivity is high. To resolve this, you can use the High Detail Distance setting
(see following).
High detail distance Allows tracing of a second set of detail rays to create a
“clearer” version of objects within the specified radius.
In the following illustration, all three floor tiles use interpolation, but the two
on the right use different distances for the detail distance.

Left: No detail distance
Center: 25mm detail distance
Right: 150mm detail distance

This also allows an interesting trick: Set Reflection ➤ Glossy Samples to 0,
which renders reflections as if they were mirror-perfect, but also use
interpolation to introduce blur into this reflection, and perhaps use High
Detail Distance to make nearby parts less blurry. This is a fast way to obtain
a glossy reflection.

6322 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The floor tiles in the following illustration are rendered with mirror reflections,
and the blurriness comes solely from the interpolation. This renders as fast as
or faster than pure mirror reflections, yet gives a satisfying illusion of true
glossy reflections, especially when utilizing the High Detail Distance option,
as on the right.

Left: No detail distance
Right: With detail distance

Single Sample from Environment Creating realistically blurry glossy
reflections normally requires taking multiple samples from the environment,
which can result in grainy, slow-rendering environment reflections. With this
check box on, mental ray instead takes only one sample, thus preventing the
grain. This also prevents blurring the environment, so it is best used together
with a local, “pre-blurred" environment map. You can do the pre-blurring in
an image-processing program or with the Material Editor ➤ Coordinates
rollout on page 6622 ➤ Blur and Blur Offset settings.

Refractive interpolation group
Neighboring points to look up Defines how many stored grid points (in an
N by N group around the currently rendered point) are looked up to smooth
out refractive glossiness. The default is 2. Higher values tend to “smear” the
glossiness more, but are hence prone to more oversmoothing artifacts.

mental ray Materials | 6323

Special Purpose Maps Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ Special
Purpose Maps rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
Lets you apply bump, displacement, and other maps.
Each left-justified setting has a check box for enabling and disabling the map,
and a button for defining the map.
NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

General Maps Rollout on page 6326

Interface

6324 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Bump Lets you apply a bump map and multiplier.
Do not apply bumps to the diffuse shading When off, the bumps apply to
all shading components: diffuse, highlights, reflections, refractions, and so
on. When on, bumps are applied to all components except the diffuse. This
means bumps are seen in reflections, highlights, and so on, but the diffuse
shading shows no bumps. It is as if the material's diffuse surface is smooth,
but is covered by a bumpy lacquer coating.

Left: Do Not Apply Bumps ...=off
Right: Do Not Apply Bumps ...=on

Displacement Lets you apply a displacement map and multiplier.
Cutout Lets you apply an opacity map to completely remove parts of objects.
A classic example is to map an image of a tree to a flat plane and use opacity
to cut away the parts of the tree that are not there.

mental ray Materials | 6325

Left: Mapped transparency
Right: Using Cutout

Environment Lets you apply an environment map and shader.
Additional Color/Self illum. Lets you apply any shader. The output of this
shader is added on top of the shading done by the Arch & Design material.
You can use this feature for self-illumination-type effects, as well as adding
any additional shading you want.

General Maps Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design Material ➤ General
Maps rollout
Note: The Arch & Design material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
Enables application of maps or shaders to any of the Arch & Design material
parameters.
Of course, you can apply a shader to a parameter at its standard location in
the user interface by clicking its Map button, so the principal value of this
rollout is that it also lets you toggle a parameter's shader, using the check box,
without removing the map.

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NOTE The Arch & Design material works only with the mental ray renderer, so
in order to see it represented accurately in the sample slots, you must first set
mental ray to render in the Material Editor. For details, see Assign Renderer Rollout
on page 7034.
See also:
■

Templates Rollout on page 6276

■

Main Material Parameters Rollout on page 6278

■

BRDF Rollout on page 6295

■

Self Illumination (Glow) Rollout on page 6299

■

Special Effects Rollout on page 6304

■

Advanced Rendering Options Rollout on page 6313

■

Fast Glossy Interpolation Rollout on page 6319

■

Special Purpose Maps Rollout on page 6324

mental ray Materials | 6327

Interface

Arch & Design Material (mental ray): Tips and Tricks
This topic contains information to help you more effectively use the Arch &
Design material on page 6269 for mental ray.

6328 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Final Gather Performance
The Final Gather algorithm in mental ray 3.5 is vastly improved from earlier
versions, especially in its adaptiveness. This means you can often use much
lower ray counts and much lower densities than in previous versions of mental
ray.
In many cases, you can render still images with such extreme settings as 50
rays and a density of 0.1. If this causes “oversmoothing” artifacts, you can use
the built-in ambient occlusion on page 6308 to solve those problems.
When you use Final Gather together with GI (photons), make sure the photon
solution is fairly smooth by first rendering with Final Gather disabled. If the
photon solution is noisy, increase the photon search radius until it “calms
down,” and then enable Final Gather.

Quick Guide to Some Common Materials
Following are some quick rules of thumb for creating various materials. Each
assumes the basic default settings as a starting point.

General Rules of Thumb for Glossy Wood, Flooring, and So On
These are the kind of “hybrid” materials you might require for architectural
renderings; varnished wood, linoleum, and so on.
For these materials, set BRDF to Custom Reflectivity Function; that is, you'll
define a custom BRDF curve. Start out with 0-degree reflectivity of 0.2, 90
degree reflectivity of 1.0, and apply a suitable texture map to the Diffuse Color.
Set Reflectivity between 0.6 and 1.0.
How glossy is the material? Are reflections clear or blurry? Are they strong or
weak?
■

For clear, fairly strong reflections, keep Reflection Glossiness at 1.0.

■

For slightly blurry but strong reflections, set a lower Reflection Glossiness
value. If performance becomes an issue, try turning on Fast (Interpolate).

■

For slightly blurry but also very weak reflections, you can “cheat” by
applying a lower Reflection Glossiness value for broader highlights while
setting Reflection Glossy Samples to 0. This shoots only one mirror ray for
reflections, but if the reflectiosn are weak, often the viewer can not tell.

■

For moderately blurry surfaces, set an even lower Reflection Glossiness
value and maybe increase the Reflection Glossy Samples value. Again, for
improved performance, turn on Fast (Interpolate).

mental ray Materials | 6329

■

For extremely blurry surfaces or surfaces with very weak reflections, try
turning on Highlights+FG Only.

A typical wooden floor could use a Reflection Glossiness of 0.5, Reflection
Glossy Samples of 16, Reflectivity of 0.75, a nice wood texture for Diffuse
Color, and perhaps a slight bump map. If bumpiness should appear only in
the varnish layer, turn on Special Purpose Maps rollout ➤ Do Not Apply
Bumps To The Diffuse Shading.
Linoleum flooring can use the same settings but with a different texture and
bump map, and probably with slightly lower Reflectivity and Reflection
Glossiness values.

Ceramics
Ceramic materials are glazed; that is, they're covered by a thin layer of
transparent material. They follow rules similar to the general materials
mentioned above, but set the BRDF method on page 6295 to By IOR (Fresnel
Reflections), set IOR to about 1.4, and Reflectivity to 1.0.
Set the Diffuse Color to a suitable texture or color, such as white for white
bathroom tiles.

Stone Materials
A stone object usually has a fairly matte finish, or has reflections that are so
blurry they are nearly diffuse. You can simulate the “powdery” character of
stone with the Diffuse Roughness parameter: Try 0.5 as a starting point. Porous
stone or brick would have a higher value.
Stone typically has a very low Reflection Glossiness (lower than 0.25) and you
can most likely use Highlights+FG Only to good effect for very good
performance. Use a nice stone texture for Diffuse Color, some kind of bump
map, and perhaps a map that varies the Reflection Glossiness value.
The Reflectivity would be around 0.5–0.6 with By IOR (Fresnel Reflections)
off, 0-degree reflectivity at 0.2, and 90-degree reflectivity at 1.0.

Glass
Glass is a dielectric material, so By IOR (Fresnel Reflections) should definitely
be on. The IOR of standard glass is 1.5. Set the Diffuse Level to 0.0, Reflectivity
to 1.0, and Transparency to 1.0. This is enough to create basic, completely
clear refractive glass.

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If this glass is for a window pane, turn on Thin-Walled. If this is a solid glass
block, turn off Thin-walled and consider whether caustics are necessary: Set
Refractive Caustics accordingly.
If the glass is frosted, set Refraction Glossiness to a suitable value. Tune the
Refraction Samples for good quality, or turn on Fast (Interpolate) for faster
performance.

Colored Glass
For clear glass, use the tips in the preceding section. Colored glass, however,
is a different story.
Many shaders set the transparency at the surface of the glass. And indeed this
is what happens if one simply sets a Refractive Color to some value, such as
blue. For glass with Thin-Walled turned on, this works perfectly. But for solid
glass objects this is not an accurate representation of reality.
The scene in following illustration contains two glass blocks of different sizes,
a sphere with a spherical hole inside it, and a glass horse.
NOTE The spherical hole was created by inserting a second sphere with its normals
flipped inside the outer sphere. Don’t forget to flip the normals of such surfaces
or they will not render correctly.

mental ray Materials | 6331

Above: Incorrect shading because the color of the solid glass was modeled solely with
a surface refraction color
Below: Correct shading. The glass uses Refraction ➤ Max Distance and a Max Distance
color.

The problems are evident:
■

The two glass blocks are of different thicknesses, yet they are exactly the
same level of blue.

■

The inner sphere is darker than the outer one, instead of lighter.

Why does this happen?
Consider a light ray that enters a glass object. If the color is located at the
surface, the ray is colored somewhat as it enters the object, retains this color
through the object, and receives a second coloration (attenuation) when it
exits the object:

6332 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Diagram for glass with color changes at the surface

In the above illustration, the ray enters from the left, and at the entry surface
it drops in level and gets slightly darker (the graph illustrates the level
schematically). It retains this color throughout its travel through the medium
and then drops in level again at the exit surface.
For simple glass objects, this is quite sufficient. For any glass using Thin-Walled
on page 6317 it is by definition the correct thing to do, but for any complex
solid it is not. It is especially wrong for negative spaces inside the glass (like
the sphere in our example), because the light rays have to travel through four
surfaces instead of two, getting two extra steps of attenuation at the surface.
In real colored glass, light travels through the medium and is attenuated as it
goes. In the Arch & Design material, this is accomplished by turning on
Advanced Rendering Options ➤ Refraction ➤ Max Distance, setting the

mental ray Materials | 6333

Color At Max Distance, and setting the Refraction Color to white. This is the
result:
The result is clearly much more satisfactory: The thick glass block is a deeper
blue than the thin one, and the hollow sphere now looks correct. In diagram
form, the process looks as follows:

d=Max Distance where attenuation is Color at Max Distance

The ray enters the medium and is attenuated throughout its travel. The
strength of the attenuation is such that precisely the Max Distance attenuation
(d in the figure) matches that of Color At Max Distance. In other words, at
this depth the attenuation is the same as was received immediately at the
surface with the previous scene. The falloff is exponential, so at double the
Max Distance value the effect is that of Color At Max Distance squared, and
so on.

6334 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

There is one minor tradeoff: To render the shadows of a material correctly
using this method, either you must use caustics, or make sure that mental ray
is rendering shadows in Segments mode (see Shadows & Displacement Rollout
(mental ray Renderer) on page 7209).
Using caustics naturally gives the most correct-looking shadows (the above
image was rendered without caustics), but requires that the scene have caustic
photons enabled and contain a physical light source that shoots caustic
photons.
On the other hand, the mental ray Segments shadows have a slightly lower
performance than the more widely used Simple shadow mode. But if it is not
used, the shadow intensity will not take the attenuation through the media
into account properly. However, the image might still look pleasing.

Water and Liquids
Water, like glass, is a dielectric material with an IOR of 1.33. Hence, the same
principles as for glass (above) apply to bodies of water, which truly need to
refract their environment. An example is water running from a tap. Colored
liquids use the same principles as colored glass.

Water into wine

To create a liquid in a container, as in the preceding image, it is important to
understand how the Arch & Design material handles refraction through
multiple surfaces, compared to the real-world behavior of light in such
circumstances.
What is important for refraction is the transition from one medium to a
medium with a different IOR. Such a transition is known as an interface.

mental ray Materials | 6335

For lemonade in a glass, imagine a ray of light travelling through the air
(IOR=1.0). When it enters the glass, it is refracted by the IOR of the glass (1.5).
The ray then leaves the glass and enters the liquid; that is, it passes through
an interface from a medium of IOR 1.5 to another medium of IOR 1.33.
One way to model this in computer graphics is to make the glass one separate
closed surface, with the normals pointing outward from the surface of the
glass and an IOR of 1.5, and a second, closed surface for the liquid, with the
normals pointing outward and an IOR of 1.33, leaving a small air gap between
the container and the liquid.
This approach works, but can cause a problem: When light goes from a higher
IOR to a lower there is a chance of an effect known as total internal reflection
(TIR). This is the effect you see when diving into a swimming pool and then
looking up: You can see the objects above the surface only in a small circle
straight above. Anything below a certain angle shows only a reflection of the
pool and things below the surface. The larger the difference in the IOR of the
two media, the greater the chance of TIR.
So in our example, as the ray goes from glass (IOR=1.5) to air, there is a large
chance of TIR. But in reality the ray would move from a medium of IOR=1.5
to one of IOR=1.33, which is a much smaller step with a much smaller chance
of TIR. This looks different:

Left: Correct refraction
Right: the “air gap” method

The result on the left is the correct one, but how it is obtained?
The solution is to rethink the modeling, and not to think in terms of media,
but in terms of interfaces. In our example, we have three different interfaces,

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where we can consider the IOR as the ratio between the IORs of the outside
and inside media:
■

Air-glass interface (IOR=1.5/1.0=1.5)

■

Air-liquid interface (IOR=1.33/1.0=1.33)

■

Glass-liquid interface (IOR=1.33/1.5=0.8)

In the most common case of an interface with air, the IOR to use is the IOR
of the media (because the IOR of air is 1.0), whereas in an interface between
two different media, the situation is different.
To correctly model this scenario, then, we need three surfaces, each with a
different Arch & Design material applied:
■

The air-glass surface (blue in the diagram that follows), with normals
pointing out of the glass, covering the area where air directly touches the
glass, having an IOR of 1.5

■

The air-liquid surface (green in the diagram), with normals pointing out
of the liquid, covering the area where air directly touches the liquid, having
an IOR of 1.33

■

The glass-liquid surface (red in the diagram), with normals pointing out
of the liquid, covering the area where the glass touches the liquid, having
an IOR of 0.8

The three interfaces for a liquid in a glass

By setting suitable Max Distance and Color At Max Distance values for the
two liquid materials (to get a colored liquid), we obtain the glass on the left
in the preceding rendered image.

mental ray Materials | 6337

Ocean and Water Surfaces
A water surface is a slightly different matter than a visibly transparent liquid.
The ocean isn’t blue; it is reflective. Not much of the light that penetrates the
surface of the ocean gets anywhere of interest. A small amount of light is
scattered back up again, doing a bit of literal subsurface scattering.
To make an ocean surface with the Arch & Design material, follow these steps:
1 Set Diffuse Level to 0.0, Reflectivity to 1.0, and Transparency to 0.0. That's
right: No refraction is necessary.
2 Set IOR to 1.33 and turn on By IOR (Fresnel Reflections). Apply an
interesting wobbly shader to Bump (Ocean (lume) works well here) and
your ocean is basically done.
This ocean has reflections guided only by the IOR. But this might work fine;
try it. Just make sure there is something there for it to reflect. Add a sky map,
objects, or a just a blue gradient background. There must be something to
reflect, or the water will be completely black.

The ocean isn’t blue; the sky is.

For a more tropical look, try setting Diffuse Color to a slightly blue-green color,
set the Diffuse Level to a fairly low number such as 0.1, and turn on Do Not
Apply Bumps To The Diffuse Shading.
Now you have a base color in the water that emulates the small amount of
scattering that occurs in the top level of the ocean.

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Enjoy the tropics.

Metal
Metals are reflective, which means they need something to reflect. The
best-looking metals come from having a true HDRI environment, either from
a spherically mapped HDRI photo, or something like the mental ray physical
sky.
To create classic chrome, turn off By IOR (Fresnel Reflections), set Reflectivity
to 1.0, 0-degree reflectivity to 0.9, and 90-degree reflectivity to 1.0. Set the
Diffuse Color to white, and turn on Metal Reflections.
This creates an almost completely reflective material. Tweak the Reflection
Glossiness parameter for various levels of blurry reflections. Also consider
using the Round Corners effect on page 6307, which tends to work very well
with metallic objects.
Metals also influence the color of their reflections. Because you turned on
Metal Reflections, this is already happening: Try setting the Diffuse Color to
a golden color to create gold.
Try various levels of Reflection Glossiness (with the help of Fast (Interpolate)
for performance, when necessary).
You can also change the Reflectivity value. This has a slightly different meaning
when Metal Material is on; it blends between the reflections (colored by the
Diffuse Color) and normal diffuse shading. This allows a blend between the
glossy reflections and the diffuse shading, both driven by the same color. For

mental ray Materials | 6339

example, an aluminum material would need a bit of diffuse blended in, whereas
chrome would not.

Gold, silver, and copper

Brushed Metal
Brushed metal is an interesting special case. In some cases, creating a brushed
metal requires only turning down the Reflection Glossiness to a level where
you obtain a very blurred reflection. This is sufficient when the brushing
direction is random or the brushes are too small to be visible even as an
aggregate effect.
For materials that have a clear brushing direction or where the actual brush
strokes are visible, creating a convincing look is slightly more involved.
The tiny grooves in a brushed metal surface all work together to cause
anisotropic reflections. This can be illustrated by the following illustration,
which simulates the brush grooves by modeling many tiny adjacent cylinders,
shaded with a simple Phong shader:

6340 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Many small adjacent cylinders

As you can see, the specular highlights in the cylinders work together to create
an aggregate effect which is the anisotropic highlight.
Also note that the highlight isn’t continuous: It is actually broken up into
small, adjacent segments. So the primary visual cues that a material is brushed
metal are:
■

Anisotropic highlights that stretch out in a direction perpendicular to the
brushing direction

■

A discontinuous highlight with breaks in the brushing direction

Many attempts to simulate brushed metals have looked only at the first effect:
the anisotropy. Another common mistake is to think that the highlight
stretches in the brushing direction. Neither is true.
Hence, to portray brushed metals, it is necessary to simulate these two visual
cues. The first is simple: Use Anisotropy and Anisotropy Rotation to make
anisotropic highlights. The second can be done in several ways:
■

With a bump map

■

With a map that varies the Anisotropy or Reflection Glossiness values

■

With a map that varies the Reflection Color

mental ray Materials | 6341

Each has advantages and disadvantages, but the one we suggest here is the
last one. The reason for choosing this method is that it works well with
interpolation.
1 Create a map for the brush streaks. The possible ways to do this include
painting a map in a paint program, or using a Noise map that has been
stretched heavily in one direction. The map should vary between
middle-gray and white.
2 Apply this map to the Reflection Color in a scale suitable for the brushing.
3 Set Diffuse Color to white (or the color of the metal), but set Diffuse Level
to 0.0 (or a small value).
4 Make sure Metal Material is on.
5 Set Reflection Glossiness to 0.75.
6 Set Anisotropy to 0.1 or a similar value. Use Anisotropy Rotation to align
the highlight properly with the map. If necessary, use Anisotropy Channel
to base it on the same texture space as the map.

Brushed metal

Special-Purpose mental ray Materials
The mental ray materials described in this section have more specialized uses
than Autodesk Materials or the Arch & Design material.

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Car Paint Material/Shader (mental ray)
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Car Paint Material
Note: The Car Paint material and shader appear in the Browser only if the
mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
Car Paint has components for a paint layer with embedded metal flakes, a
clear-coat layer, and a Lambertian dirt layer.
Car Paint is available as both a mental ray material and shader; both have
identical parameters, and support the following unique characteristics of
real-world car paint:
■

The lowest surface, applied directly to the car body, is a thin layer of
pigment. The properties of this layer are such that the perceived color
changes depending on the viewing angle as well as the incident angle of
the incoming light.

■

Tiny metal flakes are suspended within this layer. The flakes reflect light
and can be seen glittering on a sunny day, due to individual flakes reflecting
sunlight directly at the observer.

■

On top of this is a clear-coat layer, which can be more or less reflective
and more or less glossy, depending on the quality of the layer and any
added wax coating. Most notably, this layer tends to exhibit a pronounced
Fresnel effect, reflecting more light at glancing angles.

■

An optional, topmost Lambertian dirt layer can help give an "unwashed"
look.

mental ray Materials | 6343

Interface
Diffuse coloring rollout

Ambient/Extra light The ambient light component.
NOTE This parameter is treated differently from the ambient/ambience parameter
pair of many other base shaders in that it is influenced by the additional Diffuse
Coloring parameters, and hence represents incoming light, rather than the object's
"ambient color."
Base color The base diffuse color of the material.
Edge color The color seen at glancing angles (that is, edges), which tends to
appear much darker. For deep metallic paints seen on sports cars it tends to
be almost black.
Edge bias The falloff rate of the color towards the edge. Higher values make
the edge region narrower; lower values make it wider. The useful range is 0.0
to approximately 10.0, where the value 0.0 turns the effect off.

Color shift due to view angle, shifting between a red base color and a blue edge color
(atypical colors chosen for demonstration purposes) with varying Edge Bias values

Light facing color The color of the area facing the light source.
Light facing color bias The falloff rate of the color towards the light. Higher
values make the colored region facing the light smaller/narrower; lower values

6344 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

make it larger/wider. The useful range is 0.0 to approximately 10.0, where the
value 0.0 turns the effect off.

Color shift due to view angle, shifting between a red base color and a green light facing
color (atypical colors chosen for demonstration purposes) with varying Light Facing
Color Bias values

Diffuse weight Controls the overall level of the Diffuse Coloring parameters.
Diffuse bias Modifies the falloff of the diffuse shading. Higher values push
the diffuse peak towards the light source, and lower values flatten the diffuse
peak. The useful range is approximately 0.5 to 2.0, where 1.0 represents
standard Lambertian shading.

Flakes rollout

Flake color The color (reflectivity) of the flakes, which is generally white.
Flake weight A scalar multiplier for the flake color.
Flake reflections (ray traced) The amount of ray-traced reflection in the
flakes, which allows glittery reflections of, for example, an HDRI environment.
The value 0.0 turns the effect off.
This effect should generally be very subtle; a value of 0.1 is often enough. The
final intensity of reflections also depends on the Flake Color and Flake Weight
values.
Flake specular exponent The Phong specular exponent for the flakes.

mental ray Materials | 6345

Flake density The density of the flakes. The useful range is from 0.1 to
approximately 10.0, where lower values indicate sparser flakes and higher
values indicates denser flakes.
Flake decay distance The distance at which the influence of the flakes fades
out. A value of 0.0 disables fading. Any positive value causes the Flake Weight
value to be modulated so that it reaches zero at this distance.
Because flakes are relatively small, using can introduce rendering artifacts if
their visual density becomes significantly smaller than a pixel. If the
oversampling of the rendering is set high, small flakes can also potentially
trigger massive oversampling and hence overlong rendering times needlessly,
because the averaging caused by the oversampling will essentially cancel out
the flake effect. If you experience these issues, use Flake Decay Distance to
counteract them.

Flakes at different distances with no flake decay. The farthest flakes might cause flicker
in animations, or trigger unnecessary oversampling and long render times (rendered
here with low oversampling for illustrative purposes).

Using flake decay. The flake strength diminishes with distance. The same intentionally
low oversampling as in the previous image has been used.

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Flake strength The difference between the orientation of the flakes. The useful
range is 0.0 to 1.0 where 0.0 means that all flakes are parallel to the surface,
while higher values vary the orientation of flakes increasingly.
Flake scale The size of the flakes. The procedural texture is calculated in object
space, and will hence follow the object. Thus, the scale is influenced by any
scale transformation on the object.

Specular reflections rollout

Specular Color #1 The color of the primary specular highlight.
Specular Weight #1 A scalar multiplier applied to Specular Color #1.
Specular exponent #1 The Phong exponent of Specular Color #1.
Specular Color #2 The color of the secondary specular highlight.
Specular Weight #2 A scalar multiplier applied to Specular Color #2.
Specular exponent #2 The Phong exponent of Specular Color #2.
Glazed specularity #1 Enables a special mode on the primary specular
highlight called glazing. By applying a threshold to the specular highlight, it
makes the surface appear more polished and shiny. For a new sports car with
a lot of wax, turn this on. For a beat-up car in the junkyard, turn it off.

Left to right: Flake specularity only; standard specularity; "glazed" mode enabled;
"glazed" mode specularity with flakes

mental ray Materials | 6347

Reflectivity rollout

Reflection color The color of the reflections in the clear-coat layer. This is
generally white.
Edge factor Clear coat tends to reflect more at glancing angles (edges). This
parameter defines the "narrowness" of this edge.
Edge reflections weight The reflective strength at the edge (generally 1.0).
Facing reflections weight The reflective strength at facing angles (generally
low: 0.1 - 0.3).
Glossy reflection samples Enables a glossy clear coat. This parameter sets the
number of glossy reflection rays traced. A value of 0 disables glossiness.
Glossy reflections spread Sets the amount of glossiness. Cars are generally
near-mirrors so this value should be kept small.
Max distance Limits the reach of reflective rays.
Single environment sampling Optimizes lookup of environment maps.

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Dirty layer (lambertian) rollout

Real cars are rarely clean. This shows the dirt layer (hand-painted dirt-placement map),
including a bump map applied in the dirty regions.

A simple Lambertian dirt layer covers the underlaying paint and clear-coat
layers.

Dirt color The color of the dirt.
Dirt weight The amount of dirt in the layer. This is typically connected to a
texture shader to obtain variations in the dirt across the surface. If the value
is 0.0, no dirt is added.

Advanced options rollout

mental ray Materials | 6349

Irradiance weight (indirect illumination) The influence of indirect light
(photons and final gathering) on the surface. It is internally divided by pi
(3.14159); for example, a value of 1.0 means the standard 1.0/pi weight.
Global weight A global tuning parameter that affects the entire diffuse, flake,
and specular subsystems. It does not affect reflections or dirt.

Shaders rollout
This rollout enables application of maps or shaders to any of the Car Paint
parameters. Of course, you can apply a shader to a parameter by clicking its
Map button, so the principal value of this rollout is that it also lets you toggle
a parameter's shader, using the check box, without removing the map.

Matte/Shadow/Reflection (mi) Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Matte/Shadow/Reflection (mi)
Note: The Matte/Shadow/Reflection (mi) material appears in the Browser only
if the mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
The Matte/Shadow/Reflection (mi) material, part of the Production Shaders
on page 6842 library, is used to create “matte objects”; that is, objects that
represent real-world objects in a photograph used as the scene background
(also known as the plate). The material provides a wealth of options for
marrying a photographic background with the 3D scene, including support
for bump mapping, ambient occlusion, and indirect illumination.
Applications include:
■

Blocking another 3D object from the camera view, thus allowing the 3D
object to appear to be behind the object in the photo.

■

Allowing 3D objects to cast shadows and occlusion on and receive shadows
from objects in the photo.

■

Adding reflections of 3D objects to objects in the photo.

■

Allowing the interplay of indirect light between 3D objects and objects in
the photo.

In all these cases the material is applied to a matte object that represents an
object in the background plate, and the 3D object uses a traditional material.

6350 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

For additional information, see Help menu ➤ Additional Help ➤ mr
Production Shader Library ➤ Matte/Shadow Objects and CameraMaps, as
well as the Tech Note (following).

Tech Note
The Matte/Shadow/Reflection shader works by doing a form of differential
shading. In other words, it determines the amount of light a point would
receive if it were not in shadow, compares it to the amount of light the point
actually receives, and shades it by the relative difference.
This means that any point that is fully lit, unshadowed by any object, returns
the same color it already had, completely disregarding the actual intensity of
that light. If half of the incoming light is blocked, the point will be shaded at
50 percent intensity, regardless of the full-intensity amount in an absolute
sense.
An important feature of the Matte/Shadow/Reflection material is that it is
non-self-shadowing, non-self-occluding, non-self- reflecting, and does not
cast indirect light onto itself. Because it is designed to act as a stand-in for
objects present in a photographic plate, which already contains self-shadowing,
self-reflection, and so on, the material automatically excludes these effects.
However, it is still able to cast shadows on other objects, receive shadows from
other objects, reflect other objects, and so on, withouth creating unwanted
double shadows or double reflections for such effects already present in the
plate.

Procedure
This multi-part procedure provides step-by-step instructions for a simple case
of combining a 3D object with a photograph using the
Matte/Shadow/Reflection material, the Environment/Background Camera
Map shader, and the Environment Probe/Chrome Ball shader.
Prerequisites:
■

A photo of a background

mental ray Materials | 6351

■

A photo of a chrome ball, also known as a light probe, shot from the same
camera angle and cropped so the edges touch the image.

6352 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Ideally, these should be HDR photos, but non-HDR images can also work well.
To use the production shaders to marry a 3D scene with a photographic
background:
1 First set up the viewport:
1 Make sure mental ray is the active renderer.
2 Activate a Perspective viewport.
3 Use Viewport Background on page 108 to set the background image
(see the procedure introduction, above) .
4 On the Viewport Background dialog, make sure both Display
Background and Match Rendering Output are on.
5 Click OK to continue.
2 Open the Environment And Effects dialog to the Environment panel
(press 8).
3 On the Common Parameters rollout, click the Environment Map button
(reads “None”).
4 From the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Create New Material /
Map (By Name) ➤ Maps ➤ mental ray group, choose
Environment/Background Switcher.
5 Open the Slate Material Editor on page 6083.
6 Drag the Environment Map button from the Environment And Effects
dialog to the active view in the Material Editor. Use the Instance option.
7 Double-click the Environment/Background Switcher node to display the
map’s rollout in the Parameter Editor panel.
8 On the Environment/Background Switcher Parameters rollout, click the
Background map button (all the way to the right of the parameter).
9 In the Browser ➤ Create New Material / Map (By Name) ➤ Maps ➤
mental ray group, choose Environment/Background Camera Map, then
click OK.
10 On the Environment/Background Camera Map Parameters rollout, click
the Browse button and again open the background image.
11 In the Material Editor ➤ view panel, click the Environment/Background
Switcher node again, to make it active.

mental ray Materials | 6353

12 On Environment/Background Switcher Parameters rollout, click the map
button to the right of Environment/Reflections.
13 In the Browser ➤ Create New Material / Map (By Name) ➤ Maps ➤
mental ray group, choose Environment Probe/Chrome Ball, then click
OK.
14 On the Environment Probe/Chrome Ball Parameters rollout, click the
Browse button and open the image containing the cropped photo of the
chrome ball.
If the two photos have different exposures, use the Multiplier setting for
either or both maps to match them.
Next you’ll make a rudimentary model that represents objects already
present in the background. At the very least you need a simple plane for
the "ground" to place things on.
NOTE It is easier to see if you maximize the viewport and use wireframe
display mode.
15 Align the viewport so it matches the angle of the photograph as closely
as possible.
16 From the Create menu, choose Lights ➤ Standard Lights ➤ Skylight
and then click in the Perspective viewport to add a Skylight to the scene.
17 On the Skylight Parameters rollout for the light, set Sky Color to Use
Scene Environment.
This retrieves the appropriate ambient color from the chrome ball photo.
18 Create some geometry. For this example, add a plane to represent the
ground.
19 Add a teapot on top of the plane. You’ll use this temporarily to tune the
shadows.
20 In the Material Editor, create an Arch & Design material, change the color
to white, and apply it to the teapot.
21 Select the ground plane.
Next you’ll set up the Matte/Shadow/Reflection material.
22 In the Material Editor, activate the existing Environment/Background
Switcher map.
23 Right-click the Background map button and choose Copy.

6354 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

24 Activate an unused sample sphere and create a new
Matte/Shadow/Reflection material.
25 On the Matte/Shadow/Reflection Parameters rollout, right-click the
Camera Mapped Background map button and choose Paste (Instance).
This places the same background map that is used in the environment
switcher into the background map in the material as an instance.
This completes the basic setup. If you render now, you should see the
teapot superimposed over the background image. The teapot should have
a soft shadow underneath, which comes from the ambient occlusion.

Part 2: Marrying 3D with a photo:
Now you’ll tune the lighting in the scene. Generally you need at least one key
light to cast a directional shadow.
1 Add a light source such as mr Area Omni and place it in a location similar
to where the main light seems to be coming from in the photo.
2 Tune the light so that the lighting direction and intensity on the teapot
seems reasonable compared to the objects in the photo, and so the shadow

mental ray Materials | 6355

directions seem to match. For now, ignore the shadow intensity; just
consider the lighting on the teapot itself.

3 Now tune the overall intensity of the shadow with the Ambient/Shadow
Intensity parameter to match existing shadows in the photo. If the shadow
needs tinting, use the Ambient/Shadow Color setting. You might also
need to modify the AO Max Distance value to make contact shadows
more or less pronounced.
4 You can adjust the shadow softness with the mr Area Omni light’s Radius
setting, on the Area Light Parameters rollout.

6356 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The scene is now set up, although further tuning might be necessary.
5 Delete the teapot.
6 Add any objects you want to use to the scene.
7 Add any additional stand-in matte objects that you can use to occlude
objects, receive and cast shadows, etc., to the scene, and apply the same
Matte/Shadow/Reflection material to them.

mental ray Materials | 6357

Part 3: Prepare for compositing:
So far the rendered 3D content has been added on top of the background
directly in the renderer. Generally, you want to do this in an external
compositing program, as follows:
1 Open the Material Editor.
2 Activate the Environment/Background Switcher shader (the one you
instanced from the Environment panel).
3 Right-click the Background map button and choose Cut.
4 Click the color swatch next to Background and make sure the color is
transparent black; in other words, Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha all equal
0.0. These are the default values, so no changes should be necessary. Close
the Color Selector dialog.
5 Activate the Matte/Shadow/Reflection material and cut the Camera
Mapped Background map.
6 To the Matte/Shadow/Reflection material ➤ Camera Mapped Background
map, apply a new Environment/Background Switcher shader.

6358 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

7 Right click the Environment/Reflection map button (not the Background
map button) and choose Paste (Instance) to apply the previously used
map.
8 Click the Background color swatch and make sure the color is transparent
black as well.
The scene now contains two Switcher nodes: one used in the environment
(switching between transparent black and the chrome ball) and one in
the material (switching between transparent black and the camera map).
If you render now, the resulting image still properly contains all the
reflections, light, etc., from the background, but not the background
itself. Shadows exist in the alpha channel, so the image is suitable for
compositing directly on top of the background image.

A Note on Gamma
The foregoing procedure does not cover gamma.
If you use a gamma-correct workflow, which yields a superior result, with
literal mental ray textures (that is, you use the big Browse button to refer
directly to a bitmap file, rather than inserting a Bitmap map), you must set

mental ray Materials | 6359

the gamma of this bitmap explicitly in the appropriate Reverse Gamma
Correction parameters.
NOTE Intentionally exaggerating the Reverse Gamma Correction setting on the
chrome ball photo can turn a low-dynamic-range photo into a “faux” HDR image
by artificially exaggerating its contrast.

Interface
Matte/Shadow/Reflection Parameters rollout

Camera Mapped Background Sets the color or map for the matte material.
To use the scene background, click the map button, browse from the scene,
and choose the background map.
NOTE Unlike the standard Matte/Shadow material on page 6522, this material does
not automatically pick the background (that is, the scene environment) as its color;
rather, it’s necessary to provide the background explicitly. There are several ways
to do this:
■

The most common method is to use a screen-projected map. However,
using a Bitmap map with Screen environment mapping will not work
correctly, because it does not handle reflections correctly. Instead, for this
purpose, we recommed using the Environment/Background Camera Map
shader on page 6845. This shader projects the texture back from the current
rendering camera.

■

Alternatively, you can apply the color in any applicable UV texture space,
perhaps if you previously projected the texture into that texture space.

■

A third option is to project the background at render time with the Camera
Map Per Pixel map on page 6874.

Mask/Opacity The opacity of the material.

6360 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP One use case for the Mask/Opacity setting on page 6360 is to refine a rough
stand-in object. For example, the plate might contain a person’s arm, and you
want to put in a CG object that goes behind the person’s arm and/or has shadows
thrown onto it by the person’s arm. You could create simple stand-in geometry
(maybe even a cylinder) and then use a screen-projected opacity map that defines
the exact edges of the arm. Also, if the arm in the plate is motion-blurred or out
of focus, you can feather the opacity mask accordingly.
Bump Specifies a bump map for the material.
Bump Amount The multiplier for the bump map.

Shadows rollout

Receive Shadows When on, the surface can receive shadows. If Shadow
Casting Lights List is off, all lights cast shadows on the surface.
Ambient/Shadow Intensity The amount of environmental light in the scene,
which in a practical sense is how dark the shadows are. The
Matte/Shadow/Reflection material does not use Skylights to generate shadows;
any such shadows must come from the ambient occlusion feature. So when
the shader is used together with a Skylight, this value should be similar to the
level of light the Skylight provides.
The units value for this setting depends on the lighting unit. If you use the
mr Photographic Exposure Control on page 7677, and set Physical Scale to
Physical Units (cd/m2), this value will be in physical values, and might need
to be in the hundreds (or thousands for an outdoor shot lit by mental ray Sun

mental ray Materials | 6361

& Sky on page 5874). However, if you don’t use the exposure control, or set it
Physical Scale to Unitless, this parameter is in a "traditional" unit space where
0 is black and 1 is white.
NOTE This "ambient" light is affected by ambient occlusion, so it is darkened by
the occlusion at contact points and in areas hidden under objects.
Ambient/Shadow Color Setting a color or map here tints the shadows. For
accurate shadow tint, use a neutral color.
Shadow Casting Lights List When on, you can use the Add/Replace/Delete
buttons to edit the list, specifying lights that are to cast shadows on the surface.
For the lights list to be in effect, Receive Shadows must also be on.
When off, and Receive Shadows is on, all lights in the scene cast shadows on
the surface.
NOTE Shadow-casting lights act as representations of any real-world lights in the
background plate, such as the sun or any artificial light sources. For further
information, see Direct Illumination rollout on page 6364, following.

Ambient Occlusion rollout

Use Ambient Occlusion (AO) When on, ambient occlusion affects the surface.
AO Samples The number of ambient-occlusion rays that are shot.
AO Max Distance The reach of ambient-occlusion rays. At 0, the ray distance
is not limited. Using short rays increases performance but localizes the
ambient-occlusion effect.
AO Shadow Strength The darkness of shadows the ambient occlusion causes.
The default value is black, but you can cause a less-pronounced shading effect
by using a lighter color.

6362 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Reflections rollout

Receive Reflections When on, the surface reflects its surroundings.
Reflection Color Reflections are tinted this color. For accurate reflections, use
a neutral color.
Reflections (Subtractive Color) The subtractive color for reflections. This
amount is removed from the plate before reflections are added. If black,
nothing is removed, and reflections are added purely additively on top of the
plate. If 50% gray, the plate pixels are attenuated to 50% of their intensity,
and the reflections are added on top of that, and so on.
Use this setting is used if the plate contains an area with many reflections that
need to be removed before the new, synthetic reflection is added.
Glossiness The glossiness of reflections.
Glossy Samples The number of glossy-reflection samples.
Max Distance At values other than 0, limits the distance from which
reflections are cast.
Max Distance Falloff The falloff curve for reflections at Max Distance. Lower
values cause more rapid falloff.

mental ray Materials | 6363

Indirect Illumination rollout

Receive Indirect Illumination When on, indirect light (final gather and
global illumination) is gathered and scaled by the Indirect Illumination
Multiplier value (see following).
Indirect Ilumination Multiplier The multiplier for gathered indirect light.

Direct Illumination rollout
NOTE The lights specified on this rollout actually illuminate the background, unlike
shadow-casting lights on page 6362. Thus, for the effect to be correct, make sure
no light source exists in both lists.

Receive Direct Illumination When on, the surface renders where struck by
direct illumination. If Illuminating Lights List is off, all lights in the scene
illuminate the surface.
Illuminating Lights List When on, you can use the Add/Replace/Delete
buttons to edit the list, specifying lights that are to illuminate the surface. For
the lights list to be in effect, Receive Direct Illumination must also be on.

6364 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Maps Rollout
This rollout enables application of maps or shaders to the applicable material
parameters. Of course, you can apply a shader to a parameter at its standard
location in the user interface by clicking its map button (square button at the
right side of the parameter), so the principal value of this rollout is that it also
lets you toggle a parameter's shader, using the check box, without removing
the map.

Subsurface Scattering (SSS) Materials
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose SSS Fast Material (mi), SSS Fast
Skin Material (mi), SSS Fast Skin Material+Displace (mi), or SSS Physical Material
(mi).
Note: The SSS materials appear in the Browser only if mental ray is the active
renderer.
The subsurface scattering (SSS) materials are provided especially to model skin
and other organic materials whose appearance depends on more than one
layer of light scattering. 3ds Max provides four of these materials. Each material
is a top-level wrapper (a “phenomenon”) for shaders whose controls are
documented in the Standard mental ray Shader Libraries document. Click a link
to see the mental images documentation for the shader.
TIP When you follow a link to the documentation for mental images library shaders,
scroll up a bit in your browser. The links tend to go past the title of the section,
and there might be introductory content above the link location. If the link goes
to the beginning of a section, scroll down instead.
Material Name

mi Library Shader Name

SSS Fast Material (mi)

misss_fast_simple_phen

SSS Fast Skin Material (mi)

misss_fast_skin_phen

SSS Fast Skin Material+Displace (mi)

misss_fast_skin_phen_d

SSS Physical Material (mi)

misss_physical

Also see Subsurface Scattering Shaders and the topics that follow it for more
general information. See Physically Correct Subsurface Scattering for background
information and tips about the Physical material.

mental ray Materials | 6365

NOTE The SSS Physical Material can also be used as a shader for the Surface and
Photon components of a mental ray material on page 6369.
For a downloadable tutorial offering a practical demonstration of using the
SSS Fast Skin material, see this Web page.

Light Controls for the SSS Physical Material
The SSS Physical material includes light controls that correspond to the lights
array in the parameters for the misss_physical shader.
Lights When on, the material is illuminated only by those lights specified in
the list. When Lights is turned off, all lights in the scene affect the material.
Default=off.
The remaining light controls are available only when Lights is on.
■

List of lightsDisplays the lights you have chosen to illuminate this material.

■

AddAdds a light to the list. Click Add to turn it on, then click the light
object in a viewport.

■

ReplaceReplaces a light in the list. Highlight a light's name in the list, click
Replace to turn it on, then click the replacement light object in a viewport.

■

DeleteDeletes a light from the list. Highlight a light's name in the list, then
click Delete.

Utility mental ray Materials
The utility mental ray materials allow you to combine a material with multiple
maps.

Utility Bump Combiner Material (mental ray)
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Utility Bump Combiner (adsk)
Note: The Bump Combiner material appears in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
The Bump Combiner lets you combine a material with up to three separate
bump maps.

6366 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Parameters rollout

Shading Click the button to specify a base material. This can be any material
that mental ray supports.
Global Multiplier Adjusts the strength of bump mapping for the material as
a whole. This value overrides the individual bump map multiplier values. Can
range from 0.0 to 20.0. Default=1.0.
Map button Click to apply a map to the Global Multiplier value.
Bump 1, Bump 2, and Bump 3 Click to add a bump map to the material.
Multiplier Adjusts the strength of the bump map. Can range from 0.0 to 20.0.
Default=1.0.
Map button Click to apply a map to the Multiplier value.

Maps rollout

mental ray Materials | 6367

Global Multiplier Lets you assign a map to the Global Multiplier. The toggle
at the left controls whether the map is active; when you assign a map, it turns
on by default.
Multiplier 1, Multiplier 2, and Multiplier 3 Let you assign maps to the three
bump map Multiplier values.

The button to the right of each main shader button is for shaders that
can return multiple parameters. If a shader that returns multiple parameters
is assigned to the component, the button's tooltip shows the parameter name.

Utility Displace Combiner Material (mental ray)
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Utility Displace Combiner (adsk)
Note: The Displace Combiner material appears in the Browser only if the
mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
The Displace Combiner lets you combine a material with up to three separate
displacement maps.

Interface
Parameters rollout

Shading Click the button to specify a base material. This can be any material
that mental ray supports.

6368 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Global Multiplier Adjusts the strength of displacement mapping for the material
as a whole. This value overrides the individual displacement shader multiplier
values. Can range from 0.0 to 20.0. Default=1.0.
Map button Click to apply a map to the Global Multiplier value.
Displace Shader 1, Displace Shader 2, and Displace Shader 3 Click to add
a displacement map to the material.
Multiplier Adjusts the strength of the displacement map. Can range from 0.0
to 20.0. Default=1.0.
Map button Click to apply a map to the Multiplier value.

Maps rollout

Global Multiplier Lets you assign a map to the Global Multiplier. The toggle
at the left controls whether the map is active; when you assign a map, it turns
on by default.
Multiplier 1, Multiplier 2, and Multiplier 3 Let you assign maps to the three
displacement shader Multiplier values.

The button to the right of each main shader button is for shaders that
can return multiple parameters. If a shader that returns multiple parameters
is assigned to the component, the button's tooltip shows the parameter name.

mental ray Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ mental ray
Note: The mental ray material appears in the Browser only if the mental ray
renderer is the currently active renderer.
The mental ray material lets you create a material exclusively for use by the
mental ray renderer on page 7129. The mental ray material has components for

mental ray Materials | 6369

the surface shader, and for the other nine optional shaders that make up a
material in mental ray.
IMPORTANT You must assign a shader to the material's Surface component.
Otherwise, the mental ray material will not be visible when you render.

Material Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray ➤ Material Shaders rollout
Note: The mental ray material appears in the Browser only if mental ray is the
active renderer.
The Material Shaders rollout provides controls for the main kinds of
component shaders you are likely to assign.
IMPORTANT You must assign a shader to the material's Surface component.
Otherwise, the mental ray material will not be visible when you render.
See also:
■

Advanced Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material) on page 6377

6370 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Each shader component has a toggle at the left of its name. When the toggle
is on, the shader is used in rendering. When the toggle is off, the shader is
not used, even if it has been assigned. Clicking the button to the right of the
component name displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so you can
assign a particular shader to the component.

Basic Shaders group
Surface Shades the surface of objects that have this material.
In addition to any of the usual 3ds Max materials, the surface component can
be assigned the following mental ray materials or shaders:
Shader

Library

Ambient/Reflective Occlu-

base1 (see note, below)

sion

mental ray Materials | 6371

Shader

Library

Bump on page 6816

3ds Max

Car Paint Shader (mi) on

3ds Max

page 6343
DGS Material on page 6818

3ds Max

Dielectric

base

Dielectric Material on

3ds Max

page 6823
Edge

lume

Facade

lume

Glass

lume

Glow

lume

Landscape

lume

Material to Shader on

3ds Max

page 6832
Metal

lume

mr Physical Sky on page

3ds Max

5893
Ocean

lume

Opacity

base

Reflect

base

Refract

base

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

6372 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Shader

Library

SSS Physical Material

subsurface scattering

Stain

lume

Texture Wave

base

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Transparency

base

Two Sided

base

Water Surface

lume

Wet-Dry Mixer

lume

NOTE As of the current version of 3ds Max, the Ambient/Reflective Occlusion
shader has been updated to support certain capabilities for texture baking (see
this note on page 7317). If you load a file containing a material that uses the older
version of the shader, that same version is still used in the scene, and the shader
is renamed "Ambient/Reflective Occlusion (base) (old)". The old version of the
shader continues to be used in the scene until you reapply it in the Material Editor.
NOTE Unlike a standard 3ds Max material, if you assign the Surface component
a bitmap with tiling turned off, the original surface color does not “show through.”
In renderings, you see only the untiled map, and none of the rest of the object.
Shadow Assigns a shadow shader.
The shadow component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Edge Shadow

lume

Facade

lume

Glass

lume

mental ray Materials | 6373

Shader

Library

Glow

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Metal

lume

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Shadow Transparency

base

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Water Surface Shadow

lume

Caustics and GI group
Photon Assigns a photon shader. Photon shaders modify the appearance of
caustics and global illumination. They modify light energy (luminous flux)
rather than color (radiance).
The photon component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

DGS Material on page 6818

3ds Max

Dielectric Material Photon on page 6823

3ds Max

Edge

lume

Glow

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Metal

lume

Photon Basic

base

SSS Physical Material

subsurface scattering

6374 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Shader

Library

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Photon Volume Assigns a photon volume shader. Like a photon shader, a
photon volume shader modifies caustics and global illumination, but it affects
photons that pass through the inside of the object, rather than photons that
collide with its surface.
The photon volume component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Parti Volume Photon

physics

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Extended Shaders group
Bump Assigns a bump shader. Bump shading for mental ray materials is similar
to bump mapping on page 6472 for standard materials.
The bump component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Bump on page 6816

3ds Max

Ocean

lume

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Displacement Assigns a displacement shader on page 7167.
The displacement component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

3D Displacement on page 6813

3ds Max

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

mental ray Materials | 6375

Shader

Library

Ocean

lume

Volume Assigns a volume shader on page 7164.
The volume component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Beam

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Mist

lume

Parti Volume Photon

physics

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Submerge

lume

Environment Assigns an environment shader. Like an environment you
assign using the Render Setup dialog, the environment shader changes the
scene background.
The environment component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Environment on page 6825

3ds Max

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Optimization group
Flag Material as Opaque When on, indicates that the material is fully opaque.
This tells the mental ray renderer that it doesn't need to process transparency
for this material, or to use the shadow shader (if one has been assigned). This
can improve rendering time. Default=off.

6376 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Advanced Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout
Note: The mental ray material appears in the Browser only if the mental ray
renderer is the currently active renderer.
The Advanced Shaders rollout provides controls for two component shaders
that aren't always used.

Interface

Each shader component has a toggle at the left of its name. When the toggle
is on, the shader is used in rendering. When the toggle is off, the shader is
not used, even if it has been assigned. Clicking the button to the right of the
component name displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so you can
assign a particular shader to the component.
Contour Assigns a contour shader on page 7168 to the material.
The contour component can be assigned the following shaders:
Shader

Library

Combi

contour

Curvature

contour

Depth Fade

contour

Factor Color

contour

Layer Thinner

contour

Simple

contour

mental ray Materials | 6377

Shader

Library

Width From Color

contour

Width From Light

contour

Width From Light Dir

contour

NOTE Contours don't render unless you have also enabled them on the Render
Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout on page 7201.
Light Map Assigns a light map shader to the material.
WARNING No light map shaders are provided with 3ds Max. This option is for
users who have access to light map shaders via other shader libraries or custom
shader code.

MetaSL Material
The Map To Material Conversion material converts a MetaSL shader tree into
a material you can use in 3ds Max scenes.

Map to Material Conversion

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Map to Material
Conversion
Strictly speaking, Map To Material Conversion is not a material in its own
right, but a Slate Material Editor on page 6083 node that converts a MetaSL
shader tree into a material you can use in 3ds Max scenes.

6378 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Map To Material node in the Slate Material
Editor

To view a MetaSL material in viewports, you must use hardware shading: See
Lighting and Shadows on page 8980.
You can export a Map To Material node to an XMSL file: See Export MetaSL
Material on page 6145.

Interface

The interface to Map To Material Conversion consists of a single map input.
Of course, the child of this node will typically be a tree built out of various
MetaSL shaders.

MetaSL Material | 6379

MetaSL shader tree with Map To Material as the parent

Map check box Toggles use of the shader tree. When off, the effect of the
shaders is not visible in viewports or renderings. Default=on.
[map button] Click to show the parameters for the shader node assigned to
Convert Map To Material. If no shader is assigned (the button shows “None”)
then clicking the button opens a Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so you
can assign a shader: This is an alternative to wiring a shader node in the Slate
Material Editor active View.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not
Photometric)
This section describes the Standard material and other materials that are not
photometric. These materials can be suitable for games and animation, but
not for physically accurate lighting models.

Shading Type
The Standard and Raytrace materials let you specify a shading type. Shading
types are handled by a "shader," which describes how the surface responds to
light.

6380 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

WARNING When you change the shading type of a material, you lose the settings
(including map assignments) for any parameters that the new shader does not
support. If you want to experiment with different shaders for a material with the
same general parameters, copy the material to a different sample slot on page 6025
before you change its shading type. That way, you can still use the original material
if the new shader doesn't give you the effect you want.

Samples of different shading for a standard material
1. Anisotropic
2. Blinn
3. Metal
4. Multi-layer
5. Oren-Nayar-Blinn
6. Phong

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6381

7. Strauss
8. Translucent

Several different shaders are available. Some of these are not available for the
Raytrace material, as indicated below. Blinn is the most general-purpose of
these shaders. The others have special purposes, especially regarding how the
material creates highlights.
■

Anisotropic on page 6398
Creates surfaces with noncircular, "anisotropic" highlights; good for
modeling hair, glass, or metal.

■

Blinn on page 6399
Creates smooth surfaces with some shininess; a general-purpose shader.

■

Metal on page 6400
Creates a lustrous metallic effect.

■

Multi-Layer on page 6402
Creates more complex highlights than Anisotropic by layering two
anisotropic highlights.
Not available for Raytrace material.

■

Oren-Nayar-Blinn on page 6403
Creates good matte surfaces such as fabric or terra-cotta; similar to Blinn.

■

Phong on page 6399
Creates smooth surfaces with some shininess; similar to Blinn, but doesn't
handle highlights (especially glancing highlights) as well.

■

Strauss on page 6405
Creates both nonmetallic and metallic surfaces; has a simple set of controls.
Not available for Raytrace material.

■

Translucent on page 6409
Translucent shading is similar to Blinn shading, but it also lets you specify
translucency, where light is scattered as it passes through the material.
You can use translucency to simulate frosted and etched glass.
Not available for the Raytrace material.

Standard Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Standard

6382 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Standard material type provides a fairly straightforward way to model
surfaces. In the real world, the appearance of a surface depends on how it
reflects light. In 3ds Max, a standard material simulates a surface's reflective
properties. If you don't use maps on page 9215, a standard material gives an
object a single, uniform color.

Scooter rendered with the default standard material

This topic introduces the controls for Standard material, exclusive of mapping.
TIP The Standard material supports hardware-based viewport display for improved
feedback while editing its parameters. For more infomation, see Showing Maps
in Viewports on page 6006.

Standard Color Components
A surface of a "single" color usually reflects many colors. Standard materials
typically use a four-color model to simulate this. (This can vary, depending
on which shader on page 6390 you use.) The four colors are known as the
material’s color components on page 5988.
■

Ambient color on page 9089 appears where the surface is lit by ambient light
alone, where the surface is in shadow.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6383

■

Diffuse color on page 9137 appears where light falls directly on the surface,
where the surface is in “good” lighting.
This component is called "diffuse" because light striking it is reflected in
various directions. Highlights, on the other hand, are reflections of light
sources.

■

Specular color on page 9313 appears in highlights. Shiny surfaces usually
have specular highlights, where the viewing angle is equal to the angle of
incidence.
A surface can also have glancing highlights, where the angle of incidence
on page 5988 is high, relative to the observer or camera (that is, the light ray
is nearly parallel to the surface). Glancing highlights are characteristic of
metallic surfaces.
NOTE Some shaders generate the specular color procedurally, rather than
letting you choose it.
Some surfaces are completely reflective, or nearly so. These reflect their
environment as well as the light sources that illuminate them. To model
such surfaces, you need to use reflection mapping on page 6796 or ray tracing
(see Raytrace Material on page 6486).

■

Filter color on page 9157 is the color transmitted by light shining through
the object.
The Filter color component isn't visible unless the material's Opacity is
less than 100 percent.
NOTE The Raytrace material on page 6486 uses a different, six-color model to
simulate surfaces. Several components are similar to those in the Standard
Material, but they behave differently in Raytrace.

The three color components blend at the edges of their regions. Between
ambient and diffuse, the blending is calculated by the shader. Between diffuse
and specular, you set the amount of blending by using the Standard material's
highlight controls.
When we describe an object's color in conversation, usually we mean its diffuse
color. The choice of an ambient color depends on the kind of lighting. For
moderate indoor lighting, it can be a darker shade of the diffuse color, but for
bright indoor lighting and for daylight, it should be the complement of the
primary (key) light source. The specular color should be either the same color
as the key light source, or a high-value, low-saturation version of the diffuse
color.

6384 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

For more tips on choosing color components, see Choosing Colors for Realism
on page 6385.
WARNING When you change the shading type of a material, you lose the settings
(including map assignments) for any parameters that the new shader does not
support. If you want to experiment with different shaders for a material with the
same general parameters, make a copy of the material on page 6092 before you
change its shading type. That way, you can still use the original material if the
new shader doesn't give you the effect you want.

Other Standard Material Components
A standard material's specular color appears in highlights. You can control
the size and shape of the highlight. A polished surface has a small and strong
highlight. A matte surface has a large, weak highlight, or no highlight at all.
Standard materials also have controls for making the object appear transparent,
and for making it self-illuminating so that it appears to glow.
Along with the material's color components, components also refers to the
parameters that control highlights, transparency, self-illumination, and so
on.
See also:
■

Choosing Colors for Realism on page 6385

■

SuperSampling Rollout on page 6211

■

DirectX Manager Rollout on page 6222

Choosing Colors for Realism
Materials add greater realism to a scene only if you choose their colors and
other properties to appear like real-world objects. This topic presents some
general guidelines for choosing standard material colors. When possible, you
should also observe colors in the objects you are modeling, especially under
different lighting conditions.
For objects on which you want the viewer to focus attention, an unmapped
standard material doesn't often provide the level of realistic detail you probably
want. However, for distant and peripherally visible objects, as well as some
kinds of real-world materials, such as molded plastic, an unmapped standard
material can work well. Keeping the number of maps to a minimum can help
keep down the file size.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6385

Indoor and Outdoor Lighting
Whether a scene is indoors or outdoors affects your choice of material colors,
just as it affects the way you set up lights on page 5672. Full sunlight is bright
and unidirectional. Most indoor lighting is less intense and more even (that
is, multidirectional) than daylight. However, some special indoor lighting
(and nighttime outdoor lighting), as for the stage, also features intense,
directional light.
Direct sunlight has a yellow tint. Materials for objects to appear in daylight
should have a specular color of a pale, unsaturated yellow (for example, RGB
values of 240, 240, 188). The ambient color should be the complement of the
specular: a deep, dark purple with a hint of the diffuse color.
Materials for objects to appear under normal interior lighting should have a
specular color that is close to white. (Our perception compensates for the
yellow or green tint that is often present in artificial light.) The ambient color
can often have the same hue as the diffuse color, but with a darker value.
Materials for objects to appear under spotlights should follow the general
guidelines for daylight materials. The specular color should match the
spotlight's color, and the ambient color should be a very dark value of the
spotlight color's complementary hue, mixed with a bit of the material's diffuse
color.
If you want to render an object under changing lighting conditions, you can
choose colors that are a compromise between the optimal colors for each kind
of lighting, or you can animate on page 6012 the material so that its colors
change to suit the changing light.

6386 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Representing Natural Materials

Outdoor scene with natural materials

Most natural materials have a matte surface with little or no specular color.
For natural materials such as these, use the following guidelines:
■

Ambient color: The ambient color depends on whether the scene is indoors
or outdoors, as previously described.

■

Diffuse color: Choose a color found in nature. It is best to use the observed
color of the object itself, or a similar object.

■

Specular color: Make the specular color the same hue as the diffuse, but
with a higher value and a lower saturation.

■

Glossiness: Set the Glossiness to a low value.
Some foliage, bird feathers, fish scales, and so on, are shiny. For materials
such as these, set the Glossiness to higher values. You might also want to
change the specular color so it's closer to the lighting color than the
surface's diffuse color.

Water is reflective, and is best modeled by a color component in combination
with a reflection map on page 6796 or a water map on page 6740.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6387

While metal is a natural material, its special visual characteristics are most
apparent when it has been polished. Standard material represents this by using
a special shading type, described later in this topic.

Representing Manufactured Materials

Indoor scene with manufactured materials

Manufactured materials often have a synthetic color rather than an "earth
tone." Also, many manufactured materials, such as plastics and porcelain
glazes, are very shiny. For manufactured materials, use the following guidelines:
■

Ambient color: The ambient color depends on whether the scene is indoors
or outdoors, as previously described.

■

Diffuse color: Although the diffuse color doesn't have to be an "earth tone,"
as with natural materials you should used the observed color of the object
or a similar object.

■

Specular color: Make the specular color close to white, or to the color of
the light source. White is especially characteristic of plastic materials.

■

Glossiness: Set the glossiness to a high value.

6388 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Representing Metallic Objects

Metallic cup and ice cream scoop

Polished metal has a characteristic "glancing" highlight that appears where
the light is at a high angle of incidence. To generate this effect, Metal shading
uses the Cook/Torrance illumination model.
For metallic materials, you can use the Metal shading type. This disables the
specular color and highlight controls. The Metal shader calculates its own
specular color, which can vary between the diffuse color and the color of the
light.
In the diffuse region of a metal material, the ambient component is greater
than it is for other kinds of materials.
The Anisotropic, Multi-Layer, and Strauss shaders give you further options for
modeling polished metal.
If the metallic object is the focus of the scene, you can improve realism by
using a Blend material on page 6529 to combine metallic shading with a
reflection map on page 6796.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6389

TIP
When you preview metallic surfaces, it is useful to turn on a backlight.
This displays the metal's glancing highlight. The Backlight button is to the right
of the sample slots.

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Choose shader from drop-down list.
The Shader Basic Parameters rollout lets you choose the type of shader to use
with a Standard material on page 6382. Some additional controls affect how the
material appears.

Procedures
To set a material's shading type:
1 On the Shader Basic Parameters rollout, open the shader drop-down list.
2 Click the name of the shader type to use for the active material.
To use Wire mode:
■

On the Shader Basic Parameters rollout, turn on Wire.
The material is now shaded as a wireframe mesh. The wire portions of the
geometry do not change; color components, shininess, and so on, remain
the same.
For a wireframe material, turn on the 2-Sided option as well.
You have two choices for how wireframe materials are rendered. The
controls for tuning wireframe shading are on the Extended Parameters on
page 6436 rollout.
If you choose Pixels, the thickness of the wires maintains the same apparent
thickness regardless of the scale of the geometry or how near or far the
object is positioned. In other words, pixel wires have a constant display
size as if the wires were traced over an image.If you choose Units, the wires
behave as if they were modeled in the geometry. They appear thinner at
a distance and thicker at close range. Scaling a wireframe object does scale
wire width.

6390 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

[shader drop-down list] Chooses a shader. The material's Basic Parameters
rollout can change to show the controls for the shader you choose. Default
shader=Blinn
There are seven different shaders. Some are named for what they do; others
are named for their creators. These are the basic material shaders:
■

Anisotropic on page 6398: For surfaces with elliptical, "anisotropic" highlights.
These highlights are good for modeling hair, glass, or brushed metal.

■

Blinn on page 6399: For rounder, softer highlights than Phong shading

■

Metal on page 6400: For metallic surfaces

■

Multi-Layer on page 6402: For surfaces with more complex highlights than
Anisotropic

■

Oren-Nayar-Blinn on page 6403: For matte surfaces such as fabric or terra-cotta

■

Phong on page 6404: For surfaces with strong, circular highlights

■

Strauss on page 6405: For metallic and nonmetallic surfaces. The Strauss
shader has a simpler interface than other shaders.

■

Translucent on page 6409: Similar to Blinn shading, the Translucent shader
also lets you specify translucency, where light is scattered as it passes
through the material.

For more information about the shaders, including illustrations, see
Understanding Shaders on page 6392.
Wire Renders the material in wireframe mode on page 9351. You can set the
size of the wire in Extended Parameters on page 6436.
2-Sided Makes the material 2-sided on page 9079. Applies the material to both
sides of selected faces.
Face Map Applies the material to the faces of the geometry. If the material is
a mapped material, it requires no mapping coordinates on page 9212. The map
is automatically applied to each facet of the object.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6391

Faceted Renders each face of a surface as if it were flat.

Understanding Shaders
For standard materials, a shader is an algorithm that tells 3ds Max how to
calculate surface rendering. Each shader has a unique set of characteristics in
order to serve a particular purpose. Some are named for what they do well,
such as the Metal shader. Others are named for the person who developed
them, such as the Blinn and Strauss shaders. The default shader in 3ds Max
is the Blinn shader.
NOTE In addition to the shaders listed below, 3ds Max supports plug-in shader
types.
The following list describes the shaders supplied with 3ds Max:
■

Anisotropic: Used for brushed metal or hair. Creates a highlight that is
stretched and angled, rather than the standard circular highlight.

■

Blinn: Has the same features as the Phong shader, but its mathematics are
more accurate. This is the default shader for Standard materials.

6392 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Metal: Used for making metals.

■

MultiLayer: Two anisotropic shaders in one. Used to make two different
highlights with independent controls. Simulates materials such as a metal
that is covered with a shiny coat of wax.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6393

■

Oren-Nayar-Blinn: An adaptation of the Blinn shader. It gives objects a
porous, non-plastic appearance, and is suitable for surfaces like skin.

■

Phong: A classic shading method that was the first to enable specular
highlights. Suitable for plastic surfaces.

■

Strauss: Suitable for metals. Allows you to control the degree of metallic
characteristics of the material.

6394 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Translucent Shader: Translucent shading is similar to Blinn shading, but
it also lets you specify translucency. A translucent object allows light to
pass through, and also scatters light within the object. You can use
translucency to simulate frosted and etched glass.

Comparing Shader Parameters
A shader is an algorithm that tells 3ds Max how to calculate surface rendering.
Each shader has a unique set of characteristics in order to serve a particular
purpose.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6395

Compare the parameters of different shader types:
1 Open the Compact Material Editor on page 6020 and click an available
sample slot.
2 In the list on the Shader Basic Parameters rollout, change Blinn to
Anisotropic.
The Blinn Basic Parameters rollout changes to the Anisotropic Basic
Parameters rollout. Observe the differences in the available basic
parameters.

6396 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3 Select each shader type from the list and compare its parameters with
the others. Some parameters are shared in common, but each shader has
its own unique combination of settings.
For more information on shader types, see Shader Basic Parameters Rollout
on page 6390.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6397

Anisotropic Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Anisotropic shader ➤ Anisotropic Basic Parameters
rollout
The Anisotropic shader creates surfaces with elliptical, "anisotropic" highlights.
These highlights are good for modeling hair, glass, or brushed metal. The basic
parameters are similar to those for Blinn or Phong shading on page 6399, except
for the Specular Highlight parameters, and Diffuse Level controls such as those
for Oren-Nayar-Blinn shading on page 6403.

Anisotropic highlights are elliptical, with differing U and V dimensions.

Anisotropy measures the difference between sizes of the highlight as seen
from two perpendicular directions. When anisotropy is 0, there is no difference
at all. The highlight is circular, as in Blinn or Phong shading. When anisotropy
is 100, the difference is at its maximum. In one direction the highlight is very
sharp; in the other direction it is controlled solely by Glossiness.
For more complex highlights, see the Multi-Layer shader on page 6402.

6398 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Anisotropic Highlights on page 6426

Blinn Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Blinn shader ➤ Blinn Basic Parameters rollout
Blinn shading is a subtle variation on Phong shading. The most noticeable
difference is that highlights appear rounder. In general, you don't need to use
the Soften parameter (described in Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong
Highlights on page 6428) as often as you do with Phong shading.

Blinn shading tends to have soft, round highlights.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6399

With Blinn shading, you can obtain highlights produced by light glancing
off the surface at low angles. These highlights are lost when you increase the
value of Soften using Phong shading.
The Blinn and Phong shaders have the same basic parameters on page 6410.
See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong Highlights on page 6428

Metal Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Metal shader ➤ Metal Basic Parameters rollout
Metal shading provides realistic-looking metallic surfaces and a variety of
organic-looking materials.
Metal shading has a distinct curve for specular highlights. Metal surfaces also
have glancing highlights. Metal materials calculate their own specular color,
which can vary between the material's diffuse color and the color of the light.
You can't set a metal material's specular color.

6400 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Metal shading has distinctive highlights.

Because there's no separate specular highlight, the two specular highlight
spinners behave differently than the spinners for Blinn and Phong shading
on page 6399. The Specular Level spinner still controls intensity, but the
Glossiness spinner affects both the intensity and size of the specular areas.
TIP When you create a metal material, make sure the backlight on page 6050 is on
in the sample slot.
See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Metal Highlights on page 6430

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6401

Multi-Layer Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Multi-Layer shader ➤ Multi-Layer Basic Parameters
rollout
The Multi-Layer shader is similar to the Anisotropic shader on page 6398, but it
has a set of two specular highlight controls. The highlights are layered, letting
you create complex highlights that are good for highly polished surfaces,
special effects, and so on.

Upper left: No highlights
Upper right: Single highlight
Lower middle: Multiple highlights from the multi-layer shader

Highlights in the Multi-Layer shader can be anisotropic. Anisotropy measures
the difference between sizes of the highlight as seen from two perpendicular
directions. When anisotropy is 0, there is no difference at all. The highlight
is circular, as in Blinn or Phong shading. When anisotropy is 100, the difference
is at its maximum. In one direction the highlight is very sharp; in the other
direction it is controlled solely by Glossiness.

6402 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Multi-Layer Highlights on page 6432

Oren-Nayar-Blinn Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Blinn shader ➤ Oren-Nayar-Blinn shader ➤
Oren-Nayar-Blinn Basic Parameters rollout
The Oren-Nayar-Blinn shader is a variant of the Blinn shader on page 6399. It
contains additional "advanced diffuse" controls, Diffuse Level and Roughness,
that you can use to give the material a matte effect. This shader is good for
matte surfaces such as fabric, terra-cotta, and so on.

Oren-Nayar-Blinn shading typically has a matte appearance.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6403

See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong Highlights on page 6428

Phong Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Phong shader ➤ Phong Basic Parameters rollout
Phong shading smoothes the edges between faces and renders highlights
realistically for shiny, regular surfaces. This shader interpolates intensities
across a face based on the averaged face normals of adjacent faces. It calculates
the normal for every pixel of the face.

Phong-shaded highlights are typically less regular than Blinn highlights.

6404 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Phong shading can accurately render bump, opacity, shininess, specular, and
reflection maps.
The Blinn and Phong shaders have the same basic parameters on page 6410.
See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong Highlights on page 6428

Strauss Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Strauss shader ➤ Strauss Basic Parameters rollout
The Strauss shader is for modeling metallic surfaces. It uses a simpler model
and has a simpler interface than the Metal shader on page 6400.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6405

Sample of Strauss shading

NOTE The Strauss shader’s Basic Parameters rollout differs a great deal from the
Basic Parameters rollouts for other shaders, and is described in this topic.
See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

Procedures
To change the color of a Strauss material:
1 Click the Color swatch.
The Color Selector on page 304 is displayed.
2 In the Color Selector, change the values of the color.
As you change color values, the color also changes in the sample in the
sample slot.

6406 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To reduce a material's opacity:
■

Change Opacity to a value less than 100%.
The material becomes more transparent. A fully transparent object (0%
Opacity) is nearly invisible except for the light it reflects: the specular
highlights.
To preview transparency in the sample slots, view the sample object against
a background. Click the checkered Background on page 6051 button to the
right of the sample slots.
Transparent materials render more realistically when you turn on 2-Sided
in the material's Shader Basic Parameters on page 6390.

To increase or decrease the size and intensity of highlights:
■

Change the Glossiness value.
The width of the Highlight curve and the highlights in the preview change.
At 0% glossiness, the curve is at its maximum width. At 100% glossiness,
the curve is extremely narrow.
Increasing Glossiness also dims the diffuse color.

To make the material appear more metallic:
1 Increase the Glossiness value.
The metallic effect requires visible highlights.
2 Increase the value of Metalness.
Highlights become more focused, and the (diffuse) color component is
dimmed.

Interface

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6407

Color Controls the color of the material. This corresponds to the diffuse color
on page 9137 you specify for other kinds of shaders. With the Strauss shader,
you control only this color. The shader calculates the ambient and specular
color components.
Click the map button to assign a map to the color component. See Diffuse
Mapping on page 6453. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign color
mapping in the Maps on page 6443 rollout.
Glossiness Affects the size and intensity of the specular highlight. As you
increase the value, the highlight gets smaller and the material appears shinier.
Default=25.
Glossiness also controls the strength of reflection maps assigned to a Strauss
material.
Click the map button to assign a map to the glossiness component. See
Glossiness Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
glossiness mapping in the Maps on page 6443 rollout.
Metalness Changes the metallic appearance of a material. Increasing the
Metalness value increases the metallic appearance, with glancing as well as
primary highlights. Because a metallic appearance principally depends on
highlights, the Metalness value has little effect unless you also increase the
Glossiness value. Default=0.
TIP When you create a metal material, make sure the backlight on page 6050 is on
in the sample slot.
Opacity Sets the opacity/transparency of the material as a percentage. The
effect is best previewed against a pattern background on page 6051 in the sample
slot. You can control opacity falloff on page 9246 in the Extended Parameters.
Default=100.
Click the map button to assign a map to the opacity component. See Opacity
Mapping on page 6465. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign opacity
mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Highlight graph This curve shows the effect of adjusting the value of
Glossiness. As you decrease Glossiness, the curve grows shorter; as you increase
it, the curve grows taller.

6408 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Translucent Shader

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Translucent shader ➤ Translucent Basic Parameters
rollout
Translucent shading is similar to Blinn shading, but it also lets you specify
translucency. A translucent object allows light to pass through, and also scatters
light within the object. You can use translucency to simulate frosted and
etched glass.

The projection screen uses translucency

Translucency is inherently a two-sided effect: with the translucent shader,
backface illumination appears on front faces. To generate translucency, both
sides of the material receive diffuse light, though only one side is visible in
renderings and shaded viewports unless you turn on 2-Sided (in the Shader
Basic Parameters rollout).
If you use radiosity on page 7068, it will process light transmitted by translucency.
The accuracy of this depends on the mesh: the more subdivided the faces are,
the more accurate the solution will be (at a cost of processing time).
For specular highlights, you have a choice: to model materials like translucent
plastic, you can choose to have highlights on both sides; to model materials

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6409

like frosted glass, which is reflective on one side only, you can choose to have
highlights on only one side. This is controlled by the Backside Specular toggle
in the translucent highlight controls.
TIP To simulate frosted glass, a fine-grained bump map can also help.
The translucent effect appears only in renderings. It does not appear in shaded
viewports.
NOTE The translucent shader does not simulate the scattering of light within the
object. Because of this, it is better at simulating thin objects such as glass or paper,
than at thick objects. For thicker objects, the light passing through might saturate
excessively. To avoid this, try reducing the HSV Value of the material's Translucent
Color.
Translucent materials also capture shadows cast on the backfaces of the
material. However, because the translucent shader doesn't scatter light, for
thicker objects the effect is not an accurate simulation of real-world
translucency.
WARNING Do not use shadow maps with the translucent shader. Shadow maps
result in artifacts at the edge of translucent objects.
See also:
■

Shader Basic Parameters Rollout on page 6390

■

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6410

■

Translucency Setting on page 6424

■

Translucent Highlights on page 6434

Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material)

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Basic Parameters
rollout for the shader you've chosen
The Basic Parameters rollouts for Standard materials contain controls that let
you set the color of your material, the shininess, the transparency, and so on,
and specify maps on page 9215 to use for the various components of the material.

6410 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Example: The Basic Parameters rollout for the Anisotropic shader.
Basic Parameters rollouts vary depending on which shader is chosen.

The Basic Parameters rollout changes depending on which kind of shader you
choose in the Shader Basic Parameters on page 6390.
NOTE The Strauss shader’s Basic Parameters rollout is simpler than those for other
shaders. See Strauss Shader on page 6405 for a description.

Component Controls
The first part of the Basic Parameters rollout contains controls for overall
material components. They are described in the following topics:
■

Color Controls on page 6412 let you choose the material’s color components,
or replace them with maps.

■

Self-Illumination on page 6416 makes a material appear lit from within.
Self-illumination is not available for the Strauss shader on page 6405.

■

Opacity on page 6418 controls how opaque or transparent a material is.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6411

■

Diffuse Level on page 6420 controls the brightness of the diffuse color
component.
Diffuse Level is available only for the Anisotropic on page 6398, Multi-Layer
on page 6402, and Oren-Nayar-Blinn on page 6403 shaders.

■

Roughness on page 6422 controls how quickly the diffuse component blends
into the ambient component.
Roughness is available only for the Multi-Layer on page 6402 and
Oren-Nayar-Blinn on page 6403 shaders.

Highlight Controls
The second part of the Basic Parameters rollout contains controls for specular
highlights, which in some ways are the greatest difference between the various
shaders. See these topics for a description:
■

Anisotropic Highlights on page 6398

■

Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong Highlights on page 6428

■

Metal Highlights on page 6430

■

Multi-Layer Highlights on page 6432

For information on highlights with the Strauss shader, see Strauss Shader on
page 6405.

Translucency Controls
For the Translucent shader on page 6409, an additional group on the Basic
Parameters rollout contains controls for translucency on page 6424.

Color Controls

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Anisotropic, Blinn,
Metal, Multi-Layer, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Phong Basic Parameters rollout ➤
First group in the rollout (unlabeled)
Color controls set the colors for different color components. You can set the
color by clicking the color swatch to display the Color Selector on page 304.

6412 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE The Metal shader does not have a Specular component, because it generates
the specular color automatically. The Multi-Layer shader can have two different
Specular color components, so for this material the Specular color swatches are
found in the Specular Highlights group. The Strauss shader has only a single color
component, which corresponds to Diffuse.

1. Specular color
2. Diffuse color
3. Ambient color

Copying and Locking Color Components
For convenience in changing color components, the Material Editor lets you
copy one color component to another by dragging, and to lock two color
components together with the lock buttons to the left of the Ambient and
Diffuse, and Diffuse and Specular color swatches.
When you drag and drop a color swatch, the Copy or Swap Colors dialog on
page 6165 asks if you want to copy the color or swap the two colors.
In general, materials with two identical color components do not look realistic,
and except for materials that are close to solid black, you should avoid using
copied or locked color components in materials you use in a scene. Color

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6413

copying and locking are best used as conveniences when you design a new
basic material.

Shortcut Map Buttons
The small buttons to the right of the color swatches access the Material/Map
Browser on page 6167, where you select a map for that component. These buttons
are shortcuts: you can also use the corresponding buttons in the Maps rollout
on page 6443 If you have assigned a map to one of these color components, the
button displays the letter M. An uppercase M means that the corresponding
map is assigned and active. A lowercase m means that the map is assigned
and inactive (turned off).

The lock button to the right of the Diffuse map button locks Ambient
mapping to Diffuse mapping. It is on by default. Usually it makes sense to use
the same map for the ambient and diffuse components. To use different maps
for ambient and diffuse, turn off the lock button. A map shortcut button for
Ambient appears.

Procedures
To change a color component:
1 Click the color swatch next to the color component you want to change.
The Material Editor displays a Color Selector on page 304.
2 Use the Color Selector to change the values of the color component.
As you change color values, the color component also changes in the
sample slot.
To copy one color component to another:
1 Drag the color swatch of the color you want to copy to the color swatch
of the other color component.
A Copy or Swap Colors dialog on page 6165 is displayed.
2 Click Copy to replace the second color swatch with the color you dragged.
Click Swap to swap the two color components.

6414 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To lock two color components:
1 Click the
lock button between Ambient and Diffuse or between
Diffuse and Specular.
The Material Editor displays an alert that asks whether you want to lock
the two color components.
2 Click Yes.
The color above replaces the color below. In other words, Ambient replaces
Diffuse and Diffuse replaces Specular.
If two colors are locked, and you lock the other two, all three component
colors are replaced by the active color.
While two colors are locked, adjustments to one color component affect
the other as well.
To unlock two color components:
■

Click the
lock button to turn it off.
The two colors remain the same until you change one of them, or both.

Interface

Ambient Controls the ambient color on page 9089. The ambient color is the
color in shadow (indirect light).
Diffuse Controls the diffuse color on page 9137. The diffuse color is the color
in direct light.
Specular Controls the specular color on page 9313. The specular color is the
color of the highlight on a shiny object. You can control the size and shape
of highlights in the Specular Highlights group, described below.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6415

Self-Illumination Setting

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Anisotropic, Blinn,
Metal, Multi-Layer, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Phong Basic Parameters rollout ➤
Self-Illumination group
These controls make the material self illuminated on page 9300. Self-illumination
creates the illusion of incandescence by replacing shadows on the surface with
the diffuse color. As you increase self-illumination, the self-illumination color
takes over from the ambient color. At a setting of 100, the material shows no
shaded areas, although it can show specular highlights.
The self-illumination color appears in viewports. (In releases prior to 3ds Max
5,, viewports showed the self-illumination value but not the color.)
NOTE The Strauss shader on page 6405 does not have self-illumination.
There are two ways to specify self-illumination. You can turn on the check
box and use a self-illumination color, or turn off the check box and use a
monochrome spinner, which is comparable to using a gray scale
self-illumination color.
Self-illuminated materials do not show shadows cast onto them, and they are
unaffected by the lights in the scene. The brightness (Value in the HSV color
description on page 9280) remains the same regardless of the scene's lighting.
To make a visible light source in a scene, you can combine a geometric object
with a light object, and give the geometric object a self-illuminating surface.
For example, you could create a lofted light bulb shape, assign it a
self-illuminating white or yellowish material, and place an omni light in the
same location.
To make a material both self-illuminating and transparent, use the Additive
transparency type in combination with self-illumination. See Extended
Parameters on page 6436.

6416 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A self-illuminated object using a percentage value and a color

Procedures
To make a material self-illuminating:
1 Click the color swatch in the Self-Illumination group.
2 In the Color Selector on page 304, choose a color for self-illumination.
3 Use the color's Value parameter (in the HSV model) to increase or decrease
the amount of self-illumination on page 9300.
You can also set self-illumination with a monochrome spinner. To do
so, turn off the self-illumination check box and adjust the spinner.
The self-illumination color is mixed with the material's diffuse color. The
closer to black the self-illumination color, the more diffuse color is used.
As self-illumination increases, the sample object appears flatter and more
luminous.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6417

Interface

Color check box When on, the material uses a special self-illumination color.
When off, the material uses the diffuse color for self-illumination, and displays
a spinner to control the self-illumination amount. Default=off.
Color swatch When Color is on, the color swatch shows the self-illumination
color. To change the color, click the swatch and then use the Color Selector
on page 304. Adjusting the Value (in the color's HSV description on page 9280)
adjusts the amount of self-illumination. The greater the Value, the more the
self-illumination color dominates both the ambient and diffuse color
components.
Mono spinner When Color is off, the diffuse component is used as the
self-illumination color, and this spinner lets you adjust the amount of
self-illumination. At 0, there is no self-illumination. At 100, the diffuse color
takes over from the ambient color.
Click the map button to assign a map to the self-illumination component.
See Self-Illumination Mapping on page 6463. This button is a shortcut: you can
also assign self-illumination mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.

Opacity

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Anisotropic, Blinn,
Metal, Multi-Layer, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Phong Basic Parameters rollout ➤
Opacity group (unlabeled)
Opacity controls whether a material is opaque, transparent, or translucent.
(A more physically accurate way to generate translucency is to use the
Translucent shader on page 6409.)

6418 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Controlling opacity using the Opacity setting (left) or an opacity map (right).

Procedures
To reduce a material's opacity:
■

Change Opacity to a value less than 100%.
The material becomes more transparent. A fully transparent object (0%
Opacity) is nearly invisible except for the light it reflects (the specular
highlights).
To preview transparency in the sample slots, view the sample object against
a background. Click the checkered Background button on page 6051 to the
right of the sample slots.
Transparent materials render more realistically when you turn on 2-Sided
in the material's Shader Basic Parameters on page 6390.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6419

Interface

Opacity Sets the opacity/transparency of the material as a percentage. The
effect is best previewed against a pattern background on page 6051 in the sample
slot. You can control opacity falloff on page 9246 in the Extended Parameters.
Click the map button to assign a map to the opacity component. See Opacity
Mapping on page 6465. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign opacity
mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.

Diffuse Level

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Anisotropic,
Multi-Layer, or Oren-Nayar-Blinn Basic Parameters rollout ➤ Diffuse Level
group (unlabeled) or Advanced Diffuse group
Diffuse Level controls the brightness of the material's diffuse component.

6420 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Adjusting diffuse level

NOTE The Blinn, Metal, Phong, and Strauss shaders do not have Diffuse Level
control.

Procedures
To adjust the diffuse level:
■

Change the value of Diffuse Level.
The material grows lighter or darker. Lowering the Diffuse Level dims the
material's diffuse color without affecting the specular highlight. Diffuse
Level is intended primarily so you can create a map on page 6455 that makes
portions of the material very dark.

Interface

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6421

Diffuse Level Increasing this value increases diffuse brightness, and decreasing
it reduces diffuse brightness without affecting the specular highlight. You can
increase the diffuse level over and above the diffuse color's Value (in its HSV
description on page 9280). This parameter can range from 0 to 400. Default=100.
Click the map button to assign a map to the diffuse level parameter. See Diffuse
Level Mapping on page 6455. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
diffuse level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.

Roughness

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Multi-Layer or
Oren-Nayar-Blinn Basic Parameters rollout ➤ Advanced Diffuse group
(unlabeled for Multi-Layer)
Roughness controls the rate at which the diffuse component blends into the
ambient component.
NOTE The Roughness parameter is available only with the Oren-Nayar-Blinn on
page 6403 and Multi-Level on page 6402 shaders, and with the Arch & Design material
(mental ray) on page 6269.

6422 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Increasing the blending area between ambient and diffuse with Roughness

Procedures
To adjust the roughness:
■

Change the value of Roughness.
Increasing roughness makes the material have a flatter, more matte
appearance.

Interface

Roughness As you increase this value, the matte appearance of the material
increases. It also grows darker and appears more flat. At 0, the roughness is
the same as it is with Blinn shading on page 6399. Range (Oren-Nayar-Blinn and
Multi-Layer)=0 to 100. Range (Arch & Design material)=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.
Click the map button to assign a map to Roughness. This button is a shortcut:
you can also assign Diffuse Roughness mapping on the Maps rollout on page

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6423

6443 (Oren-Nayar-Blinn and Multi-Layer) or General Maps Rollout on page 6326
(Arch & Design material). See Diffuse Roughness Mapping on page 6457.

Translucency Setting

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Translucent shader ➤ Translucent Basic Parameters
rollout ➤ Translucency group
The translucency controls are available for the Translucent shader on page
6409.
WARNING Do not use shadow maps with the translucent shader. Shadow maps
result in artifacts at the edge of translucent objects.

Procedures
To make a material translucent:
■

Increase the HSV Value (V) on page 9280 of the Translucent Color.
As the Value increases, the material becomes more translucent. The Hue
of the Translucent Color tints the light that is scattered within the material.
Translucent materials render more realistically when you turn on 2-Sided
in the material's Shader Basic Parameters on page 6390. The translucent effect
does not appear in shaded viewports.

6424 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The projection screen uses translucency

Interface

Translucent Clr (Color) Specifies a translucency color. This is the color of
light that is scattered within the material. It does not need to be the same as
the filter color, which is light transmitted by the material. The two color values
are multiplied. Click the color swatch to change the translucent color. Click
the button to assign a map to the translucent color component.
Filter Color Specifies a filter color on page 9157 that is multiplied by the
translucent color. Click the color swatch to change the filter color. Click the
button to assign a map to the filter color component.
The filter, or transmissive color, is the color transmitted through transparent
or semi-transparent materials such as glass. You can use the filter color with
volumetric lighting to create effects such as colored light through a
stained-glass window. Ray-traced shadows on page 9279 cast by transparent
objects are tinted with the filter color.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6425

Opacity Sets the opacity/transparency on page 6418 of the material as a
percentage. The effect is best previewed against a pattern background on page
6051 in the sample slot.
Click the map button to assign a map to the opacity component. See Opacity
Mapping on page 6465. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign opacity
mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.

Specular Highlight Controls
The topics in this section describe the various controls for different kinds of
Standard material highlights.

Anisotropic Highlights
Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Anisotropic Basic Parameters rollout
➤ Specular Highlight group

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Raytrace Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Shading: Anisotropic ➤ Specular Highlight group
Anisotropic highlights are good for modeling hair, glass, or brushed metal.
NOTE For the Raytrace material on page 6486, the Specular Color component
appears in the Specular Highlight group. Also, highlight controls that don’t pertain
to the current shader are labeled “N / A.”

Procedures
To increase or decrease the size of a highlight:
■

Change the Glossiness value.
The width of the Highlight curves and the highlights in the preview change.
At 0% glossiness, the curves are at their maximum width. At 100%
glossiness, both curves are extremely narrow.

To increase or decrease the strength of a highlight:
■

Change the value of Specular Level.
The intensity of the Highlight curves and the highlights in the preview
change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight. At 100% specular level,

6426 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

the curves are at their maximum height with no overloading. At values
greater than 100%, the curves are overloaded: they grow wider, and a wider
area is at the maximum highlight intensity.
The shape of the Highlight curves affects the blending between the specular
and diffuse color regions of the material. The steeper the curve, the less
blending there is and the sharper the edge of the specular highlight.
To adjust the shape (anisotropy) of the highlight:
■

Change the value of Anisotropy.
The width of the white highlight curve and the highlights in the preview
change. At 0% anisotropy, both highlight curves are the same and the
highlight is circular, as in Blinn and Phong shading. At 100% anisotropy,
the white highlight curve and the highlights are extremely narrow.

To adjust the orientation of the highlight:
■

Change the value of Orientation.
Highlights in the preview show the change in orientation. The display of
the highlight curve does not change.

Interface

Specular Level Affects the intensity of the specular highlight. As you increase
the value, the highlight grows brighter. Default=0 for a Standard material, 50
for a Raytrace material.
Click the map button to assign a map to the specular level component. See
Specular Level Mapping on page 6460. This button is a shortcut: you can also
assign specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Glossiness Affects the size of the specular highlight. As you increase the value,
the highlight gets smaller and the material appears shinier. Default=25.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6427

Click the map button to assign a map to the glossiness component. See
Glossiness Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Anisotropy Controls the anisotropy, or shape, of the highlight. At 0, the
highlight is round. At 100, the highlight is extremely narrow. One axis of the
Highlight graph changes to show changes in this parameter. Default=50.
Orientation Changes the orientation of the highlight. The sample slot shows
changes in orientation. This is a value in degrees that can range from 0 to
9,999. Default=0.
Highlight graph These two intersecting curves show the effect of adjusting
the values of Specular Level, Glossiness, and Anisotropy. As you decrease
Glossiness, the curves grow wider; as you increase Specular Level, the curves
grow taller. As you adjust Anisotropy, the white curve changes to show how
wide or narrow the highlight is.

Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong Highlights

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Blinn,
Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Phong Basic Parameters rollout ➤ Specular Highlight
group
Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Raytrace Basic Parameters rollout ➤
Shading: Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Phong ➤ Specular Highlight group
The Blinn on page 6399, Oren-Nayar-Blinn on page 6403, and Phong on page 6404
shaders all have circular highlights and share the same highlight controls.
Blinn and Oren-Nayar-Blinn highlights are somewhat softer and rounder than
Phong highlights.
NOTE For the Raytrace material on page 6486, the Specular Color component
appears in the Specular Highlight group. Also, highlight controls that don’t pertain
to the current shader are labeled “N/A.”

Procedures
To increase or decrease the strength of a highlight:
■

Change the value of Specular Level.

6428 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The intensity of the Highlight curve and the highlight in the preview
change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight. At 100% specular level,
the curve is at its maximum height with no overloading. At values greater
than 100%, the curve is overloaded: it grows wider, and a wider area is at
the maximum highlight intensity.
The shape of the Highlight curve affects the blending between the specular
and diffuse color regions of the material. The steeper the curve, the less
blending there is and the sharper the edge of the specular highlight.
To increase or decrease the size of a highlight:
■

Change the Glossiness value.
The width of the Highlight curve and the highlight in the preview change.
At 0% glossiness, the curve is at its maximum width. At 100% glossiness,
the curve is extremely narrow.

Interface

Specular Level Affects the intensity of the specular highlight. As you increase
the value, the highlight grows brighter. Default=0 for a Standard material, 50
for a Raytrace material.
Click the map button to assign a map to the specular level component. See
Specular Level Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut: you can also
assign specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Glossiness Affects the size of the specular highlight. As you increase the value,
the highlight gets smaller and the material appears shinier. Default=10 for a
Standard material, 40 for a Raytrace material.
Click the map button to assign a map to the glossiness component. See
Glossiness Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Soften Softens the effect of specular highlights, especially those formed by
glancing light. When Specular Level is high and Glossiness is low, you can

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6429

get harsh backlights on surfaces. Increase the value of Soften to mitigate this
effect. At 0, there is no softening. At 1.0, the maximum amount of softening
is applied. Default=0.1.
NOTE The Soften control was a check box in releases prior to 3ds Max 2. When
you load a material created in an earlier version of 3ds Max, if Soften was originally
off, the new Soften value is 0.0. If Soften was originally on, the new Soften value
is 0.6.
Highlight graph This curve shows the effect of adjusting the values of Specular
Level and Glossiness. As you decrease Glossiness, the curve grows wider; as
you increase Specular Level, the curve grows taller.

Metal Highlights

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Metal Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Specular Highlight group
Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Raytrace Basic Parameters rollout ➤
Shading: Metal ➤ Specular Highlight group
Metal-shaded materials generate their own specular color. Also, the highlight
curve for the Metal shader differs in shape from the curve for Blinn
Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong highlights on page 6428.
NOTE For the Raytrace material on page 6486, the Specular Color component
appears in the Specular Highlight group. Also, highlight controls that don’t pertain
to the current shader are labeled “N/A.”

Procedures
To increase or decrease the size and intensity of a highlight:
■

Change the Glossiness value.
The width of the Highlight curve and the highlights in the preview change.
At 0% glossiness, the curve is at its maximum width. At 100% glossiness,
the curve is extremely narrow.

To increase or decrease the strength of a highlight:
■

Change the value of Specular Level.

6430 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The intensity of the Highlight curve and the highlight in the preview
change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight. At 100% specular level,
the curve is at its maximum height with no overloading. At values greater
than 100%, the curve is overloaded: it grows wider, and a wider area is at
the maximum highlight intensity.
Increasing the Specular Level also dims the diffuse color.
The shape of the Highlight curve affects the blending between the specular
and diffuse color regions of the material. The steeper the curve, the less
blending there is and the sharper the edge of specular and glancing
highlights.

Interface

Specular Level Affects the intensity of the specular highlight. As you increase
the value, the highlight grows brighter and the diffuse color grows dimmer.
Default=10 for a Standard material, 50 for a Raytrace material.
Click the map button to assign a map to the specular level component. See
Specular Level Mapping on page 6460. This button is a shortcut: you can also
assign specular level mapping in the Maps on page 6443 rollout.
Glossiness Affects the size of the specular highlight. As you increase the value,
the highlight curve grows narrower and the highlight gets smaller. Default=10
for a Standard material, 40 for a Raytrace material.
Click the map button to assign a map to the glossiness component. See
Glossiness Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
specular level mapping in the Maps on page 6443 rollout.
Highlight graph This curve shows the effect of adjusting the values of Specular
Level and Glossiness. As you decrease Glossiness, the curve grows wider; as
you increase Specular Level, the curve grows taller.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6431

Multi-Layer Highlights

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Multi-Layer Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ First Specular Layer/Second Specular Layer groups
Multi-layer highlights consist of two layers, each of them anisotropic. The
highlights are transparent to each other. Where they overlap, the Multi-Layer
shader blends their colors.

Procedures
To increase or decrease the size of a highlight (specular) layer:
■

Change the Glossiness value.
The width of the Highlight curves and the highlights in the preview change.
At 0% glossiness, the curves are at their maximum width. At 100%
glossiness, both curves are extremely narrow.

To increase or decrease the strength of a highlight (specular) layer:
■

Change the value of Specular Level.
The intensity of the Highlight curves and the highlights in the preview
change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight. At 100% specular level,
the curves are at their maximum height with no overloading. At values
greater than 100%, the curves are overloaded: they grow wider, and a wider
area is at the maximum highlight intensity.
The shape of the Highlight curves affects the blending between the specular
and diffuse color regions of the material. The steeper the curve, the less
blending there is and the sharper the edge of the specular highlight.

To adjust the shape (anisotropy) of a highlight (specular) layer:
■

Change the value of Anisotropy.
The width of the white highlight curve and the highlights in the preview
change. At 0% anisotropy, both highlight curves are the same and the
highlight is circular, as in Blinn and Phong shading. At 100% anisotropy,
the white highlight curve and the highlights are extremely narrow.

To adjust the orientation of a highlight (specular) layer:
■

Change the value of Orientation.

6432 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Highlights in the preview show the change in orientation. The display of
the highlight curve does not change.

Interface

The First Specular Layer and Second Specular Layer groups have identical
controls, which can have different settings.
Color Controls the specular color on page 9313 of this highlight. The specular
color is the color of the highlight on a shiny surface.
Level Affects the intensity of this specular highlight. As you increase the value,
the highlight grows brighter. Default: First layer=5, Second layer=0.
Click the map button to assign a map to the specular level component. See
Specular Level Mapping on page 6460. This button is a shortcut: you can also
assign specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Glossiness Affects the size of this specular highlight. As you increase the value,
the highlight gets smaller and the material appears shinier. Default: First layer=
10, Second layer=25.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6433

Click the map button to assign a map to the glossiness component. See
Glossiness Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Anisotropy Controls the anisotropy, or shape, of this highlight. At 0, the
highlight is round. At 100, the highlight is extremely narrow. One axis of the
Highlight graph changes to show changes in this parameter. Default=0.
Orientation Changes the orientation of this highlight. The sample slot shows
changes in orientation. This is a value in degrees that can range from 0 to
9,999. Default=0.
Highlight graph These two intersecting curves show the effect of adjusting
the values of Level, Glossiness, and Anisotropy. As you decrease Glossiness,
the curves grow wider; as you increase Specular Level, the curves grow taller.
As you adjust Anisotropy, the white curve changes to show how wide or narrow
the highlight is.

Translucent Highlights

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Translucent Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Specular Highlight group
Like the Blinn shader, the Translucent shader has circular highlights.

Procedures
To increase or decrease the strength of a highlight:
■

Change the value of Specular Level.
The intensity of the Highlight curve and the highlight in the preview
change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight. At values greater than
100%, the curve is overloaded: it grows wider, and a wider area is at the
maximum highlight intensity. At 100% specular level, the curve is at its
maximum height with no overloading.
The shape of the Highlight curve affects the blending between the specular
and diffuse color regions of the material. The steeper the curve, the less
blending there is and the sharper the edge of the specular highlight.

6434 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To increase or decrease the size of a highlight:
■

Change the Glossiness value.
The width of the Highlight curve and the highlight in the preview change.
At 0% glossiness, the curve is at its maximum width. At 100% glossiness,
the curve is extremely narrow.

Interface

Specular Level Affects the intensity of the specular highlight. As you increase
the value, the highlight grows brighter. Default=0.
Click the map button next to the spinner to assign a map to the specular level
component. See Specular Level Mapping on page 6460. This button is a shortcut:
you can also assign specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Glossiness Affects the size of the specular highlight. As you increase the value,
the highlight gets smaller and the material appears shinier. Default=10.
Click the map button next to the spinner to assign a map to the glossiness
component. See Glossiness Mapping on page 6462. This button is a shortcut:
you can also assign specular level mapping in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
Backside specular When on, both sides of the material receive a specular
highlight. When off, only the front side of the material receives a highlight.
Default=on.
Leave Backside Specular on to model materials like translucent plastic. Turn
it off to model materials like frosted glass.
TIP When Backside Specular is turned off, the front side is always the one that
receives a specular highlight. You can change this by reversing the normals of
surfaces that have the translucent-shaded material.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6435

Extended Parameters Rollout (Standard Material)

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Extended
Parameters rollout
The Extended Parameters rollout is the same for all shading types of Standard
material. It has controls related to transparency and reflection, as well as
options for Wire mode.
This topic contains tables of the Index of Refraction for some common physical
materials. These can be used to create Standard materials with realistic
transparency.

Additive Opacity and the Alpha Channel
By default, additive opacity does not generate an alpha value. In other words,
the alpha value is zero, indicating no transparency. This gives correct results
with backgrounds in renderings, but if you want to composite objects with
additive opacity using video post on page 7707 or a different compositing
program, you might want to have additive opacity render with transparency.
To do so, add the following line to the [Renderer] section of the 3dsmax.ini
file, and then restart 3ds Max:
AlphaOutOnAdditive=1
To revert to the default method of rendering additive opacity, in the 3dsmax.ini
file, change the value of AlphaOutOnAdditive back to 0 (zero), and then restart
3ds Max.

Interface
Advanced Transparency group

These controls affect the opacity falloff on page 9246 of a transparent material.

6436 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE For the Translucent shader on page 6409, these controls do not appear. They
are replaced by the Translucency controls on page 6424 on the Basic Parameters
rollout.
Falloff Chooses whether falloff is in or out, and how great it is.
■

InIncreases transparency toward the inside of the object, as in a glass bottle.

■

OutIncreases transparency toward the outside of the object, as in a cloud
of smoke.

Amt (Amount) Specifies the amount of transparency at the outside or inside
extreme.
Type These controls choose how transparency is applied.
■

Filter on page 9157 computes a filter color that it multiplies by the color
behind the transparent surface. Click the color swatch to change the filter
color. Click the button to assign a map to the filter color component.
The filter, or transmissive color, is the color transmitted through transparent
or semi-transparent materials such as glass. You can use the filter color
with volumetric lighting to create effects such as colored light through a
stained-glass window. Ray-traced shadows on page 9279 cast by transparent
objects are tinted with the filter color.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6437

A shadow's color is changed with a red filter color.

■

Subtractive on page 9320 subtracts from the color behind the transparent
surface.

■

Additive on page 9085 adds to the color behind the transparent surface.

Index of Refraction Sets the index of refraction (IOR) used by refraction maps
and raytracing. The IOR controls how severely the material refracts transmitted
light. Left at 1.0, the IOR of air, the object behind the transparent object does
not distort. At 1.5 the object behind distorts greatly, like a glass marble. At an
IOR slightly less than 1.0, the object reflects along its edges, like a bubble seen
from under water. Default=1.5.
Common IORs (assuming the camera is in air or a vacuum) are:
Material

IOR Value

Vacuum

1.0 (exactly)

Air

1.0003

6438 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material

IOR Value

Water

1.333

Glass

1.5 (clear glass) to 1.7

Diamond

2.418

In the physical world, the IOR results from the relative speeds of light through
the transparent material and the medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically
this is related to the object's density; the higher the IOR, the denser the object.
You can also use a map to control the index of refraction. IOR maps always
interpolate between 1.0 (the IOR of air) and the setting in the IOR parameter.
For example, if the IOR is set to 3.55 and you use a black-and-white Noise
map to control IOR, the IORs rendered on the object will be set to values
between 1.0 and 3.55; the object will appear denser than air. If, on the other
hand, your IOR is set to 0.5, then the same map values will render between
0.5 and 1.0, as if the camera were under water and the object was less dense
than the water.
Here are some more IOR values for various materials:
Material

IOR Value

Carbon Dioxide, Liquid

1.200

Ice

1.309

Acetone

1.360

Ethyl Alcohol

1.360

Sugar Solution 30%

1.380

Alcohol

1.329

Flourite

1.434

Quartz, Fused

1.460

Calspar2

1.486

Sugar Solution 80%

1.490

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6439

Material

IOR Value

Glass, Zinc Crown

1.517

Glass, Crown

1.520

Sodium Chloride

1.530

Sodium Chloride (Salt) 1

1.544

Polystyrene

1.550

Quartz 2

1.553

Emerald

1.570

Glass, Light Flint

1.575

Lapis Lazuli

1.610

Topaz

1.610

Carbon Bisulfide

1.630

Quartz 1

1.644

Sodium Chloride (Salt) 2

1.644

Glass, Heavy Flint

1.650

Methylene Iodide

1.740

Ruby

1.770

Sapphire

1.770

Glass, Heaviest Flint

1.890

Crystal

2.000

Chromium Oxide

2.705

6440 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material

IOR Value

Copper Oxide

2.705

Amorphous Selenium

2.920

Iodine Crystal

3.340

Wire group

Size Sets the size of the wire in wireframe mode on page 9351. You can set either
pixels or current units.
In Chooses how to measure wire.
■

Pixels(The default.) Measures wire in pixels. With pixels, wires maintain
the same apparent thickness regardless of the scale of the geometry or how
near or far the object is positioned.

■

UnitsMeasures wire in 3ds Max units. With units, the wires appear thinner
at a distance and thicker at close range, as if they were modeled in the
geometry.

Reflection Dimming group

These controls dim reflection maps that are in shadow.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6441

Reflection dimming
Above: None
Below: 0.0 (100% dimming)

Apply Turn on to use reflection dimming. When off, the reflection-mapped
material is not affected by the presence or absence of direct light. Default=off.
Dim Level The amount of dimming that takes place in shadow. At 0.0, the
reflection map is completely dark in shadow. At 0.5, the reflection map is half
dimmed. At 1.0, the reflection map is not dimmed and the material appears
as if Apply were turned off. Default=0.0.
Refl. Level Affects the intensity of the reflection that is not in shadow. The
Reflection Level value multiplies the illumination level of the lit area of the
reflection, to compensate for dimming. In most cases, the default value of 3.0

6442 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

keeps the reflection in the lit area at about the same level it would appear if
reflection dimming were not on.

Maps Rollout (Standard Material)

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout
A material's Maps rollout lets you access and assign maps on page 9215 to various
components of the material.
You can choose from a large variety of map types. To find descriptions of these
types, and how to set their parameters, see Map Types on page 6607.

Assigning the Same Map to Different Parameters
Applying the same map to different parameters is useful in some cases. For
example, using a pattern to map both self-illumination and opacity can make
the pattern appear to glow and hover in space.

Blending Map Amounts for Opacity and Other Material Components
When you map a scalar component (such as Specular Level, Glossiness,
Self-Illumination, and Opacity), the component's value in the Basic Parameters
on page 6410 rollout is blended with its associated map Amount in the Maps
rollout.
For example, when the Opacity spinner is set to 0, the map Amount spinner
completely controls Opacity. That is, reducing the Amount value increases
the transparency of the entire surface. On the other hand, when Opacity is
100, reducing the map's Amount value increases the opacity of the entire
surface. You can adjust a Checker Opacity map so that the opaque areas remain
opaque, while the transparent areas become semi-transparent.
Other scalar components behave in the same way. Setting the map's Amount
to 100 applies all of the map. Setting the Amount to 0 is the equivalent of
turning the map off. Intermediate Amount values are blended with the value
of the scalar component.
When you load old 3ds Max files or bring earlier materials from the Browser
into the Materials Editor, the spinner values for Opacity, Specular Level,
Glossiness, and Self-Illumination are altered, where necessary, to maintain
the equivalent material effect.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6443

Ambient and Diffuse Map Lock
In the Maps rollout, the lock button to the right of the Diffuse Color map
button locks ambient mapping to diffuse mapping. It is on by default. Usually
it makes sense to use the same map for the ambient and diffuse components.
To use different maps for ambient and diffuse, turn off the lock button. The
map button for Ambient Color becomes available.

Procedures
To assign a map:
1 In the Maps rollout, click a map button.
3ds Max opens a modal Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
2 Double-click the map you want.
To use the same map for different parameters:
1 In the Maps rollout, use a map button to assign a map.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
2 Return to the material level:
■

In the Slate Material Editor on page 6083, click the parent material node.

■

In the Compact Material Editor on page 6020, click

(Go To Parent).

3 Open the Maps rollout.
4 Drag the assigned map button to another map button.
3ds Max opens the Copy (Instance) Map dialog on page 6164.
5 Choose Copy or Instance, and then click OK.
If you choose Swap, the Material Editor swaps the two button assignments.
To view the parent material's parameters:
■

If you are currently at the map level, go to the main material level:
■

In the Slate Material Editor on page 6083, click the parent material node.

6444 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

In the Compact Material Editor on page 6020, click

(Go To Parent).

3ds Max displays the parameters for the map's parent material. Also, in
the Compact Material Editor, the Show End Result and Go To Parent
buttons become unavailable.
To view a map's parameters:
■

If you are currently at the material level in the Material Editor, click the
button that corresponds to the map.
3ds Max displays the parameters for the map. Also, in the Compact Material
Editor, the Show End Result on page 6078 and Go To Parent on page 6078
buttons become available.
In the Basic Parameters rollout, if a map has been assigned to a color
component or parameter, the corresponding button displays a letter M.
In the Maps rollout, if a map has been assigned, the corresponding button
displays the map name.

To use the Compact Material Editor to view a map's location:

■

Click
(Material/Map Navigator) to open the Material/Map Navigator
on page 6065.
The Navigator displays the hierarchy of the current material, which
contains the map.

To go to a map using the Navigator:
■

In the Material/Map Navigator on page 6065, click the name of the map, or
the green or red parallelogram to the left of the map's name.
The Navigator goes to the level of the map, and the Material Editor displays
the controls for the map you clicked.
As the Navigator's map tree shows, maps for basic material components
and parameters are one level below the material itself.

To preview a map in a sample slot:
1 Go to the level of the map, as described in previous procedures.
The Material Editor displays the map's parameters.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6445

2

Turn off Show End Result on page 6078.
In the Slate Material Editor, this button is located on the Preview Window
on page 6095 for the map node. In the Compact Material Editor, it is located
on the toolbar.
The preview window or sample slot shows the map instead of the material.
If the map contains sub-maps, these are also visible.
By default, the preview window or sample slot displays a map with no
three-dimensional shading. You can change this in the Material Editor
Options dialog on page 6059.

To view the map interactively:

1

Select an object.

2 In the object's creation parameters, make sure that Generate Mapping
Coords is on.
If the object type does not have a Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle,
you need to assign mapping coordinates by applying a UVW Map modifier
on page 1883.
3 In the Material Editor, assign the mapped material to the object.
4 If you are at the material level (the top level), click the appropriate map
button to go to the map level.

5 Turn on

(Show Map In Viewport) on page 6006.

The map appears on objects assigned the material in all shaded viewports.
Now when you adjust the map, the viewports update to display the
adjustments.
Turning on Show Map In Viewport for one map automatically turns this
button off for all other maps the material has.
Viewports can display 2D maps such as Checker and Bitmap.
Viewports can also display most kinds of 3D maps. The exceptions are
Particle Age and Particle MBlur. Also, the appearance of the Falloff map
in viewports give only a vague indication of how it will appear when
rendered.

6446 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Show Map In Viewport is unavailable if the active map type cannot display
in viewports.
Displaying mapped materials in a viewport can slow performance. If you
don't need to view the texture, turn off its viewport display.
To turn off interactive texture display:
1 Go to the map level.
If you are at the material level, click the appropriate map button to go
to the map level.

2 Turn off

(Show Map in Viewport) on page 6006.

The object is shaded but the map no longer appears.
To turn a map off:
■

On the Maps rollout, turn off the map's check box.
The check box is to the left of the map's name.
When a map is off, a lowercase m appears on the corresponding map
button.

To turn a map on:
■

In the Maps rollout, turn on the map's check box.
The check box is to the left of the map's name.
When a map is on, an uppercase M appears on the corresponding map
button.

To change a map's strength:
■

In the Maps rollout, adjust the map's Amount spinner.
The material's sample slot reflects the change.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6447

NOTE Adjusting a map's output (in the map's Output rollout) can also change
the map's strength.

To use the Compact Material Editor to move directly to an ancestor:
NOTE In the Slate Material Editor, you can view the material hierarchy in the
active View panel.
1 Below the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click the arrow to the right
of the map's name field on page 6080.
3ds Max displays a drop-down list of ancestors.
2 Click a name in the ancestor list.
With this list, you can skip intermediate levels in the tree.
The ancestor drop-down list shows only part of the tree. It
does not show side branches and siblings. To view these, use the
Material/Map Navigator on page 6065 or the Go Forward To Sibling on page
6079 and Go To Parent on page 6078 buttons on the Compact Material Editor
toolbar.
To use the Compact Material Editor to change a map type:
1 At the level of a map, click the button labeled Type below the Material
Editor toolbar.3ds Max opens
a modal Material/Map Browser on page 6167. If you were at a map, it lists
only maps (if you were at a material when you clicked Type, the Browser
lists only materials).
2 Choose a map type from the list, and then click OK.
If you change a map type and the new map type can have component
maps, a Replace Map dialog is displayed. This dialog gives you a choice
between discarding the original map or using it as a component map.
If the new map type does not have components, it simply replaces the
original map type.
To use the Compact Material Editor to create a standalone map tree:
1 Activate a sample slot.

6448 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

2 Click

(Get Material) on page 6068.

3 In the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, double-click the name of the
map type (not a material type) you want to use, or drag the map to a
sample slot.
The sample slot now contains a standalone map not associated with
material parameters.
4 Use the Compact Material Editor to modify the map as you would any
other map.
By default, the sample slot displays a map with no three-dimensional
shading. You can change this in the Material Editor Options dialog on
page 6059.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6449

Interface

The Maps rollout contains a wide button for each map type. Click this button
to select a bitmap file stored on disk or to select a procedural map type on
page 9274. After you select a map, its name and type appears on the button. Use
the check box to the left of the button to turn the effect of the map off and
on. When the check box is off, the map is not computed and has no effect in
the renderer.

6450 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Amount spinner determines the amount that the map affects the material
expressed as a percentage of full intensity. For example, a diffuse map at 100%
is completely opaque and covers the base material. At 50%, it is
semi-transparent and the base material (the diffuse, ambient, and other colors
of the material without mapping) shows through.
The Maps rollout can have unused, disabled control rows at the bottom. This
is because the number of components that can be mapped varies depending
on the current shader on page 6390. The last four rows are always Bump,
Reflection, Refraction, and Displacement, in that order.
NOTE The sub-material and sub-map buttons for most materials and maps have
check boxes beside each button. These turn that branch of the material or map
off or on. For example, in the Top/Bottom material, the Top Material and Bottom
Material buttons each have check boxes. Similarly, the Checker map has two map
buttons, one for each color. Each button has check box beside it that lets you turn
off that color's map.

Ambient Color Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Ambient button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to map an image
to the material's ambient color on page 9089. The image is painted on the shaded
parts of the object.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6451

Mapping the ambient color

By default, diffuse mapping maps the ambient component as well, so you
seldom need to use a different map for diffuse and ambient components. If
you do want to apply a separate ambient map, first click to turn off the lock
button to the right of the long Map buttons in the Maps rollout on page 6443.
This unlocks ambient and diffuse mapping. The Map button for ambient color
becomes available. You can then click the ambient button to select a map.
NOTE Ambient color mapping is not visible in viewports or renderings unless the
level of ambient light is greater than default value of black. Choose Rendering ➤
Environment, then adjust the level of ambient light using the Environment dialog
on page 7621.

6452 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To map the ambient color:
1 Make sure the ambient and diffuse components have their maps unlocked.
Click to turn off the
becomes available.

lock button. The Map button for ambient color

2 Click the Map button for Ambient color.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 opens.
3 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
4 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Diffuse Color Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Diffuse button (or Color button for the Strauss shader)
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to assign a pattern
or texture to a material's diffuse color on page 9137. The colors of the map replace
the material's diffuse color component. This is the most common kind of
mapping.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6453

Applying a texture by mapping the diffuse color

Mapping the diffuse color is like painting an image on the surface of the object.
For example, if you want a wall to be made out of brick, you can choose a
map with an image of bricks, such as Bricks on page 6689.
By default, diffuse mapping applies the same map to the ambient color on
page 9089 as well. You seldom need to use a different map for diffuse and ambient
components.
It isn't strictly necessary to lock the ambient and diffuse maps. By turning the
lock off and using a different map for each component, you can obtain
interesting blend effects. But in general, the purpose of diffuse mapping is to
simulate a single surface that is more complex than a basic material, and for
this purpose the lock should be on.

Procedures
To map the diffuse color:
1 Make sure the ambient and diffuse components have their maps locked.
This button is to the right of the map shortcut buttons for Ambient and
Diffuse on the Basic Parameters rollout, and on the Maps rollout in a

6454 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

similar position. It is on by default. When it is on, the map button for
the ambient color component is unavailable.
2 Click the Map button for Diffuse color.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
3 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
4 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Diffuse Level Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Anisotropic, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Multi-Level shader
➤ Maps rollout ➤ Diffuse Level button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to control the
Diffuse Level parameter. White pixels in the map leave the diffuse level
unchanged. Black pixels reduce the diffuse level to 0. Intermediate values
adjust the diffuse level accordingly.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6455

Mapping diffuse level
Top: No mapping
Bottom: Mapping diffuse level with a bitmap

The diffuse level parameter is available with the Anisotropic on page 6398,
Oren-Nayar-Blinn on page 6403, and Multi-Level on page 6402 shaders.
Reducing the Amount of the diffuse level map reduces the map's effect, and
increases the effect of the Diffuse Level value on the Basic Parameters rollout.
When the Amount is 0 percent, the map isn't used at all.

6456 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To map the diffuse level value:
1 Click the Map button for Diffuse Level.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Diffuse Roughness Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Oren-Nayar-Blinn or Multi-Level shader ➤ Maps rollout
➤ Diff. Roughness button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to control the
Roughness parameter on the Basic Parameters rollout. White pixels in the
map increase roughness. Black pixels reduce roughness to 0. Intermediate
values adjust roughness accordingly.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6457

Roughness map adds a textured pattern to the vase.

NOTE The Roughness parameter is available only with the Oren-Nayar-Blinn on
page 6403 and Multi-Level on page 6402 shaders, and with the Arch & Design material
(mental ray) on page 6269.
Reducing the Amount of the Diffuse Roughness map reduces the map's effect,
and increases the effect of the Roughness value on the Basic Parameters rollout.
When the Amount is 0 percent, the map isn't used at all.

Procedures
To map the roughness value:
1 Click the Map button for Diffuse Roughness (Diff. Roughness).
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

6458 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Specular Color Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Specular button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to apply an image
to the material's specular color component on page 9313. The map's image
appears only in the specular highlight areas.

Mapping the specular highlight

When the amount spinner is at 100, all specular color is provided by the map.
Specular mapping is used primarily for special effects such as placing an image
in a reflection. The important thing to remember is that, unlike Specular Level
or Glossiness mapping, which alter the intensity and location of specular
highlights, specular mapping alters the color of specular highlights.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6459

Procedures
To map the specular color:
1 Click the Map button for Specular color.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Specular Level Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Specular Level button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to alter the intensity
of specular highlights, based on the intensity of the bitmap. White pixels in
the map produce full specular highlights. Black pixels remove the specular
highlights completely, and intermediate values reduce the specular highlights
accordingly.

6460 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mapping the specular level: the sea reflects more than the land.

Mapping the specular level component is different from mapping specular
color. Mapping the specular level alters the intensity of highlights, while
specular mapping alters the color of highlights.
Specular level mapping usually works best when you assign the same map to
both Specular Level and Glossiness. (In the Maps on page 6443 rollout, you can
do this by dragging from one map button to another.)

Procedures
To map the Specular Level value:
1 Click the Map button for the Specular Level value.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6461

Glossiness Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Glossiness button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 that affects where
specular highlights appear. A map assigned to glossiness determines which
areas of the whole surface are more glossy and which areas are less glossy,
depending on the intensity of colors in the map. Black pixels in the map
produce full glossiness. White pixels remove glossiness completely, and
intermediate values reduce the size of the highlight.

An object with glossiness mapping. The sea appears more reflective than the land.

Mapping the glossiness component is different from mapping specular color.
Mapping glossiness alters the location of highlights, while specular mapping
alters the color of highlights.
Glossiness mapping usually works best when you assign the same map to both
Glossiness and Specular Level. (In the Maps rollout, you can do this by dragging
from one map button to the other.)

6462 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To map the glossiness value:
1 Click the Map button for the Glossiness value.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Self-Illumination Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Self-Illumination button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to map the
self-illumination on page 9300 value. This makes portions of an object appear
to glow. White areas of the map render as fully self illuminating. Black areas
render with no self-illumination. Gray areas render as partially self
illuminating, depending on the grayscale value.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6463

Mapping self-illumination

Self-illumination means that the glowing area is not affected by lights in the
scene (its ambient color component goes away), and does not receive shadows.

Procedures
To map the self-illumination value:
1 Click the Map button for Self-Illumination.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

6464 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Opacity Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Opacity button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to make an object
partially transparent. Lighter (higher-value) areas of the map render as opaque;
darker areas render as transparent; and values in between are semi-transparent.

The gray levels of an opacity map determine the amount of opacity.

Setting the opacity map's Amount to 100 applies all of the map. Transparent
areas are fully transparent. Setting the Amount to 0 is the equivalent of turning
the map off. Intermediate Amount values are blended with the Opacity value
on the Basic Parameters rollout. Transparent areas of the map become more
opaque.
Specular highlights are applied to transparent areas of the opacity map, as
well as to opaque areas, creating the effect of glass. If you want the transparent
areas to look like holes, map the specular level on page 6462 as well.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6465

Procedures
To map the opacity value:
1 Click the Map button for Opacity.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Filter Color Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Filter Color button
The filter, or transmissive color, is the color transmitted through transparent
or semi-transparent materials such as glass.

6466 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mapping filter color

You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to map the filter
color component. This map applies a transparent-color effect based on the
intensity of the map's pixels.
You can combine a mapped filter color with volumetric lighting on page 7654
to create effects such as colored light through a stained-glass window.
Ray-traced shadows on page 9279 cast by transparent objects are tinted by the
filter color.

Procedures
To map the filter color:
1 Click the Map button for Filter color.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6467

Anisotropy Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Anisotropic or Multi-Level shader ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Anisotropy button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to control the
Anisotropy parameter. The map controls the shape of the anisotropic highlight,
roughly (but not necessarily) within the area specified by the glossiness
parameter. Black and white values have little effect. Maps with a good deal of
grayscale values, such as Noise on page 6723 or Falloff on page 6714, can be very
effective.

Mapping anisotropy. The stretch of the highlight depends on the level of gray in the
map.

The anisotropy parameter is available with the Anisotropic on page 6398 and
Multi-Level on page 6402 shaders.
The effect of mapping anisotropy is not very apparent unless the specular
level is fairly high and glossiness is fairly low.

6468 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Reducing the Amount of the anisotropy map reduces the map's effect, and
increases the effect of the Anisotropy value on the Basic Parameters rollout.
When the Amount is 0 percent, the map isn't used at all.

Procedures
To map the anisotropy value:
1 Click the Map button for Anisotropy.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Orientation Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Anisotropic or Multi-Level shader ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Orientation button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to control the
Orientation parameter. Orientation controls the position of the anisotropic
highlight. Mapping orientation changes the highlight's position. Black and
white values have little effect. Maps with a good deal of grayscale values, such
as Noise on page 6723 or Falloff on page 6714, can be very effective. You can also
get a good effect using the same map for orientation mapping and bump
mapping on page 6472.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6469

Mapping anisotropy orientation

The orientation parameter is available with the Anisotropic on page 6398 and
Multi-Level on page 6402 shaders.
Reducing the Amount of the orientation map reduces the map's effect, and
increases the effect of the Orientation value on the Basic Parameters rollout.
When the Amount is 0 percent, the map isn't used at all.
The effect of mapping orientation, like anisotropy, is not very apparent unless
the specular level is fairly high and glossiness is fairly low.
TIP Using an instance of the same map to control both anisotropy and orientation
can give you good control over anisotropic highlights.

Procedures
To map the orientation value:
1 Click the Map button for Orientation.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.

6470 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Metalness Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Shader Basic
Parameters rollout ➤ Strauss shader ➤ Maps rollout ➤ Metalness button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to control the
Metalness parameter. White pixels in the map increase metalness. Black pixels
reduce metalness to 0. Intermediate values adjust metalness accordingly.

Mapping metalness

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6471

Top: No mapping
Bottom: Mapping metalness with noise map

The metalness parameter is available with the Strauss shader on page 6405.
Reducing the Amount of the metalness map reduces the map's effect, and
increases the effect of the Metalness value on the Basic Parameters rollout.
When the Amount is 0 percent, the map isn't used at all.

Procedures
To map the metalness value:
1 Click the Map button for Metalness.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.

Bump Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Bump button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to use for bump
mapping. Bump mapping makes an object appear to have a bumpy or irregular
surface. When you render an object with a bump-mapped material, lighter
(whiter) areas of the map appear to be raised, and darker (blacker) areas appear
to be low.

6472 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

An object with two different bump maps.

NOTE The effect of a bump map is not previewed in viewports. You must render
the scene to see the bump effect.
Bump mapping uses the intensity of the map to affect the surface of the
material. In this case, the intensity affects the apparent bumpiness of the
surface: white areas protrude, and black areas recede.
Use bump maps when you want to take the smoothness off a surface, or to
create an embossed look. Keep in mind, however, that the depth effect of a
bump map is limited. If you want extreme depth in a surface, you should use
modeling techniques instead. For example, the Displace modifier on page 1255
pushes surfaces or faces in and out based on the intensity of a bitmap image.
(Displacement mapping on page 6482 is another way to do emboss a surface.)
Grayscale images can make effective bump maps. Maps that shade between
white and black generally work better than maps with hard edges between
the white and black areas.
The bump map Amount adjusts the degree of bumpiness. Higher values render
as higher relief; low values render as low relief.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6473

The bumps are a simulation created by perturbing face normals before the
object is rendered. Because of this, bumps don't appear on the silhouette of
bump-mapped objects.
TIP If you render a bump-mapped material and notice aliasing in the highlights,
try turning on supersampling on page 6211 and rendering again.
NOTE Most controls on the Output rollout on page 6613 don't affect bump mapping.
Only the Invert toggle is considered; it reverses the direction of the bumps.

Procedures
To assign a bump map:
1 Click the Map button labeled Bump.
3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
2 Choose from the list of map types on page 6607, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
(If you choose Bitmap as the map type, you first see a file dialog that lets
you choose the image file.)
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.
TIP To avoid aliasing caused by a 2D bump map, go to the bump map's
Coordinates rollout. Set Blur to be in the range 0.3 to 0.6, and increase Blur
Offset to be greater than 0.0. The default Blur and Blur Offset values work
well for mapping other material components, but for bump mapping, lower
Blur and higher Blur Offset values give better results.

To remove a bump map from a material:
TIP You can disable the map without removing it. Simply turn off the toggle
immediately to the left of the map button on the Special Effects rollout.
1 If the Material Editor is displaying the map controls, click the Type button
on page 6081 to display the Material/Map Browser. If the map controls
aren't visible, click the Bump map button to display them, and then click
the Type button.
2 In the Browser, choose NONE as the map type, and then click OK.

6474 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The map is removed.

Reflection Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Reflection button
You can select a bitmap file or procedural map on page 9274 to use as a reflection
map.

Reflection created by mapping

You can create three kinds of reflection: basic reflection maps, automatic
reflection maps, and flat-mirror on page 9163 reflection maps.
■

A basic reflection map creates the illusion of chrome, glass, or metal by
applying a map to the geometry so that the image looks like a reflection
on the surface.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6475

■

An automatic reflection map uses no mapping at all, but looks outward
from the center of the object, and maps what it sees onto the surface.
Another way to generate reflections automatically is to assign a Raytrace
map on page 6784 to be the reflection map.

■

A flat-mirror reflection map is applied to a series of coplanar faces and
reflects objects facing it, exactly like a real mirror.
Reflection maps don't need mapping coordinates on page 9212 because
they're locked to the world, not to the geometry. The illusion of a reflection
is created because the map doesn't move with the object, but with changes
in the view, as do real reflections.

The most common use of reflection maps in a realistic scene is to add just a
touch of reflection to an otherwise non-reflective surface. By default, reflection
map strength is 100 percent, as it is for other maps. For many kinds of surfaces,
however, reducing the strength gives the most realistic result. A polished table
top, for example, primarily shows a wood grain; the reflections are secondary.
Reflection maps look more realistic if you increase the Glossiness and Specular
Level values in the Basic Parameters rollout on page 6410. They are also affected
by the diffuse on page 9137 and ambient on page 9089 color values. The darker
the color, the stronger the mirror effect.
Even when the Amount spinner is at 100, the reflection map is tinted by the
ambient, diffuse, and specular on page 9313 colors.
In metal materials, the Diffuse color tints the reflection map. Specifically, the
color from the reflection map is multiplied by the diffuse color (including a
diffuse map, if one exists). The value (in the HSV on page 9280 description) of
the diffuse color controls the reflection map intensity. If the diffuse color
value is 255, the reflection is at full intensity; if the value is 0, the map is not
visible.
In non-metal materials, the Specular color multiplies only reflection maps.
The value (in the HSV on page 9280 description) of the specular color affects
the reflection intensity. If the specular color value is 255, the reflection is at
full intensity; if the value is 0, the map is not visible.

Procedures
To create an automatic reflection:
1 On the Maps rollout, click the Map button labeled Reflection.
2 In the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, choose the Reflect/Refract map
type, and then click OK.

6476 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Adjusting the map's Strength slider in the parent material's Maps rollout
controls how reflective the material is. At 100 percent, the material is
fully reflective.
To assign a bitmap as a reflection map:
1 In the Maps rollout, click the Map button labeled Reflection. In the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167, double-click Bitmap.
2 In the Bitmap Parameters rollout, click the Bitmap button.
3 Use the file dialog to choose the bitmap file.
4 Reduce the Reflection map's Amount to get the effect you want.
Refractions are similar to reflections. Bitmaps simulate reflections, while
Reflect/Refract maps generate them based on the scene's background and
geometry.

Refraction Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Refraction button
You can select a bitmap file or a procedural map on page 9274 such as
Reflect/Refract on page 6796 to use for refraction mapping.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6477

Refractions show the scene or background through a refractive object.

Refraction mapping is similar to reflection mapping. It maps the view onto
the surface in such a way that the image looks like you're seeing it through
the surface, rather than being reflected off it.
Like a reflection map, a refraction map's orientation is locked to the view
rather than to the object. That is, as you move or rotate the object, the position
of the refracted image remains fixed.

Setting the Index of Refraction
The physical properties of refractive objects often distort the image. A special
parameter adjusts this distortion. It is in the parent material's Extended
Parameters rollout on page 6436.
Index of Refraction The index of refraction (IOR) controls how severely the
material refracts transmitted light. Left at 1.0, the IOR of air, the object behind
the transparent object does not distort. At 1.5 the object behind distorts greatly
(like a glass marble). At an IOR slightly less than 1.0, the object reflects along
its edges (like a bubble seen from under water). Default=1.5 (the IOR of typical
glass).

6478 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Common IORs (assuming the camera is in air or a vacuum) are:
Material

IOR Value

Vacuum

1.0 (exactly)

Air

1.0003

Water

1.333

Glass

1.5 to 1.7

Diamond

2.418

In the physical world, the IOR results from the relative speeds of light through
the transparent material and the medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically
this is related to the object's density. The higher the IOR, the denser the object.
You can also use a map to control the index of refraction. IOR maps always
interpolate between 1.0 (the IOR of air) and the setting in the IOR parameter.
For example, if you set the IOR to 3.55 and use a black-and-white Noise map
to control IOR, the IORs rendered on the object will be set to values between
1.0 and 3.55; the object will appear denser than air. If, on the other hand, you
set the IOR to 0.5, then the same map values will render between 0.5 and 1.0:
as if the camera is under water and the object is less dense than the water.
Here are some more IOR values for various materials:
Material

IOR Value

Carbon Dioxide, Liquid

1.200

Ice

1.309

Acetone

1.360

Ethyl Alcohol

1.360

Sugar Solution 30%

1.380

Alcohol

1.329

Flourite

1.434

Quartz, Fused

1.460

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6479

Material

IOR Value

Calspar2

1.486

Sugar Solution 80%

1.490

Glass

1.500

Glass, Zinc Crown

1.517

Glass, Crown

1.520

Sodium Chloride

1.530

Sodium Chloride (Salt) 1

1.544

Polystyrene

1.550

Quartz 2

1.553

Emerald

1.570

Glass, Light Flint

1.575

Lapis Lazuli

1.610

Topaz

1.610

Carbon Bisulfide

1.630

Quartz 1

1.644

Sodium Chloride (Salt) 2

1.644

Glass, Heavy Flint

1.650

Methylene Iodide

1.740

Ruby

1.770

Sapphire

1.770

6480 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material

IOR Value

Glass, Heaviest Flint

1.890

Crystal

2.000

Diamond

2.418

Chromium Oxide

2.705

Copper Oxide

2.705

Amorphous Selenium

2.920

Iodine Crystal

3.340

Tip: The Reflect/Refract on page 6796 map type used as a Refraction map doesn't
effectively model a material surrounding an object, such as a pencil in a glass
of water. For this effect, use either the Thin Wall Refraction on page 6803 or the
Raytrace map type on page 6784.

Procedures
To create an automatic refraction:
1 In the Maps rollout, click the Map button labeled Refraction.
2 In the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, choose the Reflect/Refract on
page 6796 map type, and then click OK.
At a Refraction Amount of 100 percent, the material is extremely
refractive, regardless of the material's Opacity setting. At a Refraction
Amount of 0 percent, the map is turned off. When the Amount is less
than 100 percent, both the Reflect/Refract map and the Opacity setting
control transparency.
To assign a bitmap as a refraction map:
1 In the Maps rollout, click the Refraction map button.
2 Use the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 to choose the Bitmap type.
3 Use the file dialog to choose the bitmap file.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6481

For bitmapped refractions, you don't necessarily want to reduce the map
strength.

Displacement Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Maps rollout ➤
Displacement button
A displacement map displaces the geometry of surfaces. The effect is similar
to using the Displace on page 1255 modifier. Unlike bump mapping on page
6472, displacement mapping actually changes the geometry of the surface or
patch tessellation. Displacement maps apply the gray scale of the map to
generate the displacement. Lighter colors in the 2D image push outward more
strongly than darker colors, resulting in a 3D displacement of the geometry.

Using displacement mapping to alter a surface

WARNING A displacement map generates many triangular faces per surface,
sometimes over 1M faces per surface. While displacement mapping can create
good effects, there is a large cost in terms of time and memory.

6482 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The displacement Amount is measured as a percentage of the diagonal of the
bounding box for the object that contains the patch or surface. This makes
the displacement effect consistent for all surfaces in an object, and it also
means that when you scale the object, the displacement is scaled with it.
You can apply a displacement map directly to the following kinds of objects:
■

Bezier patches on page 2424

■

Editable meshes on page 2190

■

Editable polymeshes on page 2240

■

NURBS surfaces on page 2433

For other kinds of geometry such as primitives, extended primitives, compound
objects, and so on, you can't apply displacement mapping directly. To use
displacement mapping with these kinds of objects, apply a Disp Approx on
page 1251 (Displacement Approximation) modifier. This makes the object's
surface displaceable. Disp Approx works with any kind of object that you can
convert to an editable mesh.
Displacement mapping isn't visible in viewports unless you apply a modifier
to make it so.
■

For NURBS surfaces, you can make displacement mapping visible in
viewports and editable as a mesh object by using the Displace NURBS on
page 1008 world space modifier.

■

For editable meshes and objects with Disp Approx applied to them, use
the Displace Mesh on page 1005 modifier to obtain the same effect.
NOTE If you apply a UVW Map on page 1883 modifier to the surface, all maps
obtain their coordinates from the modifier except for the displacement map,
which always obtains its coordinates from the original surface or the Disp
Approx modifier.

Under certain circumstances, such as when the underlying mesh is fairly
simple, displacement mapping of an editable mesh can cause problems because
of the way the underlying mesh is tessellated. (These problems don't occur
when you apply displacement mapping to a NURBS surface.) When this
happens, smoothing does not work properly and you can see the underlying

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6483

wireframe mesh in the surface itself. To correct this problem, use these
techniques:
■

Avoid applying displacement mapping to large areas of a single color. Map
the diffuse color and use a small amount of variation, such as slight amount
of noise, in the map you use for the diffuse color.

■

Add a small amount of noise to the map you use for displacement. This
can complicate the tessellation enough to ease the problem.

■

Add detail to the mesh. The more initial faces, and the smoother the mesh
curvature, the more even the displacement mapping will be.

Procedures
To apply a displacement map to a NURBS surface, editable mesh, or patch:
1 In a material's Maps rollout, click the map button for Displacement.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.
To apply a displacement map to other kinds of objects:

1

Select the object. Go to the
Modify panel and choose Disp
Approx from the Modifiers drop-down list.
You can adjust the Disp Approx modifiers parameters, or you can leave
them at their default settings.

2

Open the Material Editor.

3 In a material's Maps rollout, click the map button for Displacement.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
4 Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.

6484 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.
5 Use the map controls to set up the map.
For example, if you chose Bitmap as the map type, you now need to select
the bitmap file to use.

Dynamics Properties Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Standard material ➤ Dynamics
Properties rollout
The Dynamics Properties rollout lets you specify surface properties that affect
the animation of an object upon collision with another object. If there are no
collisions in your simulation, these settings have no effect. The dynamics
properties are used by the Dynamics utility on page 4226.
Since the Dynamics Properties rollout is available at the top level of any
material (including submaterials), you can specify different surface dynamic
properties for each face in an object. There are also controls in the Dynamics
utility that let you adjust the surface properties at the object level, but only
the Materials Editor lets you alter the surface properties at the sub-object level,
through use of a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542.
As a default, the values in the Dynamics Properties rollout provide a surface
that's similar to Teflon-coated hardened steel.

Interface

Bounce Coefficient Sets how far an object bounces after hitting a surface.
The higher the value, the greater the bounce. A value of 1 represents a "perfectly
elastic collision," or a bounce in which no kinetic energy is lost. Default=1.0.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6485

If you've seen the desktop toy with four ball bearings swinging back and forth
on strings and hitting one another, you've seen an example that comes very
close to a bounce coefficient of 1. Generally, hardened steel or a super ball
have a bounce near 1, while lead has a bounce near 0.
Static Friction Sets how difficult it is for the object to start moving along a
surface. The higher this value, the more difficult. Default=0.0.
If something weighs ten pounds and sits on Teflon (a static friction of near
0), it takes almost no force to make it move sideways. On the other hand, if
it sits on sandpaper, then the static friction might be very high, on the order
of 0.5 to 0.8. A static friction near 1 is very difficult to create in the real world
without adhesives or friction material.
Sliding Friction Sets how difficult it is for the object to keep moving over a
surface. The higher this value, the more difficult for the object to keep moving.
Default=0.0.
Once two objects begin to slide over one another, static friction disappears
and sliding friction takes over. Generally, sliding friction is lower than static
friction due to surface tension effects. For example, once steel starts sliding
over brass (a value of static friction that might run from 0.05 to 0.2), the
sliding friction drops to a significantly lower value, on the order of .01 to 0.1.
For some materials, such as specific friction materials like brake linings, sliding
friction is just as high as static friction because it is used in conjunction with
a nearly frictionless material such as hardened polished steel.

Raytrace Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Raytrace
Raytrace material is an advanced surface shading material. It supports the
same kinds of diffuse surface shading that a standard material does. It can also
create fully raytraced reflections and refractions. It also supports fog, color
density, translucency on page 9337, fluorescence on page 9165, and other special
effects.

6486 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Balls using raytrace material to reflect each other

The reflections and refractions Raytrace material generates are more accurate
than those produced by the Reflect/Refract on page 6796 map. Rendering
raytraced objects can be slower than using Reflect/Refract. On the other hand,
Raytrace is optimized for rendering 3ds Max scenes. You can further optimize
it for your scene by excluding specific objects from raytracing.
NOTE If you want accurate, raytraced reflections or refractions in a standard
material you can use the Raytrace map on page 6784, which uses the same raytracer.
The Raytrace map and material share global parameter settings.
IMPORTANT Raytrace map and Raytrace material use a surface's normal to decide
whether a ray is entering or exiting a surface. If you flip the normals of an object,
you can get unexpected results. Making the material 2-Sided doesn't correct the
problem as it often does with reflections and refractions in Standard materials.
In some cases, the colors in the Basic Parameters rollout of Raytrace material
behave differently from colors in standard materials. Standard material has a
diffuse shading model that does an excellent job of rendering solid,
nonreflective objects such as plastic, ceramic, and so on. In effect, this model
applies color to the object. The color components in Raytrace material, on
the other hand, attempt to model their physical counterparts in nature.
In Raytrace material, the surface reflects its Diffuse color component without
specular reflection, while the Reflect color component controls the amount
of specular reflection. These two material components are layered together.
The results you see depend on the layering effect. For example, if the material
is not transparent and completely reflective, no diffuse color is visible. If the

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6487

material is not transparent and completely nonreflective, only the diffuse
color is visible.
The Dynamics Properties rollout for the Raytrace material contains the same
controls as the dynamics properties for a standard material on page 6382.
Raytrace material has a large user interface with a lot of controls. In general,
if you are using Raytrace to create reflections and refractions, the controls in
the Basic Parameters rollout are the only ones you need to adjust. The Extended
Parameters rollout for Raytrace has controls for special effects. The Raytracer
Controls rollout affects the raytracer itself. Use the Raytracer Controls to turn
the raytracer on or off, and to toggle other options. Use the Raytracer Global
Parameters rollout on page 7120 (Rendering ➤ Raytrace Globals) to set options
globally (for all Raytrace materials and maps in the scene), including recursion
depth.
See also:
■

SuperSampling Rollout on page 6211

■

Raytracer Global Parameters Rollout on page 7120

Raytrace Basic Parameters Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Type button ➤ Material/Map Browser
➤ Choose Raytrace. ➤ Raytrace Basic Parameters rollout
The Raytrace Basic Parameters rollout for a Raytrace material on page 6486
controls the material's shading, color components, reflectivity or refractivity,
and bumps.

6488 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

The basic parameters in this rollout are similar to the basic parameters for
standard materials, but the color components of a Raytrace material behave
differently.
As with standard materials, you can use a map for Raytrace color components
and various other parameters. The small buttons to the right of the color
swatches and parameters take you to the Material/Map Browser on page 6167,
where you select a map of corresponding type. These are shortcuts that also
have corresponding buttons in the Maps rollout. If you have assigned a map
to one of these colors, the button displays the letter M. An uppercase M means
that the corresponding map is assigned and active. A lowercase m means that
the map is assigned and inactive (turned off).

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6489

Shading drop-down list Chooses a shader. Depending on the shader you
choose, the Specular Highlight can change to show the controls for that shader.
The alternatives are:
■

Anisotropic: on page 6426 For surfaces with elliptical, "anisotropic" highlights.

■

Blinn: on page 6428 For rounder, softer highlights than Phong shading.

■

Metal: on page 6430 For metallic highlights.

■

Oren-Nayar-Blinn: on page 6428 For matte surfaces such as fabric or
terra-cotta.

■

Phong: on page 6428 For surfaces with strong, circular highlights. Phong is
the default shading type.

2-Sided Same as for standard materials. When on, shades and raytraces both
sides of faces. By default, objects are one-sided in order to speed up rendering.
If you have a 2-sided, reflective and refractive object, and you use the raytrace
map on page 6784 rather than the material, the raytracer runs until it hits the
maximum recursion level. This can be time-consuming.
Wire Same as for standard materials. When on, renders the material in
wireframe mode on page 9351. You can specify the wire size in the Extended
Parameters rollout.
With pixels, wires maintains the same apparent thickness regardless of the
scale of the geometry or how near or far the object is positioned. With units,
the wires appear thinner at a distance and thicker at close range, as if they
were modeled in the geometry.
Face Map Applies the material to the faces of the geometry. If the material is
a mapped material, it requires no mapping coordinates on page 9212. The map
is automatically applied to each facet of the object.
Faceted Renders each face of a surface as if it were flat.
NOTE Raytrace material has the same SuperSampling on page 6211 options as a
Standard material.
Ambient This is not the same as the standard ambient color. For Raytrace
material, this controls an ambient absorption factor: that is, how much the
material absorbs ambient light. Setting Ambient to white is the same as locking
the ambient and diffuse colors in a standard material. Default=black.
■

Ambient Color check boxWhen on, the material uses an ambient color.
When off, the material uses a spinner to set a grayscale value only.
Default=on.

6490 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Color swatchWhen on, the color swatch shows the ambient color. To
change the color, click the swatch and then use the Color Selector on page
304.

■

Mono spinnerWhen the check box is off, the ambient component is gray,
and this spinner lets you adjust the gray value.
Click the map button to assign a map to the ambient component. See
Ambient Mapping on page 6451. This button is a shortcut: you can also
assign ambient mapping on the Raytrace Maps rollout on page 6505.

Diffuse Sets the diffuse color. This is the same as the standard diffuse color.
It is the color that the object reflects, without specular reflection. Reflection
and transparency effects are layered on top of the diffuse result. When Reflect
is 100% (pure white), the diffuse color isn't visible. (This differs from the
standard material.) Default=50% gray.
Reflect Sets the specular reflection color. This is the color that the reflected
environment (that is, the rest of the scene) is filtered through. The color's
Value controls the amount of reflection. If your reflect color is saturated and
the diffuse color is black, the effect is like colored chrome (for example, colored
Christmas tree balls). Default=black (no reflection).
If raytracing is off (on the Raytracer Controls rollout), the object still reflects
the environment, but ignores other objects in the scene. The environment
can be the background color, the environment map, or the map in the Raytrace
material's Environment component.
TIP If you turn off raytraced reflections, set the Reflect color to a color other than
black, and use a Reflect/Refract map for the local environment (see the Environment
parameter, below), you get the same effect as a reflection map in a standard
material. This can improve rendering time.
NOTE Raytrace reflects and transmits the IDs in material ID channel on page 6075
(G-buffer on page 9173), so it can create glowing reflections, and so on.
■

Reflect Color check boxWhen on, the material uses a reflection color.
When off, the material uses a spinner to set a grayscale value only.
Default=on.

■

Color swatchWhen the check box is on, the color swatch shows the
reflection color. To change the color, click the swatch and then use the
Color Selector on page 304.

■

Mono spinnerWhen the check box is off, the reflection color component
is gray, and this spinner lets you adjust the gray value.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6491

■

FresnelClicking the check box a second time displays this option. When
active, applies a Fresnel effect to the reflection. This can add a bit of
refraction to the reflecting object, depending on the viewing angle of the
object.

Click the map button to assign a map to the reflect component. This button
is a shortcut: you can also assign reflect mapping in the Raytrace Maps rollout
on page 6505.
Luminosity Similar to the Standard material's self-illumination component,
except that it does not depend on the diffuse color. You can have a blue diffuse
object with red luminosity. Default=black.
NOTE When Luminosity is off, the name of this control changes to Self-Illum
(Self-Illumination).
■

Luminosity check boxWhen on, the material uses a luminosity color. When
off, the material uses a spinner to set a grayscale value only for
self-illumination. Default=on.

■

Color swatchWhen the check box is on, the color swatch shows the
luminosity color. To change the color, click the swatch and then use the
Color Selector on page 304.

■

Mono spinnerWhen the check box is off, the luminosity color component
is gray, and this spinner lets you adjust the gray value.

Click the map button to assign a map to the luminosity component. This
button is a shortcut: you can also assign reflect mapping in the Raytrace Maps
rollout on page 6505.
Transparency Similar to the standard material's filter color for transmitted
light, combined with the standard material's opacity controls. This color filters
scene elements that are behind the object with Raytrace material. Black is
opaque, white is fully transparent, and any value in between filters objects
behind the raytraced object. A fully saturated color in both the diffuse and
transparency components gives the effect of tinted glass. If you want more of
an opaque look, pick the color you want as a transparent color, copy it to the
diffuse color, make the diffuse color fully saturated, and then adjust the
transparency to get the effect you want. Default=black (no transparency).
If raytracing is turned off (in the Raytracer Controls rollout), the object still
refracts the environment mapping, but ignores other objects in the scene.

6492 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE By separating the diffuse, reflect, and transparency components, Raytrace
material gives you a great deal of control over how the object reacts to its
environment. For example, an object might diffusely reflect red, specularly reflect
green, and transmit blue. This is not a real-world effect, but it can be useful.
■

Transparency Color check boxWhen on, the material uses a transparency
color. When off, the material uses a spinner to set a grayscale value only.
Default=on.

■

Color swatchWhen the check box is on, the color swatch shows the
transparency color. To change the color, click the swatch and then use the
Color Selector on page 304.

■

Mono spinnerWhen the check box is off, the transparency color component
is gray, and this spinner lets you adjust the gray value.

Click the map button to assign a map to the transparency component. See
Filter Color Mapping on page 6466. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign
reflect mapping in the Raytrace Maps rollout on page 6505.
Index of Refr. (Refraction) The index of refraction (IOR) controls how severely
the material refracts transmitted light. At 1.0, the IOR of air, the object behind
the transparent object does not distort. At 1.5, the object behind distorts
greatly, like a glass marble. At an IOR slightly less than 1.0, the object reflects
along its edges, like a bubble seen from under water. Default=1.55.
Common IORs (assuming the camera is in air or a vacuum) are:
Material

IOR Value

Vacuum

1.0 (exactly)

Air

1.0003

Water

1.333

Glass

1.5 to 1.7

Diamond

2.418

In the physical world, the IOR results from the relative speeds of light through
the transparent material and the medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically
this is related to the object's density, and the higher the IOR, the denser the
object.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6493

You can also use a map to control the IOR. IOR maps always interpolate
between 1.0 (the IOR of air) and the setting in the IOR parameter. For example,
if the IOR is set to 3.55 and you use a black-and-white Noise map to control
IOR, the IORs rendered on the object will be set to values between 1.0 and
3.55. The object will appear denser than air. If, on the other hand, your IOR
is set to 0.5, then the same map values will render between 0.5 and 1.0, as if
the camera were under water and the object was less dense than the water.
Here are some more IOR values for various materials:
Material

IOR Value

Carbon Dioxide, Liquid

1.200

Ice

1.309

Acetone

1.360

Ethyl Alcohol

1.360

Sugar Solution 30%

1.380

Alcohol

1.329

Flourite

1.434

Quartz, Fused

1.460

Calspar2

1.486

Sugar Solution 80%

1.490

Glass

1.500

Glass, Zinc Crown

1.517

Glass, Crown

1.520

Sodium Chloride

1.530

Sodium Chloride (Salt) 1

1.544

Polystyrene

1.550

6494 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Material

IOR Value

Quartz 2

1.553

Emerald

1.570

Glass, Light Flint

1.575

Lapis Lazuli

1.610

Topaz

1.610

Carbon Bisulfide

1.630

Quartz 1

1.644

Sodium Chloride (Salt) 2

1.644

Glass, Heavy Flint

1.650

Methylene Iodide

1.740

Ruby

1.770

Sapphire

1.770

Glass, Heaviest Flint

1.890

Crystal

2.000

Diamond

2.418

Chromium Oxide

2.705

Copper Oxide

2.705

Amorphous Selenium

2.920

Iodine Crystal

3.340

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6495

Specular Highlight group
The controls in this group affect the appearance of specular highlights. Specular
highlights simulate the surface of the raytraced object reflecting the lights in
the scene. Changing the color or intensity of lights in the scene can change
the appearance of specular highlights.
As in standard materials, as you adjust the values in this group the highlight
curve at the right changes to give you an idea of the effect. The material
preview in the sample slot also updates.
Specular Color Sets the specular color on page 9313, assuming there are white
lights in the scene.
Click the color swatch to display the Color Selector on page 304 and change
the highlight color.
Click the map button to assign a map to the specular color. See Specular
Mapping on page 6459. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign specular
level mapping in the Raytrace Maps rollout on page 6505.
The remaining controls in the Specular Highlight group depend on the active
shader, as shown next to “Shading:” at the top of this rollout. These highlight
controls are the same as for the Standard material shaders.
These are the highlight controls available to Raytrace materials:
■

Anisotropic highlights on page 6426

■

Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong highlights on page 6428

■

Metal highlights on page 6430
NOTE Highlight controls that don’t pertain to the current shader are labeled
“N/A.”

Environment Specifies an environment map that overrides the global
environment map. Both Reflect and Transparency use the scene-wide
environment map unless you use this button to specify another map. With
this control, you can use different environment maps on a per-object basis,
or provide an environment to specified objects when the scene as a whole has
none.
This map overrides the scene-wide environment for both reflection and
refraction. To override for refraction alone, see the Transparency Environment
control in the Extended Parameters rollout.
Use the check box to turn this map on or off.

6496 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP You can use any map as the Raytrace environment, including the Reflect/Refract
on page 6796 map. Reflect/Refract map is often adequate for getting the required
look, and it usually renders more quickly than raytracing the entire scene, especially
if the Raytrace material is transparent. If you are using Raytrace material just to
get the glass to look right on a car's headlight or on a light bulb hanging in the
middle of a room, turn off the raytracer and use an environment map instead.
Lock button Locks the Environment map to the Transparency Environment
map (found on the Extended Parameters rollout on page 6497). When on, the
Transparency Environment map controls are disabled, and a map applied to
the Raytrace Environment applies to the Transparency Environment as well.
When off, the Transparency Environment map controls are enabled, and the
Transparency Environment can have a different map assigned to it. Default=on.
Changing this button’s setting here also changes it on the Extended Parameters
rollout on page 6497 and the Maps rollout on page 6505.
Bump This is the same as bump mapping on page 6472 for Standard materials.
Click the button to assign the map. Use the spinner to change the bump
Amount. Use the check box to turn the map on or off.

Raytrace Extended Parameters Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Extended
Parameters rollout
The Extended Parameters rollout for a Raytrace material on page 6486 controls
the material's special effects, transparency properties, and advanced reflectivity.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6497

Interface

Except for the wireframe controls, the controls in the Extended Parameters
rollout for Raytrace material are specific to the Raytrace material.

Special Effects group
The controls in this group are special effects. They are powerful, but you might
need to experiment to use them effectively.

6498 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Object with raytrace material using translucency and fluorescence

Extra Lighting Adds light to the surface of objects with the Raytrace material.
You can view this as an ambient lighting color that you can control on a
per-material basis, but don't confuse it with the ambient absorption from the
Basic Parameters rollout.
By mapping this parameter, you can simulate radiosity: the ambient light that
results from reflected light in a scene. One effect of radiosity is color bleeding.
For example, in strong light a white shirt next to an orange wall will show a
reflected orange color.
Translucency Creates a translucent effect on page 9337. The Translucency color
is a non-directional diffuse reflection. The diffuse color on an object depends
upon the angle between the surface normal and the position of the light
source. By ignoring the surface normal alignment, this color component
simulates translucent materials.
For thin objects, the appearance can be like shining a light on the back of a
piece of rice paper. You can cast shadows onto the back of the paper and see

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6499

them projected through the paper; this works well with a projector light. On
thicker objects, you can get some good wax-like effects.
Fluorescence and Fluor. Bias Creates an effect similar to black light on a
black light poster. The light from a black light is largely ultraviolet, outside
the visible spectrum. Under black light, fluorescent on page 9165 paints flare or
glow. The fluorescence in Raytrace material takes whatever light it sees in the
scene, applies the Bias to it, and then, regardless of the color of the lights in
the scene, illuminates the fluorescent material as if it were lit by white light.
At 0.5, The Bias makes Fluorescence behave just like diffuse coloring. Bias
values higher than 0.5 increase the fluorescent effect, making the object
brighter than other objects in the scene. Bias values lower than 0.5 make the
object dimmer than other objects in the scene. You can get some chromatic
shifting effects with this.
TIP Full saturation and value for the Fluorescence color help give the effect of
commercial fluorescent paints.
TIP A slight amount of Fluorescence can add to the realism of skin and eyes.

Wire group
Size Sets the size of the wire in wireframe mode on page 9351. You can set either
pixels (the default) or current units.
In Chooses how to measure wire. With pixels, wires maintain the same
apparent thickness regardless of the scale of the geometry or how near or far
the object is positioned. With units, the wires appear thinner at a distance
and thicker at close range, as if they were modeled in the geometry.
Pixels (The default.) Measures wire in pixels.
Units Measures wire in 3ds Max units.

Advanced Transparency group
The controls in this group let you further tune transparency effects.
Transp. (Transparency Environment) Similar to the environment map in
Basic Parameters, but overrides the scene's environment map for transparency
(refraction) only. Transparent objects refract this map, while reflections still
reflect the scene (or the Basic Parameters Environment map, if one is chosen).
Click the button to choose the Transparency Environment map. Use the check
box to toggle the effect of the map.

6500 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Lock button Locks the Transparency Environment map to the Environment
map (found on the Basic Parameters rollout on page 6488). When on, the
Transparency Environment map controls are disabled, and a map applied to
the Raytrace Environment applies to the Transparency Environment as well.
When off, the Transparency Environment map controls are enabled, and the
Transparency Environment can have a different map assigned to it. Default=on.
Changing this button’s setting here also changes it on the Basic Parameters
rollout on page 6488 and the Maps rollout on page 6505.
Density The density controls are for transparent materials. If the material is
opaque (the default), they have no effect.
Color Sets a transmission color based on thickness. While filter (Transparency)
color tints objects behind the transparent object, the density color gives the
appearance of color within the object itself, like tinted glass.
To use, first make sure the object is transparent. Click the color swatch to
display the Color Selector. Choose a color, and then turn on the check box.
The Amount controls the amount of density color. Reducing this value reduces
the density color effect. Range=0 to 1.0. Default=1.0.
A thin piece of tinted glass is mainly clear, while a thick piece of the same
glass has more color. The Start and End controls help you simulate this effect.
They are expressed in world units. Start is the position in the object where
the density color begins to appear. (Default=0.0.) End is the position in the
object where the density color reaches its full Amount value. (Default=25.0)
To have a lighter effect, increase the End value. To have a heavier effect, reduce
the End value.
The object must be at least as thick as the Start value before the density color
is visible.
You can map this color component.
Fog Density fog is also a thickness-based effect. It fills the object with a fog
that is both opaque and self illuminated. The effect is like smoke trapped in
a glass, or wax at the tip of a candle. Colored fog in tubular objects can
resemble neon tubes.
To use, first make sure the object is transparent. Click the color swatch to
display the Color Selector. Choose a color, and then turn on the check box.
The Amount controls the amount of density fog. Reducing this value reduces
the density fog effect and makes the fog translucent. Range=0 to 1.0.
Default=1.0.
The Start and End controls let you adjust the fog effect based on the object's
dimensions. They are expressed in world units. Start is the position in the
object where the density fog begins to appear. (Default=0.0.) End is the position

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6501

in the object where the density fog reaches its full Amount value.
(Default=25.0) To have a lighter effect, increase the End value. To have a
heavier effect, reduce the End value.
You can map this color component.
Render objects inside raytraced objects Turns the rendering of objects inside
raytraced objects on or off. Default=on.
Render atmospherics inside raytraced objects Turns the rendering of
atmospheric effects inside raytraced objects on or off. Atmospheric effects
include fire, fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.

Reflections group
Controls in this group give you finer control over reflections.
Type When set to Default, reflections are layered with the Diffuse color. For
example, if the material is not transparent and completely reflective, no diffuse
color is visible. When set to Additive, reflections are added to the Diffuse color,
as in Standard materials on page 6382. The diffuse component is always visible.
Gain Controls reflection brightness. The lower the gain value, the brighter
the reflection. At a gain of 1.0, no reflection is visible. Default=0.5.

Raytracer Controls Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Raytracer Controls
rollout
The Raytracer Controls rollout for a Raytrace material on page 6486 controls
affect the operation of the raytracer itself. It can help you improve rendering
performance.

6502 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Local Options group
Enable Raytracing Turns the raytracer on or off. Default=on.
Even with raytracing off, Raytrace material and Raytrace map still reflect and
refract the environment, including both the environment map for the scene,
and the environment map assigned to the Raytrace material.
Raytrace Atmospherics Turns the raytracing of atmospheric effects on or off.
Atmospheric effects include fire, fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.
Enable Self Reflect/Refract Turns self reflection/refraction on or off.
Default=on.
Can an object reflect itself? For example, a teapot's body reflects the teapot's
handle, but a sphere will never reflect itself. If you don't need this effect, you
can improve render time by turning off this toggle.
TIP If you have a transparent object such as glass, and Enable Self Reflect/Refract
is on, you don't have to make the object 2-sided on page 9079. The raytracer sees
back faces when exiting refractive objects.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6503

Reflect/Refract Material IDs When on, the material reflects effects assigned
to material IDs in the renderer's G-buffer on page 9173 on or off. Default=on.
By default, Raytrace material and Raytrace map reflect effects assigned to a
material's ID, so that G-buffer effects are not lost. For example, if a raytraced
object reflects a lamp made to glow with the Video Post Glow filter (Lens
Effects Glow), the reflection glows as well.

Raytracer Enable group
These two check boxes turn raytracing of reflections or refractions on or off
for this material. If you are using the Raytrace material to create only reflections
or refractions, turn off the one you aren't using to improve rendering time.
Raytrace Reflections Turns raytracing of reflective objects on or off.
Default=on.
Raytrace Refractions Turns raytracing of transparent objects on or off.
Default=on.
Local Exclude Displays the local Exclude/Include dialog on page 6515.
An object that is excluded locally is excluded from this material only.
TIP Using exclusion lists is one of the best and simplest ways to speed up the
raytracer.
Bump Map Effect Adjusts the effect of bump maps on raytraced reflections
and refractions. Default=1.0.

Falloff End Distance group
Reflect Dims reflections to black at this distance. Default=100.0.
Refract Dims refractions to black at this distance. Default=100.0.
NOTE The toggles for Reflect Falloff and Refract Falloff aren't animatable.

Raytraced Reflection and Refraction Antialiaser group
Controls in this group let you override the global antialiasing settings for
raytraced maps and materials. They are unavailable if antialiasing is turned
off globally. To turn on antialiasing globally, choose Rendering ➤ Raytrace
Globals to display the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout on page 7120.
On When on, uses antialiasing. Default=unavailable unless global antialiasing
is on; on if global antialiasing is turned on.

6504 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Drop-down list Chooses which antialiasing settings to use. There are three
options:
■

Use Global Antialiasing Settings(The default.) Uses the global antialiasing
settings.
Click ... to open the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout on page 7120.

■

Fast Adaptive AntialiaserUses the Fast Adaptive antialiaser, regardless of
the global setting.
Click ... to open the Fast Adaptive Antialiaser dialog on page 6518.

■

Multiresolution Adaptive AntialiaserUses the Multiresolution Adaptive
antialiaser, regardless of the global setting.
Click ... to open the Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser dialog on page
6520.

When you change settings for an antialiaser locally, you don't affect the global
settings for that antialiaser.

Raytrace Maps Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Maps rollout
As with a standard material, the Maps rollout for a Raytrace material on page
6486 contains map buttons for the components of the Raytrace material that
can be mapped.
You can choose from a large variety of map types. See Map Types on page 6607
to find descriptions of these types, and how to set their parameters.

Assigning the Same Map to Different Parameters
Applying the same map to different parameters is useful in some cases. For
example, using a pattern as both a self-illumination map and an opacity map
can make the pattern appear to glow and hover in space.

Blending Map Amounts for Opacity and Other Material Components
The Specular Level, Glossiness, Self-Illumination, and Opacity values in the
four spinners in the Basic Parameters rollout are blended with their associated
map Amount values in the Maps rollout.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6505

When the Opacity spinner is set to 0, the map Amount spinner completely
controls Opacity. That is, reducing the Amount value increases the
transparency of the entire surface. On the other hand, when Opacity is 100,
reducing the map Amount value increases the opacity of the areas where the
Opacity map is less than 1. For example, you can now adjust a Checker Opacity
map so that the solid areas remain solid, while the clear areas are
semi-transparent.
The Specular Level, Glossiness, and Self-Illumination channels all behave in
the same way. A setting of 100 applies all of the map; a setting of 0 is the
equivalent of turning the map off.
When you load old 3ds Max files or bring earlier materials from the Browser
into the Materials Editor, the spinner values for Opacity, Specular Level,
Glossiness, and Self-illumination are altered, where necessary, to maintain
the equivalent material effect.

Procedures
To assign a map:
1 Click a map button.
3ds Max opens a modal Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
2 Double-click the map you want.
To use the Compact Material Editor to assign the same map to different
parameters:
NOTE In the Slate Material Editor, you can drag the same map’s output socket
to more than one component input on the material node. The method described
in these steps also works, except that there is no Go To Parent button: Use the
active view to return to the material level.
1 In the Maps rollout, use a map button to assign a map.
The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the
map parameters.

2 Click
(Go To Parent) to return to the material level, and then open
the Maps rollout.
3 Drag the assigned map button to another map button.
3ds Max opens a Copy (Instance) Map dialog on page 6164.

6506 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

4 Choose Copy or Instance, and then click OK.
If you choose Swap, the Material Editor swaps the two button assignments.
To view the parent material's parameters:
■

If you are currently at the map level in the Compact Material Editor, click
(Go To Parent). In the Slate Material editor, simply click the material
node in the active view.
3ds Max displays the parameters for the map's parent material. Also, in
the Compact Material Editor, the Show End Result and Go to Parent buttons
become unavailable.

To view a map's parameters:
■

If you are currently at the material level in the Compact Material Editor,
or the Slate Material Editor ➤ Parameter Editor, click the button that
corresponds to the map. (In the Slate Material Editor, you can also
double-click the map node in the active view.)
3ds Max displays the parameters for the map. Also, in the Compact Material
Editor, the Show End Result on page 6078 and Go to Parent on page 6078
buttons become available.
In the Basic Parameters rollout, if a map has been assigned to a color
component or parameter, the corresponding button displays a letter M.
In the Maps rollout, if a map has been assigned, the corresponding button
displays the map name.

To use the Compact Material Editor to view a map's location:

■

Click
(Material/Map Navigator) to view the Material/Map Navigator
on page 6065.
The Navigator displays the hierarchy of the current material, which
contains the map.

To go to a map using the Navigator:
■

In the Material/Map Navigator on page 6065, click the name of the map, or
the green or red parallelogram to the left of the map's name.
The Navigator goes to the level of the map, and the Material Editor displays
the controls for the map you clicked.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6507

As the Navigator's map tree shows, maps for basic material components
and parameters are one level below the material itself.
To preview a map in a sample slot:
1 Go to the level of the map, as described in previous procedures.
The Material Editor displays the map's parameters.

2 Turn off

(Show End Result) on page 6078.

In the Slate Material Editor, this button is located on the Preview Window
on page 6095 for the map node. In the Compact Material Editor, it is located
on the toolbar.
The preview or sample slot shows the map instead of the material. If the
map contains sub-maps, these are also visible.
By default, the preview or sample slot displays a map with no
three-dimensional shading. You can change this in the Material Editor
Options dialog on page 6059.
To view the map interactively:

1

Select an object.

2 In the object's creation parameters, make sure that Generate Mapping
Coords is on.
If the object type does not have a Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle,
you need to assign mapping coordinates by applying a UVW Map modifier
on page 1883.
3 In the Material Editor, assign the mapped material to the object.
4 If you are at the material level (the top level), click the appropriate map
button to go to the map level.

5 Turn on

(Show Map In Viewport) on page 6006.

The map appears on objects assigned the material in all shaded viewports.
Now when you adjust the map, the viewports update to display the
adjustments.

6508 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Turning on Show Map In Viewport for one map automatically turns this
button off for all other maps the material has.
Viewports can display 2D maps such as Checker and Bitmap. They cannot
display other kinds of maps such as 3D maps. Show Map in Viewport is
unavailable if the active map type cannot display in viewports.
TIP Displaying mapped materials in a viewport can slow performance. If you
don't need to view the texture, turn off its viewport display.

To turn off interactive texture display:
1 Go to the map level.
If you are at the material level, click the appropriate map button to go
to the map level.

2 Turn off

(Show Map In Viewport) on page 6006.

The object is shaded but the map no longer appears.
To turn a map off:
■

Turn off the map's check box.
The check box is to the left of the map's name on the Maps rollout.

To turn a map on:
■

Turn on the map's check box.
The check box is to the left of the map's name on the Maps rollout.

To change a map's strength:
■

Adjust the map's Amount spinner in the Maps rollout.
The material's sample slot reflects the change.
NOTE Adjusting a map's output (in the map's Output rollout) can also change
the map's strength.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6509

To use the Compact Material Editro to move directly to an ancestor:
NOTE In the Slate Material Editor, you can view the material hierarchy in the
active View panel.
1 Click the arrow to the right of the map's name field on page 6080.
A drop-down list of ancestors is displayed. You can use this list to jump
directly to a particular level in the tree.
2 Click a name in the ancestor list.
The ancestor drop-down list shows only part of the tree. It does not show
side branches and siblings. To view these, use the Material/Map Navigator
on page 6065.
You can also use
(Go Forward To Sibling) on page 6079 and
To Parent) on page 6078.

(Go

To change a map type using the Compact Material Editor:
1 At the level of a map, click the button labeled Type below the Material
Editor toolbar.
3ds Max opens a modal Material/Map Browser on page 6167. If you were
at a map, it lists only maps (if you were at a material when you clicked
Type, the Browser lists only materials).
2 Choose a map type from the list, and then click OK.
If you change a map type and the new map type can have component
maps, a Replace Map dialog is displayed. This dialog gives you a choice
between discarding the original map or using it as a component map.
If the new map type does not have components, it simply replaces the
original map type.

6510 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

The Maps rollout for Raytrace contains a wide button for each map type. Click
this button to select a bitmap file stored on disk or to select a procedural-map
type on page 9274. After you select a map, its name and type appears on the
button. Use the check box to the left of the button to turn the effect of the

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6511

map off and on. When the check box is off, the map is not computed and has
no effect in the renderer.
The Amount spinner determines the amount that the map affects the material,
expressed as a percentage of full intensity. For example, a diffuse map at 100%
is completely opaque and covers the base material. At 50%, it is
semi-transparent and the base material (the diffuse, ambient, and other colors
of the material without mapping) shows through.
Lock button Locks the Environment map to the Transparency Environment
map. When on, the Transparency Environment map controls are disabled,
and a map applied to the Raytrace Environment applies to the Transparency
Environment as well. When off, the Transparency Environment map controls
are enabled, and the Transparency Environment can have a different map
assigned to it. Default=on.
Changing this button’s setting here also changes it on the Basic Parameters
rollout on page 6488, and the Extended Parameters rollout on page 6497.

Diffusion Mapping
The Diffusion map component lets you apply an additional, second texture
to modify the Diffuse component. Typically, you will want to reduce the
Amount of this map to allow the main Diffuse map to show through.
For example, you might have a clean, bright image for a billboard. You use
this image as the Diffuse map, and then use a second map as a Diffusion map
to apply soot and city grime.
TIP Animating the Amount can change the appearance of the material over time,
letting the Diffusion map either conceal or reveal the underlying Diffuse map.
NOTE Show Map In Viewport does not display the Diffusion map.

Raytrace Dynamics Properties Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Dynamics Properties
rollout
As with a standard material, the Dynamics Properties rollout for a Raytrace
material on page 6486 lets you specify surface properties that affect the animation
of an object upon collision with another object. If there are no collisions in
your simulation, these settings have no effect.

6512 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Since the Dynamics Properties rollout is available at the top level of any
material (including sub-materials), you can specify different surface dynamic
properties for each face in an object. There are also controls in the Dynamics
utility that let you adjust the surface properties at the object level, but only
the Materials Editor lets you alter the surface properties at the sub-object level,
through use of a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542.
As a default, the values in the Dynamics Properties rollout provide a surface
that's similar to Teflon-coated hardened steel.

Interface

Bounce Coefficient Sets how far an object bounces after hitting a surface.
The higher the value, the greater the bounce. A value of 1 represents a "perfectly
elastic collision," or a bounce in which no kinetic energy is lost. Default=1.0.
If you've seen the desktop toy with four ball bearings swinging back and forth
on strings and hitting one another, you've seen an example that comes very
close to a bounce coefficient of 1. Generally, hardened steel or a super ball
have a bounce near 1, while lead has a bounce near 0.
Static Friction Sets how difficult it is for the object to start moving along a
surface. The higher this value, the more difficult. Default=0.0.
If something weighs ten pounds and sits on Teflon (a static friction of near
0), it takes almost no force to make it move sideways. On the other hand, if
it sits on sandpaper, then the static friction might be very high, on the order
of 0.5 to 0.8. A static friction near 1 is very difficult to create in the real world
without adhesives or friction material.
Sliding Friction Sets how difficult it is for the object to keep moving over a
surface. The higher this value, the more difficult for the object to keep moving.
Default=0.0.
Once two objects begin to slide over one another, static friction disappears
and sliding friction takes over. Generally, sliding friction is lower than static
friction due to surface tension effects. For example, once steel starts sliding
over brass (a value of static friction that might run from 0.05 to 0.2), the

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6513

sliding friction drops to a significantly lower value, on the order of .01 to 0.1.
For some materials, such as specific friction materials like brake linings, sliding
friction is just as high as static friction because it is used in conjunction with
a nearly frictionless material such as hardened polished steel.

Raytracing Acceleration Parameters Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Raytracer Settings ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Raytracer
panel ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters rollout ➤ Global Raytrace Engine
Options group ➤ Acceleration Controls button
The controls in this dialog let you override the default acceleration values and
specify your own requirements. Typically you don't need to use them, but if
you are familiar with the requirements of your scene, they can help you
optimize raytrace rendering for your specific needs and time constraints.
Raytracing subdivides the scene, organizing it into a tree for raytrace purposes.
A node in this tree is known as a "voxel." Voxel trees are dynamic, and you
can't explicitly specify the structure of the tree. (If you set Max. Divisions to
2, the tree is an octree, which is possibly a more familiar data structure.)
TIP If your scene is particularly unbalanced (for example, it has a giant planet
object and a cluster of small spacecraft objects) keep the Balance setting low.

Interface

Face Limit Sets the maximum number of faces allowed in a lattice voxel before
it is subdivided. Default=10.
Balance Determines the sensitivity of the subdivision algorithm. Increasing
this value uses more memory but can increase performance. Default=4.0.

6514 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Max. Divisions Sets the initial lattice dimension. For example, 4 is a 4 x 4 x
4 lattice. Default=30.
Max. Depth Sets the maximum number of lattice subdivisions. Default=8.

Raytrace Exclude/Include Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Raytrace Global Include/Exclude

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace material ➤ Raytracer Controls
rollout ➤ Local Exclude button

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace map ➤ Raytracer Parameters
rollout ➤ Local Exclude button
Rendering menu ➤ Raytracer Settings ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Raytracer
panel ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters rollout ➤ Global Raytrace Engine
Options group ➤ Exclude button

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Raytracer
panel ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters rollout ➤ Global Raytrace Engine
Options group ➤ Exclude button
These dialogs let you specify which objects the raytracer will and won't see.
This is a good optimization when you are working with complex scenes and
all you really need is for an object to reflect itself or some other, simpler
elements in the scene.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6515

Upper left: Bottle excluded from both mirrors
Upper right: Bottle reflected by both mirrors
Lower middle: Bottle excluded from one mirror

The global dialog affects all Raytrace materials and Raytrace maps in your
scene. The local dialog affects only the current material or map.
TIP Another good use for exclusion can be when you are working on a scene
where the world-space scale of objects is not realistic. For example, consider an
animation of a space dog-fight, with a planet and its moon in the background.
You would use a planet that was actually much smaller, relative to the fighters,
than an actual planet. (For example, the planet might be only five times bigger
than the fighters, and the moon only half as big as the fighters.) If the fighters are
reflective, the reflections of the planet and moon will be incorrect and will give
away the fact that you are using miniatures. In this case, raytrace the reflective
fighters, and laser blasts, and so on, but exclude the planet and moon props from
the raytracer. Create an environment map that represents the planet and moon
at their correct scale, and make that the Raytrace material's local environment.
When you render, the scale of the planet and moon geometry appears to be
correct, and the reflections on the fighters will behave as your eye expects.

6516 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Both the Global and the Local Exclude/Include dialogs contain the following
controls:
Exclude/Include Choose whether raytracing will exclude or include the
objects named in the list on the right.
Illumination / Shadow Casting / Both For the raytracer, this is turned off
(always set to Illumination).
Scene Objects Select objects from the Scene Objects list on the left, then use
the arrow buttons to add them to the exclusion list on the right.
The Exclude/Include dialog treats a group as an object: you can exclude or
include all objects in a group by selecting the group's name in the Scene
Objects list. If a group is nested within another group, it isn't visible in the
Scene Objects list.
Search Field The edit box above the Scene Objects list lets you search for
object names by entering names that use wildcards.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6517

Display Subtree When on, indents the list according to the object hierarchy.
Case Sensitive When on, uses case sensitivity when searching object names.
Selection Sets Displays a list of named selection sets. Choosing a selection
set from this list selects those objects in the Scene Objects list.
Clear Clears all entries from the Exclude/Include list on the right.
OK Closes the dialog and retains the exclude or include operations you
performed.
Cancel Closes the dialog and cancels the exclude or include operations you
performed.

Raytrace Antialiaser Dialog: Fast Adaptive Antialiaser
Rendering menu ➤ Raytracer Settings ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters dialog
➤ Global Ray Antialiaser group ➤ Turn on global ray antialiasing. ➤ Choose
Fast Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. ➤ ... button

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤
Raytrace material ➤ Raytracer Controls rollout ➤ Raytraced Reflection and
Refraction Antialiaser group (enabled only if antialiasing is globally enabled)
➤ Choose Fast Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. ➤ ... button

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤
Raytrace map ➤ Raytracer Parameters rollout ➤ Raytraced Reflection and
Refraction Antialiaser group (enabled only if antialiasing is globally enabled)
➤ Choose Fast Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. ➤ ... button
The Fast Adaptive Antialiaser dialog changes settings for the Raytrace material
and maps Fast Adaptive antialiaser. You can use this dialog either globally,
from the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout on page 7120, or locally, from the
Raytracer Controls rollout on page 6502. When you locally change settings for
an antialiaser, you don't affect the global settings for that antialiaser.

6518 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Blur / Defocus (Distance Blur) group
Blur Offset is similar to blur offset for Bitmaps, while defocus is based on
distance.
Blur Offset Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the reflections or refractions
without regard to distance. You can use Blur Offset to soften or defocus the
details of a reflection or refraction. The value is specified in pixels. Default=0.0.
TIP The default Blur Offset setting usually produces good results. If you see aliasing
in reflections or refractions, increase its value in increments of 0.5 until the aliasing
goes away.
See Blur/Blur Offset on page 9110.
Blur Aspect This is an aspect ratio that changes the shape of the blur. Usually
you will not need to change it. Default=1.0.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6519

TIP If you see aliasing that occurs mostly along horizontal lines, try increasing Blur
Aspect to 1.5. This changes the shape of the blurred effect. The reverse is also
true. If aliasing occurs mostly along vertical lines, try decreasing Blur Aspect to
0.5.
Defocusing Defocusing is a blur based on distance. With Defocus, objects
near the surface are not blurred, but objects farther away are blurred. The rays
cast are spread as they leave the Raytrace material object's surface. Default=0.0.
TIP Increasing the value of Defocusing can give a good distance blurring effect.
Small adjustments are usually adequate. Try starting with a value less than 0.1,
and increase or decrease it as necessary. Also try adjusting Reflect Falloff in Raytrace
material or Attenuation in Raytrace map to get the best distance blurring effect.
Defocus Aspect This is an aspect ratio that changes the shape of the
defocusing. Usually you will not need to change it. Default=1.0.

Raytrace Antialiaser Dialog: Multiresolution Adaptive
Antialiaser
Rendering menu ➤ Raytracer Settings ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Raytracer
panel ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters rollout ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters
➤ Global Ray Antialiaser group ➤ Turn on global antialiasing. ➤ Choose
Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. ➤ ... button

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤
Raytrace material ➤ Raytracer Controls rollout ➤ Raytraced Reflection and
Refraction Antialiaser group (enabled only if antialiasing is globally enabled)
➤ Choose Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. ➤
... button
The Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser dialog changes settings for the
Raytrace material and maps Multiresolution Adaptive antialiaser. You can use
this dialog either globally, from the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout on
page 7120, or locally, from the Raytracer Controls rollout on page 6502. When
you locally change settings for an antialiaser, you don't affect the global
settings for that antialiaser.

6520 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Adaptive Control group
Initial Rays Sets the initial number of rays cast per pixel. Default=4.
Threshold Determines the sensitivity of the adaptation algorithm. It can range
from 0 to 1, where 0 always casts the maximum number of rays and 1 always
casts only the minimum number of rays. Default=0.1.
Max. Rays (Maximum Rays) Sets the maximum number of rays the algorithm
will cast. Default=32.

Blur / Defocus (Distance Blur) group
Blur Offset is similar to blur offset on page 9110 for bitmaps, while Defocusing
is based on distance.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6521

Blur Offset Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the reflections or refractions
without regard to distance. You can use Blur Offset to soften or defocus the
details of a reflection or refraction. The value is specified in pixels. Default=0.0.
TIP The default Blur Offset setting usually produces good results. If you see aliasing
in reflections or refractions, increase its value in increments of 0.5 until the aliasing
goes away.
Blur Aspect This is an aspect ratio that changes the shape of the blur. Usually
you will not need to change it. Default=1.0.
TIP If you see aliasing that occurs mostly along horizontal lines, try increasing Blur
Aspect to 1.5. This changes the shape of the blurred effect. The reverse is also
true. If aliasing occurs mostly along vertical lines, try decreasing Blur Aspect to
0.5.
Defocusing Defocusing is a blur based on distance. With Defocus, objects
near the surface are not blurred, but objects farther away are blurred. The rays
cast are spread as they leave the Raytrace material object's surface. Default=0.0.
TIP Increasing the value of Defocusing can give a good distance blurring effect.
Small adjustments are usually adequate. Try starting with a value less than 0.1,
and increase or decrease it as necessary. Also try adjusting Reflect Falloff in Raytrace
material or Attenuation in Raytrace map to get the best distance blurring effect.
Defocus Aspect This is an aspect ratio that changes the shape of the
defocusing. Usually you will not need to change it. Default=1.0.

Matte/Shadow Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Matte/Shadow
The Matte/Shadow material allows you to make whole objects (or any subsets
of faces) into matte objects on page 9220 that reveal the current background
color or environment map on page 9145.
NOTE The Matte/Shadow material is unavailable when mental ray is active; instead,
use the Matte/Shadow/Reflection (mi) material on page 6350.

6522 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Simply rendering the framed photo against a background shows the photo in front of
the background.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6523

A matte object hides parts of the photo, revealing the background to make it appear
the photo is behind the goblets.

It can also receive shadows cast on it from non-matte objects in the scene.
Using this technique, you can cast shadows on backgrounds by building matte
proxy objects and placing them in front of similarly shaped objects in the
background.

6524 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Creating a matte object for casting shadows against a background image

Matte/Shadow materials can also have reflections.
NOTE The Matte/Shadow effect is visible only when you render the scene. It isn't
visible in viewports.

Procedures
To render objects seamlessly against a background environment:
There are three ways you can render objects to blend seamlessly into a
background environment:
■

Assign a Matte/Shadow Material.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6525

■

Assign a 100% self-illuminated diffuse texture to an object using Camera
Mapping.

■

Assign a 100% self-illuminated diffuse texture using Environment/Screen
projection.

Use the Plate Match/MAX R2.5 antialiasing whenever you are trying to match
foreground objects with an unfiltered background, or trying to match the
antialiasing qualities of the 3ds Max 2.5 renderer. See the description of
Antialiasing Filter in the description of the Default Scanline Renderer on page
7042.
Example: To see the effect of Affect Alpha and Matte Reflection:
1 Create a scene with one or more objects on a box platform, and one or
more shadow-casting spotlights.
TIP If you use only one spotlight, increase its Multiplier value.
2 Assign a Matte/Shadow material to the box, and render the scene with
default Matte/Shadow parameters (Opaque Alpha is on, and Affect Alpha
is off).

3 On the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963 that opens, turn on
(Display Alpha Channel).
The objects all appear as white silhouettes, including the platform.
4 On the Matte/Shadow Basic Parameters rollout, turn off Opaque Alpha,
and turn on Receive Shadows and Affect Alpha.
5 Press F9 (Render Last on page 7016).
The silhouette of the box no longer appears, but the other objects and
their shadows appear.
6 On the Matte/Shadow Basic Parameters rollout, click the Map button in
the Reflection group, and use the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 to
assign a Flat Mirror on page 6778 map to the box's material. On the Flat
Mirror Parameters rollout, turn on Render group ➤ Assign To Faces With
ID and leave the value set to 1.
7 Press F9 (Render Last on page 7016).
8 On the Rendered Frame Window, turn off Display Alpha Channel.

6526 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The reflections of the objects appear on the box, even though the box
itself is invisible.

Interface

Matte group
Opaque Alpha Determines whether or not the matte material appears in the
alpha channel. If you turn off Opaque Alpha, the matte object will not make
an alpha channel, and the image can be used for compositing, just as if there
are no matte objects in the scene. Default=off.

Atmosphere group
These options determine whether fog effects are applied to the matte surfaces,
and how they are applied.
Apply Atmosphere Turns the fogging of matte objects on and off.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6527

When applying fog, you can choose between two different methods. You can
either apply fog as if the matte surface is at an infinite distance from the
camera or you can apply it as if the matte surface is actually at that point on
the object being shaded. In other words, you can apply the fog to the matte
surface in either 2D or 3D. The following controls determine how this is
applied:
At Background Depth This is the 2D method. The scanline renderer on page
9292 fogs the scene, and then renders its shadows. In this case, the shadows
won't be lightened by the fog. If you want to lighten the shadows, you need
to turn up the shadow brightness.
At Object Depth This is the 3D method. The renderer first renders the shadows,
and then fogs the scene. Since this varies the amount of fog over the 3D matte
surface, the generated matte/alpha channels don't blend perfectly into the
background. Use At Object Depth when the matte object is meant to be a 3D
object in the scene that the 2D background represents.

Shadow group
This group determines whether the matte surfaces receive shadows that are
cast upon them, and how they receive them.
Receive Shadows Renders shadows on the matte surfaces. Default=on.
Affect Alpha When on, shadows cast on a matte material are applied to the
alpha channel. This lets you render bitmaps with alpha channels that you can
composite later. Default=on.
Affect Alpha is available only when Opaque Alpha (in the Matte group box)
is turned off.
When Affect Alpha is on, the higher the Shadow Brightness value, the more
transparent the shadow, allowing the background to show through more, and
making the shadow appear brighter.
Shadow Brightness Sets shadow brightness. At 0.5, the shadows will not be
attenuated on the matte surface; at 1.0, the shadows are brightened to the
color of the matte surface; and at 0.0 they are darkened to completely obliterate
the matte surface.
Color Displays a Color Selector on page 304 to let you choose the color of the
shadow. Default=black.
Setting shadow color is especially useful when you're using a Matte/Shadow
material to composite your shadows against a background image, such as
video. It lets you tint your shadows to match pre-existing shadows in the
image.

6528 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Reflection group
Controls in this group determine whether the matte surfaces can have
reflections. You create matte reflections using a shadow map.
TIP Matte reflections don't successfully create an alpha channel unless you render
them against a black background.
Amount Controls the amount of reflection to use. This is a percentage that
can range from 0 to 100. This control is unavailable unless you have assigned
a map. Default=50.
You can animate this parameter.
Map Displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so you can assign a map
to use for reflections. The reflection is independent of the environment unless
you choose a Reflect/Refract on page 6778 or Flat Mirror map on page 6778.

Compound Materials
Compound materials combine two or more sub-materials. Compound materials
are similar to compositor maps on page 6751, but they exist at the material level.
Applying a compound material to an object creates a compound effect that
often uses mapping. You load or create compound materials using the
Material/Map Browser.
Using a filter control, you can choose whether the Browser lists maps or
materials or both.
Different types of materials create different effects, behave in particular ways,
or are provided as ways to combine multiple materials.
NOTE The sub-material buttons and sub-map buttons for most materials and
maps have check boxes beside each button. These let you turn that branch of the
material or map on or off. For example, in the Top/Bottom material, the Top
Material and Bottom Material buttons each have check boxes. Similarly, the Checker
map has two map buttons, one for each color. Each button has a check box beside
it that lets you disable that color's map.

Blend Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Blend
The Blend material lets you mix two materials on a single side of the surface.
Blend has an animatable Mix Amount parameter that lets you draw material

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6529

morphing on page 9227 function curves to control the way that the two materials
are blended over time.

Blend material combines bricks and stucco.

NOTE If even one sub-material has its shading set to Wire (see Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390), the entire material displays and renders as a wire
material.

Procedures
To create a Blend material, do one of the following:
■

In the Slate Material Editor ➤ Browser panel ➤ Create New Material /
Map (By Name) ➤ Materials ➤ Standard group, drag a Blend material
into the active View.

■

In the Compact Material Editor, activate a sample slot, click the Type
button, then in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, choose Blend and
then click OK.
3ds Max opens a Replace Map dialog on page 6082. This dialog asks whether
you want to discard the original material in the sample slot, or retain it as
a sub-material.

Blend materials have similar controls to Mix maps.

6530 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To specify a component material:
■

In the Blend Basic Parameters rollout, click one of the two material buttons.
The parameters for the sub-material are displayed. By default, a sub-material
is a Standard material with Blinn shading.

To control the mix amount:
■

In the Basic Parameters rollout, adjust the Mix Amount value.
You can also control the mix amount by using a map.

Map used to reveal brick beneath stucco

To control the mix amount using a map:
■

In the Basic Parameters rollout, click the map button next to Mask.
The Browser is displayed so you can select a map type.
The intensity of pixels in this mixing map controls the mix. When the
intensity is close to zero, one of the component colors or maps is visible;
when it is close to full intensity, the other component is visible.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6531

TIP Using a Noise map for the mixing map can give good effects that have a
natural appearance.
Mix Amount is unavailable while a map is assigned to this parameter. If
Use Curve is turned off, the mixing map is used as is. If Use Curve is on,
you can shift the effect of the mixing map's gradient ramp to reveal more
of one material and less of the other.

Interface

Material 1/Material 2 Set the two materials to be blended. Use the check
boxes to turn the materials on and off.
Interactive Chooses which of the two materials is displayed on object surfaces
in viewports by the interactive renderer.
If one material has Show Map in Viewport on page 6006 on, this takes precedence
over the Interactive setting. Only one map at a time can be displayed in
viewports.

6532 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mask Sets a map to use as a mask. The degree of blending between the two
materials depends on the intensity of the mask map. Lighter (whiter) areas of
the mask show more of Material 1, while darker (blacker) areas of the mask
show more of Material 2. Use the check box to turn the mask map on or off.
Mix Amount Determines the proportion of the blend (percentage). 0 means
only Material 1 is visible on the surface; 100 means only Material 2 is visible.
Unavailable if you have assigned a mask map and the mask's check box is on.
You can animate this parameter. Create Material Preview on page 6055 is useful
for testing the effect.

Mixing Curve group
The mixing curve affects how gradual or how sharp the transition between
the two colors being blended will be. It affects the blend only when a mask
map is assigned.
TIP For mottled effects, blend two standard materials using a noise map as a mask.
Use Curve Determines whether the Mixing Curve affects the mix. This control
is available only when a mask is assigned and active.
Transition Zone These values adjust the level of the Upper and Lower limits.
If the two values are the same, the two materials meet at a definite edge. Wider
ranges give more gradual blending from one sub-material to the other. The
mixing curve displays the effect of changing these values.

Composite Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Composite
Composite material composites on page 9118 up to 10 materials. The materials
are superimposed from top to bottom, as listed in the rollout. Materials are
combined using additive opacity on page 9085, subtractive opacity on page 9320,
or mixed using an Amount value.
NOTE If even one sub-material has its shading set to Wire (see Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390), the entire material displays and renders as a wire
material.
See also:
■

Composite Map on page 6751

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6533

Interface

Base Material Displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, where you
assign the base material. By default, the base material is a Standard material.
The other materials are composited by superimposing them on top of this
material, in order from top to bottom.

6534 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mat 1 through Mat 9 Each of these nine groups contains controls for a
material to composite. By default, no materials are assigned.
Check box When on, uses the material in the composite. When off, doesn't
use it. Default=on.
Button Displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, where you assign a
material to composite.
ASM buttons These buttons control how the material is composited.
Default=A.
■

AThis material uses additive opacity on page 9085. Colors in the material are
summed based on their opacity.

■

SThis material uses subtractive opacity on page 9320. Colors in the material
are subtracted based on their opacity.

■

MThis material mixes materials based on the Amount value (see following).
Both color and opacity are blended as they are when you use a Blend
material on page 6529 with no mask.

Amount Controls the amount of mixing. Default=100.0.
For additive (A) and subtractive (S) compositing, the Amount value can range
from 0 to 200. When the Amount is 0.0, no compositing happens, and the
material below is not visible. When the Amount is 100.0, the composite is
complete. When the amount is greater than 100.0, compositing is "overloaded":
transparent portions of the material become more opaque, until the material
below is no longer visible.
For mix (M) compositing, the Amount can range from 0.0 to 100.0. When
the Amount is 0.0, no compositing happens, and the material below is not
visible. When the amount is 100.0, compositing is complete, and only the
material below is visible.

Double-Sided Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Double-Sided
The Double-Sided material lets you assign two different materials to the front
and back faces of an object.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6535

On the right, a double-sided material creates a pattern for the inside of the trash can.

NOTE If even one sub-material has its shading set to Wire (see Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390), the entire material displays and renders as a wire
material.

Procedures
To create a Double Sided material, do one of the following:
■

In the Slate Material Editor ➤ Browser panel ➤ Create New Material /
Map (By Name) ➤ Materials ➤ Standard group, drag a Double Sided
material into the active View.

■

In the Compact Material Editor, activate a sample slot, click the Type
button, then in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, choose Double
Sided and then click OK.
3ds Max opens a Replace Map dialog on page 6082. This dialog asks whether
you want to discard the original material in the sample slot, or retain it as
a sub-material.

6536 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Double-Sided material controls let you choose the two materials, and the
translucency of the material overall.
To choose the outer material:
■

Click the button labeled Facing Material.
3ds Max displays the parameters for the sub-material. By default, a
sub-material is a Standard material with Blinn shading.

To choose the inner material:
1 Go back to the parent material (parameters for the Double-Sided material).
2 On the Double-Sided Basic Parameters rollout, click the button labeled
Back Material.
3ds Max displays the parameters for the sub-material. By default, a
sub-material is a Standard material with Blinn shading.
To make the material translucent:
■

Set Translucency to a value greater than 0.
The Translucency control affects the blending of the two materials. When
Translucency is 0, there is no blend. When Translucency is 100.0 percent,
the outer material is visible on inner faces and the inner material is visible
on outer faces. At intermediate values, the specified percentage of the inner
material "bleeds through" and is visible on outer faces.

Interface

Translucency Sets the amount that one material shows through the other.
This is a percentage that can range from 0.0 to 100.0. At 100 percent, the outer
material is visible on inner faces and the inner material is visible on outer

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6537

faces. At intermediate values, the specified percentage of the inner material
"bleeds through" and is visible on outer faces. Default=0.0.
You can animate this parameter.
Facing Material and Back Material Click to display the Material/Map Browser
on page 6167 and choose a material for one side or the other.
Use the check boxes to turn the materials on or off.

Morpher Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Morpher material
Procedures on page 6539 Interface on page 6540
The Morpher material works hand-in-hand with the Morpher modifier. You
can use it to make the cheeks of a character blush, or to wrinkle a character's
forehead when the eyebrows are raised. With the Morpher modifier's channel
spinners, you can blend materials the same way you morph the geometry.
The Morpher material has 100 material channels that map directly to the 100
channels in the Morpher modifier. After you apply the Morpher material to
an object and bind it to the Morpher modifier, you use the channel spinners
in the Morpher modifier to morph materials and geometry. Empty channels
in the Morpher modifier, with no geometry morph data, can be used to morph
materials only.
NOTE The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support the Morpher material.
NOTE If even one sub-material has its shading set to Wire (see Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390), the entire material displays and renders as a wire
material.
See also:
■

Morpher Modifier on page 1464

Applying the Morpher Material
An object must have at least one Morpher modifier in its modifier stack. You
can assign the material to an object and bind it to the object's Morpher
modifier in either of two ways.
■

After the Morpher modifier is applied to an object, use the Assign New
Material command in the Global Parameter rollout of the Morpher modifier.

6538 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

This is the simplest way, and applies the Morpher Material to the object
and binds the material to the Morpher modifier at the same time.
■

Open the Material Editor, select the Morpher material, and click Choose
Morph Object in the Parameters rollout, then click the object in the
viewports. After clicking the object, a dialog displays in the viewports,
select the Morpher modifier from the dialog (an object may have multiple
Morpher modifiers). This binds the Morpher material to the Morpher
modifier.

NOTE You can bind a Morpher material to only one Morpher modifier.

Procedures
Example: To apply and use the Morpher material:
1 Create a sphere in the Perspective viewport.

2 On the
Modify panel, right-click the sphere's entry in the modifier
stack display, and choose Convert To: Editable Mesh.
3 From the Modifier List, choose Morpher.
This applies the Morpher modifier to the sphere.
4 On the Morpher modifier's Global Parameters rollout, click Assign New
Material.
The Morpher material is now applied to the object and bound to the
Morpher modifier.

5 Open the
Material Editor, and click
(Pick Material
From Object) (the eyedropper), then click the sphere in the viewports.
The Material Editor displays the Morpher material parameters.
6 On the Morpher Basic Parameters rollout, in the Modifier Connection
group, click Choose Morph Object. In the dialog that appears, click
Morpher to highlight that modifier, and then click Bind.
7 On the Morpher Material Parameters rollout, click the Mat 1 slot.
8 On the Material/Map Browser choose Standard.
9 On the Basic Parameters rollout, click the Diffuse color swatch.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6539

10 On the Color Selector, choose a bright yellow, and close the color selector.
Leave the Material Editor open.

11 Turn on

12

(Auto Key), then move the time slider to frame 50.

Select the sphere, and then go to the

Modify panel.

13 On the Morpher modifier's Channel List rollout, set the channel 1 spinner
to 100.
In the Material Editor, the color of the sample sphere changes to yellow.

14 Turn off

(Auto Key).

15 On the main toolbar, click

(Render Production).

The sphere is yellow. If you render an animation the sphere changes from
a grey color to yellow.

Interface
The Morpher material interface is on a Parameters rollout in the Material
Editor.

6540 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Modifier Connection group
Choose Morph Object Click this option, then select an object in the viewports
that has a Morpher modifier applied to it. Clicking an object in the viewports
displays the Choose Morpher modifier dialog. Choose a Morpher modifier,
and click Bind.

Name Field Displays the name of object to which the Morpher material is
applied. If no object has been specified, the field displays "No Target".
Refresh Updates the channel data.
Marker List This list is identical to the marker list in the Morpher modifier.
Markers you save in the Morpher modifier appear here.

Base Material group
Base material button Click to apply a base material to the object. The base
material represents what the model looks like before any channel blending
takes place.

Channel Material Setup group
Map # 100 material channels are available. The scroll bar allows you to scroll
through all the channels. Double-click a channel to jump to the material
parameters for that channel.
There is a one-to-one correspondence between the channels in the Morpher
material and the Morpher modifier. A material in channel 1 of the Morpher
material is controlled by the channel 1 spinner in the Morpher modifier.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6541

Material on/off toggle Turns a channel on and off. Channels that are off do
not affect the morph result.

Mixing Calculation Options group
The system can slow down if there are many active materials being blended.
Options in this group allow you to control when the morph result will be
computed.
Constantly Choose to compute the material morph result all the time.
When Rendering Choose to compute the material morph result at render
time.
Never Calculate Choose to bypass material blending.

Multi/Sub-Object Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Multi/Sub-Object
The Multi/Sub-Object material lets you assign different materials at the
sub-object level of your geometry. You create a multi-material, assign it to an
object, and then use the Mesh Select modifier on page 1445 to select faces and
choose which of the sub-materials in the multi-material are assigned to the
selected faces.

6542 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Figure mapped using a Multi/Sub-Object material

If the object is an editable mesh on page 2190, you can drag and drop materials
to different selections of faces, building a Multi/Sub-Object material on the
fly. See Drag and Drop Sub-Object Material Assignment on page 6165.
You can also create a new Multi/Sub-Object material by dragging to faces
selected with the Edit Mesh modifier on page 1263.
Sub-material IDs do not depend on the order of the list, and you can enter
new ID values.
The Material Editor Make Unique on page 6072 function lets you make an
instanced sub-material into a unique copy.
At the Multi/Sub-Object material level, the sample slot's sample object shows
a patchwork of the sub-materials. When you edit a sub-material, the sample
slot display depends on the setting of the Simple Multi Display Below Top
Level toggle in the Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6543

Using Multi/Sub-Object Materials
Here are some usage tips with regards to mesh editing and managing
sub-materials.
■

When working at sub-object levels of Editable Meshes, Polys, Patches and
Splines, or with objects that have Edit Mesh, Spline or Patch modifiers
applied to them, you can browse by sub-material names if the object has
a multi-sub-object material applied to it.

■

Sub-materials that are not assigned to an object, or surface of an object,
can be 'cleaned' from the Multi-Sub-Object material by using the Clean
MultiMaterial utility on page 6942.

■

Duplicate maps, assigned to materials, can be changed to instances by
using the Instance Duplicate Maps utility on page 6947.

Procedures
To create a Multi/Sub-Object material, do one of the following:
■

In the Slate Material Editor ➤ Browser panel ➤ Create New Material /
Map (By Name) ➤ Materials ➤ Standard group, drag a Multi/Sub-Object
material into the active View.

■

In the Compact Material Editor, activate a sample slot, click the Type
button, then in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, choose
Multi/Sub-Object and then click OK.
3ds Max opens a Replace Map dialog on page 6082. This dialog asks whether
you want to discard the original material in the sample slot, or retain it as
a sub-material.

The controls for a Multi/Sub-Object material are essentially a list of the
sub-materials it contains.
To assign a sub-material:
■

On the Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout, click a sub-material
button.
The parameters for the sub-material appear. By default, a sub-material is a
Standard material with Blinn shading.

6544 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To make one of the sub-materials a solid color:
■

On the Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout, click the color swatch
next to the sub-material button.
In the Color Selector on page 304, choose a color.
The color swatches for sub-materials are shortcuts. They assign the color
you choose to the sub-material's Diffuse component.

To assign one of the sub-materials to a sub-object selection:
1 Select the object, and assign a Multi/Sub-Object material to it.

2 On the
Modify panel on page 8773, apply Mesh Select on page 1445
to the object.
3 Click Sub-Object and choose Face as the sub-object category.
4 Select the faces to which you will assign a sub-material.
5 Apply a Material modifier on page 1435, and set the material ID value to
the number of the sub-material you want to assign.
The viewport updates to show the sub-material assigned to the selected
faces.
The material ID values in the Multi/Sub-Object material and the material
ID numbers in the Select Face rollout correspond. If you set the ID to a
number that doesn't correspond to a material contained in the
Multi/Sub-Object material, the faces render as black.
WARNING Some geometric primitives do not use 1 as the default material ID,
and some, such as hedra or box, have multiple material IDs by default.
TIP You can also use the Edit Mesh modifier on page 1263 to assign a contained
material to selected faces. Apply Edit Mesh to the object, go to the Face sub-object
level, and select the faces to assign. Then on the Edit Surface rollout, set the material
ID value to the ID of the sub-material. (You can drag and drop on page 6165 a
Multi/Sub-Object material to an Edit Mesh modifier as you can to an editable mesh
object.)
To add a new sub-material:
■

Click Add.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6545

A new sub-material is added to the end of the list. By default, the new
sub-material's ID number is one greater than the highest material ID already
in use.
To remove a sub-material:
1 Select the sub-material by clicking its small sample sphere in the
Multi/Sub-Object Basic Parameters rollout.
The small sample sphere is surrounded by a black and white border to
show the sub-material is selected.
If the list of sub-materials is longer than the rollout will hold, you can
use the scroll bar at the right to display other parts of the list.
2 Click Delete.
The sub-material is removed.
Deleting a sub-material is an undoable operation.

6546 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Number This field displays the number of sub-materials contained in the
Multi/Sub-Object material.
Set Number Sets the number of sub-materials make up the material. At the
Multi/Sub-Object material level, the sample slot's sample object shows a
patchwork of the sub-materials. (When you edit a sub-material, the sample
slot display depends on the setting of the Simple Multi Display Below Top
Level toggle on the Material Editor Options dialog on page 6059.)

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6547

Reducing the number of sub-materials removes sub-materials from the end of
the list. You can undo Set Number when you have used it to delete materials.
Add Click to add a new sub-material to the list. By default, the new
sub-material's ID number is one greater than the highest material ID already
in use.
Delete Click to delete the currently chosen sub-material from the list. You
can undo deleting a sub-material.

Sort list controls
These buttons appear above three of the columns in the sub-materials list.
ID Click to sort the list so it begins with the sub-material that has the lowest
material ID, and ends with the sub-material that has the highest material ID.
Name Click to sort the list by the names you have entered in the Name
column.
Sub-Material Click to sort the list by the sub-material names that appear on
the Sub-Material buttons.

List of sub-materials
Each sub-material has a single entry in this list. The rollout displays up to 10
sub-materials at a time. If the Multi/Sub-Object material contains more than
10 sub-materials, you can scroll the list using the scrollbar at the right.
Each sub-material in the list has the following controls:
Small sample sphere The small sample sphere is a "mini-preview" of the
sub-material. Click it to select this sub-material. You must select a sub-material
before you delete it.
ID Shows the ID number assigned to this sub-material. You can edit this field
to change the ID number. If you assign two sub-materials the same ID, a
warning message appears at the top of the rollout.
When the Multi/Sub-Object material is applied to an object, faces in the object
assigned the same material ID number render with this sub-material.
You can click Sort by ID to sort the sub-material list by this value, from lowest
to highest.
NOTE Sometimes the Sub-Material button shows a material number. This is not
the sub-material ID.

6548 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Name Lets you enter a custom name for the material. A sub-material name
appears in the Name on page 6080 field when you're at the level of the
sub-material. It also appears in the Browser and the Navigator.
Sub-Material button Click the sub-material button to create or edit one of
the sub-materials. Each of the sub-materials is a complete material in its own
right, with as many maps on page 9215 and levels as you want.
By default, each sub-material is a Standard material on page 6382 with Blinn
shading on page 6399.
Color swatch Click the color swatch to the right of the Sub-Material button
to display the Color Selector on page 304 and choose a diffuse color for the
sub-material.
On/Off toggle Turns the sub-material on or off. When a sub-material is off,
it appears black in the sample slot and on objects in the scene. Default=on.

Shellac Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Shellac
Shellac material mixes two materials by superimposing one over the other.
Colors in the superimposed material, called the "shellac" material, are added
to colors in the base material. A Shellac Color Blend parameter controls the
amount of color mixing.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6549

Top: Base material
Middle: Shellac material
Bottom: Materials combined with a shellac color blend value of 50%

6550 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE If even one sub-material has its shading set to Wire (see Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390), the entire material displays and renders as a wire
material.

Interface

Base Material Goes to the level of the base sub-material. By default, the base
material is a Standard material with Blinn shading.
Shellac Material Goes to the level of the shellac material. By default, the
shellac material is a Standard material with Blinn shading.
Shellac Color Blend Controls the amount of color mixing. At 0.0, the shellac
material has no effect. Increasing the Shellac Color Blend value increases the
amount of shellac material color blended into the base material color. There
is no upper limit on this parameter. Large values "overload" the shellac material
colors. Default=0.0.
You can animate this parameter.

Top/Bottom Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Top/Bottom
The Top/Bottom material lets you assign two different materials to the top
and bottom portions of an object. You can blend the materials into one
another.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6551

Top/bottom material gives the pot a charred bottom.

The object's top faces are those whose normals point up. The bottom faces
have normals that point down. You can choose whether "up" and "down"
refer to the scene's world coordinates or to the object's local coordinates.
NOTE If even one sub-material has its shading set to Wire (see Shader Basic
Parameters Rollout on page 6390), the entire material displays and renders as a wire
material.

Procedures
To create a Top/Bottom material, do one of the following:
■

In the Slate Material Editor ➤ Browser panel ➤ Create New Material /
Map (By Name) ➤ Materials ➤ Standard group, drag a Top/Bottom
material into the active View.

■

In the Compact Material Editor, activate a sample slot, click the Type
button, then in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, choose Top/Bottom
and then click OK.

6552 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3ds Max opens a Replace Map dialog on page 6082. This dialog asks whether
you want to discard the original material in the sample slot, or retain it as
a sub-material.
The Top/Bottom material controls let you choose the two materials, and also
the transition between them.
To choose the top or bottom material:
■

On the Top/Bottom Basic Parameters rollout, click the Top Material button
or the Bottom Material button.
The parameters for the sub-material appear. By default, a sub-material is a
Standard material with Blinn shading.

To swap the two component materials:
■

In the Basic Parameters rollout, click Swap.
The remaining controls, described in the "Interface" section, affect the
transition between top and bottom.

Interface

Top Material and Bottom Material Click to display the parameters for the
top or bottom sub-material. By default, a sub-material is a Standard material
with Blinn shading.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6553

The check box to the right of each button lets you turn off that material,
making it invisible in the scene and in the sample slot.
Swap Swaps the position of the top and bottom materials

Coordinates group
Controls in this group let you choose how 3ds Max determines the boundary
between top and bottom.
World Faces point up or down according to the scene's world coordinates.
When you rotate the object, the boundary between top and bottom faces
remains in place.
Local Faces point up or down according to the object's local coordinates.
When you rotate the object, the material rotates with it.
Blend Blends the edge between the top and bottom sub-materials. This is a
percentage that can range from 0 to 100. At 0, there is a sharp line between
the top and bottom sub-materials. At 100, the top and bottom sub-materials
tint each other. Default=0.
You can animate this parameter.
Position Determines where the division between the two materials lies on an
object. This is a percentage that can range from 0 to 100. 0 is at the bottom
of the object, and displays only the top material. 100 is at the top of the object,
and displays only the bottom material. Default=50.
You can animate this parameter.

Ink 'n Paint Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Ink 'n Paint
The Ink 'n Paint material creates cartoon effects. Rather than the
three-dimensional, realistic effect most other materials provide, Ink 'n Paint
provides flat shading with “inked” borders.

6554 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Snake rendered with ink 'n paint

Because Ink 'n Paint is a material, you can create a scene that combines
3D-shaded objects with flat-shaded cartoon objects.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6555

Rendering that combines realistic shading with cartoon shading

In the Ink 'n Paint material, ink and paint are two separate components, with
customizable settings.

6556 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: The paint component only
Right: The ink component only

TIP Ink 'n Paint uses the raytracer settings on page 7120, so adjusting raytrace
acceleration can have an effect on the speed of Ink 'n Paint. Also, while you work
with Ink 'n Paint, disabling antialiasing can speed up the material, until you're
ready to create final renderings. (Turning off Ink really speeds it up.)
NOTE Motion blur does not work with Ink 'n Paint. (Typically, hand-drawn cartoons
are not motion blurred.)
NOTE Shadows don't appear on objects shaded with Ink 'n Paint unless the value
of Paint Levels is 4 or greater.
WARNING Ink 'n paint will only give correct results when rendered from a camera
or perspective view. It does not work in orthographic views.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6557

Using Ink 'n Paint
You can use Ink 'n Paint on multiple objects, but in general, it tends to work
best if you do the following:
1 Collect the objects for cartoon rendering into a single surface model such
as an Editable Mesh.
2 Assign different material ID values on page 9217 to portions of the model
you want to color differently.
Typically, you would do this at the Element sub-object level, although
you can certainly apply different material IDs to faces and polygons as
well.
3 Create a Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542. In it, create a sub-material
for each of the colors in the model. Make each sub-material an Ink 'n
Paint material, then assign colors and maps using each sub-material's
Paint controls.
If necessary, adjust the Ink controls as well.
TIP ActiveShade on page 7001 works with the Ink 'n Paint material, and can be a
good way to preview the material's effect.

Troubleshooting
Here are some commonly encountered problems, and potential solutions:
■

Internal ink lines are missing.
The Overlap bias is probably too high. Decrease it. If Underlap is turned
on, this might also have too high a bias.
Another possible reason is that you have a self-intersecting object, or an
object built by attaching smaller objects, thus creating intersecting faces.
In this case, set up the objects to use the Mat ID or SmGroup ink
components. If elements already have differing material IDs, try turning
off Only Adjacent Faces.

■

Ink looks sloppy on sloping parts of the object.
The Overlap or Underlap bias might be too low. Try increasing it.

■

Ink looks sloppy between interpenetrating objects.
Find out which ink component is the sloppy one. Then adjust its bias
control.

■

Ink lines disappear or are too narrow when Variable Width is on.

6558 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Turn on Clamp. You can also try to see if reducing the lighting level helps.
Or, you can try turning off Variable Width, then assigning a Falloff map
on page 6714 to the Ink Width component.
TIP To isolate which ink component is causing a problem, you can try assigning
each component a different, distinctive (and easy to read) color, then rendering
the image.
WARNING Ink 'n paint will only give correct results when rendered from a camera
or perspective view. It does not work in orthographic views.

Interface
Basic Material Extensions rollout

2-Sided Makes the material 2-sided on page 9079. Applies the material to both
sides of selected faces.
Face Map Applies the material to the faces of the geometry. If the material is
a mapped material, it requires no mapping coordinates on page 9212. The map
is automatically applied to each facet of the object.
Faceted Renders each face of a surface as if it were flat.
Fog BG when not painting When paint is turned off, the painted areas of
the material color are the same as the background. This toggle, when on, lets
the background in paint areas be affected by fog between the camera and the
object. Default=off.
Opaque alpha When on, the alpha channel is opaque even if ink or paint is
turned off. Default=off.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6559

Bump Adds bump mapping to the material.
■

ToggleWhen on, enables the bump map.

■

SpinnerControls the bump map amount.

■

Map buttonClick to assign a map to use for bump mapping.

Displacement Adds displacement mapping to the material.
■

ToggleWhen on, enables the displacement map.

■

SpinnerControls the displacement map amount.

■

Map buttonClick to assign a map to use for displacement mapping.

Paint Controls rollout
Paint is the main color of the material.

There are three main components of the “paint” of Ink 'n Paint. Each has
several associated controls, most of which are documented toward the end of
this section.
Lighted The fill color for the lighted side of objects. Default=light blue.
Turning off this component makes the object invisible, except for the ink.
Default=on.

6560 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: A lighted character
Right: Lighted and Highlight both turned off to render only the ink
■

Paint LevelsThe number of shades of color that are rendered, from light
to dark. Lower values make objects look flatter. Range=1 to 255. Default=2.

Increasing the value of Levels increases the number of shades of the basic color
seen in the lighted area.

Shaded The value in the spinner at the left is the percent of the Lighted color
that appears on the unlighted side of objects. Default=70.0.
Turning off this component displays a color swatch, which you can use to
assign a distinct color to shaded areas. Default=on.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6561

Increasing the value of Shaded increases the saturation of the shaded area. You can
also use Shaded to assign a distinct color for shading.

Highlight The color of the specular highlight. Default=white.
When this component is off, there is no specular highlight. Default=off.
TIP A specular highlight can destroy the illusion of 2D. Use this component
sparingly.

Left: No highlights

6562 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Right: Highlight on
■

GlossinessThe size of the specular highlight. The greater the Glossiness,
the smaller the highlight. Default=50.0.

Increasing glossiness decreases the size of the highlight.

Color component controls:
These are the controls that are duplicated for each of the paint components.
Each has an on/off toggle, a main control, and then on the right, a set of map
controls.
■

Check boxThe check box at the left of the rollout enables or disables that
particular component. In the case of Shaded, it toggles between a percentage
value (of the Lighted color) or a distinct Shaded color.

■

Color swatch or spinnerThe main control for each component. Click a
color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 304 and set the color of
the component. In the case of Shaded, this control can also be a percentage
spinner.

■

Map spinnerThe spinner to the right of the main control is the percentage
of the map to use. Default=100.0.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6563

Mapping the Lighted component
Right rear: The original, unmapped material
Left: Lighted component with a falloff map applied
Right front: Lighted component with a bitmap applied

■

Map check boxThe check box between the spinner and the button enables
or disables the map. Default=off until a map is assigned, then on.

■

Map buttonClick the button to assign a map to this component.
While a map is assigned and enabled, at 100 percent it completely overrides
the main color component. At lower percentages, the map is blended with
the color.

Ink Controls rollout
Ink is the linework, the outlines, in the material.

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Except for Ink Width, each of the ink components has an on/off toggle and
a color swatch. Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 304
and change the ink component's color. Each ink component, Ink Width
included, also has a set of map controls.
Ink When on, the rendering is “inked.” When off, no ink lines appear.
Default=on.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6565

Left: Rendering with ink
Right: Ink turned off

Ink Quality Affects the shape of the brush and the number of samples it uses.
When Quality equals 1, the brush is a “+” shape, and samples are taken over
an area of 5 pixels. When Quality equals 2, the brush is octagonal and the
samples are taken over an area of 9 to 15 pixels. When Quality equals 3, the
brush is nearly circular, and samples are taken over an area of 30 pixels.
Range=1 to 3. Default=1.
TIP For most models, increasing the Quality value introduces only a very subtle
change, and can take considerably longer to render. Do so only when a sub-object's
ink shows too many artifacts in the finished rendering, using the default Ink Quality.
(Don't rely on the ActiveShade preview, which will tend to be aliased.)
Ink Width The width of the ink, in pixels. This is specified by the spinner
labeled Min (minimum) unless Variable Width is on. When Variable Width
is on, the Max (maximum) spinner is also enabled, and the ink width can vary
between the minimum and maximum values. Default: Min=2.0, Max=4.0.

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Left: One-pixel ink width
Middle: Five-pixel ink width
Right: Ink width varies from one to five pixels.

Variable Width When on, the ink's width can vary between the minimum
and maximum Ink Width values. Ink with Variable Width looks a bit more
streamlined than ink with a constant width. Default=off.

The thickness of ink can be mapped.
Left: Thickness mapped with a gradient map
Right: Thickness mapped with a noise map

Clamp When Variable Width is on, sometimes the scene lighting causes some
ink lines to become so thin they nearly disappear. If this happens, turn on
Clamp, which forces the ink width to always remain between the Min and
Max values, regardless of the lighting. Default=off.
Outline The ink where the outer edges of the object appear against the
background or in front of a different object. Default=on.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6567

Left: Rendering the outline only
Right: Rendering only the overlap and underlap
■

Intersection BiasUse this to adjust artifacts that might appear when two
objects intersect each other. In effect, this moves the inked object closer
to the rendering point of view, or farther away, so Ink 'n Paint can decide
which object is in front. Positive values push the object away from the
point of view, negative values pull it closer. Default=0.0.

Overlap The ink used when a portion of an object overlaps itself. Default=on.
■

Overlap BiasUse this to adjust artifacts that might appear in ink that traces
the overlap. It says how far the overlap has to be in front of the rear surface
for Overlap ink to turn on. Positive values push the object away from the
point of view, negative values pull it closer. Default=10.0.

Underlap Similar to Overlap, but applies ink to the farther surface rather than
the nearer one. Default=off.
■

Underlap BiasUse this to adjust artifacts that might appear in ink that
traces the underlap. It says how far the underlap has to be behind the front
surface for Underlap ink to turn on. Positive values push the object away
from the point of view, negative values pull it closer. Default=0.0.

SmGroup The ink drawn between the boundaries of smoothing groups on
page 9310. In other words, it inks the edges of the object that have not been
smoothed. Default=on.

6568 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mat ID The ink drawn between different material ID values on page 9217.
Default=on.
TIP If two Ink 'n Paint materials overlap in the viewport, and both have Mat ID
on, you will often get a doubly thick ink line where they overlap. To correct this,
turn off the Mat ID component for one of these materials.

Inking the edges between sub-materials
■

Only Adjacent FacesWhen on, inks the material ID edge between adjacent
faces, but not between one object and another. When off, inks the material
ID edge between two objects or other non-adjacent faces. Default=on.

■

Intersection BiasWhen Only Adjacent Faces is turned off, use this to adjust
any artifacts that appear at the boundary between two objects with different
material IDs. Default=0.0.

Map controls There are map controls for each of the ink components: Width,
Outline, Overlap, Underlap, SmGroup, and Mat ID. These work the same as
they do for the material's paint components, as described above.

Standard Material and Related Materials (Not Photometric) | 6569

Mapping the outline and overlap components to simulate the look of drawing on paper

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray)
This section describes photometric materials that do not use mental ray or
the mental ray renderer.

Architectural Material
The settings for an Architectural material are physical properties, so it provides
the greatest possible realism when used with photometric lights on page 5707
and radiosity on page 7068. With this combination of features, you can create
lighting studies with a high degree of accuracy.

6570 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Architectural materials used with photometric lights and a radiosity solution create a
realistic rendering with accurate lighting levels.

It is not recommended that you use the Architectural material with standard
3ds Max lights in the scene, or with the Light Tracer. The point of this material
is to provide accurate modeling. Use it with photometric lights and radiosity.
The mental ray renderer, on the other hand, can render the Architectural
material, with some limitations described below.
TIP If you don't need the degree of realism that the Architectural material provides,
you can use a standard material on page 6382 or other material type.

Material Templates
When you create a new material, you can choose from a variety of templates.
A template is simply a set of preset material parameters, which approximates

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6571

the kind of material you want to create, and gives you a starting point. See
Templates Rollout on page 6572.

Rendering Architectural Materials with the mental ray Renderer
The mental ray Renderer on page 7129 can render Architectural materials. There
are some limitations, as follows:
■

Emit Energy (Based on Luminance): This setting is ignored. The
Architectural material does not contribute to the scene's lighting.

■

Sampling Parameters: These settings are ignored, as the mental ray renderer
uses its own sampling.

TIP When rendering with mental ray, instead of the Architectural material, we
highly recommend that you use the Arch & Design material on page 6269. This
material was designed especially for mental ray and provides superior flexibility,
rendering characteristics, and speed.
See also:
■

SuperSampling Rollout on page 6211

■

mental ray Connection Rollout on page 6215

Templates Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Architectural material ➤ Templates
rollout
The Templates rollout gives you a list of material types to choose from. A
template is simply a set of preset parameters for the Physical Qualities rollout,
which approximates the kind of material you want to create, and gives you a
starting point. Once you choose a template, you can adjust its settings and
add maps on page 6607 to enhance realism and improve the material's
appearance.
The templates do not affect the Diffuse Color on the Physical Qualities rollout,
only the numeric settings.

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Interface

Template drop-down list Chooses the kind of material you are designing.
Each template provides preset values for the various material parameters.
These are the material templates provided with 3ds Max. The purpose of most
templates is clear, so the table doesn't comment on all of them.
Template

Comments

Ceramic Tile - Glazed
Fabric
Glass - Clear
Glass - Translucent
Ideal Diffuse

A neutral white material

Masonry

A good base for a diffuse map

Metal

Shiny and reflective

Metal - Brushed

Less shiny

Metal - Flat

Even less shiny

Metal - Polished

Highly shiny

Mirror

Completely shiny

Paint Flat

Another neutral white material

Paint Gloss

Also white, but shiny

Paint Semi-Gloss

Also white, only slightly shiny

Paper

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6573

Template

Comments

Paper - Translucent
Plastic
Stone

A good base for a diffuse map

Stone Polished

Has a bit of shininess; also a good base for
a diffuse map

User Defined

Neutral; a good base for a diffuse map

User-Defined Metal

Somewhat shiny; also a good base for a
diffuse map

Water

Completely clear and shiny

Wood Unfinished

Neutral; a good base for a map

Wood Varnished

Physical Qualities Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Architectural material ➤ Physical
Qualities rollout
When you create a new Architectural material on page 6570 or edit an existing
one, the settings on the Physical Qualities rollout are the ones you are most
likely to need to adjust.

6574 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To match a material's luminance to a light:
WARNING Only photometric lights give correct luminance. Also, the mental ray
renderer disregards the Emit Energy setting.

■

Click to turn on Set Luminance From Light (below the
Luminance setting), then in a viewport, click the light.
After you choose the light, the button turns off once more.
TIP If you are using a radiosity solution on page 7068, make sure to turn on Emit
Energy (Based On Luminance) for any material whose luminance is greater
than zero. This control is on the Advanced Lighting Override rollout on page
6581.

Interface

Diffuse Color Controls the diffuse color on page 9137. The diffuse color is the
color this material has in direct light. Click the color swatch to display the
Color Selector on page 304 and change the diffuse color.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6575

Set color to texture average Click to change
the diffuse color to an average of the colors in the current diffuse map. (If no
map is assigned, this button has no effect.)
This button is useful when you are going to reduce the diffuse map’s Amount.
When the diffuse map pattern appears over an average of itself, for most kinds
of materials the effect is more realistic than when the pattern appears over an
unrelated color.
WARNING This button will change the diffuse color even if the diffuse map is
turned off.
Diffuse Map These controls assign a map to the material’s diffuse component.
To assign a map, click the oblong button (labeled “None” by default). This
displays the Material/Map Browser. In the Browser, choose the map type, and
then click OK. If you choose Bitmap as the map type, an additional dialog
prompts you to choose the particular bitmap file to use.
While a map is assigned to the material, its name appears as the map button’s
label.

■

Amount spinnerThe spinner at the left sets the amount of diffuse map to
use. This value is a percentage: at 100.0, only the map is visible; at lower
amounts, the diffuse color shows through; at 0.0, the map is not visible at
all.

■

On/offThe check box between the spinner and the map button is an on/off
switch. When on, the map appears in the material. When off, the map
does not appear.

Shininess Sets the shininess of the material. This value is a percentage: at
100.0, the material is as shiny as possible; at lower values, it is less shiny; at
0.0, it is not shiny at all.
In general, the shinier a material is, the smaller its specular highlights appear.
Specular highlights are reflections of the lights that illuminate the material.
(The index of refraction can also affect the size of highlights.) Shininess also
controls how much the material reflects other objects in the scene.
NOTE Shininess alone is not sufficient to produce specular reflections and highlights
on a surface. You must also consider the Index Of Refraction (IOR), described
below.

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The amount spinner for a shininess map scales the map. If no map is assigned,
the spinner value is used by itself.
Transparency Controls how transparent the material is. This value is a
percentage: at 100.0, the material is completely transparent; at lower values,
the material is partly opaque; and at 0.0, the material is completely opaque.
TIP The effect of transparency is best previewed against a pattern background. If
the material preview doesn’t show a pattern of colored checks, right-click the
material preview or the map preview, and choose Background from the pop-up
menu.
The amount spinner for a transparency map scales the map. If no map is
assigned, the spinner value is used by itself.
Translucency Controls how translucent the material is. A translucent object
transmits light, but also scatters it within the object. This value is a percentage:
at 0.0, the material is completely opaque; at 100.0, the material is as translucent
as possible.
The amount spinner for a translucency map scales the map. If no map is
assigned, the spinner value is used by itself.
Index of Refraction The index of refraction (IOR) controls how severely the
material refracts transmitted light, and how reflective the material appears.
At 1.0, the IOR of air, the object behind the transparent object does not distort.
At 1.5, the object behind distorts greatly, like a glass marble. Range=1.0 to
2.5.
Common IORs (assuming the camera is in air or a vacuum) are:
Material

IOR Value

Vacuum

1.0 (exactly)

Air

1.0003

Water

1.333

Glass

1.5 to 1.7

Diamond

2.418

In the physical world, the IOR results from the relative speeds of light through
the transparent material and the medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically
this is related to the object's density: the higher the IOR, the denser the object.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6577

The IOR affects how shiny a material appears; or, in the case of transparent
materials such as water or glass, the amount of distortion. For nontransparent
materials, the higher the IOR, the more light is reflected from the material,
and the shinier the material appears.
A refractive index of 1.0 means that all light is transmitted into the material.
In this case, even if the material has a high Shininess value, the surface appears
perfectly diffuse, and shows no specular highlights.
Luminance cd/m2 When its luminance is greater than 0.0, the material
appears to glow, and if you turn on Emit Energy (see below), it contributes
energy to the radiosity solution on page 7068. Luminance is measured in candelas
per meter squared.
The amount spinner for a luminance map scales the map. If no map is assigned,
the spinner value is used by itself.
Set luminance from light Obtains the material’s luminance
from a light in the scene. Click to turn on this button, then click a light in a
viewport. The material’s luminance is set to match the luminance of the light,
and the button is turned off once more.
2-Sided When on, makes the material 2-sided on page 9079. Applies the material
to both sides of selected faces.
Raw Diffuse Texture When on, excludes the material from lighting and
exposure control. This makes the material render with a completely flat look,
using the pure RGB values of the diffuse color or map. Default=off.

Special Effects Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Architectural material ➤ Special Effects
rollout
When you create a new Architectural material on page 6570 or edit an existing
one, the settings on the Special Effects rollout let you assign maps that create
bumps or displacement, adjust light intensity, or control transparency.

6578 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Bump controls These controls assign a bump map on page 6472 to the material.
To assign a map, click the oblong button (labeled “None” by default). This
displays the Material/Map Browser. In the Browser, choose the map type, and
then click OK. If you choose Bitmap as the map type, an additional dialog
prompts you to choose the particular bitmap file to use.
While a map is assigned to the material, its name appears as the map button’s
label.

■

Amount spinnerThe spinner at the left sets the amount of bump mapping
to use. At 1000.0, bump mapping has its greatest effect; at lower amounts,
the bumps are less pronounced; at 0.0, the bumps are not visible at all.
Negative values reverse the direction of the bump effect. Range: –1000.0
to 1000.0.

■

On/offThe check box between the spinner and the map button is an on/off
switch. When on, the map is used in the material. When off, the map is
not used.

Displacement controls These controls assign a displacement map on page
6482 to the material. To assign a map, click the oblong button (labeled “None”
by default). This displays the Material/Map Browser. In the Browser, choose
the map type, and then click OK. If you choose Bitmap as the map type, an
additional dialog prompts you to choose the particular bitmap file to use.
While a map is assigned to the material, its name appears as the map button’s
label.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6579

■

Amount spinnerThe spinner at the left sets the amount of displacement
mapping to use. At 1000.0, displacement mapping has its greatest effect;
at lower amounts, the displacement is less pronounced; at 0.0, the
displacement are not visible at all. Negative values reverse the direction of
the displacement. Range: –1000.0 to 1000.0.

■

On/offThe check box between the spinner and the map button is an on/off
switch. When on, the map is used in the material. When off, the map is
not used.

Intensity controls These controls assign an intensity map to the material,
modulating the material's brightness. The map is treated as a black-and-white
scale of intensity values.
TIP Applying a low-frequency Noise map on page 6723 to the intensity can help
reduce the “computer-generated” look of a texture, and add a natural feel to
surfaces such as bricks and carpets lit by daylight.
To assign a map, click the oblong button (labeled “None” by default). This
displays the Material/Map Browser. In the Browser, choose the map type, and
then click OK. If you choose Bitmap as the map type, an additional dialog
prompts you to choose the particular bitmap file to use.
While a map is assigned to the material, its name appears as the map button’s
label.

■

Amount spinnerThe spinner at the left sets the amount of intensity
mapping to use. At 100.0, intensity mapping has its greatest effect; at lower
amounts, the effect is less pronounced; at 0.0, the map has no effect; and
at values less than 0.0, the material is dimmed. Range: 0.0 to 100.0.

■

On/offThe check box between the spinner and the map button is an on/off
switch. When on, the map is used in the material. When off, the map is
not used.

Cutout controls These controls assign a cutout map on page 6586 to the material.
To assign a map, click the oblong button (labeled “None” by default). This
displays the Material/Map Browser. In the Browser, choose the map type, and

6580 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

then click OK. If you choose Bitmap as the map type, an additional dialog
prompts you to choose the particular bitmap file to use.
While a map is assigned to the material, its name appears as the map button’s
label.

■

Amount spinnerThe spinner at the left sets the amount of cutout mapping
to use. This value is a percentage: at 100.0, the map has its full effect; lower
amounts have the effect of darkening the map, reducing its effect and
increasing transparency. At 0.0, the map is completely black, making
objects with this material completely transparent.

■

On/offThe check box between the spinner and the map button is an on/off
switch. When on, the map is used in the material. When off, the map is
not used.

Advanced Lighting Override Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Architectural material ➤ Advanced
Lighting Override rollout
When you create a new Architectural material on page 6570 or edit an existing
one, the settings on the Adjust Radiosity rollout let you adjust how the material
behaves in a radiosity solution on page 7068.

Obtaining a Better Image
Materials with a bright diffuse color or high shininess can be highly reflective.
This can lead to overexposed or washed-out radiosity solutions. In general,
the best way to adjust this is to reduce the HSV Value (V) of a material's diffuse
color; or, for a material with a diffuse map, reduce the map's RGB level. In
some situations, the controls on this rollout can improve the appearance of
the radiosity solution. Examples of situations where the material's radiosity
settings can help include color bleeding and large dark areas:
■

You might want to reduce Reflectance Scale or Color Bleed Scale when a
large area of color (for example, a red carpet in a room with white walls)
creates excessive color bleeding. This might be physically accurate, but the

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6581

eye adjusts for such effects, and the radiosity result might look better with
less reflectance or less color bleeding.

Left: Excessive bleeding of the floor color onto the walls and ceiling.
Right: Reducing the floor's Reflectance Scale causes less bleeding.

■

You might want to increase Reflectance Scale when the scene includes a
large dark area (for example, a black floor). This can lead to a very dark
radiosity result. You can maintain the floor’s color but increase reflectance,
giving the solution the colors you want while increasing its brightness.

The room is lit only by spotlights pointed at the floor. Increasing reflectance of the
floor brightens the entire room.

6582 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP To get an idea of how the current material will affect the radiosity solution,
check the reflectance and transmittance display on page 6042.

Interface
WARNING There is no problem with reducing the default scale, but increasing it
for any of these parameters might cause colors to “burn out”: if the scale is too
great, they render as pure white, appearing overexposed.

Emit Energy (Based on Luminance) When on, the material contributes
energy to the radiosity solution, based on the material’s luminance value (see
above).
NOTE The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not use this setting. The
Architectural material does not contribute to the scene's lighting.
Increasing the Luminance (above 0.0) makes an object appear to glow in
ordinary renderings, but does not contribute energy to the radiosity solution.
To have radiosity processing take a self-illuminating material into account,
turn on Emit Energy (Based On Luminance).

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6583

Upper left: By default, luminous neon lights do not influence the scene light.
Right: With Emit Energy on, the radiosity solution takes luminance into account.

TIP When you increase luminance to achieve a special effect in the rendering (for
example, to make the globe surrounding a lamp appear to be glowing), probably
you shouldn't turn on Emit Energy (in the example, both the globe and lamp
would then add light to the scene). When you increase luminance because the
object really glows (for example a neon light tube), then you should turn on Emit
Energy, so that the object contributes light to the scene.
Color Bleed Scale Increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color.
Range=0.0 to 1000.0. Default=100.0.

6584 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Color Bleed increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color.

Indirect Bump Scale Scales the effect of the base material’s bump mapping
on page 6472 in areas lit by indirect light. When this value is zero, no bump
mapping is done for indirect light. Increasing Indirect Light Bump Scale
increases the bump effect under indirect lighting. This value does not affect
the Bump amount in areas where the base material is lit directly. Range=–999.0
to 999.0. Default=100.0.
TIP This parameter is useful because indirect bump mapping is simulated and not
always accurate. Indirect Light Bump Scale lets you adjust the effect by hand.
Reflectance Scale Increases or decreases the amount of energy the material
reflects. Range=0.0 to 1000.0. Default=100.0.

Reflectance Scale increases or decreases the energy of reflected rays.

TIP Don’t use this control to increase self-illumination. Use the material's Luminance
instead. The Luminance control is on the Physical Qualities rollout on page 6574.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6585

Transmittance Scale Increases or decreases the amount of energy the material
transmits. Range=0 to 1000.0. Default=100.0.

Transmittance Scale increases or decreases the energy of transmitted rays.

Cutout Mapping

Material Editor ➤ Architectural material ➤ Special Effects
rollout ➤ Cutout map button

Material Editor ➤ Arch & Design material ➤ Special
Purpose Maps rollout ➤ Cutout map button

Material Editor ➤ Autodesk Generic material ➤ Cut-outs
rollout ➤ Turn on Enable. ➤ Image button

Material Editor ➤ Autodesk Metal material ➤ Cut-outs
rollout ➤ Change Type to Custom. ➤ Image button
Assigning a bitmap on page 6636 or procedural map on page 9274 to the Cutout
component of an Architectural material on page 6570, Arch & Design material
on page 6269, Autodesk Generic material on page 6232, or an Autodesk Metal

6586 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

material on page 6247, makes the material partially transparent. Lighter
(higher-value) areas of the map render as opaque; darker areas render as
transparent; and values in between are semi-transparent.
Setting the cutout map's Amount to 100 applies all of the map. Transparent
areas are fully transparent. Setting the Amount to 0 is the equivalent of turning
the map off. Intermediate Amount values are blended with the Transparency
value on the Physical Qualities rollout. Transparent areas of the map become
more opaque.

The gray levels of a cutout map determine the amount of transparency.

Procedures
To use a cutout map:
1 Click the Cutout map button.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
2 Choose from the list of map types on page 6607, and then click OK.
The Material is now at the map level, and displays map controls.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6587

(If you choose Bitmap as the map type, you first see a file dialog that lets
you choose the image file.)
3 Use the map controls to set up the map.
To remove a cutout map from a material:
TIP You can disable the map without removing it. Simply turn off the toggle
immediately to the left of the map button on the Special Effects rollout.
1 If the Material Editor is displaying the map controls, click the Type button
on page 6081 to display the Material/Map Browser. If the map controls
aren't visible, click the Cutout map button to display them, and then
click the Type button.
2 In the Browser, choose NONE as the map type, and then click OK.
The map is removed.

Advanced Lighting Override Material
Activate the Default Scanline Renderer. ➤ Material/Map Browser on page 6167
➤ Advanced Lighting Override
This material lets you directly control the radiosity properties of a material.
Advanced Lighting Override is always a supplement to a base material, which
can be any renderable material. The Advanced Lighting Override material has
no effect on ordinary renderings. It affects the radiosity solution on page 7068
or light tracing on page 7055.
NOTE This material is unavailable with the mental ray renderer.
Advanced Lighting Override has two main uses:
■

Adjusting the material properties used in a radiosity solution or light tracing

■

Creating special effects such as having self-illuminating objects contribute
energy to the radiosity solution

As the rollout for the Advanced Lighting Override material states, you don’t
have to apply this material to obtain a radiosity solution, and most models
will never require it.

6588 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

IMPORTANT The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support the Advanced
Lighting Override material.

Obtaining a Better Image
Materials that use default settings can be highly reflective. This can lead to
overexposed or washed-out radiosity solutions. In general, the best way to
adjust this is to reduce the HSV Value (V) of a material color; or, for a
bitmapped material, reduce the RGB Level. In some situations, Radiosity
Override can improve the appearance of the radiosity solution. Examples of
situations where Radiosity Override can help include color bleeding and large
dark areas:
■

You might want to reduce Reflectance Scale or Color Bleed when a large
area of color (for example, a red carpet in a room with white walls) creates
excessive color bleeding. This might be physically accurate, but the eye
adjusts for such effects, and the radiosity result might look better with less
reflectance or less color bleeding.

Left: Excessive bleeding of the floor color onto the walls and ceiling.
Right: Radiosity Override material reduces the floor’s reflectance, causing less
bleeding.

■

You might want to increase Reflectance Scale when the scene includes a
large dark area (for example, a black floor). This can lead to a very dark
radiosity result. You can maintain the floor’s color but increase reflectance,
giving the solution the colors you want while increasing its brightness.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6589

The room is lit only by spotlights pointed at the floor. Increasing reflectance of the
floor brightens the entire room.

TIP To get an idea of how the current material will affect the radiosity solution
or light-traced rendering, check the reflectance and transmittance display on
page 6042.

Creating Special Effects
Self-illumination on page 6416 makes an object appear to glow in ordinary
renderings, but does not contribute energy to the radiosity solution. To have
radiosity processing take a self-illuminating material into account, make this
material the base material of Advanced Lighting Override, then increase the
value of Luminance Scale.

6590 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Upper left: By default, self-illuminated neon lights do not influence the scene light.
Right: Advanced Lighting Override material scales the neon lights’ Luminance so the
radiosity solution can take it into account.

Luminance scale takes self-illumination mapping on page 6463 into account.
You can use this to model effects such as a computer monitor in a darkened
room.
The Special Effects group of the Advanced Lighting Override material also has
a control for adjusting the quality of bump mapping on page 6472 in areas of
indirect lighting.

Procedures
To adjust a material’s reflectance and transmittance:
1 Create a material for your scene.
2 In the Compact Material Editor, click the Type button and choose
Advanced Lighting Override.
3 In the Replace Material dialog on page 6082, choose Keep Old Material As
Sub-Material, and click OK.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6591

4 Adjust the Reflectance Scale and Transmittance Scale parameters. As you
do, watch the Reflectance and Transmittance display, and make sure the
values are good for a radiosity solution. For example, 85 percent
reflectance is about the highest that will work with radiosity. Most
real-world materials have much lower reflectance.
See Reflectance and Transmittance Display on page 6042 for some reflectance
properties of real-world materials.
To make a self-illuminating material emit radiosity energy:
1 Create a material that is self-illuminating.
2 In the Compact Material Editor, click the Type button and choose
Advanced Lighting Override.
3 In the Replace Material dialog on page 6082, choose Keep Old Material As
Sub-Material, and click OK.
4 Increase the value of Luminance Scale to have the material emit energy
for radiosity processing.

6592 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Override Material Physical Properties group
These parameters control the base material’s advanced lighting properties
directly.
WARNING There is no problem with reducing the default scale, but increasing it
for any of these parameters might cause colors to “burn out”: if the scale is too
great, they render as pure white, appearing overexposed.
Reflectance Scale Increases or decreases the amount of energy the material
reflects. Default=1.0.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6593

Reflectance Scale increases or decreases the energy of reflected rays.

TIP To increase self-illumination, use Luminance Scale on page 6595 in the Special
Effects group, not this control.
Color Bleed Increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color. Default=1.0.

Color Bleed increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color.

Transmittance Scale Increases or decreases the amount of energy the material
transmits. Default=1.0.

6594 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Transmittance Scale increases or decreases the energy of transmitted rays.

NOTE This parameter affects only radiosity. It has no effect on light tracing.

Special Effects group
These parameters relate to specific components in the base material.
Luminance Scale (cd/m^2) When greater than 0, scales the self-illumination
component on page 6416 of the base material. Use this parameter to have
self-illuminating objects contribute energy to the radiosity or light-traced
solution. Cannot be less than zero. Default=0.0.
Typically, a value of 500 or more will give good results.
Indirect Light Bump Scale Scales the effect of the base material’s bump
mapping on page 6472 in areas lit by indirect light. When this value is zero, no
bump mapping is done for indirect light. Increasing Indirect Light Bump Scale
increases the bump effect under indirect lighting. This value does not affect
the Bump amount in areas where the base material is lit directly. Cannot be
less than zero. Default=1.0.
TIP This parameter is useful because indirect bump mapping is simulated and not
always accurate. Indirect Light Bump Scale lets you adjust the effect by hand.
Base Material Click to go to the base material and adjust its components. You
can also replace the base material with a different material type.
To return from the base material to the Advanced Lighting Override
level, click Go To Parent.

Photometric Materials (Non-mental ray) | 6595

Materials to Support Hardware Shading and Rendering
to Texture
The materials described in this section specifically support hardware shading
(as in hardware-driven viewports or a game engine), and the Render to Texture
on page 7307 feature.

Shell Material

Render to a texture. ➤
Material Editor ➤ Pick Material
from Object ➤ Click object with baked material.
The Shell material is for use with texture baking on page 7307. When you use
Render To Texture to bake a texture, it creates a Shell material that contains
two materials: the original material used in the rendering, and the baked
material. The baked material is a bitmap that is saved to disk by Render To
Texture. It is “baked,” or attached to an object in the scene.
The Shell material is a container for other materials, like Multi/Sub-Object. It
also lets you control which material is used in which renderings.
NOTE The Material/Map Browser lists the Shell material when you assign a new
material. You can apply two materials to a single object this way, but changing a
material's type to Shell does not generate a baked texture that is saved to disk.

Procedures
To load a shell material into a Compact Material Editor sample slot:
1 Click an unused sample slot.
2 Click

(Pick Material From Object).

3 In a viewport, click an object that has a baked material.
The sample slot now contains the baked material, and the Shell Material
Parameters rollout is displayed.

6596 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Original Material Displays the name of the original material. Click the button
to view that material and adjust its settings.
Baked Material Displays the name of the baked material. Click the button to
view that material and adjust its settings.
In addition to the color and mapping of the original material, the baked
material can include shadows from lighting, and other information. Also, a
baked material has a fixed resolution.
Viewport Use these buttons to choose which material appears in shaded
viewports: the original material (upper button) or the baked material (lower
button).
Render Use these buttons to choose which material appears in renderings:
the original material (upper button) or the baked material (lower button).

DirectX Shader Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ DirectX Shader
The DirectX Shader material enables you to shade objects in viewports using
DirectX (Direct3D) shaders. With DirectX shading, materials in a viewport
more accurately represent how the material will appear in another application,
or on other hardware such as a game engine. You can use this material only
when you are using the Direct3D Display driver on page 8912 and DirectX 9.0
or DirectX 10.0 is chosen as the Direct3D version.
NOTE Typically, this material is visible in the Browser only if DirectX 9 or DirectX
10 is available on your system, and you are using the Direct3D display driver with
DirectX 9.0 or DirectX 10.0 chosen as the Direct3D version. If this material is not
visible, you can see it (in gray) by turning on Incompatible in the Show group.

Materials to Support Hardware Shading and Rendering to Texture | 6597

The DirectX Shader material can use the following types of shaders:
■

FX files on page 9172

■

CGFX files on page 9115
Sample FX and CGFX files are provided in the \fx folder in the 3ds Max
program directory.

■

XMSL files on page 9356
You can create an XMSL file from the Slate Material Editor on page 6083,
using the Map To Material Conversion node on page 6378.
®

You also can create XMSL shader files using the mental mill application
®
from mental images . For a MetaSL shader to work with mental ray, you
must save it from mental mill as a phenomenon. Phenomena are described
in the mental mill Artist Edition User Guide.
See also:
■

DirectX Shader group on page 6063

Light Support
Typically FX and CGFX shaders are coded to use a specific number of lights:
usually just a single light. If the FX/CGFX file you open is coded this way, the
shader-specific rollouts display a control that lets you pick the light to use.
For example:

XSML shaders, on the other hand, are not coded to use specific lights, so they
use all active lights in the scene.

Bitmap Support
When you assign a map to a mappable component of a DirectX shader, you
can choose from among these map types:
■

All DX Formats

6598 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Shows all the file types listed in the remainder of this list.
■

BMP files on page 8414

■

DDS files on page 8416

■

JPEG files on page 8427

■

Radiance image (HDR) files on page 8448

■

PNG files on page 8443

■

PSD files on page 8444
When you open a Photoshop PSD file that contains layers, 3ds Max displays
a dialog that lets you choose to either collapse the layers and display the
composited image, or use just a single layer.

■

TGA files on page 8459

Interface
DirectX Shader rollout

Shader button Click to display a file dialog that lets you open a Direct3D
Effects (FX) file. By default, the default.fx file is chosen.
To open a CGFX or XSML file, choose that file type from the Files Of Type
drop-down list in the file dialog.
Reload Click to reload the active shader file. To update a shader file, you can
edit it and then click Reload. You don't have to restart 3ds Max to see the
effect of the changes to the shader.

Shader-specific rollouts
The rollouts that appear below the DirectX Shader rollout and above the
Software Rendering rollout are the interface to the shader you chose. These
rollouts are specific to each shader.
When you load a shader that is not appropriate for 3ds Max, then instead of
parameters you might see a rollout that displays an error message. For example:

Materials to Support Hardware Shading and Rendering to Texture | 6599

An XSML file can contain more than one shader. When you open one of these,
3ds Max prompts you to choose which shader the material will use. For
example:

Software Render Style rollout

Specifies a material that controls software shading and rendering of objects
to which the DirectX Shader material is applied. Viewports use DX shading
unless the Software or OpenGL driver is active. Renderings always use software
shading.
Usually you will want to choose a material that clearly identifies which objects
in your scene have the DirectX Shader material applied.
NOTE The DirectX Shader material has no specific settings for software shading.
Any type of 3ds Max material will do. Scenes from previous versions that used
DX-specific settings are assigned a Standard material with equivalent rendering
properties.

6600 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

If DirectX is not available on your system, but you assign the DirectX Shader
material anyway (by using the Material/Map Browser's Incompatible option),
this is the only rollout that appears in the Material Editor.

LightMap Shader Rollout

Material Editor ➤ DirectX Manager rollout ➤ Choose
LightMap from the drop-down list. ➤ LightMap Shader rollout appears.
When you have chosen LightMap as the DirectX viewport shader on page 6222,
this rollout appears. The LightMap shader can display both a base texture and
a lighting map. Typically both these maps come from rendering to textures
(texture baking) on page 7307 The base texture typically would be a completed
map, a blend map, or a diffuse map. You can choose these map types, as well
as lighting map, to render as elements of a baked texture on page 7312.
NOTE In order to use the LightMap shader, you must have 3ds Max configured
to use the Direct3D graphics driver. To change the graphics driver configuration,
refer to the Viewport Preferences on page 8896 topic.

Interface

Base Texture group
Button Shows the name of the base texture. Click the button to display that
material's parameters, and adjust them if necessary.

Materials to Support Hardware Shading and Rendering to Texture | 6601

Toggle When on, shaded viewports display the base texture. When off, it is
not displayed.
If both the Base Texture and Light Map toggles are off, the material appears
black in viewports.
Mapping Channel Shows the map channel on page 9210 this texture uses.

Light Map group
Button Shows the name of the lighting map.
Toggle When on, shaded viewports display the lighting map. When off, it is
not displayed.
If both the Base Texture and Light Map toggles are off, the material appears
black in viewports.
Mapping Channel Shows the map channel this texture uses.

Metal Bump Shader Rollout

Material Editor ➤ DirectX Manager rollout ➤ Choose
LightMap from the drop-down list. ➤ Metal Bump Shader rollout appears.
When you have chosen Metal Bump as the DirectX viewport shader on page
6222, this rollout appears. The Metal Bump shader can display a variety of
texture-baked maps on page 7307, including normal maps for an embossed
effect. It is good for displaying shiny surfaces.
NOTE In order to use the Metal Bump shader, you must have 3ds Max configured
to use the Direct3D graphics driver. To change the graphics driver configuration,
refer to the Viewport Preferences on page 8896 topic.
The Metal Bump shader's results are always visible in viewports, regardless of
the object type.
WARNING The Metal Bump shader lets you adjust settings to get various effects
in shaded viewports. These settings will not necessarily apply when you display
the texture-baked object on other Direct3D devices.
See also:
■

Baked Texture Elements on page 7312

6602 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Ambient & Diffuse group
Ambient Color When not black, tints the object's ambient color. Click the
color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 304 and choose the ambient
color. Default=black.

Materials to Support Hardware Shading and Rendering to Texture | 6603

Diffuse Color When not white, tints the diffuse color. Click the color swatch
to display a Color Selector and choose the diffuse color. Default=white.
Texture 1 Displays a texture map for the diffuse color. Typically this would
be a texture-baked diffuse map, completed map, or blend map.
See the section “Map Controls,” below, for a description of the individual
controls.
Texture 2 Displays a second texture map for the diffuse color. Typically this
would be a texture-baked lighting map or shadows map.
See the section “Map Controls,” below, for a description of the individual
controls.
Use Alpha When on, displays the alpha channel. When off, does not.
Default=off.
Mix Amount Adjusts the mixing of the two texture maps in shaded viewports.

Specular group
Enable When on, enables specular highlights for the object. Default=off.
Specular Color Specifies a specular color for the object. Click the color swatch
to display a Color Selector and choose a color. Default=white.
Texture Displays a specular map for the object. Typically this would be a
texture-baked specular map.
See the section “Map Controls,” below, for a description of the individual
controls.

Bump group
Normal Displays a normal map for the object. Typically this would be a
texture-baked normals map.
See the section “Map Controls,” below, for a description of the individual
controls.
Bump Displays a bump map for the object. Typically this would be a bump
map used for the original material.
See the section “Map Controls,” below, for a description of the individual
controls.
Bump Intensity Adjusts the intensity of the bumps in shaded viewports.

6604 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Reflection group
Cubemap Displays a reflection map projected cubically (around the scene).
Typically this would be an environment map.
Reflection Intensity Adjusts the intensity of reflections in shaded viewports.
Pick object and create Click to choose an object and have 3ds Max generate
the reflections used in the viewport.

Sync Standard Material
When on, adjustments you make to the Metal Bump shader update settings
in the active standard material, letting you save the changes you made. When
off, the standard material is unchanged. Default=off.

Map Controls
In this rollout, all texture maps have the same general controls. The rollout
appears only when you are using the DirectX viewport shader.
Toggle When on, the map is used in viewports. When off, it is not used.
Default=on if a map is assigned, off otherwise.
Map button Click to choose the texture map to use for this component of
the object.
Map Channel Specifies the map channel on page 9210 used by this map.
This control is not present for the cubic reflection map.

XRef Material
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ XRef Material
The XRef material lets you externally reference a material applied to an object
in another scene file. As with XRef objects on page 7971, the material resides in
a separate source file. You can set the material properties only in the source
file. When you change them in the source file and then save it, the material's
appearance can change in the master file that contains the XRef.

XRef Material | 6605

NOTE If an XRef object has a material applied to it in the original source file (and
Merge Materials is turned off when you reference the source file), then that material
is automatically externally referenced in the scene, and can be loaded in the
Material Editor if you browse from the scene. When you explicitly use the Material
Editor to create an XRef material, you don't have to have any XRef objects from
that particular source file. However, the record's source file and material do appear
in the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977.
The Show Map In Viewport button works for an XRef material only if the
same button is turned on in the source file. Otherwise, it is disabled.

Interface

Highlight Corresponding XRef Record in the XRef Objects
Dialog Click to open the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977 that highlights the
source file's current record with its object displayed in the XRef Entities list.
If no file and object have yet been selected for the material, the XRef Objects
dialog is displayed, and lets you browse for the file and material to use.
File name field Displays the path and file name of the scene file containing
the source of the XRef material. You can edit this to point to a different path
and file.

6606 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

File name display Displays the file name only, without the path.

Path button Click to display the Open File dialog from which you can
specify a different path and file name for the source file. After you choose the
file, 3ds Max displays the XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 that lets you choose
the object whose material you want to reference.
Object name field Displays the name of the source object pointed to in the
source file.
Object name and material Displays the name of the source object followed
by the material name in parentheses. For example, “Shaker ( Chrome ).”

Path button Click to display the XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 pointing
to the scene in the XRef File Name field. Here, you can specify a different
object whose material you want to reference.
Status line Displays the status of the material. For example, if the file and
object are both found, this field says “Status: XRef Resolved.”

Maps and Shaders
The most common use for maps on page 9215 is to improve the appearance and
realism of Materials on page 9219. You can also use maps to create environments
on page 7621 or projections from lights (see Advanced Effects Rollout on page
5817 ).
Maps can simulate textures, applied designs, reflections, refractions, and other
effects. Used with materials, maps add details without adding complexity to
the geometry of an object. (Displacement mapping on page 6482 can add
complexity.)
With the mental ray renderer, a shader can be the equivalent of a map. You
assign a shader to a material in the same way you assign a map.
NOTE mental ray shaders can apply to other scene elements such as cameras; see
mental ray Shaders on page 6806 for more information.

Accessing Map Types
You use the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 to load a map or create a map
of a particular type. The Browser groups maps into categories according to
their type. You can choose whether the Browser lists maps, materials, or both;
you can choose which map types.

Maps and Shaders | 6607

To open the Browser from the Compact Material Editor:
As you work with materials, you can open the Material/Map Browser from the
Material Editor.

1 Open the

Compact Material Editor.

2 On the Material Editor toolbar, click
Material/Map Browser.

(Get Material) to display the

Maps and mental ray Shaders
When the mental ray renderer on page 7129 is active, the Material/Map Browser
also lists mental ray shaders. Shaders are similar to maps, but use yellow icons.
You assign them the way you do maps. The mental ray shaders don't fit into
the map categories described in the previous section, and aren't described in
this topic. See mental ray Shaders on page 6806 for links to shader descriptions.

mental ray maps in the browser's list are shown with yellow icons.

TIP When the default scanline renderer is active, you can view mental ray shaders
in the Browser list, and assign them, by turning on Incompatible in the Show
group. Incompatible shaders in the list are displayed in gray.

6608 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Maps and Mapping Coordinates
Maps have a spatial orientation. When you apply a material with maps in it
to an object, the object must have mapping coordinates. These are specified
in terms of UVW axes local to the object.
Most objects have a Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle. You can turn this
on to provide default mapping coordinates. If the object has this toggle, it is
also turned on automatically when you render the scene, or use Show Map
In Viewport on page 6006.
Some objects, such as editable meshes, don't have automatic mapping
coordinates. For these types of objects, you can assign coordinates by applying
a UVW Map modifier on page 1883. If you assign a map that uses a mapping
channel, but don't apply a UVW Map modifier to the object, the renderer
displays a warning that lists objects that require mapping coordinates. You
can also use UVW Map to change an object's default mapping.
See Mapping Coordinates on page 6005.

UVW Mapping Coordinate Channels
Each object can have from 1 to 99 UVWmapping coordinate channels. The
default mapping (from the Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle) is always
UVW 1. The UVW Map modifier can send coordinates to any of these channels.
Each map in a material can use any UVW channel (if present), or other type
of mapping that depends on whether the map is 2D or 3D.
You can set the mapping channel used by NURBS surface on page 2471
sub-objects in their creation or modification parameters.

Mapping for 2D Maps
You can position a 2D map on the surface of an object by using a map channel,
any assigned vertex color, or the local or world coordinate systems. You can
also choose different environment mappings. See Coordinates Rollout (2D)
on page 6622.

Mapping for 3D Maps
You can position a 3D map within the volume of an object by using a map
channel, any assigned vertex color, or the local or world coordinate systems.
See Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698.

Maps and Shaders | 6609

Noise for Maps
Random noise values increase the complexity of maps and can give them a
more natural look. For 2D maps, see Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632. For 3D
maps, you can assign a separate Noise map. See Noise Map on page 6723.

Real-World Mapping
Real-world mapping is an alternative mapping paradigm in 3ds Max that is
off by default. The idea behind real-world mapping is to simplify the correct
scaling of texture-mapped materials applied to geometry in the scene. This
feature lets you create a material and specify the actual width and height of
a 2D texture map in the Material Editor. When you assign that material to an
object in the scene, the texture map appears in the scene with correct scaling.
For real-world mapping to work, two requirements must be met. First, the
correct style of UV texture coordinates must be assigned to the geometry.
Essentially, the size of the UV space needs to correspond to the size of the
geometry. To this end, a new option called Real-World Map Size has been
added to many of the dialogs and rollouts that let you generate texture
coordinates (see list at the end of this topic). Any dialog or rollout that lets
you turn on Generate Mapping Coords also lets you enable Real-World Map
Size. Also, you can toggle this option globally on the Preferences dialog ➤
General panel on page 8887.

Most object parameters settings now include a Real-World Map Size toggle.

6610 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The second requirement is available in the Material Editor. All 2D texture
maps, such as Bitmap, provide a Use Real-World Scale check box on the
Coordinates rollout on page 6622. Like Real-World Map Size, this check box is
off by default; when on, the U/V parameter names change to Width/Height
and the Tiling label changes to Size. You can then specify the
horizontal/vertical offsets and size of the texture map in current system units
on page 8959.

2D map coordinates settings now include a Use Real-World Scale toggle.

Following is a list of affected features (note links to topics with more extensive
information):
■

Bevel Modifier

■

Bevel Profile Modifier

■

Box Primitive

■

Capsule Extended Primitive

■

C-Ext Extended Primitive

■

ChamferBox Extended Primitive Create panel ➤ Geometry button

■

ChamferCyl Extended Primitive

■

Cone Primitive

■

CV Curve

Real-World Mapping | 6611

■

Cylinder Primitive Create panel

■

Doors

■

Editable Spline

■

Extrude Modifier

■

Gengon Extended Primitive

■

GeoSphere Primitive

■

Importing AutoCAD Drawing

■

Importing DXF Files

■

Lathe Modifier

■

L-Ext Extended Primitive

■

L-Type Stair

■

Loft ➤ Surface Parameters Rollout

■

Material Editor Coordinates Rollout

■

Material Editor Options on page 6059

■

OilTank Extended Primitive

■

Plane Primitive

■

Point Curve

■

Pyramid Primitive

■

Railing

■

Renderable Spline Modifier

■

Sphere Primitive

■

Spindle Extended Primitive

■

Spline Rendering File Link Settings

■

Splines and Extended Splines

■

Stairs

■

Sweep Modifier

6612 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Teapot Primitive

■

Torus Primitive

■

Tube Primitive

■

UVW Map Modifier on page 1883

■

Wall

■

Windows

Output Rollout
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 ➤ Choose a map type (Bitmap, Cellular,
Falloff, Gradient, Gradient Ramp, Mix, Noise, or Output). ➤ Output rollout
After applying a map and setting its internal parameters, you can adjust its
output parameters to determine the rendered appearance of the map.
NOTE Most controls on the Output rollout are for color output, and don't affect
bump mapping on page 6472 except for Invert toggle, reverses the direction of the
bumps, and Bump Amount.
Also, the results of the Output rollout settings are visible in the Material Editor,
but not in viewports with map display enabled.

Output Rollout | 6613

Interface

These controls appear on the Output rollout for a number of 2D and 3D maps:
Invert Reverses the hues of the map, like a negative color photo. Default=off.

6614 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Output Amount Controls the amount of the map being mixed into a
composite material. Affects the saturation and alpha value of the map.
Default=1.0.
Clamp When on, this parameter limits the values of the colors to no greater
than 1.0. Turn this on when you're increasing the RGB Level, but don't want
the map to appear self-illuminated. Default=off.
NOTE If you set the RGB Offset to a value greater than 1.0 while Clamp is on, all
colors become white.
RGB Offset Adds to the RGB values of the map colors by the amount set by
the spinner, which affects the tonal value of the colors. Eventually the map
becomes white and self-illuminated. Lowering the value decreases the tonal
value toward black. Default=0.0.
Alpha from RGB Intensity When on, an alpha channel is generated based
on the intensity of the RGB channels in the map. Black becomes transparent
and white becomes opaque. Intermediate values are translucent according to
their intensity. Default=off.
RGB Level Multiplies the RGB values of the map colors by the amount set by
the spinner, which affects the saturation of the color. Eventually the map
becomes fully saturated and self-illuminated on page 9300. Lowering the value
decreases the saturation and makes the map colors grayer. Default=1.0.
Enable Color Map Turn on to use the Color Map. See “Color Map group.”
Default=off.
Bump Amount Adjusts the amount of bumpiness. This value has an effect
only when the map is used as a bump map. Default=1.0.
For example, suppose you have a map instanced for both the Diffuse and the
Bump components. If you want to adjust the amount of bumpiness without
affecting the Diffuse colors, adjust this value, which changes the amount of
bumpiness without affecting the map's use in other material components.

Color Map group
The Color Map settings at the bottom of the Output rollout are available only
when Enable Color Map is on (see preceding).

Output Rollout | 6615

The Color Map graph lets you adjust the tonal range of an image. The point
at 1,1 controls highlights, the point at 0.5,0.5 controls midtones, and the
point at 0,0 controls shadows.
You adjust the shape of the graph by adding points to the line and moving
or scaling them. You can add Corner, Bezier-Smooth, or Bezier-Corner points.
When a move or scale option is active, points can be selected much like objects
in a viewport, by clicking a point, dragging a region around one or more
points, and holding down Ctrl to add or subtract from the selection.
When you select an individual point, its exact coordinates are displayed in
the two fields below the graph at the lower left. You can enter values directly
in these fields, but the values are automatically constrained as they are when
you manually move or scale a point.
You can zoom into the graph to make detailed adjustments. As you zoom in,
the graph updates to show decimal measurements along the left vertical axis.
You can pan anywhere on the graph with the horizontal and vertical scroll
bars, use a button option, or the middle mouse button. Points can be deleted,
and you can reset the graph to its default at any time.

6616 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

RGB/Mono Specifies a map curve to either filter the RGB channels separately
(RGB) or in combination (Mono).
Copy CurvePoints When turned on, points added to a Mono graph are copied
when you switch to an RGB graph. If you start with an RGB graph, the points
are copied to a Mono graph. You can animate the control points but not the
Bezier handles.
IMPORTANT When Copy CurvePoints is on, animation created in Mono mode
is carried over to RGB mode and you can switch channels. The reverse doesn’t
work.
The following controls affect the points on the graph:

Move flyout
Moves a selected point in any direction, limited by the unselected points
on either side.
Constrains movement to the horizontal.
Constrains movement to the vertical.
On a Bezier smooth point, you can move the point or either handle.
Scale Point Changes the output amount of control points while
maintaining their relative position. On a Bezier corner point, this control is
effectively the same as a vertical move. On a Bezier smooth point, you can
scale the point itself or either handle. As with the move controls, scale is
limited by the unselected points on either side.

Add Point flyout
Adds a Bezier corner point anywhere on the graph line. The point makes
a sharp angle when moved.
Adds a Bezier smooth point anywhere on the graph line. Handles attached
to the point create smooth curves when moved.
When either Add Point button is active, you can use Ctrl+click to create the
other type of point. This eliminates the need to switch between buttons.

Output Rollout | 6617

Delete Point Removes selected points.

Reset Curves Returns graph to its default, a straight line between 0,0
and 1,1.
The following controls affect the view of the graph. The change in view does
not affect the graph’s results.
Pan Drags the graph in any direction within the viewing window.
Zoom Extents Shows the entire graph.
Zoom Horizontal Extents Shows the entire horizontal range of the
graph. The scale of the curve will be distorted.
Zoom Vertical Extents Shows the entire vertical range of the graph.
The scale of the curve will be distorted.
Zoom Horizontally Compresses or expands the graph in a horizontal
direction.
Zoom Vertically Compresses or expands the view of the graph in a vertical
direction.
Zoom Zooms in or out around the cursor.
Zoom Region Draws a rectangular region around any area of the graph,
then zooms to that view.

Missing Map Coordinates Dialog
Material Editor ➤ Assign a mapped material to an object
that has no UVW Map modifier. ➤ Map level ➤ Coordinates rollout ➤
Change Map Channel to a value other than 1. ➤ Render

6618 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Open ➤ Open a MAX scene. ➤
One or more maps in the MAX file cannot be found.
Quick Access toolbar on page 8585 ➤ Click the Open button. ➤ Open a MAX
scene. ➤ One or more maps in the MAX file cant be found.
The Missing Map Coordinates dialog is displayed when you attempt to render
one or more objects with materials whose maps use a map channel on page
9210 other than channel 1. (Channel 1 is an exception because channel 1
mapping coordinates are automatically turned on when you assign a mapped
material to an object.) Only maps with Show Map In Viewport toggled on are
listed as missing.
To use other map channels, you must assign a UVW Map modifier on page
1883 to the object. In UVW Map, set Map Channel to match the value used in
the material.
If the material has multiple maps that use multiple channels, you must assign
a separate UVW Map modifier for each channel besides channel 1.
If the object is a NURBS surface sub-object on page 2625, you don't need to use
UVW Map. Instead, set the map channel on the surface sub-object's Material
Properties rollout on page 2564.
The Missing Map Coordinates dialog is also displayed when you open a MAX
file that references bitmaps that can’t be found in their original location, or
are at a location not specified via the Configure User Paths dialog on page 8872.
To open the MAX file, click the Browse button on the Missing Map Coordinates
dialog. This opens the Configure User Paths dialog so you can assign one or
more paths for the MAX file to access. These settings are then stored with the
MAX file.
NOTE When you open a MAX file that references bitmaps that can’t be found,
you might also see a Missing Map/Photometric Files dialog on page 8141, which
lets you browse for the missing files.

Missing Map Coordinates Dialog | 6619

Interface

The list shows the map channel followed by the name of the object.
Continue Proceeds with the rendering. The objects listed will not show maps
in the material assigned to them, and might not be visible at all.
Cancel Cancels rendering.

6620 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

UVW Remove Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ UVW Remove
The UVW Remove utility removes mapping coordinates or materials from the
currently selected objects.

Interface

UVW Click to remove UVW mapping from this object.
NOTE The utility can remove UVW mapping only from collapsed editable mesh
objects; that is, editable meshes with no modifiers.
Materials Click to remove material assignment from the selected objects.
Set Gray If this is on when you click the Materials button, the object color is
set to a neutral gray. Default=off.

2D Maps
2D Maps are two-dimensional images that are typically mapped onto the
surface of geometric objects, or used as environment maps to create a
background for the scene. The simplest 2D maps are bitmaps; other kinds of
2D maps are generated procedurally.

UVW Remove Utility | 6621

Coordinates Rollout (2D)
Material/Map Browser changed featurematerial/map
browserbrowsermaterial/maprendering menumaterial/map browser on page

6167 ➤ Assign a 2D Map. ➤
rollout

Material Editor ➤ Coordinates

In the Coordinates rollout, by adjusting coordinate parameters, you can move
a map relative to the surface of the object to which it is applied and achieve
other effects.

Tiling
Often when you apply a bitmap, especially as a texture pattern, you want the
pattern to repeat. This effect is known as tiling, as in a tiled floor or fountain.
You control tiling directly from the Coordinates rollout for any 2D map.

Tiling a map

In default mapping, tiling is active, but because the map is scaled to fit the
object, you don't see the effect of tiling unless you offset the UV coordinates

6622 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

or rotate the map. In this case, the portions of the surface from which the
bitmap has moved away are filled by other portions of the map. Tiling wraps
the object with the map image.

Mirroring
Mirroring a map is an effect related to tiling. It repeats the map and flips the
repeated copy.
As with tiling, you can mirror in the U dimension, the V dimension, or both.
The Tiling parameter for each dimension specifies how many copies of the
map are shown. Each copy is flipped relative to its neighbors.

Mirroring a map

Tiling and Mirroring Combined
Because mirroring defaults to two reflected images of the map, the meaning
of the Tiling value differs when Mirror is set.
In a single mapping dimension (U or V), a value of 1.0, the default, shows
two copies of the bitmap; a value of 2.0 shows four copies; a value of 1.5 shows
three copies; and so on. Mirroring in both dimensions multiplies the effect.

2D Maps | 6623

Mirroring and tiling a map

Decals
Decals are useful for mapping single designs, small elements such as stickers,
or light switches.
A 2D map used as a decal appears only once and is not repeated as with tiling.
Wherever the decal doesn't appear on the surface, the surface is rendered as
a basic material, with the component colors specified at the material level.
With map trees, a decal might appear on top of a different bitmap or other
map type.

6624 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Decal mapping

Procedures
To set tiling:
1 In the Coordinates rollout, make sure Use Real-World Scale is turned off
and Tile is turned on for the U or V coordinate, or for both.
2 In the Coordinates rollout, make sure Tile is turned on for the U or V
coordinate, or for both.
3 Set the Tiling value for the corresponding coordinates.
In the Material Editor, the sample slot changes to show the tiling value
you chose.
■

The Tiling value is the number of times the bitmap repeats along the
specified dimension. A value of 1.0, the default, maps the bitmap
exactly once; a value of 2.0 maps the bitmap twice, and so on.
Fractional values map a fractional portion of the bitmap in addition
to copies of the whole map. For example, a value of 2.5 maps the
bitmap two and a half times.

■

Tiling values less than one increase the size of the map relative to the
object. For example, a value of 0.5 maps half of the bitmap.

■

Tiling is uniform if both the U and V dimensions are tiled by the same
amount.

2D Maps | 6625

To preview the effect of tiling:

■

In the Compact Material Editor, use the
Tiling flyout to choose a 1x,
2x, 3x, or 4x tiling preview.
The button you choose changes tiling in the active sample slot to 1.0, 2.0,
3.0, or 4.0 in both U and V.
The flyout setting has no effect on the material or its mapping. It does not
change the Tiling value or the check box setting. It only helps you preview
the effect of changing these settings.

To set mirroring:
1 On the Coordinates rollout, make sure Mirror is turned on for the U or
V coordinate, or both.
Mirror and Tile are exclusive settings: if one is set when you choose the
other, the original setting turns off.
2 Set the Mirror value for the corresponding coordinate or coordinates.
The material preview changes to show the Mirror value you chose.
To create a decal:
1 In the Material Editor, choose a bitmap as a diffuse map.
2 On the map's Coordinates rollout, turn off both Mirror and Tile for both
the U and V coordinates. Change the mapping to Planar From Object
XYZ.
3 Adjust the X and Y Tiling parameters to scale the decal.
Changing the Tiling value changes the size of the mapped bitmap as it
does when you tile the map, but with Mirror and Tile turned off, the
bitmap appears only once.
4 Adjust the X and Y Offset parameters to position the decal.
NOTE You can also use the Parameters rollout's Cropping and Placement
controls to achieve a decal effect.

To offset the position of a map:
1 In the Coordinates rollout, make sure Use Real-World Scale is turned on.

6626 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

2 On the Coordinates rollout, set the U and V values to be between 0.0 and
100, or between -100 and 0.0.
3 Set the Offset Width and Height values to be between 0.0 and 100, or
between –100 and 0.0.
On the surface of the object, the map shifts in the directions you chose.
UV offsets are especially useful when you have turned tiling off and want the
bitmap to appear in a single location.
To rotate the map:
■

On the Coordinates rollout, set the Angle U, V, and W spinners.
Positive angles rotate the map in the clockwise direction; negative angles
rotate it counterclockwise.
The angle can be up to 360 degrees, which rotates the map completely and
has no visible effect unless you are animating the map's rotation.
You can also click Rotate to use the Rotate Mapping Coordinates dialog,
which lets you change the rotation by dragging the mouse.

To increase or decrease antialiasing:
■

On the map's Coordinates rollout, increase or decrease the Blur value.
For diffuse maps and other maps besides bump maps, the Blur value is
most effective in the 0.5-20 range. Lower values decrease antialiasing;
higher values increase it.
The Blur Offset parameter adjusts the image before antialiasing Blur is
applied. If all you need is antialiasing, leave Blur Offset at its default of
0.0.

To make a map image fuzzier:
■

On the map's Coordinate's rollout, increase the Blur Offset value.
Blur Offset is a very strong parameter. The Blur Offset spinner has
increments of 0.001 Values greater than 0.1 are likely to be too high.

To make a map image sharper:
■

On the map's Coordinates rollout, decrease the Blur Offset value to a value
below 0.0.
The negative Blur Offset value sharpens the image.

2D Maps | 6627

Interface

These controls appear on the Coordinates rollout for many 2D maps:
Mapping Type Base your choice on how you’re using the map: applied to an
object surface, or to the environment:
■

TextureApplies the map as a texture on page 9327 to a surface. Select the
type of coordinates from the Mapping list.

■

EnvironUses the map as an environment map on page 9145. Select the type
of coordinates from the Mapping list:

Mapping List entries vary depending on choice of Texture or Environ mapping:
■

Explicit Map ChannelUses any map channel. When selected, the Map
Channel field becomes active, and you can choose any channel from 1 to
99.

■

Vertex Color ChannelUses assigned vertex colors as a channel. See Editable
Mesh on page 2190 for details on assigning vertex color.
See also Vertex Color Map on page 6775 and Assign Vertex Colors Utility on
page 6927.

■

Planar from Object XYZUses planar mapping based on the object's local
coordinates (disregarding the pivot point location). For rendering purposes,
planar mapping doesn't project through to the back of the object unless
you turn on Show Map On Back.

■

Planar from World XYZUses planar mapping based on the scene’s world
coordinates (disregarding the object’s bounding box). For rendering
purposes, planar mapping doesn't project through to the back of the object
unless you turn on Show Map On Back.

6628 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Spherical Environment/Cylindrical Environment/Shrink-wrap
EnvironmentProjects the map into the scene as though it were mapped to
an invisible object in the background. See Environment Map on page 9145.

■

ScreenProjects as a flat backdrop in the scene.

Show Map on Back When on, planar mapping (Planar from Object XYZ, or
with the UVW Map modifier) projects through to render on the back of the
object. When off, planar mapping doesn't render on the object's back.
Default=on.
This toggle is available only when Tiling is off in both dimensions. Its effect
is visible only when you render the scene.
NOTE In viewports, planar mapping always projects to the back of the object,
whether Show Map On Back is turned on or not. To override this, turn off Tiling.
Use Real-World Scale When turned on, applies the map to objects using the
real-world Width and Height values on page 6610 instead of UV values.
Default=off.
When Real-World Scale is on, the texture placement is relative to the corner
of the texture map so alignment with architectural objects likes walls is more
efficient. When off, the texture placement is relative to the center of the
texture map.

_____
Offset Changes the position of the map in UV coordinates on page 9340. The
map moves in relation to its size. For example, if you want to shift the map
its full width to the left, and half its width downward from its original position,
you enter -1 in the U Offset field and 0.5 in the V offset field.
UV/VW/WU Changes the mapping coordinate on page 9212 system used for
the map. The default UV coordinates project the map onto the surface like a
slide projector. The VW and WU coordinates rotate the map so that it is
perpendicular to the surface.
Tiling Determines the number of times the map is tiled on page 9328 (repeated)
along each axis.
Mirror Mirrors on page 9328 the map left-to-right (U axis) and/or top-to-bottom
(V axis).
Tile Turns tiling on or off in the U or V axis.

2D Maps | 6629

When Use Real-World Scale Is Off

Offset (UV) Changes the position of the map in UV coordinates on page 9340.
The map moves in relation to its size. For example, if you want to shift the
map its full width to the left, and half its width downward from its original
position, you enter -1 in the U Offset field and 0.5 in the V offset field.
UV/VW/WU Changes the mapping coordinate on page 9212 system used for
the map. The default UV coordinates project the map onto the surface like a
slide projector. The VW and WU coordinates rotate the map so that it is
perpendicular to the surface.
Tiling Determines the number of times the map is tiled on page 9328 (repeated)
along each axis.
Mirror Mirrors on page 9328 the map left-to-right (U axis) and/or top-to-bottom
(V axis).
Tile Turns tiling on or off in the U or V axis.

6630 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

When Use Real-World Scale Is On

Offset (Width/Height) Move the map horizontally or vertically along the
width or height of the object to which the material is applied. The offset
distance is relative to the lower-left corner of the map.
UV/VW/WU Changes the mapping coordinate on page 9212 system used for
the map. The default UV coordinates project the map onto the surface like a
slide projector. The VW and WU coordinates rotate the map so that it is
perpendicular to the surface.
Size Determines the real world width and height of the map.
For example, if you scan a piece of marble that is 12” x 8” and then assign
this image as the Diffuse Map, you can type 12” (or 1') and 8” as the Width
and Height. This ensures that the scale of the marble is correct in the rendered
scene.
NOTE The default setting for the texture size can be set using the Default Texture
Size option in the Material Editor Options Dialog on page 6059.
Mirror Mirrors on page 9328 the map horizontally and/or vertically.
Tile Turns horizontal and/or vertical tiling on or off.
NOTE If the Use Real-World Size switch is turned off in the Material Editor, the
Real-World Map Size settings in modifiers like UVW Map or for primitives like Box
will not work. Likewise, moving vertices at a sub-object level or scaling an object,
in general, will not honor the Use Real-World Scale settings.

2D Maps | 6631

_____
Angle U/V/W Rotates the map about the U, V, or W axis (in degrees).
NOTE When using the Environ mapping type, you can rotate the map only on
the W axis. Rotating on the U or V axis has no effect.
Rotate Displays a schematic Rotate Mapping Coordinates dialog that lets you
rotate the map by dragging on an arcball diagram (similar to the arcball used
to rotate viewports, although dragging inside the circle rotates along all three
axes, and dragging outside it rotates about the W axis only). The Angle UVW
values change as you drag in the dialog.
Blur Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the map based on its distance from
the view. The farther away the map is, the greater the blurring. The Blur value
blurs maps in world space. Blur is primarily used to avoid aliasing on page 9087.
Blur Offset Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the map without regard to
its distance from the view. Blur Offset blurs the image itself in object space.
Use this option when you want to soften or defocus the details in a map to
achieve the effect of a blurred image.
See Blur/Blur Offset on page 9110.

Noise Rollout (2D)
Material/Map Browser changed featurematerial/map
browserbrowsermaterial/maprendering menumaterial/map browser on page

6167 ➤ Assign a 2D Map. ➤

Material Editor ➤ Noise rollout

You can add a random noise to the appearance of your material. Noise perturbs
the UV mapping of pixels by applying a fractal noise function.
Noise patterns can be very complex and are a versatile way to create apparently
random patterns. They are also good for simulating surfaces found in nature,
as is characteristic of fractal images.
Noise parameters interact closely with each other. Slight variations in each
can create noticeably different effects.
NOTE Noise settings aren't displayed in viewports.

6632 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Above: A checker map and a bitmap
Below: The same maps with noise applied

Procedures
To add noise to a material:
1 In the Noise rollout, select On.
2 Adjust the three noise parameters to get an effect you like.
To remove noise from a material:
■

In the Noise rollout, turn off On.
Noise is no longer applied to the map.

To animate the noise effect:

1 Turn on

(Auto Key).

2 Move to a non-zero frame.

2D Maps | 6633

3 In the Noise rollout, turn on Animate.
By default, 3ds Max sets animation keys at either end of the active frame
range.
4 Change the Phase value at different keyframes.

Interface

These controls appear on the Noise rollout for many 2D maps:
On Determines whether the Noise parameters affect the map.
Amount Sets the strength of the fractal function, expressed as a percentage.
If the amount is 0 there is no noise. If the amount is 100 the map becomes
pure noise. Default=1.0.
Levels Or iterations: the number of times the function is applied. The effect
of the level is dependent on the Amount value. The stronger the amount, the
greater the effect of increasing the Levels value. Range=1 to 10; Default=1.
Size Sets the scale of the noise function relative to geometry. At very small
values, the noise effect becomes white noise. At large values, the scale can
exceed the scale of the geometry, in which case it has little or no effect.
Range=0.001 to 100; Default=1.0.
Animate Determines whether animation is on the noise effect. This parameter
must be turned on if you intend to animate the noise.
Phase Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function.

6634 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Autodesk Bitmap for Autodesk Materials

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Choose an
Autodesk Material that uses maps.
The Autodesk Bitmap is a simple bitmap type that is provided with many of
the Autodesk Materials on page 6224.
The Autodesk Bitmap always uses real-world mapping coordinates on page 6610.
If you apply it to an object that has a UVW Map modifier on page 1883 applied
to it, be sure to turn on Real-World Map Size.
IMPORTANT When an Autodesk Material has “built-in” Autodesk Bitmaps, you
can disconnect these or replace them with other 3ds Max map types, but be aware
that when you do so, the resulting material will not be compatible with other
Autodesk applications. To maintain compatibility across products, leave the
Autodesk Bitmaps connected to the Autodesk Material.

Interface
Parameters rollout

Source Opens a Select Bitmap Image File dialog on page 6645 so you can choose
an image file to use for the map. You can choose any file type that 3ds Max
supports.
NOTE For Autodesk Bitmap images, 3ds Max disregards the gamma setting.
Brightness You can use the brightness slider or numeric field to decrease the
brightness of the image. At the default of 100 percent, the map has its original
tones. Default=100.0 percent.
Invert Image Inverts the colors of the image.

2D Maps | 6635

Position rollout

X, Y Offset the image along the local XY axes in 3ds Max units.
Rotate Rotates the image around the local Z axis. Default=0.0.

Scale rollout

Width, Height Specify a width and height for the image in 3ds Max units.

Repeat rollout

Horizontal When on, tiles the image horizontally. Default=on.
Vertical When on, tiles the image vertically. Default=on.

Bitmap 2D Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Bitmap

6636 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A bitmap is an image produced by a fixed matrix of colored pixels, like a mosaic.
Bitmaps are useful for creating many kinds of materials, from wood grains
and wall surfaces to skin and feathers. You can also use an animation or video
file instead of a bitmap to create an animated material.

Bitmaps shown in Material Editor sample slots

When you assign the Bitmap map, the Select Bitmap Image File dialog on
page 6645 opens automatically. Use this dialog to specify a file or sequence as
the bitmap image.
You can create a Bitmap by dragging a supported bitmap file from
Windows Explorer into the Slate Material Editor on page 6083. 3ds Max creates
a Bitmap node with the file loaded into it.
NOTE To save loading time, if a map with the same name is in two different
locations (in two different paths), 3ds Max loads it only once. This poses a problem
only if your scene includes two maps that have different content but the same
name. In this case, only the first map encountered will appear in the scene.

TIP
The Viewport Canvas on page 6877 feature lets you create a bitmap
for a material on the fly by painting it directly onto an object surface.

2D Maps | 6637

Supported File Types
The Material Editor supports the following file formats:
AVI files on page 8412
BMP files on page 8414
CIN files (Kodak Cineon) on page 8414
DDS files on page 8416
GIF files on page 8420
HDRI files on page 8448 (.hdr and .pic files)
IFL files on page 8420
JPEG files on page 8427
MOV files (QuickTime Movies) on page 8428
MPEG files on page 8429
OpenEXR files on page 8429
PNG files on page 8443
PSD files on page 8444
RGB files (legacy SGI format) on page 8458
RLA files on page 8453
RPF files on page 8455
SGI File (RGB, RGBA, INT, INTA, and BW files) on page 8458
TGA files (Targa) on page 8459
TIFF files on page 8461
YUV files on page 8463

Animated Bitmaps
The Bitmap map can synchronize the frames of a bitmap sequence to the age
of particles to which the map is applied. With this effect, each particle displays
the sequence from the start when it is born, rather than being assigned
whichever frame is current. This is achieved by turning on Sync Frames to
Particle Age on page 6644. Also, when using Particle Flow, assign the material
containing the Bitmap map to a Material Dynamic operator. For more details
and a procedure, see Material Dynamic Operator on page 3202.

6638 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE If your scene includes animated bitmaps with materials, projector lights,
or environments, the animation file is reloaded once per frame. If your scene uses
multiple animations, or if the animations are large files, rendering will be slower.
See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

■

Output Rollout on page 6613

Procedures
To crop an image:
1 On the Bitmap Parameters rollout, click the Bitmap button and assign a
bitmap.
2 In the Cropping/Placement group, turn on Apply to see the results of
cropping in the sample slot (and in shaded viewports, if Show Map In
Viewport is active).
3 Turn on Crop.
4 Click View Image to display the bitmap.
A frame window appears, displaying the image surrounded by a region
outline (a dashed line at the outer edges of the image, with handles on
the sides and corners).
5 Specify a cropping region by adjusting the spinners at the top of the
window, or by dragging the region outline.
To place an image:
1 On the Bitmap Parameters rollout, click the Bitmap button and assign a
bitmap.
2 In the Cropping/Placement group, turn on Apply to see the results of
cropping in the sample slot (and in shaded viewports if Show Map In
Viewport is active).
3 Turn on Place.
4 Click View Image.

2D Maps | 6639

A frame window appears, displaying the image surrounded by a region
outline (a dashed line at the outer edges of the image, with handles on
the sides and corners).
5 Move the image by adjusting the spinners at the top of the window, or
by dragging the region outline.
The reduced image "decals" on the sample sphere. The diffuse color is
visible around the image.
To use the alpha channel that is part of the bitmap:
1 On the Maps rollout, assign the map to the Opacity component.
(You can assign a copy or instance of this map to other components,
such as Diffuse, as well.)
2 Click the map button for the Opacity component.
This lets you adjust the settings for the Opacity map.
3 In the Bitmap Parameters rollout ➤ Alpha Source group, choose Image
Alpha.
This option is not available if the bitmap does not have an alpha channel.
4 In the Bitmap Parameters rollout ➤ Mono Channel Output group, choose
Alpha.
This option is not available if the bitmap does not have an alpha channel.
The bitmapped material will now have the transparency specified by the
alpha channel. This will appear in renderings. Transparency does not
appear in viewports or ActiveShade renderings.
To create an alpha channel based on intensity:
■

In the Bitmap Parameters rollout ➤ Alpha Source group, turn on RGB
Intensity.
3ds Max creates an alpha channel. Full-intensity areas of the image are
opaque, zero-intensity areas are transparent, and intermediate colors
become partially transparent.

To use a completely opaque bitmap:
■

In the Bitmap Parameters rollout ➤ Alpha Source group, turn on None
(opaque).

6640 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3ds Max ignores the bitmap's alpha channel, if present, and does not create
a new one.

Interface
Bitmap Parameters rollout

Bitmap Selects the bitmap using the standard file browser. After selection,
the full path name appears on this button.
Reload Reloads the bitmap file using the same name and path. You don’t
need to use the file browser to reload the bitmap after you've updated it in
your paint program.
Clicking reload for any instance of the map updates the map in all sample
slots and in the scene.

2D Maps | 6641

Filtering group
Filtering on page 9158 options let you select the method of pixel averaging used
in antialiasing on page 9087 the bitmap.
Pyramidal Requires less memory and is adequate for most purposes.
Summed Area Requires much more memory, but yields generally superior
results.
None Turns off filtering.

Mono Channel Output group
Some parameters, such as opacity or specular level are a single value as opposed
to a material's three-value color components. Controls in this group determine
the source of the Output mono channel in terms of the input bitmap.
RGB Intensity Uses the intensity of the red, green, and blue channels for
mapping. The color of the pixels is ignored and only the value or luminance
of the pixels is used. The colors are computed as gray values in the range
between 0 (black) and 255 (white).
Alpha Uses the intensity of the alpha channel on page 9088 for mapping.

RGB Channel Output group
The RGB Channel Output determines where the output RGB part comes from.
The controls in this group affect only maps for material components that
display color: Ambient, Diffuse, Specular, Filter Color, Reflection, and
Refraction.
RGB Displays the full color values of the pixels. (Default)
Alpha as Gray Displays tones of gray based on the levels of the alpha channel.

Cropping/Placement group
The controls in this group let you crop the bitmap or reduce its size for custom
placement. Cropping a bitmap means to reduce it to a smaller rectangular
area than it originally had. Cropping doesn't change the scale of the bitmap.
Placing a bitmap lets you scale the map and place it anywhere within its tile.
Placing can change the bitmap's scale, but shows the entire bitmap. The four
values that specify the placement and size of the cropping or placement region
are all animatable.

6642 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Cropping and placement settings affect the bitmap only as it's used for this
map and any instances of the map. They have no effect on the bitmap file
itself.
Apply Turn on to use the cropping or placements settings.
View Image Opens a window that shows the bitmap surrounded by a region
outline with handles at its sides and corners. To change the size of the crop
area, drag the handles. To move the region, position the mouse cursor inside
it and drag.
To see the results of editing the region, turn on Apply (see preceding). This
shows changes in the region as you make them.
The bitmap window has U/V and W/H (width/height) controls on its toolbar.
Use these to adjust the location and size the image or crop area.
When Place is chosen, dragging the region area handles changes the scale of
the bitmap (hold down Ctrl to preserve the bitmap's aspect ratio), and dragging
the image changes its location within the tile area.
The UV/XY button at the right of the window toolbar lets you switch between
using UV or XY coordinates in the toolbar spinners (Default=UV). .
Crop Makes cropping active.
Place Makes placement active.
U/V Adjusts the bitmap location.
W/H Adjusts the width and height of the bitmap or crop area.
Jitter Placement Specifies the amount of random offset. At 0, there is no
random offset. Range = 0.0 to 1.0
When Place is turned on, the size and position specified by the spinners or
editing window are ignored. 3ds Max then chooses a random size and tile
position for the image.

Alpha Source group
Controls in this group determine the source of the Output alpha channel in
terms of the input bitmap.
Image Alpha Uses the image's alpha channel (disabled if the image has no
alpha channel).
RGB Intensity Converts the colors in the bitmap to grayscale tonal values
and uses them for transparency. Black is transparent and white is opaque.
None (Opaque) Does not use transparency.

2D Maps | 6643

Premultiplied Alpha Determines how alpha is treated in the bitmap. When
turned on, the default, premultiplied alpha on page 9273 is expected in the file.
When turned off, the alpha is treated as non-premultiplied, and any RGB
values are ignored.
TIP If you apply an alpha image as a Diffuse map, for example, and it doesn't
decal correctly, the bitmap file probably contains non-premultiplied alpha; the
RGB values are maintained separately from the alpha values. To correct this, turn
off Premultiplied Alpha.

Time rollout

These controls let you change the start time and speed of animation (AVI on
page 8412 or MOV on page 8428) files used as animated texture maps. They make
it easier to use sequences of images as maps in scenes, because you can control
the timing very precisely
Start Frame Specifies the frame where the playback of the animated map will
begin.
Playback Rate Lets you speed up and slow down the rate that the animation
is applied to the map (for example, 1.0 is normal speed, 2.0 is twice as fast,
.333 is 1/3 as fast).
Sync Frames to Particle Age When on, 3ds Max synchronizes the frames of
a bitmap sequence to the age of particles to which the map is applied. With
this effect, each particle displays the sequence from the start when it is born,
rather than being assigned whichever frame is current. Default=off.
When using Particle Flow, assign the material containing the Bitmap map to
a Material Dynamic operator. For more details and a procedure, see Material
Dynamic Operator on page 3202.
NOTE This functionality is not supported by the mental ray renderer.

6644 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

End Condition group
Determines what happens after the last frame of the bitmap animation if the
animation is shorter than the scene.
Loop Causes the animation to repeat over and over again from the beginning.
Ping-Pong Causes the animation to be played forward and then backward
repeatedly, making every animated sequence "loop smoothly."
Hold Freezes on the last frame of the bitmap animation.

Select Bitmap Image File Dialog

Material Editor ➤ Maps Rollout ➤ Click any map selector
button. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Double-click Bitmap. ➤ Select Bitmap
Image dialog

Material Editor ➤ Bitmap map ➤ Bitmap Parameters
rollout ➤ Bitmap button ➤ Select Bitmap Image dialog

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Choose a Bitmap
➤ Select Bitmap Image dialog
The Select Bitmap Image dialog allows you to choose a file or sequence of files
for a map. If a sequence of files is selected by turning on Sequence, the Image
File List Control dialog on page 8423 is opened when you click Setup or Open.

Procedures
To select a bitmap image for a map:
1 In the Material Editor, open the Maps rollout.
2 Click any button in the Map column.
This adds a map into the channel you've selected. For example, clicking
in the Map column of the Diffuse channel creates a diffuse or texture
map.

2D Maps | 6645

3ds Max opens the Material Map Browser.
3 In the Material/Map Browser, double-click Bitmap.
3ds Max opesn the Select Bitmap Image dialog.
4 In the Select Bitmap Image dialog, navigate the Look In field to select
the appropriate directory.
NOTE The Select Bitmap Image File dialog uses the last location where a
bitmap was chosen, rather than the default bitmap path defined in Customize
➤ Configure User Paths.
5 Highlight the file name in the file list window.
6 Click Open to close the dialog.
To select a set of still images as a bitmap sequence:
1 In the Material Editor, open the Maps rollout.
2 Click any button in the Map column.
This adds a map into the channel you've selected. For example, clicking
in the Map column of the Diffuse channel creates a diffuse or texture
map.
The Material Map Browser is displayed.
3 In the Material/Map Browser, double-click Bitmap.
The Select Bitmap Image dialog is displayed.
4 In the Select Bitmap Image dialog, navigate the Look in field to select the
directory containing the sequence of files.
5 If necessary, change file type to match the file extension of the sequence,
or choose All Formats.
6 Turn on Sequence, and choose the name of the first sequential file.
7 Click the Setup button.
The Image File List Control Dialog opens.
8 Click the Browse button and set the Target path to a writable directory
on your hard disk. Do not set the path to a CD-ROM drive.
9 Choose the options you want and click OK.
The IFL file is written to the target directory.

6646 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner.

History Displays a list of the most recent directories searched. Whenever an
image is selected, the path used is added to the top of the history list as the
most recently used path. The history information is saved in the 3dsmax.ini
on page 42 file.
Look In Opens a navigation window to browse other directories or drives.

2D Maps | 6647

Go to Last Folder Visited Click to return to the folder you previously
browsed to.

Up One Level Moves you up a level in the directory structure.

Create New Folder Lets you create a new folder while in this dialog.
View Menu Lets you choose the level of detail to display in the file list.
List Window When details are turned on, the contents of the directory are
displayed with Name, Size, Type, Date Modified, and Attributes. You can sort
based on each of these columns by clicking the column label.
File Name Displays the file name of the file selected in the list.
Files of Type Displays all the file types that can be displayed. This serves as
a filter for the list.
Open Selects the highlighted file and closes the dialog.
Cancel Cancels the selection and closes the dialog.
Devices Lets you choose the hardware output device, for example, a digital
video recorder. The device, its driver, and its 3ds Max plug-in must all be
installed on your system to use the device.
Setup When Sequence is turned on, and there are sequential files in the
directory displayed, clicking Setup displays an Image File List Control dialog
on page 8423 to create an IFL file.
Info Displays expanded information about the file, such as frame rate,
compression quality, file size, and resolution. The information here depends
on the type of information that is saved with the file type.
View Displays the file at its actual resolution. If the file is a movie, the Media
Player is opened so the file can be played.

Gamma Group
These controls are available only when Preferences dialog ➤ Gamma and
LUT panel on page 8917 ➤ Enable Gamma/LUT Correction is on.

6648 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

IMPORTANT When combining standard (low-dynamic-range) and
high-dynamic-range images in the same scene, make sure to treat each image’s
gamma correctly. For more information, see Gamma Pipeline on page 8927.
Gamma Specifies how to handle gamma with the bitmap image.
■

Use image’s own gammaUses the gamma of the incoming bitmap.

■

Use system default gammaReplaces the image gamma with the system
default gamma, as set on the Gamma and LUT panel on page 8917 of the
Preferences dialog.

■

OverrideDefines a new gamma for the bitmap that is neither the image’s
own, nor the system default.

NOTE In general, it is less confusing to use the system default gamma for incoming
bitmaps. But if you are using bitmaps created (or edited) by a variety of other
programs, and need to adjust gamma differently for each program, then use
Override.

_____
Sequence If there are more than one files that have the same root name and
end in sequence numbers, turning on Sequence creates an Image File List (IFL).
Default=off.
Each time you choose an image, 3ds Max checks to see if an IFL sequence can
be created. If the selected image does not yield a list, this option is unavailable.
You can use wild-card characters to filter image files. When sequence is turned
on, you can click Setup to configure the IFL file.
Preview Displays the image as a thumbnail in the image window. Default=on.

_____
Image Window Displays a thumbnail of the selected file.
If gamma correction or look-up table (LUT) correction on page 8917 is active,
3ds Max applies the correction to this thumbnail image.

_____
Statistics Displays the resolution, color depth, image type, and number of
frames of the selected file.
A full-color image with an alpha channel will show “RGBA Color 16
Bits/Channel”; a bitmap with a limited color depth might show “Indexed
Color 8 Bits/Pixel,” and so on.

2D Maps | 6649

Location Displays the full path for the file. With this information at the
bottom of the dialog, you always know exactly where you are.

Checker Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Checker
The Checker map applies a two-color checkerboard pattern to the material.
The default checker map is a pattern of black and white squares. Checker maps
are 2D procedural maps. The component checkers can be either colors or
maps.

Checker map used for the tablecloth and (in a composite) for the floor of the ice-cream
shop

TIP Turning on Noise for a Checker map can be an effective way to create irregular
patterns with a natural appearance.

6650 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

Procedures
To create a Checker map:
1 Click a map button to assign a map.
2 In the Material/Map Browser, choose Checker, and then click OK.
To change the color of one set of squares:
1 In the Checker Parameters rollout, click a color swatch to display the
Color Selector on page 304.
2 Adjust the color.
3 Click Close.
To use a map for one set of squares:
■

In the Checker Parameters rollout, click a map button to assign a map to
a color.

To soften the edge between the two checker colors:
■

In the Checker Parameters rollout, increase the value of Soften.
When Soften equals 0.0, there is a hard edge between the checker colors.
Low positive values soften or blur the checker boundary. Larger Soften
values can blur the entire material.

To swap the two checker components:
■

In the Checker Parameters rollout, click Swap.

2D Maps | 6651

Interface

Soften Blurs the edges between the checkers. A little blurs a lot.
Swap Switches the position of the two checkers.
Color #1 Sets the color of one of the checkers. Click to display the Color
Selector on page 304.
Color #2 Sets the color of one of the checkers. Click to display the Color
Selector on page 304.
Maps Selects a map to use within the area of the checker color. For example,
you could put an additional checkerboard within one of the checker colors.
The check boxes enable or disable their associated map.

Combustion Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Combustion
With the Combustion map, you can create maps interactively using the
Autodesk Combustion software and 3ds Max at the same time. As you use
Combustion to paint on a bitmap, the material updates automatically in the
Material Editor and in shaded viewports.
IMPORTANT The Combustion map works only if Autodesk Combustion is installed
on your system.
Only Combustion 2.1 and later formats are supported. Maps in the Combustion
1 format are not supported in 3ds Max.

6652 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

IMPORTANT The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support the
Combustion map.
See also:
■

CWS (Combustion Workspace) Files on page 8415

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

About the 3ds Max and Combustion Integration
You can use Combustion as a material map in 3ds Max. With a Combustion
map, you can create a material from a Paint or composite operator, and in
turn apply that material to objects in a 3ds Max scene. The Combustion map
can include Combustion effects, and it can be animated.
In addition, with Combustion you can import 3ds Max scenes that have been
rendered to a rich pixel file on page 8455 (RPF on page 8455 or RLA on page 8453
file). The imported rich-pixel rendering becomes an element of your composite.
You can adjust its 3D position relative to video elements of the composite,
and you can apply Combustion 3D Post effects to objects within it. See the
Combustion User’s Guide for more information.
NOTE Because 3ds Max runs only on Windows, you cannot use Combustion to
create material maps on a Macintosh.

3ds Max Materials and the Combustion Map
In 3ds Max, a material on page 9219 is data that you assign to the surface or
faces of an object so that it appears a certain way when rendered. Materials
affect the color of objects, their shininess, their opacity, and so on.
The Material Editor on page 6019 is where you create and manage materials. In
the Material Editor, you can assign maps to a material's color components
and to its numeric components such as opacity. Maps add images, patterns,
color adjustments, and other effects to the visual properties of the material.
In the 3ds Max Material Editor, you assign a map by clicking the map button
for a component color or other component. This displays the Material/Map
Browser, which lets you choose the map type.
3ds Max provides several types of maps on page 9215. The most basic is a 2D
map, a two-dimensional image that is typically mapped onto the surface of
geometric objects.

2D Maps | 6653

Other uses of 2D maps are as environments to create a background for the
scene, as projections from lights, and as displacements to "emboss" geometry.
A Combustion map is a 2D map on page 6621. It is a Combustion project used
by the 3ds Max Material Editor, so like any Combustion project, it is
vector-based, animatable, and fully editable. From within the Material Editor,
you can have Combustion create a new project from scratch, or use an existing
composite or Paint branch. You can synchronize the Combustion Timeline
with the 3ds Max time slider so animated materials synchronize with your
3D scene.
With a Combustion map, you can paint in either program: that is, you can
paint either in the Combustion viewport or on 3ds Max objects. Both programs
update the paint display. You also have the option of using Combustion to
paint on an "unwrapped" projection of 3ds Max object geometry.
In addition, with Combustion effects that require you to pick a point, such
as Lens Flare or Ripple, you can use either program, Combustion or 3ds Max,
to pick the point.

Tips for Working with a Combustion Map in 3ds Max
■

If you have a dual-screen configuration, you can set it up so you can see
both the 3ds Max and the Combustion windows at the same time.
Otherwise, you need to use Alt+Tab to switch between the two windows.

■

To work with Combustion, the 3ds Max object must have mapping
coordinates on page 9212. Primitive objects have a Generate Mapping
Coordinates toggle, which is automatically enabled when you assign a
mapped material to the object. Some objects, such as editable meshes, do
not have a Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle. For these kinds of objects,
go to the Modify panel and apply a UVW Map modifier on page 1883.

■

Sometimes it can be hard to see how the Combustion operator is oriented
to the 3ds Max object's mapping coordinates. It can help to paint some
temporary strokes in Combustion to see how they are aligned in 3ds Max
viewports. Displaying the mapping coordinates in Combustion can help.
See the procedure, "To display an unwrapped mesh." on page 6656 It can
also help to paint directly on the object in a 3ds Max viewport. See the
procedure, "To paint directly on the 3D object." on page 6658

Procedures
To create a new Combustion map:
1 Apply a Combustion map to the Diffuse Color of a material.

6654 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

2 Click to turn on

(Show Standard Map In Viewport).

In the scene, the object turns black in shaded viewports.
3 In the Parameters rollout, click Edit.

This launches Combustion, which displays the New Workspace dialog.
4 Set up the new project.
The composite or Paint branch that you create in Combustion appears
on the object in 3ds Max viewports, as well as in the sample slot for the
material with the Combustion map. The workspace name and path are
assigned to the material, and appear on the Project button in the material’s
Combustion Parameters rollout.
For example, you can use the Paint operator in Combustion. When you release
the mouse, the stroke appears on the 3ds Max object.

2D Maps | 6655

Paint operator in Combustion

Painted object in 3ds Max

6656 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To display an unwrapped mesh:
In the 3ds Max Material Editor, you can use the Unwrap Mesh feature to
display your 3D object as a 2D mesh in Combustion. You can adjust the color
and size of the mesh.
The mesh display is only an overlay to help you orient paint strokes and other
Combustion effects. It is displayed in Combustion but is not a part of the
composite or the map.
1 Create a Combustion map.
2 In the 3ds Max Material Editor, enable Unwrap Selected in the Live Edit
group.

In Combustion, a mesh appears. This is an "unwrapped" projection of
the 3D object.

3D object in 3ds Max

2D Maps | 6657

Corresponding mesh in Combustion

To set the mesh parameters:
■

In Combustion, choose File ➤ Preferences ➤ Mesh.
Use

To

Anti-Alias Mesh

Remove jaggies from the mesh.

Display During Playback

Display the mesh when you play back the
animation.

Color

Click the color box to set the color of the
mesh using a color picker.

To paint directly on the 3D object:
1 Create a Combustion map.
2 In Combustion, select one of the following drawing tools:
■

Freehand

6658 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Straight Line

■

Rectangle

■

Ellipse

3 In the 3ds Max Material Editor, enable Paint in the Live Edit group of the
Combustion Parameters rollout.

In the 3ds Max viewport, a pen cursor appears. Drag the cursor over the
object to paint on it.

When you release the cursor, the Paint object also appears in Combustion.

2D Maps | 6659

To animate Combustion Paint strokes:
1 Create a Combustion map.
2 In Combustion, set the time scale to start at frame number 0. Choose File
➤ Preferences. In the Preferences dialog select General, set Display Time
As to Frames (From 0), and then click OK.
3 In the 3ds Max Material Editor, enable Track Time in the Live Edit group
of the Combustion Parameters rollout.
Now the time slider in 3ds Max controls the Timeline indicator in
Combustion.
4 In 3ds Max, move the time slider to a frame and create a Paint object.
The Paint object appears on that frame in both Combustion and 3ds Max.
5 Move to another frame and use Combustion to modify the Paint object.
Combustion uses interpolation to determine the appearance of the Paint
object between keyframes. If you add a new Paint object, that object
simply appears, starting on the frame where you created it.
6 Continue advancing in the clip, adding and modifying Paint strokes and
effects to create your animated material. For more information on
animating objects in Combustion, refer to the Combustion User’s Guide.
You can add Paint strokes in either program, but to modify them you
must use Combustion.
NOTE Remember, Combustion tracks the time slider in 3ds Max, but 3ds
Max does not track the Timeline indicator in Combustion. If the 3ds Max
viewport does not appear to be updating as you paint in Combustion, you
might be painting on a different frame than the one displayed in 3ds Max.
To find your Paint objects, move to the correct frame in 3ds Max.

To use an existing Combustion workspace as a material map in 3ds Max:
1 Apply a Combustion map to the Diffuse Color of a material.
2 In the Combustion Parameters rollout, click the Project bar.

The Open Project dialog appears.

6660 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3 Browse for the workspace file (.cws) that you want to use as a map, and
click the Open button.
The Combustion workspace name and path appear in the Project button.
To apply the map to an object, drag the sample slot from the Material
Editor to the object in a 3ds Max viewport.
To edit the map, click the Edit button in the Parameters rollout. In
Combustion, the workspace corresponding to the selected map opens,
and you can edit the image.
To paint geometry with a bitmapped material already assigned to it:
1 In 3ds Max, select the object that you want to paint.

2 In the Material Editor, click
(Pick Material From Object) so you
can see the material in the Material Editor.
3 Open the Maps rollout and note the name of the bitmap file.
4 Replace the bitmap with a Combustion map.
5 On the Paint Parameters rollout, click the blank Project button, and then
choose the same bitmap.

6 Click Edit.
Combustion is launched and the Import Footage dialog appears. Import
the same bitmap.
To paint on the bitmap, select Paint. You can also key or color correct
the bitmap, or use it to build a composite. For more information, see the
Combustion User's Guide.

7 In the 3ds Max Material Editor, click to turn on
Map In Viewport).

(Show Standard

In the scene, the object is mapped in shaded viewports.

2D Maps | 6661

Object with original bitmap

Object with painted bitmap

To paint selected faces:
Use a Multi/Sub-Object material to control the location of your painting. Any
sub-material can have a Combustion map, so you can use Combustion to
affect only the selected faces.
1 In 3ds Max, select the object you want to paint.
2 In the Modify panel, apply an Edit Mesh modifier to the object. (Choose
Edit Mesh from the Modifier drop-down list.)
If you are working with an editable mesh object, or a patch or NURBS
surface, skip step 2. For geometry primitives, an option is to convert the
object to a mesh, patch, or NURBS surface before step 3. However, you
then lose the ability to adjust object parameters (for example, the radius
of a sphere, the height of a box).

6662 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3 Choose Face as the sub-object selection level. Select the faces on which
you want to paint.

4 Drag a material from a sample slot in the Material Editor onto the selected
faces.
5 In the modifier stack display, choose the object again, to disable sub-object
selection.
6 In the Material Editor, use Pick Material From Object to grab the material
from the geometry.

You now have a new Multi/Sub-Object material. The original material
appears as a sub-material applied to the selected faces.
7 In the Multi/Sub-Object material, go to the material assigned to the faces
you want to paint.

2D Maps | 6663

A Multi/Sub-Object material is simply a container for multiple
sub-materials assigned to different faces of the same object. Click a
Sub-Material button to go to a sub-material.

8 Assign a Combustion map to the Diffuse component of the sub-material
applied to the selected faces.
9 Click Edit to launch Combustion.
10 Use the tools in Combustion to modify the material.

6664 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To modify a Combustion map:
1 In the Material Editor, select the material you want to modify.
Material maps created in Combustion are vector-based and fully
modifiable.
2 In the Combustion Parameters rollout, click the Edit button.
The workspace corresponding to the Combustion map opens in
Combustion. As you modify the workspace in Combustion the map is
updated in 3ds Max.
3 In Combustion, save the workspace before you disable the Edit button
in 3ds Max.
To create a displacement map:
In 3ds Max, the Displace modifier on page 1255 acts as a force field to push and
reshape an object's geometry. You can apply its variable force directly from
the modifier gizmo, from a bitmap image, or from a Combustion workspace.
The grayscale component of the image is used to generate the displacement.
Lighter colors in the image push outward more strongly than darker colors,
resulting in a 3D displacement of the geometry.
1 In 3ds Max, select the object to which you want to apply the displacement
map.
In this example, the displacement is applied to a box primitive.

In the object's Parameters rollout, increase the number of Length and
Width Segments. The closer the number of segments approaches the
resolution of the displacement map, the more accurate is the result.
In the example, 150 by 150 gives good results.
2 Apply a Displace modifier: in the Modify panel, choose Displace from
the Modifier drop-down list.

2D Maps | 6665

3 In the Parameters rollout, Image group, click the Map button.

4 The Material/Map Browser appears. Select Combustion and click OK.
The Map button now reads Map #1 (Combustion).
5 Open the Material Editor, and then click and drag the Map #1
(Combustion) button to an unused sample slot in the Material Editor.
An Instance (Copy) Map dialog is displayed.

6666 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

6 Select Instance and click OK.
7 In the Material Editor, Combustion Parameters rollout, click Edit.
This launches Combustion. In the New dialog, set the Type To Paint, and
create a grayscale image to use as a displacement map. For more
information, see the Combustion User's Guide.

8 In 3ds Max, increase the Displacement strength in the modifier Parameters
rollout.
As you increase the strength, you can see the result of the displacement
map on the selected object.

2D Maps | 6667

9 In Combustion, save your project, then in 3ds Max, disable Edit in the
Combustion Parameters rollout to exit Edit mode.

Interface
2D Mapping Coordinates
Like any 2D map in 3ds Max, mapping coordinates control how a Combustion
map is positioned on objects.
For geometric primitives, mapping coordinates are usually provided
automatically. For some kinds of geometry, such as meshes on page 2190, patches
on page 2424, and NURBS surfaces on page 2433, you must apply a UVW Map
modifier on page 1883 to provide mapping coordinates.
Controls in a 2D map's Coordinates rollout on page 6622 affect how the map is
positioned.

6668 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

When you work with a Combustion map, these are the important points to
remember:
■

When you apply a Combustion map to an object, leave mapping set to
the default values of Texture and Explicit Map Channel.

■

When you use a Combustion map as an environment map, set mapping
to Environ and then choose the mapping shape from the Mapping
drop-down list.

■

The offset, tiling, mirror, and angle controls are useful especially when the
size of the projected Combustion map is smaller than the geometry.

■

You can choose between UV, VW, and WU projections. (You can also do
this from the Combustion Parameters rollout, as described below.) UV
projects onto the surface of geometry like a slide projector. VW and WU
project the map at right angles to the geometry. With a Combustion map,
UV is almost always the most useful choice.

Combustion Parameters rollout
The Combustion Parameters rollout appears when you assign a Combustion
map to a material.

2D Maps | 6669

Project Loads the file to use in Combustion. You can load only file types
supported by Autodesk Combustion, such as Combustion workspace files
(cws), or footage and image file formats supported by Combustion (see the
Combustion User's Guide for information on supported footage formats).
Edit Launches Combustion from the 3ds Max Material Editor. If a project is
loaded, it is opened in Combustion. If no project is loaded, Combustion
displays the New dialog. This dialog lets you specify a project type, name,
video format, duration, and background color.

Live Edit group
These controls affect how you use Combustion with 3ds Max.
Operator Switches control to Combustion, where you can select an operator.
The results of the operator appear as the image in the Combustion map. The
operator does not have to be the last operator in the pipe.
While Combustion is active, you can also adjust the operator. The Combustion
map updates to show the results.

6670 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Unwrap Selected Takes the current UVW mapping coordinates of the currently
selected 3D object (or the current Face sub-object selection), and displays them
in Combustion. This can help you coordinate the map and the mesh as you
paint. The Unwrap display is only an overlay. It is displayed in Combustion
but is not a part of the composite or the map.
UV List Changes the mapping coordinate system (the direction in which the
map is projected) from UV to VW or UW. UV projects onto the surface of
geometry like a slide projector. VW and WU project the map at right angles
to the geometry. With a Combustion map, UV is almost always the most
useful choice.
UV Specifies which mapping channel to unwrap and paint. Range=1 to 99.
Track Time Links the Timeline in Combustion to the time slider in 3ds Max.
When Track Time is enabled, you can use the time slider in 3ds Max to navigate
between frames in Combustion.
NOTE This control is not bidirectional; changing the frame in Combustion does
not change the frame in 3ds Max.
Paint When enabled, displays a paint cursor in 3ds Max viewports. You can
then paint directly on the 3D geometry. Dragging the cursor in the viewport
over the geometry in 3ds Max creates paint strokes inside Combustion.
Constrain To UV When enabled, constrains paint strokes to remain within
the edges of the UV mapping coordinates. When paint strokes are
unconstrained on an object such as a box, they can jump to the other side of
the map when you cross a map’s edge. This can give erratic results. To prevent
this, enable Constrain To UV.
In general, use the Constrain To UV option when you paint on boxes and
other objects with planar maps. Disable this option when you want to paint
on spherical maps or anywhere else the mapping has a singularity (where the
edges of the map converge to a single point).
Selected Faces Constrains the Combustion image to only the faces selected.
This gives additional control or masking based on faces rather than UV
mapping.

Project Info group
These readouts display the format of the Combustion Paint or composite
operator. They are active when a Combustion workspace is loaded or Edit
mode is active.
Width Sets horizontal resolution of the frame in pixels.

2D Maps | 6671

Height Sets vertical resolution of the frame in pixels.
Frames Sets number of frames in the Combustion workspace.
Rate Sets playback speed in frames per second.

Custom Resolution group
With these controls, you can customize the resolution of the Combustion
map.
Enable Enables the Width and Height controls.
Width and Height Width changes the horizontal resolution of the map.
Height changes the vertical resolution of the map.

Time group
These controls relate frames in the Combustion workspace to frames in the
Combustion map. See the controls under "End Condition Group" for how to
handle the map when it contains fewer frames than the 3ds Max scene.
Start Frame Determines which frame of the Combustion sequence is used as
the first frame of the Combustion map in 3ds Max.
Duration Sets how many frames of the Combustion file sequence are used
by the Combustion map in 3ds Max.

Filtering group
These controls determine the method for calculating antialiasing on page 9087:
Pyramidal Sets the default antialiasing method. This method is faster than
Summed Area filtering.
Summed Area Implements a better method of antialiasing. Summed Area
filtering uses more memory than Pyramidal. If it has to use virtual memory,
it can dramatically increase rendering time.
None Performs no antialiasing. This option takes the least time to render, but
yields the lowest quality results.

End Condition group
These controls define what the 3ds Max renderer should do when the duration
of the Combustion project (or the range of frames used in the Combustion
map) is shorter than the rendering sequence in 3ds Max.

6672 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Loop Plays the Combustion project animation repeatedly until the rendering
sequence ends.
Ping Pong Plays the animation forward, then backward, and repeatedly plays
forward and backward until the rendering sequence is completed.
Hold Plays the animation once, then repeatedly displays the last frame of the
project until the rendering sequence is completed.

Gradient Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Gradient
Gradients shade from one color to another. You specify two or three colors
for the gradient; 3ds Max interpolates intermediate values. Gradient maps are
2D maps.

Gradient maps used for the stoplight lamps, and for the background of the scene

2D Maps | 6673

TIP You can swap colors by dragging one color swatch over another, then clicking
Swap in the Copy or Swap Colors dialog. To reverse the overall direction of the
gradient, swap the first and third colors.

Gradient-mapped material tiled (left) and with noise (right)

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

■

Output Rollout on page 6613

Procedures
To create a Gradient map:
1 Click a map button to assign a map.
2 Choose Gradient in the Material/Map Browser, and then click OK.
To change a gradient color:
1 In the Gradient Parameters rollout, click a color swatch to display the
Color Selector on page 304.
2 Adjust the color.
3 Click one of the other color swatches.
4 Adjust the color.

6674 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To choose the kind of gradient:
■

Choose either Linear or Radial.
A linear gradient shades from one color to another along a line. A radial
gradient has one color on the inside and another on the outside, shading
in a circular pattern.

To use a map for a color in the gradient:
■

In the Gradient Parameters rollout, click a map button to assign a map to
a color.

To adjust the position of the second color:
■

Change the Color 2 Position value.
At the default value of 0.5, the second color is between the first and third
colors. For a linear gradient, the second color's position ranges from the
bottom at 0.0 to the top at 1.0. For a radial gradient, the second color's
position ranges from the inside at 0.0 to the outside at 1.0.

2D Maps | 6675

Interface

Color #1-3 Sets the three colors that the gradient interpolates between.
Displays the Color Selector on page 304. You can drag and drop the colors from
one swatch to another.
Maps Displays a map on page 9215 instead of the color. Maps are blended into
the gradient in the same way that the gradient colors are blended. You can
add nested procedural gradients in each window to make 5-, 7-, 9-color
gradients, or more.
The check boxes enable or disable their associated maps.
Color 2 Position Controls the center point of the middle color. The position
ranges from 0 to 1. When it is 0, color 2 replaces color 3. When it is 1, color
2 replaces color 1.
Gradient Type Linear interpolates the color based on the vertical position (V
coordinate) while radial interpolates based on the distance from the center of

6676 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

the map (center is: U=0.5,V=0.5). With both of these, you can rotate the
gradient using the angle parameter under Coordinates, which is animatable.

Noise group
Amount When nonzero (ranges from 0 to 1), applies a noise effect. This
perturbs the color interpolation parameter using a 3D noise function based
on U, V, and Phase. For example, a given pixel is halfway between the first
and second color (the interpolation parameter is 0.5). If noise is added, the
interpolation parameter would be perturbed by some amount so that it may
become less or more than 0.5.
Regular Generates plain noise. This is the same as Fractal noise with the Levels
setting at 1. When the noise type is set to Regular, the Levels spinner becomes
disabled (because Regular is not a fractal function).
Fractal Generates noise using a fractal algorithm. The Levels option sets the
number of iterations for the fractal noise.
Turbulence Generates fractal noise with an absolute value function applied
to it to make fault lines. The noise amount must be greater than 0 to see any
effects of turbulence.
Size Scales the noise function. Smaller values give smaller chunks of noise.
Phase Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function. A 3D noise
function is used for the noise. The first two parameters are U and V and the
third is phase.
Levels Sets the number of fractal iterations or turbulence (as a continuous
function).

Noise Threshold group
When the noise value is above the Low threshold and below the High
threshold, the dynamic range is stretched to fill 0–1. This produces a smaller
discontinuity at the threshold transition and thus causes less potential aliasing.
Low Sets the low threshold.
High Sets the high threshold.
Smooth Helps make a smoother transition from the threshold value to the
noise value. When smooth is 0, no smoothing is applied. When it is 1, the
maximum amount of smoothing is applied.

2D Maps | 6677

Gradient Ramp Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Gradient
Ramp
Gradient Ramp is a 2D map similar to the Gradient map. It shades from one
color to another. In this map, however, you can specify any number of colors
or maps for the gradient. There are a variety of controls, making highly
customized gradients possible. Almost any parameter of Gradient Ramp can
be animated.

Gradient ramp used for the layers of the cake

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

■

Output Rollout on page 6613

6678 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To create a material with a Gradient Ramp map:
1 Open the Material Editor, and choose an unused sample slot.
2 Close the Basic Parameters rollout, and open the Maps rollout.
3 Click the Map button for Diffuse to display the Material/Map Browser.
4 In the Browser list, click Gradient Ramp. The map appears in the upper-left
of the Browser window. Click OK.
Gradient Ramp map is applied to the sample slot as the Browser closes.
5 In the Material Editor, under its toolbar, give the material a name to
identify its use in your scene.
When you replace an existing map with a gradient ramp map, choosing
to Keep Old Map as Submap in the Replace Map dialog, the old map
becomes assigned to the first flag as a texture.

2D Maps | 6679

Gradient Ramp-mapped material with a colored gradient

6680 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Gradient bar shows default gradient and interpolation types

Gradient bar Presents an editable representation of the gradient being created.
The effect of the gradient moves from left (start point) to right (end point).
By default, three flags appear along the bottom edge of a red/green/blue
gradient. Each flag controls a color (or map). The currently selected flag is
green, and its RGB value and its position in the gradient (in the range 0 to
100) appear above the gradient bar. Each gradient can have any number of
flags.
The gradient bar has the following features:
■

Click anywhere along the bottom edge to create additional flags.

■

Drag any flag to adjust the position of its color (or map) within the
gradient. The start and end flags (Flag #1 at 0 and Flag #2 at 100) cannot
be moved. However, other flags can occupy these positions and still be
moved.

2D Maps | 6681

■

More than one flag can occupy a given position. If two flags are at the
same position, a slight edge appears between the colors. With three or
more flags at the same position, the edge is a hard line.

Right-click options for gradient bar Right-click in the gradient bar to display
a menu with these options:
Reset Returns gradient bar to defaults.
Load Gradient Loads an existing gradient (DGR) file into the gradient bar.
Save Gradient Loads your current gradient bar as a DGR file.
Copy, Paste Copies a gradient and pastes it into another Gradient Ramp map.
Load UV Map Selects a UV map.
Load Bitmap Selects a bitmap.
Flag Mode Toggles flag display.
Right-click options for flags Right-click any flag to display a menu with the
following options:
Copy and Paste Lets you copy the current key and paste it to replace another
key. The other key could be in another Gradient Ramp as well as the current
one.
Edit Properties Choose this option to display the Flag Properties dialog on
page 6684.
Delete Deletes the flag.
Gradient Type Chooses the type of gradient. The following Gradient types
are available. These affect the entire gradient.
■

4 CornerAn asymmetrical linear transition of colors.

■

BoxA box.

■

DiagonalA linear diagonal transition of colors.

■

LightingBased on the light intensity value. No light=far left; brightest
light=far right.

■

LinearA smooth, linear transition of colors.

■

MappedLets you assign a map to use as the gradient. Enables the Source
Map controls for specifying the map and turning it on and off.

6682 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

NormalBased on the angle between the vector from the camera to the
object and the surface normal vector at the sample point. The leftmost
flag of the gradient is 0 degrees; the rightmost flag is 90 degrees.

■

PongA diagonal sweep that repeats in the middle.

■

RadialA radial transition of colors.

■

SpiralA smooth, circular transition of colors.

■

SweepA linear sweep transition of colors.

■

TartanA plaid.

Interpolation Chooses the type of interpolation. The following Interpolation
types are available. These affect the entire gradient.
NOTE Gradients are ordered from left to right. The “next” flag is to the right of
the current flag; the “previous” flag is to the left.
Custom Sets an individual interpolation type for each flag. Right-click the
flag to display the Flag Properties dialog on page 6684 and set the interpolation.
Ease In Weighted more toward the next flag than the current flag.
Ease In Out Weighted more toward the current flag than the next flag.
Ease Out Weighted more toward the previous flag than the next flag.
Linear Constant from one flag to the next. (Default.)
Solid No interpolation. Transitions are a sharp line.
Source Map Click to assign a map to a mapped gradient. The check box turns
the map on or off.
The Source Map controls are available only when Mapped is the chosen
gradient type.

Noise group
Amount When nonzero, a random noise effect is applied to the gradient,
based on the interaction of the gradient ramp colors (and maps, if present).
The higher this value, the greater the effect. Range=0 to 1.
Regular Generates plain noise. Basically the same as fractal noise with levels
disabled (because Regular is not a fractal function).

2D Maps | 6683

Fractal Generates noise using a fractal algorithm. The Levels option sets the
number of iterations for the fractal noise.
Turbulence Generates fractal noise with an absolute value function applied
to it to make fault lines. Note that the noise amount must be greater than 0
to see any effects of turbulence.
Size Sets the scale of the noise function. Smaller values give smaller chunks
of noise.
Phase Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function. A 3D noise
function is used for the noise; the first two parameters are U and V and the
third is phase.
Levels Sets the number of fractal iterations or turbulence (as a continuous
function).

Noise Threshold group
When the noise value is above the Low threshold and below the High
threshold, the dynamic range is stretched to fill 0 to 1. This causes a smaller
discontinuity at the threshold transition and produces less potential aliasing.
High Sets the high threshold.
Low Sets the low threshold.
Smooth Helps make a smoother transition from the threshold value to the
noise value. When Smooth is 0, no smoothing is applied. When Smooth is 1,
the maximum amount of smoothing is applied.

Flag Properties Dialog

Material Editor ➤ Gradient Ramp map ➤ Gradient Ramp
Parameters rollout ➤ Right-click a flag at the bottom of the gradient bar. ➤
Edit Properties ➤ Flag Properties dialog
By setting parameters on the Flag Properties dialog, you can customize the
effect of each flag on the Gradient Ramp map. You have access to all flags
from this dialog.
See also:
■

Gradient Ramp Map on page 6678

6684 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Name field Select any flag with the spinners. The selected flag turns green on
the gradient bar. Use this field to rename a flag to represent its use in the
gradient.
Interpolation Disabled unless the Interpolation type for the Gradient Ramp
map is set to Custom. The available interpolation types for flags are similar
to the corresponding ones in the Gradient Ramp map:
NOTE Gradients are ordered from left to right. The “next” flag is to the right of
the current flag; the “previous” flag is to the left.
Ease In Weighted more toward the next flag than the current flag.
Ease In Out Weighted more toward the current flag than the next flag.
Ease Out Weighted more toward the previous flag than the next flag.
Linear Constant from one flag to the next. (Default.)
Solid No interpolation. Transitions are a sharp line.
Texture Assigns a map in place of a color. When unselected, the flag turns
blue to indicate a map assignment.
Color Click the color swatch to change the color controlled by the selected
flag.

2D Maps | 6685

Position Shows the current position of the selected flag. Use the spinners to
reposition the flag, or enter a value directly. Position is not available for the
start and end flags, because these flags can’t be moved.
Animation keys Animation keys are created by default for Color and
Position, and the keys are active, indicated by the green triangles next to the
Color and Position labels. You can turn these keys off if you don’t intend to
animate the gradient.

Swirl Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Swirl
Swirl is a 2D procedural map that generates patterns similar to the swirls in
two-flavor ice creams. Like other two-color maps, either color can be replaced
with other maps, so it’s possible to swirl marble with wood, for example.

Swirl used to create the whirlpool

6686 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

Procedures
To create a Swirl-mapped material:
1 Open the Material Editor, and choose an unused sample slot.
2 Close the Basic Parameters rollout, and open the Maps rollout.
3 Turn on Diffuse Color. Click its Map button to display the Material/Map
Browser.
4 In the Browser list, click Swirl. The map appears in the upper-left of the
Browser window. Click OK.
Swirl map is applied to the sample slot as the Material/Map browser closes.
5 In the Material Editor, under its toolbar, give the material a name to
identify its use in your scene.

2D Maps | 6687

Interface

Swirl Color Setup group
Base The underlying layer for the swirl effect. Click the color swatch to change.
Click None to assign a map in place of a color. The check box enables or
disables the map.
Swirl Mixed with the Base color or map, produces the swirl effect. Click the
color swatch to change this color. Click None to assign a map in place of a
color.
Swap Reverses the color or map assignments for Base and Swirl.
Color Contrast Controls the contrast between Base and Swirl. At 0, the swirl
is blurred. Higher values increase the contrast until all colors become black
and white, even if Swirl Intensity and Swirl Amount are very high. Range=0
to 4.0; Default=0.4.
Swirl Intensity Controls the intensity of the swirl color. Higher values create
a more vibrant mix of colors. At 0, the swirl effect disappears. Range=-10 to
10.0; Default=2.0.

6688 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Swirl Amount Controls the quantity of the Swirl color that gets mixed into
the Base color. If set to 0, only the base color is used. Range=0 to 3.0;
Default=1.0.

Swirl Appearance group
Twist Changes the number of spirals in the swirl effect. Higher values increase
the number of spirals. Negative values change the direction of the twist. At
0, the colors are randomly distributed, not swirled. Range=-20.0 to 20.0;
Default=1.0.
Constant Detail Changes the level of detail within a swirl. Lower values
minimize the level of detail within the swirl. At 0, all detail is lost. Higher
values increase detail until the swirl effect disappears. Values are in whole
numbers. Range=0 to 10; Default=4.

Swirl Location group
Center Position X and Y Adjusts the location of the swirl’s center on the
object.
Lock X and Y values remain identical as you adjust them. By turning off Lock
and adjusting either the X or Y position, you can “slide” the swirl effect across
the object. Default=on.

Configuration group
Random Seed Sets a new starting point for the swirl effect. Changes the swirl
pattern while maintaining other parameters. Range=0 to 65,535; No default.

Tiles Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Tiles
Using the Tiles procedural map, you can create brick or stacked tiling of colors
or material mappings. There are commonly defined architectural brick patterns
available, or you can design custom patterns.

2D Maps | 6689

Tiles used for the walls of a house

With the Tiles map, you can:
■

Assign many of the maps available through the Material Editor.

■

Load textures and use colors in the pattern.

■

Control the number of tiles in columns and rows.

■

Control the size of the grout gap and its roughness.

■

Apply random variance in the pattern.

■

Control the stacking layout by shifting how the tiles line up.

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622

■

Noise Rollout (2D) on page 6632

6690 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
Example: To create a brick wall:
1 Create a wall using a Box primitive, or use an existing surface in one of
your scenes.
2 Open the Material Editor on page 6019. Select an unused sample slot.
3 Click the Maps rollout to open it. Click the Map button for Diffuse to
display the Material/Map Browser.
4 In the map list, select Tiles, then click OK.
The Tiles map is now assigned to the sample slot. On the Material Editor,
you see new rollouts appear for this map.
5 On the Standard Controls rollout, use Preset Type to select the type of
tiles for the wall. Stack Bond is the default.

6 On the Material Editor toolbar, click

(Assign Material To Selection)

to apply the tile map to the wall. Then click
Viewport) to see the applied map.

(Show Map In

7 Open the Advanced Controls rollout. Under Tiles Setup, adjust Horizontal
and Vertical Count. The default is eight rows high, with three repeats of
the pattern in each row. Visually scale the size of the tiles to your scene.
Also adjust Texture as well as Color and Fade Variance to fine-tune the
appearance of the tiles.
8 Under Grout Setup, adjust parameters for the texture of the grout, gap
spacing between tiles, and roughness of the grout. You can also create
missing bricks in the map by setting % Holes to a value above 0.
9 Under Miscellaneous, you can vary the color of the tiles by using the
Random Seed option.
Example: To match the tiles on the top and side of a wall:

1

Select a wall mapped with tile.

2D Maps | 6691

2 On the

Modify panel, choose Editable Mesh.

3 Turn on Sub-Object ➤ Face.
4 Select the top face of the wall.
5 Open the Material Editor. Drag the wall’s tile material to an unused sample
slot to duplicate the material.
6 Under Tiles Setup, adjust the horizontal and vertical count of the new
material to match the side of the wall.
7 Apply the new tile material to the selected faces on the top of the wall.
8 Under Stacking Layout, align the tiles by using the Line Shift option.

Interface
Standard Controls rollout

Preset Type Lists the commonly defined architectural tile bonds, or patterns,
plus a custom pattern, which you design by selecting options under the
Advanced Controls and Stacking Layout rollouts. The following illustrations
show some of the different bonds:

Common Flemish

6692 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Fine Running

Fine Stack

1/2 Running

2D Maps | 6693

Running

Stack

6694 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Advanced Controls rollout

Show Texture Swatches Updates to show the texture assigned by a map for
Tiles or Grout.

2D Maps | 6695

Tiles Setup group
Texture Controls the display of the current texture map for the tiles. When
on, the texture is used as the tile pattern instead of the color swatch. When
turned off, the color of the tiles is displayed; clicking the color swatch displays
the Color Selector on page 304.
None Acts as a target where you drag and drop maps for the tiles. When you
click this button with a map assigned, 3ds Max displays the rollout for the
map. You return this button to None (removing the assigned map) by dragging
and dropping a None map from the Map/Material Browser.
Horiz. Count Controls the number of tiles in a row.
Vert. Count Controls the number of tiles in a column.
Color Variance Controls the color variation among the tiles.
Fade Variance Controls the fading variation among the tiles.

Grout Setup group
Texture Controls the display of the current texture map for the grout. When
on, the texture is used as the grout pattern instead of the color swatch. When
off, the color of the grout is displayed, and clicking the color swatch displays
the Color Selector on page 304.
None Acts as a target where you drag and drop maps for the grout. When you
click this button with a map assigned, 3ds Max displays the rollout for the
map. You return this button to None (removing the assigned map) by dragging
and dropping a None map from the Map/Material Browser.
Horizontal Gap Controls the horizontal size of the grout between the tiles.
This value is locked by default to the vertical gap, so that both values change
as you edit one or the other. To unlock them, click the lock icon.

Vertical Gap Controls the vertical size of the grout between the tiles. This
value is locked by default to the horizontal gap, so that both values change
as you edit one or the other. To unlock them, click the lock icon.
% Holes Sets the percentage of holes in the tiled surface caused by missing
tiles. The grout shows through the holes.
Rough Controls the roughness of the edges of the grout.

6696 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Miscellaneous group
Random Seed Randomly applies patterns of color variation to the tiles. Does
not require any other setting to generate completely different patterns.
Swap Texture Entries Swaps the texture maps or colors between the tiles and
the grout.

Stacking Layout group
NOTE This group of controls is active only when Custom Tiles is selected in
Standard Controls rollout ➤ Pattern Setup ➤ Preset Type.
Line Shift Shifts every second row of tiles a distance of one unit.
Random Shift Randomly shifts all rows of tiles a distance of one unit.

Row and Column Editing group
NOTE This group of controls is enabled only when Custom Tiles is selected in
Standard Controls rollout ➤ Pattern Setup ➤ Preset Type.
Row Modify When on, creates a custom pattern for rows, based on the values
of Per Row and Change. Default=off.
■

Per RowSpecifies which rows to change. When Per Row equals 0, no rows
change. When Per Row equals 1, every row changes. When Per Row is a
value greater than 1, the change appears every N rows: a value of 2 changes
every second row, a value of three changes every third row, and so on.
Default=2.

■

ChangeChanges the width of tiles in the affected rows. A value of 1.0 is
the default tile width. Values greater than 1.0 increase the width of tiles,
and values less than 1.0 decrease it. Range=0.0 to 5.0. Default=1.0.
A value of 0.0 is a special case: When the Change value is 0.0, no tiles
appears in that row, and the underlying material shows through.

Column Modify When on, creates a custom pattern for columns, based on
the values of Per Column and Change. Default=off.
■

Per ColumnSpecifies which columns to change. When Per Column equals
0, no columns change. When Per Column equals 1, every column changes.
When Per Column is a value greater than 1, the change appears every N
columns: a value of 2 changes every second column, a value of three
changes every third column and so on. Default=2.

2D Maps | 6697

■

ChangeChanges the height of tiles in the affected columns. A value of 1.0
is the default tile height. Values greater than 1.0 increase the height of
tiles, and values less than 1.0 decrease it. Range=0.0 to 5.0. Default=1.0.
A value of 0.0 is a special case: When the Change value is 0.0, no tile
appears in that column, and the underlying material shows through.

3D Maps
3D maps are patterns generated procedurally in three dimensions. For example,
Marble has a grain that goes through the assigned geometry. If you cut away
part of an object with marble assigned as its texture, the grain in the cutaway
portion matches the grain on the object's exterior.

Coordinates Rollout (3D)
Material/Map Browser changed featurematerial/map
browserbrowsermaterial/maprendering menumaterial/map browser on page

6167 ➤ Assign a 3D Map. ➤
rollout

Material Editor ➤ Coordinates

By adjusting coordinate parameters, you can move a map relative to the volume
of the object to which it is applied.

Interface

6698 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Source Chooses the coordinate system to use. There are four options:
■

Object XYZUses the object’s local coordinate system.

■

World XYZUses the scene’s world coordinate system.

■

Explicit Map ChannelActivates the Map Channel field. You can choose
any channel from 1 to 99.

■

Vertex Color ChannelAssigns vertex colors as a channel. See Editable Mesh
on page 2190 for details on assigning vertex color.
See also Vertex Color Map on page 6775.

When one of the map channels is set, it locks the map into position on the
vertices of the object so that the map "sticks" to the object as it deforms during
animation.
When an object is deforming through its own local space (for example, when
it is bending or twisting), the object appears to move through the map, because
it passes through the XYZ coordinates of the 3D texture.
Map Channel Unavailable unless the source is Explicit Map Channel. When
available, you can choose any channel from 1 to 99.
Offset Moves the map pattern along the specified axis.
Tiling Tiles on page 9328 the map pattern along the specified axis and makes
the pattern narrower.
Angle Rotates the map pattern along the specified axis.
Blur Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the map based on its distance from
the view. The farther away the map is, the greater the blurring. The Blur value
blurs maps in world space. Blur is primarily used to avoid aliasing on page 9087.
Blur Offset Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the map without regard to
its distance from the view. Blur Offset blurs the image itself in object space.
Use when you want to soften or defocus the details in a map to achieve the
effect of a blurred image.

Cellular Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Cellular

3D Maps | 6699

The Cellular procedural map generates a pattern that's useful for a variety of
visual effects, including mosaic tiling, pebbled surfaces, and even ocean
surfaces.

Cellular maps create the goblet textures.

TIP The Material Editor sample slot doesn't show the cellular effect very clearly.
For a better visual aid to getting the effect you want, assign the map to geometry
and render the scene.
See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

■

Output Rollout on page 6613

Procedures
Example: To create confetti:
1 Assign the Cellular map as a Diffuse map.
2 Set the parameters as follows:

6700 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Cell Color (use RGB values after clicking color swatch): 202, 75, 171
Variation: 55
Division Colors (use RGB values after clicking the color swatch):
■

First: 127, 150, 197

■

Second: 0, 119, 163

Cell Characteristics:
■

Circular

■

Size: 2.4

■

Spread: 0.43

■

Fractal: off

Thresholds:
■

Low: 0.19

■

Mid: 0.65

■

High: 0.86

Example: To create alien skin:
1 Assign the Cellular map as a Diffuse map.
2 Set the parameters as follows:
Cell Color (use RGB values after clicking the color swatch): 52, 107, 58
Variation: 0.0
Division Colors (use RGB values after clicking the color swatch):
■

First: 112, 119, 64

■

Second: 143, 137, 112

Cell Characteristics:
■

Circular

■

Size: 7.9

■

Spread: 0.61

■

Fractal: on

3D Maps | 6701

■

Iterations: 2.0

Thresholds:
■

Low: 0.17

■

Mid: 0.64

■

High: 1.0

3 Copy the Diffuse map to the Bump map.
If you increase the Bump amount, increase the Cellular bump map's
Bump Smoothing value as well.
Example: To create a tile mosaic:
1 Assign the Cellular map as a Diffuse map.
2 Set the parameters as follows:
Cell Color (use RGB values after clicking the color swatch): 141, 120, 87
Variation: 54
Division Colors (use RGB values after clicking the color swatch):
■

First: 128, 128, 128

■

Second: 221, 221, 221

Cell Characteristics:
■

Chips

■

Size: 7.0

■

Spread: 0.35

■

Fractal: off

Thresholds:
■

Low: 0.42

■

Mid: 0.76

■

High: 1.0

3 Assign a Mix map as the Bump map.

6702 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

4 Click Material/Map Navigator to display the Navigator. Copy the Cellular
Diffuse map by dragging it from the Navigator to the Color #2 map
window of the Mix map.
5 A dialog is displayed. You are asked if this should be an instance or a
copy. Select Copy and click OK.
6 Assign a Noise map to the Color #1 map window of the Mix map.
7 Set the Noise parameters as follows:
Noise Type: Fractal
Levels: 6.0
Size: 9.3
8 In the Mix Parameters rollout of the Mix map, set the Mix Amount to
0.5.
9 Go to top level of the material. In the Maps rollout, set Bump Amount
to 82.

3D Maps | 6703

Interface

Cell Color group
These controls specify the color of the cells.
Color swatch Displays the Color Selector on page 304. Choose a color for the
cells.
Map button Assigns a map to the cells, rather than a solid color.

6704 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Check box When on, enables the map. When off, disables the map (cell color
reverts to the color swatch).
Variation Varies the color of the cells by randomly altering RGB values. The
higher the variation, the greater the random effect. This percentage value can
range from 0 to 100. At 0, the color swatch or the map completely determines
the cell color. Default=0.

Division Colors group
These controls specify the color of the divisions between cells. Cell divisions
are a ramp between two colors or two maps.
Color swatches Display the Color Selector for choosing a cell division color.
Map buttons Assigns a map to one of the cell division colors.
Check boxes When on, enables the associated map. When off, disables the
associated map (the division color reverts to the color swatch).

Cell Characteristics group
These controls change the shape and size of the cells.
Circular/Chips Lets you choose how cell edges look. With Circular, the cells
are circular. This gives a more organic, or bubbly look. With Chips, the cells
have linear edges. This gives a more chipped or mosaic appearance.
Default=Circular.
Size Alters the overall scale of the map. Adjust this value to fit the map to
your geometry. Default=5.0.
Spread Alters the size of individual cells. Default=0.5.
Bump Smoothing When you use a cellular map as a bump map on page 6472,
you might encounter aliasing or jagginess at the boundaries of the cells. If
this occurs, increase this value. Default=0.1.
Fractal Defines the cellular pattern as a fractal, thus enabling the three
following additional parameters. Default=off.
Iterations Sets the number of times the fractal function is applied. Caution:
Increasing this value increases rendering time. Default=3.0.
Adaptive When on, the number of fractal iterations is set adaptively. That is,
the number of iterations increases the closer the geometry is to the scene's
point of view, and decreases in the distance. This reduces aliasing and also
saves time while rendering. Default=on.

3D Maps | 6705

Roughness When you use the Cellular map as a bump map on page 6472, this
parameter controls how rough the bumps are. When Roughness is zero, each
iteration is half the strength of the previous iteration, and half the size. As
Roughness increases, each iteration is closer in strength and size to the previous
iteration. When Roughness is at its maximum value of 1.0, each iteration is
the same size and strength as the previous. In effect, this turns off the
fractalization. Roughness has no effect unless Iterations is greater than 1.0.
Default=0.0.

Thresholds group
These controls affect the relative size of cells and divisions. They are expressed
as normalized percentages (0 to 1) of the sizes specified by the default
algorithm.
Low Adjusts the size of the cells. Default=0.0.
Mid Adjusts the size of the first division color, relative to the second.
Default=0.5.
High Adjusts the overall size of divisions. Default=1.0.

Dent Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Dent
Dent is a 3D procedural map. During scanline rendering, Dent creates a random
pattern based on fractal noise. The effect of the pattern depends on the map
type.

6706 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Dent map gives texture to the cup on the left; cup on the right has same pattern, but
without dents.

Effect of default parameters
Defaults: Iterations=2, Size=200, Strength=20

Dent was designed to be used primarily as a bump map, and its default
parameters are optimized for this usage. As a bump map, Dent renders
three-dimensional dents over the surface of an object. Editable parameters
control the size, depth, and complexity of the denting effect.
Dent can also be used with other maps. With a diffuse color map, for example,
the two colors assigned to Dent mix in random swirls over the surface of the
object. Either of the colors can be replaced by other maps.

3D Maps | 6707

Dent bump maps
At left, default parameters produce fairly uniform dents over surface.
At right, increased Strength parameter creates a deeper and more irregular pitting
effect.

Dent diffuse maps
At left, Dent as a two-color diffuse map.
At right, colors replaced with Dent and Marble maps.

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

Procedures
To make a Dent map:
1 In the Material Editor, click a sample slot to make it active.
2 Open the Maps rollout.
3 Click Bump or other map button to display the Material/Map Browser.
4 Double-click Dent in the list of map types.
The Material Editor displays the Coordinates and Dent Parameters rollouts.
5 Set parameters on the Dent Parameters rollout.
The active sample slot updates to show the Dent effect.
To replace a color:
1 Click a color swatch labeled Color #1 or Color #2.
2 In the standard Color Selector on page 304, choose a replacement color.

6708 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The color updates in the color box and sample slot.
To swap a color:
■

Click Swap.
The position of the two colors is reversed in the color boxes and sample
slot.

To replace a color with a map:
1 Click a Map button marked None next to one of the color swatches.
3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser.
2 Select a map from the list.
The sample slot updates to show the map in place of the color.

Interface

Size Sets the relative size of dents. As the size increases, the number of dents
decreases when other settings are the same. Default=200.
Decreasing Size creates the appearance of tiny dents spaced fairly evenly. The
effect can resemble a "sand-covered" surface.
Increasing Size creates the appearance of distinct grooves and gouges on a
surface. The effect sometimes has a "hardened lava" look.

3D Maps | 6709

Size=10, 500, and 1000
Iterations=1, Strength=20 (default)

Size=10, 500, and 1000
Iterations=3, Strength=20 (default)

Each set of three spheres uses the same size range, but varies the number of
iterations. Strength is held constant in both sets.
Strength Determines the relative coverage of the two colors. Higher values
increase the coverage of Color #2, while lower values increase the coverage of
Color #1. Default=20.
When using Dent as a bump map, increasing the Strength value typically
makes the dents look deeper.
In the following illustrations, each set of three spheres uses the same Strength
range, but varies the Size value between the two sets. The Iterations value is
the same in both sets.

Size=10, Iterations=3
Strength=5, 20 (default), and 100

6710 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Size=1000, Iterations=3
Strength=5, 20 (default), and 100

Iterations Sets the number of calculations used to create the dents. Default=2.
Dent is based on a fractal-noise equation. During rendering, a dented surface
is calculated one or more times to produce the finished effect. Each calculation
pass is an iteration.
As a surface is calculated, each iteration adds to the number of dents and the
complexity and randomness of the final surface (dents become dented).
The Dent texture requires heavy calculation, especially at higher iterations.
This can slow down rendering time considerably.

Iterations=1, 3, and 6
Size=500, Strength=20

The three spheres have uniform settings for size and strength. Only the number
of iterations varies.
Swap Reverses the position of colors or maps.
Colors Allows choice of two colors where appropriate for a color component
(such as Diffuse). Defaults=black for Color #1 and white for Color #2.
Dent can create patterns in an object's color as well as its surface. By using
Dent as a diffuse color map, the entire surface is affected.

3D Maps | 6711

Size=500, Strength=60
Iterations=2

Two colors are mixed to produce a random pattern, governed by size, strength,
and iteration settings. The default colors are black and white, but either can
be replaced or swapped.
Left sphere: Sets the color to black and white.
Middle sphere: Replaces white with red.
Right sphere: Swap black and red.
By adjusting Strength, Size, and Iterations parameters, you vary the Dent
patterns on a diffuse color map.
■

Size sets the density of the dent pattern. At low settings, the pattern is
dense. As Size increases with other settings held constant, the pattern
becomes increasingly sparse.

■

Strength sets the color strength in the dent pattern. At low settings, Color
#1 (black) dominates the pattern. As Strength increases, Color #2 (white)
replaces Color #1.

■

Iterations sets the color iterations in the dent pattern. At low settings,
Color #1 is dominant. As iterations increase, Color #2 gradually increases
in the pattern.

Dent is applied as a diffuse map in the following examples. Colors are default
black and white.

Size=100, 500, and 1000
Strength=20, Iterations=2
Color #1, #2=black, white (defaults)

6712 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Strength=20, 50, and 100
Size=500, Iterations=2

Iterations=2, 4, and 8
Size=500, Strength=20

Maps Replaces colors with maps in the dent pattern. The check boxes enable
or disable their associated map.
You can assign maps to one or both of the Dent color slots. Any kind of map
can be used, including Dent. The map overrides the assigned color, which has
no effect.
In the three spheres below, the assigned colors are progressively replaced with
maps. Parameters of the original Dent map are the same for all spheres.

Size=500, Strength=60, Iterations=2
Left sphere: Applies Dent as a diffuse map. Color #1 is black; Color #2 is red.
Middle sphere: Replaces black with Dent map (all defaults).
Right sphere: Replaces red with Marble map (all defaults).

3D Maps | 6713

Falloff Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Falloff
The Falloff map generates a value from white to black, based on the angular
falloff of the face normals on the surface of the geometry.

Falloff map creates the appearance of translucency.

The direction used to specify the angular falloff varies, depending on the
methods you choose. However, with the default settings, the map generates
white on faces whose normals point outward from the current view, and black
on faces whose normals are parallel to the current view.
Falloff map provides a greater variety of opacity falloff effects than those in
the Falloff settings in a standard material's Extended Parameters rollout on
page 6436. You assign the Falloff map as an opacity map on page 6465. However,
you can also use Falloff for special effects, such as an iridescent look.
NOTE When old files that use Falloff maps are brought into 3ds Max, the old
Falloff interface is displayed, replacing the new Falloff interface.

6714 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

See also:
For functionality shared with other 3D maps, see Output Rollout on page
6613

■

Procedure
To control opacity using a Falloff map:
1 Assign the Falloff map as an opacity map.

2

Render to see the effect.

3 Adjust the falloff parameters to vary the effect.

3D Maps | 6715

Interface
Falloff Parameters rollout

Front : Side By default, "Front : Side" is the name of the group at the top of
this rollout. Front : Side indicates Perpendicular/Parallel falloff. This name
changes depending on the falloff type selected. In all cases, the name on the
left refers to the top set of controls, and the name on the right to the bottom
set.
The controls are as follows:
■

Click the color swatches to assign colors.

■

Use the numeric fields and spinners to adjust the relative strength of the
colors.

6716 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Click the buttons marked None to assign maps.

■

Turn on the check boxes to activate the maps; otherwise the colors are
used. These are on by default.

■

Click Swap Colors/Maps (the curved arrow) to exchange the
assignments.

Falloff Type Chooses the kind of falloff. Five options are available:
■

Perpendicular/ParallelSets the angular falloff ranges between face normals
that are perpendicular to the falloff direction and normals that are parallel
to the falloff direction. The falloff range is based on a 90-degree change in
face normal direction. (Default.)

■

Towards/AwaySets the angular falloff ranges between face normals that
face toward (parallel to) the falloff direction and normals that face away
from the falloff direction. The falloff range is based on a 180-degree change
in face normal direction.

■

FresnelBased on adjustments to the Index of Refraction (IOR). Results in
dim reflections on surfaces facing the view, with much brighter reflections
on angled faces, creating highlights like those on the sides of a glass.

■

Shadow/LightAdjusts between two subtextures based on how much light
is falling on the object.

■

Distance BlendAdjusts between two subtextures based on Near Distance
and Far Distance values. Uses include reducing aliasing on large terrain
objects and controlling the shading in non-photorealistic environments.

Falloff Direction Chooses the direction of falloff. Five options are available:
■

Viewing Direction (Camera Z-Axis)Sets the falloff direction relative to the
camera (or screen). Changing object orientation doesn't affect the falloff
map. (Default.)

■

Camera X/Y AxisSimilar to Camera Z-Axis. For example, using Camera
X-Axis with the Toward/Away falloff type runs the gradient from left
(Toward) to right (Away).

■

ObjectUses an object whose position determines the falloff direction. Click
the wide button next to Object in the Mode Specific Parameters group,
and then pick an object in the scene. The falloff direction is the direction
from the point being shaded toward the object's center. Points on the side

3D Maps | 6717

toward the object center get the Towards value, and those away from the
object get the Away value.
■

Local X/Y/Z AxisSets the falloff direction to one of the object's local axes.
Changing the orientation of the object changes the falloff direction.

■

World X/Y/Z AxisSets the falloff direction to one of the world coordinate
system axes. Changing object orientation doesn't affect the falloff map.

When no object is chosen, the falloff direction uses the local X, Y, or Z axis
of the object being shaded.

Mode Specific Parameters group
The first parameter applies and is available only when you set Falloff Direction
on page 6717 to Object:
Object Picks object from scene and puts its name on the button.
The following are parameters for the Fresnel falloff type:
Override Material IOR Allows change to the Index of Refraction set by the
material.
Index of Refraction Sets a new Index of Refraction. This option is unavailable
unless Override Material IOR is turned on.
The following are parameters for the Distance Blend falloff type:
Near Distance Sets the distance at which the blend effect begins.
Far Distance Sets the distance at which the blend effect ends.
Extrapolate When on, the effect continues beyond the Near and Far distances.

6718 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mix Curve rollout

Using the graph on the Mix Curve rollout, you can precisely control the
gradient produced by any falloff type. You see the resulting gradient in the
bar below the graph.

Move flyout
Moves a selected point in any direction, limited by the unselected points
on either side.
Constrains movement to the horizontal.
Constrains movement to the vertical.
Scale Point Scales the selected point within the range of its gradient.
On a Bezier corner point, this control is effectively the same as a vertical move.
On a Bezier smooth point, you can scale the point itself or either handle. As
with the move controls, scale is limited by the unselected points on either
side.

3D Maps | 6719

Add Point flyout
Adds a Bezier corner point anywhere on the graph line. The point makes
a sharp angle when moved.
Adds a Bezier smooth point anywhere on the graph line. Handles attached
to the point create smooth curves when moved. On a Bezier smooth point,
you can move the point or either handle.
Delete Point Removes selected points.

Reset Curves Returns graph to its default, a straight line between 0 and
1.

Marble Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Marble
The Marble map produces a marbled surface with colored veins against a
colored background. A third color is automatically generated.

6720 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Marble map used for the balusters

NOTE Another way to create marble is to use the Perlin Marble Map on page 6730.
See also:
■

For functionality shared with other 3D maps, see Coordinates Rollout (3D)
on page 6698.

Procedures
To create a Marble map:
1 Click a map button to assign a map.
2 Choose Marble in the Material/Map Browser, and then click OK.
To adjust the size of Marble veins:
■

In the Marble Parameters rollout, change the Size value to change the
overall scale of the vein pattern, and change Vein Width to change the
width of veins relative to the overall scale.

3D Maps | 6721

The larger the Size value, the wider the veins. The larger the Vein Width
value, the more veins appear relative to the overall pattern.
To change vein color:
1 In the Marble Parameters rollout, click a color swatch to display the Color
Selector on page 304.
2 Adjust the color.
3 Click Close to dismiss the dialog.
To use a map for a vein:
■

In the Marble Parameters rollout, click a map button to assign a map to a
color.

To swap the two vein colors:
■

In the Marble Parameters rollout, click Swap.

To adjust mapping coordinates:
■

In the Coordinates rollout, adjust Offset, Tiling, or Angle.

Interface

Size Sets the spacing between the veins.
Vein Width Sets the width of the veins.
Swap Switches the position of the two colors or maps.

6722 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Color # 1 and Color # 2 Displays the Color Selector on page 304. Select one
color for the veins (color 1) and another for the background (color 2). A third
color is generated from the two colors you select.
Maps Selects the bitmaps or procedural maps on page 9274 to appear in the
veins or in the background color.
Turn on the check boxes to make the maps active.

Noise Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Noise
The Noise map creates random perturbation of a surface based on the
interaction of two colors or materials.

Noise map used for the edges of the street

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

3D Maps | 6723

■

Output Rollout on page 6613

Procedures
To change a component color:
1 In the Noise Parameters rollout, click a color swatch to display the Color
Selector on page 304.
2 Adjust the color.
3 Click OK to dismiss the dialog.
To use a map for a component:
■

In the Noise Parameters rollout, click a map button to assign a map to a
color.

To swap the two component colors:
■

In the Noise Parameters rollout, click Swap.

To adjust mapping coordinates:
■

In the Coordinates rollout, adjust Offset, Tiling, or Angle.

Interface
NOTE For the Noise map, the tiling and mirroring controls are disabled in the
Texture Tiling And Output rollout.

6724 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Noise Type
■

Regular(The default.) Generates plain noise. Basically the same as fractal
noise with the Levels setting at 1. When the noise type is set to Regular,
the Levels spinner is inactive (because Regular is not a fractal function).

■

FractalGenerates noise using a fractal algorithm. The Levels option sets
the number of iterations for the fractal noise.

■

TurbulenceGenerates fractal noise with an absolute value function applied
to it to make fault lines.

Regular, Fractal, Turbulence

Size Sets the scale of the noise function, in 3ds Max units. Default=25.0.
Noise Threshold When the noise value is above the Low threshold and below
the High threshold, the dynamic range is stretched to fill 0 to 1. This creates

3D Maps | 6725

a smaller discontinuity (technically, 1st order instead of 0 order) at the
threshold transition and produces less potential aliasing on page 9087.
■

HighSets the high threshold. Default=1.0.

■

LowSets the low threshold. Default=0.0.

Levels Determines how much fractal energy is used for the Fractal and
Turbulence noise functions. You can set the exact amount of turbulence you
want, and also animate the number of fractal levels. Default=3.0.
Phase Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function. Use this
option to animate the noise function. Default=0.0.
Swap Switches the position of the two colors or maps.
Color # 1 and Color # 2 Display the Color Selector on page 304 so you can
choose one or the other of the two principal noise colors. Intermediate color
values are generated from the two colors you select.
Maps Select the bitmaps or procedural maps to appear in one or the other
noise color.
Turn on the check boxes to make the maps active.

Particle Age Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Particle Age
The Particle Age map is for use with particle systems on page 9261. Typically
you assign the Particle Age map as a Diffuse map on page 6453, or in Particle
Flow with the Material Dynamic operator on page 3202. It alters the color (or
map) of a particle based on the particle's life. The particles in a system begin
as one color. At a specified age, they begin changing (by interpolation) to a
second color, and then they change again to a third color before they die out.

6726 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Particle age changes the appearance of particles over time.

NOTE The Particle Age map does not display in viewports.
TIP This map works well with the Particle MBlur map on page 6728. For example,
you could assign Particle Age as a diffuse map on page 6453 and Particle MBlur as
an Opacity map on page 6465. Another way to use Particle Age is in the mask channel
of a Blend on page 6529 material. In this case, you could set up two of the colors to
white, and one to black, which would make the particles change materials over
their age. In addition, you could set up one of the two materials with an effects
channel on page 9173 and use a Glow on page 7785 filter on it through Video Post.
See also:
■

For functionality shared with other 3D maps, see Output Rollout on page
6613.

3D Maps | 6727

Interface

Color #1 Sets the color of a particle at its birth.
Click the button to the right of the color swatch to assign a map instead of a
solid color. The check box turns the map on or off.
Age #1 Sets the age where a particle starts changing from Color #1 to Color
#2, expressed as a percentage of the particle's entire life.
Color #2 Sets the color of a particle in mid-life. You can also assign a map to
this color.
Age #2 Sets the age where a particle's color equals Color #2, expressed as a
percentage of the particle's entire life.
Color #3 Sets the color of a particle at its death. You can also assign a map to
this color.
Age #3 Sets the age where a particle changes to Color #3, expressed as a
percentage of the particle's entire life.

Particle MBlur Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Particle MBlur

6728 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Particle MBlur (Motion Blur) map is for use with particle systems on page
9261. The map alters the opacity of the leading and trailing ends of particles
based on their rate of motion. The map is usually applied as an opacity map,
but you can use it as a diffuse map for special effects.

Particle MBlur makes particles blur as they move.

NOTE The Particle MBlur map does not display in viewports.
The following conditions must be in effect to achieve particle motion blur:
■

The Particle MBlur map must be in the same material that is assigned to
the particles. For best results, it should be assigned as an opacity map

■

The particle system must support the Particle MBlur map. Particle systems
that support Particle MBlur include PArray, PCloud, Super Spray, and Spray.

■

In the particle system's Particle Rotation rollout, in the Spin Axis Controls
group, the Direction of Travel/MBlur option must be on.

■

In this same group, the Stretch spinner must be greater than 0 to stretch
the particles as a percent of their length based on the particle Speed setting.

3D Maps | 6729

■

The correct type of particle must be used. MBlur works on all particle types
except Constant, Facing, Metaparticles, and PArray Object Fragments. Also,
in the Standard Particles category, MBlur does not support the Triangle
and SixPoint particle types.

■

The material assigned to the particle system must not be a Multi/Sub-Object
material.

Interface

Color #1 A particle approaches this color as it reaches its slowest speed. By
default, this color is white to provide the opaque end of the range for an
opacity map.
Color #2 A particle approaches this color as it speeds up. As a default, this
color is black to provide transparency in an opacity map.
Typically, you don't need to change either of these two colors.
Sharpness Controls the transparency, relative to the speed. If Sharpness is set
to 0, the entire particle is blurry and transparent, no matter how slow it is
traveling. The default works well in many cases. Default=2.0.

Perlin Marble Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Perlin Marble
The Perlin Marble map generates a marble pattern using the Perlin Turbulence
algorithm. This map is an alternative to Marble on page 6720, which is also a
3D material.

6730 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Perlin marble used for the texture of the goblet

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

3D Maps | 6731

Interface

Size Sets the size of the marble pattern. Change this to change the scale of
marble, relative to the object's geometry. Default=50.
Levels Sets the number of times the turbulence algorithm is applied. Can
range from 1.0 to 10.0. The higher the value, the more complicated the marble
pattern. Default=8.0.

Color 1 and Color 2 groups
The controls in these groups are identical. They determine the two main colors
of the marble.
Color swatch Click to display the Color Selector on page 304. and change the
color.
Map Click to assign a map instead of a solid color. The check box turns the
map on or off.
Saturation Controls the saturation of the color in the map, without altering
the color displayed in the color swatch. Lower values darken the color, and
higher values lighten it. Range=1 to 100; Default=85 for Color 1, 70 for Color
2.

6732 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Swap Click to swap Color 1 and Color 2.

Smoke Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Smoke
Smoke is a 3D map that generates amorphous, fractal-based turbulent patterns.
It's primarily designed for animated opacity mapping on page 6465 to simulate
the effects of smoke in a beam of light, or other cloudy, flowing mapping
effects.

Smoke map used to create clouds in the sky

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

3D Maps | 6733

Interface

Size Changes the scale of the smoke "clumps." Default=40.
# Iterations Sets the number of times the fractal function is applied. The
higher the value, the more detail within the smoke, but the longer the
calculation time. Default=5.
Phase Shifts the turbulence within the smoke pattern. Animate this parameter
to animate the movement of the smoke. Default=0.0.
Exponent Makes color #2, representing the smoke, sharper and more wispy.
As this value increases, the smoke "tendrils" become smaller within the pattern.
Default=1.5.
Swap Exchanges the colors.
Color #1 Represents the smokeless portion of the effect.
Color #2 Represents the smoke.
Because this map is usually used as an opacity map, you can adjust the
luminance of the color values to alter the contrast of the smoke effect.
■

Click a color swatch to change the color. Usually you only need to do this
to adjust luminance.

■

Click a map button to assign a map instead of a solid color. Turn on the
check box to activate the map.

6734 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Speckle Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Speckle
Speckle is a 3D map that generates a speckled surface pattern that's useful for
diffuse mapping on page 6453 and bump mapping on page 6472 to create
granite-like and other patterned surfaces.

Speckle map used for rocks

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

3D Maps | 6735

Interface

Size Adjusts the size of the speckles. Use this to make the speckles match your
geometry. Default=0.1.
Swap Exchanges the two color components.
Color #1 Represents the color of the speckles.
Color #2 Represents the color of the background.
Click one of the swatches to display the Color Selector on page 304 and change
one of these component colors.
Maps Click a button to assign a map that replaces one of the color
components. Turning off the check box turns off the associated map (the
Speckle map reverts to the associated color component).

Splat Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Splat
Splat is a 3D map that generates a fractal surface pattern that is useful as a
Diffuse map on page 6453 for creating a pattern similar to splattered paint.

6736 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Splat map used for the patterns in ice cream

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

Interface

3D Maps | 6737

Size Adjusts the size of the splats. Use this to make the splats match your
geometry. Default=40.
# Iterations Sets the number of times the fractal function is evaluated. The
higher the number, the more detailed the splats, but the longer the calculation
time. Default=4.
Threshold Determines how much of Color #1 is mixed with Color #2. At 0,
only Color #1 is displayed; at 1, only Color #2 is displayed. Default=0.2.
Swap Exchanges the two color components.
Color #1 Represents the color of the background.
Color #2 Represents the color of the splats.
Click one of the swatches to display the Color Selector on page 304 and change
one of these colors.
Maps Assigns a map to replace one of the color components. Turning off the
check box turns off the associated map (the Splat map reverts to the associated
color component).

Stucco Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Stucco
Stucco is a 3D map that generates a surface pattern that is useful for bump
mapping on page 6472 for creating the effect of a stuccoed surface.

6738 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Stucco map used for a plaster wall

See also:
■

Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698

Interface

3D Maps | 6739

Size Adjusts the size of the indentations. Use this to make the scale of the
stucco match your geometry. Default=20.
Thickness Blurs the border between the two colors. At 0, the borders are sharp.
The higher the Thickness, the more the borders are blurred and the less distinct
the indentations are. When you use Stucco as a bump map, the indentations
are very faint at 0.5 and disappear at values not much greater. Default=0.15.
Threshold Determines how much of Color #1 is mixed with Color #2. At 0,
only Color #2 is displayed; at 1, only Color #1 is displayed. Default=0.57.
Swap Exchanges the two color components.
Color #1 Represents the color of the indentations.
Color #2 Represents the background stucco color.
Click one of the swatches to display the Color Selector on page 304 and change
one of these component colors.
TIP Because the Stucco map is meant to be used as a bump map, usually you
don't need to adjust the default colors.
Maps Assigns a map to replace one of the color components. Turning off the
check box turns off the associated map (the Stucco map reverts to the
associated color component).

Waves Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Waves
Waves is a 3D map that creates watery or wavy effects. It generates a number
of spherical wave centers and randomly distributes them over a sphere. You
can control the number of wave sets, the amplitude, and the speed of the
waves. This map works effectively as both a diffuse and bump map at the same
time. It can also be useful in combination with an opacity map.

6740 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Waves map used for the pool in the fountain

Interface

Num Wave Sets Specifies how many wave sets are used in the pattern. Wave
sets are groups of radially symmetrical waves that originate from randomly
computed points along the surface of an imaginary sphere inside the object

3D Maps | 6741

(a circle, in the case of 2D wave distribution). For calm water, set this to a low
number. Use a high number for choppy water. Range= 1 to 50; Default=10.
Wave Radius Specifies the radius, in 3ds Max units, of the imaginary sphere
(3D distribution) or circle (2D distribution) whose surface is the origin of each
wave set. A large radius produces large circular wave patterns, while a small
radius produces dense, smaller waves. Default=800.
Wave Len Max and Wave Len Min Define the interval used to randomly
chose each wave center. If these two values are close together, the water appears
more regular. If they're farther apart, the water is less regular. Default Max=50.0;
Default Min=5.0.
Amplitude Adjusts the strength and the depth of the waves by increasing the
contrast between the two colors. Default=1.0.
Phase Shifts the wave pattern. Animate this parameter to animate the motion
of the pattern.
Distribution 3D/2D 3D distributes the wave centers on the surface of an
imaginary sphere, affecting all sides of a 3D object. 2D distributes the wave
in circles centered on the XY plane, which is more appropriate for flat water
surfaces such as oceans and lakes.
Random Number Seed Provides a seed number to generate the water pattern.
The pattern changes with each seed, but all other settings are maintained.
Swap Exchanges the colors.
Color #1 and #2 Click the color swatches to change the colors used in the
pattern. Use one color for the wave troughs and the other for the wave peaks.
You can also click the map buttons to replace one or both colors with a mapped
pattern. The check box enables or disables the map.

Wood Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Wood
Wood is a 3D procedural map that renders a wavy grain-like pattern throughout
the volume of an object. You can control the direction, thickness, and
complexity of the grain.

6742 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Wood map used for the seat of the bench

Wood is primarily intended as a diffuse color map. Two colors assigned to
Wood mix to form the grain pattern. Either of the colors can be replaced by
other maps.
Wood can also be applied to other map types. When used as a bump map,
Wood renders the grain pattern as a three-dimensional engraving of the surface.

Wood mapped to a box and cylinder

3D Maps | 6743

Wood used as a bump map

Procedures
To replace a color:
1 Click a color swatch labeled Color #1 or Color #2.
2 In the standard Color Selector on page 304, choose a replacement color.
The color updates in the color box and sample slot.
To exchange colors:
■

Click Swap.
The position of the two colors is reversed in the color boxes and sample
slot.

To replace a color with a map:
1 Click a Map bar marked None next to one of the color swatches. This
displays the Material/Map Browser.
2 Select a map from the list.
The sample slot updates to show the map in place of the color.

6744 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Coordinates rollout

Tiling Controls grain complexity or "distortion." By increasing this parameter
along a given axis, the grain becomes increasingly compressed and wavy along
that axis. Default=1.0 (X, Y, and Z axes).
Box A shows the default on all three axes. Boxes B and C show progressively
higher Tile settings for the X axis. Increasing Tile on other axes produces
similar effects.

A: Tile, X axis=1.0 (default)
B: Tile, X axis=4.0
C: Tile, X axis=8.0
Grain Thickness=3

3D Maps | 6745

Tile, X axis=4.0 for both
Axial Noise=1 (left), 4 (right)
Grain Thickness=3

By combining Tile with Axial Noise, even greater distortion is possible. The
bottom left box is the same as B, with Tile at 4.0 on the X axis. The bottom
right box adds Axial Noise at 4.0.
Angle Controls grain direction.
Default Grain: Wood is rendered with the grain running along the X axis of
the object. This is illustrated by the left cube below. The default angle is 0 for
X, Y, and Z axes.
Rotated Grain: By rotating the direction of the grain around an axis, you
change the rendered effect. In the right cube, the Y axis is set to 90. This rotates
the grain direction 90 degrees around the Y axis so that the grain is now
running along the Z axis.
Other Angle Effects: Varying a single angle can create distorted grain effects
(cylinder at left). Varying the three angles by a uniform amount keeps the
grain running parallel through an object (cylinder at right).

Angle=0,0,0 (defaults) and 0,90,0
Radial, Axial Noise=1 (defaults)
Grain Thickness=3

6746 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Angle=0,30,0 and 30,30,30
Radial, Axial Noise=1 (defaults)
Grain Thickness=3

(See Coordinates Rollout (3D) on page 6698 for a description of the other
parameters in this rollout.)

Wood Parameters rollout

Defaults: Grain Thickness=7, Radial Noise=1.0, Axial Noise=1.0

Grain Thickness Sets the relative thickness of the color bands that make up
the grain. Default=7.
The effect of thickness is relative to the context of the object. A grain that
appears unrealistically wide on a small table might be acceptable on a large
overhead beam.

3D Maps | 6747

Decreasing Grain Thickness creates grain lines that are closer together. The
effect can resemble the fine grain of slow-growth hardwoods. At 0, grain
disappears, resulting in what can look like composition board made from
sawdust.
Increasing Grain Thickness creates grain lines that are farther apart. The effect
can resemble tropical woods that grow continuously.
Grain thickness is shown increasing with identical noise settings.

Grain Thickness=1, 3
Radial, Axial Noise=1 (defaults)

Grain Thickness=7 (default), 14
Radial, Axial Noise=1 (defaults)

Radial Noise Sets the relative randomness of the pattern on a plane
perpendicular to the grain, the circular ring structure (cylinder B). Default=1.0.
Axial Noise Sets the relative randomness of the pattern on a plane parallel
with the grain, along the length of the grain (cylinder A). Default=1.0.
Noise settings let you set the randomness or "irregularity" of the grain pattern
in two directions. Without any noise, rings and grain are uniform and look
inorganic (upper-left cylinder). The defaults for both parameters produce
moderate irregularities (upper-right cylinder).

6748 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Radial, Axial Noise=0,0 and 1,1
Angle Y=90, Grain Thickness=3

A: Radial, Axial Noise=0,2
B: Radial, Axial Noise=2,0
C: Radial, Axial Noise=2,2
Angle Y=90, Grain Thickness=3

Cylinders A and B show each parameter acting alone. Cylinder C shows the
combination of the same settings.
Swap Exchanges the position of the colors.
Colors Selects any two colors for the grain pattern. Defaults=brownish yellow
for Color #1 and dark brown for Color #2. Either color can be replaced or
swapped.
The choice of colors, along with grain pattern, is the primary way to represent
different types of wood. In fairly uniform woods like yellow pine or redwood,
the two colors are often near the same settings (examples B and C). Lighting
also makes a difference in the apparent colors.

3D Maps | 6749

A: Default colors
B: Color #1=RGB 160,125,50
Color #2=RGB 170,135,25
C: Color #1=RGB 140,90,0
Color #2=RGB 130,80,50
Grain Thickness=3
Other settings at defaults

Maps Replace colors with maps. The check boxes enable or disable their
associated maps.
You can assign maps to one or both of the Wood color slots. Any kind of map
can be used, including Wood. The map overrides the assigned color, which
has no effect.
The left box uses defaults. The right box is the same, except that Color #1 has
been replaced with a Checker map, whose colors have been changed to wood
tones.

Left: Default
Right: Color #1 replaced with Checker map
Grain Thickness=3
Other settings at defaults

6750 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Compositor Maps
Compositors are meant specifically for compositing other colors or maps. In
image processing, compositing images refers to superimposing two or more
images to combine them.

Composite Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Composite
The Composite map type is made up of other maps on page 9215, which you
layer atop each other using the alpha channel on page 9088 and other methods.
For this type of map, you can use overlay images that already contain an alpha
channel, or employ built-in masking tools for overlaying only certain parts
of a map.

Compositor Maps | 6751

Composite map combines stars, moon, and a glow into the sky.

The controls for a Composite map include the list of the maps it combines
along with a blend mode, opacity setting, and mask for each.
Viewports can display the multiple maps in a composite map. For multiple
map display, the display driver must be OpenGL on page 8906 or Direct3D on
page 8912. The software display driver on page 8905 does not support multiple
map display.

6752 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To assign a map or mask:
1 On a Layer rollout, click an empty map or mask button. These are the
large, square buttons labeled “None.” The map button is on the left side;
the mask button is on the right.
The Material/Map Browser opens.
2 Choose a map type either by double-clicking its name in the list, or by
highlighting its name and then clicking OK. Make any further changes
as necessary for the map type, such as assigning an image file for a Bitmap
map.
To change the number of map layers:
■

To increase the number of layers, on the Composite Layers rollout, click
the
button.
The read-only Total Layers numeric field displays the current number of
layers.

■

To decrease the number of layers, find the layer to delete and click its
(Delete This Layer) button.

To change the order of layers:
■

Drag a layer by its title bar to a new location. As you drag the layer, a blue
line appears where it will be repositioned. This works the same way as
reordering any rollouts.
After you move a layer, the layers are renumbered to remain in order. For
example, if there are four layers, and you move Layer 4 above Layer 1,
Layer 4 becomes Layer 2, Layer 2 becomes Layer 3, and Layer 3 becomes
Layer 4.

Compositor Maps | 6753

Interface

Composite Layers rollout
Total Layers The numeric field shows the number of map layers. To add a
layer at the top of the stack of layers, click the

button.

Layer rollout
The Composite map uses a separate rollout for each layer’s controls, with as
many rollouts as there are layers. Each layer rollout is titled with the optional
name first, followed by “Layer” and then the layer number.
The layers are applied in order of increasing number; the layering in the
material reflects the order of layers in the interface. Layer 1 is lowest; layer 2
is immediately above layer 1, and so on.
The map composites layers in the same order. Layer 2 modifies the output of
Layer 1; Layer 3 modifies the output of Layer 2, and so on.

6754 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Hide this layer When on, the layer is hidden and has no effect on the
output. When a layer is hidden, the button looks like this:

Color Correct This Texture Applies a Color Correction map on page
6766 to the map and opens the Color Correction map interface. You can use its
controls to modify the map colors.

To return to the Composite map interface, click
the Material Editor toolbar.

(Go To Parent) on

After the Color Correction map is assigned, you can return to it from the
Composite map interface by clicking this button again.
[map] To assign a map to the layer, click this button and then use the
Material/Map Browser.
Before assigning a map, the button reads “None.” When a map is assigned,
the button image is a thumbnail of the map, and clicking it takes you to the
parameters for the map.

Delete this layer Deletes the layer. This function is undoable.
Available only when the map contains more than one layer.

Rename this layer Opens a small dialog for naming or renaming the
layer.
By default, each layer is named “Layer #” where # is the layer number. If you
name a layer, the text you enter precedes this default name; for example,
“Decal Layer 3.” The space between the custom name and the default name
is inserted automatically. If you’ve already named a layer, that name appears
in the renaming dialog when you open it.

Duplicate this layer Creates an exact copy of the layer and inserts it
immediately adjacent to the layer.
Opacity The relative transparency of the unmasked portions of the layer. At
100, the layer is completely opaque. As you lower the Opacity value, more of
the underlying layers show through.

Compositor Maps | 6755

[mask map] To assign a mask map to the layer, click this button and then
use the Material/Map Browser. The mask works the same as the Mask map on
page 6758: Black areas are transparent; white areas are opaque; and gray areas
allow degrees of transparency. So, for example, if the layer is to be a decal, the
decal image area would be white and the rest of the image map would be
black, so underlying layers can show through.
After a mask map is assigned, the button image is a thumbnail of the map,
and clicking it takes you to the parameters for the map.

Hide the mask of this layer To turn off the mask temporarily, click
this button. When a mask is hidden, the button looks like this:

Color Correct This Mask Applies a Color Correction map on page 6766
to the mask map and opens the Color Correction map interface. You can use
its controls to modify the map colors.

To return to the Composite map interface, click
the Material Editor toolbar.

(Go To Parent) on

After the Color Correction map is assigned, you can return to it from the
Composite map interface by clicking this button again.
[blend mode] Use the drop-down list to choose how the layer pixels interact
with those in underlying layers. In the following descriptions, A refers to the
current (front) layer and B refers to the result or output of underlying layers.
NOTE Because Layer 1 has no underlying layers, its blend mode setting has no
effect.
■

NormalDisplays A without any blending. This is the default setting.

■

AverageAdds A and B and then divides by 2.

■

AdditionAdds each A and B pixel.

■

SubtractSubtracts A from B.

■

DarkenCompares the values of A and B, and, for each pixel, uses the darker
of the two.

6756 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

MultiplyMultiplies the color values of each A and B pixel. Because
non-white color channels have values of less than 1.0 (using a range of
0.0 to 1.0), multiplying them tends to darken colors.

■

Color BurnColorizes darker pixels from B with the color from A.

■

Linear BurnSame as Color Burn but with less contrast.

■

LightenCompares the A and B pixels at each location and uses the lighter
of the two.

■

ScreenMakes the light areas much lighter, and the darker areas somewhat
lighter.

■

Color DodgeColorizes lighter pixels from B with the A color.

■

Linear DodgeSame as Color Dodge but with lower contrast.

■

SpotlightLike Multiply but with twice the brightness.

■

Spotlight BlendSame as Spotlight but also adds ambient illumination to
B.

■

OverlayDarkens or lightens the pixels depending on the B color.

■

Soft LightIf the A color is lighter than mid-gray, the image is lightened. If
the A color is darker than mid-gray, the image is darkened.

■

Hard LightIf a pixel color is lighter than mid-gray, screen mode is applied.
If a pixel color is darker than mid-gray, multiply mode is applied.

■

PinlightReplaces the B colors depending on the brightness of the A color.
If the A color is lighter than mid-gray, B colors darker than the A color are
replaced. And vice-versa: If the A color is darker than mid-gray, B colors
lighter than the A color are replaced.

■

Hard MixProduces either white or black, depending on similarities between
A and B.

■

DifferenceFor each pixel pair, subtracts the darker one from the brighter
one.

■

ExclusionSimilar to Difference but with lower contrast.

■

HueUses the color from A; the value (brightness) and saturation from B.

■

SaturationUses the saturation from A; the value and hue from B.

■

ColorUses the hue and saturation from A; the value from B.

Compositor Maps | 6757

■

ValueUses the value from A; the hue and saturation from B.

Mask Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Mask
With the Mask map, you can view one material through another on the surface.
The mask controls where a second map is applied to the surface.

Mask map applies labels to the fire extinguisher.

By default, lighter (whiter) areas of the mask are opaque, showing the map.
Darker (blacker) areas of the mask are transparent, showing the underlying
material. You can use Invert Mask to reverse the mask's effect.

6758 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

These are the controls for the Mask map:
Map Selects or creates the map to be viewed through the mask.
Mask Selects or creates the map to use as a mask.
Invert Mask Inverts the effect of the mask.

Mix Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Mix
With the Mix map, you can combine two colors or materials on a single side
of the surface. You can also animate the Mix Amount parameter, and draw
map morphing on page 9227 function curves to control how the two maps are
blended over time.

Compositor Maps | 6759

Mix map blends skull and crossbones with the reflected scene.

Viewports can display both maps in a mix map. For multiple map display, the
display driver must be OpenGL on page 8906 or Direct3D on page 8912. The
software display driver on page 8905 does not support multiple map display.
See also:
■

Output Rollout on page 6613

Procedures
To change a component color:
1 In the Mix Parameters rollout, click one of the two color swatches to
display the Color Selector on page 304.
2 Adjust the color.
To use a map as a component:
1 In the Mix Parameters rollout, click a map button next to one of the two
color swatches.

6760 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser.
2 Select a map type.
To exchange the two component colors:
■

In the Mix Parameters rollout, click Swap.

To control the mix amount:
■

In the Mix Parameters rollout, adjust the Mix Amount value.
Mix Amount is the percentage of Color #2 used in the mix.
You can also control the mix amount by using a map.

To control the mix amount using a map:
1 In the Mix Parameters rollout, click the map button next to Mix Amount.
3ds Max opens the Browser so you can select a map type.
2 The intensity of pixels in this mixing map controls the mix. When the
intensity is close to 0, one of the component colors or maps is visible;
when it is close to full intensity, the other component is visible.
TIP Using a Noise map for the mixing map can give good effects that have
a natural appearance.
In the Mix Parameters rollout, Mix Amount is inactive while a map is assigned
to this parameter. If Use Curve is off, the mixing map is used as is. If Use
Curve is on, you can shift the effect of the mixing map's gradient ramp,
offsetting it one way or the other and revealing more or less of the mix
components.

To control the mix amount using the mix curve:
1 In the Mixing Curve group, turn on Use Curve.
2 Change the shape of the curve by adjusting the Transition Zone values.

Compositor Maps | 6761

Interface

Swap Exchanges the two colors or maps.
Color # 1, Color # 2 Displays the Color Selector on page 304 to select the two
colors to be mixed.
Maps Select or create the bitmaps or procedural maps to be mixed instead of
each color.
The check boxes enable or disable their associated maps.
Black areas of the map reveal color #1, and white areas of the map reveal color
#2. Gray values reveal intermediate mixes.
Mix Amount Determines the proportion of the mix. 0 means only Color 1 is
visible on the surface, 1 means only Color 2 is visible. You can also use a map
instead of the mix amount. The two colors will mix in greater or lesser degree
according to the intensity of the map.

6762 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Mixing Curve group

These parameters control how gradual or how sharp the transition between
the two colors being mixed will be. (This really only has meaning when you
have a map applied to Mix Amount.)
TIP Try mixing two standard materials using a noise map as a mask for some
interesting mottled effects.
Use Curve Determines whether the Mixing Curve effects the mix.
Transition Zone Adjusts the level of the upper and lower limits. If the two
values are the same, the two materials will meet at a definite edge. Wider
ranges give more gradual mixing.

RGB Multiply Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ RGB Multiply
The RGB Multiply map is typically used for bump maps on page 6472, where
you might want to combine two maps to achieve the correct result.

Compositor Maps | 6763

Left: No bump mapping on the ashtray
Right: RGB Multiply used as a bump map to enhance the texture of the ashtray

This map combines two maps by multiplying their RGB values. For each pixel,
the red of one map is multiplied times the red of the second map, the blue
times the blue, and the green times the green.
If the maps have alpha channels, RGB Multiply can output either map's alpha
channel, or a new alpha channel created by multiplying the alpha channel
values of the two maps.
You can also make one of the maps a solid color. This tints the other map.

6764 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Color #1, Color #2 Click a map button to assign one of the maps. The check
box disables or enables the map. To tint one of the maps, turn off the other
map and click its color swatch to choose the tint color, using the Color Selector
on page 304.

Alpha From group
The buttons in this group let you determine how to generate alpha for the
map. If neither map has an alpha channel, these options have no effect.
Map #1 Uses the first map's alpha channel.
Map #2 Uses the second map's alpha channel.
Multiply Alphas Generates a new alpha channel by multiplying the alpha
channels of the two maps.

Color Modifier Maps
Color Modifier maps alter the colors of pixels in a material.

Color Modifier Maps | 6765

Color Correction Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Color
Correction
The Color Correction map provides an assortment of tools for modifying the
colors of an incorporated, underlying map, using a stack-based method. Tools
for correcting color include monochrome, inversion, custom rewiring of color
channels, hue shift, and adjustment of saturation and lightness.
Color-adjustment controls in many cases mirror those found in Autodesk
Toxik and Autodesk Combustion.

Interface
IMPORTANT The Color Correction map uses a stack-based approach, with
modifications applied per rollout, starting at the top of the interface and ending
at the bottom. Settings from the Texture rollout are applied first, then the Channels
rollout settings are applied to the output of the Texture rollout, and so on. The
order is:
1 Texture rollout
2 Channels rollout
3 Color rollout
4 Lightness rollout
Because of this enforced order, it is not possible to reorder the rollouts for this
map.

6766 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Texture rollout
[color swatch] 3ds Max uses this color if no map is specified. To change the
color, click the swatch and use the Color Selector on page 304 controls.
[map button] To specify a map, click this button, initially labeled “None.”
After you specify a map using the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, the button
label shows the name and type of the map.

Color Modifier Maps | 6767

TIP If you replace an existing map with the Color Correction map, 3ds Max
prompts you to choose whether to keep the old map as a sub-map. If you do so,
the old map is placed in this slot.

Channels rollout
[channel operation] Choose the initial operation to be performed on the
map color channels:
■

NormalPasses the color channels unaltered to the Color rollout controls.

■

MonochromeConverts all color channels to shades of gray.

■

InvertReplaces the red, green, and blue color channels with their inverses.
The inverse for each channel is calculated by subtracting the value from
the maximum value: 1.0 in the case of floating-point colors, or 255 for
eight-bit channels. So, for example, red changes to cyan (green + blue);
green changes to magenta (red +blue); and blue changes to yellow (red +
green).

■

CustomLets you apply different settings to each channel using the
remaining controls on the rollout.

TIP You can use one of the preset channel operations
(Normal/Monochrome/Invert) as a starting point for customization. Choose the
preset, and then choose Custom. The previous settings remain active and available
for changing.
Red/Green/Blue/Alpha Lets you specify channel operations on a per-channel
basis. Available only when Custom is the active choice. Otherwise these fields
show the current setting, such as Monochrome for the RGB channels.
Use the drop-down list to choose an replacement value or channel for each
channel:
■

Red/Green/Blue/AlphaReplaces the channel with the channel you choose.
For example, if you set Blue=Red, the blue component of each pixel takes
on the current value of the red component of that pixel.

■

Red (Inverse)/Green (Inverse)/Blue (Inverse)/Alpha (Inverse)Replaces the
channel with the inverse of the channel you choose. For example, if you
set Blue=Red (Inverse), the blue component of each pixel takes on the
inverse of the current value of the red component of that pixel.
The inverse for each channel is calculated by subtracting the value from
the maximum value: 1.0 in the case of floating-point colors, or 255 for
eight-bit channels. So, for example, red changes to cyan (green + blue);

6768 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

green changes to magenta (red + blue); and blue changes to yellow (red +
green).
■

MonochromeConverts the color channel to grayscale. To determine the
grayscale value for a channel, 3ds Max adds the values of of the red, green,
and blue channels for each pixel and then divides by three. For example,
if the RGB values are 0.5, 0.4, and 0.0, then the monochrome value for
any channel of that pixel would be 0.3.

■

OneSets the channel to the highest possible value; in effect, turns it all the
way on. For example, if the original color of a pixel in a 24-bit or 32-bit
map is R=50; G=75; and B=100, then the result of setting Green=One would
be R=50; G=255; and B=100.

■

ZeroSets the channel to the lowest possible value; in effect, turns it off.
For example, if the original color of a pixel is R=50; G=75; and B=100, then
the result of setting Green=Zero would be R=50; G=0; and B=100.

Color rollout
This rollout gives you three controls for overall color conversion. These controls
work on the output of the Channels rollout. To use the original map, make
sure the Channels rollout is set to Normal.
Hue Shift Lets you change colors using a standard Hue spectrum. Use the
slider or the numeric control to determine how to remap colors in the map.
To reset to 0, right-click the slider. Range=-180 to 180.
This control works the same as the Hue Shift control in Autodesk Combustion
and Autodesk Toxik.
Saturation The intensity or purity of the map colors. Lowering the Saturation
value removes color, causing the image to tend toward grayscale, while raising
it intensifies the color. To modify the value, use the slider or the numeric
control. To reset to 0, right-click the slider. Range=-100 to 100.
This control works the same as the Saturation control in Autodesk Combustion
and Autodesk Toxik.
Hue Tint Colorizes all non-white map pixels according to the color swatch
value. Grayscale values, including black and white, have no effect.
Strength The degree to which the Hue Tint setting affects the map pixels.
Range=0 to 100.

Color Modifier Maps | 6769

Lightness rollout: Standard
The Standard option on the Lightness rollout gives you two easy-to-use
controls:
Brightness The overall luminance of the map image. To modify the value,
use the slider or the numeric control. To reset to 0, right-click the slider.
Range=-100 to 100.
Contrast The difference between brighter and darker portions of the map
image. To modify the value, use the slider or the numeric control. To reset to
0, right-click the slider. Range=-100 to 100.

Lightness rollout: Advanced
The Advanced controls are similar to those available in the Photo Lab feature
of Autodesk Toxik. This tool lets you simulate camera exposure and
photo-development changes in maps. You can change the exposure to brighten
or darken a map in incremental steps,providing perceptually relative uniform
changes in luminance. Photo-development adjustments can produce images
with different color distribution.

[exposure method] Choose from the drop-down list the method by which
to express exposure:
■

GainThe pixel color values are multiplied by this value.

■

F-StopAs in photography, increasing by 1 doubles the luminance, and
increases gain by a factor of 2.

6770 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Printer LightsA definable setting (see Printer Lights per Stop) where
increasing this value by the value of the Printer Lights per Stop setting (N)
doubles the luminance (N printer lights=1 f-stop)

RGB/R/G/B You can change the settings for all three color channels
simultaneously (RGB) and for each channel individually. In addition, you can
toggle the settings for the individual channels with the check boxes.
Gamma/Contrast The amount of gamma correction can be expressed in terms
of contrast or in terms of the usual gamma exponent. Increasing the gamma
exponent decreases contrast.
Pivot Gamma correction is applied about a pivot value. That is, pixel values
equal to the pivot value are left unchanged. This is useful when you want to
use gamma correction to change the contrast of an map but do not want to
affect a particular luminance level.
Lift/Offset The lift is simply a uniform offset added to all the pixel values
(different offsets for different color components). Lift is usually applied as the
last step of the process and can be used to control the overall brightness of
the map.
Printer Lights per Stop When using the Printer Lights exposure method, this
setting determines the number of printer lights equivalent to one f-stop; that
is, the number required to double or halve the exposure.

Output Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Output
With Output map, you can apply output settings to procedural maps, such
as Checker or Marble, that don't have these settings.

Color Modifier Maps | 6771

Interface
Output Parameters rollout

In this rollout, you choose the map to apply the output controls to.
Map Displays a modal version of the Material/Map Browser so you can choose
the map type.
The check box turns the map on or off.

Output rollout
The controls in this rollout are the same as for maps with a built-in output
option. See Output Rollout on page 6613.

6772 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Color Modifier Maps | 6773

RGB Tint Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ RGB Tint
RGB Tint adjusts the value of the three color channels in an image. Three
color swatches represent these channels. Changing a color swatch adjusts the
value of its associated color channel.

RGB Tint map

The channels are named Red, Green, and Blue for their default colors, but you
can assign them any color. You are not limited to variations of red, green, and
blue.

Procedures
To tint a map:
1 In the RGB Tint Parameters rollout, click the Map button marked None.
3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser.
2 Select the map you want to tint
3 Click the R, G, or B color swatch.
The Color Selector on page 304 is displayed.
4 Choose a new color.
The red, green, or blue value of each pixel in the underlying map changes
accordingly.

6774 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To change the saturation of one color in an image:
1 Click the R, G, or B color swatch.
2 On the Color Selector, increase or decrease Value to vary the color from
light to dark.
To replace one color with another:
1 Click the R, G, or B color swatch.
2 On the Color Selector, increase or decrease Hue to change the color.

Interface

R/G/B The red, green, and blue on page 9280 color swatches display the Color
Selector on page 304 to adjust the value of the specific channel.
Map Displays the Material/Map Browser to select the map to be tinted.
The check box turns the effect of the map on or off.

Vertex Color Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Vertex Color
Vertex Color map makes any vertex coloring applied to an object available
for rendering. You can assign vertex colors using the VertexPaint Modifier on
page 1910, the Assign Vertex Colors utility on page 6927, or the vertex controls

Color Modifier Maps | 6775

for an editable mesh on page 2201, editable patch on page 2387, or editable poly
on page 2258.

Mapping vertex colors

While vertex color assignment is primarily used for special applications, such
as game engines or radiosity renderers, you can also use it to create colorful,
gradient surface effects. You can also use it in design visualization: Use the
VertexPaint Modifier on page 1910 to paint your landscape different colors to
represent grass, shrubbery, parking areas, etc., and then use Vertex Color map
to use the vertex coloring in your rendered images. Incidentally, when you
use the Terrain object's on page 663 Color By Elevation function, 3ds Max
assigns a material that uses a Vertex Color map as the diffuse component.
TIP To view vertex colors in a viewport, right-click the object, choose Properties
from the quad menu, and then turn on Vertex Channel Display in the Display
Properties group.

Procedures
To use the vertex color map:
1 Assign vertex colors to an object.
2 Assign a material to the object, then assign a Vertex Color map to the
material's diffuse component.
3 Optionally, if manipulating the map channels with the Channel Info
utility on page 6936, choose a map channel or sub-channel to render.
4 Render the scene.

6776 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

These parameters let you define which map channel or sub-channel is to be
rendered. One application is to support usage of the Vertex Color map in
conjunction with the Channel Info utility on page 6936.
The settings are interlinked; changing one parameter will change the other
two, as appropriate.
Map Channel Lets you specify which map channel to use. Range=0 to 99.
Default=0.
Notes regarding this setting:
■

If you set Map Channel to a channel that doesn't contain any vertex
coloring data, attempting to render will generate a Missing Map Coordinates
error message. To resolve this, apply vertex coloring to that channel.

■

By default, the vertex coloring in map channel 1 is a color gradient derived
from the UVW texture coordinates by converting UVW values to RGB
values. Thus, at UV=0,0 (the lower-left corner of the map), the coloring is
black; at UV=1,0, the coloring is red, and at UV=1,1 (the upper-right corner),
the coloring is yellow (red + green=yellow). You can change these colors
with a tool such as VertexPaint modifier on page 1910.

■

Map Channel cannot be set to a negative value, thus the map doesn't
support rendering of the vertex illumination (-1) or vertex alpha (-2)
channel.

Sub Channel Lets you can specify that the map will use either the Red, Green,
or Blue sub-channel of the specified map channel, or all sub-channels.
Channel Name After assigning the material with the Vertex Color map to an
object with named map or vertex-color channels (see Channel Info Utility on

Color Modifier Maps | 6777

page 6936), you can click Update, and then, from this drop-down list, choose a
named map channel from the object.
Update Refreshes the contents of the Channel Name drop-down list. Use
Update after applying the material to an object, or after adding channels to
the object.
NOTE There could be conflicts if one material with a Vertex Color map is assigned
to objects with different named Map Channels, where one channel's name may
be displayed in preference to another's.

Reflection and Refraction Maps
These maps, grouped as "Other" in the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, are
maps that create reflections and refractions.

Flat Mirror Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Flat Mirror
The Flat Mirror on page 9163 map produces a material that reflects surrounding
objects when it is applied to a collection of coplanar faces. You assign it as a
material's reflection map on page 6475.

6778 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Flat mirror map reflects the ice-cream shop's interior.

Reflect/Refract maps don't work well for flat surfaces because each face reflects
part of the environment based on where its surface normal points. Using this
technique, a large flat face can reflect only a small part of the environment.
Flat Mirror automatically generates a reflection that encompasses a larger part
of the environment, to better simulate a mirror-like surface.

Rules for Using Flat Mirror
Flat Mirror cannot generate reflections correctly unless you observe these rules:
■

Assign Flat Mirror to selected faces only.
There are two ways to do this. You can make the Flat Mirror material a
sub-material of a Multi/Sub-Object on page 6542 material, or you can use
the Apply To Faces With ID control.

■

If you assign Flat Mirror to multiple faces, the faces must lie in a plane.

■

Non-coplanar faces in the same object cannot have the same Flat Mirror
material.
In other words, if you want two different planes of an object to have flat
reflections, you must use a Multi/Sub-Object material. Assign Flat Mirror

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6779

to two different sub-materials, and assign different material IDs to the to
different planar faces.
The material ID used by the Flat Mirror sub-material must be unique to
the coplanar faces in the object.
If you assign Flat Mirror using Apply to Faces with ID, faces without that
ID display the nonreflective components (diffuse color, and so on) of the
material with the Flat Mirror reflection map.

■

Procedures
To assign a flat mirror to one face of an object:
1 In the Material Editor, create a Standard material.
2 Assign a Flat Mirror map as the material's reflection map.
3 In the Flat Mirror Parameters rollout ➤ Render group, turn on Apply To
Faces With ID, and choose the material ID number the mirrored face will
have.
4 Follow the next set of steps for assigning the material to the object.
To assign the mirror to a flat surface:

1

2 On the

Select an object.

Modify panel, apply Edit Mesh to the object.

3 Make sure Sub-Object is selected, and choose Face as the sub-object level.
4 Select a single face or multiple faces that lie in a single plane.
5 Assign the faces the material ID you chose for the Flat Mirror map.
6 Assign the material to the object.
To assign a flat mirror using a Multi/Sub-Object material:
1 In the Material Editor, create a Multi/Sub-Object material.
2 Click one of the unused material buttons in the Multi/Sub-Object
material's parameters.

6780 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3 In the new Standard sub-material, open the Maps rollout and click the
map button for Reflection.
4 In the Material/Map Browser, choose Flat Mirror, and then click OK.
Flat Mirror controls are similar to those for automatic reflection and
refraction.
5 Apply Edit Mesh to the object, and then in the stack view area of the
modifier stack display on page 8776, choose Face as the sub-object level.
6 Select a single face or multiple faces that lie in a single plane.
7 Assign the faces the material ID corresponding to the Flat Mirror
sub-material slot.
Using a Multi/Sub-Object material, you can apply Flat Mirror to different
faces of the object that are not coplanar. However, faces that are not
coplanar must use different sub-material slots, otherwise 3ds Max doesn't
correctly generate the flat mirror reflections.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6781

Interface

Blur group
Apply Blur Turns on filtering to blur the maps.
Antialiasing is also applied to the Distortion effect, if any, when Apply Blur
is turned on.
Blur Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the generated map based on its
distance from the object. The farther away the map is, the greater the blurring.

6782 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Blur is primarily used to avoid aliasing on page 9087. It's a good idea to use a
small amount of blurring for all maps in order to avoid the scintillation or
aliasing that can occur when pixel details are reduced off in the distance.
Default=1.0.

Render group
First Frame Only The renderer creates the automatic flat mirror only on the
first frame.
Every Nth Frame The renderer creates the automatic flat mirror based on the
frame rate on page 9169 set by the spinner.
Use Environment Map When off, environment maps are ignored by the
mirror during rendering. It's useful to turn this off when you have mirrors in
the scene and you're rotoscoping against a flat screen environment map. A
screen environment map does not exist in 3D space the way the other
environment-map types do, and will not render properly. Default=on.
Apply to Faces with ID Specifies the material ID number where you want
the mirror assigned.
You can assign a flat-mirror material to an object without having to make it
a component of a Multi/Sub-Object on page 6542 material. The restriction is
that the other faces on the object must be able to use the nonmirrored
properties of the same material (its diffuse color, and so on). If the other faces
need completely different material characteristics, you need to use a
Multi/Sub-Object material.
For example, if you have an object, such as a box, with unique material IDs
for each side, you can use Apply To Faces With ID to specify the side of the
box that will show the mirror reflection. The remaining sides of the box will
have the same material characteristics, but without the reflection.

Distortion group
To simulate irregular surfaces, you can distort the flat-mirror reflections.
Distortion can be based on a bump map or on noise controls built into Flat
Mirror material.
None No distortion.
Use Bump Map Distorts the reflection using the material's bump map.
A flat mirror surface that has a Bump map will appear bumpy, but its reflection
won't be distorted by the bumps unless you use this option.
Use Built-In Noise Distorts the reflection using the settings in the Noise group.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6783

Distortion Amount Adjusts the amount of distortion to the reflected image.
This is the only value that affects the amount of distortion. No matter how
high the Bump map's Amount spinner is set, or how extreme the Noise settings,
if this Distortion Amount is set to 0, no distortion appears in the reflection
itself. This control is inactive when None is chosen.

Noise group
The controls in this group are inactive unless you choose Use Built-In Noise
as the active distortion type.
Regular Generates plain noise. Basically the same as Fractal noise with the
Levels setting at 1. When the noise type is set to Regular, the Levels spinner
is inactive (because Regular is not a fractal function).
Fractal Generates noise using a fractal algorithm. The Levels setting determines
the number of iterations for the fractal noise.
Turbulence Generates fractal noise with an absolute value function applied
to it to make fault lines.
Phase Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function. A 3D noise
function is used for the noise, so that the first two parameters are U and V
and the third is phase.
You can animate this parameter to animate the noise effect.
Size Sets the scale of the noise function. Smaller values give smaller chunks
of noise.
Levels Sets the number of fractal iterations or turbulence (as a continuous
function).

Raytrace Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Raytrace
Raytrace map provides fully raytraced reflections and refractions. The
reflections and refractions it generates are more accurate than those produced
by the reflect/refract map on page 6796. Rendering raytraced objects is slower
than using Reflect/Refract. On the other hand, Raytrace is optimized for
rendering 3ds Max scenes, and you can further optimize it for your scene by
excluding specific objects or effects from raytracing.

6784 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Raytrace map creates highly reflective and refractive surfaces.

You can also use the Raytrace material on page 6486, which uses the same
raytracer to generate accurate, raytraced reflections and refractions. The
differences between Raytrace map and Raytrace material are:
■

You use Raytrace map as you do other maps. This means you can add
raytraced reflections or refractions to any kind of material.

■

You can assign Raytrace map to material components other than reflect
or refract, although these are the main ways to use this map.

■

Raytrace map has more extensive attenuation controls than Raytrace
material.

■

Raytrace map often renders more quickly than Raytrace material.
Raytrace Map and Raytrace material have the same name because they use
the same raytracer and share global parameters.
NOTE Raytracing does not always work correctly in orthographic viewports
(left, front, and so on). It works correctly in perspective viewports and camera
viewports.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6785

Raytracer Parameters Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace map ➤ Raytracer Parameters
rollout
This rollout contains the main controls for the Raytrace map on page 6784.

Interface

Local Options group
Enable Raytracing Turns the raytracer on or off. Default=on.
Even with raytracing off, Raytrace material and Raytrace map still reflect and
refract the environment, including both the environment map for the scene,
and the environment map assigned to the Raytrace material.
Raytrace Atmospherics Turns the raytracing of atmospheric effects on or off.
Atmospheric effects include fire, fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.

6786 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Enable Self Reflect/Refract Turns self reflection/refraction on or off.
Default=on.
Can an object reflect itself? For example, a teapot's body reflects the teapot's
handle, but a sphere will never reflect itself. If you don't need this effect, you
can improve render time by turning off this toggle.
TIP If you have a transparent object such as glass, and have self reflect/refract
turned on, you don't have to make the object 2-sided on page 9079. The raytracer
sees back faces when exiting refractive objects.
Reflect/Refract Material IDs When on, the material reflects effects assigned
to material IDs in the renderer's G-buffer on page 9173 on or off. Default=on.
By default, Raytrace material and Raytrace map reflect effects assigned to a
material's ID, so that G-buffer effects are not lost. For example, if a raytraced
object reflects a lamp made to glow with the Video Post Glow filter (Lens
Effects Glow), the reflection glows as well.

Trace Mode group
With options in this group, you select whether to cast reflected or refracted
rays.
Auto Detect If assigned to the material's Reflection component, the raytracer
will reflect. If assigned to Refraction, it will refract. If you assign Raytrace to
any other component, you have to manually specify whether you want
reflected rays or refracted rays. (Default.)
NOTE Auto Detect might fail when you use Raytrace map in a material with a
strong bump map. When you use a strong bump map, choose one of the explicit
options.
Reflection Casts reflected rays off the object's surface.
Refraction Casts refracted rays into or through the object's surface.
NOTE Raytrace reflects and transmits the IDs in material ID channel on page 6075
(G-buffer on page 9173), so it can create glowing reflections, and so on.
Local Exclude Click to display the local Include/Exclude dialog on page 6515.
An object that is excluded locally is excluded from this map only.
TIP Using exclusion lists is one of the best and simplest ways to speed up the
raytracer.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6787

Background group
Use Environment Settings Respects the environment settings of the current
scene.
Color Swatch Overrides the environment settings with the specified color.
Map Button Overrides the environment settings with the specified map.
By specifying an environment map, you override the environment map for
the scene as a whole. Both reflection and refraction use the scene-wide
environment map unless you use this option to specify another map. With
this control, you can use different environment maps on a per-object basis,
or provide an environment to specified objects when the scene as a whole has
none.

Raytraced Reflection and Refraction Antialiaser group
Controls in this group let you override the global antialiasing settings for
raytraced maps and materials. They are unavailable if antialiasing is turned
off globally. To turn on antialiasing globally, choose Rendering ➤ Raytracer
Settings to open the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout on page 7120.
On When on, uses antialiasing. Default=unavailable unless global antialiasing
is turned on; on if global antialiasing is turned on.
Drop-down list Chooses which antialiasing settings to use. There are three
options:
■

Use Global Antialiasing Settings(The default.) Uses the global antialiasing
settings.
Click ... to open the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout on page 7120.

■

Fast Adaptive AntialiaserUses the Fast Adaptive antialiaser, regardless of
the global setting.
Click ... to open the Fast Adaptive Antialiaser dialog on page 6518.

■

Multiresolution Adaptive AntialiaserUses the Multiresolution Adaptive
antialiaser, regardless of the global setting.
Click ... to open the Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser dialog on page
6520.

When you change settings for an antialiaser locally, you don't affect the global
settings for that antialiaser.

6788 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Raytrace: Attenuation Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace map ➤ Attenuation Rollout
When a ray is reflected off an object or refracted through it, by default the ray
travels through space forever, with no attenuation on page 9098. The controls
in this rollout allow you to attenuate rays, so their strength diminishes over
distance.
In the Raytrace map on page 6784, attenuation is implemented by a clipping
algorithm. Objects beyond the maximum attenuation range aren't even
considered by the raytracer. Because of this, assigning attenuation can speed
up rendering time.

Interface

Falloff Type Choose the falloff to use.
■

OffTurns off attenuation. (Default.)

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6789

■

LinearSets linear attenuation. Linear attenuation is calculated between the
start and end range values.

■

Inverse SquareSets inverse square attenuation. Inverse square attenuation
is calculated beginning at the start range, and doesn't use the end range.
Inverse square is the actual attenuation rate for light in the real world.
However, it doesn't always give the effect you want in a rendered scene.

■

ExponentialSets exponential attenuation. Exponential attenuation is
calculated between the start and end range values. You also specify the
exponent to use.

■

Custom FalloffSpecifies a custom curve to use for attenuation (falloff).

Start Range The distance in world units where attenuation begins. Default=0.0.
End Range Sets the distance in world units where the ray is fully attenuated.
Default=100.0.
This is not used by inverse square attenuation.
Exponent Sets the exponent used in exponential falloff. Default=2.0.
This is used only by exponential attenuation.

Color
These controls affect the behavior of light rays as they attenuate out. By default,
as a ray fades out, it is rendered as the background color.
You can set a custom color instead.
Background As the ray attenuates out, returns the background (either the
scene's background or the background specified locally in the Raytracer
Parameters rollout) rather than the actual color of what the reflected/refracted
ray sees. (Default.)
Specify Sets the color that is returned by the ray as it attenuates out.
If you choose not to use the background color, black or gray usually work best
as the attenuation color,

Custom Falloff group
These controls are inactive unless the Falloff Type is set to Custom Falloff.
Custom Falloff Uses the falloff curve to determine the falloff between the
start and the end ranges.

6790 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

These are the controls for custom attenuation. The custom attenuation curve
is at the left. The gray scale bar below the curve shows how the curve will
affect the falloff as light rays diminish in strength.
Near Sets the strength of the reflected/refracted ray at the start range distance.
This is a normalized percentage that can range from 0.0 to 1.0. Default=1.0.
Control 1 Controls the shape of the curve near the curve start. Default=0.667.
Control 2 Controls the shape of the curve near the curve end. Default=0.333.
Far Sets the strength of the reflected/refracted ray at the end range distance.
This is a normalized percentage that can range from 0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.0.

Raytrace: Basic Material Extensions Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace map ➤ Basic Material
Extensions Rollout
This rollout contains controls for fine-tuning the effect of the Raytrace map
on page 6784.

Interface

Reflectivity/Opacity These controls affect the intensity of the raytracer's
results.
■

SpinnerControls the amount of raytracing used by the material it is assigned
to. Analogous to the Output Amount parameter in the Output rollout of
the Bitmap map type on page 6636.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6791

■

Map buttonAssigns a map that controls the amount of raytracing. You can
vary the amount of raytracing used over the surface of the object.

■

Check boxEnables or disables the map.

Tint With these controls, you can tint the colors returned by the raytracer.
Tinting applies only to reflected colors; it doesn't affect the material's diffuse
component.
■

Check boxTurns basic tinting on or off. Default=off.

■

Color swatchAssigns a tint color for reflections. Default=white.

■

Amount spinnerSets the amount of tinting used. Default=1.0.

■

Map buttonAssigns a map to use for tinting. You can vary the tint colors
over the surface of the object.

■

Check boxEnables or disables the map.

Bump Map Effect Controls the effect of a bump map on rays that the surface
reflects and refracts. For example, you might want to make a glass object highly
bumpy, but reduce the bump effect on refracted parts of the scene.

6792 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Bump Map Effect equals 1.0.
The refraction of tiles behind the glass is distorted by the bump map.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6793

Bump Map Effect equals 0.0.
The refraction of tiles behind the glass is not distorted.

Bump Map Effect is active only when raytracing is enabled.

Raytrace: Refractive Material Extensions Rollout

Material Editor ➤ Raytrace map ➤ Refractive Material
Extensions Rollout
With the controls in this rollout, you can fine-tune the effect of the Raytrace
map on page 6784 on a material's refraction component.

6794 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Internal Density Effects
Color With these controls, you can specify a transmission color based on
thickness. The density color gives the appearance of color within the object
itself, like tinted glass.
■

EnableTurns color density on or off.

■

Color swatchDisplays a Color Selector on page 304. Choose the transmission
color.

■

AmountControls the amount of density color. Reducing this value reduces
the density color effect. Range=0 to 1.0. Default=1.0.

■

Color MapAssigns a map to the density color component. Use the check
box to enable or disable the map.

■

Start and EndA thin piece of tinted glass is mainly clear, while a thick piece
of the same glass has more color. Start and End Distance, expressed in
world units, controls help you simulate this effect. Start is the position in
the object where the density color begins to appear (Default=0.0). End is
the position in the object where the density color reaches its full Amount

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6795

value. To have a lighter effect, increase the End value. To have a heavier
effect, reduce the End value.
Fog Density fog is also a thickness-based effect. It fills the object with a fog
that is both opaque and self illuminated. The effect is like smoke trapped in
a glass, or wax at the tip of a candle. Colored fog in tubular objects can
resemble neon tubes.
■

EnableTurns fog on or off.

■

Color swatchDisplays a Color Selector on page 304 for choosing the fog
color.

■

AmountControls the amount of density fog. Reducing this value reduces
the density fog effect and makes the fog translucent. Range=0 to 999999.0.
Default=1.0.

■

Color MapAssigns a map to the fog component. Use the check box to
enable or disable the map.

■

Start and EndStart and End Distance controls, expressed in world units,
adjust the fog effect based on the object's dimensions. Start is the position
in the object where the density fog begins to appear (default=0.0). End is
the position in the object where the density fog reaches its full Amount
value. To have a lighter effect, increase the End value. To have a heavier
effect, reduce the End value.

Render objects inside raytraced objects Turns the rendering of objects inside
raytraced objects on or off. Default=on.
Render atmospherics inside raytraced objects Turns the rendering of
atmospheric effects inside raytraced objects on or off. Atmospheric effects
include fire, fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.
Treat Refractions as Glass (Fresnel effect) When on, applies a Fresnel effect
to the refraction. This can add a bit of reflection to the refracting object,
depending on the viewing angle of the object. When off, the object is refractive
only. Default=on.

Reflect/Refract Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Reflect/Refract

6796 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The Reflect/Refract map produces a reflective or refractive surface. To create
reflection, assign this map type as the material's reflection map on page 6475.
To create refraction, assign it as the refraction map on page 6477.

Reflect/Refract map used for the balloons

NOTE A reflective object can reflect another reflective object. In the real world,
this creates a virtually infinite number of interreflections. In 3ds Max, you can set
the number of interreflections within a range from 1 to 10. You set this Rendering
Iterations parameter on the Render Setup dialog on page 6989.
This map works by using six renderings in the form of a cube that surrounds
the objects. Reflect/Refract views the cubic maps from the perspective of the
pivot point on page 9269 of the object, mapping them onto the object's surface
as a spherical reflection map.
You can choose to generate the cubic maps automatically, or to load previously
created maps.
A reflective surface reflects the surrounding maps like a mirror. A refractive
surface creates the illusion that the surrounding maps are seen through the
surface.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6797

NOTE Reflect/Refract is meant to be used with curved or irregularly shaped objects.
For mirror-like flat surfaces that you want to reflect the environment accurately,
use Flat Mirror on page 6778 material. For more accurate refractions, especially for
an object in a refractive medium (such as a pencil in a glass of water), use Thin
Wall Refraction material on page 6803.

Automatic Cubic Maps
When you choose automatic cubic maps, 3ds Max generates the maps based
on the perspective of the mapped object's pivot point. Automatic maps are
based on the geometry of the scene.
The advantage to using automatic maps is that the six views are automatically
generated at rendering time and can be easily updated for each frame of an
animation. The disadvantage is that regenerating the maps increases rendering
time. In addition, the maps exist only for the rendering and can't be edited
or otherwise manipulated.
In the Material Editor, automatic reflections or refractions reflect or refract
the background of the sample slot.

Assigning Cubic Maps
When you choose to load cubic maps from files, you use the controls in the
From File group. The advantage to using From File is that the bitmap files
already exist and take less rendering time. In addition, you can edit the bitmap
images. The disadvantage is that it's more difficult to use bitmaps to render
an animation because first you need to create the animated bitmaps.
IMPORTANT Assigned cubic maps must be square, and each of the six maps
must be the same size.
You can automatically load six bitmaps at once if the six bitmaps have valid
cubic-map file names. The first part of all six file names must be the same,
and the last part is an underscore followed by a two-letter abbreviation of the
map position, as shown in the following table:
Last Part of Cubic Map File Name

Meaning

_UP

Up

_DN

Down

_LF

Left

6798 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Last Part of Cubic Map File Name

Meaning

_RT

Right

_FR

Front

_BK

Back

For example, if you have six bitmaps on disk, labeled view_up.bmp, view_fr.bmp,
view_lf.bmp, and so on, when you click one of the file buttons and choose the
bitmap for that position, all six views are loaded.
If you select a bitmap whose name doesn't follow the convention, or you
select one with a valid cubic-map name but assign it to the wrong button,
only that bitmap will be loaded.
Since all assigned bitmaps must be the same size, when you assign a new
bitmap to one of the windows, the sample slot doesn't update automatically.
This avoids generating an error message each time you assign a bitmap. Once
you've assigned all six maps and are sure they are square and the same size,
click the Reload button to update all of the maps and redisplay the sample
slot.
You can also use the Reload button to see your changes after you've edited
one of the cubic maps by using a paint program.

Rendering Cubic Maps
The controls in the Render Cubic Map Files group let you generate the maps
automatically and save them to disk. Use the To File button to specify the
folder and file name of the Up (_UP) bitmaps. Click Pick Object and Render
Maps, and then click the object to map. 3ds Max creates the files and also
assigns them to the six From File map buttons.
Rendering cubic maps has the same effect as automatic with the advantage
that map rendering doesn't have to take place at scene rendering time. The
disadvantage is that you can't create an automatically animated reflections or
refractions this way.

Using Animated Cubic Maps
The cubic maps can be animations instead of bitmaps. Be sure that each is
square and all have the same resolution. If you want the animated reflections
to match animated changes in the scene, use automatic maps and set them
to render every Nth frame.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6799

Procedures
To generate and save cubic maps:
1 In the Source group, choose From File.
2 In the Render Cubic Map Files group, click the button next to To File.
A file dialog is displayed. Type a name for one of the six cubic bitmap
files. You're specifying the name of the Up bitmap. There are two ways
to do this:
■

Specify the entire file name; for example, myview_up.bmp.

■

Specify the file prefix and extension only; for example, myview.bmp.
IMPORTANT You must specify at least a prefix and extension. The "_UP"
is added automatically.

3 Click Pick Object and Render Maps.
4 Click an object in your scene where you want the six views rendered.
This is usually the same object where you will apply the material, but it
doesn't have to be.
After selecting the object, a window opens temporarily that shows the
six views as they render and are saved to disk. Their file names then
appear on the six buttons in the From File group. Each of the six file
names is identical, except for a two-letter suffix indicating the direction
of the rendered view.

6800 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Source Chooses the source of the six cubic maps.
Automatic Automatically generates by looking out in six directions from the
pivot of the object with the material, then mapped onto the surface during
rendering. When on, the options in the Automatic group are active, letting

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6801

you choose whether the maps will be generated only once, or regenerated at
specified frames in the animation.
From File When on, you can specify the bitmaps to use.
When From File is active, the controls in the Render Cubic Map Files group
are also available. You can generate the six cubic reflection maps automatically
and save them to files, where you can load them with the From Files controls.
Size Sets the size of the Reflect/Refract maps. The default value of 100 produces
distinct images. Lower values lose progressively more detail.
Use Environment Map When off, environment maps are ignored by
Reflect/Refract map during rendering. It's useful to turn this off when you
have mirrors in the scene and you're rotoscoping against a flat screen
environment map. A screen environment map does not exist in 3D space the
way the other environment-map types do, and will not render properly.

Blur group
Apply Turns on filtering to blur the maps.
Blur Offset Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the map without regard to
its distance from the object. Use Blur Offset when you want to soften or defocus
the details in a map to achieve the effect of a blurred image.
Blur Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the generated map based on its
distance from the object. The farther away the map is, the greater the blurring.
Blur is primarily used to avoid aliasing on page 9087. It's a good idea to use a
small amount of blurring for all maps in order to avoid the scintillation or
aliasing that can occur when pixel details are reduced off in the distance.
Default=1.

Atmosphere Ranges group
If your scene contains environmental Fog on page 7640, the cubic maps must
have near and far range settings to properly render the fog from the point of
view of the object assigned the material. The Near and Far spinners in this
group let you specify a fog range relative to the object.
Near Sets the near range for fog.
Far Sets the far range for fog.
Get From Camera Uses the Near and Far atmosphere range settings of a camera
in the scene. Click this option, and then select the camera.
These values aren't dynamically linked to the camera object. They are simply
copied from the camera's range values at the time you click the camera. If the

6802 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

camera's range values later change, the map's Near and Far values remain the
same.

Automatic group
This controls are active only when Automatic is the active source for the
Reflect/Refract maps.
First Frame Only Tells the renderer to create automatic maps only on the
first frame.
Every Nth Frame Tells the renderer to create animated auto maps based on
the frame rate on page 9169 set by the spinner.

From File group
These controls are active when From File is active as the Reflect/Refract source.
Here you assign the six bitmaps to be used as the cubic maps.
Up / Down / Left / Right / Front / Back Assigns one of the six cubic maps.
If the map is one of a set of six with the correct file name, all six are loaded.
If the map doesn't follow file naming conventions, or you assign it to a button
of a different position (_UP to Front, for example), only that map is assigned.
You must assign the others manually.
Reload Reloads the assigned maps and updates the sample slot.
You can edit one or more of the cubic maps using a paint program, then click
Reload to update the material and the scene.

Render Cubic Map Files group
To File Choose a file name for the Up map (_UP).
Pick Object and Render Maps Active when you choose a file. Click to turn
on, then select the mapped object to render the six cubic maps. Assign the
cubic maps to the six From File buttons.

Thin Wall Refraction Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Thin Wall
Refraction

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6803

Thin Wall Refraction simulates the "jog," or offset effect, you find when you
view part of an image through a plate of glass. For objects that model glass,
such as a Box in the shape of a window pane, this map is faster, uses less
memory, and provides a much better visual effect than the Reflect/Refract
map.

Thin wall refraction

TIP At 100% refraction and opacity, you can see no diffuse color or mapping,
and there is not much illusion of a refractive material. The effect is invisible. In the
Maps rollout of the parent material, set Refraction Amount to 50%, and in the
Basic Parameters rollout, set Opacity to a value greater than 0.

Procedures
To assign the Thin Wall Refraction map to a material:
1 Click the Map button for Refraction in the material's Maps rollout.
2 In the Material/Map Browser, choose Thin Wall Refraction.
3 Adjust the map's parameters.
4 In the parent material, set the Refraction Map Amount to 50%.

6804 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

5 Assign the material to an object.

Interface

Blur group
These controls are for antialiasing.
Apply Blur Turns on filtering to blur the maps.
Blur Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the generated map based on its
distance from the object. The farther away the map is, the greater the blurring.
Blur is primarily used to avoid aliasing on page 9087. It's a good idea to use a
small amount of blurring for all maps in order to avoid the scintillation or
aliasing that can occur when pixel details are reduced off in the distance.
Default=1.0.

Render group
These controls affect how the refraction should behave in animations.
First Frame Only Tells the renderer to create the refracted image only on the
first frame.
This is the fastest option. You can use it if the camera and refractive object
don't move.

Reflection and Refraction Maps | 6805

Every Nth Frame Tells the renderer to regenerate the refracted image based
on the frame rate on page 9169 set by the spinner.
Every single frame provides the most accurate result, but takes longest to
render.
Use Environment Map When off, environment maps are ignored by the
refraction during rendering. It's useful to turn it this off when you have
refractions in the scene and you're rotoscoping against a flat screen
environment map. A screen environment map does not exist in 3D space the
way the other environment map types do, and will not render properly.
Default=on.

Refraction group
These controls are specific to the Thin Wall Refraction effect:
Thickness Offset Affects the size of the refractive offset, or jog effect. At 0,
there's no offset, and the object can appear invisible in the rendered scene.
At 10.0, the offset is at its greatest. Range from 0.0 to 10.0; Default=0.5.
NOTE The IOR (index of refraction) spinner in the parent material's Extended
Parameters rollout also affects the offset effect.
Bump Map Effect Affects the magnitude of refraction due to the presence of
a bump map. This parameter multiplies the current bump map Amount in
the parent material. Reduce this value to reduce the effect of the secondary
refraction; increase this value to increase the effect. If there is no bump map
assigned, this value has no effect. Default=1.0.
If there is unevenness in the surface of the glass, there is a secondary refraction.
Thin Wall Refraction generates this secondary refraction if the material also
has a bump map present. The algorithm guesses at the scaling of the secondary
refraction, and can create too large an effect. If this happens, scale the effect
down by reducing this value to less than one.

mental ray Shaders
In mental ray, a shader is a function that calculates light effects. There can be
shaders for lights, cameras (lens shaders), materials, shadows, and so on.
NOTE In 3D modeling, the term “shader” typically refers to an algorithm that
specifies how a surface responds to light. (The shaders for standard 3ds Max fall
into this category.) With the mental ray renderer, “shader” has a more general
sense of any algorithm used in rendering.

6806 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The mental ray renderer on page 7129 can render most types of 3ds Max materials
and maps. See 3ds Max Materials in mental ray Renderings on page 7137. In
addition, if you have enabled mental ray extensions (see mental ray Preferences
on page 8950), you can apply a variety of shaders to materials. Materials designed
for use with the mental ray renderer have specific components to which you
can assign a shader. And for standard 3ds Max material types, the mental ray
Connection rollout on page 6215 lets you add mental ray shading.
WARNING When you use the scanline renderer, mental ray shaders typically
appear as black or white surfaces, or they are ignored entirely.
You assign a mental ray shader the same way you do a map. In the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167, mental ray shaders appear with a yellow
icon, instead of the green icon used for maps.

mental ray maps in the browser's list are shown with yellow icons.

The shaders listed in the Browser depend on which type of shader component
you have chosen in the Material Editor. For example, when you assign a Surface
shader, the Browser lists a variety of shaders and standard 3ds Max maps. But
when you assign a more special-purpose Contour shader, the Browser lists
only those shaders that generate contour lines.

mental ray Shaders | 6807

NOTE Other kinds of special-purpose shaders include shaders for cameras and
lights. Buttons to assign camera shaders are found on the Render Setup dialog
➤ Camera Effects rollout on page 7201, and the controls to assign light shaders
are on a light object's mental ray Light Shader rollout on page 5824. This rollout
appears only on the Modify panel, not the Create panel.
The shaders listed in the Browser come from several libraries that are provided
with 3ds Max. Shaders created specifically for 3ds Max are described in this
document. Shaders provided with the mental images or lume shader libraries
have their own online documentation.
In addition to the shaders described in the topics that follow, 3ds Max includes
these shaders:
■

The Car Paint on page 6343 material is also available as a shader, with the
same set of parameters.

■

The mr Sun on page 5885, mr Sky on page 5888, and mr Physical Sky on page
5893 shaders are components of the mental ray Sun & Sky on page 5874
solution.

■

Volume shading on page 7164 can be applied to a camera or material.

■

Displacement shading on page 7167 adds surface detail to models at render
time.

■

Contour shading on page 7168 lets you render vector-based contour lines,
or outlines.

NOTE When you wire the parameters of an object whose material has mental ray
shaders assigned, names of shader parameters might differ from those in the
Material Editor interface. Also, parameters not supported by 3ds Max might appear
as blanks in the wiring menu.

mental ray Shaders not Provided with 3ds Max
If your installation includes shader libraries other than those listed in this
reference (whether obtained from a third-party source, or custom written),
then the Browser might list those shaders as well. Documentation for
third-party or custom shaders should come from the shader's provider.

Where Shaders Are Installed
Shaders provided with 3ds Max are installed in the subdirectory
\mentalimages\shaders_standard\, below the 3ds Max root directory. The \include
folder is for the MI include files, and the \shaders folder is for the DLLs.

6808 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Third-party shaders should not be installed in \shaders_standard. They should
be installed either in \shaders_3rdparty or \shaders_autoload. If a third-party
shader is present in \shaders_autoload, it is loaded automatically when you
start 3ds Max. If a third-party shader is present in \shaders_3rdparty, you must
update the file 3rdparty.mi so it explicitly loads the shader. The MI file
\shaders_3rdparty\3rdparty.mi contains comments that explain how to add load
statements.
NOTE Shaders listed in the MI file are loaded in reverse order: that is, from the
bottom of the list to the top.

mental images Shader Libraries

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Choose a
mental ray shader other than a custom 3ds Max shader or a lume shader.
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The shaders provided with standard libraries from mental images are meant
for use with the mental ray renderer on page 7129. There are three standard
libraries: Base Shaders (base.mi), Physics Shaders (physics.mi), and Contour
Shaders (contour.mi).
NOTE In the mental image libraries, the names of base shaders have the prefix
“mib_” and the names of contour shaders have the prefix “contour_”. These
prefixes don't appear in the 3ds Max user interface or in the table that follows.
(Names of physics shaders have no conventional prefix.)
The following table lists the mental images library shaders provided with 3ds
Max.
TIP When you follow a link to the documentation for mental images library shaders,
scroll up a bit in your browser. The links tend to go directly to the shader's
declaration code, and often there are some introductory paragraphs directly above
the code. If the link goes to the beginning of a section, scroll down instead.
Shader

Library

Ambient/Reflective Occlusion

base

mental ray Shaders | 6809

Shader

Library

Combi

contour

Contour Composite

contour

Contour Contrast Function
Levels

contour

Contour Only

contour

Contour PS (PostScript)

contour

Contour Store Function

contour

Curvature

contour

Depth Fade

contour

Photon

physics

Dielectric

base

Factor Color

contour

Layer Thinner

contour

Light Infinite

base

Light Point

base

Light Spot

base

Opacity

base

Parti Volume

physics

Photon Basic

base

Reflect

base

Refract

base

6810 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Shader

Library

Shadow Transparency

base

Simple

contour

Texture Remap

base

Texture Rotate

base

Texture Wave

base

Transmat

physics

Transmat Photon

physics

Transparency

base

Two Sided

base

Width From Color

contour

Width From Light

contour

Width From Light Dir

contour

NOTE You can also access the mental images shader help by choosing Help ➤
Additional Help, opening the mental ray 3.6 Reference, and then highlighting
mental ray Shader Reference on the Contents panel.

Shaders in the LumeTools Collection

Material Editor Material/Map Browser ➤ Choose one of
the shaders listed in this topic.
Note: LumeTools shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer
is the currently active renderer.

mental ray Shaders | 6811

The LumeTools Collection of shaders provide a variety of naturalistic effects
when used with the mental ray renderer on page 7129. These are the lume shaders
provided with 3ds Max:
■

Beam

■

Distortion

■

Edge and Edge Shadow

■

Facade

■

Glass

■

Glow

■

Landscape

■

Metal

■

Mist

■

Night

■

Ocean

■

Stain

■

Submerge

■

Translucency

■

Water Surface

■

Wrap Around

■

Wet-Dry Mixer

NOTE You can also access the lume shader help by choosing Help ➤ Additional
Help, opening the mental ray Reference, and then highlighting LumeTools
Collection on the Contents panel.

6812 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3ds Max Custom Shaders

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Pick a mental
ray shader other than a mental images library shader or a lume shader.
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The topics in this section describe custom shaders for use with the mental ray
renderer on page 7129, and 3ds Max.

3D Displacement Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤ For
the Displacement component, turn off the lock button. ➤ Click the button
for the Displacement component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ 3D
Displacement

Material Editor ➤ mental ray material ➤ Click the button
for the Displacement component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ 3D
Displacement
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
A 3D Displacement shader displaces the geometry of surfaces. The effect is
similar to displacement mapping of a standard material. You can apply mental
ray displacement to any kind of object, unlike standard displacement mapping,
which is restricted to surface models (meshes, patches, polys, and NURBS
surfaces).
Displaced surfaces are smooth if the displaced polygons share normals;
otherwise, the displaced surfaces are faceted. Also, unless normals are shared,
faces can become separated in the displaced mesh. To prevent this, make sure
adjacent surfaces belong to the same shading group.

mental ray Shaders | 6813

When the mental ray renderer is the active renderer, mental ray displacement
is the only displacement method used, unless your scene includes a Displace
modifier on page 1255, which always uses standard 3ds Max displacement.
TIP Before you render, you can disable or enable displacement by using the
Displacement toggle in the Options group on the Common Parameters rollout
on page 7020.
Global settings for the mental ray displacement method are in the
Displacement group on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤
Shadows And Displacement rollout on page 7209.
See also:
■

mental ray Displacement on page 7167

■

mental ray Connection Rollout on page 6215

■

mental ray Material on page 6369

Interface

6814 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

3D Displacement (3dsmax) Parameters rollout
NOTE The button to the right of the Factor and Direction Strength controls is a
shortcut shader button. Clicking one of these buttons displays the Material/Map
Browser on page 6167 so you can assign a shader to this component. When a map
or a shader has been assigned to a component, this button displays the letter “M,”
and the comparable button on the Shaders rollout displays the map or shader
name.
Object Independent When on, the displacement effect is independent of the
size of the object's bounding box. When off, the displacement effect is scaled
according to the size of the object. Default=on.
Scaling the displacement based on object size is the standard behavior for
regular 3ds Max displacement mapping.
Displacement Length This is the length of displacement when Object
Independent is on, the extrusion map is at 100 per cent (white) and the
Extrusion Strength equals 1.0. Lower gray levels in the extrusion map, or other
values of Extrusion Strength, scale the amount of displacement. When Object
Independent is off, this value is disregarded. Default=1.0.
Extrusion Strength Controls the height of the displacement. This value is a
multiplier: at the default value of 1.0, the map's effect is unchanged. Greater
values increase the effect of the map, and lower values decrease it. Default=1.0.
Extrusion Map Click to display the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and
choose a map to use for the displacement. Displacement maps apply the gray
scale of the map to generate the displacement. Lighter colors in the 2D image
push outward more strongly than darker colors, resulting in a 3D displacement
of the geometry.
Direction Strength Controls the strength of the direction shader. Default=0.0.
IMPORTANT Adding a direction shader has no visible effect unless you set
Direction Strength to be greater than its default value of zero. (Direction Strength
values less than zero have no effect.)
Direction Map Click to display the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and
choose a shader to use for the map direction. The direction of the displacement
is perturbed according to the RGB values of the shader output or map pixels.
Red values offset in the U axis, Green values offset in V, and Blue values offset
in W (using the object-local UVW coordinates).

mental ray Shaders | 6815

Shaders rollout
The controls on this rollout let you assign a map or shader to the Factor or
Direction Strength parameters. Click the button for a component to display
the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the
toggle at the left to turn the effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button is for shaders that
can return multiple parameters. If a shader that returns multiple parameters
is assigned to the component, the button's tooltip shows the parameter name.

Bump Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray material ➤ Click the button
for the Surface or Bump component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Bump
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The Bump shader provides bump mapping for the mental ray renderer. Bumps
are created by perturbing face normals before the object is rendered, using the
same method as bump mapping on page 6472 for the scanline renderer.
WARNING Although you can assign a Bump shader to the Surface component,
if you assign only a Bump shader, the surface will render as black. For the Surface
component, use the Bump shader in a Shader List on page 6840, or for the mental
ray material on page 6369, use the Bump component itself.

6816 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Bump (3dsmax) Parameters rollout
Multiplier Adjust the bump effect by multiplying the map values. Negative
Multiplier values reverse the bump effect: hollow areas now protrude, and
raised areas become hollow. Default=1.0.
Map Click to display the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and choose a map
to use for generating bumps. Bump mapping uses the intensity of the map to
affect the surface of the material. The intensity affects the apparent bumpiness
of the surface: white areas protrude, and black areas recede.

Shaders rollout
The controls on this rollout let you assign a map or shader to the Multiplier
parameter. Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map
Browser on page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left
to turn the effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of the main shader button is for shaders that
can return multiple parameters. If a shader that returns multiple parameters
is assigned to the component, the button's tooltip shows the parameter name.

mental ray Shaders | 6817

DGS Material Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤
Unlock the Surface or Photon component. ➤ Click the shader button for the
Surface or Photon component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ DGS Material

Material Editor ➤ mental ray material ➤ Click the button
for the Surface or Photon component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ DGS
Material
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
DGS stands for Diffuse, Glossy, Specular. This shader is a mental ray
phenomenon (a scripted shader tree) that provides a physically accurate
simulation of a surface. With the mental ray Connection rollout of a basic
3ds Max material, or a mental ray material, you can assign the DGS Material
shader to either the Surface or Photon component.
This shader provides a custom 3ds Max interface to the “DGS Material Photon”
shader that is part of the mental images physics library.

6818 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Parameters rollout

NOTE The button to the right of the first six controls is a shortcut shader button.
Clicking one of these buttons displays the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so
you can assign a shader to this component. When a map or a shader has been
assigned to a component, this button displays the letter “M,” and the comparable
button on the Shaders rollout displays the map or shader name.
Diffuse Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 304 and
change the material's diffuse color.
Glossy Highlights Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector and
change the color of glossy highlights.
Specular Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector and change the
color of mirror reflections. When the specular color is white, the material is

mental ray Shaders | 6819

100 percent reflective, like a mirror. When the specular color is black, the
material does not reflect any of its surroundings.
Shiny Sets the width of glossy highlights. The larger this value, the smaller
the highlights. Default=30.0.
Transparency Specifies the transparency. The effective range of Transparency
is from 0.0 to 1.0. At 0.0 the material is fully opaque. At 1.0 it is fully
transparent. Default=0.0.
WARNING You can set the value of Transparency to be greater than 1.0, but this
has no effect. An anomaly of the user interface for shaders in the mental ray and
lume libraries, is that spinner values are not “clamped” to lie within their effective
ranges, as they are for controls in 3ds Max.
The value of Transparency also indirectly specifies the reflectivity of the
material, which is calculated as 1.0 minus the Transparency value.
Index Of Refraction Specifies the IOR. In the physical world, the IOR results
from the relative speeds of light through the transparent material and the
medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically this is related to the object's
density. The higher the IOR, the denser the object. Default=1.5.
See Extended Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6436 for a list of
IOR values for commonly encountered materials.
NOTE When the IOR equals 1.0, there is no refraction, and calculating the
transparency can take less time than when the material is refractive.
Lights When on, the material is illuminated only by those lights specified in
the list. When Lights is turned off, all lights in the scene affect the material.
Default=off.
The remaining light controls are unavailable unless Lights is turned on.
■

List of lightsDisplays the lights you have chosen to illuminate this material.

■

AddAdds a light to the list. Click Add to turn it on, then click the light
object in a viewport.

■

ReplaceReplaces a light in the list. Highlight a light's name in the list, click
Replace to turn it on, then click the replacement light object in a viewport.

■

DeleteDeletes a light from the list. Highlight a light's name in the list, then
click Delete.

6820 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Shaders rollout
The controls on this rollout let you assign a map or shader to one of the basic
parameters of the DGS Material shader. This is comparable to mapping a
component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.

Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button is for shaders that
can return multiple parameters. If a shader that returns multiple parameters
is assigned to the component, the button's tooltip shows the parameter name.
For all the DGS Material shader components, the available mental ray shaders
are the same:
Shader

Library

Bump on page 6816

3ds Max

DGS Material (this shader)

3ds Max

Dielectric

base

Dielectric Material on page 6823

3ds Max

Edge

lume

Facade

lume

mental ray Shaders | 6821

Shader

Library

Glass

lume

Glow

lume

Landscape

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Metal

lume

Ocean

lume

Opacity

base

Reflect

base

Refract

base

Shader List on page 6840

3ds Max

Stain

lume

Translucency

lume

Transmat

physics

Transparency

base

Two Sided

base

Water Surface

lume

Wet-Dry Mixer

lume

6822 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Dielectric Material Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤
Unlock the Surface or Photon component. ➤ Click the shader button for the
Surface or Photon component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Dielectric Material
or Dielectric Material Photon

Material Editor ➤ mental ray material ➤ Click the button
for the Surface or Photon component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Dielectric
Material or Dielectric Material Photon
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The Dielectric Material shader creates transparent, refractive materials that
are physically accurate. A dielectric material, such as glass, is a material whose
surface transmits most light that strikes it at angles close to perpendicular (90
degrees), but reflects most light that strikes at glancing angles (close to zero
degrees).
When applied to the Surface component, this shader affects the surface's
appearance. When applied to the Photon component, it affects its photon
behavior for caustics and global illumination. (The Glass material is a mental
ray phenomenon (a scripted shader tree) that is equivalent to a mental ray
material on page 6369 with a Dielectric Material shader assigned to both its
Surface and Photon components, with the parameter settings identical for
both.)
NOTE This material does not use a shadow shader, so shadows will always be
opaque unless you use a Dielectric Material shader for the Photon component,
and generate caustics when you render.

Adjacent Refractive Materials
Two controls, Outside Light Persistence and Index Of Refraction (Out), are
for situations where you are modeling two adjacent refractive materials.
Consider a drink in a martini glass. The glass has an index of refraction (IOR)
of 1.5, while the alcohol in the glass has an IOR of about 1.3. To create a
physically accurate model of this situation, use three glass materials: one for
the glass itself, one for the alcohol, and a third material for the surfaces where

mental ray Shaders | 6823

they touch each other. For this third material, set the “inside” IOR to 1.3, and
the outside IOR to 1.5.

Interface

Light Persistence In conjunction with the Persistence Distance, controls the
percentage of light that the volume transmits. For example, if the color is set
to R=G=B=0.5 and the Persistence Distance is set to 2.0, then objects with a
thickness of 2.0 units will appear 50 per cent transparent. Default=white
(R=G=B=1.0).
Because transparency depends on the thickness of the object, objects with
varying thickness show different transparency depending on the angle from
which they are viewed.
Index Of Refraction Specifies the Index Of Refraction (IOR). In the physical
world, the IOR results from the relative speeds of light through the transparent
material and the medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically this is related
to the object's density. The higher the IOR, the denser the object. Default=1.5.
See Extended Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) on page 6436 for a list of
IOR values for commonly encountered materials.
Outside Light Persistence In conjunction with the Persistence Distance,
controls the percentage of light transmitted on the other side of a surface.

6824 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

When set to the default of black, this control has no effect. See the section
“Adjacent Refractive Materials,” above. Default=black (R=G=B=0.0).
Index Of Refraction (out) Sets the IOR on the other side of a surface. When
set to the default of zero, this control has no effect. See the section “Adjacent
Refractive Materials,” above. Default=0.0.
Persistence Distance In conjunction with the Light Persistence color, controls
the percentage of light that the volume transmits. It is the distance at which
light transmission is reduced to the percentage specified by the Light
Persistence RGB values. Default=1.0.
If you specify an Outside Light Persistence color, that setting also uses the
Persistence Distance.
Ignore Normals When on, the renderer does not use normals to decide
whether a light ray is entering or leaving the object. Normally, the shader uses
normals to decide whether a ray is entering or leaving an object. (It is entering
if the normal points toward the ray, leaving if the normal points away from
the ray.) This can present a problem for rendering objects whose normals are
not unified. When Ignore Normals is on, the shader decides whether a ray is
entering or leaving the object by counting the number of times the ray has
intersected the object. Default=off.
Opaque Alpha When on, refracted rays that touch the environment don't
generate a transparent alpha value. (This is how 3ds Max usually treats the
environment.) When off, refracted rays that touch the environment render a
transparent alpha value, which can help if you plan to use the rendering as
part of a composite. Default=off.
Phong Coefficient When greater than zero, generates Phong highlights on
the surface. The highlights appear in the sample slot. In general this value
must be greater than 10 for highlights to be apparent. Default=0.0.

Environment Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤ Assign
a shader to the Environment component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤
Environment

mental ray Shaders | 6825

Material Editor ➤ mental ray material ➤ Assign a shader
to the Environment component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Environment
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The Environment shader lets you specify an environment that is local to the
material. Controls for the Environment shader are similar to those for a scene's
environment on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Environment panel. However,
the local Environment shader doesn't affect the scene background. Instead,
it provides an environment that the material can reflect or refract.
If an environment map is present, it generates the reflections or refractions,
and they are not ray traced.

Interface

Parameters rollout
NOTE The buttons to the right of the UseAlpha and Color controls are shortcut
shader buttons. Clicking one of these buttons displays the Material/Map Browser
on page 6167 so you can assign a shader to this component. When a map or a
shader is assigned to a component, this button displays the letter “M,” and the
comparable button on the Shaders rollout displays the map or shader name.

6826 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

UseAlpha When on, uses the map's alpha channel, if it has one. The alpha
channel specifies those portions of the map that are transparent or translucent.
Default=off.
Color Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 304 and choose
a color to use as the environment.
Map Click the button to display a Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and
choose a map to use as the environment.

Shaders rollout
The controls on this rollout let you assign a map or shader to the UseAlpha
and Color parameters. Click the button for a component to display the
Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle
at the left to turn the effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button is for shaders that
can return multiple parameters. If a shader that returns multiple parameters
is assigned to the component, the button's tooltip shows the parameter name.

Glare Shader (mental ray)

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout ➤ Camera Shaders group ➤ Click the
Output button. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Glare
The Glare shader, when used as a camera output shader on page 7207, creates
a halo around very bright areas in the rendered image. It’s applied in two

mental ray Shaders | 6827

dimensions after rendering, so it can partially obscure darker objects between
the bright area and the camera for greater realism.

Interior lit by mr Sky Portal; no glare

Interior with Glare shader for output;
default Glare settings

NOTE The glare effect from this shader is intended purely for illustrative purposes.
It is not designed to be physically accurate and is not suited for precise simulation
purposes.

Procedure
To use the Glare shader:
Using and adjusting the Glare output shader requires first assigning it on the
Render Setup dialog, and then instancing it in the Material Editor. This
procedure delineates the steps for doing so.
1 Make sure mental ray is the assigned renderer.
2 Open the Render Setup dialog (press F10), and on the Renderer panel, go
to the Camera Effects rollout.
3 On the Camera Effects rollout, click the Output button (labeled “None”
by default).
This opens the Material/Map Browser.
4 In the shader list, double-click the Glare entry.
This assigns the shader and closes the browser.
5 Render the scene.
If the results are satisfactory, you can stop here. The remaining steps
concern adjusting the shader settings.

6828 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

6 Open the Material Editor (press M), and, if necessary, the Render Setup
dialog.
7 Drag the Output button from the Camera Shaders group on the Render
Setup dialog to a sample slot on the Material Editor. When the Instance
(Copy) Map dialog prompts you, choose Instance, if necessary, and click
OK.
This places an instance of the Glare shader in the sample slot. Editing
this instance also modifies the output shader you originally assigned.
8 Adjust the Glare Parameters as necessary, rendering as you go to view the
results.

Interface

Quality Lets you set the tradeoff between detail and speed. Lower Quality
settings cause Glare to run more quickly, but can result in a boxy-looking
glare halo, while a higher Quality value gives a better overall effect at the cost
of rendering time. A mid-level setting is appropriate for most scenes.
Spread Controls how sensitive Glare is to bright objects. Lower values for
Spread produce smaller glare halos while higher values cause larger glare halos.
Very high values can cause dark objects to have halos.
TIP The best way to enlarge an object's halo is to increase its brightness, not to
increase the Spread value.
Streaks When on, uses an image file you specify to create a streaking effect,
such as is visible when looking at bright images through glass or, in
photographs, through a camera lens.

mental ray Shaders | 6829

Streak Image Click to choose an image file to be used to create the streak
effect. This file takes effect only when Streaks is on.
Streaks Weight Controls the blending between the "normal" glare and the
streaks image. A value of 0.0 disables streaks, while a value of 1.0 makes the
streaks fully visible.
Resolution for Glare Processing An absolute value specifying the image size,
in pixels, on which the Glare computation occurs. If you image is rendered
at 5000 x 5000 and Resolution for Glare Processing is set to 350, Glare will
effectively compute on a 350 x 350 image internally and reapplied on the
final image, possibly resulting in an inadeqate glare effect.
Replace Rendered Image with Glare Only Generates an overlay image of
the glare effect only; the original underlying image is removed. This mode is
useful when render speed is critical, so that Glare can be run on a
lower-resolution image to produce an overlay, which you can then composite
with a higher-resolution underlying image.

Height Map Displacement Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤ For
the Displacement component, turn off the lock button. ➤ Click the button
for the Displacement component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Height Map
Displacement

Material Editor ➤ mental ray material ➤ Click the button
for the Displacement component. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Height Map
Displacement
Note: Shaders don't appear unless the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
The Height Map Displacement shader displaces the geometry of surfaces, and
is specifically intended for use with height maps generated by normal mapping;
see Creating and Using Normal Bump Maps on page 7320.

6830 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

IMPORTANT When applying a material containing this map to an object, the
mental ray Displacement ➤ Smoothing option must be off. If such materials are
applied to all objects in the scene, you can turn off Smoothing globally on page
7212. Otherwise, turn off smoothing for each object whose material uses a height
map via the Object Properties ➤ mental ray panel on page 236 (turn off Use Global
Settings and then turn off Smoothing).
TIP Avoid the temptation to apply MeshSmooth to a model when creating a
height map for it. This changes the shape of the model so the height values will
not be correct. The low-res model must have exactly the same shape when the
map is created and when it is used for displacement. Also, MeshSmooth does not
use the same algorithm as the mental ray displacement smoothing, so using both
forms of smoothing won't work perfectly. The best results are obtained by not
smoothing the low-res model when the map is created and also not using mental
ray smoothing.
Also, avoid using a paint program to modify the height map. The values in
the height map depend on the shape of both the low-res and high-res models,
and it's easy to damage the mathematical accuracy. If you paint any changes
onto the map, you must be careful to preserve the faceted look, and avoid the
temptation to blur away the facets.
You might try painting in Additive and Subtractive mode to add or subtract
to the displacement, because Normal mode will set a fixed displacement,
making it difficult for an artist to control the result.
See also:
■

3D Displacement Shader (mental ray) on page 6813

■

mental ray Displacement on page 7167

■

mental ray Connection Rollout on page 6215

■

mental ray Material on page 6369

Interface

mental ray Shaders | 6831

Height Map Displacement (3dsmax) Parameters rollout
Be sure to enter the same values for Minimum and Maximum Height as the
equivalents on the Projection Options dialog, as specified below.
Minimum Height The “Min Height” value specified on the Render to Texture:
Projection Options dialog on page 7351 when creating the height map.
Default=-10.0.
Maximum Height The “Max Height” value specified on the Render to Texture:
Projection Options dialog on page 7351 when creating the height map.
Default=10.0.
Height Map The height map itself (usually a bitmap).

Material to Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤ Assign
a shader. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Material to Shader

Material Editor ➤ mental ray or DGS material ➤ Assign
a shader. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Material to Shader
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
Lets you use a regular 3ds Max material as a shader. Depending on the
component to which this shader is assigned (Surface, Shadow, Displacement,
Volume, and so on), the mental ray renderer uses the appropriate material
component.
For example, if you want a mental ray material's Surface component to look
like a standard material you have, assign Material To Shader as the Surface
shader, and then assign it the standard material.
NOTE Material To Shader doesn't work as an environment background. Use the
original 3ds Max material, instead.
TIP To edit the material assigned to Material To Shader, you can drag the button
to an unused sample slot in the Material Editor (be sure to choose Instance when
prompted). Or you can follow these steps:

6832 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

1 In an unused sample slot, create the material and adjust its settings.
2 Save the material to a library.
3 Assign the Material To Shader to its component.
4 When you click the Material To Shader's shader button, browse from the
library and load the material you prepared in advance.
If you need to further adjust the material, you can repeat these steps (without
having to reassign the Material To Shader).

Interface

Material button Click to display the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and
choose the material to use for shading.

mr Labeled Element Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ Any material ➤ Click a map button
➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ mr Labeled Element
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The mr Labeled Element shader doesn’t actually function as a shader, but
instead works in conjunction with the mr Labeled Element render element
on page 7298 to let you output any branch of a shader tree (a string of nested
maps) as a render element. For example, if you use the Checker map as a
diffuse map, and you use a Perlin Marble map as one of the two checker colors,
you can render only the checker-map components that contain the marble
map to a custom element for subsequent compositing.
For details on using the mr Labeled Element shader, see To use the mr Labeled
element: on page 7298.

mental ray Shaders | 6833

Interface

Shader/Map to Store (Passthrough) Click the map button to assign a shader
or map or shader/map branch to be passed to the render element. If a shader
or map is already assigned, the button is labeled “M”; click the button to edit
the shader or map.
Label Enter the same name as that assigned to the render element.

Multi/Sub-Map Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ Any material ➤ Click a map button
➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Multi/Sub-Map
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The Multi/Sub-Map shader provides the ability to assign different colors or
maps to a single parameter of a material. For example, you could create an
array of pebbles on a terrain and assign a single Arch & Design material to all
of the pebbles. To introduce color variation, place a Multi/Sub-Map shader in
the Diffuse slot of the material. In doing so, you would maintain the same
BRDF properties for all pebbles, varying only the diffuse color. Judicious use
of Multi/Sub-Map can vastly reduce the required number of materials in
complex scenes.
Multi/Sub-Map can vary the assigned color or map at random, or based on
object, material, or smoothing group ID. You can define up to 20 colors or
maps to different IDs and for higher IDs you can repeat the assignment cycle
or specify an out-of-range color or map.

6834 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Left: Auditorium seats colors vary object ID; Right: colors vary at random

NOTE The Multi/Sub-Map shader does not display correctly in shaded viewports.
In general, it is recommended that you leave Show Map In Viewport off for
materials that use the shader as the Diffuse map.

mental ray Shaders | 6835

Interface

6836 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Switch Color/Map based on Choose the basis on which to assign a color or
map:
■

Object IDUses the Object ID on page 230 value. Objects whose ID is 1 are
assigned Color/Map #1, and so on.
NOTE Objects whose ID is 0 (the default), or, if Repeat on page 6837 is off, with
an ID value higher than the upper limit as determined by value of Number of
Colors/Maps to Use on page 6837, are assigned the Default/Out-of-range Color
on page 6837 (or map).

■

Material IDUses the Material ID on page 9217. Faces whose Material ID is 1
are assigned Color/Map #1, and so on.
NOTE If Repeat on page 6837 is off, faces with an Material ID value higher than
the upper limit as determined by value of Number of Colors/Maps to Use on
page 6837 are assigned the Default/Out-of-range Color on page 6837 (or map).

■

Smoothing GroupUses the smoothing group ID on page 315. Faces in
smoothing group 1 are assigned Color/Map #1, and so on. For faces assigned
to multiple smoothing groups, Multi/Sub-Map uses the highest assigned
value.
NOTE Faces that don’t belong to any smoothing group, or, if Repeat on page
6837 is off, with a smoothing group ID value higher than the upper limit as
determined by value of Number of Colors/Maps to Use on page 6837, are
assigned the Default/Out-of-range Color on page 6837 (or map).

■

RandomAssigns colors or maps at random. The randomization is fixed and
does not change upon re-rendering the scene or reassigning the material.

Default/Out-of-range Color The color or map assigned to objects or faces
whose ID does not fall within the specified range (1 to Number of
Colors/Maps). Does not apply to the Random option.
Number of Colors/Maps to Use The highest ID value to use. If Repeat is off,
IDs higher than this value (or set to 0) are assigned the Default/Out-of-range
Color. Range=1 to 20.
Repeat When on, the assigned colors/maps cycle through values higher than
the Number Of Colors/Maps To Use setting. For example, if Number Of
Colors/Maps To Use is set to 7, objects or faces with ID 8 or 15 would use
Color/Map #1, IDs set to 9 or 16 would use #2, and so on.

mental ray Shaders | 6837

When off, any IDs outside the specified range (1 to Number of Colors/Maps)
use the Default/Out-of-range Color on page 6837.
Color/Map #1-20 For each Color/Map parameter, specify a color or map to
use. If you assign a map, it overrides the color unless you disable the map
using a check box on the Maps rollout.
To assign a map, click the map button to the right of the color swatch and
choose a map from the Material/Map Browser.

Maps rollout
This rollout provides check boxes for enabling and disabling the map/color
assignments and buttons for assigning maps.

Object Color Shader (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ Any material ➤ Click a map button
➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Object Color
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The Object Color shader lets you use the object’s wireframe color on page 9350
as a map or shader in any material. You can use the color or a single channel
of it (red, green, or blue) as is, or modify the color with two other colors or
maps depending on its intensity.
As with the Multi/Sub-Map shader on page 6834, you can assign a single material
containing the Object Color shader in a map slot (typically Diffuse) to any
number of objects, with the result that each object’s final appearance varies,
depending, in this case, on its wireframe color.
NOTE The Object Color shader does not display correctly in shaded viewports.
In general, it is recommended that you leave Show Map In Viewport off for
materials that use the shader as the Diffuse map.

6838 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Object Color shader used for ink color in Ink ‘n Paint material

Interface

Use Channel(s) Choose to extract the actual color (RGB) of the object’s
wireframe color, or an individual component of the color: red, green, or blue.
White/Black These two colors (or maps) are blended based on the intensity
(value) of the channel. With lighter intensities, more of the White color is
used, and with darker intensities, more of the Black color is used.
At their default values, these settings leave the object color or channel intact.
However, if you change them, the result is a range of colors based on the

mental ray Shaders | 6839

mixture of the two and the intensities of the extracted channels. For example,
if you set Use Channel(s) to RGB (the default), and set the White color to red
and the Black color to blue, then the resulting output would range from red
to purple to blue, depending on the original object-color intensity.

Top: Spheres in viewport showing object colors
Inset: Object Color parameters
Bottom: Rendered spheres with same material

Shader List (mental ray)

Material Editor ➤ mental ray Connection rollout ➤ Assign
a shader. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Shader List

Material Editor ➤ mental ray, DGS, or Glass material ➤
Assign a shader. ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Shader List

6840 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The Shader List shader provides an interface for constructing a mental ray
shader list. A shader list combines the effect of multiple shaders: each shader
is called in turn, the first one's output being treated as input to the next, and
so on.

Interface

List of shaders Shows the names of the shaders in the list. Highlight a shader's
name to alter its position in the list, or to access its parameters.
Each active shader in the list is called in order, from top to bottom.
Up Moves the selected shader up in the list.
Down Moves the selected shader down in the list.
Add Shader Displays a Material/Map Browser on page 6167 so you can choose
a shader to add to the list.
Remove Selected Removes the selected shader from the list.

mental ray Shaders | 6841

Selection group
On When on, the shader is active. When off, the shader is inactive and isn't
called. You can use this toggle to disable a shader without removing it from
the list entirely.
Shader button Shows the name of the currently selected shader. Click the
button to view that shader's parameters in the Material Editor.
When you are done adjusting an individual shader's parameters, you
can click Go To Parent to return to the Shader List Parameters rollout.

Production Shaders
The Production Shaders category of advanced mental ray shaders comprises
several texture shaders, a lens shader, and two output shaders, all covered in
this section. Also part of the Production Shaders library is the
Matte/Shadow/Reflection material on page 6350.

Texture Shaders
The topics in this section describe shaders that manage environment maps,
and a shader to manage gamma and gain.

Environment/Background Switcher
Environment And Effects dialog ➤ Click the Environment Map button. ➤
Material/Map Browser ➤ Environment/Background Switcher
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
The Environment/Background Switcher map lets you use one map as a
background and another as an environment map, to provide environmental
reflections.
In typical usage, you use the Environment/Background Switcher as an
Environment map. As the Background map you apply a background image,
preferably using the Environment/Background Camera Map on page 6845 shader.
As the Environment/Reflections map, use an environment map. If you have
a plain photograph of a chrome ball taken from a similar camera angle as the
background, you can use Environment Probe / Chrome Ball on page 6848 shader

6842 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

for easy, automatic unwrapping, or, if you have a fully unwrapped
environment-map image, use a Bitmap map in Spherical Environment mode.

For details, see the following procedure.
NOTE While the Environment/Background Switcher is most commonly used as
an environment map, it can be used in other places as well. It will use the
Background result for anything that is seen directly by the camera, and the
Environment/Reflection for anything seen indirectly, as in reflections, refractions,
etc.

Procedure
To use the Environment/Background Switcher map:
This procedure assumes you have two photographs: one of a background, and
another an image of a mirror/chrome ball, both taken from roughly the same
camera position. The photo of the chrome ball should be cropped so that it
exactly touches the edges of the ball. The best result is obtained if at least the
chrome ball photo is HDR, but good results can be achieved with a traditional,
non-HDR phogograph.
NOTE This workflow applies to stills or video sequences with only slight camera
movement. For any complex fly-around camera motion, the simple
"auto-unwrapping" performed by the Environment Probe/Chrome Ball shader will
not suffice.
1 Open the Environment And Effects dialog to the Environment panel on
page 7621.
2 On the Common Parameters rollout, click the Environment Map button.
This opens the Material/Map Browser.
3 From the browser list, choose Environment/Background Switcher (mi).
The Environment Map button label now shows the name of the map.
4 Open the Material Editor.
5 Drag the Environment Map button to a sample sphere in the Material
Editor. Confirm the Instance choice.

mental ray Shaders | 6843

This displays the Environment/Background Switcher (mi) Parameters
rollout in the Material Editor.
6 Click the Background map button. From the Material/Map Browser,
choose a map; Environment/Background Camera Map on page 6845 is the
recommended choice.
This displays the map’s parameters rollout. Click the Map button
(“Browse”) and choose a bitmap file for the background image.

7 Click

(Go To Parent) to return to the Switcher controls.

8 Click the Environment/Reflections map button. From the Material/Map
Browser, choose a map; Environment Probe / Chrome Ball on page 6848 is
the recommended choice.
This displays the map’s parameters rollout. Click the Map button
(“Browse”) and choose a bitmap file for the background image. Ideally,
the bitmap is an HDR photograph of a chrome or mirror ball taken from
the camera perspective in the scene, but a non-HDR photo also works
well.
Or, if you have a fully unwrapped environment map photo, use it as a
Bitmap map and, on the Coordinates rollout, choose Environ and set
Mapping to Spherical Environment.
9 Adjust the various maps’ parameters as necessary and then render the
scene.

Interface

Background Specifies the background color or map. The background shows
up wherever it is not blocked by a foreground object, or transmitted by a
transparent object.
Environment/Reflections Specifies the environment color or map. This image
or color shows up in reflective surfaces.

6844 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Environment/Background Camera Map

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤
Environment/Background Camera Map
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
This shader is similar in function to using a Bitmap map with environment
mapping set to Screen as an Environment Map. However, Screen mapping
simply chooses a pixel from the map based on the coordinates of the currently
rendered pixel. This does not work well with reflections.
In contrast, the Environment/Background Camera Map shader correctly renders
“back transformation.'' In other words, for a point seen in a reflection, it takes
the reflected point’s 3D coordinate, convert it to its matching onscreen position
(if any), and looks up the map based on this new 2D location (or returns a
special value if the point is offscreen).

Back Transformation
In the following discussion of back transformation in the context of the
Environment/Background Camera Map, refer to this illustration:

mental ray Shaders | 6845

Imagine the green ray coming from the camera hitting the screen (blue
rectangle) at the green "+". Using the Bitmap map set to Screen environment
mapping mode as the Environment Map, the background-image location
corresponding to this screen coordinate will be used for anything that happens
to this ray. Even when it hits the teapot and bounces to the floor (green dot),
this would be still be textured with the texture background pixel from the
green "+" location.
In contrast, the Environment/Background Camera Map shader would transform
the point (green dot) to a new screen coordinate (imaginary red ray) and use
the value from the red "+" instead.
The yellow ray, however, hits the reflective object at some other location, and
its reflected location (yellow dot) is outside the screen. For these cases, the
shader would use its Off-screen settings.

6846 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Map Click the Browse button to specify a bitmap file containing the
background image. Alternatively, click the map button to specify a procedural
map.
Multiplier A multiplier for the background image.
Reverse Gamma Correction Applies inverse gamma correction to the texture.
Per-Pixel Matching Matches the image to the background on a pixel-per-pixel
basis, with the bottom-left pixel of the map matched exactly to the bottom-left
rendered pixel. If the pixel size of the map differs from the pixel size of the
rendered output, the renderer issues a warning. However, it still renders the
image, cropping or padding it as necessary.
Force Transparent Alpha When on, forces the background alpha to 0. When
off, mental ray uses the actual alpha from the bitmap image or procedural
map. If the file contains no alpha data, returns opaque alpha values when off.
Off-screen Rays return Environment When on, uses the scene environment
for off-screen points.
Because the shader back-transforms points such as those seen in reflections
into screen space, it might happen that parts of surfaces reflect points that
are not on the screen. Because the projected map contains data only for points
on the screen, this option allows a reasonable alternative for off-screen points.
Off-screen Color (When Above Off) Defines the color of off-screen points
when Off-Screen Rays Return Environment (see previous) is off.

mental ray Shaders | 6847

Environment Probe / Chrome Ball

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Environment
Probe/Chrome Ball
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
This shader is intended as an environment shader (apply as an Environment
Map), because it looks up based on the ray direction. It maps the proper
direction to a point on the chrome ball and retrieves its color.
In the visual effects industry it is common practice to photograph a chrome
ball (also known as a “light probe”) on set, as well as a gray ball on page 6849
for lighting reference.
Ideally, one shoots these at multiple exposures and uses software such as
Photosphere (Macintosh) or HDRShop (PC) to combine them into a single
high-dynamic-range image and/or unwrap the chrome/gray ball into a spherical
environment map.
However, it is often difficult to regain the proper orientation of spherical map
so it matches the camera used to render the CG scene. Furthermore, a single
photo of a chrome/gray ball contains poor data for certain angles that one
might want to avoid seeing in the final render.
These shaders are intended to simplify a special case: When the chrome/gray
ball is already shot from the exact camera angle from which the final image
is to be rendered.
It simply utilizes the mental ray camera coordinate space and applies the
chrome/gray ball in this space, hence the orientation of the reflections will
always “stick” to the rendering camera.
For additional information and illustrations, see Help menu ➤ Additional
Help ➤ mr Production Shader Library ➤ Chapter 6: Mirror/Gray Ball Shaders.

6848 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Chrome/Mirror Ball Image Click the Browse button to specify the file
containing the chrome ball image. The image should be cropped so the ball
exactly touches the edges of the image. Alternatively, click the map button
to specify a procedural map.
Multiplier A multiplier for the chrome ball image.
Reverse Gamma Correction Applies an inverse gamma correction to the
texture.
Blur (literal mental ray image files only) Blur the image. This applies only
to literal mental ray textures; that is, bitmap images specified with the Browse
button, rather than maps specified with the map button.

Environment Probe / Gray Ball

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Environment
Probe/Gray Ball
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
This shader can be used either as an environment shader or a texture shader,
because it looks up based on the direction of the surface normal. It will map
the normal vector direction to a point on the gray ball and retrieve its color.
In the visual effects industry it is common practice to photograph a chrome
ball on page 6848 (also known as a “light probe”) on set, as well as a gray ball
for lighting reference.

mental ray Shaders | 6849

Ideally, one shoots these at multiple exposures and uses software such as
Photosphere (Macintosh) or HDRShop (PC) to combine these into a single
high-dynamic-range image and/or unwrap the chrome/gray ball into a spherical
environment map.
However, it is often difficult to regain the proper orientation of spherical map
so it matches the camera used to render the CG scene. Furthermore, a single
photo of a chrome/gray ball contains poor data for certain angles that one
might want to avoid seeing in the final render.
These shaders are intended to simplify a special case: When the chrome/gray
ball is already shot from the exact camera angle from which the final image
is to be rendered.
It simply utilizes the mental ray camera coordinate space and applies the
chrome/gray ball in this space, hence the orientation of the reflections will
always “stick” to the rendering camera.
For additional information and illustrations, see Help menu ➤ Additional
Help ➤ mr Production Shader Library ➤ Chapter 6: Mirror/Gray Ball Shaders.

Interface

Grey Ball Image Click the Browse button to specify the file containing the
gray ball image. The image should be cropped so the ball exactly touches the
edges of the image. Alternatively, click the map button to specify a procedural
map.
Multiplier A multiplier for the gray ball image.
Reverse Gamma Correction Applies an inverse gamma correction to the
texture.
Blur (literal mental ray image files only) Blur the image. This applies only
to literal mental ray textures; that is, bitmap images specified with the Browse
button, rather than maps specified with the map button.

6850 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Utility Gamma & Gain

Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Utility Gamma
& Gain
This is a simple shader that applies a gamma and a gain (multiplication) of a
color or map. It provides an alternative way of controlling gamma in 3ds Max.
Many similar shaders exist in various OEM integrations of mental ray, so you
also can use this shader for standalone mental ray and for cross-platform
phenomena development.
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
The shader can also be used as a simple gamma lens shader, in which case the
input is not used, but the eye ray color is used instead.

Interface

Input Specifies the input color or map.
Gamma The gamma applied to the input.
Gain (multiplier) The multiplier for the input.
Reverse Gamma Correction (De-Gamma) When off, the shader takes the
input, multiplies it by the Gain value, and then applies a gamma correction
of Gamma to the color. When on, the shader takes the input, applies a reverse
gamma correction of Gamma to the color, and then divides it by the Gain
value.

mental ray Shaders | 6851

Lens Shader
The topic in this section describes a shader for rendering a subset of objects
in a scene.

Render Subset of Scene/Masking

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout ➤ Camera Shaders group ➤ Lens button
➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Render Subset of Scene/Masking
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
This shader allows re-rendering a subset of the objects in a scene, defined by
object or material. It is intended for a “quick fix” solution when almost
everything in a scene is perfect, but just one object or material needs a small
tweak.
NOTE This shader works for first-generation rays only. Thus, for example, refracted
or reflected rays from an object do not show up in the rendering.

Procedure
To use the Render Subset of Scene/Masking map:

1 Open the
7185.

Render Setup dialog to the Renderer panel on page

2 On the Camera Effects rollout, click the Camera Shaders group ➤ Lens
button. This opens the Material/Map Browser.
3 From the browser list, choose Render Subset of Scene/Masking (mi).
The Lens button label now shows the name of the map.
4 Open the Material Editor.
5 Drag the Lens button to a sample sphere in the Material Editor. Confirm
the Instance choice.

6852 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

This displays the Render Subset of Scene/Masking (mi) Parameters rollout
in the Material Editor.
6 Specify an object list or material to render and make any necessary
additional settings.
TIP If you specify a material, choose it from the scene (set Browse From to
Scene).
7 Render the scene.
Only the specified objects render.

Interface

Object List The object or objects to be rendered. Use the Add, Replace, and
Delete buttons to edit the list.
Material Specifies a material to render.
NOTE If you specify a material but no objects, all objects containing that material
will render. If you specify a material as well as several objects with different
materials, only objects with the specified material will render.

mental ray Shaders | 6853

NOTE The Render Subset of Scene/Masking shader does not support the
Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542. However, it does support component
materials of a Multi/Sub-Object material.
Mask Only Outputs only the mask color (see following) in the specified
objects’ locations; this is very fast. Use this if you only want to locate the
objects in the scene.
Rays not hitting any objects return the Background color, and rays hitting
any object not in the subset return the Other Objects color.
Mask Color The color returned for specified objects when Mask Only is on.
Color of Background The color returned for the background when Mask
Only is on.
Color of Other Objects The color returned for non-specified objects when
Mask Only is on.
Calculate FG on All Objects (Entire Image) Determines whether the final
gather (FG) preprocessing should apply to all objects, or only those in the
subset. Because FG blends neighboring FG samples, a given object might use
information in FG points coming from nearby objects not in the subset. This
is especially true if the objects are coplanar. Therefore it is advised to let the
FG prepass “see” the entire scene.
Turning off this option and creating FG points only for the subset of objects
is faster, but there is a certain risk of boundary artifacts, especially in
animations. If the scene uses a saved FG map, this option can be left off.

Output Shaders
The topics in this section describe shaders for managing motion blur as a post
process.

Motion Vector Export

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout ➤ Camera Shaders group ➤ Output button
➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Motion Vector Export

6854 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
This shader is intended for those who wish to do compositing work before
applying motion blur, or to use a specific third-party motion-blur shader. Its
purpose is to export motion in pixel space (mental ray’s standard motion
vector format is in world space) encoded as a color.
Most third-party tools expect the motion vector encoded as colors where red
is the X axis and green is the Y axis. To fit into the confines of a color
(especially when not using floating point and a color range extends only from
black to white), the motion is scaled by a factor (here called Max Displace)
and the resulting value range, which is -1 to 1, is mapped to the color channel’s
0 to 1 range. The shader also support a couple of different floating point output
modes.

Interface

Max Displace (pixels) Sets the maximum encoded motion vector length.
Motion vectors of this number of pixels or above are encoded as the maximum
value that is possible to express within the limit of the color (that is, white or
black).
To maximally utilize the resolution of the chosen image format, it is
recommended that you use a Max Displace value of 50.0 (the default) for
eight-bit images (which are not really suitable for this purpose) and a value
of 2000.0 for 16-bit images. The shader outputs an informational statement
of the maximum motion vector encountered in a frame to aid in tuning this
parameter. For details, consult the documentation for your third-party
motion-blur shader.
If Max Displace is 0.0, motion vectors are encoded relative to the image
resolution. For example, for an image 600 pixels wide and 400 pixels high, a
movement of 600 pixels in positive X is encoded as 1.0 in the red channel,
while a movement 600 pixels in negative X is encoded as 0.0. A movement
in positive Y of 400 pixels is encoded as 1.0 in the blue channel etc.

mental ray Shaders | 6855

Blue Channel is Magnitude When on, the blue color channel represents the
magnitude of the blur, and the red and green channels encode the 2D direction
only. When off, the blue channel is unused and the red and green channels
encode both direction and magnitude.
Floating Point Format When not set to 0, the shader writes real, floating-point
motion vectors into the red and green channels. They are not normalized to
the max displace length, not clipped, and contain both positive and negative
values. When this option is used, neither Max Displace nor Blue Channel Is
Magnitude have any effect.
The floating-point format options are:
■

1The actual pixel count is written as-is in floating point.

■

2The pixel aspect ratio is taken into account such that the measurement
of the distance the pixel moved is expressed in pixels in the Y direction,
and the X component will be scaled by the pixel aspect ratio. This format
is compatible with Autodesk Toxik.

Blur Environment/Background When on, motion vectors are generated for
the empty background area controlled by the camera movement.
NOTE This option does not work when the Scanline rendering algorithm on page
7197 is enabled.

HDR Image Motion Blur

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout ➤ Camera Shaders group ➤ Turn on Output.
➤ Output button ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ HDR Image Motion Blur
NOTE Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental ray renderer is the currently
active renderer.
This shader applies fast, grain-free motion blur as a post process. It works by
using pixel motion vectors stored in the rendering phase and “smearing" these
into a visual simulation of motion blur.
Like using the rasterizer, this means that features such as mirror images or
even objects seen through foreground transparent object will “streak" together

6856 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

with the foreground object. Furthermore, since the motion frame buffer only
stores one segment, the “streaks" are always straight, never curved.
The major advantage of this method is rendering speed. Scene or shader
complexity has no impact. The blur is applied as a mental ray “output shader"
that is executed after the main rendering pass. The execution time of the
output shader depends on how many pixels need to be blurred, and how far
each pixel needs to be “smeared.”
NOTE Because the shader works in post, it does not blur shadows or reflections
of moving objects. If these effects are necessary, use standard motion-blur methods.

Interface

Shutter Duration (frames) The amount of time the shutter is “open.” In
practice this means that after the image has been rendered the pixels are
smeared into streaks in both the forward and backward direction. Each smear
length is half the distance the object moves during the shutter time.
Shutter Falloff (Blur Softness) The drop-off speed of the smear; that is, how
quickly it fades to transparent. This setting controls the “softness" of the blur.
NOTE The perceived length of the motion blur diminishes as the Falloff value
increases, so it might be necessary to compensate by increasing the Shutter
Duration value slightly.
Thus, falloff is especially useful for creating the effect of over-bright highlights
“streaking" convincingly: By using an inflated shutter length (above the
cinematic default of 0.5) and a higher falloff, over-brights have the potential
to smear in a pleasing manner.

mental ray Shaders | 6857

Blur Environment/Background Determines whether the camera environment
(that is, the background) should be blurred by the cameras movement or not.
When on, pixels from the environment are blurred, and when off they are
not.
NOTE This option does not work when the Scanline rendering algorithm on page
7197 is enabled.
Calculation Color Space (Gamma) Defines the gamma color space in which
blur calculations occur. Because mental ray output shaders act on written
frame buffers, and these buffers (unless floating point) already have any gamma
correction applied, it is important to apply post effects with the appropriate
gamma.
Min. Motion Threshold (pixels) The minimum motion-vector length
(measured in pixels) an object must move for blur to be added. If set to 0.0,
it has no effect, and every object with even sub-pixel movement will have a
slight amount of blur. While this is technically accurate, it might cause the
image to be perceived as overly blurry.
Background Distance The distance to the background, which helps the
algorithm calculate the depth layout of the scene. This value should be about
the same as the scene depth; anything farther from the camera than this
distance would be considered “far away" by the algorithm.
Blur More Objects Near Camera When on, the blurring of objects closer to
the camera is more opaque than that of more-distant objects. Because this
can result in the blurs of objects very close to the camera to be unrealistically
opaque, use this option only when necessary; that is, when the blurs of
more-distant objects overwrite those of closer objects.

MetaSL Shaders
3ds Max provides a set of MetaSL shaders for creating materials to use with
hardware shading.
You can add additional MetaSL shaders to your scene, in the form of XMSL
files on page 9356.
You can find general information about MetaSL shaders in the mental mill
User’s Guide. Information about specific shaders is in the mental mill Shader
Library documentation.

6858 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

See also:
■

Map to Material Conversion on page 6378

Component Falloff Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Component Falloff
Generates a black-and-white falloff gradient. The gradient is based on the dot
product between the viewer’s direction and the surface normal.

Interface
Component Falloff rollout

Falloff Amount Increasing this value increases the amount of black at the
center of the falloff area. Decreasing this value decreases the amount of black
at the center of the falloff area. Default=1.0.
The map button at the right is a shortcut to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Component Falloff shader. This is comparable to mapping
a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.

MetaSL Shaders | 6859

Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Component Reflection Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Component
Reflection
Generates a reflection.

Interface

There are no parameters for the Component Reflection shader.

Conversion Color to Float Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Conversion Color
to Float
Converts a color to a floating-point value by averaging the values of the three
color components (RGB).

6860 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Conversion Color to Float rollout

Color Specifies the color to convert to a floating-point value.
The map button at the right is a shortcut to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Conversion Color To Float shader. This is comparable to
mapping a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can
create a shader tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Conversion Float to Color Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Conversion Float
to Color
Converts a floating-point value to a color. RGB all equal the input value, and
A (alpha) = 1.0.

MetaSL Shaders | 6861

Interface
Conversion Float to Color rollout

Float Specifies the floating-point value to convert to a color.
The map button at the right is a shortcut to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Conversion Float To Color shader. This is comparable to
mapping a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can
create a shader tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Illumination Phong Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Illumination
Phong
Generates Phong shading, based on the lighting.

6862 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Output Sockets
Unlike the other MetaSL shaders provided with 3ds Max, the Illumination
Phong shader has four outputs.
■

ResultOutputs all components of the shader.

■

SumOutputs the Diffuse and Specular components.

■

DiffuseOutputs only the Diffuse component.

■

SpecularOutputs only the specular component.

Illumination Phong Phen[omenon] rollout

Diffuse Color Specifies the diffuse color. Default=white.
Diffuse Float Modifies the diffuse color. At 0.0, no diffuse color is present. At
1.0, the diffuse color is at full strength. Range: 0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.7.
Specular Color Specifies a color that tints the specular highlight.
Default=white.
Specular Float Modifies the specular highlight color. At 0.0, the specular
highlight color is not visible. At 1.0, the specular highlight color is at full
strength. Range: 0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.06.
Specular Shininess Sets shininess. The larger the value, the smaller the specular
highlight. Default=15.0.
Normal Specifies the surface normal.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

MetaSL Shaders | 6863

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Illumination Phong shader. This is comparable to mapping
a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Math Color Add Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Math Color Add
Generates the sum of two colors.

6864 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Math Color Add rollout

left The first color to add.
right The second color to add.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Math Color Add shader. This is comparable to mapping a
component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

MetaSL Shaders | 6865

Math Color Mix Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Math Color Mix
Generates a mix of two colors, based on linear interpolation controlled by a
Mix color.
The calculation is A * (1–X) + B*X, where A and B are the colors, and X is the
Mix color.

Interface
Math Color Mix rollout

Color 1 The first color to mix.
Color 2 The second color to mix.
Mix The color that controls mixing.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Math Color Mix shader. This is comparable to mapping a

6866 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Math Color Multiply Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Math Color
Multiply
Generates the product of two colors.

Interface
Math Color Multiply rollout

left The first color to multiply.
right The second color to multiply.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

MetaSL Shaders | 6867

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Math Color Multiply shader. This is comparable to mapping
a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Normals Bumpmap Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Normals Bumpmap
Generates normals based on a normal map.

6868 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface
Normals Bumpmap rollout

Normal Map Specifies the map to use for normals.
Amount Sets the amount of the effect. At 0.0, normals are not changed.
Default=1.0.
Texture Space Specifies the texture space to use. Range: 0 to 4.
texture_uv Set UV coordinates for the texture.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Normals Bumpmap shader. This is comparable to mapping
a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

MetaSL Shaders | 6869

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Normals Make Normal Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Normals Make
Normal
Generates normals from color values, typically by using a texture map.

Interface
Normals Make Normal rollout

Color Sets a color to use for generating normals. Typically, you would replace
this with a texture map.
Amount Sets the amount of the effect. At 0.0, normals are not changed.
Default=1.0.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Normals Make Normal shader. This is comparable to mapping

6870 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Texture Lookup 2d Shader

Slate Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Texture Lookup
2d
Gets a texture from a 2D bitmap.

Interface
Texture Lookup 2d rollout

Texture The texture to output.
Texture Space Specifies the texture space to use. Range: 0 to 3.
texture_uv Set UV coordinates for the texture.
The map buttons at the right are shortcuts to the Maps rollout.

MetaSL Shaders | 6871

Maps rollout

The controls on this rollout let you assign a shader to one of the basic
parameters of the Texture Lookup 2d shader. This is comparable to mapping
a component of a standard material; by adding shaders, you can create a shader
tree that generates complex effects.
Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser on
page 6167 and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the
effect of the map off or on.

The button to the right of each main shader button, for shaders that
return multiple parameters, is inactive.

Normal Bump Map
Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Normal Bump
The Normal Bump map lets you use a texture-baked Normals map (see Baked
Texture Elements on page 7312). Typically you assign it to a material's Bump
component, Displacement component, or both. Using the map for
Displacement can correct edges that otherwise look unrealistically smooth;
however, this adds faces to the geometry.
TIP A Normals map for the indicated material component is generated
automatically if you turn on Output Into Normal Bump in the Selected Elements
Unique Settings group of the Render To Texture dialog's Output rollout on page
7341.

6872 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Normal As a rule, contains a Normals map generated by Render To Texture
on page 7307.
Use the toggle to enable or disable use of the map (default=on). Use the spinner
to increase or decrease the map's effect.
Additional Bump This optional component can contain an additional map
to modify the bump or displacement effect. It is treated as a regular bump
map on page 6472.
Use the toggle to enable or disable use of the map (default=on). Use the spinner
to increase or decrease the map's effect.

Channel Direction group
By default, the Normals map's red channel indicates left versus right, while
green indicates up versus down (and blue indicates vertical distance). The
controls in this group let you adjust that interpretation.
Flip Red (X) Flips the red channel so that left and right are reversed.
Flip Green (Y) Flips the green channel so that up and down are reversed.
Swap Red & Green Swaps the red and green channels to rotate the normals.
For example, if the normal is (228,178, 255), the normal points in the direction
of 2 o’clock. Swapping Red and Green results in a normal of (178, 228, 255),
which points in the direction of 1 o’clock.

Normal Bump Map | 6873

Method group
The Method group lets you choose which coordinate to use on the normals.
These controls are the same as those in the Projection Options dialog on page
7351.
■

Tangent(The default.) Project at a tangent to the target object's surface.
This is the method to use for objects that both move and deform, such as
animated characters.

■

Local XYZProject using the object's local coordinates.
This method can be used for stationary or moving objects, but not for
objects that deform: if the object deforms, the projection will appear
incorrect at some frames.

■

ScreenProject using screen coordinates; that is, flat projection in the Z axis.
X is horizontal, increasing in a positive direction to the right; Y is vertical,
increasing in a positive direction upward; and Z is perpendicular to the
screen, increasing in a positive direction toward the viewer.
This method is useful mainly for stationary objects seen only from a single
angle; for example, a statue seen through a window.

■

WorldProject using world coordinates.
This is useful mainly for objects that don't move or deform; otherwise, a
moving object with world-projected normals will appear to “swim” through
the texture.

Camera Map Per Pixel Map
Material Editor ➤ Material/Map Browser ➤ Camera Map
per Pixel
The Camera Map Per Pixel map lets you project a map from the direction of
a particular camera. It is meant as an aid to 2D matte painting: You can render
a scene, adjust the rendering using an image-editing application, then use this
adjusted image as a matte that is projected back onto the 3D geometry.
TIP Final rendering can be slow. Script-driven network rendering on page 7368 can
help improve performance.

6874 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Limitations
The Camera Map Per Pixel does not handle these situations:
■

Animated objects.
The projection does not use UVW mapping.

■

Animated textures.

■

Occlusion based on a Z-depth channel is handled in a limited way only.

Procedures
To use Camera Map Per Pixel:
1 Create the 3D model.
2 Set up a camera.
3 Set up the rendering resolution you want.
To get good results, the plate should be at least 2K pixels; 3K to 6K, or
higher is recommended.
4 Render the scene to an editable image format such as TIFF on page 8461.
5 Render the scene again, this time to a format such as RPF on page 8455 that
has a Z-depth component. Make sure the Z option is turned on.
6 Use an image-editing application to make changes you want to the
editable image.
7 Apply Camera Map Per Pixel to the diffuse component on page 6453 of the
geometry on which you want the matte to appear. Use these settings:
■

Set Camera to the same camera you used for the renderings.

■

Set Texture to the matte image you edited.

■

Set ZBuffer Mask to the Z-depth rendering (the RPF or RLA file).
Adjusting (which usually means increasing) the value of ZFudge can
improve the quality of edges of the projection.
Usually it is a good idea to have Remove Back Face Pixels turned on.
Another way to adjust the projection edge is to adjust this control's
Angle Threshold.
TIP If you have persistent problems with seams, try generating a mask
with an alpha channel and using it to clean up the edge of the projection.

Camera Map Per Pixel Map | 6875

If you have multiple mattes to project, you might need to slice geometry
to make each map's target a separate object.

Interface

Map Channel Sets which map channel to use. Default=1.
Camera Click to turn on, and then choose a camera in the scene by selecting
it in a viewport, or press H to use the Pick Object dialog on page 184.
Once you have assigned a camera, its name appears on this button.
This camera should be the one used to render the map used in the Texture
and ZBuffer Mask components.
Texture Click to assign the texture to project. You can assign any kind of
map, but typically this is a Bitmap on page 6636 that contains an image file that
you first rendered from the same camera, and then possibly edited with a
different application.
ZBuffer Mask Click to assign a map that contains Z-depth data used to mask
the projection from unwanted surfaces. Typically this is an RPF file on page
8455 or an RLA file on page 8453 rendered using the same camera, with the Z
channel option turned on.

6876 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Use the toggle to turn use of the ZBuffer Mask on or off. By default, it is off,
and it is not turned on automatically when you assign the ZBuffer Mask.
■

ZFudgeZFudge values other than 1.0 add a margin of deviation to the use
of the Z-depth data, letting you fine-tune the Z-Buffer masking. Default=1.0.

Mask Behaves like the mask in the Mask map on page 6758 by letting you view
one map through another. Black areas of the mask are transparent, white areas
are opaque, and gray areas are partially transparent, based on the percentage
of the gray.
■

Mask Uses the Camera ProjectionWhen on, the mask uses the same camera
projection as the Texture and ZBuffer Mask. When off, it uses the object's
UVW coordinates. Default=on.

Remove Back Face Pixels When on, sets the projection to exclude surfaces
that face away from the camera, based on the value of Angle Threshold.
Default=on.
■

Angle ThresholdSpecifies the angle to use as a cutoff when removing
backface pixels. Default=90.0.
At the default of 90 degrees, faces perpendicular to the camera, or at a
greater angle, are not projected.

Material, Mapping, and Vertex Color Utilities
The topics in this section describe various tools and utilities for managing
materials, maps, and vertex color.

Viewport Canvas
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas
Viewport Canvas provides tools for painting color and patterns onto any
bitmap in an object’s material on page 9219 in the viewport. You can paint in
3D in multiple layers directly onto the object, or on a moveable 2D canvas
superimposed on the viewport. Viewport Canvas can export the painting in
PSD format so you can modify it in Adobe Photoshop or a compatible program,
and then save the file and update the texture in 3ds Max.

Material, Mapping, and Vertex Color Utilities | 6877

NOTE
While Viewport Canvas was originally introduced in the previous
version of 3ds Max (2010), it has been significantly enhanced and improved to
the point that it is, in effect, an entirely new feature in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011.
For example, you can now paint directly onto any 3D object with any map in any
material. And new painting tools include Blur, Sharpen, Dodge, and Burn. But
perhaps most important, you can now paint in multiple layers that can interact
with one another the same way as in Photoshop. Even if you’ve used Viewport
Canvas before, please read this section of the help carefully to best take advantage
of the changes in this feature.
You start by choosing a brush and activating one of the painting tools: Paint,
Erase, Clone, and a number of others. You then paint directly on the object,
switching tools and changing layers whenever you like.
Among the Viewport Canvas features are the ability to use a custom palette,
randomize brush settings, use a graphics tablet and pen to vary brush radius
and other settings based on pressure, mirror brush strokes, and save and load
all settings. You can also switch instantly between painting on an object and
a 2D canvas with real-time feedback in both areas.
For maximum accuracy, use TIFF or another lossless file format. Also, make
sure the viewport display of textures uses the highest possible resolution. You

6878 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

can do that by going into Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ Viewports ➤
Configure Driver and, setting Download Texture Size to 512, and turning on
Match Bitmap Size As Closely As Possible. Viewport Canvas requires DirectX
9.0 as the viewport display driver.
NOTE To paint on an object surface successfully, its UVW mapping should be
inside the boundaries of the UVW limits (0.0 to 1.0). For example, if Real-World
Map Size on page 6610 was enabled for a primitive that was then converted to an
editable mesh or poly, first adjust the mapping to be within those limits. In general,
do not enable Real-World Map Size for objects you intend to paint on with Viewport
Canvas.

Procedures
To use Viewport Canvas with layers:
This procedure serves as both a general-purpose introduction to Viewport
Canvas and a guide to using the Layers feature.
1 Select an object to paint on.
The object need not have a material assigned, but it must have mapping
coordinates on page 9212. If not, Viewport Canvas will not work with it.
2 Choose Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas.
The Viewport Canvas dialog opens. Position it so doesn’t obscure your
object, if necessary.
TIP Customize the dialog by adjusting the position and settings to your
preference and then make the changes permanent with Save Current Settings
As Default on page 6900. You can also dock the dialog to the left or right side
of the program window.

3 Click

(Paint) or any other tool.

If the object does not have a material assigned, the Assign Material dialog
opens, giving you the option to assign a Standard material on page 6382,
browse for a material using the Material/Map Browser on page 6167, or
cancel. For details on these options, see Assign Material Dialog on page
6900. To get started quickly, choose Assign Standard Material.
After you assign a material, or if the object already has a material, a list
of available map types opens. The list also shows any assigned maps.

Viewport Canvas | 6879

4 Choose a map type from the list. For example, to paint the object’s
coloring with a Standard material, choose the Diffuse Color map.
If the map type does not have a bitmap image file assigned, choosing the
map type opens the Create Texture dialog on page 6901, where you can use
the browse button ([...]) to specify a new or existing bitmap file. Otherwise
Viewport Canvas uses the current bitmap.
NOTE If you use Create Texture to specify an existing bitmap file, the file is
overwritten.
Also, if the assigned map type is not a bitmap, you’re prompted to choose
a component of the map, typically a color, for which to create a bitmap.
Viewport Canvas requires a bitmap file to work with.
After setting up the material and map, if necessary, the Layers dialog on
page 6907 opens and the mouse cursor becomes the icon for the active tool
when over the active viewport, such as a circle for the Paint and Erase
tools. When using the Paint tool and the cursor is over the object to be
painted, the paint image is visible within the brush icon.
The background layer is now active and ready for painting on.
5 Choose a color on page 6891 or brush image on page 6895 and/or mask and
paint on the object surface, if you wish. However, you might want instead
to paint in a new layer; see the following note.
TIP As the background (default) layer cannot be erased, it is highly
recommended that you always paint into a layer other than the background.

6 On the Layers dialog, click

(Add New Layer).

A new layer is added to the painting and becomes the active layer.
7 Drag over the object surface to paint.
While painting, you can switch tools, colors, and brush images; add,
delete, and switch layers, change the layer order, and specify filters and
how layers interact; and navigate the viewport to paint different parts of
the object.
8 To exit painting mode, right-click in the active viewport or click the Paint
button again.

6880 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

If you’ve added one or more layers to a single-layer bitmap, the Save
Texture Layers dialog opens, prompting you to specify what to do with
your painting. These options are detailed here on page 6909.
To preserve the layers in the current map, choose “Save as PSD and replace
texture in material,” then use the file dialog that opens to specify the
PSD file to save. This file becomes the new map in the object’s material.
You can return to editing that map by activating any painting tool, or,
to edit a different map in the material, choose it from the Options rollout.
Example: To use the Clone tool in Viewport Canvas:
The Clone tool enables painting a texture from a different part of the object,
using one or all layers of its bimap, or from anywhere in the active viewport.
For example, you can clone a texture from one object to another. This
procedure provides an example of using all three cloning sources.
1 Set up a scene containing two objects with different texture maps. The
object to paint on should have a multi-layer bitmap (PSD file) as the
Diffuse map, and the other object can have any type of Diffuse map, such
as Checker.

TIP You can use Viewport Canvas to create a multi-layer PSD file; see the
preceding procedure for details.
2 Select the object to paint on.
3 Choose Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas.

Viewport Canvas | 6881

The Viewport Canvas dialog opens. If necessary, position the dialog so
it doesn’t obscure the viewport.
4 On the Options rollout, turn off Save Texture.
This lets you experiment without saving changes to the original bitmap
file.
5 Open the Paint Behavior rollout and note that Clone Source is set to
Current Layer.

6 Click

(Clone) and choose the material’s Diffuse map.

The Layers dialog opens, showing the bitmap’s layers.

7 Choose a layer to clone from.
You’re now ready to pick the texture to clone.
8 Position the mouse cursor over the texture to clone in the active viewport,
press and hold Alt, click the left mouse button, and release Alt.
A green dot appears on the texture where you clicked, showing the center
of the area to be cloned.
You’re now ready to paint using the cloned image.

6882 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

9 Move the mouse around over the selected object.
The area of the cloned texture that fits inside the brush circle moves with
the brush as a preview, while the green dot remains stationary.

Cloning from a single layer

10 Click once on the surface of the selected object, then release the mouse
button.
The cloned image is copied to the selected object.
NOTE In regular usage it’s not necessary to click once to start cloning a
texture; you can drag instead, as with other painting tools. We suggest clicking
first in this procedure in order to show how the Clone tool works.
All subsequent painting with the Clone brush, before exiting the tool or
changing a setting, copies the texture relative to this point.
11 Move the mouse around near the point you just clicked.
The brush now appears to be sliding over the cloned texture and the
green dot moves around, previewing exactly which portions of the texture
will be cloned when start painting again.

Viewport Canvas | 6883

The green dot is over the part of the bitmap in Layer 2.

TIP To disable the preview feature, turn off Options rollout ➤ Brush Preview
on page 6897.
12 Drag to paint some more of the cloned texture.
Only the contents of the current layer is cloned.
13 On the Layers dialog, choose a different layer.
The green dot goes away because you’ve changed a setting. The Clone
brush is still active, but if you tried to paint now, no paint would be
deposited because the clone point has been lost. However, at any time
you can specify a new clone point in the current layer by Alt+clicking
again.

Cloning from Layer 2

6884 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

14 On the Paint Behavior rollout, set Clone Source to All Layers and again
Alt+click the area to clone from.
15 Paint with the Clone brush.
Now you’re cloning from every layer, not just the active one.

Cloning from all layers

TIP The Clone tool copies the texture exactly as it appears in the viewport,
complete with curvature, foreshortening, and so on. To paint with an
undistorted texture, set it up that way in the viewport. For example, use a
viewport background image, or map the texture to a plane parallel to the
viewing plane in an orthogonal viewport.
16 On the Paint Behavior rollout, set Clone Source to Viewport and Alt+click
the second object from step 1.
17 Paint on the selected object with the Clone brush.
Now you’re cloning from the entire viewport, including the grid (if visible)
and the viewport background.

Viewport Canvas | 6885

Cloning from the entire viewport

NOTE When Clone Source is set to Current Layer or All Layers, cloning a
texture does not incorporate viewport shading, but when set to Viewport, it
does.
18 Continue painting. To finish using Clone, right-click in the viewport or
click the Clone button again to toggle it off.
Because Save Texture is off, your painting is discarded.

Interface
This initial section describes the controls on the upper portion of the Viewport
Canvas dialog: painting tools, brush and color settings, and buttons for opening
2D View and the Layer dialog. The remaining controls are available from
separate rollouts on the dialog and are described in Additional Viewport Canvas
Rollouts on page 6893.
NOTE The Viewport Canvas dialog floats over the program interface by default.
You can dock it to the left or right side of the window by dragging or by
right-clicking the title bar and choosing Dock ➤ Left or Right. When docked, you
can float the dialog by dragging or by right-clicking near the top and choosing
Float.

6886 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Painting tools
To paint an object with Viewport Canvas, select one object and then choose
a painting tool from the upper section of the Viewport Canvas dialog. The
painting tools work only with a single selected object, and the object must
have a material with a bitmap file assigned to at least one map. If necessary,
Viewport Canvas can apply the material and create the map for you. The
object also needs UVW coordinates, which Viewport Canvas cannot create.
For details, see this procedure on page 6879.
TIP For optimal performance with Viewport Canvas when painting high-resolution
bitmaps, increase the mesh resolution of the object being painted. Also, to prevent
visual anomalies in painted textures, avoid overlapping texture coordinates.
The following mouse and keyboard options are available while using the
painting tools:
■

Normal (no key)Paints or edits the image with the current color or brush
image.

■

ShiftEraser: Erases parts of what you have drawn during the current
activation of the tool. This mode uses the Opacity setting of the Erase tool,
rather than the standard Opacity setting used by the other tools.

Viewport Canvas | 6887

■

CtrlSamples color from the selected object surface; picks a single pixel from
the center of the brush.

■

Space BarHold and click to draw a straight line from the last painted point
to where you click. This works with all stroke-type painting tools, including
Paint and Erase.

■

Ctrl+ShiftHold and drag vertically to change the brush radius on page 6892
interactively.

■

Alt+ShiftHold and drag vertically to change the brush opacity on page 6892
interactively.

■

Ctrl+AltHold and drag vertically to change the brush hardness on page 6892
interactively.

■

Right-clickExits the tool and applies the paint to the model’s texture, saving
it to the bitmap file. In most cases this takes less than a second, but if it
takes longer, a progress bar updates in the interface during calculations.
If you right-click or otherwise exit a painting tool after adding one or more
layers to a single-layer bitmap, the Save Texture Layers dialog on page 6909
opens to prompt you to determine how to treat the multi-layer image.
NOTE Because the bitmap is saved after exiting the tool, you cannot undo
strokes after doing so. However, while painting, Undo works normally.

To prevent applying the paint to the model (for example, when
experimenting), turn off Options rollout ➤ Save Texture on page 6897.
Right-clicking then simply discards the painting before exiting the tool. Also,
most brushes have an optional preview mode on page 6897.

Paint Starts the Paint tool for adding color to an object surface. You
can paint with solid colors, or with a bitmap in the form of a brush image on
page 6893.
You can paint anywhere on the model, changing the color, opacity, brush
image and other settings and navigating the viewport as you go.

Erase When active, you remove the contents of the layer by painting,
using the current brush settings.

6888 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

IMPORTANT Erase is not available for the background layer. Therefore we
recommend that you do most of your painting in additional layers.
While using other painting tools, you can activate Erase temporarily by pressing
and holding Shift. When you release the key, the tool returns to its original
function.
NOTE Erase has its own Opacity on page 6892 setting, which is distinct from that
of other tools but uses the same field. When Erase is active (including using the
Shift key with other tools), the Opacity setting applies to Erase only; at all other
times the Opacity setting applies to all applicable tools except Erase.

Clone Starts the Clone tool, which lets you copy part of the image
from elsewhere on the object or in the viewport.
To use Clone, first press and hold Alt while clicking a point on the screen to
clone from, then release Alt and paint on the selected object. The paint is
sampled from the area you first clicked. For more information, see this
procedure on page 6881.
While using Clone, you can choose to sample from the current layer, all layers,
or the active viewport. For details, see Clone Source on page 6897.
IMPORTANT When using the Clone tool to pick up paint from the canvas, we
recommend that you set the viewport driver ➤ Texel Lookup on page 8917 to
Nearest, if possible. This provides the sharpest representation of the texture in the
viewport, thus producing more accurate results when the paint is projected. This
is because you can clone only from what is visible in the viewport.

Fill When painting a 3D surface, applies the current color or brush
image to the entire element on page 9143 you click on. Depending on the object’s
UVW mapping, this might affect other elements as well.
When painting the 2D View on page 6893 canvas, fills the entire layer with the
current color or brush image.
When filling with a brush image, use the Fill Tool - Brush Images on page 6898
to specify whether the filled image is tiled or simply wrapped once.

Gradient Applies the color or brush image as a gradient. In effect,
Gradient is a partial fill with edge falloff that you set with the mouse.

Viewport Canvas | 6889

To use, click at the starting point of the gradient and drag to the endpoint.
The fill is performed on the part of the object “behind” the drag direction,
perpendicular to the viewing plane, and then falls off to full transparency at
the endpoint that you set.

Blur Applies a blurring effect by painting.
To adjust the blurring amount, use the Blur/Sharpen on page 6893 setting.

Sharpen Sharpens blurred edges.
To adjust the degree of sharpening, use the Blur/Sharpen on page 6893 setting.
TIP Overuse of the Sharpen tool can lead to unwanted artifacts such as white
outlines around edges. For best results, apply with a light touch by lowering the
Opacity value.

Contrast Increases the contrast in the painted area. This can help
emphasize subtle features in the texture.

Dodge Lightens the painted area. Works mainly on medium tones;
does not affect pure-black pixels.

Burn Darkens the painted area. Works mainly on medium tones;
does not affect pure-white pixels.

Smudge Pushes pixels around on the screen, somewhat like
finger-painting. For a rougher smudging effect, use a brush image mask on
page 6893 instead of a solid color.
TIP Like the Sharpen tool, Smudge works best when applied with a light touch
by lowering the Opacity value.

6890 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Move Layer When on, move the active layer by dragging anywhere
in the viewport. While dragging, a message next to the mouse cursor shows
the offset amount on the U and V texture axes.
Move Layer is not available for the background layer.

Rotate Layer When on, rotate the active layer by dragging anywhere
in the viewport. While dragging, a message next to the mouse cursor shows
the rotation angle.
Rotate Layer is not available for the background layer.
TIP Rotation always occurs around the center of the image (not the canvas). For
example, if a layer contains only one paint stroke, it rotates around the center of
the stroke. To best see where the center is, open the 2D Paint window on page
6904.

Scale Layer When on, scale the active layer by dragging anywhere
in the viewport. While dragging, a message next to the mouse cursor shows
the scaling percentage.
Scale Layer is not available for the background layer.
TIP Scaling always occurs about the center of the image (not the canvas). For
example, if a layer contains only one paint stroke, it scales around the center of
the stroke. To best see where the center is, open the 2D Paint window on page
6904.

Color group

Color Click the color swatch to open the Color Selector on page 304, which
lets you change the paint color.

Viewport Canvas | 6891

Black/White Set the paint color to black or white by clicking the
respective button.

Open Color Palette Opens the custom Color Palette dialog with
an array of color swatches; click a swatch to use its color.
To customize a swatch, right-click it and use the Color Selector that opens to
adjust the color. Use the buttons at the bottom of the dialog to load a custom
palette, save the current palette, or save the current palette as the default.

Brush Settings group

Radius The radius of the brush sphere in pixels. To change the radius
interactively in the viewport, hold Ctrl+Shift while dragging vertically.
NOTE As noted, the Viewport Canvas brush is spherical in shape, so when painting
thin sections of 3D objects you might find that the brush penetrates the object
and applies paint to two or more surfaces simultaneously. If this situation occurs,
try reducing the Radius setting or using 2D View.
Opacity Sets the opacity for the for all tools except Erase. When Erase is active,
this field sets the value for the Erase tool only. A value of 100 is fully opaque.
To change the opacity interactively in the viewport, hold Alt+Shift while
dragging vertically.
Hardness The falloff at the brush edges. A high Hardness value yields a
sharp-edged brush; the lower the value, the softer the edge.
To change the hardness interactively in the viewport, hold Ctrl+Alt while
dragging vertically.
Spacing When painting a continuous stroke by dragging, the distance relative
to the brush radius between each copy of the brush deposited along the stroke.

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The default value, 0.25, means the copies are deposited one-fourth of the
radius apart. To deposit copies edge-to-edge, set Spacing to 2.0.
Scatter Randomizes the placement of each copy of the brush during a stroke.
The higher the Scatter value, the greater the randomization.
Blur/Sharpen The amount of blurring or sharpening applied by the Blur or
Sharpen tool. Available only for those tools.

2D View / Layers Dialog
2D View Toggles the 2D Paint on page 6904 window for painting on a
rectangular canvas.
Layers Dialog Toggles the Layers dialog on page 6907 for managing bitmap
layers.

Additional Viewport Canvas Rollouts
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas
In addition to the main interface with the painting tools and brush settings,
the Viewport Canvas dialog includes a number of rollouts with additional
settings, tools, and options. These are covered in this topic.

Brush Images Rollout
Use the Brush Images settings for painting with bitmap images and masks as
opposed to solid colors. You can assign preset and custom images for brush
color and masking. For example, using a mask lets you make the brush outline
square instead of the default circle. You can also cause the brush rotation to
follow the stroke direction or use random rotation.
TIP Typically when you paint with a brush image you click rather than drag to
leave single copies of the image. If you drag to leave multiple copies, increase the
Spacing on page 6892 value to minimize or avoid overlap.
Also, to avoid obvious repetition of the brush image, set Rotation (see following)
to Random.

Viewport Canvas | 6893

Color When Use is on, Viewport Canvas paints with the specified brush image.
To set the brush image, click the thumbnail; this opens the Viewport Canvas
Brush Images dialog on page 6903.
Mask When Use is on, Viewport Canvas uses the specified brush image to
mask the brush; that is, to hide and reveal different parts of the brush image.
In other words, the mask image sets the opacity based on the brightness of
each pixel in the mask image. White areas are fully opaque (apply the full
color of the underlying brush image); black areas are fully transparent (no
paint is applied), and gray areas use in-between opacities.
To set the mask image, click the thumbnail; this opens the Viewport Canvas
Brush Images dialog on page 6903.
Rotation Sets the brush angle. Choose one of the following:
■

NoneThe brush image is always right side up.

■

Follow StrokeThe software angles the brush image so the top of the image
is pointed forward with respect to the stroke direction. To see the direction
when using this option, drag the brush.

■

Random Each painted copy of the brush image uses a different angle,
chosen at random.

6894 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Brush Image Settings Rollout

Projection Choose how Viewport Canvas projects the brush image:
■

Hit NormalThe brush image is projected onto the geometry along the
normal of the geometry at the mouse location.

■

From ScreenThe brush image is aligned to the screen and then projected
onto the geometry.

Color/Mask: Fit To Brush When on, the brush image is scaled so that it fits
the brush’s current size. When off, making the brush radius smaller than the
brush image crops the image.
Color/Mask Tiling Choose a tiling option for the brush image (color or mask):
■

NoneAreas outside the brush image are transparent.

■

TileThe brush image is tiled.

■

Across ScreenThe brush image is tiled across the screen so that the same
place on screen will always have the same part of the texture. This way
painting twice in the same place produces the same result.
For best results with this option, set Projection to From Screen (see
preceding).

Viewport Canvas | 6895

Options Rollout

Paint On Choose a map type in the object’s material to paint on. Click the
button to open a list of the available map types:

Choose a map type from the list. For example, to paint the object’s coloring
with a Standard material, choose the Diffuse Color map.
If the map type does not have a bitmap image file assigned, choosing the map
type opens the Create Texture dialog on page 6901. Otherwise Viewport Canvas
paints on the existing bitmap.
NOTE If the assigned map type is not a bitmap, you’re prompted to choose a
component of the map, typically a color, for which to create a bitmap. Viewport
Canvas requires a bitmap file to work with.

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Map Channel The channel on page 9210 to which to assign the map.
Save Texture When on, exiting the active painting tool updates the current
bitmap texture file. When off, any changes are discarded automatically. When
experimenting, turn this switch off so your painting isn’t saved.
Brush Preview When on, the brush image appears in the circular “brush” at
the mouse cursor.

Paint Behavior Rollout

Paint Affects Choose how ...:
■

Spherical RadiusPaint applies only to pixels within the spherical radius on
page 6892 of the brush in the scene.

■

DepthPaint is applied to all pixels "under" the brush, perpendicular to the
viewing plane. In effect, paint is applied all the way through the object.

Mirroring Choose whether or how painting is reflected across an axis as you
paint:
■

NonePainting is not mirrored.

■

X/Y/ZPainting is mirrored across the specified axis.

Clone Source When using the Clone brush on page 6889, choose where paint
can be cloned from:
■

Current LayerPaint can be cloned from only the current paint layer on the
selected object.

Viewport Canvas | 6897

■

All LayersPaint can be cloned from all paint layers (that is, the composite
image) on the selected object.

■

ViewportAny part of the viewport can be cloned from, including the
background and other objects in the scene. However, viewport overlay
items such as the ViewCube are not available for cloning.

Fill Tool - Brush Images Choose the behavior of a brush image using using
the Fill brush:
■

TileThe brush image is tiled across the active layer.

■

3D WrapThe brush image is wrapped around the object in a way that tries
to eliminate any seams.

Randomize Rollout

Brush Radius When on, the brush radius on page 6892 is randomized between
the Min and Max values each time the brush is applied (including within
continuous strokes). The Brush Settings ➤ Radius value is not used, except
that the applied spacing is based on it (if the Spacing setting not randomized).
Opacity When on, the brush opacity on page 6892 is randomized between the
Min and Max values each time the brush is applied (including within
continuous strokes).

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Eraser Opacity When on, the eraser on page 6888 opacity is randomized between
the Min and Max values each time the brush is applied (including within
continuous strokes).
Hardness When on, the brush hardness on page 6892 is randomized between
the Min and Max values each time the brush is applied (including within
continuous strokes).
Spacing When on, the brush spacing on page 6892 is randomized between the
Min and Max values each time the brush is applied (including within
continuous strokes).
Scatter When on, the brush Scatter on page 6893 value is randomized between
the Min and Max values each time the brush is applied (including within
continuous strokes).
Color When on, randomizes the value of each pixel in the brush based on
the color of the swatch next to the Color check box each time the brush is
applied (including within continuous strokes). This adds a speckled appearance
look to brush strokes. This color overrides the standard Color setting.
Does not affect painting when using a color brush image on page 6895.

Tablet Pressure Rollout
While painting with a graphic tablet (aka pen tablet), you can vary the
following settings by changing the pen pressure on the tablet as you draw.

Brush Radius Varies the radius on page 6892 based on pen pressure.
Opacity Varies the opacity on page 6892 based on pen pressure.
Hardness Varies the hardness on page 6892 based on pen pressure.
Scatter Varies the Scatter on page 6893 value based on pen pressure.

Load/Save Settings Rollout
Use these settings to store the current Viewport Paint setup to a text file on
disk and reload it later. You can also make the current settings the default, so
Viewport Canvas always starts with those settings.

Viewport Canvas | 6899

The saved settings include the positions of the Viewport Canvas (also its size),
Layers, and 2D Paint dialogs, whether Viewport Canvas rollouts are open or
closed, and all numeric and other values.

Load Opens a dialog for loading saved settings.
Save Opens a dialog for saving the current settings.
Save Current Settings As Default Saves the current settings to the file
Default.txt, which is loaded automatically when Viewport Canvas starts.

Assign Material Dialog
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Select an object with no material. ➤
Click a painting tool. ➤ Assign Material dialog
NOTE After you choose an option from the Assign Material dialog, Viewport
Canvas prompts you for the map type to use. If you choose a map type to which
a bitmap image file is not yet assigned, the Create Texture dialog on page 6901
opens.
The Assign Material dialog opens when you start to paint an object to which
no material is assigned. It has a shortcut for assigning a Standard material, or
you can choose another material. You can use Viewport Canvas with any
material in 3ds Max.
After you designate the material type to assign, you’re prompted for a map
type to paint on (such as Diffuse), and then for a bitmap file to use.

6900 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Assign Standard Material Assigns a Standard material on page 6382 to the
object.
Browse Material to Assign Opens the Material/Map Browser on page 6167,
which you can use to assign any material in 3ds Max.
Cancel Exits the dialog without assigning a material or starting Viewport
Canvas.

Create Texture Dialog
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Select an object. ➤ Click a painting
tool. ➤ Assign a material on page 6900 or use an existing material. ➤ Choose
an empty map slot. ➤ Create Texture dialog
Viewport Canvas dialog ➤ Options rollout ➤ Click Paint On button. ➤
Choose an empty map slot. ➤ Create Texture dialog
This dialog lets you specify the settings for a new bitmap for painting with
Viewport Canvas tools. You can an existing bitmap for overwriting or let
Viewport Canvas create a new one.

Viewport Canvas | 6901

Interface

Width/Height Displays and sets the dimensions of the bitmap to create. Use
these to set a custom size.
Preset Sizes Click one of these buttons to set the Width and Height fields to
the specified value.
Color Displays the current background color for the new texture. To change
the color, click the swatch and use the Color Selector dialog that opens.
Save New Texture To Enter a path and file name (with legitimate extension)
for the new texture in the text field, or click the “...” button to specify the
path and file name using a file dialog. If you choose an existing file, the file
is overwritten.
NOTE Pressing Enter after entering a file path and name in this field has no effect;
click OK to continue.
Show Map in Viewport Makes the map visible in the viewport. In most cases,
leave this on so you can see what you’re painting.
Map Channel The map channel on page 9210 for the new map.

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Viewport Canvas Brush Images Dialog
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Brush Images rollout ➤ Click Color
thumbnail or Mask thumbnail.
The Viewport Canvas Brush Images dialog lets you choose an image and mask
to paint with using the Brush Image on page 6893 feature.

Interface
Here you can choose from the provided images and masks or from any number
of custom brushes that you define.
The dialog comprises a row of preset color brushes, a row of preset mask images,
a list of custom maps where you can use your own images as brush maps, and
two buttons for managing the maps. To see the name of any brush image,
hover the mouse over its thumbnail.
To use a map as a brush image, click its thumbnail; the map replaces the map
for the thumbnail you clicked on the Brush Images rollout and closes the
Brush Images dialog.

Color Presets Choose a color image to paint with. The presets are fixed; to
use your own brushes, see Custom Maps, following.
Mask Presets Choose a mask image to paint with. The mask image sets the
opacity based on the brightness of each pixel in the mask image. White areas
are fully opaque (apply the full color of the underlying brush image); black
areas are fully transparent (no paint is applied), and gray areas use in-between
opacities.. So, for example, the mask preset with a white square on a black
background converts the default circular brush outline to a square one.
The presets are fixed; to use your own masks, see Custom Maps, following.

Viewport Canvas | 6903

Custom Maps Lists custom brush images. Two are included: a yellow star on
a black background and a star-shaped mask.
To create a custom brush, make a square image in a paint program. Or, to
make a custom mask image, make a black-and-white image (white is
transparent, shades of gray produce degrees of transparency, and black is
completely opaque). Save the image as a TIFF-format image file in the folder
that opens when you click the Browse Custom Maps Dir button. The new
brush then shows up in the Custom Maps list the next time you open the
Brush Selection dialog, or after you click Reload Custom Maps.
TIP There’s no inherent difference between a brush image and a mask; only the
way Viewport Canvas uses them. You can use a grayscale image as a brush, or a
color image as a mask. In the latter case, Viewport Canvas uses only the Value
(brightness) information from the image for masking purposes.
Browse Custom Maps Dir Opens a file dialog set to the disk directory that
holds custom maps. You can’t change the location, but you can use this dialog
to copy your own files to the custom-maps directory, to copy or delete files,
or any other standard file function.
Reload Custom Maps After adding or deleting custom-map files, click this
button to update the Custom Maps listing.

2D View
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Start painting. ➤ Click 2D View.
2D View lets you paint a map onto a flat, rectangular 2D Paint window
superimposed on the viewports. This window is visible only in the active
viewport, and can thus be truncated in a multi-viewport display. For best
results when using 2D View, maximize the active viewport (press Alt+W to
toggle viewport maximization).
Painting in the 2D Paint window works exactly the same as regular painting
on a 3D surface. You can use all the painting tools and layer tools as normal.
As you paint in the 2D window, the map on the object surface is updated in
real time. You can also paint directly onto the object even while the 2D Paint
window is open.
The 3ds Max viewport navigation tools do not affect the 2D window, but
mouse-based controls do: Zoom in and out by rolling the mouse wheel, and
pan the window by dragging with the wheel button (or middle button) held
down.

6904 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Brush Image Distortion
When you apply a rectangular texture map to a rounded 3D object, distortion
can occur at “gathering” points, such as the top and bottom of a sphere,
because of the compression required to make the image fit into the smaller
surface area. When you paint directly onto a 3D surface with Viewport Canvas,
the software compensates for this by automatically spreading out the image
as it approaches a gathering point. However, if you paint such an area in the
2D Paint window, the image appears normal in the window, but is distorted
on the object surface.

The image, applied directly to the sphere’s surface near its top (left), appears distorted
in the 2D Paint window.

The image, applied in the 2D Paint window (right), appears distorted on the sphere
surface.

Viewport Canvas | 6905

Interface

To move the 2D Paint window, drag its title bar, and to resize the window,
drag the side and bottom edges and the bottom corners. To exit 2D Paint,
click the 2D View button or the Close button (X) on the title bar.
In addition, the following tools are available on the window toolbar:

Toggle UV Wireframe Turns the wireframe display of the texture
coordinates (visible as a grid) on and off in the 2D Paint window.

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Fit Texture To View Zooms the view to fit the entire texture map
in the window.

Actual Size Zooms so that each pixel in the texture map is the same
size as a screen pixel. The texture map is then displayed in its actual size.

Viewport Canvas Layers
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool.
Viewport Canvas supports painting in and editing individual layers, with full
control over how layers interact with each other. You can apply transform
layers, apply filters to them, and save a layered image in the Adobe
Photoshop-native PSD format on page 8444.
When you activate any painting tool in Viewport Canvas, the Layers dialog
opens by default; you can toggle the dialog with the Layers Dialog on page
6893 button on the Viewport Canvas dialog. For details about the how to use
layers in Viewport Canvas, see this procedure on page 6879 and the remainder
of this section.

Viewport Canvas | 6907

Interface
Layers Dialog

[Menu bar] The five menus provide access to various layer-management
functions. See Layers Dialog Menu Bar on page 6911.
[Blending Mode] This drop-down list includes a number of Photoshop-type
blend modes on page 6756 that determine how the layer image affects underlying
layers. Available only for layers other than the background.
Only one blending mode can be applied to a layer, to use multiple blending
modes, duplicate the layer and apply a different mode to each copy.
Opacity The amount by which the current layer obscures lower layers. At
100% opacity, lower layers are hidden; at lower opacity values the current
layer is increasingly transparent.
[Layers list] Lists the layers in the current texture, including each layer’s name
and thumbnail image. Layer contents appear in the image in the order listed,
starting with the layer at the bottom of the list (the background layer) and
going upwards. In other words, each layer is superimposed over the layers
below it in the list.

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The list provides the following features:
■

To activate a layer, click its name or thumbnail. The layer highlights,
indicating that this layer will receive any subsequent painting or
commands.

■

To toggle visibility of a layer, click the light-bulb icon to the left of the
thumbnail. Not available for the background layer.

■

To rename a layer, double-click its name or use the Rename Layer
command, available from the Layer menu and right-click menu. A small
Rename Layer dialog opens; edit the name and then click OK.

■

To reposition a layer in the list, drag it to the new position. The background
layer cannot be moved.

■

To use a command from the Layer menu on page 6911, right-click a layer.

Duplicate Layer Makes an identical copy of the active layer, places
it in the slot immediately above the active layer, and makes the duplicate layer
active.

Add New Layer Creates a new, empty layer in the slot immediately
above the active layer and makes the new layer active.

Delete Layer Deletes the active layer. This action is undoable.

Save Texture Layers Dialog
When you use Viewport Canvas to add one or more layers to a single-layer
bitmap texture such as a JPEG or PNG file and then exit the Paint or other
tool, Viewport Canvas opens the Save Texture Layers dialog with a choice of
options for handling the image. The choices are as follows:

Viewport Canvas | 6909

■

Continue PaintingReturns to the active painting tool (Paint, Erase, etc.)
without saving a file.

■

Save as PSD filePrompts you for the name and location of the file to save,
saves the file, and then restores the original bitmap texture. Your multi-layer
painting is stored only in the saved file, not in the scene. You can then
use the Material Editor to load the file as a texture map.

■

Flatten Layers and save the current textureCombines all the layers into
one and saves the image to the current image file.

■

Save as PSD and replace texture in materialSaves the image in PSD format
and replaces the current map in the material with the saved PSD file. This
option preserves the layers in the map.

■

Save PSD then flatten layers and save the current textureSaves the image
in PSD format, then combines the layers into a single layer and saves the
flattened image to the current map file. The PSD file is saved separately
and is not part of the scene unless you load it manually.

■

Discard PaintDiscards all painting since the last time the texture was saved,
as well as any layers added on top of the background layer. This option
effectively undoes any layering operations and reverts to the original,
single-layer bitmap.

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Layers Dialog Menu Bar
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool. ➤ Layers dialog
➤ Menu bar
The Layers dialog menu bar provides access to commands for file functions,
layer and dialog management, and image processing tools.

File Menu
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool or click Layers
Dialog. ➤ Layers dialog ➤ Menu bar ➤ File menu
The Layers dialog File menu includes commands for saving and loading the
painted bitmap.
Save PSD As Opens a file dialog for saving the current texture as a layered
PSD file.
Save Bitmap (Flattened) As Opens a file dialog for saving a flattened version
of the current texture in any of the formats listed under Save As Type on the
dialog. The layered texture in remains intact in 3ds Max.
Load Bitmap Into Current Layer Opens a file dialog for choosing a bitmap
file to load into the active layer, replacing its current contents. If you choose
a PSD file, the PSD Input Options on page 8444 dialog opens with the option
to collapse the layers or load a single layer.
TIP This is an easy way apply a bitmap to a material map without using the Material
Editor.
Paste From Clipboard Replaces the current layer contents with the contents
of the Windows clipboard. The clipboard contents must be a bitmap.
For example, you could open an image file in Windows Paint, select part of
it, press Ctrl+C to copy the selection to the clipboard, and then paste it into
the layer using this command.

Layer Menu
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool or click Layers
Dialog. ➤ Layers dialog ➤ Menu bar ➤ Layer menu

Viewport Canvas | 6911

The Layers dialog Layer menu includes commands for managing layers in the
painting. All Layer menu commands are undoable.
NOTE These commands are also available from a context menu that opens when
you right-click a layer in the layers list.
Rename Layer Opens a small dialog for renaming the active layer.
Add Layer Mask Opens a submenu for applying a mask to the layer; the
choices are Reveal All (creates an all-white mask) and Hide All (creates an
all-black mask) . Available only for layers other than the background.
For layers with a layer mask applied, this menu item changes to two others:
Disable/Enable Layer Mask, and Delete Layer Mask.
When a layer has a layer mask, a thumbnail image of the mask appears on
the right side of the layer’s entry in the list:

To work with the layer image, click the layer thumbnail on the left side of the
list entry; to work with the layer mask, click its thumbnail on the right side.
When the layer mask is active, you can modify it by painting or by loading a
bitmap on page 6911, as with the standard layer image.
The layer mask is a grayscale image. Black pixels hide the current layer image,
revealing the underlying layer; white pixels reveal the current layer; and shades
of gray make the current layer translucent.

Layer 1 uses a checker bitmap as a layer mask to reveal the background layer in a
regular pattern.

6912 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

New Layer Adds a new layer above the active layer and activates the new
layer.
Duplicate Layer Adds a copy of the active layer above the active layer and
activates the duplicate layer.
Delete Layer Deletes the active layer.
Merge Down Combines the active layer with the following layer in the list,
and gives the merged layer the name of the latter layer.
Apply Image Merges copies of all visible layers into the active layer. The
other layers remain intact.
NOTE Because the background layer cannot be hidden, it is always involved in
Apply Image.
Flatten Visible Layers Combines all visible layers into a single layer. Any
hidden layers are discarded.
Flip Horizontal Reverses the layer contents left-to-right.
Flip Vertical Reverses the layer contents top-to-bottom.

Adjust Menu
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool or click Layers
Dialog. ➤ Layers dialog ➤ Menu bar ➤ Adjust menu
The Layers dialog Adjust menu includes commands for processing the entire
image. Most commands open a modal dialog with a Preview option, but Auto
Levels and Invert have no parameters and take effect immediately.
Brightness/Contrast/Hue/Saturation Opens a dialog with controls for
adjusting the following settings:
■

BrightnessAffects the brightness (value) of the entire layer. The highest
value, 100, makes the layer completely white, while the lowest value, -100,
makes it black.

■

ContrastAffects the contrast of the layer. Higher values tend to result in
fully saturated colors, bright whites, and deep blacks, while lower values
tend toward an overall gray tone.

■

HueRotates areas of colors through the color spectrum. Does not affect
shades of gray (including black and white).

Viewport Canvas | 6913

■

SaturationHigher values tend toward “purer,” or brighter colors, while
lower values tend toward shades of gray.

Levels The Levels controls in Viewport Canvas work the same as the Levels
controls in most paint programs.
■

BlackAffects mainly the darkest areas in the image. Raising the Black level
makes the overall image tend to become black.

■

WhiteAffects mainly the brightest areas in the image. Lowering the White
level makes the overall image tend to become white.

■

Mid Tones OffsetAffects mainly the areas in the image that are not black
or white. Raising the Mid Tones level makes the image tend to become
black, while lowering it makes the image tend to become white.

Color Balance Adjusts the overall coloration of the image.
■

Cyan - RedAdjusts the image color between cyan and red.

■

Magenta - GreenAdjusts the image color between magenta and green.

■

Yellow - BlueAdjusts the image color between yellow and blue.

■

Shadows/Midtones/HighlightsSpecifies whether the color adjustments
affect the darker, in-between, or lighter portions of the image.

Auto Levels Attempts a “best-fit” adjustment of the image brightness, contrast,
saturation, and color balance.
Invert Converts the color of each pixel to its spectral opposite by subtracting
the RGB values from 255. So, for example, red becomes aqua (blue-green),
blue becomes yellow, and so on.

Filter Menu
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool or click Layers
Dialog. ➤ Layers dialog ➤ Menu bar ➤ Filter menu
Choosing a Filter menu item opens a modal dialog that lets you change settings
with sliders and (for Blur) radio buttons. Each dialog has a Preview switch
that’s on by default so you can view the effect immediately on the painted
surface.

6914 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Blur Opens a dialog that lets you specify the amount and direction of blur to
apply to the layer.
■

BlurThe amount of blurring to apply.

■

UniformBlurs equally in all directions.

■

HorizontalBlurs horizontally only.

■

VerticalBlurs vertically only.

Sharpen Applies a sharpening effect by adjusting the contrast between pixels
at edges in the image.
■

AmountThe degree of sharpening applied.

■

RadiusThe distance from each affected pixel within which neighboring
pixels are affected by the sharpening.

■

ThresholdThe contrast at edge pixels required for sharpening to occur. At
higher values, less sharpening is applied.

Find Edges Emphasizes edges and de-emphasizes color and midtones. The
output tends to resemble a sketch with black ink on white paper.
■

ThresholdThe contrast at edge pixels required for edge detection to occur.
At higher values, fewer midtones appear.

■

ContrastThe contrast at edges for detection to occur. At higher values,
fewer midtones appear.

Median Reduces image noise without affecting sharpness.
■

RadiusThe distance within which noise reduction occurs. Lower values
tend to be more effective.

Threshold Converts a color image to black-and-white.
■

ThresholdAt lower values, pixels tend to become white, while

■

SmoothnessApplies a blurring or averaging effect.

■

GradientLower values produce high-contrast output, while higher values
tend toward grayscale output.

Viewport Canvas | 6915

High Pass Emphasizes edges near sharp color transitions and de-emphasizes
the remainder of the image. This can be useful for preserving image detail
before using the Threshold filter (see preceding).
■

RadiusThe area in which the filter looks for color contrast. The higher this
value, the less filtration is performed.

Distort Adds “wavy” distortion to the image.
■

OffsetThe distance pixels move along the distorting waveforms.

■

ScaleThe relative size of the distorting waveforms.

■

IterationsThe number of times the distortion is applied to the image.

■

PhaseThe relative position of the distorting waveforms.

Dock Menu
Tools menu ➤ Viewport Canvas ➤ Activate any paint tool or click Layers
Dialog. ➤ Layers dialog ➤ Menu bar ➤ Dock menu
The Dock menu provides controls for positioning the Layers dialog within
the program interface.
Dock Left / Dock Right Attaches the Layers dialog as a vertical panel to the
left or right side, respectively, of the viewports.
Float The Layers dialog floats freely over the program interface. You can place
it anywhere on the screen by dragging the title bar.
This is the default state.

Render Surface Map
Rendering menu ➤ Render Surface Map
This dialog provides a set of tools for creating bitmaps based on an object’s
UVW mapping. The bitmaps display certain surface properties of the object.
There’s also a Bitmap Select function for selecting sub-objects based on
mapping attributes.

6916 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE These tools work only with editable poly objects. If you attempt to use one
with another type of object, even if it has an Edit Poly modifier applied, nothing
happens.
Also, the object must have a map channel on page 9210 (typically 1) corresponding
to the current Map Channel setting on the Render Surface Map dialog. If the
object has no map channel, an error message informs you of this fact. To provide
a map channel, apply an Unwrap UVW on page 1787 or UVW Map on page 1883
modifier and then convert the object to an editable poly.

Procedure
Example: To use Render Surface Map:
This procedure describes how to create a surface map and then use it in a
material.
1 From the Rendering menu, choose Render Surface Map.
This opens the Render Surface Map dialog.
2 Select the editable poly object for which to generate the surface map.
3 Set the Map Channel parameter on the Render Surface Map dialog to that
of the object.
IMPORTANT Make sure the object has a mapping channel and that Map
Channel is set to that channel. If you attempt to render a surface map and
encounter a message that says that the map channel does not exist, either
set Map Channel to the correct value, or, if the object has no mapping, create
mapping for it. To do so, apply a mapping modifier such as Unwrap UVW
on page 1787 or UVW Map on page 1883 and then collapse on page 1974 the
modifier stack.
Also, for best results, make sure mapping clusters do not overlap. For example,
in the Unwrap UVW modifier, use the Flatten Mapping on page 1827 tool.

4 Click one of the top four buttons on the Render Surface Map dialog:
Cavity Map on page 6919, Density Map on page 6920, Dust Map on page 6920,
or SubSurface Map on page 6921.
For example, to generate a texture that makes the object look dirty in
concave areas, use Cavity Map.
After a brief pause, the generated texture opens in a separate window.
The texture type (such as Cavity Map) appears in the window’s title bar.

Render Surface Map | 6917

5 On the output window toolbar, click
(Save Image). Specify a name,
type (graphics format), and location for the file, and then click Save.
6 Use the Material Editor to assign the saved image file as a Diffuse map in
a material, and then assign the material to the object you used to generate
the map.

Interface

W/H The width and height of the bitmap to generate.

6918 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

TIP When generating bitmaps for use in real-time-rendering applications, such as
games, both dimensions should be powers of 2, such as 256 or 512.

Size Choose a size from the list of presets.
Map Channel The map channel to use when generating the bitmap.
Seam Bleed Determines how many pixels are added at UVW borders as
“padding.” These bled pixels will never overwrite the pixels within UVW
seams.
This value has no effect in SelectionToBitmap.

Bitmap Type
Cavity Map Generate a grayscale image that displays how convex or concave
the surface of an editable poly object is at a given point. The more concave
the surface is the darker the pixels will be and the more convex the surface is
the more white is added to the pixels.
This image can be used as a cavity or "dirt" map, or as a base for further texture
painting.

A Cavity map created from a character head

Render Surface Map | 6919

Contrast Determines how much extra contrast is added. In a very high
resolution mesh the surface does not change much from polygon to polygon,
so in such cases it might be neccessary to increase the contrast to get the
difference in concavity/convexity to show clearly.
Density Map Generates a grayscale image that displays how dense the editable
poly mesh is at a given point. White areas represent the smallest distance
between vertices and black represents the greatest distance.

A Density map created from a character head

Dust Map Generates a grayscale image that the extent to which each point
in the surface faces the world Z direction. White represents vertices pointing
fully in the Z direction and black represents vertices pointing 90 degrees from
the Z axis (that is, parallel to the world XY plane) or below.

6920 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

A Dust map created from a character head

SubSurface Map Generates a grayscale image that displays an estimation of
the relative volume of a poly object at a given point. White represents the
thinnest parts and black represents the thickest parts. You can then use this
map to simulate greater translucency in thin areas.
The resulting map does not necessarily represent accurately how light would
pass through the surface but can be useful for simulating this.

Render Surface Map | 6921

SubSurface maps created from a poly mesh, showing different Blur
values
The upper two images use flat shading so that only the texture is
visible.

Blur The degree of blurring applied to the generated map.

6922 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

In the preceding illustration, the top rendering has Blur set to 4, while the
center one has Blur set to 40. The bottom rendering shows the poly object
without a texture map.
Occlusion Map Generates a grayscale bitmap based on the extent to
which parts of the object occlude other parts. Does not depend on scene
lighting.
SelectionToBitmap Generates a black-and-white bitmap based on the current
sub-object selection and displays it in a window from which you can save it.
White areas in the output image indicate selected sub-objects at that location.
At the vertex level each vertex gets a white dot. At the edge level each edge
gets a dot in the middle of the edge. At the polygon level each polygon is
filled with white color.
You can use a bitmap generated with SelectionToBitmap for selecting
sub-objects with the Bitmap Select tool (see following).

SelectionToBitmap used at the Vertex level

NOTE You can assign CUI shortcuts on page 8837 (PolyTools category) for
SelectionToBitmap. When assigned as shortcuts, the image is generated as follows:
■

Normal (no key)Creates a 256x256 bitmap.

■

ShiftCreates a 512x512 bitmap.

Render Surface Map | 6923

Texture Wrap
This tool creates a texture map from an input texture and wraps it around the
selected object in a way that creates no texture seams and with a uniform
texture scale across the surface. It projects the input texture from all directions
and blends the result based on surface normal. A good use for this tool is to
provide a base texture for a model. For example, you can create a basic skin
texture and wrap that around the whole character model in a seamless way.
Another use is for complex shapes such as a tree and all its branches.
To use Texture Wrap, first click Pick Texture to specify a texture file, then
select the object to wrap and click Texture Wrap.

The input texture (left) and the resulting wrapped texture applied to a model (right)

TIP For complex objects, use the Flatten Mapping on page 1843 feature of the
Unwrap UVW modifier to create UVW coordinates for all parts of a mesh. You can
then use Texture Wrap to wrap a texture around that object with good results
across texture seams.
NOTE This tool might not produce ideal results with very-low-resolution models
that have many sharp angles between faces. It works best with organic surfaces
that have some curvature.
Pick Texture Opens a file dialog for specifying an image file to wrap as the
texture.
Tile The number of times the texture will be repeated across the object, both
horizontally and vertically.

6924 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Texture Wrap With an editable poly object selected, click to wrap the texture.

Bitmap Select
Enables you to select parts of the model based on a bitmap image.
Bitmap Select Opens the Bitmap Select dialog.

Bitmap Select Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Surface Map ➤ Bitmap Select
With Bitmap Select you can select sub-objects in the model based on a bitmap
image. Bitmap Select applies the chosen bitmap for selection purposes based
on the model’s UVW mapping (it need not be part of a material applied to
the object), and uses it to select parts of the mesh that correspond to a defined
color. For example, you can select all polygons that have the color white in
the chosen bitmap.
This way you can save a sub-object selection that will survive any topology
changes, and quickly select hard-to-reach areas of the model. You can also
have many selections stored in the same bitmap, because every color in the
bitmap can be defined as a separate selection. It is recommended that you use
lossless formats for the bitmap, such as Targa or or BMP, because a format
such as compressed JPEG can lose color information in the compression.
Bitmap Select works at all sub-object levels. The software uses the following
guidelines to determine a sub-object’s color:
■

At the Vertex level, the vertex must have the specified color to be selected.

■

At the Edge level, the center of the edge must have the specified color to
be selected.

■

At the Polygon level, the center of the polygon must have the specified
color to be selected.

IMPORTANT Bitmap Select uses the bitmap as tiled once on each texture axis
(U/V/W) and applied to the object using its UVW mapping. Even if, for example,
you’ve applied the bitmap to the object’s material’s Diffuse map and used the
Tiling settings to repeat it across the surface, Bitmap Select treats it as untiled
(Tiling=1.0) for the purposes of selecting sub-objects. Also, even if you’ve modified
the tiling with the UVW Map modifier, Bitmap Select works only within the basic
UVW space (0,1).

Render Surface Map | 6925

Procedure
To use Bitmap Select:
1 Use the map slot buttons to choose from one to four bitmaps to use for
selection.
TIP To see a bitmap on the object, apply it as a Diffuse map to an unused
material and apply the material temporarily to the object. Leave the Tiling
values at their defaults (1.0, 1.0).
2 Set the Use Mapslot value to the number of the map slot to use for
selection. Also, if necessary, change the map channel value.
3 Set Get Selection From to the color to use for making the selection. Any
sub-objects with that color will be selected.
4 Select an editable poly object and access the sub-object level, such as
Vertex or Polygon, at which you want Bitmap Select to work.
5 Click GO to make the selection.

Interface

Map1-Map4 Use these mapslot buttons to specify bitmaps to use in getting
the selection. Clicking a button opens the Material/Map Browser on page 6167.
Use the C button next to a mapslot to clear the map assigned to that slot.

6926 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Use Mapslot The map slot (1-4) Bitmap Select uses for making the selection.
Mapchannel The map channel to use in making the selection.
Get selection from Determines which bitmap color Bitmap Select uses for
getting the selection. For example, if you choose White at the Polygon
sub-object level, all polygons that have a corresponding white color in the
bitmap, based on the UVW layout, will be selected.
To use a color other than white or black, choose Color and then click the color
swatch. Use the Color Selector to choose the color to use in getting the
selection.
NOTE There is a slight tolerance for the color so the color does not have to be
exact but is allowed to differ slightly.
Go Makes the selection based on the supplied criteria.

Assign Vertex Colors Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Assign Vertex Colors
The Assign Vertex Colors utility assigns vertex colors based on the material
assigned to the object and the lighting in the scene. The utility applies a
VertexPaint modifier on page 1910 to the object when Assign To Selected is
clicked. Once the VertexPaint modifier has been applied to the object, go to
the Modify panel or click Edit to access the VertexPaint tools.
TIP To render vertex colors, you must apply a material that has a Vertex Color
map on page 6775 in its diffuse component. To view vertex colors in viewports,
right-click the object, choose Object Properties on page 221 from the quad menu,
and then turn on Vertex Channel Display in the Display Properties group and make
sure the drop-down option is set to Vertex Color.
The Assign Vertex Colors utility supports light inclusion or exclusion when
using the Scene Lights option.
All of the commands found within the Assign Vertex Color utility are also
available from the Modify panel when a VertexPaint modifier has been applied
to an object.

Assign Vertex Colors Utility | 6927

Vertex Colors and Radiosity
The Vertex Colors utility supports radiosity on page 7068. If you use radiosity
with assigned vertex colors, be sure to turn on the option Re-Use Direct
Illumination From Radiosity Solution. This option is in the Rendering
Parameters rollout. See Radiosity Controls on page 7087. When this option is
on, the renderer simply displays the vertex colors assigned by the radiosity
solution: strictly speaking, it is not rendering at all.
The additional option Render Direct Illumination, also on the Rendering
Parameters rollout, causes direct lighting not to be saved in the corresponding
mesh. This corresponds to the options Radiosity, Render Direct Illumination,
in which case Assign Vertex Colors gets indirect illumination from the radiosity
mesh but renders direct illumination separately; or Radiosity, Indirect
Illumination Only, in which case Assign Vertex Colors doesn't apply direct
illumination to vertices at all.
See also:
■

VertexPaint Modifier on page 1910

■

Vertex Color Map on page 6775

Procedures
To use the Assign Vertex Colors utility:
1 Assign materials to the objects you want to affect. These can be mapped
or unmapped materials.
2 Light the objects.
3 Select the objects you want to affect.
4 Open the Object Properties dialog for each object, click to turn off the
By Layer button, turn on Vertex Channel Display, and click OK.
5 Expand the Display Properties rollout in the Display panel and turn on
Vertex Colors.
6 Access the Assign Vertex Colors utility.
7 Choose one of the Light Model options.
8 Choose one of the Color Assignment choices.
9 Click Assign to Selected.

6928 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

VertexPaint modifiers are applied to the selected objects, and the vertex
colors for the objects are taken from their materials and from the lighting
in the scene, depending on the options you choose under Light Model.
Changing the material or the lighting in the scene won’t change the
vertex colors. To do this, click the Update All button.
NOTE The new vertex colors are stored in the Vertex Paint modifier. If you
want to access them, go to the Modify panel and access the parameters in
the rollouts there. You can also use the tools found in the Vertex Paint floating
dialog to create layers, paint, blur or adjust color. The Vertex Paint floater
launches when you go to the Modify panel and the object is selected.

Example: To use the Assign Vertex Colors utility on a specific object:
1 Create a sphere with 24 segments.
2 Apply a mapped material to the sphere, and turn on Show Map In
Viewports.
The mapped sphere is displayed in the viewport.
3 Apply a mapped material to the sphere.
NOTE Choose a simple, well-defined map with large, easily-distinguished
areas.
4 Open the Object Properties dialog for the sphere, turn on Vertex Colors,
and click OK.
5 Open the Object Properties dialog for the sphere, click to turn off the By
Layer button, turn on Vertex Channel Display, and click OK. The sphere
turns white because you're now displaying its vertex colors, and they're
all white as a default.
6 With the sphere selected, open the Assign Vertex Colors utility.
7 Choose Shaded and turn on Use Maps.
8 Turn on Mapping.
9 Click Assign To Selected.
A blurred version of the mapping appears on the sphere. The vertices are
now colored based on the material and the lighting in the scene. The
mapping is blurred because the resolution of the mesh at 24 segments is
much lower than the pixel resolution of the map.

Assign Vertex Colors Utility | 6929

10 Go to the

Modify panel and note the VertexPaint modifier.

11 Move down in the stack to the creation parameters, click Yes at the
warning prompt, and increase the Segments to 70.
The new vertices shift the already assigned vertices.
12 Return to the VertexPaint level of the stack, and click Assign in the Assign
Vertex Colors rollout. Had we returned to the Utilities panel, we would
have added another Vertex Paint modifier to the stack; clicking Assign
in the VertexPaint Modifier only updates that modifier.
TIP Vertex colors will only show up in a rendered scene if you assign the
Vertex Color map to the diffuse channel. However, if you do this, you can't
properly update your vertex colors with the Assign Vertex Colors utility. The
solution is to assign a Blend material to your object. Assign the straight diffuse
bitmap to Material 1, and the Vertex Color map to Material 2 of the Blend.
Switch to 100 percent of Material 2 when rendering, and 100 percent of
Material 1 when updating the vertex colors.

6930 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Interface

Assign Vertex Colors Utility | 6931

Channel group
Here you'll find tools to choose which channel type the vertex color utility
will assign. If you choose map channel, you can also specify the map channel
ID number.

■

Vertex ColorChoose this to assign a vertex color layer.

■

Vertex IllumChoose this to assign a vertex lighting layer.

■

Vertex AlphaChoose this to assign a vertex transparency layer.

■

Map ChannelChoose this to assign a specifically numbered map channel.
Map channel spinner
Use this to define the channel number. Available only when Map Channel
is chosen.

Name If a channel has a name defined, it will appear here. Channels can be
named using the Channel Info Utility on page 6936.
NOTE Although the Color, Illum, and Alpha channels have specific names, in fact
3ds Max does not enforce what kind of data is saved in them, and any of the three
channels can contain four-channel (RGBA) vertex color data.

Light Model group
Provides options that let you specify how the surface of the object appears to
be illuminated.

6932 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

Lighting + DiffuseUses the current scene lighting and materials to affect
the vertex colors.

■

Lighting OnlyUses only lighting to assign vertex colors, ignoring material
properties.
When this option is chosen, Shadows and Mapping are disabled in the
Rendering Options rollout.

■

DiffuseUses the material's diffuse color, ignoring the lighting.

Color Assignment group
Lets you specify how colors are interpolated across surfaces.

■

Color by Face(The default.) Colors are interpolated between the center of
each face.
Color By Face samples fewer points, so it is the quicker method. On the
other hand, results are less accurate.

■

Color by VertexColors are interpolated between vertices.
For each face, this method uses three points instead of one, so it is slower
but usually more accurate. An exception can occur when an object's shadow
falls between two vertices: in such a case, the object should occlude lighting,
but because only vertices are taken into account, the shadow is not
calculated and a “light leak” occurs.

Assign Vertex Colors Utility | 6933

Rendering Options group
The options in this group let you choose whether to include shadows, texture
maps, or a radiosity solution in vertex colors.
NOTE You can save a radiosity solution in vertex colors, but not Light Tracer on
page 7055 illumination, which is not stored in the scene's geometry.

Shadows When on, shadows are used when the vertices are shaded.
Default=off.
TIP You can soften the shadow edge by using the VertexPaint modifier's Paint or
Blur tools.
Mapping When on, texture maps are used when the vertices are shaded.
Default=off.
The radio buttons specify how to use radiosity data.
■

No Radiosity(The default.) Do not use the radiosity solution when assigning
vertex colors.

6934 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

NOTE This option is the only one available unless a radiosity solution on page
7068 is present in the scene.

■

Radiosity, Reuse Direct Illum. from SolutionIncludes radiosity in the vertex
color assignments, and uses the direct illumination from the solution.
This is comparable to the choice Re-Use Direct Illumination From Radiosity
Solution on the Rendering Parameters rollout on page 7107.
This choice disables the Shadows toggle, because shadows don't need to
be recomputed.

■

Radiosity, Render Direct IlluminationIncludes radiosity in the vertex color
assignments, but uses a separate pass to render direct illumination.
This is comparable to the choice Render Direct Illumination on the
Rendering Parameters rollout on page 7107.

■

Radiosity, Indirect Illum. OnlyIncludes only indirect illumination from
the radiosity solution in the vertex color assignments.
This choice disables the Shadows toggle, because shadows don't need to
be recomputed.

Reminder field Displays a message that says whether regathering is enabled
or disabled. Regathering provides the most accurate radiosity results, but it
can add considerable time to radiosity calculations.
Radiosity Setup Click to display the Advanced Lighting panel on page 7054 of
the Render Setup dialog, where you can set up and generate a radiosity
solution.
If the mental ray renderer is the active renderer, this button is not available.

_____
Assign to Selected Assigns vertex colors to the selected objects based on the
assigned material, and the choices specified in the preceding group boxes.
Assign to Selected creates a VertexPaint modifier and adds it to the stack of
the selected objects.
Edit Click to display the VertexPaint Paintbox on page 1920, the floating dialog
that holds the vertex painting tools.
This button is unavailable if you haven't yet clicked Assign To Selected.

Assign Vertex Colors Utility | 6935

Channel Info Utility
Utilities panel ➤ More button ➤ Channel Info ➤ Click Channel
Info button.
Tools menu ➤ Channel Info
The Channel Info utility gives game artists and others direct access to objects'
channel information that might not otherwise be easily available. All objects
in 3ds Max have mapping channels, which hold information pertinent to
texture mapping as well as vertex color, illumination, and alpha. Mesh objects
also have geometry and vertex-selection channels. The Channel Info utility
lets you view an object's channels, give them meaningful names, delete unused
channels, and copy information between channels.
The utility's Map Channel Info dialog shows all the channel data for selected
objects. It displays the number of channels, the number of vertices per channel,
and how much memory the channel uses. It also lets you name channels, as
well as clear (or delete), copy, and paste channels. Each of these commands
except renaming puts a modifier on the stack to achieve the results.
NOTE Channel Info supports mesh, polygon, and patch objects. It does not
support NURBS objects.
See also:
■

Vertex Color Map on page 6775

■

Skin Utilities on page 4249

■

Select By Channel Modifier on page 1601

■

UVW Mapping Add Modifier on page 1905

■

UVW Mapping Clear Modifier on page 1905

■

UVW Mapping Paste Modifier on page 1906

6936 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Procedures
To use the Channel Info utility:

1

Select an object or objects to use with the utility.

2 Open the utility.
The Map Channel Info dialog opens.
3 To create a map channel, click any channel and then click the Add button.
The new, empty channel appears at the end of the list.
4 Most channels have three components. For example, a mesh or map
channel has X, Y, and Z components, and an alpha channel has R, G,
and B components. To expand all three-component channels, click the
SubComp button. To collapse all expanded channels, click SubComp
again.
5 To copy one channel to another, click the source channel, click Copy,
and then click the destination channel and click Paste.
In some cases, you might need to expand or collapse the component
display (see previous step). For example, when copying a vertex selection
(vsel) channel to a map channel, you must paste the vsel channel to a
component channel.
6 To minimize a channel's memory footprint, click the channel and then
click the Clear button.
This removes most all or of the data from the channel, so first make sure
the data is unnecessary or is available elsewhere. If the cleared channel
is the last one in the list, it might be deleted from the list.

Channel Info Utility | 6937

Interface

The primary user interface of the Channel Info utility is the Map Channel
Info dialog, which you open by clicking the utility's Channel Info button on
the command panel. This modeless dialog shows information about all map
channels belonging to the current selection, at the object level. If you change
the selection, the dialog automatically updates to reflect the selection.
The dialog consists of two parts: a button toolbar at the top, and a tabular
display of map channels belonging to each object in the current selection.

Channel Info toolbar
Copy Copies the channel data from the highlighted channel to the copy
buffer, where it becomes available for pasting. After you copy a channel, its
name appears on the line below the button toolbar.
Paste Pastes the contents of the copy buffer to the highlighted channel.
You can copy and paste only between channels with the same topology, or
you can copy from any channel to a channel with no vertices.
Source and destination channels need not be of the same type. For instance,
you can copy from a mesh channel to a map channel, and vice-versa.
Name Lets you rename the highlighted channel. Click this button to open a
small dialog that displays the current channel name and lets you edit this
name or enter a new one from the keyboard.
Clear Use this function to remove channels or delete data from a map channel
(including alpha, illumination, and vertex color channels). Clear has no effect
on geometry or vertex selection channels.

6938 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The specific result depends on the type of object and which channel you clear.
With respect to reducing the object's memory footprint, the utility is most
effective with Editable Poly objects.
■

Geometric primitive or Editable/Edit Mesh objectDeletes the highlighted
texture map channel if it is the last map channel in the object, and it's not
the default map channel (1:map). If the highlighted channel is not the
last, Clear deletes all vertices in the channel. The faces remain, so the
memory-footprint reduction is partial.
NOTE This also applies to objects that collapse to editable mesh, such as Loft
objects.

■

Editable Poly objectDeletes the highlighted texture map channel if it is
the last map channel in the object, and it's not the default map channel.
If the highlighted channel is not the last, Clear deletes all vertices and
faces in the channel.

■

Patch objectDeletes the highlighted texture map channel if it is the last
map channel in the object, and it's not the default map channel. If the
highlighted channel is not the last, Clear has no effect.

NOTE When you use the Clear function, 3ds Max adds a UVW Mapping Clear
modifier to the object's modifier stack. You can recover the deleted data by
removing the modifier from the stack, or changing its Map Channel setting.
Add Appends a new map channel to the object's channel list. If multiple
objects are selected, Add becomes available only after you click a track, so 3ds
Max knows which object to add the channel to.
NOTE If you apply mapping with a channel number higher than any existing
channels, 3ds Max automatically creates all intermediate channels. For example,
if you apply a UVW Mapping modifier to a standard object and set Map Channel
to 5 in the modifier, 3ds Max adds map channels 2, 3, 4, and 5.
SubComp Toggles display of the channels' subcomponents. When displayed,
you can rename, copy, and paste each subcomponent independently of its
parent channel.
Each channel except vsel has three subcomponents. Mesh and map channels'
subcomponents are labeled X, Y, and Z; those of alpha, illumination, and
vertex color channels are R, G, and B (red, green, and blue).
Lock Retains the current mapping data information in the table even if you
change the selection.

Channel Info Utility | 6939

For example, if you want to see mapping data for a specific object or objects
constantly, first select the objects and then click Lock. Thereafter, if you select
different objects in the viewport, the table continues to display the data for
the selection when you clicked Lock. If you turn off Lock, the table updates
to show data only for the current selection.
If you click Update when Lock is on, 3ds Max will refresh the table contents
to reflect the current selection, and then retain that data.
Update Refreshes the displayed data to reflect any changes in the objects or
mapping, or, when Lock is on, the selection.
For example, if you apply mapping to an object, or change its mapping, click
Update to display the changes in the Map Channel Info dialog.

Channel Info table
The table functions similarly to a spreadsheet. If not all rows or columns are
visible, you can scroll the table using standard methods, including rolling the
mouse wheel for vertical scrolling. To highlight a row, click anywhere in the
row. You can highlight only one row at a time. To resize a column, drag the
vertical divider at the right of the column heading. To automatically set a
column's width to the size of the longest entry, double-click the vertical divider
to the right of the column heading.
Following is a brief explanation of each of the columns in the table:
Object Name The name of the object. If you change the name in the Modify
panel, click the dialog's Update button to display the new name in the dialog.
ID The type of channel. The available channel types are:
■

mesh/polyThe object's mesh or poly data, depending on whether it's a
mesh or poly object: vertices and faces. You can copy this channel and
paste it to any other three-component channel.
This channel is not available for patch objects.

■

vselThe vertex selection. You can copy this channel and paste it to other
channels' subcomponents.
This channel is not available for patch objects.

■

-2:AlphaThe vertex alpha channel. You can transfer all vertex alpha values
between objects with the same topology by copying and pasting this
channel.
You can apply vertex alpha information to objects with the VertexPaint
modifier on page 1910, and to editable surfaces with the Vertex Properties
settings (editable poly on page 2268) and Surface Properties (editable mesh
on page 2206 and editable patch on page 2395).

6940 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

-1:IllumThe vertex illumination channel. You can transfer all vertex
illumination values between objects with the same topology by copying
and pasting this channel.
You can apply vertex illumination information to objects with the
VertexPaint modifier on page 1910, and to editable surfaces with the Vertex
Properties settings (editable poly on page 2268) and Surface Properties
(editable mesh on page 2206 and editable patch on page 2395).

■

0:vcThe vertex color (vc) channel. You can transfer all vertex color values
between objects with the same topology by copying and pasting this
channel.
You can apply vertex color information to objects with the VertexPaint
modifier on page 1910, and to editable surfaces with the Vertex Properties
settings (editable poly on page 2268) and Surface Properties (editable mesh
on page 2206 and editable patch on page 2395).

■

1:mapThe default mapping channel. You can transfer all UVW mapping
information between objects with the same topology by copying and
pasting this channel.
You can create additional mapping channels by various means, including
with the Channel Info utility.

Channel Name The name of the channel. By default, a channel has no name,
as indicated by the entry “-none-”. To name or rename the channel, click the
channel to highlight it and then click the Name button at the top of the
dialog, or right-click the channel and choose Name from the right-click menu.
NOTE Most channels can be split into subcomponents on page 6939. You can name
the subcomponents separately from the channel itself.
Num Verts The number of vertices in the channel. To paste one channel to
another, they must have the same number of vertices.
Some channels have faces but no vertices. This is typically the case with Alpha,
Illumination, and vertex color channels in newly created non-poly objects.
In such cases, these channels function as placeholders for the corresponding
data should you add it later. They do consume a small amount of memory,
so if you have no intention of using a channel, you can save some memory
by converting the object to Editable Poly.
Num Faces The number of faces in the channel.
If a channel has faces but not vertices, that means it's a placeholder. See Num
Verts, above, for more information.

Channel Info Utility | 6941

Dead Verts The number of unused map vertices in the channel. Such vertices
can be left over from sub-object editing.
Size(KB) The approximate amount of memory consumed by the channel. Use
this figure to check for unused channels that are using up memory.

Clean MultiMaterial Utility
Compact Material Editor ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Clean MultiMaterial

Select an object. ➤
Utilities panel ➤ More button ➤ Clean
MultiMaterial ➤ Click Find All button.
The Clean MultiMaterial utility parses Multi/Sub-Object materials and displays
any that contain sub-materials are not assigned to any material IDs in the
scene. You can then choose to remove any unused sub-materials, thus
consolidating your Multi/Sub-Object materials.
This utility searches an entire scene. You do not need to select objects or
materials.

Procedures
To clean all materials:
1 Open a scene.
2 On the Material Editor, open the Utilities menu and choose Clean
MultiMaterial.
The Clean Multi-Materials dialog opens, displaying the following:

6942 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

The dialog displays a list of all Multi/Sub-Object materials that contain
unassigned sub-materials. All the Multi/Sub-Object materials are
automatically turned on, and thus subject to cleaning.
3 Click the OK button.
All unused sub-materials are deleted and the dialog closes.
To clean specific Multi/Sub-Object materials:
When you create a Multi/Sub-Object material, you might create extra
sub-materials in anticipation of objects that haven't been added to the scene
yet. In such cases, you can prevent the utility from removing the extra
sub-materials.
1 Open a scene.

Clean MultiMaterial Utility | 6943

2 On the Material Editor, open the Utilities menu and choose Clean
MultiMaterial.
The Clean Multi-Materials dialog opens.

3 In the list, turn off any Multi/Sub-Object materials you do not want to
clean.

6944 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

4 Click OK.
All unused sub-materials are deleted from the indicated materials and
the dialog closes.

Clean MultiMaterial Utility | 6945

Interface

The Clean dialog presents you with a list of all Multi/Sub-Object materials in
the scene that contain unassigned sub-materials. You can then select materials
from which to remove unassigned sub-materials.
The dialog consists of two parts: a status field at the top and a list of
Multi/Sub-Object materials.

Status Field
The Status Field is not interactive. It displays prompts about the unused
materials.

Materials list
This list displays Multi/Sub-Object materials that have sub-materials that are
not currently being used in the scene. When the Clean MultiMaterial utility

6946 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

opens, it lists all Multi/Sub-Object materials with unused sub-materials and
turns them on to be cleaned. Click the check box next to a material name to
turn it off and prevent the utility from cleaning it.
Clean Deletes unused sub-materials from Multi/Sub-Object materials that are
turned on.
Cancel Cancels the operation.

Instance Duplicate Maps Utility
Compact Material Editor ➤ Utilities menu ➤ Instance Duplicate
Map

Utilities panel ➤ More button ➤ Instance Duplicate Maps ➤ Click
Find All button.
The Instance Duplicate Maps utility searches an entire scene for materials that
have duplicate Bitmap maps and give you the option to instance them. If your
scene has different materials that use the same texture maps, creating instances
will reduce the load on your video card, which can improve viewport
performance.
For example, if you render a scene containing three materials that reference
the texture map MyMap.bmp, 3ds Max searches for that texture map three
times: once for each material it is used in. However, if you use the Instance
Duplicate Maps utility, you can create instances of the duplicate maps so the
renderer will find the first reference to MyMap.bmp and use it for any
subsequent material that uses the same maps.
This utility searches an entire scene. You do not need to select objects or
materials.
NOTE In order to be eligible for instancing, the Bitmap maps must be identical
in all aspects with regard to their initial settings. For example, if two materials use
the same bitmap image applied as Diffuse maps, but have different initial Tiling
settings, their maps aren't eligible for instancing.
Animation is not supported as a criterion for determining duplication, so any
differences in the animation of Bitmap map parameters will be lost from the
use of this utility. For example, if two materials use the same bitmap image

Instance Duplicate Maps Utility | 6947

applied as Diffuse maps, and have the same initial Tiling settings, but their
Tiling settings are animated to different subsequent values, after using the
utility both maps will have the same animation as the first map.

Procedures
To instance all duplicate maps:
1 Open a scene.
2 On the Material Editor, open the Utilities menu and choose Instance
Duplicate Map.
The Instance Duplicate Maps dialog opens, displaying the following:

The dialog displays a list of all texture maps found to have exact duplicates
in the scene. The search will include all copies found to have identical
paths and settings.
3 Click the Instance All button.
All identical maps are instanced and the dialog closes.

6948 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

To instance only specific maps:
Perhaps you only want to instance a few of the texture maps found in specific
materials.
NOTE You have to select at least two maps from the Duplicates list
1 Open a scene.
2 On the Material Editor, open the Utilities menu and choose Instance
Duplicate Map.
The Instance Duplicate Maps dialog opens.

3 From the Duplicated Textures list, click the arrow button to open the list
of duplicated textures and choose a texture you want to instance.
4 From the Duplicate list, select at least two map entries.

Instance Duplicate Maps Utility | 6949

If you don't select at least two entries, you will see a warning in the status
field at the top of the dialog.
5 Click Instance.

6950 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

Since all three of the maps were instanced, the dialog now shows there
are 42 duplicated textures.
6 Continue instancing texture or click Close when you are done.

Instance Duplicate Maps Utility | 6951

Interface

The primary user interface of the Instance Duplicate Maps utility is the Instance
Duplicate Maps dialog, which you open from the Utilities menu in the Material
Editor. This utility works globally, so you do not need to select objects or
materials in order to use it.
The dialog consists of three parts: a status field at the top, a drop menu
containing duplicated texture maps and a list of map names and the materials
that belong to.

Status Field
The Status Field is not interactive. It shows you prompts and warnings about
the duplicate textures and maps. Some of the messages displayed in this section
include:
■

“No duplicate textures were found in the scene.” – when the utility is run
in a scene containing no duplicates.

6952 | Chapter 17 Material Editor, Materials, and Maps

■

“Select duplicates and press “Instance” to consolidate.” – when the utility
is run in a scene containing duplicates.

■

“The selected duplicates contain parameters that are animated. Animation
is not supported as criteria for determining duplication so differences in
the animation will be lost.” – when animation is present in a set of
duplicates.

■

“At least two maps must be selected in order to proceed.” – when the
Instance button is pressed with one or no duplicates selected.

Duplicated Textures list
This drop-down list contains all the maps in the scene found to be identical
in every way, including texture map path and name, and initial parameter
settings. The number after “Duplicated Textures” indicates how many sets
were found in the scene. This list appears with the first entry visible and once
active can be scrolled using the up/down arrow keys.

Duplicates list
When you choose a texture in the Duplicated Textures list, 3ds Max displays
its duplicates in the Duplicates list, showing the map name and the name of
the parent material. The number after “Duplicates” indicates how many copies
were found in the scene. Textures in this list can be chosen individually. Only
duplicates chosen in this list will be consolidated into the final instance if
you click the Instance button. The name of the resulting instance is that of
the first chosen duplicate in the list.
Instance All Performs the consolidation on all duplicates in the scene
regardless of selections made from the Duplicated Textures or Duplicates lists.
Instance Performs the consolidation on only the duplicates chosen on the
Duplicates list. Selected duplicates will disappear from this list after
consolidation. If all are selected, the corresponding texture will disappear from
the first list as well.
Close Closes the operation at its current point.

Instance Duplicate Maps Utility | 6953

6954

Rendering

18

Rendering shades the scene's geometry using the lighting you've set up, the materials you've
applied, and environment settings, such as background and atmosphere. You use the Render
Setup dialog on page 6956 to render images and animations and save them to files. The rendered
output appears in the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963, where you can also render and
do some setup.

Rendering "fills in" geometry with color, shadow, lighting effects, and so on.

NOTE Bitmap paging is always active and is managed automatically, enabling you to
render scenes with large bitmaps, a large number of bitmaps, or very high resolution
images (for example, 5,000 x 5,000 pixels or more).

6955

NOTE 3ds Max does not append any color-space information to rendered output. If
necessary, you can apply a color space such as sRGB to output images in an
image-editing program like Adobe Photoshop.
Environments and Rendering Effects
A variety of special effects, such as film grain, depth of field, and lens simulations, are
available as rendering effects. Another set of effects, such as fog, are provided as environment
effects.
Environment settings on page 7621 let you choose a background color or image, or choose
an ambient color value for when you render without using radiosity. One category of
environment settings is the exposure controls on page 7665, which adjust light levels for
display on a monitor.
Rendering effects on page 7515 provide a way for you to add blur or film grain to a rendering,
or to adjust its color balance.
See also:
■

Rendering Effects on page 7515

■

Environment and Atmosphere Effects on page 7620

Object-Level Rendering Controls
You can control rendering behavior at the object level. See Object Properties on page 221.

Render Setup Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup

Main toolbar ➤

(Render Setup)

Rendered Frame Window ➤
Keyboard ➤ F10

6956 | Chapter 18 Rendering

(Render Setup)

Rendering creates a 2D image or animation based on your 3D scene. It shades
the scene's geometry using the lighting you've set up, the materials you've
applied, and environment settings such as background and atmosphere.
The Render Setup dialog has multiple panels. The number and name of the
panels can change, depending on the active renderer. These panels are always
present:
■

Common panel on page 7020
Contains the main controls for any renderer, such as whether to render a
still image or an animation, setting the resolution of rendered output, and
so on.

■

Renderer panel on page 7037
Contains the main controls for the current renderer.

Additional panels whose presence depends on the active renderer include:
■

Render Elements panel on page 7269
Contains the controls for rendering various image information into
individual image files. This can be useful when you work with compositing,
image-processing, or special-effects software.

■

Raytracer panel on page 7120
Contains global controls for ray-traced maps and materials.

■

Advanced Lighting panel on page 7054
Contains controls for generating radiosity and light tracer solutions, which
can provide global illumination for your scene.

■

Processing on page 7129 and Indirect Illumination on page 7213 panels
Contain special controls for the mental ray renderer on page 7129.

At the bottom of the Render Setup dialog are controls that, like those in the
Common Parameters rollout on page 7020, apply to all renderers. These are
described in this topic's “Interface” section, below.
NOTE Bitmap paging is always active and is managed automatically, enabling
you to render scenes with large bitmaps, a large number of bitmaps, or very high
resolution images (for example, 5,000 x 5,000 pixels or more).

Render Setup Dialog | 6957

Choice of a Renderer
Three renderers are provided with 3ds Max. Additional renderers might be
available as third-party plug-in components. The renderers provided with 3ds
Max are:
■

Default scanline renderer on page 7042
The scanline renderer is active by default. It renders the scene in a series
of horizontal lines.
Global illumination options available for the scanline renderer include
light tracing on page 7055 and radiosity on page 7068.
The scanline renderer can also render to textures on page 7307 (“bake”
textures), which is especially useful when preparing scenes for game
engines.

■

mental ray renderer on page 7129
The mental ray renderer created by mental images is also available. It
renders the scene in a series of square “buckets.”
The mental ray renderer provides its own method of global illumination,
and can also generate caustic lighting effects.
In the Material Editor, a variety of mental ray shaders on page 6806 provide
effects that only the mental ray renderer can display.

■

Quicksilver Hardware renderer on page 7258
The Quicksilver Hardware renderer provides fast rendering using your
system’s graphic hardware. It is especially good for rendering previews,
but it also has quality controls and a variety of effects that are comparable
to effects in the scanline and mental ray renderers.
The Quicksilver Hardware renderer supports both standard materials and
maps, and those materials and maps supported by the mental ray renderer,
including MetaSL shaders on page 6858.

■

VUE file renderer on page 7267
The VUE file renderer is a special-purpose renderer that generates an ASCII
text description of the scene. A view file can include multiple frames, and
specify transforms, lighting, and changes of view.

Standard and ActiveShade Renderers
In 3ds Max, there are two different types of renderings. Production rendering
is active by default, and is typically the one you use for finished renderings.
This type of rendering can use any of the three aforementioned renderers.
The second type of rendering is called ActiveShade on page 7001. An ActiveShade

6958 | Chapter 18 Rendering

rendering uses the default scanline renderer to create a preview rendering that
can help you see the effects of changing lighting or materials; the rendering
updates interactively as you change your scene. Rendering iwth ActiveShade
is, in general, less precise than production rendering.
Another advantage of production rendering is that you can use different
renderers, such as the mental ray or VUE file renderer.
To choose between production and ActiveShade rendering, use the radio
buttons described in the Interface section, following. To change the renderer
assigned to production rendering, use the Assign Renderer rollout on page 7034.
See also:
■

Render Setup on page 6989

Procedures
To render a still image:
1 Activate the viewport to render.

2 Click

(Render Setup).

The Render Setup dialog opens, with the Common panel active.
3 On the Common Parameters rollout, check the Time Output group to
make sure the Single option is chosen.
4 In the Output Size group, set other rendering parameters or use the
defaults.
5 Click the Render button at the bottom of the dialog.
By default, rendered output appears in the Rendered Frame Window on
page 6963.

TIP To render a view without using the dialog, click
on page 6999).

(Render Production

To render an animation:
1 Activate the viewport to render.

Render Setup Dialog | 6959

2 Click

(Render Setup).

The Render Setup dialog opens, with the Common panel active.
3 On the Common Parameters rollout on page 7020, go to the Time Output
group and choose a time range.
4 In the Output Size group, set other rendering parameters or use the
defaults.
5 In the Render Output group, click Files.
6 On the Render Output File dialog on page 6979, specify a location, name,
and a type for the animation file, and then click Save.
Typically, a dialog appears that lets you configure options for the chosen
file format. Change settings or accept the defaults, and then click OK to
continue.
The Save File check box turns on.
7 Click the Render button at the bottom of the dialog.
NOTE If you set a time range and do not specify a file to save to, the
animation is rendered only to the window. This can be a time-consuming
mistake, so an alert warns you about it.

TIP Once you have rendered the animation this way, you can render it again
without using the dialog by clicking

Interface

6960 | Chapter 18 Rendering

(Render Production) or pressing F9.

[rendering mode]
■

Production/IterativeChoose whether to render in production on page 6999
or iterative on page 7000 mode. (This is the default.)

■

ActiveShadeChoose to use ActiveShade on page 7001.

Preset From this drop-down list you can choose a set of preset rendering
parameters, or load or save rendering parameter settings. See Preset Rendering
Options on page 7013.
Viewport Chooses the viewport to render. By default, this is the active
viewport. You can use this drop-down list to choose a different one. The list
contains only currently displayed viewports.

Lock View When on, locks the view to the one shown in the Viewport
list. This enables you to adjust the scene in other viewports (which become
active as you use them), and then click Render to render the viewport you
originally chose. When off, Render always renders the active viewport.
Render Renders the scene.
When ActiveShade is chosen, the name of this button changes to ActiveShade,
and clicking it opens a floating ActiveShade window on page 7001.
If the scene you're rendering contains bitmaps that cannot be located, a Missing
External Files dialog on page 8141 opens. This dialog lets you browse for the
missing maps, or continue to render the scene without loading them.

Render Setup Dialog | 6961

Rendering Progress dialog

When you click Render, a rendering progress dialog shows the parameters
being used, and a progress bar. The rendering dialog has a Pause button to

6962 | Chapter 18 Rendering

the left of the Cancel button. When you click Pause, the rendering pauses,
and the button's label changes to Resume. Click Resume to continue with the
rendering.
NOTE The mental ray renderer does not support the Pause button. You can cancel
a mental ray rendering, but you can't pause it.

Rendered Frame Window
Main toolbar ➤

(Rendered Frame Window)

Rendering menu/main toolbar ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤
Render ➤ Rendered Frame Window opens.
Rendering menu ➤ Render ➤ Rendered Frame Window opens.

Main toolbar ➤

(Render Production)

Rendering menu ➤ View Image File ➤ Choose a file to view. ➤ Open ➤
Rendered Frame Window (reduced functionality) displays the file.
The Rendered Frame Window displays rendered output.
This window has controls to:
■

Set the area to render (region, etc.).

■

Choose the viewport to render.

■

Choose a render preset.

■

Render the scene.

■

Save the image to a file.

■

Place a copy of the rendered image on the Windows clipboard, ready for
pasting into another graphics application.

■

Create a clone of the window. This displays a new window so you can
create another rendering and compare it with the previous one.

Rendered Frame Window | 6963

■

Open a new Rendered Frame Window.

■

Toggle display of the red, green, and blue color channels.

■

Display the alpha channel on page 9088.

■

Display only monochrome (gray scale).

■

Clear the image from the window.

■

Print the rendered output.

■

Change a number of mental ray-specific settings.

When you choose the View Image File command from the Rendering menu,
3ds Max displays still images and image sequences in a feature-reduced version
of the Rendered Frame Window. When you view sequentially numbered image
files or images in an IFL file on page 8420, this window displays navigation
arrows that let you step through the images.

The Rendered Frame Window Title Bar
The title bar of the Rendered Frame Window includes this information:
■

Viewport name

■

Frame number

■

The display gamma value, if gamma has been enabled. If the
color-correction method you use is a look-up table, then when the table
is enabled the title bar shows the file name of the table, with no path. See
Gamma and LUT Preferences on page 8917.

■

Image type and color depth
For example, a full-color image with an alpha channel will show “RGBA
Color 16 Bits/Channel”; a bitmap with a limited color depth might show
“Indexed Color 8 Bits/Pixel,” and so on.

■

Image aspect ratio

6964 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Procedures
To zoom and pan in the Rendered Frame Window:
You can zoom in and out and pan the image in the Rendered Frame Window.
You can even do this while a scene is rendering.
■

To zoom in, hold down Ctrl and then click. To zoom out, use
Ctrl+right-click.

■

To pan, hold down Shift and then drag.

If you have a wheel mouse, you can use the wheel to zoom and pan:
■

To zoom in or out, roll the wheel.

■

To pan, press the wheel and drag.
NOTE You can use any third-button pointing device to pan the image. To
enable this, open the Customize menu ➤ Preferences dialog. Go to the
Viewports panel on page 8896, and in the Mouse Control group choose the
Pan/Zoom option (this is the default).

Interface
This first section documents the controls on the main Rendered Frame
Window. For information about the additional control panel that appears
below the main window when using mental ray, see mental ray Rendering
Options on page 6974.

Rendered Frame Window | 6965

Rendered Frame Window Rendering Controls
These controls provide access to rendering settings such as presets and the
viewport to render, as well as the Render command. To toggle display of these
controls, click the Toggle UI button at the right end of the Rendered Frame
Window toolbar.
Area to Render This drop-down list provides the available Area to Render on
page 6992 options. Choose View, Selected, Region, Crop, or Blowup.
When using Region, Crop, or Blowup, set the region with the Edit Region
control (see following). Alternatively, you can set the region automatically to
the current selection with the Auto Region Selected option (also see following).

Edit Region Enables manipulation of the region window: resize by
dragging the handles, and move by dragging inside the window. When Area
To Render is set to Region, you can edit the region both in the Rendered Frame
Window and in the active viewport.
If Area To Render is set to View or Selected, clicking Edit Region switches to
Region mode.
When Area To Render is set to Crop or Blowup, you can edit the region only
in the active viewport, because in those cases the Rendered Frame Window
doesn’t necessarily reflect the same area as the viewport. Hence, also in Crop
and Blowup modes, a warning icon on page 6968 appears to the right of the
Auto Region Selected. The icon’s tool tip suggests that you edit the region in

6966 | Chapter 18 Rendering

the viewport. A warning also appears in Region mode if the Rendered Frame
Window area doesn’t match the active viewport.
Turning on Edit Region automatically activates the Show Safe Frames on page
8716 function in the active viewport.
NOTE 3ds Max maintains two separate render regions: one for Region and Crop,
and another for Blowup. Changing the Area To Render option activates the relevant
render region.

Auto Region Selected When on, sets the region for Region, Crop, and
Blowup automatically to the current selection. This auto-region is calculated
at render time and does not overwrite the user-editable regions.
If Area To Render is set to View or Selected, clicking Auto Region Selected
switches to Region mode.
TIP Alternatively, when rendering with mental ray, use Subset Pixels (see following)
for greater accuracy.

Subset Pixels (of selected objects) When on, rendering the scene applies
only to selected objects. Available only when rendering with mental ray.
This option differs from the Area to Render ➤ Selected on page 6995 option in
that it takes into account all scene elements that affect its appearance. This
includes shadows, reflection, direct and indirect lighting, and so on. Also,
Selected replaces the entire contents of the Rendered Frame Window (except
for selected objects) with the background color, but Subset Pixels replaces only
pixels used by the re-rendered, selected objects.
Subset Pixels rendering is particularly useful when performing iterative
rendering while adjusting lighting, shadows, and other scene elements for a
particular object or set of objects in the scene. It lets you re-render repeatedly
to view the results of isolated changes without disturbing the rest of the
rendered output.
TIP Objects rendered in Subset Pixels mode at low antialiasing settings might
show objectionable outlines. To eliminate any such outlines, increase the antialiasing
setting on page 6975. For best results, use Medium antialiasing (Min 1/4, Max 4) or
better.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Subset Pixel Rendering ➤
Render changes to selected objects only on page 7199.

Rendered Frame Window | 6967

[warning] This warning symbol appears when Area to Render on page
6966 is set to Crop or Blowup, accompanied by a tool tip that tells you to edit
the Crop or Blowup region in the viewport. It also appears in Region mode if
the Rendered Frame Window doesn’t show the same area as the viewport (that
is, if you previously rendered in Crop or Blowup mode).
Viewport Shows the viewport that renders when you click the Render button.
The drop-down list contains all visible viewports. To specify a different
viewport to render, choose it from the list or activate it in the main user
interface.
Activating a different viewport in the main interface automatically updates
this setting if Lock To Viewport is off.

Lock To Viewport When on, only the viewport active in the Viewport
list renders, even if you activate a different viewport in the main interface.
However, you can still choose a different viewport to render from the list.
When off, activating a different viewport in the main user interface updates
the Viewport value.
Render Preset Choose a preset rendering option on page 7013 from the
drop-down list.

Render Setup Opens the Render Setup dialog on page 6956.

Environment and Effects Dialog (Exposure Controls) Opens the
Environment and Effects dialog to the Environment panel on page 7621. You
can set an exposure control on the Exposure Control rollout.
Production/Iterative Choose the result of clicking the Render button:
■

ProductionRenders using all the current settings on the Rendered Frame
Window, Render Setup, dialog, and so on.

■

IterativeIgnores network rendering, rendering of multiple frames, file
output, export to MI files, and email notification. Also, with the scanline
renderer, rendering Selected on page 6995 leaves the rest of the Rendered
Frame Window intact in Iterative mode.

6968 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Use this option when doing quick iterations on the image, usually in parts;
for example, working on final gather settings, reflections, or specific objects
or areas of the scene.
This choice is also available from a drop-down in the bottom-left corner of
the Render Setup dialog. And you can render in either mode from the render
flyout on page 6998 on the main toolbar.
NOTE When rendering with mental ray, the Production/Iterative switch moves
to the lower panel for easier access after adjusting settings.
Render Renders the scene using the current setup.
NOTE When rendering with mental ray, the Render button moves to the lower
panel for easier access after adjusting settings.

Rendered Frame Window toolbar
Save Image Allows you to save the rendered image displayed in the
Rendered Frame Window.
Copy Image Places an exact copy of the visible portion of the rendered
image on the Windows clipboard, ready for pasting into a paint program or
bitmap editing software. The image is always copied as displayed, so, for
example, if the Monochrome button on page 6970 is on, the copied data consists
of an eight-bit grayscale bitmap.
NOTE No HDR (high-dynamic-range) data is copied.

Clone Rendered Frame Window Creates another window containing
the displayed image. This allows you to render another image to the Rendered
Frame Window and compare it with the previous, cloned image. You can
clone the Rendered Frame Window any number of times. The cloned window
uses the same initial zoom level as that of the original.
NOTE A cloned window provides minimal functionality, and cannot be re-rendered
or cloned.

Rendered Frame Window | 6969

Print Image Sends the rendered image to the default printer as defined
in Windows (in Windows XP, see Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Printers And
Faxes). The background prints as transparent.

Clear Clears the image from the Rendered Frame Window.

Enable Red Channel Displays the red channel of the rendered image.
When turned off, the red channel is not displayed.

Enable Green Channel Displays the green channel of the rendered
image. When turned off, the green channel is not displayed.

Enable Blue Channel Displays the blue channel of the rendered image.
When turned off, the blue channel is not displayed.

Display Alpha Channel Displays the alpha channel on page 9088.

Monochrome Displays an 8-bit grayscale of the rendered image.
Channel Display List Lists any channel rendered with the image. When you
choose a channel from the list, it is displayed in the Rendered Frame Window.
For most kinds of files, only the RGB and alpha channels are available. If you
render an RPF file on page 8455 or RLA file on page 8453, additional channels can
be present.
The Rendered Frame Window displays nonvisual channels, such as Material
ID or the G-Buffer, using colors it assigns at random to distinct values.
Color Swatch Stores the color value of the last pixel you right-clicked. You
can drag this color swatch to other color swatches in 3ds Max. Clicking the
color swatch displays the Color Selector on page 304, which displays more
information about the color.
You can leave the Color Selector displayed while you right-click over other
pixels in the Rendered Frame Window. (Changing the current value in the
Color Selector changes the color swatch on the Rendered Frame Window's
toolbar, but it does not change the color of pixels in the rendered image.)

6970 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Toggle UI Overlays When on, displays the frame that shows the
Region, Crop, or Blowup area when one of those options is active. To disable
display of the frame, turn off this toggle.
NOTE The frame is still active when not displayed.

Toggle UI When on, all controls are available. When off, disables
display of the rendering controls at the top of the dialog as well as the mental
ray controls on the separate panel below the dialog. To simplify the dialog
interface and allow it to take up less space, turn this off.
TIP When off, you can resize the window smaller than is possible when Toggle
UI is on.
Layer This setting appears on the Rendered Frame Window toolbar when you
render to the RPF on page 8455 or RLA on page 8453 file format. It lets you see the
information at different layers of the following channels:
■

Z Depth

■

Normal

■

Non-Clamped Color

■

Coverage

■

Node Render ID

■

Color

■

Sub-Pixel Weight

■

Sub-Pixel Mask

Layer shows no additional information for other channels. It is useful primarily
when the scene contains objects that occlude each other, and you have turned
on the Render Occluded Objects toggle for these objects. (See Object Properties
on page 221.) Be aware that rendering occluded objects increases render time.
TIP Rendering occluded objects can help you create 3D effects when you
composite images with the Autodesk Combustion software.

Rendered Frame Window | 6971

Frame-Steps (arrows) When viewing sequentially numbered files
(such as image0005.jpg) or IFL files, the arrows display the next or the previous
file in the sequence. To jump to the first image or the last image in the
sequence, hold down Ctrl and click an arrow.
Available only when you use the View Image File command on the Rendering
menu.
TIP To see these buttons, enlarge the size of the Rendered Frame Window.

Pixel Data
When you right-click the Rendered Frame Window, the color swatch is
updated, and information about the rendering and the pixel beneath the
mouse is displayed.
If you hold the right mouse button down while dragging, the information
changes with each new pixel the mouse crosses.

The display includes the following information:

Image group
Width The width of the image in pixels.
Aspect The pixel aspect ratio.
Height The height of the image in pixels.

6972 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Gamma The gamma value carried in the bitmap file. This value is always 1.0,
because once the image is rendered and saved to memory or a file, no
correction is applied. You can see the gamma value used to display the image,
if any, in the title bar of the Rendered Frame Window.
Type The type of image, based on color depth.
For example, a full-color image with an alpha channel will show “RGBA Color
16 Bits/Channel”; a bitmap with a limited color depth might show “Indexed
Color 8 Bits/Pixel,” and so on.

Pixel group
Pixel information includes the pixel location in the bitmap, in parentheses
following the Pixel group heading. The counting starts at 0. For example, in
the above illustration, the pixel in question is the 308th from the left edge
and the 141st from the top edge. Also shown in this group are channel values
for red, green, blue, alpha, and monochrome, both as 16-bit integers (0 to
65535) and as floating-point values between 0.0 and 1.0.
NOTE With high-dynamic-range images, the floating-point values can be greater
than 1.0 or less than 0.0.
Red The red component value (0 to 65535) and the floating-point value.
Green The green component value (0 to 65535) and the floating-point value.
Blue The blue component value (0 to 65535) and the floating-point value.
Alpha The alpha component value (0 to 65535) and the floating-point value.
Mono The monochrome values of the pixel, using the same formula used by
monochrome material map channels such as bump and opacity maps.

Extra Pixel Data (G-Buffer Data) group
If the rendering output uses a format that contains additional channels, such
as RPF on page 8455 or RLA on page 8453, the informational pop-up shows this
data in the Extra Pixel Data group. The group includes all the possible channels.
If a channel is not present, its value is displayed as "N/A," for "not applicable."
Z Depth Displays Z-Buffer information in repeating gradients from white to
black. The gradients indicate relative depth of the object in the scene.
Material ID Displays the Effects Channel used by a material assigned to an
objects in the scene. The Effects Channel is a material property set in the
Material Editor.

Rendered Frame Window | 6973

Object ID Displays the object’s G-Buffer Object ID on page 230.
UV Coordinates Displays the range of UV mapping coordinates.
Normal Displays the orientation of normal vectors.
Non-Clamped Color Displays the "real" color value delivered to the renderer
in RGB order. The renderer uses a floating-point range of 0.0 to 1.0 to represent
the range of each color channel. Thus, 1.0 is 100%, or 65535 (real color values
can be greater than 1, but are clamped by the renderer to 1).
Coverage Displays the coverage of the surface fragment from which other
G-Buffer values (Z Depth, Normal, and so on) are obtained. Z-Coverage values
range from 0 to 255.
Node Render ID Displays an object’s G-Buffer Object channel.
Color Displays the color returned by the material shader for the fragment.
Transparency Displays transparency returned by the material shader for the
fragment.
Velocity Displays the velocity vector of the fragment relative to the screen.
Sub-Pixel Weight Displays the sub-pixel weight of a fragment. The channel
contains the fractions of the total pixel color contributed by the fragment.
The sum of all the fragments gives the final pixel color. The weight for a given
fragment takes into account the coverage of the fragment and the transparency
of any fragments that are in front of a given fragment.
Sub-Pixel Mask Displays the sub-pixel alpha mask. This channel provides a
mask of 16 bits (4x4) per pixel, used in antialiased alpha compositing.

mental ray Rendering Options
Rendered Frame Window on page 6963 (with mental ray active) ➤ bottom
panel
This additional panel appears below the Rendered Frame Window when mental
ray is the active renderer. It allows for easy adjustment of important settings
related to reflection, refraction, final gathering, and more.

6974 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE Most of the controls on this panel have equivalent controls on the Render
Setup dialog, as linked to in the descriptions in this topic. Changing a setting here
makes the same adjustment to the respective Render Setup control, and vice versa.
Please note: If you change a setting here, the equivalent Render Setup dialog
setting updates automatically, but the reverse is not true. If you change a setting
on the Render Setup dialog, to see the change on this panel, you must first click
the panel to refresh its display.
See also:
■

Subset Pixels on page 6967 is the only mental ray-specific control that appears
in the main (upper) Rendered Frame Window interface.

Interface

Image Precision (Antialiasing) Provides presets for a number of recommended
combinations of minimum and maximum Samples Per Pixel settings. For
details, see Samples per Pixel group on page 7190.
Soft Shadows Precision A global multiplier for the Shadow Samples setting
in all lights casting soft shadows. This includes all photometric lights on page
5707 (Target Light, Free Light, mr Sky Portal), as well as mr Sun on page 5885, mr
Area Omni on page 5777, and mr Area Spot on page 5780. Typically the light
should be set to cast ray traced shadows, although in some cases shadow maps
work too.
Possible multiplier values are 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16. The leftmost
slider position (“Soft Shadows off”) is equivalent to turning on Area
Lights/Shadows as Points on page 7027. The remaining slider positions are also
available as the Global Tuning Parameters rollout ➤ Soft Shadows Precision
on page 7186 control.
For an example, see this illustration on page ?.
Final Gather Precision Provides a range of quick, easy preset solutions for
final gathering on page 7213. The default presets are: Draft, Low, Medium, High,

mental ray Rendering Options | 6975

Very High, and Custom (the default choice). Available only when Final Gather
is on. For details, see FG Precision Presets on page 7217.
NOTE The leftmost position of the slider disables final gathering, and is the
equivalent of the Enable Final Gather on page 7216 toggle when off.
Glossy Reflections Precision Controls reflection quality globally and, at the
leftmost position, disables all reflections (see Enable Reflections on page 7199).
To improve performance when you don’t require reflections, drag the slider
all the way to the left.
At other positions, the slider determines the quality of reflections in all
instances of the Arch & Design material on page 6269 and related materials in
the scene. The slider setting acts as a multiplier to each material’s Reflection
group ➤ Glossy Samples on page 6287 setting. For an example, see this
illustration on page ?.
NOTE This slider adjusts each material’s Glossy Samples setting temporarily for
rendering purposes only; it does not change the materials. For example, if the scene
contains three Arch & Design materials with Reflection ➤ Glossy Samples settings
of 32, 20, and 8, and you set Glossy Reflections Precision to 0.5X (Low), the
resultant values as rendered will be 16, 10, and 4. However, the original material
settings remain intact, and are restored for rendering purposes when you set the
slider back to 1.0X - Default.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog controls are Glossy Reflections Precision
on page 6976 and Enable Reflections on page 7199.
Glossy Refractions Precision Controls refraction quality globally and, at the
leftmost position, disables all refraction (see Enable Refractions on page 7199).
To improve performance when you don’t require refraction, drag the slider
all the way to the left.
At other positions, the slider determines the quality of refractions in all
instances of the Arch & Design material on page 6269 and related materials in
the scene. The slider setting acts as a multiplier to each material’s Refraction
group ➤ Glossy Samples on page 6290 setting.
NOTE This slider adjusts each material’s Glossy Samples setting temporarily for
rendering purposes only; it does not change the materials. For example, if the scene
contains three Arch & Design materials with Refraction ➤ Glossy Samples settings
of 32, 20, and 8, and you set Glossy Reflections Precision to 0.5X (Low), the
resultant values as rendered will be 16, 10, and 4. However, the original material
settings remain intact, and are restored for rendering purposes when you set the
slider back to 1.0X - Default.

6976 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Glossy Refractions Precision on
page 6976 and Enable Refractions on page 7199.

Traces/Bounces Limits
Max. Reflections Sets the maximum number of times a ray can be reflected.
At 0, no reflection occurs. At 1, the ray can be reflected once only. At 2, the
ray can be reflected twice, and so on. Default=4.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Max. Reflections on page 7199.
Max. Refractions Sets the maximum number of times a ray can be refracted.
At 0, no refraction occurs. At 1, the ray can be refracted once only. At 2, the
ray can be refracted twice, and so on. Default=6.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Max. Refractions on page 7199.
FG Bounces Sets the number of times mental ray calculates diffuse light
bounces for each diffuse ray. Default=0.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Diffuse Bounces on page 7219.

Reuse group
These commands let you save rendering time by reusing translated geometry
and final gather solutions. The Final Gather controls are available only when
Final Gather on page 6975 is on.

Lock Geometry Translation Determines whether changed geometry
is retranslated to mental ray format at render time. When on, sub-object-level
changes such as vertex editing or adjusting a modifier such as Bend are ignored
and don’t cause retranslation. However, object-level changes such as moving
or rotating an object are retranslated.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Translator Options rollout ➤
Geometry Caching group ➤ Lock Geometry Translation on page 7245.
Geometry When on, rendering uses geometry caching. During the first render,
the translated geometry is saved to the cache file. Then, in subsequent
renderings of the same scene, the renderer uses the cached geometry for any
unchanged objects instead of retranslating it. Any changed geometry is
retranslated. Default=off.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Translator Options rollout ➤
Geometry Caching group ➤ Enable on page 7245.
NOTE Network rendering does not support this option.

mental ray Rendering Options | 6977

Clear Geometry Cache Deletes the cached geometry.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Translator Options rollout ➤
Geometry Caching group ➤ Clear Geometry Cache on page 7245.

Lock Final Gather Determines whether or not mental ray uses the
final gather map (FGM) file or files as is. When off, mental ray can add new
final gather points if necessary. When on, mental ray uses only the data in
the specified file, and does not generate any new final gather points during
the pre-processing stage. Available only when Reuse ➤ Final Gather is on
(see following). Default=off.
To create the FGM files, use Generate Final Gather Map Now on page 7237 or
the drop-down list next to it (

).

The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Read FG Points Only from
Existing Map Files on page 7235.
Final Gather When on and Lock Final Gather is off (see preceding), generates
or updates a final gather map (FGM) file. If Lock Final Gather is on as well,
mental ray does not perform final gathering, but instead uses cached final
gather map data to save rendering time.
If no FGM file is specified on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Final Gather rollout
(see Final Gather Map group on page 7235), 3ds Max uses the file name temp.fgm.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control, when Lock Final Gather is off, is
Incrementally Add FG Points to Map Files on page 7235.

Clear Final Gather Cache Deletes the cached final gather solution.
The equivalent Render Setup dialog control is Reuse rollout ➤ Final Gather
Map group ➤ Delete File on page 7237.

_____
NOTE The following two controls move to the Rendered Frame Window lower
panel from the upper panel when the mental ray renderer is active.
Production/Iterative Choose the result of clicking the Render button:
■

ProductionRenders using all the current settings on the Rendered Frame
Window, Render Setup, dialog, and so on.

6978 | Chapter 18 Rendering

■

IterativeIgnores network rendering, rendering of multiple frames, file
output, export to MI files, and email notification. Also, with the scanline
renderer, rendering Selected on page 6995 leaves the rest of the Rendered
Frame Window intact in Iterative mode.
Use this option when doing quick iterations on the image, usually in parts;
for example, working on final gather settings, reflections, or specific objects
or areas of the scene.

This choice is also available from a drop-down in the bottom-left corner of
the Render Setup dialog. And you can render in either mode from the render
flyout on page 6998 on the main toolbar.
Render Renders the scene using the current setup.

Render Output File Dialog
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout ➤ Render Output group ➤ Click
Files. ➤ Render Output File
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Common Parameters rollout ➤ Render Output group ➤ Click Files. ➤
Render Output File
The Render Output File dialog lets you assign a name to the file that the
rendering will output. You can also determine the type of file to render.
Depending on your choice of file type, you can also set up options such as
compression, and color depth and quality.
See also:
■

Image File Formats on page 8411

Procedures
To name the render output file:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Render Setup, and then in the Render Output
group of the Common Parameters rollout, click Files.
This opens the Render Output File dialog.

Render Output File Dialog | 6979

2 Use the Save In field near the top of the dialog to choose the directory
in which to save the rendered file.
3 In the File Name field, enter the name for the file to be rendered.
TIP If you enter a filename extension as well (for instance: myimage.bmp)
and then press Tab, the Setup button activates and you can click it to change
the file settings.
4 Choose the type of file you want to render from the Save As Type
drop-down list.
TIP If you entered the filename extension as part of the file name, you can
skip this step.
5 Click Save to close the Render Output File dialog.
Clicking Save also opens a dialog that lets you set the options for the file
format you chose. Adjust these settings (or leave them at their defaults),
and then click OK.
6 On the Render Setup dialog, click the Render button to render the scene
and save the file.
NOTE If a file of the same name already exists, a dialog opens to let you
confirm overwriting it. This dialog also provides a check box for automatically
overwriting render-output files without being prompted for the duration of
the session.

To set up options for the render-output file:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Render and then in the Render Output group of
the Common Parameters rollout, click Files.
The Render Output File dialog opens.
2 In the File Name field, enter the name for the file to be rendered.
3 Navigate the Save In field to choose the directory where you want the
rendered file to be saved.
4 Choose the type of file you want to render from the Save As Type
drop-down list, then click Save.

6980 | Chapter 18 Rendering

A dialog is displayed that lets you set the options for the file format you
chose. Adjust these settings (or leave them at their defaults), and then
click OK.
NOTE You can also view the setup dialog by clicking Setup, if this button is
available.
WARNING Make sure the file name extension in the File Name field matches
the file type in the Save As Type field. Changing the file type does not update
the file name automatically. The file options dialog depends on the type
indicated by the file name, not the type indicated by Save As Type.
5 If the Render Output File dialog is still open, click Save.

Render Output File Dialog | 6981

Interface

History Displays a list of the most recent directories searched. Whenever an
image is selected, the path used is added to the top of the history list as the
most recently used path.
The history information is saved in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file.
Save In Opens a navigation window to browse other directories or drives.

Go to Last Folder Visited Click to return to the folder you previously
browsed to.

6982 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Up One Level Moves you up a level in the directory structure.

Create New Folder Lets you create a new folder while in this dialog.

View Menu Provides several options for how information is displayed
in the list window:
■

Thumbnails: Displays the contents of a directory as thumbnails, without
the details.

■

Tiles: Displays the contents of a directory as large icons, without the details.
If you widen the dialog, these tile across the width.

■

Small Icons: Displays the contents of a directory as small icons, tiled across
the width, without the details.

■

List: Displays the contents of a directory without the details.

■

Details: Displays the contents of a directory with full details such as size
and date.

List of files Lists the contents of the directory, in the format specified by the
View menu.
TIP When the active display format is Details, the contents of the directory are
displayed with Name, Size, Type, Date Modified, and Attributes. You can sort the
list according to a column's contents by clicking that column's label.

_____
File name Displays the file name of the file selected in the list.
Save as type Displays all the file types that can be saved. This serves as a filter
for the list.
NOTE The choice in this field determines the file type saved, regardless of the file
name extension entered in the File Name field.
Save Sets the file information for saving upon rendering. Closes the dialog if
you haven't changed the output file type.
If you've changed the file type, clicking Save opens the Setup dialog for the
specified file type. Change the settings as necessary, and then click OK to close

Render Output File Dialog | 6983

both the Setup and the Output dialogs, or click Cancel to return to the Output
dialog.
Cancel Cancels the file save and closes the dialog.
Devices Lets you choose the hardware output device, for example, a digital
video recorder. To use the device, the device, its driver, and its 3ds Max plug-in
must all be installed on your system.

_____
Setup Displays controls for the selected file type. These vary with each different
file format. Change the settings as necessary, and then click OK or Cancel.
Info If you highlight an existing file in the list, clicking Info displays expanded
information about the file such as frame rate, compression quality, file size,
and resolution. The information here depends on the type of information
saved with the file type.
View If you highlight an existing file in the list, clicking View displays the
file at its actual resolution. If the file is a movie, the Media Player is opened
so the file can be played.

Gamma group
To set up gamma options for the output file, Enable Gamma Correction must
be on in the Gamma panel on page 8917 of the Preferences dialog (Customize
➤ Preferences ➤ Gamma). Otherwise, the Gamma controls are unavailable
in the Render Output File dialog.
■

Use Image’s Own GammaThis option is not available in this dialog.

■

Use System Default GammaUses the system default gamma, as set in the
Gamma panel of the Preferences dialog.

■

OverrideDefines a new gamma for the bitmap that differs from the system
default.
Using Override is not recommended for bitmaps that you render. It is
better to set a system default value, based on the graphic display you use,
and use this same gamma value for all your renderings.

_____
Sequence This is not available in the Render Output File dialog.

6984 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE To render a sequence of still images, choose the Active Time Segment or
define a range of frames in the Common Parameters rollout of the Render Setup
dialog. If you have selected a still image file type, each frame will append a
four-digit number to the name you have selected, incremented with each frame.
Preview When on, enables display of the image as a thumbnail.
Image thumbnail Displays a thumbnail of the selected file. Preview must be
turned on.

_____
Statistics Displays the resolution, color depth, file type, and number of frames
of the selected file.
Location Displays the full path for the file.

View Image File
Rendering menu ➤ View Image File
Choose and view still images, numbered image sequences, images in an IFL
file on page 8420, or animation files using options in the View File dialog. Still
images and numbered image sequences appear in a feature-reduced version
of the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963.
If you choose an IFL file in the file dialog, the Info button displays the contents
of the text file in Windows Notepad.
You can zoom in and out and pan the image. If you have a wheel mouse, you
can use its wheel button to zoom and pan. See the following procedures.
If you choose an animation file (AVI on page 8412 or QuickTime MOV on page
8428), 3ds Max starts the Windows Media Player so that you can play it. The
Media Player has its own Help system.

Procedures
To view a file:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ View Image File.
2 Choose a file type from the Files Of Type list.
3 Choose a file to view.

View Image File | 6985

NOTE The View File dialog uses the last location where a file was chosen,
rather than the default Images path defined on the Configure User Paths
dialog.

To zoom in the Rendered Frame Window, do one of the following:
■

Press Ctrl and click.

■

Using a wheel mouse, roll the wheel forward (away from you).

To zoom out in the Rendered Frame Window, do one of the following:
■

Press Ctrl and right-click.

■

Using a wheel mouse, roll the wheel backward (towards you).

To pan the Rendered Frame Window, do one of the following:
■

Press Shift and drag.

■

Using a wheel mouse, drag with the wheel button held down. (You can
use any three-button device to pan the image.)

6986 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

History Whenever an image is selected, the path used is added to the top of
the history list as the most recently used path.
File selections from other areas of the interface, such as Views ➤ Viewport
Background, are stored here also. The history information is saved in the
3dsmax.ini on page 42 file.
Look In Browses drives and directories.
File Name Displays the name of the selected file.
Files of type Selects the type of files to list in the directory window.

View Image File | 6987

Devices Lets you choose the hardware output device, for example, a digital
video recorder. To use the output device, the device, along with its driver, and
its plug-in must all be installed on your system.
Setup This is unavailable in View Image File.
This option is available only in file dialogs like the Render Output File dialog
or the Viewport Background dialog. Displays a dialog to specify image attributes
for saved files or, in the Select Background Image dialog, the arguments for
creating an IFL file.
Info Displays image information.
View View the selected image or animation.

Gamma group
Selects the type of gamma to be used for the selected file. Available only when
Enable Gamma Selection is turned on in the Gamma panel on page 8917.
Use Image’s Own Gamma Uses the gamma of the incoming bitmap.
Use System Default Gamma Ignores the image’s own gamma and uses the
system default gamma instead, as set in the Gamma panel on page 8917.
Override Defines a new gamma for the bitmap that is neither the image’s
own, nor the system default.

_____
Sequence This is unavailable in View Image File. This option is available in
the Views ➤ Viewport Background ➤ Files ➤ Select Background Image
dialog on page 117. It is used in conjunction with Setup to create IFL files.
Preview Toggle the image preview display.
Preview Window Displays the selected image.

[statistics box]
Displays file statistics and the file's full directory path.

Rendering Commands
The main commands for rendering are on the main toolbar on page 8623 and
the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963. Another way to invoke some of
these commands is to use the default Rendering menu on page 8617, which
contains other commands related to rendering.

6988 | Chapter 18 Rendering

See also:
■

Rendering Effects on page 7515

■

Environment and Atmosphere Effects on page 7620

■

Network Rendering on page 7368

Render Setup
Main toolbar ➤

(Render Setup)

Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup
Keyboard ➤ F10
This command opens the Render Setup dialog on page 6956, which lets you set
the parameters for rendering. Rendering creates a still image or an animation.
It shades the scene's geometry using the lighting you've set up, the materials
you've applied, and environment settings such as background and atmosphere.

Render Setup | 6989

Rendering "fills in" geometry with color, shadow, lighting effects, and so on.

Rendering is multi-threaded and multi-processed on multiple-processor
configurations. A two-processor or dual-core system can render in nearly half
the time a single-processor system can.
Rendering can also take place on multiple systems by using a network. See
Network Rendering on page 7368. For the mental ray renderer, also see
Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7249.

Missing Mapping Coordinates
If the renderer finds a parametric object that requires mapping, it automatically
sets its Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle before rendering the scene. The
toggle remains set after the rendering is done.
In the following cases, however, 3ds Max is unable to supply mapping
coordinates automatically:
■

Non-parametric objects, such as imported meshes, don't have built-in
coordinates.

■

Some third-party (plug-in) objects aren't provided with mapping
coordinates.

6990 | Chapter 18 Rendering

In these cases, 3ds Max is unable to render the scene completely. It displays
a Missing Mapping Coordinates dialog on page 6618 that lists the objects the
renderer couldn't map. To resolve the problem apply a UVW Map modifier
on page 1883 to the objects that the dialog lists.
NOTE If a material has Show Map In Viewport set when that material is assigned
to an object, the object's Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle is set, if it was
not previously set. (The state of Show Map In Viewport is saved with each material.)

Procedures
To render a still image:
1 Activate the viewport to render.

2 Click

(Render Setup).

The Render Setup dialog on page 6956 appears.
3 In the Time Output group, make sure Single is on.
4 In the Output Size group, set other rendering parameters or use the
defaults.
5 Click Render.
By default, the rendering appears in a window.

TIP To render a view without using the dialog, click
(Render Production
on page 6999 or use Render Last on page 7016 (press F9).

To render an animation:
1 Activate the viewport to render.

2 Click

(Render Setup).

The Render Setup dialog on page 6956 appears.
3 Open the Common Parameters rollout on page 7020. Choose a time range
in the Time Output group.

Render Setup | 6991

4 In the Output Size group, set other rendering parameters or use the
defaults.
5 In the Render Output group, click Files.
6 A Render Output File dialog on page 6979 is displayed.
7 Use the file dialog to specify a name and a type for the animation file,
and then click Save.
A configuration dialog opens that lets you set the options for the file
format you chose. Adjust these settings or leave them at their defaults,
and then click OK.
The configuration dialog closes, and on the Render Setup dialog ➤
Common Parameters rollout, the Save File toggle is now available and
on.
8 Click Render.
NOTE If you set a time range and do not specify a file to save to, the
animation is rendered only to the window. This can be a time-consuming
mistake, so an alert warns you about it.

TIP To render a view without using the dialog, click
(Render Production
on page 6999) or use the Keyboard Shortcut F9 to Render Last on page 7016.

Area to Render
Rendered Frame Window ➤ Area to Render drop-down list
The Area To Render list on the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963 lets you
specify the portion of the scene that will be rendered.

6992 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Area To Render lets you render only a portion of the scene.

Procedures
To render only selected objects:

1

Open the Rendered Frame Window.

2 From the Area To Render drop-down list in the top-left corner of the
window, choose Selected.
3 Activate the viewport to render.

4

Select the objects to render.

5 Render the scene.
3ds Max displays a progress dialog that shows the progress of rendering
and the rendering parameter settings. To stop rendering, click Cancel in
this dialog, or press Esc.
To render a region:
1 Activate the viewport to render, or choose it from the Viewport drop-down
list on the Rendered Frame Window.

Area to Render | 6993

2 On the Rendered Frame Window, click

(Edit Region).

This automatically sets the Area To Render option to Region, and displays
the region window in the Rendered Frame Window and the active
viewport. The window has editing handles and a close box (X).
3 To move the region window, drag inside it. To adjust its size, drag the
handles.
To preserve the window's aspect ratio, press and hold Ctrl before you drag
a handle.
4 Render the scene.
3ds Max renders the region only. In Production mode, the Rendered
Frame Window is cleared before rendering, but in Iterative mode, the
area of the window outside the region remains intact.
To render a blowup:
1 Open the Rendered Frame Window and choose the viewport to render.
2 Choose Blowup from the Area To Render list.

(Edit Region) button appears on the Rendered Frame Window, to
the right of the Area To Render list, and the Blowup region window is
displayed in the active viewport. This window is different from the one
used for Region and Crop.
The Blowup region window does not appear in the Rendered Frame
Window because the region extents might exceed the window area,
depending on the rendering history.
3 To move the window, drag inside it. To adjust the window size, drag its
handles.
The window is constrained to the aspect ratio of the current output size.
4 Render the scene.
3ds Max displays a progress dialog that shows the progress of rendering
and the rendering parameter settings. To stop rendering, click Cancel in
this dialog, or press Esc.

6994 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface
The following choices are available on the Area To Render drop-down list.
NOTE The Box Selected, Region Selected, and Crop Selected options previously
available before 3ds Max 2009 are no longer necessary and have been removed.
To achieve the equivalents, combine an Area To Render option with the Auto
Region Selected on page 6967 option on the Rendered Frame Window.
View (The default.) Renders the active viewport.

Selected Renders the currently selected object or objects only. Rendering a
selection with the scanline renderer leaves the remainder of the Rendered
Frame Window intact. However, mental ray renders the background first, thus
effectively clearing the rest of the frame.
TIP Rendering Selected renders the selection in isolation, without any contribution
from the rest of the scene, such as shadows, reflections, etc. When rendering with
mental ray, to render a selection with full contribution from the other scene
contents, use the Subset Pixels on page 6967 option instead.

TIP
To remove any existing image from the window when rendering with
the scanline renderer, use the Clear button before rendering.

Area to Render | 6995

Region Renders a rectangular region within the active viewport. Using this
option leaves the remainder of the Rendered Frame Window intact except
when rendering an animation, in which case it clears the window first. Use
the Region option when you need to test-render a part of the scene.
When you choose Region from the Area To Render list, the Edit Region on
page 6966 control activates. This causes an editable version of the region to
appear in both the Rendered Frame Window and the active viewport. To move
the region or change its size, drag either region box or its handles, respectively.
If you turn off Edit Region, the region remains visible in the Rendered Frame
Window, but is no longer editable. Alternatively, to set the region to the
current selection automatically, turn on Auto Region Selected on page 6967.

TIP
To remove any existing image from the window, use the Clear button
before rendering.
NOTE Region rendering is meant to create a draft rendering of a selected area of
a view. As such, Region rendering uses only an Area filter for antialiasing, regardless
of which antialiasing is chosen in the Render Setup dialog.

6996 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Crop Lets you specify the size of the output image using the same region box
that appears for the Region option.

After you choose Crop from the Area To Render list, turn on Edit Region on
page 6966 to cause a rectangular render region to appear in the active viewport.
To move the region or change its size, drag the region box or its handles,
respectively. Alternatively, to set the region to the current selection
automatically, turn on Auto Region Selected on page 6967.

Area to Render | 6997

Blowup Renders a region within the active viewport and enlarges it to fill the
output display.

After you choose Blowup from the Area To Render list, turn on Edit Region
on page 6966 to cause a rectangular render region to appear in the active
viewport. To move the region or change its size, drag the region box or its
handles, respectively. Alternatively, to set the blowup region to the current
selection automatically, turn on Auto Region Selected on page 6967.

Render Flyout
Main toolbar ➤ Render flyout
The Render flyout provides a few different rendering options.
The Render flyout lets you choose among these buttons:

■

Render Production on page 6999

■

Render Iterative on page 7000

6998 | Chapter 18 Rendering

ActiveShade on page 7000

■

The Render buttons let you render the scene using the settings without using
the Render Setup dialog on page 6956. Choosing one of these buttons also
changes which rendering settings are active on the Render Setup dialog.
Invoking the Render command from the Rendering menu or by pressing
Shift+Q uses the active mode on the Render flyout.
By default, all the rendering options use the default scanline renderer on page
7042. You can change the renderer assigned to Production or ActiveShade by
using the Assign Renderer rollout on page 7034 on the Render Setup dialog ➤
Common panel.

Render Production
Main toolbar ➤ Render flyout ➤

(Render Production)

The Render Production command, available on the Render flyout on page 6998
on the main toolbar, renders the scene using the current production render
settings without opening the Render Setup dialog on page 6956. You can activate
Production rendering mode without rendering from the drop-down list in the
bottom-left corner of the Render Setup dialog, and in the top-right corner of
the Rendered Frame Window.
You assign which renderer to use for production rendering on the Assign
Renderer rollout on page 7034 of the Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel.
See also:
■

Render Iterative on page 7000

■

ActiveShade on page 7000

Render Production | 6999

Render Iterative
Main toolbar ➤ Render flyout ➤

(Render Iterative)

The Render Iterative command, available from the Render flyout on page 6998
on the main toolbar, renders the scene in iterative mode without opening the
Render Setup dialog on page 6956. You can activate Iterative rendering mode
without rendering from the drop-down list in the bottom-left corner of the
Render Setup dialog, and in the top-right corner of the Rendered Frame
Window.
Iterative rendering ignores file output, network rendering, rendering of multiple
frames, export to MI files, and email notification. Use this option when doing
quick iterations on the image, usually in parts; for example, working on final
gather settings, reflections, or specific objects or areas of the scene.
Also, when rendering in Iterative mode, rendering Selected on page 6995 or
Region on page 6996 leaves the rest of the Rendered Frame Window intact.
See also:
■

Render Production on page 6999

■

ActiveShade on page 7000

ActiveShade
Main toolbar ➤ Render flyout ➤

(ActiveShade)

Keyboard ➤ Shift+Q (Uses the Render mode currently active on the toolbar:
either Production or ActiveShade)
The ActiveShade button, available from the Render flyout on page 6998, creates
an ActiveShade on page 7001 rendering in a floating window.
You assign which renderer to use for ActiveShade rendering on the Assign
Renderer rollout on page 7034 of the Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤
Common panel.

7000 | Chapter 18 Rendering

See also:
■

Render Production on page 6999

■

Render Iterative on page 7000

Rendering with ActiveShade
Main toolbar ➤ Render flyout ➤

(ActiveShade)

Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label. ➤ POV viewport
label menu on page 8712 ➤ ActiveShade
ActiveShade gives you a preview rendering that can help you see the effects
of changing lighting or materials in your scene. When you adjust lights or
materials, the ActiveShade window interactively updates the rendering.

ActiveShade | 7001

ActiveShade preview of material changes
Above left: Before the update
Above right: After changing the material for the fabric to a mapped material and
increasing the highlights on the material for the wood

7002 | Chapter 18 Rendering

ActiveShade preview of lighting changes
Above left: Before moving a light in a viewport
Above right: After moving the light

There are two ActiveShade options:
■

■

ViewportThe ActiveShade rendering appears in the active viewport.

FloaterThe ActiveShade rendering appears in its own window.

Only one ActiveShade window can be active at a time. If you choose one of
the ActiveShade commands while an ActiveShade window is already active,
you get an alert that asks whether you want to close the previous one. If the

ActiveShade | 7003

previous ActiveShade window was docked in a viewport, the viewport reverts
to the view it previously showed.
TIP You can drag and drop materials from the Material Editor on page 6019 to
ActiveShade windows and viewports, as you can with other viewports.

NOTE
You can't make a maximized viewport an ActiveShade window, or
maximize an ActiveShade window.

ActiveShade Commands
When you right-click an ActiveShade window, the quad menu on page 8640
displays an ActiveShade menu. This menu contains a number of ActiveShade
commands on page 7010.

ActiveShade and Object Selection
If you select an object before you invoke ActiveShade, ActiveShade is done
only for that object. This can greatly increase the speed of ActiveShade.
Similarly, once the ActiveShade window is open, the initialize and update
steps on page 9083 (whether automatic or manual) are done only for the selected
object.
In a "docked" ActiveShade viewport, you can select objects by right-clicking,
turning on Select Object in the Tools (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu,
then clicking the object you want to select. In an ActiveShade viewport, only
one object at a time can be selected.
TIP When an object in an ActiveShade window has a mapped material, select it
before you change a map or adjust its parameters.

What ActiveShade Does and Doesn't Do
For the sake of interactivity, the ActiveShade window is limited in what it can
update interactively. An ActiveShade rendering is typically less precise than
a final production rendering.

7004 | Chapter 18 Rendering

TIP When you change geometry by transforming it or modifying it, right-click
the ActiveShade window and choose Tools ➤ Initialize from the quad menu
(lower-right quadrant). This updates the ActiveShade rendering.
■

Moving an object does not update the ActiveShade window.

■

Applying a modifier or otherwise changing object geometry does not
interactively update the ActiveShade window.

■

Reflections are rendered only in the Initialize pass.

■

Materials are displayed as RGBA data with 8 bits per channel.

■

Multiple changes to a material might lead to deterioration in image quality.
If you see this happening, right-click the ActiveShade window and choose
Tools ➤ Initialize from the quad menu (lower-right quadrant).

■

Masks are reduced from 8x8 to 4x4 subdivisions per pixel. The mask is
corrected to 6-bit opacity (0 to 63 rather than 0 to 255). This might result
in some visual noise around object edges.

■

Because of the preceding item, filters are coarser than in full-scale
renderings, but they still have significant subpixel information.

■

There is a limitation of 16 subdivisions per pixel. Because of this, any
objects behind the sixteenth occluding object for a given pixel will be
ignored. Rendered back faces count as separate objects.

■

Reshading uses compressed normals and other direction vectors. This
should have no visible effect.

■

ActiveShade does not render atmospheric effects, rendering effects, or
ray-traced shadows (the only shadows it can render are shadow-mapped
shadows).

Procedures
To display an ActiveShade window in a viewport:
■

Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label. From the POV
viewport label menu on page 8712, choose ActiveShade.

NOTE
You can't make a maximized viewport an ActiveShade window,
or maximize an ActiveShade window.

ActiveShade | 7005

To display a free-floating ActiveShade window:

■

Choose ActiveShade from the Render flyout on page 6998.

NOTE As with the Render command, the ActiveShade window respects the Output
Size setting from the Render Setup dialog on page 6956. To use a different render
size, set it first with Render Setup, and then open the ActiveShade window.
To update an ActiveShade window after moving an object or changing object
geometry:
1 Right-click the ActiveShade window.
2 In the Tools (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu, choose Initialize.
To see the toolbar in an ActiveShade viewport:
1 Click the viewport to make it active.
2 Press the Spacebar to display the toolbar.
Pressing spacebar again toggles the toolbar off, and so on.
You can also turn toolbar display on or off by right-clicking and using
the quad menu.
To change an ActiveShade viewport to another kind of viewport:
1 Turn on the toolbar in the ActiveShade viewport.
2 Right-click the toolbar.
3 In the pop-up menu, choose the type of view to display.
You can also restore the viewport to its previous status by right-clicking
the viewport and choosing View (upper-left) quad ➤ Close.
To zoom and pan in an ActiveShade window:
You can zoom in and out and pan the image in the ActiveShade window. You
can even do this while a scene is rendering.
1 Hold down Ctrl and then click to zoom in, right-click to zoom out.
2 Hold down Shift and then drag to pan. (The window must be zoomed
in.)

7006 | Chapter 18 Rendering

If you have a three-button mouse, you can use its third button or wheel to
zoom and pan:
1 Roll the wheel to zoom in or out.
2 Press the wheel, and drag to pan.
NOTE You can use any third-button pointing device to pan the image. To
enable this, choose the Pan/Zoom option on the Viewports panel on page
8896 of the Preferences dialog.

Interface
Both the viewport and floating versions of the ActiveShade window have the
same controls as a Rendered Frame Window on page 6963. In an ActiveShade
viewport, the toolbar is off by default. In a floating ActiveShade window, the
toolbar is always visible.
TIP In an active ActiveShade viewport, you can toggle toolbar display by pressing
the Spacebar. (This is a main user interface shortcut, so the Keyboard Shortcut
Override Toggle can be either on or off.)

ActiveShade | 7007

TIP If you clear the image, you can redisplay it by right-clicking the ActiveShade
window and choosing Tools ➤ Initialize or Tools ➤ Update Shading from the
lower-right quadrant of the quad menu.

ActiveShade Floater
Main toolbar ➤ Render flyout ➤

(ActiveShade)

To create an ActiveShade rendering in its own window, choose the ActiveShade
command from the Render flyout on the main toolbar.
You can open only one ActiveShade window at a time. If you change a viewport
to an ActiveShade view while a floating ActiveShade window is open, you get
a message that asks whether you want to close the floating window or stop
the operation.

7008 | Chapter 18 Rendering

See also:
■

Rendering with ActiveShade on page 7001

■

ActiveShade Commands (Quad Menu) on page 7010

■

ActiveShade Initialize and Update on page 9083

ActiveShade Viewport
Right-click viewport label. ➤ Views ➤ ActiveShade
Creates an ActiveShade rendering on page 7001 that is "docked" in a viewport.
Only one ActiveShade rendering can be displayed at a time. If you try to
display a floating ActiveShade window while an ActiveShade viewport is
displayed, you get a message that asks whether you want to close the docked
ActiveShade rendering, or stop the operation. If you go ahead and close the
docked ActiveShade rendering, the viewport reverts to the view it previously
showed.

ActiveShade Commands
When you right-click an ActiveShade viewport, the quad menu on page 8640
displays an ActiveShade menu. This menu contains a number of ActiveShade
commands on page 7010.

ActiveShade and Object Selection
If you select an object before you invoke ActiveShade, ActiveShade is done
only for that object. This can greatly increase the speed of ActiveShade.
Similarly, once the ActiveShade window is open, the initialize and update
steps on page 9083 (whether automatic or manual) are done only for the selected
object.
In a "docked" ActiveShade viewport, you can select objects by right-clicking,
turning on Select Object in the Tools (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu,
then clicking the object you want to select. In an ActiveShade viewport, only
one object at a time can be selected.
TIP When an object in an ActiveShade window has a mapped material, select it
before you change a map or adjust its parameters.

ActiveShade | 7009

Procedures
To display the toolbar for the ActiveShade viewport:
■

Press the Spacebar.
The Spacebar toggles the toolbar display. In viewports, the toolbar is off
by default.
(This is a main user interface shortcut, so the Keyboard Shortcut Override
Toggle can be either on or off.)

The controls on the toolbar for an ActiveShade viewport are the same as for
a floating ActiveShade window on page 7008.
To change the ActiveShade viewport to another kind of viewport, do one of
the following:
■

Right-click the ActiveShade viewport, and choose Close from the View
(upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu.
The viewport reverts to the view it previously showed.

■

If the toolbar is not visible, press the Spacebar to display it, then right-click
the toolbar and choose the kind of view to display.

ActiveShade Commands (Quad Menu)
When you right-click an ActiveShade window, the lower-left quadrant of the
quad menu displays a set of commands for ActiveShade on page 7001.

Interface

7010 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Render quadrant (upper right)
These are general-purpose commands.
Show Last Rendering Displays the last rendering in a Rendered Frame Window
on page 6963. Not available if no rendering has been made during this session.
Render Setup Displays the Render Setup dialog on page 6956. When you use
the ActiveShade quad menu, Render Setup is set to render the ActiveShade
window initially.
Render Last Repeats the last render, using the last viewport from which you
rendered.
Material/Map Browser Opens a modeless Material/Map Browser on page 6167
dialog.
Material Editor opens the Material Editor on page 6019.

Tools quadrant (lower right)
These are the commands that perform ActiveShade operations.
Draw Region When on, lets you draw a rectangular region of the ActiveShade
window. While it is active, only the region is updated by interactive reshading.
This can save time, and also help you concentrate on just a portion of the
image to be rendered. Default=off.
To turn off Draw Region, click outside the rectangular region. The entire
ActiveShade window is updatable again.
Initialize Initializes the ActiveShade window. To keep the ActiveShade window
current, you need to choose Initialize after transforming, modifying, or
otherwise changing geometry. If you have turned off Automatic
Reinitialization, you also need to choose Initialize after you update a mapped
material.
Rendering can be slow. The initialize pass is meant to take care of the most
time-consuming portions of rendering, to allow the update pass to take place
as quickly as possible. Initialization includes the following steps:
■

Evaluate the scene geometry into meshes.

■

Apply space warps.

■

Do transformations and clipping.

■

Evaluate textures and shade materials.

ActiveShade | 7011

■

Perform optimizations to speed later processing, such as merging fragments
from the same surface that are in the same pixel.

The result of initialization is a buffer. This is a compressed rendering that, like
a G-Buffer on page 9173, contains the rendering plus additional information
used by the second step, updating.
During the initialize pass, progress is indicated by a row of pixels (white by
default) that traverses the top edge of the ActiveShade window.
Update Updates the ActiveShade window. Updating shading takes the buffer
created by the first pass, initialization, and uses information in that buffer to
change the color of pixels when you make changes to lights and materials in
the scene.
During the update pass, progress is indicated by a row of pixels (white by
default) that descends the right edge of the ActiveShade window.
To keep the ActiveShade window current, you need to choose Update Shading
if you have previously turned off Automatic Shading Update.
Select Object (viewports only) When on, you can select an object in the
ActiveShade window by clicking. You can select only one object at a time.
When an objects is selected in the ActiveShade window, the Initialize pass
resamples textures for that object alone. This improves the window's rendering
speed, and is useful when you are adjusting texture display.
Toggle Toolbar (viewports only) Toggles display of the ActiveShade window
toolbar in viewports.
Keyboard shortcut: Spacebar

NOTE
The Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 9008 must be on
for the spacebar to toggle the ActiveShade toolbar.

Options quadrant (lower left)
These commands control how the ActiveShade window behaves.
Act Only On Mouse Up When on, changes you make to light and material
parameters (for example, the RGB or Multiplier spinners) update the
ActiveShade window only after you release the mouse. When off, changes to
these parameters are updated immediately, as you drag the mouse. Default=on.
Turning off Act Only On Mouse Up can make the ActiveShade window more
responsive to changes, but it can also slow performance.

7012 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Auto Initialization When on, changes you make to textures (mapped
materials) automatically cause the ActiveShade window to initialize.
Default=on.
Initialization can be time consuming in complex scenes. To save time, you
can turn off Automatic Reinitialization, or use Draw Region to restrict
initialization and shading updates to only a portion of the scene.
Auto Update When on, changes you make to lighting, and materials without
maps, automatically cause an update of the ActiveReshade window. Default=on.

View quadrant (upper left)
Close Closes the ActiveShade window. If the ActiveShade window was docked
in a viewport, the viewport reverts to the view it previously displayed.

Preset Rendering Options
Render Setup dialog ➤ Preset drop-down list (near the bottom of the panel)
Rendered Frame Window ➤ Render Preset drop-down list (in the top row of
controls)
Render Shortcuts toolbar on page 8631 ➤ drop-down list
Preset rendering options are available on the Render Setup dialog on page 6956,
the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963, and the Render Shortcuts toolbar
on page 8631. Some of the presets are tailored for relatively quick, preview
renderings; others are for slower but higher quality renderings. You can save
and load presets as RPS files.

Preset Rendering Options | 7013

In addition to the default presets that ship with 3ds Max, you can create your
own. At the bottom of the Preset list, two choices let you use and create your
own custom presets:
Load Preset When you choose Load Preset, 3ds Max opens a file selector
dialog that lets you choose the RPS file to load.

7014 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Each category corresponds to one panel of the Render Setup dialog. Choose
which panel's settings you want to load from the RPS file, and click Load.
Once you load a custom preset file, its name appears on the drop-down list,
along with the default choices.
IMPORTANT Although you assign the renderer on the Common panel of the
Render Setup dialog, the renderer assignment is not among the Common category
settings in the RPS file. Instead, each preset has a separate category for the current
renderer assignment. For example, if the current renderer is the Default Scanline
Renderer, the Select Preset Categories dialog will have a category labeled Default
Scanline Renderer.
Save Preset When you choose Save Preset, 3ds Max first opens a file selector
dialog that lets you name the RPS file. After that, the Select Preset Categories
dialog opens.

Each category corresponds to one panel of the Render Setup dialog. Choose
which panel's settings you want to save, and then click Save. Once you save
a custom preset file, its name appears on the drop-down list, along with the
default choices.
IMPORTANT Even though the renderer is assigned on the Common panel of the
Render Setup dialog, the renderer assignment is not saved with the Common
category in the RPS file. The renderer assignment has its own category on the
Select Preset Categories dialog. For example, if the current renderer is the Default
Scanline Renderer, the Select Preset Categories dialog will have a category labeled
Default Scanline Renderer.
The RPS files that provide the default presets are in the \renderpresets subfolder
of 3ds Max folder. We recommend you save your own presets in this subfolder
as well. If you choose a different location, 3ds Max saves the full path name.

Preset Rendering Options | 7015

(You can also use the Configure User Paths dialog ➤ File I/O panel on page
8875 ➤ RenderPresets setting to specify a custom location.)

Render Last
Keyboard ➤ F9
The Render Last command repeats the last render (whether a render view,
render region, render blowup, or render selected) using the last viewport from
which you rendered.
WARNING Render Last does not save to a file, even if the previous rendering did
so.

Print Size Wizard
Rendering menu ➤ Print Size Assistant
The Print Size Wizard feature is useful when you plan to print a rendered
image. It lets you specify output size, resolution, and orientation in terms of
the printed image; that is, using a standard measuring system rather than
pixels. It also indicates the approximate uncompressed size of the image file.
You can render directly from the wizard on your computer or over a network,
or transfer the settings to the Render Setup dialog on page 6956.

Procedures
To use the Print Size wizard:
1 Set up a scene to render.
2 From the Rendering menu, choose Print Size Assistant.
3 Choose a preset paper size, or specify a custom size in inches or
millimeters. Alternatively, specify an image size in pixels.
4 Choose or specify a DPI (dots per inch) ratio for the printed output.
5 Choose an output orientation: Portrait or Landscape.
6 When ready to render to a file, turn on Save File, click the Files button,
and use the resulting Select TIFF File dialog to specify an output image
file.

7016 | Chapter 18 Rendering

7 Do one of the following:
■

To render immediately, click Render.

■

To set further rendering properties, click Render Setup.

Interface

Paper Size group
drop-down list The Paper Size drop-down list lets you choose from several
standard print resolutions and aspect ratios. Choose one of these formats, or
leave it set to Custom to use the other controls in the Paper Size group. These
are the options you can choose from on the list:
■

Custom

■

A - 11 x 8.5 in. (at 300 dpi)

■

B - 17 x 11 in. (at 200 dpi)

■

C - 22 x 17 in. (at 150 dpi)

Print Size Wizard | 7017

■

D - 34 x 22 in. (at 100 dpi)

■

E - 44 x 34 in. (at 75 dpi)

■

A0 - 1189 x 841 mm (at 75 dpi)

■

A1 - 841 x 594 mm (at 100 dpi)

■

A2 - 594 x 420 mm (at 150 dpi)

■

A3 - 420 x 297 mm (at 200 dpi)

■

A4 - 297 x 210 mm (at 300 dpi)

■

A5 - 210 x 148 mm (at 300 dpi)

■

Letter (11 x 8.5 in. at 300 dpi)

■

Legal (14 x 8.5 in. at 300 dpi)

■

Tabloid (17 x 11 in. at 300 dpi)
TIP You can customize the Paper Size list by editing the file plugcfg\printwiz.ini.
If you choose to edit the file, first be sure to save a backup copy of the original.

Portrait/Landscape Choose Portrait for vertically oriented output or Landscape
for horizontal output. The window image provides a graphic depiction of the
orientation.
NOTE Changing between Portrait and Landscape simply switches the Width and
Height settings. The actual orientation depends on the image dimensions. For
example, if you choose Portrait, and then specify a custom size whose width is
greater than its height, the resulting orientation will be horizontal.
TIP After changing this setting, be sure to preview the image using the Show Safe
Frames on page 8716 function on the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label menu on
page 8712. This shows how the output orientation corresponds to the viewport.
Choose Unit Lets you specify whether the measurement units for Paper Width
and Paper Height are in millimeters (mm) or inches.
Choose DPI Value Provides four buttons for commonly used dots-per-inch
settings: 72, 150, 300, and 600. Click one to set it in the DPI property, below.
Paper Width/Height Specifies the output width and height in mm
(millimeters) or inches, depending on which is chosen under Choose Unit.

7018 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE Changing either setting also changes the corresponding Image size setting.
Image Width/Height Specifies the output width and height in pixels.
NOTE Changing either setting also changes the corresponding Paper size setting.
DPI Specifies the output resolution in dots per inch. The easiest way to set
this is by clicking one of the buttons under Choose DPI Value. If you're using
a different resolution, set it here manually.
Only TIFF files on page 8461 support DPI information. If you render to a different
image format, you might have to later adjust the image resolution using an
image-processing application.
NOTE Changing the DPI setting also changes the Image Width/Height settings,
keeping the same aspect ratio.
Uncompressed File Size Displays the size of the rendered TIFF image file if
no compression is used.

Rendering group
Rendering directly from the Print Size Wizard allows you to output the current
frame to a disk file in TIFF format on page 8461. This format is commonly used
in the publishing industry. To render to a different format, use the wizard's
Render Setup button.
Save File When on, 3ds Max saves the rendered image to disk when you
render. Save File is available only after you specify the output file using the
Files button. Default=off.
Files Opens the Select TIFF File dialog, which lets you specify the output file
name and location. If, during the current session, you already rendered an
image to disk using the Render Setup dialog on page 6956, the last file name
you used appears in this field.
Save Alpha Channel When on, 3ds Max includes an eight-bit alpha channel
on page 9088 in the rendered TIFF file on page 8461. Default=off.
Compress File When on, uses compression when saving the file.
Render Setup Opens the Render Setup dialog on page 6956 and transfers any
settings (such as image size) you've made in the Print Size Wizard. Here you
can make further changes and then render the scene.
Render Renders the scene to the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963. Also
renders to a disk file if you've turned on Save File and specified a file name.

Print Size Wizard | 7019

Common Panel (Render Setup Dialog)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Common panel
The Common panel of the Render Setup dialog contains controls that apply
to any rendering, regardless of which renderer you have chosen, and that lets
you choose renderers.

Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog)
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Common Parameters rollout
The Common Parameters rollout sets parameters common to all renderers.

Procedures
To set the size of the image, do one of the following:
1 In the Output Size group, click one of the preset resolution buttons.
2 In the Output Size group, choose one of the pre-formatted film or video
formats from the drop-down list.
3 In the Output Size group, choose Custom from the drop-down list, and
then adjust the Width, Height, and Aspect Ratio values manually.
TIP Smaller images render much more quickly. For example, you can use
320 x 240 to render draft images, then change to a larger size for your final
work.

To save the rendered still image in a file:
1 In the Render Output group, click Files.
2 In the file dialog, specify a name and a type for the image file, and then
click OK.
The Save File toggle turns on.

7020 | Chapter 18 Rendering

You can later turn off Save File if you want only to view the rendering
on screen.
NOTE The file dialog has a Setup button. This displays a subdialog that lets
you choose options specific to the file type you are saving to.

To alter the pixel aspect ratio:
■

In the Output Size group of the Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Common Parameters rollout, adjust the Pixel Aspect setting to fit the
requirements of your output device.
The Image Aspect field updates to show the aspect ratio of the rendered
output.
If you alter the pixel aspect ratio but also render to a window or a file, the
rendered image might appear distorted.

To speed up rendering time for the purpose of a test (or draft) rendering:
1 In the Options group of the Common Parameters panel, turn on Area
Lights/Shadows As Points.
2 Set any other parameters and click Render.
All area and linear lights in the scene are treated as point lights during
the rendering. This reduces rendering time, however some quality is lost.
When you are ready to render at high quality, you can simply turn off
Area Lights/Shadows As Points and render again.
NOTE Scenes with radiosity on page 7068 are not affected by the Area
Lights/Shadows As Points toggle, as area lights do not have a significant effect
on the performance of a radiosity solution.

Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) | 7021

Interface

7022 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Time Output group
Select which frames you want to render.
Single Current frame only.
Active Time Segment The Active Time Segment on page 9082 is the current
range of frames as shown in the time slider.
Range All the frames between and including the two numbers you specify.
Frames Nonsequential frames separated by commas (for example, 2,5) or
ranges of frames, separated by hyphens (for example, 0-5).
■

File Number BaseSpecifies the base file number, from which the file name
will increment. Range= -99,999 to 99,999. Available only for Active Time
Segment and Range output.

■

Every Nth frameRegular sample of frames. For example, type 8 to render
every 8th frame. Available only for Active Time Segment and Range output.

For example, if the Range of frames is set to 0-3, Every Nth Frame is 1, and
the File Number Base is 15, the output files are file0015, file0016, file0017,
file0018.
You can specify a negative number base, as well. For example, if you're
rendering frames 50-55, and set the File Number Base to -50, the result is
file-050, file-051, file-052, file-053, file-054, file-055.
NOTE If you begin render a range of frames, but haven't assigned a file in which
to save the animation (using the Files button on page 7028), an alert box appears
to warn you about this. Rendering animations can take a long time, and usually
it doesn't make sense to render a range without saving all frames to a file.

Output Size group
Select one of the predefined sizes or enter another size in the Width and Height
fields (in pixels). These controls affect the image's aspect ratio on page 9096.
Drop-down list The Output Size drop-down list lets you choose from several
standard film and video resolutions and aspect ratios. Choose one of these
formats, or leave it set to Custom to use the other controls in the Output Size
group. These are the options you can choose from on the list:
■

Custom

■

35mm 1.316:1 Full Aperture (cine)

■

35mm 1.37:1 Academy (cine)

Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) | 7023

■

35mm 1.66:1 (cine)

■

35mm 1.75:1 (cine)

■

35mm 1.85:1 (cine)

■

35 MM Anamorphic (2.35:1)

■

35 MM Anamorphic (2.35:1) (Squeezed)

■

70mm Panavision (cine)

■

70mm IMAX (cine)

■

VistaVision

■

35mm (24mm X 36mm) (slide)

■

6cm X 6cm (2 1/4" X 2 1/4") (slide)

■

4" X 5" or 8" X 10" (slide)

■

NTSC D-1 (video)

■

NTSC DV (video)

■

PAL (video)

■

PAL DV (video)

■

HDTV (video)

NOTE The values of the Image Aspect and Width and Height buttons can change,
depending on which output format you select from this list.
Aperture Width (mm) Lets you specify an aperture width for the camera that
creates the rendered output. Changing this value changes the camera's Lens
value. This affects the relationship between the Lens and the FOV values, but
it doesn't change the camera's view of the scene.
For example, if you have a Lens setting of 43.0 mm, and you change the
Aperture Width from 36 to 50, when you close the Render Setup dialog (or
render), the camera Lens spinner has changed to 59.722, but the scene still
looks the same in the viewport and the rendering. If you use one of the preset
formats rather than Custom, the aperture width is determined by the format,
and this control is replaced by a text display.
Width and Height Let you set the resolution of the output image by specifying
the width and the height of the image, in pixels. With Custom format, you

7024 | Chapter 18 Rendering

can set these two spinners independently. With any other format, the two
spinners are locked to the specified aspect ratio, so adjusting one alters the
other. The maximum width and height is 32,768 x 32,768 pixels.
Preset resolution buttons (320x240, 640x480, and so on) Click one of these
buttons to choose a preset resolution. You can customize these buttons:
right-click a button to display the Configure Preset dialog on page 7029, which
lets you change the resolution specified by the button.
Image Aspect Lets you set the aspect ratio of the image. Changing this value
changes the Height value to maintain the correct dimensions for the active
resolution. When you use a standard format rather than Custom, you can't
change the aspect ratio, and this control is replaced by a text display.
In 3ds Max, the Image Aspect value is always expressed as a multiplier value.
In written descriptions of film and video, often aspect ratio is also described
as a ratio. For example, 1.33333 (the default Custom aspect ratio) is often
expressed as 4:3. This is the standard aspect ratio for broadcast video (both
NTSC on page 9238 and PAL on page 9257) when letterboxing is not used.
(Letterboxing shows the full width of a wide-screen film format, framed by
black regions above and below.)
When using a custom output size, the lock button to the left of Image
Aspect locks the aspect ratio. When it is on, the Image Aspect spinner is
replaced by a label, and the Width and Height spinners are locked to each
other; adjusting one alters the other to maintain the aspect-ratio value. In
addition, when the aspect ratio is locked, altering the Pixel Aspect value alters
the Height value to maintain the aspect-ratio value.
NOTE In viewports, the camera's cone changes to reflect the image aspect ratio
you set in the Render Setup dialog. This change takes place when you exit the
Render Setup dialog.
Pixel Aspect Sets the aspect ratio of the pixels for display on another device.
The image might look squashed on your display but will display correctly on
the device with differently shaped pixels. If you use one of the standard formats
rather than Custom, you can't change the pixel aspect ratio and this control
is disabled.
The lock button to the left of Pixel Aspect locks the pixel-aspect ratio.
When it is on, the Pixel Aspect spinner is replaced by a label, and you can't
change the value. This button is available only with the Custom format.

Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) | 7025

Images with different pixel aspects appear stretched or squashed on a monitor with
square pixels.

NOTE For standard NTSC on page 9238, the pixel aspect ratio is 0.9. If you are
creating 16:9 (0.778) anamorphic images for NTSC, the pixel aspect ratio should
be 1.184. (As in the previous discussion of Image Aspect, this assumes the image
is not letterboxed.)

Options group
Atmospherics Renders any applied atmospheric effects, such as volume fog,
when turned on.
Effects Renders any applied rendering effects, such as Blur, when turned on.
Displacement Renders any applied displacement mapping.
Video Color Check Checks for pixel colors that are beyond the safe NTSC on
page 9238 or PAL on page 9257 threshold and flags them or modifies them to
acceptable values.
By default, "unsafe" colors render as black pixels. You can change the color
check display by using the Rendering panel on page 8929 of the Preference
Settings dialog on page 8886.

7026 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Render to Fields Renders to video fields on page 9154 rather than frames when
creating animations for video.
Render Hidden Geometry Renders all geometric objects in the scene, even
if they are hidden.
Area Lights/Shadows as Points Renders all area lights or shadows as if they
were emitted from point objects, speeding up rendering time.
When mental ray is the active renderer, this switch is also available on the
Rendered Frame Window ➤ lower panel as the leftmost position of the Soft
Shadows Precision on page 6975 slider. Alternatively, you can use the slider to
adjust soft shadows globally, so that you can still see soft shadows while
speeding up rendering.
TIP This option is useful for draft renderings, as point lights render much faster
than area lights.
NOTE Scenes with radiosity on page 7068 are not affected by this toggle, as area
lights do not have a significant effect on the performance of a radiosity solution.
Force 2-Sided 2-Sided rendering on page 9079 renders both sides of all faces.
Usually, you'll want to keep this option off to speed rendering time. You may
want to turn it on if you need to render the inside as well as the outside of
objects, or if you've imported complex geometry in which the face normals
are not properly unified.
NOTE This switch does not apply to objects that use the mental ray materialArch
& Design on page 6269. In such cases, turn on the material's Advanced Rendering
Options rollout ➤ Back Face Culling check box on page 6318.
Super Black Super Black rendering on page 9322 limits the darkness of rendered
geometry for video compositing. Leave off unless you're sure you need it.

Advanced Lighting group
Use Advanced Lighting When on, 3ds Max incorporates a radiosity solution
on page 7068 or light tracing on page 7055 in the rendering.
Compute Advanced Lighting When Required When on, 3ds Max computes
radiosity when required on a per-frame basis.
Normally, when rendering a series of frames, 3ds Max calculates radiosity only
for the first frame. If, in an animation, it might be necessary to recalculate the
advanced lighting in subsequent frames, turn this option on. For example, a
brightly painted door might open and affect the coloring of a nearby white
wall, in which case the advanced lighting should be recalculated.

Common Parameters Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) | 7027

Bitmap Proxies group
Displays whether 3ds Max is using full-resolution maps or bitmap proxies for
rendering. To change this setting, click the Setup button.
Setup Click to open the Global Settings and Defaults for Bitmap Proxies dialog
on page 8130.

Render Output group
Save File When on, 3ds Max saves the rendered image or animation to disk
when you render. Save File is available only after you specify the output file
using the Files button.
Files Opens the Render Output File dialog on page 6979, which lets you specify
the output file name, format, and location.
You can render to any of the still or animated image file formats on page 8411
that are writable.
If you render multiple frames to a still-image file format, the renderer renders
individual frame files and appends sequence numbers to each file name. You
can control this with the File Number Base setting on page 7023.
Put Image File List(s) in Output Path(s) Turn on to create an image sequence
(IMSQ) file on page 8426, and save it in the same directory as the rendering.
Default=off.
3ds Max creates one IMSQ file (or IFL file) per render element on page 7269. The
files are created when you click Render or Create now. They are generated
before the actual rendering.
Image sequence files can be created by the following kinds of rendering:
■

The Render Setup dialog

■

The Render command

■

Batch rendering

■

Command-line rendering

■

MAXScript rendering

■

ActiveShade rendering

They are not created by the following kinds of rendering:
■

Rendering to textures

■

Video Post rendering

7028 | Chapter 18 Rendering

■

Rendering a panorama

Create Now Click to create the image sequence file “by hand.” You must first
choose an output file for the rendering itself.
[image sequence file type] Choose either of the following:
■

Autodesk ME Image Sequence File (.imsq)When chosen (the default),
creates an Image Sequence (IMSQ) file on page 8426.

■

Legacy 3ds max Image File List (.ifl)When chosen, creates an Image File
List (IFL) file on page 8420 of the kind created by previous versions of 3ds
Max.

Use Device Sends the rendered output to a device such as a video recorder.
First click the Devices button to specify the device, for which an appropriate
driver must already be installed.
Rendered Frame Window Displays the rendered output in the Rendered
Frame Window on page 6963.
Net Render Enables network rendering on page 7368. If this is on, when you
render you'll see the Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415.
Skip Existing Images When activated and Save File is on, the renderer will
skip images in a sequence that have already been rendered to disk.

Configure Preset Dialog
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup Dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout ➤ Output Size group ➤ Right-click
a preset resolution button. ➤ Configure Preset dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup Dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Common Parameters rollout ➤ Output Size group ➤ Right-click a preset
resolution button. ➤ Configure Preset dialog
This dialog lets you change the preset resolution on a button in the Output
Size group of the Common Parameters rollout.

Configure Preset Dialog | 7029

Interface

Width Sets the output width, in pixels.
Height Sets the output height, in pixels.
Pixel Aspect Sets the output pixel aspect ratio.
Get Current Settings Gets the current Width, Height, and Pixel Aspect settings
from the Output Size group, and assigns them to the spinners on this dialog.

Email Notifications Rollout
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Email Notifications rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Email Notifications rollout
This rollout lets a rendering job send email notifications, as network rendering
does. Such notifications can be useful when you launch a lengthy render, such
as an animation, and don't care to spend all your time near the system doing
the rendering.

7030 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Enable Notifications When on, the renderer sends an email notification
when certain events happen. Default=off.

Categories group
Notify Progress Sends emails to indicate rendering progress. An email is sent
every time the number of frames specified in Every Nth Frame has completed
rendering. Default=off.
■

Every Nth FrameThe number of frames used by Notify Progress. Default=1.
TIP If you turn on Notify Progress, almost certainly you want this value to be
greater than the default!

Notify Failures Sends an email notification only if something occurs to prevent
the completion of a rendering. Default=on.
Notify Completion Sends an email notification when a rendering job is
complete. Default=off.

Email Options group
From Enter the email address of the person who initiates the rendering job.
To Enter the email address of the person who needs to know the rendering
status.

Email Notifications Rollout | 7031

SMTP Server Enter the numeric IP address of the system you use as a mail
server.

Scripts Rollout (Render Setup Dialog)
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Scripts rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Scripts rollout
The Scripts rollout lets you specify scripts to run before and after rendering.
The script to execute can be:
■

A MAXScript file (MS)

■

A macro script (MCR)

■

A batch file (BAT)

■

An executable file (EXE)

If relevant to its format, the script can have command-line arguments.
The pre-render script is executed before rendering (but after any other
MAXScript scripts that are registered using the #preRender callback
mechanism). The post-render script is executed after rendering has completed.
You can also use the “Execute Now” buttons to run the scripts “by hand.”

7032 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Pre-Render group
Specifies a script to run before you render.
Enable When on, the script is enabled.
Execute Now Click to execute the script “by hand.”
File name field When a script is selected, this field shows its path and name.
You can edit this field.
File Click to open a file dialog and choose the pre-render script to run.
Delete File Click to remove the script.
Execute Locally (Ignored by Network Rendering) When on, the script must
run locally. If you use network rendering, the script is ignored. Default=off.

Post-Render group
Specifies a script to run after you render.
Enable When on, the script is enabled.
Execute Now Click to execute the script “by hand.”
File name field When a script is selected, this field shows its path and name.
You can edit this field.

Scripts Rollout (Render Setup Dialog) | 7033

File Click to open a file dialog and choose the post-render script to run.
Delete File Click to remove the script.

Assign Renderer Rollout
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Assign Renderer rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Assign Renderer rollout
The Assign Renderer rollout displays which renderers are assigned to the
production and ActiveShade categories, as well as the sample slots in the
Material Editor.
The Render flyout on the toolbar also lets you choose which renderer to use:

■

■

The Render Production and Render Iterative buttons use
the production renderer.

The ActiveShade button uses the ActiveShade renderer.

These are the renderers that ship with 3ds Max:
Default Scanline Renderer on page 7042
mental ray Renderer on page 7129 (not available for ActiveShade)
Quicksilver Hardware Renderer on page 7258 (not available for
ActiveShade)
VUE File Renderer on page 7267 (not available for ActiveShade)
Additional renderers might be available if you've installed them as plug-ins.

7034 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

For each rendering category, the rollout shows the name of the renderer
currently assigned, and a button that lets you change the assignment.
Choose Renderer (“...”) Click the button with the ellipsis to change the
renderer assignment. The button displays a Choose Renderer dialog on page
7035.
■

ProductionChooses the renderer used to render graphic output.

■

Material EditorChooses the renderer used to render sample slots on page
6025 in the Material Editor.
By default, the sample slot renderer is locked to be the same as the
production renderer. You can turn off the lock button to assign a different
renderer for sample slots.

■

ActiveShadeChooses the ActiveShade on page 7001 renderer used to preview
the effects of lighting and material changes in the scene.
The only ActiveShade renderer that ships with 3ds Max is the default
scanline renderer.

_____
Save as Defaults Click to save the current renderer assignments as defaults,
so they will be active the next time you restart 3ds Max.

Choose Renderer Dialog

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Click a Choose Renderer (...) button.

Assign Renderer Rollout | 7035

Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Click a Choose Renderer (...) button.
This dialog appears when you click one of the Choose Renderer (“...”) buttons
on the Assign Renderer rollout on page 7034.

Procedures
To change the renderer assigned to the category you picked, do one of the
following:
■

Highlight another renderer's name in the list, and then click OK.

■

Double-click another renderer's name in the list

Interface

The scrollable list shows the names of renderers that you can assign, exclusive
of the renderer that is currently assigned to the rendering category you are
reassigning.

7036 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Renderers
The topics in this section describe the renderers that are provided with 3ds
Max, and the controls associated with them.

Renderer Panel (Render Setup Dialog)
Main toolbar ➤
panel

(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer

Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel
The Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel contains the main controls for
the active renderer. Depending on which renderer is active, additional panels
can become available.
TIP The default scanline renderer on page 7042 and the mental ray renderer on
page 7129 have different and unique capabilities. Based on these, you decide which
renderer you want to use for each scene. It is a good idea to design materials with
a particular renderer in mind. The mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215 lets
you add features unique to the mental ray renderer to basic 3ds Max materials.

Renderers | 7037

Interface
When the Default Scanline Renderer Is Active

The Renderer panel contains a single rollout:
Default Scanline Renderer Rollout on page 7042
Additional panels are:
■

Advanced Lighting Panel on page 7054

■

Raytracer Panel on page 7120

■

Render Elements panel on page 7269

7038 | Chapter 18 Rendering

When the mental ray Renderer Is Active

The renderer panel contains these rollouts:
Sampling Quality Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7189
Rendering Algorithms Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7195
Camera Effects Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7201
Shadows & Displacement Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7209
Additional panels are:
■

Indirect Illumination panel
Caustics and Global Illumination Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page
7224
Final Gather Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7213
Reuse (FG and GI Caching) Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7231

■

Processing panel
Translator Options Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7240
Diagnostics Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7247

Renderer Panel (Render Setup Dialog) | 7039

Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7249
■

Render Elements panel on page 7269

When the Quicksilver Hardware Renderer Is Active

The Renderer panel contains a single rollout:
Quicksilver Hardware Renderer on page 7258
Additional panels are:
■

Render Elements panel on page 7269

7040 | Chapter 18 Rendering

When the VUE File Renderer Is Active

The Renderer panel contains a single rollout:
VUE File Renderer on page 7267

Default Scanline Renderer
The topics in this section describe controls that are specific to the Default
Scanline Renderer.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7041

A rendering created by the scanline renderer

Default Scanline Renderer Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Assign
Renderer rollout ➤ Choose Default Scanline Renderer as the production
renderer. ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Default Scanline Renderer rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Assign Renderer
rollout ➤ Choose Default Scanline Renderer as the production renderer. ➤
Renderer panel ➤ Default Scanline Renderer rollout
This rollout sets parameters for the default scanline renderer on page 9292.

7042 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE If your scene includes animated bitmaps (e.g., AVI files), including materials,
projector lights, environments, and so on, each animation file is reloaded once
per frame. If your scene uses multiple animations, or if the animations are
themselves large files, this reloading can hamper rendering performance. To
improve performance, use image sequences (each animation frame in a separate
image file) instead.

Environment Alpha Toggle and Filtering
To control whether or not the renderer uses the environment map's alpha
channel in creating the alpha for the rendered image, choose Customize ➤
Preferences ➤ Rendering on page 8929, and then turn on Use Environment
Alpha in the Background group. If Use Environment Alpha is off (the default),
the background receives an alpha value of 0 (completely transparent). If Use
Environment Alpha is on, the alpha of the resulting image is a combination
of the scene and the background image's alpha channel. Also, when you render
to TGA files on page 8459 with premultiplied alpha on page 9273 turned off,
turning on Use Environment Alpha prevents incorrect results.
You can also control whether or not a background image is affected by the
renderer's antialiasing filter. Choose Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ Rendering,
and then turn on Filter Background in the Background group. Default=off.
TIP If you plan to composite 3ds Max objects in another program such as
Combustion or Photoshop, render the objects against a black background.
Otherwise, a fringe of environment or background color can appear around the
3ds Max objects.

Plate Match Filtering
This section describes the Plate Match/MAX R2 antialiasing filter (see
Antialiasing group on page 7047 for descriptions of other filtering options).
In versions of 3ds Max prior to R2.5, antialiasing affected only geometric
edges, with the filtering of bitmaps being controlled in the Bitmap Map
parameters (pyramidal, summed area, or no filtering). Current antialiasing
filters affect every aspect of the object, filtering textures along with geometric
edges.
While the method used in R2.5 and subsequent versions provides superior
results, this method also produces inconsistencies when rendering objects
that are supposed to match the environment background, because the
antialiasing filters do not affect the background by default (FilterBackground=0
in the [Renderer] section of the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file or Customize menu
➤ Preferences ➤ Rendering tab ➤ Background group ➤ Filter Background).

Default Scanline Renderer | 7043

In order to correctly match an objects map to an unfiltered background image,
you need to use the Plate Match/MAX R2 filter so the texture is not affected
by the antialiasing.
There are three ways you can render objects to blend seamlessly into a
background environment:
■

Assign a matte/shadow material on page 6522.

■

Assign a 100% self-illuminated diffuse texture to an object using Camera
Mapping on page 1119.

■

Assign a 100% self-illuminated diffuse texture using Environment/Screen
projection (see Coordinates Rollout (2D) on page 6622).
Use Plate Match/MAX R2 antialiasing when you need to match foreground
objects with an unfiltered background, or when you need to match the
antialiasing qualities of the 3ds Max 2 renderer.

Procedures
To set up an object for motion blurring:

1

Select the object to blur.

2 Right-click the object, and then choose Properties from the quad menu.
3ds Max opens the Object Properties dialog.
3 In the Motion Blur group, click By Layer to change it to By Object.
The other Motion Blur controls are now enabled.
4 In the Motion Blur group, choose either Object or Image.
5 If you chose Image, you can adjust the Multiplier spinner. This increases
or decreases the length of the blurred object's streak.
6 Click OK.
To add motion blur when you render the animation:

1 Click

Render Setup.

3ds Max opens the Render Setup dialog

7044 | Chapter 18 Rendering

2 On the Default Scanline Renderer rollout, turn on Apply in the Object
Motion Blur group or the Image Motion Blur group.
■

For Object Motion Blur, set Duration, Duration Subdivisions, and
Samples.

■

Increase Duration to exaggerate the motion blur effect. Decrease it to
make the blur more subtle.

■

If Samples is less than Duration Subdivisions, the slices used are
selected randomly, giving a grainy look to the blur. If Samples equals
Duration Subdivisions, the blur is smooth. The smoothest blur results
from larger, equal values of these two parameters, but be aware that
this can slow down rendering by a factor of three to four.

■

For Image Motion Blur, adjust Duration and Apply to Environment
Map.

■

Increase Duration to exaggerate the streaking. Decrease it to make it
more subtle.

3 Turn on Apply to Environment map to have camera orbit movement
blur the environment map. This works only with Spherical, Cylindrical,
or Shrink-Wrapped environments.
4 Set other rendering parameters, and then click Render.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7045

Interface

7046 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Options group
Mapping Turn off to ignore all mapping information to speed up rendering
for tests. Affects automatic reflections and environment maps as well as
material mapping. Default=on.
Auto Reflect/Refract and Mirrors Ignores automatic reflection/refraction
maps to speed up rendering for tests.
Shadows When off, cast shadows aren't rendered. This can speed up rendering
for tests. Default=on.
Force Wireframe Set to render all surfaces in the scene as wireframes. You
can choose the thickness of the wireframe in pixels. Default=1.
Enable SSE When on, rendering uses Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE). (SIMD
stands for Single Instruction, Multiple Data.) Depending on the CPU (or CPUs)
of your system, SSE can improve render time. Default=off.

Antialiasing group
Antialiasing Antialiasing on page 9087 smoothes the jagged edges that occur
along the edges of diagonal and curves lines when rendering. Turn off only
when you are rendering test images and greater speed is more important than
image quality.
Turning off Antialiasing disables the Force Wireframe setting. Geometry renders
according to the material assigned it even if Force Wireframe is turned on.
Turning off Antialiasing also disables render elements on page 7269. If you need
to render elements, be sure to leave Antialiasing on.
Filter drop-down list Lets you select a high-quality table-based filter to apply
to your rendering. Filters are the last step in antialiasing. They work at the
sub-pixel level and allow you to sharpen or soften your final output, depending
on which filter you select. Below the controls in this group, 3ds Max displays
a box with a brief description of the filter and how it is applied to your image.
TIP Render Region and Render Selected give reliable results only when rendered
with the Area filter.
The following table describes the available antialiasing filters.
Name

Description

Area

Computes antialiasing using a variable-size
area filter.
This is the original 3ds Max filter.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7047

Name

Description

Blackman

A 25-pixel filter that is sharp, but without
edge enhancement.

Blend

A blend between sharp area and Gaussian
soften filters.

Catmull-Rom

A 25-pixel reconstruction filter with a slight
edge-enhancement effect.

Cook Variable

A general-purpose filter. Values of 1 to 2.5
are sharp; higher values blur the image.

Cubic

A 25-pixel blurring filter based on a cubic
spline.

Mitchell-Netravali

Two-parameter filter; a trade-off of blurring, ringing, and anisotropy. If the ringing
value is set higher than .5 it will impact the
alpha channel of the image.

Plate Match/MAX R2

Uses the 3ds Max 2 method (no map filtering) to match camera and screen maps or
matte/shadow elements to an unfiltered
background image.
See the section “Plate Match Filtering,”
above, for a discussion of how and why
you might want to use this filter.

Quadratic

A 9-pixel blurring filter based on a quadratic spline.

Sharp Quadratic

A sharp nine-pixel reconstruction filter from
Nelson Max.

Soften

An adjustable Gaussian softening filter for
mild blurring.

Video

A 25-pixel blurring filter optimized for
NTSC and PAL video applications.

7048 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Filter Maps Turns on or off the filtering of mapped materials. Default=on.
TIP Leave Filter Maps turned on unless you are making test renderings and want
to speed up rendering time and save memory.
Filter Size Allows you to increase or decrease the amount of blur applied to
an image. This option is available for only some of the Filter choices.
Setting the Filter Size to 1.0 effectively disables the filter.
NOTE Some filters show additional, filter-specific parameters below the Filter Size
control.
When you render separate elements on page 7269, you can explicitly enable or
disable the active filter, on a per-element basis.

Global SuperSampling group
Disable all Samplers Disables all supersampling on page 9322. Default=off
NOTE SuperSampling settings are ignored by the mental ray Renderer on page
7129, which has its own sampling method.
Enable Global Supersampler When on, applies the same supersampler to all
materials. When turned off, materials set to use the global settings are
controlled by the settings appearing in rendering dialog. All other controls in
the Global SuperSampling group of the rendering dialog will become disabled,
except for the Disable All Samplers. Default=on.
Supersample Maps Turns on or off supersampling for mapped materials.
Default=on.
TIP Leave Supersample Maps on unless you are making test renderings and want
to speed up rendering time and save memory.
Sampler drop-down list Lets you choose which supersampling method to
apply. Default=Max 2.5 Star.
The options for a supersampling method are the same as those that appear
on the SuperSampling rollout on page 6211 in the Material Editor. Some methods
offer expanded options that let you better control the quality of the
supersampling and the number of samples taken during rendering.

Object Motion Blur group
You determine which objects have object motion blur on page 9242 applied to
them by setting Object in the Motion Blur group of the Properties dialog for

Default Scanline Renderer | 7049

that object. Object motion blur blurs the object by creating multiple "time-slice"
images of the object for each frame. It takes camera movement into account.
Object motion blur is applied during the scanline rendering process.
Apply Turns object motion blur on or off globally for the entire scene. Any
objects that have their Object Motion Blur property set are rendered with
motion blur.
Duration Determines how long the "virtual shutter" is open. When this is set
to 1.0, the virtual shutter is open for the entire duration between one frame
and the next. Longer values produce more exaggerated effects.

The effect of changing duration.

Samples Determines how many Duration Subdivision copies are sampled.
The maximum setting is 32.
When Samples is less than Duration, random sampling within the duration
occurs (which is why there might be a slight granular look to the motion blur).
For example, if Duration Subdivision=12 and Samples=8, there are eight
random samples out of 12 possible copies within each frame.
When Samples=Duration, there is no randomness (and if both numbers are
at their maximum value (32), you get a dense result (which costs between 3–4
times the normal rendering time for that specific object).
If you want to obtain a smooth blur effect, use the maximum settings of 32/32.
If you want to cut down rendering time, values of 12/12 will give you much
smoother results than 16/12.
Because sampling happens within the duration, the Duration value always
has to be less than or equal to Samples.

7050 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Duration Subdivisions Determines how many copies of each object are
rendered within the Duration.

Left: Same value for Samples and Subdivisions.
Right: Samples value is less than Subdivisions.

Image Motion Blur group
You determine which objects have image motion blur on page 9190 applied to
them by setting Image in the Motion Blur group of the Properties dialog for
that object. Image motion blur blurs the object by creating a smearing effect
rather than multiple images. It takes camera movement into account. Image
motion blur is applied after scanline rendering is complete.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7051

The coin on the right has Image Motion Blur applied

You can’t put image motion blur on objects that change their topology.
TIP When blurred objects overlap, sometimes blurring doesn't work correctly and
there are gaps in the rendering. Because image motion blur is applied after
rendering, it can't account for object overlap. To fix this problem, render each
blurred object separately, to a different layer, and then composite the two layers
using the Alpha Compositor in Video Post.

7052 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE Image motion blur doesn't work for NURBS objects that are animated so
their tessellation (surface approximation on page 2762) changes over time. This
happens when sub-objects are animated independently of the top-level NURBS
model on page 9239. Nor does image motion blur work on any of the following:
■

Anything with an Optimize.

■

Any primitive with animated segments.

■

MeshSmooth of any type with a "Smoothness" value (under iterations)
other than 1.

■

MeshSmooth on polygons with Keep Faces Convex on.

■

Anything with Displacement Material.

In general, if you have objects with changing topology, use scene or object
motion blur rather than image motion blur.
Apply Turns image motion blur on or off globally for the entire scene. Any
objects that have their Image Motion Blur property set are rendered with
motion blur.
Duration Specifies how long the "virtual shutter" is open. When this is set to
1.0, the virtual shutter is open for the entire duration between one frame and
the next. The higher the value, the greater the motion blur effect.
Apply to Environment Map When set, image motion blur is applied to the
environment map as well as to the objects in the scene. The effect is noticeable
when the camera orbits.
The environment map should use Environment mapping: Spherical,
Cylindrical, or Shrink-Wrap. The image motion blur effect doesn't work with
Screen-mapped environments.
Transparency When on, image motion blur works correctly with transparent
objects that overlap. Applying image motion blur to transparent objects can
increase rendering time. Default=off.

Auto Reflect/Refract Maps group
Rendering Iterations Sets the number of inter-object reflections in non-flat
automatic reflection maps. Although increasing this value can sometimes
enhance image quality, it also increases rendering time for reflections.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7053

Color Range Limiting group
Color Range Limiting allows you handle over-brightness by toggling between
either Clamping or Scaling color components (RGB) that are out of range (0
to 1). Typically, specular highlights can cause color components to rise above
range while using filters with negative lobes can cause color components to
be below range. You choose one of two options to control how the renderer
handles out of range color components:
■

ClampTo keep all color components in range Clamp will change any color
with a value greater than 1 down to 1 while any color below 0 will be
clamped at 0. Any value between 0 and 1 will not change. Very bright
colors tend to render as white when using Clamp since hue information
can be lost in the process.

■

ScaleTo keep all color components in range Scale will preserve the hue of
very bright colors by scaling all three color components so that the
maximum component has a value of 1. Be aware that this will change the
look of highlights.

Memory Management group
Conserve Memory When on, rendering uses less memory at a slight cost of
memory time. Memory saved is in the range of 15 to 25 percent. The time
cost is about four percent. Default=off.

Advanced Lighting Panel

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Assign
Renderer rollout ➤ Set Production to Default Scanline Renderer. ➤ Advanced
Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Assign Renderer
rollout ➤ Set Production to Default Scanline Renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting
panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout
The Advanced Lighting rollout lets you select one of the advanced lighting
options that accompany the default scanline renderer on page 7042: either the
Light Tracer on page 7055 or Radiosity on page 7068.

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The Light Tracer provides soft-edged shadows and color bleeding for brightly-lit
scenes such as outdoor scenes. Radiosity provides physically accurate modeling
of the light in a scene.

Interface
Until you choose an advanced lighting option, the Advanced Lighting panel
displays a single rollout, Select Advanced Lighting.

List of plug-ins Choose an advanced lighting option from this drop-down
list. Default=No advanced lighting chosen.
Active When an advanced lighting option is chosen, use Active to toggle
whether the advanced lighting is used when you render your scene.
Default=On.

Light Tracer

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose
Default Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced
Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Light Tracer
from the drop-down list.
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose Default
Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting
panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Light Tracer from the
drop-down list.
The Light Tracer provides soft-edged shadows and color bleeding for brightly-lit
scenes such as outdoor scenes. It is typically used in conjunction with a

Default Scanline Renderer | 7055

Skylight on page 5771. Unlike radiosity on page 7068, the Light Tracer does not
attempt to create a physically accurate model, and can be easier to set up.

Outdoor scene lit by Skylight and rendered with light tracing

7056 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Character lit by Skylight and one spotlight, and rendered with light tracing
Model by Sonny Sy — orange_3D@yahoo.com — www.geocities.com/orange_3D

Default Scanline Renderer | 7057

TIP While you can use light tracing for indoor scenes, radiosity is usually the better
choice in such cases.

Previewing the Effect of Light Tracing
■

To get a quick preview of the effect the Light Tracer will have, lower the
values of Rays/Sample and Filter Size.
The result will be a grainy version of the full effect.

■

Another way to get a quick preview is to make sure Adaptive Undersampling
is turned on. In this group, set the Initial Sample Spacing sampling and
the Subdivide Down To setting to the same value. In the General Settings
group, lower the value of Rays/Sample, and set Bounces equal to 0.0. This
gives a rather blotchy but fast preview of the rendering. Increase the
Rays/Sample and Filter Size values to improve the image quality.
In general, you can get good, fairly quick results with a lower Filter Size
value as long as Rays/Sample has a high value and Adaptive Undersampling
is on.

Other Tips for Using the Light Tracer
■

To improve rendering time, use the Object Properties dialog on page 221
to disable light tracing (or radiosity solving) for objects that don't have a
great impact on the final effect.
TIP You can also use the Advanced Lighting Override material on page 6588 to
alter the effect of light tracing on particular objects. For example, if you
encounter visual artefacts with a bump-mapped material, convert it to an
Advanced Lighting Override material and reduce the Indirect Light Bump Scale
value.

■

Experiment with the Adaptive Undersampling group settings, which restrict
light tracing to the areas of your scene that need it.

■

To increase the amount of color bleeding, increase the values of both
Bounces and Color Bleed. Color bleeding is usually a subtle effect.

■

If there are glass objects in the scene, increase the Bounces value to an
amount greater than 0. But be aware that this increases rendering time.

■

If the main scene lighting is a Skylight on page 5771, and you need specular
highlights in your scene, add a second light: for example, a Directional
light that parallels the Skylight. Make sure Shadows are turned on for this
light, and on the light's Advanced Effects rollout on page 5817, turn off
Diffuse.

7058 | Chapter 18 Rendering

If the objects with highlights don't greatly affect shadows or color bleeding,
you can leave Diffuse on for this light, and use Object Properties to exclude
the objects from light tracing.
■

Set Key filters are not taken into account when you animate Light Tracer
settings. If you wish to use Set Key to create keys for animating the Light
Tracer parameters, Shift+right-click the spinner to create those keys.
IMPORTANT If you use a texture map with the Skylight, you should use an
image-processing program to thoroughly blur the map before using it. This
helps reduce variance and the number of rays needed for light tracing. You
can blur the map beyond recognition, and it will still look correct when used
for regathering.

Procedures
To set up a scene for the Light Tracer:
This is a typical use case:
1 Create the geometry for an outdoor scene.
2 Add a Skylight on page 5771 to illuminate it.
One or more spotlights can also work well. If you use the physically based
IES Sun or IES Sky lights, using an exposure control on page 7665 is essential.
3 Choose Rendering ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Light Tracer.
This opens the Render Setup dialog to the Advanced Lighting panel and
activates Light Tracer.
4 Adjust the Light Tracer parameters, activate the viewport to render, and
then activate the Common panel.
5 Adjust your rendering settings, and then click the Render button at the
bottom of the dialog.
The scene renders with soft-edged shadows and color bleeding.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7059

Interface

General Settings group
Global Multiplier Controls the overall lighting level. Default=1.0.

Left: Lower Global Multiplier value

7060 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Right: Higher Global Multiplier value

Object Multiplier Controls the level of light reflected by objects in the scene.
Default=1.0.
NOTE This setting has little effect unless Bounces is greater than or equal to 2.
Sky Lights [toggle] When on, enables regathering from the Skylights in the
scene. (A scene can contain more than one Skylight.) Default=on.
Sky Lights [amount] Scales the intensity of the Skylights. Default=1.0.

Above: Increasing the Sky Lights value
Below: Increasing the Object Multiplier value

Color Bleed Controls the strength of color bleeding. Color bleeding results
when light is interreflected among scene objects. Default=1.0.
NOTE This setting has little effect unless Bounces is greater than or equal to 2.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7061

Above: Excessive color bleeding
Below: Color bleeding eliminated by setting Color Bleed to 0.0

Rays/Sample The number of rays cast per sample (or pixel). Increasing this
value increases the smoothness of the effect, at a cost of render time.
Decreasing this value results in a grainier effect, but renders more quickly.
Default=250.
TIP To get a “first draft” preview of the effect of light tracing, reduce the value
of Rays/Sample and the Filter Size.

Changing the number of rays per sample

7062 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The higher the value, the less grain

Color Filter Filters all light falling on objects. Set to a color other than white
to tint the overall effect. Default=white.
Filter Size The size, in pixels, of the filter used to reduce noise in the effect.
Default=0.5.
TIP Filter Size is especially useful when Adaptive Undersampling is turned off, and
Rays/Sample has a low value.

Changing the Filter Size value
Increasing Filter Size reduces noise in the rendering.

Extra Ambient When set to a color other than black, adds that color as extra
ambient light on objects. Default=black.
Ray Bias Ray Bias, like Shadow Bias on page 9304, adjusts the positioning of
the bounced light effects. Use it to correct rendering artifacts, such as the
banding that can occur when an object casts shadows on itself. Default=0.03.
Bounces The number of light-ray bounces that are traced. Increasing this
value increases the amount of color bleeding. Lower values give faster results
with less accuracy, and typically produce darker images. Higher values allow
more light to flow through the scene, resulting in brighter, more accurate
images at a cost of rendering time. Default=0.
When Bounces equals 0, the Light Tracer disregards volumetric lighting.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7063

TIP If your scene has transparent objects such as glass, increase Bounces to be
greater than zero. Be aware that this increases rendering time.

Increasing the number of bounces increases the level of global illumination and the
amount of color bleeding in the rendering.

Cone Angle Controls the angle used for regathering. Reducing this value can
result in slightly higher contrast, especially in regions where lots of small
geometry casts shadows on a larger structure. Range=33.0 to 90.0. Default=88.0.

All rays initially cast are limited by the cone angle

7064 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Volumes [toggle] When on, the Light Tracer regathers light from volumetric
lighting effects such as Volume Light on page 7654 and Volume Fog on page
7646. Default=on.
For volumetric lighting to work with light tracing, Bounces must be greater
than 0.
Volumes [amount] Multiplies the amount of light regathered from volumetric
lighting effects. Increase to increase their impact on the rendered scene,
decrease to decrease their effect. Default=1.0.

Increasing the Volumes value increases the effect of volumetric lighting in the rendering.

Adaptive Undersampling group
These controls can help you speed up rendering time. They reduce the number
of light samples taken. The ideal settings for undersampling vary greatly from
scene to scene.
Undersampling initially takes samples from a grid superimposed on the pixels
of the scene. Where there is enough contrast between samples, it subdivides
that region and takes further samples, down to the minimum area specified
by Subdivide Down To. Lighting for areas not directly sampled is interpolated.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7065

Initial sampling uses a regular grid.

Adaptive undersampling concentrates on transition areas.

TIP If you use adaptive undersampling, try adjusting the Subdivision Contrast
value to obtain the best results. The effect of this control depends on the value of
Rays/Sample.

7066 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Adaptive Undersampling When on, the Light Tracer uses undersampling.
When off, it samples every pixel. Turning this off can increase the detail of
the final rendering, but at a cost of rendering time. Default=on.
Initial Sample Spacing The grid spacing for the initial samples of the image.
This is measured in pixels. Default=16x16.

Initial sample spacing values

Subdivision Contrast The contrast threshold that determines when a region
should be further subdivided. Increasing this value causes less subdividing to
occur. Too low a value can cause unnecessary subdividing. Default=5.0.

Decreasing the subdivision contrast threshold can reduce noise in soft shadows and
bounced lighting.

Subdivide Down To The minimum spacing for a subdivision. Increasing this
value can improve render time at a cost of accuracy. Default=1x1.
Depending on the scene geometry, grids larger than 1x1 might still be
subdivided below this specified threshold.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7067

Show Samples When on, sample locations render as red dots. This shows
where the most sampling has taken place, which can help you choose the
optimal settings for undersampling. Default=off.

Modeling Global Illumination with Radiosity
Radiosity is rendering technology that realistically simulates the way in which
light interacts in an environment.
This topic provides you with a conceptual overview of what radiosity is and
how this global illumination technique relates to other rendering techniques
available in 3ds Max. This information will help you decide which technique
is most suitable for the visualization task you want to perform. By more
accurately simulating the lighting in your scene, radiosity offers you significant
benefits over standard lights:
■

Improved Image Quality: The radiosity technology of 3ds Max produces
more accurate photometric on page 9266 simulations of the lighting in your
scenes. Effects such as indirect light, soft shadows, and color bleeding
between surfaces produce images of natural realism that are not attainable
with standard scanline rendering. These images give you a better, more
predictable representation of what your designs will look like under specific
lighting conditions.

■

More Intuitive Lighting: In conjunction with radiosity techniques, 3ds
Max also provides a real-world lighting interface. Instead of specifying
lighting intensity with arbitrary values, light intensity is specified using
photometric units (lumens, candelas, and so on). In addition, the
characteristics of real-world lighting fixtures can be defined using
industry-standard Luminous Intensity Distribution files (such as IES on
page 5735, CIBSE on page 9116, and LTLI on page 9209), which are obtainable
from most lighting manufacturers. By being able to work with a real-world
lighting interface, you can intuitively set up the lighting in your scenes.
You can focus more on your design exploration than on the computer
graphic techniques required to visualize them accurately.

7068 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Top: A scene rendered without radiosity.
Bottom: The same scene rendered with radiosity.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7069

Computer Graphics Rendering
The 3D models created in 3ds Max contain geometric data defined in
relationship to a 3D Cartesian coordinate system, referred to as world space
on page 9354. The model also contains other information about the material of
each of the objects and the lighting in the scene. The image on a computer
monitor is made up of many illuminated dots, called pixels on page 9270. The
task in creating a computer graphics image of a geometric model is to
determine the color for each pixel based on the model information and a
specific viewpoint (camera).
The color of any specific point on a surface in a model is a function of the
physical material properties of that surface and the light that illuminates it.
Two general shading algorithms: local illumination and global illumination are
used to describe how surfaces reflect and transmit light.

Local Illumination
Local illumination algorithms describe only how individual surfaces reflect
or transmit light. Given a description of light arriving at a surface, these
mathematical algorithms, called shaders in 3ds Max, predict the intensity,
color, and distribution of the light leaving that surface. In conjunction with
a material description, different shaders will determine, for example, if a surface
will appear like plastic or metal or if it will appear smooth or rough. 3ds Max
provides a robust interface for defining a wide array of different surface
materials.
After defining how an individual surface interacts with light at the local level,
the next task is to determine where the light arriving at the surface originates.
With the standard scanline rendering system on page 9292 of 3ds Max, only the
light coming directly from the light sources themselves is considered in the
shading.
For more accurate images, however, it is important to take into account not
only the light sources, but also how all the surfaces and objects in the
environment interact with the light. For example, some surfaces block light,
casting shadows on other surfaces; some surfaces are shiny, in which case we
see in them the reflections of other surfaces; some surfaces are transparent,
in which case we see other surfaces through them; and some surfaces reflect
light onto other surfaces.

Global Illumination
Rendering algorithms that take into account the ways in which light is
transferred between surfaces in the model are called global illumination

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algorithms. 3ds Max offers two global illumination algorithms as an integral
part of its production rendering system: ray-tracing and radiosity.
Before an explanation of how ray-tracing and radiosity work, it’s useful to
understand how light is distributed in the physical world. Consider, for
example, the room shown in the illustration below.

Kitchen lit by two lights

This kitchen above has two light sources. One theory of light considers the
light in terms of discrete particles called photons, that travel from the light
source until they encounter some surface in the kitchen. Depending on the
surface material, some of these photons are absorbed and others are scattered
back out into the environment. The fact that photons traveling at a particular
wavelength are absorbed while others are not is what determines the color of
the surface.
Surfaces that are very smooth reflect the photons in one direction, at an angle
equal to the angle at which they arrive at the surface, the angle of incidence.
These surfaces are known as specular surfaces, and this type of reflection is
known as specular reflection. A mirror is an example of a perfectly specular
surface. Of course, many materials display some degree of both specular and
diffuse reflection.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7071

Left: Specular reflection
Right: Diffuse reflection

The way in which the photons are reflected from a surface depends primarily
on the smoothness of the surface. Rough surfaces tend to reflect photons in
all directions. These are known as diffuse surfaces, and this type of reflection
is known as diffuse reflection (shown above). A wall painted with flat paint
is a good example of a diffuse surface.
The final illumination of the kitchen is determined by the interaction between
the surfaces and the billions of photons emitted from the light source. At any
given point on a surface, it is possible that photons have arrived directly from
the light source (direct illumination) or else indirectly through one or more
bounces off other surfaces (indirect illumination). If you were standing in the
kitchen, a very small number of the photons in the room would enter your
eye and stimulate the rods and cones of your retina. This stimulation would,
in effect, form an image that is perceived by your brain.
In computer graphics we replace the rods and cones of a retina with the pixels
of the computer screen. One goal of a global illumination algorithm is to
re-create, as accurately as possible, what you would see if you were standing
in a real environment. A second goal is to accomplish this task as quickly as

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possible, ideally in real time (30 images per second). Currently, no single global
illumination algorithm can accomplish both goals.

Ray-Tracing
One of the first global illumination algorithms developed is known as
ray-tracing. The ray-tracing algorithm recognizes that although billions of
photons may be traveling about the room, the photons we primarily care
about are the ones that enter the eye. The algorithm works by tracing rays
backward, from each pixel on the screen into the 3D model. In this way, we
compute only the information needed to construct the image. To create an
image using ray-tracing, the following procedure is performed for each pixel
on the computer screen.
1 A ray is traced back from the eye position, through the pixel on the
monitor, until it intersects with a surface. We know the reflectivity of
the surface from the material description, but we do not yet know the
amount of light reaching that surface.
2 To determine the total illumination, we trace a ray from the point of
intersection to each light source in the environment (shadow ray). If the
ray to a light source is not blocked by another object, the light
contribution from that source is used to calculate the color of the surface.
3 If an intersected surface is shiny or transparent, we also have to determine
what is seen in or through the surface being processed. Steps 1 and 2 are
repeated in the reflected (and, in the case of transparency, transmitted)
direction until another surface is encountered. The color at the subsequent
intersection point is calculated and factored into the original point.
4 If the second surface is also reflective or transparent, the ray-tracing
process repeats, and so on until a maximum number of iterations is
reached or until no more surfaces are intersected.

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Ray-tracing: Rays are traced from the camera through a pixel, to the geometry,
then back to their light sources.

The ray-tracing algorithm is very versatile because of the large range of lighting
effects it can model. It can accurately account for the global illumination
characteristics of direct illumination, shadows, specular reflections (for
example, mirrors), and refraction through transparent materials. The main
disadvantage of ray-tracing is that it can be very slow for environments of
even moderate complexity. In 3ds Max, ray-tracing is used selectively on
objects with ray-trace materials on page 6486 that specify ray-tracing as their
shading option. Ray-tracing can also be specified for light sources as the
method for rendering the shadows they cast.
A significant disadvantage of both ray-tracing and scanline rendering is that
these techniques do not account for one very important characteristic of global
illumination, diffuse inter-reflections. With traditional ray-tracing and scanline
rendering, only the light arriving directly from the light sources themselves
is accurately accounted for. But, as shown in the room example, not only does
light arrive at a surface from the light sources (direct lighting), it also arrives
from other surfaces (indirect lighting). If we were to ray-trace an image of the
kitchen, for example, the areas in shadow would appear black because they

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receive no direct light from the light sources. We know from experience,
however, that these areas would not be completely dark because of the light
they would receive from the surrounding walls and floor.
In scanline rendering and traditional ray-tracing (versions of 3ds Max prior
to v5), this indirect illumination is usually accounted for simply by adding
an arbitrary ambient light value that has no correlation to the physical
phenomena of indirect illumination and is constant throughout space. For
this reason, scanline and ray-traced images can often appear very flat,
particularly renderings of architectural environments, which typically contain
mostly diffuse surfaces.

Radiosity
To address this issue, researchers began investigating alternative techniques
for calculating global illumination, drawing on thermal engineering research.
In the early 1960s, engineers developed methods for simulating the radiative
heat transfer between surfaces to determine how their designs would perform
in applications such as furnaces and engines. In the mid-1980s, computer
graphics researchers began investigating the application of these techniques
for simulating light propagation.
Radiosity, as this technique is called in the computer graphics world, differs
fundamentally from ray-tracing. Rather than determining the color for each
pixel on a screen, radiosity calculates the intensity for all surfaces in the
environment. This is accomplished by first dividing the original surfaces into
a mesh of smaller surfaces known as elements. The radiosity algorithm calculates
the amount of light distributed from each mesh element to every other mesh
element. The final radiosity values are stored for each element of the mesh.

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Radiosity: A ray of light that hits a surface is reflected by multiple diffuse rays, which
can themselves illuminate other surfaces. Surfaces are subdivided to increase accuracy
of the solution.

In early versions of the radiosity algorithm, the distribution of light among
mesh elements had to be completely calculated before any useful results could
be displayed on the screen. Even though the result was view-independent,
the preprocessing took a considerable amount of time. In 1988, progressive
refinement was invented. This technique displays immediate visual results
that can progressively improve in accuracy and visual quality. In 1999, the
technique called stochastic relaxation radiosity (SRR) was invented. The SRR
algorithm forms the basis of the commercial radiosity systems provided by
Autodesk.

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An Integrated Solution
Although the ray-tracing and radiosity algorithms are very different, they are
in many ways complementary. Each technique has advantages and
disadvantages.
Lighting
Advantages
Algorithm

Disadvantages

Ray-Tracing

Accurately
renders direct illumination, shadows, specular reflections, and
transparency effects.
Memory Efficient

Computationally
expensive. The
time required to
produce an image
is greatly affected
by the number of
light sources.
Process must be
repeated for each
view (view dependent).
Doesn’t account
for diffuse interreflections.

Radiosity

Calculates diffuse
interreflections
between surfaces.
Provides view independent solutions for fast display of arbitrary
views.
Offers immediate
visual results.

3D mesh requires
more memory
than the original
surfaces.
Surface sampling
algorithm is more
susceptible to
imaging artifacts
than ray-tracing.
Doesn’t account
for specular reflections or transparency effects.

Neither radiosity nor ray-tracing offers a complete solution for simulating all
global illumination effects. Radiosity excels at rendering diffuse-to-diffuse
inter-reflections, and ray-tracing excels at rendering specular reflections. By
integrating both techniques with a production quality scanline rendering
system, 3ds Max offers the best of both worlds. After you create a radiosity
solution, you can render a two-dimensional view of it. In your 3ds Max scene,
ray-tracing adds effects in addition to those that radiosity provides: lights can

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provide ray-traced shadows, and materials can provide ray-traced reflections
and refractions. The rendered scene combines both techniques, and appears
more realistic than either technique alone could provide.
By integrating ray-tracing and radiosity, 3ds Max offers a full range of
visualization possibilities, from fast, interactive lighting studies to images of
exceptional quality and realism.
See also:
■

Radiosity Preferences on page 8948

■

Advanced Lighting Override Material on page 6588

How Radiosity Works in 3ds Max
This topic provides an overview of how radiosity works in 3ds Max.
These are the overall steps:
1 Object by object, 3ds Max loads a copy of the scene into the radiosity
engine.
2 3ds Max subdivides each object according to the Global Subdivision
Settings in the Radiosity Meshing Parameters rollout, or according to the
object's individual object properties, if those differ from the global settings.
3 3ds Max emits a certain amount of rays, based on the average scene
reflectance and number of polygons. The brightest light source will have
more rays to emit than the weakest light source.
4 These rays bounce around randomly in the scene and deposit energy on
the faces.
5 3ds Max updates the viewports by taking all the energy from the faces
and spreading it to the closest vertex.
See the section that follows, “Refinement Steps for Radiosity,” for a more
detailed description of the solution process.

Refinement Steps for Radiosity
The radiosity process involves three stages of increasing refinement. The first
two stages occur during the primary radiosity processing, and the third stage
can be used during the final rendering.

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Within each of the first two stages, you can stop and start the processing at
any time. This can be useful for evaluating interim results or increasing the
level of accuracy you desire. For example, you can interrupt the Initial Quality
stage at 50% and jump ahead to the Refine stage if you wish. However, once
you enter the Refine stage, you cannot continue further iterations of Initial
Quality unless you restart the solution.

The stages of a radiosity solution are Initial Quality, Refine, and then Regathering.

1 Initial Quality
In the Initial Quality stage, the distribution of diffuse lighting in the
scene is calculated by essentially mimicking the behavior of real photons.
Rather than tracing the path of an essentially infinite number of photons,
statistical methods are used to choose a much smaller set of “photon
rays” whose distribution in space is representative of the actual

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distribution. As with any statistical sampling process, the greater the
number of rays used in the approximation, the greater the accuracy of
the solution. During the initial quality stage, the overall appearance of
the lighting level of the scene is established. The results can be
interactively displayed in shaded viewports.
The initial quality stage performs repeated passes, which are shown in
the dialog’s progress bar.
2 Refine Iterations (All Objects) and Refine Iterations (Selected Objects)
Because of the random nature of the sampling during the initial quality
stage, some of the smaller surfaces or mesh elements in the scene might
miss being hit by enough rays (or any rays at all). These small surfaces
remain dark, and result in the appearance of “variance” or dark spots. To
alleviate these artifacts, the Refine stage “regathers light” at every surface
element.
You can perform the Refine stage for the entire scene, or for selected
objects in the scene.
3 Regathering
Even after the Refine stage, it is still possible for visual artifacts to appear
in a scene because of the topology of the original model. These artifacts
sometimes appear as shadow or light “leaks.” To eliminate even these
model-based artifacts, a third, optional refinement stage known as Pixel
Regathering occurs at the time of image rendering. This involves a final
“regather” process for each pixel of the image. Regathering can add a
considerable amount of time to the rendering of a final image, but it also
produces the most detailed and artifact-free images possible.
One benefit of using Regathering is that it means the initial modeling
and mesh resolution don’t need to be nearly as “refined” or “tight” as
would otherwise be required.

Radiosity Workflows
This topic describes how to set up a scene for use with radiosity. Considerations
include the size of the scene and the measuring system, the lighting, and the
materials used in the scene.

Set Units Correctly Before Processing Radiosity
When using imported geometry, make sure the units are consistent in your
scene before processing radiosity. For example, a wall’s height is more likely
to be 8 feet than 8 kilometers. Units in 3ds Max must match the units of the

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model because the radiosity engine always uses an inverse-square falloff for
lights. Therefore, distance is crucial.
To make sure your units are set up correctly, use the Units Setup dialog on
page 8955. The system unit on page 8959 is the most important setting on this
dialog. The system unit is the measurement on which 3ds Max bases its
calculations. The Display Unit is just a tool that lets you customize how units
are displayed in the user interface.
The following two scenarios show how to set unit scales after importing
geometry that has been created using different units than what is currently
set in 3ds Max:
Example 1: You import a table that was created in AutoCAD using metric
scale. The table is 9 units long, which corresponds to an actual length of 90
centimeters. When the table is imported into 3ds Max, it measures 9 scene
units. Therefore, using the Units Setup ➤ System Unit Setup dialog, you must
set System Unit Scale to 1 Unit=10.0 Centimeters. The table now uses the
correct units because it is 90 centimeters long in the 3ds Max model.
Example 2: You have an AutoCAD model that was created using Architectural
Units. The model is a room whose length is 20’4”. In AutoCAD, Architectural
Units are stored as inches. Therefore, before importing the model to 3ds Max,
set the System Unit Scale to 1 Unit=1 inch (this is the default setting). Once
imported to 3ds Max, the room length will measure 20’x12+4”=244 units.
TIP To check dimensions quickly in 3ds Max, use the Measure Distance tool on
page 2913.

Physically Based Workflow
Use radiosity on page 7068 to create physically based lighting simulations. When
doing so, keep in mind the following:
■

Scene dimensions: Make sure your scenes use accurate dimensions, with
consistent units. For example, illumination from a light source in a room
120 meters high differs significantly from that of the same source in a
room 120 inches high.

■

Lights: Work exclusively with Photometric lights on page 5707 and make
sure the light intensities fall within a normal range.

■

Natural Lighting: To simulate natural light, use only IES sun on page 5866
and IES Sky on page 5870. These provide accurate photometric representations
of sunlight and skylight based on a specified location, date and time.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7081

■

Material Reflectance: Ensure that the materials in your scene have
reflectance values on page 6042 within the range of the physical materials
they represent. For example, a painted white wall should have a maximum
reflectance of approximately 80% while a pure white color material
(RGB:255, 255, 255) has a reflectance of 100%. This means that the material
reflects 100% of the energy received.

■

Exposure Control: The exposure control is the equivalent of the aperture
of a camera. Activate an exposure control and set a value that provides the
final results you desire.

To process radiosity for photometric lights using a physically based workflow:
1 Ensure that your geometry is set to a physically correct scale and that the
materials have valid reflectance values.
2 Place photometric lights in your scene. The benefit of this workflow is
that it allows you to place lights in your scene the same way you would
in the real world. You can create new photometric lights or, using the
asset browser on page 8143, drag and drop preset luminaire objects on page
7937 from the included library.
You can also refer to Common Lamp Values on page 5716.
3 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment to display the Environment panel
on page 7621. Select the type of exposure control you want to use (typically
Logarithmic on page 7673).

4 To preview the lighting, click

(Render Production).

At this stage, no processing of radiosity occurs, but you can quickly
confirm that the direct lighting is correct. If you like, adjust the position
of the lights.
5 Choose Rendering ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Radiosity, and then confirm
any alerts that appear. On the Select Advanced Lighting rollout, make
sure Active is on.
6 To process radiosity, on the Radiosity Processing Parameters rollout, click
Start.
Once the Radiosity calculation has been completed, you should see your
results in the viewports. The light levels are stored with the geometry
and you can navigate the model interactively without reprocessing the
scene.

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7 Click

(Render Production) again.

The renderer calculates the direct lighting and shadows and then
integrates the radiosity solution (indirect lighting) as a modulated ambient
light.

Lighting Analysis
After you generate a radiosity solution, you can use the Lighting Analysis tool
on page 7118 to analyze the lighting levels in your scene. This dialog provides
data on material reflectance, transmittance, and luminance.
You can also visualize the light levels in the scene interactively with the Pseudo
Color Exposure Control on page 7686. Rendering to the Rendered Frame Window
displays an additional rendered frame with a legend below the image. The
legend correlates lighting levels and color values.
If you need to generate a lighting report, you can use the Lighting Data
Exporter utility on page 7692 to export the luminance and illuminance data to
a 32-bit LogLUV TIFF file on page 8461 or a pair of PIC files on page 8442 (one
each for luminance and illuminance).
NOTE To obtain the most accurate quantitative analysis of lighting levels, avoid
using colored materials and diffuse maps.

Non-Physically Based Workflow
You don’t necessarily have to work with physically based lights and materials
in order to incorporate radiosity effects into your renderings. But there are a
number of issues that you need to consider:
■

Lights: Because the radiosity engine is physically based, the engine
interprets Standard lights on page 5757 as Photometric lights on page 5707.
For example, a Standard Spot light with a multiplier value of 1.0 is
translated as a Physically Based Spot light with an intensity value of 1500
candelas (default value). This translation value corresponds to the Physical
Scale value in the various exposure controls.
In addition, if your Standard lights use custom attenuation settings (for
example, no attenuation, manual attenuation, or linear decay), the radiosity
engine always solves for these lights using inverse square attenuation,
which is physically correct. This means that the amount of energy that
bounces between surfaces might not be equivalent to the way the Standard
lights render.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7083

■

Natural Lighting: To simulate natural lighting without using the physically
based workflow described above, you can use only a Direct Light on page
5764 for the Sun and Skylight on page 5771 to produce skylight on page 9309.

■

Exposure Control: Standard lights are not physically based, so use the
Logarithmic Exposure Control on page 7673 for the radiosity solution. Be
sure to turn on Affect Indirect Only. The Brightness and Contrast controls
of the exposure control will affect only the radiosity solution and your
lights will render as usual.

To process radiosity with standard lighting:
1 Ensure that your geometry is set to a physically correct scale.

2 On the
Create panel, click
(Lights). Create and position
standard lights on page 5757 in your scene.

3 To preview the lighting, click

(Render Production).

At this stage, the radiosity is not processed, but you can quickly confirm
that the direct lighting is correct. Adjust the position of the lights if
desired.
4 Choose Rendering ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Radiosity and confirm any
alerts that appear. On the Select Advanced Lighting rollout, make sure
Active is on.
5 To process radiosity, on the Radiosity Processing Parameters rollout, click
Start. Once the Radiosity calculation has been completed, you should see
your results in the viewports.
6 To display the Environment panel on page 7621, where you set exposure
controls, in the Interactive Tools group of the Radiosity Processing
Parameters rollout, click Setup.
7 When working with non-physically based lights, always use the
Logarithmic Exposure Control on page 7673. On the Logarithmic Exposure
Control Parameters rollout, turn on Affect Indirect Only.
This causes the exposure control to affect only the results of the radiosity
solution. This way you maintain the way your direct lights render without
radiosity. Use the Brightness and Contrast controls of the exposure control

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to adjust the intensity of the radiosity solution to match the lighting at
an appropriate level.
TIP You can use the thumbnail preview to adjust brightness and contrast
interactively.

8 To render the scene after radiosity processing, click
Production).

(Render

Summary
The following table is designed to help you obtain good results with radiosity.
Physically Based Non-Physically
Workflow
Based Workflow
Lights

Photometric Lights
on page 5707

Standard Lights on
page 5757

Daylight

IES Sun on page
Directional Light
5866 and IES Sky on on page 5764 and
page 5870
Skylight on page
5771

Exposure
Control

Any

Logarithmic on
page 7673 − turn on
Affect Indirect
Only.

Units

Make sure your
scene is set to the
appropriate scale.

Make sure your
scene is set to the
appropriate scale.

Animation with Radiosity
By default, a radiosity solution on page 7068 is calculated at the current frame.
If you are animating objects and you want to perform a radiosity solution at
every frame, turn on Compute Advanced Lighting When Required in the
Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout on
page 7020 ➤ Advanced Lighting group.

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Once the renderer starts processing each frame of your animation, it computes
the radiosity solution for each frame as required. This occurs, for example,
when an object moves or a light intensity changes. If nothing changes in the
scene from one frame to the next, the radiosity engine does not recalculate
the solution.
NOTE Due to the random statistical sampling used by the radiosity engine, there
might be some flickering between frames. If this occurs, increase the value of Initial
Quality or the number of Refine Iterations to solve the problem.
TIP Before launching a lengthy animation with radiosity, process a radiosity solution
manually for a single frame to make sure the results are acceptable.
TIP If you animate only the camera as in an architectural walkthrough, you can
save time by calculating a radiosity solution for only the first frame of the animation.
You can then reuse it in all subsequently rendered frames by turning off Compute
Advanced Lighting When Required on the Common Parameters rollout of the
Render Setup dialog.
Avoid using the Automatic Exposure Control on page 7668 for animations. This
exposure control can change from frame to frame, creating a flickering effect.

Object Animation
The radiosity solution is calculated for each frame if any object is animated
in the scene (the default is to calculate the current frame only). You specify
the parameters (goals/quality) you want to reach on the Advanced Lighting
panel. Before rendering the entire animation, we recommend first running a
solution to verify that it’s successful. These parameters are then reprocessed
for each frame.
You go to the Render Setup dialog ➤ Common Parameters rollout and enable
the option Compute Advanced Lighting When Required, and then render the
scene. The radiosity is processed for the first frame and then rendered. 3ds
Max then moves to the next frame, processes radiosity, renders, and so on.

Camera Animation
If objects remain static in the scene and only the camera moves, you can solve
radiosity at frame 0, and when you render the animation, turn off Compute
Advanced Lighting When Required.

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Radiosity Controls
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Choose Default Scanline Renderer as the
production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting panel ➤ Choose Radiosity.
Rendering menu ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Radiosity ➤ Render Setup dialog
➤ Advanced Lighting panel ➤ Radiosity is chosen.
Radiosity is a technique to calculate indirect light. Specifically, radiosity
calculates the interreflections of diffuse light among all the surfaces in a scene.
To make this calculation, radiosity takes into account the lighting, materials,
and environment settings in the scene.
Radiosity processing is distinct from the rendering process. You can render
without radiosity. However, to render with radiosity, you must calculate
radiosity first.
Once a radiosity solution for a scene exists, you can use it in multiple
renderings, including multiple frames of an animation. If the scene contains
moving objects, radiosity might need to be recalculated; see Animation with
Radiosity on page 7085.
For an overview of radiosity and how radiosity works in 3ds Max, see Radiosity
Solution on page 7068.
For suggestions regarding workflow for using radiosity, see Radiosity Workflows
on page 7080.
NOTE Radiosity is a method for global illumination.
IMPORTANT If the dimensions of your scene are not realistic, then radiosity cannot
show realistic lighting.
See also:
■

Modeling Global Illumination with Radiosity on page 7068

■

How Radiosity Works in 3ds Max on page 7078

■

Radiosity Workflows on page 7080

■

Animation with Radiosity on page 7085

■

Lighting Analysis on page 7118

■

Radiosity Preferences on page 8948

Default Scanline Renderer | 7087

■

Advanced Lighting Override Material on page 6588

Procedures
To set units correctly:
Follow these steps if your scene does not already use real-world units.

1 Right-click the
(3D Snap Toggle) and on the Snaps panel, turn off
all the settings. Then turn on Vertex to enable vertex snapping. Close
the dialog.
2 Use Tools ➤ Measure Distance to measure some object in the scene for
which you know the size; for example, a door or window. The distance
displays in the Coordinate Display of the status bar.
3 Choose Customize ➤ Units Setup and adjust the Scene Unit Scale.
For example, if your object measures 35 scene units long, and your model
uses US Standard measurement, then you would enter 1 for the scale,
and choose Inches from the drop-down list. This would give you an object
35 inches long.
If your object measures 90 scene units long, and your model uses Metric
measurement, then you would enter 1 for the scale, and select Centimeters
from the drop-down list. This would give you an object 90 centimeters
long.
Example: To process radiosity with photometric lighting:
1 Use a scene that has geometry set to the correct scale. For more
information, see To set units correctly on page 7088.
For example, if the ceiling is 96 scene units high in the model, make sure
the units are set to US Standard (inches) and not Metric.

2 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

3 Choose Create ➤ Photometric Lights ➤ Target Point Light.
4 Choose Photometric from the drop-down list. (The default is Standard.)
5 In the Object Type rollout, click Target Point.

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6 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
light, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the
target.
The light is now part of the scene.
7 Set the creation parameters.

TIP You can use the
of the light or its target.

(Select And Move) transform to adjust the location

8 On the Modify panel, adjust the light's settings.
9 To preview the lighting, click Render.
Make any changes you need to adjust the rendering.
10 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Environment to open the Environment
panel on page 7621 of the Environment And Effects dialog.
11 On the Exposure Control rollout of the Environment panel, choose
Logarithmic Exposure Control from the drop-down list. Click Render
Preview.
The thumbnail preview shows the effect of exposure control.
12 On the Logarithmic Exposure Control rollout on page 7673, adjust the
settings until the scene lighting is acceptable. For example, a brightness
of 65 and a contrast of 50 can be good values for interior scenes.
The thumbnail preview updates as you adjust settings.
13 Choose Rendering ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Radiosity to display the
Advanced Lighting panel with Radiosity chosen as the advanced lighting
type.
The rollouts for radiosity are displayed.
14 Choose Rendering ➤ Radiosity to display the Radiosity panel.
15 On the Radiosity Processing Parameters rollout on page 7093, click Start to
begin processing radiosity.
16 To render the scene after radiosity processing completes, click Render.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7089

Example: To process radiosity with standard lighting:
Photometric lights are recommended for use with radiosity. But if you are
working on a scene that already contains standard lights, you can follow these
guidelines.
1 Create or load a scene containing the appropriate geometry for lighting.
There is no need to adjust any scale factors.

2 On the

Create panel, click

(Lights).

Choose Standard as the light type.
3 In the Object Type rollout, click a light type such as Target Spot.
4 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the
spotlight, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of
the target.
The light is now part of the scene.
5 Set the creation parameters for the light.

6 To preview the lighting, click

(Render Production).

Make any changes you need to adjust the rendering.
7 Choose Rendering ➤ Advanced Lighting to display the Advanced
Lighting panel. On the Select Advanced Lighting rollout, choose Radiosity
as the advanced lighting type.
The rollouts for radiosity are displayed.
8 Choose Rendering ➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Radiosity to display the
Advanced Lighting panel with Radiosity chosen as the advanced lighting
type.
The rollouts for radiosity are displayed.
9 On the Radiosity Processing rollout, under Interactive Tools, click Setup
to display the Environment panel on page 7621 where you set exposure
controls.
NOTE The exposure controls allow you to control only the intensity of the
indirect lighting. 3ds Max retains the original intensity and effect for the
direct lighting.

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10 On the Exposure Control rollout of the Environment panel on page 7621,
choose Logarithmic Exposure Control from the drop-down list.
11 On the Logarithmic Exposure Control rollout on page 7673, turn on Affect
Indirect Only.
12 On the same rollout, use the Physical Scale setting to assign the standard
light a photometric value in candelas.
13 Render the scene again after radiosity processing.

Interface
Radiosity controls appear as rollouts on the Advanced Lighting panel of the
Render Setup dialog. To choose radiosity, use the Select Advanced Lighting
rollout on page 7054.

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7092 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Radiosity Processing Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose
Default Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced
Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity
from the drop-down list. ➤ Radiosity Processing Parameters rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose Default
Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting
panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity from the
drop-down list. ➤ Radiosity Processing Parameters rollout
Contains the main controls for processing a radiosity solution.

Interface

Default Scanline Renderer | 7093

Reset All When you click Start, a copy of the 3ds Max scene is loaded into
the radiosity engine. Clicking Reset All clears all the geometry from the engine.
Reset Clears the light levels from the radiosity engine, but doesn’t clear the
geometry.
Start Starts the radiosity processing. Once the radiosity solution has reached
the percentage amount specified by Initial Quality, this button changes to
Continue.
If you click Stop before reaching the full Initial Quality percentage, then clicking
Continue causes radiosity processing to resume, until the full percentage is
reached, or you click Stop once more. You can click Stop and then Continue
more than once.
In addition, you can calculate radiosity up to an Initial Quality less than 100
percent, then later increase the value of Initial Quality, click Continue, and
resume solving radiosity.
In either case, Continue saves time by avoiding regenerating the radiosity
solution from scratch.
Once the full Initial Quality percentage has been reached, clicking Continue
has no effect.
Stop Stops the radiosity processing. The Start menu changes to Continue. You
can later click Continue to resume radiosity processing, as described for the
Start menu.
Keyboard shortcut: Esc

Process group
The options in this group set the behavior of the first two stages of the radiosity
solution, Initial Quality and Refine.
Initial Quality Sets the quality percentage at which to stop the Initial Quality
stage, up to 100%. For example, if you specify 80%, you will get a radiosity
solution that is 80% accurate in energy distribution. A goal of 80 to 85% is
usually sufficient for good results.
During the Initial Quality stage, the radiosity engine bounces rays around the
scene and distributes energy on surfaces. Between each iteration, the engine
measures the amount of variance (noise between surfaces) that was computed.
Most of the brightness of the scene is distributed in the early iterations. The
contribution to the scene’s average brightness decreases logarithmically
between iterations. After the first few iterations, the brightness of the scene
does not increase much, but subsequent iterations reduce the variance in the
scene.

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NOTE The “quality” refers to the accuracy of energy distribution, not to the visual
quality of the solution. Even at a high Initial Quality percentage, the scene can still
show considerable variance. This variance is resolved by the subsequent stages of
the solution.

Increasing the percentage value of Initial Quality.
Increasing quality does not greatly increase the average brightness of the scene, but
it decreases the variance between different surfaces in the scene, such as the faces of
the sphere.

Refine Iterations (All Objects) Sets the number of Refine iterations to perform
for the scene as a whole. The Refine Iterations stage increases the quality of
the radiosity processing on all objects in the scene. Gathers energy from each
face in order to reduce the variance between faces using a different process
from the Initial Quality stage. This stage does not increase the brightness of
the scene, but it improves the visual quality of the solution and significantly
reduces variance between surfaces. If you don’t reach an acceptable result after
processing a certain number of Refine iterations, you can increase the number
and continue processing.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7095

TIP If you plan to use Regathering at render time, you generally don’t need to
perform the Refine stage to get good-quality final renderings.
NOTE After 3ds Max processes Refine Iterations, Initial Quality is disabled and you
can’t change it until you click Reset or Reset All.

Large image with no iterations has areas of uneven illumination.
Inset images: After a number of iterations, the uneven areas have been corrected.

Refine Iterations (Selected Objects) Sets the number of Refine iterations to
perform for selected objects, using the same method as Refine Iterations (All
Objects). Make an object selection and then set the number of iterations you
require. Refining selected objects rather than the entire scene can save a lot
of processing time. Typically, this option is useful for objects that have a lot

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of small surfaces and show a lot of variance, such as railings or chairs or highly
subdivided walls.
NOTE After 3ds Max processes Refine Iterations, Initial Quality is disabled and you
can’t change it until you click Reset or Reset All.
Process Refine Iterations Stored in Objects Each object has a radiosity
property called Refine Iterations. Each time you refine an object selection, the
number of steps stored with these objects is incremented.
When you reset the radiosity solution and then start it again, the steps for
each objects are refined automatically, provided this toggle is turned on. This
is useful when you are creating animations, when the radiosity needs to be
processed at every frame, and the same level of quality between frames has
to be maintained.
Update Data When Required on Start When on, the radiosity engine must
be reset and then recalculated if the solution is invalidated. In this case, the
Start menu changes to read Update & Start. When this is pressed, the radiosity
solution is reset and the calculation starts over again.
When this toggle is off, the radiosity solution does not need to be reset if it is
invalidated. You can continue processing your scene with the invalid solution.
NOTE The radiosity solution is invalidated any time an object or light is added,
removed, moved, or altered in any way.

Interactive Tools group
The options in this group help you adjust the display of the radiosity solution
in the viewport and in the rendered output. These controls take effect
immediately on an existing radiosity solution and do not require any additional
processing for you to see their effects.
Indirect Light Filtering Reduces the amount of noise between surface elements
by averaging the indirect lighting levels with the surrounding elements. A
value of 3 or 4 is usually sufficient. If you use too high a value, you risk losing
detail in the scene. Because Indirect Light Filtering is interactive, you can
readily evaluate the result and adjust it as you need.
Direct Light Filtering Reduces the amount of noise between surface elements
by averaging the direct lighting levels with the surrounding elements. A value
of 3 or 4 is usually sufficient. If you use too high a value, you risk losing detail
in the scene. Direct Light Filtering is interactive, so you can readily evaluate
the result and adjust it as you need.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7097

NOTE Direct Light Filtering works only when you use Shoot Direct Lights on page
7103. If you're not using Shoot Direct Lights, everything is considered indirect
lighting.

For a 65% quality solution, increasing the Indirect Light Filtering value from 0 to 3
creates a smoother diffuse light. The results are comparable to a much higher-quality
solution.

No Exposure Control Selected Displays the name of the current exposure
control.
(When you change the exposure control by choosing Rendering menu ➤
Environment, the name display in the Radiosity dialog updates automatically.)
■

SetupClick to display the Environment panel on page 7621, where you access
the Exposure Control rollout; there, you can choose the exposure control
and set its parameters.

Display Radiosity in Viewport Toggles the display in the viewports between
radiosity and standard 3ds Max shading. You might want to do turn off
radiosity shading to increase display performance.

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Radiosity Meshing Parameters Rollout
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Choose Default Scanline Renderer as the
active production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced
Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity from the drop-down list. ➤ Radiosity
Meshing Parameters rollout
Controls the creation of a radiosity mesh and its size in world units.
In order to create the lighting of a scene, 3ds Max calculates the intensity for
discrete points in the environment by subdividing the original surfaces into
elements which are part of a radiosity mesh. This rollout allows you to determine
whether you want a mesh or not, and to specify the size of the mesh elements
in world units. For quick tests, you might want to turn off the mesh globally.
The scene will look flat, but the solution will still give you a quick impression
of the overall brightness.
The finer the mesh resolution is, the more accurate the lighting detail will be.
But there is a trade-off in time and memory.

Meshing (shown in light red) subdivides flat surfaces in the scene.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7099

Left: No mesh. The solution looks very flat.
Middle: Coarse mesh, every 24 inches. The lighting improves.
Right: Fine mesh, every 4 inches. The lighting reveals more subtle effects.

NOTE A tight meshing is not necessary when you use the regathering feature on
the Rendering Parameters rollout on page 7107.

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Interface

NOTE You can override the subdivision settings in this group with the Advanced
Lighting panel on page 232 of the Object Properties dialog. This allows you to have
a different mesh resolution on some objects. For example, you might want to have
a finer mesh on an important wall surface that you know will have a lot of detail.
To display the Object Properties dialog, right-click a selected object and choose
Properties from the quad menu.

Global Subdivision Settings group
Enabled Turns on the radiosity mesh for the entire scene. Turn off the mesh
when you want to perform quick tests.
■

Use Adaptive SubdivisionTurns adaptive subdivision on and off. Default=on.
NOTE The Mesh Settings group parameters Minimum Mesh Size, Contrast
Threshold, and Initial Meshing Size are available only when Use Adaptive
Subdivision is on.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7101

Left: A simple box with no subdivision
Middle Left: The box faces are subdivided
Middle Right: The box faces are subdivided with a smaller Meshing Size
Right: The box faces are subdivided with Adaptive Subdivision

Mesh Settings group

Adaptive Subdivision using the default mesh and light settings

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Max Mesh Size The size of the largest faces after adaptive subdivision.
Default=36” for imperial units and 100cm for metric units.
When Use Adaptive Subdivision is turned off, Max Mesh Size sets the size of
the radiosity mesh in world units.
Min Mesh Size Faces are not divided smaller than the minimum mesh size.
Default=3” for imperial units and 10cm for metric units.
Contrast Threshold Faces that have vertex illuminations that differ by more
than the Contrast Threshold settings are subdivided. Default=75.0.

Radiosity solutions with different Contrast Threshold values. The best solution is at the
center, with Contrast Threshold=60.

Initial Meshing Size When improving the face shape, faces that are smaller
than the Initial Meshing Size are not subdivided. The threshold for deciding
whether a face is poorly shaped also gets larger as the face size is closer to the
Initial Mesh Size. Default=12 inches (1 foot) for US Standard units and 30.5cm
for metric units.

Light Settings group
Shoot Direct Lights When adaptive subdivision or shoot direct lights is on,
the direct lighting on all of the objects in the scene is calculated analytically,
based on the following switches. Lighting is analytically computed without
modifying the object's mesh which produces lighting that is less noisy and
more pleasing to the eye. This switch is implicitly enabled when using adaptive
subdivision since it is a requirement. Default=on.
This switch is available when the Use Adaptive Subdivision switch is turned
off.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7103

Adaptive Subdivision with light settings turned off

NOTE Lighting from lights that are not included while shooting direct light are
calculated using random sampling. These lights also are not able to affect the
adaptive subdivision of objects.
Include Point Lights in Subdivision Controls whether point lights are used
when shooting direct lights. If this switch is off, then point lights are not
included in illumination calculated directly at vertices. Default=on.
Include Linear Lights in Subdivision Controls whether linear lights are used
when shooting direct lights. If this switch is off, then linear lights are not used
in calculating the illumination at vertices. Default=on.
Include Area Lights in Subdivision Controls whether area lights are used
when shooting direct lights. If this switch is off, then area lights are not used
in illumination calculated directly at vertices. Default=on.
Include Skylight When turned on, skylight is used when shooting direct
lights. If this switch is turned off, then skylight is not used in illumination
calculated at vertices directly. Default=off.
Include Self-Emitting Faces in Subdivision This switch controls how
self-emitting faces are used when shooting direct lights. If this switch is turned

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off, then self-emitting faces are not used in illumination calculated at vertices
directly. Default=off.
■

Minimum Self-Emitting Size This is the minimum size that a self-emitting
face will be subdivided when calculating its illumination. Minimum size
is used rather than the number of samples to allow larger faces to be
sampled more than smaller ones. Default=6.0.
This setting is unavailable unless Include Self-Emitting Faces In Subdivision
is on.

Light Painting Rollout (Radiosity)

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose
Default Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced
Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity
from the drop-down list. ➤ Light Painting rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose Default
Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting
panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity from the
drop-down list. ➤ Light Painting rollout
The light painting tools in this rollout allow you to touch up shadowed and
illuminated areas manually. You can use these tools to touch up shadow and
light-leak artifacts without having to do additional remodeling or radiosity
processing. Using Pick Illumination, Add Illumination, and Remove
Illumination, you can add or remove illumination on one selection set at a
time.
To use the light painting tools, you first select objects, and then choose a light
painting tool: Pick Illumination, Add Illumination, or Remove Illumination.
3ds Max highlights the active button, and when the cursor is over a selected
object, it changes to a crayon icon for the Add and Remove Illumination tools,
or to an eyedropper icon for Pick Illumination.
You can pick, add, or remove illumination through objects. For example, if
you select the floor as an object, you can work under the bookshelf, by working
through it. Once in light painting mode, you can’t select another object unless
you cancel the operation.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7105

Interface

Intensity Specifies the intensity of the illumination in lux or candelas
depending on the units you have selected in the Customize ➤ Units Setup
dialog on page 8955.
Pressure Specifies the percentage of the sampled energy to be used when you
add or remove illumination.
Add Illumination Adds illumination starting at the vertex of a selected
object. 3ds Max adds illumination based on the amount in the Pressure spinner.
The pressure amount corresponds to a percentage of the sampled energy. For
example, if a wall has about 2,000 lux on it, Add Illumination adds 200 lux
to the surface of the selected object.
Remove Illumination Removes illumination starting at the vertex of a
selected object. 3ds Max removes illumination based on the amount in the
Pressure spinner. The pressure amount corresponds to a percentage of the
sampled energy. For example, if a wall has about 2,000 lux on it, Remove
Illumination removes 200 lux from the surface of the selected object.
Pick Illumination Samples the amount of illumination from a surface
that you select. To save you from inadvertently making bright or dark spots,
Pick Illumination uses an amount of illumination relative to the surface
illumination you sample. Click the button, and move the eyedropper cursor
over the surface. When you click a surface, the amount of illumination in lux
or candelas is reflected in the Intensity spinner. For example, if you used Pick
Illumination over a wall that has 6 lux of energy, then 0.6 lux displays in the
Intensity spinner. The amount of illumination 3ds Max adds or removes on
the surface will be this value multiplied by the Pressure value.
Clear Clears all the changes you made. Processing additional radiosity
iterations or changing the filtering amount will also discard any changes to
the solution you made with the light painting tool.

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Using light painting to add or remove light in a radiosity solution.

Rendering Parameters Rollout (Radiosity)

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose
Default Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced
Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity
from the drop-down list. ➤ Rendering Parameters rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose Default
Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting
panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity from the
drop-down list. ➤ Rendering Parameters rollout
Provides parameters for controlling how to render the radiosity-processed
scene.
By default, when you render, 3ds Max first recalculates the shadows from light
objects, and then adds the result of the radiosity mesh as ambient light.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7107

The first two options on the rollout control how the renderer treats direct
illumination. Re-Use Direct Illumination From Radiosity Solution provides a
quick render that displays colors from the radiosity mesh. Render Direct
Illumination uses the scanline renderer to provide direct illumination and
shadows. This second option is usually slower but more accurate. With Render
Direct Illumination, the radiosity solution provides only the indirect lighting.
When you choose the Render Direct Illumination method, you can turn on
regathering to correct artifacts and shadow leaks. Regathering provides the
slowest but the best-quality rendering.
NOTE Regathering is extremely intensive for your CPU and uses a lot of RAM, so
it might not be practical for print-resolution images (for example, 4000 x 4000
pixels).

Interface

Re-Use Direct Illumination from Radiosity Solution 3ds Max doesn’t render
direct lights, but uses the direct lighting stored in the radiosity solution. If

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you turn on this option, the Regather Indirect Illumination option is disabled.
The quality of shadows in the scene depends on the mesh resolution. Capturing
fine shadow details might require a fine mesh, but in some situations this
option can speed up overall rendering time, especially for animations, because
the lights don’t have to be recalculated by the scanline renderer.
If you are using the Assign Vertex Colors utility on page 6927, turn this option
on.

Left: Direct light only is stored in the radiosity mesh.
Middle: Indirect light only is stored in the radiosity mesh.
Right: Direct and indirect light both stored in the radiosity mesh (the shadows are
usually very coarse).

WARNING If you choose this option but haven't generated a radiosity solution,
rendering generates a completely black image.
Render Direct Illumination 3ds Max renders shadows from the lights at each
rendering frame, and then adds indirect light from the radiosity solution. This
is the default rendering mode.

Left: Direct light calculated only by the scanline renderer.
Middle: Indirect light calculated only by the radiosity mesh.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7109

Right: Direct and indirect light combined.

Regather Indirect Illumination In addition to recalculating all the direct
lighting, 3ds Max recalculates the indirect lighting at each pixel by regathering
illumination data from the existing radiosity solution. Using this option can
produce the most accurate, artifact-free images, but it can add a considerable
amount of rendering time.
NOTE If you know that you want to use the regathering option, then typically
you don’t need as dense a mesh for the radiosity solution. Even if you don’t
subdivide the surfaces at all and do an Initial Quality of 0%, the regathering will
work, and might provide an acceptable visual result (useful for quick tests as well).
However, accuracy and subtle details depend on the quality of the radiosity solution
stored in the mesh. The radiosity mesh is the foundation for the regathering
process.
In the following illustrations, solutions were processed with an Initial Quality
of 0%. There is a high variance between small surfaces when a dense mesh is
used. Regathering gives acceptable results regardless of mesh density. But more
subtle details appear with a denser mesh; for example, at the base of the
sculpture.

No mesh
Left: Model subdivision
Middle: Viewport result
Right: Result of regathering

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Coarse mesh
Left: Model subdivision
Middle: Viewport result
Right: Result of regathering

Fine mesh
Left: Model subdivision
Middle: Viewport result
Right: Result of regathering

Rays per Sample The number of rays 3ds Max casts for each sample. 3ds Max
casts these rays randomly in all directions to calculate (“regather”) the indirect
illumination from the scene. The more rays per sample, the more precise the
sample will be. Fewer rays per sample produce more variance, creating a more
grainy effect. Processing speed and precision are affected by this value.
Default=64.
Filter Radius (pixels) Averages each sample with its neighbors in order to
reduce the noisy effect. Default=2.5 pixels.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7111

NOTE Pixel radius varies according to the output resolution. For example, a 2.5
radius is OK for NTSC resolution, but it might be very large for smaller images, or
too precise for very large images.

Pixel radius of 2
Left: 10 rays per sample
Middle: 50 rays per sample
Right: 150 rays per sample

Pixel radius of 5
Left: 10 rays per sample
Middle: 50 rays per sample
Right: 150 rays per sample

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Pixel radius of 10
Left: 10 rays per sample
Middle: 50 rays per sample
Right: 150 rays per sample

Increasing the number of rays per sample can greatly increase rendering time.
The images on the right can take nearly six times as long to render as the
images on the left. Increasing the filter radius also increases render time, but
not as dramatically.
Clamp Values (cd/m^2) This control is expressed as a luminance value.
Luminance (candelas per meter squared) represents how brightly you perceive
a material. Clamp Value sets an upper limit on the luminance that will be
considered in the Regathering stage. Use it to avoid the appearance of bright
spots.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7113

Bright polygons in the scene can create a “sparkle” effect of bright spots.

These bright spots are artifacts not of the number of samples cast, but rather
of the presence of bright polygons in your scene. During the Initial Quality
stage, this bright energy gets bounced in random directions, leading to a
“sparkle” effect. Typically you can detect these polygons before regathering.
During the final Regathering stage, bright spots can be avoided by setting
Clamp Values somewhat below the luminance of these bright surfaces and
spots.

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Bright spots have been reduced by clamping.

TIP You can query the luminance of these surfaces by using the Lighting Analysis
tool on page 7118.
TIP Use Render Region on page 6992 to render just the area of the bright spots to
find rapidly the right clamp value to use.
Be careful with this control: Clamp Values let you clamp any intensity, and
the rendering might become darker than it should be because you have
clamped indirect illumination that is to be expected, thus dimming the effect
of the radiosity solution.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7115

Adaptive Sampling group
These controls can help you shorten rendering times. They reduce the number
of light samples taken. The ideal settings for adaptive sampling vary greatly
from scene to scene.
Adaptive sampling initially takes samples from a grid superimposed on the
pixels of the scene. Where there is enough contrast between samples, it
subdivides that region and takes further samples, down to the minimum area
specified by Subdivide Down To. Lighting for areas not directly sampled is
interpolated.
TIP If you use adaptive sampling, try adjusting the Subdivision Contrast value to
obtain the best results.
Adaptive Sampling When on, the radiosity solution uses adaptive sampling.
When off, it does not. Turning off adaptive sampling can increase the detail
of the final rendering, but at a cost of rendering time. Default=off.
Initial Sample Spacing The grid spacing for initial samples of the image. This
is measured in pixels. Default=16x16.
Subdivision Contrast The contrast threshold that determines when a region
should be further subdivided. Increasing this value causes less subdividing to
occur. Reducing this value can cause unnecessary subdivide. Default=5.0.
Subdivide Down To The minimum spacing for a subdivision. Increasing this
value can improve render time at a cost of accuracy. Default=2x2.
Depending on the scene geometry, grids larger than 1x1 might still be
subdivided below this specified threshold.
Show Samples When on, sample locations render as red dots. This shows
where the most sampling has taken place, which can help you choose the
optimal settings for adaptive sampling. Default=off.

Statistics Rollout (Radiosity)

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose
Default Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced
Lighting panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity
from the drop-down list. ➤ Statistics rollout

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Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose Default
Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Advanced Lighting
panel ➤ Select Advanced Lighting rollout ➤ Choose Radiosity from the
drop-down list. ➤ Statistics rollout
This rollout lists information about the radiosity processing.

Interface

Radiosity process group
Lists the current level of quality and number of refine iterations in the radiosity
process.
Solution Quality The current level of quality in the radiosity process.
Refine Iterations The number of refine iterations in the radiosity process.
Elapsed Time The time spent processing the solution since the last reset.

Scene Information group
Lists information on the radiosity processing of the scene.
Geometric Objects Lists the number of objects processed.
Light Object Lists the number of light objects processed.
NOTE Self-illuminated objects count as one light per face.
Meshing Size Lists the size of radiosity mesh elements in world units.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7117

NOTE Transparent, 2–sided, and translucent objects' faces are counted twice.
Mesh Elements Lists the number of elements in the mesh processed.

Lighting Analysis
Select an object that has radiosity solution information. ➤ Rendering menu
➤ Advanced Lighting ➤ Lighting Analysis
To query light levels, analyze the data, and produce reports, use the Lighting
Analysis dialog. This dialog provides rendering data on material reflectance,
transmittance, and luminance.
For example, a lighting engineer might need to know if light fixtures in a
scene provide an even level of illumination on the walls of a building. The
engineer uses the Lighting Analysis dialog after placing the lights in the ceiling
and processing radiosity. The engineer inspects the light levels and material
reflectance in the scene and then adjusts the brightness of lights, changes
units, or reduces material reflectance.
To use the Lighting Analysis tools, a radiosity solution must be calculated and
displayed in the scene. For better feedback, use it in conjunction with the
Pseudo Color Exposure Control on page 7686. This tool maps luminances or
illuminances to pseudo colors that show the brightness of the values 3ds Max
converts.
TIP You can also export LogLUV TIFF files on page 8461 or PIC files on page 8442 for
analysis by other software; do this by using the Lighting Data Exporter utility on
page 7692.
See also:
■

Modeling Global Illumination with Radiosity on page 7068

■

Radiosity Workflows on page 7080

■

Radiosity Controls on page 7087

■

Radiosity Preferences on page 8948

■

Lighting Data Exporter Utility on page 7692

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Interface

Statistics group
Displays the radiosity solution lighting statistics for the object you select.
Quantity Indicates the desired photometric value:
■

LuminanceThe amount of energy leaving a surface.

■

IlluminanceThe amount of energy arriving at a surface.

Point The luminance or illuminance at the point on the object where you
clicked.
Point Reflectance The reflectance of the surface material at the point on the
object where you clicked.
Point Transmittance The transmittance of the surface material at the point
on the object where you clicked.
Object Avg The amount of light intensity for the object as a whole.
Object Min The object’s minimum luminance or illuminance value.
Object Max The object’s maximum luminance or illuminance value.
Scene Max The scene’s highest luminance or illuminance value.

Selection Information group
Object Name The name of the selected object.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7119

Object Area The area size of the selected object.
Point Location The X,Y,Z coordinate of the point on an object you clicked.

Raytracer Panel
The topic in this section describes the Raytracer Global Parameters rollout,
which has global settings for raytraced materials, maps, and shadows.

Raytracer Global Parameters Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Raytracer Settings

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose
Default Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Raytracer
panel ➤ Raytracer Global Parameters rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Choose Default
Scanline Renderer as the active production renderer. ➤ Raytracer panel ➤
Raytracer Global Parameters rollout
These parameters control the raytracer globally. That is, they affect all Raytrace
materials and Raytrace maps in your scene. They also affect the generation of
Advanced Ray-traced shadows on page 9279 and Area shadows on page 9095.
NOTE These controls adjust ray-trace settings for the scanline renderer only. The
settings of these controls have no impact on the mental ray renderer, which has
its own ray-tracing controls.

7120 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Ray Depth Control group
Ray depth, also known as recursion depth, controls how many times the
renderer allows a ray to bounce before it is considered lost or trapped.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7121

Upper left: Ray depth is zero
Upper right: Ray depth of 2
Lower middle: Extremely high ray depth

Maximum Depth Sets the maximum recursion depth. Increasing this value
potentially increases the realism of your rendered scene, at a cost of rendering
time. You can reduce this value to reduce rendering time. Range=0 to 100.
Default=9.
Cutoff Threshold Sets a cutoff threshold for adaptive ray levels. If the
contribution of any ray to the final pixel color drops below the cutoff
threshold, the ray is terminated. Default: 0.05 (5% of the final pixel color).
This can speed up your rendering time considerably.
Color to use at Max Depth As a rule, when a ray reaches the maximum depth,
it is rendered the same color as the background environment. You can override
the color returned at maximum depth by either selecting a color, or setting
an alternative environment map. This can make the "lost" ray invisible in the
scene.

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TIP If you are having trouble with getting complex objects to render, especially
glass, specify the maximum recursion color to something obvious, like magenta,
and your background color to something that contrasts, like cyan. The chances
are that a lot of your rays are getting lost in either maximum recursion or just
being shot off into the world, totally missing anything you think they should strike.
Try rendering the scene again. If this is the problem, try reducing the Maximum
Depth value.
■

SpecifySpecifies what color the raytracer returns when the ray is considered
lost or trapped. Click the color swatch to change this color.

■

Background(The default.) Returns the background color when the ray is
considered lost or trapped. For Raytrace material, the background color is
the global environment background or the environment specified locally
for the material. For Raytrace map, the background color is either the global
environment background, or is set locally in the Raytracer Parameters
rollout on page 6786.

Global Ray Antialiaser group
Controls in this group let you set global antialiasing for raytraced maps and
materials.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7123

Above: No antialiasing
Below: Antialiasing of reflections

TIP Turning on Supersample for a Raytraced material (in the Raytrace Basic
Parameters rollout on page 6488) usually provides adequate antialiasing. Use one
of the raytrace antialiasers (Fast Adaptive or Multiresolution Adaptive) when you
want to blur reflections or refractions.
On When on, uses antialiasing. Default=off.
Drop-down list Chooses which antialiasing settings to use. There are two
options:
■

Fast Adaptive AntialiaserUses the Fast Adaptive antialiaser, regardless of
the global setting.
Click ... to open the Fast Adaptive Antialiaser dialog on page 6518.

■

Multiresolution Adaptive AntialiaserUses the Multiresolution Adaptive
antialiaser, regardless of the global setting.
Click ... to open the Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser dialog on page
6520.

7124 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Global Raytrace Engine Options group
These options are comparable to the local options on Extended Parameters
rollout on page 6497 and the Raytracer Controls rollout on page 6502. Their setting
affects all Raytrace materials and Raytrace maps in the scene, unless you set
local overrides.
Enable Raytracing Turns the raytracer on or off. Default=on.
Even with raytracing off, Raytrace material and Raytrace map still reflect and
refract the environment, including both the environment map for the scene,
and the environment map assigned to the Raytrace material.
Raytrace Atmospherics Turns the raytracing of atmospheric effects on or off.
Atmospheric effects include fire, fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.
Enable Self Reflect/Refract Turns self reflection/refraction on or off.
Default=on.
Can an object reflect itself? For example, a teapot's body reflects the teapot's
handle, but a sphere will never reflect itself. If you don't need this effect, you
can improve render time by turning off this toggle.
TIP If you have a transparent object such as glass, and Enable Self Reflect/Refract
is on, you don't have to make the object 2-sided on page 9079. The raytracer sees
back faces when exiting refractive objects.
Reflect/Refract Material IDs When on, the material reflects effects assigned
to material IDs in the renderer's G-buffer on page 9173 on or off. Default=on.
By default, Raytrace material and Raytrace map reflect effects assigned to a
material's ID, so that G-buffer effects are not lost. For example, if a raytraced
object reflects a lamp made to glow with the Video Post Glow filter (Lens
Effects Glow), the reflection glows as well.
Render objects inside raytraced objects Toggles the rendering of objects
inside raytraced objects. Default=on.
Render atmospherics inside raytraced objects Toggles the rendering of
atmospheric effects inside raytraced objects. Atmospheric effects include fire,
fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.
Enable Color Density / Fog Effects Toggles the color density and fog features.
Acceleration Controls Opens the Raytracing Acceleration Parameters dialog
on page 6514.
Exclude Opens the Raytrace Exclude/Include dialog on page 6515, which lets
you exclude objects from ray-tracing.

Default Scanline Renderer | 7125

_____
Show Progress Dialog When on, rendering displays a window with progress
bars titled Raytrace Engine Setup. Default=on.
Show Messages When on, displays a window, Raytrace Messages, that shows
status and progress messages from the raytrace engine. Default=off.

Using Multi-Pass Rendering Effects
Create panel ➤
(Cameras) ➤ Target button or Free button
➤ Parameters rollout ➤ Multi-Pass Effect group
Multi-pass rendering effects use multiple renderings of the same frame, with
slight camera movement between each rendering. The multiple passes simulate
the blurring that film in a camera would register under certain conditions.
The included multi-pass effects are provided:
■

Depth of field on page 5951 (Default Scanline Renderer)

7126 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Multi-pass depth of field
Top: Focus is in the middle distance; near and far objects are blurred.
Bottom left: Focus on near objects, far objects are blurred.
Bottom right: Focus on far objects, near objects are blurred.

■

Motion blur on page 5955 (Default Scanline Renderer)

Default Scanline Renderer | 7127

Above: Motion blur applied to wings of the flying dragon
Below: Multiple passes appear in successive refreshes of the Rendered Frame
Window.

■

Depth of Field (mental ray) on page 5950

See also:
■

Motion Blur with the mental ray Renderer on page 7147

■

Depth of Field with the mental ray Renderer on page 7148

7128 | Chapter 18 Rendering

mental ray Renderer
®

®

The mental ray renderer from mental images is a general-purpose renderer
that can generate physically correct simulations of lighting effects, including
ray-traced reflections and refractions on page 7144, caustics on page 7154, and
global illumination on page 7160.
NOTE mental images and mental ray are registered trademarks, and photon map
is a trademark of mental images GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin, Germany.

Scene rendered with the default 3ds Max scanline renderer

mental ray Renderer | 7129

Same scene rendered with the mental ray renderer
The second rendering, done with the mental ray renderer, shows caustics cast by
refraction through the martini glass. Caustics are also visible in the reflection on the
cocktail shaker.

The mental ray renderer in 3ds Max supports the mental ray version 2 (mi2)
and version 3 (mi3) formats. It does not support the mental ray version 1
(mi1) format.

Differences Between the mental ray Renderer and the Default Scanline
Renderer
Compared to the default 3ds Max scanline renderer, the mental ray renderer
relieves you of the need to simulate complex lighting effects "by hand" or by
generating a radiosity solution. The mental ray renderer is optimized to use
multiple processors and to take advantage of incremental changes for efficient
rendering of animations.
Unlike the default 3ds Max renderer, which renders scanlines from the top of
the image downward, the mental ray renderer renders rectangular blocks called
buckets. The order in which the buckets are rendered can vary, depending on
the method you choose. By default, mental ray uses the Hilbert method, which
picks the next bucket to render based on the cost of switching to the next

7130 | Chapter 18 Rendering

one. Because objects can be discarded from the memory to render other objects,
it’s important to avoid having to reload the same object multiple times. This
is especially important when you have enabled placeholder objects (see the
Processing panel ➤ Translator Options rollout on page 7240).
If you use distributed rendering to render a scene, it might be hard to
understand the logic behind the rendering order. In this case, the order has
been optimized to avoid sending lots of data over the network. Each CPU is
assigned a bucket as the bucket becomes available, so different buckets can
appear in the rendered image at different times. See the Renderer panel ➤
Sampling Quality rollout on page 7189.
NOTE The mental ray renderer can also be run in a standalone fashion, using a
command-line interface based on the mi2 or mi3 scene description format. This
is described in the manual mental ray Programming, which is written for
programmers writing custom shaders on page 9302.

Procedures
To use the mental ray renderer:
1 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup. The Render Setup dialog
opens.
2 On the Common panel, open the Assign Renderer rollout, and then click
the “...” button for the Production renderer.
The Choose Renderer dialog opens.
3 On the Choose Renderer dialog, highlight mental ray Renderer and then
click OK.
TIP After you make the mental ray renderer the active production renderer,
you can make the mental ray renderer the default renderer for all new scenes
by clicking Save As Defaults. This is a convenient way to avoid extra setup
time.

Now the Render Setup dialog contains the mental ray controls. You can choose
to render the scene with the built-in mental ray renderer, or simply to translate
the scene and save it in an MI on page 9223 file that you can render later, perhaps
on a different system. Controls for choosing whether to render, save to an MI
file, or both, are on the Translator Options rollout on page 7240.

mental ray Renderer | 7131

Rendering with the mental ray Renderer

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Choose mental ray Renderer as the
Production renderer.
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Choose mental ray Renderer as the Production
renderer.
To use the mental ray translator and renderer, you must first choose mental
ray as the production renderer, as described the "Procedures" section below.
Once you have chosen mental ray rendering, the Render Setup dialog displays
panels and rollouts that control the mental ray renderer.

Common Parameters Rollout
When you render with mental ray, controls on the Render Setup dialog ➤
Common panel ➤ Common Parameters rollout remain the same, and
function just as they do with the default scanline renderer.

Limitations
The mental ray renderer does not support certain rendering features, as
described here.
■

Output dithering options aren't supported (in Main menu ➤ Customize
➤ Preferences ➤ Preference Settings dialog ➤ Rendering panel ➤
Output Dithering group).

■

The mental ray renderer does not fully support G-buffer options in post
processing and image file output. The mental ray renderer generates all
required G-buffer channels, but does not include transparency information.
If two transparent objects overlap each other, the mental ray render
generates information only for the frontmost object.

■

When you use a bitmap as an environment (that is, as a background), the
mental ray renderer samples and filters it. This can result in unwanted
blurring. To prevent background blurring, render the scene against a
solid-color background, and then composite the rendered scene with the
background image.

7132 | Chapter 18 Rendering

■

Sometimes when you render objects that have no thickness, or an Extrude
modifier with zero thickness, the mental ray renderer generates rendering
artifacts that appear as streaks. In some cases, you can fix this by turning
on Force 2-Sided on the Render Setup dialog's Common Parameters rollout.
If the streaks persist, give the object or the Extrude modifier a nonzero
thickness.

See also:
■

Sampling Quality Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7189

■

Camera Effects Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7201

■

Caustics and Global Illumination Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page
7224

■

Final Gather Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7213

■

Shadows & Displacement Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7209

■

Rendering Algorithms Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7195

■

Translator Options Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7240

■

Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7249

Procedures
To use the mental ray renderer:
1 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup. 3ds Max opens the Render
Setup dialog.
2 On the Common panel, open the Assign Renderer rollout, then click the
“...” button for the Production renderer.
3ds Max opens the Choose Renderer dialog.
3 On the Choose Renderer dialog, highlight mental ray Renderer and then
click OK.
Now, when you render, the Render Setup dialog appears with the mental ray
controls. You can choose to render the scene with the built-in mental ray
renderer, or simply to translate the scene and save it in an MI on page 9223 file
that you can render later, perhaps on a different system. Controls for choosing

mental ray Renderer | 7133

whether to render, save to an MI file, or both, are on the Translator Options
on page 7240 rollout.
To make the mental ray Renderer the default renderer for new scenes:
■

After you make the mental ray renderer the active production renderer,
click Save As Defaults on the Assign Renderer rollout.

Getting Good Results with mental ray Rendering
Although the mental ray renderer is relatively easy to use once you’ve set it
up correctly, there are several "gotchas" that you might encounter immediately,
especially if you’re primarily accustomed to the 3ds Max scanline renderer
and its workflow. For example, see 3ds Max Materials in mental ray Renderings
on page 7137. Following are some basic rules of thumb for using mental ray in
3ds Max:

Using Lights with the mental ray Renderer
When you set up a scene for rendering with the mental ray renderer, keep the
following tips in mind:
■

The Overshoot parameter for lights doesn't work when you use mental ray
to render shadow-mapped shadows. To use Overshoot, use ray-traced
shadows.

■

Excluding an object from shadow casting doesn't work when you use
mental ray to render shadow-mapped shadows. To exclude objects from
shadow casting, use ray-traced shadows. (The Exclude button is on a light's
General Parameters rollout.)

■

When you assign a map to object shadows in the light's Shadow Parameters
rollout, the mental ray renderer does not recognize the toggle for the map
(to the left of the Map button), and renders the map whether the toggle
is on or off. To stop using the map, you must click the Map button and in
the Material/Map Browser, assign NONE as the map type.

■

Using the default scanline renderer, you can set a light to have a value of
zero, with a shadow color of white, and a shadow density of −1. With these
settings, the light casts shadows but does not illuminate the scene. To get
the same effect using the mental ray renderer, the light value must not be
zero. Instead, set it to a value close to zero (for example, 0.001 or 0.001).

■

The mental ray renderer disregards the bias parameters in the Shadow Map
Params rollout and the Ray Traced Shadow Params rollout.

7134 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Ray Tracing
The mental ray ray tracer is fast and provides excellent quality images, but it’s
important to use it correctly.
The mental ray renderer does not fully support cubic maps for Reflect/Refract
maps on page 6796. It uses them if they have already been generated by the
default scanline renderer, but it does not generate them. If Source ➤ From
File is active and the mental ray renderer can find the six cubic maps, it uses
them. If Source ➤ Automatic is active, or if the cubic maps cannot be found,
the mental ray renderer generates ray-traced reflections or refractions instead.

Ray Tracing Setup
On the rendering menu, Ray Tracer Settings and Raytrace Global
Include/Exclude are disabled while the mental ray renderer is active. These
controls adjust ray-trace settings for the scanline renderer only. The settings
of these controls have no impact on the mental ray renderer. The ray-tracing
controls for mental ray appear on the Renderer panel ➤ Rendering Algorithms
rollout on page 7195.
TIP While the mental ray renderer ignores the global inclusion or exclusion settings
for the ray tracer, you can enable or disable ray-tracing at the local level of a
Raytrace material or map.

Ray Tracing Rules of Thumb
Say you’re rendering a (lathed) wineglass, with an inner and outer surface and
a piece of geometry representing the wine. The wine geometry is just slightly
smaller than the inner surfaces of the wineglass, and capped with a flat top.
Now, you go to render the glass. After rendering the scene, however, there’s
something wrong: the inner surfaces of the glass don’t seem reflective enough,
and the wine isn’t refracting properly. What’s wrong?
It’s possible that you have the number of reflections and refractions set too
low for the number of surfaces you have. To check this, go to the Renderer
panel ➤ Rendering Algorithms rollout on page 7195 and look at the Maximum
Trace Depth settings. If you havent changed the parameters, then you should
see Max. Reflections and Max. Refractions set to the default of 6, and Max.
Depth set to 6.
There’s the problem: you actually have six surfaces that need to be traced by
the light rays for both reflections and refractions. The way to always calculate
the number of rays needed for a scene is to take the ray-traced objects in your
scene and draw an imaginary line through them, originating at the point of
view. Then, count the number of surfaces the line intersects.

mental ray Renderer | 7135

For the wineglass and wine, you need at least six reflections and refractions
that correspond to the following surfaces:
■

Near outer glass surface (“near” relative to your Camera viewpoint)

■

Near inner glass surface

■

Near wine surface

■

Far wine surface

■

Far inner glass surface

■

Far outer glass surface

Therefore, increase the value of Max. Depth to 12.

Caustics and Global Illumination
Before rendering with caustics, there are several things you need to set up in
your scene:
■

For caustics to work properly, the generating object must use a material
that contains some degree of shininess, reflectivity, or refraction. Assign
a Raytrace or other map as either a Reflection map or Refraction map before
you render caustics.

■

Most often, you’ll be using very shiny, highly reflective materials (such as
chrome and other metals), or transparent or translucent materials (such
as glass goblets or water), to generate caustics in your scene. If you’re using
a glassy material, make sure it’s double-sided to create the proper results.

■

Make sure you have object properties on page 236 set to Receive Caustics
or Generate Caustics (or both). To set up these properties, right-click an
object and choose Properties. For example, if you’re rendering a wineglass
on a tabletop, you probably want the wineglass both to generate and receive
caustics (so that caustics are scattered within the glass itself), and the
tabletop only to receive caustics (unless it’s chrome, say, instead of wood).

■

If the rendering of your scene is washed out by light, double-check the
Multiplier settings: one in the Basic group of the Final Gather rollout on
page 7213, and one each in the Caustics and Global Illumination (GI) groups
of the Indirect Illumination panel ➤ Caustics And Global Illumination
rollout on page 7224. These apply to all lights in the scene. Reducing the
Multiplier values can eliminate washout.

7136 | Chapter 18 Rendering

If a single light object is causing the problem, you can reduce the Energy
multiplier's value in that light object's mental ray Indirect Illumination
rollout on page 5821, available on the Modifier panel.
■

To improve the quality of caustics, go to the Caustics group on page 7226 of
the Caustics And Global Illumination rollout on page 7224 and increase the
Max Num. Photons Per Sample setting.

■

Be careful of the total number of photons you’re emitting: A very high
number (100,000 and above) can dramatically increase your rendering
time. Then again, for some simple scenes, you might actually be able to
set these to 1,000,000 and still render in an acceptable amount of time.
WARNING The number of photons specified for each light indicates the
number of photons that need to be stored for each light, not the number of
photons to be shot. This is an important distinction: If a light points in a
direction where there is no surface, the mental ray renderer might shoot
photons forever. In the Messages Window on page 7143, the mental ray renderer
displays warnings that no photons are being stored. To avoid the slowdowns
related to this issue, make sure that every light points in the direction of a
surface (this is sometimes impossible to do with omni lights). Another way to
avoid this problem is to add a big sphere around your entire model.

■

In general, use an exposure control. The mr Photographic Exposure Control
on page 7677 works particularly well for adjusting overall exposure.

Coincident Faces
When it encounters coincident faces, the mental ray renderer can produce
artifacts, because it can't decide which face is nearer the camera (neither is).
To fix this, move or scale one of the objects so faces are no longer coincident.

Backface Culling
mental ray rendering correctly performs backface culling, and renders one-sided
faces much as the scanline renderer does.

3ds Max Materials in mental ray Renderings
For the most part, the mental ray renderer treats 3ds Max maps and materials
the same way the default scanline renderer does. The exceptions are listed
below. In general, if the mental ray renderer does not recognize a map or
material, it renders it as opaque black.

mental ray Renderer | 7137

WARNING The mental ray renderer does not necessarily support maps or materials
provided as plug-ins from third-party vendors. It supports third-party maps and
materials only if the vendor has explicitly used the mental ray SDK to add support
for the mental ray format. Unless the third-party vendor clearly specifies mental
ray support, you should assume the map or material is unsupported, and will
render as black.
See also:
■

mental ray Renderer on page 7129

■

Getting Good Results with mental ray Rendering on page 7134

Issues for Reflections and Refractions
The maps used to create reflections or refractions, Flat Mirror, Raytrace,
Reflect/Refract, and Thin Wall Refraction, are supported by the mental ray
renderer. However, the mental ray renderer simply uses these maps as
indications to use its own ray-tracing method, leading to some restrictions on
which parameters are supported, as described in the sections “Materials” and
“Maps,” below.

Map Blurring
When reflections and refractions are ray traced, applying Blur (or Distortion,
in Flat Mirror) does not apply to reflections or refractions of environment
maps. In general, Blur and Distortion render differently than they do with
the default scanline renderer, and you might have to experiment with
parameter values to get a comparable rendering result.
TIP If Blur effects are not rendering well with the mental ray renderer, try increasing
the Maximum number of samples in the Renderer panel ➤ Sampling Quality
Rollout on page 7189.

Materials
The mental ray renderer does not support these materials:
■

Advanced Lighting Override material

■

Morpher material

7138 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Raytrace Material
The mental ray renderer supports all Raytrace material settings except for the
antialiasing parameters and the settings found under Rendering ➤ Raytracer
Settings and Rendering ➤ Raytrace Global Include/Exclude. All these options
are specific to the default scanline renderer.
TIP While the mental ray renderer ignores the global inclusion or exclusion settings
for the ray tracer, you can enable or disable ray-tracing at the local level of a
Raytrace material or map.

Maps
■

Bitmap
The mental ray renderer can't use the Progressive JPEG (.jpg) format as a
bitmap. Also, Summed Area filtering is not supported (in the Filtering
group of the Bitmap Parameters rollout).
PSD files are supported, but are translated into binary data, and because
of this, consume a lot of memory and increase render time. To reduce the
time involved, convert the PSD file to a format such as BMP.
The same is true of TIFF files. In addition, there are certain TIFF subformats
that the mental ray renderer does not support; specifically, LZW, CCIT
(fax), or JPEG compression; non-RGB color models such as CMYK, CIE, or
YCbCr; or multiple images in the same file (in this case, only the first image
is used). The mental ray renderer does support bilevel (1-bit), grayscale (4or 8-bit), color map (4- or 8-bits), RGB(A) (8-, 16-, or 32-bit) TIF images,
and TIF files with image strips.

■

Combustion map
The mental ray renderer doesn't support this map.

■

Flat Mirror map
Flat Mirror is supported by the mental ray renderer, except for the First
Frame Only and Every Nth Frame parameters.

■

Raytrace map
The mental ray renderer supports all Raytrace map settings except for the
antialiasing parameters.

■

Reflect/Refract map
This map tells the mental ray renderer to use ray-traced reflections and
refractions. Most parameters are supported, but the parameters Blur Offset,
First Frame Only, Every Nth Frame, and Atmosphere Ranges are not
supported.

mental ray Renderer | 7139

NOTE The mental ray renderer does not fully support cubic maps for
Reflect/Refract maps. It uses cubic maps if they have already been generated
by the default scanline renderer, but it does not generate them. If Source ➤
From File is active and the mental ray renderer can find the six cubic maps, it
uses them. If Source ➤ Automatic is active, or if the cubic maps cannot be
found, the mental ray renderer generates ray-traced reflections or refractions
instead.

Enhancements to Standard Features
The primary interface to the mental ray renderer consists of rollouts on the
Render Setup dialog. To choose the mental ray renderer, use the Assign
Renderer rollout on page 7034, as described in this procedure on page 7131.
In addition, object properties, lights, and the Material Editor have additional
controls to support mental ray rendering. Last but not least, 3ds Max offers a
special mr Proxy object for speeding up rendering of large, complex scenes.

Object Properties Enhancements
Parameters on the mental ray panel on page 236 of the Object Properties dialog
support displacement as well as the mental ray indirect illumination features:
final gather on page 7213, caustics on page 7154, and global illumination on page
7160.

mental ray Proxy Object
When working with high-resolution geometry, you can save memory and
translation time by using the special mr Proxy object on page 496 as a stand-in
for your models.

Light Object Enhancements
Along with the mental ray renderer, mental ray-specific area light objects and
light settings are provided.

Light Objects
The area light on page 9092 is a feature of the mental ray renderer. Instead of a
point source, it emits light from a broader area around the source. There are
two basic types of mental ray area light: mr Area Omni Light on page 5777 and
mr Area Spotlight on page 5780. An additional, special-purpose mental area light

7140 | Chapter 18 Rendering

is the mr Sky Portal on page 5898. Area lights create soft-edged shadows. This
can help improve the realism of your rendering.
NOTE To render soft-edged shadows, shadows must be ray-traced, not
shadow-mapped: see the Renderer panel ➤ Shadows & Displacement Rollout
on page 7209.
In 3ds Max, area lights are created and supported by the MAXScript scripts,
light-mentalray_areaomni.ms and light-mentalray_areaspot.ms. Both scripts are
found in the \stdplugs\stdscripts\ folder within 3ds Max install directory. Because
of this, when you create an area light, you actually create a target spot or omni
light for which the mental ray renderer uses the parameters on the Area Light
Parameters rollout. If you render with the default scanline renderer, the light
behaves like any other target spot or omni light. (You can change a light from
one type to another using the Type drop-down list on the light’s General
Parameters rollout.)
For area lights rendered with the mental ray renderer, you can still set and
use other lighting parameters, such as color, the Multiplier value, the spotlight
cone, and so on. Shadow maps are an exception. The mental ray renderer
ignores the light's local shadow map settings. Area lights always use ray-traced
shadows.
TIP You can use a MAXScript utility to convert standard 3ds Max light objects to
area lights, as described in this procedure on page 5778.

Light Settings
The mental ray Indirect Illumination rollout on page 5821 has been added to
light objects to support the mental ray renderer’s indirect illumination effects
of caustics on page 7154 and global illumination on page 7160.
The mental ray Light Shader rollout on page 5824 has been added so you can
add mental ray light shaders to light objects.
IMPORTANT To see the mental ray rollouts for lights, you must use mental ray
Preferences on page 8950 to enable mental ray extensions. These rollouts appear
only on the Modify panel, not on the Create panel.

Camera Enhancements
On the Parameters rollout on page 5931, a “Depth Of Field (mental ray)” choice
appears on the Multi-Pass Effect drop-down list to support the mental ray
renderer's depth-of-field effects. To use this, turn on both Enable in the
camera's Multi-Pass Effect group (default=off), and Depth Of Field on the

mental ray Renderer | 7141

Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout on page
7201.
You can also assign mental ray lens, output, and volume shaders to cameras.
These controls are also on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Camera Effects rollout.
(This rollout also contains some contour-shading controls.)
NOTE When you use the mental ray renderer, reflected or refracted light rays do
not always respect a camera's clipping planes (set in the Clipping Planes group of
the Parameters rollout). Also, large clipping-plane values can cause poor quality
in the rendering of shadow maps. To fix this, narrow the clipping range or switch
to ray-traced shadows.

Material Editor Enhancements
The Material Editor works as it does with the default scanline renderer. Certain
materials and maps, or some of their controls, aren't supported by the mental
ray renderer; see 3ds Max Materials in mental ray Renderings on page 7137.
By default, the Material Editor sample slots use the currently active renderer:
typically this is either the default scanline renderer or the mental ray renderer.
You assign the renderer for sample slots with the Render Setup dialog ➤
Common panel ➤ Assign Renderer rollout on page 7034.
When mental ray extensions are enabled (using mental ray Preferences on
page 8950) and the mental ray renderer is active, the Material Editor displays
these additional mental ray features:
■

A mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215 lets you add mental ray
shaders to 3ds Max materials.

■

When you click a material's Type button, the Material/Map Browser displays
additional mental ray materials on page 6224.

■

When you click a map or shader button, the Material/Map Browser displays
additional mental ray shaders on page 6806.
Shaders are provided in shader library (MI) files on page 9223. Some shaders
are customized for 3ds Max, some are provided by the lume library, and
most are provided by mental images libraries. Settings for the custom 3ds
Max shaders are provided in this reference. Settings for the third-party
lume and mental images shaders are provided in their own help files. This
reference links to those descriptions; see Shaders in the LumeTools
Collection on page 6811 and mental images Shader Libraries on page 6809.

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mental ray Messages Window
Rendering menu ➤ mental ray Message Window
The mental ray Messages window displays log messages (other than debug
messages) generated by the mental ray renderer.

Interface

Example of mental ray Messages window

Three status fields appear above the messages area:
■

Num. CPUsShows the number of CPUs in use.

■

Num. threadsShows the number of threads being rendered.

■

mental ray versionShows the current mental ray renderer version, in detail.

The options beneath the messages area are equivalent to options on the mental
ray Preferences dialog on page 8950.
Information When on, the mental ray renderer generates information
messages. Default=off.
This is equivalent to the preference, Show/Log Information Messages.
Progress When on, the mental ray renderer generates progress messages.
Default=off.
This is equivalent to the preference, Show/Log Progress Messages.

mental ray Renderer | 7143

Debug (Output to File) When on, the mental ray renderer generates debug
messages. Default=off.
This is equivalent to the preference, Log Debug Messages (To File).
NOTE Debug messages are never displayed by the Messages Window. They are
numerous, and would make it difficult to find or read other messages.
Open on Error When on, the Messages Window is displayed if the mental
ray renderer logs an error message. Default=off.
This is equivalent to the preference, Open Message Window On Error.
Clear Click to clear all messages from the messages area.

mental ray Concepts
These topics describe what the mental ray renderer can do, and explain how
it accomplishes these effects. For more technical detail about mental ray
capabilities, see the mental ray Reference, available from Help menu ➤
Additional Help, and the books Programming mental ray and Rendering with
mental ray, both by Thomas Driemeyer.

Ray-Traced Reflections and Refractions with the mental ray
Renderer
The mental ray renderer can generate reflections and refractions by ray tracing.
Ray tracing traces the path of rays sampled from the light source. Reflections
and refractions generated this way are physically accurate.

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Ray-traced reflections and Refractions

To reduce the time required to generate reflections and shadows, rays are
limited by trace depth. Trace depth limits the number of times a ray can be
reflected, refracted, or both.
You can turn off ray tracing. In this case, the mental ray renderer uses scanline
rendering only. Turning off ray tracing makes the controls for all the effects
that are specific to mental ray unavailable in the Renderer's rollouts.
Ray tracing uses one of two ray-trace acceleration methods on page 9278.
You enable ray tracing and set trace depth with the Render Setup dialog ➤
Renderer panel ➤ Rendering Algorithms rollout on page 7195 controls.

Shadows with the mental ray Renderer
The mental ray renderer can generate shadows by ray tracing. Ray tracing
traces the path of rays sampled from the light source. Shadows appear where
rays have been blocked by objects. Ray-traced shadows have sharp edges.

mental ray Renderer | 7145

Ray-traced shadows
Turning off caustics makes the outlines of shadows in this scene easier to see.

You can tell the mental ray renderer to use shadow maps on page 9305 instead
of ray-traced shadows. This can improve performance at a cost of accuracy.
Shadow controls are on the Render Setup Dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤
Shadows & Displacement rollout on page 7209.

Shadow Generators and the mental ray Renderer
Light objects in 3ds Max let you choose a shadow generator: Ray Traced,
Advanced Ray Traced, Shadow Map, and so on. Because the mental ray renderer
supports only two kinds of shadow generation, ray tracing and shadow maps,
some of the 3ds Max shadow generators aren't fully supported.
In 3ds Max, a special shadow generator type, mental ray Shadow Map, is provided
to support the mental ray renderer. If shadows are enabled (on the Shadows
& Displacement rollout on page 7209 of the Render Setup dialog) but shadow
maps are not enabled, then shadows for all lights are generated using the

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mental ray ray-tracing algorithm. If shadow maps are enabled, then shadow
generation is based on each light’s choice of shadow generator:
■

mental ray Shadow MapShadows are generated using the mental ray
shadow-map algorithm.

■

Shadow MapSettings on the Shadow Parameters rollout are translated into
a mental ray equivalent before shadows are generated. The quality of
shadows generated this way might not always meet expectations.

■

Area Shadows, Advanced Ray Traced Shadows, or Ray Traced
ShadowsShadows are generated using the mental ray ray-tracing algorithm.

Motion Blur with the mental ray Renderer
Motion blur is a way to enhance the realism of a rendered animation by
simulating the way a real-world camera works. A camera has a shutter speed,
and if significant movement occurs during the time the shutter is open, the
image on film is blurred.

Motion blur added to rendering of an animated wheel as it speeds up and rolls forward

mental ray Renderer | 7147

To render motion blur with the mental ray renderer, you must turn on ray
tracing (the Ray Trace parameter) on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Rendering Algorithms rollout on page 7195.
The mental ray renderer uses a Shutter parameter to control motion blur. This
simulates the shutter speed of a camera. At 0.0, there is no motion blurring.
At 1.0, the maximum amount of motion blurring occurs. Values between zero
and one adjust the amount of motion blur. The closer to 1.0, the greater the
blurring.
You turn on motion blur and adjust shutter speed on the Render Setup Dialog
➤ Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout on page 7201.
If you render using shadow maps on page 9305, then by default mental ray
applies motion blur to these as well. See the Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Shadows & Displacement rollout on page 7209.
TIP mental ray motion blur is not recommended for use with particle systems, as
this can increase rendering time considerably. Use a Particle MBlur map on page
6728 instead.
NOTE Motion blur with the mental ray renderer does not always follow curving
trajectories. Increasing the value of Motion Segments can help, but this works
better for rotary motion than for traveling motion.

Depth of Field with the mental ray Renderer
Depth of field is a way to enhance the realism of a rendering by simulating
the way a real-world camera works. With a broad depth of field, all or nearly
all of a scene is in focus. With a narrow depth of field, only objects within a
certain distance from the camera are in focus.

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Scene rendered using no depth of field
All apples are equally in focus.

mental ray Renderer | 7149

Same scene using depth of field to control focus
The middle apple is clearer than the other two.

To render depth-of-field effects with mental ray, ray tracing (the Ray Trace
toggle) must be enabled on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤
Rendering Algorithms rollout on page 7195. You must also enable depth of field
for the camera: in the camera's Multi-Pass Effect group, choose Depth Of Field
(mental ray) as the depth-of-field type. (If you choose the scanline renderer's
Depth Of Field option, the rendering that results can be out of focus.)
The mental ray renderer uses the camera’s target distance and f-Stop parameters
to control the depth-of-field effect.
The camera's target distance determines the focus plane. The focus plane is
the distance from the camera at which the scene is completely in focus.

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Focus plane in relation to a camera
Here it is set to the middle apple, as in the previous renderings.

mental ray Renderer | 7151

Focus plane in relation to a camera

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Here it is set to the nearest apple, as in the renderings that follow.

The f-stop controls the amount of blurring at distances other than the focus
plane distance. In a real-world camera, the f-stop measures the size of the
lens’s aperture. The lower the f-stop value, the larger the aperture and the
narrower the depth of field. So increasing the f-stop value broadens the depth
of field, and decreasing the f-stop value narrows the depth of field.

Decreasing the f-stop to narrow depth of field
Focal plane set at the nearest apple, and f-stop set to 0.1.

mental ray Renderer | 7153

Increasing the f-stop to broaden depth of field
Focal plane in same location, f-stop increased to 1.0.

You set the f-Stop in the camera's Depth Of Field rollout. See Depth of Field
Parameter (mental ray Renderer) on page 5950.
NOTE For Perspective viewports, which have no camera, the Render Setup dialog
➤ Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout on page 7201 has explicit Focus Plane
and f-Stop settings.

Caustic Lighting Effects
Caustics are the effects of light cast onto an object via reflection off or refraction
through another object.

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Swimming pool rendered without caustics

mental ray Renderer | 7155

Reflective caustics added to swimming pool

To calculate caustics, the mental ray renderer uses the photon map technique
on page 9267. (Ray tracing can’t generate accurate caustics, and they aren’t
provided by the default scanline renderer.)
You enable caustics on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Indirect Illumination panel
➤ Caustics And Global Illumination rollout on page 7226. In addition, you
must designate:
■

Which light objects can create caustics.

■

Which renderable objects can generate caustics.

■

Which renderable objects can receive caustics.

The settings for generating and receiving caustics are on the Object Properties
dialog ➤ mental ray Panel on page 236.

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Refractive caustics rendered with the default of Radius turned off.
Radius size is based on scene extents; specifically, 1/100 the radius of the full scene.

mental ray Renderer | 7157

Radius value explicitly set to 1.0

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Radius value increased to 2.5.
Filter type changed to Cone.

mental ray Renderer | 7159

Photon count increased to 50,000 (in Global Light Properties group) for greater detail
in the caustics.

Global Illumination with the mental ray Renderer
Global illumination enhances the realism in rendered images by simulating
all light interreflection effects in a scene (except caustics on page 7154). It
generates such effects as "color bleeding," where for example, a white shirt
next to a red wall appears to have a slight red tint.
The mental ray renderer offers two distinct toolsets for achieving global
illumination: photon tracing on page 7228 and final gathering on page 7213. The
primary difference between the two is that photon tracing goes from the light
source toward the ultimate illuminated target (taking bounces into account),
and final gathering goes the opposite way: from the illuminated surface toward
the light source. You can use either of these toolsets separately, or combine
them for optimal rendered results.

7160 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Scene rendered without global illumination

mental ray Renderer | 7161

Same scene with global illumination

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Global illumination made smoother by final gather

To calculate global illumination, the mental ray renderer uses the photon map
technique on page 9267.
NOTE The mental ray renderer generates global illumination without requiring
you to generate a radiosity solution. A photon map is a model of global illumination
in its own right.
NOTE In order to use global illumination in mental ray, the photons must be able
to bounce among two or more surfaces. This can be accomplished by having a
single object with some concavity in its surface that’s exposed to the light source,
or at least two objects, and at least one object must be set to receive global
illumination (see mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog) on page 236).
Otherwise you’ll receive error messages and no photons will be stored.
Using a photon map can cause rendering artifacts such as dark corners and
low-frequency variations in the lighting. You can reduce or eliminate these
artifacts by turning on final gathering on page 7213, which increases the number
of rays used to calculate global illumination.

mental ray Renderer | 7163

You enable global illumination on the Render Setup dialog ➤ Indirect
Illumination panel ➤ Caustics And Global Illumination rollout on page 7224,
and final gathering on the Final Gather rollout on page 7213. In addition, you
must designate:
■

Which light objects can generate global illumination.

■

Which renderable objects can generate global illumination.

■

Which renderable objects can receive global illumination.

The settings for generating and receiving global illumination are on the Object
Properties dialog ➤ mental ray Panel on page 236. By default, all objects in
3ds Max are set to generate and receive global illumination.

mental ray Volume Shading
Volume shading shades a three-dimensional volume, rather than a surface.
Typically, volume shaders provide atmospheric effects such as mist and fog.

Model rendered with no volume effect

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Same model rendered in mist
Mist applied as a camera volume shader; realistic falloff on

There are two ways to assign a volume shader:
■

To a camera
This effectively makes the entire scene a single volume.

■

To a material
This makes a volume out of objects to which the material is applied.
Usually when you assign a volume shader to a material, you want to make
its surface transparent so the shading within the volume is visible. You
can do this with the mental images Transmat shader.

To assign a volume shader to a camera, use the Render Setup dialog. To assign
a volume shader to a material, use the material's Volume shader component.
This component is found on the mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215,
and in the mental ray material on page 6369 itself. See the “Procedures” that
follow.

mental ray Renderer | 7165

Procedures
To apply volume shading to a camera:

1 On the main toolbar, click

(Render Setup).

If the active renderer is not already the mental ray renderer, go to the
Common panel, and on the Assign Renderer rollout, click the “...” button
for the Production renderer. A Choose Renderer dialog is displayed.
Highlight “mental ray Renderer” in the list, and then click OK.
2 Click the Renderer tab to go to the Renderer panel. On the Camera Effects
rollout, find the Camera Shaders group, and click Volume.
The Material/Map Browser on page 6167 is displayed.
3 Choose a volume shader from the list in the Browser, and then click OK.
To apply volume shading to an object:
1 Choose Customize ➤ Preferences. Go to the mental ray panel, and turn
on Enable Mental Ray Extensions.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Render Setup).

If mental ray is not already the active renderer, go to the Common panel,
and on the Assign Renderer rollout, click the “...” button for the
Production renderer. The Choose Renderer dialog opens. Highlight
“mental ray Renderer” in the list and then click OK.
Leave the Render Setup dialog open, or minimize it.

3

Open the Material Editor. Use the mental ray Connection rollout
on page 6215 to assign a volume shader to the Volume component.
Another technique would be to use the mental ray material on page 6369,
and assign a shader to the Volume component.

4 Also on the mental ray Connection rollout, click
the lock button
to unlock the Surface component. Click the shader button (“None”) and
use the Browser to assign the Transmat (physics) shader to the surface.
(If you are using the mental ray material, you don't need to first unlock
the Surface component.)

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5 Apply the material to objects you wish to use as shaded volumes.

mental ray Displacement
Displacement shading with the mental ray renderer is similar to displacement
mapping on page 6482 of standard materials. One advantage of using mental
ray displacement is that the additional polygons of displaced surfaces are
stored only in the mental ray scene database, not in your 3ds Max scene, so
they do not increase the memory requirements of your scene, except at render
time. This can be a big improvement in performance over displacement
mapping with standard materials and the scanline renderer.

Procedures
To add displacement to a mental ray rendering:
1 Choose Customize ➤ Preferences. Go to the mental ray panel, and turn
on Enable Mental Ray Extensions.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Render Setup).

If the active renderer is not already the mental ray renderer, go to the
Common panel, and on the Assign Renderer rollout, click the “...” button
for the Production renderer. A Choose Renderer dialog is displayed.
Highlight “mental ray Renderer” in the list, and then click OK.
Leave the Render Setup dialog open, or minimize it.

3

Open the Material Editor.

4 On the mental ray Connection rollout, click
the lock button to
unlock the Displacement component. Click the shader button (“None”)
and use the Browser to assign a displacement shader to the surface.
WARNING This overrides any displacement assigned to the base material as
a standard map.
Another technique would be to use the mental ray material on page 6369,
and assign a shader to the Displacement component. (If you are using
the mental ray material, you don't need to first unlock the Displacement
component.)

mental ray Renderer | 7167

5 Apply the material to objects you wish to show the displacement.

mental ray Contour Shading
Contour shading lets you render vector-based contour lines. Contours are
similar to the ink component on page 6564 of the Ink 'n Paint material.

Model rendered without contours

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Model with contours added to the rendering
Simple contour shader

You add contour rendering by assigning one of the contour shaders to the
Contour component of a material. This component is found on the mental
ray Connection rollout on page 6215 of most materials and on the mental ray
material's Advanced Shaders rollout on page 6377. Then when you render, use
the Contours group on page 7205 controls on the Camera Effects rollout on
page 7201 to enable contours.
On the Camera Effects rollout, additional shaders can modify the contours,
or control how they are rendered. For example, to render only the contours,
but not the shaded model, assign a Contour Only shader to the Contour
Output component.

Rendering of the model's contours only

mental ray Renderer | 7169

Contours Only output shader, background set to white

NOTE Contour shading does not work with distributed bucket rendering.

Procedures
To add contours to a mental ray rendering:
1 Choose Customize ➤ Preferences. Go to the mental ray panel, and turn
on Enable Mental Ray Extensions.

2 On the main toolbar, click

(Render Setup).

If mental ray is not already the active renderer, go to the Common panel,
and on the Assign Renderer rollout, click the “...” (Choose Renderer)
button for the Production renderer. The Choose Renderer dialog opens.
Highlight “mental ray Renderer” in the list, and then click OK.
Leave the Render Setup dialog open, or minimize it.

3

Open the Material Editor. For the materials of objects you want to
render with contours, use the mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215
to assign a shader to the Contour component.
Another technique would be to use the mental ray material on page 6369,
and assign shaders to both the Surface and Contour components.
TIP The Simple contour shader renders uniform lines whose color and width
you can control. The other contour shaders provide variant contour styles
with more direct user controls.

4 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Renderer panel. On the Camera
Effects rollout, turn on Enable in the Contours group.
To simply add contour lines to a rendering, leave the shaders in the
Camera Effects rollout set to their defaults. For other options, see Camera
Effects Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7201.

Combi Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Combi (contour).

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Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Combi (contour).
The Combi contour shader is a combination of the Depth Fade on page 7174,
Layer Thinner on page 7177, and Width from Light on page 7181 shaders.
TIP Use a Tape helper object on page 2886 to determine the Z depth of your view.
The following illustration shows a blue line crossing the glass pane held by
the character. This blue line is the reflection of the edge of the floor, behind
the camera.

The line is blue (Near Color), because the distance considered is not the
distance of the eye ray bouncing in the glass; rather, it is the distance between
the camera and the edge itself.

mental ray Renderer | 7171

Interface

Near Z The minimum distance.
Near Color The color of the contour at and below the minimum distance.
Near Width (%) The width at and below the minimum distance.
Far Z The maximum distance.
Far Color The color of the contour at and beyond the maximum distance.
Far Width (%) The width at and beyond the maximum distance.
Depth Factor The factor for thinning the contour at each layer.
For example, to get contours that are 2 percent wide when the material is on
top, 1 percent wide when the material is behind one other (semitransparent)
material, 0.5 percent wide when the material is behind two materials, and so
on, set Width (%) to 2.0 and Depth Factor to 0.5.
Light To specify a scene light source for use in determining contour thickness,
click this button and then select a light. After you specify a light, its name
appears on the button.
To remove the specified light source from the shader’s influence, click the
Clear button.
Light Min Width Factor The minimum factor by which the light-dependency
decreases the contour width.

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For example, for contours that are interpolated between 2 percent wide at the
Near Z distance and 1 percent wide at the Far Z distance, and get half as wide
for each layer of material beyond Far Z, and where the width also depends on
the direction to the specified light source, setLight Min Width Factor to 0.5.

Curvature Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Curvature (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Curvature (contour).
The Curvature contour shader traces a line whose thickness depends on the
angle between normals of adjacent faces.
So if two normals are in nearly opposite directions, there is a contour of width
close to Max Width between them. As the angle between them decreases, the
width of the contour decreases almost to Min Width.

mental ray Renderer | 7173

Interface

Color The color used for rendering the contour lines.
Min Width (%) The minimum contour width, in percent of the image size.
Max Width (%) The maximum contour width, in percent of the image size.

Depth Fade Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Depth Fade (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Depth Fade (contour).
The Depth Fade contour shader changes the line width and color based on Z
depth, in world units.
If a contour point is more distant than Far Z, the contour gets color Far Color
and the width gets Far Width. If a point is nearer than Near Z, the contour
gets color Near Color and the width gets Near Width. If the depth is in
between, the color and width are linearly interpolated.
TIP Use a Tape helper object on page 2886 to determine the Z depth of your view.

7174 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Near Z The minimum distance.
Near Color The color of the contour at and below the minimum distance.
Near Width (%) The width at and below the minimum distance.
Far Z The maximum distance.
Far Color The color of the contour at and beyond the maximum distance.

mental ray Renderer | 7175

Far Width (%) The width at and beyond the maximum distance.

Factor Color Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Factor Color (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Factor Color (contour).
The Factor Color shader uses the color of the material as rendered by mental
ray, as opposed to the diffuse color.
In the following illustration, the materials are all self-illuminating to ensure
a constant color. The shader does the rest.

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Interface

Factor The multiplier for the material color. If the factor is 0, a black contour
results. If the factor is between 0 and 1, a dark contour of the same hue as the
material results. If the factor is 1, the contour gets the same color as the
material at that location. If the factor is larger than 1, brighter contours of the
same hue as the material result.
Width (%) The contour width as a percent of the image size.

Layer Thinner Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Layer Thinner (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Layer Thinner (contour).
The Layer Thinner bases the contour lines’ thickness on the trace depth as
determined by the Contour Contrast Function Levels shader.
In the following illustration, the glass pane is semi-transparent. The shader
detects that situation and makes the lines thinner when they are drawn inside
the glass pane.

mental ray Renderer | 7177

Interface

Color The color used for rendering the contour lines.
Width (%) The thickness of the contour lines at the top layer.
Depth Factor The factor for thinning the contour at each layer.
For example, to get contours that are 2 percent wide when the material is on
top, 1 percent wide when the material is behind one other (semitransparent)
material, 0.5 percent wide when the material is behind two materials, and so
on, set Width (%) to 2.0 and Depth Factor to 0.5.

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Simple Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Simple (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Simple (contour).
The Simple contour shader draws all lines the same width.

Interface

Color The color used for rendering the contour lines.
Width (%) The relative thickness of the contour lines.

mental ray Renderer | 7179

Width from Color Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Width from Color (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Width from Color (contour).
The Width from Color shader bases the thickness of contours on the brightness
of the color of your materials. The brighter the color, the thinner the contour.
IMPORTANT The color used by the shader is not the diffuse color of the material,
but instead the rendered color, so lighting has an influence here.
Although the name of the shader uses the word "Color," it would be probably
more appropriate to call this shader "Width from Brightness," because only
the brightness of a color is taken in consideration.

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Interface

Color The color used for rendering the contour lines.
Min Width (%) The relative thickness of the thinnest contour lines, where
rendered material colors are brightest.
Max Width (%) The relative thickness of the thickest contour lines, where
rendered material colors are darkest.

Width from Light Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Width from Light (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Width from Light (contour).
The thickness of contours generated by the Width from Light shader are based
on the direction of a light you can specifiy in your scene.

mental ray Renderer | 7181

Light source is on the left side of the scene.

Interface

Color The color used for rendering the contour lines.
Min Width (%) The relative thickness of the thinnest contour lines, where
illumination is brightest.
Max Width (%) The relative thickness of the thickest contour lines, where
illumination is darkest.

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Light To specify a scene light source for use in determining contour thickness,
click this button and then select a light. After you specify a light, its name
appears on the button.
To remove the specified light source from the shader’s influence, click the
Clear button.

Width from Light Direction Contour Shader
mental ray material ➤ Advanced Shaders rollout ➤ Click Contour button.
➤ Choose Width from Light Dir (contour).
Other material ➤ mental Ray Connection rollout ➤ Advanced Shaders
group ➤ Unlock Contour if necessary. ➤ Click Contour button. ➤ Choose
Width from Light Dir (contour).
The Width from Light Dir shader modifies the thickness of contours based
on the direction specified by a "virtual light vector" as defined in the shader.
The virtual light is used only to calculate the contours; it does not affect the
scene in any other way.
The virtual light direction is controlled by the Light Direction value. It’s a
vector parameter, which means it has three value fields, which correspond to
the world X, Z, and Y axes, respectively. For example, the following illustration
comprises three separate renders, in which Light Direction is set to (1,0,0),
(0,1,0), and (-1,0,0), respectively.

Left to right: Light Direction=(1,0,0);(0,1,0);(-1,0,0)

mental ray Renderer | 7183

Interface

Color The color used for rendering the contour lines.
Min Width (%) The relative thickness of the thinnest contour lines, where
illumination from the virtual light is brightest.
Max Width (%) The relative thickness of the thickest contour lines, where
illumination from the virtual light is darkest.
Light Direction Use these three vector fields to specify the position of the
virtual light shines for defining the relative contour thickness. The first field
specifies the world X axis; the second, the world Z axis; and the third specifies
the world Y axis. For example, to have the light shining from the right, so
that the contour lines are thinnest on the right side of scene objects as viewed
from the front, set Light Direction to (1,0,0). A negative number reverses the
position, so using (-1,0,0) would position the light on the left side.

mental ray Renderer Interface
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Renderer panel/Indirect Illumination
panel/Processing panel
Topics in this section cover the Render Setup dialog panels that are specific
to mental ray rendering.
For information on the common rendering panels, see:
■

Common Panel (Render Setup Dialog) on page 7020

■

Render Elements Panel and Rollout on page 7269

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Renderer Panel (mental ray)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Renderer panel
Note: The Renderer panel appears only when mental ray is the active renderer.
The Renderer panel includes settings for optimizing mental ray rendering as
well as controls for camera effects, shadows, and displacement shading.

Global Tuning Parameters Rollout (mental ray Renderer)

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Global Tuning Parameters rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel
➤ Global Tuning Parameters rollout
Note: The Global Tuning Parameters rollout appears only when the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
The Global Tuning Parameters parameters give you high-level control of the
quality of mental ray shaders for soft shadows, glossy reflections, and glossy
refractions. These controls let you adjust overall rendering quality without
having to modify individual light and material settings. In general, lowering
a global tuning parameter value decreases rendering time, and raising it
increases rendering time.
WARNING Because these parameters act as multipliers, certain combinations of
global tuning settings and the values they modify can yield non-useful results. For
example, if the Reflection ➤ Glossy Samples setting in an Arch & Design material
is 8 and you set Glossy Reflections Precision to 0.1, the result is a Glossy Samples
value of 0.8, which is equivalent to 0, thus turning off glossiness and producing
mirror reflections.
You can find an example of these controls in use in the following illustration,
which contains three separate renderings. In each image, each goblet contains
an Arch & Design material using the Chrome template. All Chrome settings
are the defaults, except the Reflection ➤ Glossiness settings were changed
to 0.6, 0.4, and 0.2 respectively (from left to right), and the Reflection ➤
Glossy Samples settings were all changed to 8. For the renderings, Glossy
Reflections Precision was set to 0.25, 1.0, and 5.0, respectively (from top to

mental ray Renderer | 7185

bottom). The highest-quality rendering took 15 times longer than the
lowest-quality.

Glossy Reflections Precision affects all Arch & Design materials in the scene.

Interface

Soft Shadows Precision A global multiplier for the Shadow Samples setting
(or similar-named, as noted following) in all lights casting soft shadows. This
includes all photometric lights on page 5707 (Target Light, Free Light, mr Sky

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Portal), as well as mr Sun on page 5885 (Softness Samples), mr Area Omni on
page 5777 (Samples), and mr Area Spot on page 5780 (Samples). Typically the light
should be set to cast ray- traced shadows, when available, although in some
cases shadow maps work too.
Possible multiplier values are 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16.
The following illustration comprises three separate renders of a scene
containing two photometric spotlights and two cylinders. Both spotlights
have disc-shaped emitters of radius 10.0 and cast ray-traced shadows, but the
one on the left has Shadow Samples set to 64 while the one on the right has
Shadow Samples set to 8. From top to bottom, the scenes were rendered with
Soft Shadows Precision set to 0.125, 1.0, and 4.0, respectively.

Soft Shadows Precision affects all lights casting soft shadows in the scene.

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NOTE This setting adjusts each light’s Shadow Samples setting temporarily for
rendering purposes only; it does not change the actual setting. For example, if the
scene contains three lights with Shadow Samples settings of 64, 32, and 8, and
you set Soft Shadows Precision to 0.5, the resultant values as rendered will be 32,
16, and 4. However, the original settings remain intact, and are used for rendering
purposes when you set Soft Shadows Precision back to the default 1.0.
The equivalent Render Frame Window control is the Soft Shadows Precision
on page 6975 slider, with one exception: This control, unlike the slider, does
not disable soft shadows at its lowest value.
Glossy Reflections Precision Controls reflection quality globally.
Glossy Reflections Precision determines the quality of reflections in all
instances of the Arch & Design material on page 6269 and related materials in
the scene. The value acts as a multiplier to each material’s Reflection group
➤ Glossy Samples on page 6287 setting.
NOTE This setting adjusts each material’s Glossy Samples setting temporarily for
rendering purposes only; it does not change the materials. For example, if the scene
contains three Arch & Design materials with Reflection ➤ Glossy Samples settings
of 32, 20, and 8, and you set Glossy Reflections Precision to 0.5, the resultant
values as rendered will be 16, 10, and 4. However, the original material settings
remain intact, and are used for rendering purposes when you set Glossy Reflections
Precision back to the default 1.0.
The equivalent Render Frame Window control is the Glossy Reflections
Precision on page 6976 slider, with one exception: This control, unlike the slider,
does not disable reflections at its lowest value.
Glossy Refractions Precision Controls refraction quality globally.
Glossy Refractions Precision determines the quality of refractions in all
instances of the Arch & Design material on page 6269 and related materials in
the scene. The value acts as a multiplier to each material’s Refraction group
➤ Glossy Samples on page 6290 setting.
NOTE This setting adjusts each material’s Glossy Samples setting temporarily for
rendering purposes only; it does not change the materials. For example, if the scene
contains three Arch & Design materials with Refraction ➤ Glossy Samples settings
of 32, 20, and 8, and you set Glossy Refractions Precision to 0.5, the resultant
values as rendered will be 16, 10, and 4. However, the original material settings
remain intact, and are used for rendering purposes when you set Glossy Refractions
Precision back to the default 1.0.

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The equivalent Render Frame Window control is the Glossy Refractions
Precision on page 6976 slider, with one exception: This control, unlike the slider,
does not disable refraction at its lowest value.

Sampling Quality Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Sampling Quality
rollout
Note: The Sampling Quality rollout appears only when the mental ray renderer
is the currently active renderer.
The controls on this rollout affect how the mental ray renderer performs
sampling on page 9288 for antialiasing rendered images.

Procedures
To use low sampling for previews:
■

Leave the Minimum and Maximum values at their default settings of 1/4
and 4, or reduce them to 1/16 and 1/4.
TIP Do not assign Minimum and Maximum the same value.

To use high sampling for final renderings:
■

Increase the Minimum and Maximum values to 4 and 16, respectively, or
to higher values.
TIP Do not assign the same value to both Minimum and Maximum.

To view the sampling pattern:
■

On the Diagnostics rollout on page 7247, choose Sampling Rate, then render
the scene.
Instead of rendering the image, mental ray draws a diagram that shows
the range of applied sampling values. White lines indicate edges in the
scene, where the mental ray renderer took the maximum number of
samples. If fractional sample limits are used (sampling down), lighter dots
indicate the higher value while darker dots indicate the lower value.
To assist with analysis, View Samples also draws red lines around each
bucket, or separately rendered block.

mental ray Renderer | 7189

When the Minimum and Maximum number of samples are equal, the
diagram shows all buckets as white.

Interface

Samples per Pixel group
Set the minimum and maximum sample rates for antialiasing the rendered
output.
NOTE Presets for several sample rate combinations are available on the Rendered
Frame Window as the Image Precision (Antialiasing) slider on page 6975.
Minimum Sets the minimum sample rate. The value represents the number
of samples per pixel. A value greater than or equal to 1 indicates that one or
more samples are computed per pixel. A fractional value indicates that one
sample is computed for every N pixels (for example, 1/4 computes a minimum
of one sample for every four pixels). Default=1/4.
Maximum Sets the maximum sample rate. If neighboring samples find a
difference in contrast that exceeds the contrast limit, the area containing the
contrast is subdivided to the depth specified by Maximum. Default=4.
The values of the Minimum and Maximum lists are "locked" together so that
the value of Minimum can't exceed the value of Maximum.

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Filter group
Filter type Determines how multiple samples are combined into a single pixel
value. Can be set to Box, Gauss, Triangle, Mitchell, or Lanczos. Default=Box.
TIP For most scenes the Mitchell filter gives the best results.
■

Box filter: Sums all samples in the filter area with equal weight. This is the
quickest sampling method.

■

Gauss filter: Weights the samples using a Gauss (bell) curve centered on
the pixel.

■

Triangle filter: Weights the samples using a pyramid centered on the pixel.

■

Mitchell filter: Weights the samples using a curve (steeper than Gauss)
centered on the pixel.

■

Lanczos filter: Weights the samples using a curve (steeper than Gauss)
centered on the pixel, diminishing the effect of samples at the edge of the
filter area.

Width and Height Specify the size of the filtered area. Increasing the value
of Width and Height can soften the image, however it will increase rendering
time.
Default=Depends on the Filter type you choose:
■

Box filter: Width=1.0, Height=1.0

■

Gauss filter: Width=3.0, Height=3.0

■

Triangle filter: Width=2.0, Height=2.0

■

Mitchell filter: Width=4.0, Height=4.0

■

Lanczos filter: Width=4.0, Height=4.0

Spatial Contrast group
This control sets the contrast value used as thresholds to control sampling.
Spatial contrast applies to each still image.
If neighboring samples in a frame differ by more than this color, the mental
ray renderer does recursive supersampling (that is, more than one sample per
pixel), up to the depth specified by the Maximum samples per pixel on page
7190 value. Increasing the Spatial Contrast values decreases the amount of

mental ray Renderer | 7191

sampling done, and can speed the rendering of a scene at the cost of image
quality.
■

R, G, BSpecify the threshold values for the red, green, and blue components
of samples. These values are normalized, and range from 0.0 to 1.0, where
0.0 indicates the color component is fully unsaturated (black, or 0 in
eight-bit encoding) and 1.0 indicates the color component is fully saturated
(white, or 255 in eight-bit encoding). Default=(0.05, 0.05, 0.05).

■

ASpecifies the threshold value for the alpha component of samples. This
value is normalized, and ranges from 0.0 (fully transparent, or 0 in eight-bit
encoding) to 1.0 (fully opaque, or 255 in eight-bit encoding). Default=0.05.

■

[color swatch]Click to display a Color Selector on page 304 to let you specify
the R, G, and B threshold values interactively.

Options group
Lock Samples When on, the mental ray renderer uses the same sampling
pattern for every frame of an animation. When off, the mental ray renderer
introduces a quasi-random (Monte Carlo) variation in the sample pattern from
frame to frame. Default=on.
Varying the sample pattern reduces rendering artifacts in animations.
Jitter Introduces a variation into sample locations; see Sampling on page 9288.
Turning on Jitter can help reduce aliasing. Default=on.
Bucket Width Determines the size of each bucket in pixels. Range=4 to 512
pixels. Default=48 pixels.
To render the scene, the mental ray renderer subdivides the image into
rectangular sections, or “buckets.” Using a smaller bucket size causes more
image updates to be generated during rendering. Updating the image consumes
a certain amount of CPU cycles. For scenes with little complexity, smaller
buckets can increase the rendering time, while larger buckets can make things
render faster. For more complex scenes, the reverse is true.
Bucket Order Lets you specify the method by which mental ray chooses the
next bucket. If you are using placeholders or distributed rendering, use the
default Hilbert order. Otherwise, choose a method based on how you prefer
to see the image appear as it renders in the Rendered Frame Window.
■

Hilbert (best)(The default.) The next bucket chosen is the one that will
trigger the fewest data transfers.

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TIP Always use Hilbert order when you use placeholders (see the Translator
Options rollout on page 7240) or distributed rendering (see the Distributed
Bucket Rendering rollout on page 7249).
■

SpiralThe buckets begin at the center of the image, and spiral outward.

■

Left to rightBuckets are rendered in columns, from bottom to top, left to
right.

■

Right to leftBuckets are rendered in columns, from bottom to top, right
to left.

■

Top-downBuckets are rendered in rows, from right to left, top to bottom.

■

Bottom-upBuckets are rendered in rows, from right to left, bottom to top.

Frame Buffer Type Lets you choose the bit depth of the output frame buffer:
■

Integer (16 bits per channel)Outputs 16 bits per channel of color
information.This is the default output format.

■

Floating-Point (32 bits per channel)Outputs 32 bits per channel of color
information. This method supports high-dynamic-range imagery (HDRI).

mental ray Renderer | 7193

NOTE When you render an image with floating-point, 32-bit output, you
might see jagged edges in bright areas such as self-illuminated objects or
reflections of light sources. The reason is that in floating-point rendering, the
brightness of a pixel can be greater than 1 (“whiter than white,” so to speak).

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Above: In a 16-bit rendering, bright highlights are muted.
Below: In a 32-bit rendering, bright highlights (on the lamp chains and the mirror),
are strong and jagged.

For example, suppose a pixel is sampled four times, and an object occludes
the pixel one of those times. In a 16-bit rendering, this results in a 25
percent grayscale value for the pixel. The same thing happens in a 32-bit
rendering, unless the object is bright. In that case, the pixel might be 20
times brighter than its surroundings, so the result does not blend into its
surroundings, and the rendered highlight appears to be jagged or “aliased.”
While this effect is apparent in the 3ds Max Rendered Frame Window, it
is only apparent: if you use the image in a compositing program that
handles HDRI images, for example, or open it and adjust its levels in an
image-processing program such as Photoshop, the image appearance will
be correct.

Rendering Algorithms Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Rendering Algorithms
rollout
The controls in this rollout let you choose whether to render using ray-tracing,
scanline rendering, or both. You can also choose the method used to accelerate
ray-tracing.
The Trace Depth controls the number of times each ray can be reflected,
refracted, or both.

Procedures
To set trace depth for reflections and refractions:
1 Count the number of times you want an object to be reflected or refracted
in the scene.
2 On the mental ray: Rendering Algorithms rollout, turn on Enable
Reflections and enable Refractions.
3 Set Max. Reflections to the number of reflections you want, and Max.
Refractions to the number of refractions you want.

mental ray Renderer | 7195

4 Set Max. Trace Depth to the sum of the values for Max Reflections and
Max Refractions.
The greater the number of reflections and refractions, the more slowly
your scene will render. On the other hand, too low a value for Max.
Reflections or Max. Refractions (or Max. Trace Depth, controlling both)
can make your rendering look unrealistic.

Interface

By default, Scanline is off and Ray Tracing is enabled for accurate rendering.
Scanline rendering is used for direct illumination (“primary rays”) only; ray

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tracing is used for indirect illumination (caustics and global illumination) as
well as reflections, refractions, and lens effects.
You can use both options together or disable either option, but not both. For
example, if only Ray Tracing is enabled and you turn it off, 3ds Max enables
Scanline rendering.

Scanline group
Enable When on, the renderer can use scanline rendering. When off, the
renderer uses the ray-tracing method only. Scanline rendering is faster than
ray tracing, but cannot generate reflections, refractions, shadows, depth of
field, or indirect lighting. Default=off.
Use Fast Rasterizer (Rapid Motion Blur) When on, uses a fast rasterizer
method to generate the first generation of rays to trace. This can improve
rendering speed. Default=off.
This option works well with object motion blur, and also with scenes that
have no motion blur.
The following settings are available for the fast rasterizer:
■

Samples per PixelControls the number of samples per pixel used by the
fast rasterizer method. More samples result in greater smoothness, at a cost
of render time. Range=1 to 225. Default=16.

■

Shades per PixelControls the approximate number of shading calls per
pixel. Greater values result in more accurate renderings, at a cost of render
time. Range=0.1 to 10000 (ten thousand). Default=2.0.

NOTE mental ray provides a Time Samples setting specifically for motion blur in
the fast rasterizer. When Use Fast Rasterizer is on, the Camera Effects rollout ➤ Time
Samples on page 7205 label changes to Time Samples (Fast Rasterizer) to indicate
that this version of Time Samples is now in effect.

Ray Tracing group
Enable When on, mental ray uses ray tracing to render reflections, refractions,
lens effects (motion blur and depth of field), and indirect lighting (caustics
and global illumination). When off, the renderer uses the scanline method
only. Ray tracing is slower but more accurate and more realistic. Default=on.
To render reflections, refractions, depth of field, and indirect lighting (caustics
and global illumination), Ray Tracing must be enabled.
Use Autovolume When on, uses the mental ray autovolume mode. This lets
you render nested or overlapping volumes such as the intersection of two

mental ray Renderer | 7197

spotlight beams. Autovolume also allows a camera to move through the nested
or overlapping volumes. Default=off.
To use Autovolume, Ray Trace must be on, Scanline must be off, and the
shadow mode must be set to Segments. (You set the shadow mode on the
Shadows And Displacement rollout on page 7209.) If these conditions aren't met
when you click to turn on Autovolume, an alert warns you about this, and
gives you the option of making the appropriate setting changes.

Raytrace Acceleration Group
Method The drop-down list sets which algorithm to use for raytrace
acceleration on page 9278. The other controls in this group box change,
depending on which acceleration method you choose. These are the
alternatives:
■

BSP
The BSP method has Size and Depth controls. See Ray-Trace Acceleration:
Parameters for the BSP Method on page 7200.
This method is the fastest on a single-processor system. Use it for
small-to-medium size scenes on a single processor. BSP is also the best
method to use when ray tracing is turned off.

■

BSP2
(The default.) The BSP2 method is configured automatically by mental ray
and has no controls. This method is optimized for large, static scenes; for
example, a fully-furnished cafeteria.
BSP2 requires less memory than BSP and is able to flush memory when
necessary. However, there could be a small performance loss when using
it with smaller scenes.

Reflections/Refractions group
Trace depth controls the number of times a light ray can be reflected or
refracted. At 0, no reflection or refraction occurs. Increasing these values can
increase the complexity and realism of a scene, at a cost of greater rendering
time.
TIP In some cases, you might want to set Max. Refractions high and Max.
Reflections low. For example, you might have the camera looking through several
glasses that are lined up, so they're overlapping from the camera's point of view.
In this situation, you might want the light rays to refract twice for each glass (once
for each layer), so you'd set Max. Refractions to 2 x [number of glasses]. However,
to save rendering time, you could set Max. Reflections to 1, resulting in accurate
multi-layer refraction with a relatively fast rendering time.

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Max. Trace Depth Limits the combination of reflection and refraction. Tracing
of a ray stops when the total number of reflections and refractions reaches
the Max. Trace Depth. For example, if Max. Trace Depth is set to 3 and the
two trace depths are both set to 2, a ray can be reflected twice and refracted
once, or vice-versa, but it can’t be reflected and refracted four times. Default=6.
Enable Reflections When on, mental ray traces reflections. Turn off to improve
performance when you don’t require reflections.
This control is also available on the Rendered Frame Window ➤ lower panel,
as the leftmost position of the Glossy Reflections Precision on page 6976 slider.
■

Max. ReflectionsSets the number of times a ray can be reflected. At 0, no
reflection occurs. At 1, the ray can be reflected once only. At 2, the ray can
be reflected twice, and so on. Default=4.
This control is also available on the Rendered Frame Window ➤ lower
panel, as the Max. Reflections on page 6977 parameter.

Enable Refractions When on, mental ray traces refraction. Turn off to improve
performance when you don’t require refraction.
This control is also available on the Rendered Frame Window ➤ lower panel,
as the leftmost position of the Glossy Refractions Precision on page 6976 slider.
■

Max. RefractionsSets the number of times a ray can be refracted. At 0, no
refraction occurs. At 1, the ray can be refracted once only. At 2, the ray
can be refracted twice, and so on. Default=6.
This control is also available on the Rendered Frame Window ➤ lower
panel, as the Max. Refractions on page 6977 parameter.

Subset Pixel Rendering group
Render changes to selected objects only When on, rendering the scene
applies only to selected objects. Unlike using the Selected on page 6995 option
for rendering, however, using this option takes into account all scene elements
that affect its appearance. This includes shadows, reflection, direct and indirect
lighting, and so on. Also, unlike Selected, which replaces the entire contents
of the Rendered Frame Window (except for selected objects) with the
background color, this option replaces only pixels used by the re-rendered
selected objects.
Subset pixel rendering is particularly useful when performing iterative
rendering and refinement of lighting, shadows, and other scene elements for
a particular object or set of objects in the scene. It lets you re-render repeatedly
to view the results of isolated changes without disturbing the rest of the
rendered output.

mental ray Renderer | 7199

This setting is also available on the Rendered Frame Window, as Subset Pixels
(of selected objects) on page 6967.

Ray-Trace Acceleration: Parameters for the BSP Method

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer
panel ➤ Rendering Algorithms rollout ➤ Raytrace Acceleration group ➤
Choose BSP as the Raytrace Acceleration method.
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel
➤ Rendering Algorithms rollout ➤ Raytrace Acceleration group ➤ Choose
BSP as the Raytrace Acceleration method.
When you choose BSP as the Raytrace Acceleration method on the Rendering
Algorithms rollout on page 7195, the parameters described here are displayed.
BSP stands for Binary Space Partitioning.
NOTE If the scene contains too many faces (triangles) to fit in a tree of the size
specified by the Size and Depth parameters, mental ray disregards the Size value
and creates larger leaf nodes. This can significantly slow down rendering. To avoid
this problem, increase the value of Depth.

Interface

Size Sets the maximum number of faces (triangles) in the leaf of a BSP tree.
Increasing the Size value reduces memory consumption but increases rendering
time. Default=10.
Depth Sets the maximum number of levels in the BSP tree. Increasing the
Depth value reduces rendering time, but increases memory consumption and
preprocessing time. Default=40.
TIP For large scenes, increasing the Depth value to 50 or more can greatly improve
rendering time.

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Camera Effects Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout
Note: The Camera Effects rollout appears only when the mental ray renderer
is the currently active renderer.
The controls in this rollout are for the camera effects depth of field on page
7148 and motion blur on page 7147, as well as for contour shading on page 7168
and adding camera shaders.

Procedures
To use depth of field for a Camera view:
1 On the camera’s Parameters rollout, in the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn
on Enable and choose Depth Of Field (mental ray).
2 Set the camera’s target distance to the range at which you want objects
to be clearly in focus.
For a Target camera, you can select the camera’s target object and move
it. For a Free camera, you adjust the Target Distance on the Parameters
rollout.
3 On the Camera’s Depth Of Field rollout, decrease the f-Stop value to
narrow the depth of field, or increase the f-Stop value to broaden the
depth of field.
You might need to experiment with f-Stop values to get the effect you
want.
4 Render the scene.
To use depth of field for a Perspective view:
1 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects
rollout, and in the Depth Of Field (Perspective Views Only) group, turn
on Enable.
2 Set the Focus Plane distance to the range at which you want objects to
be clearly in focus.
3 Decrease the f-Stop value to narrow the depth of field, or increase the
f-Stop value to broaden the depth of field.
You might need to experiment with f-Stop values to get the effect you
want. If you have trouble getting good results with f-Stop, use the

mental ray Renderer | 7201

drop-down list to change the method to In Focus Limits, then adjust the
Near and Far values to enclose the region of the scene you want to be
clearly in focus.
4 Render the scene.
To use motion blur:
1 Select each object you want to be blurred by motion, right-click and
choose Properties, then on the Object Properties dialog ➤ General panel,
make sure that in the Motion Blur group, Enable is turned on and Object
is chosen.
The mental ray renderer won't generate motion blur if Image is the chosen
type.
2 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects
rollout, and in the Motion Blur group turn on Enable.
NOTE With the mental ray renderer, don't use Motion Blur as a Multi-Pass
Effect.
3 Increase the Shutter value to increase the blurriness caused by motion
blur.
4 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Rendering Algorithms rollout, and
make sure Ray Trace is turned on.
Motion blur is not rendered when the mental ray renderer uses scanlines
only.
5 Render the scene.
To render with contours:
1 Use the mental ray Connection rollout to assign a contour shader to an
object's material.
The mental ray material also lets you assign a contour shader.
2 On the Render Setup dialog ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Camera Effects rollout,
in the Contours group, turn on Enable.
3 Change the contour shaders if you wish.

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NOTE A number of Contour Output shaders are available, but by default,
only one Contour Contrast and one Contour Store shader are provided with
3ds Max. You can adjust the contour contrast shader's settings; the contrast
store shader has no parameters.
4 Render the scene.
To assign a camera shader:
1 Click the button for a camera Lens, Output, or Volume shader.
The Material/Map Browser is displayed.
2 Choose a shader from the Browser list, and then click OK.
To adjust the settings for a contour or camera shader assigned on this rollout:

1

Open the Material Editor.
If you need to, arrange the open dialogs so you can see the Material Editor
and the Render Setup dialog at the same time.

2 Drag the shader button from the Render Setup dialog to an unused sample
slot in the Material Editor.
An Instance (Copy) Map dialog is displayed. Be sure to choose Instance, and
then click OK.
If you don't choose Instance, changes you make to the shader settings in
the Material Editor won't have any effect on the Render Setup dialog.
TIP If you forgot to choose Instance, change the shader settings as you
choose, and then drag the shader's sample slot or its Type button back to
the button in the Render Setup dialog. This updates the Render Setup dialog
copy of the shader.
The Material Editor displays the shader parameters rollout.
3 Adjust the parameters.

mental ray Renderer | 7203

Interface

Motion Blur group
TIP mental ray motion blur is not recommended for use with particle systems, as
this can increase rendering time considerably. Use a Particle MBlur map on page
6728 instead.
NOTE Motion blur with the mental ray renderer does not always follow curving
trajectories. Increasing the value of Motion Segments can help, but this works
better for rotary motion than for traveling motion.
The Rendering Control Properties (lower-right) quad of the rendering quad
menu (Ctrl+Alt+right-click) has a Motion Blur toggle for a single, selected

7204 | Chapter 18 Rendering

object. You can turn on Motion Blur for lights and cameras: moving lights
and cameras can generate motion blur when rendered with mental ray.
Enable When on, the mental ray renderer calculates motion blur on page 7147.
Default=off.
Blur All Objects Applies motion blur to all objects, regardless of their object
property setting. Default=on.
Shutter Duration (frames) Simulates the shutter speed of a camera. At 0.0,
there is no motion blurring. The greater the Shutter Duration value, the greater
the blurring. Default=0.5.
Shutter Offset (frames) Sets the beginning of the motion-blur effect relative
to the current frame. The default value, –0.25, centers the blurring slightly
before the current frame for a photorealistic effect. Default=–0.25.
Motion Segments Sets the number of segments for calculating motion blur.
This control is for animations. If motion blur appears to be tangential to the
actual motion of an object, increase the Motion Segments value. Larger values
result in more accurate motion blur, at a cost of rendering time. Default=1.
Time Samples When the scene uses motion blur, controls the number of
times the material is shaded during each time interval (set by Shutter Duration
on page 7205). Range=0 to 100. Default=5.
By default, the material is shaded only once, and then blurred. If the material
changes rapidly during the shutter interval, it might be useful to increase this
value, in order to obtain more accurate motion blur. Rapid changes in
reflections or refractions might require a higher Time Samples value.
NOTE When Rendering Algorithms rollout ➤ Use Fast Rasterizer on page 7197 is
on, the label for this parameter changes to Time Samples (Fast Rasterizer) to
indicate that this version of Time Samples is now in effect. The default value for
the Fast Rasterizer version of Time Samples is 1, and the range is 1 to 128. If you
change the value for either version, 3ds Max remembers the changed setting
when you switch.

Contours group
These controls enable contours, and let you use shaders to adjust the results
of a contour shader on page 7168. You assign the primary contour shader to the
Contour component of the mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215 or a
mental ray material (see Advanced Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material) on
page 6377).
NOTE Contour shading does not work with distributed bucket rendering.

mental ray Renderer | 7205

Enable When on, enables rendering of contours. Default=off.
To change a shader assignment for adjusting contours, click a button. Default
shaders are already assigned to the three components, as the button labels
indicate.
Contour Contrast The contour contrast component can be assigned the
following shader:
Shader

Library

Contour Contrast Function Levels

contour

Contour Store This component stores the data on which contours are based.
It can be assigned the following shader, which has no parameters to set:
Shader

Library

Contour Store Function

contour

Contour Output The contour output component can be assigned one of these
shaders:
Shader

Library

Contour Composite

contour

Contour Only

contour

Contour PS (PostScript)

contour

To adjust the settings for a shader assigned to one of these components, drag
the shader's button to an unused Material Editor sample slot. When prompted
to use an instance or a copy, be sure to choose Instance. (If you edit a copy of
the shader, you will have to drag the sample slot back to the shader button
on the Camera Effects rollout before you see any changes take effect.)

Camera Shaders group
These controls let you assign mental ray camera shaders. Click a button to
assign a shader to that component. After a shader is assigned, its name appears
on the button. Use the toggle on the left to temporarily disable a shader that
has been assigned.

7206 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Lens Click to assign a lens shader. This component can be assigned one of
these shaders:
Shader

Library

Distortion

lume

mr Physical Sky on page 5893

3ds Max

Night

lume

Render Subset of Scene/Masking on page

3ds Max

6852
Shader List on page 6840 (Lens)

3ds Max

Utility Gamma & Gain on page 6851

3ds Max

Wrap Around

lume

Output Click to assign a camera output shader. These are the output shaders
you can assign:
Shader

Library

Glare Shader (mental ray) on page 6827 (The

lume

default.)
HDR Image Motion Blur on page 6856

3ds Max

Motion Vector Export on page 6854

3ds Max

Shader List on page 6840 (Output)

lume

Volume Click to assign a volume shader to the camera. These are the volume
shaders you can assign:
Shader

Library

Beam

lume

Material to Shader on page 6832

3ds Max

Mist

lume

mental ray Renderer | 7207

Shader

Library

mr Physical Sky on page 5893

3ds Max

Parti Volume

physics

Shader List on page 6840 (Volume)

3ds Max

Submerge

lume

NOTE You can also assign Volume shaders to the Volume component of the
mental ray Connection rollout on page 6215 and the mental ray material (see Material
Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material) on page 6370).

Depth of Field (Perspective Views Only) group
These controls are comparable to the depth-of-field controls for cameras. They
apply only to Perspective viewports. You can render depth-of-field effects for
either Camera or Perspective views. Depth-of-field effects don’t appear when
you render orthographic viewports.
For a Perspective view, use the controls in this group. For a Camera view,
choose “Depth Of Field (mental ray)” as the multi-pass rendering effect, then
adjust the f-Stop setting. See Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer)
on page 5950.
Enable When on, the mental ray renderer calculates depth-of-field on page
7148 effects when rendering a Perspective view. Default=off.
[method drop-down list] Lets you choose the method for controlling
depth-of-field. Default=f-Stop.
■

f-StopControls depth-of-field with the f-Stop setting.

■

In Focus LimitsControls depth-of-field with the Near and Far values.

In most cases, the f-Stop method is easier to use. The In Focus Limits method
can help when the scale of objects in the scene makes it difficult to control
depth of field using the f-Stop value alone.
Focus Plane For Perspective viewports, sets the distance from the camera, in
3ds Max units, at which the scene is completely in focus. Default=100.0.
For Camera viewports, the focus plane is set by the camera's target distance.

7208 | Chapter 18 Rendering

f-Stop When f-Stop is the active method, sets the f-stop for use when you
render Perspective views. Increasing the f-stop value broadens the depth of
field, and decreasing the f-stop value narrows the depth of field. Default=1.0.
The f-Stop can have a value less than 1.0. This is not realistic in terms of an
actual camera, but it can help you adjust the depth of field for scenes whose
scale does not use realistic units.
Near and Far When In Focus Limits is the active method, these values set the
range, in 3ds Max units, within which objects are in focus. Objects lose focus
when they are closer than the Near value or farther than the Far value. These
values are approximate, because the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus
is gradual, not abrupt.

The Near and Far values are related to each other and to the value of Focus
Plane. Changing the value of Near changes Far as well, and vice versa.
Specifically, if
H = Hyperfocal distance, the Focus Plane value at which the Far limit becomes
infinity
D = The Focus Plane distance
Dn = The Near distance
Df = The Far distance
Then
Dn = HD / (H + D)
Df = HD / (H − D)

Shadows & Displacement Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Shadows &
Displacement rollout
Note: The Shadows & Displacement rollout appears only when the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.

mental ray Renderer | 7209

The controls in this rollout affect shadows on page 7145 and displacement on
page 7167.
NOTE You can disable displacement globally by turning off Displacement in the
Options group on the Common Parameters rollout on page 7020.

Interface

Shadows group
Enable When on, the mental ray renderer renders shadows. When off, no
shadows are rendered. Default=on.
When Enable is off, the other shadow controls are unavailable.
Mode The shadow mode can be Simple, Sort, or Segments. Default=Simple.
■

SimpleCauses the mental ray renderer to call shadow shaders in a random
order.

■

SortCauses the mental ray renderer to call shadow shaders in order, from
the object to the light. Sort applies to third-party, external shadow shaders
on page 9302.

■

SegmentsCauses the mental ray renderer to call shadow shaders in order
along the light ray from the volume shaders to the segments of the light
ray between the object and the light.

7210 | Chapter 18 Rendering

TIP Choose Simple for regular shadows, Segments for volume shadows.

Shadow Maps group
These controls specify a shadow map on page 9305 used to render shadows.
When you specify a shadow map file, the mental ray renderer uses the shadow
map instead of ray-traced shadows.
To stop using a shadow map and use ray-traced shadows, delete the map's
name from the file name field.
Enable When on, the mental ray renderer renders shadow-mapped shadows.
When off, all shadows are ray-traced. Default=on.
When Enabled is off, the other controls in this group are unavailable.
If shadows are enabled but shadow maps are not enabled, then shadows for
all lights are generated using the mental ray ray-tracing algorithm. If shadow
maps are enabled, then shadow generation is based on each light’s choice of
shadow generator:
■

mental ray Shadow MapShadows are generated using the mental ray
shadow-map algorithm.

■

Shadow MapSettings on the Shadow Parameters rollout are translated into
a mental ray equivalent before shadows are generated. The quality of
shadows generated this way might not always meet expectations.

■

Area Shadows, Advanced Ray Traced Shadows, or Ray Traced
ShadowsShadows are generated using the mental ray ray-tracing algorithm.

Motion Blur When on, the mental ray renderer applies motion blur on page
7147 to shadow maps. Default=on.
WARNING Turning on Motion Blur for both cameras and shadows can cause
shadows to shift position. To avoid this effect, turn on motion blur for cameras
only.
Rebuild (Do Not Re-Use Cache) When on, the renderer saves the recalculated
shadow map (.zt) file on page 9356 to the file specified by the Browse button.
Default=on.
■

Use FileWhen on, the mental ray renderer either saves the shadow map
to a ZT file, or loads an existing file. The state of Rebuild determines
whether the ZT file is saved or loaded.
This option is unavailable until you click the ellipsis button (see following)
to provide a name for the ZT file.

mental ray Renderer | 7211

■

... [browse]Click to display a file selector dialog, which lets you specify a
name for the shadow map ZT file and the folder where it is saved.

■

File nameAfter you specify a shadow map file (see preceding), this field
displays its name and path.

■

Delete FileClick to delete the current ZT file.

Displacement group
View Defines the space for displacement. When View is on, the Edge Length
specifies the length in pixels. When off, the Edge Length is specified in world
space units. Default=on.
Smoothing Turn off to have the mental ray renderer correctly render height
maps. Height maps can be generated by normal mapping; see Creating and
Using Normal Bump Maps on page 7320.
When using only height maps in the scene, make sure this option is off. If
some objects in the scene use height maps while others use standard
displacement, apply smoothing on a per-object basis (see mental ray Panel
(Object Properties Dialog) on page 236).
When on, mental ray simply smoothes the geometry using the interpolated
normals, making the geometry look better. This result, however, cannot be
used for height map displacement because smoothing affects geometry in a
way that is incompatible with height mapping.
Edge Length Defines the smallest potential edge length due to subdivision.
The mental ray renderer stops subdividing an edge once it reaches this size.
Default=2.0 pixels.
Max. Displace Controls the maximum offset, in world units, that can be
given to a vertex when displacing it. This value can affect the bounding box
of an object. Default=20.0.
TIP If displaced geometry appears to be “clipped,” try increasing the value of
Maximum Displace.
NOTE When using placeholders (see the Translator Options rollout on page 7240),
if this value is larger than it needs to be, it can reduce performance. If you
experience slow rendering times with displaced objects when Use Placeholder
Objects is on, try lowering the Max. Displace value.
Max. Subdiv. Controls the extent to which mental ray can recursively
subdivide each original mesh triangle for displacement. Each subdivision

7212 | Chapter 18 Rendering

recursion potentially divides a single face into four smaller faces. Choose the
value from the drop-down list. Range=4 to 64K (65,536). Default=16K (16,384).
For example, using the default value means that mental ray can subdivide
each displaced mesh triangle into as many as 16,384 smaller triangles.

Indirect Illumination Panel
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Indirect Illumination panel
Note: The Indirect Illumination panel appears only when mental ray is the
active renderer.
The Indirect Illumination panel controls provide methods for rendering
bounced light within an environment, including final gathering, caustics, and
photons.

Final Gather Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Indirect Illumination panel ➤ Final
Gather rollout
Note: The Indirect Illumination panel appears only when the mental ray
renderer is the currently active renderer.
Final gathering is a technique for estimating global illumination for a given
point by either sampling a number of directions over the hemisphere over
that point (such a set of samples is called a final gather point), or by averaging
a number of nearby final gather points since final gather points are too
expensive to compute for every illuminated point. In the former case, the
hemisphere orientation is determined by the surface normal of the triangle
on whose surface the point lies.
For diffuse scenes, final gathering often improves the quality of the global
illumination solution. Without final gathering, the global illumination on
page 7228 on a diffuse surface is computed by estimating the photon density
(and energy) near that point. With final gathering, many new rays are sent
out to sample the hemisphere above the point to determine the incident
illumination. Some of these rays strike diffuse surfaces, and the global
illumination at those points is then computed by the material shaders at these
point, using illumination from the photon map, if available, and from other
material properties. Other rays strike specular surfaces and do not contribute
to the final gather color (since that type of light transport is a secondary
caustic). Tracing many rays (each with a photon map lookup) is very

mental ray Renderer | 7213

time-consuming, so it is done only when necessary. In most cases, interpolation
and extrapolation from nearby final gathers is sufficient.
Final gathering is also useful without photon tracing; in fact, this is the
recommended method of indirect lighting for non-expert users. By default it
takes only first-bounce indirect light into account, but you can obtain
physically accurate results by increasing the number of bounces on page 7219
to between 3 and 7 and using a high values for density on page 7218 and ray
count on page 7218.

Interior rendered with final gathering only, lit by daylight only

Final gathering is useful in scenes with slow variation in the indirect
illumination, such as purely diffuse scenes. For such scenes, final gathering
eliminates photon map artifacts such as low-frequency noise and dark corners.
With final gathering, fewer photons are needed in the photon map and,
because each final gather averages over many values of indirect illumination,
lower accuracy is sufficient.
In film production work, final gathering increasingly replaces photon mapping,
except for caustics. Without multiple-bounce effects, which are performed by
photons by default and by final gathering only if the shaders adjusts the trace
depth, tends to have far less impact on the final image than the first bounce
that final gathering supports by default. Although physical correctness is lost,
this is often sufficient for film production, and final gathering is easier to
control than photons emanating from distant light sources. However, for
accurate indoor illumination simulations and other CAD-related applications,
photon mapping is still the method of choice.

7214 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Procedure
You can find additional procedures for using final gather in rendering
animations here on page 7232.
To use an environment map as a final gather light source:
Illumination from which final gathering is derived can be provided by an
actual light source, of course, but it can also be provided by an object to which
a self-illuminated material is applied, or even an environment map. In the
latter case, follow this procedure:
1 Add a skylight on page 5771 to the scene.
2 Do either of the following:
■

On the Skylight Parameters rollout, make sure Sky Color (the default)
is chosen, click the map button (“None”) to open the Material/Map
Browser dialog and then choose a map.

■

On the Skylight Parameters rollout, choose Use Scene Environment.
Use the Environment panel on page 7621 controls to assign an
environment map.

Thereafter, rendering with final gather enabled take the skylight map
into account when calculating final gather illumination.
TIP For extra realism, use an HDR image on page 8448 as a Bitmap map image
on page 6636.

Interface
NOTE The Final Gather Map controls found on this rollout in releases prior to
3ds Max 2010, are now on the Reuse (FG and GI Caching) rollout on page 7231.

mental ray Renderer | 7215

Basic group
Enable Final Gather When on, the mental ray renderer uses final gathering
on page 9160 to create global illumination or to improve its quality. Default=on.
The leftmost position of the Final Gather Precision on page 6975 slider on the
lower panel of the Render Frame Window also turns off Enable Final Gather.

7216 | Chapter 18 Rendering

TIP Without final gathering, global illumination can appear to be patchy, but final
gathering increases rendering time. Leave Enable Final Gather off to preview the
scene, and then turn it on for the finished rendering. (Increasing the number of
photons used to calculate global illumination can also improve global illumination.)
Multiplier/color swatch Adjust these settings to control the intensity and
color of the indirect light accumulated by final gathering. The default values,
1.0 and white, produce physically correct rendering.
These settings are useful for adjusting the contribution of the final gather
effect, thus improving the quality of an image.
FG Precision Presets Provides a quick, easy solution for final gather. The
default presets are: Draft, Low, Medium, High, Very High, and Custom (the
default choice). Available only when Enable Final Gather is on.
The presets affect the following settings:
■

Initial FG Point Density

■

Rays per FG Point

■

Interpolate Over Num. FG Points

The preset settings are defined in the text file mentalray_fg_presets.ini, found
in the \plugcfg folder in 3ds Max installation. You can modify the existing
presets and add new ones by editing this file.
This setting is also available on the Rendered Frame Window, as Final Gather
Precision on page 6975.
Project FG Points ... Choose a method for avoiding or minimizing the
final-gather “flickering” that can result from rendering an animation with a
still or moving camera, especially when the scene also contains moving light
sources and/or moving objects.
■

Project FG Points From Camera PositionDistributes final gather points
from a single viewpoint. Use this when the camera from which you’re
rendering the animation does not move, thus saving rendering time.

■

Project Points from Positions Along Camera PathDistributes final gather
points across multiple viewpoints. Use this when the camera from which
you’re rendering an animation moves, especially if you’re seeing flickering
in areas that are lit mainly by final gathering. This method can result in
slightly longer rendering times.
Also, when using this method, set the Divide Camera Path by Num.
Segments parameter to an appropriate value, and increase the Initial FG
Point Density setting (see following).

mental ray Renderer | 7217

NOTE This method is most effective for relatively brief shots from a camera
that doesn’t move very quickly. If you’re rendering an animation in which the
camera moves a significance distance between frames, such as 30-frame dolly
shot of a large stadium, you might achieve better results by using the Final
Gather Map on page 7235 feature, generating a map for every frame, by itself,
or combined with “Project Points ...”.
For procedures that describe how to achieve flicker-free animations in
different situations, see this section on page 7232.
NOTE When you use this method, before rendering each animation frame,
the Rendered Frame Window shows the final-gathering precalculation for all
segments.

Divide Camera Path by Num. Segments Choose from the drop-down list
the number of segments into which to divide the camera path when using
the Project Points from Positions Along Camera Path option (see preceding).
The available values are squares of the numbers 1 to 10. You’ll need to
determine the best value experimentally, but as a rule of thumb, set the number
of segments to at least one per 15 or 30 frames.
Also, when increasing this setting, be sure to set Initial FG Point Density
higher. Again, you’ll need to experiment, as the optimal setting depends very
much on the scene contents, lighting, and so on. Start with a low value and
increase until the results look good.
Initial FG Point Density A multiplier for the density of final gather points.
Increasing this value increases the density (and thus the quantity) of final
gather points in the image. The points will therefore be closer together and
more numerous. This parameter is useful for solving geometry problems; for
example, near edges or corners. Default=1.0.
TIP When adjusting final render settings it's often helpful to visualize the final
gather points; to do so, turn on Diagnostics on page 7247 and choose the Final
Gather option.
Rays per FG Point Sets how many rays are used to compute indirect
illumination in a final gather. Increasing this value makes global illumination
less noisy, but also increases rendering time. Default=250.
Interpolate Over Num. FG Points Controls the number of final gather points
that are used for an image sample. It is useful for solving noise problems and
getting smoother results.

7218 | Chapter 18 Rendering

For each final gather point, mental ray interpolates (averages) indirect light
values over the nearest N final gather points, with N specified by the value of
this parameter, as opposed to points within the specified radii as with the
alternate method on page 7223. Increasing the value increases the smoothness
of the result, and the required number of calculations, hence the render time
(but not as much as you might expect).
This setting is unavailable when Use Radius Interpolation Method on page
7223 is enabled.
Diffuse Bounces Sets the number of times mental ray calculates diffuse light
bounces for each diffuse ray. Default=0.
Like Maximum Reflections and Maximum Refractions, this value is subject to
the restriction of Max Depth. If you set Diffuse Bounces higher than Max
Depth, the latter setting is automatically raised to the Diffuse Bounces value
in the MI output file, but this is not reflected in the 3ds Max interface.
This setting is also available on the Rendered Frame Window, as FG Bounces
on page 6977.
NOTE When Global Illumination on page 7228 is on, changing this setting has no
effect.
Weight Controls the relative contribution of the diffuse bounces to the final
gather solution. The value scales from "using no diffuse bounces" (value=0.0)
to "use full diffuse bounces" (value=1.0). Default=1.0.

Advanced group
Noise Filtering (Speckle Reduction) Applies a median filter using neighboring
final gather rays that are shot from the same point. This parameter lets you
choose a value from a drop-down list. The options are None, Standard, High,
Very High, and Extremely High. Default=Standard.
The practical effect of increasing the Noise Filtering value is to make the scene
illumination smoother, at a cost of render time. However, increasing filtering
can also make the illumination somewhat darker.
Noise Filtering works by eliminating stray rays that are considerably brighter
than most of the rest. For example, in a situation in which most of the rays
are within 10 percent of each others’ brightness, but a few are 50 percent
brighter than the rest, using Noise Filtering will tend to disregard the latter
rays in computing the Final Gather solution.
As a result, in low-light situations, setting Noise Filtering=None can greatly
increase the overall illumination. In the following rendered image, an interior
scene, lit only by skylight entering through the window, is very dark with
Noise Filtering set to Standard (Diffuse Bounces=1).

mental ray Renderer | 7219

Noise Filtering=Standard

In the next illustration, the same scene renders much brighter with Noise
Filtering set to None. Note, however, the unevenness of the illumuniation.

7220 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Noise Filtering=None

In cases like this, you can achieve superior results with slightly longer rendering
times by setting Noise Filtering to Standard and using a sky portal on page
5898 in the window opening, as shown in the following illlustration:

mental ray Renderer | 7221

Noise Filtering=Standard + Sky Portal

The above illustration is also improved by the realistic shadows cast by the
chair and table legs from the Sky Portal light.
Draft Mode (No Precalculations) When on, final gathering skips the
precalculation phase. This results in a rendering with artifacts, but begins
rendering more quickly, so it can useful when you want to do a series of trial
renderings. Default=off.

Trace Depth group
The Trace Depth controls are similar to those for calculating reflections and
refractions, but they refer to the light rays used by final gathering, rather than
to rays used in diffuse reflection and refraction.
Max. Depth Limits the combination of reflection and refraction. Reflection
and refraction of a light ray stop when the total number of both equals the
Maximum Depth setting. For example, if Maximum Depth equals 3 and the
trace depths each equal 2, a ray can be reflected twice and refracted once, or
vice versa, but it can’t be reflected and refracted four times. Default=2.

7222 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Max. Reflections Sets the number of times a ray can be reflected. At 0, no
reflection occurs. At 1, the ray can be reflected once only. At 2, the ray can
be reflected twice, and so on. Default=5.
Max. Refractions Sets the number of times a ray can be refracted. At 0, no
refraction occurs. At 1, the ray can be refracted once only. At 2, the ray can
be refracted twice, and so on. Default=5.
Use Falloff (Limits Ray Distance) When on, uses the Start and Stop values
to limit the length of light rays used for regathering before using the
environment color. This can help improve regathering time, especially for
scenes that are not fully enclosed by geometry. Default=off.
■

StartSpecifies the distance, in 3ds Max units, at which rays begin. You can
use this value to exclude geometry that is too close to the light source.
Default=0.0.

■

StopSpecifies the maximum length, in 3ds Max units, of a light ray. If the
ray reaches this limit without encountering a surface, then the environment
is used for shading. Default=0.0.

FG Point Interpolation group
These settings provide access to the legacy method of final gather point
interpolation.
Use Radius Interpolation Method When on, makes the remaining controls
in this group available. Also makes the Interpolate Over Num. FG Points check
box on page 7218 unavailable, indicating that these controls override that setting.
Radius When on, sets the maximum radius within which final gathering is
applied. Reducing this value can improve quality at a cost of rendering time.
If Radii In Pixels is off, the radius is specified in world units, and defaults to
10 percent of the maximum circumference of the scene. If Radii In Pixels is
on, default=5.0 pixels.
If both Radii In Pixels and Radius are off, the maximum radius is the default
value of 10 percent of the maximum scene radius, in world units.
Radii in Pixels When on, the radii values are specified in pixels. When off,
radii units depend on the value of the Radius toggle. Default=off.
Min. Radius When on, sets the minimum radius within which final gathering
must be used. Decreasing this value can improve render quality but increase
rendering time. Unavailable unless Radius is turned on. Default=0.1. If Radii
In Pixels is on, default=0.5.

mental ray Renderer | 7223

TIP In general, increasing the point density on page 7218 is better than decreasing
Min. Radius.
TIP To minimize flickering in animations, keep the two Radius values as close to
each other as possible.

Caustics and Global Illumination Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Indirect Illumination panel ➤ Caustics
and Global Illumination rollout
Note: The Indirect Illumination panel appears only when the mental ray
renderer is the active renderer.
The controls in this rollout are for the effects of caustics on page 7154 and global
illumination on page 7160.

Procedures
To render with caustics:
1 Select each object you want to generate caustics, either by reflection or
refraction. Right-click and choose Properties, then on the mental ray
panel of the Object Properties dialog, turn on Generate Caustics.
Objects receive caustics by default. If you think this value might have
changed for the objects you want to receive caustics, use those objects’
Object Properties dialog to make sure Receive Caustics is turned on. Also,
to speed rendering time, you might want to turn off Receive Caustics for
those objects that don’t need to show them.
2 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Caustics And Global Illumination
rollout and turn on Caustics.
3 Adjust the caustics parameters to get the effect you want.
4 Render the scene.

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To render with global illumination:
Objects generate and receive global illumination by default. If you think these
settings might have changed for any objects in the scene, use the Object
Properties dialog to make sure the proper settings are enabled.
1 Select each object you want to generate and/or receive global illumination.
Right-click and choose Properties, then on the mental ray panel of the
Object Properties dialog, turn on Generate Global Illumination and/or
Receive Global Illumination. Also, to speed rendering time, you might
want to turn off Receive Global Illumination for those objects that don’t
need it.
2 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Indirect Illumination panel ➤
Caustics And Global Illumination rollout ➤ Global Illumination (GI)
group and turn on Enable.
3 Adjust the global illumination parameters to get the effect you want.
4 For the final rendering, turn on Final Gather as well as Global
Illumination. See Final Gather Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7213.
5 Render the scene.

Interface
NOTE The Photon Map controls found on this rollout in releases prior to 3ds Max
2010, are now on the Reuse (FG and GI Caching) rollout on page 7231.

mental ray Renderer | 7225

Caustics group
IMPORTANT For caustics to render, you must also make sure to set up these other
conditions in your scene:
■

At least one object must be set to generate caustics. This is off by default.

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■

At least one object must be set to receive caustics. This is on by default.

■

At least one light must be set to generate caustics. This is off by default.

The settings for generating and receiving caustics are located on the Object
Properties dialog ➤ mental ray Panel on page 236.
Enable When on, the mental ray renderer calculates caustics effects.
Default=off.
Multiplier/color swatch Use these to control the intensity and color of the
indirect light accumulated by caustics. The defaults, 1.0 and white, produce
physically correct rendering.
This is useful for adjusting the contribution of the caustics effect, thus
improving the quality of an image.
Maximum Num. Photons per Sample Sets how many photons are used to
compute the intensity of the caustic. Increasing this value makes caustics less
noisy but also more blurry. Decreasing this value makes caustics more noisy
but less blurry. The larger the Samples value, the greater the rendering time.
Default=100.
TIP To preview a caustic, set Samples to 20, then increase the value for a final
rendering.
Maximum Sampling Radius When on, the spinner value sets the size of
photons. When off, each photon is calculated to be 1/100 of the radius of the
full scene. Maximum Sampling Radius default=off; value default=1.0.
In many cases, the default photon size (Radius=off) of 1/100 the scene size
gives useful results. In other cases, the default photon size might be too large
or too small.
When photon reflections overlap, the mental ray renderer uses sampling to
smooth them together. Increasing the number of samples increases the amount
of smoothing and can create more natural-looking caustics. When photons
have a small radius and don't overlap, the Samples setting has no effect. Low
Radius values with a large number of photons result in dotty caustics.
Filter Sets the filter to use for sharpening caustics. Can equal Box, Cone, or
Gauss. The Box option requires less rendering time. The Cone option makes
caustics appear sharper. Default=Box.
The Gauss filter uses a Gauss (bell) curve, and can be smoother than the Cone
filter.

mental ray Renderer | 7227

Filter Size Controls the sharpness of caustics when you choose Cone as the
caustic filter. This value must be greater than 1.0. Increasing the value makes
caustics more blurry. Decreasing the value makes caustics sharper, but also
slightly more noisy. Default=1.1.
Opaque Shadows when Caustics Are Enabled When on, shadows are opaque.
When off, shadows can be partially transparent. Default=on.
Opaque shadows render more quickly than transparent shadows.

Global Illumination (GI) group
These settings let you control the usage of photons by mental ray for generating
global illumination on page 7160. By default, all objects generate and receive
global illumination. The settings for generating and receiving GI are located
on the Object Properties dialog ➤ mental ray Panel on page 236.
NOTE In order to render global illumination in mental ray, the photons must be
able to bounce among two or more surfaces. This can be accomplished by having
a single object with some concavity in its surface that’s exposed to the light source,
or at least two objects, and at least one object must be set to receive global
illumination (see mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog) on page 236).
Otherwise you’ll receive error messages and no photons will be stored.
Enable When on, the mental ray renderer calculates global illumination.
Default=off.
Multiplier/color swatch Use these to control the intensity and color of the
indirect light accumulated by global illumination. The defaults, 1.0 and white,
produce physically correct rendering.
This is useful for adjusting the contribution of the GI effect, thus improving
the quality of an image.
Maximum Num. Photons per Sample Sets how many photons are used to
compute the intensity of the global illumination. Increasing this value makes
global illumination less noisy but also more blurry. Decreasing this value
makes global illumination more noisy but less blurry. The larger the Samples
value, the greater the rendering time. Default=500.
TIP To preview global illumination, set Samples to 100, then increase the value
for a final rendering.
Maximum Sampling Radius When on, the numeric value sets the size of
photons. When off, each photon is calculated to be 1/10 of the radius of the
full scene. Default=off, 1.0.

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In many cases, the default photon size (Maximum Sampling Radius=off) of
one-tenth the scene size gives useful results. In other cases, the default photon
size might be too large or too small.
When photons overlap, the mental ray renderer uses sampling to smooth
them together. Increasing the number of samples increases the amount of
smoothing and can create more natural-looking caustics. When photons have
a small radius and don't overlap, the Samples setting has no effect. For global
illumination, photons should overlap. To get good results, you might need
to turn on Maximum Sampling Radius and increase the photon size.
Merge Nearby Photons (saves memory) Enables reduction of the memory
footprint of the photon map. When on, use the numeric field to specify the
distance threshold below which mental ray merges photons. The result is a
smoother, less-detailed photon map that uses significantly less memory.
Default=off, 0.0.
NOTE Loading a legacy file uses the default value of 0.0. Also, using a value of
0.0 is equivalent to turning the feature off.
Optimize for Final Gather (Slower GI) If turned on before you render the
scene, the mental ray renderer computes information to speed up the
regathering process. Specifically, each photon stores additional information
about how bright its neighbors are. This is particularly useful when combining
Final Gather with Global Illumination, in which case the additional
information allows Final Gather to quickly determine how many photons
exist in a region. The fast lookup computation can take a long time, but it can
greatly reduce the total rendering time. Default=off.
The fast lookup computation can be can be stored as additional data inside a
photon map file on page 9270, and then reused in subsequent renderings.

Volumes group
The controls in this group and the ones that follow are for the photon maps
on page 9267 used to calculate caustics and global illumination. This group
controls volumetric caustics. Volumetric caustics require a material to have a
volume shader assign to its Photon Volume component.
Maximum Num. Photons per Sample Sets how many photons are used to
shade the volume. Default=100.
Maximum Sampling Radius When on, the numeric setting determines the
size of photons. When off, mental ray calculates each photon to be one-tenth
the size of the scene extents on page 9293. Default: off; value=1.0.
The numeric setting is unavailable when the check box is off.

mental ray Renderer | 7229

Trace Depth group
The Trace Depth controls are similar to those for calculating reflections and
refractions, but they refer to the photons used by caustics and global
illumination, rather than to rays used in diffuse reflection and refraction.
Max. Depth Limits the combination of reflection and refraction. Reflection
and refraction of a photon stop when the total number of both equals the
Maximum Depth setting. For example, if Maximum Depth equals 3 and the
trace depths each equal 2, a photon can be reflected twice and refracted once,
or vice versa, but it can’t be reflected and refracted four times. Default=10.
Max. Reflections Sets the number of times a photon can be reflected. At 0,
no reflection occurs. At 1, the photon can be reflected once only. At 2, the
photon can be reflected twice, and so on. Default=10.
Max. Refractions Sets the number of times a photon can be refracted. At 0,
no refraction occurs. At 1, the photon can be refracted once only. At 2, the
photon can be refracted twice, and so on. Default=10.

Light Properties group
Controls in this group affect how lights behave when calculating indirect
illumination. By default, the energy and photon settings apply to all lights in
a scene. Use the mental ray Indirect Illumination rollout on page 5821 for light
objects to adjust an individual light either by multiplying the global values,
or by setting local values (using multipliers is the recommended method).
Average Caustic Photons per Light Sets the number of photons emitted by
each light for use in caustics. This is the number of photons in the photon
map on page 9267 used for caustics. Increasing this value increases the accuracy
of caustics, but also increases the amount of memory used and the length of
render time. Decreasing this value improves memory usage and render time,
and can be useful for previewing caustic effects. Default=10000.
Average GI Photons per Light Sets the number of photons emitted by each
light for use in global illumination. This is the number of photons in the
photon map used for global illumination. Increasing this value increases the
accuracy of global illumination, but also increases the amount of memory
used and the length of render time. Decreasing this value improves memory
usage and render time, and can be useful for previewing global-illumination
effects. Default=10000.
Decay Specifies how photon energy decays as it moves away from each light
source. This value is given by 1/(distancedecay), where distance is the distance
between the light source and an object, and decay is the value of this setting.
Default=2.0.

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The most common values are:
■

0.0The energy doesn't decay, and photons can provide indirect illumination
throughout the scene.

■

1.0The energy decays at a linear rate, proportionally to its distance from
the light. That is, a photon's energy is 1/distance, where distance is the
distance from the light source.

■

2.0(The default.) The energy decays at an inverse square rate. That is, a
photon's energy is the inverse of the square of the distance from the light
source: 1/distance2.

In the real world, light decays at an inverse square rate (Decay=2.0), but this
gives strictly realistic results only if you provide a realistic value for the energy
of the light. Other values of Decay can help you adjust indirect illumination
without worrying about physical accuracy.
NOTE Decay values of less than 1.0 are not recommended, and can cause
rendering artifacts.

Geometry Properties group
All Objects Generate & Receive GI and Caustics When on, at rendering
time, all objects in the scene can generate and receive caustics and global
illumination, regardless of their local object properties settings. When off, an
object's local object properties determine whether it generates or receives
caustics or global illumination. Turning this on is an easy way to ensure that
caustics and global illumination are generated, though it can increase rendering
time. Default=off.
This setting does not alter the object's local object properties settings for mental
ray. When you turn off All Objects Generate & Receive GI And Caustics, the
prior object properties settings are in effect once again.

Reuse (FG and GI Caching) Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Indirect Illumination panel ➤ Caustics
and Global Illumination rollout
Note: The Indirect Illumination panel appears only when the mental ray
renderer is the active renderer.
The Reuse rollout gathers together all controls for generating and using final
gather map (FGM) and photon map (PMAP) files, and adds the ability to reduce

mental ray Renderer | 7231

or eliminate flickering in rendered animations by interpolating among final
gather map files.
Calculating final gather and photon map solutions often requires extensive
calculation, so, when appropriate, caching the solutions as separate files can
save a great deal of rendering time, especially when re-rendering an animation
after, for example, adjusting the camera. Using cached solutions can also save
time when rendering over a network; you can generate the cache files once,
and then make them accessible to all machines on the network so they can
dedicate themselves to the work of simply rendering the frames.
For FGM files, you can choose to accumulate all final gather map points into
a single file, or generate separate files for individual animation frames. With
the latter method, you can then reduce animation flicker by interpolating
among the map files when rendering.
See also:
■

Final Gather Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7213

■

Caustics and Global Illumination Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page
7224

Procedures
To generate and then use a final gather solution when rendering a still image
or walkthrough animation:
This method uses a single final gather map file and is best for when objects
don’t move in the scene.
1 On the Reuse rollout, set Mode to Single File Only.
2 Set the Final Gather Map method to Incrementally Add FG Points To
Map Files.
This automatically sets the default file name and path. You can use those,
or change them by clicking the [...] (browse) button next to the file name
field.
3 Click Generate Final Gather Map File Now.
3ds Max calculates the final gather solution for all frames and saves it to
the specified file.
4 Set the Final Gather Map method to Read FG Points Only From Existing
Map Files, and then render the scene.

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Now, as long as you don’t change the lighting or move objects in the
scene, you can re-render as many times as you like without having to
recalculate the final gather solution, thus saving a significant amount of
rendering time.
To generate and then use a final gather solution when rendering an animation
with moving objects:
This method uses multiple final gather map files and is best for when objects
in the scene move during the animation. You can minimize final gather
flickering by interpolating among the final gather solutions.
When rendering an animation that contains both a moving camera and
moving objects/lights, a special option is available for projecting final-gather
points from regular intervals along the camera path; see step 1.
1 If the camera does not move during the animation, skip to step 2.
However, if the camera moves through the scene during the animation,
on the Final Gather rollout, choose Project Points from Positions Along
Camera Path on page 7217 and set Divide Camera Path by Num. Segments
on page 7218 to an appropriate value, based on the length of the camera
path. Also, if you're using a large number of segments, increase the Initial
FG Point Density setting on page 7218.
2 On the Reuse rollout, set Mode to One File Per Frame.
3 Set the Final Gather Map method to Incrementally Add FG Points To
Map Files.
This automatically sets the default file name and path. You can use those,
or change them by clicking the [...] (browse) button next to the file name
field.
4 Click Generate Final Gather Map File Now.
3ds Max calculates the final gather solution for each frame and saves it
in a separate numbered file (for example: temp0000.fgm, temp0001.fgm,
and so on).
5 Set the Final Gather Map method to Read FG Points Only From Existing
Map Files.
6 To reduce final-gather flicker, set a value greater than 0 for Interpolate
Over N Frames.
This value determines the number of frames before and after the current
frame over which the interpolation occurs. For example, the interpolation

mental ray Renderer | 7233

for frame 5 with Interpolate=2 uses the cached final gather solutions for
frames 3 to 7, inclusive.
The higher the Interpolate value, the greater the flicker reduction.
However, if objects and/or lights move very quickly during the animation,
a high interpolation value can reduce the accuracy of the final gather
solution.
7 Render the animation.
Now, as long as you don’t change the lighting or the way objects move
in the scene, you can re-render as many times as you like without having
to recalculate the final gather solution, thus saving a significant amount
of rendering time.

Interface

Mode Choose the method by which 3ds Max generates the cache files. The
choices are:
■

Single File Only (Best for Walkthrough and Stills)Creates one FGM file that
contains all final gather map points, whether you use Generate Final Gather

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Map File Now or the accompanying drop-down that lets you generate every
Nth frame within the current range. Use this method when rendering a
still image, or an animation in which only the camera moves.
Typically the single FGM file generated with this method is significantly
larger than the files created with the One File Per Frame method (see
following).
■

One File Per Frame (Best for Animated Objects)Creates a separate FGM file
for each animation frame. Use this method when objects in the scene move
around during the animation, which can cause the final-gather solution
to vary from frame to frame.
For best results with this method, generate the FGM files first, then, before
rendering, choose the Read FG Points Only ... option and specify an
interpolation value.

Calculate FG/GI and Skip Final Rendering When on and you render the
scene, mental ray calculates final gather and global illumination solutions
when render the scene, but does not perform the actual rendering.
This saves FGM files only if the Final Gather Map ➤ Incrementally Add FG
Points ... option is active, and PMAP files only if the Caustics And Global
Illumination Photon Map ➤ Read/Write Photons option is active.
Alternatively, use the respective Generate ... Map File Now buttons.

Final Gather Map group
[method] Choose the method for generating and/or using final gather map
files:
■

OffRendering with Enable Final Gather does not generate final gather map
files.

■

Incrementally Add FG Points to Map FilesCreates cache files as necessary
when rendering or generating FGM files. Uses data from existing files and
updates them as necessary with new final-gather points generated while
rendering.

■

Read FG Points Only from Existing Map FilesUses final gather data
previously saved in FGM files for rendering without generating any new
data. To create the FGM files, use Generate Final Gather Map Now on page
7237 or the drop-down list next to it (

).

mental ray Renderer | 7235

NOTE If any final gather map files are unavailable when you render using this
method, the software issues warnings via the mental ray Messages window
on page 7143, but proceeds with the rendering.
This setting is available on the Rendered Frame Window as Reuse ➤ Lock
Final Gather on page 6978.
To reduce or eliminate final-gather flickering in rendered animations, use
this method with the interpolation option (see following).
NOTE If you choose the Incrementally Add FG Points To Map File or Read FG
Points Only From Existing Map Files option or turn on Rendered Frame Window
➤ Reuse group ➤ Final Gather on page 6978 without first generating final gather
map files, the software specifies the default map-file base name temp.fgm in the
\sceneassets\renderassets\ path in the current project folder on page 8112. You can
change the path and file name by clicking the Browse [...] button to the left of
the file name field.
Interpolate Over N Frames The number of FGM files before and after the
current frame to use for interpolation. Use this with the Read FG Points Only
... method (see preceding).
For example, if this setting is 2, then mental ray uses for the current frame
the average of the final gather solutions from five final gather map files: the
two frames preceding the current frame, the current frame, and the two frames
following the current frame.
TIP When preparing for rendering using interpolation of FGM files, keep the
required frame range in mind. For example, if you use the default Interpolate Over
N Frames value of 2, and start rendering at frame 0, for best results you’ll need
FGM files starting at -2. So before you generate the FGM files, set the start of the
output frame range on page 7023 to -2, and then set it back to 0 for rendering.
... [Browse] Click to display a file selector dialog, which lets you specify a
name for the final gather map (FGM) file, and the folder where it is saved.
If Final Gather Map is set to Off (Do Not Cache Map to Disk), specifying a
map file name automatically chooses the Incrementally Add FG Points To
Map Files option.
[file name] After you specify a final gather map file using the browse control
(see preceding), the name field displays its name and path.
If no file name is currently specified, the software fills in this field automatically
with the default path and the file name temp.fgm when you choose the
Incrementally Add FG Points To Map File or Read FG Points Only From Existing

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Map Files option (see preceding), or by turning on the Rendered Frame Window
➤ Reuse group ➤ Final Gather on page 6978 check box.

Delete File Click to delete the current FGM file(s). If no files exist,
you’re notified; if files do exist, you’re prompted to confirm the deletion.
Generate Final Gather Map Now Processes the final gather pass for all
animation frames (as specified in the Common Parameters rollout ➤ Time
Output group on page 7023). Generates the maps to the specified file without
rendering the scene. Available only when the method on page 7235 is set to
Incrementally Add FG Points to Map Files or Read FG Points Only from Existing
Map FilesU.
If Mode on page 7234 is set to Single File Only, mental ray saves all final gather
points to the same file. If Mode is set to One File Per Frame, however, clicking
this button generates a separate FGM file for each animation frame.
TIP To generate, instead, a single frame or a noncontinuous range of FGM files
at regular intervals, click the

button next to this button (see following).

To reduce flicker when rendering an animation, use this function first to
generate a separate final gather map file for each frame, choose Read FG Points
Only from Existing Map Files on page 7235, and specify an interpolation amount
on page 7236 greater than 0 before rendering.

[drop-down list] This drop-down list offers a choice of frame ranges
to use for generating final gather maps without rendering. Choosing an item
from the list begins the map-generation process immediately.
The choices are as follows:
■

The active frame output setting, reflected from the Common Parameters
rollout ➤ Time Output group on page 7023 choice. For example: Frame 0
to 100; Frames: 1,3,5-12.

■

Current Frame: Generates one frame only

■

[The active time segment on page 3417] Every N Frame(s), where N can be
1, 3, 5, 10, or 20.
For example, if the active time segment is 0 to 100 (the default), and you
choose Every 5 Frame(s), the output is [file name]000.fgm, [file name]005.fgm,
[file name]010.fgm, ... [file name]100.fgm.

mental ray Renderer | 7237

This option is most useful when Mode on page 7234 is set to Single File Only,
for example, to bake every fifth frame into one file. Alternatively, you can
use it to generate FGM files for interpolating final gather solutions in an
animation, but the scene doesn’t change very much throughout the
animation.

Caustics and Global Illumination Map group
These controls tell mental ray how to calculate and use photon map files for
indirect illumination. These controls are available only if Caustics or Global
Illumination is enabled on the Caustics And Global Illumination rollout on
page 7224.
NOTE If you've specified a photon map here, mental ray continues to use that
map instead of generating a new one. To cause the photon map file to be rebuilt,
delete the existing file.
[method] Choose the method for generating caustics and photon map files:
■

Off (Do not Cache Map to Disk)Photon maps are calculated as necessary
while rendering; cached maps are not written or read.

■

Read/Write FileIf the specified photon map (PMAP on page 9270) file does
not yet exist, mental ray generates a new map file when rendering. If the
specified file does exist, mental ray loads and uses the file.
Before using this option, click Browse (“...”) and provide a name for the
PMAP file.

■

Read Photons Only from Existing Map FilesUses cached photon maps from
a PMAP file while rendering. No calculation of photon maps takes place.
Before using this option, click Browse (“...”) and provide a name for the
PMAP file.

... [browse] Click to display a file selector dialog, which lets you specify a
name and path for the photon map (PMAP) file. This automatically turns on
Read/Write File.
[file name] After you use the [...] button to specify a photon map file, this
field displays its name and path.

Delete File Click to delete the current PMAP file.
Generate Photon Map Now Processes the photon-mapping pass for all
animation frames (as specified in the Common Parameters rollout ➤ Time

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Output group on page 7023). Generates the photon maps to the specified file
without rendering the scene. To reduce flicker when rendering an animation
with a networked render farm, use this function first to generate the GI solution
for all frames, and then make sure Read/Write File or Read Photons Only from
Existing Map Files (see preceding) is on before rendering.

Processing Panel
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Processing panel
Note: The Processing panel appears only when mental ray is the active renderer.
The Processing panel is an additional Render Setup dialog on page 6956 panel
whose controls relate to managing how the renderer operates. It also lets you
generate diagnostic renderings in pseudo color.

mental ray Renderer | 7239

Interface

Translator Options Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Processing panel ➤ Translator Options
rollout
Note: The Processing panel appears only when the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
Controls in this rollout affect the operation of the mental ray renderer with
respect to translation of the scene to the format the renderer requires. They
also let you save the translated scene to an MI file on page 9223, which you can
then use with a standalone renderer. The translated output uses the mental

7240 | Chapter 18 Rendering

ray version 3 (mi3) format. The translator does not support mental ray version
1 (mi1).
See also:
■

Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7249

Procedures
To save the mental ray renderer settings:
■

When you have a set of rendering settings you want to keep, go to the
Render Setup dialog and open the Preset drop-down list at the bottom.
Choose Save Preset (at the bottom of the list), enter a file name, and click
Save. Next, use the Select Preset Categories dialog to highlight the parameter
categories to store in the preset and click Save. Thereafter you can choose
your custom setup from the Preset drop-down list.

To create a rendering from multiple passes:
1 Use the Render Type on page 6992 ➤ Selected option to choose only a
portion of the scene to render.
2 On the Translator Options rollout, in the Render Passes group, click the
ellipsis [...] button next to Save.
3 A Save As dialog is displayed. Use it to enter a name and location for the
PASS file.
4 Click Render.
The partial rendering is saved in the PASS file you specified.
5 Repeat steps 1 through 4 until you have generated all the passes for the
rendering (or all the passes but the last).
WARNING If your scene includes an environment, render it only in the final
pass. Rendering the environment in multiple passes is time consuming, and
can lead to artifacts such as unwanted color changes to the background.
Render all passes but the last one using a default black background.
6 In the Render Passes group, click Add to add the various pass files to the
list.
7 Turn on Merge.

mental ray Renderer | 7241

At this point, you might also want to turn off Save, unless you want the
final result to be saved as a PASS file as well as a rendering.
8 Click Render.
The rendering consists of all the passes merged into one.
TIP For some purposes, you might want to create the passes, then create a new
3ds Max scene with no objects, set the rendering resolution to match the passes,
you created, then merge the passes as described in steps 7 and 8 above.

Interface

7242 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Memory Options group
Use Placeholder Objects When on, 3ds Max sends geometry to the mental
ray renderer only on demand. Initially, the mental ray scene database is
populated only with the sizes (bounding box) and positions of objects in the
3ds Max scene. An object's geometry is sent to the rendering engine only when
mental ray renders a bucket that contains the object. Default=off.
This option can improve rendering speed when a large amount of the scene's
geometry is outside of the view you are rendering.
When the mental ray renderer is low on memory, Use Placeholder Objects
enables it to increase available memory by deleting object geometry from the
scene database. This can dramatically reduce memory usage, but at a possible
cost in rendering speed.
Use mental ray Map Manager When on, maps (typically file-based bitmap
images) used in materials and shaders are read from disk and if necessary,
translated to a format that the mental ray renderer can read. When off, maps
are accessed directly from memory, and translation is unnecessary. Default=off.
Following is a complete list of differences between turning this option on and
off:
When on:
■

mental ray reads textures directly from disk (mental ray is able to flush
textures out of memory when memory is low). Also, textures are loaded
only if needed.

■

mental ray uses its built-in pyramid filtering system. These pyramid lookup
tables can be flushed out of memory when memory is low.

■

Texture formats not supported directly by mental ray are read by 3ds Max
and sent, before rendering begins, as binary data to mental ray.

When off:
■

3ds Max reads the textures from disk, and then sends individual pixel
colors to mental ray as they are needed.
NOTE 3ds Max reads the textures from disk and keeps them stored in memory
between renders. This can make renders faster, because the bitmaps don’t
need to be reloaded every time. 3ds Max will not read the texture from disk
if it was already loaded previously (for example, in a previous render, for a
Material Editor preview, or for displaying the map in a viewport).

■

Rendering uses a pyramid filter shader that is identical to the standard 3ds
Max pyramid filter system.

mental ray Renderer | 7243

Turning this option on is useful for large scenes that take a lot of memory to
render. Turning it off is quicker, because textures already loaded in memory
don’t have to be reloaded by mental ray.
NOTE Turning the option on and off might result in very small differences between
rendered images because of the different algorithms used in the mental ray map
manager and the 3ds Max map manager.
You must turn on “Use mental ray Map Manager” when performing these
actions:
■

Using distributed bucket rendering.
See Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page
7249.
When rendered with distributed bucket rendering and the mental ray map
manager, images with textures can look different than when rendered with
3ds Max alone, because the filtering technique is different.

■

Exporting to an MI file.
See Export to .mi File group on page 7246.

Conserve Memory Tells the translator to be as memory efficient as it can.
This can slow down the translation process, but reduces the amount of data
being sent to the mental ray renderer. Default=off.
This option is useful when you are trying to render a huge scene and time is
not necessarily an issue. When you render to an MI file, this option can also
help reduce the size of the output file.
When on, this toggle also tells the mental ray renderer to save frames as
temporary .map files. This allows you to render extremely large frames without
running out of random-access memory.
The location of the temporary map files is chosen in the following order:
1 If the file \[program folder]\mentalimages\rayrc contains a registry entry
called _MI_REG_FBDIR, the renderer uses this directory.
The entry should have the form
registry "{_MI_REG_FBDIR}" value "" end registry

where  is the directory you want to use.
2 If the rayrc file has no registry entry, the renderer uses the directory
specified by the TMPDIR environment variable.
3 If there is no TMPDIR environment variable, the renderer uses the
directory specified by the TEMP environment variable.

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Geometry Caching group
Geometry caching lets you save the translated scene contents to a temporary
file for reuse in subsequent renders. This can save time by omitting the
translation step, especially with geometry-heavy scenes. Two levels of caching
are available: standard and locked.
Enable When on, rendering uses geometry caching. During the first render,
the translated geometry is saved to the cache file. Then, in subsequent
renderings of the same scene, the renderer uses the cached geometry for any
unchanged objects instead of retranslating it. Any changed geometry is
retranslated. Default=off.
This control is available on the Rendered Frame Window lower panel as Reuse
➤ Geometry on page 6977.

Lock Geometry Translation When on, sub-object-level changes such
as vertex editing or adjusting a modifier such as Bend are ignored and don’t
cause retranslation. However, object-level changes such as moving or rotating
an object are retranslated.
This control is available on the Rendered Frame Window lower panel as Reuse
➤ Lock Geometry Translation on page 6977 (

button).

Clear Geometry Cache Deletes the cached geometry.
This control is available on the Rendered Frame Window lower panel as Reuse
➤ Clear Geometry Cache on page 6978.

Material Override group
Material Override allows you to render a scene with all its materials replaced
by a single master material. For example, if you need to do a wireframe pass,
you can create a Wire material and then specify it here. When you render, all
surfaces will use the Wire material.
Enable When on, rendering uses the override material for all surfaces. When
off, surfaces are rendered with the material applied to them in the scene.
Default=off.
Material Click to display the Material/Map Browser on page 6167 and choose
a material to use as the override. Once you have chosen an override material,
this button displays the material name.

mental ray Renderer | 7245

Export to .mi File group
These controls let you save the translated scene in a mental ray MI file on
page 9223. Before exporting, you must specify an export file by clicking the
ellipsis [...] button.
NOTE Exporting to an MI file is not available when you render to texture on page
7307.
Export on Render When on, saves the translated file to an MI file instead of
rendering when you click Render. Available only after you have clicked the
ellipsis [...] button to specify an MI file. Default=off.
Un-compressed When on, the MI file is not compressed. When off, the file
is saved in a compressed format. Default=on.
Incremental (Single File) When on, exports an animation as a single MI file
that contains a definition of the first frame and descriptors of the incremental
changes from frame to frame. When off, exports each frame as a separate MI
file. Default=off.
When you export an animation, turning on Incremental can save a
considerable amount of disk space.
■

... [browse]Click to display a file selector dialog, which lets you specify a
name for the MI file, and the folder where it is saved.

■

File nameAfter you've used the ellipsis [...] button to specify an MI file,
this field displays its name and path.

Render Passes group
Controls in this group let you create a rendering out of multiple passes that
render portions a scene. This can be a useful way to render large scenes or
scenes that have complex effects. It can also be a way to divide the labor on
a composited (“merged”) rendering. See the “Procedures” section, above, for
more information.
NOTE You cannot render to passes when you render to texture on page 7307.
Save When on, saves the image currently being rendered (prior to merging)
inside the specified PASS file.
■

... [browse]Click to display a file selector dialog, which lets you specify a
name for the PASS file and the folder where it is saved.

■

File nameAfter you have specified a PASS file, the name field displays its
name and path.

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If you are rendering a time segment (that is, an animation), the PASS files are
created with sequence numbers appended to the main file name (for example,
test0000.pass, test0001.pass, and so on).
Merge When on, the PASS files specified in the list will be merged into the
final rendering.
■

List of PASS filesLists the PASS files that will be merged into the final
rendering (possibly including the pass that is currently being rendered and
saved).

■

AddClick to add a PASS file to the list.
If you choose a PASS file with a sequence number appended to its name,
3ds Max asks if you want to use the individual file or the entire sequence.

■

DeleteClick to delete the highlighted PASS file from the list.

Merge Shader Lets you choose the shader used to merge the PASS files. Clicking
the shader button displays a Material/Map Browser so you can choose the
shader (when a shader is chosen, its name appears on the button). When the
toggle is on, this shader is used for merging.
IMPORTANT No merge shaders are provided with 3ds Max. This option is provided
for users who plan to write a custom merge shader appropriate to their particular
compositing project.

Mapping group
Skip Maps and Textures When on, rendering ignores maps and textures,
including projection maps, and uses only surface colors (diffuse, specular, and
so on). Default=off.
Turning off maps can be useful, and save time, when you are adjusting global
illumination.

Diagnostics Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Processing panel ➤ Diagnostics rollout
Note: The Processing panel appears only when the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
The tools on the Diagnostics rollout can help you understand why the mental
ray renderer is behaving in a certain way. The Sampling Rate tool, in particular,
can help explain the renderer's performance.

mental ray Renderer | 7247

Each of these tools generates a rendering that is not a photorealistic view, but
a schematic representation of the functionality you have chosen to analyze.

Interface

Enable When on, the renderer renders the graphic representation for the tool
you have chosen.
Sampling Rate When chosen, renders an image that shows where samples
were collected during rendering; see Sampling (mental ray Renderer) on page
9288. This can help you adjust the contrast and other sampling parameters.
Coordinate Space Renders an image that shows the coordinate space of
objects, the world, or camera.
■

ObjectShows local coordinates (UVW). Each object has its own coordinate
space.

■

WorldShows world coordinates (XYZ). The same coordinate system applies
to all objects.

■

CameraShows camera coordinates, which appear as a rectangular grid
superimposed on the view.

Size Sets the size of the grid. Default=1.0.
TIP To avoid busy moiré patterns in the grid, increase the value of Size.
Photon Renders the effect of a photon map in the screen. This requires that
a photon map be present (to render caustics or global illumination). If no

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photon map is present, the Photon rendering looks just like the nondiagnostic
rendering of the scene: the mental ray renderer first renders the shaded scene,
then replaces it with the pseudocolor image.
■

DensityRenders the photon map as it is projected into the scene. High
density is displayed in red, and lower values render in increasingly cooler
colors.

■

IrradianceSimilar to the Density rendering, but shades the photons based
on their irradiance. The maximum irradiance is rendered in red, and lower
values render in increasingly cooler colors.

BSP Renders a visualization of the parameters used by the tree in the BSP
ray-trace acceleration method on page 7200. If a message from the renderer
reports excessively large depth or size values, or if rendering seems unusually
slow, this can help you locate the problem.
■

DepthShows the depth of the tree, with top faces in bright red, and
increasingly deep faces in increasingly cool colors.

■

SizeShows the size of leaves in the tree, with differently sized leaves
indicated by different colors.

NOTE The BSP diagnostic works with the BSP method only; the BSP2 method
does not support it.
Final Gather Renders the scene with pre-processing final-gather points
displayed as green dots, and tile-rendering (final render) final-gather points
displayed as red dots.
For animation purposes, the presence of red dots is undesirable. To resolve
this, use the Interpolate Over Num. FG Points setting on page 7218 instead of
the Radius Interpolation Method on page 7223, or, if you prefer the latter, keep
the Min. Radius setting as close as possible to the Radius setting; that is, the
maximum radius.

Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental ray Renderer)
Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤ Processing panel ➤ Distributed Bucket
Rendering rollout
Note: The Processing panel appears only when the mental ray renderer is the
currently active renderer.
Controls on this rollout are for setting up and managed distributed bucket
rendering. With distributed rendering, multiple networked systems can all

mental ray Renderer | 7249

work on a mental ray rendering. Buckets are assigned to systems as they become
available.
While distributed bucket rendering can be used for offline rendering of
animation frames, as in standard network rendering, it's best suited for speeding
up the rendering of single images as you work. Especially when rendering
high-resolution still images, you can get much faster results with distributed
bucket rendering.
TIP When you use distributed bucket rendering, be sure to:
■

Turn on Use Placeholder Objects on the Translator Options rollout on
page 7240.
When placeholder objects are enabled, geometry is sent to the renderer
only on demand.

■

Leave Bucket Order set to Hilbert on the Sampling Quality rollout on page
7189.
With Hilbert order, the sequence of buckets to render uses the fewest
number of data transfers.

NOTE Contour shading does not work with distributed bucket rendering.
IMPORTANT To use distributed bucket rendering, you must set up host systems
that are capable of running the mental ray renderer. There are two ways to do so:
set up satellite systems, or install mental ray standalone licensing on remote hosts.

Satellite Systems
“Satellite” processors allow any owner of a 3ds Max license to freely use up
to eight slave CPUs to render an image using distributed bucket rendering
(not counting the one, two, or four processors on the “master” system that
runs 3ds Max).
Each satellite system must have the following files installed:
■

rayrc

■

raysat_3dsmax.bat

■

raysat_3dsmax.exe

■

raysat_3dsmaxserver.exe

where  is the current 3ds Max version number.

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You can use the 3ds Max installation program to install these files: see the
Installation Guide for more information.
In addition, information about each satellite should be stored in the RAYHOSTS
file on page 9279. You can set up satellite systems by using the Add button on
the Distributed Bucket Rendering rollout, as described in the “Interface”
section, below.

Host Systems with SPM Licenses
When you use mental ray SPM licenses, remote hosts (that is, all systems other
than the one running 3ds Max) must have the mental ray renderer (ray.exe)
and a mental ray SPM license server running. To obtain this, you must run
the mental ray installer on all remote hosts, then configure and run the SPM
license server. Instructions about how to do so are provided with the mental
ray renderer sold by mental images.
Once the remote hosts have been configured to run a licensed instance of
ray.exe, you can use them for distributed rendering simply by naming them
in the RAYHOSTS file on page 9279. You can add hosts to the RAYHOSTS file
using the Add button described in the “Interface” section, below, just as you
would add a satellite processor.

Batch Rendering (Using Backburner or the Command Line)
You can launch distributed bucket rendering from the command line, using
3dsmaxcmd.exe.
If you use satellite processors, you cannot use Backburner to manage distributed
bucket rendering. When host processors have SPM licenses, you can use
Backburner to manage distributed bucket rendering.
You can use the environment variable MRMAX_OFFLINE_DBR_OVERRIDE to
control whether batch rendering uses distributed bucket rendering. The state
of this variable overrides the “DBR enable” flag. If it is set to “yes,” “true,” or
“on,” distributed bucket rendering is enabled; if it is set to “no,” “false,” or
“off,” distributed bucket rendering is disabled. All other values of this variable
are ignored.
See also:
■

Translator Options Rollout (mental ray Renderer) on page 7240

mental ray Renderer | 7251

Procedures
To use mental ray distributed rendering:
1 On the Render Setup dialog, go to the Processing panel. On the Distributed
Bucket Rendering rollout, turn on Distributed Render.
NOTE The Net Render option on the Common Parameters rollout has no
effect on distributed bucket rendering.
2 Click to select the names of those satellite or host systems you want to
use for distributed rendering.
You can click All to select all the host names in the list, or None to select
none of the hosts.
3 If other host systems have maps installed on them, with exactly the same
file names and path names as on your local host, turn on Distributed
Maps.
With Distributed Maps turned on, remote renderers can use their local
copy of maps, which saves time.
4 Render the scene.
Each system renders the buckets assigned to it. The final rendering appears
on your local system, with buckets “arriving” in an indeterminate order.
Example: To use mental ray distributed bucket rendering with Backburner:
This procedure demonstrates how to multiply the number of CPUs used for
rendering without having to purchase mental ray standalone licenses, using
the 3ds Max satellite technology.
If you have a few machines with 3ds Max licensed, and many machines
without, you can use both the distributed rendering technology and
Backburner so a rendering job would use 8 CPUs per Backburner server, thereby
increasing the rendering speed.
For the purpose of this procedure, we're using a render farm comprising three
machines named A, B, and C, each running a licensed copy of 3ds Max.

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NOTE The number of machines you can use depends on the number of machines
running licensed copies of 3ds Max. You are able to use only eight external (or
satellite) CPUs per licensed copy of 3ds Max: four dual-processor machines or
eight single-processor machines (or equivalent).
1 Choose which machines (other than machines A, B, and C) will serve as
satellites, install 3ds Max on each, and write down each machine's IP
address.
2 Use the Windows Notepad program or a text editor to open the
max.rayhosts file on machine A, located in mentalimages subdirectory
within 3ds Max folder.
3 In the max.rayhosts file, under the “localhost” entry enter the IP address
of each satellite CPU to be used; up to eight in all (see Figure 1).

Example of a rayhost file

4 Repeat the previous step on machines B and C with the remaining IP
addresses.
5 Launch Backburner Manager on the machine submitting the job or any
other machine. Launch the Backburner Server on machines A, B, and C.
WARNING It is necessary for the machine running the Backburner Server to
have 3ds Max licensed. A mental ray standalone license will not enable you
to use the distributed bucket rendering feature, and Backburner will prompt
you with a license error.
6 On the machine submitting the job choose mental ray as the renderer,
and then turn on Use Placeholder Objects, Use mental ray Map Manager
(see Figure 2), and the Distributed Render (see Figure 3).

mental ray Renderer | 7253

Translator Options

Distributed Bucket Rendering

7254 | Chapter 18 Rendering

7 Submit the job to the Backburner network rendering farm.
The job is submitted to the network rendering farm and is picked up by
machines A, B, and C. Each machine uses its internal CPU as well as its
satellite CPUs to render the job.

Interface

Distributed Render When on, the mental ray renderer can use multiple
satellite or host systems for distributed rendering. The list specifies which
systems to use. Default=off.
NOTE The Net Render option on the Common Parameters rollout has no effect
on distributed bucket rendering.
The other distributed rendering controls are unavailable unless Distributed
Render is on.
Distributed Maps When on, specifies that all texture maps can be found on
each of the slave machines doing distributed rendering. This saves time by
avoiding the necessity for mental ray to distribute all the maps to each slave
via TCP/IP. When off, specifies that all maps used in rendering reside on the
local system; that is, the system on which you start rendering. Default=off.

mental ray Renderer | 7255

If Distributed Maps is on but the maps are not found on the slaves, those maps
simply will not render on the slaves, and rendered output will be incorrect.
Also, an error message will appear in the mental ray message window.
If you are doing local rendering only, this setting has no effect.
Maps on all systems in distributed rendering must have exactly the same name
and directory path.
[name field] Displays the RAYHOSTS file's on page 9279 name and path.
[list of hosts] After you choose a RAYHOSTS file, this list shows the host
systems available for distributed mental ray rendering. You can use this list
to choose only those hosts you want to use for this particular rendering. When
you render with Distributed Render on, the mental ray renderer uses only the
hosts whose names are highlighted in this list. Click a host name to select it.
To deselect a selected host name, click it again.
NOTE The RAYHOSTS file, and therefore the host list, can contain duplicate entries.
However, before you render you must select only processors that are not duplicates;
otherwise, at render time 3ds Max will display an error message.
If Distributed Render is on but the list of hosts is empty when you click Render,
3ds Max will not perform distributed bucket rendering.
All Highlights all system names in the hosts list.
None Clears the highlight from all system names in the hosts list.
Add Click to display an Add/Edit DBR Host dialog on page 7257, which lets you
add a host processor to the RAYHOSTS file.
Edit Click to display the Add/Edit DBR Host dialog on page 7257, and edit the
highlighted host processor's entry in the RAYHOSTS file. Available only when
a single list entry is highlighted.
Remove Click to remove the currently highlighted host processors from the
list and the RAYHOSTS file. Available only when one or more list entries are
highlighted.
Clicking Remove displays a Remove Selected Hosts dialog, which warns you
that the host descriptors will be removed from both locations:

7256 | Chapter 18 Rendering

To restore a host that you have removed, use the Add button once again.

Add/Edit DBR Host Dialog
The Add/Edit DBR (Distributed Bucket Rendering) Host dialog opens when
you click Add on the Distributed Bucket Rendering rollout on page 7249. It lets
you add a host (or “satellite”) processor to use when you render using
distributed buckets. As the text on the dialog reminds you, the new host is
added to the text of the RAYHOSTS file on page 9279.

Interface

Port Number Lets you enter a port number for the processor. This control is
unavailable unless you turn off Use Default Port. When Use Default Port is
off, the default port value appears in this field.
Name or IP Address Enter the name or the numeric IP address of the processor
you want to add.

mental ray Renderer | 7257

Use Default Port When on, 3ds Max assigns a port number to the new
processor. The Port Number control is unavailable while Use Default Port is
on. Default=on.

Quicksilver Hardware Renderer
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Choose Quicksilver Hardware Renderer
as the active production renderer. ➤ Renderer panel ➤ Quicksilver Hardware
Renderer Parameters rollout
The Quicksilver hardware renderer uses graphics hardware to generate
renderings.
One advantage of the Quicksilver hardware renderer is its speed. The default
settings provide rapid rendering. You can also increase the quality for more
polished results.

Hardware rendering with default (draft) settings

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Scanline rendering of the same scene, for comparison

Quicksilver Hardware Renderer | 7259

Hardware rendering with hardware sampling increased to 8x

IMPORTANT To use the Quicksilver hardware renderer, your graphics hardware
must support Shader Model 3.0 (SM3.0) or a later version.
If you aren’t sure what graphics hardware you have, in 3ds Max choose Help ➤
Diagnose Video Hardware. This displays a dialog with details about your graphics
configuration, including GPU Shader Model Support, which shows the Shader
Model version number.

Supported Materials, Maps and Shaders, and Features
The Quicksilver hardware renderer supports the following materials:
■

Arch & Design material on page 6269, including Autodesk Materials on page
6224

■

Standard material on page 6382

■

Double-Sided material on page 6535

■

Multi/Sub-Object material on page 6542

7260 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The Quicksilver renderer also supports the following maps and shaders:
■

MetaSL shaders on page 6858

■

mental ray shaders:
mr Physical Sky on page 5893
Utility Gamma & Gain shader on page 6851

■

Standard maps:
All Standard maps except for the following:
Cellular map on page 6699
Gradient Ramp map on page 6678
Output map on page 6771
Vertex Color map on page 6775

The Quicksilver hardware renderer supports rendering elements separately on
page 7269. It does not support Render to Texture on page 7307.

Quicksilver Hardware Renderer | 7261

Interface

7262 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Image Precision (Antialiasing) group
These controls set the level of sampling used to calculate antialiasing on page
9087. Higher levels give smoother results, at a cost of some render time.

Hardware Based Sampling Sets the level of edge-based sampling performed
by the graphics hardware. Default = None (Draft).
■

None (Draft)

■

2x

■

4x

■

8x

Software Based Sampling Sets the level of per-pixel sampling performed by
the software component of the renderer. Increasing this value is helpful when
you render texture maps. Default = None (Draft)
■

None (Draft)

■

4x

■

16x

Resulting Sampling Value Displays the level of sampling obtained from
hardware and software methods combined.

Lighting group
These controls let you choose how the renderer handles lighting.

Quicksilver Hardware Renderer | 7263

Illuminate with Choose how the rendering is illuminated: with Scene Lights
or Default Lights on page 8981 (that is, viewport lighting). Default = Scene Lights.
■

ShadowsWhen on, the scene is rendered with shadows. Default=on.

Soft Shadows Precision (Multiplier) Scales the sampling value of area lights
in the scene. Default=1.
Ambient Occlusion When on, enables ambient occlusion (AO). AO improves
shadow quality by taking into account the proximity of objects. When AO is
enabled, the controls for it become available. Default=off.
■

Intensity/FadeControls the intensity of the AO effect. The higher the value,
the darker the shadows.

■

RadiusDefines the radius, in 3ds Max units, within which the Quicksilver
renderer looks for occluding objects. Larger values cover larger areas.

For more information about ambient occlusion, see Built-in Ambient Occlusion
on page 6304 (the version of AO used by the Architecture & Design Material has
somewhat different controls).
Indirect Illumination When on, enables indirect illumination. Indirect
illumination improves the quality of lighting by taking into account bounced

7264 | Chapter 18 Rendering

light. When indirect illumination is enabled, the controls for it become
available. Default=off.
■

MultiplierControls the intensity of indirect illumination. The default value
of 1.0 generates physically correct illumination. Default=1.0.

■

Sample Distribution AreaControls the size of the square area where sample
points are distributed. The greater the value, the more the sample points
are dispersed, which lowers the effective sampling quality. Default=100.0.

■

DecayControls the rate of decay of the indirect light. The greater the value,
the quicker the decay. Default=1.0.

■

Enable Indirect Lighting ShadowsWhen on, the renderer indirect
illumination can generate shadows. Default=off.

Transparency / Reflections group
These controls let you choose how the Quicksilver renderer handles transparent
and reflective objects.

Transparency When on, objects with transparent materials are rendered as
transparent. Default=on.
■

SimpleUses the simplest method of calculating transparency.

■

BestUses the best method of calculating transparency, at the cost of render
time.

Reflections When on, the rendering displays reflections. Default=off.
IMPORTANT Enabling Reflections enables static reflections only. To see dynamic
reflections on an object, you must explicitly include it by using the subcontrols.

Quicksilver Hardware Renderer | 7265

The subcontrols for reflections let you limit the number of objects that show
reflections.
■

[Include/Exclude check box]When on, enables the Include button. Click
the Include button to display the Include/Exclude dialog on page 5805. In
this context, Including an object allows it to generate reflections. Excluding
an object excludes it from reflections, and saves render time. Default=off.

■

Material IDWhen turned on, lets you choose a Material ID value identifying
those materials that will show reflections.

■

Object IDWhen turned on, lets you choose an Object ID value identifying
those materials that will show reflections.

Depth of Field group
These controls let you add depth of field to the rendering. Depth of field is
available only when you render a Camera or Perspective view.

Enable When on, the rendering generates depth of field. Default=off.
[Camera drop-down list] When From Camera (the default) is chosen, the
Quicksilver renderer uses the Camera Environment Range settings to generate
depth of field. No other controls are available.
When Override Camera is chosen, you can choose values for generating depth
of field that differ from the Camera settings.
■

Focal PlaneSets the location of the focal plane as a distance from the
Camera object, in 3ds Max units. Default=100.0.

■

Near PlaneSets the near plane as a distance from the Camera object, in 3ds
Max units. Objects nearer than this plane will be blurred in the rendering.
Default=90.0.

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■

Far PlaneSets the far plane as a distance from the Camera object, in 3ds
Max units. Objects farther than this plane will be blurred in the rendering.
Default=110.0.

Hardware Shaders Cache Folder group
These controls let you manage the location of hardware shaders on your
computer.

[Cache folder path] Displays the path of the folder used to save hardware
shaders.
The default location is in your user settings. The path depends on the operating
system you are using:.
■

Windows XP:
\documents and settings\\local settings\application
data\autodesk\3dsmax\2011 - 32bit\enu\plugcfg\ (or “64bit” for the 64-bit
version)

■

Vista or Windows 7:
\users\\appdata\local\autodesk\3dsmax\2011 32bit\enu\plugcfg\ (or “64bit” for the 64-bit version)

Open Configure System Paths Click to display the Configure System
Paths dialog on page 8881, which lets you choose an alternate location for saving
hardware shaders.

VUE File Renderer
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common
panel ➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Choose VUE File Renderer as the active
production renderer. ➤ Renderer panel ➤ VUE File Renderer rollout

VUE File Renderer | 7267

Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common panel
➤ Assign Renderer rollout ➤ Choose VUE File Renderer as the active
production renderer. ➤ Renderer panel ➤ VUE File Renderer rollout
The VUE File Renderer creates VUE (.vue) files. VUE files on page 9344 use an
editable ASCII format.

Procedures
To create a .vue file:
1 Use the Render Setup dialog ➤ Assign Renderer rollout to assign the
VUE File Renderer as the Production renderer.
You can't assign the VUE File Renderer to be the ActiveShade renderer.
2 Activate a camera viewport.
NOTE You must render from a camera viewport in order to include the
coordinates for the camera itself.
3 Use the VUE File Renderer rollout to specify a file name.
4 Render the scene.
The VUE file is written to disk. The Rendered Frame Window on page
6963 is displayed, but it doesn't display an image.

Interface

... [Browse] Click to open a file selector dialog and then specify a name for
the VUE file to create.
[File name The text field displays the name of the file.

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Rendering Elements Separately
Rendering to elements lets you separate various types of information in the
rendered output into individual image files. This can be useful when you work
with some image-processing, compositing, and special-effects software.

Render Elements Panel and Rollout
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout
This topic describes the available types of render elements and how to use
them.
These are the elements you can choose to render separately:
■

Alpha: A grayscale representation of the alpha channel, or transparency,
of the scene. Transparent pixels appear in white (value=255) and opaque
in black (value=0). Translucent pixels appear in gray. The darker the pixel,
the more transparent it is.
The alpha channel can be useful when you composite elements.

■

Atmosphere: The atmospheric effects in the rendering.

■

Background: The background of the scene.
Other elements do not include the scene background. Include this element
if you want to use the background in compositing.
The background is not trimmed against geometry, so elements should be
composited over the background. See Compositing Rendered Elements on
page 7273.

■

Blend: A custom combination of the previous elements.
The Blend element displays an additional Blend Element Parameters rollout
on page 7286.

■

Diffuse: The diffuse component of the rendering.
The Diffuse element displays an additional Diffuse Texture Element rollout
on page 7287.

Rendering Elements Separately | 7269

■

Hair And Fur: The component of the rendering created by the Hair And
Fur Modifier (World Space) on page 1010. See Hair And Fur Render Element
on page 7288.

■

Illuminance HDR Data: Generates an image containing 32–bit floating-point
data that can be used for analyzing the amount of light that falls on a
surface perpendicular to its normal. See Illuminance HDR Data Element
Parameters Rollout on page 7288.

■

Ink: The Ink component (borders) of Ink 'n Paint materials on page 6554.

■

Lighting: The effect of direct and indirect lights and shadows in the scene.
The Lighting element displays an additional Lighting Texture Element
rollout on page 7290.

■

Luminance HDR Data: Generates an image containing 32–bit floating-point
data that can be used for analyzing the perceived brightness of a surface
after light has been “absorbed” by the material of the surface. See
Luminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout on page 7291.

■

Material ID: Renders the material ID information assigned to an object.
This information is useful when you are making selections in other
image-processing or special-effects applications, such as Autodesk
Combustion. For example, you could select all of the objects with a given
material ID in Combustion. The material ID corresponds to the value you
set for the material with the material ID channel. Any given material ID
will always be represented by the same color. The correlation between a
specific material ID and a specific color is the same in Combustion. See
Material ID Channel Flyout on page 6075.

■

Matte: Renders a matte mask, based on selected objects, material ID channel
(effects IDs), or G-Buffer IDs.
The Matte element displays an additional Matte Texture Element rollout
on page 7292.

■

mr A&D: These elements render various components of the Arch & Design
material to HDR compositors such as Autodesk Toxik. For details, see mr
A&D Elements on page 7293.

■

mr Labeled Element: Renders a branch of a map tree that you specify using
a label. For details, see mr Labeled Element Parameters Rollout on page 7298

■

mr Shader Element: Outputs the raw contribution of any mental ray shader
in the scene. This includes standard 3ds Max materials and maps that are
converted to mental ray shaders in the translation process. For details, see
mr Shader Element Parameters Rollout on page 7300

7270 | Chapter 18 Rendering

■

Object ID: Renders the object ID information assigned to the object. See
Object ID Element Rollout on page 7303.

■

Paint: The Paint component (surfaces) of Ink 'n Paint materials on page
6554.

■

Reflection: The reflections in the rendering.

■

Refraction: The refractions in the rendering.

■

Self-Illumination: The self-illumination component of the rendering.

■

Shadow: The shadows in the rendering. This element saves black-and-white
shadows only. See Compositing Rendered Elements on page 7273.
NOTE The mental ray renderer does not include shadows created by global
illumination on page 7224and final gathering on page 7213 in the Shadow render
element output.

■

Specular: The specular component of the rendering.

■

Velocity: The motion information which can be used in other applications
for things such as creating motion blur or retiming an animation.
The Velocity element displays an additional Velocity Element Parameters
rollout on page 7304.

■

Z Depth: A grayscale representation of the Z depth, or depth within the
view, of objects within the scene. The nearest objects appear in white, and
the depth of the scene in black. Intermediate objects are in gray, the darker
the deeper the object is, within the view.
The Z Depth element displays an additional Z Element Parameters rollout
on page 7306.

When you render one or more elements, a normal complete rendering is also
generated. In fact, the element renderings are generated during the same
rendering pass, so rendering elements costs little extra render time.
Rendering to elements is available only when you do production rendering
with the default scanline renderer on page 7042 or the mental ray renderer on
page 7129.
NOTE The default scanline renderer supports a maximum of 32 render elements
per scene. The mental ray renderer does not limit the number of render elements.
If you're using a third-party renderer, check the product documentation for a
possible limit on the number of render elements.

Render Elements Panel and Rollout | 7271

NOTE When using the default scanline renderer, Antialiasing on page 7047 must
be on in order to render elements. With Antialiasing off, rendering elements is
disabled.

Example
Here is a rendering of a fountain, against a checkered background, and various
elements.

On the right is the fully rendered fountain.
On the left, from top to bottom, are diffuse, specular, shadow, and reflection elements.

7272 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Two more elements not directly related to the objects in the scene, but important
when compositing the image to other sources:
on the left is the background, on the right is the alpha channel.

On the left is an atmosphere element, in this example, a light fog on the back side of
the fountain.
On the right is the Z-depth. The fog uses the depth of the image and objects to
determine its density. The Z-depth element contains these depth values.

Compositing Rendered Elements
In general, you can composite elements using additive composition, which
is independent of the compositing order.
The main exceptions are the background element, atmospheres, and shadows.
■

Background: The background is not trimmed against geometry, the
background should be composited under the other elements.

■

Atmosphere: The atmosphere element should be composited over all other
elements.

Render Elements Panel and Rollout | 7273

■

Black-and-white shadows: Black-and-white shadows should be composited
over the rest of the image (aside from the atmosphere), to dim color in the
shadowed areas. This technique does not take colored lighting into account.

In other words, the layers when you composite using black-and-white shadows
appear like this:
Top: Atmosphere
Second from top: Shadow element
Middle: Diffuse + Specular + ... (other elements)
Bottom: Background

"Screen" Compositing for Specular and Reflection Elements
The other exception to additive composition is when specular or reflection
elements have been generated by certain material shaders. These shaders
generate specular and reflection elements you must composite differently:
■

Anisotropic

■

Multi-Layer

■

Oren-Nayar-Blinn

Shaders are assigned on a per-material basis, in the Material Editor. If you
render specular or reflection elements in a scene that uses these shaders, then
composite them with the diffuse and other foreground components (aside
from colored shadows, as described above), by overlaying them using an
operation called "Screen" in some compositing programs.
Screen compositing uses this formula to combine elements:
Background * (1 - Foreground) + Foreground
The background is multiplied by the inverse of the foreground color, and then
the foreground color is added to the result.
For more information, see the documentation for the compositing program
you use.

7274 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Procedures
To have the Render Elements dialog assign names to the rendered element
files automatically:
1 Assign an output file name and file type for the (entire) rendered scene
using the Files buttonFiles on page 7028 on the Common Parameters rollout
of the Render Setup dialog.
2 On the Render Elements rollout, use the Add button to specify elements
for rendering (see following procedure).
To render elements to files without rendering the entire scene to a file, follow
this procedure, and then turn off Common panel ➤ Common Parameters
rollout ➤ Render Output group ➤ Save File.
To add an element for rendering:
1 Click Add.
2 On the Render Elements dialog, do one of the following:
■

Highlight the name of an element, and then click OK.

■

Double-click the name of an element.
If you have assigned a file name for the entire rendering, the new
element is assigned a file name automatically. Otherwise, use the Files
button in the Selected Element Parameters group to assign an output
file name and file type for the element rendering.

3 If the element is one (such as Blend or Z Buffer) that has additional
parameters, adjust these parameters in the appropriate rollout.
To render the separate elements:
1 Add the elements you want to render.
TIP You can use the Enable button (in the Selected Element Parameters
rollout) to disable individual elements for a particular rendering pass.
2 If you haven't assigned file names automatically (see the first procedure,
preceding), use the Browse [...] button in the Selected Element Parameters
group to assign an output file name and file type for the element
rendering.

Render Elements Panel and Rollout | 7275

3 Make sure Elements Active (at the top of the Render Elements rollout) is
turned on, and then click Render to render the scene.
The rendered elements are also displayed on the desktop, each in its own
window. (The windows cascade on top of each other.)
To generate a Combustion™ workspace (CWS) file that contains the rendered
elements:
1 In the Output to Combustion group, turn on Enable.
If you have assigned a file name for the entire rendering, the new element
is assigned a file name automatically. Otherwise, use the Files button in
the Output to Combustion group to assign an output file name for the
CWS file.
2 If you want to change the file or pathname click ... [ellipsis].
3 Do one of the following:
■

Render the scene. The CWS file is created at the time of the rendering.

■

Create Combustion Workspace Now.
Use this button to create a Combustion workspace at any time. You
do not have to render for the workspace to be created.
NOTE This only works if there is at least one Render Element selected
and if your Render Output file type (set on the Common panel) is AVI,
RPF, CIN, JPG, PNG, MOV, RGB, RLA, TGA, TIF, or EXR.

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Interface

Add Click to add a new element to the list. This button displays the Render
Elements dialog on page 7280.

Render Elements Panel and Rollout | 7277

Merge Click to merge the render elements from another 3ds Max scene. Merge
displays a file dialog so you can select the scene file to get the elements from.
The list of render elements in the selected file is added to the current list.
Delete Click to delete the selected elements from the list.
Elements Active When on, clicking Render renders the separate elements.
Default=on.
Display Elements When on, each rendered element is displayed in its own
window, which is a feature-reduced version of the Rendered Frame Window
on page 6963. When off, the elements are rendered to files only. Default=on.
The windows for each rendered element open cascaded on top of each other.
Move one element's window to see another's.

Element Rendering list
This scrollable list shows the elements to render separately, and their status.
To resize the columns in the list, drag the border between two columns.

The list includes the following columns:
Name Shows the name o f the element. You can change the default name of
elements, in the Selected Element Parameters group.
To select an element, click its name in the list. Use Ctrl+click to select additional
elements, or Shift+click to select a contiguous group of additional elements.
Enabled Shows whether the element is enabled.
Filter Shows whether the active antialiasing filter is enabled for the element.
Type Shows what type of element this is.
This field is useful if you have changed the name of an element.
Output Path Shows the path and file name for the element.

Selected Element Parameters group
These controls are for editing selected elements in the list.

7278 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Enable Turn on to enable rendering the selected elements. Turn off to disable
rendering. Default=on.
The Enabled column of the elements list shows whether or not an element is
enabled.
Enable Filtering When on, applies the active antialiasing filter on page 7047
to the rendered element. When off, the rendered element does not use the
antialiasing filter. Default=on.
The Filter column of the elements list shows whether or not the filter is enabled
for an element.
Disabling antialiasing can improve rendering time, although the rendered
element that results might appear jagged.
NOTE Turning off Enable Filter disables only general antialiasing and map filtering.
Edge blending still occurs when this switch is off.
Name Shows the name of the currently selected element. You can type in a
custom name for the element.
This control is unavailable when multiple elements are selected.
[...] (Browse) The text box lets you enter a path and file name for the element.
Alternatively, click the [...] ( ellipsis) button to open the Render Element
Output File dialog on page 7282, which lets you choose a folder, file name, and
file type for the element.
This control is available only when a single element is highlighted.
NOTE If you first assign a file name and path for the complete rendering on the
Render Setup dialog ➤ Common Parameters rollout on page 7020, the render
elements feature uses this name and path automatically as the basis for names of
the various elements. It appends an underscore (_) and then the name of the
element to the basic file name.
For example, if the render file name is "C:\render\image.jpg", when you add a
Specular render element, the default path and file name for the rendered specular
element is "C:\render\image_specular.jpg".
Similarly, when you enable output to a Combustion workspace (CWS) file on page
8415, the file name you assigned is the default name of the CWS file.
For example, if the render file name is "C:\image.jpg", when you enable Combustion
output, the default path and file name is "C:\image.cws".

Render Elements Panel and Rollout | 7279

Output to Combustion group
When on, generates a Combustion Workspace (CWS) file on page 8415 that
contains the elements you are rendering. You can use this file in the
Combustion software, and you can use Combustion workspaces in the
Combustion map on page 6652.
WARNING If you are rendering elements to composite over a background, make
sure that the file format for the Diffuse, Shadows, and Alpha elements supports
an alpha channel. The formats we recommend for this purpose are: RLA on page
8453, RPF on page 8455, PNG on page 8443, or TGA on page 8459.
WARNING 3ds Max supports some file types that Combustion does not. For use
with Combustion, do not render elements as EPS files. If you render to this format,
the CWS file is not saved. See your Combustion documentation for more
information on supported file formats.
Enable When on, creates a CWS file that contains the elements you have
rendered.
[...] (Browse) The text box lets you enter a path and file name for the CWS
file. Alternatively, click the [...] (ellipsis) button to open the Save To
Combustion dialog, which lets you choose a folder and file name for the CWS
file.
Create Combustion Workspace Now When clicked, creates a Combustion
workspace (CWS file). This button makes it possible to create a Combustion
workspace without rendering.
NOTE You must add at least one render element for this file to be created and
the Render Output type on the Common panel must be set to AVI, RPF, CIN, JPG,
PNG, MOV, RGB, RLA, TGA, TIF, or EXR.

Render Elements Dialog
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog

7280 | Chapter 18 Rendering

This dialog lets you choose elements to render.

Procedures
To choose an element to render separately, do one of the following:
■

Highlight the element's name in the list, and then click OK.

■

Double-click the element's name in the list.

To highlight multiple elements, do any of the following and then click OK:
■

To highlight non-contiguous elements, click an element's name in the list,
and then Ctrl+click further elements.

■

To highlight contiguous elements, drag from the first to the last.

■

To highlight contiguous elements, click the first element's name in the
list, and then Shift+click another element.

Interface

The scrolling list shows the names of elements you can render separately.
These are described in Render Elements Panel and Rollout on page 7269.

Render Elements Dialog | 7281

Render Element Output File Dialog
Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements Rollout ➤ Selected Element Parameters
group ➤ Browse ([...]) button
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements Rollout ➤ Selected Element Parameters group ➤
Browse ([...]) button
The Render Element Output File dialog lets you assign a name to a file that
saves one element of the rendering. You can also determine the type of file
to render, and set up options such as compression, color depth, and quality,
depending on the file type.
See also:
■

Image File Formats on page 8411

Procedures
To specify the render element output file and its settings:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Render Setup, and then, on the Render Elements
rollout, in the Selected Element Parameters group, click the Browse ([...])
button.
The Render Element Output File dialog opens.
2 In the File Name field, enter the name for the file to be rendered.
3 Navigate the Save In field to choose the directory where you want the
rendered file to be saved.
4 In the Save As Type field, choose the type of file you want to render.
5 Click Save to open the Setup dialog for the specified output file type.
Thereafter, the Setup button becomes available on the Render Element
Output File dialog; you can click this to change the settings.
6 Change any settings as necessary, and then click OK to close the Render
Element Output File dialog. Alternatively, clicking Cancel returns you to
the Render Element Output File dialog.

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7 Click Render to render and save the file.

Interface

History Displays a list of the most recent directories searched. Whenever an
image is selected, the path used is added to the top of the history list as the
most recently used path.
The history information is saved in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file.
Save In Opens a drop-down list to browse other directories or drives.

Up One Level Moves to the next-highest level in the directory structure.

Create New Folder Lets you create a new folder while in this dialog.
View Menu Provides several options for how information is displayed
in the list window:
■

Thumbnails: Displays the contents of a directory as thumbnails, without
the details.

Render Element Output File Dialog | 7283

■

Tiles: Displays the contents of a directory as large icons, without the details.
If you widen the dialog, these tile across the width.

■

Small Icons: Displays the contents of a directory as small icons, tiled across
the width, without the details.

■

List: Displays the contents of a directory without the details.

■

Details: Displays the contents of a directory with full details such as size
and date.

List of files Lists the contents of the directory, in the format specified by the
View menu.
TIP When the active display format is Details, the contents of the directory are
displayed with Name, Size, Type, Date Modified, and Attributes. You can sort the
list according to a column's contents by clicking that column's label.
File Name Displays the file name of the file selected in the list.
Save as File Type Displays all the file types that can be saved. This serves as
a filter for the list.
NOTE The choice in this field determines the file type saved, regardless of the
extension entered in the File Name field.
Save Sets the file information for saving upon rendering. Closes the dialog if
you haven't changed the output file type.
If you've changed the file type, clicking Save opens the Setup dialog for the
specified file type. Change the settings as necessary, and then click OK to close
both the Setup and the Output dialogs, or click Cancel to return to the Output
dialog.
Cancel Cancels the selection and closes the dialog.
Devices Lets you choose the hardware output device, for example, a digital
video recorder. To use this function, the device, its driver, and its 3ds Max
plug-in must all be installed on your system.
Setup Click to open a dialog with controls for the output file type. These vary
with each different file format.

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NOTE The Setup button becomes available after you specify a file name or type.
If you first choose a type from the Save As Type drop-down list, click anywhere
on the dialog to activate Setup. If you first enter a file name and extension (such
as test.png), press Tab to activate Setup. Also, clicking Setup uses the filename
extension, even if it doesn't agree with the Save As Type setting.
Info Displays expanded information about a highlighted file such as frame
rate, compression quality, file size, and resolution. The information available
depends on the file type.
View Displays the file at full resolution. If the file is a movie, Windows Media
Player opens to play the file.
Sequence This is not available in the Render Element Output File dialog.
NOTE To render a sequence of still images, choose the Active Time Segment or
define a range of frames on the Common Parameters rollout of the Render Setup
dialog. If you are rendering to a still-image file type, 3ds Max appends a four-digit
frame number to the file name name, incremented with each frame.
Preview When on, enables display of the image as a thumbnail in the Image
Window.
Image Window Displays a thumbnail of the selected file, when Preview is
turned on.

Gamma group
To set up gamma options for the output file, Enable Gamma Correction must
be on in the Gamma panel on page 8917 of the Preferences dialog (Customize
➤ Preferences ➤ Gamma). Otherwise, the Gamma controls are unavailable
in the Render Output File dialog.
■

Use Image’s Own GammaThis option is not available in this dialog.

■

Use System Default GammaUses the system default gamma, as set on the
Gamma panel of the Preferences dialog on page 8917.

■

OverrideDefines a new gamma for the bitmap that differs from the system
default.
Using Override is not recommended for element bitmaps. Using the system
default gamma value ensures that all elements have consistent renderings.

Render Element Output File Dialog | 7285

Statistics/Location
Statistics Displays the resolution, color depth, file type, and number of frames
of the highlighted file.
Location Displays the full path and name of the highlighted file.

Individual Render Elements
These topics describe individual render elements, especially those that display
a rollout with options.

Blend Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Blend element to the elements list (or select an
existing Blend element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Blend element to the elements list (or select an existing Blend element
in the list).
The Blend element is a custom combination of several other elements. By
default, all elements are turned on in this rollout, and the Blend rendering is
identical to the full, normal rendering, except for the scene background. Use
the check boxes to choose your own combination of elements to appear in
the Blend rendering.

Interface

Ambient When on, include the ambient color component. Default=on.

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Diffuse When on, include the diffuse color component. Default=on.
Specular When on, include the specular color component. Default=on.
Self-Illumination When on, include self-illumination. Default=on.
Reflection When on, include reflections. Default=on.
Refraction When on, include refractions. Default=on.
Apply Atmosphere When on, include atmospheric effects. Default=on.
Apply Shadows When on, include shadows. Default=on.
Paint When on, include the Paint component of Ink 'n Paint materials on
page 6554. Default=on.
Ink When on, include the Ink component of Ink 'n Paint materials.
Default=on.

Diffuse Texture Element Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Diffuse element to the elements list (or select an
existing Diffuse element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Diffuse element to the elements list (or select an existing Diffuse
element in the list).
The Diffuse render element displays the diffuse color component of objects
in the scene.

Interface

Individual Render Elements | 7287

Lighting When on, the diffuse render element displays the color of objects
after lighting has been applied.
When Lighting is turned off, the element displays the diffuse color of objects
before the lighting gets applied. For textured objects, this will look like a 3D
projection of the texture. However, objects with a single color will look “flat”.

Hair And Fur Render Element

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Elements panel ➤ Add
➤ Render Elements dialog ➤ Hair And Fur
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Elements panel ➤ Add ➤
Render Elements dialog ➤ Hair And Fur
The Hair And Fur render element produces an additional image that depicts
only the elements in the scene generated by the Hair And Fur modifier on
page 1010. This image can be used for compositing.
NOTE The Hair And Fur render element supports only the ”buffer” rendering
method on page 7522 using the default scanline and mental ray renderers.

Illuminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Illuminance HDR Data element to the elements list
(or highlight an existing Illuminance HDR Data element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Illuminance HDR Data element to the elements list (or highlight an
existing Illuminance HDR Data element in the list).
Generates an image containing 32–bit floating-point data that can be used
for analyzing the amount of light that falls on a surface perpendicular to its
normal. The illuminance data ignores material characteristics such as
reflectance and transmittance.

7288 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Illuminance is not related to surface properties.

For best results, render with mental ray or another renderer that supports
32–bit floating-point output and set the output format to PIC, HDR, or EXR.
If using the scanline renderer or another renderer that doesn't support 32–bit
floating-point output, set the Scale Factor parameter, which acts as a multiplier,
to adjust the range of values for the output data.

Interface

Scale Factor When you use a renderer that does not support floating-point
output, set Scale Factor to a value less than 1.0. Default=1.0 (no scaling).

Individual Render Elements | 7289

Lighting Texture Element Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Lighting element to the elements list (or highlight
an existing Lighting element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Lighting element to the elements list (or highlight an existing Lighting
element in the list).
The lighting element contains the effects of lighting within the scene,
including color, shadows, direct and indirect light.
This rollout lets you determine which parts of the lighting are included in the
rendering.

Interface

Direct Light On When on, the render element includes information from
any direct lights in the scene. The light’s color and projection map should
appear.
NOTE The final color for direct lighting takes surface normals into consideration.
Indirect Light On When on, the render element includes information from
ambient or bounced lighting in the scene.
NOTE When using radiosity, expect effects such as color bleed.
Shadows On When on, the render element includes shadows.

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Luminance HDR Data Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Luminance HDR Data element to the elements list
(or highlight an existing Luminance HDR Data element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Luminance HDR Data element to the elements list (or highlight an
existing Luminance HDR Data element in the list).
Generates an image containing 32–bit floating-point data that can be used
for analyzing the perceived brightness of a surface after light has been
“absorbed” by the material of the surface. The luminance data considers
material characteristics such as reflectance and transmittance.

Luninance takes surface properties into account.

For best results, render with mental ray or another renderer that supports
32–bit floating-point output and set the output format to PIC, HDR, or EXR.
If using the scanline renderer or another renderer that doesn't support 32–bit
floating-point output, set the Scale Factor parameter, which acts as a multiplier,
to adjust the range of values for the output data.

Individual Render Elements | 7291

Interface

Scale Factor When you use a renderer that does not support floating-point
output, set Scale Factor to a value less than 1.0. Default=1.0 (no scaling).

Matte Texture Element Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Matte element to the elements list (or highlight an
existing Matte element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Matte element to the elements list (or highlight an existing Matte
element in the list).
The Matte render element displays a matte mask for a selected object, material
ID channel (effect ID) on page 6075, or G-Buffer ID on page 9173. Each matching
element is represented with a white pixel on the mask.
For more info on matte behavior, see Matte Object on page 9220.
WARNING The Matte render element does not work for objects to which the
mental ray material on page 6369 is applied.

7292 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Effect ID Sets the material ID channel on page 6075 to include in the Matte
render element.
G-Buffer ID Sets the G-Buffer ID on page 9173 to include in the Matte render
element.
Include Opens the Exclude/Include dialog on page 5805, where you can select
objects in the scene to exclude or include in your Matte mask.
When including, all selected objects are rendered with white pixels.
When excluding, all pixels are white, by default. Selected objects are rendered
as black pixels.
WARNING If you use Exclude, make sure the Effect ID and G-Buffer ID parameters
are not on. These modes provide inferior results when used in combination.

mr A&D Elements

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add one or more mr A&D elements to the elements list
(or highlight an mr A&D entry in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add one or more mr A&D elements to the elements list (or highlight an
mr A&D entry in the list).
The mr A&D elements let you specify as render elements the most important
components of the Arch & Design material on page 6269, generally in three

Individual Render Elements | 7293

different contribution types: raw, level, and output. You can save these as
HDR image files for subsequent compositing in a program such as Autodesk
Toxik.

NOTE As their names suggest, these render elements pertain only to objects to
which the Arch & Design material on page 6269 is applied, rendered with mental
ray.
With most of the elements, raw is the unscaled contribution, and level is the
scaling, and the output component, calculated by multiplying the raw and
level components, is the resultant contribution of the element to the full
rendered output. The level is often related to an input parameter (or
combinations thereof), and has been modified to abide by the
energy-conservation feature of the Arch & Design material.

7294 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Hence the elements contain some redundancy: For example, if you just want
the current reflections in a separate channel, use the Output Reflections
element, but if you want more control over the amount of reflections in
post-production, you can instead use Raw Reflections and Level Reflections,
multiplying them (with optional, additional processing) in the compositing
phase prior to adding them to the final color.

Reflections: Raw (left) * Level (center) = Output (right)

NOTE In order to maintain a correct compositing equation, the effects of the mr
Photographic exposure control on page 7677 are intentionally excluded from the
A&D render elements output.
TIP When rendering mr A&D elements for compositing in an HDR application
like Toxik, be sure to set Frame Buffer Type on page 7193 to Floating-Point (32 bits
per channel), which allows raw-element values to exceed 1.0, and save output
files in the OpenEXR format on page 8429.

List of All Outputs
Following is a list of all available render elements for the Arch & Design
material (each has the “mr A&D” prefix):
■

Output: BeautyThe main, blended output. It is identical to the single output
of the Arch & Design material.

■

Diffuse Direct IlluminationOutput is the resulting diffuse on page 6284
component after lighting, including textures. Raw is the diffuse lighting
itself, without textures, and Level Diffuse is the diffuse texture color
adjusted by the energy conservation.

■

Diffuse Indirect IlluminationOutput is the resulting indirect illumination,
including ambient occlusion on page 6308 effects, multiplied by the diffuse
color. Raw is the raw result from indirect illumination. There is no Level
component.

Individual Render Elements | 7295

■

Ambient OcclusionRaw is the raw contribution of the ambient occlusion
on page 6308.

■

Diffuse Indirect Illumination with AOXtra is the indirect illumination
affected by ambient occlusion but without being multiplied by the diffuse
color.

■

OpacityOutput (Opacity Background) is the final contribution of any
background of the object as a result of the input cutout on page 6325 opacity
(as determined by the assigned map) being less than 1.0. Raw contains the
background without scaling by the opacity. If the cutout opacity is 1.0,
these outputs contain black, because no transparency is rendered in such
cases.
The Level output contains the actual opacity itself. Care must be taken if
opacity equals zero, because this mean that the material has performed no
shading whatsoever and none of the other outputs will contain any value
at all.

■

ReflectionsOutput is the resulting Reflection group on page 6285 component.
Raw is the unalloyed (full-intensity) reflection, and Level is the actual
reflectivity, including reflection color and BRDF on page 6298 settings.
WARNING The Arch & Design material samples very-low-level reflections in
the rendering phase at low quality (for performance), so avoid doing huge
modifications to reflection intensity in post.

■

Self IlluminationOutput contains the Self Illumination (Glow) on page 6300
component.

■

SpecularOutput is the resulting specular component. Raw is determined
by the Reflection ➤ Glossiness on page 6286 value and the Anisotropy on
page 6294 settings, while Level is determined by the BRDF on page 6298 settings,
the Reflectivity on page 6285 and Reflection ➤ Color on page 6286 values,
and the Relative Intensity of Highlights on page 6317 value.

■

TranslucencyTranslucency is the combined result of the Weight on page
6292 and Color on page 6294 settings. Output is the resulting translucency
component, Raw is the raw translucency, and Level is the actual
translucency level, adjusted by the energy conservation.

■

TransparencyTransparency is the combined result of the Refraction group
on page 6315 settings, including the Translucency settings. Output is the
resulting transparency component, Raw is the raw transparency, and Level
is the actual transparency level, adjusted by the energy conservation.

7296 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Proper Compositing
Due to the redundancy available in the outputs, there are several ways to
composite them to yield the same result as the beauty render. Here we outline
two compositing pipelines in equation form. You can use these in Autodesk
Toxik and other HDR compositing applications.
First we have the “simple” variant, which is simply a sum of the various result
parameters. This version allows only minimal post-production changes to the
overall balance between the materials. Its advantage is in not needing as many
files, as well as working reasonably well in non-floating-point compositing.
Beauty = Output Diffuse Direct Illumination + Output Diffuse Indir
ect Illumination + Output Specular +
Output Reflections + Output Transparency + Output Translucency +
Self Illumination

Then we have the more “complex” variant, which uses the various raw and
level outputs, thus allowing much greater control in post production.
Note that the raw outputs need to be stored and composited in floating point
to maintain the dynamic range. The level outputs always stay in the 0.0-1.0
range and do not require floating-point storage.
Beauty = Level Diffuse * (Raw Diffuse Direct Illumination + (Raw
Diffuse Indirect Illumination * Raw Ambient Occlusion)) +
Level Specular * Raw Specular +
Level Reflections * Raw Reflections +
Level Transparency * Raw Transparency +
Level Translucency * Raw Translucency +
Self Illumination

Interface
All mr A&D render elements have the same settings:

Multiplier Scales the brightness of the output.

Individual Render Elements | 7297

TIP When rendering A&D elements for compositing in Autodesk Combustion,
bear in mind that Combustion does not support HDR imagery, so to avoid clamping
it will be necessary to adjust the Multiplier value for each element.
Apply Shadows When on, the output includes shadows cast on the surface.

mr Labeled Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add mr Labeled Element to the elements list (or highlight
an mr Labeled Element entry in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add mr Labeled Element to the elements list (or highlight an mr Labeled
Element entry in the list).
The mr Labeled Element is a render element that lets you output one or more
branches of a material tree to a custom render element. (A branch comprises
a map or shader and any sub-elements, such as maps assigned to the map’s
map slots.)
To use this element, assign the mr Labeled Element shader on page 6833 as the
parent of the branch to render, give it a label, and then use the same label for
the render element. For details, see the following procedure.

Procedure
To use the mr Labeled element:
1 In the Material Editor, determine which branch of a material to output
as a separate element. For example, an Arch & Design material might
contain a Gradient map assigned as a Diffuse ➤ Color shader, and one
of the Gradient maps could be assigned a Checker map, and one of the
Checker maps could be assigned a Noise map. This procedure will assume
you want to render the Checker map and its constituent Noise map to
an element.
So the material structure would be like this:

7298 | Chapter 18 Rendering

A&D material ➤ Gradient (Diffuse Color) ➤ Checker (Gradient Color
#1) ➤ Noise (Checker Color #1)
2 In the Material Editor, click the map button at the top of the branch you
want to output. In this example, you’d click the Diffuse ➤ Color map
button in the Arch & Design material to open the Gradient map settings.
Youd then click the first map button (Color #1) on the Gradient
Parameters rollout to open the Checker map settings.
3 Click the map button just above the map rollouts on the right side of the
Material Editor (in this example, Checker) to open the Material/Map
Browser.
4 On the Material/Map Browser, double-click the mr Labeled Element item.
This opens the Replace Map dialog.
5 Make sure “Keep old map as sub-map?” is chosen, and then click OK.
6 You now see the mr Labeled Element Parameters rollout. If you click the
Shader/Map To Store (Passthrough) button, labeled “M”, you can access
the branch that will be output to the render element: the Checker map
containing the Noise map.
7 If you clicked the M button, go back up to the parent mr Labeled Element
shader, and then enter a name for the element in the Label field. In this
example, the name could be checker/noise branch.
The material structure would now be like this (new map in italics):
A&D material ➤ Gradient (Diffuse Color) ➤ mr Labeled Element shader
(Gradient Color #1) ➤ Checker (mr Labeled Element shader map) ➤
Noise (Checker Color #1)
8 On the Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements panel ➤ Render
Elements rollout, click Add. Choose the mr Labeled Element item from
the list.
9 On the Parameters rollout for the element, enter the name you specified
in step 7 in the Label field.
10 Set up the other Render Element parameters as necessary and then render
the scene.
Your custom element is rendered to an image file.
The following illustration shows the example described in the preceding
procedure. The left-hand image shows the full material, with the Noise
inside the Checker inside the Gradient, and the right-hand image shows
a labeled element containing only the Noise inside the Checker. The

Individual Render Elements | 7299

element renders only the part of the Checker map that is used by the
Gradient map.

Left: Full rendering; Right: Labeled element

Interface

Label Enter the name of the element you specified in the mr Labeled Element
Shader ➤ Label field.
Multiplier Scales the brightness of the rendered output.
Apply Shadows When on, the output includes shadows cast on the surface.

mr Shader Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add mr Shader Element to the elements list (or highlight
an mr Shader Element entry in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog

7300 | Chapter 18 Rendering

➤ Add mr Shader Element to the elements list (or highlight an mr Shader
Element entry in the list).
The mr Shader element outputs the raw contribution of any mental ray shader
in the scene. This includes standard 3ds Max materials and maps that are
converted to mental ray shaders in the translation process. The output of this
element does not figure into the final rendered output.
For example, you could use the mr Shader element to render a few different
ambient occlusion passes (see mental images Shader Libraries on page 6809).
NOTE The mr Shader element is intended primarily for rendering shaders, not
full materials. While you can, in most cases, most "material-style" shaders might
contain their own code to write to render elements, and in some circumstances
this can cause odd conflicts. For example, piping a Standard material through a
Material To Shader shader on page 6832 into the mr Shader element is not
recommended because it could cause the Standard material’s render element to
collide with the original render elements from the main render.

Procedure
To use the mr Shader element:
1 In the Material Editor, determine which shader to output as a separate
element. For example, an Arch & Design material might contain a
Gradient map assigned as a Diffuse ➤ Color shader, and one of the
Gradient maps could be assigned a Checker map, and one of the Checker
maps could be assigned a Noise map. This procedure will assume you
want to render the Checker map and its constituent Noise map to an
element.
So the material structure would be like this:
A&D material ➤ Gradient (Diffuse Color) ➤ Checker (Gradient Color
#1) ➤ Noise (Checker Color #1)
2 On the Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements panel ➤ Render
Elements rollout, click Add. Choose the mr Shader Element item from
the list.
3 On the Parameters rollout for the element, click the Shader button; this
opens the Material/Map Browser dialog.
4 Make sure Browse From on the dialog is set to Scene. If the object to
which the shader is applied is selected, you could also choose Selected.
In the material tree, highlight the shader to output as an element.

Individual Render Elements | 7301

NOTE Any subordinate shaders are also included in the element output.
5 Set up the other Render Element parameters as necessary and then render
the scene.
Your Shader element is rendered to an image file.
The following illustration shows the example described in the preceding
procedure. The left-hand image shows the full material, with the Noise
inside the Checker inside the Gradient, and the right-hand image shows
a Shader element containing only the Noise inside the Checker. The
element renders the entire Checker map even though only part of it is
used by the Gradient map.

Left: Full rendering; Right: Shader element

Interface

Shader The shader to render as an element. Click the button and then choose
a shader or material from the list in the Material/Map Browser. Typically you’d
want the element to output a shader in the scene, so you’d make sure Browse
From is set to Selected or Scene.
Multiplier Scales the brightness of the rendered output.
Apply Shadows When on, the output includes shadows cast on the surface.

7302 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Object ID Element Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Object ID element to the elements list (or highlight
an existing Object ID element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Object ID element to the elements list (or highlight an existing Object
ID element in the list).
Renders the object ID information assigned to the object.
Roughly comparable to the material ID, the object ID information is useful
for selecting objects based on an arbitrary index value in another
image-processing or special-effects application. If you know that you will want
to select several objects at once, at a later time, you can assign them all the
same object ID in 3ds Max. By rendering with the object ID, this information
will be available in other applications.
You assign the object ID with the Object Properties dialog ➤ General panel
➤ Object Channel parameter on page 230. A given object ID is always
represented by the same (arbitrary) color. The correlation between a specific
material ID and a specific color is the same in Combustion.
When an Object ID entry is highlighted in the element rendering list on page
7278, the Object ID Element rollout appears on the Render Elements panel. This
rollout lets you choose whether to base the render color of a given object ID
on the object color or the Object ID. If you choose Object Color, the render
color is the object's base color, as shown on the Create panel ➤ Name And
Color rollout and at the top of the other command panels, and is not based
on the Object ID. If you choose Object ID, an arbitrary color is assigned to
each object based on its Object ID.

Individual Render Elements | 7303

Interface

Render Color Based On
■

Object Color Renders colors based on object colors.

■

Object ID (The default.) Renders colors based on Object IDs.

Velocity Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Velocity element to the elements list (or highlight
an existing Velocity element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Velocity element to the elements list (or highlight an existing Velocity
element in the list).
The Velocity element generates a rendering that contains information about
the motion of objects in the frame. You can use the Velocity rendering to
generate motion blur when you use a composition application such as
Combustion or Flame. There are plug-ins for compositors that generate motion
blur; for example, those created by RE:Vision Effects, Inc.
The advantages of rendering a Velocity element are that the composition
application might give you finer control over the motion blur than 3ds Max
does; you can render a “beauty” frame that does not contain motion blur;
and the Velocity element is quicker to render than using one of the 3ds Max
motion-blur effects.
Another use of the Velocity element is to re-time clips rendered in 3D. There
are specialized applications that allow you to re-time an image sequence, using
velocity data to generate more accurate inbetween frames.

7304 | Chapter 18 Rendering

In the Velocity rendering, the motion information is saved as RGB color
information:.red saves movement on the X axis, green saves Y-axis movement,
and blue saves Z-axis movement, relative to the plane of the rendered frame.
The mental ray renderer supports this element, but the mental ray Motion Blur
camera effect must be turned off. Also, some mental ray materials do not support
render elements.
Controls on the element's rollout let you improve the precision of the motion
data saved in the rendering. See the procedure, following.

Procedures
To render a velocity element for an animation sequence:
1 On the Render dialog ➤ Render Elements panel ➤ Render Elements
rollout, click Add. In the Render Elements dialog that appears, highlight
Velocity, and then click OK.
2 Highlight the Velocity element in the Element Rendering list.
3 On the Velocity Element Parameters rollout, turn on Update, then render
several test frames. (Choose frames where object velocity appears to be
the greatest.)
4 After each test frame, make a note of the Maximum Velocity value. If
you need to do so, enter the largest of these values as the Maximum
Velocity to use.
Having a specific Maximum Velocity value will give you more accurate
velocity data.
5 Turn off Update.
Now the Maximum Velocity will remain constant.
6 Render the animation.

Interface

Individual Render Elements | 7305

Maximum Velocity Enter a Maximum Velocity value based on the result
collected by Update. Setting a Maximum Velocity increases the precision of
the motion information. See the procedure, above: Procedures on page 7305.
Default=1.0.
Update Turn on when you render test frames, as described in the above
procedure. After each rendering, Maximum Velocity is set to the value recorded
by update. Use the largest of these values, and then turn off Update before
you render the full animation. Default=off.
NOTE The Update control does not work with mental ray distributed bucket
rendering.

Z Depth Element Parameters Rollout

Main toolbar ➤
(Render Setup) ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Elements panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render
Elements dialog ➤ Add Z Depth element to the elements list (or select an
existing Z Depth element in the list).
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Elements
panel ➤ Render Elements rollout ➤ Add button ➤ Render Elements dialog
➤ Add Z Depth element to the elements list (or select an existing Z Depth
element in the list).
The Z-depth element is a grayscale representation of the Z depth, or depth
within the view, of objects within the scene. The nearest objects appear in
white, and the depth of the scene in black. Intermediate objects are in gray.
The darker the gray, the deeper the object is, within the view.
This rollout lets you adjust what portion of the scene is shown in the Z-depth
rendering. By default, the rendering includes objects near the front of the
view (Z Min=100.0), and extends for 300 3ds Max units into the scene (Z
Max=300.0). If your scene is deeper than 300 units, you need to increase the
value of Z Max.
You can use the Update option to let 3ds Max automatically determine the
depth extents of objects in the rendered view.

7306 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Z Min The minimum distance to include in the Z-depth rendering. This is a
value in 3ds Max units, and cannot be less than 0.0. Default=100.0
Z Max The maximum distance to include in the Z-depth rendering. This is a
value in 3ds Max units. Default=300.0
Update Lets 3ds Max automatically determine the depth range of objects in
the rendered view. When on, after completion of a rendering, 3ds Max changes
the Z Min and Z Max values to reflect what the renderer determined. Typically,
you would make a single test rendering with this on, and then turn off the
check box.

Render to Texture
Make sure the default scanline renderer or the mental ray renderer is the active
renderer. ➤ Select one or more objects. ➤ Rendering menu ➤ Render To
Texture
Rendering to texture, or "texture baking,” allows you to create texture maps
based on an object's appearance in the rendered scene. The textures are then
“baked” into the object: that is, they become part of the object via mapping,
and can be used to display the textured object rapidly on Direct3D devices
such as graphics display cards or game engines.
You can render to textures using the mental ray renderer on page 7129
Typical Texture Baking Method
1 Set up a scene with lighting.

Render to Texture | 7307

Banana object in a lighted room

2

Select the objects whose textures you want to bake.

Banana object selected

3 Choose Rendering ➤ Render To Texture.
4 A Render To Texture dialog on page 7333 appears. In this dialog, you choose
which elements on page 7312 of the rendering you want to bake. Elements
are aspects of the rendering such as diffuse color, shadows, alpha
(transparency/opacity), and so on.
In this dialog, you can also choose various display options on page 7319
for showing the baked texture in shaded viewports.

7308 | Chapter 18 Rendering

TIP If you have a Direct3D graphics display driver, you can use DirectX
viewport shaders on page 6222 to view the baked texture in shaded viewports.
They show how the baked texture will appear on DirectX devices.
5 Click Render.
After you click Render in the Render To Texture dialog, a number of things
happen. (This is a typical set of events; the dialog gives you a lot of control
over how texture baking actually occurs.)
■

The elements you chose are rendered, each to its separate bitmap file.

Lighting map of the banana

By default, the texture type is Targa on page 8459, and the element maps are
placed in the \images subfolder of the folder where you installed 3ds Max.
The new textures are “flat”: In other words, they are organized according
to groups of object faces.
■

In the modifier stack, a new modifier is applied to the object. It is called
Automatic Flatten UVs. It is simply an Unwrap UVW modifier on page 1787,
automatically applied.
This modifier manages the mapping of the flattened texture to faces of the
object, and lets you adjust that mapping if necessary.

Render to Texture | 7309

Flattened texture-mapping coordinates for the banana

■

A Shell material on page 6596 is applied to the object. This material is a
container for both the object's original material (you don't lose those maps
and settings), and the newly created baked material, with its new textures.
The Shell material lets you access both materials and adjust their settings,
if necessary. It also lets you choose which material to view, the original
material or the texture-baked material, in shaded viewports or in renderings.

New shell material contains the banana's original material (below left) and the
baked texture (below right).

7310 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Rendered light map applied to the banana

With the light map, banana appears lit even when lights are turned off.

That is texture baking in a nutshell.
For best results, Logarithmic exposure control is recommended for Render To
Texture.
If Linear or Automatic exposure controls are used, each object will have
different lighting levels, generating a different histogram. Each object renders
as if it had a different light level and in some cases, you may not get a rendering
at all. This happens because Linear and Automatic exposure controls are view
dependent.

Render to Texture | 7311

Logarithmic Exposure Control is not view dependent, and will reproduce the
image correctly. See the Exposure Controls on page 7665 topic for more
information about Linear, Automatic and Logarithmic exposure controls.
See also:
■

Shell Material on page 6596

■

DirectX Manager Rollout on page 6222

■

LightMap Shader Rollout on page 6601

■

Metal Bump Shader Rollout on page 6602

Baked Texture Elements
Select objects. ➤ Rendering menu ➤ Render to Texture ➤ Render to Texture
dialog ➤ Output rollout ➤ Click Add. ➤ Add Texture Elements dialog ➤
Choose elements to render.
When you render to texture or “bake” a texture, you choose one or more
elements to render. These elements save aspects of the rendered scene: its
geometry, lighting, shadows, and so on. Some texture elements can display
in shaded viewports; others require a DirectX viewport shader on page 6222 to
view in 3ds Max.
When you add an element to render, it appears in a list in the Objects To Bake
on page 7336 rollout. In the list, you can disable or enable rendering of that
individual map, or select it to adjust which components it will include.
NOTE Automatically generated reflections and refractions do not work well with
rendered textures, although they are included in the Complete and Blend texture
maps.
The available element maps are described in the sections that follow.

Limitations of Composite and Blend Materials
If the object has a Composite or Blend material applied to it, only certain
elements render correctly. Which elements render correctly depend on the
renderer you are using.

7312 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The default scanline renderer renders only these elements of a Composite or
Blend material correctly:
■

Diffuse color

■

Specular color

■

Reflections

■

Ambient color

■

Self-illumination color

■

Refractions

The mental ray renderer renders only these elements of a Composite or Blend
material correctly:
■

Lighting

■

Shadows

■

Normals

Component Options (Unique Settings)
Many element maps let you choose to include or not include components of
the rendered scene. When your element to render is highlighted in the list,
these options appear on the Selected Element Unique Settings group.
See also:
■

Render to Texture on page 7307

■

Render to Texture Dialog on page 7333

Complete Map
A complete map saves most surface properties of the rendered object;
specifically:
■

Lighting

■

Diffuse color

■

Specular color

■

Reflections

Baked Texture Elements | 7313

■

Shadows

■

Ambient color

■

Self-illumination color

■

Refractions

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
For a complete map, you can choose not to render shadows.

Specular Map
A specular map saves only the specular color of the object.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
For a specular map, you can choose not to render lighting or shadows.

Diffuse Map
A diffuse map saves only the diffuse color of the object.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
For a diffuse map, you can choose not to render lighting or shadows.

Shadows Map
A shadows map saves only the shadows cast onto the object.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
There are no unique settings for a shadows map.

Lighting Map
A lighting map saves only the lighting cast onto the object.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
For a lighting map, you can choose not to render shadows, direct light, or
indirect light.

7314 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Normals Map
A normals map saves a color gradient that indicates the direction of normals
on the surface of the object. With a normals map, Direct3D rendering can
make simple geometry appear more complex.
With DirectX 8, you can view a normals map in shaded viewports by using
the Metal Bump Direct3D viewport shader on page 6602.
With DirectX 9, you can view a normals map in any shaded viewport.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
There are two unique settings for a normals map:
Output into Normal Bump When on, assigns a Normal Bump map to the
Target Map Slot, and places the rendered Normal Bump map in the Normal
component of the Normal Bump map on page 6872. Default=off.
Render Height Map into Alpha Channel When on, renders a grayscale height
map and assigns it to the alpha channel of the Normal map. If you are
rendering to a file type that doesn't have an alpha channel, this setting has
no effect. Default=off.

Height Map
A height map is a grayscale map that stores the relative height of the source
object when you render with normal projection. (See Creating and Using
Normal Bump Maps on page 7320.) You can use the height map as a displacement
map on the target object. This is a way to add detail to the edges of the
low-resolution object, because edges are not affected by the normal bump
map itself.
NOTE When using a height map as a displacement map with the mental ray
renderer, be sure to use the Height Map Displacement shader on page 6830. Also,
turn off Smoothing, either globally on page 7212 or for the individual object on the
Object Properties dialog ➤ mental ray panel on page 236. In addition, when
rendering with mental ray, if you're applying the height map to a standard material,
apply the map as a Displacement map on the mental ray Connection rollout on
page 6215 (unlock the map first), not on the Maps rollout.

Baked Texture Elements | 7315

TIP Using a paint program such as Adobe Photoshop on a height map is possible,
but prone to error. The values in the height map depend on the shapes of both
the low-resolution and high-resolution models, and it's easy to damage the
mathematical accuracy. If you paint any changes onto the map, be careful to
preserve the faceted look, and avoid the temptation to blur away the facets. You
might try painting in Additive or Subtractive mode, to add to or subtract from the
displacement, because Normal mode will set a fixed displacement, making it
difficult for an artist to control the result.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
There are no unique settings for a height map.

Blend Map
A blend map is like a complete map, except that all its components, not just
shadows, are optional.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
For a blend map, you can choose not to render any of the following
components:
■

Lighting

■

Diffuse color

■

Specular color

■

Reflections

■

Shadows

■

Ambient color

■

Self-illumination color

■

Refractions

Alpha Map
An alpha map saves only the alpha channel of the rendered object.

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
There are no unique settings for an alpha map.

7316 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Ambient Occlusion (MR) Map
Use an ambient occlusion map when you want the surface information to
describe how much ambient light the surface can receive. The ambient
occlusion map considers the obstruction of the light by surface contours and
surrounding objects. By using the ambient occlusion map when rendering,
you do not need to set up special lighting, replace materials on the objects,
or use with global overrides because the ambient occlusion map already
accounts for these settings.
You can use ambient occlusion maps with or without a Projection modifier
and for many different purposes. Use them to mask layers in Adobe Photoshop,
for items such as painted edits and texture maps. Also use them as dirt maps,
or as masks for reflections or specular light.
NOTE By default, the shader used by the Ambient Occlusion bake element excludes
the low-resolution object from the ambient occlusion calculations whenever
performing projection-mapped texture baking. However, if the Projection Mapping
option Include Working Model on page 7353 is enabled, then the occlusion rays will
include the working model. In this case, projection rays also include the working
model. No undesired blank areas appear on the map, because there are no cases
where a projection ray passes though the lo-res model to hit a point on the high-res
model that is completely occluded by the low res.
NOTE This map is available only when the mental ray renderer is active.

Baked Texture Elements | 7317

Original scene surrounded by rendered-to-texture ambient occlusion maps of the floor
object
Top left: Samples=8; Spread=0.8
Top right: Samples=32; Spread=0.8
Bottom left: Samples=16; Spread=0.5
Bottom right: Samples=16; Spread=0.99

Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)

For an ambient occlusion map, you can set the following unique settings:
Samples Sets the number of rays cast. More rays results in a smoother image.
Default=16.

7318 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Spread Sets the spread of the ray, creating a cone shape. With a value of 0.0
a single point is sampled; with a value of 1.0 the entire hemisphere is sampled.
Range=0.0–1.0. Default=0.8.
NOTE You can set Spread to values greater than 1.0, but only values within the
specified range are useful.
Bright Sets the color in the map where no occlusion occurs. The default color
is white. Click the swatch to change the color.
Max distance Sets the range within which geometry is probed. A value of 0.0
samples the entire scene. For non-zero values, only objects within this range
are sampled. Default 0.0.
Dark Sets the color in the map where complete occlusion occurs. The default
color is black. Click the swatch to change the color.
NOTE Colors between the Bright and Dark values are used to indicate partial
occlusion.
Falloff Defines the amount of falloff of the ray. The greater the value, the
greater the falloff. Default=1.0.

Target Map Slot Assignments
Select objects. ➤ Rendering menu ➤ Render to Texture ➤ Render to Texture
dialog ➤ Output rollout ➤ Target Map Slot: drop-down list ➤ Specify how
baked textures appear in the material.
When you bake textures (render to texture), you have more control for how
the baked texture displays in shaded viewports. You set these in the Output
rollout on page 7341 of the Render To Texture dialog. Using the Target Map Slot
assignments, you can specify in detail which maps will be rendered to which
slots of the existing material.
NOTE The first time you use Render To Texture, all Target Map Slot assignments
are blank. After you set them and render the baked texture, those settings become
the default Target Map Slot settings for future modelling sessions. 3ds Max stores
the Target Map Slot assignments in the texturebake.ini file in the plugcfg folder
within the 3ds Max directory.

Target Map Slot Assignments | 7319

Creating and Using Normal Bump Maps
Normal bump mapping is a way of adding high-resolution detail to
low-polygon objects. It is especially useful for real-time display devices such
as game engines, and it can also be used in rendered scenes and animations.
A normals map is a three-color map, unlike the grayscale maps used for regular
bump mapping (see Bump Mapping on page 6472). The red channel encodes
the left-right axis of normal orientation, the green channel encodes the
up-down axis of normal orientation, and the blue channel encodes vertical
depth.

Basic Workflow
3ds Max provides a number of different ways to create and use normal bump
mapping, but the most straightforward and simplest workflow involves these
steps:
1 Create a detailed, high-resolution model.
2 Create a simpler, low-resolution model.
The low-resolution model should have the general shape and outlines of
the high-resolution model, and typically it should be a bit smaller, so
that projected detail in the high-res model will appear to be above its
surface.
3 Select the low-res model.
4 Choose Rendering ➤ Render to Texture.
The Render To Texture dialog appears.
5 On the Objects To Bake rollout, in the Projection Mapping group, click
Pick.
3ds Max opens a selection dialog.
6 Choose the high-res object, and then click Add.
3ds Max applies a Projection modifier on page 1543 to the low-res object.
7 In the Projection Mapping group, turn on Enable.
NOTE At this stage, often you will click Options to display the Projection
Options dialog on page 7351, which has a variety of settings for how to generate
the projection.

7320 | Chapter 18 Rendering

8 On the Output rollout, add a NormalsMap element (see Baked Texture
Elements on page 7312). Assign Bump as its target map slot.
9 In the Selected Elements Unique settings group, turn on Output Into
Normal Bump.
10 Click Render.
3ds Max renders the Normals map, which stores normals data from the
high-res object. As for other kinds of texture baking, it creates a Shell
material and applies that to the low-res object, with the Normals map
assigned as the bump component.

Components of Normal Bump Mapping
In the 3ds Max interface, controls for normal bump maps appear in three
locations:
■

The Render To Texture dialog
Specifically, normal projection controls are found on the Objects To Bake
rollout on page 7336 and the Output rollout on page 7341.

■

The Projection modifier on page 1543
You can apply a Projection modifier yourself, or let Render To Texture do
so automatically.

■

The Normal Bump map type on page 6872
Render To Texture creates this automatically if you turn on Output Into
Normal Bump (step 9, above).

Viewing Normal Bump Maps
If your display driver uses DirectX 8, you can view normal maps in viewports
by using the Metal Bump shader on page 6602. If your graphics driver is DirectX
9, you can view normal maps in any shaded viewport. See Direct3D Driver
Setup Dialog on page 8910.
If your display driver is Software or OpenGL, you can't view normal maps in
viewports. However, you can still render them and use normal mapping in
renderings.

Normal Projection with Sub-Object Selections
You can associate different sub-object selections with different high-resolution
geometry. See Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection Modifier) on page 1548.

Creating and Using Normal Bump Maps | 7321

Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps
Because of the variety of geometry and different situations that can arise,
normal bump maps sometimes give unexpected results. Usually there is a
workaround for the problem, or more than one. This topic describes some
situations that can arise, and ways to correct them.

Parallel Projection Loses Detail
If the projection cage is set up so projected rays run parallel to part of the
high-resolution geometry, that portion of geometry can be lost in the normal
bump map.
For example, in this scene, the normal bump map is based on a high-resolution
cylinder that has indentations at the top and bottom.

7322 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Default cage around high-res cylinder

However, the normal bump map does not show the end indentations.

Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps | 7323

Indentation is missing from top and bottom of the cylinder's normal bump map.

The reason is that with the default projection cage, the rays parallel the sides
of the indentation, and so details are lost.

Projection rays (shown in red) parallel the sides of the indentation.

7324 | Chapter 18 Rendering

To correct the problem, you can move the end of the cage upward, and scale
it inward a little, so the rays don't run so nearly parallel to the side of the
indentation.

Raising and scaling the upper end of the projection cage.

When the cage is adjusted this way, the indentation appears in the normal
bump map.

Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps | 7325

With the corrected cage, the upper indentation appears correctly in the normal bump
map.

TIP In situations like this, another solution can be to use Break on the vertices in
the region of the low-resolution object where detail is missing from the map. This
increases the number of vertices in the cage, and reduces the chances of geometry
being missed. If you use this method, it is likely you will need to make further
adjustments to the projection cage, as well.

7326 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Breaking low-res vertices causes the indentations to render in the normal bump map.
However, projection now misses some areas of the geometry, so the cage needs to be
adjusted further.

Flipped Seams in Tangent Space
When you use tangent space for your normal bump map, usually the values
used for the tangents are consistent between the hardware shader, renderers,
and third-party applications. However, sometimes portions of the geometry
are flipped, relative to each other, causing discontinuities when you render
or use a hardware shader. Tangent space is the default option for normal bump
mapping, and it is the method you should use for objects that both move and
deform, such as animated characters. This problem does not arise when you
use the other coordinate spaces: world, screen, or local.
For example, in the following scene, the pants show discontinuities. They are
flipped relative to each other, as the arrows show.

Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps | 7327

Flipped seams in rendering of pants
Left: Left side shows a discontinuous red stripe
Right: Right side shows a discontinuous blue stripe
The arrows show how the maps are misaligned.

When you render a normal bump map, you can generally see flipped areas as
showing a “flare” of reddish color to the right, and of bluish color to the left.

7328 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Uncorrected normal bump map shows blue and red “flares.”

The solution is to use the UVW Unwrap modifier's Flip Horizontal command
for those sub-object selections that show flaring, or an excess of red areas.

Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps | 7329

Normal bump maps corrected using Flip Horizontal
Red and blue are more evenly distributed, with blue predominating.

With the maps corrected, the full rendering, whether with 3ds Max or a
hardware renderer, looks better.

7330 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Corrected normal maps render more smoothly, without discontinuity.
The arrows show how the maps are correctly aligned to wrap around the pant legs.

Noise when Rendering a Normal Bump Map with the mental ray Renderer
If you use the mental ray renderer to render a normal bump map, and the
model has overlapping faces (for example, where the low-resolution and
high-resolution objects overlap in space), then the normal bump map can
show noise where the faces overlap.

Troubleshooting Normal Bump Maps | 7331

Red areas show noise from overlapping faces

The workaround is to adjust either the high-res or the low-res object so that
faces are not coincident. One way to do so is to use a Push modifier on page
1588. After you have generated the normal map, you can turn off the Push
modifier.
TIP If another object in the scene continues to cause problems with the map
rendering, you can make it invisible to normal projection by going to its Object
Properties dialog, and in the Rendering Control group, turning off Visible To
Reflection/Refraction.

7332 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Overlapping UV Coordinates
Overlapping UV coordinates can cause rendering errors in Render To Texture.
The problem is especially noticeable on objects that have mirrored UVs, or
symmetrical mapping. If you are working with a character or other model that
has mirrored UVs, we recommend that you follow this procedure:
1 Either add an Unwrap modifier or go into an existing Unwrap modifier
where the symmetry exists.
2 Move half of the overlapping texture coordinates on the W axis so that
they’re slightly offset from the other half.
Render To Texture will use the texture coordinates with the higher W
value.

Edit Normals Modifier Makes Normal Bump Mapping Incorrect
Don't apply an Edit Normals modifier on page 1264 to the low-res object. Normal
bump projection relies on the low-res object having standard normals, and
altering them causes normal bump maps to have unpredictable results.

Render to Texture Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog
Rendering to texture, or “texture baking,” is controlled by this dialog. Most
of this dialog's controls are contained in its rollouts.

Procedures
To bake an object's texture:
There are a lot of options for rendering to textures. These are the basic overall
steps.
1 Select an object.
Ideally, the object will have a texture assigned to it, or lights and shadows
that fall on it, and so on.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Render To Texture.
3 In the same dialog, go to the Output rollout.
4 Click Add, and in the Add Texture Elements dialog, choose the element(s)
you want to render.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7333

5 Set Target Map Slots, if necessary.
6 Click Render.
The elements you chose to render are rendered to files, and the baked
texture is displayed in shaded viewports.
To bake the texture of multiple objects:
1 Set up the texture-baking parameters of each object you want to bake.
This corresponds to steps 2 through 5 of the previous procedure.
2 In the Objects To Bake rollout, change All Selected to All Prepared.
3 Click Render.
Textures are rendered for all the objects you previously set up.

Interface

Render Renders the scene, or the elements listed in the Objects To Bake rollout.
Unwrap Only Applies the Automatic Flatten UVs modifier to all selected
objects without rendering anything.
Close Closes the dialog and saves any changes to settings you have made.
Original/Baked When set to Views, the original or baked material is displayed
in the viewports. When set to Render, the original or baked material is used
in the rendering.

Render to Texture: General Settings Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤
General Settings rollout

7334 | Chapter 18 Rendering

This rollout has the texture-baking controls for the current scene. It lets you
control automatic unwrapping of the baked textures, map size, render settings,
and where texture renderings are saved.
See also:
■

Render to Texture on page 7307

■

Render to Texture Dialog on page 7333

■

Render to Texture: Objects To Bake Rollout on page 7336

■

Render to Texture: Output Rollout on page 7341

■

Render to Texture: Baked Material Rollout on page 7345

■

Render to Texture: Automatic Mapping Rollout on page 7347

Interface

Output group
Text field Specifies the folder where the rendered texture will be saved. You
can enter a different folder name in this field. Default=the \images subfolder
of the folder where you installed 3ds Max.
Click the ellipsis button to display a dialog that lets you browse to the
directory where you want the rendered texture to be saved.
Skip Existing Files Allows you to render only those maps that do not already
exist.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7335

Rendered Frame Window When on, displays the complete map in a Rendered
Frame Window on page 6963 as the elements are rendered. When off, does not
open the Rendered Frame Window. Default=on.
NOTE The Rendered Frame Window does not open when you use Render To
Texture with the mental ray renderer. Instead, 3ds Max displays a progress dialog.

Render Settings group
These controls let you choose and set up Render Presets as well as activate
network rendering.
Drop menu Lets you choose Load Preset on page 7013. A Render Presets Load
dialog appears where you can select an RPS file.
Setup Displays the Render dialog on page 6956, where you can adjust production
settings, draft settings, or both.
Network Render When on, you can assign the rendering task to Server
systems. If you click Render, the Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415
displays where you can specify a server, or multiple servers, to take on the
task. Default=off.
3ds Max can use the Split Scan Lines option on page 7420 when rendering to
textures with a render farm. However, if you enable projection mapping and
turn on Sub-Object Levels, this option is unavailable.

Render to Texture: Objects to Bake Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤
Objects to Bake rollout
This rollout has controls for the texture baking of individual objects. It lets
you choose which map channel the texture will use, which elements will be
rendered, and at what sizes. It also lets you control filename generation, and
assign the format of rendered texture elements.
See also:
■

Render to Texture on page 7307

■

Render To Texture Dialog on page 7333

■

Render To Texture: General Settings Rollout on page 7334

■

Render To Texture: Output Rollout on page 7341

7336 | Chapter 18 Rendering

■

Render To Texture: Baked Material Rollout on page 7345

■

Render to Texture: Automatic Mapping Rollout on page 7347

Interface

Render to Texture Dialog | 7337

Object and Output Settings group

This drop-down list lets you save presets comprising all current Render To
Texture settings, including map types and sizes, from a single object and then
load a preset onto any number of objects. Render To Texture presets use the
RTP filename extension. Presets contain all settings on the Objects to Bake
and Output on page 7341 rollouts and the Projection Options dialog on page
7351. The only exceptions are the Object Level and Sub-Object Levels radio
buttons in the Objects To Bake rollout ➤ Projection Mapping group and the
Use Automatic Unwrap ➤ Channel numeric values in the Objects To Bake
rollout ➤ Mapping Coordinates group.
Preset Use the upper part of the drop-down list to choose an existing preset
to load. The preset is applied to all objects in the objects list. The list contains
up to the last 10 maps in the order that they were loaded or saved, with the
most recent at the top.
After you choose a preset to load, a dialog appears showing you the path and
name of the file containing the preset. Confirm or deny loading the preset by
clicking Continue or Cancel, respectively.
In addition, if Projection Mapping is enabled, the dialog might contain related
messages. For example, if the target object needs a Projection modifier, the
dialog suggests that you use the Pick function to add one.
Load Object Preset Lets you load a preset that’s not on the list. The preset is
applied to all objects in the objects list. This command appears only when
the list of objects contains one or more entries.
Save Object Preset Lets you save the current settings to a preset for later reuse.
NOTE You can save a preset only when the list of objects contains a single entry.

7338 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Object list
List of objects Shows all selected objects. Because the dialog is modeless, you
can change the selection while it’s open, and the list updates dynamically.
■

Name columnLists the object's name.

■

Map Channel columnLists the object's current map channel setting.

■

Edge Padding columnLists the object's current edge padding setting.

Selected Object Settings group
Enable When on, the Channel and Padding controls are used for individual,
all selected, and all prepared objects. When off, only selected object texture
rendering uses these settings; “whole scene” rendering does not. Default=off.
Padding The amount, in pixels, that edges are allowed to overlap in the
flattened (“unwrapped”) texture. Default=2 pixels.
If the baked texture shows visible seams when you view it in shaded viewports
or renderings, try increasing this value.

Projection Mapping group
This group contains the controls for generating a normal bump projection.
See Creating and Using Normal Bump Maps on page 7320
Enabled When on, normal bump projection is enabled using a Projection
modifier on page 1543. When off, the Projection modifier is not used. Default=off.
To generate a normal map rather than a normal bump map, leave Enabled
turned off.
Modifier drop-down list When an object has been chosen, this list shows
the Projection modifier. If multiple Projection modifiers have been assigned,
their names are visible in the list as well.
Pick Click to designate the high-resolution object from which the Projection
modifier will derive normals. This opens the Add Targets dialog, which works
like the Select From Scene dialog on page 184 to let let you select one or more
objects on which to base the normal map.
Options Click to open the Projection Options dialog on page 7351, which
contains various normal bump projection settings. When Individual is chosen
(at the bottom of the Objects To Bake rollout), the options affect the selected
object; when All Selected or All Prepared is chosen, the options apply to all
selected or prepared objects.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7339

Object Level When on, projects from the object level of the high-resolution
object. Default=on.
■

Put to Baked Material(The default.) When chosen, the object-level
projection is rendered in the baked material.

Sub-Object Levels When on, uses the active sub-object selection, and makes
the Mapping Coordinates group ➤ Sub-Objects controls available. Default=on.
■

Put to Baked MaterialWhen chosen, the sub-object level projection is
rendered in the baked material.

The following options apply to sub-object rendering, when only a portion of
the geometry is being rendered to the normal bump map:
■

Full Size(The default.) When chosen, the size of the normal bump map is
the same as if all geometry were being rendered.

■

ProportionalWhen chosen, the size of the normal bump map is fitted to
the size of sub-object selection. The Proportional Multiplier on the
Projection modifier's Reference Geometry rollout on page 1548 can change
the default size of the proportional map.

For example, consider a plane that is 4 segments x 4 segments. Each "poly" in
the plane is a separate sub-object, for a total of 16 sub-objects. If the output
Map Size is 64, the object rendering output is 64 x 64 pixels. If Full Size is
chosen, each sub-object rendering is also 64 x 64 pixels. If Proportional is
chosen, each sub-object rendering is 16 x 16 pixels. If you change Proportional
Multiplier to 2.0 in the Projection modifier, each sub-object rendering is now
32 x 32 pixels.

Mapping Coordinates group
Object These controls are for basing the rendered texture on the object level
of the source object.
■

Use Existing ChannelWhen chosen, unwrapping uses an existing map
channel.

■

ChannelWhen Use Existing Channel is active, lets you choose the channel
to use for unwrapping.

■

Use Automatic Unwrap(The default.) When chosen, uses automatic
unwrapping, and applies an “Automatic Flatten UVs” (Unwrap UVW)
modifier on page 1787 to the objects whose texture is being rendered.

7340 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Sub-Objects These controls are for basing the rendered texture on a sub-object
selection of the source object.
■

Use Existing ChannelWhen chosen, unwrapping uses an existing map
channel.

■

ChannelWhen Use Existing Channel is active, lets you choose the channel
to use for unwrapping.

■

Use Automatic Unwrap(The default.) When chosen, uses automatic
unwrapping, and applies an “Automatic Flatten UVs” (Unwrap UVW)
modifier on page 1787 to the objects whose texture is being rendered.

Clear Unwrappers Clears the unwrap modifiers from the stack.

_____
The radio buttons at the bottom of the rollout let you choose which objects
to bake. See Render To Texture Dialog on page 7333 for procedures.
■

Individual Allows you to select each object and choose a set of output
maps and targets for it. The list will display all selected objects.

■

All Selected(The default.) Displays all the selected objects.

■

All PreparedThe list will display all visible and unfrozen objects in the
scene, selected or not, which have unwrapped mapping on them.

Render to Texture: Output Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤
Output rollout.
This rollout lets you specify the elements to render and their attributes.
See also:
■

Render to Texture on page 7307

■

Render to Texture Dialog on page 7333

■

Render to Texture: General Settings Rollout on page 7334

■

Render to Texture: Objects To Bake Rollout on page 7336

■

Render to Texture: Baked Material Rollout on page 7345

Render to Texture Dialog | 7341

■

Render to Texture: Automatic Mapping Rollout on page 7347

Interface

7342 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Output List Shows maps names, element names, map sizes and designated
map slots.
■

File Name columnLists the name of the map that will be generated.

■

Element Name columnShows the element corresponding to the map.

■

Size columnDisplays the map size.

■

Target Map Slot columnShows which map slot will be occupied by the
baked texture in the material.

The output list can display entries in black, gray and blank. If a group of objects
is selected that has already has output assignments, maps that are shared by
all will appear black, maps not shared by all will appear gray. If resolutions or
target types are shared they will appear black, if not they will be blank.
Add Click to display an Add Texture Elements dialog on page 7349 to choose
one or more element types to add to the list.
See Baked Texture Elements on page 7312 for a description of the different
element choices.
Delete Click to remove the currently highlighted element from the list.

Selected Element Common Settings group
Enable When on, renders this element. When off, disables rendering of this
element. Default=on.
Name Enter the element component of the file name. Default=the name of
the element type.
File Name and Type Enter the file name of the rendered texture. Default=the
object name followed by the element name, and TGA format on page 8459.
This field is disabled if All Selected or All Prepared is turned on in the Objects
To Bake rollout on page 7336.
Click this button to display a file dialog you use to choose a name,
directory, and file format for the rendered texture.
NOTE The File Name and Type setting specifies the path and filename only for
the selected element. To set a folder where all baked textures will be stored, set
the path in the Output group on the General Settings rollout on page 7334.
Target Map Slot Display all Map Types available to the materials assigned to
the objects selected minus the ones already slated for output in the current
Render To Texture session.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7343

If more than one object is selected the all map types common to all the selected
objects will be listed. If you choose to Create New Baked on page 7345, then the
slots for the new baked material type will be displayed.
Element Type This read-only field displays the type of element, such as
CompleteMap, that you specified when you added the element.
By default, the element name is the same as its type, but you can change it
using the Name field. Element Type remains constant.
Element Background Lets you set the background color of the rendered
output for the highlighted element.
Use Automatic Map Size When on, sets the texture size automatically, using
the values on the General Settings rollout on page 7334. When off, the texture
is the size specified by the following controls in this rollout. Default=off.
Width/Height Lets you specify dimensions for the texture. Range=0 to 8192.
Default=256.
NOTE Increasing texture resolution increases render time.
To force the texture to be square, often a requirement with real–time 3D rendering
engines, click the lock button next to Height.
Preset resolution buttons (128x128, ...) Click a button to specify a preset
resolution for the texture.

Selected Element Unique Settings group
The contents of the Selected Element Unique Settings group vary depending
on the active element. But the group always shows a list of toggles for various
components of a scene, and by default, all toggles are on.
The following table shows which components apply to which elements (if
the table shows “none,” the Selected Elements Unique settings group is not
displayed):
Map Type

Components

Complete

Shadows

Specular

Lighting
Shadows

Diffuse

Lighting
Shadows

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Map Type

Components

Shadows

(none)

Lighting

Shadows
Direct Light On
Indirect Light On

Normals

Output into Normal Bump
Render Height Map into Alpha Channel

Blend

Lighting
Diffuse
Specular
Reflection
Shadows
Ambient
Self-Illumination
Refraction

Alpha

(none)

Height

(none)

For a fuller description of the rendered texture elements, see Baked Texture
Elements on page 7312.

Render to Texture: Baked Material Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤ Baked
Material rollout
Material Baking operates on the entire Render To Texture session. It is not set
per individual object.
NOTE When you use Network Rendering, the Render To Baked Material option
is disabled.
See also:
■

Render to Texture on page 7307

■

Render To Texture Dialog on page 7333

Render to Texture Dialog | 7345

■

Render to Texture: General Settings Rollout on page 7334

■

Render to Texture: Objects To Bake Rollout on page 7336

■

Render to Texture: Output Rollout on page 7341

■

Automatic Mapping Rollout on page 7347

Interface

Baked Material Settings group
Output Into Source When on, replaces any target map slot in the object’s
existing material. Care should be used with this option, because the material
replacement cannot be undone.
NOTE If a selected object to be rendered has a multi/sub-object material assigned
to it, the workflow will not change and the results will be as follows: output into
source will put the resulting map in all sub-material slots that match, instancing
all identical maps, if a sub-material doesn’t have the selected output type it will
be ignored; duplicate in baked will duplicate the entire Multi/Sub-Object Material
into the baked material and perform the above output; create new baked will
create a new single standard material.
Save Source (Create Shell) Makes a new Shell material and assigns it to the
object. When this option is turned on, you can then choose to either Duplicate
Source To Baked, or to Create New Baked.

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Duplicate Source To Baked Makes a copy of the existing material as the Baked
material.
Create New Baked Puts a new material in the Baked Material slot. The type
of the new material is set by the drop-down list below and subsequently
determining the available Target Map Slots in the Output rollout.
Shader list Allows you to specify a shader to be used for the newly baked
texture.

_____
Update Baked Materials Builds a Shell material for all selected objects, and
populates the baked material according to the current Render To Texture
settings.
Clear Shell Materials Removes the Shell material on page 6596 applied to the
texture-baked object, and replaces it with either the original material or the
texture-baked material.
The radio buttons below Clear Shell Materials give you a choice of which
material in the Shell material to retain:
■

Keep Source MaterialsWhen chosen, the original material replaces the Shell
material.

■

Keep Baked MaterialsWhen chosen, the baked material replace the Shell
material.

NOTE If you have already rendered a baked texture and decide you want to render
with a different shader from the list, you must first click Clear Shell Materials and
then re-render.
Render to Files Only When turned on, the baked texture files are rendered
to the folder you've specified in the Output Path field of the General Settings
rollout on page 7334. Default=off

Render to Texture: Automatic Mapping Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤
Automatic Mapping rollout
These options specify how Render To Texture should behave when it
automatically flattens UVs or chooses the map size of a baked texture.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7347

See also:
■

Render to Texture on page 7307

■

Render To Texture Dialog on page 7333

■

Render to Texture: General Settings Rollout on page 7334

■

Render to Texture: Objects To Bake Rollout on page 7336

■

Render to Texture: Output Rollout on page 7341

■

Render to Texture: Baked Material Rollout on page 7345

Interface

Automatic Unwrap Mapping group
These are options for how to flatten UVs when Use Automatic Map is chosen
in the Objects To Bake rollout's Mapping Coordinates group.
NOTE These controls are also provided by the Unwrap UVW modifier's Flatten
Mapping dialog on page 1843.
Rotate Clusters Controls whether clusters are rotated to minimize the size of
their bounding box. For example, the bounding box of a rectangle rotated 45
degrees occupies more area than one rotated 90 degrees. Default=on.
Threshold Angle The angle used to determine the face clusters to be mapped.
Default=45.0.

7348 | Chapter 18 Rendering

As faces are gathered to be mapped, the modifier uses this parameter to
determine which faces get put in a cluster. This is the maximum angle that
can exist between faces in a cluster.
The higher this number, the larger the clusters will be, with consequently
greater distortion introduced as a result of texture faces' proportions deviating
from their geometry-equivalent faces.
Fill Holes When turned on, smaller clusters will be placed in empty spaces
within larger clusters to take the most advantage of the available mapping
space. Default=on.
Spacing Controls the amount of space between clusters. Default=0.02.
The higher this setting, the larger the gap that appears between clusters.

Automatic Map Size group
Rendering to texture can choose a map size for you. Automatic map sizing is
enabled or disabled by a toggle on the Output rollout on page 7341. The controls
in this group specify how to create the map, when Automatic Map Size is
enabled. Automatic map sizing computes the total surface area of all objects
in the selection, then multiplies that value by Scale, and creates a square
texture map of those dimensions.
Scale The amount by which to scale the total surface area of generated texture.
Default=0.01.
Nearest power of 2 When on, rounds the map dimensions (length and width)
to the nearest power of 2. Default=off.
Min The minimum size, in pixels, of the length and width of the automatically
sized map. Default=32.
Max The maximum size, in pixels, of the length and width of the automatically
sized map. Default=1024.

Render to Texture: Add Texture Elements Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤
Output rollout ➤ Click Add to add a texture element. ➤ Add Texture
Elements dialog
This dialog lets you choose which elements will be part of a baked material.
Each element is an individual bitmap. When you display a baked texture in
shaded viewports, some elements might not display.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7349

NOTE If the Direct3D display driver on page 8912 is active, you can use a DirectX
viewport shader on page 6222 to enhance baked texture display.

Interface

Available Elements Lists the elements available for rendering. See Baked
Texture Elements on page 7312 for a description of the available elements. Click
an element to select it. Use Ctrl+click to select (or deselect) additional elements
individually. Use Shift+click to select a group of contiguous elements.
You can also double-click a single element name to add it to the list and close
the dialog.
Add Elements Click to add these elements to the list in the Objects To Bake
rollout on page 7336 of the Render To Texture dialog.

7350 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Render to Texture: Projection Options Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render to Texture dialog ➤
Objects To Bake rollout ➤ Projection Mapping group ➤ Click Options. ➤
Projection Options dialog
This dialog displays options for normal bump projection.

Interface

Render to Texture Dialog | 7351

Objects and Sources group
The text field displays the name of the projection's source object. If more than
one object is selected, it displays the source option chosen in the Render To
Texture dialog: a single object name for Individual, or “All Selected” (the
default), or “All Prepared.”
Synch All Click to set all Render-To-Texture sources to use the active source
object and the other current Projection Options settings. This button is
available only when there is an individual source object.

Filtering Options group
Crop Alpha Removes antialiasing from the alpha channel.
Global Supersampler When the default scanline renderer is active, the text
field shows the type of global supersampling that is currently in use. When
the mental ray renderer is active, it shows the number of samples per pixel.
Default=None.
■

SetupClick to set up global sampling. When the default scanline renderer
is active, clicking Setup displays the Render dialog's Default Scanline
Renderer rollout on page 7042, whose Global Supersampling group lets you
globally enable supersampling, and choose the supersampling method.
When the mental ray renderer is active, clicking Setup displays the Render
dialog's Sampling Quality rollout on page 7189, which lets you adjust the
level of sampling.

Method group
These controls let you choose how to use normals from the source object.
■

Raytrace(The default.) When chosen, normals are ray-traced between the
source and target objects. The objects need to be perfectly aligned in world
space on page 9354. When you view both high-res and low-res objects in
viewports, they must line up with each other exactly. There are no special
requirements for the mapping coordinates of the high-res objects.

■

UV MatchWhen chosen, normals are obtained by matching the target
object's local UV coordinates to those of the source. The objects' UV
coordinates on page 9340 need to be perfectly aligned. If you look at the
objects using the Unwrap UVW modifier's Edit UVWs dialog on page 1807,
the low-res and high-res objects must be lined up with each other exactly.
The high-res object needs to have mapping coordinates on the same map
channel you are using for the low-res object.
Typically, the high-res object will have an Unwrap UVW modifier assigned
to it, but this is not required.

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With this option, the high-res object does not need to be in the same
physical location as the low-res object.
TIP You can reset the cage (on the Cage rollout on page 1550), because UV
Match does not use it.

Use Cage When on, bases projection on the Projection modifier's cage
sub-object. When off, uses an offset instead. Default=on.
Offset Enabled only when Use Cage is turned off. Offset is the distance above
the surface of the source object from which normals are projected. Default=10.0
units.

Resolve Hit group
The two radio buttons are for scenes that have semitransparent objects, in
which case more than one hit can be found for each ray. The remaining
controls in this group are additional projection controls.
■

ClosestIf there are multiple hits, use the closest object.

■

Furthest(The default.) If there are multiple hits, use the farthest object.

Hit Only Matching Material ID When on, projection is only between material
IDs that match. Turning this option on enables a single map to contain normal
bump projections from different high-res source geometry. Default=off.
Include Working Model When on, bakes from the source object if no target
object can be found. Default=off.
Turning on Include Working Model can be a quick fix when a lot of the
projected rays miss the target object (the Ray Miss Color will be apparent in
the rendered normals map). However, if the low-res object occludes the high-res
object, then Include Working Model will not have the desired effect, and the
normal map will not show high-res details that you want it to. In this case,
adjust the Projection modifier's cage.
This toggle is also useful when the high-res geometry is discontinuous (for
example, a lattice or an array of cylinders).
Ray miss check When on, bakes missed rays as well as rays that hit into the
rendered texture, using the Ray Miss Color. Default=on
■

Ray miss colorThis color is baked into the texture when projection fails to
hit the target geometry. Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector
on page 304 and change the color used for missed rays. Default=red.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7353

Normal Map Space group

There are four methods for projecting the normals:
■

WorldProject using world coordinates. This is useful mainly for objects
that don't move or deform; otherwise, a moving object with world-projected
normals will appear to “swim” through the texture.

■

ScreenProject using screen coordinates; that is, flat projection in the Z axis.
This method is useful mainly for stationary objects seen from a single angle
only; for example, a statue seen through a window.

■

Local XYZProject using the object's local coordinates. This method can be
used for stationary or moving objects, but not for objects that deform: if
the object deforms, the projection will appear incorrect at some frames.

■

Tangent(The default.) Project at a tangent to the target object's surface.
This is the method to use for objects that both move and deform, such as
animated characters.

Orientation
The orientation settings determines what the red and green colors will indicate
in your normal map. The orientation settings are different for the Tangent
method than for the other methods.
The correct setting for red and green depend on what kind of hardware shader
or texture will be used to view the map. Different shaders have different
requirements. The Normal Bump map has controls to flip the red and green;
the Normal Bump texture should work correctly if the map was created with
the default X and Y or Left and Right settings, but if the map was created with
different settings, change the Normal Bump settings to make the map render
correctly, instead of rendering a whole new map.
Orientation: Tangent

For the Tangent method red indicates normals that are pointed either left or
right and green indicates normals that are pointed up or down.

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As an example, if you use Tangent mode with Red set to right and Green set
to down, areas that are red in your normal map would indicate that the
normals were facing towards the right and areas that were green would indicate
that your normals were facing downwards.
The following are the possible values for the Tangent method:
■

RedCan be Left or Right. Default=Right.

■

GreenCan be Up or Down. Default=Down.

Orientation: World, Screen, and LocalXYZ

For World, Screen, and LocalXYZ, red indicates that the normals are pointed
toward either a positive or negative X value, while green indicates that the
normals are pointed toward either a positive or negative Y value.
Foir example, if you use World mode with Red set to –X and Green set to –Y,
areas that are red in your normal map indicate that the normals face toward
–X, and green areas indicate that the normals face toward –Y.
The following are the possible values for World, Screen, and Local XYZ
methods:
■

RedCan be –X or +X. Default=+X.

■

GreenCan be –Y or +Y. Default=+Y.

Height Map group
Min Height Sets a minimum height for displaced normals. Default=0.0 units.
Max Height Sets a maximum height for displaced normals. Default=10.0
units.

Min and Max Height eyedropper Enable the eyedropper to pick the
minimum or maximum height for the displaced normals by picking or dragging
in a viewport. With the button enabled, click at the desired height. You can
also drag this value until the desired result is achieved. The minimum or
maximum height value is updated based on your selection.
Buffer min Height After you render a normal bump projection, this value is
set to the minimum distance that a projection ray travelled. Default=0.0.

Render to Texture Dialog | 7355

Buffer max Height After you render a normal bump projection, this value is
set to the maximum distance that a projection ray travelled. Default=0.0.
If you want to use the Height Map texture element, you can render a normal
bump map to obtain the Buffer values, and then set Min Height and Max
Height accordingly, in order to get the best-looking possible Height Map.

Rendering Previews and Grabbing Viewports
You can grab a viewport as an image file. You can also generate a preview of
an animation. These commands are in the Grab Viewport group on the Tools
menu.
A viewport grab (Create Still Image File) appears in a Rendered Frame Window
on page 6963, where you can save it to a bitmap format.
A preview (Create Animated Sequence File) can help you preview the animation
in your scene. The preview uses lighting but not materials, so it renders much
more quickly than a fully rendered animation.

Create Still Image File
Tools menu ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ Create Still Image File
Create Still Image file creates a snapshot of the active viewport in a Rendered
Frame Window on page 6963, where you can save it as an Image file on page
8411.

Procedures
To create a snapshot of a viewport:
1 Activate the viewport you want to capture.
2 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ Create Still Image File.
A dialog appears that allows you to add a label to your snapshot.
3 Enter a label for your snapshot, if desired.
The label will appear in the lower-right corner of the image.
4 Click Grab.
The Rendered Frame Window opens to display a snapshot of your
viewport.

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5 Click

(Save Image) to save your image.

Interface

Label Enter text here to add a label to your screenshot. The text you enter is
displayed in the lower-right corner of your screenshot.

Viewport image with a label in the lower right corner

Create Still Image File | 7357

Grab Opens the Rendered Frame Window with a snapshot of the active
viewport.
Cancel Cancels the Create Still Image File command.

Create Animated Sequence File
Tools menu ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ Create Animated Sequence File
Create Animated Sequence File displays the Make Preview dialog, enabling
you to create an AVI file on page 8412 or custom file type preview of the
animation in the current viewport. You can also render a preview to a specified
device.
When the preview is complete, 3ds Max starts the Media Player with the
preview _scene.avi file ready to play. (If you don't want the Media Player to
start, choose Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ General and, in the UI Display
group, turn off Autoplay Preview File on page 8887.)

Procedures
To create a preview:
1 Choose Tools menu ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ Create Animated Sequence
File.
3ds Max opens the Make Preview dialog.
2 Change the preview parameters or accept the defaults, and then click
OK.
If the output type is AVI, 3ds Max renders the preview and saves it in a
file called _scene.avi, in the path specified by Configure User Paths ➤
File I/O ➤ Previews on page 8877. Immediately after rendering the preview,
3ds Max runs Media Player with this animation loaded.
3 View the preview by clicking Play in Media Player.
If you dismiss Media Player and then want to view the preview again,
choose Tools ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ View Animated Sequence File on
page 7361. This restarts Media Player with _scene.avi.
You can save the preview under a different name, so it won't be
overwritten the next time you make a preview. To do so, use Tools ➤
Grab Viewport ➤ Rename Animated Sequence File on page 7361.

7358 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Preview Range group
Specifies the frames to be included in the preview, either the active time
segment on page 9082 or a custom range of frames.

Frame Rate group
Specifies the playback frame rate on page 9169 in frames per second. Use Every
Nth Frame to preview a regular sampling of the animation. For example, a
value of 8 includes only every eighth frame in the preview.

Create Animated Sequence File | 7359

Image Size group
Sets the resolution of your preview as a percentage of the current output
resolution. You set the output resolution on the Render Setup dialog. For
example, if the rendering output resolution is 640x480, and you set Percent
Of Output to 50, the preview resolution is 320x240.
NOTE The size of the preview image is limited by the size of the viewpanel region
(the region that contains the viewports). The setting is clamped to the maximum
value that allows the preview image to fit in the viewpanel region.

Display in Preview group
Specifies the types of objects to include in the preview. Frame Numbers prints
a frame number in the upper-left corner of each frame of the AVI file.
Background includes the assigned viewport background in the preview.

Camera View group
Specifies whether the preview should include multi-pass rendering effects on
page 7126.

Rendering Level group
Rendering Level drop-down list Specifies the viewport rendering method
on page 8965 to use in the preview.

Output group
Specifies the preview output format.
AVI When chosen, the preview is output as an AVI file. The button to the
right displays the current AVI codec on page 9118. Click it to adjust the assigned
codec, or choose a different codec. The quality of your output AVI file depends
on the type of codec you use and the codec settings, which vary. For the
highest visual quality, choose the highest compression quality. The higher
the compression quality, the lower the compression, and the larger the
resultant file.
Custom File Type Outputs the preview to the specified file format. When
this option is chosen, and the Create button is clicked, a file selector appears,
where you name the file and specify the output file type. For example, you
can output the preview as a Quicktime movie by specifying a file name with
a .mov extension. If you specify a single-image format, such as .tga, the preview
is output as a series of sequentially numbered files.

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Use Device Lets you output the preview to an external device, such as a digital
recorder. The button at right displays the name of the currently assigned
device. Click it to either change the settings of the device, or assign a different
device.
Render Viewport This list shows the names of the currently visible viewports,
letting you choose which viewport to render from within the Make Preview
dialog. Default=active viewport.

View Animated Sequence File
Tools menu ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ View Animated Sequence File
View Animated Sequence File displays the Windows-standard Media Player
to view the current preview file.
When you use Create Animated Sequence File, 3ds Max stores the output
preview in a file called _scene.avi by default. View Animated Sequence File
loads this file. If you want to keep the preview file, use Rename Animated
Sequence File to save it under another file name, otherwise, the next Create
Animated Sequence File will overwrite _scene.avi.
The Media Player has its own Help system.

Rename Animated Sequence File
Tools menu ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ Rename Animated Sequence File
Rename Animated Sequence File renames the _scene.avi preview file.
When you use Create Animated Sequence File, 3ds Max stores the output
preview in a file called _scene.avi by default. View Animated Sequence File
loads this file. If you want to keep the preview file, use Rename Animated
Sequence File to save it under another file name; otherwise, the next Create
Animated Sequence File will overwrite _scene.avi.

Procedures
To rename the preview file:
1 Choose Tools ➤ Grab Viewport ➤ Rename Animated Sequence File.
2 Specify a folder and a name for the preview file.
3 Click Save.

View Animated Sequence File | 7361

Panorama Exporter Utility
Rendering menu ➤ Panorama Exporter

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Panorama Exporter
The Panorama Exporter is a rendering utility that lets you create and then
view 360-degree spherical panoramas.
NOTE You need at least one camera in your scene to use the Panorama Exporter.

Panorama Exporter creates a 360-degree spherical rendering.

7362 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

The Panorama Exporter rollout has two buttons, which let you create or view
a panoramic rendering.
Render Opens the Render Setup dialog on page 7363 for the Panorama Exporter.
Viewer Opens the Panorama Exporter viewer on page 7366.

Panorama Exporter Render Setup Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Panorama Exporter ➤ Render button

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Panorama Exporter ➤ Render button
The Panorama Exporter Render Setup dialog is a modal on page 9224 version of
the Render Setup dialog on page 6956 specially configured for generating
panoramic output.
NOTE You need at least one camera in your scene to use the Panorama Exporter.
TIP For best results, high resolutions might be necessary. We recommend a
resolution of 2048x1024 or higher unless you're working on drafts.

Interface
This topic covers the main rollout parameters. Additional rollouts might be
available depending on the current renderer. For more information, see Render
Setup dialog on page 6956.

Panorama Exporter Render Setup Dialog | 7363

Output Size group
Choose one of the predefined sizes or enter another size in the Width and
Height fields (in pixels). These controls affect the image's aspect ratio on page
9096.
Width and Height Lets you set the resolution of the output image by
specifying the width and the height of the image, in pixels.
Preset resolution buttons (512x256, 1024x512, and so on) Click one of
these buttons to choose a preset resolution.
Aperture Width Lets you specify an aperture width for the camera that creates
the rendered output. Changing this value changes the camera's Lens value.
This affects the relationship between the Lens and the FOV values, but it
doesn't change the camera's view of the scene.
For example, if you have a Lens setting of 43.0 mm, and you change the
Aperture Width from 36 to 50, when you close the Render Setup dialog (or
render), the camera Lens spinner has changed to 59.722, but the scene still
looks the same in the viewport and the rendering. If you use one of the preset
formats rather than Custom, the aperture width is determined by the format,
and this control is replaced by a text display.

Options group
Atmospherics Renders any applied atmospheric effects, such as volume fog,
when turned on.

7364 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Render Hidden Geometry Renders all geometric objects in the scene, even
if they are hidden.
Effects Renders any applied rendering effects, such as Blur, when turned on.
Area/Linear Lights as Point Lights Renders all area or linear lights as if they
were point lights, speeding up rendering time.
Displacement Renders any applied displacement mapping.
Force 2-Sided 2-sided rendering on page 9079 renders both sides of all faces.
Usually, you'll want to keep this option off to speed rendering time. You might
want to turn it on if you need to render the inside as well as the outside of
objects, or if you've imported complex geometry in which the face normals
are not properly unified. Default=off.
Video Color Check Checks for pixel colors that are beyond the safe NTSC on
page 9238 or PAL on page 9257 threshold and flags them or modifies them to
acceptable values.
By default, "unsafe" colors render as black pixels. You can change the color
check display by using the Rendering panel on page 8929 of the Preference
Settings dialog on page 8886.
TIP This is useful for draft renderings, as point lights render much faster than area
lights.
NOTE Scenes with radiosity on page 7068 are not affected by this toggle, as area
lights do not have a significant effect on the performance of a radiosity solution.
Super Black Super Black rendering on page 9322 limits the darkness of rendered
geometry for video compositing.
TIP Leave this off unless you're sure you need it.

Advanced Lighting group
Use Advanced Lighting When on, 3ds Max incorporates a radiosity solution
on page 7068 or light tracing on page 7055 in the rendering.
Compute Advanced Lighting When Required When on, 3ds Max computes
radiosity when required on a per-frame basis.
Normally, when rendering a series of frames, 3ds Max calculates radiosity only
for the first frame. If, in an animation, it might be necessary to recalculate the
advanced lighting in subsequent frames, turn this option on. For example, a
brightly painted door might open and affect the coloring of a nearby white
wall, in which case the advanced lighting should be recalculated.

Panorama Exporter Render Setup Dialog | 7365

Render Output group
Save File Saves the rendered panorama to disk. This is unavailable until you
have defined a file name by clicking the Files button.
Files Lets you specify the name, location, and file type for the rendered
panorama file.
Rendered Frame Window Enables or disables the panorama exporter’s
rendering display.
Display Viewer When on, the Panorama Exporter viewer on page 7366 opens
upon rendering the panoramic rendering.

_____
Viewport Chooses the camera viewport to render. When you render a
panorama, this drop-down list shows only the cameras in the scene.
Render Click to render the panorama.
Cancel Click to cancel the rendering.
Close Click to close the dialog, saving any changes you've made.

Panorama Exporter Viewer
Renderingmenu ➤ Panorama Exporter ➤ Viewer button

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Panorama Exporter ➤ Viewer
button
The Panorama Exporter viewer lets you navigate a rendered panorama. You
can use the viewer to export the panorama rendering with a cylindrical,
spherical, or QuickTime VR format.

7366 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE Exporting to QTVR format requires that QuickTime® 5 or higher be installed
on your system. You can download the latest version from
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download. For QTVR export, you must choose
the “Recommended Install” rather than a custom or minimal installation. In
particular, your installation must include these components:
■

QuickTime Authoring

■

QuickTime Internet Extras

■

QuickTime Essentials

Procedures
To navigate a rendered panorama:
1 Hold down the left button to rotate the camera around the panorama.
If you move the mouse, the camera rotates in that direction until you
move the mouse again. (The view of the panorama moves in the opposite
direction from the mouse and camera.)
2 Hold down the middle button and move the mouse up and down to
zoom in and out.
3 Hold down the right button and move the mouse to rotate the camera
around the panorama.
With the right button, you must drag the mouse to see any movement,
and the view of the panorama moves in the same direction as the mouse.
To export a rendered panorama:
1 Open a rendered panorama in the Panorama Exporter Viewer.
2 Click File ➤ Export.
Choose Cylinder, Sphere, or QuickTimeVR to set the format for your
exported file.
3ds Max opens a dialog that prompts you to enter the name, location, and
type of file.

Panorama Exporter Viewer | 7367

Network Rendering
Network rendering is a means of mass-processing multiple rendering tasks or
jobs. In order to facilitate network rendering, Autodesk BackburnerTM is
installed with 3ds Max. The Backburner software is responsible for coordinating
how job assignments are processed.
You can perform network rendering with both the default scanline and mental
ray renderers. In its most efficient form, network rendering uses multiple
computers, connected over a network, to perform rendering tasks; typically
the rendering of animations with hundreds or thousands of frames. Even a
small network of three or four PCs can save substantial rendering time and
help you meet deadlines.
However, network rendering can be equally useful if you have only a single
PC and need to render a number of images. You can assign the jobs that need
to be rendered and Backburner can manage the rendering of each job while
you're away from the computer. Commonly, jobs are assigned submitted just
before you leave the office. when you arrive the next morning, all your
rendering are waiting for you to review.
Network rendering is designed to render whatever is set up in your scene; that
is, it will render the viewport, part of a viewport, camera view, and so on, as
saved in the scene file. You can also pass batch-rendering tasks to Backburner
from the Batch Render tool on page 7485. You can queue up tasks from any
number of cameras in a scene. Each task can load a save scene state or use a
particular rendering preset.
The requirements and procedures presented here assume you are the
administrator of a closed network set up exclusively for network rendering.
In practice, you can use the network for file sharing and other purposes, but
if conflicts arise, you might need to cancel those uses. The easiest network to
set up, operate, and maintain is one dedicated to rendering.
NOTE For specific information about setting up network rendering on a single
system, refer to Basic Procedure 1: Single-System Network Rendering on page 7373.
If you're a system administrator for a more complex network, you can use the
information in this file as a guideline. The basic approach is the same for any
network.
IMPORTANT It is strongly recommended that you follow these procedures for
setting up and running network rendering. Do not attempt network rendering
without reading the instructions that follow.

7368 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The links on this page are ordered like chapters in a manual: a sequence of
major topics containing more specific nested topics. Links marked Next Step
indicate the next topic in the sequence. Moving from one topic to the next
takes you through the necessary steps to set up your network for rendering.
NOTE Network rendering functions are also available from MAXScript. See
“Network Render Interface” and “Interface: NetRender” in the MAXScript Help.

About Backburner
Network rendering is performed by software named Backburner. Functionality
is primarily the same as in previous versions of 3ds Max with the addition of
the following:
■

The Batch Render tool on page 7485 can pass a queue of rendering tasks to
the Network Job Assignment dialog. When submitted, Backburner manages
the rendering of all the active tasks and

■

You can now assign various servers to groups in Backburner. From the
Network Job Assignment dialog you can choose a group as the current set
of servers.

Backburner Documentation
The following table summarizes the Backburner Documentation set.
For Information About:

See:

Using Autodesk Backburner with 3ds Max

This Network Rendering section.

Autodesk Backburner User Interface (Manager, Server, and Monitor), Troubleshooting, and Administering Autodesk Backburner

Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide (In 3ds

Autodesk Backburner Configuration

Autodesk Backburner Installation Guide (In

Max go to Help ➤ Additional Help ➤
Backburner User's Guide)

3ds Max go to Help ➤ Additional Help
➤ Backburner Installation Guide)
Installing Autodesk Backburner with 3ds
Max

3ds Max Install Guide (Click the Documentation link on the Autodesk Autodesk 3ds
Max 2011 Install DVD 1.)

Network Rendering | 7369

About Mental Ray
Network rendering with the mental ray Renderer
The mental ray renderer supports network rendering via Backburner and the
command line. The steps for setting up and submitting jobs are exactly the
same as those you'd use for the scanline renderer. No additional licensing or
fees are necessary.

Next Step
How Network Rendering Works on page 7370

How Network Rendering Works
Rendering networks are sometimes called “render farms.” In 3ds Max, one
computer is set up as the network Manager. The Manager "farms out" or
distributes the work to rendering Servers. You can also have the same computer
function simultaneously as both Manager and Server, so computing cycles
don't go to waste.
Once rendering is underway, the Queue Monitor program lets you directly
monitor and control the operation of the network rendering workload. The
Queue Monitor allows you to edit job settings as well as to activate, deactivate,
and reorder both jobs and servers involved in your render farm.
Important: When rendering using a render farm, it is recommended to render
with single-frame formats such as BMP or PNG. Movie file formats such as
AVI output all frames into a single file which cannot be split between different
servers to take advantage of network rendering.

How Work Is Divided
3ds Max breaks up the task of network rendering among the rendering Servers,
assigning one frame at a time to each Server. The completed output of the
Servers accumulates in a common, shared directory.
Rendered frame files can also be written to a local directory on each machine,
if the same path defines the directory. Frame files are sequentially numbered,
making them easy to assemble later.
The Manager takes a number of different factors into account in determining
how to assign frames and jobs, always striving for the most efficient usage of
the rendering network. An idle rendering Server is automatically detected by
the Manager and is considered for job or frame assignment. If a Server goes

7370 | Chapter 18 Rendering

off-line for some reason, the Manager reclaims the Server's current frame and
reassigns the frame to the next available rendering Server.

The Basic Process
Following is a step-by-step description of the sequence of events when you
use network rendering:
1 The user submits a job to the network Manager.
2 On the submitting machine, the MAX file gets zipped up. If the user
turned on Include Maps, all maps and XRefs are also zipped up.
3 Once the file is zipped up, the ZIP file is copied to the Manager machine's
Backburner\Network\Jobs\ folder. In the folder is an XML file
describing the job itself, specifying frame size, output filename, frame
range, render settings, etc.
4 Once the Manager receives the ZIP and XML files, it looks to see which
servers are sitting idle and can render jobs. It assigns the job to four servers
at a time. (This is the Max Concurrent Assignments setting on the
Manager General Properties dialog. See Starting Network Rendering on
page 7385 ).
5 Each Server machine receives the ZIP and XML files into the
Backburner\Network\jobtemp folder.
6 The MAX file gets unzipped, along with the maps and XRefs if they were
included.
7 3ds Max is launched and loads the MAX file. If the maps and XRefs were
not included, the Server searches for them as they are defined in the MAX
file. For instance, if an XRef is in d:\foo\xref.max, the Server will look for
xref.max in d:\foo\ on the local machine. If there are additional map paths
set in the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file on the rendering server, it will search
in those paths as well. If it does not find the maps and XRefs, the server
fails for that particular job.
This is why it is important to use UNC paths for all maps and XRefs in
your scene file, so that all render servers can find them. However, if the
maps and XRefs were included, then 3ds Max will get the ones that were
unzipped into the \jobtemp folder.
8 When a frame is finished rendering, 3ds Max on the Server saves the
frame to the location specified via the Render Setup dialog before you
submitted it.

How Network Rendering Works | 7371

9 Once a Server successfully renders one frame, the Manager assigns a block
of frames to the server to render; it might assign 20 consecutive frames.
This minimizes the amount of communication needed between the Server
and Manager.
10 The Server continues rendering frames for the job until the job is done.
11 The Server then closes 3ds Max, and goes idle. If the queue contains
additional jobs, the Server picks up the next job and starts the process
all over again.
You can use this explanation to help determine the basic requirements
for your network rendering setup, based on the type of usage. If your
frames render quickly, you'll need a fast file server machine to handle
the constant output from a number of different rendering servers. The
same holds true of your scene uses a large quantity of map files that are
stored in a central location. If you typically render large files, rendering
will take longer, and most of the bandwidth will be required at the start,
when the files are distributed to the rendering servers.

Next Step
Checking Requirements on page 7395

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering
This topic contains basic procedures to follow when network rendering with
3ds Max.
The following conditions are assumed:
■

3ds Max has been installed on all machines to use as rendering servers.
Note: You needn't license 3ds Max on machines to be used only as
rendering servers.

■

All network communications and protocols are installed and operating
correctly.

■

The computers run Windows XP Pro, Windows 2000, or NT 4.0. Limitations
of other operating systems could cause network rendering to be unreliable.

■

All of the computers have names that start with letters. Machine names
that start with a number will fail.

■

You haven't previous attempted network rendering. If you have already
attempted network rendering and want to return to the original state,

7372 | Chapter 18 Rendering

delete everything in the \Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network folder
except nrres.dat.
■

Manager and Server have not been installed as services.

Summary of Procedures
■

Procedure 1 - Use this procedure for configuring a single system to render
jobs to itself; in other words, to perform batch rendering that is managed
by Backburner.

■

Procedure 2 - Use this procedure for configuring a Backburner Manager
system to render to one or more Backburner Server systems. The Manager
system will not be involved in the rendering tasks.

■

Procedure 3 - Use this procedure for configuring the Backburner Manager
and Backburner Server systems to render tasks together.

Special Consideration for Procedures 2 and 3
To use a render farm, you must output a frame sequence in a still-image file
format; for example, a series of BMP files. You cannot render animated file
formats such as AVI or MOV to multiple systems. You must render animated
files to a single system. When rendering to an animated file format, the Use
All Servers check box in the Network Job Assignment dialog is unavailable.

Basic Procedure 1: Single-System Network Rendering
This procedure describes usage of network rendering on a single computer.
The main advantage to this method over standard rendering is that you can
submit multiple rendering jobs for the computer to render. In effect, this lets
you perform batch rendering.
1 Go to Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner and choose
the

Manager menu item.

This starts Manager and creates the backburner.xml file in the
Backburner\Network folder.
When you run Manager for the first time, you will see the Backburner
Manager General Properties dialog, shown below.

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering | 7373

Backburner Manager General Properties dialog.

2 Click OK to accept the default settings.
The Backburner Manager dialog displays.
3 Go to Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner and choose
the

Server menu item.

This starts Server and creates the server data that is stored in the
backburner.xml file.
You will see the Backburner Server General Properties dialog, shown
below, when you run Server for the first time.

7374 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Backburner Server General Properties dialog.

4 Click OK to accept the default settings.
The Backburner Server dialog displays. After a few moments, messages
appear in both the Server and Manager windows indicating that the Server
has successfully registered with the Manager.
5 Start 3ds Max and load the first scene you want to render.
6 From the Rendering menu, choose Render Setup, or on the main toolbar,
click

(Render Setup).

7 Set the rendering parameters and specify an output file name. In the
Render Output group on the Common tab, turn on Net Render, and then
click the Render button.
3ds Max opens the Network Job Assignment dialog.

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering | 7375

Network Job Assignment dialog showing the server station that is also running
Manager.

8 Enter a job name (it's a good idea to change the default name) and then
click the Connect button.
The name of your computer (that is, the Server) appears in the Server
window to the right. It has a green dot next to it meaning that it is a
Server system that is ready to start rendering.
9 Click the Server name to highlight it in the list window, and then click
the Submit button.
The Manager submits the job to the Server, both running only on this
system, and the Server begins rendering each still frame or the animation.

7376 | Chapter 18 Rendering

10 To render additional jobs, load each into 3ds Max, and then repeat steps
6 to 9.
You can submit as many jobs as you like. The Manager will queue the
jobs up and render them in the order that you submitted them.

Basic Procedure 2: Network Rendering from Server (not Manager)
When rendering across a network, you first assign one machine to be Manager,
and then any number of others as Servers. In this procedure, you won't use
the Manager as a rendering Server.
1 Go to Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner and choose
the

Manager menu item.

This starts Manager and creates the backburner.xml file in the
Backburner\Network folder.
When you run Manager for the first time, you will see the Backburner
Manager General Properties dialog, shown below; this is normal.

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering | 7377

Backburner Manager General Properties dialog.

2 Click OK to accept the default settings.
The Backburner Manager dialog displays.
3 Move to a Server system.
4 Go to Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner and choose
the

Server menu item.

This starts Server and creates the server data that is stored in the
backburner.xml file.

7378 | Chapter 18 Rendering

You will see the Backburner Server General Properties dialog box, shown
below, when you run Server for the first time.

Backburner Server General Properties dialog.

5 Click OK to accept the default settings.
The Backburner Server dialog displays. After a few moments, messages
appear in both the Server and Manager windows indicating that the Server
has successfully registered with the Manager.
6 Repeat steps 3-5 on all the Server systems you intend to make available
for your rendering jobs.
7 Return to the Manager system, start 3ds Max, and load the first scene
you want to render.
8 From the Rendering menu, choose Render Setup, or on the main toolbar,
click

(Render Setup).

9 Set the rendering parameters and specify an output path and file name.

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering | 7379

TIP So that the Servers can find the output path, specify the path in the
Render Output File dialog starting with Save In ➤ My Network Places. Then
navigate to the output folder, specify a file name and output format (Save
As Type), and click Save.
10 In the Render Output group, turn on Net Render, and then click the
Render button.
The Network Job Assignment dialog appears.

Network Job Assignment dialog showing all the server stations. The manager
station is excluded.

11 Enter a job name (it's a good idea to change the default name) and then
click the Connect button.

7380 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The names of all Servers appear in the Server window to the right. Those
with green dots next to their names are ready to start rendering.
By default, all the Servers that are listed will take part in the rendering
job. To assign a specific Server to render a job, first turn off Use All Servers
in the Options group, and then highlight the server(s) that you want to
render the job.
12 Click the Submit button.
The Manager submits the job to the Servers, which begin rendering .
At this point, you can load and submit additional scenes. When the first
job is complete, the next job will automatically begin rendering on the
Servers.

Basic Procedure 3: Network Rendering from Manager and Servers
When rendering across a network, you first assign one machine to be Manager,
and then any number of others as Servers. In this procedure, you'll use the
Manager computer as a rendering Server as well.
1 Go to Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner and choose
the

Manager menu item.

This starts Manager and creates the backburner.xml file in the
Backburner\Network folder.
When you run Manager for the first time, you will see the Backburner
Manager General Properties dialog, shown below; this is normal.

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering | 7381

Backburner Manager General Properties dialog.

2 Click OK to accept the default settings.
The Backburner Manager dialog displays.
3 On the same computer, go to Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤
Backburner and choose the

Server menu item.

This starts Server and creates the server data that is stored in the
backburner.xml file.
You will see the Backburner Server General Properties dialog box, shown
below, when you run Server for the first time.

7382 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Backburner Server General Properties dialog.

4 Click OK to accept the default settings.
The Backburner Server dialog displays. After a few moments, messages
appear in both the Server and Manager windows indicating that the Server
has successfully registered with the Manager.
5 Repeat steps 3 to 4 on all the Server systems you intend to make available
for your rendering jobs.
6 Return to the Manager system, start 3ds Max, and load the first scene
you want to render.
7 From the Rendering menu, choose Render Setup, or on the main toolbar,
click

(Render Setup).

8 Set the rendering parameters and specify an output path and file name.
TIP So that the Servers can find the output path, specify the path in the
Render Output File dialog starting with Save In ➤ My Network Places. Then
navigate to the output folder, specify a file name and output format (Save
As Type), and click Save.

Basic Procedures for Network Rendering | 7383

9 In the Render Output group, turn on Net Render, and then click the
Render button.
The Network Job Assignment dialog appears.

Network Job Assignment dialog showing all the server station plus the manager
station that is running Server.

10 Enter a job name (it's a good idea to change the default name) and then
click the Connect button.
The names of all Servers appear in the Server window to the right. Those
with green dots next to their names are ready to start rendering.
By default, all the Servers that are listed will take part in the rendering
job. To assign a specific Server to render a job, first turn off Use All Servers

7384 | Chapter 18 Rendering

in the Options group, and then highlight the server that you want to
render the job.
11 Click the Submit button.
The Manager submits the job to the Servers, which begin rendering .
At this point, you can load and submit additional scenes. When the first
job is complete, the next job will automatically begin rendering on the
Servers.

Starting Network Rendering
Once you've set up the network rendering system and software on page 7409,
there are two steps to starting a network rendering session:
■

Start the Manager program on one machine and the Server program on
every other machine in the network. See Basic Procedures for Network
Rendering on page 7372. The machine being used as a manager can also be
used as a rendering server.

■

Start a rendering job from 3ds Max on a networked machine with an
authorized copy of 3ds Max.

The Manager and Server programs need to be started and left running during
a network rendering session. Either program remains in operation until you
shut it down or shut down the machine.
When you've set up the Manager and Server network services, you're ready to
submit an animation to the network rendering queue. There are two stages
to starting network rendering:
■

On the Render dialog, set all desired rendering parameters, including
resolution and rendered output file type, and render the scene. In 3ds Max,
you can render from the Render Setup dialog on page 6956, or the Render
To Texture dialog on page 7333.

■

In the Render dialog, set all desired rendering parameters, including
resolution and rendered output file type, and render the scene.

■

Turn on Net Render, found in the Render Output, Render Settings or Output
groups, and then click Render to open the Network Job Assignment dialog
on page 7415, which lets you make final decisions about the job and submit
your animation to the rendering servers.

Starting Network Rendering | 7385

Next Step
Network Rendering Manager on page 7443
Network Rendering Server on page 7449

Procedures
These procedures explain how to start and submit a network rendering job in
3ds Max.
This procedure explains how to render a job over the network, once the
Backburner Manager and Server are running. (See the Autodesk Backburner
Installation Guide for information on setting up the Backburner Manager and
Server.)
To start the Manager program:
1 Run the Manager program from the Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk
➤ Backburner folder.
The first time you run the Manager after installation or after deleting the
backburner.xml file, the Manager Properties dialog appears. In most cases,
you can accept the default settings and click OK to continue.
Thereafter, when you start the Manager, its window appears and the
"Starting Network Manager" message is displayed in the window. The
machine is now running the Manager in Desktop mode. You can leave
this window open to see messages relating to what the Manager and
Servers are doing as they appear, or you can minimize it, whereupon it
resides in the taskbar tray. To reopen the window when minimized, click
its icon in the taskbar tray.
NOTE If you're running Windows 2000 and have the NetBEUI protocol
installed, and you have unplugged your network cable, when you start the
manager, you'll see an error message, "Error starting network subsystem,
cannot start manager." If this happens, reconnect the network cable and try
again.
2 Alternatively, you can run the Manager as a service, as described in
“Setting Up Backburner Manager as a Windows Service” in the Autodesk
Backburner Installation Guide. Once set up, the Manager automatically starts
when you boot the system and it's always available.

7386 | Chapter 18 Rendering

To start the Server program:
1 Run the Server program from the Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk
➤ Backburner folder.
The first time you run the Server after installation or after deleting the
backburner.xml file, the Server Properties dialog appears. By default,
Automatic Search is turned on, and the subnet mask is set to
255.255.255.0. This should work with most networks. Alternatively, turn
off Automatic Search and enter the manager name or its IP address in
the Manager Name or IP Address field.
Thereafter, when you start the Server, its window appears and the "Starting
Backburner Server" message is displayed in the log window. After a few
seconds you should also see the "Registration to (manager IP address)
accepted" message in the Server window. This message indicates that the
server has found the manager and is correctly communicating with it. If
you do not see the "Registration to ..." message in the Server window, see
“Troubleshooting Backburner” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide.
The machine is now running as a rendering Server in Desktop mode. You
can leave this window open to see other messages as they appear, or you
can minimize it to the taskbar tray. To reopen the window when
minimized, click its icon in the taskbar tray.
2 Alternatively, you can run the Server as a service, as described in Network
Rendering Server on page 9237. Just running the Manager as a service, once
it's installed and started, it's always available, even after rebooting.
To start a network rendering job:
1 Start the Backburner Manager and Backburner Server.
2 Start 3ds Max on a machine with an authorized copy of 3ds Max.
3 Open the scene you want to render.
4 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup to display the Render Setup
dialog.
You can also render from the Execute Video Post dialog or the Render To
Texture dialog.
5 In the Render Output group, click the
Render Output File dialog.

ellipsis button to display the

Starting Network Rendering | 7387

6 In the File Name field, enter the Universal Naming Convention (UNC)
on page 9339 name of the output directory, followed by the name of the
output file. For example:
\\machine1\project1\images\output.tga
As an alternative to entering the UNC name from the keyboard, you can
go to Save In ➤ My Network Places and navigate to the machine and
shared directory where you want the servers to write the rendered frames.
After selecting the machine and shared directory in the Map Network
Drive dialog, enter the output file name (for example, output.tga), and
then click OK. 3ds Max automatically converts the shared directory to
the UNC format.
If the output directory is mounted, enter the name and extension of the
output file and choose the drive mounted for the output directory from
the Save In list.
7 Click OK to display the Setup Options dialog for the file format type you
have selected.
8 Make the desired settings and click OK.
9 Click OK again to return to the Render Setup dialog.
Save File is turned on once you assign an output file.
10 After setting any other rendering parameters, turn on Render Output
group ➤ Net Render and click Render.
The Network Job Assignment dialog appears.
If you use Video Post, set the file location with an Add Image Output
Event. After you click Execute Sequence, be sure to turn on Net Render
before you click Render.
To submit a network rendering job:
1 Start the Backburner Manager and Backburner Server.
2 On the Network Job Assignment dialog, make sure the Automatic Search
option is on, and then click Connect.
In most cases, 3ds Max detects the Manager machine and displays its
attached Servers in the Server list. If auto-detect fails, turn off Automatic
Search and manually enter the name or IP address of the network machine
acting as the Manager, and then click Connect.
All rendering Servers running under the network Manager should be
listed with green dots next to them. Even if a server is running an

7388 | Chapter 18 Rendering

interactive session of 3ds Max, it will still render an assigned job by
launching a second copy of 3ds Max.
3 By default, the job will use all available Servers. To use only specific
Servers, turn off Use All Servers and choose the machines you want to
use from the Server list.
4 Click Submit.
The job is submitted to the Manager, which then distributes the job to
the machines assigned in the Network Job Assignment dialog. Network
rendering begins.
When network rendering begins on a rendering Server, the Rendering
dialog appears on machines running serverapp.exe. If a machine is running
the service version, no dialog appears.

Starting Network Rendering | 7389

Troubleshooting Guide
This is a guide to solving common problems associated with network rendering.
Solutions to these problems vary, depending on whether you are using the
network rendering programs as installed Windows Services, or running them

7390 | Chapter 18 Rendering

in Desktop mode. Also see “Troubleshooting Backburner” in the Autodesk
Backburner User’s Guide.

PROBLEM: When I try to assign a job in the Network Job Assignment dialog,
some of the servers display a gray or yellow icon.
SUGGESTION
Regardless of their state in the Network Job Assignment dialog, servers can
always be assigned new jobs.
The gray icon means that the server is currently not available to render a job.
This state can occur for several reasons, including:
■

The server has not been correctly started. (See “Setting Up Backburner
Server” in the Autodesk Backburner Installation Guide.)

■

The server has been disallowed for the current time period in the Properties
dialog of the Monitor. (See “Setting the Availability for Rendering Nodes”
in the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide.)

■

The server has experienced abnormal termination.
If you've checked for and corrected these conditions and the servers are
still unavailable, stop running Server on each of the problem machines,
and restart the service after a few seconds. This "purges" the server and
may solve the problem. Then click Refresh in the Network Job Assignment
dialog to display the most recent information about the server.

The yellow icon means that the server is busy rendering another job. If the
server should not be busy, verify that the queue is clear of jobs by opening
the Queue Monitor and connecting to the Manager. If the queue is clear of
rendering jobs and the server is still flagged as busy, stop running server on
each of the problem machines, and restart the service after a few seconds.

PROBLEM: When I submit a job to be rendered, the server fails.
SUGGESTION
Servers can fail for a variety of reasons during a network render job. Many of
these reasons are covered in “Troubleshooting” in the Autodesk Backburner
User’s Guide. One reason that is specific to 3ds Max which can cause a server
to fail is the presence of a scene which does not contain texture coordinates.
All errors are recorded in the appropriate log file. You can learn more about
log files in “Configuring Backburner Log Files” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s
Guide.

Troubleshooting Guide | 7391

Here are some of the error messages related to 3ds Max, along with a likely
cause, that you will see in the Errors tab of the Queue Monitor when a failed
server is selected:
ERR: ----- Render Error:
ERR: D:\MAPS\3DS.CEL [where this is the location of a map in the submitted
scene]
The Server could not find 3ds.cel in the local path specified, which means that
the path to this map is not been correct for network rendering. To fix the
problem, do one of the following:
■

If all maps are being shared from a single directory, make sure the directory
is correctly shared with full permissions. See Sharing a Directory on page
7411.

■

Make sure that you have used either the full UNC path name for the
bitmaps or that the maps directory has been mounted to the same drive
letter on each machine. In this case, verify that particular path has been
added to the Configure User Paths dialog ➤ External Files panel on page
8877 of every server's local version of 3ds Max or that the particular path
was used when assigning bitmaps in the scene to be rendered.

■

Verify the bitmaps still reside in the shared directory.

■

Add an Alternate Map Path on the Network Job Assignment dialog that
points to the folder containing the missing map.

ERR: Object (UVW 1): Sphere01 requires texture coordinates and may not
render correctly
Open the scene and make sure the errant object is assigned texture coordinates.
This can be as simple as adding a UVW Map modifier to the object.
ERR: Frame error
Texture coordinates must be applied to the specified object to render it on
the server.
ERR: Load Error: Missing DLL'S
Following this error, you will also receive a listing of each of the missing DLLs
in the scene. Files needed by the server are not available to render the job.
Make sure that all the plug-in DLLs used in a job reside on each of the servers
rendering the job.
ERR: Job not found. Ok if just deleted

7392 | Chapter 18 Rendering

When you delete a job, the Manager sends out a notification to all clients
(Monitors) telling that the job has changed. This is the same message sent
when the job completes, gets suspended, resumed, etc. The monitors in turn
request the job status from the manager. The manager doesn’t find the job (it
was just deleted) and returns this error to the monitor.
ERR: Targa - The device is not ready. (0x15)
ERR: Frame error
The server could not write the output file. "Targa" represents the file output
type, and will change depending on the output file type you selected. This
problem can occur for several reasons:- If you are running the Backburner
Server as an installed Windows service, make sure that the user account that
the service is logged to has adequate permissions. Administrative permissions
are recommended.
■

Check to make sure the target output directory is shared, with both read
and write permissions.

■

Verify that the path for saving file output on the Render Setup dialog (or
the Output Event dialog in Video Post) is set to a valid UNC path name.

■

If you are writing to a shared directory mounted locally on each server,
verify that the directory is mounted to the same drive letter on each server,
and that the file output path is set for that drive letter.

PROBLEM: The Server fails to render a frame and displays the following
error:
Rebooting 3ds Max by force due to load timeout.

SUGGESTION
The Server has exceeded either the Wait For 3ds Max To Load or Wait For 3ds
Max To Render value. This is usually caused by attempting to render large
files over the network. Increase these values in the Advanced Settings dialog
on page 7431.

PROBLEM: I cannot assign more than one server to a job in the Network Job
Assignment dialog.
If the output of a network-rendering job is an AVI or MOV file, or a single
user device, the job can be assigned to a single server only. The Network Job
Assignment dialog changes, depending on the file output type of a job. For
example, if you are network rendering to one of the file formats above, the

Troubleshooting Guide | 7393

All and None buttons do not appear and the dialog title bar contains the word
"Single."
If a job that has an AVI or MOV file output type is stopped for any reason (to
deactivate it, or because a machine goes down), re-rendering the file restarts
at the first frame. Frames cannot be appended later to these file types.

SUGGESTION
To take advantage of the distributed power of network rendering we suggest
you first render to a series of Targa files. Then use the Targa files as either an
animated background in an empty 3ds Max scene, or as an image input event
in Video Post and render the sequence out to the desired output type (for
example, AVI).

PROBLEM: When I click the Render button on the Render Setup dialog, I
get an error dialog stating:
Error Retrieving Configuration File
This error usually is the result of a corrupt installation of the Backburner
applications which caused an errant registry setting.

SUGGESTION
Try reinstalling the Backburner components of 3ds Max or manually edit the
system registry.
Editing the registry:
1 Choose Start ➤ Run.
2 Enter RegEdit and click OK
3 Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE ➤ SOFTWARE ➤ Autodesk ➤
Backburner ➤ 2008.1
4 Check the CfgPath entry. Make sure the value is set to c:\Program
Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network\nrapi.conf.
5 Close the Registry Editor.

PROBLEM: Backburner not found message when clicking Render button:
Cannot network render. Backburner not found or not installed.
This error dialog appears because the path to Backburner is either not set
properly in the Path environment variable or Backburner is missing altogether.

7394 | Chapter 18 Rendering

SUGGESTION
Verify that the Path variable is set properly and make sure you've installed the
latest version of Backburner.

PROBLEM: Clicking Render button results in Backburner plugin error:
Error creating 3ds Max plugin instance for Backburner.
The path to 3ds Max is not set in the PlugPath section of the
\Backburner\Network\nrapi.conf file.

SUGGESTION
Verify the presence of the \Backburner\Network\nrapi.conf file and check the
PlugPath. It should look like this:
PlugPath=C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Backburner/

PROBLEM: The manager and server windows display strange, garbled text:
Your error message includes @#$$#@.
This error occurs if the nrres.dat file is missing or damaged. This file is located
in: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network

SUGGESTION
Copy the nrres.dat file from another system that is not exhibiting the problem,
or reinstall Backburner.

System Setup
The topics in this section describe how to check system requirements, and
how to set up a network for rendering.

Checking Requirements
Setting up even a small render farm can require a substantial amount of time.
As a first step, verify that your proposed network meets the basic requirements.
You should also be acquainted with the software required to render over the
network.

System Setup | 7395

Hardware Requirements
■

One machine on the network must have 3ds Max set up and authorized.
This system is used to submit network rendering jobs.

■

One machine runs a network manager to communicate with rendering
servers. You can set up any machine in the network for this purpose. No
authorization is required if this machine will not run as a 3ds Max
Workstation.

■

To install 3ds Max, at least one machine needs a DVD-ROM drive mounted
for access over the network. Instructions for setting up the
network-rendering software are found in the Setting Up Rendering Software
on page 7409 section.

■

Other machines operate as rendering servers. No authorization is required
on these machines.
Rendering servers should meet the minimum requirements for running
3ds Max. To improve rendering performance, use machines with faster
processors, additional memory, and more swap space. A rendering server
does not require a monitor while rendering, although it's helpful to have
one for setup. Display adapters and accelerators make no difference in
rendering performance.

Network Requirements
For operating system requirements, see “System Requirements” in the Autodesk
Backburner Installation Guide. You must also be connected over a network with
TCP/IP protocol properly installed. See Instructions for configuring TCP/IP
for network rendering on page 7400.

Software Requirements
One authorized copy of 3ds Max is the minimum requirement. With this one
copy, you can set up 3ds Max on multiple machines for the purpose of network
rendering. Later topics provide explicit details for doing a custom setup on
each machine. During this setup, programs required to render over a network
are installed and registered.
Four separate programs interact to accomplish network rendering. The
following descriptions identify these programs and provide an overview of
their use.
■

3dsmax.exe

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3ds Max is used to launch job assignments. You submit a network rendering
job from the Render Setup, Render to Texture, or Execute Video Post dialog.
The application is also used by the rendering servers to render the job.
■

manager.exe
When run, this application sets up one computer as a network manager.
Alternatively, you can run Manager as a service by installing managersvc.exe.
See Installing Network Services on page 7437.
The manager program manages communication with the rendering servers
during a network rendering job. This can be set up on any machine in the
network. However, if large files are to be submitted and many rendering
servers are going to be used, a fast computer with a large amount of disk
space is the best choice. In almost all network-rendering scenarios, you
only have a single manager running on the entire network.

■

server.exe
When run, this application sets up the computer it's run on to be used as
a rendering server. Alternatively, you can run Server as a service by
installing serversvc.exe. See Installing Network Services on page 7437.
The server program sends its local IP address to the Manager program,
which in turn registers the Server so it will be available for network
rendering a job assignment. When the server receives a job from the
network manager, it launches a local copy of 3ds Max to perform the
rendering. The server then sends the completed frame to a target directory
and begins rendering the next frame sent to it by the manager. The server
shuts down the 3dsmax.exe3dsviz.exe process when it is no longer needed.

■

monitor.exe
This standalone program, named Queue Monitor, provides a Windows
interface that lets you monitor and schedule network rendering. Since the
Queue Monitor is a standalone program, you can start it at any time from
any computer in your network. The only requirement is that you establish
a TCP/IP connection with the computer running the manager.
You can load Queue Monitor on each rendering server and use it to monitor
rendering progress locally. You can also connect with Queue Monitor
remotely using Windows NT Remote Access.

Setting Up for Network Rendering
Whenever different groups need to cooperate on a project, accurate
communication and common procedures are essential. A rendering farm is
such a project. Network setup can be difficult to configure, but you need to

System Setup | 7397

do it only once. Take your time to get the right setup. Read each topic in order,
and complete the steps described.
These instructions are for creating a new network dedicated specifically to
network rendering. If you are configuring network rendering for an existing
network or for a network that will be used for other purposes, these instructions
are intended as a reference example only.

Next Step
Setting Up TCP/IP on page 7398
See also:
■

Setting Up Rendering Software on page 7409

■

Setting Up Directories on page 7409

■

Initial Setup for Manager and Server Programs on page 7435

Setting Up TCP/IP
3ds Max uses the standard network protocol, TCP/IP, for network rendering.
TCP/IP is a two-part acronym. TCP (Transport Control Protocol) communicates
data between applications. IP (Internet Protocol) communicates data between
an application and the physical network. Each computer in your rendering
network needs to be configured for this protocol.
Before continuing, be sure that:
■

You have administrative privileges on each machine.

■

The network is operational, with network adapter cards installed in each
machine.

The TCP/IP protocol requires a device, called a network adapter or Network
Interface Controller (NIC), to bind with in order to communicate with other
machines. Typically, the network adapter is a network card, but if you are
linked to the Internet by modem, a dial-up adapter (the modem) is used.
TCP/IP uses IP addresses to identify the computers on a network. For
convenience, you can assign real names to computers. An IP address is a serial
number of four integers separated by periods, for example, 192.100.100.1.

7398 | Chapter 18 Rendering

IP addresses can be fixed (as in the example above) or automatic, supplied
dynamically each time you connect to the network by a system known as
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).
3ds Max uses the NIC number, which can be thought of a unique serial number
assigned to each network card, to identify each machine in the network. This
allows the use of DHCP since the IP address usually changes when a machine
using DHCP is rebooted.
In some cases, you may want to specify a fixed IP address, for example:
■

When you have more than one Manager running on the same network,
each with its own set of dedicated Servers, you need to specify which
Manager to use. DHCP can be used in this case, but you will have to specify
the Manager name instead of its IP address.

■

The second case is when the Server or Queue Monitor is outside the local
network (as in the case of a WAN or a multi-segmented network connected
through a router). In this case, Servers connected to the same network can
still use DHCP, provided the Manager has a fixed name and IP address.

■

If your network is set peer-to-peer without an NT server (as is the case with
most home networks), it is easier to set the machines with permanent,
fixed IP addresses.

■

Finally, you can use batch rendering on page 7481 without being connected
to a network. In that case, you will need to set up a fixed TCP/IP address
and configure the Microsoft Loopback adapter.

In the case of fixed addresses, it is important that IP addresses be properly
assigned. In this step, you make up a list of machine names and their
corresponding IP addresses to use during TCP/IP configuration. The list will
also be used when installing the 3ds Max rendering services.
Using the Manager name is particularly useful when its IP address is assigned
dynamically via DHCP, and can change from session to session.
On a closed network, you don't have to worry much about conflicts with the
IP addresses of other network domains. However, the addresses need to follow
a consistent pattern and each must be unique within your network.
WARNING On an open network, such as those in many large corporations, do
not alter IP addresses in any way. In such cases, to avoid potentially disastrous
consequences, always work with your system administrator to make IP address
changes.

System Setup | 7399

Procedures
To create machine names and IP addresses:
■

Create a list of machine names and IP addresses.
Unless you have specific needs for later compatibility with another network,
use the following list as a model.
Since the Manager machine can also act as a server, start naming your
servers to match their IP addresses as shown in the list below. Remember,
any one machine can act as a manager under network rendering. Like an
IP address, each name must be unique. Also keep in mind that you must
not use the numbers 0 or 255 in the last group (or octet) of an IP address
as they are reserved.

WARNING Machine names should not start with numbers or have spaces or
underscores in them, as those will result in illegal names in TCP/IP. This will cause
unexpected behavior in the network rendering system.
Machine Name

IP Address

server001

192.100.100.1

server002

192.100.100.2

server003

192.100.100.3

...

...

server254

192.100.100.254

Configuring TCP/IP
From the previous step, Setting Up TCP/IP on page 7398, you should have a list
of machine names and IP addresses. With that list, go to each machine and
follow these procedures.
On an open network, such as those in many large corporations, do not alter
IP addresses, machine names, workgroup names, or domain names in any
way. In such cases, to avoid potentially disastrous consequences, always work
with your system administrator to make IP address changes.

7400 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Procedures
Some of the following procedures are for Windows XP Professional; others
are for Windows 2000. Find your operating system at the end of the procedure
heading and follow that set of instructions.
NOTE During the writing of these procedures, Windows XP was set to display a
Classic Windows interface.
To assign a name and workgroup or domain (Windows 2000):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Control
Panel ➤ System.
This displays the System Properties dialog.
2 Click the Network Identification tab, and then click the Properties button
to display the Identification Changes dialog.
If you've already assigned a name to the computer, the name should
appear in the Computer Name field on the Network Identification tab.
Check this name against your list.
3 To change the name, in the Computer Name field, enter a name for the
machine.
■

The first character of a valid machine/host name must not be a
numeral.

■

Do not use underscores or spaces in the machine/host name.

4 In the Member Of group, enter either a workgroup or domain name,
depending on how your network is going to be set up.
Workgroup An organizational unit that is used to group computers that
don't belong to a domain. If you are setting up a simple network for the
purpose of Network Rendering, use the Workgroup option.
Domain A more complex way of grouping servers that share a common
security policy and user account database. A domain requires you to set
up a Primary Domain controller. You should select the Domain option
only if your Network Administrator has a Domain already set up and
functioning correctly.
To assign a name and workgroup or domain (Windows XP):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Control
Panel ➤ System.

System Setup | 7401

This displays the System Properties dialog.
2 Click the Computer Name tab, and then click the Change button to
display the Computer Name Change dialog.
If you've already assigned a name to the computer, the name should
appear in the Computer Name field on the Computer Name tab. Check
this name against your list.
3 To change the name, in the Computer Name field, enter a name for the
machine.
■

The first character of a valid machine/host name must not be a
numeral.

■

Do not use underscores or spaces in the machine/host name.

4 In the Member Of group, enter either a workgroup or domain name,
depending on how your network is going to be set up.
Workgroup An organizational unit that is used to group computers that
don't belong to a domain. If you are setting up a simple network for the
purpose of Network Rendering, use the Workgroup option.
Domain A more complex way of grouping servers that share a common
security policy and user account database. A domain requires you to set
up a Primary Domain controller. You should select the Domain option
only if your Network Administrator has a Domain already set up and
functioning correctly.
To add the TCP/IP protocol (Windows 2000):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Network
and Dial-up Connections ➤ Local Area Connection.
This opens the Local Area Connection Status dialog.
2 Click the Properties button.
This opens the Local Area Connection Properties dialog.
3 Check the list for "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)".
If you find this listing, TCP/IP is installed on this machine. Go on to
either of these procedures in the current topic:
■

To configure TCP/IP in DHCP mode on page 7404

■

To configure TCP/IP with fixed IP addresses on page 7405

7402 | Chapter 18 Rendering

If TCP/IP is not installed, make sure none of the list items is
highlighted (click in a blank area of the list), and complete the
remaining steps in this procedure.
4 Click the Install button.
This opens the Select Network Component Type dialog.
5 In the list, click Protocol, and then click the Add button.
6 In the Select Network Protocol dialog, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP),
and then click OK.
A message appears: "Do you want to use DHCP?". Consult your system
administrator to see if your network is DHCP-compatible; if it is, click
"Yes". If you are unsure, click "No" and proceed to set your workstations
with fixed IP addresses.
TCP/IP is added to the list of installed protocols.
7 Click the Close button.
To add the TCP/IP protocol (Windows XP):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Network
Connections.
This opens the Network Connections dialog.
2 Right-click Local Area Connection and click the Properties button.
This opens the Local Area Connection Properties dialog.
3 Check the list for "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)".
If you find this listing, TCP/IP is installed on this machine. Go on to
either of these procedures in the current topic:
■

To configure TCP/IP in DHCP mode on page 7404

■

To configure TCP/IP with fixed IP addresses on page 7405
If TCP/IP is not installed, make sure none of the list items is
highlighted (click in a blank area of the list), and complete the
remaining steps in this procedure.

4 Click the Install button.
This opens the Select Network Component Type dialog.
5 In the list, click Protocol, and then click the Add button.

System Setup | 7403

6 In the Select Network Protocol dialog, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP),
and then click OK.
A message appears: "Do you want to use DHCP?". Consult your system
administrator to see if your network is DHCP-compatible; if it is, click
"Yes". If you are unsure, click "No" and proceed to set your workstations
with fixed IP addresses.
TCP/IP is added to the list of installed protocols.
7 Click the Close button.
To configure TCP/IP in DHCP mode (Windows 2000):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Network
and Dial-up Connections ➤ Local Area Connection.
This opens the Local Area Connection Status dialog.
2 Click the Properties button.
This opens the Local Area Connection Properties dialog. You should see
your network adapter card listed as "Connect Using" at the top of this
dialog. If your adapter is not listed, follow the instructions in Windows
2000 documentation on adapter setup.
3 In the list, highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog appears.
4 Make sure the option "Obtain an IP address automatically" is chosen.
5 Click OK to close each dialog in turn.
Windows 2000 finishes configuring the connection.
6 Reboot the computer to complete the configuration.
7 Repeat all the steps on this page on every machine in your network.
To configure TCP/IP in DHCP mode (Windows XP):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Network
Connections.
This opens the Network Connections dialog.
2 Right-click Local Area Connection and click the Properties button.
This opens the Local Area Connection Properties dialog. You should see
your network adapter card listed as "Connect Using" at the top of this

7404 | Chapter 18 Rendering

dialog. If your adapter is not listed, follow the instructions in Windows
XP documentation on adapter setup.
3 In the list, highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog appears.
4 Make sure the option "Obtain an IP address automatically" is chosen.
5 Click OK to close each dialog in turn.
Windows XP finishes configuring the connection.
6 Reboot the computer to complete the configuration.
7 Repeat all the steps on this page on every machine in your network.
To configure TCP/IP with fixed IP addresses (Windows 2000):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Network
and Dial-up Connections ➤ Local Area Connection.
This opens the Local Area Connection Status dialog.
2 Click the Properties button.
This opens the Local Area Connection Properties dialog. You should see
your network adapter card listed as "Connect Using" at the top of this
dialog. If your adapter is not listed, follow the instructions in Windows
2000 documentation on adapter setup.
3 In the list, highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog appears.
4 Choose “Use The Following IP Address”.
5 In the box for IP Address, enter the address for that machine.
Check your list to make sure the entry is correct.
6 In the box for Subnet Mask, type these numbers (these are the same for
every machine):
255.255.255.0
If you are on a large corporate network, this subnet mask might be
different. In this case, use the mask that your network administrator
specified. Also, change the network mask when setting up a server to
connect to a manager as well as in the Network Job Assignment dialog
to match the subnet mask in order for Automatic Search to work.
7 Click OK to close each dialog in turn.

System Setup | 7405

Windows 2000 finishes configuring the connection.
8 Reboot the computer to complete the configuration.
9 Repeat all the steps on this page on every machine in your network.
Remember that each machine needs to have a unique IP Address and
machine name so no conflicts arise.
To configure TCP/IP with fixed IP addresses (Windows XP):
1 From the Windows taskbar, open Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Network
Connections.
This opens the Network Connections dialog.
2 Right-click Local Area Connection and click the Properties button.
This opens the Local Area Connection Properties dialog. You should see
your network adapter card listed as "Connect Using" at the top of this
dialog. If your adapter is not listed, follow the instructions in Windows
2000 documentation on adapter setup.
3 In the list, highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog appears.
4 Choose “Use The Following IP Address”.
5 In the box for IP Address, enter the address for that machine.
Check your list to make sure the entry is correct.
6 In the box for Subnet Mask, type these numbers (these are the same for
every machine):
255.255.255.0
If you are on a large corporate network, this subnet mask might be
different. In this case, use the mask that your network administrator
specified. Also, change the network mask when setting up a server to
connect to a manager as well as in the Network Job Assignment dialog
to match the subnet mask in order for Automatic Search to work.
7 Click OK to close each dialog in turn.
Windows XP finishes configuring the connection.
8 Reboot the computer to complete the configuration.
9 Repeat all the steps on this page on every machine in your network.

7406 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Remember that each machine needs to have a unique IP Address and
machine name so no conflicts arise.

Creating a Special User Account
If you run the Server as a Service, you should create a special user account,
which gives the Server the right to access other machines on the network for
necessary maps, xrefs and output directories. This account must be identical
across all rendering server machines.
By assigning a user to the rendering Server service, you configure the rendering
server to operate with the permissions and access rights of that user account.
Without this assignment, the rendering server operates with system
permissions, which do not let the server service access map, xref, image, or
output directories on other machines.
NOTE These steps require you to have administrative privileges on every machine
where you set up this account.
For the following procedures, Windows XP was set to display a Classic Windows
interface.

Procedures
To create a new user (Windows 2000 and XP):
1 From the Start menu, select Settings ➤ Control Panel ➤ Administrative
Tools ➤ Computer Management.
2 In the Computer Management dialog, go to System Tools ➤ Local Users
and Groups ➤ Users.
3 In the right-hand pane, right click in a blank area and choose New User
to display the New User dialog. If the New User option is unavailable,
you don't have the required administrative privileges.
4 In the New User dialog, do the following:
■

Enter a user name for the new account in the Username text box. This
can be any name, but it should be the same across all network
rendering machines.

■

Enter a password for the new account in the Password and Confirm
Password boxes. Like the user name, this password needs to be the
same for all rendering servers.

System Setup | 7407

■

Turn off “User Must Change Password At Next Logon” and turn on
“Password Never Expires”.
This will bypass errors when you assign this special user account to
the rendering service.

■

Click Create to create the new user and password.
When the network is part of a domain it is a good idea to have your
network administrator create a special user account on the domain.
This user account would have read/write access to the network servers
where maps, xrefs and frames are stored.

■

Click Close.

5 Do not close Administrative Tools.
To assign a user to a rendering service (Windows 2000 and XP):
Do the following on every computer used as a rendering server:
1 Make sure each server system is set up with the Network Rendering Server
on page 7449 running as a service.
2 From the Administrative Tools windows, choose Services to display the
Services dialog.
3 From the Service list, right-click the Backburner Server item.
4 Choose Properties to display the Properties dialog.
5 On the Log On tab, choose This Account and enter the name of the new
user you created for the special user account.
If a user account was created on the domain, you would enter [domain
name]\[user name] as This Account, or you can browse the domain for
the user.
6 In Password and Confirm Password fields, enter the password for the
special user account.
7 Click OK to exit the Properties dialog.
8 If the service is started, stop it by right-clicking the item and choosing
Stop.
9 Right-click the item and choose Start to restart the service with the newly
assigned user.

7408 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE If you did not turn off “User Must Change Password At Next Logon”
when setting up the new account, you will encounter errors. You will need
to re-login the newly assigned user so you can first change the password.
Once the password is changed, the Backburner Server should start.
10 Close the Services dialog

Setting Up Rendering Software
When you've configured the computers on your rendering network for TCP/IP,
you're ready to load 3ds Max.
You need to install 3ds Max on each system you plan to use for network
rendering. After you've installed 3ds Max on all the systems, at least one of
them needs to be authorized. This is the copy of 3ds Max that you will run
interactively and use to submit jobs for network rendering.
Refer to the Installation Guide for details about installing 3ds Max.
NOTE A system using the scanline renderer, that is intended to act a dedicated
rendering server, does not require authorization for 3ds Max.

Setting Up Directories
During network rendering, common directories (directories that are shared
across the network) allow access to files needed by all the rendering servers.
You can organize, share, and (if necessary) mount these directories.
There are two types of common directories:
■

Map directoriesOne or more directories where maps and images are stored.
These can be both project-specific and general locations.

■

Output directoryA single directory where completed frames are sent from
each rendering server, also called the target directory. You specify this
directory for each job. This can also be a local directory on each machine.

The network rendering system uses the Universal Naming Convention (UNC)
to identify directories and files. UNC names begin with a double backslash
and do not include a drive letter. This is the convention:
\\machine_name\directory\subdirectory\filename

Setting Up Rendering Software | 7409

IMPORTANT To simplify network rendering, use UNC names whenever possible
within a 3ds Max scene, even if the directory is on the local machine.
TIP When entering UNC names, omit the \\ before the computer name until
you've entered the entire path and file name. This eliminates search delays when
entering UNC path names into file selection dialogs.
Some networks require drive letters instead of UNC names. Directories on
such networks can be mounted as drive letters and shared over the network.
See Mounting a Directory on page 7412.

Organizing Directories
Correctly organizing directories is critical to the success of your rendering
farm. Every element in a scene needs to be available to each server for a
complete rendering. The goal is to give every machine in your network the
same "picture" of where files are located. Follow these rules when organizing
your directories:
■

Share directories on page 7411 to make them available to the network.

■

Use UNC file specification when assigning maps files and output directories,
even when the directory is on a local machine.

Creating Map Directories
As you assign materials in a scene, 3ds Max stores the complete path to each
map you use. 3ds Max searches for that particular location. If necessary, 3ds
Max continues to look through the directory containing the scene file and its
subdirectories.
Maps, specific to a project, should be kept in a dedicated directory that has
been set up for that project. You can create subdirectories below this directory
to organize files. This directory needs to be shared using Windows Explorer.
Maps for general use, such as texture libraries, can be organized as you choose.
The computers containing such libraries need to be on the network, and the
directories need to be shared.

7410 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Creating a Common Output Directory
A common output directory is a single directory on one hard disk where
rendered frames accumulate during network rendering. When creating a
common output directory, follow these guidelines:
■

Decide on a machine to accept final output. It should have enough disk
space to store the largest completed animation file you're likely to render.

■

Create or choose a directory for final output.

■

Share that directory as a resource available to the network.

Creating a Local Output Directory
A local output directory lets you use available storage on each rendering server.
Rendered frame files are sequentially numbered when assigned by the network
manager. When you collect the finished frames, they automatically sort in
the proper order. When creating a local output directory, follow these
guidelines:
■

Use the same path and name for all local directories. For example, use
\3dsmax_files\images\.

■

Use the same path and name for all local directories. For example, use
\Program Files\Autodesk VIZ 2008\images.

■

Specify this path for the output directory when you start network rendering.
All rendering servers will then send their output to this local directory.

On any one rendering job, use either a common or local output directory.
They cannot be mixed.
See also:
■

Mounting a Directory on page 7412

■

Using Configure User Paths on page 7414

Sharing a Directory
You share a directory from the machine where the directory is located. This
gives other machines on your network access to that directory. The instructions
below are general. See your Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000
documentation for details.

Setting Up Rendering Software | 7411

Next Step
Initial Setup for Manager and Server Programs on page 7435
See also:
■

Mounting a Directory on page 7412

■

Using Configure User Paths on page 7414

Procedures
To share a directory:
1 Go to the machine that contains the directory you want to share.
2 In Windows Explorer, right-click the directory to share, and then choose
Sharing from the right-click menu.
3 If using Windows XP or Windows 2000, on the Sharing tab, choose the
Share This Folder option.
4 If using Windows NT4, on the Sharing tab, select the Shared As option.
5 Use the default Share Name.
6 Click Permissions and make sure permissions are set to Everyone/Full
Control. Click OK to exit the Permissions dialog.
7 Click OK to accept the changes.
NOTE If you plan to use more than 10 rendering servers, both the output
path and location of all scene maps should be on a system running Windows
XP or Windows 2000 Server, as both Windows XP Professional and Windows
2000 Professional have a limit of 10 simultaneous connections.

Mounting a Directory
You can mount a directory to a drive letter as an alternative to using UNC
names on page 9339. In mixed UNIX/XP/2000 networks, for example, you might
need to mount the output directory.
For network rendering, you mount (or map) the directory on all machines in
the network. This gives all rendering servers access to the shared directory.

7412 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Before beginning this setup, choose a common drive letter for all servers to
mount. If you have other drives mounted, you might need to switch
assignments to free the drive letter for this mount.
If a Map or Target directory is on a rendering server, mount the directory on
this machine like all the others, even if the directory is on the local disk.
When using a mounted directory, be sure that the directory to be mounted
is correctly shared. When assigning bitmaps, always use the path with the
common drive letter.
The steps below are general. See your Windows XP or 2000 documentation
for more details.
NOTE During the writing of these procedures, Windows XP was set to display a
Classic Windows interface.
See also:
■

Sharing a Directory on page 7411

■

Using Configure User Paths on page 7414

Procedures
To map a directory to a drive letter (Windows 2000 or XP):
1 In Windows Explorer, choose Tools ➤ Map Network Drive to display
the Map Network Drive dialog.
2 Set the Drive drop-down menu value to the common drive letter you've
chosen.
3 In Folder, enter the exact location of the output directory, using UNC
convention.
You can also map a directory to a drive letter by choosing the machine
and shared directory with the Browse button in the Map Network Drive
dialog.
4 Click Finish to complete the mount.
NOTE If the drive maps to a server on a large corporate network, you may
be required to enter your user name and password to gain access.

Setting Up Rendering Software | 7413

Using Configure User Paths
Render-only machines do not require any form of authorization. However,
you cannot use unauthorized versions of 3ds Max to access the Configure
User Paths dialog on page 8872 to specify alternative locations for servers to
search for bitmap files.
If you do not want to concern yourself with configuring paths on render-only
machines (servers), then turn on the Use Alternate Map Path or Include Maps
option on the Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415.
The Use Alternate Map Paths option lets you specify an alternate folder where
the rendering server can look for bitmaps if they are not found in the primary
bitmap path.
If using Include Maps, network rendering will take care of making copies of
the bitmaps and send them to the server assigned for rendering. When the
rendering job is done, the copies are erased from the server hard drive. The
files are placed in a \network\serverjob subdirectory of 3ds Max.
If a server cannot find a bitmap image in the path specified in the file, it then
searches the paths listed in its own Bitmaps panel. Only after searching in all
locations will the server fail due to missing maps. If you have followed
instructions in the previous topics (Setting Up Directories on page 7409, Sharing
a Directory on page 7411, and Mounting a Directory on page 7412), then you know
that a common map directory on the network is the best way to proceed. Use
the following steps to properly configure your paths on the machine running
the authorized copy of 3ds Max and on the servers meant for render-only
purposes.
See also:
■

Sharing a Directory on page 7411

■

Mounting a Directory on page 7412

Procedures
To add bitmap paths to the External Files panel from within 3ds Max:
1 Run 3ds Max on a machine running an authorized copy of 3ds Max.
2 Choose Customize ➤ Configure User Paths to open the Configure User
Paths dialog, and then click the External Files tab, if necessary.

7414 | Chapter 18 Rendering

3 Use the Add button to specify the paths (UNC on page 9339 or mounted)
to every directory on the network where bitmap files are stored for
rendering. Make sure you use UNC or mounted directories, even if the
maps are on the local drive.
4 Click OK.
To add bitmap paths to render-only machines using the initialization file:
Use the following steps if you do not want to authorize 3ds Max on the server
machine(s).
1 Install the 3ds Max core software on the server station(s).
2 Copy the 3dsmax.ini on page 42 file from your authorized 3ds Max
workstation to the 3ds Max directory of each of your servers.
If you followed the previous procedure, the copied initialization file contains
information about UNC or mounted directories that stores the required bitmap
files.
NOTE To prevent mishaps, it is usually a good idea to edit the INI file once it is
copied to the server. Remember that the server machine can be configured
differently than your 3ds Max workstation: The drive letter, program directory,
and subdirectories may be different. Use a word processor to edit all entries under
the [Directories] section to match entries of the server machine.
For example:
[Directories]
Fonts=d:\3dsmax\fonts
Scenes=d:\3dsmax\scenes
Import=d:\3dsmax\meshes
Export=d:\3dsmax\meshes
...

Network Job Assignment Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Turn on Net
Render (Render Output group) ➤ Render
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render To Texture dialog ➤ Turn
on Net Render (Render Settings group) ➤ Render

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7415

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Set up a sequence with an Image Output
Event ➤ Turn on Net Render (Output group) ➤ Render
Use the Network Job Assignment dialog to name rendering jobs, specify the
computers that will participate in the rendering, and submit jobs to the
rendering servers.
You can submit as many jobs as you like in a single session. Open each file
you want to render and submit it following the standard procedure. Each job
is placed behind the last one submitted. If you submit a job in which the
frame output name is the same as another job in the queue, a warning dialog
asks you if you want to overwrite the output frames from the other job.
You can divide the work of rendering a single image among any number of
rendering servers. This is particularly useful when rendering a single, extremely
high-resolution image intended for print. To use this feature, turn on the Split
Scan Lines option on page 7420.

Procedures
To use the Network Job Assignment dialog:
The Network Job Assignment dialog is accessible when you turn on the Net
Render toggle. The Net Render toggle can be accessed from three different
dialogs used for rendering.
1 Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render
Output group
2 Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤
Render Settings group
3 Video Post dialog ➤ Execute Sequence ➤ Execute Video Post dialog
➤ Output group
4

In the Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Output group, click the ellipsis
button and then specify an output file name and path using Universal
Naming Convention (UNC) on page 9339. The easiest way to specify a UNC
path is to start with Save In ➤ My Network Places.

5 Turn on Net Render.
6 Click the Render button.
The Network Job Assignment dialog appears.
7 On the Network Job Assignment dialog, specify a job name.

7416 | Chapter 18 Rendering

By default, this is the file name of the current scene. Click the plus (+)
button next to the Job Name field to increment the job name. Unlike the
plus button in the file dialogs, this button does not automatically launch
the job.
NOTE 3ds Max does not let you submit multiple jobs with the same name.
8 Determine whether to find the Manager automatically or manually. By
default, 3ds Max searches automatically for the Manager using a network
mask that you specify in the dialog. Alternatively, turn on Manual Search
and enter the name or IP address of the computer running the Manager
program.
9 Click Connect to continue.
You see a listing of all servers available for network rendering. Each server
is marked with a colored icon to denote its current status:
Green Running and not rendering any jobs.
Yellow Rendering another job. You can assign jobs to busy servers, and
the jobs will be rendered in the order received.
Red Failed. Try rebooting the server or see Troubleshooting on page 7390
for more information on failed servers.
Gray Absent. Verify that the Server is currently running and that it has
not been "Disallowed" in the Week Schedule. See “Scheduling the
Availability of a Render Node Using the Backburner Monitor” in the
Autodesk Backburner User’s Reference.
If a rendering Server is running on a workstation that also has an
interactive session of 3ds Max, you can still select that machine for
rendering. A second copy of 3ds Max is launched to execute the network
render.
You can view statistics of a particular Server by right-clicking its name
and choosing Properties.
10 Determine whether you will use the selected server, all servers, or a group
of servers.
11 Click Submit to send the job to the rendering queue.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7417

Interface

Job Name Provides a field for you to name the job (mandatory). The + button
beside the field adds incremental numbering (Job01, Job02, and so on).
NOTE 3ds Max does not let you submit multiple jobs with the same name.
Description Enter an optional description of the job.

Enter Subnet Mask/Enter Manager Name or IP Address group
Enter Manager Name or IP Address When Automatic Search is turned off,
enter the name of the Network Manager on page 9235 machine or its IP address.

7418 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Enter Subnet Mask When Automatic Search is on, enter a subnet mask for
automatic search. For information on using subnet masks, see Configuring
TCP/IP on page 7400.
Connect/Disconnect Connects to the network Manager. 3ds Max preserves
the connection as a global setting so that you need to change it only when
you want to specify an alternative Manager. If connected to the network
manager, click Disconnect to disconnect from the current manager so you
can choose a different manager.
Automatic Search Determines whether 3ds Max connects to a specific manager
or searches for one using a subnet mask when you click Connect. When off,
3ds Max attempts to connect to the manager you specify in this group. When
on, it searches the network for a manager using the specified subnet mask.
Refresh Updates the Server and Job lists.
By default, all servers are used for the job. When the Options group ➤ Use
All Servers check box is turned off, you can choose one or more servers to
render the job. If rendering to a multiple-frame file format, such as an AVI or
MOV file, you can choose only one server.

Priority group
Priority Specifies a priority ranking for the job. The lower this setting, the
higher the job priority. Default=50.
For example, consider a job with priority 1 (Job B) that is submitted to a
network manager that's already rendering a job with priority 2 (Job A). Because
Job B has a higher priority, Job A will be suspended and Job B rendered. When
Job B is finished, 3ds Max will resume rendering Job A.
If two or more jobs have the same priority, they're executed in order of
submission.
Critical Sends the job to the head of the queue, preempting the existing jobs.
If a server is currently rendering and a critical job is sent to the queue, the
server will stop rendering its current job and begin rendering the new, critical
job. When finished with the critical job, the server returns to the next job it
has been assigned in the queue.
Dependencies Opens the Job Dependencies dialog on page 7424, which you
can use to specify existing jobs that must finish before the current job can
start.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7419

Options group
Enabled Notifications Lets 3ds Max send rendering-related messages via
email. When this is on, its Define button becomes available. For information,
see the Notifications dialog on page 7426 topic.
Define Opens the Notifications dialog, which lets you set notifications
parameters.
Split Scan Lines Lets you subdivide the rendering of each frame among the
rendering servers. This is useful when rendering a single, extremely
high-resolution image intended for printing. For information, see the Strips
Setup dialog on page 7428 topic.
When Split Scan Lines is on, its Define button becomes available.
NOTE This feature does not support Render Elements. Also, it's unavailable when
rendering to textures with projection mapping enabled and Sub-Object Levels on.
Define Opens the Strips Setup dialog, which lets you set parameters for the
Split Scan Lines option.
Ignore Scene Path When off, the server attempts to copy the scene file from
the manager to the server. If the manager is running on Windows 2000
Professional, only 10 servers will copy the file from the manager; any machines
over the limit 10 will use TCP/IP to retrieve the file. When turned on, the
servers get the file via TCP/IP only. Default=off.
Rendered Frame Window During rendering, displays the Rendered Frame
Window on all servers running serverapp.exe (not serversvc.exe). Default=on.
Include Maps Archives the scene, with all of its maps, any inserted Xrefs and
their maps, into a proprietary-format compressed file. The compressed file is
sent to each Server, where it is uncompressed into a temporary directory named
serverjob in the \network subdirectory of 3ds Max and rendered. Default=off.
Use this feature if you have access only to Servers that exist over the Internet
or if you have a slow network setup. It is not meant for heavy production use.
However, if you don't use it, you must first ensure that all network servers
have access to all map and Xref paths referred to in the scene.
Initially Suspended Adds the named job to the queue in an inactive state.
The job is not started until you activate it manually from the Backburner
Monitor. See “Monitoring and Managing Jobs” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s
Guide.

7420 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Server Usage Group
You choose between using all available servers, all servers in a group, or selected
servers. See “Configuring Server Groups” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide
for an explanation of how to set up server groups. In a 3ds Max setup it can
be useful to set up servers in groups. For example, during busy times you can
assign high priority jobs to a group of high performance servers.
Use Selected Uses only the servers that you have highlighted in the Server
list.
Use Group Uses all of the servers in a group.
TIP Note that the servers are assigned to a group in the Autodesk Backburner
monitor.
Group drop-down list Choose the group of servers that you want to use for
your render.
Use All Servers Uses all Servers in the active Server group for rendering the
job. Available only after you submit a multi-frame rendering job.

Path File Group
Use Alternate Path File Allows you to specify an alternate path file in the
MXP format that rendering servers can use to find bitmaps that are not found
on the primary map paths. When on, you can manually enter the path and
file name in the field below the check box, or click the ellipsis button and
browse to the MXP file.
NOTE Create MXP files with Configure User Paths on page 8872.

Status group
Displays text messages describing the current status of the job assignment.

Server list
The Server list, located on the upper-right side of the Network Job Assignment
dialog, displays all network rendering servers on page 9237 registered with the
network manager after you connect to the manager. There are two types of
tabs in the Server list:
■

All ServersLists all of the available servers that can be used for your render.
When this tab and Use All Servers are enabled, all servers will be used to
render the job.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7421

■

[group name]Lists all of the servers assigned to a group. When this tab and
Use Group are enabled, all servers listed on the tab will be used to render
the job.

NOTE If a server is unavailable it will be skipped and the next available server will
be used.
If more groups are available than can fit in the space above the list, arrow
buttons for scrolling the group list horizontally appear above the list's top-right
corner. Click these arrow buttons to scroll the list left or right to view
additional group tabs.
By default, each Server is marked with a colored status icon:
■

GreenRunning and not rendering any jobs.

■

YellowRendering another job. You can assign jobs to busy Servers, and the
jobs will be rendered in the order received.

■

RedFailed. Try rebooting the Server or see Troubleshooting on page 7390 for
more information on failed Servers.

■

GrayAbsent. Verify that the network Server is currently running and that
it has not been "Disallowed" in the Backburner Monitor. See “Launching
the Backburner Monitor” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide for
information on viewing activities in the monitor.

NOTE You can change the height of the server list window relative to the job list
window below it by dragging the partition vertically.

Server list right-click menu
By default, servers are listed by name only. To see more information about a
server, right-click its name in the list. A menu appears with these options:
Properties Displays the Server Properties dialog, which shows aspects of the
server hardware and operating system, including memory and disk space.
All Server Details This toggle, when on, displays all details about each server
to the right of its name. When off, restores the last saved set of partial server
details unless the last saved set was All Server Details, in which case it restores
the default set: name only. See the following item for the list of available
details.

7422 | Chapter 18 Rendering

NOTE You can see more details by scrolling the list with the horizontal scroll bar
at the bottom, or by widening the dialog by dragging its right side with the mouse.
Partial Server Details Opens the Set Server Property Tabs dialog, which lets
you specify which details are shown in the Server list. The dialog provides
check boxes for turning on and off the display of these details:
■

Status: See Server list on page 7421 for status details.

■

Number of CPUs

■

Total Physical Memory - in bytes

■

Operating System

■

Work Disk Space - in megabytes

■

Historical Performance Index - see note below

■

Handle - a hexadecimal identification number for the machine

■

User - current user name

NOTE The Historical Performance Index value, listed under the Perf. Index heading
in the Server list window, offers information on the relative speed of the listed
servers. The fastest machine is rated at 1.0, while the other servers are rated as
fractions of the fastest. A machine whose average is twice as long would receive
a 0.5 index. Each machine is rated by measuring the time it takes to complete
each frame, and the accumulated time is divided by the number of frames, resulting
in the average time per frame, in seconds.
Several factors can affect a machine's performance. CPU power isn't necessarily
a concern when large file transfers are involved. For example, if a certain job
uses several map files from a centralized server, the performance of the network
throughput plays a much larger part than CPU performance, as most machines
will spend the majority of the time reading maps. On the other hand, if the
machine has all maps locally it will have a huge advantage (local access versus
network access) regardless of which CPU it is using. The performance index
provides you with information regarding your servers' rendering performance
to help analyze your network rendering setup and better distribute the
workload.

Job list
The job list, located on the lower-right side of the Network Job Assignment
dialog, displays all jobs submitted to the network manager. Also shown are
each job's priority, status, and output file path.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7423

To change job settings and manage jobs, use the Backburner Monitor. See
“Modifying Job Settings” and “Monitoring and Managing Jobs” in the Autodesk
Backburner User’s Guide.

_____
Advanced Opens the Advanced Settings dialog on page 7431, where you can
make settings for Per-Job Timeouts, TCP port number, Pre-Render MAXScripts
and Job Handling.
Submit Click Submit to exit this dialog and send the current job to the
Network Manager, which places it in the queue for rendering.
When you submit a rendering job, if the output file name to be used by the
job is the same as that used by an existing job, you're asked if you want to
overwrite the existing file(s). Also, if the name of the submitted job replicates
one already in the rendering queue, an alert notifies you; click OK, change
the job name, and submit it again.
NOTE Submitting a job creates a folder for the job on the manager machine in
the \Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network\jobs\ folder. In that folder is a
compressed file with a .maz extension containing the scene file. You can extract
the scene from the command prompt using the maxunzip.exe program, found in
the 3ds Max program directory. For example, to extract a file named testfile.maz,
assuming 3ds Max is installed in a folder named \Autodesk 3ds Max 2011\, open
the command prompt, navigate to the \Program
Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network\jobs folder, and enter this: “\Program
Files\Autodesk\Autodesk 3ds Max 2011\maxunzip” testfile.maz. You must
specify the .maz file-name extension; otherwise you'll get an error message.
Cancel Discards changes and exits the dialog.

Job Dependencies Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Turn on Net
Render (Render Output group). ➤ Render ➤ Network Job Assignment dialog
➤ Connect to a Manager. ➤ Priority group ➤ Dependencies
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render To Texture dialog ➤ Turn
on Net Render (Render Settings group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job Assignment
dialog ➤ Connect to a Manager. ➤ Priority group ➤ Dependencies
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Set up a sequence with an Image Output
Event ➤ Turn on Net Render (Output group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job

7424 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Assignment dialog ➤ Connect to a Manager. ➤ Priority group ➤
Dependencies
This dialog lets you specify jobs that shouldn't begin rendering until other
jobs finish. Use the two lists and the Add and Remove buttons to build a list
of jobs that must finish rendering before the current job can start.

Interface

Existing Jobs list Lists all previously submitted jobs. To specify a dependency
for the current job, add one or more of these to the Jobs Your Job Depends
On list.
Add Select one or more jobs your job is to depend on, and then click Add to
add them to the Jobs Your Job Depends On list.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7425

Add All Adds all jobs in the Existing Jobs list to the Jobs Your Job Depends
On list.
Remove Removes highlighted jobs from the Jobs Your Job Depends On list.
Remove All Removes all jobs from the Jobs Your Job Depends On list.
Jobs Your Job Depends On list Lists all previously submitted jobs. To specify
a dependency for the current job, add one or more of these to the Jobs Your
Job Depends On list.

Notifications Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Turn on Net
Render (Render Output group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job Assignment dialog
➤ Options group ➤ Turn on Enabled Notifications. ➤ Define
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render To Texture dialog ➤ Turn
on Net Render (Render Settings group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job Assignment
dialog ➤ Options group ➤ Turn on Enabled Notifications. ➤ Define
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Set up a sequence with an Image Output
Event ➤ Turn on Net Render (Output group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job
Assignment dialog ➤ Options group ➤ Turn on Enabled Notifications. ➤
Define
This dialog lets a network rendering job send notifications via email. Such
notifications can be useful when you launch a lengthy render, such as an
animation, and don't care to spend all your time near the network manager
system.
See also:
■

“Configuring Backburner Log Files” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide

7426 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Categories group
Notify Progress Triggers a notification to indicate rendering progress. A
notification is triggered every time the number of frames specified in Every
Nth Frame has completed rendering. Default=off.
Every Nth Frame The number of frames used by Notify Progress. Default=1.
Notify Failures Sends an email notification only if something occurs to prevent
the completion of a rendering. Default=on.
Notify Completion Sends an email notification when a rendering job is
complete. Default=on.

Email Options group
Send Email Notifies via email.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7427

Include Summary Includes a summary of the network rendering progress
with the notification email. Available only when Send Email is turned on.
From Enter the email address of the person who initiates the rendering job.
To Enter the email address of the person who needs to know the rendering
status.
SMTP Server Enter the numeric IP address of the system you use as a mail
server.

Strips Setup Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Common tab
➤ Turn on Net Render (Render Output group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job
Assignment dialog ➤ Options group ➤ Turn on Split Scan Lines. ➤ Define
The Strips Setup dialog lets you specify how to split up the rendering of a
single, large image among several different servers on the network. 3ds Max
automatically subdivides the rendering based on settings you provide, and
then fits the pieces together into the final image.
NOTE A version of this feature was known as Region Net Render in versions of
3ds Max prior to version 8.

Procedures
To render a large image with a networked render farm:
1 Set up a scene to render.
2 Set up your system for network rendering on page 7368.
3 From the Rendering menu, choose Render Setup.
The Render Setup dialog opens, with the Common tab active.
4 In the Output Size group, specify the size to render.
5 In the Render Output group, specify an output file name and location,
and turn on Net Render.
6 Click the Render button.
The Network Job Assignment dialog appears.
7 In the Options group, turn on Split Scan Lines, and then click Define.

7428 | Chapter 18 Rendering

The Strips Setup dialog appears. The dialog displays the output resolution,
and lets you determine how to split up the rendering job by specifying
the number of horizontal strips into which the image will be subdivided.
8 Specify the vertical size of each strip in pixels or as a percentage of the
total image height, or set the number of strips. Changing one also changes
the other.
9 Set the overlap in pixels or as a percentage.
Using overlap isn't always necessary, but if you notice anomalies where
the strips meet, increase this value.
10 Connect to the manager, specify a job name, choose one or more servers
on which to render, and then click Submit.
The job is sent to the network rendering manager, which supervises the
network rendering job. The job consists of first rendering each slice, and
then combining, or “stitching,” the slices into the final image.
11 Monitor the job via the Backburner Monitor. See “Monitoring and
Managing Jobs” in the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide.
Rendering and stitching passes are designated “Slice Pass” and “Stitch
Pass,” respectively. When all slices are finished, the job status will be
Complete.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7429

Interface

Output Resolution This read-only field displays the horizontal and vertical
resolution of the final image, in pixels.
Strip Height Sets the height of each horizontal strip in pixels or as a percentage
of the total height. Default=10 percent of the total image height, in pixels.
This setting is interdependent with and inversely proportional to the Number
Of Strips setting; increase one, and 3ds Max decreases the other.
Number of Strips Sets the number of horizontal strips to be rendered by the
available servers. Default=10.
The value determines the maximum number of machines to which the job
can be farmed out. For example, if you use the default setting of 10 strips, the
job can be performed by 10 machines at most. In that case, assuming equal
performance of all 10, rendering would take approximately one-tenth the
time required by one machine.

7430 | Chapter 18 Rendering

TIP For optimal results with render farms that comprise machines of different
speeds, use a value high enough that the job can be completed most efficiently.
For example, consider a two-server network with one machine four times as fast
as the other. If you set Number Of Strips to 2, the job won't be finished until the
slower machine renders its half of the final image. But if you set Number Of Strips
to 4, the faster machine can render three of the strips while the slower machine
renders one, effectively halving the total render time.
This setting is interdependent with and inversely proportional to the Strip
Height setting; increase one, and 3ds Max decreases the other.
Overlap Set the amount by which each strip overlaps the adjoining one(s).
You can set this in pixels or as a percentage of the final image height.
A certain amount of overlap is necessary to compensate for image artifacts
created by antialiasing and render effects. If you notice anomalies where the
image slices meet, try increasing the Overlap setting.
Pixels/Percentage Determines whether the Strip Height and Overlap settings
represent pixels or a percentage of the final image height. Choosing a different
option automatically changes the two values accordingly.
Delete Temporary Images Upon Completion Deletes the “slice” images after
the final image is created. Default=off.

Advanced Settings Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Render Setup ➤ Render Setup dialog ➤ Render Output
group> Turn on Net Render ➤ Render ➤ Network Job Assignment dialog
➤ Advanced
Rendering menu ➤ Render To Texture ➤ Render To Texture dialog ➤ Turn
on Net Render (Render Settings group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job Assignment
dialog ➤ Advanced
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Set up a sequence with an Image Output
Event ➤ Turn on Net Render (Output group) ➤ Render ➤ Network Job
Assignment dialog ➤ Advanced
The Advanced Settings dialog lets you set job timeouts on a per-job basis,
assign the TCP port number, specify pre-render scripts and affect job handling
and archive settings.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7431

Interface

Per Job Timouts Group
Enable Turns on the ability to set timeouts on a per-job basis. The remaining
settings in this group become available only when Enable is turned on.
Wait for MAX to Load Specifies the amount of time after a job is submitted
that the Manager waits for a server to report that it received the frame and is

7432 | Chapter 18 Rendering

rendering. If this value is exceeded, an error message is logged for a failed
frame, and the frame is assigned to a different server.
Wait for MAX to Render Specifies the amount of time the manager waits
between when a server reports that it has started and finished rendering a
frame. If a server exceeds the specified value, it is flagged as "failed" by the
manager, and no more frames from that job are sent to it.
Wait for MAX to Unload When a job is complete, the manager tells the server
to unload 3ds Max, then waits for a reply from the server saying 3ds Max is
down and it's ready for a new job. This spinner specifies the amount of time
the Manager will wait for the Server to reply to this notification. If a server
exceeds the specified value, it is flagged as "failed" by the manager, and no
more frames are sent to it.

Connection to Manager group
Use this setting to specify the Manager for this job.
TCP Port Number Specifies the port number of the Manager to which this
job is to report.
Submit Job As radio button Specifies which platform your scene is rendered
on. Use this button when you want to render your scene on a different platform
(either 32- or 64-bit) from the platform where you created your scene. This is
particularly useful in situations where you are working on a given platform
which differs from the platform of the render farm. The most consistent results
are achieved when you submit jobs are created and rendered on the same
platform.
NOTE This is an advanced option provided to accommodate specific render farm
configurations. By default this option is set to the most compatible platform that
avoids rendering to platforms where data-loss may result.

Server Assignment Limit
Enable Limit Sets the maximum number of servers that will be allocated for
a specific job. This limit can be overridden with the Use Server Limit field in
the Backburner Manager General Properties dialog , so that the administrator
of a render farm can control job sharing globally.
MAX server count Specifies the number of servers.

Network Job Assignment Dialog | 7433

Job Handling group
Enable Task Blocking Allows the job to override the task blocking set in the
Manager. Some jobs will have their frames processed more efficiently if task
blocking is turned off. Default=on.
Override Global Settings This switch lets you override job archiving settings
made in the Backburner Manager General Properties dialog. It lets you set the
archive settings for the job about to be submitted. When Override Global
Settings is turned on, the After Job Is Successfully Completed options become
active. Default=off.
NOTE Any setting made while Override Global Settings is turned on, remains
active from one 3ds Max session to the next. For example, if you choose to leave
jobs in the queue, submit the job and exit 3ds Max, the setting will be active when
you choose to submit jobs in the future.
After job is successfully completed These options choose the archive settings
when Override Global Settings is turned on.
■

Do Nothing Tells the network manager to leave the job in the queue
without deleting it or archiving it.
You might use Do Nothing if you are submitting a job that might need to
be re-rendered at a higher resolution without making any other changes
to the scene.

■

Delete It Upon completion, the job is deleted from the queue.
If the scene you're network rendering is just a test shot and you're just
doing a quick test of the scene, you don't really want to keep the job in
the queue once it's completed. Before you submit the job, choose Delete
It.

■

Delete After X day(s) Deletes the job after the specified number of days.
Default=7.

■

Archive It Archives the job when the rendering is complete. Default=on.
Archiving is useful when you submit a final version of the scene and you
know that there won't be any more changes to the scene. Before you submit
the job, choose Archive It.

■

Archive After X day(s) Archives the job after the specified number of days.
Default=4.

_____
Defaults Returns all settings to their defaults.

7434 | Chapter 18 Rendering

OK Accepts any changes and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without saving changes.

Manager and Server
The topics in this section describe how to set up and use the network Manager
and Server systems.

Initial Setup for Manager and Server Programs
The files necessary for network rendering are copied to the Backburner root
directory when you install 3ds Max. Two of these files, manager.exe and
server.exe, require initialization before they can be run. Set up the Manager
program first, then the Server. When you're finished, you can start network
rendering. After setup, you can run both Manager and Server as services by
installing managersvc.exe and serversvc.exe, respectively.
You need to initialize only one machine as network Manager. This can be any
machine on the network, and can be used on a machine running the Server,
3ds Max, or both.
You need to initialize every machine used as a rendering Server. This is done
once to establish the connection between the rendering Server and the network
Manager.
The Manager and Server programs can be run in application mode as explained
in the procedures that follow, or as Windows 2000 or XP services, in which
case they run in the background and provide less feedback on the progression
of the rendering job. To learn more about installing these programs as services,
see Installing Network Services on page 7437.
Initialization is done only once for each service. Each initialization process
creates or updates the following:
■

A subdirectory called \Network under the Backburner root directory,
containing several further subdirectories, including \Jobs, \Servers, and
\ServerJob. By default, the Backburner directory is called Backburner, and is
found in the \Program Files\Autodesk\ directory.

■

A file with initialization parameters (backburner.xml).

■

A log file that keeps track of what the services do (backburner.log).

Manager and Server | 7435

Next Step
Starting Network Rendering on page 7385

Procedures
To initialize the Manager program:

■

Run the Manager program from the Start menu ➤ Programs
➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner menu.
The first time you launch the Manager, it creates the backburner.xml file,
which stores the manager configuration settings.

The Backburner Manager General Properties dialog also appears the first time
you run Manager. In most cases, you can safely proceed by accepting the
default settings and clicking OK. Thereafter, you can modify the configuration
settings by choosing Edit menu ➤ General Settings to open the General
Properties dialog. For the new settings to take effect, you need to close the
manager and restart it.
The settings in the General Properties dialog are described in depth in
Backburner Manager General Properties Dialog on page 7445.
To initialize the Server program:

1 Run the
Network Rendering Server program from the Start menu
➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner menu.
The first time you run Server, its General Properties dialog appears.
2 By default, the Subnet Mask field is set to 255.255.255.0 with the
Automatic Search option turned on. In most cases, you should leave this
option on. Backburner detects the machine acting as the manager.
At this point, do not make any other changes in the Backburner Server
General Properties dialog. Settings in the this dialog are described in detail
in Backburner Server General Properties Dialog on page 7453.
3 Click OK on the Backburner Server General Properties dialog to save the
current configuration.

7436 | Chapter 18 Rendering

4 The Server starts, and attempts to connect to a Manager automatically.
If no Manager is found on the network, the Server times out and reports
that the Manager is not responding.
5 If the Server eventually fails to connect to the Manager:
■

Check the subnet mask setting in your TCP/IP network configuration.
If it is set to something other than 255.255.255.0, in the Server
application, go to Edit menu ➤ General Settings, in the dialog, set
the subnet mask to match it and click OK. You will need to shut down
the Server application and restart it for the changes to take effect.

■

If you do not want the Server to connect automatically or the Server
will not connect automatically to the Manager, go to Edit menu ➤
General Settings and turn off Automatic Search. Click in the Manager
Name Or IP Address field and enter the name or IP address of the
workstation running Manager, and then click OK. You will need to
shut down the Server application and restart it for the changes to take
effect.
This updates the backburner.xml on page 7442 file, which now stores
the Server configuration settings. The next time the Server is run, the
application is launched and the configuration settings are used.

This completes Server initialization.

Installing Network Services
This topic describes how to install the network Manager and network Server
as network services under Windows 2000 or XP.
Start by doing the following:
1 Run the Application versions of the Manager and Server to properly
configure the applications and make your rendering network operational.
2 Use your network in production so you are sure it is running reliably.
Do not proceed unless these conditions are met.
Installing the network Manager and rendering Servers as Windows 2000 or
XP services allows background rendering and is convenient, but it also means
that you have less information on the rendering server’s screen about problems
when they occur. This is why your network needs to be running smoothly
before taking this step. Running the Manager and Server as services does not
change the information shown in the Queue Monitor.

Manager and Server | 7437

In the procedures that follow, the Manager and Server services are installed
and registered under Windows 2000 or XP. This installation replaces the use
of application mode (running the Manager and Server manually each time
you want to use them). The services are started automatically every time you
boot the computer, but can also be set for manual startup. The \Network
subdirectory and initialization and LOG files from application mode remain
in place, but the services operate under Windows 2000 or XP instead of in a
separate process.
You can run the Manager and Server as services directly from a Command
Prompt window or the Run dialog using the -i switch (install as a service).
Then go to Services and start the Manager and/or Server, or reboot.
To remove the Manager or Server once it has been installed as a service, you
must run 3ds Max directly from a Command Prompt window or the Run
dialog using the -r switch (remove service).
See also:
■

Creating a Special User Account on page 7407

Procedures
To set up the Manager as a service:
1 Go to the machine on which you will install the Manager as a service.
2 Open a Command Prompt window and change the directory to the
Backburner root directory: for example, \Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\.
3 Type managersvc -i
The following message should be displayed:
Backburner Manager ... Service Installed
4 Go to Windows Control Panel ➤ Administrative Tools ➤ Services,
right-click Backburner Manager, and choose Start.
If you choose Properties from the right-click menu, you can also set users,
passwords, and other parameters.
To set up the Server as a service:
1 Go to the machine on which you will install the Server as a service.
2 Open a Command Prompt window and change the directory to the
Backburner root directory.

7438 | Chapter 18 Rendering

3 Type serversvc -i
The following message should be displayed:
Backburner Server ... Service Installed
4 Go to Windows Control Panel ➤ Administrative Tools ➤ Services,
right-click Backburner Server, and choose Start.
If you choose Properties from the right-click menu, you can also set users,
passwords, and other parameters.
5 Repeat these steps on every machine on which you want to set up Server
as a service.

Logging Properties Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Manager
or Server ➤ Edit menu ➤ Log Settings
The Logging Properties dialog lets you specify the types of messages that appear
in the list window on the Manager or Server window and those that are sent
to a log file. Each type of log message is explained below.

Log Message Types
Error
Fatal errors that halt a server's rendering of a job. These errors are preceded
by a red "ERR" in the Manager or Server list window, and include the following:
■

Failed Renderings and Frame Errors (caused by missing bitmaps, missing
texture coordinates, invalid output directory, etc.)

■

Manager not found

■

Error registering server(s)

■

Error writing output file

■

Error Starting 3ds Max

■

Loading timeouts
NOTE You can see a more detailed explanation for server failure in the Queue
Monitor's Server list window.

Manager and Server | 7439

Warning
Non-fatal warning information. These errors are preceded by a brown "WRN"
in the Manager or Server list window, and include the following:
■

Manager and/or Servers shutting down

■

Server(s) flagged as failed

■

Loading timeout set too low

■

Rendering timeout set too low

Info
General information about the current status of the Manager or Server. These
errors are preceded by a aqua "INF" in the Manager or Server list window, and
include the following:
■

Booting Network Manager/Server

■

Connection to Server(s)

■

Registration to Manager

■

Job Submitted

■

Job Received

■

Frame Complete

Debug and Debug Extended
Detailed information about TCP/IP packets and the current state of the
Manager and Server. Debug Extended provides a more verbose listing than
Debug. When in doubt, use both. These messages are preceded by a blue "DBG"
in the Manager or Server list window, and include the following:
■

TCP/IP Packets sent and received

■

TCP/IP Packet collection

■

Command Line Arguments used to launch 3ds Max

■

Frames Assigned

■

Log files creation and sent

■

Assignment Threads

7440 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Log To Screen group
The Log To Screen options determine which types of messages are displayed
in the list window of the Manager or Server window.
Turn on each type of message that you want to be displayed. Error, Warning,
and Info are on by default.

Log To File group
The Log To File options determine which messages saved to log files. These
are the same messages that appear on the screen. Turn on any of the following
categories to save it in a log file. When any one of these categories is turned
on, a manager.log file or server.log file is created in your \network directory.
Error, Warning, and Info are on by default.
Buffer Limit Specifies the maximum size of the buffer holding the messages.
Clear Log Clears the buffer holding the messages in the list window.
Clear Log File Deletes the associated manager.log and/or server.log file.

Manager and Server | 7441

WARNING Log files are cleared only when you click the Clear Log File button.
When categories are enabled for either or both log files, the files will continue to
grow in size each time you render.

The backburner.xml File
When you run the Manager, Server, or Queue Monitor application, or access
the Network Job Assignment dialog, these programs create or update an
initialization file named backburner.xml in the \Network subdirectory of the
Backburner directory.
You can change most of the settings in the backburner.xml file using the
Manager Properties dialog on page 7445 and Server Properties dialog on page
7453.
You can change the parameters listed here only by editing the XML file in a
text editing application, such as Notepad. Do so only if you are experiencing
network problems with the network renderer.
Make sure the Manager and Server applications are shut down (or services
uninstalled) before editing the backburner.xml file. The changes will take place
when the Manager and/or Server are restarted.

backburner.xml
■

MaxBlockSizeLocated under the  heading, this value is the
maximum size of a data packet sent when transferring large blocks, such
as projects. For slow connections like modems, it uses a smaller packet
size, for example, 1024.

■

Acknowledgment TimeoutLocated under the  heading as
AckTimeout, this value is the amount of time (in seconds) that the system
will wait for an acknowledgment of commands (like Ping) sent back and
forth between the Manager and Server. Default=20 seconds.

■

Acknowledgment RetriesLocated under the  heading as
AckRetries, this value determines how many times the sender retries if no
acknowledgment is received. The default is six tries. After that, the machine
is considered down and is put off-line.

7442 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Network Rendering Manager
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤
Manager application
The application version of the network rendering Manager provides a graphical
user interface for control and monitoring purposes. It runs as a foreground
process on your desktop, and remains active unless specifically shut down.
Its components include a menu bar, list window, and status bar.
Once you initially set up the Manager using the application version, you can
run it as a service from then on. The service version provides no user interface,
but once it's installed as a service and started, it's always available when the
system is booted. Whichever version you use, you can monitor and control
the rendering queue and system with the Queue Monitor on page 7455.
To start the Manager service, execute the following from a Command Prompt
window or the Start menu ➤ Run function:
“[drive letter]:\Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\managersvc.exe” -i
Replace "[drive letter]" with the letter of the drive Backburner is installed on.
If you used a different install path, change the command line accordingly.
Then either reboot the computer or go to Control Panel ➤ Administrative
Tools ➤ Services and start the service. Thereafter the service will remain
resident and active, even surviving reboots.
NOTE When you run the Manager program, you might see this warning message:
“Job share not defined.” This happens if neither the 3ds Max folder nor the drive
on which it resides is shared on page 7411. Normally, the servers copy files to be
network rendered from the source machine using standard Windows file-copy
routines, which require sharing to be in effect. If sharing is not in effect, the
manager issues the warning, and then the servers use TCP/IP to copy the files. To
avoid getting the warning message, you can implement sharing, but it's not really
necessary.
To remove the manager service from memory, execute the following from a
Command Prompt window or the Start menu ➤ Run function:
“[drive letter]:\Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\managersvc.exe” -r

Manager and Server | 7443

TIP You can run multiple Managers on the same network. This is especially useful
when using many rendering Servers, to lessen the burden on individual Managers.
When using multiple Managers, it is best to turn off Automatic Search on the
rendering servers and specify a Manager to which to connect, otherwise the
rendering servers will connect to the first Manager they find.

Interface

Menu bar
The menu bar provides access to the functions available in the Network
Rendering Manager application.

File menu
Close Closes the window and minimizes the application to the taskbar tray.
The application remains active when you close it with this menu item or the
close box (X) in the upper-right corner.
Shutdown Quits the application and removes it from memory.

Edit menu
General Settings Opens the Backburner Manager General Properties dialog
on page 7445.
Log Settings Opens the Backburner Manager Logging Properties dialog on
page 7439, which lets you filter the types of messages to appear in the list
window, and specify whether the messages are sent to the list window or a
log file.

7444 | Chapter 18 Rendering

View menu
Status Bar Toggles the display of the status bar, which appears at the bottom
of the Server window. When on, a check mark appears next to this menu item.
Default=on.
Font Size Lets you choose the size of text that appears in the list window.
Choices range from Smallest to Largest.
Autoscroll List Toggles automatic scrolling of the list window. When on, new
items that appear in the list window cause previous contents to scroll up.
When off, you must scroll the window manually to see the latest entries after
it fills up. Default=on.

Help menu
About Manager Displays information about the Manager program, including
version and copyright.

List Window
This area of the Manager interface lists different types of information regarding
the current status of the Manager. Depending on the selections made in the
Logging Properties dialog on page 7439, messages are displayed alerting the user,
for example, to the following:
■

Connection and registration between the Manager and Server(s)

■

New job assignments

■

Which machine is the queue controller (that is, running Queue Monitor)

■

Frames assigned/rendered

■

Acknowledge packets sent between the Manager and Server(s)

■

Manager/Server(s) shutting down

■

Any rendering errors encountered
This information can be filtered using the Logging Properties dialog on
page 7439.

Manager General Properties Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Manager
➤ Edit menu ➤ General Settings ➤ General Properties dialog

Manager and Server | 7445

The Manager Properties dialog contains the configuration settings for the
Network Manager. The default settings should work in most cases, but certain
situations may require adjustments. The information specified in the Manager
Properties dialog is written to and contained in backburner.xml (in the \Network
subdirectory). If you run the Manager and the backburner.xml file does not
exist, you're prompted to configure it with this dialog. When configuration
is complete, click OK to run the Manager.

Interface

7446 | Chapter 18 Rendering

TCP/IP group
The two spinners in the TCP/IP group box specify the port numbers to be used
by the Manager and Servers. These numbers must be unique, but every Server
must have the same number.
Manager Port Specifies the port number used by the network Manager.
Server Port Specifies the port number used by the network Server(s).
NOTE Port numbers are like extensions for different users of the same phone
number. They represent two channels of communication between the Server and
the Manager. Only a trained network administrator should change these settings.

General group
Max(imum) Concurrent Assignments Specifies the number of jobs the
Manager sends out at once. This number is dependent upon the speed of the
processor on the Manager machine, the size of the jobs being sent out, and
the speed of the network system. Generally, a default value of 4 is adequate.
You may want to decrease the value in case the jobs are huge and you have
a modest setup. Similarly, you may want to increase this value if you have a
high-end setup and the jobs are small. Be aware that too high a value may
result in an increased number of timeouts because the jobs are sent faster than
the Servers can handle them. In such a case, decrease the value or leave it at
the default.
User Server Limit Sets the maximum number of servers that will be allocated
for a specific job. This feature overrides the server limit settings in the 3ds
Max Advanced Settings Dialog on page 7431.
Task Error Limit Defines the number of times a server will retry a task before
suspending the task. This option is available only in the Manager General
Properties dialog.

Failed Servers group
This option allows the Manager to automatically restart Servers that have
failed jobs.
Restart Failed Servers Activate to enable automatic Server restarting. If this
option is turned off, the Server will not attempt to render the job again after
the first failure. Default=on.
Number of Retries Specifies the number of times the Manager attempts to
restart a failed Server. Default=3. Range=1 to 1024.

Manager and Server | 7447

Seconds Between Retries The time, in seconds, between each retry.
Default=30.
NOTE The state of a Server is kept on a per-job basis. If Restarts Failed Servers is
turned on, the Manager keeps track of when a Server fails a particular job. The
Manager regularly goes through the list of Servers for that job, checking for failures.
If one is found, the Manager checks how long it has been since it failed. If the time
elapsed is greater than the specified Seconds Between Retries, the Manager
decreases the Number of Retries by one and resets the failed flag from the Server.
If a Server fails repeatedly on a specific job (failures are monitored on a per-job
basis), the failure count reaches the specified Number of Retries, and the
Manager stops trying to restart that Server for that particular job. If, on the
other hand, a Server restarts and completes a frame, it is flagged as active and
resumes rendering until the job is complete.

Direct Access To Jobs Path group
Job paths can be useful when dealing with situations where it's not conducive
to have jobs placed on the manager system. Such situations might be as follows:
■

You have a lack of drive space on the C: drive where Backburner is installed.
Drive D: has plenty of space so you set up a folder called MyJobs where jobs
will be placed when submitted. Enter a UNC path such as
\\machinename\MyJobs.

■

You're running a large render farm that causes a lot of network traffic on
the manager system that you use concurrently to build models. To alleviate
the traffic, you set up a shared job folder, backburnerJobs for example, on
a file server that is separate from the manager system. The UNC job path
would be set to \\fileserver\backburnerJobs and jobs you submit will be placed
on the file server.

Use Jobs Path Turning on this switch allows you to define the location of
jobs to be somewhere other than on the manager machine. This tells the
render servers to get the job files from the new location, therefore minimizing
the file I/O traffic on the manager.
Win32 Path Enter the path where jobs are located into this field or click the
Browse button to the right to search your system for the job location.
Unix Path This field functions the same as the Win32 path except you can
enter a Unix path structure.

7448 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Default Job Handling group
The settings in the Default Job Handling group allow a user to archive a
completed job to a specified location after x number of days, delete a completed
job after x number of days or just leave the job indefinitely in the queue.
Using these controls lets you maintain the job queue, clearing completed jobs
that can cause excess overhead and stress to the manager system, thus
instigating performance problems. The archiving functionality allows you to
automatically store files used for completed jobs.
NOTE These settings can be overridden from the Advanced Settings dialog on
page 7431 accessed from the Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415.
Do Nothing When turned on, a completed job is left in the queue.
Use this switch if you are submitting a job that may need to be re-rendered
at a higher resolution without making any other changes to the scene.
Delete It Upon completion, the job is deleted from the queue when this switch
is turned on.
If the scene you're rendering is just a test shot and you're just doing a quick
test of the scene, you don't really want to keep the job in the queue once it's
completed.
Delete After ... Day(s) Upon completion, the job is kept in the queue for the
specified number of days. Once the number of days are exceeded, the job is
then deleted from the queue.
Archive It When turned on, the job is archived when the rendering is
complete. Default=on.
Archiving is useful when you submit a final version of the scene and you know
that there won't be any further changes.
Archive After ... Day(s) Upon completion, the job is kept in the queue for
the specified number of days. Once the number of days are exceeded, the job
is archived.

Network Rendering Server
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Server
The application version of the network rendering Server provides a graphical
user interface for control and monitoring purposes. It runs as a foreground
process on your desktop, and remains active unless specifically shut down.
Its components include a menu bar, list window, and status bar.

Manager and Server | 7449

Once you initially set up the server using the application version, you can run
it as a service from then on. The service version provides no user interface,
but once it's installed as a service and started, it's always available when you
boot the system. Whichever version you use, you can monitor and control
the rendering queue and system with the Queue Monitor on page 7455.
To start the server service, execute the following from a Command Prompt
window or the Start menu ➤ Run function:
“[drive letter]:\Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\serversvc.exe” -i
Replace "[drive letter]" with the letter of the drive Backburner is installed on.
If you used a different install path, change the command line accordingly.
Then either reboot the computer or go to Control Panel ➤ Administrative
Tools ➤ Services and start the service. Thereafter the service will remain
resident and active, even surviving reboots.
NOTE In order for the rendering servers to be able to save the frames to the
specified location, set the logon for the installed service to a user name and
password that exists on the network. Also, that user name must have sufficient
read/write permissions to get the required bitmaps and xrefs for the scene to
render as well as write the frames to specified location.
To remove the server service from memory, execute the following from a
Command Prompt window or the Start menu ➤ Run function:
“[drive letter]:\Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\serversvc.exe” -r

Procedures
To start/stop the server service upon logoff/logon:
If you work on a computer that's part of a render farm, you probably don't
want the computer to be available for rendering while you're using it. By
following this procedure, you can have the computer automatically turn off
the server service while you're logged on, and turn it back on when you log
off.
1 Install the Backburner Server as a service that starts automatically at
startup, as described above. This is the default setup for the server service.
You'll start by creating two batch files.
2 Open a text editor such as Notepad and enter the following line:
net start backburner_srv_200

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3 Save this as a text file named Netstart_BB_Server.bat.
4 Create a new file containing the following line:
net stop backburner_srv_200

5 Save this as a text file named Netstop_BB_Server.bat.
Next, you'll to edit the logon and logoff policy for the system.
6 Go to the Windows Start menu, choose the Run command, and enter
gpedit.msc.
The Group Policy dialog appears. It lets you edit and manage the Group
Policy for the system.
7 In the dialog, expand User Configuration ➤ Windows Settings, and then
click Scripts (Logon/Logoff).
The right-hand pane lists Logon and Logoff.
8 In the right pane, right-click Logon and choose Properties.
9 In the Properties dialog, click Add, click Browse, and browse to the
Netstop_BB_Server.bat file you created. Click OK twice to close the Logon
Properties dialog.
10 Similarly, open the Properties dialog for Logoff and specify the
Netstart_BB_Server.bat file.
11 Close the Group Policy dialog.
You have now set up the system to stop the Backburner service at any
user logon, and to start it at any user logoff.

Manager and Server | 7451

Interface

Menu bar
The menu bar provides access to the functions available in the Network
Rendering Server application.

File menu
Close Closes the window and minimizes the application to the taskbar tray.
The application remains active when you close it with this menu item or the
close box (X) in the upper-right corner.
Shutdown Quits the application and removes it from memory.

Edit menu
General Settings Opens the Network Server General Properties dialog on page
7453.
Log Settings Opens the Network Server Logging Properties dialog on page 7439,
which lets you filter the types of messages to appear in the list window, and
specify whether the messages will be sent to the list window, a log file, or
both.

View menu
Status Bar Toggles the display of the status bar, which appears at the bottom
of the Server window. When on, a check mark appears next to this menu item.
Default=on.

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Font Size Lets you choose the size of text that appears in the list window.
Choices range from Smallest to Largest.
Autoscroll List Toggles automatic scrolling of the list window. When on, new
items that appear in the list window cause previous contents to scroll up.
When off, you must scroll the window manually to see the latest entries after
it fills up. Default=on.

Help menu
About Server Displays information about the Server program, including
version and copyright.

List Window
This area of the Server interface lists different types of information regarding
the current status of Server. Depending on the selections made in the Logging
Properties dialog on page 7439, messages are displayed alerting the user, for
example, to the following:
■

Connection and registration between the Manager and Server(s)

■

New job assignments

■

Frames assigned/rendered

■

Acknowledge packets sent between the Manager and Server(s)

■

Manager/Server(s) shutting down

■

Any rendering errors encountered
This information can be filtered using the Logging Properties dialog on
page 7439.

Server General Properties Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Server
➤ Edit menu ➤ General Settings ➤ General Properties dialog
The Server General Properties dialog contains configuration settings for the
Network Rendering Servers. The default settings in this dialog work in most
cases, but certain situations may require adjustment of these settings, mostly
the Manager or IP settings in case the Automatic detection fails. The
information specified in the Server Properties dialog is contained in the
backburner.xml file (in the \Network subdirectory). If you run Server and the

Manager and Server | 7453

backburner.xml file does not exist or does not contain information pertinent
to the Server, the backburner.xml file is created or updated.

Interface

TCP/IP group
Manager Port Specifies the port number used by the Network Manager.
Server Port Specifies the port number used by the Network Server(s).
These settings specify the port number to be used by TCP/IP. These numbers
must be unique, but every Server must have the same number.
NOTE Port numbers are like extensions for different users of the same phone
number. They represent two channels of communication between the Server and
the Manager. Only a trained network administrator should change these settings.
Automatic Search When on, starting the Server searches for a Manager using
the default subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. In most cases, you should leave
this option on. The Server will detect the machine acting as a Manager. The
Server may fail to detect a Manager if the network subnet mask (in the
Windows TCP/IP Network Configuration dialog) is set to some other value
than the standard 255.255.255.0.
If that is the case, change the subnet mask setting in the Server General
Properties dialog to match the system setting. Start the Server again and it

7454 | Chapter 18 Rendering

should detect the Manager. When multiple Managers are running on the same
network, you may want to turn off Automatic Search and specify which
Manager the Server should connect to. Otherwise, the Server connects to the
first Manager it finds.
Enter Subnet Mask/Manager Name or IP Address With Automatic Search
turned on, specifies the subnet mask used to search for the Manager. With
Automatic Search turned off, specifies the IP address or DNS name of the
Manager to which to connect. Use the Manager system's name or IP address
when multiple Managers are running on the same subnet. Use the Manager
system's IP address to avoid any problems or conflicts caused by improper
implementation of the Domain Name System.

The Queue Monitor Application
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤
Monitor application
The Queue Monitor application (monitor.exe) lets you manage, view, and receive
status updates about all jobs currently submitted to the network rendering
queue. This executable file is copied to the Backburner root directory during
setup, and is available from the Start menu.
NOTE In previous versions of 3ds Max, this program was called Queue Manager.
Queue Monitor helps you adapt to changing needs and priorities. Jobs can be
activated, deactivated, reordered, and removed, and servers can be unassigned
to free up resources on workstations, or brought back online as they become
available again.
You can run Queue Monitor from any computer connected to the rendering
network. Once started, you can connect to any available network Manager.
You can launch as many Queue Monitors as you want from anywhere on your
network and connect to a Manager machine. All except the first Queue Monitor
connecting to the Manager appear in "read only" mode. If there is already a
Queue Monitor connected to the Manager, subsequent connections alert you
that you are in read-only mode, and "Read Only" appears in the title bar. In
read-only mode, you can view network render activity, but cannot change
anything in the queue unless you obtain queue control on page 7459.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7455

To view all current jobs in the rendering queue, you first connect to the
Manager that all of the servers are "talking to." To do this, you can either
connect automatically to the Manager by searching with a subnet mask, or
connect to a specific Manager by supplying the IP address or machine name
of the machine where you started the Manager.
See also:
■

Viewing Jobs and Servers with the Queue Monitor on page 7473

■

Activating and Deactivating Jobs in the Queue on page 7477

■

Activating and Deactivating Servers in the Queue on page 7477

■

Managing Jobs in the Queue on page 7478

Procedures
To view all current jobs in the rendering queue:

1 On the Queue Monitor toolbar, click

(Connect).

The Connect To Manager dialog appears.
2 After you connect to a Manager once, the dialog remembers the Manager
information and you can just click OK to connect to the same Manager.
If this is the first time you're connecting, or you're connecting to a
different Manager, and you're using Automatic Search, just click OK. If
you're not using Automatic Search, you need to specify the Manager to
connect to. In the text field, enter the name or IP address of a network
Manager. This is the same information you specified in the Server General
Properties dialog on page 7453.
3 Click OK.
The Queue Monitor connects to the network Manager and activates its
various display windows.
To suspend a job:
As requirements change, you can temporarily deactivate an active or pending
job in the rendering queue, or reverse the process and restart jobs that are
inactive.

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When you suspend a job, the Servers assigned to the job either drop the frame
they are rendering or finish writing the frame, depending on where they are
in the rendering process. The next pending job becomes active and begins to
render.
NOTE You can activate or deactivate multiple jobs at the same time.
1 Select one or more active or pending jobs in the Job list.
2 Do one of the following:
■

On the toolbar, click

■

Choose Suspend from the Jobs menu.

■

Right-click a highlighted job name in the Job list to display a pop-up
menu, and then choose Suspend.
If necessary, use

(Suspend).

(Refresh) to view the new queue status.

To activate a suspended job:
1 Select the suspended job (denoted by a gray movie-frame icon).
The Activate button on the toolbar becomes active.

2 Click

(Activate), or use the menu bar or right-click menu.

The job becomes either Started or pending in the queue (Active),
depending on whether or not another job is currently rendering.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7457

Interface

The Queue Monitor user interface comprises a menu bar, a toolbar, a status
display, and four windows: job list, job information, server tree view (or
hierarchical list), and server list.

Menu bar
The menu bar includes these menus and functions:

Manager menu
Use to control aspects of the Queue Monitor and the network Manager.
Connect Connects to a Manager using the Connect To Manager dialog. In
the dialog, turn on Auto Search to search for a Manager using the specified
subnet mask, or turn off Auto Search to search for a Manager using a specific
Manager name or IP address. Click OK to perform the search, or Cancel to
exit without connecting.
If the Manager is found, current Servers and jobs appear in their respective
lists in the Queue Monitor. If the Manager cannot be found, an alert appears.
Disconnect Disconnects from the current Manager. Available only after a
connection is made.

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Auto-Connect When this switch is turned on, you can automatically connect
to a manager without the Connect To Manager dialog appearing. Whatever
setting have been made in the Connect To Manager dialog will be used.
Request Queue Control Lets you gain control over the rendering queue.
Available only when Queue Monitor is running on two or more machines in
the network, and your copy was not the first one run.
When you request queue control, a dialog appears on the controlling machine
informing that user of the request. The dialog counts down 10 seconds, and
if no response is made during that time, or the OK button is clicked, control
transfers to the requesting Queue Monitor, which then informs the requestor
of the transfer. If the request is denied, the requesting user is informed of that
fact.
Request Client List Displays a dialog listing the rendering servers on the
network, and showing which is the controller (i.e., the active Queue Monitor)
and the user name. Use this to determine which server is currently controlling
the queue.
Auto-Refresh When on, Queue Monitor automatically updates the information
in its windows every 20 seconds, or whenever information changes if
information changes less frequently. When off, to update the windows you
must click the toolbar Refresh button on page 7462. Default=on.
Unless you are the only person managing the queue, we recommend leaving
Auto-Refresh on. The danger of turning it off is the possibility of getting out
of sync with the state of the queue. For instance, if another person deletes a
job and you decide to edit that job, when you finish editing that job, the
Manager will send you an error message saying the job no longer exists.
Module Info Report Choosing this command opens the Module Info Report
dialog on page 7466. For troubleshooting purposes, this command lets you
generate a delimited file that shows you the version and location of Backburner
plug-ins and the Backburner application itself for each network rendering
system.
Properties Opens a window that displays information about the current setup
of the machine that is running the network Manager, including job and server
statistics, the Manager's system configuration, and TCP/IP statistics.
Exit Quits the Queue Monitor program.

Jobs menu
Use to obtain information about rendering jobs. Most Jobs menu functions
are available only when at least one job is highlighted in the Job list, and
many require that only one job be highlighted.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7459

These commands are also available by right-clicking a job in the job list.
Edit Settings Opens the Job Settings dialog on page 7468, with settings for
job-related functions such as frame range and output size.
Change Priority Opens the Change Job Priority dialog, which lets you set a
new priority or set the job to be critical.
If you change a job's priority so that a different job moves to the beginning
of the list, the Queue Monitor pauses the current job and begins rendering
the newly elevated job.
Clone Job Makes an identical copy of the highlighted job and adds it to the
end of the list.
Dependencies Opens the Job Dependencies dialog on page 7424, which you
can use to specify existing jobs that must finish before the current job can
start.
Report Opens the Job Report dialog on page 7474 for generating text files
containing job reports.
Column Chooser Opens the Job Columns dialog, with additional columns
you can drag into the Job list title row. As you drag a column over the title
row, arrows appear indicating where the column will be inserted.
To remove a column, right-click its title and then choose Remove This Column.
You cannot remove the Job or Order column.
Activate Starts a suspended job or jobs.
Suspend Pauses an active job or jobs.
Restart Job Starts a job over at the first frame set in Job Settings.
Archive Job Archives a job currently stored in the queue. Archived jobs are
removed from the Job queue and stored in the Job Archives.
Job Archives Accesses the Job Archives where jobs are stored after clicking
the Archive Jobs command or if they're assigned to automatically archive
upon completion. Choosing this command opens the Job Archive dialog on
page 7475 where you can choose to Delete, Activate or Refresh jobs.
Delete Removes the highlighted job or jobs from the queue.

Servers menu
Use to control and obtain information about job servers.
These commands are also available by right-clicking a server in the server list.

7460 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Assign to Selected Jobs Assigns the highlighted servers or servers to the
highlighted job or jobs.
Remove from Selected Jobs Removes the highlighted job or jobs from the
highlighted servers or servers.
Remove from Selected Group Removes the highlighted server or servers from
the highlighted group in the tree view.
Column Chooser Opens the Server Columns dialog, with additional columns
you can drag into the Server list title row. As you drag a column over the title
row, arrows appear indicating where the column will be inserted.
To remove a column, right-click its title and then choose Remove This Column.
You cannot remove the Job or the Order column.
Week Schedule Opens the Week Schedule dialog on page 7479 for the
highlighted server, for defining when the server is available to render jobs.
Delete Server Lets you remove the current server from the server list, making
it unavailable for rendering jobs.
Properties Opens a window that displays information about the current setup
of the machine that is running the network Manager, including job and server
statistics, the Manager's system configuration, and TCP/IP statistics.
Reset Server Index Lets you set the Performance parameter back to 0. Use
this if you've changed the server setup (for instance, you've added memory
or substituted a faster machine) and want to reevaluate the servers' relative
performance during a rendering job.

View menu
Toolbar Toggles display of the Queue Monitor toolbar.
Status Bar Toggles display of the Queue Monitor status bar. When on, the
status bar appears at the bottom of the Queue Monitor window and displays
status prompts on page 7466.
Save View... Saves the current window view with column and filter settings.
Load View... Loads a saved view.

Help menu
About Queue Monitor Displays information about the Queue Monitor
program, including version and copyright.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7461

Toolbar

Contains buttons for performing various common Queue Monitor functions.

Connect See Connect on page 7458.

Disconnect See Disconnect on page 7458.

Refresh Forces the Queue Monitor to update the information shown
in its windows.
The Queue Monitor automatically refreshes the windows every 10 seconds
when information is changing.

Delete Removes the highlighted job or jobs from the queue.

Activate Starts a suspended job or jobs.

Suspend Pauses an active job or jobs.

Assign Server Assigns the highlighted servers or servers to the
highlighted job or jobs.

Remove Server Removes the highlighted job or jobs from the
highlighted servers or servers.

Job List
The Job List window lists all current jobs, along with progress and status.
Additionally, a status icon before each job's name provides a graphical
indication of its status. See Viewing Jobs and Servers with the Queue Monitor
on page 7473.
Right-click a job name to access the Jobs menu on page 7459.

7462 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Click a column title to sort the list by the column contents (alternating clicks
sort in ascending and descending order). Right-click a column title to access
a menu that lets you sort the column, specify its alignment, remove the column
(if it's optional), access the Column Chooser for adding optional columns,
and display only the default columns.

Job Information Window
The Job Information window contains tabs for viewing information about
different aspects of a single highlighted job in the Job List window. If no job
is highlighted or multiple jobs are highlighted, this window is blank.
You can sort and filter columns in the Job Information Window. Click
in the column you wish to filter and select the Column Filter options.

Job Summary Lists important job-related information, including Job Options
settings and Output settings.
Task Summary Lists frames in the job (under “Task ID”), along with each
frame's status, rendering time, rendering server, and date and time of
assignment.
Right-click the frame you wish to view under “Task ID” to view its output file.
This is available only for completed tasks.
Job Details Lists the job's rendering parameters, scene statistics, and gamma
settings.
Errors Lists each frame for which an error occurred, which server registered
the error, and a description of the error, including missing maps, missing
texture coordinates, and invalid output directories.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7463

Server Tree View
This window presents a hierarchical list of all Server groups, lets you create,
delete, and rename global and local Server groups, and see which Servers can
render your job.
Server groups are logical combinations of Servers that you can use to easily
assign specific Servers to render a job. Global groups are available to all
machines in the rendering network, while local groups are available only on
the computer on which they are created. To create a global or local Server
group, right-click any item in the Server Tree view, and choose Create Global
Group or Create Local Group. After you choose either command, the new
group appears in its respective category with the name New Global/Local
Group; at this point, you can rename it by typing a new name.
After you define a group, its name shows up as a tab in the Server list in the
Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415. Only global groups appear on
machines other than the one on which they're created.
To remove a Server group, right-click its name in the Server Tree view and
choose Delete Group. To rename a Server group, right-click its name in the
Server Tree view, choose Rename Group, and then enter a new name.
Following is a list of default list entries in the view. Click the item for the
described result.
All Servers Shows all Servers assigned to the current manager.
Global Groups Click the + icon next to this entry, if it exists, to display global
Server groups. To see the Servers in a global group, click the group name.
Local Groups Click the + icon next to this entry, if it exists, to display local
Server groups. To see the Servers in a local group, click the group name.
Plugins Shows which applications can be controlled with the render network.
Click the + icon next to this entry, if it exists, to display applications available
on the render network. To see the Servers that have a particular rendering
application installed, click the renderer name.

Server List
The Server List window shows all Servers in the current group (selected in the
Server Tree view). For each listed server, the windows displays, by default, its
status, the job it's currently rendering (if any), and the last message it sent to
the Manager. Additional, optional details can be shown using the Column
Chooser command.

7464 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Click a column title to sort the list by the column contents (alternating clicks
sort in ascending and descending order). Right-click a column title to access
a menu that lets you sort the column, specify its alignment, remove the column
(if it's optional), access the Column Chooser for adding optional columns,
and display only the default columns.
You can sort and filter columns in the Server List Window. Click in the column
you wish to filter and select the Column Filter options.

A status icon before each server's name provides a graphical indication of its
status. See Viewing Jobs and Servers with the Queue Monitor on page 7473.
Right-click a server name to access the Servers menu on page 7460.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7465

Status Prompt

Visible at the bottom of the Queue Monitor window, the status prompt
provides a non-interactive display of activity in the Queue Monitor and
provides help information on the command over which the mouse cursor is
positioned.

Module Info Report Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Monitor
➤ Highlight a job. ➤ Jobs menu ➤ Report
You can generate delimited ASCII reports containing detailed statistics about
the version and location of Backburner plug-ins and the Backburner application
itself for each network rendering system.

7466 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Header group
Specifies the type of header to include in the report file, in addition to the
body information.
Long Adds a heading to the report.
Short Includes only the column titles in the report.

Record Delimitation group
Specifies the type of delimiter used between the fields. For example, if you use
a tab delimiter, the report will import correctly into Microsoft's Excel or Access
applications.
Tab Inserts a tab between fields in the report.
Space Inserts a space between fields in the report.
Comma Inserts a comma between fields in the report.
Use Quotes Brackets each field with double quotes.

Output File group
(Text Field) Specifies the report's file name. You can specify a complete path,
if you want. By default, the path is the directory containing the monitor.exe
file.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7467

TIP If you use a shortcut icon to launch Queue Monitor, you can specify the path
for your report's output file in the Start In field in the Properties dialog for the
shortcut.
Browse Displays a file selector where you can specify a file path for the report.

Queue Monitor: Job Settings Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Monitor
➤ Highlight a job. ➤ Jobs menu ➤ Edit Settings
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Monitor
➤ Highlight a job. ➤ right-click menu ➤ Edit Settings
NOTE This topic covers the 3ds Max-specific aspects of the Queue Monitor on
page 7455.
Use the Job Settings dialog to change job-related settings such as frame range,
output size, and output directory, without having to use the Render Setup
dialog and resubmit the job.
You can change job settings for a job while it's suspended or while it's
rendering. By default in either case, after you click OK to exit the dialog, the
rendering job restarts from the first frame. You can turn this feature off with
the Restart Job option.
Most settings are either toggle switches or editable from the keyboard. To
change a toggle setting, double-click its entry (in the right-hand column). If
a setting is editable, its value turns green when you click it. To change an
editable setting, click it to get the keyboard cursor, and then enter a new value
from the keyboard. If you double-click the value when it's green, it highlights,
and anything you type replaces it.
NOTE Your machine must have control of the network for this Job Settings Dialog
to be accessible.

7468 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

The Queue Monitor Application | 7469

Job Name group
The job name cannot be changed from this dialog.
Job Description Displays a brief description of the job. Editable from keyboard.
Restart Job When on (Yes), changing one or more job settings in the middle
of a rendering job causes the job to restart at the first frame in the range, so
all frames are rendered with the same settings. When off (No), the job
continues rendering without restarting. Toggled by double-clicking the entry.
Default=No.
You might want to turn this off if you're rendering an animation test and
change a relatively minor setting, such as Video Color Check, in the middle
of a job. For final renderings, you should always restart a job from the
beginning after changing job settings.
Override Global Blocking Tasks This setting corresponds with the Override
Global Settings as set in the Advanced Setting dialog on page 7431. Default=Yes.
Enable Blocking Tasks A Yes/No toggle that controls task blocking as set in
the Advanced Setting dialog. When set to Yes, the task blocking set in the
Manager General Properties dialog is active. Toggled by double-clicking the
entry. Default=Yes.
Use All Available Servers Uses all servers in the active Server group for
rendering the job.

[program name] General Settings group
Frame Sequence This toggle setting alternates between Frames and Range,
and, by default, uses the Range and Frames settings in the Render Setup dialog
on page 6956. When set to Range, the job uses the First/Last Frame and Every
Nth settings; when set to Frames, the job uses the Frames setting. Toggled by
double-clicking the entry. Default=Range.
First Frame Displays the first frame in the range to be rendered. Defaults to
the first frame as submitted. Editable from keyboard.
Last Frame Displays the last frame in the range to be rendered. Defaults to
the last frame as submitted. Editable from keyboard.
Every Nth Regular sample of frames. For example, enter 8 to render every 8th
frame. Editable from keyboard.
Frames Non-sequential frames separated by commas (for example, 2,5) or
ranges of frames separated by hyphens (for example, 0-5). Editable from
keyboard.

7470 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Width/Height Lets you set the resolution of the output image by specifying
the width and the height of the image, in pixels. Defaults to the output size
as submitted. Editable from keyboard.

Render Options group
These settings are the same as those found on the Render Setup dialog ➤
Options group on page 7026, with several additions:
Skip Existing Frames When on, the Queue Monitor checks the output path
for existing rendered frames, and doesn't render them again. When off, starting
or restarting a job always begins rendering with the first frame, overwriting
any existing frames. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=No.
Display RFW Displays the Rendered Frame Window on all servers during
rendering. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=Yes.
Gamma Correction When enabled, lets you defines a new gamma for the
bitmap, using the Input/Output Gamma settings. Toggled by double-clicking
the entry. Default=Disabled.
Input/Output Gamma Change system input and output gamma settings for
processing bitmaps. See Gamma Preferences Settings on page 8917 ➤ Bitmap
Files group. Editable from keyboard.
Pixel Aspect Ratio Sets the shape of the pixels for display on another device.
The image may look squashed on your display but will display correctly on
the device with differently shaped pixels. Editable from keyboard.
Render Elements When enabled, renders any render elements on page 7280 in
the scene. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=Enabled.
Video Color Check Checks for pixel colors that are beyond the safe NTSC or
PAL threshold. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=No.
Two Sided 2-Sided rendering renders both sides of all faces. Toggled by
double-clicking the entry. Default=No.
Render Hidden Renders all geometric objects in the scene, even if they are
hidden. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=No.
Render Atmosphere Renders any applied atmospheric effects, such as volume
fog, when set to Yes. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=Yes.
Super Black Limits the darkness of rendered geometry for video compositing.
Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=No.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7471

Dither 256 Intersperses pixels when rendering to an eight-bit image format
for a greater apparent color range. Toggled by double-clicking the entry.
Default=Yes.
Dither True Color Intersperses pixels when rendering to a 24-bit (or higher)
image format for a greater apparent color range. Toggled by double-clicking
the entry. Default=Yes.
Render Fields Renders to video fields rather than frames when creating
animations for video. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=No.
Displacements Any displacement mapping is rendered. Toggled by
double-clicking the entry. Default=Yes.
Scene Effects Any applied rendering effects, such as Blur, are rendered when
turned set to Yes. Toggled by double-clicking the entry. Default=Yes.
Multithread Causes the Queue Monitor to treat the rendering task as separate
threads. This option works with multiprocessor systems. Toggled by
double-clicking the entry. Default=Yes.
Field Order Selects the field on page 9154 order of rendered images when the
Render Fields option is turned on. Default=Odd.
Some video devices require that the even field be first, other video devices
require that the odd field be first. Determine the correct field order for your
video device. If the video output of your device is strobing or appears jittery,
it may be due to incorrect field order. Try changing this parameter and
re-rendering your animation.

Alternate Paths group
Comparable to setting the alternate paths in the Network Job Assignment
dialog on page 7415.
Alt Bitmap Path Lets you enter an alternate path where the servers search
for bitmaps. Editable from keyboard.
Alt XRef Path Lets you enter an alternate path where the servers search for
XRefs. Editable from keyboard.

Timeouts group
These settings are covered in Advanced Settings Dialog on page 7431.

Notifications group
These settings are covered in Notifications Dialog on page 7426.

7472 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Viewing Jobs and Servers with the Queue Monitor
All rendering jobs submitted to the network rendering queue are shown in
the Job list window, located on the upper-left side of the Queue Monitor
dialog, immediately below the toolbar. Below it is the Server list window,
which shows all servers attached to the manager and their status.

Interface
Each job is denoted by an icon reflecting its current status. The servers are
also denoted by specific icons that reflect their current status.

Job Icons
Job is started and has rendered one or more frames. The job is either
currently rendering or is awaiting an available server.
Job is active, but has not yet rendered any frames.
Job is suspended.
The job was submitted as suspended or was suspended with the Queue Monitor.
Suspended jobs must be manually reactivated to give them a started or active
status.
Job is in an error condition.
In the Queue Monitor, check the Errors tab in job information window, to
the right of the jobs list, for details regarding the error, such as missing bitmaps,
plug-ins, texture coordinates. See Troubleshooting on page 7390.
Job is completed.
All frames in the sequence have been rendered successfully. You may delete
this job from the queue if you want.

Server Icons
A bar through the server icon indicates that it's assigned to the currently
highlighted job or jobs.
Server is active.
The server is rendering the current started job.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7473

Server is absent.
The server is assigned to the rendering task but is not currently rendering.
This can occur, for example, when the server is turned off or is not running
the Server application.
Server is in an error condition.
Check the Server list Job Status column in the Queue Monitor for details
regarding the error, such as missing bitmaps, plug-ins, texture coordinates.
See Troubleshooting on page 7390.
Server is idle.
The server can be assigned the highlighted job with the toolbar Assign Server
button.

Job Report Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Monitor
➤ Highlight a job. ➤ Jobs menu ➤ Report
You can generate ASCII reports containing detailed statistics about a particular
job selected in the Job Queue list.
See also:
■

Week Schedule Dialog on page 7479

Interface

7474 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Header group
Specifies the type of header to include in the report file, in addition to the
body information.
Long Includes information above the body of information, including Job
Name, Submitted by, Frame Start/End, Output Width/Height, Pixel Aspect
Ratio, and Image Aspect Ratio.
Short Includes only the column titles in the report.

Record Delimitation group
Specifies the type of delimiter used between the fields. For example, if you use
a tab delimiter, the report will import correctly into Microsoft's Excel or Access
applications.
Tab Inserts a tab between fields in the report.
Space Inserts a space between fields in the report.
Comma Inserts a comma between fields in the report.
Use Quotes Brackets each field with double quotes.

Output File group
(Text Field) Specifies the report's file name. You can specify a complete path,
if you want. By default, the path is the directory containing the monitor.exe
file.
TIP If you use a shortcut icon to launch Queue Monitor, you can specify the path
for your report's output file in the Start In field in the Properties dialog for the
shortcut.
Browse Displays a file selector where you can specify a file path for the report.

Job Archives Dialog
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Monitor
➤ Highlight a job. ➤ Jobs menu ➤ Job Archives
Windows Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Backburner ➤ Monitor
➤ Highlight a job. ➤ right-click menu ➤ Job Archives
Use the Job Archives dialog to delete, activate and refresh jobs that have been
archived. Jobs are placed here when you select a job from the Job list on the

The Queue Monitor Application | 7475

Queue Monitor and click the Archive Job command. This brings up the
Backburner Job Archives dialog Jobs are also placed in the Job Archives if you
set them to automatically archive when the rendering is completed.

Interface

This dialog consists of a toolbar and list of archived jobs.

Toolbar
The Job Archives toolbar has three commands.
Delete Deletes a selected job from the archive. You are warned and must
accept confirmation before the deletion to occurs. This button is active only
when a job is selected.
Activate When you select a job from the list, you can click the Activate button.
When a job is activated, it is removed from the Job Archives and placed back
in the Job list in the Queue Monitor on page 7455. Then you can choose to Edit
Settings on page 7468 and restart the job.
Refresh Forces the Job Archives dialog to update the information shown in
the job list

Job List
The Job List shows the Job Name, Owner, Description, Type (render plugin),
original Submission date, and Completion date. Unlike other lists in the Queue
Monitor, you cannot add or remove columns. You can make multiple selections
of jobs by holding down either the SHIFT or CTRL keys.

7476 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Activating and Deactivating Jobs in the Queue
As requirements change, you can deactivate an active or pending job in the
rendering queue, or reverse the process and restart jobs that are inactive.
When you deactivate a job, the servers assigned to the job either drop the
frame they are rendering or finish writing the frame, depending on where
they are in the rendering process. The next pending job becomes active and
begins to render.
You can reactivate a suspended job, or a job that was submitted as Initially
Suspended from the Network Job Assignment dialog.

Procedures
To deactivate a job:
1 Select a started or active job in the Job list.
2 Do one of the following:
■

Click the Suspend button on the toolbar (the red light-bulb icon).

■

Choose Jobs menu ➤ Suspend.

■

Right-click the job name to display a pop-up menu, and then choose
Suspend.
If necessary, click the toolbar Refresh button to view the new queue
status.

To activate a suspended job:
1 Select the inactive job (denoted by a gray box).
The Activate button on the toolbar becomes active.
2 Click Activate, or use the menu bar or right-click menu.
The job becomes either started or active in the queue, depending on
whether or not another job is currently rendering and whether or not
any of the job's frames have already rendered.

Activating and Deactivating Servers in the Queue
When prioritizing jobs and dividing up the network render load, you might
need to pull individual servers off one job and place them on another.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7477

When you remove a server from the current rendering job, and the server is
assigned to another started or active job, it is used by that job. If the server
has no further job assignments, it stops rendering.
You can assign machines that become available for network rendering to any
job.
You can tell whether a server is assigned to a particular job by highlighting
the job in the Queue Monitor ➤ Job list and looking at the server's icon in
the Server list. If a horizontal bar appears through the server icon, then it is
assigned to the job; if no bar appears, then it isn't assigned to the job.
Alternatively, just highlight the job and then click Selected Job in the Server
Tree view, to list only servers assigned to that job.

Next Step
Managing Jobs in the Queue on page 7478

Procedures
To remove a server or servers from the highlighted rendering job or jobs:
■

Highlight the server in the Server list and click the Remove Server icon on
the toolbar.

To assign an unassigned server or servers to highlighted rendering job(s), do
one of the following:
1 Highlight the unassigned server(s) in the servers list and choose Assign
To Selected Jobs from the Servers menu.
2 Right-click the server name in the queue list to display the pop-up menu
and choose Assign To Selected Jobs.

Managing Jobs in the Queue
Reordering lets you change the job order in the queue to meet changing
deadlines or priorities. You can delete jobs from the queue at any time.

Procedures
To re-order a job in the queue:
1 In the Job list window of the Queue Monitor, right-click the job to move.

7478 | Chapter 18 Rendering

2 Choose Change Priority, and use the Change Job Priority dialog to set a
new Priority value.
NOTE You can reorder multiple jobs at the same time. They will end up with
the same priority.

To delete a single job from the job queue, do one of the following:
1 Highlight the job and then click Delete on the toolbar.
2 Use the right-click menu ➤ Delete command.
You can delete multiple jobs by first highlighting the jobs by using the CTRL
or SHIFT keys and then clicking the Delete button or Jobs menu ➤ Delete.

Week Schedule Dialog
Queue Monitor ➤ Highlight a Server and right-click. ➤ Week Schedule
Queue Monitor ➤ Highlight a Server. ➤ Servers menu ➤ Week Schedule
By default, all servers are available at all times. Using the Queue Monitor's
Week Schedule feature, you can arrange the hours during which each server
is available for network rendering.
You can specify certain hours for any day of the week. This is useful, for
example, if the server is used as a modeling workstation during normal business
hours and you do not want it being used as a network render server during
this time.

The Queue Monitor Application | 7479

Procedures

To schedule a set of active hours for a server or servers:
1 In Queue Monitor's Server list, right-click a Server and choose Week
Schedule, or select one or more Servers and choose Servers menu ➤
Week Schedule.
2 In the dialog that appears, select a time using one of the following
methods:
■

Select a one-hour block for network rendering by clicking one of the
top buttons.

■

Select an entire day by clicking a side button.

■

Select the entire week by clicking the large top-left button.
The selection is shown in white.

3 Click the Allow button. The selection is shown in green. (By default, all
hours are allowed).
4 To apply the time selection to the selected Server, click OK.
To schedule hours when servers are unavailable:
1 In Queue Monitor's Server list, right-click a Server and choose Week
Schedule, or select a Server and choose Servers menu ➤ Week Schedule.

7480 | Chapter 18 Rendering

2 In the dialog that appears, select a time using one of the following
methods:
■

Select a one-hour block for network rendering by clicking one of the
top buttons.

■

Select an entire day by clicking a side button.

■

Select the entire week by clicking the large top-left button.
The selection is shown in white.

3 Click the Disallow button. The selection is shown in red.
4 To apply the time selection to the selected Server, click OK.

Batch Rendering
“Batch rendering” is a term used to describe the process of rendering a series
of tasks or jobs that have been assigned to a queue. Batch rendering is useful
when you need to render images without supervision or when you want to
render a number of test studies showing different day or night lighting, or for
producing shadow studies of various sun angles. Batch rendering can also be
used when you want to see how your project looks from different camera
viewpoints.
Several methods for setting up batch rendering are available in 3ds Max. These
methods entail using the Batch Render tool on page 7485 or network rendering
on page 7368 with Backburner, or a combination of the two.
The three available methods for setting up batch rendering are as follows:
■

Build a queue of camera tasks that are managed by the Batch Render tool.
If you have a MAX file that contains one or more cameras and saved scene
states on page 8495, you can set up a camera queue to render different camera
viewpoints. Each camera can be set to automatically load a scene state to
give you several visualizations of your model.

■

Set up a series of jobs as network rendering assignments to be coordinated
by Backburner.
If you have a number of separate scenes that are part of a single project or
part of several projects, use network rendering even if you're rendering to
a single computer. Use this method also if you have scenes that don't have
a camera set up and you want to render a Perspective, Front, Left or Right
viewport view.

Batch Rendering | 7481

■

Use the Batch Render tool to set up a queue of camera tasks to render
different views and pass them to Backburner for rendering management.

Quick Start Batch Rendering
This topic provides bare-bone steps on how to set up and use the Backburner
Manager and Server utilities to perform batch rendering.
If your system is already properly configured for TCP/IP protocols (for example,
your computer has an internet connection), information in this topic will
help you get started with batch rendering in a few basic steps.

Procedures
To render in batch mode:
You need Windows XP (Home or Professional) Service Pack 1 (or higher) or
Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.
NOTE Backburner rendering is not supported under Windows 95, 98 or ME.
1 Run the Backburner Manager and Server applications from the Start menu,
in the same program group as 3ds Max.
2 Start 3ds Max, and load the first scene you want to batch render.
3 Open the Render Setup dialog and adjust the various rendering parameters
for the way you want to render the scene, including active viewport, file
output, etc.
4 Turn on Net Render in the Render Output group, and then click Render.
5 In the resulting Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415, click the
Connect button.
6 Click the Submit button.
NOTE Each job should have a unique output file name and/or path to avoid
overwriting output files. If you get an alert dialog that says, "Another job is
using the same output name…," you can click the No button, click Cancel
to exit the Network Job Assignment dialog, and then change the output
name and/or path. Otherwise, you can click the Yes button and let the job
overwrite the frames from the other job in the queue.

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7 Load the next scene you want rendered, and then repeat steps 4 through
7.
Once you’ve submitted all rendering jobs, you can exit 3ds Max, if you want.
If power is lost before all jobs are rendered (either by accident or by intentional
powering down of your computer), when you restart the Backburner Manager
and Server programs, the rendering process will resume where it left off.

Using Backburner for Batch Rendering
Using Backburner for batch rendering is a simple matter of starting 3ds Max,
running the Backburner Manager and Server programs, specifying the scenes
you want rendered, and then proceeding with the rendering. In this case,
Backburner coordinates a series of rendering tasks that are network rendered
on a single computer.
The process is very similar to rendering over a network. With network
rendering, the scenes you submit to the rendering queue are called 'jobs'. The
following steps show how to submit multiple jobs to the rendering queue.
Your system has to be properly configured in the TCP/IP protocol (see “TCP/IP
Settings” in the Autodesk Backburner Installation Guide) to perform Backburner
batch rendering. If you do not have a network card or if you are not connected
to the internet, then you may need to configure TCP/IP with the Microsoft
Loop Back Adapter.
NOTE Batch rendering by means of Backburner differs from batch rendering with
the Batch Render tool on page 7485. However, you can use the Batch Render tool
to create a queue of rendering tasks and then pass the tasks to Backburner to
coordinate the rendering process.

Network Files
When Backburner Manager begins a job, a series of files are created in the
\network\jobs folder of your Backburner folder. Among other things, this means
that you can shut down your computer completely (either on purpose or by
accidental power failure), and when you next start Backburner Manager and
Server, they’ll pick up where they left off and continue with your rendering
queue.

Using Backburner for Batch Rendering | 7483

NOTE The exception to the above rule is when rendering multiframe file formats,
such as AVI and MOV. Due to limitations in these file formats, if you stop in the
middle of rendering one of these files, when you begin rendering again, the entire
file will have to be rendered from the beginning.

Procedures
To batch render several jobs:
1 Start 3ds Max.
2 Start Backburner Manager.
The Backburner Manager window appears. Its window displays the words:
“Starting Network Manager.”
3 Start Backburner Server.
The Backburner Server window appears. Its window displays the words:
“Starting Backburner Server,” followed by additional startup messages.
4 In 3ds Max, load the first scene you want rendered.
5 Activate the viewport you want rendered, and click the Render Setup
button on the toolbar.
6 Set up the various rendering parameters as you would if you were
rendering only this scene.
7 In the Render Output group, turn on Net Render.
8 Click Render.
To assign network jobs:
At this point, the Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415 appears. Its main
purpose is submit the current job to the Backburner Manager with all its render
settings, including job name and net rendering specifics. The Backburner
Manager then takes over and begins the rendering process.
1 In the Job Name field, either accept the default name (the name of the
scene), or specify a new one.
2 Click the Connect button to connect 3ds Max to the Manager. After a
moment, your TCP/IP address appears in the field over the window, and
the Server appears in the window.
3 Click the server in the window so that its icon displays a green circle with
an arrow through it.

7484 | Chapter 18 Rendering

4 Click the Submit button.
NOTE Each job should have a unique output file name and/or path to avoid
overwriting output files. If you get an alert dialog that says, "Another job is
using the same output name…," you can click the No button, click Cancel
to exit the Network Job Assignment dialog, and then change the output
name and/or path. Otherwise, you can click the Yes button and let the job
overwrite the frames from the other job in the queue.
5 The Job Assignment dialog goes away, and the rendering begins. The
Manager reports: “Job (job name) submitted.” The Server reports that it
has received the job, and then begins reporting each frame it’s completed.
6 At this point, you can open the next scene to be rendered, and then
repeat the steps, beginning with step 4 in the previous procedure.
Once you’ve submitted the jobs you want rendered, you can exit 3ds Max (do
not shut down the Backburner Manager or Server), or you can begin working
on a new scene, or editing an old scene. Keep in mind, however, that your
processor is spending most of its time working on rendering, so your computer
will slower than usual.
If you need to monitor the batch render processes, you can use the Backburner
monitor for that purpose. (See “Understanding the Backburner Monitor” in
the Autodesk Backburner User’s Guide.)

Batch Rendering: Batch Render Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Batch Render
The Batch Render tool offers you an efficient, visual approach to setting up a
sequence of different tasks or scene states to render automatically. From the
Batch Render dialog, you control the following:
■

Image resolution, pixel aspect ratio or time sequence if it differs from the
default rendering settings found on the Render Setup dialog on page 6956.

■

Whether to render a specific camera view or the active viewport.

■

Which camera view to render.

■

The output path where rendered images get stored.

■

Which scene state on page 8495 is restored prior to rendering.

Batch Rendering: Batch Render Dialog | 7485

■

Which rendering preset on page 7013 is used per rendered view.

■

Whether all the batch rendering tasks should be sent to Backburner for
network rendering on page 7368 by multiple systems for even faster rendering.

■

Exporting the batch rendering tasks and all parameters set in the Batch
Render dialog to a BAT file for later command line rendering on page 7495.

NOTE The Batch Rendering dialog is for rendering different aspects of the same
scene, such as views from different cameras. To batch-render a number of different
scenes, use Backburner on page 7483 or command-line rendering on page 7495.

Batch Render Completed
If a problem is encountered by the Batch Renderer, you will be notified by
means of the Batch Render Completed dialog. This is an error dialog that
appears and notifies you about which batch renders did not complete and, if
possible, provides a description of why the failure occurred.

If the cause of the error cannot be identified, then the error entry will simply
state Failed. The most common causes for failure are:
■

Missing texture maps for materials that are assigned to objects in the scene.
This shows up as Failed. Missing External File. Once the texture map is found
or map paths are properly set, this error will not occur.

■

Missing UVW coordinates for objects that have texture mapped materials
assigned to them. This is reported as Failed. Missing Map Coordinates on Object
and can be alleviated by making sure new objects are created with the

7486 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Generate Mapping Coords switch turned on and by assigning a UVW Map
modifier to the object that is not displaying its texture mapping.

Procedures
To use the Batch Render tool:
1 Open or create a MAX scene.
2 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Batch Render.
The Batch Render dialog opens.
3 On the Batch Render dialog, click the Add button.
This adds your first rendering task to the batch render queue.
By default, the Camera parameter is set to Viewport, which means that
the task will render the active viewport. To change to a set view, make
sure the scene contains at least one camera, and then choose the camera
view to render from the Camera drop-down list on page 7492.
4 Review the Selected Batch Render Parameters settings and, if necessary,
turn on Override Preset and then change the Frame Start, Frame End,
Width, Height, and Pixel Aspect settings.
5 Click the Output Path button to set a drive location, file name and file
format for the rendered image.
6 If you've saved any scene states with the model, you can choose which
one is loaded during the rendering operation by opening the Scene State
drop list.
7 Repeat steps 3 through 6 to continue adding rendering tasks to the batch
render queue, as necessary.
8 When all your tasks are set, click the Render button.
To use the Batch Render tool with Backburner:
Before attempting to use the Batch Render tool with Backburner for network
rendering, make sure the Backburner Manager is running on your managing
workstation and that Backburner Server is running on all the other workstations
that will receive the rendering assignments. For more information on setting
up Backburner Network Rendering, refer to Network Rendering on page 7368.
1 Set up a series of rendering tasks in the Batch Render queue as documented
in the previous procedure.

Batch Rendering: Batch Render Dialog | 7487

2 Turn on Net Render and then click the Render button.
The Network Job Assignment dialog opens.
3 Enter a subnet mask, or, with Automatic Search off, enter the Manager
name or IP address, and then click Connect.
The available rendering servers show up in the list on the right side of
the Network Job Assignment dialog.
4 Click the Submit button to send all the Batch Render camera tasks to
Backburner for network rendering to all the workstations that are running
Backburner Server.
If you are running the Backburner Queue Monitor, you'll see all the
camera tasks listed as rendering jobs in the Job section of the Queue
Monitor.

7488 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Interface

Add Adds a new rendering task to the queue, using the default settings. By
default, a new task is set to render the active viewport. To set it to render a
particular camera, choose the camera from the Camera drop-down list on
page 7492.
Duplicate Adds a copy of the highlighted rendering task to the queue.
All rendering parameters that were part of the original task are duplicated for
the new task.
Delete Deletes the highlighted rendering task.
No warning appears to confirm deletion and you cannot undo a deletion.

Batch Rendering: Batch Render Dialog | 7489

[Task Queue] This is a listing of all the camera tasks that have been chosen
for batch rendering. The task queue consists of eight columns that show all
the parameters that have been set for a particular camera task. You can control
which tasks are rendered by toggling the check boxes in the list.

Selected Batch Render Parameter group
By default, any tasks you've designated for batch rendering use the current
Time Output and Output Size parameters from the Render Setup dialog on
page 6956.
For example, if the Output Size settings on the Render Setup dialog shows
that you have a Time Output settings of Single and an of 800 width and 600
height, when you add a camera, its Selected Batch Render Parameters will
mimic those settings. Likewise, if the Render Setup dialog has a Time Output
set to Range and frame 0 to 25, the Frame Start and Frame End settings on
the Batch Render dialog will default to those Time Output settings.
This group gives you access to changing those default parameters.
Override Preset When on, you can override any of the default settings for
the highlighted task via the Frame Start, Frame End, Width, Height, and Pixel
Aspect settings. Default=off.
Frame Start The first frame to be rendered for the highlighted task. The default
setting for this parameter matches the Time Output group settings on the
Common panel of the Render Setup dialog.
Frame End The last frame to be rendered for the highlighted task. Its default
state also matches the Time Output group settings on the Common panel of
the Render Setup dialog.
The default Frame Start and Frame End parameters correspond to the Render
Setup dialog parameters as follows:
Render Setup dialog
>Time Output

Batch Render dialog
Frame Start/End

Single

Defaults to the frame set
by the time slider.

Active Time Segment

Defaults to 0 (zero) and
the last frame of the anim-

7490 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Render Setup dialog
>Time Output

Batch Render dialog
Frame Start/End
ation as set in the Time
Configuration dialog on
page 8696.

Range

Defaults to the range of
frames specified, such as 0
(zero) To 14 or 6 To 11.

The Frame Start and End settings also conform to the current time
configuration format; i.e. Frames, SMPTE, Frame:Ticks, or MM:SS:Ticks.
Width Allows you to specify a new image width setting if Override Preset is
on. If Override Preset is off, this value matches the width set on the Render
Setup dialog.
Height Allows you to specify a new image height setting if the Override Preset
is on. If Override Preset is off, this value matches the height set on the Render
Setup dialog.
Pixel Aspect Sets the aspect ratio of the pixels for display on another device.
The image might look squashed on your display but will display correctly on
the device with differently shaped pixels. By default, this mimics the value
set on the Render Setup dialog.
Name Lets you change the default name of the highlighted task. The default
naming structure for camera tasks uses “View” plus an incremented view
number, such as View01 or View02. If you want, you can change the task's
name to something more descriptive.
NOTE After changing the name, you must press Enter for the change to register.
NOTE If you're rendering elements on page 7269 as part of the batch, the task name
is appended to each rendered element's specified file name. For example, if the
task name is View01 and the render element output file name is Test_Diffuse.tga,
then the batch-rendered element output becomes Test_Diffuse_View01.tga.
If you're rendering an element without specifying a file name for the element,
the batch renderer appends the element type to the batch output file name.
For example, if the batch output file name is MyBatch.png, and you're rendering
an Atmosphere element, then the element output name becomes
MyBatch_Atmosphere.png.

Batch Rendering: Batch Render Dialog | 7491

Output Path The ellipsis (...) button opens the Render Output File dialog on
page 6979 where you can specify the output path, file name and file format for
the rendered image of the selected camera task.
Once set, the output path and file name appears in the output path field and
the file name appears in the Output Path column of the task queue.
X [Clear Output Path] Removes the output path and file name from the
Output Path field and task queue.
Camera This drop-down list shows any cameras in the scene.
By default, a task is set to render the active viewport, as indicated by the
“Viewport” entry in the Camera column of the task queue. You can use this
list choose a camera from any in the scene for the highlighted task. The new
camera is shown in the Camera column of the task queue.
To set the highlighted task to render the active viewport, choose the dashed
line (-------------------------) from the top of the drop-down list.

Choose the dashed line to render the active viewport.

NOTE Choosing a camera changes only the camera the task uses. It does not
change the name of the task.
Scene State This drop-down list displays the scene states on page 8495, if any,
that you can assign to the highlighted task. If no scene state is active then
current scene settings are used.
Preset Lets you choose a render preset for the highlighted task. If no render
preset is active and there is no override, then the current render settings are
used.
If you choose Load Preset from the drop-down list, the Render Presets Load
dialog opens.
Net Render When on, opens the Network Job Assignment dialog on page 7415
when you click the Render button.
Each camera task in the Batch Render dialog is passed to the Network Job
Assignment dialog as an individual rendering job instead of a single job. By
default, the Network Job Assignment dialog uses the name of the MAX file as

7492 | Chapter 18 Rendering

its job name, and it then appends the name of the camera task. For example,
if you have a scene named Athena_High_Rise and camera tasks for three
cameras, the jobs will look like this in the monitor: Athena_High_Rise Camera02
View01, Athena_High_Rise Camera01 View02, and Athena_High_Rise Camera01
View03.
Export to .bat Creates a batch file for command line rendering. This button
opens the Batch Render Export To Batch File dialog where you can specify a
drive location and name for the batch file that is saved.
Render Starts the batch rendering process or opens the Network Job
Assignment dialog if Net Render is turned on.

Batch Render Tool: Batch Render Warning Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Batch Render ➤ Click Render to render tasks that do
not have an output path set.
Rendering menu ➤ Batch Render ➤ Click Render to render tasks that could
overwrite previously saved files.
The Batch Render Warning dialog informs you of certain conditions you might
have overlooked while assigning the rendering tasks.
The dialog that displays is context-sensitive, meaning that the warning will
indicate when either of these two conditions exist:
■

When you risk overwriting an existing file or if you have not specified an
output path and output file name.

■

When the output path that was specified has been renamed or no longer
exists.

Interface
Task Queue
Both formats of the Batch Render Warning dialog include the Task Queue
columns that are shown in the in the Batch Render dialog. The key difference
is the exception of the check boxes that let you specify which cameras are use
in the render. This Task Queue only shows the cameras that may overwrite a
saved file, or do not have a path/file name set for output, or if they show an
output path that is invalid.

Batch Render Tool: Batch Render Warning Dialog | 7493

Missing Output Path/Filename or File Overwrite
This version of the Batch Render Warning dialog appears if you click the
Render button on the Batch Render dialog and one or more of the tasks to be
rendered does not include an output path/file name. The dialog also appears
if there is a chance you will overwrite a previously rendered image.

OK Allows you to continue with the batch rendering tasks even though there
are some tasks without an output path/file name or some files could be
overwritten. Tasks without an output path/file name are not automatically
saved and only appear in the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963.
Cancel Cancels the batch rendering.

Invalid Output Path
This version of the Batch Render Warning dialog only appears if you are
rendering to a file that has invalid output paths. For example, if you're
rendering a client's model and they've set their own output paths.

7494 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Update Path Allows you to browse to a new directory and reassign the output
path for all the entries in the Task Queue. The specified output file name
remains the same.
NOTE If you don't want to assign the same path to all the cameras shown in the
dialog, you should Cancel and set the correct paths for each camera from the
Batch Render dialog.
Continue Allows you to continue with the batch rendering tasks even though
there are some tasks without an output path. Tasks without an output path
are not automatically saved and only appear in the Rendered Frame Window
on page 6963.
Cancel Cancels the batch rendering.

Command-Line Rendering
The command-line rendering tool lets you perform batch rendering jobs
without having to manipulate parameters by hand in a MAX file. Simple,
“one-shot” rendering jobs can be submitted from the Start ➤ Run dialog.
More elaborate, batched jobs can be rendered through the use of text files; for
example, MyRender.bat or MyRender.xml. The ability to edit text files is what
provides the power to this tool. You can quickly make changes to your
rendering parameters, or output formats, simply by opening your text editor
and editing the batch settings.
Command-line rendering is provided by the 3dsmaxcmd.exe program, found
in your program install folder.
You can submit command-line rendering jobs that are rendered on a single
workstation, or you can take advantage of network rendering on page 7368 and
let the Backburner utility manage the jobs across multiple systems.
The Batch Render tool on page 7485 is another way to quickly create BAT files
that can be used with the command-line rendering. The Batch Render tool
lets you create a queue of camera tasks with specific output parameters,
rendering presets or automatic loading of scene states. Once your queue is
complete, you can export the tasks to a BAT file that is stored in the \scenes
folder.
WARNING Command-line rendering is a professional feature and can perform
destructive operations. You will not see messages or warning dialogs informing
you about potential mistakes, such as overwriting an existing frame on your drive.

Command-Line Rendering | 7495

See also:
■

Command-Line Rendering Switches on page 7499

Procedures
To view the 3dsmaxcmd help file:
The 3dsmaxcmd.exe file contains a built-in help system that you can access
from a command prompt.
1 Open a command prompt window (for example, Windows Start ➤ Run
➤ enter CMD).
2 Enter the following: “c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\3dsmaxcmd” -? and press Enter.
The list of switches and options will scroll on to the window.
To view a list of sample command lines with descriptions of what they do:
The 3dsmaxcmd.exe file also has an extensive list of sample text strings that
describe many of the most common scenarios you'd use command-line
rendering to accomplish.
1 Open a command prompt window.
2 Enter the following: “c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\3dsmaxcmd” -x and press Enter.
Setting up the simplest rendering:
In its simplest form, just a render command using all the settings that are
stored with a scene, would look like this:
1 Open a command prompt window.
2 Enter the following: “c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\3dsmaxcmd” “c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\scenes\myscene.max” and press Enter.

7496 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Example: Rendering to a JPG file at 800x600 resolution:
Perhaps the last time you rendered your scene, you had the output resolution
set to 320x240 and rendered a BMP file. Re-rendering the scene using different
output settings is fast and efficient with command-line rendering.
1 Open a command prompt window.
2 Enter the following:
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-outputName:“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\myImage.jpg” -w 800 -h 600 “c:\program
files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\myscene.max”
and press Enter.
NOTE The specified output path must already exist. If it doesn't, the image
doesn't render and you get an error message.

Network rendering from the command line:
If you have your system networked and have access to other systems, you can
take advantage of network rendering.
NOTE A command-line job cannot be run on a system already running the
Backburner server.
1 Open a command prompt window.
2 Enter the following:
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd” -submit
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\scenes\myscene.max”
and press Enter.
Example: Rendering from a text file:
Command-line rendering gives you the ability to set a series of common
switches that can be quickly re-used for rendering a single job from Start ➤
Run, or for rendering a group of scenes specified in a BAT file. You can build
your text file using any text editor.

Command-Line Rendering | 7497

NOTE A TXT file can specify only a single scene to render. For multiple scenes,
use a BAT file.
1 Open your text editor.
2 Enter your list of commands, such as:
-bitmapPath=\\mapServer\maps\myMaps
-cam=myCamera
-width=800
-height=600
-vfb=true
-frames=all
-force2Sided=true

3 Once all the switches are entered, save the files as a TXT file, such as
myrender.txt.
4 To render the scene, open the Windows Start ➤ Run dialog.
5 Enter the following:
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
@c:\myrender.txt -o=“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\myImage.tga” “c:\program
files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\myscene.max”
and click OK.
Using a TXT file that contains your favorite settings, in conjunction with
a command line that specifies the output file format and scene of your
choice, gives you the flexibility to re-use the TXT file without having to
edit it each time you want to render. You can create several TXT files
with settings for different stages of scene development, such as
testrender.txt or finalrender.txt.
Example: Rendering from a BAT file:
If you want to render several scenes in a batch process, you can create a BAT
file containing all the scenes and switches needed to get the results you want.
Just like a text file, you can build your BAT file using any text editor. For this
example, let's say you have three scenes, in various stages, and you want each
rendered using different settings.
1 Open your text editor.
2 On the first line, enter the following text. This example assumes that the
scene is far from finished, but that you want to test a chunk of animation.

7498 | Chapter 18 Rendering

“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-o=“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\scene1.jpg” -w=320 -h=240 -frame=1-33
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\scene1.max”
The second scene is almost ready, but you need to test the look of some
materials and do a video color check:
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-o=“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\scene2.jpg” -w=640 -h=480 -force2Sided=true
-videoColorCheck=true “c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\scenes\scene2.max”
The last scene is complete, and you want to render a higher-resolution
image using settings you've saved in a TXT file that you always use for
final renderings:
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
@c:\finalrender.txt -o=“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\scene3.jpg” “c:\program files\autodesk\[program
folder name]\scenes\scene3.max”
3 After entering these three command lines, save your file as a BAT file,
and then open (run) the file.
4 Click OK to start rendering.

Command-Line Rendering Switches
In order to use command-line rendering, you should be familiar with DOS
and understand the structure of command lines.

Command-Line Switches
You can use the following switches after 3dsmaxcmd on the command line
of a command prompt window, or as entries in a text file. The following tables
show switches and their effects.
NOTE Switches are not case sensitive.
At Verbosity level 5, the output message from command-line rendering includes
both a timestamp and a date stamp. The timestamp is separated from the
main message by a semicolon, and the elapsed time message is separated from
the Frame Completed message by a semicolon. This lets you pipe the message

Command-Line Rendering Switches | 7499

to a file, and then open it in a spreadsheet program with appropriate columns
by setting the delimiter character.

Separators
Many switches are displayed in the following charts with trailing colons, such
as -w: or -h:. The use of a colon separator is optional, and can be replaced with
a space or an equal sign (=). Therefore, command lines such as:
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-outputName:“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\myImage.jpg” -w:640 -h:480 “c:\program
files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\myscene.max”
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-outputName “c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\myImage.jpg” -w 640 -h 480 “c:\program
files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\myscene.max”
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-outputName=“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\myImage.jpg” -w=640 -h=480 “c:\program
files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\myscene.max”
will give you the same results. The use of the equal sign can give your
command-line files more of an INI file appearance.
NOTE The switch -submit:[manager_name] is the only case where a colon is
necessary.

On/Off Command-Line Switches
Many of the switches you'll use are simple on/off toggles, such as the -rfw:
and -renderFields: switches. If you prefer, instead of using a 1 or 0 to designate
their states, you can use True or False. For example, to render a scene to a
specified file type and display the Rendered Frame Window, your command
line might look like this;
“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder name]\3dsmaxcmd”
-outputName=“c:\program files\autodesk\[program folder
name]\renderoutput\myImage.jpg” -rfw=true “c:\program
files\autodesk\[program folder name]\scenes\myscene.max”

7500 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Basic Options
Switch

Effect

-?

Displays a list of these switches in
the DOS window.

-x

Shows a list of example command
lines.

-v:#

Sets the verbosity level, where # is
an integer from 0 (least verbose)
to 5 (most verbose).

@command_file
or -cmdFile:command_file

Points to a separate file containing
command-line options.

-preset: or rps:

Uses a render preset file where
 is the name of the preset file.

-sceneState:

Loads the specified scene state file
before rendering the image.

-batchRender

Renders all enabled tasks in the
Batch Render dialog.

-batchRender:

Renders batch renders in the file
named batch-render-name.

-preRenderScript: or script:

Uses a pre-render script where  is the name of the script
file.

-postRenderScript:

Uses a post-render script where
 is the name of the
script file.

-workPath:

Root location for job data folders.

Command-Line Rendering Switches | 7501

Switch

Effect

-pathFile:

Path configuration file (MXP
format).

-bitmapPath:

(obsolete) Provides an extra bitmap path. Multiple paths can be
entered and UNC naming conventions can be used.

-xrefPath:

(obsolete) Lets you specify extra
XRef paths. Multiple paths can be
entered and UNC naming conventions can be used.

-split:

Split render: number of strips,
overlap amount.

-strip:

Split render: number of strips,
overlap amount, strip number
(starting with 1). This is similar to
the -split switch, but lets you
render a specific, individual strip.
NOTE The strip value has no effect when submitting the job to
Backburner. The job will still
render all strips. Split and Stitch
functionality is intended for local
rendering only.

-stitch:

Stitches strips (see above), combining them into a single image:
number of strips, overlap amount.
Stitch functionality is intended for
local rendering only.

-dateFormat:

Specifies a date format to be used
in message timestamp, at verbosity level 5. Defaults to locale-dependent format. For details, use
the 3dsmaxcmd3dsvizcmd -x option.

7502 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Switch

Effect

-timeFormat:

Specifies a time format to be used
in message timestamp, at verbosity level 5. Defaults to locale-dependent format and 24–hour
clock. For details, use the 3dsmaxcmd -x option.

Render Parameters
NOTE Any command-line switches that are on/off toggles can be switched by
entering either 1, 0, on or off.
Switch

Effect

-outputName: or -o:

Sets an output file name
and format.

-camera: or cam:

Specifies a camera name.

-width: or w:

Sets the output width in
pixels.

-height: or h:

Sets the output height in
pixels.

-pixelAspect:

Sets the pixel aspect ratio.

-start:

Sets the rendering sequence start frame.

-end

Sets the rendering sequence end frame.

-nthFrame

Sets the Every Nth Frame
value.

-frames

Lets you specify a frame
list; for example, (1,3,5-12)
or all.

Command-Line Rendering Switches | 7503

Switch

Effect

-stillFrame or -sf

Indicates that this is a stillframe render; no frame
suffix will be added.

-imageSequenceFile:<0/1/2>

Image-sequence file creation: 0=none; 1=.imsq;
2=.ifl

-gammaCorrection:<1/0>

Toggles gamma correction.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-gammaValueIn:

Sets the Input Gamma
value.

-gammaValueOut:

Sets the Output Gamma
value.

-continueOnError

If an error is encountered,
3ds Max attempts to continue rendering.

-videopostJob:<1/0>

Turns Video Post on page
7707 on or off for the job.

Render Flags
Switch

Effect

-showRFW:<1/0> or rfw:<1/0>

Toggles the Rendered
Frame Window. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-skipRenderedFrames:<1/0>

Toggles Skip Existing Images. “1”=On, “0”=Off.

-videoColorCheck:<1/0>

Toggles Video Color
Check. “1”=On, “0”=Off.

-force2Sided:<1/0>

Toggles Force 2-Sided.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

7504 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Switch

Effect

-renderHidden:<1/0>

Toggles Render Hidden.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-atmospherics:<1/0>

Toggles Atmospherics.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-superBlack:<1/0>

Toggles Super Black.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-renderFields:<1/0>

Toggles Render Fields.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-fieldOrder:even or odd

Toggles Field Order. Default=”Odd”.

-displacements:<1/0>

Toggles Displacement
Mapping. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-effects:<1/0>

Toggles Render Effects.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-useAreaLights:<1/0>

Toggles area lights/shadows. “1”=On, “0”=Off.

-useAdvLight:<1/0>

Toggles use advanced
lighting. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-computeAdvLight:<1/0>

Toggles compute advanced lighting. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-ditherPaletted:<1/0>

Toggles Output Dithering
(paletted). “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-ditherTrueColor:<1/0>

Toggles Output Dithering
(true-color). “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

Command-Line Rendering Switches | 7505

Switch

Effect

-renderElements:<1/0>

Toggles render elements
(true-color). “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

Backburner Job Submission
These switches concern submitting a rendering job for network rendering. For
further information, see Network Rendering on page 7368. Also, for a different
method of network rendering via the command line, see Backburner Command
Line Control on page 7511.
Switch

Effect

-submit[:manager_name] or s[:manager_name]

Submits the scene, 
to a specific manager system for
network rendering.
NOTE This is the only switch
that requires a colon separator.

-port:

Specifies a manager port number.

-netmask:

Lets you specify a network mask
other than 255.255.255.0.

-jobName:

Lets you specify a job name to
render.

-priority

Sets job priority.

-suspended:<1/0>

Toggles initially suspended.
“1”=Yes, “0”=No.

-writeJobFile

Writes all job settings to an XML
file. The file uses the same name
as the MAX file, so, for example,
test.max produces test.xml.

-readJobFile:

Reads all job settings from an
XML file.

7506 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Switch

Effect

-waitLoad:

The amount of time to wait for
3ds Max to load, in minutes.
Default=20.

-waitRender:

The amount of time to wait for
3ds Max to render, in minutes.
Default=600.

-waitUnload:

The amount of time to wait for
3ds Max to unload, in minutes.
Default=10.

–platform:32 or
64

The platform (either 32– or
64–bit) that your scene will be
rendered on. Use this switch
when you want to render your
scene on a different platform
from the platform where you
created your scene.

Bitmap Parameters
Switch

Effect

-BMP_TYPE:2 or 8

Sets the type of BMP file being
rendered. “2”=paletted,
“8”=true 24-bit.

-JPEG_QUALITY:1
to 100

Sets the JPG quality value.
Ranges from 1 to 100.

-JPEG_SMOOTHING:1 to 100

Sets the JPG smoothing value.
Ranges from 1 to 100.

-TARGA_COLORDEPTH:16, 24
or 32

Sets the color depth for TGA
files.

-TARGA_COMPRESSED:<1/0>

Toggles TGA Compression.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

Command-Line Rendering Switches | 7507

Switch

Effect

-TARGA_ALPHASPLIT:<1/0>

Toggles TGA Alpha Split.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-TARGA_PREMULTALPHA:<1/0>

Toggles TGA Pre-Multiplied Alpha. “1”=On, “0”=Off.

-TIF_TYPE:<0/1/2/3/4>

Sets the TIF type. “0”=mono,
“1”=color, “2”=logl, “3”=logluv,
“4”=16–bit color.

-TIF_ALPHA:<1/0>

Toggles TIF file alpha. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-TIF_COMPRESSION:<1/0>

Toggles TIF Compression.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-TIF_DPI:

Sets the dots-per-inch value for
TIF files.

For each of the following -RLA_xxxx switches, there is a corresponding
-RPF_xxxx option.
Switch

Effect

-RLA_COLORDEPTH:8, 16 or
32

Sets the RLA color
bitdepth.

-RLA_ALPHA:<1/0>:

Toggles RLA Alpha.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-RLA_PREMULTALPHA:<1/0>

Toggles RLA Premultiplied Alpha. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-RLA_DESCRIPTION:

Lets you specify an
RLA description (in
quotes).

-RLA_AUTHOR:

Lets you specify an
RLA author name (in
quotes).

7508 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Switch

Effect

-RLA_ZDEPTHCHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA Z-Depth
Channel. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-RLA_MTLIDCHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA Material
ID Channel. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-RLA_OBJECTIDCHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA Object
Channel. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-RLA_UVCHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA UV Coordinates Channel.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-RLA_NORMALCHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA Surface
Normals Channel.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

-RLA_NONCLAMPEDCOLORCHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA NonClamped Color
Channel. “1”=On,
“0”=Off.

-RLA_COVERAGECHANNEL:<1/0>

Toggles RLA Coverage Channel.
“1”=On, “0”=Off.

The following -RPF_xxxx switches do not have corresponding -RLA_xxxx options.
Switch

Effect

-RPF_NODERENDERIDCHANNEL

Turns on RPF Node
Render ID Channel.

-RPF_COLORCHANNEL

Turns on RPF Color
Channel.

-RPF_TRANSPCHANNEL

Turns on RPF Transparency Channel.

Command-Line Rendering Switches | 7509

Switch

Effect

-RPF_VELOCCHANNEL

Turns on RPF Velocity
Channel.

-RPF_WEIGHTCHANNEL<1/0>

Turns on RPF Sub-Pixel
Weight Channel.

-RPF_MASKCHANNEL

Turns on RPF Sub-Pixel
Mask Channel.

Switch

Effect

-EXR_USEEXPONENT

EXR use exponent
on/off

-EXR_EXPONENT

EXR exponent value
(decimal)

-EXR_PREMULTALPHA

EXR premultiplied alpha
on/off

-EXR_ALPHA

EXR save alpha component on/off

-EXR_RED

EXR save red component on/off

-EXR_GREEN

EXR save green component on/off

-EXR_BLUE

EXR save blue component on/off

-EXR_BITDEPTH

EXR bit depth: 0=8–bit
integers; 1=half float;
2=float

-EXR_USEFRAMENUMDIGITS

EXR use number of
frame digits on/off

-EXR_FRAMENUMDIGITS

EXR number of frame
digits (integer)

7510 | Chapter 18 Rendering

Switch

Effect

-EXR_COMPRESSIONTYPE

EXR compression type:
0=no compression;
1=RLE; 2=ZIP (1 scanline); 3=ZIP (16 scanlines); 4=PIZ

-EXR_USEREALPIX

EXR use RealPix RGB
data on/off

Backburner Command Line Control
The Backburner command line plug-in allows you to submit batch, executable,
or script files to Backburner as “custom” jobs. This cmdjob.exe tool, found in
the Backburner program folder, provides more flexibility in running custom
jobs than is offered by the 3ds Max 3dsmaxcmd.exe plug-in.
For a list of the command-line switches that you can use with the Backburner
command line plug-in, see Command-Line Rendering Switches on page 7499.
Some examples of how these commands can be used with 3ds Max are listed
below.
NOTE In order to use command-line rendering, you should be familiar with DOS
and understand the structure of command lines.

Examples of a CmdJob Usage
Please see the online version of the Help for details.
See also:
■

Command-Line Rendering on page 7495

Backburner Command Line Control | 7511

7512

Effects and Environments

19

Several special effects, such as film grain, depth of field, and lens simulations, are available
as rendering effects on page 7515. Other effects, such as fog, are provided as environment effects
on page 7620. Also available in the environment settings are exposure controls on page 7665, also
known as tone mappers.

The fog environment effect adds atmosphere to a street scene.

In 3ds Max, rendering effects and environments are accessed from a single Environment and
Effects dialog on page 7514.

7513

Environment and Effects Dialog
Rendering menu ➤ Environment
Rendering menu ➤ Effects

Rendered Frame Window ➤

(Environment And Effects Dialog)

You apply effects and environments by using the Environment and Effects
dialog.

Interface

7514 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

The Environment and Effects dialog has two panels, described in the following
topics:
Effects Panel and Rollout on page 7517
Environment Panel on page 7621

Rendering Effects
Rendering Effects enable you to add post-production effects without having
to render the scene to see the results. Through the Effects panel on page 7517
on the Environment and Effects dialog, you can add various effects and view
them prior to final rendering of an image or animation.
Rendering Effects let you work interactively. As you adjust an effect's
parameters, the Rendered Frame Window on page 6963 is updated with the final
output image of both the scene geometry and the applied effects. You can
also choose to continually work with an effect and then update the effect
manually.

Rendering Effects and 32–bit Floating-Point Output
Most rendering effects in 3ds Max are not compatible with 32-bit floating-point
output, such as that provided optionally by the mental ray renderer (see Frame
Buffer Type on page 7193). If you render using one or more unsupported effects,
the following dialog appears:

Rendering Effects | 7515

You can choose to continue rendering without the unsupported effects, or
cancel the render.
The only supported effects are File Output and Color Balance; the rest (shown
in the dialog above) are unsupported.

Rendering Effects Command
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel
Effects displays the Effects panel on page 7517 on the Environment And Effects
dialog, which lets you set parameters for post-rendering effects.
From this panel, you can select and assign a class of plug-in called Render
Effect, which is a post-rendering image-processing effect. This lets you apply
image processing without using Video Post.
Render Effects have the added advantage of allowing animated parameters
and references to scene objects. You can also adjust and view the effects
interactively.

7516 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Effects Panel and Rollout
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel

Rendered Frame Window ➤
Effects panel

(Environment And Effects Dialog) ➤

The Effects rollout, on the Effects panel, lets you assign and manage rendering
effects.
You can use the Effects panel to:
■

Assign a Render Effects plug-in.

■

Apply image processing without using Video Post.

■

Adjust and view effects interactively.

■

Animate parameters and references to scene objects.

Effects Panel and Rollout | 7517

Interface

The Effects panel has one main rollout, Effects, with the following options:
Effects Displays a list of selected effects.
Name Displays the name of the selected effect. Edit this field to rename the
effect.
Add Displays a dialog listing all available rendering effects. Select the effect
you want added to the window list, and then click OK.
Delete Removes a highlighted effect from the window and from the scene.
Active Specifies whether the selected effect is active in the scene. On by default;
you can deactivate an effect without actually removing it by selecting it in
the window and turning off Active.
Move Up Moves the highlighted effect up in the window list.

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Move Down Moves the highlighted effect down in the window list.
Merge Merges rendering effects from scene (.max) files. Clicking Merge displays
a file dialog from which you can choose a .max file. A dialog then appears
listing all rendering effects in that scene.

Preview group
Effects When All is chosen, all of the active effects are applied to the preview.
When Current is chosen, only the highlighted effects are applied to the
preview.
Interactive When on, changes occur interactively in the Rendered Frame
Window on page 6963 as you adjust the parameters of an effect. When Interactive
is not activated, you can click one of the update buttons to preview the effect.
Show Original/Show Effects toggle Click Show Original to display the original
rendered image without any of the effects applied. Click Show Effects to display
the rendered image with the effects.
Update Scene Updates the Rendered Frame Window with all changes made
in Rendering Effects as well as any changes made to the scene itself.
Update Effect Manually updates the preview Rendered Frame Window when
Interactive is not on. What is shown in the Rendered Frame Window is only
an update of any changes made in Rendering Effects. Any changes made to
the scene itself will not be rendered.

Merging Effects
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Merge
The Merge button on the Effects panel on page 7517 lets you merge effects from
other 3ds Max (.max) scene files.
See also:
■

Merge on page 8101

■

Replace on page 8106

■

Merge Animation on page 4163

Merging Effects | 7519

Procedures
To merge an atmospheric effect:
1 Choose Rendering menu ➤ Effects to display the Effects panel.
2 On the Effects rollout, click Merge.
A Merge Effect dialog appears for file selection.
3 Choose a MAX file.
A Merge Atmospheric Effects dialog lists the effects in the specified file.
4 Select one or more of the effects, and then click OK to merge them into
the scene.
Only atmospheric effects appear in the merge list, but when an effect is
merged, any lights or gizmos bound to the effect are merged as well.
To resolve conflicts when merged effects have the same name:
■

If an effect of the same type and name already exists in the scene, an alert
appears. Choose from among these options:
■

Name fieldAllows you to rename the incoming effect.

■

MergeResults in two effects in the scene with the same name.

■

Delete OldRemoves the existing effect in the scene.

■

Apply To All DuplicatesPerforms the same action on all subsequent
matching effects.

Hair And Fur Render Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment And Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Hair And Fur
Hair And Fur modifier ➤ Tools rollout ➤ Render Settings button
To render hair, the scene must contain a Hair And Fur render effect. The render
effect is automatically added to the scene the first time you apply the Hair
And Fur modifier to an object, or 3ds Max adds one (with default values) at
render time if an active Hair And Fur modifier is applied to an object.
If for some reason the render effect doesn't exist in the scene, you can add
one by clicking the Render Settings button. This opens the Environment And

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Effects dialog and adds a Hair And Fur render effect. You can change the
settings, or simply accept the default settings by closing the dialog after it
opens.

Interface

Hair And Fur Render Effect | 7521

Hair Rendering Options group
Hairs Sets the method to be used for rendering hair:
■

buffer(The default) Procedural hair generated by Hair at render time based
on the modifier parameters. Buffer hair is generated by a special renderer
within Hair and offers the benefit of being able to create millions of hairs
with minimal memory requirements. Only one hair is in memory at a
time. Also, using Buffer render offers a variety of compositing options
(described below).

■

geometryCreates actual geometry for the rendered hair at render time. This
geometry is assigned the material ID set by the Hair And Fur modifier ➤
Geom Mat ID parameter on page 1063.
NOTE “Geometry” hair derives its texture from the growth object, not from
any maps applied via the Material Parameters rollout.
Compositing options aren't available with “geometry” hair.
The “geometry” option works with both the default scanline renderer and
the mental ray renderer.

■

mr primHair is generated by a procedural mental ray shader that generates
mental ray curve primitives directly into the mental ray rendering stream
at render time.
Choose this option only when you are rendering hair with the mental ray
renderer on page 7129.

mr Voxel Resolution Available only for the “geometry” and “mr prim” Hairs
options. At render time, hair boundaries are subdivided into volume cubes or
“voxels.” 3ds Max calculates which hairs are in each voxel, and when a ray
enters a voxel, it calculates for those hairs. This allows unneeded voxels to be
removed from memory during calculation.
With “geometry” rendering, voxels are used only for calculating instanced
hairs.
This value gives the resolution of the subdivision. For example, a value of 3
subdivides the volume into 3 x 3 x 3 voxels, for a total of 27. The higher this
value, the more efficient calculations can be. Default=5.
Lighting
■

native(The default.) Uses standard 3ds Max calculations for light falloff.

■

emulationPerforms a simpler internal calculation for light falloff within
the buffer render. It applies only to the buffer hair rendering itself, not the
3ds Max scene. This mode omits features such as illumination textures on

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the hair, and light falloff calculation might be slightly inaccurate, but
rendering is somewhat faster.
Raytrace the Reflections/Refractions Available only for the “buffer” Hairs
option. When on, reflections and refractions are ray-traced. When off, they
are calculated as usual. Turning this option on can increase realism at the cost
of render time. Default=off.

Motion Blur group
In order to render motion-blurred hairs, Motion Blur must be enabled for the
growth object.
Duration The number of frames over which motion blur is calculated for each
frame.
Interval The point in the duration at which the “snapshot” of the hair is
captured, before blurring. The choices are “start”, “middle”, and “end”. The
default is “middle”, which causes blurring to occur at the start and end of the
duration.

Buffer Rendering Options group
This setting applies only to the ”buffer” rendering method on page 7522.
Oversampling Controls the level of antialiasing applied to the Hair “buffer”
render. The available choices are “draft”, “low”, “medium”, “high”, and
“maximum”. The “draft” setting uses no antialiasing; “high” is suitable for
most final renders; in extreme cases, use “maximum”. The higher the
Oversampling level, the greater the memory requirements and render time.
Default=”low.”
Tile Memory Usage Sets the maximum amount of main memory to be used
by a “tile.” Hair And Fur renders hair one tile at a time. Default = 70 Megabytes.
TIP We recommend that you increase the value of Tile Memory Usage to 100.
Transparency Depth Sets a maximum depth for rendering transparent or
translucent hairs. Default=30.

Hair And Fur Render Effect | 7523

Composite Method group
This option lets you choose the method by which Hair composites hair with
the rest of the scene. Compositing options are available only with the “buffer”
rendering method.
■

NoneRenders the hair only, with occlusion. The resulting image is ready
to composite.

■

OffRenders hair shadows but not the hair.

■

Normal(The default.) Does standard rendering and composites the occluded
hair with the rest of the scene in the Rendered Frame Window. Because of
the occlusion, hair will not appear behind (through) transparent objects.

■

GBufferBuffer-rendered hair appears behind most transparent objects.
Transparent refractive objects aren't supported.

Occlusion Objects group
This setting lets you choose which objects will occlude hair in the scene; that
is, if the object is closer to the camera than part of the hair array, the hairs
behind it won't render. By default, all objects in the scene occlude hair behind
them.
■

Auto(The default.) All renderable objects in the scene occlude hair behind
them.

■

AllAll objects in the scene, including non-renderable objects, occlude hair
behind them.

■

CustomLets you specify the objects that will occlude hair. Choosing this
option makes the buttons on the right slide of the list available. If you
choose Custom but don't specify any occlusion objects, no objects will
occlude the hair; that is, the hair will appear in front of all objects, whether
or not it's closer to the camera than the objects.

List The list of custom occlusion objects. To edit this list, choose Custom and
then use the buttons on the right side of the list.
Add Adds a single object to the list. Click Add and then in a viewport, click
the object to add.
Add List Adds multiple objects to the list. Click Add List and then in a
viewport, click each object to add in turn. To finish, right-click the viewport
or click Add List again to turn it off.

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Replace To replace an object in the list, highlight its name in the list, click
Replace, and then in a viewport click the replacement object.
Delete To remove an object from the list, highlight its name in the list and
then click Delete.

Global Illumination group
Apply Skylight When on, Hair And Fur supports takes sky light into account,
provided it is present in the scene. Default=off.
Multiplier Available only when Skylight is turned on. This Multiplier value
lets you adjust the amount of sky light that is used when rendering hair.

Lighting group
These settings control the illumination of hair and shadow-casting from hair
by supported lights in the scene.
The following light types are not supported when rendering hair with the
“buffer” method: Skylight, mr Area Omni, mr Area Spot, IES Sun, IES Sky, mr
Sky and mr Sun. However, mr Area Omni, mr Area Spot, mr Sky, and mr Sun
are supported for hair when you use the “mr prim” method and the mental
ray renderer.
NOTE For the purposes of rendering shadows in hair, Direct lights are treated as
point (omni) lights.
Shadow Density Specifies the relative darkness of the shadows. At the default,
highest value, 100.0, shadows are darkest. At the lowest value, 0.0, shadows
are fully transparent, so they don't render. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.
Use all lights at render time When on, causes all supported lights in the
scene to illuminate and cast shadows from hair when the scene is rendered.
(Shadows are cast only from lights whose Shadows toggle is on.) When off,
for a light to cast shadows from hair, you explicitly must add hair properties.
In either case, shadow maps for hair use the settings from the Hair Light
Attr(ibutes) rollout on page 5803 Default=on.
NOTE These settings apply only to “buffer”-rendered hair (the default type, set
in the Hair Rendering Options group, as described above).
Add hair properties Adds the Hair Light Attr(ibutes) rollout on page 5803 to
selected lights in the scene. If you want to assign hair-specific shadow
properties on a per-light basis, this rollout is necessary. Available only when
at least one supported light is selected.

Hair And Fur Render Effect | 7525

When Use All Lights At Render Time is off, only lights with hair properties
can illuminate hair.
Remove hair properties Removes the Hair Light Attr(ibutes) rollout on page
5803 from selected lights in the scene. Available only when at least one light
with hair properties added is selected.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects
Lens Effects create real-life effects commonly associated with a camera. Lens
effects include Glow on page 7531, Ring on page 7538, Ray on page 7548, Auto
Secondary on page 7555, Manual Secondary on page 7563, Star on page 7570, and
Streak on page 7577.

Lens flares added as lens effects

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Procedures
To add an effect:
1 Select the desired effect from the list on the left side of the Lens Effects
Parameters rollout.
2 Click the (>) arrow button to move it into the column on the right.
To delete an applied effect:
1 Select the effect from the list on the right side of the Lens Effects
Parameters rollout.
2 Click the (<) arrow button to remove it from the list.

Interface
Lens Effects Parameters rollout

The Lens Effects system allows you to apply effects to your rendered image
by choosing a particular effect from the list on the left and adding it to the
list on the right. Each effect has its own rollout of parameters, but all effects
share two panels of global parameters.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7527

Lens Effects Globals rollout, Parameters panel

Load Displays the Load Lens Effects file dialog that enables you to open an
LZV file. The LZV file format contains information saved from a previous
configuration of Lens Effects. This allows you to load and use Lens Effects that
have been saved from previous sessions of 3ds Max.
Save Displays the Save Lens Effects file dialog that enables you to save an LZV
file. The LZV file format contains information saved from a previous
configuration of Lens Effects. This allows you to save several types of Lens
Effects and use them in multiple 3ds Max scenes.
NOTE Saving an effect as an LZV file will only save the attributes of the effect on
the frame that it is saved at. The LZV file format doesn’t save the animation keys
of an animated parameter.
Size Affects the size of the overall Lens Effect. This value is a percentage of
the size of the rendered frame.
Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the Lens Effect. Higher
values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces a dim,
transparent effect.

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Seed Gives the random number generator in Lens Effects a different starting
point, which creates a slightly different Lens Effect without changing any
settings. Using Seed guarantees a different Lens Effect, even if the differences
are very small. For example, if you set up a Ray effect, you will get slightly
different rays in the lens flare if you adjust the seed value.
Angle Affects the amount that the Lens Effect rotates from its default position,
as the position of the effect changes relative to the camera.
Squeeze Squeezes the size of the overall Lens Effect, either horizontally or
vertically to compensate for different frame aspect ratios. Positive values stretch
the effect horizontally, and negative values stretch it vertically. The value is
a percentage of the size of the flare. Range=100 to -100.

Lights group
Allows you to choose lights to apply Lens Effects to.
Pick Light Enables you to select a light directly through the viewports. You
can also select a light by pressing H to open the Pick Object dialog.
Remove Light Removes a selected light.
Drop-down list Provides quick access to lights that you have added to the
Lens Effect.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7529

Lens Effects Globals rollout, Scene panel

Affect Alpha Specifies whether or not the Lens Effect affects the alpha channel
of an image when the image is rendered in a 32-bit file format. The alpha
channel is an extra 8 bits of color (256 colors) that indicate transparency in
an image. Alpha channels are used to composite one image seamlessly over
the top of another. If you want to composite a Lens Effect, or an image that
contains a Lens Effect, over the top of another image, enable this option. If
you are not rendering to a 32-bit file, do not enable this option.
Affect Z Buffer Stores an object's distance from the camera. The Z-Buffer is
useful for optical effects. When this option is enabled, the linear distance of
the Lens Effect is recorded, and can be used in special effects that make use
of the Z-Buffer.
Distance Affects Allows distance from the camera or viewport to affect the
size and/or the intensity of the effect.
Off-Center Affects Allows an effect that is off-center from the camera or
viewport to affect the size and/or the intensity of the effect.
Direction Affects Allows direction of spot lights with respect to the camera
or viewport to affect the size and/or the intensity of the effect.

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The size and intensity of the effect are at a maximum when the light is pointed
at the camera (or viewport).

Occlusion group
Occlusion is used to determine when a Lens Effect will be affected by an object
that comes between the effect and the camera. By using two spinners to
determine occlusion you can have scene objects realistically affect the look
of your effect. The outer radius will determine when another scene object will
begin to occlude and the inner radius will determine when the scene object
will cause the effect to reach maximum occlusion.
Inner Radius Sets the inner radius around the effect that another scene object
must intersect in order to completely occlude the effect.
Outer Radius Sets the outer radius around the effect that another scene object
must intersect in order to begin to occlude the effect.
Size Decreases the size of the effect when being occluded.
Intensity Decreases the intensity of the effect when being occluded.
Affected by Atmosphere Allows Atmospheric Effects to occlude Lens Effects.

Glow Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Glow, and
click the (>) arrow button.
Glow lets you add a glowing aura around any assigned object. For example,
for an exploding particle system, adding a glow to the particles makes them
seem as though they are brighter and hotter.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7531

Adding glow to the light

WARNING This effect is not supported by the mental ray renderer on page 7129.

7532 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Interface
Glow Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it
is often necessary to name them to make sure that when you change
parameters you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated.
Size Determines the size of the effect.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7533

Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Glow Behind Gives the effect the ability to be displayed behind objects in
your scene.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to and the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular Color
parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.

Radial Color group
The Radial Color settings affect the inner and outer colors of the effect. You
can set the color swatches to set the inner and outer colors of the Lens Effect.
You can also use bitmaps such as Gradient or Cellular to determine the radial
color.
Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.
You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used as a Lens
Effects source.

Circular Color group
Circular Color determines the color of the effect by using four different color
swatches that are matched to the four quadrants of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine circular color.
Mix Mixes colors set in Radial Color and colors set in Circular Color. Setting
the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color while setting the
spinner at 100 will only use values set in Circular Color. Any value between
0 and 100 will mix between the two values.

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Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Circular Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

Glow Element rollout, Options panel

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7535

Apply Element To group
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to the rendered image using parameters set in Image
Sources.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.
Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.
TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner. This parameter can be animated.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens

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Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group box.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object
ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7537

Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

Ring Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Ring, and
click the (>) arrow button.
The ring is a circular color band that surrounds the center of the source object.

7538 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Adding a ring to the light

WARNING This effect is not supported by the mental ray renderer on page 7129.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7539

Interface
Ring Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it
is often necessary to name them to make sure that when you change
parameters you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated. Default = on.
Size Determines the size of the effect.

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Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Plane Sets the location of the effect along the axis of the effect which extends
from the center of the effect through the center of the screen.
Thickness Determines the thickness, in pixels, of the effect.
Glow Behind Gives the effect the ability to be displayed behind objects in
your 3ds Max scene.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to with the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular
Color parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.

Radial Color group
The Radial Color settings affect the inner and outer colors of the effect. You
can set the color swatches to set the inner and outer colors of the Lens Effect.
You can also use bitmaps such as gradient or cellular to determine the radial
color.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7541

Ring using radial colors as seen in lower left inset

Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.
You can also use a map to determine the falloff.

Circular Color group
Circular Color determines the color of the effect by using four different color
swatches that are matched to the four quadrants of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine circular color.

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Ring using circular colors as seen in lower right inset

Mix Mixes colors set in Radial Color and colors set in Circular Color. Setting
the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color while setting the
spinner at 100 will only use values set in Circular Color. Any value between
0 and 100 will mix between the two values.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7543

Ring using radial and circular colors mixed 50/50

Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Circular Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

7544 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Ring Element rollout, Options panel

Apply Element To
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to the rendered image using parameters set in Image
Sources.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.
Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7545

TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens
Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group box.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object
ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.

7546 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7547

Ray Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Ray, and click
the (>) arrow button.
Rays are bright lines that radiate from the center of the source object, providing
the illusion of extreme brightness for the object. Rays let you emulate scratches
in the lens elements of a camera.

Adding rays to the light

7548 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Interface
Ray Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it
is often necessary to name them to make sure that when you change
parameters you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated. Default = on.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7549

Size Determines the size of the effect.
Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Num Specifies the overall number of rays that appear in the lens flare. Rays
are randomly spaced around the radius.
Angle Specifies the angle for the rays. You can enter both positive and negative
values so, when animated, the rays rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction.
Sharp Specifies the overall sharpness of the rays. Higher numbers produce
crisp, clean, and clear rays. Lower numbers produce more of a secondary glow
look. Range=0 to 10.
Glow Behind Gives the effect the ability to be displayed behind objects in
your 3ds Max scene.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated, the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to and the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular Color
parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.

Radial Color group
The Radial Color settings affect the inner and outer colors of the effect. You
can set the color swatches to set the inner and outer colors of the Lens Effect.
You can also use bitmaps such as Gradient or Cellular to determine the radial
color.
Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.
You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used as a Lens
Effects source.

7550 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Circular Color group
Circular Color determines the color of the effect by using four different color
swatches that are matched to the four quadrants of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine circular color.
Mix Allows you to mix between colors set in Radial Color and colors set in
Circular Color. Setting the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color
while setting the spinner at 100 will only use values set in Circular Color. Any
value between 0 and 100 will mix between the two values.
Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Circular Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7551

Ray Element rollout, Options panel

Apply Element To group
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to the rendered image using parameters set in Image
Sources.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.

7552 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.
TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens
Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7553

ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.

Edge filter applied to rays emanating from object

Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner

7554 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

Auto Secondary Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Auto
Secondary, and click the (>) arrow button.
Secondary flares are the small circles you would normally see coming out from
the source of the lens flare along an axis relative to the camera position. These
are caused by light refracting off the different lens elements in the camera. As
the camera position changes relative to the source object, the secondary flares
move.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7555

Adding secondary flares to the light

7556 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Interface
Auto Secondary Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7557

is necessary to name them to make sure that when you change parameters
you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated. Default = on.
Min Controls the minimum size of secondary flares in the current set. This
number is defined as a percentage of the overall image.
Max Controls the maximum size of secondary flares in the current set. This
number is defined as a percentage of the overall image.
Axis Defines the overall length of the axis the automatic secondary flares will
be distributed along. Increasing the value creates more space between the
flares, while decreasing the value creates less space between the flares. You
can set the axis from 0 to 10 degrees.
Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Qty Controls the number of secondary flares that appear in the current set of
flares.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to with the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular
Color parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.
Sides Controls the shape of the secondary flares for the current set. The default
is circular, but you can choose from 3- to 8-sided secondary flares.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Presets (drop-down list) Displays a list of preset values that can be selected
and applied to the rendered scene.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated, the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.

Radial Color group
The Radial Color settings affect the inner and outer colors of the effect. You
can set the color swatches to set the inner and outer colors of the Lens Effect.

7558 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Each color swatch has a percentage spinner that determines at what point
that color should stop and the next should start. You can also use bitmaps
such as gradient or cellular to determine the radial color.
Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.
You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used as a Lens
Effects source.

Circular Color group
Circular Color determines the color of the effect by using four different color
swatches that are matched to the four quadrants of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine circular color.
Mix Allows you to mix between colors set in Radial Color and colors set in
Circular Color. Setting the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color
while setting the spinner at 100 will only use values set in Circular Color. Any
value between 0 and 100 will mix between the two values.
Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Circular Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7559

Auto Secondary Element rollout, Options panel

Apply Element To group
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to the rendered image using parameters set in Image
Sources.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.

7560 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.
TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens
Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group box.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7561

ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

7562 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Manual Secondary Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Manual
Secondary, and click the (>) arrow button.
Manual secondary flares are additional secondary flares that are individually
added to the lens flare. These can be used in addition to, or in place of auto
secondary flares on page 7555.
You use Manual Secondary flares when you want to add unique flares that
you don't want repeated.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7563

Interface
Manual Secondary Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it

7564 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

is necessary to name them to make sure that when you change parameters
you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated. Default = on.
Size Determines the size of the effect.
Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Plane Controls the distance, in degrees, between the flare source and the
manual secondary flare. By default, the flare plane exists at the center of the
chosen node source. Positive values place the flare in front of the source, while
negative values place the flare behind the flare source.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to and the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular Color
parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.
Sides Controls the shape of the secondary flares for the current set. The default
is circular, but you can choose from 3- to 8-sided secondary flares.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Presets (drop-down list) Displays a list of preset values that can be selected
and applied to the rendered scene.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated, the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.

Radial Color group
The Radial Color settings affect the inner and outer colors of the effect. You
can set the color swatches to set the inner and outer colors of the Lens Effect.
You can also use bitmaps such as gradient or cellular to determine the radial
color.
Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7565

You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used as a Lens
Effects source.

Circular Color group
Circular Color determines the color of the effect by using four different color
swatches that are matched to the four quadrants of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine circular color.
Mix Mixes colors set in Radial Color and colors set in Circular Color. Setting
the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color while setting the
spinner at 100 will only use values set in Circular Color. Any value between
0 and 100 will mix between the two values.
Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Circular Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

7566 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Manual Secondary Element rollout, Options panel

Apply Element To group
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to the rendered image using parameters set in Image
Sources.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7567

Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.
TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens
Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group box.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object

7568 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7569

Star Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Star, and click
the (>) arrow button.
A Star is larger than a Ray effect on page 7548 and is composed of 0 to 30 spokes,
instead of hundreds like a ray.

Adding a star to the light

7570 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Interface
Star Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects, you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it
is necessary to name them to make sure that when you change parameters
you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7571

Size Determines the size of the effect.
Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Width Specifies the width of the individual spokes, as a percentage of the
overall frame.
Angle Sets the starting angle in degrees in which the star spokes point. You
can enter both positive and negative values so, when animated, the star spokes
rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
Taper Controls the taper of the individual spokes of the star. Taper widens
or narrows the tips of the individual star points. Low numbers create a sharp
point, while high numbers flare the points.
Sharp Specifies the overall sharpness of the star. Higher numbers produce
crisp, clean, and clear stars. Lower numbers produce more of a secondary glow
look. Range=0 to 10.
Qty Specifies the number of spokes in the star effect. The default is 6. Spokes
are spaced at equidistant points about the center of the flare.
Glow Behind Gives the effect the ability to be displayed behind objects in
your 3ds Max scene.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated, the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to and the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular Color
parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.

Radial Color group
The Radial Color settings affect the inner and outer colors of the effect. You
can set the color swatches to set the inner and outer colors of the Lens Effect.
You can also use bitmaps such as gradient or cellular to determine the radial
color.

7572 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.
You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used as a Lens
Effects source.

Section Color group
Selection Color determines the color of the effect by using three different color
swatches that are matched to the three sections of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine section color.
Mix Mixes colors set in Radial Color and colors set in Section Color. Setting
the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color while setting the
spinner at 100 will only use values set in Section Color. Any value between 0
and 100 will mix between the two values.
Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Section Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7573

Star Element rollout, Options panel

Apply Element To group
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to the rendered image using parameters set in Image
Sources.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.

7574 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.
TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens
Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group box.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7575

ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

7576 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Streak Lens Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose Streak, and
click the (>) arrow button.
A streak is a wide band that runs through the center of the source object. In
real camera work, it is produced when using anamorphic lenses to film a scene.

Adding a streak to the light

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7577

Interface
Streak Element rollout, Parameters panel

Name Displays the name of the effect. With Lens Effects, you can have many
different effects under one instance of Lens Effects. To keep them in order, it
is necessary to name them to make sure that when you change parameters
you are changing the parameters to the correct effect.
On Applies the effect to the rendered image when activated.
Size Determines the size of the effect.

7578 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the individual effect.
Higher values produce a bright, more opaque effect, and lower values produces
a dim, transparent effect.
Width Specifies the width of the streak, as a percentage of the frame.
Angle Specifies the angle for the streak. You can enter both positive and
negative values so, when animated, the streak rotates in a clockwise or
counterclockwise direction.
Taper Controls the taper of the individual spokes of the streak. Taper widens
or narrows the tips of the individual streak points. Low numbers create a sharp
point, while high numbers flare the points.
Sharp Specifies the overall sharpness of the streak. Higher numbers produce
crisp, clean, and clear streaks. Lower numbers produce more of a secondary
glow look. Range=0 to 10.
Glow Behind Gives the effect the ability to be displayed behind objects in
your 3ds Max scene.
Occlusion Determines how much the Lens Effects Scene Occlusion parameters
will affect the particular effect. The value entered determines what percentage
of occlusion set in the Lens Effects Globals panel will be applied.
Squeeze Determines whether the effect will be squeezed. When activated, the
effect will be squeezed according to Lens Effects Globals under the Parameters
panel in the Squeeze spinner.
Use Source Color Mixes the source color of the light or object you are applying
the effect to and the color or mapping set in the Radial Color or Circular Color
parameters. A value of 0 uses only the values set in the Radial Color and
Circular Color parameters while a value of 100 uses only the light or objects
source color. Any value between 0 and 100 will render a mix between the
source color and the effect’s color parameters.

Radial Color group
Falloff Curve Displays the Radial Falloff dialog on page 7591 in which you can
set weights for the colors used in Radial Color. By manipulating the Falloff
Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than the other.
You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used as a Lens
Effects source.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7579

Section Color group
Section Color determines the color of the effect by using three different color
swatches that are matched to the three sections of the effect. A map can also
be used to determine section color.
Mix Mixes colors set in Radial Color and colors set in Section Color. Setting
the spinner at 0 will only use values set in Radial Color while setting the
spinner at 100 will only use values set in Section Color. Any value between 0
and 100 will mix between the two values.
Falloff Curve Displays the Circular Falloff dialog on page 7584 in which you
can set weights for the colors used in Section Color. By manipulating the
Falloff Curve you can make the effect use more of one color or map than
another. You can also use a map to determine the falloff when a light is used
as a Lens Effects source.

Radial Size group
Determines the radial size around the particular Lens Effect. Clicking the Size
Curve button displays the Radial Size dialog on page 7595. Using the Radial Size
dialog you can create points on a line and move those points along a graph
to determine where the effect should be placed around the light or object.
You can also use a map to determine where the effect should be placed. A
check box is used to activate the map.

7580 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Streak Element rollout, Options panel

Apply Element To group
Lights Applies the effect to lights picked in Lens Effects Globals under the
Parameters tab in the Lights group box.
Image Applies the effect to objects that have a corresponding Object ID
channel.
Image Centers Applies to the center of an object or to portions of an object
as determined by the Image Filters.

Image Sources group
Object ID Applies the Lens Effect to particular objects in your scene that have
a corresponding G-Buffer on page 9173 (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer is a geometry
buffer and can be defined when you right-click any object and select Properties
from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID under the G-Buffer ID
controls.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7581

Material ID Applies the Lens Effect to an object or part of an object with a
specific Material ID channel assigned to it. Assign the channel with the Material
Editor ➤ Material ID channel flyout on page 6075. The effect is applied only
to areas of the geometry where that ID channel is present.
TIP In some cases you might want to apply different Lens Effects settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
entries to the Lens Effects Parameters list. Then set each different Lens Effect entry
to affect a different Material ID or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamp An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255). 3ds
Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your scene
contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that the Lens Effect is applied to. Pure white
has a pixel value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value
above 255 will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button
to the right of the spinner.
Surf Norm Applies the Lens Effect to part of an object, based on the angle of
the surface normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the
screen. A value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf
Norm to 45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner.
Whole Applies the Lens Effect to the whole scene, not just a particular piece
of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential Lens
Effect source. The areas of the scene that have the Lens Effect applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Image Filters group box.
Alpha Applies the Lens Effect to the alpha channel of an image. The
transparency of an alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask
channel. Range=0 to 255.
Z Hi/Z Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance) from
the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is the
minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be
highlighted.

Image Filters group
Filters the Image Sources selections to let you control how the Lens Effect is
applied. For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the
same Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Image Source as the Object

7582 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

ID of the spheres, which selects all of the spheres, these will be the only objects
in the scene that Lens Effects will apply an effect to.
However, now that Lens Effects knows where the pixels are that effects can be
applied, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the effect to. Lens
Effects uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
effect to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies the Lens Effect to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies the Lens
Effect to them. Applying a Lens Effect along the edges of objects produces a
soft halo that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perim(eter) Alpha Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object
based on its alpha channel. Selecting this option applies the effect only on
the outside of an object without any spill on the interior. Whereas filtering
by Edge produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges
clean because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive its effect.
Perim(eter) Applies the Lens Effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge interference. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.
Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. The effect
is only applied to objects with a brightness above the spinner setting This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color

Additional Effects group
Additional Effects allows you to apply maps such as Noise to your Lens Effect.
You can display the Material/Map browser by clicking the long button next
to the Apply check box.
Apply Applies the selected map when activated.
Radial Density Determines where and how much you would like the
additional effects applied. Clicking the Radial Density button displays the
Radial Density dialog on page 7588. Using the Radial Density dialog you can
create points on a line and move those points along a graph to determine
where the additional effect should be placed around the light. You can also
use a map to determine where the additional effect should be placed.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7583

Lens Effects Dialogs
The topics in this section describe support dialogs that are common to the
various lens effects.

Circular Falloff Graph (Lens Effects)
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose any effect,
and click the (>) arrow button. ➤ Parameters tab of the rollout for that effect
➤ Falloff Curve (under the Circular or Section Color group)
The Circular Falloff graph allows you to add weight to a particular color applied
to your Lens Effect. By weighting the colors that you apply you can choose
to display more of one color than another. You can also make the transition
of colors gradual from one color to the next or you can create a sharp edge to
the transition.

7584 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Rings with different Circular Falloff settings

The Circular Falloff graph has controls at the top for creating and moving
points on a curve on the graph below. The curve represents the range of colors
you have selected in the Circular Color group box to apply to the current Lens
Effect. When you open the graph you will notice that there is already a line
with a point on each end which represents the linear transition from one
color to the next. By placing points along the curve, you can drag these points
to increase or decrease a colors intensity or to eliminate it altogether.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7585

Buttons are available at the bottom of the graph that allow you to change the
display of the graph. You can also manually enter a horizontal or vertical
position by entering a value into the two entry boxes.

Interface

Move flyout

Move Moves a selected point in any direction, limited by the
unselected points on either side.
For a Bezier smooth point, you can move the point or either handle.
The Move function remains active until you click another button. The button
is highlighted (by default, in yellow) while it is active.

Move Constrains movement to the horizontal.

Move Constrains movement to the vertical.

Scale Point button

Scale Point Scales a point vertically. Click once to enable Scale Point.
The Scale Point function remains active until you click another button. The
button is highlighted (by default, in yellow) while it is active.

7586 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Add Point flyout

Add Point Adds a Bezier corner point anywhere along the Circular
Falloff curve. The point makes a sharp angle when moved.
Click once to enable Add Point. The Add Point function remains active until
you click another button. The button is highlighted (by default, in yellow)
while it is active.

Add Point Adds a Bezier smooth point anywhere along the Circular
Falloff curve. Handles attached to the point create smooth curves when moved.
TIP When either Add Point button is active, you can use Ctrl+click to create the
other type of point. This is an alternative to using the flyout.

Delete Point button

Delete Point Deletes the selected points.

Navigation controls (Status bar)
Horizontal Position Allows you to manually enter a horizontal position value
for a selected point.
Vertical Position Allows you to manually enter a vertical position value for
a selected point.

Pan Allows you to click and drag the Circular Falloff graph window
to move it left and right or up and down. Click once to enable panning. Pan
remains active until you click another button. The button is hightlighted (by
default, in yellow) while it is active.

Zoom Extents Fits the curve within the graph window both vertically
and horizontally so that the entire curve is visible.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7587

Zoom Horizontal Extents Fits the curve horizontally within the graph
window so that the full length of the curve is visible.

Zoom Vertical Extents Fits the curve vertically within the Circular
Falloff graph window so that the full height of the curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontally Scales the Circular Falloff graph horizontally.
Zoom Vertically Scales the Circular Falloff graph vertically.

Zoom Zooms in and out of the entire Circular Falloff graph window.

Zoom Region Allows you to drag a region in the Circular Falloff graph
window and scale that region to fill the window.

Radial Density Dialog (Lens Effects)
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose any effect,
and click the (>) arrow button. ➤ Options tab of the rollout for that effect
➤ Radial Density (under the Additional Effects group)
The Radial Density dialog allows you to add weight to any additional effect
applied to the Lens Effect. By weighting the density of the additional effect
that you apply you can choose particular areas in the effect to display more
of the additional effect or to eliminate it altogether. You can also use Radial
Density to gradually fade the additional effect from maximum density down
to zero or you can create a sharp edge to the transition.

7588 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Object with different Ray effects due to different Radial Density settings

The Radial Density dialog has controls at the top for creating and moving
Points on a curve on the graph below. The curve represents the density of the
additional effect being applied to the Lens Effect. When you open the dialog
you will notice that there is already a line with a Point on each end which
represents the density of the effect. The default falloff is a fade from a density
value of 1 starting from the center of the effect toward the outer edges which
has a value of 0. This produces an effect with more density being rendered at
the center of the effect and a gradual fading out to no density at the edges.
By placing Points along the curve, you can drag these points to increase or
decrease the density of an additional effect or eliminate it in some areas
altogether.
Buttons are available at the bottom of the dialog that allow you to change the
display of the dialog. You can also manually enter a horizontal or vertical
position by entering a value into the two entry boxes.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7589

Interface
Toolbar
Move Moves selected points in any direction. Click and
hold the Move button to display the flyout where you can select a button to
move in any direction, move only in the horizontal direction, or move only
in the vertical direction. The Move function remains active until you click
another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Scale Point Vertically scales a point up or down. Click once to enable
Scale Point. The Scale Point function remains active until you click another
button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Add Point Allows you to add points anywhere along the Radial
Density curve. Click and hold the Add Point button to display the flyout where
you can select a button to add either a Corner Point or a Bezier Point. Click
once to enable Add Point. The Add Point function remains active until you
click another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Delete Point Deletes selected points.

Status Bar
Horizontal Position Allows you to manually enter a horizontal position value
for a selected point.
Vertical Position Allows you to manually enter a vertical position value for
a selected point.

Pan Allows you to click and drag the Radial Density dialog window
to move it left and right or up and down. Click once to enable panning. Pan
remains active until you click another button. The button is yellow while it
is active.

Zoom Extents Fits the curve within the dialog window both vertically
and horizontally so that the entire curve is visible.

7590 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Zoom Horizontal Extents Fits the curve horizontally within the dialog
window so that the full length of the curve is visible.

Zoom Vertical Extents Fits the curve vertically within the Radial
Density dialog window so that the full height of the curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontally Scales the width of the Radial Density dialog
window.
Zoom Vertically Scales the length of the Radial Density dialog window.

Zoom Zooms in and out of the entire Radial Density dialog window.

Zoom Region Allows you to drag a region in the Radial Density dialog
window and scale that region to fill the window.

Radial Falloff Dialog (Lens Effects)
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose any effect,
and click the (>) arrow button. ➤ Parameters tab of the rollout for that effect
➤ Falloff Curve (under the Radial Color group)
The Radial Falloff dialog allows you to add weight to a particular color applied
to your Lens Effect. By weighting the colors that you apply you can choose
to display more of one color than another. You can also make the transition
of colors gradual from one color to the next or you can create a sharp edge to
the transition.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7591

Rings with different Radial Falloff settings

The Radial Falloff graph has controls at the top for creating and moving Points
on a curve on the graph below. The curve represents the range of colors you
have selected in the Radial Color group box to apply to the current Lens Effect.
When you open the dialog you will notice that there is already a line with a
Point on each end which represents the linear transition from one color to
the next. The default falloff is a fade from one color at a value of one to the
other color which ends at a value of zero. This produces an effect with more
intensity on the first color and a considerable fading out of the second color.

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By placing Points along the curve, you can drag these points to increase or
decrease a colors intensity or to eliminate it altogether.
Buttons are available at the bottom of the dialog that allow you to change the
display of the dialog. You can also manually enter a horizontal or vertical
position by entering a value into the two entry boxes.

Interface
Toolbar
Move Moves selected points in any direction. Click and
hold the Move button to display the flyout where you can select a button to
move in any direction, move only in the horizontal direction, or move only
in the vertical direction. The Move function remains active until you click
another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Scale Point Vertically scales a point up or down. Click once to enable
Scale Point. The Scale Point function remains active until you click another
button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Add Point Allows you to add points anywhere along the Circular
Falloff curve. Click and hold the Add Point button to display the flyout where
you can select a button to add either a Corner Point or a Bezier Point. Click
once to enable Add Point. The Add Point function remains active until you
click another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7593

Delete Point Deletes selected points.

Status Bar
Horizontal Position Allows you to manually enter a horizontal position value
for a selected point.
Vertical Position Allows you to manually enter a vertical position value for
a selected point.

Pan Allows you to click and drag the Radial Falloff graph to move it
left and right or up and down. Click once to enable panning. Pan remains
active until you click another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Zoom Extents Fits the curve within the dialog window both vertically
and horizontally so that the entire curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontal Extents Fits the curve horizontally within the dialog
window so that the full length of the curve is visible.

Zoom Vertical Extents Fits the curve vertically within the Radial
Falloff graph so that the full height of the curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontally Scales the width of the Radial Falloff graph.
Zoom Vertically Scales the length of the Radial Falloff graph.

Zoom Zooms in and out of the entire Radial Falloff graph.

Zoom Region Allows you to drag a region in the Radial Falloff graph
and scale that region to fill the window.

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Radial Size Dialog (Lens Effects)
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Lens Effects ➤ Choose any effect,
and click the (>) arrow button. ➤ Parameters tab of the rollout for that effect
➤ Falloff Curve (under the Radial Size group)
The Radial Size dialog gives you the ability to determine the size of your Lens
Effect. The Radial Size dialog displays a curve with a point on each end which
represents the Radial Size of your Lens Effect. The default position of the curve
is one which means the Lens Effect will have the same radius around the
center of the effect.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7595

Objects with different Radial Sizes settings applied to Glow

By adding and moving points along the curve you can make areas of the effect
extend further by moving a point above a value of one on the graph. You can
also diminish areas of the effect by moving a point between one and zero on
the graph. Finally, you can eliminate areas of the effect by moving a point
below zero on the graph.

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Buttons are available at the bottom of the dialog that allow you to change the
display of the dialog. You can also manually enter a horizontal or vertical
position by entering a value in the two entry boxes.

Interface
Toolbar
Move Moves selected points in any direction. Click and
hold the Move button to display the flyout where you can select a button to
move in any direction, move only in the horizontal direction, or move only
in the vertical direction. The Move function remains active until you click
another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Scale Point Vertically scales a point up or down. Click once to enable
Scale Point. The Scale Point function remains active until you click another
button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Add Point Allows you to add points anywhere along the Radial
Size curve. Click and hold the Add Point button to display the flyout where
you can select a button to add either a Corner Point or a Bezier Point. Click
once to enable Add Point. The Add Point function remains active until you
click another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Delete Point Deletes selected points.

Lens Effects Rendering Effects | 7597

Status Bar
Horizontal Position Allows you to manually enter a horizontal position value
for a selected point.
Vertical Position Allows you to manually enter a vertical position value for
a selected point.

Pan Allows you to click and drag the Radial Size graph to move it left
and right or up and down. Click once to enable panning. Pan remains active
until you click another button. The button is yellow while it is active.

Zoom Extents Fits the curve within the dialog window both vertically
and horizontally so that the entire curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontal Extents Fits the curve horizontally within the dialog
window so that the full length of the curve is visible.

Zoom Vertical Extents Fits the curve vertically within the Radial Size
graph so that the full height of the curve is visible.

Zoom Horizontally Scales the width of the Radial Size graph.
Zoom Vertically Scales the length of the Radial Size graph.

Zoom Zooms in and out of the entire Radial Size graph.

Zoom Region Allows you to drag a region in the Radial Size graph
and scale that region to fill the window.

Blur Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Blur

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The Blur effect allows you to blur your image in three different methods:
Uniform, Directional, and Radial. Blur works on individual pixels according
to selections made in the Pixel Selections panel. You can blur an entire image,
non-background scene elements, by luminance value, or by using a map mask.
Blur can give your animation added realism by rendering the illusion of object
or camera movement.

Object before and after adding midrange Blur effect.

Blur Rendering Effect | 7599

Interface
Blur Parameters rollout, Blur Type panel

Uniform Applies the Blur effect evenly across the entire rendered image.
Pixel Radius Determines the intensity of the Blur effect. Increasing the value
increases the number of surrounding pixels that each pixel will use to compute
its blur. The more pixels used means a greater blur for the image.
Affect Alpha Applies the Uniform Blur effect to the alpha channel when
turned on.
Directional Applies the Blur effect in any direction according to the Directional
parameters. The U Pixel Radius and Trail blur the pixels horizontally while
the V Pixel Radius and Trail blur the pixels vertically. Rotation is used to rotate
the axis of the horizontal and vertical blurring.
U Pixel Radius Determines the horizontal intensity of the Blur effect.
Increasing the value increases the number of surrounding pixels that each
pixel will use to compute its blur. The more pixels used means a greater
horizontal blur for the image.

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U Trail Adds “direction” to your blur by weighting more blur to either side
of the U axis. This adds a streaking effect and creates the illusion that your
objects or your camera are rapidly moving in a particular direction.
V Pixel Radius Determines the vertical intensity of the Blur effect. Increasing
the value increases the number of surrounding pixels that each pixel will use
to compute its blur, and creates a greater vertical blur for the image.
V Trail Adds “direction” to your blur by weighting more blur to either side
of the V axis. This adds a streaking effect and creates the illusion that your
objects or your camera are rapidly moving in a particular direction.
Rotation Rotates the axis of the U and V pixels that will be blurred by the U
and V Pixel Radius spinners. By using Rotation with the U and V Pixel Radius
spinners you can have the Blur effect applied to any direction in your rendered
image. When rotation is 0, U corresponds to the image’s X axis and V
corresponds to the image’s Y axis.
Affect Alpha Applies the Directional Blur effect to the Alpha channel when
turned on.
Radial Applies the Blur effect radially. Using the Radial parameters you can
define a point within your rendered image to use as the center of the Radial
Blur. You can use an object as the center or an arbitrary location set by the X
and Y Origin spinners. The Blur effect will apply the least amount of blur to
the center origin of the effect and gradually increase the blur to the pixels
further away from the center. This can be used to simulate motion blur caused
by camera zoom.
Pixel Radius Determines the intensity of the Radius Blur effect. Increasing
the value increases the number of surrounding pixels that each pixel will use
to compute its blur. The more pixels used means a greater blur for the image.
Trail Adds “direction” to your blur by weighting more or less blur toward the
center of the Blur effect. This adds a streaking effect and creates the illusion
that your objects or your camera are rapidly moving in a particular direction.
X/Y Origin Specifies the center of the blur, in pixels, with respect to the
dimensions of the rendered output.
None Lets you specify an object whose center serves as the center of the blur
effect. Click this, select an object, and then turn on Use Object Center. The
object name appears on the button.
Clear Removes the object name from the button above.
Use Object Center When on, the object specified by the None button (tooltip:
Pick an object to center on.) serves as the center of the blur effect. If no object

Blur Rendering Effect | 7601

is specified and Use Object Center is on, no blur is added to the rendered
image.
Affect Alpha Applies the Radial Blur effect to the Alpha channel when turned
on.

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Blur Parameters rollout, Pixel Selections panel

Blur Rendering Effect | 7603

Whole Image Affects the entire rendered image when chosen. This is useful
when the Blur effect dims your rendered image. By using Brighten and Blend
you can maintain the original colors of the scene.
Brighten Brightens the entire image.
Blend Blends the Blur effect and the Whole Image parameters with the original
rendered image. This can be used to create a soft-focus effect.
Non-Background Affects everything but the background image or animation
when chosen. This is useful when the Blur effect has dimmed your scene
objects but not the background. By Using Brighten, Blend, and Feather Radius,
you can maintain the original colors of the scene.
Brighten Brightens the rendered image except for the background image or
animation.
Blend Blends the Blur effect and the Non-Background parameters with the
original rendered image.
Feather Radius Feathers the Blur effect applied to the Non-Background
elements of your scene. When using Non-Background as a Pixel Selection you
will notice that the scene objects have a hard edge to their blur since the
objects are being blurred but the background is not. Use the spinner to feather
the blur and eliminate the hard edge of the effect.
Luminance Affects any pixels that have luminance values that fall between
it’s Min and Max spinners.
Brighten Brightens pixels that fall between the Minimum and Maximum
luminance values.
Blend Blends the Blur effect and the Luminance parameters with the original
rendered image.
Min Sets the minimum luminance value necessary for each pixel in order for
the Blur effect to be applied to the pixel.
Max Sets the maximum luminance value a pixel can have in order for the
Blur effect to be applied to the pixel.
Feather Radius Feathers the Blur effect applied to pixels that fall between the
Minimum and Maximum luminance values. When using Luminance as a Pixel
Selection the Blur effect can create a hard edge on the effect. Use the spinner
to feather the blur and eliminate the hard edge of the effect.
Map Mask Applies the Blur effect according to the channel selected and mask
applied through the Material/Map Browser. After selecting a mask you must

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select a channel from the Channel list. Blur then examines the mask and
channel according to the values set in the Minimum and Maximum spinners.
Any pixels in the mask that are of the selected channel and between the Min
and Max values will have the Blur effect applied. This is useful for blurring
selected portions of a scene such as a winter morning as seen through a frost
covered window.
Channel Selects a channel that the Blur effect will be applied to. After selecting
a particular channel, use the minimum and maximum spinners to determine
the value a mask pixel must have in order to have the effect applied to it.
Brighten Brightens the portions of the image that the Blur effect is applied
to.
Blend Blends the Map Mask Blur effect with the original rendered image.
Min The minimum value (RGB, Alpha, or Luminance) a pixel must have in
order to have the Blur effect applied to it.
Max The maximum value (RGB, Alpha, or Luminance) a pixel can have for
the Blur effect to be applied to it.
Feather Radius Feathers the Blur effect applied to pixels that fall between the
Minimum and Maximum channel values. When using map mask as a Pixel
Selection, the Blur effect can create a hard edge on the effect. Use the spinner
to feather the blur and eliminate the hard edge of the effect.
Object ID Applies the Blur effect to an object or part of an object with a specific
Object ID (in the G-Buffer on page 9173), if the object matches the Filter settings.
To add or replace an Object ID, use the spinners or enter a value in the ID text
box and then click the appropriate button.
Min Lum The minimum luminance value a pixel must have in order to have
the Blur effect applied to it.
Max Lum The maximum luminance value a pixel can have for the Blur effect
to be applied to it.
Brighten Brightens the portion of the image that the Blur effect is applied to.
Blend Blends the Object ID Blur effect with the original rendered image.
F. Radius Feathers the Blur effect applied to pixels that fall between the
Minimum and Maximum luminance values. When using Luminance as a Pixel
Selection, the Blur effect can create a hard edge on the effect. Use the spinner
to feather the blur and eliminate the hard edge of the effect.

Blur Rendering Effect | 7605

Material ID Applies the Blur effect to a material or part of a material with a
specific Material ID Channel on page 6075, if the material matches the Filter
settings. To add or replace a Material ID channel, use the spinners or enter a
value in the ID text box and then click the appropriate button.
Min Lum The minimum luminance value a pixel must have in order to have
the Blur effect applied to it.
Max Lum The maximum luminance value a pixel can have for the Blur effect
to be applied to it.
Brighten Brightens the portion of the image that the Blur effect is applied to.
Blend Blends the Material Blur effect with the original rendered image.
F. Radius Feathers the Blur effect applied to pixels that fall between the
Minimum and Maximum luminance values. When using Luminance as a Pixel
Selection, the Blur effect can create a hard edge on the effect. Use the spinner
to feather the blur and eliminate the hard edge of the effect.

General Settings group

Feather Falloff control curve
The Feather falloff curve allows you to determine the feather falloff off the
Blur effect based on a graph. You can add points to the graph to create a falloff
curve, and adjust the interpolation in those points.

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Move Lets you move the points on the graph. This button is a flyout, providing
free movement (the default), horizontal, and vertical movement.
Scale Point Lets you scale the points on the graph. This moves each selected
point vertically, in proportion to its previous value. Click a point to scale, or
draw a selection rectangle around several contiguous points to select them,
and then drag any point in the selection to scale them all.
Add Point Lets you create additional points on the falloff curve. This button
is a flyout, providing linear points (the default) and Bezier points with handle.
Delete Point Removes points from the graph.
Brightening These radio buttons let you select additive or multiplicative
brightening. Additive brightening is brighter and more distinct than
multiplicative brightening. Additive brightening is useful when you use blur
in combination with a Glow effect on page 7531. Multiplicative brightening
provides a soft highlight to the Blur effect.
Brighten Curve Lets you edit the brightening curve in the Feather Falloff
curve graph.
Blend Curve Lets you edit the blend curve in the Feather Falloff curve graph.

Brightness and Contrast Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Brightness and Contrast
Brightness And Contrast allows you to adjust the contrast and brightness of
an image. This can be used to match rendered scene objects with background
images or animations.

Brightness and Contrast Rendering Effect | 7607

Above: Original rendering is too dark.
Below: Increasing both brightness and contrast improves clarity of the rendering.

Interface

The Brightness and Contrast Parameters rollout contains the following
parameters.
Brightness Increases or decreases all color components (red, green, and blue).
Range=0 to 1.0.
Contrast Compresses or expands the latitude between maximum black and
maximum white. Range=0 to 1.0.

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Ignore Background Applies the effect to everything in your 3ds Max scene
except the background.

Color Balance Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Color Balance
The Color Balance Effect allows you to manipulate additive/subtractive color
tinting through independent control of RGB channels.

Above: Color balance effect used to correct the color cast.
Below: Original rendering has a yellow cast.

Color Balance Rendering Effect | 7609

Interface

The Color Balance Parameters rollout contains the following parameters:
Cyan/Red Adjusts the red channel.
Magenta/Green Adjusts the green channel.
Yellow/Blue Adjusts the blue channel.
Preserve Luminosity When on, retains the luminosity of the image while
correcting the color.
Ignore Background When on, allows you to image correct a model without
affecting the background.

File Output Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ File Output
File Output allows you to take a “snapshot” of a rendering before some or all
of the other Render Effects are applied, depending on the placement of File
Output in the Render Effects stack. You can save different channels such as
Luminance, Depth, or Alpha to a separate file while rendering an animation.
You can also use File Output to convert an RGB image into a different channel
and send that image channel back into the Render Effects stack. The rest of
the effects can then be applied to that channel.

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Interface

Destination group
Files Opens a dialog so you can save the rendered image or animation to disk.
The rendered output can be a still image or an animation, in one of the
following file formats:
AVI File on page 8412 (AVI)
BMP Image file on page 8414 (BMP)
Encapsulated PostScript on page 8418 format (EPS, PS)
JPEG File on page 8427 (JPG)
Kodak Cineon on page 8414 (CIN)

File Output Rendering Effect | 7611

MOV QuickTime file on page 8428 (MOV)
PNG Image File on page 8443 (PNG)
RLA Image File on page 8453 (RLA)
RPF Image File on page 8455 (RPF)
SGI Image File Format on page 8458 (RGB)
Targa Image File on page 8459 (TGA, VDA, ICB, UST)
TIF Image File on page 8461 (TIF)
Devices Opens a dialog so you can send the rendered output to a device such
as a video recorder.
Clear Clears any file or device selected in the Destination group box.

Driver group
These buttons are available only when you choose a device as the image source.
About Provides information on the source of the image-handler software used
to bring the image into 3ds Max.
Setup Displays a setup dialog specific to the plug-in. Some plug-ins may not
use this button.

Parameters group
Channel Lets you choose which channel you wish to save or send back in to
the Render Effects stack. Choose Whole Image, Luminance, Depth, or Alpha
to display more options in the Parameters group box.
Affect Source Bitmap When activated, this will take in an image with any
effects previously applied, convert it to the channel selected, and send it back
into the stack for the rest of the effects to be applied. Your rendered image
will be saved in the channel selected. This parameter is not available to the
Whole Image channel.
Active Turns the File Output feature on and off. Unlike the Active check box
available in the Render Effects rollout, this check box is animatable allowing
you to save only desired portions of a rendered scene.

Depth Parameters
When Depth is selected as a channel, new parameters are available for
determining what parts of the scene should be rendered into the Depth channel
image.

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Copy After choosing a camera with the None button, click Copy to use the
camera’s clipping planes to determine which part of the scene should be
rendered into the Depth channel image file.
None Enables you to select a camera to use for copying clipping planes. Click
the none button to activate it. The None button will turn green until a camera
has been selected in the viewport. The camera’s name will then be displayed
on the button instead of None.
Near Z Specifies the beginning distance from the camera that should be used
in determining where to start rendering the scene’s geometry in the depth
channel image file.
Far Z Specifies the ending distance from the camera that should be used in
determining where to stop rendering the scene’s geometry in the depth channel
image file.
Fit Entire Scene Makes all other Depth parameters unavailable and will render
the entire viewport’s scene geometry in the Depth channel image file,
automatically calculating the near and far Z required.

Film Grain Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Film Grain
Film Grain is used to recreate the look of film grain in your rendered scene.
Film Grain also allows you to match film grain from source material used as
a background, such as an AVI, to the rendered scene created in 3ds Max. When
applied, Film Grain automatically randomizes to create the look of moving
frames.

Film Grain Rendering Effect | 7613

Before and after applying Film Grain to a scene

NOTE You can’t apply Film Grain to a rendering if the scene contains certain
bitmap formats that have an alpha channel.

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Interface

The Film Grain Parameters rollout contains the following controls.
Grain Sets the amount of grain added to your image. Range=0 to 10.0.
Ignore Background Masks the background so that grain is applied only to
geometry and effects in the scene. Choose this option when you use film
(which already contains grain) as the background image.

Motion Blur Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Motion Blur
Motion Blur applies an image motion blur on page 9190 to your rendered scene
by blurring moving objects or the entire scene. Motion blur can enhance the
realism of a rendered animation by simulating the way a real-world camera
works. A camera has a shutter speed, and if significant movement of objects
in the scene, or of the camera itself, occurs during the time the shutter is open,
the image on film is blurred.

Motion Blur Rendering Effect | 7615

Motion blur enhances the movement of the sword.

NOTE In addition, you must set motion-blur characteristics for objects to be
blurred using the Object Properties dialog on page 230.

Interface

The Motion Blur Parameters rollout contains the following controls.
Work with transparency When on, motion blur is applied to objects behind
transparent objects. When off, objects behind transparent objects receive no
motion blur. Turning off this toggle can improve rendering speed. Default=on.

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Duration Specifies how long the "virtual shutter" is open. When this is set to
1.0, the virtual shutter is open for the entire duration between one frame and
the next. The higher the value, the greater the motion blur effect. Default=1.0.

Depth of Field Rendering Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Effects ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Effects
panel ➤ Add ➤ Add Effect dialog ➤ Depth of Field
The Depth-of-Field effect simulates the natural blurring of foreground and
background scene elements when viewed through a camera lens. Depth of
Field works by separating the scene in Z order into foreground, background,
and in-focus images. The foreground and background images are then blurred
according to the values set in the Depth of Field effect parameters and the
final image is composited from the processed originals.

Depth of field emphasizes the scooter.

NOTE When additional Render Effects are being applied to an image or animation,
the Depth-of-Field effect should be the last effect to be rendered. The order of the
rendered effects is listed in the Effects tab of the Environment and Effects dialog.

Depth of Field Rendering Effect | 7617

TIP To minimize sampling artifacts in out-of-focus areas with the default scanline
renderer, try using the Blend filter in the Render Setup dialog on page 6956 ➤
Renderer panel ➤ Antialiasing group.

Before and after applying Depth of Field effect to scene.

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Interface

The Depth of Field Parameters rollout contains the following parameters.
Affect Alpha Affects the alpha channel of the final rendering when on.

Cameras group
Pick Cam Enables you to interactively select from the viewport which camera
you want the Depth of Field effect applied to.
Remove Deletes the camera currently selected in the drop-down list.

Depth of Field Rendering Effect | 7619

Camera Selection List Lists all of the cameras to be used in the effect. You
can use this list to highlight a specific camera and remove it from the list using
the Remove button.

Focal Point group
Pick Node Enables you to select an object to use as the focal node. When
activated you can select an object directly from the viewports to use as the
focal node. You can also press H to display the Pick Object dialog, which lets
you select a focal node from a list of objects in the scene.
Remove Removes the object selected as the Focal Node.
Use Camera Specifies that the focal length from the camera selected in the
Camera Selection list be used to determine the focal point.

Focal Parameters group
Custom Uses the values set in the Focal Parameters group box to determine
the properties of the Depth of Field effect.
Use Camera Uses the values from the camera highlighted in the Camera
Selection list to determine focal range, limit, and blur.
Horiz Focal Loss Determines the amount of blur along the horizontal axis
when Custom has been chosen.
Vert Focal Loss Controls the amount of blur along the vertical axis when
Custom has been chosen.
Focal Range Sets the Z distance, in units, to either side of the focal point in
which the image will remain in focus when Custom has been chosen.
Focal Limit Sets the Z distance, in units, to either side of the focal point where
blur will reach its maximum as specified by the Loss spinners when Custom
has been chosen.

Environment and Atmosphere Effects
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel
Environment displays the Environment panel on page 7621, which is used for
setting up atmospheric and background effects.

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You can use the environment functions to:
■

Set and animate the background color.

■

Use an image in the background of the rendered scene (screen environment)
or use texture maps as spherical, cylindrical, or shrink-wrap environments.

■

Set and animate the ambient light on page 9089.

■

Use atmospheric plug-ins, such as volumetric light, in the scene.

■

Apply exposure controls to renderings.

Atmospheres
Atmospheres are plug-in on page 9270 components that create lighting effects
such as fog, fire, and so on. See Environment dialog on page 7621 for all
environment parameters.

Exposure Controls
One of the limitations of rendering perceptually accurate images is the limited
dynamic range of computer monitors. Dynamic range is the ratio of the highest
to lowest intensity a monitor can produce. In a dark room this ratio is
approximately 100 to 1. In a bright room, this drops to approximately 30 to
1. Real environments can have dynamic ranges of 10,000 to 1, or larger.
Exposure Controls on page 7665 map light-energy values to colors in a process
known as tone mapping. They affect the brightness and contrast of both
rendered images and viewport displays. They don’t affect the actual lighting
levels in the scene, but only how those levels are mapped to a valid display
range.

Environment Panel
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel

Rendered Frame Window ➤
Environment panel

(Environment And Effects Dialog) ➤

The Environment panel lets you assign and adjust environments such as the
scene background and atmospheric effects. It also provides the exposure
controls.

Environment Panel | 7621

Use the Environment panel to:
■

Set and animate the background color.

■

Use an image in the background of the viewport and rendered scene (screen
environment) or use texture maps as spherical, cylindrical, or shrink-wrap
environments.

■

Set and animate the tint and ambient light on page 9089 globally.

■

Use atmospheric plug-ins, such as volumetric light, in the scene.
Atmospheres are plug-in components on page 9270 that create light effects
such as fire on page 7629, fog on page 7640, volume fog on page 7646, and volume
light on page 7654.

■

Apply exposure controls on page 7665 to renderings.

Procedures
To access environment functions, do one of the following:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
2 On the Environment and Effects dialog, click the Environment tab.
To set the background color:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
The Environment panel appears.
2 In the Background group, click the color swatch.
A Color Selector on page 304 appears.
3 Use the Color Selector to change the background color.
The Renderer now uses this color as a background.
To choose an environment map:
1 Open the Material Editor on page 6019 (press M).
You adjust the map's parameters with the Material Editor.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment (or press 8).

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3 In the Background group on the Environment panel, do one of the
following:
■

Click the Environment Map button. The Material/Map Browser
appears. Choose a map type from the list.

■

Drag a map to the Environment Map button. You can do this from a
map displayed in one of the Material Editor's sample slots, or from
any map button that has been assigned, either in the Material Editor
or from a projection light, and so on.

On the Environment panel, the name of the Environment Map button changes
to show the type of map you chose, and Use Map turns on.
After setting up the map, you can test-render the scene without the mapped
background by turning off Use Map.
You have set up the environment map, but to assign a bitmap or adjust map
parameters, you need to use the Material Editor.
You can also create a standalone map in the Material Editor first, and then
choose it with the Material/Map Browser.
TIP After you specify an environment map, you can set it to display in the active
viewport or all viewports: Press Alt+B to open the Viewport Background dialog on
page 108, turn on Use Environment Background, turn on Display Background, in
the Apply Source And Display To group, choose All Views or Active Only, and click
OK.
To put the map in the Material Editor:
■

Drag the Environment Map button to a sample slot.
The map is now in the Material Editor where you can adjust it by changing
its parameters.

To change the color and tint of global lighting:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
2 Click the color swatch labeled Tint.
A Color Selector on page 304 appears.
3 Use the color selector to set the tint applied to all lighting except ambient
light.
4 Use the Level spinner to multiply the overall lighting of the scene.

Environment Panel | 7623

Shaded viewports update to show global lighting changes.
5 Close the Environment dialog.
3ds Max uses the global lighting parameters when you render the scene.
To change the color of ambient light:
TIP You don't need to adjust ambient light if you are using radiosity on page 7068.
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
2 Click the color swatch labeled Ambient.
A Color Selector on page 304 appears.
3 Use the color selector to set the ambient color.
Shaded viewports update to show ambient color changes.
3ds Max also uses the new ambient color when you render the scene.
The color of ambient light tints the scene. For most renderings, the color
of ambient light should be black.
4 Close the Environment dialog.
To change the intensity of ambient light:
TIP You don't need to adjust ambient light if you are using radiosity on page 7068.
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
2 Click the color swatch labeled Ambient Light.
A Color Selector on page 304 appears.
3 Change the Value setting (the V component of the ambient light's HSV
description) to increase or decrease intensity.
Shaded viewports update to show changes in the ambient light intensity.
4 Close the Color Selector.
The intensity of ambient light affects contrast as well as overall
illumination (the higher the intensity of ambient light, the lower the
contrast). This is because ambient light is completely diffuse, so the angle
of incidence is equal for all faces. Ambient light alone cannot show depth.

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NOTE 3ds Max has a default ambient light setting. You can change the
default by using the Rendering panel of the Preference Settings dialog.

To add an atmospheric effect:
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
The Environment and Effects dialog is displayed, with the Environment
panel visible.
2 Under Atmosphere on the Environment panel, click Add.
The Add Atmospheric Effect dialog appears.
3 Choose the kind of effect you want to use, and then click OK.
The effect has now been added. Use the Atmosphere rollout to adjust
parameters.

Interface
Common Parameters rollout

Background group
Color Sets the color for the scene background. Click the color swatch, then
select the color you want in the Color Selector. You can animate the color
effect by changing the background color at a nonzero frame with the Auto
Key button on.

Environment Panel | 7625

Environment Map The button for Environment Map on page 9145 displays the
name of the map, or “None” if none has been assigned. The map must use
Environmental mapping coordinates on page 9212 (spherical, cylindrical, shrink
wrap, and screen).
To assign an environment map, click the button and use the Material/Map
Browser to choose a map, or drag a map from a sample slot or map button in
the Material Editor (or anywhere else in the interface; for example, a Projector
Map button) and drop the map on the Environment Map button. A dialog
asks if you want the environment map to be a copy (independent) or an
instance of the source map.
NOTE If your scene includes animated bitmaps, including materials, projector
lights, environments, and so on, the animation file is reloaded once per frame.
Rendering performance slows down when your scene uses multiple animations,
or the animations are themselves large files.
To adjust the environment map's parameters, for example to assign a bitmap
or change the coordinate settings, open the Material Editor, drag the
Environment Map button, and drop it over an unused sample window.
Use Map Uses a map for the background rather than the background color.

Global Lighting group
Tint Tints all lights in the scene (except for ambient light) if this color is
anything other than white. Click the color swatch to display the Color Selector,
on which you can choose the tint color. You can animate the tint color by
changing it at a nonzero frame with the Auto Key button on.
Level Multiplies all lights in the scene. A Level of 1.0 preserves the original,
individual light settings. Increasing the Level raises the lighting for the overall
scene, and decreasing the Level lowers the overall lighting. This parameter is
animatable. Default=1.0.
Ambient Sets the color for the ambient light. Click the color swatch, and
choose the color you want in the Color Selector. You can animate the light
effect by changing the ambient light color at a nonzero frame with the Auto
Key button on.

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Atmosphere rollout

Effects Shows the queue of effects that were added. The effects are evaluated
in linear order within the scene during rendering. Depending on the selected
effect, the Environment dialog adds the appropriate rollout for the effect's
parameters.
Name Gives a custom name to effects in the list.
For example, you might have different custom settings for different kinds of
fire, that you could name Spark and Fireball.
Add Displays the Add Atmospheric Effect dialog (all currently installed
atmospheric effects). Select an effect and click OK to assign an effect to the
list.

Environment Panel | 7627

Delete Deletes a selected atmospheric effect from the list.
Active Sets the on/off state for the individual effects in the list. This is a
convenient way to isolate effects within a list of complicated atmospheric
functions.
Move Up / Move Down Moves the selected item in the list up or down to
change the order in which the atmospheric effects are applied.
Merge Merges effects from other 3ds Max scene files.
When you click Merge, the Merge Atmospheric Effects dialog appears. Choose
a 3ds Max scene, and then click Open. The Merge Atmospheric Effects dialog
then lists the effects in the scene that can be merged. Select one or more of
the effects, and then click OK to merge them into the scene.
The list shows the names of the atmospheric effects only, but when you merge
an effect, the lights or gizmos bound to that effect are merged as well. If one
of these objects you’re merging has the same name as one already in the scene,
an alert appears giving you the following choices:
■

You can rename the incoming object by changing its name in the editable
field.

■

You can Merge the incoming object without renaming, resulting in two
objects in the scene with the same name.

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■

You can delete the existing object in the scene by selecting the Delete Old
button.

■

You can select Apply To All Duplicates, which performs the same action
to all subsequent matching objects.
NOTE To control whether or not the renderer uses the environment map's
alpha channel in creating the alpha for the rendered image, choose Customize
➤ Preferences ➤ Rendering, and then turn on Use Environment Alpha in
the Background Antialiasing group.

If Use Environment Alpha is turned off (the default) the background receives
an alpha of 0 (completely transparent). If Use Environment Alpha is turned
on, the alpha of the resulting image is a combination of the scene and
background image's alpha. Also, when writing TGA files with Pre-Multiplied
Alpha set to off, turning on Use Environment Alpha prevents incorrect results.
Note that only background images with alpha channels or black backgrounds
are supported when compositing in other programs such as Photoshop®.
NOTE To control whether or not a background image is affected by the renderer's
antialiasing filter, choose Customize ➤ Preferences ➤ Rendering and then turn
on Filter Background in the Background Antialiasing group. Default=off.

Fire Environment Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Atmosphere rollout ➤ Add ➤ Fire Effect
Use Fire to produce animated fire, smoke, and explosion effects. Possible uses
for Fire effects include campfires, torches, fireballs, clouds, and nebula.

Fire Environment Effect | 7629

Scene using fire

You can add any number of fire effects to a scene. The order of effects is
important because effects near the bottom of the list are layered in front of
effects near the top of the list.
Each effect has its own parameters. When you select a fire effect in the Effects
list, its parameters appear in the Environment dialog.
Fire renders only in Camera or Perspective views. Orthographic or User views
don’t render Fire effects.
TIP Fire doesn't support completely transparent objects. Set the transparency of
Fire objects accordingly. Use visibility rather than transparency to make Fire objects
disappear.
NOTE The Fire effect does not cast any light or shadows in the scene. To simulate
illumination, you must also create lights. To cast shadows, you need to go to the
Shadows Parameters rollout on page 5808 of your lights, and turn on Atmosphere
Shadows.

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Procedures
To create fire effects:
1 Create one or more atmospheric apparatus objects to locate the fire effect
in your scene.
2 Define one or more fire atmospheric effects on the Environment panel.
3 Assign atmospheric apparatus objects to the fire effects.

Sample fire effects

Example: To create a campfire:
1 Click Helpers on the Create panel and choose Atmospheric Apparatus on
page 7694 from the subcategory list.
2 Click Sphere Gizmo. Drag the cursor in the Top viewport to define an
apparatus radius of about 20 units. Turn on the Hemisphere check box
in Sphere Gizmo Parameters.
3 Click Non-Uniform Scale. Click Yes in the Warning dialog (this warning
doesn't apply to atmospheric gizmos), and scale the apparatus 250 percent
along its local Z axis only. You can then model logs, embers, and rocks
around the base of the apparatus.
4 Open the Modify panel of the Sphere Gizmo. On the Atmosphere rollout,
click Add and choose Fire from the Add Atmosphere dialog.

Fire Environment Effect | 7631

5 Highlight Fire in the Atmospheres list under the Atmospheres & Effects
rollout. Click Setup.
6 Set the following parameters under Shape and Characteristics:
■

Flame Type=Tendril

■

Stretch=0.8

■

Flame Size=18.0

■

Flame Density=30.0

7 Turn on

(Auto Key) and advance to the end of the animation.

8 Set the following parameters under Motion:
■

Phase=300.0

■

Drift=200.0

The Fire effect doesn’t cast any light in the scene. If you want to simulate
illumination from the fire effect, you must create lights as well.

Example model with fire

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Interface

You create a fire apparatus, or "gizmo," to position the effect in your scene
and to define the maximum boundaries of the effect. The apparatus is a Helper
object found in the Atmospheric Apparatus subcategory.
There are three kinds of apparatus: BoxGizmo on page 7695, SphereGizmo on
page 7702, and CylGizmo on page 7699.
You can move, rotate, and scale the apparatus, but you cannot apply modifiers.

Fire Environment Effect | 7633

Using non-uniform scale is a good way to change the shape of the apparatus
for effects. (You will see a warning when you use this transform. Because you
don't modify atmospheric apparatus, you can safely ignore the warning.)

Fire Parameters rollout
You must assign an atmospheric apparatus to a fire effect before you can render
the effect. Use buttons in the Gizmos area to manage the list of apparatus
objects.

Gizmos group

Gizmo for the fire in the scene shown at the beginning of this topic

Pick Gizmo Click to enter Pick mode and click an atmospheric apparatus in
the scene. The apparatus displays the fire effect when you render. The name
of the apparatus is added to the apparatus list.
Multiple apparatus objects can display the same fire effect. For example, torches
on a wall can all use the same effect. Assign a different seed to each apparatus
to vary the effect.
You can assign single apparatus to multiple fire effects. For example, one
apparatus can display both a fireball and a tendril flame effect.

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You can choose multiple gizmos. Click Pick Gizmo and press H. This opens
the Pick Object dialog, which lets you choose multiple objects from the list.
Remove Gizmo Removes the gizmo selected in the gizmo list. The gizmo
remains in your scene but it no longer displays the fire effect.
Gizmo List Lists apparatus objects assigned to the fire effect.

Colors group
You can set three color properties for a fire effect using the color swatches
under Colors. Click a color swatch to display 3ds Max Color Selector on page
304.
Inner Color Sets the color of the densest part of the effect. For a typical fire,
this color represents the hottest part of the flame.
Outer Color Sets the color of the sparsest part of the effect. For a typical fire,
this color represents the cooler, dissipating edge of the flame.
The fire effect is colored using a gradient between the inner and outer colors.
The dense areas of the effect use the inner color and gradually blend to the
outer color near the edges of the effect.
Smoke Color Sets the color of smoke for use with the Explosion option.
If you turn on Explosion and Smoke, the inner and outer colors animate to
the smoke color. If you turn off Explosion or Smoke, the smoke color is
ignored.

Shape group
You control the shape, scale, and pattern of flames within the fire effect using
controls under Shape.
Two options set the direction and general shape of flames.
Tendril Creates directional pointed flames with veins along their center. The
flames orient along the local Z axis of the fire apparatus. Tendril creates
campfire-like flames.
Fireball Creates round puffy flames. Fireballs are well suited for explosions.
Stretch Scales flames along the Z axis of the apparatus. Stretch works best
with Tendril flames, but you can use it to give Fireballs an oval shape.
Values less than 1.0 compress flames, making them shorter and thicker.
Values greater than 1.0 stretch flames, making them long and skinny.

Fire Environment Effect | 7635

You can combine Stretch with non-uniform scaling of the apparatus. Use
non-uniform scale to change the boundary of the effect and scale the shape
of the flames.
Use the Stretch parameter to scale only the flames inside the apparatus. You
can also use Stretch values to reverse the effect that scaling the apparatus had
on the flames.

Effect of changing Stretch
Value=0.5, 1.0, 3.0

Non-uniform scaling of an apparatus
Stretch=0.5, 1.0, 3.0

Regularity Modifies how the flames fill the apparatus. Range=1.0 to 0.0.
A value of 1.0 completely fills the apparatus. The effect fades near the edges
of the apparatus, but the overall shape is still very noticeable.
A value of 0.0 produces a very irregular effect that might occasionally reach
the boundary of the apparatus, but usually gets trimmed back and is smaller.

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Effect of changing Regularity
Value=0.2, 0.5, 1.0

Characteristics group
You set the size and appearance of flames using parameters under
Characteristics. All of these parameters depend on the apparatus size and are
interdependent on each other. Changing one parameter affects the behavior
of the other three.
Flame Size Sets the size of individual flames inside the apparatus. The size of
the apparatus affects the flame size. A larger apparatus requires a larger flame
size. Use a range from 15.0 to 30.0 for the best results.
Large values work best for Fireballs.
Small values work best for Tendrils.
If the flame size is very small, you might need to increase Samples to see
individual flames.

Effect of changing Flame Size

Fire Environment Effect | 7637

Value=15.0, 30.0, 50.0
Radius of apparatus=30.0

Flame Detail Controls the amount of color change and edge sharpness seen
within each flame. Range=0.0 to 10.0.
Low values produce smooth, fuzzy flames and render faster.
High values produce patterned, sharp flames and render slower.
Use higher detail values for large flame sizes. If the detail value is greater than
4, you might need to increase Samples to capture the detail.

Effect of changing Flame Detail
Value=1.0, 2.0, 5.0

Density Sets the opacity and brightness of the fire effect. The size of the
apparatus affects the density. A large apparatus with the same density as a
small apparatus appears more opaque and brighter because of its larger size.
Low values make the effect less opaque and use more of the outer color. High
values make the effect more opaque and brighten the effect by gradually
replacing the inner color with white. The higher the value, the more white
the center of the effect is.
If you turn on Explosion, Density animates from 0.0 at the start of the
explosion to the set density value at the peak of the explosion.

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Effect of changing Flame Density
Value=10, 60, 120

Samples Sets the rate at which the effect is sampled. Higher values produce
more accurate results but take longer to render.
You might consider raising the samples value under the following conditions:
■

Flame Size is small.

■

Flame Detail is greater than 4.

■

Any time you see color banding in the effect. The chance of color banding
increases if a flat surface intersects the fire effect.
NOTE 100 percent transparent objects that intersect the effect become partially
visible. To use particles with Fire, consider using 3D particles instead of
opacity-mapped particles.

Motion group
Use the parameters in the Motion group to animate the churning and rise of
flames.
Phase Controls the rate of change for the fire effect. Turn on Auto Key and
change the phase value at different times.
Drift Sets how flames are rendered along the Z axis of the fire apparatus. The
value is the amount of rise in units.
Low values give a slow-burning, cool fire.
High values give a fast-burning, hot fire.
For the best fire effects, drift should be a multiple of the height of the fire
apparatus.

Fire Environment Effect | 7639

You can also animate the location and size of the fire apparatus and most of
the fire parameters. For example, a fire effect can animate color, size, and
density.

Explosion group
Use the parameters in the Explosion group to automatically animate
explosions.
Explosion Animates size, density, and color automatically based on the
animation of the Phase value.
Smoke Controls whether or not the explosion creates smoke.
When on, fire colors change to smoke between Phase values 100 to 200. Smoke
clears between Phase values 200 to 300. When off, fire colors remain at full
density between Phase values 100 to 200. Fire fades away between Phase values
200 to 300.
Fury Varies the churning effect of the Phase parameter.
Values greater than 1.0 cause faster churning. Values less than 1.0 cause slower
churning.
Set Up Explosion Displays the Set Up Explosion Phase Curve dialog. You
enter a start time and end time, and then click OK. The Phase value animates
automatically for a typical explosion effect.

Fog Environment Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Atmosphere rollout ➤ Add ➤ Fog
This plug-in on page 9270 effect gives the appearance of fog or smoke. Fog can
cause objects to appear to fade as they increase in distance from the camera
(standard fog), or can be layered fog that envelops all or parts of objects in a
blanket of mist.

7640 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Fog added to a scene

Fog renders only in Camera or Perspective views. Orthographic or User views
don’t render Fog effects.

Procedures
To use standard fog:
1 Create a Camera view of your scene.
2 In the camera's creation parameters, turn on Show in the Environment
Ranges group.
Standard fog is based on the camera's environment range values.
3 Set Adjust Near Range and Far Range to include the objects you want to
fog in your rendering.
As a general guideline, set Far Range just beyond the objects, and Near
Range to intersect the object geometry closest to the camera.
4 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
5 Under Atmosphere on the Environment panel, click Add.

Fog Environment Effect | 7641

The Add Atmospheric Effect dialog is displayed.
6 Choose Fog, and then click OK.
7 Make sure you choose Standard as the type of fog.
To use layered fog:

1 Create a Camera or Perspective view of your scene.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
3 Under Atmosphere on the Environment panel, click Add.
The Add Atmospheric Effect dialog is displayed.
4 Choose Fog, and then click OK.
5 Choose Layered as the fog type.
6 Set the parameters for layered fog.
You can have multiple fog layers in the scene by adding multiple Fog
entries to the list and choosing Layered.

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Interface

The Fog Parameters rollout appears when you select Fog under Effects in the
Environment dialog. The Fog Parameters rollout has the following controls.

Fog group
Color Sets the color for the fog. Click the color swatch, and then select the
color you want in the Color Selector on page 304. You can animate the color
effect by changing the fog color at a nonzero frame with the Auto Key button
on.

Fog Environment Effect | 7643

Environment Color Map Derives the fog color from a map. You can map the
background and the fog color, you can animate the procedural map parameters
in Track View or Material Editor, and you can opacity-map the fog.
The large button displays the name of the color map, or None if no map is
assigned. The map must use Environmental mapping coordinates on page 9212
(spherical, cylindrical, shrinkwrap, and screen).
To assign the map you can drag a map from a Sample slot or Map button in
the Material Editor (or anywhere else in the interface; for example, a projector
map button) and drop it on the Environment Color Map button. A dialog
asks if you want the environment map to be a copy (independent) or an
instance of the source map.
Clicking the Environment Color Map button displays the Material/Map
Browser, where you can choose a map type from the list. To adjust the
environment map's parameters, open the Material Editor and drag the
Environment Color Map button over an unused sample slot.
Use Map Toggles the effect of this map on or off.
Environment Opacity Map Alters the density of the fog.
You assign the opacity map, edit it, and toggle its effect in the same way as
the Environment Color Map.
Fog Background Applies the fog function to the background of the scene.
Type When you choose Standard it uses the parameters in the Standard section
and when you choose Layered is selected it uses the parameters in the Layered
section.
Standard Enables the Standard group.
Layered Enables the Layered group.

Standard group
Thins and thickens the fog based on the distance from the camera.
Exponential Increases density exponentially with distance. When turned off,
density increases linearly with distance. Activate this check box only when
you want to render transparent objects in volume fog.
TIP If you turn on Exponential, this increases the Step Size value to avoid banding.
Near % Sets the density of the fog at the Near Range (Camera Environment
Range parameter).

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Far % Sets the density of the fog at the Far Range (Camera Environment Range
parameter).

Layered group
Thins and thickens the fog between an upper and lower limit. You can have
multiple layers of fog by adding multiple fog entries to the list. Because you
can animate all the fog parameters, you can also animate fog rising and falling,
changing density and color, and add horizon on page 9185 noise.
Top Sets the upper extent (in world units) of the fog layer.
Bottom Sets the lower extent (in world units) of the fog layer.
Density Sets the overall density of the fog.
Falloff (Top/Bottom/None) Adds an exponential falloff effect so that the
density is reduced to 0 at either the Top or Bottom of the fog extent.
Horizon Noise Turns on the horizon noise system. Horizon Noise perturbs
just the horizon of the fog layer to add realism.
Size Scale factor applied to the noise. Larger scale values make the fog tendrils
larger. Default=20.
TIP If you want tendrils to really pop out, try making the density greater than
100.
Angle Determines the affected angle off the horizon line. For example, if the
angle is set to 5 (a reasonable value), then starting at 5 degrees below the
horizon, the fog will begin to break up.
This effect is mirrored above and below the horizon, which can produce strange
results when the height of the fog layer traverses the horizon. Typically you'd
want the fog to be either above or below the actual camera horizon. (You can
use the horizon line in the camera parameters as an aid to help you position
this.)
Phase Animating this parameter animates the noise. If Phase is moving in the
positive direction, then the fog tendrils will drift upward (and deform at the
same time). If your fog is above the horizon you may want to animate Phase
in the negative direction to make the tendrils fall downward.

Fog Environment Effect | 7645

Volume Fog Environment Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Atmosphere rollout ➤ Add ➤ Volume Fog
Volume Fog provides a fog effect in which the fog density is not constant
through 3D space. This plug-in on page 9270 provides effects such as puffy,
cloudy fog that appears to drift and break up in the wind.

Volume fog added to a scene

Volume Fog renders only in Camera or Perspective views. Orthographic or
User views don’t render Volume Fog effects.

Procedures
To use volume fog:
1 Create a Camera or Perspective view of your scene.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
3 Under Atmosphere on the Environment panel, click Add.

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The Add Atmospheric Effect dialog is displayed.
4 Choose Volume Fog, and then click OK.
5 Set the parameters for volume fog.
NOTE If there are no objects in your scene, rendering shows only a solid fog
color. Also, with no objects and Fog Background turned on, volume fog
obscures the background.

To create a volume fog gizmo:

Volume fog gizmo surrounds the scene.

1 In the Helpers category of the Create panel, choose Atmospheric Apparatus
from the pop-up menu.
2 Click one of the buttons to choose a gizmo shape: SphereGizmo,
CylGizmo, or BoxGizmo.
3 Drag the mouse in the viewport to create the gizmo.
You create Gizmos in much the same way as their matching geometry
types. Drag the mouse to create the initial dimensions. The Sphere gizmo

Volume Fog Environment Effect | 7647

has an additional Hemisphere check box that turns the sphere into a
hemisphere.
In addition, each gizmo has a Seed spinner and a New Seed button.
Different seed values generate different patterns. Clicking the New Seed
button randomly generates a new seed value for you.
To assign volume fog to a gizmo from an apparatus modify panel:

1 Open the

Modify panel of an apparatus.

2 Open the Atmospheres & Effects rollout.
3 Click Add.
4 Select Volume Fog from the Add Atmospheres dialog and click OK.
5 Highlight Volume Fog from the Atmospheres list and click setup to adjust
the Volume Fog parameters.
To assign a gizmo to volume fog from the Environment panel:
1 On the Volume Fog Parameters rollout, click the Pick Gizmo button.
2 Click a gizmo in the viewport.
The name of the gizmo appears in the list field at right.
When you render, the volume fog will be confined to the shape of the
gizmo.
To remove an assigned gizmo:
1 In the Environment dialog, go to the Volume Fog Parameters rollout
2 Select the gizmo name from the pop-up list.
3 Click Remove Gizmo.
This action doesn’t delete the gizmo from the scene, but simply unbinds
it from the fog effect.

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Interface

The Volume Fog Parameters rollout appears when you select Volume Fog
under Effects in the Environment dialog. The Volume Fog Parameters rollout
has the following controls.

Volume Fog Environment Effect | 7649

Gizmos group
By default, volume fog fills the entire scene. However, you can choose a gizmo
(an atmospheric apparatus) to contain the fog. The gizmo can be a sphere, a
box, a cylinder, or some combination of these.
Pick Gizmo Click to enter Pick mode and click an atmospheric apparatus in
the scene. The apparatus contains the volume fog when you render. The name
of the apparatus is added to the apparatus list.
Multiple apparatus objects can display the same fog effect.
You can pick multiple gizmos. Click Pick Gizmo and then press H. This opens
the Pick Object dialog, which lets you choose multiple objects from a list.
Changing the dimensions of a gizmo changes the region that fog affects, but
doesn't change the scale of the fog and its noise. For example, reducing the
radius of a spherical gizmo crops the fog, and moving the gizmo changes the
fog's appearance.
Remove Gizmo Removes a gizmo from the volume fog effect. Select the gizmo
in the list, and then click Remove Gizmo.
Soften Gizmo Edges Feathers the edges of the volume fog effect. The higher
the value, the softer the edges. Range=0 to 1.0.
TIP Don't set this value to 0. At 0, Soften Gizmo Edges can cause aliased edges.

Volume group
Color Sets the color for the fog. Click the color swatch, and then select the
color you want in the Color Selector on page 304.
You can animate the color effect by changing the fog color at a nonzero frame
with Auto Key on.
Exponential Increases density exponentially with distance. When turned off,
density increases linearly with distance. Activate this check box only when
you want to render transparent objects in volume fog.
TIP If you turn on Exponential, increase the Step Size value to avoid banding.
Density Controls the fog density. Range=0 to 20 (anything over that tends
to obliterate the scene).

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Left: Original scene
Right: Increased fog density

Step Size Determines the granularity of the fog sampling; the "fineness" of
the fog. A large step size creates coarse (and to some extent, aliased) fog.
Max Steps Limits the amount of sampling so that computing the fog doesn't
take forever (literally). This is especially useful when the fog is of low density.
When both Step Size and Max Steps have low values, aliasing results.
Fog Background Applies the fog function to the background of the scene.

Volume Fog Environment Effect | 7651

Noise group

Left: Original scene
Right: Noise added to the fog

Noise options for volume fog are comparable to the noise options for materials.
Type Choose one of three types of noise to apply.
Regular The standard noise pattern.
Fractal An iterative fractal noise pattern.
Turbulence An iterative turbulence pattern.
Invert Reverses the noise effect. Dense fog becomes translucent and vice versa.
Noise Threshold Limits the noise effect. Range=0 to 1.0. When the noise
value is above the Low threshold and below the High threshold, the dynamic
range stretches to fill 0-1. This makes for a smaller discontinuity (First order
instead of 0 order) at the threshold transition, and thus produces less potential
aliasing on page 9087.
High Sets the high threshold.
Low Sets the low threshold.

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Left: Fog with noise
Right: Changing uniformity creates "blobby" fog

Uniformity Ranges from -1 to 1 and acts like a high-pass filter. The smaller
the value, the more transparent the volume is with discrete blobs of smoke.
Around -0.3 or so your image begins to look like specks of dust. Because the
fog becomes thinner as this parameter gets smaller, you'll probably need to
increase the density or the volume will start to disappear.
Levels Sets the number of times the noise is iteratively applied. Range=1 to
6, including fractional values. Enabled only for Fractal noise or Turbulence.
Size Determines the size of the tendrils of smoke or fog. Smaller values give
smaller tendrils.

Volume Fog Environment Effect | 7653

Left: Fog with noise
Right: Decreasing the size

Phase Controls the speed of the wind. If you have Wind Strength also set to
greater than 0, the fog volume animates in accordance with the wind direction.
With no Wind Strength, the fog churns in place. Because there's an animation
track for phase, you can use the Function Curve editor to define precisely how
you want your wind "gusts" to occur.
Wind Strength Controls how fast the smoke moves away from the wind
direction, relative to phase. As mentioned above, if the phase is not animated
then the smoke won’t move, regardless of the wind strength. By having the
phase animate slowly with a large wind strength, the fog moves more than it
is churns.
Wind from the Defines the direction the wind is coming from.

Volume Light Environment Effect
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Atmosphere rollout ➤ Add ➤ Volume Light
Volume Light provides light effects based on the interaction of lights with
atmosphere (fog, smoke, and so on).

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Volumetric light used in a complex environment with shadows and noise.

This plug-in on page 9270 provides effects such as radial glows for omni lights
on page 9245, conical glows for spotlights, and parallel beams of fog for
directional lights. Objects within the light volume can cast shadows within
the spotlight's cone, if using shadow maps as a shadow generator.

A simplified example where the light cone is clearly visible on the right.

Volume Light renders only in Camera and Perspective views. Orthographic
or User views don’t render Volume Light effects.

Volume Light Environment Effect | 7655

Procedures
To use Volume Light:
1 Create a scene with lights.
2 Create a Camera or Perspective view of your scene.
TIP Avoid making the view axis parallel to the cone of a spotlight. This tends
to create only a washed-out scene, possibly with rendering artifacts.
3 Choose Rendering ➤ Environment.
4 On the Environment panel, under Atmosphere , click Add.
The Add Atmospheric Effect dialog is displayed.
5 Choose Volume Light, and then click OK.
6 Click Pick Light, and then select a light in a viewport to add the light to
the list of volume lights.
You can also use the Pick Object dialog to select multiple lights from a
list. Click Pick Light, and then press H to open the dialog.
7 Set the parameters for volume light.
To add a light to the list:
1 Click Pick Light.
2 Click the light in a viewport.
To remove a light from the list:
1 Open the list of volume lights.
2 Choose the light you want to remove the volume light effect from.
3 Click Remove Light.
To assign volume light to a light through the Modify panel:

1 Open the

Modify panel of a light.

2 Open the Atmospheres & Effects rollout.

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3 Click Add.
4 Select Volume Light from the Add Atmosphere or Effect dialog and click
OK.
5 Highlight Volume Light from the Atmospheres & Effects list and click
setup to adjust the Volume Light parameters.
NOTE Volume Lights don’t support negative multiplier values.

Volume Light Environment Effect | 7657

Interface

The Volume Light Parameters rollout appears when you select Volume Light
under Effects in the Environment dialog. It has the following controls.

Lights group
Pick Light Click the light that you want to enable for volume light in any
viewport.

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You can pick multiple lights. Click Pick Light and then press H. This opens
the Pick Object dialog, which lets you choose multiple lights from a list.
Remove Light Deletes a light from the list.

Volume group
Fog Color Sets the color for the fog that makes up the volume of the light.
Click the color swatch, and then choose the color you want in the Color
Selector on page 304.
You can animate the color effect by changing the fog color at a nonzero frame
with the Auto Key button on.
Unlike the other fog effects, this fog color combines with the color of the
light. Possibly the best effect is to use white fog and then color it with a colored
light.
Attenuation Color Attenuates volume light over distance. The volume light
ramps from the Fog Color to the Attenuation color over the light's Near and
Far attenuation distances. Clicking the color swatch displays a color selector
so you can change the attenuation color.
Attenuation Color interacts with Fog Color. For example, if your fog color is
red and your attenuation color is green, in the rendering your fog will shade
to purple. Typically the attenuation color should be very dark and
neutral—black is a good choice.
Use Attenuation Color Makes attenuation color active.
Exponential Increases density exponentially with distance. When turned off,
density increases linearly with distance. Activate this check box only when
you want to render transparent objects in volume fog.
Density Sets the density of the fog. The denser the fog, the more the light
reflects off it inside the volume. Densities of 2 to 6 percent probably make the
most realistic fog volumes.

Volume Light Environment Effect | 7659

Left: Original scene
Right: Increasing the density

Max Light% Represents the maximum glow effect that you can achieve
(defaults to 90 percent). By turning this down, you can limit the brightness
of the glow so that it doesn't get denser and denser as it gets farther away from
the light and "whites out."
NOTE When your scene includes transparent objects inside a volume light, set
Max Light to 100 percent.
Min Light% Similar to an ambient light on page 9089 setting. If Min Light% is
greater than 0, areas outside the light volume will glow also. Note that this
means areas of open space (where the light ray can travel forever) will end up
the same as the fog color (just as with normal fog).
Without objects behind the fog, the scene will always be as bright as the fog
color if the Min Light% is greater than 0 (no matter what the actual value is).
This is because the fog goes to infinity and is accumulated infinitely. If you're
going to use min light% values greater than 0, you should make sure that you
enclose your scene by geometry.
Atten. Mult. (Attenuation Multiplier) Adjusts the effect of the attenuation
color.
Filter Shadows Allows you to get better quality volume-light rendering by
increasing the sampling rate (at the cost of some increased rendering time).
These are the options:

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Low The image buffer is not filtered but directly sampled instead. This option
is fine for 8-bit images, AVI on page 8412 files, and so on.
Medium Adjacent pixels are sampled and averaged. This produces a very
significant improvement in cases where you’re getting banding types of
artifacts. It is slower than Low.
High Adjacent pixels and the diagonal pixels are sampled, and each are given
different weights. This is the slowest method and provides somewhat better
quality than Medium.
Use Light Smp Range Blurs the shadows cast in the volume based on the
Sample Range value in the light's shadow parameters. Because increasing the
Smp Range value blurs the shadow cast by the light, this makes shadows in
the fog better match cast shadows, and helps prevent aliasing in the fog
shadows.
TIP With the Use Light Smp Range option, the higher the light's Smp Range value,
the slower the rendering. However, with this option you can usually get good
results with a lower Sample Volume % setting (such as 4), which reduces rendering
time.
Sample Volume % Controls the rate at which the volume is sampled. Ranges
1 through 10,000 (where 1 is the lowest quality and 10,000 is the highest
quality).
Auto Controls the Sample Volume % parameter automatically and disables
the spinner (this is the default). The preset sampling rates are as follows:
low=8; medium=25; high=50
Because the parameter ranges up to 100 there's still room to set it higher.
Increasing the Sample Volume % parameter definitely slows things down, but
in some cases you may want to increase it (for extremely high sample quality).

Volume Light Environment Effect | 7661

Left: Original scene
Right: Increasing sample volume to improve quality

Attenuation group
The controls in this section are contingent upon the settings of the Start Range
and End Range attenuation on page 9098 parameters for the individual light.
NOTE Rendering Volume Light at some angles can introduce aliasing problems.
To eliminate aliasing problems, activate the Near and Far Attenuation settings in
the light object that the Volume Light applied to.
Start % Sets the start attenuation of the light effect, relative to the actual light
parameter's attenuation. It defaults to 100 percent, which means that it starts
attenuating at the Start Range point. When you reduce this parameter, it starts
attenuating the light at a reduced percentage of the actual Start Range value
that is, closer to the light itself.
Because you usually want a smooth falloff on page 9187, you can keep this value
at 0, and no matter what the light's actual Start Range, you'll always get a
smooth glow without hotspots on page 9187.
End % Sets the end attenuation of the lighting effect, relative to the actual
light parameter's attenuation. By setting this lower than 100 percent, you can
have a glowing attenuating light that casts light much farther than it actually
glows. Default=100.

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Left: Original scene
Right: Attenuation limits the range of the light.

Noise group
Noise On Turns the noise on and off. When noise is on there is a slight increase
in render time.
Amount The percentage of noise applied to the fog. If the amount is 0, there
is no noise. If the amount is 1, the fog becomes pure noise.

Left: Original scene
Right: Noise added

Volume Light Environment Effect | 7663

Link To Light Links the noise effect to its light object, rather than to world
coordinates.
Usually you want noise to look like fog or dust motes in the atmosphere, in
which case, as the light moves, the noise should remain with the world
coordinates. For certain special effects, however, you might want the noise
linked to the light's coordinates. In these cases, turn on Link to Light.
Type Choose one of three types of noise to apply.
■

RegularThe standard noise pattern.

■

FractalAn iterative fractal noise pattern.

■

TurbulenceAn iterative turbulence pattern.

Invert Reverses the noise effect. Dense fog becomes translucent and vice versa.
Noise Threshold Limits the noise effect. When the noise value is above the
Low threshold and below the High threshold, the dynamic range stretches to
fill 0-1. This makes for a smaller discontinuity (first order instead of 0 order)
at the threshold transition and thus produces less potential aliasing on page
9087.
■

HighSets the high threshold. Range=0 to 1.0.

■

LowSets the low threshold. Range=0 to 1.0.

Uniformity Acts like a high-pass filter: the smaller the value, the more the
volume is transparent with discrete blobs of smoke. By around -0.3 or so your
image begins to look like specks of dust. Because the fog becomes thinner as
this parameter gets smaller, you'll probably need to increase the density or
the volume will start to disappear. Range=-1 to 1
Levels Sets the number of times the noise is iteratively applied. This parameter
is animatable. Enabled only for Fractal noise or Turbulence. Range=1 to 6,
including fractional values.
Size Determines the size of the tendrils of smoke or fog. Smaller values give
smaller tendrils.

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Left: Volume light with noise
Right: Reducing the size value

Phase Controls the speed of the wind. If you have Wind Strength also set to
greater than 0, the fog volume animates in accordance with the wind direction.
With no Wind Strength, the fog churns in place. Because there's an animation
track for phase, you can use the Function Curve editor to define precisely how
you want your wind "gusts" to happen.
Wind Strength Controls how fast the smoke moves away from the wind
direction, relative to phase. As mentioned above, if the phase is not animated
then the smoke won’t move, regardless of the wind strength. By having the
phase animate slowly with a large wind strength, the fog moves more than it
churns.
Wind from the Defines the direction the wind is coming from.

Exposure Controls
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Exposure Control rollout
Exposure controls are plug-in components that adjust the output levels and
color range of a rendering, as if you were adjusting film exposure. This process
is known as tone mapping. These controls are especially useful for renderings
that use radiosity on page 7068, and when dealing with high-dynamic-range
(HDR) imagery.

Exposure Controls | 7665

Exposure control compensates for the limited dynamic range of computer
displays, which is typically about two orders of magnitude: The brightest color
that appears on a display is about 100 times brighter than the dimmest. The
eye, by comparison, can perceive a dynamic range of about 16 orders of
magnitude. In other words, the brightest color we can perceive is about 10
million-billion times brighter than the dimmest. Exposure control adjusts
colors so they better simulate the eye's great dynamic range, while still fitting
within the color range that can be rendered.
The exposure controls included with 3ds Max are:Automatic Exposure Control
on page 7668, Linear Exposure Control on page 7670, Logarithmic Exposure Control
on page 7673, mr Photographic Exposure Control on page 7677, and Pseudo Color
Exposure Control on page 7686.
IMPORTANT The mental ray renderer on page 7129 supports only the Logarithmic,
mr Photographic, and Pseudo Color exposure controls.

Left: Linear exposure control maps intensity evenly.
Right: Logarithmic exposure control maps most intensities to low and mid tones.

Tips:
■

If the primary lighting from your scene comes from standard lights (rather
than photometric lights), use the Logarithmic exposure control and turn
on Affect Indirect Only.

■

Use Automatic exposure control for rendering still images. This method
is also useful for first-draft renderings.

■

Use Logarithmic exposure control for animations with a moving camera.
(Automatic and Linear exposure control with a moving camera can cause
excessive flickering.)

■

For rendering high-dynamic-range images with mental ray, use the mr
Photographic exposure control.

■

For outdoor scenes that use the Daylight system, turn on the Exterior toggle
to prevent overexposure.

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Exposure and Attenuation for Standard Lights
When you use standard lights that are not attenuated, renderings tend to have
a low dynamic range, because light intensities don't vary greatly across the
scene. In this situation, adjusting light values might be all you need to do to
get a good rendering.
On the other hand, when lights are attenuated the illumination might be too
bright on near surfaces or too dim on distant surfaces. In this situation, the
Automatic exposure control can help, because it adjusts the larger dynamic
range of the (simulated) physical scene, into the smaller dynamic range of the
display.

Interface

Drop-down list Choose the exposure control to use.
Active When on, the exposure control is used in rendering. When off, the
exposure control is not applied.
Process Background and Environment Maps When on, the scene background
and environment maps are subjected to exposure control. When off, they are
not.
Preview thumbnail The thumbnail displays a preview of the rendered scene
with the active exposure control applied. Once a preview has been rendered,
it updates interactively when you changed exposure control settings.
If gamma correction or look-up table (LUT) correction on page 8917 is active,
3ds Max applies the correction to this preview thumbnail.
Render Preview Click to render the preview thumbnail.

Exposure Controls | 7667

Automatic Exposure Control
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Exposure Control rollout ➤ Choose Automatic
Exposure Control from the list. ➤ Automatic Exposure Control rollout
Automatic Exposure Control samples the rendered image and builds a
histogram to give good color separation across the entire dynamic range of
the rendering. It can enhance some lighting effects that would otherwise be
too dim to see.

Auto exposure can affect the lighting of the whole image.

NOTE Automatic Exposure Control should not be used in animations, because
every frame will have a different histogram, causing your animation to flicker.
IMPORTANT The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support the Automatic
exposure control.
See also:
■

Environment Panel on page 7621

7668 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Interface

Brightness Adjusts the brightness of the converted colors. Range=0 to 100.
Default=50.
This parameter is animatable.
Contrast Adjusts the contrast of the converted colors. Range=0 to 100.
Default=50.
This parameter is animatable.
Exposure Value Adjusts the overall brightness of the rendering. Range=–5.0
to 5.0; Negative values make the image darker, and positive values make it
brighter. Default=0.0.
The exposure value is comparable to the exposure compensation setting in
cameras with automatic exposure. This parameter is animatable.
Physical Scale Sets a physical scale for exposure control to use with lights
that are not physically based. The result is an adjustment of the rendering
that approximates the eye's response to the scene.
Each standard light's Multiplier on page 9233 is multiplied by the Physical Scale
value to give a light intensity value in candelas. For example, with the default
Physical Scale of 1500, a standard omni light is treated by the renderer and
radiosity as a photometric isotropic light of 1500 candelas. Physical Scale is
also factored into reflections, refractions, and self-illumination.
TIP You need to set the Physical Scale when you use ray-tracing with self
illumination. Set this value to the equivalent of the brightest light source in the
scene. This will set the appropriate conversion scale for reflections, self-illumination,
and all other non-physically based elements a material offers. In some cases, an
object might reflect or emit more light than the brightest light object in the scene;
in this case, use the object's Luminance value as the Physical Scale.
Range=0.001 to 200,000.0 candelas. Default=1500.0.
A single candle is approximately 1 candela (the unit can also be called a
"candle"). A 100-Watt (W) incandescent light bulb is approximately 139

Exposure Controls | 7669

candelas (cd). A 60W bulb emitting in all directions is about 70 cd, while the
same bulb with a reflector is about 4500 cd because the light flux is
concentrated into a narrow angle.
Photometric lights are unaffected by the Physical Scale value.
This parameter is animatable.
Color correction check box and color swatch When the check box is turned
on, color correction shifts all colors so the color displayed in the color swatch
appears as white. Default=off.
Clicking the color swatch displays a Color Selector on page 304 so you can
choose the color to adapt to.
You can use this control to simulate how the eye adjusts to lighting. For
example, even when the light in a room has a yellow hue from an incandescent
light bulb, we will continue to perceive objects that we know to be white,
such as printed pages, as white.
TIP For the best results, use a very pale color correction color, such as a pale blue
or pale yellow.
Desaturate Low Levels When on, renders dimly lit colors as if the light were
too dim for the eye to distinguish between colors. When on, renders even
dimly lit colors. Default=off.
Desaturate Low Levels simulates the eye's response to dim lighting. In dim
lighting, the eye does not perceive colors and sees tones of gray instead.
The effect of this setting is not apparent except at very low light levels, below
5.62 footcandles (lumens per square foot). When the illuminance is less than
0.00562 footcandles, the scene is completely gray.
NOTE 1 footcandle (fc) equals 10.76 lux (lumens per square meter).

Linear Exposure Control
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Exposure Control rollout ➤ Choose Linear Exposure
Control from the list. ➤ Linear Exposure Control rollout
Linear Exposure Control samples the rendered image and uses the average
brightness of the scene to map physical values to RGB values. Linear Exposure
Control is best used for scenes with a fairly low dynamic range.

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NOTE Linear Exposure Control should not be used in animations, because every
frame will have a different histogram, causing your animation to flicker.
IMPORTANT The mental ray renderer on page 7129 does not support the Linear
exposure control.
See also:
■

Environment Panel on page 7621

Interface

Brightness Adjusts the brightness of the converted colors. Range=0 to 100.
Default=50.
This parameter is animatable.
Contrast Adjusts the contrast of the converted colors. Range=0 to 100.
Default=50.
This parameter is animatable.
Exposure Value Adjusts the overall brightness of the rendering. Range= -5.0
to 5.0. Negative values make the image darker, and positive values make it
brighter. Default=0.0.
The exposure value can be thought of as an exposure compensation setting
in cameras with automatic exposure control.
This parameter is animatable.
Physical Scale Sets a physical scale for exposure control to use with lights
that are not physically based. The result is an adjustment of the rendering
that approximates the eye's response to the scene.
Each standard light's Multiplier on page 9233 is multiplied by the Physical Scale
value to give a light intensity value in candelas. For example, with the default

Exposure Controls | 7671

Physical Scale of 1500, a standard omni light is treated by the renderer and
radiosity as a photometric isotropic light of 1500 candelas. Physical Scale is
also factored into reflections, refractions, and self-illumination.
TIP You need to set the Physical Scale when you use ray-tracing with self
illumination. Set this value to the equivalent of the brightest light source in the
scene. This will set the appropriate conversion scale for reflections, self-illumination,
and all other non-physically based elements a material offers. In some cases, an
object might reflect or emit more light than the brightest light object in the scene;
in this case, use the object's Luminance value as the Physical Scale.
Range=0.001 to 200,000.0 candelas. Default=1500.0.
A single candle is approximately 1 candela (the unit can also be called a
"candle"). A 100-Watt (W) incandescent light bulb is approximately 139
candelas (cd). A 60W bulb emitting in all directions is about 70 cd, while the
same bulb with a reflector is about 4500 cd because the light flux is
concentrated into a narrow angle.
Photometric lights are unaffected by the Physical Scale value.
This parameter is animatable.
Color Correction check box and color swatch When the check box is turned
on, color correction shifts all colors so the color displayed in the color swatch
appears as white. Default=off.
Clicking the color swatch displays a Color Selector on page 304 so you can
choose the color to adapt to.
You can use this control to simulate how the eye adjusts to lighting. For
example, even when the light in a room has a yellow hue from an incandescent
light bulb, we will continue to perceive objects that we know to be white,
such as printed pages, as white.
TIP For the best results, use a very pale color correction color, such as a pale blue
or pale yellow.
Desaturate Low Levels When on, renders dimly lit colors as if the light were
too dim for the eye to distinguish between colors. When on, renders even
dimly lit colors. Default=off.
Desaturate Low Levels simulates the eye's response to dim lighting. In dim
lighting, the eye does not perceive colors and sees tones of gray instead.
The effect of this setting is not apparent except at very low light levels, below
5.62 footcandles (lumens per square foot). When the illuminance is less than
0.00562 footcandles, the scene is completely gray.

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NOTE 1 footcandle (fc) equals 10.76 lux (lumens per square meter).

Logarithmic Exposure Control
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Exposure Control rollout ➤ Choose Logarithmic
Exposure Control from the list. ➤ Logarithmic Exposure Control rollout
Logarithmic Exposure Control uses brightness, contrast, and whether the
scene is outdoors in daylight to map physical values to RGB values. You can
use it with either the default scanline renderer on page 7042 or the mental ray
renderer on page 7129. Logarithmic Exposure Control is best for scenes with a
very high dynamic range.

Left: The intensity of an IES Sun light completely overexposes a scene.
Right: Logarithmic exposure control corrects the overexposure.

Logarithmic Exposure Control is the best type of exposure control for
animations because it doesn’t use histograms.
TIP If you're rendering to texture on page 7307, use the Logarithmic exposure
control, not the Automatic or Linear control.
See also:
■

Environment Panel on page 7621

Exposure Controls | 7673

Interface

Brightness Adjusts the brightness of the converted colors. Range=0 to 200.
Default=50.
This parameter is animatable.
Contrast Adjusts the contrast of the converted colors. Range=0 to 100.
Default=50.
This parameter is animatable.
Mid Tones Adjusts the mid-tone values of the converted colors. Range=0.01
to 20.0. Default=1.0.
This parameter is animatable.

Adjusting the value of mid tones

Physical Scale Sets a physical scale for exposure control to use with lights
that are not physically based. The result is an adjustment of the rendering
that approximates the eye's response to the scene.
Each standard light's Multiplier on page 9233 is multiplied by the Physical Scale
value to give a light intensity value in candelas. For example, with the default
Physical Scale of 1500, a standard omni light is treated by the renderer and

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radiosity as a photometric isotropic light of 1500 candelas. Physical Scale is
also factored into reflections, refractions, and self-illumination.
TIP You need to set the Physical Scale when you use ray-tracing with self
illumination. Set this value to the equivalent of the brightest light source in the
scene. This will set the appropriate conversion scale for reflections, self-illumination,
and all other non-physically based elements a material offers. In some cases, an
object might reflect or emit more light than the brightest light object in the scene;
in this case, use the object's Luminance value as the Physical Scale.
NOTE The mental ray renderer treats Physical Scale in the same way the scanline
renderer does in terms of its effect on reflections and refractions. Physical Scale
does affect the appearance of self-illuminated materials.
Range=0.001 to 200,000.0 candelas. Default=1500.0.
A single candle is approximately 1 candela (the unit can also be called a
"candle"). A 100-Watt (W) incandescent light bulb is approximately 139
candelas (cd). A 60W bulb emitting in all directions is about 70 cd, while the
same bulb with a reflector is about 4500 cd because the light flux is
concentrated into a narrow angle.
Photometric lights are unaffected by the Physical Scale value.
This parameter is animatable.
Color Correction check box and color swatch When the check box is turned
on, color correction shifts all colors so the color displayed in the color swatch
appears as white. Default=off.
Clicking the color swatch displays a Color Selector on page 304 so you can
choose the color to adapt to.
You can use this control to simulate how the eye adjusts to lighting. For
example, even when the light in a room has a yellow hue from an incandescent
light bulb, we will continue to perceive objects that we know to be white,
such as printed pages, as white.
TIP For the best results, use a very pale color correction color, such as a pale blue
or pale yellow.

Exposure Controls | 7675

Color correction can remove the color “cast” that comes from a light source.

Desaturate Low Levels When on, renders dimly lit colors as if the light were
too dim for the eye to distinguish between colors. When off, renders even
dimly lit colors. Default=off.
Desaturate Low Levels simulates the eye's response to dim lighting. In dim
lighting, the eye does not perceive colors and sees tones of gray instead.
The effect of this setting is not apparent except at very low light levels, below
5.62 footcandles (lumens per square foot). When the illuminance is less than
0.00562 footcandles, the scene is completely gray.
NOTE 1 footcandle (fc) equals 10.76 lux (lumens per square meter).
Affect Indirect Only When on, Logarithmic Exposure control is applied only
to areas of indirect lighting. Default=off.
Turn on this toggle when the primary lighting for your scene comes from
standard lights rather than photometric lights. When you use standard lights
and turn on Affect Indirect Only, radiosity and exposure control yield results
similar to the default scanline renderer. When you use standard lights but
leave Affect Indirect Only off, radiosity and exposure control yield results that
can be quite different from the default scanline renderer.
In general, you don’t need to turn on Affect Indirect Only when the primary
lighting for your scene comes from photometric lights.
Exterior daylight When on, converts colors for an outdoor scene. Default=off.

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The exterior daylight setting compensates for the extreme intensity of an IES sun light.

mr Photographic Exposure Control
Set mental ray as the renderer. ➤ Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤
Environment and Effects dialog ➤ Environment panel ➤ Exposure Control
rollout ➤ Choose mr Photographic Exposure Control from the list. ➤ mr
Photographic Exposure Control rollout
The mr Photographic Exposure Control lets you modify rendered output with
camera-like controls: either a general exposure value or specific shutter speed,
aperture, and film speed settings. It also gives you image-control settings with
values for highlights, midtones, and shadows. It’s intended for
high-dynamic-range scenes rendered with the mental ray renderer on page
7129.
NOTE The mr Photographic Exposure Control contains a built-in gamma corrector
(gamma 2.2), but this correction is disabled if the 3ds Max gamma correction on
page 8917 is enabled on the Preferences dialog, letting the Rendered Frame Window
apply the view gamma instead.
The Logarithmic exposure control on page 7673 also has a curve similar to a gamma
correction, but unlike the Photographic exposure control, it is not designed to
disable its gamma correction when overall gamma correction is on. For that reason,
combining gamma correction with the Logarithmic exposure control is discouraged,
whereas using it together with the Photographic exposure control is encouraged.

Exposure Controls | 7677

Interface

TIP To see a definition of any numeric parameter on this rollout, hover the mouse
cursor over the parameter’s spinner.

Exposure group
This group comprises a drop-down list of exposure presets plus a choice of
Exposure Value or Photographic Exposure and associated parameters. Choosing
one method makes the other’s setting or settings unavailable, but they still
change based on adjustments you make to the available method. For example,

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when Exposure Value is active, adjusting its value also changes the
Photographic Exposure ➤ Shutter Speed setting.
Preset Choose from the available options based on setting and lighting
conditions. The presets affect all of the remaining settings in this group.
Exposure Value (EV) Choose this option to specify a single Exposure Value
setting that corresponds to a combination of the three Photographic Exposure
values (see following). Each increment or decrement in the EV value
corresponds to halving or doubling, respectively, the effective exposure, as
expressed in the resultant change in the Shutter Speed value. Thus, higher
values yield darker images, and lower values yield brighter images.
For example, as shown above, the combination of a shutter speed of 1/125 of
a second, f/16, and ISO 100 results in an EV of 15. The same EV results from
halving the shutter speed to 1/250 second and doubling the aperture size to
f/11.
Photographic Exposure Lets you set the exposure using standard
camera-oriented controls. These controls affect exposure only: Shutter Speed
has no effect on motion blur; Aperture doesn’t influence depth of field; and
Film Speed has no effect on graininess.
■

Shutter SpeedThe duration, in fractions of a second, that the “shutter” is
open. The higher this value, the greater the exposure.

■

ApertureThe size of the opening of the “camera iris,” expressed as a ratio.
The higher this value, the lower the exposure.

■

Film Speed (ISO)The sensitivity of the “camera film,” expressed as an index.
The higher this value, the greater the exposure.

Image Control group
Use these controls to adjust the relative brightness or highlights, midtones,
and shadows in the rendered image. The combination of these three settings
is depicted in the graph on the right side of the rollout. Additional controls
available here let you adjust color saturation, whitepoint, and vignetting.

Exposure Controls | 7679

Rendering with default settings (with final gathering)

Highlights (Burn) Controls the level of the brightest areas of the image.
Higher values yield brighter highlights, while lower values darken the
highlights.

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Darkened (burnt-in) highlights

Midtones Controls the level of the areas of the image whose brightness lies
between the highlights and the shadows. Higher values yield brighter midtones,
while lower values darken the midtones.

Exposure Controls | 7681

Elevated midtones

Shadows Controls the level of the darkest areas of the image. Lower values
yield lighter shadows, while higher values darken the shadows.

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Lightened shadows

Color Saturation Controls the intensity of colors in the rendered image.
Higher values result in more intense colors.

Exposure Controls | 7683

Color Saturation=2.0

Whitepoint Specifies the main color temperature of the light sources. This is
similar to white balance controls on digital cameras. For daylighting, a value
of 6500 is recommended, for incandescent lighting, a value of 3700 is
recommended.
For example, photographs taken indoors might be lit by incandescent lights,
which are relatively orange compared to daylight. Defining "white" as daylight
will give unacceptable results when attempting to color-correct a photograph
taken with incandescent lighting.
Vignetting Reduces the image brightness in the image periphery compared
to the image center, resulting in a circular fully exposed area in the center,
with darker edges.

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Vignetting=25.0

Physical Scale Determines how 3ds Max calculates pixel values when
outputting HDR (high-dynamic-range) images. You can use the physical scale
inherent in the scene, or set an arbitrary physical scale for non-physically-based
lighting situations.
■

Physical Units: (cd/m2)Outputs physically correct HDR pixel values in
candelas per square meter. Use this option when lighting the scene with
photometric light sources.
TIP When you use this option, the renderer interprets all non-physical
(standard) illumination values in units of cd/m2. If you use as a background
image or texture map an HDR image with pixels correctly calibrated to cd/m2,
it will be correct in the scene. However, if you attempt to use a
low-dynamic-range photo such as a JPEG photo, it will appear too dark in the
rendered output. (The renderer interprets a white pixel in such an image as
"1 cd/m2" by default, which is darker than the deepest dungeon.) So you need
to increase the output on page 6613 of the image to match a useful cd/m2 value.
The sky can be around 3,000 cd/m2.

Exposure Controls | 7685

■

UnitlessLets you define how the renderer interprets the illumination from
standard lights, which are not physically based. Use the numeric setting
to set the apparent illumination from these lights and the output pixel
values based on the scene lighting. For example, with the default Physical
Scale of 1500, a standard omni light is treated by the renderer as a
photometric isotropic light of 1500 candelas. Physical Scale is also factored
into the environment map and self-illumination.
NOTE This value does not affect apparent illumination of the rendered scene
with photometric lights. However, it does affect the apparent illumination cast
by non-physical (standard) lights. For predictable results, illuminate the scene
only with photometric or standard lights (not a mix), and use Physical Units
or Unitless, respectively.

Gamma/LUT Settings This group comprises text showing the status of the
current Gamma/LUT settings, and a Setup button that opens the Preference
Settings dialog to the Gamma and LUT panel on page 8917 so you can change
the settings.

Pseudo Color Exposure Control
Rendering menu ➤ Environment ➤ Environment and Effects dialog ➤
Environment panel ➤ Exposure Control rollout ➤ Choose Pseudo Color
Exposure Control from the list. ➤ Pseudo Color Exposure Control rollout
Pseudo Color Exposure Control is actually a lighting analysis tool that provides
you with an intuitive way of visualizing and evaluating the lighting levels in
your scenes. It maps luminance on page 9209 or illuminance on page 9190 values
to pseudo colors that show the brightness of the values being converted. From
darkest to brightest, the rendering shows blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange,
and red. (Alternatively, you can choose a grayscale where the brightest values
are white, and the darkest are black.) The rendering includes the colored or
grayscale spectrum bar as a legend for the image.
After rendering the scene with pseudo color, 3ds Max displays a Rendered
Frame Window on page 6963 labeled “Illuminance,” with a legend of illuminance
values below the rendered image.
NOTE The Illuminance frame is not displayed if antialiasing is turned off.
NOTE You can use the Pseudo Color exposure control with the mental ray renderer
on page 7129.

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Pseudo color exposure of a scene with radiosity. Areas in red are overlit, areas in blue
are underlit, and areas in green have a good lighting level.

In the Rendered Frame Window labeled “illuminance,” a legend appears below
the image.
If you render a scene using this exposure control, 3ds Max creates a special
render element on page 7280 named Illuminance that helps obtain accurate
luminance and illuminance data.
TIP If you get a file write error when you try to render a pseudo color image,
check the path and file name of the Illuminance element, or the permissions of
the PNG file that saves the illuminance data.

Exposure Controls | 7687

Three spheres at an equal distance from a light source. The sphere on the left has a
matte material, the sphere in the middle is glossy, and the sphere on the right is glossy
but has a much darker color.

A display of illuminance shows that it is the same for all three spheres.

A display of luminance shows that the two spheres on the left reflect about the same
amount of light, but the darker sphere on the right reflects little light except for its
highlight.

7688 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

See also:
■

Environment Panel on page 7621

Interface

Display Type group
Quantity Chooses the value being measured.
■

Illuminance (the default) displays values of light incident on surfaces.

■

Luminance displays values of light reflected off surfaces.

Style Chooses the way to display values.
■

Colored (the default) shows a spectrum.

■

Grayscale shows gray tones that range from white to black.
The spectrum bar displays the values the rendering will use.

Exposure Controls | 7689

Pseudo color display style:
Left: Grayscale
Right: Colored scale

Scale Chooses the technique used to map values.
■

Logarithmic (the default) uses a logarithmic scale.

■

Linear uses a linear scale.
The Logarithmic scale is useful when the illumination of the surfaces of
interest is low compared to the maximum illumination in the scene.

Left: Linear scale
Right: Logarithmic scale

Display Range group
Minimum (Min.) Sets the lowest value to measure and represent in the
rendering. Values at this quantity or below it all map to the leftmost display
color (or grayscale level).
Maximum (Max.) Sets the highest value to measure and represent in the
rendering. Values at this quantity or above it all map to the rightmost display
color (or grayscale value).

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Physical Scale Sets a physical scale for exposure control to use with lights
that are not physically based. The result is an adjustment of the rendering
that approximates the eye's response to the scene.
Changing the value of Physical Scale is an optional step. Use it as a last resort
when the materials or maps are not rendering correctly. Changing this setting
will not affect anything in the scene unless your scene has an Ambient Color
different than black. If you do adjust it, set the Physical Scale value to the
equivalent of the brightest light source in the scene.
3ds Max multiplies each standard light's Multiplier on page 9233 by the Physical
Scale value to produce a light intensity value in candelas. For example, with
the default Physical Scale of 1500, a standard omni light is treated by the
renderer and radiosity as a photometric isotropic light of 1500 candelas.
Physical Scale is also factored into reflections, refractions, and self-illumination.
TIP When you use ray-tracing with self illumination, set Physical Scale to the
equivalent of the brightest light source in the scene. This sets the appropriate
conversion scale for reflections, self-illumination, and all other non-physically based
elements a material offers. In some cases, an object might reflect or emit more
light than the brightest light object in the scene; in this case, use the object's
Luminance value as the Physical Scale.
Range=0.001 to 200,000.0 candelas. Default=1500.0.
A single candle is approximately 1 candela (the unit can also be called a
"candle"). A 100-Watt (W) incandescent light bulb is approximately 139
candelas (cd). A 60W bulb emitting in all directions is about 70 cd, while the
same bulb with a reflector is about 4500 cd because the light flux is
concentrated into a narrow angle.
Photometric lights are unaffected by the Physical Scale value.
This parameter is animatable.

Adjusting the range to analyze:

Exposure Controls | 7691

Above: Correct range for a scene
Middle: Too narrow a range
Below: Too great a range

Narrowing the range to focus on a single object

General Guidelines for Physical Scale Values
■

If you use only Photometric lights on page 5707, IES Sun on page 5866, and
IES Sky on page 5870, the Physical Scale value is disregarded, and you don't
need to change it.

■

If you use Standard lights on page 5757, the Physical Scale value acts as a
conversion scale that the radiosity engine uses to calculate energy. Set it
to the equivalent of the brightest light source in the scene. This will set
the appropriate conversion scale for reflections, self-illumination, and all
other non-physically based elements a 3ds Max material offers.
However, if you use the Affect Indirect Only flag in the Logarithmic
Exposure Control on page 7673, you don’t need to worry about the physical
scale setting.

Spectrum bar Shows the spectrum-to-intensity mapping. The numbers below
the spectrum range from the Minimum to the Maximum settings.
When rendering with pseudo color, the spectrum bar is displayed beneath
the pseudo color image, labeled either Luminance or Illuminance.

Lighting Data Exporter Utility
Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ Utilities dialog
➤ Choose Lighting Data Export. ➤ Click OK. ➤ 2D Lighting Data Exporter
rollout
The Lighting Data Exporter renders the active viewport to images that include
luminance on page 9209 and illuminance on page 9190 data that can be used for
lighting analysis.

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The Lighting Data Exporter does not render the files unless you have applied
an exposure control on page 7665 to the scene.
You can render to either the TIFF file on page 8461 format. If you export to a
TIFF file, the utility renders a single image file that has separate channels for
luminance and illuminance (the file is of the 32-bit SGI LogLUV image type).
You can also render to the PIC file on page 8442 format. If you export to a PIC
file, the utility renders two images: one containing luminance data, and the
other containing illuminance data (see the description of the File Name button,
below).

Interface

File Name Click the button to specify a file name for the rendering.
When you export to the PIC format, the Lighting Data Exporter renders two
files. It appends the string “_Illuminance” to the name of one file, and
“_Luminance” to the other. For example, if you type house as the file name,
the exporter renders to house_illuminance.pic and house_luminance.pic.

Image Size group
Width Sets the output width, in pixels. Default=640.
Height Sets the output height, in pixels. Default=480.

_____
Export Click to render luminance and illuminance data.
WARNING Unlike the renderer, if you click Export more than once, this overwrites
previously rendered files.

Exposure Controls | 7693

Atmospheric Apparatuses
Create panel ➤
drop-down list)

(Helpers) ➤ Atmospheric Apparatus (from

You can create three types of atmospheric apparatuses, or gizmos on page 9177:
box, cylinder, and sphere. These gizmos contain the fog or fire effect in your
scene.
See also:
■

Fire Environment Effect on page 7629

■

Fog Environment Effect on page 7640

■

Volume Light Environment Effect on page 7654

Add Atmosphere Dialog
Select Atmospheric Apparatus object. ➤
Atmospheres & Effects rollout ➤ Add button

Modify panel ➤

The Add Atmosphere dialog lets you associate an atmosphere with the
Atmospheric Apparatus on page 7694.

7694 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Interface

List of atmospheres Displays the atmospheres that you can associate with
the apparatus.

New or existing group
These radio buttons choose between new or existing atmospheres.
New Lists only new atmospheres.
Existing Lists only atmospheres that have been already assigned to other
apparatuses in the scene.
Adding an existing atmosphere creates a new atmosphere whose settings are
initially identical to the previous one.

BoxGizmo Helper
Create panel ➤
drop-down list) ➤ BoxGizmo

(Helpers) ➤ Atmospheric Apparatus (from

Atmospheric Apparatuses | 7695

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Atmospherics ➤ BoxGizmo
BoxGizmo lets you create a box-shaped gizmo in your scene. Clicking the
BoxGizmo button displays the Box Gizmo Parameters rollout.

Box gizmo with volume fog

Procedures
To create the BoxGizmo:
1 Drag in a viewport to define the initial length and width, then release
the mouse and drag vertically to set the initial height.
2 Click to end BoxGizmo creation.
To add a new atmosphere:
1 Select the apparatus gizmo.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click
Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694.

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3 Choose an atmosphere from the list.
4 Click OK.
This associates a new atmosphere with the apparatus.
To add an existing atmosphere:
1 Select the apparatus gizmo.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click
Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694.
3 In the dialog, choose Existing.
4 Choose an atmosphere from the list.
5 Click OK.
This creates a duplicate atmosphere for the apparatus. Its settings are
initially identical to the atmosphere you chose. You can adjust them
using Setup.

Interface
Name and Color rollout
The Name and Color rollout on page 8771 lets you rename objects and change
their wireframe color.

Box Gizmo Parameters rollout

Atmospheric Apparatuses | 7697

Length, Width, and Height Set the dimensions of the box gizmo.
Seed Sets a base value used to generate the atmospheric effect. Each apparatus
in the scene should have a different seed. If more than one apparatus uses the
same seed and same atmospheric effect, they will produce nearly identical
results.
New Seed Click to generate a random number automatically and place it in
the seed field.

Atmospheres & Effects rollout

The Atmospheres & Effects rollout, available from the Modify panel, allows
you to add and set up atmospheres directly to the gizmo.
Add Displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694 from which you can
add an atmosphere to the BoxGizmo.
Delete Deletes a highlighted atmospheric effect.
Setup Displays the Environment panel on page 7621, where you can edit the
highlighted effect.

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CylGizmo Helper
Create panel ➤
drop-down list) ➤ CylGizmo

(Helpers) ➤ Atmospheric Apparatus (from

Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Atmospherics ➤ Cylinder Gizmo
CylGizmo lets you create a cylinder-shaped gizmo in your scene. Clicking the
CylGizmo button displays the Cylinder Gizmo Parameters rollout.

Cylinder gizmo with volume fog

Procedures
To create the CylGizmo:
1 Drag in a viewport to define the initial radius, then release the mouse
and drag vertically to set the initial height.
2 Click to end CylGizmo creation.

Atmospheric Apparatuses | 7699

To add a new atmosphere:
1 Select the apparatus gizmo.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click
Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694.
3 Choose an atmosphere from the list.
4 Click OK.
This associates a new atmosphere with the apparatus.
To add an existing atmosphere:
1 Select the apparatus gizmo.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click
Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694.
3 In the dialog, choose Existing.
4 Choose an atmosphere from the list.
5 Click OK.
This creates a duplicate atmosphere for the apparatus. Its settings are
initially identical to the atmosphere you chose. You can adjust them
using Setup.

Interface
Name and Color rollout
The Name and Color rollout on page 8771 lets you rename objects and change
their wireframe color.

7700 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Cylinder Gizmo Parameters rollout

Radius and Height Set the dimensions of the cylinder gizmo.
Seed Sets a base value used to generate the atmospheric effect. Each apparatus
in the scene should have a different seed. If more than one apparatus uses the
same seed and same atmospheric effect, they will produce nearly identical
results.
New Seed Click to generate a random number automatically and place it in
the seed field.

Atmospheres & Effects rollout

The Atmospheres & Effects rollout, available from the Modify panel, allows
you to add and set up atmospheres directly to the gizmo.

Atmospheric Apparatuses | 7701

Add Displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694 from which you can
add an Atmosphere to the CylGizmo.
Delete Deletes a highlighted atmospheric effect.
Setup Displays the Environment panel on page 7621, where you can edit the
highlighted effect.

SphereGizmo Helper
Create panel ➤
(Helpers) ➤ Atmospheric Apparatus (from
drop-down list) ➤ SphereGizmo
Create menu ➤ Helpers ➤ Atmospherics ➤ Sphere Gizmo
SphereGizmo lets you create a sphere- or hemisphere-shaped gizmo in your
scene. Clicking the SphereGizmo button displays the Sphere Gizmo Parameters
rollout.

Sphere gizmo with volume fog

7702 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

Procedures
To create the SphereGizmo:
1 Drag in any viewport to define the initial radius.
2 Adjust the radius with the spinner.
To add a new atmosphere:
1 Select the apparatus gizmo.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click
Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694.
3 Choose an atmosphere from the list.
4 Click OK.
This associates a new atmosphere with the apparatus.
To add an existing atmosphere:
1 Select the apparatus gizmo.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click
Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 7694.
3 In the dialog, choose Existing.
4 Choose an atmosphere from the list.
5 Click OK.
This creates a duplicate atmosphere for the apparatus. Its settings are
initially identical to the atmosphere you chose. You can adjust them
using Setup.

Interface
Name and Color rollout
The Name and Color rollout on page 8771 lets you rename objects and change
their wireframe color.

Atmospheric Apparatuses | 7703

Sphere Gizmo Parameters rollout

Radius Sets the radius of the default sphere.
Hemisphere When turned on, the bottom half of the SphereGizmo is
discarded, creating a hemisphere.
Seed Sets a base value used to generate the atmospheric effect. Each apparatus
in the scene should have a different seed. If more than one apparatus uses the
same seed and same atmospheric effect, they will produce nearly identical
results.
New Seed Click to generate a random number automatically and place it in
the seed field.

Atmospheres & Effects rollout

7704 | Chapter 19 Effects and Environments

The Atmospheres & Effects rollout, available from the Modify panel, allows
you to add and set up atmospheres effects directly to the gizmo.
Add Displays the Add Atmosphere dialog on page 5815 from which you can
add an Atmosphere to the SphereGizmo.
Delete Deletes a highlighted atmospheric effect.
Setup Displays the Environment panel on page 7621, where you can edit the
highlighted effect.

Atmospheric Apparatuses | 7705

7706

Video Post

20

Video Post, available from the Rendering menu, lets you combine (composite) and render
output of various types of events, including the current scene, bitmap images, image-processing
functions, and so on.

A video post queue can include scene geometry, background images, effects, and masks for compositing
them.

7707

The result of video post: a composited frame

Video Post is a self-contained, modeless dialog, similar in appearance to Track View. The
edit window of the dialog shows when each event occurs in the finished video. Each event
is associated with a track that has a range bar.
The Video Post dialog contains the following window components:
Video Post Queue on page 7708: Shows the sequence of post-production events.
Video Post Status Bar/View Controls on page 7710: Shows information about the active Video
Post controls and lets you control the display of tracks in the event tracks area.
Video Post Toolbar on page 7731: Provides Video Post commands.

Video Post Queue
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Video Post Queue
Video Post Queue provides a hierarchical list of the images, scenes, and events
to be composited.

7708 | Chapter 20 Video Post

The Video Post queue in the Video Post dialog is similar to other hierarchical
lists in the Track View and Material Editor. In Video Post, the list items are
images, scenes, animations on page 9090, or external processes that together
make up the queue. The items in the queue are called events.
The order that the events appear in the queue is the order in which they are
executed, from top to bottom. Consequently, to correctly composite an image,
the background bitmap must appear before, or above, the image that is to
overlay it.
There is always at least one item in the queue (a placeholder labeled Queue).
It is the queue's parent event.
The queue can be linear, but some kinds of events, such as Image Layer,
combine other events and become their parent.

Procedures
To add an event to the queue:
■

Click an event button.
When you add an event, a dialog displays where you can specify settings
for that event. The settings offered on the dialog depend on the type of
event; some events have different kinds of subtypes.
In general, the new event appears at the end of the queue - but some kinds
of events require that you first select one or more events in the queue. An

Video Post Queue | 7709

event button is unavailable if the selection in the queue (or the absence
of one) is not legal input to the button's type of event.
To highlight an event already in the queue, click its icon, label, or range-bar
area.
To delete any event in the queue:
■

Select the event and press the Delete key.
You can delete both enabled and disabled events, which are unavailable.

To switch the positions of two events in the queue:
1 Highlight both events.
2 Click

(Swap).

This operation might not be allowed if the result would be impossible to
execute. At the top level of the queue, you can almost always swap events;
at lower levels, an event's output must be legal input to its parent event.
To edit an event in the queue, do one of the following:
1 Select the event and click Edit Current Event on page 7734.
2 Double-click the event name.
3 Double-click the event's range-bar area in the edit window.
Use one of the second two methods for disabled events.

Video Post Status Bar / View Controls
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post Status Bar
The Video Post Status Bar contains an area for prompt and status information
and for buttons to control the display of tracks in the event tracks area.

Interface
Prompt Line

7710 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Displays instructions for using the currently selected function.

Status (Start, End, Frames, Width, Height)

Displays the Start frame and End frame for the current event, the total number
of frames and the output resolution of the entire queue.
S/E Shows start and end frames of the selected track. If no track is selected,
shows the start and end frames of the entire queue.
F Shows the total frames in the selected track or for the entire queue.
W/H Shows the width and height of the image that results from the rendering
of all the events in the queue.

Pan
Lets you drag horizontally in the event tracks area to shift the view left
and right.

Zoom Extents
Adjusts the size of the event-track area horizontally so that all the frames
of the longest track bar are visible.
Use Zoom Extents to quickly reset the display to show all frames after zooming
in on a selection of frames with the Zoom Time button.

Zoom Time
Displays a greater or lesser number of frames in the event tracks area,
allowing you to scale or zoom the display. The time ruler displays the current
time display unit.
Drag horizontally in the event tracks area to zoom time.
Drag right to display fewer frames in the track area (zoom in).
Drag left to display more frames in the track area (zoom out).

Video Post Status Bar / View Controls | 7711

Zoom Region
Magnifies a region that you define by dragging a rectangle in the event
tracks area.

Troubleshooting Video Post
While Video Post offers many useful functions and creative effects, invariably
you will set up a queue that looks like it should work or even appears to render
correctly only to give you an animation that does not include the desired
effect. Here are some troubleshooting tips to reference when a queue just isn't
doing what you expect.
There are two key things that can cause a Video Post queue to fail. The first
is incorrect ordering and nesting of events in the queue. The second is faulty
positioning and/or overlapping of the range bars.
When you come up again a problem, especially if you're attempting to set up
a very complex queue, the best way to diagnose the problem is to create a new
queue that should only result in the effect that is failing. If you can get the
simplified queue to work, you can compare it to the structure of the failing
queue to see what might be out of order.
Here are two very common scenarios that look like they should work but
ultimately don't give you the result you expected. These examples are shown
in their simplified state, but could very easily be buried in more complex
queues.
■

The object simply disappears instead of fading out.
The first example illustrates a problem where you expect the scene to render
for fifteen frames before fading to black to finish the animation. However,
at frame sixteen, the scene abruptly goes black.

7712 | Chapter 20 Video Post

This queue shows all the correct events in the proper order in the queue.
The problem is the timing and positioning of the range bars. The most
likely cause of this problem is using the Abut Selection on page 7742 when
it's not necessary. In order for the Fade event to work properly, it needs to
overlap the animation for the amount of time you want to fade to occur.
You need to take into account the number of frames where the scene
actually fades.
To fix this queue, you have to decide how many frames over which the
fade will occur. Let's say you want the scene to fade to black over ten
frames. You would need to drag the right end of the Perspective event
range bar ten frames to the right to overlap the Fade event.

■

The object glows during rendering, but not in the animation.
This second example is even more misleading than the first. The infuriating
thing about this problem is that while the scene is rendering, the object
in the scene shows the glow effect. When the resultant animation is played
back, the Glow effect is not present.

Troubleshooting Video Post | 7713

Once again, this queue shows all the correct events, but the problem here
is the ordering of the events in the queue. This problem is commonly
caused when an event is selected while other events are being added. In
this case, the Perspective event was select when the Lens Effects Glow and
output events were added.
There are two ways to create this queue to give you the correct results. You
can recreate the queue and add each event so there is no nesting, or you
remove the current output event and add it again, making sure no other
events are selected. The following images show the two ways this queue
could be set up to successfully show the glowing object.

7714 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Useful Video Post Procedures
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post
There are some tasks that you will use Video Post for more than others. This
primer describes some of the more common sequences you'll find yourself
using Video Post to create. The procedures are outlined in their simplest forms.
The following procedures are outlined:
■

Make an object glow on page 7716

■

Create an animation from a series of still images on page 7717

■

Render a scene with a starfield on page 7718

■

Set up a simple cross fade between two images on page 7719

■

Resize a series of images on page 7721

■

Composite two image sequences on page 7722

■

Render a scene over an image sequence or an animation on page 7724

■

Join two animations – end to end on page 7726

■

Switch between views on page 7727

■

Render a scene in reverse on page 7729

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7715

Procedures
Example: Make an object glow:
One of the most common things you'll want to do with the Glow filter is
make an object glow. Here's how to do it in its simplest form.
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a Sphere with a radius of about 30.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
3

Click Add Scene Event on page 7743 and set the view to Perspective.
Click OK to close the Add Scene Event dialog.

4

Click Add Image Filter Event on page 7755 and choose Lens Effects
Glow from the Filter Plug-In list.
Click OK to close the Add Image Filter Event dialog.

5 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762) and then click Files.

6 Set the output file format to BMP Image File and enter a filename like
MyGlow.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
7 Click OK to accept the default setting on the BMP configuration dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
8 Right-click the Sphere to bring up the Quad Menus and select Properties.
9 Set the Object Channel in the G-Buffer group to 1 and click OK.
10 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

11 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.
You'll see the a glowing sphere in the render window.

7716 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Example: Create an animation from a series of still images:
Another common process you'll use Video Post to achieve is taking a series of
still images you've rendered and convert them to an animation. To accomplish
this task, you need an IFL file on page 8420.
1 Use the IFL Manager Utility on page 8424 to create an IFL file containing
the sequentially number image files you want to process.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
3 Click

(Add Image Input Event on page 7748), and then click Files.

Choose the IFL file you created at step 1 and then click Open to close the
selection dialog.
4 Click OK to close the Add Input Image Event dialog.

5 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

6 Set the output file format to AVI File on page 8412 and enter a filename
like MyAnimation.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
7 Select a codec on page 9118 from the Video Compression dialog and click
OK.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7717

8 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

9 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.
The final product is an animation.

Example: Render a scene with a starfield:
At some time, you'll want to create a night scene that requires a starry sky.
The key thing to remember when creating a star field is adding a camera to
the scene. The Starfield filter only works with a camera. Here are the steps to
set that up.
1 In the Top viewport, create a Sphere with a radius of about 30 and a
Target Camera.
Place the camera to one side and have it pointing at the center of the
sphere.
2 Right-click in the Perspective viewport and press C to change the viewport
display to Camera01.
3 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
4 Click
(Add Scene Event on page 7743), and make sure the view is set
to Camera01.
Click OK to close the Add Scene Event dialog.
5 Click
(Add Image Filter Event on page 7755), and choose Starfield from
the Filter Plug-In list.

7718 | Chapter 20 Video Post

6 Click the Setup button to open the Stars Control dialog. Make sure Source
Camera (at the top) is set to Camera01, and then click OK.
7 Click OK to close the Add Image Filter Event dialog.

8 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

9 Set the output file format to BMP Image File and enter a filename like
MyStarfield.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
10 Click OK to accept the default setting on the BMP configuration dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
11 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

12 Set the time output to Single and click Render on the Execute Video Post
dialog.
The final product is a rendered image of a sphere against a starry
background.

Set up a simple cross fade between two images:
Sometimes you want to transition from one view or animation to another.
This set of steps with show you how to set up a cross fade from one image to
another. For this example the complete cross fade will occur over 20 frames

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7719

displaying the first image for five frames, cross fade for ten frame and then
display the second image for the last five frames.
The resulting animation produced by this process could be used as an Image
Input Event for a different Video Post sequence.
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
2 Click

(Add Image Input Event on page 7748), and then click Files.

Choose your first image and click Open and then click OK to close the
Add Image Input Event dialog.
3 Click

(Add Image Input Event) again, and then click Files.

Choose your second image and click Open and then click OK to close
the Add Image Input Event dialog.

4 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

5 Set the output file format to MOV File and enter a filename like MyXFade.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
6 Click OK to accept the default setting on the Compression Settings dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
7 Select the first Image Input Event and then hold down the Ctrl key while
selecting the second Image Input Event.
Both events will highlight in gold.
8 Click
(Add Image Layer Event on page 7758), and choose Cross Fade
Transition from the list of compositors and transitions.
Click OK to close the Add Image Layer Event dialog. Notice how the
Image Layer Event becomes the parent of the two Image Input Events.

9 Click

(Zoom Extents) to view the entire set of tracks.

10 On the Queue track bar, click and drag the right-hand end of the range-bar
to frame 20.
This adjusts all the tracks.

7720 | Chapter 20 Video Post

11 Select the Cross Fade Transition event and drag the left-hand end of the
range-bar to frame 5 and then drag the right-hand end of the range-bar
to frame 15.
This sets the period in time when the cross fade occurs.
12 Select the track for the first Image Input Event and the right-hand end
of the range-bar to frame 8.
By setting the end to frame 8 instead of 5, you'll have three frames during
which the first image will fade to black.
13 Select the track for the second Image Input Event and the left-hand end
of the range-bar to frame 12.
Similarly, setting this end to frame 12 ensures that the second image will
fade in over three frames and display in full color for the last five frame
of the transition.
14 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

15 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.

Example: Resize a series of images:
Perhaps you've rendered a series of still images but it turns out they were at
the wrong resolution. You might normally think you have to re-render the
entire scene again which will tie up all the systems to do the same work they
just completed. Video Post can be used to resize the images without having
to use all the systems.
1 Use the IFL Manager Utility on page 8424 to create an IFL file containing
the sequentially number image files you want to resize.

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7721

2 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
3 Click

(Add Image Input Event on page 7748), and then click Files.

Choose the IFL file you created at step 1 and then click Open to close the
selection dialog.
4 Click OK to close the Add Input Image Event dialog.

5 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

6 Set the output file format for the new set of still images to TGA and enter
a filename like MyResize.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
7 Click OK to accept the default setting on the Targa Image Control dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
8 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

9 On the Execute Video Post dialog, set the new output resolution you
want for the images and then click Render.
When the rendering is complete, you will have a new series of resized
images that have a name prefix of MyResize. So, if there were ten images
listed in the IFL file, there will be ten new images named MyResize0000.tga
through MyResize0009.tga stored in your image folder.

7722 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Example: Composite two image sequences:
Compositing two sets of images together is one of the “workhorse” operations
of Video Post. This is commonly done when a project is nearing completion
and it lets you combine all the images your artists have been rendering.
1 Use the IFL Manager Utility on page 8424 to create an IFL file for each set
of images sequences you want to composite.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
3 Click

(Add Image Input Event on page 7748), and then click Files.

Choose your first IFL file and click Open and then click OK to close the
Add Image Input Event dialog.
4 Click

(Add Image Input Event) again, and then click Files.

Choose your second IFL file and click Open and then click OK to close
the Add Image Input Event dialog.

5 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

6 Set the output file format to MOV File and enter a filename like
MyComposite.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
7 Click OK to accept the default setting on the Compression Settings dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
8 Select the first Image Input Event and then hold down the Ctrl key while
selecting the second Image Input Event.
Both events will highlight in gold.
9 Click
(Add Image Layer Event on page 7758), and choose Alpha
Compositor on page 7845 from the list of compositors and transitions.
Click OK to close the Add Image Layer Event dialog. Notice how the
Image Layer Event becomes the parent of the two Image Input Events.
10 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

11 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7723

Example: Render a scene over an image sequence or an animation:
This process in similar to the last one except you might have an animation
or series of still images you want to use as the background for your existing
scene.
1 Use the IFL Manager Utility on page 8424 to create an IFL file for the set of
images that will be the background for your current scene.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
3 Click

(Add Image Input Event on page 7748), and then click Files.

Choose your IFL file or animation and click Open and then click OK to
close the Add Image Input Event dialog.
4

Click Add Scene Event on page 7743 and set the view to Perspective
or a Camera you have in the scene.
Click OK to close the Add Scene Event dialog.

5 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

6 Set the output file format to AVI File and enter a filename like MyScene.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
7 Select a codec on page 9118 from the Video Compression dialog and click
OK.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.

7724 | Chapter 20 Video Post

8 Select the first Image Input Event and then hold down the Ctrl key while
selecting the Scene Event.
Both events will highlight in gold.
9 Click
(Add Image Layer Event on page 7758), and choose Pseudo Alpha
on page 7846 from the list of compositors and transitions.
Click OK to close the Add Image Layer Event dialog. Notice how the
Image Layer Event becomes the parent of the two Image Input Events.
10 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

11 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.

Notice that the Image Input Event in this example is only ten frames
long. Normally, you'd choose a set of background images that equals the
number of frames in your scene. When this sequence is executed, as is,
the images in the IFL file will only appear for the first ten frames and
then disappear.
12 Select the Image Input Event just under the Pseudo Alpha layer event.
13 Add a

Loop Event, and set the number of times to 4.

The Image Input Event becomes further nested in the queue. If you want,
you can use the default Loop setting or change it to Ping Pong then click
OK to close the Add Loop Event dialog.
14 Click

(Execute Sequence) again and render the scene.

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7725

Join two animations end to end:
If you're working in a production environment, you probably do not work on
an entire animation by yourself. Instead, you might work on one part while
other artists are working on other parts. At the end of the project, everyone's
animations need to be joined together.
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
2 Click

Add Image Input Event on page 7748), and then click Files.

Choose your first animation file and click Open and then click OK to
close the Add Image Input Event dialog.
3 Click

(Add Image Input Event) again, and then click Files.

Choose the next animation file and click Open and then click OK to close
the Add Image Input Event dialog.
4 Repeat the last step for any other animations that need to be joined.

5 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

6 Set the output file format to MOV File and enter a filename like MyFinal.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
7 Click OK to accept the default setting on the Compression Settings dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.

7726 | Chapter 20 Video Post

8 Select the first Image Input Event and then hold down the Ctrl key while
selecting the second Image Input Event.
Both events will highlight in gold.
9 Click

(Abut Selected on page 7742).

10 Repeat the last two step with subsequent Image Input Events.

11 Click

(Zoom Extents) to view the entire set of tracks.

12 Select the Image Output Event and drag the right end of the range-bar
to match the total number of frames in the queue.
13 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

14 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.

Switch between views:
It's not often that a final scene shows views from only one viewpoint. Either
the camera moves or there are multiple cameras from which images are
rendered. This sequence shows you how to switch from one camera view to
another.
1 In the Perspective viewport, create a Box with a length of 15, a width of
30 and a height of 15.
2 In the Top viewport, create two Target Cameras pointing at the box from
different angles.

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7727

3 Click or right-click the Point-Of-View (POV) viewport label in the Left
viewport. From the POV viewport label menu on page 8712, choose Views
➤ Camera01.
4 Click or right-click the POV viewport label in the Perspective viewport.
From the POV viewport label menu on page 8712, choose Views ➤
Camera02.
5 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
6 Click

(Add Scene Event on page 7743), and set the view to Camera01.

Click OK to close the Add Scene Event dialog.
7 Click

(Add Scene Event) again, and set the view to Camera02.

Click OK to close the Add Scene Event dialog.
8 Select the first Scene Event and then hold down the Ctrl key while
selecting the second Scene Event.
Both events will highlight in gold.
9 Click

(Abut Selected on page 7742).

10 Click in an empty part of the queue to deselect the two Scene Events.

11 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

12 Set the output file format to MOV File and enter a filename like MyViews.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
13 Click OK to accept the default setting on the Compression Settings dialog.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
14 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

15 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.

7728 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Render a scene in reverse:
It's not commonly done but when you need to render a scene in reverse you
could spend hours trying to accomplish it. Video Post makes it easy.
1 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post.
2 Click
(Add Scene Event on page 7743), and set the view to Perspective
or a camera in the scene.
3 In the Scene Range group, turn off Lock To Video Post Range and set the
Scene Start value to the last frame of animation.
4 Turn off Lock Range Bar To Scene Range and set the Scene End value to
0.

Useful Video Post Procedures | 7729

5 Click OK to close the Add Input Image Event dialog.

6 Click

(Add Image Output Event on page 7762), and then click Files.

7 Set the output file format to AVI File and enter a filename like MyReverse.
Click Save when you've set the name and format
8 Select a codec on page 9118 from the Video Compression dialog and click
OK.
Then click OK to close the Add Image Output Event dialog.
9 Click

(Execute Sequence on page 7736).

7730 | Chapter 20 Video Post

10 Click Render on the Execute Video Post dialog.

Video Post Toolbar
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post toolbar
The Video Post Toolbar contains tools for handling Video Post files (VPX files
on page 9344) and for managing the individual events displayed in the Video
Post queue and event tracks area.

New Sequence
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Sequence)

(New

The New Sequence button creates a new Video Post sequence by clearing
existing events from the queue.
You'll be prompted to confirm the deletion of any entries in the current queue.

Video Post Toolbar | 7731

Procedures
To create a new Video Post file:

■

Click

(New Sequence).

WARNING This command erases all the current Video Post data.
Use New Sequence after you have saved to a different Video Post (VPX) file.
Choosing Video Post from the Rendering menu displays the Video Post data
(if any) saved with your 3ds Max scene.

Open Sequence
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Sequence)

(Open

The Open Sequence button opens a Video Post sequence stored on disk.
Video Post sequences contain all the information relating to the queue and
all associated settings and references. VPX files on page 9344 have the file
extension .vpx and are stored by default in the \3dsmax\vpost folder.

Procedures
To open an existing Video Post file:

■

Click
(Open Sequence).
Use the file selection dialog that appears to choose the VPX file you want
to execute or edit.

To import an existing Video Post sequence:
You can also use Open Sequence to import the Video Post queue from a 3ds
Max scene (MAX file).

1 Click

(Open Sequence).

7732 | Chapter 20 Video Post

2 On the Open Sequence dialog, change the Files Of Type setting to All
Files (*.*)
3 Browse to the folder where you store your MAX files.
4 Select the MAX file that contains the Video Post sequence you want to
execute or edit and click Open.
Video Post loads only the Video Post data from the existing .max file,
leaving your current scene unchanged.

Save Sequence
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Sequence)

(Save

The Save Sequence button saves the current Video Post sequence to disk.
All of the Video Post configuration data, the queue events themselves, and
any queue event external data are saved in the MAX file. You can also save
the Video Post sequence to a separate file for sharing with other 3ds Max users.
Video Post sequence files contain all the information relating to the queue
and all associated settings and references. VPX files on page 9344 have the file
extension .vpx and are stored by default in the \3dsmax\vpost folder.

Procedures
To save the active Video Post data:

■

Click
(Save Sequence).
A file selection dialog appears to let you enter a name for the new Video
Post file.
By default, Save Sequence stores the VPX file to the \3dsmax\vpost
subdirectory. You can change the default path to another directory via the
Configure User Paths dialog ➤ File I/O panel on page 8875.

Save Sequence | 7733

Edit Current Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an event.
➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Edit Current Event button displays a dialog that lets you edit the properties
of the selected event. The dialog depends on the type of event you've selected.
The controls in the edit dialogs are the same as those in the dialog you use to
add that type of event.
The top field in each event dialog is an editable label field. If the field is left
blank, the event uses its assigned label. If you enter an event name, the Video
Post Queue displays your event name in the field.
You can edit the following types of events:
Add Scene Event on page 7743
Add Image Input Event on page 7748
Add Image Filter Event on page 7755
Add Image Layer Event on page 7758
Add Image Output Event on page 7762
Add External Event on page 7765
Add Loop Event on page 7768

Procedures
To edit an event in the queue, do one of the following:
1 Select the event and then click

(Edit Current Event).

2 Double-click the event name.
3 Double-click the event's range-bar area in the edit window.
Use the second or third method above withdisabled events.

7734 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Delete Current Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an event.
➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Delete Current Event)

The Delete Current Event button deletes the selected event from the Video
Post Queue.
You'll be asked to confirm event deletion.

Procedures
To delete any event in the queue, do one of the following:
■

Select the event and then click

(Delete Current Event).

■

Select the event and press the Delete key.
You can delete both enabled and disabled events, which are unavailable.

Swap Events
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select two events.
➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Swap Events)

The Swap Events button switches the position of two selected events in the
queue.
This is useful if you have images in the wrong order for compositing. The
background image has to be first and the foreground image with the alpha
channel on page 9088 has to be second.

Procedures
To switch the positions of two events in the queue:
1 Highlight both events.
2 Click

(Swap).

Swap Events might not be allowed if the result would be impossible to execute.

Delete Current Event | 7735

In this sample queue, the two top level events, Front and Fade, could be
swapped. You can almost always swap events at the top level.
However, at lower levels, where events start getting nested, the output of a
lower level event must be valid input to its parent event. In the sample queue,
the output of the Loop Once event would not be recognized by the Fade event,
so the Swap Events button remains inactive and you cannot swap them.

Execute Sequence
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Sequence)

(Execute

You execute the Video Post queue as the final step in creating a post-produced
video. Execution is different from rendering because rendering is done for
scenes only and you can use Video Post to composite images and animations
without including the current 3ds Max scene.
Although the Execute Video Post controls are similar to those of the Render
Setup dialog, the setting are independent, and do not affect each other.
During execution, you can move or close the rendered frame window, but
you cannot use the rest of 3ds Max until the execution is completed or
cancelled.

7736 | Chapter 20 Video Post

The rendering time for the last rendered frame in the Video Post sequence is
displayed in the prompt line of the main 3ds Max window.

Procedures
To execute the queue:
1 Click

(Execute Sequence).

An Execute Video Post dialog appears.
2 Set the time range and output size, and then click Render to create the
video.
3 When execution is done, click Close to dismiss the Video Post progress
dialog if it is still open.

Interface

Time Output group
Select the frames to execute:
Single Current frame only.
You can execute a single frame only if it falls within the current range.
Range All the frames between and including the two numbers.
Every Nth frame Regular sample of frames. For example, enter 8 to execute
every 8th frame.

Execute Sequence | 7737

Output Size group
Format Choose Custom or a standard film or video format from the list. For
Custom, you can set the aperture width of the camera, the rendering output
resolution, and the image aspect ratio or pixel aspect ratio. When you choose
a standard format, the aperture width and aspect ratios are locked, but you
can change the resolution.
Width/Height Specify the width and height of the image, in pixels. For
Custom, you can set these two spinners independently. For other formats,
the two spinners are locked to the specified aspect ratio, so changing one
changes the other.
Resolution Buttons Specifies a preset resolution. Right-click a button to display
a subdialog on page 7739 that lets you change the resolution specified by that
button.
Image Aspect Sets the aspect ratio of the image. As you alter the Image Aspect,
you also alter the Height value to maintain the correct aspect ratio. For standard
formats, the image aspect ratio is locked, and this spinner is replaced by a text
display.
If you lock the Image Aspect (by clicking the Lock button), Width and Height
are locked to each other, so that changing one changes the other to maintain
the image aspect ratio, and changing the Pixel Aspect value changes the Height
value to maintain the image aspect ratio.
Pixel Aspect Sets the aspect ratio of the pixels of the image. For standard
formats, the pixel aspect ratio is determined by the format and this spinner
is replaced by a text display.
If you lock the pixel aspect ratio (by clicking the Lock button), the Pixel Aspect
spinner is replaced by a text display. The Lock button is available only for the
Custom format.

Output group
Keep Progress Dialog Forces the Video Post Progress dialog to remain displayed
when the Video Post sequence has finished executing. By default, it closes
automatically. If this option is selected, you must click the Close button to
close the dialog.
Rendered Frame Window Displays the Video Post execution in a window
on the screen.
Net Render Enables network rendering on page 9236. If Net Render is turned
on, when you render you'll see the Network Job Assignment dialog on page
7415.

7738 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Configure Presets
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Execute
Sequence) ➤ Right-click any Resolution button. ➤ Configure Presets dialog
If you use the Custom format for Execute Sequence on page 7736, you can change
the values for any preset resolution button by right-clicking the button.
If you use one of the standard formats, the Width and Height spinners are
locked to the standard's image aspect ratio, and the Aspect Ratio spinner is
replaced by a text display.
After you change these values and exit the Configure Presets dialog, you must
click the button to apply the new values to the Execute Sequence dialog.

Interface

Width Specifies the width of the image, in pixels.
Height Specifies the height of the image, in pixels.
Aspect Ratio Sets the aspect ratio of the image. As you alter the Image Aspect
value, you also alter the Height value so that the correct aspect ratio is
maintained for the resolution.

Edit Range Bar
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Bar)

(Edit Range

The Edit Range Bar provides editing functions for the range bars that appear
in the event tracks area.

Configure Presets | 7739

When Edit Range Bar is on, you can:
■

Select any event by clicking its range bar (it turns red when selected).

■

Move the range bar while maintaining its range by dragging in the middle
of the bar.

■

Change the start or end frame of the range by dragging either end of its
bar.

Procedures
To select a range bar, do one of the following:
1 Click the range bar in the event tracks area.
2 Click the associated event name or icon in the queue.
To select multiple range bars:
1 Click a range bar.
2 Hold down Ctrl and click additional range bars.
To select multiple contiguous range bars:
1 Click a range bar.
2 Hold down Shift and click another range bar.
Both range bars you clicked and all range bars between them, if any, are
selected.
NOTE In a multiple selection, the last range bar you select becomes the
current event, displayed with red squares in its endpoints. The align
commands use the current event.

To move a range bar:
■

Click and drag the center of the range bar left or right.

To change the length of a range bar:
■

Click and drag one of range bar's endpoints left or right.
If multiple range bars are selected, dragging one endpoint changes all
selected range bars.

7740 | Chapter 20 Video Post

To change the number of frames in an event:
1 Double-click the range bar in the event tracks area or select the event and
click the Edit Current Event button.
2 Change the VP Start Time or VP End Time values.

Align Selected Left
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select two or more
range bars. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Align Selected Left)

The Align Selected Left button left-aligns two or more selected range bars.
When you select two or more range bars, the last one selected is the current
event. The end boxes of the other events are white, while the end boxes of
the current event are red. When you click Align Selected Left, the current
event stays in place, and the remaining selected events are aligned to its left
end.

Procedures
To change the number of frames in an event, do one of the following:
1 Double-click the range bar in the event tracks area.
2 Click the Edit Current Event button in the toolbar.

Align Selected Right
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select two or more
range bars. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Align Selected Right)

The Align Selected Right button right-aligns two or more selected range bars.
When you select two or more range bars, the last one selected is the current
event. The end boxes of the other events are white, while the end boxes of
the current event are red. When you click Align Selected Right, the current
event stays in place, and the remaining selected events are aligned to its right
end.

Align Selected Left | 7741

Procedures
To change the number of frames in an event, do one of the following:
1 Double-click the range bar in the event tracks area.

2 On the toolbar, click

(Edit Current Event).

Make Selected Same Size
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select one or more
events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Make Selected Same Size)

The Make Selected Same Size button makes all selected events the same size
as the current event.
When you select two or more range bars, the last one selected is the current
event. The end boxes of the other events are white, while the end boxes of
the current event are red. When you click Make Selected Same Size, the current
event stays in place, and the remaining selected events are expand or shrink
to cover the same number of frames.

Procedures
To change the number of frames in an event, do one of the following:
1 Double-click the range bar in the event tracks area.

2 On the toolbar, click

(Edit Current Event).

Abut Selected
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select events in
the queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Abut Selected)

The Abut Selected button places the selected events end-to-end, so that when
one ends the next one starts.

7742 | Chapter 20 Video Post

The selected events are placed end-to-end according to their order in the
queue.

Add Scene Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure no
events are selected in the queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Add Scene)

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a scene from
the Video Post Queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current) Event

The Add Scene Event button adds the scene in the selected camera viewport
to the queue. A Scene event is a view of the current 3ds Max scene. You can
choose which view to display and how to synchronize the scene with the final
video. Like Image Input events, Scene events place an image in the queue, but
a Scene event is the current 3ds Max scene and it must be rendered when you
execute the Video Post queue. The scene is rendered exactly as it would be by
the scanline renderer on page 9292, with the additional options listed below.
The resulting scene image has an alpha channel on page 9088.
You can use multiple Scene events to show two views of the same scene
simultaneously or to cut from one view to another. If you have more than
one Scene event in the queue, and they occupy the same time range, composite
them with an Image Layer event on page 7758 such as Cross Fade or Simple
Wipe. Otherwise, the second Scene Event overwrites the first even though
your system has spent the time processing both events.

Procedures
To add a Scene event:
1 Make sure no events are selected in the queue.
2 Click

(Add Scene).

An Add Scene Event dialog appears.
3 Choose a view to use from the View list.
4 Click Render Setup to change rendering settings from the way you have
set them in the Render Setup dialog.

Add Scene Event | 7743

NOTE Unlike settings in the Execute Video Post dialog, changes you make
to the Scene event rendering options change the Render Setup dialog settings,
and vice-versa.
5 Set the Scene Range options and click OK.
The Scene event appears at the end of the queue.
To match the scene's frames with Video Post frames:
■

Make sure Lock To Video Post Range is selected.
Lock To Video Post Range is the default. Frames in the scene match Video
Post frames and have the same frame number. That is, frame 0 in the scene
is frame 0 in the Video Post dialog, frame 15 in the scene is frame 15 in
Video Post, and so on. The range bar for the Scene event represents which
portion of the scene is selected. If the range bar covers Video Post frames
25 to 35, executing the queue renders scene frames 25 to 35. Moving the
range bar for the scene is like moving a time window within the scene.
Other Scene Range options are disabled when Lock To Video Post Range
is selected.

To offset the scene in time:
■

Select Lock Range Bar To Scene Range.
The Scene Start control is enabled but the Scene End control remains
disabled: synchronization is controlled by the Scene Start value and the
length of the range bar.
The Scene Start value is the scene frame number where playback begins.
If Scene Start is 0, frame 0 of the scene is the first frame played back; if
Scene Start is 12, frame 12 is the first frame to play, and so on.
The range bar length determines how many frames of the scene to play.
Dragging the end point of the range bar changes the length of the playback
range. Although Scene End is unavailable, its value updates to show the
frame number of the last scene frame that will be played.
Dragging the range bar changes where the scene is played within the final
video. For example, if you set Scene Start to 5 and move the range bar to
begin at Video Post frame 20, frame 5 is played at frame 20 of the final
video, and so on.

To offset the scene and change scene playback rate:
■

Turn off Lock Range Bar To Scene Range.

7744 | Chapter 20 Video Post

With Lock Range Bar to Scene Range off, both Scene Start and Scene End
are enabled. As before, Scene Start specifies the first scene frame to play.
Scene End specifies the last scene frame to play, and the length of the range
bar determines playback speed.
If the range bar specifies the same number of Video Post frames as there
are corresponding scene frames, then playback is at the scene's playback
rate. If the range bar specifies fewer frames, the scene is sped up. If the
range bar specifies more frames, the scene is slowed down. When it
executes, Video Post automatically skips frames or adds frames to control
the speed of scene playback.
For example, if Scene Start is frame 5 and Scene End is frame 35, the range
bar represents 30 frames overall. If the range bar covers only 10 Video Post
frames, scene playback is sped up to fit 30 frames into 10 of the final video.
If on the other hand, the range bar covers 120 frames, scene playback is
stretched to slow it down.
To render the full scene backwards:
1 Turn off Lock To Video Post Range.
2 Turn off Lock Range Bar To Scene Range.
3 Set Scene Start to the last frame in the scene.
4 Set Scene End to the first frame in the scene.
The length of the range bar also determines the playback speed of the
reversed scene.
To add scene motion blur:
1 Select Scene Motion Blur in the Scene Event dialog.
2 Set the scene motion blur parameters.
The Scene event generates motion blur by simulating a camera with an
open shutter. It interpolates and then renders movement within a frame,
to generate a series of images of the moving object, instead of the default
single image.

Interface
The Add Scene Event and Edit Scene Event dialogs have the same controls.

Add Scene Event | 7745

View group
Label Lets you edit the event name. A unique name can make the scene event
easier to distinguish in a long list of events.
Viewport Select the viewport you want to render.

Scene Options group
Enables various rendering effects.
Render Setup Displays a subset of the Render Setup dialog on page 6956
parameters. Changes you make here affect the Render Setup dialog as well.

7746 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Scene Motion Blur Turns on the scene motion-blur on page 9293 effect for the
whole scene. This is different from object motion blur on page 9242, which
creates motion blur for individual objects in the scene.
When you render with Scene Motion Blur activated, the Render Progress dialog
tells you which subsample is being rendered. The information appears in
parentheses to the right of the "Rendering Image" text.
Duration Sets the virtual shutter speed for motion blur. When set to 1.0, the
virtual shutter is open for the entire duration between one frame and the next.
When set to a smaller number, such as 0.25, the number of subdivisions
specified in the Duration Subdivision field will be rendered within the specified
portion of the frame (in this example, in the first fourth of the duration
between one frame and the next).
Duration Subdivisions Determines how many sub-frame slices are rendered
within the Duration. The default is 2 slices, but you'll want at least 5 or 6 to
get a decent effect.
Dither % Sets the amount of dithering on page 9138 between blurred pixels of
overlapping frame slices. If Dither % is set to 0, no dithering occurs.

Scene Range group
Scene Start/End Sets the range of scene frames to be rendered.
Lock Range Bar to Scene Range Becomes available when you deselect Lock
To Video Post Range. When it's available, the End spinner is disabled and
locked to the Video Post range. When you change the Start spinner it
automatically updates the End spinner based on the Video Post range set for
this event.
If you turn off Lock Range Bar To Scene Range, you can change either Start
or End spinners to whatever you want. This allows you to keep your scene
range locked to its native length, and still provides flexibility for mapping an
arbitrary scene range to an arbitrary Video Post range.
Lock to Video Post Range Renders the same range of scene frames as Video
Post frames. You can set the Video Post range in the Execute Video Post dialog.

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Sets the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Toggles the event. When off, the event is disabled and Video Post
ignores it when rendering the queue. You must disable each event individually.

Add Scene Event | 7747

For example, disabling a composite layer event does not disable the composited
image events. The range bars of disabled events are unavailable in the event
track area.

Add Image Input Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure no
events are selected in the queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Input Event)

(Add Image

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an Image
Input Event. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Add Image Input Event adds a still or moving image to the scene. Image
Input events place an image in the queue, but unlike Scene events, the image
is either a file that was saved beforehand or a device-generated image.
The image can be in one of the following file formats:
AVI Files on page 8412
BMP Files on page 8414
CIN (Kodak Cineon) Files on page 8414
CWS (Combustion Workspace) Files on page 8415
GIF Files on page 8420
Radiance Image Files on page 8448
IFL Files on page 8420
MOV (QuickTime Movie) Files on page 8428
MPEG Files on page 8429
JPEG Files on page 8427
PNG Files on page 8443
PSD Files on page 8444
RLA Files on page 8453
RPF Files on page 8455
SGI Image Files on page 8458

7748 | Chapter 20 Video Post

TGA (Targa) Files on page 8459
TIFF Files on page 8461
YUV Files on page 8463
DDS Files on page 8416

Procedures
To add an Image Input event:
1 Make sure no events are selected in the queue.
2 Click

(Add Image Input Event).

An Add Image Input Event dialog appears.
3 Click Files to choose a bitmap or animation as the image, or click Devices
to choose an image-generating device.
If you click Files, a file dialog appears to let you choose the bitmap or
animation file.
If you choose Devices, a Select Image Input Device dialog appears. This
dialog has a list of installed device options.
4 Click Options to choose the size and placement of the image in the final
video frames.
An Image Input Options dialog appears.
5 Adjust other Image Input settings, and then click OK.
The Image Input event appears at the end of the queue.
TIP Think of images that share the same time range as layers, comparable
to matted film images in a compositor. Images that share a time range must
be composited with an Image Layer event on page 7758; otherwise, the second
image in the queue "overwrites" the first.

To align the input image, do one of the following in the Image Input Options
dialog:
1 Choose Presets and then click one of the preset alignment buttons.
2 Choose Coordinates and then enter the X,Y coordinates for the image's
location.

Add Image Input Event | 7749

The upper-left corner is (0,0) for both the input image and the output
frame. Increasing X moves the image to the right, and increasing Y moves
the image down. Negative values move the image in the opposite
direction. X and Y values specify pixels.
To set the input image size, do one of the following in the Image Input
Options dialog:
1 Choose Do Not Resize to maintain the image's original resolution.
2 Choose Resize To Fit to change the image size to match the output frame.
This can change the image resolution, causing it to be rescaled for every
frame.
3 Choose Custom Size and then enter the width and height of the image
in the output frame.
To control playback of an animated image:
1 In the Frames group of the Image Input Options dialog on page 7752, set
the input animation frame range and speed.
2 Turn on Loop At The End if you want the animation to repeat. Turn off
Loop At The End if you want the animation to stop after playback.
This option applies only when the input animation is shorter than the
final video.

Interface
The Add Image Input Event and Edit Image Input Event dialogs have the same
controls.

7750 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Image Input group
Label Lets you give the event a unique name. A unique name can make the
image event easier to distinguish in a long list of events.
Files Lets you choose the bitmap or animation image file.
Devices Lets you choose an installed hardware input device; for example, a
digital disk recorder.
Options Displays the Image Input Options dialog on page 7752 to allow you to
set up alignment, size, and frame range for the input image.
Cache Stores a bitmap in memory. If you are using a single-image bitmap,
you can choose this option. Video Post won't reload or scale the image for
each frame.

Image Driver group
These buttons are available only when you choose a device as the image source.
About Provides information on the source of the image-handler software used
to bring the image into 3ds Max.

Add Image Input Event | 7751

Setup Displays a setup dialog specific to the plug-in. Some plug-ins might not
use this button.

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Sets the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Enables or disables the event. When this box is off, the event is
disabled and Video Post ignores it when rendering the queue. Each event must
be disabled individually. For example, disabling a composite layer event does
not disable the composited image events. The range bars of disabled events
are unavailable in the event track area.

Image Input Options
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure no
events are selected in the queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Input Event) ➤ Select a file for input. ➤ Options

(Add Image

The Image Input Options dialog contains controls for setting the image's size
and placement relative to the frames of video output. For animated input,
you also use it to synchronize the Image Input event with the frame sequence
of video output. The same dialog appears when you click Options from the
Mask area of the Filter Event and Layer Event dialogs.

Procedures
To align the input image, do one of the following in the Image Input Options
dialog:
1 Choose Presets and then click one of the preset alignment buttons.
2 Choose Coordinates and then enter the X,Y coordinates for the image's
location.
The upper-left corner is (0,0) for both the input image and the output
frame. Increasing X moves the image to the right, and increasing Y moves
the image down. Negative values move the image in the opposite
direction. X and Y values specify pixels.

7752 | Chapter 20 Video Post

To set the input image size, do one of the following in the Image Input
Options dialog:
1 Choose Do Not Resize to maintain the image's original resolution.
2 Choose Resize to Fit to change the image size to match the output frame.
This can change the image resolution, causing it to be rescaled for every
frame.
3 Choose Custom Size and then enter the width and height of the image
in the output frame.
To control playback of an animated image:
1 In the Frames group, set the From, To and Step values.
2 Select Loop at the End if you want the animation to repeat. Clear Loop
at the End if you want the animation to stop after playback.
This option applies only when the input animation is shorter than the
final video.

Add Image Input Event | 7753

Interface

Alignment group
Presets Positions the image according to one of the preset buttons: Top-left,
Center, Top-right, and so on. Mutually exclusive with Coordinates.
Coordinates Positions the image according to coordinates you enter. Mutually
exclusive with Presets.

Size group
Do Not Resize Retains the image's original, stored dimensions.
Resize to Fit Resizes the image to the size of the Video Post rendered image
(default).
Custom Size Resizes the image according to width and height units you enter.

7754 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Frames group
From/To Specifies the range of frames to use if the image input file is an
animation or video.
Step Sets the interval between the frames you want to use. For example, if
this spinner is set to 7, 3ds Max uses every seventh frame.
Loop at End Plays the frames from the beginning when the last frame is
reached. This will take effect if the frame range used is less than the Video
Post frame range.

Add Image Filter Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure no
events are selected in the queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Filter Event)

(Add Image

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a filter from
the Video Post Queue. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Add Image Filter Event provides image processing for images and scenes.
Several kinds of image filters are provided, see list below. For example, the
Negative filter inverts the colors of an image and the Fade filter fades an image
in or out over time.
An Image Filter event is usually a parent event with a single child (which can
itself be a parent with children), for example, a Scene event, an Image Input
event, a Layer event that contains Scene or Image Input events, or a Filter
event that contains Scene or Image Input events. You can also add an Image
Filter without a child event, in which case the Image Filter processes the result
of the previous events in the queue.

Available Image Filters
Contrast Filter on page 7771
Fade Filter on page 7772
Image Alpha Filter on page 7773
Lens Effects Filters on page 7774
Negative Filter on page 7837

Add Image Filter Event | 7755

Pseudo Alpha Filter on page 7839
Simple Wipe Filter on page 7839
Starfield Filter on page 7841

Procedures
To add an image filter event:
1 Either select a valid child event, or make sure no event is selected in the
queue.
2 Click

(Add Image Filter Event).

An Add Image Filter Event dialog appears.
3 Choose the kind of filter you want from the Filter Plug-In list.
4 If the Setup button is enabled for this kind of filter, click Setup to set the
filter options.
5 Choose a mask if you want the filter to be masked or if the kind of filter
you're using requires it.
6 Adjust other Image Filter settings, and then click OK.
If you selected a child event, the Image Filter event becomes its parent.
If no event was selected, the Image Filter event appears at the end of the
queue.
To choose the mask file:
1 Click Files.
2 Use the file dialog to choose the mask file, and then click OK.
3 Choose the channel to use from the drop-down list of channels.
To position or resize the mask:
■

Click Options.
An Image Input Options dialog appears, identical to the dialog you use
with Image Input events.
If the mask is animated, you also use this dialog to specify its time range
and playback speed.

7756 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Interface
The Add Image Filter Event and Edit Filter Event dialogs have the same
controls.

Filter Plug-In group
Label Lets you give the event a unique name. A unique name can make the
filter event easier to distinguish in a long list of events.
Filter List Lists the filter plug-ins on page 9270 you have installed.
See the separate help topics for a description of the filters that come with 3ds
Max by clicking any of the filters listed above.
About Provides version and source information specific to the plug-in.
Setup Displays a setup dialog specific to the plug-in. Some plug-ins might not
use this button.

Add Image Filter Event | 7757

Mask group
Channels If you are using a bitmap as the mask file, you can use the Alpha
channel, the Red, Green, or Blue channel, Luminance, Z-Buffer, Material ID
channel, or Object ID.
Files Select a file to use as a mask. The name of the selected file appears above
the Files button.
Options Displays an Image Input Options dialog on page 7752 where you can
set alignment and size, relative to the frames of video output. For animated
images, you can also synchronize the mask with the frame sequence of video
output. This is the same dialog used for Image Input Event options.
Enabled Enables the mask. If turned off, Video Post ignores any other mask
settings.
Inverted When turned on, the mask is inverted.

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Set the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Enables or disables the event. When turned off, the event is disabled
and Video Post ignores it when rendering the queue. Each event must be
disabled individually. For example, disabling a composite layer event does
not disable the composited image events. The range bars of disabled events
are unavailable in the event track area.

Add Image Layer Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure the two
child events are in the order you want the Image Layer event to use them. ➤
Select the two events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Add Image Layer) Event

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Layer
Event. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Add Image Layer Event adds a compositing plug-in on page 9270 to layer
the selected images in the queue.

7758 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Provides compositing plug-ins that use the previous event in the queue as a
source, and composite the next event, using the parameters of the plug-in
compositor. The list might include plug-ins for special transformations, such
as wipes, and so on.
An Image layer event is always a parent event with two children. The children
can themselves be parents with children. The children of an Image Layer event
can be Scene events, Image Input events, Layer events that contain Scene or
Image Input events, or Filter events that contain Scene or Image Input events.

Available Image Layer Event Filters
Alpha Compositor on page 7845
Cross Fade Compositor on page 7845
Pseudo Alpha Compositor on page 7846
Simple Additive Compositor on page 7847
Simple Wipe Compositor on page 7848

Procedures
To add an image layer event:
1 Make sure the two child events are in the order you want the Image Layer
event to use them.
2 Select the two events.
Click to select the first event, then hold Ctrl and click to select the second.
3 Click

(Add Image Layer Event).

An Add Image Layer Event dialog appears.
4 Choose the kind of layer event you want from the Layer Plug-In
drop-down list.
5 If the Setup button is enabled for this kind of layer event, click Setup to
set the options.
6 Choose a mask if you want the layer event to be masked.
7 Adjust other Image Layer settings, and then click OK.
The Image Layer event becomes the parent of the two child events you
selected.

Add Image Layer Event | 7759

To choose the mask file:
1 Click Files.
2 Use the file dialog to choose the mask file, and then click OK.
3 Choose the channel to use from the drop-down list of channels.
To position or resize the mask:
■

Click Options.
An Image Input Options dialog appears, identical to the dialog you use
with Image Input events.
If the mask is animated, you also use this dialog to specify its time range
and playback speed.

Interface
The Add Layer Image Event and Edit Layer Event dialogs have the same
controls.

7760 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Layer Plug-In group
Label Lets you give the event a unique name. A unique name can make it
easier to distinguish the layer event in a long list of events.
Layer List Selects the compositor 3ds Max uses for layering the rendered
images in the queue. Alpha is the default compositor, but you can also choose
from any others you have installed. See the separate help topics for descriptions
of the compositors that come with 3ds Max.
About Provides version or source information specific to the plug-in on page
9270.
Setup Displays a setup dialog specific to the plug-in. Some plug-ins might not
use this button.

Mask group
Channels If you are using a bitmap as the mask file, you can use the Alpha
channel, the Red, Green, or Blue channel, Luminance, Z-Buffer, Material ID
channel, or Object ID.
Files Select a file to use as a mask. The name of the selected file appears above
the Files button.
Options Displays the Image Input Options dialog on page 7752 where you can
set alignment and size, relative to the frames of video output. For animated
images, you can also synchronize the mask with the frame sequence of video
output. This is the same dialog used for Image Input Event options.
Enabled Enables the mask. If turned off, Video Post ignores any other mask
settings.
Inverted When turned on, the mask is inverted.

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Set the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Enables or disables the event. When turned off, the event is disabled
and Video Post ignores it when rendering the queue. Each event must be
disabled individually. For example, disabling a composite layer event does
not disable the composited image events. The range bars of disabled events
are unavailable in the event track area.

Add Image Layer Event | 7761

Add Image Output Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Output Event)

(Add Image

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an Image
Output event. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Add Image Output Event provides controls for editing an output image
event.
Image Output events send the result of executing the Video Post queue to a
file or a device. You must add an Image Output event to the end of the queue
if you want to save the final video. Otherwise, the results are displayed in the
rendered frame window only. The Image Output event's range bar must include
the entire range of frames you want to output.
The rendered output can be a still image or an animation, in one of the
following file formats:
AVI Files on page 8412
BMP Files on page 8414
CIN (Kodak Cineon) Files on page 8414
EPS and PS (Encapsulated PostScript) Files on page 8418
Radiance Image Files on page 8448
JPEG Files on page 8427
PNG Files on page 8443
MOV (QuickTime Movie) Files on page 8428
RLA Files on page 8453
RPF Files on page 8455
SGI Image Files on page 8458
TGA (Targa) Files on page 8459
TIFF Files on page 8461
You also have the option to direct the output to a VTR controller output
device. If you have multiple output image events, you can output to different

7762 | Chapter 20 Video Post

devices. This lets you monitor your queue with VTR output devices and view
your output at any level of the Video Post queue during rendering.

Procedures
To add an image output event:

1 Click

(Add Image Output Event).

Image Output disregards whether any events in the queue are selected
or not.
2 Click Files to save the final video in a file, or Devices to send the video
to a device.
If you click Files, a file dialog appears to let you choose the bitmap or
animation file.
If you choose Devices, a Select Image Output Device dialog appears. This
dialog has a drop-down list of installed device options.
3 Adjust other parameters, and then click OK.
The Image Output Event appears at the end of the queue.
If you choose a device, its configuration controls are enabled:

Interface
The Add Image Output Event and Edit Output Image Event dialogs have the
same controls.

Add Image Output Event | 7763

Image File group
Label Lets you give the event a unique name. A unique name can make it
easier to distinguish the output event in a long list of events.
Files Lets you choose the output image file and its format.
Devices Lets you choose the hardware output device; for example, a digital
video recorder. The device, its driver, and its 3ds Max plug-in must all be
installed on your system to use device output.

Image Driver group
The two buttons in this area are available only when you choose a device as
the image source.
About Provides information on the source of the image-handler software used
to create the image from 3ds Max.
Setup Displays device-specific setup options.

7764 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Set the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Enables or disables the event. When turned off, the event is disabled
and Video Post ignores it when rendering the queue. Each event must be
disabled individually. For example, disabling a composite layer event does
not disable the composited image events. The range bars of disabled events
are unavailable in the event track area.

Add External Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Event)

(Add External

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an External
event. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

An External event is typically a program that performs image processing. It
can also be a batch file or utility that you want to run at a specific point in
the queue, or a way to transfer images from or to the Windows clipboard.
An External event is always a child event. If you select an event in the queue
before you add the External event, the External event becomes the selected
event's child. Child events are evaluated before their parents.

Procedures
To add an external event:
1 Select an event.
2 Click

(Add External Event).

An Add External Event dialog appears.
3 Click Browse.
A file dialog appears.

Add External Event | 7765

4 Use the file dialog to choose the external program you want to execute,
and then click OK.
5 If the external program accepts command-line options, enter these in
the Command Line Options field.
6 If you want the external program to read the current Video Post image,
turn on Write Image To Clipboard.
7 If you want Video Post to use the result of the external program, turn on
Read Image From Clipboard.
8 Click OK.
If you selected an event, the External event becomes its child. If no event
was selected, the External event appears at the end of the queue.
WARNING The image that the External event reads from the clipboard is placed
in the Video Post queue. If the external program does not do what you want, this
can erase or overwrite the result of all Video Post post-processing.

Interface
The Add External Event and Edit External Event dialogs have the same controls.

7766 | Chapter 20 Video Post

External Event group
Label Lets you give the event a unique name. A unique name can make the
external event easier to distinguish in a long list of events.
Browse Lets you select an external program. For example, you can specify
Adobe Photoshop™ or another image-processing application.

Add External Event | 7767

Command-Line Options group
For external programs that accept command-line options, lets you send
real-time data to the external program. 3ds Max parses three special commands.
When found in a string, these commands are replaced with real-time data, as
follows:
■

%f is replaced with a 4-digit frame number (for example, 0001)

■

%w is replaced with a 4-digit image width (for example, 0640)

■

%h is replaced with a 4-digit image height (for example, 0480)

For example, if the given command-line option is:
-w%w -h%h -oframe%f.tga
The string sent to the external program might be:
-w0640 -h0480 -oframe0001.tga
Write image to clipboard When on, writes the current rendered image to
the Windows clipboard for retrieval by an external application.
Read image from clipboard When on, reads the contents of the Windows
clipboard after processing by the external application. When the processed
image is saved to the clipboard, it automatically appears in Video Post. With
an automated script, it is possible to run the image through any external image
processor and get it back automatically.

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Set the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Enables or disables the event. When turned off, the event is disabled
and Video Post ignores it when rendering the queue. Each event must be
disabled individually. For example, disabling a composite layer event does
not disable the composited image events. The range bars of disabled events
are unavailable in the event track area.

Add Loop Event
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Event)

7768 | Chapter 20 Video Post

(Add Loop

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Loop
event. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

Loop events cause other events to repeat over time in the output video. They
control sequencing, but perform no image processing.
A Loop event is always a parent event with a single child. The child itself can
be a parent with children. Any type of event can be the child of a Loop event,
including another Loop event.
The Loop event's range bar displays the original duration of the child event's
playback in color and the range of looped events in gray. You can change the
duration of the child event's playback by dragging the child's frame range or
the child's original range in the Loop event's track, but you can adjust the full
length of the loop (the gray part of the range bar) only by changing the
Number of Times parameter in the Edit Loop Event dialog.

Procedures
To add a loop event:
1 Select the child event.
2 Click

(Add Loop Event).

An Add Loop Event dialog appears.
3 Choose the loop settings, and then click OK.
The Loop event appears as the parent of the selected event.
The Loop event repeats the child event over the course of the Loop event's
range.

Interface
The Add Loop Event and Edit Loop Event dialogs have the same controls.

Add Loop Event | 7769

Order group
Label Lets you give the event a unique name. A unique name can make it
easier to distinguish the loop event in a long list of events.
■

Loop(The default.) Repeats the child event by starting it over when the
child event reaches the end of its range.

■

Ping PongRepeats the child event by playing it first forward, then backward,
then forward, and so on. The last frame of the child event is not repeated.

Number of Times group
Specifies the number of times to repeat the loop or ping pong, in addition to
the first time that the child event is played.

7770 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Video Post Parameters group
VP Start Time/End Time Set the starting and ending frames for the selected
event within the overall Video Post queue. Video Post renders the event over
the number of frames specified here.
Enabled Enables or disables the event. When turned off, the event is disabled
and Video Post ignores it when rendering the queue. Each event must be
disabled individually. For example, disabling a composite layer event does
not disable the composited image events. The range bars of disabled events
are unavailable in the event track area.

Filter Events
Filter events provide image processing for images and scenes. The topics in
this section describe the filter events that are available in Video Post.

Contrast Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Contrast Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Contrast
Filter. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

Edit Current Event ➤ Setup

The Contrast filter allows you to adjust the contrast and brightness of an
image.

Filter Events | 7771

Interface

Contrast Set the spinner between 0 and 1.0. This compresses or expands the
latitude between maximum black and maximum white by creating a 16-bit
look-up table for any given gray value in the image. The computation of the
gray value depends on whether you select Absolute or Derived.
Brightness Set the spinner between 0 and 1.0. This increases or decreases all
color components (red, green, and blue).
Absolute/Derived Determines the computation of the gray value for Contrast.
Absolute uses the highest value of any of the color components. Derived uses
an average of the three color components.

Fade Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Fade Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Fade Filter.
➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

Edit Current Event ➤ Setup

The Fade filter fades an image in or out over time. The rate of the fade is
determined by the length of the Fade filter's time range.

7772 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Fade fades out to black or in from black, over time.

Interface

In Fade in.
Out Fade out.

Image Alpha Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Image Alpha Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an Alpha
Filter. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Image Alpha filter replaces the image's alpha channel with the channel
specified by the filter mask.

Image Alpha Filter | 7773

The filter takes whatever channel is selected in the channel options under
Mask (including g-buffer on page 9173 channel data) and applies it to the queue's
alpha channel, thereby replacing what's there.
If you don't choose a mask, this filter has no effect.
There are no setup options for this filter.

Procedures
To set an object's G-Buffer ID:

1

Select the object.

2 Right-click the object and then choose Properties on page 221 from the
popup menu.
3 In the Object Properties dialog, set G-Buffer Object Channel to a nonzero
value, and then click OK.
The G-Buffer ID can be any positive integer.
If you give the same G-Buffer ID value to more than one object, all these
objects will be post-processed.

Lens Effects Filters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose a Lens Effects Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
The Lens Effects filters add realistic camera flares, glows, gleams, glimmers,
and depth-of-field blurring to your scenes. Lens Effects can affect an entire
scene or can be generated around specific objects in your scene.
Lens Effects are applied through the Video Post interface. To learn about
adding scene and image filter events to the video post queue, see Add Scene
Event on page 7743, and Add Image Filter Event on page 7755.
Lens Effects includes the following filters:
■

Lens Effects Flare on page 7777: Creates the optical effect that occurs when
a bright light reflects across the lens of a camera.

7774 | Chapter 20 Video Post

■

Lens Effects Focus on page 7801: Creates a blur on objects based on their
distance from the camera. tracks an object’s distance from the camera
using a Z-Buffer. Focus uses the Z-Buffer information from the scene to
create its blurring effects.

■

Lens Effects Glow on page 7804: Creates a glowing light around any assigned
object, such as a laser beam or the thruster on a space ship.

■

Lens Effects Highlight on page 7815: Creates a bright cross star effect on a
designated object.

WARNING When you animate Lens Effects parameters, this creates pointers into
the actual scene, so Lens Effects animation is lost if you save the Video Post queue
in a VPX file on page 9344. To preserve the animation, save the Video Post data,
including Lens Effects animation, in the MAX file.

Procedures
Lens Effects like Glow and Highlight can be set to affect specific objects in
your scene based on their G-Buffer ID on page 9173. This lets you apply glows
and highlights to the object, or to the material, or both.
To set an object's G-Buffer ID:

1

Select the object.

2 Right-click the object and then choose Properties from the quad menu.
3 In the Object Properties dialog, set G-Buffer Object Channel to a nonzero
value, and then click OK.
The G-Buffer ID can be any positive integer.
If you give the same G-Buffer ID value to more than one object, all these
objects will be post-processed.

Animating Lens Effects Properties
Lens Effects let you use Track View to control parameters that can be animated
while Video Post remains open. Any parameter with a green arrow button
next to it can be animated.

Lens Effects Filters | 7775

When the Auto Key button is selected, the associated spinner or variable is
displayed in Track View and can be animated. If it is not selected, the green
button turns gray to indicate the parameter can no longer be animated.
There are two ways to set Lens Effects parameters for use in animation:
■

Enable the Auto Key button, set the frame in which you want to create a
key, and set the value.

■

Use Track View.

Using Track View
To use Track View with Lens Effects, one of the Lens Effects dialogs for a
particular filter must be open when you start Track View.
NOTE If you open Track View without one of the Lens Effects dialogs being open,
the first Lens Effects object does not appear in the Track View List. If you have
more than one Lens Effects object in the scene, you will see multiple Lens Effects
objects in Track View.
When Track View is open, the Lens Effects filters you have applied are listed
under Video Post on the left side of the Track View interface. Under each filter
are the parameters which can be animated. These are displayed individually.
You can animate only the parameters you need to.
When viewing Gradients in Track View, notice that the first two flags have
only a color track associated with them. This is because they are the start and
end points of the gradient and never move. Any flags created after the first
two will also have a position track associated with them. This means that you
can animate not only the color of any flag in any gradient, but also its position
over time as well.
If you disable the animation capabilities for a particular lens flare parameter,
the corresponding entry in Track View immediately disappears. For more
information, see Track View on page 3827.
WARNING When you animate Lens Effects parameters, this creates pointers into
the actual scene, so Lens Effects animation is lost if you save the Video Post queue
in a VPX file on page 9344. To preserve the animation, save the Video Post data,
including Lens Effects animation, in the MAX file.

7776 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Lens Effects Flare Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
The Lens Effects Flare dialog lets you add lens flare effects as a post process to
rendering. Flares are usually applied to lights in your scene. The lens flare will
then be generated around that object. You can control all aspects of the lens
flare in the Lens Effects Flare dialog.

Procedures
To save your flare settings, do one of the following:
You can save all of your lens flare settings to a file, so you can reload them
any time. Lens Effects Flare files are saved to an LZF file on page 9209 (.lzf).
1 Click the Reset button.
This resets Lens Effects Flare to its default settings.
2 Click the Load button.
This displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can
select the settings file you want to load.
3 Click the Save button.
This displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename.

Lens Effects Filters | 7777

Interface

Preview group
The large black window in the left corner is the main preview window. To the
right of this window are smaller preview windows for each part of the flare.
You can generate continual previews by clicking the Preview button under
the main preview window.
There are nine Lens Effects Flare preview windows. The main preview window
in the upper left corner of the Lens Effects dialog shows you the complete
scene. The eight smaller preview windows in the upper right corner show the
individual parts of the lens flare. Each small preview window has a check box
below the window to display the flare effect.
You might notice that an individual part of the lens flare effect might not
appear as bright in the smaller preview windows, compared to the main
preview. This is because the brightness of a lens flare in the main preview is
a result of combining the brightness of multiple effects, the total brightness
being greater than a single part.
All of the preview windows are multi-threaded to increase redraw speed and
take advantage of multi-processor systems. When you make an adjustment
to a lens flare property and the preview window is active, the preview updates

7778 | Chapter 20 Video Post

automatically. A white line at the bottom of the main preview window
indicates that it is updating a change made within the lens flare dialog.
Preview When you click the Preview button, the window displays your flare
in the upper left corner if your flare has automatic or manual secondary
elements. If your flare does not contain these elements, the flare is centered
in the preview window. If the VP Queue button is not on, the preview displays
a generic flare to which you can make adjustments. Each time you change a
setting, the preview automatically updates. A white line appears at the bottom
of the preview window to indicate the preview is updating.
Update Redraws the entire Main Preview window, as well as the smaller
windows each time you click this button. This function is critical when you
need to view changes you have made in the Video Post queue, such as moving
the Time Slider to a different frame, changing your geometry or a light, or
changing another filter that precedes the current one in the Video Post queue.
The VP Queue button must be on to preview the contents of the Video Post
queue. In this case, clicking the Update button causes a small dialog to appear,
with an indicator showing the progress of the update.
VP Queue Displays the contents of the Video Post queue in the main preview
window. The Preview button must also be turned on. Rather than having to
test render every time you want to see the result of the effect in the scene, VP
Queue displays a final composite, combining the effect you are editing with
the contents of the Video Post queue.
NOTE If you leave the Preview and VP Queue buttons active when you exit Lens
Effects Flare, it will take several seconds to re-render the scene in the main preview
window the next time you start Lens Effects Flare.
The view in the main preview window also depends upon which lens flare
options you have set in the Preferences panel on page 7783.

Lens Flare Properties group
Specifies global settings for the flare, such as the source for the flare(s), the
size, seed number, rotation, and so on.
Seed Gives the random number generator in Lens Effects a different starting
point, which creates slightly different lens flares without changing any settings.
Using Seed guarantees a different lens flare, even if the differences are very
small. For example, if you set up a ray effect for your lens flare, you will get
slightly different rays in the lens flare if you adjust the seed value.
Size Affects the size of the overall lens flare. This value is a percentage of the
size of the rendered frame. Default = 45.

Lens Effects Filters | 7779

Other parts of the lens flare, such as glow, ring, and so on, also have size
adjustments, but this size setting affects the entire lens flare, including
secondary flares. Adjusting individual sizes does not affect this size variable,
or vice versa. This parameter can be animated on page 7775. Animating the Size
parameter causes flares to grow or diminish in size over the course of your
animation.
Hue If Apply Hue Globally is selected, it controls the amount of Hue applied
to the Lens Flare effect. This parameter can be animated.
Apply Hue Globally Globally applies the Hue of the Node Source to the other
Flare effects.
Angle Affects the amount that the flare rotates from its default position, as
the position of the flare changes relative to the camera. This parameter can
be animated. The lock button to the right of the Auto Key button locks the
secondary flares so they do rotate. When the button is disabled, the secondary
flares will not rotate.
Animating the Angle parameter does not animate the manual and automatic
secondary flares unless you turn on the L button. The default behavior mimics
a camera, in which the aperture does not rotate.
Rays, stars, and streaks don't animate either unless you turn on their individual
Auto Rotate toggles.
Intensity Controls the overall brightness and opacity of the flare. Higher
values produce bright, more opaque flares, and lower values produce dim,
transparent flares. This parameter can be animated.
Squeeze Squeezes the size of the lens flare, either horizontally or vertically to
compensate for different frame aspect ratios. You can set Squeeze from 100
to -100. Positive values stretch the flare horizontally, and negative values
stretch it vertically. The value is a percentage of the size of the flare. This
parameter can be animated.
For example, if you convert a film for use on TV, applying Squeeze would
cause the lens flare to look correct on the smaller screen, and not thin and
tall, although a wide-screen 35-MM film image is much wider than a regular
TV.
Although Squeeze is a global setting, you can apply this effect to selected
portions of your flare through the Preferences panel on page 7783 so that only
the flare elements you want are distorted. The Squeeze spinner value is given
as a percentage of the size of the flare.
Node Sources Lets you select the source object for the lens flare effect. The
source of the lens flare may be any object in the scene, but is generally a light,

7780 | Chapter 20 Video Post

such as a target spot light, or an omni light. Clicking this button displays the
Select Flare Objects dialog. You must select a source for the flare to key off.
NOTE If you select a source object, then rename the object later, you must reselect
the object to ensure the correct generation of the lens flare.

Lens Flare Effects group
Controls specific effects for the flare, such as fades, brightness, softening, and
so on.
Brighten Lets you set an overall brightness that affects the whole image. When
a bright effect, such as a lens flare, appears in an image, the whole image
should appear brighter. This effect is available only when the Brighten option
is enabled under the Render section of the Preferences panel. This parameter
can be animated on page 7775. Animating the Brighten spinner is an easy way
to create flares that "flash" the scene as they appear.
Dist Fade Causes the effect of the lens flare to fade with its distance from the
camera. This option is used only when the Dist Fade button is turned on. The
values are in 3ds Max world units. This option is used when you want to create
the effect of flares disappearing at a certain point away from the camera.
Cent Fade Fades the secondary flares near the center of the row of flares along
the main axis of the flare. This is an effect that can be seen in many lens flares
seen through a real camera lens. This value is in 3ds Max world units. This
setting is only active when the Cent Fade button is selected.
Dist Blur Blurs the flare based on its distance from the camera. This value is
in 3ds Max world units. This parameter can be animated.
Blur Int Controls the strength of the blur when it is applied to the lens flare.
The value set in this spinner takes full effect as the flare reaches the Dist Blur
distance in your scene. Flares closer to the camera plane get a percentage of
the intensity setting. This parameter can be animated.
Soften Provides an overall softening effect for the lens flare This parameter
can be animated.

Flare Parameter tabs
Let you create and control the lens flare. Each of the nine tabs controls a
specific aspect of the lens flare.

Lens Effects Filters | 7781

WARNING When you animate Lens Effects parameters, this creates pointers into
the actual scene, so Lens Effects animation is lost if you save the Video Post queue
in a VPX file on page 9344. To preserve the animation, save the Video Post data,
including Lens Effects animation, in the MAX file.
A flare is composed of eight basic parts. Each part of a flare is controlled on
its own panel in the Lens Effects Flare interface. Each part of the lens flare can
be individually activated and deactivated to create different effects.
Prefs on page 7783: This page lets you control which parts of a lens flare are
active and how they effect the overall image.
Glow on page 7785: A general glow centered around the source object of the
flare. You can control the color, size, shape, and other aspects of the glow.
Ring on page 7787: A circular color band that surrounds the center of the source
object. You can control the color, size, shape, and other aspects of the ring.
A Sec on page 7788: Auto Secondary Flares. The small circles you would normally
see coming out from the source of the lens flare. As the camera position
changes relative to the source object, the secondary flares move. The secondary
flares are automatically generated when this option is active.
M Sec on page 7790: Manual Secondary Flares. Additional secondary flares added
to the lens flare effect. They appear in the same axis as the automatic secondary
flares and look very similar.
Rays on page 7792: Bright lines that radiate out from the center of the source
object, providing the illusion of extreme brightness for the object.
Star on page 7794: Bright lines that radiate out from the center of the source
object, generally composed of 6 or more spokes, (instead of hundreds, like a
ray). Stars are generally thicker and extend out farther from the center of the
source object than rays.
Streak on page 7796: Wide horizontal bands that run through the center of the
source object.
Inferno on page 7798: Lets you add special effects, such as explosions, to your
flare effect.

7782 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Flare Preferences
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Prefs tab
In the Prefs panel, you can control whether or not specific parts of the lens
flare, such as the rays or the star are rendered by turning them on or off. You
can also control the axial transparency of the lens flare.

Interface

Affect Alpha Specifies whether or not the lens flare affects the alpha channel
of an image, when the image is rendered in a 32-bit file format. The alpha
channel is an extra 8 bits of color (256 colors) that indicate transparency in
an image. Alpha channels are used to composite one image seamlessly over
the top of another. If you want to composite a lens flare, or an image that
contains a lens flare, over the top of another image, enable this option. If you
are not rendering to a 32-bit file, do not enable this option.

Lens Effects Filters | 7783

Affect Z Buffer The Z-Buffer stores an object's distance from the camera. The
Z-Buffer is useful for optical effects such as fog. When this option is enabled,
the linear distance of the lens flare is recorded, and can be used in special
effects that make use of the Z-Buffer, for example, the Focus on page 7801 effect.
To use Focus with a lens flare, enable this option.
Occlusion Radius A radius around the center of the flare that determines
when the lens flare effect will begin to fade as it passes behind another object.
This radius is measured in pixels.
When the lens flare or scene is animated and the source of the lens flare goes
behind another object, if occlusion is enabled, the flare dies down and
disappears until the source object reappears on the other side of the hiding
object. The radius makes the flare gently fade when it is occluded, instead of
blinking out.
Motion Blur Determines whether or not an animated lens flare is rendered
using Motion Blur. Motion Blur renders multiple copies in short increments
to the same frame, which gives the illusion of a blurred object in motion.
When an object is moving rapidly across the screen, it animates more smoothly
if motion blur is turned on. Using motion blur can add considerable time to
your rendering.
You can set the amount of blur with the Motion Blur spinner. Values range
from 0 to 100, and are based on the number of samples the motion blur should
use.
Axial Transparency A standard circular transparency gradient that affects
the transparency of the lens flare secondary elements along their axis and
relative to their source. This lets your secondary elements be brighter on one
side than the other, adding extra realism to your flare effects.
Render Specifies whether or not each part of the lens flare is rendered in the
final image. Use this set of check boxes to turn parts of the lens flare on and
off.
NOTE Effects such as secondary flares are available in sets. The Render button and
Off Scene determine whether the secondary flares are present in the scene. The
individual secondary flare sets are controlled on their respective pages.
Off Scene Specifies whether or not lens flares that have their sources outside
the scene will affect the image. For example, if a lens flare source is just off
the edge of a frame, the secondary flares, and possibly the star or ring, could
still be showing on the screen. Without Off Scene, the lens flare does not
appear at all. You can turn this option on or off for each part of the flare.

7784 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Squeeze Specifies whether the Squeeze setting affects a particular part of the
lens flare. This setting depends on the Squeeze setting in the lens flare
properties.
Inferno Defines whether the inferno on page 7798 settings are active for this
portion of the lens flare.
Occlusion Defines the percentage of the flare part that appears when it is
occluded by another object. A value of 100 indicates that the whole object
will disappear. Lower settings cause the lens flare to wrap around the occluding
object, making it fade, but not disappear entirely. For example, if you look at
a cylinder with a bright light behind it, the light makes the cylinder appear
thinner at the brightest areas.
NOTE The Occlusion spinners work in conjunction with the Occlusion Radius
spinner in the top right of the Preferences panel.

Flare Glow Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Glow tab
The glow of a lens flare is centered around the source object of the flare. The
parameters on the Glow panel let you control each aspect of the glow.

Lens Effects Filters | 7785

Interface

Size Specifies the diameter of the glow of the lens flare as a percentage of the
overall size of the frame. This value is separate from the overall size value set
in the Flare Properties on page 7777. This parameter can be animated on page
7775.
Hue Specifies the gradation of color for the glow. Clicking the green arrow
button lets you animate this control. This parameter can be animated.
Hide Behind Geometry Places the glow behind the geometric forms.
Gradients Use radial, circular, transparency, and size gradients on page 7829.
Glow gradients are subtler than flare gradients, because they are glowing an
area larger than a pixel.

7786 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Flare Ring Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Ring tab
The ring is a circular color band that surrounds the center of the source object.
You set ring options on the Ring panel of the Lens Effects Flare dialog.

Interface

Size Specifies the overall size of the ring as a percentage of the overall frame
and represents the diameter of the ring. The ring radius should be larger than
the glow radius to make the lens flare look convincing. This parameter is
separate from the overall size spinner in the Lens Flare Effects section of the
dialog. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Thick Specifies the overall thickness of the ring, as a percentage of the overall
size of the frame. When the ring is fairly thick, the size of the ring is measured

Lens Effects Filters | 7787

to the inner radius. The thickness controls how thick the ring is from that
point outward. This parameter can be animated.
Hue Specifies the gradation of color for the ring. This parameter can be
animated.
Gradients Use radial, circular, transparency, and size gradients on page 7829.

Automatic Secondary Flare Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ A Sec tab
Secondary flares are the small circles you would normally see coming out from
the source of the lens flare along an axis relative to the camera position. These
are caused by light refracting off the different lens elements in the camera. As
the camera position changes relative to the source object, the secondary flares
move. These secondary flares are automatically generated when this option
is selected in the Preferences section of the dialog.
You create sets of secondary elements that share common parameters instead
of building them one at a time. Many of the controls on the A Sec panel are
for individual sets of elements, not all sets.

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Interface

Min Controls the minimum size of secondary flares in the current set. This
number is defined as a percentage of the overall image. This parameter can
be animated on page 7775.
Max Controls the maximum size of secondary flares in the current set. This
number is defined as a percentage of the overall image. This parameter can
be animated on page 7775.
Sets Specifies which set of secondary flares you are working with. You can
have as many sets of automatic secondary elements as you wish, each having
their own properties. By default, seven sets are available. You can scroll through
them by clicking the forward and reverse arrow icons beside the name of the
set.
To add another set to your flare, click the Add button beneath the On check
box. To delete a set, click the Del button.
Axis Defines the overall length of the axis the automatic secondary flares will
be distributed along. Increasing the value creates more space between the
flares, while decreasing the value creates less space between the flares. You
can set the axis from 0 to 5 degrees. This parameter can be animated on page
7775.

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On Defines whether a group or set of secondary flares is active or not.
Fade Determines whether or not axial fade is active for the current set of
secondary flares.
Hue Specifies the gradation of color of the secondary flares. This parameter
can be animated.
Qty Controls the number of secondary flares that appear in the current set of
flares. This parameter can be animated.
Shape Controls the shape of the secondary flares for the current set. The
default value is circular, but you can choose from 3 to 8 sided secondary flares.
Gradients Defines the gradient on page 7829 for the secondary flare.

Manual Secondary Flare Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ M Sec tab
Manual secondary flares are additional secondary flares that are individually
added to the lens flare. These can be used in addition to, or in place of
automatic secondary flares on page 7788.
You use Manual secondary flares when you want to add unique flares that
you don't want repeated.
You can have groups of secondary flares, instead of just one set. Many of the
controls in this dialog are for a specific set of flares, not all sets.

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Interface

Size Controls the size, as a percentage of the overall image, of the manual
secondary lens flare. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Plane Controls the distance, in degrees, between the flare source and the
manual secondary flare. By default, the flare plane exists at the center of the
chosen node source. Positive values place the flare in front of the source, while
negative values place the flare behind the flare source. This parameter can be
animated.
TIP In live camera work, there are often one or two secondary elements behind
the light source, so you should have one or two as well.
On Turns manual secondary flares on or off. This option must be selected in
both the Manual Secondary and Preferences tabs for the manual secondary
flares to render.
Fade Specifies whether or not the current set of secondary flares has axial
fade.
Sets Specifies which set of secondary flares you are working with. You can
have as many sets of manual secondary elements as you wish, each having

Lens Effects Filters | 7791

their own properties. By default, seven sets are available. You can scroll through
them by clicking the forward and reverse arrow buttons next to the name of
the set.
To add another set to your flare, click the Add button beneath the On check
box. To delete a set, click the Del button.
Hue Specifies the gradation of color of secondary flares. This parameter can
be animated.
Scale Specifies how to scale secondary flares. This parameter can be animated.
Shape This menu controls the overall shape of the secondary flares.
Gradients Defines the gradient on page 7829 for the secondary flare.

Flare Ray Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Rays tab
Rays are bright single-pixel lines that radiate from the center of the source
object, providing the illusion of extreme brightness for the object. Rays let
you emulate scratches in the lens elements of a camera.
You control the parameters for rays in the Rays panel of the Lens Effects Flare
dialog.

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Interface

Size Specifies the overall length of the rays as they radiate from the center, as
a percentage of the frame size. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Angle Specifies the angle for the rays. You can enter both positive and negative
values so, when animated, the rays rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction. This parameter can be animated.
Group Forces the grouping of rays into eight equidistant groups of equal size.
Rays that are part of a group are evenly distributed within that group.
Increasing the number of rays makes each grouping more dense, and therefore
more bright.
Number Specifies the overall number of rays that appear in the lens flare.
Rays are randomly spaced around the radius. This parameter can be animated.
Auto Rotate Adds the angle specified in the Angle spinner on the Rays panel
to the angle set in the Angle spinner under Lens Flare Properties. Auto Rotate
also ensures that the rays maintain their relative position to the flare as it is
being animated.

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Hue Specifies the gradation of the color of the rays. This parameter can be
animated.
Sharp Specifies the overall sharpness of the rays. Higher numbers produce
crisp, clean, and clear rays. Lower numbers produce more of a secondary glow
look. Values range from 0 to 10. This parameter can be animated.
Gradients Defines the gradient on page 7829 for the rays.

Flare Star Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Star tab
A Star is larger than a ray effect and is composed of six or more spokes, instead
of hundreds like a ray. Stars are thicker and extend out farther from the center
of the source object than rays. You control the settings for stars on the Star
panel of the Lens Effects Flare dialog.

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Interface

Size Specifies the overall size of the star effect, as a percentage of the overall
frame. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Angle Sets the starting angle in degrees in which the star spokes point. You
can enter both positive and negative values so, when animated, the star spokes
rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. This parameter can be
animated.
Random Enables random spacing of star spokes around the flare center.
Qty Specifies the number of spokes in the star effect. Default = 6.
Spokes are spaced at equidistant points about the center of the flare. This
parameter can be animated.
Width Specifies the width of the individual spokes, as a percentage of the
overall frame. This option can be animated.
Auto Rotate Adds the angle specified in the Angle spinner on the Rays panel
to the angle set in Angle spinner under Lens Flare Properties. Auto Rotate also

Lens Effects Filters | 7795

ensures that the stars maintain their relative position to the flare as it is being
animated.
Hue Specifies the gradation of the color of the star. This parameter can be
animated.
Sharp Specifies the overall sharpness of the star. Higher numbers produce
crisp, clean, and clear stars. Lower numbers produce more of a secondary glow
look. This parameter can be animated. Range = 0 to 10.
Taper Controls the taper of the individual spokes of the star. Taper widens
or narrows the tips of the individual star points. Low numbers create a sharp
point, while high numbers flare the points. This parameter can be animated.
Default = 0.
Gradients The gradients on page 7829 are the same for the Star effect as for
others, except for two gradients: Section Color and Section Transparency.
These options are useful when you want to create a "soft" look to the spokes.
Both gradients work from the center of each spoke to the outer edge of the
spoke.

Flare Streak Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Streak tab
A streak is a wide horizontal band that runs through the center of the source
object. In real camera work, it is produced when using anamorphic lenses to
film a scene. You set streak options on the Streak panel of the Lens Effects
Flare dialog.

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Interface

Size Specifies the overall size of the streak, as a percentage of the overall frame.
This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Angle Specifies the angle for the streak. You can enter both positive and
negative values so, when animated, the streak rotates in a clockwise or
counterclockwise direction. This parameter can be animated.
Axial Align Forces the streak to align itself to the axis of the secondary flares
and the lens flare itself.
Width Specifies the width of the streak, as a percentage of the frame. This
parameter can be animated.
Auto Rotate Adds the angle specified in the Angle spinner on the Streak panel
to the angle set in Angle spinner under Lens Flare Properties. Auto Rotate also
ensures that the stars maintain their relative position to the flare as it is being
animated.
Hue Specifies the gradation of the color of the streak. This parameter can be
animated.

Lens Effects Filters | 7797

Sharp Specifies the overall sharpness of the streak. Higher numbers produce
crisp, clean, and clear streaks. Lower numbers produce more of a secondary
glow look. Valid values are from 0 to 10. This parameter can be animated.
Taper Controls the taper of the individual spokes of the streak. Taper widens
or narrows the tips of the individual streak points. Low numbers create a sharp
point, while high numbers flare the points. Default = 0. This parameter can
be animated.
Gradients The gradients on page 7829 are the same for the Streak effect as for
others, except for two gradients: Section Color and Section Transparency.
These options are useful when you want to create a "soft" look to the streak
spokes. Both gradients work from the center of each spoke to the outer edge
of the spoke.

Flare Inferno Parameters
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects Flare from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
➤ Inferno tab
Infernos let you use lens flare to create explosions, fire, and smoke effects and
add a bit of fractal noise to any part of the lens flare. This noise comes in three
types: Gaseous, Electric, and Fiery.

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Interface

You add the Inferno effect to other lens flare effects. Inferno is selected in the
Preferences panel. The lens flare effect you are adding Inferno to, such as glow,
must also be selected for Inferno to work correctly. The Inferno panel is divided
into two sections: Settings and Parameters.

Settings group
Gaseous A loose and soft pattern, often used for clouds and smoke.
Fiery Fractal patterns with bright, well-defined areas, often used for fires.
Electric Long, well-defined tendril pattern that can be used to produce arcing
electricity, when animated. By adjusting the quality of the pattern to 0, you
can create the effect of water reflection.
Lock Effect Locks the inferno effect to the lens flare. When the lens flare
moves across the screen, the inferno effect moves with it. Use this option
when you want the noise pattern to move with the flare for effects like torches.
Lock Noise Locks the inferno noise patterns into the screen. When the lens
flare is animated and moving across the screen, the noise pattern stays in one
spot and the flare moves through it. This is often used for creating plasma
trails and cloud patterns.
Motion When you animate the inferno, motion specifies how fast the inferno
patterns move in the direction set by the Direction spinner. For example, if

Lens Effects Filters | 7799

you want to simulate a raging fire, you want the fractal patterns to move
upward. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Direction Specifies the direction, in degrees, of the inferno effect motion. By
default, 0 is aligned in the 12 o'clock position, and works clockwise. This
parameter can be animated.
NOTE The Motion and Direction spinners control the motion of the fractal pattern
in the X and Y directions. You can control the Z direction using the Speed option
under Inferno Parameters.
Quality Specifies the overall quality of the fractal noise patterns in the inferno
effect. Higher values result in more iterations of the fractals, more detail in
the effect, and slightly longer render times. This parameter can be animated.
Reseed The number that the fractal routines use as a starting point. Set this
spinner to any number to create different fractal effects. The Reseed button
randomly selects a new number.

Parameters group
Size Specifies the overall size of the fractal patterns. Smaller numbers produce
small, grainy fractals. Higher numbers produce larger patterns. This option
can be animated.
Speed Sets the overall speed of the turbulence in the fractal patterns as they
are animated. Higher numbers produce faster turbulence in the pattern. This
parameter can be animated.
Base Specifies the brightness of the colors in the inferno effect. Higher values
result in brighter color ranges and brighter infernos. Lower values result in
dark, softer effects. The Base spinner only affects Fiery and Electric inferno
types This parameter can be animated.
Amplitude With the Base spinner, controls the maximum brightness for each
portion of the fractal inferno patterns. Higher values result in fractal patterns
with brighter colors. Lower values result in the same patterns, with muted
colors. This parameter can be animated.
Bias Shifts the colors of the effect toward one end of the color range or the
other. At a setting of 50, Bias has no effect. Above 50, the colors are brighter,
and below 50, they are darker and softer. This parameter can be animated.
Edge Controls the contrast between the light and dark areas of the fractal
patterns. High values produce a high contrast and more well-defined fractal
patterns. Low values result in less defined, subtler effects. This parameter can
be animated.

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Radial Density Controls the density of the inferno effect in a radial fashion
from the center of the effect to the edge. Wherever there is white in the
gradient, you only see inferno noise. Where the gradient is black, you can see
the underlying flare. If you set the right side of the gradient to black and the
left side to white, and apply the Inferno to the Glow effect of a flare, the
inferno effect appears toward the outer edges of the glow, while the center of
the glow is still visible.

Lens Effects Focus Filter
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Focus from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
The Lens Effects Focus dialog lets you blur objects based on their distance
from the camera. Focus uses the Z-Buffer information from the scene to create
its blurring effects. You can use Focus to create effects such as foreground
elements in focus and background elements out of focus.
Like Flare, Glow, and Highlight, you can load and save your focus settings for
future use. Focus settings are saved to LZO files on page 9210 (.lzo).
WARNING This filter is not supported by the mental ray renderer on page 7129.

Procedures
To save your focus settings, do one of the following:
You can save all of your lens focus settings to a file, so you can reload them
any time. Lens Effects Focus settings are saved as LZO files.
1 Click the Reset button.
This resets Lens Effects Focus to its default settings.
2 Click the Load button.
This displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can
select the settings file you want to load.
3 Click the Save button.
This displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename.

Lens Effects Filters | 7801

Interface

The Lens Effects Focus dialog contains a preview window, and an area below
to control the parameters of Focus.

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Preview group
Preview window Lets you quickly preview the Focus effect.
Preview Displays a generic scene to which you can quickly set up a Focus
effect. Appears light green when selected.
VP Queue Lets you preview the scene in the Video Post queue. Preview must
be selected for the VP Queue function to work.

Focus Control group
The settings on the left side of the panel let you select a method for blurring
your scene. The settings on the right side of the dialog let you determine how
much blurring is applied to the scene.
Scene Blur Applies the blurring effect to the entire scene, not just a portion
of it.
Radial Blur Applies the blurring effect to the entire scene in a radial fashion,
starting at the center of the frame. This is useful for emphasizing fish-eye lens
effects and effects where the edges of the frame are blurred. This type of Focus
depends on the Focal Range and Limit settings.
Focal Node Lets you select a specific object in the scene as the focal point for
blurring. The selected objects remains in focus, while objects outside of the
set Focal Limit are blurred.
Select Displays the Select Focal Object dialog so you can select a single 3ds
Max object to use as the focal object. The object you select can be animated
over time, which results in animated follow focus effects. You can also choose
your camera target as the focal object so its depth in the scene determines the
focus.
Affect Alpha When this option is selected, the blur effect is also applied to
the Alpha channel of the image when you render to a 32-bit format. Select
this option to composite the blurred image over another.
Horiz. Focal Loss Specifies the amount of blur applied to the image in the
horizontal (X-axis) direction. Values range from 0 to 100% focal loss. This
parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Lock Locks the horizontal and vertical loss settings together. When selected,
the vertical focal loss is automatically updated to match your changes to the
horizontal loss.

Lens Effects Filters | 7803

Vert. Focal Loss Specifies the amount of blur applied to the image in the
vertical (Y-axis) direction. Values range from 0 to 100% focal loss. This
parameter can be animated.
Focal Range Specifies how far away from the center of the image (Radial Blur)
or from the camera (Focal Object) the blur effect begins. Increasing values
move the radius of the effect farther away from the camera or the center of
the image. This parameter can be animated.
Focal Limit Specifies the distance from the center of the image (Radial Blur)
or the distance from the camera (Focal Object) at which the blur effect is at
full strength. Setting a high Focal Limit with a low Focal Range, produces a
gradual increase in the amount of blur in the scene, while setting Focal Limit
and Range close together produces a rapid blur effect over a short distance.
This parameter can be animated.
NOTE Do not set Focal Range and Focal Limit to the same value. This produces
an abrupt change from a blur to a sharp focus, producing an undesirable visual
effect.
WARNING When you animate Lens Effects parameters, this creates pointers into
the actual scene, so Lens Effects animation is lost if you save the Video Post queue
in a VPX file on page 9344. To preserve the animation, save the Video Post data,
including Lens Effects animation, in the MAX file.

Button group
Reset Resets Lens Effects Flare to its default settings.
Load Displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can select
the settings file you want to load.
Save Displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename. Lens Effects Focus settings are saved as LZO files.

Lens Effects Glow Filter
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Glow from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
The Lens Effects Glow dialog lets you add a glowing aura around any assigned
object. For example, for an exploding particle system, adding a glow to the
particles makes them seem as though they are brighter and hotter.

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The Lens Effects Glow module is multi-threaded and will take advantage of
multi-processing machines.

Procedures
To save your glow settings, do one of the following:
You can save all of your lens glow settings to a file, so you can reload them
any time. Lens Effects Glow settings are saved to LZG files on page 9210 (.lzg).
1 Click the Reset button.
This resets Lens Effects Glow to its default settings.
2 Click the Load button.
This displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can
select the settings file you want to load.
3 Click the Save button.
This displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename.

Lens Effects Filters | 7805

Interface

The Lens Effects Glow dialog contains a preview window, and an area below
to control the parameters of Glow.

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Preview group
Preview window Lets you quickly preview the glow effect. The preview
window is multi-threaded to take advantage of systems with multiprocessors,
and updates every time you make a change to any of the glow settings that
might affect the scene.
Preview Displays a generic scene to which you can quickly set up a Glow
effect. Appears light green when selected.
VP Queue Lets you preview the scene in the Video Post queue. Preview must
be selected for the VP Queue function to work.

Focus Control tabs
The Lens Effect Glow dialog contains four tabs:
Properties on page 7807, Preferences on page 7811, Gradients on page 7829, and
Inferno on page 7813

Button group
Reset Resets Lens Effects Glow to its default settings.
Load Displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can select
the settings file you want to load.
Save Displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename. Lens Effects Glow settings are saved as LZG files.

Glow Properties
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Glow from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup ➤ Properties tab
The Lens Effects Glow properties let you determine which pieces of geometry
in your scene will exhibit the effects of the glow filter, as well as how much
of a glow is applied.

Procedures
To set a material ID Channel:
1 In the Material Editor, make the material you want to be post-processed
the active material.

Lens Effects Filters | 7807

2 Choose a non-zero ID from the Material ID Channel flyout.
The ID Channel can range from 1 to 15.
If you give the same ID Channel value to more than one material, all
these materials will be post-processed.
NOTE For Multi/Sub-Object materials, post-processing applies at the
sub-object/sub-material level. The ID Channel of the parent Multi/Sub-Object
material is ignored.

To set up an RLA file so it saves Object and Material ID channel data:
1 Place an Image Output Event in the Video Post Queue.
2 In the Image Output Event dialog, click Files.
3 Choose the .rla file type on page 8453 and a file name, and then click Setup.
4 In the RLA Image File Format dialog, select Object, Material ID, and then
click OK.
5 Click OK.
When the RLA file has saved the Object and Material ID channels, you
can use the rendered scene file as an Image Input event or a Filter or Layer
mask, and continue to use the Object or Material ID Channel data.

Interface

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The Properties panel is divided into two sections: Source and Filter.

Source group
Specifies the objects in the scene to which a glow is applied. You can select
more than one source option at a time.
Whole Applies a glow to the whole scene, not just a particular piece of
geometry. This makes each pixel in the scene a potential glow source. The
areas of the scene that have glow applied to them are determined by the
settings in the Filter section of the dialog.
Object ID Lets you apply the glow to an object or part of an object with a
specific Object ID (in the G-buffer on page 9173), if the object matches the Filter
settings. To apply an Object ID glow for an object, right-click the object and
select properties from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID. Set this
field to match, and Lens Effects glow will apply the glow to that object and
any other objects with the same ID. This parameter can be animated on page
7775.
Effects ID Lets you apply the glow to an object or part of an object with a
specific ID channel, if the object or part of the object matches the Filter
settings. You apply an ID channel in the Material Editor by assigning the
material to one of the available Material ID channels. This parameter can be
animated.
The glow will be applied only to areas of the geometry where the ID is present.
NOTE To apply different glow settings to different pieces of geometry or IDs, add
more glow entries to the video post queue. Set each glow entry to affect a different
Material or Object ID, and set the appropriate settings. This process will call the
glow routine multiple times, increasing your rendering time. Try to keep the
number of glow routines to a minimum per frame.
Unclamped An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255).
3ds Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your
scene contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that is glowed. Pure white has a pixel value
of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value above 255 will be
glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the
spinner. This parameter can be animated.
Surf Norm Glows part of an object, based on the angle of the surface normal
to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the screen. A value of 90
is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf Norm to 45, only
surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be glowed. You can

Lens Effects Filters | 7809

invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the spinner. This
parameter can be animated.
Mask Glows the mask channel of an image. The spinner value represents the
level of grayscale present in a Mask. When this is set, any part of the Mask
images larger than the set value will be glowed in the final image. You can
invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the spinner. This
parameter can be animated. Range = 0 to 255.
Alpha Glows the alpha channel of an image. The transparency of an alpha
channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask channel. This parameter can
be inverted, and can also be animated. Range = 0 to 255.
Z Buffer Hi and Lo Glows objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer distance)
from the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo value is
the minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will be glowed.
These parameters can be animated.

Filter group
Filters the Source selections to let you control how the glow is applied. For
example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the same Object
ID, but different colors. If you set the Source as the Object ID of the spheres,
which selects all of the spheres, that is the only place in your scene that Glow
applies an effect.
However, now that Glow knows where the pixels are that can be glowed, it
needs to know which ones to actually apply the Glow to. Glow uses the filter
controls to find out which source pixels to apply a glow to.
All Selects all source objects in the scene and applies a glow to them.
Edge Selects all source objects along a boundary edge and applies a glow to
them. Applying a glow along the edges of objects produces a soft halo that
exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.
Perimeter Alpha Applies a glow only to the perimeter of an object based on
its alpha channel. Selecting this option glows only the outside of an object
without any spill on the interior. Perimeter Alpha keeps all the edges clean
because it relies on the scene alpha channel for its effect.
Perimeter Applies glow effect only to the perimeter of an object based on
Edge inferencing. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might need
to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is unavailable.

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Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. Only objects
with a brightness above the spinner setting are selected and glowed. This
option can be inverted. This parameter can be animated.
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. The spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you
enter a variance level so that the glow can find several different hues in the
same range as the chosen color. This parameter can be animated. Range = 0
to 255.

Glow Preferences
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Glow from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup ➤ Preferences tab
Glow Preferences define the size of the glow, its occlusion, and whether or
not it affects the Z-Buffer or alpha channels.

Interface

The Preferences panel is divided into four sections: Scene, Distance Fade,
Effect, and Color.

Scene group
Affect Alpha Specifies whether or not the glow affects the alpha channel of
the image, when rendered to a 32-bit file format.

Lens Effects Filters | 7811

Affect Z Buffer Specifies whether or not the glow affects the Z-Buffer of the
image. When this option is enabled, the linear distance of the glow is recorded,
and can be used in special effects that make use of the Z-Buffer. For example,
Lens Effects Focus blurs objects based on their Z-Buffer information. To use
Focus with a glow, you must enable this option.

Distance Fade group
These controls fade the glow effect, based on its distance from the camera.
This is the same as distance fade for the lens flare.
Bright Lets you fade the brightness of the glow effect based on the distance
from the camera. This is ideal for submarine running lights and any other
effect where you want your glow to disappear into the distance. This parameter
can be animated on page 7775.
Size Lets you fade the size of the glow effect based on the distance from the
camera. In most circumstances, you want the overall size of the glow to
diminish as it gets farther away from the camera. This parameter can be
animated.
Lock When selected, locks the Bright and Size values together, so that the
size and brightness fading is synchronized.

Effect group
Size Sets the size of the overall glow effect. This parameter can be animated.
Softness Softens and blurs the glow effect. Values range from 0 to 100. This
control is enabled only when you use Gradients as the color method (see the
next section). Softness is only available when the Gradient option in the Color
area is selected. This parameter can be animated.

Color group
Gradient Creates the glow based on the settings in the Gradients panel. When
you use this method, you can use the Softness spinner in the Effect area.
Pixel Creates the glow based on the pixel color of the object. This is the default
method. It is very fast.
User Lets you select a color for the glow effect. Click the color swatch to display
the Color Selector on page 304 and choose a color.
Intensity Controls the intensity or brightness of the glow effect. Values range
from 0 to 100. This control is enabled only when Pixel or User is the chosen
color method.

7812 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Glow Inferno
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Glow from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup ➤ Inferno tab
The Inferno panel lets you create explosions, fire, and smoke effects by
combining the lens flare glow with black and white fractal noise.
The Glow inferno effect is like the Inferno effect in Lens Flare on page 7798, but
it is applied to the Glow through the R, G, and B color channels.

Interface

The Inferno panel is divided into two sections: Settings and Parameters.

Settings group
Gaseous A loose and soft pattern, often used for clouds and smoke.
Fiery Fractal patterns with bright, well-defined areas, often used for fires.
Electric Long, well-defined tendril pattern that can be used to produce arcing
electricity, when animated. By adjusting the quality of the pattern to 0, you
can create the effect of water reflection.
Reseed The number that the fractal routines use as a starting point. Set this
spinner to any number to create different fractal effects. The Reseed button
randomly selects a new number.

Lens Effects Filters | 7813

Motion When you animate the inferno, motion specifies how fast the inferno
patterns move in the direction set by the Direction spinner. For example, if
you want to simulate a raging fire, you want the fractal patterns to move
upward. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Direction Specifies the direction, in degrees, of the inferno effect motion. By
default, 0 is aligned in the 12 o'clock position, and works clockwise. This
parameter can be animated.
NOTE The Motion and Direction spinners control the motion of the fractal pattern
in the X and Y directions. You can control the Z direction using the Speed option
under Inferno Parameters.
Quality Specifies the overall quality of the fractal noise patterns in the inferno
effect. Higher values result in more iterations of the fractals, more detail in
the effect, and slightly longer render times. This parameter can be animated.
Red/Green/Blue Selects the color channel to use for the Inferno effect.

Parameters group
Size Specifies the overall size of the fractal patterns. Smaller numbers produce
small, grainy fractals. Higher numbers produce larger patterns. This option
can be animated.
Speed Sets the overall speed of the turbulence in the fractal patterns as they
are animated. Higher numbers produce faster turbulence in the pattern. This
parameter can be animated.
Base Specifies the brightness of the colors in the inferno effect. Higher values
result in brighter color ranges and brighter infernos. Lower values result in
dark, softer effects. The Base spinner only affects Fiery and Electric inferno
types This parameter can be animated.
Amplitude With the Base spinner, controls the maximum brightness for each
portion of the fractal inferno patterns. Higher values result in fractal patterns
with brighter colors. Lower values result in the same patterns, with muted
colors. This parameter can be animated.
Bias Shifts the colors of the effect toward one end of the color range or the
other. At a setting of 50, Bias has no effect. Above 50, the colors are brighter,
and below 50, they are darker and softer. This parameter can be animated.
Edge Controls the contrast between the light and dark areas of the fractal
patterns. High values produce a high contrast and more well-defined fractal
patterns. Low values result in less defined, subtler effects. This parameter can
be animated.

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Radial Density Controls the density of the inferno effect in a radial fashion
from the center of the effect to the edge. Wherever there is white in the
gradient, you only see inferno noise. Where the gradient is black, you can see
the underlying glow. If you set the right side of the gradient to black and the
left side to white, and apply the Inferno to the Glow effect of a flare, the
inferno effect appears toward the outer edges of the glow, while the center of
the glow is still visible.

Lens Effects Highlight Filter
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Highlight from Filter Plug-In list. ➤ Setup
The Lens Effects Highlight dialog lets you assign bright, star-shaped highlights.
Use it on objects that have shiny materials. For example, a shiny, red car might
show highlights in bright sunlight.

Example of highlights

Another good example of an effect perfect for Highlight is the creation of
pixie dust. If you create a particle system and animate it moving in a straight

Lens Effects Filters | 7815

line with small four-point Highlight stars applied to each pixel, it will look a
lot like twinkling magic.
The Lens Effects Highlight module is multi-threaded and will take advantage
of multi-processing machines, making it one of, if not the fastest highlight
routines available.

Procedures
To save your highlight settings:
You can save all of your lens highlight settings to a file, so you can reload
them any time. Lens Effects Highlight settings are saved as LZH files on page
9210 (.lzh). Do one of the following:
1 Click the Reset button.
This resets Lens Effects Highlight to its default settings.
2 Click the Load button.
This displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can
select the settings file you want to load.
3 Click the Save button.
This displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename.

7816 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Interface

When you select Lens Effects Highlight from the Image Filter Event drop-down
list and click Setup, the Highlight dialog is displayed.

Lens Effects Filters | 7817

The Lens Effects Highlight interface is almost identical to the Glow module,
with a large preview window, and tabs to control every aspect of your highlight
effects.

Preview group
Preview window Lets you quickly preview the glow effect. The preview
window is multi-threaded to take advantage of systems with multiprocessors,
and updates every time you make a change to any of the glow settings that
might affect the scene.
Preview Activates a generic cross star filter so you can quickly set up a
Highlight effect. However, as with the Glow module, it is more effective seeing
your entire scene and how your effect will interact with your geometry.
VP Queue Lets you preview the scene in the Video Post queue. Preview must
be selected for the VP Queue function to work.

Highlight Control tabs
Similar to the Glow settings, Highlight is also broken down into tabbed sections
for fine control over each aspect of the Highlight effect. The four tabs are:
Highlight Properties on page 7818
Highlight Geometry on page 7823
Highlight Preferences on page 7828
Lens Effects Gradients on page 7829

Button group
Reset Resets Lens Effects Highlight to its default settings.
Load Displays a Windows-standard file open dialog from which you can select
the settings file you want to load.
Save Displays a Windows-standard Save As dialog in which you specify a
directory and filename. Lens Effects Highlight settings are saved as LZH files.

Highlight Properties
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Highlight from Filter Plug-In list ➤ Setup ➤ Properties tab

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The Lens Effects Highlight properties enable you to determine which parts of
your scene will have highlights applied to them, as well as how the highlights
are to be applied.

Interface

The Properties panel is broken down into two sections: Source and Filter.

Source group
The Source section lets you select any G-Buffer data in the scene that will have
a highlight applied to it. Lens Effects Highlight will begin the process by
finding the source pixels from your scene that you want to glow.
Whole Lets you apply highlights to the whole scene, not just a particular
piece of geometry. This, in effect, makes each pixel in the scene a potential
highlight source. The areas of the scene that have highlights applied to them
are determined by the settings in the Filter section of the dialog.
Object ID The Object ID Lets you apply highlights to particular objects in
your scene that have a corresponding G-Buffer (or Object) ID. The G-Buffer
is a geometry buffer and can be defined when you right-click any 3ds Max
object and select Properties from the menu. Then, set the Object Channel ID
under the G-Buffer ID controls. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Effects ID The Effects ID lets you apply the highlight to an object or part of
an object with a specific Material ID assigned to it. Material IDs are applied
in the Material Editor. See G-Buffer on page 9173. This parameter can be
animated.

Lens Effects Filters | 7819

The highlights are then only applied to areas of the geometry where that
particular ID is present.
NOTE In many instances, you might want to apply different highlight settings to
different pieces of geometry or IDs. To accomplish this, add additional Lens Effects
Highlight entries to the Video Post queue. Then set each different Highlight entry
to effect a different Material or Object ID and proceed.
Unclamped An unclamped color is brighter than pure white (255,255,255).
3ds Max keeps track of these "hot" areas which tend to show up when your
scene contains bright metallic highlights or explosions. This spinner lets you
determine the lowest pixel value that is highlighted. Pure white has a pixel
value of 1. When this spinner is set to 1, any pixels with a value above 255
will be glowed. You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right
of the spinner. This parameter can be animated.
Surf Norm Highlights part of an object, based on the angle of the surface
normal to the camera. A value of 0 is coplanar, or parallel to the screen. A
value of 90 is normal, or perpendicular to the screen. If you set Surf Norm to
45, only surfaces with normal angles greater than 45 degrees will be glowed.
You can invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the spinner.
This parameter can be animated.
Mask Highlights the mask channel of an image. The spinner value represents
the level of grayscale present in a Mask. When this is set, any part of the Mask
images larger than the set value will be glowed in the final image. You can
invert this value by clicking the I button to the right of the spinner. This
parameter can be animated. Range = 0 to 255.
Alpha Highlights the alpha channel of an image. The transparency of an
alpha channel is interpreted opposite that of the Mask channel. Values range
from 0 to 255. This parameter can be inverted by clicking the I button to the
right of the spinner, and can also be animated.
Z Buffer Hi and Lo Highlights objects based on their distance (Z-Buffer
distance) from the camera. The Hi value is the maximum distance and the Lo
value is the minimum. Any objects between these two Z-Buffer distances will
be highlighted. These parameters can be animated.

Filter group
Filters the Source selections to let you control how the highlight is applied.
For example, you can have ten spheres in your scene, each with the same
Object ID, but different colors. If you set the Source as the Object ID of the

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spheres, which selects all of the spheres, that is the only place in your scene
that Highlight will apply an effect.
However, now that Highlight knows where the pixels are that can be
highlighted, it needs to know which ones to actually apply the highlights to.
Highlight uses the filter controls to find out which source pixels to apply the
highlight to.
All Selects all source pixels in the scene and applies a highlight to them.
Edge Selects all source pixels along a boundary edge and applies a highlight
to them. Applying a highlight along the edges of objects produces a soft halo
that exists on both inside and outside edges of your object.

Edge highlights

Perimeter Alpha Applies a highlight only to the perimeter of an object based
on its alpha channel. Selecting this option highlights only the outside of an
object without any spill on the interior. Whereas highlighting by Edge
produces a spill onto the object, Perimeter Alpha keeps all of the edges clean
because it relies on the scene alpha channel to derive it's effect.

Lens Effects Filters | 7821

Perimeter alpha highlights

Perimeter Applies highlight effect only to the perimeter of an object based
on Edge inferencing. Although not as precise as Perimeter Alpha, you might
need to use the Perimeter option at times when the alpha channel is
unavailable.

7822 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Perimeter highlights

Bright Filters the source objects based on their brightness values. Only objects
with a brightness above the spinner setting are selected and highlighted. This
option can be inverted by clicking the I button next to the spinner. This
parameter can be animated.
Hue Filters the source objects by their hue. Select the hue by clicking the color
swatch next to the spinner. You can choose hue values from 0 to 255. The
spinner beside the Hue color swatch lets you enter a variance level so that the
glow can find several different hues in the same range as the chosen color
This parameter can be animated.

Highlight Geometry
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Highlight from Filter Plug-In list ➤ Setup ➤ Geometry tab
The Geometry panel is where you set the initial rotation of the highlights as
well as how the elements are affected over time. The Geometry panel consists
of three areas: Effect, Vary, and Rotate.

Lens Effects Filters | 7823

Interface

Effect group
Angle Controls the angle of the highlight points over the course of the
animation. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Clamp Determines the number of pixels highlight must read to place a single
highlight effect. In many cases, you want to key your highlight effects off of
the brightness of objects that can produce a lot of pixels to generate from.
The end result is something that looks like stadium lights from a Monday
Night Football game, where each pixel has the highlight cross drawn on top
of it, which blurs the overall effect. When you want only one or two highlights,
use this spinner to adjust how highlight processes the chosen pixels. This
parameter can be animated.

7824 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Clamp value of 5

Clamp value of 15

Lens Effects Filters | 7825

As you can see, the Clamp value lets you maximize or minimize the overall
number of highlights drawn over the same image. This can be a tremendous
time saver.
Alt. Rays Alternates the lengths of points around the highlight. It works on
every other ray point, changing from the ray's full length to a smaller one
based on the percentage spinner beneath it. This parameter can be animated.

Alt. Rays turned off

7826 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Alt. Rays turned on and set to 40%

Vary group
The Vary group of controls adds randomness to your Highlight effects. You
can quickly adjust your effects so that no two look alike. In many instances,
you want to avoid having your Highlights rotate in formation, and the Size
and Angle buttons control that.
Size Varies the overall size of the individual Highlights.
Angle Varies the initial orientation of the individual Highlights.
Reseed Forces Highlight to use a different random number to generate parts
of its effects.

Rotate group
These two buttons let you have your highlights automatically rotate based on
their relative position in the scene.
Distance Automatically rotates the individual highlight elements as they
recede into the distance. The faster your elements recede, the faster they will
rotate.
Pan Automatically rotates the individual Highlight elements as they move
laterally across the screen. If you have objects in your scene that are passing

Lens Effects Filters | 7827

by the camera, they can be automatically rotated based on their position. The
faster your elements move across the screen, the faster they will rotate.

Highlight Preferences
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Highlight from Filter Plug-In list ➤ Setup ➤ Preferences tab
The Preferences panel defines the size and number of points on the highlight,
occlusion settings, and whether or not it affects the Z-Buffer or alpha channels.

Interface

Scene group
Affect Alpha Determines whether or not the highlight settings affect the
alpha channel of the image when you render to a 32-bit file format.
Affect Z Buffer Determines whether or not the highlight affects the Z-Buffer
of the image. When this option is selected, the linear distance of the highlight
is recorded, and can be used in special effects that make use of the Z-Buffer.
For example, the Focus module that ships with Lens Effects blurs objects based
on their Z-Buffer information. If you want to use Focus to blur a highlight,
you must select this option. If you are not sure about whether or not to select
this option, leave it disabled, because you probably don't need it.

7828 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Distance Fade group
Bright Lets you fade the brightness of the highlight effect based on the distance
away from the camera. This parameter can be animated on page 7775.
Lock Locks the Bright and Size spinner values together.
Size Lets you fade the size of the highlight effect based on the distance from
the camera. In most circumstances, you want the overall size of your highlights
to diminish as they get farther from the camera. This option takes care of that
for you. This parameter can be animated.

Effect group
Size Lets you determine the overall size of the highlight effect, and is calculated
in pixels. This parameter can be animated.
Points Controls the number of points to be generated for a highlight effect.
This parameter can be animated.

Color group
Gradient Lets you create the highlight based on the settings in the Gradients
panel.
Pixel Lets you create the highlight color based on the pixel color of the
highlighted object. This is the default method for Lens Effects Highlight and
is exceptionally fast.
User Lets you select a specific color for the highlights through the standard
3ds Max Color Selector on page 304. The color swatch shows you the currently
selected color.
Intensity Lets you control the intensity or brightness of the highlights. Values
range from 0 to 100. This spinner functions only when you are using either
the Pixel or User color methods to control the brightness of the highlight effect.
This parameter can be animated.

Lens Effects Gradients
Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Filter Event) ➤ Choose Lens Effects
Highlight from Filter Plug-In list ➤ Setup ➤ Gradients tab
A gradient is a smooth linear transition from one color or brightness to
another, as shown below. Lens Effects use gradients to control aspects of the

Lens Effects Filters | 7829

lens flares, such as colors and transparency. Lens Effects use several gradient
types on page 7834.

Lens Effects Gradients are always interpreted from left to right.

Gradient Flags
Gradients use Flags to indicate points along the gradient bar where you want
different colors or brightness values to be. The colors between the flags are
interpolated automatically by Lens Effects. Each Gradient inside Lens Effects
can contain up to 100 flags. The current flag is highlighted and green. The
position number above the gradient bar indicates the position of the current
flag, in relation to the overall length of the gradient.
A gradient always has non-moveable start and end flags. You can add up to
98 intermediate flags to alter the overall appearance of your gradients. You
can also change the color or brightness of the end flags to suit your needs.
When you place two gradient flags on top of one another, you create a sharp
break in the gradient. When a third flag is placed on top of the second flag,
a sharp edge appears in the gradient.

WARNING When you animate Lens Effects parameters, this creates pointers into
the actual scene, so Lens Effects animation is lost if you save the Video Post queue
in a VPX file on page 9344. To preserve the animation, save the Video Post data,
including Lens Effects animation, in the MAX file.

Procedures
To add an intermediate flag:
■

Click the gradient bar where you want to place the new flag.
The flag uses the color of the gradient at the point where you placed it. To
adjust the color, double-click to display the Color Selector on page 137.

7830 | Chapter 20 Video Post

To adjust the position of a flag:
■

Drag the flag left or right.
The gradient updates to show you the changes.

To delete a flag:
■

Drag the flag outside the gradient bar.
The flag turns red, and the mouse point changes to a down arrow pointing
to a bucket. When you let go of the mouse button, the flag is deleted.

To change a flag's properties:
1 Right-click the flag to display a menu.
2 Click Properties and change any settings you want.

Interface

Right-clicking a gradient flag and selecting Edit Properties displays the Flag
Properties dialog. To change gradient options on page 7832, right-click the
gradient bar, not the flags.
The Flag Properties dialog lets you change the name of the flag, its color, and
its position.
Name By default, flags are named Flag #. You can enter a different name for
the current flag. The arrows to the right of the name box let you choose other
flags on the same gradient.

Lens Effects Filters | 7831

Color The Color swatch lets you control the color or brightness component
of the gradient at the position where the flag is located. Click the color swatch
to display the color picker and choose a different color. The green arrow to
the left of the color swatch indicates that this flag parameter can be animated
on page 7775.
Position Each gradient has 100 possible positions from left to right. The
number in the spinner represents the position of the flag along the gradient.
Gradients are read from left to right so a value of zero aligns the flag with the
left edge of the gradient. This flag parameter can be animated.

Gradient Options
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose a Lens Effects Filter from the Filter Plug-In list. ➤
Setup ➤ Gradient tab
Each gradient in Lens Effects has a set of common options. Right-clicking the
gradient bar displays a shortcut menu with the following options.

Interface

Reset Resets the gradient back to its default parameters. This action cannot
be undone.

7832 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Load Gradient Displays a file open dialog in which you can load a particular
gradient. Gradients are saved with a .dgr extension.
Save Gradient Displays a file save as dialog where you specify the path and
filename for the gradient.
Load UV Map Lets you load a bitmap image and use each row of pixels of
the bitmap as an animated gradient. When a bitmap is loaded into a gradient
control, Lens Effects reads the first 100 pixels across the top row of the image
(for the 100 divisions of its gradient controls) and makes them the gradient.
With each successive frame, Lens Effects reads in the next row of pixels as the
gradient. When you scrub the animation slider, you can see the gradient
change over time.
NOTE If the animation is longer than the chosen bitmap is tall, then the bitmap
pattern is repeated.
Load Bitmap Displays a 3ds Max file browser so you can select a bitmap to
use as your gradient. Unlike UV Map, the Load Bitmap option only reads the
first row of pixels for the entire animation. This is a good option when you
need to have a complex but static gradient.
Flag Mode Indicates you are using flags to set the colors of your gradient
instead of using a bitmap as the source. Flag Mode is selected by default.

Compositing Methods
The last five options on the shortcut menu are different types of compositing
methods. When you work with Color and Transparency gradient controls in
any of the Lens Effects filters, you must be aware of both the Radial and Circular
gradients. Both Lens Effects color gradients and both Transparency gradients
are "locked together" and will work together based on the compositing method
you choose to create an effect.
Each compositing method works on a pixel-by-pixel basis on the positional
value in both gradients. The compositing methods define how the colors and
brightness values are combined to form a single color. When combining the
colors, the algorithms evaluate each color channel of the color to find the end
result. This lets you create five very different looking effects with the same
two gradients.
High Value When this option is selected, the higher color or brightness value
between the two gradients is selected. For example, if you had a color with
RGB values of 255,210,255 and another with 225,240,225, the resulting color
would be 255,240,255. This option generally results in a slightly brighter lens
flare than the default settings.

Lens Effects Filters | 7833

This is the most common way of using only one gradient. Set one gradient to
the color or brightness you desire, then set the other gradient to pure black.
This assures that all of the values you set in one gradient are used exclusively
to achieve the effect.
Average Calculates an average value between the colors. In the example above,
the resulting color would be 175, 225, 225. This option is good if you want
to mix gradient values and results in effects that are not as bright as High
Value.
Low Value Selects the lower color values, resulting in a less intense lens flare
and a more subtle overall effect. In the example above, the resulting color
would be 100,210,295.
Additive Adds colors values together, pushing their composite value toward
pure white, producing the brightest but most washed-out effects. Additive
compositing is good when you want to burn effects out.
Subtractive Subtracts colors values from each other, resulting in slightly muted
and less intense colors.
These compositing methods may be applied to all types of gradients, except
size gradients. The type of compositing being used for a gradient is noted
above the gradient bar.
Compositing methods are applied to every gradient. Some gradients are linked
together, so if you assign a specific compositing method to one, the
compositing method is automatically assigned to the other.

Types of Gradients
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose a Lens Effects Filter from the Filter Plug-In list. ➤
Setup ➤ Gradient tab
There are two different kinds of gradients in Lens Effects, Radial and Circular.
Between the two types, you can achieve almost limitless effects.

Interface
Radial Radial gradients work from the center point to the outer edge of a Lens
Effects feature, changing color or brightness in a straight line from left to right
as you scan the gradient bar. The left edge of the gradient is aligned with the
center of the effect and the right edge is aligned with the outer edge of the
effect.

7834 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Scheme of a radial gradient

Circular Changes colors in a circular manner, working clockwise around a
Lens Effects feature. If you mark North, East, South, and West on a circle,
these points represent the 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% marks of the gradient.
Each parameter panel in Flare, Glow, and Highlight that utilizes gradients
contain five gradient controls. The five controls are:

Lens Effects Filters | 7835

Scheme of a circular gradient

Color (Radial and Circular) Defines the colors used on page 7837 for an effect.
This is based on the RGB color system, but can also be set with HSV. Within
each set of gradient controls, there is a Radial and Circular Color gradient.
Radial Color works with Circular Color to produce the overall color for the
Lens Effects element.
Transparency (Radial and Circular) Varies the visibility of parts of the effect.
The transparency gradients only make use of brightness (or luminance) values,
which are essentially grayscale values. This black-to-white ramp of values
provides you with 256 levels of transparency for your effects. Just like the
Color gradients, both Transparency gradients are tied together to generate the
overall visibility of effect. See Gradient Options on page 7832.
Size Varies the size of specific parts of the Lens Effect. Most size gradients are
used to affect the radius of a lens flare part, such as a glow. Like transparency
gradients, only the brightness values are used to provide you with 256 different
sizes.
The Radial Size gradient, for example, works both like a Radial and Circular
gradient. This gradient is applied in a clockwise fashion, starting at 12 o'clock.
The values in the gradient are applied from the center of the effect toward the

7836 | Chapter 20 Video Post

outer edge, with brighter values producing bigger sizes and darker values
producing shorter sizes.

Gradient Colors
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose a lens effects filter from the Filter plug-in list. ➤
Setup ➤ Gradient tab
Colors in 3ds Max are interpreted in two different ways: RGB and HSV. In
RGB (red, green, blue), you can select one of 256 shades of red, green, and
blue, giving you a palette of 16.7 million colors (24 Bit). In HSV (Hue,
Saturation, Value), you can select one of 256 hues of color, then adjust the
saturation or the value of the color. The saturation can also be considered the
blackness of a color and value can be considered the whiteness of a color.
For transparent and size gradients, you adjust the vertical whiteness slider just
to the left of the RGB and HSV sliders. The white triangle on the right side of
the vertical bar is the slider. This controls the overall value of the color in
terms of HSV. In RGB terms, it is the same as adjusting all three colors equally
at the same time. Higher values on the whiteness scale represent more
transparency, or smaller sizes.
See also:
■

Color Selector Dialog on page 304

Negative Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Negative Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Negative
Filter. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event) ➤ Setup

The Negative filter inverts the colors in the image, making it negative like a
negative color photograph.

Negative Filter | 7837

Effect of negative filter

When you click the Setup button in the Edit Filter Event dialog for the Negative
filter, the Video Post dialog is replaced by a modeless Negative Filter dialog
with a Blend spinner. You can turn on Auto Key, move the time slider, and
change the Blend value to create keys. (You can also use other 3ds Max
functions; for example, you can create objects.) When you've set all the keys
you want, click the OK button to return to Video Post.
After creating keys from the Video Post filter, you'll find the track for the new
keys as a child of the Video Post track in the Track View – Curve Editor.
Specifically, in the above example, you'll find the following hierarchy in the
Curve Editor:

7838 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Interface

Blend Sets the amount of blending that occurs.

Pseudo Alpha Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Pseudo Alpha Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Contrast
Filter. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Edit Pseudo Alpha filter creates an alpha channel for the image based on
the image's first pixel (the upper-left corner pixel). All pixels that have the
same color as this pixel become transparent.
Because only one pixel color becomes clear, edges of the opaque areas are
aliased. The main use for this filter is when you want to composite a bitmap
whose format does not have an alpha channel.
There is also a layer event called the Pseudo Alpha Compositor on page 7846.
There are no setup options for this filter.

Simple Wipe Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Simple Wipe Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.

Pseudo Alpha Filter | 7839

Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Simple
Wipe Filter. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event) ➤ Setup

The Simple Wipe filter reveals or erases the foreground image with a wipe
transition. Unlike the Wipe Layer compositor on page 7848, Wipe Filter wipes
across a fixed image.

Wipe reveals an image by wiping from one side to the other, over time.

This filter wipes from image to image (or from an image to black). The filtered
image stays in place, but is revealed or erased with a wipe across the image.
If you're using a Wipe as a filter event, you'll usually want to use an Alpha
Compositor as a layer event as well.
A typical queue sequence would be: Alpha Compositor (layer)
-- ➤ Image #1
-- ➤ Simple Wipe (filter)
------ ➤ Image #2
The rate of the wipe is determined by the length of the Wipe filter's time range.
The area not covered by the image renders as black unless you use an Image
Layer event to composite the Wipe filter with another image.

7840 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Interface

Direction group
Right-pointing arrow Wipes from left to right.
Left-pointing arrow Wipes from right to left.

Mode group
Push Reveals the image.
Pop Erases the image.

Starfield Filter
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image
Filter Event) ➤ Choose Starfield Filter from the Filter Plug-In list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Starfield
Filter. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event) ➤ Setup

The Starfield filter generates a realistic starfield with optional motion blur.
The Starfield filter requires a camera view. Any motion of the stars is a result
of camera motion.

Starfield Filter | 7841

Procedures
To use the Starfield filter:
1 Create a camera and (optionally) animate the camera's or target's position,
field of view, and roll.
2 Choose Rendering ➤ Video Post and add a Scene Event, using the camera
for the view.
3 Select the Scene Event in the queue, click
(Add Image Filter), select
the Starfield filter, and click the Setup button.
4 In the Stars Control dialog, make sure that the selected camera matches
the camera used in the Scene Event.
If these don't match, the stars will not match the camera's motion. If
there is only one camera in the scene, the field will default to that camera.
5 Set the starfield parameters, then exit the Stars Control dialog and the
Edit Filter Event dialog.

6

Execute the Video Post sequence to see stars.

7842 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Interface

Source Camera group
Source Camera Lets you choose from a list of cameras in the scene. Choose
the same camera as the one being used to render the scene.

General group
Set the brightness range and size of the stars.
Dimmest Star Specifies the dimmest star. Range = 0 to 255.
Brightest Star Specifies the brightest star. Range = 0 to 255.
Linear/Logarithmic Specifies whether the range of brightness is calculated
linearly or logarithmically.

Starfield Filter | 7843

Star Size (Pixels) Specifies the size of the stars, in pixels. Range = 0.001 to
100.

Motion Blur group
These settings control the streaking effect of the stars when the camera moves.
Use When on, the starfield uses motion blur. When off, the stars appear as
dots, no matter what the camera's motion.
Amount The percentage of the frame time that the camera "shutter" is open.
Default = 75%.
Dimming Determines how the streaked stars will dim as their trails lengthen.
The default of 40 provides a good effect for video, dimming them a bit so they
don't appear to flash.

Star Database group
These settings specify the number of stars in the starfield.
■

RandomGenerates the number of stars indicated by the Count spinner,
using the random number Seed to initialize the random number generator.
Seed
Initializes the random number generator. By using the same Seed value in
different animations, you're guaranteed identical starfields.
Count
Specifies the number of stars generated when Random is chosen.

■

CustomReads the file specified. A provided star database, earth.stb, contains
the brightest stars in Earth's sky.

Compositing group
■

Background(The default.) Composites the stars in the background.

■

ForegroundComposites the stars in the foreground.

Layer Events
Layer events composite two events. They can also create a transition from one
event to the event that follows. The topics in this section describe the layer
events that are provided with Video Post.

7844 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Alpha Compositor
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure the two
child events are in the order you want the Image Layer event to use them. ➤
Select the two events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Layer Event)
➤ Choose Alpha Compositor from the Layer Plug-in list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select an Alpha
Compositor ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Alpha compositor composites the two images using the alpha channel
on page 9088 of the foreground image. The background image appears in areas
where the foreground image's alpha channel is transparent.

Procedures
To use the Alpha Compositor filters:
1 Add two Scene or Image Input events to the queue.
2 Select both events and assign an Image Layer event consisting of the
Alpha Composite Filter.
3

Select the Image Layer event and click Edit Current Event.

Cross Fade Compositor
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure the two
child events are in the order you want the Image Layer event to use them. ➤
Select the two events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Layer Event)
➤ Choose Cross Fade Compositor from the Layer Plug-in list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Cross Fade
Compositor. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

The Cross Fade compositor composites the two images over time, cross-fading
from the background image to the foreground image. The rate of the cross

Alpha Compositor | 7845

fade is determined by the length of the Cross Fade Transition filter's time
range.

Cross Fade fades one image into another over time.

There are no setup options for this compositor.

Procedures
To use the Cross Fade Compositor:
1 Add two Scene or Image Input events to the queue.
2 Select both events and assign an Image Layer event consisting of the
Cross Fade Compositor.

Pseudo Alpha Compositor
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure the two
child events are in the order you want the Image Layer event to use them. ➤
Select the two events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Layer Event)
➤ Choose Pseudo-Alpha Compositor from the Layer Plug-in list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a
Pseudo-Alpha Compositor. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
Event)

(Edit Current

The Pseudo-Alpha compositor composites a foreground image against the
background by creating an alpha channel for the foreground image based on

7846 | Chapter 20 Video Post

the foreground image's upper-left-corner pixel. All pixels in the foreground
image that use this color become transparent.

Pseudo Alpha compositing

Because only one pixel color becomes transparent, edges of the opaque areas
in the foreground image are aliased. Use this method when the foreground
image is a bitmap whose format does not have an alpha channel.
There are no setup options for this compositor.
There is also a Pseudo Alpha filter event on page 7839.

Procedures
To use the Pseudo Alpha Compositor:
1 Add two Scene or Image Input events to the queue.
2 Select both events and assign an Image Layer event consisting of the
Pseudo Alpha Composite Filter.

Simple Additive Compositor
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure the two
child events are in the order you want the Image Layer event to use them. ➤
Select the two events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Layer Event)
➤ Choose Simple Additive Compositor from the Layer Plug-in list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Simple
Additive Compositor. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

(Edit Current Event)

Simple Additive Compositor | 7847

The Simple Additive compositor composites the two images using the second
image's intensity (HSV value) to determine transparency. Areas of full intensity
(255) are opaque; areas of zero intensity are transparent; and areas with
intermediate transparency are translucent.

Additive compositing

This layer event can be useful when the second image is a bitmap whose format
does not have an alpha channel.
There are no setup options for this compositor.

Procedures
To use the Simple Additive Compositor:
1 Add two Scene or Image Input events to the queue.
2 Select both events and assign an Image Layer event consisting of the
Simple Additive Compositor.

Simple Wipe Compositor
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Make sure the two
child events are in the order you want the Image Layer event to use them. ➤
Select the two events. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤
(Add Image Layer Event)
➤ Choose Simple Wipe Compositor from the Layer Plug-in list.
Rendering menu ➤ Video Post ➤ Video Post window ➤ Select a Simple
Wipe Compositor. ➤ Video Post toolbar ➤

7848 | Chapter 20 Video Post

(Edit Current Event)

The Simple Wipe compositor reveals or erases the foreground image with a
wipe transition. Unlike the Wipe filter on page 7839, the Wipe layer event moves
the image, sliding it in or out.
The rate of the wipe is determined by the length of the Wipe compositor's
time range.

Wipe reveals an image by wiping from one side to the other, over time.

Procedures
To use the Simple Wipe compositor:
1 Add two Scene or Image Input events to the queue.
2 Select both events and assign an Image Layer event consisting of the
Simple Wipe Compositor.
3 Select the Image Layer event and click

(Edit Current Event).

4 Click Setup to display the Simple Wipe Compositor Setup dialog.

Simple Wipe Compositor | 7849

Interface

Direction group
Right-pointing arrow Wipes from left to right.
Left-pointing arrow Wipes from right to left.

Mode group
Push Reveals the image.
Pop Erases the image.

7850 | Chapter 20 Video Post

Managing Scenes and
Projects

21

These topics are concerned with managing scenes, projects, and the files that make them up.

Working with AutoCAD, Revit, and AutoCAD Architecture
3ds Max offers a number of features designed to streamline the design visualization workflow.
See Working with DWG Files on page 8051. The File Link Manager on page 8014 allows you to
create a live link to a DWG file. You can then apply materials and animations in 3ds Max,
but still update your geometry if any changes are made to the original file.

7851

A house model created in Revit becomes a detailed rendering in 3ds Max

File-Handling Commands
The principal commands for handling files on page 7947 are found on the Application menu
on page 8579.

File-Handling Utilities
Several utilities help you manage files:
■

The Asset Browser on page 8143 provides another way to find and preview files and use
them in 3ds Max scenes

■

The Bitmap / Photometric Path Editor utility on page 8158 lets you view bitmap paths or
remove them from the scene file.

■

The File Finder on page 8162 is another resource for finding 3ds Max scenes.

■

The Resource Collector on page 8165 copies or moves a scene's bitmaps into a single
directory.

7852 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

The Fix Ambient utility on page 8167 resolves lighting issues with older versions of scene
files.

■

The Bitmap Pager Statistics dialog on page 8170 provides information that helps you resolve
issues with scenes that require large amounts of memory for texture maps.

■

The Substitute modifier on page 1707lets you replace linked AutoCAD Architecture objects
with native 3ds Max geometry and objects.

Geometry File Formats
You can import and export a variety of geometry file formats on page 8173 into and from a
scene.

Image File Formats
You can use image file formats on page 8411 in a variety of ways: as textures for materials, as
backgrounds to viewports, as background environments, as Image Input events in Video
Post, and as images projected from a light. Similarly, 3ds Max can render to a number of
popular image file formats.

External References (XRefs) to Objects and Scenes
External references on page 7969 to objects and scenes are another powerful way to manage
a project, especially when it involves multiple contributors.

| 7853

Objects in a scene can be externally referenced, created and maintained by other users.

Scene Explorer
Scene Explorer on page 8469 is a powerful tool for viewing changing object properties, selecting
objects based on various criteria, and creating and modifying object hierarchies.

Organizational Tools
Container on page 7855 and group on page 7909 are tools for organizing objects logically so
they can be manipulated as one. Grouping offers basic functionality, while the container
provides advanced features for content-creation teams such as file access/sharing and
inheritance rules.

7854 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

The layer on page 8534 is like a transparent overlay on which you organize and group different
kinds of scene information. Objects on the same layer can share attributes such as color,
renderability, and display settings.

Scene States
The Scene States on page 8503 feature provides a fast way to save different scene conditions
with various properties that can be restored at any time and rendered to produce different
interpretations of a model.

Schematic View
Schematic View on page 8507 displays the scene as a graphic schema instead of as geometry.
It gives you an alternate way to select or rename the objects in your scene, and to navigate
among modifiers. It is especially useful for viewing objects in a hierarchy.

Container
Create panel ➤
➤ Container

Helpers ➤ Standard ➤ Object Type rollout

The container is a helper object that can control a collection of other objects.
These objects can be stored in a separate file with Container commands.
Actions such as transforming, deleting, saving, unloading, and cloning a
container affect its contents.
You can use containers to:
■

Organize scenes into logical groups, thus reducing complexity.

■

Override objects’ display properties, regardless of their individual or layer
settings.

■

Temporarily unload parts of the scene that are not in use, thereby
improving viewport performance.

■

Reference content until you need to access it, reducing scene loading and
saving time.

■

Toggle alternative content to replace objects quickly (for proxy workflows,
multiple design options, levels of detail).

Container | 7855

■

Share your content with others, who inherit any subsequent changes into
their scenes.

■

Collaborate with others by allowing them to edit attributes of your content
while still inheriting other attributes from you. (Anything Unlocked on
page 7892)

■

Let others edit your content in context of their scenes, and send those
changes back to you. (Edit In Place on page 7892)

Containers are useful in a wide variety of digital-content-creation contexts.
For example, in a game-development pipeline, modelers typically build parts
of a level, buildings, and characters in different containers. Another artist
might then assemble these containers in a scene and then set up the lighting.
Work can begin on scene assembly while the buildings and other components
are still in progress, since the updates to the containers are regularly refreshed
in the assembled scene.
To ensure that objects are exported from their original files with the correct
light map on page 9202, all of the containers can be edited in the level scene,
and light maps and UVs can be added, then written back to the source
buildings with Edit In Place. The original building will now be ready to export.
Containers also help you organize large scenes, such as those with cities. You
can put each city block in a container, then unload those blocks not being
edited, thereby greatly reducing scene loading, saving, and evaluation times.
In many cases, scene visibility is organized by groups, with trees, cars and
buildings on their own layers on page 9201. You can override object visibility
by controlling its visibility in the container with Override Object Properties.
In other words, a specific container can show all its contents, even though
some of them are defined as hidden in their layer.
A container created by others and inherited, or imported, into a scene is
referred to as a source container on page 9311. When you inherit a source
container, your scene references the container content externally from its

7856 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

source file, much like an XRef scene on page 7999. You can open and edit the
source container contents if its author has set the rules to allow this access.
And if the author changes the source container and then saves it, the contents
can update automatically in your scene.
When a container is in your scene, it is local. Local containers on page 9204 can
exist in an unsaved state in a scene, and are used much like groups and layers
to organize objects. And you can save a local container for another artist on
your team to inherit simply by closing it.

What’s New in Containers
This release provides new rules that allow others to access and edit the contents
of inherited containers locally while still inheriting your changes. In addition
to the legacy rules No Access and Only Edit In Place, the new rules, Only Add
New Objects and Anything Unlocked, are set on the Rules rollout on page 7891.
The new rules allow you to lock objects or attributes of objects so that others
can change anything except your locked content. There are shortcuts to lock
categories globally such as materials, modifiers, transforms, or base objects,
or you can lock individual attributes manually in Track View. For details about
all these and more, see Locking and Unlocking Tracks on page 7897.
Also new, the container provides automatic protection against accidentally
overwriting content by locking the definition while the container is open.
The status of a container (such as Editable or Locked) can now be displayed
in the viewports and Explorer to help you keep track of each container's state.
The new Containers Preferences panel on page 8953 allows global configuration
for container behavior. And the container proxies on page 7894 feature lets you
toggle quickly among multiple sets of contents. Last, to learn basic usage, try
the new Container tutorial, included with the 3ds Max Tutorials.
See also:
■

Containers Preferences on page 8953

Container Workflows
This topic describes typical scenarios in which you might use containers.

Container Workflows | 7857

Using Containers to Copy and Update Scene Content (Local Referencing)
Workflow: Group objects into a container, transform them as a single entity,
make copies, update the copies, and branch a container off for separate
development.
1 Create a container on page 7878 in a scene.
The container displays in an open state. An open container is fully
editable.
2 Add scene objects on page ? to the container.
The added objects are linked to the container as its children.

Two apartment models added to a container

3 Transform the container.
Any changes made to the container affect its contents as well.

7858 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Container contents repositioned in a scene

4 On the Manage Container rollout, turn on Auto Update When Closed,
and then Close the container on page 7880 and save it as Block_A.maxc.
Although the container contents are still visible in the viewports,
effectively they are removed from the scene (for example, attempting to
select the contents selects the container instead). The scene now references
the Block_A.maxc file from its saved location.
5 Make two copies of the container, then reposition each copy where needed
in the scene.
All containers reference the same Block_A.maxc file.

The original Block_A container (far left) and its two copies (middle and right)

6 Open one of the containers, and then try to open a second one.

Container Workflows | 7859

A message appears informing you that the container can’t be opened
while you’re editing its definition in another container. This helps prevent
accidental overwriting of changed containers.
7 Create a new object in the scene, add it to the open container, and click
Save.
Because the other containers reference the same MAXC file, they update
as well.

All containers receive the added object

8 Select the open container copy and use Save As on the Local Content
rollout to save it under a different name: Block_B.maxc.
The Block_B container is now branched off for its own development. Any
further changes to it are not applied to the copies.

Block_B container (far right) is branched off. It is unaffected by updates to Block_A
containers (left and middle).

7860 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Using Containers to Share and Edit Externally-Created Content (In-Place
Editing)
Workflow: Inherit content from others, pass changes back to the original
creator, and branch off from referenced containers for local development.
1 User B goes to the Container Explorer on page 7905, clicks Inherit Container
on page 7882, and uses the Inherit Container dialog to open the Block_A.maxc
file from the preceding procedure.
The container appears in the location in which it was saved from User
A’s scene. At this point, user B can work with the container but cannot
access its contents.

Container from User A (left) is inherited by User B (right)

2 User A makes changes to a building in the container and turns on Auto
Update When Closed.

Container Workflows | 7861

Changes to User A’s building (left) before closing the container

3 User A closes the container on page 7880. User B turns on Auto Update
When Closed and then automatically inherits the latest changes.
The container is automatically saved as it closes. Any time the container
is saved and Auto Update When Closed is on for the inherited container,
User B inherits changes to the content, whether User A closes it or not.

7862 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

User B’s container (right) after inheriting changes from User A

4 User A is now ready to make his container editable by others. On the
Rules rollout on page 7891, he sets When Inherited, Allow to Only Edit In
Place, and then closes the container.
A warning icon next to the Update button for user B’s container notifies
him that an update is required. Auto Update applies to changed content,
but not changed settings for the container itself.
5 User B goes to the Manage Container rollout and clicks Update.
The Edit In Place button becomes available, so user B clicks it.
NOTE In order for User B to edit the container, User A must have closed it.
An Edit In Place container is available to only one user at a time.
6 User B makes her edits and clicks Edit In Place again to exit Edit In Place
mode.
The container is closed and User A’s source definition is overwritten. The
next time the author (or anyone else referen cing the container) loads
the container, they will see the changes made by User B.

Container Workflows | 7863

User A inherits changes made by User B

NOTE When you use Edit In Place, the Container feature provides an
automatic locking function to prevent people who are editing the same
container from overwriting changes made by each other.
7 User B needs to make a copy of the container and use it for another
project.
On the Inherited Content rollout, she clicks Merge Source Definition on
page 7896. The content is now local and behaves as if it was created from
scratch in the current scene, rather than inherited from an external source.
The container is now branched off; access is not limited by any rules.

7864 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Copied container (right) branched off and used in a different project

Using Containers to Manipulate Content and Set Visibility in a Complex
Scene
Workflow: Close a container, unload the container to remove its contents
from the scene, move the container helper to another area in the scene, and
reload the container so its contents display in their new location.
1 Create three containers in a scene, close them, and save each with a
unique name.
The containers are saved to disk and their contents, while still visible in
the viewports, are removed from the scene. Scene performance is
improved: It now takes less time to autosave, as well as to save and reload
the scene file.

Container Workflows | 7865

City scene with three saved local containers

2 Click Unload to remove the selected container’s contents temporarily.

City scene with one unloaded container

3 Move the unloaded container helper to a new position, and then click
Load.
The container contents reappear at their new location.

7866 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Container contents moved down the street

This is a fast way to toggle content in and out of a complex or data-heavy
scene.

Using Containers to Control Content Editability (Manage Merge and Make
Unique)
Workflow: Create a container and place second container inside it, allow edits
to the master container, then inherit the nested container to prevent edits by
others.
1 User A creates a container on page 7878 and adds the contents on page ?
of a city block to it.

Container Workflows | 7867

Container (right) with the objects of one city block added to it

2 User A creates a second container, adds a skyscraper to it, saves the
container on page ?, and adds it to the first container.
User A now has a parent container, with another container nested inside.

Master container (right) with a Skyscraper container (left) nested inside

7868 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

3 User A selects the parent container. Next, on the Rules rollout on page
7891, he chooses Only Edit In Place, and then saves the container.
4 User A wants to protect the Skyscraper container from edits by others, so
he selects the Skyscraper container, uses Inherit Content and picks the
source definition, and saves the master container again.
Now the Skyscraper container is inherited into the master container, and
access to its contents is prevented.
5 User B inherits the master container in her scene, then clicks Merge Source
Definition on page 7896. This places the container in the same state as it
is in the author’s scene: The open container is editable, but the closed
nested container is referenced and therefore uneditable.

User B (bottom) inherits Containers from User A (top)

Container Workflows | 7869

6 User B decides she also needs access to the uneditable container, so she
clicks Make All Content Unique on page 7889.
The previously uneditable container opens but it no longer references
the author’s source container on page 9311. User B can now modify its
contents locally for her own scene.

User B continues to work locally, building upon the work of User A

Using Containers to Control the Display of Objects In a Scene
Workflow: Set up container display so you can work on specific containers
and hide the rest of the scene contents. Change the display setup without
permanently changing the display organization of the scene.
1 For each container in the scene, turn on Display rollout ➤ Expand
Bounding Box.
This makes it easier to identify which objects belong to which Container.

7870 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Three containers and their bounding boxes, showing the extent of their contents

2 Open the Manage Layers Dialog on page 8537 and use it to set object display
properties so that only certain types of objects can be viewed and worked
on.

Scene with a layer of lamp objects visible

3 Right-click a container and set its Object Properties to By Layer.
4 With the container still selected, turn on Override Object Properties.

Far left Container’s display properties override other hidden object layers

5 Turn on Override Object Properties for all containers.

Container Workflows | 7871

You can easily override object properties of selected containers from the
Container Explorer or the Tools ➤ Containers submenu.
6 Right-click a container, choose Object Properties, then set Display
Properties to By Object and See-Through.

Left container object display properties set to See-Through, in order to see objects
behind it

7 In the Manage Layers Dialog on page 8537, click Render to turn off the
renderability of the containers to the left and right, so you can quickly
render only the part of the scene.

Renderability of left and right containers turned off

The renderable content of the scene is determined not by individual
object or layer settings, but by container.

Parallel Referencing
Workflow: User A inherits a container from User B, User B inherits a container
from User A, each user clicks Update to keep abreast of the other’s work. They
click Allow Edit In Place to their own containers to permit changes by an
external user.
1 User A is modeling a group of buildings in one container. User B is
working on vehicle animation in a different container.

7872 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

User A’s scene (top) and User B’s scene (bottom)

2 Both users inherit on page 7882 one another’s containers.
Users A and B can now work in parallel. They are developing their own
components of a scene, while at the same time being able to see the
progress of their colleague’s work.

Container Workflows | 7873

User A (top) and User B (bottom) inherit one another’s scene
components

3 User A selects his local container on page 9204 and on the Rules rollout on
page 7891, sets when Inherited, Allow to Only Edit In Place, and then saves
the container.
4 User B selects the container inherited from User A, and clicks Update.
She then adds keys to User A’s container to sync the movement of the
animated cars.

7874 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

User B adds keys to extend animation into User A’s part of the
city.

5 User A clicks Update to see the recent changes made by User B.

User A inherits the changes made by User B.

Working With Containers
This topic provides useful information, tips, best practices, and methods for
working with the Container feature.

Working With Containers | 7875

Container Definitions
A container definition is a MAXC file that stores the content of the container.
You can use a definition file in either of two ways:
■

Local DefinitionStores the changes you make to the content.

■

Source DefinitionReferences content into a container in your scene.

When you save a container in your scene, you save a Local Definition. If others
reference your content, then their Source Definition is the same as your Local
Definition. If they make changes to your content, they save those changes to
a unique Local Definition of their own. The exception is Edit in Place, which
saves changes back to the Source Definition, overwriting it.
You can open a definition file to troubleshoot its contents the same way you
would a regular MAX scene file: Simply rename the container file's MAXC
extension to MAX.

Locked Definitions
When the same local definition is shared by multiple containers, you can
access only one of the containers at a time. When the status is Locked, this
means that this container's definition is being accessed elsewhere. This can
occur when:
■

The container allows editing in place, but someone is currently editing it.

■

The container has been copied and one of the copies is open.

■

The same 3ds Max scene file is open elsewhere, and the same container is
open.

As long as a local definition exists, when the container is open or edited, a
temporary file is created to identify the status to others who try to access it.
This file is deleted when you exit Edit In Place mode or close the container.
However, if you exit or reset 3ds Max while editing in place, this lock file
might remain, causing the container to be inaccessible subsequently. To restore
accessibility, open the folder in which the container file resides and delete
the file with the same name as the container file, appended with .lock. For
example, if the container file is named dining_room.maxc, the lock file would
be named dining_room.maxc.lock.
To avoid conflicts, make it a practice to close a container when you are ready
for it to be accessible locally by another user.

7876 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Tips and Best Practices
■

DependenciesBecause containers can be inherited by others, who can add
them to their own scenes, be sure to package all relevant dependencies for
the content in the container. If you do not, the relationships with objects
outside of the container will be severed upon Update, Close, or Unload.
For example, if a sphere’s motion influences deformation of a cylinder
with the Linked XForm modifier, you might place the cylinder and any
related objects inside one container, and then place that container and
the sphere inside a second container.

■

System UnitsIf you plan to share a container with others, make sure you
are all using the same system units.

■

Instanced and Cloned ContainersYou cannot instance on page 9195
containers. You can clone on page 925 containers, and the cloned containers
will be closed because the original container has locked the definition on
page 7876. To inherit changes made to whichever copy is currently open,
turn onAuto Update When Closed on page 7888
If you clone a saved or closed container, you cannot undo the action.

■

Transforming a ContainerA container is the parent of its contents, so, by
default, any transforms you apply to the container affect all objects inside
it.
To transform a container without affecting its contents, select an open
container and, on the Hierarchy panel ➤ Adjust Transform rollout, turn
on Dont Affect Children. This setting applies only when the Hierarchy
panel is active.

■

HierarchyYou can create parent/child relationships among objects inside
a container, but all content is a descendant of the container. The following
rules apply to working with object hierarchies within containers:
■

Removing ObjectsWhen you remove an object from a container, its
children are also removed and it is no longer linked to its original
parent.

■

Unlinking ContentUnlinking an object from its parent in the container
removes it and its children. Similarly, if you link content to a parent
outside the container, the object and its children are removed.
Unlinking content from the container also removes it.

■

Linking to ContentIf you link an object to a parent that is in a
container, you are prompted to add it. If you click No, the relationship
to the parent will be severed upon Update, Close, or Unload.

Working With Containers | 7877

Similarly, if you link an object outside a container as parent of an object
inside a container, the latter is removed from the container without
prompting. However, if you link an object outside a container as a child of
an object inside a container, you’re prompted to add the former to the
container.
■

XRefsYou cannot add XRef on page 9356 objects or objects with XRef
materials or controllers in a container. Instead, you can inherit a container
that contains objects that you might otherwise use as XRefs, and add that
to another container.

■

Rigs in ContainersBefore placing an animated rig in a container, make sure
no objects in the rig are hidden or frozen and that the container is centered
at the origin (X=0, Y=0, Z=0). When adding rigs to a container, be sure to
include all dependencies as well.
NOTE Biped and CAT systems are always local when inherited. This means
they update only in closed containers, and do not support unlocking specific
attributes.

■

External PathsInheriting a container works much like merging on page
8101 assets into the scene. For instance, if the content uses a bitmap, the
map will not be found if the path has changed, or the new path is not
defined in External Files on page 8877.
In such cases, you can use the Missing Map Files dialog on page 8141 that
opens to locate the files.

Procedures
To create a container:

1 On the

Create panel, click

(Helpers).

2 On the Object Type rollout, click Container.
3 Click and drag in a viewport to create the container helper object.
4 Right-click to end the object creation.
When first created, the container is open, and thus is editable.

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To create a container from selected objects:
After selecting objects to place in a container, do one of the following:
■

From the Tools menu, choose Containers ➤ Create Container From
Selection.

■

Open Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469 with
Customize ➤ Toolbars ➤ Container on, or Container Toolbar on page
7906, and on the toolbar click

(Create Container From Selection).

A container is added to the scene with the selected objects placed inside.
To add objects to a container:
Do one of the following:
■

In a viewport, select an open container to add objects to, then on the
Modify panel ➤ Local Content rollout, click Add. Use the Add Container
Node dialog that opens to highlight the objects to add, and click Add.

■

In a viewport, select the objects you want to add to the container, then
from the Tools menu, choose Containers ➤ Local Content ➤ Add
Selected To Container. Use the Select Container To Add To dialog that
opens to select an open container to add the objects to.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906, select the objects to add, and on the toolbar,
click
(Add Selected To Container). Use the Select Container To Add
To dialog to highlight the container, and click Add.

The added objects remain visible in the viewports, but when the container is
closed they are removed from the scene and referenced from the container’s
MAXC file.
To remove objects from a container:
Do one of the following:
■

Select an open container from which to remove objects. (You cannot select
objects in closed containers.) On the Modify panel ➤ Local Content
rollout, click Remove. Highlight objects to remove in the Remove Container
Node dialog list and then click Remove.

Working With Containers | 7879

■

Select the objects to remove, then from the Tools menu, choose Containers
➤ Local Content ➤ Remove Selected From Container.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905 or Scene Explorer on page 8469,
highlight the objects to remove, and on the toolbar click
Selected From Container).

(Remove

The objects are removed from the container and added to the scene.
To identify which container an object belongs to:
1 Select the object in a scene whose container you want to identify.
2 From the Tools menu, choose Containers ➤ Select Contents Container.
The object’s container is selected in the scene.
NOTE In the case of nested containers, the object’s immediate parent container
is selected.
To close and save a container:
1 Do one of the following:
■

Select the container to close and then on the Modify panel ➤ Manage
Container rollout, click Close.

■

Select the container to close and then from the Tools menu, choose
Containers ➤ Close Container.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469,
or Container Toolbar on page 7906, highlight the container to close,
and on the toolbar click

(Close Container).

2 If this is the first time you are closing the container, you’re prompted to
save it first. Use the Container Definition File dialog to specify the location
and file name, then click Save.
The Container helper changes from an open to closed state. After you
close the container, it can be edited by someone else.
Objects in closed containers are removed from the scene but remain
visible. They are now referenced by the scene from the saved container’s

7880 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

file. Closing containers can be an effective way to improve scene
performance.
To save a container:
Do one of the following:
■

Select the container to save, then on the Modify panel ➤ Local Content
rollout, click Save or Save As.

■

Select the container to save, then choose Tools menu ➤ Containers
➤ Local Content ➤ Save Container.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906, select the container to save, and on the
toolbar click

(Save Container).

If this is the first time you are saving the container, a file dialog prompts you
for the name and location of the MAXC file to save.
To reload a container:
Do one of the following:
■

In a viewport, select an open container to reload, then on the Modify
panel ➤ Local Content rollout, click Reload.

■

In a viewport, select an open container to reload, then on the Tools
menu, choose Containers ➤ Local Content ➤ Reload Container.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906, select an open container to reload, and
on the toolbar click

■

(Reload).

This refreshes the open container to its most recently saved version. You
can use this feature to abandon changes to your container without saving
them, or to refresh copies of containers.

Working With Containers | 7881

To update a container:
Only containers with inherited content can be updated. To update an inherited
container, do one of the following:
■

■

In a viewport, select the container to update, then on the Modify panel
➤ Local Content rollout, click Update.

■

In a viewport, select the container to update, then from the Tools menu,
choose Containers ➤ Update.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906, select the container to update, and on
the toolbar click

(Update).

This updates the container to its most recently saved version.
To inherit a container:
This procedure shows how to bring a container into a scene as a new entity.
Alternatively, you can inherit a container into an existing container; see the
following procedure.
1 Do one of the following:
■

From the Tools menu, choose Containers ➤ Inherit Container.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469,
or Container Toolbar on page 7906, and click

(Inherit Container).

2 On the Inherit Container dialog, navigate to the MAXC file of the
container to inherit in your scene.
3 Click Open.
If the author of the container has provided edit permission on page 7883
and you click Edit In Place, you can edit its contents on page ?.
To inherit the contents of a saved container into an existing container:
1 In a viewport, select the container to receive the inherited contents, then
on the Modify panel ➤ Manage Container rollout, click Inherit Content.

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2 Use the Inherit Content dialog to navigate to the MAXC file of the
container whose objects and display properties you want to inherit.
3 Click Open.
Any contents in the current container are deleted and replaced with the
contents of the container you chose to inherit.
If the author of the container has provided permission and you click Edit
In Place, you can edit its contents on page ?.
To edit an inherited container:
You can edit an inherited container only if the author has provided edit
permission on page 7883.
If edit permission has been granted, do one of the following:
■

Select the container to edit, then on the Modify panel ➤ Manage
Container rollout, click Edit In Place. Make your changes, then click
Edit In Place again to save your work and close the container.

■

Select the container to edit, then from the Tools menu, choose
Containers ➤ Edit Container. Make your changes, then choose Edit
Container again to save your work and close the container.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906, highlight the container to edit, and on
the toolbar click

(Edit Container). Make your changes, then click

(Edit Container) again to save your work and close the container.
Anyone who subsequently references the container will inherit the
changes.
To allow edits to a container:
1 Select an open container.
2 On the Modify panel ➤ Rules rollout, choose Only Edit In Place, Only
Add New Objects, or Anything Unlocked (and set attributes to lock), then
save the container. For explanations of these options, see Rules rollout
on page 7891.
3 Close the container.

Working With Containers | 7883

The container file can now be edited by someone else. Anyone who
subsequently references the container will inherit the changes.
To change inherited content to local content:
Inherited content is referenced into the scene from the container file, so that
changing that content also changes the file. You can de-reference the content,
thus making it unique, by following this procedure.
Do one of the following:
■

Select the closed container in your scene whose referenced contents
you want to make unique, then on the Modify panel ➤ Manage
Container rollout, click Make All Content Unique.

■

In a viewport, select the closed container in your scene whose referenced
contents you want to make unique, then from the Tools menu, choose
Containers ➤ Make All Content Unique.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906, select the closed container in your scene
whose referenced contents you want to make unique, and on the toolbar
click

(Make All Content Unique).

The container status changes from Closed to Open and all its contents are
loaded into the scene. The contents are no longer referenced from the MAXC
file; any changes you now make to the container contents are done locally.
To merge a container into your scene:
Select a closed container that is inheriting contents from an externally
referenced source container on page 9311 and do one of the following:
■

On the Modify panel ➤ Inherited Content rollout, click Merge Source
Definition.

■

On the Tools menu, choose Containers ➤ Inherited Content ➤ Merge
Container Source.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906 and on the toolbar click
Container Source).

7884 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

(Merge

The container is loaded with the most recent version of the source container
and changes from closed to open. The container is now local and any changes
you make to the container no longer affect the source.
To override content display settings:
Select the container whose object display properties you want to override and
do one of the following:
■

On the Modify panel ➤ Display rollout, click Override Obj Properties.

■

From the Tools menu, choose Containers ➤ Override Object Properties.

■

Open a Container Explorer on page 7905, Scene Explorer on page 8469, or
Container Toolbar on page 7906 and on the toolbar click
(Override
Object Properties).
The individual display properties of all objects in the selected container,
including display color, show/hide, and renderability, are overridden
and replaced by the display properties set for the container.

To delete a container:
1 In a viewport or Explorer, select the container to delete.
2 Press Delete or choose Edit menu ➤ Delete.
When you delete a container, its content is deleted as well.

Container Commands
The 3ds Max interface provides container commands from the Application
menu, Command panel, Tools menu, floating toolbars, and Explorers.
Menu and toolbar commands are useful when working with more than one
container. Commands for a single, selected container are activated from the
Modify panel.
This topic summarizes each container command group in the interface.
Application menu

■

Application menu ➤ References ➤ Inherit Container

Container Commands | 7885

Inserts a Source Container on page 9311 into your scene. The scene references
the content from its source file.
Command panel

■

Select a container. ➤
Modify panel
Rollouts provide controls for working with a selected container. For
command descriptions, refer to Interface on page 7887.

Container toolbar
■

Right-click main toolbar. ➤ Containers
Right-clicking an empty region of the main toolbar and choosing
Containers opens the Containers toolbar on page 7906 with a number of
commands for working with containers.

Menu bar
■

Tools menu ➤ Containers
The Containers submenu on page 8593 provides commands that let you
inherit containers and edit selected containers in your scene.

Container Explorer
■

Tools menu ➤ Open Container Explorer / Open Explorer: Container
Explorer
Container Explorer on page 7905 is a customized version of Scene Explorer
on page 8469. It features a Container toolbar on page 7906 that lets you inherit
containers and edit containers in your scene.
Right-clicking in the table view opens a context menu with the Containers
submenu.

If Container Explorer does not display in the Tools menu, do the following:
1 From the Tools menu, choose Manage Scene Explorer.
2 On the Manage Scene Explorer dialog, click Load.
3 On the Load Scene Explorer dialog, highlight the
DefaultContainerExplorer.ini file and click Open.
The Container Explorer now displays on the Tools menu.

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Scene Explorer
■

Any new or saved Scene Explorer.
Right-clicking in the table view opens a menu with a Containers submenu.
To display a Container Toolbar on page 7906 in a regular Scene Explorer on
page 8469, go to the Scene Explorer menu bar and choose Customize ➤
Toolbars ➤ Container.

Containers Preferences
■

Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ Containers panel on page 8953
This panel sets container preferences; in particular, you can use the Status
and Update settings to improve performance.

Interface
This section describes the container commands available on the Modify panel.
Many of these commands are duplicated in the Scene Explorer on page 8469
and Container Explorer on page 7905 toolbars and submenus, as well as the
Tools menu ➤ Containers submenu.

Manage Container rollout
The Manage Container rollout lets you open, close, inherit, save, and update
containers in your scene. It also lets you convert a source container on page
9311 to a unique container on page 9338.

Inherit Content Loads the contents of a MAXC container file, including all
its properties, into the selected container. Any existing content in the
inheriting container is deleted.

Container Commands | 7887

NOTE This function loads the contents of a container file at the location of an
existing container. To open a source container at the location from which it was
originally saved, use the Inherit Container on page 7906 command instead.
TIP When you inherit a container set to the rule on page 7891 Only Add New Objects
or Anything Unlocked, the container enters the scene in an open state. Standard
workflow is then to save the container under a different, unique name, thus creating
a new local definition for the container. When such a container is open, its local
definition is locked, preventing other users from modifying it.
Unload/Load Toggles the loaded state of the container. Displays as Unload
when a container is loaded and Load when a Container is unloaded. When
unloaded, the container is closed and its contents do not appear in the scene.
Click Unload to save the Container and remove its contents from the scene.
Click Load to load the latest saved version of the Container into the scene
and display its contents. The closed/open state before unloading is restored.
Close/Open Toggles the closed/open state of the container. Displays as Close
when the container is open and vice-versa.
Click Close to save the container and prevent any edits or additions to its
contents. (The container itself can still be selected, transformed, copied, and
so on.)
When you close a container, its contents are saved to a MAXC file and are
referenced by the scene, and it can be inherited into any scene as a source
container on page 9311. Closing a container can improve scene performance.
Click Open to edit container content. This option is not available for an
inherited container if the Rules rollout was set to No Access on page 7892 when
the container was saved.
NOTE When a container is closed, clicking an object within the container selects
the container.
Auto Update When Closed Automatically updates the container, when closed,
each time its source file changes.
This option eliminates the need to click Update to view an up-to-date version
of the container.
Update Empties the selected container and reloads its contents from the source
file into the scene. It does not Update content that is inherited by the source
(in other words, Update does not update changes made to the source of the
source). After updating, any changes made to the source container since the

7888 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

previous update, including changes to edit permissions, are present in the
updated container.
If the inherited container has a local definition (that is, it was inherited with
the rule Only Add New Objects or Anything Unlocked and then saved),
updating it keeps any changes you’ve made to the local definition that are
not part of the source definition, such as added objects.
NOTE When custom attributes on page 243 are defined on source content, these
definitions are inherited. You can unlock and edit these custom attributes in an
inherited container, but any locally added attributes to the same definition will be
lost after updating.
The Update command does not apply to unique containers on page 9338.
When an inherited container is selected, an icon next to the Upate button
shows the source container status:

■

■

The inherited container is up to date; no update is needed.

The source container file is newer than the inherited container; an
update is needed. Click Update to get the latest version of the container.

Make All Content Unique Converts all inherited content, regardless of the
source, to be local content. Unique containers on page 9338 can be edited and
no longer reference a MAXC file.
Edit In Place Click to edit the contents of a container originating from another
user and saved with Rules on page 7891 set to Only Edit In Place. To save your
changes and and close the container, click Edit In Place again. Anyone else
who then inherits the container will inherit your edits.
Editing an inherited container uses a temporary lock file. For details, see Locked
Definitions on page 7876.
NOTE Because Edit in Place overwrites the source when exiting, additional steps
are necessary if you are inheriting the source from a previous version of 3ds Max
and intend to save it back to that version after editing. Edit in Place always saves
to the current version, which supports all new features. To revert to a definition
format supported in previous releases, use Save As on page 7891 with Save As Type
set to 3ds Max 2010 Container Definition and then copy it manually over the
original source.

Container Commands | 7889

Local Content rollout
The Local Content rollout lets you edit, refresh, and save containers opened
and saved locally on your workstation.
This rollout is hidden if the container is closed or unloaded.

Add Opens the Add Container Node dialog, which lets you choose objects in
the scene to add to the container. To highlight list contents, use the mouse
button, optionally in conjunction with Shift or Ctrl. Added contents remain
visible in the viewports but are removed from the scene and added to the
container’s MAXC source file when the container is closed or unloaded. If the
container is deleted from the scene, all objects within it are deleted from the
scene as well.
If you add an object that already belongs to a different container, you’re given
the option to move the object from its current container to the new one, or
cancel by clicking No.
NOTE The following object types are not eligible for adding to a container:
■

XRef objects on page 7971

■

Objects attached to the scene via file linking on page 8050

You can add an object to which an XRef Scene on page 7999 is bound, but the
binding is lost when you close the container.
Last, it is highly recommended that you not combine grouping actions on page
7909 with containers. That is, do not group a container with other objects, and do
not add grouped objects to a container.
Remove Opens the Remove Container Node dialog, which lets you choose
objects to remove from the container. Objects removed from the container
are added to the scene.

7890 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Saved Local Definition: Displays the file name of the most recent locally
saved version of the container.
Save Saves the local definition, which includes all local changes to the
container, and references the source of inherited content. When Editing in
Place, this local definition replaces the source of the container when editing
is completed.
Save As Saves the selected container as a new MAXC file.
Two choices are available from the “Save as type” drop down list:
■

3ds Max Container Definition (*.maxc)Saves in the Autodesk 3ds Max
2011 format.

■

3ds Max 2010 Container Definition (*.maxc)Saves in the 3ds Max
2010 format for compatibility.
To specify how to convert the unsupported rules Only Add New Objects
and Anything Unlocked, use the Preferences ➤ Containers panel ➤ Save
to Previous on page 8954 setting.

Reload Restores an open container to its most recently saved version. Use
Reload to refresh local copies of containers that share definitions, or abandon
recent changes.

Rules rollout
The Rules rollout lets the author of the container specify the access level for
those who inherit the container. The rules do not apply to local content.

Container Commands | 7891

When Inherited, Allow Choose whether and how users who inherit the
container have access to its contents:
■

No Access (closed)The inheritor cannot open the container. Use this when
another user needs to add the contained content to their scene, but doesn’t
need to edit the contents.

■

Only Edit In PlaceThe inheritor can edit the container contents by clicking
Edit In Place on page 7889. While Edit In Place is in effect, the container is
locked and cannot be edited by anyone else. When you finish editing the
container by clicking Edit In Place a second time, the edits are saved,
replacing the original source definition, and the container becomes
available for others to edit.
When you edit a container in place, you have the same level of control
over the container as its originator. You can change the rule, lock and
unlock tracks, add and delete contents, and so on.
Use this option when passing content around various members of a
development team to prevent accidental overwriting of other members’
work.

■

Only Add New ObjectsThe inheritor can add objects to the container, but
cannot select or edit the existing contents. All contents tracks are locked
and cannot be accessed by the inheritor. Use this option when others need
to add new content to the container without modifying the inherited
content.
When you inherit a container with this option set, the container enters
the scene in an open state. When you click Close or Save, you’re prompted
for a file name. Use a name different from the source container to avoid
overwriting it.
Doing so creates a local definition of the container, which stores local edits
to the container as well as the reference to the source of the inherited
content, which still updates.

■

Anything Unlocked:The inheritor can add objects and edit unlocked tracks
in the source container. Use the four toggle buttons (see following) to
specify global categories of locked and unlocked properties. For
finer-grained control, use the Edit feature (also covered following) to lock
and unlock attributes at the track level.
When you inherit a container with this option set, the container enters
the scene in an open state. When you click Close or Save, you’re prompted
for a file name. Use a name different from the source container to avoid
overwriting it, thus creating a local definition. While any user has this
local definition open, the container is locked so that other users cannot
overwrite it.

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Subsequent changes to this container, when inherited, are saved in the
local version, but not transferred back to the source container. However,
changes in the source can still be inherited by updating, with a caveat (see
Note, following).
NOTE When you update a container inherited with the Anything Unlocked
rule, only locked objects and attributes receive changes. When setting rules,
lock what you plan to edit yourself. If you change something that is unlocked,
that change will not be inherited by others. When you lock objects or attributes
locally, you can continue to access them by turning on Override All Locks on
page 7904.
If you add something new that is unlocked, it will be inherited the first
time, but never updated. If you delete something, it will be deleted from
the container when others update. Similarly, changes in hierarchical
relationships among inherited objects are always updated.
The “global” lock toggles described following lock the chosen attributes
in the definition file upon save, but not the current scene. You can use
any combination of:

■

Lock All Modifiers When on, the inheritor cannot edit modifiers
of inherited objects.

■

Lock All MaterialsWhen on, the inheritor cannot edit materials
applied to inherited objects.

■

Lock All TransformsWhen on, the inheritor cannot edit
transforms such as rotation keys.

■

Lock All ObjectsWhen on, the inheritor cannot edit parameters
of base objects, such as a sphere’s radius.

Edit Opens Track View, where you can use Lock, Unlock, and related
commands to specify which attributes are editable (locked controls are not
editable). For details, see Locking and Unlocking Tracks on page 7897.
You can also lock and unlock animation layers on page 3496.

Container Commands | 7893

Proxies rollout
The Proxies feature lets you temporarily substitute a container file on disk for
the selected container. For example, a proxy container can use low-resolution
versions of the objects in the original container to free up memory and speed
rendering while setting up a scene. Use this feature as an alternative to Unload
on page 7888 when you need to reduce scene complexity while still being able
to see where objects are in the scene.
You can specify any number of proxies for a container and then use the
Definition File drop-down list to swap the different proxies quickly in and
out of the scene to control the overall scene complexity. Or simply choose
No Proxy to restore the original container.

Proxies Choose either proxy option:
■

No ProxyThe original container appears in the scene.

■

Definition FileEnables substitution of an alternate, proxy container.
If you choose Definition File with no proxies defined, a file dialog opens
so that you can choose a proxy file. Thereafter the name of the proxy file
appears in the text box and the file replaces the original container in the
scene.

[drop-down list] Choose a proxy container file from the list; the active file
appears in the text box when the list is closed. To modify the list contents,
use Edit (see following).

Edit Opens the Container Alternate Definitions dialog for editing the
list of proxy containers.
On the dialog, use the Add and Remove buttons to change the contents of
the list.

7894 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

AddOpens a file dialog so that you can choose a proxy file. Thereafter the
name appears on the drop-down list.

■

RemoveDeletes the highlighted item from the list.

■

CloseCloses the dialog.

Inherited Content rollout
The Inherited Content rollout identifies the path and name of the currently
selected source container on page 9311 definition, the file that you inherit the
content from, and lets you merge its contents into your scene.
This rollout is hidden if the container was created locally.

Container Commands | 7895

Source Definition Displays the path and name of the MAXC source file that
the selected container is referencing.
Merge Source Definition Loads the most recently saved version of the source
container on page 9311 as the local definition, but does not open or make
available for editing any nested containers within, or merge any content that
is defined by the source's source.

Display rollout
The Container group lets you set the display properties of the Container helper
in your viewports.
To override some of these settings globally, use Display Status in Viewports
on page 8955.

Name When on, displays the name of the container in the viewport.
Status When on, displays the status on page 8480 of the container in
the viewport.

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Expand Bounding Box When on, a bounding box expands to encompass
the contents of the selected container. When off, the bounding box
encompasses only the selected container helper object gizmo.
Icon Sets the size of the currently selected container helper object gizmo.

Contents group
Override Obj Properties Click to ignore the display settings of individual
objects in a container, and instead use the display settings defined for the
container helper object.
If the container display properties are controlled by layer, only objects in a
container which are part of other layers will obey the container layer.

Locking and Unlocking Tracks
Create a container or select a local container. ➤ Rules rollout ➤ Choose
Anything Unlocked. ➤ Click Edit. ➤ Track View Controller window ➤
Highlight and then right-click a track. ➤ Choose a command from the
right-click menu.
Using the Anything Unlocked rule on page 7891 with a container you create
gives you highly fine-grained control over which scene properties a user who
inherits the container can edit. This topic explains the related concepts and
commands.
The container-related commands available by selecting a highlighted track or
tracks in the Track View Controller window are:
■

Lock

■

Unlock

■

Unlock Leaves

■

Hide

■

Conceal

■

Override All Locks

Container Commands | 7897

These have different effects depending on the type of track they’re applied to,
as described in the Interface section, following. For the purposes of using these
commands, there are four types of tracks:
■

NodeAn object in the scene, which is the parent of all tracks for the object
itself, such as transforms, as well as of any modifiers, materials, or
animation layers applied to it.
TIP When you lock a node track with the Selected Objects filter on (the default
status), the node no longer appears in the Track View hierarchy list. If this

happens and you want to access the node’s tracks, click
(Filter Selected Objects Toggle) on the Track Selection toolbar on page 4007 to make
all nodes in the scene visible in the list.
■

BranchAny parent track of controllers that could potentially be a leaf itself,
based on the controller assigned. For example, the Position branch could
have child Position X, Y, and Z leaves, or it could have a Point3 controller
of its own, such as Bezier.
A good way to recognize a branch track is to highlight and then right-click
it and see if Assign Controller is available.

■

ComponentAn attribute of a node under the node that doesn't have a
value itself, but serves to hold and organize leaf tracks that do have values.
Examples of component tracks include modifiers such as Bend, materials
such as Standard, and maps such as Bitmap applied to the object. A
component attribute is a special case, since locking it really just hides the
user interface, so it displays as Hidden. You can show and hide the UI
without unlocking with Expose and Conceal.

■

LeafThe bottom-most tracks in the Track View hierarchy, with specific
values in 3ds Max. An example of a leaf track is the Angle setting of the
Bend modifier.

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Left: Before locking; Right: After locking and then unlocking the Sphere001 track
1. Node track
2. Branch tracks
3. Component tracks
4. Leaf tracks

Interface
This section documents the Track View Hierarchy right-click menu commands
related to the Container feature: Lock through Override All Locks. The
remaining menu commands are covered in Hierarchy Right-Click Menu on
page 3861.
For explanations of the types of tracks (node, branch, component, leaf)
mentioned here, see the introduction of this topic.

Container Commands | 7899

Lock Locks highlighted tracks, thus preventing any change in the property
or properties the tracks control, or controllers for those tracks. For example,
if you lock an object’s X Position track, you can then move it in the YZ plane,
but not on the X axis. If a track is locked, the text “(Locked)” appears after its
name in the track view hierarchy.
Locking a parent track also locks all of its child tracks. For instance, if you lock
an object’s Transform\Rotation track, its X/Y/Z Rotation tracks are locked as
well (assuming the default Euler XYZ rotation controller), thus preventing the
object from being rotated at all.
Locking a component, such as a map or a modifier, hides the UI and locks all
of its attributes.
NOTE If a track is part of an animation layer, toggling its locked status affects all
tracks in that particular Layer controller. For details, see Animation Layers (Layer
Controller) on page 3496.

TIP
To toggle the display of locked tracks, use the Filter - Unlocked
Attributes Toggle on the Track Selection toolbar (see Track Filters on page 4016).
Also, if you turn on Lock Toggle Icons on page 3897 on the Display menu, you can
toggle a track’s locked status simply by clicking its lock icon.
Unlock Unlocks highlighted locally locked tracks and any branch tracks that
contain them. Unlocked attributes will not update in inherited containers.
Unlocking a track unlocks any locked branch tracks above it in the hierarchy,
all the way to the top of the hierarchy (that is, a node or component). For
example, if you lock an object’s Transform (branch) track, and then unlock

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its X Position (leaf) track, this also unlocks the parent Position and Transform
tracks. However, it doesn’t lock other leaf tracks at the same level. However,
unlocking a track does not unlock any hidden components. If you unlock
tracks inside a hidden component, those tracks will be published to an
Unlocked Tracks rollout, which replaces the hidden UI. Use this to limit the
access that others have to parameters of your objects.
Conversely, unlocking the parent in a locked hierarchy does not automatically
unlock any locked children. For example, locking an object’s Position track
also locks the X/Y/Z Position tracks (assuming the default Position XYZ
controller). But if you then unlock the same Position track, its children, the
X/Y/Z Position tracks, remain locked. To unlock the dependent attributes of
a selected track, use Unlock Leaves (see following). When locked attributes
are inherited, they cannot be unlocked.
Unlock Leaves Unlocks highlighted tracks and all dependent tracks,
with the exceptions noted following:
As described preceding, unlocking a track unlocks the branches above it except
for component branches. Thus, sometimes Unlock Leaves results in the
highlighted attribute becoming unlocked itself when the dependent tracks
are unlocked. But Unlock Leaves does not explicitly unlock the selected track.
Expose When applied to a hidden component attribute (typically a
modifier, material, or map), the settings become available in the user interface
(typically the Modify panel or Material Editor). Exposed attributes are identified
in Track View with the text “(Exposed)” and are still locked. Expose
components to access the UI without unlocking, because unlocked attributes
do not update when inherited.

Container Commands | 7901

NOTE In the Track View hierarchy, all modifiers applied to an object are children
of a Modified Object component track, which acts as a container for the modifiers.
To see the UI for unlocked modifiers, the Modified Object attribute must be
unlocked.
As an example, in the following illustration, the upper part shows the Modified
Object section of the hierarchy of an object to which the Bend modifier is applied.
The object’s node track was locked and then unlocked, and the modifier’s Angle
track was then unlocked. The Modify panel result appears on the right.
In the lower part of the illustration, the Modified Object track was unlocked, and
then the modifier track was exposed. The Modify panel result, on the right, shows
the modifier’s standard Parameters rollout. Because the Angle track is the only one
unlocked, it is the only parameter available for adjustment on the rollout.

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Upper: Modified Object track and modifier tracks locked, with Modify panel results
on right
Lower: Modified Object track unlocked and modifier track exposed, with Modify panel
results on right

Container Commands | 7903

Conceal When applied to an exposed component, rehides the track
and replaces it with the published attributes for any dependent unlocked
tracks. A concealed component is the same as a hidden one, but a component
must be exposed (and locked) in order to be concealed.
Override All Locks Temporarily disables locking of all tracks in the Hierarchy
list. When Override All Locks is on, the “(Locked)” or “(Hidden)” text in the
Hierarchy list changes to “(Overridden)” and you can change properties in
locked tracks (for example, animate rotation) as if they were not locked. But
after you turn Override All Locks back off, locked tracks can no longer be
manipulated.
NOTE Override All Locks applies only to local locks and inherited attributes or
objects that were locked by someone else.

Left: The X Position track lock was inherited; the Y Position track lock was imposed by
the inheritor.
Right: Activating Override All Locks overrides the inheritor-imposed lock (Y Position),
but not the inherited (X Position) lock.

Unlocked Tracks rollout
The Unlocked Tracks rollout appears on the Modify panel and Material Editor
for an object that has hidden components that contain unlocked tracks with
unlocked leaf tracks. This is how you limit what others can access in inherited
containers.

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The unlocked leaf tracks appear on the rollout in a list in the order that they
appear in Track View. If the full path and name of a parameter is too long to
fit on the rollout, as in first two parameters in the preceding illustration, the
rollout label contains the concluding characters preceded by an ellipsis (...).
To see the full path and name, position the mouse cursor over the label; the
full text appears on a tooltip.

Container Explorer
Menu bar ➤ Tools ➤ Open Explorer: Container Explorer
Container Explorer is a modeless dialog for viewing, sorting, and selecting
containers and their contents. It provides all the functionality of the Scene
Explorer on page 8469, plus additional container-specific commands on the
Container toolbar on page 7906.
The Container Explorer displays a default set of column headings that provide
information on and the means to edit containers and their contents. For
descriptions of the column headings, refer to Scene Explorer Columns on page
8476.
When working on a scene, you open the Container Explorer with the Tools
menu ➤ Open Explorer: Container Explorer (or Open Container Explorer)
command.

Container Explorer | 7905

Container Toolbar
This toolbar is available from the Container Explorer, as well as from the Scene
Explorer on page 8469 with the Customize ➤ Toolbars ➤ Container option
active.
You can also open a standalone version of the toolbar by right-clicking the
main toolbar and choosing Containers. This latter version includes the Override
Object Properties on page 7908 command, not found on the Explorer versions
of the toolbar.

Inherit Container Loads a source container on page 9311 stored on
disc into the scene. For details, see Inherit Content on page 7887. The main
difference between this command and the Inherit Content command is that
this adds a container to the scene, whereas Inherit Content affects the selected
container.
This command is also available from the Application Menu on page 8579 ➤
References submenu.

Create Container From Selection Creates a container and places
selected objects inside it.

Add Selected To Container Opens a pick list that lets you choose
a container to which to add selected objects in the scene.
If any selected objects already belong to a different container, you’re prompted
to confirm each object’s removal from its current container.

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Remove Selected From Container Removes selected objects from
their container.

Unload Container Saves the container and removes its contents
from the scene.

Load Container Loads the container definition into the scene and
displays its contents.

Close Container Saves the container to disk and prevents any further
edits or additions to its contents.

Open Container Makes the contents available for editing. Available
only for local containers on page 9204.

Save Container Saves any edits made to an open container.

Update Container Reloads the contents of the selected container
from its MAXC source file.

Reload Container Resets a Local Container on page 9204 to its most
recently-saved version.

Container Explorer | 7907

Make All Content Unique Takes the Container displayed in the
Source Definition box and converts it, and any other Containers nested inside,
to a Unique Container on page 9338.

Merge Container Source Loads the most recently saved version of
the Source Container on page 9311 into the scene, but does not open any nested
Containers that may be inside.

Edit Container Permits edits of a Container originating from another
user (if permission given). Clicking Close or Edit container again will save any
changes and close the container. Anyone referencing the container will inherit
the edits.

Override Object Properties Ignores the display settings of individual
objects in a container, and uses the display settings of the container helper
object instead. Also available on the Display rollout for a container.
If the Container display properties are controlled by layer, only objects in a
container that are part of other layers will obey the container layer.
NOTE Override Object Properties is available as a button only on the stand-alone
Containers toolbar on page 8633. In Container/Scene Explorer, this feature is present
as a column named Container Override on page 8480, which lets you see and change
the Override status individually for each container.

Override All Locks Temporarily disables locking of all tracks in the
Track View Hierarchy list on page 3853 for local containers only. If you inherit a
container with locked tracks, you cannot override the locks.
When Override All Locks is on, the “(Locked)” text in the Hierarchy list changes
to “(Overridden)” and you can change properties in locked tracks (for example,
animate rotation) as if they were not locked. But after you turn Override All
Locks back off, locked tracks can no longer be manipulated.

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NOTE Override All Locks is available as a button only on the stand-alone Containers
toolbar on page 8633. Alternatively, this feature is available on the Track View ➤
Hierarchy right-click menu on page 3861.

Groups and Assemblies
You use groups and assemblies in 3ds Max to combine arbitrary sets of scene
entities into a single, non-hierarchical object that you can then manipulate
as one. Grouping works best when you don’t need to manipulate components
of the group; assemblies are best for articulated models such as light fixtures;
character assemblies are specifically for modeling bipedal characters.
See also:
■

Container on page 7855

Using Groups
Grouping lets you combine two or more objects into a single grouped object.
The grouped object is given a name, and then treated much like any other
object.

Groups and Assemblies | 7909

Object on the right is a group and treated as a single entity.

Group names are similar to object names, except that they’re carried by the
group object. In lists like the one in the Selection Floater on page 187, group
names appear in square brackets. For example: [Group01]. In Scene Explorer
on page 8469 and related dialogs, the square brackets enclose the group object
icon instead.
The commands to manage groups are on the default Group menu on page
8595.

General Features of Groups
Once you group objects, you can treat them as a single object in your scene.
You can click any object in the group to select the group object.
When you create a group, all of its member objects are rigidly linked to an
invisible dummy object. The group object uses the pivot point and the local
transform coordinate system of this dummy object.
Groups can be nested. That is, groups can contain other groups, up to any
level.

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Transforming and Modifying a Group
You can transform and modify a group as if it were a single object, and you
can animate the transforms and the modifiers.
When you apply a modifier to the group, this applies an instance of the
modifier to each object in the group. A grouped object retains its modifier
instance, even if you later remove it from the group.
When you apply a transform to the group, on the other hand, this applies
only to the group as a whole. More precisely, 3ds Max applies transforms to
the dummy object that represents the group.
You can transform and animate individual objects within a group
independently from the group itself. However, when you transform the group
itself, the transform affects all grouped objects equally. The group transform
is uniformly added to objects that have independent motions. An analogy is
a cage of birds, each flying around on its own, while the cage itself is being
moved. In the case of groups, the "cage" (the dummy object) expands to
surround all objects in the group, wherever the objects’ independent transforms
take them.

Accessing Objects in a Group
You can open and close groups to access the individual objects contained in
them without dissolving the group. These commands maintain the integrity
of the group.
■

Open on page 7926: Temporarily opens the group so that you can access its
member objects. While a group is open, you can treat the objects (or nested
groups) as individuals. You can transform them, apply modifiers, and
access their modifier stacks.

■

Close on page 7926: Restores the group when you’re finished working with
the individual objects.

Dissolving Groups
You can permanently dissolve groups by either ungrouping or exploding them.
Both commands dissolve groups, but to different levels.
■

Ungroup on page 7927: Goes one level deep in the group hierarchy. It
separates the current group into its component objects (or groups), and
deletes the group dummy object.

■

Explode on page 7928: Similar to Ungroup, but dissolves all nested groups
as well, leaving independent objects.

Using Groups | 7911

When you Ungroup or Explode a group, the objects within the group lose all
group transforms not on the current frame. However, objects retain any
individual animation.
To transform or modify the objects within a group, you must first remove
them from the group, either temporarily or permanently. The Open command
lets you do this.

Comparing Groups with Other Selection Methods
Compared to the other methods you can use to combine objects in 3ds Max,
grouping is more permanent than making a transient selection, but less
permanent than attaching objects.
■

The current selection: The current selection of one or more objects is a
temporary selection to which you can apply commands. As soon as you
select a different object, the current selection is gone.

■

Named selection sets on page 163: Let you reselect the same pattern of
objects, but the positional relationship between those objects (their
transforms) might be different each time you recall the named set.

■

Grouped objects: Maintain their positional relationships unless you open
the group and rearrange them. A group also keeps its identity as an
individual object.
Each object in a group retains its modifier stack, including its base
parameters. At any time, you can open the group to edit an object, and
then close the group to restore the group identity.

■

Attached objects (see Editable Mesh (Object) on page 2198): Attached objects
form a single object. The modifier stacks of the original objects are lost,
including their base parameters. You can regain the form of the original
objects by detaching them, but they become plain meshes.

■

Assemblies on page 7912 are useful for creating combinations of geometry
and light objects that act as lighting fixtures.

Using Assemblies
Assemblies are useful for creating combinations of geometry and light objects
that act as lighting fixtures; you use them to represent the housing of a lamp
and its light source or sources. You can use assemblies to represent lighting
fixtures such as simple desk lamps, lighting strips, track systems, wall sconces
with fluorescent or incandescent lights, chandelier systems, line voltage cable
systems, and so on.

7912 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Object on the right is an assembly and is treated as a single entity.

When you create light assemblies, first you create your objects and build a
hierarchy, then set joint parameters and assign inverse kinematics (IK) on
page 3696. As a final step, you assemble the object hierarchy. The lights you use
in the assembly have light-multiplier and filter color controls. You wire on
page 3645 the Dimmer and Filter Color parameters of the Luminaire helper
object to the parameters of the light sources that are members of the light
assembly.

Using Assemblies | 7913

NOTE In order to wire the Luminaire controls to the light parameters, you must
first open on page 7933 the assembly; then, after wiring, you close on page 7934 it.

You can use IK to point a luminaire’s beam by simply moving the light’s target object.

Assemblies and Groups
Assembly functionality is a superset of grouping on page 7909. Like grouping,
creating an assembly lets you combine two or more objects and treat them as
a single object. The assembled object is given a name, and then treated much
like any other object.
The main difference with assemblies is that, when you assemble on page 7929
the member objects, you specify a head object on page 7936: a Luminaire helper
object on page 7937. The head object acts as a front end for the assembly, and
its parameters appear in the Modify panel when the assembly is selected. You
can use these parameters to control the light sources in the assembly via
parameter wiring on page 3645. You can create other types of head objects with
MAXScript; for further information, open the MAXScript Help, available from
the Help menu, and look in Creating MAXScript Tools ➤ Scripted Plug-ins
➤ Scripted Helper Plug-ins.
Assembly names are similar to object names, except that they’re carried by
the assembly. In lists like the one in the Selection Floater on page 187, assembly
names appear in square brackets; for example: [Assembly01]. In Scene Explorer
on page 8469 and related dialogs, the square brackets enclose the assembly object
icon instead.

7914 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

TIP After you've created one fixture and assembled the parts, use instancing on
page 9195 to copy on page 921 the fixture, and then distribute them in your scene.
That way, if you change the attributes for a light source in an assembly, the change
will be reflected in all the instanced light sources. For example, in the early design
stages, you might use shadow maps, but later you might want to switch to
advanced ray-trace shadows for greater accuracy in rendering. Using instancing
makes it easier to change such settings globally.

General Features of Assemblies
Once you assemble objects, you can treat them as a single object in your scene.
You can click any object in the assembly to select the entire assembly.
When you create an assembly, all of its member objects are rigidly linked to
an invisible Luminaire helper object. The assembly uses the pivot point and
the local transform coordinate system of this helper object.
You can nest assemblies. That is, assemblies can contain other assemblies (or
groups), up to any level.
The head object parameters appear in the Modify panel when the assembly
is selected. You can use the 3ds Max Wire Parameters on page 3645 functionality
to connect these parameters to those of light objects in the assembly. For a
step-by-step procedure, see To wire a head object to a light source on page 7931.

Luminaire types
Left: Fixed
Middle: Orientable
Right: Multiple lights

Using Assemblies | 7915

Transforming and Modifying an Assembly
You can transform or modify an assembly as if it were a single object, and you
can animate the transforms.
Unlike a group, when you apply a modifier to the assembly, only the luminaire
receives the modifier. Thus, deforming modifiers such as Bend don't have any
effect on assemblies.
When you apply a transform to the assembly, it applies to the assembly as a
whole. More precisely, 3ds Max applies transforms to the dummy object that
represents the assembly. To modify member objects, you must first open the
assembly, select the objects, and then apply modifiers. Such modifiers do not
appear in the modifier stack when the assembly is closed.
You can transform and animate individual objects within an assembly
independently from the assembly itself. However, when you transform the
assembly itself, the transform affects all assembled objects equally. The
assembly transform is uniformly added to objects that have independent
motions. An analogy is a cage of birds, each flying around on its own, while
the cage itself is being moved. In the case of assemblies, the "cage" (the dummy
object) expands to surround all objects in the assembly, wherever the objects’
independent transforms take them.

Accessing Objects in an Assembly
You can open and close assemblies to access the individual objects contained
in them without dissolving the assembly. These commands maintain the
integrity of the assembly.
■

Open on page 7933: Temporarily opens the assembly so that you can access
its member objects. While an assembly is open, you can treat the objects
(or nested assemblies/groups) as individuals. You can transform them,
apply modifiers, and access their modifier stacks.

■

Close on page 7934: Restores the assembly when you’re finished working
with the individual objects.

Using Make Unique with Assemblies
When you clone assemblies using instancing, and then make the clones
unique, it's important to consider how this affects parameter wiring. Consider
the following typical usage case:
1 Drag an assembly, such as a light fixture, into the scene.

7916 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

2 Clone the assembly several times using the Instance option and position
the instances in the scene.
3 To make the scene look more realistic, giving the appearance of
randomness to the objects in the scene, make some of the assembly
instances unique and adjust their parameters to differ from the rest of
the instances.
When you clone-instance an assembly, all objects in the assembly, along with
all the parameter wires, are instanced. So if you change a wired luminaire
parameter, all instanced assemblies are affected.
When the modifier stack displays an assembly head that is an instance or
reference, the Make Unique on page 8794 button is active. By clicking it, the
assembly head object is made unique with respect to its instances and all the
assembly members are also made unique.
The parameter wiring between the unique assembly head and its members is
de-coupled from the other instances of the assembly. Changing the parameters
of the unique assembly head object affects only the parameters of its own
members, not the members of the other instances of the assembly.
When multiple assembly instances are selected, the Make Unique command
works the same as when multiple instances of an object are selected. You're
asked whether you want to make the selected assemblies unique one with
respect to each other.
■

If you answer Yes, 3ds Max makes the assemblies unique one with respect
to another and parameter wires are reconnected inside each unique
assembly. That is, the parameters of each unique assembly head drives
only the parameters of its own members, not that of the members in any
other assembly instances.

■

If you answer No, then the selected assemblies are made unique only with
respect to the other assembly instances. The parameters of unique assembly
heads drive only the parameters of their members, not the members of the
other assembly instances.
NOTE If you chose to instance the controllers when you instanced the
assembly, the Modify panel ➤ Make Unique command does not make the
controllers unique. You can make them unique by doing the following: Open
Track View, select the Transform track for object whose controller you want
to make unique, and click the Make Unique button in the Track View toolbar.

Using Assemblies | 7917

Dissolving Assemblies
You can permanently dissolve assemblies by either disassembling or exploding
them. Both commands dissolve assemblies, but to different levels.
■

Disassemble on page 7934: Goes one level deep in the assembly hierarchy.
It separates the current assembly into its component objects (or
assemblies/groups), and deletes the assembly head object.

■

Explode on page 7935: Similar to Disassemble, but dissolves all nested
assemblies and groups as well, leaving independent objects.

When you disassemble or explode an assembly, any transform animation
applied to the assembly is lost, and objects remain as they were in the frame
at which the dissolution is performed. However, objects retain any individual
animation.
To transform or modify the objects within an assembly, you must first remove
them from the assembly, either temporarily or permanently. The Open
command lets you do this.

Comparing Assemblies with Other Selection Methods
Compared to the other methods you can use to combine objects in 3ds Max,
assembling is more permanent than making a transient selection, but less
permanent than attaching objects.
■

The current selection: The current selection of one or more objects is a
temporary selection to which you can apply commands. As soon as you
select a different object, the current selection is gone.

■

Named selection sets on page 204: Let you reselect the same pattern of
objects, but the positional relationship between those objects (their
transforms) might be different each time you recall the named set.

■

Assembled and grouped on page 7909 objects: Maintain their positional
relationships unless you open the assembly and rearrange them. An
assembly also keeps its identity as an individual object.
Each object in an assembly retains its modifier stack, including its base
parameters. At any time, you can open the assembly to edit an object, and
then close the assembly to restore the assembly identity.

■

Attached objects (see Editable Mesh (Object) on page 2198): Attached objects
form a single object. The modifier stacks of the original objects are lost,
including their base parameters. You can regain the form of the original
objects by detaching them, but they become plain meshes.

7918 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

See also:
■

Lights on page 5672

Procedures
To insert and place an existing assembly:
1 Turn on AutoGrid on page 2819.
2 Drag the assembly from a Web page (if it’s an i-drop object on page 8172)
or from your local disk and drop it into your scene, placing it on any
existing surface.

3 On the main toolbar, click

(Use Pivot Point Center) on page 868.

4 Position the assembly as you would any other object to aim it in a specific
direction.
5 If necessary, wire on page 7931 the assembly luminaire to its light source
or sources.
6 Select the assembly, and then use the Modify panel settings to adjust the
intensity of the light with the Dimmer control.
To create your own luminaire:
1 Create the geometry of the lighting fixture.
2 Create a light source on page 5672 or on the Create panel, click Lights to
add a standard or photometric light to the geometry of the lighting fixture
you just made.
3 Select all the objects in the assembly, including geometrical objects and
lights.
NOTE If using IK, leave the light targets out of the assembly so that you can
manipulate them independently.
4 Choose Assembly menu ➤ Assemble.
A dialog appears requesting a name for the assembly and that you specify
a head object. The only head object type available by default is Luminaire
on page 7937.

Using Assemblies | 7919

5 Enter a name for the assembly and click OK.
6 Wire on page 7931 the assembly luminaire to its light source or sources.
More information on parameter wiring is available at the link in this step.
If more than one light source is present inside the assembly, create a
chain of wired parameters. Then enter the desired relationship expression
in the expression text box.
To adjust the pivot location of an assembly:
■

When you adjust the pivot point of a closed group or assembly, the pivot
point of all group and assembly members are affected, not only the pivot
point of the group or assembly head object. Therefore, we recommend
that you open the assembly, adjust the pivot of the head object, and then
close the assembly.

To use an assembly with radiosity:
■

Right-click the Luminaire, choose Properties, and on the Object Properties
dialog on page 221 choose the Radiosity tab. You can exclude and control
radiosity parameters of the geometry and lights independently.

To adjust the properties of an assembly:
1 After wiring the Dimmer and Filter Color parameters, select the Luminaire,
and then go to Modify panel to display the luminaire parameters.
2 Adjust the parameters.
The effect is visible in the viewport.

Character Assembly
A character assembly is a special type of group for objects particular to a character
setup: the character mesh, bones, IK chains, helper objects, controllers, and
other objects used to animate characters. Once the objects are grouped
(assembled), you can perform various functions on the group as a whole, such
as saving and loading animation for the entire bone/mesh set.

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The objects that make up a typical character assembly

Unlike an ordinary group, there is no need to open a character assembly to
work with its individual members.
When a character assembly is created, it is designated by a placeholder object
called a node, placed near the bottom of the character assembly. Selecting the
node gives access to special tools for working with character models and
animation.

Character Assembly | 7921

Character assembly node

A character assembly will not create a character mesh or bone structure for
you. The character assembly tool is designed for use on character structures
that have already been set up using other tools.
Although the character assembly feature was designed for use with character
structures, it will work equally well with any type of hierarchy or related set
of objects.

Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI
By default, the character-assembly commands described here are not part of
the 3ds Max user interface. To add them, choose Customize menu ➤
Customize User Interface, click the tab representing the part of the UI to which
you'll add the commands (Keyboard, Toolbars, etc.) and then, from the
Category drop-down list, choose Characters. Use standard CUI functionality
on page 8837 to add the commands.
TIP To add a fully populated Character menu to the menu bar, on the Customize
User Interface dialog, scroll the Menus list to Character, and then drag the
Character item over to the Main Menu Bar list on the right side of the dialog.

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Creating a Character Assembly
To create a character assembly, first select the objects that will make up the
assembly. Next, you need to add any character-assembly commands you wish
to use to the user interface; see Adding Character Assembly Commands to the
UI on page 7922. Last, choose the Create Character command.
All selected objects become members of the assembly, and the character
assembly node is created. Other objects can be manually added to the assembly
after it has been created.
Once the character assembly has been created, you can work with it in a variety
of ways. For information about the Modify panel options available after a
character assembly is created, see Create Character on page 7940.

Linked Objects in Character Assemblies
Any or all members of the character assembly can be linked to a single object
outside the assembly, but no more than one. For example, ThighLeft and
ThighRight, which are both part of the assembly, can both be linked to Pelvis,
which is not part of the assembly. However, if ThighLeft and ThighRight are
each linked to different objects outside the assembly, the creation of the
assembly will fail, and will show the following error message:

Character Assembly | 7923

Parameter Wiring and Animation
If you plan to wire parameters between two objects, create the assembly first
and then set up the wiring. Be sure to include both objects in the assembly.
Because wiring should be done after the assembly is created, you will probably
find it easiest to create the character assembly before animating the character.
See also:
■

Create Character on page 7940

■

Destroy Character on page 7944

■

Lock/Unlock Character on page 7944

■

Save Character on page 7945

■

Insert Character on page 7945

■

Skin Pose Commands on page 7946

■

Merge Animation on page 4163

Group Commands
The commands to manage groups are on the Group menu on page 8595.
See also:
■

Using Groups on page 7909

Group
Group menu ➤ Group
Scene Explorer on page 8469 ➤ Highlight one or more entries. ➤ Right-click
a highlighted entry. ➤ Groups ➤ Group
The Group command combines a selection set of objects or groups into a
single group.
Once you group objects, you can treat them as a single object in your scene.
You can click any object in the group to select the group object. You can

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transform the group as a single object, and you can apply modifiers as if it
were a single object.
Groups can contain other groups, up to any level.
Group names are similar to object names, except that they’re carried by the
group object. In lists like the one in the Selection Floater on page 187, group
names appear in square brackets. For example: [Group01]. In Scene Explorer
on page 8469 and related dialogs, the square brackets enclose the group object
icon instead.

A group in Scene Explorer

If a group is selected, its name will appear in “bolded” text in the Name And
Color rollout.
All members of a group inherit the visibility of the parent when a visibility
controller is assigned to the parent.
Groups are considered whole objects in the Light Exclude/Include dialog, so
you can exclude (or include) all objects in a group by selecting the group in
the list. If a group is nested within another group, only the "outer" group is
available in the list. To exclude only certain objects in a group, open the group
before displaying the Exclude/Include dialog.

Procedures
To define a group:
1 Select two or more objects.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Group.
A dialog appears requesting a name for the group.
3 Enter a name for the group and click OK.
To define a nested group:
1 Select two or more groups or any combination of groups and objects.
2 Choose Group ➤ Group.

Group Commands | 7925

A dialog appears requesting a name for the group.
3 Enter a name for the new group object and click OK.

Open
Select one or more groups. ➤ Group menu ➤ Open
Scene Explorer on page 8469 ➤ Right-click a group entry. ➤ Groups ➤ Open
Group
The Open command lets you ungroup a group temporarily, and access objects
within a group.
You can transform and modify the objects within the group independently
from the rest of the group, then restore the original group using the Close
command.

Procedures
To open a group:
1 Select one or more groups.
2 Choose Group ➤ Open. A pink bounding box appears, and the objects
in the group are now accessible.
To open nested groups:
1 Select the group within the opened group.
2 Choose Group ➤ Open.

Close
Select the pink dummy object of an opened group. ➤ Group menu ➤ Close
Scene Explorer on page 8469 ➤ Right-click a group entry. ➤ Groups ➤ Close
Group
The Close command regroups an opened group. For nested groups, closing
the outermost group object closes all open inner groups.

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When you link an object to a closed group, the object becomes a child of the
group parent rather than of any member of the group. The entire group flashes
to show that you've linked to the group.

Procedures
To close all opened groups nested within a main group:
1 Select the pink bounding box representing the main group.
2 Choose Group ➤ Close.
To close a nested group:
1 Select any object in the nested group or its dummy.
2 Choose Group ➤ Close.

Ungroup
Select one or more groups. ➤ Group menu ➤ Ungroup
Scene Explorer on page 8469 ➤ Right-click a group entry. ➤ Groups ➤
Ungroup
Ungroup separates the current group into its component objects or groups.
The Ungroup command ungroups one level, unlike Explode on page 7928, which
ungroups all levels of nested groups.
When you Ungroup a group, the objects within the group lose all group
transforms that were applied on nonzero frames, but they retain any individual
animation.
All ungrouped entities remain in the current selection set.

Procedures
To ungroup a group:
1 Select one or more groups.
2 Choose Group ➤ Ungroup.
All components of the group remain selected, but are no longer part of
the group. The group dummy is deleted.

Group Commands | 7927

Explode
Select one or more groups. ➤ Group menu ➤ Explode
The Explode command ungroups all objects in a group, regardless of the
number of nested groups, unlike Ungroup on page 7927, which ungroups one
level only.
As with the Ungroup command, all exploded entities remain in the current
selection set.
WARNING Ungroup and Explode remove all transform animations that have been
applied to the group as a whole. As with the Ungroup command, all exploded
entities remain in the current selection set.

Procedures
To explode a group:
1 Select one or more groups.
2 Choose Group ➤ Explode.
All objects in the groups remain selected but no longer belong to groups.
All nested groups are exploded. All group dummies in the selection are
deleted.

Detach
Select a group. ➤ Group menu ➤ Open ➤ Select one or more objects to
detach. ➤ Group menu ➤ Detach
Scene Explorer on page 8469 ➤ Right-click a member of an open group. ➤
Groups ➤ Exclude From Group
The Detach (or, in Scene Explorer, Exclude From Group) command detaches
the selected object from its group.
This command becomes available when you select a member of an open group.

Procedures
To detach an object from a group:
1 Open the group.

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2 Choose Group ➤ Detach.
The selected objects are now separate, independent objects, no longer
members of the group.

Attach
Select one or more objects. ➤ Group menu ➤ Attach
The Attach command makes the selected object part of an existing group.
With an object selected, choose this command, and then click a group in the
scene.

Procedures
To attach an object to a group:
1 Select one or more objects to attach.
2 Choose Group ➤ Attach.
3 Click any member of a closed group.
The selected objects become part of the group, which is now selected.
NOTE To attach an object to an open group, click the pink bounding box.

Assembly Commands
The commands to manage assemblies are available from the Group menu ➤
Assembly submenu.
See also:
■

Using Assemblies on page 7912

Assemble
Select the objects to assemble. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Assemble

Assembly Commands | 7929

The Assemble command combines a selection set of objects, assemblies, and/or
groups into a single assembly, and adds a Luminaire helper object on page
7937 as a head object on page 7936.
Once you assemble objects, you can treat them as a single object in your scene.
You can click any object in the group to select the entire assembly. You can
transform the assembly as a single object, and you can apply modifiers as if
it were a single object.
Assemblies can contain other assemblies and/or groups, up to any level.
Assembly names are similar to object names, except that they’re carried by
the assembly. In lists like the one in the Selection Floater on page 187, assembly
names appear in square brackets; for example: [Assembly01]. In Scene Explorer
on page 8469 and related dialogs, the square brackets enclose the assembly object
icon instead.
Each member of an assembly inherits the visibility of the parent when a
visibility controller is assigned to the parent, providing its Object Properties
➤ Rendering Control group ➤ Inherit Visibility check box is turned on, or
if its Rendering Control is set to By Layer and Inherit Visibility is turned on
for its layer.
Assemblies are considered whole objects in the Light Exclude/Include dialog,
so you can exclude (or include) all objects in an assembly by selecting the
assembly in the list. If an assembly is nested within another assembly, only
the "outer" assembly is available in the list. To exclude only certain objects in
an assembly, open the assembly before displaying the Exclude/Include dialog.
See also:
■

Using Assemblies on page 7912

Procedures
To define an assembly:
1 Select two or more objects.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Assemble.
The Create Assembly dialog appears. It requests you to specify a name
for the assembly and a head object on page 7936. The default head object
type is Luminaire on page 7937.
3 Enter a name for the assembly, choose Luminaire on page 7937 from the
list, and click OK.

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The selected objects are assembled. The assembly head object position
and orientation is determined as follows:
■

If there are multiple immediate children of the assembly head (for
example, you're assembling several non-hierarchical objects), the head
object is aligned with center of bottom face of the assembly bounding
box.

■

If there's only one immediate child of the assembly head, the assembly
head pivot point is aligned with that object's pivot point. For example,
if you're assembling a single hierarchy, the topmost object in the
hierarchy would be the single immediate child of the assembly head.

To define a nested assembly:
1 Select two or more assemblies or any combination of assemblies and
objects.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Assemble.
The Create Assembly dialog appears. It requests a name for the assembly,
and a head object.
3 Enter a name for the new assembly object and click OK.
To wire a head object to a light source:
1 Create a hierarchy of lights and geometrical objects that models a lighting
fixture. Sets up all the necessary IK chains and other constraints that
make the model behave properly when the user interacts with it (orients,
positions, aims, etc.).
IMPORTANT For any photometric lights that you want to control with the
head object, be sure to turn on the Multiplier check box on the
Intensity/Color/Distribution rollout.
2 Select all objects in the fixture and define them as an assembly.
When the assembly is selected, the luminaire parameters Dimmer and
Filter Color appear in the Modify panel.
3 From the Animation menu, choose Wire Parameters ➤ Parameter Wire
Dialog.
4 The Parameter Wiring dialog appears.

Assembly Commands | 7931

5 On one side of the dialog, find the assembly and expand the branch titled
Object (LuminaireHelper). Click the Dimmer item to highlight it.
6 On the other side, find the assembly and expand its hierarchy branch
(click the + symbol in the square box). Find and expand the branch for
the light source, and then expand its Object branch. Click the Multiplier
item to highlight it.
7 Between the two hierarchy lists, click the Control Direction arrow button
that points from the selected Dimmer item to the selected Multiplier
item.

8 If you're wiring a photometric light, skip this step. If you're wiring a
standard light, or any light whose default Multiplier setting is 1.0, do
this:
■

The Expression box below the selected Multiplier item contains the
word "Dimmer." Edit this to read "Dimmer/100". This divides the
Dimmer value by 100, giving a 1:1 value ratio between it and the
Multiplier setting.

9 Click the Connect button.
Now, when you change the luminaire's Dimmer setting, the light source
intensity changes as well.
10 If you like, use the same method to wire the luminaire to any additional
light sources in the light fixture.

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You can also use this method to wire the luminaire's Filter Color parameter
to any light sources' color settings.

Interface

Name Specifies the name of the new assembly. The default name is "Assembly"
followed by a two-place number starting with 01 and incremented by one for
each new assembly.
Choose Head Object Lets you choose the type of object to serve as the
assembly head object.

Open Assembly
Select one or more assemblies. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Open
The Open command lets you temporarily disassemble an assembly and access
its head and member objects individually.

Assembly Commands | 7933

You can transform and modify the head and member objects within the
assembly independently from the rest of the assembly, then restore the original
assembly using the Close command on page 7934.

Procedures
To open nested assemblies:
1 Select an assembly within the opened assembly.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Open.

Close Assembly
Select the luminaire. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Close
The Close command reassembles an opened assembly. For nested assemblies,
closing the outermost assembly object closes all open inner assemblies.
When you link an object to a closed assembly, the object becomes a child of
the assembly parent rather than of any member of the assembly. The entire
assembly flashes to show that you've linked to the assembly.

Procedures
To close all opened assemblies nested within a main assembly:
1 Select any object in the main assembly or its luminaire head object.
NOTE If you select an object within an opened inner assembly, using Close
will close only that assembly.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Close.
To close a nested assembly:
1 Select any object in the nested assembly or its luminaire.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Close.

Disassemble
Select one or more assemblies. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Disassemble

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Disassemble separates the current assembly into its component objects or
assemblies.
The Disassemble command separates one level, unlike Explode on page 7935,
which separates all levels of nested assemblies.
When you disassemble an assembly, all components of the assembly remain
selected, but are no longer part of the assembly. Any transform animation
applied to the assembly is lost, and objects remain as they were in the frame
at which the dissolution is performed. However, objects retain any individual
animation.
All disassembled entities remain in the current selection set.
NOTE If you have wired the luminaire head to any other parameters, those
parameters are still controlled by the wiring setup after disassembly and are not
adjustable until you apply a standard controller, such as Bezier Float. Use Track
View to do this.

Explode Assembly
Select one or more assemblies. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Explode
The Explode command separates all objects in an assembly, regardless of the
number of nested assemblies and/or groups, unlike Disassemble on page 7934,
which separates one level only.
When you explode an assembly, all components of the assembly remain
selected, but are no longer part of the assembly. Any transform animation
applied to the assembly is lost, and objects remain as they were in the frame
at which the dissolution is performed. However, objects retain any individual
animation.
NOTE If you have wired the luminaire head to any other parameters, those
parameters are still controlled by the wiring setup after exploding and are not
adjustable until you apply a standard controller, such as Bezier Float. Use Track
View to do this.

Detach Assembly
Select an assembly. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Open ➤ Select one or
more objects to detach. ➤ Assembly ➤ Detach

Assembly Commands | 7935

Select one or more objects to detach in an open assembly. ➤ Group menu
➤ Assembly ➤ Detach
The Detach command detaches the selected object from its assembly. If the
object is a member of a nested assembly, after you detach it, it is no longer a
member of any assembly.
This command becomes active when you open the assembly by choosing
Open on page 7933 from the Assembly menu.

Attach Assembly
Select one or more objects. ➤ Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Attach
The Attach command makes the selected object part of an existing assembly.
With an object selected, choose this command, and then click either a closed
assembly in the scene, or the head object of an open assembly.

Procedures
To attach an object to an assembly:
1 Select one or more objects to attach.
2 Choose Group menu ➤ Assembly ➤ Attach.
3 Click any member of an assembly.
The selected objects become part of the assembly, which is now selected.

Assembly Head Helper Objects
Assembly head helper objects are for controlling the assembly.

Assembly Head Helper Object
When you create an assembly on page 7912, 3ds Max automatically adds a special
type of helper object called a head object, or assembly head. This object serves
as the fulcrum of the assembly and also exposes parameters, available in the
Modify panel when the assembly is selected, that you can wire to properties
of objects inside the assembly. Thus, you can change and animate parameters
of assembly member objects without having to open the assembly, as you
would with a group.

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Luminaire Helper Object
Create panel ➤
rollout ➤ Luminaire

Helpers ➤ Assembly Heads ➤ Object Type

The Luminaire helper object serves primarily as a head, or control, object for
light fixtures. When you assemble on page 7929 a set of objects into a light
fixture, you specify that a new luminaire object should be used as the assembly
head object. The luminaire's parameters, available from the Modify panel, let
you control the light sources in the fixture. See Using Assemblies on page 7912
for more information.
You can also add a Luminaire object separately from the Create panel, but in
general it's not necessary.

A luminaire object groups and manages the components as a whole.

Interface
When a selected assembly is closed, the Modify panel displays the Luminaire
parameters. However, when you open an assembly, 3ds Max shows you the

Assembly Head Helper Objects | 7937

parameters of the whichever object is selected. The Luminaire object provides
Dimmer and Filter Color parameters. You wire these to the light objects that
are part of the assembly.

Luminaire icon
in the viewport

Luminaire rollout
Dimmer Emulates the dimmer switch of a real-world lighting fixture. The
setting determines the percentage of the default light intensity is emitted by
the light source of a lighting fixture. You wire this parameter to one or more
light sources' Multiplier settings.
Filter Color An RGB color parameter that you link to a light source's color or
filter color.

7938 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

The Dimmer option can control the intensity of all the lights in the luminaire

Character Assembly Commands
A character assembly is a special type of group for objects particular to a
character setup: the character mesh, bones, IK chains, helper objects,
controllers, and other objects used to animate characters. Once the objects
are grouped (assembled), you can perform various functions on the group as
a whole, such as saving and loading animation for the entire bone/mesh set.
By default, the character-assembly commands listed here are not part of the
3ds Max user interface. To add them, choose Customize menu ➤ Customize
User Interface, click the tab representing the part of the UI to which you'll
add the commands (Keyboard, Toolbars, etc.) and then, from the Category
drop-down list, choose Characters. Use standard CUI functionality on page
8837 to add the commands.
TIP To add a fully populated Character menu to the menu bar, on the Customize
User Interface dialog, scroll the Menus list to Character, and then drag the
Character item over to the Main Menu Bar list on the right side of the dialog.

Character Assembly Commands | 7939

See also:
■

Merge Animation on page 4163

Create Character
See Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI on page 7922.
This command creates a character assembly on page 7920.
See also:
■

Destroy Character on page 7944

■

Lock/Unlock Character on page 7944

■

Save Character on page 7945

■

Merge Animation on page 4163

Procedures
To create a character assembly:
1 Create a linked structure of bones or other objects. The structure can have
several chains. You can also use the linked structure with the Skin
modifier, and/or set up character rigs and controllers as needed.
2 Select all objects that will become members of the assembly.
3 Use this method on page 7922 to add the character-assembly commands
to the user interface, and then choose the Create Character command.
The character-assembly node is created at the bottom of the entire
selection, as viewed in the Front viewport.

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4 On the Modify panel, use the character assembly tools to work with the
character structure.
The character assembly is given the default name of Character01, which can
be changed. All members of the assembly are listed in the Character Members
rollout.

Interface
To work with the character assembly, select the character assembly node and
work with the parameters on the Modify panel.

Character Assembly Commands | 7941

Character Assembly rollout

Skin Pose group
The Skin pose is the bone structure pose used by the Skin modifier for
associating bones with the mesh. When the Skin modifier is first applied, the
current bone structure pose is used as the Skin pose. The Skin pose can
sometimes be accidentally altered by animating the bone structure on frame
0. If this occurs, you can use these options to fix the Skin pose.

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You can use these options both before and after applying the Skin modifier.
You can also invoke these options when any member of the character assembly
is selected.
Set as Skin Pose Sets the Skin pose to the current bone structure's pose. The
Skin modifier’s envelopes and vertex weighting are automatically recalculated
to work with the new pose.
Assume Skin Pose Causes the bone structure to take on the Skin pose. This
feature can be useful during the animation phase. For example, if you have
animated the character on various keyframes and want the character to animate
back to its Skin pose at frame 50, you can turn on Auto Key at frame 50 and
click Assume Skin Pose.
Skin Pose Mode Poses the character in its Skin pose and allows the Skin pose
to be refined. Changes to the bone structure when Skin Pose Mode is on will
affect only the Skin pose and not the animation. When Skin Pose Mode is
turned off, the bone structure returns to its pose at the current frame.

Display group
When a high resolution character model is animated, redraw time can slow
the animation process. To speed up your work, a low resolution version of
the model can be used for the animation process, then switched for the full
resolution version at render time. Character assembly objects can be designated
as Full Res or Low Res on the Character Members rollout.
Low Res Objects Displays only the objects checked in the Low Res display in
the Character Members rollout.
Full Res Objects Displays only the objects not checked in the Low Res display
in the Character Members rollout.
All Objects Displays all objects in the character assembly.

Animation group
Animation for the character assembly can be saved or reset in this group.
Previously saved animation from another character can also be inserted to
the current character assembly.
Insert Animation Displays the Merge Animation dialog on page 4163, and
prompts for a previously saved animation file.
Save Animation Saves the character assembly animation in an ANM or XML
file. Both file types contain the character assembly and its animation. An ANM
file is a proprietary format that can be read and saved only by 3ds Max. An

Character Assembly Commands | 7943

XML file formats the information as XML code, and can be edited with a text
editor.
Animation saved as an ANM file loads and saves faster than an XML file.
Saving and editing an XML animation file is recommended only for users who
are familiar with the XML language, and who have a specific need for editing
the file.
Reset All Animation Removes all animation from the character assembly.

Character Members rollout
Add Allows you to select individual objects to add to the character assembly.
Add List Displays the Pick Character Members dialog, where you can select
multiple objects from a list and add them to the character assembly.
Remove Removes highlighted object(s) from the assembly. Bones and objects
upon which other assembly objects depend, cannot be removed.
Low Res All members of the character assembly are displayed on this list. By
default, all members are designated as Full Res objects. To designate a member
as Low Res, check the object on the list. The Full Res and Low Res designations
are used in conjunction with the Display group selection in the Character
Assembly rollout.

Destroy Character
See Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI on page 7922.
Destroying a character deletes the character assembly node.
This command is available only when a character assembly node is selected.
See also:
■

Character Assembly on page 7920

■

Lock/Unlock Character on page 7944

Lock/Unlock Character
See Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI on page 7922.

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Locking a character assembly prevents the character from being animated.
Use these commands when you want to prevent accidental animation of the
character, such as when the animation process is complete.
Unlocking a locked character assembly allows you to animate the character.
These commands are available only when a character-assembly node is selected.
See also:
■

Character Assembly on page 7920

Insert Character
See Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI on page 7922.
Choose this command to insert a previously saved character into the current
scene.
You save a character assembly as a CHR file with Save Character on page 7945.
A CHR file contains the character assembly node, all members of the assembly
and any animation on the members.
When a character is inserted into the scene, it is placed at the same world-space
location it had when saved.
See also:
■

Character Assembly on page 7920

■

Save Character on page 7945

Save Character
See Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI on page 7922.
Saving a character saves a character assembly on page 7920 at its current location,
including its node, all members, and any animation on its members. Use this
command for storing a character assembly to disk prior to inserting it into
another scene.
Saving a character with this command saves the assembly as a CHR file. You
can then insert the CHR file into a scene with Insert Character on page 7945.
This option is available only when a character assembly node is selected.

Character Assembly Commands | 7945

Skin Pose Commands
Animation menu ➤ Set as Skin Pose
Animation menu ➤ Assume Skin Pose
Animation menu ➤ Skin Pose Mode
When the Skin modifier is first applied to a mesh, the bone structure's current
pose is used as the skin pose. Subsequent animation of the bone structure on
frame 0 can cause the skin pose to be altered. The skin pose commands allow
you to change and set the skin pose either before or after you apply the Skin
modifier.
The skin pose stores a specific position, rotation and scale for an object. Its
intended use is for storing a character assembly's pose for the Skin modifier.
However, a skin pose can be used for any object to store its current transforms
for later retrieval.
These commands work on any object, regardless of whether the structure is
part of a character assembly, or whether the bones have been assigned to a
mesh with the Skin modifier.
Set as Skin Pose Stores the selected objects' current position, rotation and
scale as the skin pose. If the selected objects are assigned as bones for the Skin
modifier, the envelopes and vertex weighting are automatically recalculated
to work with the new pose.
Assume Skin Pose Causes the selected objects to take on the stored skin pose.
This feature can be useful during the animation phase. For example, if you
have animated the character on various keyframes and want the character to
animate back to its skin pose at frame 50, you can turn on Auto Key at frame
50 and click Assume Skin Pose.
Skin Pose Mode Poses the character in its skin pose and allows the skin pose
to be refined. Changes to the objects when Skin Pose Mode is on will affect
only the skin pose and not the animation. When Skin Pose Mode is turned
off, the structure returns to its pose at the current frame.
See also:
■

Character Assembly on page 7920

7946 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

File-Handling Commands
The main file-handling commands are on the Application menu on page 8579.
Buttons for some of the most important appear on the Quick Access toolbar
on page 8585, as well. These commands are for creating, opening, and saving
scenes; importing and exporting other 3D file formats; exiting 3ds Max; and
other operations.
See also:
■

Asset Browser Utility on page 8143

■

Geometry File Formats on page 8173

■

Image File Formats on page 8411

■

RAM Player on page 8463

New
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ New

Quick Access toolbar on page 8585 ➤

(New)

Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+N
New clears the contents of the current scene without changing system settings
(viewport configuration, snap settings, Material Editor, background image,
and so on). The New command also gives you the option, when you use it
while a populated scene is active, to reuse objects from the current scene in
the new one.

File-Handling Commands | 7947

Procedures
To create a new scene:

1 Either click
or press Ctrl+N.

(New), choose

Application menu ➤ New,

2 In the New Scene dialog, specify the types of objects to keep, if any.
3 Click OK.

Interface

NOTE If you use the Application menu, you can choose one of the new options
directly from the New submenu.
The New Scene dialog has the following controls:
Keep Objects and Hierarchy Keeps the objects and the hierarchical links on
page 9183 between them, but removes any animation keys on page 9200.
NOTE If the current scene has any file links, 3ds Max performs a Bind operation
on all linked files.
Keep Objects Keeps the objects in the scene, but removes any links between
them and any animation keys.

7948 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

WARNING This option should not be used when working with a scene containing
linked or imported objects.
New All (Default) Clears the contents of the current scene.

Reset
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Reset
Reset clears all data and resets 3ds Max settings (viewport configuration, snap
settings, Material Editor, background image, and so on). Resetting restores the
startup defaults, saved in the file maxstart.max, and removes any customization
you might have done during the current session.
Resetting has the same effect as exiting and restarting 3ds Max.
TIP To change the startup defaults, start 3ds Max and make the adjustments you
would like to see at startup. Then save the file to your scenes/ directory as
maxstart.max.

Procedures
If you have made changes since the last Save operation, a dialog prompts you
whether you want to save your changes.
To reset 3ds Max:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Reset.

If you have made any changes since the last Save operation, a dialog
prompts you to save them. As further protection against data loss, a
confirmation dialog appears.
2 When asked if you really want to reset, click Yes.
Clicking No on this dialog cancels the Reset operation.

Reset | 7949

Open
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Open

Quick Access toolbar on page 8585 ➤

(Open)

Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+O
Open a scene file (MAX file), character file (CHR file), or VIZ Render file (DRF
File on page 8178) from an Open File dialog. You can also choose a previously
opened file and use command-line options on page 8575.
The MAX file type is a complete scene file.
A CHR file is a character file saved with Save Character. For more information
on the CHR file format, see Character Assembly on page 7920 and Save Character
on page 7945.
A DRF file is a scene file from VIZ Render, a rendering tool included with
AutoCAD Architecture (formerly Autodesk Architectural Desktop). The DRF
file type is similar to MAX files saved using Autodesk VIZ.
If the file you're loading was created using plug-ins that are not installed, a
dialog lists them. You can still load the file, but any entities in the scene that
were created by the missing plug-ins are replaced with stand-ins: non-rendering
boxes or placeholder modifiers. You can safely delete these from the scene,
unless you are sharing the scene with a user who has the plug-ins installed.
If the file you are loading contains bitmaps that cannot be located, a Missing
External Files dialog on page 8141 appears. This dialog lets you browse for the
missing maps, or continue opening the file without loading them.

Automatic Unit Conversion
When Respect System Units In Files is turned on in the System Unit Scale
group of the System Unit Setup dialog on page 8955, loaded files that have a
different scene unit scale display a File Load: Units Mismatch dialog on page
8961. This dialog lets you rescale the loaded scene to the current scene unit scale,

7950 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

or change the current scene unit scale to match the one in the loaded file. No
conversion is done when loading files created in 3ds Max 1.x.
■

If you choose to match the units in the loaded file, the System Unit Scale
setting in the System Unit Setup dialog is changed to the setting in the
scene file.
This is the recommended choice, and it is the default in 3ds Max.
For example, if the current system unit scale is set to 1 unit = 1 inch, and
the incoming file was set to 1 unit = 1 foot, a sphere with a radius of 100
feet remains 100 feet.

■

If you rescale the file objects, the objects are scaled as if they had been
created using the current scene unit scale.
For example, if the current system unit scale is set to 1 unit = 1 inch, and
the incoming file was set to 1 unit = 1 foot, a sphere with a radius of 100
feet becomes 1200 inches in radius (assuming the unit display is set to
generic units).

If Respect System Units In Files is off (which is not recommended), 3ds Max
disregards the units chosen in the loaded scene file.
For example, a 100-unit radius sphere that was created in a 1 unit = 1 foot
scene becomes a 100-inch sphere in a 1 unit = 1 inch scene.

Procedures
To reopen a previously opened file, do one of the following:

■

Click

(Open File) on the Quick Access toolbar on page 8585.

■

On the Application menu ➤ Recent Documents page on page 8582, click
the file name.
You set the number of files listed here by changing the Recent Files In File
Menu on page 8892 field on the Files panel of the Customize ➤ Preferences
dialog.

■

Choose Application menu ➤ Open, then use the file dialog to choose the
scene file.

To start 3ds Max and open a specific file:
■

In a command prompt window, specify the file name after the executable
name. For example:

Open | 7951

“c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk 3ds Max 2011\3dsmax.exe”
myproject.max
To start 3ds Max and open the last file you worked on:
■

In a command prompt window, type -L after the executable name:
“c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk 3ds Max 2011\3dsmax.exe” −l

Interface

The Open File dialog has standard Windows file open controls. At the right,
the Thumbnail area shows a preview of the scene whose file name is
highlighted in the list on the left.
TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner.

Clicking the plus button appends a sequence number to the file name
you entered, or increments the sequence number if the name already has one,
and then opens the file of that name, if it is present.
For example, if you have highlighted a file named test00.max, clicking the +
button changes the name to test01.max and then opens that file.

Opening an Obsolete File
When opening a scene created in an earlier version of 3ds Max, you will see
an Obsolete File dialog.

7952 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

If you resave the scene, you will overwrite the file. You can still edit it using
3ds Max, but you will no longer be able to edit it in earlier versions of 3ds
Max.
Don't display this message When turned on, you will not see the Obsolete
File dialog. The dialog is also controlled by the Display Obsolete File Message
switch on the Customize menu ➤ Preferences ➤ Files panel.
NOTE If you still need to open the scene using an earlier version of 3ds Max, use
File ➤ Save As on page 7956 and save the file using a different name. Then you
will be able to open the original file with the earlier version.

Open from Vault
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Open ➤ Open from Vault 2010
or Open from Vault 2011
The Open From Vault commands let you open a MAX file directly from
Autodesk Vault, the data-management provider included with 3ds Max. This
allows for secure control and versioning of assets used in the digital-content
creation process without the need to use the Vault client. Choose the version
of Vault that you used to store the scene.
NOTE Open From Vault appears on the Application menu only if you installed
the Vault plug-in, an optional part of the 3ds Max software installation.
See also:
■

Asset Tracking on page 8114

Open from Vault | 7953

Procedures
To use Open From Vault:

1 Open the
Application menu and choose Open ➤ Open From
Vault 2010 or Open From Vault 2011.
Choose the version of Vault that you used to store the scene.
2 If you're not logged in to a Vault provider, you're asked to log in via the
Vault Log In dialog on page 8120. Fill out the form and then click OK.
3 Use the Open File From Vault dialog to browse the vault and choose a
MAX file to open.
4 At this point, one of two things happens:
■

If the file is available for checkout, a dialog opens letting you know
that the file is under version control and asking you if you want to
check it out before making edits. Click Yes.

■

If another user has the file checked out, a dialog opens notifying you
of this and telling you that you won't be able to save edits. Click OK
to open the file in read-only mode. If you attempt to save this file, a
dialog appears notifying you that the scene file is read-only and will
not be overwritten.

5 If you attempt to open a different file or use the New or Reset command
while the file is checked out, a dialog appears asking if you want to check
the files back in. Enter a comment, if appropriate, and then click OK to
check the file in.
Alternatively, if you just want to create a new version on the provider,
turn on Keep Checked Out and then click OK. A new version will be
created, but the file will still be checked out to you.

Interface
NOTE If you haven't set a working folder, the following dialog appears when you
attempt to open a file from the vault:

7954 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

After you click OK, the Browse For Folder dialog opens, which you can use to
specify a working folder.

Save
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Save

Quick Access toolbar on page 8585 ➤

Save button

Keyboard ➤ Ctrl+S
Save updates the scene file by overwriting the previously saved version of the
scene. If no scene was previously saved, this command works like Save As on
page 7956.
See also:
■

Save As on page 7956

■

Save Copy As on page 7963

Saving to an Obsolete File
When you open a file that was created with an earlier version of 3ds Max, and
then attempt to save it, 3ds Max opens a warning that you are about to
overwrite the obsolete file.

Save | 7955

Choose Yes to go ahead and overwrite the original file, No to stop the Save.
If you choose No, you can use Save As on page 7956 to save the file under a
different name.
If you save to the original file name, you can still edit it using the current
version of 3ds Max, but you will no longer be able to edit it in earlier versions
of 3ds Max.

Interface
When you save a scene, you also save the 3ds Max settings. When you open
the file again, it opens with the same viewport configuration, view and zoom
levels, snap and grid settings, and so on.
You can number saved files incrementally and make automatic backup files
at specified time intervals. These options, Increment On Save and Backup On
Save, are on the Files panel on page 8892 of the Preference Settings dialog.
TIP Another useful option on the Files panel is Compress On Save; when on, saved
scene files are significantly smaller, which speeds transferring them by email and
similar means.

Save As
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Save As
Save As lets you save the current scene file in MAX or CHR format under a
different file name.

7956 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

A CHR file is a character file saved with Save Character. For more information
on the CHR file format, see Character Assembly on page 7920 and Save Character
on page 7945.
NOTE 3ds Max lets you number saved files incrementally and make automatic
backup files at specified time intervals. The options to set up Increment On Save
and Backup On Save are on the Files panel on page 8892 of the Preference Settings
dialog.
See also:
■

Save on page 7955

■

Save As Previous on page 7958

■

Save Copy As on page 7963

■

Save Selected on page 7965

Procedures
To save a file to a different name:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Save As.

2 Do one of the following:
■

Enter a name in the File Name field.

■

Click

(Increment button).

To save a file to a previous version:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Save As.

2 Choose “3ds Max 2010 (.max)” from the Save As Type drop-down list.

Save As | 7957

Interface

The Save File As dialog has standard Windows file save controls. At the right,
the Thumbnail area shows a preview of the scene whose file name is
highlighted in the list on the left.
TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner.

Clicking the plus button appends a sequence number to the file name
you entered, or increments the sequence number if the name already has one,
and then saves the file to that name.
For example, if you have highlighted a file named test00.max, clicking the
plus button changes the name to test01.max and then saves test01.max.

Save As Previous
You can save a MAX scene to a previous version; in particular, to 3ds Max
2010 format. To do so, use the Save As Type drop-down list.

7958 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

3ds Max 2010 option on Save As Type drop-down list

This option applies to the following commands:
■

Save As on page 7956

■

Save Copy As on page 7963

■

Save Selected on page 7965

■

Container ➤ Save As on page 7891

IMPORTANT Save As Previous behaves like Save Copy As on page 7963: It does not
change the scene you are actively working on, which remains the scene in Autodesk
3ds Max 2011 format. Save and Save As using the Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 version
do not overwrite the previous version of the file, unless you specify the same file
name for both scenes.
When you open a 3ds Max 2010 file in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, the scene is
automatically converted to Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 format. In this case, using
Save will overwrite the original scene.

You can see the version under which a scene was saved by choosing
Application menu ➤ Properties ➤ File Properties ➤ File Properties dialog
➤ Contents tab.
Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 scenes appear as “Saved As Version: 13.00”. 3ds Max
2010 scenes appear as “Saved As Version: 12.00”.

Save As Previous | 7959

Certain new features in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 are not supported in the earlier
version, while others are supported in some way. The following list gives some
particulars:
■

CAT rigs and animationIf you have CAT installed for 3ds Max 2010, then
geometry, animation, and the CAT interface are all preserved. If CAT is
not installed for this version, 3ds Max 2010 displays warnings.

■

MetaSL shaders with multiple outputsIf you save a scene that uses
unsupported MetaSL shaders, including those with multiple outputs, 3ds
Max 2010 displays a message saying the DLLs are missing.

■

ContainersA 3ds Max 2010 scene can inherit a container only if you save
the container (the MAXC file) in 2010 format. See Container ➤ Save As
on page 7891.

■

Quicksilver Hardware rendererIf you save a scene that uses the Quicksilver
Hardware renderer, 3ds Max 2010 displays a message saying the
Hardware-renderer DLL is missing.

7960 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

File Link to FBXIn the 3ds Max 2010 scene, the FBX geometry is visible
only if you first bind the geometry (File Link Manager Dialog ➤ Files
panel ➤ Bind button) in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 before saving the file
to 3ds Max 2010 format. Binding the FBX geometry breaks the live File
Link connection, which 3ds Max 2010 does not support.

■

OpenEXR filesScenes that output to OpenEXR files are supported in 3ds
Max 2010, but the output options are replaced by the default settings for
the 2010 version of the OpenEXR plug-in.

■

XRef Scene and XRef ObjectsIf the Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 scene XRefs
another Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 scene, or objects within a Autodesk 3ds
Max 2011 scene, in 3ds Max 2010, the XRefs to newer-version scenes are
reported as missing files. You can fix this by saving the XRefed files to 3ds
Max 2010 format as well.

■

Autodesk MaterialsIf a scene contains an Autodesk Material, 3ds Max 2010
displays a message that says the DLLs for that material are missing.

Save As Previous | 7961

■

ACIS SolidsWhen you save a file that contains Body Objects, 3ds Max 2010
displays a message that says the Body Object DLL is missing.

7962 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Save Copy As
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Save As ➤ Save Copy As
Save Copy As allows you to save a copy of the current scene under a different
file name. It does not change the name of the file being worked on.
WARNING Save Copy As does not update the original file name as Save does,
and Save does not update the file you last saved using Saved Copy As. For example,
if you make edits to a 3ds Max scene named filename.max, then use Save Copy
As with the file name filename01.max, make additional edits, and then click Save,
your second set of edits will be saved as filename.max but not as filename01.max.
See also:
■

Save on page 7955

Save Copy As | 7963

■

Save As on page 7956

■

Save As Previous on page 7958

■

Auto Backup on page 8892

Procedures
To save a copy of the file to a different name:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Save As ➤ Save Copy As.

2 Browse or type the name of the file you want to create or update.
3 Click the Save button.

To save a copy of the file to a previous version:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Save As ➤ Save Copy As.

2 Choose “3ds Max 2010 (.max)” from the Save As Type drop-down list.

7964 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Interface

Save Copy As displays a standard Windows save dialog. Save Copy As
increments the number at the end of the file name in order to propose unique
but similarly-named files each time the command is used.
Clicking the Save button saves the file to the name displayed in the File Name
text box.
TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner.

Clicking the plus button saves the file with a name ending in a number
one increment greater than that displayed in the File Name text box.

Save Selected
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Save As ➤ Save Selected
Save Selected saves the selected geometry as a scene file under a different file
name.
Identically named bitmaps with different properties are stored as different
files. Objects linked to a selected object are also saved. The following
dependencies are preserved for a Save Selected operation:
■

Ancestors of selected child objects are saved, all the way to the root of the
hierarchy.

Save Selected | 7965

■

Space Warps to which selected objects are bound are saved.

■

IK follow objects to which selected objects are bound are saved.

See also:
Save As Previous on page 7958

■

Procedures
To save selected objects to a new file:

1

Select one or more objects.

Application menu ➤ Save As ➤ Save Selected.

2 Click

3 Enter a name in the File Name field.
4 Click Save.

To save selected objects to a previous version:

1

2 Choose

Select one or more objects.

Application menu ➤ Save As ➤ Save Selected.

3 Choose “3ds Max 2010 (.max)” from the Save As Type drop-down list.

7966 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Archive
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Save As ➤ Archive
Archive creates a compressed archive file or a text file listing the scene bitmaps
and their path names.
3ds Max automatically finds the files referenced in the scene and creates the
archive file in the executables folder. During the archiving process, a log
window is displayed.
Compressed archive files are created using an external program. You specify
the name and location of the archive program on page 8892 you want to use in
the Files tab of the Preferences dialog.

Procedures
To set up an external archive program:
1 Choose Customize ➤ Preferences.
2 Click the Files tab to display the Files panel.
3 In the Archive System group, enter the full path and executable file name,
and any command-line option you want for your external archive program
in the Program field.
To archive a file:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Save As ➤ Archive.

2 Enter a name for the archive in the File Name field.
Include the appropriate file extension (for example .zip).
3 Choose a file type: 3ds Max Archive or List Of Files.
■

To create an archive file, choose 3ds Max Archive in the Save As Type
list. The archive file contains the scene plus all bitmaps used for the
scene, including Video Post bitmaps.

■

To create a text file, choose “List Of Files (*.txt)” in the Save As Type
list. The resulting file is an ASCII list of scene files.

Archive | 7967

Import
Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import
Import loads or merges geometry files that are not 3ds Max scene files. See
the following procedure for a complete list of file types you can import.

Procedures
To import a file:

1 Choose

Application menu ➤ Import.

2 Choose an import file type from the Files Of Type list in the file selector
dialog. To see more than one file type at a time, choose the All Files file
type.
■

Autodesk (FBX) on page 8235

■

3D Studio Mesh (3DS, PRJ) on page 8183

■

Adobe Illustrator (AI) on page 8190

■

Autodesk Collada (DAE) on page 8235

■

LandXML /DEM /DDF (DEM, XML, DDF) on page 8283

■

AutoCAD Drawing (DWG) on page 8194

■

Legacy AutoCAD (DWG) on page 8214

■

Flight Studio OpenFlight (FLT) on page 8236

■

Motion Analysis HTR File (HTR) on page 8292

■

IGES (IGE, IGS, IGES) on page 8260

■

Autodesk Inventor (IPT, IAM) on page 8224

■

Lightscape Files (LP, LS, and Other Formats) on page 8286

■

gw::OBJ-Importer (OBJ) on page 8369

■

3D Studio Shape (SHP) on page 8188

7968 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

Stereolitho (STL) on page 8361

■

Motion Analysis TRC File (TRC) on page 8294

■

VRML (WRL, WRZ) on page 8378

■

VIZ Material XML Import (XML)
NOTE This applies the imported material directly to selected objects. See
Material XML Exporter Utility on page 6016 for information on creating this
file type.

3 Choose a file to import.
4 For some file types, a second dialog appears, with options specific to that
file type. Choose the import options you want.

External References (XRefs)
You can use two kinds of externally referenced files (XRefs): XRef Objects on
page 7971 and XRef Scenes on page 7999. Using these external references allows
for a team approach to animation, where the modeling, materials, transform
controllers, and animation can be handled in separate files by different artists.
It can also make large files much easier to deal with through the use of proxy
objects.
You access the XRef Objects and XRef Scenes commands from the Application
menu on page 8579.
The two types of references have distinct purposes:
■

An externally referenced scene displays the entire contents of an external
MAX file in the current scene. The objects within the external file are
visible as a reference but cannot be selected. This prevents accidental
changes to the referenced scene while allowing functionality such as Snap,
AutoGrid, and Clone and Align to position local objects in context, as well
as to pick objects as the target location for the clones. If you need to move,
rotate or scale the referenced scene, you can bind it to a local object.
Transforming the object the externally referenced scene was bound to will
transform all objects in the externally referenced scene. Scene externally
referenced objects can also be used as reference coordinate system on page
860. When changes to the externally referenced file are saved (such as objects
added, edited or deleted), an Update of Xref Scene will inherit those changes
locally.

External References (XRefs) | 7969

■

Externally referenced objects appear in the scene and can be animated.
Depending on the object's XRef settings, you might or might not be able
to edit the object’s entities such as its transforms, materials, manipulators,
or modifiers. You can add modifiers and apply transform animation to the
referenced objects, but you cannot inadvertently change the model’s
structure. Referenced objects allow for the substitution of a proxy object,
so you can animate a low-polygon version of a complex model and then
render the polygon-intensive version.
You can also reference transform controllers externally in addition to
materials. This is part of the process of referencing objects, or you can also
use the special XRef controller on page 3602 or XRef material on page 6605,
respectively. By default, when referencing an object, its material and
transform controller is also referenced. Alternatively, you can create an
XRef controller or an XRef material that allows for referencing a transform
controller or a material from an external MAX file. These external references
can be assigned to any object in the scene, whether or not the object is
externally referenced.
NOTE Any atmospherics applied in an XRef object's source file will be carried
into the scene. Render Effects assigned to XRef objects are not externally
referenced.

The use of referenced objects and scenes allows several people to work
collaboratively on the same objects as the work progresses, without having to
wait for the objects to be finalized. You can choose to have the objects update
automatically, as soon as changes are saved to the original file, or to update
manually, on demand.
There are also tools for easy conversion of scene objects into referenced objects,
and a button to merge referenced objects into the scene as normal objects.

7970 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Objects in a scene can be externally referenced, created and maintained by other users.

XRef Objects

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Objects
Externally referenced objects, XRef objects, appear in your master (current)
scene, but are actually referenced from external 3ds Max files. As a result, the
source objects are protected from modifications you make to the XRef objects.
Updates or changes made to the source objects are also updated in the master
file when the source scene is reloaded. However, if an XRef object’s entities

External References (XRefs) | 7971

are merged, the controls are local and can be modified. Therefore, they no
longer reference the original attributes.
For example, if you set the Modifiers option on page 7983 of the XRef Objects
dialog on page 7977 to XRef or Ignore, the only entry in the modifier stack will
be “XRef Object.” You can add additional modifiers to the object, but you
cannot access the original ones unless you merge the XRef object into the
scene. If you merge the modifiers into the master scene, you can edit them
in the stack. However, changes that you make to the modifier stack in the
master file have no effect in the source file.
An externally referenced object can be animated in the master file only if its
transform controller has been merged. In other words, no animation can be
added or blended with an XRef controller. However, an offset can be added,
but it then applies to the whole animation, and the offset cannot be animated.
NOTE The XRef behavior of world-space modifiers is different than the object-space
modifiers. World-space modifiers are not externally referenced. They are always
merged.
Transforms and manipulators in your source file will be treated according to
the Merge Transforms and Merge Manipulators setting in the XRef Objects
dialog.

7972 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Objects in a scene can be XRefs from other scenes. They can be transformed and
positioned in the scene using a local offset.

When an XRef object is loaded into the master file, it can have an XRef material
on page 6605 as well as an XRef controller on page 3602 assigned to it. You can
either merge the material and transform information or you can maintain it
as a live connection with the source file.
XRef objects can be modified or transformed in your master scene just like
any other object. XRef objects also allow the use of proxy objects to stand in
or substitute for geometry. Use XRef objects to manage the complexity of your
master scene during animation by substituting “lightweight” proxy objects
for more complex geometry.
You can create a proxy by simplifying a clone of your existing model or you
can build simple substitute objects like boxes or cylinders, or you can save a

External References (XRefs) | 7973

copy of the model in the early stages of modeling before you add the detail.
You can even use an object from another scene.

A proxy object is substituted in the scene, but the reference to the real object is always
available.

Choosing XRef Objects displays the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977, where
you add externally referenced objects, transforms, and materials to your master
scene, and control their visibility, merge states, and other options.
If your XRef object relies on another object in the source scene, the relationship
will not be automatically preserved in the destination file. Examples of this
include objects with path constraints, atmospherics, particle arrays with object
emitters, or space warps bound to an object. To preserve the relationship
between the source objects in the master file, in the XRef Merge dialog, enable
Display Influences and select the object's influences. Objects that influence
each other must be referenced in the same record to maintain the relationship.
NOTE Render effects such as glow or flare are not carried in XRefs. To use render
effects from the source file, merge them in using the Merge buttons found in the
Environment And Effects dialog.

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Procedures
To add an XRef object:

1 Choose

Application menu on page 8579 Import ➤ XRef Objects.

The XRef Objects dialog enables you to choose to Merge Transforms,
Merge Materials, and Merge Manipulators.
NOTE If you want to maintain externally referenced entities (transforms,
materials, manipulators, or modifiers), make sure Merge Transforms, Merge
Materials, and Merge Manipulators are off and the Modifiers setting is set to
XRef before you proceed to the next step.
TIP To include all objects, including influences, transforms, and materials,
and bypass the XRef Merge dialog, turn on Include All on the XRef Objects
dialog before you click Create XRef Record From File.

2

Click the Create XRef Record From File button in the XRef Objects
dialog. The Open File dialog appears. Choose the file you want by
highlighting it in the list, then click Open. The XRef Merge Dialog on
page 7993 appears.
If the Merge Manipulators toggle is off before you click Create XRef Record
From File, manipulators applied to XRef objects are linked to the
(externally referenced) source file. In a similar way, the Modifiers
drop-down list gives you three alternatives for how to handle object
modifiers.
If the Merge Materials toggle is off before you click Create XRef Record
From File, materials applied to XRef objects are linked to the (externally
referenced) source file. If Merge Materials is on, the materials are merged
with the master scene.
If the Merge Transforms toggle is off before you click Create XRef Record
From File, transforms applied to XRef objects are linked to the (externally
referenced) source file and cannot be keyframed in the master file. If
Merge Transforms is on, the transforms are merged with the master scene
and can be keyframed.

3 Select the objects that you’d like to appear in your master scene as XRef
objects.

External References (XRefs) | 7975

You can choose as many as you want by holding down the Ctrl key and
highlighting them in the list. If the source scene has a lot of object types
you don't need to include, you can filter the list by using the List Types
radio buttons. Use the All button to select all of the entries, the None
button to select no entries and the Invert button to highlight the opposite
of your current selection. You can also choose to display Influences and
Select Influences.
4 The XRef record appears in the upper list of the XRef Objects dialog and
has the same name as its source file. The externally referenced entities
appear in the lower list, where an entity can be either an object, a
controller, or a material. Make additional choices at this time if you like.
You can control how the objects will update (either automatically or on
demand). Updating is done at the XRef record level: all objects, transforms,
and materials from a single XRef record are updated at the same time.
To substitute an XRef object with a proxy object:
With proxy objects, you can avoid loading your detailed model in memory,
and speed up the time of test renderings.
1 Select an XRef object.

2 On the
Modify panel ➤ Proxy rollout, click
(Browse), and
use the File Open dialog to choose the file that contains the proxy.
The XRef Merge dialog appears.
3 Pick the object to use as a proxy.
When you have picked the proxy object, the Enable toggle should turn
on.
4 Turn on Use In Rendering to use the proxy object in renderings.
To add objects to an XRef record:
1 In the XRef Objects dialog, highlight an XRef record (in the top list) that
contains objects that have not already been added to the scene.

2 On the Entities List toolbar (the lower toolbar), click

(Add Objects).

This button is not available if all of the objects in the source file have
already been added to the XRef record.

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The XRef Merge dialog appears.
3 Highlight the objects that you want to add as XRefs, and then click OK.
The selected objects are added. Depending on the dialog settings,
transforms and materials might also be added as external references.
To change an XRef object into a scene object:
■

Highlight the XRef object in the Entities list (the lower list), and then click
(Merge In Scene). The XRef object becomes a full-fledged object in
the scene, giving you access to its modifier stack.
TIP This button is also available in the upper Records list, where it merges all
entities from the highlighted source record into the master (current) scene.

XRef Objects Dialog

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Objects ➤
XRef Objects dialog
The XRef Objects dialog provides the interface for loading XRef entities into
your master scene (the scene where you create the XRefs) from a source scene
(the scene file that contains the entities that you want to externally reference).
XRef entities can be XRef objects, transform controllers, materials, and
manipulators. An XRef record can be made up of one or more XRef entities.
The XRef Objects dialog is divided into the XRef Record section at the top
and the XRef Entities section at the bottom. The XRef Objects dialog provides
controls to add and remove XRef objects, controllers, and materials.
When you create XRefs, the mapping between each externally referenced item
and their source items is unique. This allows correct external referencing of
source items with identical node names. However, if you retarget an externally
referenced item by choosing a source object name that is not unique in the
source scene, 3ds Max might not map the externally referenced item to the
desired source object.

External References (XRefs) | 7977

Interface

TIP You can resize the XRef Objects dialog. This can be useful if you want to see
all of the columns in the XRef Entities list. You can also adjust the relative height
of the two lists in the dialog: Drag the horizontal line that is just above the XRef
Entities toolbar (the lower of the two toolbars).

XRef Record toolbar
Use these tools to create and update XRef records.

Create XRef Record from File Launches an Open File dialog so you
can select the source file for your XRef record. When you a select a file, the
XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 appears.
Any transform animation assigned to the source objects can be merged along
with the XRef object, but it will not be updated with the source object.
NOTE If you want to maintain externally referenced transforms, materials, and
manipulators, make sure Merge Transforms, Merge Materials, and Merge
Manipulators in the XRef Objects dialog are off before you click Create XRef Record
from File.

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Remove XRef Record Deletes the highlighted XRef record(s) after you
confirm the action. All entities associated with the highlighted record(s) are
removed from the scene.
NOTE Once you have removed an XRef record, you cannot undo this action.

Combine XRef Records Click to combine the contents of more than
one XRef record from the same source file into one record. This is useful when
you want to clean up the organization of your XRef records. Rather than
having multiple records of the same file, you can group all of the objects,
controllers, and materials from that file under the same record. This button
is available only when you highlight two records that refer to the same file
name and path; both records must have identical settings. XRef records must
refer to the same file with the same XRef entities. Combine XRef Records only
allows you to consolidate all of the entities of one file into one XRef record
entry. It does not allow you to combine the contents of different files, even
if the files have the same name.
NOTE Nested externally referenced records cannot be combined.

Update Refreshes the contents of the selected XRef record. If the objects,
controllers, materials, or manipulators referenced have changed in the source
scene, you will see these changes in your master scene.
NOTE The changes must be saved in the source file before you see them in the
master file. If you remove externally referenced entities from the master file using
the Delete XRef Entity button, these entities will not be externally referenced when
you update the XRef record, even though they continue to exist in the source
scene.
NOTE Reloading XRef items works correctly even when an object in the source
scene has been renamed, or deleted and then re-created with the exact same
name, including character case. However, if the source scene contains several
nodes with the same name, an XRef item corresponding to a node whose name
is not unique in the source scene might not necessarily resolve as you expect
during the update process. For best results, maintain unique names for all nodes
in the source scene.

External References (XRefs) | 7979

WARNING If you update an XRef in a scene with radiosity on page 7068, probably
this will invalidate the radiosity solution. After you update the XRef, reset the
radiosity solution and then recalculate it.

Merge In Scene Converts all XRef entities of the highlighted record
into native (local) entities in your master scene. The objects, controllers,
materials, and manipulators are no longer referenced from the source file but
become part of your master scene. A prompt appears so you can confirm the
action. Since a merged XRef entity becomes part of the scene and is no longer
an XRef entity, its name is removed from the XRef Entities list. This works on
a XRef record basis, so all entities belonging to the highlighted XRef record
are converted. The contents of the source file are not affected by this button.
Merging an XRef object loads the full modifier stack of the source object into
the master scene (your current scene), while maintaining any additional stack
items that were added while the object was an external reference. Thus, you
can use Merge In Scene to update an object that has been modified as an
external reference. Similarly, merging an XRef controller into the master scene
maintains any offset transformation you might have applied to the controller
in the master scene.

Convert Selected Object(s) to XRefs Creates a source file for currently
selected objects. This means that you can select objects in the current scene,
including their transform controllers and materials, and then save them to a
separate scene file. This file is then listed as an XRef record that contains the
entities you selected.
NOTE This option can be used on both—native (local) objects or externally
referenced objects. If you use it for an object that is already an XRef object, it
creates a nested XRef. Nested XRefs still behave as you expect, but they can reduce
performance when you open a scene or render it.

Select Selects all entities that belong to the currently highlighted XRef
record or records. To add highlighted records’ entities to the selection, hold
Ctrl while clicking Select. To remove highlighted records’ entities from the
selection, hold Alt while clicking Select.

Select by Name Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184, which
lists all objects and highlights those belonging to the currently highlighted

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XRef record, as well as objects selected in the scene. Use this dialog to select
XRef objects.

Highlight Selected Objects' XRef Records Based on the object(s)
selected in the scene, the corresponding record(s) that contain these objects
are highlighted in the XRef Objects dialog.

XRef Record list
Displays the names of the source files that contain the source objects used as
XRef objects in the current scene. These files are added using the Create XRef
Record button and removed using the Remove XRef Record button.
To see the full path of the source file, move the cursor over the name of an
XRef record. The full path is displayed in a tool tip.
If a source file itself contains external references, a plus/minus icon appears
to the left of its name. Click the icon to expand or collapse the display of
nested XRef entries. Nested XRef records that are missing and unresolved are
displayed in gray.
Right-clicking the XRef Record list displays a pop-up menu on page 7987 that
has additional options for managing the list and its records.

_____
Enabled Turn off to disable all XRef objects referenced from the MAX files
currently highlighted in the XRef Record list. Disabled external reference files
and objects are are not loaded into memory. Default=on.
Include All If you turn this on before you add an XRef record, all the objects
in the source file are included as external references. This option bypasses the
XRef Merge dialog. Default=off.
If you create an XRef record when Include All is turned off, only those entities
selected for that XRef record (in the XRef Merge dialog) will be a part of the
record: any new objects created in the source file will not be part of the record.
If Include All is turned on when you create a record, any new objects created
in the source file will be included in the XRef record when you reopen or
Update the master file. If Include All is turned on before a record is updated
(after the first XRef), all new objects will be included in the XRef, but turning
if off later will not remove them from the record.
If the source scene includes nested external references, using Include All can
cause some confusion if you are not careful about your tree of scenes. Consider
the following arrangement:

External References (XRefs) | 7981

master.max (Include All) --> a.max (Include All) --> b.max

If you later open b.max, create objects, and save it, then open master.max
without first opening and saving a.max, you won't see the new objects created
in b.max. The scene master.max is simply reading a.max, and since a.max hasn't
changed, the new objects aren't present.
Automatic Update When on, changes made to externally referenced objects,
controllers, materials, and manipulators in the source scene are automatically
updated in the master file as soon as the source file is saved. There's no need
to click Update. Default=off.
NOTE You can change the state of Enabled, Include All, and Automatic Update
after a record is created.
Merge Transforms When on, combines all objects' externally referenced
transform controllers from the source file into the master file. This means that
the transform controllers will be loaded in the master file but will then no
longer have a live connection with the source file. This is useful if you don't
require the live connection, and want to alter the transform controllers in the
master scene without losing your edits upon Update. Default=off.
To use Merge Transforms, you must turn on this option before you add the
XRef record (source) file.
Merge Materials When on, combines all externally referenced materials from
the source file into the master file. This means that the materials will be loaded
in the master file but will then no longer have a live connection with the
source file. This is useful if you don't require the live connection, and want
to alter the materials in the master scene without losing your edits upon
Update. Default=off.
To use Merge Materials, you must turn on this option before you add the XRef
record (source) file.
When Merge Materials is on and there are name conflicts between materials
in the target scene and materials in the XRef source scene (or between materials
in two XRef records), 3ds Max displays a Duplicate Name dialog on page 7995
so you can resolve the conflicts.
Merge Manipulators When on, any manipulator on page 2892 applied to the
XRef object in the source file is combined into the scene. Manipulators are
applied to the XRef object and can be changed. However, these changes have
no effect in the XRef source file. Default=off.
To use Merge Manipulators, you must turn on this option before you add the
XRef record (source) file.

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Modifiers Determines how modifiers from the source file will be loaded into
your master file. Modifiers are not listed as XRef entities. To see an XRef
modifier on the Modify panel, you must use the Merge option. Otherwise,
you have the choice of either not merging the modifier information at all
(with the Ignore option) or merging the information with the object with the
XRef Modifiers option.
You must choose the Modifiers option before you add the XRef record (source)
file.
■

XRefModifiers are contained within the XRef object and cannot be changed
in the master scene. When you load the external reference file, you will
see the results of the modifier but they will not be listed separately from
the object on the Modify panel. Additional modifiers can be applied to
the XRef object, and will be a part of the scene; however, they will not be
reflected back to the source file.
NOTE World-space modifers remain at the top of the modifier stack and are
not merged with XRef objects.

■

MergeModifiers assigned to the XRef object (in the source file) are merged
into the master scene. When you load the external reference file, you will
see the changes caused by the modifier and they will appear in the modifier
stack in the Modify panel. The modifiers are copies of the original source
modifiers. Although they inherit their original state, updates to the XRef
will not overwrite changes made in the master scene. However, these
changes are not reflected in the source file.

■

IgnoreAny modifiers assigned to the XRef object (in the source file) are
disregarded and the base object is brought into the master scene as an XRef
object. When you load the external reference file, the modifiers are not
applied to the object so the modifications in the source file will not be
reflected in the master file.

Although the Merge Transforms, Merge Materials, Merge Manipulators, and
Modifiers settings are disabled after you add a record, when you highlight the
record in the XRef Record list, the toggles and list field show the settings used
when the record was created.

XRef Entities toolbar
Add Objects Click to add further entities to the highlighted XRef record.
This button is available only when the highlighted XRef record contains
objects that you have not yet referenced externally. The XRef Merge dialog

External References (XRefs) | 7983

appears, with a list of the available objects. Highlight the objects to reference
externally, and then click OK.
NOTE If new objects have a relationship in the source file with objects that are
already in a record in the master file, update the record after Add Objects to refresh
the relationship. For example, if a car is referenced in a master scene, and the car
is later constrained to a new path in the source scene, adding the path with Add
Objects will not put the master car on the path. To do that, update the record.

Delete XRef Entity Click to delete the highlighted XRef. An alert
prompts you to confirm the action. All highlighted entities are removed from
the scene. You can delete XRef objects, controllers, or materials.
NOTE Deleting XRef controllers is equivalent to merging them into the master
scene. The reason for this is that nodes must have a transform controller at all
times, in order to be positioned in the scene. Deleting XRef materials is equivalent
to merging them into the master scene. This action could impact all objects in the
master scene that use an XRef material, and could have implications difficult to
be foreseen.

Merge In Scene Merges the current selection in the XRef Entities list
into the master scene (the current scene). Use this button to change XRef
objects, controllers, or materials into objects, controllers, or materials that are
native to the current scene. The connection between the external entity from
the source scene and your master scene is broken, and the object, controller,
or material that you merged is no longer updated when the source scene
changes.
3ds Max prompts you to confirm the merge.
Since a merged XRef object becomes part of the scene and is no longer an
XRef object, its name is removed from the list.
Merging an XRef object loads the full modifier stack of the original object,
while maintaining any additional stack items that were added while the object
was an XRef object. Thus, you can use Merge to update an original object that
has been altered as an external reference. If you do this, use Convert Selected
Object(s) to XRefs to save out the “improved” original into a file, which then
can be merged back into the original source.

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NOTE It is also possible to merge into the master scene nested XRef entities. Once
they are merged, all externally referenced nesting levels are removed and the
scene entity from the lowest level source scene is merged into the master scene.
In case of XRef objects, modifiers applied in a nested source file are all merged
and present in the master scene.

List Objects When on, shows the XRef objects for the current XRef
record in the XRef Entities list.

List Materials When on, shows the XRef materials for the current XRef
record in the XRef Entities list.

List Controllers When on, shows the XRef controllers for the current
XRef record in the XRef Entities list.
NOTE You can enable any combination of the List buttons to show certain types
of entities and hide others.

Select Selects in the scene the XRef entities currently highlighted in the
XRef Entities list. To add highlighted entities to the selection, hold Ctrl while
clicking Select. To remove highlighted entities from the selection, hold Alt
while clicking Select.

Select by Name Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184, which lists
all objects and highlights the XRef objects selected in the XRef Entities list,
as well as any objects selected in the scene. If an XRef controller or XRef
material is highlighted in the XRef Entities list, the Select Objects dialog
highlights the object to which the XRef controller or material belongs to.

Highlight Selected Object's XRef Records When XRef objects are
selected in the scene, the XRef record to which they belong is highlighted in
the XRef Record list and the XRef objects and their XRef entities are highlighted
in the XRef Entities list.

External References (XRefs) | 7985

XRef Entities list
Displays the XRef objects, controllers, and materials that belong to the record
that is currently highlighted in the XRef Record list. If no source file is
highlighted, this list is empty.
Right-clicking the XRef Entities list displays a pop-up menu on page 7990 that
has additional options for managing the list as well as the objects, controllers,
and materials in it.
The XRef Entities list includes the following information for each XRef entity:
■

Scene NameName of the entity in the master (current) scene. By default,
the name of the entity in the master scene is the same as the name of the
entity in the source file. If you change the name of the entity on the
command panel on page 8771, the name will update in the XRef Entities
list.

■

Source NameName of the entity in the source file. You cannot change this
name from the master file. If the name of the entity changes in the source
file, the XRef in the master file will become unresolved.

■

TypeWhether the entity is an XRef object, controller, or material.

■

Status
Usually this field displays “XRef Resolved” to indicate that the XRef is
valid. When an external reference is unresolved this field displays
“Unresolved XRef” An unresolved XRef indicates that there is no longer a
connection between the entity in your master file and the source file. This
can happen for a number of reasons. For example, the entity in the source
file might have been renamed or deleted, or the file cannot be found.
NOTE If you resolve the cross reference, the XRef will be resolved again when
you click Update.

■

ProxyWhether a proxy is enabled for the entity. You enable and disable
proxies for XRef entities on the Proxy Object rollout. Displays “–––” when
the proxy is disabled and “Enabled” when the proxy is enabled.
You can assign a proxy object using the Proxy Object rollout on page 7998.

■

Proxy RenderWhether the proxy will be used in the rendering. Displays
“–––” when the XRef object will be rendered and “Enabled” when the
proxy object will be rendered.

■

Proxy NameName of the proxy object that will be used as the XRef object.

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■

Proxy File NameName of the file that contains the proxy object to use for
the XRef object.

■

Proxy PathPath of the file for the proxy object to use for the XRef object.

XRef Record List Right-Click Menu

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Objects ➤
XRef Objects dialog ➤ Right-click the list of XRef Record list.
This contextual menu appears in the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977 when
you right-click the XRef Record list. It provides additional options for managing
the list.
Some of the options on this menu are unavailable unless you have highlighted
an XRef record.

Interface
Create XRef Record from File Launches an Open File dialog so you can select
the source file for your XRef record. When you a select a file, the XRef Merge
dialog on page 7993 appears.
Any transform animation assigned to the source objects can be merged along
with the XRef object, but it will not be updated with the source object.
NOTE If you want to maintain externally referenced transforms, materials, and
manipulators, make sure Merge Transforms, Merge Materials, and Merge
Manipulators in the XRef Objects dialog are off before you click Create XRef Record
from File.
Remove XRef Record Deletes the highlighted XRef record(s) after you confirm
the action. All entities associated with the highlighted record(s) are removed
from the scene.
NOTE Once you have removed an XRef record, you cannot undo this action.

File Submenu
Open Opens the source file. If you have not saved changes to the (current)
master file, 3ds Max prompts you to do so.

External References (XRefs) | 7987

Browse Displays the Open File dialog that enables you to browse for a new
source file. The file you choose replaces the highlighted XRef record in the
XRef Objects dialog. Available only when a single file is highlighted.
Reveal Location in Explorer Launches Windows Explorer, open to the folder
in which the highlighted source file resides with the source file highlighted.
Available only when a single file is highlighted.
Strip Path Removes path information from the file name, saving only the file
name. The source file location is saved relative to the master file location.
WARNING If you strip the path before you have saved the master file, the record's
XRefs can become unresolved. This is because there is no location for the Untitled,
unsaved MAX scene.
Resolve Path to UNC Location If the record's file name has had its path
stripped, this option restores the full path name.

_____
Combine XRef Records Click to combine the contents of more than one
XRef record from the same source file into one record. This is useful when
you want to clean up the organization of your XRef records. Rather than
having multiple records of the same file, you can group all of the objects,
controllers, and materials from that file under the same record. This option
is available only when you highlight two records that refer to the same file
name and path; both records must have identical settings. XRef records must
refer to the same file with the same XRef entities. Combine XRef Records only
allows you to consolidate all of the entities of one file into one XRef record
entry. It does not allow you to combine the contents of different files, even
if the files have the same name.
NOTE Nested externally referenced records cannot be combined.
Update Refreshes the contents of the selected XRef record. If the objects,
controllers, materials, or manipulators referenced have changed in the source
scene, you will see these changes in your master scene.
NOTE The changes must be saved in the source file before you see them in the
master file. If you remove externally referenced entities from the master file using
the Delete XRef Entity button, these entities will not be externally referenced when
you update the XRef record, even though they continue to exist in the source
scene.

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WARNING If you update an XRef in a scene with radiosity on page 7068, probably
this will invalidate the radiosity solution. After you update the XRef, reset the
radiosity solution and then recalculate it.

_____
Select Selects the entities that belong to the currently highlighted XRef record.
Select by Name Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184, which lists all
objects and highlights those belonging to the currently highlighted XRef
record. Use this dialog to select XRef objects.

_____
Highlight Selected Objects' XRefs Records Based on the object(s) selected
in the scene, the corresponding record(s) that contain these objects are
highlighted in the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977.

_____
Highlight All Highlights all XRef records in the XRef Record list.
Highlight Inverse Highlights all XRef records in the XRef Record list except
the currently highlighted record(s).
Highlight None Turns off highlighting for any XRef records currently
highlighted in the XRef Records list.
Hide All Unresolved Hides all unresolved XRef records in the XRef Record
list.
Select All Unresolved Highlights all unresolved XRef records in the XRef
Record list.

_____
Merge In Scene Converts all XRef entities of the highlighted record into native
(local) entities in your master scene. The objects, controllers, materials, and
manipulators are no longer referenced from the source file but become part
of your master scene. A prompt appears so you can confirm the action. Since
a merged XRef entity becomes part of the scene and is no longer an XRef
entity, its name is removed from the XRef Entities list. This works on a XRef
record basis, so all entities belonging to the highlighted XRef record are
converted. The contents of the source file are not affected by this option.
Merging an XRef object loads the full modifier stack of the original object into
the master scene (your current scene), while maintaining any additional stack
items that were added while the object was an external reference. Thus, you

External References (XRefs) | 7989

can use Merge In Scene to update an object that has been modified as an
external reference. Similarly, merging an XRef controller into the master scene
maintains any offset transformation you might have applied to the controller
in the master scene.
Convert Selected Object(s) to XRefs Creates a source file for the currently
selected objects. This means that you can select objects in the current scene,
including their transform controllers and materials, and then save them to a
separate scene file. This file is then listed as an XRef record that contains the
entities you selected.
NOTE This option can be used on both—native (local) objects or externally
referenced objects. If you use it for an object that is already an XRef object, it
creates a nested XRef. Nested XRefs still behave as you expect, but they can reduce
performance when you open a scene or render it.

XRef Entities List Right-Click Menu

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Objects ➤
XRef Objects dialog ➤ Right-click the list of XRef entities (objects and
materials).
This contextual menu appears in the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977 when
you right-click the XRef Entities list. It provides additional options for
managing the list.
Some of the options on this menu are unavailable unless you have highlighted
an XRef entity.

Interface
Add Objects Displays the XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 so you can add entities
to the XRef Entities list.
If all entities in the source scene are already externally referenced, this choice
has no effect.
Delete XRef Entity Deletes the highlighted XRef entities from the scene.
An alert prompts you to confirm the action.

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NOTE Deleting XRef controllers is equivalent to merging them into the master
scene. The reason for this is that nodes must have a transform controller at all
times, in order to be positioned in the scene. Deleting XRef materials is equivalent
to merging them into the master scene. This action could impact all objects in the
master scene that use an XRef material, and could have implications difficult to
be foreseen.
Select Selects in the scene the XRef entities currently highlighted in the XRef
Entities list.
Select by Name Opens the Select Objects dialog on page 184, which lists all
objects and highlights the XRef objects selected in the XRef Entities list. If an
XRef controller or XRef material is selected in the XRef Entities list, the Select
Objects dialog highlights the object to which the XRef controller or material
belongs to.
Highlight Selected Objects' XRefs When XRef objects are selected in the
scene, the XRef record to which they belong is highlighted in the XRef Record
list and the XRef objects and their XRef entities are highlighted in the XRef
Entities list.
Highlight All Highlights all XRef entities in the XRef Entities list.
Highlight Inverse Highlights all XRef entities in the XRef Entities list except
the currently highlighted XRef entities.
Highlight None Turns off highlighting for any XRef entities currently
highlighted in the XRef Entities list.
List Objects Toggles the display of XRef objects for the current XRef record
in the XRef Entities list.
List Materials Toggles the display of XRef materials for the current XRef record
in the XRef Entities list.
List Controllers Toggles the display of XRef controllers for the current XRef
record in the XRef Entities list.
The state of List Objects, List Materials, and List Controllers is the same as the
state of the toolbar buttons in the XRef Objects dialog. Changing the state in
the menu changes the button state, and vice versa.
Merge In Scene Merges the current selection in the XRef Entities list into the
master scene (the current scene). Use this option to change XRef objects or
materials into objects that are native to the current scene. The connection
between the external entity from the source scene and your master scene is

External References (XRefs) | 7991

broken, and the object, controller, or material that you merged is no longer
updated when the source scene changes.
3ds Max prompts you to confirm the merge.
Since a merged XRef object becomes part of the scene and is no longer an
XRef object, its name is removed from the list.
Merging an XRef object loads the full modifier stack of the original object,
while maintaining any additional stack items that were added while the object
was an XRef object. Thus, you can use Merge to update an original object that
has been altered as an external reference. If you do this, use Convert Selected
Object(s) to XRefs to save out the “improved” original into a file, which then
can be merged back into the original source.
NOTE It is also possible to merge into the master scene nested XRef entities. Once
they are merged, all externally referenced nesting levels are removed and the
scene entity from the lowest level source scene is merged into the master scene.
In case of XRef objects, modifiers applied in a nested source file are all merged
and present in the master scene.
Apply XRef Material(s) to Object(s) Applies the original, externally referenced
material(s) to the highlighted objects. This can be useful if you have assigned
a local material to the object (for example, to use in renderings of the master
scene) and now want to restore the object's original material. It can also restore
the externally referenced source material if the material was originally merged
into the master scene.
Apply XRef Controller(s) to Object(s) Applies the original, externally
referenced controller(s) to the highlighted objects. This can be useful if you
have assigned a local controller to the object (for example, to use in renderings
of the master scene) and now want to restore the object's original controller.
It can also restore the externally referenced source controller if the controller
was originally merged into the master scene.
Reset PRS Offset Sets the PRS transformation on page 3605of the XRef object
to its transformation defined in the source file.
NOTE You can undo this action.

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XRef Merge Dialog

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Objects ➤

XRef Objects dialog ➤
➤ XRef Merge dialog

(Create XRef Record From File) ➤ Open File

The XRef Merge dialog lets you choose which objects to add as XRef objects
to the scene. This behaves similarly to the Merge command on page 8101.
Controls on this dialog are similar to those on the Selection Floater on page
187.
The Merge dialog lets you load and save influences with or without their
dependents. In many cases, objects should be referenced with their influences,
but the display only makes you aware of the relationships, it does not force
you to externally reference them.
When you select an item in the list window and click Influences, the object’s
influences are selected in the list window. When you select an item in the list
window and Display Influences is on, the object’s influences are shown in
blue in the list window. When you select an item in the list window and Select
Influences is on, the object’s influences are also selected in the list window.

Procedures
To show an object's influences in the XRef Merge dialog:
■

Select an object in the list window and enable Display Influences.
The influences are shown in blue.

To select an object's influences in the XRef Merge dialog, do either of the
following:
■

Select an object in the list window and click Influences.

■

Select an object in the list window and enable Select Influences.

External References (XRefs) | 7993

Interface

XRef Merge Objects list
Objects are listed according to the current Sort and List Types selections.
Influences When you select an object in the list window and then click the
Influences button, the selected object's influences are highlighted as well.
All, None, and Invert These buttons alter the pattern of selection in the list
window.
Display Influences When this is on and you select an item in the list window,
all of its influences are shown in blue. If you want to highlight these influences,
click Influences.

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Select Influences When this is on and you select an item in the list window,
all of its influences are highlighted as well.

Duplicate Material Name Dialog

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Objects ➤

XRef Objects dialog ➤
(Create XRef Record From File) ➤ Open File
➤ XRef Merge dialog ➤ Select objects to XRef. ➤ Click OK. ➤ Duplicate
Material Name dialog
The Duplicate Name dialog is displayed if, after you click OK in the Merge
dialog on page 7993, one or more materials to merge have the same name as
materials in the open scene.
You can see the updated material name in the “Scene Name” column, while
the original name in the source scene appears in the “Source Name” column.

Interface

Material name At the right, the dialog displays a duplicate material name.
You can edit the name to make it unique before you merge it with the open
(current) library by clicking the Merge button.

External References (XRefs) | 7995

Apply to All Duplicates If you turn this on before you use the buttons, all
subsequent incoming materials with duplicate names are treated the same
way as the current one, and no further alert messages are displayed.
Use this option when you know that you've got several duplicate materials,
and don't need constant reminders.
This check box is unavailable if you edit the material name.
Merge Merges the material with the open, current library. This button is
unavailable unless you edit the duplicate name to be a different, unique name.
Skip Skips this material and doesn't merge it with the open, current library.
Delete Old Deletes the "old" material in the open, current library and replaces
it with the material to merge.
Auto-Rename Click to have 3ds Max automatically rename the material by
appending a sequence number to the duplicate material name.
Cancel Cancels further merging of materials with duplicate names. If you
have already merged some materials, they appear in the open, current library.

XRef Object Rollout
Select an XRef object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ XRef Object rollout

When you've selected an XRef object in a scene, the XRef Object rollout appears
along with the Proxy Object rollout on page 7998 on the Modify panel. The
modifier stack for the XRef object simply displays “XRef Object.”

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Interface

These controls let you change the file path, file name, and object name of the
source of the XRef object.
IMPORTANT The specified file must contain an object of the specified name, or
no XRef object will appear in your scene. Instead, a small X appears as a
placeholder.

Highlight Corresponding XRef Record in the XRef Objects
Dialog Click to open the XRef Objects dialog on page 7977, with the selected
object's record highlighted.
File name field Displays the path and file name of the scene file containing
the source of the XRef object. You can edit this to point to a different path
and file.
File name display Displays the file name only, without the path.

Path button Click to display the Open File dialog from which you can
specify a different path and file name for the source file.
Object name field Displays the name of the source object pointed to in the
source file. You can edit the name field to reference another object.
Object name display Displays the name of the source object.

External References (XRefs) | 7997

Path button Click to display the XRef Merge dialog on page 7993 pointing
to the scene in the XRef File Name field. Here, you can specify a different
object to be used as the XRef object.

Proxy Object Rollout
Select an XRef object. ➤

Modify panel ➤ Proxy Object rollout

When you've selected an XRef object in a scene, the Proxy Object rollout
appears along with the XRef Object rollout on page 7996 on the Modify panel.
Use these controls to specify a low-resolution object to replace the original
XRef object for easier handling in the viewports, and optionally for test
rendering.

Interface

Enable When on, displays the specified proxy object in the viewports. When
off, displays the original XRef object. Note: If you turn this on when no proxy
object has been specified, the XRef object appears in the viewports as a small
X.

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Use in Rendering When on, the proxy object is also displayed in the rendering.
When off, the original XRef object is rendered.
File Name field Specify the path and file name of the scene file containing
the proxy object.

Path button Click to display the Open File dialog from which you can
specify the scene file containing the proxy object.
Object Name field Specifies the name of the proxy object in the specified
scene.

Path button Click to display the XRef Merge dialog listing the objects
in the specified scene file. From here, you can select an object to be used as
the proxy.

XRef Scene

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Scene
An externally referenced scene, or XRef scene, appears in your current file,
but is actually loaded temporarily from another MAX file. As a result, the
source scene is protected from any modifications you might make to the XRef
scene via the master scene. Updates or changes made to the source scenes are
also updated in the master file once the changes are made and saved to the
source file.
The XRef scene feature allows team members working on the same project to
have access to each other’s work without the risk of changing the files. A
modeler can create a setting, while a second modeler might create a character.
The animator can externally reference the setting as a scene and animate the
character in the setting without being able to make changes to the setting. If
the setting file is changed, those changes will be reflected in the animator’s
scene.
Objects loaded in the master file via XRef scenes cannot be selected nor
modified, and do not appear in the Select From Scene dialog or Scene Explorer
on page 8469, the modifier stack, or the Track View. You can animate them in
the current file only by using the Bind To Parent function in the XRef Scenes
window.

External References (XRefs) | 7999

You can snap to externally referenced scene entities. You can use Snap,
AutoGrid, and Clone and Align to position local objects in context, as well as
to pick objects as the target location for the clones. If you need to move, rotate
or scale the referenced scene, you can bind it to a local object. Transforming
the object the externally referenced scene was bound to transforms all objects
in the externally referenced scene. You can also use externally referenced
objects in the scene as the reference coordinate system on page 860. When you
save changes to the externally referenced file (such as objects added, edited,
or deleted), updating the XRef Scene inherits those changes locally.

Importing the whole village model into the building model as an XRef

Radiosity solution data cannot be part of an XRef if objects have duplicate
names. To solve this, change the duplicate names. Also, to reference radiosity
data externally, the Save Scene Information In MAX File switch must be on
in the Radiosity panel on page 8948 of the Preferences dialog. (It is on by default.)

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Be aware that render effects are not carried into the master scene by XRef
scenes. To use the render effects (such as glow or flare) from the XRef file,
merge them in using the Merge buttons found in the Environment And Effects
dialog.
NOTE Atmospheric effects assigned to objects in the source file are carried into
the master file when the source file is used as an XRef scene.
Choosing XRef Scene displays the XRef Scenes dialog on page 8008.

Overlays
Overlays allow multiple scene references without the risk of creating circular
dependencies. The scene XRef marked as overlay is loaded only into the master
scene that references it, and is not visible in other scenes that might XRef the
master file that uses the overlay. Consider two scenes that reference each
other:

Ordinarily, 3ds Max would recognize this as a circular dependency, and
disallow it. However, you can set up such a combination of XRefs by following
these steps:
1 In scene 2, XRef scene 1 and use the toggle to flag it as an overlay.
2 Save scene 2.
3 Open scene 1, and XRef scene 2.
Scene 2 is externally referenced into scene 1, without pulling scene 1 in
as a nested external reference.
The previous example is not particularly practical. But suppose you want to
mask off part of your scene so other artists who XRef the scene will not see

External References (XRefs) | 8001

it. For example, you are working on a building and have XRefed a CAD file
that lays out the plumbing of the building, as well as a scene of ground terrain
that contains some XRefs to some trees. The XRef scene graph might look like
this:

The building scene XRefs the terrain and the plumbing data. The terrain scene
XRefs the trees. You decide you are the only one who needs to see the CAD
plumbing data. The CAD plumbing data is needed only to line up where the
sinks need to be in the building, so you set up the CAD plumbing data XRef
to be an overlay. Other scenes that include the building scene won’t see the
plumbing. For example, another artist who is responsible for the lighting and
cameras sets up an XRef to the building scene. Now the XRef graph looks like
this:

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In this case, an overlay is used to simply hide data information from other
master scenes. Another use of overlays is to avoid circular XRefs. For example,
picture four artists working on a scene of a city block. Two of them are working
on individual buildings, one is working on a sky bridge that connects the two
buildings, and the fourth artist is setting up the cameras and the lights. The
graph of externally referenced scenes might look like this:

External References (XRefs) | 8003

But the artists working on Building A and the artist working on the sky bridge
need to see each other’s work to make sure everything lines up. The obvious
solution would be to externally reference each other’s scene file:

8004 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

However, 3ds Max detects a circular external reference and won’t allow this,
unless both the Building A scene and the Sky Bridge scene flag their external
reference as an Overlay.

External References (XRefs) | 8005

WARNING If you turn off the Overlay flag for an existing XRef scene, you can
cause circular external references to occur, that aren’t detected until you or another
user tries to open one of the scenes in the project.

Procedures
To add an XRef scene:
1 Choose Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Import ➤ XRef Scene.
2 Click the Add button. An Open File dialog appears that lets you locate
the MAX file you wish to reference. A thumbnail display is provided to
help you identify your file.
3 Click Open to bring the XRef scene into the current scene.

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4 The path and file name of the selected file appears in the XRef Files
window.
You can add as many files as you like; each one appears in the XRef Files
window.
5 Make additional choices in the XRef Scenes dialog if you want.
You can affect the display of the XRef scene, making it visible or not, or
making objects in the referenced scene appear as bounding boxes. You
can ignore the file's lights, cameras, shapes, helpers, or animation. You
can control when the file updates, either automatically or on demand.
You can have the file enabled or disabled, or you can merge it, severing
the XRef relationship and inserting the scene into your current file. You
can bind the scene to a Parent object to reposition or animate the XRef
scene.
To scale, rotate, or reposition an XRef scene:
1 Create an object in your current scene to be the parent object.
2 Choose the XRef scene from the XRef File window.
3 Click Bind (in the Parent group), and then select the parent object by
clicking it in the viewport.
4 Transform the parent object. The XRef scene will follow.
This works best if both the parent object and the XRef scene have their
pivot points positioned near the scene's origin (0,0,0).
If the XRef scene was created a large distance from the origin, you can
run into a problem. As you scale the parent object, the XRef scene will
move away from the center. To counteract this problem, you can create
a second parent object centered over the XRef scene. Then select and link
the original parent object to the centered parent object. You can then
scale the centered parent object and the XRef will not move toward or
away from the origin and use the original parent object to move the
externally referenced scene.
An alternative method for scale problems is to use the Rescale World
Units Utility on page 2916 on the original file.

External References (XRefs) | 8007

XRef Scenes Dialog

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ XRef Scene ➤ XRef
Scenes dialog
The XRef Scenes dialog lets you add and remove XRef scenes. It also gives you
tools to control the display of the XRef scene, options to ignore various
components of the scene, and the ability to bind to a parent object so you
can scale, rotate, or move the XRef scene.

Accessing XRef Scenes
Although XRefs are inaccessible “boxes” in the scene, they can be accessed in
various ways.
■

Cameras and lights in the XRef scenes can be accessed in the Viewports
list and assigned to viewports in the current scene.

■

Objects from the XRef scenes are included in the Summary Info dialog.

■

Objects can be snapped to or used for alignment purposes with AutoGrid
and Align.

■

AutoGrid works on XRef scene objects.

■

You can use objects from XRef scenes as target for cloning or reference
systems.

Nesting XRef Scenes
XRef scenes can be nested. That is, an XRef scene can contain other XRef
scenes, which can in turn contain other XRef scenes.
NOTE For a nested XRef scene to update automatically, all of its parent scene files
(files that include it as an XRef) must have Auto Update turned on.

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Interface

XRef File list Displays all XRef scenes in the current scene, and lets you select
them for operations. XRefs that have been disabled (by turning off Enabled)

External References (XRefs) | 8009

are listed in gray rather than black. If an XRef is listed in red, that means its
file could not be loaded. Either the file is corrupted, or the path is not pointing
to the correct directory or file name.
XRef File path field Lets you change the path or file pointed to by a selected
XRef scene. To use, choose one of the XRef scenes in the list, and then change
the information in the field. You can either directly enter a new file name or
path, or you can click the Browse button to the right of the field, and then
choose a new file from the Open File dialog. The new XRef scene that you
choose replaces the one currently highlighted in the list.
Add Displays the Open File dialog from which you can choose a MAX scene
file to be loaded into the current scene as an XRef. The selected scene appears
in the list at left, and the geometry appears in the viewports.
You can also add a scene by dragging a MAX file from the Windows Explorer
into the list, or by dragging a MAX file into a 3ds Max viewport, whereupon
you're presented with a menu with the following options: Open File, Merge
File, XRef File, and Cancel.
Convert Selected Lets you take any selected objects in your scene and create
XRefs from them. Basically, this does a Save Selected for the objects, which
are automatically cut from the MAX file and pasted into a new file. A file
dialog lets you name the new file. They remain in the current scene but are
now scene XRefs.
Remove Removes the XRef scene currently chosen in the list, and removes it
from the current scene. To use, choose one or more XRef scenes in the list,
and then click the Remove button.

Select buttons
These standard buttons change the pattern of selection in the list.
All Selects all items in the list.
None Deselects all items in the list.
Invert Inverts the current selection pattern in the list.

XRef File group
Enabled Turn this off to disable the highlighted XRef. When an XRef is
disabled, it’s listed in gray in the list, and it’s not loaded into memory.
Overlay When on, treats the referenced source scene as an overlay on page
8001. Default=off.

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Overlays allow multiple scene references without the risk of creating circular
dependencies. The scene XRef marked as overlay is loaded only into the master
scene that references it, and is not visible in other scenes that might XRef the
master file that uses the overlay. See Overlays on page 8001 for more information.
WARNING If you turn off the Overlay flag for an existing XRef scene, you can
cause circular XRefs to occur, that aren’t detected until you or another user tries
to open one of the scenes in the project.
Merge Click this to merge selected XRefs into the scene as real geometry. A
prompt appears so you can confirm the action. Since a merged XRef becomes
part of the scene and is no longer an XRef, its name is removed from the list.

Update File group
Determines how and when the XRef scenes are updated. These options are
applied to the selected XRefs; for example, one XRef can have automatic
updating, while another can have manual updating (using the Update Now
button).
WARNING If you update an XRef in a scene with radiosity on page 7068, you will
likely invalidate the radiosity solution. After you update the XRef, reset the radiosity
solution and then recalculate it.
Automatic When this check box is turned on, the selected XRef scene is
automatically updated when its source scene is saved.
Update Now Click this to update a selected XRef scene when you’re not using
Automatic (or when several XRef scenes are selected and some of them are
not set to Automatic). When you click Update Now, the XRef is updated to
match the latest saved version of the source scene.

Display Options group
These options let you specify how the selected XRefs are displayed in viewports.
These options have no effect on the rendered scene.
Visible Turn on or off to display or hide the selected XRefs. This affects the
visibility of the XRef in the viewports only (not in renderings). Note, also,
that this behavior is different from the “Enabled” check box. Turning off
Visible does not remove the XRef from memory.
Box Turn this on to display the selected XRefs as bounding boxes. Turn off
to display the full geometry.

External References (XRefs) | 8011

Ignore group
This group box lets you specify categories that you do not want included with
the XRef scene. For example, if you turn on Lights, the lights in the XRef
source scene are not included in the current, target scene. You can switch
these categories on and off at any time, but if you Merge an XRef scene while
a category is turned off, that category of objects will not be merged into the
scene.
Lights Turn this on to ignore the lights.
Cameras Turn this on to ignore the cameras.
Shapes Turn this on to ignore the shapes.
Helpers Turn this on to ignore the helpers.
Animation Turn this on to ignore the animation. All animation in the scene
is disabled and the scene appears as it would at frame 0 of the source scene.
WARNING Children of an ignored object are also ignored. For example, if you
have mesh objects linked as children to a dummy object and ignore Helpers, then
the mesh objects are ignored as well.

Parent group
These controls let you position and animate XRef scenes within the current
scene by binding the XRef scene to a parent object.
Parent Name field Displays the name of the parent for the currently selected
XRef.
Bind Click this, and then pick an object in the current scene to become the
parent of the highlighted XRefs. Once an XRef is bound to a parent object,
the transforms of the parent are inherited by the XRef. Thus, you can animate
the XRef by animating the transforms of the parent.
Unbind Click to unbind the highlighted XRefs from whichever parent they’d
been bound to.
Binding XRefs to objects is similar to linking objects, as performed with the
Link/Unlink buttons on the toolbar.
If you Merge a linked XRef scene, converting it to objects in the current scene,
the objects in the XRef scene become linked children of the binding parent.
At this point, you could Unlink them (using the toolbar command), and they’ll
maintain their offset position to the parent.

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_____
Close Click to close the dialog.

Missing XRef Paths Dialog

Application menu on page 8579 ➤ Open ➤ Open a file that references
missing files.
If you load or render a scene with XRefs, but the originally specified path of
the XRef object or scene can’t be found, or if the XRef object name doesn’t
match the object name in the source file, an alert appears telling you this. The
alert works in the same way as the missing bitmap dialog, and provides you
with two options, described below.

Interface

OK Lets you open the file. The referenced scene will have placeholders, but
will not exist in the scene.
Browse Displays the Configure XRefs Paths dialog which you can use to specify
the correct file path. This lets you modify, delete, add, and change the list
position of the paths 3ds Max uses to look for missing files.
This panel is similar to the one displayed by choosing Customize ➤ Configure
User Paths ➤ XRefs on page 8880.
If this problem occurs during network rendering, the dialog doesn’t appear,
but the errors are written to the network log file.

External References (XRefs) | 8013

File Link Manager
Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Click the More button. ➤
Utilities dialog ➤ File Link Manager
The File Link Manager utility allows you to work in either another design
software's environment (such as AutoCAD) or in 3ds Max while maintaining
a single design database. If you use AutoCAD drawings, this feature works
with drawings from AutoCAD Release 12 through AutoCAD 2005, including
the AutoCAD Mechanical/Architecture and Revit applications. File Link also
supports FBX files from Revit 2009 and Revit 2010.
You can establish, refresh, and break links to any number of linked files. You
can also edit out unnecessary information by using layers and other filters.
The File Link Manager defines which geometry is included in the 3ds Max
scene from the linked file, how the geometry is organized, and when it is
regenerated.
The objects that you bring in from linked files behave just like any other object
created in 3ds Max. You can scale, rotate, and move them, apply modifiers,
and assign materials.
You can also refresh or break links to linked files. When you refresh a linked
file, any changes you’ve made to the linked file are applied to geometry in
your scene. However, 3ds Max will not change the original, linked file. The
integrity of your other software’s design database is never compromised by
using the File Link Manager.
Finally, if you decide to break a link to a linked file, you can either keep the
objects from the linked file in your scene, or have them removed along with
the link.
TIP For optimal speed when bringing a DWG file that contains a lot of text into
3ds Max, use Import on page 8194 rather than File Link.

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File Link Workflow
File Link is best understood through a few simple principles:
■

Changes in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit can change the data
viewed in 3ds Max, but changes in 3ds Max never change the data in
AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit.
Creating a file link is a one-way process that supports the central role of
AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit in developing and keeping a
record of your core design database. Many changes made in AutoCAD,
AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit will appear in 3ds Max after you reload a
file link. These include adding or removing objects, moving objects,
changing material assignments (specific to AutoCAD Architecture and
Revit drawings), and enabling Live Section objects (specific to AutoCAD
Architecture drawings). Changes made in 3ds Max, such as moving objects,
changing material assignments, and adding lights, will never appear in
your AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit drawing.

■

Changes you can make in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit should
be made in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit.
Changes that you make in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit
become part of the design database, whereas changes you make in 3ds Max
appear only in the renderings you produce.

■

Changes in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit aren't reflected in
3ds Max unless you choose them to be.
When you make changes to drawing files, those changes will not appear
in 3ds Max unless you use the File Link Manager Reload command on page
8022. When you reload a link in 3ds Max, you can choose to update just the
geometry from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit, you can reload
only specific objects, or (with AutoCAD Architecture and Revit drawings)
you can choose to update both the geometry and the material assignments.
NOTE After changing your Revit project, you must export a new FBX or DWG
file, and then reload that file into 3ds Max. 3ds Max cannot link a native Revit
project, an RVT file, directly.
You can transform (move, rotate, or scale) AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture,
or Revit objects and blocks that appear in 3ds Max, and these types of
changes are not lost upon reload. If you have moved, rotated, or scaled
linked objects and want the objects to resume the position and scale they
have in the original drawing file, use the Reset Position function on page
8064.

File Link Manager | 8015

■

3ds Max integrates linked AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit data
with non-AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit data.
In addition to the linked AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit
geometry and material assignments, 3ds Max allows you to create or merge
into your scene many types of data from other sources, including:
■

Lighting objects for simulating light fixtures and daylight conditions.

■

Entourage objects such as surrounding buildings, terrain, trees, cars, and
people.

■

Advanced rendering material effects that simulate the rich visual variety
of any imaginable material. You can take advantage of materials that
appear on objects created in 3ds Max, and you can create your own
material effects using the Material Editor. Materials created with the
Material Editor can be assigned to any component in your scene.

■

Bitmaps for use as environment backgrounds. You can use still images
in a variety of formats, or even animated movies, as a rendering
background to create stunning photomontages that appear to place
your proposed design right into the actual location.

File Link Manager Dialog

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ Click the More button. ➤
Utilities dialog ➤ File Link Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog
The main interface to the File Link Manager is the File Link Manager dialog

Procedures
To link a drawing file:
You can link drawings in the form of DWG, DXF, or FBX files. A DWG is the
native file format for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture; when you work

8016 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

with a Revit project, you can export to either DWG or FBX format. (The File
Link Manager does not recognize RVT files.)

1 Choose
Link Manager.

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File

2 On the Attach panel, click Files to select a file from the appropriate
directory on either your local or network system, and click Open.
3 Choose a Preset from the drop-down list, if you have one defined.
TIP If this is your first File Linking, and you have not defined any presets, you
might want to create one on the Presets panel on page 8023 of the dialog.
4 If the file is a DWG or DXF file, turn on Rescale and change the Incoming
File Units, if necessary.
5 Click Attach This File.
To reload a drawing:
Reload is most often used when your drawing or project has been changed in
AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit, or if the linked drawing file has
been moved and you have to tell the File Link Manager where to find the
drawing.
NOTE If your Revit project has been updated, remember to export a new FBX or
DWG file that can be reloaded.
1 On the Files panel of the File Link Manager, click the file name in the
Linked Files list and click Reload.
Linked files that have been changed are prefaced with the

symbol.

TIP Turn on the Show Reload Options switch if you want to make changes
to the settings used to link the drawing. Otherwise, the reload process will
use the same settings you originally used when creating the link.
2 If Show Reload Options is turned on, 3ds Max displays either the File
Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on page 8028 or the File Link Settings: FBX

File Link Manager | 8017

Files dialog on page 8024, depending on the file type. This dialog lets you
change your link settings.
NOTE When you reload a DWG or DXF file, you cannot change the sorting
or layer options.
3 Click OK to reload the file.

Interface
The File Link Manager dialog contains three panels:
■

Attach on page 8019

■

Files on page 8021

■

Presets on page 8023

These panels let you attach files, update attachments and settings, and change
the presets used by File Link. The terminology is similar to the terminology
for managing AutoCAD external references, or xrefs on page 9355.
NOTE An xref is an AutoCAD external reference. This is different from a 3ds Max
Xref on page 9356, which is an externally referenced file that can be a 3ds Max
object or scene.

8018 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Attach panel

File Displays a file Open dialog where you can the browse for the DWG, DXF,
or FBX file that you want to link. Once you have chosen a file, its path and
name appear in the File list.
File list The file to link to your scene. You can enter the path and name in
this field, or you can use the drop-down list to display a history of the last ten
files that you have linked.
TIP You can resize the File Link Manager dialog by dragging any corner or edge.
This is useful for viewing a file path if it’s too long to fit in the default-sized file list
field.
Preset Displays a list of preset settings you can choose to use when attaching
the file. Each list entry in this list represents a unique collection of attach and
reload settings. You can create additional presets in the Presets panel of the
File Link Manager dialog.
Rescale (DWG/DXF files only.) Alters the scale of the geometry from a linked
file to match the system unit scale on page 8959 in 3ds Max. When Rescale is
on, you can specify what the base units should be for the geometry in the
linked file. For example, if the length of a line in the linked file is 2 units, you

File Link Manager | 8019

can specify that these units be considered as any of the units listed under File
Units (below), such as inches, millimeters, or parsecs.
■

Incoming file unitsLists the units to which you can choose to rescale the
linked file. This is active only when Rescale is on.

When Rescale is on, and the units you specify are different from the system
units currently set in the 3ds Max scene, the incoming objects are scaled
appropriately. For example, if a door measures 914 units in the linked file,
and you specify millimeters to convert from, the door will measure 36 inches
in the 3ds Max scene.
NOTE You can't change units when you reload a linked DWG or DXF file.
NOTE By default, 3ds Max system units are inches. Consider carefully before
changing the default system units. For more information, see Using Units on page
2810.
Select Layers to Include (DWG/DXF files only.) Displays the Select Layers
dialog on page 8045, which you use to select the layers to import from the linked
file.
Attach This File Attaches the selected file to your scene, using the settings
specified by the preset in the Preset list, if you chose one.
To cancel the File Link operation, press Esc. You can do this at any time during
the process. Cancelling the File Link operation removes every object the process
has linked to the scene up to the moment you press Esc.
Closing the File Link Manager dialog cancels all changes you made to the File
Link settings.

8020 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Files panel

The Reload, Detach, and Bind buttons are available only when you have
highlighted a particular file in the Linked Files list.
Linked Files Lists linked files. The File Link Manager displays an icon next
to the path name of each linked file. The icon reflects the status of the linked
file:
The linked file hasn't changed, and there are no errors.
The linked file can't be found at the specified location.
The linked file has changed, or another file has been selected by changing
the path or using the browser from this list. If you want to update your scene
with the changes in this file, you must reload on page 8022 your link.
You can change the path name by highlighting it and clicking again to enter

a new location. Clicking the path twice also displays a
file browser button
to the right of the file name. Click this to locate a file using a file Open dialog.
If the directory of a linked file is no longer valid, then you must enter a new,
valid path name.

File Link Manager | 8021

Reload Click to refresh the link between the file and the 3ds Max session.
Reload is useful when the original file has been modified and you want to see
the changes reflected in your 3ds Max scene.
■

Show Reload options When this is on, clicking Reload opens either the
File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on page 8028 or the File Link Settings:
FBX Files dialog on page 8024, depending on the file type. In this dialog, you
can change the settings used to link the file (some initial settings can’t be
changed). When off, Reload relinks the file using the currently active link
settings. Default=on.

NOTE Changes that have been made to the base file are applied to the objects
at the bottom of the 3ds Max modifier stack. In other words, the local 3ds Max
modifiers are not changed. If you have 3ds Max materials applied to walls in a
floor plan in your scene, the same materials are applied to the walls when you
reload an updated version of the linked file.
To cancel the Reload, press Esc. You can do this at any time during the process.
Cancelling the Reload removes every object the process has linked to the scene
up to the moment you press Esc.
Detach Click to removes an existing link to a file. Detach also removes all
geometry associated with or dependent on the link.
When you click Detach, 3ds Max displays a warning that you're about to
remove all objects associated with the linked file. You can either proceed or
cancel the operation.
Bind Click to remove the link to the file, but retain the geometry in your 3ds
Max scene. The geometry is no longer linked back to the original file, and if
the original file changes, you can no longer update the geometry by using
Reload.
When you click Bind, 3ds Max displays a warning that you’re about to break
the link between the objects in the current 3ds Max scene and the original
file.

8022 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Presets panel

Named Presets Lists all existing presets.
Modify Opens the File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on page 8028 or the File
Link Settings: FBX Files dialog on page 8024, depending on the file type. In the
dialog, you can change the settings for the selected preset.
Modify is available only when you have highlighted a preset in the list.
New Opens the New Settings Preset dialog on page 8097, creating a new preset
with default settings.
New is available only when no preset is highlighted in the list. If a preset is
highlighted, this button changes to Copy.
Copy Opens the New Settings Preset dialog on page 8097, creating a new preset
with the same settings as the currently selected preset.
Copy is available only when a preset is highlighted in the list. If no preset is
highlighted, this button changes to New.
Rename Opens the Rename Settings Preset dialog on page 8099, letting you
change the name of the highlighted preset.
Rename is available only when a preset is highlighted in the list.
Delete Deletes the selected preset.
Delete is available only when a preset is highlighted in the list.

File Link Manager | 8023

File Link Settings: FBX Files Dialog

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager ➤ Files tab Highlight an FBX file. ➤ Turn on Show Reload
Options. ➤ Click Reload.

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager ➤ Presets tab ➤ Highlight am FBX preset. ➤ Click Modify.

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ Files tab ➤ Highlight an FBX file. ➤ Turn on Show Reload
Options. ➤ Click Reload.

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ Presets tab ➤ Highlight an FBX preset. ➤ Click Modify.
This dialog appears when you reload an FBX file, or edit the settings of an
FBX preset.
The File Link Settings: FBX Files dialog gives you control over some details of
how geometry is translated from FBX files and interpreted in 3ds Max. In
particular, it offers several ways to combine FBX geometry and reduce the
complexity of your 3ds Max scene, which can improve performance.

8024 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Interface

File Link FBX settings when you reload a file

File Link Manager | 8025

File Link FBX settings when you edit a preset

[Name field] When you edit a preset, this field shows the name of the preset.
When you reload an FBX file, this field shows the path and name of the file.
Combine Entities list When you edit a preset, this drop-down list lets you
choose the way in which Revit entities are combined. Combining entities can
reduce the number of objects in your 3ds Max scene, and improve performance.
When you reload an FBX file, you cannot change the Combine Entities setting.
3ds Max provides these options for combining FBX entities:
■

By Revit MaterialRevit entities assigned the same material become a single
3ds Max object. The object has the name of the material, and is placed on
a layer that also has the name of the material. Revit metadata (Family and
Category) does not appear in the 3ds Max Scene Explorer.
Multi/Sub-Object material information is lost.
NOTE If the Revit scene does not contain material assignments, the geometry
is imported as a single object, and this option becomes comparable to the As
One Object option.

8026 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

By Revit CategoryRevit entities that have the same Category become a
single 3ds Max object. The object has the name of the Category and is
placed on a layer that also has the name of the Category. The Family and
Category appear in the 3ds Max Scene Explorer.
Multi/Sub-Object material information is retained.

■

By Revit Family TypeRevit entities that belong to the same Family become
a single 3ds Max object. The object has the name of the Family and is
placed on a layer that also has the name of the Family. The Family and
Category appear in the 3ds Max Scene Explorer.
Multi/Sub-Object material information is retained.

■

As One ObjectLinks the entire Revit drawing as a single 3ds Max object,
with the name of the FBX view. The object is placed on a layer that also
has the name of the FBX view. Revit metadata (Family and Category) does
not appear in the 3ds Max Scene Explorer.
Revit materials are combined into a single Multi/Sub-Object material.
TIP This option is useful if you are doing a massing study such as a shadow
animation.

■

Do Not CombineLinks each Revit entity as a single 3ds Max object. This
is comparable to importing an FBX file.
WARNING Do Not Combine is a simple option, but if the Revit drawing is
large, 3ds Max performance can suffer.

Objects group
Create Helper at Model Origin When on, 3ds Max creates a Point helper on
page 2884 object at the origin of the FBX geometry and the 3ds Max scene. The
geometry is linked to the point helper, so moving the helper moves the Revit
geometry. The name of the helper is the name of the FBX file (without its
path). Default=on.
Lights When on, links lights from the FBX file. Default=on.
WARNING Exporting from Revit to FBX converts multiple instances of a light type
to individual, unique light objects. This can dramatically reduce 3ds Max
performance, and we recommend that you use 3ds Max to add the lighting to
an FBX model.
Daylight System When on, links the daylight system from the FBX file.
Default=on.

File Link Manager | 8027

Cameras When on, links the camera from the FBX file. A Revit FBX file
contains a single camera that shows the view you exported. Default=on.

Material group
Use Scene Material Definitions When on, uses material definitions from the
3ds Max scene rather than materials from the Revit drawing. Default=off.
Use Scene Material Assignments on Reload When on, reloading ignores
material assignments in the Revit drawing and retains the material assignments
from the 3ds Max scene. Default=off.

File Link Settings: DWG Files Dialog

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager ➤ Files tab Highlight a DWG or DXF file. ➤ Turn on Show
Reload Options. ➤ Click Reload.

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager ➤ Presets tab ➤ Highlight a DWG/DXF preset. ➤ Click
Modify.

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ Files tab ➤ Highlight a DWG or DXF file. ➤ Turn on Show
Reload Options. ➤ Click Reload.

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ Presets tab ➤ Highlight a DWG/DXF preset. ➤ Click Modify.
This dialog appears when you reload a DWG or DXF file, or edit the settings
of a DWG/DXF preset.
The File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog gives you control over the detailed
aspects of how geometry is translated from DWG or DXF files and interpreted
in 3ds Max. It also allows you to control whether only a portion of the 3ds
Max objects will be affected by subsequent reloading.

8028 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

The File Link Settings dialog lets you:
■

View and exclude layers in a linked DWG/DXF file.

■

Control how geometry is converted.

■

Define how linked objects are converted to the 3ds Max objects known as
VIZBlocks.

The selections you make in the File Link Settings dialog can affect the amount
of memory used by 3ds Max to hold the linked data. Use the Select Layers To
Include option on page 8039 to reduce the amount of information added to
your scene.
In some cases, it might be more efficient to create multiple links to the same
file, making different file link settings for each file.
See also:
■

File Link Tips on page 8056

Basic File Link Settings

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Reload a linked DWG/DXF
file with Show Reload turned on. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤
Basic panel

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Select an existing DWG/DXF
preset and click Modify. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Basic
panel

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Create a new DWG/DXF
preset. ➤ Select the newly created preset and click Modify ➤ File Link
Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Basic panel

File Link Manager | 8029

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Reload a linked
DWG/DXF file with Show Reload turned on. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files
dialog ➤ Basic panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ ➤ Presets panel ➤ Highlight an
existing DWG/DXF preset and click Modify. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files
dialog ➤ Basic panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Create a new
DWG/DXF preset. ➤ Highlight the newly created preset and click Modify
➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Basic panel
The Basic panel of the File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on page 8028 defines
how 3ds Max converts the linked file’s objects into corresponding 3ds Max
objects.

8030 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Interface

Weld nearby vertices Sets whether to weld nearby vertices of converted
objects according to the Weld Threshold setting. Welding smooths across
seams and unifies normals of objects with coincident vertices. Welding occurs
only on vertices that are part of the same object.
Weld threshold Sets the distance that determines whether vertices are
coincident. If the distance between two vertices is less than or equal to the
weld threshold, the vertices are welded together. To use the Weld Threshold,
turn on Weld.
Auto-smooth adjacent face Assigns smoothing groups on page 9310 according
to the Smooth-angle value. Smoothing groups determine whether faces on

File Link Manager | 8031

an object render as a smooth surface or display a seam at their edges, creating
a faceted appearance.
Smooth-angle Controls whether smoothing occurs between two adjacent
faces. If the angle between the two face normals is less than or equal to the
smooth angle, the faces are smoothed (that is, put in the same smoothing
group).
Orient normals of adjacent faces consistently Analyzes the face normals of
each object and flips normals where necessary, so they all point in a direction
that is consistent with adjoining faces. If the imported geometry isn't properly
welded, or if the AutoCAD geometry did not contain or specify normal
information, normals might be oriented in the wrong direction. Use the Edit
Mesh on page 1263 or Normal on page 1497 modifiers to flip normals.
When Unify Normals is off, normals are calculated according to the face vertex
order in the linked file. Face normals for AutoCAD solids are already unified.
Turn off Unify Normals when importing only AutoCAD solid models from
AutoCAD Architecture.
Cap closed splines Applies an Extrude modifier on page 1369 to all closed
objects, and selects the Cap Start and Cap End options of the modifier. The
Extrude modifier Amount value for a closed object with no thickness is set to
0. Capping makes closed objects with thickness appear solid and closed objects
without thickness appear flat. When Cap Closed Objects is off, the Extrude
modifier Cap Start and Cap End options for closed objects with thickness are
clear. No modifiers are applied to closed objects without thickness.
TIP Unless you chose the One-to-One sorting option, you won't immediately see
the Extrude modifier when selecting an object. To see it, look through the modifier
stack for the VIZBlock on page 9344 sub-objects. In a nested VIZBlock, the Extrude
modifiers appear at the bottom of the stack. You can then edit the Extrude modifier
parameters.
Texture Mapping The texture mapping setting can reduce the loading time
of models that have many objects with stored UVW Coordinates for texture
mapped materials.
NOTE This setting applies only to geometry that is stored as a mesh in the scene.
Spline shapes marked as renderable have separate controls for UVW coordinate
generation; these are found on the Spline Rendering panel on page 8041.
■

Generate Coordinates For All ObjectsAutomatically generates UVW
coordinates for all objects when the drawing is linked.

8032 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

This option tells the File Link Manager to create UVW coordinates, but
loading time is increased while the coordinate generation occurs.
■

Generate Coordinates On DemandDoes not generate texture coordinates
for linked mesh objects.
Actively linked objects generate UVW coordinates on demand, so if you
assign a material to an object and the material requires texture coordinates,
the texture coordinates are silently assigned to that object. If the material
or texture map is set to display in viewport, the coordinates are assigned
as soon as the material is applied; if not, the coordinates are assigned when
the scene is rendered.
This option gives you faster loading speed, but no UVW coordinate
generation.
NOTE Objects in drawings created in AutoCAD Architecture pass texture
coordinates explicitly to 3ds Max when you attach the drawing. If you specify
on-demand coordinate generation, they might not match the coordinates that
were specified in the original drawing. The map scaling is the same, but the
texture offsets may be altered.

Curve steps For objects such as splines, the number of knot points determines
the spline's shape and curvature. The Curve steps value defines the number
of segments between knot points. A low value gives you a more linear
interpolation between the knot points; a higher number gives you a more
accurate curve.
Maximum surface deviation for 3D solids Specifies the maximum allowable
distance from the 3ds Max surface mesh to the parametric AutoCAD solid
surface. Small numbers produce more accurate surfaces with a greater number
of faces. Large numbers produce less accurate surfaces with fewer faces.

Include group
This group allows you to toggle the inclusion of specific parts of a DWG file
during the file link process.
External references Imports xrefs attached to the DWG file.
Lights Imports lights from pre-AutoCAD 2007 DWG files.
Sun and Sky Imports Sun and Shadows position from the drawing file
(AutoCAD / AutoCAD Architecture 2008 and Revit 2008 only).

File Link Manager | 8033

NOTE You must set mental ray as the default renderer for you to see the Sun and
Sky effect. To set mental ray as the default renderer, see Choose Renderer Dialog
on page 7035.
Hatches Imports hatches from the DWG file.
WARNING This stores each line or dot in the hatch pattern as a separate spline
that defines the hatch; this can create a very large number of objects in your scene.
Views and Camera Imports named views from the DWG file, and converts
them to 3ds Max cameras.
NOTE Orthographic views do not translate correctly in imported DWG files.
However, there are no problems with Perspective views.
Points Imports points from the DWG file.
NOTE The imported point objects are represented in 3ds Max as Point Helper on
page 2884 objects.
UCSs (grids) Imports user coordinate systems (UCS) from the DWG file and
converts them to 3ds Max grid objects.

Advanced File Link Settings

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Reload a linked DWG/DXF
file with Show Reload turned on. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤
Advanced panel

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Select an existing DWG/DXF
preset and click Modify. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Advanced
panel

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Create a new DWG/DXF

8034 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

preset. ➤ Select the newly created preset and click Modify ➤ File Link
Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Advanced panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manger dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Reload a linked
DWG/DXF file with Show Reload turned on. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files
dialog ➤ Advanced panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Highlight an
existing DWG/DXF preset and click Modify. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files
dialog ➤ Advanced panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Create a new
DWG/DXF preset. ➤ Highlight the newly created preset and click Modify
➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Advanced panel
The Advanced panel of the File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on page 8028
controls how 3ds Max derives AutoCAD primitives and whether 3ds Max uses
the scene material definitions when linking to or reloading the AutoCAD
drawing. It also lets you selectively reload your scene, so that you reload only
specific objects, not the entire file.

File Link Manager | 8035

Interface

Derive AutoCAD primitives by: Lists the options for deriving objects from
the linked DWG file. This setting is available only when modifying a preset
on page 8100.
NOTE This applies only to standard AutoCAD primitives. Specialized objects, such
as those from AutoCAD Architecture, are handled differently.
TIP For best results, use the Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy or Entity, Blocks as Node
Hierarchy options, except in special circumstances.
There are six options to choose from:
■

Layer, Blocks as Node HierarchyLinked objects on a given layer in the
AutoCAD drawing that aren't in blocks are combined into a single Editable

8036 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Mesh or Editable Spline object in 3ds Max. The name of each linked object
is based on the AutoCAD object's layer. The linked object name has a
“Layer:” prefix and is followed by the layer name. For example, all AutoCAD
objects residing on the layer Walls become part of the Editable Mesh named
Layer:Walls after they are linked in 3ds Max.
Each block is linked separately as a hierarchy, with the block itself as the
parent object and its constituent parts as child objects. The child objects
of the block are combined by layer.
TIP This is usually the best option for file linking. It preserves all ADT
information, and generally maintains the same granularity as you would expect
in AutoCAD.
■

Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy, Split by MaterialThis works the same as
the Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy option, with the following additional
functionalities: The combination of non-block objects by layer, followed
by material and support for multiple materials assigned to ACIS solid and
polymesh geometry.
■

Non-block object layer combination:

For example, take an AutoCAD file with six objects in layer A: three have
a Brick material and three have a Stone material. Using this option, this
file would be linked to in the form of two objects, or nodes, one containing
the Brick material and the other with the Stone material.
Each block is linked to separately as a hierarchy, with the block itself as
the parent object and its constituent parts as child objects. The child objects
of the block are combined by layer.
■

Multiple material support

On import, ACIS solids and polymesh geometry can support multiple
materials. For polymesh geometry, one material is supported per face. For
an ACIS solid, if the solid has more than one material associated with it,
a multi/sub object material is created that contains the materials used. If
the solid has only one material associated with it, a standard/architectural
material is assigned instead.
NOTE Multiple material support for ACIS solids applies to DWG files imported
or file linked from Revit Architecture 2008 or AutoCAD Architecture (formerly
Architectural Desktop or ADT) 2008 and later.

File Link Manager | 8037

NOTE This derivation method is intended for use with AutoCAD 2007 (and
later) format files. Using this method with DWG files created with previous
versions of AutoCAD could result in data loss.
■

Entity, Blocks as Node HierarchyEvery linked object not in a block is
represented as a separate object in the 3ds Max scene, without regard to
layers. The nodes are then placed on scene layers that correspond to the
drawing layers. Each block is imported separately as a hierarchy, with the
block itself as the parent object and its constituent parts as child objects.
The child objects of the block are combined by layer.
One benefit of this option is that you can apply instanced animation
controllers on page 3428 to block subcomponents and thus, by transforming
a single member, transform all members at once. For example, in a scene
containing a conference table with six chairs around it, you could move
all of the chairs simultaneously by moving a single chair.
Another advantage is that all geometry is instanced, so edited UVs and
normals and other modifications need be done only once.
NOTE This derivation method might cause unreliable material propagation
when importing drawings containing dynamic blocks. Materials might
propagate to some block instances and not to others.
WARNING This option has the potential to create an enormous number of
objects in your scene.
Multiple materials per object are supported with this option, if needed. If
the object is an ACIS solid, and has more than one material associated
with it, a multi/sub object material is created containing the materials that
can be edited in the Materials Editor. If the solid has only one material
associated with it, a standard/architectural material is assigned instead. If
the object is polymesh geometry, one material per face is supported.
NOTE Multiple material support for ACIS solids applies on the DWG files
imported or file linked from Revit Architecture 2008 or AutoCAD Architecture
(formerly Architectural Desktop or ADT) 2007 and later.

■

LayerLinked objects are combined in 3ds Max according to their layer.
Objects in each of the associated application's layers are combined into
one object, with the exception of blocks, each of which is represented as
an individual VIZBlock (not a hierarchy). Multiple inserts of the same block
are represented using instances in the scene. Material assignments are lost
but material IDs are preserved.

8038 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

ColorLinked AutoCAD objects are combined in 3ds Max according to their
color. All objects of the same color are combined into one object, with the
exception of blocks, each of which is represented as an individual VIZBlock
(not a hierarchy). Multiple inserts of the same block are represented using
instances in the scene. Material assignments are lost but material IDs are
preserved.
NOTE Blocks can contain objects with different colors. However, when sorting,
3ds Max considers only the color of the block itself. Also, 3ds Max objects can
only display one color, unless a material is applied.

■

EntityProvides a one-to-one correspondence between AutoCAD objects
and 3ds Max objects. For each linked object or block in the imported file,
the File Link Manager creates an independent object or VIZBlock,
respectively, in the scene. Material assignments are lost but material IDs
are preserved.
WARNING This option has the potential to create an enormous number of
objects in your scene.
NOTE When working with drawings exported from Revit, it is recommended
that you do not use this setting.

■

One ObjectAll linked objects are combined into a single VIZBlock. Material
assignments are lost but material IDs are preserved.

Select Layers to Include Displays the Select Layers dialog on page 8045, which
you use to choose layers to import from the linked file. Available only when
reloading a linked file.
TIP Excluding unnecessary objects from linking can improve the performance of
the reload operation.
Create Helper at Drawing Origin When on, 3ds Max inserts the user
coordinate system icon as an origin point helper. 3ds Max places this helper
at the world origin of the linked file. It's a reference point for all the geometry
of the linked file. After attaching, the helper is selected, allowing you to easily
move, rotate, or scale all the geometry that was just added to the scene. Each
linked file gets a unique helper object.
This setting is available only when modifying a preset on page 8100.
Use Extrude Modifier to Represent Thickness When on, linked objects with
thickness receive an Extrude modifier to represent the thickness value. You

File Link Manager | 8039

can then access the parameters of this modifier and change the height
segments, capping options, and height value.
When off, objects with thickness (and closed capped objects) are converted
directly to a mesh.
This setting is available only when modifying a preset on page 8100, and not
using the Derive option Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy.
Create One Scene Object for Each ADT Object AutoCAD Architecture
(formerly Architectural Desktop or ADT) objects are linked as a single object
instead of being separated into their constituent components. This means
that if you link an AutoCAD Architecture door object, the door is represented
as one object instead of three. Turning on this switch make linking faster and
the scene size is smaller.
This setting is available only when modifying a preset on page 8100.
NOTE This switch presents several modeling concerns that you need to be aware
of.
■

Material assignments from AutoCAD Architecture are not translated during
the file link process.

■

If you want to assign materials to these objects, use Multi/Sub-Object
materials.

■

Depending on the Texture Mapping option you choose, UVW coordinates
are translated correctly.

Use Scene Material Definitions When on, 3ds Max checks the current scene
for any currently used materials with the exact same name as a material name
in the linked DWG file. If a match is found, File Link does not translate the
drawing’s material, but instead uses the material defined in the scene.
When off, the File Link Manager always uses the material definitions contained
in the DWG file, and will overwrite scene materials with the same name,
regardless of which objects the material is applied to. All material definitions
stored in the DWG file are reloaded (even when using a selective reload). If
you make changes to a linked material, in 3ds Max, then reload, those changes
will be lost (if the switch is off).
If Use Scene Material Assignments on Reload is on at the same time as Use
Scene Material Definitions, standard/architectural materials, material
assignments, and face material IDs are left as they are.
If Use Scene Material Assignments on Reload is off at the same time as Use
Scene Material Definitions, only the material assignments and face material
IDs are updated and standard/architectural materials are not translated.

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TIP When reloading a file, most of the materials from the DWG file will have
already been created in the scene by 3ds Max; they may not need to be
re-translated. If you want to update a scene material with the definition contained
in the drawing, turn this switch off.
NOTE Material name comparison is case-sensitive.
Use Scene Material Assignments on Reload When on, linked objects with
a material already assigned to them in the 3ds Max scene will not have that
material assignment changed. This is the case regardless of whether the material
was assigned automatically by the File Link Manager or manually by the user.
When off, linked objects have their material assignment “coordinated” with
the drawing, so that the two are in sync.
If Use Scene Material Definitions is on at the same time as Use Scene Material
Assignments on Reload, standard/architectural materials and material
assignments are left unchanged.
If Use Scene Material Definitions is off while Use Scene Material Assignments
on Reload is on, only standard/architectural materials are retranslated. Any
material assignments and Face Material IDs are left unchanged, so Multi/Sub
object materials are not retranslated but some sub-materials may have changed.
Selective Reload Lets you perform a partial reload of your linked file. Use a
partial reload when you know what has changed in the linked file, and want
to speed up the time it takes to reload the geometry.
The following options are available:
■

Selected in SceneReloads only the objects currently selected in your scene.

■

Selected in ListReloads only the objects that you choose from a named list.
This list is defined by clicking Linked Objects.

Linked Objects Allows you to reload only objects that you choose from a
named list. The list is created from the objects linked in the file. When you
click Linked Objects, the Select Linked Object dialog on page 8047 is displayed.

Spline Rendering File Link Settings

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Reload a linked DWG/DXF

File Link Manager | 8041

file with Show Reload turned on. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤
Spline Rendering panel

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Select an existing DWG/DXF
preset and click Modify. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Spline
Rendering panel

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Create a new DWG/DXF
preset. ➤ Select the newly created preset and click Modify ➤ File Link
Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Spline Rendering panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Reload a linked
DWG/DXF file with Show Reload turned on. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files
dialog ➤ Spline Rendering panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Highlight an
existing DWG/DXF preset and click Modify. ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files
dialog ➤ Spline Rendering panel

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Presets panel ➤ Create a new
DWG/DXF preset. ➤ Highlight the newly created preset and click Modify
➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Spline Rendering panel
The Spline Rendering panel of the File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on
page 8028 controls how shapes will appear in the scene once the DWG or DXF
file is linked. You can control the appearance of the shape, its smoothing,
mapping coordinates and if they can be rendered.

8042 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Interface

The controls on this panel are identical in name and operation to those found
on the Rendering rollout on page 514 for splines. The values of these settings
are set for all imported shapes. Once the import is complete, you can change
the settings as necessary for each object.
Enable in Renderer When on, the shape is rendered as a 3D mesh using the
Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Enable in Viewport When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D
mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer.
Use Viewport settings Lets you set different rendering parameters, and displays
the mesh generated by the Viewport settings. Available only when Enable In
Viewport is on.
Generate Mapping Coords Turn this on to apply mapping coordinates.
Default=off.

File Link Manager | 8043

3ds Max generates the mapping coordinates in the U and V dimensions. The
U coordinate wraps once around the spline; the V coordinate is mapped once
along its length. Tiling is achieved using the Tiling parameters in the applied
material. For more information, see Mapping Coordinates on page 6005.
Real-World Map Size Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped
materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by
the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material's Coordinates
rollout on page 6622. Default=on.
Auto Smooth If Auto Smooth is turned on, the spline is auto-smoothed using
the threshold specified by the Threshold setting below it. Auto Smooth sets
the smoothing based on the angle between spline segments. Any two adjacent
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.
Threshold Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline
segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is
less than the threshold angle.
Viewport Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display in the viewport when Enable in Viewport is turned on.
Renderer Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the
shape as it will display when rendered or viewed in the viewport when Enable
in Viewport is turned on.
Radial Displays the 3D mesh as a cylindrical object.
Thickness Specifies the diameter of the viewport or rendered spline mesh.
Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 9999.0.

Splines rendered at thickness of 1.0 and 5.0, respectively

8044 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Sides Sets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport
or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross-section.
Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if the spline mesh has a square cross section you can
use Angle to position a "flat" side down.
Rectangular Displays the spline's mesh shape as a rectangle.
Length Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis.
Width Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.
Angle Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or
renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use Angle
to position a "flat" side down.
Aspect Sets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check box
lets you lock the aspect ratio. When Lock is turned on, Width is locked to
Length that results in a constant ratio of Width to Length.

Select Layers Dialog

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Attach panel ➤ Choose a DWG/DXF file.
➤ Select Layers To Include button

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link Manager
➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Highlight a DWG/DXF file.
➤ Reload button ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Advanced panel
➤ Select Layers To Include button

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Attach panel ➤ Choose a DWG/DXF
file. ➤ Select Layers To Include button

File Link Manager | 8045

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Highlight a DWG/DXF
file. ➤ Reload button ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Advanced
panel ➤ Select Layers To Include button
This dialog lets you toggle a DWG file layer's include/exclude status and choose
other options, as described in this topic.
NOTE You toggle the include/exclude status of a layer by clicking anywhere on
a row in the list of layers. The dialog lists included layers with a check mark to the
left of the layer name. This list of included layers is retained for subsequent reloads
of the linked file. For informational purposes, the property icons display the state
of the layers' properties, but you can't change their status in this dialog.

Differences Between Layers and Blocks in AutoCAD and 3ds Max
AutoCAD has special handling for objects in the block definition that are
associated with layer 0. When a block contains objects on layer 0, and those
objects have a color property of "ByLayer" or "ByBlock", the color of the object
is determined either by the color of the block or by the layer assigned to the
block reference on page 9109 in AutoCAD. When blocks are nested, this color
system can get complex.
See also:
■

Layer Properties Dialog on page 8548

8046 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Interface

Skip all frozen layers Excludes all layers frozen in the linked file. All active
files are included.
Select from list Lets you select individual active layers to include/exclude. A
check mark beside the layer name indicates the layer is selected.
All Includes all layers in the linked file by selecting all of them. You can then
deselect just the layers you want to exclude.
None Excludes all layers in the linked file by deselecting all of them. You can
then select just the layers you want to include from importing.
Invert Reverses the current selection of layers in the linked file.

Select Linked Objects Dialog

Application Menu on page 8579 ➤ References ➤ File Link ➤ File
Link Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Highlight a

File Link Manager | 8047

DWG/DXF file. ➤ Reload button ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤
Advanced panel ➤ Turn on Selective Reload. ➤ Linked Objects

Utilities panel ➤ Utilities rollout ➤ More button ➤ File Link
Manager ➤ File Link Manager dialog ➤ Files panel ➤ Highlight a DWG/DXF
file. ➤ Reload button ➤ File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog ➤ Advanced
panel ➤ Turn on Selective Reload. ➤ Linked Objects
The Select Linked Objects dialog displays the linked objects associated with
the selected linked file, including VIZBlocks on page 9344, lights, and cameras.
You use this dialog when reloading a linked file so that you can include/exclude
specific objects from the reloading process. You might want to do this in order
to reload only the objects that have changed.

Interface

List of Objects Lists the VIZBlocks, cameras, and lights associated with the
selected linked file. A check mark beside the object name indicates the object
is selected; an X mark indicates the object is deselected.

8048 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

All Selects all linked objects in the linked file. You can then deselect specific
linked objects by clicking their rows.
None Deselects all linked objects in the linked file. You can then select specific
linked objects by clicking their rows.
Invert Reverses the current selection of linked objects in the linked file.

Resolve External Reference File Dialog
The Resolve External Reference File dialog is displayed when 3ds Max can't
find the externally referenced files it needs in an attached DWG file.
See also:
■

File Link Tips on page 8056

Interface

Xref Stored File Name Displays the external reference path stored in the
attached drawing.
Referenced by Displays the path of the attached drawing.

File Link Manager | 8049

As Block Name Displays the name of the block reference in the attached
drawing. The block name is usually the same as the xref name, but it can be
different.
File Name for File Link When 3ds Max can't locate the linked file, use this
field to enter another path and file name. 3ds Max verifies that the file exists
at that location and reports its status in the lower left of the dialog.
Browse Lets you use the file system to find another file for the link. Choosing
a file this way enters file path and name in the File Name For File Link field.

All Xref Files group
Controls whether and how 3ds Max resolves external references from File
Link.
Prompt Only if File Cannot be Found Searches for the externally referenced
file and all unresolved external references from File Link in the attached
drawing by using the stored file name in the locations listed in this dialog
and in the order they appear.
Do Not Resolve any Xrefs Doesn't resolve this externally referenced file or
any other unresolved external references from File Link in the attached
drawing. However, any external references from File Link resolved before you
turn on Do Not Resolve Any Xrefs will still be resolved.

_____
OK Resolves this externally referenced file.
Don't Resolve This File Doesn't resolve this externally referenced file, but
will prompt for any other external references from File Link to resolve.

Using File Link with DWG (or DXF) Files
Data synchronization between DWG/DXF files created with AutoCAD,
AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit and 3ds Max is implemented using the File
Link Manager, which keeps drawing data linked to the scenes.
See also:
■

Resetting Transforms on Linked AutoCAD Objects on page 8064

8050 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Working with DWG Files
You can attach any DWG file on page 9140 (or DXF file on page 9140) with the
File Link Manager on page 8014. This feature allows you to work in another
®
®
design software's environment, such as AutoCAD , Autodesk AutoCAD
®
Architecture, or Autodesk Revit while maintaining a single design database.
NOTE For this section, the term “drawing” refers to DWG or DXF files created
with AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture, or exported from Revit.

Creating Links to Files
You can establish, reload, and detach links to any number of linked files. You
can also edit out unnecessary information by using layers and other filters.
The File Link Manager defines which geometry is included in the scene from
the linked file, how the geometry is organized, and when it's regenerated. You
can also create links to files using the drag and drop feature. The objects that
you bring in from linked files behave just like any other object created in 3ds
Max. You can scale, rotate, and move them as well as attach modifiers and
materials.
When 3ds Max stores linked file data, you'll need to decide how the objects
from the linked files will be organized in the scene. For example, drawings
are commonly organized by layers, blocks, and objects, and 3ds Max scenes
are organized by hierarchies of objects. For translating between systems, 3ds
Max includes object types called VIZBlocks on page 9344 and Block/Style Parents
on page 9110.

Working with VIZBlocks and Block/Style Parents
A VIZBlock and a Block/Style Parent is like a nested block; it has an
object/sub-object or parent/child hierarchy structure. In many cases, linked
drawing data initially appears as a VIZBlock or Block/Style Parent (depending
on the Derive AutoCAD Primitives By options on page 8036 you choose). Using
VIZBlocks is helpful when you're working with layering and color schemes.
You can create multiple links to the same linked file, so you can use the same
geometry in different combinations.

Dynamic Blocks in 3ds Max
Dynamic Blocks give blocks flexibility and intelligence. A dynamic block
reference can easily be changed in a drawing while you work. You can
manipulate the geometry through custom grips or custom properties.

File Link Manager | 8051

The File Link Manager handles dynamic blocks much the same way as any
other block found in a DWG file. Dynamic block instances, even those that
have been grip-edited, display certain types of instance behavior such as
material propagation. For more detailed information about dynamic block
handling in 3ds Max, see Blocks on page 8088.

Reloading, Binding and Detaching Links to Files
You can also reload or detach linked files. When you reload a linked file, any
changes you've made to the linked file are applied to the reloaded geometry
in your scene. Note, however, that 3ds Max won't edit or change your original
linked file. The integrity of your other software's design database is never
compromised by the File Link Manager. Finally, if you decide to break a link
to a linked file, there are two options. You can use Bind to keep the objects
from the linked file in your scene, or you can use Detach to have them removed
along with the link. For more information, see File Link Tips on page 8056.
NOTE Both Detach and Bind are available from the Files panel of the File Link
Manager.

ObjectDBX Objects
3ds Max supports the display and use of custom AutoCAD objects. These
®
custom objects are created using the ObjectDBX™ or ObjectARX APIs.
Applications and products that work with either of these APIs can read and
write to AutoCAD drawings, and ObjectARX products can extend the available
feature set of AutoCAD.
NOTE To improve file performance, some of the ObjectDBX rules have been
updated. This means that some DXF files, ones built by non-Autodesk products
or very old DXF files, may no longer import or file link into 3ds Max.

Object Enablers
AutoCAD and AutoCAD vertical applications, such as AutoCAD Architecture
(formerly Architectural Desktop or ADT), have custom objects that are unique
to the product. In order to view them in 3ds Max, you need the appropriate
Object Enabler (OE). Object Enablers let you access, display, and manipulate
these objects in 3ds Max, as well as the other vertical applications, including
3ds Max.
When you use the File Link Manager to Attach a DWG file to your scene, you
may encounter a Proxy Objects Detected dialog. This means there are custom
objects in the drawing that require special Object Enablers before you can edit
the objects in 3ds Max.

8052 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Do not show this message again Check this option to not display this message
the next time proxy objects are detected.
For a list of downloadable OEs, see the Autodesk Web site
NOTE Drawings that are exported from Revit do not require Object Enablers.

Support of Multiple Materials on Linked ACIS Solids
3ds Max supports multiple materials per object in DWG files exported as ACIS
solids from Revit Architecture/Structure/MEP 2008 and later, as well as solid
primitives created in AutoCAD Architecture 2008 (formerly ADT) and later.
Linked solids can have Multi/Sub-Object materials on page 6542 that you can
view and manipulate in the Material Editor.

Process
When 3ds Max links a ACIS solid DWG file from AutoCAD or Revit
Architecture (version 2008 and later) with either the Layer, Blocks as Node
Hierarchy, Split by Material” or the Entity, Blocks as Node Hierarchy derivation

File Link Manager | 8053

methods, multiple material IDs are read and editable as Multi/Sub-Object
materials in the Material Editor.
3ds Max reads each face of a linked ACIS solid to determine if it contains any
material IDs that it can read. If more than one material ID is read from a solid,
each material ID is translated to a material ID on file link and re-assigned to
the object.
3ds Max creates Multi/Sub-Object materials only if more than one material
ID is found; if an ACIS solid contains only one material ID, a standard
architectural material is created and assigned instead.
NOTE 3ds Max first evaluates the linked file to find any Revit material IDs, and
then looks for AutoCAD material IDs.
NOTE If you link a DWG file with the Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy, Split by
Materials” derivation method, the solid is not split to reflect its materials set.

Multi/Sub-Object Material Naming
3ds Max creates a Multi/Sub-Object material for every translated per face
material ID each time you link a DWG file that contains an AutoCAD/Revit
solid.
When 3ds Max finds multiple materials assigned to an ACIS solid and creates
a Multi/Sub-Object material, it consists of instances of standard architectural
scene materials.

Naming Conflicts
Material IDs are unique within one DWG file. However, the same material ID
can appear in two different files, such as Basic Wall: Generic – 12” Masonry.
If a naming conflict arises when two scenes are merged, 3ds Max applies the
last loaded material used in the Multi/Sub-Object material.
For example, if file1.dwg and file2.dwg both contain a material named Brick,
and they are both linked, the Brick material used is the one from the second
file (file2.dwg).
Or, if file1.dwg contains a material named Brick that is internally stored as
material ID 222 and file2.dwg contains a different material stored as ID 222,
the material used in the scene when they are linked is file2.dwg’s material.
If two solids share the same material ID, they will share the same
Multi/Sub-Object material.

8054 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Non-AutoCAD Materials
3ds Max does not link non-AutoCAD material IDs. The only non-AutoCAD
Architecture IDs it preserves are the Color IDs.

ACIS Solids
DWG ACIS solids link as solid objects in 3ds Max. You cannot separate faces
of an ACIS solid object unless you apply the Edit Poly on page 1274 or Edit Mesh
on page 1263 modifier.
TIP You can access the material ID value assigned to this face with the Edit Poly
modifier.

ACIS Solids and Materials
ACIS solid materials display in the Material Editor along with any other linked
material.
When you apply a bitmap material to an ACIS solid, it is applied to every side
of the object. For example, a brick bitmap material that you apply to a wall
object appears on both sides and all edges of the wall. If you want to apply a
material to each face ID, you can use a multi/sub object material so you can
assign sub-materials to each face ID.
When you link ACIS solids into 3ds Max, procedural textures are not supported,
only materials. For example, a brick wall in Revit may have mortar lines
procedurally drawn on it in red, but if the object is an ACIS solid, the mortar
lines, which are procedural hatches, are lost in 3ds Max.
When an ACIS object’s materials display as Multi/Sub-Object materials in the
Material Editor, each material name appears in the Material/Map Browser, for
example, Default wall or Basic Wall: Generic – 12” Masonry.

Polymesh
Polymesh DWGs link as polymesh geometry in 3ds Max. Unlike ACIS solids,
you can modify and edit any polymesh object’s face.

Polymesh Objects and Materials
When you link a polymesh DWG file, each polymesh face is considered as a
separate entity, with one material permitted per entity, which allows it to
contain multiple materials
You can apply a bitmap material to the different faces of polymesh geometry,
unlike ACIS solids, where you would need to use a Multi/Sub-Object material

File Link Manager | 8055

to create the same effect. For example, you can select the outside face of wall
and apply a brick bitmap material and also apply a diffuse material on the
inside wall to simulate white paint.
When you link a polymesh DWG file, every material used in the scene appears
in the Material Editor as a separate material where you can edit it.
When a polymesh object’s materials are shown in the Material Editor, each
material name appears in the Material/Map Browser, for example, Default wall
or Basic Wall: Generic – 12” Masonry.

File Link Tips
This topic offers some tips for choosing File Linking options and avoiding
common pitfalls.

Linked Data and Face-Normal Conventions
Face normals on page 9237 can be a source of confusion when linking to
AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit drawing files. In 3ds Max, every
face has a front and a back, corresponding to the inside or outside surface of
a solid object. In a cube, for example, there is seldom the need to view the
inside surface of any of the six squares that make up the cube. So for many
viewing and rendering operations, 3ds Max ignores a face if it's facing away
(that is, if its face normal is directed away) from a point of view.
When you create objects in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit, 3ds
Max generally understands which way faces should be oriented and manages
face normals accordingly. However, occasionally you may encounter linked
drawing geometry that displays correctly in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture,
or Revit, but doesn't strictly respect face-normal conventions. This can make
it appear as though elements visible in the drawing file are missing or appear
“inside-out” in 3ds Max.
If this happens, try one of these four options:
■

During file link or import of the DWG file, turn on the Unify Normals
switch in either the Basic panel of the File Link Settings dialog or the
Geometry Options group of the AutoCAD DWG/DXF Import Options
dialog.

■

If the drawing is already linked or imported, assign a Normal modifier on
page 1497 to the object that is not displaying properly. Turn on the Unify
Normals switch to force all the normals to face the same direction. If the
object then appears to be “inside-out,” turn on the Flip Normals switch as
well.

8056 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

■

To render the faces correctly, turn on the Render Setup dialog on page 6956
➤ Force 2-Sided switch. Also, to display the faces correctly in the
viewports, turn on Viewport Configuration dialog ➤ Rendering Method
panel on page 8963 ➤ Force 2-Sided.

■

Apply a material with the 2–Sided switch turned on.

NOTE Using the Force 2–Sided options can result in slower performance,
particularly when rendering. Using either of the Unify Normals options is the
preferred method of handling face normals.
If you experience a high volume of face normal problems in a particular file,
verify that the File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog on page 8028 ➤ Weld switch
is on, and then reload the drawing. Weld forces nearby faces to share edges
and vertices. Welding can still result in groups of face normals that are flipped
in 3ds Max, in which case, turn on Unify Normals as well.
NOTE The disadvantage of welding is that it can be time-consuming when you
attach and reload the linked file. The time penalty is much greater when 3ds Max
is creating objects that have very large numbers of individual faces.

Linking Files with High Numbers of Linear Line Segments
Two-dimensional elements in drawing files, such as lines, polylines, circles,
and arcs, are represented as splines in 3ds Max. These splines carry much more
information at each vertex than typical AutoCAD 2D structures. Since some
drawing files contain large quantities of 2D data, exercise caution when linking
files containing a high number of discrete line segments. There are two ways
these elements can be left out of your 3ds Max scene:
■

by freezing their layers in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit before
you start 3ds Max and before each subsequent reloading process.

■

by excluding specific layers during the File Link Attach/Reload process or
Import process so you do not have to freeze layers in the drawing. This is
the preferred workflow.

If you need this type of 2D geometry in your visualization, try to use polylines
instead of connected lines to get cleaner geometry in 3ds Max and to reduce
the final size of your scene.

File Link Manager | 8057

Linked 3D Solids Objects
3D Solids objects that you link from a drawing file into 3ds Max are tessellated;
that is, turned into mesh objects with faces. The fineness of the tessellation
is controlled by the Maximum Surface Deviation For 3D Solids setting on page
8033 on the File Link Settings: DWG Files dialog. A high value results in coarser
tessellation. 3ds Max uses less memory in the scene, but poor approximations
of curved surfaces could result. For acceptable performance, keep this value
as high as possible.
TIP You can change the value of the Surface Deviation For 3D Solids control at
any time by turning on Show Reload Options on page 8022 on the Files panel of
the File Link Manager dialog, and then adjusting when you reload the file.

Linked Spline Objects
Splines are not rendered in 3ds Max unless they have rendering parameters
applied. Normally, you have to collapse a shape to an editable spline object
in order to apply rendering parameters; however, this is not possible with
spline objects from AutoCAD.
Instead, you can apply a Renderable Spline modifier on page 1595 to the spline.
This lets you set rendering properties without having to collapse to an editable
spline.

External References and Block Names
A linked AutoCAD or AutoCAD Architecture drawing can include xrefs that
reference files but use the same block names. 3ds Max keeps the blocks distinct
by prepending xref names to block names.
In Revit, a DWG, DXF or RVT file can be linked to the project. This kind of
link is called a RVT Link on page 9285. When the project is exported to a DWG
file, this type of link is represented in the exported drawing as an external
referenced drawing. In this case, more than one drawing file may be created,
with one referencing the other(s).

Circular References
An xref file that contains a sequence of nested references that refers back to
the xref file is considered a circular reference. 3ds Max resolves xrefs until it
detects a circular reference. For example, if you have the circular reference
A|B|C|A, 3ds Max detects and breaks the circularity between C and A. This is
consistent with the way AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture handle circular
xref dependencies.

8058 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Overlay External References
3ds Max treats overlay xrefs in the same way as AutoCAD when resolving
xrefs.
For more information regarding overlay xrefs, refer to your AutoCAD User
Reference.

Cloning Actively Linked Objects
If you want to clone actively linked objects, you should only use the Copy
option. Creating references or instances of actively linked objects is not
recommended, as reliability issues can arise when the instanced or referenced
object is deleted in the linked file.
When you copy actively linked objects, linked through the File Link Manager
on page 8014, the copies are automatically converted to editable mesh or editable
spline objects. If your selection contains several objects which instance another
object, the resulting copies also instance the same object.

Compound Objects Containing Actively Linked Objects
If you use an actively linked object as part of a compound object, you should
always choose Copy when you specify how the linked object is transferred to
the compound object. Choosing Reference or Instance can cause instability
in 3ds Max.

Attaching Actively Linked Objects to an Editable Mesh, Poly, Patch, or Spline
Object
Actively linked objects should not be attached to editable objects, as this
introduces instability to 3ds Max. Instead, make a copy of the actively linked
object, and attach the clone to the editable object.

Creating Hierarchies with Actively Linked Objects
Creating parent-child links between actively linked objects AND 3ds Max
objects can cause unpredictable results. For this reason, 3ds Max does not
allow you to link an actively linked object to a 3ds Max object. However, you
can link a 3ds Max object to an actively linked object.
The existing hierarchies of linked objects cannot be broken in 3ds Max. This
would compromise the structure of Blocks and Styles. Any changes must be
made in the original DWG file.
Similarly, actively linked objects cannot be included in the creation of Group
on page 7924 or Assembly on page 7929 objects in 3ds Max.

File Link Manager | 8059

Controller Assignments
Actively linked objects should not be included in any IK animation chains,
as they will cause unpredictable results. Likewise, animation controllers should
not be applied to actively linked objects.
Assignments to avoid include:
■

HI IK Solver on page 3715

■

IK Limb Solver on page 3766

■

Spline IK Solver on page 3767

■

HD IK Solver on page 3744

■

Inherit Link Info on page 3825

■

Link Inheritance Utility on page 3695

■

Assign Controller on page 3930

Interpreting Layer Data from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture,
and Revit
3ds Max has its own Layer system that looks and operates like a simplified
version of the system you are familiar with from AutoCAD or AutoCAD
Architecture. As in AutoCAD or AutoCAD Architecture, you can hide and
unhide layers, freeze and unfreeze them, and change the display color for all
objects on the layer.
NOTE Categories in your Revit project are similar to Layers in AutoCAD. When
you export your project to a DWG, categories are mapped to AutoCAD Layers via
the Export Layers table. For more information regarding Export Layers, refer to
your Autodesk Revit Help file.
Layer operations are accessed through the tools on the Layers toolbar, and
also on an object-by-object basis using the quad menu on page 8640.
Unlinked objects, such as 3ds Max objects or drawing geometry that has been
bound into the scene using the Bind command, may be assigned to any layer
you choose, including layers created by the File Link Manager.
Linked objects from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit, with some
minor exceptions, will be assigned to the same layers they occupy in program
where the drawing was created.

8060 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Any changes made to the layer settings in 3ds Max (hidden/unhidden,
frozen/unfrozen, display color) affect linked objects just as they do unlinked
objects. Also, any changes you make to the layers are not reset when you reload
the drawing.
You can rename layers created by the File Link Manager. When the next reload
occurs, the renamed layer is not affected by the File Link Manager. Objects
on the renamed layer are updated; however, they remain on the same layer.
The original layer is only recreated when a new object has been created in the
DWG file. New objects are never placed on the renamed layer. You can also
delete layers imported by the File Link Manager on page 8014; but only if they
don't contain any objects.
You can move actively linked objects between layers in 3ds Max. When the
next reload occurs, the objects are updated; however, they are not moved back
to their original layers. You can also place non-linked objects, such as 3ds Max
objects or drawing geometry that has been bound into the scene, on any of
the imported layers.
Objects contained in layers that are frozen in AutoCAD or AutoCAD
Architecture are not linked to 3ds Max. Objects that were originally linked to
3ds Max are removed if their layer is frozen in AutoCAD or AutoCAD
Architecture and the link is reloaded, but they are added again, upon reload,
after their layer is unfrozen in the program where the drawing is created.
NOTE This is only the case if Skip All Frozen Layers is active on the Select Layers
dialog on page 8045. If you select the layers individually from a list, you can bring
in data on frozen layers.
See also:
■

Using Layers to Organize a Scene on page 8534

Scale Synchronization
3ds Max automatically manages the scale conversion on linked geometry and
materials. 3ds Max has its own system unit for internal representation of
geometrical scale.
If you find that any geometry is not shown at the size you intended it to be,
it is because it was created at the improper scale in the originating program.
See also:
■

Using Units on page 2810

File Link Manager | 8061

Working with AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit Files
3ds Max produces rich visualizations based on your drawing design data. In
order to produce high-quality visualizations, you need to add and adjust many
design variables that affect the visual impact of your design, but don't really
belong in your core AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit data. You might
want to test your design under different lighting conditions, experiment with
different texture and material effects, animate components, or move through
a space. 3ds Max allows you to enhance your design with this “extra” data
while maintaining the integrity of the underlying AutoCAD, AutoCAD
Architecture, or Revit design.

Using the File Link Manager on page 8014, 3ds Max maintains a live data link
to AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or drawings exported from Revit that
allows you to use the linked object data in your 3ds Max scene. You can
perform various operations on this linked data in 3ds Max for visualization
purposes, but nothing you do in 3ds Max will change the base data you see
in the source application. The data link allows you to periodically refresh your
3ds Max scene with revised drawing data.
If a live data link is not important to you, the DWG/DXF Import functionality
processes drawings, exported from Revit, in the same intelligent way as the
File Link Manager. You just don't have the benefit of the live data link.

8062 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

See also:
■

Using Layers to Organize a Scene on page 8534

■

Using File Link with DWG (or DXF) Files on page 8050

■

Interpreting Layer Data from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit
on page 8060

AutoCAD Geometry in 3ds Max
The basis of your model in 3ds Max is the geometry of the objects, blocks,
and other entities that are transferred through the file linking functionality.
In many cases, these objects behave just like the editable meshes and splines
you create in 3ds Max. But because the link to the source drawing plays such
a central role in your workflow, 3ds Max has special rules and tools for
handling linked AutoCAD geometry.
When you are working with linked objects and blocks from AutoCAD, you
will find that these are composed as groups of related objects in 3ds Max.
These groups are organized hierarchically below a 3ds Max VIZBlock object.
VIZBlocks are special objects created by the file linking functionality that are
used to contain other file linked objects in a group. VIZBlocks don't contain
any geometry directly, so for example it is meaningless to apply modifiers to
them. However, they do reference the components below them so that
transforms applied to a VIZBlock will be applied to all the component objects
it contains.
See also:
■

Styles on page 8094

■

Instanced Objects on page 8087

■

Blocks on page 8088

AutoCAD Entities and Blocks in 3ds Max
AutoCAD blocks in 3ds Max are treated similarly to AutoCAD objects, though
the rules for propagation of transforms are slightly different to mirror the
behavior of blocks in AutoCAD.

File Link Manager | 8063

As with AutoCAD objects, linked AutoCAD blocks, of any type, and externally
referenced drawings appear in 3ds Max as objects hierarchically grouped below
a VIZBlock to reflect the structure of the block or xref in AutoCAD.
When non-nested blocks, of any type, are linked to a scene, the naming for
the incoming block instances are based on the original block definition in the
form of Block: block_name where block_name is the actual name of the block
definition. For example, if you link a drawing containing a series of blocks
named office chair, their name will show as Block: office chair in 3ds Max.
Nested blocks in AutoCAD will be analogously nested in 3ds Max under nested
VIZBlocks. The grouping and naming follows the parent-child structure of xref
drawing name:block name:nested block name:entity.
NOTE Entities that lie on layer 0 of an AutoCAD block definition will appear as
Layer:0 in 3ds Max, even though they may appear to reside on a different layer
when they are inserted in AutoCAD.
With linked AutoCAD Architecture objects, material assignments to linked
AutoCAD blocks can propagate automatically to all other instances of those
block components in the 3ds Max scene, depending on how Propagate
Materials To Instances on page 6041 is set. Modifiers applied to block
components, however, propagate automatically to all other block instances,
regardless of how Propagate Materials To Instances is set.
If you transform (move, rotate, or scale) the top-level VIZBlock that contains
a block reference, all the components of that block will be transformed together
and no other VIZBlocks will be affected. If, however, you transform a block
component, including a nested VIZBlock, that transformation will automatically
propagate to all other instances of that block in the scene. This mirrors the
behavior of blocks in AutoCAD when reference-editing a block definition.
See also:
■

Blocks on page 8088

Resetting Transforms on Linked AutoCAD Objects
Select a linked AutoCAD object. ➤
rollout ➤ Reset Position

8064 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

Modify panel ➤ Linked Geometry

You can move, rotate, or scale linked AutoCAD objects in 3ds Max, and these
transformations will remain intact even after the linked AutoCAD drawing
has been reloaded. But you can choose to eliminate the transforms on an
object-by-object basis using the Reset Position function, available on the
Modifier panel.
NOTE The Reset Position functionality is only available for linked files. It is not
available when you Import a DWG file, or when you have bound a linked file.
Every linked AutoCAD object and component has a Reset Position function
associated with it. Clicking this button automatically resets all transformations
that have been applied to this object or component in 3ds Max, so that the
component resumes the location, rotation, and scale it held in the linked
AutoCAD drawing when it was last reloaded.
WARNING Transforms applied to block components are applied to all instances
of that component in all other linked block insertions in the 3ds Max scene.
Resetting the transformation of any instance will reset all of them.
To reset the transforms applied to a linked AutoCAD object:
1 Select a linked object in your scene.
2 On the Command panel, click the Modify tab to display the Modify
panel.
The name of the linked object appears at the top of the Modify panel,
and the modifiers that have been added to the object (if any) are shown
on the modifier stack.
3 At the bottom of the list of applied modifiers, click either Linked Geometry,
VIZBlock, or Block/Style Parent, whichever appears, if it is not already
highlighted.
A Linked Geometry rollout appears at the bottom of the Modify panel.
4 Click the Reset Position button
The linked object reverts back to its original location, rotation, and scale
in the linked AutoCAD drawing.
NOTE When Reset Position is applied to a linked object that has been animated
(in other words, has transform keys for different frames) only the transform for
frame 0 is reset.

File Link Manager | 8065

See also:
■

Using File Link with DWG (or DXF) Files on page 8050

Interface

Reset Position Resets the selected object's transforms to those of the original
AutoCAD object when the drawing was last reloaded.

Restrictions on Editing AutoCAD Geometry
Many operations that are allowed on mesh, spline, or shape objects in 3ds
Max are not allowed on linked AutoCAD geometry, and other operations
behave differently.
The following operations are not allowed on linked geometry:
■

Deletion

■

Altering the parent-child hierarchy

■

Collapsing the linked geometry into an editable mesh or an editable spline

If you must perform any of these operations, you must either do them in
AutoCAD or else bind the drawing data to 3ds Max, which breaks the link
back to AutoCAD.

Applying Modifiers to Linked AutoCAD Geometry
You can apply modifiers to linked AutoCAD geometry and these modifiers
will persist when you reload the geometry. This can be a very powerful way
to intelligently manage your design intent, but it can also lead to some
unexpected results, especially when using topology-dependent modifiers.
“Topology-dependent” simply means that the modifier is relying on the
particular arrangement and number of faces and vertices that comprise the
mesh representation of the object. It is common, for example, for the modifier
to cause an action to be performed on the nth element it encounters, say the
“twelfth” face or the “fourth through the twentieth” vertex. It is easy to

8066 | Chapter 21 Managing Scenes and Projects

perform edits on the base object in AutoCAD that would cause the definition
of the nth element to change, which would result in the modifier yielding
unexpected results when the drawing is reloaded in 3ds Max.
Not all modifiers are topology-dependent. When you attempt to use a
topology-dependent modifier on linked AutoCAD geometry, a warning dialog
is displayed that gives you an opportunity to continue or abort the operation.
When you use modifiers on linked AutoCAD objects and blocks, remember
that the VIZBlock object you see in 3ds Max does not contain any geometry
directly; applying modifiers to VIZBlocks will never have any visible effect.
Instead, apply modifiers to the component objects below the VIZBlock in the
3ds Max object hierarchy.

Copying Actively Linked Objects
You can copy actively linked objects in 3ds Max; the copies are automatically
converted to editable mesh objects. If your selection contains several objects
that instance another object, the resulting copies also instance the same object.
However, it is recommended that you do not instance or reference actively
linked objects, as this can introduce instability to the scene.
See also:
■

Using Modifiers on page 978

AutoCAD Architecture Files
DWG files from AutoCAD Architecture (formerly Architectural Desktop or
ADT) often contain additional information, such as special objects, material
definitions, and styles. 3ds Max is thoroughly compatible with AutoCAD
Architecture, and it recognizes all of these specialized objects and definitions
during the file link process.

AutoCAD Architecture Objects in 3ds Max
Each instance of an AutoCAD Architecture (formerly Architectural Desktop
or ADT) object is represented by multiple objects in 3ds Max. Whenever the
file link process detects a useful distinction between elements of an AutoCAD
Architecture object, it automatically separates, names, and groups the elements
in 3ds Max to make them easier to work with.

File Link Manager | 8067

The new objects created in 3ds Max through file linking are grouped together
hierarchically below a special object called a VIZBlock, allowing you to deal
with individual objects in the hierarchy or with all of them as a group. You
can view this hierarchy, but you cannot change it in 3ds Max. You can only
change the hierarchy indirectly by editing the objects in AutoCAD Architecture,
and then reloading them into 3ds Max using the File Link Manager on page
8014.

Criteria for Subdividing AutoCAD Architecture Objects
The File Link Manager divides an AutoCAD Architecture object into multiple
objects in 3ds Max if it detects distinctions based on the following features:
■

Component name

■

Component subtype (for example, in sectioned bodies)

■

Layer

■

Material assignment

So, for example, if a window object in AutoCAD Architecture contained a
mullion component, but a portion of the component had a different material
assignment than the rest of it, the mullion component would appear as two
separate objects when linked into 3ds Max. The objects will be linked together
with all the other components of the window, but you could modify the
material properties of the two mullion objects separately. If you changed the
material assignments in AutoCAD Architecture so that the entire mullion
component only had one material assignment, then when you reloaded the
drawing in 3ds Max there would only be one mullion object present.
NOTE Material assignment and Layer are two of the properties used to separate
one component from another. When these are changed in the AutoCAD
Architecture drawing, new objects are created in 3ds Max, or geometry may move
from one object to another. In either case, some scene properties are changed,
such as assigned material or scene layer.
3ds Max organizes and names file linked objects to reflect their structure in
AutoCAD Architecture, using a parent-child hierarchy. The parent object will
be a VIZBlock named object class